Weekend racing.

Saturday was the Miller Paul Marut 5k run and the first cyclocross race of the season hosted at Camp Manatoc. We decided to just help out at the M&M 5k and save our legs for the cross race and the mountain bike race the next day. There was around 225 racers all together for the M&M 5k race, which was great minus the weather. It was cold, raining and very windy, which proabably scared most people away. Down in Peninsula, the weather was completely different. It was sunny, warmer and the wind wasn't as bad as at home. The cross races started later in the day with the C race going off at 2:15, the B's going off at 3 and the A race going off at 4:05 becuase of the mountain bike festival taking place. The course was half power sections, half single track with lots of roots and holes. It looked very fast and it had a double sand pit and a good ol' set of barriers right after. I was thinking to myself actually that I was going to get a flat or a mechanical because it's always my luck that the first couple races of the cross season, I have that happen during the race. I was just there to of course race and give it my all, but most importantly to have fun; which I have been doing all year so far.

The A race had about 30 people in it including a pro mountain biker from Jamis Bicycles. The start was blazing fast. I was about mid pack when we all took off but managed to squeeze through a couple of racers to get up front more. A couple of laps into the race, I was feeling pretty good. There were a couple racers, including some of my teammates that were on their way to the pit area becuase of all the roots and holes causing flat tires and mechanicals. At the end of the race, I managed to finish 5th overall and had a great battle the whole race with Scott and Brent. It was fun and great job guys. Dad finished great as well. He looked great throughout the whole race and finished 17th in a very stacked field. Thankfully there were no mechanicals for myself or my Dad today. We were really hoping that the next day's race was going to be just as good.

The next day was the Big Valley Mountain Bike Race. Lots of racers and a lot of spectators as well. Dad and I raced the the Sport race which is about equal to a cat 2/3 road race. Our races took off at around 1:30 because of the race announcer was loving to hear himself talk. The order of the waves for the race was Expert race, 30-39 Sport, 19-29 Sport, 30-39, 40-49, 50+, and 18 and under. Each wave was seperated by two minutes. I raced in the 19-29 group and came very close to getting the hole shot in the start. In a little over a mile into the race, we already caught up to the 30-39 group. It was mad chaos through the single track at this time. There were a lot of frustrating guys and a lot of sticks and leaves crunching from people passing the person infront of them who would not move over to let anyone through. Once the chaos settled down a little bit, a couple guys flew past me through an open field and I tried to keep with them but it didn't happen. They were there and gone. So at this point I found myself in third and this is where I was really trying to keep it at. After the first lap, I was feeling very good. Everything was working awesome. My legs were responding, my bike was working great, and I had alot of fuel in me to get me through another lap. About the middle of the second lap, I rode up to a huge hill that consisted of lots of roots. I did not attempt to ride this becuase I did not want to waste time. As I was running my bike up the hill, my right quad started to cramp big time. I looked down at it and could see my muscle knotting up. As I was trying to make my way up, another 19-29 racer past me. He rode up the whole hill and must have taken that perfect line to do so. Trying to ignore the cramp, I jumped up back on my bike and started to spin to loosen up my cramp. A couple minutes after the hill, I caught back up to the other racer that past me and worked with him for a little while. When my legs felt a lot better, I told him that I was coming through and from there I felt like I had a second wind. I felt great for the rest of the race and finished 3rd overall in the 19-29 Sport group. Dad raced another great race as well finishing 8th in the 40-49 Sport. We both loved this race because it was fast, the race was competative, and most importantly, it was fun. This whole weekend was fun and everyone from the team did an awesome job. Next week is Wendy Park Cross and hopefully it will be just as good as this weekend.

Later

Best weekend ever.

Saturday was the Presque Isle Triathlon and you could not ask for better conditions. The temperature was cool, it was sunny, but it was a little bit windy. Of course it's going to be windy though because it is out on the lake. We left the house very early to get there and we were the first one's in the parking lot two hours before the race. Usually at this time, there are most of the racers already setting up their transition area. But, once we got our packets and set up our transition area, people started rolling in pretty quickly. The race was sold out, which meant there were around 400 or more racers that signed up so it was going to be insane for the start.

The starts of the race consisted of four waves, not age groups. The first wave was the racers with the numbers 1-100. Second wave was numbers 101-200 and so on. Dad and I were in the second wave. The start of the swim was great. I felt great and was in front of the group until the first left turn. Instead of turning left, I kept on going straight for about 15-20 yards. Once I realized I was not on course, adrenaline kicked in and I was going pretty hard to try and catch up. I exited the water in a good position. By this time, our group is already mixed in with the first wave. Dad and I entered transition at the same time. I had the worst transition ever. I could not get my wetsuit off to save my life and Dad blazed in and out without a sweat. He kept saying, "Let's go Tony, let's go!" Once I had everything settled, I was off on the blazing fast bike. I felt like I was pushing way too hard for the first half of the bike because of the wind, but with the second half of the bike, it seemed like I caught a second wind and I bumped up the speed a couple clicks. Into T2, Dad and I were still together. We entered together and exited together. But I have been feeling great all season with my run so as soon as I exited T2, I felt like I was sprinting. I felt very strong throughout the whole run which seemed like it was four miles instead of 3.5 miles. I finished the race with a 1st place in my AG and 10th overall. I am extremely happy with my result because I pushed the whole race to my max and the competition was fierce. Dad finished in 14th overall and 1st in his AG. Dad and Doug always have a friendly rivalries every time they race against each other. This race, Doug finished 13th overall and 1st in his AG, 13 seconds in front of Dad. Awesome job guys and the next race should be exciting to find out who will beat who this time.

After the race was finished, we drove to Doug's cabin for some R and R. It was a blast and I love spending weekends there. Great fun, great food and lots of outdoor activities to do including kayaking, canoeing, fishing, swimming, and simply sitting around the fire with some good ol' sweet corn. The next morning (which was this morning), Dad, Doug and I rode a nice 25 mile loop into Oil City and back. If anyone has a chance to live near Oil City and happens to love cycling, I highly recommend moving there because the scenery, the environment and the training is great. No wonder bike racers from P.a. are such good climbers. It is all hills around there. I can't wait until the next time we are back up at the cabin. Next time I will bring my road bike and not my TT bike. That way I can climb the hills a little better. This is why I say the best weekend ever for my title. Everything went great this weekend. We all had a great race, we had an awesome time at the cabin and we even got to see the world record holder for rock skipping in action in Franklin, P.a. Next week is the Miller Paul Marut 5k running race in the morning then after that is the first Cross race of the season at Camp Manatoc. ~Git it~

Later Days!

GCT taper week

This weekend is the Greater Cleveland Triathlon hosted by Mickey Rzymek so we are going to taper in training for the week. Today we are doing the Tuesday morning breakwall swim at Fairport Beach. The swim is about a half a mile out and a half a mile back. Every week it seems like the number of people swimming increase, and there is also breakfast served from Kathy Roe after every swim . So if you are interested, every Tuesday morning at 7:30 is a mile breakwall swim at Fairport Beach (Fairport Harbor Lakefront Park). Then later today we are also going to get in a good track workout and that should be it for the longer/harder stuff for the week. We are racing the Olympic distance and hopefully it will go good this weekend, including the weather. Have a good one.

Later

Pirate Triathlon

Sunday was the Pirate Triathlon at Lakefront Park in Fairport Harbor. This is also where I work so it was very fun to see all of the familiar faces from work racing the triathlon. The weather was not that great at all. I can handle a little bit of rain but not pounding down rain. And, that's what it did all morning. Before the race, the wind started to pick up and the swim was going to be either canceled or shortened. Everyone chose to swim instead of having the race be a duathlon. So instead of the swim being 500 meters, it was 250 meters.

In the 250 meter swim, I felt like I was going to get knocked out and drown. There were so many racers swimming in a narrow swim lane, which caused the water to be similar to a washing machine. After the swim, we had to run down the beach to reach the transition area. During the run on the beach, I passed a lot of racers that came out of the water ahead of me. At this point, it was still very windy and pouring rain. I did not take a lot of time at all in transition and I was off on the bike. The bike was an out and back on very flat, open roads. I seemed like I could not get a rhythm on the bike, although I was catching a lot of the kayak triathletes that started 5 minutes ahead of the regular triathletes. When I finished the bike, I slipped on the running shoes and took off on the run. On the run, I caught 3 more kayak triathletes and I was in the lead for the 33 and under group. I had to give everything I had on the run because of the 33 and older group, which consists of very fast racers as well. When I finished I felt very happy because I knew I gave it my all. When the results came in, I ended up finishing second for the second year in a row. Congrats goes out to Kevin Park for the overall win with a bad hip! Dad and Doug were neck and neck the whole race like every year. The competition between the two of them in the race is great. Unfortunately for Doug, he wasn't even posted on the board for an overall or AG result. But with the time he finished in, he definitely finished 1st in his AG. Dad also finished 1st in his AG by 10 minutes. Awesome job guys!

After the race, the weather became beautiful and we all celebrated my Mom's and Kevin Park's birthday. It was a blast with lots of burgers and some hot dawgs. With the eating came beach volleyball. It was great getting our butts kicked by my cousin Jessica. After a few games of volleyball, my legs felt like they were going to explode, so that's when decided to call it quits for the day. All and all, it was a good day and the next Tri is the Greater Cleveland Triathlon Olympic. Hopefully we will have good weather for it.

Have a good one!

Xterra O.N.E.

Sunday was the Xterra Tri at Westbranch State Park. It was a 1/2 mile swim, 11 or 12 mile mountain bike, then a 4.5 mile trail run. It was a perfect morning to hold a race. The start of the swim was crazy for me. I tried to swim in front the whole time but I started to swim off course. But I quickly went back into my straight line toward the turn around buoy. The whole swim I was in-between 5-7 place. I felt like I had a strong swim and I was excited to run into transition to start mountain biking. In order to get to transition, the racers had to exit the water on a VERY slippery boat ramp. So instead of running out of the water, everyone was walking like turtles so that they wouldn't slip. Also, we set our mountain bike shoes right after we exited the water because it was a long uphill run to transition. Once I got to T1, all I had to do was slip on my helmet and glasses and go. I had a fast T1 mainly because I already had my shoes on before I entered. Once on the bike course, I felt like I was really doing good. At this point I was in about 5th or 6th overall. The bike course was the Westbranch Mountain Bike Race course backwards. About 10 minutes or so into the bike, I heard bikes coming up behind me. At this point I was just trying not to get a flat tire because the whole course is roots and rocks. As the bike went on, I was passed by 5 or 6 people I would have to say. I did not freak out though. I kept calm and just focused on getting through without a flat. I ended up finishing the bike and probably had one of my fastest transitions ever. I already had my feet out of my shoes before I entered the transition area. Once I had my running shoes on, I sprinted out of transition and right off the bat, I caught and passed 3 of the racers that passed me on the bike. The run course was very fun. Lots of rocks and uphills. About 2 miles into the run, I started catching all the racers that passed me and even guys that were in front of me the whole race. I felt like I was running the trails faster than I was riding them on the bike. I kept my breathing in control and kept myself cool when the heat started. I poured water over me and drank at both aid stations. Once I finished I figured I was going to be maybe in the top 5, but when I crossed the line, I only saw two other finishers. I did end up finishing 3rd overall. I was very surprised, but very happy at the same time. I was surprised because I did not do good at all on the mountain bike and guys were flying past me left and right. I am glad that I still had the legs to finish the race with a good run though.

Dad raced awesome as well. He said he had a great swim. By the way the water was about 80 degrees, so wetsuits were not allowed. We both decided that wetsuits on shorter swims like that will actually slow us down because it will take so long to strip in transition. But we will need them in longer swims of course. Dad had a great swim and he also said his bump in the race was the bike. The last mountain bike we both did was Westbranch two years ago. So that just shows you how much we've been on the mountain bikes. After Dad's bike, he felt like he was running faster than he was riding as well. He said he felt great on the run and his result showed it. He finished 14th overall and 1st in his AG. Awesome job Dad and I hope all my teammates did good this weekend at the TOV.

Later days.

Dam Tri

Sunday was the Dam Tri in Meadville, Pa. We stayed at Doug's Cabin in Utica for the weekend and had a blast. My brother and I traveled down the French Creek in the canoe for some small mouth fishing. The fishing was frustrating for me though, because all of my line on my fishing rod kept tangling up and I lost a few spinner baits because I kept on casting into trees or sticks on the side of the water. Nick caught a very nice small mouth bass though. He is seriously a Master Fisherman. After the fishing, we had some good food and FRESH carrots and beans. I only ate the carrots because I don't like beans at all.

After an early wake up, it was hard to get into the race mood. I was very tired from the night because it poured rain for the whole night. But when the sun came out and the heat started to kick in, I started to wake up. I raced the Olympic Distance which was a mile swim, 24 mile bike, and a 6.2 mile run. I felt pretty good during the swim. I had to stop a few times towards the end of the swim to see where I was going because the sun was shining right in my eyes. I finished the swim in 25.27. The bike was very hard. The 24 mile course consisted of lots of hills. There were really no flat sections on the bike. But, I felt very strong and gained a lot of my time on the uphills. The heat really kicked up during the bike. After my second transition, I was off for the 10k run. It was about 85 degrees at this time which was not good at all. Around mile 2, I was running on the Dam which is about 3/4 of a mile long one way I would have to guess. While running on the Dam, I felt like I was going to pass out because of the heat. I started to get the goosebumps and was craving lots of water. At around mile four, I stopped sweating a little bit. I was getting worried because this is a sign of heat exhaustion, and after heat exhaustion, is heat stroke. The next aid station, I grabbed five cups of water and downed them and grabbed more cups and poured it on my head. I ended up making it to the finish line in one piece. When I was finishing, I saw my Dad at the finish line. He started 5 minutes behind me and I knew something was wrong. Come to find out, he was running into T1 and noticed he had a front flat which ended his race. But, he ran the 10k course and felt good he said.

In the end, this was the hardest triathlon I have ever raced. I am very happy with my placing though. I finished 9th overall and 1st in my A.G. I also had the 7th fastest bike split, which I am very happy with. Doug raced the Sprint and finished 3rd overall and 1st in his A.G. Awesome job Doug!! This weekend was great and the next triathlon is the Xterra Tri in Westbranch. I'm really excited for this race and I'm excited for the mountain biking and the trail running again to train for this race. Thanks for reading.

Later!

Tapering

This week is a Taper week in training. We are leaving Saturday morning for P.A. for the Dam Tri. and racing Sunday morning. We are going to stay with Doug at his cabin in Franklin and I'm looking forward to the food over the campfire and the fishing with Nick. ALSO..... Today is my Dad's birthday! So yesterday was a Happy Father's Day to him and today is a Happy Birthday. I've also been watching the FIFA World Cup lately and Brazil looks like they are unbeatable. Other than that, everything is going well with the training and hopefully the training in the past two weeks will help us finish with a good result this weekend.

See ya!