New Year – New Dreams…

Adios 2013. It was a good year and it was a tough year. Probably every year that comes and goes could have that line applied to it. We’re moving through the first month of January and ’13 is in the rear view mirror and getting smaller by the day. What are your “take aways” from ’13? What did you learn? What would you have done differently? How will you let ’13 influence ’14 for good?  Don’t mindlessly move into and through the beginning of another new year without pausing to reflect, learn, evaluate and make some course adjustments.

How will you order your life this year? Will you be driven by the tyranny of the urgent…or live “ordered” according to your life’s values and that which is truly important?  The urgent vs. important is a constant battle isn’t it? An ordered life, lived according to the important things, means saying “no” to many good things. It means taking control of your time, turning off the TV, taking time for quietness, prayer and people that you love. 

We’re daily bombarded by hundreds and hundreds of ads and messages all trying to shape us and conform us into what THEY want us to be. In some grocery stores, TV show names are now being stamped on eggs! Imagine opening a carton of eggs and getting the CBS TV line up for that night! Insane. Bus stop billboards can now emit odors, enticing you to buy those chocolate chip cookies pictured in the ad. Double insanity. You can’t pump gas now without having a little TV screen there pushing the latest “whatever” on you.

It’s my goal to turn down the “noise” this year. Yes, I have athletic dreams and goals for this year. I love racing! But I want to spend more time with my adult kids, my wife, my parents and help my 88 yr. old mother-in-law as much as possible as her health fails. I want to read more and try to be an encouragement to as many people as possible in 2014.

Yes, go train, race, have a blast and enjoy your health. But remember the really high value objectives in life - God and people. I know as I lay on my death-bed someday (way down the road – I want to live to be 100), my loved-ones and close friends won’t care what my Ironman time was, 5K time or best Olympic distance tri time was. They’ll care…that I cared about them.  Press on, caring for people!

Triathlon – An Individual Sport??? Maybe not…

Triathlon is referred to as an “individual sport,” which is true until one takes a little wider view and deeper look. Yes, the athlete is out there swimming, biking and running by him/herself having to persevere to get to the finish line.  But, for most athletes there are people behind the scenes that have done things to make it all possible. A loving spouse, cheering children, friends who have been supportive, athletes that “push” during training, but are a super fun community to hang out with, shops and companies who have given the athlete a special deal of some type to help them have the solid gear to train and race with…all these, are part of the “team.”

I’m SO thankful for the team that surrounds me and encourages me in my training and racing. First, there is Jen my wife. Though not into endurance sports herself, she’s endured me and my craziness for 37 yrs. now – guess that should count. She’s followed me around the world, washed a

Just found out I had won Nationals 

ton and  half of sweaty clothes, lifted me up when I’ve been discouraged and cried tears of joy for me when I’ve done really well in big races. She’s my one-and-only, life time  Ironmate. My parents have also been incredibly interested and supportive, praying for me and attending races as they are able though both in their 80s. The rest of my immediate family, extended family and friends are part of the “team.”  My friend in Phoenix, Randy, is what I call my Emotional Coach. He’s one of my biggest supporters, but is never afraid to tell it like it is, calling me out when I have a wimpy attitude telling me to knock it off, but always answering my phone calls with, “Hey there National Champion.” He makes me smile and laugh and loves me enough to give me a good kick in the butt when I need it.

The wonderful companies that support me – see left column of this blog – are amazing. I use and believe in the services and gear these companies provide for me. They make some of the best products on the planet and there is no way I would have achieved what I have without them. As this race season quickly ends, I want to offer a huge shout-out and thank you to Hammer Nutrition, Barracuda Swim, Hoka One One, XTERRA Wetsuits, Louis Garneau, Dual Eyewear, Little Red Barn Beef, Active Release Technique Dr. Faye Jones, Valdora Cycles, Skin Strong, Zensah Compression, MACKS Earplugs, XTENEX Laces, Lion Gear and The Stick.

I also love racing with my FCA-Endurance yellow hat on!  FCA-Endurance helps answer the question, “Why do YOU race?”  I race because, to borrow a line, “When I run, I feel God’s pleasure.”  Thank you Lord, for all of this!   Who’s on your team? Be sure to let them know how much they mean to you!

Triathlon an individual sport?  Nah…definitely a TEAM sport. Love my team!

September 13, 2013 - ITU Sprint Triathlon World Championship Race

After having one of the most perfect triathlon seasons of my life last year, doing great in every race I entered and winning a National Championship in my age group, I had a super frustrating start to this season. In fact, I lost over half of this season to injury. Three lower leg injuries caused me to have to start my run training over from just about scratch each time. As the calendar began to shrink and the time I had to train for the World Championships in London was fading away, I became quite concerned. I had missed a massive amount of run training and several races. Though it was a sprint distance triathlon (1/2 mile swim, 12.4 mile bike, 3.1 mile run) the issue wasn't the distance, it was the speed needed to do that distance fast...very fast.

I'm an OK swimmer for my age group and a good cyclist, but for me to do well at a national or world-class level, I have to be able to get the run training miles in and sharpen those in race settings to be competitive. I felt that day by day, those were slowly slipping away. I had huge emotional ups and downs and many times wished I'd not registered for Worlds and made my arrangements for travel, room, etc. Several times, if I could have bailed I would have. I had no desire to go over there and get 80th place or something like that. My wife, Jen, was a real soldier through those ups and downs and always encouraged me to not give up.

For me it was a huge lesson in persevering. Not in a long hard race - been there, done that - but in not giving up in training...in doing what I could and trusting the Lord to allow me TO get in the training I needed. As the summer was moving on, I had time for one last try at a strategic build / ramp up in my run training. As a regular practice, I only run every 3rd day, no more. The calendar told me that I had time to build up to six mile runs and then to get in just 10 of them. That was all. Would that be enough? It was highly questionable and the absolute minimal at best. Just eight weeks out from Worlds, I had time to get my run from one mile to six, then to hold that for 30 days = 10 runs of six miles. I didn't want to run more due to the risk of injury.

Some of those six milers were tri race days, where I'd warm up, race and cool down equaling the six I needed that day. My best 5K in those races was 21:06, a far cry from the 19:19 I'd run to win Nationals the year before. I knew I'd have to run sub 20 to be the least bit competitive and probably have my best swim/bike ever. Saturdays were the only days I could race and so I looked high and low for any Saturday races within striking distance of Omaha just to get some race conditions under my belt this season. Ended up in some pretty obscure places like Perry, Iowa and Falls City, NE where the locals did a great job putting on the races. There just weren't many that showed up. I smiled at times thinking about the "gap" between say, Perry, Iowa, where I raced 25 people total and Worlds in London, England where I'd take on almost 100 of the fastest guys in the world from 57 nations. Still, I jumped at those race opportunities just to get some speed work in.

By God's grace, I got in all 10 six milers. I sure rejoiced at the end of the 10th one, thanking the Lord for His help. Each one I felt stronger and stronger and felt some speed coming back. But, 10 days before Worlds, halfway through a swim workout, my shoulder started hurting...badly. No, I'm not a hypochondriac...I'm old :) Due to my leg problems, I had really ramped up my hard swim workouts - probably too much, too soon, too fast. I had to stop that workout half way through it, and man, the shoulder hurt badly the next few days. I basically only did two very gentle swims in the last 10 days before the race instead of nailing some great workouts and feeling primed heading to London. More doubt...

The bike course in London gave me heartburn. Not because it was hilly, but because it was a three lap course, shaped kind of like the letter "C" only with squared corners and with one mile being the longest stretch without a turn. We started at the bottom of the "C" and went out up and around it and back three times. That's great if you come from a road cycling background and are used to technical courses with lots of turns and accelerations, all of which I'm not. Read more below about this...

My goals were:
1 - Honor the Lord in everything and bring Him glory no matter what happens.
2 - Be an encouragement to my Team USA Teammates
3 - Shoot for a top 10 finish
4 - Shoot for a top 5 finish
5 - Get on the podium and bring home a medal

Well, I think I accomplished the top 3 goals by God's grace. It rained a lot the days before the race. Jen didn't get to go with me because her 88 yr. old mother is struggling with some health issues and Jen couldn't be out of the country. I went the econo route for a hotel in London and the room ended up being the size of our closet in our master bedroom - not even kidding. Bed, a 5'x6' floor space and a small shower that also happened to have a tiny sink and toilet in it. No chair, lamp, table, nothing. Not complaining at all. Worked great and was very inexpensive and fairly nice/new. But, with the rain, wind and gloomy clouds, my self-doubts about being ready, Jen, not being there and the logistic challenge of getting around that part of London and to the race site, well, it all kind of got me down at times. More opportunity to choose to be thankful and trust the Lord to help me do my best no matter how it turned out.

I had a chance on Wednesday to do a practice swim in a small part of the Serpentine, the inner-city lake/pond that the swim was held in. Water was dark and freezing. You couldn't see a half inch deep in it. Swan and ducks were swimming all around in it, doing their "jobs" in it I'm sure. Yuck. All that didn't help to lift my spirits, that's for sure.

I did have some wonderful friends there in London to be with. Paul and Frances Finch who live in Italy were in London and it was so good to get time with loving people who took such a beautiful interest in my race. They really blessed me and encouraged me. I checked my bike in with everyone else on Thursday in the rain and walked 30 minutes back to my room to wait out the afternoon/evening - that's the hardest part - waiting and wondering.

Race day I had to be in Hyde Park where the race was held between 6am and 7:30am to get my transition area next to my bike ready - helmet, shoes, nutrition, etc., and then wait 4 hours til my age group started the race. THAT was a long 4 hours.

I headed over to the swim start coral just in time. My group had already left the coral and was heading for the lake when I got there. The lady there had to unclip the rope for me and told me to get going. Whew. So there I was, waiting to head out to the dock where we started, across from the portable grandstands that were set up with the flags of the nations lining the top. I looked at 95 guys and wondered how good they really were. I prayed and asked God for His grace to do my best that day. I asked for His "grace to gRACE," (thanks for that Dave K.) I was now mentally ready to...grrrrrrRACE! In my mind was 2 Corinthians 9:8 and a song based on that, "God is able to make all gRACE abound to you!" I was ready to throw it down with these boys and see what they had and what I had.

It rained during the whole race. I had an OK swim but there were a lot of guys ahead of me out of the water.

I felt pretty good on the swim and felt like I was swimming as fast as I could. It was a long 400 yard run from the swim exit to the bikes.

There were many crashes on the bike course as athlete's bikes just slid out from under them. During the three "C" lap bike portion, we went over 36 speed bumps, did six 180 degree u-turns and did 24 sweeping turns or 90 degree turns. That, on wet, slippery pavement.

The bike was like riding on oil coated glass. That course totally killed the bike for me which is my best part of a triathlon, but everyone had to deal with it. Not making any excuses here, just explaining the horrible conditions and course for a triathlon. I'll take a straight out and back any day so I can get my speed up and just hold there flying along. THAT was not the case here at all.

At one point on the bike I was passing a few riders on their left and as I started around them the guy on the far left started fading towards me. There was a line of orange cones dividing the street with cyclist going opposite directions. The rider was squeezing me into the cones in the middle of the road. I could either hit the cone(s) or have him hit me. I tried to shout to him, but it was too late and I hit the base of a cone. I must have hit it square, just left of the right edge of the base, but just right of the actual vertical orange cone part. Bam, up and over it and I didn't go down. No idea how I didn't crash. Knowing it was a course with lots of turns and a good chance of rain I'd been thinking about Psalm 91:7, "A thousand may fall at your side and ten thousand at your right hand but it will not happen to you." Nice. Thankful!

I had no idea what place I was in the whole race. By now it was really pouring rain. My Hoka running shoes were sopping wet when I pulled them on in T-2 and took off, unlike the pic here:

I started the run hard, but not too hard as I didn't want that leg issue to flare up. I tried to run down as many guys as I could. There were people out there from numerous age groups so you didn't really know who you were racing unless you actually KNEW them. No ages were written on back of the legs of athletes like they do in most races, so if you passed someone or they passed you, it was very tough to know if they were in your age group or not.

I think I was in about 10th-12th place in my age group as I started the run from looking at the results afterwards. There was a really fast fellow Team USA member and a Brit who were about 20 ft. ahead of me. I knew the USA guy was in my group and thought the Brit probably was too. They held that gap the first 3/4 of a mile and then I slowly started to close on them. They were running fast! As I closed, I told myself that if I just held this pace I'd go past them. "Be patient. Don't rush. When you get there go by strong." Positive self-talk helps. I tried to do all that and at first I heard their footsteps close behind. I wondered if the three of us would run together to the end and then have a crazy sprint finish.

Slowly but surely, the sound of their strides splashing in the rain faded some, then a bit more. At one 90 degree turn I looked and saw I'd opened up a gap. The run was two 1.55 mile loops and at the end of the first loop I was pooped. I really worried about having gone out too fast. Was I going to burn out? Would those guys come back on me? I told myself, "This is WORLDS. You've got to be willing to hurt more than you ever have. You've got to push really hard the next 5-6 minutes, then you'll be on the home stretch part where you know you'll give your all. Do NOT leave anything in the tank. Have nothing to regret at the end. GO!" And so I ran as hard as I could from the 1.5 mile mark on. Towards the end of the run course you make two right hand turns and then you have about 300 yds. to go. 200 towards where the finish line is, then a u-turn on the blue carpet for the last 100. I passed a Team USA guy (who was the first American in our age group at that point) with about 150 yds. to the finish, made the u-turn and put the pedal to the medal hard giving it my all.

I had a blessed run - faster than I've run a 5K ever in a sprint tri since starting this sport 20 yrs. ago. I went 18:56 after an insane bike. How could I run 6:05 miles? My fastest this season had been 21:07 as I mentioned. I took 2:11 off that. Kind of crazy. I guess that's what Worlds will do.

I finished 6th in our age group out of 95 starters and was the first American. Team USA athletes took 6th, 7th and 8th.

I was blessed to have out biked the gold and sliver medalist and to have out run the bronze medalist. I had the 5th fastest bike and 5th fastest run. Though I dreamed of bringing home a medal, I was 1:45 off the podium which is a lot in a sprint distance tri. Medals went to Latvia, Germany and Greece, then Germany and Australia were 4th and 5th, then me.

Thank you to all who thought of me and prayed for me. I thought of you all during the race and it inspired me. I wrote down on a card that I carried on my bike, Psalms 27, 91 and 1 Corinthians 9:8, "And God is able to make all gRACE abound to you, so that in everything, at all times, you may have an abundance for every good work (and race.)" I want to also say a huge "thank you" to the companies who helped and supported me this season. I love you all and your great products!

The Tipping Point

The Tipping Point - What's that? Ever play Jinga? The wooden pieces are "unboxed" by pulling the box carefully straight upward revealing the small tower of wood. One by one the individual pieces are pulled out leaving gaps...til...the tipping point piece is pulled and the rest comes tumbling down.

Ever filled a cup of water higher and higher, til the water literally rose over the actual rim of the cup but didn't overflow? Could it hold one more drop? Maybe. At some point very soon though the drop will be added that actually causes the overflow. The tipping point drop.

You have a goal for a race. Wanna hit that goal time? Wanna place in your age group? Wanna beat that rival? So, you come up with a training plan. You execute it. You race...and, you nail it! You celebrate and head home very satisfied thinking that THAT day, you achieved your goal. Wrong. You actually achieved your goal at some point previous to the race. "What do you mean? That day I raced and met my goal." True, but you actually did the tipping point workout sometime (a couple of weeks, a month?) well before the race.

Here's the thing about The Tipping Point. You'll do some workout that you have planned and after recovering from it, you'll have gained sufficient strength, power and endurance to achieve your goal. But, you have no idea which workout that is. You have no idea what workout will allow you to nail that goal but, it is real. You did it.

What's the point (not the tipping point, just, the point)? Treat every workout as if it could be The Tipping Point workout. On my swims this week, I told myself, "This could be the TP workout! Work hard and make it count! This could be the swim, that gets me that extra few seconds, that allow me to reach that goal at Worlds in September." Same with my bike rides. "Is this the tipping point ride? Maybe so, go hard!" In the big races I've done well in, I've thought back and wondered at what point in my training plan reached and moved me beyond the tipping point?

Use this as motivation. If you're between 50-85% through your training plan for a race with a big goal, you're in the Tipping Point zone. Go for it! You just never know....

A Race I Should NOT Have Done...

Ever get into something only to wonder part way through it if you'd made a big mistake? I did when I did the Blair NE Bike Club's 100 mile bike race on Sept. 8th. My training this whole year was short, fast stuff as I prepared for USAT Sprint National Championship. In the last year I'd done one 60 mile ride and all other rides have been 15-40 miles. Thats not what you did to prepare for a 100 mile race.

I had a simple strategy I would use to see if I could win - ride as slowly as possible without losing contact with the lead group. That was not easy. Several times I had to push way harder that what would allow me to finish. The course covered two 43 mile loops and one out and back section of 20 miles, so the 100 miler was actually 106.

On the first loop the lead pack had 6 in it. I stayed back about 200yds. and hung on. At 38 miles I had thoughts of dropping out at the end of the loop. I was hurting already. We were rolling along between 21-23mph which was too fast for me for a race that long in the condition I was in. But, I headed out on the second loop.

The lead group went down to three early in this loop. I kept my distance behind them. I thought seriously about dropping at about 52 miles - hurting and realizing I had more than 50 more to race. Race specific training is super important and I'd not done that or anything close. But, I kept pressing on. I wanted to win this thing and I knew I'd have to make a move at some point to get the lead and break away.

My opportunity came at about 70 miles. There were a number of aid stations along the way and all three pulled over to fill up their water bottles so I rode by them and upped the speed knowing they'd be coming after me. My friend Dave was driving the route giving me my fluids which was totally legal so I didn't have to stop. I rode as fast as I dared knowing I had a lot of miles yet to go. I actually thought about dropping out at the end of the second loop even though I was leading because I was hurting so badly.

At the end of the second loop I had about 2 minutes on those chasing me. I headed from Blair towards Ft. Calhoun for the final section, riding with the wind which was blowing strong from the NW. I flew to the check point, turned around and hoped I didn't see the other guys coming at me...saw them and figured I had 3-4 minutes on them.

The last 10 miles were brutal. I'd hit the wall...bonked badly and was going straight into the wind. I could only hope the others felt as bad as I did. I limped back to Blair, looking back but not seeing them. I won. I went deep into the "pain cave" though. My knees were killing me and I had absolutely nothing left in the tank.

I gladly accepted the winners plaque and an envelope with a $100 bill in it. Nice! Ate a huge sandwich and headed for home. I was tired for the next 3 days, feeling drained. I won't do another long race like that unless I'm prepared. Famous last words...

The Race Of My Life - 2012 USAT Sprint National Championships

Weeks/Days Leading Up To The Race – I’d had a great season leading up to Nationals. Couple of overall wins, age group wins in every race, two sub-20 minute 5K’s off the bike…only thing I had to deal with was a nagging sciatic problem that effected my hamstring and glute with pain. It caused me to miss some run training that I knew would not allow me to be at the top of my game for Nationals.

Then, a week before Nationals, on an 8 mile run (my longest distance of my whole season) I strained a muscle in my upper calf. I couldn’t believe it. I was pretty down that I’d probably blown my chance for a good finish at Nationals. I knew right then I’d not run again until eight days later when I got off my bike in the race. Would it be better in one week? I tried to treat it aggressively and I had Dr. Faye Jones at Blair Chiropractic Center give me Active Release Technique treatments on it. Biking and swimming didn’t bother it at all.

So, though I’d had a good season, I knew that I probably needed more running miles under my belt to do well at the big dance. I hadn’t done the long distance bike rides like I’d done last year. 40 milers were “long” this season with one 60 miler recorded. On the drive up to Burlington from Manchester, NH where we’d flown into, I felt my chest tightening up with a chest cold coming on. Really? This was very bad news and I had pretty much given up hope of a high finishing place.

We arrived in Burlington, VT on Thursday after our flights were messed up and spending the night unexpectantly in Chicago…but United Airlines paid for a room at the Hilton and two meals. Nice. The weather in Burlington was beautiful and the forecast was good. Race was on Sunday. When we got to town I registered, picked up my packet and we drove the course. We tried to lay low on Friday and Saturday. I went for a swim in the lake on Friday with some friends from Omaha and I rode my bike for 30 minutes before checking it in.

Race Morning – It was a beautiful morning. 50 degrees and an off shore breeze made the water nice and calm. I warmed up, stretched, got everything set up in transition and with Jen, headed to the swim start. I felt relaxed and at peace. I’d prayed a lot about my race and asked the Lord for a “clean” race, meaning no mechanical problems or flats on the bike and no leg issues on the run that would cause me to have to slow down or drop out. I didn’t ask for anything I’d not worked for. I’d thought about this day, every workout I’d done for the last year. I was here last year, injured and hobbled to 13th in my age group. This year, I wanted to do much better.

Goals…well, top ten at Nationals would be nice. Top five, much better. A top three podium spot would be, absolutely amazing, and winning? THAT was a dream that was way, way out there. It was a goal I really didn’t think was in the realm of reality. I was going up against guys currently USAT ranked # 1, 3, 12 and 13 in the nation in my age group. I was ranked 19th. On paper, I was a long shot to even get on the podium. But, I still had peace and knew this was in God’s hands. I’d done all I could to prepare and I knew I had friends back home praying for a clean race for me. My chest cold had not really developed and though it still felt tight, I was happy to breathe fairly normally.

750 Meter Swim – 12:40 – Just before the start of the race, treading water waiting for the starting horn to sound, I smiled and thanked God for letting me be in this race. Again, peace… I spied the course which had two right hand turns around the first two buoys, the second one taking us right into the rising sun and basically blinding us all. We needed to make about a 120 degree turn around that buoy to head for the third one, then the fourth, then the finish.

Horn sounded! “Stay calm and don’t go crazy, Lincoln,” I told myself. First buoy, not too crowded. I was off to a good start though I could see the faster swimmers already opening up a gap. Around the second buoy and, I couldn’t see anything because of the sun and splashing. Here, I made a bad mistake by turning closer to 180 degrees instead of 120 and, without knowing it, I was heading straight back the way I’d come. My brain thought I was on course but I wasn’t. I swam straight into another swimmer coming straight at me. “What is he doing???” I swerved to the left, looked left to see the “train” of swimmers going away from me to my left. I realized then what I’d done, so I swam back towards the line of swimmers going the correct direction, realizing I’d just lost precious time and maybe shot a hole in my race just a few minutes into it.

Once back on track I swam strong to the finish. Jen, watching from the shore, became very worried when she counted about 14 swimmers in my heat coming out of the water ahead of me. Before the race, I’d decided I wasn’t going to wear a watch and I took the computer/speedometer off my bike because I wanted to just go all out and race by my heart and not numbers. So, I had no idea how much time I’d lost because I didn’t know my swim time. I wanted to swim under 12 minutes which I’d done in other races this year for that distance. Little did I know that I was almost two minutes behind the leader(s).

Transition 1 – 1:32 – Out of the water and sprinting for the transition area, I didn’t see or hear Jen so I didn’t know where I stood place wise. I had a good transition, with my great Xterra wetsuit coming off quickly. Helmet and Zeal sunglasses on, I went running as fast as I could towards the bike mount area. I did see one of my biggest rivals getting his helmet on when I ran by so I thought I was doing better off than I actually was. Good transition though.

12.4 Mile Bike – 30:43 The route headed south through town about 1.5 miles, then a u-turn and back through town, then out of town to the north about four-five miles, turn around and come back. There was a huge long hill at about the 2.5 mile point. I put my head down and quoted Rocky Balboa when he shoved Clubber Lang at the end of a round saying, “You ain’t so bad. You ain’t so bad!” And, it really wasn’t.

One other funny thing was that I saw my shadow early in the bike and noticed something was sticking up out of my helmet. What? I then realized the straw from my aero bottle on my aerobars had pulled out when I lifted my helmet off my bike handlebars where I put it before the race. The straw sticks straight up and I used it as an anchor for my helmet by having it stick up through a center air hole in the top of my helmet. I put my helmet there upside down. When I pulled my helmet off the aerobars to put it on, I’d pulled the straw out of the bottle and it was sticking up out of my helmet. Wow. Never had done that before. I pulled it out of the helmet and stuck it back in the bottle.

My Valdora bike felt light and fast and I really started picking up the speed. I’d hoped for a ride between 31 and 32 minutes. I flew back into the transition area for the bike to run switch, not knowing I’d just nailed the fastest bike split of everyone in my age group. I’d averaged 24.3mph, which, on that course, I never would have guessed I could have done.

Transition 2 – 1:09 - I jumped off my bike and ran hard with it to my transition spot. Racked my bike, helmet off, Hoka One One shoes on, grab my hat and race belt/number and took off. I had to run all the way around the transition area to head out on the run course. As I was running I heard them call the name of the next guy coming in and it was a fabulous triathlete / duathlete (run, bike, run). This guy is a five time triathlon National Champion and two time duathlon National Champion, a silver medalist at the World Duathlon Championships and a 9 hour 55 minute Ironman. Great!

3.1 mile / 5K Run – 19:20 – As I exited the transition area I saw and heard my wife, Jen, yell that she thought I was in second place. Seriously??? You mean I passed 13 or so guys during the bike? Unbelievable! I started to get excited, then really nervous. The run starts with a very nasty, steep hill that last a few hundred yards. I prayed hard that my calves wouldn’t cramp up as I jogged up that beast. I’d practiced this dozens of times in training – every time I ran up a hill, I pretended it was this one. Shortened my stride, leaned forward at the waist, pumped with my arms and slowly crested the top of the hill.

I tried to open up ASAP as I didn’t have much time to ease into this run. I saw a guy probably 300 yds. ahead of me running really fast. I knew he had to be in my age group and if Jen was correct, that I was in second place, then he was in first. Ahead of me was this guy running fast and behind me was the multiple national champion chasing me. Wow! I later found out that the runner ahead of me was the # 1 ranked triathlete in the nation in my age group. I felt like a sandwich and I was the baloney in the middle.

I ran as hard as I could and went through the first mile mark guessing I’d run about 7:15 for that mile. The hill and just getting to the run made for a fairly slow mile. Now it was time to open it up. I ran hard and noticed that I was slowly reeling in the first place guy but not quickly at all. By the two mile mark, the athlete behind me hadn’t caught me (though I didn’t know how far back he was) and I had closed the gap on the leader to about 100 yds.

At about the 2 ¼ mile mark I was really hurting badly. This was the moment of decision…do I settle for a probable podium spot whether second or third, or, do I try to find one more gear and catch the leader for the national title? My body was screaming to settle for current position. My head was telling me that if I didn’t give 110% and give my everything to catch him, I’d regret it forever. It was at that point that the possibility of becoming the National Champion spurred me forward to go for it. I thought of all my family and friends that were praying for me, not that I’d get something I didn’t earn, but that I’d give my all. I thought of Jen waiting for me at the finish line, looking for me and believing in me.

So, somehow, I found one more gear and began to close the final gap to the leader. With about 300 yards to go I caught him. Now…do I try to run by him, stay right behind him and try to out-sprint him at the finish line or run beside him to see what he’d do? Jen told me the day before if this scenario came up to keep right on going by whoever I had come up on. So, I tried to run by him looking strong and powerful even though I wanted to stop and puke. I had one singular focus these last 300 yard – the finish line. If he comes back on me or if the guy behind me catches me in the last 300, so be it. I was giving my all and started sprinting with all I had.

Now, understand, watching an old man sprint is not a pretty sight. I felt on the very edge of losing control, tripping or passing out, but on I ran. 150 yds, 100 yds, 50 yards, now on the red carpet that led to the finish line and I sprinted with all I had crossing the line without either guy behind me catching me. I fell in the grass and couldn’t move. I’d run the fastest 5K in years, averaging 6:15 miles. But, if you take out that slow first mile, my last two were right at six minute miles, the last one maybe sub-six minutes.

After lying there for a minute and then sitting up for another minute, I got up knowing that I had nothing left. I’d given everything I had and then some. I shuffled out of the finish area and saw Jen, who hugged me and told me I’d won. I was not readily convinced. Twice this season, initial results had not been what I thought and I ended up disappointed. We walked over to the computer tent where they print off your results and hand them to you on a little piece of paper. Jen took the paper, looked at it and told me it said I was # 1 in my group – National Champion! She wept for joy for me but, I still did not emotionally embrace it. What if a mistake had been made? What if I got a penalty while on the bike?

It would take an hour for the penalties to be posted. So, the wait began. I chatted with other athletes and friends for a while and then we got my bike and gear and walked to the car putting that stuff in it and then walked back to the race area. The penalties were all listed and there was a page and a half of race numbers listed. Each triathlete that got tagged for drafting or some other penalty had two minutes added to their time. Jen and I went through the list three times and, my number did NOT appear! Final results – I was the National Champion. This was beyond belief. Seriously, this was the best athletic day of my life.

Post Race - We went back to the room and I got cleaned up. We then drove to the Burlington Sheraton for the awards ceremony held in their big ballroom. It seemed full with several hundred people attending. On the stage there was a huge podium with third, second and the highest level in the middle, first. I still couldn’t wrap my brain around the fact that I’d be standing on that block. I still wondered if some mistake had been made. No mistake. They got to my age group and they called up Curt Eggers, multiple-time national champ, then Thomas McGee, the # 1 ranked triathlete in the nation in my age group, then me. Gold medal around my neck…up on top of the podium and I looked out at the crowd. It was surreal.

Curt and Thomas were very gracious and both offered sincere and gracious congratulations to me.

Off the podium we went and for me, a stop at a table reserved for the National Champions in each age group. There I got to pick up a National Champion racing top. So cool! Then, out to the hallway to sign up for the slot on Team USA for 2013 World Championships in London.

Final Thoughts – Coming back from 1:40 down after the swim for the win against such a competitive field tells me that God answered my prayers and those praying for me. I had a clean race, my bike worked great and so did my running legs. That’s all I wanted. I dug deeper than any other race in my life and went deep into the pain well. It was so worth it. I’ve been blessed to receive congratulatory calls, texts, emails and Facebook messages from friends all over the place – as far away as South Africa and Italy. Jen was awesome for me the whole week leading up to the race and on race day. My folks were super interested in the race, prayed for me and were thrilled when I called them to tell them the results. I also want to thank several fantastic companies who have helped me so much: Hammer Nutrition, Zeal Optics, Little Red Barn Beef, Valdora, Skin Strong, Barracuda, Zensah, Xterra Wetsuits, Dr. Faye Jones, Lion Gear and Hoka One One running shoes.

Several years ago, I told Jen that I’d set some tri goals for my life. Here they were: When I’m 65 (and new to the 65-59 age group), be on the podium at Nationals (top 3). When I age up to the 70-74 age group, win the National Championship. When I spring into the 75-79 age group, be on the podium at the ITU World Championship, and, when I turn 80, win Worlds. I figured if I could just stay alive, I’d out-live my competition and eventually become the World Champion. I’m blessed to say, I’m a bit ahead of schedule and I thank God for that.
Joshua 1:9, "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not fear or be dismayed for the Lord your God is with you."
1 Samuel 2:30, "Those who honor Me, I will honor."