# 132 Tomaka Triathlon in Ormond Beach

The race today was a target race for the club I belong to, Seminole County Triathletes.  For several months, the club has been running a Couch to Sprint Tri program for first time triathletes.  This race, located in downtown Ormond Beach (just north of Daytona), was a great venue for our beginners.  Lots of regular members participated also and I joined in.  The Baldwin Park Tri was cancelled for this year (same weekend) and so I had never done this race over the years.

Ready to go!

Early light in transition.

First time group of Seminole County Triathletes

 I got there early to check everything out and found a great parking space and a great rack spot in transition.  SCT had a big club tent set up which made it very nice.  The swim start was at the boat ramp in the Indian River (salt water) and I was in the fourth wave.  My swim went well with a time of 9:02.  T1 went well and the bike leg starts off with a long climb over the Intracoastal bridge.  Heading out, riding the Moulton SPEED, I had a nice tailwind and my speeds were 22-24 MPH.  Heading back into the wind dropped them to 19 so my average for the 16 miles ended at 19.6 MPH after going back over the bridge.  T2 was quick and the 5K run was flat and fast.  I did have a shoelace come untied 1/2 mile into the course but everything went well after a stop, completing the run in 26 minutes flat; 8:23 mile splits.  This netted me a time of 1:26:54 for the finish, resulting in a 3rd place out of 7 in my age group.

Swim Start of Wave 4; close to the front!

Good swim!

Not sure what the guy on the grass was doing leaving transition.

Run out with the bridge behind me.

At the finish!

On the podium with Matt Mahoney and  James Mayer.

The little Moulton again amazed a lot of people on the bike course and after the race.

It was wonderful competing with so many friends around me so I'll be back at this race next year.

Seminole County Triathletes had a BIG turnout and won biggest team!

Lake Minneola Half Marathon in Clermont

Saturday, April 25 was the Lake Minneola Half Marathon.  Organized by Sommer Sports, this event took place at the Waterfront Park in Clermont, home of tons of triathlons.  I've never done this race but signed up after a group of co-workers at EY enticed me to join them.  Oddly enough, a huge project popped up at work and none of them were able to make it.  I was curious to see what my time would be after my PR of 1:53:31 with splits of 8:40 per mile at last year's Swamphouse Half Marathon.  Except for the Corporate 5K a week earlier, all my training has been on trail.  My 5K time was 23:45 so it was one of my fastest ever.

Over 525 people started the Half and the temps were in the 70s and humid from the gun.  The sun was just coming up on a clear day so it promised to warm up fast.  I was running well, keeping my splits around 8:30 but as the hills appeared I saw my times slipping,  The course was nice and open and we came on and off the Lake County bike trail several times.  The run back after mile 8 had us running directly into the morning sun and it began to heat up.  Through a wooded area gave a bit of a respite and I was gratified to pass a few people who were fading.  I arrived at the finish line with a time of 2:00:49 which gave me 8:53 miles.  My Garmin did show the course was long at 13.61; this was a subject of much discussion online during the following days.  My time for 13.1 miles was 1:56:59, so I was off my record pace. This was good for 4th place out of 9 in my age group, 95th overall of 524.   However I enjoyed the whole experience and my new Hoka 11 Clifton running shoes performed well by providing extra cushioning and my legs did not hurt like they used too.

Real Florida 10K Trail Run

Saturday was the 28th Annual Real Florida 5k 10k in Wekiwa Springs State Park.  Since I'm on the board of the Wekiva Wilderness Trust and it's a big fund-raiser for us, it was important for me to do well.  The morning was overcast and 55' when I arrived to help with registration at 6:30.  However the Friday crew had everything laid out very well so there was little to do but relax.

Kevin and me

My friend, Kevin Casey, was doing the race for the first time and he arrived about 7:15 as parking gets a bit tight later on.  About 8:15, we headed over to the 10K start, a little further than the 5k, which started 5 minutes later.  The gun went off at 8:30 and I took off immediately.  After about a mile I was 10th overall and the runners began to get strung out.  In the next mile as I settled down to my race pace, 4 people passed me.  The new course cut over on the Blue trail and over the little bridge which I saw had been carpeted for the event.  I passed 2 people by the time we got to Marker 15 on the White trail and really pushed my pace.  As I topped the hill at 13, I looked back and saw 1 runner about 200 yards back.  I became aware he was closing about mile 5 and he passed me with about a mile to go.  I stayed on his tail and my Garmin reported I was running at an 8:00 minute mile pace.  As we turned uphill onto the service road near the finish, I was still right behind him.  About 100 yards from the line, I cranked it up and surged past him to the finish.  He was 44 so not in my age group but I really enjoyed the chase.  I won my age group 60-64 and my time, 56:02, was good enough for 12th overall out of 79.  The 5k race had 173 participants.  My finish time of 56:02 resulted in mile splits of 8:50 with the Garmin showing 6.34 miles covered; last year I had a time of 53:22 but the course was shorter at 6 miles even.  Kevin came in soon after me and really enjoyed racing the trails we usually train on.  Our charity made a good bit of money and everyone enjoyed themselves.

Race to the finish

Kevin after the race

Hammer sponsorship

I am now sponsored by Hammer Nutrition!  I have been using their great products for over 18 years and I attribute my successes to them.  The sponsorship only allows me to buy products at a discount so I won't be quitting my day job.  One of their major advantages is that all their products work together to provide outstanding results.  Go to www.hammernutrition.com to shop; locally, Orange Cycle, David's World Cycle, and Track Shack all stock some Hammer items.

Hammer display at Orange Cycle, Orlando, FL

Celebration Marathon

This was the 2nd Annual Celebration Marathon, located in the "Disney" town of Celebration, just south of the Walt Disney World.  I did the first race last year and enjoyed it very much, setting a new marathon PR of 4:29:56.  This was negated somewhat by 4 bathroom breaks during the race.  The 2 loop course winds through the town and many residents come out to watch the runners.  2014's full to half ratio was 506 to 1575 and this year's was close, 500 to 1817.  Half marathons have gotten even more popular.  One thing that makes this race great is the accessibility; I parked 100 feet from the Start line.  Besides the t-shirt swag, they included a Headsweats hat and a Tyvek windbreaker this year.  This was my 6th marathon since 2004.


The morning was clear and 43' for the 7:00 AM start.  I crossed the start line 11 seconds after the gun and hit the button on my (borrowed from Kevin Casey) Garmin.  I started out too fast as usual and slowed myself down immediately.  I wore less than my personal clothing guide mandated so I was cool but actually felt great.  The miles clicked away and I drank Hammer Perpeteum every half hour, took a Hammer Gel every 6 miles, and followed my pace band plan.  Stopped at a bathroom for 3 minutes at mile 10 and continued on.  At mile 12.2, the course splits and I found myself running alone as I started the second lap. I began chasing people down and passed 38 people in the next 14 miles; no one passed me at all.  Sun came out and it warmed up a little but the cool temps really helped.  However, after mile 15, it really became an effort to keep the quick pace up.  I stayed with it though and soon downtown Celebration was visible across the lake.  Near the finish, Paula Yeomans from EY and friends cheered me on and I crossed the finish line at 4:26:56.  That time was 2 minutes and 25 seconds faster than 2014, establishing a new marathon PR for me.  My overall splits were 10:12 per mile.  My total GPS distance was 26.34 miles as the 26.2 mile course is certified at it's tightest layout.  Last year's Garmin distance was 26.46 so I made sure I was tight on the corners this time.  I ended up 10th out of 22 in 60-64 Male; in 2014, I was 10th out of 19.  Very sore after the race and the next day despite a lot of stretching.

# 131 TriAmerica Long Course

This final race of my season was run alongside the Great Floridian iron-distance Triathlon by Sommer Sports in Clermont, Florida.  As we used the shorter parts of the ultra course, the distances were 1.2 mile swim, 38 mile bike, and 9 mile run, longer than Olympic but shorter than a half-Ironman. 

I trained for the longer swim and the hills of Lake County in the weeks up to this event so I considered myself ready.  I decided to use the Moulton AM SPEED bicycle as I found I was a little faster on it than my Litespeed plus I was curious as to how it would do. 


The white Moulton SPEED on the rack and ready to go!



Over 500 triathletes in the 3 events.


I arrived at 5:45 to 60' temps and plenty of people were already there.  In transition, I was happy to find longtime friend, Jeff Cuddeback.  The Great Floridan started at 7:30 and we followed at 8:30 for the women and 8:40 for the men.  Wetsuits were just legal with water temp of 77' and I decided to wear mine too.  I hit the water in the mass start and had a very good swim, though I felt warm near the end, finishing in 43:58.  Rushed into transition and began attacking the hills in the first mile of 38.  I knew enough to take it easy for the first 5 miles and was passed by a woman at mile 3 who called out "I see you brought your kiddie bike!".  I said "We'll see." and let her go.  The first 10 miles had some hills but it was still cool, clear, and sunny and I was enjoying the ride.  I knew Sugarloaf was waiting at mile 22.  After many more hills on CR 455, I headed towards Sugarloaf.  All the racers got an extra chip for a "Climb Sugarloaf" competition and there was a blue pad across the road at the base of the the climb and another at the summit.  I felt great as I started the climb, looking up the road to see other racers along with several people walking their bikes.  I shifted down to my lowest gear and alternated standing and spinning all the way up.  Halfway up, a line of BMW motorcycles with sidecars passed me going down the hill (Biketober fest was going in Daytona).

Reaching the top, I shot down the backside, reaching 42.8 mph on the downhill.  The next 16 miles had more tough hills (or was I just getting tired).  At mile 36, I passed the woman who made the kiddie bike comment and she was not happy.  I rolled in with a time of 2:19:27, the bike computer displaying an average speed of 16.4 mph.  The 9 mile run was 2 loops of an out and back bike trail course and it was hot and sunny.  With little shade, it was a tough run and I cramped briefly in the first mile.  Settling down to an steady pace, I carried on, completing the run time of 1:31:08 for a 9:47 mile split.  I crossed the finish line, at 4:45:04, good for 3rd place in my age group.  Jeff was in the overall lead when he had a flat tire at 8 miles to go and rode in on the flat.  He ran hard to get a 5th overall, 1st in his age group with a 3:22:34.  Nina Kraft, the German Ironman champion who lives in Clermont, won the women's overall with 3:31:44.  I was very happy with my choice of the Moulton bike and the suspension was welcome on the bumpy roads.  There were many positive comments made during and after the race about the bike.



All finished.

Nice plaque!

I'm now unsure if I'll do any more long races as I quit enjoying myself about halfway through the run.  I've always loved Olympic distance and will try to find more next season.

# 130 Clermont Sprint Triathlon

Today was the last of the Clermont Sprint Tri series of 4 races.  Fred Sommer has been doing events at the Clermont waterfront for over 20 years with great success.  This race boasted over 500 competitors today and the organization was great.  I arrived early, got my packet, and racked my bike.  Ran into some old friends and found Ken Junkins, James Mayer, and Will Hathaway were all there today.  These 3 friends train together and are very fast and all 3 are in my age group.  I thought to myself, well, 4th place is open.  I brought the Moulton SPEED to it's first hilly course and with so many people there it attracted a bit of attention.  Kevin Casey was there too and he started in the third wave while I was in the sixth.  Swim was great though it was a little hard seeing the finish looking toward the rising sun.  I took off on the bike a bit cautiously, looking forward to seeing how the Moulton handled the hills.  I was very happy with my performance, averaging 18.2 mph for the 12 miles and hitting 37.6 on the big downhill (followed by a slow uphill).  My runs keeping getting better even with the hills there and I ran a 27:11, good for 8:45 mile splits.  I finished in 4th out of 9 in my age group with a time of 1:15:28 behind Ken, Will, and James. Ken's time was 1:03:01 (30th OA!) with Will and James getting 1:04:04 and 1:04:07 respectively.  They are very fast!  Kevin struggled on the big hill on the bike but had a solid finish and was quite pleased. A great day all around!

It pays to get up early!

Lots of people.

I'm ready!

Happy finish!