Training Table June 2007
T.J. Tollakson’s Triathlon
Newsletter
Check out…
www.tollakson.com for the latest information about my races and
2007 calendar
When Things Are Good…
June of 2007 has been my
most successful month of triathlon racing. I raced four consecutive weekends in
June and managed to set four new course
records, including my first major win at the Blackwater Eagleman Ironman
70.3, in Cambridge, Maryland. I have excellent momentum right now and my training continues to
improve. With a little lighter frame, my running is quickly improving at no
expense to my bike power. I look forward to healthy and successful season of
racing.
GURU…The
new thoroughbred…
I am sad to end a 3 year
relationship with Cannondale Bikes. As a former engineer for Alcoa Aluminum I
had a special interest in Cannondale and I rode a Cannondale as an Amateur in
’04 and through my first two years as a professional. That being said, I am
pleased to welcome a new member of my support team; GURU Bicycles. Guru is a
Canadian Bicycle Company that manufactures custom steel, aluminum, titanium,
and carbon fiber bicycles all under one roof. I will be riding a Guru Crono
Triathlon Bike in 2007 and look forward to much success as an athlete in Guru
stable.
Race
Report: Blackwater Eagleman Ironman 70.3
June
10, 2007, This was my second year at
the Blackwater Eagleman Ironman 70.3 in Cambridge, MD and after a
disappointing 6th place finish last year I was looking for improvement. My swim
was spot on as I exited the Choptank River in third place on the
feet of Luke Bell and Richie Cunningham. My swim was perhaps the biggest
improvement of my race from last year, and put me in perfect position to take
the lead early on the bike. Within half a mile on the bike, I established
myself as the race leader and pushed the pace hard. I wanted to get out of
sight of Luke and Richie and I did just that. At mile 28, I was on pace to
break 2 hours on the bike averaging over 28 mph and I had a 2:30 lead on Luke
and 3:30 lead on Richie. I new if I could extend my lead to 5 minutes I would
put myself in a perfect condition to win the race. On the second half of the
bike I continued to push hard but a headwind lowered my average pace to 27.5
mph. I finished the bike leg with a 2:02:45 split. I didn't know
how big of lead I had at this point but I knew I would have to run strong to
win the race. As it turns out I had nearly a 10 minute lead on Luke Bell (who
dropped out of the race at mile 5 on the run). At the turn around on the run I
saw I had an 8 minute lead on runner-up Richie Cunningham of Australia. At this point I knew
I was going to win the race. I cruised the last 6 miles of the half marathon
and finished my run in 1:18:09 to take my first major
win. I won the race with a 6:19 margin of victory over
second place and had the fastest bike split of the day by 8 minutes. Finally my
long awaited and much deserved breakthrough race. Today it was all about the bike!
|
Place
|
Name
|
Time
|
Swim
|
Plc
|
T1
|
Bike
|
MPH
|
T2
|
Run
|
Pace
|
|
1
|
TJ TOLLAKSON
|
3:46:29
|
21:57
|
2
|
1:42
|
1 2:02:45
|
27.5
|
1:57
|
1:18:09
|
5:58
|
|
2
|
RICHIE CUNNINGHAM
|
3:52:48
|
21:49
|
3
|
1:43
|
5 2:12:53
|
25.4
|
1:39
|
1:14:46
|
5:43
|
|
3
|
VIKTOR ZYEMTSEV
|
3:54:06
|
22:13
|
5
|
1:46
|
7 2:13:34
|
25.3
|
1:17
|
1:15:19
|
5:45
|
|
4
|
MIKE CAIAZZO
|
3:55:22
|
0:24:57
|
13
|
2:16
|
2 2:10:45
|
25.8
|
1:42
|
1:15:44
|
5:47
|
|
5
|
CHRIS MCDONALD
|
3:56:09
|
22:18
|
6
|
1:48
|
8 2:13:50
|
25.2
|
1:43
|
1:16:34
|
5:51
|
Race
Report: Quad Cities Sprint Triathlon, Davenport, IA
June 15 , 2007
I decided to return to the Quad Cities Triathlon to support Eric Sarno’s race
again this year. Eric still managed to have a sell out race even with Hy-Vee
hosting one of the largest races in the country the very next day in Des Moines. I spent Friday evening at Ashley’s Leukemia
Benefit Dinner (where she was runner-up for Woman of Year Raising
over $28,000 for charity) and didn’t get to bed in the Quad Cities until 2 AM. I had a 5:15 wake up call and headed out to the race on not much sleep. Oh well,
sometime you just go with what you have. I didn’t feel great during my warmup but
the longer the race went on the better I felt. I started 4th in the
swim, with the new time trial (Memphis in May style) start, behind the big dog swimmers
Stephen Brus and Charlie Cunnick. Charlie put about a minute on me in the swim
as I was not feeling great in the water and had a bit of tangle with some
fishing line. My transitions were slow as I felt a bit tired but I still raced
hard and knowing that Peter Sharis was out in front of me on the bike from
Charlie’s relay team made me hungry. I caught Pete just after the turn around
and managed to put a little time into him. Once on the run I actually felt
strong and fast. The first mile at the Quad Cities is always tough since it is
cross country but after that I clipped off some quick splits. I finished the
race in 59:45 and broke my old course record by another 55 seconds. Improvement.
|
Place
|
Ca
|
Name
|
Swim
|
T-1
|
Bike
|
MPH
|
T-2
|
Run
|
Pace
|
Time
|
|
1
|
I
|
Tj Tollakson
|
7:55
|
1:10
|
33:03:00
|
27.2
|
0:41
|
16:58
|
5:29
|
59:45:00
|
|
2
|
TEAM
|
Charles Cunnick
|
7:02
|
1:00
|
34:57:00
|
25.8
|
0:33
|
17:14
|
5:34
|
1:00:43
|
|
3
|
TEAM
|
Katie Haeger
|
8:50
|
1:10
|
36:42:00
|
24.5
|
0:28
|
16:50
|
5:26
|
1:03:59
|
|
4
|
I
|
Nathan White
|
7:48
|
1:10
|
40:00:00
|
22.5
|
0:36
|
16:41
|
5:23
|
1:06:14
|
|
5
|
I
|
Jeffrey Fleig
|
9:19
|
1:42
|
35:18:00
|
25.5
|
0:46
|
19:26
|
6:16
|
1:06:29
|
Race
Report Dutchman Triathlon (Duathlon), Pella, IA
June 23, 2007 One week after my victory in the Quad Cities I
set out to test myself again at the Dutchman Triathlon turned duathlon in Pella, IA. Dan Vande Lune is the race director; good friend,
personal physician, and supporter of the University of Iowa Triathlon Team were I began my journey as a triathlete. To be
honest, I was not exactly excited about the change to the duathlon but I felt
it was important to support the local race that had low numbers because of the
change of venue and proximity to Hy-Vee and Nationals. The race was now a 5K
run 40K bike 10K run. I wanted to take the first 5K easy and just cruise close
to the leaders then hammer the bike and see what I had in the tank for the
final run. My race strategy worked out perfectly. I know the pain the legs
experience when racing a duathlon and taking the first 5K easy was a huge
benefit. I was able to smoke the bike and get off and run a 34:18 10K to win
the race. I was very happy with this race and I can tell the weight I have lost
the past couple of months is really starting to pay off.
|
PLC
|
NAME
|
5K
|
Pace
|
T1
|
Bike
|
Mph
|
T2
|
10K
|
Pace
|
Finish
|
|
1
|
T J Tollakson
|
17:59
|
5:48
|
0:24
|
52:19:00
|
26.8
|
0:25
|
34:17:00
|
5:32
|
1:45:22
|
|
2
|
Ryan French
|
17:38
|
5:41
|
1:02
|
58:24:00
|
24
|
0:50
|
34:21:00
|
5:32
|
1:52:12
|
|
3
|
Jason Maurice
|
17:18
|
5:34
|
0:30
|
1:00:09
|
23.3
|
0:38
|
35:54:00
|
5:47
|
1:54:28
|
|
4
|
Patrick Riley
|
18:17
|
5:53
|
0:22
|
1:00:07
|
23.4
|
0:28
|
39:00:00
|