Dave Babson, You are an Ironman

I did it; I am an Ironman. I went 140.6 miles - 2.4 miles in the ocean, 112 miles on the bike and then a 26.2 mile marathon. It is crazy to think back at how I once considered this impossible. What a great feeling – to take something that is incomprehensible and accomplish it.

The first question I have to answer is why did I attempt it? I cannot say. It was a gut feeling that I had to try. If I did not attempt it I would always feel that something was missing. And when I realized I had to try, I just needed to get on with it.

Was it the hardest thing I have ever done? No, not even close. Sure there is a lot of pain and it is a long day, but the goal is so big that it motivates you through it. On the other hand, the training for the Iron is a different story. It takes a lot out of you and mentally wears you down.

Let’s talk about the training. First, understand that I was doing a lot of training anyway. I have a lot of free time so training 1-2 hours a day was normal. With the Ironman training you have to add about 5 big rides of 100+ miles followed by :30 to :50 minute runs (Bricks) and you need about 4 big runs of 20 miles. The runs were not bad, but the bike training can mentally break you. It is a long, lonely grind. I found myself going places, getting dropped off and riding home so that scenery was new and I had to stay alert with the maps. I often rode alone so I could work on pacing myself and on the mind set of being alone for the race. The swim is really nothing. Amazing for me to be saying this given 50 yards was a real effort two years ago but honestly the swim training was a trivial effort.

You never really put the training all together before the race. Even my longest work out (120 miles on the bike and 1:30 for the run) was still only about 2/3 of the race day effort. But I will say when I finished all the long workouts I really felt ready for the race and confident that I was prepared. Thanks – Coach Lance.



So, let’s talk about race day. Because the start, finish and transition areas are in different locations race day logistics was more of an effort then usual. We had to pack 6 bags for different parts of the race and they needed to be dropped off prior to the race, then we were bused out to the end of Wrightsville beach for the start of the swim. We were all there before sunrise and I was able to hang with my friends and fellow racers – John Wilkins, Pat Webster and Mark Luckinbill. In the faint morning glow, we all walked 200 yards through the dunes out to the water’s edge. It was a very surreal experience. Start time was slated for 7am but we had to wait for the sunrise and at around 7:07, 500 very cold people ran head long into the very cold ocean.

I actually got comfortable with the temperature pretty quickly. I generate a lot of heat and the wetsuit is a pretty good insulator. This was not the case for many of the others. It was really hard to see where to go, it was still dark and there were a lot of people splashing and battling for room. I just settled in and tried to find a rhythm. The incoming tide moved us along quickly and things spread out. I felt myself getting strong and was even able to catch a draft along the way. Time went by quickly and so did the channel markers. Before I knew it I was turning inland and heading for the swim exit. I was tracking behind another swimmer and we were taking a hard line for the hotel. Unfortunately, we had the wrong landmark and swam about 40 yards out of the way. I thought we were in trouble because the current was strong and we had over swum the turn which meant we might have to battle the current. I still had enough in reserves to kick it to the finish and probably lost less then a minute. At the dock, I clocked a 49:33, which was startlingly fast. My speed in a wetsuit never ceases to amaze me. After getting out of my wetsuit I reached the timing mat in 51 minutes which turned out to be the 30th fast swim overall and 3rd fastest in my age group. Unbelievable! After a long and painful run I was at the transition tent and I grabbed bag #1 and started to change. I had a dry pair of tri-shorts and I put on a long sleeve compression shirt. I was feeling warm and opted out of the extra clothes. The gloves, hat vest, leg warms were all left in transition. This worked out OK but could have been a disaster. [Diesel Tip: Overdress on the long course. You can undress as the race goes on, but not the other way around]

After an 8 minute transition, I was on the bike and rolling. My heart rate was high from the swim and I slowly let it come down. My heart rated settled in around 140 and I just tried to stay relaxed as the miles counted down. Some gear bounced off the bike at the railroad tracks so I did a costly turn around to go get it. I had to drink a lot of fuel so I drank every fifteen minutes like a machine. Because I was drinking so much I had to pee a lot, like every 10 miles. I mostly peed off the side of the bike as I was riding but that is still eats up time because you cannot pedal. Next time I am going to pee and pedal through.

At the half way mark, I had another costly stop for special needs. I mixed three more bottles of fuel and used the port-a-john for #2. 4 minutes later I rolled out of transitions and was greeted by Dawn, Rose, John, Kerry, Missy and Melinda – friends from our YMCA Tri-Club that had come to see the race and cheer us on. It was WONDERFUL to have their support.

I never felt tired on the bike and with the rest stop factored in I was at 20 mph for the five and a half hours that I was in the saddle. I have to say that coming into the transition from bike to run, I was actually feeling that this Ironman stuff was kind of easy. But I knew I still needed to run a marathon. The first thing I noticed when I started running was that my back was really tight and sore from being on the aerobars for over five hours. I knew that the back would not be a factor in the big picture but it made the run less enjoyable. I started knocking down the miles. I walk through each rest stop to take in water, fuel, food, electrolytes and by mile 6 or 7 my back was starting to loosen up. I came through downtown Wilmington feeling great and all my friends were there to great me with cheers and signs. I handed out a few high fives and then ran with a smile for then next few miles. Not too long after that, Lucky came by me with some encouraging words like: “You’re having a great race, don’t get stupid and blow it”. He turned, as he was running away, and said “here is some advice; don’t try to keep up with me”. It was good advice.

Kerry met me on the way up the bridge just before the end of the first 13.1 mile loop and she offered some encouragement. I was feeling really steady and started to think ....is a 10:50 possible? Could I pick it up and go 10:45? But, remembering Lucky’s advice, I cleared my head of these evil thoughts and said another 13.1 miles is a long way to go – stick to the plan. I came into the turn around, grabbed my special needs run bag and put on some bandages where my feet were starting to bleed. It took some time, but I did not want to risk it. I headed out of transition, turned the corner and head up the first bridge and oh boy…..The party was over.

I could tell that I was shifting to the reserve tanks. First the calves started to cramp and then the groins got really tight. I was not in big trouble yet but I knew I would have to manage the course if I was going to finish the race on my own terms. I started doing 1 minute walks through the aid stations and I went with more electrolytes and mixed in some caffeine. I also started to stretch a little to try to keep the groins loose. My good friend, Margo Pitts, was working the aid stations and she offered some encouragement and snapped a few pictures. I was starting to work hard and it was taking a toll on me mentally, I was no longer thinking that this was easy. My family met me on the second pass through downtown and it was great because I needed a little boost. With two miles left, I had to climb the last bridge which I had planned to walk over to avoid cramps but I could see the battleship at the finish line and I knew there were a few age groupers ahead of me. I kept the Diesel in drive up the bridge and started picking up speed on the downside. I opted out of the last aid station at mile 25 and just kept cruising. I knew that if I had a major melt down I could crawl home from here (it has been done before). I picked up a few spots as I came into the Battleship parking lot, my kids then joined me at my side as I turned into the finishing shoot. With 60 yards left, the toes on my left foot then cramped up into a painful ball so I had to start hopping, the cramp released, so I ran…40 yards to go… then the toes cramped again so I hopped some more…. 30 yards to go… I hopped, I ran, I finished. I am an Ironman (11:07:04)

The Ironman was definitely the highlight of the season and maybe the last ten years. But the season was successful in many other ways. I finished the North Carolina Triathlon Series in fourth place, up from tenth last year. I had 6 top five NCTS finishes including 3 podiums and 1 win at the MAP race. My wetsuit swim was competitive and turned out to be my best event in the Ironman and I had two overall top 10 bikes in the NCTS. I handed out a few spankings too: 1 Lucky, 3 Mark, 2 Puckett, and 4 Troeseter (Note: I am only recording spankings for people who have beaten me in the past, apologies to JW, Podium Rich, and one unnamed master clydesdale who I am intentionally snubbing)

But still the best part of the season was not the racing. It was the friendships. I have never been around a more diverse group of people with whom I have so much in common. I have never in my life had so many people whom I call friends. I love being part of this group and sharing these experiences. This is what makes everything about triathlon so special. – The Diesel

Club wars, Hillsborough and Wilmington

I guess I have to admit that I have lost interest in blogging about each race. Or writing up "race reports", as us tri-people like to say. I spend all this time detailing my effort and then I have to listen to my 28 minute-5k running, unretired, little brother mock me. Anyway, I want to write a report about my upcoming Ironman, so I figure I better catch you up on the last few races.



Leading up to the B2B Iron distance race, I have raced a few times mostly for fun. I went down to White Lake for the specialty race called "Club Wars" where we were suppose to race other clubs. I was not one of Setups better promoted races and they had a poorly concieved scoring system for the club challenge, so it ended up being more of an intra-club race. And what a race it was!Lucky and Mark K. were racing and bragging rights where on the table. The race was longer then a sprint and shorter then an international. I knocked out a decent swim, I got out of the water ahead of Lucky and I could see Mark ahead of me running down the swim finish dock. Because I was so close to Mark opted of socks which I had planned to wear to save my feet for the iron man and took off after Mark. I did not have my strongest ride but still managed to put several minutes between me and the boys. When I took off on the five mile out & back run I downshifted to made sure I was in good shape for the finish. At 2.5 miles, I turned the corner and started looking for lucky and mark who I knew would be in fast pursuit. Checking my watch, I found I had about 2-2:15 minutes advantage over two of the best running triathletes in nc. They were closing but I turned on the afterburners and spanked them both! I rode down to the race with the gracious, Dawn Petty (which was pleasant and smack free.) and after the race I rode home 100 miles as part of my B2B iron training. People thought this was crazy. Even the crazy people thought it was crazy; I do not understand why.




You have got to do the miles.I also did the hillsbourgh race. I was suppose to do Lake Norman but I wanted to focus on my Iron training so I ended up going to watch some neighbors race at a local race. Reistration was still up on race morning so I signed up that morning. I was a little worn down but I did alright.... And then I rode home.

The last race of the season before the ironman was the Wilmington race. I wanted to do this race because the swim covers the last 1500 meters of the B2B course. Because this was a Sprint race with a long swim, I did not have high expectations that I could get many series points. My pal JW beat me out of the water by 20-30 seconds but I tracked him down with the 5th fastest bike split in the race and then I posted my first sub 20 tri-5k. The net time was not fast enough for the podium (4th in age group), but it was good enough for 31/1200 and my first score above .82. The strong finished secured my 4th place finish in the NC Triathlon Series. I moved up from 10th last year. Jackets go to the top 5 so this was good.Now back to the Ironman training. 100+ mile rides and 20 mile runs. Triathlon training has always been fun, but I can honestly say, iron training is a lonely grind

Timberman (NH) Sprint - a balanced effort

I was in NH for a Family reunion and Bike trip with my elementary school friends so I decided to “throw in a triathlon”. I signed up for the Timberman Sprint which was held on Saturday. They also hold the Timberman half on Sunday which boosts some big time racers like world champion – Chrissie Wellington and USA superstar Andy Potts.

My friend and sometimes training partner Kerry Troester raced the Half and qualified for the 70.3 World Championships. Way to go Kerry - we are all proud of you and now I do not feel bad about getting spanked by you at the Duke half last year!

The sprint race went pretty well for me. I had been riding my touring bike for 5 days and 400 miles with 50 lbs of gear. My legs were a little worn out and I did not hammer the Bike the way I had hoped but I balanced it with a competitive (wetsuit) swim and solid run (6:21 min/mile).

The race started with a 1/3 mile wetsuit legal swim and I posted 8:31 time which was the 81/1000 fastest overall. The wetsuit makes me a pretty strong swimmer. The Bike course was mostly uphill on the way out (25 min) and down hill on the way back (17 min). The run was flat and I was able to maintain a strong pace. I was a disappointing 6/79 in my age group, I was surprised at the level of competition. I was 28/1000 overall and 27 man (one women pro beat me).

My Dad, Sister Krissy and Aunt Gig came but because of logistics they did not recognize me while I was racing. Krissy cheered for anyone that sort of looked like me and I heard her and saw all of them but they are not sure they could identify me. It did mean a lot to me that they came to the race.

Triangle Triumph

I am finally out of my White Lake slump. I have not put together the type of effort I want to since blowing up on the run at the White Lake Half. Last year, I did the triangle and it was my worst race…by a lot. So between my slump and last years race I figured I would just bag this years triangle. But then my neighbors and friends Mike O and Les M decided to signup (their second race) and my buddy Gary was racing and Mark K and Richard “The Rocket” Puckett were going to be there so I broke down and signed up and kicked ass!

I decided to throw caution to the wind and to bike as hard as I possibly could. I told myself I did not care if I was totally cramped up and could not run after the bike, I just wanted to bike as fast as I possibly could and not leave anything out on the bike course. I took the race wheels off the bike because they were rubbing on hill climbs and used my training wheel with the power meter on it. I knew the course was all hills so I wanted my powertap as a cheerleader.

I swam a 14:10 which was okay. Much better then I did at Tri Latta. I was not unhappy with the time but I knew that I had given up 3 or more minutes to my age group leaders. When I got on the bike and I hammered, really hammered. My average speed was high so I knew I was doing alright. When I turned for home I was averaging around 24 mph so I knew that I was turning it over which gave my a little extra mojo.

When I got to transition (T2) I had caught Ken Younts. I had no delusions of out running him but I knew I was having a strong race. I was a little worried when I started the run but the legs came back to me after 200 yards and I was able to hold a fair but painful pace. Unfortunately, in the last half mile David Kaats passed me and took fourth place by 11 seconds. I do not remember seeing him out on the course, at least it was not a podium spot.

I finished with a 1:11 which was six minutes faster then last year (and the swim course was a minute longer) I spanked Mark K (who was on the podium in his age group) and Richard “The Rocket” by a minute and a half. I was fifth in my age group and 35th overall but it was a large race and I was really happy with how I had done. To compare, last yea,r I was 114th overall!

Later that night I looked up my bike splits and I was smok’in fast. I was 7th fastest biker and was only 59 seconds behind – Cid Cardoso. I beat 11 elites on the bike. It was by far the strongest bike I have ever ridden. I was so happy about the race that the good feeling is still with me a month later.

Lastly, I had fun racing with Gary, Les, and Mike. These races are much more fun when you share the experience with people you know.

Kure Beach - most fun race

Kure Beach might be the most fun race I have ever done. The family was supposed to come down with me to the race but at the last minute they pasted and it is a shame because they would have had a great time. The kids can play on the beach and cheer for you which actually makes watching the race much more fun.

I went down the afternoon before the race and met my pal Lucky at the beach to practice the open ocean swim. It was invaluable. We swam out and then practiced swimming up the shore line. The race has a strange format: swim 400y, run 1.5, Bike 12.4 mi, run 1.5 and swim 400 yards. So we practiced, getting through the breakers, swimming the shore and turning it back to the beach. Just being comfortable and knowing what to expect was a huge advantage. And it was just fun hanging out with Lucky and swimming in the ocean. I had never just swum in the ocean, pretty cool.

Well in addition to Lucky, Mark Kauffman was also coming down so I knew that we should expect some racing. I went off with Mark Kauffman because the 40-44 and 45-49 age groups were combined. Lucky went off a head of us so he did not have the advantage of the head-to-head competition.

Mark got out of the water a little bit ahead of me, so I was kind of excited to have him in my sights. But as soon as he put on his sneakers he was gone. I mean flying. The run was tough, it was hot and it usually takes a while to shake off the swim. I also was losing the “Juice” I needed for a great bike. I loved the format but I do not think it suited me.

I biked pretty hard but it was not and all out effort because I have been trying to balance myself for the other segments. I knew that I had another run and another swim coming. The bike was flat but we face a good head wind for half the ride. I figured that because Mark can out swim and run me and because the race is symmetrical that I would have to catch him by the halfway turn around on the bike in order to beat him. I did not. I passed him about 100-200 yards after the turn around and so I knew I was in trouble. On the run back, Mark caught me with half a mile or less to go and then padded his lead on the final swim leg.

I had solid race but did not earn any new hardware. I think my balanced race strategy is not working out. I need to blast the bike and then use the adrenaline to hang on in the run. But in the end I had fun. Oh yeah, Lucky beat me too but he lost to Mark by a handful of seconds.

2008 Tri Latta Sprint - Gutting it out

This race was really tough for me because I really did not feel like racing. I had been sick for a few weeks, I was not in my best form. I knew that I would be swimming without my wetsuit so I would struggle. But I went down to the race and gutted it out.

I was dissapointed in my swim time, I heard the horn that is used to start each wave (at four minute intervals) go off as I finished my swim and thought "Wow!I swam it in 12 minutes thats about a minute and half faster then I hoped"...turns out the horn was for the wave that was 16 minutes after me and I swam 3 minutes slower then I hoped. The swim was long and hot and I did beat last year by almost a minute. I biked slower then last year and I ran slower then last year....Overall I was slower then last year. I was just a tough race; physically I was still off my game and mentally I was not up for it. But I dug it out and did ok, I think you really need to feel good about getting the job done when things are stacked against you.

The crazy thing is that I finished third in my age group. I had a friend say that I should be more positive about the race because I was third out of sixty something but I do not think it is good to rate yourself by how you placed. If a few of the big dogs had been there I would have been off the podium. Instead you have to look at how you performed compared to your potential and I was not on for this race. But you can still look for positives and I feel good that even on an off day I went out and gave a solid effort.... and it is nice to get new necklace (see picture - This is my Coach Lance, his wife Coach Ann and Baby Leo - Lance was second overall, along with "Podium" Rich, my friend who has stood on the Podium for every race this year!)

I am going to Kure beach and I am trying to get myself ready for this race with its weird format: Swim, Run, Bike, Run, Swim. I think the shortern distances will play to my strengths. I am feeling better from the illness and the training set back. I am adjusting to the heat. Well see what I can do in the next one...

2008 White Lake Half - The Whole Story

I am not even sure where to start. Well, I suppose I will start by saying that it might have been the hardest thing I have ever had to do. Am I disappointed? In some ways. I think about what the race could have been or about the mistakes I made and, yeah, I have to be honest I am little disappointed....but not in my effort.

Lets start at the beginning, I have been training for the White Lake Half Ironman since the Duke half Ironman last September. That is a long time to stay focused on a goal and I did. I put in a lot of hours. I have raced two short races (MAP and Azalea) prior to the White Lake Half but the emphasis of the training has been on the “long course”. I was please with my race at Duke but I believed with some distance training I could have a great race. Three weeks ago I even went to the race site and rode the bike course and ran half the run and my performance in this time trial was promising so I went into this race with high expectations.

Many of my friends in my YMCA triathlon club stayed at the Goldstons motel, a tradition they have had for years. The social side of the event was fantastic. We all enjoyed a hearty pasta meal on the lawn of the beach motel the night before the race. It is a two race weekend with the Half on Saturday and the Sprint on Sunday so there are a ton of people that participated. We had about 15 athletes in the Sprint and 15 in the Half. I think five of the crazies raced both…. not me.

I was surprisingly relaxed and confident leading up to the race. The race had been built up and promote as the showdown between myself, Dave “The Diesel” Babson and Mark “Lucky” Luckinbill. We had even resort to talking smack to each through Shirley, the lady at the Bagel store. Each morning as I order my onion bagel with cream cheese and sundried tomato spread, I had to be ready to deliver or receive a quip from lucky via Shirley. The exciting thing about the match up was that our strengths could not be better misaligned. Lucky can run and I can bike and we were both learning to swim. I also had the advantage being 4 years older then Lucky and starting in the wave 10 minutes behind him which meant that maybe with a good swim and solid ride I might catch lucky on the bike and have a 10+ minute advantage on the run which just might be enough to hold off the hard charging jackrabbit.

So it all starts with the swim. In the half it is 1.2 miles and I was ready. The wetsuit is like a super hero suit in that it gives me the special power of buoyancy and for me that translates to speed, real speed. I slowly and steadily clawed my way through the water. I overtook many of the people in the waves that went off before me and I knew I was cruising. I have worked hard on swimming this past year and it was paying off, big time. I was at the dock ladder in 33:40 and at the transition matt in 34:40. This was five minutes faster then my time at the Duke Half and turned out to be 79th fastest swim of the over five hundred male competitors….. and I had closed 4 of the 10 minute on Lucky! It was certainly going to be a good day.

I was out of the wetsuit and on the bike in a blazing one minute and thirty-eight second and I settled in for a long ride. The first 20 miles of the bike were pretty smooth, I was not pushing to hard. My heart rate was just over 150 and did not want to come down but I did not concern myself because I was feeling pretty good. Around mile twenty a couple guys passed me which was a bit of a surprise. I am rarely passed on the bike but with my strong swim I was now mixing up with the big boys. I continued to ride what I thought (but might not have been) a reasonable pace and about half way through the race I looked over to see a quite startled Lucky. And in the wink of an eye, we both realized that Lucky’s chance of beating the Diesel had just grown very thin, unless something went terribly wrong… or if he ran the race of his life… or both.
The last five miles of the bike course are tough. They are long and boring and it is a mental challenge to stay focused. The muscles in your butt start to tighen up from being down on the aero bars all day and “the boys” are a little tired of being sat on for over two hours. I also wanted to freshen up for the run so I ratcheted back the Diesel for the last five miles. I parked the bike in 2:32 which was a little slower then my test time from three weeks prior. I felt pretty good and had a total time of 3:05. If I could hang on and posted a 1:50 run, which is a reasonable and conservative target, I was going to have the race of my life!

I must say that in the first few miles I was having a hard time shaking the ride. The quads were really tight. I was hoping to do 7:40 miles but I was clocking in at 8 minute miles. Still I thought things would hold together but around mile 3 I started to realize that things were not right. It was very hot and it was midday and I was not running well. Lucky came by me around mile 4 and being the sportsman he is (even though he knew he had been beaten by me) he still offered me encouragement and was rooting for me to have a great race. I, on the other hand, was coming to the realization that maybe even with a 15 minute head start on the run, I was not going to beat Lucky and that I was in for a very long day.

After mile 5 things got really bad. Really painful. It became hard to run. My pace slowed to over 9 minute miles and I realized it was going to take a lot of will power just to bring the ship home. Maybe I bonked or maybe it was the heat, probably a combination of the two but it became really hard to run. The miles seemed to take forever with a couple miles to go Margo came up behind me (taunted me) and passed me, but at that point I did not care, I had bigger things to worry about. Every once in a while I would get a little second wind. I would pick up the pace, a little bit, and within 50 yards I would start getting dizzy. My legs felt like they had charlie horses…..Mile 10, Mile 11, Mile 12, Mile 12, Mile 12 and finally I could see the turn to the finish. I did it, I finished. Overall I was 10th out of 72 in my age group and I posted a 5:12. I finished 82 out of 500+ men. These numbers are not bad but they do not tell the whole story. A story of what could have been or what it took...and, oh yeah, Lucky beat me by 15 minutes (see above picture)

Am I disappointed, sure… but I am also proud of myself for getting the job done.

2008 MAP Sprint - After a Killer Meal the Diesel is the Real Deal

I finally stood on the top rung; won my age group and was 25th out of the 500+ that raced ( Results ). The whole weekend started when my friend Rich "The Outlaw" Redding and I arrived at Coach Lance's house for our "night before the race" meal. Coach Ann (Lance's Wife) served us the same meal that Lance ate before he destory the field at Lake Norman: Wheat Pasta, Homemade Sauce, and Super Secret Meatballs (a.k.a. "the balls"). Ann would not tell me what was in the performance-enhancing meatballs just in case I am ever called to testify along side Barry and Roger; I can claim that I just eat what my Coach tells me.

I have to confess that the Male 40-44 field was not the strongest. Some of the big guns were not in Charlotte for the weekend but I did manage to beat a few guys who normally (or always) finish ahead of me. And I suppose I need to mention that I was able to take Round #1 from my friend and training partner, Mark Kauffmen. After months in the pool, even with a weak swim, I was able to take away some of Mark's head start in the water. Mark did send me a message - with his 11th ranked 18:25 run - I still need to pick up my game. I am not so confident about how I will match up against him in the international distance which sports a longer swim and a 10K run. I am going to have be ready for Round #2.

As I mentioned, the swim was not what I had hoped for. The day before I did a "pace test" and easily nailed a 7:26 (:10 seconds faster then I have ever swum a 500) but on race day all I could manage was 8:00. I was not relaxed and I think I kicked too hard because by lap #4 (of 10) my legs started going numb. I struggled through the rest of the swim but I did manage to keep my head together. I was able to remain composed, finish the swim and crank up the Diesel. I pedaled the first part of the course at almost 27 mph but then we turned uphill and into the wind and I finished up with an average just under 23 mph (15th fastest bike). I started the run, I let my legs come back to me and I held a pretty strong pace, I finished with a 20:12.

Diesel Tip - Coach Lance said my stride was way to long. I need to shorten my stride and increase my turn over. I tried this today on the treadmill and had some success. My heartrate was higher but my legs felt fresh and crisp.

If I can drop a minute on the swim and a minute on the run, I will be a force to be reckoned with. But that is going to have to wait. The White Lake Half Ironman is next (May 3rd) and I need to focus on the long distance stuff. The Duke Half was a good race last year but my run was slow (9 minute miles). I have to get to a point where after swimming for 35+ minutes and biking for 2 and half hours, I can still hold sub 8 minute miles.... I have some work to do.

Using my calculator I am estimating a score of .815 for this race. This is my highest score ever, even though the race factor was only .90. However, my score was helped by the fact that several elites got lost on the bike ride. Oh well, I will take it anyway I can, a .8 is .8!

One last thing.... Lucky your next!

2008 Azalea - Wind, rain, sleet or snow the Diesel delivers

I opened the 2008 season with a strong showing at the Azaela triathlon. It is short race 300Y swim, 9.2 mile bike and a flat 5K but the conditions were a little tough, the rain stopped but the wind was blowing. Last year I finished 3rd in my age group and 45th overall so I was determined to return to the podium.

This year I took my game to a new level. I posted a 2nd in my age group and tied for 20th over all. I lost to Ken Younts (my new Arch rival). I beat Ken at Riverwood last year and he took me at white lake. While I was off doing the Duke Half Ironman, Ken slip in another Endurance Series point race and bumped me out of first place in the overall age group standing. At the season championships, I was hoping to regain some honor but he spanked me by 8 minutes. Yesterday, he beat me by only a minute and half (not too bad). Message to Ken - move up to elites! your wife is an elite... move up and get off my podium spot! Anyway - congratulation to Ken. He is a great competitor and an even better sportman.


Well, let me break it down for you. The rain stopped but the wind did not. At the advice of Coach Lance, I left the new sub-9 disc in the van (I did run the 808 wheel up front). The decision was stressfull but once made, you have to move on.

Diesel Tip - Make ALL your race decision BEFORE the race: clothes, equipment, even strategy. Once made, just focus on executing. Making decisions during the race, like when to eat or what to wear, is a bad idea. Your judgement is not clear and it wastes time. Plan your race and then execute.

The swim went great, I warmed up before my swim. I had done at least 10, 300 yard time trials so I really knew what I needed to do. I was relaxed, I stayed in form and as I got tired, instead of swimming harder, I kept saying to myself reach, stretch, glide, reach,stretch glide. I swam a 4:24 which was right were I was expecting and I got out without feeling exhausted (last year my time was 5:05).


It is down a set of stairs and another 200 yards to the transition area. I always "Prewalk" the transition, memorizing and robotizing everything I need to do. So when I got to the bike racks, I headed straight for the rack which had the bright green tape on the end.... unfortunately two people had maked their racks with bright green tape. It cost me about 5 seconds and some panic but I was finally able to get to the right rack. My bike shoes were already on my bike, I did not do a running mount but I was able to start riding and put on my shoes while I was riding, overall it was a pretty fast T1 (I had planned for 2:00 and I clocked in at 1:57)

The bike course had lots of 90 degree turns but I managed to get the bike up to speed. I was actually at 23.9 mph until I turned into the wind and then my speed dropped to just over 23. I had the power meter on and I could see that even though I was slowing I was still putting out the HorsePower. I had a 269 watts for the ride which was pretty stout. I had hoped to do the bike course in 25:40 and I clocked in at 24:40, BUT, I think the course was about a minute shorter then last year. It had to be because all the elite times were much faster too. After a quick T2, I was off on the run. I felt strong and turned in a 20:46 but I never felt like I could shift into top gear. I was never really hurting but I did not feel like I could run faster. I wish I had run faster by 1 second and then I would not be tied for 20th overall.


One thing that was great about the race was that I rode down with some friends. Big Rich had a great race and won his age group. My other friend had been sick for the last year and this was his first triathlon so it was inspiring to see him come back and finish 4th in his age group. Lastly and unavoidably, I suppose I should discuss the new "no-do hair-do". Bald is not only beatiful but it is fast.... and I am both. -The Diesel

Prelude to Season II - a sub 20 minute 5K

I open 2008 with a 5K. Coach Lance (from Studio7 Multisport ) was not so thrilled about me breaking my long distance training to make time for a trip to "Pain Town" but I really felt the need to test the Diesel. The race went really well. It was a windy and moderately hilly course.

I knocked out the first mile in 6:08 and followed it up with a 6:12. Because of the wind, I drafted alot. I would run from one runner to the next in a series of surges. It really broke up the race and made it easy to concentrate. The third mile was a 6:30 but it was uphill and into the wind. I stayed pretty strong and then put in a solid kick to the finish.

I ended up 26th overall out of almost 500 and was 2nd in my age group: Results . The race gave me some confidence going in to the first triathlon this year (3/8 - Azalea). However, I felt the effects of the intense effort for about a week after the race.... In the end, I am glad I did the race and it made me optimistc for the upcoming season.

This year will be different then last year. Last year I raced everwhere I could, mostly sprints, a few internationals and one half; 15 races total. This year I am going to do the Azalea and MAP Sprints in March to get some series points and then focus on doing well at the White lake half. This is my big race and I would like to go sub 5 hours. After White Lake I am going to decided whether to step up to the Iron distance. If so I will race sparingly and focus on the Iron. I still need to get a couple more race in the NCT Series so I will have five point races.

I have dropped another 7lbs and I am hoping to take it another level in 2008!