Race Coverage
"A PERFECT Race"...
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Friday, 13 December 2019 23:10
By Ruth Brennan Morrey
2:43:41! 2020 Olympic Trial Qualifying Standard at age 44! See you in Atlanta!
Twenty years ago I ran 2:48:17 at the 2000 Olympic Trials. Today, 20 years later, I smashed my PR by 4 1/2 minutes. I don't know how I did it, but I do know a few things:
1) Today's California International Marathon was a PERFECT race. It was easy. No rough patches. Smart execution. I ran the last 5 miles at 5:55-6:10 after 21 miles of rolling hills at 6:17/mile. I cannot believe how effortless it felt. I am so thankful for a GREAT day!
2) Never lose hope in training. After Grandmas marathon, I became frustrated at the heaviness and difficult effort it took during my typical run paces. I thought it was old age. I became frustrated, but never relented. Turns out, I required patience and perseverance. I kept running, I then became peppy, energized, and invincible.
3) Focus on COURAGE. Full disclosure....I cry over courage. I am inspired by courage. I am inspired by my kids and my 12 year old soccer players who show me what courage REALLY looks like. They were my deepest lesson today. I'd imagine their examples throughout my run today, and repeat George S. Patton's quote "Courage is fear holding on for one more minute." ...
St. Cloud's Ultra-Triathlete...
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Monday, 09 December 2019 23:10
By N
ora G. Hertel (sctimes.com - Dec. 9)
BOULDER, Colorado — Laura Knoblach says she's "super slow" in short races.
But the St. Cloud native has world-record-breaking endurance.
Knoblach completed the equivalent of 20 Ironman triathlons in October, back to back to back.
In the span of about 26 days Knoblach swam 48 miles, biked 2,240 and ran 534. It's called a double deca triathlon, and Knoblach won the event held in Leon, Mexico.
The 24-year-old beat the women's double deca world record by more than 9 hours. And she beat the U.S. men's record by more than 44 hours, she said....
That Time I Almost Drown (Or How I Became a Triathlete)...
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Friday, 06 December 2019 23:10
By Binam Shrestha
The year was 2004. I had recently moved to the United States from Nepal, a developing nation with few swimming opportunities for lower and middle class families. Like most people, I never learned how to swim. Now in my new American apartment building was a small swimming pool. The weather was hot and the pool was cool. One thing lead to another and I tried my hand at “swimming”. I put that in quotation marks because what I was doing couldn’t really be called swimming. Eventually, I lost my momentum in the middle of the pool, away from any walls. My head slipped below the water at 9 feet deep and I had no way of getting back to the surface. My only saving grace was another person from the building who was also at the pool that day who dove in to pull me out. Needless to say, my relationship with water and swimming from then on was one of anxiety and fear.
Over the years, I tried – and failed – at swim lessons at my local gym because I couldn’t get over my fear of the water. In 2015, my 3 year old daughter started swimming lessons and was surprisingly good. Watching her learn and develop motivated me to try again. I observed her swimming, and some of the things the swim teachers told to timid preschoolers to get them in the water. I started personal lessons once again, and started to slowly improve. By early 2018 I could swim a few laps in a pool, but I was always exhausted after doing only a few lengths. Fortunately I met an amazing group of people, including Coach Luke and some great Triathletes from Gear West. They encouraged me to continue to develop my swimming, and even took me swimming in open water for the first time! ...
Do-Do Happens!
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Wednesday, 20 November 2019 12:10
By Johnny Surprise (Facebook - Posted Nov. 9)
Ironman Florida - Shit happens
3.5 weeks prior to Ironman I was on a much too early run with Evan Reed and I unfortunately stepped in a small pothole that I could not see thanks to the darkness and to me not wearing a headlamp. My 5th metatarsal snapped like a large branch, yes, that loud. I didn’t panic; I just calmly hobbled off to the side of the path and asked ER to go get the car. Got home and jumped into the car and went to Parkway, my good pal Dr Ness confirmed that it was broke. Now the fun begins… Thank God for Pete Garber, Certified badass Physical Therapist. He set the plan; we met pretty much everyday until I got on the plane to PCB. Pete is a motivator as well as probably the best PT in the state of MN. I was able to get in a couple of runs before the race BUT we knew it was going to be hit or miss - meaning I would be great or I was going to suffer.
I had probably the best training block I have ever had for this being my 11th Ironman; my fitness was at an all-time high. Had a top-notch coach - ass kissing here - The one and only Andy Schiesl (Hannah Grinakers Coach) he really awakened a monster in me - Good thing. I had one heck of a training partner Meleah...
On Cloud 9...
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Saturday, 16 November 2019 23:10
ED. Sophomore triathlete Shyanne McGregor of Duluth could not have had a more successful Ironman debut: 9:47:52! For MMH purposes, November and December performances apply to the following season's resume. Shyanne, therefore, will come into the 2020 season with a POY-nomination-worthy result already on her scorecard.
By Shyanne McGregor (Facebook - Posted November 3)
Wow!!! What. A. Day.!!! IMFL 2019
The whole last week I was super nervous about the race, but as soon as the gun went off I was surprisingly (for me) calm.
Short but sweet race report:
🏊♀️The swim went well! I probably seeded myself a little too far back but I moved my way up the pack. I ended up 7th overall female out of the water. 🚴♀️ Bike: Didn’t let any girls pass me. Kept the rubber side on the road. No flats. Came off the bike 7th female. 🏃♀️Run: I’ve never run a marathon until today...after a 2.4 mile swim and 112 bike ride. I kept my pace and ended with a 3:26:03 marathon. And a finishing time of 9:47:5...
Calm Mind & Pop Strategy...
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Tuesday, 12 November 2019 23:10
By Hanna Grinaker (thefitspace.com)
Hawaii Ironman World Championships Race Report - I didn’t expect to love racing in Kona. In fact, I prepared to hate it (or at least parts of it). I anticipated feelings of dread, doom or even death wash over me like a tidal wave at various points over the 140.6 mile distance, but you know what? They never came.
Isn’t that interesting how that works? Perception of effort has always been so mysterious to me. There have been races that, on paper, have been equally demanding, but for whatever reason, I had been on top of my suffering in one, and completely overwhelmed by it in another. With time though, I’ve learned it’s usually my thoughts about how hard a race will be that drives how well my brain will cope. Instead of hoping a race won’t be one of those grinding affairs, I brace myself, expecting the hurt to come and welcoming it when it does. “Can it hurt more....?” Oh I’m sure it can.
Ever since watching Sean race Kona in 2016, and then tuning in to the live broadcast on TV the 2 years after that, I developed some ideas about what I would endure. When I stepped off the plane in Kona to a blast of hot air to the face like the feeling you get when you pop the oven door to check on your pizza, I felt relieved. The heat felt like a huge hug—a promise delivered, rather than a bad dream come true....
