Racing for Recovery Half Iron - Part 3

I was feeling pretty good starting the run. The brick workouts had paid off. My legs felt as normal as can be after riding 56 miles. I knew they would come around after the first mile. I could see Scott ahead of me. Looking at the results he had left transition 33 seconds ahead of me. I wasn’t sure if I would catch up to him or not. The first mile of the two loop course was in the open. After leaving the path that circled the reservoir the run course started to wind through the woods on asphalt. The majority of the run would be on this winding path. I quickly lost sight of Scott and was running very much alone. There was no way to see the aid stations before you reached them which made it difficult to use gels. I would come around a corner and there would be the table with water. I quickly forced down a Hammer Gel and grabbed some water, not the best way to get nutrition.

The second aid station was located at the beginning of an out and back section that was on a dirt path. My trail running paid off as I really liked this section. I could see the people ahead of me, especially when they turned around and headed back to the pavement. Prior to reaching the pavement and aid station I opened up another gel and put down some more energy. I followed that with water to drink and dump on my neck. The course continued to wind through the park. I completely lost sight of Scott and wouldn’t see him again until the finish line. I paid attention to my surroundings and made note of markers on the trail so I would know where I was during the second loop. All of the trails came together at the 5.5 mile mark and that is where Coach Angela, Aimee, Tina and Wesley were cheering us on. Everyone said I was looking strong. I was feeling comfortable with my pace. I was keeping my heart rate around 155 BPM. Angela wanted me around 150, no higher than 153, but I was fine at 155.

I wasn’t taking splits during the run so I don’t know my mile times. I was just moving forward to the finish line. I looped back out onto the course at the transition area and grabbed some more water. Roughly 6.5 miles to go and I would be done. I tried to push the pace and increased my heart rate to 160 BPM. I often find myself maintaining pace with the increased effort, simply making sure I don’t slow down too much. More people were on the run course now and I passed several people starting their first loop. Around mile 8 I head footsteps approaching from behind. I figured it was someone that felt really good on their first loop. In reality, two competitors I had seen during the two out and back sections had increased their pace and were passing me. I checked their calves and they were in the age group below mine, but only by 1 or 2 years. I tried to see if I could latch onto their pace but couldn’t muster the increase in speed. My legs were happy with the pace they were going. I was going to keep it steady until mile 10.

During this second loop I was able to prepare for the aid stations much better and consume the gels well ahead of time. I would alternate between water and Gatorade at the aid stations, often taking two waters so I could pour some on my head and neck to cool off. During the dirt out and back I saw many more competitors on their first lap, including Jen. She was looking strong on the run just like the bike. She was having a good day.

The turn around on the dirt path was near mile marker 10. This is where the race really begins for me. I readied myself for the final 3 miles and the increase in pace. I knew how I wanted to feel. I wanted to hurt during these last miles. I wanted to leave all of my training and preparation out on the course. I increased my pace so my watch was showing 164 BPM. Again, for all I know I was only maintaining pace to fend off slowing down. Angela and Aimee had left the run course and were waiting for me at the finish area.

As I approached the transition area I heard some people cheering. I could begin to feel the emotions of the day starting to rise to the surface. I only need to keep in under control for another 100 yards and my day would be done. Two volunteers were directing people towards their second lap of the run course. I was ready to finish and ran past the volunteers. I saw Aimee along the finishing chute taking pictures as I ran past. As I approached the finish line I finally saw a clock for the first time and it said 4:47. We started about 2 minutes behind the “elites” so I knew my time was around 4:45. I slowed down and I crossed the timing mat, raised my arms high and let out a loud emotional holler that I’m sure a lot of people heard. I had set my PR for the Half Iron distance triathlon by 27 minutes. The executive director of the race handed me my finisher’s medal. Two volunteers gave me a bottle of water and a cold towel to put on my neck. Angela and Scott were at the finishing area to hear me finish with a loud roar. Afterwards Angela said she loves to see me finish because I get so excited.

I gave Angela a big sweaty hug and had to walk around to start cooling down. Aimee made her way to the finish area and I was so glad to see her. I gave her a big hug and was finally able to release the emotions of the day. I wouldn’t let go of her for two minutes as the realization of what I had done started to sink in and forced the emotions out of my body. The time and effort of training really paid off. Seeing the results of the hard work is what gets me excited and emotional. Maybe I’m too serious about the training and that’s why the emotions come out at the end of the “A” race, but damn it feels good.

I talked with Scott about the race. We were pretty far ahead of the other AFT athletes so we could rest up and collect ourselves. Scott finished in 4:33. His effort really took a toll on his body. Angela and Scott left earlier than they wanted because he wasn’t feeling the greatest. Aimee and I stayed to watch more of our friends finish and pick up the age group awards for myself (2nd in AG/13th overall) and Scott (1st in AG/5th overall).

Run time: 1:39:36
Pace: 7:37/mile
Finish time: 4:45:34

That’s how it feels when Game is On.

Racing for Recovery Half Iron - Part 2

On the bike my race plan called for a conservative pace. In summary this is what Coach said.

1. HR Zone 135-145 for the first 30 miles
2. For the next 26 miles HR is below 150
3. Pick up the pace each lap
4. Race your race, zone in on yourself and what you want
5. It will be hard when people go by you, you will see them again and you will be passing them

Earlier in the week I told Angela that I was thinking about NOT wearing my HRM. She said that she could trust my “judgment” racing without the monitor. I decided by Thursday night that I would wear the monitor, but only use it for two readings; heart rate and countdown timer. The heart rate information will keep me from exploding in the middle of the race and the countdown timer would remind me to drink, take salt tablets and eat Clif Bloks. I would NOT start my watch or take splits during the race. I would go completely off the official chip times. Even the computer on my bike would only show RPM and distance. I didn’t want to get too hung up on time or speed.

So, this is what happened on the bike. After exiting transition Scott and I started passing people. I stayed behind Scott by 4-5 lengths. The opening miles of the bike course had multiple turns. There were volunteers at each corner and they did an excellent job controlling traffic. Some of the corners we worried about the night before were a non-issue on race day. Several of the corners I stayed in the aero-bars to maintain speed. Scott slowly started to pull away from me as we approached the intersection where the multi-loop portion of the course began. Scott trains with power so I knew his focus on the bike would be different. I was keeping a healthy pace and felt comfortable where I was heart rate wise.

I was drinking and eating well. At the start of the first loop I ate my first three Clif Bloks. I alternated between water and my Gatorade/Carbo-Pro mix as I saw fit. The bike course is pretty boring. Not much to see, very flat, not scenic at all. The bike aid station was positioned where the loops begin. Several miles before the aid station I peed on the bike. I saw this as an advantage because I would wash myself off with my water bottle and exchange it for a new one at the aid station.

As I approached the aid station I had to do a quick assessment of the intersection. There were cones in the middle of the road directing people to the left side of the road. All of the volunteers were on the opposite side of the road. This makes for an interesting left handed grab of the water bottles. I had emptied my aero bottle and refilled it with more Gatorade/Carbo-Pro. I dropped two bottles and picked up one water bottle from a volunteer. Now remember that this aid station is right AT the corner to start the loop portion of the course. I didn’t have time to place my bottle in the cage before I was into the intersection and needing to make a left hand turn. With the bottle still in my hand I managed to somewhat grab my handlebars with the fingertips and make the turn. I put the bottle in the cage and powered down the road getting back up to speed.

More people were on the course now and I lost sight of Scott up ahead. The traffic from the extra riders was not bad and I was able to pass people with no problems. Occasionally I needed to remind people to stay to the right. Despite the fact that we were on less traveled country roads, racers still need to ride on the right side of the road, not in the middle. I had to cross the center line several times in order to pass people. Approaching the aid station for the second time I peed on the bike again, washed myself off with water, dropped the water bottle and grabbed a new one from the volunteer. On this grab I slowed down enough to get the bottle in the cage before the turn, but I did drift into the intersection and had to turn sharply.

My condition up to this point was pretty good. Remember that Coach had planned for me to be 135 – 145 with the heart rate. Well for the first half of the ride, through lap two, I was maintaining 150 for my HR, or at least that is what I saw each time I looked at my watch and I tried to keep it there. I wasn’t spinning like I have in the past, but pushing bigger gears. I was using more muscle but still getting the heart rate up there.

I made the turn and started my final lap before heading back to transition. This last lap I upped the effort and pushed my heart rate up another 5 beats to 155 BPM. I was still comfortable with the effort and felt it would still leave me enough in the tank for the run. At some point during each loop I ate three Clif Bloks. The energy and calories were working out well with the Gatorade/Carbo-pro mix in the water bottles. During my final lap I finally passed someone I recognized, Jen. She was looking good, in the aero and I gave her some words of encouragement as I passed her. I peed one more time before the aid station. I couldn’t believe how I had to pee so much but I wanted to feel comfortable and not have any pressure in the bladder. As I approached the aid station I spotted a boy handing out water bottles on the right side of the street, which was great because this time I could turn right towards the venue and transition. I called for water and he was ready to hand it to me. I made the right hand turn and knew I only had 11 more miles to go on the bike.

During my last lap I had been passed by only one person. I could now see Scott and this other racer ahead of me on the road. They were not within striking distance but I still felt strong and it was nice to have some “targets” to go after. I tried to push the pace a little more but the inner thigh of my right leg began to cramp. I immediately eased up and slide further back on my saddle. Using different muscles being further back on the saddle helped release the spasm. I was worried that the muscle would bother me during the run, but that never happened.

Weaving our way back through the country roads, the volunteers at the corners were doing an excellent job with traffic and I was flying through the corners keeping up my speed and momentum. I think I peed one more time before re-entering the park. Inside the park I could see some of the leaders on the run course. As I approached the parking lot, I un-strapped the Velcro of my shoes. On the final straight into transition I pulled my feet out of my shoes and placed them on top of the shoes. I decreased my speed and swung my right leg over the saddle getting ready to dismount before the transition line. I ran into transition and re-racked my bike, helmet off, shoes on, grab hat and race belt, exit transition. I grabbed water from a volunteer as I started my run.

Bike
Time 2:29:11
Speed 22.5 MPH

T2
29 seconds – fastest T2 split overall

Racing for Recovery Half Iron - Part 1

The “A” race. The one race that a person trains towards for months, focuses on for weeks, peaks for in days and races for hours in order to shave off minutes at the finish. The Racing for Recovery Half Iron Distance Triathlon was my “A” race for the 2007 spring/summer season. With Ironman USA as my 2006 focus I did races with hills, including the Mountaineer Half Iron. Even my first Half Iron in 2004 was on a hilly course, both bike and run. I felt it was time to race on a flatter course and push myself to some painful limits. Both of my prior Half’s involved finishes around 5 hours 12 minutes. I wanted to go under 5 hours.

Aimee and I drove up to Monroe, Michigan Saturday afternoon. We went directly to the race site for packet pickup and to scope out the venue. I had registered early for the race so I received a special jersey instead of a t-shirt. We walked along the beach to figure out the swim course in Lake Erie. The temperature in the water would be warm enough for my sleeveless wetsuit. I liked how the swim was put together because you don’t have to get out for a second loop, I prefer to stay in the water the entire time. From the beach we walked the chute to the transition area and scoped out where the bikes would be racked. Getting a good view of the entire venue was important so that you can just flow through on race day.

Coach Angela had several of her athletes racing, including her husband Scott. The AFT racing crew included Kyle, Doug and Trephina (1st Half before first Ironmans), Jennifer and Chris (2nd Half in prep for their first Ironman at Lake Placid), Bob and Scott (training for Ironman’s later in the year), Debbie (in training for an Ironman Double) and myself (doing the half as my A race). We were able to see everyone at the race site or hotel, chat some and wish each other luck. Most of us headed out to dinner together. Joining us for dinner was our good friend Tina. Tina inspired me to raise funds last year for Susan G. Komen. Tina would help Angela watch over her two year old son for the day as well as cheer for everyone.

For dinner I had a good Louisiana Cajun Style pasta with chicken. I can handle spicy food well and this meal wasn’t that spicy. When we returned to the hotel I need to use the bathroom real bad. I had a big lunch and finished my big plate at dinner without using the bathroom during the day. Possibly a mistake because my stomach was not happy and let’s just say things were loose and my insides were bubbling, not a good feeling.

Scott and I had some tune-up work to perform on our bikes. I noticed a small cut in my rear tire so I wanted to replace it with new rubber. Scott had to do some general maintenance. When we were done, Aimee, Scott and I drove the bike course. The beginning of the course had a lot of turns to deal with. Seeing the corners and any debris on the road was helpful. There were enough rough sections to be worried about. Some parts would force you to ride in the middle of the road. We were hoping that traffic would be light for a Sunday morning. Overall the bike course would indeed be very flat.

After our ride through the countryside we retired back to our hotel rooms. Aimee walked over to Wendy’s for a Frosty. We both needed something sweet and I was hoping the ice cream would settle my stomach. Lights out for the night was around 9:30PM. I needed a good nights rest since Friday night I didn’t sleep well for some reason or another.

Sunday morning started at 4:50AM when the alarm went off. I got up, put on some clothes and went for a walk around the hotel parking lot. I wanted to wake up and pull my mental state together. I made it back to the room and began the purging process that started after dinner the night before. This wasn’t a normal purge for me. Things were looser than normal. I grabbed a banana from the hotel breakfast bar to try and pull my stomach together. Aimee and I finished putting our gear together and packed the car for the day. No late check-out so we would not be coming back to the hotel.

Arriving at the venue around 6:00AM we immediately put my bike in transition. I was the second bike on the rack, so I had to pick my second favorite transition spot. My stomach was still bubbling so I ate two Tums. I think it may have helped but my last stop in the bathroom was nothing but water. Now I was worried that I would have GI issues during the race and would be spending my time squatting on the side of the road loosing water and nutrition all day.

About 45 minutes before the race I started to focus my thoughts and energy inward. Mentally I needed to be ready for the race. No more socializing, I was here to race. I needed to be in the right frame of mind.

I put together my transition area with my nutrition for the day and gear. I then did a detailed run through of transition. I started about 20 yards away from the transition entrance where we would be running on some rough ground. I weaved my way through the crowds to my bike and simulated putting on my gear. Walked out of transition and mentally hopped on my bike. I then turned around and “dismounted” my bike and re-entered transition and “re-racked” my bike. A virtual change in gear and I walked back out of transition to start the run. Aimee had also tied a blue bandana at the end of the rack so I could spot my row easily.

I was transition ready. I grabbed my wetsuit and started walking with Aimee towards the beach start. I put on my wetsuit before the beach and walked with Aimee holding her hand. I am so fortunate to have such a supportive wife that understands my competitive nature. I got in the water and did some warm-up swimming. The water felt great and the sleeveless wetsuit was a perfect choice. I did some hard strokes and adjusted my goggles so they would be water tight. The race director gave a course overview, the executive director of Racing for Recovery spoke, a moment of prayer and we started the race.

A small number of “elite” racers started first. Then 114 men entered the starting chute for a mass beach start. I positioned myself in the second row like Coach Angela told me and we were off. The water was shallow for a long time, but as soon as it was deep enough I got in the water and started swimming even though there were others still walking. I tried to get into a good rhythm early on. I was stroking on the right side breathing every stroke for quite a ways. I would occasionally switch to the left side and only breathe on that side. I did this for about 400-500 yards. I finally changed my breathing to what I call race breathing, three breathes/strokes on one side, three count stroke, change to breathing on the other side. I was also making sure I was sighting often and well. This race was probably my best sighting during the swim.

The swim course headed straight out from the beach for 500 meters, came straight back to the beach for 400 meters, then was parallel for the remainder before angling back towards to swim exit. The starting point and exit point were about 800 meters apart. After we turned to swim parallel to the beach I settled into an alternate breathing pattern. I was still swimming and sighting well. However, I couldn’t find any feet to draft off of. The brown water made it difficult to spot anything under water and no one was very close when I spotted markers. I was fine swimming on my own; this is an individual sport you know.

As I headed back to the swim exit I tried to increase my effort on the swim to finish strong. I’ve always been a firm believer to swim as far as you can. I touched sand and kept swimming. I could see people standing up and walking in the water. I don’t know if I gained on them but I swam until I was only 10 yards from the beach. I didn’t have very far to run in the water. I immediately started to peel off my wetsuit. As we ran through the flags I saw a person with an EH jersey on. EH is Eric Hodska. He coaches Angela’s husband Scott. Scott and I exited the water together. I ran past him, heard Angela yelling and saw Aimee ahead taking pictures.

Swim time: 34:21

I peeled off my wetsuit and put on the rest of my bike gear. Socks and shoes, sunglasses and helmet, grab bike and go. Scott and I exited transition together but I ran past him so I could jump on my bike. I hit the saddle of my bike and almost took a dive as the bike started to wobble under me. Somehow I kept it together and kept moving forward. I thought I heard someone call my name as I pedaled away. I heard my name a second time and something about a bottle. Scott was yelling at me. I had hit one of my bottles behind the seat and it was hanging on for dear life. I put the bottle back in its place and continued on. I thanked Scott as he passed me.

T1 time 1:59

More to come as I get my Game On.

This Buds for You

I haven't been posting much as I have been busy with work and am conserving my mental and physical energy for my Half Distance tri this weekend, Racing for Recovery. This race is my Spring/Summer A race.

So for your entertainment I offer this commercial. After the race, I'll have a bud for myself.

Message from Michigan

I wanted to share an e-mail I received today. It's too good to keep to myself.

From: Racing for Recovery Half Triathlon
To: TriEric
Subject: Upcoming race at Monroe, MI

TriEric,

Yesterday Madame Pelee was visiting Michigan in preparation for the triathlons on June 10th. She was looking at the bike course and trying to decide how to arrive best so she could mess with the athletes. We also talked about some of the athletes on the participant list. I told her of the large number of people coming from Ohio.

Madame Pelee recognized your name and quite frankly it made her nervous. She mentioned that her recent visits to Ohio have not dampened your spirit and she thinks you are becoming too strong on the bike. This morning over breakfast I recommended that she pay a quick visit to Cleveland and see what you were doing. She saw you riding and decided to throw some rain at you. Despite being two hours into your ride she saw you pushing harder during the rain. And what is this business about getting off the bike and running a 32 minute 5 miler?

When Madame Pelee returned to Michigan she became hesitant about her return on June 10th for the triathlon. What did you do to her? If you stay home on June 10th we can call it even.......Okay? You can get your Game On at another race.

Best Regards,
Racing for Recovery Triathlon Course

Needless to say I was a little confused by the e-mail. It's true that my bike has been on and the run has been clicking as well. My ride this morning was a little wet but I was able to run with my Coaches husband and all around awesome training partner/friend Scott at a 5 mile race.

But is that race course talking smack at me? Is it scared of what may happen on June 10th? Is the race providing me a "gimme" like a 6 inch putt on the golf course?

Well I don't take "gimmes". Never did on the golf course, won't take it on the race course.

Ummmm.......Racing for Recovery.......I'm gonna be Game On all over your course. Oh....and tell Madame Pelee to stay home......she doesn't need to waste her time coming back to Michigan.

Another Brick in the Wall

I'm entering into the final days of preparation for the Racing for Recovery Half Distance tri on June 10th. This is my late spring/early summer A race for the season. This is my focus, my goal, my motivation, my inspiration to train.........and train hard. I'm bringing speed back into my workouts because of this "short" distance race. I guess anything is short after Ironman.

One area that has been lacking is my brick workouts. I've been doing them but something has been missing from them. One brick I skipped completely due to Mother's day, ran out of time. And another brick I rode to a local 5k race and did a controlled pace run. No brick this past weekend because of the 10k + 2 that I did on Sunday.

Coach Angela put a mid-week brick on tap for me yesterday, Wednesday. I've been working from home lately, big bonus, so I just had to get a conference call out of the way in the morning and do my workout during lunch. A 1 hour ride with a 30 minute run, but with some intensity. The weather also called for temps in the 80's by noon so this would be a good assimilation ride for warm weather, which we have not had a lot of around here.

The first 40 minutes of the ride in zone 2, pick it up to zone 3 working hard for 20 minutes. The run portion involved 10 minutes at zone 2 then finish with 20 minutes in zone 3. I was excited about the workout. The harder the better. Put in some big effort the will pay off on race day.

The ride was on target. I went over by 11 minutes because I didn't factor in the wind coming from the south. Regardless I hit the zones well. I transitioned into my run feeling good. At the half mile mark I saw 3:20 on the watch. A little too fast of a pace for zone 2 so I backed it down. I still had a ways to go and it was hot outside.

I clocked the first mile at 7:30 trying hard to keep my heart rate in zone 2, a high zone 2. The sun was beating down and I could feel the body getting hotter with the extra effort. At 10 minutes I did start to feel the legs could handle the run and I increased my pace. My heart rate easily went into high zone 3. I was able to keep a steady pace all the way back home.

When I finished my run I tried to feel my body. What was it doing? How tired was it? How was it feeling? I wanted to remember the effort exerted for this brick so I could duplicate the feeling on race day. It felt good. I was sweaty, tired and spent. That's what I want on race day.

So what did I learn from my workout on Wednesday? During the first mile of the run inspiration hit me like a....well....a.....ton of "bricks". I thought about the "WALL" that marathoners must face at some point between miles 18 and 22. How the body wants to start shutting down and pure will power and determination pushes a person through/around/over the wall.

I thought about what is the wall for a triathlete? Getting started on the run. Transitioning from cycling to running. Getting the legs used to the motion and effort that goes into running. The wall is placed at different distances for everyone. Most of the time the wall is withing the first 2 miles of the run. Once you are past the wall the legs want to run and the stride feels more natural and easier. Our brick workouts help us beat the wall when we face it come race day. These bricks help us tear down the wall and allows us to run better and faster after the bike segment of the race. And these workouts are seen as Bricks in the Wall, each time we complete a "brick" the wall is being torn down. Each brick completed makes it easier for us to get past the wall, have a better run, have a great race.

It's time to start tearing down your wall......Game On.

Rite Aid 10k Race Report

I am filled with so many emotions and thoughts right now about the Rite Aid 10k I do not know where to begin…..yet as usual and expected I start at the beginning.

I don’t run to many 10k during the year. In fact this 10k is the only local race at this distance available. I had already done two half marathons this spring so I wanted to test my speed with a 10k. I ran Rite Aid in 2005 as I was preparing for a triathlon season of Olympic distance races. I hadn’t run a straight 10k in years so I wanted to see where I was at. In 2005 I went 39:38 reaching my goal of a sub 40 race. I was determined to race even better and strive for something around 38 minutes.

Aimee and her sister, Becky, were running the 10k also. Becky stayed the night at our place so we could all drive down together. Becky is new to running this year and has been having fun at the 10k distance. Here goal was to break 1 hour on a somewhat hilly course. The alarm went off at 4:45AM so we would be ready to start at 7:20AM. Aimee and I are used to getting up at that hour but Becky was fit to be tied getting up to run that early.

We made it to downtown Cleveland with plenty of time to spare. We met some friends at a tent hosted by a local running club. They would watch our clothes during our run. Several members of the Cleveland Tri Club were on hand to race at all three distances, full marathon, half marathon and 10k. Papa Louie(10k) and DaisyDuc (marathon) were ready for action. Even E-Speed decided to run the full marathon and try to keep Daisy company. E-Speed had just completed the Flying Pig Marathon, but she looked ready to tackle another 26.2.

The marathoners, full and half, started at 7:00AM. They would be able to clear the first two miles of the course before the fast 10k runners took over. At mile 2 the courses took different splits in the road.

Coach Angela has sent me a plan for the race. First two miles go Zone 3, steady, holding back for later. Middle two miles push to high Zone 3. Final 2.2 miles red line the heart rate and squeeze it all out in the last mile. I’m not much for following this type of plan. I’m more of a single speed type where I don’t want to rely on getting faster. I’d rather start with my race pace and push to maintain it in the last miles. I was also told to make sure I warm up well with some jogging and wind sprints/turnovers so I would be warm for the start.

I did get in a nice warmup. I ran away from the start area and had the sidewalks to myself so I could get in some surges. I got back to the clothing tent and waited until we were close to go time. I took a Hammer Gel before heading to the start line.

The weather for this year’s race was very nice. The temperature was around 60 with some winds coming in from the west. Earlier there was some spotty rain hitting the area but nothing that was going to last.

I made my way up to the start line and positioned myself about 7 rows back from the front. I figured that I wouldn’t have much traffic to contend with being so far up front. I was in the top 100 finishing the 2005 race so I figured I belonged up front. Unfortunately there are still people that don’t know how to seed themselves for even a 10k. The horn blasted and we were off. For the first half mile I still had to dodge people and slip between slower runners. Fortunately they were left behind quickly. I tucked in behind some people as we turned into the wind and we had a good pace going. I felt great running a fast and easy pace.

The first mile was partially into the wind. I managed to draft behind some other people. As we approached the first mile marker I hit my watch and was surprised to see a 5:45 split. I really didn’t want that fast of a first mile but I felt really good at that point. Just past the mile marker was a water aid station. I grabbed a water and had a quick sip.

Mile two dropped down and around the Cleveland Municipal Stadium, where the Browns play football. On the west side of the stadium is a nice uphill climb that is gradual and long for about a quarter mile. The heart rate started to rise but I didn’t want to relinquish the effort I was putting in. At this point the only rain of the day came down for about two minutes. At the top of the hill a quick right turn and the course continues onto the “Shoreway”, a highway that goes along the shore of Lake Erie. Not as nice as Chicago but the best Cleveland has to offer.

The two mile marker is at the bottom of the on-ramp for the highway. I hit my watch for a 6:28 second mile, which I was happy with considering the hill. So I am sitting at 12:13 for two miles. I liked what I was seeing. If I could hold pace I could definitely get my 38:00 finish.

Now here is where the race report takes a weird twist….and it’s not a good one. The 10k course goes up the on-ramp, over the bridge, a small loop through a neighborhood and back over the bridge. Why was everyone going to the left? We were supposed to go right. One female runner, who was one of five in the lead for females made a move to the right but someone pointed her in the other direction. She continued with the rest of the field.

Like lemmings to the sea I also followed course. I could still see Papa Louie up ahead so maybe things are okay. Down into the Flats along the Cuyahoga River we went. The Flats is an area filled with bars and usually doesn’t see any activity on a Sunday morning. I was trying to figure out where this new route would be taking us for a 10k. Even the guy standing outside Larry Flynt’s Hustler Club was staring at us as we went by. We kept running at race pace following the trail of racers ahead of us. I looked at my watch and was wondering where the 3 mile marker was. We had reached 20 minutes and surely would be at three miles. I was also feeling ill at ease when we approached intersections with no police or course marshalls. Where is the protection? Should I turn around? What if this is the way to go? I was a lemming following the death march to the sea.

I finally started to give in to the fact that we were terribly off course. What the hell happened? How did we get out here? I slowed my pace as I started to give up hope. We climbed a hill and I saw where we were at, the Tremont District. A nice area of Cleveland that has a had an upscale rejuvenation. Some great restaurants and housing has sprung up in this area. But now we had to get back to downtown Cleveland.

I cruised along for a while and we finally hit the down hill back to the roads along the river. I decided it was time to push it home and have at least a good tempo run for the day. I cruised down the hill as I always try to do and recaptured the group I was running with originally which included several of the top female runners. We backtracked to the Flats and then people started taking different hills back towards downtown. I took several people with me to the spot where we went off course. We rejoined the official race course at the same time and several others we were running with.

At this point we were within two miles of the finish. We were still going strong and passing many people as we made our final push to the finish line. I grabbed some water at mile 5 just to wet my whistle. My final 1.2 miles was 7:41, a 6:25/mile pace. I finished my 10k+ in 51:10. I walked around a little stunned about what happened but congratulated one of the female runners I was with for still finishing and chatted with some other friends. I waited around looking for Aimee but it turns out she finished before me by about 2 minutes. I continued to walk around, put on some of my clothes to stay warm and did a cool down run. I found a friend who had been watching the race and he said all of the times were off. The Kenyan runners finished around 33 minutes which should have been closer to 28.

I found Aimee and Becky, talked some more, shared my experience with them and we finally left downtown a little dejected. Once home I mapped out the “course” I ran. Follow the link to the mapped out route.....love that elevation at mile 4.

Rite Aid 10k +2 route

I added an additional 2 miles to my 10k. You know what?.....a 8.2 mile run in 51 minutes is still a 6:15/mile pace. I can’t complain about that. My middle 5 miles were run in 31:15, also a 6:15/mile pace. So I guess overall I had a great day. My official goal wasn’t met but I faced the challenge and fought forward, even though weakly at one point.

Further information has revealed that the lead car for the 10k was the cause of the problem. I just don’t understand how something like that could happen in a race that is 30 years old. I just shake my head with disbelief. I estimate that the top 100 – 150 runners went off course. The finishing times, especially the “top” age group times, are indicative of the error. Age group wise, I wound up 39th this year when I was 9th two years ago.

Oh well. Water under the proverbial bridge and it is as muddy as the Cuyahoga River. There have been several times in prior races where I have provided direction during the race, why didn’t I speak up this time. I knew the course was supposed to go right but I went left. Live and learn I suppose. I’ll have to find another 10k later in the summer to redeem myself.

Either way…..Game On.

Flash-Point Friday - Madame Pelee

Last year during my training for Ironman USA I often paid homage to Madame Pelee. I feel that the grande dame of Ironman should not only be appeased when racing on the Big Island but also during all Ironman training. There is much to be learned during training or racing when you are forced to endure high or low temperatures, humidity, torrential downpours, and gusting winds.

Madame Pelee has been visiting Northern Ohio for part of April and most of May this year. She has been flying in from the south which is weird because she usually hops over from Chicago which is a straight shot from the west.

Regardless, when she arrives everyone knows it. The flags are blowing stiff in the wind and no matter which way the wind is blowing, it always feels like you are headed straight into her face. Be it running or riding you know Madame Pelee has arrived.

Maybe she is just checking out the "competition". Seeing who will be ready for their IM races this year. Checking in on who is braving the elements so they are prepared for whatever race day will present to them. Eventually she will return to Hawaii where she will lay in wait for those individuals that have qualified or received lottery slots for the Big Show in Kona.

I only have three options for riding out of the house, I'm not driving to a ride with gas prices the way they are. I can go East, West or South. I can only go 5 miles North before this big body of water called Lake Erie gets in my way. East and West usually has more traffic and suburban spread. But when I head south I am on rural country roads in 15 minutes.

The country roads are usually smooth, light on traffic, and provide some different scenery. But with that comes the lack of protection from the wind. Madame Pelee knows this. She challenges me during these rides. She comes straight at me. She hits me from the side. Occasionally she will help push me along. But 75% of the time we are fighting each other.

She helps me work on my power. She tests my bike handling skills. She let's me play with speeds that I may not see otherwise. She is a good training partner.

I've been really happy with my speed during these rides with madame. I have tapped into the power stroke instead of spinning relentlessly until I turn out of the wind. This power stroke has made me stronger, similar to riding hills. Maybe the FP 60s are helping slice through the wind better. But contrary to what Matt Purdue says about crosswinds, I'm getting tossed around the road.

The 60mm rims are catching air like a kite. I'm finding myself leaning into the wind, making quick adjustments to gusts and Staying on Target so I don't swerve into traffic. When I race at the Racing for Recovery Half Iron I will be taking two sets of wheels, the Flash Points and my road wheels. Depending upon the weather/wind I will be ready. I will prefer to use the FPs but I am not going to waste my energy fighting Madame Pelee if she decides to blow into town for the race. I'm sending her a ticket from Chicago because a nice tailwind for the second half of the bike would be nice.

Game On

Two for Tuesday - Music for the Masses

I found this video at IHateToast.

Enjoy music lesson #1






And in honor of Bolders new theme song......

Two for Tuesday - Going Mental

Are you prepared for the racing season. Swim volume up.....check. New running shoes.....check. Bike is tuned up with new tires......check. You are mentally prepared to put your best effort forward.......HUH? Practicing mental imagery of race day.......WHAT???

Yes mental preparation is the fifth, sixth, or seventh discipline we can employ during triathlon training along with nutrition, weight training, stretching, massage therapy, etc.

But mental preparation may be the easiest of the "extra" training techniques to actually perform. A couple of minutes a day, before bed, cutting the grass, in the shower, can help prepare you for a stellar day on the race course. I came across this article about positive self talk.....Mental Training: Positive Self-Talk

But my TfT is something old and something new. Two books.....One I recommend and one that I am going to buy.

Recommendation:

Triathletes Guide to Mental Training
I read this book while preparing for Ironman USA and am about to re-read it for this season. I posted several times about sections of the book. I'll put labels on those posts so you can find them easily.

Future Reading:

Thinking Body, Dancing Mind: Tao sports for Extraordinary Performance in Athletics, Business and Life
This book looks very interesting as well as some of the other books by this author. If anyone has read the book please comment on it.

In body and mind....Game On.

Back on the Trail Again

My Sunday long run was on the Buckeye Trail. I enjoy running this area that I have to share it with everyone. The charts and graphs are good too. Rootsrunner and e-speed will know these trails. Also make sure you visit them for some marathon lovin' as they both did very well at the Flying Pig Marathon in Cinci. On the main portion of the run, the middle miles, the south to north squiggly lines, running all over, up and down, over trees across streams......I never saw a single person.......I..Loved..It Game On Performance Distance: 11.94 miles Time: 1:46:35 Speed: 6.73 mph Pace: 8' 55 /mi Calories: 1143 Map Elevation (ft.) Pace (min/mile) Splits Mile Pace (min/mile) Speed (mph) Elevation Gain actual +/- avg actual +/- avg 1 8' 00 -0' 55 7.5 +0.8 +10 ft 2 7' 20 -1' 35 8.2 +1.5 -10 ft 3 7' 12 -1' 43 8.3 +1.6 +10 ft 4 9' 30 +0' 35 6.3 -0.4 +141 ft 5 8' 34 -0' 21 7.0 +0.3 -108 ft 6 11' 51 +2' 56 5.1 -1.7 -30 ft 7 10' 47 +1' 52 5.6 -1.2 +157 ft 8 8' 32 -0' 23 7.0 +0.3 +59 ft 9 10' 01 +1' 06 6.0 -0.7 +132 ft 10 8' 16 -0' 39 7.3 +0.5 -164 ft 11 8' 45 -0' 10 6.8 +0.1 -63 ft end 8' 09 -0' 46 7.3 +0.6 -128 ft Versus average of 8' 55 min/mi

Posted from bimactive.com

Strange Similarities - Part Deux

I asked about the similarities between

AND

turns out that is what I will be at Ironman USA in Lake Placid. I received an e-mail from the captain of the wetsuit stripping team and I will be helping the athletes strip down. Nothing like helping hawt triathletes take off clothing.

Then Aimee and I will be on course cheering for all of our Cleveland and blogger connections.

Flash-Point Friday - Riding and Racing

I have managed to get several rides in on the Flash-Point 60s, including the Buzzard Duathlon. Of course as soon as I mentioned the wheels people are wanting pictures. There are several in this post to satisfy the need for bike porn. You will have to excuse the quality because the digital camera is on the fritz and the pics were taken with my Treo.

That's 60mm's of rim BABY! I soooo had to go with totally black tires. Completes the package. Remember that tires should match the rim, kindof like matching your belt and shoes.





What I first notice is their weight. Granted it's hard to tell what is happening on the bike since there are so many factors that go into riding. Things like fitness and weather can skew the results of how you perceive new equipment. I am entering the season very fit so I don't know if my bike rides feel great because of the wheels or my general riding fitness.



I do know I feel lighter with these wheels. The effort to spin the wheels is less than what I am used to, especially uphill. At the duathlon, I never felt "heavy" going up the hills....again....wheels or fitness?



Something else that other people have been writing about on the FP Blog, is the feel of the wheels on the road. The road dampening affect the carbon fiber as it eliminates the bumps on the road. That I haven't felt yet. I have a carbon fork already. I live in Cleveland where NO road is without imperfections. I tried to feel the road last night but the sealed cracks in the road were too much for all the carbon fiber. So the jury is still out on that, maybe I just don't have to true sensitivity of a metro-sexual triathlete to express my feelings.


Last nights ride on the FPs was awesome. Did some hills and I know the light weight of the wheels is helping. I was cruising uphill with a new 11-23 cassette on the back, never missing the 25. I slapped on the 11-23 because the Half IM race I am doing in June will be pancake flat.

Here is the elevation from last nights ride. Elevation (ft.)

Posted from bimactive.com

Here is the 11-23 installed on the wheels.






And now for you Moment of Zen.....the complete package.



Game On.

Strange Similarities

Can anyone tell me what

AND

Have in common? Answer on Saturday.

And I think I found the reason Cleveland Ironman athletes love Mitchell's Ice Cream

Game is deliciously On.

Staying on Target

Do you remember this scene from Star Wars?

Gold Two: [the Y-wings are running the gauntlet toward the Death Star reactor-port] The guns - they've stopped!
Gold Five: [realizes why] Stabilize your rear deflectors... Watch for enemy fighters.
Gold Leader: They're coming in! Three marks and 2-10! [Gold Two is slain by Darth Vader and his wingmen; Gold Leader starts to panic]
Gold Leader: It's no good down here, I can't maneuver!
Gold Five: Stay on target.
Gold Leader: *We're too close!*
Gold Five: Stay on target!
Gold Leader: [shouts] Loosen up! [he too is picked off by Vader and Company; Gold Five tries to escape but is fatally winged]
Gold Five: Gold Five to Red leader, I Lost Tiree, Lost Dutch. They came from... behind!
Gold Five: [crashes]

Exciting stuff right. "Stay on Target" was one of the phrases I used during Ironman training and the race. Gold Leader had a hard time keeping focused on the goal of the reactor-port with Darth Vader breathing down his neck.

In Ironman training it is also hard to ignore the outside forces that can compromise your training.

Bombing down a hill is dangerous enough that you don't need to be distracted away from the road and risk a crash.

Getting the phone call from friends to join you at the bar the night before a long training day instead of getting the needed rest your body deserves.

Focusing on how the person running in front of you is unreachable instead of worrying about maintaining your own pace.

Being drawn to the dark side of Ben and Jerry's, or Mitchell's, ice cream when trying to follow a good diet.

Getting caught up in the excitement when exiting transition and starting off too fast.

I think you get the picture. The mental aspect of triathlon training/racing is often overlooked and not practiced. Training the mind to "stay on target" will pay dividend in all aspects of your life. Remind yourself when the mind starts to drift. Say it out loud to yourself.

stay..on..target.

Keeping on target will make help you make the best of your workouts and races.

Stay On Target = Game On

Two for Tuesday - Similarities and When to Play

Welcome back TfT. I think I'm getting back into the groove of blogging. Inspiration has been hitting me at the oddest times for items to post.

Similarities

This year I will be running my "first" marathon. I say first because last year it was an Ironman marathon. Training for this season is going well and I should have a good run on September 30th. I have been playing around with the idea of qualifying for Boston. My time to qualify is 3:20. I never thought I would want to run Boston....I never thought I would do an Ironman either. Aimee has been boosting my confidence, one of our friends just ran Boston and her race experience is exciting and my sister-in-law is moving to Boston.

Last night I was reading the latest issue of Running Times. One Letter to the Editor was about an article "Boston or Bust". The final paragraph of the letter spoke volumes to me. The author of the letter, Beth Deloria, suffers from permanent paralysis of the foot

Your photo, taken from behind (at Chicago Marathon), does not capture the tears of joy as I "won" the biggest race in my life (her qualifier for Boston). As Hennick states, the runners who qualify are "somewhere between Superman and everyman" and I believe myself to be the "everyman". To anyone, anywhere, who has ever dreamt of Boston I say this: Go for it -- your dreams just may come true. And in the mere quest of this challenge your life will change fantastically.

You can replace the word Boston with Ironman and the sentence still holds great truth. Find the similarities and be inspired.

When to Play

When you are done lurking or commenting on today's post make sure you go......here.

GAME ON

Buzzard Duathlon Race Report

The 7th annual Buzzard Duathlon was scheduled for April 15, 2007 but postponed due to bad weather. The new date of April 29, 2007 was a blessing as the day turned out to have the best weather conditions for the event. The extra two weeks allowed me to recover from the Athens Half Marathon and a busy work week prior to the race forced me to taper for the event. The Buzzard Duathlon is a loop course which is very spectator friendly. The single loop is three miles. So a 1 loop run (3 miles), 5 loop bike (15 miles) and 1 loop run (3 miles). Here is the elevation for the course. The course is hilly. Immediately out of transition you are going uphill. Overall four up-hills and several rollers. Map Elevation (ft.) This was my fifth time competing in this race and I’ve always learned something valuable each time. My first experience at the Buzzard resulted in very bad cramps in my calves. I was attacking the hills out of the saddle and my second run was painful. Second year I stayed seated and would spin up the hills. Third year it was cold and misty so I had to race in crappy weather. Fourth year I realized I didn’t run downhill very well and resolved to fix that deficiency in my running. This year I wanted to really push myself during the race. I wanted to really test my limits and risk blowing up on the course. I thought about that all week so that I would be ready to perform when I needed to. I wanted to push the pace, be outside my comfort zone, have a goal to reach for and not back down, and leave everything on the race course. The weather forecast called for morning temperatures to start at 45F and potentially be 54 by 9:00AM, start time. The skies were clear and pavement dry as I prepared for the race. Aimee and I drove out early to be on-site 1.5 hours prior to the start. I was able to pick an awesome rack spot right on the end near the middle of transition. I mingled and talked with some friends (DaisyDuc and TriAl), chatted with Coach Angela and her husband Scott who would be training/racing today, and put my transition spot in order. With 45 minutes to go I started to focus more on the race. I took the bike for a spin around the course to see the general condition of the roads. Usually I don’t ride the entire loop but this time I am glad I did. There was some loose gravel at one corner and a significant hole in the road at the bottom of a fast downhill. Otherwise the course was in great shape. Once back at transition I setup my area and went out for a warm-up run. I got nicely warmed up and felt ready to race. The adrenaline was pumping as my HR was sky-rocketing, but I knew everything would be okay. There were several area racing teams in attendance. Team ER, Spin/Second Sole and my own Snakebite Racing. Spin is a new team this year and has some of the best athletes in the Cleveland area so I knew they would be up front. There would be some great friendly competition. The race started promptly after 9:00 as is usual with this promoter’s events. He does a great job but nothing ever starts on time. I wanted to start with the first lap being a little conservative. I wasn’t drawn into a fast pace by the leaders. The field was quickly strung out due to the hills. I was trailing a pack of runners by a couple of yards content with watching the race unfold in front of me but not loosing contact with the pack. I could already see Frank (Spin/Second Sole) leading the race. Frank is an incredible athlete and has won this event several times in the past. I stayed focused on the pack I was with and kept Scott (Coach’s husband) in my sights. I was running the downhills aggressively and would catch/pass a person here and there. I also maintained a good pace going uphill. By mile two I was starting to pass more people including Scott, who is doing IM USA this year. I was feeling real good for this first run. I was out of my comfort zone for a Duathlon. It felt hard and that I was expending a lot of energy but that’s how I knew that race should go. I was running strong into transition and was quickly on my bike. As I left the parking lot I hit the split button on my watch, 19 minutes flat and that included the transition time. Angela and Aimee were waiting at the transition exit and I heard them both cheering me on as I started the bike. Angela and I agreed that this race would be fast which means pushing hard. Angela said to “red-line” it. Push the pace so that my HR was very high. I didn’t look at my HR but went on effort and I was pushing hard. I had the FlashPoint 60’s on the bike and was also racing with new aerobars. I was feeling good. I planned on taking fluid during one of the roller sections and did exactly that on each lap. I stayed in my big chainring and used most of the gears available in the back. I could see the competition ahead of me but we were all very strong and the gap never got smaller. After the first lap it was hard to keep track of your competition as more people were entering the course on their bikes. On a loop course like this there is a big mental boost as you pass people even if they are not in competition with you. Two of the best corners for spectators are also the fastest. As you can see on the elevation chart there is a huge downhill during the last half mile of the loop. The downhill finishes with a hard right hand turn. If you hold your line and cut it right you can carry most of your speed to the next turn and be ready for the next uphill. Bill Deiter, owner of Second Sole, was on the first corner and I could hear him each time I went by. He is co-sponsoring the new team but is a wonderful guy and cheers on everyone. At the next corner was Aimee and Angela, and also Angela’s son Wesley. I could here both of them yelling at me as I went by the corner. Usually I was tucked into the aero position as I made the turn. Two comments from Coach stuck with me during the race. “YOU LOOK FAST” and “STAY STEADY”. I heard “stay steady” as I started my final lap. It was good to remember to keep the pace I was holding and I had a three mile run to complete. It was great having those two wonderful women cheering for me at the corner. During lap three a couple of riders did manage to catch me. We stayed in close contact with each other and we would go back and forth. I would often catch someone on the uphill and loose a little bit of ground on the rollers. One of the riders was in my age group so I kept a close eye on him. I powered up on Hammer Gel during lap four so it would be available during the run. On the fifth lap the guy I had my eye on started to gap me so I wasn’t sure what would happen during the run. During the last half mile of the bike I started getting ready for the run. Before entering the parking lot I reached down to loosen the straps on my shoes. The first aisle of the parking lot was announced as a slow zone. Keep race position, decrease speed, make the final turn into transition and dismount. In the slow zone I pulled my feet out of my shoes and prepared to dismount. After the turn I hopped off the bike and ran to my rack spot. Running shoes on, helmet off, grab running hat and GO. I exited transition right behind the age grouper I was chasing. He had about 10 yards on me. I don’t know why or how I managed to catch up with him. He had much more distance on me coming into transition so I don’t know what happened that allowed me to gain on him. Now I had to get the running legs going. I was determined to not let the gap grow any further between us. I tried attacking on the downhills and pushed the pace on the uphills. The distance stayed constant until about the 1.5 mile mark. With two more hills to go I was getting my legs back so I started pushing the pace. I cut the gap in half on the first uphill and then pulled even and attacked on the second uphill. He tried to stay with me as I surged ahead but I put the final nail in the mental coffin as my legs were with me now and I kept pushing forward. With about ¾ mile left in the race I heard footsteps behind me. I didn’t know who it was. Could the guy I just passed be making a surge? No matter what I didn’t want to have those footsteps pass me. I picked up my pace again drawing as much power out of my legs as possible. The footsteps finally pulled even with me and I saw a new face pass me. It wasn’t the person I feared it to be (my AG competitor). Then he passed me. Rather quickly as he was simply flying, or so I thought. He only gapped me by about 10 yards and I finished 5 seconds behind him. As we entered the parking lot towards the finish line I could hear Aimee, Angela and Alan (TriAl and SBR Teammate) yelling for me. I finished in 1:18:49. I finished first in age group and seventh overall. I was 4 minutes behind the winner (Frank) and 45 seconds ahead of the guy in my age group I battled to catch. The guy who passed me at the end, who finished 5 seconds ahead of me……he was in the 25-29 age group. Now that’s an ego boost for a 40 year old. Splits went like this: 19:00 for first 3 miles, including transition 40:00 for 15 mile bike. 22.4 MPH average speed. 19:49 for second 3 miles. Very happy with this split. This was the best Duathlon I have ever raced. I executed my plan perfectly and fought hard to the finish. I’ve finally crossed the line to where I have laid it all on the line during the race. I didn’t hold back and left everything on the course. The reward this day was huge. I congratulated several other finishers that were close to me on the course and did a cool down run with Alan. I went back to transition for my bike to discover that my wonderful wife had already cleared all of my stuff out of transition. What a wonderful racing partner she is. Cheering for me all during the race and helping with cleanup afterwards. Post race I started thinking about what I had done. I completed Ironman to test my limits, go the distance, show I could do the time. But it took a local Duathlon for me to push my limits, reach for a goal and see how far I can take the body and mind in a race situation. I truly love what I do and am learning something each time I go out to train or compete. I have a feeling this season is going to be something special, but in a different way from Ironman. GAME ON!

Flash-Point Friday - A New Beginning

Here is my latest topic thread. My Flash-Point Friday will share space with Family & Friends Friday as I try to post more often on Fridays.

So why Flash-Point Friday? Obviously because of the F factor, but most importantly because I will be reviewing the set of FP60’s that I am fortunate to have in my possession courtesy of TriSaraTops. At the beginning of the year Sara was contacted by Flash-Point to write blog posts about training/racing on Flash-Point wheels. Even though she was completely up front about being pregnant and possibly not riding her bike the Flash-Point rep still mailed her the wheels. I was so jealous when she told me about it.

We must be on the same brain frequency because while talking on the phone she said I could use the wheels for the 2007 racing season. I was thinking how I could so rip it up on those wheels. I promised that I would write some posts that she could post on the Flash-Point site. She can write the “my journey to mommy land” posts and I would write the “these wheels are so awesome” posts. She would be the prophetic writer and I would be the technical writer. She’s a little bit country…..I’m a little bit rock ‘n roll. I guess if you teased her hair a little Sara could look like Marie Osmond.

I met Sara for lunch during her schools spring break and the hand-off was made. I gingerly took the wheels from her trunk and placed them delicately in my car. I couldn’t wait to get them on my bike. Unfortunately I had to get some supplies for these new wheels and this is where my first Flash-Point Friday begins.

Out of the package these wheels are a thing of beauty. The matt black carbon fiber is feather light. The deep 60mm rims just beg to slice through the air. The rear hub signs with the unmistakable click of a high quality hub. Included in the package were the skewers and valve extensions.

The valve extensions had the best set of instructions for use. I like the FP valve extenders with their 3mm hex head for tightening the valves in place. The instructions also had the all important recommendation of using white plumbers tape between the tube valve and the extension. This helps eliminate any leaks between the valve and extender. Amazing how much information a little piece of paper can hold.

I checked on the Flash-Point web site to get information on the hubs used for these wheels. While the “name” of the hubs was not provided some specifications were available. Most importantly there was information about the bearings used in the hubs, ABEC-5. Bearings are ranked on a scale from 1-5 with 5 being the highest. During my rollerblading days I was buying ABEC-5 bearings for my skate wheels so I knew the quality inside these hubs was top notch, and they do spin like greased lightening.

So to use these new wheels I needed some supplies, primarily tires and tubes. My stock of tubes was low and quality tires are needed for these quality wheels. But then I noticed that I would also need rim tape. I was a little surprised that there was no rim tape already on the wheels. Rim tape is such a basic necessity that I felt it was a bad oversight. If you are not familiar with the concept or application of rim tape be careful. The rim tape covers the openings for the spokes. Usually the holes are deep and have sharp edges. These two factors, when rim tape is not used, will lead to numerous flats. The rim tape is the only item missing from a perfect set of wheels.

Once I bought tires, tubes and rim tape I was ready to assemble the wheels. There is nothing like the kid in a candy store feeling when I came home and wanted to work on the wheels right away. Unfortunately I had other things to attend to so the wheels would need to wait until another day. I finished the wheel set by taking the cassette from my tri bike wheels and installing it on the FP60’s.

These wheels were looking hot. Each time I picked them up I was amazed at how light they were. I should get used to it. I did race IM USA with some Zipp 404’s. This season I will be able to take advantage of the FP60’s all summer. I’ll even put them on my road bike and test them in some road races.

Overall my impression of the FP60’s is great. The wheels are light, strong and great looking. I’ll let you know in the next FP Friday how they handle on the road……and will probably have a race to report as well.

Game On.

Listen......to your body

Coach Angela has a new athlete going long this year. He is new to long distance so he e-mailed me about my Ironman at Lake Placid and is looking for advice. Here is a copy of what I sent him.

Advice: With IM Florida 7 months away you have some good time to get properly trained to complete the distance. One word you should keep in your head is LISTEN.

Listen to what Angela tells you to do. Her workouts will be key and her knowledge invaluable, especially with IM Florida since she has done it several times.

Listen to your body. It will tell you when it is getting over trained or injured. Never feel guilty about missing/skipping a workout because you don't feel up to it. Sometimes a mental or physical break from the rigors of IM training is needed. You want to go into IM undertrained, not overtrained.

Listen to those around you. There are many experienced Ironman triathletes out there. By asking one question you will get alot of information. Most Ironman finishers love talking about their races. Just listen and absorb what you can. Don't worry about the details yet. You have time to figure that out as you get closer to race day and Angela will help you with that also.


Today I had to listen to my own advice and back off. Last week was a huge load of training and my body was accepting each challenging workout. My plan was to make it through this week and weekend then back off for recovery. I really wanted to overload the body and have a huge gain during recovery. My "goal" for the week was starting to blind me from what the body was telling me.

So I backed off today and skipped my evening run. I took the dogs out for a walk in the part instead. We had a nice time.

Game will be back On this weekend.

Beat me.....

with my arms as you pull them out of their sockets. Should be easy to pull them out as they were about to fall of on their own when I finished this mornings workout with 4x100 HARD. It's not easy swimming "hard" in only a speedo, embarrassing if you know what I mean....

My legs could use the massaging affect from my arms to help revive them from the 1.5 hour ride on the trainer last night.

My body is tired from the workouts but........damn it feels great. I'm feeling real good about the workouts lately.

Keep 'em coming.

That was the e-mail I sent my coach Thursday afternoon after riding Wednesday night and swimming Thursday morning.

Game is so On.

Givin' you the finger.......

I usually don't do this type of stuff but it's a quick and dirty post during a hectic day. TriSaraTops did this and we get along well. I kindof new that already. I thought the questions didn't fit with my personality but I went with it. The description below I think is accurate. Check out my results.

Game On

You Are a Pinky

You are fiercely independent, and possibly downright weird. A great communicator, you can get along with almost anyone. You are kind and sympathetic. You support all your friends - and love them for who they are. You get along well with: The Ring Finger Stay away from: The Thumb

What Finger Are You?

Blogger Down......and out.

My relocated Canadian tri-brother in Boulder is DOWN. Go send Bolder in Boulder some lovin'.

Sometimes we all need to step back and look at the big picture. As I got dressed this morning and grabbed my awesomely cool Throughth3wall sweatshirt I was reminded how NOT to take triathlon too seriously.

Thanks to IronWil for:

The Top 10 Reasons Why I Tri

10 I love the smell of neoprene in the morning.
9 The golf, tennis, and Bass fishing combo didn't work out.
8 To honor those before me, inspire those behind me, and challenge those beside me.
7 Swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles, run 26.2 miles; brag for the rest of your life.
6 Because I can.
5 For the t-shirts, Baby!!!
4 Because you never know until you Tri.
3 You don't get a butt like this playing checkers
2 If I didn't, I'd have a tough time explaining the rubber suit and cooking spray in my trunk.
1 The Grim Reaper catches us all, but when he catches me he's going to be hunched over, wheeing, and clutching his chest.

Now get that Game On.

Athens Half Marathon Race Report

Aimee, Dale and I drove down to Athens, OH for the 17th running of the Athens Half Marathon. This was also the 40th anniversary of the marathon. Dale and I had done this race before in 2004. This was Aimee’s third after successful races in 2004 and 2006. Both Dale and Aimee graduated from Ohio University so it is always a nice time to visit Athens. April in Athens is usually warm and sunny. The 2006 race was a beautiful day. For the 2007 race the weather report called for showers and thunderstorms but temperatures starting in the mid-50s and increasing for the day.

Once we arrived in Athens we checked into our hotel then drove to campus to pick up Andrew and his friend Becky. They were going to join us for dinner at the Italian restaurant where packet pick-up was being held. We had a very nice meal to get us ready for race day. As always it’s nice to visit with Andrew and his friends. However, this time there would be no late night drinking.

There are definite pluses and minuses with this race. On the plus side the race doesn’t start until 9:00AM. On the minus side, this is a Sunday race in a college town. Oh how we wish this was a Saturday race so we could enjoy campus Saturday night. But alas we have to be good and not drink any beer pre-race.

Sunday morning Aimee and I woke up with plenty of time to make final preparations. Rain had come in overnight but it currently wasn’t raining. I drank the first of two Boost for breakfast then took a shower to remind my body that it was time to wake up. After my shower, Aimee and I went to the hotel breakfast room and had more to eat. I ate an orange and bowl of oatmeal then topped it off with a glass of orange juice. I stepped outside to check the weather and noticed the rain coming down. The temperature was already above 50 and it was a light rain.

Back in our hotel room we gathered our race bags, watched some ESPN and I had my second Boost for the morning. After several more stops in the bathroom we were finally ready to head to the race finish. We parked the car at the university track where we would finish with 1.5 laps to the finish line. We had also made a trip to Wal-Mart the night before to buy some lawn trash bags to wear to the start line in the center of town. The intensity of the rain was changing every 10-15 minutes. One moment it would be a light drizzle then a heavy shower. It looked like the rain during the race would be doing the same thing.

The start of the race is at the corner of College Green and Court Street. Court Street in Athens is where all of the bars are located at. Most students at OU spend quite a bit of time walking through the Green to enjoy themselves on Court Street. The Army and Air Force ROTC programs are big supporters of the full and half marathon. At the start the Army ROTC used a small cannon to start the race. That is definitely one way to wake up the sleepy, hung over students of OU.

The race plan provided by Coach Angela went like this. Start easy for the first three miles in my upper Zone 2/lower Zone 3 (150 – 155 heart rate). The middle miles (4 – 11) find a comfortable pace that would have my HR at 160. The final miles would be around 165 effort. My lactate threshold is 166 so the 165 sounded good.

The first mile out of town is immediately downhill. I seeded myself mid-pack so I wouldn’t be tempted to start too fast. I had to dodge around a lot of other people but the first mile was 7:13. My heart rate was already higher than I wanted it to be, but my pace was lower than I wanted it to be. Due to the high humidity and persistent rain I abandoned my heart rate race plan and went with perceived effort and it seemed to pay off. I kept myself steady and consistent at each mile marker. I missed the markers for miles 2, 3, and 4 but managed splits for the remainder of the race.

Having started near the middle of the pack I had some good company for the first half of the out and back course. The runners in front of me provided me with small targets to reach and pass. Granted some of them were some very good female runners but a small milestone is still a mental boost for any race. At mile 6 there was an aid station. I would be returning to this aid station soon so at the turn around point I started to take in my first Hammer Gel. I wanted to have enough water in my stomach to absorb the gel. I was very good about taking in water or Gatorade at each aid station. We had a total of four aid stations and we would be able to visit each twice. I wasn’t going to succumb to any dehydration and suffer muscle cramps.

After the turn and mile seven I was in the company of the top runners. A lady riding her bike against our direction was letting us know what position we were in. She called off nineteen as she passed me. As much as I appreciated her information I didn’t want to get involved with any head games. I didn’t want to worry about placing or anything like that. I wanted to maintain a steady pace that I could hopefully increase during the last few miles. I had to keep my head in the game and prevent the “wheels” from coming off.

This is the mental aspect of racing that I enjoy. How do I keep myself together despite the signals that are coming in from the legs that they are getting tired? Several times I had to remind myself to keep my running form solid. My head was tipping back. My arms were bunching up. I was taking longer strides. I would pull my form back together and feeling stronger.

I was also telling myself “No!! You don’t only have 3 miles to go, this is when the race really begins.” I was starting to pick off more runners. A group of four young guns finally broke apart and I passed two of them with confidence. I could tell they were struggling and I showed them I meant business. At the eleven mile mark I had three runners in my sights. All of them were not within striking distance but I could see them. One runner I had seen walk before so I figured I could snag him. He did succumb to muscle cramps and I breezed by him.

I kept up my pace and waited patiently for the twelve mile marker. At mile marker 12 it was time to push for the final 1.1 miles. I continued to keep my form as I wound my way through several turns and onto the track surface for 1.5 laps. As I came out of the first turn and in front of the bleachers I heard Andrews friend Becky yell, “Way to go Papa Gibb!” I looked quickly along the railing and saw Andrew standing there watching me finish. Except for Ironman this was the only time he has seen my finish a race. It was a great mental boost to have someone there cheering for me. It’s not often someone is there for me at the finish.

I kept powering around the track towards the finish line. I crossed the line at 1:27:49. As my tag was torn from my race number, a race official asked my age. I told him 40 and he informed me that I was the third masters runner and that I would be getting money for my finish. I didn’t realize that this was a money race. I don’t know how much I won so I have to wait for the check in the mail. I guess getting older and racing as a “master” actually pays off. I chatted with some of the runners that finished near me, cooled down a little, changed into dry clothes then stood with Andrew and Becky while we waited for Aimee and Dale to finish.

Statistically this is how I finished.

13th overall of 421 runners / 230 males
3rd Masters Runner
1st in age group if you take me out of the Masters category. The first place master was 46 and the second place was 50.

Finish time: 1:27:49
Average Pace 6:42/mile
Average Heart Rate: 164

Game On.