Bye bye 2011

To every action there is always an equal and opposite reaction, Newton’s 3rd law of motion. Looking back on 2011 I can saw that I have proof that this is correct.  Not that I ever doubted a law of physics that Sir Isaac Newton developed in the 1700’s, but I think it is a good reminder of how things go.

After 45 years of living I still seem to have a hard time thinking some things through and realizing the impact my actions can have on myself and others.  Some examples, mostly not good, of things I did in 2011.


I was so self-centered about training for Ironman Coeur d’Alene that I failed to fully enjoy the trip to and from Idaho, including our day in Yellowstone.  My actions also put emotional distance between my family and I.


I continued to lose weight and inches throughout the year and I feel great but I look back and wonder if there was a price for that.  My temper flared during the year and I became impatient with those around me, both family and strangers.  At times I wondered if I was cutting back on my diet too much or if the exercise takes too much of a toll on me.


These kind of remind me of the saying “you can win the race and lose the battle”.


2011 was a tough year and I am really hoping that 2012 is much more prosperous. I also want to continue and strengthen my walk with God in 2012 and beyond.


Racing for 2012 is somewhat up in the air.  I entered two lotteries (Leadville 100 Mountain Bike Race and Ironman World Championships, Kona HI). Once I find out whether I got into either I will start to develop my full race schedule.  Right now I don’t even own a wetsuit as I recently sold both, and I probably won’t buy a new one until I determine whether my weight is stable and whether I need a wetsuit or speed suit (warm water racing).  However, it is safe to say that 2011 was a model for future years with fewer races but the races were longer duration and higher quality.


What did your 2011 look like?  What are you planning for 2012?


Stay strong, stay safe and stay the course.

Pumpkinman

Kind of a funny name for a race, Pumpkinman, but it was a fun race especially if you like hills.  I wasn’t planning on doing this race but about a month before the race Randy Paar and I decided to do it.  We did the Olympic distance which is the shortest distance I have raced all year.  As fate would have it Randy and I started in the same wave and once we found that out, it was game on.  Pumpkinman is a point to point race, meaning there are two different transitions, with one down by the lake and the second one by the finish line.  Pumpkinman is also a mostly uphill race, actually the last 8 miles of the bike course are uphill with lots of rollers before that, and the run course is hilly as well.  None of this really bothered me as we were only doing the Olympic distance course rather than our usual 70.3 distance.

It’s hard for me to get pumped up for a local shorter distance race and as usual I really wasn’t all that fired up for this race until race morning.  The packet pickup process the night before was such a mess that we almost opted to not even race the next day.  However, we recovered from that and took the plunge the next morning.

Because there was a 70.3, a sprint and an Olympic distance race there were a few more wave starts than normal and as luck would have it our wave start was one of the later ones around 8:05.  Transition opened at 5am and of course we were promptly there at 5:10 to drop off our running gear at T2 (something we were supposed to do the night before but really didn’t see the point in doing).  Then we went down to the lake and basically hung out for a couple of hours.  It was cool as we watched the sunrise, chatted with people, looked at bikes and did some people watching.  But, there comes a point when enough is enough as I think we waited longer for the race to start than we did racing in the race.  No problem though since this was a pretty meaningless race for both of us, not on our A list and something we were just doing for fun.  As a matter of fact it was fun to do a race for fun since sometimes they don’t always go that way.

Okay, so race starts and I decide that I am just going for it, all out, from start to finish.  I found a very good pace and group to draft off of in the water.  I felt like I had a good swim as I was getting out and that was confirmed by a look I got from Chuck Abbott who did a double take at his watch when he saw me coming out of the water.  Remember I don’t race with a watch anymore, only on the run, so swim times are a mystery to me until I see the splits after the race (this one was a PR at 24 minutes).  The time didn’t matter to me I just wanted to get in front of Randy and see how long I could hang on.  Now that I am thinking back on the race even the run from the water to the bike was uphill, and a good 100 yards or more at that.

After bagging up my wetsuit and anything else lying around I was off on the bike.  The temperature was perfect and I just let it rip.  At the turn around I looked at my bike computer and noted the time as I wanted to see how far of a lead I had on Randy.  It wasn’t more than a couple minutes later that I saw him heading to the turn around.  I figured that I had a four minute lead on Randy at best.  I knew that wasn’t enough to get through the run as he would easily do the 10K run about 10 minutes faster than me.

Let me tell you I like to think that I am a pretty decent cyclist but holy cow that was a mostly uphill course.  As we got to the last 8 miles you knew where you had to go and the nearly 1200 foot climb ahead was a little daunting.  The climb wasn’t all that steep of a grade just long until we got to the last half a mile and then it really pitched up.  I passed a few people who were walking their bikes.

Into transition and as I was looking for my row to rack my bike I noticed that not too many bikes were in transition.  That seemed odd to me as we were one of the last waves to go off and the course is shorter.  I didn’t dwell on it and just did what I had to do.  As I racked my bike and took my helmet off I saw Karen running down the sidewalk along transition.  I got my shoes of gave Karen and kiss and was off.

I had a little confusion coming out of T2 as it wasn’t real clear to me where the run start was.  I figure that out only to get out on the course and then not really know which direction to go (right or left).  Thankfully, some spectators pointed me the right way and I was off.  Okay, I knew I wasn’t going to out run Randy who weighs 50 lbs less than me and has been running really well lately, but I did want to make it to the turn around before he caught me.  Unfortunately, that didn’t happen and just before mile 2 he came up behind me and blew right by me.  I was able to keep a pace with him for about a mile and then he just pulled away from me.  Mile three was all uphill and I was struggling as it was getting hot out (note to self, need to figure out this hot thing). After I got to the top of the hill things went better and then at mile 4.5 I just put it in gear and went as hard as I could.  I really didn’t want anyone passing my in the last mile or so.  I think a couple of 20 year old’s passed me but I’m cool with that.

As I finished I saw Randy and Karen rooting me on and I crossed the finish line and then wanted to pass out, kind of. My plan was to leave it all out there racing and I did.  I grabbed some water an orange and went over to the grassy area that Karen was sitting on and I promptly fell down.  After laying on the grass for a few minutes I got up and got a little more food in me.  I went over to the results and was very pleased to see my name in 1st place.  I felt like I had a good race but wasn’t sure if it was that good.  First place is a great way to end the year.

I am really proud of what I accomplished during 2011 and always thankful to Multisport MINISTRIES for being part of their race team.  My next blog will have more thoughts about 2011, the off season and next year.

Stay strong, stay safe and stay the course.

End of the Year…. Oops, not Quite!

Pumpkinman Las Vegas, NV Oct 15, 2011

It is that time again when all the triathlons are over for the year and it’s time to reflect on the races and experiences for this year.  As I think about my accomplishments during 2011 I am also reminded of the costs that these personal accomplishments came at.  WAIT… it’s not the end of the triathlon season just yet as I just decided to race in Pumpkinman Olympic here in Las Vegas on October 15th.

I also squeezed in a bike race last weekend, well more like a bike climb.  The Mt Charleston Hill Climb which is 17.5 miles straight up (about 6,000 feet of climbing).  I was hoping to come in under 2 hours but feel just short of that goal finishing at 2 hours 6 minutes.  It was a great experience and since I am not that great of a hill climber I figured it is a good way to get better at climbing hills.

This is pretty much how my season has gone all year with regards to race planning and not having much sense of a calendar.  Personally, I think this has been a good growth opportunity for me since I used to be so wound up about having the season planned out in December the year before, and then sticking to the plan.

What is even better is that I know that I need to be here in town when this race is as Lauren’s 17th birthday is the next day. so there is no way that travel out of town can take me away from this local race as it has done in the past.  I was actually signed up to race Pumpkinman two years ago and had to pull out due to fatigue (that was the year I raced in something like 12 triathlons) and I was trying to keep any strength I had left for Silverman scheduled for a few weeks later.  This year there is no Silverman (due to ITU Worlds Long Course Championship) so Pumpkinman is pretty much all that is left.

I’ll have a Pumpkinman race report next week.

Stay strong, stay safe and stay the course.

Cedar Point 70.3

Some where on the run.

It’s the end of another triathlon season for me. The plan in 2011 was to go longer and race in fewer events (fewer is relative since I did 12 events in 2009 and 8 in 2010).  With a full distance Ironman, three 70.3 and one super sized Olympic race I think I accomplished what I wanted to do. More importantly I felt that I got stronger as the year went on.  In a week or two I’ll post some more thoughts on the season overall and plans for the offseason.


First, let’s get to the race report for Rev3 Cedar Point 70.3.  Usually around December or January I have my whole race calendar figured out for the upcoming year.  I tried to do that for this year but really everything changed and the only race I really knew I was doing was Ironman Couer d’Alene.  So, I didn’t plan on racing Cedar Point, nor did I plan on racing Ironman CDA, followed a month later by Boulder 70.3, followed two weeks later by Santa Barbara long course and then another two weeks later winding up in Sandusky, Ohio.  But, looking back on it I am glad it all came together.


When Karen and I arrived in Ohio on Friday the remnants of a tropical storm were lingering around and I wasn’t sure what was going to happen by race day on Sunday.  We stayed with John and Diane Adams, John is on the Board of Directors with me at Multisport Ministries and we really enjoyed their company and hospitality.  Friday night I put the bike together and wasn’t happy with how the tear derailleur was shifting so I decided to have a mechanic look at it the following day which would give me some time to test ride it in the afternoon.


The day before a long race you really don’t want to be dealing with a bike problem that a mechanic is having a hard time diagnosing.  After looking at a few things we determined that the drop where the derailleur screws in was slightly stripped and not allowing the derailleur to hang straight as it should.  This was causing for some rough shifting and noisy sounds.  That may not seem like a big deal to most people but I hate noises coming from my bike and expect the bike to work extremely well with no strange noises.  I did a few more adjustments after the mechanic was done and felt that it was good enough.


Race day and we were at transition at 5:30am even though our wave didn’t start until 8:40am, but we had prayer to do before the pros went off (for the full distance race). Setting up for transition and just chillin’ was good with me.  This was another race morning where I couldn’t eat much breakfast and my stomach just seemed full.


Before my start time I did a short practice swim and was surprised to experience the shallow and murky water of Lake Erie.  The murkiness was from the storm but the shallow water was just how the lake is.  I think you could probably stand up at any point in the swim.  Oh, and did I mention that to get to deep enough water that you could swim in you had to get through about 50 yards of knee deep mud.  Yeah, it was cool.  Finally, it’s race time and I felt like I got out pretty good and found a nice rhythm.  By the time I was coming up on the swim finish I was surprised that it was over already.

Coming out of the water there was a small run on the beach into transition. I was looking for Karen who was volunteering as a stripper, well actually a wetsuit peeler.  But right when I got to where the volunteers where located the first ones I saw had nothing to do so I just had them get my wetsuit legs off.  Transition went flawless and I was on the bike.  Now, imagine the worst roads that you can and that is what we had through town.  At mile 10 I was passing some folks and got stuck in a real bumpy section of road and that is when I heard the sound that you don’t want to hear, especially at mile 10.  I had just lost both water bottles off the bike at mile 10 in a 56 mile bike route and it was feeling hot and humid.  This caused me to just get mad and stomp the pedals for the next 4-5 miles.  The roads got much smoother as we got out into the farm lands but the day was getting hotter and I was only able to drink when I hit the aid stations about every 15 miles.  However, I knew that I was having a good bike as only one person passed me and I can’t imagine how many people I flew by.  As I was getting closer to T2 I was really looking forward to the run, mainly as I thought I had something to prove and really wanted to get to it.

Coming into T2 in 1st place

When I got to T2 I knew I was having a great race as there were less than 50 bikes (out of 900) already racked.  And, I was the fourth wave to go off so some people had a 20 minutes head start over me.  I later found out that when I got off the bike I was in 38th position overall (out of roughly 900 people).  I had a good transition and was off on the run.


It really didn’t take much more than a mile to feel the heat and humidity.  I pushed on thinking about the great 10 mile run I had at Santa Barbara Triathlon two weeks ago.  As I got to mile 2 I knew this was going to be a run that would require me to just gut it out.  The heat was really getting to me and I was feeling some of the effects of not having my electrolyte water on the bike.  Unlike two weeks before I was not passing anyone and was being passed by people what felt like every 10-20 yards.  There was a guy that I saw on the bike and he had run past me at mile 1, but now he was walking.  We talked for a quick minute and he told me about his ankle problems and was probably going to walk the rest of the run course.  I went on and prayed for him. Mile 7-9 was really hard.  At one point I thought that I was really running fast only to look at my watch and see that I was basically doing 10 minute miles.  At this point I was getting a little concerned about dehydration that was setting in as I knew that I wasn’t thinking clearly and was becoming out of touch with what was going on around me.  For some reason during the last three miles I found some strength to run and make it to the finish.  I knew that I had lost my 1st place that I had in my age group when I got off the bike.  I really just wanted to stay in the top 10 at this point.

Finish line with American flag and Karen

As I finally got to the finish I had the opportunity to run down the finish chute holding the American flag with Karen at my side.  That’s Rev3 for you!!! Being able to hold the flag as I finished on the 10 year anniversary of 9/11 was very cool.  We had a great afternoon watching the rest of the athletes finish and sticking around until midnight when the last athlete came home.  And, as always some of the pros had made their way back out around 10pm to welcome home the athletes.  


I love triathlons but the 2011 season is over and I learned a lot about racing and myself this year.  One of the key things I learned is that I need to continue to eat better and stay healthier if I want to go from being a top 10 to a podium finisher.  My inconsistent diet and weight fluctuations have a big impact on my racing so nutrition and diet will be a big focus moving forward.

Now for some statistics:


When I came out of the water I was in 7th place in my Age Group.  


Mid way through the bike (mile 27) I was in 2nd place in my Age Group and I left T2 in 1st place (38th overall out of 900 athletes).  My average bike speed was 22.1 mph.  


On the run I simply melted.  By mile 4.5 I was in 2nd place, mile 9 I was in 8th place and I finished in 8th place in my Age Group (128th overall). 


I did set a new PR at this distance (5:26:38) shaving a whopping 17 minutes off my previous fastest time for a 70.3 which was earlier this year.

Stay strong, stay safe and stay the course.

The Ocean, Hardware and a Block Party

Ventura Pier

Usually by this time of the season I have won or come close to winning something in a race somewhere, but not this year. Maybe it is the races I am doing, actually it is totally the races I have been in this year.  All that changed this past weekend as I got to race in a Clydesdale division at the Santa Barbara Long Course triathlon. Clydesdale is for male racers who weigh more than 200 lbs (there is a separate division called Athena for women but I am not sure what the weight is for that).  Clydesdale races are my favorite as I know I can compete with other athletes who have my body size rather than trying to run with the 150 lb ex-pro triathletes that seem to be sprinkled through the 45-49 age group.

My coach and most excellent friend Randy Paar, his girlfriend Kristen and I made the trip over to Ventura, California for a long weekend and the race.  Everything was shaping up nicely as we had plenty of time to just relax on Friday and get ready for Saturday’s race. I have to admit that being by the ocean for a couple of days really put me in a chill mood.  I don’t know if it was the environment or what but this was starting to feel like the first race in 2011 where I wasn’t going to be completely stressed out about everything going on in my life before the race.

On race morning I had the usual stomach issues where I just can’t eat much of a breakfast.  This isn’t nerves this is something new that I am experiencing nearly every morning.  By 5am race morning we had everything ready to go and our good friends Larry & Judy that we were staying with hopped in the car with us for the trek up to Santa Barbara.  Setting up transition and getting ready for races has become something that is almost second nature and doesn’t take long at all.  We actually left early due to the crappy parking situation for this race and that paid off as we parked right across the street from transition.

The swim started off pretty good and I was using my latest strategy of staying in the front of the pack and staying aggressive.  Unfortunately, after the first turn it seemed like I had lost the lead pack.  I felt like I was swimming well but not fast.  The course is a semi-circle of sorts as you go out then west (down the beach, yep it’s west) then turn towards shore and head east back up shore short of where we started.  The portion heading back up shore was tough as we were going right into the sun on a morning with no fog or marine layer at all.  I couldn’t hold a straight line for the life of me between the current and the sun.

Out of the water and through transition.  Larry is yelling at me how far ahead Randy is (10 minutes, which is what our wave start time difference was) and I am trying to not listen to him but just focus on getting on the bike.  Out of transition and onto the bike.  About 2 miles out I decide to reach in my back pocket and get some Endurolytes and right as I have those in my hand I come up on the white reflective bumps in the road. The reflectors where so close together that I couldn’t get a line through them so I went over them with one hand on the aerobars (other hand holding my salt/electrolyte pills) after doing that twice I heard the sound of both water bottles being ejected out of their cages and onto the ground.  Since I was so early in the 34 mile bike ride I had to go back and get them, so I did.  The rest of the bike was going well and as we were going up one of the canyons I unzipped my tri top a bit.  I guess I forgot to zip it back up as when I went down the hill my shirt unzipped itself and was flapping in the wind as I descended at 30+ mph.  As I got towards the bottom of the hill I actually tried to zip up while riding which is something I can do on a road bike, but not on a tri-bike especially while racing.  So, stop #2, zip up and ready to go.  On the remainder of the bike I didn’t hold anything back and just let it rip.

A little hard to see, the mesh is supposed to be white not red

To the run.  As if swimming into the sun and stopping on the bike wasn’t enough I now was .5 mile into the 10 mile run and feeling my heel scrape against my new shoes.  I looked down to see what was going on and already saw redness start to fill the previously white heel area of the new shoe.  As I came up to the mile 1 aid station I looked around for anything, I really didn’t know what, but something that I could get creative with to ease the pain a bit.  Duct tape!!! I grab the roll, kick off my shoe and slap a 4 inch strip of grey duct tape on my heel.  A couple of volunteers looked at me like I was nuts.  I said thanks, grabbed some water and kept going.  Duct tape helped but the damage was done and now as I was trying to keep the heel from rubbing I was purposely slamming my front foot into the toe box and creating blisters on the outside of my toes.  This was not an enjoyable run but I knew I was in a pretty good position for placing on the podium (and getting some hardware).  Plus I was feeling strong on the run so I kept going.  At mile 6, 7, 8 and 9 I was taking a cup of water to drink and another one to throw down on my heel to wash some of the blood out.  Miles 9 and 10 were tough as my feet were really hurting and I was hot and tired.  I pushed on and somehow the mere sight of the finish line in the distance gives you that energy or drive or whatever to not only keep going but even pick up the pace a bit.

I finish hearing my friend Sean English who is doing the announcing pump me up as I cross the finish line.  I took two steps and took my shoes off.  So now I have open wounds on my feet and I am walking in the sand.  My luck has to change soon.  After getting some food and water I check the results and I am in 3rd in my division.  I actually thought I had a better race than that, but I would later find out that the guy who won my division had the 2nd fastest overall swim split and finished 26 overall (out of about 600-700 athletes).  The guy who came in 2nd place (15 minutes ahead of me) had the 8th fastest overall bike split.  I had a respectable swim and bike and showed some big improvement on the run and was able to hold onto 3rd place by 1 minute and 38 seconds.

Big thanks to Kristen, Larry and Judy for being there to support us.  Also, huge thanks to Karen for supporting me from Colorado (she didn’t make the trip out this time).

Saturday night Ventura block party

Later that night we went to a Ventura block party and had more than my share of beer, which was great for my blisters as they really didn’t bother me anymore (at least until morning).  The last band of the night was a great cover band playing hits from the 80’s by Journey, Loverboy, AC/DC, The Outfield, Toto and a few others. It really was the end to the perfect day as I got to race in California, I got some hardware for finishing in 3rd place and got a chance to throw back a few beers and sing to some great songs from my high school/college era.

On Sunday as I  reflected back on the race I realized that triathlons are just like life.  You prepare and plan but sometimes something that you never expected happens and you adjust.  Maybe it was a gentle way of Him reminding me who is in control.

Assuming my feet heal in the next week my final race for 2011 is Rev3 Cedar Point 70.3

Stay strong, stay safe, stay the course.

Plan E

I felt compelled to write something but I am currently in between races so this will be brief.  As I am coming off of Boulder 70.3 and getting ready for Santa Barbara Long Course (next Saturday) I am reminded of patience.  They say patience is a virtue, and I have often thought that it is also a virtue I don’t have.  However, as I get older I have learned the importance of patience.  For instance, I no longer instantly flip off the driver who cut me off in traffic, and I when my training plans get re-prioritized due to circumstances beyond my control I don’t freak out.  But, I do still seem to get pretty anxious while in airports waiting for delayed flights so there is something to work on.

Why is this important?  Because I still see alot of my friends who are letting seemingly small things eat them up.  I am not a big fan of “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff” as I think the theory is over-used but at times it does have merit. My type “A” friends always have plans and when something changes their plans they tend to get pretty worked up about it.  2011 has thrown me some real curves to my “life plan” and I have just had to roll with it.  Keep in mind that up until 2011 I have have things work in my favor and a Plan B or C has never really been required.  It is a little more than half way through 2011 and I feel like I am on Plan E. 

So what’s my point?  My point is that sometimes life throws you a curve ball, a hiccup, something that you didn’t see coming and you have to deal with it.  Learn how to deal with these in stride without anger or angst, and it should be that much easier to handle.

“Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act. Don’t worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes. Stop being angry! Turn from your rage! Do not lose your temper—it only leads to harm. For the wicked will be destroyed, but those who trust in the Lord will possess the land.”  Psalm 37:7-9

Stay strong, stay safe, stay the course.

Happy 45th Birthday To Me!!!

The end of the “Birthday dance” at the Boulder 70.3 finish line.

On August 7, 2011 I completed Ironman Boulder 70.3 on the same day that I turned 45 years old.  This wasn’t my first, or last, triathlon and it wasn’t the longest or hardest one I have ever done.  Actually, it was pretty much a coincidence that the race was on my birthday as I have participated in this race for three years straight now. But, it was an easy answer for the question of “what do you want to do on your birthday?” I want to race Boulder 70.3.

The last two years I have struggled on this course for various reasons, and both years my finishing time has been separated by 30 seconds just under the 6 hour mark.  This year, despite having raced Ironman Coeur d’Alene just five weeks prior I was feeling pretty good.  My biggest concern with this course is the heat as there is virtually no shade on the course, and when you are at 5,400 feet elevation 90+ degrees can get really hot.

My start wave was an earlier one which I was thankful for as that meant I could potentially spend less time in the heat than if I had started later.  As I got in the knee deep water I decided to move to the front of the pack and start fast.  I was looking for a fast race today.  I really wanted to finish the race around 5 hours 30 minutes which would be a 25 minute improvement over the past two years.  The swim was pretty event free and other than seeming longer than 1.2 miles I got out feeling pretty good.

Boulder 70.3 bike course.

After a pretty effortless transition I was on the bike and really feeling good.  The Boulder bike course is really designed to go fast.  There are some uphills but nothing that will really slow you down, and there is one stretch of downhill that can really help your average speed (on the second lap around the course I noticed my speed at 43 mph going down the steeper part of this stretch).  As I came around to the end of the first loop I was at about 1 hour and 14 minutes on the bike, perfect and if I can keep that pace I would finish with the 2 hours 30 minutes I was looking for on the bike. It felt like I was keeping the same pace but must have lost a little somewhere as I got off the bike at 2 hours 34 minutes (19.7 mph avg on loop 1 & 19.2 mph avg on loop 2).

As I was transitioning to the run I noticed that it was hot and I was really trying to keep a positive attitude.  With a few exceptions my races usually go something like this… strong swim, strong bike and then a fading run.  On many occasions I pass people on the bike only to later have them pass me somewhere on the run.  I have been working hard to be stronger on the run.  I have also been adjusting nutrition, water and supplement levels to make sure that I don’t run out of steam for any of those reasons.

The run is two loops around Boulder Reservoir and I was shooting for a 2 hour total run which meant I had to get that first loop done in 1 hour or less.  As I finished the first loop I was at about 1 hour and 4 minutes.  All things considered I was pretty happy with that.  The second loop was really kicking my butt and I was struggling to keep running.  It can be so easy to fall into a run/walk shuffle and it just kills the finishing time. I was keeping it together until about mile marker 10.  Mile 10 was a tough one and I was watching the pace slow down according to my Garmin watch.  As I got to mile marker 11 I knew I had 2.1 miles left and about 15 minutes to get it done and hit my goal time.  2.1 miles in 15 minutes is a tall order when I have fresh legs, at this point it’s not going to happen.  So, I start to think about reality and what time I might end with.  Btw, I no longer wear I watch for the whole race.  I only have my bike computer and watch while running. My rationale is that I can’t look at the watch in the water and it is hard to get a wetsuit on/off over it.  I know what pace I need on the bike, and really the only thing I need a watch for is the run.  Other than not knowing your finish time exactly the moment after I finish this has not been an issue.

Ok, 2.1 miles left to go and unfortunately my quads and hamstrings are hard as rocks.  I really just don’t have much left in me at this point.  I can run about 200 yards and then need to walk a few steps.  On a few occasions I need to stop and stretch for just split second.  In an triathlon it seems that you can find extra strength and energy when you get to the last half a mile or so. Actually, I think it is whenever the masses of spectators line the route you are able to go just a bit faster.  I had such a good feeling as I took the turn for the finish and as I crossed the first timing mat the announced asked “if it was my birthday today” which then started the birthday dance that you can see on this video (I would later find out that Karen told them it was my birthday).

My 5 hour 43 minute finishing time wasn’t quite the 5:30 I was looking for but it was 12 minutes better than the last couple of years and I was happy.  After some rest Karen and I left Boulder to head back to Fort Collins and just relax for the rest of the day.

Next up Santa Barbara Long Course on August 27th.

Stay strong, stay safe and stay the course.

Happy 45th Birthday To Me!!!

The end of the “Birthday dance” at the Boulder 70.3 finish line.

On August 7, 2011 I completed Ironman Boulder 70.3 on the same day that I turned 45 years old.  This wasn’t my first, or last, triathlon and it wasn’t the longest or hardest one I have ever done.  Actually, it was pretty much a coincidence that the race was on my birthday as I have participated in this race for three years straight now. But, it was an easy answer for the question of “what do you want to do on your birthday?” I want to race Boulder 70.3.

The last two years I have struggled on this course for various reasons, and both years my finishing time has been separated by 30 seconds just under the 6 hour mark.  This year, despite having raced Ironman Coeur d’Alene just five weeks prior I was feeling pretty good.  My biggest concern with this course is the heat as there is virtually no shade on the course, and when you are at 5,400 feet elevation 90+ degrees can get really hot.

My start wave was an earlier one which I was thankful for as that meant I could potentially spend less time in the heat than if I had started later.  As I got in the knee deep water I decided to move to the front of the pack and start fast.  I was looking for a fast race today.  I really wanted to finish the race around 5 hours 30 minutes which would be a 25 minute improvement over the past two years.  The swim was pretty event free and other than seeming longer than 1.2 miles I got out feeling pretty good.

Boulder 70.3 bike course.

After a pretty effortless transition I was on the bike and really feeling good.  The Boulder bike course is really designed to go fast.  There are some uphills but nothing that will really slow you down, and there is one stretch of downhill that can really help your average speed (on the second lap around the course I noticed my speed at 43 mph going down the steeper part of this stretch).  As I came around to the end of the first loop I was at about 1 hour and 14 minutes on the bike, perfect and if I can keep that pace I would finish with the 2 hours 30 minutes I was looking for on the bike. It felt like I was keeping the same pace but must have lost a little somewhere as I got off the bike at 2 hours 34 minutes (19.7 mph avg on loop 1 & 19.2 mph avg on loop 2).

As I was transitioning to the run I noticed that it was hot and I was really trying to keep a positive attitude.  With a few exceptions my races usually go something like this… strong swim, strong bike and then a fading run.  On many occasions I pass people on the bike only to later have them pass me somewhere on the run.  I have been working hard to be stronger on the run.  I have also been adjusting nutrition, water and supplement levels to make sure that I don’t run out of steam for any of those reasons.

The run is two loops around Boulder Reservoir and I was shooting for a 2 hour total run which meant I had to get that first loop done in 1 hour or less.  As I finished the first loop I was at about 1 hour and 4 minutes.  All things considered I was pretty happy with that.  The second loop was really kicking my butt and I was struggling to keep running.  It can be so easy to fall into a run/walk shuffle and it just kills the finishing time. I was keeping it together until about mile marker 10.  Mile 10 was a tough one and I was watching the pace slow down according to my Garmin watch.  As I got to mile marker 11 I knew I had 2.1 miles left and about 15 minutes to get it done and hit my goal time.  2.1 miles in 15 minutes is a tall order when I have fresh legs, at this point it’s not going to happen.  So, I start to think about reality and what time I might end with.  Btw, I no longer wear I watch for the whole race.  I only have my bike computer and watch while running. My rationale is that I can’t look at the watch in the water and it is hard to get a wetsuit on/off over it.  I know what pace I need on the bike, and really the only thing I need a watch for is the run.  Other than not knowing your finish time exactly the moment after I finish this has not been an issue.

Ok, 2.1 miles left to go and unfortunately my quads and hamstrings are hard as rocks.  I really just don’t have much left in me at this point.  I can run about 200 yards and then need to walk a few steps.  On a few occasions I need to stop and stretch for just split second.  In an triathlon it seems that you can find extra strength and energy when you get to the last half a mile or so. Actually, I think it is whenever the masses of spectators line the route you are able to go just a bit faster.  I had such a good feeling as I took the turn for the finish and as I crossed the first timing mat the announced asked “if it was my birthday today” which then started the birthday dance that you can see on this video (I would later find out that Karen told them it was my birthday).

My 5 hour 43 minute finishing time wasn’t quite the 5:30 I was looking for but it was 12 minutes better than the last couple of years and I was happy.  After some rest Karen and I left Boulder to head back to Fort Collins and just relax for the rest of the day.

Next up Santa Barbara Long Course on August 27th.

Stay strong, stay safe and stay the course.

8 hours of Yellowstone

Grizzly Bear Yellowstone June 2011

I’ll be the first to admit that I was so focused on Ironman Coeur d’Alene that I forgot that we were going to be passing through Yellowstone on the way back home.  Actually, I didn’t forget I just didn’t want to plan or think about much past IMCDA. Thankfully, Karen had her wits and reserved a room for us at the Chico Hot Springs in Pray, Montana.  About 8 hours after leaving Coeur d’Alene we arrived at Chico Hot Springs for the night which left us a mere 30 minute drive from Yellowstone the next morning.  I have to say that Montana was some of the prettiest and most untouched country I have seen in my travels so far.  I imagine Alaska is very similar but I haven’t been there yet.  What amazed me the most about Montana is there are vast acres, I am talking miles upon miles, where there is nothing but nature and peace.

Peace and a slower pace is good after an Ironman race. We still joke that when we stopped the car and I got out to walk around a rest stop I looked like I was 90.  Not only was I moving pretty slow the day after Ironman CDA but I would walk 20 feet and then read the information sign about the scenic area that we had stopped at, or why this area was so important.  Normally, if we stop at all, I would go directly to the bathroom and then back in the truck and off we would go.  Maybe it was the environment maybe is was the aftermath of running my first Ironman or maybe it was a little of both.  Whatever it was I was moving slowly and just enjoying the ride.

We checked into Chico Hot Springs and about 20 minutes after arriving we were off to the hot springs.  There was a larger pool and a smaller one, both fed by an underground hot spring.  I believe the temperature of larger pool was probably high 80’s and the smaller pool was low 100’s.  I was really excited to get into the hot spring water as I was hoping that it would help my aching muscles.  That is until my toe with the blood blister hit the hot water and it felt like it was on fire.  After a few different body maneuvers I was able to keep most of my body in the water with my foot sticking out of the water on the side of the pool. Somewhat unable to move, as I might lose my unique position, I sat there and relaxed.  I also watched as Maddy and her friend Audrey (both troopers who made the trip with us) had figured out how to order drinks and charge it to the room (ok, I did give them a little help on how to do this).

Mammoth Hot Springs, Yellowstone Park

The next morning Karen and I had an awesome breakfast and then it was time to hit the road.  We  woke the girls up and gave them some of the breakfast that we packed away (since earlier they opted for sleep rather than breakfast as many 13 year old’s would) and then we hit the road.

We couldn’t have gone more than a quarter mile inside of Yellowstone Park through Roosevelt Arch before we saw Elk.  Not soon after that we had to stop and get out to check out the sights.  Like this sulfur springs outside of Mammoth Hot Springs. 

Holly cow, we hadn’t been in the park for more than 30 minutes and I was constantly picking my jaw up off the ground, just amazed at what I was seeing. The beauty and untouched nature of Yellowstone Park is simply amazing.  It truly makes me wonder what the rest of the United States would look like if we could have taken a similar approach to preserving our land, resources and the animals that would roam it so freely.

Tower Fall Yellowstone Park

We clearly were in awe and rookies at Yellowstone travel (Karen had been before but probably 15 years ago and I had never been there).  I would find out later that our best bet for getting food was right in front of us right now in the town of Mammoth Hot Springs.  But, we had just eaten breakfast and weren’t really thinking about food so we figured out a route that would get us from our current location to Old Faithful with the best chance of seeing a Moose.  The desire to see a Moose was two fold, first it’s Maddy’s favorite animal and she has yet to see one in person. Second, they are rare sights in the park with only about 200 of them roaming through the park.  We decided to do a backwards S pattern that would take us north to south while passing through the Tower Falls, Canyon Village, Madison and finally Old Faithful. The falls were spectacular with all of the snow melt off and rain water coming down the mountains.  I tried to imagine how the first people got through this area, most likely on horses, and what they thought of the sights.  I was getting tired from the travel but still in awe of what I was seeing and experiencing.

How naive I was to think we could just drive through Yellowstone, maybe spend a couple of hours, and be on our way.  We probably weren’t even halfway through our drive (which was bypassing much of the park) and had already spent 4 hours in the park.  Of course, I didn’t account for the scenic areas we would have to stop for.  But, I also didn’t account for the traffic jams that would happen due to a herd of Elk crossing the road; or Bison walking down the road; or the Grizzly Bear that was playing about 200 feet off the road (above).  All of this was adding up but it didn’t matter.  Actually, I didn’t want to leave so staying longer was ok.

Old Faithful Yellowstone Park

By the time we made it to Old Faithful I wanted to stay for the night.  Not only were we tired from the driving but I was imagining what it would be like to wake up in this place.  I checked with the Old Faithful Inn but no luck, nothing available.  It’s been a long time since I have been shut out at a hotel, nothing, not even anything ridiculously priced room.  Bummer, but not all was lost we did get a chance to eat dinner at the Inn and we got to see Old Faithful erupt.

At this point in our travels through Yellowstone we had seen Elk, Deer, Grizzly Bear, Grey Wolf, Bison, Pronghorn and more hot springs, waterfalls and other scenic wonders than I could imagine.  Still no Moose and rumor had it that a couple of Moose had been seen within the hour at the Old Faithful Inn.  However, unless we wanted to just hang out there were no rooms and it was time to press on.  As we got back to the truck a sticky note was on the drivers side window. “hope you had a great race”.  The only clue that I was in a race was the bike locked on the back of the truck which still had a small IMCDA sticker on it.  Awesome!

Just before making it to Grant Village we were once again in a traffic jam.  This time for a Mother Black Bear and her two cubs.  The park rangers seemed to have had enough with everyone stopping so by the time we got there they wanted us to keep moving.  I managed to shoot some video off of my iPhone but it looks like the old Sasquatch movies that we saw as kids, there is something black and hairy in the forest but hard to tell what.  It was easier to see than to record so I still have the vision in my mind of the momma bear moving her cubs along as they walked off into the forest.

We stopped in Jackson, Wyoming which is the town east of Jackson Hole (a 30 minute diversion that we couldn’t afford at this point).  The Tetons Mountain range at sunset was awesome but according to Google we still had an 8 hour drive ahead of us.  Call it foolish but I couldn’t go through another night of finding a hotel, checking in, unloading the bike and the truck, loading everything up the next morning.  I just wanted to get home, so I said let’s drive straight through. I told Karen if she could drive until Midnight I could get us home.  It was a tougher drive than I thought it would be as the next two hours were along dark roads where you expect a deer to unexpectedly jump into your path at any moment.  Luckily, this didn’t happen and Karen got us safely to I-80 where I got behind the wheel and drove the last 4 hours to Fort Collins, Colorado.

It was 4am when we finally got home after going full circle through four states including one Ironman, Yellowstone, soaking in hot springs and experiencing some of this nations greatest scenery.  Yellowstone is still on my list of things to do and I need to take Maddy (so she can see a Moose) as well as Lauren, next time we will probably go for 4-5 days and really enjoy it.

Stay strong, stay safe and stay the course.

8 hours of Yellowstone

Grizzly Bear Yellowstone June 2011

I’ll be the first to admit that I was so focused on Ironman Coeur d’Alene that I forgot that we were going to be passing through Yellowstone on the way back home.  Actually, I didn’t forget I just didn’t want to plan or think about much past IMCDA. Thankfully, Karen had her wits and reserved a room for us at the Chico Hot Springs in Pray, Montana.  About 8 hours after leaving Coeur d’Alene we arrived at Chico Hot Springs for the night which left us a mere 30 minute drive from Yellowstone the next morning.  I have to say that Montana was some of the prettiest and most untouched country I have seen in my travels so far.  I imagine Alaska is very similar but I haven’t been there yet.  What amazed me the most about Montana is there are vast acres, I am talking miles upon miles, where there is nothing but nature and peace.

Peace and a slower pace is good after an Ironman race. We still joke that when we stopped the car and I got out to walk around a rest stop I looked like I was 90.  Not only was I moving pretty slow the day after Ironman CDA but I would walk 20 feet and then read the information sign about the scenic area that we had stopped at, or why this area was so important.  Normally, if we stop at all, I would go directly to the bathroom and then back in the truck and off we would go.  Maybe it was the environment maybe is was the aftermath of running my first Ironman or maybe it was a little of both.  Whatever it was I was moving slowly and just enjoying the ride.

We checked into Chico Hot Springs and about 20 minutes after arriving we were off to the hot springs.  There was a larger pool and a smaller one, both fed by an underground hot spring.  I believe the temperature of larger pool was probably high 80’s and the smaller pool was low 100’s.  I was really excited to get into the hot spring water as I was hoping that it would help my aching muscles.  That is until my toe with the blood blister hit the hot water and it felt like it was on fire.  After a few different body maneuvers I was able to keep most of my body in the water with my foot sticking out of the water on the side of the pool. Somewhat unable to move, as I might lose my unique position, I sat there and relaxed.  I also watched as Maddy and her friend Audrey (both troopers who made the trip with us) had figured out how to order drinks and charge it to the room (ok, I did give them a little help on how to do this).

Mammoth Hot Springs, Yellowstone Park

The next morning Karen and I had an awesome breakfast and then it was time to hit the road.  We  woke the girls up and gave them some of the breakfast that we packed away (since earlier they opted for sleep rather than breakfast as many 13 year old’s would) and then we hit the road.

We couldn’t have gone more than a quarter mile inside of Yellowstone Park through Roosevelt Arch before we saw Elk.  Not soon after that we had to stop and get out to check out the sights.  Like this sulfur springs outside of Mammoth Hot Springs. 

Holly cow, we hadn’t been in the park for more than 30 minutes and I was constantly picking my jaw up off the ground, just amazed at what I was seeing. The beauty and untouched nature of Yellowstone Park is simply amazing.  It truly makes me wonder what the rest of the United States would look like if we could have taken a similar approach to preserving our land, resources and the animals that would roam it so freely.

Tower Fall Yellowstone Park

We clearly were in awe and rookies at Yellowstone travel (Karen had been before but probably 15 years ago and I had never been there).  I would find out later that our best bet for getting food was right in front of us right now in the town of Mammoth Hot Springs.  But, we had just eaten breakfast and weren’t really thinking about food so we figured out a route that would get us from our current location to Old Faithful with the best chance of seeing a Moose.  The desire to see a Moose was two fold, first it’s Maddy’s favorite animal and she has yet to see one in person. Second, they are rare sights in the park with only about 200 of them roaming through the park.  We decided to do a backwards S pattern that would take us north to south while passing through the Tower Falls, Canyon Village, Madison and finally Old Faithful. The falls were spectacular with all of the snow melt off and rain water coming down the mountains.  I tried to imagine how the first people got through this area, most likely on horses, and what they thought of the sights.  I was getting tired from the travel but still in awe of what I was seeing and experiencing.

How naive I was to think we could just drive through Yellowstone, maybe spend a couple of hours, and be on our way.  We probably weren’t even halfway through our drive (which was bypassing much of the park) and had already spent 4 hours in the park.  Of course, I didn’t account for the scenic areas we would have to stop for.  But, I also didn’t account for the traffic jams that would happen due to a herd of Elk crossing the road; or Bison walking down the road; or the Grizzly Bear that was playing about 200 feet off the road (above).  All of this was adding up but it didn’t matter.  Actually, I didn’t want to leave so staying longer was ok.

Old Faithful Yellowstone Park

By the time we made it to Old Faithful I wanted to stay for the night.  Not only were we tired from the driving but I was imagining what it would be like to wake up in this place.  I checked with the Old Faithful Inn but no luck, nothing available.  It’s been a long time since I have been shut out at a hotel, nothing, not even anything ridiculously priced room.  Bummer, but not all was lost we did get a chance to eat dinner at the Inn and we got to see Old Faithful erupt.

At this point in our travels through Yellowstone we had seen Elk, Deer, Grizzly Bear, Grey Wolf, Bison, Pronghorn and more hot springs, waterfalls and other scenic wonders than I could imagine.  Still no Moose and rumor had it that a couple of Moose had been seen within the hour at the Old Faithful Inn.  However, unless we wanted to just hang out there were no rooms and it was time to press on.  As we got back to the truck a sticky note was on the drivers side window. “hope you had a great race”.  The only clue that I was in a race was the bike locked on the back of the truck which still had a small IMCDA sticker on it.  Awesome!

Just before making it to Grant Village we were once again in a traffic jam.  This time for a Mother Black Bear and her two cubs.  The park rangers seemed to have had enough with everyone stopping so by the time we got there they wanted us to keep moving.  I managed to shoot some video off of my iPhone but it looks like the old Sasquatch movies that we saw as kids, there is something black and hairy in the forest but hard to tell what.  It was easier to see than to record so I still have the vision in my mind of the momma bear moving her cubs along as they walked off into the forest.

We stopped in Jackson, Wyoming which is the town east of Jackson Hole (a 30 minute diversion that we couldn’t afford at this point).  The Tetons Mountain range at sunset was awesome but according to Google we still had an 8 hour drive ahead of us.  Call it foolish but I couldn’t go through another night of finding a hotel, checking in, unloading the bike and the truck, loading everything up the next morning.  I just wanted to get home, so I said let’s drive straight through. I told Karen if she could drive until Midnight I could get us home.  It was a tougher drive than I thought it would be as the next two hours were along dark roads where you expect a deer to unexpectedly jump into your path at any moment.  Luckily, this didn’t happen and Karen got us safely to I-80 where I got behind the wheel and drove the last 4 hours to Fort Collins, Colorado.

It was 4am when we finally got home after going full circle through four states including one Ironman, Yellowstone, soaking in hot springs and experiencing some of this nations greatest scenery.  Yellowstone is still on my list of things to do and I need to take Maddy (so she can see a Moose) as well as Lauren, next time we will probably go for 4-5 days and really enjoy it.

Stay strong, stay safe and stay the course.