Talkin Durty to Ya

(Complements of Reid's instaG selfie sillz)

167 days since I've last punched the keyboard with my thoughts and spat it onto this blog for all the interwebers to behold. Since that day, any time I've tried writing something that’s taken more than 30 seconds to jot down, I've just ended up getting side tracked, taking “what character are you” quizzes on Buzzfeed or shopping for nut butters on Amazon. Yes, my attention span has become diminished as my need for quick info has increased (in which, I blame twitter & snapchat for). In those 167 days, a lot of really unimportant and irrelevant stuff has occurred; like the rise and fall of my mustache. I’m still confused at how so many people managed to take me seriously during that time, as well as my ability to maintain eye contact with anyone for more than 5 seconds. I've also discovered that it’s possible to ride the exact same times (if not faster) on a 10-15 year old titanium frame bike, worth $free.99, as it is on a $12k+ bike (so what if feels like you’re scootin on a John Deere lawnmower compared to a Lambo? ..You’re still going the same speed, just (waaaay) less sex appeal).

Spectating is hard work.

I began this post to chat about the New Orleans 70.3 but I’ll first address the Oceanside 70.3…

(If you like twitter, or abstracts of abstracts, then: What you’re about to read is a brief downer paragraph. Skip it if you want to get to fun stuff)

I was hesitant to race the Oceanside 70.3 as my first race of the year- with a World Championship caliber field, chomping at the bit to get their season underway… BUT I did. Felt like a dude who can Macarana exceptionally, but jumped on stage alongside Michael Jackson, Shakira, Chris Brown and MC Hammer in a dance-off & expected to be competitive. (Even the Coachella hologram of MC Hammer would still annihilate me… oh he’s still alive? nvm #STOPhammertime). That being said, here’s a quick recap: I sat on the back of a big pack until the turn around buoy then somehow got separated and solo zig-zagged the remainder of the swim. It wasn't my finest swim ever. The harder I pushed on the bike, the flatter and more unenthused I became. Far behind, riding solo and not being around ANY competition (other than a pressing 20 minutes with Karl Bordine) for 35-40 miles was pretty damn frustrating, especially when you’re having a flat day. My heart & mind just weren't in it. I’m just being honest here. I hung my head and spun back to T2 then transitioned to my car. I've gotten a lot of people upset at me for bailing, and I mean no disrespect to them or to the sport by pulling out (not proud of it either). Empty heartedly completing a distance isn't “racing” to me and certainly not why I enjoy triathlon. A mental restructuring was/is needed to race professionally and all experiences make us grow. That’s all I got, regarding Oceanside.

I was excited about racing the New Orleans 70.3. A slightly more reasonable Men’s Pro field meant that I could at least be competitive and around some dudes. Also, I was stoked for my brother who jumped onboard last minute to race his 1^st 70.3.

Race day began with an introduction of the Pro field, one by one. After hearing the announcer introduce great triathletes before me with countless accolades, I was shocked to hear them actually have plenty of info on me when they intro’ed me. I believe one of the phrases was “blogger, extraordinaire” which I immediately heard my brother laughing and in my head thought “haha.. I wonder if these guys know that I haven’t even glanced at my blog account in months”. But to their cred, I probably wouldn't have started writing this if they didn't say that.

Reid & I sharing how great how great our days hv been

After a wonky & extremely unannounced start, I saw a few guys go off the front & left a large pack of dudes swimming a very "Keith" style pace. Thanks to the massive water churning of Tom Lowe, I was hardly working, sitting on his feet. I felt like a kayak in the wake of a cruise ship. In the last 2-300 meters I got into a better position & exited with a good-sized group of guys. Hopped out of transition with em & started motoring up the N'awlins Highway. Literally, in the 1st mile or two a ref scootered along side me & displayed a red card. I was pretty chill about it (if I do say so), calmly asked when/what it was for & he explained that he gave me a 4 minute penalty for taking 35 (or something) seconds to pass a rider. Hmm, really? I honestly didn't even know what he was talking about as we had just started out on the bike & the pack I came out of the water with was a hodgepodge & still sorting itself out. I didn't get down & just kept riding like nothing had happened. "Think about it when you get off the bike & take the penalty in t2. I wasn't having the most awesome time on that bike course in the wind & my legs didn't feel as strong as I would've liked (how often are they ever, though?) but had a decent pace going on. I don't remember when, exactly, but I got misdirected off course by a police & missed a bridge. That was a downer. 

Rolled into t2 (or/actually the penalty box outside of transition) & saw Chris McDonald, fresh out of the penalty box himself. I had a nice little chat with my dad thru the duration of those 4 long minutes & saw a grip of pro men ride in & take off from behind me. Figured, "I'm out here with an empty run course, may as well knock out a good brick run workout without trying to wreck myself for St. George in 2 weeks". So, I ended up taking out the 1st 6-7 miles at a nice Sunday long run pace, and then progressively running each of the remaining 6 miles faster than the last. The last 5k was a steady hard effort. #boringTrainingdetails 

The only thing I was genuinely upset with was that after a great swim, my poor brother got a flat, rolling his bike out of t1, then a rear flat after the 1^st mile. He didn't even get a chance to get in his aerobars, let alone finish his 1^st half. I didn't think my shite fortune would bleed into his bank account. Not sure what cricket in a crack I stepped on while walking under a ladder, alongside a black cat, during a full moon I pissed off, but I desperately need a bird to poop on me, cause I could use some luck.

Rice, beans, cased meat that's been uncased, & beer #NOLA

New Orleans was still a good time and I had fun exploring thru the streets of the durty Vegas of the south with my fam. I’m looking forward to going back to St. George in less than 2 weeks and hitting that course like I did last year, but “one more time, with feeling”.

Big thanks to all of my kick ass sponsors, I love you guys. Spy, Stone Brewing Co. & Harmony Bar! And (as always,) all of my love to my family & friends for your support. 

Experiencing the Weird in Austin

Noisy on your eyes, quiet on your ears.

Last week I traveled back to Austin TX with hopes as big as the guts of faithful Wataburger customers. After a nails race here last year (7^th overall) and a solid race at the Texas 70.3 at the beginning of this year (knocking out a 4:02), I was eager to get back to the Lone Star State & dig in the spurs to crank out more Tejas horsepower.

Melvin's food truck dude laughed when I asked for that 

I convinced my mom & sister to come out with me and experience the brilliance of Austin because the city is genuinely interesting & quirkily oddball.  We invaded Brian Wrona’s new Austin pad while he was, ironically, on a trip back to the west coast. Can’t thank you enough, Brian- & I really hope you relish those new lima bean colored sheets & harvest emotional & physical warmth in the awful discounted Dallas Cowboys & Christmas blankets we left you with. I was also jazzed that a bunch of great friends from the good part of California came out to race & explore Austin. Most of the fun was adventuring with friends, post race. I will say, for as artistically cultured and grandiose the coffee shops, restaurants, boutique shops, food trucks, and festivities are... San Diego has the Austin craft beer scene beat by miles. Though, Craft Pride on Rainey Street is pretty dope, 1 or 2 good Austin bars don’t touch the legion of craft beer bars and breweries that SD has.

"I hear the 1 on the right unravels in the playoffs" - Wrona

Turned out, a good grip of pros showed up to race. I was actually kinda happy about that because it just meant that there’d be more people to ride with coming out of the swim; anything to keep the competitive fire burning. I was (/am) mega confident in my running, at the moment, so I wasn’t too concerned about losing too many battles off the bike.

Momers & I about to tackle some BBQ

The Race.

The swim was ok but fairly unexciting & expected. I gotta get better at being more aggressive in the opening 4-500 meters. I watched the men’s 25 minute pack put a tiny gap on the dude’s feet I was sitting on, around 5ish minutes in, and knew I missed the boat. Sat comfortably in a group of 3 or 4 and came out of the water, mid 26 minutes, feeling fresh.

Cool slice in the front tire (right); rear tire, thx 4 icing the cake

It had been raining that night/morning & I rode a slightly lower air pressure in my tires so I wouldn’t be sliding around on corners & turns (& just as I typed that out, realized that may have been part of the cause of my flats). On the bike, I was excited to find 5 or 6 guys, right away, to pace with/off.  Not even 12 miles in, I heard that stomach sinking sound of “pppssssttttwwwshwwwwsshhhwwwssshhh” and a thumping front end of my bike. “Rad”, I didn’t even bring Vittoria Pit Stop. I sat on the side of the road for 5-10 minutes before a photographer motored over to me and called the tech support to come my way. A wheel dude showed up sometime later & just gave me a new front wheel to ride so I could at least finish the bike. I was pretty pissed but at least I could spin back and knock out a gnarly fast run split. At mile 48, I saw a female pro on the side of the road, walking her bike with a flat (I saw a lot of flats). Just as I was thinking, “man.. flat city today” I heard that damn sound again “pppshshffffftttttssssshhhtttwwww” (that’s my best recreation of the sound I can scribe out for you, but anyone who rides a bike knows it); this time it was my rear disc (tubular tire). All you can do is shake your head and laugh at that point; merely getting back to the transition wasn’t even doable anymore. My day/last couple months of racing had just become a comedy. Sitting on the side of the road (no less, directly in front of a Donut shop, with no money.. that’s just cruel), at least I had company with my new friend, Ewa Bugdol, the female pro who flatted in the same spot I did- she was in 2^nd at the time.. that blows.

I was upset, but got over it. That’s racing, I guess. Good days and bad days.. blah blah blah. Nothing is sure in sports; just by putting in endless hours suffering in training each week doesn’t guarantee results.. & good results aren’t always achieved by endless hours of training (most of the time they are, however..)

Ironworks BBQ

My triathlon season is over, but I'll jump into a running race or two before I completely pull the plug on my fitness for the year. I love triathlon; & as I was recently reminded by my good friend, Bill Jones, I do it because I have fun & find thrill of racing to be unparalleled. I’m already looking forward to building for next year, being my 1^st full season racing professionally, but I think a break is overdue & well needed.

 fairly standard snapchat

I just want to thank my sponsors for believing in me and supporting my crazy racing addiction thru the ups and downs this year.. B+L Bikes, Stone Brewing Co., & of course, my radical parents & family. & my friends for tolerating my incessant barrage of snapchats.

Addendum: I’d like to give a shout to a new sponsor for next year, Harmony Bars. These little squares of goodness are so bomb you can taste the awesome!! Once Jess brought 2 trays of her White Chocolate Coconut Blondies to a party and I’m pretty sure I ate the 1^st tray by myself before others even realized they were out.. (gluten/soy free). Check em out!

Charisa & Jen with no regrets.

Downtown Austin from SoCo... right after a man, solely wearing a thong, rode across on a beach cruiser.

How's Trix?

Havin a beer w/ my old Team Stone buddy, Phil MacNitt

Well shoot.. I'm sorry for not having scribbled down anything legitimate since the beginning of summer. I took a little break from chatting (and partaking) about racing; But, alas, I'm back and will start scrawling out my thoughts and experiences for the blogger world soon.

In the meanwhile, I'm excited to get back to some competition. I'll be racing the SuperFROG 1/2 Iron distance on Sept. 29 in Coronado again this year. I'll do my best to not run past the finishing chute and continue on for a 1/2 mile up the beach again like last year ;-) I also hear there's going to be a few fast cats showing up too (like my good buddy & training mate, Ian Mikelson). Looking forward to a tough/fun day.

I had initially planned on racing the Oceanside Lifetime Fitness Series Olympic race in mid October; but, after further thinking, bailed on that idea due to it being a week before the Austin 70.3... Which I'm saving up all my chips for. 

New custom speedos thx to Betty Designs

I'm also amped to announce that I've recently partnered up with the world's greatest brewery, Stone Brewing Co.  Couldn't be luckier to have the company that inspired me to do my 1st Triathlon, now become one of my sponsors (in 2009, I was working for Stone & entered their New Year's Resolution contest and (having never done an endurance sport in my life) signed up for my 1st tri after chatting with some friends at a party). 

Talk to y'all soon!

update

More or less, this pic sums up my last month of racing; a little pissed off, a little confused, a little frustrated.

Photo: courtesy of http://www.trilounge.com/ @ Vineman 70.3

Thank God for good friends, family, & beer.

ps. down but not out.

When It Rains, It Pours in Syracuse (70.3)- 1st Pro Race

When life gives you lemons, make some lemonade…. Then grab a beer and make a shandy- cause I learned on this trip, that's a winning combo for a good time. Like my friend Beth says, “Bad races are the easiest to write about because you can find what happened and what you need to improve on”. I haven’t had too many bad races lately, so I get to see how easy that really is. I hate excuses and would like to limit the excusivness in my blog posts to as little as possible. ..That, and I don’t want anything to take away from the great time I had out in Syracuse. Like I mentioned on Facebook, I was drawn to this race because of Jen’s write up on it. Got connected to a great homestay out here and couldn’t have ended up with a nicer couple. Dan & Alesha, you guys are rad & the amount of hospitality you offered me is silly. Not to mention Dan’s flawless taste in coffee mugs and our shared love for dogs & craft beer made for fun convo.

Going to give a brief report of the action then do something fun.

At least I had a crisp speedo

Evaded an angry police after jumping out of a car planted in traffic and ran a blazing pace to get to transition, drop off my transition ish, then bolted to the start line just in time for the National Anthem. Felt great in the swim despite not hitting the bathroom beforehand. Just missed a little pack around 30 seconds ahead of me and ended up around 1:50 back from the leaders. I was fairly pleased with that swim. The swim course was a tad long, judging by everyone’s times. Exited the water in 7th place. Got out of transition quick and realized that I left my nutrition in my morning clothes bag.. ‘I guess I’m living on Gatorade today’.

Rode fairly quickly and comfortably into the top 5 after 3 or 4 miles.. wasn’t pressing too hard and stayed slightly reserved. After a nice 6 mile grade and a few miles of rollers, a spotter told me I was in 4^th and would likely be catching the dude in 3^rd at this pace. I felt good, had plenty of energy in the tank, and was already strategizing for the run. Then somewhere between mile 25-30, like a light switch, my speed dropped off, and everyone caught up and started passing me like I was standing still. It was the most confusing thing at the time, because I was maintaining the same output and felt reasonably good. I concluded (again, at the time) that this was because I must’ve gone too hard out the gate, even though I was certain I had stayed controlled and knew I’ve never bonked this early in a 70.3. I hammered thru the last 20+ miles, disheartened, angry, and moving a snails pace despite having good legs.

Look close & you can see me riding on 30psi

Talked myself back into it and thought, “well, let’s see what I can do on this run course”. I ran the 1^st 3 extremely hilly/hot/humid miles and saw my positioning/took stock of how underfueled I was and decided to save my guts and legs for the upcoming 70.3s I have in a few weeks. There was no sense in thrashing myself to turn a sucky day into ho-hum day. But at the same time I came an awful long way to DNF, so I found another pro that was on the same plan and we jogged the remainder of the course together. At least I got in a solid workout. Even jogging was tough on that course in the heat. I went and sat in the lake, drinking pepsi (they didn’t have Coke, not that it really matters to me either way but I feel the majority of people I know play ball for The Cokers) after the race and racked my brain about what happened out there.. at least until the lifeguard yelled and told me I had to swim (or sit and sulk, in my case) in the designated 25 meter recreational swim zone, literally feet from me. When I picked up my bike out of transition 30 minutes later, noticed the rear tire on my disc was dead flat. Well, that’ll explain it.

As for the town of Syracuse, it was all Jen & Mark said it would be and more. Everyone was super friendly and I loved chit-chattin with a bunch of locals after the race. Really cool & unique town with a good community vibe and a thriving triathlon scene, as well. Congrats to my homestay, Dan, for finishing his 1^st 70.3 and enduring a gnarly thunder/lightning storm the last hour of his run.. that was pretty sketch. And to everyone who recommended it, Dinosaur BBQ lived up to the hype. Cool place, with great BBQ. I’d definitely recommend this race, as long you’re ready/prepared for a brutal run course.  I couldn’t draw up a better bike course than that one.

Takeaways and Lessons Learned:

•  Don’t leave late to a race (been telling myself this for years and still hasn’t quite sunk in).
• If I can’t get to the bathroom before the start, I may as well just go home then and there.
• The initial 4-600 meters of the swim are of utmost importance.
• You can’t plan for flats.. oh wait, they make stuff for that. Maybe I should bring it next time.
•  Don’t pick hot, hilly, humid run courses to race…
• Encouraged and happy to see my swim fitness made an appearance.
• Syracuse/The East Coast is to Ice Creameries as SoCal is to FroYo & cupcakeries.
• Next time Lisa Norden is chillin solo at a table, grow some balls and ask if you can bite her medal. #BadOlympicJokes
• Grilled PB&J sandies are fantastic.
• Don’t ever fly US Airways again. Ever. Again.
• The weather in Syracuse goes from sunny, hot and humid- to a windy, thunder/lightning absolute downpour in the time it takes you to go in and out of a portapotty.
• Thoughts for a future career: Gotta think I’d be a good Skymall model.. Those dudes are either sound asleep or completely overexcited about how effortless their life just became because of some outlandish product.
•  Don’t eat massive cookies slowly in front of fat people in an airport. Nothing good can come of it...

I'll test anything with a name like "Death by Chocolate" 

I hope reading this post is like listening to a Blink song. Singing about my misery in an up-tempo, catchy, melodic tune. I’m writing this with a grin because I know better days are coming. Murphy’s Law trips/races don’t happen every time.. (See slight airlines rant at the bottom)

Thanks to B+L Bikes for all the support, couldn't do this without your help. I’ve also lost track of the times I’ve called Kev (Service Manager) the day before a race with extreme (probably not that extreme, but the day before a race, I’m freakin like a kid that lost his mom in a supermarket over anything that goes wrong) mechanical bike issues and he’ll troubleshoot it & walk me thru it. Thanks to my family, especially Reid, who came to the airport well after midnight to pick me up after endless flight delays. And a huge thanks to Dan & Alesha for hosting me out there.. Looking forward to returning the favor when you guys make it out here!

Next Up: Vineman 70.3!!!

Side note: Not once, in 4+ years, has my bike been lost, misplaced, or damaged by the airlines. US Airways managed to lose my bike 2x on the same trip, and gouge the side of my disk on the arrival trip (..may have been TSA) while charging $230 each way for it. I still don't have my bike at this time. Pick your next flight wisely.

New Orleans 70.3 - St. George 70.3 - & Going Pro

Gonna mob this post and deluge it so awash of good stuff.. I’ve been a little busy in the last 6 weeks- three 70.3s, a TT, 5 batches of cupcakes baked, and 6 seasons of Dexter completed. Exhausting. There have been so many characters & sub-plots to keep track of, so many containers of strawberry frosting to disperse, so many race-wheel cassette swaps, and so much energy expended via competitive exercise. But let me back up a bit….

New Orleans 70.3

I was lucky enough to be accompanied on my trip to the Big Easy by my ever loving & supportive parents, my aunt & uncle, and my favorite French travel partner, Jose. I was jazzed on this race because of the slight chance I may attain some Marti Gras beads on the run if I wore the right speedo (however, I was let down).

Quick recap of the action:

This race was a time trial start, which meant all the age groupers started by individually walking over a timing mat and jumping into the harbor to tackle the unconventionally shaped swim course on their own. Picture a child writing out the letter “M” but getting distracted and veering off into the next letter 3/4ths of the way thru.. That’s what the swim course looked like. A short lived game of “pong”. I felt alright in the water, regardless of how goofy the course was and exited in a mid 26. That’s around what I was expecting for a solo 2k swim. The bike course was flat and boring. The 1^st half of the course was directly in to a fairly strong headwind. My energy just wasn’t there. I had been feeling a little under the weather before the race, but convinced myself that I wasn’t sick. I don’t know how much had to do with a cold or the fact that I was just not quite recovered from the Texas 70.3. I got off the bike with a disappointing bike split and wanted to tear that run course apart. I have no idea how I ran a 1:18, because I felt absolutely miserable the whole time. I legitimately walked for a bit and drank coke around miles 7-8 to get my crap together. The rising temperature & wind wasn’t making life any easier. Everything was a blur from around mile 10 till the time I woke up from a long nap at 6pm later that evening. Big congrats to Rodrigo Acevedo, who had a great day and won the overall amateur and our division. I finished in 4:05, around 50 seconds back from Rodrigo’s time. Note to the 25-29 AG(/all AGs): good luck taking Rodrigo down in Vegas this year, he’s a beast. Also, a big shout out to Jose, posting up a great day- finishing 6^th overall!

A little sick.

The next day (after sleeping 14 hours straight) we ventured into the French Flea Market and got to experience some New Orleans entertainment.

Interlude:

An extremely arduous task was mentally & physically rallying after a sickeningly hard and disappointing 70.3 and getting amped to do another one, on a much tougher course… with a stronger field… in a 12 days time. Motivation was lacking, to say the least. I just wanted to rest & recover. Why was I signed up for another stupid 70.3? Because this was going to be my last amateur race and I wanted to go out having strung together a solid set of 70.3s gaining some confidence to actually race against the Pros, not just show up and post a respectable time.

Jen entering Los Hermanos #possibleMethOperationCovers

St. George 70.3

You never fully appreciate how much fun road trips with friends are until they’re over and you think back to it. Had entirely too much fun with Jen, Mark & Beth on our excursion to St. George that weekend (sponsored in part by a Butsko Utility Design Inc. vehicle). This race wasn’t typical for me; I didn’t quite know how to recover/taper after New Orleans. I took 6 days completely off, 3 of which were consecutive, and a lot of extremely slow bike/runs within the 13 days between races. I told Mark the night before that I wouldn’t be surprised by a result on either end of the spectrum.

Utah was beautiful. That was my 1^st time out there and it didn’t disappoint. I’d never seen such unique looking mountains and landscape in person. I was so close to achieving my childhood dream of sojourning thru the Red Rock Mountains on horseback with Clint Eastwood, shootin down bad guys. Instead, I’d be roaming thru those mountains in a pair of highlighter yellow Nikes and a speedo.

The bike course profile looked like it suited my strengths.. a lot of climbing. It was my initial plan to go apesh!t & tear the bike course up then see what my legs had left on the run. However, after we drove both the bike and run course the day before, I realized that may be a really dumb idea. The run course looked like it had major potential to make a fool out of you. The best advice came from Mitch Hall the night before, when he told me to “feel it out” and that I had no reason to prove anything. Therefore, I took the boring and less appealing rout of balancing out my race and attempting to pace myself, building into it. Which, in hindsight, was probably the right move.

Race:

Gotta make a note of my race morning breakfast: Three travel size containers of applesauce, 3 glazed buttermilk 240 cal donuts, 2 Keith Butsko- Strawberry jam filled strawberry cupcakes, 1 bottle of chocolate ensure, 1 chocolate chip/PB Bonk Breaker and a bit of coffee. #logsonthefire

As Chris Berg wrote in his blog, he & I got into a literal pissing contest while standing around in our wetsuits, prerace. Chris won, but not by much (Berg, I’m coming prepared next time). While floating around in the 60-degree water, let’s just say, Chris & I were probably 5+ degrees warmer than everyone else.

Before we even started, I knew it was going to be a long day in the water. For whatever weather related reason, my asthma was out of control (& heard from numerous amounts of others that allergies and asthma were running rampant). It was a long and miserable swim for me. I just remember thinking before every single breath: “If I don’t get this breath of air, I’m going to pass out”.

But setbacks are a part of racing, and I didn’t get down about it. I took off on my bike riding conservatively. Didn’t really look much at my power meter unless I was on a (rare) flat section. I, as Mitch mentioned, played it by feel and didn’t try to crush myself or force anything that wasn’t there. I found my way to the front and onto a completely empty road around mile 8ish. Part of riding by yourself is fun, but most of the time, I enjoy having targets ahead to pace off of/ pass. Many times when riding solo, I’ll become comfortable and settle into what feels nice.

Pic by Mark Barber

Took some secret nutritional advice from Jen (& Mark) in T2, and pranced out of transition feeling good. Again, I held back at the start of this run. The 1^st 3ish miles are, essentially, uphill. Then the next 3ish are down. On the way back, around mile 9-10, I took a good look behind me on a long straightaway and didn’t see anyone. I realized I was in the clear (at least in my division and any surrounding divisions). I eased up a bit (not a ton, but ran slightly more relaxed), saving some energy for the walk to the beer tent. I finished 1^st in the 25-29 division, & 2^nd Amateur overall.

Thoughts On Turning Pro

I figured I’d start racing pro because it seems like a really painless road to quick success and tons of money. I’m guessing it’ll probably be an extremely effortless and undemanding life where little work and merely thinking about it will pay off huge. But...Not really.

One of the all-time greatest captures, by Mark Barber. (Ironman Suit Dude)

The bottom line is that I love to race. I do it for the thrill. When I talked with Mitch about racing professionally this past winter, he asked me why I wanted to. I believe my response was something like: “to get filthy rich, score loads of women, and live like a king”.. A cheeky & pert answer, which I’m sure, Mitch is used to hearing out of me (I know full well, triathlon will never provide any of that for me). I want to do this because I love it- I crave competition, I don’t get bored with 3 sports and endless options, & because I pine for the feeling of going fast. Until the thrill leaves me or I physically can’t compete anymore, I’ll keep racing. When I was a kid, my Dad used to tell me “you play to the level of your competition”, and unfortunately, racing age group has turned into solo time trials and not so much “racing” for me. Hopefully I don’t go from that, to doing solo time trials off the back of the men’s pro field. I’m excited to line up against the best in the world, but I know I have a long way to go & it’s going to take a lot of hard work. But, my parents didn’t name me ‘Keith Hard Working MoFuggin Butsko’ for nothing. 

*PS: Syracuse 70.3 (June 23) will be my 1st race as a pro. (Followed by Vineman 70.3 and Lake Stevens 70.3)

Texas 70.3

Nuts

I haven’t been jumping out of my pants (that was the best G-rated, slightly sexual, figure of speech I could think of) to write a race recap- probably because of how mundane my own race was. It's like going to an Atlanta Braves game; they won, but it was all base knocks with runners in scoring position. No cannon shot 500-foot homeruns, no diving over the wall robberies, no "Oh, doctor! You can hang a star on that one"’s. Nothing extraordinarily breathtaking happened. I was happy I accomplished what I went to Texas to do- win the overall amateur and post up a solid day. But something was missing, that feeling inside you get when you’re smashing down the barrier that you know so well and marching past it. That’s the feeling I live for, the reason I do anything, really. Progress is my drug- I crave the PR.

#LogsOnTheFire #snapchats

However, the season is early and there will be plenty of time to find that feeling and ring it out for all it’s worth. Until then, anticipation will just continue to build.. 

Coronitas (post race)

The trip to Texas was fun. The more I travel to the Lone Star State, the more I love it. Texas and I met in cold, thundering, rainy, windy, and sickening conditions. Since then, it’s done it’s best to change my feelings. I can’t deny how good the food is (sans Mexi food; SoCal still dominates that category), or the attitude of nearly everyone there. Example: that warm & welcoming southern hospitality or the redneck hostility towards outsiders like myself and my French travel companion, Jose Jeuland.

Flashback to USAT Collegiate Nationals 2 years ago- the UCLA tri team & I were on a casual run around Tuscaloosa- Alabama (I may or may not have been in a speedo), & had some leftover Hooters pitched at/on us by some redneck southern boys driving in their pickup.

BBQ, 4 realz

I appreciate cultural differences. Living here in health/endurance land (aka. Encinitas), I’m comforted to know that other parts of the world still view these fruitcakes running around in minimal lycra as anomalous (and occasionally treated with belligerence).

Race Ramble:

It’s a little frustrating to look at times and compare them to the top pros, which I undoubtedly did, but shouldn’t really do it. The Age Group race is completely different than the pros race, especially starting last, an hour and 30 minutes after they go off. Along with changing weather conditions (wind, heat), there’s also the constant swerving and meandering around people in front of you and the lack of faster guys around to judge your pacing.

That being said, I’m satisfied (for the most part) with my result. Quick note: Wow… epically fast guys in the 25-29 division! The top 5 amateurs were all under 29.

Garmin, who's pushin who's buttons here?

Pre-race: having an hour and 30 minutes to sit around before we started, I ventured into the Moody Gardens Aquarium and spent most of my time, fully entertained, in the Giant Sea Otter exhibit. Those dudes are AWESOME. Way cooler than run-of-the-mill sea otters. I also ate a few of my friend (and ridiculously fast cyclist), Jessica Cerra’s dark chocolate Fit Bars. If you haven’t tried one of these little dandies, you should; Immediate mood improvement.

Swim: A congested course, clogged up with floating “swimmers”, made for an irritating, stop & go style swim. I felt like I was swimming quick and efficiently, but there was just far too much circumnavigating to have a good time. There seemed to be a clamoring tea party at every buoy for some reason.  (27:16)

Bike: I wish my power meter was working as well as my legs. It took a fair amount of button pushing & back-spinning to get a connection to my quarq.. I may as well have been sending out tweets and FB updates from the bike, with all the Garmin computer tinkering I was doing in the 1^st 5 miles. I gave up on it and rode the course without any power numbers (which was a bummer, not able to fully gauge my effort on a flat and windy course). The course was flat, out and back along the coast with a lovely crosswind that only seemed to be growing as the day went on. Stupid me for only drinking 1 bottle while on the bike; I immediately regretted that decision when I started running & realized how thirsty I was. I need to work on my nutrition, that was a big fail. (2:11)

Lap 3. Facial expression speaks for itself

Lap 1. Totally cool, I got this.

Run: The course was another flat, 3-looper, with a ton of 180 degree out and back sections. Hit the first 4-5 miles around my goal pace of 5:45-5:50 and felt good. Towards the end of the second lap, it may have been a combo of nutrition, heat, motivation, & a side stitch, but things started to get slow and heavy. My pace dramatically slowed and I had to walk (alright.. jog) an aid station and regroup. I’m kinda proud I got my ish together and started running hard again. When things rapidly begin falling apart in a long course race, it’s hard to stop the bleeding, let alone turn it around and go faster. The last lap I held it steady around a 6:10ish pace. (1:19:06)

Stickers, making any shirt a podium shirt.

Time of 4:02, 1st Overall Amateur, 14th overall

I’m really stoked for Jose, who had a great race and finished 4^th overall and my good friend, Brannen Henn, finishing 4^th in her AG with a smoking fast run split! Also, shout out to Tatiana Vertiz, who’s on the mend and finished without pain.

Gots to thank my boys (& girls) @ B+L Bikes for helping me out. I had a minor freak out sesh when building up my bike the day before the race and the Di2 decided to stop working. It took a little figuring out, but Kev talked me thru it over the phone and we got it dialed. Looking forward to having some fun & a little run redemption at the New Orleans 70.3 in less than 2 weeks (April 21); which, in all likelihood, will be my last race as an Amateur…

Jose had a hard time containing his enthusiasm.