With the racing season wrapped up and the holidays on the way I wanted to take the opportunity to sum  up the year for all those who have supported and cheered me on. In a nutshell, 2012 has been fantastic! While the racing season was great and highlighted by some nice victories and strong performances, the real highlight of my year comes from my recent engagement to Rinny. After being together for several years, I finally stopped dragging my feet and popped the question. We are both very excited and with the wedding planned for next fall we will have to race well in 2013 to pay for it!

My 2012 season was one of new approaches. While the prior year had been strong, my entry into Ironman racing left me reaching at the end of the season and questioning what I could do to improve. One source of questions was my diet, and the discovery of a gluten sensitivity led to drastically improved nutrition. I also changed my approach to training, being a little smarter in terms of when and how much really intense ironman training I did. These changes left me rejuvenated as I approached the early season. With wins at the San Juan 70.3 and the Ironman 70.3 US Championships the changes seemed to work!

Winning the US Championships was one of the biggest victories of my career and a proud moment for sure. With success at these races (and a podium at St. Anthony’s) I was excited to approach the mid-season races. My fitness was fantastic as I approached the summer but sometimes variables on race day can overpower your preparations. It seemed this was the case with my summer: a crash in Boise, a mechanical in Coeur d’Alene and yup another crash in Lake Stevens made for a tough summer. I looked at these as hurdles and not roadblocks and with a little grit I was able to get on the podium for them all.

With the regular season racing wrapped up, all I had left on my radar were the Ironman 70.3 and Ironman World Championships. As I prepped for the races I was very lucky to link up with Ironman World Champion Craig “Crowie” Alexander for many great training sessions. Crowie is a true class act and I had an unbelievable training block learning from one of the sport’s absolute best. We did the majority of our Kona prep before the 70.3 Worlds and I went into Las Vegas very fit!

I skipped Vegas last year to focus on Kona so I was very excited to get in the mix. After a failed solo break on the bike I ended up coming off the bike and running toe to toe with Crowie…with our training there was no surprise there! After battling Crowie, Olympic medalist Bevan Docherty, and Andy Potts I finished 4th and just 10 seconds off the podium. While I had hoped for a better result I was proud off my race and felt really good about my Kona fitness.

The weeks between Vegas and Kona and the last few key sessions were a balance of fine-tuning while not over doing it. Unlike last year, I had a good grasp on this preparation and hit the start line in Kona healthy and hungry. A strong swim put me in the lead group on the bike on what seemed to be a weird day of racing for the men’s field. While the fireworks were going off in the front of the bike group, my goal for the race this year was to be smart, have a solid race and establish myself in Kona. I eventually lost touch with the leaders in the strong winds on course and came into transition in 16-17th position. However I had stayed within myself on the bike and went to work on the run. I felt strong over the entire marathon and worked my way into 8th position. My first Kona top 10! I proudly grabbed the American Flag and experienced my first finish on Ali’i Drive. It was awesome. 2012 was a great season and the perfect stepping stone for my quest to take home the gold in Kona. I can’t wait to continue my mission in 2013!

I just finished a two-week racing block in Idaho with Ironman 70.3 Boise and Ironman Coeur d’Alene (CdA), the great state of Idaho made sure to make it a challenge! While I don’t feel either race was my best showing I was still able to walk away from this block with two podiums, a 3rd in Boise and 2nd in CdA. Podiums are great but what I really took away from the Gem State was great lessons in toughness, both physical and mental.

I came into the Boise 70.3 with great form. After some successful results early in the season I was able to get in a great Ironman training block before the 70.3 to prepare for CdA two weeks later. I arrived to a beautiful day in Boise, mid-70s and sunshine. While the swim water was cold (57 degrees) the rest of the course was beautiful with a challenging bike and festive run course located downtown. It seemed to have the making of the perfect race, that is before the not so perfect storm approached.

Boise has the unique quality of a noon start time, but that didn’t help the weather in warming up. We arrived at the race site to rain and 42 degree weather, with the strong winds the wind chill was down to the low 30s! I had never been in worse race conditions and had no idea what the day would bring. As we prepared our gear the race director made an announcement, the 50 mph winds on the backside of the course had caused them to cut the bike course short. The 56-mile bike was now a 15-mile bike straight into town from the reservoir. Ironman 70.3 Boise was now the sport’s first Ironman 29.3! With the short bike and severe cold several of the athletes including eventual winner Matty Reed decided to ride in their wetsuits. Before the start Matty came up to me and said, “TO I am going to ride in my wetsuit” I starred at him for a little and said “Uh, ok.” In my mind I thought the cold had already gotten to him and he had lost it! In hindsight it was a brilliant move.

The race started in the cold water of the reservoir and while it was tough to get the muscles going I was able to get into a two-man breakaway out of the swim and with a fast transition I quickly gapped the entire field. While I put on a vest in transition I didn’t zip up, I don’t know why. I think the cold had already gotten to me. I bombed down the 1.5 mile decent out of the reservoir and my core temperature continued to drop. A little fuzzy in the head and unable to feel my hands things quickly turned bad for me. I felt a motto coming up on me and I turned around to take a look, as I looked back ahead of me I saw I was riding head on into a giant cone. Seriously, this cone was bigger than Rinny. In my state as a human popsicle I had no reaction, I just ran right into it going somewhere in the 25-30 mph range. Classic TO. As I flipped over my Argon the only thing I could think was “great, there goes IM CdA and that means no Kona.” BUT I am sort of a professional bike crasher, I have some experience! I was able to roll out of the crash in pretty good shape but my ISM saddle wasn’t so lucky…it definitely took one for the team. I don’t know why but when you crash the reaction is to just get up and keep riding. By the time I got back onto the bike I had fallen to third position and with a saddle that was now aligned vertically and not horizontally I wasn’t going to set any bike course records. I rode conservatively, not knowing if I had done any other serious damage to my bike or body but was still able to hit transition in third. I’m glad it was only a 15-mile bike as I was beginning to convulse in the cold. It turns out being “Ironman fit” is not a good thing in those conditions!

I plugged along on the run and was able to stay strong to hold onto the podium. While I feel I lost the chance to fight for a win in Boise I am proud that I kept charging after the crash. I wasn’t going to let a little rode rash and a broken seat stop me from fighting! I left Boise in one piece and still on track for IM CdA, so all in all the day turned out ok!

I knew CdA had the possibility to be just as cold as Boise so in the two weeks in between races I made sure to keep my eye on the weather. If it was going to be Boise 2.0 then I was ready to fly to Europe and do one of their Ironmans. I don’t mind a little suffering but I’m not masochistic. Luckily the reports all sounded good, mid 70s on race day. It took a few days for my hip and neck to start to feel better after the crash and by the end of week my body felt ok. Unfortunately as my body felt better my energy dropped. I realized that a week out from CdA I had come down with the same bug that kept Rinny out of Eagleman the week prior. I spent the Monday before the race in bed, not able to do much else. I was very nervous, Ironman is a long day when you are 100% and being less than that could make it a REALLY long day. I switched my flight from Wednesday to Thursday for another night in my own bed to recover. The bug spread to my sinuses, which then lead to a double ear infection too. With the fear of ruining my GI system before the race I made the decision to avoid the antibiotics I needed prior the race. While my head felt like it was going to explode the entire week I would rather race in pain the risk a severe GI breakdown in the race.

I decided to stick to my normal race plan and go for it. If I didn’t have it on the day then I just didn’t have it. With a solid swim I exited the water with Bryan Rhodes over two minutes ahead of the field. I got out to the lead and started setting the pace. Unfortunately when I mounted my bike out of T1 my seat post slipped and left me riding a few cm low. I continued to ride strong and while Chris Lieto was gaining on me I began to open up the gap on the main pack. About 25 miles into the ride I was able to flag down the technical support and get my seat raised. I tried to hang with Chris as he passed but as we wrapped up the first lap he had put a minute into me. The good news was I had opened up the lead on the main field to five minutes.

I noticed it seemed to be getting colder on the bike and as we entered town to start lap two I saw the temperature had dropped to the mid-50s. I don’t know if it was the cold or just me not having it on the day but as I started the second lap I noticed my watts began to plummet. I just couldn’t get any power into the pedals. I caught Chris as we headed back out of town but the main group was closing fast. Before I knew it Viktor and some others were right behind me. I’m still asking myself “where did that five minute lead go?” I had nothing in me and when they caught me I was quickly left in their wake. I kept plugging along just trying to hold off the others and (slowly) made my way back into town to T2.

As I hit T2 I was in 4th place and over six minutes off of Viktor. I attempted to execute my race plan on the bike and failed. As I ran into the changing tent I knew I needed to be smart and adapt my plan. The competitor in me wanted to bust out of the gate and try to close the gap to Viktor, try to make it a race. However I was way off my biking form and trying to crush the run could’ve put me in a bad place. Wrapping up my Kona spot was the ultimate objective for the day and I decided to run strong but smart. Within five miles of the run I had pulled myself into second place matching pace with Viktor up the road. I kept the pace up and was able to take hold of my position and finish with a hard fought second place.

Racing isn’t just about the level of fitness you achieve in preparation for the race, its about what your bring to the table on race day. While I don’t think CdA was my best performance I raced to what I had on the day. Even though I didn’t set records or reach new levels in my Ironman career I know what I had on the day was left on the course and I’m proud of the effort. My races at Boise and CdA for different reasons weren’t the perfect days. The challenges presented to me in both events tested my willingness to dig deep and fight. I’d like to think I passed those tests. Like I said at earlier, there are no Easy Streets in Idaho…and I love it!

What an unbelievable weekend in Galveston, TX at the Ironman 70.3 US Championships. After a 2nd and 3rd place finish the last two years in Texas I finally brought home the win and claimed the title of US Pro Champion! With the one of the strongest fields in 70.3 history, the presence of cycling legend Lance Armstrong and a nail biting late race battle for the win this is truly one of my most memorable moments in the sport.

After spending two weeks in Tucson in between races I arrived in Galveston on Thursday feeling great and excited to race. A disappointing ride here last year left me 8 minutes behind Chris Lieto off the bike and unable to defend my title as US Champion. Memories of the race have lingered in my head over the year, leaving me hungry to come back and redeem myself in Galveston. I knew this was going to be an exciting race and a great challenge when I saw the caliber of the field. Two time Ironman 70.3 World Champion Michael Raelert, the only athlete to beat Michael in a 70.3 over the last two years in Sebastian Kienle, the owner of the world’s fastest Ironman time Marino Vanhoenacker, Ronnie Schildknecht, the first man to break 8 HRs in a US Ironman and oh yah the 7x TdF winner Lance Armstrong were among the stellar start list. I was pretty sure this was not going to be an easy day.

So everyone was obviously talking about Lance and lets face it I just cant ignore it. Lets talk a little Lance. Having him in triathlon is great and it can only add the value and growth of our sport. Lance was a pro triathlete before I knew how to spell the word let alone know what it meant, he belongs here just as much as us. Coming back to his roots is awesome and it takes some guts to come back after two decades away and toe the line. I know all the hype was around him and all the media was focused on him and its ok! I saw the focus on Lance as a positive since I was able to avoid some of the attention and come in under the radar. In fact he was in some ways at a disadvantage with all the hoop-la he has to deal with while trying to get back into the sport and race triathlon’s best athletes. That’s not an easy task. With that said I still wanted to kick his butt (and the others) on race day!

The festivities started with the pre-race press conference and with Lance present it was well attended to say the least. I had the pleasure of sitting next to him during the press conference and to chat a little with a few sidebars. Athletic talent aside I was very impressed with his stage presence. He was great with the cameras and questions, and I definitely enjoyed the lesson in media training! The press conference also gave me the chance to get past the stigma of Lance. After watching Panama 70.3 it seemed some athletes were caught up in his presence and it deterred from their performances. Having the chance to chat, remove that idea and simply see Lance as another competitor before race morning was a great benefit.

Now to the race: The day started with developing winds but relatively calm water for the swim start. As the gun fired I got off to a slow start and felt a little sluggish. Confident in the swim training I have done this year I didn’t panic, found my rhythm and gradually making my way near the front of the pack. As always I value a strong transition, along with Raelert and Stephan Poulat I stretched the field out an opened a gap going onto the bike. Once again as I started the bike I felt sluggish as Raelert pushed the pace. As we clicked off a few miles I came around and when the Lance Train caught us at mile 5 I was ready to fight. I jockeyed for position and settled into third wheel behind Vanhoenacker who I could not let get away. The pace was solid and competitors started to pop off one by one. When Lance made his break 25 miles into the ride there were only a few of the contenders left. I felt strong and along with Vanhoenacker kept my pace fast. Eventually Kienle (arguably the sport’s strongest cyclist) came passed us but not until 40 miles into the ride. As I approached the end of the ride I was excited to know I had only lost 90 seconds to Lance and Kienle was within a minute. I was in a great spot to contend for the win.

I hit transition in fourth and quickly opened a gap on Vanhoenacker. He is a dangerous athlete and I didn’t want to have to battle him on the run! As I began to run I started to chip away at the gap to the others. While I was making up time I wasn’t running as well as I had anticipated, in fact I felt pretty bad! I struggled in the middle of the run and along with battling the others I was fighting some significant breathing issues. Before I knew it Kienle was pulling away in the lead while Schildknecht was closing on me from the third position, I was in a bad spot. Just at that low point I heard my coach Cliff English yell at me “come on T.O. the big wins are the ones that will hurt the most.” With his motivation I continued to dig and began to find my legs. With one lap remaining I was almost a minute down from the lead but I was gaining momentum. As I picked up the pace I began getting feedback, 45 seconds down…32 seconds…16…I was back in the game! I bridged to Kienle within the last two miles and as I passed he began to match my pace. I knew it would take some tactics to get the victory…almost four hours into the event and the race was just beginning. We hit the last aid station and as I grabbed water he attacked, punch number one. I bridged the gap and tucked in behind him as we hit the airport runway within the final mile. The pace slowed as we both prepared for the on slot and Kienle decided to make another move. He threw his second punch but this time I was ready and remained on his pace. I knew it I needed to make my move soon, before he could recover. We hit the last turn around and I went. I didn’t know if he would respond by I did know I couldn’t look back. I picked up my cadence got up on my toes and tried to keep the pace strong.

The only thought in my head, don’t stop until you break the tape! I stormed into the finish chute and took home the win. The finish line tape has never felt so heavy (I am pretty sure it weighed 200 lbs) but it has also never felt so gratifying. I have to tip my hat to the rest of the field, especially Kienle who made this an unbelievable competitive and fun race. I am absolutely honored to have won the US Championships against such great competitors. We brought out the best in each other in Galveston and I can’t wait to do battle again soon!

This weekend marked the start of my 2012 season and my first race as a gluten free athlete at the Ironman 70.3 San Juan. I am proud to report I successfully defended my title and brought home the win!

After a roller coaster year in 2011 I was elated to get right back on track in San Juan. In early January I discovered that the health issues I experienced in 2011 (particularly in the 2nd half of the season) might have been related to a gluten sensitivity problem. I made the switch to gluten free and immediately began to feel “normal” again in everyday life, particularly in training. While it hasn’t been easy for a guy who absolutely loves treats, I was able to adopt the change successfully. After learning of the issue I headed out to Noosa, Australia to train for the winter. I was excited to find gluten free options EVERYWHERE! For the next two months I was able to train happy and healthy in Noosa and was ready to start racing.

I headed out from Australia back to the States the Monday of race week and made a quick trip to Boulder to collect all my race gear. After a whirlwind of packing and organizing and in a foggy haze of jetlag I headed back to the airport and out to San Juan on Thursday. When I arrived I was greeted with the same unbelievable hospitality that made me fall in love with this race last year. While still trying to manage the jetlag (I think it was a 14 hour time change) I partook in the pre-race events and began all the standard preparations for race day. While I didn’t have my traditional fudge brownie the night before the race I was able to sneak in a few gluten free cookies!

Race morning came quickly and I excited to put it all out there to defend the race title. I approached the start line with simple race plan, just put it all out there! I’d attempt to push the swim and bike as hard as possible and see who remains to battle it out on the run…no gut, no glory! As the gun went off I was able to quickly make my way to the front of the pack. A few hundred meters into the swim I made a move to the front to set the pace. The race was filled with dangerous competitors like duathlon world champions Leon Griffin and Paul Amey so I knew a fast swim would be in my favor. As we exited the water I realized there were only two athletes left on my feet. In a great position to strike early, I blitzed the transition and hit the bike solo and in front.

I settled into a strong pace while Belgian Olympian Axel Zeebroek hovered about 30 seconds back. Over the course of the bike I was able to build a solid lead over the main pack. About 43 miles into the ride Axel decided to drop the hammer. While he was able to put about 30 seconds into me in the closing miles I felt comfortable in my position with the dangerous runners a few minutes behind. I felt a bit of deja vu as I came off the bike, last year I was in a very similar position with Luke McKenzie about 60 seconds up the road.

As I started the run I was ready to take care of business. I have been working on my glut strength this season and was looking forward to being stronger in the run course’s challenging hills. I settled in my pace and closed the gap to Axel in the first 1.5 miles of the run. The winds were down this year which made for a very hot run, especially on the exposed seawall outside the historic gates of Old San Juan. While the view was breathtaking I didn’t have time to enjoy it as I monitored my body in tough hot and humid environment. I spotted Griffin in third place and running strong. In 2008 at my first Ironman 70.3 event I battled him in similar fashion. I lead that race from the gun and with a 90 second lead and less than a mile from the finish my body failed. Griffin came storming by me and took the win. Here I was again with a 90 second lead and while I felt in control I knew that in these conditions anything could happen. I kept my foot on the pedal and on pace, I knew that if I left the door open he could easily squeeze in! As I approached the last 5km I noticed Griffin was in 2nd but he had not closed on the 90-second gap. I made sure to stay strong; with three miles left there was still room to falter and I wasn’t about to forfeit this victory!

As I approached the finish a huge feeling of joy and relief came over me. On a personal level breaking the finish line tape was a symbol of placing the challenges faced in 2011 behind me. Neither basking in the successes of last year or dwelling on the shortcomings will make me a better athlete. With a new season comes a clean slate, the triumphs and the failures are all simply experiences from which I must learn and then move on. San Juan marks a new year that will have its highs and possibly its lows. Either way they are all experiences that contribute to my growth as an athlete…but I still prefer the highs!

I wish Ironman racing was more like golf. If it were I would have definitely asked for a Mulligan at the Ironman World Championships last month in Kona! Regardless of how well you prepare physically, mentally and emotionally for the biggest race of the year you have to get to the start line healthy. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to do that this year and my debut in Kona was a humbling experience from Queen K.

Despite some set backs in early September including a case of “foot drop” prior to the Hy-Vee Triathlon, my preparation for Kona went really well. I logged the biggest training weeks of my career and highlighted the preparation with high watts on the bike and the fastest training runs I had ever seen in my (short) Ironman career. Everything leading into the race was focused on success on the island, locked on diet; great training and the BEST gear put me in position to compete with the world’s top triathletes. Rinny and I headed to Kona two weeks early to acclimatize and get (re)acquainted with the course. We spent our first week outside of town at the Mauna Launi Bay Resort where we were treated like royalty. The peaceful resort setting along with the Mauna Launi’s top rated fitness center and pool made for the perfect prepping station.

We headed into town the following Sunday and hunkered down in our condo on Alii Dr. With the craziness of race week and the obligations involved it is nice to be near the action. Almost all my sponsors were in attendance and I was glad to have the chance to do a few appearances for them and to thank them in person for their unbelievable support. Along with the appearances I had a good amount of media obligations race week, definitely something I don’t experience at the normal race. With my strong debut at Ironman Texas and my position in the Kona rankings I had drawn some attention leading into the race. My taper seemed to be perfect and my last few tune up sessions on Tuesday and Wednesday we spot on. On Friday, the day before the race, I noticed I was very fatigued as I prepared all my race gear. With the riggers of Ironman training I was always fatigued in the weeks leading into the race, so when I was fresh and tapered race week it was hard for me to notice that I was feeling off. Friday night Rinny touched my head in passing and then paused and told me a felt a little warm. Uh Oh. It turns out I was running a fever but it was the night before the biggest race of my career…I shrugged it off and said I was fine.

Race morning came and it was an unbelievable vibe in transition. My goal in the sport was finally right in front of me…Kona! I went through my normal race routine and chatted with my coach Cliff before heading into the water. The cannon went off and just like that the race was on. As I battled among the other racers I found myself towards the front of the main swim pack. While I was in good position the pace seemed much harder than usual. I noticed I was struggling to keep my position in the group. Staying focused, I made it to shore still near the front. When I hit the beach I immediately noticed my entire body ached but it was Kona and I was going to keep going! Growing up one of my swim coaches always told me “you don’t have to feel good to swim fast” and I kept this in my mind as I struggled through transition.

The day didn’t get any easier as I hit the bike. As I went up the small coming out of transition I noticed my legs had nothing. One by one the other racers went by me and I dangled on the back of the lead pack. I fought and fought to keep contact and after falling off and catching up several times the group eventually left me behind on the Queen K. Less than two hours into the ride I started reaching for coke at aid stations; I knew I was in a bad spot. Cliff spotted me on the course and when he saw me covered in vomit and wobbling on my bike he knew we had to shut it down. I decided to keep riding back to transition but I knew I was out of the race. The remaining part of the ride was the longest 40 miles I have ever ridden.

When I got back to transition I found Cliff and my parents who had come out to watch my first Kona. They we glad to see I was ok but could tell I was devastated by how my day unfolded. After all the time and energy I put into this single event I was left with nothing. Still I knew this was the gamble I was taking with Kona, when you place everything in one race you can either win big or lose big. My real disappoint was from knowing it wasn’t really me out there racing. I didn’t get the chance to do justice to the extensive preparations I made for the race. But like I said, step one in racing is getting to the start line healthy!

My disappointment was palpable and many friends and family touched base with me after the race to give their support. The strongest message I received was from my friend and founder of Team RWB, Mike Erwin. Mike emailed me with a famous quote from Teddy Roosevelt, “The Man in the Arena.” Mike didn’t know it at the time but during my induction at the Naval Academy I had to memorize “The Man in the Arena” and it had stuck with me through my Navy career. When I read the email I knew I had not lost anything on the day. Instead I had gained a valuable experience that would only make me a stronger racer and a stronger person. I’m no stranger to failure but I have always prided myself on fighting back from my shortcomings. My Kona debut was indeed a failure, but a failure I plan on using to only make my next attempt on the island a success.

We all face challenges in life and all failures can be overcome. I plan on overcoming my challenges in Kona and I hope everyone reading this blog will face their challenges head on too. When it gets tough, and it will, don’t forget the words of President Roosevelt:

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”

Until next time, keep fighting and dare greatly!
T.O.

I’ve finally made it to Kona! After a flurry of packing and trying to get in those last few key training sessions I hopped on a plane and headed to paradise on Friday. We arrived at the Mauna Lani Resort to a warm reception and an unbelievable bungalow. With two weeks until the race we wanted to avoid the hustle of staying in town and just focus on getting ready, the Mauna Lani was the perfect option. As I sit here in our peaceful surroundings, the stress of packing and travel done and the chaos of race week not quite here I have some time to reflect on all the preparations that have gotten me here. This week is truly the calm before the storm.

When I decided to put my sites on the Ironman World Championships my entire year shifted focus to this one particular race. Every race, every training session had one purpose, getting me ready for Kona. While the entire year is set around the race the blinders really went on about eight weeks ago as the serious preparation began.

After having a very disappointing race at the Vineman 70.3, Rinny and I took a few days off in Napa to get ready for the big Kona push. I got back to Boulder still disappointed with the way I raced and not focused on what I needed to do. The following week I had a Q&A session with two-time Ironman World Champion Tim DeBoom for the Kona issue of Triathlete Magazine. After learning about the race from Tim and after he reminded me that it was only 10 weeks until race day I became reinvigorated and refocused on my goal. I took my strengthened focus to Canada for the Calgary Ironman 70.3. With my new Argon E-118 bicycle I put together a fantastic race and took home the win. I flew back to Boulder with 9 weeks to race day and a desire to execute the best preparation possible for Kona.

While I had done some serious preparation getting ready for Ironman Texas, I had never had a training block like the one I was about to tackle over the next five weeks. It started with an epic long ride with Ironman legend Craig Alexander. Seven hours and 137 miles later I had completed my longest ride ever and my Kona block had begun. It’s amazing how much you can eat when you are training 35+ hours a week. Ice cream, chocolate, everything was fair game. I was tackling training weeks with 375+ miles of riding, 75+ miles of running and just because I had to five swim sessions a week. I chose to do most of the sessions by myself since race day can be very lonely in an Ironman. My 2.5 hour runs and 5.5-6 hour rides were on my own, just my ipod and me. The Foo Fighters, Third Eye Blind and Dave Matthews were my best training partners. I was incredibly surprised at how well I handled the training volume, especially at altitude. I was having better sessions than from my Ironman Texas preparation and it was not as taxing. The days were definitely long and as the fatigue of training accumulated the fog over my mind did too. I honestly think your IQ drops significantly during the big training weeks, I probably couldn’t have written this post in those weeks of training! I began to judge the difficulty of my training days by how many Mix1 (all-natural protein shakes) I was having in a day. One is pretty low key, two is standard, three is rock solid and lets just say I definitely had a few FOUR Mix1 days!

With a huge 4-week block completed I took a recovery week and tuned up for the Hy-Vee triathlon in Des Moines. Hy-Vee is the sports biggest payday and I was excited to see how my long course training would carry me through an Olympic distance race. A week out from Hy-Vee I began to have some roadblocks. The Saturday a week prior I experienced temporary paralysis in my right foot (foot drop). After watching a movie with my legs up on the coffee table, the pressure on my peroneal nerve was too much and shut down my leg. I injured myself on the couch. I boarded the plane for Des Moines that week and couldn’t lift my foot. I wasn’t sure what was going to happen. I spent hours a day rehabbing and with the help of the Tri-Massage Team in Boulder and kinysio tape I was able to regain some function. I hit the start line in Hy-Vee a little hesitant but with nothing to lose. After a VERY rough swim (and some inappropriate grabbing from my competitors) I exited the water mid-pack but still very much in the race. Only a few hundred meters out of transition my glasses fell off my bike before I could get them on my face. With some bad luck the referee decided I deserved a “littering” penalty for dropping my glasses…seriously?! I was given a stand down penalty on the course and with that I was now in the back of the pack. I began to ride hard to catch back up but halfway through the first lap of the technical bike course my handlebars slipped, it just wasn’t my day. At this point I began to think just don’t crash, you have a more important race to worry about. I limped into transition in 25th place and decided I am at least going to salvage a good run today! With that thought I began trucking along, I ran through a large part of the field and with one of the fastest runs of the day made my way up to 13th place. Lucky number thirteen, a fitting place for me to finish that day.

While not an ideal day I was glad I fought all the way to the finish. I hope that the race result, which wasn’t indicative of my fitness, will keep me off of the radar of my competitors. I went home to Boulder for one final two-week training block and everything began to click again. Over these two weeks I had some of the best sessions of the year and my confidence in my fitness was solidified. As I wrapped up this block I knew my work for Kona was done, the hay was in the barn so to speak.

There are many factors that will judge the winner on October 8th in Kona. Fitness, nutrition, mental preparedness are all key factors. While I do not know how the race will turn out I know the training I have done puts me in a position to fight for the win. Now it is up to me as a Kona rookie to see if I can figure out all the other variables needed to win. It will definitely be a challenge and regardless of how the race turns out it will be a huge learning experience. I’ve done my homework and now it is time to get my first lesson on the island.

I’ll see you at the finish line!
T.O.

…My alarm was set for 4:30AM but I never heard the buzzer go off.  My excitement already had me up and ready to go.  I ventured over to the race start with Rinny and Cliff in the car and the Foo Fighters playing in my Yurbuds.  Having the support of Rinny and Cliff at the race was instrumental to my success, I can’t think of anyone else I would want in my corner!  My body felt good and my mind felt focused.  I entered the water ready to race.

The gun went off and I immediately locked into race mode, all nerves left my head.  I was able to get good position and while super swimmer John Flanagan pulled away I lead the lead pack of 10.  I stayed in the front of the swim pack and exited the water in third.  The swim was the least of my worries for the day, with a slightly shorter swim than at ITU LC Worlds last year it was the only distance in the IM that I had actually raced!

I started the bike and patience was the key word.  In 70.3s I always try to push the pace at the start of the ride but I knew in a longer race this could cost me.  I settled into with the lead group and started to focus on nutrition and monitoring how I felt.  2009 Ironman World Champs runner up Chris Lieto caught up to us and about 45 miles into the ride he took off.   We all knew Lieto would ride away from the lead group but no one wanted him to get too much time.  The pace picked up and a few guys fell off.  I felt pretty good while riding and my nutrition plan seemed to be working well.  I had a few little hiccups such as dropping my special needs bag (whoops) but overall I seemed to be in control.  As we neared T2 Luke Bell dropped a serious acceleration at the 100-mile mark and dropped the group.  Eneko Llanos joined Luke leaving the rest of us behind.  Now it was me, Luke McKenzie, Jan Raphael and Axel Zeebrook and soon we picked up the pace in pursuit of the others.  At this point we had 10 miles to go and I felt marginal at best.  I was left with the decision dig to stay with the boys or ride my pace, take in some nutrition and get ready to run. Since I had never run a marathon I decided to ere on the side of caution and dropped of the pace.

I entered T2 about two minutes down on Llanos and Bell and about 45 seconds behind McKenzie and crew.  This was the part of the race in which I was most excited, I felt my run training had been going well and I wanted to see what I could do.  I set out on the run and felt great, my breathing was controlled and my pace (sub 6 minute miles) was solid.  I quickly caught McKenzie and Raphael and was putting time into Lieto, (who had almost 9 minutes) Llanos and Bell.  As I finished lap one of three Lieto’s lead was down to 4:20 and he soon pulled the plug on the race.  This left Llanos and Bell in the lead about 35 seconds up the road from me.  I was really excited, I was putting a lot of time into the boys and I could win this thing!  As I started lap two I realized I was getting REALLY hot.  I hadn’t been grabbing sponges or ice, I felt so good that I forgot to keep a tab on these things.  Rookie.

I started to lose time to Llanos and Bell on the first half of lap two but I did manage to start cooling the body with ice in my shorts and sponges in my shirt.  I started to feel better and again set out to close the gap.  I start closing in and Bell started to fade.  I went into lap three now in second place and only ten seconds behind Llanos.  As lap three got underway I once again started to feel the heat and my quads were starting to tighten up quickly.  I carried my momentum from the last few miles and caught Llanos at mile 19 of the run.  Shortly after we came into an aid station, which at this point was very congested with age group competitors starting their first lap.  I bobbed and weaved trying to get whatever liquids I could and Llanos a seasoned veteran just kept running.  He opened up a gap which was in hindsight the most vulnerable part of my race.  From a strategic perspective a brilliant move by Llanos, I just wish it wasn’t used on me!  Llanos continued to pull away as I fought my quads to keep me moving forward.  I was very hesitant at the point, I wasn’t sure if I was playing with fire by trying to pick up the pace again.  I decided to stay on my pace; while I did falter with a few seven-minute miles I didn’t completely blow up and started my approach to the finish chute holding strong in second place.

As I approached the finish I just wanted to be done.  I was in a world of hurt and I felt my quads might go at any moment.  As I closed in I ran by Cliff and he yelled. “awesome job T.O. you are going to go sub 8:10!”  While sub 8:10 sounded real nice I just wanted to finish which at this point was my number one motivation.  Leading into this race I chatted with many great Ironman athletes, a few of them World Champions and everyone said, “You only get one first Ironman so just enjoy it.”  As I turned the corner into the finish I realized that I had neglected to enjoy the experience so I better soak up the next 15 seconds.  At that very moment I saw a fellow Team Red, White and Blue (RWB) member holding Old Glory.  This flag has been flow in Iraq and is the true symbol of RWB.  As I grabbed our Flag I was overtaken with raw emotion waving the flag with a fire in my eyes that brought a roar from the crowd.  I crossed the finish line as the new Ironman US Pro Champion and gave everything I had in the process.

I was greeted by Rinny at the finish and embraced her to not only share in the moment but to hold me up and keep me from hitting the ground!  My legs quickly gave out after the finish and needed help to walk. I ended the day with three IV bags from the fantastic Memorial Herman crew in medical.  While I was very beat up I was still an Ironman!

I am very excited to be Kona bound later this year!  Kona is a completely different beast and one never knows how he will fair in the brutal island conditions. Still I hope my race in Texas is a good indicator of my potential at Kona.  I guess we’ll find out in October!