This past weekend I competed in the Tinley’s long course triathlon.  This year Tinley’s was the finally of the Tri Cal series, and my 2009 racing season.  Heading into the race I was excited about the extended bike length but a little nervous about the extra swim and run distance, especially because this would be my 4th weekend racing in a row.

As the gun went off we frantically entered the water for the 1.5 mile swim.  Jonh Dahlz and Kyle Leto were able to break away from the rest and had a comfortable lead exiting the water.  I finished the swim just off the back of the main pack but had a great transition and started the bike in 9th around Greg Remaly, and Nenad Rodic.  I had a really strong bike, suffering just a little the last 10 minutes, and entered T2 in second only behind Leto and Dahlz.  I started the three loop run strong, being passed only by Thompson in the first two loops.  However, around mile 7 the legs got heavy and my pace slowed to a crawl.  I was passed by another 3 people on the last lap to finish 7th overall, which I am really happy with.  Although it would have been nice to finish the run feeling like I did after the bike.  This was my first attempt at a long course race, and I learned that proper nutrition is key to a complete race.  I didn’t take anything but water on the run, big mistake!

I want to express the highest level of praise and gratitude to the TriCal team; they put on the best race series anywhere, and their care for the athletes is second to none.

Now that the season is over I am looking forward to a week off so I can concentrate on my new business a little more, and just enjoy being a normal person for a couple of days.

I would also like to thank all of our team sponsors this year.  I was able to get 2 fastest bike splits, and one bike course record on my my Specialized Transition, along with a bunch of top 5 times.  Mix1 recovery drinks enabled me to last a season that spanned 9 months.  Boulder Running Company put me in the right shoes that kept me injury free for the entire season, for the first time ever.  And Rocket Science Sports tri suit and wet suit moved me an entire pack forward from where I was swimming last year.