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!