Friends,

I apologize for my delay on a race report, but I had to get 1400 miles of driving out of the way after finishing Ironman Canada on Sunday. I was glad I took the land route this time around, but I think I will opt for a flight to southern BC should I race therea gain.

Race Morning.

I lined up right behind my good friend Gordo at the start of the swim as I had hoped he would have a feel for where the best pack of swimmers (for us) would be once we got rolling. Unfortunately I lost him shortly after the cannon went off and it was largley in part to my left goggle eye filling with water and limiting my sight. Oh well.

After a few minutess I found myself swimming just behind a pack of five or six athletes (with a train of my own behind me). I bridged up to the back of that pack and we all stayed together for the final 3000+meters to shore. The group was fairly controlled and the pace only picked up when the camera crew came alongside of us. Its all about looking good for the camera.

The group hit the shore a little over 57 minutes which definitely surprised me, but I was less worried about swim PRs given the company I came out with. A quick transition (my fastet T1 yet in an IM) and I was rolling. My general plan was to float the first 40 miles to the base of Richter Pass before opening it up a bit. I kept things under control to the base of the pass and even had a couple athletes sitting 10-20 meters behind me to keep me honest. Once we hit the pass I opened it up and by the second step of the climb I had dropped anyone that had gone with me from the start.

After descending I found myself dealing with a good bit of wind and the rollers were turning into mini climbs given the speed I was forced to ride. Nevertheless I felt good and once I got through the rollers I kept my heart rate hovering under 160 in the flats and the out-and-back. I continued to push to the base of Yellow Lake and the fantastic amount of spectators along the YL climb carried me to the summit. From there you get a net downhill to the finish which is quite welcome although the headwind was not.

Another (somewhat) quick transition and I was out onto the run. Serge Meyer (SUI) and I started the run together and after a couple miles it was clear that we were not going to split up. My brother told me that I was 5 minutes from 8th and 6 minutes from 5th at the startof the run so I was hoping that Team Serge/JD could work together to run ourselves into the money.

We ran nicely to the turnaround in OK Falls and got a look at the competition up the road. It was at this point that Serge and I actually spoke to one another.We basically concluded that money spots were possible, but we would have to make sure that the pace did not fall off. The return was a bit more difficult. We had to deal with a headwind on the way back, but the second half of the marathon in an Ironman is just plain hard so that was likely the primary issue.

Sadly, I fell off pace around mile 19 and simply did my best to hold everything together to the finish. Places 6-11 (I was 11th) were within five minutes of one another so it certainly was a frustrating finish. I did manage a new run PR of 3:02:xx and continued my streak of setting new marathon PRs in every Ironman I have raced to date (six total now).

I can say that I took a lot away from this race. Racing professionally at the Ironman distance takes both fitness and tactics into account. Making the right moves at the right time can be the difference between success and obscurity. I am learning what it is going to take to fulfill my goals in the future.

Thanks to my family, friends, sponsors, and my Canadian homestay (Scott and Sarah McMillan; www.f9tc.com) for all the support you have given me this year (and beyond). I will send another update shortly about upcoming races.

Cheers,

Justin

www.justindaerr.com

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Howdy folks.

I made it up to the Northern Country earlier this week and I’ve been settling into my temporary home in Penticton. I have had the good fortune to have a place to stay with Scott and Sarah McMillan (www.f9tc.com); both of them will be racing next Sunday as well.

The remainder of my trip was quite uneventful except for a little interrogation at the Canadian border. My Texas License plate and my Colorado residence didn’t seem to sit well with them. (I currently live in Boulder, but for the last 3 years I have had a rotating residence so I kept everything registered at my brother’s place in Texas). The friendly border folks eventually got over my shadiness and let me enter the country. I have not had the pleasure of seeing very much of the country, but what I have seen is great.

I have had the oppurtunity to check out all sections of the course (S,B and R) during my training sessions. This was the exact reason that I decided to travel to Penticton so early. Its one thing to drive the course or see the course, but actually feeling it on the bike can be a totally different scenario. You get a much better mental makeup of the course when you have felt it; as opposed to having just seen it.

I’ll check back in a couple more times this week. Keep thinking positive thoughts for Team Good Guys and me. The rest of the clan arrives today.

cheers,

j

As I was leaving Billings yesterday I noticed there was a notepad with “Thoughts” written at the top. Apparently this motel provides everyone with some pen and paper to keep tracks of their thoughts.

Well I decided to take this pen and paper with me on my drive to Spokane, Washington to record my own thoughts. Without thorough explanations; this is what I wrote:

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Billings, MO is pretty industrial.

Every part of Montana is either on fire, has been on fire, or could be on fire if someone sneezed wrong.

I bet this drive would be much prettier if visiblity wasn’t reduced because of the smoke.

Religion (Christianity) is clearly very important to the people of Montana.

I need to start fly fishing.

There are a lot of really big trucks in Montana. Even more so than Texas.

I wonder how many bugs are on my bike.

Bozeman doesn’t seem that cool.

I cannot believe that Mike Schoenfeld lived in Bozeman for a year.

Missoula seems like a place I should check out some time.

But maybe when it isn’t actually on fire.

Sort of ironic that there is a forest fire just above the exit sign for a firejumping training facility.

I’m not much for Harry Potter.

Lake CdA is quite pretty. A bit busy, but still quite nice.

There are a lot of ads on the radio about Meth Abuse.

There seem to be a lot of “Taco Time” ‘restaurants’ here.

I bet Taco Cabana is better. It always is.

I could go for a quesadilla from Taco C, but it isn’t 4:00 a.m. so it just wouldn’t feel right.

I need to go to Sturgis.

A lot of really big people ride motorcycles.

Spokane is cooler than I thought it would be.

There are espresso shacks everywhere in Spokane.

I’m tired.

Damn there are a lot of bugs on my bike.

Marilyn’s bike is much lighter than mine.

My front race wheel is lighter than Marilyn’s. OHHHHH snap.

When my car has all of M and I’s gear in it the resale value doubles.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

From this morning

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I’m tired.

The coffee here is terrible.

There are ads on TV here about Meth Abuse. I’m sensing a trend.

USA today wrote that the 20s are the new teen years; As it relates to self destruction. Breakthrough stuff there.

The breakfast buffet here is lame.

I wonder if they throw out the unused boiled eggs at the end of the day.

I doubt it. This one tastes a week old.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

-justin

I cruised from Boulder to Billings, Montana yesterday. Its not the most eventful drive, but the endless view of ‘nothing’ calms my soul a bit. When I first started riding my bike extensively outside of College Station, Tx I often found myself in what seemed like the middle of nowhere.

But when riding through nowhere I would be focused on the task at hand so it was just as noisy as the city I left. I guarantee that a flat tire or two helped give me a clearer view of the world around me at the time. Flat tires are a drag, but once the wind stopped filling my ears I got a clear understanding of how calm and peaceful my surroundings were. And all of a sudden everyone in the world would seem to be lost except me.

When I was driving through Northern Wyoming yesterday I pulled over to the side of the road the get something out of my trunk. At that moment there was not a car for miles in either direction (on an Interstate!) and got to hear my favorite sound: nothing.

I seem to seek out those quiet spots quite often. Its as if I seek a place of being untouchable. No internet, no cell phones, no tv, no one talking, no one driving, etc. All that’s left is me (and often times my bike, but it doesn’t talk).

Now for a run and then a drive to Spokane, WA.

-justin

I got a note from a buddy to get going on the blog,but I have had a hard time quieting myself over the last two weeks. Its pretty difficult for me to write anything when I cannot even keep a straight face for two minutes. I don’t know what came over me, but I couldn’t make it through one sentence with my buddies without cracking some joke or making some comment to
get a rise out of everyone.

I personally see this as a sign of genuine friendship with the folks that I have trained alongside with this year. The greatest friendships I have ever known have always involved an incredible amount of laughter and its wonderful to see that these friendships are obviously no different.

Ironman Canada is two weeks away now. I started the year without any intentions of doing this race, but I changed my race plans after traveling to Sweden in June to say good bye to my Grandfather. Despite the circumstances for the choice; I could not be happier that I found myself gunning for this one.

Why?

I suppose the dynamics of this choice had many indirect effects on my life that have turned out for the best. Its always a fulfilling moment when you realize that the lead up to a race is what will be remembered when its all said and done. I suppose the finishing time might fill some memory space as well, but it certainly won’t be the justification for this year.

My friends will be.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

My summer training has essentially come to an end and tomorrow I will be heading out to Penticton, Canada for two weeks. I’ll be spreading the trip (in the car!) over three days to keep the travel stress low (and to not neglect some training). Heading out there early will give me the oppurtunity to really understand the course by riding it in pieces over the next couple weeks.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I’ll give you all a new heads up when I get to Penticton on Wednesday. Health is good. Fitness is
good. My head is good. I’m looking forward to racing long again.

cheers,

j

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