ITU Worlds - Final and detailed race report....

"Birkenstocks, Jet Lag And A Sprint To The Line - Every Second Counts"

Sunday, September 13th, 4:50am the alarm goes off taking us into a day that I had been thinking about for many months. Darkness was turning to dawn, it was in the upper 50s with very light breezes. I ate a breakfast of 300-400 calories and took a quick shower to wake me up fully. We'd checked my bike in the day before so I just needed to get Jen up, get dressed and head out the door with my gear in my Nathan tri backpack.

The apartment we were staying in was about a 15-20 minute walk from the race site and as we walked the sun peeked up over the horizon. Triathletes, with their families and friends were pouring into the race site. I found my bike in transition, carefully place a towel on the ground with my bike helmet and Zeal sunglasses on it along with my running shoes, race belt with my race number and my bright yellow FCA-E hat. I pumped up my tires, check my starting gear, filled my water bottle with Hammer Nutrition's HEED, spun the wheels on my very fast Valdora "Phoenix" (great name for a bike huh?) to be sure the brakes weren't rubbing the rims and headed back out to find Jen and start to warm up.

The sun was warming things up nicely and it looked to be a perfect day weather wise. After thinking most of the week that wetsuits would not be allowed in the swim, they announced the water was cold enough and wetsuits were legal for which I was glad at the time. I sat down to stretch in the grass and Jen went to find a cup of coffee. She returned a bit later to watch my wetsuit, goggles, etc. while I jogged around a little. It was so cool to put on my Team USA uniform...we took a few pics, did a bit more stretching, put on the wetsuit and I was ready to roll.

My 50-54 age group was about the 18th heat / wave to start so there were already a lot of people in the water and out on the bike course. Jen and I walked to a place where I could get in the water away from the official start area and I swam about 100 yds. just to get my arms going and then got worried I might be late for my heat so I got out, kissed Jen and walked over to the start area.

About 50-60 guys lined up on the beach with me 10 yds. back from the water's edge. I looked down the line...how would I stack up against these guys from 20+ nations? Australia produces more good triathletes than any other country in the world and about 40% of the guys in this line were Aussies. I felt good though and was ready to finally get after it. I lined up on the far left end as I didn't want to get hit or kicked at the start.

The countdown started - 10, 9, 8, etc. I'd taken my watch off and also removed my bike odometer/speedometer. Not much to monitor today - just GO! Horn blasted and off we went. Ran / bounded out as far as my legs could take me, then a quick dive in and the stroking began. 750 meters or 820 yards - straight out, right hand turn, swim parallel to the beach, then back in further up the beach to the exit area.

I felt good heading out. I have several "mantras" that I repeat in my head while I swim such as, "Long and strong," and "Reach and roll." I hit the first buoy about 250 meters out with a pack of guys that I thought might be the lead pack. (I later learned that it was but that two guys had gotten away quickly and were fabulous swimmers who beat the pack I was in by a minute and finished with the Silver and Bronze medals that day.)

Was starting to tire a bit as we turned to head back to the beach. In a 750 meter swim you have to go fast but you can't go totally all out or you'll be sucking air half way through. I was trying swim right at that "red line" without going over it. I kept looking up as we neared the beach wanting to see how many orange capped guys, our swim wave color, beat me out of the water. Didn't see any til I was almost done so I was encouraged, though again, not realizing two had smoked that swim...

Jen yelled that I was in 8th as I passed her running to my bike. It was hard for her to see exactly what place I was in... The results showed I as 13th, so the pack I was in was made up of 11 guys. We all came out together and ran up a soft sand beach, then had a long run along the transition area before it led us to the bikes. Wetsuit was stripped down to my waist and I was ready to get it off quickly...but...I really struggled getting it off. I'd had much faster transitions with it in other races this year and I knew that every second counted so I was pretty ticked as I headed out on with the bike knowing that I'd probably given up a spot or two at the finish with my T-1 wrestling match. The results showed it wasn't all that bad compared to the other guys though...but they also showed that the struggle did cost me....

The bike was an out and back that we did twice - 12.4 miles. No time for pacing myself here - it was all out, all the way. The bike has been my strength the last couple of years and I was hoping to go sub-30 min. Though at times I felt like I was really going fast, much of the time I felt a bit sluggish, not on top of my game. It was frustrating. I played leapfrog with an Aussie most of the ride without drafting which is illegal. With no watch and no speedometer I didn't know what my bike split was, but as I passed Jen heading into the second transition, I heard her yell, "47 minutes." I was wanting to be at 45 or less at that point in the race so I knew I wasn't having my best race this season.

It was a fairly long run from the road we biked on to the transition area but I ran as fast as I could pushing my bike ahead of me. VERY cool to hear people yell, "Go USA!" when I went by them. I had a pretty good second transition but struggled a bit with the insert in my shoes bunching up some. That had not happened all season...great timing...but I headed out on the run hoping they'd smooth themselves out down there - they did.

Now, let's back up a second. I love Birkenstock sandals. Not the coolest looking footwear but I've always loved how they feel. So, I thought I'd wear them on the flights over and during that week. But, I've never worn them 3 days straight without a break. By the end of our first full day in Australia, having walked all over the Gold Coast in them, my Achilles started hurting pretty badly and I couldn't understand why. It got so bad that I had to walk super slow to keep the pain down. It took me a while to connect the sandals with the pain. (The day after the race, I put them back on and immediately had the same pain so those things are history!)

I finally put other shoes on and it made a huge difference. My Achilles hurt most of the rest of the week though, causing me to miss a workout and putting some doubt into my mind about the run portion of the race.

Back to the race - I headed out on to the run, really just trusting the Lord. I don't mind running with some pain, but a number of times over the years, I've had injuries that cause pain that suddenly make a muscle seize up, bringing me to walk and no hope of running for several weeks. THAT is what I didn't want to happen. I wanted to run 19:something for my split, or, if I was having a fantastic day, maybe go 18 something. I'd gone 19:something at Nationals on a pretty tough run course with a monster hill and a 1/2 mile of beach running during the 5K. This was an easier, flatter course.

I ran each mile faster than the one before and though running as hard as I felt I could, I still felt sluggish. I kept exhorting myself to go 110% but just didn't feel "fast." The last 1/2 mile I really pushed it for all I had. In a sprint distance tri, especially at this level, every second counted - EVERY second. Typically, a finisher will come across the line about every 10-15 seconds so you can see that 20 extra seconds in, say, transition, can be a place or two. I was really hurting as I put the pedal to my 52 yr. old metal that last 800 yds. We rounded a bend, ran about 150 yds., then rounded the final bend for the final 50 yds. straight to the finish line. With about 100 yds. to go someone was holding out a small US flag to take which I grabbed on the way by. Didn't slow me down at all - probably made me run harder if that were possible.

I had no idea what place I was in but with about 75 yds. to go an Aussie ran by me with "50" written on his calf showing he was in my age group. No way I was going to catch him as he was flying. (I remembered doing that to a Brit at Worlds 2 yrs. before - now I knew how he felt.) I sprinted to the line, not knowing that 4 seconds behind me was the next guy in my age group and 2 seconds behind him was the next.

I knew I hadn't had my best race of the year which probably had been a month earlier when I won the sprint race in Detroit Lakes, MN, but I did what I could and my Achilles didn't effect my race so I was very thankful to God for His kindness to me. We had to wait to get on line later that afternoon to see the results as they didn't post the results at the race site like most races do.

After the race we had to wait a couple of hours before they'd let us back into transition to get our bikes and gear so we sat down in the park where the race was held to enjoy the beautiful day, get something to eat and relax. Later, I got my bike and gear and walked back to the apartment, showered, changed and went to the local internet cafe to look up the results. Two years ago, I'd finished 20th out of 99 at Worlds and wanted to be top ten out of 50 or so in this race.

Results said I'd finished 8th, missing 7th by two seconds due to the guy who ran by me at the end - but I was sure thankful I held off the two guys right behind me or I'd have been 10th. 8-9 seconds separated 7th place from 10th place - truly, every second counts in a sprint distance race. I was happy that I'd reached my goal of top 10. I wasn't happy with my bike split of 31:something or run split of 20:02, but....I can't really complain. I ran 6:25 per mile and was the second Team USA finisher in my age group.

I have a friend who has traveled the world racing in World Championship races whom I talked to afterwards and he was quite sure I felt sluggish due to jet lag. He said it would take at least 10 days to be on top of my game and better yet, 12-14. We'd come through a 15 hour time zone change and that was big. The Birkenstock deal didn't help nor did hardly running at all the first 2/3s of the summer due to a foot problem.

No excuses here, just evaluation. I love to analyze and evaluate and look for ways to improve. I love trying to figure out, like a puzzle, this sport of triathlon. I do know one thing - I was 4-5 lbs. over ideal race weight for me and I can't blame that on anyone or anything but ME. In a sprint tri, if you're a good swimmer and cyclist, it all comes down to the run and the lighter the better. The guy who won the world championship started the run back a few spots and ran 17:something to win it.

Highlights of the tri experience? Marching in with Team USA during the opening ceremonies under the lights, and, grabbing the American flag and running to the finish holding it up.

I probably won't try to go to Worlds the next two years. I'm heading into the upper end of my age group and the next two "Worlds" are in Budapest and Beijing. Been to Budapest and in 2011 I'll be oldest in my age group so I'll probably wait til I age up to the 55-59 age group in 2 1/2 years and then really go for it. Just for fun I checked to see how I'd do if I still raced at this pace, then...my time this year would have landed me a silver medal in that next age group, so my plan is to not slow down any in the next 3 years which, might be challenging but, I'm actually planning on getting faster not slower....so there! Ha.

Jen was a real encouragement to me, believing in me and probably having more confidence in my abilities heading into the race than I did. I did cause her to struggle a bit and here's why... At Nationals back in July, I pulled out of the parking lot in Newport Beach, CA after the race and left my racing aero helmet in the parking lot for some lucky person to take home. This race? I left my Xterra wetsuit in transition and later that day, when I realized it, it could not be found though we searched everywhere and talked to everyone. Ouch! Three others were turned in but, not mine. Oh well, Christmas is coming and no need for a wetsuit before next Spring.

If you read all of this you are either an endurance athlete, or, you could be one. Thanks for hanging in there to hear the whole story, or at least most of it. Thanks to all those who thought of us and prayed for my race and those who took care of our lawn, house, dog, cat, trash, etc., while we were away. All that is deeply appreciated!

Linc
PS - we had a great time watching season one of the TV show, "24." This last season was the first time we'd ever watched it. We thought there was no way we'd get through all 24 episodes during this trip but we actually finished 2 days before leaving Australia. Now...on to season two!

World's Race Results - Got 8th out of 53 - Just missed 7th

OK...full report later but here's the skinny...
Came out of the water with the main pack, though a couple of guys got away by about 20 seconds (I actually outswam the guy who got World Champion, OK, by 1 second but hey, I'm just say'in...)
Bad first transition. Disappointing - struggled with wetsuit coming off. Pushed on the bike but unhappy with split now that I've seen it. Good second transition and tried to push the run but not happy with that split either. Have raced faster this year. Results at www.triathlon.org Might have to hunt a bit - look for Sprint Age Group Results.
Thankful for many things - no leg problems, no flats, etc. Clean race and I'm very thankful to the Lord for that and for reaching my goal of top 10. Missed 7th by 2 seconds. Got out sprinted by an Aussie.
I was the 2nd place Team USA finisher in 50-54 age group. World Champion beat me by 3:47. Got some work to do if I'm ever going to see the podium at another Worlds.
More to come later. Thank you to the many who thought of me and prayed for this day.
God is so good!
Linc

17 hours and counting...

Today the olympic distance racers got to wear wetsuits so there is hope for tomorrow :) Bike is racked and the Valdora is ready to roll - new concept - Rack and Roll - someone write a rack and roll song please.

Watched some of the O. race this morning and will watch the male elites this afternoon and see who is crowned World Champion. USA has only one or two guys who look to have a shot at it I think.

Not much else to say at this point. Prayer requests would be...
-Glorify the Lord in all my actions and attitudes no matter how the races goes,
-A clean race with no flats or mechanical problems on the bike,
-Legs that loosen up quickly, very early in the run and no muscles seizing up,
-Results? Can only do my best, go the hardest my body will let me and then let the chips fall where they may.

Thanks for so much great support out there!!!
Will post results here as soon as we can later tomorrow.
God bless!
Linc

Friday morning - Polar Bear Plunge

Ok, so, I HATE cold water. Am a total wimp in that regard. So, the no wetsuit announcement was bad news - I was thinking that I wish I had some polar bear fur to insulate me - as I stood on the beach, looking out into the bay, I imagined a Polar Bear coming up out of the water, lumbering up to the transition, hopping on a sleek tri bike and...naw...it was a pretty funny pic in my mind though.

So, I plunged in this morning "sans" wetsuit, expecting to go hypothermic and have an Aussie lifeguard to come out and try to save my sorry carcas but, it actually wasn't that bad. I did think of the lady a few days ago who said there were Bull Sharks in the bay...sheesh..."Yea, though I walk through the valley of shadow of..." I did think that I probably looked like a very cool 5'10", blue with some white and red striped, fishing lure. Yikes. But, confidence was gained though from this morning's swim and my Achilles seems to be feeling better each day.

Last night was TOO cool. Team USA picture taken, then the parade of the nations and the opening ceremonies. Wow. How proud can you be of being an American? But just as cool was seeing all the other teams from over 40 nations, marching in, some with as few as 2-3 on the team and the Aussies with probably 800. It was dark but the whole infield that we marched in to was totally lit up and had a jumbotron screen and a huge PA system announcing the teams - got a bit emotional I must admit. Goosebumps, fire in my belly to race and "represent" grew.

Then a pasta dinner for 3,000 in a huge tent with live entertainment. All in all a fabulous evening. Today a day trip up to Mt. Tamborine just inland a ways. Am having a great time with the wife of my life. She is such a great tri-mate. As they say down here, "Me best mate."

More to come later. Thanks for your prayers,
Linc

Thursday...2.5 days to go...

Hey - Well, as of today, no wetsuits allowed. Water temp must be under 22C and it's 22.1 Uggghhh. Big difference for me but oh well. 55 in my age group. 400 out of the 1,000 in the sprint distance race are from Australia as the "host" country gets twice as many slots as the rest of the world. Registered today and it's offical - race on! USA Team pic this afternoon, followed by parade of nations and opening ceremonies.

Race is USA time, 4:30pm for the Husker Nation folks and 2:30pm for our AZ friends - that's on Saturday. Will be Sunday morning here at 7:30am. Weather is perfect - low 50, high upper 70s. Getting adjusted to the time change pretty well. Eyes get fuzzy in the afternoon since it's middle of the night back home.

Worst thing so far besides the wetsuit ruling? Having a bird poop on my shoulder, mistaking me for a bird porta-potty. Am I really that ugly? Probably.

More to come... For a look at where we are, google "australia gold coast" and enjoy the pics.
Linc

Wednesday...so far...

Went out for a ride this morning and found a young kid right on my wheel. No problem. Talked to him after a good push of 15 min. He looked really young, was from Chile and I asked him if were racing the 23 and under class - kind of a junior elite class before stepping up to the elite, Olympian level. He said no, he was an elite, again, that's olympic level...not olympic distance...we're talking the real Olympics, you know...the 5 rings and all. Said his name was Ramirez... He seems so young and soft spoken. Did another pull of about 8 min. Told him I'd never led an Elite before. He said the pace was good - I was dying... Ask his full name as we got ready to part ways. 'He' said, "Barbara Ramirez." Ho boy... OK, Latin, from Chile, helmet, glasses, etc. You can't always tell. I didn't seem to wear him...er...her out at all on the ride. Maybe that explains when I looked back durning the pull she was sitting up doing her nails...

Rode a bit with some guys from France, Mexico, Scotland, saw the Canada Olympians practicing their swim starts as I getting done with my swim. Can't always tell if folks on bikes are elites (Olympians) or age groupers, i.e., normal people like me. Good 25 min. swim, then off to the Expo area to look around. We had lunch at a little seafood place just across from the race / expo area.

Now a bit of shopping, reading, whatever... More to come...
Linc

Tues. Evening update

Hey Everyone - Beautiful day today - sunny, 75. Perfect. 45 minute run this a.m. and a very sore Achilles afterwards... Ice, rest, gentle stretching - no more running this week, til race day on Sun. / Sat. USA time. 30 min. swim in the Bay where the race will be went well. Flat, quiet water - should be nice. Bike / swim tomorrow morning and probably on Thurs. and Fri. too. Rest of the day we hung out and did a 2 hour boat tour through this area. Saw homes along the water 3 million bucks to...get this...no typo...to 50 million. One had a boat docked at it and the boat was 3 million. Another had a helicopter for same price. Lifestyles of the rich and famous for sure.
Triathletes from around the world everywhere. Australia is quite the melting pot with Asians, Indians, Pacific Island peoples, etc.
Nice folks!
G'

Sun/Monday report from down under...

First full day here...temps are perfect. Gold Coast is beautiful. Kinda crowded but we're here. Bed last night at 7:30pm, up at 5:30am. Rode along the coast. Tons of cyclists, triathletes. Rode for a bit with a guy from the UK. Super nice. HE loved my accent! People here are great. Very friendly. Need to find a place to swim tomorrow. Feeling jet lag as is normal. Tri registration sign in Wed. Stay local here and ate brunch and shopped with Jen. Achilles hurts a bit...too much time on our feet and too much time in Birkenstocks - comfortable for a couple of days...but after that, switch...
More to come...
Linc

Arrived "Down Under"

Hey Everyone - 2 people, 2 suitcases, 3 carry-ons and one bike box all arrived here in Brisbane safe and sound...thank the Lord! LONG night last night, but we're not complaining! It's beautiful here and we're getting ready to leave the airport (yep, we're sending this out before we even get in our car!)
We completely missed Saturday, going from Friday to Sunday, crossing the intern. dateline. How was it? Hope the Huskers won. Vols did we heard.
G'day Mates. More to come later...
L and J

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48 Hours Til Liftoff...

OK - so, 48 hours til we take off and so much to do to wrap things up here. I'll be posting on the blog in the next two weeks way more than I have all year. Church stuff, final workouts, packing, phone calls, etc. Exciting. New bike box - hope my bike fits in it! We'll be 17 hours ahead of Omaha time, so look at your watch, add 5 hours, then think, "tomorrow." Race will be (Omaha time) Saturday, Sept. 12th at 2:34pm - when my 50-54 age group hits the water.
More to come...

'09 Tri Season Update

Boy...it's been way too long since I posted something here. In a nutshell, this season has been really interesting to say the least. Due to an injury in May, I basically only ran in weekend races in June/July - mostly 5Ks. THAT was my run training. Despite that, the Lord blessed me with a very good season.

I call it my "Gideon Season" because in Judges 6-8, Gideon's army was reduced to 300 and he had to fight an army with 132,000. His "resource" was almost non-existent - for a military leader, that resource is soldiers. I felt like I'd have to race with no "resource," that being running miles in training. Both situations demanded complete dependency on God for the victory.

Quick recap:

June 6 - Norfolk, NE Sprint Tri - 3rd overall, 1st in Age Group - 25 seconds off of 2nd Overall.

June 13 - Brooklyn, IA Holiday Lake Sprint Tri - 4th Overall, 1st in Age Group.

June 20 - Valley, NE - Twin Rivers Sprint Tri - 1st Overall - 7th Career Overall win.

June 28 - Des Moines, IA - Hy Vee Olympic Tri - 4th in Age Group - Huge race, missed podium by 13 seconds

July 26 - USAT Sprint Tri National Championships - 6th in Age Group, Qualified for Worlds in Australia.

Was in first place in my age group heading out on the run...with not much run training, got passed by 5 guys but still ran 19 something for the 5K. Gold Coast, Australia, here we come...

August 15 - Detroit Lakes, MN - Young Life Sprint Tri - 213 finishers - 1st Overall, 8th Career Overall win.

Great encouragement here as this was my "tune up" race for Worlds.

I've been able to run 5 miles every third day. Will be posting more here as Worlds approaches and we get ready to leave. Just want to thank my sponsors for their great support and mostly thank the Lord for this "Gideon Season."

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May 2 Siouxperman Triathlon Report

Here's the race report I sent to my sponsors....

Hey Everyone - thanks so much for your support. All of your products are fantastic! Last Saturday I raced in the Siouxperman Triathlon over in Iowa. Around 300 participated in this triathlon which is in it's third year. We did a serpentine type of swim in the Community Center pool, followed by a 15.5 mile bike and a 5K run.

I had studied the race results from the previous year so I knew what kind of splits I needed to compete with the fastest guys there. I took in my pre-race Hammer Nutritional products and loaded some more on my beautiful Valdora bike (http://www.valdoracycles.com/) with deep rim Valdora wheels, prepared my transition area and headed for the pool. I put on my sweet Barracuda goggles (http://www.skylinenw.com/) which always fit perfectly and had a solid swim coming out with a time I would need to be towards the top at the end of the day.

Had a quick transition putting on my super light Zeal Optic sunglass (http://www.zealoptics.com/) and I was flying on my 16.5 lb. Valdora PHX. Out the course it was extremely windy - so much so it reminded me of the Queen K highway in Kona at the Ironman. Cyclists were being blown all over the road. (Christopher Cross' song, Ride Like The Wind was in my head the whole bike - motivating!) The previous year the fastest bike splits were 41 min. and change. I came in right at...41 min. and change. Popped a Hammergel...Great race so far.

Quick T2, grabbing my FCA hat (http://www.fcaendurance.com/) and Nathan race belt (http://www.nathansports.com/) with Nathan's Sidekick on it. My hamstring started to feel tight towards the end of the bike and I felt it at the start of the run. So, I popped some of Hammer's Endurolytes and, the cramping sensation went away.

Held a nice steady pace on the run and hit the finish line averaging 6:24 per mile for the run. During the run, I thought of my good friend Jamie Whitmore who is battling cancer...and winning, and was very motivated, http://www.jamiewhitmore.com/. I prayed for Jamie as I ran... My time? 1:07:something. Last year's winning time? 1:07:something. This year's winning time? 1:02:something. Wow. I got 7th and won the 50-54 age group. Very thankful for my race and what I could control...can't control who shows up. The six guys who beat me averaged being 25 years younger than me, between 23 and 31 yrs. old. I love trying to give those young bucks a run for their money.

Drank Hammer's Recoverite to be sure I got back into me just what I needed for post-race nutrition. Watched Troy, Josh and Justin, my three amigos come in and finish their very first tri. They did great.

Thanks again to everyone for your support and encouragement. Just found out I was named 2008 USAT All American...the 3rd year in a row. God has so blessed me! And you all had a big part in that blessing. Next race is an open 5K road race May 17, then I race every weekend in June culminating with the HyVee triathlon in Des Moines where they are expecting 3,000 to race. "A" race of the season is still Nationals in CA in late July, hopefully qualifying for Team USA and a place on the starting line at the World Championships in Australia in Sept.

Will keep you all posted,

Lincoln

PS - for the blog...why do I feel so very alive on race day? Why do I feel like racing is part of what I was created to do? Why do I feel more gratitude to God when I'm racing than almost any other time? Not sure exactly. Maybe Eric Liddel, the famous Olympian/missionary's words say it best - "...when I run, I feel His pleasure." All I know is, racing is a wonderful gift and I thank God for every stroke in the water, every pedal turn on the bike and every stride on the run. It truly is an amazing gift!

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Remember Mom this Mother's Day! Find a florist near you now.

2009 Tri Season Under Way...

Boy it's been a long time since I wrote on this blog, but now that the season is underway, we'll try to get more in. Moved to Omaha in early January, freezing cold, snow, clouds, ice, blah, blah, blah... Seriously, it has been an adjustment! I did go back to AZ in March to visit ANC Phx., see the kids and do the Lake Havasu Sprint Tri. With not a lot of training under my belt and on a borrowed bike, I had no idea how I'd do. And of course, a huge part of how you finish has to do with who shows up.

Well, some very fast guys showed up this year - much faster than the previous four years. I got 6th overall, missing 5th by 1 second (Ouch) and won my age group. I was satisfied, though that one second still bugs me. The guy who won was from Germany and he beat me by 10 min. which is a life-time in a sprint distance race. He started 5 min. behind me and as I was running into transition from the bike to run he yelled something at me in German as he tried to pass. I think translated it went, "Get out of my way you stupid old man with gray hair!" Ha. The top two broke an hour which I don't think has ever been done before on that course.

This Saturday is a sprint tri up in Sioux Center, IA. Three other guys are going to race with me - Josh, Troy and Justin - first tri for all three of them - so it should be fun. Looked at the last two year's results and am hoping for a pretty high finish. As always, it's in God's hands though.

Then, it looks like this:

May 17 - Local 5K run

May 25 - Local 5 mile run - maybe

June 6 - Norfolk Tri

June 13 - Holiday Lake Tri - Brooklyn, IA

June 20 - Local 5K - Mead, NE

June 18 - HyVee Tri - Des Moines

July 11 - Local cycling Time Trial in Elkhorn

July 18 - Lake Okoboji Tri - maybe

July 26 - US Sprint Nationals - CA

Then we'll see...if I go top 12 in my age group at Nationals, I qualify for Team USA and Sprint World Championships in Australia Sept. 12. Jen and I tentatively planning on going if I qualify. If I do, I'll probably do just one race in August to stay sharp and reduce the chance of getting injured though there are 3 that month right around here I could do.

Goals for 2009. Race to glorify God first and foremost. Encourage and help all the triathletes I can. Get to know a bunch of triathletes, cyclist and runners here in Omaha. Represent my sponsors with excellence. Go top 10 at Nationals and Top 10 at Worlds. Be named USAT All-American. Finish top 2% in my age group nationally.

Goals are good to set (Proverbs 16:3 "Commit your works to the Lord and your plans will be established.") but we must place them all in God's hands and submit to whatever He allows to happen, because it's always for our good. (Prov. 16:9 "The mind of a man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.")

More to come...

Linc

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