St. George Ford Ironman 2011 Training: Week 5

St. George Ford Ironman 2011 Training: Week 4

St. George Ford Ironman 2011 Training: Week 3

Here is Mikes info:

Phone: 801.599.2354

http://thefitright.com/serendipity/

St. George Ford Ironman 2011 Training: Week 2

St. George Ford Ironman 2011 Training: Week 1

So I decided it would be easier to video tape my Ironman training experience rather then write about it. I have stared my 24 week Ironman training plan. I am new at this video thing so try not to laugh it should get better.

Enjoy!

St. George Turkey Tri "Then and Now"

Last year the St. George Turkey Tri was one of my first races and the first races that I am able to compare my progress. I can't believe how far I have come!!!

Take a look at last year.....

I think that's called the Doggie-Paddle

Yes, I was doing the backstroke and yes I felt like I was having a stroke....

Ridding my brothers Mountain bike!!!


Really at this point I though I was going to die!!!

I weighed 230 lbs

Swim Time:12:29

Bike Time:44:15

Run Time:33:24

Total Time:01:32:32

Finished: LAST!

After this race and looking over the times and seeing that all the 60+ years olds beat me. I knew that I could do better. To be honest with you I never really though that I wasn't a big guy. You only really realize it when you lose the weight and see old pictures. So at that time loosing weight wasn't a goal. I just wanted to get faster!

Fast forward to 2010....

I weight 169 lbs and feel great. Having the goal of getting faster had some other positive side effect one of them being losing weight. To date I have lost over 60 lbs!!!

Also here are my times from this year Turkey Tri.

Swim Time:06:24
Bike Time:27:53
Run Time:20:07
Total Time:56:07
Finished: 6Th overall and 1st in my age group

I improved my time by 36 Min's!!!

The best part is that my Mom and Dad did the Turkey Tri. It was their first Tri and they did so awesome. I am so proud of them and want to let them know I love them!

We didn't get very many photos but I made a video. Enjoy!

Last good weather bike ride!

Winter is approaching and its going to be getting colder. One of my tri friends who is doing the Arizona Ironman needed to get a 112 miler bike ride in so I decided to join him. The temperature was about 80+ degrees and we both forgot sun screen (Bad Idea). Overall everything went fine besides the fact that I am having second thoughts of doing IMSG because about mile 100 I bonked and could only think in my mind that after this ride I would need to run a marathon.... Good thing I have some time! I will be doing the Tour to St. George century ride on the 16th of the month should be a fun one.

Anyways check out our ride...

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/51614399

US Open Water Swimming - Virtual Open Water Swim Competition

(Post taken from http://www.utahopenwater.com/)

Open water swimming in Utah is quickly coming to a close as we move into fall with water levels and temperatures dropping. US Open Water Swimming Connection has come up with a "Virtual Open Water Swim" to help keep us swimming and thinking about open water through the winter months.

The competition goes for six months and starts October 1. You can enter one of five "goal distances" that are based on actual open water distances. They are as follows:

1) 50 miles Lake Travis, Texas - 88,000 yards: averaging 3,382 yards per week
2) 100 miles, Lake Powell, Utah -176,000 yards: averaging 6765 yards per week
3) 150 miles, Oahu to the Big Island, Hawaii - 264,000 yards: averaging 10,150 yards per week
4) 200 miles, Chesapeake Bay, Maryland/Virginia - 352,000 yards: averaging 13,530 yards per week
5) 250 Miles Lake Huron, Michigan - 410,000 yards: averaging 16,712 yards per week

After sign up, each swimmer will receive a swim log form to keep track of their yardage. You can log any distance you swim whether it be in open water or in the pool. The person that completes the distance and submits their swim log FIRST will receive a $40 gift certificate from Kiefer Swim Shop. Other prizes (lotion, shampoo, caps) will be awarded for 2nd - 5th place in each category. More prizes may be added depending upon participation levels for each category.

The cost to enter varies from $15 to $75 depending on if you add options like a t-shirt or workout plans.
Karen Reeder has informed me that there are currently no swimmers from Utah entered in the competition. I am planning on entering (and counting Slam the Dam as my first swim). Let's get some more swimmers signed up to represent the Beehive State!

Details on the event can be found on the US Open Water Swimming Connection site or by clicking here.

(I signed up for #2 100 miles, Lake Powell, Utah -176,000 yards: averaging 6765 yards per week)

Kokopelli Results

What a great event and a good one to end on. I ended up 10th overall and second in my age group by a few milliseconds :( sprint to the end(Story of my life). I was really happy with my bike and swim times. If I compare this race to St. George Tri which was the same course I improved my time by 6 mins and 43 sec's!!! So overall happy with my performance. I say a good one to end on because I am going to be taking a few weeks off to let my body rest. My knee has really been bugging me and my run was really bad on Saturday so my body is telling me to take a break. I will not be running the SOJO marathon this Saturday. Good luck to everyone doing it. Below is a video of the Kokopelli Tri.

Kokopelli

Kokopelli is a fertility deity, usually depicted as a humpbacked flute player (often with a huge phallus and feathers or antenna-like protrusions on his head), who has been venerated by some Native American cultures in the Southwestern United States. Like most fertility deities, Kokopelli presides over both childbirth and agriculture. He is also a trickster god and represents the spirit of music.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kokopelli

Sorry for the slacking on the blog it's been crazy since the Utah Half. My wife and I got really sick and my knee has been killing me so my schedule has been way off. I am doing Kokopelli this Saturday at Sand Hollow in St. George the event is hosted by BBSC who always does a great job. I will also be volunteering at packet pickup on Friday so if you are there try to say hello to me. Does anyone know what the temperature in Sand Hollow is? I am trying to figure out if they are going to let us wear wetsuits of not.

Good luck to everyone.

Utah Half Triathlon

Here is my race report for the Utah Half Triathlon.
We arrived early and got an okay spot in transition. Everything was going great until I noticed I forgot my hydration for my bike :( and all they had was water. It was pretty dark when we showed up and once the sun started to come up the mosquitos were in full force. (I have about 20 bug bites now) I hurried and put my wetsuit on and they asked for everyone to start heading towards the water. They called the first group of guys out to the water. After a count down, we were off. I started off fast and then found a nice pace. My goal on the swim was to take it easy and to stay relaxed. During the swim I like to look around to try to get my mind focus on something else. (Helps past the time) I noticed planes flying right over us very low because of the airport nearby. I also noticed a big truck and people standing on it thinking that's a great idea; they must have the best view! Then with another look, I noticed it was my parents!!! (My dad sells heavy equipment and he brought down a truck with a bed just in case). I stopped and waved to them. The swim was two half mile loops with a 200 meter stretch to the other dock. The dock was extremely slippery and they had four guys there helping athletes out. I finished the swim around 40 Min's. Looking at everyone's times after the race, the swim was a little longer then 1.2 miles but I was happy with my time. After the swim, we had a long run to the transition. Once in transition, I took a little extra time to make sure I had everything just because a 56 mile bike ride wouldn't be fun if I forgot something. I took off and started to pass a ton of people! I really excel on the bike. There were a couple of athletes that stayed with me. We went back and forth passing each other (Really annoying) but we were really going fast and I felt great . There was one part of the bike that goes over a very busy intersection that if you hit a red light, you needed to stop. Of course I hit the light. Not a big deal, I was there just to have fun and finish the race so it didn't really bug me. Plus, there were people that looked like they had been waiting there longer. After the light turned green, I took off with the same group of guys and kept a very fast pace: about 25-26 mph. Once you get out of the city, the road turns from a smooth asphalt to a rockchip surface. It was very rough with sharp rocks. I have had my Pro 3 race tires on for about 5 months, totaling about 1,500-2,000 miles. I didn't really check the tires thinking the two bike shops I took my bike to in the last week would of let me know. I'm not trying to blame them. It was my fault for not checking. I ended up getting three flats :(. Once we hit the rock chip the first one hit. I hurried and changed it and kept going. About a mile later, another flat. I got help this time from a SBR car and then another mile later a third one!! This time I called it good. On the second flat, the SBR guy told me that the tires were done. My race was over. This is where my dad's truck came in handy. I waved a passing car over and used their phone to called for a ride. My dad and mom came and picked me up and we also gave another person who had a major bike problem a ride back also. We saw so many people with flats on the way back. Lesson learned... always check your equipment and make sure its good to go. Once I got back to transition, I told Travis the race director that I was going to take a DNF but wanted to finish the run. Instead of just starting to run I wanted for the group of guys that I was riding with to continue my race, knowing that after I would receive a DNF. I had about a 1:30 rest and then the group came in. I started my run and tried to just get a good idea of what a half ironman felt like. It was my first and I planned all year to do this so it was really disappointing for me to not complete the entire race. I got a lot of "sorry's" on the run and saw alot of my Tri friends. So the day ended pretty good and I just figured that it wasn't my day. After the results posted I noticed my name was first place for my age group. Fun.... I wish I could have really gotten 1st... Maybe next year. Once I saw that, I told Travis to DNF me and not to announce my name. The next day I checked the results and my name was still in first! So today I emailed the timing company to put me down as DNF. Next time, I need to just turn my chip in! Overall the event was a good one although with one big bummer. It was so good, however, to see everyone having fun! The SUTC kicked butt and so did my sister Kelly, who also did her first half distance. Thanks to everyone who supported me and especially my wife who had a very long day just to watch me get 3 flats. To make up for the disappointment, I am going to register for the Pumpkinman Half distance Tri October 23, 2010 by BBSC. Here's hoping for a better race!



I made a video of the event. Enjoy!

Utah Half Triahtlon

The Utah half is tomorrow!!! I have been waiting for this event the whole year. This will by far be the hardest event I have ever done. Good Luck to everyone who is particapating!!!!

Desperado Dual 106 miles

I am trying to get in as many 100 mile bike rides as I can before the St. George Ironman 2011. My brother Ryan had suggested we do this one because this was his first 100 miler back in 2007 and he really enjoyed it. I love doing supported bike rides. The stops always have the best food and the bathrooms are nice to have. We ended up being 5mins late so we didn't start with the group but we found some good groups to ride with a had a fun time. The course starts out with a slight incline, if one at all, until about 7 miles then it has a 6 mile elevation gain which you ride on a walking path from there. It is a slight down hill with some rollers until about 80 miles and then up hill with huge winds. The last 25 miles was the worst and I think everyone struggled. We all did really well and each of us had are few challenges but in the end we made it and had fun. My sister did her first 100 mile bike ride and did extremely well!!! Thanks Ryan, and Kelly! I had a blast.

I kept my watch going so I could get an exact time.

Herriamn Traithlon 2010

The Herriman Triathlon was a great race! One of my better performances. I live in the area so I was very familiar with the course. The swim was short and fast. I ended up third out of the water in my wave. The transition was on a sandy beach which made it a little more difficult but wasn't too bad. The bike course was a little longer with a long false incline. I was in third place the entire time and could see the two guys ahead of me but could never gain any ground on them. T2 was at butterfield park in Herriman and I made it out in 2nd place to be passed by Ian Nelson who started to go the wrong way. I knew the course and yelled to him to come back. The first place guy was just a few yards ahead of us. About 2 miles into the run I got passed by Brad Gilson and he was going fast. I got to one of the turn spots and had noticed that the three guys kept running and there was no marking to turn!!! I had run the course three times but figured that they knew something I didn't so I kept running with them. Once we got to the top where I figured we would need to turn, I saw two guys running the totally wrong way... this time I yelled to everyone to stop and to come the right way. We all mutually agreed to have Ian go ahead because he had clearly beaten us and it would be the right thing to do. To my surprise Brad Gilson was in the second heat and he had beaten all of us by a good 5mins... I ended up coming in 4th overall and 1st in my age group with one of my best races. It was also my B-day so that made the day even better. My wife Courtney and Sister Kelly had also participated in the event and they both did really well. I am starting to get worried because my sister is getting closer to beating me!!!

I had my father film the event and I made a video. Enjoy!

Herriman Triathlon Preview

Herriman Triathlon this Saturday. I though I would put together a preview video of the course just in case anyone cared. Enjoy!

(Sorry for the bad footage on the run I really did run with the camera bad idea!)

Good Luck Alex Bowcut!

Video Courtesy of KSL.com

BAM Traithlon 2010 Midway, Utah

I though I would go watch and make a video of the 2010 BAM triathlon. It was nice to see some fellow triathletes. Nice Job to everyone who participated maybe next year you will see me out there.

Enjoy!

Rudy Project: Wingspan

It finally arrived!!! I had a 60% off coupon and ordered me a new Rudy Project: Wingspan aero helmet. So far I Love it but haven't tested in a race scenario.

Check it out!

Rudy Project: Wingspan website

Mirror Lake Open Water Swim

Went camping at Mirror Lake with the family this weekend and had a ton of fun. On the way up I decided to ride my bike from the bottom of the canyon to the camp site on the Mirror Lake Highway. It was a nice climb about 25.5 miles all that a climb. Courtney also got here new Xterra X2 wetsuit so we planned a open water swim with Kelly (my sister) Courtney and I. My brother Robby also joined us in his first open water swim. Check out the short video I put together and you can also see my Garmin profile of the bike ride.

Stansbury Tri- My first Olympic

So with the Utah half coming up in August and the Ironman next year in May, I really needed to step up the distance and do an Olympic distance tri. Stansbury was my first and it was not easy. Going into it, I really wanted to do well because I had won a medal at all of the other UStrisports events. Having a fourth victory with four medals would have been a great picture. Morning of the event, my sister drove my wife and I to Stansbury in Tooele. Stansbury is a community that is surrounded by a man-made lake. When we showed up, we happened to get a great spot right at the front of the bike-out and bike-in. After setting up our transition, my sister and I looked over the transition area to make sure we knew where we were going. The race directors called everyone down to the water front to do the pre race meeting. After that, the Olympic men got in the water. The water was so hot; about 73-75 degrees. I have always enjoyed going after the Olympic swimmers because it gives me time to get the butterflies out but not this time. The swim course was a little short and the water was very gross. After finishing my first lap came a second. This was different. I was used to just doing one lap with the regular sprint distances. But I made it and felt fine. I have really increased my swim endurance and speed by attending the masters class on Tuesday and Thursday at my gym (Helps a ton). After finishing the swim we had a 100 meter run to the transition. I got on my bike and was off on the extremely flat and short bike course (21 miles). I had five guys in my age group ahead of me and by the finish of the bike, I had passed 4 of them and started out in second on the run. First place was just seconds in front. That's where the race ended for me. I can't run! I ended up getting passed by all but one in my age group on the run and ended up second to last in my division. Running is the hardest and weakest leg of TRIs for me . So, in the end, not my best race but I know where a lot more work needs to be done. MY RUN!!! Overall, a great event! I was happy to get my first Olympic tri done and on a bright note my sister who was also doing her first Olympic did a great job and got first in her division and also got the fastest swim in her division. Great job Kelly! I know I sound like I didn't have fun because I got my butt kicked but I still had a ton of fun and got a great workout in. I try not to let winning get to my head but it's always fun to be competitive. I need to get used to not winning because I plan on only doing Olympic distance tri's or longer if possible. The other factor is that I don't race Clydesdale anymore because... I have lost 50 lbs since last October!!! So I have a lot to be happy for and winning isn't everything. (That's what losers say to make themselves feel better)

http://www.ustrisports.com/st2010.htm

http://www.onlineraceresults.com/event/view_event.php?event_id=4709

(David Warden, 1st place sprint. Great athlete)

(Yes, I was tired)

(Ustrisports, they do a great job)

(Our Support Group)

(Fastest Swim)

Afterwards, we went to Bruges Waffles downtown for lunch. It was so good! I ordered their "Machine Gun" as featured on the TV show "Man Vs. Food". It was loaded with frits! So good!

Scofield... One to remember!!!

Scofield will go down as one of the most memorable Triathlon events. Here's why....

10) Weather- The weather was great! It started out over-cast but the temperature was perfect!
09) Camping- Who doesn't love camping?! A little more work but worth it.
08) Friends- It's always nice to spend time with friends.
07) Bike- I had a great bike time. I never checked the course out so I took it easy and ended up in the top 5 bike times!
06) Scofield Lake- What a great get away.
05) BBSC- You can always count on them to hold a great event. Food and great finisher medals.
04) Swim- Had my best swim.
03) Photo finish- Dead sprint to the finish explained below...
02) 3rd place in Age group Division and 6th overall
01) Family!- Need I explain. Had a great camping trip with my brother Ryan, sister Kelly, my nieces and nephew, Mom and Dad, and my great and loving wife Courtney. I love my family.

So the Scofield trip started off with me showing up at 3pm to set up my campsite. Scofield is about 2hrs away from Salt Lake City. My brother and sister were coming up from St. George so they were a little late due to work. After setting up my site, I went to the registration and socialized with some of my friends I have met over the last few triathlons and ate some great pasta. The Scofield Tri has four events, Sprint, Olympic, Escape, and kids. The sprint and Olympic are the standard distances but the Escape is more like a Half Ironman... Well a lot harder. You start out on an island and swim 1.7 miles to the port, then you bike 40 miles but up a mountain!!! It's crazy hard bike ride. (Not that I would know... I only drove it but it looks crazy hard) then you top it off with a 10 mile run. Next year???

Now let me tell you about my photo finish. I am now under 200 lbs so no more racing in the Clydesdale division. So this was my first race in my age group and I have some tough compitition. My friend and coach Ryan Meyers is in my age group and is also a great triathlete. The swim and the bike I had a small lead on him. I knew he was behind me but I was worried about the run because he is a really good runner and my run needs a lot of work. With about 100 yards left, we were neck and neck and we sprinted to the end. One of the hardest things I have ever done. I didn't know who won because we crossed at the exact same time. We both puked!!! When I checked the results he had beat me by a tenth of a second!!! Yes, I lost but it was still so fun to have such a great finish and Ryan Meyers is a great athlete. This is the reason why every second counts and doing the little things add up!

Ps- My brother and Sister dominated the compitition and got 1st in there division.

Saltaire TT and Pre-Scofield Tri

Getting ready for the Scofield Tri this week. A camp site opened up so this will be my first camping triathlon should be interesting. My bother Ryan, his kids, my sister Kelly, and my wife and I will be there. Just FYI Scofield is about 2 hours south of Salt Lake City haven't ever been there but heard it's beautiful. This is the second tri of the BBSC Trifecta. The BBSC trifecta is a series of races that you get points for depending on your place in your age group. It would be nice to be in the top three but who knows so many great athletes.

(I will do a post after the race)

Here is my 7/15/10 Saltaire TT time:

Emigration TT Series

So after doing the Saltaire TT last week I tried the Emigration TT. I really didn't know what to expect. I like doing races because I push myself more then when I am just training. Emigration isn't that steep about 4-5% incline the last mile is a good climb and the course is about 7.5 miles. I went last so my ego was saved because I didn't get passed. I plan on doing the Emigration TT along with the Saltaire TT every Thursday. The cost is $8 per race and if you want them to track your points for the series you can buy a plate for $70 per season. Since the season ends in October there is no point for me to buy the plate and have them track my score so if you try to look for me on the site you will not find me.
Next season!

Below is info on the event and my stats:

Time: 31:03 (Winner had a time of 26:34 FAST!!!)

http://www.utahcritseries.com/

Saltaire TT Series

One thing I have loved about Triathlons is biking! It's the leg of the race I always feel my best. I have heard people in the bike shop and my brother Ryan talk about the bike races here local so I did some research and found some great sites with lots of info on the local bike races. They happen to have a TT race series out at the Saltaire by the great salt lake every other Thursday so I decided to go try it out. I really enjoyed it and plan on attending regularly. They also have some other races every week like a Criterium and some hill races up emigration which I think I will give a try also. I really don't plan on breaking any records I just like to race against the best and try to improve my bike times.
Below are some pictures and links that will help you if you're interested.

The Saltaire TT series is usually 10k but the race I went to happened to be changed at the last min to 24k because they wanted to get some practice for the state TT finals on Saturday. The only problem I had was that I didn't bring any water thinking I was only going 6 miles. The wind is intense and the dirt in the throat really hurt but there is 0 elevation so very fast.

My stats: 14.20 miles 34:50 24.4 MPH


http://www.cyclingutah.com/html/roadracingcalendar.html

http://utahcritseries.com/

Rock Clliff Triathlon

Rory Duckworth: 1st in Clydesdale Division 2nd in age group 10th overall
Kelly Duckworth: 1st in Athena Division 3rd in age group

Overall good event. The time chip company had some issues so we waited a while for awards and a few people turned the wrong way on the bike course so there bike times were all messed up but the event was a good with great weather. Thanks Courtney for the cheers and great pictures.

Rock Cliff Triathlon info:

http://www.onlineraceresults.com/race/view_race.php?race_id=13724&relist_record_type=result&lower_bound=0&upper_bound=147&use_previous_sql=1&group_by=SEX#racetop

http://www.ustrisports.com/rc2010.htm

My new Ride!

Love it! Great deal. Cannondale Slice with Easton EC90 SL carbon wheels. Going from road bike to tri bike is a big change. I have only taken a few rides and love the new MPH's increase.

My own Century!

The other day I was really itchy to get a long ride in. I have the Utah Half coming up on August 28Th and so I planned a ride around Utah lake. I really didn't know of anyone that wanted to go so I went by myself (Not recommended). I started out on my bike from Herriman and the first thing I noticed was a little sprinkle of water on my arms and a cold breeze. I knew it was going to be interesting. After Saratoga Springs, the rain really came down but I was determined to do this ride. I kept telling myself that I need to prepare for any conditions because I will not be able to control the weather during the Ironman. After 56 miles (half way) I had made it to Santiquin and stopped at this nice Sub shop and had myself a Philly Cheese Steak. The owner was very nice and the restaurant was too. After lunch, I got lost from my original route and kind of made one up myself. In the end, it worked out great. I only needed to make one small turn around. At this point the rain was on and off once I made it to Provo. It eventually stopped and the sun came out. It was so nice to get some sun! I also started to ride with another cyclist. It helped because at this point my body was really taking a beating. I was about 83 miles into it. We parted ways around Lindon and shortly after that, I hit the wall. I was really hating my bike and just wanted to be home in a hot shower!!! But I made it! In the end, I should have tried to get someone to come with me for safety and company reasons. I was really happy about my average speed of 19.5 with no major hills.

Below is the link to the ride and the ride itself.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/36808049

Shark Attack Triathlon

(By Courtney- My wife)

Saturday, I did the Shark Attack Triathlon in Riverton, UT. It's was my second TRI. Sprint distance was: 300 meter swim, 12 mile bike, and a 5k (3.2 mile) run. It was SO cold and

wet! It was pooring rain when we got there at 6:00 am. But before the swim started, thankfully, it stopped! My swim time was actually better than I thought it was going to be! It was so crowded in the pool! I guess I could have been a little more agressive and pushed my way through....

Next bike....It was freezing AND it started raining a bit when I was out. I was soaking wet! Rory told me that it was best to wear socks with my cycling shoes to keep my feet warm...(even though I train with no socks) Well, my socks got so wet that it probably made it worse!

Then, my run...It was ultimately my downfall. I just am so slow! I didn't stop once but I am just not at the pace I should be... I ended up placing 3rd in my age group! I was pretty surprise, but it wasn't that big of a race to begin with. I got a medal though! I thought I would never get one! Thanks Rory and Kelly for coming!

Not sure when my next one will be...I am thinking about the Herriman TRI in August. For now, training will focus on getting my run up to speed!