WTC Proposed Changes

The WTC (World Triathlon Corporation) has recently put out some proposed changes for next year and beyond. Most of these changes are directly related to professional triathletes, but as we all know this will affect age group triathletes as well. The age groupers "pay the bills," if you will, for WTC. Chrissie Wellington wrote an article about her thoughts on the matter. I think it is awesome she is willing to step up and be vocal about this. I think it's obvious to most who participate in any WTC event that Ironman sanctioned races have become more and more focused on the business side of things. I think this is why races like the Rev3 Series are going to become more and more popular and there will be room for another race company or two to step up similar to the way Rev3 has. I plan on doing one of their events in the near future (possibly even the Cedar Point race in mid September). Their entry fee is less and from what it looks/sounds like they put on one heck of an event. Anyways...I thought this would be an interesting read (Chrissie's...not mine:) for those concerned at all about where our sport is going.

Pics from trip to Michigan

Little brother Daniel and I

Ice cream and the Elk Park
Family minus Chuck & Katie...and the baby inside of Liz:)

Rachel, Susie, Jeremy (soon to be bro-in-law), and I

The bro-in-laws


Rachel practicing motherhood

Tri History

Chris McCormack is one of triathlon's biggest personalities today. He has been writing some good blogs recently about the history of triathlon. Anything I've ever been engrossed in I've been very interested in the history of it. Check out this article and go to Chris's website to see more blogs about the history of triathlon...just awesome!

On a side note, I was at Range of Motions the majority of the day today. Nick put together a clinic today on mental conditioning. I learned a lot and will be able to use some of these things for both my own training/racing and also with my coaching. Thanks Nick.

Man I'm itching to get back out there!

Getting There

Well, it's been a crazy couple of weeks. Rachel and I just got back from being in Michigan for a week. Her sister got married and then we were spending time with family and seeking out various opportunities. I will have some pictures from our trip up soon.

There's nothing like being in northern Michigan during the summer. The weather is perfect...high 70s and sunny almost daily. The scenery is awesome and the lifestyle is so much more laid back.

My collarbone is healing nicely and I plan to start some real exercise next week. It is going to be a rough July getting back in shape, but I think by the end of the summer I should be back in top form. I am fortunate to have my summers off from teaching, but I have been plenty busy with traveling as of late and also my coaching. It was kind of odd, the week after my bike incident happened I picked up a nice crew of athletes. It's almost as if they knew I was going to have lots of free time on my hands. Anyways, it's been a pleasure working with the various athletes that I am.

Speaking of that, this is long overdue with me having very limited internet access while I was away...but I wanted to congratulate Melissa Mckendry on her 6th place overall finish at the Old Point Tidewater International Triathlon. I have also worked with Juliet Adams this year and she was able to take 2nd place overall at the Old Point Sprint Tri. If I told you how little Juliet trained you would not believe it...they key is what you're doing with the time you spend training. She has been a huge asset to me this year with my swimming as she runs Stroke Focus in VA Beach. Carol Cohee up in the Boston area completed the 150 mile Brewery to Brewery ride with over 7,ooo feet of climbing. Talk about a big accomplishment. Lastly, Tad Derrick finished in the top 15 at Old Point Sprint. Tad is fresh out of high school and has a bright future ahead of him.

That's about it for now. I see the doctor on Monday again to see how well I have healed up. I can't wait to get back training and racing.

Thanks for reading.

Well That Wasn't Part of the Plan

I am not sure why some things happen, but I am a big believer that all things do happen for a reason and the big guy in the sky has a plan.

This past Sunday, I crashed on my bike at the Breezy Point triathlon in Norfolk, VA. It was a pretty freak thing and I'm still not sure exactly what happened. As I was coming into t2 it was quite confusing and congested. For some reason there was no dismount line or not one that I saw and there was a line of cones in front of the opening to go into t2 that they hadn't moved yet from the morning. This coupled with me hammering too hard in trying to catch the few guys who had just entered or left t2...next thing I know my front wheel slid out and I'm laying on the ground. I was knocked out for a brief moment as I laid there on my stomach. When I woke up I remember hearing Rachel's voice (thank God she was right there) and then people shouting for an ambulance. When I finally realized what had happened the EMTs were there and tried to get me to roll over...it wasn't happening. I knew something was up as my neck was very sore and my left shoulder/collarbone was all messed up. I was in a good amount of pain, but all I could think about was how mad I was to not finish the race and it set in that there was no way I'd be racing at Eagleman a week later. The ambulance got me to the ER and they got me all situated. It was not the best way to spend a Sunday morning, especially the day before your birthday!

Monday came and I had to see an orthopedic doctor as my fracture was pretty bad. It turned out that I did need surgery to ensure that it would heal properly so that is scheduled for tomorrow. I've never had surgery so I'm a bit nervous, but I've had a few people tell me they know of the doctor I'm working with and that he's very good at what he does.

I don't know why this had to happen, but there is nothing I can do about it at this point besides look forward to getting better so that I can train/race again. I am confident I'll heal fast and be back out there before I know it. It truly is amazing the people that come together to help you out in times like this. I've gotten so many calls/messages/emails from people...some I hardly know at all. I'm very lucky to have so many caring people in my life. Rachel, especially, has been awesome. It's like having your own personal nurse at home. She's been a huge help in helping me feel better. I have already set up a nice little team to help me get healthy again once I am cleared to start doing some PT and light exercise. Balance Massage and Range of Motions are committed to helping me get back to 100%. I'm very thankful to have them on my side. I've been talking with Diane Haupt too about what we can do to get me back quick.

At the end of the day, an injury like this is never easy, but really it's not a big deal at all. There are so many people who have way worse things to deal with. I am very fortunate that my principal at school and colleagues have stepped up and basically told me they don't want me coming back to work until I'm healthy. The end of the school year is Wednesday so I'm basically done. I want to try to get in to see the kids one last time before summer starts, but we'll see how the surgery goes.

I can't express my thanks enough to all of you who have helped me this past week. All of the little messages and phone calls really do help.

I'm already targeting a couple races this fall and planning the training I'll need to do to get back!

Good luck to everyone racing this weekend as I know a lot of people have targeted Eagleman in the hampton roads area as a big race and there is also the Hampton sprint and olympic this weekend. I have a few athletes racing and I'm very excited to see how they all do. They've been working hard!

Paparazzi

Not often do I blog twice in one day, but I remembered my students at school talking about this kid who sang the Paparazzi song my Lady Gaga.

Now, sure he does a good job of singing the song...but knowing middle school kids pretty well I'd say it's even more impressive that he's that willing to throw out this performance in front of his peers without holding back at all. Notice all the girls in his class who go from thinking he is pretty geeky to wanting to date him...haha. There are some very talented people in this world...very cool to see this kid so into the moment and confident.

Where would we be without youtube!

Exciting Times Ahead

It's another beautiful day here in Virginia Beach. Rode my bike to the track this morning, did 5 miles worth of work along with some drills, and rode home. Days like this make it hard to ever want to leave this area.

This is always an exciting time of year. Memorial Day always brings a 3.5 day weekend where I can get in some solid training and then relax. Weather is always about perfect. The school year is almost done. I have Breezy Point and Eagleman to race so I can use the fitness I have worked so hard for all winter/spring. We also tend to make a trip home the weekend after Eagleman and this year will be no different as Rachel's sister is getting married. Lots of stuff to be excited about.

It amazes me how much Rachel and I continue to be blessed. Things just keep ticking along and opportunity after opportunity keeps arising. I really think being with Rachel has a lot to do with it all. She brings out the best in me and others. She just attracts positive situations. The Lord dealt me a great hand by bringing her into my life.

Okay, sorry for a bit of gushiness. I hope no one throws up when they read that...haha.

The support I continue to get from both Balance Massage and Range of Motions is second to none. Both of these places are leaders in their respective fields. I know of several people in the Hampton Roads area that have started to work with both of these places and I've heard nothing but positive talk. If you haven't heard of them yet or given them a try check them out to the right of my blog.

Along with that, I have been extremely impressed with the Zoot Ultra team and what they have helped us with. I was a little hesitant early on this year as taking on some sponsors was all new to me and I didn't know what lied in store. Jake and the others associated with the team have taken very good care of us and help us with whatever we need. I just recently received a box of shoes from them and will be wearing their new racers in my upcoming races.

Things on the coaching front have kind of taken off here in the last few weeks. I am very fortunate to work with the athletes I do. They are all hard working, kind people. I can't wait to see how they all do in upcoming races.

I must admit that weekends like this are hard to be away from home. My sister's baby shower was this weekend so the majority of my family was up in Gaylord enjoying each other. We'll be home a few times this summer for various occasions so it's all good! I think it's rare these days for big families to all get along. Somehow ours does and it's a lot of fun whenever we all get together.

Being Memorial Day tomorrow it's important that we all take a step back and remember the reason for this holiday. Thank you to all those who gave their lives and those that continue to fight for our country.

Okay, off to the pool for a short swim. Hopefully, I'll have some good news to share after the next 2 races. Have fun out there at the races and give it your all!