Less than week after the Mizzou triathlon I raced in Bridge The Gap 10k run in Quincy Illinois.  Quincy is my hometown so I was looking forward to returning home and running in the race.

My good friend Eric Fleming asked if I would help out at the race expo the night before. The Quincy Multi Sports Club had a booth at the expo. I didn’t think I was going to be able to make it but that morning my schedule opened up and I was able to spend the day at the expo. Living in the remote area around Heartland Lodge, I was happy to talk with and be around other runners.

Eric and his family took me out for a pasta, carb-loading dinner during a break we took from the expo. I enjoyed having dinner with his family. After dinner I went back to the expo to finish up and help Eric tear down the booth. Afterwards I headed to my sister’s. That would be where I would stay for the weekend. I was looking forward to seeing my four nephews!!

I arrived at their house and was able to spend some time with the boys before they were of off to bed. I went down to my room and started getting all my race stuff ready. I made the mistake of training hard most of the week after the Mizzou Tri. Thurs and Fri I was feeling very fatigued so I didn’t know how I would do in the race. But I wasn’t expecting much and just wanted to have a fun day. I stayed up later than normal and then finally went to bed. The race didn’t start until 9am so I had plenty of time to sleep in.

For some crazy reason, I woke up at 4:30 and couldn’t go back to sleep!! Frustrating! So finally I got out of bed and started my pre race routine. Fueling up for the race, drinking lots of water, getting my cloths on etc. I had breakfast with the boys, and then headed to the river front, the location of the race. I was there 2hrs early! So I had time to kill. After awhile others started showing up and the time went by fast. I looked down at my Garmin and there were 15minutes before start time, so it was time to GU up.

I was feeling good before the race despite not sleeping and being so tired the day before. The gun went off and I took off….in fact I took of way faster than I thought I should, but I felt good, so I kept going.  I hit the 3 mile mark and I realized I was running a 7min mile. Much faster than my normal 10K time. I was still feeling good but wondered if I would run out of gas. I knew once I got to the last mile I would be fine, but I had two more to go…Should I slow down or keep the pace?? I decided to keep going, so I didn’t slow down. After mile marker 5 I was still feeling good. Wow!! It’s amazing how some days you just feel great and can run like you have never before…and other days it’s a struggle just to finish! Once I was on the last ½ mile stretch I was feeling it but I am always able to kick it out. I had to dodge the walkers who were participating as well. I looked up at the race clock and it showed that I broke the 8 min mile!! It was my first 7min mile 10K race. A personal best!!

I stuck around after race to see some friends and enjoy the great weather. It warmed up and was in the mid 70’s. Then I heard something about Nebo IL during the award ceremony and then someone said you took first! I was very surprised! I ended up taking first in my age group! Another first for my short racing career!

I spent the rest of the day feeling the after race high you get when finishing a triathlon or run. I had to get rested up because a good buddy of mine was having a birthday party that evening and I knew it could be a long night!

Gary

www.heartlandlodge.com/resort/illinois-bike-riding.html

My 2009 triathlon season kicked off the first of May with the Mizzou triathlon in Columbia Missouri, on May 3^rd. This would be my second year racing in this sprint triathlon. 

Our group travels down on Saturday before the race and registers, takes a practice swim in the amazing Olympic pool, drives the bike route and then out for a carb-loading pasta dinner. After taking this all in we headed back to the Stony Creek Inn, our home for the night.  My roommate had to back out at the last minute.  So I invited two of our tri club members to crash in my room. They were scheduled to stay in Mexico MO with family.  Other members of the Quincy Multi Sports Club were staying in the same hotel. So the evening was spent with tri talk and strategies for tomorrow’s race.

A couple of the members are die hard and wanted to get to the race early for a good spot in the transition area.  Our alarms went off a little before 5:00am and we loaded up the vehicles and head to the race site.

The weather was cool and I was already thinking about the cold run from the indoor pool to the outdoor transition area during the T1 (Transition One). The distance between the two is about a ¼ mile so it’s a small race in itself! The weather was to get warmer as the day went on so I knew by the time I crossed the finish line I would be hot and sweating.

The Mizzou triathlon starts the race in stages so you have to wait in line until your time.  Once it was my turn, I jumped in the pool, and took off. I started out way to fast and my breathing was very rapid. This is common but I knew I had to relax. I never felt great during the swim and my time reflected it. I only improved by 20 seconds over last year’s time. (Last year was my first year at this tri and I was not in good shape going into the season.) When I opened the door from the warm pool area, the cold air hit me. WOW!! It hits you hard when you first get outside. But it doesn’t take long to warm up.

The bike ride was a two loop ride around the streets of Columbia and Mizzou’s campus. You ride by the football and basketball stadiums. I felt good coming off the bike going into T2. By my estimates I was about 4 minutes faster than last year. I will take it! Exiting the transition area I punched my Garmin watch. My watch has GPS built in, so it can tell you your speed and distance. You can also set the watch to have a little guy running the pace you want and another guy on the screen shows you if you are ahead or behind…pretty cool! I was way ahead!! My legs felt great and I had plenty of gas left. So I kicked it up a notch and ended up having a very strong run. I shaved 3 minutes off last years time!!

I ended up having a great race. I cut over 7 minutes off last years time! A great way to start the tri season!! Hopefully it’s a good sign for the upcoming season. Next week would be the Bridge The Gap run in my home town of Quincy IL.

 Gary

www.heartlandlodge.com/resort/illinois-bike-riding.html

When:      May 16 – 17, 2009

Where:    Harpole’s Heartland Lodge  (217) 734-2526 www.Heartlandlodge.com

Why:         Let’s kick off the 2009 race season with other athletes

What:       Activities planned for both athletes and family members who choose to take in the wide variety of things to do at the Lodge. 

 Saturday

2:00 p.m.:  Brick workout.  Ride the beautiful scenic paved roads and then run.  Go as fast as you want or just enjoy the scenery with a slow paced ride and/or walk. 

This is a great time of the year for outdoor activities for those who would rather horseback ride, ride ATV’s, hike the trails etc.

 Dinner:  Eat family style with other guests at the Lodge.

After dinner activities:  Hayride and bonfire! Scenic hayride overlooking the Mississippi River during the sun set. After the hayride, sit around the bonfire and enjoy smores, marshmallows and great stories!

Sunday

7:00 a.m. Early morning run or ride for those who are interested.

Brunch and then time to head back home with a ton of fantastic memories!

For more information go to: http://www.heartlandlodge.com/resort/illinois-bike-riding.html