USAT Collegiate Nationals: A Waveful of Emotions

USAT Collegiate Nationals has always been a big race for me every year.  This year would be my last chance to represent The University of Iowa and I knew it was going to be an emotional day. I wanted to leave everything on the course and have no regrets for my last collegiate race. Of all of the times I went to collegiate nationals, this was the least optimal conditions heading to the race for me.  Obstacles kept coming up along the way but I reminded myself of how I always try to tell other people to not dwell on things that they cannot change but instead do the best with what they have.  I wanted that to be the message I sent from my race and it turned out to be a very difficult battle from the start.

The emotions hit real quick race morning.  Walking into transition I about started crying but had to stop myself.  I keep forgetting how good I've gotten at setting up my transition spot and was done within 20 minutes of transition opening.  I spent the next hour or so saying hello to different racers and making sure I quadruple checked my spot. During the women’s race I kept a bottle with me and kept hydrating so as not to forget my own race coming.  I made sure to stay in the shade and head back soon enough to start getting ready for my race. Even listening to my music before the race started was difficult.

Going to be a crowded start.

Had only I known that just to my right was some clear water.

For the swim start I remembered the physicality of the wave from the year before. Once again, I started a little back and let the major kicking from the guys upfront carry me forward.  This year was just as physical for the first half.  I thought for sure that my trying to get into position was going to start a fight with somebody and kept waiting for the other swimmer’s to mistake one of my strokes as a punch. During the swim I kept thinking how I could hardly get my face in the water with all the battling crowd and my arms were getting tired quickly. For a moment I thought about taking it easy because there was too much effort for such a little gain. Finally I started getting aggressive when I saw a little opening and just immediately thought, “That is MY spot!” so I just dove into it.  On the way back I caught a nice straight line draft from another swimmer as we made our way directly for the last buoy while the others seemed to swim from each buoy to the next instead of taking the most direct route to the finish.

Exiting the swim and onto the faster parts.

Coming out of the water I couldn't get a handle on my wetsuit.  I got to my spot with my heart racing and wanting to tear off my wetsuit.  Turns out I actually tore off my road id wristband that I found many hours later.  I got my bike off the rack and moved up quickly for the bike.

Taking Kristine out to destroy the course.

Heart rate was so high I could hardly hold onto the bike.

Getting on the bike was the most exciting part of the day for me.  I didn't want to swim but I really wanted to bike.  I got into a good gear and made my moves.  Within a few miles I felt the soreness in my glutes and thought that my PR was done for.  Again, I had to give myself an attitude check and keep working past riders but took a corner a little fast and nearly ran myself off the road.  Looking back I saw a rider right behind me go down at the same corner so my adrenaline shot up so much that I ended up throwing up in my mouth quicker than I ever had on the bike.  My breathing was getting heavy and I thought this was a lost cause until I had my teammate, Kyle Siefers, in sight.  I passed him and he came right back past me ready to go.  

Riding with Kyle during lap one (with my support team in the background in tutus).

At this point I actually cracked a smile; I had a riding buddy for the bike.  Soon after a rider from Texas A&M came by us and I went with him.  Another rider from Arizona State came by us and I encouraged the A&M rider to pick up the pace and start working a few bike lengths back from the ASU rider but he was quickly dropped. I then got up passed the ASU rider and encouraged him and the two of us then took off on the bike.  We really took it to the group and pushed past anybody who tried to stay with us. During the whole bike I kept thinking that I had a great bike split but my run was going to suffer majorly.  With about three miles left I passed Michael Tong from USC and got him to pick up the pace along with a Colorado rider and the four of us tore through the rest of the bike.  Coming in the second to last turn I came wide and really dug into the corner.  Turns out I dug a little too deep and my inside foot scraped the pavement. Luckily, I was able to stay upright and flew into transition.

Coming back on a mission on the bike.

In transition I started to get a little angry.  I've realized this past few months that I go a lot harder when I am ticked off.  My motivation for the race was to just race mad.  Within a few steps I knew I was in trouble for the run.  My legs were completely shot and I could hardly move. It was a tough pep talk but I told myself the legs would come and to get moving.

This portion of the race gets a little hazy from start to finish. As I came out of transition I tried to spit but it clung to the side of my cheek.  In any other race, at any other time, I would have wiped it off but at that moment I didn't care how I looked. All I wanted was to push myself as hard as I could.

Running with Karla's sign in the background. So supportive.

The first two miles of the run my cadence was good.  I was moving up and passing runners who I felt had a good pace already going.  Within about a mile though I noticed my quads cramping.  My sub 2:00:00 goal was not going to happen if this kept up so I really tried to walk on thin ice and not let the muscles go crazy. When I came to mile two my support team was there to encourage me.  I don’t remember all of what they said but I had told Karla the night before that I needed her to piss me off.  I knew she would be able to get me upset enough to tear into the last four miles so I made sure to tell her what to say. She didn't say it.  Instead as I ran past my mom I heard her yell something along the lines of, “I've been watching you do this for five years now. Kick it in. I’m right here with you!” Right when she mentioned the five years the emotions came, hard.  I was on the verge of tears for the next mile and it got extremely hard to breathe.  My legs were slowing and I just was losing it.  I thought about walking pretty hard but reminded myself that this was my last year here!  Sluggishly, I kept moving forward.

Looking stylish at mile two of the run. It only got worse from here.

As I came around the corner for the last bridge I was really dreading going uphill one more time.  I didn't think my legs could muster getting up and over this slight incline.  The pack I had passed was hot on my feet and I was worried they would catch me. Right as I took the corner I heard some guy yell from a truck, “Hawks suck!” Sadly, he didn't realize he just did exactly what I wanted somebody to do all day: piss me off.  I made an explicit remark to myself and stormed up the bridge.  It was the easiest portion of the entire run which right before I didn't even want to attempt.  For those last two miles I was determined to represent my school as best I could.  I knew there was a guy from Ohio State closing on me but refused to let him pass.  With a little over a mile left I really started to dig deep.  My breathing turned into a panting and I pushed myself to a new level.

For the last mile I completely lost care of everything. My appearance at this point was by far the worst I've looked in a race.  The spit on my face was now being accompanied by drool because I didn't even want to take the time to clear my mouth. My breathing was so heavy that the responses from the spectators was nearly comical looking back.  From afar they would see my kit and yell, “Go Hawkeyes!” but then as I got closer and they saw my expression and heard how much I was working it turned into more of a, “You can do it. Hold it together, man.” Regardless of how miserable I looked, I was moving faster than I had for the past five miles and all the years I've done this race before.

Coming near the finish I kicked it and tore down the chute.  Last year I slowed up before the finish since nobody was around me but I didn't want that to be the last thing I did in this race.  The spectators were all blurry at this point and I could only figure all the people wearing yellow were my teammates. I kept running hard and refused to stop until I fell into the arms of two volunteers who had to hold me up past the finish. For a brief moment before the finish I saw my time and realized that through all the rough patches of the day I still made my goal: I broke 2:00:00.

Done. Exhausted. Hot. Everything just came out.

The volunteers had to hold me for a while and dumped a bottle of water on my head. I wasn't sure if I could produce as fast of a race as I did last year but I did that and then some.  I actually was faster in every sport, even my run when I felt all was lost. Throughout the whole race I kept having to keep my head up and pushing harder and was able to get what I wanted out of the day.  My final time was 1:59:15; nearly four minutes faster than the year before. To finish my collegiate career with such a hard fought effort was a truly satisfying feeling.

Swimming: My Strugglebus

My mom sent me a picture talking about people who started working out and are trying to make a lifestyle change.  People who start a New Year’s Resolution in hopes of losing the weight they recently put on, or hoping to finish an event of some sort. Statistics are not in their favor; most people who pick up an exercise program quit before they can really see any results.

I wish those people didn’t get discouraged so easily and knew that everybody who exercises regularly was a beginner at some point.  At one point, I was in the same boat. When I first began training for triathlons swimming was an absolute joke. I had to teach myself how to swim and this is my story:

Heading into college I thought it would be fun to participate in a lap swimming class since nothing like that had been offered for me in high school. I showed up on day one in a pair of swim trunks and without a pair of goggles; I had no idea what I was getting myself into.  My teacher said that we would all go at our own pace and that some people might swim eight laps while others might swim 34 laps.  With my cockiness I figured I would be way up in front doing the 34 laps.  To any swimmers reading this, I had never done any type of lap swimming before in my life; you can laugh at me at this point because what you are thinking is exactly what happened.

Lap swimming was terrible.  I ended up being the worst in class.  For the first week I didn’t even swim; I just kicked with a kick board the whole time.  When I did finally start “swimming” I had no success at all.  It took me a few weeks until I realized that you were supposed to exhale while your face was underwater. Every day of class I got in the corner in my own lane and was determined to get my distance in each day (which was nothing close to the 34 laps the teacher had mentioned) while hiding from the people who actually could swim. 

Swimming was so uncomfortable for me.  25 yards was a feat to accomplish for me and it took a couple days until I could swim the length of the pool without stopping.  Then I had to stop and rest for about a minute between each length. Arms flailing, I would sprint across and wouldn’t feel safe until I got to the other side.  The fear of drowning in water that only came up to my waist was a real fear for me. My view on swimming changed drastically.

After class had finished I tried to swim on my own as I began planning to race my first triathlon.  I still couldn’t swim more than 25 yards at a time.  I would be in the pool just watching all these people swimming so effortlessly across the pool, using all different types of strokes, equipment, and doing these amazing flip turns which I thought were AMAZING!  Then there was me, standing in four foot high water breathless from one length. I felt as if I didn’t belong in the same pool as them.

 I remember one Sunday night standing in the pool, looking at the clock thinking about how pathetic this was.  I hadn’t gotten any better since class was over.  25 yards was still a long distance for me, how was I going to swim 500 yards in a race? I thought about quitting; what was I even trying to prove? I am the slowest swimmer in the pool right now, why do I keep coming? When was this going to get easier? When would I begin enjoying it? Couldn’t I be using my time for something I was actually good at? Am I really enjoying this suffering I’m putting myself through? All my frustration was building up and I just wasn’t seeing any progress.

I wish I could go back to that night and figure out what it was that kept me going.  Honestly, I have no idea why I got back in the pool afterwards; I was demoralized. Nevertheless, I kept swimming, each day was another day of dreading water and counting down the lengths until I reached the distance I needed.  Slowly, I was able to swim 50 yards without stopping and kept working up to 100 yards. 

One day while I was swimming I came up to the wall around 100 yards and thought to myself, “I could swim another length,  I wonder how much further I can go?” so I kept swimming.  Excitement started to build as I reached a new length that I was able to go without stopping; the whole time I kept telling myself to remain calm and relax so I didn’t suddenly realize that I needed air (At this point I would like to note that to remain calm in those early phases I would try to visualize a meadow. This is not a joke). That day I made it 200 yards without stopping.  My confidence sky rocketed and the next day I went in and swam 1,000 yards without stopping.  Within 24 hours I went from 100 yards to 1,000 yards; something just clicked. It took over four months of struggling but I finally was able to swim for more than just a length!

Then came the technique work. I learned how to do those majestic flip turns and now I am pretty decent at faking the other types of strokes as well. Through the years there have been a lot of people help me in one way or another. This is a list of everybody I can think of since when I first started:

• Matt Ampleman
• Jessie Blakely
• Andrew Bennett
• Vako Darjania
• Amanda Jacobsen
• Laura Jones
• Brian Lentz
• Alex Libin
• Justin Metzler
• Rob Miecznikowski
• Kyle Noser
• Dave Scott (yes, tri-nerds “The Man”)
• Kyle Siefers
• Matt Zepeda

Now, I swim up to six times a week.  Swimming has become part of my daily routine so much so that I feel off all day if I miss it.  I enjoy jumping in that water at 5:45am and feeling my arms pull through the water.  The fear of drowning trying to get across the pool is no longer a fear. I like to think that I’m now that person I used to gaze at and wonder how they get across the pool with such ease.  People have asked me if I swam in high school; they’ve asked if I swim competitively; I’ve even been pointed out from a group as being one of the fastest swimmers in the room.

The truth is I have improved a lot since when I started.  My 500 time is nearly three times faster than when I first did a race. The distance I first did when I started is now my warm-up. To say it was easy to get to where I am now would be a joke.  The amount of times I wanted to quit swimming I can’t even count.  If I would have quit way back within the first week when I was too scared to put my face in, or the next week when I couldn’t make it across the pool, or the months after that when I couldn’t make it further than 25 yards, or even that Sunday night when I was thinking it was useless and pathetic I never would have kept at the sport I now love.

Hours of Sacrifice: The Untold Story

There is a lot more that goes on in the sport of triathlon before race day.  Hours of preparation go into each week as the race gets closer and closer.  Fine tuning technique and conditioning to bring out the best of the racer’s ability come race day. It is very evident that these participants have put in a lot of time to make this day work. 

Sadly, this is the only effort that gets recognized.  Everybody always notices the improvements the participant has shown since their last race.  Praise is always extended to the finishers as they cross the line, but they aren't the only ones who make an effort before and during race day. Behind every participant who steps up to that line is a support team that hardly ever gets the recognition they deserve. I will try to best explain this situation through examples that I have dealt with in my training and racing.

One of the people in my life that makes the biggest effort to help with my racing is my mom. When I first started triathlons I would have my mom drive me two miles down the road to the neighbor’s pond while I attempted to brave the cold of the water without a wetsuit.  During the time I was swimming my mom would have to sit nearby as my own personal lifeguard (for the record she has yet to have to dive in and save me). Luckily, the neighbors had a dog that my mom would entertain herself with to make the time pass by each time.

After a few races of following that logic I decided to upgrade to a bigger body of water and go out to the Coralville Reservoir to swim early in the mornings.  This now required my mom to drive at least ten miles to come and do the same thing.  This time there was no dog for her to play with. I like to think she expanded her reading resume and would bring along a book to read while I did this, but somehow I feel like she instead would stand on the beach and just watch. In 2012 I actually made her take video of me swimming one morning for a documentary that I created of myself (the documentary is quite humorous).

Then I decided this past year that I needed to up the ante again.  At this point I was asking my mom to drive a good 15 miles to sit in her car while I rode my bike for ten minutes followed by a three minute all out run brick workout.  I repeated this three times and her sole purpose was to make sure nobody stole my bike while I was gone for three minutes. She had now been demoted from “lifeguard” to “sit in the car so nobody will come near my bike”. I’m a selfish little brat.  The good news is that I believe she started bringing a book to these training sessions.

At this point, we haven’t even arrived at the race weekend!  Typically my mom likes to go to my races. Usually that is pretty simple since a lot of my races have been within the state of Iowa, but she also flew with me to watch me race in Nevada when I thought that would be a fun thing to do. Her Expedia account would be able to confirm that she will again be flying to USAT Collegiate National Championships for the fourth year in a row to watch me race. It seems that even if I tried to make it impossible to have her at the start line with me, she would find a way. On the usual race trips where we actually drive, my mom takes the wheel as I try to stay awake but usually end up napping at some point along the drive to rest up for the race.  Once we arrive at the race town I typically make her drive the course with me so I can familiarize myself with what is to come.

Race day arrives and we are awake at the time that I want to wake up.  My mom drives me to the race hours before the start and then gets to sit in the lovely dark waiting until the race time nears.  I hope she decides this is a good time to get a little more sleep but I’m in my own world at this point to find out.  As the start time draws near she makes her way to the start with words of encouragement; at this point I have my game face on and usually she gets some sort of snarky comment back from me. When the gun goes off she gets the fun realization that she will only see me for about three minutes throughout the race.  I do the best I can beforehand to point out certain parts of the course where she can be sure to see me multiple times but it is highly unlikely I will get her a motorcycle that she can ride on throughout the bike course. Each time she sees me, my mom yells anything she can think of, a lot of times it is things I told her were my mantra for the race, to keep me pushing harder.  Usually when she says these things I have responses in my head that I want to say back but instead focus on pushing on:

Mom: They aren't going to give it to you. You got to work for it.
Alex (Thinking): That’s a load of crap! Why can’t they just hand it over?!

Mom: Let’s go; you got to make it hurt.
Alex (Thinking): ……That sounds like a TERRIBLE idea Mom……

Mom: Alright, you can do this. You've prepared for this.
Alex (Thinking): Obviously I know that. Why else would I be here?

Mom: Here we go! Time to get a little crazy out there!
Alex (Thinking): Mom…..I am not on that level at the start of this 13.1 mile run.

Mom: You have less than 35 minutes left to run. Kick it in!
Alex (Thinking): No.

I absolutely hate the things my mom says during the race.  I hate it because she yells exactly what I need to hear.  She knows exactly what it will take to make me push harder and because of that I keep my mouth shut and work harder.  As much as I hate it, I know that she is doing all she can to help me reach my goals.

After we leave the race it doesn't take long and I fall asleep again from exhaustion in the car.  I try as much as I can to stay awake and keep her company but usually I fail within the first hour on the road. At that point my mom is left to drive the rest of the way with an unconscious athlete in the seat next to her.  I feel like she could entertain herself so much with how I act after the race but to my knowledge there has only been one occasion where she made a note to do that.

My mom doesn't get enough credit.  I try as much as I can to thank her for all she does to help out with my racing but I don’t think that the words really carry the weight they need to. She hears about my highs and my lows.  She’s heard my frustration and my excitement. This past year, I won my first race and she was there to see it happen.  I remember that after I crossed that finish line I was surrounded by volunteers and other racers who were finishing from a shorter distance race, but the only person I wanted there with me to celebrate was my mom.  Heading into the race she knew I was planning on not doing too well due to a heavy training week so when I finally found her after and she yelled, “What was that?!” I just started laughing.

I think every athlete has somebody like my mom on their support team. Somebody who wants to see them succeed so much that they are willing to sacrifice their own time to make it work.  Whether that be a parent, spouse, significant other, teammate, or anybody else we all have somebody that is willing to go that extra mile.

As 2014 is about to start for me in about a month, I plan to make it a goal to thank those people that support me more frequently than I have.  There are plenty of people who have supported me a long the way since 2009 that never have gotten the recognition they deserve for the things they have done for me.  I wanted to list everybody who has gone that extra mile for me on here but I would make this longer than it already is.  If you think I'm talking about you, THANK YOU!

For those of you who are that support person, you are incredible. Although we don’t say it a lot, we really appreciate everything you do.  During tough times of the race we think of you to not give up or to help push us more. We’re sorry when we lash out at you in frustration about something that had nothing to do with you; it just turns out that you are the person nearby that we always turn to. I know there are countless efforts you make that go unnoticed that mean just the same to your racer as all the efforts that they are aware of. You celebrate with us at our finest hour and pick us back up at our toughest.

For those of you who have that support person, don’t forget to thank them.  They do things that you never realize.  They are the person who stays up after you go to sleep to make sure all of your water bottles are in the fridge or that all of your gear is packed and ready to go for the morning.  They weather any weather to be at the race with you. During the race, they sometimes get to show the same athleticism as you show by sprinting from location to location to see you as much as possible. Thank them for listening to your story about that terrible headwind on the bike that they have no way to relate to or when you got elbowed on the swim and there is nothing they can do about it. Although they might not be suiting up in the race gear with you and trudging into the water when that gun goes off, they’re with you every step of the way. 

2013 in Review

It is that time of the year again.  I am officially done racing and can take some time off from exercising.  This means I won't be swimming, biking, or running for any reason at all.  The next few weeks I'll be refreshing my mind, evaluating the year, and looking forward to 2014 races.  Here is a brief summary of all the races this year and some lessons I learned:

March Triathlon Series (San Luis Obispo, CA)

This was going to be the earliest triathlon I've ever done in a year.  Since it was cold in Iowa all winter I hadn't got out on my bike a lot and likely showed in my handling.  In the past year I hadn't had to deal too much with the physicality of a triathlon swim and this was an awakening of that.  Main thing I remember is that just being out in the sun the day before (which was a change from the cold March we had in Iowa) can cause  your muscles to get fatigued and sore.

USAT Collegiate Nationals (Tempe, AZ)

Collegiate Nationals

Tough run to push through.

I had never had a good race at nationals so this had to happen.  My swim focus over the winter allowed me to come out of the water in a group, finally. The technicality of the bike course showed that I still hadn't been able to be on my bike too much all year.  The run really had been my focal point for this race due to the fact that years past caused me to give up on it.  Keeping my pace up was extremely tough but I was able to hold on and kick just a little too soon which caused me to not remember much of the finish chute.

RiverRun 10K (Iowa City, IA)

This race was going to be a build race into my next few races.  I did a strong block of training the days leading into it to make it a sore and hard run.  This also began the downfall of my IT band injury as I could feel it warming up.  When the gun went off the adrenaline kicked in and I forgot about the soreness and injury until I crossed the finish line in 1st place.  First time I've ever won a race, it was nice to savor that moment for the closing miles.

RiverRun

Kansas 5150 (Lawrence, KS)

Picture doesn't even begin to describe the frustration.

A bad day for me to race.  Swim cancelled, two flats on the bike, and quitting the run within a half mile due to the pain.  It was frustrating to make such a long drive to have this kind of a result but hopefully that'd be the last time for the year. This race was more influential than most in that is helped me realize what was important and to keep composed with regards to things I can and can't control.

Kansas 70.3 (Lawrence, KS)

Going from having this as my one and only goal for the year for nine months, thinking everyday about this race, preparing for this one race, and then having to settle for just trying to finish was tough.  I was able to see the months of preparation on the swim and bike really shine out. Even with little run training and injury I was still able to put out a respectable run, showing that the months leading up to my injury were not completely wasted.

My plan to "Chris Lieto the bike" seemed to work well.

Evergreen Triathlon (Hudson, IL)

First time racing Elite. Brutal swim, got punched which caused me to bleed for the whole race.  The bike course I found out why I needed to taper and the same carried into the run.  More than anything though was I realized the mindset you have to be in to race at this level.  You can't let somebody just run in front of you; you have to work to get past them even if you don't want to go.

Omaha Triathlon (Omaha, NE)

My first time doing a race just to do it.  I let my racing mindset go and just enjoyed the day.  It was quite fun to be singing along during the bike but after a while I really wanted to get off the bike (I'm not sure why 1.25 hours seemed so long being as I had all of RAGBRAI to do still). Also would like to point out that my ENTIRE warm-up for this race was a not so graceful cartwheel walking to the swim start.

Bluff Creek Triathlon (Ogden, IA)

Bluff Creek

Finally racing back in Iowa where I know what to do. Swim came out amazing! Top 10 swim for first time ever.  This was a big realization that I wasn't tapering right and had nothing in the tank for race day.  My mind wanted to go but the legs just couldn't do anything. My motivation to make a change in my last few races.

Pigman Olympic Triathlon (Palo, IA)

Not the swim I wanted but finding the legs on both the bike and the run were huge.  It is amazing how much different I felt just a week earlier. Having a kick to really dig in the final miles of the run started to show in this race.

US 5150 National Championship (Des Moines, IA)

Overall, I never gave up.  Really happy with how I refused to go down without a fight.  Letting the mind go and just digging deeper when I knew it was necessary.  I took the kick from my last race and made it even bigger.

US 5150 National Championship

Indian Summer Distance Classic (Solon, IA)

I think WAY too much about what is going on.  Sometimes you just have to trust in what you've done and just go.  Know your strengths and use them.

IMT Des Moines Marathon (Des Moines, IA)

The intensity is a different level and style than a triathlon which would take the same time.  Never before have I had a pace feel so easy that I could carry on an easy conversation at one point be the same pace where I had to grit my teeth and bury myself a few miles later. The transition of different muscle groups throughout a triathlon allowed me to work harder overall where this caused more muscle fatigue than I'd ever experienced.

Overall, it was a great year.  I'm quite happy with how it all turned out overall.  I'd like to believe that any setbacks were able to spring me into my next accomplishment and will help to in the upcoming season as I prepare.  Thanks for checking in!

IMT Des Moines Marathon: Chasing Fears

One of the things that I feel limits us is our goals.  There are many things we want to accomplish but sometimes we are too afraid to reach for them.  It isn't that we don’t want to reach these goals, it is more that we know there is a risk to going after them.  If we choose to go after our goals and come up short, we will have that stuck in our mind.  Alternatively, if we don’t risk it, there is still that possibility that it were possible had we chosen to go after it. We fear the idea that we might not be able to reach these goals, that we've set them too high. It is more satisfying to know there was still a chance than to find out that sometimes it just wasn't meant to be.

I thought a lot about this over the summer.  What were goals that I had that I was putting off because I was worried I couldn't reach them or that I would come up short?  One thing that I continually mentioned to people was that when I run my first marathon, I plan to qualify for the Boston Marathon.  There was no reason to believe I couldn't do it but I was still scared I would come up short so I had put off doing a marathon for a few years.  One of the quotes that I've really clung to this year was, “Let your fear cause action, not adversity.” in an idea that instead of worrying about your fears you should do something about it.  If something is worrying you, take the steps to rid yourself of that worry. This was one of the determining factors for me to sign up for my first marathon.

With such a vast amount of knowledge around me, I decided not to try and go through this alone. Over the past few months I got a lot of advice from some of the local runners who also had experience doing marathons.  They gave me workout tips, race tips, mental strategies to make sure that I made it to the finish line in one pieces.  Heading into the weekend I felt my speed was there, it was going to be more of a mental effort than physical.

Empty streets at mile 10 before heading down to the start.

I crashed at my teammate, Brad Johnson’s, house the night before the race.  He actually lived right on the course so it turned out to be an easy drive down to the race start.  We got there about an hour early and then sat inside to stay warm.  We found a gym where we could just sit down in some open space.  I stayed bundled up since I would be ditching almost all of my clothes for the race.  With about 30 minutes to race start I did a nice easy shake out inside to warm up the legs.

Getting the blood flowing.  Might as well looked jacked at the race start right?

We found some hoops so obviously the only thing we should do is try to see how high we could get. Not sure why I couldn't rotate this picture either.

We got into the start area about 13 minutes before the race start.  I made my way to the front which was a lot closer to the front guys than I expected.  My start position was about the fourth row, right behind all of the elite runners, it was intimidating.  We chatted among ourselves as we waited for the start gun to go off.  They say that there are two halves to a marathon, the first 20 miles and the last 6 miles, and I was about to find that out.

The first half of the marathon

Mile 0-3.5:  Pace 6:40/mile
As the race started out I spent about every other second checking my watch to make sure I didn't go too fast.  My speed was starting close to 6:00/mile which felt really easy but I knew there were a lot of miles to go.  During the first few miles there was a lot of chatter between racers trying to distinguish what time everybody was shooting for and who they needed to get next to for the rest of the run.  When the half split from us at mile 3 the course got very deserted at the front and we instantly hit a half mile hill.  I was able to get into a good rhythm as I climbed the hill.

Mile 3.5-8: Pace 6:20/mile
When I reached the top of the hill another runner approached me and we discussed our times we were shooting for.  He wanted a 2:50:00 but was going to reevaluate at the 13.1 mile mark.  This seemed a little slow for me but he kept up the pace and we started working through the hills.  This portion of the course had all of the hills for the day and there were certainly some rolling hills.  I didn't expect there to be this many but luckily my training had me prepared for some challenging hills so they didn't faze me.

Mile 8-11: Pace 6:10/mile
At this point I find out the runner I’m running with is Brett.  We both are feeling good and notice that we’re catching other runners that are fading early in the race.  Brett and I have a really good system of working together and not having to worry about pacing off of the empty road ahead of us like everyone else.  Besides the lead pack of elite men, there was nobody else who was running as a group up near the front of the race.  We got to hop on the track and take a lap on the Drake track.

Mile 11-18: Pace 6:00/mile
While exiting the track there is a race course bicycle up ahead of us. I jokingly ask the cyclist if he is going to be our pacer which he agreed to do.  Brett and I were tearing up the course. As people were heading out on the run they saw two guys running stride for stride with a lead cyclist.  I’m pretty sure a few people probably got confused thinking we might have been in the lead but they had already seen the lead group a while before.  Brett and I made multiple mentions of how good of a pace we had and how great our legs felt.  As we ran by the crowds everybody was yelling at how smooth the two of us looked running.  We smiled as we worked our way past some mile markers that we had seen earlier and were happy to announce we had single digits of miles left.  By the time we hit about mile 16 our cyclist informed us that we had a HUGE gap behind us and we saw a guy up ahead who was walking; likely due to the fact that he went out too hard and was paying for it now.

Mile 18-20: Pace 6:00/mile
As our course joined back up with the half marathon Brett mentioned that his feet were starting to hurt.  Once he mentioned this I started to realize the pain in my feet.  This carried on to realizing that my legs were really getting sore from all of these miles.  Suddenly, I became aware of the fact that I had been working a decent amount for most of this marathon.  In about a half mile Brett started to get a step on me.  I worked to keep up the pace knowing that if I fell off the back it was going to downhill fast.  If we could just stay together our pace would stay strong and we would have an incredible time. The fact that we hadn’t seen any marathon runners for the last three miles was not helping either.  When we hit the 19 mile aid station I sat behind Brett and drafted off of him for the next mile.  As we approached the 20 mile mark I mentioned that he was dropping me to which Brett said he was going to try to hold this pace and finish out the race.

At this point I would like to show the difference in my expression between the first and second half of this race but due to copyright I can't actually put the pictures on here....... so you can look at them here.

The 2^nd half of the marathon

Mile 20-22: Pace 6:15/mile
I watched as Brett and the cyclist started to pull away. It is safe to say that I hit the wall at mile 20 and the wheels started to come off. For the first part I thought for sure my pace went to pot and I looked down to see that I was still holding a 6:15/mile.  When I ran by spectators and they cheered for me my pace would easily drop 10 seconds and I could hold that for about 100 yards before settling back into my 6:15/mile.  I knew I had less than a 10K left to go and my legs were hurt a lot.  There was no longer a smile on my face but instead a clenched face of pain. Knowing it was only going to get tougher I did the one thing that I am good at doing late in races, running for people.

I like to pose awkwardly whenever possible.  Yes, there is supposed to be an awkwardly large gap between us.

I ran mile 21 for my friend, Steph Lash.  Over the past few years she has shared her experience of trying to play sports collegiately. She always has worked hard and done everything she can to better herself and the team.  For that mile I tried to set an example of what it meant to run hard.

Mile 22-24: Pace 6:30/mile
I ran mile 22 for my friend, Meredith Stamberger. In 2012 I volunteered with her and we could not stop laughing the whole time.  We kept it good contact over the year so much so that we had weekly phone conversations.  Whenever I had things come up in my life she would be the one that I would talk to about them.  Meredith is a runner as well and has found a way to enjoy her running and have a good time running. For that mile I tried to embrace the satisfaction of running and enjoying it.

The two most overly enthusiastic fans I had this year without them even knowing what was going on during the race and being up since 3:45am.

The course took us across the course that I raced almost two months ago at the U.S. Championships.  As we made our way across the bridge where I really dug deep in the race my determination started to pick up.  There was no way I was going to walk this race.

I ran mile 23 for my friend, Nicole Woodall. Nicole runs cross country and college and is a beast at it.  She has expressed her doubts to me at times that other runners were faster than her and she wasn't good enough.  At the beginning of the season she didn't know if she would be very fast on her team because there were so many other fast girls. I always told her to work harder and to never doubt herself.  Currently, Nicole holds the school record for the fastest time for a freshman.  For that mile I tried to run with confidence and believe that I could keep up the speed.

Mile 24-26: Pace 6:45/mile
I ran mile 24 for my friend, Katie Kustra.  Katie has had to deal with things that nobody her age should have to deal with.  The attitude she displayed when she was going through a rough patch really inspired me then and to this day.  I still remember not being able to focus at school all day and then going and absolutely destroying the spin bike during class on a day that was supposed to be an easy day.  Her ongoing positivity has been a great thing to look forward to when I hear from her each time.  For that mile I tried to carry a positive attitude and keep pushing hard.

Still refusing to take normal pictures.

At this point things were getting real tough.  I felt like I was shuffling along.  My head was buried to the ground and it took a lot of strength to even look more than 10 yards ahead of me. I didn't check my watch as much due to the fact that I didn't like seeing 6:35/mile or 6:40/mile when I looked down. Instead, I was looking at my overall time.  I kept telling myself that I had less than 20 minutes left to survive.  When I saw mile 25 I told myself I just had to run my standard warm-up and I would be done.

During the last mile I realized that Jessie was also on the run course of her triathlon in California and thought how adorable it must be that we are both running thousands of miles apart. Obviously I was focused on MY race at this point.

I ran mile 25 for my girlfriend, Jessie Blakely.  Back when we had just met, she already believed I was basically the most dominate triathlete she knew.  She has told multiple people that I could go pro if I wanted to.  I also found out that she tells people that I am a professional triathlete…..which I am not.  It is scary to say that she believes in me more than I believe in myself.  For that mile I tried to run with a purpose and run like a champion for her.

Mile 26-26.2: Pace 6:15/mile
The streets were lined with people cheering everyone on.  I looked at my watch and it said 8:40/mile?!  That can’t be right! I looked again, ten seconds later, and it now said 2:03/mile so I’m pretty sure my GPS failed once we got downtown.

I ran the last .2 miles for my mom.  She has been to more races of mine than anybody else by far.  She has supported me from the start even though it probably sounded like a stupid idea the first time I announced I was going to do endurance races.  Even if she isn't at my race she sends me words of encouragement the morning of.  For the last .2 mile I tried to not let her down.

Pretty sure my mom has acquired a lot of miles flying around to cheer me on.

As I took the last turn I saw the finish up ahead.  I gave one last push and my pace quickened!  The pain was supreme but I was within steps of the finish.  I kept digging as I made my way across the mats and just froze up. I had just finished my marathon!  All of the volunteers in the finish area just stared at me, uncertain of what I would do.  I worked my way to a chair to sit down as they removed my chip and helped me to my feet.

Final Time: 2:47:29

Looking at the finish I had there are a few things that are worth noting:

•  I PR’d my half-marathon at 1:24:02
•  I PR’d my half-marathon in the second half at 1:23:27
•  I negative split my first marathon!
• When I hit the wall my pace slowed by less than a minute
• I broke 2:50:00 which was my goal
• I qualified for the Boston Marathon

Indian Summer Distance Classic 10 Miler: Alex's Amazing Thought Process

Some of the thoughts that run through my head just don't make sense.  After a little while I'll look back and ask myself what on earth I was thinking?! During races I typically talk myself out of a race and try to convince myself to quit quite a bit.  Hopefully this will give you an insight at just the ludicrous thoughts I think about.

The very large medals given out at the race.

Leading into this race things didn't go as I had hoped.  The past Sunday, my right shoe seemed a little too tight around the ankle but I was determined to get my long run in so I ran.......22.4 miles......with a throbbing ankle.  By the time I got done my ankle was swollen and a bruise was now forming.  Walking for the week was quite an event.  I put some ice on it, took ibuprofen to reduce the swelling, and I took a day off of running to allow the pain to go away.  Well one day led to two, which led to three, which lead to all week of no running due to the pain.  By Friday, I put on my running shoes and since there was still a little pain I decided I wouldn't run and instead wait until the race.

Somehow I got this BRILLIANT idea that it was the fact that my quick laces were too tight and constricting the tendon on the top of my foot.  It also was about the time I needed to get new shoes so I figured I'd knock two birds out with one stone.  I stopped at Running Wild to get a new pair of shoes but they were out of my size........so I just got a pair of shoelaces.  I can just imagine the discussion after I left: "Yeah he wanted shoes but instead just go shoelaces?!" Anyways, I swapped out the laces and went to bed to get ready for my Saturday race.

My preparation for this race wasn't amazing by any means.  Our Wednesday night swim practice had us doing lunges around the entire pool which left me sore all the way to race day.  I probably should have not done that on a race week and rested instead. I tried some foam rolling to loosen everything up but wasn't too successful.

Race morning came and my alarm went off at 6:30am but I was in no hurry so I hit the snooze until 7:00am.  Being as you don't need to set up transition at a running race I didn't need to show up hours before the race.  I got up and got on the road about 7:40.  For some reason, I felt it was necessary for me to use GPS to find the race, which required three turns......total.  Turns out that the address was NOT where the race was actually at so I drove around in the park lost for a good ten minutes until I found the race.

Yes I did use GPS to find a race in the town over from where I live.

I did some light jogging for a warm-up along with some dynamic stretching.  I could feel my ankle, even with the loosened shoelaces (failed plan), especially on the downhills.  After a little bit I went to the start line and just sat on the ground and waited for the race to start.

This is what happens when I have no spectators to take pictures for me: Seflies. 

When the race started I got into a good group of about ten guys as we made our way out to the road.  We had a good downhill before we hit the trails.  I was not expecting such steep grades of downhill to start the race as the group really found out quick who knew how to run on gravel.  Luckily, I was able to work my way up to third place as we made our way out to about a mile.  For the next mile another runner came up next to me and started chatting with me, hoping the runners ahead were doing the 4-mile race.  When we hit the 2-mile turn around spot nobody turned.  I asked the runner what our time was and he said 11:30......that's a 5:45/mile pace.  I was aiming for sub 1:05:00 which is below 6:30/mile so we were WAY up on my pace.

I got comfortable as the runner took off and two more guys moved past me.  I knew what my pace was and there was no need to kill it any more on the first half than I already did.  For the next three miles to the turn around I was in no man's land, running by myself and just waiting to get to the turn.  I thought about making sure to take the inside lane of each corner so as not to run further than I have to during the race.  

The engineer inside of me came out when I started to consider: "Am I using too much energy running on loose gravel instead of compacted gravel?  Would I be able to run just as fast taking the outside corner on packed gravel than taking the inside lane on loose gravel?  How much extra energy am I expending due to the loose gravel?" 

There were a lot of points that I thought to myself, "Nobody is around you right now; you can walk and nobody will know." and it took a lot of mental talking to keep moving forward.

As we hit the turn around I was in 6th place.  I saw that there was a runner about 15 seconds back on me.  I tried to keep my pace up as the fear of getting caught started to sink in.  When we took corners I would try to get around tight ones quickly so he couldn't see me up ahead but the longer ones there was no point in doing so.  I continued to panic that he was catching me and I was fading.  All I really wanted was him to just pass me so I wouldn't have to keep worrying about him.

The night before the race I went to go watch my friend, Nicole, race in a XC race.  She didn't know I, or my friend Ashley, were coming so when we started screaming at her along the course she worked harder.  After the race Nicole told me that she wanted to quit until she saw me cheering for her along the course.  With two miles left, I tried to harness that same attitude to keep the runner at bay.

Ashley, Nicole, and I at Nicole's race.  Nicole has the third fastest freshman time at St. Ambrose of all time after only three races.  I'm so proud of how hard she works even when she doesn't feel like going hard.

One mile left and I had a ten second lead.  This is the thought process that went through my head: "Could I hold on to the gap or was he going to pass me?  Was he saving for a kick at the finish?  Have I saved enough for the hills come back to the finish? Hills, HILLS! Alex, you train on the worst hill in the city.  You pass every runner up that hill, any cyclist that rides up it you pass, and last week you passed cars up it.  If anybody can run hills, you can!"

When we hit the first of the hills I did what I knew how to do, I climbed, hard.  The hill was steep but I've ran on steeper.  As I got up the short hill I looked back and the runner was just starting it.  I made my way onto the road and the long gradual hill was ahead of me.  I'm not sure exactly how it worked but my legs felt better going up that hill than any portion of the course.  I caught my stride and ran up that hill with a purpose.  As I crested the top I turned to look back and the 7th place runner was gone.

Probably should take a normal picture near the finish.

The last quarter mile had a slight hill but nothing compared to what I just hit and I cruised over the top of it.  I came across the line in 1:02:03, very much ahead of my goal time. Crossing the line I was tired but had plenty left in the tank to keep going, which is exactly what I need for my last race of the year.  I ended up placing 6th overall and 2nd in my age group.

My medal that I give to my mom while saying, "Congratulations mom!" She has become very decorated in the men's field of local triathlon/running races.

Race Results posted.

U.S. 5150 National Championships: A Neverending Battle

Every race I do I have regrets.  There are things that don't go the way I want.  Afterwards I'll look back and wish I could have given a little more instead of saving it for the finish.  From my race experiences I've grown to know that I have more regret on not pushing hard on the run more than anything else.  I hold back because I fear what is going to happen as the race goes longer and I get more tired. Heading into the US 5150 National Championships I didn't want any of that to happen.

Training was great the week out from the race.  I put in a lot of hard efforts really focusing on the run and finished my training week pretty sore.  Taper week was challenging with the heat wave that struck us with heat indexes over 100 the whole week but as long as I played it smart when I wasn't working out I would be rested for a great race.

Race morning came as usual and I stepped outside the hotel to a surprise rainstorm and wind.  I was not prepared for this?!  Jessie and I headed to the race site and arrived around 4:45am but with all the storming there was no point going to transition so we just stayed inside and waited.  I finally went over to figure out what was going on and by 6:00am I was able to make my way back with my stuff to get set up for a delayed race start. My warm-up felt really good on the run and I wanted to tear into it.

Warming up and getting ready for a fast swim start.

A few weeks before the race I did some research to get an idea of what I was to expect.  Based on other qualifiers times, I was likely to finish about 9th in my age group at the national championships.  Prize money was given to the top 10 places so I was in a good spot to win some money.  If I executed I could move further up in the field but everybody else was likely thinking the same thing.  Basically, it was going to be a battle to move up.

I got over to the swim start and got ready for what I knew was to come.  The second half of my season took a bit of a change when I didn't qualify for World's due to my injury and this was my last 'A race' of the year.  I remembered all my times from last year on this course and wanted to PR every one of them.  I had put in so much hard work leading up to this race that I knew I could have a great race if I let myself.  More than anything else, I couldn't be taken out of the mental game.  My head needed to stay on and fight for every second. The run was going to be the toughest effort I've ever put in.

Preparing for a tough two hours requires a good game face.

The gun went off and I stormed the water.  I got right into the mix and prepared for a physical swim; something I hadn't had for a while.  We were in a tight group all fighting for position and within about 150 yards I got on some feet and settled in, perfect. 

When we made our way past the first turn buoy I got a look ahead and realized there was a group ahead of us by a few yards that was slowly pulling away.  Knowing my race mentality and all the work I put in on the swim this year I refused to let them get away without an effort.  I dug my face into the water and surged ahead.  It took a good 50 yard all out sprint but I moved up the field and onto the feet of the other pack, perfect.

 For the rest of the swim I sat right on those feet and felt really comfortable.  I remember last year the last 500 yards of the swim my head lost focus and I wanted out of the water bad.  This year my mind was right where it needed to be and I kept my mind on staying in the moment.  We rounded the last buoy and I got up and on my feet heading towards transition.  My legs got under me and I passed quite a few guys heading into transition, perfect.

Exiting the swim and beginning to move up the field.

In transition I made a quick note of how many bikes were gone.  There were some but not too many to worry about.  I was likely already in the top 12 guys as I grabbed my shades and helmet and blasted out of transition.  There was a long run to the mount line but I was efficient and executed one of my best flying mounts I've ever done.

It took me about 200 yards to find my cycling legs.  I have never felt this ready to tear into a bike course more in my life.  This was going to be GOOD!  I wasn't allowed to pass the cyclist infront of me as we moved through the park due to ruling of the race so I stayed right on his heels.  Another cyclist moved past us which was a little frustrating so once we exited the park I moved on up past both of them.

Starting the bike with my cheering section right there.

There was definitely some wind on the course this year.  I was fighting to hold a good pace as a rider came past me about mile 2.  As he pulled away I again reminded myself that I wasn't going down without a fight and picked up the pace.  As we made our way through the park in the next section of the course I moved on up and tried to get a gap.  We were moving on to the second of four portions of the bike: Hills.

The first portion of hills we had a good tailwind as I worked quickly up the hills trying to drop this rider behind me.  No matter what I seemed to do I couldn't shake him and he stayed with me until the turn around. As we approached the turn around I noticed the other riders were not happy coming back and I knew that the wind was going to break apart the pack.  At the turn a strong rider passed me down the hill and I focused on keeping him insight.  The wind was big and the legs took a lot of strength to fight.  During this portion of the bike, I spent a good amount of time talking to my bike, Allison, reminding the both of us of all the work we've put in (yeah......I talk to my bike).

As I turned back off the hills I took one last look back for my other rider; he got dropped hard on the hills.  My confidence shot up and I was killing the back portion flying down the road at 30 mph.  Heading into the park I was passing elite women and men who started 6 and 9 minutes up on me respectively.

I dismounted the bike and was at almost an all-out sprint right away heading to transition.  I had to get over to the right side as other racers were coming out on their bikes.  I made a quick count of the other bikes in my age group back and I estimated I was in about 7th place at the start of the run. Time to let the legs fly.

When I turned the corner out of transition there was a mob of people down the exit chute and my game face was on!  This was going to be my run and my mantra was clearer than ever, "Set the pace." I wasn't going to wait around for my legs; it was go time.  As I headed out I quickly saw Steph come across with two guys and realized that Tom and Cole were able to make it to the race.  I didn't even take a second to acknowledge them as I was pushing about a 5:20/mile pace as I started the run.

As we got out to the open road the sun was coming out.  Although it wasn't extremely hot, you could still feel it bearing down on you.  I set my eyes on the runners in front of me and refused to let up. All year I've wanted to break 37:00 on the run and run a sub 6:00/mile pace and haven't gotten it.  I was not going to let this race be the same.  Luckily, the aid stations had sponges and I took one as often as I could.  One runner came blazing by me but other than him I was easily progressing the field. When I hit the turn around of the run I decided to fight even more.  I picked up the pace and dug down to close in on more runners.

Late in the run.  The end of my game face before I began digging deep.

When I came by about the 4.5 mile mark I saw my support team yelling for me.  I passed a runner who told me to keep up the pace but I was working so hard that I turned to him and yelled, "We got a mile left, you come with me right now!" Sadly, he didn't want to run.  As I crossed the corner the only audible person I heard was Jessie who yelled, "What quarter are you in?! Let's go!"

And with that, I was gone.  I passed the last age group elite lady which meant I was 6 minutes ahead of the fastest female and my game face was gone.  For the last mile of the run my breathing got heavy and I dug even deeper.  My game face was quickly replaced with a face of pain.  I kept passing more and more people until I hit the final road.  Up ahead was one more runner who felt out of reach yet I told myself there was no promises of what was to come, just go for it. I picked it up even more, likely dropping to about a 5:15/mile pace coming down that final stretch.  I was so far gone that one of the arches had a picture of aperson on the side and I actually thought there was a spectator standing there.

I came through the finish chute and took all my strength to stay standing. There was no volunteers to catch me or take my chip so I had to keep moving.  I got two bottles of water and dumped one of them right on my head.  I fought for every second of the race and came away with the best effort I had ever given from start to finish. 

My support team who all came to cheer for me. Cole, Tom, Jessie, my mom, my dad, and Steph. They really helped me dig when I didn't want to fight anymore.

Afterwards I got my results and saw that I PR'd on all my times from last year.  My swim dropped by 40 seconds, my bike by two minutes, and my run by another 45 seconds!  I finally broke 37:00 on the run and my unofficial final time was a 2:05:15.  At the awards ceremony I was given 6th place which we found out was due to the fact that I received a penalty somewhere on the course. This was likely during the first mile of the bike in the park when I was unable to pass leaving my official time at 2:07:15.

Got to love getting prize money.  Going to be getting some swim gear now.

 Looking at the results of my last triathlon of the year, I've come a long way. My comfort on the swim is a lot better and I'm able to get out on a hard start and settle in. My bike is stronger than ever and continues to put pressure on being my best sport. My run has been a struggle, I started the year with a lot of promise but a midseason injury left a log of question as to whether I'd be able to come back.  With this performance it is safe to say my running is back on top.


Myself, overall female pro winner, Emma Moffatt, and my teammate, Brad.


For now, it is time to get off the bike for a few months and focus on some running races to finish off the year!