Blog Posts - Daniel Molnar Racing

October Update

10/17/2015

Since the beginning of August I have been on a much different schedule than before. A running related injury caused a tsunami of other problems that I have found difficult to get over. Its partially (probably entirely) my fault. For starters I have to admit that triathlon is far from just swim, bike and run workouts. The problem is that that's how I treated it for so long. Second, it seems like that I haven't learned much after nearly two decades spent with competitive running. Lastly, media and social networking, while great, must be seperated from training.
I had got in a solid few months of training by August, through the New Zealand winter, when a seemingly easy long run made me rewrite all plans I had for the remainder of the 2015 season.
On Saturday I did a fast(er) 10k run and on Sunday, during a 19k easy run (originally scheduled) I couldn't help myself and was beating Strava CR's on mainly uphill sections. Towards the end of the run I started to feel my calf and the pain persisted for days. Not even a week later my left knee started to hurt during an easy training ride. Then again I pulled my left adductor muscle when racing the dog uphill.. Few days later, as I was favorizing my right leg my right calf (achilles) started to hurt. By then I was doing very easy jogs and rides days apart from each other. Then, out of a blue (after all of this really not) when I was focusing on minor signs of right achilles pain my left achilles flared up. It was so intense that for a while I thought that one more step and it would tear. That was mid-September, just before I flew back to Hungary for two weeks. Then I took a long break from running and cycling (22 and 23 days to be precise). First run was just a week ago again when I felt a very minor calf pain only. While it was minor I thought I would wait a few days before trying to run again. Well, this last try ended up miserably and walked home again.
I just cycled a little over an hour pain-free today, however, I am far from being convinced that all is well with my left knee. The x-ray in September didn't show anything and for the time being I am holding back on getting an MRI on my knee.
I started strength training at home and if anything this should make a huge difference. And time, of course.
The bright side is that I have been able to focus on my swimming and I am confident that I am swimming as fast as ever. This is the great thing about triathlon that while a person is out due to an injury its very likely that he/she can still perform other sports.
While it saddens me that I am unable to compete in New Zealand right now I am glad that it all surfaced right now, when Xterra racing was put on a temporary hold anyways. I can only hope that I learn from this sequence of mistakes and that 2016 and the following years will be (finally) injury-free and successful.

Marmot T42 central Plateau Mountain Bike Race

5/5/2015

English version (magyar lejjebb talalhato)

I have to admit this one came out of nowhere.
I mean yes, I have been riding a little but I spend a lot of time on the road bike. My mountain bike isn't used as much due to the rainy weather we have had here in New Plymouth. Yes, when it comes down to cycling I prefer to stay dry and, most importantly, safe. Thus winning a mountain bike race that is known to be very competitive put me over the moon!
Luckily though, Anna and I pre-rode the course a week before. Now, this wasn't your normal pre-ride. We stopped a lot and spent a lot of time just looking around. It took us over 5 hours or more like 6 to complete the 42km.
Because Anna worked the night before the race we didn't leave until the morning of the race. My plan was to leave by 4am but we didn't wake up until 4:20. I think we managed to drive off by 4:50-ish. I knew it was gonna cut it close. It was a 3.5 hour drive and we had to stop for gas, too.
We made it to the start area 30 minutes to spare. I was already late from registration so I may have set a world record setting up my bike and changing into my bib and jersey. Naturally, there was no time for warm-up for me. I unashamedly walked across the entire field to place myself in the 3rd row at the start. The race started out faster than I thought it would. Everyone was bolting down the asphalt road, a 4km segment, before the hard right turn onto the gravel road. By then I was in the lead pack. I felt rather uncomfortable riding alongside others so I took the first chance to take the lead on a short uphill. I felt great and I was already playing with the thought of winning the race. We were only 8k into the 48k ride. I kept my position while riding over some hilly terrain but I lost two places during the first long(er) downhill section. I wasn't really concerned about falling back because I managed to stay on my bike through what was a rather technical descent with some sketchy ruts, wash-outs and drops. There was a point I swear I knew I would fly over my handlebar but miraculously I was able to keep rubber side down. After that DH I knew I was in the clear (of technical sections). It took me a while to pass for second and another few km's to spot and eventually reel in the leader. It happened on a long ascent and though we were already 33k into the ride I was still feeling strong. Having biked the course a week before I knew I had to dismount after every stream crossing and run with the bike on the very steep hills. The course was pretty good for the most part except some puddles and a few muddy, slippery sections. Once leading again my only goal was to establish a decent buffer on the chasers in preparation for the last long and fast downhill. To my relief no one got close enough to me and I started the last uphill to the finish line out of sight. The last few km's took more out of me than the previous 42km so I was extremely happy to finally cross the finish line.
First place it is! My winning time is comparable to the previous year's. I think I could have gone a minute or two faster had someone rode with me on the uphills.
I have to admit Total Sports put on an excellent event. There were 4 other trail run races on the day, such as a 6k, 11k, 24k and a full marathon. I know first-hand how much effort goes into organizing a race so kudos to them pulling this one off. The course was marshaled properly with safety people along the entire course. I heard they did have to air-evac a few bikers who couldn't, miraculously, stay on their bikes. I can only hope that they are all OK by now.
It was a great event and I would love to do it again in 2016.
I have to say thank you to Epic Sports in Bismarck, ND. Although this race was in New Zealand, their continuous help while living in North Dakota has helped me a bunch. I don't think I would own an amazing Specialized Epic S-Works World Cup mountain bike if it wasn't for this awesome bike and outdoor shop. Ever since my accident in 2013 I have been conscious about my helmet. My Rudy Project Sterling helmet does the job and keeps me safe while out riding on and off the road.

MAGYAR változat

Be kell, hogy valljam, hogy ez az eredmény még engem is meglepett. Persze, nem mondom azt, hogy nem akarok minden versenyen jól szerepelni, de a körülményeket tekintva egy szerényebb ötbe kerüléssel is megelégedtem volna.

A verseny központ az északi sziget közepén volt, a hatalmas Mount Ruapehu es Mount Ngauruhoe hegyek lábánál. Ez egy röpke négy órás autóút New Plymouth-ből, ahol jelenleg lakunk. Mivel Annának dolgoznia kellett 11-ig az előző estén egy kora hajnali indulást terveztünk. Ebből persze egy órás késés lett és voltak olyan pillanatok, amikor azt hittem, hogy oda sem fogunk érni a rajthoz időben. Szerencsénkre semmi nem történt az út során, így 3o percel a rajt előtt parkolhattunk le. Gyorsan összetettem a bringát, átöltöztem, beneveztem és megmutattam a szervezőknek a csomagomat, amit kötelezően vinni kellett magunkkal a verseny során. Itt, Új Zélandon ugyanis nem csak a versenytársak az ellenfeleid, hanem a pillanatok alatt változó időjárás is. Így a legtöbb hosszú versenyen (értsd: 2+ óra) kötelezővé teszik, hogy a hátizsákban a következő dolgok meglegyenek: termó felső, alsó, esőkabát, 1.5l víz, kaja, elsősegély csomag, belső gumik és megannyi szerszám a kerékpár javításához... Felsorolni is sok, cipelni magaddal pedig még nehezebb.

Tehát bemelegítés nelkül ugyan, de az első sorokba előreverekedve magamat vártam a 9:OO-ás rajtot. Az eleje úgy indult el, mintha az egész csak egy 5km-es sprint verseny lenne. Persze, az aszfalton könnyű volt haladni és mindenki próbálta keresni a helyét. Mivel nem gyakran indulok el mountain bike versenyen, ezért nem akartam már az elejétől húzni a mezőnyt, de nem is akartam beragadni egy tucatnyi bringás mögé. Így a biztonságosnak tűnő 5.-6. hely környékén tekertem, mire elkezdtük a földutat. A sok hosszabb, rövidebb emelkedő és egyenetlen talajnak köszönhetően elkezdődött a jojózás, amikor is hol ez, hol pedig az előzött meg engem vagy én másokat, attól függően, hogy éppen lefelé, vagy felfelé haladtunk. A pulzusom már ekkor 17O körül volt, de még jól éreztem magamat. Úgy 1Okm-nél az út egyre keskenyebb lett, de az igazán technikás részek még hátra voltak a 48km-es versenytávból. Nem szerettem volna beragadni valaki mögé és azt is látni szerettem volna, hogy merre megyek. Így úgy gondoltam, hogy az élre állok. Amúgy is úgy éreztem, hogy az emelkedőkön több erőm van, mint a többieknek. Egy hosszabb kaptatón ki is álltam a nyeregből és otthagytam a többieket.

Ekkor viszont még nem sokáig maradtam az élen. A legtechnikásabb része az egész pályának csak ekkor következett. Az első montis úgy ment el mellettem, hogy azt sem hallottam, hogy már mögém ért. Figyelmeztető szó nélkül száguldott el mellettem balról egy meredek lejtőn, hogy én majdnem nekimentem az árok falának a jobbomon. Az út (nem is út, hanem csapás) itt vízzel kimosott agyagos árokra emlekeztetett, ami, ha csak egy kicsit is nedves, jégpályahoz hasonlít leginkább. A lejtő aljára még egy srác megelőzött, de összetettem a kezemet (nem szó szerint persze), hogy a bringán tudtam maradni, holott sokszor azt hittem lefelé menet, hogy nagyot fogok bukni még a vége előtt. Mire az első patakátkeléshez értem (19km-nél a 48km-ből) az első kettő már nem volt látótávolságon belül. Innen viszont már tudtam, hogy a nehezén túl voltam, már ami a nagy bukás valószinűségét illette.

Elkezdtem keményen tekerni felfelé és kicsit megpihenni a lejtőkön. Sokáig tartott, de sikerült beérni a 2. helyezettet. Ekkora viszont már 28km-nél voltunk és a hosszú, gyors lejtő a cél előtt egyre jobban közeledett. Nem volt nagy csata a 2. helyért, egy emelkedőn könnyen el tudtam szakadni tőle. Pár km-rel később megpillantottam a versenyt vezetőt is és elkeztem számolni a másodperceket, hogy mennyire vagyok mögötte. Bíztatásra adott okot, hogy a távolság egyre csökkent és nem sokkal később, a harmadik patakátkelesnél már utól is értem őt. Itt sem utaztam sokáig. Szerencsémre volt még elég emelkedő hátra, és erőm is, hogy ellépjek tőle egy egyik sziklás emelkedőn.

Viszont nem nyugodhattam még és úgy tekertem felfelé, mintha kergettek volna, mert tudtam, hogy nem sok lehetőségem van már hátra, hogy egy biztonságos előnyt kovácsoljak a célig. A nagy lejtőn úgy repesztettem lefelé, ahogy csak tudtam, mert biztos voltam benne, hogy akik mögöttem vannak azok sem tesznek másként. Folyamatosan pillantgattam hátrafelé, de mire megérkeztem az utolsó beton hídhoz és már csak pár km volt hátra egy domb tetején található célig tudtam, vagyis inkább bíztam benne, hogy ez már meg a zsebben van.

Nem csak magamat leptem meg az első hellyel, de Annát is, aki a cél előtt nem sokkal egy kanyarban botorkált és a fénykepező gépet sem tudta előkapni, mikor megpillantott. A célban sem voltak még fotósok, így sajnos nem tudok ilyen bizonyítékkal sem szolgalni.

Kellemesen kifáradtam a verseny során, de nem annyira, hogy Annával ne tudtam volna elmenni másnap egy 23km-es túrára a tongariroi vulkánok között. A Mt. Ngauruhoe vulkán úgy is nevezetes, mint Mt. Doom a Gyűrűk Ura című filmből, amit pedig itt, Új Zélandon néztem meg először. Fel is ’’futottam’’ a vulkánra, ami egy hihetetlen élmény volt. 16OOm-ről 225Om-re mindössze 12oo méter megtétele után (kb 4o-45 fokos emelkedő) értem fel, amit kevésbé lehet futásnak mondani, inkább négykézlábas mászásnak. Sokszor láttam futball labda méretű sziklákat nagy sebességgel gördülni le nem is messzire tőlem, megköszonve, hogy nem voltam a szikla útjában. A belső kráter peremén már minden jéggel borított volt, így nem ’’sétáltam’’ körbe a külső krátert.

A két nap alatt viszont annyira kifáradtam, hogy hétfőn semmit sem csináltam és kedden is csak úsztam. Kell a pihenő, hogy a következő nagy kalandra kipihenjük magunkat.

Képek a versenyről és a túráról: https://goo.gl/TMGRVL

Results:

Results

Elevation Profile

Pukeitt Puffer Trail Run

4/20/2015

There was a small race in April I feel like I should not even make a not of it but in the same time it was one of the toughest runs I have had in months.
The Pukeiti Puffer, a 14.5k trail run, in the Pukeiti Gardens opened up my racing season in the New Plymouth area for 2015.
Only a few dozen walkers, joggers and some runners lined up to complete the two-loop course. The organizers kept the course to existing walking trails. For the first few km's there were short but steep climbs and gnarly descents that challenged the participants. After the 3rd stream crossing a rather long and increasingly steep uphill ensured that even the fittest runners are properly tested.
I was well clear and leading the race when I ran up on the long hill, all the way to the lookout and still felt content. During the second lap, however, I started to fade and had to power walk in the uphill a couple of times for 10-20 meters each time. No shame in it though. The uphill was as difficult as mother nature could have made it for us.
Although I reached the finish line a good 10 minutes ahead of the second runner there is another reason this event will stay memorable and more importantly enlightening.
I have been running in Hoka One One shoes for the past 2 years and I have not had more rolled ankles than during this period. It's always my right foot thus there might be a possibility that my right foot pronates in such way that I tend to roll my ankle more frequently. On the other hand the higher and wider platform of the Stinson ATR model, although great shoes with proper traction and cushion, exacerbate the probability of rolling my ankle. Especially over technical, gnarly terrain just like the last few km's of this particular course.
I was almost out of the worse when I had a misstep and rolled my ankle so badly that I thought I broke it. I kept running but the pain quickly set in. It wasn't the first time I rolled but this was the worse pain to date.
I still finished the race but limping. I am writing this review a good 2 weeks later and my ankle is just coming around now. I am afraid I have to use the Hoka shoes for non-technical trails where footing is not that crucial.
Below is the elevation profile of the course with HR overlay.

Xterra Motatapu, New Zealand

3/23/2015

THE ULTIMATE DESTINATION RACE

English version

The first time I heard about the Xterra Motatapu I knew I wanted to do it. Back then, living in North Dakota there was a very little chance that this dream would ever (or in the near future) come true. Fast forward to 2014 Anna and I decided to take a year-long trip to New Zealand and the dream was suddenly looking like it would materialize. In February, 2015 we left our comfortable and easy life in Bismarck, stuffed our belongings into six luggages (4 of those belonged to me} and hopped on an airplane. 2 days later we landed in Auckland, NZ. But I guess the story of the "big move" can wait a little bit.

The Xterra Motatapu takes place in southern New Zealand, in the Otago region. The nearest town to the race's start is Wanaka that, in my opinion, is one of the coolest little towns of all New Zealand. There’s everything there that an outdoor enthusiast can wish for all year round adventures. The triathlon’s swim portion takes place in Glendhu Bay, 11kms east of Wanaka, at the foothills of the cloud covered mountains. The lake is cold, deep but crystal clear as the glaciers way above in the mountains seem to provide an endless supply of the purest water found on earth. The bike course travels through the Motatapu area where the never ending valley keeps climbing until you ultimately reach the highest point of the bike course at some 800+ meters (250-ish at the lake). At this point you have already biked about 34kms and you are tired and soaked and cold from all the stream crossings and possible baths you took along the way in the cold streams. After a fast descent from the “top” T2 is located in Arrowtown. You'll be welcomed by hundreds of spectators at T2 who are cheering for the finishers of other events such as a 15k trail run, a trail marathon and an endurance event and the mtb race. Approximately half a mile is all you get before the real climbing begins on the run course and it doesn’t let off until you climb to about 1050 meters above sea level. By the time you reach the peak you see no trees in sight and the visibility has been also reduced to only about 50 meters due to all the clouds and fog. The climb is about 9km long and you will drop all that elevation in just about 3kms over some crazy steep downhill sections where one mistake can cost you a broken vertebrae. No kidding here. At the steepest section of the DH a backboard was laid along the trail and EMTs were standing by another 50 yards down from that point there waiting to get in action. After 13kms of quad-killing, alternating run-walk-slide-repeat intervals you are back on the last few kms of the bike course. The finish line is back where T2 is and you are welcomed by hundreds of fans and family (for a brief moment it feels like they are all your family) cheering you through the chute.

Looking back now the 2 weeks spent with traveling, camping and 3000km of driving probably didn’t work in my favor. Nor did the winter training in frigid North Dakota where I swam, biked and ran but did all of those indoors. OK. I did some outdoor running after fresh snow covered the otherwise icy run paths.
But enough of the excuses. Everyone has their own little story in the purse that they can use to blame a rather bad performance.
At 5 in the morning, just 2.5 hours before the gun went off the rain started to pour.
At 7:30 it was still coming down like it would never end.
The race was delayed a bit but not enough to make any difference. The swim course consisted of two, one km loops. I didn’t start too fast and since I was on the far right side I could see the entire field splashing towards the first buoy. Two guys at the front gapped the rest of field rather early but I tried to ease into a good rhythm while staying with the chase group. I felt pretty good and started the 2nd lap in 3rd place. However, I couldnt keep my position any longer because my goggles fell off after jumping back in the water and I was quickly overtaken by a few swimmers who were right on my feet. I stayed with that group and kept telling myself this was good enough. Apparently I did slow down a lot as I exited the water some 6 minutes down the leader and got nearly 3 minutes to some who passed me at the beginning of the 2nd lap. The first transition felt like I was in there for hours, not minutes. Since it was already raining and temps were only in the 40s (sub 10C) I put my rain jacket on. As I was running my bike out I saw some guys taking a bathroom break in the shrubs before heading out on to the bike course. I suppose all the cold water...

The otherwise fast dirt road was now muddy and the water levels of the stream crossings just kept increasing with the rain still punishing us. A few minutes into the ride the mountain bike race was started and the leading bunch rode through us like we were just standing still. I managed to catch the back end of the freight and yoyo-ed with some guys. I passed them going uphill but was passed on the way down. My sunglasses had water droplets on the inside and got muddy on the outside but I couldn’t ride without them as the mud would have filled up my eye sockets. Therefore, I had to be rather careful going down as I couldn't see much and kept the pace fast but still manageable going up. The more streams I passed the more agitated I got. It’s not a good thing I know but somewhere I felt it wasn’t fair that I traveled halfway across the globe for a race after which all the bearings on my bike would be replaced. To make things even worse about halfway through the course I managed to take a bath in one of the wide and evidently very deep crossings for the satisfaction of the nearby photographer and volunteers who were standing at that aid station. From that on I reduced my speed to just cruising; I pulled the safety card out of the deck. While it sounds like I may have given up I was very cold and my muscles were not respoding awnymore. The short but steep Soho descent was followed by another descent called the Macetrack. Macetrack was famous as the organizers made sure you remembered their words: “you ride over the cliff and you will definitely die”. Apparently no one can survive a 400 meter plunge down below.
The last few km was about the worst. We already knew that most of the crossings would take place just before the finish/T2 but the elevated water levels merged some of the streams into massive rivers. In some places the water was nearly waist deep and you had to tap your way through with your feet over the rocks holding your bike overhead. Riding through the mandatory bike cleaning section served as a relief that no more crossings were to come.

In T2 I learned that the backpack that was compulsory on the bike had to be carried through the run course as well. Thank god we were able to take out the spare tires and bike tools that would be rather useless in case of hypothermia. I knew nothing about the run course except the length and that it goes above the clouds and that it also comes down. The race was so spread out by this point that I kept questioning myself if I was running the right direction. I don’t recall a race where the course followed sheep tracks and it was so steep that I had to walk for hundreds of meters at a time. This run course almost out-toughed me. Obviously it didn't as I managed to finish the race and apparently I posted the fastest run/walk time by the competitors who were re-routed at the end. Due to the high water levels on the last few kms (same for the bikers and runners) the course was re-routed and we had to take a bridge over the river and walk on the trails on the banks of the river. After just over 5 hours of pain and misery I completed my longest race thus far and took 4th place overall. As you may guess by now I am by no means satisfied with my performance.
This was more of a survival race and not a cutthroat race for the place. Did it make me tougher? I am sure it did. I experienced some crazy stuff that never before.

However, the race is in such an amazing place that it'd be a shame not to include it in anyone's bucket list races. As I heard 2015 marked the worst weather conditions in the history of the race and I would absolutely love to compete here again when the elements are more friendly.

Next up and possibly my last race in 2015 is the XTERRA New Zealand Championships in Rotorua on April 11, 2015.
This year's World Championships in Maui is up in the air- gotta qualify first in Rotorua then find the $$ and time to fly over there..

Full results can be found HERE.

MAGYAR változat

Egy Xterra verseny általában 15OO méter úszásból, 3Okm mountain bike-ból és nagyjából 1O km futásból áll. Nem igazából mondhatni egy könnyű sétának a parkban. Mellesleg még a legjobbaknak is több, mint 2 órába tart. Az viszont majdnem biztos, hogy akik egyszer elhatározzák magukat, hogy teljesítenek egy ilyen megmerettetést és persze teljesítik is épen és egészségesen, azok rá fognak kattanni és újabb, még nagyobb kihívásokat fognak majd keresni. Tehát nem csoda, hogy amikor hallottam az Új-Zéland déli szigetén tartott, Motatapu hegyről elnevezett versenyről rögtön felcsillant a szemem. A táv, ugyan hosszabb, mint a hagyományos táv, a 2OOO méter úszás, 47km bringa és 16 km terep futás mégsem amiért ez a verseny volt a legnehezebb, amit eddig teljesítettem.

Kezdjük azzal, hogy idejutni sem volt könnyű. Hátra hagytuk a kényelmes Észak-dakotai életünket, munkástul, házastul, kutyástul és macskástul. Aucklandbe érkezve vettünk egy autót és megkezdtük, ami a végén egy majdnem 5OOOkm hosszú autókázás, kempingezés, túrázás lett a versennyel a közepén. Az útról még írok bővebben, ha már az internetünk nem a telefonra vásárolt adat forgalomra van korlátozva.

A verseny maga Wanaka város közelében, Glendhu öbölben veszi kezdetét. A Wanaka-tó legdélebbi pontján talalható, 2OOO méternél is magasabb hegycsúcsokkal körbevett öböl víze még nyáron sem melegszik fel 1O-12 foknál melegebbre. De még ez sem volt a ’legrosszabb’ része a versenynek. És még az sem, hogy a talán 12 fokos víz melegebb volt a levegő hőmérsékleténél. Viszont a hajnal 5-től szakadó eső igencsak nehézzé tette a versenyzők dolgát, elsősorban a bringa alatt.

A rajtnál úgy századmagammal együtt vártunk arra, hogy a többórás ’ fizetett szenvedés’ kezdetét vegye. A téli úszóedzéseknek köszönhetően bíztam benne, hogy nem fogok majd sokkal elmaradni az élmezőnytől és az első kör befejeztével a 3.helyen úsztam. Ekkor sajnos, a masodik kör kezdetén a vízbe ugorva a szemüvegem leesett és a tucatnyi üldöző mind megelőzött. Ugyanakkor egyre inkább visszavettem az iramból. A lábamat akartam megspórolni, mert sok tekerés és igazából csak ’emlékezetből’ futás következett. Értsd úgy, hogy Dakotában télen nem igazából lehet minőségi futómunkát elvégezni és idén télen a futógép sem volt annyira csábító.

A vízből kijövet már több perces hátrányban voltam a legjobbakhoz képest és azt is tudtam, hogy a bringán sem én leszek a leggyorsabb, a mésfél évtizedes futó múlt viszont mindig segít több helyet is javítani a végső pozíción.

Az eső mégjobban rákezdett, ahogy a vízből jöttünk ki, így a vártnál hamarabb, már a depóban felvettem az esődzsekit. Még olyan versenyen nem vettem részt, ahol használni kellett volna, tehát semmi fogalmam sem volt arról, hogy hogyan tudok majd tekerni benne, vagy túlmelegszek-e majd. Nos, aggodalomra nem volt ok. Még melegen is tartott. De a vizet persze nem tartotta kívül. Mármint a vizet, ami alulról ömlött be. A bringa pálya nagyon könnyűnek tűnt előre. Az eleinte kavicsos útat lassan felváltotta az egycsapásos ösvény, majd megint egy teherautóút, újra ösvény és mindössze az elvétett lejtők okoztak meleg helyzetet. Az esőnek ’köszönhetően’ viszont a több tucatnyi vízmosás és patak gyorsfolyású folyókká duzzadtak. Eleinte csak kisebb vízmosásokon kell átgördülni, ami sok gondot nem okozott, de ahogy a km-ek teltek el a folyók is szélesedtek és duzzadtak, amíg már a víz még gyalogolva is majdnem csípőig ért fel. Az egyik ilyenben sikerült stílusosan megfürödnöm a nem messze drukkolóknak és fotósoknak a legnagyobb örömére. Ekkora már csupa víz voltam, de ezután a kötelező jellegel cipelt hátizsák is ki lett mosva. A hátizsák azért kötelező, mert a pálya lassan emelkedik, 2OO méterről az öbölnél és majdnem 9OO méter magasságot ér el a völgyben, amikor a környező hegyek majd 2OOOm magasak és az időjárás egyik pillanatról változhat meg, szinte megjósolhatatlanul. Ezért a zsákban a bringa alapvető szereléséhez szükséges szerszámokat, pót gumikat, pumpát, emellett egy teljes elsősegély készletet, 2 réteg termó felsőt (a dzseki már ugye rajtam volt) kellett magunkkal vinni. A kiszámíthatatlan időjárás mellett még azzal is viccelődtek, hogy a Macetrack elnevezésű szakaszon, ha túlmész az úton, akkor a 4OOm-es zuhanást a szakadékba biztosan nem éled majd túl. Ezt többször, még közvetlenül a rajt előtt is elmondták. Nem volt nehéz eltéveszteni ezt a szakaszt. Olyan volt, aminek ábrázolták. Meredek. Több száz méteres sziklafal felfelé a baloldalodon, kb 4 méteres csúszós, néhol sziklás földút, ahol az előzés azt jelenti, hogy a 4OOm-es szakadéktól csak egy rossz mozdulat választ el. Túléltük. Mindenki. De, ami ezek utan jött, azt csak a gyorsabbak élhették át (pálya elterelés később). A pálya utolsó 3km-e többször keresztül szeli az amúgy is mély folyót. Eddigre már mi is csak úgy tudtunk átkelni ezen a szakaszon, hogy a bringát a vállunkon cipeltük. Ez annyit jelentett, hogy libasorban, a többieket követve kellett bravúrozni, hogy a gyorsfolyású folyó ne mosson le a lábadról és a láthatatlan sziklákon se bukjál orra. Egy igazi élmény volt. 47km mountain bike és folyóátkelés ’sikeresen’ letudva.

A második depó Arrowtown városkában volt, ami egyben a cél is volt. Hogy végre megpihenjek viszont még tenni kellett egy szép kört futva. 16km a táv, 3OOm magasról 1OOOm magasra fel, majd le egy olyan meredek szakaszon, ahol hordágyak voltak az ösvény mellett elhelyezve a mentősök által, akik kicsit lejjebb állva azt ’várták’ , hogy mikor tudnak beavatkozni. Felfelé azért volt szenvedés az egész, mert a gps-nek ’köszönhetően’ tudtam, hogy még sehol sem vagyok a csúcshoz, de a lábaim már nem tudnak olyan gyorsan átfordulni, hogy azt még futásnak lehessen hívni. Így sokszor bele kellett gyalogolni a meredek szakaszokon. Lefelé viszont nagy kockázatot vállalva (értsd: törött gerinc és helikopteres kimentés), combot nem kímélve futottam le. A futópálya utolsó 4km-e a bringa pályával ugyanaz, ami érdekes, mert a bringások 4O-5O-nel mennek el melleted és csak bízol abban, hogy látnak téged. És ahogy a többszörös folyóátkeléshez értünk csalódottan láttam, hogy a pálya végét törölték, vagyis elterelték. Itt előzni nem lehetett és csak sétáltunk a cél felé. Állítólag olyan magas volt már a víz állása, hogy az a lábáról mosta le az embereket. Ugyan az utolsó 1km-t újból futhattam, 5 óra 2 perc elteltével , majdnem kipihenten a sok gyalogolástól, végre célba értem.

Összesítettben a 4. helyen értem be. Persze csak az első 3-at díjazták. És a 3. helyezett az én kategóriámba tartozott, így még várat magára a világbajnoki kvalifikació az idei Maui vb-re.

Hogy mennyire volt nehéz? A verseny szombaton volt és a következő hét szombatjáig nem tudtam rendesen gyalogolni, nemhogy futni.

Újból csinálnám-e? Persze! Már alig várom, hogy újból megpróbáltathassam magam, remélhetőleg kevésbé embert próbáló körülmények között.

2014 XTERRA Worlds Recap in Magyar & English

1/18/2015

English version- Magyar lejjebb talalható

This recap of the XTERRA World Championships back from October is looong due. I suppose it's better later than never. I'm certain that should the race have worked out to my favor you could have read this months ago. On the other side this is just an other excellent example of what a procrastinator I. CAN. BE.

As you can read it in my previous post I was going into the race with high expectations to myself. I wasn't 100% sure about my biking fitness due to the lack of training in the second half of the year- after my accident in July- but I was really hoping to produce some good results in the swim and on the run.

The race started out relatively good for me but not as I had hoped. I came out of the water in the bunch with a 26:25 swim. That's about 1:30 minute faster than 2 years ago but it's still considered the beaten mix. The fact that I started on the wrong side of the field may have contributed to the not-so-good-swim. Those starting on the right side with me faced more brutal waves and the current wasn't working in our favor either.
Once on the bike I had to pass and pass even more. Interestingly only one guy- at the beginning of the course still on the asphalt- passed me on the entire bike course. As a result, at least until the last technical segment- I thought I was riding very strong and that I was nearing the bottom of the pro field. Not so much. As it turned out I was still far off and on top of it I had likely used up too much gas to maintain that pace on the bike. As an example, the last few miles went through a wooded section of the trail with tight turns that involved a lot of accelaration and decelaration. All in all you need the skills to carry through as much momentum as possible otherwise you end up losing too much time. This is when I arrived behind Charlotte McShane of Australia, a female pro ITU triathlete, and only after a mile or so biking could I pass her. Even then I could not put much distance in her and she came off the bike not so far behind me.
Of course a triathlon starts with the run and that's when you either make it or- like in my case- barely survive it. I was confident that my running was up at least where it was in 2012. However, when combined with a grueling 2 hour mountain bike ride, it resulted in a race that I most definitely want to forget. I started picking up runners in front of me very fast but I also started to feel that my hamstrings would not hold up for the entire 9k run. I had my first cramp about 2 miles in. I stopped to stretch for a good 20-30 seconds then started running again only to come to another stop in not even in just after a few hundred yards. All of those I just passed is now passing me back and there's nothing I can do about it. I was faster when I was running but this interval style running wasn't working in my favor. McShane and I went back and forth for a while but when I had to stop for the third time she pulled away for good. For the remainder of the run I was more concerned about not getting another cramp so I backed the pace off and lowered my body to more of a shuffle. I stopped and slowly climbed over and/or under the fallen trees as any sudden movement would have resulted in another 1 minute penalty- by my hammies.

I finished the race in 78th place overall (out of 738 finishers) and 12th in the Age Group (52 finishers).

Here is the breakdown:
Overall Time:     3:02:12     - Place: 78th
Swim Time:     26:25        - Place: 191st
Bike Time:        1:47:52      - Place: 98th
Run Time:          44:35         - Place: 38th

The swim (longer) and bike course (longer, muddier) were different this year so it's unnecessary to compare the times.

                    2012        2014
Overall        73rd        78th        -deeper field
AG                8th        12th        -different age group but deeper field on average
Swim           229th    191st       - somewhat faster
Bike            90th         98th        - deeper field, stronger riders
Run            14th        38th        - slower due to cramps

RESULTS of the 2014 XTERRA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

I just started the more structured training in my preparation for the 2015 season.
This is going to be a different season for many reasons. Anna and I are moving to New Zealand for at least a year. I will be racing at the XTERRA Motatapu and XTERRA Rotorua in March and April but not sure what else is in the bag for me after those two events. Perhaps some trail runs, ocean swims and much more training. I would like to race in Hawaii again in October (Actually, November 1st) but the schedule is even blurrier now than in previous years.

One thing you can be certain though, that I won't be just sitting on my bums and drooling over some tv shows with soda in one hand and chips in the other. We will be hiking and camping as much as we can, discovering the beautiful country of New Zealand. Heck, we might even try out as kiwi pickers while there..

Thanks for reading.

Magyar

A magyar verzió nem feltétlenül fog megfelelni az angolnak de egy az biztos: ami kék volt az angol leirásban az kék marad a magyarban is és ha az angolban az áll, hogy sok fejlődni valóm van még akkor nem fogom megetetni a magyar olvasókat azzal, hogy mennyire király vagyok..

Arra, hogy miért csak most, majdnem 3 hónappal később írok erről a versenyről, csak két lehetséges válasszal tudok szolgálni.
1. Nincs mire büszkélkedni igazán..
2. Lustaság.

Tehát csapjunk csak bele abba a lecsóba mielőtt megint elhúzom ezt a leírást még egy hónappal.
Az XTERRA Világbajnokság minden tekintetben a legfontosabb versenye egy tereptriathlon versenyzőnek. Nem feltétlenül fekszik mindenkinek a pálya vonalvezetése, a 3O C fok hőség, a 7O-8O% páratartalom és sokaknak a fél napos időeltolóds sem segít. Egy azonban biztos: ha már egyszer valaki elszánta magát, hogy időt, pénzt és energiát beleöljön abba, hogy itt lehessen, az mindent ki fog magából adni a nap végére.
Így voltam vele én is.
Az úszás rajtját követően nem sikerült jó helyet elfoglalni. Azt is mondhatnám egészen pocsékul választottam meg a rajtpozíciót. A jobb oldalon helyezkedtem el, arra gondolva, hogy majd onnan nyílt vizen sikerül majd felúsznom magamat a mezőny elejére. Annyi volt a baj ezzel, hogy a jobb oldalon a hullámok nagyobbak voltak és az ár is ellenem dolgozott. Később visszanézve a gps fájlomat kiderült, hogy egy jókora kiflit úsztam le, amivel simán 1OOm-rel többet úsztam az 15OOm-es táv végére. A depóban még azt gondoltam, hogy jó helyen vagyok. Márcsak azért is voltak ilyen téves gondolataim, mert az egész bringán csak egy valaki előzött le és az is még a legelején történt. Úgy 3km–nél, a lehető legrosszabb helyen, egy kacskaringós technikás részen, valahogy leesett a láncom és elvesztettem egy pár pozíciót és egy (svéd) srác ott biztosan meglógott, akivel talán sikerült volna sokáig elmennem. A pálya egészen jól felszáradt (meglepetésemre) és csak egy-két helyen voltak nagyobb sárga színű pocsolyák (az agyagtól persze és nem a versenyzők megkönnyebbülésétől). Az emelkedőkön egyértelműen erősebb voltam és sokakat itt előztem meg, bár lehet itt is égettem el túl sok gyertyát, ami később bosszulta meg magát. A táv utolsó harmadára így sikerült eléggé elfogynom. Ez inkább akkor jelentkezett, amikor a technikás részen utolértem Charlotte McShane-t (Ausztrál pro ITU triatlonista leányzó), akit viszont nem sikerült megelőznöm egyszerűen és amikor végre magam mögött tudtattam már az inkább országúti sebességéről híres huszonévest nem tudtam nagyobb távolságot kicsikarni az előzésből. Tehát a bringát mar egészen biztosan egy pár profi férfi és mégtöbb nő előtt sikerült befejeznem, de mégsem lehettem túlságosan elégedett mert sok amatőr volt még ekor előttem. Tudtam, hogy ha valahol, akkor a futás alatt sikerül majd felfutni magamat (esetleg) a dobogóra. Ez a terv egészen az első görcsig élt is bennem. Ekkora (nem egészen 2km után) már megelőztem vagy egy tucat versenyzőt, amikor meg kellett állnom kinyújtani a combhajlítomat. Ez nem először történt meg velem már. 2O13-ban Las Vegasban, 2O14-ben ugyancsak Vegas, majd az amerikai bajnokságon Utah-ban és most megint. Valami közös pontot kell majd találni ezeken a versenyeken és megpróbálni kiküköbölni a legközelebbi nagyobb megmérettetésre.
Tehát egy 2O-3Omp-es nyújtás után megint nyakamba szedtem a lábaimat, de éreztem, hogy valami még mindig nem tökéletes. Gondolom többetekkel megtörtént ez már, hogy ha egyszer elkezd görcsölni a lábad, akkor az nehezen, vagy egyáltalan nem múlik el. Well, ez volt az én sorsom is. Talán csak pár száz métert futhattam, amikor megint félre kellett húzódnom nyújtani. A bringán megelőzott McShane-nel yoyo-ztunk, azaz megelőztem én, amikor tudtam futni, majd visszavette az előnyt, amikor ki kellett állnom. A harmadik megállásom után már csak az lebegett a szemem előtt, és persze a sok időveszteség miatt már csak az lebeghetett, hogy befejezzem a versenyt futva és ne sétálva. Ezért vissza kellett vennem a tempóból, a kanyarokból lassan tudtam csak kigyorsulni, a kidőlt fákon, mint akadályokon, csak atmásztam atugrás helyett és ahol egy fa alatt kellett alábukva futni, ott megálltam és mint egy vénasszony (nem megsérteni akarok én senkit ezzel a jelzővel) kullogtam át a fa alatt. Még itt is sikerült megelőzni egy pár versenyzőt, de persze eddigre már az "igazi verseny" régen elfutott előlem.
Végül is sikerült a célba érnem, megkaptam az érmemet, de nem azt, amire számitottam. Messze elmaradtam a két évvel ezelőtti futóeredményemtől, de ezt a sok görcsnek akarom megköszönni.

Az eredményeket az angol verzió aljan talalhatjátok meg. Képeket (magamról a verseny alatt) ide inkabb nem szúrok be, mert nem akarom, hogy a vénasszony Molnár Danit lássátok.

Jelenleg Annával Új-Zélanda készülünk, ahol a következő egy évet fogjuk majd eltölteni.
Március 7.-én az XTERRA Motatapu elnevezésű hosszú távú terep triathlonon fogok részt venni majd csak 5 héttel később az északi szigeten találhato Rotorua város ad majd otthon az XTERRA Rotorua versenynek, ami egyben az új-zélandi tereptriathlon bajnokság is.

XTERRA World Championships Pre-Race Thoughts

10/25/2014

English

There is nothing I would want more on Sunday than making the podium in my age group and finish strong right in the midst of the top athletes.
I know can't compare my swimming ability to some of the fastest of the sport (such as Conrad Stoltz, Branden Rakita) and I definitely don't have the leg power to come near the strongest bikers (Josiah Middaugh, Ruben Ruzafa). I do have a chance though to minimize my losses on the run. Don't take me wrong. As an amateur athlete I don't compete with the professionals but since I like to analyze my performance for later improvements they set the standard. Pro athletes tend to bring the best out of themselves and they steadily perform at the level they are capable of. On the other hand there are so many variables in the life's of an amateur athlete that looking at splits and final results may not tell the whole picture.
Like I said, my ultimate goal is to perform at my current best and if that's enough, make the top three in the category.

To list of few of of the 58 age group competitors who will toe the line with me in the 30-34 category: Matthew Balzer (2nd at XTERRA USA 2014 & 3rd last year here), Olivier Pichou (France- 30-34 World Champ in 2013), Anthony Flinois (France, 2nd last year).
Others include JP Donovan who won the overall age group title in Snowbasin at the XTERRA USA's this year, Mitchell Ginsberg (RSA, 2nd in 25-29 last year), Tommy Vonach (Austria, 1st last year in the 40-44 category).
Many of the top amateurs did not return for this year's competition and that adds a question mark of who will show up who is not expected based on last year's results.

In the past few weeks I was able to get in a solid bout of swim workouts with the Bismarck Masters Team and I had a few good run workouts. The black horse will be the bike that took a definite cut in my training. Not that I didn't do tough sessions on my trainer but I certainly didn't sit on my mtb enough.

The trail conditions have been in the middle of the discussions among athletes in the past few days. It has rained nearly every day or night since we've arrived and made the bike course impossible to ride. On Wednesday I was able to ride about 4 miles without issues to my tires but soon after it started raining the clay stuck to my wheels and they eventually locked up. I didn't ride on Thursday but I heard it from some that the trails were in better shape. On Friday, however, we got some more rain so we had to forget about riding on the trails one more time.
Some talks have been going around of a changed course if conditions on the upper/lower sections don't improve by Saturday afternoon.

I know for a fact that my tires act like skis and I'm not a good skier by any means. So if the course is just a little bit muddy my focus will be the safe completion of the bike course and all my energy will go towards posting a fast run split. In 2012 I was able to walk away with the fastest amateur run time- a $100 restaurant gift card was my prize. I plan to win nothing less this year.

In about 29 hours we will know a lot more.

You can get live results at http://results.chronotrack.com/event/results/event/event-10893?lc=en

My bib number is 390.

Magyar

Nem sok mindent akarok jobban vasárnap, mint egy dobogós helyezést a kategóriámban és a legjobbakkal való beérkezés.
Tudom, hogy nem tudom összehasonlítani az úszásomat a a leggyorsabbakkal (Conrad Stoltz, Branden Rakita) és biztosan nincsen meg az a fajta erő, hogy a legjobb bringásokkal küzdjek (Josiah Middaugh, Ruben Ruzafa). De megvan a lehetőségem arra, hogy a veszteségeimet minimalizáljam a futás alatt.
Nem akarom magamat amatőrként a profi versenyzőkhöz hasonlítani, de a profik azok, akik stabilan tudják azt az eredményt hozni, amire képesek. Az amatőrök esetében túl sok az a magánéleti tényező, ami miatt sokkal nagyobbak az eredmények ingadozása. Éppen ezért, a fejlődésemet a legjobban akkor lehet észrevenni, ha a részidőket a nagyjából hasonló (évről-évre) eredményt produkaló profihoz mérem.
A nap végén a legfontosabb dolog viszont a jó helyezés és persze, hogy elégedett legyek azzal.

A tavalyi eredmény listán áthaladva a következő versenyzők lesznek majd nagy csatában:

3O-34 kategória: Matthew Balzer (2. az XTERRA USA 2014 & 3. tavaly), Olivier Pichou (France- 30-34 világbajnok 2013-ban), Anthony Flinois (France, 2. tavaly).
Más kategóriák jobbjai: JP Donovan (Nevada, USA) aki idén megnyerte az amerikai XTERRA USA amatőr címet Snowbasin-ben, Mitchell Ginsberg (Dél-Afrika, 2. a 25-29 kategóriában tavaly), Tommy Vonach (Ausztria, első tavaly a 40-44-es kategóriában).

Sok top amatőr nem tért vissza, míg mások már profiként versenyeznek. Az pedig egészen biztos, hogy sokan bukkannak majd fel, akivel előzetesen senki (legalábbis én) sem számolt ..

Az elmúlt pár hétben sikerült egy pár jobb úszóedzést beiktatni a Bismarck Masters Team-mel, így bízok abban, hogy nem a "vert mezőnyben" jövök majd ki idén a vízből. Egy pár jobb futóedzésem is volt, ami mutatta, hogy annyira azért nem vagyok lassú. A fekete bárány viszont a bringa lesz. Az elmúlt hetekben az ideálisnál kevesebbet tekertem, bár azért sikerült betenni egy pár erős görgős edzést is.

A versenyt nagyban fogja majd befolyasolni az elmúlt napok esőzései. Még szerdán, az első és egyetlen pályabejárásom idéjen mégcsak nem is félúton eleredt az eső és az addig egészen jó minőségű talaj egy járhatatlan mocsárrá változott, nagyon rövid idő alatt. A korábbi ananász ültetvény talaja agyagos, így a víz nem szívódik be, inkább síkossá, csúszóssá teszi azt.
Hallottam "híreket", hogy lehet átvariálják majd a bringa pályát és csak a felső vagy alsó szakaszon fogunk majd tekerni. De ha tegnap este (szombatra virradóra) esett, akkor az én meglátásom szerint nem fog a talaj eléggé megszáradni, hogy járhato legyen. A kerekeim úgy gyűjtik össze az agyagot, hogy amiatt nem tudom tovább tekerni azt. Pénteken egy rövid szakaszon próbáltuk ki milyenek a viszonyok, nem túl jo eredménnyel.
Ha mégis elengednek és a pálya csak egy kicsit is saras lesz a legfontosabb a számomra a balesetmentes befejezés lesz és minden energiát majd a jobb futóeredmény elérésére fogom tartogatni. 2O12-ben sikerült a legjobb amatőr futó címet megszerezni és idén sem akarok kevesebbel eltávozni.
Szombat estére hoznak majd az XTERRA vezetői döntést a pályamódosítás kapcsán.

Úgy 29 órán belül mindannyian okosabbak leszünk majd.

Ezen a linken lehet majd az élő eredményeket kapni:

http://results.chronotrack.com/event/results/event/event-10893?lc=en

A rajtszámom 39O.

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Szép, Jó Napot Kívánok!

xterra USA Championship Trail Run- Half Marathon

10/20/2014

Day 2.

When you signed up for the XTERRA USA Champs there was a question at the bottom of the screen asking if you were doing the double. I quickly checked the box without letting any thoughts of the unavoidable pain in my post-race body take over my decision-making sequence.
It sounded like a fun idea at the time. Clearly, I haven't raced for a while at the time when I signed up and I had forgotten how brutal the Snowbasin course is with the 3k+ feet of climbing on the bike and another 1000ft on the run.

Fast forward to the moments after finishing the race, still dripping the sweat/gatorade combo I was already second guessing my sanity.
I convinced myself to run but do the 10k only. For a little while I even thought about just heading home early Sunday morning but that would have been a coward-ish act to me.
I figured I didn't need to be home for anything in particular as I just quit my job a week before the Nationals so might as well race and deal with the pain later.

I spent Saturday afternoon trying to recover. I stood in the reservoir's water for 15 minutes, iced at the hotel, used my Compex Sport Elite on my quads and calves to help speed the recovery.
In the evening Anna and I attended the post-race gathering in downtown Ogden at the Harvest Moon Festival. It was good to see many of the athletes all cleaned up and already smiling over that morning's tortures- with tasty local brews in the hands. We all re-lived the action when the 2014 XTERRA USA Champs highlights of the action was showed on the main screen.

Race morning.

It was still dark as we drove out to Snowbasin Resort at 7am. It was rather unusual for me but came as a delight that I only had to prepare for this with a pair of shoes, a singlet and my shorts. No swim and bike gear needed to be set-up and counted over many times.
It looked like it would rain so I ditched the sunglasses and used a hat given to me the morning of the race by Bill, the owner of Optic Nerve sunglasses company.
In the midst of some skinny runners I spotted Roberto Mandje so I knew the pace would be taken out rather fast.
What I didn't expect was that the "other skinny runners" would be leading the way from the get-go, through the first half mile around the parking lot. I placed myself right behind Roberto as we started to climb but halfway through I noticed he was slowing so made the pass. On the top of the first climb there were still a few of us making up the bunch so the pace didn't let go. The course consisted of two big loops. The first one is mainly the same as Saturday's run leg during the triathlon while the second is the last 10-11k on the mountain bike course.
I found myself in 5th position after a few miles of climbing but I didn't feel secure. At the start of the second climb (mile 5.5) I could hear the footsteps of the 6th place guy. I let him get close and as soon as we started climbing I surged and quickly put some decent distance in him. The climb was long. Miles and miles long. I felt I had the advantage over some runners who have never raced the course before even though I only biked this segment the other way, the easy way. It felt like eternity before we reached the summit of Sardine Peak. There, I spotted my chasers again running about 20-30 seconds behind. Just as we rolled (run) around the point from where you can see Pineview Reservoir I made my second attempt to shake the pursuers off. As the course started to decline I bolted out and pretended I can run downhill for once. I never considered myself like a good downhill runner. Mainly because in Hungary I was surrounded by runners who were actually fast runners who could really fly on the downhills. A few hundred yards of sprint like that and I lost them. I still felt uneasy about the last 2 miles of the race. From the race profile it seemed like a little uphill so I wanted to put in as much time into 6th place as possible.

It all went well until I went down. Hard. Not sure how did that happen. There must have been a root, a rock or something in the way. I rolled my left ankle and lost my balance. For a while I was "running" like a sprinter when they cross the finish line, leaned over trying to stay upright. I knew I would fall. It was inevitable. Just before landing I turned on my right side and I rolled out my momentum. Fun it was not. I was up and limping right away. My left ankle hurt really bad. My right elbow, arm and wrist were bleeding. I looked back, no sign of my chasers. Although I knew that they were there and getting closer. There were only 2 miles to go, based on the mile markers. I fought hard to keep my pace fast but I had to admit it that it was still slower than of those running behind me. Then, after running through a meadow I spotted him. I was still in the money (1-5 receives prize money) but not for long. When he finally caught me he didn't pass. Actually, I slowed the pace down in preparation for the sprint finish. Then, he went past me. I let him go but the gap increased from a step to 3 then 10. I heard the loudspeaker in the not-too-far distance. I thought I had time close that 10 second gap that grew by then. Then, out of nowhere, we came out of the woods and my chances of collecting some beer money diminished.
I wasn't happy. Taking 6th at the end of a 13 mile run when you are in 5th for 12.5 miles is disappointing. But I was disappointed in myself. I let this happen. I lost it. After a brutal Saturday I knew that I wasn't going to win this Half Marathon but I actually lost the race.

I was now not only sore from two days of racing (4+ hours, 40 miles) but I had a twisted and very swollen ankle, bleeding and bruised right arm, dirty clothes. A few days later though most of the pain went away and I feel I have accomplished something great. I didn't do as well I wanted to at this year's nationals but I toughed it out.
Would I do it again?
Yes, I would.
Anytime!

Results- XTERRA Trail Run Nationals- 21k

XTERRA USA Championships - Triathlon

9/26/2014

...up to the race on Saturday...

Anna and I traveled out to Utah days before the weekend's event got started. Not long enough to get adjusted to elevation but who can afford to stay away from home for 2-3 weeks?
The 1000-mile long road trip was paused for 2 hours in Bozeman, MT where, while Anna went for a shopping spree at the mall, I decided to stretch my legs by running one of the many trails around the area. Little did I know that the "gradual climb" the trail was described never let off and I ended up turning back after 1400' of elevation gain. The downhill was even worse. The 8 hour sitting in the car messed up my knee and while running downhill my right knee wanted to constantly lock up. It was a rather painful experience I must say.
After another 6 hour drive through Yellowstone and Idaho we finally arrived and occupied our residence for the next few days.
I rode the course on Wednesday morning, as easy I could possibly ride up without tipping over. OK. It was a little faster than that but I was seriously careful not to get too exhausted during the 2 hour ride. Most importantly though, I felt great! It was not only the most picturesque ride this year for me but my legs were turning over rather fresh and easy. I didn't run but swam in the evening at a local pool. Now that was not fun. In Bismarck, I can go to any of the three pools, anytime, and likely get a full lane to myself. At this pool there was only a 1-hour period available for lap swimming in the evening and I had to share it with a slow moving (where slow is VERY slow), another guy and like 6 kids who were apparently getting swim lessons from a woman who clearly didn't care.
On Thursday we checked out Park City and had a lot of fun. Went down on the coaster and on the slide, walked the historic downtown and even checked out some overpriced pictures. I don't think I would pay $8000 for a picture only because it glows in the dark.
Friday marked my first run since the mountain challenge for me. An easy spin on the Bonneville Shoreline Trail followed by a mile of jog was all I did to get my legs ready for Saturday's torture. I mean it's a torture in epic scales. The swim is at 4900ft elevation then you climb and climb and climb until you can climb no more. Not because you are spent but you've reached the peak of the mountain at about 7200ft. The run starts at 6400ft and climbs an additional 1000ft or so. It's a brutal day even for the professionals.
I really wanted to have time for a good swim warm up. We left over 2 hours before the race's start but somehow I managed to just barely make it down to the water for a quick, 5 minute swim.
Not that I wanted to kill my shoulder anyways. The crash at the XTERRA Mountain Champs left me with a rather weak left shoulder that has yet to heal completely. I positioned myself on the left wing of the "starting line" to avoid the battle for position. That plan worked out pretty good as I had clean water from the get-go. I eased into a decent pace, or so I thought. My first lap was completed in 13 minutes followed by a 14+ minute second lap. I knew the swim was a bit longer than 1500m, and I also knew I wasn't swimming as fast as I did back in Alabama. However, the 5 weeks without swimming resulted in a 5 minute slower swim than Josiah Middaugh who usually swims 1.5-2 minute faster than me. It was followed by a race-worst T1 with over 2 minutes while most left in under 1 minute. After the race my wife, who doesn't do triathlons, but observes, compares, and cheers, suggested that I should cut the bottom of my wetsuit so I can take it off through the timing chip faster. Will do, Mrs Molnar!!
On the bike I managed the first 2 miles on the shoulder without fall. Success. Going up in Wheeler Canyon I passed all of those who passed me on the swim. Well, not everyone. Some I didn't catch until the upper sections, on Sardine Peak. And there was about 10 who not only swam faster but also biked faster up on the mountain. I was relatively careful on the downhills, keeping the speed up but making sure I don't repeat my fall again. All in all it was a successful ride but still not strong enough to put me back in the race.
The run was nothing less than survival race for many of us. My first goal was accomplished when I didn't have to walk on the first climb but oh boy how much I wanted to just slow down. Up on top I had to find another gear to run past and stay clear of the Austrian Carine Wasle. She is one tough gal. I managed to pass a few more age groupers before I spotted a red-dressed gal. I figured it was Chantell Widney but it took me a good mile or more before I got close enough to her to make a pass. She didn't let go off the pace, chasing me down the hill. She was in the money. I was light years away from the fastest age grouper of the day, JP Donovan.

Swim: OK. It's all I can do after 5 weeks off then only 7 short workouts under my belt since August 24, 2014.
Bike: Much better than 2 years ago. Then I biked 1h 44m and completely destroyed my legs that I had to walk the run. I had a decent pace at first but as the field thinned out and there was no one in sight I also lost my momentum and that likely cost me a minute or two.
Run: WTF? This one is supposed to be my strongest of all three but I just didn't have it today. Sure, I went 2 minutes faster than 2 years ago but this time at least I didn't have broken ribs that would have made every step a misery. I want to believe I did what I could but I am never fully satisfied. Especially when most of the pro field out-run me. One thing is for sure, if I have someone in sight or someone I can run with I'd have likely posted a faster split. It's almost like when I don't have the pressure on me I just let off and cruise and try to stay clear of the red zone.

The upcoming weeks will be tough. At least I need to make them rough. In just about 5 weeks I will line up with the world's best off-road triathletes or at least those who can afford to go on an expensive vacation to Maui.
That course is no easier than the Utah course. And with all the heat and humidity it's likely even more grueling.

We can also say that there's five weeks until the break.

RESULTS

Dakota 5-0 mountain bike race recap

9/15/2014

Spearfish, SD
One of the best races of the season. I say this even though I was in the "also competed" category. At least when I compare to an XTERRA event where I usually make the podium when everything works out.
A 50 mile mountain bike race, however, is another game.
There were over 600 participants of all ages and levels lining up one of the three waves. I was in the first one right behind those fast looking guys.
There was a lot of moving around after the start. Like big mass of water flowing down in a narrow canyon. Except when we started to climb it all stretched out. I wanted to be up, just behind the leaders so when we start the singletrack I would not get stuck behind anyone. After taking a quick head count I counted about 24-25 just before the trails.
I wanna say I felt confident about my strength but I really wasn't I had no idea how much the accident in July and the following week off took out of me. Sure thing I had been training rather hard keeping XTERRA USA's in mind. That course is pretty much like XTERRA Mountain was in Beaver Creek. A lot of climbing, and more climbing. Snowbasin probably has even more climbing than the one in Beaver Creek.
But back to the Dakota 5-0. Really the main goal for this event for me was to have a great workout while I preferably come in under 4 hours and around the 20th position. Last year I barely managed to cross the finish line in 39th position and in 4h16m. I only took in about 400 calories. I figured I would be smarter and bring a camelback with me with plenty of water and gels, blocks stuck in my pocket. I even added another water bottle 3/4 full on my bike. The problem was that I never tested the camelback during rides. I was simply unable to get anything out of it. While riding at an effort level I was there was absolutely no way I could have ever drink the water. That was mistake #1. Mistake #2 was even worse though. I carried that about 2.5 lbs water tank for a good 30 miles, slushing on my back, before I called it and emptied it. Immediately after I felt lighter and it was also easier to climb those hills. I just wish I was smarter and made this decision earlier. It would have very likely saved me enough energy to meet one of my goals for this race.
The course and weather were perfect. The little rain that fell a day before was just what the trail needed so it wasn't all dried up and dusty. Although I have ridden the course before I really didn't know the course any better than last year when I raced it for the first time. One year of mountain biking, even if not all that much, made a big difference. The rocks were not as terrifying anymore. Although I still walked the bike down during a technical section, just like last year, I want to believe I did it to reduce the risk of injuries.
I certainly felt faster on the climbs and in the end it manifested itself in a 11 minute improvement over last year's time. I raced the downhill trying to catch another racer but he was too far in the distance. I came in 18th overall with a time of 4h5m01s.
Huge congrats to Christopher Knoll who passed me just about 3 miles before the end of the singletrack and left me in the dust. He ended up finishing with a PR of 4h03m23s and in 16th position. Also big kudos to all riders from Bismarck/Mandan and the rest of NoDak.
2014's Dakota 5-0 was a blast and I can't wait to race it again.
This time the goal will be a sub-4 finish, and a top 10.

Xterra mountain championships

7/26/2014

The whole Molnar family went on a trip but left the cat behind. Well, at least the US-based portion of the Molnar family. The husband, the wife and the dog drove all the way down (technically up) to Colorado for a vacation with the XTERRA Mountain Champs at the end.
We stopped in Denver for a language exam that Anna needed for her New Zealand licensing. Weird, huh? A native english speaker has to take an english language exam to prove her fluency.
While she was taking the exam I got to swim in the Aurora Reservoir that was a pretty cool experience. Not because it was something spectacular but still a change from all the pool swims I had been doing. The same afternoon I rode up and down the Green Mountain just outside of Golden, Colorado. The downhill section from the tower was crazy fast and technical. I was hanging on to my brakes like a mad man only to notice that my brakes were not working properly anymore from all the heat the braking generated. I managed to stop somehow without crashing and took it easy for the rest of the way down. Then I repeated it again, 10 minute super-steep climbing (approx 600ft in 1 mile) and the DH style let-go-off-the-brakes section.
I was able to pack the bike up just before a torrential downpour struck us as we traveled up in the mountains on I-70. That storm nearly washed us back down the road. Literally.
We spent the next few days no where below 9000ft in elevation. We reserved a tent spot by Leadville, Colorado that was our base for 3 nights through the first few days of the week. We drove the one hour to Beaver Creek every day so I could swim, bike or run on the course.
During one of these trips Josiah Middaugh invited me for a ride on the course. There I met this really cool guy, John O'Neill, who let us stay at his apartment for the rest of our stay. It was a huge relief to know that we didn't have to drive all that much back and forth. On top of that his apartment was just outside of Nottingham Lake. How cool is that?!
My happiness, however, lasted only until race day. I knew I wasn't going to have a spectacular swim. Not only because I am still just learning how to swim efficiently but the effects of altitude usually wrecks havoc on someone who goes out too fast.
Found myself in a good spot, close to shore, at the starting line and for my luck no fast swimmers placed themselves around me (or unfortunately). I had a clean start without having to fight for position. I quickly eased into a rather mild pace but that also meant that I would swim the entire mile all by myself. I was OK with that as I knew the race will really start in the mountains.
Out of T1 I was eating up ground very fast. Passed a bunch of age groupers and not far up the hill many of the pros were coming back to me, too. I caught the group of Shonny Vanlandigham, who started 2 minutes up just before the long asphalt road on the climb. An age grouper went past me and I was hot on his wheels uphill when we started our descent. I didn't want to get caught by those I just passed uphill so I even pedaled downhill to gain more momentum. And that's when I crashed. Going into a curve I wasn't able to keep the bike on the gravel road. I had to straighten out the curve through the ditch but lost control over my bike and ended up flipping over my bike and I went down really hard. My first thought was: Not again! Although not even a year ago it wasn't my fault when the truck hit me almost head on this accident felt very similar. The difference here was that I felt everything. I didn't lose consciousness at all. I got up but that's when I felt the pain. I could not move my shoulder. My initial thought was that I just broke my clavicle and who knows what else. I sat back down so I could catch my breath while many of the athletes rode past me. Some would yell out an "Are you OK" but none has stopped. Sure thing, I was not laying there like a stick. Instead After a few minutes of very shallow but rather fast breaths I stood up, shook the dust off and tried to pick up my bike. I could only use my right arm and the right hand. I knew there was something wrong. This was not an average trip that we'd have while riding our bikes. I thought about ending the race right there but I figured I would just give it shot to see how it feels riding for a while. I slowly climbed back on the saddle and started riding downhill as careful as I could. I was holding my arm up tightly against my chest and steered with my right hand only. A course attendant asked me if I was alright and I said yes. I really wasn't. It wasn't much fun anymore but I decided to roll on. As the race went on without me I started to think about quitting even more. I would have loved to just call it good and blame it on the accident but I also knew that as long as I don't get hurt anymore it really didn't matter if I span a few more miles on the bike then the ran 6 more. In T2 they almost took me out of the race though. It was clear to the race officials that I was in a lot of pain. It took quite some time to convince one of the officials that I was more than capable of finishing this race even if it meant walking most of the run. The first hill on the course felt like eternity. I finally got to feel what some amateurs feel like when people fly past them on the run. I could not respond and I had to walk most of the way up. Then, starting the second hill, I finally started running. So I went for it and ran as hard as I could with only my right arm swinging while my left hand's thumb tucked under my racing jersey to help keep my arm in place. That was the only way I could run.
Of course, with the crash, light pedaling and walking I ended up finishing way behind the leaders but until the awards I was still hoping that I had ran my way up on the AG podium. 4th place finish in my AG meant no podium for the first time since XTERRA West (Las Vegas) but it ain't too bad after this crash.
I have a feeling this accident will take me out for a good amount of time measured in weeks or months and not just days. X-ray will be taken and we will see how bad really this crash really was.
After packing up our stuff we left John's apartment and headed over to Bob's Place for a post-race recovery. After consuming a few refreshing beers in the company of some of the fastest professionals that day Anna and I drove off with me co-piloting. Leaving behind Colorado was rather sad but the pain just got worse as the adrenaline and the alcohol started to wear off. The same night we made it to Wyoming and we spent a few hours at a rest area. The rest is boring stuff.

RESULTS