Tyson Wieland Racing

Well, that's a wrap. Magog ITU CAMTRI American Cup Sprint Triathlon 2019 (seriously why are all the names so long) was a new experience, despite being in the sport for almost 9 years. I've been a student-athlete for all of those years, even the first few years as a pro, I was a full-time student with a relatively open schedule. Now, I'm a working pro which is different for sure even if the races don't change. With no flights to get me to Magog in a responsible time (or price) from work, I made the last-minute choice to ask my dad (who brought my sister) to drive up with me. We hit the road immediately after I got off work and the hours started ticking by. It was the signature move I've come to adopt. One race a year, drive too many miles, then arrive just in time for a bit of pre-race activity before the meeting. This time, the drive seemed to have more of an effect on me than usual. Maybe it was the extra hours that were added on due to poor driving skills by o...

As I sit here with icicles thawing from my post swim walk from the pool to the engineering building I can't help myself from dreaming of a warmer place. The Iowa winter has been brutal for everyone and I am not immune to that. Despite the fact that I want to remain positive and get every ounce of training I can out of the bonus hours inside, I have lost here and there. I am a few numbers orientated person and over the years I has been one of the big reasons for my progression in the sport. Hard work over time makes me stronger and faster. While a day or two being not being quite ideal won't bother me, weeks and months of constant added factors to training from weather started to really get to me. This past weekend was a pushing point for me mentally, I cracked. CIRREM was impossible for me to get to (or race for that matter) and leaving the house would have ended with me in the ditch. I began to pace the house thinking of what adaptions to the training plan I would need to have...

Waco 70.3 was to be my big finish for my 2018 season. So did it live up to the hype? No. Did I give it my all? Hell yes. I debated throwing in the towel several times, but that's not how you get better. I also was actively learning, with each excruciating step. I put myself in a position to work hard and that's what I did. I was battered by 17 other pros who have been doing this for years, and they exposed my weaknesses. I made several changes in the right direction for 2018 versus my first year as a professional. The best part? I have a lot more to make. First, I will break down the race before going into details. The swim: NOT. This won't come as a surprise to those following along, but no swim because of the river being deemed unsafe. This was kind of a bummer because I've been working on it. However, I will get more time to work on it before the next one! 7:50 the first athlete went off, and the next athlete was sent off 30 seconds later.  I was sitting in posi...

ITU CAMTRI American Cup Magog Warning: This is more of a reflection than a race report. Still should be an interesting read! This has been quite a string of rough results. I was so ready to post a breakout race or even just a step in the right direction. Fitness is there, individually all three sports have been going well and feeling better than ever. The puzzle pieces to an amazing race are still being organized. Could it have been the 3 crashes in our pack? Maybe the food poisoning last weekend? Perhaps the mid swim panic attack mid-swim cost me the vital seconds to hit the main pack? What do I think it is? I can't nail it down to an exact reason and I don't want to use them as excuses. I think it goes to a deeper level. Fear. I'm on the edge of failure/success all the time. I put the pressure on myself to excel at every race. I love it all I really do, I'm not a huge fan of "learning" experiences or paying my dues because it's hard. I train with ...

Training + Focus = Success? Well sort of. One thing that is super important is also adding in consistency over time. This is my second year as a professional and while I'm feeling SOOO much stronger, where are the results? Yes I have had a few successes since breaking out the new strength in my races. Overall though I've been a bit disappointed with what I did at races like Collegiate nationals where I was 21 seconds from winning, but also 9th place. However, there are glimmers of hope in non triathlon races. I was a Drake Relays 10k road champion, I snagged a few solid bike races that included two 2nd place finishes and a breakaway 1st place. What does that tell me, I'm in shape and getting better at each of the individual sports. I believe and trust in my training, just have to realize it will take a little time. That being said I made the choice to stay localish through the month of June when I would normally be racing already at ITU races. I pulled the plug to make sure...

Time goes by so quickly and constant in the moment choices can be the difference between an alright race and a great race. Today I was on the wrong side of the deal. When I crossed the finish line it took me a while to figure out what happned. I was tired, I put it out there, felt strong in the swim, bike, and run. Yet my place was from from what it should be and I ran all by myself again. At first glance I was pissed, I thought I had made a difference over the winter. The answer was that I had, but I broke it down to a few minor details in the swim. For the full story keep reading... I woke up at a pretty reasonable hour thanks to my race being at 12:30, plenty of rest under my belt. I stumbled around a bit before getting some run clothes on and heading out on a 2 mile shakeout. I take in how beautiful it is. The trees lean in to almost grab you as the sun kisses your skin. The air temperature is just perfect for running sitting in the mid 50s. The shakeout felt great and before...