January 2020

January 10, 2020 by Ulf Oesterle

Five months until I get to race. I’m counting the days and have enjoyed the last few months of recovery from 2019, the early stages of 2020 training and getting challenged with a hectic schedule at work through the fall. The hectic pace continues with the spring semester starting next week. I’ve been preparing for class but I’m not yet prepared. It parallels triathlon racing nicely though it could just be my personality or character flaw that doesn’t ever let me feel like I’m completely ready.

I tried some live streaming of workouts and might do more of that this year. It has resulted in a few people jumping on Zwift to get a few virtual miles in with me and I appreciated the company. Expect a few more of those workouts through the year. If you’re on Zwift or Strava let’s link up. Reach out on Instagram or Twitter so I can add you back.

Kona & IM LOU

October 11, 2019 by Ulf Oesterle

This weekend I’ve got friends racing in Louisville and a few in Kona. I’m just getting back to paying attention to triathlon after a month completely off. I can say I’ve missed it tremendously. I finished up my year in September at IM 70.3 Lake Placid. I was nursing a leg injury at the time and my doctors said there was no way of racing. I could barely walk when I went in after crashing my mountain bike on some trails a few miles from my house. I was dealing with some swelling and a pretty good contusion but I needed to finish this race. I’d been set on earning 10,500 Ironman All World Athlete points this year and I decided to fight through discomfort. In the end, I hit that goal of AWA points.

I was pleased with my season but needed to focus on work for a bit and I’ve been so focused on that. I love what I do but I was devoting far too much time on creating classes (I teach college classes). My early workouts were replaced with trips to the office. Late night training rides were replaced with research. It was a needed break from training but I missed the bike. I am ready to get back to the pool and will embrace the crisp morning runs this fall. I had my break but now it’s time to refocus on 2020.

I’m planning on racing this weekend next year. I’m going to try for the PC lottery to get to Kona but if that does not work, Ironman Louisville will be my stop. I’m slated for three 70.3 races so far in 2020 but I’d like to improve upon my full distance time/strategy/run. Watching friends on Instagram check in at both locations lit that fire. I want to be there.

Ironman 70.3 Connecticut

June 03, 2019 by Ulf Oesterle

Quassy was the “Beast of the East” but I really did not know the history of the race until after I signed up for Ironman 70.3 Connecticut. Ironman took over the race and offered it up as a 70.3 for the first time and it was a challenge.

Ironman 70.3 Chattanooga

May 21, 2019 by Ulf Oesterle

I love this course. I love this city. I love the atmosphere around this race. I could leave that as my race report and I’d be fine with it. This was my second 70.3 race in 3 weekends and is the site of one of my biggest failures on a course. I admit that I have a little chip on my shoulder from my DNF at 70.3 Worlds so I wanted to have a strong showing here. Like 2017, the upriver portion of the swim was cancelled due to the swift current and most of the age group racers were thrilled. I think all of us racing PC were happy with the choice. This was the largest group I’ve raced with and that is such a good sign. It’s been nice to see the para division consistently grow as it helps with the racing side of the competition. I had a strong swim, first or second out of the water. My transition was quick and ended up leading the pack on the bike but not for long. One of the VI athletes and his guide blew by me around mile 10 and I spend the next couple hours chasing them down. The ride was awesome and I felt strong. Of all the courses I’ve raced, this bike course is at the top (along with Lake Placid) but the run gets tough. There is a ton of support on the course but every year the stretch of the run on the roads is exceptionally hot. I hung with the leaders in sight for the first 9 miles or so but did not have the kick to finish with them. Still it was a PR for the day. The text from my coach was one line “did you just go sub-6?!” I sure did. That was a first and the new bar is 5:45 for me. I don’t know that I’ll have many races that fast but on this course, it felt good. I can’t wait to get back in 2020!

Lake Effect Half

February 25, 2019 by Ulf Oesterle

I love running a half marathon in February and having that option in Syracuse is challenging with the northeast weather. This year we lucked out and avoided any snow so the route was clear. I’m not a speedy runner so a clear course is important to get the race done without the cold impacting my toes too much.

September Recovery

November 06, 2018 by Ulf Oesterle

In September I could not train beyond a walking pace. Missing two races had me mentally frustrated but I spent the month with my coach at Ultimate Health & Performance to refine my nutrition. I was no longer eating what I wanted but eating for purpose became the new norm. I knew that I had some weight to lose and without exercising I did not want to move in the wrong direction. Eating became a focused exercise and it has paid off. I have not seen my weight start with a “1” in nearly two decades - and I still have not - but I’m on the cusp of it.

I turn 41 in a few days and I’d love to see 199 by then. If I miss that goal, I’ll get there soon. I woke up today at 200.4 and hope to finish this week strong. Dropping 25 lbs or so has helped so much more than I expected with running and swimming. I haven’t had a lot of time on the bike off a trainer so may not get to feel those changes until spring, but I hope to see a little more speed there too.

The target is 185 lbs for my first race in the spring and feeling healthier at 41 than 21 is pretty special. I can’t wait to see how it feels for my first 70.3.