Jingle Bell Run

Glendale, Arizona

This was the last race of the year. If you beat Santa in this race then you get entered into a raffle for all kind of great prizes. This was a tough race for me. I had an upper respiratory thing going on which made it difficult to breathe normally. Try running a 5k at race pace when you can’t get enough oxygen and you will quickly learn that it is a painful experience. Christian took off at a 6:50 for the first mile. I know this because I stayed with him. I did not want to lose to him even though I was sick. Running a sub 7 minute first mile put me in a painful place. I had no choice but to back off at that point or my oxygen deprivation would red lined me into complete failure. I only backed off enough to prevent failure however. I held on to the hope that Christian was going to burn himself out by going out that fast. Unfortunately I have trained him too well. He is not the same runner as a year ago. He now has three half marathons under his belt and the stamina to match. Before I hit the second mile I could no longer see Christian. I still wanted to push it just in case he had a total meltdown, but I was happy for him. I knew he was on his way to a record time. I just wish I was up there to push him even faster. My next mental game was to ensure I stayed ahead of Santa so I could secure the raffle entry. During the last mile, many people, including children were passing me. I could not answer and it pissed me off. I forced one last surge as I neared the finish line. I don’t remember them taking the chip off my ankle. Christian caught me in the shoot and started asking me if I was ok. Apparently I was pretty white and not looking very good. I don’t know about that, but I wasn’t feeling very good that I know for sure. My leg muscles were threatening to cramp. I guess they had had enough of being forced to run without sufficient oxygen. I only ran a 00:25:02, which 2 minutes slower than my last 5k and normally nothing to be proud off. However today I was proud of that time. Despite my inability to breathe I gave it my all. I was close to passing out at the finish line. I did not give in or make excuses. I had plenty of them to choose from this week. I was sick. I had not run for an entire week, which s the first time that has happened in the last two years. I managed to average an 8:02 mile without sufficient oxygen and running at a disgusting holiday season weight of 240 pounds. Christian finished with a 00:23:21, his fastest ever. I will have to hear about for some time to come. I did manage to beat Santa. As we were driving to this race this morning, I was asking myself why we had bothered to finish off this year with such an anti climatic 5k race. As it turned out it was great way to end this year and head into the new year.

Age Group Championship Series

Phoenix, Arizona

Somehow this year I managed to win 2nd place in the Tri Family Racing’s Over-All Age Group Championship Series for this year in the age 40-44 age group. There was and award ceremony tonight at a restaurant in Phoenix. I had previously won a gift certificate to that restaurant when I made the over-all at the Seville race, so it was a free dinner for me and the kids. Too bad Lori was working, she loves Mexican food. 2nd place is a respectable accomplishment given the fact that the 40-44 age group is the most competitive men’s age group.

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12k's of Christmas

Gilbert, Arizona

This race was close to home and definitely in the holiday spirit. Besides, when do you ever get to race a 12k and get carolers at every kilometer? They give out Christmas socks and Santa Hats instead of shirts at this race. I signed my three year old little Vayden up for a 1.2K race. We bought her some running shoes and even did some training runs with her. She was jazzed to be out there with us. She wanted so bad to wear a race bib. She kept asking about it for days before the race. She did well. During this run, both Christian and I felt the half marathon we did 5 days prior to this. It hurt to run. I finally loosened up 6 miles into the race. I managed an 8:20 pace which is better than I felt.

Rock & Roll Half Marathon Las Vegas

Las Vegas, Nevada

I had been unable to run all week due to injury issues. My legs were plagued with problems and I am not sure why. I was worried about being able to run at all. I especially had a nagging ache in my right leg behind the knee that just wouldn’t go away. I felt it every day while walking around Vegas the two days we spent there before the race. We also signed up for this 24 hour buffet deal. For 24 hours you can eat at all the buffets for free. I ate to my limit in the 24 hours which ended up being from 2 pm on Friday to 2 pm on Saturday. So besides the leg issues I was also packing on weight and clogging my system with sugar, fat, grease and anything else I could get my hands on. Part of the reason we wanted to run in Vegas was to be in Vegas though. And how can you turn down a 24 hour all you can buffet deal like that. The buffets in Vegas are so good. They are not just buffets, They are the Buffets of Buffets. In fact that is what the deal was called. Not the best preparation for a race I know. This is especially true when I was already having leg issues.

Despite my issues and ill preparation, race day magic showed up and I ran fine. In fact my leg issues disappeared after the race. Running 13.1 miles actually cured me. I may never understand the physiology of my body and running.

This is the first year they have held the race at night. It was pretty cold. Christian and I warmed up in the hotel room and timed it so we would only be outside in the cold wind for a few minutes. Unknown to us though they pushed back the start of the race and we ended up freezing in the wind for over a half an hour. The good part of this race was the scenery. I can’t imagine a more interesting night venue than running the Las Vegas strip. I always thought the strip seemed longer. I have walked it many times and it seems like miles from one casino to the next walking out there amongst the masses. We started the race in front of the Mandalay Bay where we stayed. In no time it seemed we had run the strip and I was looking up at the Stratosphere hotel. As it turns out, it is only 4 miles from the Mandalay Bay to the Stratosphere. After passing the Stratosphere we spent some time winding around some downtown streets with little interest and headed back down the strip. This time it did not go by so fast. A mile or so into the race I latched on to a pace sign reading 1:52. I had no trouble staying with it, so I decided I would make that my goal. It gave me a pace and something to do. For the first eight miles I had no problem staying with it. At eight miles however my legs started to deteriorate and my pace slowed. I was really struggling. It is not that I couldn’t run, I had just lost the ability to run at any speed near my normal pace. I decided my new goal was going to be to keep it under two hours. As the miles wore on, that began to be more and more difficult. There was no specific hot spot of pain, but an over-all pain just set in and running became very unpleasant. I started to ask myself the questions, “why do I do this? What is the point? I am not fast. It doesn’t make me lose weight. What am I putting myself through this for? I was hurting and lashing out at myself. I even thought, “Who cares if I walk?” They will still give me a medal, I will just cross a few minutes later. Christian had dropped off at about 4 miles in and I knew he was somewhere behind me. I didn’t want for him to come across me walking. For all I knew he might not be that far behind me. As it turned out, he wasn’t. It was at this point dismissed the negative thoughts and said to myself, “You are right where you want to be. You do this to suffer and you are in the zone. Lap it up and quit feeling sorry for yourself.” So I did. In fact at 12 miles searched for a good song on my glasses and I forced myself to run at an 8:30 or better pace and really brought on the suffering. I was worried about making under 2 hours. My watch had been bumped 26 seconds into the race and I was running this race without my watch. Between my sun glasses and the darkness, I couldn’t really see it anyways. As it turned out, I made it. This is a great venue. This was my second Rock & Roll Marathon Series event for 2011.

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Thanksgiving Day Triathlon

Goodyear, Arizona

Pre-Race Strategy
This is the one reverse triathlon we did last year. Tri Family Racing does a good job with this race and it is great to have the oppurtunity to do a triatlon on Thanksgiving. I had some of my fastest times ever in last year’s event. I wanted to analyze why and figure a race strategy for this year. Upon reflection, this is a good race for me. Since the triathlon is reverse, several factors come into play. The reason behind the reversal is because of the weather. The mornings have become cold this time of year and the race director reverses the order so as not to have wet athletes hitting the bike in the cold morning air. This got me thinking about why I did so well last year. The lighter guys can’t warm up on the bike. The run already has me plenty warm, so when I hit the bike I am warm and stay warm. Even if the lighter guys are able to get warm in a 2 mile run, they can’t stay that way in the wind of the bike. This is my advantage in this race. Now the run is by far my weakest discipline. This race gives me an advantage on the run. The lighter guys start cold and pretty much stay that way resulting in slower run times. Also, psychologically they are probably running more conservatively because they still have two disciplines to go after they complete the run, unlike a normal triathlon where they just have to run to the finish line. These two factor combined makes for slower run times. That coupled with the fact there is a mass start on the run and I am able to keep an eye on my competitors and hopefully stay with them gives me an advantage. My strategy is to keep my rivals in sight and push the run. Then when I hit the bike I will not let any of them get away. I do not have to save anything for after the bike. I can burn my legs to ash, because all I have to do is run 100 yards or so to the pool. Once I am in the pool I know that I can make up time as long as they are not too far out of reach. I will have very few people to dodge and pass, and every one that I do is putting me higher in the rankings.

So the plan was keep them in sight on the run, keep them tight in the bike and swim past them in the pool.

Last year I ran near 7 minute miles followed by 20.13 mph on the bike. I probably can’t do much better on the run, but I think I can improve on the bike, and I have done about 30 seconds better on the swim in past races. Transitions are faster on a reverse triathlon. You are pulling things off as opposed to putting them on. For example socks. Last year’s race remains my fastest sprint to date.

Reality
My plan fell apart right away. The runner’s took off and I couldn’t stay anywhere near them. I just am incapable of currently running like that. I pushed my run to my threshold and jumped on the bike hell bent on making up time. Here is a bit of analysis:

I finished the run in 109th place. I ended up 24th over-all. So from the time I hit the bike until the finish, I passed 78 competitors. What does all this tell me? I am seriously handicapped by my run. When you look at my run it sticks out. I ended up with my best time ever: 0:54:57. But it was only fast enough for 5th place. My run is crippling me. I have got to run faster. To do that, I have got to lose weight. You just can’t run fast enough carrying 240 pounds.

Ironman Arizona Volunteering

Tempe, Arizona

We had signed up last year to volunteer but I ended up getting the flu the night before. My son Christian was very disappointed and wanted to make sure we spent plenty of time at the race this year. So my son and my wife and I all signed up this year for two different assignments. One of the biggest challenges was finding a babysitter for our 3 year old Vayden that could watch her until 1:00 a.m. The weather was great and there was no wind. What a perfect day for racing. I told Lori I thought someone might break the 8 hour mark today.
Lori, Christian and I arrived at run aid station #6 about 6:30 p.m. The athletes were about to hit 12 hours straight when we encountered them. We got to see all kinds of situations. The three of us found an unfulfilled niche amongst the many volunteers handing out potato chips in little cups to athletes. We did that for about 2 hours. During the time we spent at Aid Station #6 two people stood out. One was named Eric. Eric had a huge visible spasm in one of his legs. He was obviously in intense pain as he hobbled forward. We were all worried about him. He had a blank stare and looked as if he might pass out at any minute. Another athlete that made an impression was this elderly woman with only one leg. She seemed to be struggling a bit but was in good spirits. Mike Reilly would tell us her story later at the finish line.
We arrived at the finish line with 3 hours to go until mid night. The finish line is the place to be. They had drinks, pizza, sandwiches and In & out burgers for the volunteers. Initially we were in charge of medals. We saw our friend Eric who had looked so questionable at run Aid station #6. He had made it! Also During this time a guy by the name of Dave, who I would later find out was from Delaware, collapsed a few feet from me. Another volunteer and I tended to him. He was very out of it for a few moments. He had this blank stare and I was afraid he died for a second or two. Eventually we asked him his name and he told us ‘Dave’. The other guy asked him if he knew where he was. For the first time his blank stare vanished into a smile and he happily answered “The finish line”. Dave may not have been able to answer what state, country, or even planet he was on, but he smiled when he said “the finish line.” It had obviously taken everything in him to make it to the finish, and he had done it. I told him that he had left it all out on that course and he should be proud. I was proud of him. I had never met Dave before, and as I was holding his sweaty body on the cold asphalt, I couldn’t help but love him. It is hard to explain, but this complete stranger had made me proud to be part of the human race. That was a moment I will remember.
After about an hour of various jobs the team captain asked me if I would take on a new job. It ended up being the best job ever. For the last two hours I was assigned to sit in a chair literally a foot in front of the finish line and take down bib numbers in the order they crossed the line. This gave me the best seat in the house. I got to see every expression and emotion as they crossed the line. I got to high five them and had Mike Reilly dancing around in front of me. For the last hour the pros came down and I met and congratulated Eneko Llanos who won the race in 07:59:38. I was right about the 8 hour mark. Llanos is only the second man in history to break 8 hours on American soil. The first happened just three weeks ago in Florida. I also congratulated Lindsey Corbin who placed 2nd in the women’s. I like her because she is from Montana and always wears a cowboy hat across the finish line. I was amazed watching the pros dance and have fun. They did not seem sore or tired at all.
During the two hours I spent there on the line I got to see many things. Among the highlights was a 74 year old man finishing 140.6 miles. I also watched as Mike Reilly told everyone the story of the elderly woman in her 60’s who he had pronounced an ironman years earlier at Kona who was later hit by a car while training and lost her leg. After recovering from losing her leg she had attempted several times to complete and Ironman but had been unable to successfully finish. Tonight with all of Tempe on their feet cheering, she crossed the finish line. It was neat to later learn that she qualified for Kona. Another moving moment was when close to midnight tow athletes came around the corner basically carrying and elderly gentleman who could no longer move forward without assistance. These athletes put their own finish in jeopardy to make sure the elderly gentlemen made it across the finish line by midnight. Then as midnight approached all of Tempe was again on their feet for 56 year old Patricia Tilotson from Delaware. Mike Reilly was running behind her pushing her on with all of tempe on their feet screaming. She crossed the line in what has to be the closest finish ever. I looked up her time. Her time was 17:00:00. That was an incredible moment for all of us. She looked like she was hurting bad, hunched over and giving it everything she had left. That was an amazing moment to witness. We got home and at about 2:00 a.m. my wife and I looked at each other and we were still wired and not tired at all. If you ever get a chance to volunteer, or even cheer in the stands in those hours that approach mid-night, do it! You will never forget it.

Gilbert Day 5K

Gilbert, Arizona

My friend Mark called me the day before this race and asked me if I was doing the 5k at Freemont Park on Friday night. I said, “what, there is a local race I don’t know about? Sign me up. I ended up running it in 00:22:55, which is an all time best for me. Apparently it was a good course for me. They gave out fun shirts and it was definately family friendly. I always run better at night for some reason, so it was nice to do a Friday night race.

Shun the Sun 10K

Mesa, Arizona

I wanted to do this race because it was a 10k that ran along the canal and it was close by on a Saturday. I thought it would make a good Saturday morning workout. How could I resist? Of course what was supposed to be a workout turned into close to a personal best. The weather was perfect for me and I started out running really well and then decided if I could keep that pace I would break into the 40’s. A 49:59 would have been just fine to me. I ran a heart breaking 50:00. This was a good fast course. The finish is in the stadium that the Chicago Cubs use for spring training. There are plenty of earlier morning bathrooms. They had an Expo that puts most races to shame. They also gave out these great comfortable shirts too. One of the best shirts I have received all year. I stumbled upon this race just a few days before it took place and registered on site. Good cause, good parking and good post race food. This race needs to advertise a bit more my circles. It was a little gem I found this year by accident. This is a good race that I am going to put on my calendar for next year. I did the 10K, but they have a half marathon distance also.

Blue Water Triathlon

Parker, Arizona

My son and I both love this race, as much for the trip as the race itself. This year I did the long course while my son Christian did the short. Christian took the 14 and under age group with 1st place. I ended up in 4th in my age group which was ironic given that my number was 4. I improved my swim by about 30 seconds from last year even though I felt as if I was having a bad swim. I improved my bike by almost 6 minutes and a full mile an hour average. The rough roads on the California side of this race make speed difficult for me at times in this race. Half the bike course is in California and the other half is in Arizona, so you get to race in two states. Surprisingly my run was only a minute and a half faster than last year. I say that because I thought I ran faster this time. My over-all time was 9 minutes faster than last year. I wasn’t super happy with my results, but at least I am improving. Mountian Man Events puts on a good race. It is nice to roll out of bed and walk a hundred yards to the transition area. This was fun trip because my wife Lori and my daughter Vayden came with this year. Vayden loved the pool and going down the big slide. Where else can Vayden do that? Lori won some money at the casino and I got to eat all-you-can-eat prime rib at the buffet two nights in a row. And one night was free!

Tri Family Halloween Triathlon

Mesa, Arizona
I did this race 5 minutes faster than last year. Unfortunately for me the field was a lot faster this year. There are some great athletes out there. Tri Family Racing did a good job as always. My thanks to Tri Family Racing, the City of Mesa and Iron Gear Sports for this fall racing opportunity.

IRONMAN 70.3 Austin

Austin, TexasI awoke at 3:30, stretched and headed over to the race. I parked with ease and dropped off my run bag at T2 and boarded a bus to T1 and the lake. It was a stress free morning. I felt pretty good despite being sick. My lungs weren’t congested, I just felt a bit tired. I am never yawing pre-race.SwimMy swim heat did not leave until 8:40 a.m. The first pro wave left at 7:30. Somehow despite all the time I had, I ended up misjudging time and had to run over to the swim corral pulling my suit on as I went. I am never one of those people. If there wasn’t an age 40-44 A-L heat before my heat, I might have missed my start. It may have worked out for me, because when I started my heart rate was already up and I had a good swim. It was a well marked triangle. Although there were 2700 people doing this race I encountered very little congestion in the swim. The water temperature was nice for a wetsuit swim and the visibility wasn’t bad. Since my wave did not leave until 8:40 a.m., the sun was up and hitting the water at an angle making for good visibility. I ended up with my fastest time ever for the swim.BikeI worked hard to achieve a 20 mph average. I did not feel hot on the bike and did not feel the need to grab more than one bottle of water at the aid stations. In retrospect, my elevated effort, and the dry windy conditions may have significantly dehydrated me without my noticing.
The challenges of this course for me were two. Although there were some short hills, there was nothing major which I was happy for. The challenges came in other forms. The first challenge was the condition of the roads. Approximately half the course was on what I would consider rough roads. This obviously affects speed. When we would transition from rough to smooth road I would see as much as a 3 mph difference without changing effort output. Texas apparently is in the middle of the worst drought in recorded history and the roads are shrinking and cracking. The condition of the road made for tense riding. I discussed this with other athletes afterwards and was not alone its effects. My shoulders are still sore as I write this. I also encountered significant back ache which made riding in the aero position painful. The rough road would come back to haunt me in the run as well as other athletes that I spoke with after the race was over.
The second challenge was wind. Mostly cross wind. This slows everyone, but my weight actually keeps my on the road and from being blown around. I just envisioned myself cutting through the wind and did not let it bother me. I was determined to get my 20 mph average despite the wind. The wind was only a factor for about the last hour of the race. I turned in my fastest 56 miles ever. In fact I beat my best previous performance by 23 minutes! My goal for this race was to break the 6 hour mark and I was on my way to smashing that. When I completed the bike I calculated in my head that if I could run a 2 hour half marathon, I would come in at about 5 hours and 30 minutes. I had just run a 1:50 half marathon in Long beach two weeks ago and I have been running faster off the bike lately than just running fresh. I felt confident that I was on my way to a 5:30! Fate had other plans however.RunThis was the most grueling punishing run for me ever! I transitioned fast and could not wait to get out on the run course and get my 5:30. I felt great. I ran out of transition full of confidence and optimism. This is the best I have felt by far in a 70.3 going into the run. I was even smiling at the volunteers. I cruised the first mile effortlessly. All my bricks were paying off. My legs know they have to run after getting off the bike now. I was shocked when I looked down at my watch. I felt like I had taken the first mile pretty easy and I ran it in 8:30. I was feeling great. I was running the same pace as Long beach without even trying. I was definitely going to smash 6 hours and on my way to a sub 5:30.

With in a minute things changed. The course headed uphill and I felt the vastus medialis above my left knee threatening to cramp. It began to feel like someone had stabbed me in the leg. That is the muscle just above the knee on the inside of the leg. It alarmed me. I have never felt anything there before. As I pushed up the hill I gave into fear. If the muscle seized I didn’t know how to stretch it. I started to walk to see if I could relax it and get it under control. After a minute or so I started to run again. As I hit the first aid station and drank a cup of cold water I realized I was very thirsty. I drank another cup. I couldn’t stop and drank a third. After the aid station the course headed down hill. The combination of downhill running and the sloshing water in my stomach caused a severe side cramp. I couldn’t breathe and once again gave in and walked. This time I gave into pain. I was troubled. I was walking again and I hadn’t even reached mile 2. I looked at my watch and decided I could make up the time and get on track for 9 minute miles which would put the13.1 miles under 2 hours. My thoughts were that there was no need to panic. I just needed to deal with these cramping issues and get back to business. Things got worse not better.
The course was tough a tough one for me. It was mostly up or down. There were few flat steps. The hills weren’t super steep, but enough to make you work on the way up and cause shock damage on the way down. And speaking of flat steps, the running surface was often a bit rough also. I am a pansy when it comes to running and like my running surface flat and even. That is probably due to my weight. Landing 230 pounds on even surfaces can make the ankles tire.
Once you walk, it is far too easy to walk again. I wasn’t alone however. I have never seen so many people walking in a triathlon. It seemed as if 70% of the field was walking. This contributed to the “it’s ok to walk” voice in my head even more. I would run and then walk when I hit a hill.
To make things worse I was also overheating. I had gotten behind on my hydration and now I couldn’t make it up. They ran out of sponges on my second loop. It was a 3 loop course. I was drinking too much and suffering side cramps, especially running down hill. I would stop drinking for a while to eliminate the side cramps, but then the leg cramps would start again. I had to choose my poison. It was so hot that I couldn’t drink my Infinit. I finished 1 out of 4 bottles. I neglected my gels because of my internal heat. I could not stomach them in the condition I was in. I stuffed ice everywhere I could but couldn’t stop the heat. Unlike Hawaii where I was able to control it, here in Texas I had allowed myself to get dehydrated and there was no coming back from that once I hit the run. I learned that I have got to stay on top of that. Dehydration is not curable for me once the run begins given my sweat rate. I must have walked 11 times. It was brutal and for the first time in a triathlon I wanted to quit. Many other people were suffering and I spoke to some of them as I walked or ran next to them. Here is my analysis of what happened to me. The bike taxed my muscles in a way I had not trained for. The static tension due to the rough roads for nearly 3 hours put a strain on muscles that I was not accustomed to. Lots of athletes suffered back issues because of this. While personally, my back did suffer on the bike, it did not bother me once I hit the run like so many other athletes I encountered. I do think that this static stress contributed to my leg cramping. This coupled with the fact that I allowed myself to dehydrate worked as a double punch setting my muscles up for cramping issues. Then on top of that, psychologically I let the group mentality influence my decision making process. Since so many others were walking I convinced myself that it was ok and I was just adopting a strategy to finish. My run ended up being 2:30:46. That is 40 minutes longer than the last half marathon I did. My time total time was 6:02:36. Almost 20 minutes faster than my previous 70.3 record. I could have easily made up that 2:36 and finished under 6 hours. I gave in. I let pain and fear rule the day for me and I came away from this race upset with myself. I am upset that I wasn’t smarter. I am upset that I wasn’t stronger. I should not have given in.

Things I learned from this race:
1) I need to stay on top of hydration and nutrition regardless of how I feel.
2) Don’t start walking.
3) I need to run and bike hills in my training.
4) Don’t neglect heat tolerance training.
5) And last but not least:

Seville Triathlon

Gilbert, Arizona

I have always liked this race. The best way I can describe it is . . . luxurious. I say that for several reasons. First, for me it is a 10 minute drive since it takes place right here in Gilbert. It takes place at a great facility. Every time I have done this race I can park and literally walk 30 yards across the road to transition. It makes leaving things in the car very easy. You can go back and forth without any problem. Some races you have to park your car so far away that even a single trip back is made impossible. They hold this race at Seville twice a year during perfect weather conditions. It is not too hot or too cold. The facility is like a resort, and with the wonderful weather you can walk around barefoot prior to the swim. The transition area is great. There are these palm trees with white lights wrapped around them that make it look beautiful in the early morning darkness. The pool area is fantastic. Prior to the swim you can lounge around on these couches with a beautiful view of the golf course and the San Tan Mountains. You can just sit there and relax as you watch the sun come up. Most triathlons you can’t even find a place to sit. At Seville there is music floating through the loud speakers system to further make the morning relaxing. While your typical triathlon involves long lines at port a potties, at Seville I have never experienced a line at the luxurious bathroom facilities which are always clean. The race itself is also very nice. There is a warm up pool, and the water temperature of the water is great, not too hot. The run to transition is rock free. The bike course is flat and takes place on some of the smoothest, cleanest roads you will find in racing. The run is a stress free out and back where you can keep track of competitors with a slight incline at the end to make any final sprints a tad more interesting. After the race is over there are plenty of chairs and couches to sit around on in the shade while you wait for results and awards.Like I said it is just an all around enjoyable luxurious race. Based on the result sheets it looked like I was going to place. I might even get first. I have never gotten first in a triathlon. I have managed to get second a few times. As it ended up, I did not get first. It never occurred to me that I could place in the over-All, so when they called my name I was shocked. I know that being in the over-All is a far greater honor than winning an age group, but I was still disappointed that the 1st place medal remains elusive to me. I was 5th in the Over-All! I was standing up there with the real triathletes. I am still in shock. I think a lot of people were equally shocked. They must have been thinking there was some kind of mistake. What is that fat dude doing up there? I mean the guys I was up there with have like 1% body fat and are indistinguishable from professional triathletes. Everyone knows who these guys are, because they are always up there. I still can’t believe I got to stand up there with them. It must have been a slow day.

Mesa Sprint Triathlon

Mesa, Arizona

Since Lori and the kids are in Indiana this weekend, I decided to do back to back triathlons. The great part is that both of them are right here close to home. I could have walked to this one. This is inaugural event. The course basically circles the Gateway airport. The swim took place in the ASU East campus pool. I was frustrated with the swim because we weren’t allowed to pass given we were swimming down both sides of one lane. We lined up according to swim times, but some people had inflated estimations of their abilites. I was breast stroking half swim. We were allowed to pass on the wall, but that wasn’t enough. The time I lost in the pool hurts as you will see later when I get to results. I could not have asked for a better bike course for my cycling strengths. The run course was unique and took us out into nowhere. I actually like the course because it was different. We run through some dirt fields and into some ditches. There were no hills. I did not get any company until mile 2 of the run. I got passed by two guys in my age group. There was no way I was going to be able to keep pace with them though, they were flying past me. I ran hard and my 5K time ended up being only 11 seconds slower than my best 5k ever. That is pretty good considering my best 5k was run fresh and not after racing a bike course. The bike does not seem to be slowing my running anymore. I seem to run pretty close to how I run fresh now days. I hope that holds true in Austin. The two guys who passed me in my age group ended up being 2nd and 3rd over-all, which placed me in 2nd place in my age division. That can be a great thing about age division 40-44. Although it is always the most competitive and fastest division, the over-all winners are often pulled from our division. In this race that elevated me from 4th to 2nd. I missed 1st place by 2 seconds. That is why the swim is so hard for me to swallow. I lost a good 45 seconds in the pool. I enjoyed this race and hope to do it in the future. There are a few Things that could be easily improved about this race however. The first would be not to put the transition area in a swampy field. Mud gets in your bike shoes can make clipping in and out more difficult, which is also a safety issue. The race advertised that the bike course would be swept the night before and it was. The actual road was beautiful, so I assume the sweeper was out there the night before. The Problem is that the sweeper did not understand the concept and swept all the debris into the bike lane, so whatever they paid him was money wasted. The bike lane probably would have been cleaner had he not swept.

Long Beach Half Marathon

Long Beach, California

This was supposed to be a sort of training run for me on my way to Ironman 70.3 Austin. I was supposed to finish under 2 hours and collect my beach cities challenge medal and start tapering. The competitor in me had other ideas. The course mostly flat and I picked up a pace bracelet at the expo and set out to run a 1:55. I thought maybe if I had a good day I could pull that off. My best half marathon previously was 01:57:53. That was almost a year ago, and I have been slower ever since. I had high aspirations of shaving off 3 minutes. Guess what? I ran a 01:50:23! I shaved off almost 8 minutes. This marathon had some cool interactive data. My average speed was 7.1 mph. I ran an 8.25 minute average mile and I passed 236 runners and 65 runners passed me from the start. I was at 00:49:51 for the 10K. That’s running 7.5 mph and an 8:01 mile average pace. That is a fast 10K for me especially given that I was pacing for a half marathon.
I liked this course, it was tailor made for my strengths. I also completed my beach cities challenge and collected that medal today.

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Splash + Dash

Tempe, Arizona

These splash & Dashes are always pretty laid back. My son Christian and I have done them in the past, but tonight was different. The water was still pretty warm at 76 Degrees. It was a wetsuit legal race however. I wore my suit and got a little overheated during the swim, but I still managed to swim the 1500 meters faster than I ever have, even if it was only one second faster. Since we are running in the Long Beach Half Marathon in a couple days I didn’t push the run, I just enjoyed it. It was twilight as the run began and the sky was a glow with red an orange. There was cool fall breeze that dried my tri suit as we ran the edge of lake with the lights from the brides shining on the water. Tempe was beautiful tonight. I am glad that 4 Peaks Racing puts on these races and gives us these opportunities on a Thursday night. I could have easily turned around and run that 5K again. I finished with a fast last mile and crossed the finish line feeling great. As I sipped my water and looked south across the lake my thought turned to running these paths in the evening on a night in November of 2012.

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Tempe, Arizona
Red Rock always does a great job with their races, and this race was no exception. Also I thought the visor they gave out was the best I have ever received. Swimming into the sun in Tempe Town Lake is always difficult for me. I can’t see in the water, and I can’t see in the air. We had some cloud cover for the bike. Other than losing my gel flask and having no nutrition on the bike it went well. It is a good course for me I didn’t feel very strong on the run, but lucky for me I found a running buddy about two miles into the first loop who kept me at a good pace. (Thanks Jeff and good luck with Ironman Arizona!). The run was hot and keeping that pace apparently caused me to seriously overheat which I did not fully realize until I finished. Sorry Red Rock for stealing all that ice from the fruit trays but it was a medical emergency as far as I was concerned. Red Rock always has a good breakfast with scrambled eggs etc. My heat situation prevented me from feeling like eating, but Red Rock deserves accolades for the good job they do. I like doing races at Tempe Town Lake. It feels like home. Thanks Red Rock for another great race.

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Nautica Malibu Classic Distance Triathlon

Malibu, California
This is race sold out in under 3 hours, so I was glad to get a chance to do it. This race has a celebrity division. Hollywood celebrities have their own division and awards. Jay Leno hosted the awards this year. racing 2 days in a row does take a toll. I gave this race my all. The bike hurt, but I fell just shy of a 20 MPH average. The run was shorter than the day before, but much more difficult for me. I was still able to pull off a sub 9 minute pace however and complete the 4 miles with a 08:55 average. Even though my speed suffered a bit, I hit the podium again with 3rd. For these Races I competed in a rare category. These races have a 225+ Clydesdale division. I weighed in a 233 for these races, more than qualifying me. I don’t ever sign up for the Clydesdale division even if it is available, but I wanted to drive a point home to myself. I have long known that I am handicapped by my weight. This was solidified for me by the fact that when I compete with athletes with the same handicap as I bear, I can take the podium in back to back races. I have got to find the discipline to lose the weight. People at races always assume I am a beginner because of my weight. On loop courses they always assume that I am on my first loop as opposed to my second or third because of my weight. I am getting tired of hearing “way to go BIG guy!” or “Let’s hear for the big guys” I appreciate that fact people are just being nice, but I feel like an embarrassment to this sport. This sport is a sport of Extreme discipline and I need to find the discipline to eat better. I can get up at 4:30 every morning and bike and run for miles, but so far I have failed in the discipline to eat right. Being able to compete with others who are 225+ helped me confirm that I am still a good athlete underneath this self imposed handicap. I am competing in these races wearing a fat suit and it makes me slower. I spend money to be aero, when losing weight would make me far faster than any aero equipment.

Nautica Malibu International Distance Triathlon

Malibu, California
I like this race a lot. It was an over-all well put together experience that I would do again. I experimented with this race. I decided to give the bike an all out effort and stop worrying about the run. I have lived the fear of not being able to finish the run for long enough. I hammered the bike and decided to just give it my all and worry about the run when I got there. If I blew up, I blew up. I averaged over 20 MPH despite some hills. That is good for me. I have gone slightly faster for an Olympic bike split, but that was a flat course. The weird part is that, not only did I not blow up on the run, I had my fastest 10K ever. I held an 8:26 pace for 6.2 miles. I have never run that fast even doing a 10K all by itself.

Swim Distance Challenge

Venice Beach, California

Because I successfully swam the 2.4 mile distance in this race last year, I was qualified to compete in the 4.8 mile distance this year. The 4.8 mile race is divided into 4 x 1.2 mile legs. At the completion of each 1.2 mile leg you have to swim through the surf, up shore and go up and get a medical check to make sure you are able to continue. During the first 1.2 mile leg three people went shoulder to shoulder to hold the lead for the whole first 1.2 miles. If they were friends, they obviously are not acquainted with the benefits of drafting. I swam right behind the center of these three swimmers for the entire first leg. There were others who wanted to take advantage of the great draft they were creating too, so there was a little shoulder bumping, but a small price to pay for the benefits of a phenomenal draft. You never get a three person wide bull dozer like that for 1.2 miles. Never! Running up the beach to the check station is the hardest part of each leg for me. It shoots my heart rate up. After crossing the timing matt and a quick drink of water it was back into the surf for the second leg. The bulldozer trio had either broken up or ended up behind me after the first check point. For the second leg I found a guy who put out the biggest kick I have ever seen for a distance swimmer. He was pacing well towards the front and a decent sighter. I followed him for the second and third legs. He sure was easy to follow. I ate a cliff shot gel at second and third check in. I also gulped down about four cups of water each time. It was nice to hydrate for once while swimming. At this point it was hard to tell where I was in the mix. I definitely know I wasn’t passed in the water, but it was hard to keep track at the check points. Entering the water for the final leg I decided I needed to drop the big kicker, he just wasn’t going fast enough anymore. I spotted a long armed skin swimmer who was picking up speed as he started the final leg. The 4.8 mile swimmers wore bright orange caps in this race and he was the only orange I could see in front of me. I hit the gas and closed the 50 yard gap between us and then settled into a draft behind him. I had to swim hard to stay with him. He was a great swimmer. Then something happened that has never happened to me in all my years of swimming. A muscle in my left forearm began to threaten to cramp. I had to stretch it while swimming. I couldn’t lose one of my paddles. It continued to twinge now and then, but never actually fully cramped thankfully. I kept track of it as I swam trying to load my right arm a little heavier and kick harder every time it started to threaten a cramp. The Albatross guy I was drafting was an excellent sighter and there were actually were some orange caps in front of us, which we passed. This guy was flying and I was flying right behind him. I thought he could possibly be in my age category, so I mentally prepared for the last 400 yards to shore. As we turned the buoy, I pulled out from behind his draft and hit the gas. He hit the gas with me. He did not want to let me pass him. I increased to 95 percent capacity and still he hung with me at my shoulder. As we neared the breakers I began to pull slightly ahead of him. Whoever he was, he is a better overall swimmer than me, but I think his sprint abilities had been taxed. I was ahead of him and closer to the finish chute and I thought I had him until he caught a wave and I didn’t. That put him about 10 yards ahead of me. Once he hit the beach running I knew I wasn’t going to be able to catch him in a sand run up the beach. I ran hard and my heart rate must have hit the roof, because after I crossed that matt I could barely breathe. I ended up finishing second in my age category.

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San Francisco 1st Half Marathon

San Francisco, California

The draw of this race is the course. It was a very iconic tour of San Francisco. I walked down from a few hundred yards from the Hyatt, where Lori and I were staying. The race starts on Embarcadero at the Ferry Building and runs through Pier 39 and Fisherman’s wharf. Alcatraz looms off the left in the early morning fog. We all got hungry as we ran right past Boudin’s Bakery as they were baking some early morning bread. Then it was up the hill by Fort Mason, down through the park and on to Chrissy Field which I remember well from my Alcatraz swim. At about mile 5 we head up a steep hill to the Golden Gate Bridge. Running the Bridge was the highlight for me. The bridge comprised 5 miles of the run. By the way, I never noticed that the bridge is not flat. You notice these things 5 miles into a run. After the bridge it is up another hill through the Presidio and then up and down, up and down through some residential neighborhoods until we hit Golden Gate park. I was looking for some flat course to make up the time I lost on the hills, but you won’t find it, even after you hit the Park. The hills and some occasional congestion cost me some time, but I went into the race with the attitude of enjoying the Experience more than fretting about time. I reached down and powered the Chrissy Field miles and the bridge to bring on some pain. All things considered, it was a good run for me. The race was only a small part of this great trip with Lori to San Francisco. San Francisco is the perfect summer get away. When the rest of the country is suffering in the heat, San Francisco is bundling up to go out for dinner. I wore gloves on my hands the entire run by the way.

Frontier 5K

Bountiful, Utah

This race was part of the celebration of Pioneer Day, which is a big deal in Utah. I ran this race with Christian and my nephew Skyler today. Skyler finished faster than I ever have. He needs to keep running.He didn’t even train. I finished good enough for a second place trophy. I left it at my parent’s house since it was a handcart and I thought they would like that. This race started with a canon blast. It went slightly uphill for about the last half of the race. There was a good free breakfast after this race. I was running on the slow side. I don’t know if it was the elevation or more likely all the overeating I have been doing this summer during my many various trips and vacations.

Mountain Man Triathlon

Flagstaff, Arizona

I had a surprisingly difficult swim. The water was muddy from recent rains. Visibility could be measured inches, and not many. I Started next to a former Olympic swimmer. I decided to try to stay with him. That was a mistake. Within about 300 yards I was gasping for breath and my muscles were cramping for lack of oxygen. I forgot I was swimming at 7,000 feet. That is 6,000 more than I am used to. I actually had to breast stroke for a few seconds for the first time ever in a triathlon to catch my breath. I have never had to do that before. This is not the first time I have swum at high altitude. I couldn’t seem to recover after that. I was almost done with the swim by the time I started feeling ok. This course is just beautiful. I had a good bike ride and my run was ok. I felt the elevation a bit again on the run. I don’t know what my deal was with that today. Christian won his division and was jazzed to get a trophy.

Kau Family Fun Fest 5K

Naalehu, Hawaii

This was the inaugural race. This was a unique 5K. I have never seen anything like it. The race went for about 200 yards before it headed up a road that was once used to access the sugar cane fields. This road was very steep. The grade never let up. Not for a yard. We ran straight up and then turned around to run straight down. I have never run a hill like that, let alone in the Hawaiian heat. This 5k race goes down as the hardest ever. EVER! I doubt you will ever find a more difficult 5k. The hill was so steep, that when I go to the turn around, I told Christian I was going to walk down. Not because I didn’t have any run let in me, but because I was afraid of injury. I am still amazed that both Christian and I made it up that hill without stopping. I repeat: I have never run a hill like that. I think the only reason we kept going is because we all believed that it would soon flatten out. It never did. I will call upon this race in the future for confidence. I doubt I will ever encounter a hill like that again. All other hills will be cake when I mentally compare them. Also of special note is the fact that this race while a bit remote is the most southern race in the United States. You can’t go any closer to the equator and still be in the United States than this race.

IRONMAN 70.3 Hawaii

Kohala Coast, Hawaii

What a race. This was my favorite race so far. The Fairmont Orchid is beautiful and luxurious. What a beautiful place. Everything for the race is on site. Check in, the expo, the race meetings, the bike shop, the gear bag drop off, free shuttles, T2, and the finish. I warmed up in a big living room all by myself outside our hotel room. I hopped aboard a waiting shuttle to Hapuna Beach and T1.
Swim Gorgeous, perfect water temperature and my best 1.2 mile time ever. We swim suspended 70 feet above the corral reefs below with perfect visibility. When you look down it is like flying. I went back and swam this bay two more times before we left Hawaii. I took Christian out there and he was amazed. It is hard to imagine a better swim.
Bike Biking the fabled Queen Kaahumanu highway was everything it was cracked up to be. It rolls more than I had imagined and you have to shift a lot. It is hot and I grabbed water at every aid station. That water is your life. Without it I would not have been able to finish. The water was always cold and I used every drop of it. I have never taken in so much water on the bike. We encountered a head wind climbing into hawi which became a tailwind once you hit the turn around. I was flying down from Hawi.
Run I had long feared this run. I had feared the heat far more than the course itself. If you think the bike is hot, just wait until you get off the bike and hit those humid grass golf course fields and baking lava rocks. The heat did not disappoint. It hits you like a wall once you are off the bike. I was so afraid of dropping on this course that I followed a meticulous nutrition and hydration plan. I started the run with 4 empty fuel belt bottles. I lost one in transition when I bent over, so I had to make it work with 3. Each bottle had 2 scoops of Infinit powder. I learned at Oceanside that I can’t drink it warm after drinking it warm for 3 hours on the bike, so my plan was to fill the bottles with cold water and ice at aid stations as needed. This would also reduce my weight as I ran. The plan worked. I had no problem drinking the Infinint solution as long as it was cold. I also left transition with a pack of Cliff 3X sodium shot bloks in my hand and my fuel belt pouch stuffed full of them. I ate a blok at ever mile, usually just before the aid station. They had aid stations just about every mile. Those aid stations saved my life. They always had cold water, and plenty of ice and sponges. I was using ice and sponges like a mad man. One lady even laughed at me when I grabbed 4 sponges. I would put a sponge in front and in back at my neck line. I would squeeze a third over my head. The fourth I would carry for awhile and squeeze water on my limbs whenever I felt even the slightest breeze. I would drink several cups of water and throw at least one cup of ice in my suit. I actually liked the run. It had a lot of variety and I just made it my goal to make it to the next aid station and before long I was done. It was my slowest half marathon to date, but I ran the entire thing while others walked and many even quit. The local woman who won the race threw up from the heat. After the race was over and Lori was talking about the bridge, the finish line and how it was set up and decorated I realized that I was more over heated than I may have realized as I did not remember any of the things she was talking about. Somehow I had run by all that stuff and not even seen it. .

Tempe International Triathlon

Tempe, Arizona
The race got off to a late start which was ok with me because I wanted it hot by the time I hit the run. I want to some heat to deal with before I have to race in Hawaii in three weeks. I have to tell you, that I felt good for this race from start to finish. It was a good confidence builder for Hawaii. I have developed a working system of warm up, stretching, recovery and pre and post race nutrition that seems to be working. I finished this race in 02:38:39, which is pretty good for me given that this was just a race sandwiched into my training without any rest or pushing. Christian is doing well also. He took first place in his age category. He did the sprint and felt so good afterwards that he ran the second 5k of my 10 k with me just for the heck of it.

Splash + Dash

Tempe, Arizona

It was fun to do an aquathlon on a Thursday evening. I wanted to see how well I could swim. I had the fastest slpit in my age group.

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OC Half Marathon

New Port Beach, California
Although they advertise this marathon as a fast flat race, it was the least flat of the 6 half marathons I have done. California’s definition and Arizona’s definition of flat seems to be two different things. I was feeling good and took off at a pretty good pace. I wanted to beat my best time given what I anticipated from the course. This race has s a net elevation loss and I figured I could run it fast. I put the official elevation chart below. It is not accurate. I remember so many little hills, both up and down.

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I wouldn't call this one is more either:

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The race takes off uphill for about the first mile. I ran it fast full of tapered strength and excitement. Then at about a mile you hit this steady significant decline that goes for the next 2 miles. With my legs pumped up from a mile of incline, I decided I wanted make some good time on that downhill. I was pacing at way under my goal of 9 minute miles and feeling good. At about 2 miles and half way down the hill my left calf seized with a cramp. I tried to run through it and switched to heel striking to see if I could release it. I finally had to stop and use the curb to stretch it. I got it to release enough to continue in pain. The cramp troubled me for the next 2 miles or so and cost me the time I had gained in the first few miles and I would feel the cramp threatening on hills whether up or down for the rest of the race. I managed to keep a 9 minute average and finish at a 01:57:57. It was the most interesting and beautiful course of all the half marathons I have run. There was lots of crowd support too. I had opted not to carry water, so I was disappointed when the course had very few water stations. Other than that, I thought it was a well run race and would recommend it.

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Night Run for Julee

Scottsdale, Arizona
Today held 2 firsts for us in the racing world. Today, my son Christian and I did a double header. We did a race in the morning and a race in the evening. The other first is that this is the first time we have raced at night. That is something I didn’t think through when I brought my thumps. I wore them anyway and was able to see ok. I gotta have my music. This race had a great course with fantastic food. They had pizza, hot dogs, pulled pork sandwiches etc. Most importantly this race went to benefit Julee Patterson who is a Scottsdale Police Officer who was diagnosed with breast cancer. All the sponsors did a great job and it was great to see all the support for Julee. Several of the valley's mascots were there in support. Big Red, Sparky, and Hairy were all there. Hairy is quite the character.

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