ParaDuathlon National Champion
May 14, 2012
Yes that's right I've won at the 2012 USA ParaDuathlon National Championship!
I arrived in Tucson on Thursday morning to do a bit of business and connect with some friends. After spending most of that day and friday in coffee shops and the like I did a bit of pre race day work to keep the legs moving. Then it was off to my brothers for dinner and relax time before race day.
Usually you have to get up at an unholy hour to make it to the race, to get ready, to warm up, to race at 6:30 or 7am. However my start time wasn't until noon so I relaxed and kicked it around my brothers place till almost 9am before heading out.
At the race site I joined up with my lovely handler and fiancée and set up transition. Then it was time to warm up and get ready to race. By this time it was about 92 degrees out and the sun was really beating down. I elected to cut the warm up a bit short because of the heat. In retrospect I should have stuck with the plan.
The first run was pretty quick. I stayed with the leaders for the first kilometer then let them go a bit knowing that I could make up at least 30 seconds on the bike. This run hurt a bit and I think that I could have been a bit quicker if I had warmed up better. Transition went pretty well. There was a small miss communication with my handler and we may have lost a few seconds here.
The bike is generally my best leg which made the first 5k all the more frustrating. I just wasn't turning my legs over well and couldn't seem to generate power. For a bit I started to wonder if that was all that I'd have, doubting my fitness and training. This is where I really had to push through. Just like always I eventually find my legs. Then it was off to the races. I made up a ton of time on the leaders in the next 15k and headed into transition in first place.
After a quick transition I headed back out for run number two. This was by far the hardest part of the race. It was really heating up. The whole run I just kept repeating: push, push, quick fast steps, don't look back, push, over and over again. It was much better self talk then what was going on during the first half of the bike.
The good self talk paid off. All in all a good race and my first multisport event of the year. Now its time to focus on some top end speed to get ready for Austin in a few weeks.
Special thanks to Specialized Bikes, my fiancee, brother and sister-in-law, Ed Sholtz, Joan Hanson (mother-in-law to-be) and USAT for all the support this weekend.
Life events
April 27, 2012
The past few weeks have been pretty crazy for me. About a month ago I went to see the doctor about some knee pain. He thought I might have torn a ligament. I was sent in for an MRI and then for an arthrogram. Turns out that I don't have a ligament problem which is a huge relief but it impacted my training for a week.
The most significant event: I asked my lovely girlfriend to marry me. She said yes and we are getting married in early September! I'm pretty stoked. Since then life has been a whirlwind of planning, working and training.
My fiancee tells me that a lot of people have 9 months to a year to plan. We only have 5 so its a good thing she is super organized. After just 2 weeks we have a venue, color scheme, dj,
invitations, engagement photos, wedding menu, bridesmaid's dresses, photographer and more. Its pretty impressive to have accomplished so much is such a short time.
While the wedding planning has been heating up so has my training. I'm back riding the TT bike after training on a road bike for the winter. The first two weeks I spent working my flexibility and generating power in the aero position.
Travel, Training and Burned Down Pools
March 13, 2012
A few times in the last month I've traveled for work, and training while traveling is always tricky. Whether you're traveling for business or pleasure, finding time to train with a long day at a client site or seeing friends can be hard.
This last week I was in Richmond, VA for work. Every morning I needed to be at the client by 8:30. I would work till 5 or 6 then go back to the hotel to spend another two or three hours having meetings with people on the West Coast and catching up on work that needed to be done. By the time I was done for the day it was getting pretty late.
Trying to find training locations in a new city can be just as challenging. Finding a pool to swim at or a open track to run on is its own special hell. I've started to use Swim Radar's iPhone app to find pools. This is a huge help but you always want to call ahead first because many of the pools may not be open to the public or, as I experienced this summer, may have burned down. Yes, that's right, burned down. Don't ask me how that happens.
Finding a running track is always a huge pain. Most high schools and community colleges have them, but a lot of them are not open to the public. It seems like the only way to find out is go to the school and try to get on. I think asking forgiveness instead of permission is your best ally here. I don't jump 7 foot fences to get on but am not above hopping a 3 foot one.
What I've learned is that like everything else, you have to allocate more time than you think is necessary to get anything done.
Final thought: Try and not end up in a pool like this:
February Training
February 29, 2012
February is my birthday month which is awesome. People and parties and fun events with old friends and new ones. Maybe a special new one. It seams that after over a year of singleness I have found a girl friend. If I knew all I had to do was move to Phoenix I would have done so much sooner. A new relationship plus work plus training has kept me really busy. I was planning on being able to spend more time blogging and reporting what I've been up to but has time slipped away.
The last few weeks have been really rough. Training was going so well. I was hitting all my paces and training times. The sun was warm and nice. Much to the chagrin of my Portland, OR friends I was getting a righteous tan! Then struggle street….
Here is a brief breakdown of a tough two weeks of Joel vs the workout for key workouts.
Two weeks ago I had my first flat in over a year. I got it fixed pretty quickly and was back on the road. An hour later I got my second one. I only carry enough Co2 and tubes to repair 2 flats so I was starting to worry. 15 minutes later the third flat struck. Bike: 1, Joel: 0.
Later that week it was time for my first hard track workout of the season, Mile repeats. I pretty much rocked this one. Track: 0, Joel: 1.
The next day was a big swim set, about 1000 meters in my shoulder started to tweak and then catch a bit. Time to stop and let it recover. I've been working it pretty hard the last month. Pool: 1, Joel: 0.
Last weekend was another big bike set and I had another set of flats! It must be time for new tires. Bike: 2, Joel: 0
Finally last week was another set on the track, two by two miles. I went out too fast and ended up throwing up at the end of the first two miles. Needless to say the second two miles didn't go that well. Track: 1, Joel: 1
Here's the summary.
Bike: 2, Joel: 0
Track: 1, Joel: 1
Pool:1 Joel: 0
The weekend, however, went well! I swam like a fish and did a bunch of running. I'm in Richmond this week doing a ton more running so I should be beating the track next week!
Here's some gratuitous pictures of sun and training.
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| Look at that hair! |
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| Where I ride |
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| Where I run |
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| Cooling my coffee after a workout |
Training in the Portland, OR winter is not the easiest thing to do. It is cold and rainy, and it gets dark very early. With low circulation in my right hand, cold weather causes me a lot of pain when I’ve been out on the bike for more than an hour. Solution? Move to a warmer climate during the winter. Two years ago I was in Phoenix 5 days a week for about 3 months. During that time I learned all the training locations, made friends with the local athletes and had a blast. So I’ve moved back for a few months. I told my grandfather that I was becoming a snow bird and he queried (or you could say “said”), “Son aren’t you a little young for that?”
I’ve been in Phoenix for a few days and been enjoying the sun and warmer weather immensely. On Saturday Allan and Alison were in town for a Challenged Athletes Foundation swim clinic and they helped look at my swim stroke. I’m in the middle of a rather large swim block and have made some fairly major changes to my swim mechanics, swimming out doors in the sun versus inside is so, so much more enjoyable. I’m working on my tan and stroke at the same time.
I still have to take my first bike ride here in Phoenix. This year I’ll be racing on a Specialized Shiv TT. When I got the bike late last year it was like getting on a rocket ship. Super Super Fast! I’m still adjusting to the more aggressive positioning that Russell at Upper Echelon Fitness put me into. On longer rides its not super comfortable, however since I race short course triathlon its worth sacrificing a bit of long term comfort for a lot of speed. I love it!
Less than 7 mins from my winter house there are some great off-pavement trails for running. Monday afternoon I was up there for some light trail running. It’s a bit different running on trails in Arizona; everything is rocky and hard. This time of year in Oregon trails are pretty muddy and slick. I think I might miss that while I’m here.
From here on out this winter is all about consistency and staying injury free. I’m building towards USA ParaTriathlon National Championship in Austen, TX on May 28. Hoping to see the top of the podium again!
