Mr. McGee

I had the privilege of meeting Bobby Mcgee at the USAT clinic this February. He keeps an interesting blog and this week he talks about leaning properly while running. You can check it out here . Proper run mechanics is something Janda and I have been preaching more and more this year to our athletes. So far the results have been very positive. A lot of people don't think run mechanics play a huge role...they do! Run economy (essentially how much oxygen you use/energy you expend at a given pace) is huge for triathlon, especially because you go into the run already a bit fatigued from swimming and cycling. Run economy has a lot to do with proper run mechanics. Anyways, Bobby does a very nice job explaning how to lean while running.

All 3 disciplines of triathlon need to be considered from a technique standpoint. We all know swimming is a highly technical sport. Running is a close 2nd and cycling 3rd in line, but still very important. Cycling seems to not be quite as technical because of the mechanical advantage with using a machine (the bike). If you have good power output you will likely be fast on the bike...assuming your fit is good. At the same time, cycling is the longest leg of a triathlon and if you have poor technique this gets magnified the longer the distance. I am a firm believer that you cannot be too strong/efficient on the bike. The best runners are often the best cyclists too as they run so well because they get off the bike more fresh.

Okay time to get on the bike...wasn't planning on sharing so much...just wanted to send some people to Bobby's blog...it's a good one!

New Zoot Blog

Check out my latest post on the Zoot Ultra team blog .

What a weekend

Well, our little race was a success. We found some things to work on for next year, but overall it was a lot of fun and I think everyone enjoyed their experience. We were very fortunate with the weather. It stormed like crazy Friday evening, but come Saturday morning it was gone and all we had to deal with was some humidity.

With this race being quite small I decided I'd try to race as well if everything went smooth leading up to the race. It did and my father was my co-director and he did a great job running things during the race. I am still no where near top form, but managed to take the overall win in 1:53 (Olympic distance race with a 1k swim). I held back most of the day as I didn't know what to expect. I probably could have pushed the limit a bit more, but all in all it was a good race for my first one back since my crash. I probably would not recommend putting on a race and trying to race it as well. I lucked out, but it was definitely added stress!

10 weeks ago when that happened I thought the day would never come when I'd toe the line again. It was a blast being out there and I will no longer take for granted the opportunity to race. I am going to try to sneak in a few more races before October and then hit some running races this fall. There will be very little off season for me since I already took 6 weeks off this summer. I am already excited to jump into some xc ski races this winter.

I want to send out a big shout out to Jake at Zoot. He supplied our race with a bunch of awesome Zoot stuff and it was hit! We had several people come up to us saying how cool it was that he had so much stuff to give away from Zoot. Thanks Jake! We had other awesome sponsors who supported our race: Gaylord Eye Care, McNamara Insurance, Save-A-Lot, L & R Well Drilling, Baymont Inn & Suites, and Powerbar. They all played a big role in allowing this race to happen. I would like to thank St. Mary's athletic association and the Guardian Gals for supplying volunteers for the race.

We are already looking forward to the race next year. It's going to be bigger and better!

On another note, Timberman 70.3 took place today. Tom Murtagh had about a 30min. PR today! Tom is about as busy of a guy as I know with a wife, three kids and a very busy job. Tom always puts those other things first and I admire that greatly.

My good friend, Joel Myers, had an awesome day at Timberman today as well. It has been fun seeing Joel progress so much this past year and a half. I have spent more time training with Joel than anyone else and I know first hand how hard Joel has worked. This is only the start for him with having big time results.

I will post some more pictures soon along with a couple short flip videos.

Guardian Gals

This morning my father and I had the opportunity to meet with the Guardian Girls at a local coffee shop in Gaylord. It's an excellent group for adolescent girls and women to get involved with. We went and spoke a bit about the upcoming triathlon and 5k this Saturday. It was a lot of fun meeting a few of the people involved with this group and we are very thankful they are going to provide some volunteers for the race. Hopefully a few of them will also come out and participate in the event as well.

It has been a busy week thus far running around doing last minute stuff for the race. It's all good stuff though and it's worth all the effort. I really hope the weather cooperates and gives the racers a gorgeous day.

On the training front I am finally getting close to where I was before I broke my cb. Fitness is progressing in each discipline and I'm really absorbing the workload now. Time to really start getting at it again. Racing this weekend is probably a couple weeks premature, but I'm ready to go at it...just might not be firing on all cylinders like I would normally want. Who knows maybe I'll surprise myself. One thing I'm definitely already noticing is how strong the hills are making me. I haven't ran a flat route yet...until today and it wasn't even completely flat. Running 6:45s was a walk in the park. That may not seem all that special, but when coming back from an injury where you took 7 weeks off from running and basically any training at all...this is a good sign to see again.

Getting ready for school to start after Labor Day...it will be nice being in more of a routine again. seems like forever since I was at school, especially since I took the last 2 weeks of school off this year with my surgery and what not.

So far so good here in Mancelona. It's a lot different and smaller than Virginia Beach, but it's been a nice change. We are really enjoying being able to see family more and just the whole lifestyle. Everyone is so friendly up here too and not so much in a hurry.

Good luck to my good friend Joel Myers is racing up at Timberman this weekend. There will be several JRM athletes racing up there this weekend...including two athletes I coach, Curran and Tom. Timberman is an awesome race and one I planning on for next year. Have fun everyone!

Busy!

It's been a crazy couple of weeks. After we moved two weeks ago from tomorrow it's been pretty much a whirlwind. Every day Rachel and I ask each other where has the time gone? We FINALLY got our internet all situated. I've been going over to the local library the past 2 weeks for internet use and have only had time for the bare minimum. The athletes I'm coaching were getting a bit of the short end fo the stick because of my limited email access. It's all good now though as we are pretty much fully settled in at this point. I won't lie...moving is kind of a pain in the butt. When you're a pretty routine guy, change can be tough. I think I've handled pretty well, though, and have really enjoyed getting out to train in my new "playground." I really did not start triathlon until Rachel and I moved to VA Beach. I knew it was hilly in northern MI, but not THIS hilly. I can hardly find a route that doesn't have me climbing for over half the ride. Nothing beats the rush of cranking up a big hill and then just letting er rip down the other side...talk about a rush! The hills for riding and running are definitely going to make me a stronger athlete. Riding out in the Shanty Creek/Schuss Mtn. area is my favorite so far. It's beautiful back there and you can see for miles at some of the tops of the hills.

The Mark Mellon Memorial Triathlon that my father and I are putting on is next weekend. It's going to be a pretty small event this year, but we look to make it a bit bigger each year hopefully. The town of Gaylord has really come together to help make this event happen. As long as we have all of our ducks in a row come race day, I'm even thinking about jumping in the race. We are working with a company (Runner's Edge) who will be doing all of the timing and essentially running the race. We did all the behind the scenes work to get everything ready. I'm really looking forward to next weekend.

That's about all for now. I should be able to post more on a regular basis now that our internet is working. We're off to Gaylord tonight to watch my little brother's soccer game, catch a swim in Big lake and then dinner with my family. Can't beat that!