March Madness

March has been absolutely mad. I got to see family, race cycling races, go on spring break with some great friends, race in the conference championship triathlon in Lake Havasu, and do a lot of school work. Add it all together and you get a very tired, hungry, happy person.

A few weekends ago, I raced a TT and road race in New Mexico with the ASU Cycling Team.

The time trial was one of the coolest things I have ever done. Sure, I didn’t get to roll down a ramp with fans cheering me on while I sprint up to speed, but someone was holding my back wheel so I could have both feet clipped in when I started, which was pretty sweet.

They said we weren't allowed to use TT bikes, but I did anyway.

It was my first time using heart rate during a race. It kept me in check and forced me to keep pushing hard the whole time. I did a quick run after, and then went into full on recovery aka feast mode after the TT in order to be ready for the road race tomorrow. By not racing the crit I was able to save some extra energy for the road race the next day. Our team did awesome in the C crit, with Alan and Gabe going 1-2 overall.

Watching some crit action in New Mexico

The road race was about an hour away from our hotel, so after a quick breakfast and checkout we were on our way to the Small town of Hillsburo. It was in the middle of nowhere, but there was some beautiful scenery. My goal was to follow Alan and Gabe’s crit strategy of staying in the front 5 or so at all times. I was able to position myself well for the climb at the end of the race.

Our group approaching the finish - pretty scenic

I ended up coming in 3^rd Collegiate C and 7^th overall for the combined field. It was a great learning experience and I had a ton of fun racing with the team over the weekend. Watching our teams hard work pay off was cool.

I spent spring break in San Diego. My friends from Ultimate Frisbee last year lured me out by saying I could bring my bike. I remembered a huge hill really close to their house from when I stayed there last year, and figured “why not, there’s gotta be some good riding”.

About to head to the beach - Missing J-Walk :(

The riding was amazing. All of the big hills, scenery, and smooth roads where great: especially when you’re used to looking at cactus while riding. I was able to practice some open water swimming at the beach, and tried to body board for a while too. Every ride had some great climbing involved. Even the runs had spectacular views.

One of the roads in SoCal - Stunning views

Way better than Tempe

On the last Sunday of spring break, my Mom came down and visited. She helped me clean up my apartment; bought me food, and we even went on a bike ride in north Scottsdale. It was great seeing family after all of the time spent away from home.

Riding with Mom

Then, the Havasu tri happened this past weekend (3/21). It was the first race my brother Steve and I got to race together, which allowed for a sweet pre-race photo op (thanks Geneva). I was seeded in the first wave, which put me in a great position for the bike.

THE SWIM:

I was pleasantly surprised by the swim – I started out pretty far off to the right with the plan of holding my own pace instead of sprinting for the first 200. Apparently one group sighted incorrectly, and they ended up doing a lot of extra swimming. I sighted for myself, swam alone, and made it out in front of a lot of people I thought I was going to have to chase down on the bike. During T1 I ended up getting my arm stuck in my wetsuit, dropping my goggles, and almost falling several times. It was pretty funny.

THE BIKE:

Right away I struggled getting my shoes on (the flying mount went brutal). I knew all the people who had a bad swim would take it out on the bike, so I needed to go fast to stay away. Having a road bike was nice on the rolling hills, and when I saw Steve in the lead it gave me a little more push on the hills to try and catch some people towards the front. Coming into transition I was a little scared that my legs were blown.

THE RUN:

The first mile of the run was tough because we were running through some sand then up some stairs. I caught a BYU guy, and we ran together for a while. Eventually I was able to catch a few people who passed me on the bike. I held on for the last couple miles, finishing just behind David from CSU.

Finishing up the run in Havasu

OVERALL:

Seeing progress on your goals is a great feeling. This race was a big test for me to see where I was at and what I need to work on in the short period of time before nationals. I didn’t post the top splits for any of the sports, and my transition times were all sub-par, which means that there is a lot of room to get better between now and April 25^th. Click here to see the official results for all collegiate participants.

THE HIGHLIGHT:

At around the 2-mile mark into the run I saw Steve flying in the other direction. I say flying and not running because it looked like he was in an all out sprint. He gave me a grunt, and then won the race.

Our whole team did awesome!

It was great bonding with all the other teams at the campground, and the trip was a ton of fun. I will be racing the Duncan Road Race this weekend, then Lifetime Marquee on April 12. Collegiate Nationals is on April 24/25^th in Clemson, SC. I am still fundraising for Nationals, so feel free to donate here.

Thanks for reading, and have a great day!

PS: Paul, if you’re reading this 6:12 < 6:15.