Just one week after a hard fought battle at 70.3 Racine, I was back in action this weekend at the first ever Challenge New Albany 70.3 distance event just outside of Columbus, Ohio. Not only was this my first race with the Challenge Family, but it was also my first ever attempt at racing back-to-back 70.3's. Although there were no points for me to snatch up towards world ranking or championship qualification, the organizers are well known for treating their pro racers right and the $32,500 prize purse surely drew out the competition. Below is the recap from another jam-packed weekend of travel, racing and good times.
Although it took me a couple of days to fully recover from Racine, come Wednesday I was feeling mostly back to normal (thanks to a few painful ice baths and a much needed massage). By Friday, the legs were feeling spry once again and after a few workouts, Jillian and I hit the road for the 7 hour drive to Columbus.
Barely left the driveway and we're already busting out the Daffy Duck bandaids. Solid start.
After a relaxed Saturday morning watching the Commonwealth Games on Youtube and chowing down a hefty breakfast, we headed over to the race site for a short workout and a little course recon. Right as we pulled into the park and I got ready to hop in the water for a swim, we couldn't help but notice a group of about 50 individuals loudly singing on the beach... in Spanish. Last week it was a qunicinera, this week a baptism. Looks like I had found myself in another fiesta-style situation as the group simultaneously stared down the 6'4'' kid diving into the water clad in my now famous orange speedo. This has to be a sign of some sort, but I have NO idea what it is!
I feel like I'm being followed.
Sunday morning came bright and early as I got ready for the 6:30am start at the Alum Creek State Park. The course was set up in a point-to-point fashion where we swam in one location, hopped on the bikes, rode to a different location, transitioned to the run and then finished near the second transition- never returning back to where we started. So after some well-calculated planning and organizing, I got in my warm up and lined up on the beach, waiting for the national anthem and the 10-second count down.
Taller, skinnier, younger than the rest. Trying not to stand out too much.
As us pro's chatted on the edge of the water, waiting for some course instruction or even the national anthem to start playing, the announcer gave us a 3-2-1-GO!! And we were off, charging into the water, arms and legs flying in every direction- fighting for position right away.
I actually had a good start and found myself in the middle of the main fray as we rounded the first buoy. The water temperature was a toasty 76 degrees which meant no wetsuits for the professionals and that allowed a couple of the very strong swimmers to break off the front and drift off into the distance. Around the halfway point, I found myself sitting in the middle of the second group but noticed the pace seriously dropping. I did not want to loose any more time to the super swimmers so I took charge of the group, towing 7 athletes into the first transition and exiting the water in 11th place overall.
The first transition went fairly smooth as I threw off my swimskin and grabbed the bike. After a swift flying mount, I had a little trouble getting into my shoes for some reason which really slowed down my momentum and allowed the swimmers that were on my feet to pass and gain a few seconds on me. But after a hard effort on the first hill out of the park, I was right back into the mix.
Who doesn't like a nice geek-out on some bike data? Strava file HERE
The first 5 miles of the bike were flat, fast and furious as our group of about 8 athletes battled for front position with a strong northern tailwind. As we made the turn to head south towards the second transition (the majority of the bike course), I quickly noticed that we were not going to be in for a fast day with the wind in our face essentially the entire ride. Nevertheless, the tough conditions weeded out a few of the weaker cyclists and around mile 15, I found myself in a more select group of about 5 athletes still battling hard back and forth. At this point I noticed a little bit of calming in the intensity and knew it was time to make a move. Along with one other athlete, we broke away and the two of us rode hard the remainder of the ride through the rolling hills of rural Ohio. After picking up a few straggling riders throughout the back half of the bike, I came into the second transition in 7th place with 6th place right ahead.
Out on the run course
Although I really did not know how my run legs were going to respond after last weekend, I decided that I was going to lay it all on the line and see what happened. Right away, I put in a really hard first two miles to move into 6th place. But, that was quickly erased as one of the now 5 hard-charging runners behind passed me and started to gain a little bit of distance. His pace was strong and he was looking good but it was very early and I knew going into the red-zone with 10 miles to run was not a card I was interested in playing. So I kept it cool, held steady and what do you know... before the halfway mark I saw him on the side of the road with cramps. Good call Justin! Before starting the second lap, I was able to pass another fading runner and move my way into 5th place which gave me confidence as I headed out on my next loop. On the out and back section around the 8 mile mark I was able to once again take stock of my position and realized that that those fleet-footed pursuers were still hunting me down. I ran scared, I ran hard and I really pushed the pace- almost crumbling with 2 miles to go- but I held it together just long enough to scream past another athlete moving into 4th place and crossing the finish line completely exhausted but ecstatic with what I had just done out there.
The 4th place was one spot behind the all-famous Andy Starykowicz in addition to marking the highest professional finish of my career. The ice cream on the cake (neither of which I condone) was the $1500 prize purse that will ensure that my bank account says in the positive for a couple more weeks which is always a challenge for a first-year professional triathlete. If you haven't noticed, this is a tough way to make a living! But clearly, it's worth it.
I quickly turned that $1500 into $1470 with a Whole Food's lunch celebratory extravaganza and then Jillian and I started our drive back home. I want to give a HUGE shout out to my sister, Jillian, for being the best race-sherpa I could ask for. Not only was she incredibly helpful with her race spectating/ split giving/ photography duties but it was also great to spend a weekend together for some quality brother-sister bonding time before we both head back to school at the end of the summer.
This weekends team. A successful combination. We should repeat.
I also want to send a special thank you to two good friends and awesome dudes, Jeff K. and Brian J. who continue to ensure I am on the start line with everything I needed to be successful. Thanks a ton guys.
In my post race debrief with anyone who would listen, I was constantly telling people how I could make up time on the bike course simply by being incredibly aero and incredibly fast. Clearly that is 100% a product of being on the fastest bike-wheel combination on the market. Thanks to Sammy, Leslie and Flick at Sammy's Bikes for all your support.
It would not have been possible to put together 140.6 miles of hard racing in 7 days without the magic that the Wellness Revolution does to my body with chiropractic/ phisio/ massage work. Also a huge thanks to EGO for allowing me to get to the races and in a position where I can show these established pro's who the next kid on the block is.
Thankfully, I have a complete day off today to let the body recover but I am back at it tomorrow to prepare for my third 70.3 race in four weeks at 70.3 Steelhead on August 10th. It's a midwest event so hopefully, I will see some familiar faces out on course.
Thanks for tuning in and enjoy the rest of the summer. I sure am.
Justin
Just in case you missed the famous orange speedo pic ;)
This weekend I made the quick trip North across the Illinois-Wisconsin state border for the midsummer classic at Racine 70.3. Only 60 miles away, this was the only race on my season schedule where I felt like I had any sort of home-town advantage. Not only do I know the course like the back of my hand having raced it as an amateur in 2009 (time of 5:38:51) and 2011 (time of 4:53:10) but the fans drew in flocks to cheer me on which was incredible. Also, I know I said Eagleman was the most competitive field I have ever lined up against but if you can believe it, this one topped it (I suppose that's what happens when you offer up $50,000!) Here is the recap from the race that broke my consecutive top-10 streak but could still be argued as my best performance of the year.
Silky smooth legs= time to go fast
Let me start off by saying that although I love traveling, driving to a race is freaking awesome. No airport, no bike deconstruction, no food prep upon arrival made for a practically stress free pre-race build up. After a quick ride and run at home on Saturday morning, big-Stevie and I loaded the cooler with food and hit the road for the drive up to Racine. I dipped into the freezing cold water for a swim at the race site, hit up the pro meeting and then made my way over to the hotel. No complaints about the size of the room, the decor or even the lack of TV channels but my unfortunate selection landed us in a room directly above a ridiculously loud quincinera party where the live band left their hearts on the stage until midnight. Thankfully, I sleep like a brick no matter the distraction.
We could even creep on the party from our room! Hola amigos
A nice pre-made quinoa and almond butter breakfast awaited me when the alarm went off race morning. After driving over to the transition area and setting up my gear, I was able to take real stock of who was going to be on the starting line. Fastest runner in the sport, fastest biker in the sport, 2x World Champion, USA Ironman record holder, US national champion... Yep, the battle would be real.
Casually racking next to dudes I've idolized for years.
I went out for a nice warm up run and then met up with Dad at the swim start 1.2 miles down the beach where he was waiting with my gear. I threw on the wetsuit, "warmed up" in the 61.4 degree water (that was absolutely taken at the edge of the lake) and then lined up, waiting for the gun to go off.
Never a good time
At 7am sharp, the cannon fired and I dove into the water immediately sprinting to the first buoy. I did not have a great start which put me a few meters back but having been in that situation a number of times before, I was able to quickly work my way back into the game. By the halfway point, I had reached the main bunch of swimmers and stuck in there for the remainder of the effort. I exited the water in 14th position on the back of a large group that exited the water in 26:08.
I made good use of the long run from the beach to the transition area and picked off a few fellow swimmers. After reaching my bike, I seriously struggled with my wetsuit and then got out on the course, ready for a bumpy ride on the winter wrecked roads around Racine County.
How to not take off your wetsuit
I charged up the hill outside of transition and quickly realized that I was on the very end of an 11 man train riding the legal six bike lengths between each other. Although I was happy to be in the mix, my last place in line meant that if I wanted to pass one person in the group, I had to go past all 11 of the riders. So, instead of wasting a boat load of energy in one big pass, I played the patient game and let the race come to me. The first 15 miles were spent riding very hard as super-biker Jordan Rapp took the lead and the rest of us tried to match is pace. Although the effort was full-on right from the start, this served as a nice way to weed out the stragglers and establish smaller, more distinct groups of riders. Around the half way mark, I found myself in a group of 4 which quickly became 3 as we headed back towards town. This was a really different ride and just as hard (if not harder) than the previous 70.3's I have done this year. The gas was on full-throtle the entire way and there were a lot of hard surges that ensured I was not dropped from the group at any point. I ended up rolling into the transition area in 13th place with a 2:11:31 split. Check out the Strava file HERE.
Screaming down the hill into T2
Thankfully, the second transition went much more smoothly than the first as I threw on the shoes and got out on the run course ready for some more hard work.
I made my way out of transition and was immediately challenged by an Irishman that was part of that three man cycling group. He took off like a bat out of hell and cruised up the road like I was standing still. But going out hard and hanging on is not my style.... I stay calm and work my way into it- taking down anyone who struggles in the process. So, I let that eager runner take off and settled into my pace.
The early few miles felt a little stiff from the hard ride but I found a nice rhythm around the 5k mark and was able to feel better as the half marathon progressed. My steady and consistent run effort moved me up three places and I was able to pass that Irish runner around the halfway point. I crossed the line in 11th place with a personal best run of 1:17:44 and a personal best overall time, breaking the four hour mark for the first time with a 3:58:56. Strava file HERE.
Lots of pain in that final 5k, but well worth it!
I went into this race with the lofty goal of pulling out another top-10 finish but am not disappointed in the least bit with the performance I put out on the course. I gave the race my absolute best and that is all I can do on any given day. Although it would have been nice to keep the streak alive, I would consider this the best all around performance of my entire career giving me tons of confidence moving forward.
Huge thanks to my incredible support team who is there with me every step of the way on and off the course. Without you guys, being the youngest athlete on the start line at every race and crushing the dreams of my older competitors would not be possible. EGO, Sammy's Bikes, Precision Multisport, Xterra and the Wellness Revolution- you are the best.
Although I'm moving around like a senior citizen today, I'm taking all steps possible to recovery quickly and get ready for another half Ironman next weekend at Challenge New Albany in Ohio. I'm looking forward to having another crack and putting all of my hard work in training to good use.
Professional
triathlete Justin Metzler is set to race 70.3 Racine this weekend aboard his
EGO p/b Sammy’s Bikes team issued Cervelo P5-3. Here is a look at the trusty
stead that has propelled the young and talented American to an 8th
place finish at 70.3 Florida, a 5th place finish at Memphis in May
and a 10th place finish at 70.3 Eagleman in his first year as a pro.
And a sub-9 Zipp disc in the rear for the flat and fast Wisconsin roads
Metzler relies on a Stages power meter although he said he will primarily race by feel on Sunday
In action at Memphis in May Triathlon where Metzler took home 5th place
Justin and Sammy at Sammy's Bike Shop in St. Charles, Illinois
Look out for Justin on Sunday, he is bib number #26. He is also racing Challenge New Albany the following weekend and is on the start list for 70.3 Steelhead in early August.
