2013 Year In Review

2013 Year In Review

About this time every year I like to look back on what I have accomplished athletically because it is so easy for me to forget.

At the beginning of 2009 I could not run to the car (nor would I have wanted to). I hated running. I thought a 10 mile bike ride was REALLY long. Swimming over a mile was only for escaping Alcatraz prisoners (and impossible). I have never been an athletically gifted person. 

I am amazed and proud of what I have accomplished in a few short years. 
This Year I Completed

• 3 Half Marathons
• SwampHouse Half Marathon FL
• Ocala Half Marathon
• Space Coast Half Marathon
• 1 Marathon
• Jacksonville Bank Marathon
• 4 Half-Ironmans
• Miami Main 70.3
• Ironman Miami 70.3
• RocketMan 70.3
• HITS Ocala 70.3
• 2 Century Rides
• Soles 4 Souls (Cycling) FL 100mi 
• Champions Ride (Cycling) FL 100mi
• Started swimming Masters swims three days a week for an average of 7 miles swimming a week.
• I now weigh the same as when I left high school in mid 1990's!! (sometimes less).
• Blogged a world record number of spelling errors and grammar issues!!

2013 Total Race Distance: 346.7 miles

In 4 past years I have completed:

• 21 Half marathons
• 12 Half Ironmans
• 105 Laps a Lucky's Lake Open Water Swim (105 km)
• 3 Century Cycling Race
• 2 Metric Century Cycling Races
• 1 Ultra marathon (30 miles)
• 1 Marathon
• 1 30K run (15 miles)
• 4 Olympic Triathlons
• 10 5K, 10K, 15K runs (217 miles total)
• 1 Sprint Triathlons

If my math is right, that means in 4 years of ONLY races (not including training) I have done the following:

• 82.8 Miles Swimming
• 1252.6 Miles Cycling
• 749.4 Miles Running

That is a 2079.8 mile triathlon in races in 4.5 years. That means I have raced 67% of the distance across the United States (Sacramento, CA to Ocean City, MD).

Past Year End Reviews

• 2012 Year End Review
• 2011 Year End Review
• 2010 Year End Review  

Jacksonville Bank Marathon Review 2013

IMAGE SOURCE

Jacksonville Bank Marathon Review 2013

On Sunday, I completed my first marathon in a long time. I was not planning on doing this marathon but my wife convinced me a few days before the event that we should do it.  This meant no taper time from last weeks 24 mile run but the race is only about 5 miles from my best friend’s house in Jacksonville so it was not hard to convince me to do the race. I love visiting him.

The night before the race, I treated my friend and his wife to dinner at Culhanes Irish Pub in Atlantic Beach, FL (near Jacksonville). This place is AWESOME! It was featured on Guy Fieri’s “Diner, Drive-ins and Dives” on the food network. It was also honorable mention as the best Irish Pub in America, top 10 restaurants in Jacksonville.

I got the “Fingle Fish Pie” (Fresh cod, shrimp, salmon, diced potatoes and peas in a garlic seasoned Parmesan cream sauce, crusted with cheddar cheese) and Bonnie got the “Guinness Beef Stew” (Certified Angus Beef braised in Guinness beer and slow cooked with barley, baby portabellas, carrots and onions in savory gravy. Served over diced potatoes.). Both meals were unbelievable. We also got the bread pudding and a beer or two for desert. It was a great pre-race meal. Bonnie had to roll me out of the place but I slept like a baby.

The race started on Sunday at 7:00 am. The forecast called for a 70% change of severe thunderstorms till around 3:00 pm. Not a good sign. The race temperature was in the mid 70s with humidity through the roof.

Thirty minutes into the race the rain started. Then about 10 minutes later the monsoon rains came down!!  It rained pretty much the entire race. It varied on and off from sprinkling to monsoon throughout the entire race.

The race goes through some of the richest neighborhoods in Jacksonville, FL.  You run through multi-million dollar neighborhoods with a ton of trees.  It is an absolute gorgeous race.   

The race was well supported. Every two miles there were aid tables and porta-potties. The aid stations have water, Gatorade, Power Gels (the typical aid stations). One of the house owners came out and was handing out margarita samples. I made it a point to stop both times at this “aid-station” and get my samples. :-)

I will be doing this race again next year. It was a ton fun and it was nice to stay at my best friend’s house.

Chip Time: 4:25:21
Half Split Time: 2:04:34
Pace: 10:10



The Bling

Jacksonville Bank Marathon - The Unexpected Marathon

IMAGE SOURCE

Jacksonville Bank Marathon - The Unexpected Marathon

Somehow my wife was able to convince me to do the Jacksonville Bank Marathon this weekend with only one week to register.  In her defence it never takes too much poking and prodding to get me to do a race. 

This will be my first "official" marathon.  Officially I have never done a marathon but I did do a 30 mile ultra run about 3 years ago.  Bonnie says that does not count (she is strange like that).

The only issue with this race is I have not properly tapered.  I've been training for the "26.2 With Donna" marathon and last weekend I did 24 miles.  I don't expect this weekends time to be great.  I don't think my legs will be properly rested.  We'll see..

Maybe I will get to meet the Discom-Bob-ulated Running blogger.  My wife reads her blog all the time.  She will be running this race also. 

Space Coast Half Marathon 2013

Space Coast Half Marathon 2013

 

My Canadian friend and me.
This is what racing is all ABOOT, eh!!

 

Last weekend was the Space Coast Half Marathon.  This was my first race back from my back to back half ironmans (which were about three weeks ago).    I also started training for my February marathon the week before this race.  Last week I did 18 miles with a crazy friend of mine who is doing Ultra-man Florida (a 320 mile triathlon).  Needless to say my legs are not completely back.

 

I will not bore you with a race review (see below).  I have already done three previous reviews for this race.  I will just say this is a great race!!

 

I improved my race results this year by 9 HUNDREDTHS of a second. LOL 

 

13.1 Race Results

2013 1:53:30 

2010 1:53:39 
2011 2:04:01 
2010 2:07:47 

 

Race Reviews

2012 Race Review 

2011 Race Review

2010 Race Review

 

 



The Columbia Shuttle Medal

The Bling

So you wanna be a Triathlete?

I read this TriFuel article a few days ago and thought it was great.  There is way too much truth in this post!  I hope you enjoy the read.  Let me know if you disagree with any of its "facts."

 

 

2013 Miami Man 70.3 Race Review

2013 Miami Man 70.3 Race Review

(IMAGE SOUCE)

Sunday marked the end of the 2013 triathlon season for me and what a race to go out with.  Miami Man 70.3 is constantly setting the bar very high.  It is a great race in all aspects. 



Cool Race Bibs

I’ve participated in Miami Man for over three years now and each year I am amazed at how great a race it is. 

Pre-Race nutrition

Goodie Bag
Miami Man’s goodie bag puts all other races to shame.  The following race themed items were in the Miami Man goodie bag.

• Beer pint glass
• Race Visor
• Sunglasses
• Beer pad
• Pen
• Mouse pad
• Keychain
• Water bottle
• Travel bag tag
• Mouse Pad
• Running belt
• Electrolyte fizz
• Cool fish race cap
• Tech T-shirt with the race’s names on back
• Very nice full color athlete manual
• Powerbar performance energy blend

Compare that to the Miami Ironman 70.3 race good bag which had ONLY a tech T-Shirt.

Race Goodie Bag

My only complaint is in previous years the bags included a themed race, hand towel which I bring to every race.  This year’s bag did not include the hand towel :-(  I will miss that towel but how can you complain when you see everything else that was included in the bag!



Good Bag Item Table



Good Bag Item Table

Aid Stations
The aid stations were all adequately staffed with great and friendly volunteers. Each aid station had water, Cytomax, Hammer Gel, Power Bars, banana s and oranges.  Most had ice also.

After Race Meal
The after race meal was impressive and consisted of oranges, watermelon, chicken and rice, pizza, bagels, water, soda, Cytomax and Muscle Milk.  To my disappointment they ran out of pizza when I finished but they did have more being delivered.



Awesome Fish Race Caps!!

Swim Course
The swim takes place in a crystal clear lake.  It is a two loop course where you have to get out of the water and run back in for the second loop.  There are plenty of swim waves so people are not pilling up on top of each other.  There are also plenty of buoys setup for sighting.  It is a great swim. 

Bike Course
The bike course takes you through the surrounding farmland areas of Miami-Dade County.  The 70.3 consists of a 13 miles outing, 2-15 mile loops and then returns on the same route.  The course has three aid stations.    The course is very flat but always windy with 10-20 mph winds.  I think the bike course was about 2-3 miles short.

Run Course
The run course takes you paved and some hard packed dirt roads.  It also takes directly through the Miami Zoo where you get to see various animal exhibits.  It’s pretty cool seeing all the animals on the run.  The run course is always hot but what else would you expect… it’s Miami.



Bonnie getting her race tattoos.
(I hate getting these things off)

Overall Race Grade A
This is an awesome, well run race!!    I highly recommend this race!!  No complaints!!

My Swim Results
Time:  00:32:51 (0:27:22 min/mile)



They provide instant printed results as you cross the finish line .
I don't understand why other race directors don't
do this!!

 

The swim was AWESOME for me.  I broke my swim PR again and placed 6^th of 61 in my category!!  I could have done even better if I did not swim off course on the second lap. 

Time: 0:32:51

Pace: 0:27:22 min/mile

Category Place: 6 of 61

Overall Place: 57 of 587

Gender Place: 46 of 412

Category Percentile: +92

Overall Percentile: +90

Gender Percentile: +89

 My Bike Results

Time: 2:46:53

I fought the 20 mph winds and averaged 20.13 mph. 

Time: 2:46:53
Speed: 20.13 mph

Category Place: 29 of 61

Overall Place: 184 of 587

Gender Place: 158 of 412

Category Percentile: +53

Overall Percentile: +69

Gender Percentile: +62

 My Run

Time: 2:25:13

This was not my best run at all.  My stomach was turning upside down on the run.  I was clearly not recovered from the Miami 70.3 of two weeks ago.  I also did not get enough fluids on the bike.  The heat on the run was brutal.

Time: 2:25:13

Pace: 11:05 min/mile

Category Place: 27 of 61

Overall Place: 244 of 587

Gender Place: 171 of 412

Category Percentile: +57

Overall Percentile: +59

Gender Percentile: +59

Overall:  05:51:08

Even with my crappy run, I was able to break the six hour mark.  I’m happy considering I had Ironman Miami 70.3 two weeks ago and also volunteered at Ironman Florida last week (12 hours of driving).



Previous Year Race Comparison
(Click to enlarge)

Pre & Post Race Cuban Meal
(A must do in Miami)

 

 

PREVIOUS RACE REVIEWS

Miami Man 2010 Review

http://halftriing.blogspot.com/2010/11/miami-man-triathlon-review-2010.html
 

Miami Man 2011 Review

http://halftriing.blogspot.com/2011/11/miami-man-703-pre-race.html

http://halftriing.blogspot.com/2011/11/miami-man-70.html

http://halftriing.blogspot.com/2011/11/miami-man-703-part-3.html

 

 

Cool Race Shirts
(All racer names are in the #10)



 

The Super Bling
(with rhinestones)

Ironman Florida Volunteering 2013

Panama City swim start.

On Saturday, I volunteered at Ironman FL.  It was a great and inspirational experience.  Bonnie’s team had a great showing of about 20-30 athletes.

Bonnie and I volunteered for out of the water sunscreen.  It was great because the shift is only from  8:00am to 10:00 am and you get to see everyone get out of the water.

Lots of sunscreen

It is a unique experience slathering hundreds of wet athletes with sunscreen especially when you have to complete the task in a matter of seconds.  Sunscreen goes everywhere. 

Bonnie at the sunscreen station

I had young, female athlete (with a smirk on her face) say , “I bet you like doing this!” LOL!!  I told her maybe under different circumstances but I have applied sunscreen to dozens of men with smooth shaven legs that look just like yours (sometimes better).  :-)

Finally a good picture of the two of us.

We also later volunteered to be finish line catchers.  Now this is an awesome job especially the last shift (9pm -12am)!  The crowed was AWESOME.  They were loud.  They banged on the fences. Scream, “you are an Ironman” at all the last finishers.  The crowd was wild, nothing like earlier in the day.  This crowd knew how to party and cheer people onto their dreams.  There were thousands of wild people watching the end of the race. You must stay for the last person at an Ironman.  It is a great experience.

The last shift is where you see the most dreams come true.  You see those who finish with nothing left in their tanks.  I caught the very last person who finished with only seconds to spare. 

Yvonne Van Vlerken and Mr HalfTRI-ng at the finish line.

I got to meet Yvonne Van Vlerken (the race’s women pro winner) during my catching volunteer shift .  She stayed out for the last hours of the race handing out medal and talking to the finishers.  She was an awesome person with a big heart.

Andrew Starykowicz and Mr HalfTRI-ng

I also got to meet Andrew Starykowicz who won 2^nd place.  He also broke the world’s record bike split at 4:02:17 (he held the previous record).  He was a great guy.  He asked Bonnie and I if we wanted a picture with him.  He also took a photo with some very young kids next to us.  He told them, “Don’t grow up and get into this sport.”  LOL! He was joking with them because he cramped up and it cost him the 1^st place finish.  He was awesome nice.  He also stayed for the last hours of the race at the finish.  He was dancing and cheering people on.

Andrew Starykowicz and Bonnie

I also got to see the two Bahraini princes finish the race.  They had about a dozen Expeditions at the end of the race ready to drive him off.  They also had a police escort for the whole race. 

I also got to see my friend Mathew from Shawn's Anomaly finish another Ironman.  He ran the race with the H.O.P.E. flag.  I met Mathew at Ironman FL 70.3 a few years back.  Now we talk every few months.  He is a great man with a great cause.  Check him out.

It was a great experience.  I highly recommend the experience.  These memories will last a lifetime.

Bonnie and I registering for Ironman 2014.
This was taken just moments before the HUGE spider in the
right hand corner attacked us.

We went to bed at 2:30 am and got up at 5:15 am to go stand in the cold to sign up for Ironman 2014.  It is official, Bonnie and I will be participations in Ironman FL 2014!!

On Saturday, I will be driving back to Miami to participate for Miami Man 70.3.  Three weeks in a row of races has gotten me tired of traveling and living in hotels.  I am looking forward to sleeping at home next weekend.

 

Bonnie and I in the Ironman 2014 registration tent.

 

The cheezy Ironman FL cycling jersey.
I got to get one next year