Back to Normal

My knee/IT band is feeling alot better, still having some dull pain but, since it didn't hurt after 4miles of speed and hills today im pretty happy. Now that im feeling better were starting to crank up the mileage a little as well as the intensity, ive been doing some more swimming and riding which is also helping keep my legs healthy. I did 4x 1mile today with every even quarter up and down a hill, was a good aerobic workout, didnt push it so i felt comfortable for the whole way. I also don't feel any soreness coming on but ill wait til tmrw.

I leave for Puerto Rico on saturday morning so im trying to get in a little more swimming and riding this week before i leave. Im still going stick to the running regimen and try and do some open water swims while im there.

Although ive been running alot of easy miles i really do feel my running fitness coming along. This is probably the longest stretch of run training that ive ever done without interuption so hopefully it pays off in the tri season with some fast run splits.

Happy Holidays
Nic

past weeks

Well these past couple of weeks have been a little up and down for me with an issue ive been having with my knee. I think it was caused from supination due to too much support in my shoes and so i switched to a nuetral shoe, and it seems to be helping out alot. My massage therapist and chiro have also helped. Today was actually a great day, i ran 4mi in Lake Louisa St. Park with no problems so hopefully it stays that way, and i can start training hard for the Seasons 52 5k in january. I also start up my triathlon training tmrw, to start getting my riding legs and swimming arms back in shape. I really think the cross training that triathlon provides helps avoid injuries caused by running. Well, ill start getting back into the grind slowly next week, which i am very excited about, and check in later....peace.

Winter Garden 5k PR!!

I did the Winter Garden 5k this morning to represent my massage therapists at West Orange Massage, but did no expect to run a huge PR, 16:21!

I took thursday and friday off because i've been having some IT band issues, that started bugging my knee. I got an 'extreme' massage on friday and some kinesio taping which helped out alot. I still didn't have much confidence going in because i havn't been on the track in over 3 months, ive just been putting good mileage in and some good tempo runs. I drafted Zach Ruble on the first mile, and then he started pulling away and i was like, eh ill just run my own race for second, but i started feeling good and heard our mile split was like 5:14! I thought just keep the same pace and you'll be okay, so i went 5:12 for the second mile and after that i picked up some more because i was just feeling really good, and soon enough i pulled Zach back and ran for the win and an awesome PR. I didnt expect to run that fast this early in the season, escpecially with my knee bugging me a little. The knee feels pretty good, i think there is still a little swelling which ill have to work out with ice and regular massages, but all in all what a great day!

Here are the results http://www.championchiptiming.com/images/files/static/411OverAll.htm

Ill post some photos of the race later.

Founders' Day 10k

I had a great learning experience today in my first open 10k. The weather was great and i just wanted to be consistant and maybe descend the pace a little. Around mile 4.5 i put in a really hard surge (way too hard) and pretty much paid the price the last mile, but overall i was happy with the time, 35:43. Hopefully by the Winter Park 10k in March ill be a bit faster than that.

UCF 5 miler

I had a great race today at the UCF 5 miler. The weather was excellent, around 50 degrees, and the result gives my a lot of confidence for the 10k and next triathlon season.

I haven't competed in a race longer than a 5k in a while so i wasn't really expecting anything great based on my low mileage, so i was just out there to have some fun. Marc and I ran together for the first three miles, despite my not feeling that great for the first mile i stuck with him and we talked strategy and tried to stay relaxed. On the fourth mile i was feeling really good and just took off from the guys i was running with and passed about three people ahead of me, and i just kept the momentum going into the last mile. I was really happy with the splits because my last two miles were faster than my first, when i was expecting to slow down a little towards the end. My splits were 5:37, 5:47, 5:45, 5:31, and 5:34 and i finished in 28:16.

Im looking forward to increasing my mileage while staying healthy this winter, and bring my running to a new level.

season plans

Ive been running pretty easy these last couple of weeks and Sunday is the next race in the Track Shack Grand Prix series, the UCF 5 miler. Im excited b/c its through my school campus. Im also excited that i get to race a longer distance than a 5k. Im a little unsure as to the result, but im just gonna go for it and see what happens, should be a blast since its going to cool off. Its supposed to be 57 degrees that morning, YES!!!

I also planned next season for triathlon, and have a 7 week training trip to Marshfield, MA next summer to escape the florida heat and kind of recharge my mental batteries for age group nationals in august, im soooo excited!

im also going to take advantage of the State Park by my house, and buy a year pass tmrw so that i can run in the trails there. There are apparently 4500 acres of land and some 25+ miles of trails out there, so it should be some great running for the winter, and there is no way i can get bored!

Celebration of Running 5k/Fun day

I ran the Celebration of Running 5k this morning right outside the Orlando Science Center. It was a hot and humid, usual summer florida day. I felt great the day before on an easy run and race day i was ready to go. I took it out very controlled and around mile two a exploded from the kid i was drafting and passed 3 guys to finish in 16:56 which ties my best time. And i am very happy because i ran my best time on a hot and humid day and after about a month and half of tapering. I had junior nationals last week and felt no pressure about this race, so it was really fun. Alot of the cool guys i train with (Dave, Richard, Josh, and my coach Marc) also competed and most had great races as well.

I went MTBing later in the day too! w/ felllow training partner Timmay. I ate it in the first quater mile trying to go too fast around a turn, but i learned my lesson and slowed down and luckily im not hurt. We MTBed in Wakiva springs, it was great fun the trails went alot further than we expected which was cool, but there were some rough sections with tree roots. Its all part of my 2 week break that begins today!!! Tmrw were going to much better trails up in Ocala National Forest, were i hope to have a good time but not bust my ass and screw up my running season. Oh we also went kayaking which was cool, fun day anyway!

Junior Eilte National Championships

I flew out to Denver, CO on thursday afternoon and drove 1.5 hrs to Colorado Springs to race my last race as junior. Since Colorado Springs is above 5,000ft in altitude, i can't say i didn't feel the lack of oxygen and the dry air which i'm not used to.

I was ranked 6th in the U.S for junior men going into the race and so i got a good spot on the starting line, although it didn't help much because i got off to a really rough start on the swim. Before the first bouy i had been pushed about 2 feet underwater by one of my competiters which caused me to stop and gasp for air, while already feeling the lack of it due to altitude. I really suffered the first lap of the swim and so lost my position and fell back behind the leading pack of swimmers, where i usually am positioned. On the second lap i regained focus and passed about 5 swimmers before the first transition. I really swam hard the last 50 meters knowing that the large group up ahead would form a big pack on the bike and that i would be caught behind them. On to the bike i was feeling surprisingly good so i hammered as i hard as i could to catch the chase pack but with no success. I settled in with 4 other guys before the start of the run. By now i wasn't really worried about my position, i just wanted to finish strongly, so i ran with the guys from my pack and caught about 5 other athletes throughout the run, feeling better and better as the run went on. I finished in 15th place, not exactly what i had hoped for but i was exceptionally pleased with my ability to bounce back from a bad swim and have decent race. This was my last race a Junior Elite and so know i will first take a 2 week break and focus on my running before i enter my first season as an amateur elite. I hope to obtain my pro card next year while racing non-drafting races all over the country!

Strawberry Fields Triathlon Junior Elite Cup

Dad and I flew to Los Angeles, CA on friday morning and drove an hour through horrible traffic up to Oxnard, CA for the Strawberry Fields Triathlon. The top two juniors would qualify to go to the Junior ITU World Championships in Australia in September, and although i missed out on these places, i am still very pleased with my result and the experience.

Race morning the water was freezing, about 60 degrees, and there were swells from 3-6 ft. Everyone expected the swim to be rough, and sure was! The first 5 minutes of the swim was really rough, considering getting through the first break of waves and getting kicked in the mouth as we were swimming around the first bouy. After that i made my way to the outside and passed as many people as I could only to find myself leading a gap from the four front swimmers about 20 sec ahead.

I rode a lap of the bike alone until i was caught up by a chase pack, that worked well together for the most part. I made sure to stay safe going around the 180 degree turn.

The run played out much better than last weekends race in Clearwater. I stayed somwhat controlled for the first lap and then just let it rip the second lap of the 5k. I caught about 3 guys in the second lap and finished strongly in 7th place. I was really happy with the result considering i ran much faster off the bike than in clearwater. I also overcame some obstacles in the swim to come out of the water in 5th. Overall it was a good race, and a great experience.

Watermelon 5k and MPM triathlon

Its a been a really hot and humid summer here in FLA. Race morning of my 5k proved to be no different. At the starting line i saw alot of familiar faces of high school kids i had raced a couple years ago. It was a fun race, i tagged along the back of the front pack for a while until i got dropped and then just waited for the 2 mile mark to pick it back up again. Although it was really hot i felt decent and was able to run about 15 seconds off my best time.

The following weekend i woke up at 3am to drive an 1hr and 30min down to Cleawater Beach to race the Morton Plant Mease Sprint Triathlon. Last year the race was cancelled due to bad weather so i was excited to compare my fitness now and that of 2 years ago. At the starting line i thought of an ITU swim start and how fast you need to take out the swim, so i practiced that here and was succefully first to the first bouy and first out of the water. The long run to T1 was painful considering the cobblestones we had to run over. I tried then to get into a rythmn on the bike so as to not loose so much time to Spencer and avoid getting caught by Lucas, who proved strong on the bike and run. Coming off the bike i gave it everything i had on the run for the first mile and then succumbed to overheating, and lack of nutrition, i finished the race in 5th overall which was not bad considering i dropped 6 minutes off my time from 2 years ago.

Couple Home Races

I raced the first Lake Louisa Sprint tri early this month. I have to admitt the it was much harder than i expected. Since the lake is so shallow its basically a 400yd dolphin dive, 7 mile bike, and 1.5 mile run. It was really all out from start to finish and the heat added to the intensity. I went in a little too confident, and was suprised when kevin came off the bike with me, and giving me a run for my money. Luckily i gapped him a little and took the win, but the following race, Central Florida Triathlon Series, the tables were turned and excpecting again to maintain the lead i got from the swim i was suprised to find kevin pass me a little before mile two on the run and then put a minute lead on me. It was also really hot and humid that day. Its been really hot and i must take that into consideration my next couple of races here in FLA. The heat also effects my training, so i plan on spending some time up north next summer to get away from the heat.

I have a packed racing schedule with the Watermelon 5k this weekend, MPM triathlon in Cleaarwater next weekend, and my junior worlds qualifier in California the weekend after that, so intensity is the name of the game lately.

Week of Intensity

I raced in the first Lake Louisa Summer Criterium series on tuesday night. It was a fun race, as i've competed in it for the past 2 years. The B race had about 30-40 people so it was pretty competitve, and little bit harder to carry out my plan, which was to break away after 20 minutes and hold on to the finish. It didn't really work out that way although i got two significant breaks by myself that lasted about 5 minutes. On my third attempt on the second to last lap i managed to string the field out, until five other guys caught me and sat on my wheel to sprint around me at the finish. It was a great training ride, where i reaced an intensity i probably could not have in a normal training ride.

The next morning i woke up at 5:20am for masters swim. I swam the 200/800 time trial with sara coaching and the rest of the group doing 100 relays to push me, which was great. I went 1:59 and 8:42, which i was pretty happy with considering the pool was 85 degrees and the crit the day before was at 7pm.

The next day i woke up to do a step test on the trainer at Marc's house. lol. I was kind of tired and not really motivated, i just wanted to get it done. But im sure glad i did it because i ended getting up to 320 watts. The test involved riding 2 minutes at 10 watt intervals starting at 150 watts all the way until you can't go anymore, or ur heart rate spikes. My max HR on the bike is like 183, and i was only at 178 at the end of 2 minutes of 320 watts, so i have definently improved on the bike.

Today is a bit of a rest day, b/c tmrw i have the Lake Louisa Triathlon sprint, and then a good ride with some hills on sunday. Then back to the grind for a week or so and another race here in town :)

Junior Pan American Championships

Friday morning i flew to Oklahoma City with my coach Marc for the PATCO junior championships. I was very excited to be picked by USAT for this race and also excited to compete against top athletes from South America, Central America, Carriabean, and North America.

As they called our names to the starting pontoone it sank deeper into the water with all the wieght of the junior athletes. The gun went off and we dived into the 69 degree, no wetsuit, swim. Immediately i am boxed in by all the great swimmers around me and just try to fight my way towards the front. I end up halfway through the massive pack of swimmers around the bouys. The knocking around in the water really sucks the life out of you. I exit the chilly water in about 26th position into the the first transition with many athletes around me. I run through T1 as fast i can and mount my bike to see the first pack forming about 50 meters ahead. I try and catch them but end up forming a pack of 5 with some athletes behind me. By the end of the 2nd lap of the bike im in a pack with 12 other juniors ready to head out onto the run. Unfortunetly I end up at the back of my pack into transition loosing some considerable time. I rack my bike and head out on the 2 lap 5k run and slowly reel in about 5 juniors. I finished 23rd overall and 5th American, so i am very happy with the result. I hope this is a sign for better things to come in ITU racing. Here is a link to the results http://onlineraceresults.com/race/view_plain_text.php?race_id=10777

pictures

Lake Louisa Sprint Triathlon

I love this race! Only 5 miles from my house, a 400yd swim (mostly dolphin diving b/c its so shallow) 7mile bike with a pretty good hill, and 1.5 mile run, and its on thursday afternoons! its like a tough afternoon workout. I had alot of fun and won a $100 in the process which is sweet.

One thing that i noticed though, is the intensity. It was really high throughout the whole race. Since it only lasts like thirty minutes, im either at or really close to threshold the whole way. I think its a great way to prepare for some ITU racing this summer!

Nic

St. Anthony's

This past weekend i competed in the St. Anthony's triathlon in St. Pete FL. About 4000 people competed, so there was some great competition. Marc, Tim and i drove down on friday, to get familiar with the course and transition area. Saturday afternoon we dropped our bikes off, into what seemed like a sea of bicycles. There was at least 5 million dollars worth of bikes in transition. Unfortunatly the swim was cancelled on sunday morning for the age groupers, because of excess wind and waves, so race officials stagger started us according to race number for a bike/run event. At the end of the day i was very pleased with my result, a 59:40 for the 40k bike and 37:20 for the 10k, to win my age group. Many of the pros and even some ameatur elites were running in the low 32 range, insane! I look forward to racing St. Anthony's next year! (with a swim)

Fun Weekend!

On Saturday i did the Windermere Run Among the Lakes 5k and today, sunday, i did the Great Clermont Triathlon (my second ever olympic distance race.) The 5k didn't go as well as a hoped considering it was a tough course, as it was all on sand with some hills. I finished 4th just under 18 minutes which is over a minute slower than usuall, but i'm happy with the effort.

Today i did the Great Clermont Triathlon, which took place at the Waterfront park, only 10 minutes from my house! Overall i had a decent race, i had a pretty solid swim, putting about 3 minutes on the rest of the field, and an O.K. bike and then a sub-par run, which probably was a result of saturday's 5k. I finished in about 2:07 behind Canadian Bruno Lefante, who caught me at mile 4 on the run. I also qualified for the Best of the U.S. race in Mission Viejo, CA on september 27, being the fastest finisher from Florida.

Overall it was a fun weekend and great racing experience and prep for St. Anthony's Triathlon on April 25th. I look forward to continue developing my run and my bike in the Olympic distance, until next time!

Oh I qualified for the Best of U.S. Race in by being the first Florida finisher. http://www.bestoftheustriathletes.com/news/289

I also got interviewed by the Orlando Sentinel, here is the article: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/orl-sportstriathlon06040609apr06,0,2231866.story
Nic

Decisions and a good long run

Well after some thought, i have decided to not go on vacation with my Family to Panama (and cruise to Colombia, my dad's native country). Reason being, if i miss 10 days of school, i will most likely fail and be put on probation considering my grades aren't spectacular right now. So i think i will be staying at Marc's house for that time. (Marc's going to have like 10 people in his house! including jarrod, tim, and pam!) lol.

I just finished up a long run today 11 miles. It was great, prob best long run i've done. Started at like 7:30 pace and got down to 6:28 through the hilly part, so i was happy.

Now its off to a 1.5 hr easy spin with Jarrod and Jordan, and then easy 2.5k swim in the PM.

Peace!

Wildman Sprint Triathlon

I had a good race today at the Wildman Sprint Triathlon in Moss Park. I've done the course before so it was not new to me. I got to use a wetsuit for the first time today, and man does it help you go ALOT faster! I had a solid swim and a bad T1 considering its the first race of the season, and then had an O.K. bike not really happy, although my back tightened up as usual. The run solid, b/c i felt i had a good turnover going and that it was consistent which is good. I beat my previous time on the run course by 47 seconds which is good. So its a good way to start off the 2009 triathlon season!

Lucky Kid

First off my shin splint is better! I'm back to running and excited to start run training again!!
My swimming is going well, after another week or so of a good swim block i will attempt the junior benchmark swim test again and see if I can go for the "world class" times.

The other reason i'm lucky is Jarrod Shoemaker and Jordan Bryden are down here in my own town, and i get to train with them! Its really exciting to learn from the best! Their great people and great athletes and i'm blessed to have the opportunity to do some great training with them!

I've been a little sick the past couple of days but its starting to fade so i'm happy about that. Also my spring break for school just started so i get to train, sleep, and eat 24/7 now for a week. (and do an english essay).

Today we did a 2.5 hr ride with some intervals and hill repeats and then i did a 3 mile brick after. It was my first brick in a long time, and it felt great! I feel so much better running off the bike than i do just running. I have the Wildman sprint triathlon in a couple weeks and i'm really excited to use a wetsuit for the first time! I can't wait to race a triathlon again, it's been too long!!

Nic

final benchmark

Today at around 5pm i did my final junior benchmark test, which consisted of a 30 minute ride on the trainer at 260 watts then a transition into a 2 mile time trial run. I did well on the ride, which i though was going to be alot harder than it was. My run wasnt so great though, probably because it was only my second run with intensity since december, so i was happy considering. i went 11:16 in the run, first mile 5:34 second 5:41. Matt video taped it and i watched a portion and knew right away my form was way off. My turnover was way to slow, so now i have something to focus on in the coming weeks of my running. I've run a 10:20 2 mile when i'm in shape in high school track so i know i can go alot faster but its going to take time and several weeks and months of good running, so i'm up for the challenge!!

In the mean time, i'm going to put in a good swim block to see if i can get the world class times for the junior benchmark swim test. (while continuing to work on my running)

junior benchmark swim test

I did the junior benchmark swim test this morning. It went well, considering it was a little cold, and i havn't started my really hard swim sets yet. The test involves a 200yd free from a dive, then a minute rest, and an 800yd free from a push. The "World Class" level which is the highest level time standard is 1:57 for the 200yd free and 8:16 for the 800. The next level down is "International class" which is 2:05 for 200yd free and 8:32 for 800. I went 1:59 for 200 and 8:34 for 800 this morning. I was shooting for 1:57 in the 200 but, i'm really happy with the 800 time! I think with a little more swim training i can go alot faster in both the 200 and the 800!

Now that my shin is alot better, we are going to start picking the run training back up. So i start with a little intensity for the run next week. I can't wait to do a long run, so i can do the whole loop of the clay trails again! (10 mile dirt road loop).

Sunday i have the junior benchmark bike test, so well see how that goes. Its a step test, and hopefully i can get up to 290-310 watts, which is world class!

florida's great escape

I didn't race the Florida Great Escape, but rode my bike to the race site to watch jarrod shoemaker and kevin collington battle it out. I was utterly amazed at the running speed!! jarrod looks like he's running on air, considering he held 4:53 pace for 5 miles in sand! Kevin had a really good bike split, avg. 26.8 mph, in the hills, for 18 miles! watching them gave me alot of motivation to continue training and follow my dreams.

At the end of this week i am going to do the junior benchmark tests for the swim and the bike. the swim is a 200yd free with a minute rest and then an 800yd free. i hope to go like 1:59 in the 200 and around 8:30 for the 800. I think i should be able to do it, b/c this morning's swim practice i did 5x400s odds swim evens pull, and the swims i descended down to 4:13. The bike test is a computrainer test starting at 150watts and increasing 10watts every two minutes until you can't go any longer. Hopefully i can get up to 285 watts.

The shin is doing great and running is coming back, considering im only doing zone 2 running. I ran on sat. with jarrod, an "easy" 7 miles at 6:30-6:50 pace, and ended up with this giant, i mean giant blister on the bottom of my right foot, which is starting heal up now so thats good. Well hopefully the running continues to go well, and the benchmarks go well.

Catch you later,
Nic

the second semester

My first semester at UCF went by quick. The classes werent that bad. my training was easy for the most part too, but this second semester is a different story! I don't what it is, but all my classes are like 10 times harder! I actually have to spend a lot of time studying, in between the training. Its good though, keeps my busy and focused.

My swimming is coming along, thanks to NTC masters, coached by Sara. we did a set the other day with some fast 100s and i put in a few 58s and 59s. Feels good to have speed. I discovered Bay Lake Road!! its aweomse. very little traffic and mostly flat with some rolling hills by the countryside. i did a 2.5 hr ride today out there and i got passed by 3 cars on bay lake rd! My shin splint is getting better, but im still feeling it a little. I sent the old orthodics back to the podiatrist for "repair." and now am using the ones the chiropractar gave me. I did a 3 mile run in them today and felt descent so ill wear them till the old ones are fixed.

long ride

I burned 3289 calories today on a 3 hr ride allllll byyyy my seeelllf! it was actually quite fun, cause i felt controlled and smooth. i feel stronger on the bike and in about 3 weeks im gonna do a junior benchmark cycling test. It includes, starting at 150 watts on the computrainer and then cranking the up it up by 10 watts every 2 minutes until you cant maintain at least 85 rpm. "international class" is my goal and that means i have to get up to 285 watts. So with a little more training on the bike i think i can do it.

The running is coming along too. The shin splint is ALOT better. I can still feel it every once and a while very very slightly but its not painful so im good.

New Time Trial PR

I had another time trial on the bike on sunday. same route through the buck hills and along 561. On my warmup (ride from house to buckhills) my legs started to feel a little tired so i was worried i would not do so well. And i was out there by myself, but the weather was beautiful, like 85 and very little wind. So i did a warmup loop and then the time trail and i went 17:44! So its a pretty big PR from last time till now. Marc says once i get in the low 17s i should be able to go around 1 hr for a 40k, in an olympic distance triathlon.

COLD!

The other day i went on a what was supposed to be a 1.5 hr ride, but turned into a ride 30min to waterfront park and sit in the bathroom warming my hands and feet up with the hand dryer. yea it was cold. and REALLY windy! it sucked. i sat in there for a little while and once i was warmed up just rode home, i had like 4 layers and my throat was hurting still from the cold air. (and this is florida for goodness sake!)

anyways the shin is really healing up nicely. i've been doing 2 mile runs consistently now on the treadmill feeling good, about 95% healed up. I have another TT on the bike this weekend, which i am excited about so well see how that goes. the swimming is really improving and i havnt even been swimming hard. so thats exciting. cant wait to start getting down to business during tri season.

healing

My shins are soooo much better. im getting back into the running again very slowly about every other day. I dont want to push it all so im going to build up the volume and then intensity very slowly. But its great to not have pain, and not feel swelling on the inside of my shin!

cold swim

Masters swim was cold today! oh and the gators won the national championship. The only reason i like the gators is cause Jeff Demps, a sprinter who used to train at the NTC is now a running back for them.

Anyways i feel much improved in my shin splints, so thats good. And i am getting new orthodics for a way lower price than the foot doctor! Im getting them at my chiropractar's office, they'll be in in two weeks so im real excited about that.

Training/Shin splints

I'm a little frustrated but very fortunate as well. I'm fortunate because Sunday i got to go on a bike ride with 2008 Olympian and U23 world champion Jarrod Shoemaker, and national elite team member, and U23 national champion, and open water national champion Sara Mclarty. It felt pretty cool being able to talk to them, it gave me alot of motivation to keep working hard so that one day i can be where they are. After the ride we went to breakfast and then for an 'easy' swim. It was great to spend the day with such high caliber athletes of the sport that i love, triathlon.

I'm a little frustrated right now though because of my shin splints. They started about a month ago and I've been doing everything imaginable to try and get better but it doesn't seem to be getting better. Well it has gotten better, but not to the point where i can run on it yet. Since it is getting better, but very slowly, i think i just need a little more rest and to continue searching for different methods to heal, like going to the foot doctor, and trying different strength exercises for my shin area.

In the mean time i have been working on my cycling, and increasing the swimming volume some. I actually have been feeling great on the bike. I don't know if its the new louis garneau shoes that i got or just my growth, whatever it is its a good thing. At least now i can be a strong swim-biker. The major difference i have noticed is that i am much more comfortable and i can get into a rhythm and stay in that rhythm for a while without my back giving out or my legs just dieing. A couple of weeks ago i did a time trial loop through the buck hills (very hilly) and my time was 18:04, so hopefully i can revisit that course and improve my time in a couple weeks.

I also have been working on sponsorship, with a bike shop other companies. I wrote my first (athletic) resume and cover letter, which was cool. I basically copied Marc's. Except I'm not regional, national, and world champion, and I'm not on the cover of like 5 magazines, but maybe i will be someday.