TriEricTri

Crossroads of America

2012-01-25T20:25:00.003-05:00

Work sometimes takes me out of town for my customers. My latest project had me driving around the northwestern part of Ohio.

I passed through New Hampshire, Ohio driving from point A to point B. As I passed through the center of town I had to stop and get a couple of pictures. Something about what used to be in this small town called out to me.

It looked like this "general store" was closed for good. I'm sure that pump hasn't been used since the 70's.

Crazy Eric

2012-01-19T21:51:00.000-05:00

This morning I woke up and was trying to decide what to do. I hadn't been to Crossfit for a while, but I also hadn't run since the weekend.

The wind was blowing on an already cold morning. Maybe a run wouldn't be such a good idea...there I go wussing out again.

So I opted for a Crossfit workout instead. Kate has open gym 7 - 8 in the morning. We can come in and do the daily WOD, work on miscellaneous skills, movements, flexibility or just shoot the shit.

I decided I would get my running in AND a good Crossfit workout. After some warmup exercises and 3000m of rowing I setup my workout station. The only piece of equipment I needed was an Abmat (something used for sit-ups).

I put my WOD on the white board and set the timer.

10 pull-ups
Shuttle run
10 push-ups
Shuttle run
10 toes to bar
Shuttle run
10 sit-ups
Shuttle run
10 Burpees
Shuttle run

Repeat for a total of 5 rounds

The Shuttle run is just like you did in elementary, middle and high school. I ran back and forth to five different spots on the gym floor.

The Toes to Bar....well...

So anyways....the worst part of this workout was the unknown. I just put it together because it got me running and most of the other exercises were upper body.

The second worst part was running after the burpees. Jumping up and down then the shuttle run was killer on the quads.

I just plugged away at the rounds. I was really doubting my sanity during the fourth round and thought about cutting it short. But I wrote 5 on the white board so I re-committed myself to completing the WOD as I wrote it.

The fifth round was starting to get into my gut. My brain was going fuzzy and I was happy that I didn't have any food in my stomach. I was either going to finish the final shuttle run strong or puking.

I was pretty close to doing both. I sprinted across the finish line and immediately bent over against the wall trying to get my breath back.

Finish time was 36:33. I felt like I just set a PR in a 5k.

Kate was cheering and encouraging me on the entire way and it was great hearing her voice in the background.

As I was collecting myself I could hear Kate introducing everyone to a new member. All I heard was, "That's Crazy Eric down there. He's an Ironman."

Guess I have a new nickname at the gym. Just a part of the Crossfit community that I really like at Coca.

Crazy Game On

Making your own workout

2012-01-18T20:50:00.002-05:00

I hit the pool this morning for some yardage. It sure is hard to get out a warm bed knowing you will be standing on the edge of a pool in your speedo/jammers working in up the courage to jump in.

I've been very loose with my swim training. I have not been dipping into the bag of workouts for a long time now. Usually I think up a workout as I drive to the Y.

My first 1000 yards are always the same. 500 warm-up doing crawl, breast and back strokes. Then 500 yards of drills.

The main set today was only 800 yards but the intensity was the focus.

The workout broke down as follows:

200 - 25 hard, 150 steady, 25 hard
200 - 50 hard, 100 steady, 50 hard
200 - 75 hard, 50 steady, 75 hard
200 - 200 hard

200 yards cooldown

I used this as a race simulation. Short hard efforts act as the start of a race and the ending efforts would be surges to break away from a pack or catch a faster pack.

Because the time swimming hard increases the total time for each 200 should drop.

My 200's were: 2:59, 2:56, 2:51, 2:46.

Boy did I feel it in my arms. But the feeling told me that I was maintaining good form and catching a lot of water with each stroke. The times reflect that also.

Give this workout a try and let me know how it goes.

8th Annual Winter Run for Regis Trail Fun Run - Report

2012-01-16T22:03:00.001-05:00

...or the

Have Your Legs Ripped Off, Beaten Against a Frozen Tree and Put Back on Backwards Saga.

You may remember some previous reports from the Winter Run for Regis. This was my fifth time at this race and I love supporting the Regis Shivers Scholarship and the Zachary and Elizabeth Fisher House. It also helps that this run is a blast thanks in part to the head honcho Tanya.

One of the best parts of this race is listening to her pre-run instructions. Tanya is funny and isn't shy of telling people to shut up so her instructions won't be missed.

Aimee and I signed up for the half marathon again. We would have TriSaraTops, JenP, Brandy and Ana joining the fun this year. They were all newbies to either the event or the course. A fresh layer of snow had fallen overnight and the clear skies had the temperature at 10 degrees. At least there was no wind.

With the unceremonious "go" we headed out on the 8 mile loop. As the crowd started to thin out I found a comfortable pace with two other runners. Cassandra and Jeff would be my running mates for this first loop.

Being a very casual run it's great to be able to talk with people. The cold weather was fine if you were running. My toes finally warmed up at a couple of miles. We talked about other trail races, triathlons, and other BS.

At the first aid station I took my time and they continued on. I ate and drank what I felt like. The Coke and Mountain Dew were already getting slushie. The PB&J sandwiches were not frozen yet. I thanked the volunteers and head back to the start/finish(Home) to complete the 8 mile loop.

Back at "home" I had my number marked that I completed the loop, said hi to Joe and hit the restroom.

I thought I felt good starting the 5 mile loop. Before we actually hit the official loop part there was another aid station. I took a HammerGel despite its frozen condition. I would get a small bit out and let it melt in my mouth. I needed some extra energy to make it through the loop.

As soon as I hit the rollers through the woods my legs started to complain. My left knee was starting to bother me and a general lack of energy was sitting heavy in both legs. Maybe that 90 minute bike session on the trainer was a bad idea. I rode pretty hard since I had missed the Tuesday spin because of work.

I started walking every little incline. It felt like a monstrous hill but I kept the legs moving. Slowing down too much or stopping would have been worse because of the cold weather. Each time I would spot a tree and tell myself that that is when I would start running again...no matter what.....because it would get me back to "home" that much faster.

It was a big struggle to keep moving. But I embraced the mental challenge of pushing my legs despite their protests. I crossed the finish line and gladly relinquished my race number to the volunteers. I had completed the 13 miles in 2:25. Two years ago I managed a 2:05 on the same trails.

I wasn't very well prepared this year. Since the Salt Fork 10 Mile Challenge I had let my running slip pretty bad. I need to get my ass in gear. I signed up today for Triple T again. Now that is a course that will kick your ass if you don't prepare properly.

So let this past weekend be the start of something wonderful.....a good training plan leading up to Triple T.

Game On.

Indoor Trainer Test

2012-01-14T21:46:00.000-05:00

The Snakebite Team has been having spin sessions every Tuesday at Ride & Workout, one of our sponsors. The cool part is that we lead the classes. Five of us have been rotating through the classes and we each bring a different style to the workouts.

I like to come up with theme, build the music around it then create a workout. I was testing out my latest playlist this morning. I had my laptop on the floor in front of me to keep me focused on the workout. No television, just the music from my playlist.

I don't want to tip my hand for my next spin session so you will need to wait two weeks. I will post it here.

But here is one of the other workouts I lead. Try it out and let me know what you think.

Game On.

All songs are from ESPN Jock Jams Vol. 2 and 3. These are the "exercises" I used as a guideline for the spin session. I might have improvised a little during the class.

MG Snickerdoodle

2012-01-12T20:19:00.002-05:00

This post is for those that don't follow me on Facebook.

MG Snickerdoodle is the American Kennel Club name for our dog Snickers.

Snickers, and Ruby, were first introduced as part of Family and Friends Friday.

This picture was taken about 14 years ago. Such a small little puppy.

This picture was taken 3 days after Christmas. This picture holds so much meaning to me because I believe it shows him in the twilight years of his life.

Little did I know 14 days later we would be saying goodbye to our wonderful family member.

We had a great life together and he will be missed. But he is in a better place.....waiting for us to call his name again.

I share this poem in remembrance of him. He is having fun now with Bo, Foster, Freya, Frankie, Marley, Calvin, Claude and many others who have passed before him.

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.

When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.

All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor. Those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.

They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent. His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together....

Digital Photography

2012-01-09T21:56:00.000-05:00

For Christmas I got myself a new camera. The Nikon D5100 was my one and only choice. I'm so glad I got it. It allows me to do so many different things. I've enjoyed learning about the basics of photography playing with my new toy.

I have been reading a lot from the website Digital Photography School. It has really helped open up my thought process about what to take pictures of and how to use the equipment.

Here are some of the latest "tinkerings" with zoom blur.

My desk

My computer monitor...like I need to tell you that.

This is Ruby on our bed.

All of these pictures are raw from the camera. I have not done any post processing with programs like Photoshop.

Pretty cool huh?

Overnight Visitor

2012-01-07T21:58:00.001-05:00

It's been a busy day with running, work and having some visitors at the house. Aimee's niece Brooke, 3 months old, is spending the night with her mom and dad.

She's a cutie, isn't she.

Christmas is over

2012-01-06T20:51:00.001-05:00

One last picture of the Christmas tree before we take it down. Don't worry. It's a fake tree so we don't have to worry about it being too dry.

WOD: Rest Day

And I ran.....

2012-01-05T21:17:00.000-05:00

So the weather was pretty nice here in Cleveland today. The temperature got into the 40's and the skies were clear for most of the day. I sucked it up and ran outside. Actually it wasn't hard to do.

I ran 4 slow miles. Better than nothing, right?I was still tired from the crossfit workout last night. It must have taken more out of me than I thought.

I did the math during my run and I lifted a total of 175 * 10 = 1750 * 3 = 5370 lbs. Then I add on the weight lifted during the deadlift max, which I don't know the total of, and we are over 3 tons.

Moving that much weight reminds me of a video I saw of the great Jack LaLane.

Before the run I noticed the thin layer of clouds looking rather nice with the sun setting.

I need to run.....outside.

2012-01-04T21:53:00.001-05:00

What has happened to me where I have become Wimpy Wimpy Wimpy about running outside. The weather hasn't been too bad and I have done some running outside. But my running in general has been almost non-existent. So when I looked outside today at the cold with the wind driving the chill into the single digits I turned around and said "forget about it".

Our three planters with herbs are still growing but the cold is starting to take over.

So I would say these plants are Heftier than I am.

I've been trying to make up for it with crossfit and rowing.

Todays WOD:

After warmup we had ten minutes to reach our max in the Deadlift. I managed 255lbs tonight.

The workout was, using 175 lbs on the bar:
10 deadlifts
250 meters rowing
10 deadlifts
500 meters rowing
10 deadlifts
1000 meters rowing

I focused on form over speed on the deadlifts. I was really happy with my 1000 meter row time...just under 4 minutes.

They call her...Biker Chick

2012-01-03T17:13:00.000-05:00

Our running friend Dale likes to give his friends nicknames. Because of her triathlete status, Aimee was nicknamed Biker Chick.

For Aimee's birthday and our anniversary, both in September, I made her something for her medals.

It was a slow process due to my inexperience with wood working tools and mounting the appropriate hardware.

The medals are hanging from two crank arms I had boxed up in the basement.

It looks good in our office.

Workouts of the Day (WODS)

Morning Swim
2700 yards
500 warmup
500 drills
Swim with pull buoy
200 3 breathe stroke
100 5 breathe stroke
200 3 breathe stroke
100 3 breathe stroke
100 4 breathe stroke
100 5 breathe stroke
100 4 breathe stroke
100 3 breathe stroke
50 x 10 on 60 seconds
200 cooldown.

Evening Spin session
1:30 with the Snakebite Team.

The 2012 Racing Schedule

2012-01-02T21:33:00.000-05:00

Because of my knee surgery last year my racing was rather limited. I only did one triathlon and it was a sprint. I did manage two aquabike events, sprint and half. Then my running really kicked in during the fall. You can find my race reports at the following links:
CVNP Fall Running Series #1
CVNP Fall Running Series #2
CVNP Fall Running Series #3
CVNP Fall Running Series #4
North Ridgeville Turkey Trot
Nakon Turkey Trot
Salt Fork 10 Mile Trail Run

Wow...I did a lot of running up to Salt Fork. Since then I have not done very much. And I have a trail run in two weeks to get ready for.

The 8th Annual Winter Run for Regis Trail Fun Run will be a training day for sure. Slow and steady, have some fun, enjoy the outdoors.

Looking forward to the new year I do have a tentative schedule. And there is a major benefactor to my 2012 insanity.....Girls With Sole (GWS). Please visit the site to understand what they do. That's okay....I'll wait right here for you.

Isn't the organization awesome?!?!?! The founder Liz is a dear friend of mine. I am not able to help with her programming but I can certainly help raise money for her organization. So I am devoting the entire year towards GWS.

Each of the events listed below will be fund raisers. The beauty is that people can decide which event they want to donate against. Maybe January or February is a bad time to donate, but July is a good time of the year. People can make a choice.

I will also be encouraging people to donate "differently". I don't want to see the standard amounts. I want to see dollars per minute, yard, meter, mile, etc.

I'll post more details as each event comes up.

On with the ~~insanity~~ schedule.

January
Run for Regis: Entry is confirmed and quite a few of my trail chicks will be there.

Cleveland Tri Club Big Swim. This will be the 3rd year in a row of going long. 8,000 yards in year 1 and 10k yards last year. Going for 10k again.

February
At the end of the month I will be turning 45. I have also been rowing at my crossfit gym Coca Crossfit. I will row 45,000 meters. This should take me about 4 - 5 hours.

March
Nothing scheduled yet.

April
Athens Half Marathon/Training Weekend

Tough Mudder Ohio. I have formed a Tough Mudder team as we attack the course mid-April when I'm sure the water will still be on the chilly side.

May
I am making a return to the Ohio Triple T. I still need to signup.

June
National 24 Hour Challenge. 24 hours of bike riding.

July
Unknown. My son is getting married this month so I may need to lay low.

August
I have something in mind. Have to see I can make it happen.

September
The Rev3 "Revolution". This is a sprint tri on Saturday and a the HalfRev on Sunday. Think DoubleMussel...which I've done before.

October
GORUCK Challenge. You just have to read about it.

November
Bobcat Trail Marathon. Aimee wants to do this one. I can't pass it up.

Like I said there will be updates and additional information as I get closer to the different events.

One last thing. I bought myself a nice dSLR camera for Christmas. The Nikon D5100 fits my shooting style perfectly. It also has some features I really like. Instead of a 365 Photo project I will try to post original pictures every day.

Today's picture is of the box my mom gave us before Christmas. She makes a batch of treats for the holidays. Chocolate covered pretzels, chocolate from molds, Hershey Kisses, cookies, etc.

I love Aimee very much and I felt that I needed to sacrifice myself so I could save her from the evil treats in the box.

It's the just the type of guy I am.

Happy New Year - 2012

2012-01-02T05:47:00.002-05:00

New Year....New Beginnings....New Adventures.

In typical fashion I started 2012 with the Cleveland Tri Club's Polar Bear Plunge. It was great weather that saw over 325 people take the plunge into Lake Erie.

Hey I'm smiling so it couldn't have been that bad. By the time we got home my toes were no longer cold.

Aimee and I then got ready for my family to come over for dinner. With the family expanding this year, more on that later, we pushed our holiday meal to New Years Day. It doesn't matter when we get together because once we sit at the table great times are sure to be had. This year was no different.

We don't need the wine to enjoy ourselves but it does help compliment the meal of beef tenderloin and lobster tails.

Happy New Year's to all. Make 2012 your year of change, challenge and adventures.

Game On.

Remembering

2011-09-16T21:50:00.008-04:00

It wasn't until 4 days later that I was willing, or ready, to remember. It always sat in the back of my mind. I would overhear people talking about it but I didn't actively pursue it...remembering. I didn't watch any of the television broadcasts. In fact I was so involved with my own day I only thought about it when I saw certain things that forced me to remember. The people around me never really said anything about it either and seemed to go about their day as it was any other.

I flew to Denver Thursday afternoon, yesterday, for work. The Sunday paper was still around the house so I stuffed it into my backpack and would read it on the plane. I now find it rather ironic that I would read that particular issue of the paper on an airplane flight.

The front page pictured the new memorial pools in downtown Manhattan.

A special section had two hands reaching up to the sky in apparent grief while looking like two towers. Inside were selected stories of what people remembered from September 11, 2001.

As I read those stories I found myself reflecting back to that day as well.

I was working from home. No customer appointments required me to be anywhere. I was listening to the radio when the DJs started talking about the first plane crash. It was background noise. I don't know at what point I finally turned on the TV but it was after both planes had hit the towers.

The images were mesmerizing. I called Aimee to check on her and see if she would be leaving her office in downtown Cleveland. Not evacuation orders had been given so she was going to stay at the office working with an out of town consultant.

She was more concerned about her sister, Becky, who was flying into New York that morning for work. Becky could see the smoke coming from the towers as she rode in the cab to her hotel.

I continued to watch the TV and hear what could possibly be provided from the newscasters.

My most vivid remembrance from that morning was when I was standing in front of the TV and saw the first tower collapse.

I yelled at the TV, "NO!..NO!..NO!"

As if my words would stop the crumbling and everything would be okay. I sat down on the coffee table and couldn't believe my eyes. An entire building was gone.

The next two days was spent watching the TV as updates were given as soon as they were available. It was very exhausting.

The weekend of 9/13 - 16, Aimee and I had scheduled a trip to West Virginia with my brother and his friends for some white water rafting. There was no need to cancel the trip since we weren't flying.

Actually the white water rafting was the best thing we could have done. It was a two day trip with some remote camping and rock climbing.

We were able to get away from the media overload following the attacks. We would get small updates from the people driving us from point to point but otherwise we were isolated.

It allowed us to laugh, share good times, celebrate some birthdays and decompress.

There is no doubt that the past decade has further defined this country. Some of it good and some of it bad. We have also changed as a people, but unfortunately time allows us to slip back into old habits and forget the positive results that surfaced after the horrific events on a sunny Tuesday in September.

No...I wasn't directly affected by the events on 9/11/01. But we all were affected in some way.

I do remember. I'll never forget. They will be a part of my memories until I die and a part of history forever.

Unmiserable Cleveland

2011-09-09T10:28:00.003-04:00

I came across this picture from one of my travel days. We had just taken off from the airport and were heading east to CT. Ignoring the fuzziness of the window I really like this photo.

Click on the picture to get a larger view

Despite all the bitching and moaning about Cleveland, the region and Ohio in general, I like living in Northeast Ohio.

If someone takes the time to look around, Cleveland truly is Unmiserable.

Classic at Mastick - Race Report

2011-09-06T22:57:00.001-04:00

Found this race report saved under draft mode. This race was held August 10th....enjoy the read.

The annual Classic at Mastick 5k Run was held this past Wednesday. I had seen the race director (John) around town and he reminded me of the race. I haven't run this race in years and seeing John motivated me to participate.

The race is primarily for the kids.....high school cross country runners getting ready for the fall season. The race feeds a scholarship fund which is awarded to kids after the XC season is over.

So quite a few high school teams come out for the event which means the old guys (those over 25) are severely outnumbered. But I just wanted to come out and have some fun.

I saw some friends and coaches before the men's race (women raced separately) and did a 3 mile warmup. I haven't done a fast 5k in a long time so I needed a lot of warm up time.

The course starts by running across an open field. I needed to watch my footing so I wouldn't twist an ankle. I was holding my own as we looped around the grassy sections and headed toward the bridle path. I was still running with quite a few people and the path was full. It was hard to move around other people due to the rocky terrain.

We hit the first mile marker in 6:40....holy crap. I wasn't expecting to be that fast. Was the first mile accurate? I don't know but I was feeling the effects of the pace. I just needed to hang on for 14 more minutes and it would be over.

It was funny running with the young guys. I would start to pass and they would surge ahead. They didn't want to be passed by some old guy. But I held steady and they eventually would fade off my shoulder.

I had my eyes on another "old" guy in front of me and slowly reeled him in. As we popped out of the woods he sounded like an exhausted horse snorting and grunting. Knowing he was spent I dropped him with a quick sprint up a small incline. After the 3 mile marker we turned toward the finish chute were two young guys sprinted past me.

I crossed the line in 20:43 which gave me a 6:40/mile pace. I guess that first mile was accurate.

I hung out for a while to watch the girls race and then headed home. It was a great night and showed me that I still have some speed in my legs.

Oktoberfest 5k Race Report

2011-09-05T15:04:00.006-04:00

Aimee and I have had a great labor day weekend with family and friends. We finished our weekend at the Cleveland Labor Day Oktoberfest 5k Bier Run. Our friends Mandi and Dale have made this an annual race on their schedule. Aimee and I decided to join in on the fun.

Race morning was a far cry from the hot temperatures on Friday and Saturday. It rained overnight and the temperature was around 65 degrees.

We showed up an hour early to register and warm up. I saw our friend Joe V and we did a warmup run on the course. Since I had never done this race I wanted to see the entire course. I've been feeling that my knee has required some long warmup time since the surgery. We caught up with each other during out warmup just chatting away.

Back at the start area we started seeing more friends. Snakebite teammate Jason Z showed up with his family and Mark from Spin/Second Sole Multisport team was my age group competition.

We saw quite a few fast runners so I didn't know where I was going to wind up overall or in my age group, but the odds were looking pretty good.

I started the race at a good effort. Despite my "good" effort the front runners were pulling away step by step. It didnt' take long for the lead police car and speedie guys to be out of sight. I focused on the people around me and within my line of sight.

Mark passed me after the first half mile and I stayed on his shoulder. Together we passed some other runners and hit the first mile marker at 6:17, I hit my split button but didn't look at my watch. I looked ahead and needed to push the pace.

My strategy during mile 2 was to catch and pass as many people as possible. Each person was within easy striking distance with little surges to each person. One person I was trying to catch was 50 yards ahead of me and it took my a while to catch him. Of course I was stuck in no mans land and the winds coming from the north were stiff. I caught him and started going after the next target.

I passed the water station without grabbing anything to drink. My focus was on the person in front of me. The pond in front of me had a fountain shooting water into the air. The only reason I mention this is because the water was being sprayed 10 feet to the side. Of course I had to make a left turn into the wind. Beyond my target I could see Joe V. and John Z. (Jason's dad).

Into the wind I push hard to catch my victim. Once I pulled up next to him I continued by him. I could here him try to go with me but I wasn't going to give him a free ride. I passed him with authoritay......

It's part of the strategy of running I like. If you are going to pass someone make it hurt them physically and mentally. Crush their spirit and don't allow them to hang on. I know I have been crushed many times that way.

A couple hundred yard more and we turned right and were out of the wind. The rest of the course, under 1 mile, would be south and east in direction. Ever so slowly I was catching up to John Z. but time and distance was running out.

We entered the parking lot of the county fairground where the finish line was. I had actually managed to get within 10 yards of John. I kept pushing towards him and was right on his shoulder at the final turn with 50 yards to the finish line. He picked up his pace and I tried to stay with him. I crossed the finish line just off his shoulder and half a second behind.

Funny thing about races these days. Most are also chip timed. When the results were posted it turned out that I had actually beat John by .3 seconds. I had started about 2 rows behind him. Good thing were are in different age groups because it didn't affect our age group finishes.

My finish time of 19:36.9 placed me 2nd in the 40 - 44 age group and 11th overall. I managed a 6:19/mile pace which is the fastest I have seen in a couple of years.

Since this was an Oktoberfest Bier Run the awards were these awesome bier steins. Aimee and I stayed around for the Oktoberfest with some friends. I drank my beer from my award and had some very tasty bratwurst, sauerkraut, and German potato salad.

I just don't know why we haven't done this race in the past. I think this was a very well executed race. I kept my head in the game and raced strategically. And the effort definitely paid off.

We will be back again next year for more fun on the run.

What's Cookin' Wednesday - Sliders

2011-08-24T20:31:00.003-04:00

Tonights dinner consisted of....

Cajun Rubbed Chicken Thighs....

Eggplant fresh from the garden......

And sandwich thins....this picture is of the large size. I found some mini's on the store shelves today.

So I cooked everything on the grill, placed the eggplant slices on the bread first, a chicken thigh next then topped it with some Swiss cheese.

Yummy little sliders with some great taste. Delicious does not need to be complicated. Sometime simplicity is the best way to go.

Who Knew....in Connecticut

2011-08-21T10:26:00.002-04:00

Work took me to South Central Massachusetts/North Central Connecticut. As I drove from CT to MA each day I passed several crop fields. I've never seen tobacco plants before. The person I was working with told me that CT used to be a big producer of cigar tobacco. The fields I saw weren't that big. Most of the old tobacco fields are now sod farms.

But I did get a picture of this field.

I also saw this barn where they hang the leaves to dry. It's pretty cool design how the barn opens up to let in fresh air.

Going at it Alone

2011-08-04T14:39:00.005-04:00

I have read many articles pertaining to the virtue of running/cycling/swimming in a group. The pressure to keep up. Training with people better than yourself. Getting outside your comfort zone. Learning from others with more, or different, experiences.

My group training has mainly consisted of two or three other people. Sometimes even a group of six. Now we are talking about a party.

Group running has been out for me because I am slowly getting back to a respectable load. Then some friends are ramping up for A races and are churning out some speed work. I'm still not looking for speed right now. I've been working on tempo runs instead.

One the bike I have been out more often with several people. And yes the efforts have been good. Chris is training for IM Florida and has a great base. Last I rode with him I was just trying to hang on. It was a good 55 miles but I was toast. I also rode with some other Snakebite teammates for 40 miles. That was fun because we contested some city limits and had some hard pulls.

But for the most part I have been a solo trainer. Mainly because my schedule is sometimes chaotic so I train when it's convenient for me. When I was being coached I usually had specific workouts for specific goals. It's hard to incorporate specific workouts in a social gathering.

Well last night was one of those times I needed to go at it alone. I called Mike and asked if he wanted to go because we have been riding together on Wednesday nights. Our schedules weren't matching up very well and I wanted to go pretty hard.

With a good amount of cloud cover, steady winds and the threat of rain I set out for a 40+ mile bike ride. My goal was to warm up and then hit it hard on West River Road. This is a great 8.5 mile stretch of rollers where I wanted to bury myself. Unfortunately there are two major roads that break up the road. It was the last 1.5 miles that forced me to drop below my average due to one long steep uphill.

Getting into Valley City I had completed 20 miles in 1 hour. I knew where along my route I would push the pace and where to spend some time in recovery. The wind would be smacking me in the face but I never got rained on. I got wet mainly from a misty rain and the road spray.

I was very happy with the results from my ride. I completed 44.64 miles in 2:15:35.

But the most important aspect of this solo workout.....it could be done, and done well.

As great as it is to be pushed and motivated in a group training session..I find more satisfaction when I go it alone.

It is a mental test to push yourself to the edge.

Fighting the urge to slow down despite your legs screaming at you.

Your response....."Shut Up Legs."

Your mouth is hanging open to get as much oxygen into your lungs as possible. Partly to feed your muscles but also to keep your brain from stalling out.

Suppressing the queasy feeling in your stomach as your body redlines....."Please don't puke."

Being on a lonely stretch of road with no one around. No one to prove anything to...except yourself.

Never knowing when your legs will blow up and you get dropped.....by yourself.

Struggling to get home from the furthest point of your ride at a pace you feel with make you fall over.

Knowing that this suffer fest will simply make you a better rider down the road. Surprise your friends the next time you ride together.

Mainly because it shows you have Game. And tonight it was On.

What's Cookin' Wednesday - Tasty Food

2011-08-03T08:22:00.005-04:00

I had an epiphany over the weekend.

I really like to cook. And I like cooking for people.

Aimee spent Friday afternoon with the girls relaxing around the pool at our friends house. Actually it was too hot for the pool so they socialized around the basement bar.

Guys were allowed to show up after 5PM and it was my task to cook for the women, I volunteered. I bought all of the necessary ingredients to make four grilled pizzas. Scott picked up stuff to make one of his pizzas also.

I was ready to make:

White Sauce Seafood pizza
Chicken BBQ
Mexican
Traditional Pepperoni and Mushroom

Since Scott had a pizza to make so I only made the first two. His pizza being the third was enough for dinner. Scott's pizza was interesting to say the least. He used:

White Sauce
1 can sauerkraut, drained.
1 can crushed pineapple, drained.
6 slices cooked bacon, crumbled.
Mozzarella cheese

Despite the odd ingredients it was very tasty.

I can't tell you how thrilled I was to serve up my pizzas. They were quite tasty and everyone said they really enjoyed the flavors. Scott had never grilled pizza so I provided some instruction as he cooked his recipe. I think he is converted over to grilled pizza.

So my new mantra in the kitchen is

It really put a smile on my face seeing how much everyone enjoyed the food I prepared. There is comfort and friendship when we share a meal with those we love.

Of course I love cooking for or with Aimee. We make a good team in the kitchen. We aren't afraid of trying new things or changing up a recipe.

I made some great burgers Monday night for Aimee and I.

I shall call them: Ultimate Taco Burgers

I chopped up mushrooms, shallots and a seeded jalapeno. I used shallots because I didn't have a regular onion.

Saute the mixture until everything is softened. Combined the mixture with one pound ground beef and bread crumbs. I used Panko because...well...I didn't have any regular breadcrumbs.

I didn't measure any of the ingredients. Why bother? That's half the fun of cooking...being spontaneous.

I chopped until I thought I had enough.

I dumped in the Panko until I thought I had enough.

Then I added some homemade taco seasoning, recipe found at allrecipes.com. I used about half of the recipe and also coated the outside of the patties with the seasoning when I placed the burgers on the grill.

Over high heat I seared the burgers for 2 minutes. Of course the thickness of the burgers determines how long they should cook.

When I flipped the burgers I turned down the heat to medium-low and added raw spinach and cheddar cheese on top.

The lower heat would still cook the burger but also wilt the spinach/melt the cheese.

When I pulled the burgers from the grill we topped them with guacamole.

These were some tasty burgers. Honestly they were the best I have ever made.

So even in the kitchen I like to get my Game On.

Bon Appetit

6 Day Bike Rider

2011-07-28T21:58:00.002-04:00

I was flipping channels on the cable box today and noticed an interesting movie title.

I was able to catch the last 30 minutes and was mildly amused by this 1934 movie.

Of course I needed to look up the movie and see what it was about. The Turner Classic Movies website provided a nice overview of the movie.

But then I also looked at the Wikipedia entry for Six-day Racing.

And also visited the website 6 Day Racing.

I knew velodrome racing was big in the late 1800's and early 1900's but I didn't know they had endurance events like this. Check it out. And this was before advanced sports medicine, fancy nutrition supplements and high tech bicycles.

Talk about Game On.

A Return to Racing - Huntington Tri Race Report

2011-07-24T21:03:00.005-04:00

So having signed up for the Huntington Tri I needed to do some preparation.....mostly mental. My training once I completed rehab was short runs and big bikes. Swimming was spotty at best.

So I was preparing myself for the suffer-fest which is a sprint tri.

I had to travel for work Thursday - Saturday and Friday night was only 5 hours of sleep. But my Saturday night was a solid 7 hours.

Waking up race morning, the temperature was already 70 degrees with the dew point just a little below that.

Aimee and I headed to the event so we could get our transition areas set and mingle with all of our friends. That is one problem with this race. Everyone comes out for it so I get talking with people. I turn around and there is someone else I need to talk with. Walk five feet and talk with someone else. I enjoy seeing everyone but I had to force myself to get my act together.

With the day being so warm I decided to not wear my wetsuit. The swim is so short and I didn't want to deal with the suit in transition. I would put my running singlet on in transition.

I got to the beach and did a quick warmup before wishing all of my SBR teammates good luck. Well, at least the ones I could find. We had 13 people racing today.

I lined up for our wave which consisted of guys 40 - 54. The horn went off and we ran in to the water. I took two dolphin dives and started swimming. I was surrounded by some swimmers but that didn't last long as I started to pull away from the masses.

After the first turn buoy I was in the lead pack of approximately 5 guys. I was breathing every stroke since this was a sprint and I was pushing the pace. I was expecting this race from beginning to end. Half way through the swim my upper chest and shoulders were screaming at me but I just kept pushing forward. I wouldn't need my arms once I got on the bike.

As we hit the beach I believe four of us from the wave were together. I heard my dad, brother and some friends cheering for me. I pushed hard to the transition area which is about 200 meters from the beach.

All of my splits are from the watch since I don't have the official splits, those will come later.

My swim, beach to beach (1/4 mile swim), was 8:20. The run to transition, partly uphill, was 2:33. This is the funny stuff from my watch. I must have hit the button accidentally......
...in seconds...

51.2
18.9
1.07
.76
.88

I did manage to hit the button after mounting my bike. I pulled my singlet down the rest of the way on the bike and settled in for the 12 mile ride. I was riding well and catching people in front of me. But I was also watching guys in my age group pass me. I stayed strong and just tried to keep them close. At mile 6 I took a Power Gel and kept taking my water with Nuun.

In those final miles I could feel my stomach becoming upset with the effort. The feeling in my stomach was the slight hint of puking. Upset enough to think about sending the contents back up but nothing that wasn't controllable.

I evaluated how I was feeling and decided it was exactly where I wanted to be. On the verge of exploding but keeping it together.

Approaching transition I started to take my feet out of my shoes ready to dismount. As I hit the timing mat I could hear some of my friends cheering for me.

Bike time was 32:46 with an average of 22MPH.

I don't have a transition split but I was out ahead of my main competition. All I had to grab were my shoes, race belt and visor.

There was definitely something about transition that got my adrenaline pumping. All of the people watching...excitement to get running...being in the heat of competition.

I roared out of transition and hit the immediate downhill. Of course there was an immediate uphill on the other side and that is where I needed to settle down a bit.

I did some self assessment to see how the body was doing, especially the knee. The point where I had my surgery done was not bothering me at all. I was a little sore over the top of my knee. It wasn't painful so I would reassess further down the road.

After half a mile my legs started to come around. At the one mile mark I needed to start picking up the pace and I found my target. A guy who had passed me on the bike was within striking distance. I started pushing forward to reel him in.

I finally caught him at one of the corners of the course and moved past. I could hear him trying to stay with me but I wasn't going to let that happen. I saw some more targets in front of me but I wasn't sure if I would catch them. So I pretended the guy behind me was still my target in front.

I was on the final straight before the downhill/uphill return to the finish line and all I wanted to do was hang on and finish as best I could.

I managed to pass quite a few people in front of me as I continued to pick up my pace. On the final uphill I drove my knees high and pumped my arms and came sprinting over the top to the finish line. I let the volunteers take my bib tag and timing chip since I really couldn't move. I grabbed some water and continued to grab my knees and get my breath back.

I completed the 3 mile run in 22:55 and my finish time was 1:07:47.

My finish put me third in the age group and 24th overall....something I am very happy about for my first tri of the season.

It was a great day for Snakebite Racing. We had 10 awards with 3 of them being overall awards.

So what race will I do next?

Dog Days of Summer

2011-07-22T08:01:00.005-04:00

Hot, hot, hot. Is there anyone out there that isn't dealing with high temperatures right now. Maybe Christi has some cooler weather in Colorado.

Snickers and Ruby are dealing with the heat as best they can. Snickers is almost 14 years old and Ruby is a young 8+ years old.

Being older Snickers sleeps a lot and gets back inside as soon as possible. Then he pants for a long time cooling off.

Ruby can tolerate the heat better and enjoys the outdoors. She even suns herself on the driveway.

Click the picture for a close up of Ruby

Stay cool my friends.

Race Weekend

2011-07-21T10:54:00.003-04:00

Yes my friends....race weekend is fast approaching. On Sunday I will be racing the NCN Huntington Tri/Du. This will be my first race post surgery. My knee has been feeling good. My cycling is pretty strong. My swim is okay.

I am preparing myself for the pain which is expected for a sprint tri. One mental trick I use is to remember that it is only one hour of intense racing. This is in contract to Ironman Lake Placid which is also on Sunday.

I have many friends who will be racing in Lake Placid. Some will crush the course, some will survive, some will complete their first IM. Thinking of them will push me during my own race.

Aimee and I love Lake Placid and had two great years at the race in '06 and '07.

In 2006 this was my bike.

I rented the ZIPP 404s and I feel they made a difference for the race.

This is my current bike with the Flashpoint 60's. This bike got me through Ironman Wisconsin. I could have some fun at Lake Placid with this bike. The long downhill into Keane is a blast.

So good luck to all my friends this weekend. Whether you are racing sprint or Ironman.

Game On.

Vive Le Tour

2011-07-15T14:56:00.003-04:00

In case you have been living under a rock lately...or just don't care....Le Tour de France is on it's 14th day. It has been a very exciting and dramatic race so far. Some media people have called it Le Tour de Crash because of the massive pile ups and injuries during the first week.

Some major contenders have already been eliminated. Three abandoned just today due to lingering injuries and the body simply shutting down on them.

The past several years I have been fortunate to work from home during the Tour. I can work and watch at the same time. I'm really into the tour this year. There is something very impressive about watching the individual and team efforts that go into riding the Tour.

I can't seem to get enough of the television coverage.

I watch the live show in the morning.

I watch the recap in the afternoon.

I watch the prime time show with all the special segments.

I find it similar to watching a movie. The more times you see something the more you see the little things. After watching the riders the first time, I can pay more attention to the scenery, fans, or supporting riders during the other shows.

Even when traveling I should be able to catch most of the Tour in my hotel room, or on the internet.

I don't care who wins right now. I don't think Contador will do it...he just isn't looking good.

No matter what happens....these guy have got major Game.

The Most Excellent Run....I never ran.

2011-06-26T22:01:00.008-04:00

This morning Aimee and I joined our friends at A Most Excellent Run. Since I am still in recovery I grabbed my camera and made sure to grab some pictures of the event. Our friends have a special needs child who has benefited from the Achievement Centers for Children. So it was an honor to join the group this year and help push Michael for the 10k run. Aimee ran and pushed...I didn't.

But watching the magic as it happens was just as good as taking the steps behind his stroller.

This picture defined the day for me.

Helping Hands

Need I say anything more?

Here are more pictures from the morning.

Back in the Saddle

2011-06-23T16:15:00.007-04:00

My down time needs to end. My motivation needs to be lifted. My body needs to be challenged.

This week was a major breakthrough for my recovery.

On Sunday I went with Aimee to the Maumee Bay Tri/Du. Snakebite had a great showing with 12 people competing. The team did great and placed very well in overall and age group standings.

I was cheering and taking pictures of my friends. Here is a public link to my pictures.

I was running to different spots to get pictures and my knee felt pretty good with all the action.

On Tuesday I had a good swim session at the Y and that afternoon I got back to Coca Crossfit. I did the entire WOD, at a reduced weight, and didn't have any side effects.

Wednesday was another PT session. I warmed up on the elliptical machine before doing some floor exercises. Then it was on to the....drum roll please.....TREADMILL. I was going to run.

We started with some walking and I let Cyndi control the speed. We did two intervals of two minutes. I had no pain in the meniscus and just a little over the top of the knee cap. We think it's still a little swollen and just getting irritated. But overall it was a great return to running.

I finished Wednesday night off with a 40 minute spin on the rollers. I put the rollers on the back porch and stayed at home to do a good skills session. Even in the good weather a trainer session still has great benefits.

With two days of moderate workouts I was fried this morning and slept in. Tonight was another crossfit WOD and hopefully I'll swim Friday morning.

This little jump start is just what I needed. I had been feeling flat and my sleep was irregular. I'm convinced that regular exercise helps you sleep better. There were several days in the prior weeks where I was having a hard time getting to sleep or waking in the middle of the night. This week my sleep has been much better.

So I'm looking forward to continuing my training. Race schedule will be determined in the next few weeks.

Game On

Big Fun in Kansas

2011-06-16T07:46:00.006-04:00

Work took me west this past week. I was in the middle of the country where I could say, "Toto, I don't think we are in Ohio anymore" because I was in Kansas. And I don't care what they say about Texas, they like things big in Kansas.

Big Skateboard
I passed this guy on the highway. Maybe they were delivering it to the Jolly Green Giant.

Big Tires
Yes those are tires. Only two of them on that flatbed. Each is the height of the truck cab.

Big Tire Plant

And this is where they were going to...as well as I. I had some work to do at this tire plant. The big tires on the flatbeds were probably going in for repairs. These tires cost so much they repair them instead of buy new ones. The plant has two large x-ray machines to find the damage. How big are the x-ray rooms? Two floors. These stacks of tires are waiting to get shipped out. You might be able to see that one stack of four tires is as high as a trailer.

Big Sunset
I caught this sunset from my hotel parking lot.

Big Hot Air Balloon
After dinner Wednesday night I saw some hot air balloons in the sky. One had an odd shape to it so I chased it down. You can see the basket under the balloon and the flame heating the air.

I followed the balloon to where they would touch down. I wonder if they knew the people living in the house.

That is one heck of a big Jack-in-the-Box balloon.

I thought that getting away from Ohio and working with my customer would keep my mind off triathlon training/racing. I had no such luck. Last weekend was the K-Swiss Ironman 70.3 Kansas in Lawrence, KS. As I was driving to my customer on Monday I saw cars with tri bikes on top going the opposite direction. Grrrrr.

Then I learn that the Topeka Tinman Triathlon is this coming weekend. If I was healthy that would have been a great double weekend to surround my work week.

Oh well. Back at home then it's the Maumee Bay Tri/Du on Sunday. I'll be cheering on my SBR teammates and other Cleveland athletes.

Game On.

Robins Nest Pictures

2011-06-08T01:04:00.004-04:00

I took a series of photos of the robins nest outside one of the bedroom windows. It was interesting watching the lives of the baby birds and their parents.

You can find all of the pictures on my Facebook page. The public link is here so everyone can see the pictures.

Girls With Sole - LULA 5k

2011-06-05T19:38:00.005-04:00

My friend Liz is the executive director, founder and head mentor for her organization, Girls With Sole (GWS). I try to support her any way I can because what she is doing means so much to some deserving girls. There are also many great groups, companies and individuals who have partnered with GWS. Many I know including Coach Angela, Grunt Girl Racing (Aimee is a Grunt Girl), Coca Crossfit (Killer Kate), and Hoban Pest Control (Tina is a dear friend of ours) to name a few.

With my knee still recovering I reached out to Liz and asked how I could help. I offered to be the lead bike for the 5k run. She took me up on the offer and I was set to go. Aimee signed up for the race along with many of our friends.

I rode the course to get familiar with the turns and helped the race crew get the corners ready and mark some potentially hazardous holes. When I made it back to the event area I chatted with some friends and listened to Liz give her pre-race speech.

The awards were hand painted by one of the girls in the GWS program. Below is Liz with one of the age group winners with her custom award.

At the beginning of each GWS session Liz has the girls say the program creed to remember why they are there. One of the program girls recited the creed.

We're Girls With Sole and we're on the move
We're strong and proud you can't stop our groove
We know who we are and who we want to be
We sail through life with resiliency
At Girls With Sole we set goals and believe
If we keep lacing up - we will always achieve.

Then one of the girls also sang a song that meant a lot to her. She followed that up with a wonderful National Anthem.

Everyone made their way to the start line for a nice 5k through the lakeside streets of Rocky River. One of our young Snakebite racers was in the crowd. Josh is a little fireball of a runner. He is 14 and running sub 18 for a 5k. I figured he would be top ten at this race. As I was leading the front runners I was constantly looking back to make sure I wasn't too far ahead or too close to the runners. Each time I looked back I could see Josh in fourth place.

I took the leader into the finish area and watched the runners stream in while chatting with and cheering for friends. Sure enough Josh finished fourth overall and won his age group.

But my day wasn't over. One of the race crew asked me to lead the 1 mile walk. With the incoming runners it would be too hard to have a car on the street. So with the ringing of the bell the one mile walk started. I had been joking with two guys about going slow enough for the walkers. They said I would probably tip over. But I didn't have to worry about that.

After I made the first turn I looked back and there was a little girl running after me. She couldn't have been more than 6 years old. I saw her mom and little brother not far behind her so I stayed with her the entire time. I kept her close to the curb providing a rolling barrier as she continued to run.

We made it to the turn around and now she was with the runners of the 5k. I watched as she weaved her way in and out of the runners much older than her. I kept encouraging her and stayed close to this precious little runner. I told her that she didn't have much more to go. The final straight away starts with a right hand turn the goes uphill immediately. Some of the 5k runners were walking and I thought the maybe she would also...but she didn't. She powered up that hill and kept on going to the finish.

As we entered the parking lot she had another 100 yards to go. All of a sudden I saw this little body rocket past me. She saw the finish line and took of like it was the START of the mile. I yelled for her to keep going. Her mom and little brother passed by 30 seconds later and I told her she finished great.

I went back to the event site and started talking with as many friends as I could find. So many of my running, cycling and tri friends were there. It was good to catch up and get some nice sweaty hugs.

I was talking with a friend when I noticed a little body hovering behind his legs. I finally looked down and saw my little runner girl starting to walk away. Her mom said, "He sees you." She turned around....I bent down to her level.......she looked at me and said....."Thank You."

I told her welcome and said what an awesome job she did. She ran the entire mile. She never complained. She never wavered. I honestly think she was smiling the entire time.

I pray that this little girl continues to run, play, grow, compete into the strong woman she can be. This is the essence of Girls With Sole. And this day quite possibly has set in motion a long fulfilling life. I know it has made my life more fulfilling because of this little runner girl.

Game On.

Recovery is 90% Mental

2011-06-01T21:02:00.003-04:00

....the other 10% is in your head.

Recovering from an injury is hard for any athlete. Not being able to do what you love. Not being able to spend time with friends. Wondering when you will be at full strength again in order to start training hard for races undetermined because of the recovery cycle.

Rest and rehab. That's about all I can do. With the incisions I can't get into the pool. I can't run. I'm slowly getting back onto the bike with my max effort being 40 minutes so far.

Tri season is starting without me this weekend at Deer Creek Triathlon.

I can't run in a local 5k benefiting Girls With Sole.

I missed the 14 Hills Death Ride last weekend with my Snakebite teammates.

I am fortunate though that Aimee has been very supportive and makes sure I am cautious about what I do. Unfortunately I snapped at her today not meaning to...bad hubby.

I think it's part of the "seclusion" from doing what I want. Today was a perfect day to ride the bike or run in the park, but alas I didn't....couldn't.

I have been getting my workout fix in with Crossfit. Being able to go up to Coca Crossfit has helped me keep my balance. If I feel I can't do the workout of the day (WOD) I hang out and socialize or provide support to the people pushing through the workout.

If I do workout, it's upper body stuff like shoulder presses, push-ups, chin-ups or other miscellaneous exercises. But the most beneficial aspect of going to the "box" is the community. Unlike running or cycling we all stay at one spot for the workout so we encourage each other, learn from each other and build friendships....not that we don't do the same thing with running/cycling.

I miss my tri buddies a lot and can't wait to get back into the pool/lake or on the bike with them. But the crossfitters at Coca have provided some great mental support lately. They ask about my knee and keep my fire stoked as I watch them complete their WOD and reach new levels of fitness. It's a community very similar to triathlon. We are all at different levels but we all enjoy it very much.

So as the weather gets better...I get better..and soon I will be able to enjoy the nice weather outside on my bike...swimming in the lake....running on the trails.

Game On.

What surgery?

2011-05-30T06:31:00.004-04:00

The two bandages remind me of the knee surgery I had 10 days ago. My recovery has been going great. Yesterday I rode my bike for 40 miles....I mean minutes. It was a nice easy ride and I was happy to be on the bike outside. My physical therapist is happy with how things are going. Later this week we will see when I might be able to get back to running.

Below are two pictures the doctor took during the surgery. This is the actual tear. The little fibers were trimmed from the meniscus. Pretty cool stuff.

I also have to wish everyone a happy Memorial Day. As the sun rises this morning it looks like it will be a glorious day to remember the few that have given so much for the many....a country.

In my family my Uncle Dave served during the Korean War. Friends have served or are currently serving our country now. Thank you everyone for serving.

Post Op Weekend

2011-05-23T20:56:00.002-04:00

My recovery weekend went pretty well. I stopped using the crutches Saturday morning. They were just getting in the way and I was stable enough to place my weight on my right knee. Aimee was working in the garden and I was helping with some small things.

Everyone in a while I would sit down and rest so I didn't over do anything. Aimee was awesome all weekend and took care of cutting the grass. It's nice to not worry about it especially since the grass has been growing so fast.

Dr. Stearns called and said the procedure went well and I could remove my bandages on Sunday. I couldn't wait to get them off. There was so much gauze under the ace bandage I couldn't bend my leg very far, and my mobility was actually very good.

Sunday the knee continued to feel pretty damn good. The weather was still good and we did some more work in the garden. I'll have to post some pictures from our work.

Today was vacation day so I could rest some more. And I did. I took a late morning nap and just tinkered around the house. My dad and uncle came over for dinner to help finish out the evening.

Physical therapy starts tomorrow morning.

Game On.

Just Another Day

2011-05-21T13:26:00.006-04:00

So Friday started like any other day except Aimee and I were on vacation. My vacation was scheduled since the beginning of the year because I was going to go watch the American Triple T and then race the Little Smokies Half Distance Tri. But something else came up for Friday May 20th....knee surgery.

My procedure wasn't until 12:30 in the afternoon which meant we needed to be at the hospital around 11AM. After we showered Aimee went to the dealer with her car for service and I was left to keep busy around the house. I went out into the garden and did some planting. I also prepped the area where would plant our veggies.

The worst part of the morning was not eating or drinking. I was so thirsty but couldn't do anything about it.

So Aimee got home and had a bite to eat before we left for the hospital. We were shown to my room and met my nurses Casandra and Mary Anne. I changed into the lovely gown they provide and they took my vitals. Casandra asked if my heart rate was always low. The display showed 46 as a resting heart rate and I told her that is normal. If I had been training it probably would have been lower.

I didn't have to wait very long before Ernie came in to wheel me down to pre-op. I was getting real good at telling everyone my name and birthday. They are always checking to make sure they have the right person.

Ernie pointed out the waiting room to Aimee and we kissed good-bye. In the pre-op room I met Amy who inserted my IV and checked my vitals again. Needles never bother me so the IV was easy to get started. The feeling of the solution entering my arm was cool. I mean very COOL. She warned me that I would feel a cold rush up my arm and I sure did. My entire right arm from hand to shoulder was suddenly cool from the inside.

As Amy walked away she said she would be back to shave my knee. I told her not to bother. I had done a fresh shave on Wednesday in preparation of the surgery. As she was transferring my vitals to the computer she asked if my heart rate is always this low. I looked up at my monitor and saw 46 BPM again. I told her I'm good and that it was the same number as upstairs. Being fit has it's benefits. I was also able to answer 99% of their health questions "NO" .

Next up was the anesthesiologist. He stopped by to ask questions, again, see how I was doing and explain what was going to be happening. I didn't mind answering all of the repetitive questions. Everyone is simply doing their jobs to make sure everything goes well.

As I was waiting for Dr. Stearns to arrive I took a short nap. No sedatives yet....just took a little nap. He showed up and checked on me and Enrique, another patient also getting his knee done. He check to see how I was doing and put his initials near my right knee. At least I knew he would be working on the correct knee. Enrique was having his left knee done and I'm sure Dr. Stearns didn't want to mix us up. I asked if he was going to take some pictures because I wanted some to take home. I forgot to ask him what "type" of tear was in my knee. I might have forgotten anyways. I'll ask him at my follow-up visit.

I was finally given my sedative and antibiotic through my IV. The nurses started wheeling me to the operating room. As they wheeled me in I saw the TV monitor for the scope and the big overhead lights...then I was out.........

When I woke up the clock said 2:15. They would continue to monitor me until I was ready to head back up to the post-op room where I would get dressed. Aimee told me that the Dr. had talked with her after the surgery and everything went great. He drew her a picture of what the tear looked like and handed her some pictures from inside my knee.

We went back up to the room and Casandra got us both something to drink. She took out my IV and said I could get dressed when I felt up to it. I was feeling pretty good. I didn't feel hungry but was very thirsty. We got all of my release orders and prescriptions, then Casandra wheeled me down to the lobby.

I hopped into the car and we headed home. It was now 3:30 in the afternoon.

As soon as we got home Aimee made sure I was comfortable in my chair and started making dinner. By 5 we had happy belly's and started to watch the Tour of California. I checked the internet and watched the time trial while Aimee napped with Ruby. I had a nice nap in the afternoon so it was Aimee's turn to nap from a tiring day. I swear that waiting is just as tiring as doing something.

Since the day was still pretty nice we sat outside to enjoy the quiet neighborhood. I took a picture of my knee to post on Facebook when I saw a post from Mike C. He was starting a fire on his back porch and was inviting people over. I looked at Aimee and said let's go. Mike only lives about 2 miles away so it's not a big drive. We surprised them as we rounded the corner of the house and had a nice evening with them. Aimee had some wine and I had two recovery beers.

Overall it was a successful day for surgery. Now I have the rest of the weekend to relax.

Game is already starting to get back On.

Torn - 2.0

2011-05-19T21:40:00.001-04:00

I was looking at my list of posts and things didn't look quite right. My last post was in draft mode and there was no text, or images. Then I remembered that there were some problems with Blogger last week. Apparently my post about my torn meniscus was wiped out.

I'm pretty bummed about it because I thought it was a good post.

So to recap I am having my medial meniscus repaired....TOMORROW. Yeah, surgery is scheduled for 12:30PM. The surgeon says it will only take 20 minutes. I should be on crutches for a couple of days they walking and doing physical therapy.

Most people I have talked with say the surgery and recovery are pretty easy. I just need to keep myself under control and not try to come back too fast or too hard. I would really like to get some late season tri's in but I also don't want to do more damage and make my recovery even longer.

I had pre-admission testing today and am ready for the surgery. The hardest part my be staying away from food. I can't eat after midnight tonight.

On the plus side the nurse said my knee will only be wrapped in an ace bandage. So nothing big and bulky to worry about post surgery.

I'll let you know how things go post-op.

Game On as I get on the road to recovery.

Ohio University - Athletes in Action - Triathlon - Race Report

2011-05-09T09:03:00.004-04:00

So many things to talk about but first things first.

Did you wish you mom a happy Mother's Day? I did and we had a nice time together with both sides of the family today.

As you can tell from the title, Aimee and I raced at the Ohio University - Athletes in Action - Triathlon. When this race was announced it was a no brainer to sign up. Aimee is an alumni of OU and we love going down to Athens any chance we get.

The inaugural event consisted of a 500m indoor swim, 25k bike and 5k run. This would also be our first multi-sport events of the year. Our training hadn't been the greatest but the race would allow us to blow out the rust.

Being a Saturday race we drove the three hours to Athens on Friday. We grabbed out packets and had dinner at the pasta buffet. After dinner we drove the bike course. We weren't paying very close attention to the road markings and drove several miles (more like 5 or 6) beyond the turn-around. Once we got back on track we headed back to Athens.

The bike consisted of either going up or going down. Athens is a hilly area and this course would keep us honest about our fitness. Nothing very technical since the majority of the turns were sweeping and could be taken in the aero-bars.

We checked into our hotel and settled in for the night.

Race morning we were up at 5AM to eat some food and make our way over to the race. We would be meeting Big Daddy Diesel for this race (yes he is real). We got our chips and body markings before setting up our transition spots. The hardest decision for this race was going to be what to wear. The morning temperature was 45 degrees with some fog. For the bike I opted for a regular bike jersey, wind vest, arm warmers, my long compression socks, skull cap and light gloves. One big difference with today's race would be the events I was doing.

Because of my knee issues I changed to the aquabike division. So it would only be the swim and bike. It's a whole different mind set in aqua bike. I could go balls out on the bike and not worry about blowing up on the run.

After setting up transition Aimee and I went to the pool to finish getting ready. We met the couple who parked next to us and chatted until the race started. Chuck and Brenda drove in from Huntington, WV for the race. They are the same age as us so it was nice chatting with another couple who race together. We had a great time talking with them. I warmed up in the 50m pool to get used to the long lane length.

As I chatted with Aimee, Brenda and Chuck some more BDD finally arrived.

After the announcements and national anthem, I lined up for the start. Being a time trial start we were asked to give an estimate of our swim time when we registered. My projected time placed me 25th in line. I was hoping I wouldn't get passed by too many people.

Every ten seconds someone would jump in the pool and start swimming. Once it was my turn I jumped in and started chasing the person in front of me. Two parts of the swim are unique. At the end of each lane you had to go under the lane lines and swim back in another lane. There was also some congestion at the walls as I caught the person(s) in front of me. I think I passed 2 - 3 people and was passed by only one. My swim time for 500m was 9:21, but that included the run to transition.

It took me a while to get dressed for the bike. The worst part was putting on my jersey. On a wet body things stick and won't cooperate. I finally got dressed and grabbed my bike for the run out of transition. The first 1.5 miles of the bike were on the Hocking Bikeway. We were told that due to "traffic" it would be a no passing zone. As I started on the bikeway I could see two people in front of me. I thought I could catch them but wasn't sure. I came up behind the first cyclist and I believe it was Julie Krause from Team ER. I came up on her shoulder and asked if I could pass. We were the only two people around so I knew there was no "danger" by making the pass. With a smile she said it was fine and I thanked her. If you are going to break the "rules" you may as well be pleasant about it.

I started catching the second person near the end of the bike path but I waited to pass until we were back on the road. Once I made the pass I needed to focus and put in a big effort for this bike. In 15 miles I would be back in T2 and done with my race.

Overall I felt pretty good. On the uphills I alternated between standing and sitting. If the hill was short enough I would keep my gearing and power over the crest by standing up. I didn't want to waste any time shifting since I would need the gearing to keep my speed up.

I slowly started catching some people in front of me. On one downhill I noticed an OU triathlete in front of me. He was coasting down the hill. As I passed him I encouraged him and offered some simple advice. Keep pedaling...even on the downhills. I know some people see it as a time to rest and recover. But this is a great time to take advantage of gravity and increase your speed without blowing up. I pedal until I spin out my gears completely.

During the return trip I passed several more people and buried my head and legs into the effort. As I headed into transition I unclipped my shoes and prepared to dismount. Because of a left hand turn to the dismount line I swung my left leg to the right side of my bike. I didn't want to have my weight on the inside pedal as I dismounted since that could result in my wheels washing out from under me.

I crossed the timing mat and my race was done. I started walking towards my transition spot when I spotted Rich Fowler, he's the announcer for HFP Racing. He asked me if I had lost my transition spot. I responded no since I was done with the aquabike. As I racked my bike he made the spectators aware of the little known category of Aquabike and said that Snakebite Racing was in the house.

So I was done. First multi-sport race of the year complete. I changed and got my camera. Watched people come in on the bike and cross the finish line.

We had to wait until everyone was done before awards were presented. Aimee took 3rd in her age group. I took first in the aquabike with BDD right behind me.

We wanted to spend the entire day at OU with some bar hopping that night but Mother's Day activities pulled us back home. We finished our day tracking friends at Ironman St. George.

Just another weekend of getting our Game On.

Great Race Nutrition helped keep me hydrated during the race.

Aimee finishing the bike.

Aimee starting her run.

While Aimee was running I waited for BDD to finish his aquabike. I almost missed getting a picture at the dismount line because I had a hard time recognizing him.

Aimee "flying" across the finish line.

Aimee with her "3rd in age group" mug

Aimee and I enjoyed the evening together watching the live feed from Ironman St. George (another post) and drinking some hot beverage from our race awards.

Who are you and what have you done with my wife?

2011-04-28T19:13:00.002-04:00

Because of my current injuries my competitive mojo has been....lacking. It's been kind of a I don't give a sh!t attitude for the 2011 season.

Aimee on the other hand is chomping at the bit for some racing. She has always called herself a runner more than a triathlete. But this year is different (last year she was different also but that involved IM St. George).

Ever since she ran with our friend Jen, she has been jonesing to do a half iron race.

I transferred my Little Smokies entry to the Great Buckeye Challenge. Unfortunately Aimee will be hosting her sisters baby shower that weekend. She was a little bummed about the conflict. So we are trying to figure out where she could race a half.

I am quite pleasantly surprised by her desire to do a half iron race. It's actually helping me get my mojo back.

So don't be changing my wife any time soon. I think we need each other right now.

What's Cookin' Wednesday - Tomato & Spinach Dinner Strata

2011-04-27T20:09:00.003-04:00

I have not shared any good recipes lately. Kind of goes along with the lack of blogging. Well lately Aimee and I have been finding some great recipes and I contribute it to her desire to eat better. She is always on the lookout for healthy magazines and I have been finding some recipes on-line.

Two magazines that have been a good source of inspiration are Clean Eating and Eating Well. I have also found some tasty recipes at The Foodee. This is a good starting point to many other sites.

So today's recipe came from the May/June issue of Eating Well. Aimee found it and I made it. She read the ingredients and bought the food. I did the prep and cooking. Of course neither one of us read the directions all the way through. After it's all put together it's supposed to sit for at least 2 hours and up to a day.....oops. We adjusted and pushed the meal to the next night and cooked something else.

As I was putting the dish together I was beginning to have my doubts. The icing on the cake, or topping of the strata, was pouring three whipped eggs over the entire dish. A traditional strata is usually a breakfast item so eggs aren't that weird, but there is no meat in this dish. No sausage or bacon or ham. But hey, I'm up for a culinary challenge.

Here is the link for the recipe.

Tomato & Spinach Dinner Strata

So after letting the dish sit for 24 hours we cooked this bad boy up and sampled our creation.

It...was...AWESOME!!!!!!! I had a second piece and Aimee has a smaller second helping. And the leftovers were just as great.

So we highly recommend this recipe. If you don't like it let me know because I would be surprised.

Sorry folks but we have been delayed.

2011-04-26T21:39:00.003-04:00

Don't you hate that announcement at the airport? It just throws your whole day off. You try to scramble and salvage what is left of the day and get where you need to be.

That's how I have been feeling lately. But it's not due to travel problems, and it has nothing to do with work.

My race season has been delayed. Below are two pictures of what is delaying me.

So what do you think? Right knee. Left ankle. Both not looking too good.

I think the knee is over used. The half marathon in Houston and some Crossfitting has caused it to freak out. The inside of the knee is the most painful. I have an appointment with an ortho I've been to before so we will see what he officially says.

The ankle was twisted during my first 4 mile run after taking it easy for a week post half marathon. The ankle is stable and is still a little tender but I'm walking fine.

However, this has really put a damper on my training. Swimming is about all I can handle.

I skipped the season opener at the Buzzard Duathlon.

I signed up for the Ohio University Athletes in Action sprint tri and the Little Smokies Half Iron in May.

I have finally made the decision to cancel both of those races. I may swim and bike at OU, but I am nowhere near ready for a half iron. So I will still go down and watch all my tri peeps race at both.

It's always hard to deal with injuries and set backs when everyone else around you are in good form and ready to race. So I'm going to recover as best I can and hope to be ready for the second half of the season.

Let's see what Game I can muster later this summer.

I'm back?

2011-04-25T16:37:00.002-04:00

Can I even say that?

Back from where?

The last place I went was Houston and you saw my race report from AHCHM.

Actually it's my attempt to get back to blogging. Lately I have been a great reader of blogs and Facebook posts. But my own commentary has been lacking.

Then I got a comment from Michael at Slowly Tri-ing.

Really?!?!?!? Someone is still ready and visiting my humble blog? And I have to ask her....is that really how your name is spelled? Isn't that the male spelling? I was thrown for a loop when I saw her name next to the profile picture. Maybe she will leave a comment to help me understand.

I've also started reading Blue's UnBashful Blog. I first met Megan at a swim clinic and we continue our friendship through various workouts and supporting Girls With Sole.

I also spoke with the president of Snakebite Racing, Angie. When she said she wanted to speak with me I thought, "Crap. I haven't been a very good team member lately." Actually she was looking to share some ideas with me. Whew.

But all three have helped me realize I need to get back to writing on my blog. I need to re-focus. Do the things I enjoy (blogging, taking pictures, supporting my team, training) as well as the things I must do (work, house chores, etc.) Except for work some of my "must do" items I also enjoy.

Okay...there..I've said it. Now I need to get my Game On.

AHCHM Race Report

2011-03-30T10:58:00.005-04:00

I was "disconnected" the final days leading up to Angie's Half Crazy Half Marathon so I didn't have any other training reports to offer. As we flew to Houston Friday I reviewed my race plan, got psyched up about being in warmer weather and decided to just go with what the day provided me.

Without further delay....let's race.

The race start was scheduled for 7AM which meant we needed to get up around 4:30AM to get ready and drive to the venue about 30 minutes away. To get primo parking we needed to be there by 6AM before they started shutting down the roads we would be running on.

I had prepped most of my gear the night before so I didn't have much to do race morning. Aimee and I got in the line for the crappers to be as light as we could for the run. Once I was done I pealed off my top shirt, stuffed it in my bag and handed it off to our friends who were doing the relay. I gave everyone high fives and Aimee a kiss before heading out for a short warm-up.

We wouldn't be needing much of a warm-up today. The morning temperature was already 75 degrees. The humidity was also a little on the high side. Considering we had been training in temps below 35 all winter I was praying to acclimate quickly. The temp difference between Cleveland and Houston was 45 degrees.

With my estimated finish time I was seeded in the first corral. I positioned myself about three rows back from the front and got ready to run. With the ringing of the bell we were on our way.

I was able to settle in pretty quickly with my pace and breathing. My race plan called for a quick start for the first 1.5 - 2 miles, my first mile was 6:49 and number two was 6:54, then settle into a good pace that was a fast rhythm until the midway point.

During mile 2 I was a little concerned. My feet were already starting to burn. The balls of each foot were on fire. They weren't quite ready to race yet. I pushed the feeling out of my mind and pressed forward. Mile 3 ended with a 6:59. I was running with another guy at this point and we were pretty much alone sitting in the top 50. We hung out a bit together through mile 5 at 35 minutes and mile 6 with a 7:23. I think I lost him at the mid-way point. I powered through the aid station and he might have stopped to get something to drink.

Looking at the race results I was the first person in the age group to reach the half-way point with a 46:17 running a 7:04/mile pace. I was happy with that. The 7 min/mile pace is what I was hoping for based upon my training.

After the halfway point lies the "Go Zone". In my plan the "go zone" would last until mile 10. The final three miles would be the "get time" zone where I push for what it's worth and capture what little time I can while hanging on.

My feet were still burning and the heat/humidity were starting to take their toll.....on everyone. Mile 7 was 7:23 and I could feel the energy being drained from my body. My mind was also taking a beating from the course. I didn't know the course. Normally I would have wanted to drive the course the day prior, but considering who we were with Aimee and I were probably the only ones that would have been interested in doing that. So without a course preview I wasn't mentally prepared like I should have been. Several sections of the course were long which added to the mind games of an already long race.

I was running alone since the half-way point. I had no one to work with. I had to keep bringing myself back into the race and not let my mind wander too far from the immediate task of completing each mile.

My feet were still burning. My legs were getting heavier. My knees were starting to ache. I was hot even though the sun was hidden by some thin clouds.

A couple guys caught up to me and I just couldn't go with them.

Mile 8 = 7:26
Mile 9 = 7:44
Mile 10 = 7:36

The "go zone" is over and the final 5k is when I need to be pushing myself for the last 20 minutes of the race. Time to leave it all on the course. Unfortunately 90% of me was already on the course.

Mile 11 = 8:05
Mile 12 = 8:16

Near the end of mile 12 I saw a guy ahead of me walking. He had passed me a couple miles back. I was going to offer him some words of encouragement when he started running again. He was still 50 yards ahead of me.

The final mile is on the campus of the community college we started in. After we made the final turn I heard footsteps behind me. Next thing I know a 5'2" woman is passing me. Now I don't mind being chicked at all. If she is a stronger runner than I that's fine. In fact I was going to use her strength to pull me along.

I dug in and started to push myself to stay in her wake. She pulled me past the guy in front of me. Then she kept pulling away, but I kept up the effort knowing the finish line was getting closer with each stride.

She helped me pull a 7:47 for the last mile and I reached the finish line 45 seconds later.

My finish time of 1:37:21 landed me in 3rd place for the 40 - 44 age group. Having the 1st and 2nd place masters coming from my age group also helped with the standings. My overall ranking was 33rd.

I hate to consider this a sub-par performance due to me making the podium but I was 7 minutes off my goal time. Everyone was suffering so I will say it was a fair result against some good competition.

Both feet got blisters on the balls, my left got the worst of it. My right knee is tight and sore, time to rest, ice, stretch and electro-stim to repair.

Below are some pictures from race day.

Okay I'm looking not too bad here.

These three are in the finishing chute. See how quickly my demeanor changes.

Finishing strong

Finish line in sight

Shoot me now!!!!!

5-Hour Energy was a sponsor for the race. I took a picture for the girl handing them out. I don't use the product but the post race picture was great. The guy next to me was 2nd in the 40 - 44 age group.

Aimee and I post race. Somehow we were managing smiles.

Aimee showing off the Texas sized finishers medal. It was a baseball theme for the race.

Accepting my award from Angie the race director. She is doing Ironman Texas in May...it will be her first.

Showing off my awards to Aimee. Also notice the Great Race Nutrition shirt I am wearing.

Back at our friends house I started icing my legs, especially my right knee. The beer also helped with the pain.

My left foot had a very nice blister started. It was more blood than water in the blister. I just left it alone.

Here is my left blister Wednesday morning. The fluid and puffiness is gone, just some discoloration.

I forgot to add a picture of the swag we brought back with us. This years theme was baseball. Angie is a huge Yankee's fan. Starting in the bottom left corner and going counter-clockwise:

In the packet pickup bag was the beer coozie, oval sticker, socks that say "suck it up cupcake", technical shirt, and tech hat.

After we crossed the finish line you get the towel soaked in ice water and medal.

I received a plaque and baseball signed by Angie for my 3rd place finish.

The "Perfect Game" on the back of the shirt is Angie's hope for the race to go perfectly for everyone..whatever goals they may have and for everyone to enjoy the race she has organized for the past 4 years.

All she has to do now is include shorts with the swag and a person could run the race decked out in Angie-wear.

Change is inevitable

2011-03-24T15:19:00.002-04:00

The training for this half marathon was going to kill me if I didn't make some changes. And those changes needed to start from within.

The Snakebite spin sessions were out. The intensity of the spins wouldn't allow me to recover for my next run workout. The sessions were starting to get intense but I know that those who attended will be ready for outdoor riding when the weather gets better.

My crossfit workouts were the worst part of cross training. The mentality of crossfit is to go hard or go home. Move big amounts of weight. Complete as many rounds or reps as possible. Push yourself to become better with each workout.

My problem was that I needed to balance the running, swimming, cross-training and what little biking I could fit in. Working out at Coca only twice a week was proving to be a detriment, not a benefit. The unspoken competitive nature of crossfit filled my mind each time I stepped through the door.

Unfortunately several workouts fried my legs, ripped up my hands, strained my back or just simply put the hurt on me. It would be several days to a week before I felt back to normal.

I finally had a sit down with Kate and we agreed that I needed to back off. Crossfit was not my primary means of fitness. Triathlon is my first sport which I am training for. I'm not looking to be a competitive crossfit competitor or make it to the "games". I wanted to build my strength so my swim, bike, run would benefit.

I told her I would be scaling back and slowing down during the WODs. I needed to focus on form and endurance. The strength would slowly build up and help my other training. We have both kept me in check before each workout making sure I'm not pushing myself unnecessarily.

It was a major shift in my thinking but one that is better for me. Despite the change I can still tell that crossfit has made me stronger in the pool.

With the reduced training load I was able to focus more on the run. But even with the added rest the pace of the workouts was kicking my ass. I needed to back off on my goal times before I hurt myself on the treadmill. At times my legs were barely keeping up. You definitely reach deep down to keep yourself going so as to not get spit off the back in front of everyone around you. Then you have to reach deep down to not throw up.

My legs were not coming around to the training. The speed was just not there. Was it my age? Was it too many years in long course? Was I coming out of the off season too fast?

Now I needed to make changes to the training plan and that meant the paces needed to adjust. I found the right speed where I would be pushed but not obliterated.

Speedwork would be done at 6:00 min/mile. This was for 400, 800 or 1600 repeats. Maybe a little faster for the 400's since they were shorted.

Tempo would be at 7:00 min/mile. This would be the new race pace. My thoughts of a 1:26 or better finish were becoming dreams despite the goal with a plan.

And the long runs would be at 7:30 min/mile. These still proved to be doable but definitely not easy.

I approached the training and the impending race with a new enthusiasm. I felt good about the changes I made to the training. I would still race the half marathon but I would just need to adjust as needed.

And I'm okay with that.

Game On.

Is it possible to do it all?

2011-03-22T20:45:00.005-04:00

I forgot to post some pictures I had taken of our training plan. This is our calendar showing what our training was to consist of.

This is the detail of our calculated paces for this training.

The training plan talked about including some cross training. Swim, bike and crossfit would be my cross training.

I wasn't spending a lot of time on the bike. The team, Snakebite Racing, was holding a group spin class at one of our sponsors, Ride & Workout. These Tuesday classes would be conflicting with my speed workouts so I had to back off on those. Aimee and I were leading some indoor ride sessions at Coca Crossfit on Sunday mornings and that would become my weekly ride time.

I had to keep up the swimming at least a little because of the Cleveland Tri Clubs Big Swim Challenge. So I had to be ready for tackling 10,000 yards.

And I wanted to keep the weight training going at crossfit. I could tell that it was helping with my swimming and I wanted to keep building a strong base for the tri season.

Of course it didn't take long to realize that this training plan was not going to work well with my normal triathlon training schedule. Things needed to change.

Early learning

2011-03-22T13:50:00.004-04:00

Before the training plan officially started Aimee and I got super organized....well Aimee did at least. We made up two big sheets of paper with the plan laid out. We had done the same thing with her Ironman St. George training and it worked great last year.

We knew what our paces would be for the speed, tempo and long runs. We even figured out what the MPH would be for those paces when we were forced to the treadmill.

One thing I learned early on is that our treadmill in the basement only goes up to 10MPH, 6 min/mile. My super aggressive goal had me running at 11.4 MPH for my 400 repeats...roughly a 5:20 pace.

Ummmm....okaaaaay. Guess I will need the treadmills at the YMCA for some of my runs.

Once we wrote down the training plan we saw that the official start was the third week in January. So we had some time to ramp up. We were able to ease into the training with some "sample" speed repeats and tempo runs. This is when I started wondering about the paces I was supposed to hold.

But I pushed aside the doubt and held faith that my body would respond to the efforts and rest up for the next workout.

Yeah....rest. We need to talk about that concept....next post.

Time to Plan

2011-03-20T21:16:00.003-04:00

"An idea without a plan is just a dream."

Okay so back in December we found a race in Houston. Angie's Half Crazy! Half Marathon. Aimee was excited about the unique Texas sized medal. I liked the idea of running somewhere warm. My sister-in-law has friends where we would be able to crash. The Ohio delegation would be about 6 in strength.

Angie's course is very flat with elevation change of about 25 feet. Total gain over the 13.1 mile course is 102 feet. So it should be fast...right?

Aimee and I found a training plan on Runner's World. The FIRST Half Marathon Training Plan.

FIRST stands for Furman Institute of Running and Scientific Training.

The training plan caught Aimee's interest because you only run three times a week. This could be an interesting plan since we are used to swimming and biking during the week also. We both also have additional cross training with her Body Sculpting and me doing Crossfit at Coca.

With only three days of running the plan is rather aggressive. Very aggressive. The example in the training plan shows the paces for a 1:30 goal. I calculated the paces for a 1:25 AND 1:30 finish. As I looked at the training I told myself to suck it up and just do it. The speed workouts are fast but short in duration. The tempo runs are shorter but more intense than my training runs from the summer. It's....doable.

It didn't take long for me to start re-thinking my goals. Perhaps it was the 4 x 400 on the treadmill at 5:37 pace that had me feeling like I would get spit off the treadmill and through the window. Or the tempo runs at 6:37 pace that left me gassed after one mile. And these are the paces for the 1:30 finish...forget about the 1:25 pacing.

I haven't done any real speed work in several years due to all the long course racing. Also coming out of the off season with some lofty goals may not be the best plan of attack, especially since this race is about 4 weeks earlier than anything in the Cleveland area.

So we had our goals laid out and a plan to achieve those goals.

Time to execute.

A Great Idea?

2011-03-19T20:19:00.002-04:00

“Everything begins with an idea.” – Earl Nightengale

In December it seemed like a great idea.

Train for an early season half marathon.

Do said half marathon in a warm locale.

Train over the winter and get some of that speed back.

Maybe even set a PR at the distance.

What the hell was I thinking???

Spring has Sprung

2011-03-18T07:06:00.005-04:00

Or at least we want to think that in Northeast Ohio. Yesterday was a beautiful day and I saw several cyclists out about about. Now everyone needs to get used to seeing us on the road again with our bikes.

Please be careful out there.

After I saw Christi's comment I realized I should have included the following.......

Share The Damn Road

Catching up

2011-02-12T18:28:00.002-05:00

...and it's not only the pictures I need to catch up with. There is a fine line between working on the pictures one at a time and loading them in batches. As you can see I just put up 5 posts in order to get caught up. That is called falling way behind. But I also can't seem to get a picture up each day.

I need to work on small batches every couple of days.

I also need to work on catching up with real blogging.

News about my team, Snakebite Racing.

What my current training is (all you hear is about me being broken).

My 2011 race schedule.

Motivation, inspiration and deep thoughts.

I think I just listed what should be posted next.

Have a great weekend.

Game On.

When you have a broken body

2011-02-12T18:15:00.004-05:00

2/09/2011
I broke my body again. Monday night I must have had bad form again at Crossfit. The next day my legs were locked up. Very tight and sore in the quads. It was hard to walk down the stairs. I was finally able to get on the bike for a short ride. Getting out of the saddle to stand or climb was out of the question.

2/10/2011
I tried some electro-stim on my legs. It seemed to help a little bit.

2/11/2011
But the real relief came from the acupuncture and message session with the witch doctor. He helped open up the legs, joints, nerves, etc. Definitely worth the money.

Water - solid and liquid

2011-02-12T18:04:00.003-05:00

2/8/2011
I saw this icicle hanging outside the home office window. I love how it curled around the gutter.

2/7/2011
This is the inside cover of the book "Call the Suit". Written and autographed by Sheila Taormina. Remember that name. You will hear it again soon.

Super Bowl Pics

2011-02-12T17:36:00.000-05:00

2/6/2011
Super Bowl Sunday deserves more than one picture.

I was getting things ready for our friendly get together. I took the beer and cooler outside to fill up with all the free cold stuff in my yard. Yes...snow makes for an excellent cooling agent. Unfortunately the paper handle on a six-pack broke loose and there were some casualties. Lost three bottles on the garage floor.

Aimee had some great food on tap. The biscuit pizza bake looked yummy even before it was baked.

She made some of her awesome scones and chocolate covered strawberries.

This was the line-up of beer available in the cooler.

We had a great time with everyone. The commercials were funny, half time show barely tolerable...oh yeah...there was also a football game.

Good doggies

2011-02-12T15:53:00.003-05:00

2/5/2011
I brought some breakfast up to Aimee this morning. Snickers (left) and Ruby (right) waited patiently for their portion. Unfortunately Aimee was too hungry to share. I didn't share either.

You can tell we are STARVING them to death.....NOT.

2/4/2011
I was in PA working for a customer. The hotel rooms at Hyatt Place are very nice. The TVs have some very nice hookups. I've never used them but it's still a nice setup.

2/3/2011
Last nights Crossfit WOD ripped the crap out of my hands. Knees to elbows on the pull-up rig. Two blisters on one hand and one blister on the other. Owwww.

Bike, Cables and Candles

2011-02-12T15:33:00.003-05:00

2/2/2011

The snow accumulated pretty good at the beginning of the month. And it was cold also.

2/1/2011
I finally hooked up the DVD player to the new TV I bought back in September. The problem was I needed some cables. The S-Video cable sitting there.....no S-video on the new TV. Had to buy the component cables instead. Kind of a hassle.

1/31/2011
This candle was a center piece at the restaurant we had a family dinner at.

CTC Swim Challenge

2011-02-05T18:04:00.008-05:00

1/30/2011

It was time to the second annual Cleveland Tri Club Swim Challenge and Clinic. We had the Cleveland State University pool for 3.5 hours to swim whatever distance you wanted to. The major options were
100 x100's
75 x 100's
50 x 100's
25 x 100's

There were also two swim clinics available. Last year I committed to the 50 x 100 (5000 yards) and felt good enough to finish with 8000.

This year I was joining quite a few others in a group being called the Big Dogs because we were going for the complete 10,000 yards (100 x 100s).

My strategy was to swim in groups of 500 and take a small break....no more than one minute between 500's. I was very happy with my swimming as I kept a pace between 7:35 and 7:45. I finished in under 3 hours which was a little goal I had set for myself.

Muscle Milk has been attending the CTC events this year and they donated a case of their product for each person who completed the 10k yards. I split a case of chocolate and vanilla with a friend. It was a much appreciated gift.

Game On.

Dogs and Tacos

2011-02-05T09:15:00.004-05:00

1/28/2011

I had to change out the batteries on the Invisible Fence collars for Ruby and Snickers. We need to make sure they stay close to home and safe.

1/29/2011

Tacos for dinner. But Aimee and I have been opting for a healthier version.
We used bib lettuce leaves for shells.
Bison meet instead of beef. Could also use ground chicken or turkey.
Taco Seasoning is put together with our own spices...check the ingredients of Old El Paso taco seasoning.
Homemade guacamole.
Greek yogurt instead of sour cream.
The shredded cheese is probably the worst part of it all.

Recipe ideas are courtesy of the Paleo Girls.

And you get a bonus picture showing the taco platter we made.

Great Race Nutrition

2011-02-05T08:55:00.005-05:00

1/27/2011

I admit my blogging has been spotty at best. But when I have someone to pimp out and I can't even find time to promote his business....that's just not right. I've known Mike for quite a while and I was totally stoked when he started Great Race Nutrition. When I was looking for nutrition products I had to go to several places for what I wanted. I couldn't get what I wanted from one place.

GRN is that site. All of the major, and some obscure, manufacturers are sold through GRN. He has also helped me evaluate several products to see if they would work for me. Mike also has great knowledge about the products to help people determine their nutrition needs. He not only sells the product but he it as well. Mike completed his first 140.6 at the FullRev last September, but his athletic career

One of my favorite options available from Great Race Nutrition is "Flavor Choice". Mix and match your favorite flavors or electrolyte tablets, energy bars or gels.

I have a link on my side bar to the GRN website. Check them out and tell them I sent you over.

Feel the Fire Burning

2011-02-04T07:54:00.001-05:00

1/26/2011

I was getting a massage from my go to guy and through certain trigger points I could feel the release of built up energy or heat. The nervous system gets overloaded with all of the training I put my body through. The energy paths through the body get jammed up and need some help to get released.

As he was helping release the energy I could feel the heat leaving my body through my feet and hands. It made me think about a song from one of my favorite musicians..Darude. The song "Burning" fit the bill perfectly with what I was feeling.

I have a fire burning in my soul.

Big Daddy Diesel also came to mind because he is a person who has a fire that is burning with a huge intensity, especially since someone told him he can't do something. I am reminded of the quote from Chinese Imperial Admiral Yamamoto after the attack on Pearl Harbor, "We have awakened a sleeping giant and have instilled in him a terrible resolve". Oh yeah, that sleeping giant is BDD.

So this picture is for everyone with a fire burning in their souls. And I have also included the song "Burning" from Darude.

Game On.

Solving the Puzzle

2011-01-26T21:42:00.004-05:00

1/25/11
I was having a rough time on some projects today for work. Some "issues" surfaced and I need to do some research in order to determine the best course of action to take as resolution.

It was stressing me out a little.

I took this picture of Snickers and found some similarities between the two of us.....besides being old.

We put treats in the dog toys to keep Snickers and Ruby entertained and mentally sharp. I watched him working on this toy with stern determination to get the treat out. Nothing was going to stop him from getting the reward inside. Sometimes you just have to attack the task at hand repeatedly using a variety of methods until you get the job done.

Snickers and I have the same drive to get the job done....whatever it takes.

I resolved my work issues. I like a challenge.

Game On.

Mmm...Lemony

2011-01-26T21:32:00.004-05:00

1/23/11
Is that spelled right? Lemony..lemonie...lemoniey. Whatever.

That is lemon zest right there. Aimee was making a batch of scones. Mind you that these are not your typical hockey puck scones. These are way better. I'd give you the recipe but then Aimee would kill me.......help me.

1/24/11
Sitting on the office desk was one of my favorite mugs, can ya tell why. I had some hot chocolate in the morning.

Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder

2011-01-26T21:21:00.004-05:00

1/22/11
It has been very cold around Northern Ohio. Let's face it...it's been cold everywhere. But that didn't stop the Snow Queen (Aimee) and I from getting together with our friends for a morning run. The temperature was -4F when we started and the snow was ankle deep on the trails.

After the run I took this picture of Aimee's eyelashes proving that she is the Snow Queen.

We ran with our friends Dale, Tina, Deb and TriGuyJT. You can read JT's blog post at Iditarod for Humans.

Me, Aimee, JT, Deb, Dale, Tina

Some may call us nuts for being out there, but spending time with friends out in the cold weather........

that was beauty in the eye of this beholder.

Game On.

Cycling Legs and Pink Glasses

2011-01-26T21:09:00.004-05:00

1/20/11
As I was getting ready to spend some time on the bike trainer I looked and down decided to take a picture of my leg in my Pearl Izumi shorts.

1/21/11
During my annual eye exam I was waiting at the counter and found these cute sunglasses for kids. Yes I did try them on and they did fit.

Broken

2011-01-19T14:17:00.007-05:00

I guess it's bound to happen. When you want to be competitive and have set certain goals for yourself it's....just....bound to....happen.

Hopefully it's nothing serious. Maybe the muscles are just sore, tired or strained. The goal is to avoid a full blown injury like a tear, serious inflammation, stress fracture, sickness, blood. Oh please don't let there be blood.

Sometimes we just feel broken. I watched several friends become broken this past year. Jason is currently dealing with foot issues. Patty is recovering from hers. And I can't keep track of who is sick.

I feel broken today....because of yesterday.

Tuesday is typically a double workout day. Crossfit in the morning and run speed work in the evening.

Kate put us through a skill set and regular WOD.

The skill involved 5x3 Hang Power Clean to max. Description and video.

I was on my last set of three at max. I managed to pull two but not the third. I had terrible form on the second and quite possibly strained my right trapezius and index finger. Index finger? Don't ask me how but it hurts today.

The WOD consisted of:
21-15-9
Back Squat
Kettlebell Swing (55 lbs)

I took it easy on the squats and went with a lower weight than prior. Partly due to the number of repetitions and second the run workout I would have in the evening. Today my inner quads are sore.

I felt great after I was all done at Crossfit. I wouldn't feel the effects until later in the evening and morning.

My evening run workout was done on the treadmill due to some rainy crappy weather.

I preferred the treadmill since I had some goal times/pace to hit. I needed to complete 4 x 400m. I haven't told you about my current training goals so lets just say the pace was fast. Each interval needed to be complete around 1:20. I'll let you do the math to figure out overall pace and speed.

I knew it was going to be hard but I had to suck it up. This is the training plan I signed up for and Aimee had done the same workout in the morning.

Intervals 1 and 2 were good. I could feel a twinge in my right glute/quad so I kept things under control during the hard push. Interval 3 was a struggle but I kept it together. Interval 4.....definitely the hardest effort. I had to really focus on what I was doing to make sure several things didn't happen.....loose my legs and fall....get spit off the back of the treadmill......puke. Actually I didn't feel like puking until I completed the last interval and was sucking in as much air as possible next to the treadmill.

I'm not sure how much the evening workout contributed to my soreness this morning but I feel a little like the picture below.......broken.

Fortunately I will mend faster than the window. It's been like that for over a year.....two winters for sure. I'll fix it in the spring...right after race season.

Game On

Numerology

2011-01-19T14:11:00.004-05:00

1/18/11

I've heard that there can sometimes be special meanings in numbers.

You can click on the picture for the hidden meaning.

Music.....

2011-01-17T19:33:00.002-05:00

...makes the world go 'round. Aimee and I are putting some playlists together for some spinning sessions. Oh yeah we will be using songs from all of these CDs.

1/17/11

Get me home in time for dinner

2011-01-17T16:25:00.002-05:00

1/14/11

This was the most important piece of paper in my possession on Friday. This was my ticket home after being in Alabama for the week.

1/15/11
Saturday I wanted to get in a bike workout but had to adjust my rear derailleur. That little screw above the "H" was adjusted about half a turn. The bike shifts great now.

1/16/11
Aimee and I spent the evening cooking dinner together. This risotto was accompanied by some artichoke hearts and walnuts. The salmon with red wine mushroom sauce was pretty damn good also.

Traveling Man

2011-01-13T22:02:00.004-05:00

1/12/11

While eating breakfast I noticed the following on my fork. It turns out the plate was also environmentally friendly.

1/13/10

Sometimes it's all about knowing what buttons to push. The small white button starts the power on the computers systems I install. I have to use a pen to push the button....and these systems start at $30,000.

This button starts the Nissan Maxima I have been driving this week. I'm really getting used to the keyless system. The car cost about the same as the above computer system, at least this time.

Picture catch up

2011-01-11T21:43:00.004-05:00

I have fallen behind already and here I am playing catch-up. But you will soon realize why the delay. Oh yeah...delays. That's been my world the past couple of days.

1/08/11
So going back to Saturday.....it was time to finally take down the Christmas decorations. While Aimee was busy with running some errands I put away the trees (two of them), bagged up some larger items, packed the knick knacks that I knew where they should go. I couldn't figure out where a small batch needed to go so I waited for Aimee to get home. That's Santa in the background.

1/09/11
Sunday morning Aimee and I lead a spin session at Coca Crossfit. Before we started I took this picture of the pull-up rig in the gym. Rogue Fitness sponsors Kate as an athlete and their equipment is very nice.

1/10/11
Monday. Where do I even start. Monday actually started on Sunday. I was flying to Birmingham, AL for work. As we approached Birmingham the pilot was told to divert to Huntsville due to the weather. We wound up stuck in Huntsville for the night. This winter storm was bringing Alabama to a stand-still just like many other southern states. Huntsville totaled 9 inches of snow that night. That is their average snowfall for one winter.

I spent quite a bit of time on the phone with US Airways, not my favorite people right now, and the company travel agency, Egencia......now these people were very helpful and took care of me.

1/11/11
Tuesday afternoon, today, I finally arrived where I should have been on Sunday night. Gadsden, AL is a city in northeastern Alabama. My one hour drive took about 1.5 due to the icy conditions on the road. I managed to get 3 good hours of work done before calling it a night. I was going to stop by the local YMCA to check on their schedule only to find them closed. So I put together a workout I could do in my hotel room. In honor of 1/11/11 I did

1 WOD (Workout Of the Day) consisting of:

Squats
Dips
Pushups
Situps

11 reps
11 rounds
for time

Overall I did 121 of each exercise in 14:02. The squats and situps were fine, but the pushups and dips fried my arms. I could hear Kate in the back of my mind yelling, "KEEP IT UP" or "HALF WAY THERE". I pushed myself pretty hard being on my own. Having the clock running helped a lot.

Snowcap

2011-01-08T10:59:00.003-05:00

Somehow I ran out of time yesterday to post my daily picture. It still counts if I post the day after, right?

Thursday night we received some snow which covered the backyard. I took this picture from inside the backdoor Friday morning. This is a bike in our backyard.

A more close-up view shows the Schwinn badge from Thursday's picture is almost covered.

Snowy Bike

2011-01-06T18:56:00.002-05:00

We got a fresh coat of snow today and my poor bike is stuck outside.

I wear every day.....

2011-01-05T20:54:00.003-05:00

A Facebook friend posted the title on his wall this morning. He was referring to his LiveStrong bracelet. Unfortunately this little reminder was caused by a cycling friend of his who has been admitted to the hospital with advanced cancer.

I thought about my LiveStrong bracelet and when I first started wearing it. Our friend Tina had been diagnosed with breast cancer. I started to wear it in support of her (she is fully recovered now). That was in 2006. I have worn my yellow wristband ever since. I have added a black band and they complement each other.

The Yellow helps me remember those that are fighting or have fought cancer.

The Black tells me that no matter how hard I feel something is, it will never come close to what it's like to do battle with a potentially fatal disease.

Game On

Working Together

2011-01-04T21:40:00.002-05:00

Sometimes the simplest image can convey the right meaning. The paintbrush below reminds me that sometimes you just can't do it alone. Sometimes we need help.....with a project at work, raising children, getting through a tough workout, surviving a hard emotional time in our life.

A single strand from the brush can certainly paint the intricate details of a small figurine, but it won't be able to handle an entire room.

C is for Cookie...

2011-01-03T20:29:00.003-05:00

...that's good enough for me.

How about oatmeal raisin cookies. One of them even had frosting on it.

Micro Photography

2011-01-02T18:17:00.007-05:00

I really only have one resolution this year. Post more on the blog. And to help with that I am going to take and post more pictures. Last year I started a Photo365 where you take pictures everyday. I made it a couple months before...I lost interest...motivation....subject matter...whatever.

So this year I wanted to give it another go. But to help with the pictures I have decided to run with a particular style of photography......micro-photography. Extreme close-ups of items. For some reason I like the minute details involved with these types of photos. So here is my first picture.

Aimee and I have been redecorating the home office. Fresh paint, new curtains, additional flair for the walls will come along soon.

This is the end cap of the curtain rod I installed yesterday. It gets interesting trying to use the flash on the camera when you are so close the object. Definitely something to play with.

Polar Plunge

2011-01-01T18:28:00.004-05:00

For the past 6 years I have started the new year the same way...with a quick dip in Lake Erie. The Polar Plunge has been a lot of fun over the years with many friends. Here is a quick recap of past plunges that I have done.

If there are no pictures click on the year to be taken to the post for that plunge.

2005 - Double Dipping. I did the CTC Polar Plunge on New Years Day then a second dip in March to help with the Tsunami relief efforts. This was before I started my Blog so here are some pics from that year.

We had about a dozen people this first year.

These pics are from the Tsunami plunge.

2006 - For some reason I don't have any pictures. Still looking.

2007 - The plunge was held at Edgewater Park on a mild winter day. No ice, cool water and warm air. It was also Jason's first plunge.

2008 - I had to miss this year because I was out of town for work.

2009 - Back at Huntington Beach where the sand was covered with a sheet of ice. I almost face planted running into the water.

2010 - This was the coldest plunge yet. The snow was blowing almost horizontally.

2011 - This year was a challenge. The beaches around Cleveland were already frozen by Christmas. I have never seen this happen in recent years. The plunge was moved to a smaller beach where Mark and Ken cleared an area for us to plunge into. We had to line up and jump in individually. The water was 33 degrees and the air was 50. It was still a great time had by all.

Mark clearing the ice

My first plunge....

I decided to plunge again with my teammates..Jason, Mike, Ken, me and new teammate Andrew.

This is also the first day on my Photo365 project. Even though I didn't take the pictures...thanks Aimee...I am counting them for the year.

A Rewarding Year

2010-12-31T03:13:00.006-05:00

Happy New Year Everyone.

Tri season is over....has been over.... since September....after the HalfRev at Cedar Point. You just can't swim open water around here after September. The water was just getting too cold. In fact it's frozen over. I have never seen Lake Erie freeze up this early in winter.

The off season was in full swing after the HalfRev. It was time to shift focus to other things. Relaxing, recharging, work. Work kept me busy in October and November. I also got my tat' so I couldn't swim for two weeks.

As I close out 2010 I find myself at a perfect place to transition to a new racing season. Aimee and I have signed up for a half marathon at the end of March that I must train for. I have some specific goals in mind so this training will get interesting.....more to follow on that.

But first I must follow suit of several other bloggers out there with a recap of the past year.

I don't have very many numbers to throw out here. Since I left Coach Angela I haven't been keeping track of my workouts in the true sense of the word. I usually have a plan and I execute it. I got the workouts done then moved forward. I have never really been one to compare workouts or do any in depth analysis of previous workouts.

I get it done and move on..and try to push it harder and faster the next time.

I swam some yards. This was my best swimming year to date. I was at the top of my game during workouts and races. I saw my 100 times drop which resulted in faster race times.

I ran many miles. Enough miles to get me through the distances. I am definitely lacking in speed right now. Something that needs to be worked on.

I also rode for hours, which leads to miles. I was most dissatisfied with my bike this year. I didn't have the power or speed compared to past years. This is another area which I plan on improving over the winter so that I have a very good base heading into the spring.

Now to talk about what I really remember from this past year.

As my post title suggests I have one word to describe the 2010 racing season.....Rewarding.

The rewards from this past season have come in many forms. Let us take a walk through the year as I share my thoughts.

Project Ironman
By the time January rolled around Aimee and I were already two months into her Ironman training program. We decided to use our collective knowledge and the book "Training Plans for Multisport Athletes" to get her ready for Ironman St. George.

We were figuring out the workouts and executing them together. I was using the same training plan to get me ready for the Ohio Triple T.

Being her coach, advisor, team director, travel agent, mechanic, cook, etc. was quite fulfilling. I wanted to make sure that her only task was to cross the finish line. I tried to take all the other worries off her plate.

Watching her cross the finish line was more rewarding than I can describe.

Helping friends.
Isn't that what friends are for? Not only receiving help from our friends but also providing help ....and letting them know you are there for them. I talked with so many people this year about training plans, nutrition, equipment, race strategy and many other things.

We met some great people leading up to and at Ironman St. George. Many of them were first timers and I tried to help them along with motivation and encouragement. And lasting friendships have been born from that day.

There were people who were training for their very first sprint tri. And there were also experienced athletes going long at their first half or full distance races.

I feel that the most important way I helped my friends was by just listening. I was hearing about their fears, worries, concerns. Can I do this? Why am I doing this? Should I do this? Should I do that? What should I eat? With some of them I knew they would cross the finish line and I just needed to boost their confidence. Others were lacking in their confidence and didn't only need a boost but a big shot of confidence injected into their soul. Everyone received positive energy from us, because when it comes down to it.....it is just plain doable. Anything is doable. And my number one job was to make sure they felt it was doable.

Mary did her first sprint triathlon. She borrowed Aimee's road bike and we helped her get comfortable on it. I even watched her take a tumble off it and get right back on. We offered some advice and assistance with her open water swimming. She made it across the finish line with no problems.

Patty, Jason and Ken had successful days at Musselman. Mike, Ken, Tiffany, Janet and many others completed their full distance race at the FullRev at Cedar Point. Rachel had a good second season in triathlon.

And everyone who I am referring to above crossed their finish lines. Some may have had some injuries but I still feel that their seasons were a success.

A new friend whom Aimee and I helped out was Adam O'Meara. Adam is a second year pro triathlete who came in for the FullRev at Cedar Point. We played host family for him during his visit to Ohio. I was racing the HalfRev but I was happy to help him get situated and ready to race. Seeing him during and after the race was awesome. He is a budding pro that I will enjoy watching race in the future.

TriSaraTops and I went on course for the Cleveland Marathon to help cheer for everyone participating. We were trying to follow the lead of Steve in a Speedo but we couldn't find any good farm animal costumes. However, we were able to find killer Bert and Ernie costumes.

We had a blast cheering for people and calling their names even though they didn't know who we were. We burned as many calories as the runners and had our picture taken with quite a few people.

Aimee and I volunteered at two races this year. The Greater Cleveland Triathlon and the Burning River 100.

Mickey is the race director of the GCT and more importantly a friend. I have only raced his event once but we have always provided volunteers made up of SnakeBite athletes. You can read about our volunteering in a previous post...GCT Volunteer Report.

One of our running friends Elizabeth was an aid station captain for the Burning River 100. Another worthwhile day helping others reach their goals. I think my original post conveys the message well.....Burning River 100 Volunteer Report.

Snakebite Racing
2010 was the most successful year for Snakebite Racing on the multi-sport scene. We brought on board approximately 10 additional athletes to represent the team and our sponsors. If we didn't have someone on the overall podium, we had people winning their age groups. At some of the awards ceremonies I loved seeing all of the hardware my teammates were collecting.

Of course the support of the SBR sponsors is much appreciated throughout the year. Go over to the team website and check out links to our sponsors.

SnakeBite Racing

Miscellany

I have mentioned before that I have been cross training with CrossFit. At the beginning of the year I was at Crossfit Cleveland West with Bill and Stacy. Just walking into the gym was motivating. I enjoyed getting pushed and helping push others to reach new levels of fitness. I backed off during tri season because I needed to be "fresher" for my races.

Near the end of the summer Kate, an elite crossfitter and certified coach, opened her own box (gym). I hated to leave Bill and Stacy's box. But when Kate's box was opening right around the corner from our house I had to follow her, no brainer.

I excitedly helped Kate get the space ready for business. Some painting, cleaning, and building made me happy to help this new business owner. Aimee and I have both helped in different ways with Coca Crossfit and Kate has helped us fill in some gaps with our training. You will be hearing more about Kate later.

Summary

When I was first writing this post I started thinking how arrogant it sounded. Hey everyone....look what I did. I'M AWESOME!

But in actuality this is my freakin' blog and I can write whatever the hell I want. But seriously there are two reasons for writing this.

First, when I am 80 years old, provided I can still find my blog, and my grandson is reading me some of my old posts...I can remember what I did in 2010 and have happy thoughts.

Ow..OW..OW! I just realized in 40 years it will be 2050.....OW!!!!!

Second, maybe this post will inspire someone to follow a dream, get up off the couch, volunteer, help someone....pay it forward.

I raise a glass with my friends to a wonderful 2010 and a prosperous 2011.

Game On.

Word Bike

2010-12-17T08:12:00.003-05:00

In lieu of a real post about something meaningful, probably in the near future, I want everyone to become real familiar with all the parts of a bicycle.

I pulled this image from The Bicycle is Art. Cool stuff.

Give Thanks Every Day

2010-11-25T22:15:00.003-05:00

I'm trying to figure out what has happened over the years....the years between childhood and adulthood. The holiday season, these wonderful months between Halloween and New Years, has changed for me over the past 20-some years, but I'm sure it's not just me.

As I was growing up I remember Thanksgiving and Christmas were supposed to be days when you spent time with family and friends....period. Work was something that stopped on these days. Gas stations, restaurants, and stores would be closed. CLOSED. The only people who would be working were police, fire and rescue personnel, and we were thankful for them being there.

But over the years I have become frustrated with the commercialism of the holidays. The non-stop attitude of business. Black Friday. Stores open 24 hours or opening really early for some "great" deals. I certainly realize that we have become a 24/7 world. And Thanksgiving Day is an American holiday, so the rest of the world doesn't stop on Turkey Day.

Unfortunately I occasionally fall into the trappings of holiday work. I have customers that can only perform work during holiday shutdowns.

Today was one of those days. Now before you throw out a saying like "you poor thing" or "that sucks" hear me out. I signed up for this job knowing this would be part of my work. I've known about this for a couple of months. There was no way around it. It's my job.

So save the pity party.....that's not what I am looking for.

But I do want to share some of the thoughts I have had today as I flew to North Carolina and then drove to Virginia.

Thankful thoughts. Things I sometimes take for granted on a daily basis. Just a few that really popped in my brain today.

I have a job. I'm thankful that I have a job. There are so many people who are struggling due to the economic downturn....I'm glad to have a job. One that allows me to live comfortably, challenge me with projects, meet many people, help businesses run successfully, provide for my family, support my endeavors in athletics (triathlon, running, cycling, etc), travel around and possibly soon outside the USA. So I don't mind needing to work the occasional holiday.

Friends. Simple things like a quick phone call, short text message, an e-mail, blog comment or message on Facebook. Simple actions that help a person feel a sense of belonging and connection with those around us.

How are you? We haven't talked in a while. Let's go for a run.

It doesn't take much but it makes me thankful for the friends that I have.

Family. Everyone in my family understands my job and what it involves. We miss each other but also know it's not a permanent thing we have to deal with. My parents have always been highly supportive for everyone in the family. And during my 43 years of life their support has never diminished. Andrew and Amanda have made me proud as they continue to grow and develop into wonderful adults. I'm thankful for the choices they have made and how well they are doing now.

Most of all I am thankful for Aimee. She has been a solid foundation upon which I have continued to build my life. Each time I leave for a trip I know she will be there waiting for me at home. I'm thankful for the strength she has provided me during my struggles through work, triathlon, raising two great kids and just life in general.

So you see. I'm a little bummed about working on Thanksgiving. But I know what I am thankful for because of it.

Game On my friends.

Worlds apart....kind of

2010-11-14T21:23:00.002-05:00

One of my excuses for not blogging, or not feeling like blogging, is that I have been traveling quite a bit for work. It's part of my job and I don't travel that often but sometimes when I do it's all piled up at once.

August was Philadelphia and Joliet, IL.
September was Chicago after the Rev3 race.
October was Detroit and Atlanta
November so far has been California and Detroit.

Currently I am in Southern Virginia. Danville. Go ahead, look it up. Despite being close to no where it is still a nice city.

So this morning Aimee and I got together with TriSaraTops for one hour of trail running. It was a little on the cool side with some drizzle. The temp was hovering around 50 degrees. We still managed to pull off a good run in t-shirt and shorts.

Aimee and I got home so I could shower before heading to the airport. My bags were packed the night before so I was good to go. So after an hour of being home I drove to the airport to catch my flight to Raleigh.

I arrived in Danville late afternoon and knew I still had some daylight to hit the Danville Riverwalk Trail. I had run this trail before and today would be my only opportunity to run during daylight hours.

At the hotel I noticed a flyer for the Bright Leaf Brew Fest on November 13th. Yep, just missed it. Where I was staying was also the host hotel.

Then as I was running on the trail I noticed signs for the Danville Half Marathon and 8K on November 13th. Yep, just missed that one also.

Regardless is was a great day for a two-fer. A very nice run with Aimee and one of my favorite chicks, then traveling 500 miles for run number two under blue skies and temperatures about 20 degrees warmer.

It's easy to get discouraged by the travel. It sucks being away from Aimee and family and friends and the normalcy of home. But I try to make the best of my travel situations.

I have run trails in the Kennesaw National Battlefield Park (Georgia), Chino Hills State Park (California), and the Danville Riverwalk Trail (Virginia) all in the span of three weeks.

Maybe it's not so bad after all.

Game On my friends.

I'm so excited, and I just can't hide it.

2010-11-13T16:53:00.001-05:00

Four days. Have you ever kept awesome news quiet for four days? It's not easy. Especially if it's something that no one would ever expect. I've been quietly wondering when to spill the beans.

I mean it was a personal choice. I thought about it for a very long time. Like four years long time.

The decision would be permanent. No...it's not anything like LeBron's "Decision". I've made other permanent decisions in much less time. But this one needed to be just right. Many options went through my head. I would think about it, then set it aside to be brought up at a later date.

Wow this was hard. When I did make up my mind I wasn't sure about sharing it. I kept remembering that it was a personal thing. Do I need to share it with everyone? Would people really care? I looked around at my friends and thought...yeah...they would want to know. And I'm a pretty open type of guy. I don't hold much back if people ask. I threw one little hint out there and no one picked up on it.

Now that I have given you the run around. Now that I have teased you enough.....

.....maybe I do sound like LeBron.....without the hour long show........

just keep scrolling down

and down.............

and down.........................

I am so fucking excited.....................

TA DA..................

Yeah...I know. You're jealous. As my Crossfit Coach says, "I have ink envy."

Don't hate me because it's awesome. Hate me because I did it first.......AND it's awesome.

Same old sh!t

2010-11-12T21:44:00.003-05:00

Well the title of this post could mean many different things.

I could spew forth the typical reasons for why I have not been blogging very much but it would be the same old shit.

I could go back in time and write a race report for the Chicago Urbanathlon. But it would be the same old shit of me posting a race report waaaayyyyy after the fact.

I could spend my time on You Tube until I find that magical video that will inspire and motivate you. Yeah...same old shit.

I just need to hunker down and spew forth some ideas that are rattling around in my head. Like you haven't heard that same old shit before.

Let's see what I can some up with............

Family and Friends Friday - Joe and Anne

2010-11-05T12:50:00.003-04:00

It's time again for Family and Friends Friday. MY original post about a trio of friends has to be postponed until next week because of a more urgent matter.

I have actually introduced you to Joe and Anne before about 18 months ago here. Their daughter Carina had passed from an unrecoverable birth defect. Well Joe has been battling cancer for several years now. He's been through surgery and the associated treatments. He has always been in good spirits and has never stopped living life. In fact he was out West on a hunting trip last month.

Unfortunately Joe is not doing well. I received word through a friend that he will be going down to Ohio State University for some tests to see what the next steps are for his cancer treatment. CAT scans have shown that this fucker (cancer) has spread to multiple areas of his body.

Can't this guy be left alone? He's been through enough. He's done his fair share of suffering with his previous cancer and the loss of Carina.

And I can't imagine what Anne is going through. I do know her support system consists of many family and friends. Aimee and I will be there for her also.

So despite the negative news I know my blog and Facebook friends, who are loaded with positive energy will help me send that energy and supportive thoughts towards Joe and Anne as they face this renewed battle.

Game On Joe. Beat this fucker down.

Frosty

2010-11-03T20:55:00.003-04:00

The first frost of the year settled over Northern Ohio last night. We woke up with the thermometer reading 25 degrees. I ran over to Coca Crossfit for my morning workout. Kate has been fighting with the gas company and still didn't have any heat for the box. With the inside temp. at 48 degrees I kept my hat and gloves on for the WOD. By the fifth and final round I did take them off.

After I got ready for work I was heating up the car and saw an opportunity to take some pictures.

Our rose bushes still had flowers and were kissed with frost.

Our Bird's Nest Spruce sports the frosty look very well.

Unfortunately the mums won't last much longer with the cold weather and frost.

Therapy for Me

2010-10-28T06:47:00.005-04:00

Perhaps I have been ignoring my blog posting responsibilities. The season is over and I have needed to turn my attention to work due to several projects that have taken me out of town.

I do have one race report to post, if I want to call it a race. I'll call it a "run through the park". And I do have some other post ideas. It's just finding the time to get them written. So for the past 6-8 weeks...I still can't believe Rev3 was last month....I've been taking it pretty easy.

So on to today's post........

No matter what amount of talent, ability or physical capability we have as triathletes/runners/cyclists...the "normal" population sees us as...well...nuts. The questions still come up.....why would you want to run 50k....do an Ironman....ride a bike 100 miles....swim back and forth for an hour. Or the comments are always the same...I don't drive my car that far...I'm still in bed at that hour...you would never see me wearing that.

Through it all I think that as athletes we are best described as competitive, dedicated, motivated...use whatever word comes to mind that helps you describe a Type A personality. And in some cases Type AAA...like a prime bond rating.

But.....there is always a but....when the training and racing is over I have found that the intensity gives way to some serious relaxation. And believe me it's well deserved.

Last night the Cleveland Tri Club organized a Halloween Costume Fun Run. It wasn't just for members of the club but for anyone who wanted to run through some of the streets of Cleveland dressed up in costume. We started/ended the run at the Barley House in downtown Cleveland and had a great evening enjoying each others company. I ran with Jason, the Easter Bunny, a bottle of Crown Royal, Fred and Wilma Flintstone, a soccer mom, and Flo from Progressive Insurance. Even Alice Cooper and Hulk Hogan showed up. It was a great group of people to run with.

After the run we all partied at the Barley House with food and beverages. The Cavs beats the Celtics. Pictures were taken. Great conversations. It was a great night.

It was therapy.

After a long summer it was a time to forget about the training and eating "right" and getting enough sleep. Last night was about enjoying time with friends and letting loose for a little bit. And the fact that it was a Wednesday night didn't stop people from enjoying themselves. I couldn't believe it when Marc and I were the last from our group to leave the bar around 11PM, but there were plenty of other people still in the bar, so we by no means "closed" the bar.

The song in the sidebar has been my anthem for those times when I've needed some "therapy". I have included the video as well because it's fun to watch.

Once I get some of the pictures from the run or they get posted on Facebook I'll re-post them here. Just remember one thing. It's the internet so don't believe everything you may see. You know photos can be doctored with Photoshop very easily.

I'm just saying.

Therapy On.

Swimming to a better triathlon

2010-10-02T07:03:00.000-04:00

I

swimming.

If you had told me 10 years ago that I would enjoy swimming and the training that goes with countless laps in the pool.....I would have laughed and called you nuts. In fact three years ago I had to say this about swimming...Becoming a Shark. So here I am again writing about the part of triathlon that many people don't like, struggle through, tolerate, or survive so that they can get onto their bike and finish with a run.

When I started to get serious about triathlon I got with Coach Angela. She had workouts for me to do in the pool. Structured workouts for swimming was something new for me but it also made sure that the time in the pool was worthwhile and not boring.

At some point during our coach/athlete period together she was evaluating my swim stroke early in the season and she had the most awesome comment for me, "You are a swimmer." I thought I had posted about it before but I can't find the entry. Anyways, her comment really struck home for me. It was definitely a turning point in my triathlon career.

A couple of years later I find myself at the end of another successful season....and my swimming has never been better. In each race I was at the top of my age group in regards to swim times. Understandably a race is more often lost during the swim, it is rarely won during the swim. But my swim times kept me competitive despite what I felt were lackluster bike splits and finishing with a strong run.

Bare with me as I need to back track a little now. On August 13th I had the opportunity to attend a swim clinic made possible by friend and fellow triathlete Daniel Smith. Daniel had done the photography for a new book written by Four Time Olympian Sheila Taormina titled "Call the Suit".

It was awesome meeting and hearing Sheila talk about her thoughts on swimming. She broke down swimming to it's basic elements and two things clicked in my head.

First, I was already on track with some of her views about the basic swim stroke.

Second, she explained swim speed so simply that a light went on in my head.

And I'm not talking about the 25 Watt bulb like you see below.

I'm talking about a 8 million candle power military grade searchlight baby.

Years of miscellaneous information finally came all together like the pieces of a puzzle.

I left the swim clinic eager to read her book and apply what she was talking about. Of course I didn't want to jump into it right away because I still had two more races ahead of me, Vermilion Harbor two days later and the HalfRev on 9/12. We all know you don't start changing things mid-season.

I still started reading Sheila's book to get the basics in my head. I could immediately see what I would be focusing on in the off season. A lot of drills and technique would help me build a good base during winter swimming. A good technique base would then allow me to work on the speed and endurance portion for the second half of the winter.

Despite telling myself to be patient and wait for the post season I just...couldn't...resist......

During some of my swim workouts I tested out some of Sheila's swim techniques. I call them her's because she wrote the book, but in actuality the basic principles are used by all the top swimmers in the world....period.

I swam some 100's and 200's just to see what would happen. Nothing long that would damage me or change my swimming before the HalfRev.

If you happen to look back in my blog you will see that I've normally been a 1:30/100 yard swimmer. This season I was consistently in the 1:25 range for the short stuff and still around 1:30 for anything over 300 yards.

On two different occasions I tested my new found knowledge and was excited by my results.

I first did some really short stuff. A couple of 25's, then some 50's to warm-up. Each of those splits when multiplied made for some very fast 100's, interesting. I finished up with a couple of 100's to see if the estimates were correct.

I was pulling 1:15's out of my butt like nobody's business, and I wasn't winded after each one.

The second time I did my little test was during a work trip. I was in a local Y pool near Joliet, IL and decided to rip off three 200's. I'm usually happy to be at 3:00 or just under for a 200.

My first 200 was a 2:50.....cool. A 1:25 average which is about right for my fitness this year.

Second 200....2:42. REALLY?!? I felt pretty good after that one also. Gave myself some rest an hit it again.

Third 200....2:38. Holy Crap!! 1:19 average.

At this point I not only drank the punch that Sheila was serving but gulping it down by the gallon.

So what is the punch Sheila is serving? Honestly, I can't do her justice by trying to describe it on my blog unless I plagiarize her book.

And I'm not even going to try and go there. It may sound like a plug for her book.....okay yes it is....but for $18 how can you go wrong? "Call the Suit" is by far one of the best training books I have ever bought and is well worth the money, plus I got mine autographed by Sheila.

So go and order her book. After you have read it then we can talk about what you learn from it.

Hey Sheila.....for this hand I'm calling Hearts.

This winter I'm getting my Swim On.

Happy Anniversary - Number 13

2010-09-26T16:56:00.006-04:00

I must say happy 13th anniversary to my lovely wife Aimee. It's been amazing what we have accomplished over the past 13 years on many different levels. Changing of jobs, moving, watching Andrew and Amanda graduate from high school and beyond, vacations, etc.

Then there are all of the athletic accomplishments. When we got married we both would not have imagined that we would both be Ironman finishers. Aimee with six marathons. Myself with multiple half and full distance triathlons.

I came up with this anniversary gift list for the active couple with running, cycling and swimming in mind.

So you know you are a triathlon couple when your anniversary gifts follow the list below:

Year 1: Defeet socks, or some other technical footwear

Year 2: Cotton t-shirt, something that promotes your sport. "I Do Tri's".."Will Run for Beer"

Year 3: Leather bike saddle. Nothing says I love you like something comfy for the butt.

Year 4: Bike Jersey. She would love one with flowers on it, he wants the one with Pink Floyd.

Year 5: Reflective swim goggles. You can stare into your mates goggles & see the one they love.

Year 6: Case of energy gels. Yummy sugary energy in a squeeze pack. Perfect for those marathon love sessions.

Year 7: Running tights. If in the Northern climates you can run together outside in the snow.

Year 8: Heart Rate Monitor. Not only for training you can watch the heart rate increase when your loved one is close by

Year 9: Water bottles. Those old water bottles are getting gross. Time for new ones.

Year 10: New components for the bike. Shiny and smooth shifting a groupo will keep you moving forward for the next ten years.

Year 11: Headsweat Hat. That new groupo cost some cash. A nice headsweat hats makes sure you can still see your lovely mate despite sweating like a pig during a workout.

Year 12: Wetsuit. Nothing says I love you like the safety of a wetsuit in rough water or the warm hug of a full wetsuit during a cold water swim.

Year 13: Bike shorts. Make those long rides together comfortable.

Year 14: Yankz. Admit it, you are getting lazy about the gifts AND tying your shoes.

Year 15: Entry into Ironman event. Believe me, it's actually priceless.

Year 20: Trip to Kona to watch the Ironman Championships, provided you don't qualify.

Year 25: His and Her Computrainers. Those that train together stay together.

Year 30: Ben-Gay, Icy Hot, BioFreeze. Admit it. The joints aren't what they used to be.

Year 40: Compression socks. They are great for post race, provided you are still racing and controlling those varicose veins.

Year 50: Trip to Tour de France. Watch the pros. Drink some wine. Eat good food. Wish you were young again. Look back on your time together.

All kidding aside.......I love you Aimee and I can't wait to spend the next 13+ years with you.

This Girl has Soul

2010-09-24T07:58:00.010-04:00

I've been meaning to introduce you to a friend of mine for quite some time now. Her name is Liz....and she has a soul like no other. I first met Liz at a local duathlon in 2006. I started talking with her husband after seeing what a great athlete she is. I recruited her for Snakebite Racing. Even though she doesn't race on the team anymore our paths cross often enough due to common friends and interests....and I am thankful for that.

She shared some pictures with me from her early days of triathlon.....and yes she does have her helmet on backwards.

Liz is high energy and a lot of fun to be around. She has taken her love of life and turned it into a non-profit organization called Girls with Sole. Their mission is to........

"Use fitness and wellness to empower the minds, bodies and souls of girls who have experienced abuse."

She has created partnerships with other organizations to help support her mission and provide girls with the support they need and deserve.

These pictures are from her recent participation at the Rev3 Full Triathlon in Sandusky, OH where she finished the 140.6 distance in 12:08:04 and taking second place in her age group.

She used this event to raise money for her organization with the help of great people like the one pictured with her below. To date the fund raising has brought in over $5,000.

Larry, Sue, Bob and Liz

As you can tell in the pictures above, Liz always has a smile on her face. And it is the most infectious smile I know. How can Liz not have an impact on the lives of the girls she reaches.

Game On Liz. See you soon.

HalfRev Race Report

2010-09-13T08:45:00.017-04:00

So much to write about from this race I have to get it done quickly.

Race day started very early. Aimee and I were the home stay for a pro triathlete from Canada. Adam O'Meara is a second year pro and the FullRev was his A race. Adam was up early to get his food in and I woke up a little bit after him. I had a good nights rest but had a long way to go before my race started.

We left the house by 4:45AM so we could be on site by 5:30. The Full race started with the pro men at 6:50, pro women 6:53 and age groupers at 7:05. The HalfRev race wouldn't start until 8:30. I had plenty of time to prepare and talk with the bazillion of friends who were racing. I finally met Steve in a Speedo wearing his "bowl full of tutti-frutti" shorts.

I was able to watch Adam come out of the water and start the bike. I told him how far back he was from the leader and he was not happy, but it was information he asked me to tell him.

Aimee made it back from Dances with Dirt in Michigan in time for us to walk to the beach and get ready. Natalie got a picture of me before we went to the beach.

I jumped in the water real quick to spin the arms around and get used to the water temperature.....I also had to pee. I was surprised how cold the water was but that was fine. I said to some more friends in my swim wave and watched the first wave start. We were in the second wave of 18-24 and 40-44. There were 80 people in my age group (40-44) alone. Big field.

I lined up on the left side of the start line in the second row. The gun went off and we ran into the water. It was quite shallow for a while and once the water was up to my knees I dove in and started swimming. Being on the left side I didn't have any congestion and could see people to my right. A small chop in the water prevented me from breathing to the left. I just kept breathing right. I felt my sighting was doing well. We started catching the back of the previous wave and I had to pay attention during sighting to avoid these people.

At the first buoy we make a right turn and swim parallel to the beach. I was squeezing in between two guys from the first wave when the guy on my left hit my goggles with his hand. My left lense shifted but didn't come off. I swam another 20 yards and rolled over to drain the water and reposition my goggles. In no time I was back at it.

As we swam to the next turn buoy that was send us back to the beach the chop was behind me. I was able to get into a good bi-lateral race stroke. My sighting still seemed to be working well.

At the next turn buoy we headed towards the beach. I had to sight a couple of times to get a good line for the beach exit. All of the spectators were lined up the right with the exit arch on the left. It provided a good frame of reference.

The water temperature fluctuated as I swam towards the beach. The water was colder closer to shore and warmer further out. It was an interesting contrast during the swim and very noticeable.

I got closer to the beach and felt my left hand touch the sand. It was still deep enough to swim so I continued to do so. I could see people standing up too early and I pretty much swam away from them. With about a foot of water left I finally stood up and headed up the beach. I could hear Aimee and a couple of others cheering for me. I ran along the carpet into transition.

Swim time was 33:02 and I was 5th out of the water in my age group.

In transition I stripped off my wetsuit and started getting my gear on. Helmet first..as always. Socks and shoes next. I had arm warmers laid out to take with me but I was feeling good and didn't grab them. I grabbed my bike and headed towards the bike mount line. I had a good jump onto the bike and started my ride.

I was out of transition in 1:33.

I was feeling good and wanted to have a good bike ride. Being my A race I was being rather aggressive. But that didn't keep me ahead of two people from my age group who passed me in the first 6 miles. I still stayed within myself and rode my race.

The wind was from the WNW and a little stiff. Stiff enough to make a noticeable difference in my speed. I was consistently passing people who started the FullRev prior to me. If I recognized someone I would cheer them on.

Around mile 20 I was passed by two police motorcycles. A couple minutes later Bjorn Anderson passed me as he was into his second loop of the bike course at mile 58. After he passed me I never saw him again.

Heading into the town of Milan, short out and back, I saw my former coach Angela and Diane. They cheered loudly as I went by. As I went through the town square I saw my mom and dad waiting for me. Of course they had a hard time recognizing me so I made sure to point to them. Around another corner were several tri club friends cheering wildly as I went by. It was great to see so many people at this point.

Out of Milan there is a nice 6.5 mile stretch heading east. I was hoping for a nice push from the wind but the direction was not very beneficial. The wind was hitting us more from the side. I was still keeping a good pace through the rollers and taking my nutrition every 10 minutes.

At mile 30 the HalfRev course turns left and the FullRev course continues straight. After my turn I looked around and I was alone except for a rider ahead of me. I dug down and pedaled into the wind. Since I was alone on this road I decided to empty my bladder. As I stood to pee I looked behind me and saw a group of people about 1/4 mile behind me. I decided to wait for a pee break and continued on to the next turn.

As I was beginning to start the climb into the town of Berlin Heights I was finally caught by the group. I looked over and the first person I saw was Jody, followed by Frank, followed by about 10 other people. I noticed 3 people from my age group, one female, and guys from the younger age groups that started with my swim wave.

I know Jody and Frank. They race clean. Jody was the one pulling up front. I was pissed by what I saw, especially when I saw some guys from my age group. I soft pedaled for a little bit and even coasted down a hill to get some distance from these guys. This is when I took the time to empty my bladder since I wasn't pedaling anyways.

I pushed the anger of seeing some of my competitors in the pack and tried to stay focused on my own race. I also had to pay special attention to my legs as they were starting to cramp.

After we left Berlin Hts the course turns left into the wind. This was the longest stretch of chip 'n seal on the course. I was watching the group ahead of me when a motorcycle passed me. I looked up and realized it was a USAT official. I said to myself, "Bust their asses!!" I watched as she had the driver pull up behind the group and just sit there watching them. They were climbing a hill and the motorcycle just sat back to see what would happen after the hill.

The official watched the group for a couple minutes before pulling up next to the group. I'm pretty sure numbers were being taken. Unfortunately I have no way of knowing what penalties were assessed. I still felt good watching this unfold and knowing I was not a part of it. I knew I would have a clean race and not resort to drafting.

I'm still plugging away trying to save my legs from severe cramps. I saw my mom and dad again on the course and was surprised. They do know the roads though and knew where to go.

On the rollers I had to spin in the saddle because standing was causing my legs to spasm. They were rebelling from the hard effort I put them through during the first 35 miles. The course changes direction several times. Sometimes we had a favorable wind...sometimes not.

The final 10 miles were pretty much into the wind. At one point a guy came up next to me and commented on how he thinks he missed a turn. He was doing the full and asked if he was supposed to be returning to Cedar Point to start the second loop. I told him he missed it way back. Looking at a map now he rode approximately 10 miles before realizing his mistake. Overall he probably added 20 miles onto his ride.

Mentally I was still in good shape. I was over the drafting I saw. I was keeping myself under control to save my legs. I told myself to wait and see what the run was going to give me. I was ready to get off the bike, but not at the point where I needed to get off the f'in bike....if you know what I mean.

I finally entered the parking lot and headed towards transition. I reached down to pull the velcro straps. Each time my hamstrings yelled at me, "What are you doing?" I just hoped I could have a good dismount and not cramp up completely in front of the everyone watching.

I did swing my leg over and made a perfect dismount and ran into transition.

Bike time was 2:38:24 averaging 21.21 MPH. I was 12th back to T2 in my age group so I was passed by 7 guys, some who were in the drafting pack.

I racked my bike and took my helmet off. I grabbed my shoes and luckily had not problems putting them on despite needing to bend over. I knew I needed some salt, so I reached into my transition bag and grabbed the bottle of Thermotabs. I grabbed my hat which had my number belt inside it. As I ran out of transition people were yelling at me about needing my number. I kept going because I knew I was fine.

I put my hat on as I exited transition in 53 seconds.

I wrapped my belt around my waist and clipped it in place. Time to run...as best I could. My legs were killing me. Both quads and abductors were screaming at me. I had to keep telling myself to slow down and get used to the run. I couldn't completely stop because then the legs would win and stop me dead in my tracks. I guess I pulled a Jens Voigt and said, "Shut Up Legs. You will do what I tell you." I was starting to think that I would be reduced to a walking mess before this race was over.

I made it to the first aid station just past the first mile marker. I grabbed some water from a volunteer and kept walking in circles. I still couldn't stop. I dumped three salt tablets into my hand and shoved them in my mouth. I kept walking and talking with the ladies handing out water. I put down three more salt tablets and start to run again. I thanked them for being there.

At the second mile marker I hit the button and saw my mile split was 9:25. Not bad for taking the amount of time I did at the aid station. I didn't want to see a split like that again. My legs were feeling better by now. Still sore and crampy but not that bad.

Whenever the run course headed west we had the wind smack in the face. A couple of spots were between 5 story buildings that funneled the wind down the street. I felt like I was running in a wind tunnel.

As I try to write down my thoughts about the run I can't seem to put the words down in a way that conveys my feelings appropriately. Reliving the run is proving to be as hard as when I first took the steps.

Miles 3 and 4 are on long straight streets. I tucked behind a guy in my age group for a chance for him to shield me from the wind. I also saw my mom and dad for the 4th time along this stretch. Since I was moving slower, much slower than the bike, they could get some pictures of me. At the end of mile 3 I had a 8:09 split. Much better now with some water and Powergel in me.

I missed mile marker 4 but at mile marker 5 I averaged 7:38 for two miles, 15:16. Maybe my speed was coming back. I just kept going forward and listening to the directions offered by the volunteers. Follow the signs....follow the arrows...I just kept moving my feet in the directions the arrows pointed.

At the aid stations I grabbed the first water I found then grabbed a second water as I left the aid station. I was coherent about what I was doing. Suck down a gel and grab as much water as I could. I was also running alone a majority of the time. Many of my other races there were people all around. Not so much with this race. I had a few people to reel in but there really weren't too many targets to pull me along.

During mile 6 the course goes directly into the wind. This is when I felt the full force of the wind. But somehow my watch is telling me I had my best split with a 7:32 during that stretch.

Mile 7 was another long portion that was horrible to look at. I hadn't driven the course prior to I didn't know landmarks. I just buried my head and pushed on. As I made my way around a right hand turn I saw Rural Girl from the Evotri Team. She looked very focused (or was it drained) and I really couldn't muster the energy to cheer her on. Mile 7 resulted in a 7:52 split.

Now that I was halfway through the run I figured I would have no problem finishing. Keep on keepin' on...right? Well the body had other ideas. Another long straight to start mile 7. I made a left turn towards mile marker 8 and I could start to feel the length of the day catching up to me.

The wall was looming in front of me and my body just wanted to stop for a little bit. But I just couldn't let myself stop. Once I felt the relief of stopping I knew it would be hard to start again. And if I could stop once I would probably stop again. Or start walking. Or cramp up.

NO. I would not stop. I have never dug deeper than I did at that point. I just...wouldn't...let...myself...stop. And my body relented and continued to run for me.

Mile 8 somehow ended with a 8:12 split.

During mile 9 I saw my parents for the last time. They said I was starting to look tired at that point. I don't remember if I said anything but I was less than 4 miles from the finish. I saw Pharmie during a two way section and managed to cheer for her. Mile 9....7:52.....boy it sure did feel slower than that.

I caught up to and passed Cory from the BAFF team. He had started the run quite well and I was surprised to be with him again. As I passed him I encouraged him to stay with me. Unfortunately I didn't see him again until the finish line.

Heading back to the Cedar Point Causeway, 1st Street is about 1.25 miles. I could see the traffic lights down the road where we would turn left towards the finish. but it sure took me a long time to get down there. The intersection just never seemed to get closer. I was definitely focused inward and concentrating on moving forward. Mile 10 was along this part but I never saw the marker.

I made the turn towards Cedar Point and made it to mile 11. My two mile split was 16:31, average of 8:15 per mile. Wow, I was still holding my own. I saw Michelle from my team and cheered for her since it was her first Half IM. I also saw our homestay pro Adam heading out for his second loop.

I cheered for him and we slapped hands as we passed. Mile 12 brought me a 8:29 and I knew I was finally going to be okay.

I kept digging in for more energy to carry me to the finish. During the last mile I wasn't worried about finishing. I started to worry about what would happen once I stopped. Would my legs give out. Cramp up. Drop me to the ground. Oh well. I would just deal with it when I got there.

Back into the parking lot of Cedar Point, the volunteers and park staff were great controlling traffic and cheering for the athletes. I heard many people clapping and cheering me on to the finish. Near transition I heard Angela yelling for me and seeing a couple more people. Once I actually made it into the park I was alone for my finish.

As I hit the finish carpet I could see Aimee to the right and went to her. I wanted to give her a big hug and kiss but I was still afraid of my legs giving out before I made it to the finish line. I grabbed her hand and continued to the finish line. I heard the announcer call out my name as I waved my hands in the air to pump up the crowd.

I crossed the finish line 5:01:41 after starting with my swim.

A volunteer slipped a finishers medal around my neck. I was handed a shirt and water. I tried to keep moving in the finish area by walking in circles so my legs could slowly get used to no longer running.

I finished. I pushed it. I paid for it. I dug deep. Deeper than ever before. I survived.

Triathlon is a crazy ass sport. But I wouldn't trade it for anything. The people I have met, the places I have been, the things I have done are all priceless to me.

I thank Aimee for coming along for the ride with me. She has always been my #1 fan and supporter.

Thanks mom and dad for being on the course so much. Seeing familiar faces are always a treat.

Thanks to my teammates of Snakebite Racing for helping push me along through their own training and journey to the distances at Rev3.

Thanks to sponsors Bike Authority and Great Race Nutrition for supporting me and the team all summer with great service and products.

Congratulations to all who completed their Half and Full Rev races.

Game On.

It's a Flat Feeling

2010-09-03T06:58:00.003-04:00

And I have felt it twice this week. But that is what taper time is supposed to feel like. With the Rev3 races at Cedar Point 9 days away I know many people who are tapering....resting....going crazy.

I was traveling for work earlier this week. Out of town away from home it is hard to get in those workouts. I ran one night and swam the next morning at a local YMCA. Tuesday night I was a slug after work. I plopped down on my hotel bed and watch some TV before finally getting out for some dinner.

Wednesday morning I had to force myself out of bed and to the Y for a light spin on an spin bike and a short run. Knowing I wouldn't get home until late that evening I had to get something done.

Taper time is for resting but you can't simply shut it all down.

Back home I was finally able to get out for a real bike ride. I suited up during lunch and headed out into the wind. It was blowing pretty good and I remembered a post I had about Madam Pelee I had written in 2007.

I was riding well despite the wind when all of a sudden I felt that flat feeling again. What the hell. I looked down and saw that it was my rear tire that was flat. I pulled over and changed the tube. I didn't find any obvious damage or punctures in the tube or tire so I'm not sure why I flatted.

I always make it a point to put new rubber on my bike before an A race. I had bought new tires last week but just haven't put them on my wheels. I took the flat as an opportunity to practice my tire changing skills. I took my time but didn't lolly gag while changing the tube. It was a good change.

I finished my ride with the heat and wind with no other problems and felt great the entire time. I think the Rev3 course has some people to be worried about. There will be some very fit and fast triathletes on course come Sept. 12.

Game On.

Vermilion Harbour Race Report

2010-09-01T12:05:00.016-04:00

I guess it's just par for the course. A race report about 2 weeks post race.

Better late than never??? Right?

So if I go back and look at my calendar this race was on August 15th. Oooooo....that was last month now.

The Vermilion Harbour race is another great venue for HFP Racing. It's along the shores of Lake Erie between Cleveland and Toledo. The surrounding area is great for bike riding with some nice hills thrown in for some variety and best of all...the community completely supports this race.

I have been at many races where the volunteers are needed on race day. Not with this race. There was a great turnout of volunteers on race day. At one intersection on the bike course there were 5 volunteers AND a deputy sheriff. Yes the race is very well supported.

Despite being the third year for the race, I had never participated in prior years. Aimee has been at the race in the prior two year with me spectating in 2009. But this year I wanted to jump into the race as a final prep for the HalfRev on 9/12. The Olympic distance race would provide me valuable race training and allow for me to recover for the HalfRev.

Sunday morning rolled around and we began our normal pre-race prep. we loaded up the car and waited for our friend Mary to arrive at our house. We had been helping her train for her first sprint tri. To help her along she was going to come out early with us and get settled in for her first triathlon.

We drove to the race site and got all of our gear into the transition area. Body markings and timing chips were also taken care of. Being a local race I saw many friends and Snakebite teammates getting ready. I was able to chat with a majority of them. Tri Diesel also came by and we chatted for a bit before I had to do my warm-up.

After my warm-up run I ran through transition, made sure my gear was all set up and then got in the line for the port-o-potty. The line was long but I knew I would have plenty of time before the start of my wave.

I grabbed my wetsuit from transition and made my way towards the beach. I found a couple of teammates and we chatted while I put on my wetsuit. I tried to hold off as long as I could because it was already feeling hot at 8AM and I didn't want to overheat in my wetsuit.

But I also wanted to make sure I got in a decent warm-up swim. The water was a nice temperature and I managed to stayed cool. I chatted with more friends as we watched the sprint waves start.

Here I am cooling off

Eventually my wave was next up. I lined up at the front and waited for the green light to start. During the final few seconds of the countdown I started my watch and dug my feet into the sand. GO!!!! And we ran into the water.

Everyone with their fingers on the button

GO!!!!

The water gets deep rather quickly so I took one dive and started swimming. The first turn buoy was only about 50 yards from shore so it was a mad dash to make the left turn ahead of the pack. Once we made the left turn were heading west against some wind. The swim course is a long rectangle that we had to do twice.

Heading west we were going into the wind and some chop. Heading east we had major sun glare.

On the first lap I was sighting very well and kept a great line along the buoys. The chop seemed pretty bad at times and I wasn't sure if it was being caused by other racers. As I sighted I could tell it was caused by the wake of a powerboat that had gone by. The rolling chop made it difficult to get into a good rhythm. The second time through the chop wasn't as bad.

On the second loop I got lazy and wasn't sighting as well. I looked up one time and saw a life guard pointing for me to swim right....I was starting to go into the middle of the swim course. Oops. I got my sighting under control and pushed for the swim exit.

As I was approaching the last buoy marker I saw someone swimming next to me. This person had not been there before and was actually passing me. As we reached the beach I looked over and commented on how she had a great swim. Yes.....SHE had a great swim. Having started 2 minutes behind me she was exiting the water WITH me.

My overall swim time was 24:09 and placed my 3rd in the age group.....only 7 seconds behind the guy in front of me. I felt I had another great swim, until I realized the girl who exited with me had an awesome swim. She would continue to chick me all the way to the finish line.

I ran up the beach and into transition hearing some friends cheer for me specifically JenC and her adorable son Will. I cruised into T1 and quickly changed to cycling mode. Toss the wetsuit aside and get my helmet, socks and shoes on. I grabbed my bike and headed to the mount line.

This is the second race where I have put my sunglasses on my bike. Once I get rolling I put my sunglasses on. It saves a few seconds in T1 so I go with it. My transition time was 1:14 which was fourth fastest for my AG.

On the bike we had to weave through Vermilion to avoid train tracks and some bad sections of road. The main road out of town is very choppy but you just have to push through it.

Getting started on the bike my legs were just not feeling it. They were sluggish and tight. They didn't want to release their energy. My prep up to this race may not have been optimal. I rode the course with my teammate Matt on Wednesday or Thursday prior to the race. Due to work I couldn't get in a shake down ride on Saturday. So the legs were a little too rested by Sunday.

I pushed on and tried to keep my spin high as well as my speed. In an Oly race you really do need to push more on the course. At times I was thinking to myself, "Man this hurts. My legs are killing me and I'm getting drained." Then I would remind myself that anything shorter than a Half is supposed to hurt.

Hell....even a half is supposed to hurt when you race.

What am I saying? When you race....It's...supposed...to...hurt.....period.

So I soldiered on and kept pushing myself. After about 10 miles of riding my legs finally woke up. This was nice because I could use the tailwind to my advantage and some hills were coming up that I needed my legs for.

During the out portion of the bike I was passed by my friend Rob R. He's on the "other" team, Spin/Second Sole. I was surprised to see him since he is a much faster swimmer than I and he is usually in front of me for a majority of a race. Looking at the results I was only 25 seconds behind him AND he was in T1 30 seconds longer than I.

So we exchanged a few words and I watched him ride ahead. My legs weren't "awake" yet.

The second half of the bike was much better. I had great speed heading back to transition. Entering the park area there were a lot of spectators and volunteers cheering for everyone. The final straight away to transition was lined with people cheering. I didn't disappoint as I slipped my feet from my shoes and had a perfect running dismount into T2.

My bike time was 1:12:00 which was a 20.7 MPH average. Good enough for 5th fastest in the AG.

In transition I racked my bike, took off my helmet. Slip the shoes on, grab my visor and gels, exit transition. Thirty....five....seconds. Yeah...that was the fastest T2 time in the AG. I don't lolly gag around in transition.

I held back during the start of the run just a little until my legs came around. I didn't want to hold back like I did at the Maumee Race, but I didn't need to blow up either. I grabbed some water at the first aid station out of transition.

It was getting really hot by now and the run was going to be brutal.

I had two gels with me and I started to take the first one after the aid station. There was another aid station not far away and I would chase the gel with some water. I avoided the nice people with hoses because I didn't want to get my shoes all wet.

The 10k run course is an out and back. So you get to see those in front of you and gauge your competition. I wasn't too dialed into my competition just yet. It was early in the run and I didn't know who was in my age group around me. Pushing forward was not a priority.

There was a slight breeze coming from the west providing a slight cooling as we ran into the breeze. I started seeing some of my teammates coming back from the turn around. They had all started in waves ahead of me. Mark was hurting in particular since he had been out of town for work and didn't have any workouts for 3 weeks. But he was still moving forward quite well.

Right before the turn around there was an aid station. I slugged down my second gel and grabbed some water as I passed through the aid station. Now I was ready to finish strong for the return trip to the finish line.

The wind was now at our backs. The breeze wasn't strong enough to provide any additional "push" but it sure did feel hotter without the breeze in our faces. Inside I was feeling strong and together. After the race one friend said she was worried about the run because of what she saw on our faces during our return. I may have felt okay on the inside but apparently my face was showing something different. Suffering? Pain? Agony?

I say yes to all three. It was definitely becoming a suffer fest. No shade. No breeze. High temps.

Ugh.

I was able to keep my mind in the game though. I was watching the guys in front of me and gauging their performance. How strong did they look? Was I gaining on them? How realistic is it for me to catch them?

I was feeling good so I picked up the pace a little. And I began to close the gaps. At one aid station I was very close to the guy in front of me when all of a sudden he stopped to get his drinks. I couldn't believe my eyes. I grabbed my waters and kept motoring along. In fact I picked up the pace a little to pass him with authority. Might as well build the gap when I can.

At the next aid station I caught one of the guys from Spin/Second Sole, Kevin, and encouraged him along since we were very close to the finish line. Through another aid station and up a little hill to the final two straights towards the finish line.

There was some young kid in front of me, 16 years old, and I just couldn't close the gap on him. But I was still finishing strong.

The young punk in front of me

Kevin from Spin/Second Sole behind me

A quick right turn. A quick left turn and I see the finish line. I focus in on the finish line and I hear Aimee, Mary, Jen, Gina and several other voices cheering for me. I cross the finish line 2:25:12 after entering the water. My final run was 47:12 which was the fourth fastest in the AG.

As they take the timing chip off my leg I try to regain myself and begin the cool down process. I grabbed a chair under the event tent and plopped my sweaty ass down. I spotted a large tub filled with drinks, water and ice. I grabbed a large chunk of ice and started rubbing my chest with it. Need....to....get.....body....temp....down. I looked around and saw the same torture on everyone's face. Also relief that the race was over.

We watched more friends finish. Talked about our races. Waited for the race results to be posted. Team Snakebite had a good day. We had 5 people who placed in their age groups. I won my old guys age group by less than a minute. It was very cool to take the win on a hot day.

HalfRev coming soon.

Game On.

Greater Cleveland Tri - Volunteer Report

2010-08-24T11:28:00.003-04:00

I have two reports to write and I have been very lax in getting it done. However, each report I feel has important messages.

Almost two weeks ago was the Greater Cleveland Triathlon. I have helped out the RD, Mickey, with this race from the beginning. Last year I assembled the team to work the transition area. This year I returned with another crew to help with body marking, traffic control, motorcycle coordination, transition security, bike check, mount/dismount line and anything else we could help with.

Aimee and I arrived by 5:15AM so that I could coordinate the troops prior to the transition area opening at 5:30. We needed markers. I needed answers to some last minute questions. We checked the numbers on the bike racks.

The athletes slowly started trickling in and we tried to make sure they were ready for the race. Timing chip, security bracelet, bike number, body marking, end caps in their handlebars. The idea was to make sure they had everything taken care of before going into transition.

There was the occasional bottle neck when someone didn't have their timing chip or security bracelet on but we had two of us checking for these things so the flow into transition was steady.

Considering that everyone who was helping out knows quite a bit about racing we were able to answer many newbie questions. Anything we could do to help people have a fun and successful race was done.....short of racing for them.

There were four race categories...International/Sprint triathlon and duathlon. Overall we didn't care what races people were in except for Aimee. She was sending out the motorcycle escorts with the leaders of each category. I was watching for the first sprint triathlete so I could give Aimee and heads up to send out the motorcycle.

As I noticed the wet shorts and saw ST on his calf I yelled at Aimee, "The guy in the purple top!!!" Well this freaked out the guy because I saw him look back like he did something wrong. I told him to keep going. At least Aimee knew who the motorcycle should go with.

At the mount line we kept on telling people when they could get on their bikes and to have a good ride. This is a great way to see ALL of the athletes and to see the many different ways people get on their bikes.

We cheered for everyone until the transition area was empty. For a brief while we had to handle two-way traffic until the last several people finally left transition. The sprint racers were coming back fast.

Overall everything was running smoothly. Some slight issues on the run course but nothing tragic. Also some misdirection on the bike course.

I really enjoyed cheering for my friends from the front row.

The athletes were very well behaved as we asked them to wait before entering transition. The RD indicated in the athlete package that transition would not be open for finishers until all bikes had returned from the course. We made a judgment call and opened up the area with about 95% of the bikes back into transition. We just made sure the returning athletes were given top priority in transition over people removing their gear.

Now to the "important" portion of the report and this has absolutely nothing to do with the athletes. If you recall Aimee was working with the motorcycle escorts. She has been doing this for the past 2 or 3 years. The same guys show up and she does a good job with them.

The guys are from the Cleveland Harley Owners Group....or H.O.G.s. Six guys show up to provide escort for the leaders and transportation for the two USAT officials who handle the race.

Post race Aimee shared two fantastic stories about these guys.

HOG #1: This guy was so inspired watching the race last year he....

Quit smoking
Dropped 20 pounds
Started running

Aimee gave this guy a little fist bump and congratulated him on his changes.

HOG #2: This guy was with the leader of the race, Jim LaMastra I believe. First bike out on the course. As they approached one of the intersections a car was blocking the direction arrow and the police officer seemed to wave them in the wrong direction.

Once he returned to the transition area he felt so bad about what happened he wanted to pay for the triathletes race fee. He wanted to PAY..HIM..BACK. Reimburse. Sorry for what happened. It wasn't even the HOGs fault.

Each year Aimee says the same thing. These are the nicest group of guys she has ever met....well maybe besides me....but she enjoys talking with them each year.

Game On HOGs......Game On.

Momma said knock you out

2010-08-23T22:10:00.002-04:00

So much to blog about and so little time. Haven't I said that before? I think I have a volunteer report and a race report to write. Plus there are three other "important" posts I want to get written. Well I feel they are important and relevant and just some random thoughts I want to share with everyone.

So working backwards I need to post one of the "important" posts before the race reports.

So we are like three weeks away from the biggest and newest triathlon event here on the North Coast of Ohio. Yep...I'm talking Rev3 on Sept. 12th. FullRev and HalfRev. I know many people who will be participating race weekend...I will be in the HalfRev myself.

Some of my friends and teammates are using this race as their first full or half. Like many other people in the Cleveland tri community, I have kept my eye on several people and check in on them to see how their training is going or if I can help in some way.

I always preceed my comments with..."I'm not a coach" or " I'm not certified USAT Level I" or "in my opinion". I'm just trying to help people make some smart decisions and be healthy and make it to the start line or even better cross the finish line.

So as I am making my rounds I send an e-mail to my friend Rachael over at MissFit_Island . She is a college friend of Aimee's and Rachael has embraced the tri lifestyle wholeheartedly. She had just completed the Cleveland Olympic tri and I was seeing how she felt after the race.

She posted our dialog recently on her blog titled....You are at an Impasse. Feel free to read it then come back here to finish my post. That's okay. I'll wait.

Theme from Jeopardy.....do do do do.......do do dooooo....do do do do dooooo....da do do do.....

Sorry...also had to take bathroom break.

Okay. So anyways. I'm just trying to be a concerned friend and help her make it to the finish line. Safely. Unfortunately my intentions were not clear...one reason I hate e-mail and blog posts......for the simple reason the written words can often be read the wrong way.

After she posted, then received some comments, Rachael called me to explain her post. I hadn't even read it yet. She wanted to make sure I didn't feel like I was thrown under the bus. She's just awesome that way.

Once I read the post and comments it all became clear.

Beth wants to knock me out. That's right woman. I'm calling you out.....and offering you a free shot should we ever meet...which could be sooner than you think.

I was just trying to be a sounding board for Rachael. The most important part of our dialog was me understanding her mental state. How did she feel her training has been going? What are her expectations? What will she be happy with?

And this is where I was put in my place. I was reminded what this is all about.

The Journey.

Self discovery. Pushing the limits. What are you capable of.

This is what I love about sports. This is what I love about blogging. This is what I love about the open dialog with people of varied personalities, abilities, education, lifestyles, etc.

We can all grow and learn from the people and events the make up our lives.

Our views about what we do may be slightly different but they are all right.

The only thing I will disagree with Beth on......being an athlete. I have had that "discussion" with Aimee many times. In my book...if you participate...you are an athlete.

Nuf said

Game On

Friday Funny - Can you handle the truth?

2010-08-06T02:22:00.001-04:00

Truths For Mature Humans

1. I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.

2. Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.

3. I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.......Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz

4. There is great need for a sarcasm font.....know what I mean dumb ass

5. How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet? I can do this one.

6. Was learning cursive really necessary? My printing is bad enough.

7. Map Quest really needs to start their directions on # 5. I'm pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.

8. Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.

9. I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired. Back to Number 3.

10. Bad decisions make good stories. And interesting police reports.

11. You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you know that you just aren't going to do anything productive for the rest of the day.

12. Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after Blue Ray? I don't want to have to restart my collection...again. My brother can probably relate to this one.

13. I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten-page technical report that I swear I did not make any changes to.

14. I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.

15. I think the freezer deserves a light as well. Our freezer has a light.

16. I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with Miller Lite than Kay.

17. I wish Google Maps had an "Avoid Ghetto" routing option.

18. I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.

19. How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear or understand a word they said?

20. I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars team up to prevent a jerk from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers and sisters!

21. Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty, and you can wear them forever.

22. Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.

23. Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket, finding their cell phone, and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey - but I'd bet everyone can find and push the snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time, every time!

The first testicular guard, the "Cup," was used in Hockey in 1874 and the first helmet was used in 1974. That means it only took 100 years for men to realize that their brain is also important.

Ladies.....Quit Laughing. Eventually. ;-D

Have a fun filled weekend.

Burning River 100

2010-08-04T12:47:00.008-04:00

Volunteers

Volunteers are not paid ---- not because they are worthless,
but because they are priceless.

For those of you that know I live near Cleveland....spare me any jokes about the title. Nowadays the Burning River is a 100 mile endurance trail run.

Four years ago I volunteered at my coaches aid station. The saying above was printed on the back of the t-shirts they gave us.

This past weekend I volunteered again at the aid station of running and tri friend Elizabeth (E-Speed). When I saw the t-shirts I was happy to see they kept the saying on the back.

With 2010 being the fourth year of the race it was also selected to be the USATF 100 mile national championship race. I was expecting to see some very talented ultra-runners on the course.

The Boston Store Aid station is a very busy place. The runners come into the station at mile 49.1 before heading out for a 5.4 mile loop which brings them back to the same aid station at mile 54.5. The aid station would be open for 12 hours running three 4 hour shifts. We had the first shift.

Elizabeth does a great job and decided upon a pirate theme for the aid station.

Here is the first shift crew ready for the runners.

Here is Elizabeth on the left with her sister Katie who was scoring

For those of you not familiar with ultra running these aid stations are something else. The food being offered was immense. PB&J sandwiches, pizza, watermelon, cookies, chips, grapes, soup, coffee, gatorade, water, ice, sponges....what am I forgetting.

The runners can also have a gear bag dropped off at the aid station. Inside the gear bag can be almost anything. Nutrition, change of socks, band-aids, bandannas, hats, etc.

My task was to be a handler. I would great the runner into the aid station and ask what he needs. Water bottles would be handed off to another volunteer to refill. I would call for his gear back to be brought forward and help him with whatever he needed. While he was getting ready for the next section I would tell him how far the section was and what to expect. I also made sure runners headed in the right direction for the loop they were doing. We wanted to avoid someone accidentally skipping a loop or doing a loop twice.

The first group of runners, the elites, often had their own support crew who would have most of their needs taken care of. As volunteers were weren't needed to much. If the runner was from out of town and didn't know the course we made sure they understood the next section.....distance, terrain, next aid station.

This dude in the white tights and black shorts (thank goodness) had a support crew so we didn't offer much help.

After about 30 runners had made it through the first pass of the aid station I moved over to the street corner where the runners would be returning. Aimee and Lou were now handling the first time runners, I started working on the runners coming to the aid station the second time.

Here is Aimee waiting for a runner while talking with our friend Dale who was handling gear bags.

As the runners made their way back to the aid station for the second time I would handle them before they went back out for their next 4.1 mile section. They were far enough apart that I could handle them on my own.

Here I am with the eventual second place finisher and local runner Mark Godale. He had a crew but I was still able to help.

There is much to be inspired by when watching an ultra race. Many stories to tell and motivation to absorb. The runners below on the right is an 18 year old local. He finished his 100 mile run in 18 hours and 49 minutes.

He's a cancer survivor. That's Aimee helping get his bottle refilled.

One runner I handled was 20 years old from Indiana. When he came into the aid station he was a little out of it. He wasn't very talkative and wanted to sit and have something to eat. I had seen the look on his face before....many times....usually at Ironman races. But here he was at mile 54.5 out of 100. He was over half way done. I was concerned that he wouldn't make it. Fortunately two local legends were close by and offered the right encouragement, advice and motivation to get him moving. His mom was listening intently to what they said....so did I. I couldn't recognize the symptoms and offer a solution because it was a different environment for me. But when it comes down to it......Ironman and ultra running are very similar.

He finished the 100 miles in 22 hours and 7 minutes.

My final take away from this race was offered by my friend Dale. As I was waiting for a runner to come into the aid station I could hear behind me someone yelling for a change of socks. I saw someone running towards me with a pair but when I turned towards the aid station I saw Dale sitting on the group removing his shoes and socks for the runner.

That's the type of guy Dale is. He will give you the shirt off his back, socks from his feet and...well we can stop there.

Overall Aimee and I had a great time helping at the aid station. I hated to leave but we had other things to do. There would be two more 4 hour shifts at the aid station. I wanted to stay all day.

Ultra Game On.

Friday Fun - MC SpandX

2010-07-30T07:54:00.003-04:00

MC SpandX dropped another video this month. check it out and give him some mad props.

Huntington Sprint Tri

2010-07-27T16:58:00.003-04:00

This morning Aimee and I headed out for the 11th annual Huntington Sprint Tri/Du. This is a great area race and it's only 8 miles from our house. I enjoy participating in this race because of the wide range of people who participate. Some of the top triathletes in the Cleveland area race and yet this is also a good race for first timers.

I had my mind set to push hard on this race. My swims have been great this year and I needed to combine this with some strong biking and running. I had prepared myself to push my body into the zone where some serious pain would be waiting.

We arrived early and got body marked and setup our transition spots. The water would be warm enough to forgo the wetsuit so gear selection was easy. I put my orange lenses in my Oakleys because of the cloud cover.

Oh yeah, the clouds. These were rain clouds coming in ahead of a storm. We weren't sure how it would affect the race. We just didn't want any lightening or heavy rain.

Once we were done with our setup I enjoyed talking with friends and did a nice 1 mile warm-up. I headed to the beach and found my mom and dad. More chatting with friends as we milled about the beach watching the rolling waves on Lake Erie.

The waves were 1 - 2 foot rollers that were well spaced apart and they never crested or crashed. Once we made it to the first buoy marker we would be heading in the same direction as the wind and we would be swimming with the waves. Our wave consisted of men 40 - 54 and we had 67 people in our wave. Before the second wave started we could already see two guys coming back to shore. And this is where being an experienced triathlete pays off. But I'm also glad these two realized that they were in over their heads.

As the horn sounded for our wave to start I quickly got ahead of the people immediately around me and started swimming as soon as I could. I was to the far left of the group and would be making my way to the first turn buoy at an angle. But I was also out of the major washing machine to my right.

At the turn buoy I had to catch my breath from the intense effort to get there. Going into the waves and staying ahead of the group was tough. I didn't wait long before getting back into my swim. With the waves now coming at us from behind us and the left the swim became easier. I was able to get into a longer and more powerful stroke.

I was now starting to pass some of the people in my wave and catch up to the slower swimmers in the wave ahead of us. At one point I ran into something floating in the water. I thought I ran into a person but it turned out to be some sandles. Anyways, I kept on swimming.

Half way through the swim I pulled up next to teammate Mark. Since we didn't have wetsuits on it was easy to spot him in the water. We stayed near each other for the remainder of the swim. I was also drafting behind another person from out wave, Marty. I knew I was in good company as we headed towards the beach.

As I exited the water I heard my dad cheering and he said something about being 3rd or 4th out of the water. Sure enough I saw Marty and another yellow cap in front of me and Mark was immediately behind me.

The run up to transition is pretty long. Marty stopped to put on some shoes but Mark and I just ran barefoot. Marty blew by us and was flying. By the time I entered transition I think Marty was long gone. But I wasn't too worried about Marty because he is in the age group above me.

Now my swim time of 10:49 includes the long run up from the beach. My watch was just under 9 minutes when I hit the beach. Regardless I was second fastest swim in the age group only because my teammate Mark passed me on the run to T1.

I got to my transition spot and put my goggles and cap on the ground. I put on my helmet, socks and shoes. I grabbed my bike and headed towards the exit. I was behind four other people crossing the timing mat when the guy immediately in front of me stopped to mount his bike...and so did the other two in front of him. I couldn't believe it and had to run my way around them. I just wanted to find some clear space to jump on my bike and take off.

I spent 57 seconds in transition. Mark spent 54 seconds. Damn....second best time again.

Once we turned out of the park I grabbed my sunglasses from the bento box and put them on. This was something new and I figured it would save me a second or two in transition.

I quickly got into a good rhythm and was passing people on the road. Unfortunately I was passing them on the left and right because many of the racers don't know to stay right on the open road. I hated doing it but I wanted to get clear of the traffic.

I was making good time and was only passed by a couple of people whom I expected to see. The final stretch of the bike course is straight along the lake heading back to transition. I shot a PowerGel so that I would be ready for the run.

Heading back to the park I figured we would have a tailwind since we were heading east. However, the wind must have shifted because I didn't feel much of a boost. The wind might have been coming more from the north by now. Regardless I still maintained a good pace and pushed forward.

Along this stretch I was passed by Bruce from Spin/Second Sole. Being in my age group I was inclined to stay near him. I used him as my pacer but stayed out of his draft. After a couple of miles I started creeping up on him and decided to make a pass. Just after I passed him I felt a dragging sensation. My real wheel was not spinning freely. I wasn't sure if I had a flat tire or the brake was rubbing.

I looked back and realized my bike bag had detached and was rubbing against the tire. Bruce saw it also and was trying to figure out how to help me. The velcro strap screwed to my rear bottle bracket had ripped off. A small loop was keeping the bag from completely falling off. But now the bag was rubbing against my tire.

I could reach the bag and pull it away from the tire but the small loop was still attached. I slowly sat on my top tube and reached back with my right hand. I was able to lift the bag away from the tire and slip the loop off the bottle cage it was wrapped around.

Amazingly I was able to do this without stopping or slowing down too much. Another athlete from Spin/Second Sole (Anthony) slipped by me while I was dealing with my bag. I shoved the bag into my jersey pocket and got back to speed. I finished the bike course not far behind Bruce or Anthony and made a good entrance into transition.

My bike time was 28:39, good enough for 3rd best in AG. I was very happy with my bike. Aimee will be happy to hear that since I have been bitching about my bike times a lot lately.

In T2 I dropped my bike bag and someone was able to hand it to me on the run. I racked the bike and took my helmet off. On with the shoes and I grabbed my hat and race belt. I spent 35 seconds in T2 but I think all of the transition times were off because some people had 6 second transition times. I don't think so.

The run is the part I had prepared for the most mentally. Being a three mile run I wanted to bury it and just go fast. I would be done in about 20 minutes so...just...go. I beat Bruce and Anthony out of T2 so I had some people pushing me along. Mark was ahead of me with at least a 20 second lead and I knew I wouldn't catch him. By my calculations I was in third for the age group.

I used anyone around me to be targets. Once I passed someone I locked on to another target and reeled them in. I never saw any mile markers so I didn't know what my pace was. I was feeling very strong and that is all that mattered.

I caught the last batch of runners before heading to the north parking lot. I powered through the parking lot and ran the quick downhill that went under the road and back up to the finish area. I could hear my mom and dad cheering along with many friends.

I zipped through the hairpin turn to the finish chute and was done. My run split for 5k was 20:26 good enough for a 6:35/mile pace.

I had time to watch Aimee, teammates and friends finish their own races. Due to a late start for the women I was done before Aimee finished the bike. I waited for her and did my cool down run as I followed her around the run course.

I talked with Mark about his results and we determined that we at least had two podium spots for our age group. Once they started handing out awards we realized our finish spots were up one because Brian had taken the 3rd overall spot. Mark took first and I took second in our old guys age group, 40 - 44. Our times also put us in the top ten, ninth for me. In fact four of the top ten spots were taken by guys over 40 years old.

I was also thrilled by the attendance of 11 Snakebite Racing teammates. The presence of SBR was felt by all as 9 people took home hardware with overall or age group/division placements.

As a whole I am very happy with the race. My swim is still very solid, my bike has improved with just a little bit of work and somehow I have some speed on my run.

The next race will be on August 8th with an Olympic distance tri at Vermilion Harbor. This will be another good warmup race for the HalfRev in September involving speed and some endurance.

This is shaping up to be a good summer of racing.

Game On.

How to push the body

2010-07-23T11:48:00.004-04:00

If you remember, as part of my Triple T race report from 2009 I talked about pushing the mind and body. I found this video clip of Jens Voigt talking about how he pushes his body.

I have to keep this in mind as I prepare for and race the Huntington Sprint Tri this Sunday.

Game On Jens.

Rev3 Training Day/Course Preview

2010-07-18T20:45:00.004-04:00

Yesterday the Cleveland Tri Club hosted a course preview day for the Rev3 bike course. The day wasn't just the bike ride though. We swam in Lake Erie and received some open water tips from area swim coach Leah Nyikes of Liquid Lifestyles.

We regrouped for the bike ride and divided the 100+ people into four groups, A (fast), two B's (moderate) and C (easy). I took the lead for one of the B groups. We had a good time, I pointed out important parts of the course and I got a good workout riding back and forth checking on the group.

Overall we rode 56 miles. Unfortunately I couldn't stick around for the 3 mile run or informational sessions that were scheduled for the rest of the day.

I did take some pics during the group ride. I had a great group and I think we had fun.

We headed out through the town of Huron. We stayed together and took it easy until we moved through town and got onto the open roads.

Yes you could say the course is fairly flat.

But here is one of the bigger climbs. Nothing much but still elevation gain.

More flat

Eric Opdyke, the Rev3 race director, rode the course also. He will be back for a Rev3 course preview day in August.

Game On

How Much is in the Tank?

2010-07-15T09:09:00.007-04:00

I sometimes find it amazing how my mind works. I don't look for analogies, comparisons, metaphors or parallelisms between everyday life and my training/racing. They just kind of fall into my head. Case in point....you knew I was going SOMEWHERE with this.

Yesterday I decided to cut the grass. Being a hot July the grass has pretty much gone dormant and brown. But it still needed a trim. I got dressed in grubby clothes and proceeded into the garage. I stood there before the lawn mower remembering that I had not refilled the gas can sitting next to it. I shook the can and heard the sloshing of a small amount of gasoline. I opened the tank of the lawn mower and saw the remnants from the previous cutting.

Of course if I had a lawn mower like this I wouldn't have to worry about gasoline.

I drained the last of the fuel from the can into the tank and set about my task. I cut the front yard first just in case I ran out of gas. Better to have a half cut yard in the back and not the front. Of course we live on a corner lot and nothing is hidden.

If I did run out of gas I would finish the job the next day. I tried to be efficient as possible making sure I didn't waste time going over areas that were already cut. I had to strategerize my cutting path.

I was on the last section of grass thinking, "I'm going to get this entire yard cut." I kept waiting for the engine to begin sputtering as it sucked the last drops of fuel from the tank. With the last two short strips of grass to cut that is exactly what happened.

I finished the chore and I shut down the engine as it sat there sputtering on the last fumes of gas.

You know where I am headed with this, Right? My readers are a smart bunch.

Each time we step up to the start line of a 5k, marathon, triathlon, criterium, starting block...we think,

"Do I have enough in me to finish?"

"How much do I burn and at what points during the race."

These are never easy questions to answer, especially when you are the one holding the answer. Sometimes the only way to answer the questions is through trial and error.

Push to hard at the wrong times during a race and you pay the price with an empty tank before reaching the finish line.

Hold back too much with plenty of reserve left in the tank and you beat yourself up saying, "Why didn't I go harder?"

Trial...and...Error.

Live...and...Learn.

How much do you have left in your tank at the end of a race?

Game On.