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6/20 Minnetonka Sprint Triathlon 1:03:55 3rd Overall

It was close to a perfect morning for the Lake Minnetonka Tri Saturday morning. I felt good but had no idea how I was going to place against a pretty stacked field. I was hoping for a top five but had no idea that I was going to have to battle for second place in what ended up being one of the most exciting finishes I've had. The race started out well as I had a much better swim than a few weeks ago at Buffalo. My first transition was a bit sloppy but could have been worse. I did not have my shoes clipped in as I didn't have far to run and wanted to be able to drive as much power into the bike as fast as possible. The bike felt good but not great. I think I need to adjust my seat position a little bit. Jeremy Sartain eeked me out by three seconds to have the fastest bike split. Jeremy is a former Pro Cyclist and MN Tri Series Champion in 2007. Early last year he had a devastating motorcycle crash. He is just now coming back and is improving on a daily basis. It won't be long before he regains full form again. I have been taking some bike clinics from him and joined his Twin Cities Multi Sport Club. Jeremy has been a huge part of my improvements this year and I'm sure I will continue to learn from him. My second transition was very sloppy as I had trouble getting my race number on and my shoes seemed to be more elusive than normal, I definitely need to work on my transitions as they were the reason I was legging out for second place instead of first. Mike Williams was right behind me off the bike and managed to have a lightning fast transition and was in front of me out of T2. I hoped he would make the mistake of running too hard too fast and stayed behind him for the first half mile. Then he started to fade and I made my move to regain the third position. Just before the turn around I passed Jeremy who told me I could catch Brett who was with in sight. At the turn I knew I could catch him but that would be up to him. All I could do is keeping racing at my pace and hope he fizzled. I did notice a fast runner on the way back and thought he might be able to catch up but forgot about him until about a quarter mile left. It was Josh Blankenheim. He is a faster runner than I am but I have beaten him at both Buffalo this year and Brewhouse last year. I stayed on him after he passed me to see if he kicked too early. I then made my own mistake by trying to pass back too early. We came off the path onto the final 100 meter stretch right next to each other but this was Josh's day as his 16:06 5k was just one second too fast for me. I talked to Josh, who is an awesome guy, and some of the other guys after the race. I like that fact that I am starting to get noticed. I also love meeting legends like Tony Schiller, Brett Lovaas and Jeremy hoping that one day someone will look at me like I look at them. I took third but felt so good about my performance I may as well have won the race. Hell, I ran the fastest 5K I have ever run Triathlon or road race. I was 8 seconds off the old course record and the fourth fastest time ever on that course. Funny because Kelly asked me how I thought I could do and I told here I thought around 1:04. She asked what the course record was and I told her 1:03:47. She thought I was being a little too optimistic. It is not the first time someone has doubted me in my life, nor will it be the last but in my opinion that is what drives a true competitor. If no one doubted what other people could do this would be a very boring world. After the race Kelly came over and gave me a big kiss too congratulate me. I wanted to tell her I told you so but trying to impress her is what drives me. Telling her I told you so may keep her from doubting me in the future. We have a fantastic relationship in which we have no problem telling each other they may need to be more realistic. Most of the time that is the correct statement. I'm just glad this time it wasn't.
-Steve Sander

6/7 Buffalo Triathlon 2:05:16 5th Overall

Last year Buffalo was my first triathlon since my deployment to Iraq. I had no idea what to expect and was blown away with my time of 2:05:53. This year was a different story. Last year I raced in the age divisions and was an USAT All American, 30-34 Regional Champion and Toyota Cup 30-34 Champion. I will say there is a lot more pressure when you expect to be faster. I have worked hard on my swim in the off season and revamped my run form and changed my training after Albert Lea. Not to mention the weapons Pat from Grand Performance Bike gave me the day before the race.
The temperature was about 48 degrees when I arrived at the transition area and it was still trying to rain off and on. The wind was picking up and I knew the race was going to suck. I never thought I would get in 66 degree water to keep warm but that is exactly what I did. I saw Jeremy in the water before the race started and thanked him for sending me to Grand Performance. Then before I knew it I was on the beach waiting to hear the horn. When it sounded I decided not to go all out right off the bat and work into my groove. I don't know how much the strategy payed off but I came out of the water at 23:37 which was a minute slower than last year. However, I was 50th out of the water last year and managed to come out at 30th this year. The swimming portion is not easily measured and I'm guessing the course may have been a little short last year. Prior to the race I had made the decision to wear arm warmers and gloves on the bike. It cost me an extra 1:30 but hoped it would help keep me at least moderately comfortable on the bike course. I then got on my knew stallion and started to pedal. I knew I was gaining ground but I don't have a computer so I had no idea how fast I was going. The wind was bad but I was able to push through it. Even though I had the extra gear on when I came to dismount I was still numb and as I got off the bike it slipped though my glove and fell over. My feet were so numb I had trouble stopping and running back to get it. I then stripped off the gloves and managed to get my shoes on with relative ease. I didn't know it but I was in fourth off the bike. John Balabuck caught up to me at the first mile and I knew there was no catching him. I remember the hill at the middle of the run course last year and how bad it sucked. This year I breezed up it passing Joe Langel on the way and felt good at the turn around. I then saw a very fast looking Patrick Parish and realized that he was gaining ground fast. He caught me at mile four and never looked back. After that I knew there was no one who had enough time to catch me. I crossed the finish line 5th overall. While I was ecstatic with a new PR of 2:05:16 I was stunned to see I had the fastest bike split by three seconds over Matt Payne and broke the 1:00:00 barrier with a 59:58. I will admit that Terrenzo Bozzone did not try hard but that's his loss. I also set a new run PR with a 37:36 run time and was ninth overall in that category. Minnetonka is up next in two weeks and I am hoping to see what I can do there. It has a longer swim portion but I can hopefully gain some ground on the bike with my new found speed.
-Steve Sander

Albert Lea Triathlon- 1:20:09 2nd overall

Well the first race of the season is now over.  Thank god, because I was dreading the 58 deg water.  It actually wasn't that bad after I went numb in a minute or two.  Albert Lea was very well done and has one of the more beautiful run courses I've been on.  The bike course was also nice and allowed me to try out the new ride.  After my crash last year at Square Lake the woman who was involved was very generous and did pay for the damage.  I then threw in a little of my own money in and pieced together my new ax, a P3C with Sram components and ceramic bearings to go along with a 909 rear disc.  I was very anxious to try it out.  Unfortunately I had a flash back to Mankato last year, only this time a volunteer was making a gesture to take a right when we should have been going straight.  I partially blame myself as my fiance and I drove the course the night prior and new the route so I was puzzled when he pointed us in that direction.  I should know better than to follow the guy in front of me over my gut instinct but human nature is to follow and I payed the price for it.  I still managed the second fastest bike split behind a dominant Matt Payne who I talked with after the race.  Matt is the raining Tri MN Champion and an ultra nice guy. It was good to finally meet him as we had raced a few times last year but never met.  In the end the detour I took made no difference as he had a fantastic race and dominated me by nearly five minutes.  I figure the detour only cost me a minute to a minute and a half.  It was still a great race and would recommend it to anyone, especially someone who is trying out the sport.  Just don't let the cold water ruin your race.  Next up is Buffalo and I am hoping to redeem myself against Matt there.  Although it looks like Matt is going to be tough to beat this year if he continues to perform like he did at Albert Lea.
- Steve Sander

4-26-09
Well, the start of the season is right around the corner.  The off season was good but the anticipation for this season couldn't be higher.  I hope everyone had a good holiday season and is as excited about this year as I am.  This season I will be focusing on the Tri Minnesota Series, Best of the Midwest, Lifetime, and finish the season with the Square Lake Half Ironman.
During the off season I noticed I was having some breathing problems.  I went to the doctor to try to figure out what was going on.  I got two separate diagnosis's.  One was that I has developed athletic asthma, which I doubted so I went to a allergist who discovered I had some allergies.  Most notably was the cat and dust mites reactions.  Since both diagnosis's are treated the same way it made everything a lot easier.  Now I have to use an inhaler at times but the breathing problem has, for the most part, gone away.
After the Toyota Cup last year I went on a rampage and dominated everything I was craving from chicken tender melts to cookies.  I ended up gaining nearly 20 lbs in around a month and then tapered off.  Luckily I have been able to trim most of those pounds off since the first of the year and am back in good form.
Another set back was a flare up of my reoccurring knee injury.  I seemed to have tweaked it on an outdoor run that consisted of a lot of ice and snow covered surfaces.  Unfortunately my knee needs to be on hard stable surfaces to keep from flaring up.  End result was some physical therapy and revamping my training regiment.  I also took a triathlon seminar through the Twins Cities Multi Sport Club on proper strength training and stretching techniques to help with the knee issue.  Johnny J is in fact a Jedi master and his class has helped make my training more efficient and hopefully more injury free.

In February the U of Minnesota puts on an indoor triathlon called the Tri-U-Mathon.  With the exception of the two years spent in training for and in Iraq I have participated in this event since it's conception in 2005.  The triathlon consists of a 30 min in the pool, 30 min on a stationary bike and 30 min on a treadmill.  The total distance is used to calculate your place.  This event is a great way to gage where I am as I begin to enter into my heavier training cycle.  Somehow I surprised myself and took 1st.  Hopefully I can carry that momentum into the season.

Steve would like to thank his sponsors for their support as they put their faith in his potential with little proof of his ability.  This race will hopefully show not only his ability but what his potential really is.

- Steve Sander