Santa Fe Sprint Triathlon: A few pics

Matty G and I pre-race!

Letting Matt open up the gap

Run, Bike, Swim... Heading into the pool

Old Course Record ('10)- 57:59
Eric Lujan ('09)- 58:40
Rance ('11)- 56:17

June Update

Since my last post I have done two more sprints, my second intermediate distance tri, and a lot of ups and downs with training. For a chunk of the last two months my training has been, not so good. I was able to complete all of the planned workouts, but the quality suffered and it definitely showed during my races. I’m not sure if it was diet, staying up late every night, lack of recovery, or the 105+ degree temperatures that I was training in everyday making me suffer so badly. My last two races felt like a straight grind and I felt that I was running strictly on fumes from my early season training.  Running 5ks almost two minutes slower than usual is something I don’t want to go through again. Thankfully my training has picked up after resting most of last week. Things are looking good and STRONG! This is great news seeing that the three biggest races of my season are just around the corner. Everything that I’ve done to this point of my season won’t even matter if I’m not able to produce in the next three races. Safe training

July 16^th City of Santa Fe Sprint Triathlon

July 31^st Cochiti Intermediate Tri

August 6^th Socorro Chile Harvest Sprint

Some photos from the last few months…

 Only the second 10k I've raced... Very happy with the end result

 Wind has became the norm this season for SE New Mexico

Some say breaking the hour mark at the Milkman Triathlon can be somewhat magical. I wasn't feeling it after a 19 minute 5k!

2010- Neil Segel.... 2011- Rance Irvin

Race Recap: Coyote Carrera

This past weekend, I found myself lining up for my first triathlon of 2011. To say this event was long awaited would be quite the understatement. The strange part was that a certain calmness was present over me from the time I woke up. The nerves were controlled and it felt my mind and body were at peace (perhaps, “the calm before the storm”). Thursday I looked at the start list and was impressed by the talent that was starting the race. Matt Gonzales, who is a good friend and one of the fastest runners in New Mexico triathlon, was ready for his second race after an outstanding performance in the Phoenix Triathlon the weekend before; Hector Tovar is one of what I like to refer to as the *“big 3 of NM”; Jaime Dispenza; and Richard Sena were all ready to race; quite an impressive. Matt and I text most of the week; we talked about tactics, who’s racing, and what to expect. Matt is quite an athlete and has come a long way from last year, which was his first season in the sport. I was extremely excited that we would be lining up side by side for my first race of 2011.

Tactically, my race was superb. I needed to stay close enough to Matt while gaining time on Hector during the run. Matt took off, as expected, and I ran with him until the turnaround. It was pretty awesome Matt and I ran shoulder to shoulder all alone for a chunk of the race. That itself made it a special day. Shoulder to shoulder with a good friend in a race, not training… Pretty awesome! Once we hit the halfway mark we had some time on Hector. I made the decision to let Matt drop me coming back, so I could save a little more for the bike (I’m not sure if I could have kept his pace much longer anyways!) The bike: Hector’s strength. I hammered to the turnaround catching Matt much later then what I expected. Coming back on the narrow pedestrian trails, that weren’t closed to the weekend traffic, kept me on the edge of the saddle. Swerving in and out of tandems, kid bike trailers, guys on inline skates, and racers trying to pass one another going the opposite direction made the ride back to transition fairly interesting. Hector caught me coming into t2. I was confident that I could out swim him, but until you jump into the pool after a hard ran 5k and 12 mile time trial, you never know. I sat on his hip for 100 meters and was at a comfortable pace. I was prepared to sit on him until the last 50 meters and let it come down to a sprint, but he let me pass (a pass with quite a bit of physical contact). Once I opened a small gap my lead continued to grow. I was trying to stay composed the last 150 meters. I had the win in my hands with 100 meters to go. I’m sure to Hector this was just another race, but to me it was a huge accomplishment. To beat one of the guys that set the bar for NM tri was truly a special feeling.

*The “big 3 of NM”, the other two would be Clay Mosely and Sir Mike Montoya. Between these three guys they win most of the races in the state. All three are amazing athletes and a true inspiration to us younger guys coming up in NM.\

Results, splits, and a little video! http://www.chasing3.com/cctriresults/

Matt and I at the start... Always good to have a friend to race beside

 The top 3

What a fast podium.  I wasnt old enough to take home the prize!

Great photos courtesy of Matt's lovely sister Jenn

Tri-Dreaming

As I sit at the end of my bed typing, my legs continue to twitch uncontrollably. These unexpected spasms have been quite common here lately. I take the twitching as a sign that my legs are ready to race. The past few months I’ve only been able to talk about how excited I am for the season to start. The anxiety continues to build and overflow into my muscles and… dreams?

Yes, even my dreams are being bombarded by the triathlon lifestyle. A few of these dreams were very clear and had a very real feeling to them (kind of creepy). One of the first dreams, and possibly the strangest, was that Seton Claggett (Trisports.com CEO) bought the fast-food franchise Arby’s. He then held a meeting where he invited all of the Trisports.com Triathlon Team members. During this meeting he encouraged all of us to buy Arby’s stock. Mark Tripp and I were the only two to accept the business offer put on the table by Seton. We thought, at the time, that it would be a great idea and our new team could be called Trisports.com presented by Arby’s. Long story short- the paperwork fell through and I eventually woke up.

Unfortunately, not all of the triathlon related dreams were this lighthearted. A few years ago I read a psychology article discussing how stressful dreams can be. I would soon learn this was a very true statement. During one of these more stressful dreams I drove for hours to a race and didn’t realize until the swim warm up that I had forgotten my water bottles. In other dreams I forgot my wetsuit, missed a start time, lost my goggles, and even locked my keys in my car with all of my tri gear still inside. FYI- I have actually experienced each of these scenarios in real life throughout my two seasons as a triathlete.  Around the third disastrous dream I woke up covered in sweat and my heart was pounding.  After these vivid and quite colorful events I think the season needs to start pretty soon.  I’m not really sure where I was going with all of this, but hopefully it will get a few reads and lighten up someone’s week just a little bit!

Safe Training and Keep Dreaming

           

           

Part 2 of 2: Trisports.com training camp/Trifest

After a quick swim Mike and I were ready to be in Tucson. Thursday morning we loaded our gear and prepared for a great weekend, but never expected how special it would turn out. The drive to Tucson was much like the night before: talking races, training, and me trying to soak up everything that was being said. The first thing we did when we arrived was visit Jaclyn at Trisports.com. They have the reputation of being the equivalent of a kid in a candy store for tri-geeks. This is why I was surprised when we walked through the door my total attention was immediately drawn toward something totally different then tri-gear. Anyways, we met with Jaclyn, picked up our welcome kits, and stocked up on food for the next day.

After the Trisports.com stop we ran around the U of A campus, which brought back some old race memories for Mike.  Afterwards we prepared ourselves for the ascent of Mt. Lemmon the next morning. Over 100 people were waiting outside the store when we arrived. Once we hit the base of Lemmon I found myself behind the lead group of elite cyclists and would later learn this was actually a bad thing. Over 6 hours later we finished our ride and rushed to swim practice at the local JCC. Jaclyn did another amazing job on getting us a pool, and with the help from Seton, a workout. After the swim it was time to get some rest and prepare for Saturdays workouts.

It was announced that we would be doing a sprint triathlon. Like everyone else I saw this as an opportunity to show off my early season speed. The only problem was that I FLEW up Lemmon the day before and the veterans of the team cruised up. Lesson #1: learned. Once we hit the bike I knew I didn’t have the legs. I ended up cruising and talking with Missy Kuck, who will make her pro debut this season by the way. Mid-way through the second lap I felt a presence. I knew what it was, who it was, and what was about to happen…. Mike. He blew by me so fast I couldn’t even grab his wheel.  With the rest of the team racing as well it just felt like me and Mike were on the course. Our minds were working the same, “where did he start, what’s the gap, what pace am I running, what is he running, etc.” I was able to close the gap and pass him on the run, but we both knew it wasn’t enough for me to beat him.

 I mention all the time how special the relationships are that I create through the great sport of triathlon. This weekend was nothing different. I met so many amazing and talented people that I am truly blessed. I hope to see many of my teammates achieve many great feats, not only this season, but in their careers. All the laughs (many can’t be mentioned), memories (also can’t be mentioned), and friends will never be forgotten from this weekend (the best part would have to be the post-VIP party festivities). What started as a trip to Tucson for some training, turned out to be one of the best experiences of my life.

Thanks again to Trisports.com, Seton Claggett, his beautiful wife Debbie, Mike Montoya, Jaclyn Appelgate, and the rest of the 2011 Trisports.com team .

Safe Training & best wishes

        Mike and I before Lemmon. It was clear Mike is in great shape for 2011. He will be tough to beat.

Part 1 of 2: Trisports.com training camp/Trifest

This is a two part post, so bear with me. I would first like to thank Trisports.com and especially Jaclyn Applegate for an absolutely amazing weekend in Tucson, Arizona. Without Jaclyn, working hard as always, this weekend and all of the fun filled festivities wouldn’t have happened. I’m extremely grateful that I was able to attend the team training camp this past weekend and to be sponsored by such an amazing organization. I was able to meet all but four of my teammates. It is without a doubt that my teammates are extremely talented and are going to do some amazing things this season. I was a bit intimidated, as was a majority of the team, when we all lined up together for the first time.

Let’s start from the begging of my weekend, which started Wednesday by the way. I was able to contact a fellow Trisports.com teammate, Mike Montoya, and stay at his house and drive together to Tucson the next morning. Did I mention he has been one of the top triathletes in New Mexico for almost twenty years, competed in 200 triathlons (thanks to our secret team workout Saturday, which turned out to be a triathlon), and one of my biggest inspirations and favorite athletes. I felt like a teenage girl the entire drive to his house. I kept thinking, “Hopefully he thinks I’m cool, I don’t want to say anything stupid, am I dressed okay??”

 I would also like to mention the first time I met Mike and give a little back story. It happened to be my first triathlon and I was wearing a fluorescent blue speedo. We lined up on the start line together and he asked if it was my first triathlon. He gave me a few words of advice and then we were off. I ended up doing the opposite of what he said, not intentionally, and finished way behind him in 33^rd place. Mike won. Something that I would learn happens a lot when he shows up to a race. The second I got home I pulled up the results to see his times and remember telling myself, “I want to be as fast as him someday.” I wouldn’t race Mike again until a few years later due to conflicting race schedules. It was in his home town of Socorro, NM. He beat me by 8 seconds. Long story short: Mike won.  

Once I arrived at the Montoya’s it was pretty close to what I imagined. Bike filled garage, with a shelf full of running shoes, and old race photos on the wall. The night continued how I hoped it would; staying up late talking about races, training, etc. The next day we hit Tucson.

Tomorrow’s Part 2!  

                                                      (Late '08)  Tan Lines of a roadie!

('10) Still have the tan lines and speedo and Mike is still beating me

Did I mention...

The weather is warming up and I have been getting some great workouts in. The temps in southeast NM have been up and down the last few weeks. We have a few days in the 70s and then a few days in the 50s. It seems the wind has been constant, but it hasn’t affected my workouts much. I am glad to report that my bike legs are beginning to come back into form. My swim and run are fairly consistent, but I could always use some more meters in the pool. You would think after 3+ years of diving into the cold water at the local pool you would start to become immune, it feels like the opposite effect, but it has to be done. My weekly distance in the pool has steadily been rising and will continue until the start of the season. This will put me on track to have good swim form in time for the first tri of the season in May. Once I arrived home from Phoenix I felt like there was a fire lit under me. I was eager to get some tough workouts in and when I did I just wanted to get some sleep so I could wake up the next day and do it all over again. I’m anxious for May to be here and I feel the anxiety is only going to grow stronger as the days go by.

 This week I will be heading to Tucson for the Team Trisports.com Training Camp. Team Trisports.com is going to have a full arsenal attending the camp. Trifest will also be taking place this weekend. A full week of nothing but swim, bike, and run will make any triathlete’s mouth water. Did I mention… training, training, and more training?? With the presence of some strong athletes this week I expect to be pushed each and every workout. I’m hoping this trip will help calm my nerves a bit, seeing that May is still a ways off.

Trisports.com will have an open group ride Friday morning. We will start from the store at 7 A.M. sharp and will be riding up Mt. Lemmon. So, if you’re in the area come out and enjoy this great event!

Race Recap: Desert Classic Duathlon

Cold and rain was not at all what I expected this past weekend at the Desert Classic Duathlon in Scottsdale, Arizona. With the temps in the 80s when I left Hobbs I imagined beautiful weather in Arizona, wrong. About an hour inside of Arizona the rain began to fall. It quickly turned to snow once Flagstaff was in sight. I might have turned back for Hobbs if I knew that most of my time in Arizona would either contain rain or snow. I finally arrived in Scottsdale after a few days of driving.  After a late lunch and a stroll by packet pick-up I began to head toward the race sight. Did I mention this is where I would be sleeping for the night?! I was thankfully able to store my bike inside of the warm and cozy Trisports.com trailer out of the brutal weather (Thanks Tom and Shari). I folded up inside of my single cab pickup and slept exceptionally well for the circumstances. The Trisports.com and Phoenix Tri Club crews were unbelievably gracious. Once I settled in for the night it was becoming more of a reality that I had a race the next morning.

   Photos taken by Claire Moty

After an oatmeal bar I grabbed my bike from the Trisports.com trailer and rolled into the transition area. It was still cold and still wet. I knew this race attracted a number of professionals, but was surprised when I saw Jordan Rapp setting up his transition. Knowing I wouldn’t be the center of attention this weekend, or even on anyone’s radar, I quietly found an empty spot and racked my bike. My first duathlon and first race of 2011 was about to get underway. I stood on the front of the start line ready to give my legs an early season go. The pace started fast as expected and the field began to string out about two miles into the first run. Heading back to transition I was in about 25^th position. I was ready to get on my bike and see what I had. 3 miles into the 21 mile bike course I found myself in a fast pack and moving to the front of the field. Once we hit the five mile mark I hit the gas, pulling away from two seasoned athletes who were pushing the pace. I made a large gap pretty quickly and thought I would actually have a chance to make up some time. Without thinking I continued to increase my pace and the gap on the majority of the field. Around mile 12 I began to fatigue and started to think my move was maybe a bad idea. I settled into a pace and made it back to transition with only a few guys in front of me. It was time for run number two. The trails beat my legs all morning and I had fairly slow run times. I was disappointed at first (16th AG overall), but realized that I haven’t been training for strength to run on trails; I’ve been training for speed. I was convinced if the runs were on the road I would have been at the front of the pack. With the first race of the season down I’m happy with where my fitness is and glad I was able to support a Trisports.com event. Next stop Tucson for the Team Trisports.com training camp.

Great photo album of the day:http://www.slowtwitch.com/News/A_Desert_Duathlon_gallery_1904.html

Is it time to race? Already?!

Six more days until my first race of 2011 was all I could think about when I woke up this morning. I have never raced this early in the year before, so this should be an interesting weekend. It will be a duathlon, which will be a run, bike, run. The whole idea of me doing a duathlon(s) is to gain early season speed. Depending on how this weekend goes will decide if I will do another duathlon(s) before May. I am also looking to gain some fitness through the Team Trisports.com training camp in early March. With the help of some new training tools, thanks to Triposrts.com, I hope to speed the building process along.

I feel fairly confident about my run fitness right now. I have really set a strong base the last couple of months for my run and I’m happy with the early season results. The bike, on the other hand, is a different story. I have had a tougher time with my bike buildup in the last couple of months. After my race at the Jingle Bell Triathlon in December (2^nd overall) I was feeling good about where I was on the fitness scale. Feeling I could capitalize on my December performance, I started my buildup in mid-January. Since January I have a good week then a bad week. This weekend will really tell me where I stand and how much work needs to be done before my first triathlon in May. Since December I have also been working tirelessly on improving my swim. My swim times from last season were not quite on target and my performance in December was unbearable to recollect. With the help of a close friend and amazing swim coach I have learned my stroke has gone to crap, literally, in the last year or so. I’m finishing up on the finer details and about to start my big swim brick to get me back into swim shape. Looking at the glass half full, I have about three more months to get on track to where I need to be. With this amount of time to prepare I have no doubt I will be ready when May rolls around. All in all my fellow Trisports.com teammates are already racing for 2011 in 5ks up to half marathons or racing bicycles in Europe (Neil!). I think it’s time for me to dust off the race wheels.

Look for another blog in the next few days to read more about The Desert Classic Duathlon!

A Taste of Winter

After struggling through a very challenging week, weather wise, I am ready to get things rolling again! Last week was extremely tough and definitely ranks high on the “worst weather I have ever experienced scale.” Missing five solid days of swimming, due to pool closure, is just the beginning of this nightmare week. Temperatures were in the low-teens without the 20 mph wind chill. I did however; attempt a very chilly run Wednesday morning. I was tired of being cooped up inside and decided to face Mother Nature head-on. I had a light breeze and the temp was in the mid-teens. Not surprisingly, the weather won with me cutting the run 3 miles short. I’ve been cold several times in my life, but that was a totally different ball game. After this experience I decided not to be naive and stay inside until it warmed up. Sunday was my first outside ride in six days. In short, it was the warmest 45 degrees I have ever ridden in.

Starting up the new week yesterday, it was still a bit cold, but warming up. I took a chilly ride in the A.M. and was able to turn around and have a great run set in the afternoon. I didn’t hit my fastest times, but battling through the elements and a little fatigue I was left very satisfied with what went down on that solitary farm road. Another cold front is going to hit Wednesday, but it won’t last for long. By the weekend it will be in the high 60s, which leaves me very happy. The intense training sessions are becoming more important every day. The start of the season is among us and my first race is only two weeks away!

Ready to wave off the cold weather and say hello to the warmer months!

Safe training 

Video: Comanche Warrior Sprint 9-11-10

See me shortly at 2:58 and the finish at 9:20!

Season Set! (2011 Race Schedule and Trisports.com Training Camp)

In the past 72 hours I have probably changed my race schedule around a dozen times. Before I went to bed last night I looked over it for about the 50th time and decided I would get some sleep and see how I felt about the schedule that I chose in the morning.

 I’ve put a little stress on myself throughout the race selecting process, knowing my success will greatly be influenced by the races I choose to compete. I’m looking to capitalize on my success from 2010. 6 overall wins, my worst finish in a sprint being 2^nd, and my debut in Olympic distance racing (7^th overall) will be topped with an even better season for 2011. My goal from year to year is to have a better season then the one before. I believe in challenging myself more each season and continuing to grow stronger as an athlete. Eventually, through this almost constant state of improvement, I will reach the ultimate goals that I have set for myself in the sport of triathlon.

When I awoke this morning I glanced at my 2011 race schedule one more time. I quickly realized that I made the best possible choices in making my race selections. My goal for this season is to take the next step in Olympic distance racing.  Strong performances in the four Olympic races on my schedule will be my main concern this season with The Avia Austin Triathlon being my “A” race.  Every race on this schedule has a purpose. I’m anxious to start the new season!

Along with racing I will be taking a trip to Tucson in early March for the 2011 Team Trisports.com training camp. This will be a great opportunity for me to visit my sponsors and do a little training with my fellow teammates in beautiful Tucson, AZ. I will leave you with my 2011 race schedule and a few words from Andreas Raelert.

“Nothing is impossible. You write your own story, set your own goals and your own limits.”  -AR

 2/20 Desert Classic Duathlon/Phoenix, AZ

5/8 Jay Benson Sprint/ABQ, NM

5/15 Buffman and Squeaky Olympic/Lubbock, TX

6/4 Milkman Sprint/Dexter, NM

6/26 Tri-Raider Sprint/Lubbock, TX

7/10 Cochiti Olympic/Cochiti, NM

7/17 Santa Fe Sprint/Santa Fe, NM

8/7 Socorro Sprint/Socorro, NM

8/14 Bottomless F-1/Roswell, NM

9/5 Avia Austin Olympic/Austin, TX

9/25 Elephant Man Olympic/Elephant Butte, NM



The famous Mt. Lemmon. One of the rides the team and I will be taking during our training camp.



Starting The New Year

First off, I am VERY excited to announce that I will be racing for Team Trisports.com in 2011. I was happy to hear the news that I was one of only thirty athletes chosen for the 2011 team. This is a huge honor and I’m glad that Trisports.com will follow me into another great season of triathlon racing!

The 2011 season is just on the horizon and I’m excited to start my buildup for the new year. I was surprised by my fitness after competing at the Jingle Bell Triathlon in early December and it left me itching to start 2011. In the past few weeks I’ve had some great sessions that show I have only lost a fraction of my fitness from the end of the ’10 season (September). This means fantastic news for me and not so good news for my competition. Getting through the cold months has been easy down here in Southeast New Mexico. We’ve had a few cold stints in the past few months, but for the most part it has been bearable and I have been able to continue training outside for the most part. I will be heading back to northern NM soon and taking on a much colder atmosphere up there. I only need to make a few finalizations to my 2011 race schedule. Once the final decisions are made I will post the schedule here, which will hopefully only be another week or so.

 Until then,

 Safe Training  

2011 Team Trisports.com

TriSports.com continues to support top age-groupers and young professionals through Team TriSports. The 2011 Team TriSports athletes are: Hayley Benson, Karin Bivens, Steven Brandes, Leo Carrillo, Chris Chesher, Cindy Duby, Thomas Gerlach, Matthew Grabau, Stephen Harvey, Brad Hendron, Rance Irvin, Missy Kuck, Ryan McGuigan, Kara Middendorf, Ian Mikelson, Mike Montoya, Billy Oliver, Craig Pansing, Christine Parks, Amy Regan, Ali Rutledge, Craig Sheckler, Brian Stover, Thomas Taylor, Mark Tripp, Elizabeth Waterstraat, Charisa Wernick, Tom Wood, and Lindsay Zemba.