Let's Get the Ball Rolling

After a short off season blogging hiatus, I'M BACK! 2014 is right around the corner and thus, I owe my loyal fans and all triathlon aficionados a proper update. After a successful 2013 campaign, 2014 is looking rather bright and I have some lofty goals set out for myself. Here are the 8 pertinents about where I've been, what I've been up to and where I'm going the rest of the year.

#1: I am a pro now.  

So, if you haven't heard the news, I decided to take my professional racing license. Yes, for months I told people that I was going to wait and take it a little later on in my career, but after my performances at Oceanside and Rev3 Venice paired with some really strong training numbers, the time to step up has never felt more right. Toeing the line with Olympians and World Champ's will positively be a challenge, but I'm game to give them a run for their money.

It's all legit. 

#2: I've been training a lot. And really hard. 

Pro's train hard, it's their job and I'm just following suit. But, I've really been training super f'in hard. Like uncontrollably weeping on the trainer hard and not being able to do anything except sleep after training hard. You want numbers? Alright. 20,000-25,000 meters in the pool, 10-15 hours on the bike (all indoors so far) and 65-70 miles of running per week- and I'm not talking about that aerobic, zone 1-2 silly-business. We're talking about gut-renching intervals and efforts. Add in loads of strength work, stretching and foam rolling- you pretty much have my life.

#3: I'm still vegan and due to increasing levels of #2, I'm eating a lot of plants.

I've been on the plant-based diet for a while now and am still feeling great. I am consuming ungodly amounts of cabbage and broccoli but if you can believe it, I actually crave vegetables now after hard training. Don't be afraid to reach out if you are interested in learning more about how I eat 6000 calories of baby carrots.

Looks like I just proved that stereotype correct. 

#4: I'm also going to school, kind of. 

So here is the basic situation in terms of how I am going about getting my schoolin' in. I went to the University of Iowa for my first two years of undergrad. I decided to leave Iowa at the end of 2013 and came home for the year due to a number of reasons that included the financial relief of not paying out of state tuition, being able to live at home and having the ability to pay more close attention to my training. I am currently enrolled at a local college (taking a full load of classes- 17 semester hours) and picking up some general education/ elective courses at a fraction of the cost. I will be returning to Iowa in the Fall of 2014 to finish up my final year of school and will have a degree in Human Health and Physiology.

The kitchen table is now my desk, so Mom made me this sign. We agreed TrainingPeaks post-workout reports count as homework. 

#5: I have a race schedule!

April 5th- USAT Collegiate National Championship (Tempe, AZ)
April 13th- Florida 70.3 (Haines City, FL)
June 1st- Leon's Worlds Fastest Triathlon (Hammond, IN)
June 8th- Eagleman 70.3 (Cambridge, MD)
July 20th- Racine 70.3 (Racine, WI)
August 17th- Steelhead 70.3 (Benton Harbor, MI)
September 21st- Princeton 70.3 (Princeton, NJ)
November 9th- Rev3 Venice (Venice, FL)

This schedule is tentative but is a pretty good outline of where I plan to be this year. I may add a few Olympic distance races here and there but the focus will primarily be the 70.3 distance. Let me know if you will be at any of these, I would love to meet up.

#6: I am part of a new team. 

I am ecstatic to be part of the Ego p/b Sammy's Bikes Cycling and Triathlon team this year. We are a unique group of cat 1/2/3 cyclists and high performance triathletes looking to individually develop but more importantly, collaboratively dominate the world of endurance sports. The future is very bright with Ego p/b Sammy's.

#7: New partner: The Wellness Revolution

I am also excited to announce that I have partnered up with The Wellness Revolution in Evanston, IL. Tony Breitbach and his staff are the go-to team to help anybody achieve the results they are looking for whether that means pain relief or long-term wellness. You wouldn't skimp on an oil change for a high performance sports car!

#8: Existing partners: Xterra Wetsuits and Precision Multisport 

I will continue to wear the fastest wetsuits and swim skins on the market with Xterra and will be coached by Craig Strong at Precision Multisport. I'm happy to continue working with both Xterra and Precision.

As always, feel free to reach out to me with any questions about my life, training or racing. I am always happy to give advise/ council on training, coaching, racing, nutrition and all things triathlon.

See you at the races!
-Justin