Redemption

On Sunday I raced in the Buffalo Springs Ironman 70.3, located in Lubbock Texas.  The race is put together by Mike and Marti Greet, who have been running it for 23 years.  The race is a gem but don't be fooled, because it is not for the faint hearted.  Last year at this race I got owned by the course, and I ended up calling it a day at mile 4 of the run.  After having to take the 6 hour drive back to San Antonio alone last year, I vowed to come back in 2012 for REDEMPTION.

At Buffalo Springs, the rough hills and wind definitely make the bike and run courses more of a challenge, but the hardest obstacle for any athlete can be the heat.  For those of us who are aspiring to make it to Las Vegas or Kona, this can most definitely be a great training race, but sometimes at the end of the day the heat can be the biggest challenge on the course.  On a side note I would like to give a shout out to Martin Mudoon, who made the long trip from Ireland to compete in this years 2012 Buffalo Springs race.  Martin got an early birthday present when this race was over, as he will be competing at Kona this year and proudly representing Emerald Racing Team.  Congrats again Martin and all the other age group qualifiers!

For me the start of this year had not been going well, race wise and I was stuck in a rut. I needed a break and a starting point ot build on. My first starting point came at Kansas 70.3 two weeks earlier, when I had an average race performance, nothing went wrong and overall I raced my race. In the week that follwed I knew I was ready to step up my game and race to my fitness levels and training.  Luckily I have some amazing training partners and a superbly supportive wife to me strivign to reach my dreams, and perform to my capabilities.

On race day the weather was pretty good for a Texas summer sunday, high of 97 and a low of 73 (or 36/22 for my Irish readers).  The winds were low and the stage was perfectly set for a great day of racing.  At 6:30am the Pro field sprinted into the Buffalo Springs Lake, and the pace was hot from the gun.  I jumped straight in and started to form a group with some of the other guys.  I felt great in the water and I got out in 28:22.  I knew I was ready for the swim after I had a great swim set on Thursday, I was ready to swim sub 1:30 pace.  After a quick T1 I charged up the hill and got into a solid groove on the bike.  As I approached the first turn around (mile 17ish) I counted myself in 11th position and within striking distance of some guys ahead.  I pushed hard on the hills and I noticed I was still holding a fast pace when I rode into the headwind on the way back.  With a long way to go I wanted to remain patient on the bike, since last year I blew up in the last 18 miles (which is all into a head wind on dead roads).  As I climbed the famous spinal staircase I caught two more guys and was still feeling strong.  I kept thinking "maybe this year I won't have to suffer the last 18 miles", and that is exactly what happened.  As I was riding I started feeling better and with every guy I caught my confidence just kept growing.  Looking back now I can say that I had a more controlled ride, which I think ultimately helped my overall finish on the bike.  I ended up getting off the bike in 6th position and was told that the leader was 7-7:30 mins p the road.  As it turns out he was the fastest bike split of the day, his 2:10:55  to my 2:13:25.  To give a better perspective on the bike course, Chris Lieto holds the fastest bike split with a 2:08:04, and that man can ride a bike!

Out of T2 my legs felt good but I reminded myself of last year and just to stay in control.  At the 2 mile split I had 10:59 on my watch and had already passed two more guys.  I was feeling good but I knew the hills were coming in a mile, so I decided to chill and get ready to climb.  I could see that Joe Umphenour was just ahead and Michael Lovato, who I had passed in the last 5 miles on the bike, was chasing me down.  I set a goal not to push until I got to the turn around and could see where I was.  At the very least I knew I secure  Top 5 position.  Lovato came rolling by me at mile 5 and set off for the other guys.  I knew he was a veteran of this race and when he passed me I was at a bad patch and just couldn't step up to his race pace.  At the turn around I saw the leader, and he looked like he was hurting pretty bad; his once 7+ minute lead on me was closer to a 3 min lead now.  I knew in my head that I could run him down, however just ahead of him the two veterans of the race (Umphenour and Lovato) were in a dog fight for the win.  With 2 miles to go I caught the long time leader, who put it all out there and made us all chase.  I must admit that my favorite part of the race was seeing all my friends as I headed toward the finish and they were in the middle of their run.  I got a great shout out from Martin who was in the mix and running guys down hard.  My good friend Carlos Miranda was so happy for me as he was climbing the biggest hill on the course, that he later told me it was easier since he saw me.  I got a high five from Dawn and even saw a fellow Snapple jersey on the course; turns out that it was Courtney Fulton, who made the trip down from my old hometown of Arlington, VA.  I decided to relax my pace and savor the last mile as I knew that my position was secure.

 When it comes to racing we all set out goals and expectations, as athletes we aim high and dream big.  The great thing about racing is that there is always another day for you to hit your goals.  As long as you stay focused and positive you can achieve your dreams.  Since I switched over to Triathalons in 2009, I knew in my mind that this day would come. I couldn't have made it here without all the people who have been there to support me and help me on this journey. Thank you to everyone who has been there for me!   With this 3rd place finish under  my belt it is time to get back at it and continue to build for the next race.

Just for fun I looked up the results of my first triathalon and it was pretty much 3 years go to the day.  What a difference 3 years can make! If you're interested feel free to check it out.  http://athlinks.com/time.aspx?eventid=94409

Up next is Muncie 70.3 in IN. 


Thanks for reading !
Robbie

Bitter Sweet !

Sunday Morning, Wes Anderson, Peter Mallet and I rose at 4am to get ready to race at the Kemah Trathlon. http://www.onurleft.com/Onurmark_Race_Productions/Onurmark_Productions-Kemah_Triathlon.html a great race put on by Aaron Palaian. If you ever get a chance you got to do one of their races. I promise you will be happy and have a great experience !

We set up and hopped on the paddle boat to head out for the 6:50am drive off the boat! Check out the photo below. Pretty cool, I actually got a good start but soon after I got kicked badly in the mouth and also pushed underneath and struck in the pack. Basically I had a bad swim and adding in the choppy and extra distance on the swim I was questioning myself, why I do Tri's. But its all for fun. right??

After a quick T1, I  hopped on my Dolan and was ready to chase, this season I have chanced up some fit stuff on my bike and I feel really comfortable (our goal was to make me feel good for the longer stuff, as last season in 70.3's I was having lots of issues) Frank @ Solers Tri Sports (an ex DC'er, like myself)  spend alot of time in getting in me fit and adjusted with Retul. I ride shorter cranks and also a new saddle and seat post. I have to say I truthfully felt so great and pain free and excited about riding the Ironman distance. On Sunday I did have a hard time finding my speed on the bike, but I haven't done the same efforts in training that I normally focus on for 40k races. Most of my riding have been no faster than IM effort. I did have a solid ride and put myself into a good position to run guys down. Not as close as I normally am heading out ont the run,  but I was playing more catch up after the swim too. Bike course was head wind for first 11miles then a out and back before we had a tail wind the last 10miles.

I'm in the middle of the action. around the guy who dived early.

Drink up son !


Hitting T2 I knew I had to be quick in and out and off to hunt, I felt good straight away out on the course. Normally I can tell within the first few steps the way the run is going to go. I rolled around 5:05 and then backed it up with 5:14, at this stage I could see people I wanted to run down. We looped around the twisty Broadway for mi 3 and then passed the finish area (lots of crowds, nice!) Mile 4-5 we ran up and down the bridge. Tough to maintain what pace your running with the wind and incline. But the nice thing is, you can see were you are and the athletes your chasing. Top 3 were well out of reach 4-7 were still in sight, my buddy Wes was battling hard and having a great race in the mix. Pete like myself was putting in a good effort and not having his usual solid day similar to me. I worked hard to pull him back and tried to get him to come with me to chase Grant Glauser, who I could tell was also not having his normally solid performance. His was unlucky not to get the fastest bike. I expect a big race out of Grant soon!. With 1/2mile to go I picked up and kicked in and was rewarded with the fastest run split by almost 2mins (32:54) on a honest course with the hills. I will take it while IM training as most of my training pace is geared towards that effort.

As you can see from my face, I'm not a happy camper.


Next up is IM Texas on May 19th

Thanks to Snapple, Immunotec, Superfeet and Erin Anderson for allowing me to use her front wheel again and again. Also Well done to my buddy Wes Anderson for kicking off his season with a bang!! check out his blog.
http://wesandersontri.blogspot.com/


RW

Kemah Triathlon

Looking forward to this weekend. I've heard great things about this race and I'm excited to dive off the boat !!  These guys put on super races and if you ever get a chance to do one of them you will really enjoy the experience. 

http://www.onurleft.com/Onurmark_Race_Productions/Onurmark_Productions-Kemah_Triathlon.html

New Orleans 70.3

NOLA 70.3 or 67.1

High winds were on the menu for this past weekend along with possible thunderstorms, instead of a game day decision the Race Director made the call the day before. It was a good call, when I warmed up I ran by the swim course area and the waves were really strong!  My buddy Carlos Miranda and I were ready to roll and enjoy our time in NOLA.

So at 7am the international field of Pro men lined up for a 2 mile run which honestly was just a prologue ( like the first day of the Tour De France)  There was not much to be gained in 2miles, because as soon as everyone got on the bikes the group would come back together. I thought about pulling it out really hard to see if people would follow, but it would be pointless. A few of us keep it at a solid pace (5:10) it was a mile out and back then a run to the transition area of about .1mi . I got in 2^nd grabbed my rothar (Gaelige for bike) and set on my way into the wind.

The wind in fact was crazy for the first few miles as we rode right on the lakeshore, being 144 pounds doesn’t help in gusts of up to 40mph. I should have put some stones in my pockets! Anyway I got in line and rode as long as I could in the front group, I was passing people on the up sections on overpasses and bridges. But as soon as the bigger guys got to the front on the flats the race took off. I let a gap open and it was too late to get back on the train, it’s really different ball game when you are in the mix instead of coming out of the water way down and chasing solo or with one or two guys. Either way my biking legs were not there on Sunday, even without the high winds I won’t have been ok. I have another go at finding them this weekend at Kemah.  All my focus has been on Ironman Texas and May 19^th is when I will be ready to roll so I got some time to put everything together.

On the run I felt a lot better than Galveston (I took in fuel on the bike and didn’t drop anything!!) my legs took about a mile to get moving and I locked into a good pace and chased hard I caught a lot of guys and had the 7^th faster run, just under 2mins off the faster. I ran 1:15:12 so heading in the right direction.  I know there is still more in me as I lost sometime in the last 2miles.  But I can’t complain as  I normally take a few races for everything to click and put things together.

When I look at the results I got to be happy as I’m sure that not too many of the guys again of me are working full time as well.  Next up is Kemah Olympic this Sunday just south of Houston.  My recovery this week has been good so I’m excited for this race alongside my Snapple teammate Wes Anderson.