FFTTP (read: An Epic Weekend)

     This past weekend I fell into the good fortune and great opportunity to be a part of Fast Forward Triathlon's fall training camp in rustic White Lake, North Carolina.  Hosted by Pro Alex McDonald and Elite Coach David Williams, this camp was designed as a last big training block before a fall race for some, but for me this weekend represented the start of offseason base building.  Despite my inclusion, this camp brought together some of the southeast's more serious amateur triathletes, and I was stoked to be rubbing elbows with some very skilled and experienced athletes.


     Good friend and training partner Hallie Blunck made her way over from Birmingham, Alabama, and Friday morning we hit the road for White Lake before sunrise, fired up for a hard bike session upon arriving in White Lake.  The first workout of the day did not disappoint, as 15 eager riders set out for a 55 mile cruise through Singletary Lake State park and the surrounding countryside.  The ride was the key workout of the day, and the tempo was jumpy and quick from the start on a crisp fall morning.  With a rotating paceline of strong riders, the group quickly fractured, and by the second hour it became a 4 or 5 person smashfest with a 2 minute pull off the front.  The most fun I've had riding a time trial bike in a long time.  The rest of the day brought a big lunch, a wetsuit legal drill swim in Singletary lake, and a progressive tempo run with a couple of mates to flush the legs.  After a pasta dinner, I crawled into bed at the late hour of 8pm, crushed from the day. My belly was full and my legs were weary, and I was determined to rest hard so that I could hop right back into the mix the next morning.

Our swimming hole for the weekend, Singletary Lake at the start of another great day.

     Saturday brought an early run with drills on a chilly morning, followed by breakfast- and my new favorite thing in the entire world....pancakes garnished with greek yogurt and strawberry jam.  AMAZING, but maybe not suggested for those counting every last breakfast calorie.  Saturday afternoon was reserved for a another bike bike loop and a strong open water swim in White Lake.  My open water swimming skills leave something to be desired, and the two swims at camp were a huge opportunity to work on this weakness.

    After a long run Sunday morning on the fire roads of Singletary State Park forest (and one more big pancake breakfast), I headed home determined to rest and fully absorb this short, planned overreach.  I met some great people and established a few good contacts.  Most important was that I had a ton of fun.  Crashing in a sleeping bag on a bunk at night, wearing myself out each day and gorging on summer camp style meals.  No cell phones or email and showers were at a premium- It was an incredible weekend.  

A big thanks to Alex McDonald of Fast Forward Triathlon, Dave Williams of Triangle Multisport, and Lawrence Garcia of InsideOut Sports for making everything happen!     

Battle of the Bridges Triathlon- A Family Affair

Earlier this month Leigh and I headed south for visit with our parents, and a little racing in Melbourne, Florida.  As excited as I was to race again, I've gotta say that it was even better to spend a little time with my parents and my in-laws in the sunshine state.  The Health First Battle of the Bridges Triathlon had always been on my radar while I was living in Gainesville, but I never managed to get over to the Atlantic coast for it.  Earlier this summer Leigh decided this race was to be her first crack at an olympic distance tri, and I was immediately stoked for her journey- as well as some flat and fast racing.

Leigh had a great experience, and I'm really proud of her.  Like many triathletes (myself included), running is her first love- but holy smokes can that girl ride a bike!  With rather limited time to train, my wife put together a :30 minute swim, a 1:20 bike split, and a :48 minute run.  She finished in 2:42:26, winning the F25-29 age group.  Did I mention that this was her first Oly tri ever??  My favorite part of the whole day was when I made a left turn on the run course to start the steep trek up the causeway, and I saw Leigh absolutely MASHING down the causeway off ramp to finish the bike.  Down in the drops, teeth gritted, pushing a big gear- an incredible sight to see.  

In case you couldn't quite tell from the tone of this post, I'm a huge fan of my wife- but I really admire anyone who makes the often unnerving decision to step outside themselves to meet a self imposed challenge.  There is nothing more inspiring to me than seeing someone commit to a goal where the outcome is uncertain.  I feel strongly that those are the moments in life that you learn the most about yourself.    


Although Leigh was the star of the day, here's a brief rundown of my experience on race day.  The weather conditions were great on race morning, cool (for central FL) with almost no breeze.  With the swim being held in the Indian river, I was anticipating a calm, fast swim.  I was in a large swim wave, and when the gun went off I fought hard to establish a good position before the first turn in the rectangular swim loop.  Hopping on some feet, I was able to settle into a nice rhythm, and I came out of the water in 6th position.  The 43K bike course was pancake flat- except for the two large causeways that span the Indian River, and give the race it's name.  These bridges were small chain ring climbs for sure.  I was hoping that I'd be able to overtake a few ahead of me on the bike course.  My legs felt great, but I came in off the bike course in the same position I started (6th).  After I rather goofy/slow T2, I was off on the run course to see if I could hunt some dudes down.  The first part of the run course was really pretty, unique looking houses and big oaks along the river.  I was pressing a bit in the first two miles, putting myself out there and hoping to hold off any meltdowns.  Surprisingly, I was rewarded with my aggressive pace out of T2, and I found a pretty good cadence that I was able to hold for the duration of the 10k.  A few of the guys in front of me were paying for their big efforts on the bike, and by the time I crested the Pineda Causeway at mile 5, I had run my way into 2nd place.  That's where I finished- second overall, and somehow I found myself with the days best run split (37:24).

Race results for the Health First Battle of the Bridges Triathlon can be found here:
http://www.racesmith.com/results/2011results/HealthFirstTriathlonOlympic100211ag.html