Happy Anniversary - Number 13

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

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

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

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

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

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

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?

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

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

MC SpandX dropped another video this month. check it out and give him some mad props.

Huntington Sprint Tri

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

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

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?

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.

Muncie Endurathon Race Report

I have found yet another race that I highly recommend participating in. The 31st Endurathon is a top notch race. With so many years of experience they know exactly what they are doing and providing the athletes a first rate experience.

The race expo, packet pick-up and pre-race meeting were well attended and very informational. We got a group shot of some of the Cleveland athletes.

Martha, Aimee, Jen, Me, Adam and Brian



Aimee and I checked into our hotel and unpacked the car.



We then met the gang, Adam, Brian, Jen, Beth, Brandon, for dinner. We shared some stories and talked about the upcoming race.


After dinner Aimee and I drove out to the race site and checked out the bike and run course. I became bored driving the bike course because it is soooooo flat. Sure it will be fast but I was getting bored. We found some roads to get us to the run course and we drove that instead.

Aimee’s sprint duathlon would be biking on the same roads the run course would be on. So we both were able to scout the course for our respective races.

We made it back to the hotel and finished our prep for race day. Fortunately I had a great nights sleep Thursday because I didn’t fall asleep until 11:30, partially because of the Tour de France coverage on Versus.

I woke up before the 4:20AM alarm and was already fueling up when my watch chimed. It didn’t take long to get ready and pack up the car. We left the parking lot at 5AM and headed to the race site. We were able to get a good parking spot and started taking our gear to transition. A quick trip to get body marked and we headed back to the car. We put up the tent near the bike dismount line and proudly hung the SnakeBite banner.

I finished getting my transition area put together and did my run through of the transitions. The run from the beach to transition is uphill and about 200 meters. The bike/run out is a little tricky getting onto the road. The bike dismount and entrance into transition had a grass dip coming off the road you had to be careful of. I just need to know the little details of transition.

I was in line for the port-o-potty at the 7AM start time for the open wave approached. A volunteer was telling people who were in the first three waves should go to the front of the line. My start time wasn’t until 7:24 so I had some time to have a good final purge.

I got rid of my shirt and grabbed my swim goggles and cap. The water temperature was 80 degrees so no wetsuits allowed. I was fine with that since I have been doing my open water swims sans wetsuit anyways.

I joined Adam and Brian with some warm-up swimming in the reservoir. The water was very warm. There was absolutely no shock to the body. When I was happy with my warm-up I joined the other guys in my starting wave. We watched the waves ahead of us start. We eventually crossed the timing mats and entered the water.

We had barely entered the water and I had positioned my goggles when the starter said, “Okay guys, you are going in 5 seconds.” CRAP. Here I was standing just off the shoulder of Brian in the front row. I guess it’s go time.

I took two steps and dove into the water. I knew there were over 70 guys behind me so I had to start fast and stay ahead of the pack. For at least 500 yards I was breathing with every stroke to the right side. I could spot the buoy markers and the guy swimming next to me. A couple of times I felt a person to my left and was sandwiched between them. In the past I would panic and try to get out of there and find open water. But today I fought off the urge to flee and stayed where I was. I kept pushing hard and eventually the guy on my left was gone.

It took a while but I eventually was able to start breathing on both sides. During one of my sightings I put my head back into the water rather forcefully and that caused some water to seep into my left goggle. Now I had even more reason to only breathe to the right. If I breathed to the left the water would get into my eye.

After I while I had to clear out the water. I found a quiet patch of water between swim waves, we were catching some of the women in the wave ahead of us, and treaded water to release the water. I was able to get back into my rhythm quickly and didn’t lose any distance from my immediate competitors.

The traffic around the first turn buoy was light and I was able to swim close to it with no problems. The second stretch between turn buoys I tried to stay steady with my stroke and continue to pass people. I saw a variety of cap colors from previous waves.

Around the second turn buoy was clear of any traffic and it was a straight shot back to the beach. The markers were easy to see because a boat was usually close by. I also had a person from my wave nearby and I was sighting off of him at times. As I sighted to shore I could see two huge orange balloons that marked the exit point. These orange markers were actually inflatable tubes. Swimming into the sun I could spot them easily.

I continued to swim steady and think about kicking to get some blood in my legs. I swam towards the orange markers until I touched sand and stood up. In five steps I was on the beach taking off my goggles and swim cap. At least I didn’t need to worry about my wetsuit this time. As I ran up the hill to transition, I saw I guy I was talking to in the port-o-potty line and told him good swim….he was in my age group. I also ran by my friend Eric Banks. I patted him on the shoulder and kept on jogging up the hill. Near the top I heard Aimee yelling for me and gave her thumbs up.

Swim time was 36:36 and that ranked me 77th overall. This was my best race swim….ever. I fought through a hard and fast start and kept my cool until I was clear of the washing machine. I could not have asked for a better swim.

Entering T1 I found my rack easily and started getting ready for the bike. I had to slip on my race top first since I did not wear it during the swim. Next was helmet and sunglasses. Socks and shoes were next. I grabbed my bike off the rack and headed towards the exit. As I felt my spot I glanced over and saw the Brian Stern’s bike was still racked. It made me feel good to see I had made it in and out of transition before he did. However, I knew I would see him pass me on the bike later.

I exited transition in 1:23 and found the road to be packed with people. I ran past a couple people before finding an open spot and jumped on my bike. I wobbled for a second and quickly regained control. I placed my feet on my pedals and started to get out of the congestion. Once I was clear I then clipped into my pedals.

The first two miles I rolled past people on the main road before the Cardinal Greenway. Brandon warned me that it could get crowded since it is a paved rail-to-trail. It is a nice shaded path that is quite flat of course. The traffic was fine and I passed several people before settling in. Passing was easy, especially for Adam Hunter as he caught me within 5 miles. I made it out of transition before him and was expecting him to pass me at some point.

The bike course was pretty much what I had expected; relatively flat and a little boring. I concentrated on keeping myself under control. I didn’t want to expend too much energy on the bike and have a difficult run. I would wait until the turn around to increase my efforts. I was also trying to pay attention to the wind and use it to my advantage.

Perhaps the best part about the bike course is that there is no traffic. All of the roads are closed to traffic on race day. It was great not worrying about cars passing you. If you heard the sound of a vehicle you knew it was a USAT referee on a motorcycle. Occasionally I would spot a car trying to cross the course, but they were never in a rush and accepted the race for what it was.
I was fueling well on the bike. I had three bottles of Perpetuem and some food. Near the turn-around I ate three Clif blocks. I saved the remaining three for the end of the bike before the run. I was well hydrated and peed twice while riding the bike.

Overall it was a very peaceful and quiet ride. I was by myself for a majority of the ride except when I was catching someone or being passed myself. For the sake of my brother I saw spiders, ants, and caterpillars on the road. It amazed me how many little critters I saw trying to cross the road. I wonder how many got squished by a bike tire. I didn’t run over the ones I saw.

On the final stretch of the bike I could see the transition area ahead. All of the spectators were on the road watching athletes dismount their bikes. Volunteers and signs were posted telling you how far to the dismount line. With about 100 yards remaining I unstrapped my shoes and placed my feet on top of my shoes. I slowed down and swung my leg over the saddle and prepared to dismount. My feet hit the ground and I made the right turn into transition.

Could hear Aimee yelling for me as I went passed her. My bike bounced severely as I went through the dip between the road and bike racks. Aimee told me later that a lot of people lost their shoes in the dip when they were jarred out of their clips.

I finished the bike in 2:29:12 with an average speed of 22.5 MPH. My 105th overall ranking continues to show that my cycling needs some improvement before the HalfRev at Cedar Point.
In transition I racked my bike and took off my helmet. I slipped on my shoes and grabbed my hat, race belt and PowerGels. I ran towards the exit while putting my gels in the side pockets of my race top. I hit the pavement and put on my hat and clipped my race belt around my waist. I was out of transition in 59 seconds. I tied another guy in my age group for fastest T2 time.

As I started the 13.1 mile run I held back for the first couple of miles. I wanted to get my running legs under me and not burn them out early. The sun was out and the shade was sparse, oh and no wind. I had two PowerGels with me. I had accidentally forgot to pack my other PowerGels and would be relying upon the Hammer gels provided on the course. I wasn’t happy with the change in nutrition but I had no choice. Of all the vendors at the race expo none of them had any PowerGels. As long as I had something to take in I should be okay.

My nutrition plan called for gels at every other aid station with water at every aid station. The good thing is that the aid stations were each mile. I had eaten three ClifBloks before getting off the bike so I would grab gels at the even miles. The aid stations were great with cold water, Gatorade, gels, cold towels, ice and energetic volunteers.

I was holding a good pace and happy with reeling in different people ahead of me. Unfortunately none of them were in my age group. Thinking back I was pretty much on auto pilot. I was waiting to see the leaders on their way back. I took what I needed at the aid stations.

I was averaging 7:45/mile pace for the first half of the run. I saw Brian running very strong and owning the run course. He wound up with the second fastest time for the day. I also saw Adam on his way back and I could tell he was beginning to slow down. The heat and his bike ride were beginning to take their toll.

As I made the turn for the trip to the finish I could feel my calves, and not in a good way. Apparently my nutrition was not up to par for the day and I was most likely low on electrolytes. My calves were starting to cramp on me. I still managed to keep a 7:50/mile pace through mile 11 but it was tough keeping the calves under control.

I kept telling my legs they were not allowed to cramp and I had conversations with each calf muscles. I convince one not to cramp and then I would have to talk to the other one. I hated to do it but I had to change my stride and foot strike to help avoid the cramping. Even going through the aid stations was painful. My stride would change just enough that my calves would start to seize up. Damnit, I wasn’t about to cramp up at an aid station.

I was watching all of the runners heading out towards the turn around. I saw Jen running very strong in her first Half Iron. I also saw Beth, John and Eric. I missed some other people partly because I didn’t know they were there and I was in deep negotiations with my calves. However I did notice a white caterpillar hanging from a string of silk on the side of the road. The tree branch was pretty high up and he was eye level with me. Maybe liked watching us suffer in the heat.

I made my way through the aid station at mile 11 with no issues. However, as I ran up a small incline immediately after the aid station my right calf finally won the battle and started to seize up on me. I stopped and watch my calf muscle literally turn itself inward. It was like a string was attached to the muscle and it was being pulled through my shin. I gave it a quick squeeze and had to start running again. I only stopped for a few seconds but the damage was done.

I resumed my running but my stride was permanently changed for the final two miles. I had to shorten my stride and strike with my heals to prevent my calves from shortening up and cramping. Somehow I still managed to pass some people who were struggling worse than I. But wouldn’t you know it, a guy passed me who was in my age group. I just couldn’t go with him.

Mile 12 was a 8:20 mile. Mile 13 was a 8:43 mile. I was slowing but I was still moving. I was better off than the guy on the side of the road. As I approached the final uphill to the finish I spotted Aimee on the side of the road. She was standing near a group of people kneeling next to a guy lying on the side of the road. Later Aimee would tell me that this guy was staggering and dropped to the ground. She was one of the first to reach him and he was foaming at the mouth, definitely not a good sign.

I pushed up the final grade and could hear the spectators cheering for everyone. I crossed the first set of timing mats and heard the announcer call out my name. I tried to give the photographers a good picture as I crossed the finish line.

My time to run 13.1 miles…..1:43:30…a 7:55/mile pace. My run split was 64th overall.

Overall race time….4:51:38 which placed me 17th in the age group and 46th overall male.

Post race was awesome. There was a misting tent, a wide selection of ice cream treats, grapes, pasta, and sandwich wraps. We also received finisher plaques. Aimee and I started putting our gear away and chatted with friends about the race. We cooled off in the reservoir and did a quick shower outside the bathhouse, just something to wash of the stink before the 4.5 hour drive home.

Beth, Me, Martha and Brandon


I went back to get my post race food and Aimee proved that she is the best support person I could ask for. She brought the car around to where we had set up the tent and was putting it all away when I returned. I constantly say that I could not do any of this without her. She makes racing/training so enjoyable and I love sharing the experience with her.

I put on my very stylish compression socks and thigh sleeves for the ride home. Once we got under way I called teammates Jason and Patty to check on them before their first Half Iron race at Mussleman the next day. Aimee and I had a good drive home together and dinner consisted of pizza and wings. Oh what a treat after a great race.