Vineman Monte Rio 2015

The Russian River has played a big part in my journey as an athlete and holds a special place in my heart so I was excited to add Monte Rio to my calendar this year. I earned my professional license at Vineman 70.3 originally and the Vineman family has been so supportive of me over the years.

This year, in keeping with my push to try to focus on enjoying events more rather than putting stress and pressure on myself, I didn't plan a place to stay for Monte Rio and just researched campgrounds nearby to explore when I got there. One great thing is that they let you set up everything the night before so you aren't as hurried in the morning! I dropped off my stuff, caught up with some friends, met some new fun people and even helped a couple of people with mechanical and technical issues with their gear. It was really fun to hang around and chat with people and provide advice and encouragement in transition the day before. Once I was all set I headed down the river to the coast and headed south to find a campground. Bodega Doons state park still had spaces available so I parked my car and set up my tent then went for a walk around the doons and the beach, took some pictures and just spent some time decompressing.

Without having made many plans I didn't have much to do so when I got hungry around seven I ate my diner and just crawled into my tent. I listened to music and dozed for a while. I woke up at 9:45 or so and listened to people laugh and tell stories around their campfires for a while then fell back asleep. I woke up again around 3:45 to the sound of light rain on my tent and then fell back asleep. Even though I didn't sleep straight through the night I felt rested from the accumulative relaxation and I think that this ended up being a good strategy for pre-race rest. In the morning I stuffed everything in my car and had some breakfast and coffee before heading out.

With everything set up already I didn't have to be there too early, when I got there I went for a quick warm up jog and was surprised my legs feeling pretty good! The light fog actually kept the temperature from dropping too much so it was cool but not too cold which was great. I got my wetsuit on and went down to the river to loosen up and check out the sight-lines. The water was very comfortable and the river valley is so beautiful you feel like you are swimming in a forested paradise! There were a couple of guys I knew starting the race and we chatted before the start about how training has been going and goals for the season. I lined up right next to Ted Simpkins who I know is a strong swimmer and we shook hands before the start.

When the horn went off we got a really clear start and I was glad not to get caught up with other people in the beginning.  Ted and I went stroke for stroke pretty much the whole way to the turn around which was nice and I think definitely helps keep you swimming straight and on a good pace. There were a couple of spots where you could dolphin dive and I would usually get a little advantage there then we would come back together. At the turn around I went through first and got the line going on the way back before Ted came by. He was swimming strong so I slotted in behind him and took the opportunity to glance back and see if anyone was chasing. It looked like a big gap to the next person. I was happy about this because I had not done much intensity this year and wasn't sure how I would fair throughout the day. Ted was pushing hard on the way back and I had trouble staying with hi at some points and had to dolphin dive hard on a couple of shallower sections to get back up to him. He had a body length lead on me coming out of the water and we had over a minute on the chasing group.

I passed Ted in transition and I got on my bike and moving as quickly as possible to try and preserve the gap that we had developed. I didn't feel like I was flying on the bike but I didn't feel as flat as I had been the last couple of weeks so I was happy for that. Ted re-passed me around mile 4 on the bike and I resolved to stay with him no matter how bad it hurt. The river road section is perfect pavement that rolls just slightly and heads down towards the coast which is perfect for time-trialing. Through the Austin Creek section Ted had the throttle on full blast and I was really digging deep to make sure he wasn't pulling away. Once we were back onto river road the speed picked up and around mile 10 I started gaining on Ted and passed him with a nod and told him we were strong and to keep it up. I went to the front and brought the speed up setting the best tempo I could. When we hit Hwy 1 I had started to pull away from Ted a little and I figured that might be a sign that I was on a good day so I dropped in and went for it. At the turnaround in Jenner, an absolutely beautiful little coastal town I had around 30 seconds on Ted and then I saw Yu Hsiao at around a minute back. I knew Yu was on good form from how fast he blew by me at Wildflower and I figured I would have to maintain that gap to the start of the run if I was going to have a chance to hold him off. I kept the pace hot on the way back to transition and only let up a little at the end to catch my breath and get out of my shoes.

I entered T2 first and to my surprise Yu had caught and passed Ted and they were both within 30 secconds of me. I rushed through transition and got out on the run as quickly as possible...my hope was that the chase on the bike had left Yu tired and that if I could hold the gap he might not be able to chase me down on the run. The Monte Rio run course is on a small two lane road that skirts the south side of the river and is almost entirely enclosed in a beautiful Redwood canopy and I kept thinking to myself 'This has to be the most beautiful course I have ever done!' Then of course the pain in my lungs would bring me back to reality. I went hard the first two miles and around then I heard Yu coming up on me...as he went by I gave him a pat on the back and some encouragement. At first he was gaining slowly on me and by the turn around it was maybe a thirty second gap. I tried my best to keep my effort up in hopes that he would fade and I could make a late push to catch up but he never did and around mile five my cache of top end effort was all used up. I let my stride shorten and kept the turnover going for the last mile and came in just under two hours which I realized I told someone before the race that if I did that I would be stoked...and I was!

It was great to have a fun, positive, strong group to race with and I am glad to see that I haven't lost my ability to go hard at the shorter distances. I don't know what my favorite part of the race was, the incredibly beautiful and fun course or the awesome pancake breakfast they served for all the participants afterward but Monte Rio has made it on my list of favorite all time events and I hope that I can come back in future years to enjoy the breathtaking scenery and race with friends and some of the really awesome new people I met this year!

Thank you to my sponsors and everyone for supporting me over the years and continuing to believe in me!




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5/4-5/10/2015 The Plan

After a decent day at Wildflower last weekend I finally felt confident enough to start making a plan for the season. I am going to plan on sticking to local events...with the recent trend in our sport towards consolidation and exclusivity, I have been seeing less and less support for local events, promoters and athletes. These have always been the people that supported me and even though I get the appeal of destination events, there are so many good ones right in our back yard, put on by people in our community, that are just as challenging and support the goals of people that may not be able to afford the travel, fees and gear for a 'bigger' event.

I have only gotten a couple of months planned so far but I am really excited about giving some of the remaining goals I have for triathlon a go this year. The main focus of the early-mid summer is going to be on Vineman's events in the Russian River area of the north bay. On May 31st they are hosting a relatively new olympic distance event called Monte Rio which I have not done before and I am very excited about. I am also planning on doing their 70.3 event in mid July in preparation for a second attempt at the Full Vineman on July 25. Last year I was on a great day there and some minor unforeseen challenges forced me to pull out...I am really looking forward to another try at putting up a great day there!

Swim 10,000 yds
Bike 7 hrs
Run 16 mi
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WILDFLOWER 2015

TriCalifornia Events and Wildflower in particular have been a huge part of my triathlon career and all of the races I have done with them have been very special to me. This year was no exception and I am again left with a greater appreciation for the fact that I get to do a sport that I love, supported by the most wonderful people one could ever hope to know and in such beautiful places.

Wildflower can sometimes be an incredibly hot weekend but this year a nice breeze and fluctuating marine layer was keeping it cool and clear. It turned out to be absolutely beautiful and the night before the race hanging out at the camp grounds overlooking the lake was so relaxing. I had not been feeling great coming into race weekend but catching up with friends and watching the moon come up, enjoying laughs and food put me in a much better place.


It cooled off overnight and we a bit chilly even in the morning which brought the water temperature down just enough to make it a wetsuit swim for us. I was excited about this because I just got my new ZOOT Prophet2 and had not had a chance to try it out yet. The atmosphere was amazing in transition and on the shuttle to the swim start with everyone excited for the day, the wonderful volunteers were as always enthusiastic and supportive and I kept bumping into friends, some of whom I had not seen in months! I went for a quick jog around the campgrounds and felt surprisingly good and figured with the big group of professionals racing it might not be a bad day.

I jumped in the water early to get loosened up and adjust my new wetsuit a bit...the water was clean and warm and the suit felt great! I cruised back into the starting area and joked a bit with other friends warming up and the volunteers. I jumped up on the dock for a quick chat with the race director before the start and thanked him for having all of us and supporting our passion by running such a great event then scooted back into transition for a quick hug and kiss from my girlfriend before the long day got under way.

Not having done any races yet this year and having gotten a late start on training my main goal for the day was to stay within my limits, run my own race and keep things in control. Wildflower can break you down really bad if you aren't smart or if you give it too much too early and being a little unsure about where my fitness is at I resolved to just stick to what I knew I could do and push it later on if I felt good. With that in mind I let everyone line up for the swim and then took a place in the back...when the starting horn went off I waited a second or two and then jumped in after the flailing mass of swimmers fighting for position. I never liked getting pummeled in the middle of a group and I didn't want to sprint right from the start so I just slowly got going and once the pack was stretched out I worked my way up the side of the group until I found a small group of about 6-8 that was moving along at a good pace and slotted in behind them. This group ended up being pretty strong and I had to work to stick with them. I got gaped at the turns but worked my way back to them and it was a good solid pace. The water was warm so the last third of the swim I felt a little toasty in a full-sleeve wetsuit but only a bit and I dropped my head a couple of times to let some water into my suit to keep my cool.

We came out of the water in a little over twenty four minutes which is good for me and I felt like I had not over-exerted myself which I was pleased about. Everyone had been telling me for weeks how bad the run up transition 1A was so my plan was to just take it really easy and jogg up. I was a bit slow getting my suit off and shoes on, maybe because I am out of practice but wasn't too worried as I realized that there were a lot of strong guys still around and I would still be in the mix. I took it easy going up the boat ramp and when I crested the top of the hill I just let my legs open up to a comfortable pace. I had lost the group I was with in transition and on the run back to transition 1B there was a steady stream of people passing me every minute or two. I kept an eye on my watch and I was moving at a decent pace so I just let it go that I was loosing places. Transition 1B was smooth and I took the time to put some socks on for comfort. There wasn't anyone around me when I hopped on my bike and I felt pretty good right away so I was glad to get out on the road and get some work done.

The first big hill comes at only two miles into the bike as you climb out of the lake basin and right away I realized that I should have taken the time to swap out my cassette. I had to stand and grind for most of the climb and even though it didn't force my heart rate up too bad my  legs were getting achy from the low cadence. Once out onto the flatter rolling section I felt smooth and fast but something was off. In the first fifteen miles of the bike almost the entire men's field passed me. Sometimes in groups and sometimes one at a time but there was nothing I could do to stay with any of them. There were guys that I know I can ride with too and I just couldn't get that extra gear to go with the pace. This is always a struggle for me because self doubt and frustration sets in but I knew I had to just stick to what I could do and keep on. I kept the nutrition going and stuck to an effort level that was strong but in control, knowing that it was a long day and things can always change. I spent most of the ride alone but it was a beautiful day and there wasn't too much traffic so I enjoyed the scenery and kept the food and drink going in. The volunteers were amazing and did a great job of passing off bottles and cheering us on!

The last ten miles of the bike were a little tough with the lower gears and a bit hot but I felt ok coming into the park and felt like I could run which is better than I had anticipated feeling. Once I turned into the park the lead two women caught me and I knew then what kind of day I was really putting out. I followed them into T2 and no longer feeling rushed to race I took my time getting everything together to run. I grabbed some nutrition and water and used the bathroom. After that quick break I felt good and got out onto the run at a pretty good clip. The first couple of miles felt great and I was running at a pace that I was kind of surprised and happy about. A couple of miles where the run heads back into the canyons and hits some of the harder hills I took a PowerGel from the aid station but not enough water and when I ate the whole gel it bogged down my stomach. I slowed to a controlled jog in hopes that it would pass with time.

The really hard middle section of the run was a bit demoralizing and the woman who would eventually go on to win blew by me on a hill where I was walking as if she were running on flat ground. I was feeling pretty beat up but I grabbed a water bottle and carried it to keep myself cool...I was hurting but never got to the place where I was broken down so I kept up a nice steady trot for the rest of the run and finished feeling relatively controlled, tired but strong and positive about getting through the day with a decent time. I had worried going into the race that it was going to be a real struggle and I was going to have to walk for miles just to finish but even though I felt flat most of the day, it ended up being a pretty solid finish.

The aren't too many feelings greater than a cold towel on your neck and shoulders and a cold spray bottle on your face when you are hot and tired. Once again the Wildflower volunteers were above and beyond in terms of energy and enthusiasm, support and encouragement and I am so grateful for all of them! It was great to catch up will all my fellow athletes and hear about how their day went, their plans for the season and what they were up to in life. The feeling of euphoria that sets in under the recovery tent as your body begins to pump the recovery endorphin's and you put some normal food in your stomach is something so unique and I am still on a high a couple of day later as I write this from it.

Photo Credit: Slowtwitch
I hung around the finishing area and cheered for girlfriend and a bunch of other people as they finished...the finish line is always such a great atmosphere and somehow no matter how your day went even if you have to have a little cry, being around all the other people seems to make everything ok again.

After getting cleaned up and cooled off everyone was hanging out at the expo and we lounged in the shade with a nice breeze, ate a ton of food and listened to some great music and I was happy to be back into another racing season and more motivated than ever to get back on form and shoot for some solid results this year. We finished the night around a campfire making s'mores and listening to the music and parties happening all throughout the campgrounds...the full moon lit up the lake basin and we stargazed, talked and laughed until we were all too tired to sit up (8:45pm) before retiring for a well deserved nights sleep. All in all it was a great day...not much of a result but for me, right now it showed promise that I might be able to make something happen this year and that hope is all I could ever ask for!
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4/13 - 4/19/2015

This week was very up and down. I had some pretty good days and some days where I just wanted to lay in bed. I don't feel spectacular but I do feel like I am ready for the season to start and hopefully I can race my way into some decent fitness.

Spring is in full swing and everything is so green! People gardens are blooming and the forests are really starting to come alive. We have been getting some of our nice cool foggy mornings too which I love and hopefully it won't be too hot of a summer.



Swim 14,250 yds
Bike 6.5 hrs
Run 20.75 mi
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4/6 - 4/12/2015

These past couple of weeks I have finally been taking a shot at some of my target workouts that I regularly use to gauge my fitness. I have been doing better than expected which is really exciting! I know that the lack of consistency and volume are a challenge but my strength and speed seem to be back at a good level. This is good because Wildflower is less than three weeks away and even thought I don't have any illusions about winning I also know that it won't be awful and if I stay within myself I still stand a good chance of a decent result.

I have been getting in a lot of my new gear from Team Zoot and the color schemes are awesome! I love that Neon Green & Yellow, Bright Orange & Blue as well as Black and Green are the trend right now...it really brings me back to my 90's roots :)

Spring has begun here and even though it will be short lived because it is so dry, for now it is really beautiful out and training has been very enjoyable!




Swim 12,000 yds
Bike 9 hrs
Run 27.75 mi
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