Push the mind.....

....and the body will follow. (PTMATBWF)

My tri buddy Eric B. sent me that message as I drove down to southern Ohio for the Triple T. It served me well on the last day during the half marathon. When I returned home I sent him a message asking where he found this saying.

His very modest answer, "I did." I did a google search of the phrase and sure enough, there were several hits of topics close to the phrase but none exact. Eric's phrasing is perfect in my opinion.

I pushed him further as to where the phrase came from. He had been reading a book about the Navy SEALS when it came to him. To be a good soldier, especially at that level, one must be prepared to go above and beyond. To be a great soldier (armed forces special forces like Delta, Rangers and SEALs) may require a soldier to push so hard that the outcome is one of two: completion of the mission or die trying.

Okay, I know this is a little extreme for triathlon or any other sport but let's take it in perspective. Many athletic events are all about pushing ones self to the limits or reaching personal goals. No where is this more evident than triathlon and running.

Look at these two pictures....stern concentration and determination on their faces.





I'll also include cycling because I have a personal bias towards it even though it does not receive the mainstream recognition since Lance Armstrong retired. But there is something to be said about riding 100 miles in one day, especially when most people can't imagine driving that far in a car.

Even in professional sports I can appreciate the talent the top athletes display and they do push themselves damn hard, but the industry is so tainted with drugs and thugs that I can barely stand watching any of that shit. There is something to be said for real athletes who push themselves to the edge for pride and honor instead of the big paycheck. "Pay me mo' money because I am that good" F' you all you spoiled little prissy boys....make..me..sick.

Give me an age grouper who pukes his guts out after an Olympic triathlon on Sunday then goes to his office job on Monday with nothing but a pat on the back and a sense of fulfillment in his heart. I will also cheer louder for the back of the pack runner who is completing their first 5k, 10k, half or full marathon. They have won over my respect.

Okay.....time to pull it back now. Just had to get that out a little......damn pretty boy Favre needs to STAY retired......bit so that I can get back to writing about.......and tell Manny to grow up, damn finger nail biting, dread lock wearing Marley wanna be who actually looks like a Predator.....pushing the mind.

So a couple of weeks ago Aimee and I attended an event where Ray Zahab spoke. Ray was one of the runners in Running the Sahara. I wasn't quite sure what to expect but he was an excellent speaker. At first I thought he was just going to tell us about his wild and crazy adventures, but he tied everything together with a purpose and lessons learned.

I realized, "Well duh.....you try running across the Sahara or Antarctica and see if you can't learn something about yourself or the others around you." Talk about pushing your mind. This guy had to fight two occurrences of dysentery, sand storms, blisters, high heat and dehydration with no rest days. Across the Sahara they were out there for 100 days......running.....every.day.

Push that!

Now hang onto your pants....I'm finally going to tie it all together myself with the help of Ray.

His most memorable quote...........

"Running is 90% mental, the rest is all in your head."

Push the mind....and the body will follow.

The mind is a powerful tool. You take it with you where ever you go. Do not listen or believe what you body or anyone else is telling you, especially if the word "can't" is involved.

Thanks to Cyndi and Eric for "pushing" me to write this post. Sometimes I just need a little help from my friends.

Game On.

Just a typical weekend

Around our house summer weekends involve training, especially when it will eventually benefit racing a Half IM triathlon. Next on our schedule is The Dam Tri and then Musselman Half. The big race is Musselman. The Dam Tri is a training day.

So this weekend I used as an overload weekend. Friday was to be a morning run followed by a brick workout with the EvoTri teens with my best tri chicka TriSaraTops. Unfortunately the morning rain was not helping the matter and we had to cancel.

I did manage to get a run in after work. I went to Findley State Park and ran the 8 mile mountain bike trail. It was a great end to the week and allowed me to clear my head. I also came up with an idea for my next big endurance event. Lot's of options so I had, and still have, time to figure it out completely.

Being a late day run I knew my legs would be tired come Saturday morning, brick day. But the Cleveland weather wasn't playing nice again. Rain was falling at a steady pace and riding outside was not an option. So Aimee and I set up the trainers in the garage and picked a good workout.

2 hours on the bike consisting of:

4 x 8 minutes at 90 - 100 RPM - good intensity followed by 7 minutes off.

6 x 2 minutes big gears standing....climbing - 3 minutes off.

After 1:45 of riding I got off and went out for a ride on my road bike. The rain had stopped and I could do my final hour on the road. Back at home I finished with a 3 mile run. It was a good 3.5 hour brick.

As much as we didn't want to ride on the trainer I am glad we did. Having a specific goal in mind and executing it can reap more benefit that just going out for a ride unless you have the discipline to do the workout on the road.

After the brick we showered and ate lunch. Aimee was making goodies for fathers day picnic as her dad's house. I fell asleep on the couch....HARD. I was out like a light.

When I woke up it was Aimee's turn to nap and I put some laundry away and did some miscellaneous things around the house.

After dinner we got our crap together for Sundays events.
Aimee:

• Half marathon run
• Post run breakfast
• Dads day picnic at her dads

Me:

• Half Marathon Run
• Golf with my dad and son
• Dads day cook-out at our house.

The Half Marathon was an opportunity to run some great miles with friends and be fully supported by a local race director. I ran with Jason, Liz and Larry. We had a great time with fn conversation. We were almost having too much fun. Jason and I crossed the finish line with the clock showing just over 1:50. We both wanted to run some slower miles and after the Friday/Saturday combo my legs weren't going to carry me much faster.

The most enjoyable moment of the day was watching our friend Kim complete her first half marathon. She was putting in the time and each time I saw her she looked like she was enjoying herself. After the race we were talking and I told her how proud I was of her.

Kim unfortunately was laid off several weeks ago. It's been rough for her dealing with it as I could only imagine. She told me that running has helped her deal with the feelings of anxiety that accompanies stress like this.

I was glad to hear that her running was helping so much. I know I feel better after a good workout.

For the rest of the day I had a great time with my dad and son golfing. It was my first time out for the year and I played okay. Back at my house I prepped the burgers for the cook-out and waited for my parents and brother to arrive. We had a great time eating, drinking and talking.

As tired as I am it has been a great weekend.

Recovery day tomorrow includes a visit to the witch doctor for some accupuncture.

Game On.

Friday at Last

Yeah, it's been one of those weeks and reading through my bloglines I see others have had hard weeks as well. But somehow they found some time to post something.

Me? I got nothing. I mean I have stuff I want to post about......I just don't have it in me to post about it.

Some of my tri-buddies rocked it at the Racing for Recovery half IM in Munroe, MI last weekend. EB and MD had good solid races.

PTMATBWF - EB knows what this is all about and I do want to dedicate a post to it.

Last night Aimee and I listened to Ray Zahab talk. He is one of the runners from Running the Sahara. Going into this speaking event indifferent, meaning I didn't care if we went or not, I came out of it with a better attitude. He is a great speaker and has great purpose to his life. Something for people to think about at many levels. That deserves a post of it's own.

What's coming up....Andrew graduating from Ohio University Saturday...father's day....The Dam Tri.....Musselman Double Mussel. Just all sorts of fun summer shit.

Maybe this little brain dump has helped, hard to say.

Have a great weekend everyone.

Send some love to Tri Diesel. He's gonna get his Game On at the Wendy's International Sprint tri. It's his first. I'm excited for him and can't wait to hear about his experience.

Another triathlete is born out of the blood, sweat and tears of personal sacrifice and effort.

ROCK IT BIG DADDY!!!!!

Triple T - Summary

First I want to say thanks for waiting patiently for the entire race report series. Work since Memorial Day weekend has kept me very busy. We also traveled to San Diego to watch my sis-in-law run her first marathon at the Rock 'n Roll Marathon.

But I did want to post a Triple T summary.

I loved this race. We have already put next years race on the calendar.

I had so much fun at this race. Talking with people. Sharing experiences. Making new friends.

Race it like an Ironman. Next year I want to push it a little harder.

Race nutrition on the run is very important. This is where I blew up at both IM races and I was rock solid at Triple T, especially during the half marathon. I took in 5 gels during the run and felt great. During my IM marathons I fell off my gel schedule and paid for it. I finally have it down.

Here is a summary of my run splits from races 2, 3 and 4.

Race #2	Race #3	Race 4 Loop 1	Race 4 Loop 2
8:42	8:40	8:48	9:00
8:17	8:37	9:10	8:59
8:09	8:28	9:09	9:09
8:19	8:52	9:24	9:37
7:37	7:12	7:49	7:23
6:57	6:38	7:13	6:29
3:41	3:40	4:24	3:22

I'm very happy with how I kept enough in the tank where I could improve my splits day to day, especially the final 2.5 miles.

I can't do this without alot of help and support. Aimee is the best in her support of what I do. She gets it and understands why I do this, partly because she does this insanity as well.

Bike Authority. Their bike support has always been top notch and my bike is always in working order. I do alot of maintenance on my own but their expertise helps fill in the gaps.

Flashpoint Wheels. I have raced many times with the FP 60's and they are rock solid. They spin up so fast and I know the wheels helped with some super fast downhills.

My Snakebite teammates who encourage each other for races and training.

Next big race is the Musselman Sprint and Half IM in July.

Time to get my training Game back On.

Triple T - Race #4

Sunday May 24, 2009

Race #4 – Half-Iron Distance
1.2 mile swim – 55.5 mile bike –13.1 mile run

Saturday nights sleep was anything but. It was 11:30PM when I think I actually fell asleep. After that it was a very restless sleep. Before bed we had been listening to some music from Aimee’s iPod. The Humpty Dance by Digital Underground would not leave my brain. “The Humpty dance is your chance doin’ the hump”. Or “the sounds laid down by the Underground.”

My brain just wouldn’t shut down. When the alarm went off at 5AM I wasn’t ready to move. That is when “it” entered my brain. My tri-buddy Eric B. had sent me a text on Friday; “Push the Mind and the Body will follow.” This would be my mantra for the final day of racing. Hell, it helped me get my tired ass out of bed.

Trying to get ready, my stomach felt unsettled from lack of sleep and weird eating habits for the weekend. I took in my pre-race calories and managed a bowel movement. That helped ease the butterflies or whatever was in my stomach.

We both prepped for the long morning ahead of us. Aimee was going to run the course loop with Linda while Mark and I were on the bike. We both needed fluids and fuel for the day.

We slowly made our way over to transition with everyone else. People were moving a little slower this morning but I wasn’t letting it keep me down. I was excited to see Big Country again. He always had some great last minute advice for each race. For this one he recommended chapstick on the rims of my wheels. Give them a nice shiny look. Don’t worry about them stopping, better to look good.

While we were on the beach waiting for the start of the race the Michigan State Triathlon Team was getting psyched up. They had 14 athletes down for the weekend either doing the race as two person teams or solo. They did their chant and was quickly reminded they were in Ohio by some Buckeye fans. O-H someone yelled, I-O was the response.



We started lining up for our final triathlon of the weekend. We hit the water and started the 1.2 mile swim. I immediately got going pretty good from the start. I focused on long, gliding strokes and good form. Half way through the out portion of the first loop I knew I needed to sight soon for the next marker. Just as I was about to look up my hand entered the water and ran right into the buoy marker.

I recovered from that little mishap and continued on my way. I was moving through the previous swimmers nicely and keeping a great pace. A couple of times I was able to draft behind or next to another swimmer. Not sure what benefit it provided but I was able to keep a good line around the loop. During the second loop I picked up the pace and changed to my race pace breathing; three breaths right then alternate to the left side for three breaths.

I came out of the water leading a group of swimmers and headed to transition.



Swim time 31:34.

How much can you say about your fourth swim-bike transition of the weekend? If you don’t have it down by now you’re doing something wrong. I ran out of transition and jumped on my bike for a nice double loop ride through the Shawnee State Forest.

T1 1:42

The bike course for the half-iron race is the most beautiful course I have ever been on. The fire roads were smooth. The tree cover plentiful and green. Switchback climbs that reminds one of the Tour de France. Of course the climbs were countered by wonderful sweeping downhill runs. There were a couple of curves that were pretty sharp and had to be taken slowly.

I saw several teams and working hard. I was riding with several others when we were caught by a large group of them. As I sat on the back end of the group I looked at the group in matching jerseys. I felt like we were Team USA out for a training ride. It was actually a very cool site to see.

I was riding a majority of the second loop with Clemens. He was with the group from Michigan State. But his Austrian accent was fun to listen to while we climbed the hills. He would pass me on the uphill and I would pass him on the downhill. I finally told him that if he put some meat on his bones he could descend faster. It was fun chatting with him at times during the ride.

The team aspect of this race became very evident during this final day. I saw teams suffering with one person doing better than the other or both slowing down on the bike. On the second loop I caught a team I saw earlier and the second person was struggling. His partner was further up the hill and looking strong. As I passed the weaker partner he saw me out of the corner of his eye and said, “shit”.

I was feeling great during both loops of the bike. I had one bottle of Perpetuem and one bottle of Gatorade for each loop. I also had a fruit smoothie Powerbar to munch on during the ride. My stomach was feeling a little jammed up during the second loop so I favored the Gatorade more than Perpetuem. By the time I made it back to transition the stomach was feeling better and I was ready to run.

Bike time: 3:06:31

T2 was completed in 51 seconds. I already had on my race belt with 4 PowerGels so all I needed was my running shoes and hat.

T2 - 51 seconds

The half marathon would be a double loop of the same course we ran on Saturday. The race description say, “by now you with either love it or hate it”. I was in love with the run course since Saturday morning. The trail running was challenging but much more enjoyable than running on a road.



Heading out of transition I started chatting with Luther. He is the stronger of the two team members I mentioned from the bike. He was looking behind for his partner, you know….the one who said “shit” on the bike. Luther was really cool though. As a Clydesdale he was all muscle. I wouldn’t want to meet him in a dark alley that’s for sure. I forged on as he continued to wait.

I made sure my pace was conservative and fairly easy. I was happy with the splits and I felt great. I was drinking only water at each aid station to help absorb the PowerGels and keep things moving in the gut. The aid stations had ice to cool us off. I was dumping the cubes down my jersey and pouring cold water down my back.

At the far turn around of loop one I grabbed a zip-lock bag filled with ice. The bag would sit inside my jersey and cool off my chest. The ice cubes were little tubes. I clenched a round cube between my teeth and with each breath a cool rush of air filled my mouth, along with some melting water. It may have looked weird but it felt pretty good.

On my way back I started seeing friends and offered words of encouragement. Big Country was the first friend I saw and he was about one mile behind me. I wasn’t sure if he would catch me so we could finish together like in race #2.

Once I hit the top of the large climb returning from the farthest point of the course, I increased the pace. From mile 4 to the transition area it is primarily downhill with some small rollers.

I settled into my downhill stride pattern of short quick steps. This really saved the quads and helped with a quick pace. I cruised back to the finish area where I refueled and reloaded my zip-lock bag with ice. I grabbed a banana HammerGel for some variety. I would sip on the gel until I reached the first aid station.



I headed back out feeling great and thrilled to see Aimee and Linda cheering for us. On the way out for loop two I kept the pace steady and cheered for more friends, both old and new. A simple slap of the hand can offer so much encouragement for each other. I don’t mind sharing the energy with friends.

The uphill sections this time had me walking a couple of times. I used my race mantra, “push the mind and the body will follow”, to get me going again after these short breaks. Essentially I was telling myself to get up that hill so I could run the downhill side. I also focused on the 5 feet in front of me so that I wouldn’t get discouraged by the distance I still had to cover to reach the crest.

Each time I saw the Hammering Half-Pints, Kaylyn and Morena, I tried to throw a funny comment at them but they really didn’t need the laughs because each time I saw them there were smiles already on their faces.

After going through the turn around I made my way up the final long climb. I just needed to make it to the top. Just past the top was mile marker 4. It was at this point I thought of another tri-buddy Mark D. He had written a race report where he pushed the final 5k of a sprint tri by reminding himself that “I can do anything for 20 minutes.”

I calculated that at an 8 minute pace I would cover the final 2.5 miles in 20 minutes. So at mile marker 4 I put down the hammer and decided to leave it all on the course. I just covered 138 miles of swim, bike and run. I can push out a hard 2.5 miles to the finish line.

So I pushed my mind and sure enough my body followed. I was passing people and pushing the rollers. At the last aid station I yelled for water and two people ahead of me jumped out of my way. I didn’t mean to startle anyone but it sure did clear the way for me to grab a final water without slowing down.

At about the half mile mark the trail turns to asphalt and you know the end is near. I tried to stay loose and keep the pace high, if not faster. I knew my pace was pretty quick since my calves were starting to scream at me and wanted to cramp up. Didn’t matter, they would have to suffer until I crossed the finish line.

Run – 1:50:23

Race #4 finish time – 5:30:59

Overall accumulated time – 11:12:54

Triple T - Race #3

Saturday May 23, 2009

Race #3 – Olympic Distance
24.8 mile bike – 1500m swim – 6.55 mile run

There is nothing quite like a 5 hour rest before your next Olympic distance race. I’m still not convinced that the 45 minute nap was beneficial because it was so hard to wake up from.

I decided to ride my bike to the race venue 1 mile away. It would allow my legs to loosen up before the race. This was important since this afternoon race started with the bike leg. Yeah, it was kind of different but also interesting.

So we started in the same manner as the swim starts, two people leaving transition at 5 second intervals. This helped spread out the bike on the road.



The bike course is a simple out and back along SR 125; easy to follow, hard to ride. The difficulty of the ride is due to the two significant climbs. Of course those downhills were pretty fast too.

On the first downhill I was riding near a couple of two person teams. I was trailing the group and watching the road when I noticed the front wheel of one guy start shaking. He was off to my right so I wasn’t directly behind him. It didn’t look good. Here we are going at least 30MPH and he’s going to bite it right in front of me. Somehow he managed to stabilize the wheel and regain control. I glided past him and told him he had a good recovery. He just smiled at me because he knew how close it was to being a bad situation.

On the second downhill I was again riding behind a guy who was being a little too cautious and I was forced to stay behind him. I didn’t like being behind him but I just couldn’t tell what he would do next. Unfortunately it forced another rider to go around us and cross the double yellow line. I hated that he was forced to do it but I didn’t blame him either.

The flat section to the turn around was wet from a small burst of rain. It would be the only rain during my race. Heading back from the turnaround was pretty uneventful. The return uphills were long and allowed me to watch the final competitors attack the downhill themselves. During the final miles to the park I spotted a German Shepard strolling down the road. He was on the other side of the road just trotting along totally ignoring the cyclists zipping by.

Reviewing the computer again I reached a max of 43.5 MPH this time. Some people post race said they hit 50MPH. I never look at the speed during the downhills. First the road deserves your complete attention. Things are moving so fast you must remain on target for traffic, other riders, animals, potholes, etc. Second, I just don’t want to know how fast I’m going right before I crash. Ignore the speed and the fear of crashing never enters my mind until after the race.

Bike time 1:16:37

Back in transition I had to deal with something new putting on my wetsuit. Usually putting the wetsuit on is no problem, but with sweaty legs it can be a little tough to slip it on. I heard that the trick is to use plastic bags on your feet. I had grabbed some produce bags at the grocery store. I slipped the bags on my feet and they slid right through the legs. I worked the wetsuit the rest of the way up and headed toward the beach.



T1 time 3:39

Big Country said that he was cramping during this swim last year. With the legs full of blood from the bike and the cold lake water I could see why. I don’t kick that much with my legs anyways so I mainly pulled myself through the swim. Two loops in the lake with no issues at all. I did start kicking my legs near the end of the swim to get them ready for the run portion of the race. Overall I kept a great rhythm and pace throughout the swim.



Swim time 27:15

Swim to run transition was easy. Strip off the wetsuit and put on a second pair of socks then running shoes. I grabbed my hat and was gone. Each time I left transition I felt like I was forgetting something. Despite the feelings, I always had what I wanted and had clean transitions.

T2 time 1:32




As with the morning race I left transition under control. I made sure the pace felt easy and slow. I would still have 13.1 miles to run the next day, after running another 6.5 with this race. I had a PowerGel with me and started taking it during the first mile. I would wash it down with water at the first aid station.

Once again I was making sure to grab a lot of water or Heed at each aid station. They hydration was so important with these races. The hills on the way out were handled at a controlled pace making sure not to jack the heart rate to high.

After the turnaround I started to notice some people having difficulties. As I was going up the hill I saw once guy dealing with a bad hamstring cramp. He would hobble a couple yards then stop with his hand on his leg. Going downhill wasn’t helping him either. Near the top of the hill I saw another guy walking into the woods. As I passed him he threw up a large amount of fluid. His stomach must have been shutting down and was jammed up with solids or too many calories. I’m sure he felt better with the relief of a full stomach.

Shortly after seeing Mr. Puker, I crested the hill and reached mile 4. Remember that the final 2.5 miles is predominantly downhill from here with some short uphill rollers. I settled into a great downhill stride with short quick steps. The shorter stride helps save the quads and keeps the pace fast. Even on the flat portions I kept the stride the same and was really moving. I just wanted to keep the pace steady and finish with some left in the tank for Sunday.

Run time 51:54
Run splits
8:40
8:37
8:28
8:52
7:12
6:38
3:40

Race time 2:39:54

Mark and I after race #3



I cooled down with some food and talk with Aimee and friends. I put my name down for a 15 minute massage with Wendy the same girl who worked on me in the morning. What I didn’t know was the person in front of me was going for 60 minutes. I sent Aimee back to the campground so she could shower and eat for herself. I would ride my bike back to the campground 1 mile away.

Back at the campground I ate again with Aimee before hitting the showers. After eating I finally walked to the shower house to get cleaned up. I couldn’t believe it was 8PM and I was finally showering after having finished around 5:30PM. Imagine my surprise when I got to the showers and two other racers were showering and another walked in behind me.

I chatted with the guy behind me and we mentioned how beautiful the bike course was. It reminded us both of areas where we train, me around Cleveland and him about LaCrosse, WI. Turns out Hewbie has been in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park and knows my friend and local race director Mickey. What a wonderful small world this is.

After my shower and back at the campsite we sacked out for the night. One more race to go and this would be the longest.

Triple T - Race #2

Saturday May 23, 2009

Race #2 – Olympic Distance
1500m swim – 24.8 mile bike – 6.55 mile run



Race number two started at 7:30AM. We went to bed Friday night by 9PM. We both crashed hard to sleep from the long day of traveling to the race and spending time at the race site. I was feeling good for the first race of Saturday. The alarm went off at 5AM. We ate and prepped the gear for the race.

The swim start was another time trail run from the beach, two people at a time. I managed to get into a good grove pretty early. I found myself on the inside of the course and didn’t like having people on my right side. Kind of weird to discover this in the middle of a race, but I didn’t want to deal with the crowds at the turns either. Once I started swimming to the right of the other swimmers I was doing much better.

The swim involved two loops. The final buoy marker was very close to the beach and hence very shallow. I really didn’t want to stand up and jack my heart rate. I was in a good grove so I continued to swim around the people who were walking. I was shallow enough that I was grabbing sand with my hand during my stroke. The second lap went very well again. No issues and I felt very relaxed and strong at the same time. I swam all the way to the beach before standing up.

I stepped through the rinse buckets heading to transition and got ready for the bike.

Swim time 24:05

In T1 I peel off my wetsuit and put on my race number, sunglasses, helmet, socks and shoes. The longest part was getting my wetsuit off. I grabbed my bike and activated the computer. Running out of transition there wasn’t much traffic to deal with so the running mount was easy to execute.

T1 time 1:52

The RD provided us with some very stern warnings about the bike course. Some of the downhill’s are very dangerous. The RD warned that if you didn’t pay attention to the slow markings on the road you would pay for it.

The course is on some very beautiful fire and county roads. Not a lot of traffic, in fact I maybe saw 10 cars, and great scenery. A couple of the downhill’s you could bomb nicely because they are long sweeping turns. Of course once we made it to the bottom on one hill we had to climb another. At the bottom of the steepest climb we made a hard left turn and up we went. As soon as I saw the hill I commented, “AWW COME ON!!!” I’m sure the volunteer and sheriff’s deputy heard me. What I meant to say was “AWW SWEET!!!”

It wasn’t that bad. Not really harder than anything on the Death Ride, especially Oak Hill or Boston Mills Road.

At the beginning of a not very steep roller I hit a hole in the road. I'm not sure how I didn’t see it but I sure felt it. My rear bottle ejected at the top of the hill. I also started to hear some rattling and was worried something happened to my front tire. I stopped and did a quick look around. The rear bottle cage that was holding my bottle BROKE. It’s a plastic wrap-around design and a plastic piece snapped off. It was rattling around behind me….very annoying. I managed to position it so the rattle was gone. The bottle only had Gatorade in it and I still had my bottle with Perpetuem so I was good for the rest of the ride. It was essentially a backup bottle.

I passed people, people passed me. I wasn’t worried about it because of the start format. I rode how I wanted and didn’t over-exert myself. Several times I followed someone in front of me staying 5 bike lengths back. I let the person dictate the pace, often easy for me but it helped keep myself in check and not push too hard.

Coming down the final hill back to the park I was averaging 30 MPH without much effort. It was nice to have the speed without straining the legs. Reviewing my computer I did hit a max speed of 41 MPH on one of the downhill’s. Overall my average speed was 19.4 MPH.

As we entered the park I pulled loose my shoe straps and placed my feet on the shoes. Heading towards a much less congested transition area I hopped off at the dismount line and headed towards my rack.

Bike time 1:18:17

T2 is always a fast one. Take off the helmet, put on shoes and hat. I didn’t need anything else.

T2 time 35 seconds.

Exiting T2 Aimee and Linda were there cheering for me. The race announcer also called off my name after I crossed the timing mat.

The run is the same for races 2, 3 and 4. On Sunday we run it twice for the 13.1 miles, so we will get to know this part of the park very well. I tried to start very conservatively. At all of my races, Ironman and half iron, I always started the run way too fast. I made a conscious effort to keep the pace down. Again I didn’t worry about those that were passing me. I was holding a very nice pace and was talking with a couple of people. Mile one was 8:42 and that included a pee break which was a great relief. Mile two 8:17, okay cool…closer to the pace I wanted. Between mile 2 and 3 is where the long uphill climb is. I just kept myself in check and stayed steady. It was at this point that Big Country finally caught up with me.

We chatted for a bit and he pulled ahead of me a little until the top and I picked up the pace to run with him again. Mile 3 finished with an 8:09 split. We continued to run together and chat. Talking smack to each other and commenting on the guys passing us. It was all in good fun and there was nothing to take offense about.

We noticed several of our friends heading out to the turn around and cheered them on. Mile 4 was 8:19 because we had to run back up the long hill. Mile 5 was 7:37 which I felt was too fast but Big Country accredited the speed to the downhill we were just on. Once we hit the asphalt path Big Country said this was a good sign, only about a half mile to go. We kept a good pace through mile 6 which came out at 6:57. I didn’t think we were running that fast. The last .55 mile to the finish line came out to be 3:41.

Run time 51:43

Overall time 2:36:27.








Big County and I finished together and met with Linda and Aimee. I went to the lake to cool down my legs and then get a 15 minute massage. A little bit of food and we headed back to the campsite. Shower and rest before race #3, second for the day.

Mile Splits
8:42
8:17
8:09
8:19
7:37
6:57
3:41

Triple T - Race #1

Friday May 22, 2009

Arrival and Race #1 – Prologue Sprint

250m swim – 5 mile bike – 1 mile run

Aimee and I left the house by 8AM Friday morning. We had my mom and dad’s trailer for camping at the state park where the races would be staged from, in and around. I knew this would be a great weekend because we were having fun driving down hauling this big trailer behind us.

The drive would normally take 4 hours but it took us 5 with the trailer. By the end of the weekend I knew that Aimee would be number one. Each time I tried to make a serious comment she was cracking herself up and responded with some sarcastic remark. Yes, I would be showing her that she is number one all weekend.

My mantra for this race was “Feel It”. Only after I chose this mantra did I realize it was the same at the Factory Riders saying on his blog. I wanted Aimee to remind me to “feel it”. Feel the race. Feel how my body was doing. Find and feel the zone for having a good race.

We arrived at the camp ground and got settled into our spot. I had reserved the spot in January and it was everything I had expected. It was easy to back the trailer in. Plenty of shade. Close to the bathrooms and a short walk to the shower house.

At packet pickup we saw Mark “Big Country” Misencik and his wife Linda. Aimee and Linda would be spending lots of time together watching us through transition. I walked around and made sure I said hi to the other Cleveland triathletes; Tony, Ben, Kaylyn, Mirena and Jodi.

We went back to the campsite and settled in a little more. I cleaned my bike and lubed the chain. I prepared my race gear and we headed to the race site around 4PM for the 5PM start.

At this race they provide a jersey that everyone MUST wear. The Red, White and Blue jersey is actually pretty nice. Seeing them all together was pretty neat, both in transition and on the beach.

The start of the swim is a 2 person send off. Every 5 seconds two people cross the timing mat to start their race. You just can’t do a mass start with over 400 people, it’s not an Ironman and the traffic jam would be crazy.

The swim was a 250m out and back. The lake we were in was shallow and had floating grass and was rather murky. On the way back into the beach the mud being stirred up by the previous swimmers was really gross. Each time I turned my head back into the water I was staring at a dark cloud of dirt. The water was warm enough to skip the wetsuits and the mud was all over the jerseys.

My swim time was 5:11.

T1 was a short run from the beach and onto the 5 mile bike course. In and out of transition in 1:08.

The five mile loop is just a warm-up for the weekend. Part of the course climbs up to the park lodge and cabins. Everyone just geared down and spun up the road. The leaders were starting to zoom down the other side of the road. It was definitely a fast downhill. I took a clue from the previous riders and started undoing my shoe straps on the downhill.

5 mile bike time 11:38

T2….Into transition, rack my bike, on with the shoes and out to the run course. Another uneventful transition. 45 seconds.

The run is a 1 mile out and back. This prologue is just a warm-up for the rest of the weekend. I tried to take it easy. There was no point in wasting too much energy on day one. Despite what I thought was an easy pace I did the one mile in 6:53. I will have to make sure I am much slower than that on the other runs.

Total time for the Prologue Race: 25:35.

It's Go Time

I have alluded to it. I haven't talk much about it. I have left links to it. It is on my schedule in the side bar. It is finally here.

It is....The American Triple-T.

In case you haven't been to the website here is a summary of what my Memorial Day weekend will be like.

Race #1: Prologue
Friday, May 22, 5:00 PM
250m Swim - 5 mi Bike - 1 mi Run

Race #2: Individual Time Trial
Saturday, May 23, 7:30 AM
1500m Swim - 24.8 mi Bike - 6.55 mi Run

Race #3: Team Triathlon
Saturday, May 23, 3:00pm Start
24.8 mi Bike - 1500m Swim - 6.55 mi Run

Race #4: Team Time Trial
Sunday, May 24, 7:00am Start
1.2 mi Swim - 55.5 mi Bike - 13.1 mi Run

Uummmmm yeah. Four triathlons in three days.

3.1 miles of swimming
110.1 miles of biking
27.2 miles of swimming

A constant theme for each tri is hills. On the bike and on the run. Knowing the RD I'm sure he has figured out a way to add a hill during the swim.

Aimee and I will be camping in the state park for this event. Aimee is a real trooper for this one because of the camper. She's going to feel like Clark Griswold's cousin Eddie......"shitter's full".

She will be my support for the weekend. She's always there to take care of me.

I'll have my laptop and will be writing my race report(s) during the weekend. I'll post them next week when we return.

I'm ready for this. A little undertrained, but still ready for it.

My Game will need to be On more for this than either of my Ironman finishes.

Here's wishing everyone a pleasant Memorial Day weekend.

Game On, On, On.

What does your fortune cookie tell you?

Aimee sent this to me today. She found this fortune cookie saying on her desk.

Success comes in cans, not in cannots.

How do you see this applying to your life? Work, marriage, triathlon, parenting, running, cooking, relationships....you get the picture.

Speaking of pictures. Do you know what the back of a traveling triathletes vehicle looks like during the taper period before the American Triple T?

It may look something like this.......


The black bag and brown box are the only things work related. My laptop bag is in the front seat. I'm out of town for a bit so I need to be able to train, taper effort, while out of town. Hey, a triathlete has gotta do what a triathlete has gotta do.

Game On.

Another Weekend Update

I knew it. I absolutely knew it. There was no way I would be able to recap the weekend on Monday. Way too much stuff going on. It hurts just thinking about everything I had to do on Monday much less the weekend. Fortunately I took notes at my brothers house during our Mother's Day dinner.

Yes I took notes. I had to since I didn't want to forget key points of another epic weekend with awesome results. So let's get at it. Oh.....and you better have a cup of coffee and a bagel...or better yet read this during lunch. It may get long.

Thursday and Friday last week turned into rest days. At least I think they were. I haven't been keeping track on my workouts but I definitely remember the key ones. Yeah......they were both rest days. I'm sure of it.

So Saturday would be the day to run. Our friend Jane told us about the SMILE WITH ME! 5K Run and 1M Walk to support Heart Arrhythmia Research & Community Scholarships. We arranged to meet before the race so we could get in some additional mileage. Aimee and Jane put in about 7 miles and I managed around 10. It was a pretty good warm-up for the 5k.

We drove to the race and got signed up and waited for the start. We were starting to cool-down so I went for a short run to get the muscles warm again. There weren't too many people at the race but when I lined up at the front I could tell who would be leading.

Originally I was going to run a progressively faster pace starting around 7/mile and go faster from there. Well as soon as the bell was rung that went out the window. The adrenaline pumped through my body and I was off to the races.

Now I wasn't going to try and stay with the front runners. I would have blown up after mile one. I sat back and ran on the shoulder of two others I was with in positions 5 - 7. There were two guys in front of us that I kept in check.

As we turned off the main street into a neighborhood I surged around the corner to try and break the spirit of the two guys with me. The first mile marker was 75 yards from the corner. As I passed through the first mile they called out 6:11 as my first split. DAMN. I wasn't expecting that. Now I had to hold on for two more miles.

During the second mile there is a significant downhill/uphill combination. I used the downhill to create a gap between me and the guys behind me. I could hear the footsteps growing fainter and I let loose down the hill. The flat before the uphill lasted for about 100 yards. I tried to maintain a good pace going up the hill and focus only on the 10 feet in front of me trying not to think about getting to the top. I knew I would get there eventually.

But then I started to hear footsteps behind me again. Crap he was catching up to me going up the hill. Don't worry, stay steady, keep it moving forward. He never did pass me. I wasn't going to let him.

Once I reached the top of the the hill I saw that the two guys ahead of me had split. One was starting to fade and I was reeling him in. I passed him running strong to let him know he was owned. See ya at the finish line.

The winds from the south were evident at this point during the final mile. I also knew that once I hit the main street heading back to the finish line there would be an even stronger wind coming from the west. I reminded myself that everyone would have to face the wind as well. One more mile. Only one more mile. Keep pushing it hard to the finish. The mind was definitely in control and helped keep the legs moving.

I crossed the finish line in 19:32. Not a PR but I wanted to be below 20. I did manage a fourth overall which guaranteed first place in my age group. We sat around with friend and waited for the award ceremony. Aimee's co-worker Dan Van, actually he is more friend than co-worker, took second in the my age group so we were able to have out picture taken together for the Smile with Me website.

And this was just the beginning of the weekend. We also had a wedding to attend for one of Aimee's co-workers and of course that includes a reception. But before that I cut the grass, first because it needed it and second I wanted to keep the legs loose.

We did our bricks Sunday morning since time with our mothers would be in the afternoon. I wanted to get in one more round of hills. Yes....this means the Death Ride hills again, but on very tired legs. Aimee and I both woke up with unsettled stomachs. Maybe it was the food and alcohol from the reception. Maybe it was lack of sleep and the bodies needed more rest.

I knew this would be an important training day. Not physically but mentally. In addition to the iffy stomach the temperature wasn't going to be very high, overcast and winds from the west. I pulled Aimee aside and made sure she understood the purpose of the days training. Tough it out and be strong mentally.

Over the course of the next four hours I would climb the hills to warm up and bomb the descents loosing the warmth I had created. I would see the standard dead animals in the road. But this time I was saddened by the sight of a baby red fox and intrigued by a buzzard feasting on the carcass of a raccoon.

My mental battle was Boston Mills Road. The legs were tired from the 5k on Saturday and the hills leading up to the steep road. For an hour leading up to the hill I went back and forth trying to decide if I was going to ride it. As I approached the intersection of Riverview and Boston Mills I turned without hesitation toward the hill and told myself, "Harden up F@cker".

I may be this tired at the end of Triple T and I would have to suck it up during the race. Train like you race....right? Suck it up and do it.

After a couple more hills, including the 3 mile Snowville Road, I made it back to the parking lot. I slipped on my running shoes and headed out for a 30 minute run. What struggle. I settled into a steady pace and chugged it out. It wasn't pretty but it was helpful to remember how much of a struggle the transition from bike to run can be.

When I was all done with the run....I was all done for the day. Stick a fork in me and ring the bell for dinner. I packed up and headed over to my brothers house to shower and get ready for our Mother's Day dinner. I'm glad my brother cooked because I was worthless after my brick.

We had a good dinner with mom and Aimee had a nice brunch with her mom. Aimee's brick went well despite the cold. Her feet didn't warm up until AFTER she was done with her run. But her toughness is building for the upcoming tri season and the Half IM we are doing in July.

Monday I had an accupunture session with the witch doctor and boy did it help revitalize the body. All the trapped heat and stress from training was released during the session. It was almost like another training session.

That's about all I got for now. Time to get to bed and rest up.

Time to taper for Triple T. With rest and preparation it will definitely be Game On in two weeks.

What Am I Doing?!?!?!?!?

Obviously not posting on the old bloggie thing. I don't like it when the blog gets ignored and I don't post for over a week. I mean it's not like I'm working and training enough as it is.

But I will admit that work has thankfully been busy lately, next two weeks will be worse, and I am getting in the last of my big training for the Triple T. So of course my blogging suffers. My reading of other peoples blogs is still on par, but my writing it suffering. Quality over quantity, right.

Moving forward I'll give a brief recap of training.

Last weekend I decided to overload the running. I was working out of town Friday to Saturday and taking your running shoes is so easy when traveling.

• I ran Wednesday, don't remember where or how far.
• Thursday was a rest day, floating rest days have been popular this year.
• Friday I wanted to run long after I was done with my customer. I had found a route that was going to be awesome. I drove the route earlier in the day and I liked what I saw. Unfortunately the early evening rain came through and put a kabosh on that idea. The rain was falling at a 45 degree angle, can you say windy? I wound up running 70 minutes on a treadmill at the local Y....on a Friday night....at 7PM. How exciting.
• Saturday I worked in the morning and drove home. I ran our 6.5 mile loop in about 51 minutes, 8/min pace. I kept it easy since my long slow run wasn't going to happen.
• Sunday Aimee and I rode for 2.5 hours together. I did several strong intervals just to test out the bike legs. I hopped off the bike and ran the 6.5 mile loop again, reverse this time, at a much higher intensity. Finished the loop in 45 minutes this time, roughly a 7/min pace. Wicky Wicky What What! Boy did that feel good.
  

The final run of the weekend was the high point of training last weekend. I felt great and had a blast pushing the pace and keeping it fast.

This past week I had two good swims. Great intensity and yardage. I think both were around 4000 yards. On Wednesday I did some short hill repeats in the rain. That was a good workout. The rain wasn't coming down too hard and the temp was warm enough for shorts and a shirt. My warmup and 2 miles between repeats was at a strong pace. The hill repeats were "hill bounding". Short strength repeats lasting 10 - 20 seconds. Not the long 90 second repeats or run to the top type of repeats. I also read an article about hill sprints in Running Times that I will have to try, but I digress.

The one thing I really liked about that run was being free. I didn't have my watch with me. I had forgotten to pack it in my bag. So......

• I don't know how far I ran.
• I don't know how long I ran, time wise.
• I don't know how long each hill repeat was.

And I really didn't care. I went by feel and it felt great. Finishing the workout I felt good. These types of repeats aren't supposed to drain you. I came away feeling like I could do more, but I also knew that what I had done was enough. There would be benefit from what I accomplished.

So leading up to this morning.......I woke up at 4AM to pee and have been up since. Early to bed on another exciting Friday night has me ready to go for the weekend. We have to manage our training around a wedding today and Mother's Day tomorrow. I still think it will be quality. At least I hope so. This is the last opportunity for "big" training for Triple T. It's coming up fast.

I will be back sooner than later for another post. Sunday night. I will post by Sunday night. I will. Really. Must.FOCUS.

Game On people. Get that damn Game On.

What - A - Weekend

Spring has definitely sprung here in northern Ohio. Temps were in the 80's all weekend and that meant for some prime training. Four weeks out from Triple T and the next three weeks of training will be very important. Unfortunately work is going to make it tough to schedule quality sessions.

But this weekend worked out perfectly. One customer pushed off his weekend work so I had all weekend to play.

Thursday was a forced rest day so I decided to do a long run on Friday (normal rest day) in prep for the weekend. I put in 13.5 miles before 9AM that morning. I held a 8:13 average pace and it felt great.

Saturday would afford a great opportunity to ride the hills in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Some of you will remember the 14 Hills Ride (aka Death Ride) as I prepared for both Ironmans. Well I need the hills for Triple T as well. The best part was starting at 7:30AM with no extra clothes. The temp was around 60 degrees and would warm up quickly. It felt like it was the middle of summer.

All said and done I put in 68 miles, 3:45:00 and 9 hills. I also managed to take some pics from the ride.

Stream along Boston Mills Road. I'm sure not too many people get to see this because the road isn't used that often by cyclists due to the incline and motorists are not looking for it.

Oak Hill Road. This is the steepest of the Death Ride hills. I skipped it this time. I'm looking straight across at the base. I'm not looking up at all. Yeah it's that steep.

Hale Farm and Village


Heron nests on Bath Road.


Obligatory shadow picture.

I found this guy trying to cross the road. I snapped a picture first then carried him across the road. "Like a Frightened Turtle"

Sunday's finale was the NCN Racing Buzzard Duathlon. This race has been the season starter for this area for 9 years. The 3 mile run, 15 mile bike, 3 mile run is on the rolling streets around the Cleveland Metropark's Hinckley Reservation. Each lap starts by going uphill.

The goal for this race was to finish well. With two big days of training under my belt I wanted to push the envelope and complete the weekend on a high note. I'll try to post a race report but I will say that it was a success. I felt good the entire race and finished 3rd in AG.

Later in the day Aimee and I visited the Witch Doctor; aka acupuncturist. We both had good sessions which help recharge the legs with good energy while releasing the toxins and stress of training.

Of course we also had to treat ourselves to some Dairy Queen after dinner. A small reward for our hard work this weekend.

Three more weeks of training before I taper for Triple T.

Game is On track. I hope it stays that way.

Friday Fun - Somalian Pirate We

This has been one of the better seasons for Southpark on Comedy Central. The shows have been timely in regards to current events and I have been LMAO. I will tell you the lyrics are adult in nature. Okay...disclaimer out of the way.....roll the video.

This Calls for a Brain Dump

And yet another week slips by with little action in the blog-o-sphere. Oh I've been reading my favs and posting comments but the posts on my own have just not been there. I commented on Cyndi's blog about not worrying about missed workouts and not playing catch-up.

Normally I would do that with my own blog but this time I'm going to brain dump and recap the last week.

Last Monday I was out of town at a customer for 3 days. No problem there is a YMCA in town and I can still swim and run. Problem.....the pool is closed for repairs. I'm flexible....I deal with it.

Tuesday was another quality treadmill workout. It's a fun one where you keep a steady pace but you change the elevation every 60 seconds. You can read about it here.

Wednesday I drive back home and ride on the trainer. Nothing heavy but something to loosen the legs.

Thursday I ran again. 6.5 miles with some tempo at 1 mile, .25 mile and .5 mile distances. Another quality workout.

Friday is rest day. Whew. Except for a fund raising wine tasting at the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame.

Saturday was a quality brick. Aimee and I rode together for 2:15 hours then I rode for another 1:30. The portion I rode alone was some great tempo work on the bike followed by a 4.5 mile run. I knew it was going to hurt but I pushed myself twice for a .5 mile and then a .25 mile surge. I don't know how long I ran but the brick total was probably 4:15.

This day was filled with quality. The best part was riding with Aimee then having her ride the mountain bike during my run.

In case I haven't said it before, she is awesome. We followed up our training day with dinner downtown before Aimee and a friend saw Chelsea Handler. I played chauffer and dropped them off at the theater. I visited my brother before picking them up again.

Sunday we ran with some friends. Well, Aimee ran with friends while I hit the Buckeye trail between Brecksville Reservation and Snowville Road. My legs were so heavy for the first several miles and then things started to feel pretty good. I love being the only one on the trails and just loosing myself to the wooded path. Still pretty muddy but the legs were coming through for me. I finished that run with 9 miles in 1:27 time.

So today was just a nice day to loosen up in the pool. It was the first time in over 10 days. I swam 1000 yards to loosen up before getting in the whirlpool. Tomorrow is a hard swim workout. Maybe the long break from the pool with provide some good times in the water.

Brain dump over. Hopefully I won't need to do this again too soon because the Game appears to be gettin' On.

Two for Tuesday - Exciting Time for Tri-ing

I would have to look back in my post listing to see when I last posted a TfT but two things, or people, have "inspired" me today.

Shawn

I can't help but make sure everyone who reads my blog knows about Shawn. She found my blog and boy am I glad. I have enjoyed following her journey towards completing the Lavaman Tri on March 29. The Queen songs in my playlist are mainly for her because Another Has Bitten the Dust and joined the movement towards triathlon. Yes, Shawn became a full fledged triathlete once she toed the start line in Kona as part of Team in Training. By making it to the start line she pushed herself through workouts and training that would have beaten down other people. But Shawn had, actually has, the guts and determination to follow through and reach her goal.

I love reading race reports from people that are new to triathlon. I get excited through their reports and remember the thrill and joy of racing that I have experienced. These reports help me keep the fire burning while I train and race. Check out her race report from Lavaman. She went through so much before, during and after the race I'm hoping, nah...I know, she finds the humor in what happened surrounding her big race.

With one race behind her she is already looking towards the future. More races, loosing weight, improving her fitness, enjoying this wonderful family of triathletes. Game On Shawn. This Bud's for you Miss Purple Haired Freaky Swimcap Sharklike Triathlete. Well.....maybe not a Bud...you are still training.....maybe an O'Doules.......nah.....stick with Gatorade......with some CarboPro. Yeah...that's the ticket.

TriSaraTops

You don't know TriSaraTops yet? Where have you been? She's is a great blogger and loves sharing her little tidbits of life with us all.

So what can I say about my tri-sister TriSaraTops. Oh I would probably use too many adjectives and start to sound all mushy and effiminate. So I'll stick with "She Rips Tri's like a Rock Star"...."She's Uber Cool"...."She's a Tri Studdette". I know you're laughing Sara.

Seriously, I'm just happy to have her as a friend. Last year Sara started a mini Evo-Tri group at her high school. I called it the Evo-Kids, not to be confused with "emos" who shouldn't be confused with the goths who hate vamps.....well that's what I learned on Southpark....I digress. I helped her with a couple of workouts with these young ladies. I was able to race and watch them at their first triathlon. My hat is off to Sara for everything she did for these kids.

I'm excited that she wants me to help with this years Evo-Kids as well. She is firing up the band wagon and hoping to get more area schools involved. Just as Shawn above has found the fun and excitement of triathlon at 40, I want to help bring more young blood into the sport.

Last year is was all girls. This year we are hoping for more interest from the boys. Hopefully several area high school coaches will help spread the word. I'm really excited by what could happen this summer. I'm going to help Sara as much as I can, but I will surely be riding on her coat tails as she is super organized and is a woman on a mission. I like it.

Game On Shawn and Sara. Female triathletes rock. I should know....I'm married to one.

Fatigue

Yes fatigue. We have all experienced fatigue in one form or another.

Physical, mental, material.

Did I just say material? Yes I did.....and you will see why as you keep reading.

Since my game was back on after three weeks of illness, which culminated in pleural effusion, I was ready to get back to some serious training. I needed some long saddle time this weekend and I didn't want to do it on the trainer, especially 3 hours.

The weather forecast called for clear skies but cold temps. No problem because I would layer appropriately and use some hand and toe warmers for the extremities. Woke up around 7AM and started to get fueled up and gather my riding gear for the day. The temp was showing 35 degrees and The Weather Channel was saying the wind was NNE at 10 - 20 MPH.

One thing I always take into account is wind chill. Not only do I worry about the reported wind chill but also my average riding speed, 20MPH. So I wore my heavier tights and a wind vest to fight of the natural and riding wind chills.

I headed out and was looking forward to the ride. I went south first knowing I would have to battle the winds coming from the north during my return. It would be good mental and physical training for riding in less than ideal conditions.

I had my camera so I took some pictures along the way.

Obligatory shadow picture.



And a couple shots at different angles. Trying to offer something new.





With the wind at my back I was feeling warm and toasty, almost overdressed for the ride. But I knew that the wind would be right in my face so the extra layers would be helpful. Yes another picture. Notice I am outside and NOT on the rollers going with no hands. It's also a country road so there was no traffic around when I did this.

I reached the southern-most part of my planned route and started to head east. The winds were felt immediately. My speed was hovering around 17MPH. As I crossed over one of the major state routes I noticed something very peculiar. My pedal stroke was shortening up. I wasn't getting the full extension of my legs at the bottom on each stroke. I looked between my legs at my seat and noticed the seat post had slipped down.

When I stopped and swung my leg over, the seat moved so loosely it twisted. I had to take a picture of my seat.

I told myself, "Okay, no problem. You have your multi-tool and can tighten the clamp." When I went to loosen the bolt I noticed something very interesting. Fatigue. Of the material type. In this case....aluminum is the material....fatigue results in cracks.


Yes there are three cracks highlighted by the red circles. Not sure how this came about but it didn't bode well for my ride. I was at the furthest point away from home with a seat that wouldn't stay up. Fortunately I wasn't too far from potential help. There were two friends I would be riding by on my route and I could see if they were home to help.

I figured all I needed was some duct tape to help hold the seat post in place. I didn't let this minor set back dampen my spirit. Stuff like this happens. Unfortunately I was looking to road race a little this year and now it may not happen. These cracks have potentially ruined the entire frame....unrecoverable.....worthless......damaged beyond repair.

My faithful GT ZR3000 is dying. I will mourn my ride later once I get a full diagnosis.

So I continued with my ride feeling like a kid on a tricycle. My legs spinning in little circles with my knees barely moving away from my chest. I was able to spot this pig roaster next to a guys barn. I couldn't help but notice the bicycle wheel he used as part of the spit. Definitely worth the picture.




I rode to Patrick's house to see if the family was home. Patrick and his wife Linda got me on the bike in the first place so I knew he would be interested in seeing the damage. No luck. These people are busier than a bee hive in August. With three kids playing soccer and getting in their cycling it would have been a miracle that they would be home.

So it's off to stop number two. Scott and Jane live one city north from Patrick. Not much farther to go on my lowered seat. Please be there Scott. BINGO. Scott was working on their basement and provided me with four strips of duct tape. Looks like it would hold up for the final push home. This is what the tape job looked like once I got home. The seat tube still slipped some but at least it wasn't all the way down.


The remainder of my ride home was uneventful, thank goodness, except for the stiff winds hitting me straight from the north. There is nothing quite like a stiff breeze while going uphill.

All told my ride time was 2:50:00 and 50 miles. Total trip time was more around 3:30 considering the stoppages due to my mechanical difficulties. Overall it was much needed time in the saddle. The entire body is tired from the effort but it's training money in the bank.

What's next for the GT? Not sure. I hate to think the worst but it may come down to retirement for the frame. But I'm not giving up hope yet.

But man, he sure has helped me get my Game On.