June started off with some great races and ended with a new beginning.
On June 3rd I ran the 39th annual Dexter Ann Arbor Half Marathon. It is a beautiful run along Huron River Dr from the town of Dexter to the city of Ann Arbor, with a fantastic climb to the finish. I had an idea from my workouts that I could run sub 1:12 which would be a 2+ min personal best, so I decided to go for it. The race culminated with a third place ($) finish in a time of 1:11:44. I was really excited and slightly surprised that I run as well as i did considering the interval work i did on the bike 3 days prior and the track workout one day prior to that.
The next week (June 8th) I ran a 5k with my girlfriend in memory and support of the Cipriano Family who tragically lost their father in an altercation during a breaking and entering incident. Bob Cipriano was well know in the community and his presence shaped the lives of many, as well over 2,000 participants showed up for the event. The race was organized within weeks to raise funds for the kids/family trust and being that it was such a news story upon the initial shock of the events that transpired, three television crews also showed up. Tanner Cipriano gave a rousing and encouraging talk before the race that had everyone buzzing. it is truly amazing what that kind of strength and community support can do to give you a greater reason to run. It was a special night for all that were in involved and to my surprise I ran a road race PR of 15:36.
So this was a pretty good lead up to my first triathlon of the year so I had hoped. I was well trained, fast, and ready to see what I could do. I only needed a TT bike. Yep, through a series of unfortunate events I did not finally get onto a TT bike that was "fit" for me (I'm still tweaking my position a little) until June 17th. With IM 70.3 Syracuse a week away I tried my best to get comfortable, thanks to Dennis at Two Wheel Tango for hooking me up with a Shiv, but it takes time to get it "just" right. So off to Syracuse I went and fortunately I was hosted by Jeremy, owner of The Bike Loft East --the best bike shop in NY!. Along with the help of Andy they improved my position a little on the new frame. A As far as the race went, i got "chicked" twice, finishing 16th among all the pros, 14th of the male pros. It was awesome to finish my first triathlon post hip injury (although it still hurts a bit) and i now have 2 weeks to work on my swim stroke, adjust my "fit" on the Shiv, and continue to strengthen my hip and adjust my running gate before IM 70.3 Muncie.
On June 3rd I ran the 39th annual Dexter Ann Arbor Half Marathon. It is a beautiful run along Huron River Dr from the town of Dexter to the city of Ann Arbor, with a fantastic climb to the finish. I had an idea from my workouts that I could run sub 1:12 which would be a 2+ min personal best, so I decided to go for it. The race culminated with a third place ($) finish in a time of 1:11:44. I was really excited and slightly surprised that I run as well as i did considering the interval work i did on the bike 3 days prior and the track workout one day prior to that.
The next week (June 8th) I ran a 5k with my girlfriend in memory and support of the Cipriano Family who tragically lost their father in an altercation during a breaking and entering incident. Bob Cipriano was well know in the community and his presence shaped the lives of many, as well over 2,000 participants showed up for the event. The race was organized within weeks to raise funds for the kids/family trust and being that it was such a news story upon the initial shock of the events that transpired, three television crews also showed up. Tanner Cipriano gave a rousing and encouraging talk before the race that had everyone buzzing. it is truly amazing what that kind of strength and community support can do to give you a greater reason to run. It was a special night for all that were in involved and to my surprise I ran a road race PR of 15:36.
So this was a pretty good lead up to my first triathlon of the year so I had hoped. I was well trained, fast, and ready to see what I could do. I only needed a TT bike. Yep, through a series of unfortunate events I did not finally get onto a TT bike that was "fit" for me (I'm still tweaking my position a little) until June 17th. With IM 70.3 Syracuse a week away I tried my best to get comfortable, thanks to Dennis at Two Wheel Tango for hooking me up with a Shiv, but it takes time to get it "just" right. So off to Syracuse I went and fortunately I was hosted by Jeremy, owner of The Bike Loft East --the best bike shop in NY!. Along with the help of Andy they improved my position a little on the new frame. A As far as the race went, i got "chicked" twice, finishing 16th among all the pros, 14th of the male pros. It was awesome to finish my first triathlon post hip injury (although it still hurts a bit) and i now have 2 weeks to work on my swim stroke, adjust my "fit" on the Shiv, and continue to strengthen my hip and adjust my running gate before IM 70.3 Muncie.