1 week away

Well 1 week out from 140.6 of fun! This has been a great year of racing and early morning training. I am looking forward to the whole experience considering it all goes really, really, really well.

I hoping for awesome weather in the forecast, I cant wait to glide through the water faster then ever.
Pedaling my bike all 112 miles like a stage in the tour! And then run a blazing fast marathon with fresh legs and cruise into the finish line saying, "Wow, that wasn't that bad!"

What a race it will be, I seriously can't wait. I would have bought a book at Barnes & Noble and trained about 75% for this race. So I took a much different approach and have a coach who has helped me the whole way.

I have pedaled a few thousand miles, swam about a zillion miles more then ever and ran like a cheetah to prepare for this race.  I have made a new friend that I can train with locally, who has enormous potential. At the age of 31 I actually learned how to swim and can't wait to improve more in the leg of the race.

It has been a huge learning process and a test of strength and endurance that I have been long awaiting this challenge. In a week this race should be behind me and I cant wait to experience the whole event.

I am a National champion! again...

It went well... I won the overall! That was a whole lot of fun. From the beginning of the day, everything was cool about this race, from the venue to the award ceremony it was all a great experience. 

I took the first mile out in 4:39 and wanted to lead from the gun. I don't think i have done a multi sport event this short before. My coach and i knew the best strategic move was to light the fuze and just go. I thought of it as a fifty minute super high intensity workout and it worked.

I will add to this post later and more pics later. As for now i have my hometown triathlon race in 2 hours, against many of the same awesome athletes that raced either the sprint race yesterday or the standard race. 

So lets see what i can do today...

 I just arrived at thhope butonal Duathlon Championship in  St Paul. I also have have Heart of the Lakes triathlon tomorrow in Annandale. Let's hope for fast times and good memories. It's a two ap bike course each lap is 6 miles so we'll see how that goes. I hope there's not too much congestion and I heard theres alot of sharp corners should be fun! My  racer starts @ 11:45, later then usual. Here we go! Adios...

Afton 25k new course record!

 

To say Afton was a very hilly race would be a huge understatment! This course was a beast and requires. The ll you have to make it up these hills.  340 people showed up for the 25k and the weather was ideal. 

Not knowing the course at all and I didnt run to many trail miles for training i was ready for challenge. The gun went off and i was institantly in 3rd place for most of the race. 

I lost sight of those 2 lead guys after about 5 miles. Twisting and turning through the woods as fast as I could I was slowlt gaining on 2nd place. I came to a big donwhill where I could see the 2nd place guy (he also won the race the last years) from above on the trail. I caught and passed him around mile 11. 

As I passed him he said that the guy in 1st was only 40 seconds ahead, and that he was not very good on the uphills but he was really fast on the downhills. This was great news!

So I pushed onward and as i crested the next big hill i got a glimpse of him and that was all i needed. I could see victory right in front of me with every step that i took. We ran more downhill single track trails and then got to the bottom of the hills to a very rocky gravel bed trail, i was only a few seconds behind him. I glanced at my watch and as i did it beeped 14 miles and i was now right on the leaders heals. He hopped to the side of the trail and i said thanks and before i knew it I was leading the race with less then a mile to go. 

One last huge hill to go, then it flattened out on top to the finish line. I made a few surges and gaped my rival and ran as fast as i could up that last hill. I looked back about 3 times just to make sure i wasnt going to be suprised. Then i caught my breathe after that monster hill and took my hat off and waved like a lasso above my head as i crossed the finih line and the crowd went wild! 

What a run! And to win, wow it felt awesome. I beat the previous 4 time winner of the race, amd set a new course record! What a day, and i only run a few days a week and didnt trane on hills or trails much to prepare for this hilly monster dragon of a course. 

i loved the race and cant wait to do it again next year. Trail racing is really cool, it is like a really long cross country race with water stops. 

Afton Trail Race tomorrow

Happy 4th! Tomorrow I have the Afton Trail Race 25k. I am excited and love running trails. I think it goes way quicker then running on roads or streets. I like hills and took 2nd last year at the Birkie Half Marathon in Hayward, WI. And that was sseriously one ski hill after another. 

 And you really cant get any better weather then this cool summer we have had so far. 2 years ago it was 101 and last uear it was 90, no one is complaining this year!  I thought about carrying water with me tomorrow but  most likely wont. I shouldn't have to drink to much due tothe cool temos. I am hoping for good footing and not to much mud on the course. 

Wish me luck and lets see what happens!

Duluth Results!

Holy cats was it cold! It's still winter up in northern Minnesota. I had a great weekend with 2 races in less then 12 hours. 

I ran the 5k and was 2nd overall out of about 1,700 people. The course is very flat and the way back was into the wind. Myself and 2 others seperated early from the main pack and went through mile 1 around 4:34 and then mile 2 was into the wind so i sat in and drafted the whole mile. We went through mile 2 around 5:08 and then with a mile to go we started changing the lead and shacking things up a bit. Then rounding the backside of the DECC it was just he and I. We both made our moves and sprinted it out and Scott, a 24 year old from Duluth beat me by about 4 seconds. Hats off to him, it was a great race. 

Then I cooled down and  started getting ready for tomorrow.  I finished with a 15:22.

Up and at um early, we awoke to fog, mist, slight tail wind and 45 degrees... and the gun went off at the start of another Gary Bjorklund Half Marathon. What a sweet course, with great support and big crowds! Half way through i felt slugish and tierd but then with 2 miles 2 go i opened it up and bolted for the finish line. I saw my mom, my wife Janelle and our kids gave them a high five and ended up running the last mile in 5:10.

I took 53rd place out of 7,592 runners and ran my 3rd best time 1:11.58. Had i not ran the 5k I would have ran a new Personal Best.  And considering that i only run about 3 days a week, and that i am training specifically for a long distance endurance race in September. 

So another great weekend filled with fast times and good memories.  I will return next year to race but i dont know what race yet. It is to soon to tell, and next year i bet it will be hot weather.

I am now in Madison, Wisconsin and heading out the door to preview all 112 miles of bike course amd then run 6 miles and see how my legs feel.  

Adios!

Double Header!!!

This is one of the best weekends of the summer! And I have been going up to Duluth every year for this race since I was 13. This is a top notch race and is tough to beat the venue, the point A to point B race course, atmosphere, store fronts and dinning and of course the thousands of people volunteering there support. This race is a Minnesota favorite much like the State Fair!

My kids are doing the Whipper Snapper races on Friday afternoon, they love the Mascot run right before the kids race starts.

On Friday night I run the William A. Irvin 5K, I have ran this twice in the past helping pace my brother when we were younger. But this Friday night I get to blast off like a rocket and see how fast I can propel myself in 5k.

Then after the race I get re focused and get ready for the Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon on Saturday morning.  This weekend has great potential for fast times and great memories. 

When the gun goes off, just ran as fast as you can!

Wish me luck!

Buffalo Triathlon Results

That's me trying to scan my chip going into transition, because I kicked my chip off in the first 100 yards of the swim. I turned around and caught it and stuffed it down my wetsuit for safe keeping. What a hassle... and remember no chip, no time.

The above picture is sunny and nice looking, but the whole morning up until 5 minutes before the race and then again 5 minutes after the race was over it rained like a mad man.

While biking I caught a hand full of guys, I had the 3rd fastest bike split of the day. And then started the run and I was making up time and catching people like it was my job.
And guess what? I had the fastest run splits of the day! my last 3 mile splits were: 5:23, 5:20 and 4:55!

So it was a good day and I took 5th overall.
High 5ing my kids on the way to the finish line!
Thanks for cheering Bb, Juni & Harbor.

Photos by Leslie Hoffman

Buffalo triathlon is this weekend!

This Sunday is the big day!  This race is great it's only 25 minutes from my house and draws about 1400 people. I have done the sprint course twice and placed 2nd overall both times.

I am doing the olympic course this time and I am pumped. Normally at this race this is my first time swimming since when ever last years last triathlon was.  This year i have swam almost every Tuesday & Thursday since January. I am hoping for top 5 but we will see what shakes out...

Wish me luck! Chow!

Oakdale Results

Blasting off the line with the best athletes in the state! I am the one with neon green calf socks on.

Wow! What a race. I took 3rd and was only 50 seconds behind local pro aathlete David Thompson. I came into the first transition from our 3 mile run in 14:55, with about a 15 seconds lead. Then on the bike David and another local stud named Matt Payne caught me on the bike. But after finishing all 3 of us ended up bracking the old course record!

 It was a great race, i had the fastest final run splits also. So all in all considering this race was only my second time on the bike outside this year, i did pretty zesty job. 

Zooming to the finsih line!

Photos by Mary Deeg

Outdoor Swimming?

Ok, yes this was my first outdoor swim of the year. But I can explain, I am in Florida. Was it awsome? Yes. I am headed back to MN tomorrow and will maybe swim outside in the next month. 

I am running 9 miles tomorrow morning on a nature preserve. I ran it once when I got here and had alot of encounters with wildlife such as: alligators, pink flamingos, and lizards. Plus some other stuff that I couldn't identify. 

I only swam once in the ocean because the sea was a bit to angry. Waves like 6' tall and pretty windy conditions. 

Thanks for checking in. 

run bike run = :-)

Nothing better then an early season sprint duathlon.  I have many other duathlons under my belt but not this one. In just over a week I will pound out this race and test the legs and lungs.  

I am currently in Florida, and it is very hot and humid. We are on a family vacation and have been enjoying all that Florida has to offer.  

Tomorrow I am heading to the local pool that they keep at 80 degrees to swim for an hour. So we will see how that goes...

I am currently working on getting my custom jersey nailed down, and enjoying the last full day of vacation. 

Adios!

Earth Day Half Marathon Results

The SCSU Earth Day Half Marathon with a bang on Saturday morning. Rain was in the forcast but we didn't get a single drop. I ended up taking 2nd overall with a time of 1:13.38 and my once teammate, and longtime friend John Heitzman won the race in 1:13.08. John and I are shoulder to shoulder in the picture above on the far left on the the starting line. Here is a link to the St. Cloud Times news article about the race and a brief interview with John and myself.

http://www.sctimes.com/sports/2014/04/19/heitzman-holt-win-earth-day-half-marathon/7906283/

John and I went to the Unversity of Wisconsin La Crosse where we won the NCAA Mens Division III National Team Champioship in Cross Country in 2005.  It was a totally, amazing, adventure.  Since then John and I meet up once or twice a year at the same races.  Typically Grandmas Marathon in Duluth or the Twin Cities Marathon.  John runs 7 days a week and about 115 miles per week for the past 3 months, training for this years Grandmas Marathon. I run about 3 maybe 4 days a week and my total milage is around 35 miles per week.

My last 2 miles in the race went quick, I ran a 5:14 and then a 5:11. So it was good honest effort and great early season race.

Up next a family trip to sunny Florida! More on that later.

13.1 Sounds like fun!

Is it spring yet? It was last week but this week not so much. I have the St. Cloud State University Earth Day Marathon this Saturday morning.

This race is a spring classic and it is run on a pretty nice course, a few hills but nothing to nasty.  Lots of turns but never confusing.

I have taken 4th at this race the past few years, this last year I came in fifth but ran a minute faster then usual. So long story short if I go under 1:12 it will be a good day and my own personal course record.

So a true test of my fitness will be displayed at this race, lets hope for decent weather and maybe this year I will get to run in shorts.

irock run results.

From the left: Chris Tatton 2nd place overall, me 1st overall, and in the bottom corner thats not a bear, thats my son Harbor.

It was a sunny windy day in Coldspring and they changed the course a little from last year. This race is unique in many ways, you run past solid granite cubes bigger then SUVs. Then they make these custom bronze overall winner photos, that are really cool. They take a few weeks to make so when they send it to me in the mail I will upload the pic.

My first mile was 5:07 and I felt fine, we had a slight cross wind. The 2nd mile another 5:07 with gail force head wind. Then 3rd mile was 5:12 it was on fresh soft gravel and also had a strong headwind. My overall time was 15:55 almost a minute faster then last year. 

Chris is cool, he did Ironman Wisconsin last year in 10:50 and has only been doing triathlons the last 2 years. This was also the second 5k Chris has ever ran.  He and I are both coached by Derek Lindstrom of Beyond Performance.

Ready or not get ready!

Join me April 5th in Coldspring, MN for a free box of Girl Scout cookies! Last year after the crossing the finish line I was handed a box of Lemonades, along with a medal. So that was enough to bring back this year. We will see you at the race, rain, snow or sunshine!

Irish Scamper 5k

Guess what I did Saturday morning?  I won this clay cup and 2 loaves of banana bread!  My time was 15:51. My splits were 5:09, 5:15, 5:00 and change. It was a great race. Cold at the start, windy no matter the direction we ran.

I had to work the first half of the race to catch the guy out front. A college runner from South Dakota took it out quick. I like to build into a race. Once I caught the South D runner I kept a step or two in fron of him pushing the pace ans listening to his foot steps. Then after the 2 mile, there was a pretty good sized downhill and I made my first move then and opened up a gap. Then came the uphill section and I made my final escape.

With Janelle and our 3 kids cheering me to the finish, it made a great early spring race.

Irish Scamper this Saturday

Finally after all that cold weather we have had, spring is on it's way.  This Saturday I will be racing the my first 5k of the year. I am unsure what my time will be, because normally just run all winter and this year I have been splitting my time up pretty equal between the 3 sports that form a triathlon.

There is often a very large turnout for this race, so we will see how the day goes and what my legs can do. I will post some pics from the race and a race report sometime Saturday afternoon. Until then, keep moving forward!

Redbox

I hope you all had a great weekend! I did 12 miles on my treadmill Saturday morning. The first 10 at 6:38 pace and the last 2 at 5:58 pace. It went well, I always like the fast part at the end of these workouts beacause they go quick and I know this speed will have great payoffs this upcoming tri season.

I then had a 105 minute endurance ride on Sunday morning and it went really quick because i watched The Armstrong Lie. I have read his books and believed in Lance like so many others. I still have a Livestrong braclet laying around here.  I think one of the only truths about Lance is that he had cancer, that is true.

I would strongly suggest watching this documentary. It helped bring truth to alot of questions i have had over the years.  I think Lance could have won just about any Ironman he wanted, and he was well on his way. He took 4th or 5th in his first 70.3 half iron race and then he won the next half iron race he entered. Lance was signed up for Ironman France and shortly after that the skeptics had won and truth finally caught up with him. Now Lance is being sued for over $100 million dollars.

What a ride...

Crapola!!!

Crappy day! I got this awesome box filled with the best granola from my newest sponsor Crapola! This stuff is so good I can't get enough of this stuff!

After each mornings workouts I start my refueling process with a big bowl of yogurt topped off with deliciousness Crapola.

With 3 flavors that will keep you smiling, each just as good as the last. Crapola is also made  in Ely, MN.  Crapola is also sponsoring Grandmas Marathon this June in Duluth, MN. When you get your swag bag at the expo you will find a pouch of the same Crapola I kick start my day with.

Order a bag today @ www.crapola.us
Thanks Brain & Andrea

The calm before the storm...

It was nice while it lasted. I swam in the pool this morning, then followed it up with a few mile run outside. I enjoyed clear roads and no snow or wind either. I heard we are supposed to get anywhere from 2 to 10 inches this will make running outside a huge pain. I don't mind running outside in the winter as long as the roads are clear. It was fun to have these warm temps in a mild few days and now we're back into the deep freeze.

Run for fun even when it's 1 degree out!

Running in Minnesota makes you tougher. I will try to remember this in July. 

Securian Half Marathon January 25th 2014.   
4th overall 1:20.39
Wow! That was one cold, windy, slippery race.
This pic was before the race because my face was so frozen
after that balmy 13.1 run I couldn't smile that big...

The first race of the year, the Securian Winter Run! I am looking forward to this race and hoping for above zero temperatures at the start of the race. I packed my race gear and feel I have all my options covered no matter what the weather is.

I couldn't find the match to my sock this evening so I put my two girls on the case and they found my missing Smart Wool sock! Thanks Bb & Juni! I will report how the race went sometime Saturday afternoon. Stay warm!

5:15 a.m. every Tuesday and Thursday!!!

I am not the best swimmer, this has been my worse leg since my first triathlon. But with an early start each Tuesday and Thursday morning I arrive at the pool at 5:15 a.m. to improve my stroke. This way I will be ready for the brutal Ironman Wisconsin swim described as the "human washing machine" by some who have lived through it.

How cold is it?

 .                                         I wonder how far I should run outside today?