Gandy Dancer

Living in Boulder I always appreciate the natural beauty and opportunities I have been given to train in such an amazing place. I kicked off my day with an early morning yoga class which I have been attending twice a week since November in an effort to increase my flexibility. There were only two of us attending the session so it was like having private yoga lessons! I followed the yoga with my strength training and my body is adapting to the new routine. I love being in the gym and the other dimension it adds to my training. With the recent snow I opted to mix things up a bit with my training and do some skate skiing this afternoon at Eldora Mountain Resort (www.eldora.com). After an easy spin on the CompuTrainer and some lunch I headed up the canyon with my roommate, Pete, who is an excellent skate skiier. Today was my first time out this season and I was surpised how comfortable I felt on my skiis. I was thinking to myself, "Wow, I may just get in my first skate skiing session without falling." This thought crossed my mind just as we headed down a steep technical section of trail called Gandy Dancer...I soon found myself dancing face first into a large pile of soft powder! It was a hoot to get on the skiis and fly through the wooded trails at 9,000 feet. A killer day was capped having dinner with friends at one of my new sponsors BD's Mongolian Barbeque (www.gomongo.com). Their food is awesome and healthy of course :)

Keep it smooth...

Christmas Surprise

Despite an hour delay departing Detroit Christmas evening my flight to Denver still managed an on-time arrival - way to go Frontier (www.frontierairlines.com) We, my friend Erin and I, had the standard wait for baggage, but no big deal. Upon getting to my car I was stoked to not see my car buried or blocked with snow from the snow plows. I hopped in and went to start my trusty Jeep Cherokee Sport. Dead. No turn over. Nada. Zip. Zero. Nothing.

We hopped back on the shuttle to return to the terminal so we could catch the RTD bus into Boulder. When it was all said and done I found my head hitting the pillow at 12:50 am. Sweeet!

Yes, my car is still sitting in the DIA parking lot with hopes of getting it sorted tomorrow.

Keep it smooth...

Whew!

I left late Tuesday evening for Detroit and fortunately missed the big snow in the Denver/Boulder area. It has been great seeing my family and a few friends back in Motown. We celebrated our family Christmas yesterday. Having 11 nieces and nephews makes for plenty of laughs and excitement :)

Training has been steady with a swim and run emphasis while in Michigan. I opted to leave my bike in Colorado this year. I must say I am awfully spoiled to swim outdoors year-round in Boulder...I forgot how stuffy some indoor pools can be.

Hope you and yours enjoy a very Merry Christmas!

Keep it smooth...

Warm & Windy!

The past several days have been unusually warm here with temps yesterday reaching the upper 60s. Along with the warm temps though have been some crazy winds...gusts up to 50 MPH which have made riding a bit interesting at times! A couple of days ago I was riding smack into a head wind coming on a flat section. I laughed upon looking down at my Ergomo and seeing my blazing speed of 9.6 MPH and watts at 200. No sense is fighting the winds! Tomorrow it is supposed to snow with a predicted high of 30...life in the Rockies.

While cycling along the rolling terrain of Boulder County one can see an array of wildlife...prarie dogs, fox, deer, snakes, hawks and eagles. Heck this past summer someone actually ran into a bear during the Boulder Peak Triathlon. Yesterday I was riding the rural roads north of Boulder and came across a herd of cattle in the road. Fortunately they were not aggressive and seemed pretty content on just going about their business.

Keep it smooth...

Over the River & Through the Woods

After a decent week of snow we have had some warm temps which in turn has made the trails a bit mucky. I ran over a portion of the CU cross country course recently...well really I was a slipping and a sliding! It's all good though as it adds a fun dynamic with the goal of not landing completely on my bum.

Earlier in the week I had my run blood lactate test done at the Boulder Center for Sports Medicine (www.bch.org/sportsmedicine). It revealed what I pretty much knew...my run fitness is a bit down. Not a huge concern though as my pace at LT is the same as this time last year, but my HR was a bit higher. Over the next four weeks I will continue to focus on some serious base training with strict HR ranges on both the bike and run.

Christmas is approaching and I have done absolutley squat for my gift-giving. I'll be traveling next week with my friend Erin back to the Motor City. I only have one gift to buy though as my family has a traditional gift-giving deal. This year I have my brother-in-law and the guy has every tool known to man. I'm sure I"ll think of something. One year I gave him some compact fluorescent light bulbs...seriously no joke and he loved them! My parents are adamant we do not purchase anything for them and instead have expressed gratitude for a donation made to a charity if we feel so inclined.

I wish you all a very safe, healthy, happy and blessed Christmas season!

Keep it smooth...

My Backyard!

After spending last week indoors for all my rides on account of the hearty winter weather we had in Boulder, I was soooo happy to get outside and ride today. Pictured at left are the Flatiron Mountains which are part of the Rockies. Yes, I am one lucky son of a bisquit to live in such a beautiful place!

My good friends Erin, Pete & I hosted a holiday party over the weekend and it was a hoot! Great food (by gourmet chef Bradford Heap of LeChaunticler), super sangria & jell-0 shots (compliments of Joanna Z. & Mark), entertaining white elephant gift exchange and lots of laughs :) It's always refreshing to mix it up with folks outside of our sport. I have a strong inclination December is going to simply fly...plan to be home in Michigan to visit my family over Christmas...with 11 nieces and nephews it is always interesting.

My 2007 schedule is pretty well set and I'm stoked about my new partnership with Jelly Belly's Team Sport Beans/NTTC! (www.nttcracing.com) While triathlon is most definitely an individual sport (minus the hacks who find ways to make it a group effort) I'm looking forward to adding a team dynamic to things this season. We have our team camp in early February and it will be great to meet my teammates. The last few weeks I have been in a sudo prep mode in getting myself set for more structure and specificity with my training. Tomorrow I am making another visit to the Boulder Center for Sports Medicine for my early season LT bike test and next week I'll get in the run LT. The tests will give us (me and Zane, my coach) some solid baseline numbers for my current fitness.

Outside of training I have been busy sheduling talks. Last Thursday evening I had the pleasure of speaking at Colorado State University on the topic of "You are what you eat - physical & spiritual fitness". It was a good change from my typical message.

Need to hit the rack...want to be rested for my test in the morn!

Keep it smooth...

Oh the Pain

Friday I returned to the weight room for a new strength training block. Today I swam masters with the usual sharks...Simon, Dave S., Wolfgang and many more. It was great to be in the mix with a group practice after the drill work I've been doing on my own. As much as I love the weight room, it's always a little rough the first couple of days with tweaks here and there. It has also reminded me how unflexible I am, especially in the water. Plan to hit a "gentle" yoga class twice a week to help loosen things. Day two of the new strength routine is later today. Hopefully I won't wake tomorrow all seized up!

Looking ahead, this is a busy week...swim video analysis, speaking engagement Thursday at CSU, hosting a holiday party with friends on Saturday...if I get my new digital camera working I'll try and post some pics from the party on my website.

If you are looking to get something in the holiday spirit, visit www.aaronshust.com for his latest free download.

Keep it smooth...

Ooopps!

Yesterday I met with my new wetsuit sponsor LAMAR Health, Fitness & Sports to try on a couple of suits. Having never met the crew at LAMAR in person I was looking forward to the meeting and getting in my new suit. My contact, Paul, was great and had a couple of O2 Flow Razor suits fresh from the warehouse and still boxed for me to try. The first one looked a bit small and as I was wriggling my body into it I thought, "No, this is not going to work...." ripppp. Yep, I ruined it. Now remember, this was my first interaction with the good people at LAMAR and I just trashed a $500 wetsuit. Complete jackass. Yes, that is exactly how I felt. Paul was totally cool with things and even let me try on the other suit. It too was too small and I am going back next week to get it right!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Keep it smooth...

Loving the down time!

I'm feeling a bit thick these days, but it's all good! I've totally enjoyed the last two weeks of no training and look forward to getting back to things this week. Last week I was in Michigan for some speaking engagements. It was great to see some of my family and focus on my other passion...talking to young people about dating, love and relationships :) One of my talks took place at my old high school which was a bit surreal.

Yesterday I picked up my tennis racket and hit with my friend Erin. I think it has been at least four years since I swung that bad boy and it wasn't as ugly as I thought it would be. Me and my friends are getting stoked for the snow and skate skiiing!! Training-wise, I'll be back in the weightroom for a strength training cycle starting tomorrow. My focus with the swim through December is all about technique. I'm meeting with super star swim coach Wolfgang Dittrich here in Boulder later this week to talk about some of my limitations (flexibility is seriously lacking) and what I need to do to put myself in a better spot for 2007! The biking and running will be pretty low-key with an emphisis on continuing to build the internal engine. I'll return to Austin sometime in February for a few weeks to escape a bit of the winter. Heading out to see the new movie Borat (sp??) with my cronies tonight.

Keep it smooth...

Fun Times in Tempe

I wrapped up the 2006 race season last weekend at the Soma Half IM in Tempe, AZ. As expected it was a super fun weekend with friends and racing. The race director, Jeff Suffolk, and his crew did a great job in making it an exciting and competitive race. He also hooked me up with a stellar homestay...Glen Newbold, his wife Jana and two year-old Tyson were so generous in welcoming into their home for the weekend. A hearty congrats to Glen who completed his first half IM!

My flight leaving Denver on Thursday before the Sunday race was delayed 2 hours because of a snow storm which dumped up to 12 inches of wet, heavy snow along the Colorado front range. It was a little after 9:00 pm when I finally walked through the front doors of the Newbold home. The next day was my standard pre-race rest day, so I spent the morning building up my bike then headed into downtown Tempe for some lunch and check things out a bit. A couple of my friends, Kristin & Erin, were arriving later in the afternoon and we were able to meet up for dinner that night.

Saturday morning I completed my final workout, registered and checked in my bike. I was assigned bib number 1, which gave me and my friends a pretty good chuckle. Kristin, Erin and I had lunch, drove the bike course and spent the rest of the day relaxing at the house where they were staying. We had some competitive games of billiards and plenty of laughs before making our pasta dinner.

I woke race morning rested and ready to roll. I was super excited to get after it and simply enjoy the day. The course was spectator friendly with 3 loops on the bike and 2 for the run. I lined myself up in the water next to my roommmate, Pete, hoping I could secure a draft from him...ha. It lasted all of about 10 seconds and I soon found myself gapped from the leaders and once again swimming alone for 1.2 miles. I exited the water in 28:27, well off my goal time.

Onto the bike and just made an effort to hit my nutrition and ride aggressively. The loop course offerred plenty of chances to see how I was doing against the competition. The eventual winner, Lewis Elliot, was hammering things and opened up a big lead with a bike split of 2:09. This particular course really made one ride aware and alert with the u-turns, construction and having to navigate through other athletes. I found myself riding with Timex's Andriy Yasterbov who had DNFd at Kona the week prior. We played a nice little game of cat & mouse through most of the second and third loops. Coming into T2 I was pleased with my effort on the bike riding a 2:16.

Exiting the bike-to-run transition I calculated I was about 10 minutes down from the leader and running in 9th place. I was quite familiar with the run course as it covered the same route as IMAZ. Reminding myself of my run mantra, swift & smile, I took in what I needed at the aid stations thanking the volunteers. Through the first loop I managed to run down some of the guys and was in 5th place. It appeared Lewis was well on his way to the victory, but I continued to run hard in an effort to make the podium. Running a somewhat disappointing 1:17 (second fastest on the day behind Andriy's 1:16), I finished in 4th place with a 4:03:58. Andriy ran into 2nd and Jonathon Carron of Candada was just ahead of me in 3rd. As I crossed the finish line I was pleased not only with the day, but to have completed a successful season.

I congratulate Lewis, Andriy and Jonathon for their results and a big kudos to Pete, Erin and Kristin for their effort on race day!

2006 proved to be a solid year for me with several PR's set throughout the season. I am so grateful for the gift of good health, my sponsors and their support...Hammer Nutrition, Rudy Project and Elite Performance Foods. My coach, Zane Castro, has been such a big influence on my development as an athlete and person.

Thanks for checking in!

Keep it smooth...

Let It Snow, Snow, Snow

I awoke this morning to a hearty dose of snow...the wet, heavy kind that creates havoc on the roads but makes the trees and mountains look like a winter wonderland. My flight for Phoenix is supposed to depart at 5:00 pm. I might need to borrow Santa's sleigh to get to the airport!

With a solid block of training under my legs I'm stoked to wrap things up for 2006 at the Soma Half IM this weekend in Tempe, AZ. My friends Erin, Kristin and Pete are racing as well and we've put in place a bit of a competition to spice up the race a bit...should be fun.

More to come upon my return to Boulder early next week.

Keep it smooth...

Kona

Jeesh, I almost forgot to send a shout out to my friends racing Kona tomorrow. I wish them and all the other competitors, volunteers, sherpas and others a safe and healthy day of racing on the Big Island!

I will be sending positive thoughts throughout the day to Joanna Z., Michael S., Mitch G., Michael L., Lars F. & Emily! Be your best!!

Keep it smooth...

Taste of Winter

Earlier this week we had our first snowfall here in Boulder. The colder weather has forced me to ride on my CompuTrainer a few times this week, but it's all good. The Soma Half IM is next weekend and I'm stoked for it...I've been feeling quite sharp in training in all three disciplines and ready to lay down a solid effort in Tempe. My friends Erin, Kristin and Pete are racing as well so it promises to be a fun way to end the season :) After Soma I have to travel to Michigan the first week in November for some speaking engagements and will enjoy a nice break from training. It will be fun to do some other things like skate skiing, ice skating, sleep in a bit, etc.

With my speaking, people often ask, "Are you Christian?" This has prompted some thoughts while riding indoors this week. Whenever I give a talk, I'm never in the position or mindset of imposing my thoughts on dating, love and relationships. Rather, I like to think I'm proposing some ideas on how to live a healthy lifestyle. This is done out of a genuine care for the health and well-being of others, specifically our young people.

Keep it smooth...

Rolling Along

The last 10-12 days of training have been quite good. I seem to be getting out of my IM Wisconsin "funk" and finding a bit of snap with things. Of course, completing some sessions with the likes of Michael, Simon, Dave, Colleen (Olympic runner), her husband Daren and others certainly lends itself to upping the effort. After completing so much training on my own in preparation for IMWI, it's been fun to train more with others and share some laughs.

Outside of training and getting ready for the Soma Half IM in a few weeks, my focus has been on sponsorship for 2007 and finding a new place to live. ML has been huge in helping with sponsorship. His insight has been invaluable. I just may have found a new condo...trying to sort out the finances, etc. Off to bed for tomorrow morning brings another brisk 15 miler with the guys.

Keep it smooth...

Running With the Devil

OK, so Simon isn't really the devil, but he can be evil in training sessions! Friday morning I met up with Simon, Michael and Tim for what was supposed to be an easy to moderate 15 mile hill run. "Easy" quickly transformed itself to brisk within the first mile as "competitive" reared its ugly head. It was a beautiful morning for a run and Simon threw out a couple of options...the Teller Farm run or a new route to east Niwot. Michael's response was simply, "Whatever will slow us down." The challenging Teller Farm trail it would be. By mile 2 Michael decided he really didn't need to be running the set pace, so he wisely dropped back. Tim joined him at mile 3 and I found myself running shoulder to shoulder with the lanky South African. When we hit the turnaround Simon commented we were running a bit faster than what he typically runs over this portion of the route. I thought to myself, "Greaaat" knowing the next few miles were the toughest with steep hills. We hit these pretty hard but I didn't lose my vision. Simon gapped me a bit at the 13.5 mile mark and I opted not to kill myself in an effort to go with him. Upon returning to his house Simon noted we had just ran this route the fastest he ever has...not sure if that is good or bad. At any rate it was a hearty effort!

Yesterday I rode my favorite long climbing route which had close to 4500 feet of climbing. It was a magnificant day to ride in the mountains and I was loving it. I rode from Boulder north to Big Thompson Canyon up through Glen Haven and on to Estes Park. This climb is stunning with its views leading into Estes Park and not much vehicle traffic. The final portion has a nasty bite with a 10-12% grade. It's well worth it though as the view upon cresting is simply stellar...as a hand painted sign reads "A slice of heaven". The descent down 36 into Lyons was awesome riding 35-45 MPH. I completed the 104 mile loop faster than I thought I would given Friday's run the day before and my legs felt pretty good running off the bike. The day was topped off having dinner & dessert on Pearl with a couple of friends.

Keep it smooth...

Indian Summer

The color is in full swing in and around Boulder these days and it looks absolutely stunning! We are enjoying some amazing weather at the moment and I am going to take full advantage of it. Embarrassingly, or rather sadly I should say, I have not done one long climbing ride up to Estes Park this season. Saturday I'm all over it with predicted temps in the upper 70s. Hopefully a few of my friends will join me for the venture. Plan to ride up to Estes Park via Big Thompson caynon which is one of my favorite climbs. I rode it last year with Simon Lessing and Chris Legh, but maybe this go I'll be able to take in a bit of the scenery instead of being blind from an anaerobic state. I am looking at some condos later today with my realtor...yippeee!

Keep it smooth...

What Happened?

I've been reflecting this quite a bit since returning to Boulder. I totally had the good intention of putting up my Ironman Wisconsin race report in a timely manner, but have found myself in a bit of a funk...disappointment from my race and other "life issues". Basically it was a rather rough day for me. Cold, wind and rain from start to finish made for a pretty miserable day of racing. The Ironman North America staff and volunteers in Madison are unbelieveable and really helped motivate me in my glossy-eyed state on the run. I did secure a slot for the 2007 Ironman World Championships, so I'm stoked about that. My performance on the other hand was less than desireable. I placed 7th overall in 9:41 which is my best Ironman placing. It has been good to get back to some strucutred training this week. I've felt good on my bike completing some tempo and threshold work and my legs are feeling pretty decent with the run. I always enjoy getting back in the water after a bit of a recovery.

Having some down time from training I've been working on sponsorship for 2007, the Fit to Tri program for at-risk youth (www.firstgiving.com/bradsrace) and house hunting. Yeah that's right I'm finally getting motivated to move into my own condo. Coming from Michigan where I was a proud homeowner to having a roommate and renting the past two years I am so ready for a change. My roommate is great and we have never had any issues, but I'm ready to have my own space...kinda lick myspace but only better ;)

I am excited about one more final block of training in preparation for the Soma Half Ironman on October 29th. The race is a hoot and held in the pleasant confines of Tempe, AZ. Several of my friends from Boulder are racing so it promises to be a fun way to cap my season!

Keep it smooth...

Twas the Night Before IM Wisconsin...

I completed my final pre-race brick and feel realllllyyyy goood! The weather has been stellar here in Madison since arriving on Wednesday. A cold front came in during the night and temps on race day will be cool...predicted high of 63 with chance of some rain. I've got my arse covered either way with the right gear so the cooler weather really shouldn't be too big an issue. Cold and rain is not the ideal, but just got to roll with whatever it is.

I've had a great time the last few days with some training, eating and hanging with my Austin peeps...coach Zane, his wife Terra, her mother, friends Shelly & Joseph and a few others. Yesterday was my off day so I enjoyed a leisurely breakfast and relaxing at the hotel. I met up with Terra and a couple of friends for lunch (got to stay on top of the carbs and nutrition) before our pro meeting. As always, the meeting was highlighted by some rather dumb-ass questions. I know that sounds crass, but c'mon do we really need to debate the drafting zone or why we are starting 10 minutes ahead of the age groupers and not 15 minutes? Jeez, don't sweat the small stuff! After the meeting, Zane, Joseph and I went to see Invincible. What an awesome flick! Highly recommended.

Well, I need to get my gear bags and bike race ready! Check back post the race for a re-cap!

Keep it smooth...

Checking In...

As much as I've said to myself in the past, "Dude, you need to stay on top of updating your blog!" I once again have found myself neglecting it. Since my last post I've raced two half Ironman events - the Spirit of Racine which served as the US Pro Long Course Championships in Racine, WI and most recently the 5430 Half IM here in Boulder. Brief recap...Spirit of Racine was a wonderful weekend with my parents making the drive from MI to support me. We had ideal race weather all weekend. Swim was tough as I found myself solo for the 1.2 mile effort in the chop of Lake Michigan. Bike was steady, but nothing special. Run was speedy as I had the fastest run split of the day in 1:14 and ran my way to a podium finish. 3rd overall and able to take home some grocery money! 5430 Half - It's always nice to sleep in my own bed before a race. This was a rough day for me and my worst race of the season. Swim stunk, bike was flat and simply ran hard to save a little face posting the second fastest run behind the talented Aussie Craig Alexander. It was a rather frustrating day, but given the fact I was just coming off my peak volume week in preparation for IM Wisconsin, not too bad...always have to keep things in perspective.

I'm in my final "big" week building for Ironman Wisconsin on September 10th. All things considered it has gone very well. Some highlights have included a 30 mile run day (25 early am and another easy 5 late in the day), 150 mile bike session followed by a moderate 10 mile rurun, several bikes of 110-130 and some hearty swim sessions of 5-6K. My body has met the challenge. My mind...well let's just say there have been a fair amount of f-bombs being dropped on the roads of Boulder County! Really, it has all been good and I am very grateful for the gift of good health. With the taper just around the corner I will be sure to give an update - seriously for real!

Keep it smooth...

Schads

My friends Kristin & Mary recently introduced me to this killer new word, schads. Don't go running to your Webster's though, as I don't think you'll find it there. It's a great word and fun to use. For example: The guys had schads of laughs at Tom's Oyster Bar last night. We had schads of fun kite boarding in the Keys.

Last weekend, I competed in my first bike race. It was a hoot and pretty demanding. The Mike Horgan Hill Climb begins just outside of downtown Boulder and climbs some 3,000 feet up to Nederland. As my group, Cat 4, rolled away from the start a friend rode up next to me. I mentioned to him it was my first bike race as we talked casually and he suggested I not say that too loudly. We climbed up, up, up Sugar Loaf Road before connecting with the Peak to Peak Highway which would lead us to the finish at the Nederland Elementary. As the race progressed I was feeling comfortable and rode with a small group of guys off the front. I soon realized my chain wasn't staying in the appropriate gear and this was going to be one tough effort. Rolling across the finish line with a flat I had a smile on my face. It was a great experience and I look forward to hitting some more bike races in the future.

This weekend I'm heading to Racine, WI to race at the US Pro Long Course Championships. More to come post the race.

Keep it smooth...