Tribute to Ironman and Triathlons

On one hand, this scares the hell out of me. On the other hand, it gives me goosebumps, inspires me to become an Ironman AND scares the hell out of me.







Wear Your Support! Visit our website for Triathlon t-shirts, Running t-shirts, Marathon t-shirts, Cycling t-shirts, Swimming t-shirts and t-shirt personalization options supporting family and friends on race day. Browse our selection of designs, it's likely we have a triathlon t-shirt, marathon t-shirt, running t-shirt, cycling t-shirt or swimming t-shirt that will appeal to you.

2009 Mud Hen 5k

For the third year in a row, I ran the 2009 Mud Hen 5k at McIntosh Lake in Longmont, CO. It's hard to believe it's been 2+ years since I decided to get off the couch and get healthier. You can read my 2008 Mud Hen Race Report here.



This years weather was a bit better than last year, the biggest difference being the absence of white caps on McIntosh Lake (i.e. no wind!) It was in the 40's, overcast and intermittent sprinkles. Unlike last year, I didn't go to softball practice or ride my bike to the race, but I did do a touch lower body workout at Boot Camp Friday night, which I was feeling on Saturday morning.

My goals for this race:
* Beat last weeks time: 32+ minutes
* No walking

Pretty simple and straight forward. The race was pretty uneventful. I had plenty of time to warm up and get ready. Connor and Griffin were there with their Daddy's #1 Fan t-shirt and Mommy's #1 Fan t-shirt, which was great. The designs came out really nice and the after race picture of me and Connor is one of my favorites. Long story short, I felt good, I didn't walk and I finished in just over 31 minutes. I met my goals, walking only to get some water half-way and I beat last week's time by 1 minute.

Felt good and progress was made, however I've got a long way to go before the 2009 Bolder Boulder on May 26th. I've got a lot of running to do to get ready, not to mention the Longmont Triathlon the following weekend.

Here are some pictures from the race:













Wear Your Support! Visit our website for Triathlon t-shirts, Running t-shirts, Marathon t-shirts, Cycling t-shirts, Swimming t-shirts and t-shirt personalization options supporting family and friends on race day. Browse our selection of designs, it's likely we have a triathlon t-shirt, marathon t-shirt, running t-shirt, cycling t-shirt or swimming t-shirt that will appeal to you.

Jamie Whitmore 5k Fun Run

Today was training season wake up call. Guess who hasn't been training consistently? This guy! (Two thumbs pointing at me) I ran an unplanned 5k today to benefit Jamie Whitmore's battle with cancer. Jamie is a 2x Xterra Champion fighting for her life. Checkout Jamie's blog and join the fight against cancer. About 100 runners showed to support Jamie with a $10 donation, with support from many local businesses providing raffle prizes, including Family Fan Club.

Kim and I ran a pretty slow 32 minutes, but it was the longest run of the season for me, so not to bad. Kim has been running consistently, training for Steamboat Springs Half Marathon, so it was a breeze for her, even after already doing a training run with the girls. With the weather improving this week, it's time to stop making excuses and get out and run & bike. I'll get a chance to improve on that run this weekend at the Mud Hen 5k.






Wear Your Support! Visit our website for Triathlon t-shirts, Running t-shirts, Marathon t-shirts, Cycling t-shirts, Swimming t-shirts and t-shirt personalization options supporting family and friends on race day. Browse our selection of designs, it's likely we have a triathlon t-shirt, marathon t-shirt, running t-shirt, cycling t-shirt or swimming t-shirt that will appeal to you.

Matt Reed speaks at Boulder Triathlon Club meeting

Last night at the April Boulder Triathlon Club meeting we had a guest speaker; Matt Reed. For anyone that has been living under a rock for the last couple of years, Matt was one of three members of the Team USA Triathlon last summer in Beijing. Matt also recently won Ironman 70.3 California at Oceanside. Matt stopped by to promote a new Croc shoe that is specifically designed for endurance athletes called Prepair. The shoe is just out this month, so if you're looking for new post race shoes, stop by their website or your local shoe store to find out how they can help enhance your recovery. Matt has been sponsored by Crocs on and off for the last 8 years, which is great to see a local Boulder company supporting a local athlete. Crocs even paid for Matt's running coach to fly to Beijing this summer!

Aside from Crocs, Matt also touched on a number of subjects:
* Last year (2008) was the best and worst year of his career. The best, as he was able to fulfill a childhood goal of making the Olympics, but the worst due to the extra races he had to run to secure the 3rd team spot for USA and the poor performance in Beijing.
* He's been training for triathlon his entire life. Unlike Andy Potts who was a Michigan swimmer or Jared Shoemaker who's a runner, Matt has been a triathlete from the start.
* He's going to train for London 2012 and he's got a plan to address what he thinks went wrong in Beijing. He outlined the plan, but it's a secret for everyone else.
* He's not going to do Ironman until 2013. He indicated that the new bike sponsor deal he signed requires him to do Kona in 2013, but only after he's pursued the Olympics in 2012.
* He's going to continue doing 70.3's as the distance doesn't require substantial additional training over ITU circuit and feels that as a tall / strong athlete, he's perfectly suited to continue winning those distance races.
* How he met his wife Kelly. Ask Kelly, it's a funny story.
* When he's done racing, he's done racing. He doesn't really have any aspirations to coach and he's made his wife Kelly promise that when his career is over, it's over. He mentioned landscape architect as a possibility.
* Matt has to cute kids, Lachlan (3) and Peyton (<1). They both got Family Fan Club Triathlon Daddy t-shirts and Matt autographed one of ours.

It was really cool to meet Matt, pick his brain and hear how he trains and prepares to be one of the Michael Jordan's of the sport. You can also follow Matt Reed on Twitter.

Next up for Matt is defending his win last year at St. Anthony's Triathlon.




Wear Your Support! Visit our website for Triathlon t-shirts, Running t-shirts, Marathon t-shirts, Cycling t-shirts, Swimming t-shirts and t-shirt personalization options supporting family and friends on race day. Browse our selection of designs, it's likely we have a triathlon t-shirt, marathon t-shirt, running t-shirt, cycling t-shirt or swimming t-shirt that will appeal to you.

Ironman 70.3 California Results

Congratulations to all triathletes that recently completed the 10th Annual Ironman 70.3 California triathlon on April 4th 2009. Matthew Reed of Boulder, CO and 2008 Olympic Team Member brought home the title for the men, while Mirinda Carfrae from Australia, the 2007 Ironman 70.3 World Champion, brought home the title for the women. Read the full Ironman California 70.3 results.

I've had the opportunity watch Matt race in person the last two years at the 5430 Boulder Peak Triathlon, as well as the 2008 Hy-Vee Triathlon in Des Moines, IA. He's a great competitor and seems like a great guy. One of the extra perks, in addition to 300 days a year of sunshine, is the opportunity to see the world's greatest triathletes in and around Boulder. Matt is going to be speaking at the next Boulder Triathlon Club meeting, April 13th at Boulder Running Company and he's also one of the first families to receive a Triathlon Daddy t-shirt at the Boulder Peak in 2007. I wonder if with the Olympics in the rear-view mirror if we'll see Matt pursue 70.3 and 140.6 races full time? Perhaps I'll ask him when I see him!

Again, congrats to all the athletes that competed this past weekend. If you're looking for a unique memento or design to commemorate your race, shop our triathlon t-shirt shop. We've many new t-shirt designs for triathletes, marathon t-shirts, spectator t-shirts and some really cool race bib t-shirts for the kids. If you don't see a design that suits your needs, let us know and we can personalize an existing design or even customize one for you.

Also, checkout our 70.3 stickers and 70.3 ornaments:

Wear Your Support! Visit our website for Triathlon t-shirts, Running t-shirts, Marathon t-shirts, Cycling t-shirts, Swimming t-shirts and t-shirt personalization options supporting family and friends on race day. Browse our selection of designs, it's likely we have a triathlon t-shirt, marathon t-shirt, running t-shirt, cycling t-shirt or swimming t-shirt that will appeal to you.