Surfing in SD

Thor is scheduled for surgery next week for his R knee. Hopefully, in 4 months or so he will look like this:

xc skiing at north boulder park

We both fell twice as the snow (and our form) kept getting more and more sloppy. But, Em was the only one to lose their pole tip in the snow!

IM Cozumel - race recap - 9:02:37

Sunday was my final race of the 2009 season. Originally Em and I booked tickets to spend our time on vacation and to watch Em's sister, Kendra, compete in her first Ironman race. That changed after I had a poor performance at Ironman Wisconsin in September and wanted to finish the season on a better note.

I went into this late season race, the latest I have raced into a calendar year, with less than ideal preparation. My job called for a lot of travel but I did my best to work in runs and swims when it was at all possible. I had a good summer and early fall of cycling so I did my best to maintain a high end with weekly key rides on the Computrainer and a weekend group ride with my teammates from Feedback Sports. I also implemented reverse taper swim training, which I have used throughout the last seven years I have been racing. Basically, neglect to swim for a while then increase your frequency of swims all the way up to race day. The fitness in the water is not always there, but at least I have that feel for the water by race day. Needless to say, this is not the best training method for most folks but it seems to work ok for me.

I got a great bike fit with my co-worker Mat Steinmetz at the Retul Multisport Studio in Boulder on Sunday night and he lowered my saddle height nearly 2cm which really relieved some pressure I had been feeling in my baby making region. Everyone should get a bike fit, more specifically a dynamic bike fit (Retul), to ensure they are positioned correctly on the bike. Mat has fit everyone from weekend warriors looking to maximize comfort to studs like Mirinda Carfrae, Chris Legh and Craig Alexander. Thanks Mat.

We flew over to Cozumel from Boulder on Thursday and while it was humid in the days leading up to the race, there was a "cold front" passing through the Gulf of Mexico that created quite the chop in the water and kept the temperatures in the high 70's. Basically, to those of us from Colorado, it felt like paradise.

The race organizers canceled the practice swim on Friday morning due to the excessive chop. Em and I did a practice swim in front of our hotel and it was choppy but really not too bad compared to swims like the Superfrog, LA Tri or the Norseman. It was 80-degrees, which meant a non wetsuit swim, so there was never a shock to the system from feeling cold water.



On race day, the Caribbean at Chankanaab Park was clear, warm and smooth. There was a bit of a current, but it was difficult to feel this during the swim. The organizers opted to move the turn buoy on the outbound leg in closer around 500 meters, which meant we ended up swimming with the current for an additional 500 meters to reach the far end of the course.

The race announcer called up athletes to the swim start and announced that between the pro men on the starting line there were over 30 Ironman titles (Lothar Leder, Oscar Galindez, Rutger Beke and Viktor Zymstev accounted for most of those). I told Em the night before I would really be thrilled with a top ten placing in such a strong field.

The swim felt the easiest of any Ironman swim I've been a part of and there was constant engagement with the water, meaning we swam over schools of fish, a giant stingray, and dozens of starfish. I stayed alone for the first half of the swim to find my rhythm but hopped onto Rutger's feet for the final kilometer.



The transition was a long run from the swim exit, into the change tent, and then through a maze of bikes to the racks at the end of transition where the pro bikes were racked. Most of the guys I would expect to be contenders for the overall win were right in and around my swim group including: Oscar, Tyler Butterfield, Lothar and Rutger. Stephen Bayliss was a few minutes up the road as was Viktor Z. Rutger had a very quick transition (or I had a very slow one), but I never saw him again until the run.

I felt great out on the three-loop, 112-mile bike course. I opted to wear a standard road helmet instead of an aero helmet in order to keep my head cool and I knew right away I had made the right choice. I kept my pace in check throughout the first loop and managed to stay within myself when Oscar rode past me. I followed him for five or six miles as I expected he was motivated to reach the front of the race. However, on the far side of the island where it was very windy, I decided it would be best to let him go and stay relaxed, so I kept my own pace. This was a great decision in hindsight because although I kept losing two minutes each lap to Rutger and an Italian rider (who looked to be Normann Stadler's twin brother), I caught and passed Viktor, Stephen and Oscar on the final lap and put some time into them. The bike ride felt easy and I finished it stronger than I started it, so I accomplished both of my goals there.

I exited the bike in third place overall and the crowd was going crazy. Again, I took the longest transition out of the pros, changing from my Retul cycling kit into my Kiwami run kit, but it was awesome to hear the support from the Mexican fans...they are crazy.

I saw Em and her parents, Bill and June, out there and I did my best to start the run with my emotions in check as I knew pacing would be my biggest enemy on the run. I raced without a watch so I used my internal pacing and ended up running the first lap of 9 miles in 6:58/mile pace. That is what I wanted to run and I had only been caught by Viktor at that point. I was passed at the opposite end, at mile 13, by Tyler, who was having a killer run (ended up posting a 2:52 marathon!) and we exchanged a high five before he proceeded to run out of sight! I stayed in fifth place for the next 9 miles but then went through a bad patch where my quad cramped up and I was forced to stop, stretch it, and walk for for a few hundred meters.

I passed through the worst patch of the marathon between miles 18-22 but then got my legs back for the final stretch back into town to the finish. Unfortunately, in those final four miles, I dropped from 5th place down to 9th place as I was caught by some quicker runners from behind. I am somewhat ashamed to say four of them started the marathon over 20 minutes behind me.

I missed one of my goals of finishing in less than 9 hours however I didn't race with a watch so I was never a slave to the race clock out there. Despite a poky marathon (by pro's standards) I crossed the line content with my effort and very thankful I made it through the entire season injury free, motivated for more, and passionate for this sport. While it doesn't have the same ring as a domestic Ironman event, I managed to sneak into the finish as the first American finisher too (sorry Tyler, you're from Bermuda!).

It was nice being one of the first with access into the medical tent so I could get two IV bags. After a post-race enchilada and margarita, we went back out to the race course to cheer Kendra home. Despite being entertained by the hoards of Mexican fans in bleachers (they tend to bring the extended family to sporting events), I managed to catch a few minutes of sleep.



Kendra is very strong mentally and got herself through the marathon course and finished in just over 15 hours. Not bad for being an active US Navy Officer who was deployed for six months earlier this year. She spent the next two hours, until 12:30AM, in the medical tent getting IV's and having the medical staff work on her blisters. I think Kendra was already looking forward to her next challenge but I think she will put in some more focused training for her next race.



A special thanks to Emily, Bill, and June for being an awesome support group out there. I also really appreciate Tyler's wife, Nikki, cheering for me out at the far end of the course as she could obviously tell the difference between my running strides and Tyler's.

It was an awesome trip out to Cozumel and I would recommend this race for anyone who would consider training for a late season race. The Mexican fans are extremely enthusiastic and when you mix in all the American party goers lining the downtown streets outside of Senor Frogs and walking along the ocean front, it made for a vibrant race atmosphere.

Unfortunately, we missed the post race party which took place the following night as it would have been cool to stand on stage with the top ten placers, however we had to get back to Thor and Izzy and our work. The direct Frontier flight leaving Cozumel to Denver was packed with funny tan lines, numbered calves, neon bracelets and bike boxes. Waking up this morning felt far worse than yesterday but each day now will get better and better. I'm looking forward to taking a bit of time off now, maybe working on my jump shot or just enjoying some hiking and skiing in Colorado. After all, Em and I will be moving out to San Diego in mid January so we have to take advantage of the mountains while we can.

Ride on,
lars