Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Ironman Texas 70.3

This was my second year to put Texas 70.3 on the schedule. Last year I flew down (Texas 70.3 2012) but this year I decided to make the long drive with my good friend Bob Sanderson. He was also interested in competing and since we had taken a road trip last year (Branson Training Camp) we thought we would double our distance and head out again.
Race day was a beautiful one with temps in the low 70's and a light breeze coming off the gulf. The swim was uneventful, and having only several swim workouts under my belt due to a shoulder issue that had me out of the pool for a month, I settled in with the goal of completion. The result was far better with my shoulder behaving and getting around in around 31 minutes. I was looking more forward to the bike and run which have both been going well in training this year. My fitness proved to be coming along and I cruised the bike course 11min faster (2.16) than last year and followed it up with a similar 1.22 run as last year. Total time was 4.14 and a PR for the distance which was a nice bonus. As you can see from the picture we both took honors in our age group...Bob 2nd in the 60-64 and myself 3rd in 30-34 (12th overall amateur). We had a great time and I'm sure this won't be the last of our road trips.
A week later I successfully defended my title for the 6th time at Spring Migration Triathlon, Emporia, KS.
This week, in what has become a family favorite, we head back to Columbia, MO for TriZou sprint triathlon for the 7th year. This race has garnered quite a bit of history for me with my first big amateur win my first year there, two elite title wins in TriZou 2011 and TriZou 2012, as well as the many great people we have gotten to know there including our home stay for the last few years with my great friend and advisor Joe Company www.endurancecompany.com and his family.