After some time off after IM CDA, I headed back to Wisconsin for a few weeks and did a couple races.

Door County Half IM:

I don't feel like I had the best swim or run on this one, but not having a good swim is normal for me. I'm not quite sure if my legs were completely back to 100% after doing an Ironman and the 10 pounds I gained from inactivity and junk food trying to recover didn't help. I got in a battle for 5th overall over the last couple miles of the run and just didn't have the wheels, but not a bad day - 6th/467 men overall and a 4:28:32 on a tough course that's a little long. The best part of the day was enjoying a beautiful Wisconsin afternoon and hanging out after the race with friends.

Castle Rock Sprint:

After my swims lately, I decided it would be a good idea to consult a coach. As luck would have it, my aunt knew one in the area and she was willing to work with me. I noticed the results immediately and it showed on the swim in this race. I was 5th out of the water at the end of the first group. I could see the race leader about 30 seconds down the road in front of me once we were on the bikes and I think being able to see the competition makes a huge difference. I went hard on the bike and had the lead before the mile 2 marker. I kept pushing and got to T2 with about a three minute lead. I had a great bike, 16.5 miles in 37:35, just about 26.5 mph. It was nice to have a cushion heading into the run, because that's been tough for me the last couple weeks and this race has a tough 5k with lots of hills, trails, sand, and steps. I was pretty content to not have to go all out on the hills and held on to win by about 1:15 in a total time of 1:05:32.

I signed my dad up for this race for his Father's Day present (yeah, I'm a great son). He did this race two years ago, which was his first, and hasn't done one since. He bested his time from last race by more than 12 minutes, so it was a great day for both of us. The feast we made on the grill after was well-deserved.

Workout the day after the race: 127 mile ride - one hour steady Watts, 20 min half IM Watts, one hour steady, 20 min Olympic Watts, stop for a donut, repeat, six mile run off the bike, collapse on the floor and stare at the ceiling for 15 minutes.

-James Fields