tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54770478199824568692024-02-18T19:57:26.401-08:00Andrew Bauer - Professional TriathleteAndrew Bauerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09311758305998460364noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5477047819982456869.post-11602598468843165532014-05-30T14:57:00.000-07:002014-05-30T14:57:04.717-07:00Throw Back....Friday - Escape from Alcatraz WeekendOK, so it's been a year since I've last written a post. Sorry about that. Life is busy! I'll try to keep this one short, because we all know long blogs are less likely to be read all the way through. We'll start with a fire-drill of race results so far this season:<br />
<br />
Oakland Half Marathon:<br />
I was so pumped to be 100% healthy after 2 years battling Achilles and calf problems, I decided to give a half marathon a go with minimal training. I was also happy to run the Oakland Half, as it is my hometown. Only having run one official half marathon prior, I was hoping for a PR, but wasn't expecting one. I ended up with a huge PR to take 2nd place in 1:11:03. It showed my hard work was paying off and I was even more excited to get this triathlon season started.<br />
<br />
HITS Napa Olympic Triathlon:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdneEmRvlZ5lEaMvCgbSem5LFIXgQpHLEg7xUhGml0DNRoYJQJoQ_n_h8AnCJWUvT5is79VrGUuVBw4e5FknIxPnKEJn5BJzeWBicLjh3S8gAyesX-JFhoG8VxMg04UCAQaLR-q7KNcuc/s1600/Bauer_Napa_HITS.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdneEmRvlZ5lEaMvCgbSem5LFIXgQpHLEg7xUhGml0DNRoYJQJoQ_n_h8AnCJWUvT5is79VrGUuVBw4e5FknIxPnKEJn5BJzeWBicLjh3S8gAyesX-JFhoG8VxMg04UCAQaLR-q7KNcuc/s1600/Bauer_Napa_HITS.png" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
Being 3 weeks before Wildflower as well as my first triathlon since July of last year, I was happy to race this low key Olympic event in Napa. Rebecca and I made a weekend out of it with some good friends. I had a great swim getting out of the water with a minute lead. On the bike, the lead quickly diminished and by the time I was off I was sitting in 4th place, losing over 4 minutes to the leader. With all the work I had been putting into the run, my bike has dropped off a bit, however I was strong on the run and caught the leader before the 5k turnaround. I came away with the win, making it a great rust-buster for Wildflower!<br />
<br />
Wildflower Long Course:<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfZsOzZyJ3r1RGJHL4-9xef7RLdiddZyoTDqd6dZVk1mBhtgTqVXUxZhTxUWqRyp19G6sCTbBJNsX4PZCQOHuyk7N550toOnIl2jdqsxb4ijUYzwpRS5wHFITh-Xv4P4luWMmDSzUmPRo/s1600/046.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfZsOzZyJ3r1RGJHL4-9xef7RLdiddZyoTDqd6dZVk1mBhtgTqVXUxZhTxUWqRyp19G6sCTbBJNsX4PZCQOHuyk7N550toOnIl2jdqsxb4ijUYzwpRS5wHFITh-Xv4P4luWMmDSzUmPRo/s1600/046.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a>When I thought about Wildflower this year, I envisioned redemption. Last year was rough...as you can see from my previous blog post. I was very under-trained and it was my very first 70.3 experience. I feel like I had learned a lot since...but the bike course still scared the hell out of me. I really felt like this year was going to be a good one, especially with the altered course (2-mile run after the swim to T1). I had the best swim of my life (even better than last year) to get out with the main pack. I still really had no idea where I was in the field until I ran past Rebecca 1 mile into the run to T1 when she yelled "6! You're 6!" I also heard people cheering for Jesse Thomas <i>behind me</i>! Any time Jesse Thomas is behind you, you are having a good race! Unfortunately that was only the swim/run. The bike proved just as difficult as last year. I lost up to 15 minutes to the leaders over 56 miles. That's a lot. Needless to say, Jesse wasn't behind me anymore. I was able to recover for the run and use it to my advantage (unlike last year). I ran myself from 21st off the bike up to 13th at the finish. Overall, a great performance for me and still a TON to learn.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8Wfn5Eo0KiKWwmR4it3pvuxQPL1FnkUjuQC-4zEwp_FYKWKNdj0Rx-UKVePXXtRvdxW1ufvodqL2_-oy4-pAOHc3c5sKy_4aBRC1c-pI34VzMVfo8m_-4SqAfTwMV4KNOlsZY2jkc6EE/s1600/055.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8Wfn5Eo0KiKWwmR4it3pvuxQPL1FnkUjuQC-4zEwp_FYKWKNdj0Rx-UKVePXXtRvdxW1ufvodqL2_-oy4-pAOHc3c5sKy_4aBRC1c-pI34VzMVfo8m_-4SqAfTwMV4KNOlsZY2jkc6EE/s1600/055.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This brings us to the topic of this blog - Throw Back...Friday. I know, I missed it by a day - I had a busy day at work. Let's rewind to TODAY in 2008:</div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I'm sitting at Pete's Coffee outside Sports Basement Walnut Creek with my coach at the time, Wayne. I was brand new to triathlon, in fact I only had 1 race under my belt. I had no idea what I was in for. Wayne took out a paper and pen and drew his best diagram of the San Francisco Bay with a little circle in the middle and labelled it "Alcatraz". He then drew a bunch of arrows going towards the Golden Gate Bridge and said don't swim straight to the swim exit, but rather aim for different buildings at different points of the swim. With only 6 months of swimming (ever) under my belt, I now knew I was in for a struggle. "No problem" Wayne said, "Make sure you stop in the middle, look left and look right. Check out both bridges and take a moment to realize where you are. It's awesome!" Stopping in the middle of a race? I wouldn't even think about it. Well, I did that year and it was awesome. I finished my first Escape from Alcatraz that year, swim, hilly bike, sand latter and all! I've come to think of this race as my home course and have competed every year since. Here are some pics throughout the years:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEC58hB5FOZJAPMFofT2ciPSIQt3fQNgqy6IaNuZ6-ROcbaHk4wC695UoJdf5miCiKk4pTcJAHkAhU-huGu-JH9JIgpWvVgj6ZF2gOkzCkXDmivogW2GEM35G4oTr8dKIL4iTcg3Sj5xs/s1600/34262-093-032f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEC58hB5FOZJAPMFofT2ciPSIQt3fQNgqy6IaNuZ6-ROcbaHk4wC695UoJdf5miCiKk4pTcJAHkAhU-huGu-JH9JIgpWvVgj6ZF2gOkzCkXDmivogW2GEM35G4oTr8dKIL4iTcg3Sj5xs/s1600/34262-093-032f.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2008 up the sand latter for the first time</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3AZtNmDjUtXhSgUbstP8a9Hdn3aEzzcza9_yEdnfymLu87LcYEfbx9rmfvQm0yXh7T47LjSGKL41uwMHRAm6CEXUBHD5X5sSDaAN0umGktIXmSxvop5W9hgJg23322cCVPTuVxAuzZyw/s1600/3631209306_338cafc888.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3AZtNmDjUtXhSgUbstP8a9Hdn3aEzzcza9_yEdnfymLu87LcYEfbx9rmfvQm0yXh7T47LjSGKL41uwMHRAm6CEXUBHD5X5sSDaAN0umGktIXmSxvop5W9hgJg23322cCVPTuVxAuzZyw/s1600/3631209306_338cafc888.jpg" height="311" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2009 Run</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigY92qSFDmDTYeNpcAGvKISD2fN0EGU5X_bBqRfxUSdFcrRj_bsEsewoRen444_fvVsRSo1OfQGTcMyqwnNMxPLRQj1C_8LQNV6YP_m8EnJxUB34gz_-hQdF8BS7tSdxErkmIukc7gaHU/s1600/34262-535-033f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigY92qSFDmDTYeNpcAGvKISD2fN0EGU5X_bBqRfxUSdFcrRj_bsEsewoRen444_fvVsRSo1OfQGTcMyqwnNMxPLRQj1C_8LQNV6YP_m8EnJxUB34gz_-hQdF8BS7tSdxErkmIukc7gaHU/s1600/34262-535-033f.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2008 head to the finish!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw6sUc8zauul5XxeNG22F8TfCnQ7PpnQODGbr6_D-6iVRw9ijGc-dp8GosHLLruf7Ezj8FugTxX3vui5yNU6vewFvPPUKHRMS-OFWJ5qwle4Makvd1TmXWjmeExeDcBJ-eSTFdNV9D0Gs/s1600/IMGP4566.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw6sUc8zauul5XxeNG22F8TfCnQ7PpnQODGbr6_D-6iVRw9ijGc-dp8GosHLLruf7Ezj8FugTxX3vui5yNU6vewFvPPUKHRMS-OFWJ5qwle4Makvd1TmXWjmeExeDcBJ-eSTFdNV9D0Gs/s1600/IMGP4566.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2009 - 2nd in age group</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1YIOpaHzzWkZGohT76PBkwjNVz3-hGYuGhrJVIln2bAObHRtkbb7YPiKG09NoBMYgmUXT46NyOF68I3R7yDX0diQGyNVsYFCl57h7cTuaq69Adl7tZxX5QG5Kb40EPcNjkw7_dtGoXNw/s1600/79093-214-001f+crop.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1YIOpaHzzWkZGohT76PBkwjNVz3-hGYuGhrJVIln2bAObHRtkbb7YPiKG09NoBMYgmUXT46NyOF68I3R7yDX0diQGyNVsYFCl57h7cTuaq69Adl7tZxX5QG5Kb40EPcNjkw7_dtGoXNw/s1600/79093-214-001f+crop.JPG" height="320" width="235" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2011 Finish</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj8744uRtmAqW030Uyh93H-8W27JnNQ48SgynnU0hodnt2zD1WzWzhRqxvr_iJAhwWpFLaS0sg5u_gRJ1UdWzpAFz11fQZOaqTEZWRElVPWYxbKSsMwY_N-UOzFBcjVjxSLNzfSqCRCNI/s1600/Escape+SB.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj8744uRtmAqW030Uyh93H-8W27JnNQ48SgynnU0hodnt2zD1WzWzhRqxvr_iJAhwWpFLaS0sg5u_gRJ1UdWzpAFz11fQZOaqTEZWRElVPWYxbKSsMwY_N-UOzFBcjVjxSLNzfSqCRCNI/s1600/Escape+SB.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2013 Swim to Bike</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGCnv48xWd4z2m3BN3tCb_QdHoRShp_9yWoG22f9dEOZ1QF7yv4AsNJ9pEga51SZ3CtMUo8b8-E6Cf_F_qJIeJrRCmCHL_ZeLvM76zDfxQqCToR_IQkJOushn08qG-82JKfL-e8xokydU/s1600/887054_10101902910039833_1220106480_o.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGCnv48xWd4z2m3BN3tCb_QdHoRShp_9yWoG22f9dEOZ1QF7yv4AsNJ9pEga51SZ3CtMUo8b8-E6Cf_F_qJIeJrRCmCHL_ZeLvM76zDfxQqCToR_IQkJOushn08qG-82JKfL-e8xokydU/s1600/887054_10101902910039833_1220106480_o.JPG" height="214" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2013 out of the water - very cold</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Last thing, I promise:<div>
One of the cool events going on during Escape weekend is happening tonight at Sports Basement Presidio. Eric, the voice of Escape will be going through the course giving pointers and info to you athletes on everything you need to know for race day. That starts at 5:30. At 6:15, Andy Potts and myself will be there to answer any questions you might have about the race, triathlon in general, and life as an athlete (and full time employee). We will be signing autographs after. Here's a sneak peak at my super cool post cards, courtesy of Tanner Von J (photo) and Michael Stricklan (making it all happen). Which one is your favorite?</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSlpoOnCswPO0SOw_cBx5S9uvTNvVF2cjYqzRjT-jDkAukI3qy1a1dX8RpGke3xSa37L603LM8I-6khIXcwvAZbma6njZlXFmdIXj_bDVotoeTKW4fof2lpTJUWmgnTdsuB0KDhgzFUP0/s1600/image+(1).jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSlpoOnCswPO0SOw_cBx5S9uvTNvVF2cjYqzRjT-jDkAukI3qy1a1dX8RpGke3xSa37L603LM8I-6khIXcwvAZbma6njZlXFmdIXj_bDVotoeTKW4fof2lpTJUWmgnTdsuB0KDhgzFUP0/s1600/image+(1).jpeg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4r4H5NstSs45GB7YuX1ZgmcQcNY2ZZc3jR5KaQAlroQ96zil_GEtBTzxuyqDAsS2yDvRxM0efFKcjrpqMSLNjnLV-3GmLLA7iDqtqJ3Cvq5NuYc8ZGNi0vs4cJIwpHkdBKGIRyQ5H4jQ/s1600/Run.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4r4H5NstSs45GB7YuX1ZgmcQcNY2ZZc3jR5KaQAlroQ96zil_GEtBTzxuyqDAsS2yDvRxM0efFKcjrpqMSLNjnLV-3GmLLA7iDqtqJ3Cvq5NuYc8ZGNi0vs4cJIwpHkdBKGIRyQ5H4jQ/s1600/Run.jpeg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Andrew Bauerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09311758305998460364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5477047819982456869.post-14198598549583134862013-05-10T07:28:00.002-07:002013-05-10T08:03:24.855-07:00Wildflower 2013 - The Day of Many Firsts<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Oh Wildflower! The "Woodstock" of triathlons, which brings 90-degree heat, wind, lots of hills, and crazy (not always clothed) fans, is one of my favorite events of the year. Of all the places I've raced, Wildflower is special to me because its where I raced well enough in 2011 to earn my Pro Card.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Before my Achilles injury kept me from racing in 2012, the plan was to give some 70.3 races a try. With a swim that is similar in distance to the Olympic, but a bike and run that's more than double, the 70.3 just suits me better. More time to catch up after the swim (there is some irony here...more on this later). Now that I'm back to racing and feeling great, it was time to go back to this famous triathlon and give the Long Course a try.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
My first ever half ironman (aka - 70.3) was a great experience. Not only was it my very first 70.3, but many other firsts happened along my 4.5-hour journey. The week leading up to the race was extremely warm. Wildflower is usually a very warm race, but the heat seemed to be on everyone's mind this time. The air was so warm that for the first time in Wildflower history, the water temp was above the legal limit for pros to use wetsuits. This didn't necessarily make me nervous, but more "crap, I'm already at a disadvantage with my swimming ability, and now I can't wear a wetsuit!" Little did I know, I was about to have the swim of my life.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I was calm and relaxed on race morning as Rebecca and I packed the car and headed to the course. I was excited to get this race underway. The air was already starting to warm up and the water was a balmy 70 degrees as I jumped in for a warm up. In past races I haven't given the swim warm up enough credit. I've been working really hard in the pool over the last 12 months and know that I feel better and swim my fastest times halfway through my workouts. I was one of the first swimmers in the water to warm up for this race. I made sure to get in the equivalent of my nice long pool warm up so I was ready to roll when the horn went off.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj9icpOmBJK-2_zkaAF4VT7XhSmBRsnxztcxbV2mKwNr9iadR-usCXqUxvKsnaetuRkvG939nnYdowF7hp-SiiwiZms2KQpvgU0MbsNDkAJa0QLnLN_1EzMzeABAGHuBuSAH15DxQvmYc/s1600/DSC_0034.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj9icpOmBJK-2_zkaAF4VT7XhSmBRsnxztcxbV2mKwNr9iadR-usCXqUxvKsnaetuRkvG939nnYdowF7hp-SiiwiZms2KQpvgU0MbsNDkAJa0QLnLN_1EzMzeABAGHuBuSAH15DxQvmYc/s320/DSC_0034.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That's me in the red in the LEAD pack!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
As we were called to the start line, I thought to myself "OK, here we go, 70.3 miles of racing starts now." My goal for the swim - find some feet and stick to them! The horn went off and a frenzy ensued. 36 of us were all trying to swim in the exact same spot...nothing new in triathlon. I started on the left side with a clear shot to the first turn buoy. I felt good in the group of swimmers right ahead of me, so after dodging a few feet aimed for my face, I found a nice draft. After the ~300-meter sprint start and the first right turn, things started to settle in. I was still following the same guy and it felt easy! The swim has never really felt easy to me. Every time I looked up to site, I saw a ton of green caps ahead of me, but they weren't getting away. A small gap opened up ahead of the guy in front of me so I decided to try and go around him. I pulled up along side him and it felt like I was sprinting again. After not making up any ground after a while, I decided his speed was just fine for me, so I stopped swimming for about 3 seconds and jumped right back on his feet. At the half way point of the swim, the course takes 2 quick right turns to bring us back to shore. It was when I looked around the buoys of those turns and didn't see any large grouping of green caps, that I thought I may be in the main group! I was so determined and locked into the feet ahead of me for the rest of the swim. No mater how hard it felt for the rest of the swim, I was not letting those feet go. I finally hit ground and started running up the steep boat ramp to transition. Looking around, I took note of who was in my group. I saw Jesse Thomas, Leon Griffin, Joe Gambles, Matt Lieto, and thought "Holy Crap these guys are studs! I swam FAST!" In my first half ironman event, I had the swim of my life and for the first time since I began competing, my swim had put me in contention.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDdKbaRrOomfrGkfdrrXPvK_THVWBaGi8mI1BuzCZVGnyEit9DWtnc76jJhsvozGuNVR1R8lHVSTB3rQInlcqHxHWHJV13VY0brbSuRH70VUuy6L7LO5QZxlb7oiBoYzBnmOG5WkFDo7E/s1600/DSC_0089.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDdKbaRrOomfrGkfdrrXPvK_THVWBaGi8mI1BuzCZVGnyEit9DWtnc76jJhsvozGuNVR1R8lHVSTB3rQInlcqHxHWHJV13VY0brbSuRH70VUuy6L7LO5QZxlb7oiBoYzBnmOG5WkFDo7E/s320/DSC_0089.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Last miles of the bike...legs fried</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
After getting out of the water with the eventual top 4 overall finishers, I was so excited to get onto the bike! I had a great transition and was rolling out right behind Jesse Thomas's (eventual winner) wheel. I reached down to tighten my bike shoes and realized that the Velcro strap to my left shoe had slipped out of its loop. Crap! My right shoe was fine, but I had to thread the strap through the loop while trying to keep the bike straight and not lose any ground. Well, I lost ground. I immediately went to the back of the main pack and lost them on the first climb of the bike course. That's OK I thought as I climbed up the hill and got out of the park. The main leaders group was gone, but I still had a guy in front of me I could key off of. I kept him about 50-100 meters in front of me for about 15 miles. It was extremely hot out there on the road. I went through 2 water bottles in 20 miles and just set in for a long, painful ride. At mile 25 I lost site of the guy in front of me and was being passed by the chase pack. This pack consisted of the eventual 5-10 overall finishers. As the last guy of the pack passed me I got out of the saddle to try and match his speed. My legs just weren't responding. I wasn't even halfway through the bike yet, so I settled into my own rhythm and tried to keep it steady. At mile 40, the course starts getting incredibly hard. "Nasty Grade" is the infamous 2-mile climb from miles 41-43, but it doesn't get much easier after that. My legs were shot and I was beginning to feel a slight cramp coming on in my left hamstring. I've never experienced a cramp like this during a race before...another first. At this point I kept telling myself to get through it, don't slow down, and just get to the finish. The last 10 miles of the bike were a struggle. A few more guys passed me. As they passed I tried to respond and match their speed but nothing was happening. I rolled back into the park and through the gates to a tunnel of people and noise. The fans at Wildflower are the best around. They go so crazy that they practically carry you to the finish line, which was exactly what I needed. I flew down Lynch Hill and into transition. I had a smooth transition and grabbed everything I needed and was off running.</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE-qizk5i8OZWmxrDNnypBu5EnWlWWvmT3r_pT8FUw5Ci5mRMmHspQHCxcsewZsUkaWJUu5i3hj55Wp3e1zd3s5Qia0Jr3TzfY28gqga68KiqMOZV_iMTSbtuXI2HZoZHKPTPYvprvvz0/s1600/photo+(20).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE-qizk5i8OZWmxrDNnypBu5EnWlWWvmT3r_pT8FUw5Ci5mRMmHspQHCxcsewZsUkaWJUu5i3hj55Wp3e1zd3s5Qia0Jr3TzfY28gqga68KiqMOZV_iMTSbtuXI2HZoZHKPTPYvprvvz0/s320/photo+(20).JPG" width="239" /></a>My first couple steps were great. I got out of transition with 2 other runners, but I could tell my body was wrecked. I trotted through the first mile losing contact with the others. In the 2nd mile, my back was tightening up, my left calf and hamstring were cramping, and I had to use the bathroom. I knew there were bathrooms at the 2-mile mark so right as I was coming up on the aid station I veered off the trail and headed straight for them, prompting a nice roar from the crazy aid station crowd. As crazy as it sounds, it was that brief moment of not moving that let my body reset. It was a nice break, but I hope that this was my first and only mid-race bathroom break. Back on the trail, with yet another cheer from the crowd I found my stride. I immediately caught one guy who had jumped ahead during my "break", but my light feet only lasted about a mile. As soon as the course hit the dirt trail, my legs gave up again. I kept my pace consistent but it was SLOW. Miles 5 and 6 are on some pretty gnarly dirt/sand trails with some crazy steep hills. I've never ever walked in a race, but it was on one of the hills back there, that I was jogging so slowly that when I started walking, I think I was moving faster. I walked to the top and found my stride again. The rest of the half marathon was a series of finding my stride, then tightening up to a slow jog. The best part of the run was miles 8-10 through the camp sites. Once again, the fans came out with their cheers and entertainment and carried me for the fastest 2 miles of the run. I passed a lady who offered me bacon (it smelled so good), I was offered numerous cans of beer, and was even joined by a drunk college kid for 200 meters with his pants pulled down asking if I'd smack his ass...to which I politely declined and used the little energy I had to throw in a surge to get away from him! In this 2-mile section I passed on more runner, who would be my last pass.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcxgyCvObp_RQuSJLQ6QKqtry5Rt0D8pi7wNpUS8ezGEoJdeSv7FUlecNnWYTLDoyphyphenhyphenuf2X0uk3ByLX1oBE4lagQ8J45CHKlxkUuNKJwaLItv143K2uoMhLWbZr4-nCPKDnh71d-gjho/s1600/DSC_0140.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcxgyCvObp_RQuSJLQ6QKqtry5Rt0D8pi7wNpUS8ezGEoJdeSv7FUlecNnWYTLDoyphyphenhyphenuf2X0uk3ByLX1oBE4lagQ8J45CHKlxkUuNKJwaLItv143K2uoMhLWbZr4-nCPKDnh71d-gjho/s320/DSC_0140.JPG" width="214" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coming into the finish</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The last 3 miles of the run were back on the hot blacktop. It felt like a death march. I was not gaining on anyone, but no one was gaining on me. Every time I tried to speed up the legs were not responding so once again, I just tried to keep my pace steady. In the last 10 minutes of the run I thought about the race. The 70.3 distance is going to be great for me. I thought about all the work I needed to do to be competitive on the bike and still have enough for the run, but I also thought about how far I've come since my Achilles injury. I thought about how hard the Wildflower course can be, especially in 90-degree heat and that every 70.3 I did from this point on would be so easy (I was probably delirious at that point...of course they will all be hard). I thought about the accomplishment I had just achieved - my very first half ironman! I crossed the line to a huge ovation and doubled over with my hands on my knees. I stayed like that for a good 30 seconds until an official asked if I was OK. After I reassured him that I was able to walk on my own I went to the cooler and grabbed a Gatorade. I found my amazingly supportive and happy fiance, Rebecca, gave her a kiss and a hug and said "I'm ready for another one!"<br />
<br />
Wildflower was the race of many firsts. My first half ironman distance, the first time I was out of the water with the leaders, the first time I've experienced leg cramping and so much fatigue on the bike and run, and the first time I've taken a bathroom break in the middle of a race. Just like I told Rebecca right after I crossed the finish line, I am so hungry to get to the start line of my next triathlon and very much look forward to my next 70.3. I finished 21st out of 36 pros with a time of 4:35:30, but the greatest achievement I take from this race - 7th out of the water and a huge amount of confidence in my swimming ability. In 2014, I'll be back down to Wildflower, better prepared to mix it up with the leaders on the bike and run!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdCwbs2z-jdm-Qm2YMBh1yxcUbtVVPLaPSsXYy8uhwas5C1y3U0zLt-QUlyALDx_b-qjcbb_qiqoixCoKHMK-bB_fF2r1z6n4xz3Bkfww2wLtV7kvuHURNcAsudnVeM3eyJ7HJ9VSsJRk/s1600/photo+%252816%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdCwbs2z-jdm-Qm2YMBh1yxcUbtVVPLaPSsXYy8uhwas5C1y3U0zLt-QUlyALDx_b-qjcbb_qiqoixCoKHMK-bB_fF2r1z6n4xz3Bkfww2wLtV7kvuHURNcAsudnVeM3eyJ7HJ9VSsJRk/s320/photo+%252816%2529.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
<br />
As always, thanks for reading and following me along my journey as a triathlete!<br />
<br />
Thank you Elyse & Rebecca for the great pictures!Andrew Bauerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09311758305998460364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5477047819982456869.post-55971812904803012042013-02-21T08:09:00.001-08:002013-02-21T08:09:44.177-08:00Andrew Who?<span style="font-size: small;">For those of you still wondering, the answer is YES, I am
still a triathlete. I do plan on racing
again. In fact, after a long bout with
various Achilles issues I’m pulling all my race stuff out of the closet for
next weekend’s jump (or dive) off the boat.
I am finally able to race again and have been looking forward to Escape
from Alcatraz for a while now. I am very
excited to rekindle those competitive feelings I've missed for over 1.5 years.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxlPMGSbsPU5Rgpqw_WER2rIcbPoKMZLc4Yd3YfiIR-j8uk7OWL8Cl8qRMYnVE6RdL4fGH6ip9uy3Y9vAqHWXflqhIP5GI1L7oUhbZdH2mR-f_8MRyYspDPBCaD_ncGtQI10W6dvEDp_k/s1600/iPhone+628.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxlPMGSbsPU5Rgpqw_WER2rIcbPoKMZLc4Yd3YfiIR-j8uk7OWL8Cl8qRMYnVE6RdL4fGH6ip9uy3Y9vAqHWXflqhIP5GI1L7oUhbZdH2mR-f_8MRyYspDPBCaD_ncGtQI10W6dvEDp_k/s320/iPhone+628.jpg" width="320" /></span></a><span style="font-size: small;">So you haven’t been training? What have you been doing? Oh I've been training. Since running was out of the question and
cycling was uncomfortable for a while as I was healing, I turned into a fish. I've been spending a lot of time with the
Walnut Creek Masters. It is a blast to
swim every day and begin to see improvement.
I’m very much looking forward to seeing all the hard work in the pool
pay off this season. Of course, without
running and cycling in my life for a good amount of the year, I've had time for
a host of other things.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiehzNRgO678Gp8SFDpw0SWxvrZNMZGZHAfgqNhRRHfumPf3Loey_FQwsKsglCymI8HirJZoCbm9ZZGq9aQ_uT47It5jOwr5xXnGJUFKf1B03riUoVhkQ7IUtbmyPY-zV0PtuIlWxAvjA/s1600/90540007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiehzNRgO678Gp8SFDpw0SWxvrZNMZGZHAfgqNhRRHfumPf3Loey_FQwsKsglCymI8HirJZoCbm9ZZGq9aQ_uT47It5jOwr5xXnGJUFKf1B03riUoVhkQ7IUtbmyPY-zV0PtuIlWxAvjA/s320/90540007.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: small;">Year 2012 brought great traveling and great times. Best of all I got engaged to my wonderful
fiancé Rebecca! Rebecca and I took a
vacation to Hawaii and swam with the turtles, took numerous trips to Yosemite
and went home to Michigan for the holidays.
What didn't I do? I didn't shave
my legs for 12 months and it was glorious!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiehzNRgO678Gp8SFDpw0SWxvrZNMZGZHAfgqNhRRHfumPf3Loey_FQwsKsglCymI8HirJZoCbm9ZZGq9aQ_uT47It5jOwr5xXnGJUFKf1B03riUoVhkQ7IUtbmyPY-zV0PtuIlWxAvjA/s1600/90540007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOTFD-DuZc8Y4MoZRrw5l_z-6ZjpVht1fXYgl4ko5ZKKR5SxcFCXHzIgs0CrQpOvPjjGQccNc1kYvqRyl1mRftfT2Az8NU7-O9AFrLMyvY8Jnmpd0kCZ5p7u5M-M3kMB0lX-sUY4QRcyU/s1600/Mt.+D+15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOTFD-DuZc8Y4MoZRrw5l_z-6ZjpVht1fXYgl4ko5ZKKR5SxcFCXHzIgs0CrQpOvPjjGQccNc1kYvqRyl1mRftfT2Az8NU7-O9AFrLMyvY8Jnmpd0kCZ5p7u5M-M3kMB0lX-sUY4QRcyU/s320/Mt.+D+15.jpg" width="320" /></span></a><span style="font-size: small;">Looking forward to Escape from Alcatraz on Sunday March 3<sup>rd</sup>,
I’m hoping for a good day. Training has
been going as well as it can be on the road back to race shape. I've still got a long way to go. It’s a long season, but I’m excited to let
loose at Escape and see what happens.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;">Of course, with Escape being one of the most sought after races
in the country, there tends to be a variety of activities in the few days
leading up to the plunge. I’m very
excited and honored to say that I will be part of a really cool event Friday
night, March 1<sup>st</sup> at Sports Basement Presidio (where I work). Sports Basement is hosting 5-time Escape from
Alcatraz champ Andy Potts, 2-time Wildflower Long Course champ Jesse Thomas,
and some schmuck who is just fast enough to call himself elite….me; Two Michigan grads vs. a Stanford grad. Sorry Jesse, you’re the odd man out. Andy and Jesse will answer questions about
their experiences, advice for the course and how they are so fast. I will try to bring a little local experience
to the table as well. At the end, we
will be available to sign autographs and chat.
Sports Basement has even made me these awesome little posters of myself
for me to sign…that is if anyone is interested in my autograph! Here is the info:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;">Race Orientation Meeting w/ Special Guests<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;">Sports Basement Presidio<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;">Friday March 1, 6:00-8:30pm<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;">I hope to see you all there!
If not, good luck to all of you racing!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;">Check back here after race day for a recap. Thanks!</span><o:p></o:p></div>
Andrew Bauerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09311758305998460364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5477047819982456869.post-26521867922079921872011-08-24T15:21:00.000-07:002011-08-24T15:21:10.320-07:00SF Tri @ Alcatraz Disaster<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Triathlon is one of very few sports where an equipment problem can take you out of a race. I've been pretty lucky in my short career to have finished every race I've started....up until this past Sunday. Sunday was the San Francisco Triathlon at Alcatraz, one of my favorite triathlon venues I've raced and right in my backyard. My training has been going very well and with only a few races left in the season, I was excited to get into a race to test my fitness.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi15j0dfHJFV_fO-OK0PuZHbtBbPFuZZ1Cxjy7V2Be2FbOu9huDVAJkpf6Wlv7ZQrEChVD_RwiLZOR7m-6CqVbHTERFTZPre0x2OH8DAEeEaXXuL8T7tnV_Y_jrPJ7dm0vP-i_jj-U1cXo/s1600/81105-095-025f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi15j0dfHJFV_fO-OK0PuZHbtBbPFuZZ1Cxjy7V2Be2FbOu9huDVAJkpf6Wlv7ZQrEChVD_RwiLZOR7m-6CqVbHTERFTZPre0x2OH8DAEeEaXXuL8T7tnV_Y_jrPJ7dm0vP-i_jj-U1cXo/s200/81105-095-025f.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi15j0dfHJFV_fO-OK0PuZHbtBbPFuZZ1Cxjy7V2Be2FbOu9huDVAJkpf6Wlv7ZQrEChVD_RwiLZOR7m-6CqVbHTERFTZPre0x2OH8DAEeEaXXuL8T7tnV_Y_jrPJ7dm0vP-i_jj-U1cXo/s1600/81105-095-025f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">When I parked at the race site, and started to unload, the bad luck started. When I pulled my bike out of the car, I discovered that my rear tire was flat. I tried not to panic, quickly changed the tube, and set up my transition in close to record time. It wasn't until I was sitting on the bus to Pier 3 that I was able to take a deep breath and relax. I was definitely warmed up. On the boat ride out to the start, the water looked pretty calm. "Oh yeah, this should be a good, smooth swim" I told my good buddy Ethan Brown, who had never swam Alcatraz before. As we were let out onto the ledge for the start, the smooth water turned to white caps. Oh crap, sorry Ethan, this is gonna be a tough one. I jumped in and tried to keep contact with a few bodies for the first part, but immediately got dominated by the waves. I breathed to the right and got a face full of water. I tried breathing to the left...same thing. Every time I would look up to sight, all I saw was the next 3-4 foot wave coming at me. It was brutal out there. It was tough to stay motivated while getting pummeled and knowing you are losing a lot of valuable time to the leaders.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKUFFtyvrZ-GGtWz0kd_obZx9pfpQ4QKaAELd6lhb7rm4F8X-k6_0GLQN5zF-PLUGrTY9fhBE5LDloY5_hgdgXllaSt6eKR9cQYVaR1mQSClwc8B7-yVf95M1xIZRijtUuXaNniDc-Czw/s1600/81105-052-030f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKUFFtyvrZ-GGtWz0kd_obZx9pfpQ4QKaAELd6lhb7rm4F8X-k6_0GLQN5zF-PLUGrTY9fhBE5LDloY5_hgdgXllaSt6eKR9cQYVaR1mQSClwc8B7-yVf95M1xIZRijtUuXaNniDc-Czw/s320/81105-052-030f.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtmxtnNrRJc2mLpcdDbhuAU4-MXGQxAx0DD-syWaiMUuShW27Ny6lIm49D82vAaFGOU_3QCTNy2-ibP3mH7Xa-SwtOKYfYTfa4p44QsG4Zpy4IX-Zye73IK-q4yn1Npp-QwMdtxvoI1s4/s1600/81105-400-023f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Finally, I got to the beach and ran up the stairs. In past Alcatraz races, I've taken my arms out of the wetsuit, but kept it on while I ran the half-mile to transition. This time, I stripped it off as fast as possible and threw my shoes on. As I did this, I heard Rebecca yell "15!" I took all that time in the water, and came out only 15th? Sweet! I passed one on the way to transition and quickly jumped on the bike.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtmxtnNrRJc2mLpcdDbhuAU4-MXGQxAx0DD-syWaiMUuShW27Ny6lIm49D82vAaFGOU_3QCTNy2-ibP3mH7Xa-SwtOKYfYTfa4p44QsG4Zpy4IX-Zye73IK-q4yn1Npp-QwMdtxvoI1s4/s1600/81105-400-023f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtmxtnNrRJc2mLpcdDbhuAU4-MXGQxAx0DD-syWaiMUuShW27Ny6lIm49D82vAaFGOU_3QCTNy2-ibP3mH7Xa-SwtOKYfYTfa4p44QsG4Zpy4IX-Zye73IK-q4yn1Npp-QwMdtxvoI1s4/s200/81105-400-023f.jpg" width="133" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKUFFtyvrZ-GGtWz0kd_obZx9pfpQ4QKaAELd6lhb7rm4F8X-k6_0GLQN5zF-PLUGrTY9fhBE5LDloY5_hgdgXllaSt6eKR9cQYVaR1mQSClwc8B7-yVf95M1xIZRijtUuXaNniDc-Czw/s1600/81105-052-030f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Out on the bike, I felt great! I flew by Sports Basement and gave a salute to my co-workers who always come out in full force for every single race that goes by our marquee store. They always give me an extra boost. Two miles into the bike, I had passed another and caught up to a 2nd. I was having a great ride. I climbed well up to the Legion of Honor and bombed down the hills through the neighborhoods and past the Cliff House onto the Great Highway. I planned on using the Great Highway, which is flat and straight to get into a good rhythm and try to take time out of some of the guys ahead of me. The only bad thing is that it's extremely bumpy. I struggled to find a good line.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiYYCo7NyHzjqycfE2ol6EqvOpBo6LEn49oPzJ8k-op76xIkVtrQ6Dt8SGtUtLblfr594vsZ94aYwsCBDueNsFseZZdVRSt5wxYlOoGDpOlhmgbcz4jXSQQOdeNt60LE8iWwekb9VSfZA/s1600/81105-766-016f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiYYCo7NyHzjqycfE2ol6EqvOpBo6LEn49oPzJ8k-op76xIkVtrQ6Dt8SGtUtLblfr594vsZ94aYwsCBDueNsFseZZdVRSt5wxYlOoGDpOlhmgbcz4jXSQQOdeNt60LE8iWwekb9VSfZA/s200/81105-766-016f.jpg" width="133" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">When I reached Golden Gate Park and some smoother roads, I felt something weird on my rear wheel. Even though the road was smooth, the ride felt bumpy. I knew something was wrong, so I quickly jumped off my bike to check it out. The tube was pushing the tire off the rim. It was still ride-able, but I couldn't go fast. At this point, I was halfway through the G.G. Park loop, so I jumped back on made the decision to slow pedal back to transition and compete in the run. I made my way through the Park and on the final descent back out to the Great Highway, my front flatted. My day was done.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">A DNF sucks. The feeling is brand new for me. I've been racing competitively for over 15 years. In 15 years, I've turned ankles, gotten ridiculous cramps, hit a steeplechase barrier, and crashed my bike and never not finished the race. This is the first. Unfortunately it is part of the sport. What I can do is take the positives from the race. Even though the swim was a suffer-fest, I came out mid pack in the pro field. That's good for me! I also felt great on the bike and was making up ground on some of the competitors ahead of me.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhECg6R-bCVvo2ygxmf5sB-C5Yn_rt-J8CUJR7_q06M6M-lskMfBC1dRM-7hodq4ot_v6RvT2djsnwCD-SxecaE016uha1s6H_O1FUNZoaXecoicld2zukxwPFGr8hPzc38uGeOr2ryKLk/s1600/81105-004-022f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhECg6R-bCVvo2ygxmf5sB-C5Yn_rt-J8CUJR7_q06M6M-lskMfBC1dRM-7hodq4ot_v6RvT2djsnwCD-SxecaE016uha1s6H_O1FUNZoaXecoicld2zukxwPFGr8hPzc38uGeOr2ryKLk/s320/81105-004-022f.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Thanks to Rebecca and her mom, Beth, who skipped her Sunday morning bike ride to come out and cheer me on, for their support. Sorry I couldn't finish the show. Thanks Mrs. Leto for picking up my water bottle after it unhitched from my bike...happens every time! Up next is Pacific Grove on Sept. 11. Thanks everyone for reading!</span>Andrew Bauerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09311758305998460364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5477047819982456869.post-71563335549361525462011-07-14T12:00:00.000-07:002011-07-14T12:00:51.300-07:00Pick Your Head Up<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Last Saturday was my 2nd attempt at this whole ITU style racing thing. This time it was conveniently located 15 minutes away from my front door on Treasure Island in San Francisco. I was looking forward to this day for a while. Rebecca signed up for the age group race and I was excited for this rare opportunity for both of us to watch each other race. We got there early in the morning and I found a nice place to sit and relax as I watched Rebecca leave it all out there to take 2nd in her age group in only her 2nd Olympic Distance event. She's awesome!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I felt good going into my race and was hoping for a good swim to set myself up for a good finish. With 59 athletes and a wide variety of talent, I figured there would always be a pack to swim and bike with in the early stages. If I could get myself onto the bike with a group in good position, I could relax and rest up for a strong run. Anyway, that was the game plan...</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsBkmJ3yD718DR_VJ-zXC_4HkeUsWXW7wmpui2ydlyEBkXqWtfed_oCiPxTMmCvP-3ew_WSzUEzJaG9dUGQ_Q8dzxhECtSJh5bVjpgcZv0s7npylOd7LFFJ8QTXlkjMSuTihGniQLARxA/s1600/DSCF0361.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsBkmJ3yD718DR_VJ-zXC_4HkeUsWXW7wmpui2ydlyEBkXqWtfed_oCiPxTMmCvP-3ew_WSzUEzJaG9dUGQ_Q8dzxhECtSJh5bVjpgcZv0s7npylOd7LFFJ8QTXlkjMSuTihGniQLARxA/s320/DSCF0361.jpg" width="320" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">It was 250 meters to the first turn buoy and I knew it was going to be crazy. The horn went off and I took off in what I called a sprint. Apparently my sprint is half the field's regular pace and by the time we hit the turn buoy I found myself at the tail end of the pack. The pack at the first turn buoy resembles a mosh-pit at a Rage Against The Machine concert. We all came together as 59 guys tried to swim in the same exact spot. Once again, I got dunked, elbowed, kicked and was drinking unwanted salt water from the bay. Usually the plan is to start hydrating on the bike and not in the middle of the swim. After the mayhem of the first turn, the field split. I found myself at the back of the 2nd group in the water. I was in a great position and feeling the draft. As we came up to the end of the first lap, I put my head down for about 6 strokes without breathing and when I picked my head up to sight, I found myself a little off the pack and to the left. Oh crap! I put my head back down and tried my hardest to reconnect with the pack but could not. For much of the 2nd lap I swam alone until 3 guys overtook me. I finished the swim with these guys about 1 minute down on the pack that swam away from me.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJV1McvO-J_Sv77aupVX7a-Z-ZVeSbMv25dmfZfexGPgT1WB7lJ7v466AlNHgXs_3wDoZVZxqeqXGfMgBKXLQc7QuwqXXrvfbZs5PUzcWACq0Qte9AE7MjjLwfDSouO-v1kDy1ZRWRKd0/s1600/DSCF0372.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJV1McvO-J_Sv77aupVX7a-Z-ZVeSbMv25dmfZfexGPgT1WB7lJ7v466AlNHgXs_3wDoZVZxqeqXGfMgBKXLQc7QuwqXXrvfbZs5PUzcWACq0Qte9AE7MjjLwfDSouO-v1kDy1ZRWRKd0/s320/DSCF0372.jpg" width="320" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The bike was a mess. The first and second groups out of the water packed up nicely, but behind them, was unorganized chaos. With no organization back in my pack and the wind howling on Treasure Island, it made for a tough day on the bike. I started with a few guys and my legs weren't responding to their surges. The first 2 laps of 6 were a series of falling off the back and catching up. A few guys caught us, worked their way to the front and gapped us without a response from me. For the last 3 laps I rode with one other guy from Canada taking turns riding steady. We came into transition another minute down from the few that I started the ride with. It was now up to the run to reel some in.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The 10k run course on Treasure Island is a 3-lap flat run. I ran well off the bike for the first mile. I ran away from my bike partner right away and caught 2 guys from the group ahead. Starting the 2nd lap, I felt my back begin to tighten. I've had issues with my lower back in the past, so I knew this was going to be a tough finish. I struggled through the final lap and a half and made it to the finish line in 29th place for the day.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I was pretty disappointed as I crossed the finish line. I was disappointed with myself for letting the pack swim away and for letting some of the guys slip by me on the bike with no response. I believe I could have done better on this day. Rebecca and my coach reassured me that on a "bad day" I finished 29th out of 59. On my cool down, I settled down, and thought about the race and where I'm at. Last year I watched this race on Treasure Island in awe as the pros flew around the corners. This year I was in it. I've come a long way and I'm looking forward to getting back out there and race again!</span>Andrew Bauerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09311758305998460364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5477047819982456869.post-59574657703280724402011-06-30T13:37:00.000-07:002011-06-30T13:37:28.275-07:00Monroe ITU Pan American Cup<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY_XKS8dMvFFmg6ow_AaliOJNmpWLKU3Et6pu61r0X52CoDK7SXg4np231oz9HdIS3_g_ndJJG7GICmg5ZfsaIUBUttskNaczb-2rD6IT9ckLtYIEP4pA-rvWRe-rBG4oi9bEqj9xMGAE/s1600/DSCF0215.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY_XKS8dMvFFmg6ow_AaliOJNmpWLKU3Et6pu61r0X52CoDK7SXg4np231oz9HdIS3_g_ndJJG7GICmg5ZfsaIUBUttskNaczb-2rD6IT9ckLtYIEP4pA-rvWRe-rBG4oi9bEqj9xMGAE/s320/DSCF0215.jpg" width="320" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">This past Saturday I lined up on the beach next to some of the best in the country. Three-time Olympian (triathlon has only been an Olympic sport 3 times) Hunter Kemper and a top US Pro Ben Collins highlighted my first ITU Olympic distance experience. I didn't go into the race expecting to be rubbing elbows with these guys, but I was excited to have this opportunity to gain valuable experience for future races. Going in, I knew the swim would be fast. All ITU swims are fast. The first 300 meters went by in a blur. It was a whirlpool out there and I was getting sucked along for the ride. The first buoy was 350 meters out and at that point the bottleneck happened and I was no longer sucked along for the ride, but sucked under the water. I got absolutely pummeled at the turn. At one point I came up for a breath on my right side and took in 0% air and 100% water. After taking some swim strokes, choking, coughing, and trying to take a breath all at the same time for 30 seconds, I regained composure. After the quick 2nd turn heading back to the beach for the end of lap one, I saw that I was well back of the leaders. I tried to catch some feet but could not. At the end of lap one, there was a short run along the beach, around a buoy before plunging back in. I sprinted onto the beach and ran as fast I could around the buoy to catch some guys. After all, I'm faster on land than in water. It worked. I caught a pack and stayed on their feet for the rest of lap 2. Once out of the water, I ran as fast as I could to transition (every second counts in ITU) and grabbed my bike. Heading out I noticed that most of the bikes in transition were already gone. I had some work to do...</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkBgeNyvcuKcxaNxOU7NhrYBVAcrU9BzzneG5TXtChcXLNfbSwp_sdAx-HF9nRR3UPRuSHr1zYOmtgv6ZLHee90Yhl4qiVZnBFXcRvJvv1KETSKzuHINNBPhbo6nnqnA7i6ED4d1CHs6I/s1600/DSCF0233.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkBgeNyvcuKcxaNxOU7NhrYBVAcrU9BzzneG5TXtChcXLNfbSwp_sdAx-HF9nRR3UPRuSHr1zYOmtgv6ZLHee90Yhl4qiVZnBFXcRvJvv1KETSKzuHINNBPhbo6nnqnA7i6ED4d1CHs6I/s320/DSCF0233.jpg" width="320" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I was scared that with a bad swim, there would be no one to ride with and that I would be hung out to dry all by myself. Fortunately for me, that wasn't the case. I jumped on my bike with 3 other guys together and worked hard to mop up 3 more riding by themselves on the road. I felt really strong on the bike taking, what felt like, faster pulls than the others. On the 4th lap of 8, we caught the 3rd group on the road growing our group from 7 to 12 riders. I still felt like we needed to go faster, so again I took strong pulls at the front. We got out of the water 2:30 down from the lead group and although I felt like we had a decent ride, lost another 2 minutes on the bike. There's not much you can do with a 10k run when you come off the bike 4 and a half minutes down on the lead group. I still had some work to do.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTWrBhjQb7OjDc6GR8sq9arzgQVf-PAYc_y6dVbmb6rW19EfnwOcyUjz3KXwPSCO4pnN5si17rzH0-j8II1dmivwmfWZPL64g3rN-I7QLPpTU2PuFJygx-eDHaNwmMofPQha5qQlX9Vz8/s1600/DSCF0256.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTWrBhjQb7OjDc6GR8sq9arzgQVf-PAYc_y6dVbmb6rW19EfnwOcyUjz3KXwPSCO4pnN5si17rzH0-j8II1dmivwmfWZPL64g3rN-I7QLPpTU2PuFJygx-eDHaNwmMofPQha5qQlX9Vz8/s320/DSCF0256.jpg" width="320" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I came out of the water in 35th place out of the 39 that started. After the bike, I had moved up to 25th. Immediately off the bike and into my run I felt dead and my legs were shot. I could now feel all the work I did on the bike and regretted it (chalk that one up to "experience"). Two of the guys in my bike group took off and I didn't have the legs to respond. About a mile into the run, I was able to compose myself and settle into a pace that slowly picked people off, but was not making up ground on the 2 that broke from me. I made my way through most of the 2nd bike group on the road and even caught a few stragglers from the lead pack that was 4:30 ahead, but I was just not feeling strong. With a half mile to go on the 4th and final lap of the 10k run course, I gave it all I had to pick off a few more guys in sight, but I was happy to see the finish line. At the end of the run, I had made my way up to 17th overall.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">A good day of racing for me. I have a lot of work to do and a lot to learn. It seems as though I say that after each race I compete in this year, but it's true. I'm in a whole different league now racing professionals that have been doing this for years. At this level, it's not always the strongest triathletes that come out on top, but the smarter racers. Monroe gave me some of that valuable experience my coach, Brian and I can take to form some specific workouts for the next few races. The goal is to not only become a very strong triathlete, but to work on being one of the smartest in the field.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Next up for me is the San Francisco ITU Pan American Cup on Saturday July 9th. Yes, I said <b>San Francisco</b>...my home town (sorta)!! The elite race starts at 1:00pm sharp on Treasure Island. I invite all Bay Area triathlon fans to come out and support. Swim is 2 laps, bike is 8 laps, and the run is 3 laps. You will see us A LOT and won't be disappointed. I hope to have a better swim and get more experience in this fun style of racing. Thanks for reading and hope to see you out there next Saturday.</span>Andrew Bauerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09311758305998460364noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5477047819982456869.post-50790065449206031662011-06-22T12:09:00.000-07:002011-06-22T12:09:53.730-07:00A New Style of Racing<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">This Saturday I will be taking part in my first of hopefully many Olympic distance ITU-style races. Most of you triathlon-savvy people know what this is, but for you that are not familiar with the wide world of triathlon (thanks to you for reading my blog by the way...it means a lot), ITU racing is a fast, exciting, and unpredictable experience. I will explain...</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2jTtl5J7tiBp8aAtnyNniTQ4z_hy5ElIODoimZznA9_eWdSaDnphwKVrgbXyzEbpRW6KNVpba0EwT6cdeD_RtbBlB4L9j1Zt2FHIXbTfBUVKkf53y5Ihr8MJKwg_XbUgvEcDQRKuxZMY/s1600/8939.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="126" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2jTtl5J7tiBp8aAtnyNniTQ4z_hy5ElIODoimZznA9_eWdSaDnphwKVrgbXyzEbpRW6KNVpba0EwT6cdeD_RtbBlB4L9j1Zt2FHIXbTfBUVKkf53y5Ihr8MJKwg_XbUgvEcDQRKuxZMY/s200/8939.png" width="200" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Almost all triathlons in the age group division and all full and half-Ironman triathlons are non-drafting on the bike. In any race, you can swim directly behind someone in the water, catching a draft and can run in a group like a road race to pace off each other. Drafting in the water or on the run makes a difference in effo</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">rt, and is almost impossible to enforce a non-drafting rule, but it isn't as substantial as drafting on the bike. There are 2 main reasons age group races and Ironman races do not allow drafting. Number 1 is safety. In non-drafting races, athletes usually race on time-trial (TT) bikes, shown here, that are equipped with long aero-bars for positioning the body as aerodynamic as possible, and tough to </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">maneuver. Crashes are more likely to happen if a group of athletes on TT bikes are riding close to each other duking it out. These races have anywhere from 300-3000 participants. Reason number 2 is to promote individual efforts. Imagine if 2 Ironman athletes got out of the water together and were equally strong on the bike. The second guy could hypothetically follow the first guy's draft for 112 miles. That just wouldn't be fair. So drafting on the bike is illegal in most triathlons out there.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4drHCvfv7wdSs2JbJ_P7hQUxdVUOppyVJXu1qXdeRKhGIGycoFDZi7adas_PeTPmfbVnJ2UtY63Dp6vNeXeu6p7-YUsLtLpoLAxe1g5ie8cyXWlU7NNqw4n4bcx0TqtgQKCw6Uiw6C_4/s1600/2007_Des_Moines_World_Cup_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4drHCvfv7wdSs2JbJ_P7hQUxdVUOppyVJXu1qXdeRKhGIGycoFDZi7adas_PeTPmfbVnJ2UtY63Dp6vNeXeu6p7-YUsLtLpoLAxe1g5ie8cyXWlU7NNqw4n4bcx0TqtgQKCw6Uiw6C_4/s1600/2007_Des_Moines_World_Cup_2.jpg" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">ITU-style racing is different. ITU (International Triathlon Union) rules allow for drafting on the bike. This changes the whole complexity of the race. Biking in a group is much easier than biking by yourself. Have you ever watched stages of the Tour de France where there is a breakaway of 2 or 3 riders five minutes ahead of the big peleton? If you have, then you know that 9.5 times out of 10, those 2 or 3 guys are caught by the end of the race. Because drafting on the bike is allowed, more emphasis is put on the swim and run. If someone can get out of the water with the front group, he will have an easier time navigating the 40k bike course by drafting off of someone versus someone who finishes the swim 30 seconds or a minute back and has to ride by himself.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">In this type of racing, more than non-draft racing, every second counts, making swim-bike and bike-run transitions more important. If someone gets out of the water with the front group and takes 10 extra seconds putting their helmet on and grabbing their bike, by the time they are riding the group is gone.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I come from a running background, so my goal for this Saturday in Seattle is to swim as fast as I can for 1500 meters to finish close to the front of the 60-man field. If I can make it into the front group, or the chase group with a chance to catch the front group, and conserve enough energy on the bike, it puts me in a position to take advantage of that running background and have a good result. I also want to take away from this race the experience of draft-legal racing. The more I do it, the more comfortable I become.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">It will be an exciting day! I'm really looking forward to experiencing a new style of racing. Next week, I will have a race report up from Seattle. Thanks for reading.</span></div>Andrew Bauerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09311758305998460364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5477047819982456869.post-50882209387429378252011-06-07T10:26:00.000-07:002011-06-09T12:37:05.231-07:00The Rock, Hills and Sand - Escape from Alcatraz<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">If there were any nerves floating through my body as I was on the San Francisco Belle motoring out to the start of my first ever professional triathlon, they were quickly thrown out the window 4 minutes before the starting horn. At 7:26am I had drank my last sip of water, had my GU and was slipping into my wetsuit. I asked for a zip and halfway up the zipper got caught. I brought stretch cords hoping to really have a good warm-up before jumping into the 52-degree water, but I was relegated to sweating profusely in my unzipped wetsuit as it took 2 people to fix my zipper.</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3taYtZXs_sqvdDkEaZzC4adrZJpb6clx9hMKANiVhyphenhyphen2zre6CKQMFeld1gbBSS7wS2FmC5c1FfzCV_t_Mn__3M7H8TDe6Pw7K6z38syFBdY_NM5bY0dEarL4KsB6LrHoAR02yeuxbfB1U/s1600/IMG_0841.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3taYtZXs_sqvdDkEaZzC4adrZJpb6clx9hMKANiVhyphenhyphen2zre6CKQMFeld1gbBSS7wS2FmC5c1FfzCV_t_Mn__3M7H8TDe6Pw7K6z38syFBdY_NM5bY0dEarL4KsB6LrHoAR02yeuxbfB1U/s320/IMG_0841.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">With so much adrenaline pumping and a flurry of arms, I didn't really notice the freezing water of the San Francisco Bay. Triathlon's super swimmers of the field took off, but I settled into my pace, which conveniently happened to be the pace of most of the pro women in the field. I had a group to swim with! The Bay has some crazy currents going on so sighting was tough at times. I would keep my head down for a few strokes, look up and the group would be way to my right. I would then swim hard to catch them, put my head down for a few more strokes and have to do that all over again. I then decided to sight more often and make a better effort to stay on the feet of the group. A few times it got physical and usually I don't mind bumping elbows or whacking someone in the head in a triathlon swim. It's part of the game...I get it too. But I was in a group with most of the pro women. A couple times I would hit one of them and think "oh sorry," but not really. Like I said, it's part of the game! I had my goggles and a swim cap as a disguise.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I got out of the water and made the 1000-meter trek to T1. As I ran along the path, I saw some of my competition already take off on the bike, but as I got to my bike and headed out myself, I saw other competition still making their way to T1. I was in a good spot! The Escape bike course is extremely demanding. For the entire 18-mile course you are either going uphill, going downhill, turning, or on terrible pavement. There is no getting into a rhythm on this course. At mile 4, Kenny Rakestraw came up next to me on one of the climbs. I thought to myself "perfect, him and I will work together for the rest of the race." Well, I was with him for another 2 or 3 miles and then my legs decided to stop working. The hills had gotten to me and Kenny slowly started to pull away. I found myself in a pack with 2 other riders that stuck together for the rest of the ride. I was 23rd out of the water and I believe I had made up 1 or 2 places on the bike.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRpmy7FOdvqOQ-X9W5cc_qDKWUsoXNR1keWnqhxDnRUCZoyT_0LUmLRhjbLwlSonMHycSkjg1qsYaXzJXCVP0-XeovoY6XKAI2wCxETjbEekx1xcM7THML17bPaO3ljwZ0YBszbXqtTlo/s1600/242316_10150266287536019_663206018_8922274_7257573_o.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRpmy7FOdvqOQ-X9W5cc_qDKWUsoXNR1keWnqhxDnRUCZoyT_0LUmLRhjbLwlSonMHycSkjg1qsYaXzJXCVP0-XeovoY6XKAI2wCxETjbEekx1xcM7THML17bPaO3ljwZ0YBszbXqtTlo/s320/242316_10150266287536019_663206018_8922274_7257573_o.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">After racking the bike and heading out for the run, I immediately dropped the 2 other cyclists in my pack. Two other runners were in sight ahead of me, but that was about it. At mile 2, I caught the 2 runners, but could not drop them. The damage was already done to my legs from the ride and I could not get them to respond. The 3 of us ran together all the way down Lincoln, onto the beach for the 1.5 miles of sand running, then up the sand ladder. The infamous sand ladder consists of just under 400 log steps laid across the sand to aid the climb from the beach 400 feet back up to Lincoln Ave. My coach told me before the race that no matter how terrible I felt, he wanted my last 5k to be fast. After the sand ladder, I gathered myself and ran at the back of our 3-person pack until the 3 miles to go sign. At that point I took off. My surge dropped one of the two. Three minutes later I put in another surge and dropped the last guy. I thought to myself "where had this speed been the rest of the race?" I kept that pace all the way to the finish line for a 19th place finish, almost catching 18th.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Overall, it was a great first experience as a pro triathlete. The field was stacked with past Ironman and Half Ironman world champs, a few Olympians and local studs like Leto, Rakestraw and Dahlz. I want to thank my dad who flew out all the way from Detroit to see my first pro race. He's without a doubt, my super-fan. Also, thanks to my girlfriend Rebecca for all the support and cheering her head off out there, and to everyone along the course screaming for me. There is a lot of work to be done, lots to learn, but the fact that my friends and guys I train with finished on the podium motivates me to work harder and stick with it. Next up for me is a trek up to Seattle area for my first ever ITU draft-legal race on June 25th. After that is another ITU draft-legal competition back in San Francisco on Treasure Island. Thanks for reading everyone and thanks so much for the support!</span></div>Andrew Bauerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09311758305998460364noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5477047819982456869.post-74108855058889537282011-05-04T10:15:00.000-07:002011-05-07T18:00:54.128-07:00Success at Wildflower!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">This season has been about change. This is the first full year under my new coach, Brian Priddin, and therefore a new approach to base training and learning the sport of triathlon. For the most part, it's been about setting a strong foundation for the rest of my triathlon career vs. being ready to race the next race on the calendar. I have seen dramatic improvements in my training and was very much looking forward to putting this all on display in the first triathlon of the season. Wildflower has been a huge star on my schedule since the course beat me down last year. Last year I wasn't ready for the demanding hills and heat that come with the intense competition. I let the conditions get the best of me. This year was going to be different. After my little training camp 2 weeks before race day, Brian told me something that I thought about leading up to the race: "you're in such good shape this time around, that even on a bad day, you'll still dominate." On race day, it gave me a sense of relaxation, and looking back at it, I was never stressed out once during the entire race because of my confidence in the work I had done.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy9vEQRMY2lGhNXVuza2apABS6neS9afSzLEYtrfdjAy1FW2aiyvYWXeHIQm3lDarJcmY-lEDaUKsOdTLnHb3ZJ1K3ZaRKg1940sZIdBMjSmCbpF0ybZtbSv3CFRmD4WT6zqQa7AWF6YU/s1600/IMG_20110501_091035.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy9vEQRMY2lGhNXVuza2apABS6neS9afSzLEYtrfdjAy1FW2aiyvYWXeHIQm3lDarJcmY-lEDaUKsOdTLnHb3ZJ1K3ZaRKg1940sZIdBMjSmCbpF0ybZtbSv3CFRmD4WT6zqQa7AWF6YU/s320/IMG_20110501_091035.jpg" width="239" /></span></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">This year, Rebecca was able to join me down south. This also kept me relaxed and helped out a ton to have my girlfriend and partner in crime there with me. She's been such a huge supporter in my triathlon journey and it was awesome to share this important weekend with her. We swam and ran together in the days leading up to the race. We just had fun together and it took my mind off the race. Sports Basement also played a major role in the weekend, as they provided a secure place to pop our tent and took care of meals and drinks. One less thing to worry about during the craziness of Wildflower.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I was very calm race morning. I don't get nervous for races myself, but sometimes all the nervous people around me in transition make me feel a little anxious. It was a good morning to have my iPod for warm up. I was in my own little zone.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Swim:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I was more confident and looking forward to my swim for this race than any other triathlon I have ever competed in. I know that I have the strength to find the fast swimmers after the horn and stay on their feet. After a crazy 100 meters or so, 3 or 4 guys took off. They gapped me and I knew I couldn't get them, but a guy swam up next to me going at a decent pace that I thought I could hold the rest of the swim. We swam stroke for stroke, shoulder to shoulder for about 4 minutes and I thought, this is stupid; I'm working much harder than I have to and we're going the same pace. I slowed down for a few strokes, tucked right in behind him and let him do the work. I followed him in his slipstream the whole way until about 400 meters to go. We were on the last long straightaway and because its a long way, there were kayaks stationed along the straightaway for sighting. Even though I was drafting, I still looked up every now and then to see where we were going. I noticed he was headed right for the kayak and I could see the kayaker trying to move out of the way. I immediately broke from my leader and as he ran straight into the kayak I took off. I've been working a lot in the pool on 200s all out so I got into 200 all out mode and hammered to the end of the swim. My swim time was 20:00-flat, the 24th fastest swim among all the men for the day and a huge 1-minute PR in the 1500-meter. I had set up the rest of the race perfectly and took all that confidence into the bike.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Bike:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">My strategy on the bike was to keep it chill. In training, I've had some back problems going from the bike to the run and I didn't want that to creep up on me on this day. I didn't want to hammer up the monster hills too hard, draining my legs, but wanted to keep a high, intense tempo on the downhills and flats. Because I was the 4th wave to start the triathlon behind the men's and women's collegiate waves and the under 24 men's wave, I could use the people ahead of me to key off of. Everyone feels fast when they constantly pass people. I had a bike split goal of 1:05, but it was a little windy and when I hit half way, I knew that was a little out of reach. Having 1 of my 2 water bottles pop out in the 3rd mile of the bike didn't help either (I need to figure out a better hydration situation on the bike. Any suggestions?). On the way back, I focused on staying relaxed and getting ready for the run. My bike split of 1:07:29 ended up being the 3rd fastest of the day.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Run:</span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEZ2Svuo9IFFHgdyPvr8iXk80x9n6lvg5Q7_2ZORi5uNUpHoo_ENu-qXHFwnoxms8PDekE7bdYc12eWUTUgF31bizoYGRrbMX2wfDCQvmksxH5fXw37A92bNwHIa1-yi5RW67Tw7BW88Y/s1600/IMG_20110501_104535.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEZ2Svuo9IFFHgdyPvr8iXk80x9n6lvg5Q7_2ZORi5uNUpHoo_ENu-qXHFwnoxms8PDekE7bdYc12eWUTUgF31bizoYGRrbMX2wfDCQvmksxH5fXw37A92bNwHIa1-yi5RW67Tw7BW88Y/s320/IMG_20110501_104535.jpg" width="239" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEZ2Svuo9IFFHgdyPvr8iXk80x9n6lvg5Q7_2ZORi5uNUpHoo_ENu-qXHFwnoxms8PDekE7bdYc12eWUTUgF31bizoYGRrbMX2wfDCQvmksxH5fXw37A92bNwHIa1-yi5RW67Tw7BW88Y/s1600/IMG_20110501_104535.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I had a great transition, which was key for me. I had some blister issues with my shoes the last few weeks leading up to Wildflower, so I decided to put socks on in T2. I figured the time I would lose in T2 putting socks on would be less than the time I would lose if I ran with blisters for 10k. After looking at the results, my T2 time was 3rd fastest out of the top 10 finishers. My first mile was 5:20. Mile 2 was 5:25 and I thought, crap I'm slowing down. Thankfully my back was holding up, but my legs were very tired. At that point, I told myself to work it hard for 10 minutes. At the 5k sign, I was over 17 minutes, but I knew the 5k sign could not have been in the right spot. At around that point, some collegiate guy from Cal Poly who had stopped to walk a bit, I think his shoe might have been untied, started running with me. We were shoulder to shoulder for about 800 meters and this gave me my second wind. This helped a ton and I set a new goal of hammering the rest of the run and dropping this guy. After all, I was racing the clock. I had no idea what my splits were for the rest of the run, but ended up splitting 32:36 for the 10k. That time, from a little research (and I think this is correct) is the 3rd fastest 10k ever recorded on the Wildflower Olympic course. I was 2 minutes faster than anyone else that day.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIU8SKexznFFBeG_8F6CVp-bhQeBO6mepaEdUAqdax0ziZFUVOKsU6D9ujokrY9_1HA8xlnFeJO2hyphenhyphen5WB3_pATjBBprk0kIkhJmMU1opYTAeHajo7FfKjDfuHZETwDPU9oMFOGcMYxImo/s1600/IMG_20110501_113208.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIU8SKexznFFBeG_8F6CVp-bhQeBO6mepaEdUAqdax0ziZFUVOKsU6D9ujokrY9_1HA8xlnFeJO2hyphenhyphen5WB3_pATjBBprk0kIkhJmMU1opYTAeHajo7FfKjDfuHZETwDPU9oMFOGcMYxImo/s320/IMG_20110501_113208.jpg" width="320" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I knew that around 2:02 has won the race the last 4 years. The last 3 winners are my training partners and friends John Dahlz, Kyle Leto, and Kenny Rakestraw, who are now all pro triathletes and having very successful careers. It's a huge honor to win this race. My time was 2:02:26. I thought I had won it until I checked the results 20 minutes after I finished to discover I was beat by exactly a minute by a dude named Dylan McNeice. Dylan is a pro triathlete from New Zealand who has raced in World Cup events and even the World Championship race for his country. He is one of the best swimmers in the world triathlon circuit which explains how he put a full 3 minutes on me in the swim (I was 20 seconds faster on the bike and 2 minutes faster on the run). It's a tough pill to swallow taking runner-up at Wildflower, but the silver lining is that I qualified for my pro card. It's something I've been chasing since I took 4th amateur in 2 races last year that top 3 go pro and crashing in a 3rd race where I was set up for a great result.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8w4X6CsIA6JMxRU2PAxnMvQrxoq-UuknTqeLnWylBETpBHSmOQNilFYmVp25b-0cA4-sO4o0rdYbVdeKGtcdPWAkTYA_UAFQoJGEKMPCgMrKMH9d3-5ww4SGBp8ksGFBm5aI1gpP1cQo/s1600/IMG_20110501_154012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8w4X6CsIA6JMxRU2PAxnMvQrxoq-UuknTqeLnWylBETpBHSmOQNilFYmVp25b-0cA4-sO4o0rdYbVdeKGtcdPWAkTYA_UAFQoJGEKMPCgMrKMH9d3-5ww4SGBp8ksGFBm5aI1gpP1cQo/s320/IMG_20110501_154012.jpg" width="240" /></span></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Now it's time to race the big boys in the sport as a professional triathlete! Next up is Escape from Alcatraz in San Francisco, an event I've done twice before but always looked up to the pros in awe on the start boat. After that, at the end of June I head up to Monroe, WA for my first ever draft-legal Pan-American Cup race against other pros from all over the world!</span></div><div><br />
</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Thanks to everyone for the support on facebook, twitter and in person. It feels so good to have people interested in the sport and interested in how I do. It keeps me motivated.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Thanks for reading.</span></div>Andrew Bauerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09311758305998460364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5477047819982456869.post-34978013476088492972011-04-22T15:31:00.000-07:002011-04-22T15:31:33.749-07:00Wildflower Prep...1 week to go!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">First off, my apologies for not updating this on a more regular basis. I could try to come up with some obscure, sympathy-seeking excuse, but in reality, there is non. What I can tell you, though, is that I've been working really hard and I'm feeling ready to rock it next weekend down in SLO. This past Monday and Tuesday, Rebecca and I made the trip down south to meet my coach, Brian Priddin, for a little mini-camp on the course. I've put in the work, so it was time to see the course and fine-tune some things before race day.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbvsmdtTZLIu1KRl-jiEC3o5jJxre0Rkn71ZEyt-HBmbo58tILeC0-xWYIv9hVR-oNLvun16nZbKDw0x3P3y9I4C4OUbyJf-niYLNCYguxmIMoq1HxMnLpCYtRv2SL_vOLguL80b3VQNk/s1600/2010-05-01+07.34.05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbvsmdtTZLIu1KRl-jiEC3o5jJxre0Rkn71ZEyt-HBmbo58tILeC0-xWYIv9hVR-oNLvun16nZbKDw0x3P3y9I4C4OUbyJf-niYLNCYguxmIMoq1HxMnLpCYtRv2SL_vOLguL80b3VQNk/s320/2010-05-01+07.34.05.jpg" width="320" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Monday morning was the ride on the bike course. The way out was 5 minutes hard, 1 minute easy. After the turn around, the way back was race effort. Last year's race was so hard for me and those hills out there can be very challenging. I've been doing 100% of my riding on my Felt TT bike since early February when my road bike was stolen. I see it as a blessing in disguise. Last year, I did most of my prep for Wildflower on my road bike. This time around, I'm used to going up hill and going down some crazy descents on my TT bike. I'm more comfortable and feel a lot faster on my race bike. The hills this time seemed smaller and more manageable. I feel I can power up and over them much better. Like I said, blessing in disguise, although after May 1st, I'll have to pony up some money and buy a new road bike. The other reason I feel so comfy on my race bike is the fit I got from TT bike fit export Joe Santos at Davis Wheelworks. The guy works with some of the best triathletes and professional cyclists in the area. He makes them really fast on their bikes, and from what I've noticed so far, I feel like a different rider on the same bike I've been riding for 2.5 years. It's pretty cool!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Next on Monday was a swim. We practiced some starts and finises at the bottom of the big boat launch. It was nice to be in a wetsuit again. I hadn't put one on since my last race of last year back in October. Brian paddled alongside me in his kayak. It felt like I was following the lead boat in a race. I'm not THAT good a swimmer, but maybe someday I'll experience drafting off the lead boat in a real race like Kyle Leto!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Monday evening was my run workout around the 10k course. Workout was miles 1, 3, 5&6 hard, with miles 2 and 4 cruising recovery (still decent pace). My run split in the race last year was 34:52. That evening I ran with my heavy trainers on, and took 2 of the 6 miles at an easier than race pace speed....and ran faster than my race split last year. That means 2 things: 1.) I sucked last year...and 2.) I'm fit this year!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Tuesday was a series of mini-triathlons to get comfortable with transitions at real speed on the real course. After doing this, I am now confident in my first and last little bits of each discipline. It makes for less things to think about on race day.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4vfR6cICW3M6ocsv_t14P-4ytsH5GVc_trjvVl1fXL_Yhr8fugKV65e1gEy9Ux9XAWa5T1VNdFwKQFqutmSP37FcmNkQxAIa3fV0ux53fE_I7FUKzsCjP9ND-7qYdM-EOkR7F-LliyoE/s1600/wildflower.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4vfR6cICW3M6ocsv_t14P-4ytsH5GVc_trjvVl1fXL_Yhr8fugKV65e1gEy9Ux9XAWa5T1VNdFwKQFqutmSP37FcmNkQxAIa3fV0ux53fE_I7FUKzsCjP9ND-7qYdM-EOkR7F-LliyoE/s320/wildflower.jpg" width="320" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The rest of this week and next week will be more sharpening of the knife and focusing on feeling good going into the weekend. I'm excited to get my official race season started. This race has been the star on my calendar for a while. I'm ready to roll!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">(Shameless plug (I know, I'm a dork) - follow me on twitter @bauer_andrew for more day-to-day training updates)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Thanks for reading.</span>Andrew Bauerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09311758305998460364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5477047819982456869.post-14108391581413802152011-03-02T09:56:00.000-08:002011-03-02T15:05:09.203-08:00Stanford Treeathlon (Duathlon)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuSnJDrirzaBpCxZ-QhhoDUjZ3PxgJs7nFch1ehieyARQ9KxAupayabOOInkTwN640NaEVAwDvcSoaSKDA-ER0p1sW_4zZvhcK2jB2ctihzSUZHuLiwcivwPWbHxQJcrYNIGBgDmGJxX8/s1600/2011+Stanford+Treeathlon.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuSnJDrirzaBpCxZ-QhhoDUjZ3PxgJs7nFch1ehieyARQ9KxAupayabOOInkTwN640NaEVAwDvcSoaSKDA-ER0p1sW_4zZvhcK2jB2ctihzSUZHuLiwcivwPWbHxQJcrYNIGBgDmGJxX8/s400/2011+Stanford+Treeathlon.JPG" width="265" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">This past Sunday I competed at the Stanford Treeathlon. Well, actually it was a duathlon this year because the water temp in Redwood City was under 50 degrees. Thankfully the race directors decided that it wasn't in their best interest to have almost everyone competing in their race to end up with hypothermia, so the race was changed to a 2k run, 20k bike, 5k run. This race is a great early season fitness test and gives you a chance to see your hard work paying off. The Treeathlon usually draws a good amount of talent for these reasons. Even though I wanted to test my swim and see if all the yards and flip turns I've been doing in the pool would actually translate to a straight open water swim, I was pretty excited to hear that this duathlon would favor the runners. My training parter, Kyle Leto was joking with me before the race, "now you get to experience what it's like to be on the bike first. Don't get lost."</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuSnJDrirzaBpCxZ-QhhoDUjZ3PxgJs7nFch1ehieyARQ9KxAupayabOOInkTwN640NaEVAwDvcSoaSKDA-ER0p1sW_4zZvhcK2jB2ctihzSUZHuLiwcivwPWbHxQJcrYNIGBgDmGJxX8/s1600/2011+Stanford+Treeathlon.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I'm not really sure how accurate the actual distances were, but When the horn sounded, I took off. It was me and one other guy from Cal Poly at the front. After about 600-800 meters, I took the lead and kept the pressure on. I finished the "2k" in 5:17 (which is 4:15 pace....hence the quotations) and was first on the bike by about 10 seconds. Dustin McClarty had a blazing fast transition and actually took the lead from me 1 mile into the bike, but I immediately took it back. I was riding at the front (and not getting lost) for about 3 more miles when, as expected, Kyle took over. I held on for the rest of lap 1, fell off the pace a bit in lap 2, riding in 4th, and in lap 3 after a GU, I started to reel Kyle and another rider back in. I finished the bike at the back of the 4-person lead pack.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">This time, I had a fast transition. I was the fourth in and second out, about 150 meters down from a Cal Poly guy, with Kyle and Noah from Cal right behind me. I passed the leader a half mile into the 5k and like before, kept the pressure on. Last year I was woefully out of running shape for this event, running 16:40 for the 5k. I wanted to see what kind of time I could run I ended up taking the win, running a 16:07 for the "5k" (again in quotations). Cal Triathlon team coach John Dahlz told me he had me at sub-5 for the first mile, but that's not important.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdz_iK-3e-0mBJwCo8SfxEYfOBw37y9ltxgNag8FRGPGtW872dR3c6W1QTZL2lJiAoF4LVMdn4lEa6r_sXX1aOPsok3ya0TUN10GBgaTTWfvTQ9kOu3VHOkltWjR9M71EMx0NoxCsZLWg/s1600/Stanford+Treeathlon+Run.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdz_iK-3e-0mBJwCo8SfxEYfOBw37y9ltxgNag8FRGPGtW872dR3c6W1QTZL2lJiAoF4LVMdn4lEa6r_sXX1aOPsok3ya0TUN10GBgaTTWfvTQ9kOu3VHOkltWjR9M71EMx0NoxCsZLWg/s400/Stanford+Treeathlon+Run.JPG" width="400" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">What's important is that I can see my hard work paying off. What my coach and I are doing is working. I haven't done a single bit of speed work and I'm running close to 5:05-5:15 pace for a race. I'm biking 26 mph averages for time trials. Things are looking up, and I can't wait to get in the water and rock it! I want to give a shout out to Kyle Leto, who has really impressed me with his running fitness. When an athlete like him, one of the fastest swimmers in the sport, can come up with a competitive run to back it up, it's scary. He is on his way. Also, Noah Beyeler from the Cal Tri team who is in crazy shape right now. Thanks for the help and motivation on the bike. Keep an eye out for this guy at the front of the pack at Collegiate Nationals.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The next 4-6 weeks will be my dive into some more strength and speed work in preparation for Wildflower. Happy training!</span></div>Andrew Bauerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09311758305998460364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5477047819982456869.post-6237224321331692032011-02-14T10:38:00.000-08:002011-02-14T10:38:50.251-08:00Take A Step Back...<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Triathlon these days is all about how much work you can put in week after week. You can swim 25,000 yards, ride 200 miles on the bike, and run 50 miles each week and you'll be in crazy good shape. You will build an incredible base. That used to work for me when I was a runner. Coming from a running background, in my college days, I would pound the pavement and trails every summer during my base training phase running anywhere from 70-105 miles a week. I'd be so fit coming into cross country season every year. Putting in the time and miles works with running and for the most part, cycling as well, but we're talking about triathlon here. There's a third discipline that most runners have a hard time conquering.</span><br />
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Last year I joined the Walnut Creek Masters swim team. It's one of the most decorated masters programs in the country. The coaches are tremendous, the group is great, and the workouts are challenging. I was excited to swim at a higher level in hopes that I would shrink my deficit to the leaders out of the water in races. I put in the time and yardage all winter and spring, but when it came time to race, my swim wasn't that much better. I was getting onto the bike a ways behind the leaders and I was usually exhausted from pushing water around in all the wrong directions trying to propel myself forward. In Los Angeles last October, reflecting on my 2010 season, I knew something had to change if I was to keep going and be competitive in this sport at an elite level. I would have to take a step back in order to hopefully take two steps forward.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Good form trumps distance in any discipline in order to get faster, but it is more relevant in swimming than anything else. My coach, Brian and I decided to dissect my swimming technique and totally relearn the stroke...the right way; Build strength in the right muscles involved in swimming instead of the little weaker ones I used to use with my old form. Instead of writing long, tough workouts and swimming everyday with the masters team, Brian wrote on my calendar "Get in the water, work on technique. When it falls apart, you are done".</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I've also been getting help from training partner and one of the best swimmers in triathlon, Kyle Leto and his former UC Davis teammate Trent Richardson, now a swim coach. They have taken me under their wings twice a week having me swim drills and work on nothing but technique. I've been spending a lot of time in the water, but haven't been swimming that many yards.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">As a result, I've already hit a few PRs this year. I've swam 100 yards faster than I ever have (1:00.02). Yeah, that was Trent on the watch. He might have a slow finger...I've also swam 400 yards faster than I ever have. I haven't done many intervals past 400 yet, but I'll get there. Come race season, even if I swim the same times as last year, I will swim those times taking less strokes and using less energy because I'm swimming the right way. If I swim the same times as last year, I will be getting on the bike not feeling exhausted, but ready to attack and make up the deficit I created for myself in the water. Of course, with all that being said, I hope I won't be swimming the same times as last year....</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I grew up a runner. I've had great successes as a runner. I feel I know how to train as a runner to get the most out of my ability...but I'm not a runner anymore. I'm a triathlete. With that comes new philosophies on training, new right ways to train, and new angles to take. Sometimes, with the long season triathlon has, taking a step back in order to take two steps forward is worth it. I've already seen evidence of this in small doses. I hope that in a few months, when race season is underway, I will see my "hard work" pay off!</span></div><div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div><br />
</div></div>Andrew Bauerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09311758305998460364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5477047819982456869.post-8291750088648561852011-01-19T09:52:00.000-08:002011-01-19T09:52:29.472-08:00Bay Area Track Club XC Challenge<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Last Sunday I made the quick trip over the Bay Bridge into Golden Gate Park for the first annual Bay Area XC Challenge. The Bay Area Track Club, founded by Olympic marathoner Magdalena Lewy-Boulet and my boss and Bay Area track coach Tony Kauke, is group of professional athletes who promote healthy living and strive towards their dreams of running in the Olympics. This cross country race on Sunday was a chance for runners of all abilities to toe the line with these professional runners, including 3 Olympians. I haven't run a cross country race since my senior year at Michigan, so I decided to give it a shot.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The field was a whose who in the running world. I had a good time warming up and catching up with some former runner friends from college like Eastern Michigan National Champion Boaz Cheboiywo<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">and Stanford standout Jon Pierce. I didn't really have a goal for the race. I wanted to get in a good workout and have fun. It went out hot, which was to be expected with a bunch of professionals going for prize money. I saw 3:05 for the first 1000 and was about 4:55 at the mile mark. Then.....I died.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpf-29_sdwcQjWlWKEa5zXpAVCTpx9l27YPaDllP8v3zPGA0rIQjVLa-r5LTP_bgOktOvP-pDH9Plm2K7J-zxnN7VwTq3V5ZVsThX48QiU0E3MptolfDezG3_LV-b15J6lsG6iBoKvhF0/s1600/BAXC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpf-29_sdwcQjWlWKEa5zXpAVCTpx9l27YPaDllP8v3zPGA0rIQjVLa-r5LTP_bgOktOvP-pDH9Plm2K7J-zxnN7VwTq3V5ZVsThX48QiU0E3MptolfDezG3_LV-b15J6lsG6iBoKvhF0/s320/BAXC.jpg" width="297" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I remember when 4:55s used to feel easy in the beginning of a cross country race. Those days were a long time ago. The front pack stayed at 4:55s and even sped up throughout the race. I, on the other hand, faded. I was stuck in no mans land for most of the race after the first mile with no one around me. I tried to keep it a consistent tempo of about 5:30s for the rest of the 8k.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Overall, the race hurt pretty bad, but it was fun. I did just about as well as I thought. It was cool going out in 4:55 just to see what it felt like at my current fitness. Running 5:30s the rest of the way gave me a great workout for the day. I ended up 21st out of about 55 people and ran 27:00 (5:24s).</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I ran a little cool down, jumped in the car and headed home to watch football. It was a good Sunday!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Thanks to the Bay Area Track Club (BATC) for putting on a great race. Maybe I'll try again next year and run the first 2 miles in 4:55 before completely dying. It's all about improvements!</span>Andrew Bauerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09311758305998460364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5477047819982456869.post-44962037968164349542011-01-12T09:43:00.000-08:002011-01-12T09:43:21.550-08:00I'm back: Ready for 2011<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Holy Cow it was a long December. Sports Basement had it's best month in its existence leading up to the New Year. That meant my presence was needed on the sales floor and in the receiving department making sure all the stuff I ordered was tagged and put out on the floor. Sometimes, when I was working on the sales floor I took a minute to step back to actually witness what was happening. It looked like organized chaos. Well, I use organized loosely. It reminded me of little ants scurrying around on the sidewalk....craziness. It was good craziness Unfortunately this craziness at work took away from my training.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">For the most part, it was all about fitting in an hour here and there whenever I found some time. I did, however, start swimming under the direction of training partner and swim expert Kyle Leto and his roommate and former Davis teammate Trent Richardson. Their task....and mine, is to completely revamp my stroke in order to break my bad habits from 2+ years of swimming the wrong way and slowly but surely turn me into a strong, efficient swimmer. They've been a huge help and once I get this whole form thing down, I can start adding some speed. Being able to see and feel improvement is great. It motivates me to keep working on it, because all I can think about in the water besides high elbow, finger tips down, rotate the hips, don't kick so big and pull straight through....is how much more I'll have left in the tank after the swim in a race versus being totally burnt out and exhausted when I hop on the bike.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYZaMyiIpweBvD0j81ci9WnX0jtMffrbyBJYsSDGKFEz140ueNc1AM-RUSPCWg9OEFGaAuxs_T90oF_QbMFZatXxjI5jF7TItEbmq9i03kNNwFJvSKR8XC4dka1Zjw6ofApQK3TOSVenQ/s1600/IMG_20101127_173124.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYZaMyiIpweBvD0j81ci9WnX0jtMffrbyBJYsSDGKFEz140ueNc1AM-RUSPCWg9OEFGaAuxs_T90oF_QbMFZatXxjI5jF7TItEbmq9i03kNNwFJvSKR8XC4dka1Zjw6ofApQK3TOSVenQ/s320/IMG_20101127_173124.jpg" width="320" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">So with the busy busy December at work, I officially started my season on January 1st, 2011. I've already had some epic runs and freezing cold bike rides. My old Michigan teammate Tommy Greenless is starting up his training again in hopes of qualifying for his second Olympic Marathon Trials next year. When it comes to running, I turn to him to help me out. One day in Walnut Creek, we ventured out into the open space after a rain. It was nasty, but it was a blast. This is what 13 miles in the mud in Walnut Creek looks like. Note to self: buy a pair of trail running shoes for the mud. Road runners just don't cut it.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSpb8xjDQ4f1-tEV8f_JyVmYnD1nfnRdw0MV4n_axJwqRvND5WbQ3um83X7r7A8D2vMm_d8pJk1YNYTxMBIJmpXgPHYhwHk1CvPlxnGLN46EYwyavEOQm9WfWNwF-YVgKy0U_75LByjhs/s1600/2010-02-15+16.12.14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSpb8xjDQ4f1-tEV8f_JyVmYnD1nfnRdw0MV4n_axJwqRvND5WbQ3um83X7r7A8D2vMm_d8pJk1YNYTxMBIJmpXgPHYhwHk1CvPlxnGLN46EYwyavEOQm9WfWNwF-YVgKy0U_75LByjhs/s320/2010-02-15+16.12.14.jpg" width="320" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Like I've said in previous blog posts, Mt. Diablo and I have been hanging out a lot. For those of you who think California is all sunny and 70s, you're dead wrong. January around here is NOT warm. Going up Diablo is OK when its 45 degrees outside because you're working hard. When it's time to come back down...not as OK. Imagine driving in a car at 30 mph in 45-degree weather without a windshield. That's what it's like coming down Diablo on a bicycle. In each of my Diablo descents, I've had to stop halfway down to get feeling back in my fingers in order to effectively use the brakes. Oh the things I do for this sport. It's a lot of fun, I swear.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Overall, it just feels great to be training again. Work is still busy, but a different kind of busy. It feels great to be back outside, although a bit chilly sometimes, riding the roads with Kyle and Kenny, and running the trails with Tommy.</span></div>Andrew Bauerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09311758305998460364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5477047819982456869.post-71718432073228214662010-12-08T15:16:00.000-08:002010-12-08T15:16:39.623-08:00A Half Marathon...In Vegas? - Why Not?<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I had the opportunity to head out to Las Vegas with some people from work for the weekend of the Las Vegas Rock 'n Roll Half Marathon. I figured I'd give this whole half marathon thing a try. I didn't really know what to expect...never running a half marathon before....being in Vegas....not being in the best shape....<i>being in Vegas.</i> We arrived Friday afternoon and the partying began. I had a wonderful time recovering on Satruday with 13.1 miles looming the next morning. Saturday night, my group went to see Cirque di Solei "O" and it was absolutely amazing. The performers are incredible. It kind of motivated me. The show ended at 9:30pm and I was ready for bed, so I passed up what I would discover later, was the best Sushi anyone had ever had and went back to the hotel room. Oh well...good decision. Looking back at it, it doesn't really bother me that I can sit here today and write about my performance without mentioning anything to do with Sushi in my actual race report. That wouldn't have been pretty.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The alarm went off Sunday morning at 5:45am and right away I was ecstatic that I had gotten a good night's sleep. I headed down to the race site, which was conveniently located right outside the hotel lobby. It was a zoo. I guess this is what 28,000 people who don't exactly know where to go looks like. I found the VIP tent in the middle of the expo and relaxed a bit. Warm up consisted of a 3 minute run and 4 strides; Doesn't take much for a half marathon. After working my way up to the front row in wave #1 and suffering through a Cher look-a-like Star Spangled Banner, I was ready to go. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The plan was to go out in 5:45s and gradually go a bit faster each mile. I felt this was doable at my current fitness level. About 10 seconds after the gun went off I hear a "Hey -bleep-" to my left. I thought I had somehow cut this joker off and he was already pissed at me. I looked left and saw Jon Kieliszak, my XC teammate from Michigan who I hadn't seen in about 3 years. It was a nice surprise! We chatted for about 1 mile before it was time to shut up and conserve energy.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
So I wanted to run 5:45s. First mile-5:30, 2nd mile-5:30. OK, we're doing 5:30s all day I told myself, and we'll see what happens. We had a great group going. Jon and I were joined by the eventual marathon winner Josh Cox, the eventual women's half winner Jen Rhines, and about 4 other guys all running the same pace and not messing around. The last thing we needed was some dude to mess around with pacing and screw everything up. Jon and I would lead a mile or two and then drop back while 2 others took the pace. This first half marathon could not have been set up any better. We hit 5k in 17:00, 10k in 34:45 and 10 miles in 56:05. By the 10-mile mark, Jon and I had dropped everyone in our original group, but slowed to about 5:38-5:40 per mile. I had a great mile from 10 to 11, which was back to 5:29 and at this point, I was slowly inching ahead of Jon. By mile 11, I was by myself running 5:30s again and catching 2 half marathoners ahead of me along with the marathon leader and lead truck. I used these guys to pull me along. I finished strong, running the last 5k in 17:15.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Overall, what a great experience running most of the race with Jon. He was a great help. What an experience running all 13.1 miles and feeling great the whole way. What a great experience running up and down the strip in Las Vegas, completely shut down to traffic (which only happens 6 hours a year, for the marathon) and having it completely lined with people. Overall, I finished 15th place with a time of 1:13:21.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I had my fun Sunday night. I didn't have Sushi, but I'm over it. Now I'm back home, a little sore, but ready to get away from runner mode and start becoming a triathlete again! I can't wait to jump in the pool and get back on the bike.</span>Andrew Bauerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09311758305998460364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5477047819982456869.post-74948187276758910292010-11-18T14:12:00.000-08:002010-11-18T14:24:09.751-08:00Back in the Saddle<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I've been getting requests to update my blog lately. I'm actually pretty humbled by the amount of people that have told me, in one way or another, that they have read this blog. It's really cool. Honestly, there hasn't been a lot to write about lately. I enjoyed a break from training for a few weeks and am slowly getting back into it.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I like looking back through the years in my training log to see how much I've improved this year over last year and the year before. I'm big on comparing my training this year vs. last year and I'm always looking to make improvements. November of 2009 was plagued with a lot of nagging injuries from coming back too quickly. Shin splints from running and shoulder problems from swimming resulted in a very inconsistent start to the 2010 season. So this year, the pressure is off. Triathlon season is a long one. I can race as early as March while the last triathlon on the schedule in the San Francisco Bay Area is typically around Halloween. There is absolutely no rush to hurry back and start pounding the roads and hammering in the water. I decided to have a little fun and a change of pace this time around in November 2010.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">In 3 weeks, I am running the Las Vegas Half Marathon. Did you notice I said "running"? I won't be running 60-70 miles a week in preparation for Las Vegas, but it has kind of kick-started my training for 2011. I've focusing on the run for the for the last 5 weeks or so, but have also been sprinkling in some biking and swimming along the way. I'm looking forward to jumping straight into a running race without having to swim and bike before it. It's been great feeling like a runner again.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">After Las Vegas on December 5th, I'll come home ready and eager for my real base training to begin! Once the half is over, December and January will be "learning the correct swim technique and getting faster in the water" months. I will also be improving my relationship with my bike seat. We will be spending a lot of time together.</span>Andrew Bauerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09311758305998460364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5477047819982456869.post-62385767947646843592010-10-07T09:40:00.000-07:002010-10-07T09:40:58.273-07:00Hydration Problems<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Last weekend, I made the long trek down south with Kyle Leto to race in my first Lifetime Series event. The LA Triathlon offered an Elite Amateur division and an opportunity to race side by side with the pros. I was excited to 1, see LA for the first time, and 2, have a good race and finish off my season on a high note. I was in for a few bumps along the road...literally.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">We arrived in LA Friday night. The weather there is pretty sweet. Saturday morning, we got up early and met Drew Haberkorn so that he could put me through a crash course in "not drowning in beach starts-101." I've been body surfing and boogie-boarding before in decent-sized waves, but that was for fun. Although I was trying to have fun here, the purpose of this lesson was to get from the beach through the 5-foot waves and to the open, more smooth water as fast as I could. I'm glad I took this crash course the day before my race because when we said go and headed into the ocean for the first time, I got rocked. I was being pushed backwards, being flipped by the under-toe, and more water was going in my mouth than I could handle. I finally got into the smooth water coughing uncontrollably while Drew and Kyle were looking on laughing. I needed and did a few repeats of this "exercise" before I felt comfortable and ready to roll the next day.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I felt good and ready to go Sunday morning. I set up transition and went for a run warm up along the beach. Running along the beach as the sun comes up at 6:30am really relaxes you. It's pretty cool. After getting my wetsuit on and practicing one last beach entry (it was a good one) I made my way to the start line. When the horn went off, it was a free for all. Sand was flying everywhere as we had a 100-meter sprint before plunging into the water. I got into a good position for a while, but the current immediately took me off course. I thought the whole field was gone. I was thinking, oh great, another terrible swim. Just then I found someone's feet and stayed on them for a while. I was settling down and getting into a rhythm. I went to pass him, but I didn't feel I could hold this pace so I backed off and got right behind him for the rest of the swim. When I got out, I heard Drew yell that I was 7th out of the water out of the 15 guys that started in my wave. Pretty good for me, considering I thought I had another terrible swim.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaRWMDQh_KjRtpcSZJbHRm2BkYSGdoVdPO4CpvSMhmVa2uFZe-NuwEARP0w794qtM6JoX2irCl-sNz4dMaV67PylxcXzXG8j3BrdQMBU0M7xX9tLzq0iZytOsBrN68eIpSrPmQzGkZZrQ/s1600/60080-354-008t.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaRWMDQh_KjRtpcSZJbHRm2BkYSGdoVdPO4CpvSMhmVa2uFZe-NuwEARP0w794qtM6JoX2irCl-sNz4dMaV67PylxcXzXG8j3BrdQMBU0M7xX9tLzq0iZytOsBrN68eIpSrPmQzGkZZrQ/s1600/60080-354-008t.jpg" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I jumped on the bike with my swimming partner and we took off. I knew in my mind that I was feeling good and I was a stronger cyclist than this guy next to me so I took off. I rode hard for 2 or 3 miles. At around mile 3 on the bike course, the route takes us from one side of the road to the other, riding on the left side. I made the switch, but in the middle of the median was a huge bump where 2 slabs of pavement come together. I'm not very good at dodging things on the road so of course I ran right into it. Luckily I hung onto my bike and stayed upright, but both of my water bottles shot off my bike and were left rolling around on the pavement. I knew right then that the rest of the day was going to be a tough one. No hydration on the bike means tough second half ride and really hard run. My swim partner passed me back along with my good Sports Basement buddy Nate Helming. Nate was too fast to stay with today, but I rode behind the other guy for the rest of the bike.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigEt8HQD7HMOO7GmgSqak93M03iY-2pcMItmIFPui2ysh0Ko_XroCkJjHVIn3wCaoViNWcUg3Oy-FiUF3d7LFp1j6Wo6epwG0o5S9MSrfJqOQ6xjkse2uZOJ2ygf1EBVbEf5SM6G7Uqwc/s1600/60080-141-014f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigEt8HQD7HMOO7GmgSqak93M03iY-2pcMItmIFPui2ysh0Ko_XroCkJjHVIn3wCaoViNWcUg3Oy-FiUF3d7LFp1j6Wo6epwG0o5S9MSrfJqOQ6xjkse2uZOJ2ygf1EBVbEf5SM6G7Uqwc/s200/60080-141-014f.jpg" width="133" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I jumped off the bike, had a great T2 and started off on my run and felt my hammies cramp up right away. I went out hard and caught Nate, who had put about a minute on me over the 40k ride. I passed him and kept surging until about the 2-mile mark. I hit the wall after that. Nate passed me back and I slowed to a long run pace. At this point I started thinking about my season and how much success and fun I've had this year. This year took me to Florida and to the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. This season introduced me to my coach, Brian Priddin. This year I crashed on my bike for the first time ever. Miles 3 and 4 of the run were spent thinking about these types of things and admiring all the fans that came out to support the athletes running through downtown LA. In the fifth mile, something happened and my back and hamstrings loosened up. I found another gear I had been missing all day. I started to pick it up and reel people in. I finished strong at the Staples Center and LA Live and was happy to be done for the season.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Kyle and I packed up the car and headed home soon after the race. Lessons from LA: 1.) be prepared to wait in traffic at any time of the day, wherever you are in the city. Ridiculous. 2.) next time, try to dodge big bumps on the road the might knock off your water bottles.</span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I look forward to a few weeks of relaxing and not training. Maybe go mountain biking in Walnut Creek or around Lake Chabot. Have a few beers! (not at the same time)</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Shout out to Chris Lieto in Kona. Good luck man! We'll be watching back home in CA. Also: Go Blue! Kick Sparty's ass!</span></div>Andrew Bauerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09311758305998460364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5477047819982456869.post-53253825761210046322010-09-27T12:28:00.000-07:002010-09-27T12:28:21.994-07:00USAT National Championships<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Last Saturday was the big day: National Championships in Tuscaloosa, AL. I arrived on Thursday evening to 90 degrees and 75% humidity. Friday morning I got up and headed to the race site for my final tune up. Water was a balmy 84 degrees and when it was time to bike, I had already started sweating when I took the bike out of the car. Crazy. I came away from the workout feeling like crap, but in my mind I was confident because when I feel like crap the day before a race, that usually means I'm paying way too much attention to my body and I have a great race the next day. I'm so used to it now that I actually get excited when I feel like crap the day before a race. I was ready to go!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">One thing that keeps me composed and relaxed during race weekends is my dad. He's my super fan. The number of my races he's been to from running to triathlon is pretty amazing. I've been lucky enough to travel all over the country in my athletic career for countless races and I can probably count on my own 2 hands the number he's missed. He made the trip down from Detroit to hang with me for this one. Catching up and hanging out with him takes my mind off the race and sidelines my nerves. He picked me up from the hotel at 6am race morning and we drove to the race site together. We wondered whether or not Michigan football would win and joked how incredibly bad our defense is. (We won!).</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">At 6:30 in the morning the heat wasn't too bad yet. I knew though, that come 8:30 when I'd be getting out of the water and onto the bike the sun would already be beating down on us. After a run and swim warm up I was ready to role. Key phrase today for this one was "don't ever slow down." The swim got off to a fast start. I kept telling myself to find some feet, find some feet. I found some to the first buoy, made the right turn and stayed on to the second turn buoy. Made another right turn and started the long half-mile straight away. I immediately found myself in no mans land. The pack was about 20 meters up and I missed it. I tried to sprint for a minute to try and catch them but to no avail. The half-mile straight was a tough one. I stayed positive and kept telling myself, "don't ever slow down." This was nationals; This is it. I made the final right turn and tried my best to hammer the last 300 meters to the shore. I got out of the water in a daze (pretty usual) and heard my dad yell you're 20!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Made it onto my bike no problem this time (yes!). I found myself in a pack of 5 guys in my age group including my good buddy Drew Haberkorn. Five miles into the ride, cyclist stud Brian MacIlvain caught us and I thought, alright sweet, I got this thing. I'm in a great group and I'm going to hammer this. "Don't ever slow down." Keeping our distance from each other and being careful not to get tagged for drafting, we worked as a group taking turns at the "front." Each of us did our part to keep the pace honest. When I felt the pace slowing a bit or getting easy, I passed the leader and pushed. There were a few times where I fell off the pace a bit and really hurt, but I kept telling myself "I got this, get up there." My usual nutrition intake on the bike is 2 GUs, and about a bottle and a half of water. Today, I downed 3 GUs on the bike and finished both bottles of GU Brew. I also had a fourth GU ready to go at transition to take with me on the run. I wasn't about to let the heat ruin my race. I got off the bike in the group ready for a solid run.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">My legs felt pretty tired from the bike, but I believed in my mind that out of the group I was with, I was the best runner. I made my way up to the 2 leaders of the group and passed them at about the half-mile mark. Haberkorn and I ran together for the next 2 miles. I actually fell off a bit on the first uphill, giving up 10 meters or so. It was kind of a wake up call for myself. I caught him on the downhill and ran with him shoulder to shoulder until the 3-mile mark. At that point, I decided my race had started. I turned it up a notch and got some separation. It was time to see how many people I could pass. I wasn't seeing any calves with ages 25-29 on them and at times I got discouraged. I kept tell myself one was coming though, so keep up the pace. With a mile to go there were 4 guys that looked my age in front of me. I passed them with 800 to go, but they were all age 20-24. There was one guy in front of my with 600 to go and sure enough, his calf had a 25 on it. I put in one last surge and passed him quickly so that he couldn't respond and kept that pace to the finish line.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">My final time was 1:58.39. It's my new PR for the Olympic distance! I took 5th in my age group, which put me 10th overall. I achieved my main goal for the race, which was top 10 overall. I like to keep it close! What I'm most proud of today was my mental attitude throughout the race. I've had problems this season with mentally giving up. Today my positive talk kept me focused the entire race. That being said, there are plenty of areas for improvement. My swim was 22 minutes, 1:30 slower than the winner. My bike was 59 minutes, and although that's over a 25 mph average, it put me 2 minutes behind the fastest bike of the day. Despite my run being the reason I made up so much time on some of my age group competition, there is room for improvement there as well. I'm very happy with my performance and even more excited with where I can go from here. Next up is the LA Triathlon this Sunday. I will be racing the Elite Amateur division in this highly competitive Lifetime Fitness Series race. Goal for Sunday is top 3. Bring it!</span>Andrew Bauerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09311758305998460364noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5477047819982456869.post-21820851215179584682010-09-13T14:07:00.000-07:002010-09-14T07:46:15.692-07:002 Weeks To Go!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Last week I came down with an unfortunate cold that put a damper on the training. Most of the week was spent trying to take care of the symptoms and fitting in short workouts when I wasn't feeling too weak. The best thing that's happened in the last 2 weeks has probably been Denard Robinson of the Michigan Wolverines. I'm thinking about racing with my bike shoes unbuckled and my racing flats untied. Maybe that will give me the edge I need. Go Blue!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I finally started feeling better Saturday morning, just in time for House of Pain. I took the time trial bike out for this one. Usually this group ride is known for talented time trialists like Chris Lieto and Kyle Leto taking pulls at certain long stretches of the route. With Lieto down in Malibu winning a triathlon and Leto dominating a pro race in Pacific Grove, it left the door wide open for a TT guy like myself. I could definitely tell that I was sick the previous couple days, but I took some big pulls and worked on time trialing to get ready for nationals. I did my best to make the group of 30 or so guys behind me suffer.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I've also spent some quality time in Lake Temescal in Oakland. Rebecca and I went there twice last week to work on long endurance swimming. The only downfall here is that this lake is nasty. It smells bad and you can't see your hand in front of you under water. Here's a picture of beautiful Temescal.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ6EoYuX8t56X5TPFiseGz0fOmXU-6d5R8KLQYu7e2yIeGRwWLXoIylB23qXzkCXxzEt6SDfBgqIkTpDLa1eMjS5Zqxn3PJq0943mxkPBKXSdjGy9XC9NPooHoYafsRUTrskj-XOnqJzY/s1600/temescal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ6EoYuX8t56X5TPFiseGz0fOmXU-6d5R8KLQYu7e2yIeGRwWLXoIylB23qXzkCXxzEt6SDfBgqIkTpDLa1eMjS5Zqxn3PJq0943mxkPBKXSdjGy9XC9NPooHoYafsRUTrskj-XOnqJzY/s320/temescal.jpg" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">So I've got 2 more weeks. One more week of hard workouts, followed by the best part of training there is: Taper.</span></div>Andrew Bauerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09311758305998460364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5477047819982456869.post-27889086716782123792010-08-30T11:45:00.000-07:002010-08-30T11:45:22.109-07:003.5 Weeks To Go<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">First off, congrats to training partners Kyle Leto and Kenny Rakestraw for taking 2nd and 7th respectively at Alcatraz Triathlon yesterday. You guys are studs and it was nice to see you tear it up out there on that tough course.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Despite having my alarm set before 6:00am everyday last week and feeling a little sleep deprived, I had a great week of training. I finished 2/3 of two masters swim workouts and took down the whole workout the third time. Although I can still feel the shoulder a little bit during certain parts of the stroke, I'm confident that with a few more training sessions in the pool, there is no reason why I shouldn't be 100% and at the top of my fitness in the water come nationals. It feels great to be back!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">With Kyle and Kenny missing from our weekly group ride "House of Pain" because they were racing the next day, it was left wide open for me to take charge of the 30-40 rider group. Usually Kyle goes to the front, puts in his headphones and tears the group to pieces. I'm usually one of the unlucky guys being shelled off the back. This time around, I found a new confidence and took my turns at the front. This time it was my turn to shell some people off the back, plus we got pulled over by a cop for taking up the whole car lane for a about 10 miles. Apparently drivers and cyclists don't get along. No big deal though. We got a little speech from the officer and we were on our way. It's not the first time I've been on the group when it's been pulled over. We all shared a good laugh. Overall, I feel very strong on the bike right now; much improved from last year at this time. The picture below is Kyle and I surviving on a 45-mile ride at 110 degrees last Wednesday.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxqaQRah-78OMRNFPyx3ebRz4NSZjDWZCAf7vW-ZmDKHbJrQaSzHSlBn9ADJWM3Ey8D5m-IaeJbwnigr4B5de_AzGkghV00udi0WDOHUFuAHfH9do3Na2aRB2V4y5cxg1nPwPZPUNAGLY/s1600/1283192201407.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxqaQRah-78OMRNFPyx3ebRz4NSZjDWZCAf7vW-ZmDKHbJrQaSzHSlBn9ADJWM3Ey8D5m-IaeJbwnigr4B5de_AzGkghV00udi0WDOHUFuAHfH9do3Na2aRB2V4y5cxg1nPwPZPUNAGLY/s320/1283192201407.jpg" /></a></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">With the help of Luis and his track workout group on Thursday mornings, I got through my long track session at 5:30am. The total distance of the work on the track was 8 miles and it marks my come back after a 2-week hiatus from track stuff. The workout went very well. I like to tell myself during and after the workout that no one I am racing in 3.5 weeks is working that hard on the track and running those types of workouts. It helps with my confidence.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The next 2 weeks call for more of the same before starting my taper and preparations for Tuscaloosa.</span>Andrew Bauerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09311758305998460364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5477047819982456869.post-75978421565909848432010-08-25T11:01:00.000-07:002010-08-25T11:01:24.456-07:00Post Crash<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-b_ykadbizTBcSw25APA1TiIQ81wPCzRz9OW9FyL11BCh7rUQQPUrWULgdeHQOpCDF8SDFA7G7-faXXb_bE1MxRi_Bcmr3wLd1uz_gjI8Y-H6fHBkwdOo2gqM1jDaQGD86lMq_6A3m5s/s1600/finish+line.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-b_ykadbizTBcSw25APA1TiIQ81wPCzRz9OW9FyL11BCh7rUQQPUrWULgdeHQOpCDF8SDFA7G7-faXXb_bE1MxRi_Bcmr3wLd1uz_gjI8Y-H6fHBkwdOo2gqM1jDaQGD86lMq_6A3m5s/s320/finish+line.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Back on July 31st, I had the opportunity to race at the Elite Development race at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. There were 35 athletes in the race, including 4 pros. Excluding the pros, the top 3 amateur finishers were given their elite cards, giving them their "professional" status. I raced in one of these types if races earlier this year, taking the 4th spot. This time, I was poised for a top 3 finish. Unfortunately, after a great swim that put me in the position I wanted, I hit a bump on the bike and went down hard. I've never crashed on the bike before. It was surprising, to say the least...as well as painful. With the help of some coaches, I got picked up from the ground, the bike was bent back into ridable position and I was off. Throughout my entire running and triathlon career, I've never DNFed and I wasn't about the change that. I ended up finishing, which was a successful race given the circumstances.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now, 3 weeks after the crash, I'm just starting to get back in the pool. I took 2 weeks off from pretty much everything to let my shoulder heal a bit. Last week was my first full week back running and biking. Swimming is taking a bit longer. Luckily nothing was broken or dislocated in the crash and I walked away with just some muscle damage. A couple races on my schedule are cancelled (Alcatraz and Pacific Grove) so I can get ready for my number 1 race of the season: Nationals in Tuscaloosa, AL. I've got 4 weeks to train hard and get ready.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'll do my best to keep you updated on my progress to Alabama.</span></span></div>Andrew Bauerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09311758305998460364noreply@blogger.com0