| Race Report |
|
Kickin' Leaves Duathlon (2.5 mile run, 10 mile bike, and 2.5 mile run) October 6, 2007 Pre-race After a 3 hour drive, I arrived in Grand Rapids and was immediately surprised by how much cooler it was than at my house. When I left my house it was over 70 and when I got to Grand Rapids, it was 50. As I had been unsure what I'd wear at the race, I had packed way to many things and had lots of choices. After registering and chatting a bit with the nice volunteers I got set up and started my warm up. I felt okay, not great but I really wasn't sure how I should feel after being up for so long even though it was not yet 9am. This is a new race and had a really small field. Everyone was real nice and we had a good time chatting before the race. Below is some of the field at the post race lunch and awards ceremony.
Back to our story . . . After a short pre race meeting, we get started. I am near the front and feel like I'm working pretty hard but not too hard. Just the feeling I was looking for. I am near the front and am joined there by a couple of other guys. We immediately gap the rest of the field and are moving along pretty well. I don't know exactly how fast we are going but it seems about right. The course runs on pavement and trails around the Forest History Center in Grand Rapids on some awesome trails with some hills and a bit of turning through the forest. As far as I'm concerned, it was a perfect course. After about a mile, one of the guys in our group decides to speed up. He says something about making up time he'll lose on the bike. I react a bit, though I don't try to stay with him. I speed up to keep him in sight but don't run with him as his new pace is more effort than I wanted to put forth at the start of the run. For the last 1.5 miles or so I keep him in sight. The other guy drops back a bit but keeps me in sight as we finish the run. I run into transition and immediately see that the guy who has been leading is taking a bit of time. I'd kept things simple so all I had to do was pull on a long sleeved shirt and then put on my helmet. I do this real fast and am out of transition first. I was not really surprised to be leading the race but it was fun for sure. I focused on the task at hand, going fast! I've never been leading a race on the bike before and I should really have paid more attention to the race course map as I almost missed the first turn. After a quick recovery, I continued on. After a few minutes there was a turn around and I got to check on my lead. I had 40 seconds on the guy in second a couple of minutes on the guy in third. I knew there was another turn around about half way through the race so I just tried to work hard and get my lead to be as big as possible. It was a chilly, damp day and the bike didn't feel super. My legs were okay, but in an ideal world, I would have felt smoother and stronger. Oh well, multisport races rarely offer the chance to ride in an ideal state, so I tried to keep myself focused on staying aero and working hard. As I hit the second turn around, I clocked my lead at over 2 minutes. I was now pretty confident that I could win the race. I motivated myself for the rest of the ride with the idea that the harder I rode the easier I could run. Nothing too noteworthy happened. I approached transition feeling pretty good and ready to run my rear end off. I did a great transition, with feet out of the shoes while moving, a running dismount and a quick change into my running shoes. And off I went for a repeat of the earlier run course. After exiting transition, I did not have any idea on how much of a lead I had. I didn't hear anyone else come when I was starting the run but that didn't really mean a whole lot as we headed into the forest pretty quickly. The first hill was quite a shock. I've said it many times before, and this race didn't change my mind, there is nothing more painful than the second run in a duathlon. For a few seconds, I had thoughts of having to walk but I focused on keeping my feet turning over quickly and before too long I was at the top and was feeling okay. I kept running and was working pretty hard. I kept pushing myself and before too long I was in the second half of the run. I looked back a few times and didn't see anyone coming which was encouraging. Early in the run I told myself that I could slow down a little and save something in case someone came up on me. I never took the option and just kept going as hard as I could. It turns out I did a great job of pushing myself as I went faster on the second run than I did in the first. Anyway, with the finish line in sight I kept it going and enjoyed the feeling of crossing the line the winner of a race. I knew I'd given a good effort, as can be seen from this finish photo of me, looking less than my best. Yikes!
Post Race Review I am really pleased with my effort on this day. I marshaled what I had to offer and used it effectively. This was a small race and I should have done real well, likely should have won. But that didn't mean I would have won if I had raced poorly. I did not run the first run too hard and I used my strengths to my advantage. I was so excited to be using the Zipp 606 set with a PT SL in the rear wheel that I make a silly mistake. During warm up, I'd noticed that the power seemed really high for how hard I was working. And that continued on during the race as well. Turns out that the nearly 400 watt average for the race was not accurate, who would have thought? I might have turned into a Tour de France winner overnight, right? Oops, I had forgotten to zero the torque. After correcting the file, I averaged about what I estimated was my threshold watts for the 26 minutes of this effort. Given that I'd run for almost 20 minutes before hand, and that I didn't feel like I was really good on the day, that is right where it should be. There is nothing too exciting in the file, but it can be downloaded here if you'd like to look at it. This was a really nice race on a great course. I hope to be back
next year to defend my title and improve on my course record, joking
here as the splits are not that great. See you at the races! |
||
 |
||
|
|
January 23 Upcoming Dig It Triathlon and Multisport lecture for the Lakes Area Multisport club on Racing Selection and Season Planning. if you're in Brainerd area on Thursday, January 26, make sure to come. Email Jason for full details. January 16 The cyclocross racing spectacular contined with Coach Jason in Louisville, KY for the UCI Masters Cyclocross Championships.
It was a great weekend of racing, though some tough conditions and competition had Jason ready to go home and train even harder for next year. Check out the mud on the bike.
Jason post race with his finisher medal (muddy of course), and a lot of the course still on his bike. January 9 Coach Jason's been doing some cyclocross this fall and "winter." He was in Madison, WI this past weekend for the USA Cycling National Cyclocross Championships. It was a fun and hard weekend, just like cross is suppose to be.
Above is the Dig It kit with pinned number. Always exciting to be putting on a National Championships number.
Above an upward look at one of the uphills on the course, in much better shape than when Jason got to experience it.
Here is the bike on the verge of taking the start. Not the dirt and grime and that's after being pressure washed a few times. January 1 Dig It Triathlon and Multisport wishes you a Happy New Year. If this the year for athletic improvement, we're here to help. December 15 Dig It Triathlon and Multisport's Threshold Thursdays (TT) has begun. It's a free, Facebook based workout group dedicated to training bike threshold. Coach Jason analyzes his first TT session in the article below..
December 12 The 2012 racing season is beckoning. Dig It Triathlon and Multisport and the Buffalo Triathlon are teaming up for a 5 week Introduction to Triathlon Course. Details on the race site at www.tribuff.com/active_training.htm Coach Jason in action at the Badger Cross in Madison, WI yesterday. With only 4 weeks until cyclocross nationals, it was great chance to check out the course on a day with crazy nice weather (for Wisconsin in mid December). December 8 The Dig It Triathlon Facebook page is now live at www.facebook/DigItTri We have a new training group, Threshold Thursdays, starting up. A free workout is presented each week for all who join. November 21 At Ironman Arizona, Andy has a great race, knocking over 40 minutes from his PR and getting oh so close to a Kona slot in the toughest of AGs. Coach Jason has a great time at the MN State Cyclocross as well. November 8 Dig It's Jill rocks the NYC Marathon. Wow, what a month for Jill as she climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro and then came home and ran a great marathon. Major props! Coach Jason had some fun at the VeloCX in MN as well this past weekend. October 31 Despite a lack of updates on our part, it's been a busy October for Dig It Triathlon and its athletes. Dan had a solid run at the Marine Corp Marathon with a PR, Kathy rocked the Toyota Cup Tri in Dallas, Coach Jason was in Colorado for a coaching conference. Last and certainly not least, Jill and Cliff put their endurance training to a real test and climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro in Africa. Now that's how you celebrate a special event! To Learn more about Jason's confernece
October 16 Coach Jason in action at the Cross at the Y in Hudson, Wisconsin
today. A fun event. Here Jason gets ready for some cross fun. October 2 It was great to hear that Dan broke through with his first multisport overall win today at the Half Full Tri in Maryland. Way to go Dan, can't help but love the podiums with Dig It on the top step!
Dig It family also in action at the Twin Cities Marathon, doing our annual 5K time clock volunteer duties.
September 25 The Dig It crew was in action at the Duathlon World Championships in Gijon, Spain today. Rob, Greg and Richard flew their national colors (USA, UK, and USA respectively) for strong races amidst serious competition. Nice work, gentlemen!
Above Rob rocks the run. Below Greg on the bike.
September 18 Coach Jason's cyclocross skills clinic was a big success as we got our CX groves going, and it even rained. Nothing says cross like cool temps and rain. September 11 In Madison, Eric had a strong debut Ironman with a well balanced swim, bike and run. Way to go Eric!
September 10 As the multisport season wraps down, Rob and Tony showed great running fitness. September 4 Tony rocked the St. Croix Sprint Tri today, putting a great and fast end on an IM focused year. August 28 Today was an Ironman kind of day and Dig It's Lindsey was rockin' it in Canada while Keith kicked it hard for a great IM in Kentucky. Way to go crew. August 28 Dig It's Eric showed his fitness is there for Ironman Wisconsin with a 2nd AG placing at the Lakes Country Triathlon in northern MN one day after racing the Tri 111 event. Wow is all we can say. August 27 The inaugural Tri 111 in the United States was in Minnesota and Dig It was there with a strong showing. Andy went top 10 overall and Betsy and Eric were showing their fitness off as well. Nice job gang! August 27 Coach Jason was in action at the Big Ring Flyers TT near Hudson, Wisconsin. It was a great day and Jason had fun while doing his best and getting soundly beaten. Nice way to end the TT season nonetheless.
August 22 It must be a USA Triathlon themed week as Coach Jason's article on bike training into goal races came out in the USA Triathlon Coaches Newsletter and Dig It's Kathy and Dan rocked USAT Age Group Nationals with outstanding performances. Dan earned a berth on the World's team, always a tough ticket and a particularly challenging one this year. Way to go Kathy and Dan. August 9 Coach Jason taught a transitions skills clinic in Buffalo, MN tonight. It was a fun and useful evening. August 8 Always fun to wrap up a weekend when athletes reach new highs of performance as Kathy scoring another strong race and an AG win in PA and Andy notched up another win in MN, toping his own course record along the way. July 17 At the ever competitive Heart of the Lakes Triathlon in Minnesota, Cliff and Jill swelter to AG wins. Nice work! July 9/10 Across the world, literally, and Dig It athletes are having fun and getting it done.
Above Greg wins his division at a local duathlon in the UK.
Kathy scores an AG podium at the Lifetime Minneapolis Triathlon. Dan wins his AG with a 4th overall at the DITR in Maryland. In Colorado, Lindsey had fun racing the the Boulder Peak Triathlon even while living at sea level. July 2 The month might be on its second day but Dig It athletes are already rockin' as Jill scores an AG win at the Minneman Triathlon. June 27 Dig It's Betsy and Tony had great races at Ironman Couer 'd Alene. Dig It couldn't be prouder of these two as they braved a rough winter here in MN for some great training that carried over to successful races. June 21 The Nature Valley Grand Prix was a great time with bike racing fun run amuck. Jason's got a report about it and a TT.
Jason was in action too, as you can see at the Tuesday Night TT.
June 13 Ho hum, another summer weekend, another batch of strong performances from Dig It athletes. Eric, Josh and Tony show their fitness with great races at the Liberty Triathlon, Kathy earns another AG placing at Trinona with her 2nd in the 40-44 AG and Lindsey gets 2nd overall woman and 1st in her AG in Wisconsin. Well actually, weekends like this are never boring! Keep it up Dig It crew. June 7 Tri season is here and Dig It clients came out swinging. Kathy had a great race in Minnesota at the Buffalo Triathlon, taking minutes off her PRs from last year and Jennifer had a great return to multisport racing in Utah with a strong performance. June 6-8 Coach Jason in Colorado for coaching meetings with a bit of riding thrown in when possible.
Above Jason poses for a pic in Ward, Colorado a great ride up and out of Boulder. Note interesting decorations in Ward. May 22 GearWest Duathlon a big success as we had some great performances. May 21 Coach Jason's clinic at the Land Between the Lakes Triathlon was a success as Jason talked about race execution and various other topics in Albert Lea MN. Also of note, Dig It clients Rob and Richard officially in for Duathlon Worlds in September. They'll be rocking the Team USA kit in Spain, awesome work dudes! May 15 Duathlon season in full swin for Dig It crew and the great performances keep coming. In Minnesota, Cliff and Jill won their age groups with Jill 5th overall woman at the Lake Elmo Duathlon and Rob scored his first ever overall podium in Florida while winning his age group too. Nice job gang! April 30/May 1 Wow, what a weekend! In one of the best weekends of action for the Dig It gang ever, and we're not ones for exaggeration, this weekend will go down as a great one.
Dig It's Dan pictured below gets ready for his swim.
Coach Jason was in action to at the Tour of the Gila in New Mexico.
Coach Jason above in Dig It kit during day 3 of this stage race, his first. The article below covers the details.
April 18 On a day for the ages in Boston, Dig It's Jill ran a great Boston Marathon today. Nice work Jill! April 17 The first of Dig It's bike skills clinics was a big success. We fun and improved bike awareness and riding skills.
Above Jason and Eric pose with some of the orange cone course visible in the background. April 2/3 Dig It's duathlon racing gang in full swing as Richard shows off the Dig It shorts in Florida and Greg kicks to a great race in the UK.
March 14 Let the racing begin! Dig It's Dan has a great debut duathlon with a 5th place overall and an AG win in Maryland and the MN crew threw down some good runs at the local 10 miler. All in the name of St. Patrick's day. Weekends like this make us proud! February 4 One of the age old questions regards doing versus teaching. In
triathlon, the particulars relate to coaches and their athletic accomplishments.
Coach Jason writes about it in his article, "Athletic Success and
Coaching, Is there a Connection? January 30 The great performances are starting already as Betsy and Richard rocked the Miami Half Marathon today. It was a great way to start the season and we're expecting great things from these and all the Dig It athletes. November 29 Coach Jason had a roller coaster cyclocross season with some
high highs, such as highest placing ever in a bike race and an category
upgrade, and some low lights. A good way to think about it was these two
images. As the cliche goes, it was the best of times, it was the worst
of times...
November 22 Tony had an impressive race at Ironman Arizona after battling a nasty bug in the last 2 weeks into the race, Tony used his fitness to a PR time, nice work Tony! October 15 Coach Jason’s thinking about 2011. It’s a time of the year when athletes look back on their racing and make plans for the following year. Jason’s got some thoughts on racing goals and the article, “Is Longer Better?” goes into more details. October 10 The multisport season is winding down and the Dig It crew is showing the world how to end a season. After raising her game all fall, Kathy goes to the US Open Championships in Dallas and scores an impressive 2nd place in her AG and top 25 among all the women and she’s only been doing this a year. Watch out 2011!
October 3 On a glorious fall day, Jill rocked the Twin Cities Marathon and Cliff did the same to the 10 miler. Another fall weekend, another great batch of Dig It performances. While it is routine, it never gets old! September 12 Ironman Wisconsin this year was a great day for Dig It’s athletes with great weather and inspired performances from Andy, Betsy, Sean and Alex. With determination and joy they swam a long way, rode a long way and ran a long way. Great performances all around. Way to go guys, Coach Jason enjoyed being there and hanging with you as you rocked it! September 3 The setting for this year’s Duathlon World Championships couldn’t have been better as the event was in Edinburgh, Scotland. Dig It’s Jill and Cliff made the trip and were in action. Jill had a great race and Clifford did his best as he caught a flu bug the day before but hung tough and finished. You don’t go all that way to DNS. Impressive display on both accounts September 1 Apologies for the lack of updates, we're working on a few look Dig It site with expanded features and educational content. A short recap of the summer's accomplishments among the Dig It gang includes more PRs than I can recall, numerous world championhip qualifications in duathlon, at the Olympic and half IM distance. Athletes got on the podium for the first time, won races, moved up to the elite field and no matter their place in the field just had a lot of fun using their fitness to the fullest. The fall's racing looks great as well, watch out Duathlon World Championships, Ironman Wisconsin, and races throughout the country, the Dig It crew is coming and ready to rock and have fun along the way! April 24 Duathlon Nationals weekend was a success for the Dig It gang. April 17, 18 and 19 A great start to the racing season for Dig It athletes across the country. Tony gets it done in the Big Easy at the Ironman 70.3 New Orleans, Debi grabs 5th overall woman and first master at a sprint tri in Virginia, the Minnesota gang throws down some great runs at the Trail Mix and last and certainly not least, Jill sets a PR at the Boston Marathon. Wow, this weekend would make many coaches proud for a given year and it's 3 days in April, awesome!
Coach Jason also raced, in green Nature Valley team kit, at the Durand Road Race, photo courtesy of www.skinnyski.com
April 13 Dig It now serves as an official coach/dealer for Quarq power meters. Contact Coach Jason for pricing details.
Here is the first order on Coach Jason's bike.
March 27 Dig It's Lindsey has a great day in Oceanside at the California 70.3 to grab her first ever world championshis slot. Way to go, Lindsey! March 27 Coach Jason leads clinic for GearWest tri club on duathlon performance along with Kevin O'Connor. March 13-14 Coach Jason was in Texas for a USA Cycling Coaching clinic on teaching bike riding skills. It was great, watch here for an upcoming clinic on bike handling.
Above Jason poses with camp participants outside in the sun, yeah Texas! December 3, 2010 Coach Jason reflects on training in the off season.
November 22, 2009 Dig It's Dan made his Ironman debut in Tempe at Ironman Arizona. He might have been new at the Ironman distance but Dan was fast and had a great performance. Nice job Dan! October 3 and 4 Minnesota cyclocross season is underway and rolling. Michael and Coach Jason got their seasons going with some fun and hard racing this weekend.
Michael in action at the Hudson CX. Photo courtesy of skinnyski.com.
Jason at the Planet Bike Orono CX race. Photo courtesy of Seth Iverson Photo.
September 26, 2009 It was a wet and tough day for everyone at the ITU World Short Course Duathlon Championships. Dig It athletes were out to play and did what they could on a challenging course in the midst of a downpour.
Debi is among this group of fast ladies before the skys opened again.
Here Justin Hurd closes in on the transition after a speedy first run. September 13 Wow, what a day for the Dig It gang. Debi was 12th overall, and 3rd woman, at a sprint tri in Virginia. Maria set a new half marathon PR in Chicago, and Forrest set a 5K PR by over a minute in Kentucky. Oh and then there was Ironman Wisconsin which was the scene of outstanding performances by Andrea, Lindsey and Henry. A successful debut and 2 PRs made it quite the day in Madison. Jason was there to cheer and take it all in.
Here Coach Jason hangs with Andrea after the race.
May 31, 2009 Dig It's friend Justin Hurd captures the US National Long Course Duathlon Championship today in California at the World's Toughest. National Champ baby, that's a good thing to call one's self!
Photo courtesy of Auburn Events October 11, 2008 Justin Hurd, who Coach Jason advises, shows shows his strength at IM Hawaii. On a challenging day, for the big island no less, Justin did great in his first attempt at the World Championships as a pro. September 28, 2008 Jason in racing mode at the ITU World Duathlon Championships in Italy. It was a fun day of action.
Here the bike awaiting its trusted rider.
September 27, 2008 Jason serves as Assistant Coach with the elite athletes of Team USA at the ITU World Duathlon Championships in Rimini, Italy. It was a fun day filled with great competition for Team USA.
Here is the women's team poses for photos immediately after their finish.
October 6 Coach Jason wins the inaugural Kickin' Leaves Duathlon in Grand Rapids, Minnesota. The new race had a small field but a great course. Hope everyone can make it there next year.
Jason poses with bike and trophy at home after the race.
|
 |
| Triathlon Coaching | |
|
|
 Our
triathlete coaching services are all individually tailored to help athletes
of all levels reach their goals and have fun along the way. Your goal can
come true with the help of Dig It Triathlon coaching.  More Information |
|
| Duathlon Coaching | |
|
|
Our duathlon coaching is based on the needs of individuals and gets them
fast while they have fun running and riding. We know duathlon and can get
your fitness where you want it to be.
More Information | |
| Cycle Coaching | |
|
|
Our cycling coaching is for riders of all levels who want to train smart
while doing what they love on the bike. Applying the latest tools with old
school experience, our coaching gets it done.
More Information | |
| Run Coaching | |
|
|
 We
offer two distinct services for runners: individually designed coaching
packages and marathon training plans. Both are aimed at runners of all
levels and will make training fun and effective.
More
Information | |