Pigman sprint Tri in Palo, IA - just outside Cedar Rapids for those who know where that is.
The race sold out super early this year so it was going to be a full house with 800 people.
Packet Pick-up - I always like the way Pigman does the packet pickup, it's in a very nice hotel, easy to find, usually some decent food, and always a local tri shop selling stuff. I picked up my packet and walked past the tri shop's table, good thing too because I spot race belts and say to myself "!@#!" well there's a quick $8 and like my 5th race belt.
After a quick trip to the hotel I get to go out and get some food, lucky for me I spent about 6 months living in Cedar Rapids so I was lucky enough to go to my favorite BBQ place there (Sure it's not the best pre-race food but its a sprint and the food is sooooo good!).
Race morning- Transition opens at 6, I arrive at about 6:20, get set-up, and discover item number 2 I've forgotten - Aero wheel adapter for the pump. I promptly ask the guy next to me if I can borrow his and all is solved. Crisis number 2 averted. Nothing like the first race of the season, I excel at forgetting things anyway but thats another story.

Water temp is cool at just above 60 degrees. I decide not to wear my wetsuit, I told myself that this is a training race and I need to learn to stop being so dependent on a wetsuit and get used to swimming in colder water. Of course I was about the only person not wearing one and the others that weren't that I talked too all said this was their first race and they didn't own one. In fact when I told a guy I had mine in my bag back in transition he asked if he could borrow it (a little big for my suit or I would have let him). I made sure to get plenty of time in the water before the race to try and adjust to the cold which was a good frecking idea. Once my chest hit the water it took my breath away, and getting my head under water was a challenge all in itself. But I just worked at it little by little until I was comfortable enough to breath out underwater.

Start - This race actually has a cool system where they award prize money to not only the top finishers but also the first person to cross the finish line. For this to work they let the elite women go out ahead of the elite men by a few minutes. Waves go Elite Women, Elite Men, Clysedales & athenas go with teams, then there was my wave, 20-24 men and women. Now I understand why they let the athena crowd go first, logically they are going to be slower to finish and we all want to finish at about the same time, but (and anyone who has read my race reports before knows I say this everytime) this just ends up being a very bad idea. I had to crawl over so many people during this race it wasn't even funny. I'm not used to catching the wave in front of me since I'm such a weak swimmer but with the cold water many people wouldn't even put their head under the water. At the turn around I knew I needed to get done soon because I started to shake uncontrollablly. I tried to speed up a bit and thankfully emerged from the water. I've never had this much contact in a sprint before, but all in all it wasn't a bad swim given the temperature of the water.
600m in 12:14 400/800 - given that I wasn't wearing a wetsuit and the temp was so low I thought this wasn't too terrible.

T1 - 2:52, Transition was pretty far from the beach and fairly big in itself, I was actually very smooth in T1.

Bike- Ahhh its my time to shine. There was definite wind, and a few challenging hills but the bike course is great. The bike in a sprint is one of my favorite events, its nice and short, plus I always come out of the water so late that I get to pass a ton of people which helps for a confidence booster. My rear derailer was given me some trouble, Nothing that affected my performance much, but something was loose and it bothered me more mentally than anything, I'll be taking my bike to the shop this week for sure before next week's race. Because of some spacing issues on the road I was almost forced to draft a big truck for about half a mile. A motorcycle came up behind me and I was worried I was going to be DQ'd for it but he must have understood I couldn't get around because I had no penalties. I came off the bike good, I was starting to hurt but it was ok.
40:39 - 22.6mph - 60ish/800

T2 - passed my rack by one, had a slower transition than I would have like but again, nothing bad.
1:25

Run - This part confuses me. I suffered on the run. I suffered bad. I couldn't get my legs to change over and once they did I couldn't get them to move. This was my slowest 5k to date. This includes Triathlons, road races, training, anything. I forced myself to keep proper form but just couldn't kick the pain in my stomach and sides, let alone catch my breath. All three miles were brutal in their own ways. I crossed the line and looked at the watch, my run time had been a painful 32:15. OUCH.
Rune 3.1miles in 32:15. 481/800

All in all I had a good time. I know my training had been lacking lately and it certainly showed. The interesting thing is that my training lately has been focusing on much longer distances.
I am looking for any tips anyone on here might have as to why my run time dropped so much, and if you have any tips on what I can do to improve it. Besides the run I felt I did well and am looking forward to the QC-Tri in just two weeks!

The Quad Cities Distance Classic. A nice relaxing Half. I signed up for this race awhile ago, and just wanted to use it as a good gauge of my distance training so far. I set my goal at a nice and easy <2:00. The course does have some long hills so I left myself a little room on that end and I really didn't want to go out hard given my race goals this season. (i.e. I'm not risking an injury for a half when I have IMWI, QC marathon, leadville 100 in 2009, etc). I trained through the race which I actually had higher mileage the week prior than I would have liked but I told myself that I was just doing it as a training run so don't worry about it.  I kept reminding myself that this was going to be nice and easy, little did I realize that this was going to turn into the most mentally difficult race I've done in a long, long time.

The night before the race I actually went to bed by 8pm. I slept well enough except I was constantly woken up by trees crashing against my bedroom window. I woke up at 5:45 and I was unusually cold, you would assume being a midwestern boy that I would be immune to any cold the month of may could bring but this morning was annoyingly cold. I figured I would stick my head outside to see what I should wear and ......wow. My screen door was pulled out of my hand the second I let it off the hinge, panicking I reached for it and exposed my naked upper body to the horrible elements that tried to call themselves weather. Well, back down to put on the tights, gloves, and any other warm piece of clothing I can find. Ate a small breakfast, but since I am still in the early stages of my training I wanted to be burning more than I am using to get to ideal race weight (trust me not a good decision when you are fighting the elements) I managed to walk to my car and in the 20 steps or so to my car I was completely drenched. The rain was almost coming sideways which really hurts the face. Anyway, to the race start.

The race started on the street in front of a local university. Instead of lining the starting line the entire group of runners were huddled underneath a tree trying to find shelter from the 35+mph winds and sleet. We accepted there was no way of hiding from the 40 degree temperature. The RD called on a portable PA, "We are starting in one minute, head to the start line, we aren't doing the national anthem, we aren't thanking any sponsors, you hear the gun you run." bang and we are off. I have spent a lot of time trying to fix my form and run upright and today that was not an option. Running upright meant your face got pummelled by the sleet and stung something fierce. So i lowered my head and put one foot in front of the other. The first mile I witnessed A LOT of people turn around or run into a business, I can only assume to call someone sleeping and beg for a ride out of hell.

Mile 1-4 were slow, my usually buddy Mr. Garmin was like a plague, HR 166, pace 11:30. 11:30!?!?! How is that even possibly I feel like I'm running 8 minute miles. Managing to talk to other people around me, it turns out they felt the same way. I guess a 30mph head wind slows you down a little bit. On the downhills I could see the front of the pack, and on the uphills I could turn around and see the police chaser car. This was a humbling experience, not to say I am a fast runner, I am anything but, however I have never actually been able to see the chaser car, FYI that is a heck of a motivator to pick up the pace. By Mile 4 my time was 41 minutes, ouch.

Miles 5-7 were my real low point. It started off great when we ran along an area of businesses that had noise fences on our side which helped to block the wind, SWEEEET. Pace went up, mental game went down. I was hurting and felt like I was doing terrible. I kept telling myself that I am going so much slower than I am capable of, I was soaked from head to toe and really felt like dropping (it didn't help that people were dropping at every aid station). Then I saw a volunteer standing in an intersection with an inside out umbrella. I made her give me a high five, and she got all engertic, which really helped. I made it a point from then on to yell thank you's to all the volunteers at every aid station, intersection, anywhere I could see them. This really helped my motivation. It may seem strange but I told myself that if I dropped then those people had to come out here and suffer for nothing. Misery loves company.

Miles 8-11 My spirits back up and my pace was climbing, I was maintaing a steady 8:45 at this point which I convinced myself was great given the conditions. Then we made a turn and headed up hill to the river. "Oh this is gonna be fun". Without even being able to see the mississippi I felt the wind gusts that could stop you in your tracks. Running that mile or so on the river was the true definition of hell. The temperature was low, the wind was much faster than I've ever felt and the rain just hurt as a result. I actually saw a guy in front of me in a plastic rain poncho get thrown to the ground when a wind gust came and grabbed his poncho like a parachute. He was thrown right on his butt and rolled over backwards. After the race I heard that another woman broke her ankle on that spot from a similiar accident. I just put my head down and kept running, just keep running.

Miles 11-finish. My pace started to pick back up after spending a mile in hell (or on the river, its the same thing really) The weather started to calm down and it actually stopped raining!! There was a fun mile climb just before the finish that really gave a good burn. Now that I look back I think I'm going to track that hill down and run it later, under good conditions it would be a great training hill.
I course ended with a single loop around the University's track which was a neat twist. I crossed the line in 2:11. Which was 11 minutes over my goal, but given the conditions I was happy to finish. Amazingly I finished 177/610. I later learned that over half of the registered runners either dropped or didn't show. So I'm going to say that they were all slower than me and put my finish at 177/1220 =). Afterwards no one stayed for awards, everyone ate in a little shed on the track, got in their cars and went home. A unique thing for this race was all finishers got flowers since it was mother's day after all. I took my flowers to my mom, and quickly jumped in her shower and tried to peel off my clothes which had nicely frozen to my body. I've done marathons, Half-Ironman's, 50k's but never have I hit a low like this race, the day that was supposed to be a short and fun training day turned into a day where I realized that I can push myself through anything. I am so glad I didn't drop. I still have 0 DNF's and I would love to keep it that way.

So my first ultra experience has seemed to lead to a foot injury.

It could be as serious as a stress fracture or as minor as some major bruising. I am obviously hoping for option 2.
One thing is for sure, the inside of my foot hurts like hell whenever I take a step, touch it, or even look at it funny. Ouch.

Made sure to get X-rays today but as well all know with stress factures it could be very hard to see, so the doctors won't know for a little while. In the meantime I don't get to run at all!!!! I have a trail run planned this weekend and I really hope my foot feels better so I don't miss that. One week of full recovery is enough, any longer than that and I'm going to start getting really really bored and feel lazy.

Please foot, heal

McNaughton Park - Pekin, IL. A 10 mile loop designed to kill. The race director is known for making courses impossible to finish (ask about the 10 mile race that he doesn't give race numbers, but logs with your number in spray paint) and I knew this and I planned for it, not well enough it would seem.

The race was simple, 3 distances, 2 starts. Those running the 150 started Friday at noon. The rest of us started Saturday morning at 6. I made the decision to drive down Friday afternoon since it was only a 2 hour drive.
During those 2 hours I think I experienced every possible emotion. Excitement had filled me for days leading up to this event, but that was quickly replaced with fear with every raindrop that hit my windshield, and every gust of wind attempting to blow my car off the road. That fear turned into dread when that rain began mixing with snow.

I arrived to my hotel, checked in, and proceeded to the start line. I pulled into the park and saw a simple banner "Welcome Ultra Runners" No expo's were set up, no vendors, no commercialism, just tents, a fire, and a great support crew.

At this point the rain had turned into a mist, but the damage had been done. Three days of rain had turned the course into hell on earth. I met up with a few other guys doing the 100, we walked the first mile of the course, picked up our packets and went to the nice warm hotel to leave the 150's to run through the night - I'll see plenty of them in the morning.

4am wake up
All through the night I heard the storm laying waste to the outside of my hotel. I suited up in layers, and headed out to the course in the dead of night.

6am Race Start
The sound of a bullhorn is my sign to start placing one foot in front of the other and don't stop for the next 12 hours.... My first Ultra experience had begun.
200 of my closest friends and I head down the first mudslide with the base camp still in sight and immediately the slipping begins. I tell myself to take it slow, don't do anything stupid. I let myself get passed over and over and find myself towards the middle of the pack, frankly its a good place to be right now. The first part of the course is a loop through a marshland and its nice and flat with the wind ripping through reminding me that it is 31 degrees. After a mile and a half we make our way to the first climb. I have to admit, it was intimdating to see so early. Being at the middle I was able to see all the others attempt to get up this hill, running was no longer an option, it took small steps and both hands to make it up this climb. At the top there was a short flat taking us near the base camp where bagpipes welcomed us to the start of our day.
The following 2 miles were laced with short creeks, downhills that forced such strong stepping to stay stable, this early I would have never guess that this would be my downfall. After 4 miles was down we climbed our way to the first aid station. I felt great, I ate a little food to keep my energy levels up, refilled, and moved on - check the garmin, been running 12:30 minute miles. Amazing considering how slow it was on the hills.
The next 3 miles involved so many more hills requiring sure feet and both hands, but the big challenge was a large creek crossing which had water up to my hips, it was cold, but expected, just keep moving, you've had wet feet before. I actually led a pace group of about 8 people through the rest of this loop. I met my match on hills where there were ropes setup to pull myself to the top - this race is intense, more than I expected or planned for, but I'm loving every second of this.
2:08 First loop down - Damage report - Right ankle turned on a climb. - Left big toe, blister forming time to pop that.
Refuel and Refill and start the second loop.
Everything was familiar and the second loop actually started better than the first - I knew what was coming and I knew what to expect. I knew the low spots in the creeks,  the unstable rocks on the climbs, but most importantly I was able to ration my supplies between aid stations.
I led the same group of 8 into the second loop, we took the uphills very easy but ran the flats and some downhills.
Mile 15
It was at this point on a downhill when I felt my knees start to get sore. I've ran marathons before and I told myself that everything starts to hurt at these distances. I kept going at the same pace.
Mile 18
I'm paying dearly for pushing through the knee pain - what started as mild discomfort was beginning to be blinding pain on every downhill stride. I slowed down and went to a brisk walk to base camp.

2:19 Base Camp - Mark 2
Advil, electrolytes, and protein rich food.
My legs felt good, My energy levels were high, and my lungs were doing what they were trained to do. My only concern at this point are my knees.

Start of the second loop
I ran slower on the flats and took my downhills much, much slower. It was too late, these downhills were murder on my knees.
I stopped at the first aid station - mile 24. and evaluated my options.
I can finish this race at the full 50 mile distance, but have a huge risk of serious injury that could ruin the rest of my season. I could finish this loop, do the first mile again and call it a day at 50k. Option 2 won.
I finished in just over 8 hours. The third loop took me almost as long as my first 2 loops combined. I know I made the right choice. This was my first DNF.
I have had a hard time coming to terms with dropping, but with my knees still hurting a full day later I feel good about what I did. I have finished a 50k in about 8 hours, given the difficulty of the course and the conditions of the day I am proud of my times and distance.

Next year I might have to tackle the 100, but for now I know to train slow on the downhills and remember "Slow is steady, steady is fast"