Mark Cardinale's IM Boulder Race Report
Coming into this race I couldn’t have felt better. I was completely uninjured, I was rested, and I was confident. I had practiced on the course and I felt like I had the potential to have a really special day. As it turned out I had a very unusual day and a set of circumstances come my way that I was almost, but not quite able to overcome.
The big question before this race was will the race be wetsuit legal or not. Every year, even going back to when the 70.3 was the first weekend in august, this was always the question, but every year they would find a way to make the race wetsuit legal. So when I heard the water temp was 74 on Thursday I figured it would for sure be wetsuit legal. Friday at the opening ceremony they announced it was 76.8 making it wetsuit optional (cutoff is 76.1). This had me concerned that it may actually be a wetsuit optional swim, but then Saturday I heard the temps fell again and it was somewhere near 74 degrees. I brought both my wetsuit and speedsuit to Boulder so I felt prepared either way, but knew, being a poorer swimmer, I would benefit more by way of a wetsuit swim. On race morning as I was boarding the shuttle bus out to the reservoir it was confirmed that the water temp was 78.6 and it would be a wetsuit optional swim.
Prior to boarding the shuttle bus, my morning went according to plan. I didn’t sleep great only getting a couple hours, but this is not abnormal for me. I was up at 2:45 and went through my normal process of eating, drinking and getting mind and body prepared for battle. My wife dropped me off close to the shuttles about 4:10. I dropped off special needs bags and then got on the bus out to the reservoir. I went through my normal morning procedure in T1, filling bottles and putting air in my tires. As it got closer to the start time I noticed a lot of people had opted to wear wetsuits.
Swim
The plan was to let all the non-wetsuit swimmers start first and then release the wetsuit swimmers. I had to fight my way past the corale of wetsuit swimmers to get to the nonwetsuit swim waves. I eventually settled about the middle of the 1:00-1:15 corale. Looking back that’s about where I would have seeded myself if I were in a wetsuit. I probably should have seeded further back because I got absolutely clobbered from the moment I put my head in the water and started swimming. At one point I had to laugh at myself thinking that I actually had the nerve to write in my race plan, “embrace contact!” I wanted to slap that guy! After the first 15 minutes it settled down and I was able to get into a decent rhythm, but it wasn’t long before I noticed being passed by people wearing wetsuits. I thought, how could this be, am I actually that slow of a swimmer? This continued for the remainder of the swim, being passed or swam over, by people in wetsuits. It wasn’t constant, but just when I thought I was starting to get into a good rhythm I would get bashed out of nowhere. I have previously had problems with calf cramps while swimming, but had pretty good luck this year. I have been training for the last month with this new experimental anti cramping drink called “it’s the nerve” and while it’s vile to drink, I must say, I haven’t experienced any cramps. I was glad to be out of the water, but was initially disappointed with my 1:21 swim time, but I do feel with a wetsuit I would have been pretty close to 1:10 which is about where I was targeting. Also, I didn’t feel fatigue or tiredness from the swim until probably the last 15 minutes or so and I think that speaks to all the swimming I have done over the past 6-8 months. I know for me it’s a multiyear project to keep chipping away at my swim times.
T1
Typically I can breeze through transitions, but I executed here so poorly on this transition that it probably cost me a trip to Kona. Wearing a speedsuit I thought, great, no need to hit the wetsuit strippers, just grab my bag and get to the tent and do a quick change and go. Instead, after I grabbed my bag and got to the tent there was a line of guys trying to even get into the tent and I could see it was just packed full of people. I made the decision to skip the tent, run along the outside of the tent to the exit, and sit on a patch of grass and do my business. So far, so good. What I didn’t account for was the struggles I would have trying to get my wet arms into my T1 stealth top I had rolled down to my waist to fit under my speed suit. I struggled with that and I struggled trying to get calf sleeves on my wet legs. Looking back, I should have put the calf sleeves in my jersey pocket and put them on in T2. Also, I don’t know if I will wear a long sleeved top in a nonwetsuit swim again, or if I did I would need a better way to get my arms into the sleeves. Average T1 times for top guys in my AG were around 4 minutes and mine was just under 8, again, this was one of several areas on the day that I believe cost me a spot to Kona.
Bike
By the time I was on the bike I was just happy to be out of the reservoir and out of T1. I knew my swim was not good, but I figured everyone’s swim was going to be impacted to a greater or lesser extent by no wetsuit, but T1 really hurt. Even though I don’t have years of experience racing ironman I know it’s a long day and you must put things behind you as they happen….easy to say, but harder to do. As I turned my attention to the bike I felt really good and made sure I started eating and drinking as soon as I was out of the reservoir. Winds were calm for the most part and I focused on getting on my watts right from the start. I passed a lot of people early on the bike and it was very uneventful. I knew I was making up time and as I watched my IF creep up I knew I would need to take some chances to chip away at the time I had lost at the start of the race. Instead of riding right at 200 watts (.75 IF) I focused more on keeping my power in the 205-210 range. This felt comfortable and I felt like I was walking that line of riding an aggressive IM bike, but not to the point where I was pushing HIM type watts.
Around mile 35 coming out of Hygiene I hit railroad tracks really hard. I wrongly assumed the tracks would be covered. They were covered with a blanket or some kind of tarp, but I thought there would have been plywood or some other more durable type of material used to cover the tracks. I believe this decision to be aggressive over these railroad tracks would come back to haunt me later in my ride.
The second loop was more of the same. I thought I would run into slower riders still on their first lap than I did, but it was very spread out by this time. I continued to watch my IF creep up from .75 to .767, to .775, and I knew I would be getting into dangerous territory if I was to let it get above .78 so I did what I could to pull back my effort level, but even late into the race it felt hard to keep my power under my target watts, vs struggling to hit those watts when it gets late in the race.
About mile 85 in a very fast section of the course heading north on the diagonal highway, I hear this cracking sound and then a split second later my rear wheel locks up and before I know it I’m skidding down the highway trying to keep my bike right side up. I held it together as long as I could, but eventually lost control and went down on my left side. As I laid there another rider stopped and asked if I was OK and I mentally took inventory of all my pieces and parts, I said, “yes, I think I’m OK”. I was able to stand up and look at my bike and at first I thought it was my chain that got locked into my wheel, but what I noticed was the clamping piece of my speed concept draftbox that sits below the seat stays separated from the box itself and lodged in between my frame and my wheel.
Here ^^^^^^^^^ is the piece that broke loose
I tried to turn my wheel backwards but it was really jammed and would not budge. By now the other person that stopped had left and I felt resigned to wait for bike support to come rolling through, but after a couple minutes playing with it I realized, just remove the rear wheel. I did so and the piece fell right out. I reclamped the wheel, put my chain back on and did a quick check and things seemed ok. I was bloody, my kit was ripped, but I got back on and tentatively started riding again. I was probably on the side of the road for 5 minutes but it felt like forever. As I gained more confidence and started pushing the pace I was passing the same people I had previously passed. Having worked so hard to move myself back up through the field, only to have to do it again was completely demoralizing and again I had to summon the thought of just put it behind you and focus on the task at hand. Same deal….easy to say, but harder to do. The rest of the bike was uneventful except for peeing at mile 108 – I don’t suggest doing that with fresh road rash! Ouch!!!!
My numbers on the bike were
- NP 206 AP 200
- VI 1.03
- IF .778
- TSS 289.6
RUN
Thankfully my T2 was uneventful and as I started the run I felt ok. My wounds were superficial and I didn’t feel like I had any structural damage to leg, hip, or elbow. Coming out of T2 I had a can of warm beet juice that I waited until I could pour into a cup of ice at aid station #1 before drinking, but even doing that I spilled a good amount of it on face and the front of me. The thing about beet juice with that deep red color is that it looks like blood and I think people looking at my body and then seeing me with beet juice all over my face must have thought I was it a lot of trouble. I laughed to myself and tried to clean up my face as I was running but it must have not worked because I had a medic on bicycle come up to me and ask if I was OK and wanted to keep going. I always try to use humor as a way to convince people I’m OK so I think I said something like, “I’m running a marathon after 6 hours of exercise, show me someone who is OK?” She laughed and said she would be back to check on me later.
In those early miles I probably had my pace a little too hot, running 7:30-7:38, but I knew I would need to be aggressive. I saw my family sometime around mile 2 (luckily I cleaned up pretty well in the second aid station) and my wife said I was 15th off the bike. I was amazed that after all the drama from the swim and the bike, I was still within striking distance on the run. As I made my way to the first out back section I got a sense how far I was behind the lead pack and I made the smart decision to keep things under control knowing that a lot can and will happen over the next 3 hours and just focus on slowly chipping away. Things started getting hard early. Around mile 11 is where I first started thinking about wanting to be done, but I flashed to what Tim Cronk wrote as feedback to my race plan. He said;
“Are you ready to accept the risk to find/dance that fine line of the edge of the envelope and the outcomes, no matter what? If yes, in your mental preparations start thinking about being slightly uncomfortable from the start and then very uncomfortable for the 2nd half of the marathon….IOW you must start pushing earlier/harder/sooner, trying to find that balance, still preserving your secret weapon “the run”….”
And here I found myself in that exact situation having to deal with being very uncomfortable for the next 2 hours. It was all I could do to focus on taking one step at a time. Just get through each step, focus on maintaining the best form possible. It wasn’t easy, but it did seem to help and I tried to focus on slowing down as little as possible. The uphill section back into town and through the little park at the turnaround was a tough grind and I knew I would need to find the strength to do it again. I was passing people, but very few in my AG. It was unreal, 30-34, 40-44, 35-39 – I was passing them all, but where were all the guys in 45-49. They were few and far between. The 2nd loop was brutal. My walking through the aid stations was getting longer and longer. I was now officially in pain and wanted to be done. A different medic rode up beside me and again asked if I was OK. I had no energy for humor at this point and just muttered “I’m fine”. I switched to coke and around mile 19 and I felt my hands start to tingle around mile 20 so I had ½ banana. As I made my way back uphill, I knew I would need to push hard for the next 20 minutes then I would have 2 miles downhill to the finish line. I stopped at the aid station at mile 23 grabbed oranges and coke and knew that was the last stop until the finish line. I passed someone in my AG right before the turnaround and that gave me motivation to hit the gas on the downhill as much as I could. It took everything I had to cover those last 2 miles in around a 7:30 pace. The finish line never looked so good and when I crossed the line I was too tired to even put my hands above my head.
My times were:
- Overall 9:53:46 5th in AG 22nd Overall
- Swim 1:22:10
- T1 7:47
- Bike 4:52:49
- T2 3:55
- Run 3:27:05
I've for sure looked better!!!!!
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The finish line catchers took one look at me and said he needs to go to medical. They took me to medical and cleaned out my cuts and scrapes. By this time my family found me and they thought I fell at the finish ala Dino as they didn’t notice my torn kit or bloody leg the 4 times I ran by them. When I told them I had a bike crash they were stunned. My wife let me know I was in 5th place, but I knew I needed to wait a bit to see if the results would hold. After 15-20 minutes she checked again and sure enough I was still in 5th place. I was happy to be on the podium but even more so about being in the hunt for Kona. I knew 4th place would be a shoe-in and 5th would probably be enough to get me there. What I didn’t realize until the next day was the fact that the swim being wetsuit optional changed the # of starters in each age group as only the starters not wearing a wetsuit are considered when doling out the slot allocations. The next day when I arrived at roll down the slot allocations were posted and there were only 4 slots in my AG and my heart sunk. Sure a rolldown could happen but I just had this feeling that it was unlikely. The winner in my AG also won last year and last year he declined his spot, so I thought for sure he would take it this year which he did and so did the other 3 athletes ahead of me. I missed 4th place by 4 minutes and 24 seconds which I could have easily made up without my bike crash or with a better executed T1, but coulda, woulda, shoulda….All that really doesn’t matter. I’m very happy to finish on the podium and that is something I could not even have fathomed 2 years ago. All that being said, finishing on the podium, setting a PR, going sub 10 and coming in 22nd overall, but still missing out on Kona leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. It’s unfortunate to come so close only to fall short, but I know I’m not the first one to come close and fall short and I won’t be the last. I know me and I know I will bounce back and I will use this as motivation as I approach 2016, but for now it stings pretty good!
So what’s next and what are my learnings...
- Do nothing….for now! I think I need to let my body heal and take some time to reflect before making any decisions. There’s a part of me that wants to take my current fitness and apply that to another race this season, but that would be an emotional decision and probably not the right call at this point.
- I have this nagging feeling that I need to volunteer at a race. A part of me feels like this sport has been so very good to me that maybe I have taken a bit too much and need to rebalance the scales somewhat by volunteering. I know, it’s weird….
- Make a decision on my bike – I now have frame damage where the piece of draft box was lodged between the tire and the frame. Not sure what that’s going to run to fix, but will need to balance that against the cost of upgrading where I can get the exact build that I want.
- The one thing I’m very proud of with this race is the fact that I never quit. I have heard Coach Rich say it over and over again; you never ever give up in an ironman because you have no idea what’s happening ahead of you. This was so true during my race. Despite unfortunate circumstances, I was able to put the past behind me and battle back into contention and almost pulled out the KQ.
- In terms of execution, I will again throw myself into improving my swim in the off season, but I will try to take a more structured approach as outlined by Mike Roberts vs. just throwing pure volume at the problem.
- Wetsuit vs. non-wetsuit and T1 – Next time in a non-wetsuit swim, I will for sure swim in a tri tank so I don’t need to worry about getting my arms into a sleeved top. Also, I know I received advice about working on a flying start coming out of T1. I now get the point to minimize moving parts and save seconds anywhere you can find them. I will practice this until I have it down.
- And finally start the planning process for next season. I’m seriously considering doing IMTX and then IMBoulder again. Texas has a large number of slots and I am very heat tolerant so I think it plays to my strengths especially on the run. Boulder is my home town course so hard to exclude that race. That gives me 2 shots at KQing next year, but again no decisions for at least the next few weeks.
Thank you all for reading this overly long Race Report. I would like to say thank you to my friends on Strava who are much better than I am at always providing feedback and encouragement on those really hard rides and runs. The motivation since last October to always do your best is a big reason why I was able to improve my riding a lot this past year. I’d also like to acknowledge the IM Boulder EN Team. It was fun spending a little bit of time together and getting to know everyone before the race. Congrats to everyone and especially the first time finishers. I hope it exceeded your expectations. And finally I do want to acknowledge my family for all their support this year. It was a long year and while I can usually find a way to get up early and do most of my workouts while the family is asleep, there’s no getting around those Saturday and Sunday rides and they were more than supportive of my weekend efforts. I know they are proud of what I have done, but I can’t help feeling disappointed that I wasn’t able to reward them with a trip to the big island. If you stuck around this long, thank you for reading and as always, any comments, questions, or criticisms are more than welcome!
Comments
You've gone through the results and done the "woulda / coulda / shoulda" etc. You know that it was a compilation of adverse things that struck you. I don't know if this is a "take comfort" point or will piss you off, but I noted that although your swim might have been "awful" (your words on the dashboard, but yes, next guy to swim slower was 14th AG), it was NOT the only difference-maker to 4th place. It really was a confluence of things as you know. The guy in 4th swam pretty darn slow and beat you out of the water by less than his margin of victory overall. Now, that plus his 2:02 advantage on transitions and yes, your bike + run including crash combined was 1:25 faster. That is a huge bummer to have a faster bike+run and not beat a guy who's clearly a weak swimmer but as you noted that T1 killed you.
I am really and truly impressed with your ability to get back into your box and keep racing -- enduring a hell of a run and pushing HARD -- despite all the adverse things that happened. As you said, easier to say than to actually do but damn impressive and a demonstration of the fact that you're a real competitor through and through.
As a last point, I suggest getting a new bike assuming it's something you can afford. After upgrading my bike and setting an 8' bike PR in a half-iron last year, and after using both bike in training this year and seeing how much faster one of them is even when not "dressed up for race day" it has become clear to me that equipment matters. And for a guy like you who's looking for a couple of minutes and who is a real contender, you should be riding the best.
Mark - given everything which happened for/to you in this race, I;d consider the day a huge success. In my experience for those of us are are capable of it, there is little to no correlation between Kona Qualification, and the quality of one;s race. EG, in my past 4 IMs, I;ve come in sixth in what I feel was my best overall performance, won twice by 30-40 minutes and felt I was dogging it, and finished third by over an hour, racing myself into the med tent. It depends so much on who's there and who isn;t.
It's only been a few days since the drama and the trauma of that race. Nearly half of all IMs are now wedged into the Sept - Nov time frame, including the following North American races which are still open: Wisconsin, Tahoe, Chattanooga, Los Cabos, Cozumel; & charity slots @ Maryland, Florida, and Arizona. Getting a Kona slot THIS year for NEXT year's race is a big bonus, let's you train properly and plan way in advance for the Big Dance. If you feel a spark rising in the next week and get family go ahead, then you could roll over your fitness into a new go around.
I'll be riding up Independence Pass twice in a row with the USA Pro Challenge in two weeks (18th & 19th?).
I hear you about the bike. I;ve been telling myself for ten years to buy a new one
Mark....great report. I have been following you on Strava and have seen all the work you have put in. When I saw your 5th place finish and running down all those folks on the run I was so impressed. BUT....I had NO IDEA of T1 problem and the crash. Considering that, I am even more impressed. To keep fighting that hard and suffering on the run like that after those unfortunates is really a testament to your mental strength. I think you are now just a "clean race" away from KQ. To be that close with a few costly hiccups is frustrating I'm sure. Congratulations and very well done! JL
Sure was fun watching you crush the guys on the bike and then run through 10 on the run... Just an amazing display of performance/execution.... All this not even knowing you had a crash!
Like I have said before.... You are the real deal.... Assuming you enjoy this , have time, can afford it, and want to take it further , with your engine and ability , you owe it to yourself to work on your limiter (THE SWIM).... Yep the year of the Mark Cardinal SWIM.... That is of course after you race one more IM this year :-)
T1- sucks this happened to you but we can all learn from it regarding the longsleeve/shouldered shirts we all want to wear on the bike... I have an LG-M2 suit and tried swimming in it rolled down and then putting it on after when wet.... I tried just one time and F-that , even if it was faster it was so frustrating it wasnt worth it... So I just wore the full suit under the wetsuit... What will I do in a No wetsuit swim? Not sure but I'm going back to the drawing board to practice... For a race like KONA I may just have to suck it up and get it on wet since it will help the bike and add sun protection.... Thinking of a separate shirt like the M2 Jersey and applying lots of tri-slide to the inside of the sleeves....
I agree with Matt, you are at KQ fitness level, and so signing up for another '15 effort seems appropriate to me (says the guy with wife/3kids). But seriously, unless Kona was just a fling (hard to imagine that), it took you years to get to this spot, hard to imagine banking on "next year".
At IMStG this year, I had the same Bontrager draft box. The lid came off twice in the first 5 miles of that race, lead to one fall (thankfully not at speed) after which I ran all over the road picking up stuff (while dodging bikes), a second stop to do it all again 5 minutes later. The next week I went all X-Lab swearing never again. FYI, I had some damage to what I thought was frame, but shop guys says it was paint only, so I still ride it.
I know exactly how you feel about volunteering.
Congrats dude.
Mark, congrats on a great race. You obviously overcame a lot and finished with an amazing time, whereas many of us would have crumbled. The KQ is always a crapshoot to some extent. If seen 9:20 guys get shut out, and I've seen spots roll to 14th to a guy who went 11:15 and ran a 4:16 marathon. The only thing you can control is your outcome. But you're at the point now where, on most days, you're gonna be in the mix.
The Boulder swim was definitely slow, with a lot of IM vets I know swimming 8-10 minutes slower than usual. Even if that translates to a 1:12-14 "normal" swim for you, that's still too much time you're donating to the top guys. And if the non-wetsuit factor caused you to slow even more than most, that means you've still got some structural issues that a wetsuit helps mask. No different than running, swimming is just distance per stroke and stroke rate. With proper body position and technique, you'll get more distance per stroke, and the obvious work you put in will enable you to find/sustain the right stroke rate for an hour+. You just need to develop the right form and efficiency so you can swim 100yd repeats at a strong, steady pace of 1:25~, ultimately shooting for 1:20, then building your threshold pace into that same low-1:20s. It will take patience and probably a little humility. But if anyone can do it . . .
Your bike and run have become huge weapons. Not many people podium an IM after a 1:22 swim, even fewer with a crash and a marathon T1 thrown on top.
If you decide to jump back in this fall, I'd be weary of FL and AZ. Assuming they play out like they usually do, FL attracts a ton of Europeans (and North Americans) who try to set PRs through organized cheating on the bike. In our AG, you can go 9:30 and maybe crack the top 10. It's a recipe for a ton of frustration and anger. Yes, I'm doing FL this year, but it's for fun (I just love the course). And AZ always tends to attract the top end of the AGers, especially in/around our AG. Again, you never know who will actually show up, but Choo is a course seemingly built for you (easier swim, rolling bike, challenging run). If you started there this fall, I'd put $100 on you.
Congrats again. Heal and rest.
I'd agree with what was said above -- if you can swing it, upgrade your bike. My outlook is that I'm happy with my P2 because it isn't the bike holding me back. However, you've made it to the point where you need those extra couple of minutes a superbike will give you. I'm guessing that you would have been within spitting distance of the 4th place finisher on a P5 or similar bike. Also, you told me you had an issue with that storage compartment at Kona. Two races with issues -- time to move on. You just need to convince your wife how much money you're saving by buying a new bike.
Also, consider doing an aero camp. Jim Manton at ERO in LA does them at the Velodrome. He fitted me on my P2. Not only was the fit perfect, but I learned a ton about aero just talking to him. There is probably something similar in Boulder. If not, you could always go to LA and crash with Coach Rich so he won't need the life-size cutout of you.
Looking forward to our next race together!
Mark, what an impressive race. I watched my computer all race and followed you. It has been great following you on Strava and watching you race.(Online) As Tim said, you are the real deal. I will say that your comments about making emotional decisions hits home. I also wrecked this year on the bike. I really under estimated how bad I was injured. These last two weeks since the race have been tough. I am learning the EN mantra of Patience & Discipline is truly the key. I know that I am glad that healthy or injured you are not in my age group.
I agree with the guys who mentioned hitting up another IM this season.
You are right there...so close. If you can swing it, go for it at a race that favors your strengths.
Mark,
Awesome! Sounds like you had some really tough breaks! I'm impressed how you kept executing after everything.I would not pretend to give advice or anything, you are really an inspiration! It was great to meet you in Boulder and and get to know you just a bit. Good luck in the future. I will be watching you and looking for your next outing!
Erik
Update: I have made the decision to not race another IM this year. Putting my family through another training block even for a handful of weeks is just too much right now. I haven't made any final decision on 2016, but i am looking at doing 2 IM's.
@Matt - Thanks, man! I have done the same analysis and it's got to the point where i need to let it go. Doesn't change things, no matter how many times you run the numbers. I am still looking into my bike situation and i suspect it will take a month or 2 to sort out what direction to go, but i agree, equipment matters for sure. I know we are similar in terms of our swimming ability vs bike and run, so hopefully there are some learning from my race you can carry with you into IMWI, but that being said i am hoping you have a clean race without all the drama!
@Al - Very good point about who shows up and thanks for sharing your experience. I guess if you play this game long enough, these things are going happen. As i mentioned above, another race this year is no go for a variety of reasons, but mostly because i think my family needs a break. I hope you enjoy Aspen. The colorado weather has been very nice lately so hopefully that will continue during your time in the mountains. Thanks as always for your input, Al!
@Jeff - Thanks, Jeff! I hope you're right!!!
@Tim - I hear ya, brotha! Any way you shake it out, i own it. Coming up short was a failure in execution, despite the crash. Hopefully, anyone who read this can learn from my race. That is, after all, why we take the time to write race reports, so others can learn from the things we do right and wrong. Yes, i really hope next year i will have a breakthrough on my swim. I have plans to restart lessons later this month and the will start adding volume and frequency while i have the time. I'd love to find a way to get my wetsuit swim to 1:05-1:07 and non-wetsuit to something like 1:11 to 1:13. Not fast my any means, but achievable for sure. As for your dilemma with what to wear in Kona, i agree with you for a course like Kona the advantage of a long sleeve shirt for aeroness and sun protection is key. I'm wondering if you might have better luck getting into if you don't where it tucked into your speed suit, but instead change into fresh in T1. It might be easier to get on if its'dry, vs. both it and you being wet. for sure something to practice. Thanks, Tim, for the advice and all the support.
@Doug - new bike or not, i will NEVER ride with a draft box again. Simply can't take that chance. It could have ended much worse. Thanks for your comments, Doug!
@Mike - You are my swim mentor!!! You have shown that with hard, and more importantly, smart, work you can move from MOP to FOP. I plan to reread your 9 steps post take more analytical approach than i did last year - that plus lessons to continue to work on mechanics and body position. As long as i keep seeing progress, i'm willing to keep putting in the work. Thanks for your tips on the upcoming races. I have CHOO on my list for sure for exact reasons you mention, but it will probably be a year or 2 before i pull that trigger, but i see doing that race some day.
@Dan - Thanks, man! Yea, was that you with the green compression socks? if so, small world and wish i knew, but i didn't have much strength left to flash the gang sign! :-)
@Gabe - Thanks and 10-4 on the new bike and that's a good point on the benefits of saving all those $s
Yes, i look forward to another race together as well!
@Bruce - Thanks, man! How bout a repeat performance for you at IMMT! If i can help as example of toughness (or boneheaded mistakes not to make) great! You got this!!!
@Carol - Thank you! I hope you enjoy Kona!
@Ed - Right back at ya, about Strava! Yep, patience and discipline are of paramount importance in this sport on many levels - but yet we all struggle with the application! Hope you heal up soon.
@Don - Thanks but another race this year is a no go!
@Brad - Thanks, man! Too bad about your crash. Heal up and get back it! you got this!
@Erik - Thanks! sorry i missed you at the expo. I ended up leaving right after the roll down as you might imagine. It was great to meet you as well and congrats on your finish, Ironman! Let me know what's next for you when you get it figured out!
@Scott - Thanks! Too bad about about IMLP, but will be watching you at CHOO! Go have a great race!