Season 1 - The Final Chapter (Setup Invitational Championship)

What a great way to close the season. I qualified for the season ending championship and I was really excited to do it. I even invited my Dad down to see the race. The weird thing was hardly anyone signed up. I should have known from looking at last year's race roster; but I just thought.... tag the race with "championship" and everyone would be there. I only had nine guys in my class, I predicted I would beat four and four would be me. Only Pat and Dawn from the YMCA tri club participated; Richard Puckett, Mark Kauffman, Lucky, Tommy, Johnny "The Taxman" and Margo Pitts either did not race enough races to qualify or did not want to get out bed.

By the time race morning got here, I was starting to appreciate why no one was racing - Race season is over! It feels over. You know how they wait two weeks for the superbowl and it ends up in Febuary and by the time gameday final arrives, you're like - who cares, pass the salsa, well that is the way it felt for this race. The season was already over. But I was racing so I focused on doing the best I could. I pre-biked the course three times in the weeks leading up to the race, one time at race pace. I rented a disc wheel for $170. I have been told that the race wheels can save you up to 2 minutes. In fact it saved me over 2 minutes, WOW! might be worth the $2400 - Not! (I am going to buy race wheels for next season anyway).

By the time race day arrived, I had all 8 of my age group competitors memorized including their projected times (relative to mine) which I color coded, printed and laminated so I could tape them to my handle bars. Now, I know that I will take a lot of crap for doing this (especially from Margo) but going into the race with this information actually makes the race more interesting and fun for me.

Of the guys that were there, the one I wanted to race the most was Ken Younts who beat me out for Endurance Series champion in the last race of the season (while I was off doing a half ironman). Now, I had beaten Ken at Riverwood but Ken beat me at White Lake and he has been on a roll ever since. Ken's wife is an elite women triathlon so he has free coaching and probably a little extra "domestic motivation" (a.ka. pride) to get after it.

The race was right near my house at Beaver Dam Lake which is beatiful and the weather was perfect. I swam great, really smooth did not have any anxiety, I had a great rhythm. I got out of the water in 21:32 which sounds really fast compared to my 1500 swim time at Pinehurst which was 29:22 but comparing swims is like comparing apples and orange because the courses are never the same distances. One thing I have learned is 1500 meters is not always 1500 meters and this course was really short.

I got on the bike and I started to crank up the Diesel. I passed two of the other eight age groupers in the first mile on the way out of the park. I waved to my Dad and to my wife and kids. and then I started to bust it. My plan was to ride the bike as hard as I could and hope to build a big lead. I kept the RPMs high 95+ up the hills 88+ down the hills. I passed a few cyldesdales (given that these guys can out swim me they should probably be called "Orcas") and then as the miles went by I started to see the Athenas, these healthy ladies started 14 minutes ahead of me. But I did not see many others.... I started to get nervous. I only run Heart rate and Cadance on the bike computer because the average speed and speed was messing up my head. I felt like I was racing well but where were the other age group competitors? where was Ken? Finally around mile 15, I passed two more of my age groupers but by mile twenty there was no sight of Ken and I knew I was in trouble.

I finished the bike strong at 22.8 miles per hour and a time of 1:08:22. I am hoping that this is a top 5 time, at least a top ten.... it would have been last year. I started the run and I knew it was not going to be pleasent. I was used up. I started slow 7:39 and 7:33 miles and then I started to work it out. My heart rate was too high, in the 160s, so I said screw the heart rate and I just dig it out. I saw Ken at the turn around and knew that he was going to beat me...badly. I had a hard time tracking the other age grouper competitors because I could not see all the numbers and I left my laminated cheat-cheat back on my bike. Between mile 3 and 4, I thought I was going down the tubes, I felt like my legs might cramp and I felt the Diesel shutting down, I ran a 7:41. BUT thats when my friends and family stepped in! My wife and kids were cheering - "Dig it Out". My Dad was riding along side me and encouraging me (in a constructive manner!). and my friends Timmy "The Bullet" and Gary "G-zip" where screaming - "Don't leave it out here!". So I sucked it up.

100 yards ahead of me was someone who I thought was third in my age group. I locked in my radar and started to cut down the distance. I closed with a 7:24 mile and 6:56 mile. With 20 yards to go, I came up behind my target rested for 2 or 3 seconds and then dropped the hammer.

DIESEL TIP - when you pass someone in a race especially at end, do it with authority. You want to already be accelerated when you pass them and you want to be going fast enough to break their will....you want to crush their spirit.

I beat the guy but it turned out he was not the third place guy in my group so I ended up in fourth, Not bad. My run time was 44:47 which was faster than Pinehurst even though I was in more pain. My overall time was 2:18:23. Oh, and Ken Younts, won the age group with a 2:12...destroyed me.

Based on my expectations, the season was a HUGE success. I did much better then I hope I would at the beginning of the season.

• I finished 10th in NC series
• I finished 2nd in the Endurance series
• Raced 15 times
• Did the Duke Half Ironman

But these accomplishments are not what made the season great. It was the new friends I made and the time spent with my existing friends. I enjoyed hanging with YMCA tri group and training with friends Gary, Tim and Big Mac.

Well where do we go from here.... I am not sure what I will "tri" to accomplish next season but whatever it is, I plan to blog about it. Many people have told me how much they have enjoyed reading about me and I certainly love to talk about me so it makes sense keep a race journal of the Diesel's sophomore season..... Thanks to everyone who was part of this experience.

- The Diesel

The Showdown (Pinehurst Olympic Distance)

Well Pinehurst was the big showdown, Mark Kauffmen, Richard Puckett, and Mark "Lucky" Luckinbill were all there.

It was my first Olympic (or International) distance race and I had modest expectations. The swim is only 400 meters shorter (1500 meters total) than a Half, while the Bike is only 8 miles longer (24.8 miles) then a Sprint and, honestly, I do not need the extra 5k (10k total).

But even with distances that do not play to my biking strength I still had a good solid performace.

I started a bit shakey in the water. I was not swimming straight. My mind (or the wind) wanted to turn me, so I had to keep lifting my head to site my line, I felt really constricted in the wet suit and I could not find my rhythm. I started to get some anxiety and two or three times I had to pull up and breast stroke. I guess that I had such a positive swim in the Half that I expected this swim to be easy and when it wasn't, I freaked out. I even swore this would be my last race...ever. I was able to collect myself and pull it together. I still had problems tracking but after I turned the first of the two markers I was able to get into a rhythm and swim home strong. I was out of the water in 28:40 and at the mats, which were a ways up the hill, in 29 minutes and something seconds.

The Bike course really did not suit me. The hills were not steep but they were long enough that I could not use the Diesel Power to keep things rolling. In a few places I really had to grind, so I did. In the end I had a strong ride. I rode just under 23 mph (depends on how exact the distance was). At around mile 15 I caught Mark Kauffmen and encouragingly told him that I would see him on the run (which I did) and then with a mile or two left I caught Lucky who started in the wave three minutes ahead of me. I ruled neither of these guys out because of their running ability.

I made a quick tranistion (without socks) and was passed by Lucky before I even hit the transition exit mat. He wished me luck and then slowly disappeared ahead of me. Only a few miles later Richard Puckett offered me a high five on his way by and then Mark Kauffman followed. Mark was quickly out sight but I managed to keep in site of Richard and at Mile 5 I passed him back. He offered some encouragement and I stepped up the pace. I was very happy with run. I average 7:29 and did it with negative mile splits: 7:26, 7:54, 7:22, 7:39, 7:16, 7:00. This means I closed the last 5k in 22:37 which is not two much slower then my 5K time in a sprint. I really felt solid and in control during the run. I still want to get better. I would like to run sub 7's next year. But it was a strong run for where I am right now. Oh yeah, and without socks I got some really bad blisters.

In the end, it was close. Mark beat everyone. Lucky made up the 3 minutes and beat Richard and I. I held off richard to claim the bronze. I should see Richard and Mark again at the invitational.

When the results were posted I finished 78 overall man out of 474. I was 12 in my class. I finished the season 10 in my age group for the series. Here is the NCTS final series standings