My Short, Awesome Fall Season

It has been a relatively short, low key Fall season for me.  Now note this would not be a low-key period of racing for a normal athlete.  I am talking about my own race results here.


ST's Fall Races
Fall Creek Falls Olympic Distance Tri      3rd place overall
Cedar's of Lebanon Sprint Tri          1st place overall
Stump Jump 50K        13th place overall
Chicago Marathon       3:11
Grand Canyon R2R2R       22 hours


Fall Creek Falls started it off.  I was going down with some clients, and I had not done much tri-specific training.  We drove down that morning which always adds stress.  I would have been good except for some stomach problems.  This was my first race in the all-white tri suit.  I did not feel like having an "accident."  I was grateful for the 3rd place, but there was a late 40's or early 50's masters racer who nipped my time for second.  Not cool.

ST on the bike at Cedars of Lebanon Tri.

Crossing the finish line 1st at Cedars of Lebanon.

Next up was Cedars of Lebanon Tri.  This is one of my Nashville favorites because it is the first triathlon I attended in TN, and also I am a previous winner.  It was some fun and competitive competition, and I felt blessed to have good strength and speed on this day.  It was also great racing alongside so many of my clients (see a post below.)

Wife Susan and ST at the Chicago Marathon expo.

Chicago Marathon photos (from top): Feeling good the first half of the marathon; a low point walking in the second half; in Chinatown rallying to jog to the finish. 

Chicago Marathon was another story.  I had allowed myself to believe that I could run a 2:55 and auto-qualify for New York.  This might have been possible, but it congested with too many runners to be able to find my rhythm.  Then I pushed to hard to get on pace and I "overcooked the bird."  By mile 15 I had lost my motivation and was just trying to keep jogging.  I shouldn't complain for running a 3:11, but I have much faster marathons in me.  

The best part was running Chicago with my wife Susan and father "The Fergus."     

Photo: Rolling out to the Lollipop at Stump Jump.

Stump Jump 50K in Chattanooga is another favorite of mine.  It was my first ultra (which I won), and the location of a DNF in 2008. I really enjoy the cool trail running scene in Chatt, and the sponsor of the race Rock/Creek.  Again my sub-par fitness was present.  

I finished a very respectable 13th overall.  I was able to really get in there and do some racing, but was hurting by the end.  In a twist of irony I caught the normally dominant Josh Wheeler about a mile from the finish line.  I remember years where Josh finished way down in the field, and that he outright won this race in 2008.  He laid it on the line on this day and died even worse than the slog I was experiencing.

The final event of the year was not a race.  It was the Grand Canyon rim-to-rim-to-rim (R2R2R.) I will write another post for that amazing adventure.