What the Hell??

I woke up this morning, looked out the window at the sky and it looked cloudy and cold. No problem, it sucks but it's really not a problem. My dogs are jumping at the bit to go outside and when I open the door for them to "do their morning duty", what is this white stuff all over the ground?

It's not much but it's just a reminder that Old Man Winter it waking up and telling me to get my trainer out and set up. There is TON more of this stuff coming before we see green grass again.

Powered By......

A wise man once wrote "Powered by Yoohoo". I began to think and wonder, just what does power me. It's no secret, I'm a Clydesdale (woo hoo). I am definitely no genetically gifted, my brother was given that. I work hard for every second I take off my time. But, I do indulge every now and again. So, the question... Just what does power me? I couldn't decide on just one, there are soooo many. So I decided on a few. The top of the list has to be my beautiful wife and wonderful daughter. They are there all the time and my daugheter has finished a lot of races with me. The list goes on (and on and on) from there.

I'm just an average ole joe who really likes swimming, cycling, and running. Well, maybe not so much running, but I do it anyway. I'm racing this weekend, I'll update on Monday. Have a GREAT weekend.

The Boy has Skills

This totally has nothing to do with triathlon, but I had fun anyway. I was recruited to help out on my family’s land, I thought that I would have a good time so what-the-heck. We were installing a natural snow fence. I thought it was going to be really tough work digging holes in some REALLY rock soil and planting 5ft. pine trees all day long. Well, much to my surprise we had a backhoe when I showed up to work. Seeing this I instantly knew that our work would be cut by 75-80%. I had worked about a 2-3hours when my father in-law asked me to jump into the backhoe and start digging. Well, one small thing…. I have never operated a backhoe, or any other large piece of equipment. No problem, after a 5 minute lesson from the father in-law, I was off to work. I thought I almost broke it at one point, but I eventually got all the holes dug. I have to admit, I had a lot of fun. It’s kind of like when you were a little kid in the sandbox with your Tonka trucks, only a lot bigger. No doubt it was a long hard day of work, but I had fun.

A New Aero Position??

Last week I eluded to a little issue I had over this summer. My dear wife drove into the garage with my road bike on the roof of her Jeep.

Here's kinda how it played out:

My wife calls me at the office and asked if I was interested in getting picked up and taken out to dinner. I thought it sounded like a great idea and threw my bike up on the roof of the Jeep and had a wonderful dinner with my beautiful wife and awesome daughter.

We stopped on the way home to run an errand, no problem. OK? Picture this part, this is where it gets good. As we pull into the driveway, I was in the middle of telling my wife just how much I really love her and how awesome she is, then all of a sudden, BAM, CRUNCH!!!. We stopped and both looked at each other and simultaneously said, "What the hell was that?" Well, I think we both knew what it was and it wasn't pretty. This bike was straddling the doorway still locked into the now mangled roof rack. Speaking of the roof rack, the feet of the luggage rack were pulled through the sheet medal of the roof and ultimately had to be re-welded, grinded smooth and repainted.

To say the least my wife was not happy at all, as a matter of fact she was way more upset than I was. The way I see all of this is: nobody got hurt (this was absolutely the most important) and everything is fixable, well.... except for the bike.

I took the Jeep to the body shop to be repaired and of course I had to explain the entire situation to them ...... again. I thought they were going to laugh, but they didn't too bad. They actually told me of a woman in our small town that has ripped the lift gate off of her mini-van THREE TIMES. So, I don't feel bad. The way I see it is, I have two more chances before they start talking about me.

Everything has been repaired and I still love my wife. I got a new bike and it's pretty sweet too. I am going to part out what I can on my old bike and sell them on ebay. This should be able to feed my bike/triathlon addiction, at least for a little while anyway. All in all, it was a learning experience for all and life goes on.

Back In The Game!!!!

Well, I'm back. Summer has really been flying by. Things on my end have more-or-less gone to plan, but on the other hand, some have not. My wife recently talked me back off the Ironman ledge when IM Louisville 08 opened for registration. She talked me into one more year of training/racing. Oh well, not matter what I'm doing I guarantee that I will be sweating and having fun!

Here’s what’s been going on here:

1) My wife decided to drive into the garage with my training bike still locked in to the roof rack on the Jeep. Let’s just say that the bike was totaled. The bike now, how do I say it nicely, well.. it’s a bit out of true and has been retired. I have to admit that my wife gave the bike one hell of a stress test and the frame crumpled and broke, but it did not break on any of the welds. The jeep took a beating too to the tune of $130.00. Scott makes a good product. I liked my old Scott so much that I went out and bought another one. When I was in (The Republic of) Boulder, I stopped by Boulder Cycle Sport and picked out a new one.

A wise man once mentioned, "There ought to be a support group for people who drive their car into the garage with their bike on the roof rack.".

There will be more to come on this subject!!

2) I completed my first ½ IM in Boulder at the 5430 Long Course. I hit the wall at the start of the run but I was able to keep moving and finished. I can’t wait to do it again next year.Let me tell you what a treat racing in Colorado is. Two summers ago I moved from Colorado to Wyoming after racing there for 4 years. Now I do 90% of my racing in Utah. Let’s just say, it ain’t Colorado. I had a great time, I love racing in Boulder and Barry @ 5430 Sports puts on really great races.



3) I got a new bitchin’ truck. My wife is kind of a “greenie”, we but heads sometimes. When I told her I wanted this new truck, she didn’t get too upset. When she saw it, not that’s a different story. They don’t call it Mega for nothing and it sure makes driving to races easier.


I am back and I am ready for another cold ass, snowy winter (it just a month or so away). I will be on the trainer and the track getting ready for next summer pretty soon. It's almost time to dig out the snow shoes and wax the skis. Until then, I am enjoying every minute, every second I can get outside under the sun.

Well...It WAS Almost Spring

Just as the snow was melting and the grass was starting to show through, guess what? It's snowing again, and hard! The bikes were being cleaned, tuned and lubed for that initial ride outside, and I was getting pumped. Thoughts of the trainer being put up for the summer were dancing in my head. But...NO!! Snow is falling and guess what's in the forecasts... MORE SNOW!! The snow was crappy this year anyway.

The first couple of rides I have outside every year feel "weird". I ride in the my basement all winter, with no moving air and in almost perfect conditions. I have music, sometimes a movie and maybe even a good game on the TV. There are no weather conditions, no potholes and most of all NO DUMB ASS DRIVERS to deal with. When it's time to move outside, all of a sudden things are different. The road moves, not only left and right but also up and down. Damn hills! The harsh winter does a number on our roads. Until the road crews patch the swiss cheese roads, riding is like dodging buried land mines in a mine field. Not only do you have to dodge the rim bending potholes but you have to elude some of the worlds worst drivers. Most of the cars will give you a break but there are some that won't give you an inch on an empty road. These folks some times get the obligatory one-finger salute.

So, I wait. I wait for the snow to fall and then melt. Maybe, just maybe I'll be able to ride outside sometime soon. Until then, happy riding and watch out for anyone with a Utah license plate.

Life vs. Triathlon

I feel out of touch, out of step..... out of breath. "Life" has kind of taken over my life lately and training has taken a back seat. I have to admit that I do not make a living with triathlon. However, with all of the time I put in, there are times when it starts feeling like a second job. But lately, my real job has monopolized my time. My daughter wants to join me during my training sessions, which inevitably end up in a wrestling/tickle fest for her.

Since I was a kid my life's mantra has been, "Work to Live". To say the very least, my mantra has been turned upside down lately. I am a computer engineer in real life and it seems like something is always breaking or needs to upgraded. I thought that with the onset of spring break, things would slow down as people leave town for a small break from the weather. (small note, we hit the highest temp of the year yesterday, a balmy 51 degrees.) Well, that hasn't seemed to of happened. Also the change in Daylight Savings Time has added a whole list of things to do. Although not hard to do, but it takes time to complete nonetheless.

My 2 year old daughter lately has decided that every time I head out for a training session, she needs to join me. If I get on the trainer, she "has" to sit up on my handlebars. If I jump on the dreadmill for a run, she gets on her "running shoes" to join me. Her "running shoes" are what ever shoes she has that are closest to the treadmill. She's awesome, but it tends to slow you down a bit. I think it's important for her to see my wife and me being active and that it's just something we do (and like to do) but again, it slows you down a bit.

I have also been asked to help coach the local high school soccer teams. I love it. Soccer has opened so many doors for me throughout my life, after all it put me through college. I had two chances at professional soccer after college, neither of which worked out. Soccer has been so good to me that I feel like I need to give a little back and I do that by helping out. I love the kids and that the time I spend with them, but again the time investment takes away from my training time.

Lately I have been trying to squeeze in something, anything when ever I can. If that means I can only get in a 30 minute swim before heading out to soccer practice, I'll do it. If I can only get 40 minutes on the dreadmill before having to read book at my daughters bedtime, I'll do it. Although, I don't know if this kind of training will get me to my goals I set for my season, they are the proverbial cards I have been dealt. I am not one to give up and walk away. So, the season my seem a little longer and hurt a little more, but I am cool with that. Feel the burn, LOVE the burn, kick the burns ass!!

Good News

This morning I was feeling pretty good after another nice session of counting black tiles on the bottom of the pool. I got in 2700yds in right at an hour, so I was enjoying a good since of accomplishment. It gets even better. I opened my email at the office and to my surprise, I received a notice from Sunburst Nutrition (the makers of CarbBOOM Energy Gel) that my sponsorship for the 2007 season had been renewed. It really isn't much, just for product, but it saves me money nonetheless.

From Sunburst Nutrition:

"Thank you for your request for athlete sponsorship and your interest in Sunburst Nutrition great tasting sports nutritional products. We are pleased to pass along the news that you have been awarded an athlete sponsorship for the 2007 season!"

The folks at Sunburst Nutrition have been great to me, easy to work with and really accessible when I have questions. CarbBOOM Energy Gel helped me to finish my first marathon (Salt Lake City) last year and with no stomach problems too. For more information about CarbBoom Energy Gels and other Sunburst Nutrition products (CarbBOOM, ProBOOM and HydroBOOM) see their website, http://www.carbboom.com/

Thank you!!!

Hidie ho neighbors. The other day I received and email from a family friend whose husband is currently deployed to a foreign country defending the world against terrorism and spreading the ideologies of freedom and democracy. While deployed Scott has been separated from not only his wife but also his 3 children. I can personally tell you that this is the most difficult part of being a military member. This tour is the second time Scott has been called by his country and separated from his family for an extended period of time. During his first tour, he deployed with my brother in-law to the Middle East. It was difficult to sit at home when my family member was deployed. Things haven’t’ changed, it’s still difficult. Although I served my time too, it’s still difficult to sit at home, shower with warm water, sleep in a real bed and eat hot meals and know that “our boys” are making a sacrifice and to know that some are even making the ultimate sacrifice. Scott, thanks for all that you have done and thank you for the sacrifices that you have made.

My last post was about the possibility of getting a new pair of running shoes. Scott sent some pictures home of his group handing out some shoes that had been donated here at home. I have been told that although it’s winter and the weather is much like Denver, some villagers don’t even have any footwear. I thought I would be stoked about getting a new pair of shoes, the look on the kids faces is priceless.

You may not agree with the decisions that come out of Washington D.C., but please support the boots on the ground. The soldiers, marines, sailors and airmen don't make policy, they only do what they are ordered to do.

This past weekend I was taking a mental inventory of new equipment that I might need (want) for the impending season. I decided that I would like:

a) another set of Speedplays for my training bike so that I don’t have to keep switching pedals from bike to bike.
b) some new “S” bend aero bars for my race bike.
c) most important item I came up with was a new pair of running shoes.

I am the first to admit that I am a big guy and being so, I tend to go through shoes pretty fast. I get 200 to 300 miles out of a pair of shoes and then they are done, caput, finito. It’s pretty uncomfortable to run with a broken wheel. So, I tend to stick with:

a) what I know will work for me
b) what I have had success using in the past

I love the idea of new skids, but I hate the idea of going to the running store. Trying to buy running shoes out of a catalog is even more difficult for reasons you can figure out. Do you over-pronate, under-pronate, high arch, low arch, all of these considerations and all I want is a new pair of wheels. I have had great success with Saucony shoes. I can run hard (and sometimes even somewhat fast) and the feet still feel good. I have also tried Nike, which tend to run small. I would really like to have a pair the cool looking racing flats, but hey, remember I’m a big guy. I would love to try a Mizuno shoe or even Asics, but I know that that they typically build shoes for “skinnies”. When I do go to the running store they always suggest some beastie, chunky circa 1985 New Balance shoe that looks like it belongs in a museum. I always turn them down, give in and get a pair of Sauconys. I think I am on my 4th pair now. They have done well for me, but I feel like they are my “ole stand-by”. I really want to try something new, but don’t want the disappointment if it doesn’t work out. For instance, Nike has a really cool website (http://nikeid.nike.com) where you can completely design your shoe and even have it personalized with you name or whatnot (cool huh). The price would be about the same as any other shoe at the running store. I don’t know….. the mental debate continues!

REBOUND!!!

I have to say that this mornings tile counting session in the pool was pretty good. I had a horrific training session yesterday and was able to rebound a little today. I was able to do 3500yds in a little over 1:10. I struggled a little in the beginning during my warm up and I almost lost it. However, I stuck it out and worked through it. Although today was a lot better than yesterday, I still have a ton of room for improvement. So all-in-all, today is better than yesterday. Once again, learning has occurred.

Learning has Occurred!!

Following a good week of training last week, this week has be awful. I have missed two training sessions already this week because of a sick dog and a sick little girl. Both nights I have been up most of the night or had very broken sleep. So, finally!!, with a good night of sleep behind me, I was determined to have a good session in ye ole' weight room this morning. I am in base phase right now so I am lifting light weight, high reps with a pretty fun routine. I wasn't doing anything out of the ordinary and I was still having trouble keeping up. After about half of my workout, I was spent, totally spent. I called it quits and hit the shower. Now I have to sit here all day and reflect on how bad my training was this morning and find some determination to make tomorrow 100% better. I don't think I'll have any issues with that because I am so pissed at my performance this morning. While driving in, I was thinking about what were the causes and how can I avoid a rerun performance. I guess it goes to show that lack of rest = lack of performance. Mental note taken and filed, learning has occurred! Life and training moves forward.

Life

I saw the comic and laughed and thought I would share. I can't say it fits me as the "overweight kid" or "hunky triathlete". However, I still find it funny how life evolves. Anyway, enjoy.

Training is has been good this week. I am still doing base work for now and a few more weeks. I am in the pool 3 time a week, run 3 times a week, cycling/spinning only twice a week for now and in the weight room twice a week. Lately I have be getting in some good skiing in place for running. Its a good break from the treadmill and I can pull my daughter in her Chariot trailer. Have a great weekend, TRAIN HARD and have fun!!

Gains Through Pains

While I was counting tiles on the bottom of the pool this morning, I got to thinking..."Gee, this kinda hurts". No matter if I am racing or training, I always have that moment within the first few hundred meters or so. However, I know that I'll work through it. It's getting to that point that really bites. When I was in the military the saying went, "PAIN IS WEAKNESS LEAVING THE BODY!" (for some reason, it was always yelled). I always thought, weakness can leave all it wants, but does it have to hurt so damn much?? I am not too sure if it is because I workout at 5:30am or that I am just waking up or perhaps both. Whatever it is, it sucks. Once I get past that stage, no problem. I can pick up the pace and get along with business. I have that same time and point when I am riding, get past it and I'm money. Until that point, I feel like I am dragging a boat anchor and the boat. I can't same the same thing when I am running because, to me running always hurts. The weight room is a whole other story. I love to lift and I have lifted pretty regularly since high school. So, when I wake up in the morning and I have to lift, I know that my whole workout it's going to hurt. To tell you the truth, I like it and I kind of get off on it.

I try and think how pain now is going to benefit me come July and August. Last year during a race, I was past inside the finish chute and finished fourth. To say I was pretty unhappy with myself would be a HUGE understatement. That single moment has gotten me through plenty of pain so far this winter. I imagine that it will get me a lot farther too. When it hurts, I think to myself, "4th place huh??".

Yep...It's Cold!!

I was up early on Sunday ready to get out and get my ride in and looked out the window, Yep...still have snow on the ground. Well (I thought to myself), just how cold can it be (I had to ask that question!) and then I looked at the thermometer. Holy Crap!! That's cold!! I guess I won't be riding outside today. I know that there are some out there that will call me some unsightly names for "wimping out", but I have to draw the line somewhere. So, I decided I would do my thing inside. I don't mind the treadmill or the trainer but there is only so much you can take. I can take the treadmill and/or trainer for a couple of hours each but anything longer than that and I had have a good game or movie on the TV. I had images if Jim Carey in "Dumb and Dumber" riding his mini-bike to Aspen, snot frozen to his face, hands frozen to the handlebars, "A little nippy on the pass!".

It was pretty much too cold to do anything outside, even ski. So, my 2 year old daughter ended up taking turns throw cups of hot water into the air. If it's cold enough, nothing comes down. Needlessness, it was cold enough, she got a kick out of it anyway.

Today was a balmy 8 outside. Hummm... maybe, just maybe I'll get to ride outside sometime soon???

A True Wyoming Fact

When I go for a run in my small town I inevitably run downtown and see this sign. I assure you, it is for real and it makes me chuckle every time I see it. I live in Wyoming but we are only 45 minutes from Park City, Utah. Park Citywas the location of the 2002 winter Olympics. The Jamaican Bobsled team is based here. It's our claim to fame in small town Wyoming. To my knowledge, John Candy was never in town to make the movie, Cool Runnings. Every now and again, you do see the bobsledders. It's pretty funny to here a Jamaican accent, in of all places, small town Wyoming. Anyway, thought I would share a little Wyoming fact.

The Scale is My Friend

I got on the scale this morning at the gym and I seriously heard it groan. People tell me all of the time, "You don't look like you weight 250 pounds.". Well I do and so what. My wife says that I shouldn't worry too much about the scale because I am active and lead a "relatively" health lifestyle. Well I do and so what. I raced two years ago at 230lbs after losing a little over 20lbs. I felt great and I hate to admit it, but... I actually started to enjoy running. My new mantra is, "The scale if my Friend". Didn't someone say something about the power of positive thinking?? I hope it works.



So, with this in mind life goes on and as I run down the street at o-dark-30 you can hear me chant my mantra, "the scale is my friend, the scale is my friend." I am sure that my neighbors think I am a certified nut-job. Oh well, I'm a Clydesdale, so what?

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!

I trust everyone had a happy and SAFE New Year celebration. I would love to tell you I did, but I was asleep at 10:30. We spent the afternoon cross-country skiing with the in-laws. All-in-all, we had a blast.

While I was skiing, I got to thinking about past seasons race results and the results, or lack of results, I had this past season. A couple of years back, I had a good year with (3) 2nd place finishes out of 6 races. This past season was s0-s0, to say the least. I can blame it on a whole host of things like moving and getting adjusted to a new environment, no training partners, it's too damn cold, but I won't. This past year really had it's ups and downs. I finished my first marathon (Salt Lake City), which I would recommend, totally cool. On the down side, I was in the finish chute getting ready to finish in 3rd place and collect my medal when I was passed and finished 4th, sucked! So, I have decided, come hell-or-high-water, I will NOT ever get passed for another 4th place finish again. With that in mind I have scheduled an exciting 2007 race season and set some good goals:

2007 Proposed Race Season
May 26, Evanston Wyoming Sprint Triathlon (Evanston, WY)
June 16-17 High Unitas Stage Race (Road Race, TT and Crit) (Kamas, UT to Evanston, WY)
July 14, Zango Echo Olympic Triathlon (Coalville, UT)
August 4, Cache Valley Sprint Triathlon (Hyrum, UT)
August 12, 5430 Long Course Triathlon (Republic of Boulder, CO)
August 25, Jordanelle Olympic Triathlon (Park City, UT)
September 15, Ogden Valley Olympic Triathlon (Ogden, UT)
September 23, Pinedale 1/2 Marathon (Pinedale, UT)
October 20, Escape to Lake Powell (Lake Powell, UT)

2007 Race Season Goals
- Top 10 Clydesdale finish at 5430
- Sub 3:oo finish at Zango Echo Olympic Triathlon
- Top 10 finish in all Olympic distance races
- Top 3 finish in all Sprint distance races
- 2:10 half marathon
- HAVE FUN and don't puke in front of the photographer!!

So, I have put together a great training plan that spans from January until the end of October. It sounds a bit overwhelming just talking about it but I have some built-in time off for vacations and family. All of this should set me up pretty good for a go at IM Louisville 2008. Take care and enjoy the new year. -c