Off the Road Again!
Posted on 05/24/09 10:33 AM| by Osprey
Well after the anticipation of two big races and four weeks straight of traveling it is finally time for a weekend of rest and relaxation and sleeping in my own bed here in Gunnison, CO. Time always goes much faster when you are not at home and the last month has seemed like 2 weeks. I must say I had forgotten how great the mountain air is after the heat and humidity of St. Croix, St. George UT, and Orlando FL.
Week(s) in Review:
I guess I have been chasing the Ironman dream now as I have been bitten by the triathlon bug and Kona is all I can think about lately. It all started April 28th when I flew into St. Croix, Virgin Islands to race the ½ Ironman (1.2 mile swim, 56 mile road bike, 13.1 mile run) for a chance to win a slot into the Ironman World Championships in October. However, the island gods thought better of my goals and after hitting something on the bike and totally ruining my tire I was forced to drop out and call it a day. So after a week on the island I flew to St. George UT for almost ten days and stayed with my dad to get in some more heat training, open water swimming, and preparing for the Orlando Ironman 70.3 on May 17th.
Wednesday – 2 hour road ride and 30 minute swim in St. George on the Ironman St. George course
Thursday – Caught the shuttle from St, George to Las Vegas then flew to Phoenix and then Orlando. Set up camp at the Walt Disney Fort Wilderness Campground in the rain.
Friday – Rest Day – Registration, getting camp all dialed in
Saturday – Easy spin on the road bike for 45 minutes and bike check -in.
Sunday , May 17th: Well race day finally rolled around and I must say I had some anger built up and ready to be released on the course after DNF’ing in St. Croix. As the cannon sounded and 2200 people begin swimming, craziness is an understatement for what goes on. I would say it is more like the UFC than a swim race. Coming out of the water is always the best feeling and knowing it is time to play catch up I put the hammer down for the remainder of the race going as hard as I could on the 56 miles of road biking and 13.1 mile run to stop the clock in 4:24. Good enough to win the 25-29 age group and a Top 5 Overall Amateur. I guess it can be said that you can’t win the race in the swim but you can sure lose it.
Monday – Easy spin on the bike to loosen up the sore calves and then spent the day walking around Walt Disney World.
Tuesday – Woke up at 3a.m. and took the shuttle to the airport for my 7 a.m. flight to Charlotte then to Phoenix and finally to Grand Junction CO where Wick and Smithy were there for the final 2 hour drive back to my house.
Wednesday – Easy 2 hour road spin to loosen up, an ice bath, and 30 minutes of massage on the legs. Now I am just sitting here drinking coffee wondering where the last four weeks have gone and how can time go so fast??
Team Goal of the Week:
Paddle, paddle, paddle!!
Tip of the Week:
Work on your weaknesses and the rest will fall into place. I know its never fun to work on what your not good at but by keeping a good mental outlook on the event or part of you game that is weak improvement might not come quickly but when it does there is nothing that can stop you. This reminds me I have a swim session in 30 and where are my goggles at?
What’s Next:
Its official, just signed up for the Buffalo Springs, TX Ironman 70.3 on June 28th with hopes of snagging one of the 28 slots that will be awarded to winners of each age group for the Ironman World Championships in Kona. So best of luck to you all in your training and get out there and do some work!
Cheers,
Eric “Sully” Sullivan
