Toyota US Open - End of the Season

Toyota Cup Series Podium: Filip, Matt, DKT

"Get-r done."  That was the game plan today.  Without training properly because of my knee injury beating Filip Ospaly was going to be tough.  Filip had a great day beating a super talented field to win the race and series.  Matt Reed did what he needed to do pass me, but I did what I needed to do to claim third in the series - finish.  Finishing 9th was a nice surprise.  It added a little more money on the series bonus. 

Series Results
1. Filip Ospaly  45,000 points
2. Matt Reed  39,000 points
3. David Thomposn 37,000 points

This my last race for the season.  Now, I have time to recovery; take care of my knee, and work on some house projects.

Racing US Open with Rev 3 Fall out

There is a reason why I had little interested in doing an Ironman distance race.  It's extremely tough on the body.  I re-injured my left knee during the marathon at Rev 3 Full.  In 2008, I developed an inguinal hernia that altered my stride.  My left adductor was tightening to compensated for the hernia, which caused patella chondromalasia.  Chondromalasia just means damage to my cartilage.  You don't feel pain from damage to cartilage, so during the marathon I just thought I had tendinitis.  However, the tendinitis was from the swelling caused by the damage to the cartilage from all the pounding.  I managed to finish the marathon by walk/running the last 13 miles of the race.  I didn't really know I had a big problem until Tuesday after the race.  On Tuesday, I couldn't do anything.  I had immediate sharp pain in my knee with almost anything but standing.

The US Open in Dallas is 4 weeks after Rev 3 Full.  As the leader of the Toyota Cup series, it would be a big disappointment not to be able to race.  I could only swim with a pull bouy the first week after the race.  The second weeks was the same, only swimming with a pull bouy.  I started seeing my sports PT 5 days after I got back from Rev 3 Full.  Treatment wasn't having much effect, so he recommended an anti-inflamitory injection.  The numbing agent worked well for a day, but once that wore off I was back where I started.  The maximum effect of the anti-inflamitory is about 2 weeks from the injection, but the doctor said I should see relief in 3 to 4 day.  Nothing changed by the end of the second week, which was disappointing.  I wanted to get some training in before the US Open.  During the second week I tried cycling and made it for about 1 hour without pain.  I still couldn't run durning the 3rd week, but I could bike up to 2 hours. 

In the 4th and last week leading up to the US Open, I made a second attempt at running on an Alter G treadmill.  This trainer can reduce your running weight.  It's great for running with injuries.  I made it 40 minutes, which was a success considering I could only run 5 steps a week earlier.  I ran 3 times total on the Alter G treadmill (Tuesday, Wednesday, & Thursday) slowing bringing my weight back to 100%.  Today, Saturday, I ran 25mins at the US Open race site without any major problem, so I should make it through the race.  However, not being able to train properly is a disappointment.

Hopefully, everyone is just as beat up, and I can win the Toyota Cup Series, which I've be leading for most of the summer.  The series is really tight between Filip Ospilay, Matt Reed, and me.  Whoever crosses the line first between Filip and I wins.  I think Matty needs someone to finish between himself and one of us.

Pre Rev 3 Full Interview

Untitled from REVOLUTION3 Triathlon on Vimeo.

I had just found out of I was the series lead.er and pre race favorite from Heather Golnik who did the interview

2010 Revolution 3 Series Champion

By finishing 3rd at the Rev 3 Full on Sunday, I claimed the Rev 3 Series Championship, cash prize, and title of most versatile triathlete.  The series included 3 races.  All where different distances.  The Olympic distance race in Knoxville, TN started the series in May.  The Half in Middlebury, CT followed in June.  The Full in Sandusky, OH completed the series.  I probably wouldn't have done an ironman distance race is it wasn't for the series.

Riley and Lilly in front of their work.

Sophie was already sleeping.

Thank you to everyone who cheered me and supported me this season.  The Ingersoll girls were especially supportive this year.  Check out the picture of hand crafted decoration they crafted.  The Riley, Lilly and Sophie hung them up at my house to surprise me when I got home from Ohio.

Rev 3 Full Results

Rev 3 Website

Rev 3 Half Video

Rev 3 Full  DKT Pictures

Rev 3 Series

Rev3 Full

I'm generally happy and sore today after finishing my first iron distance race (2.4 mi swim, 112 mi bike, 26.2 mi run).  I finished in 3rd place in 8:36:40.  Here's the breakdown of the race: 53:53 swim, 4:35:57 bike, 3:04:07 run.  Going into the race I didn't know exactly what to expect except that would be tired and sore whether it went well or not.  I figured the swim and bike would go well, but big question was the run.  Based on my experience with halfs, I wanted to run 2:40 something.  That would be a good day.  An average day would be 2:50 something.  Over 3 hours would be okay but disappointing.  I'm going to skip commentary on the swim and bike because running the marathon is what decide this race.  The only highlight on the bike was I ate a McDonald's McDouble and felt good at mile 90.

The run started off well.  I spent the first 6 miles working out some sore muscles from the bike.  Around mile 9, I started to feel good and decided to open up the throttle I little bit.  I had been running around 6:20-6:25 min/mi.  However, my knee that was slightly sore starting the run got suddenly worse in one or two strides at mile 11.  I was on pace to go through 13.1 miles in just over 1:20, but slowed to 1:22.  I thought I would have to drop out at 13.1 miles because I've had chondromalacia in my knee before, which is season ending.  This pain felt similar.  I decided to keep going to see how Bjorn was doing and to made sure I wouldn't regret a DNF.  He was 18 minutes ahead of me starting the run.  Halfway through I had made up 9 minutes on him.  By mile 14, I had to start walking.  However, Daniel Bretscher and Eric Limkemann, who were heading opposite way towards the turn-around, yelled to me that Bjorn was walking.  I did the math in my head and if I just finished the race I would get some series money.  If I just walked faster than Bjorn I might win the series.

After I started walking James Cunnama and Jason Shortis passed me moving me to 4th place.  After 5 minutes of walking I tried running again and was relieved to feel that the pain had dissipated.  I passed Bjorn who was still walking and moved back in to 3rd around mile 15.  The tendinitis wasn't completely gone. I had to keep run/walking as the race went on.  Around mile 21, it became clear that Keegan Williams from team TTB was going to pass me to.  However, during our brief conversation as he went by I learned that my next biggest treat the series title had dropped out.  Victor Zyemtsev had quit after the bike.  Now, the series title was almost a certainty, which made walking tolerable.  I wasn't that disappointed when Zach Ruble caught me, putting me in 5th.  I was happy to cheer him on and inform him that Keegan was only about two blocks ahead.  After walking through the next aid station, I started to run and got on Zach shoulder.  I thought to myself that if I can just put up with the pain for 3 miles I can out kick Zach for 4th.  At following aid station (mile 23), Zach went for extra drink, so I just decided to push the pace on my own.  I am familiar with running a 5k, and after having to walk so much I actually felt fresh.  At mile 24, an age-grouper heading the other direction yelled,"If you hold that pace you'll catch him."  Sure enough, I could see Keegan on the slight rise in front of me, but it was still going to be hard work to close about 60 seconds in two miles.  The catch was made with 1200m to go.  I'm guessing my pace for the last 3 miles was 5:40.   Keegan was probably slowing down too.  I didn't run 2:45 but it was a great way to finish the race.

Photos courtesy of Steve Stenzel

Duathlon World Championship Edinburgh, Scotland

This was one of the best World Championship I've been too.  The venue was great.  The race was held at Holyrood Park, which is located in Edinburgh.  There were plenty of accommodations close to the race site and transition.  Edinburgh was cheap and easy to get around.  There was no need for a rental car.  Hannah and I walked to anything we need or wanted to see.

Holyrood Park is beautiful green space in the heart of the city on the site of an old volcano.  There around three peaks the rise high above the city and are great for hiking, mountain biking, and just being out side.  The race course is on a park road the circumnavigates the peaks of the park.  The road climbs about 600 ft, which made for a challenging bike course because of the multiple laps.  Each lap had tough climb and technical descent.  The run course was on the same road and adjacent bike path or "cycle path," which also had a climb and descent.  The elite race as 4 laps for the first run, 7 laps for the bike, and 2 laps for the second run (10k, 39k, 5k).  For the elites, the race is draft legal which isn't my preferred format because I'm a stronger cyclist.

I was hoping to get a good effort out of this race in preparation for the Rev3 Full the following weekend.  I didn't except a great result because I've haven't been doing as much speed work to run a 30 minute 10k.  My run training has been more focused on long course running.  The first run I ran 31:50 and the majority of the group went around 30:10.  I did manage to bike passed half the field and come in to transition in 17th.  My second run was much better relative to my competition.  I caught one of the guys from the bike group ahead of me.

Chicago Triathlon

This will be quick.  I need to get some sleep.  I had a poor swim and got hammered by other swimmers at the start and missed to group I need to be in.  My bike split was okay but nothing to write home about.  I did have a good run.  The slipt was probably slow on paper but it hot.  Someone told me we were racing in 94 degree heat after the race

Overall the race ended up great for me despite the poor start.  I finished 4th, and I'm still 1st in the Toyota Cup Standings.

Men's Results
1. Mark Fretta (USA) 1:52:22
2. Kevin Collington (USA) 1:53:05
3. Filip Ospaly (CZE) 1:53:54
4. David Thompson (USA) 1:54:16
5. Chris Foster (USA) 1:55:23
6. Joe Maloy (USA) 1:55:34
7. Matty Reed (USA) 1:55:49
8. Andrew Starykowicz (USA) 1:55:52
9. Jordan Jones (USA) 1:56:45
10. James Hadley (USA) 1:57:56

Pigman Half

This was the hottest Pigman I've ever experienced.  The good thing is that the race gave everyone something to talk about.  If you finished the race, you have a great story of perseverance for the water cooler for the next 10 years.  If you didn't finish, you have a great near death story for the water cooler for the next 10 years.

Personally, I had a good day.  I was hoping to make it a good training day.  When I can get out in front early, I can race at my own pace the rest of the way.  I go fast when I feel good and slower when I don't.  Racing someone adds unwanted periods of overexertion.  In the swim, Thaddeus Ingersoll gave me a good draft the whole way.  We did have a problem with the fog.  Thad got off course twice, but a boat and I got him back on track.  Thad and I came out of the water with a big lead, so I was able to practice my pace for my up coming Rev3 Full (ironman distance race) on Sept 12.  The bike went perfectly.  I had a good lead at the the bike turn around (mile 25.5) and extended it to T2.  Fellow Gear West athletes Josh Riff, Dan Cohen, and Thad Ingersoll were in 2nd, 3rd, and 5th at the turn around.

With the heat, the run was the worst leg of the race.  The air felt like it was in the 90s and humid.  I can't verify this because Honda doesn't make a temperature gauge standard on it's Pilot model.  Aid stations were spaced about a mile apart, so I was able to manage my body temperature by putting ice down paints, pouring water over my head, and drinking energy drink at every aid station.  I set out at a conservative pace and held it the whole way.  The plan was to run an additional 6 or 7 miles after the race, which I felt good enough to do.

I started running my extra miles carrying an ice cold beer which tasted great, but probably looked odd to the spectators.  I'm glad I ran back out on the race course because I got to see some good racing.  Josh Riff cruised to a second place finish, but things were radically changing for the remaining money spots.  Dan Cohen who was in 3rd had circum to the heat.  Thaddeus who was in 8th at the run turn around had moved up to 5th, but looked like death.  However, his pursers didn't look much better except for one, Barry Breffle.  Kevin and I stopped to cheer for Thad at about mile 11.5.  At that point, I thought Thad could still hold onto 5th.  I had been in a similar situation in 2001 at the same race at point in the race.  Barry did pass Thad around mile 12 and the other 2 close chasers got by him too.  However, when you get passed by a guy who can't swing one of his arms anymore, you know both of these guys are at their limit.  I wish had video camera.  It was the race of the zombies.  Thad finished 8th in the elite wave but was out split by 2 guys in the age group waves.  Thad tough work did way off because he helped Gear West claim the club title.

Everyone who finished that day had a good race.  The condition were tough.

Men's Results

1 David Thompson      4:01:26

2 Josh Riff                   4:15:31

3 Adam Bohach           4:18:37

4 Scott Bredehoft        4:24:33

5 Dave Lyon               4:28:20

6 Barry Breffle             4:32:31

7 Jason Maurice          4:33:47

8 Lee Saeugling           4:34:01
9 Rick Lapinski           4:34:50

10 Thaddeus Ingersoll 4:35:14

House Race Weekend

DKT - second lap at Brew House

This was the weekend of the house races - Fire House 50 Time Trial on Saturday and Brew House Triathlon on Sunday.  The Fire House 50 four man team time trial didn't go so well.  One of our team members missed the start and two of us got flat tires.  We did manage to get three guys across the line for a slow but official time.

Devon told us he missed the start because he rode by a port-a-potty during warm up.  He had heard of these things before but had never seen one.  He had to stop and check it out.  Time just flew by as stood in line to see the port-a-potty and thus missed the start.

Kevin got the first flat of the day at mile 16.  There was no mistake about Kevin having a flat.  His tire ruptured with head jerking pop and supersonic whistle.  Fortunately, there was no loss of control before he wished Curt and I good luck and pulled off the road.  Curt and I continued on for another 30 miles before I flatted on the home stretch.  I went through a patch of rock and a few stuck to my tire.  The incident create a concerning grinding sound as rocks bounced off the aero cut-out on my bike frame.  There were a few seconds of relief after the noise passed before a mild whistle indicated I would soon be riding the last 4 miles with no air in my rear tire.  Devon finish about 15 minutes after Curt and I, so we were not even close to our record.  However, Kevin and I did ride some extra miles after the race.  I got in a 100 miles in before heading  to Duluth.

Only Devon and I did the Brew House Triathlon the following day.  Kevin and Curt headed back to spend time with there families.  I ended up winning 1 hour 33 minutes and change.  Fellow Gear West teammate, Thaddeus Ingersoll, lead me through the .8 mile swim and ran hard for a 6th place finish.  Devon finish 2nd and should be happy with his result after time trailing solo for 50 miles the day before.  The weather was perfect.  I hope everyone else enjoy the race as much as I did.  See this link for the Duluth New Tribune race coverage.

Mens Results


1.David Thompson 1:33:33
2.Devon Palmer 1:37:31
3.Rhett Bonner 1:40:21
4.Chris Leiferman 1:41:00
5.Josh Blankenheim 1:42:02
6.Thaddeus Ingersoll 1:42:56

Chisago Half

Mile 12 Chisago Half

Pre-race Game Faces

The weather has been perfect in Minnesota so far this year for races and training.  Great weather makes racing so much more fun. The sunny day at Chisago helped the race go well for both Hannah and I.  Hannah did the sprint and then rushed off to work.  I did the half and then rode home from the race with Dan Hedgecock.  I finished in a tired 3 hours 55 minutes if I remember correctly.  You can verify my time here.  I came out of the water 1st and was able to cruise most of the race.  The heat on the run did tire me out, and I was ready to be done.  Thanks again to everyone who had words of encouragement for me on the run.  I hope you enjoyed every minute of the run too.

If you haven't done this race before, I would highly recommend it.  The bike course has change over the last three years.  I thought the changes to the bike course this year were great.  It was 56.3 miles according to my bike computer and the road surface was almost perfect of 80% of the ride.  Yes, there was a rough section on the North part of the course, but this is Minnesota.  Frost heaves are inevitable.  The run is relatively flat.  The three hills are perfectly spaced to prevent boredom.

Results

1 Thompson, David St Paul, MN    3:55:24
2 Riff, Joshua Edina, MN         4:07:59
3 Payne, Matthew Columbia, MN    4:11:00
4 Henkel, Justin Kohler, WI      4:14:11
5 Landgraff, Todd N Mankato, MN  4:20:47

Running Partner Gets Knee Surgery

Henry "The Dawg a Dawg" Thompson had knee surgery on July 16.  He tore his cranial cruciate ligament in his  right rear knee in late June.  The injury is similar to a human having an anterior cruciate ligament tear.  The surgical options are Tibial Tuberosity Advancement (TTA) and Tibial Plateau Leveling Osteotomy (TPLO).  Both surgeries aim at correcting the movment of the tibia in the knee joint caused by the tear of the ligament.  He was good candidate for TTA, and had surgery at the Cottage Grove Animal Hospital the Friday I left for New York City Triathlon.  Henry got a titanium plate, band and screws to hold his knee together.  It's a good thing I won some money at NYC Triathlon.

Now seventeen days into recovery his 8 week recovery, he making excellent progress.  The incision is healing nicely.  He got his stitches out 5 days ago and no longer has to wear the dreaded "cone of shame."   Henry will be able to swim this coming Friday in a pool.  This is a big mile stone for Henry because he has not been able to do any exercise besides short walks to use the facilities.  He spends most of his time in his kennel on the porch sleeping with one eye open.

Mile Stones Achieved

• Off narcotic pain medicine (Narcotics make Herny whine and prevent Hannah from sleeping)
• Pink cast removal
• 3 short walks a day
• No more cone
• Stitches removed

Mile Stones to come

• Swimming in a pool (He has to be lowered in - no running or jumping)
• Long walks and free range of the house including stairs
• Dog park
• Wresting with Sparky and 60 tempo runs

NYC Triathlon Race Video

Link

New York City Triathlon

Coming to the New York City Triathlon ended up being an excellent decision for me.   However, making the commitment to come was a difficult decision.   Numerous variables had to fall into place to make it worth while.  There were 2 other national races (Vineman 70.3 and Racine 70.3) and a local race I thought about racing instead.  Getting in two hard days of training would have been a good option too since I’ve raced for 4 consecutive weekends.  The scale tipped in favor of New York because:

• I was able to find a cheap flight;
• I had a place to stay with family;
• NYC is part of the Toyota Cup Series;
• Being 2^nd in the Toyota Cup Series Standings earned me a free entry, and
• Registering for a WTC (Ironman) pro race cost $775.

The New York City Triathlon course was actually a pleasant surprise.  The swim is 1500 m in the Husdson aided by the current, so it favors me.   I came out to the water only 30seconds down from the leaders and was able to pass everyone ahead of me expect Filip Ospaly and Kyle Leto right out of transition.  The bike course is on the West Side Highway which sounds straight and flat, but I would describe it as winding with rolling hills.  I caught Filip shortly after the first turn around on the North side of the course.  Filip did a good job holding on for the 2^nd half of the bike, and at the second turn around Filip was less than 10 second behind.  Matty Reed was 60 seconds behind and Kyle Leto roughly 2 minutes behind.  After passing Filip, my goal was to get 30 second going into the run.

As I ran up from the river and onto 72^nd Street Filip surged passed me.  The mile run on 72^nd Street heading toward Central Park is the only flat section of the run.  In Central Park, the course winds and rolling along the perimeter.  At mile 2 Filip had 25 seconds on me.  After my poor run last week at Life Time Fitness Triathlon, I was hoping to redeem myself.  He ran 31:36 and I ran 32:21.  At the finish line I managed to hold Filip’s lead at 34 seconds (1:46:28 to 1:47:02).  Matt Reed dropped out after injuring himself in T2.

Overall, the race went well.  The high temperature for the day was in the 90s and the humidity was stifling.  When I stepped out onto the 34^th Street at 4:15 AM to ride to transition, I was immediately perspiring.  All ladies in night club dresses looked rather sticky too as they were heading home from an evening out.  The bars and clubs close at 4 AM in New York.  I would have like to seen a picture me riding a geeked-out tri bike by drunks try to flag down a cap in Midtown Manhattan.  The other interesting photo optortunity of the day would have been me riding through Columbus Circle around noon in my tri suit, aero helmet, Felt DA, and Zipp 999s.  The great thing about New York is that I actually fit right in.  No one even gave me a second glance.

Mens Results

1.	Filip Ospaly	1:46:28
2.	David Thompson	1:47:02
3.	Kyle Leto	1:51:34
4.	Jordan Jones	1:52:28
5.	Ethan Brown	1:52:49

Toyota Cup 7/19/10

1. David Thompson 22,000 points

2. Filip Ospaly 17,000 points

3. Matt Reed 17,000 points

4. Bevan Docherty 10,000 points

5. Matt Charbot 9,000 points

DKT Finishing NYC Tri on NBC Nightly News

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Check out DKT finishing 2nd in 1:47:02 about 50 seconds into the video segment

Life Time Fitness Triathlon

Another Life Time Fitness Triathlon in the books.  I finished 7th which is okay, but I always want to do better.  I did managed to give the home town crowd something the cheer about.  I came of the bike in 4th with Craig Alexander and Andrew Starykowciz right behind me.  I wanted to hold onto Craig for the first mile or two but that wasn't happening.  Craig was running well and I wasn't.  I had cramp in my diaphragm or bad side stitch.  I ran through and the stitch disappear around mile 2.  From then on, I was able to find some sort of running form but not what I had hoped for.  Filip Ospaly and Clark Ellice passed me at about mile 3.5 and 5.  However, the crowd did get to cheer for a sprint to the line between Cameron Dye and me for 6th and 7th.  I caught a glimpse of Cameron with around .4 miles to go and got within feet but wasn't able to get by.  He still left enough in the tank to close the door on me in the last 10 yard or so.  Summing things up for me: fair swim, fair bike, poor run, but an all out finish sprint finish.  Sprinting all out to the line makes me like I at least tried my hardest.

Men
1. Matt Reed (USA) 1:48:34
2. Matt Chrabot (USA) 1:48:42
3. Craig Alexander (AUS) 1:49:45
4. Filip Ospaly (CZE) 1:50:49
5. Clark Ellice (NZL) 1:51:23
6. Cameron Dye (USA) 1:51:28
7. David Thompson (USA) 1:51:29
8. Greg Bennett (USA) 1:52:07
9. Andrew Starykowicz (USA) 1:53:30
10. John Kenny (USA) 1:56:39 


I did ride my new 2011 Felt DA for the race.  I because I wasn't traveling there was time to  build it up on Thursday and test ride it on Friday.  

2011 Felt DA

The 2011 Felt DA is a great looking bike and it looks like the design is mechanical sound too.  I'm hoping to build it up for the Life Time Fitness Triathlon this weekend.  The changes I noticed from the past DA frame are the:

1. Seat post and seat post clamp - new shape and better clamp design. The post also has a battery mount for DI2.

2. Bayonet 3 fork and stem assembly

3. New frame shape - deep shape to the stays and lower stack height

4. New propriotery rear brake mount under the bottom bracket. It was previously mount on top of the chain stays behind the bottom bracket.

5. More internal routing on the cables

Minneman Triathlon

Events like Minneman Triathlon remind me why we do this sport: warm weather, friends, fun, and going as fast as we can.  The day seemed perfect despite the high humidity and 20 mph South wind.  The wind was actually coming from the best direction possible for the layout of the bike course.  It aided riders on the longest section of course, and the headwind portions were split into 2.

The big excitement of the day for me was that my wife, Hannah, did Minneman Triathlon too.  She had a good time despint being sick and is considering doing two more this year.

The swim course had more running than the previous 2 years. It was probably a little short, which is why  Thad Ingersol and I did the .3 mile swim in 4:23.  I remember the swim being 6 minutes and change in the past.  Womens and Mens elite races were going to be interested.  I wanted to see how the race between Cathy Yndestad, Julie Hull, Suzie Finger, and Jenny Shaughnessy played out.  Since I've been traveling to race most of the season, I hadn't seen these ladies race.  I also wanted to see how Kevin O'Connor, Patrick Parish, Devon Palmer, Thad Ingersol, and Dan Hedgecock stack up against each other.

Looking back as we exited the swim, Devon, Kevin, and Patrick were right behind Thad and I.  I planned on trying to blow-up my legs on the bike in preparation for Life Time Fitness Triathlon this coming Saturday.  This year I managed 27.6 mph versus 27.1 mph in 2009 and 26.4 mph in 2008.  I ran within seconds of my previous times, so Life Time should go alright.

In the men's race,  Devon tried to hold off Patrick on the run, but Patrick managed to pass him late in the run.  Kevin had hoped to beat both of them, but he was involved in a crash right before transition.  He finished ,but the crash took him out of the podium race.  From what I saw, Cathy built up a cushion on the bike and was able to run uncontested to the finish.  Jenny Shaughnessy held on to 2nd.

Results

1. David Thompson  51:12

2. Patrick Parish  53:15

3. Devon Palmer  53:26

4. Matt Payne  53:40

5. Kevin O'Connor  54:00

6. Dan Hedgecock  5:17

1. Cathy Yndestad  1:00:02

2. Jenny Shaughnessy  1:02:12

3. Jenny Wilcox  1:02:31

Life Time Fitness Triathlon 2009 Pre-Race Interview

Philadelphia Triathlon Video Interview

Philadelphia Triathlon

The Philly Triathlon continues to treat me well.  I finished 2nd today behind Bevan Docherty.  The weather was extremely hot and humid.  The water temperature was 84 degrees.  Unfortunately, the swim was canceled because there was a on going search for a swimmer, who went missing in Sprint Triathlon on Saturday.  The race was changed to a 5k, 40k, 10k duathlon.  Bevan ran the first 5k off the front about 30 seconds ahead of a chase group of 8 which I was in.  This bike course is one of my favorites.  It's two loops with 4 hills per loop.  There are also some fast technical down hills which are fun.  I didn't manage to bring any time back on Bevan on the first lap, but did manage to bring back about 15 to 20 seconds by Lemon Hill on the second lap.  Lemon Hill is at about 3/4 through each lap.  On the last up hill before the fast down hill to transition, I was flying up behind Bevan.  After the race, I found out he got a flat shortly before I caught him.  Anyway, I was in and out of T2 in first.  The gap was about 10 seconds.  Tyler Butterfield, Matt Reed, , Andrew Starykowciz, Andrew Yoder, and John Kenny trailed starting about 1:30 back.  Bevan passed my about 1 mile into the run.  I tried to hang on his feet but it wasn't happening.  The heat wasn't making it any easier.  With a good gap behind me, I needed to back off.  It wasn't worth risking overheating trying to stay with Bevan and losing 2nd.  At the finish, I was happy with my performance.  The splits weren't that impressive because of the heat.  But, I had respectable run splits relative to Bevan, Matt and Tyler.  All three are excellent runners.

Philadelphia Inquire Coverage
Slowtwitch coverage

Mens Results

BEVAN DOCHERTY	01:49:11
DAVID THOMPSON	01:49:47
TYLER BUTTERFIELD	01:51:32
MATTY REED	01:55:48
JOHN KENNY	01:56:15

Wedding and Training in New Hampshire

Despite not having a race last weekend, my schedule was still packed.  My brother-in-law got married in Massachusetts near Boston.  We stayed in New Hampshire and traveled back and forth.  I did find time to get some training in.  The general daily schedule was a early morning swim in the pond followed by either a bike or run.  The wedding funcitons started early afternoon, so my workouts had to be done around noon to allow time to shower, change, and drive.  The best ride was a 3 hour 30 minute ride from New Hampshire to the outskirts of Boston.  I got to overlap one of my old bike routes from my days at MIT.  I also found a pair of work gloves.

These are some pictures my wife and I took during our moring swims in the pond.  The first three below are of Hannah and the last three are of me.

Trinona Course Record

I was happy to do a local race this weekend.  This was the second annual Trinona triathlon in Winona, MN.  The race is only a 2 hour and 20 min drive from my house, which is much easier than flying.  The highlights of the race where swimming in my Blue Seventy Axis wetsuit and climbing the bluff on the bike course.  My wetsuit fits perfect and keeps me high in the water.  The shoulders have plenty of stretch; it doesn't effect my swim stroke at all.  There was a timed challenge to see who come climb the mile long bluff the fastest.  I went 5:21.  I don't know if that's good enough for the jersey yet.  Overall, I won the race in 1:50:03 (unofficial).  Matt Payne and Alex Hooke were second and third.  Julie Hull should have won for the women.

That's it for now.  I need to check out of the hotel and get to the awards ceremony.

Zipp 404 Firecrest Carbon Clinchers

I was fortunate to be one of Zipp's test athletes for the new 404 Firecrest carbon clincher this spring. I was selected because of my "secret" security clearance I had in the Navy. Serious, I had to swear to not let anyone know what I was riding. I think my boss, Kevin, was disappoint he didn't know I was riding the 404 carbon clinchers this spring. Anyway, the wheels are great. They are going to be a big hit for Zipp. The carbon clincher is perfect for someone looking for a combination training/racing wheel. The wheels are:

- the lightest clincher on the market,
- almost as aero as an Zipp 808, and
- clincher tires are much cheaper than tubulars.

While testing the wheels I was most impressed by their durability. On one occasion, I had the misfortune to triple flat. I only had one tube, so I was forced to ride these expensive wheels 12 miles home on concrete roads. I expected to have lost a good portion of the rims. However, the rims where almost perfect. Most aluminum rims fair far worse. Overall, the wheels are aerodynamic, quick, and handle well, making them great for road racing or triathlon.

Zipp 404 Carbon Clincher

Rev 3 Half

Transition Pre Race

Even after 6 years as a professional and 60 career wins, I still have my doubts sometimes about my ability. Going into the Rev 3 race, I was uncertain if I would be able to produce a good result with such a quality field (probably the best field outside of the World Championships). Putting forth the effort was never a question, but after a hernia surgery in 2008 and another in 2009, I lost the “uber” bike speed that I had in 2006 and 2007. I’m still one of the faster cyclists in the pro field, but I can’t relay on the bike segment to dominate the race right now. I also had knee problems in 2008 and haven’t felt as confident in my running ability as in the past. The youthful notion being indestructible is gone, and I haven’t had a satisfying run in a half for a year because of all the injuries.

Moving onto the race, the swim was non-wetsuit this year. Almost every pro race is non-wetsuit now since the water temperature for wetsuits changed to 68 degrees. I came out of the water in the second group of about 6 swimmers, roughly 60seconds down on the lead group. Andrew Starykowicz was just ahead of us in no mans land but behind the lead group of John Kenny, Bjorn, Richie, Crowie, Matt, Terenzo, and Joe Umphenour. The lead group could have been spread out too.

40 foot Big Screen in Tranistion Streaming Race Coverage

I couldn’t tell. Talking to Craig after the race, Bjorn was out in front of the bike the whole time and he, Craig, had tried to make a couple moves to separate himself from the group. He thought he was successful 5 to 6 times, but they kept coming back. If you aren’t familiar with the Rev 3 course, it’s 56 miles of hills and fast corners. It’s probably the best half bike course in the country. In addition to being a hard course, it’s also scenic.

I left T1 with Joe Gambles (2nd last year) and 2 other guys, who transitioned quickly. We passed John Kenny fairly quickly and were catching Ander Starykowicz. Joe Gambles caught Andrew and I was about 15 second behind just before the 1 aid station when I noticed my seat post had slipped and was continuing to slip. I rode the entire race last year with my seat post 2 cm lower because it slip when I mounted, but this time is was continuing to worsen. Luckily, I noticed volunteers at the aid station wearing bike helmets, so started yelling for an Allen wrench, and someone had one.

The bad news now is that I lost Joe Gambles and Andrew, and I had to catch and drop John Kenny and Victor Z again. I’m a stronger biker than Victor, but he does everything he can to hang around, which can be frustrating. Around my 45 (the turn around), I saw Bjorn off the front; Joe Gambles in Second trying to drop the group, and a group of 5, which I probably would have caught minus the mechanical – bummer. I was still trying to get rid of Victor, which I eventually did just after the turn around and caught Joe Umphenour just before T2, who lost contact with the leaders.

Coming into transition, I could see Bjorn leaving on the run in front with Joe Gambles, Andrew, Matt, Terenzo, Craig, and Richie in that order. The time from Bjorn to Richie was probably 2 minutes and I was 60 seconds back from Richie. I left T2 feeling good despite expending a lot of energy on the bike.

On the run course 1:17:47

The first 2 miles of the run are fast because it’s downhill, and I was optimistic because I could see Andrew, Bjorn and Richie getting closer. I went through 3 miles in 16:25 and passed Andrew and Bjorn around this point, which was good.  However, I still wasn’t certain I’d have a good run. Last year I felt just as good until mile 9 and I was in 2nd, only to fade to 4th. I bruised my feet on the rocky gravel road, which was coming up. I had to walk/run to the finish in 2009. With a different shoe selection this year, I made it through the hilly gravel section without a problem and passed Richie, who is an excellent runner. Approaching the turn around and mile 6, Joe Umphenour finally bridged the 20 yard gap to me. He had been hanging behind me since T2. At the 1st run turn around Terenzo was leading with Matt running on his shoulder and Crowie 30 seconds behind. I confirmed the race standing with Joe because I was surprised we were in 4th and 5th. After having the problem on the bike I didn’t think moving up this far was possible. From the 1st turn around Joe and I ran together for almost the entirety of the race.

Talking about the race with Crowie

Similarly to the bike course, the run course is filled with rolling hills. I was running the down hills fast and Joe was taking his turn at the front on the up hills. I had a few physical concerns going into the 2nd run turn around. My calves and quads were starting to exhibit signs of cramping from the constant up and down, but I was still running fast. At the 2nd turn around Crowie and taken the lead and Terenzo had separated himself from Matt. I was still think about how to get rid of Joe Umphenour, who was tucked in behind me. In the last mile of the course there is a long up hill, around 50 meters from the top Joe U. let a 5 yard gap open up. This was my opportunity and from my experience of being burned last year in the same spot, I gave it everything I had to the top of the hill. If you have been in this situation, you know once you make a surge for the finish there’s no slowing down. You have to hold it all the way to the line. If the chaser sees you slow down, it's like blood in the water. Anyway, I was happy to finish 4th – big pay day.

Transition post race

Men’s Results
1. Craig Alexander 3:59:20
2. Terenzo Bozzone 4:00:20
3. Matt Reed 4:02:10
4. David Thompson 4:04:34
5. Joe Umphenour 4:04:58
6. Victor Zyemtsev 4:08:13
7. Richie Cunningham 4:11:03
8. James Cotter 4:13:36
9. Andrew Starkowytiz 4:13:36
10. Dorian Wagner 4:16:05