"Get the lead out."

02/28 - 8 Tuff Miles; St. John, US Virgin Islands = (01:10:19) 7th place age group, 56th overall of 781. Did this on my honeymoon, starts at sea level and runs west to east, winding up the mountain to its summit, peaking at 999 feet and back down to sea level. Definitely tough, especially for a guy from the mid-west who has never run a hill in his life.

http://www.tradewinds.vi/archives/TW_03.09.09_Edition.pdf

03/29 - Shamrock Shuffle 8K; Chicago = (00:35:04) 104th place age group, 595 overall of 13294. The conditions were tough, 33 degrees, heavy snows, and 6 inches worth of snow and slush...the entire body was soaked to the bone before I even crossed the starting line.

04/25 - Race to Wrigley 5K; Chicago = (00:21:01), 19th place age group, 91st overall of 3123. Threw up in the concourse at this run. Nothing like racing three miles and ending a run with the smell of urinals...terrible race, horrible swag, total-lack of good runner....never again.

04/26 - Ravenswood 5K; Chicago = (00:20:53), 41st place age group, 222 overall of 2795. Always a refreshing race. The weather was cool and I could actually feel spring open up to me with every step I took toward the finish line. What a great race. I've done it four times now and it gets better every year...an excellent race.

05/23 - Soldier Field 10 Miler; Chicago = (01:11:28) / (7:09 pace) 71st place age group, 379th overall of 7365. Perfect weather, extremely well organized, running south on Lake Shore Drive was fast and very comfortable. At 5 miles we turned around and ran along side the lake on the bike path. The wind coming off of the lake was strong enough to kill my pace but I met my minimum goal...not happy but a great race.

06/07 - 13.1 Chicago = (01:36:33) / (7:22 pace) 25th place age group, 118th overall of 3003. Perfect weather, cloud and cool, very well organized wave start, running North along the lake was fast and very comfortable. I'm creeping ever closer to find the right amount of nutrition for my races...it's always more than I think.

06/14 - Batavia Sprint Tri - Did not race...Metra wouldn't let me on the train because of the Blues Festival. Ever tried to rent a car at 8PM on Saturday? I did have several people call and offer to drive me but all of them lived an hour outside the city and I couldn't ask anyone to put themselves out like that. Onward to July

07/19 - Harbor Lights Sprint Tri - Finally I can say it, I'm a Triathlete, feels good. It was a balmy 59 degrees this morning on land and in the water. The race was well organized and with a good showing. I have to say that my first experienced left me impressed with the logistics. The race started and the first thing to go was the feeling in my feet, quickly followed by my breathe. I had to force myself to breathe but quickly adapted and was on my way. Unfortunately, on my way meant way off course, (Lesson 1: Sighting = important). I pulled my head up to find a guard on a jet ski. He smiled and asked, "Where you goin buddy?" I turned my head to find the race buoys off in the distance and the rest of my wave quickly fading off in the right direction. I head straight for the race line, got back in it and quickly strayed right back off the course. The race was supposed to be a 800 meter swim that is actually closer to 500 meters, but I did my best to true it up, this time a female guide getting my attention and telling me that "it's going to be hard to finish the race swimming away from it." I got the message this time and somehow managed only to lose what I estimate to be 2-3 minutes. Coming out of the water was probably the least enjoyable part of the swim, trying to run and feeling like I had lead weights strapped to my feet. I was comfortable in the water, loving every second of this. Transition sent me barefoot running on pavement to my bike. My feet are sensitive man, I did not enjoy that. Arriving at my bike, i found my transition neighbor made himself at home and was standing on my towel and in front of all my stuff. A make your buddy smile moment took care of that and I was on the road, the first half mile of which was tore up pretty well but the expressway was smooth and fast. I quickly realized that I was dehydrated and put down almost my entire water bottle over the course. The lack of water was giving me some issues with my calf muscles locking up and it took some work not to let them pull but I came out of the bike okay and my feet hit the pavement clicking and feeling a bit like old jell-o. Off the bike I was kicking myself for having never done a bike to run brick....ever, and I paid for it, my legs stiff and cadence choppy and uncomfortable until the end of mile two. I never really got to open it up on the run, but crossed the finish line in 1:27:44 and grinning from ear to ear....hooked doesn't express it, I want to sign up for every race possible. It was great seeing Element represented on the course, Jeff Linkus and Jack Christensen rocking the race, providing quite a bit of motivation and extra excitement. I had a great experience and couldn't be happier than I am today.

07/23 - Terrapin 5K A very fast race, people all around were setting PR. Ran with Jeff Linkus, he set a 2 minute PR, and I felt great, legs ready for Sunday's Tri. The after party at this race was by far the best i've ever attended. Mr. Blotto sounds great, the Magic Hat beer was excellent as always, and the pizzas were actually full size Home Run Inn personal pans.

07/26 - Wauconda Sprint Tri = (01:26:12), 6th place age group, 48th overall of 288 The coordination of the race was good, transition clearly laid out and well organized, we bussed over to the swim start and groups were split into 3 minute waves of about 40 people. Bangs Lake is pretty shallow and water temp was warm at 71 degrees. I now understand why wetsuits aren't permitted once the temperature gets higher. Being shallow, every stroke resulted in a hand full of lake weed (is it still called seaweed?). The swim was nice and my legs felt great coming out of the water. I bolted to transition and was the only one running. Changed out, on the bike and hit the course...hill after hill after hill. I spent a lot of time out of the saddle but felt good pushing myself, convinced I rode harder on this tri than on the mostly flat Harbor Lights course (my speed was the exact same). The run was okay and like last time my legs didn't loosen up until after two miles. I must have run a 6 minute third mile, found my kick for the finish line and sprinted past one more person in my waves to take 6th in my age group. I promptly vomited and left my entire previous evening on the ground. I guess that's what I get for staying out drinking and eating crap all night before the race and then sleeping in the car from 11p-3a....I'm happy with the result though, on to the next one.

08/02 - Rock N' Roll Chicago 1/2 Marathon = (01:34:40 PR) / (7:14 pace) 78th place age group, 475th overall of 14438. Another perfect day, cool, sun shining down, no wind whatsoever, well organized and the bands were half way okay. All in all, I PR'd, had a good time, and my only complaint is that the race started at 0630 which got me to Fado too early to order a beer...oh, that and I forgot to put compression on after, so I'm sore as hell right now. It was awesome seeing Kara at the turn around and finding out the she passed the guy in front of her to come in first overall by more than 20 seconds!

08/15 - Railsplitter Intermediate Tri, Petersburg, IL = This is my next race, a 1 mile swim, 36 mile bike, and 7 mile run, a perfect extension of an olympic that should equal the intensity of Chicago. = I FAILED MISERABLY AT THIS RACE...WILL DEFINITELY DO IT NEXT YEAR THOUGH, GREAT TIME.

08/30 - Chicago Olympic Tri

An e-mail to friends discussing the Chicago Tri…

Congratulations to everyone; you were all a source tapped for motivation, not just in this race but throughout the year. Believe me, by the beginning of May I had my doubts that I would actually learn to swim. Though I don't move in the water much faster than a current does in a shallow creek, I have found a new joy in my life and look forward to the longer distances. I have even managed to find pleasure in the turbulance and stupor-like zig zag swimming of fellow beginners as we clawed and kicked our way to the exit – and what a pain of an exit, you could add one more stair?.

With that, here is the recap of my weekend, truly one of the greatest weekends of my life.

My weekend began Friday with an early departure from work - never a bad start - to go to O'Hare so that I could meet Michael Raelert, the German pro I had the honor of hosting for the race.

The 28 years old German pro was the absolute definition of what I had hoped he would be, and in two days I learned so much more about the sports than I could have imagined. I got to see first hand how a true pro prepares. Michael, fresh off of a second place win at Ironman Germany, at which he set both course records on the swim and in the run, is an admittedly weak biker. He is humble, generous, and I hope to have made a long time friend of someone I now both admire and respect.

On Saturday morning he asked if I would mind leading him on a run and bike so that he can loosen up after such long travels from Hamburg.

I thought briefly about what a bad idea it would be to train with a pro the day before the race and immediately replied with an almost giddy "Hell yes, are you kidding me?"

I wasn't going to regret this decision one bit but I could kiss my race goals for Chicago goodbye.

A short 30-45 minute run became a 60 minute guided running tour of the lakefront. We both talked and I ignored the lactate forming in my legs, enjoying every moment.

When the conversation about Oprah, doner kebab, the history of Germans in Chicago, gangsters, training, a little inside pro dirt ceased (Did you know the Chrissy Wellington smiles during her entire race, not out of joy but so that her competition will never know if she is in pain?), we had run 4.5 miles from my house to Ohio St beach. He looked at his watch and in his deep German accent and broken English said, "Oops, we go a little long, ya?"

By mile seven, he was still asking questions and pointed out everything he thought was “so cool”, and he hadn't even managed to break a sweat. I on the other hand was trying not to vomit from slight dehydration and was struggling to hide my exhaustion in my responses to his questions.

Who is za bazeball team zat plays in za stah-dium?

The.... (breath)...Chicago c...ub...sss (pant)

Ah, how much do does highest paid player get paid?

I think... (barely audible and negligibly articulated) 12 ...mill...ion...a...year.

No shit (as a statement, not a question), ya?

Ya... (wheeze)

We were finally back and he says smiling...I hope not too far?

No, I'm good.... (knee pain, check - stitch in side, check) I feel great, thanks.

Good, we bike now?

Ya ($%&^&^*)

12 miles later I was done, as in smoked, and he was wishing he had time to get in a couple thousand meters in the lake.

On our way home from the expo he got a flat and we both panicked. He was riding tubulers and had no spares. I called my club and they had sold everything that day, the store was empty.

The part owner, Noel, said to get to the shop ASAP, he had one prepped at home that he would sell him. We got to the store 20 minutes after close and Noel had to ride home to get the tube for us, a half hour trip.

We changed the tire, expressed extreme gratitude (Thanks again Noel, you saved the day) and went home to eat pasta and chicken. I offered him a beer, no takers. I tried to talk him into going clubbing, no dice. He slept, and at 0330 my alarm clock shattered my peace. My legs ached a little but I felt good, excited.

Transition was a disaster with the unnecessary maze of waves and the hills. We stood chilling in the cool august morning, just wanting to start, and I’m pretty sure that every one of us managed to catch a cold since.

In the water I expected more time to adapt but less than ten seconds in and the horn sounded. I didn't move, still trying to catch my breath and then I was off. The next wave quickly caught me and let me know of their arrival by clawing, kicking, and climbing over me. I loved every second of it, though I had to stop several times to adjust and remove the water from my goggles, something I concluded was happening because I had chosen to wear my cap over the goggles, something I had never done in training.

I had to be careful with my legs, so tight from the day before that I couldn't bend them without nearly pulling a muscle, which made the exit absolute hell. I walk a bit once out of the water and stopped to stretch moment before finishing the remainder of the half marathon to T1. I was quick in and out despite nearly pulling a hammy several times trying to get my suit off.

On the bike I felt great until the wind hit me. I have zero cutting power and half way to the first turn around at Foster had a cramp so bad I couldn't bare the pain of being hunched in aero. This may be coincidence but I know of three people who rode using Infinite Nutrition for the race, who all experienced cramping similar to mine. I rode sitting straight up the rest of the course and likely looked a lot like Mary Poppins doing a time trial. My only saving grace was the mountain bikes, everyone else passed me. Even heading south, the pain was debilitating and I couldn't push my pace.

Things only got worse as I approached T2 and I had to walk it in. Not thinking straight I went to the women wave, looking for my stuff among the girls racks. Seeing a pink bike I quickly realized I was at wave 50, my friends and not mine, 25. I walked with my bike, slowly now, searching the gauntlet until I found my gear, changed, stopped at the port-o-let and my cramp suddenly gone left transition deciding to take it slow on the run, to just enjoy my surroundings and relax.

Things got fun from here and I saw amazing sights, kids running with parents, husbands and wives cheering each other on and kissing, brave amputees, and other sources of inspiration. I saw more friends and club-mates than I have ever before and I was overcome with a sense of true happiness.

I looked for everyone I have met in this email if only just to cheer you on.

At the finish I felt great, finally loose and full of energy. I quickly rushed back to the swim start to hang with friends and wait for others in the later waves to pass. After several passed, I headed back to transition - why so far away - and put on dry clothes, getting there just in time to see the pros exit T2 and bolt off on the run at the most amazing clip.

I hurried back to the finish in time to see Reed finished first, well ahead of 2nd place. My weekend room-dog came in 8th and I knew he would be bummed after expecting to make the podium. I headed to the VIP tent and stood only feet from Reed as he gave his interviews, eavesdropping of course. I saw Michael, standing on the wall quiet and clearly disappointed. I waited knowing that I too would need the time to get it out of my system. Shortly after, he saw me, smiled, waved, and said he would like to go if I didn't mind. I grabbed another free cookie, drink, and the five of us, Michael, a few other pros, and I all walked back to transition. They talked about seeing Potts go down, and how freakishly fast Reed is, discussed points, upcoming races, and made some plans to train during the off season.

We rode home, relaxed a while, walked around Wrigleyville, and he tried to put the day behind him, the frustration creeping in on occasion to bite him. He had had a poor run and part of me felt guilty for not keeping a closer track of time the day before. This trip caused a minimum $700 loss for him, making winning is essential to continuing on with his career. Losing takes it's toll and he expressed concern about whether or not he should make the trip to Malibu for the next race in the Toyota/LTF Series, in which he is currently holding 7th place. In the end, it was a hard weekend, but one I will never forget and will always treasure - my best to you all. Here's to a strong 2010 season.


09/13 - Chicago 1/2 Marathon 1:36+, not a good race for me, recap to come later.
09/20 - Chicago Ready to Run 20 Miler I will never do this again...

09/27 - Lake Carroll Triathlon (Olympic) RESULTS NOT YET RELEASED

Jack , his wife Marie, and I left for Freeport Saturday evening and crashed in the Hampton Inn Freeport, a decent little dig for a good rate. The race was still another 25 mile drive but there is nothing but corn fields and farms between. Wake up at 0345, on the road by 0415 and we drove the 25 miles in a dense fog. We immediately knew it was going to be an interesting race as the roads became steeper and winding. There was no choice but to drive slower when at time all we could see ahead of us was pavement and fog, The roads seemed to be perpendicular to the ground at this point and visibility cut to 10 feet. We arrived a few minutes past five to a man in the middle of the street waving a flashlight to direct traffic. The signs that this was the inaugural race and that the organizers didn't do all of their homework became clear when the large group of volunteers in yellow staff shirts asked us questions about what they should do. Packets pickup and registration opened a half hour later, and the fog seemed about as thick in the staff’s heads as it was in the air

Suddenly volunteers began shuffling in hurriedly setting down bins of race packets and shirts. I walked up to packet pickup and was asked my age. I replied with a questions, race age or actual? The girl looked at me with a glare that was equal parts I don’t know and it’s too early to F with me A-hole. I thought it was a valid question and she found my name on the list. Next came body marking and the lady asked me what to do, The numbers she wrote on my left were so big they started at the should and ended just above my wrist. She got the next one right. I asked if they were doing the calve as well, but she replied with a question of her own. “Do you want me to? Should I?”

The consensus was that it didn’t matter, and I agreed but mostly so I didn’t have more ink to scrub off, and because I didn’t expect a wave start with only three colored caps…Red for first time racers and admittedly weak swimmers, Yellow for the sprint, and orange for the Olympic distance race.

I got to transition to set up and found the list of names and an extra race number in my race packet. I returned both and smiled at getting to experience the growing pains of a small town putting on their first race.

There were about 200 racers total between the Olympic and the Sprint but the results, a day later have yet to be posted, so I’m not sure how I did beyond knowing that I finished 5th in my age, group, 38th overall, and with a time of 3:18.

As the sky lighted up and the fog began to thin, things slowly started to come together. Transition was set up and the speaker system had shown up. With the speaker system came the timing chips as well. The MC played the Beatles greatest hits, so I strapped on my iPod and listened to my special mix of 90 tempo songs. I just couldn’t get pumped up over “Hey Jude”.

The fog over the lake wasn’t lifting and it was getting close to time for the race to start when they announced that we would wait for the fog to list but that there would be ten minutes notice given. Finally, the sun broke and the sky opened, the fog evaporated immediately, and we suited up to get wet. The air temp was mid 50’s and the water temp was mid-60’s, so everything felt nice. The water was a glass sheet and green with algae but nice enough.

Delays continued when the decision was made to move the start from the boat ramp to the beach, a confirmed concern from a previous race where the algae slime made conditions very dangerous. We moved to the beach which meant that the buoys had to be moved as well, making the triangle smaller requiring a second loops to complete the 1500 meters.

Announcements, briefing, no anthem played, and thanks to the community for volunteering, participating, spectating, and most importantly for opening their private lake and roads to us, were made. There was a large and loud cheer from the crowd that hit my back and made me emotional with surprise at the exuberance and energy I felt from the crowd, and then they crowed counted down from 5 to start the race.

I’m a slow swimmer but am getting faster, and this went pretty well, though I still need to improve my sighting to keep from veering off course so widely. That said, I exited the water, jumped into my flip flops and made the 1/8 mile jog to transition, passing those walking gingerly across the gravel gaps between panels laid out for us to run on. They didn’t have enough to start with and were even shorter after moving the swim start.

I reached transition, dropped the wetsuit, made a pit stop, and legs feeling good, jumped on the bike and exited transition. The ride starts with a steep climb and my heart rate leapt into my throat, pounding at the side of my neck. The first thing I saw coming up the hill were bikers wavering to keep balance at not having their gears low enough to tackle the hill, and one person already laying in the ditch.

I hit the top, slowed for a second to lower my heart rate, hitting reset on my system and taking in some Infinit and water. Off I went and I went hard, deciding to worry about the run when I got to it, knowing I could will my legs to complete a 10k with what I had left. There is noted five major climbs on this course and when I got to the first I reached my first batch of slower bikers who had swum faster than I had. On the hills were several people struggling and several more walking their bikes. I refused to walk my bike, dropped gears again and pushed my way past them all, managing my heart rate better this time and not yet feeling any of it in my legs.

Knowing that what goes up must go down, I couldn’t wait to fly, and I did, kicking it into my hardest gear, tucking in to stay aero and descending so fast that I couldn’t peddle to move any faster. I only wish I had a way to measure my speed but I’ve been racing on feel so that I can’t let outside forces affect me, and I know that on a few of the steeper descents that I hit at least 40mph, what an unbelievable feeling.

I continued to push, riding as hard as possible, paying no attention to time. I liked that this course had every mile plotted for us. By transition, I had made up most of my time and getting off the bike, felt solid still, my legs not heavy at all. I jogged to transition, ran into Jack Christensen, fellow Element Triathlete, and he was on his way out to the run while I was coming in from the bike.

Time for the dreaded run. Upon arrival we found out that the course for the run was Xterra using four wheeler trails. The start of the run was a steep descent down a stony, ankle breaking hills that led off into the woods.

Everyone was complaining that the website said nothing about the course being off-road, and I was being extra cautious not to push as hard as I normally would on the run, so as not to risk injury two weeks before the Chicago marathon. At first I thought the course was going to be relatively flat; and then I entered the woods to be greets with large ankle deep puddles, large unavoidable patches of mud, steep climbs with slick and sticky clay, or with loose gravel and large stones. The course continued, the first water station at mile 2, and up to this point, I was doing a lot of walking to avoid getting hurt, but had still managed to slip and fall twice. Both falls opened up little cuts on my hands, and the second fall opened up my right knee, but nothing so bad that I had to stop running.

At the turn around, I was getting my legs back from the bike still and the last mile being flatter, was recovering some energy. I picked up the pace a bit and turned my focus to the only person who had passed me since getting out of the water. At mile 4 I passed him up, something that wasn’t easy to do as my flats pace was faster but I was still exercising caution and walking up the more dangerous hills. By mile 5 I had passed another runner who had a very bonkish look to him. I took energy from him pain and refused to walk again, steadying my pace so as to finish strong knowing I would have to ascend the large hill at the start.

At half way through the 5th mile I saw another runner who looked pretty strong a few hundred meters ahead of me and I let go of trying to catch him, sticking with my game plan to finish strong at my own pace. But I was catching up to him and when he hit the final hill, he was spent, hardly getting one legs in front of the other, and I pounced, knowing that I had him beat unless he found something in the crowd. Instead, I had found the energy and opened up my pace to hit the final climb, not quite sprinting but moving fast enough to blow by him and crossed the finish line strong but ready to vomit. I grabbed a water took a knee and took a few deep breathes. It was done and despite not giving it 100% on the run, I was proud at having achieved my goal for the day, redemption from a poor outing at Chicago. I know one thing about myself now. I am going to be a strong biker and I love hills, but I hate off-road.

10/11 - Chicago Marathon
It was freezing cold yesterday… I thought it would be a beneficial to my overall race. I was flying after 10K and my estimated finish time was 3:01 hours, and was pushing my pace a) to get warm and b) to move up from the back so that I could run with the 3:10 pace group. I caught them after 3 miles and settled in. I was feeling great and not working at all, surprised at how slow the pace actually felt. After 10 miles, I had never felt smoother or more comfortable and actually started to believe that Boston was going to happen. I was having the perfect race. We hit the half way point and I had knocked two minutes off of my best half marathon time. I was still feeling good. At mile 14 is when I started to break down. I was comfortable, not working at all, joints not aching and was able to control everything but I began to notice that my legs muscles wouldn’t get warm.

Half way to mile fifteen my right hamstring started to lock up and I watched as the pace group slowly slipped away. I stopped and stretched for a quick minute and tried to catch the group but my left hamstring joined in and seized on me as well. At this point I had to kiss Boston goodbye and resolved to running a 3:20. Unfortunately, slowing down caused my muscles to cool even more and the tightness spread to my right calf. I started compensating, trying not to compromise my form. The wheels were coming off and though I still felt great, completely comfortable, there was nothing I could do; my muscles just wouldn’t let me.

At this point I had to stop and stretch every few minutes. I concentrated with each foot strike on trying to keep the muscle from actually pulling and had several close calls. I had dropped from a 7 minute mile to a 9 and the frustration at feeling so good was setting in. My entire body was twitching and the muscles curling up. By mile 23 I was trying to keep my bicep and left pectoral from pulling, always right on the edge. I was happy to know that my training had worked but pretty upset that I wasn’t going to achieve my goal. Each pace group passed me, first the 3:20 and finally the 3:40.

I crossed the finish line running with one legs straight and hobbling with the other. I stopped, took inventory of myself and felt that despite the pain in my muscles, I hadn’t done anything. I still had all my energy and knew then that I could have achieved it had nothing gone wrong. That was going to have to be good enough. In the end, I knocked 1 hour and 19 minutes off of my time from last year and finished in 3:41. It won’t get me to Boston but it did convince me that I will try again and next time, I’ll get it and it won’t even be close.




Lyrics to Favorite Running Songs:

Wolf Like Me - TV on the Radio

Send "Wolf Like Me" Ringtone to your Cell

Say say my playmate
wont you lay hands on me
mirror my lady
transfer my tragedy

Got a curse i cannot lift
shines when the sunset shifts
when the moon is round and full
gotta bust that box gotta gut that fish

My mind's aflame

We could jet in a stolen car
but i bet we wouldnt get too far
before the transformation takes
and bloodlust tanks and
crave gets slaked

My mind has changed
my bodys frame but god i like it
my hearts aflame
my bodys strained but god i like it

My mind has changed
my bodys frame but god i like it
my hearts aflame
my bodys strained but god i like it

Charge me your day rate
ill turn you out in kind
when the moon is round and full
gonna teach you tricks that'll blow your mind
mongrel mind
baby doll i recognize
you're a hideous thing inside
if ever there were a lucky kind it's
you you you you

I know its strange another way to get to know you
you'll never know unless we go so let me show you
i know its strange another way to get to know you
we've got till noon here comes the moon
so let it show you
show you now

Dream me oh dreamer
down to the floor
open my hands and let them
weave onto yours

Feel me, completer
down to my core
open my heart and let it
bleed onto yours

Feeding on fever
down all fours
show you what all that
howl is for

Hey hey my playmate
let me lay waste to thee
burned down their hanging trees
it's hot here hot here hot here hot here

Got a curse we cannot lift
shines when the sunshine shifts
there's a curse comes with a kiss
the bite that binds the gift that gives

now that we got gone for good
writhing under your riding hood
tell your gra'ma and your mama too
it's true
we're howling forever

My 2009: A Year of Endurance

I have few obsessions in life; my work with Global Capacity as the Wholesale NOC Director, writing and recording music, and running. I’m writing this to share what turned out to be the most exciting, exhilarating, and fun year of my life. This is a little long but please read on as there is a purpose to it, a dedication to a friend lost to Leukemia, and a special request for your help so that together we can work toward saving lives.

I completed the Chicago marathon, my first, in 2008. I crossed the finish line and asked myself, “Now what?” Besides knowing I needed to train harder to get stronger and faster if I was ever to qualify for Boston, I also felt the urge to experience something more.

Several weeks later I discovered the Universal Sports channel on Comcast and witnessed a replay of the 2007 Ironman World Championships held every year in Kona. Awestruck and humbled by the challenge that an Ironman presents, I had my answer and started to investigate my new and immediate obsession. Fellow NOC engineer, Jay Kulow, supported my new ambition and put me in touch with several of his Triathlete friends.

Before I continue, I did not do an Ironman this year and I will tell you why. Besides the fact that an Ironman is a 2.4 Mile swim, followed by a 112 mile bike, followed by a 26.2 mile run, and that you get 17 hours to complete it when I had never done any sport for more than 5 hours; it’s more important to note that when I made the decision to take on Triathlon, I couldn’t swim. In fact, in all the days of the 32 years that I had spent on earth to this point, I had never more than splashed around in hotel swimming pools, doggy paddling desperately to reach the wall after performing an unimpressive cannon ball.

And yet, determination is a heck of a thing. In my opinion, my biggest failure in 2008 was not training hard or smart enough. My remedy for the 2009 season was to sign up for so many races that even if I hadn’t trained during the week, I would still be competing on weekends and therefore getting stronger. This removed the hard enough concern but did nothing for smart enough. The second solution was to join the local tri-club, Element Multisport, so that I could meet other people like me. My current friends were more than willing to have a couple beers with me but getting up a 7AM on a Saturday morning to run for a couple hours in the rain usually resulted in the traditional response, “Are you insane?” The results from joining the club were almost immediate and I suddenly found myself immersed in a new life and surrounded by diverse and energetic friends, all as delightfully crazy as me. I began to enjoy unparalleled physical and mental rewards.

My season began with a race run during my honeymoon to St. John, USVI. Called 8 Tuff Miles, it was one of the shortest races I would run this year, but it was definitely the most challenging and painful as well. Eight miles from the West end of the island, starting at sea level, we cut the island in half, running across the middle traversing roads so steep that cars struggled to climb them, 999 winding and steep feet up to the peak, the slope at times reaching more than 20% grade, before crossing the summit and doing the same back down to the finish line at the East end. I almost didn’t make the race that morning. When I woke I could barely walk, having run the two days prior after deciding to get accustomed to the humidity and the hills (not many hills in Illinois to train on). It was a bad idea to train but I persevered and willed myself to the starting line, stretching for more than an hour to get just loose enough to move forward once the gun goes off. I wasn’t anywhere near 100% but I was still happy with my finish, taking 7th in my age group, and 56th out of nearly 800 competitors. In the end both calf muscles were so stiff and tight that I felt as if someone had stuffed several cue balls into each leg, but I finished and it was more than worth what the grimace on my face implies.



Next up was Chicago’s race season opener, the Shamrock shuffle, held every year at the end of March. It was just supposed to be a chilly but simple 5 mile run, but the eight inches of snow and slush that dropped only two hours before the race was scheduled to start would guarantee that this run would be anything but normal or simple. In my typical fashion, uncomfortable in anything else, ignoring the temperature, I ran in my shorts and was again asked the standard question, “Are you crazy?” Soaked head to toe before I even crossed the starting line and sick for a week after, I relished in the pleasure of that once in a lifetime situation. Though I finished with feet that felt like lead, they managed to carry me across the finish line in 35 minutes and 4 seconds, good enough for a top 5% finish of 609 out of 13399 runners.


It was around this time that I started attending the monthly Triathlon club meetings, making Tri friends, and getting ready to compete in them. But my concern was quickly becoming legitimate in that it was now April and though I had all the gear, I was still unable to swim; I was getting nervous. I needed help and began taking swimming lessons with Breakthrough Multisport in May. Finally, after only two lessons, and after 4 months of choking on water, barely completing a lap without reaching exhaustion, thanks to coach Ryan Reill, with a few easy adjustments, I could swim. Suddenly, though my form was terrible and I was like a sloth in water, I could make it several hundred meters with relative ease. It was happening.

By July, I had already completed another four running races, two 3.1 mile races on back to back days, the Soldier Field 10 miler, and the 13.1 Chicago Marathon where I knocked more than 15 minutes off of my previous years best half Marathon time. As part of our training I also organized a 52 mile bike ride from Harvard to Lake Geneva, the furthest I had ever ridden on a bike by more than 30 miles and in more than 15 years.


It was time; the day had finally come for my first Triathlon. My alarm clock went off at 3AM on the morning of July 19th, I rose, met up with a new triathlon buddy, and we headed to Waukegan to compete in our first Sprint distance Triathlon, call Harbor Lights. At 1/8th the distance of an Ironman, these are as short and as easy as they get. I was stopped twice on the swim by course Marshalls, alerting me to point out that I was no longer on the course but headed to Indiana. They pointed me back in the right direction, the buoys acting as course markers looking like pinheads I was so far away from the race. I had only been in open water once prior to this day and quickly found out how hard it is to swim in a straight line outside of a pool where you can’t see the bottom of the water. Lake Michigan and a swimming pool, though equally wet, are significantly as different as the Sprint and Ironman distances.

I exited the 52 degree water, my heart jumping into my throat with excitement at achieving this goal and for being upright again. I took account of my place in the race to find that I was well behind almost everyone else, with only a few people who managed to somehow be slower swimmers than I am. At transition to the bike I found that there weren’t many left and I spent the next 13 miles riding as hard as I could to catch up. It was working but this was first time I had ever raced a bike beyond BMX and I was only able to muster an average speed of about 20 miles per hour. It was enough to get me back into the race and along side a few fellow tri-club members. I finished the bike and stepped off to start the run, only to find that legs don’t quite work the same after riding, and having never practiced this transition, found that they go through drastic amount of change between biking and running. I felt like someone had filled the entire lower half of my body with cement and that I was running on stumps. It took two of the 3 miles I had to run to get the feeling back in my body, but I crossed that finish line, a Triathlete at last!

Looking at my results I knew I had some work to do. I had known decent success on my feet but add wheels and water, and I went from a top 5-10% racer to a top 30% at 1 hour and 27 minutes where I should be closer to an hour flat.



That race out of the way it was time train for the longer distance races I had left on the calendar for the season. 7 races in and 10 to go, and they only got longer in distance from here. I trained harder to get better and saw some success in the Wauconda Sprint Triathlon finishing 6th in my age group and improving to the top 16%. I wasn’t as lucky at my first intermediate distance race. This one, Railsplitter, part of the Abraham Lincoln Triathlon Series in Petersburg, IL kicked my butt and taught me a lesson that I would take to heart. Sometimes you have to lose first to learn how to win later. The water was too warm for wetsuits and we were not permitted to wear them in the race. This posed a problem. I had never swum in open water with no wetsuit, let alone one mile, and in not being prepared was unable to complete the swim. A kayak pulled me to shore and I experienced embarrassment for the first time in a long time. The course officials allowed me to compete in the 36 mile bike and 7 mile run portion, but in the 92 degree heat and high humidity, I was ill prepared for that level of competition, and refused the finisher medal upon crossing the line. In the end, I learned a hard lesson that I carry with me even now as I plan my return to this race next season. In 2010 I will be ready and plan to win my age group. That said, despite not actually qualifying for the awards, I found it quite interesting when they called my name during the awards ceremony. I had placed third in my age group. How, I had such a terrible race and didn’t even finish the swim? It turns out that there were only three people in my age group and that was the icing on the cake.

A couple more half Marathons and Olympic distance Triathlons under my belt at this point, I began to prepare for the Lake Carroll Triathlon, the hardest Tri I would do this season in that it had 10 major climbs and an Extreme Terrain off-road run. If I had learned any lessons from Railsplitter, it would show here. I crossed the finish line at Lake Carroll, feeling exhausted but redeemed, as it was my strongest race of the season. It was also my ugliest; I fell twice on the run and was covered in mud and bleeding from several body parts when I crossed the finish.



I took 5th in my age group, my highest finish to date, and slept like a baby that night.


Triathlon season ended with September and it was now time for the big boys, my long races, beginning with another redemption race in the Chicago Marathon after a lousy 4 hour and 58 minutes finish in 2008. My last race of the season, a last second decision made on the eve of the marathon, would be to run my first Ultramarathon. The Chicago 50/50 Ultramarathon took place on Halloween, two weeks after the marathon and would be the furthest I had ever run at 31 miles, a 50k race.

My plan for 2009 was to qualify for the Boston Marathon at this year’s Chicago Marathon. Half way in and it was going well. It was brisk and cold that morning but there was no wind and at the 14 miles mark I was comfortable and feeling great, 8 minutes ahead of the pace I needed to be at. It was over the next mile and a half that everything began to go wrong. I managed to seize two calf muscles and pull my left pectoral and bicep. Each step grew harder to keep my body from seizing completely. I fought the pain though and crossed the finish line but was well behind the 3 hours and 10 minutes time I need to achieve my Boston goal. I was still happy in that I was in pain but not tired and despite my physical catastrophe had still managed a 3:41 marathon, an improvement of more than an hour on my 2008 results.
Two weeks passed and with my muscles still seized I competed in the Ultramarathon. I not only improved on my marathon time by cutting off another 7 minutes from my best time but I also managed to finish 17th overall and 2nd in my official age group. Oh, and I also blew out my knee after ten miles, but continued on anyway, gritting my teeth and ignoring the pain. It would turn out that I had caused several micro-tears in my IT band at the point where it connects to my knee, but despite limping around for a week, and a slow recovery, I took the lessons learned from this injury and am a better man for having made the mistakes that lead to the injury.

All in all I completed three 5K’s, an 8K, the 8 mile Tuff Run, a 10 miler, three half marathons, a 20 miler, four Triathlons, and a 50K. The Chicago Area Runners Association is recognizing my accomplishments in January where I will receive two awards, the Participation award for competing in so many races, and the endurance award for completing more than 109 miles in competition. For all the miles raced this year, I did more than double that in training and every step brought pure joy to my life.

I managed to become and Ultraman and a Triathlete in one year and made a crew of friends that provide more inspiration and motivation to me than I would have ever thought possible. It was a long and hard year, full of ups and downs, but this year has ended and with its end is born new goals for 2010.

I invite you all, if I have sparked any interest at all, to follow my 2010 season as I train to achieve even higher personal standards, success, and seek more demanding goals; or, if you are so inclined, to join me on a run – the more, the merrier is what I always say.

I am joining forces with Team in Training in 2010, to recognize that despite the pain that I have endured, it is absolutely nothing when compared to the struggles those with Leukemia and Lymphoma have. I have chosen to add meaning to the races that I do, to do some good on behalf of others who are not capable to do it themselves. The statistics are staggering. For more information on blood cancers, please visit:

http://www.leukemia-lymphoma.org

I hope to find my inner strength in the absolute grace with which they fight. I will be working hard to raise money for their cause, in hopes to find a cure, and to honor the memory of a good friend, and even greater person, lost to the disease more than 15 years ago, Georgiana Kavanaugh.


Her smile still carries me when things get hard, and I remind myself that there are no excuses for giving up. I run in part because when I knew her, she couldn’t. Taking her from class to class in her wheelchair, she never complained, never stopped smiling, and never gave up hope. There are moments in life where you learn to recognize things for what they are, and she is an angel.

I will be racing the St. Anthony’s Olympic Triathlon in Petersburg, Fl this coming April of 2010 and will working hard be raise no less than $4300 in donations to go toward working for the cure to this terrible disease.

If anyone is so inclined to donate to this worthy and admirable cause, please do so by going to this link. I will be honored and grateful to run with your support:

http://pages.teamintraining.org/il/anttry10/jbrizzi

I will also be doing several more races throughout the year, to include the Nations Triathlon in Washington DC, the Steelhead Half Ironman, and the Austin Longhorn Half Ironman. With any luck I’ll be throwing another Ultra-distance race in there as well, all leading up to my overall goal: Ironman Brazil 2011 where I hope to compete and qualify for the Ford Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii. Thank you for reading, cheering me on, and listening to me ramble on and on over the past year about my obsession with this life changing sport. Even more, keep Georgiana in your heart. You may not know her but I did and I’m a better man today for the impact she made in my life then.

All my best,
Jeremy Brizzi