2014 Racing from the Rearview Mirror

I began my triathlon career in 2001 with my first race being a sprint distance race in May followed by a slightly less than Olympic distance race in June and two Olympic distance races in July and September respectively. None of those races ended in podium finishes but the bug had set in with goals to complete my first Ironman in 2002.

In the new year, I trained for and raced my first marathon in Los Angeles with hip bursitis which flared up a week prior at the end of February. Then a half ironman race in May and finally my first Ironman on June 8^th: Ironman Utah. If you are a geek about Ironman and know the sport’s history you’ll recall Ironman Utah was not an Ironman in the 2.4/112/26.2 mile sense. A freak storm came up that morning as the race began and athletes (me included) found ourselves being tossed around like a salmon at Pike Place Market. The swim was cancelled the race resumed with a shortened bike and run and race organizers offered replacement races later that year to those who still wanted to complete their Ironman dreams. So, on August 5^th, I finally came across the line of a full distance Ironman race in at Windsor High School in 6^th place overall and 2^nd in my 40-44 age group. It wasn’t how I expected to get there but hey, life rarely plays out according to plan.

Here we are now 12 years later in the year 2014 and with the exception of 2007, when we moved to San Jose, I have completed an Ironman race every year since that first failed attempt. But this year was a lot like that first year.

From the Beginning of 2014

My 2013 race season ended at Ironman Lake Tahoe. Arguably the toughest Ironman on the planet with its start at 6200 ft. elevation and ridiculous climbing on the bike and freezing temps both morning and evening (race start 32 degrees after a night of snowfall!), I had not run for two months prior due to plantar fasciitis… but I finished with the goal to return and redeem my status as a competitor and to do that I was going to have to get back into shape and be focused on winning not just finishing.

First race up… Oceanside 70.3.

After an off-season bike fit and strength training to repair muscle imbalances my run slowly began to pick up without pain as my bike strength was sacrificed to focus on stride. When I came out of the harbor everything felt as it always had been and after completing the first have of the 56-mile bike I thought nothing had been lost. Effort on the bike seemed consistent and the legs strained but it was appearing as though I had lost a mile or two per hour in speed. One the run, it had been a while since I had actually run 13 miles and this was going to be more about telling myself, I could do it. And I did. Coming in 6^th.

S/33:36 – B/2:44:25 – R/1:44:31 = Final Time 5:08:53

6 Age Group – 238 Gender – 276 Overall

Next up… Wildflower Long Course.

The typical scene of Wildflower is a fun atmosphere with friends around a campfire, sleeping in tents and surviving the cold nights and hot days. My friend and FCA Teammate Robin asked as we were driving down Lynch Hill to the expo if I had seen the lake yet, “No.” I replied. “You’re not going to believe it.” And as we turned the corner where you would expect to see layer of flat blue in the middle of rolling, brown hills, was nothing but rolling brown hills and that remained as we entered the Transition/Expo area… “Where’s the water? Are we going to be able to swim?”

The race start was moved right in front of the dam and required a silty, black swim, then a 2 mile run back to transition, the hilly and technical 55 mile bike and now an 11 mile run to offset that earlier run. Again, without having the necessary base and accumulated miles the swim and bike provided a conservative effort but the run on that hilly course found me walking a few good sections and trying as I may to hold on to whatever position lead I had coming off the bike. As it turned out only two in my AG found their way around me…

S/31:03 – B/2:57:00 – R/2:01:13 = Final Time 5:36:59

4 Age Group – 195 Gender – 208 Overall

Hawaii 70.3

I love this race. Set on the northern section of the Ironman World Championship bike course, the swim is out from beautiful Hapuna Beach, then a rolling, windy ride up to Hawi and the run around the Waikaloa Resorts on golf courses, cart paths and asphalt paved roads. It tends to be pretty hot and once again there wasn’t enough run in the tank just yet for this humid day. Again, just edged off the podium by a minute as I was run down in the last mile. I never saw the pass. I was pretty bummed. But Joy and I had a great time on the island and looking forward to going back in 2015!! Redemption Race!

S/34:49 – B/2:46:14 – R/2:00:47 Final Time 5:27:17

6 Age Group – 176 Gender – 213 Overall

The next race was to be Reservoir Triathlon but was cancelled due to an empty Uvas Reservoir…

Vineman 70.3

This was the first race of the year I had my sights set on a podium finish and really wanted to get my first win at this race. It always has a competitive field of athletes and I love the course. My main motivation was to redeem my poor finish from the year prior when I had just been in Haiti leading a short mission trip for 16 days without the ability to train. Last year I really struggled on the run and now I was just at the point where I felt my run was hitting stride and strength. So, hopes were high!

SWIM – Again due to the lack of rainfall the past couple years the river was going to be shallow and boy was it ever. Generally you don’t drag your fingers along the bottom till near the turn around but this year it was happening just past the first bridge (400 meters from the start). I was in a later wave start than in most years previous, which meant I would have to be swimming through a lot of slow swimmers. This year it just seemed ridiculous. Not only that but due to the shallowness of the river the path for depth was narrow and created further congestion. Upon return the space opened up and I was able to cruise into T1 as usual stripping my wetsuit as soon as I exit the water. When I got to my bike I only saw what looked like a single bike missing from the rack. It was the guy who said he was a swimmer and would have to get as much distance there.

BIKE – Grabbing my bike which was in a great position at the end of the rack I had taped my spare tire to my saddle but the morning drizzle loosened the glue and as I was running toward the bike mount lost my tire, so I stopped to go retrieve it and decided to shove it down the back of my shorts as I was trying to mount my bike. Epic fail. I dumped my bike and let’s just say… uncomfortable but it worked. When I got up to River Road, I just watched my heart rate and kept a quick cadence. On Westside Rd. the little rollers began and it wasn’t long till I spotted earlier mentioned swimmer… I flew past him! Hmmm, this is feeling good. In fact riding my Specialized Transition with the Enve 8.9 wheels made me feel really good. On the backside heading to Chalk Hill I was easily sliding through people but wasn’t seeing anyone in my AG. Not till the turn onto Chalk Hill when I passed some tall dude in red. Chalk Hill is a short little stinger of a hill and the descent is fast and prolonged. Heading into T2 I forgot to grab my Garmin 910xt off the handlebars and started the run not knowing where I was.

RUN – I wasn’t going back for it! I’ll just run blind I told myself. “Just don’t let anyone pass you.” Finally, the legs were comfortable and by the time I hit LaCrema winery I was convinced I was in first place. Once in the vineyard I could finally hear footsteps getting closer. Without looking back I just sensed that it might be someone in my AG so, “Here we go!” I thought and dialed it up a notch, soon those footsteps faded… and once I got to where I knew I was a distance ahead did I finally turn to look who was on my heals… some tall dude in red. I was right! At the turn around at the airport my lead was only a few hundred yards. This meant I had to keep the heat on and I did. At each aid station from then on as I grabbed a little coke, I’d look back and for the next 3 miles the distance was about the same until mile 12 and then I saw that tall red figure grow smaller and smaller. Coming across the line I kept wondering if I had finally taken 1^st at Vineman, prior a couple 2^nd places, a third, a few fourths but YES it was official: 1^st place! A minute later tall red dude came across the finish line and right up to me saying “I thought I had you in the vineyard then you just went into another gear!” Man… that felt good! Enve-able good!

S/32:49 – B/2:33:02 – R/1:40:44 Final Time 4:52:01

1 Age Group – 120 Gender – 141 Overall

Triathlon at Pacific Grove

This as last year is a tune up or trial race to test the legs and check gear for the following week’s Ironman Lake Tahoe. What made this race unique was I would be riding my new Specialized SHIV which I purchased and upgraded all components to SRAM Red 22 (the new 11 speed). This race is an Olympic distance race and by now my bike and run had been dialed in for a hilly course requiring power over speed which this flat and multiple looped course is designed for. What made this race fun was doing it with friend and coworker Andy, his first Olympic distance race! Best part for me was feeling really fit and confident going into my key race of the year, Ironman Lake Tahoe!

S/25:46 – B/1:07:53 – R/43:15 Final Time 2:20:52

2 Age Group – 25 Gender – 39 Overall

Finally, it’s here… Redemption race – Ironman Lake Tahoe

Once again, we were staying at an amazing home in Truckee, CA and with only a couple days prior to the race upon arrival, altitude acclimation was not going to be an option. As we left San Jose just after 2pm, when we made our way toward Sacramento we could see in the distance a massive plume of smoke on the horizon. I had just learned the night before that an arsonist had set a fire in the Placer county foothills. After getting food supplies and dinner in Fairfield the sun was setting when we finally began the ascent on I-80. It wasn’t till the summit of Donner Pass did we realize that plume of smoke would now fill the skies above. In the morning the smoke was gone, in the afternoon the smoke had returned and visibility was only a quarter mile in some places. On Saturday, the skies were clear and crisp and the temps perfect for a race but at about 2am race day as I lay tossing and turning in my bed, I began to smell the distinct odor of charred wood. Without saying anything when the alarm went off at 4am we packed the car and headed toward Kings Beach. We parked and got out to fresh and crisp air. There were a few sprinkles in the air and we thought maybe the winds are shifting but when the sun came up you could see on the southwestern side of the lake the haze intercepted the landscape. That is where we were headed. The race was to start at 6:40 am. At 6:30 am I checked my gear one last time, said a prayer of thanks and asking for protection I started walking toward the water entrance. About 100 yards now on the beach another athlete was walking toward me heading back to T1. “It’s over… grab your stuff.” He said without looking at me. “Huh?” Then I heard the announcement from the distance speakers carrying the announcer’s voice. “Ironman Lake Tahoe is cancelled. Please exit the water and return to transition.”

“Huh?” I just stood there. Wait… my mind rushed, “This can’t be real.” A few others who were near me also stunned in a statue-like pose, began to cry… some cursed. I just stared. The sun was coming up and I thought I might as well get the joy of watching the sun rise! It was beautiful

We grabbed our gear bags and loaded on buses. We spoke with quiet respect for each other and the journey it took to be where we were in that moment. It wasn’t till the turn into Squaw Valley a group of people were on the corner cheering wildly holding signs that said stuff like, “You’re still an Ironman!” and “#u@% arsonists!” It actually brought a tear to my eye.

The mood at the village was best described by my wife, who jumped in to help athletes recover their gear, as, “sad.” They handed out medals, hats and finisher t-shirts but that was just weird. I was able to cancel our one night stay at the Plumpjack Inn who were incredibly understanding and accommodating. We went back to the house and just looked at each other, neither of us knowing what to do.

Later that day an email was sent by the race organizers saying to stay tuned that in a couple days plans for how to make up for the unfortunate events of Ironman Lake Tahoe would be forthcoming. That happened two days later. An offer of $100 entries to a handful of remaining races in 2014 were offered as well as $100 entry to IM Lake Tahoe next year or 50% off remaining IM races elsewhere in North America in 2015… pick one! Joy and I looked at our calendar… we didn’t know what to do.

Here’s the real disappointment. I was ready, REALLY ready for that race. Like Vineman 70.3 I wanted to win and grab a Kona slot. I’m pretty confident that I would have. Second, I was looking forward to representing ZERO The Project to End Prostate Cancer at this race. I had raised a lot of money for them and wanted to raise awareness at this venue! Next, I could no longer keep my life on limited hold. I had a lot of travel and work related events I put off till after the race. This kept me from getting back into a rhythm of endurance training to allow my fitness to maintain. I got really sick after returning from a conference in NYC, along with the week of rain and responsibilities while there the 2 weeks of bronchitis afterward just killed me. Finally in the first week of November I was able to start training again and I did with vengeance! 15000 yrds swimming, 235 miles on the bike and 55 miles of running, just like my peak weeks heading into Tahoe. Why? Because we decided to race in Cozumel, Mexico at the end of November… I can get ready and it would only be $100 to get in plus travel. It was over Thanksgiving weekend and our girls weren’t planning on coming home so… why not? I’ll still have a shot at a Kona slot and I’d get my IM race in for the year. My next run at mile 6 my right hip developed a sharp pain, which I immediately knew was bursitis that developed due to too much too soon!

Finally, Finally… Ironman Cozumel (a full race report)

When Joy and I boarded our flight to Cancun I had not run for almost 3 weeks! The bursitis was very present when just attempting a smooth run on the treadmill. By this time the month leading up to the race, with the time change, made even afternoon/evening riding impossible and I had shipped my bike via Tri-Bike Transport a couple weeks earlier. I was getting consistent swim workouts in but limited long distance to once a week, having heard the swim is super fast with current and would cut nearly 20 minutes off your time.

I had done a lot of research on Cozumel regarding the best way to get around, where to stay, what to eat and the best things to do. Unfortunately, the best way to get around conflicted with the best things to do and due to our late decision to enter the race all the Ironman rates at the host hotels had run out and it became too cost prohibitive to stay at one of those.

Our flight arrived in Cancun (much cheaper way to fly to Cozumel) where we boarded a bus for the one-hour trip to Playa del Carmen where a ferry schleps passengers across the channel to San Miguel. Our hotel was only four block from the terminal and less than a block from the beach. When we arrived with suitcases in tow, Oscar came around the open-air lobby bar with a big smile and strong handshake, “Daniel Perkins… we’ve been expecting you!” Wow! This guy is good. We were obviously the last people to check in that day tipping him to this fact but he also admitted that he had greeted three previous parties as, “Daniel Perkins!”

Our rooms at Hotel Flamingo were extremely nice and clean, good air conditioning and comfortable beds and the price was unbeatable. Ivan the bartender was extremely knowledgeable and, might I add, the best at making pure fresh juice margaritas!

The best part of Cozumel was the food. Hands down you do not get this good of food wherever you go. We did not however, go to the typical tourist places but stayed off the boardwalk and places like Senior Frogs, Margaritaville, Hooters, etc. Our favorite place was two blocks up the road from our hotel and only open for lunch between 1-5pm. But what really made this our favorite restaurant in Mexico was it was La Cucina Italiana! Yep… Italian Food, made by a little Italian Grandma, who made incredible soups, salads and everything from Chicken Scaloppini to Raviolis. The pastas were always perfectly prepared and the sauces exceptional! We ate there three times, our first on Thanksgiving Day. She made a bacon wrapped turkey breast, stuffed with spinach and mushrooms! Along with the included fruit frescas or tropically brewed ice tea, you could finish your meal with her homemade tiramisu (best I’ve ever had!) or rum cakes with hazelnut dark chocolate, along with cappuccino! Joy and I agreed if we were to have a meal like this back home the cost would be around $80 just for the meal. With tip we were walking out the door for about $23US! If you ever go to Cozumel… please go just for us. By the way, we ate there three times!

The days leading into the race were met with extremely windy and rainy days. Ivan, stated it would last three days and it did. The ocean was a washing machine and folks who were also in town for the race couldn’t help but comment on how awful the swim would be if we had to swim in that! On Saturday the day before the race, the sun was out, the wind was calm and the ocean tamed! However, the one thing about IMCoz, communication and logistics are the most challenging part of the experience.

If you’re not staying at a host hotel, you either walk a long way or fight the taxi lobby, which is vast. However, get a local to give you the secrete password and it’s a lot better. BTW the password is “have someone who is from Mexico share a ride.” No seriously, that’s the best way but if you can’t share a ride have a local tell you what the fare should be and don’t negotiate just ask… then tell the cab driver what you’re paying for the ride. Worked every time. The island is pretty small and fares are pretty much known from location to location.

The MEGA grocery store is where you get typical supermarket type foods and it’s the equivalent of Walmart. This also is where T2 is located and where you will find Tri-Bike Transport. We made several trips here mostly to get bottled water and snacks. Finally, along the boardwalk in San Miguel are the typical touristy souvenir shops, duty free shops, jewelry stores and bars. Those who work here are friendly but constantly trying to lure you in to the stores, my favorite lines are, “Cheaper than Walmart!” “Come check it out for the hellavit.”And the best, “We’ve got the same crap for a lot less.” At least he was honest.

RACE:

Registration is at the convention center. They didn’t have wristbands or timing chips the first day… So, we needed to come back the next day. Really? Athlete’s mandatory meeting was at the Cozumel Resort, another 10 min. walk. Really? Bike and gear check in was at T1 – 6 miles south of town at Chankanab Water Park… Board a bus at one of the host hotels, and go ahead and bring your bike. Really? Run gear check in at the MEGA Store (T2)… okay. After walking back to our hotel we had dinner and I laid out all my morning gear then got to bed by 8pm. Alarms were set for 4:15am as the hotel was having staff come early to prepare breakfast for the 6 athletes staying there. Sleep was easy and we were up promptly with the chiming of our phones, set 5 min apart. When we walked downstairs the bar had a small breakfast spread of coffee, juice, spaghetti noodles, a tomato sauce and garlic bread… Really? Then at 5am we all jumped into a taxi-van and headed to T1.

Getting to T1 was fast and smooth as most of the southbound lanes were already blocked off for the race. Once in I kissed Joy goodbye with a few words of encouragement and headed to my bike to place water bottles and check tire pressure. Then find the porta-potty! Down by the water was a row of them just as the sun was starting to give light to the day. I waited for a few minutes, as the lines were not long, which was a good thing, because I REALLY had to go! Now, done doing my thing I turned to get the TP but… uh… where’s the TP? Poop! There is none and this not like Seinfeld where you could spare a square! What happens next I will simply leave out of this report.

(silence)

Once, I rechecked my gear, I walked back out to the street where buses were lined up to take athletes 2 ½ miles back up the road to the swim start… Now the sun was just on the eastern horizon and I had to use the porta-potty again, this time there was a guy handing out rolls of TP at the front of the line… where were you when I needed you earlier!!

SWIM: This is a point-to-point swim. There would only be one turn at the end of the swim. The announcer was saying the water temp was just at 80 degrees and the ocean was calm. The pros were to go off at 6:40 then age-groupers would start at 6:52 in waves divided by 3 minutes apart. I was in the first AG wave. As the pro men and then women left there was a ten minute buffer and as we got in the water to swim out to the start I had to believe that water was much warmer than 80 more like 84! The water was calm but it was especially clear. All along there had been a lot of talk about how fast the swim would be as there is a significant current in favor of the direction we’d be swimming. As we waited for the horn to start us, I checked my Garmin to be sure it was ready and just treaded water but I wasn’t moving and it didn’t feel like there was a current of any kind. With no warning in English, the horn sounded and we were off. I had positioned myself right up front on the left side, closest to the shoreline. Quickly I was out front and could feel the tapping touches on my toes of the person dragging off of my line. I was able to hold this for about 15 minutes as I enjoyed the crystal clear water and sea life below. Then someone came up my right side and slowly started to pass. “Good I thought… let someone else do the work for a while.” But when I tried to get on his feet, there was another person already there, then another, and another… apparently I had been leading a decent sized pace and now they were edging me to the back… that’s okay with me. Just means a better draft, right? At one point I got separated from them as I disagreed with the line they were taking… I could see the orange buoy markers ahead and they were heading out to see. Once I swam solo for a for a bit before rejoining them I noticed a sharp, stingy sensation on my arm… “ouch!” Again, nearing the turn buoy again, “STING” this time on my shoulder and it really hurt. I heard about the jelly fish but didn’t think of them until I apparently got in their way. After making the turn there’s a couple hundred meters to go and the swim didn’t really feel all that fast to me. When I exited the water onto the dock I could tell that I had been correct, 1:05 was on my watch and that is a typical IM swim for me. Come to find out there was little to no current that day which I had already assumed.

T1 – It’s a short run to the gear bags and changing tent. Once in, I dump all my stuff, strip off my swim skin and start putting on my race belt, socks, shoes, helmet and glasses which were pretty fogged up with humidity. A volunteer slathered sunscreen on me as I exited and grabbed my bike. All in all, a pretty smooth transition.

BIKE: This is a three-loop bike ride around the island. The first few miles getting out of Chankanab is along a surface road off the main highway, then the rest your on pretty nice pavement until you get back into town. As we started we had a slight tailwind. Then getting to the southern tip of the island the wind is a slight cross headwind over your left shoulder, but when you make the turn north, you are directly exposed to the eastern shore and a strong and consistent headwind. Okay… this will not be fun on lap three I thought. The 12-mile stretch to the turn is pretty desolate. Only a couple times do you see even a building. Maybe the wind or the open face to all things hurricane has something to do with it. Once turned and heading across the island to the west you can see pretty far up. This being the first loop and with an early start, it looked as though I were the only one on the road. This was not true on the next two laps as here it was easy to see entire groups of people form tight little packs. A couple times during the bike such drafting companies passed me rather handily and I could only shake my head in disgust. There were very few marshals I saw and most of them were in the protected resort areas on the west side where there was less wind. Upon heading north up the eastside on lap three, it felt like the wind kicked up a bit more and I noticed a one mile per hour less on my computer speed. I purposely kept the power and heart rate low on the bike not knowing what would happen for the run. Should I “burn all my matches” on the bike there would be no run at all if the hip injury flares but if I could have a run I wanted something in the tank! It was a gamble but one I felt would produce the best results either way. Coming in to T2 I did my typical check of my quads and gluts to assess lactate and plan my T2 strategy… My legs were loose and I decided to just get through with basic needs and start the run.

T2: straight in… change shoes, put on the fuelbelt, more sunscreen… use the porta-potty, go!

RUN: As I headed out, of course I was concerned about my hip but my right foot was killing me. I’m not sure what happened but I think I might have had that shoe too tight and my arch was just irritated, but I was able to run with a moderate stride and after 2 to 3 minutes it was fine. So was my hip! “Alright!” I thought, looks like my gamble will pay off after all. At mile 1 my Garmin buzzed and I looked down to see my first mile split… 7:50. “Yes!!” Exactly where I want to be. Now on the edge of town heading past the airport, I’m starting to feel a little… wait, more than a little…. Whoa! A lot of pain in my right hip. Dang.

I pull over and try to stretch it. A volunteer walks over to see if I’m okay. “Yes and no.” I tell her. And now for the next 24½ miles I’m going to be walking a little to recover and run a bit. This is not going to be a fun afternoon! A couple miles before the turn around of this three loop run, a little boy is holding a zip-lock baggy full of ice and holding it out for the racers. I thank him and take the ice-pack and shove it down the side of my shorts. As the ice melted I’d just refill the baggy. The evening starts as the day fades and there are a few sprinkles in the air. My friend Lisa Sibley cheers me on from the other side of the road as she runs with the most infectious smile on her first lap! Heading out for the last and final loop all I want to do is run… It’s in my head, it’s in my heart… simply it’s not in the hip. I begin to walk a little more than I had before. Now heading back on the final leg all I think about is already having finished and having dinner with Joy by now if things would have been normal! But Ironman is hardly ever normal. As I’m out there I begin to recall to memory all my previous 14 Ironman experiences. Each had ups and downs. The ones with significant downs like Utah, Brazil, France, St George, Wisconsin and of course Lake Tahoe 1 and 2… I begin to think, this will definitely not be one of my best races but I do think it will be one I will look back and be most proud that I did. There had been way too many setbacks. From Tahoe itself, to the inability to train due to work travel and sickness and then hip injury, as well as the fact IM Cozumel disregarded my registration from Active where I had to get WTC folks and Active to secure my registration and explain the error on their part. People here at home were saying, with everything that happened maybe it was a “sign” that I wasn’t supposed to do this race! You know what? That’s Ironman… you don’t quit.

Now just before the turn onto the finish shoot, I pull up the zipper on my Team ZERO jersey, toss the now empty baggy that had been my companion for nearly 23 miles and pump my arms into the air! No matter what… it’s still 140.6 miles and I did it!

S/1:05:24 – B/6:00:52– R/4:52:30  Final Time 12:08:43

11 Age Group – 360 Gender – 450 Overall

Post Race: I remember what my friend and competitor, Kyle Welch told me last year before we jumped into the chilly waters of Lake Tahoe on the start of an epic day where I was sharing some concerns about the conditions … “Don’t be nervous or anxious about this. Remember, it’s a privilege to do what we do.” That has stuck with me ever since. Each time I get in the water, every time I clip in and when I start hyperventilating at the beginning of a run… I remember, I get to do this. I get to do this not simply because my legs move and my heart beats, I get to do this because of incredible support from my family, my coworkers, dedicated friends and training partners. My financial supporters through ZERO the Project to End Cancer, the charity I race for and my sponsors at Wetsuitrentals.com, Skin Strong, Active Fitness and Hammer Nutrition. I especially want to say thank you to Tracy Cesaretti at ZERO for your work through this year to support what we do. Finally, I am grateful for legs and lungs that work. I get to do this because God wonderfully made this body and I want give credit where it is due… Thank you Father for such a privilege.