I’m In!!!

This morning I finally took the jump and registered for the 2010 Ford Ironman Arizona. Although my wife has a ton of questions, I am really looking forward to the adventure. I have no doubt that I will finish, but it's all about the "Ups" and "Downs" of training and the race. The fun begins after the holidays and stay tuned for updates. I am going to video as much of the journey as possible and put it all together when I am done. The "fun" starts soon.

2009 Race Season

Well, it's getting to be that time of year, even though there is still almost 3 feet of snow on the ground. I have started to give a little thought of where/when I am going to race this year and here is what I have so far:

1. BP MS150 – a 2 day charity ride from Houston, TX to Austin, TX (180 miles if you're counting) for the National MS Society, April 18-19
   
2. Evanston Triathlon (Evanston, WY) May 30 – Sprint - (It's close to home)
   
3. BAM Triathlon (Midway, UT) June 13 – Olympic – www.bamtriathlon.com
   
4. High Uintas Classic Stage Road Race – (Evanston, WY) June 20-21 - www.evanstoncycling.org/HighUintasClassic.html
   
5. Xango Echo Triathlon (Coalville, UT) – July 11 – Olympic - www.triutah.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=16&Itemid=35
   
6. 5430 Long Course (Boulder, CO) – August 9 – Half Ironman - http://www.5430sports.com/5430long.htm
   
7. Jordonelle Triathlon (Park City, UT) – August 22 – Olympic - www.triutah.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=18&Itemid=37
   

This is what I have for now. There are some others fun rides/races that I am considering and I am sure that I will find a late season half marathon or 10k. I am working hard on the bike already, preparing for the MS150 from Houston to Austin. I will be lucky to get one ride outside before I leave for Houston. I get weekly updates from friends in the Houston area as to how warm it is and how they enjoyed the riding….outside. Oh well, I'll just keep on stomping the pedals on the trainer and when the snow finally melts…

BP-MS150 Houston to Austin

Last April a couple of my fraternity brothers rode their bikes in the BP-MS150. Almost immediately after they finished they called me and asked if I would ride with them in the 2009 edition. So, registration opened in January and promptly filled to capacity (13,000 riders) in 12 hours. I was one of the lucky ones and was registered. I am really excited to be able to spend time with my buddies because we live across the country from each other. I have to admit that I don't know much about MS, although since registering I have learned a bit about it. For some reason MS is a lot more prevalent in the Rocky Mountain region (where I live) and I have several friends that are affected by this terrible disease. All of my friends are able to somewhat control the effects of their MS, but none-the-less their lives are affected.

The ride, it's a two day ride from Houston to Austin with 13,000 friends. There are options along the ride that can increase or decrease you total trip mileage. I have been told that riding though the stare park in La Grange is really run. This is the route we intend to take. Although, my back-side will be sore at the end of 2 days and 180 miles, it's a GREAT cause with GREAT people.

If you would like to make a donation, please click the following link:

Click here to visit my personal page.
If the text above does not appear as a clickable link, you can visit the web address:
http://main.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR/Bike/TXHBikeEvents?px=5894374&pg=personal&fr_id=10222&s_tafId=108239

Ode to My Trainer

Dust off, Hook up, Pedal, Pedal, Pedal
What movie am I going to watch?
No little girl this is not a toy, and
No Murphy (my dog) we are not going outside for a ride or run
Sweat, drip, drip, drip
Starting to sweat a bit more, puddles forming
I have seen this movie 25 times!!!
Hey, look, it's starting to snow…….again
Pedal, pedal, pedal
Sweat, sweat, sweat

Up, down, up, down,

faster...Faster!...FASTER!!!

Damn, my legs are sterting to hurt

Crap, I am out of water!

Honey, I'll be done in 15 minutes

Can you bring me some more water?
Oh how I love to hate my trainer!

Recommendation

I don't usually write about stuff like this, but I had such a good experience, I thought I would share...

I have finally pulled my trainer out of the closet for the LONG indoor cycling season (yuck). While I was tightening my bike on trainer, the handle broke. I should also mention that I have an older trainer. I have the original CycleOps Fluid trainer. There are literally thousands of miles on this trainer. Besides being a great trainer, one of the best things about this trainer is the lifetime warranty. Broken part, no problem where's the phone. CycleOps has since changed hands since I bought this trainer years ago. It's now called Saris Cycling Group. I got on their website, ( www.saris.com/ ) and found the Customer Support phone number. I was a little apprehensive about calling because my trainer was so old. The guy who answered was extremely helpful and pleasant to talk to. He made my experience easy and fruitful, as I got exactly what I was wanting. He even mentioned that if they did not have the parts I needed, I could get a newer trainer at a discounts price. Here's the best part, I didn't even have to pay for shipping. They're GREAT!! The products they offer are great too. SCG, I'll be back and I'll spread the word too.

Karma is a Funny Thing

Take my advice…. Never (and I do mean NEVER) tell the nurse that you are not sick when she ask you, right before she gives you a flu shot. I have been down for 5 days now because, well I have no clue really. (because I was a bone-head) I needed a flu shot because we have little one at home and I don't want to be sick. I was a bit under the weather, but only had a little sniffle or two. We sent to the Flu Shot Clinic and I checked "no, I wasn't currently sick" and I also told the nurse I wasn't sick. (what a mistake). I go the shot and headed home. Several hours later I started feeling a little worse and worse. By the next day I was down for the count. I was in bed all weekend with absolutely no energy at all. Anyway, I am slowly getting better. I actually feel a lot better now, I just sound like I am sick to everyone else. Yesterday I finally got back into the pool and knocked out 3000 yards before work. I felt OK getting out of the pool, but an hour or so later it all caught up to me. Last night I was totally exhausted. This morning back into the weight room I went, my work out was good and at this point I don't feel as tired. So, heed my advice and NEVER lie on you flu shot questionnaire, it will catch up to you at some point. Karma's a bitch.

Sick..

I am not one to whine or acts like a "baby" and I absolutely HATE being sick. I am sure that nobody enjoys being sick, but on the few occasions I have been sick, I am miserable. On Sunday morning I woke up not feeling good, but hey I'm a trooper, I'll get through this. By Sunday night I was in some pretty bad shape. My wife was after me to take some medicine. That's another thing I don't like, medicine. It reminds me of hospitals and doctors, both of which I would prefer to stay away from. Nope, no meds, I don't need them. By late evening, I was in REALLY bad shape. I didn't sleep more than a couple of hours total that whole night. By the morning, my wife was forcing medicine down my throat. As much as I didn't want to, I had to admit defeat and take the meds. In bed half the day on Monday and still draggin' ass on Tuesday, I am finally starting to feel a little better. I haven't worked out since last Friday. I am sure that my morning workout will hurt twice as bad. Anyway, off to buy more tissues.

I am in!!!

I registered for the BP MS150, a 2 day bike ride from Houston to Austin. The ride is the largest of its kind in the country. 13000 riders supported by 3000 volunteers, will ride 182 miles from Houston to Austin to raise money from the Nation MS Society. I have pleged to raise $400 myself. I don't think I will have any problems reaching that goal, in fact, I think I will suprass it by alarge margin.

I am riding with two of m best friends from colllege, both of which live in Houston area. There is only one catch for me rinding the MS150. I live in western Wyoming where the average temp from January to April is probably around 10-20 degrees, so 100% of my training will be inside on the trainer. I was kidding with my buddies the other day becasue they don't even own trainers.

I am very excited to be able to ride in this years MS150. The ride filled to its capacity, 13000 registered riders, in about 6 hours. I was shocked yet excited, the tought of a two day training ride with no only my best friends, but 13000 other people. If it done "Texas Style" this is going to be a great time.

I got an OWIE!!!

Well, what a long time to be off and away from pretty much any form of exercise. Let me explain, last spring I completed the Salt Lake City Half Marathon. I had a great time and was actually feeling pretty good coming into summer. Well, I picked up and injury to my shoulder in the weight room one morning. I thought, “No problem, I’ll bounce back in a few weeks.” A few weeks turned into 6 before I could actually swim, lift or even ride my bike. It hurt with pretty much anything I did. The very first time I was back in the weight room, boom, injured again. The doc looked at it again and everything internally looked OK, BUT, I was probably done doing anything that required my shoulder for the entire summer. That news kind of hurt because, I’m not the sit-at-home type. It was a really long and difficult time off. No training, no racing, no anything for about 5 ½ months.

Starting the 1st of October I was given the OK to start working out again. I can tell you, 5 months off doesn’t do much for fitness levels (not to mention the waist line). I have made some fairly big gains in the last few weeks, although I am definitely where I need to be. All –in-all, I am glad to be off to couch and back doing something. The pool feels great. The weights, although REAL light, feel really good. Running isn’t my favorite thing to do, but it’s going fairly good too.

No more sitting around, it’s time to get moving, sweat a little and most of all….HAVE SOME FUN!

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.