What to think

It's been a while since I've posted. Fact of the matter is, I've been enjoying some down time. No true "training" has really been taking place. After getting back from Hawaii, we've been getting settled into our new place and adjusting to life together :) Let me tell you, kissing my wife goodnight each night sure beats the nightly phone call routine! I did get back to some more standard training starting last week, but keeping it fun and non routine at this point! That being said, I crave routine so I'm trying to stay routine during the week without getting too boring. For instance, Meg gets up super early 2 days a week to spin. Well, it's not like I'm going to stay in bed while she goes to bust her ass, so now I'm at the pool twice per week guaranteed! This has never happened in the off season before and I'm loving it :)

I spent a lot of time laying around in the sun of Hawaii thinking about my race in Canada. Overall, I guess I'm satisfied with what took place considering the conditions. I've never been that cold on the bike, especially in a race. But what really has been bugging me is that everyone else had to deal with those conditions as well. And 400 competitors or so handled the conditions better than I did on the bike (I think my bike split was around 400th place, I was 260th overall for the entire race). Why did I struggle so much on the bike? Heck, I had made this my focus! Well, I was flat, lost mental focus, and had considerable back pain which all led to a very sub par bike. Again, why? I don't know. Just spent 2 weeks on a beach trying to figure it out. I'm happy with my swim split (although I think the course was short) and my run. That being said, I believe in retrospect that I lost focus late in the run because I knew I wasn't going to reach my overall time goals. I pushed for 15 miles or so convinced that I would be happy with a solid run split. When the going got tough, I allowed myself to walk as I reasoned breaking 4 hours was good enough and ruined my chance at going MUCH faster. This was despite the fact my goal going in was sub 3:45, not 4 hours. I was not tired (beyond what you would expect), was not struggling from nutrition issues, and wasn't considerably sore or addressing any other pain/injuries. I simply lost focus and settled for ok instead of great.

On the flight home from Hawaii, I figured it out. And before I continue, let me emphasize one thing: I'm not in anyway diminishing what I did in Canada or what anyone else did. I understand many would love to have a 10:43. I do not take this for granted. However, I gave up a ton this year, as did my loved ones, to get me ready for a sub 10 hour Ironman. I was prepared to do it. So what happened? Well, two things. 1) I was not prepared for such adverse conditions on the bike and I let it get to me. 2) Although I thought I was ready to suffer, which you have to do to pull off what I wanted to pull off, I wasn't. When the going got really tough, I took the safe route and didn't push to that next level. I had such an eventful past few months leading into the race that I struggled to get mentally prepared for what was required of me. When the going got tough, I wasn't prepared to make the move I needed to make.

Maybe that is hard criticism, but it is my analysis of what occurred. I don't mean to ramble and I realize that I just wasted minutes of your life bitching about my inability to suffer through a tough day at Ironman. My apologies :), but I already feel better. So, what's in store for this year? More to come on that soon, but the goal is a Kona slot at IMCDA. This is going to take a one hour drop in my time from Canada. Some might say that is foolish. It's not, trust me. So I have a mantra for this next season. "6 months". It's the amount of time I will need to fully devote (starting in late December, early January) to meticulous preparation in order to peak properly and have a shot at IMCDA. 6 months of our lives where I will ask my new wife to forgive my absenteeism (although I promise to still make time baby!!). 6 months of suffering and dedication so that I can say with 100% confidence come late June, "I gave it everything I possibly had." 6 months. Now, back to relaxing.

-T

The dust has settled

Some people thought we were crazy. Maybe we were. I was watching the rain droplets bead off of the window on our 737 as we made our way back into the Rose city. Despite the 3 year old a few rows back that might have damaged our hearing from his persistent screaming the past 5 hours, the flight was otherwise uneventful from Maui to PDX. The last 3 weeks have been quite a whirlwind of an adventure however. Actually the past 3 months really. In the past 3 weeks we had done the following: driven 10 hours to Canada where I had raced Ironman Canada, driven home the next day and then returned to work for 3 days, off to Central Oregon where Meghan and I were married a day later, back to PDX a few days later, and then off to Maui for 11 days.

Were we crazy? Possibly. Are there many people in the world that got to experience what I did the last 3 weeks? Doubtful. I crossed the finish line at IMC with a new PR in hand, married my soul mate less than a week later and was sitting on a tropical beach drinking an over priced fruit drink just over a week after crossing that aforementioned finish line. Those are moments you live for. As the plane continued it's descent, I couldn't help but think back to a few years ago. Besides work and family, I was alone. And overweight. And unhappy. And unhealthy. I made the decision to change me life. I started to run. I didn't realize it would lead to all this, but it has. I soon didn't want to smoke cigarettes any more. I slept better, I ate better, and I started to lose weight! Before I knew it, I was on the start line of a triathlon.

Life is about making decisions. As we touched down on the rain soaked runaway in Portland, I looked at my beautiful wife and counted my blessings for the decision I made a few years ago. We bounded off the plane together, virtually singing in the rain, ready to start our new life together.

-T

IMC 2010 Race Report

Again, before getting into details regarding the race, I must thank my family and friends for their continued support this past year. Most importantly, my loving wife. And yes, I said wife!! As I wrote this race report on the plane as we flew out to Maui for our Honeymoon a week post IMC. It was quite an eventful year and throughout everything we faced, she continued to support me in my efforts. Love you baby, for heifer :) I also need to thank my father (pops). He was, in part, my inspiration for doing this specific race. He also doubled as my "coach" and advisor this past year. So it was fitting that the two of us loaded up the car and headed north on 97 to the lovely Okanogan Valley. I tried to keep the report short, but it is long...just like the race. Despite this, I hope you take the time to enjoy it. Thanks!!

Because we had such a sweet ride to head to Penticton in, we made great time and rolled into town Thursday around lunch. We were surprised to get caught in a powerful rain storm. Luckily we had the top on the car! Off to the house to relax. Going into the race, I had a few goals:

1) Beat my PR from last year (my only other Ironman) of a 10:53

2) Run a sub 4 hr marathon, last year I ran/walked to a 4:33 marathon

3) With a solid swim and bike, we felt like I could set myself up to go under 10 hours. This has been a Yates' family goal for a few decades, and I wanted it. BAD.

Check out the view below from my rental house!! The owners are amazing. It's called Giant Head Winery and Guest House. They are located in Summerland, just north of Penticton. Please look them up if you are heading up to Penticton. We stayed in the Panorama suite. It was great to stay within 15 minutes of the race start, but to not be anywhere close to the race start...you'll understand if you race Ironman :) Their link is http://www.giantheadwinery.com/

Ok onto the race. I got a good night's sleep despite causing a small panic when I started a little fire in the kitchen trying to bake my pizza! I will never forget pops yelling frantically, "FIRE!!" A little bit of overkill, but heck...it was a fire :) I woke up ready to race on Sunday. I took down a fair amount of calories including a bagel sandwich, a banana, and a granola bar and went to kiss Meg goodbye. My Dad and I were then quickly off to transition. Got body marked, which took almost 20 minutes so be prepared, and then was quickly standing beside my bike. Took me a few minutes to check everything over and get my tires inflated. Now it was time to take one final pit stop. I took a look at the length of the line to the porta potty and quickly started to think of alternatives. I used a nearby toilet that had a much shorter line and then went back to drop my stuff off with pops. Big hug had, in fact it was a very special and emotional moment for the two of us. This race, Ironman Canada, is his race...not mine. I was simply visiting his playground for a day. He looked me in the eyes and told me to go hard. I promised myself I would. Meg and the rest of my family were off trying to get a view of the swim start. I was sad that I couldn't find Meg right before the swim, but hell, there were 3,000 competitors...so people everywhere!!!

I got in the water after the pros were sent off and got a little warm up in. I felt fantastic. I could feel that I was going to have a solid swim. Back to the start line and I was somewhat able to hear the Canadian anthem. A couple high fives to the other athletes before the countdown was about to start; at this point everyone is super pumped. And then BOOM!! Cannon is off and so are we! I quickly distanced myself from those around me and made the first buoy in 2nd place. I eased into a more manageable pace and started swimming with a pack. I think I was around 10th place when we made the first turn (just before the half way mark). I got passed by another 5 to 10 athletes coming and and was starting to worry that I wasn't swimming well. Before I knew it the beach was in front of me and I was on land! It is hard to explain how loud the exit of an Ironman swim is, especially when you are towards the front of the race...freaking electric!! Up to the change tent and guess who is there to hand me my gear bag? My buddy Jer! In fact, it was a good thing he was there as I had told the volunteers the wrong bag #, but luckily Jer was paying attention and retrieved the correct bag for me. Love you dude!! Exit stage right to the change tent and there is this lady yelling my name like crazy; and she is within 10 feet of me?!? Who is that? I finally start to focus as I'm running into the tent and see it's my swim coach Gina!! Gina, you rock :)

Swim Time = 53:48 - 90 seconds faster than last year :)

That is me leading a small pack towards the finish of the swim.

Couple members of my "Army"

Off on the bike and I was feeling good. The first 40 miles or so down to Osoyoos are fairly flat and fast. I had an early mechanical where my chain got stuck beyond my hardest gear. This was a relatively quick fix, but costed me time for the repair and time in momentum. I had another issue about 45 minutes later where my chain slipped (think Andy Schleck in this year's tour). This fix was quick as well, but again, I lost valuable time and more importantly, momentum. I made the turn up to Richter and was feeling pretty good. I hadn't made the time down to Osoyoos that I thought I would, but was feeling ok. The climb was so-so. Basically I just didn't have my legs today. I was flat. Not sure why. Our only thought is that my larger muscles didn't fully recover from the ful I had a few weeks ago. Regardless, I spun up the hill as best I could. I got passed by a few riders that hurt me psychologically. I knew I was a better cyclist than these guys. I tried to keep remembering, it's a long day out there...stick with it.

So I did, but after the climb came the 7 bitches. My least favorite part of the bike ride. I lost more time to competitors. We finally came to the out and back section and I felt ok, but kept looking at the ever darkening skies above; this didn't look good. I grabbed my special needs bag which contained more carbo pro and a snickers bar. Neither were great, but both helped. And then it started to rain. At first it wasn't much, but soon it was like November in Oregon. It was fucking pouring. And windy. And I was already having a poor bike ride. We climbed up to Yellow Lake and I continued to struggle. We crested the summit after climbing through the largest and loudest bike aid station I have ever seen in triathlon (volunteers rock!!) and started the long descent into Penticton. By this point the temperature had fallen into the 40s and it was still very windy. I started to shiver. Violently. I had 20k left to go and didn't know if I was going to make it. The descent was white knuckle. I convinced myself that if I made it to transition I would have a vlunteer get me a cup of soup and a blanket and pull out of the race (I wasn't actually going to quit, but telling myself I would helped). I wasn't going to break 10 hours and was shaking so badly that I was worried for my safety on the bike.

As we entered Penticton, the weather finally started to improve. I finally made it into transition. Gina was still there and still screaming for me :) I was so miserable despite her encouragement. I sat down in the change tent and asked the nice volunteer to help me with my gear as I couldn't feel my hands or feet. After a few minutes of helping me, I was ready to go. He looked at me and said, "well now all you have to do is go for a little jog!" I laughed as this lifted my spirits. I ran out of transition while Gina continued to yell at me, "you got this Trevor, you got this!!"

Bike Split = 5:43:45 - Way slower than last year at IMAZ & about 30 minutes slower than goal.

Headed out onto the marathon

I shot out of transition with a renewed purpose. Screw this. I had worked too hard to allow myself to be discourage anymore. I was going to run a hell of a marathon and come in with a PR overall. I saw my family right away and waved at them. I was so happy to be off that f'ing bike. It was great to see Meg, my mom and my sis. My Dad ran alongside me during the first mile while we completed our first out and back.

Pops, "You ok bud?"

Me, "Close to hypothermic on the bike. It rained last 70 to 90 minutes. Can't feel my hands or feet."

Pops, "You going to be ok?"

Me, "Yes, in fact I'm going to run a helluva marathon!! And, as of now, my ashtma is cooperating."

Pops, "3:45 son. You look awesome. Stride looks great. Go get it."

I flew the first 10 miles. Most were run sub 8, some around 7:30. I remember getting into a rhythm and looking down at my Garmin to see pace much closer to 7min miles than 8 min miles. I quickly realized I needed to slow it down. I had expended a lot of energy out on the bike, especially with the cold and my shivering. That being said, I was convinced I could run sub 3:45 for the marathon portion. I didn't walk through a single aid station during the first 90 minutes. I was so happy with how I was running and feeling that I was smiling, for virtually the entire first 90 minutes :) There is a significant hill around 12 miles in. I walked it as planned. I then grabbed my special needs bag at the turn around and enjoyed another snickers bar. I walked while eating it and walked that same hill previously mentioned as I headed back towards town. I believe I eneded up giving up 5 to 7 minutes during this stretch. I will not repeat this again if I race here again. I was fit enough to run through this sections, but didn't trust myself, or my training. Actually, I think the plan was good, but mentally I decided it was ok to walk longer sections after walking these 3 "longer" sections.

The rest of the marathon was pretty uneventful. I struggled with the mental game a little between miles 18 and 22 and probably walked for a good 6-8 minutes. This really pisses me off and is something I will have to address if I want to make a serious bid at qualifying for Kona next year at IMCDA. At about mile 21 you start to head into town. I was energized the last 5 miles. I must have passed 15 to 20 people. Running down towards the out and back section before the finish, I heard another screaming fan. This time it was my friend Ava, who's husband was racing as well. I was so juiced!! I rounded the corner and saw my Dad again. I started crying as I was now running faster than I had all day while he ran beside me. We exchanged some words about what a tough day it was out there, etc. I asked him what the official running time was as I only had my marathon watch on. He told me it was around 10:30. I knew I was going to break 10:45, not bad after such a tough bike.

My buddy Glen

Pops handed me my Oregon hat and I gave him my stinky visor and took off for the finish line. The finish line at IMC is the best one I have been a part of, period. The chute goes forever. I passed a guy from my age group about 1/2 mile from the finish and put the pedal to the metal to ensure I had time to enjoy the finish by myself. I ran over to my family and high five'd everyone!! I was so happy to see them all again, especially Meghan. It's a long day out there, so seeing your loved ones is so great at the end of it. I kept going down the chute, high five'ing everyone that had their hands out. I was overcome with emotion. I knew I was going to PR. I knew I had run a quality marathon despite walking more than I should have. But most importantly, I hadn't quit and I was finishing healthy.

Total Time= 10:43 - A PR by 10 minutes!!

Marathon split = 3:57 - An Ironman marathon PR by over 35 minutes!!

As always, my otter half was there to great me at the finish line!!

This is what Ironman does to you :)

All smiles!!

Until Next Year...

Again, thank you to everyone for their continued support this past year. It was a challenging year to find the time and motivation to train properly to reach my goals. I got close, and reached some of them, just not all of them. But hell, how can I complain about this race? Once again, I learned a lot out there. Ironman is a continual learning experience. Next year we will make our run at a Kona slot at IMCDA. I will be taking some time off the next few weeks to relax and recharge the battery. Luckily I have two weeks in Maui with my new bride so this should be no problem! Thanks for reading and I'll post some more pictures and video when possible.

-T

IMC Race report problems

I can't figure out why the pictures won't load. Will fix after some more pool time :) Maybe tomorrow while my Ducks beat up on Tennessee!!

-T

Time to think?

With Ironman Canada happening over one week ago, it's funny how little I've been thinking about the race lately. Of course when asked about the race or talking to family, etc I get right back into analyzing the race. The reason for the disconnect with post race analysis and the lack of a race report is...Meghan and I got married on Saturday!!! So I had more important things on my mind the past week :) We are jumping on the big bird tomorrow to fly to paradise so I should be able to put my thoughts into a race report! Thanks for reading!

-T

Race Report Coming!!

Soon enough! Just trying to collect my thoughts and prepare for the wedding this weekend. I'll get the report up soon though, what an amazing day out there. Thank you for all the continued support :)

-T