2012 HSR Miaoli Station - Duathlon Championship

My first duathlon! Run 5k + Ride 28k + Run 5k.

I'll be honest, I wasn't too excited because I consider myself to be a much better swimmer than a runner, and now I had to run twice. After my run bike run brick three weeks ago, I sort of knew how i'd feel. For me, running a quick 5k and then getting on my bike sort of feels like i'm cycling uphill and holding my breath. I feel a massive lack of energy in my legs, sort of like I'm peddling with Play-doh.

After talking to an experienced duathlon veteran, Michael Le Houllier (who finished 10th overall), I decided to push a little harder on my first 5k (Strava link here) to try and get into a good cycling group. Draft legal! I managed to run 19:09 and ended up with a small group of 7 riders who quickly caught another group.

The 28km ride was up and down over 1-2km hills (Strava link here). I even got a KOM on one of the segments. The out and back course gave me a chance to see how far the lead pack was. I estimated that they had five minutes on us, which isn't bad. An average heartrate of 191 landed me a 45:15 with an average of 35.3 km/h.

The last 5k separates the men from the boys as they say. It was tough! My second 5k was two full minutes slower than my first. I managed to hold my own and pass a few people up. My time of 21:03 (Strava link here) landed me and overall 50th and 7th in my age group.

Official finish time: 1:27:27.

It was a fast race and I'll definitely do it again next year.

Check out my mancave. I drilled some framing into the roof to suspend my bike. 

I was up at 4am to catch the first train North. I had no idea that the meal I ate at 4:10am would be my last until 8pm that night. Literal pain from being so hungry. 

#bikeporn

I was the tallest in my age group, but unfortunately not the fastest. 

Stoked! 

My dragon trophy is better than your dragon trophy. 

Ironman 70.3 Taiwan Race Report

After hours of mental and physical preparation, thousands upon thousands of calories burned, sacrificing sleeping in, and sore commutes to and from school, I was finally able to compete in and complete my first half Ironman, the Ironman 70.3 Taiwan.

30 minutes til' swim start. 

Chris "Macca" McCormack took last years race and I was a little sad that he wouldn't be there to defend his title. There were still plenty of pros in competition, but none who drew as much attention as Macca. 

1.9 km swim - 37:29. The swim started at 6:15am and was a 1,600 people mass start. Unfortunately, I am not able to afford a wetsuit yet, so I swam with my trishorts as always. I set a goal for 35 minutes on the swim, which was a little ambitious considering all the people swimming with me. The water was super warm and the jellyfish were out. I had to swim against a group of people who were cutting the buoy, then I got stung by a jellyfish on my upper lip. I had a terrible first lap. There were two 950m laps with a short on shore run around a cone and across the censor before the second lap. Strava Swim link here.

10 minutes until the pro swim. 

90 km bike - 2:45:21 The bike course (Strava link here - I'm 5th place!) was flat and fast. It was 2 1/2 laps around the south western tip of Taiwan. We rode clockwise along the ocean as well as through rural farming neighborhoods and rice fields. I was able to maintain an average speed of 34.1 kph on my detachable aero bars. I only had three small mishaps. I hit a bump a few minutes in and one of my nutrition bottles fell out. I had to stop, unclip, and grab it. I dropped another bottle towards the end of my second lap and only a few minutes later, had a sticker stuck on the tire, so stopped to rip it off. I took a GU every 45-minutes and switched between caffeinated and non-caffeinated.

I need to work on the bike mount. 

21 km run - 1:59:00. Terrible! I started way too fast, but I felt like my body was just going that fast, I wasn't trying to push or set a pace. Lesson learned. Strava link. The run was flat and paralleled the last segment of the bike course. 14km south, and 7km back north to the finish line located at Yoho Beach Resort.

I have finished three half-marathons, one marathon, one sprint triathlon, and four olympic distance triathlons, but nothing felt quite like finishing this race. I struggled the last mile, but summed up the strength to run the end. The crowd was amazing, slapping hands and cheering loudly. A strong sense of emotion and accomplishment hit me as I rounded the corner to the finish line.

After crossing the finish line, the first thing I did was look for my wife. Lauren has been nothing but supportive of me on this journey and it is to her I owe my accomplishments. I love her infinitely. We were able to sneak in a congratulatory kiss before I went and collapsed for a few minutes on the grass.

I did it. I finished. I hit my goal. 5:21:50. 

Time to eat the 6,500 calories I just burned!

Lauren and I spent Sunday relaxing and eating. We used our new Samsung Galaxy S3 to take some sweet panoramic pictures. 

This place is called Chuhuo 出火. There are natural gasses that come out from these rocks and even though the chain fence says 'No Trespassing' we couldn't help ourselves from purchasing popcorn from the old lady and popping it over the open flame. Cooking popcorn on an eternal natural gas flame was a first for both Lauren and I. 

Ah... Baisha Beach 白沙 was good to us as usual. We seriously had perfect weather. I wouldn't have changed a thing. 

We went to some nature preserve museum at a lake. 

See you next year?

Goleta Beach Olympic Triathlon 2012

My foot is healed! That being said, my swim and my run is not where it was, but I am happy with the progress I've made since returning to California.

Quick update on some workouts. After arriving in California and a 10 day trip to Canada, I ran three times. I had to take it easy because the tissue in my foot was still tender and could have potentially split. I was only able to get one swim workout in at the local YMCA in Lethbridge. I can't wait to get back in my pool at Feng Chia.

Needless to say, I have lost a lot on the swim and a bit on the run.

Goleta Beach Olympic Triathlon

After deciding to visit my family in California, I knew I had to do a triathlon in the Golden State. Goleta Beach Olympic Triathlon was perfect! I recruited a few friends (two first timers) and started preparing... or not because I had 20+ stitches in my foot.

On a newly-wed-student budget, I wasn't able to pop for a hotel, so my friend Andreas and I ended up sleeping in a Costco parking lot. Check out our bunk! We chained the bikes to the frame of the car and covered them up from the beach dew.

Thankfully, our bikes were still there in the morning. We got there early as the first ones were able to pick their transition spot on the designated rack. Check out this weather! The morning was chilly but perfect for a triathlon.

I dragged these bums along with me.

27 seconds too slow

Post race photo

The Race
Swim: This was my first tri with a wetsuit. I'm not about to buy one (no $$$) so I had to borrow. This wetsuit was super tight and didn't allow for good arm rotation. After getting over the cold and catching my rhythm, I realized how hard I had to work for every stroke. My triceps got tired but I pushed on. It was a great swim course parallel to the beach. 34:21 on the swim.

Bike: I came out a little dizzy, but got my composure and before I knew it, I was mounting. It turns out I had the 3rd fastest T1 of the event with 1:08. This course was flat, fast and a lot of fun. It was an out and back with a little spire before the final turnaround. There were a lot of flats, at least six or seven of those ahead of me. I didn't see a wreck, but heard some guy got sent to the hospital after a tangle with a car. 1:17:37 on the bike.

Run: I loved this run. The weather in Taiwan really takes a lot out of you, but this California weather is spoiling me! This was also a flat run, two 5k laps. Half of each lap was along the sand right up against the water. I'm not a huge fan of running in the sand but low tide kept the water down and the sand packed. 45:45 on the run.

Total: 2:40:27, which is my new PR.

All in all, I would definitely participate in the Goleta Beach Triathlon again. Anyone want to spot me $1,200 for a plane ticket?

I wanted to give a shout out and express my concern for the Parmelly family. On my second lap, I ran by a few EMTs who were administering CPR to a fellow athlete. I do not know Duke personally, but feel for his family who are now dealing with this tragedy. After an induced coma and two nights in the hospital, he has woken up and is talking. You can follow his progress at the link below. See you next year Duke!

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/dukeparmelly