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.

Maumee Bay Tri Race Report

First I have to say what a great event this was. HFP Racing always does a fantastic job with their races.

Snakebite Racing also had a fantastic showing at the race. We had 14 team members in either the sprint duathlon or Olympic triathlon. And we had great results. There were several AG wins and an overall place.

Aimee and I drove out to the race early in the morning since it was only 1.5 hours away. She slept while I drove and I enjoyed the scenery that I haven't seen in a long time driving out this way. Despite arriving by 6:30AM for a 8AM start the parking lot was already getting full.

I registered and got my timing chip. Then we had to make a change for Aimee. She was signed up for the Oly triathlon but was advised to not race. She had injured her leg a week prior and the wound became infected. So the Dr. didn't want Aimee to swim. We also talked with Jen Kurek of HFP and she said we could switch her entry to another race. Aimee was very relieved.

I grabbed my bike and race gear and quickly placed it all in transition. We had a tent and team banner to set up near the finishing chute just in case people didn't notice all of the SnakeBite racers.

Once the tent was up I finished my pre-race prep. I got my transition area ready and went for a small run through transition. Beach to bike, bike to run. Remember where my bike racked and make sure my equipment is placed how I like it.

Adam and I ran a short warm up. We caught up on how we were feeling for the race and what we thought would be good goals. We chatted with our other teammates at the tent before getting ready for the start.

I got in a small swim warm up to make sure the wetsuit was on properly and check out the sighting for the course. The wind was coming from the west so there was a slight chop to the water as we headed back to the start line. I cheered for friends in the waves prior to mine.

Finally it was time for the 40+ wave to toe the line. Adam aged up this year so he was at the front of the pack. Mikey Donuts shoved me to the front next to Adam. I didn't want to be out front but I went for it. The gun went off and we hit the water. I ran through the shallow water until I could take a dive into the water. I only took one dive and I started stroking immediately, there was no need to dolphin dive several times.

I settled into a great race pace very fast and was watching the people around me. I was trying to maybe find someone to draft off but no one seemed to be going straight or fast enough for me. I decided to just swim my own race and not worry about anyone else.

It wasn't long before I started to pass people in the wave ahead of me. I was sighting well and avoiding the crowds. On the way back towards the start the water was a little choppy so I buried my head in the water to swim through the "waves". For the second loop I stayed steady and pushed all the way to the beach. I knew I had a good swim and was at the front of my wave. I completed the swim in 24:38 and was second in my age group.

I ran into transition and pulled off my wetsuit and donned my bike gear. Helmet, socks, shoes, sunglasses. Grab the bike and head out of transition.

The bike course consists of two loops and is very flat. It's just the nature of the area. We were in the heart of Ohio farm country. Fortunately the wind was not very strong and we could fly. I was doing well and had passed several people. I was settled in and approaching another group of people when the unthinkable happened.

About 100 yards in front of me I watched a guy put his wheel into a road crack and hit the pavement. It looked like his bike bucked him off and he flopped to the road like a fish. Three of us passed the rider and one woman said she was going for help. Up the road were two ambulances and a police car. I flipped around to check the guy on the ground.

I stayed with him to warn people to stay wide and avoid him. The police car finally arrived to block traffic and I went on my marry way. As I was waiting I watched several people pass by whom I either knew or had already passed.

I got back up to speed and made sure I didn't expend too much energy trying to get back into position. I still had one more lap to ride (12 miles) and couldn't blow it all trying to re-pass people. The wind also picked up a little on the second lap. I finished the bike in 1:09:44. Not the greatest time for 40k but I did have a small stoppage.

In transition I took off my helmet and slid on my running shoes. I was out of T2 in 36 seconds. As I started the run I put on my hat and tucked my gels into my side pockets. I took the first two miles rather easy to get my legs moving for the run. I probably took it too easy for a 10k run. I passed one of my teammates, Mikey ZigZag (that's how he swims), and continued to hunt down those in front of me. Mile three I picked up the pace and at the turn around I started the push to the finish line.

I was passing a couple of guys with 1.5 miles to go and a bug flew into the back of my throat. I had to stop at the side of the trail to hack the bug out and get back to running. Now I had to re-pass those two guys. I approached them steadily and passed them with authority. I wanted to make s statement that they would not be seeing me again. I clipped off a 6:30 final mile. I had too much in my tank for the final mile considering my first two miles were 7:45's.

My 10k time of 44:43 placed me second in my age group behind teammate Adam who won the age group. My overall finish was 4th in the AG with a time of 2:21:11. I was happy despite missing third place by 18 seconds.

There were so many great aspects of this race that all of the negative things I could think of didn't matter. After the race I was talking with teammate Adam. I mentioned the stop because of the crash and he said it was good karma. Once he said that I was okay with my race. Karma is good. Being a good sport is important also. I'm too old to get hung up on where I place. There are just more important things to worry about.

I just wish the good karma would come around. Since the race on June 20th, Father's Day, I watched Aimee crash on one of our rides then a friend slip off the bike the next day. I'm convinced that I should just ride alone and not jinx anyone else.

So this Saturday is my next race. The Muncie Endurathon which is a half iron race. Hopefully my race report won't take me several weeks to write, but I'm not making any promises.

Game On

Some people say....

....that I'm just not all there. With all this triathlon stuff and Ironman and Triple T and double this and brick that. I must be a little off center.

I'm fine with that. I've realized that perhaps I'm maybe only about "half" there. And this season is shaping up to be not half bad.

Okay enough of the crap....where am I going with this?

This season has become a season of half iron races.

Triple T culminated with a half iron on Sunday.

I am registered for the Muncie Endurathon on July 10.

Today I registered for the Rev3 Half Rev at Cedar Point, Sandusky, Ohio. Originally I was leaning towards the Full Rev, but recent discussions with Aimee made me realize that I won't be ready for the Full Rev in time. I can ramp up for a big effort in the Half Rev better.

My running is not up to par right now and I would probably injure myself trying to get up to marathon shape.

So Half Rev it is. Do you hear that Big Daddy Diesel? I'm committed.

Running the Half also allows me to watch a whole crap load of friends finish the Full Rev. I will finish the day as an IronFan cheering.

The season may involve a bunch of "halfs".......but Game is full On.

Triple T - Race #4

Okay...so it's time to put this Triple T thing to bed. It's been two weeks since the race and I really need to move on. *** I started this post on the 6th***

More races are coming up soon.

Qiuck recap....Friday Super Sprint, Saturday morning Oly and afternoon Oly. Sunday....Half Iron. The icing on top of a three layer triathlon cake.

The alarm went off at 5AM. The race start was scheduled for 7AM and I needed to get fueled up, equipment packed and set up in transition. I rolled out of bed and started drinking my first boost.

Part way through drinking my morning calories I wasn't feeling too good. My stomach was in a huge knot. I sat at the table and tried to understand what was happening and why.

Was I tired?

Was it nerves?

Was my body shutting down on me?

I thought I was going to puke. I felt like I needed to puke. Sat there pulling my knees to my chest thinking, "If I puke I'll probably be okay." I actually wanted to puke.

Aimee was trying to help me get going. She didn't say anything but she was right there with me wanting to help but not knowing how.

I crawled back into bed and curled up into a ball. What the hell was I going to do? Would I need to bag the fourth and final race of the weekend? Had I pushed it too hard earlier and I was seriously paying for it now?

As I laid there on the bed I asked Aimee to put some of my stuff together. All of my racing gear was already packed in the backpack. Aimee packed my nutrition into the cooler for me and packed a lunch for herself.

Thirty minutes elapsed while I laid on the bed. I forced myself to get up and try it again.

I felt better getting up the second time. Maybe I was forcing myself out of bed before my body was ready. I still needed to force myself to get dressed and into the car with all of the gear.

We made out way over to the event site and I got my transition area put together. Actually being at the race helped me calm down and get into the morning. Being around everyone else who was possibly in the same boat as I helped as well.

As we got closer to the start of the race I felt better and better. It was probably just taking my body a real long time to wake up and be ready to race again for 5+ hours.

Here we are ready for the fourth race of the weekend.



The swim start was the normal time trial and it felt good to finally be moving. Everyone was pretty mellow in the swim. I didn't have any contact except for this one person who was swimming on my right. We kept bumping into each other and I was sighting towards the turn buoy just fine. Apparently this person REALLY wanted to swim to the left. I finally slowed down and swam behind this person as they continued to swim left into the center of the loop.

I made it to T1 in 28:36. My 2:24 T1 was a little long this time because I decided to wear my compression socks for the bike and run. I know you aren't supposed to try anything new on race day but I figured what would different socks make with my run. If anything the compression would help the tired legs. I guess I ran the risk of getting blisters since I had only worn the socks as recovery.

Regardless I cruised out of T1 in 2:24 and hopped on my bike for the double loop course. I remembered certain portions of the course but also realized that it wasn't as steep as I had recalled from last year.

I tried to make sure I was keeping it steady and holding back from going to fast. This was a vicious double loop that would need to be respected. I got into a good rhythm and was gearing well. The hard part was recognizing the false flats and gearing down to make sure I wasn't trying to push too big of a gear.

The bike course is quite technical with switchback climbs AND descents. The climbing needed attention to maintain a good spin. I would get out of the saddle occasionally to change the muscles being used.

The downhills were fun but required some focus. Several of the turns were 180 degrees and I had to slow way down. But if the curves weren't too sharp I could be more aggressive. The sweeping turns were the best because you don't need to leave the aero bars and keep pedaling.

After one particular downhill section I was riding with (meaning near) two guys on a team and another solo rider. It's so easy to bunch up on the downhills. I didn't want to pass because I wouldn't pass them by too much and I had a hard time hanging far enough back.

Despite my best efforts to keep things under control, I still managed to create some excitement for my first loop.

After the downhill we can really hammer the flats with some sweeping curves. At one curve there is a small bridge in the middle of the curve. It's a crappy little bridge with a bad lip.....like to ground around the bridge has settled and cracked the pavement and created the lip.

The leading edge of the bridge was covered in orange paint from the race director. The only safe route was to the left at the outer edge of the curve. On a normal ride it would be no big deal. But at race speeds things change drastically.

The two teammates were in front of me and the solo guy behind me. I was WAAAAAYYYY too close to the guys in front of me. We made the approach to the bridge okay. Coming off the bridge though we hit some bumps hard.

The first rider ejected a water bottle.

The second rider rolled over the bottle and shot the top off.

I tried to avoid the bottle completely by veering to the left. Coming out of the turn I was already pretty far left and now by missing the bottle I was pushed further left.

My wheel hit the two inch gravel berm but I couldn't hold the line very long and I dropped into the small ditch next to the road. And I do mean small. It was maybe 3 - 4 inches deep 12 - 16 inches wide.

I dropped my left pedal down and coasted until I could get back on the road. I managed to ride back up to the road. I looked down at my left leg and saw it covered in grass. If you remember I had put on compression socks during T1. The knee high socks protected my leg from the grass in the ditch. The grass had burs on it that stuck to my sock and the grass came along for a ride.

I reached down and pulled the clump of grass of my sock and tossed it on the road. In hind site I couldn't believe I made it through that ordeal with out stopping or crashing. I was very lucky that the ditch was smooth and not full of rocks or holes. I could just see me flipping over the bars after burying my front wheel in a hole.

I caught up to the three guys I was riding with and we talked about what happened. The guy who was behind me saw it all. We agreed that I was very lucky.

The remainder of the first lap was non-eventful. I made it back to transition and exchanged my nutrition bottles for fresh ones. I waved at Aimee as I headed back out for loop two.

The second loop was a little slower but I was more cautious this time. Unfortunately I did see more accidents. I went by one crashed out guy so fast I had a hard time realizing what I saw. He missed a turn and went through a short grassy area. I think it was fresh because his back was very bloody from the road rash. But I think his Zipp front wheel was taco'ed. Is that even possible?

Shortly after that I went through the area where I rode the ditch. There were several cars and at least three riders on the side of the road dealing with injuries or other issues. It is definitely the most hazardous section of the bike route.

I stayed steady all the way into T2 and completed the bike in 3:07:30. In transition I put on my shoes, grabbed my hat and gels then moved to the run spending only 51 seconds in T2.



I had to make a potty stop outside of transition so any time I saved in transition was spent in the pisser. I hadn't peed during the bike. Usually I like to stay hydrated and pee at least once on the bike. I felt like peeing on the bike but it wasn't uncomfortable so I decided to keep it until I started the run.

I grabbed three of my gels and dropped the bag with the remaining three under the aid station table. I would get the remaining gels during the second lap of the run.

I was definitely becoming tapped out from the weekend. I had the energy to run but not as fast as I wanted to. The hills were beating me mentally already. On the steeper sections I would walk so that I could save myself for the second loop.

I stuck to my plan and was taking my gels when I wanted to.....every two miles and right before an aid station so I could get water to wash the gel down.

At the turn around I grabbed some water and went to get my gels. I looked under the table but didn't see my three gels. One of the volunteers must have picked it up. Perhaps it was in the garbage already.

I started to scan the assortment of Hammer Gels on the table for a flavor I wanted. As I went down the line I spotted my bag of gels. Someone had simply placed them on top of the table. I grabbed my bag and thanked the volunteers.

The gels had been sitting in the sun for about an hour an they were hot. They were also runny which made them easier to take. It was almost like drinking the gel.

On the second loop I had to really focus. I needed to keep moving forward at a decent pace, especially on the uphills. Often times this late in a race my mind starts loosing focus. I turn inwards and may not think straight. But this time I turned inward on purpose. I didn't want to be distracted by external factors. I just wanted to run the hills the best I could.

I buried my head into the hill and kept my eyes on the 5 - 6 feet in front of me. I didn't want to know how far away the top of the hill was. I didn't want to see anyone running past me, same direction or not.

It was working though. I was reaching the crest of the hills in what seemed to be a quicker time. Once I reached some flatter terrain I would increase my tempo and push to the next hill.

After I reached the turn-around I needed to conquer one more hill. I put a lot into that hill but once I reached the top of that hill I only had 2.5 miles to go.....and they would be primarily downhill.

Sure enough, when I reached the four mile marker my intensity increased to finish the race strong. I started hammering the downhills and passing anyone I could. As I exited the woods I was getting excited about crossing the finish line. I tried to keep my pace quick and look strong all the way to the finish line. I completed the run in 1:55:41.



I crossed the finish line spent....hot....tired....sore....elated. I was happy to have completed my second Triple-T. I received my medal and t-shirt from the volunteers.



Once I could move again I made my way over to the creek and cooled off with the other racers.



I grabbed some post-race food and cleaned up my transition area.



Aimee and I headed back to the campground to get cleaned up and more to eat.

I'm very happy with my results for the weekend. It's such a great event with wonderful people and a fantastic race director/company.

Below you will find my race times that led to my 53rd overall place and 10th in age group.

Total: 11:08:39 53 overall finish time

TTT - Race #1 - Super Sprint 24:06
TTT - Race #2 - Olympic AM 2:30:44
TTT - Race #3 - Olympic PM 2:38:43
TTT - Race #4 - Half Iron 5:35:04

I dropped my time by four minutes and was able to push through some hard times.

Most importantly I could not have done it without Aimee. She has supported me during so many races and this one was no different. It was a great weekend with her.

Triple T - Race #3

Back at the campsite we had a little bit to eat. We were both tired and decided to take a nap. About an hour. A little power nap to recharge the batteries.

I laid there and didn't fall asleep. My mind was still too wired from the morning race. Aimee got some sleep....me..no. I finally got up and started working on my bike. During the morning race I was struggling a little on the uphills. I knew my training leading up to the race had not included the hill training I had done in '09.

I did have a backup plan though. I packed Aimee's cassette from her bike which had a 27 on the high end. That would help me spin up the climbs and conserve my legs for the hard stuff.
I also did a quick cleaning job on the chain to make sure the bike would work smooth.

After Aimee woke up we put together my nutrition for the race and made our way to the race site.

In the parking lot I took a moment.

What the hell am I doing? Why do I continue to punish myself like this? Oh yeah...it's fun.

I looked around. No one else was moving that fast either. I finally pulled my bike out of the van and proceeded over to the transition area.

Yoda once again helped me get my area put together and he was ready to ride...and ride we would.


The afternoon Olympic race started with the bike. Then we would swim and run. It's an interesting little twist to the race. The time trial format sent us out two at a time and the two person teams could now ride together and draft. Solos were still not allowed to draft.

The bike was the same route as the morning race and was pretty uneventful. I was disappointed on the way out because of a slower rider ahead of me on the downhill. She was cautious but also had a car following behind her so I couldn't make a pass. It sucked but I couldn't do anything about it. On the way back I was able to bomb the downhills though and that was fun.

Back at transition I had to get my wetsuit on. I had sprayed it down with Suit Juice and also used plastic bags on my feet. both worked well and I was out of transition quickly. Running towards the beach I realized that I was still wearing my sunglasses. I set them down near one of the speaker stands. When I saw Aimee on the beach I told her where to pick them up.

The beach area reappeared for the afternoon race. It was amazing how the water had receded.



So I ran across the muddy beach and dove into the cold water. One thing about swimming after the bike ride is a potential for cramping in the legs. People had warned me about it but I didn't have the problem in '09. Boy was I in for a treat.

The colder water temperature forced all of the blood into my arms and upper body. It's a natural reaction for the body to keep the core warm. I could tell there would be problems during the first loop. I was using my legs are rudders as I curved around slower swimmers or the turn buoy. The inner quads of both legs would twinge on me then release.

As I headed to shore to complete the first loop we had to walk around the marker and start swimming again. When I stood up the quads started cramping on me. I got back in the water as soon as I could and rolled on my back and tried to pump my legs and killed the cramps. It wasn't working too well so I rolled over and just started swimming. The cramps did subside.

During the second loop I tried to kick more often to get some blood back into the legs. I thought I was doing well until I tried to stand up and walk. The cramps were stopping me in my tracks. I kept trying to move forward but the pain was excruciating.

Aimee got a great picture of me trying to massage my quads AND wincing in pain at the same time.



People told me to keep moving. I then heard Aimee yelling at me, "BABY STEPS....JUST TAKE BABY STEPS!!"

I did as she told me and by the time I had crossed the bridge my legs were doing much better. I stripped out of my wetsuit, put on my socks and shoes, grabbed my hat and gels and exited T2.

My afternoon run was similar to the morning run. My splits were good, I was moving well, taking my gels and drinking water. I didn't have my sunglasses with me because of my mistake during T1. Despite the tree cover there are a couple of exposed spots where the late afternoon sun was beating down on us.

This time I hit the 2 mile marker at 16:16....8 min/mile. About the same as the morning race.

3 = 8:15, half uphill and half downhill
4 = 8:30, another half/half with the hills, after mile 4 it's mainly downhill.
5 = 7:10
6 = 6:26
.5 = 3:59
Total run time 50:35 minutes.

Total race time 2:38:46. This was a little more in line with what I had raced last year. I was okay with slowing down a little bit more for the second race. I still had the half IM on Sunday.



Some more post race food, sitting in the cold water of the creek and then I cleaned up my transition area and we went back to the campground. I showered while Aimee prepared dinner for both of us. I prepped my nutrition and gear for Sunday then we hit the sack early.

One..more..race.

Would my game still be on?