Event Report #1: 2010 Lost Dutchman Marathon

You never know what to expect on race day. You could have trained and tapered perfectly and fall apart. You can be under trained or otherwise unprepared and unsure and pull together an outstanding day. I had an outstanding day in almost all regards. I will give myself a solid D+ in one area I will discus a bit later.

For those coming in almost two years late to the enormity of this race; during my April 2008 Ironman my body started to break down. Instead of stopping, over the next four hours I willed myself to keep going and right into kidney and liver failure. Then my heart and lungs seized. I broke a rib trying to breath. I cramped up my entire body. Sun stroke. I ended up in the hospital for a week and they told my wife the first night I probably wouldn't make to sunrise. Later I was diagnosed with a certain condition that upon review experts said I should never exercise again, giving me a 1/5 chance of dying in every workout. I eventually went to the top clinic in the world for endurance athletes and they managed, still do to some degree, my return health.

Race day could not have started better. I arrived at my training partners Jeff's house at 0445, coffees in hand. His wife Wendy is running her first marathon, she is also my minder to keep me under control, lest my Type A mind takes control and I decide to blow myself up. As we walked towards several buses that take racers to the start line we enter a random bus and I almost walked into a really good friend, Steve. Then other people recognize me and start calling my name. What a comeback. I sat down to Lisa Ginn, a wonderful woman that I know locally, but only talked to online. What a great chat we had.

The race starts in the middle of the desert running 6 miles into civilization. I start with Steve, training partner and wife and to some respects we all stick together for the length. The first six miles goes great. A bit fast, but its mostly downhill. Back into civilization and along the freeway we maintain a more realistic pace. The route takes us through a large country club, golf course residential area that my team actually uses for bike training and run training. Been on this stretch many, many times which makes it comfortable.

I am definitely strong physically at the pace we're at. It is effortless to maintain and my HR is low zone 2. I have been (happily) peeling off course to urinate, which is clear. I don't think I have peed more during a race. Wendy starts having some hip issues, Steve some breathing issues. You just never know what to expect on race day. Jeff and I run off course so he can get a Coca Cola at a Subway.

Mentally I am far from being able to control myself. I constantly had to reel myself in from wanting to drop my pace. I knew if I stayed with Steve, I would finish safe. Had I ran off, I do think I would have finished the race at least 30 minutes faster or blown up two miles later. But my goal was to finish so I never left his side. He told me to run ahead if I wanted to, and told him I wasn't old enough to go off by myself. Really I couldn't have finished feeling the way I did if it wasn't for him. Thanks Steve.

Steve is Hispanic and he runs with this big ass sombrero to keep the sun off. He got dozen of funny, positive remarks. Its race levity. Around mile 22, some people on horseback were crossing the road ahead. One man, stopped his horse to let us pass. As they were still 30 yards ahead I waved him across. In the middle of the road, he says to us, "My horse doesn't like your hat." Then his horse, mid road, pivots hard, eyes get really big and he snorts at us. I seriously thought the horse was going to charge and got ready to push Steve out of the way but the cowboy reigned him hard and away from us. Super weird.

At mile 24 we ran along some desert. A cowboy on horseback was watching the race. I asked him if the can in his hand was Bud Light. He replied it was Keystone Light and I asked if he had another. From his saddlebag, he produced a cold one and I went over to fetch it. His wife, also on horseback remarked drinking a beer during a marathon probably wasn't the best idea. I remarked, "Ma'am, me doing this marathon probably wasn't the best idea." As it turned out, the race photo team was a half mile ahead and I ran through the picture area with beer in hand.

Due to Steve's breathing problems we ended up fast walking a lot the last four miles with short runs on the flats and downhills. As we crossed the finish line, I saw a dozen friends waiting for us. Lots of hugs and high fives. Several saying, "No hospital. Yeah." What a blast.

I finished in 5:45. Not that a clock mattered to me today, finishing upright with a smile is all that mattered. And I did that. My average HR ended up being 135. I felt really strong the whole day. I even danced at one aid station and did a hula hoop obstacle course at another. I don't think I have had as much fun in a marathon before, always opting for the more aggressive competitive racing style.

I have no idea where this year will lead me with the events I do, but this finish proved at least physically I can still hang. Mentally, I will still need help but if I plan out the year correctly, I can manage those expectations.

Its not enough to exist. I am going to live.

Signed Up, Good God

I signed up for the Lost Dutchman marathon. Its on Valentines day, about six weeks from today. I have been putting up trial balloons with friends and family for a couple months on this as even I was not sure what I wanted to do for 2010. As many would tell you, more than half I talked too, doing a marathon as my first race back from the injury I sustained is dumb, stupid, idiotic, selfish, and on and on and on.

And this is probably all true. But I will be honest about this and 80% of you reading this will not understand this at all. I am an A-Type personality. I am an all-go, no-quit, full speed, adrenaline junkie, competitive nature, must win, on the edge animal.

That being said it has led to some Epic Fails. God knows I have failed spectacularly. This blog is replete with a history of my attempts at truly awesome events. But I have also had some truly awesome successes. Some spectacularly amazing adventures in my life that I would never have had the chance or courage to do if I had not been this person. On balance I think my life has benefited more from this than not. It got me walking again, it got me thinking again. It got me through 10 years of military service. It got me a wife way outside my league. It helped me start a successful company in a state far removed from my comfort zone. It has got me through Ironmans and marathons and 1,000 of hours of training. It got me from being told by a half dozen different medical experts, "Never workout again", to signing up for Lost Dutchman.

This last injury and recovery has very much taught me how to listen to my body. How to go for it without losing control. And even though at my core I am the person I was pre April 2008,,I have a fully fleshed out plan to stay in bounds and control myself. I know even if that doesn't work, I can stop. I don't have to finish this race. I don't have to finish any race ever again.

I will be running with at least two other people from my team and they will be my outside monitors and pacers. I will run at a very comfortable pace and just do the best I can. If they tell me I am done, I am done.

But really enough of the selling. I am doing a marathon next month! How freaking awesome is that.

Its not enough to exist. I am going to live.

Ironman Morning

"Today is the day the Lord has made, rejoice and be glad in it."

Online Spectating

Thanks for coming by to get updates on my race. You can track my progress HERE. My race number is 854. If you can't find an easy reference on the main page, look to the top right corner of the screen and click IRONMANLIVE and then 'Live Athlete Tracking'. Sometimes, well quite often, there is some glitch in the tracking system, so be patient if you run into problems.

For those of you new to tracking an Ironman, the race starts at 7:00 PCT. My race page will have a list of split times to track me along the course and be filled in as I cross them. Of course these times are tentative and situationally dependent but these are what I am projecting for pace:

• I should be out of the water between 1.5- 1.75 hours (finish around 8:30am to 8:45am).
  
• On the bike for 6 to 6.5 hours (finish around 2:30 to 3:00pm)
• Running for 5 hours (cross finish line around 8pm)

I'd like to finish under 13 hours total but a lot can happen out there.

What is also fun is reading the updates which come in about every five minutes and watching the live video feeds. It mostly follows the pro's but gives tremendous insight to the weather and the course which will be a breezy and hot 95 degrees. COPY/PASTE/PRINT these lists of names and tape to your monitor for quick reference throughout the day.

Just for fun here are some profession names to look for:

Stijn (Stein) Demeulemeester, staying with a friend, holds fastest bike time on course
Rutger Beke, last years winner staying with a friend
Hillary Biscay, pro and hottie
Heather Gollnick, last years winner and tremendous roll model on /off the course
Michellie Jones, #1 ranked womans triathlete in the world.

I will have pals out there too. You can also track:

Andy Cope, bib# 619
Mike Dalgreen, bib# 690
ME, bib# 854
Todd Delabio, bib# 855
Jeff Banas, bib# 1031
Ben Nadolski, bib #441
Ken Hosch, bib #1276
Robin Wooten, bib# 2266


Have Fun.

Race #3 2008: Ragnar Relay

Ragnar is nothing like I expected and exactly like I thought it was going to be. The Ragnar Relay is a 190 mile relay event with teams of twelve runners. The teams are split into two vehicles, mostly white 15 passenger vans and while one team of six runs their legs the others are free to do as they wish. And vice versa. The distances, called 'Legs', vary from 3 miles to over 7 miles and each runner does three of these legs. There are runners who do three difficult Legs and runners who have three very easy Legs. Which in the end is good for those that have chronic injuries or just not very good runners but want to contribute.

I have chosen a harder segment of run legs and become Runner #1. In my van, which turned out to be a top of the line Denali, are two others I know very well, one whom I know and two I have never met. The perfect combination for a group.

The teams are started based on run projections and overall finish time and due to an error on our part, we get a first wave start of 0900. Myself and about a half dozen other runners take off and charge over five miles to the first transition. I had a good run averaging about 7:30 per mile and coming in third, six minutes behind the first runner and about six minutes ahead of the person behind me.

The second leg, I ran at 8:30 pm and was listed as the hardest of my set at 7.5 miles and 500 feet of climbing over 2 miles of the course. Because it was late, I had rider with me. Some teams, like ours, elected to have another team mate ride along at night providing more light and some sense of security. We also found that when the runner finished their leg and then provided a bike escort for the next person, it loosened the legs up. My legs took a mile to find themselves after being cramped up in a car for so long but I clipped off 8:30 miles up some very tough climbs.

The third leg run around 0530 was my worst. I was tired. I was cramped and cold and hungry. I hadn't slept barely or if all in over 25 hours. I started my watch early to get my HR going and somehow started it as well, so no idea really of my time. I had switched shoes and my foot pod gave me absurd paces. Lastly my stomach seceded from my internal organs and I had to evacuate like no ones business. Only problem is that bathrooms are only at the start and finish of the legs. Mine happen to be just shy of six miles. That is a long time to run like that. But I did.

When I wasn't running, I was driving during the day and trying to be helpful at night. There is a constant routine of waiting at a transition to the runners to exchange a wrist strap, then drive ahead a few miles. Pull over, cheer on your team mate and assess any needs then drive to the next transition area. Occasionally the other team will come around on the course to find you but mostly you meet at Major Exchanges when the last runner of one vehicle passes off the first runner of the next vehicle. It was never boring that is for sure.

I saw many friends that I had no idea were in the same race. I drove up on Momo and her friend Krista volunteering at a checkpoint. She has quite a funny story to tell of her set up there and it was good to see a kind friend once again. Just before I saw them we saw five wild horses grazing in the desert just off a desert road portion of the course.

The finish line was a mosh pit of absolutely horrible bands and some pretty damn good beer. As the first group of runners we were done about five hours before the second group of our team finished so we had a long lunch and followed them along on the course for several Legs. Then went to the finish line to repack the bags and all run across together.

There were hundreds of pictures taken by Claudia, who traveled with us and look forward to seeing and posting what she took.

This report is sort of a mishmash of stuff, which sums up Ragnar pretty well. It has a start and a finish and the course is laid out perfectly. Everything else goes way to fast or way to slow and always on less sleep than any other way you would ever want to do a race.

Maybe that is why it is so much fun.

Are we there yet?

So many levels to that question this Friday. Top Three?

1. Is this surgery going to work for Mo?
2. Will I go crazy during the 30+ hour 190 mile Ragnar Relay with five others in a Suburban?
3. How will the EvoTri vote end?

The doctors convinced each other and then Mistress that this surgery is going to be a good thing for Mo. He is having his tonsils and adenoids removed and scraping and restructuring his sinuses. Its a long painful procedure that will have him recovering for over a week. The debate was how individually the procedures are 'routine' but when done all at once and considering he has zero immune system without drugs it is considered experimental. This does nothing for his more dangerous colitis issue.

Ragnar will be a long day for me. I don't sleep well when traveling. I haven't met three of the six in my vehicle before. Its one thing to have a kick ass 7 mile run workout but when you repeat it every 6 hours and then just sit in a car seat for the time in between and not getting normal food, who knows what will happen. I do look forward to this race. It was my idea for us to do it. I think it will be one of those very memorable races of my life. Gee, maybe us bloggers should do one next year. Only need twelve per team and there all over the country.

I have really been stumping for EvoTri votes this week. In some regards I am glad it is a week of voting as it takes time to plan and execute such a campaign. But not knowing what place I'm in or how anyone else is doing, it can make you think to much about it in a unhealthy way. I always tend to look at it as I am in the back of the pack, don't take anything for granted, obstacles will come up, just work as hard as I can to finish strong. Gee, maybe a life lesson there. Believe it or not the part that I dwell on the most right now is that regardless of the outcome I won't be able to do a proper thank you or congratulatory post until the end of the weekend; after the relay, after taking a turn with Mo and after my century ride on Sunday.

No matter how it ends, though I hope and prefer it ends well for me, I am so humbled and appreciative of all the people that took the time to vote for me and send the messages out. I received so many emails from people saying, "Hey Comm's, heres a response from so and so about voting for you."

Have Fun.

PF Chang 2008 photos

I have seen enough pictures of myself running to see that my form is looking different and that is a good thing. Since October I have been working hard to have better running form. The biggest change noticeable in the pictures is the lift in my trail leg. Even though I have run for almost two decades I've had a very low pick up with my feet and been a heel striker. It looks like the efforts have paid off.


I think I will challenge everyone this year to pose for one finishers picture that is not the static stand like your getting a Passport photo. Grab a buddy (like Kahuna and Trimama at IMFL) or pose in a different way. In all things...

Have Fun.

Race Report #3 2008 PF Chang Half Marathon

For my third endurance event of my season, the PF Chang's half marathon, I want to do well but first I have some mental obstacles. Standing in corral #5 I have a bladder that won't fully empty and a dead battery in my footpod; I won't be using my pace to guide me through this race. But the weather is damn near perfect. My mind, lately plagued with plateaus, missed workouts and increased responsibility at work, is only focused on the streets ahead. I plug in my ear buds, crank up the playlist, start my watch and move under the start line banner. I am determined that today will be different. Today I will be Unusual. It's 8:30am.

My goal is simple. Set a good pace for the first three miles. Increase my heart rate to threshold until mile ten and then pop the remaining safeties in my mind and go for it the last three miles. I am going to run a sub-2 hour half marathon. A great race for me is to finish around 1:54.

The half marathon is a distance I do at least twice per month in training but not at anaerobic threshold like I will this day. I train for Ironmans and the requisite running is long distances at a much lower heart rate zone. Its about being consistent, think more tortoise than hare.

By mile two I have finally emptied my bladder at a honey bucket along the course and conceded to striking my lap button at each mile marker, I will run by individual splits and heart rate alone, the Polar 625 on my wrist will be well underutilized this race. My first 5k comes in 27 minutes and feel I have more to give to this course. My mind is sharp, my feet moving well and I begin to push the pace.

There are 20,000 people running the half and even being seeded in corral 5 of 30, there are thousands of people in front of me and they are between me and my goal. The next three miles I continue to dart through and around people. Normally these quick lateral movements and spurts of acceleration are more tedious than anything but I find that my pace and my energy are up to the task. I continue to click off miles each of them a couple seconds over a pace of eight minutes.

I know at mile ten I want to push it harder. My heart rate has already been locked in at 167 for the last several miles. My form feels perfect and my breathing is effortless. I have no reason or thought to breaking my pace and in fact haven't slowed down or walked at all. These last three miles will decide my fate of a sub 2 hour run. I can't let up at all.

Miles nine and ten are slightly uphill. They're not really hills, but enough of an incline to make you think about it. I didn't hesitate, tucked my chin, pumped my arms and only lose a few seconds to the clock. Its at this point that two runners pass me on the uphill. The first to do so in an hour. I celebrate the realization and redouble my efforts pushing my heart rate into the high 170's.

Thankfully mile eleven is a well known stretch of road and its somewhat downhill. I make up considerable time, running my fastest mile of 7:43. My mind is no longer concerned with time or pace, I am moving as fast as I can. I realize my eyes are half-closed slits. All my energy poured into the last few minutes on the clock. The final mile brings me fully to terms with my endeavor. My pace has not slackened in the least and my energy output is still consistent with seemingly much left in the tank. I am pushing myself to the point of feeling the urge to vomit and still I continue my mission. My mind repeats the word, "squeeze." As in don't let up, keep squeezing the life from this road. I am fully flying past people only stymied by the bottleneck into the longest finish shoot I have ever seen.

I began this race months ago, meditating on a sub-2 hour race. I told so very few my hearts desire to run 1:54. When I crossed the finish line and saw my time of 1:47, my heart swelled. So much emotion ran through me. I had done my best and slaughtered my expectations. My thoughts went to Mistress. I mentally thanked her first. I couldn't have run this day without her support. Without her acceptance of my training. She rarely disapproves and often is my biggest advocate for getting in my long hours of practice for my Ironmans. When I tell her I will be home at 1pm, she tells me she will she me around 3pm and she is usually right.

The time I ran, the love of my family, the legs still wanting to churn out the miles, my body showing me its excellent condition despite my mental self-conflagrations otherwise; I got emotional. My phone call home was choked up, with my heart in my throat and my emotions on my salty sleeve.

Many months ago I decided that the theme of 2008's would be the Year Of Believing. Right now I truly do.

Race Report #2 2008: Tucson Marathon 2007

Sometimes a race is more important than a finishing medal.

Part of my desire to make my first two races of the 2008 season non-competitive, is because I felt that I had to reconnect with the heart of endurance sport. I spent so much time training for Ironmans and PR's that it became all about me. All about me beating the clock and beating my team mates and others on the course.

John (an Ironman), Dan (an Ironman) and myself, all traveled to Tucson for John to PR the marathon. Dan drove all the over from San Diego.

John is a capable swimmer and cyclist, yet he falls apart on the run. In fact he doesn't run. At his Ironman he calculated exactly what pace he had to walk to finish before midnight and did exactly that, with the best attitude I saw the entire time on the course. So he has been training, through some pretty scary physical issues, to at some point PR the marathon distance. The Tucson marathon with its mostly downhill course provided the right impetuous for him. Dan and I signed on as his personal race support on the course.

The expo was small but fun. I love expos. But I left mostly empty hand because the PF Chang expo is massive and in just a few weeks. I met some locals that had also came down which always makes the time more fun. Later that night at Olive Garden I saw even more locals and it was like a dinner party. Triathletes for the most part are such fun loving people that when all they have to do is one of the three events, its very lighthearted.

The day started with freezingly could temps. At least to me. I have I must admit become a wuss for cold weather. I love cold inclimate weather but the prospect of standing in it for 90 minutes in just running shorts and tee-shirt before a race...forget it. So I wore three layers of clothing. The top most layer being a set of sweats that were tossed for donation after serving their purpose.

John was adamant about a 2:1 run/walk pace and started it immediately. Right off the bat because this is a small race, the three of us were in the very back.

Dan and I have met in the past, many times, but really bonded over the weekend. Great guy. Being Johns brother he was able to bring a level of motivation that I could not. He promised us a funny joke that he would tell us 500 times. Well he may have only said it 100 times but because he kept changing the punchline and after all the hours out there, it never got boring.

By 13.1 miles, John was in poor shape. We had moved off the 2:1 program for "small victory's", running to signs and landmarks ahead then walking a spell. There was wobble in the walk, pain in the knees, lots of sweating. But we kept him motivated and hydrated. To Johns immense credit he never once voiced negative concerns or said he wanted to stop. He took to heart my personal mantra of, "Ever Forward". Not once did he stop unless it was to perform some sort of maintenance such as stripping off layers of clothing or apply a bandaid or Vaseline to hot spots and never for long. Dan and I were able to run ahead to aid stations to fill bottles, we also took turns up front setting the pace or staying back to talk John through the effort.

He had a great streak between miles 14 and 20. He never failed to complete whatever distance we laid before him. At mile 18 the we saw the only spectators we had seen in hours. Dan ran blindly forward to thank them for their enthusiasm and patience as he had with all volunteers and spectators this day. As we got closer I realized they were friends. Tony and his finance must have waited a long time for us. Tony is a member of AZTRICLUB. John was quite moved by this selfless act. God I love this sport.

By 20 miles however, the grime reality was that we were not going to make the six hour race cut off in time. Undeterred we moved ever forward. The volunteers had long abandoned their stations but all the fluids remained. An oasis in the desert. But all thing must come to an end and the cones were all picked up and traffic reopened so for several miles we were forced to run on sidewalks and dirt paths.

When we finally got to the finish line, or the proximity of the finish line, we were warmly greeted by those that remained, had our chips removed and even received medals for our effort. How unexpected!! We were showered with iced drinks and remaining food, actually leaving with boxes of unopened finish line food.

I must say that I felt great. Though I had the expected soreness of being on my feet for that long, I had no blisters, no pains, no hot spots that I didn't already have before the race. The longest marathon I have ever run and maybe, quite possibly the most fun I have had in race. I was able to thank every single volunteer, support person and spectator. It was the final filling of my humble cup before the looming race season gets into full swing. I sought to learn the humility that one needs before undertaking the Heroes Journey described by Joesph Campbell and in my last two events I did exactly that.

In the end, the marathon ended the the only way the three of us knew it would. Three friends, Ironman's all, tucking into big plates of food and tall beers rehashing a long day of running with some laughing, some joshing and one last telling of a long tired joke.

Oh yeah, John PR'd the marathon by 40 minutes.

Race Report #1 2008: El Tour de Tucson Ride

This first event of the season was not so much a race as a me being a rabbit for a good friend in a 109 mile charity ride. I figured it was a good shakedown for me to start the new season. As it turned out between Mistress catching a cold, supporting friends for the Soma 1/2 Ironman and my concussion, I lost about 250 miles of riding in three weeks and went from being highly prepared to just wanting to keep myself an honest rabbit, finishing one wheel ahead of my friend.

It was to be miserably cold on race morning and as my father, godfather, Doug and myself exited our hotel for a meal the night before the ride and I had two things on my mind; my splitting concussion headache and find a cheap sweatshirt to wear while waiting for the start. (I should have learned from Ironman Florida, be prepared for morning chill with a throwaway top.) I was surprised that just sitting in the back of the vehicle as we drove around that I was being assaulted visually, my eyes still impaired from my latest head injury. We all retired to our room later that night with full bellies and me with a $9 XL green sweatshirt courtesy of Walgreens.

Race morning found Doug and I at the start line 2 hours ahead of time. As a charity ride the waves are set up for projected finish times and when one chute becomes to full they force you back with slower riders. We ended up being seeded right behind the quicker riders boxed out of the faster group ahead.

As we started, I mentally defaulted to riding without draft, after a couple miles I realized I could draft and picked up amazing time and speed, covering the first quarter of the course around 19 mph. Well above our projection.

There are two areas where cyclists must dismount and portage their bike across dry sandy rivers. During the first such carry at mile 8, my speedplay cleat became damaged and it took ten minutes for me to reclip into my pedals. For the remainder of the event it was a constant challenge to take my foot off the bike without wrenching my ankle. Unfortunately this foreshadowed a similar fate to my left cleat during the next portage around 50 miles and then I simply tried to not get off the bike at all.

Doug and I did very well staying together up until the point of the second portage. My only lag with him was when my HR watch showed full memory one hour in and I had to delete some files before restarting, one of the many times I wished my aero bars were attached. He picked up a good draft and I needed to bust out to catch up.

After the second portage rolling hills came into play and I found I could attack them quite well. Doug kept a reasonable pace, as we had been told the hills in the later section were not to be trifled with. He found easy company along the way so we adapted our strategy so that I would time trial the five to seven miles between aid stations and wait for him then repeat. This we continued to do, with me waiting about ten minutes at each station until mile 72 where I again had plenty of time to refill my bottles, empty my bladder and nibble on food until Doug arrived.

We were told at this point with 37 miles left that the course was essentially played out and there would be no more hills. I looked at the watch and then at Doug. I felt really good after 72 miles. Strong. I wanted to beat 7 hours of course time and had less than 90 minutes to do it. We talked, shook hands and parted ways.

Doug had made an interesting point earlier in our ride. People were afraid of speed. They dawdled along at slow speeds and low cadence. Our drafts, while helpful to conserve energy, slowed us down considerably. This is not a race. It is not a time trail from T1 to T2. Its a charity ride with 10,000 cyclists. It blew my mind that they didn't stand on the road and hand out bottles of water. You had to stop at basically a party and the uber-gracious and genial volunteers filled you up by pitchers. There was not energy/calorie drink handed out. A very laid back race. So when I parted ways with Doug with 37 miles left, I really wanted to fly.

And I flew.

The next hour I covered 27 miles. I reached speeds, without drafting, of 31, 32 miles per hour. I hit 36 mph as my fastest speed. It is the greatest hour of cycling (and without aero bars) I have ever had. And I loved every minute of it.

At mile 74, just past our parting, the last group of cyclists entered the course for their 35 mile ride. There were several distances one could ride, 109 miles the longest, 35 the shortest. At this point I was doing around 30 mph and passing people doing half that speed. One cyclist came up to me and asked me about the color of my bib, I didn't get it at the time, but people in the shortest ride had blue bibs and people in my wave had white. All I got from him was that he was impressed I was riding that fast that far into my event.

I would sometimes grab onto a draft line, as my HR was hitting around 181, this allowed me to drop HR and still keep a decent speed. Then I would bust out in a flurry of high cadence and blow past the line.

During one such time that I was moving off the line, around 28 mph. I was passing people and a van was approaching from ahead. A cyclist looked over his shoulder at me and yelled, "car" but I didn't need to slow, I kept my speed high to pass once the van moved by. The cyclist looked back at me again and yelled, "Car...dude your wheels are so loud I thought you were a car!" I smiled and blew by. That was cool.

I ended up being stuck at a couple of lights, the police by now were doing their best to keep traffic stops to a minimum and was resigned that my fantastic hour of cycling was not going to put me under the 7 hour course time. So I slowed down and just tried to keep all the systems running smoothly.

It was difficult to unclip either foot and the wrenching action of my ankle did not allow me to be gentle with my legs. I cramped pretty hard at a couple of the intersections waiting to be waived through.

Another cyclist approached me and said the biggest, most awesome statement I have ever got in endurance racing. He obviously had seen the M-Dot tattoo on my calf and said, "Did you do the Ironman." I replied, "Yeah." His response was, "You're one bad motherfucker...that's a compliment."

I finished the course around 7:15, I didn't delete enough memory from my watch, which kept showing 'Full Memory', so stopped looking at it with 9 miles to go. My bike computer ride time is just over 6 hours. That shows how much time was spent at aid stations hanging out. Doug finished about a half hour later with a big smile and full of pride. He did great. I am so happy he was able to coax me into this ride as my first of the new season. It had been on my radar for years and it did not disappoint.

Several minutes after finishing I definitely felt I could run, but was glad I didn't have to. Instead I had a couple beers, a couple cokes and a medal around a neck; reward for a good day of training.

Race Season 2007-2008

I am the 'Intrepid Age Grouper'. It's my homage to Calvin and Hobbes.

This is why I took two months off, then a strict three month build with no racing.


11/17/07 Intrepid Age Grouper @ El Tour De Tucson, 110 mile cycling race. The 25th Anniversary of this race will have 10,000 cyclist riding around Tucson. It is a rolling course with two dismounts to cross streams. I am pacing a buddy through this race with a goal time of under 7 hours. I have always wanted to do this race.

12/02/07 Intrepid Age Grouper @ Tucson Marathon. The whole enchilada. I am pacing a friend. Again a race I have always wanted to take part in.

1/13/08 PF Chang Half Marathon @ Intrepid Age Grouper. I have heard bloggers are coming down to this race. It won't be my first time but it will be fun with friends.

3/22/08 Intrepid Age Grouper @ Lake Havasu Triathlon. Olympic Distance. Last epic training before Ironman. After all the long IM training, this will help me remember how fun racing is. Swimming under the original London Bridge should be a blast for this history buff.

4/13/08 Ironman Arizona @ Intrepid Age Grouper. The Reckoning. I am above becoming to emotional about this race. I got really sick and still raced in 2007. Stupid. Still, this 'A' race represents my vision of having a great race and is my focus. My goal is sub-13.

5/03/08 Intrepid Age Grouper @ Rocky Pt. Mexico. Olympic. I love this race. Its international. It's on Saturday. We stay in a 5,000 square foot penthouse with great friends at an awesome resort.

5/18/08 Tempe International Classic @ Intrepid Age Grouper. International. Not a great race. Super hot. But if I stay healthy, I will PR.

6/08/08 Intrepid Age Grouper @ Escape From Alcatraz. Olympic. Need to get a lottery pick first. Heard good things. Want to challenge myself against the current of SF Bay. There really could be sharks in that water! Destination race in a good city. Something that I would not do every year so it appeals to me.

7/20/08 Intrepid Age Grouper @ Mountain Man, Flagstaff. Half Ironman. Bolder has told me if I do this race as a Half Iron, he will give me a life time exemption of SLP status. The course starts at 6,500 and tops out at 7,500. If I do the Olympic, as I have done in the past, (notably when I stress fractured my leg on the bike and finished in 2006), he will just renew my 2 year exemption.

9/21/08 Intrepid Age Grouper @ Cancun Ironman 70.3. Cancun has the lure of the tropics and is another punch on the international triathlete card. Several friends and team mates could make this a long weekend of fun and for those north of Kansas City, it will supply a winters worth of stories of palm tree and frilly drinks. Maybe recreate a past spring break or create our own. No kids allowed. My second 'A' race of the year.

9/22/08 Nathans Olympic Triathlon @ Intrepid Age Grouper. Sprint or Olympic TBD. If Cancun is a bust I will have this as a local back up for same weekend. Just a training day race to have fun on the course before getting serious for Vegas.

9/28/08 Intrepid Age Grouper @ Las Vegas Triathlon. I actually decided to break my base training camp in 2007 and do this race with Iron Kahuna and Robo Stu but a wedding in Seattle the same weekend forced my hand. This is a provisional race again in 2008 as Cancun is one week earlier than this race and I plan on being in Cancun for at least four days with Mistress and friends. That being said, I would really enjoy doing this race.

10/26/08 Soma @ Intrepid Age Grouper. Half Iron. If I can't get to Cancun 70.3 in September I will do Soma as my last long course tri of the year.

11/08/08 Just Another Mad Dog 50K @ Intrepid Age Grouper. My first Ultra baby! I would have done this in 2007, except El Tour de Tucson is the next weekend and needed fresh legs for a 110 mile bike. Even though a 50K does not have the oomph of a 100 miler, I would really like to put ultra-marathon on my resume and cap this magical season off with authority.

On the radar for next year but not listed is the local MyoMed Ragnar Relay, a 189 mile running relay for a team of 12 and the possibly still complete my dream of a rim to rim of the Grand Canyon.

This is an aggressive race schedule and not for those who are new to running or triathlon. I am looking for new locations and challenges for this season and created a plan that keeps me off balance and fresh.

The big gear up

The Season Of Believing is upon me. Race season that is. My 'dance' card has been filled out for some time but I am tweaking some of the events due to costs of travel. You didn't think I would be doing all this base training to just cobble a season together at the last minute, did you?

My 2008 races are a mix of short course, long course, really long courses and hopefully, honestly some scenery. I realized in my last season which ran from November 2005 through May 2007, that it was too long in duration and too Ironman specific.

I also realize that I can't relive my 2005-2007. That would be a mistake and I made plenty of those last season and will make plenty of new ones this season. I have grown as a triathlete. Some races will most certainly be repeats however what I am looking for is a progression in the sport and I can't do that focusing on the same things over and over again, wondering, "These are great...but is this it?"

I went from a barely surviving 400 yard pool sprint swimmer to a 2.4 mile ocean based Ironman with 4 foot swells. I went from doing my own thing to founding a triathlon club. From boring bland tri clothes to shaping the color landscape of Phoenix with Tribe/AZTRICLUB orange on racers and spectators alike, (orange is THE color of triathlon in Phoenix). The Tri blog alliance went from five of us to over a 100. I have become invested in people that I have never met.

What will next season bring? Belief I hope. Not just for me, but for others. I want to help others believe they can do this awesome sport too. I will be excited when I finish all my races smiling and vertical but celebrate the success of my friends. I have created a kick ass amazing race season for the next twelve months and I want to share it all with you.

Soma Epic Weekend

Disclaimer- I am too tired to hyperlink all the bloggers mentioned or alluded to in this report. I do not do their deeds justice in this post nor can I truly explain the magnitude at which I appreciated being apart of special weekend.

Wow!

Talk about a gangbuster fast weekend of blogger-centric activity. I most certainly will not be able to condense everything into a cogent post and really my contribution was minimal considering I did not have a bib number.

Bolder and I again slit our fingers and mashed them together in blood-brotherhood and swore oaths to meet for race weekend once per year. That may also have been spilled our beer and cursed like sailors, but you get the point. Bold stayed with me at Casa del Comm's while Mistress and Mo were in Seattle. I could not promise turn down service or home cooked meals but he got excellent sleep every night and a personal chauffeur at his beck and call. I can do no more.

As Nytro so eloquently pointed out at lunch during the expo, the only places I eat with her and Ben are Olive Garden and Monti's (a rustic restaurant directly across the finish line of Soma and IMAZ) Rainbow and Hubby could only claim Monti's with me, so Nytro felt superior. Which isn't surprising.

I finally met Stronger. Reaching out to finally touch someone in person that has touched me so much as a person, I admit got me teary eyed. I may in future references blame horseradish for the redness in my eyes. But nevertheless I could have done nothing else the whole weekend and meeting her made it complete.

Of course my email training partner, MoMo was there all the time (we keep emailing schedules and have yet to ride together), 21st Century Mom whom is as sweet a person IRL as online, thank you for the gifts. The Dread Pirate, AAAARRRR she was ruckus woman. There will be much said regarding her race and I give her high praise for never speaking a disparaging word about it. Un-pirate like to not blame 'The Man' but she showed me once again the triathlon spirit that an indomitable attitude is more important at a triathlon than a great race.

Oh geesh, so many people at a 25 person dinner that its hard to give proper dues. But at least thanks Brian and the New Mexico Outlaws for allowing me to attend the dinner. I sat at a table with great minds and easy smiles. It was a bit overwhelming to maintain so many threads of conversations, I wanted to be a part of them all and not miss anything.

The Race. How did my race day go when I wasn't racing? Well being Bolder's personal driver is a big responsibility. I woke at 0220, unable to sleep so I hopped on my trainer until 0400 when my alarm when off. Pre Race was great, I did not see much of the out of towners except Bold so we stayed with AZTRICLUB members. We're not hard to see, racers and supporters alike in our bright orange shirts.

I jumped in and volunteered a couple hours stripping wet suits. Fun. Drank some beers. Then when Big John came out of T2, I went out to pace him for his first half of the 13.1 mile run. At three miles, we ran into Duane and I decided to walk the remainder of his quarter man 10k with him as he was starting to be affected greatly by the weather. It hit 100 degrees out there during the race. Duane and I did not get a chance to talk much at the dinner and I felt badly about that. Maybe God had put him and I out there together on the run course together so we could spend the time together that I wanted the night before. I was compelled to push John forward and stay with Duane.

Duane got so much praise and support from fellow competitors out there. It was affirming of the human spirit and humbling. His mouth, all our mouths, were so dry that he simply could not respond to every person who spoke to him or touched him when they ran by in support of his efforts.

In all I spent two hours and seventeen minutes on the run course, running up and down, walking with and talking to important people who needed encouragement or a side-five. Doing that while first pacing John then pacing Duane really made me feel like a better person than just being a spectator.

The AZTRICLUB tent was a hub of activity. This time we had three 10x10 tents for shade with 5 cases of beer, 6 bottles of champagne, water and Gatorade, muffins, danishes, homemade burritos, German chocolate cake, bagels, fruit and chips. The team probably handed out a case of beer and couple dozen small glasses of champagne to friends and fellow athletes who felt obliged. We may not be the fast tri club in the city, but everyone knows we do it up at races.

While Soma is the end of most peoples seasons, Florida Ironman and Silverman not withstanding, my season is soon about to begin.

Let's have fun....

Guest Race Report: Wildflower

My swim coach Nick from Durapulse raced at Wildflower last weekend. He is a 6 time Ironman finisher with a sub-10 finish at Kona, he also got an IM slot by placing in his AG at California 70.3 a month ago. He is also someone I consider a friend in life and mentor in this sport. As part of his distribution list, I got his race report which he doesn't normally do but he wanted to impress on us just what it takes to do this sport even from front of the pack people like himself.

I was taken aback by the sheer honestly of the recap given his position as a paid coach talking to his clients. It takes tremendous selflessness to do this. The bravado is stripped bare and the essence of what it takes to be the man he is makes the transparent report all the more important.

I am continually blessed to have the people around me that I do in this sport. From Kevin at Tribe Multisport, to my brutha' Bolder and Benny and Nytro my regular callers to my awesome team mates at AZTRICLUB to my constantly growing stable of coaches and mentors all the way along to the people who bring me so much joy in my day, my Commenters. All of you affirm the goodness of this sport and the belief in humanity. Enjoy.

I competed in the Wildflower Long Course Triathlon in Lake San Antonio, California on May 5th. This triathlon is arguably one of the toughest half ironman courses in the world. Why did I decide to do it, for that reason. How tough could it really be? The Wildflower Triathlon Festival has been labeled "the Woodstock of Triathlon." This year was the 25^th anniversary of the race. Lake San Antonio is in the middle of nowhere and the most comfortable accommodations are the ones you bring. Imagine 20,000 camping tents lining the hills of Central California with bikes hanging from trees and "tri-geeks" everywhere. It is a great sight. The total number of athletes competing in the festival (three races) is around 8,000. The long course had 3,000 registered.

I arrived on Thursday evening with enough light to set up the tent for me, my wife, and my 2 year old son. Thinking that I would get a good night's sleep I blew up my comfortable air mattress and laid my head down. Little did I know, I had set up the tent right in the middle of the "Team in Training" camp site. They were up all night yacking away with no regard for me wanting to get sleep. It's my fault. I shouldn't have set up there in the first place. Anyway, Friday went well as I prepared for the race on Saturday. I rested and enjoyed the cooler than 100 degree temperatures. As the evening came I ate my traditional chicken and pasta meal. The wind started to pick up and the temperature had dropped to the 50's by 6 PM. No problem, we brought enough blankets. Wrong! The temperature got into the 30's that night. No longer was it camper's keeping me awake but my body shivering. I tried to tuck in close to my family but still kept me cold. 5:30 AM came pretty fast with only a few hours of sleep. Oh well, the race must go on.

I gathered all of my gear and rode the 1.2 miles on my bike from my tent to the transition area. I gave myself plenty of time to set up my gear, get body marked, and find a calm place to sit down and relax. About 15 minutes before my wave started I began putting on my wetsuit. They announced the water temperature to be 65 degrees and I was glad that I had a wetsuit. With 3,000 people doing the race there were a lot of waves. Fortunately for me I was in the third wave, right behind the professional men and professional women. The swim start is from a boat ramp. It is not an “in water” start. We are standing in between two boat docks spaced about 20 yards a part. I would say there were approximately 100 people in my wave. The first buoy was around 300 yards away before we made a right turn. Even with all of the open water preparation I have done I still felt overwhelmed this day. The gun went off and we all fought for a comfortable spot. That was a mistake. There is no comfort in a congested swim. For about 400 yards I swam with my head above the water trying to get in a groove. By that time I was extremely frustrated and slashing through the water without any form. Many doubts ran through my mind.

You see, the last time I raced was about a month ago in another half ironman triathlon. After the race I had decided that I needed to put more time into swimming. I had committed to swim at least 4 times a week in preparation for Wildflower. In the last month I have swam a total of 5 times. I figured I was a good enough swimmer and that I could "wing it." Never will I do that again. There has only been one other race in my triathlon career (over 100 multisport events) where I felt the swim ruined my race. And it certainly did because I DNF'ed that race. My only DNF. Well, the swim at Wildflower felt very similar. About half way into the swim I had this incredible burning feeling in my gut. It was so painful that I had to stop and do the breast stroke for about a minute to relax. I found a group to draft from that point but still did not feel right. In a triathlon there are a lot of emotions that go through ones head. "Why am I doing this?" and "I am never doing another triathlon" were statements that frequently can into my mind during the swim. I had to reach deep and move past the pain. The last thought that cam into my mind was "the swim is almost over and then it's time to bike." I am a much better cyclist than swimmer so I knew that once I came out of the water the race would begin for me.

As I exited the water I looked at my watch and saw that I was about three minutes slower than predicted. I was a little bummed but was glad that I came in as fast as I did. But, a triathlon is not always about time, especially when I still had to bike 56 miles and run 13.1 miles. I felt horrible coming out of the water, even to the point that I almost called it a day and chalked another DNF on my record. I fought the tendency and ran (jogged/walked) through the transition area with a heart rate of 185 bpm to my bike. I calmed down a little as I grabbed my helmet and bike. I was ready to move on in the race.

The day before I drove the bike course to get an idea of how hilly it really was. I had heard that it was a tough course and I wanted to preview the course to not be shocked on race day. There is a little 3-4 mile loop right out of the transition area that I had skipped on my preview drive the day before. I thought that it wound through the campground and would not be a threat on the bike course. I was sure wrong. The only part of the bike course that I did not preview was the most challenging part for me. A bad swim contributed to the pain on this first part of the course but if I would have known that this 6% grade of a hill that lasted a mile long was there I would have taken it a little easier right out of the water. Never before in a race have I experienced such painful cramps on the bike. My leg muscles began to contract on the front and the back. Usually when I cramp on the bike I stand up and stretch a little. It was more painful to stand than sit and I was climbing a hill so I couldn't stop pedaling to relax. I thought my race was over. I almost pulled to the side to walk my bike down the hill and turn in my chip. But the little angel on my shoulder told me to keep going. I suffered through it and made it to the top excited to find a long decent to recover.

The first 30 miles of the bike are rolling hills with a slight down hill grade. It's a nice time to pick up speed in preparation for the "nasty grade" at mile 42. I was expecting to get a good average speed on this part before my speed dropped to under 10 MPH on the uphill. To my surprise, and everyone else racing, there was an extreme headwind for this stretch of the course. It was so frustrating. I thought for sure that I would be able to make up a lot of time from my bad swim. On spots where I thought I would hit 30 MPH I was barely hitting 20 MPH. It did not help my mental game. The bike course is a loop so we did get tail wind but it came at a point in the race where tailwind did not matter, up the 6-10% hill. I would have much rather had tail wind on the flat part than the up hill section. The only thing I could do was stick to my heart rate and trust in my training. Everyone else had to deal with the same weather conditions so I was not alone.

After about 30 miles I felt that I had finally recovered from the swim. Yes, it was that bad. I was finally enjoying the race. The toughest part of the race was approaching and I was feeling great. The dreaded "nasty grade" or "heart rate hill" was in sight and I was ready to attack. I will be honest, it was not that bad. I rolled up the hill(s) without discomfort. With 5 miles to go I was envisioning transition #2 and the 13.1 mile run.

I ran out of T2 feeling really good. I knew that it was going to be a great run. One thing I did not do was preview the run course. I wish I would have for the same reason I wish I would have previewed the entire bike course. The run course was tough. The first three miles run next to the water along the same course at the off road triathlon. All I saw for the first 10 minutes was off road triathletes finishing their race. It worried me that I was on the wrong course. I did not see a single long course athlete. I trusted my instinct and kept pressing forward. If I was on the right course I was surely in a good position overall. About 2 miles into the run there was a turn around for the off-road athletes and the long course athletes needed to go straight. It was a big relief to see that. I ran by myself for almost 4 miles. The run course was beautiful. It was also challenging. At one point on a mile long hill another athlete passed me. He was clearly faster than me so I did not challenge at all. About half way up the hill he started to walk briskly. It was more beneficial for him to walk fast than to run. I did the same and my heart rate dropped about 4 beats, which gave me a chance to recover. I was feeling really good and was right on target to go under 90 minutes.

The course continued to go up and down through the trees. The scenery kept my mind off of the pain until around mile 6. At this point I felt a little cramping in my left hamstring muscles. This is something I have experienced before. In the past I have run through the pain and it has either gone away or dropped me to the ground in agonizing pain. I took a chance and ran through it. The day had been bad enough and I didn’t want to let anything else halt my progress. I slowed my pace a little and gradually the pain went away. It was such a relief. If I kept the same pace I could still have a decent run split. After that point I felt great. I was passed by a couple people in my age group, but found myself passing them towards the end.

At mile 10 there is a mile long downhill section that takes the athletes to a turn around. I could see my competitors running back up the hill that I was going down. It came as a mental shock that I had to run back up the hill I was running down. I knew I only had three miles to go so I kept pushing knowing that it would all be over soon. The very last mile of this course is a downhill section that is so steep that it forces you to run out of control. It’s nice to have a downhill for the last mile but it is a challenging downhill at the end of a very challenging course. The finish line was in sight and I eased up a little thinking that I was by myself. To my surprise the announcer started talking about someone besides me. I then realized that I was not alone. With 20 feet to go I was passed by another in my age group. I crossed the finish line grabbed a couple towels, some water and oranges and found a place to sit down. I was greeted by other athletes who did the race. It was nice to share stories about the swim, the wind, and the run. Really, that’s all it is now, a story.

I have always said that the swim in a triathlon can rarely make your race but it can certainly break your race. It certainly did that for me. I lost it in the swim. Even though it is a tough bike and run course I felt that it was the swim that kept me from hitting my goals. I am a little disappointed with my results. I did my best and I have to be satisfied with that. I will take what I learned from this race and apply to the next.

The most important thing that I have learned is that it takes hard work to complete and compete in a triathlon. My pride kept me from sticking to my training plan and I surely suffered because of it. When my coach tells me to do something I will most certainly do it. Will I swim at least 4 times a week from now on? Oh yes. My good biking and running skills got me to the finish line but my weakness in swimming caused me to suffer for 4 hours and 50 minutes on race day. The great thing about triathlon is that you can always improve. There are three sports to work on and everyone can improve.

Would I do this race again? Certainly, yes. I had a great time and recommend this race to everyone. It is one race that everyone who calls themselves a triathlete should experience. I feel so strongly about this race that I have already begun planning the trip for the team next year. Mark it on your calendars!

I saw Nick on Tuesday and he 'Ah shucked' his way through the grilling I gave him on the race. He finally fessed up that he came in 10th AG, 32 overall and 1st Arizonian (non-pro) at Wildflower.

Race Report #2 2007: Rocky Point, Mexico

What a fabulous weekend but first, thank you so much for all of you that read my post titled My Head Injury. I didn't quite know what to expect and yet again I under estimated the compassion and understanding of bloggers.

First the fun stuff then the race report.

Rocky Point, Mexico is about a four hour drive south of Phoenix. Mistress and I left Mighty Mo with our parents and had an adult weekend with two other couples we like very much. The resort is brand new, still in their first year, it is Las Palomas. Wendy set us up to stay in one of the penthouse rooms which conveniently had its own elevator outside the door. The penthouse was 4,000 sq. ft inside with 3 bed/3bath and everything else you could imagine plus a 2,000 balcony area with full view of the pools below and ocean ahead. There was a fire pit and full bbq and food prep area.

Most of the weekend for me was spent in the penthouse or on the balcony drinking beer and having fun with the other people staying there. Friday night most of the other team mates in town came up for a tour and some food so we entertained until about 11 pm. Mistress and I did go out for a swim in the ocean Friday evening and she loved it. She was a varsity miler on a PAC-10 swim team and though she hasn't swum much since Mo was born she is so natural in the water. She became so child like out there and youthful it was great. Each day we all drove into town and bought shrimp for meals and did shopping for trinkets. The wifes all had a great time going through stores and Jeff and I lamented that based on our status as business owners we could no longer buy the gross and crude tourist shirts that are so fun to read but not so fashionable to wear as an adult.

All right! The race.

I had a great race. I haven't looked at any of my official numbers but my watch and my thinking is that I PR'd by a few minutes at least. Easily my best race swim yet. The race was pushed back an hour due to low tide so we got to sleep in. Nice. The entire event was very laid back. Tons of security, easily the most I have ever seen, but the flip side was that Mistress walked through transition with me, walked almost all the way to the swim start with me on the beach.

Tide dropped 23 feet. What was to have been a in water start was a stumble over coral to the start buoy then walk a bit further out to get some room. Once the race started I swam well, Florida Ironman cured me of any fear in open water. I came a bit off line along the long backside of the 1000 meter course but overall I moved cleanly through the water. I had to stop swimming at 23 min. and then proceeded to stumble and fall over the coral again, then run up the beach and up some stairs to the timing mats, 450 meters total race officials say and 5 minutes on my watch, to reach T1. That blew.

What was really great was that I beat Hardcore Mike and Big John out of the water by a few minutes. At Ironman AZ when I was sick they both beat me. I had to relieve myself and we all came out of T1 within few minutes of each other and all I cared about was putting as much distance between them as I could.

I felt awesome on the bike. Just very smooth. I honestly do not think I was past by more than 1 or 2 people who started behind me but I pasted at least a hundred on the 24 mile 3 loop hilly course. Those that past me were already on the course. This race is known for its 1st time race factor and it was evident on the bike. I was yelling 'Left' every couple of seconds. I yelled 'Right' a few time and even a 'Middle' once or twice. People were weaving all over the place. People were falling over pedaling up the hardest incline, people were crying because they couldn't change their tires. Saw a few walking their bikes up the hills. I was able to keep an eye on Mike at the three turnaround per loop and I'd be damned if he wasn't staying sorta close. I kept putting some distance on him but not enough for me to not be pissed he was having a great ride too. Mike kept me racing scared the whole time and I love my team mate and training partner for bringing that out of me.

My T2 was fast. I was outta there I had to put distance between Mike and I and felt stiff. I looked at my first mile of the 10k and saw a 8:29 split but it felt like 11:00. The course was a double out and back so I was able to congratulate Jeff aka The Machine and Andy in front of me and see Mike and John and other team mates behind me plus "The Millions (And Millions) of fans at Rocky Pt." I don't think ten minutes went by in the race that someone wasn't calling out my name with encouragement. I got passed quite a bit on the run but it was okay, not nearly as much as I passed other on the bike or still on the run. I was happy out there.

Coming back to the finish was a 500 meter run along the beach. When I say along the beach I mean the soft sand that is impossible to run in unless you over exaggerate your stride and arm swing. The finish shoot was a 100 yards long between rows of shaded beach chairs with people screaming on either side, very much in the Tour de France style of people cheering on the course. I saw a shadow behind me and sprinted for dear life hoping no one passed me that close to the finish line but it turns out it was someone standing on the course. It made for a dramatic and fast finish line for me.

Well my race season is officially over. "Thank you for coming, remember the 11 o'clock show is not the same as the 7 o'clock show. Try the veal." Nothing left on the calender officially until 2008.

Today I start my 'off-season' strength building phase, but more of that this week.

Rocky Point Triathlon headquarters

I have talked about my upcoming race in Rocky Point, Mexico this weekend. Its an international distance (1000m/ 24m/ 10k). The race is thankfully Saturday morning which is Cinco de Mayo and there is free Corona at the finish line. Hoorah!

Jeff, Hardcore Mike and I and our wifes rented the penthouse at the host hotel. That night we are having a shrimp bbq and party at our penthouse that night. Should be a blast.

This is the host hotel

Just liked this one

Race Report: Ironman Arizona 2007 Content Page

IMAZ Swag: Scene 1, Act 1

Semi Conscious

IMAZ Swag: Scene 2, Act 1

Good to Go

Details

Not Enough- Actual Race Report

Grateful: An Ironman's Story

Words From Mistress Carol

IMAZ 2007 epilogue

Race Report: Ironman Florida 2006 Contents Page

Prologue-Ironman Florida 2006

Ironman Florida 2006- Logistics

Ironman Florida-Race Morning

Ironman Florida- The Swim

Ironman Florida- The Bike

Ironman Florida- The Run

Ironman Florida-The Tattoo

The Celebrating is over

Ironman Florida- Video 1

Ironman Florida- Video 2