I woke up Sunday morning fresh and ready to race. As I began my warm up I was pleasantly surprised at the relatively agreeable temperature and lack of humidity, a deviation from typical White Lake race conditions. The race began without incident; I quickly found a draft for the first third of the race. After finding myself about 50 yards off course I decided to go it on my own and emerged with a small lead. Then it was off with the wetsuit (which offered little resistance as I squirmed out of it) and onto the bike (which offered much resistance as I picked out a hard gear to grind). I held my lead until about mile ten of the bike, when Richard Swor briefly passed me. I dropped back for a mile or so and then repassed, coming into transition with a small lead. On the run I put it in cruise control and went on to finish in 1:03. Afterwards it occurred to me that the conditions would likely not be that good for a few years and I regretted my decision to rein in the effort, but what’s done is done. And so I looked forward to leaving it all out there the following weekend…
…which did not surprise, though it did disappoint, as it dawned hot, sticky and humid. Again, I felt fresh and ready to get after it as I warmed up. This time the swim went out faster and I had to work harder to stay up with the leaders, but by 200 yards in things had settled down and I took the lead. I came out in first, a few seconds faster than last week, and hopped on my bike- though this time the wetsuit got stuck somewhere between my ankles and knees. I held the lead all the way through and was pleased to drop a little time from the previous week, riding a high 33. Then came the run: hot, lonely, and altogether slow, though not for a lack of effort. I ran over thirty seconds slower than last week, a margin large enough to eclipse my gains on the swim and bike. I crossed the line in first again, but this time I was a few seconds slower than last week. All in all, I was quite pleased with the fitness Dave Williams’ coaching had cultivated. I love the White Lake course and I am so grateful- to Setup events for putting on another pair of top-notch races; to my family for driving me up there on Mother’s Day and the weekend after, for cheering me on shamelessly, and for holding my gross retainer when I forget to take it out before I go to the swim start; and of course to God for allowing me to feel His presence within and around me, and for giving me the ability, strength and courage to race and test my limits.
Showing posts with label race. Show all posts
Showing posts with label race. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Friday, May 20, 2011
Cool Breeze Pseudo-Race Report
Gasping for air, I crank the pedals of my bike relentlessly. My breathing is audible and visible. My chest heaves as it is filled with oxygen, and then blasts out carbon dioxide in forceful contraction like some kind of chemical childbirth. My blood red helmet, the back tapered to a point to funnel air around me, could be the expelled placenta. I am tucked, sleek, the picture of efficiency. Bike and rider appear as one, so that it is difficult to discern that the tapered geometry of the jet black carbon fiber frame is not an extension of my body. This is my race to win. For now, I have the lead. But there are miles to go, and the rest are coming. Will they catch me? No.
My thoughts are fleeting. Concepts dance around the borders of consciousness in abstract, neglected stalactites dangling from the edges of a cavernous tunnel vision. I ignore, I process, I react, I adapt to the messages relayed from my body and environment, metabolizing them efficiently. The frigid air screeches in fury as it is pierced by my knifelike profile. The water dripping from my skin was torn away by its howl when I exited the swim and mounted my bike. Yet the blue trisuit bearing my sponsors, my name, and my country still clings to my body like a python surrounding its prey, still clings to the wet like a drag suit crammed into the bottom of a swim bag.
And still I churn out revolutions of the cranks. Muscles contract, relax, and contract again under the pale goose pimpled skin of my legs. Up and down I power my burning, aching, freezing, numb legs, pistons so thoroughly primed for this singular task- efficient propulsion. The rolling hills of the Piedmont toss me like a ship in a gale, varying my cadence and gearing. I grind away, crest, and spin until my legs become a hummingbird blur below me, an entity separate from my torso but for that excellent ache which creeps up into the stomach, tickles the lungs, and poisons the mind, acutely permeating my focused awareness. With it comes not distress, but peace.
Gratitude fills me with jubilance, for here in this moment I feel God’s presence so powerfully. I know that He gave me this passion, this ability, and I can do no less than thank Him for it and use it to its fullest. But I cannot do it alone, for I am weak. Cold. Human. Only God lifts me with His strong arm, encourages me and fills me with His spirit, never forsaking me and always bringing hope. The swim- and the competition- are behind me, the rolling expanses of the bike and run are before me, and God’s joy is in me.
My thoughts are fleeting. Concepts dance around the borders of consciousness in abstract, neglected stalactites dangling from the edges of a cavernous tunnel vision. I ignore, I process, I react, I adapt to the messages relayed from my body and environment, metabolizing them efficiently. The frigid air screeches in fury as it is pierced by my knifelike profile. The water dripping from my skin was torn away by its howl when I exited the swim and mounted my bike. Yet the blue trisuit bearing my sponsors, my name, and my country still clings to my body like a python surrounding its prey, still clings to the wet like a drag suit crammed into the bottom of a swim bag.
And still I churn out revolutions of the cranks. Muscles contract, relax, and contract again under the pale goose pimpled skin of my legs. Up and down I power my burning, aching, freezing, numb legs, pistons so thoroughly primed for this singular task- efficient propulsion. The rolling hills of the Piedmont toss me like a ship in a gale, varying my cadence and gearing. I grind away, crest, and spin until my legs become a hummingbird blur below me, an entity separate from my torso but for that excellent ache which creeps up into the stomach, tickles the lungs, and poisons the mind, acutely permeating my focused awareness. With it comes not distress, but peace.
Gratitude fills me with jubilance, for here in this moment I feel God’s presence so powerfully. I know that He gave me this passion, this ability, and I can do no less than thank Him for it and use it to its fullest. But I cannot do it alone, for I am weak. Cold. Human. Only God lifts me with His strong arm, encourages me and fills me with His spirit, never forsaking me and always bringing hope. The swim- and the competition- are behind me, the rolling expanses of the bike and run are before me, and God’s joy is in me.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Azalea Triathlon: 3%...that's all
This morning was the opening event of the 2011 IOSTS Series, the Azalea Festival Triathlon. I was not expecting much performance wise due to the myriad health issues that marred my 2010/early 2011 training. Unfortunately, the race matched these expectations. After an unspectacular swim, I proceeded to post an average T1 and follow up with a mediocre (though extremely painful, 'genitalia against the vertical surface') bike ride, a pedestrian T2, and an especially unimpressive run for 45:29 and 3rd overall. Taking into account the truncated bike course, I am about 1:10 slower than last year, a 3% discrepancy. Though in reality a significant gap, 3% doesn't look like much on paper and I am confident that with further consistent training under the guidance of the genius Dave Williams I will not only reattain but exceed my fitness from last year.
As for specifics, the swim felt smooth and based on the testimony of a credible witness and local swim guru, my technique looked good. T1 was hampered by my futile attempts to pull on soccer socks which I had fashioned into arm warmers, a pursuit which I abandoned as I reached my bike. Over the following twenty two minutes I proceeded to flog myself and flood my screaming muscles with lactic acid, fueled only by two pieces of toast, a gel, and God (the latter obviously making the difference). Coming into T2 I pulled on my extremely flashy Nike Mayflies and lumbered onto the run course. Lumbering is the best word that comes to mind when I attempt to quantify my run effort; I had developed an all too familiar stitch under my ribcage stretching across my stomach on the bike and running exacerbated it to the extreme. As a result my pace really suffered. My legs had more to give but once again i found myself limited by 'stitching'. TMS-IOS stud Brad Perry posted an extremely impressive 44:08 for 2nd overall behind the equally (okay, slightly more) impressive 43:34 put up by that infamous lion of the golden locks, Matt Wisthoff. Matt, can't you find some ITU race to do instead of showing us up in the nondrafting stuff? Please? But I digress. Another notable performance was that of a new TMS-IOS addition, Mark Carey, whose 46:00 was good for 5th overall. On the ladies' side, speedy Amie Krasnozon of TMS-IOS (who should really adopt the title 'Krassy,' because it is pretty classy. If you are reading, A.K., please consider this when you get your new uniform) ran a blazing 19:26 to earn 2nd overall female, 1st open female, in 51:11, with teammate Tara Flint (whose 19:41 was also quite an impressive run split) claiming 2nd open and 3rd overall in 52:29. Setup Events also deserves applause for another astoundingly well put together event. They never cease to amaze me with the quality of their productions. Finally, a shout-out to my good ol' Pops, who volunteered in transition and did it well. He will be getting after it himself at next weeks' Quintiles Marathon.
Though I am not yet at my best, I am encouraged and motivated by the upward trend of the past weeks' training. I am so thankful for the privilege of participating in this great sport and community. Every time I race I thank God for creating the marvel of nature and the human body, and for allowing me to experience and test these marvels when race.
As for specifics, the swim felt smooth and based on the testimony of a credible witness and local swim guru, my technique looked good. T1 was hampered by my futile attempts to pull on soccer socks which I had fashioned into arm warmers, a pursuit which I abandoned as I reached my bike. Over the following twenty two minutes I proceeded to flog myself and flood my screaming muscles with lactic acid, fueled only by two pieces of toast, a gel, and God (the latter obviously making the difference). Coming into T2 I pulled on my extremely flashy Nike Mayflies and lumbered onto the run course. Lumbering is the best word that comes to mind when I attempt to quantify my run effort; I had developed an all too familiar stitch under my ribcage stretching across my stomach on the bike and running exacerbated it to the extreme. As a result my pace really suffered. My legs had more to give but once again i found myself limited by 'stitching'. TMS-IOS stud Brad Perry posted an extremely impressive 44:08 for 2nd overall behind the equally (okay, slightly more) impressive 43:34 put up by that infamous lion of the golden locks, Matt Wisthoff. Matt, can't you find some ITU race to do instead of showing us up in the nondrafting stuff? Please? But I digress. Another notable performance was that of a new TMS-IOS addition, Mark Carey, whose 46:00 was good for 5th overall. On the ladies' side, speedy Amie Krasnozon of TMS-IOS (who should really adopt the title 'Krassy,' because it is pretty classy. If you are reading, A.K., please consider this when you get your new uniform) ran a blazing 19:26 to earn 2nd overall female, 1st open female, in 51:11, with teammate Tara Flint (whose 19:41 was also quite an impressive run split) claiming 2nd open and 3rd overall in 52:29. Setup Events also deserves applause for another astoundingly well put together event. They never cease to amaze me with the quality of their productions. Finally, a shout-out to my good ol' Pops, who volunteered in transition and did it well. He will be getting after it himself at next weeks' Quintiles Marathon.
Though I am not yet at my best, I am encouraged and motivated by the upward trend of the past weeks' training. I am so thankful for the privilege of participating in this great sport and community. Every time I race I thank God for creating the marvel of nature and the human body, and for allowing me to experience and test these marvels when race.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Jr. Elite Nationals- Bad race? Maybe. Learning experience? Definitely.
I was very fortunate this weekend to get to travel all the way to San Diego, CA for the Jr. Elite Triathlon National Championships. This would be my first draft legal race. I am so thankful to God, my family, my coach Dave Williams, my TMS-IOS teammates, Traingle Multisport, Inside Out Sports, Paul Sullivan of Winskins and so many others for this opportunity.
The eighty best triathletes between the ages of 16 and 19 lined up Saturday morning along a pontoon for the start. The pontoon was sinking from our weight! The swim was like a UFC match. I was shocked at how much I got beaten up and I barely had a chance to sprint. Before I knew it I was off the back in like 60th place still being beaten to a pulp. After the initial 200 meters I started moving through the field and passing people to get out in 18th. I was almost a minute back of the leaders. I really attacked the bike and bridged to a group of two. We killed it for a couple of laps going like 30 mph. At the end of the 3rd lap we caught a group of about 8 or 10 guys. The bike was scary- really technical course on bumpy roads strewn with sand, dirt, and puddles from the light rain. I had to murder myself because I couldn't corner as fast as the other guys, so I kept falling off the back after every turn and had to sprint to catch back up. Eventually I started attacking before the turns, getting dropped because I cornered so slow, and catching back on. I kept getting yelled at by other guys- one guy said 'Don't be a hero'. Apparently I was spending too much time pulling. I worked hard to keep the pace high and chased down a couple of late attacks which split the group. Coming into T2 I collided with another athlete and went down. Then I missed my transition space and had to double back. The first half mile of the run I was really slow because of a serious stomach cramp. I was having trouble breathing but it went away eventually. I never gave up and reeled in a few guys to finish in 12th place. I made a lot of mistakes which just means I have a lot to to learn and thus a lot to improve on. I'm not going to get discouraged or give up on my ITU triathlon goals because of a poor performance in my first draft legal race.
Here's the top things that I learned (or knew but experienced for the first time myself):
1. The swim is really violent.
2. Being able to sprint fast the first couple hundred yards is critical.
3. The bike can be very hard because of all of the sprinting and people yelling at you.
4. Technical skills are critical- you have to corner really fast,
5. If you don't you end up sprinting too much to catch back up.
6. Work as little as possible on the bike. 'Don't be a hero.'
7. Come into T2 in front of the group or you will run into other people and fall.
8. Run like its an open 5k race- forget about the swim and bike.
9. Be super aggressive all the way through.
10. Attacking and surging is important on the run to break people.
11. Never give up.
12. Accelerate after turnarounds.
13. Transitions make or break the race.
Now its time for a fun vacation with the family before gearing up for XC season- I have a lot of running to do because I've only been doing about 20 mpw...
Until next time,
Train smart and race hard!
Mason Boyles
The eighty best triathletes between the ages of 16 and 19 lined up Saturday morning along a pontoon for the start. The pontoon was sinking from our weight! The swim was like a UFC match. I was shocked at how much I got beaten up and I barely had a chance to sprint. Before I knew it I was off the back in like 60th place still being beaten to a pulp. After the initial 200 meters I started moving through the field and passing people to get out in 18th. I was almost a minute back of the leaders. I really attacked the bike and bridged to a group of two. We killed it for a couple of laps going like 30 mph. At the end of the 3rd lap we caught a group of about 8 or 10 guys. The bike was scary- really technical course on bumpy roads strewn with sand, dirt, and puddles from the light rain. I had to murder myself because I couldn't corner as fast as the other guys, so I kept falling off the back after every turn and had to sprint to catch back up. Eventually I started attacking before the turns, getting dropped because I cornered so slow, and catching back on. I kept getting yelled at by other guys- one guy said 'Don't be a hero'. Apparently I was spending too much time pulling. I worked hard to keep the pace high and chased down a couple of late attacks which split the group. Coming into T2 I collided with another athlete and went down. Then I missed my transition space and had to double back. The first half mile of the run I was really slow because of a serious stomach cramp. I was having trouble breathing but it went away eventually. I never gave up and reeled in a few guys to finish in 12th place. I made a lot of mistakes which just means I have a lot to to learn and thus a lot to improve on. I'm not going to get discouraged or give up on my ITU triathlon goals because of a poor performance in my first draft legal race.
Here's the top things that I learned (or knew but experienced for the first time myself):
1. The swim is really violent.
2. Being able to sprint fast the first couple hundred yards is critical.
3. The bike can be very hard because of all of the sprinting and people yelling at you.
4. Technical skills are critical- you have to corner really fast,
5. If you don't you end up sprinting too much to catch back up.
6. Work as little as possible on the bike. 'Don't be a hero.'
7. Come into T2 in front of the group or you will run into other people and fall.
8. Run like its an open 5k race- forget about the swim and bike.
9. Be super aggressive all the way through.
10. Attacking and surging is important on the run to break people.
11. Never give up.
12. Accelerate after turnarounds.
13. Transitions make or break the race.
Now its time for a fun vacation with the family before gearing up for XC season- I have a lot of running to do because I've only been doing about 20 mpw...
Until next time,
Train smart and race hard!
Mason Boyles
Saturday, July 24, 2010
YMCA Camp Thunderbird Triathlon at Lake Wylie
Yesterday my family packed up and embarked on a brutal drive, which included at least one major detour due to faulty directions, to Charlotte's outskirts for the Lake Wylie Triathlon. It seemed like it would be a relief to get to our hotel, but much to the dismay of everyone involved our room was akin to a furnace when we walked in. Clearly the hotel was struggling financially and they had either turned off or failed to repair their A.C. system. That made for a restless night...
I awoke after a "refreshing" four hour sleep on Saturday morning excited to race. This would be my first race in the awesome ITU racing suit that Mr. Cardoso at Inside Out Sports helped my parents purchase for me. Paul Sullivan at Winskins did his work well and when the suit arrived, the graphics looked even better than I had imagined they would.
I was taking a different mindset going into this race- typically I put an immense amount of pressure on myself to win, no matter how fast my opponents are. However, today I purposely tried to let go of external goals and just focus on racing my best. Even though Lake Wylie was a C-priority race for me, it was still tough to get over my desire to win. I knew that there were a lot of other fast guys racing today- my teammate Brad Perry, Kevin Lisska, Donny Forsyth, Joe Niccolini, Duncan Chapman, and many others, so it was critical that I change my outlook so that I wouldn't be disappointed if I got my butt kicked.
But I digress; back to the race. After an abbreviated warmup which was predicated by 90 degree temperatures (at 7 a.m.!) I got into the lake, which felt like a hot tub. Unfortunately, the open wave had to soak in the tub for twenty minutes longer than we were expecting due to the late arrival of local law enforcement who were officiating the event. When the gun went off I had barely gone 100 yards before my lip was sliced open by someone's stray foot. I tasted the blood ('a la' Bruce Lee) and got some extra motivation to move up. I found some feet and was swimming very relaxed until we rounded the first turn buoy and I saw the two leaders ahead. Deciding I could bridge the gap, I surged and caught on to Brad Perry's feet. I simply followed the train until I didn't turn sharply enough at the final buoy and lost the draft. However, I utilized some strategic dolphin diving to exit the swim in third, only six seconds behind Mr. Lisska and three back of Mr. Perry. I got through T1 quickly and got on to the bike course with the lead. Two miles in, I was still holding first place when I took a turn too fast- and fell. I was riding my road bike instead of my tri bike, so I felt comfortable cornering a little faster than usual. What I didn't take into account was the effect that using a borrowed disk wheel from my dad would have, and the wheel slid out from under me. I landed on my right side HARD... so hard, in fact, that I bounced off the ground and flipped over to my left side. As I would later discover, this earned me two holes in my beautiful new uniform, one on each hip. For a short time I was lying by my bike in shock. When I'd realized what happened I was up and screaming "OWWW!" repeatedly, channeling frustration more than pain as I jumped back on the bike, only to discover that my chain had come off. By this time Brad Perry had passed me for the lead. I hopped back off and put the chain on, Andy Shleck style. Unfortunately Brad Perry had shrunk to a small dot way down the road by now, but I wasn't ready to give up. I decided that I wasn't going to let myself have any excuses and that I was still very much in the race. However, I struggled to regain a rhythm until Duncan Chapman passed me a little over half way through. This caught my attention, and though I sat up and went really slow on all of the downhills and corners, I worked hard to try and reel him in on the flat sections and climbs. When I reached T2 I was about twenty seconds behind him and my mom called out that I had lost fifty to Brad Perry. After another efficient transition I had gained ten seconds on Duncan Chapman and I moved past him early in the run. The run course was not only about a quarter of a mile long, but relentlessly hilly and hot. It was nothing short of brutal out there and I really felt like I was jogging as I struggled against fatigue, a side stitch, and flawed form. Unfortunately, my run form is still very much a work in progress. I did some serious heel striking on those downhills and my torso was writhing back and forth like a Floridian retiree doing the boogie. I'm glad that there aren't any form judges in triathlon, because I was looking pretty ugly! I really wasn't very confident about catching Brad Perry, but after the two mile mark I could see that I was closing on him. When I passed him I was determined to make it final, so I decided to really redline for a bit and hopefully discourage him from trying to stay with me. I was able to get a gap and cruise home for the win. Brad Perry got second, Donny Forsyth was third, and Kevin Lisska was fourth.
In the women's race, my IOSTS teammate Stacey Richardson took first, Melissa Bell was third and Alysia Lovgren was fourth. Another impressive performance came from my brother Jackson. On a whim he decided to sign up for the race last week, despite having been on a twelve week hiatus from any cycling or running. He had a strong comeback race for first in his division and is looking forward to getting back to training again.
All in all, I gained a lot from the race today, my last this year in the excellent IOSTS series. I successfully overcame the (forty seconds or more) setback of a crash and I learned that perhaps I'm better off putting less pressure on myself; it certainly allows me to race more relaxed. This knowledge is a valuable tool to have going into Junior Nationals only three weeks from now! Its time to put my head down and hammer those last key sessions before the big day.
Oh, and I almost forgot to mention my incredible raceday hairstyle...
Until next time,
Train smart and race hard!
Mason Boyles
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Trispan 5k (It's been a while...)
Well, it's been a while since my last post. I had a very unspectacular race at Kure Beach Triathlon and frankly just didn't feel like writing anything about it. But now I'm committing to a more regular schedule of blog entries. I know that in ten years I'll be glad that I did so because I can look back on my experiences from when I was younger and see what was going through my mind at the time. So here I go again...
I raced the Trispan 5k this morning, the first 5k race in about 6 months for me. This was a C-priority race, as I didn't reduce my training leading up to it. I woke up race morning with no expectations except to get a good workout (with cheering spectators included!) and see where my running fitness is. My coach, Dave Williams, and I have been focusing on improving my swim, so I've only been putting in about 25 miles per week of running.
It was drizzling rain before the 7:30 a.m. start, and the temperature was 78 degrees with some serious humidity. Prerace I saw some of my Hoggard cross country teammates, most of whom were racing the 10k. Both the 5 and 10k proved to be quite competitive- a good group of collegiate runners showed up to contest both distances, in addition to some quick locals.
Trispan is about the hilliest course that you can get in this part of the state. The 10k crosses over three major bridges and the 5k traverses the numerous steep grades of downtown Wilmington's waterfront, zigzagging along the historic streets. After a thorough warmup I positioned myself among the other racers for the start, and at the word of an official we were off. I wanted to make sure I got into oxygen debt early so I started off strong. A few minutes in I could hear someone breathing off my shoulder so I eased up a bit until he caught me. Then I latched onto him and let him dictate the pace for a little while. But I guess this guy didn't want company because he surged pretty hard on an uphill and got a gap on me. Unfortunately, I wrongly assumed that the course would have mile markers and, since I wasn't wearing a watch, I had no clue how much racing was left. I held my gap to the leader constant and kept waiting to see the two mile mark, figuring that I'd just go for broke once I passed it and hopefully reel this guy in. But the two mile mark never came. I just assumed that I was having a tough day and it was making the race seem super long until we reached an out and back section that turned onto the finishing straight. Much to my disappointment, I never got to kick it in during the last mile because, unbeknownst to me, I'd already covered it! At this point I regained the lead because the 1st place guy missed the turnaround and was a few yards past it before the volunteers called him back, but he was breathing down my neck. When we hit the final straight he outkicked me and I crossed the line in 15:29, a close second to his 15:28.
I was a little frustrated because I felt like I had a lot left in the tank which I had been planning to burn once we hit two miles; the next time I race Trispan I will have to remember that I can't count on any mile markers. Apparently the course was a little under 3.1 miles, but my time still converts to 15 and change for 5k. Considering the circumstances I am reasonably happy with my fitness level. I know that there's still a long way to go on the road to Jr. Elite Nationals, but I'm looking forward to the journey.
Until next time,
Train smart and race hard!
Mason Boyles
I raced the Trispan 5k this morning, the first 5k race in about 6 months for me. This was a C-priority race, as I didn't reduce my training leading up to it. I woke up race morning with no expectations except to get a good workout (with cheering spectators included!) and see where my running fitness is. My coach, Dave Williams, and I have been focusing on improving my swim, so I've only been putting in about 25 miles per week of running.
It was drizzling rain before the 7:30 a.m. start, and the temperature was 78 degrees with some serious humidity. Prerace I saw some of my Hoggard cross country teammates, most of whom were racing the 10k. Both the 5 and 10k proved to be quite competitive- a good group of collegiate runners showed up to contest both distances, in addition to some quick locals.
Trispan is about the hilliest course that you can get in this part of the state. The 10k crosses over three major bridges and the 5k traverses the numerous steep grades of downtown Wilmington's waterfront, zigzagging along the historic streets. After a thorough warmup I positioned myself among the other racers for the start, and at the word of an official we were off. I wanted to make sure I got into oxygen debt early so I started off strong. A few minutes in I could hear someone breathing off my shoulder so I eased up a bit until he caught me. Then I latched onto him and let him dictate the pace for a little while. But I guess this guy didn't want company because he surged pretty hard on an uphill and got a gap on me. Unfortunately, I wrongly assumed that the course would have mile markers and, since I wasn't wearing a watch, I had no clue how much racing was left. I held my gap to the leader constant and kept waiting to see the two mile mark, figuring that I'd just go for broke once I passed it and hopefully reel this guy in. But the two mile mark never came. I just assumed that I was having a tough day and it was making the race seem super long until we reached an out and back section that turned onto the finishing straight. Much to my disappointment, I never got to kick it in during the last mile because, unbeknownst to me, I'd already covered it! At this point I regained the lead because the 1st place guy missed the turnaround and was a few yards past it before the volunteers called him back, but he was breathing down my neck. When we hit the final straight he outkicked me and I crossed the line in 15:29, a close second to his 15:28.
I was a little frustrated because I felt like I had a lot left in the tank which I had been planning to burn once we hit two miles; the next time I race Trispan I will have to remember that I can't count on any mile markers. Apparently the course was a little under 3.1 miles, but my time still converts to 15 and change for 5k. Considering the circumstances I am reasonably happy with my fitness level. I know that there's still a long way to go on the road to Jr. Elite Nationals, but I'm looking forward to the journey.
Until next time,
Train smart and race hard!
Mason Boyles
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
White Lake Sprint
One week after nationals we packed up again and drove to beautiful White Lake, North Carolina for a weekend of Boyles family racing. My dad did the half on Saturday, but unfortunately stomach problems caused him to have a sub par day. Impressively, he pushed through the GI issues and still managed a 4:58 finish.
The next day, my brother and I raced the sprint. I woke up calm and excited race morning and came to the starting line ready to go for it. The swim went surprisingly well considering that I had only been getting in the pool a couple of times a week when I was getting ready for duathlon nationals. I found some fast feet to draft off of and came out of the water in third. After a little trouble getting my wetsuit off, I settled in to an even pace on the bike. I was erring on the side of caution since I had definitely biked too hard at nationals, so I held back a lot more than I typically would. Coming in to T2 I was in second place about thirty seconds back. After an okay transition I hit my stride and focused on the first place guy, who I could see farther down the road. By the first mile mark I had made up twenty-four seconds on the leader. Shortly thereafter I took the lead and pulled away, winning White Lake for the second time in my racing career. My brother had a great race, winning his age group despite his saddle coming loose midway through the bike. As for the TMS-IOS team, Amie Krasnozon won the female title and Alysia Lovgren took fourth. Amazingly, JoAnna Younts was second in the master's open after winning the same division convincingly in the half the day before.
Even though I had phantom soreness left over from nationals which lasted all week, I felt like I put in a good effort on the day. White Lake is a fantastic venue and the weekend always takes a festive atmosphere, which we got to experience for the first time this year. We rented a room in the lodge which is adjacent to the race venue- it was pretty cool to step right out the door and race.
Now its time to start logging some more yards in the pool so I can get ready for my first draft legal triathlon. I'm already excited for Junior Nationals in August!
The next day, my brother and I raced the sprint. I woke up calm and excited race morning and came to the starting line ready to go for it. The swim went surprisingly well considering that I had only been getting in the pool a couple of times a week when I was getting ready for duathlon nationals. I found some fast feet to draft off of and came out of the water in third. After a little trouble getting my wetsuit off, I settled in to an even pace on the bike. I was erring on the side of caution since I had definitely biked too hard at nationals, so I held back a lot more than I typically would. Coming in to T2 I was in second place about thirty seconds back. After an okay transition I hit my stride and focused on the first place guy, who I could see farther down the road. By the first mile mark I had made up twenty-four seconds on the leader. Shortly thereafter I took the lead and pulled away, winning White Lake for the second time in my racing career. My brother had a great race, winning his age group despite his saddle coming loose midway through the bike. As for the TMS-IOS team, Amie Krasnozon won the female title and Alysia Lovgren took fourth. Amazingly, JoAnna Younts was second in the master's open after winning the same division convincingly in the half the day before.
Even though I had phantom soreness left over from nationals which lasted all week, I felt like I put in a good effort on the day. White Lake is a fantastic venue and the weekend always takes a festive atmosphere, which we got to experience for the first time this year. We rented a room in the lodge which is adjacent to the race venue- it was pretty cool to step right out the door and race.
Now its time to start logging some more yards in the pool so I can get ready for my first draft legal triathlon. I'm already excited for Junior Nationals in August!
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Duathlon Nationals
Today I raced my first peak of the season: duathlon nationals. The junior race was a 5k run, 13k bike and 2.5k run. I knew that it was going to be an excellent race whenever my daily 'successful people' calendar, which usually involves an inspiring quote, had just one word for this weekend: "Excellence."
We arrived in Richmond at bike check in around 4 p.m. on Saturday to find 70 degree temps with ominous skies threatening rain. My race was at ten the following morning, which gave me plenty of time to get up, eat a leisurely breakfast, and basically try to control my excitement as the event for which I had devoted the past 5 months, sacrificing my track season to prepare for, quickly approached. Race day temps were around 65 or 70 without rain, but the previous night's rain made for a wet and treacherous bike course. I began the first run very relaxed, settling into a good rhythm while a let two eager competitors speed out front. Ryan Peterson, the defending champion, and I basically ran the first mile together and slowly regained the time on the two guys ahead. By two miles, I was about twenty seconds back of Matus Kriska, sitting in second place a few strides ahead of Ryan Peterson and Hunter Honeycutt. By T1, our order hadn't changed. Once onto the bike Ryan and I dug deep and pushed the pace to gap Hunter on the challenging and technical bike course. Ryan slowly pulled away from me over the next few miles, but I reeled in Matus in the late stages of the bike leg. However, he stayed close and came out of T2 ahead of me. Fortunately I didn't experience the dizziness which I had encountered at Azalea and Cool Breeze, but I did have to deal with a painful stitch in my right side and both of my shoulders. I focused on running efficiently, but my legs just didn't have the pop that I had been feeling during the past few weeks' hard workouts, but I may have gone too hard on the bike. Nevertheless, I maintained third place until I crossed the line. Unfortunately, that course took a lot out of me and my typical finishing kick was almost nonexistent. I ended up about 15 seconds back of Matus and a minute behind Ryan. Hunter finished fourth. I think that our second runs were about equal, because the time differences at the end were similar the gaps at T2. It was an awesome experience with some top flight competition, and though I would have liked to have won, I know that any of the top four guys might have won on a different day.
I have so much to thanks to give for the help, love, and support I have received on the journey to this race: to God, for giving me a passion and talent for multisport and giving me good courage and strength to race to the best of my abilities; to my parents and brother for unwavering love, patience, and first class cheering on race day (not to mention the practicals of driving me to/from training, making sacrifices to accommodate my schedule, paying for enormous amounts of quality food to help me refuel, and offering as much guidance as they can); to the TMS-IOS elite multisport team, for comping my race fees and supplying me with a super cool race suit, helmet, and training apparel. Speaking of the team, Kristin Villopoto used the age group race as a tune up for the White Lake Half, coming into it pretty beat up from some hard training, but still finished an impressive 7th overall and 1st in her age group.
Next up for Team Boyles are the Half (for dad) and sprint (for my brother Jackson and myself) at White Lake next weekend. After that, its time for me to get back into the chlorine and rediscover my inner swimmer, because I will be racing my first draft legal triathlon at Junior Nationals in San Diego this August.
Until next time,
Train smart and race hard!
Mason Boyles
We arrived in Richmond at bike check in around 4 p.m. on Saturday to find 70 degree temps with ominous skies threatening rain. My race was at ten the following morning, which gave me plenty of time to get up, eat a leisurely breakfast, and basically try to control my excitement as the event for which I had devoted the past 5 months, sacrificing my track season to prepare for, quickly approached. Race day temps were around 65 or 70 without rain, but the previous night's rain made for a wet and treacherous bike course. I began the first run very relaxed, settling into a good rhythm while a let two eager competitors speed out front. Ryan Peterson, the defending champion, and I basically ran the first mile together and slowly regained the time on the two guys ahead. By two miles, I was about twenty seconds back of Matus Kriska, sitting in second place a few strides ahead of Ryan Peterson and Hunter Honeycutt. By T1, our order hadn't changed. Once onto the bike Ryan and I dug deep and pushed the pace to gap Hunter on the challenging and technical bike course. Ryan slowly pulled away from me over the next few miles, but I reeled in Matus in the late stages of the bike leg. However, he stayed close and came out of T2 ahead of me. Fortunately I didn't experience the dizziness which I had encountered at Azalea and Cool Breeze, but I did have to deal with a painful stitch in my right side and both of my shoulders. I focused on running efficiently, but my legs just didn't have the pop that I had been feeling during the past few weeks' hard workouts, but I may have gone too hard on the bike. Nevertheless, I maintained third place until I crossed the line. Unfortunately, that course took a lot out of me and my typical finishing kick was almost nonexistent. I ended up about 15 seconds back of Matus and a minute behind Ryan. Hunter finished fourth. I think that our second runs were about equal, because the time differences at the end were similar the gaps at T2. It was an awesome experience with some top flight competition, and though I would have liked to have won, I know that any of the top four guys might have won on a different day.
I have so much to thanks to give for the help, love, and support I have received on the journey to this race: to God, for giving me a passion and talent for multisport and giving me good courage and strength to race to the best of my abilities; to my parents and brother for unwavering love, patience, and first class cheering on race day (not to mention the practicals of driving me to/from training, making sacrifices to accommodate my schedule, paying for enormous amounts of quality food to help me refuel, and offering as much guidance as they can); to the TMS-IOS elite multisport team, for comping my race fees and supplying me with a super cool race suit, helmet, and training apparel. Speaking of the team, Kristin Villopoto used the age group race as a tune up for the White Lake Half, coming into it pretty beat up from some hard training, but still finished an impressive 7th overall and 1st in her age group.
Next up for Team Boyles are the Half (for dad) and sprint (for my brother Jackson and myself) at White Lake next weekend. After that, its time for me to get back into the chlorine and rediscover my inner swimmer, because I will be racing my first draft legal triathlon at Junior Nationals in San Diego this August.
Until next time,
Train smart and race hard!
Mason Boyles
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Cool Breeze Triathlon
Yesterday, my family piled into the van for the drive to Huntersville and the Cool Breeze Triathlon. We arrived at our hotel around 4 pm and were putting our numbers on our bikes when my mom asked me if I had my cycling shoes…I didn't. It was a blessing that she mentioned it that night, or I wouldn't have realized what I was missing until the morning of the race. The closest bike shop was the Spirited Cyclist, which closed at five. We hurried there and walked in at 5 sharp, but there was no hurry; I ran into the perfect person to help me. Mike Harvey was as helpful as could be, and even offered to let me borrow a pair of his shoes for the race tomorrow. When they didn't fit, he stayed well after closing time finding me a comfortable pair of shoes and attaching cleats. When the cleats didn't fit, Mike tried everything he could think of- loosening the pedal clips on the bike, lubricating the cleat and pedals, brute force, but all in vain. Finally, he filed down the edge of the cleats and we were up and running. When it was alll figured out, Mike had stayed an hour after closing time to help us out. He even gave us an enormous discount. We ended up paying only $90 for a brand new pair of shoes fitted with cleats. Without Mike and the Spirited Cyclist, I wouldn't have been racing the next day. I've also got to thank my family for not freaking out about this extra excursion. They were starving when we realized that I'd left my shoes back in Wilmington. Needless to say, they were ravenous an hour later, but none of them muttered a word of complaint. I'm really lucky to have such a supportive (and forgiving) family!
I awoke Sunday morning feeling physically and mentally prepared to race. We drove to the race site and I bid my mom goodbye, wishing my brother and dad who were also racing good luck before I left to warm up. It was a chilly mid forties and fairly windy, so I was glad to have my TMS-IOS race top to keep me warm. I started 5th, pushing off at 8:00:30. As always, I thanked God for the opportunity and asked him to give me courage to race the best that I could that day before I began. After a smooth swim I pulled on my gloves while running to the bike. I pedaled away and slipped my feet into the new cycling shoes with ease, silently thanking Mike Harvey as I did so. I passed TMS-IOS teammate Chris Tommerdahl and another guy within the first mile, putting me in second position. My odometer wasn't working so I simply put my head down and hammered, seeing no one else until about a mile left on the bike. Donny Forsyth passed me as I was taking a turn very slowly, since my handling skills are pretty crappy. I passed him back on a straight stretch, and then slowed way down for another turn and he came around again. This repeated itself one more time before we arrived in transition, where my mom was screaming her head off. I get serious tunnel vision during races, so its pretty impressive that my mom cheers hard enough for me to notice her. She spends just as much energy being support crew for my dad, my brother, and me as we do when we race.
At this point my world was spinning. I have never felt so dizzy in my life, and struggled to pull my run shoes on. I dug deep and fixed my eyes on Donny Forsyth's back, gradually reeling him in. All the while my head was spinning faster and faster, as if it was riding the Tilt-a-Whirl at Carowinds. I felt like I was going to fall over any moment but just focused on running my fastest. By the time I crossed the finish line I had no energy left to supress the dizziness and pretty much plopped down on the ground. I closed my eyes and just stayed there for a long time before I tried to sit up, but my head was still spinning at a zillion miles an hour, so I lay back down again. Someone came over and told me to breathe deeply. By that time my mom had come over, too. She thought that I felt that way because I hadn't been breathing enough, and my dad later agreed, adding that the cold weather could have caused me to take shallow breaths.
I ended up second overall (again) to Zack Capets, who won by about twenty seconds. Donny Forsyth was third, another thirty seconds behind me. My teammates faired well today, too- Chris Tommerdahl dominated for the third time this season, taking the open female title by several minutes. Kristin Villopoto podiumed in the female master's open. As for Team Boyles, my dad finished a strong second in the cutthroat 45-49 division, while placing twelfth overall. Jackson, who is only twelve, finished third place in fifteen and under, behind two fifteen year olds. All in all, it was a fun weekend of racing and family time.
Until next time,
Train smart and race hard!
Mason Boyles
I awoke Sunday morning feeling physically and mentally prepared to race. We drove to the race site and I bid my mom goodbye, wishing my brother and dad who were also racing good luck before I left to warm up. It was a chilly mid forties and fairly windy, so I was glad to have my TMS-IOS race top to keep me warm. I started 5th, pushing off at 8:00:30. As always, I thanked God for the opportunity and asked him to give me courage to race the best that I could that day before I began. After a smooth swim I pulled on my gloves while running to the bike. I pedaled away and slipped my feet into the new cycling shoes with ease, silently thanking Mike Harvey as I did so. I passed TMS-IOS teammate Chris Tommerdahl and another guy within the first mile, putting me in second position. My odometer wasn't working so I simply put my head down and hammered, seeing no one else until about a mile left on the bike. Donny Forsyth passed me as I was taking a turn very slowly, since my handling skills are pretty crappy. I passed him back on a straight stretch, and then slowed way down for another turn and he came around again. This repeated itself one more time before we arrived in transition, where my mom was screaming her head off. I get serious tunnel vision during races, so its pretty impressive that my mom cheers hard enough for me to notice her. She spends just as much energy being support crew for my dad, my brother, and me as we do when we race.
At this point my world was spinning. I have never felt so dizzy in my life, and struggled to pull my run shoes on. I dug deep and fixed my eyes on Donny Forsyth's back, gradually reeling him in. All the while my head was spinning faster and faster, as if it was riding the Tilt-a-Whirl at Carowinds. I felt like I was going to fall over any moment but just focused on running my fastest. By the time I crossed the finish line I had no energy left to supress the dizziness and pretty much plopped down on the ground. I closed my eyes and just stayed there for a long time before I tried to sit up, but my head was still spinning at a zillion miles an hour, so I lay back down again. Someone came over and told me to breathe deeply. By that time my mom had come over, too. She thought that I felt that way because I hadn't been breathing enough, and my dad later agreed, adding that the cold weather could have caused me to take shallow breaths.
I ended up second overall (again) to Zack Capets, who won by about twenty seconds. Donny Forsyth was third, another thirty seconds behind me. My teammates faired well today, too- Chris Tommerdahl dominated for the third time this season, taking the open female title by several minutes. Kristin Villopoto podiumed in the female master's open. As for Team Boyles, my dad finished a strong second in the cutthroat 45-49 division, while placing twelfth overall. Jackson, who is only twelve, finished third place in fifteen and under, behind two fifteen year olds. All in all, it was a fun weekend of racing and family time.
Until next time,
Train smart and race hard!
Mason Boyles
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Azalea Festival Triathlon (Saturday race)
This weekend I raced Azalea, my first triathlon of the 2010 season. I came in to this week really fatigued from a really hard training block, so I knew that recovery leading up to the race would be critical- however, at first I didn't accept it. I cut my volume but did some very intense workouts in all three sports on Monday and Tuesday. By Tuesday afternoon, I was absolutely cooked. I had gone just a couple days too far with the hard training and seemed to have fallen over the edge. This, along with my dad's persistence that I needed to have a real recovery week, finally convinced me to back off. And so Wednesday, Thursday and Friday were low volume, low intensity days with some brief pickups which left me feeling fresh again and excited to race on Saturday morning.
It had been raining sporadically all week, as Wilmington rain tends to come in brief, frequent bouts. Fortunately the skies stayed clear all morning and it turned out to be the perfect weather for a triathlon: about sixty degrees with partial clouds. Once I got to the race site, I met up with fellow IOS elite multisport team members Mr. and Mrs. Younts, who had brought me my race gear. I am very lucky to be a part of such a fantastic team and to have the support of companies as great as Inside Out Sports and Triangle Multisport, so I was looking forward to racing in the team uniform.
My warmup went smoothly, though I finished about twenty minutes before I was set to start. Several times I hopped into the pool and swam a few laps to keep loose before jumping back on to the deck and pulling on a jacket. My number was ten, meaning that I started at 8:02:15. When the time came, I pushed off of the wall and immediately found a smooth rhythm. Considering the current state of my swimming (atrocious at best) I was happy with how the first leg went; I was almost able to catch #9, who had started 15 seconds before me. Going down the stairs from the pool, I slipped and fell. It took me a couple of tries before I could get up, but I managed to make the other two flights without incident. The run to T1 was a couple hundred yards, which helped to get the blood flow going back to my legs before the bike. After a quick transition, I was out onto the bike course. One guy passed me right away and I stuck with him for a couple miles before he gradually gapped me. I passed IOS teammate Chris Tommerdahl about three miles in as we were going down Eastwood Road. I wasn't feeling very strong during the bike leg and didn't pass or get passed by anyone until I was on the run. In fact, about halfway through I began to wonder whether I had a flat tire (which I didn't). However, I kept thinking positively and just did the best that I could, thanking God for this opportunity to give my best effort. I finished the bike and was in and out of T2 in a flash.
At this point, I was feeling very dizzy and lightheaded. I have no clue why, but I was very unsteady on my feet and had tunnel vision from the late stages of the bike on. This wasn't goint to stop me, though. I just settled into a fast cadence and focused on running with grace and power. By the turnaround I had reeled in four guys and was in third position. I dug deep and tried to get all of the speed that I could from my stride. I finished in 45:40, 44 seconds behind the winner, Matthew Wistoff, and 1:02 ahead of third place overall finisher and IOS team member Brad Perry. I was gunning for Mr. Wistoff, but he is a fantastic athlete who has won many races in his career. Even though I didn't get him, I dropped 2:53 from last year and felt like I performed well for this time in the season.
The two major triathlon series in North Carolina, FS Series and Inside Out Sports North Carolina Triathlon Series, offer an unparalleled race experience. I am truly lucky to live in a state with such a thriving triathlon community and strive to never take their service for granted. In short, FS Series and Setup Events are awesome!
Another great thing I took away from this race was meeting my fellow Inside Out Sports teammates. We nearly swept the race, with team members earning 2nd and 3rd overall male, (myself and Brad Perry, respectively), and taking 1st (Chris Tommerdahl), 2nd (Tara Flint), third (Joanna Younts) overall on the women's side. Kenneth Younts placed 10th overall and 3rd in for masters open males.
My other 'team' also had great showings. My dad and brother both won their age groups, my dad placing 12th overall in a time of 50:24, and my twelve year old brother finishing in 1:02:48. As for my mom, she definately won the biggest fan award. I love it when we all go to race. It makes for a really exciting day. Now I get to look forward to Cool Breeze Triathlon on March 28, where all of the Boyles Boyz will toe the line together once again! After that, its all about Duathlon Nationals at the end of April.
My splits today were: swim-3:54; T1-1:19; bike-23:38; T2- :42; run-16:10, for a 45:40 finish.
Train hard and race smart!
Mason Boyles
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