I just got back from a whirlwind trip to Des Moines for Hy Vee's Exercising Your Character event. Hy Vee, the corporate sponsor for the ITU World Cup in Des Moines, makes a tremendous effort to promote the triathlon and to encourage a healthy lifestyle. The Exercising Your Character event is just one part of their ongoing community involvement.
As part of the event, I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to speak with 4000 4th and 5th graders who were bussed in from the greater Des Moines area (some even coming from 2 hrs away!) to the Hy Vee hall. The set-up was pretty incredible, as a elevated stage was placed in the middle of the hall and enhanced by state-of-the-art audio and visual effects. There were even pyrotechnics following the National Anthem! The event itself consisted of a couple hours of non-stop action and activity with plenty of dancing, led by the Iowa Dance & Drill Team. I did plenty of dancing, don't worry! Our Emcee, Jim Hallihan, did a great job of keeping us on schedule. Interspersed with the music and dancing, ISU Coach Fennelly (Girls Basketball), triathlete Hunter Kemper, former Blake basketball standout Leonard Houston and I had about 10 minutes apiece to talk to the kids and answer a couple of questions. I took the opportunity to get the kids excited about triathlon and told them about my mixed experiences racing in Des Moines, emphasizing how those challenges were character building. I hope that at least a few got something positive out of my talk! We finished up the event with having lunch with the lucky winning school, Windsor Heights Elementary. They are a really great, high-energy group of kids and I enjoyed chatting with them about school.
While pretty exhausting (maybe it was all of that dancing!), I feel really fortunate to have been given the opportunity to be part of the Exercising Your Character event in Des Moines. I continue to be very impressed by the organization and community involvement of Hy Vee's events. It was also a relief to go to Des Moines and have a completely positive, non-racing experience in that city. Hopefully it bodes well for my next trip to Des Moines in June for the World Cup! At the very least, I hope that Hunter and I convinced a few of those kids to either participate in the tri and/ or to cheer for us!
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
2nd (again) at St. Anthony's
This past weekend. I headed down to St. Petersburg, FL to do the St Anthony's Triathlon, a race that I haven't done since 2005 when it was one of my very first pro races. It was also an opportunity to catch up with my parents, who came down for the weekend, my Gainesville-based sister Lauren, my brother-in-law Clay, his parents, Clayton and Linda, and my 8-month old nephew, Beckett (the star of the weekend). While racing is always fun, having family around always seems to make it that much more special. Thanks for cheering me on!
As for the race itself, the water conditions were so choppy that the race director had to cancel the swim leg for the amateur athletes. While I'm sure that there were many disappointed athletes, Philip definitely made the right decision. From the start, I was feeling really "flat" (certainly flatter than the water!) and realized that I might have to race a bit more conservatively than I might like. I let Jasmine Oenick dictate the pace of the swim and sat on her feet as we rounded the course. As we headed out on our bikes, I felt equally sluggish and made the decision to try to, as my coach says, "race smarter, not harder". Rather than push the pace from the start of the race, I sat back, hoping that I'd get my legs by the time we left T2. On the bike, we were met with windy conditions on the flat course. About halfway into the 40k ride, Bec Wassner, the eventual winner came storming by, and she was our new pace setter for the the remainder of the ride. By the time we entered T2, Sara McLarty had a 2 minute advantage on us after a blazing swim-bike combo. After the first 2 miles, Bec had a 20 sec advantage that I couldn't quite close. At least it didn't grow, I guess. Somehow I managed to catch Sara within 100m of the finish line to finish 2nd. I didn't think that I had a kick, but maybe I do! Although I didn't find that spark in my legs that I was hoping to find, I still managed to have a solid run (a good 90 sec faster than I had feared!). While I am a bit disappointed that I felt as flat as I did, coach assures me that, based on our training, it is no surprise that I wasn't as spunky as I might have liked to feel. Just as long as I find my groove by the end of the month, when I head to Madrid.
I am really looking forward to returning to St Petersburg next year. St Anthony's is an incredibly well run race and they treat the pros incredibly well, setting us up with great homestays and transporting us to and from the airport. Thanks, especially to my homestay, Lu and Norma!
As for the race itself, the water conditions were so choppy that the race director had to cancel the swim leg for the amateur athletes. While I'm sure that there were many disappointed athletes, Philip definitely made the right decision. From the start, I was feeling really "flat" (certainly flatter than the water!) and realized that I might have to race a bit more conservatively than I might like. I let Jasmine Oenick dictate the pace of the swim and sat on her feet as we rounded the course. As we headed out on our bikes, I felt equally sluggish and made the decision to try to, as my coach says, "race smarter, not harder". Rather than push the pace from the start of the race, I sat back, hoping that I'd get my legs by the time we left T2. On the bike, we were met with windy conditions on the flat course. About halfway into the 40k ride, Bec Wassner, the eventual winner came storming by, and she was our new pace setter for the the remainder of the ride. By the time we entered T2, Sara McLarty had a 2 minute advantage on us after a blazing swim-bike combo. After the first 2 miles, Bec had a 20 sec advantage that I couldn't quite close. At least it didn't grow, I guess. Somehow I managed to catch Sara within 100m of the finish line to finish 2nd. I didn't think that I had a kick, but maybe I do! Although I didn't find that spark in my legs that I was hoping to find, I still managed to have a solid run (a good 90 sec faster than I had feared!). While I am a bit disappointed that I felt as flat as I did, coach assures me that, based on our training, it is no surprise that I wasn't as spunky as I might have liked to feel. Just as long as I find my groove by the end of the month, when I head to Madrid.
I am really looking forward to returning to St Petersburg next year. St Anthony's is an incredibly well run race and they treat the pros incredibly well, setting us up with great homestays and transporting us to and from the airport. Thanks, especially to my homestay, Lu and Norma!
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Happy Earth Day/ Volunteer Week
Happy Belated Earth Day and happy Volunteer Week! I'm fortunate enough to have two sponsors, Athletes for a Fit Planet and In the Arena, who help me integrate two passions of mine, the environment and community service, into my career as a professional triathlete. Before I came affiliated with these organizations, I struggled with how I could pursue sport full-time and be a contributing member of society at the same time. Now I can spread the green gospel in the triathlon world and try to make a positive impact on some kids when I'm not training!
This week we painted some terra cotta pots and planted some tomato seeds. Here's Lenai helping out...
I'm off to St. Anthony's Triathlon this weekend in St. Petersburg, FL. I've been looking forward to this race because I'll be able to see family and friends and get my first Olympic distance race of the year under my belt.
Monday, April 13, 2009
More pics of my kids...
Thanks to my photographer friend, Brooklin, I was given the heads up on a few cool apps for the iPhone. As if I needed an excuse to take more photos of my spunky Boys & Girls clubbers!
Monday, April 6, 2009
2nd at Oceanside 70.3
If someone had told me a few days ago that I would place second to my buddy and former World Champion Mirinda "Rinny" Carfrae at the Oceanside 70.3, I would probably have responded with a dramatic roll of the eyes. With no experience at the distance and using the competition as a "training race" to ascertain my fitness at this point in the season, I had some modest goals. I thought that a top-5 finish against such a strong field would be a best case scenario and that I'd be extremely lucky if I were to get a Clearwater slot through roll-down. I won't even acknowledge my imagined worst-case scenario, other than to state that my sister is not the only Groff with a flair for dramatic fiction!
The best part of the race? The experience was actually a lot of fun and a grin on my face most of the way. To be more exact, I had fun from mile 0, with a brief mid-bike period of boredom, until approximately mile 67, when the run turned into a death march worthy of a John Williams composition. Thankfully, the fun resumed the second that I crossed the finish line and could put my tender feet up and some real food in my stomach. While my 2XU Endurance Tri Suit had a great pocket in the back (a novel concept for short-course racers), I was unfortunately unable to bring anything more substantial than a couple of gels (sorry, Groves. The corndog wouldn't fit). The medical staff also did a great job of providing a lovely ice-filled kiddie pool and taking care of my blistered feet. Thanks, guys!
As for the race itself, here's the abridged version of how it unfolded: I lead the swim from the start, taking a small group with me. I paced the swim conservatively, knowing that an ITU effort would only produce lactic acid that I'd have to contend with for 4 more hours of racing. Once on the Ceepo bat bike, my strategy was simple: try to stay focused and use more experienced racers for pacing. Mary Beth Ellis, last year's silver medallist at the 70.3 World Champs, a strong cyclist and good friend, set the pace on the bike and Leanda Cave and I kept her within sight as we worked our way around Camp Pendleton. At around mile 30, Sam Warriner, a true BAMF for starting the race despite being stung by a stingray the day before, bridged up and made our group a foursome. I am incredibly grateful for the pace-setting of the other girls, as I know that I would have gone out too hard at the start! I was the third athlete out of T2 and soon caught Leanda and Sam. While part of me thought that I should once again defer to the pace-setting of these more experienced and accomplished athletes, I decided to make a break about a kilometer into the run. For the first 3/4 of the 13.1 mile run, I was surprised by how good I felt. With half a lap to go, however, I started to worry about whether or not I'd be able to finish the race. I knew that I was slowing down significantly, but I hoped that I wouldn't slow down to a shuffle. With less than a kilometer to go and the finish line in sight, Rinny came blazing by like a locomotive. At that point, however, I was more concerned about finishing than getting passed! I luckily held off Leanda, who was closing in quickly, to finish 2nd place. I was blown away by Matt Reed, who won the men's race in a dominating fashion with a smoking 1:11 run split. As both Matty and Rinny are good friends and all-around awesome people, I was really happy for both of them to be on top of the podium.
It is very tempting for athletes to dwell on what they could have done differently and I have certainly made a laundry list of things to improve upon. Don't worry- I'll spare my readers the details! I am buoyed, however, by the thought that I can iron out these rookie mistakes and maybe race better next time. That next time, however, will be in Clearwater at the 70.3 World Championships. Until then, I will be starting up some speed work and getting back to short-course racing!
While the actual race was pretty fun, I can't help but think that my experience was greatly improved by all of the support that I had in and leading up to the race. Representatives from two of my sponsors were there, 2XU and Ceepo, and I was fortunate enough to get some great help and care from the people behind the companies. While I truly believe in the quality and integrity of their products, I am incredibly lucky to work with such kind and caring people at 2XU and Ceepo, as well as at Saucony, Athletes for a Fit Planet, In the Arena and More Business Solutions. I have a great team behind me! Part of that team also includes my friends, some of whom were able to come to the race to cheer me on. A special thanks to Andy, for letting me crash at his place (sorry if I ate too many of your thin mints!). Thanks, guys! A final, huge "thank you" goes out to my coach, Justin Trolle. If this is my base, I can't wait to see how we build on it :-)
The best part of the race? The experience was actually a lot of fun and a grin on my face most of the way. To be more exact, I had fun from mile 0, with a brief mid-bike period of boredom, until approximately mile 67, when the run turned into a death march worthy of a John Williams composition. Thankfully, the fun resumed the second that I crossed the finish line and could put my tender feet up and some real food in my stomach. While my 2XU Endurance Tri Suit had a great pocket in the back (a novel concept for short-course racers), I was unfortunately unable to bring anything more substantial than a couple of gels (sorry, Groves. The corndog wouldn't fit). The medical staff also did a great job of providing a lovely ice-filled kiddie pool and taking care of my blistered feet. Thanks, guys!
As for the race itself, here's the abridged version of how it unfolded: I lead the swim from the start, taking a small group with me. I paced the swim conservatively, knowing that an ITU effort would only produce lactic acid that I'd have to contend with for 4 more hours of racing. Once on the Ceepo bat bike, my strategy was simple: try to stay focused and use more experienced racers for pacing. Mary Beth Ellis, last year's silver medallist at the 70.3 World Champs, a strong cyclist and good friend, set the pace on the bike and Leanda Cave and I kept her within sight as we worked our way around Camp Pendleton. At around mile 30, Sam Warriner, a true BAMF for starting the race despite being stung by a stingray the day before, bridged up and made our group a foursome. I am incredibly grateful for the pace-setting of the other girls, as I know that I would have gone out too hard at the start! I was the third athlete out of T2 and soon caught Leanda and Sam. While part of me thought that I should once again defer to the pace-setting of these more experienced and accomplished athletes, I decided to make a break about a kilometer into the run. For the first 3/4 of the 13.1 mile run, I was surprised by how good I felt. With half a lap to go, however, I started to worry about whether or not I'd be able to finish the race. I knew that I was slowing down significantly, but I hoped that I wouldn't slow down to a shuffle. With less than a kilometer to go and the finish line in sight, Rinny came blazing by like a locomotive. At that point, however, I was more concerned about finishing than getting passed! I luckily held off Leanda, who was closing in quickly, to finish 2nd place. I was blown away by Matt Reed, who won the men's race in a dominating fashion with a smoking 1:11 run split. As both Matty and Rinny are good friends and all-around awesome people, I was really happy for both of them to be on top of the podium.
It is very tempting for athletes to dwell on what they could have done differently and I have certainly made a laundry list of things to improve upon. Don't worry- I'll spare my readers the details! I am buoyed, however, by the thought that I can iron out these rookie mistakes and maybe race better next time. That next time, however, will be in Clearwater at the 70.3 World Championships. Until then, I will be starting up some speed work and getting back to short-course racing!
While the actual race was pretty fun, I can't help but think that my experience was greatly improved by all of the support that I had in and leading up to the race. Representatives from two of my sponsors were there, 2XU and Ceepo, and I was fortunate enough to get some great help and care from the people behind the companies. While I truly believe in the quality and integrity of their products, I am incredibly lucky to work with such kind and caring people at 2XU and Ceepo, as well as at Saucony, Athletes for a Fit Planet, In the Arena and More Business Solutions. I have a great team behind me! Part of that team also includes my friends, some of whom were able to come to the race to cheer me on. A special thanks to Andy, for letting me crash at his place (sorry if I ate too many of your thin mints!). Thanks, guys! A final, huge "thank you" goes out to my coach, Justin Trolle. If this is my base, I can't wait to see how we build on it :-)
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Mileage Club
While I haven't been able to go into the Chula Vista Boys and Girls Club and help as much as I might have liked, I have been fortunate enough to pop in a few time. Yesterday I helped out with the Mileage Club, a weekly fitness program that a couple of the staff members started with the kids. The concept is this: the kids run or walk laps around the perimeter of the gym and for each lap that they complete, they get a popsicle stick. At the end of the session, the kids count their sticks and report their total. For every 40 laps (equivalent to 5 miles) that they complete, they get a foot token for their key chain. The cumulative mileage is tracked with the objective of reaching a geographic goal (for example, Grandma's house or Disney Land). If the goal is reached, the kid earns a top-secret prize. Cool program, right? I would love to get this started at the club in my club in Colorado Springs!
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