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A lesson learned: AG Nationals 2014 and Super Sprint Showcase

So I've had a pretty good summer of racing as a whole in my mind. I've had a few times where I would have changed a few things, but no races that were "bad". Nationals and the Super Sprint were rough, and by default two races with in a couple hours of each other should be. However, I could have thought through exactly what I was getting into before the race instead of just banking on my endurance to make doing two races back to back easy. To go along with the double a few other factors were at hand in my race results. Normally Nationals has naturally been my goal peak race of the season, but this year was more about the spread throughout the summer. I wanted to perform at every race I could, and not really focus in on one. So with such a great summer under my belt and cross country season already underway nationals kind of got put on a back burner. The week preceding the race I had cross country camp in northern WI, so I Friday I just had to drive down to Milw...

A Pleasant Surprise: Hy-Vee

My training on the bike and in the water for age group nationals was quite minimal. However compared to Hy-Vee 5150 National Championships it was pretty large, with cross country in full swing I had to focus on running and hadn't swam or bike for 3 weeks. So it came as sort of a relief when they announced it was being cut down to a sprint Triathlon even though I love the added distance usually. So the day before the race was getting back on the horse right before the derby with anytime to really seeing what my fitness levels were in each discipline. I did this with Connor Dilger at the race venue, Beautiful downtown Des Moines at Grey's Lake/Waterworks which I train at all the time. So you could say I had a home field advantage. The ride goes pretty good, my legs move smoothly through the pedal strokes. We get a solid ride in and take our bikes to the bike check in, something I have become familiar this year since moving out of the Junior Ranks. After the ride we aim to go swim...

Take a Breath and Run: Boulder Peak 5150

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So with my world record the 18-19th I ran out of time to write this blog and have taken a mental break from that point to now to just focus on training. Now with school started and my brain working again, I am ready to write down my reflection of Boulder Peak 5150 (and nationals soon). This race did not to take as much explaining or thinking as Chicago because it was pretty straight forward what went well and what I need to improve. So here we go on my first race at altitude! The adventure to CO starts Wednesday afternoon where we drive part way and stay at a hotel in Kearney, NE. The hotel was a bit too small for our expanded travel group (my step-mom and two younger brothers came with my dad and I), but we make it work. We hit the road the next morning and arrive in Longmont, CO in the afternoon. The last time I had been driving through CO I was sleeping so I this was my first time really seeking CO breathtaking landscape. Luckily since we arrived early I was able get dropped...

Always wanting more: ITU World Triathlon

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So I've been waiting to write this until my long ride to Boulder, CO. Not just because I was putting it off, but I wanted to really take the time that had with my first weekend off of the summer and reflect on the race and triathlon in general. I have perplexed many people with my disappointment in my performance. (Spoiler Alert) A 9th place overall finish and a 2nd place AG finish to the Overall winner. I also got a personal best time for the Olympic distance by cutting off about 8 minutes from my 2:06 performance in Trinona earlier this summer. The reason I am torn about my performance boils down to a few key points. I want more and always want more. Being that this was my first race after earning my Pro card, I wanted to prove why I earned it. I wanted to Win it all. I will tell you the other reasons throughout the post. So the journey starts the day before the race as my Dad and I set out on the drive to Chicago. This goes pretty smooth and without any real events besides a qui...

PROgress: Monroe EDR 2014

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For three years in a row I have been blessed to be able to travel out to Monroe, WA to compete in TriMonroe. It is by far one of my favorite races and it is bittersweet that this is my last time competing in it. This year was am EDR race in comparison to Junior the last two years. After finishing 4th last year, this year was a chase for a top 2 podium and a pro card. The weekend kicked off bright and early with a flight that landed us in Seattle Thursday morning. WA is just as beautiful as I remember and breath of fresh air for sure. Arriving so early made for a pretty long relaxing day off. I get pretty antsy on days off, this one especially since I hadn't had a full day off in months. My teammates filter and in and I assembled my bike so it was ready for my Pre-race Friday. I also get some food for the weekend as well as my stable Pre-race hydration Nuun. One of those pretty flight pictures Friday rolls around and after sleeping in a bit. I grab some food off the hotels complimen...

Never Settle:My First Olympic Distance Triathlon

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Beautiful Winona, MN is the location of my first Olympic distance triathlon. However, before we get to the race I'm going to start with the events leading up to it. This weeks training leading up to the race was better than last weekends, but still a rough one for me with a few unexpected events coming up. I had some really good runs lately which is really the key to my races. Once I arrive the day before the race, I pick up my packet, listen to the race briefing, and head to the race course to do my pre-race. Upon arrival of the course I am greeted by a beautiful lake with a bluff to match. I snap a quick picture and take it all in before staring my warm up. Lake Winona I warm up all three disciplines without anything out of the ordinary, except a bit of fatigue in my legs. I check out the transition area and finish line quickly before heading off to dinner by myself. I enjoy some of the local food and head over to my gracious host family Kevin and Beth Anne Feine. Special shout o...

Rhythm and Racing: A Double For The Books

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So as I finish up my first weekend of racing this summer I have mixed feelings all over the board from bad to good. I started the weekend a little bit nervous that my performances would wouldn't be up to par because of being very sluggish at the beginning of the week, along with a "tempo" run that was far from my normal on Monday and not in the right direction. However, ultimately the disipline I was most worried about is my strength so I mentally over powered the sluggishness starting with the Dam to Dam 5k on Saturday. I woke up that morning feeling slightly better than I had the previous days. I had the night in downtown Des Moinesjust  blocks away from the start of my race. So with no rush I throw on my running uniform and head out for a warm up. It is a pretty warm and muggy morning, so I am able to break a sweat easy during my warm up and stretches. This is perfect because being sluggish I knew the start of the race would be harder due to taking a bit longer to get ...