Swim Bike Run... The life of a Triathlete

My new Toy... GARMIN 910XT

2012-01-29T13:54:00.000-08:00

I love this new toy!!! The major differences between the 910xt and the 310xt is the swim features. Check it out for yourself. http://sites.garmin.com/forerunner910xt/#. The coolest part is that it calculates your SWOLF score and gives you a swim efficiency score. Check out my swim from the other day http://connect.garmin.com/activity/145705909. Its also very accurate. I have yet to test it in open water but I had I have heard that it is way accurate something the 310xt didn't have. It also doesn't feel like a brick on your wrist!

Taxc Trainer

2012-01-01T06:00:00.000-08:00

Its that time of year when you start to dusting off the old trainer getting ready for the winter season. The negative and positive with St. George Ironman is that its one of the first Ironman races of the year. So most of your training is done in the winter months. Well if you live were its to cold or wet to ride outside you live on a trainer through the winter. This last year I had a okay set up with my Xbox and Netflix but here is my new toy and Winter training buddy. This is going to get my bike split down in the St. George Ironman.

Enjoy!

NEW BIKES!!!

2011-12-27T11:04:00.000-08:00

So the best time to buy a bike is at the end of the year. Courtney had a nice road bike but she was excited to join the TT club. We both ended up selling our road bikes and getting new TT bikes and we love them! Here's to setting new PR's!

2011 Scott Plasma 10 and 2011 Felt B14

Scofield Tri 2011

2011-10-02T21:36:00.000-07:00

The Scofield Tri is one of my Fav's! This year my father and I decided to rent a Motor home. We went and picked the Motor home up on Thursday, got it packed first thing Friday and headed down to Scofield State Park . We ended up getting a great spot on the North side of park which is about 2-3 miles away from T1. Once our site was set, we enjoyed a great fireside dinner with yummy SMORES!!! The first night was freezing and I didn't sleep the best. After a cold night I woke very early to get a good spot in T1. As I was heading over there, I realized I forgot to grab my triathlon bag so I had to go all the way back to our campsite, which was very frustrating. The whole morning I just couldn't get warm because of the cold night. It was one of those times when you really wanted the sun to rise. Once my T1 was set I headed down early to the water to get warmed up. For some reason everyone thinks that if the air temperature is cold outside that the water temperature must be cooler? This is not true! The water actual felt better and it really warmed my hands up. Once every one was in the water and they started the Scofield Escape participants on the Island our group was to go next. I did the sprint this year wanting to improve from my last year's results. The gun went off and I had a great position. I was first alongside another person but shortly after the first buoy the guy took off. I could hold that fast of a pace. Once we cornered the last buoy I noticed David Warden was next to me. It was hard to sight because the sun was in our eyes. Knowing David was a fast and smart swimmer I decided to make sure I just stayed along with him (risky) but it turned out great. I ended up beating him out of the water by a few sec's and headed into transition. T1 is a hard one because you have a very steep but short hill that is hard to mount your bike. I decided to just run my bike up the hill and get on it there because every year you see people falling. The plan backfired on me and I got passed by three people and I was very out of breath (not doing that next year). Once on the bike, I was able to past one of the riders but just couldn't catch up to the others. They were just way too fast. I got back to T2 and headed out for the run. The run is nothing hard just a short hill at the start and pretty much flat the rest of the way. Some people have a hard time with elevation but I felt okay. I just can't run! I got pasted about 1 mile into it by the same person I pasted on the bike. This put me in 5th place. On the turnaround, I noticed that I had a few more people trailing me so I picked the pace up and ended up finishing in 5th place!!! 1st in my age group!!! Last year I got 6th overall and 2nd in my age group so I was very happy with the results. Once the race was done, my family decided to hang out and enjoy the lake. My parents brought their Kayaks and we all got in and swam. It was a blast. We had another great camp side dinner, played card games, told ghost stories and went to bed. The second night wasn't that cold and you could see every star in the sky! The next day my sister's boyfriend brought his boat and we enjoyed the lake with the boat. This is a great triathlon if you enjoy the camping. You must bring the family and BBSC does a great job!

See you at Scofield next year!

Stansbury Tri Race Report- Courtney Duckworth

2011-09-15T20:56:00.000-07:00

Had for breakfast the morning of race: Chocolate-Banana Protein Shake

Ate for dinner the night before: Marc Anthony's Mexitalian (Salad, Breadsticks, Pasta)

Why did you choose this race: Flat course and good date

Race Strategy: To get through it!!

Type of shoe worn: Mizuno

Wrist watch used: Garmin 310XT

Stansbury TRI Race Report (Race Video to coming soon)

by Courtney Duckworth

Saturday, September 10th, 2011: Stansbury TRI-Sprint distance. The race was held in Stansbury Park, out in Tooele, UT. This race is known for its flat course and overall great venue. I was looking forward to this for quite some time! I'm not going lie, I was also really nervous, especially the week of the race. I have done a few Triathlons now but the butterflies are still there each time! Training had been pretty poor for the weeks preceding Stansbury. I just started a new job and have been really busy. BLAH, BLAH, BLAH...you know, all the excuses, right! The truth really is that I have just been lazy! Anyway, in preparation for each event, I usually like to sych myself up with watching motivating you-tube videos the day before the race, including those on Ironman, Triathlon training, etc. I went to packet pickup down at PowerTRI in Orem, UT the night before the race. Race bib number?...check....timing chip?....check....free T-shirt?....check! (gotta love those!). I was feeling pretty good. Got my bike and transition bag all ready for the race and went to bed. It was a sleepless night (again the nerves). Our good friends, Justin and Michelle Anderson were also doing Stansbury so we all carpooled in the morning. We got there in good time and found some great spots in transition, close to bike out/in. One thing I haven't mentioned yet is that I had just gotten a new TT Felt bike. The two times I had rode it during training before the race, I got flats BOTH times! We ended up finding a small thorn in my tire, creating a slow leak. I was praying that we had fixed the problem because I was not wanting a flat on race day!

Before the race, I prepared my transition area, did some light stretching, checked my tires a bazillion times, and walked around the venue. Down at the water, the swim course looked a lot longer than it did last year when my husband raced the Olympic distance. This only added to my pre-race angst. Well, by that time, there was no turning back!

The swim went okay. I was nervous about the start, but it actually wasn't the worst I've had to deal with. It was a good feeling to get to that first buoy. By that point, by nerves are gone and I am in total race mode fueled on adrenaline. The crowd eased after the first few minutes which was great. Unfortunately, halfway to the second buoy, either this other swimmer or myself zigzagged right into each other! It might have been my fault...who knows? I thought I was going straight!! Either way, she ended up kicking me right in my face, I panicked, then swallowed a huge amount of water. I had to completely stop for a second and regroup. Bummer... After that, it was all about finding the rhythm and getting through it! After passing the third buoy, I knew I had made it! Once I got to the shoreline, a little bit of me celebrated! Not that I hate the swim part of TRIs (it is actually one of my favorite parts), I just was relieved and excited to start the bike. My swim time sucked, but it was good for me, which made me happy.

One thing that I am super proud of myself from this race are my transition times. In the past, I have always struggled with slow transitions, so I really made an effort to be faster this race. I think this came in part due to experience and practice. Running up to T1, I quickly pulled off my wetsuit sleeves and took off my cap, goggles, and earplugs. In transition, I finished pulling off my wetsuit, put on my bike shoes, helmet, and I was off! I had some trouble getting clipped in at first. Weird....I think I was just tired from the swim.

One thing I was looking forward to was the bike course! It was really fun and fast! Well, fast for other people, I was more like a slow-fast! There are a few turns for which you have to slow down, but especially after the turn around, riding back to the venue, you can really push your speed! I ended up passing some people and playing "leap-frog" with others. I met this woman out on the course who we kept passing each other back-and-forth! We started laughing about it after the third or fourth time. It was really fun to push each other! We would yell to each other from behind things like "don't let me catch you!" or "here I come!". It was really funny. She ended up beating me off the bike, but we met after T2 and ran a little together before she took off (because I am a crappy runner!).

By the run portion of the race, my legs were hurting! I got major cramps in both calves but I pushed through it. The run course itself was also pretty flat and shaded in most areas. My goal was to not stop unless at the aid station at the halfway point. I did okay by my standards. I would have liked to have gone faster, like always, but I finished! Sprinting toward the finish line is best feeling in the world! You know that you accomplished something and you didn't quit when things were tough. Hey, you may be the last one to cross the line, but you CROSSED THAT LINE!

Thank you UStrisports for a great event and to my husband, Rory, who cheered me on from the sidelines and is always so supportive!

Orlando Trip

2011-09-11T21:25:00.000-07:00

So after Boise Half Ironman, my wife and I needed to get away and just relax and not worry about training or eating right. We ended up booking a trip to sunny Florida and did we have a blast! As you all know when you're addicted to triathlons, the thought of stopping doesn't leave your mind. So, we were able to throw in some great run workouts and spent a day at a YMCA that had a indoor/outdoor 100 meter pool. It was AWESOME!!!

The first day we went to Downtown Disney. There is a big lake that boarders all the shops and restaurants. The whole time I couldn't stop thinking about how cool it would be if Disney world had an Ironman event or even just a sprint triathlon. The next day we went to EPCOT and they also have a big lake in the center of the park and again I couldn't stop thinking about swimming in it or doing a triathlon. I love a challenge and when I see something that looks hard or fun I always think can I Swim, Bike, or Run that!

Anyways here are some pictures from our trip:

Butter Beer

Time Flies!

2011-09-04T10:46:00.000-07:00

Time Flies!

What excuse should I give you that I haven't posted for a long time?.... Well the real reason is that we have been way busy with the triathlons.

Things are about to change as the season is winding down and I find myself having a little more time now that the big races and heavy training is done. For the next few months, I will post something I wasn't able to get to and then I will try on a regular basis to post more.

Here is an outline of post to come:

1. Orlando Trip

2. Women Rock

3. Scofield Tri

4. Herriman Tri

5. Mountain Tropic Tri

6. TRIFECTA

7. Tetons National Park

8. Utah Half Ironman

9. New Bikes

10. Taxc Trainer

Stay tuned and I hope you enjoy! Keep TRIing...

2011 Boise 70.3

2011-06-19T15:23:00.000-07:00

So we had some friends talk us into doing the 2011 Boise 70.3 and it was a blast. Going down as one of the best events. We drove up Early Friday with the Tri and Run Couple to check in and get ready for the event. The city of Boise is very nice and very clean I was impressed with the set up of the race. The race started @ 12 and each age group had its own wave start mine happened to be last 12:45 pm :(. The water was 53 degrees but in some areas of the lake it had to be colder. I didn't have the best swim and my T1 was horrible. My bike was super fast (Compared to IMSG) and I passed a ton of people being that my wave went last. I had one of my best bike races. Nothing special about T2 just in and out. The run course was very nice and cool it runs along the river in town and is surrounded by trees. I felt slow because my legs killed which is pretty normal. Overall I was very happy with my performance I didn't get any training in because of how close it was to St. George Ironman. I wanted to race a 5:30 and I ended up doing it in 5:06 so I was very happy. Next year I am shooting for under 5 hrs. Thanks to the Anderson family they made the trip so much fun and thanks to my wife for being the best cheerleader.

Quick update!

2011-06-03T18:56:00.000-07:00

Sorry its been a few weeks just enjoying this time off mentally from blogging... Here is a quick run down of everything that has been going on.

1) St. George Tri- I took 1st in my age group and 6th overall. I also did a sponsorship with my Farmers insurance business. Nice job to everyone who participated and to my Brother and Sister who also took 1st in there age group. I really enjoy the BBSC events and Love the after race food!

(My Sister Kelly. 1st place!!!)

2) Family time in St. George- Yes, St. George is our second home we love it so much. Courtney's family decided to take a vacation to St. George and it was a blast. Courtney and I took our bikes and I decided to take Courtney on the Veyo loop. I wanted her to see what the IMSG bike course was like. It was Courtney's longest ride to date and by far the hardest and she did it!!! Nice job Courtney!

(Stuffed two road bikes in the back of a Natural gas Civic. WIN!!!)

3) Free SBR TT and Emigration Hill Climb- SBR bike shop holds a free TT in Orem on Wednesday nights. Its a 6 mile flat course and tons of fun. Reynolds had set up a wheelset demo and I was able to try a disc wheel out. I can't say if it made me faster because I don't have a base time set but I was able to throw down a fast time. Emigration TT is every other Thursday at the base of the canyon. Looking back at last year I only did the TT once and from this year to last year I had a 2:27 min improvement!!! I was happy!

SBR TT 06/01/2011 GARMIN

Emigration TT 06/02/2011 GARMIN

Emigration TT 07/08/2010 GARMIN

4) Boise Ironman 70.3- Yes, I know!!! The next day after Ironman St. George I was totally ready to do the next big race. My buddy and Amazing athlete Justin A was planning on doing Boise and I though it would be a ton of fun. Plus after signing up for it I found out that a lot more of my friends were doing it. I really can't wait because there is really no pressure I am going to race this one just for fun. I would say that I am not fully recovered from IMSG but I really don't care I am going to try to have as much fun with this one as possible. We are going to be heading up and tagging along with the famous and amazing Tri and Run Couple. These two are amazing athletes!

St George Ford Ironman 2011 Training Last Chapter

2011-05-12T10:15:00.000-07:00

Finishing Time 12:43:39!!!

My Ironman Journey Recap!

2011-05-03T22:23:00.001-07:00

St George Ford Ironman 2011 Training Week 23

2011-04-30T16:22:00.001-07:00

Spring Sprint 2011

2011-04-30T16:20:00.000-07:00

Was a cold one... They turned the race to a Swim, Run, Swim due to the weather!

THE TAO OF TRIATHLON

2011-04-28T06:00:00.000-07:00

I read an article in the USA Triathlon magazine and just needed to share some wisdom from the writer Jeff Matlow.

THE TAO OF TRIATHLON

1) Create a race plan and stick with your plan

2) Inevitably, things will happen that won't allow you to stick with your plan.

3) In case of #2, make believe Plan B is your plan. Stick with that one.

4) No matter how bad and irreparable things may seem, stay the course, it will all eventually get good again.

5) Every once in awhile say something encouraging to another races. It'll make both of you feel better and the sound of your voice will remind you that you're still alive.

6) Don't try anything new on race day. Unless it's got the words "chicken" and "soup" in it.

7) No matter how hard it seems, you had much harder training days.

8) Before you get to starting line, make sure you know the reason you are racing triathlon. Write it down; remember it. When things don't go as planned, this will be your source of hope. As Nietzxche's triathlete second cousin once said, "he who has a why to race a triathlon can bear with almost any how."

9) Come up with a motivating mantra. The right mantra can be your best friend."Slow is smooth, smooth is fast." "Train hard; race easy." "Be here now." Whatever it is, you'll be surprised how well a few simple words will keep you focused and on track.

10) Be here now (see, the mantra works already). Don't worry about what lies ahead. All you can affect is right here, right now. It is one stroke, one pedal, one step. And you just need to focus on doing that one thing to the absolute best of your ability and keep repeating it until they tell you to stop.

11) Figure out what you need to eat and drink months before you get to the starting line. All the training in the world will add up to a load of bull hockey if you don't pay attention to your body.

12) Don't wear yourself out in the swim. For most of us, a triathlon doesn't really begin until halfway through the run anyway. If you pace yourself well, you'll be zipping by people during those last miles while all the folks that left it on the bike course will be gasping for energy. Try not to kick them in the face as you run over--- that's just plain rude.

13) Don't worry, be happy. As Yogi Berra's triathlete neighbor's uncle once said, racing a triathlon is 90 percent mental-- the other half is physical. Maintaining a calm, positive attitude throughout the day is often the difference between a good race and a really crappy one.

14) Remind yourself regularly that you are racing a triathlon and you're darn lucky to have the ability and means to do this. Relish the experience. Enjoy the day. The miracle isn't that you will finish--- and you will. The miracle is that you had the courage to start.

Jeff Matlow

read the article in the USA Triathlon magazine.

I love this video....

St George Ford Ironman 2011 Training Week 22

2011-04-26T20:47:00.000-07:00

St George Ironman 2011 Training Week 20&21

2011-04-22T22:25:00.001-07:00

Week 21

Week 20

Masters Class

2011-04-12T20:34:00.000-07:00

If your not part of a masters class you need to be.... I have been attending the Masters class at Lifetime fitness in Sandy for over a year and I have made huge improvements. Salt Lake County has recently opened a new rec center across the street from my house and they have a FREE Masters class on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday Mornings @ 7 am. We will soon start to meet at Blackridge (Herriman Tri Swim location) to do some open water swimming. It's a great way to meet other triathletes and really improve your swim. Below are a few links that will help you on finding a masters class. Don't worry about your skill level they have beginners to expert swimmers. So have fun and swim!

http://herrimanmasters.blogspot.com/

http://www.utahmasters.org/

http://www.utahopenwater.com/

St George Ford Ironman 2011 Training Week 19

2011-04-06T18:59:00.001-07:00

2011 SHAC TRI

2011-04-06T14:24:00.000-07:00

YAHOO!!!!

St George Ford Ironman 2011 Training Week 18

2011-03-28T08:09:00.000-07:00

ICE BREAKER TRI

St George Ford Ironman 2011 Training Week 17

2011-03-21T11:24:00.000-07:00

St George Ford Ironman 2011 Training Week 16

2011-03-16T22:08:00.001-07:00

What type of rear cog would be best for St. George Ironman?

2011-03-14T22:03:00.001-07:00

What type of rear cog would be best for St. George Ironman?

St George Ford Ironman 2011 Training Week 15

2011-03-08T23:10:00.001-08:00

St George Ford Ironman 2011 Training Week 14

2011-03-01T21:09:00.001-08:00