2014 Training Log - Swim, Bike, Run Miles for 2014 Season

Sun is setting on another year. Looking forward to 2015
This is the third year where I have tallied up my training for the year. If you are interested in
other yearly reviews then please see the following posts:

2012 Training Log Review
2013 Training Log Review

2014 was another solid year of racing that saw two more pro podiums at Ironman events. Those included a 2nd at Ironman Louisville, just a few seconds behind winner Chris McDonald, and a 3rd at Ironman Silverman 70.3. It was my 3rd year racing pro and my 7th pro podium.

Overall I was very happy with the season considering that I was injured for the first five months of the year with plantar fasciitis. At one point my roomate jokingly told me I would never race again. In the end I toed the line at 23 races. 5 aquathons, 2 sprints, 3 olympics, 8 half Ironmans, and 5 Ironmans. Off those 23 races I finished 21 and DNFed at Ironman Texas and Ironman Arizona due to injury. To go from not knowing if I would even race in 2014 to completing 21 races was a miracle in itself.

Here are my yearly swimbike, and run totals:

Total: 12,332 Miles / 1,118 hours 

Swim: 678 miles (1,193,280 yards)  / 326 hours
Bike: 9,970, miles / 574 hours
Run: 1,293 miles /  186 hours
Walking: 91 miles / 32 hours

Those numbers come out to an average of 93.16 hours per month, and 21.5 hours per week. Weekly mileage is 13 miles (23,000 yards) swimming, 191 miles biking, and 25 miles running.

For those looking for a little more granular data of Hours Per Month then here you go:

2014 Hours Logged Per Month - All Activities



5 Things I Loved About Flotracks Beer Mile World Championship

2014 Beer Mile World Champion Results
Tonight Austin Texas played host for Flotrack's 2014 Beer Mile World Championships. For those
that are unaware, a beer mile is a race that consists of drinking a beer, running a quarter mile, and then repeating it three more times. In the end you drink four beers and run one mile. Tonight, Corey Gallagher chugged his final beer in 8 seconds and then ran a closing 61 second final quarter mile for a total time 5:00:23 earning him title as 2014 Beer Mile World Champion and put $2,500 into his pocket. It was rather impressive and I felt compelled to write about it so here are some brief thoughts.

First, I will say that truthfully I love everything about the event and there were so many different lessons to learn in some many different disparate areas of life. I won't touch on all of them but here are a couple.

1) Putting an event on the map - Put $10,000 up for grabs, call it a World Championship, and livestream it with acceptable quality and you have a chance to get off the ground. It helps to have an exciting and unique event but this should be a lesson for all race directors out there or anyone in marketing/sales. The stakes DON'T need to be high, but adding some stakes generates more interest. Advertise the stakes, talk about them during the race, present a big check, acknowledge the performances and you will make it bigger deal than it was without doing those things.

2014 Kona Beer Mile Champion AJ Baucco
2) Takings Chances. I love that Under Armour took a chance. Most people never really give thought to how challenging it can be to be public figure/brand/organization, but it is hard. You are never going to make everyone happy so when it comes to throwing money at something you have to be sure it doesn't backfire. I'm not sure if Nike just doesn't want to get involved at this point or maybe the stakes are just too small, but Under Armour took a chance and it looks like they signed a last minute deal. I loved that the company was nimble enough to recognize and bet on Corey Gallagher. As an athlete I know how important every supporter is no matter how big or small. I would like to thank my own apparel sponsor 2XU for taking a chance on me and I'm sure they would have been more than happy to have me represent the brand at this event.

3) Supporting the love of the game - It gives us yet another sport outside of the four big sports. Personally, I gave up on big sports over a decade ago and I prefer to support smaller sports - sports where athletes don't sign $200,000,000 deals. Athletes don't get started in sports for the money, they get involved for the love of the game, but somewhere along that journey many athletes get corrupted and lose sight of why they are really competing. I still want to support athletes, just not the athletes making $200,000,000 and that care more about money then the love of the game.

4) Cut the cord - Truthfully I thought the major cable operators would have been dead by now, but some how they still subsist. Most people cite their reason for not axing the subscription because of the lack of alternatives to live sports. The more options we have to watch live sports online the more opportunities people have to cut the cord.

5) Introducing new people to goals and sports. Maybe there is someone who is just a beer drinker, maybe even an alcoholic, and tonight they were captivated by the event. Maybe it converts one non-exercising beer drinker, into a beer-drinking exerciser and that is a good thing. If the beer mile gets even one person off the couch who otherwise wouldn't have then it is a success in my eyes. People need to be motivated, people need to be challenged. I don't really care what people are trying to accomplish as long they work hard at it, set goals, and have plan for achieving them.

Predictions: Assuming there are no legal hurdles, the beer mile will continue to grow in popularity. My guess is it will explode exponentially in the next couple of years. Although I said I would never do one, my tune is changing. After watching the beer mile in person at Kona for the Ironman World Championships, I can say with 100% confidence that there is another beer mile spectation in my future.

Bike Equipement Weights

For those weight weenies out there who always like to know the weight of their equipment I have some weights. There will always be a natural amount of variance in the manufacturer process so your weights might differ

2014 Zipp Super-9 Carbon Clincher Disc: Matte white decals, 11-speed freehub body.
Manufacturer claim 1175g
Actual weight 1133g

2014 Zipp 808 Firecrest Carbon Clincher Front: Matte white decals, 11-speed freehub body. 88 hub version.  18 spokes.
Manufacturer claim 840g
Actual weight 846g

2012 Zipp 808 Firecrest Carbon Clincher Front: Matte white decals, 11-speed freehub body. 88 Hub version.  16 spokes.
Manufacturer claim ???g
Actual weight 803g

2014 Zipp 404 Firecrest Carbon Clincher Front: Matte white decals, 11-speed freehub body. 88 Hub version.  18 spokes.
Manufacturer claim 740g
Actual weight 723g

2014 Zipp 404 Firecrest Carbon Clincher Rear:  Matte white decals, 11-speed freehub body. 188 hub version 9.  24 spokes.
Manufacturer claim 900g
Actual weight 890g

Shimano Ultegra 6700 Crankset (165mm arms)
Non-drive: 192g
Drive:  346g
Chainrings (53/39):144g
Chainring Bolts: 9g
Cap: 3g
Total: 694g

Shimano Dura-Ace 9000 Crankset (165mm arms)
Non-drive: 176g
Drive:  311g
Chainrings (53/39):140g
Chainring Bolts: 6g
Cap: 3g
Total: 636g

Shimano Dura-Ace 7900 Crankset (165mm arms)
Non-drive: 180g

2016 HED JET+ 6 Front
Notes: Sonic hub straight pull, 18 spokes, no stickers, no rim tape, regular aluminum version (ie non-black)
Actual Weight: 762g






2014 Ironman World Championship Spectating and Why Pros Matter

For those that have never been to the Big Island, it is not really something that can be understood just by hearing stories or watching it on TV - you have to be here. I don't care if you are the World Champion at a different distance or done a 100 other triathlons, Kona is special and it is not something I can really explain - it is something that has to be experienced and preferably by crossing that line. I competed in this race in 2010 as an amateur and in 2013 as a professional, but I hope that watching the 2014 Ironman World Championship will give me a different perspective on my fellow competitors racing on our sport's biggest day.

Although my own perspective might be unique, I hope that it is not. You see I love this sport. I love most everything about it. I love the lifestyle that comes with it, I love the hard work and discipline that is required to be successful. To be truthful, I am still enamored by my fellow professionals out there competing and I can't tell you the last time I was excited about watching a professional sport outside of triathlon. I often hear that triathlon is too boring to watch, that it is too long to spectate, and that it is in general, just not spectator friendly. Maybe those critics are right, and maybe I will be one of them after Saturday's event, but the beauty of Ironman is that it is a very long day and anything can happen.

Anyone that says they can pick the winner doesn't really truly understand the state of triathlon today. There are so many factors that come into play on race day. There are specific strengths and weaknesses of the athletes, tactics, conditions, nutrition, and a host of other external factors that all come into play. I could see five different winners based on five different scenarios and although I can try to pick winners and losers based on a particular scenario, I have to deal with both the odds of the scenario and then those racers within the scenario itself. But less I try... Give me Marino "Bink" Vanhoenacker and Daniela Ryf.

Although picking the winners is a gamble, one thing is certain - every professional athlete toeing the line on Saturday is extremely talented, well-trained, and dedicated. Talent is not just limited to physical attributes either and I know that the likes of Andrew Starkowicz, TJ Tollakson, Maik Twelsiak, Jan Frodeno, Craig Alexander, Pete Jacobs, Bart Aeronauts, Faris Al-Sultan, Sebastien Kienle, Andy Potts, Marino Vanhoenacker, Rachel Joyce, Mirinda Carfrae, Caroline Steffen, Daniel Ryf, Meredith Kessler, Gina Crawford, and Amanda Stevens will all influence the race, but more importantly put on a great show.

Outside of the professional race, I am excited to spectate friends as well. I am excited to cheer on all the amateurs who manage to balance work and family with all the blood, sweat and tears, that come with being some of the fittest endurance athletes on the plant. I am looking forward to watching a phenom amateur - a guy who doesn't know how good he actually is. His name is James Burke. I am excited to see how former speed-skater and Olympian Apollo Ono does. I want to see how his hard work from speed skating translates to Ironman racing and I am curious what he thinks of Ironman and the experience. I have already had a good time catching up with friends & sponsors, and other people in the industry and there is more to come. I am happy to thank all the volunteers who help out to make this great event possible. And lastly, I genuinely just enjoy being on the island and spending time with Paul and Katie Burke who are kind enough to invite me into their home.

Despite all the other reasons, the main event is still the pro athletes for me - it is why I am going to The Big Island. Nobody talks about the weather this week, it is always about who will win this race. As I said before, I am enamored of my peers. I know how hard each has worked to get there. The hours, the blood sweat and tears, the sacrifices made. Maybe I am just a super fan. I will say at one time the only thing I knew about Triathlon was Ironman - specifically the one they showed on TV with the great stories and the recap. It is the same show that highlights the sport to many other Americans who know nothing about triathlon or Ironman for that matter. It is the show that makes your co-workers, friends, family, boss, and customers think the same thing about you - "you sir are a badass." It is the race that put triathlon on the map, and I am thankful because this is a such wonderful sport.

Aloha
-TG

Cobb Cycling Coupon Code Save 10% + Free Shipping on Saddles, Clothing, Cranks and more

Save 10% + free shipping at Cobb Cycling. 10% coupon code automatically applied at checkout but you must use this Cobb Cycling link or click on the image to the right.


Screenshot - Coupon Code Automatically Added At Checkout


Why Cobb Saddles??? - Simply the best saddles in the industry

- 60-day trial period!!! Ride the saddle for 60-days. If it doesn't work send it back for a refund. Finding a saddle can be an expensive process of trial-and-error. Cobb saddles eliminates this expense and hassle.

- Wide variety of saddles to uniquely fit your needs!!! No saddle is for everyone, but John Cobb has a lifetime of experience in bike fits and saddle design. He helped design the popular ISM saddles. He took his knowledge of saddles and bike fits and created a variety of saddles designed to meet the specific needs of different genders, anatomies, riding styles, and rider goals. They have a saddle for nearly everyone.

- Fit chart or personalized phone recommendation!!! Check out their Seat Selector Guide to start, but if you need a personal recommendation based on your own body type, fit, and riding style, they would be happy to recommend the saddle that is most likely to work for you. Call them at (903) 253-8555 or email info@cobbcycling.com.

- Specific Women's Section and Adviser - Visit the special Women's Section on Cobb Cycling or call Cobb Cycling and ask for Rachel Olson. It is part of Rachel's role to discuss specific fit issues for women. She is a very talented triathlete / cyclist and has lots of experience in fitting women on their bikes and their own specific needs.

My Personal Experience with Cobb

I've been using Cobb saddles since 2009. Before Cobb I tried every saddle under the sun including many different ISM, Profile Design, Fizik and Specialized saddles before finally finding comfort on the V-Flow Plus. I went thru 25+ saddles before Cobb. I used the V-Flow Plus for about a year on my TT bike with the V-Flow Plus. I was told by someone I might like the Max even more and so I gave it a shot and I have been on a V-Flow Max ever since. I started working with Cobb professionally in 2014 and I am still on the Max nearly 7 years later. I am currently on the JOF Randee for my road bike and mountain bike saddle.

Lastly if you are a triathlete or endurance athlete, I am setting up a FREE Q&A group on Facebook. Feel free to ask any question you might have about Cobb Saddles or anything else.

Trisports Coupon Code 15% Off

SHOP Trisports
In the past I have had individual coupon codes for 20% off. This year (2017) we have switched to one simple code but the max I can offer is 15% off. The coupon code for that 15% off is here. It expires 12/31/2017!!!

Please note, not all brands allow discounting. Please see Trisport's full discount policy for more info.