I Aced the A Race

I have two "A" races this year.  Augusta 70.3, because all this training is part of my "Road to Augusta 70.3" and my first half ironman. And Pinappleman.  Pinappleman Triathlon is the only race this year that I've done before and since sprints vary so greatly, this would be the only race this season that I could directly compare to last year to judge improvement (this goes back to competing with myself).

This year, as both my parents are also training for Augusta, they decided to also register for this triathlon.  It is so cool do these kinds of events with them.  They are beasts!  Prior to the race, we were able to capture this great photo of the three of us.

And your standard pre-race, dorky smile, hiding nerves photo that I always take.

I did better in the water than I expected.  Compared to the race the previous year, I had improved by over 4 minutes in the water.  As I ran to the transition area, I was all smiles and very excited to see this accomplishment in action.  And of course, that dang beard is back!

Bike time.  Check out those fancy clip-less shoes.  I just put these on my bike days before and only had 2 opportunities to try them out prior to the race.  Regardless of that, I clipped in with ease and was off on the bike.  I knew the course was nearly flat, but expected there to be a lot of wind.

 Just as I got going on the bike, a mini-storm came through.  The winds picked up, the rain poured down, and the fun of riding through puddles and playing in the rain began. (You can't see it in this picture but I promise you...it was storming.)

Although we had a mini-storm on the bike, the sky cleared up and the sun came out for the run.  So not to disappoint, it was incredible hot for the run.  I told myself..."run till it hurts, then run through the hurt till you finish, or till you pass out."  And that is what I did.  I ran...and it hurt.  I didn't even have any push left for me to give a little gusto cross the finish line but it felt nice to definitely be cruising along faster than the previous year.

Look at that intensity...or is that the look of, "I might kill over and die."  Either way, a finish for the records.  I had accomplished over a 15 minute PR from previous year.  No matter where I finished in my age group, I couldn't help but celebrate that as a win.  The biggest win was in the swim...no the bike...no run.  Okay, lets be honest, for someone that shows up to 'Complete' races, I sure did an awesome job 'Competing' against myself in this race.






Pineappleman is the race I signed up for in 2012 and didn't have the water confidence to even start, then in 2013 it was my third race of the season and this year, I finally had the confidence up and the training consistent.  I took 4:01 off my swim, :23 off T1, 3:38 off my bike, and 7:18 off my run.  Aced that race!

The Triathlon of Horrible Photos

Not everyone can be "ridiculously photogenic guy," but lots of people are taking great tri photos.  At the Tomoka Triathlon this year, that wasn't the case for me. In fact, these photos were so bad, they were hilarious.  And when something is that hilarious, you just cannot not share.  Enjoy and be reminded, life is too short not to laugh at yourself every once in awhile.

I was really excited for this race as I knew I was ready to redeem my water time from the previous race. So bright and early we drove to Ormond Beach.  Josh was gracious enough to join me, listen to my freak outs (I had more than one this race), cheer me on, and snap chat all my friends each leg of the race before any of them were even out of bed that morning.  And this is where the laughter begins...

Have you ever seen a more graceful, pretty, water exit?  Probably.  This is just horrible.  I look like a drunk guy with a five o'clock shadow that wanted to wear very bright lipstick (I swear I didn't have lipstick on).  Some may call it the "Josh" look (sans the lipstick). And even though you can't tell, I am very pleased here with my efforts in the water and ready to knock out the causeway crossings for both the bike and the run.

Why do I never see the camera?  I could at least smile if I did.  Instead, I look miserable. I look like I hate this sport, and I look like I am ready to be done.  Again, you can't tell, but I rocked my way through that transition and hopped on my bike proudly, ready again to have "strong mind, strong legs."  The causeway crossings were tough, but I made it up and finished the bike stronger than any race previous to this one.

See I was happy...yeah, a decent photo...but, what's that?

At closer look, I hadn't known I had a beard.  So yes, I was gabbing on the bike course with many people all while my drunken 5 o'clock shadow still existed on my face.  Why don't people tell you these things? But yes, you can tell that at least I am having fun.  A reminder of why I do this.  And I love the run.  It is my favorite part.

Some point during the run, I wiped sweat from my face and managed to finish the race without my beard. Happy with my overall effort and time.  Tomoka Sprint Triathlon will be a definite race for next year.