Please read this interview here. 

I now have a pretty good idea of how age-group athletes feel when they achieve the dream of winning a coveted Kona slot. As you know, my 2011 season was full of challenges, the greatest being that I had yet to punch my ticket to the Big Island. Now, having raced Coeur D’Alene and gotten that monkey off my back, I feel a new level of confidence and calm heading into the next few months.

The win in Coeur D’Alene was a bit unexpected, and absolutely special. After being sick and subsequently injured for the past few months, and having had a tough day at the Escape from Alcatraz, I didn’t know if my body was 100% ready for a real race at the Ironman distance. I figured it was best to cut my losses either way and complete the race, but it was a mystery to all of us – myself most of all – whether the speed would be there come race day. On the one hand, I knew I had the fitness and was more than eager to get out there and put it to good use. On the other hand, I wondered if the viral infection that kept me down for so long would try to make an encore appearance, or if my intercostal muscle was completely healed. Bottom line, I needed a confidence boost, and I’m happy to say I got exactly that in Idaho.

The swim was just plain cold – you really can’t expect anything different from Coeur D’Alene, with the snow runoff feeding into the lake. The upside of that is the chilled water probably helped my sore rib! The bike course is stunning and challenging and not to be missed – I actually wish I had more time to train in Coeur D’Alene, just to take in the scenery at a slower than race day pace. My hat is off to Maik Twelsiek – that man can ride! We both ended up breaking the bike course record, but he bested my time by nearly 10 minutes andset us up for a major battle on the run.

The run is where I confirmed to myself that I’m back in form and ready for the rest of the season. I’m not going to say it was perfect – in fact I started to tighten up pretty badly in the final 5 or 6 miles – but for most of the marathon I felt amazing, which is exactly what I was hoping for. The crowds in Coeur D’Alene are unbelievable, and they deserve all the credit for bringing me home through those final miles. There was simply no way to slow down with the support on that course. This was my first time in Coeur D’Alene, and prior to the race I assumed it was just a quaint mountain town. But the crowds and their energy rivaled what I imagine the Tour de France to be like! So thank you to every single person who was out there, because you helped me more than you know.

I also want to give a special shout-out to my sponsor, Morgan Clark from all3sports.com, my coach and bike fitter Mat Steinmetz from Retul, and my manager, Franko Vatterott from Human Interest Group–these three rallied at the 11th hour to travel to Idaho, and I can’t thank them enough for their professional support and personal friendship. A huge congratulations as well to the women’s champion Julie Dibens, who destroyed the bike course and went on to take the win. Julie’s a true competitor – she, too, simply had to finish to punch her Kona ticket, but she gutted out a tough marathon with unrelenting determination and claimed her first Ironman title. It’s not likely to be her last.

Some heated competition was taking place in Boulder while I was away, and I’m proud to report that Lucy placed 4th in her first ever swim meet. Congratulations to our little girl!

On my return, I took the kids out for some mini-golf, where Austin showed the beginnings of his own competitive spirit by “hitting” a hole-in-one (he ran up and dropped the ball in the cup)!

The race weekend marked another set of important milestones as well. It was Neri’s birthday, a few days after my own, and 17 years since she and I first “hooked up”. Summer romance can indeed be lasting – and I’m so thankful for the life we’ve built together. Just look at this photo and you’ll see why I’m a winner every day!

Thank you to all of my sponsors for standing by Team Alexander and keeping me swimming, biking, running and recovering with the best available gear and unwavering support. I’m talking about Newton Running, American Interbanc Mortgages, Orbea, Orca, all3sports.com, Road ID, Retul, Toyota, Athlete’s Honey Milk, Enduro Bearings, Superfly Cycles, Fuel Belt, Fizik, H2o Audio, Dunning Sportswear, Oakley, Body Science Australia, Scape Sunscreen, T3 Recovery Products, Shimano, PRO Bars, Continental Tires, Gloria Jean’s Coffee, XLAB, SaltStick, Southern Sports & Health Massage, Sheraton Hotels & Resorts and Human Interest Group.

Cheers!
Crowie

As you all know, I had to withdraw from Ironman Australia due to a nasty viral infection that took up residence in my lungs/upper respiratory tract. I had so looked forward to racing on home soil and being back at the venue where I raced my first ever Ironman. I was also excited to get my Kona-qualifier requirement out of the way early enough in the season that I could race with my usual frequency in the latter months of 2011. But illness is illness, and health is priority #1, so obviously that plan had to be changed.

I rested up back home in Cronulla, then got back to training with my doctor’s approval. I was coming quite good actually, with all that Ironman training in the bank and some extra time at home to focus on core and strength work, rather than airplane hopping. When we finally headed to the US, a full month later than our normal schedule, I felt ready and excited to race at Alcatraz.

Unfortunately, the virus was still lingering a bit in my body. I had also coughed so much and so hard that I had strained my intercostal muscles, which basically feels the same as cracked ribs.  Between long-haul travel, the craziness of getting myself and my family back into the Boulder groove, and the immediate travel to rainy and cold San Francisco, everything flared up again. It is healing, and I think the virus has finally fully run it’s course, but the decision to pull out of the Eagleman 70.3 was necessary, given my less than ideal condition.

So as you can well imagine, for someone who loves to race, my season thus far has been frustrating. The positives, however, are where I need to focus. My plan – which is to be confirmed as my rib/intercostal muscles continue to heal – is to race Ironman Coeur D’Alene on June 26. I’ll have a great support crew on hand - my manager Franko Vatterott and my training advisor and Retul bike fit guru Mat Steinmetz, who will support both me and fellow pro Julie Dibens. Plus I always love a new race venue, and I hear the scenery in Idaho is brilliant.Looks like I have fallen on my feet again with my homestay family. They sound fabulous, come highly recommended by a few other pro’s and I can’t wait to meet them.

So for now, I want to say a huge thank you to my family, friends,sponsors and all the people who have sent me well wishes.   

Take care and I’ll see you at the races.

Craig

Back in Boulder

I’m happy to report that Team Alexander has landed safely back on U.S. soil! We arrived home to Boulder late Friday arvo, were greeted at the airport by my friend and manager Franko Vatterott and made it to Toyota of Boulder just prior to closing time to pick up our Toyota Rav4. We were lucky to arrange the same condo rental we’ve had for three years now, which helps immensely in terms of getting our family quickly settled and sorted.

Not one to be a couch potato – despite the jetlag – I hit the ground running with immediate appearances and visits with my various sponsors who were in town for the Bolder Boulder 10k and Boulder Creek Festival. Check out the fun & games in the photo gallery below…and stay tuned for updates to my race schedule soon.

Cheers!

Crowie

Posing with the Athlete’s HoneyMilk crew and fellow pro Laura Bennett

Lucy hard at work serving HoneyMilk samples

Do you think Aussie will outgrow                   Franko loves HoneyMilk as much as I do

his stroller soon?

Anders & B from Athlete’s HoneyMilk go head-to-head

in a display building competition…and I’m the judge!

Can you spot the real Crowie?

Look for these HoneyMilk displays in King Sooper stores!

Aussie lends a hand in the competition       We have a winner – congrats to B!

Catching up with Keith Simmons from Newton Running and

Morgan Clark from all3sports.com

The Caveman & Crowie – happy to finally meet Conrad Stoltz and

hope to have a training session together soon