Edmonton World Cup

This past weekend my travels took me to America's northern brother. Now I certainly love America and most things American, but I want to take this opportunity to thank Canada for getting a couple of things right:

1) Tim Hortons- I still will give a point to Dunkin' Donuts for having better coffee, but the honey flavored timbits at Tim Hortons were on-point. Well done, Canada.

2) The Metric System- I laughed to myself the first time the weatherman announced "a possibility of 2-3 millimeters of rain," but I appreciate the metric system's user-firendly conversion factors.

3) Hockey- Even though Canada's national sport is lacrosse (don't ask...it doesn't make sense to me either), Canadians picked a great sport to embrace. Triathlon is the only sport with tougher athletes.

The Luggage Carousel @ Edmonton's Airport

Dallas Continental Cup

I competed in the Dallas Continental Cup on Saturday, June 1st. I was disappointed with my 4th place finish.

 

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Austin, Texas

 

After spending Monday-Wednesday in Detroit, my schedule left me in a bit of a "grey zone." I had already moved my stuff from San Diego, and I knew I wanted to race in Dallas on June 1st. The question, then, was what I should do in the meantime.

After a gracious invitation from Brandon and Amy Marsh I booked a ticket to Austin, Texas. I had heard great things about Austin, and I was eager to check out the scene. While in Texas, I would race the CapTex Triathlon in downtown Austin on Memorial Day then back it up with the Dallas ITU Continental Cup the following Saturday.

A highlight of my time in Austin was the Barton Springs Pool. This 200+ yard pool is fed from natural springs just outside downtown Austin. The city decided to put four walls around these springs sometime during the 1920s. Instead of building the pool then filling it with water, Barton Springs Pool actually started with the water! There's something I like about that synergy between nature and man--something that says, "We've already got the water, turtles, and fish...let's make this thing a pool so we can swim here too!" It was very cool to swim with the aquatic life and then to look up at downtown Austin's modern skyscrapers.

Those familiar with Austin's "party scene" will note I did not mention 6th Street as my favorite spot in town. I was on my best behavior during this trip! I only took a short drive through the famed "party-section" of town, but I could see myself having an awful lot of fun on that bar-lined boulevard. With the rental car windows down, the pubs' live music called like the famed sirens of Greek Mythology. I kept my seatbelt fastened and contented myself with a drive through.

My race in Austin, the Lifetime Fitness CapTex Triathlon, was Memorial Day morning. The whole course was held in the center of town, and it was very cool to see 3,000 triathletes take over the city's main thoroughfares. Particularly inspiring were the para-triathletes, who were competing for the USAT Paratriathlon National Championship. These guys and girls were physically handicapped in different capacities, but they were out there just the same.

One of the wonderful parts about sport is how it unites people from all different backgrounds and circumstances. We competed together--an inspiring symbol of individuals from all walks of life overcoming obstacles to achieve a goal. I think the sight would have made the Americans we remembered proud.

Below is a journey of my race through photos (photos courtesy of CapTex Tri):

A view of transition before the day began

Leading the way out of the water!

Turning off Congress Ave. during the 40K bike

FUN FACT: The Texas Capitol (building in the background of this shot) is "the largest in gross square footage of all state capitols and is second in total size only to the national capitol in Washington, D.C."* Texas would...

*Source: www.tspb.state.tx.us/SPB/capitol/texcap.htm

Pretty happy to finish 2nd overall

 

Men's Podium: (left to right) Cam Dye, your boy Joe Maloy, 2013 CapTex Champ Hunter Kemper, and Ben Collins

The race was the second race in the 2013 Lifetime Fitness Triathlon Series. Below are the men's top-3 series rankings after the first two stops:

1) Ben Collins- 18.5 points

2) Joe Maloy- 18 points

3) Hunter Kemper- 17.5 points

Finally, to end on a few quick personal notes...

• It was a blast racing with college friends Jeff Benson and John Nicholson. Some days I think we've come a long way from 19 Braemore...and then other days I know we haven't!
• Brandon and Amy Marsh were exceptional hosts. We shared some great laughs, and I cannot thank them enough for their hospitality.
• I'm very happy Triathlon Squad training partner and friend Eric Lagerstorm recovered from some scary heat exhaustion following his 8th place finish. Colin O'Brady and Jenna Besaw were incredibly helpful--they were also great company.
• Thanks to former Boston College swimming teammate Maeve Sloane for making sure I was well connected while in Austin.
• And if you've read this whole post...thank you!

 

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Focusing on the Details

Part 1: Testing at Eastern Michigan University

This past November, Coach Paulo Sousa and I made a decision to work with renowned running specialist Dr. Stephen McGregor. I was not running fast enough to be competitive on the international level, so we decided to collaborate with the Eastern Michigan University guru.

His philosophy towards running improvements can be summed up in this quote from a 2012 interview: "Running faster is a good way to run faster."

I committed to make several trips to EMU for testing, and Drs. McGregor and Sousa committed to evaluating the data and forming an action plan. Normally I hate doctors--but these guys aren't so bad. In fact, I enjoy working with them both.

This is how the sensors show up on the computer!

I visited the lab in November for baseline testing, then returned this past month for my first set of follow-up tests.

Part 2 : A Visit to Zingerman's Deli

When I arrived in Detroit, I made small-talk with a University of Michigan grad-student while waiting around the luggage carousel. The grad student may or may not have been an attractive young woman. (Author's note: When reading, it is good practice to imagine the events as accurately as possible.) She recommended I check out a place called "Zingerman's Deli" in Ann Arbor.

Since it was a short drive from my work at Eastern Michigan University, I went to Zingermann's after my first day of testing. I had been in the lab running for nearly 3 hours, and I deserved a delicious sandwich. I think it's important to enjoy one's hard work whenever possible.

My friend from the airport cautioned the sandwiches were "huuuuuge" and I should just get the regular size, so I ordered a large with a brownie for dessert.

Now, I'm no Guy Fieri. I'm not going to tell you how the flavors interacted or how the ambience set some kind of "deli mood."

I do know a thing or two about gaining a competitive advantage. Zingerman's has built a stellar reputation from using quality ingredients from start to finish. They focus on the details. The staff was friendly--even by those high midwestern standards--and offered samples and advice on nearly every product. While each individual aspect of my visit was unspectacular, the all-around commitment to excellence made for both a spectacular sandwich and experience.

Part 3: Why the heck did I tell those 2 stories?

Zingerman's commitment to excellence has made the Ann Arbor institution a model for other delis around the country. Its success is a reminder that a commitment to doing many little things right can end with big results.

In a strange way, the deli's model for excellence is the same one I'm applying towards my career as a professional triathlete. I focused on the details of my running technique with hopes to improve my times. I went to EMU to visit with Dr. McGregor because Coach Paulo Sousa and I decided he was the best. Day in and day out, I thought (and continue to think) about the details that will make me faster. Just as Zingermann's goes to great lengths to gather the best possible ingredients for their sandwiches, I take that same approach to assembling my team.

Below is a chart representing the amount of oxygen I need to run at different speeds. The blue line indicates my baseline levels which were measured in November, 2012. The green line shows my results from the May, 2013 tests. The data shows I've become 8-9% more efficient while running at current race pace.

Many thanks to Paulo, to Dr. McGregor and his staff, and to the high performance department at USA Triathlon for making these trips possible. Now it's back to work--I still want to go faster!

 

 

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