Fly Like An Eagle…

Eagleman 70.3 Race Report

Cambridge, MD June 12, 2011

Cambridge, Maryland will always be special to me. It is the site of my first major professional win, but it is also one of the best triathlon towns in the country. Cambridge is a small town on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. With the Choptank River running through town (and access to the Ocean), boating is a major recreational activity, but it is also right next to the Blackwater Preserve, home to several magnificent Bald Eagles. All in all, Cambridge is a gem of a town.

I have raced Eagleman four times, I was 6^th in 2006, I won it in 2007, and I had a flat tire DNF in 2008. Scheduling conflicts prevented me from racing in 2009 and 2010, but I jumped at the chance to return in 2011. Coming back to Cambridge this year, I thought about Chris McCormack’s quote in Kona after he had a mechanical DNF the year after he won, “I’m not the champion any more, but I haven’t been beaten” I felt the exact same way this year in Cambridge. My 2007 time of 3:46 hasn’t been bettered on the modern course, so I knew I had a special connection with the course and an ability to soar like an eagle. My race plan for 2011 would be identical to 2007, have a front pack swim, get on the bike and take control of the race. The weather proved to be quite a formidable opponent on race day as temps soared in the 90s with super high humidity. The wind was gentle but present, just enough to feel it on the bike.

My homestay for the weekend was Rich and Ann Strauss. I met them in 2006 when I first raced Eagleman. They are part of a social group known around Cambridge as the “Wharf Rats”, a group of boaters always hanging around the wharf in town. Dave Thatcher (another Wharf Rat) was my original homestay in 2006. This year, Ashley and I would hold up in Rich and Ann’s camping trailer RV. It was actually quite a pleasant experience as we lived in close quarters, but I think after 2 nights, Ashley had her fill of living super close to me. The night before the race, Dave Thatcher called me to tell me he looked online at the results from the past 5 years and noticed that my time was still the fastest, so I was there to win because nobody has been able to race as fast as I did. Thanks for the confidence Dave! We had a great pasta dinner at Rich and Ann’s house followed by some lovely fruit pie for dessert. I was ready to rock.

I had plenty of time on race morning to get in all the warm-up I wanted. I rode my bike to the race start (1.6 miles), and then went for a short run with some drills, strides, and stretches. It was super humid in the morning and I worked up a solid lather before donning my TYR Torque Swimskin and heading into the Choptank River. The water was calm and they modified the swim course to go clockwise instead of the typical counter clockwise course they used for most of the races thus reversing the swim entry and swim exit points. I did a nice swim warm up in the 82 degree water (record high water temps) and felt smooth and relaxed in the water. It was time to race.

The gun went off and I had positioned myself on the far left of the swim course (outside lane). Matt Reed and John Kenny were both near me, so I jumped on John Kenny’s feet for as long as I could then when he got away, Matt Reed came by me and I stayed on his feet for the remainder of the swim. I was in a small group of 4 swimmers including Matt, Terenzo (two time defending champion), and a Russian I had never heard. I came out of the water 4^th in the pack but was comfortable and in a solid place to take control on the bike. It didn’t take me more than 5 miles to assume the lead on the bike and I never looked back from there. I put my head down and hammered. The flat, smooth, blacktop roads made for an ideal time trial for me. I didn’t get any time splits on the course and I didn’t have anyone around me. I knew there was nobody close behind me, but I didn’t know how big (or small) my lead was. I came into transition and the first split I heard was from Maxim Kriat saying I had at least 3 minutes on the chasers. I ran the first 3 miles of the run and Ashley and Sean Bourne (my swim training partner in AZ), gave me a split I had 4 minutes on Matt Reed and Terenzo. I had my work cut out for me because my first 3 miles were not blazing fast. Apparently nobody was going to be blazing fast on the day as the heat and humidity took its toll on all the athletes. At the turn-around of the run I had about 4:30 on the chasers, so I knew I was actually putting time on them. I could relax a little bit, but still had to make sure I was holding pace. With 3 miles to go I still had a 4:30 lead so I shut it down a bit and just cruised to the finish. I was starting to cramp a bit from the heat, and I wanted to make sure I didn’t dig too deep those last few miles. I ended up crossing the finish line with a 3 minute margin of victory over Richie Cunningham (he was also second in 2007 when I won). The victory was sweet! Like bookends on a period of trials and tribulations for a period of 3 years involving injury and my recent hip surgery and recovery, I was back on top. There were only 2 runners who managed to break 1:20 on the run so my 1:22 run wasn’t too shabby. It was enough to win and that is really what matters, but there is always room for improvement. I took a moment at the finish line to pose and soak it all in, you never know when your next win is coming so I wanted to enjoy it for everything it is; awesome.

Having my wife, Ashley, and training partner, Sean, there to witness my win was even better. I can’t wait to return to Cambridge in 2012 to once again fly with the eagles.

Work Hard,

TJ

A Dam Good Training Day…

Dam to Dam Race Report

June 4, 2011

I was supposed to run Dam to Dam on June 4, with my wife, Ashley, as a training day for me and help pace her to a PR and a sub 1:14 20k to collect a cash time bonus in the race. I ended up running solo since Ashley just found out days before the race she has a stress fracture in her medial tibia. She was majorly bummed and so was I. I did the run anyway as my last workout before Eagleman. I was directed my Coach Cliff to wear my heavy training shoes and treat it like a workout, not a race. I was going to do a 5 mile warm-up (one mile was with my Shar Pei, Whinnie), then do a 3 mile cool down after the race and run straight home and hop in the ice bath then sit in the Normatec. It was a perfect setup for a tough 20 mile day of running. I went out with the lead women for the first mile and it was 5:37. I knew that was faster than I wanted to run, and faster than they would run so I promptly slowed down to the correct pace to run sub 1:14. I ended up running a few miles with a former high school cross country teammate, Marcus Murphy (he was second at Dam to Dam in 2005). I kept my pace steady and even. I went through the 10k in 36:30 and finished my final 10k in 37:00 for a total time of 1:13:30. It was a very smart day of training and pacing and just what I needed for one last hard workout before Eagleman. I ended up running into the finish with Michelle Lilienthal from Iowa City (now Michelle Frey) who took 4^th place for the women. Ashley was pretty bummed watching me finish know that she could have been right there duking it out with Michelle for 4^th. Oh well, there will be many more days of racing for Ashley. Ice bath and Normatec then some breakfast at Gateway Market and a nap, sounds like a perfect Saturday to me!

Work Hard,

TJ

Snake in the alley…

Snake Alley Memorial Day Bike Races Report

5/31/2011

Last year, I drove to Burlington, IA with my good friend Brad Bach to compete in the Burlington Memorial Day bike races including the Burlington Road Race and the Snake Alley Criterium. I was still a CAT 3 rider in 2010, and raced in the CAT 3/4 Road Race then the master’s 30+ Crit and CAT 3 Crit. I had a great time racing despite note taking it super serious. I was really just there for a tough workout. I was planning on returning with Brad this year to race in the Pro 1/2 Road Race and the Master’s 30+ Crit, but Brad broke his bike frame the week prior and had to sit out. This year I made the trip with my American Equity Velosport Iowa Teammate, JJ Bailey, and his girlfriend, Erin. We drove up on Friday morning for the Road Race, and somehow managed to make a wrong turn. We were heading East and a little South to Burlington, IA, but JJ was driving and looked up at the big sign asking “Why are we in Missouri?” We took a nice 90 min detour, but made it in plenty time for the race. It was actually quite comical. We thought we should have at least stopped at the border exit to purchase some fireworks to show for our adventure. It really only limited my warm-up, but that was fine too. It was a 102 mile Road Race, so there was plenty of riding to do. The race started very chaotic as rider after rider attempted an early break. I had a solid team with me, Jeff Bradley (our team leader and former tour de France pro), Lou Waugaman, Carson Christen, Chad Bishop, and JJ. There were a total of 6 of us, and we were all strong riders, but the plan was to try to lead Jeff out for the downhill sprint finish into town. There were a couple of early breaks that the peloton reeled in, and then it started raining. I didn’t want anything to do with a bike race in the rain so I went to the back and actually rode off the back for a short while, but when the road was straight and flat, I found myself in the peloton. Coach Cliff English told me goal number one of the bike racing weekend was to make sure I didn’t crash. I didn’t want to ride like a pussy, but I didn’t want to take any unnecessary risks either. The rain eventually stopped and there was a solid break up the road and nobody was working to bring it back. Jeff got the team organized with another team (ISCORP) and we took turns pulling at the front to try and reel in the break. We worked hard and functioned well as a team, but in the end we fell about 30 seconds short of bringing back the break. It was still a great race, and I loved working as a team in a “through and off” echelon. Jeff cracked the top 20 in the sprint so it wasn’t a miserable attempt, but we certainly were a rookie team. I finished the day with an hour run off the bike while my teammates and scoffed at my ridiculous antics, but hey, I’m a triathlete not a cyclist. It was a late night and early morning but I was ready to go again in the Master’s 30+ race at Snake Alley. Snake Alley is the “crookedest road in America”; it is a short brick road that switchbacks up a steep hill on the river bank. I did a long warm-up as per coaches instructions then just before the start of the race, it started to rain. I wanted to just drop out of the start line, but I paid my money for 12 laps up snake alley, and gosh darn it, I was going to get all 12 of those laps, rain or no rain. I changed my tactic from racing to just riding and made sure to hit the climb nice and hard each lap, but played it safe on the descent to make sure I avoided crashing. I didn’t really have any fun in the crit and left Burlington a little sour on the experience, but I will probably return next year at least to do the road race with my team. I finished the crit on Saturday with a 45 min run off and called it a day of training.

Work Hard,

TJ