Winter

As the days get longer and colder, it becomes harder to get out there and train. Although this is time for rest and recuperation, you still need to get some training in. I love the cold snowy days for training because I feel like I have the entire trail to myself and most of the times I do. Most people chose to sit inside by the fireplace and relax with a good book.

If you're going to go out, make sure you wear the right clothes. First, leave the cotton at home. It might be nice and cozy but as soon as it gets wet, it gets heavy and loses its ability to keep you warm. Your base layer should be either a high-tech wicking material or low-tech wool. Wool has many of the qualities of the newer manufactured products and has come a long way in the last ten years. Smartwool produces a line of socks, pants and shirts that don't itch and will keep you warm and dry.

I don't worry about my feet getting wet unless I step into a puddle or through some ice. Unless it's really warm, the snow won't melt and your feet will stay dry.
I almost always wear a stocking cap and gloves. You lose most of your heat out your head so a hat is critical to staying warm. Whenever I run either long or hard, the circulation to my hands seems to be decreased. During the winter, this leads to cold hands so I always wear a pair of gloves. Really cold days, it's mitton and neck gaiter time.

Stay warm, keep running and enjoy the snow.

Opportunity

When opportunity knocks, how do you know to open the door and once that door is opened, how do you know you should take the opportunity? This is my current dilemma. A new opportunity has appeared and I'm not sure how hard to pursue it or even if I want to chase it.

Why should I chase it? It's triathlon related but it's in a direction that I've never considered before. Since it is a triathlon opportunity, it caught my interest and that started the pursuit. In general, I'm usually up for anything as long as it's skiing, running or triathlon related.

In 2007, I had the privilege of being on the Inside Triathlon team and that was great. I don't know what I expected when it started but by the end, I was having a great time. The chance to race and represent something was very satisfying. Although the new opportunity isn't a sponsorship, it is similar. If things go well, I could actually earn a little cash to help cover this expensive habit.

Why should I let the chance pass me by? I'm already working full-time, volunteering for four different groups and training. Even though it's winter, I'm still busy and with snow starting to fall, ski patrol is starting to consume more time. I guess the time committment is the biggest negative.

For now I guess I'll do what I do best and gather more information to help make an informed decision.

Ski Season

The weather has finally turned, Thanksgiving has come and it's time for the 2007/08 ski season.

After a couple weekends of training and too little snow, Winter Park opened. Last weekend was my first weekend on the mountain. As has become the normal opening over the last few seasons, we were patrolling out of the Arrow lift shack. It's not the best accommodations but it works.

I think one of the best parts about being on the patrol are my fellow patrollers. From the old hands spinning tales of the good old days to the new patrollers trying to figure out where they fit in, it's a great group.

Here's to a great and safe season.

Rest

Perhaps the most missed workout of any training plan is the rest day. Most triathletes are highly motivated and ambitious people and a day of rest just doesn't seem to fit with the personality. When not training we are working around the house or in the office. Since I work full-time, taking a day completely off is out of the question. I need both Saturday and Sunday to get in the long rides and runs and to complete the house work. Monday is the default day of rest but it's also a work day.

So how to get a good rest day? Start on Saturday and Sunday with the afternoon nap. It's not a complete rest day but a nap is a great way to recover and help prepare for the next day. On Monday, try to take it easy at work.

Holidays

With the approaching holiday season, most athletes are entering the worst time of the year. Office parties, cookie exchanges, family gatherings, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years. Six weeks of family and food. How to survive without alienating family and friends while still maintaining some level of fitness?

I like to start each day during the holidays with either thirty minutes running or on the trainer. That way I've got my workout in before I hit the food. You would be amazed how much damage you can control with just thirty minutes. Will you lose some fitness? Maybe a little but at least you won't be starting from nothing on New Year's Day.

So remember, before you hit the party seen, hit the training. It'll make January that much easier.

Post Season

Unless you’re training for an iron distance triathlon in March, chances are you’re in the winter training doldrums. Your last A-race is over and you don’t have any races for at least five months. The first US 70.3 race is over eighteen weeks away and IM-AZ is twenty weeks away.

With all this spare time on your hands, what should you be doing? If your last big race was the IM Championships, IM-FL or 70.3 Championships, you should be taking it easy for a few weeks. To recover from the Chicago Marathon, I stopped swimming and biking and just kept running. You shouldn’t have a lot of structure to your exercise. I was just running for 30 – 40 minutes depending upon how I felt. No tempo runs, no intervals, just running for the joy of running.

One great benefit of unstructured workouts is the mental recovery. All season you’ve been pushing yourself. Everyone does it. During a tough workout or race we start playing the just mind game. It goes something like: just run to the next aid station, just one more hill repeat, just one more interval. Mental toughness is as critical to success in triathlons as swimming, cycling, running, transitions and nutrition. Eventually the mental well starts to run dry and like a reservoir after a drought, it takes time to fill up. Take this time to recharge.

Writing

If the only way to become proficient at something is to practice, then I need to practice the art of writing. To that end, it's time to practice. While some writers might be born, I think most writers have spent a lot of time honing their craft.

I recently bought Moonwar by Ben Bova. I remember reading his Exile Trilogy when I was in elementary school and decided to take a chance on something newer. I didn't know if his newer works would meet the expectations my memories had of his older work. Memories are tricky things. We remember the good times better than they were and we have a tendency to suppress the bad times. Anyway, Ben Bova's new works are as good as I remember his old work. I literally couldn't put down the book and finished it in only a few days.

Adrenalin

While crossing a dark, deserted parking lot, I hear rustling leaves behind me. The brain reacts with an adrenalin drop, the senses heighten, the pulse quickens and the body prepares to fight or fly.

Chicago Marathon

Prologue
Although I was staying at a hotel on the park, only a few blocks from the start line, due to the size of the marathon, 45,000 entrants, I had to leave an hour before the 8 a.m. start. The crowds were immense and it took me about twenty minutes just to get to the bathrooms near my starting corral.
My Tucson time was fast enough to get me entry into the third corral. The first corral was for the professional runners and the second corral was for the elite 100. To get into my corral I think you had to be under 3:10 which meant everyone had at least run one marathon and was relatively fast.
In 2006, the Chicago Marathon was run with temperatures in the 30’s, wind gusting over 25 mph and wind chills in the 20s. This year’s temperatures were not even close to that. The temperature was in the mid to upper 70s at the start with humidity to match.
As I waited in my corral for the start, I was already perspiring. There were so many runners in the corral and we were packed so tight, my GPS was giving my weak signal warnings when my hand was at my side.
Act 1 – The Shady Half
My original, pre-weather, plan was to run with the three hour pace group for the first twenty miles and then decide if I should push on, hold steady or fall back. Based upon everyone saying Chicago was fast, I was hoping to finish under three hours, maybe around 2:55. After arriving in Chicago and walking around for a day, I changed my expectations to be 3:10 to 3:15. I’ve already broken three hours so there’s no need to risk getting hurt.
I worked my way towards the front of the A-corral and was about ten rows from the front when the gun went off. I hadn’t found the official three hour pacers but I did see several three hour back bibs so I knew I was close. The gun sounded, the crowd surged forward and got up to speed. What a difference being in a seated corral and near the front. It took my about fifteen seconds to hit the start line and the whole group moved out. As we went under a bridge, I looked to my left and was amazed at the mass of people moving with me. Everyone looked relaxed, fast and ready to fly.
And fly I did going through the first mile in 6:15 and the first 5k in 20:54. I pulled up on the pace a little hoping to settle around 7 minute miles, wait for the three hour pacer and then drop down to 6:50s. It sounded like a good plan in my head but I settled around 6:45 as we headed north towards Lincoln Park.
During the first half, I saw women dressed as cheerleaders, guys dressed as cheerleaders and Elvis singing in the middle of the road. I knew it was going to be warm but I didn’t think I’d be hallucinating.
Act 2 – Into the Loop
As we passed the half-way point, we started to move west into the neighborhoods surrounded by the loop. While the first half was characterized by tall buildings, this section was mostly one and two stories tall. The tall building offered the opportunity for shade and since the route was mostly north-south, there was plenty of shade to run in. This section was mostly east and west so the shady spots were few and far between.
I was still holding a pretty good pace and feeling pretty good at this point. When I went through the half under 1:30, my mantra became Harvest Moon is this hot. Drawing on my Harvest Moon experiences, I knew I could run a half in the heat in 1:40 so I started thinking in terms of half-marathons and 10ks.
Act 3 – Out of the Frying Pan
By the time I went through 30k, I knew it was hot, I was hot and that I wasn’t staying as cool as I wanted. My pace was good with the first six 5ks being right at twenty-one minutes with a split of 2:06 for 30k. With 12k (7.4 miles) to go, the decision became to push for sub-three or to relax a little and finish comfortably. As I progressed through the race, I saw more and more runners reduced to walking and decided to easy up a little and see how I felt. I was a little bloated so I knew I wasn’t absorbing liquids as fast as I should or could.
The next 5k, I decided to ease up a bit and gave up about two minutes completing that 5k in twenty-three minutes. That left me close to sub-3 with only 7k and thirty minutes. It’s then that I saw my first and only three hour pacer. He was all alone as he caught and passed me. Apparently his entire group of other pacers and runners had all succumbed to the conditions and dropped off the pace. At that point I decided to not push for sub-3 and cruised the last 7k to the line. If all the other pacers and all the other sub-3 runners had been dropped by the heat, I wasn’t going to risk it. At the remaining aid stations, I made sure I took plenty of fluids and I even ran through a medical tent to grab some ice.
Epilogue
Shortly after finishing and finding Susie, the race director made the decision to end the race. Apparently conditions out on the course had deteriorated and the aid stations were having trouble keeping up with the demand for fluids. The temperature continued to climb and it was having a devastating effect on the remaining runners. The people who hadn’t reached the half-way point were diverted back to the finish area. Buses were dispatched to the aid stations to pick up runners and police were instructing all the remaining runners to stop and walk to the finish.
Personally, I had a very good run considering the conditions. Being near the front of the race meant that I had access to plenty of fluids and wasn’t trapped in the sea of humanity. I don’t know if I will do another mega-marathon or if I’ll stay with the smaller races. I was originally planning on running the NYC marathon next year but now I’m not so sure. I think I’ll take it easy for a month or two and then think about it.

Official Time: 3:09:35, Chip Time: 3:09:20
1/2 Split: 1:28:48

GPS

I ran a local 5k last weekend (4th overall, 2nd AG) with several friends and afterwards we were talking about the course. Since everyone these days wears a GPS, we were comparing distances. They all ranged from 3.2 to 3.4 miles. About two miles of the course format was out and back which gave me a good chance to see what my GPS measured.
I uploaded my run and switched the route view to satellite. The scale in the picture is one into to 200 feet. The course is on a paved bike path so the maximum width of the course is eight feet. You can clearly see in two areas where the out and back don't overlay. I try to run the tangents and since going out, I was near the front, there wasn't any problems cutting corners. You can also see where it looks like I'm running off the concrete path and through a field and a parking lot.
A GPS is a great tool for mapping runs and estimating distances but it's only as accurate as it's reception. While this path had very few trees and only on building over two stories, the GPS wasn't perfect and I don't think it's right to expect it to be. It's worn on the wrist so it's pretty small with a small antenna. It has a rechargable battery so it's not very powerful. So if you have GPS, enjoy your ability to measure your runs anywhere you go but remember, it's not perfect.

Chicago - D Minus 17 Days and Counting

There's one way to get into Chicago but two ways to run it. The only way in is to register early before it sells out. The best way to run it is to have a fast qualifying time from another marathon. What's a fast marathon time going to get you? I just received my race brochure with my starting wave and I'm in corral A. Corral A is the third group behind the professionals and the 100 elites. That means there will be about 200 people in front of me and 44,800 people behind me. That means a minimum of swerving and dodging and being able to get into a rhythm right from the start. How cool is that?

Harvest Moon Triathlon

Prologue
Heading to Aurora Reservoir, I see a long line of red tail lights. The early morning fishermen must be wondering who all these people are. It’s time for Harvest Moon the longest running iron distance race in Colorado and the last big triathlon of the Colorado season. This year it’s sold out and it’s being held in conjunction with a duathlon and a new sprint triathlon which add even more competitors. Bruce and Holly are racing the sprint and come out early to cheer me on.
ACT 1 – The Swim – 1.2 Miles – 31:16, 1:43/100
At Boulder Peak I learned not to line up in the middle so this morning I decided to line up in front on the right. I’ve been working on my stroke but today that’s not going to matter, today I’m going to push it and try to make time. The swim at Harvest Moon starts straight at the sun which always makes spotting the buoys fun. I find the first one pretty easily but the next couple I have to rely on my fellow swimmers.
Right from the start I push it and get towards the front of my wave. I pass a couple people from the first wave on the way out and then I’m at the turn and heading back to the beach. The sighting on the return is easier since you can see the watch tower. By keeping my head and staying in the game, I keep moving up through the crowd and only see a couple people from the next wave pass me. Hitting the beach I run towards T1 and there’s Bruce and Holly cheering me on.
T1 – 1:33 including run from swim beach
ACT 2 – The Bike – 56 Miles – 2:26:43, 22.9 mph
As I exit T1, there’s Bruce and Holly again. It’s great having your own cheering section. I pull on my shoes and start out of the reservoir. There was construction on one of the bridges which forced to road to one lane. Fortunately there were sheriffs there to control the traffic and it didn’t have a real impact on the race. When I turn north to Watkins, I pass Kestrel man for the first time. Over the next twenty miles, we trade positions a few times. I’m faster than him up the hills and he’s a little faster going down. As we roll through mile twenty I take a glance at my computer. We’re under an hour so I’m right on target.
After the Bennett turn, I pass Kestrel for the last time on a small uphill. There are four of us strung out and I keep expecting one of them to set tempo up it never happens. At the turn onto Quincy, I take a quick glance back and I don’t see anyone for a good mile. I guess the small rollers finally got to Kestrel. At mile forty-five I take another computer look and I’m just over two hours. The bike is looking good. The final turn occurs and it’s into T2. As I come into T2, someone is counting out the bike finishers and says I’m number 22. I hope the nutrition plan on the bike was right because the temperature is always warm at Harvest Moon.
There’s a new course this year at Harvest Moon. They removed the I-70 stretch to Bennett and now we ride clockwise to Watkins, Bennett, south to Quincy and then back to T2. The new portion on Quincy has some pretty good rollers and after forty miles, they seem even bigger. Although the old bike course was good, I think the changes are good ones and I like the new course.
T2 – 1:19
ACT 3 – The Run – 13.1 Miles – 1:42:38. 7:51/mile
The transition area was moved this year so you don’t have to start the run going up hill which was very nice. As I head out of T2, I glance at my watch. My time so far is three hours which makes the chance of breaking five hours really good. I only need to run a two hour half marathon and I know I can do that. Last year here I ran a 1:37 so sub-2 is a real possibility.
The run was also routed a couple times onto dirt trails which made the run a little more bearable since the rest of the run is concrete. Of course since it is Aurora, there are plenty of rolling hills on the course. A lot of the sprint competitors share the first part of the run course and a lot of them are still on course. I look for Holly and Bruce but I don’t find them. They should have finished a while ago so I’m not surprised that I don’t see them. It’s not until the sprint turn around that I know how lonely four hundred person race can be. I can see one runner ahead but that’s it.
When I pass him, he tells me that there is only one person in my AG ahead of me. After a few more minutes, I see a group of three ahead and focus on catching them. A mile or two later I’ve pulled them in and one of them is in my AG. Could he be the leader in my AG? A few seconds later I see someone going the other way with a bid only one number below mine so I think that must be the AG leader.
As I near the turn around, my right hamstring seizes up and I stop for second to stretch. I’m guessing my sodium is low so I grab for my sport beans and start munching. The whole way back is a battle trying to get the hydration up and keeping moving. As I check my watch at mile ten, I have over forty minutes to finish under five hours. Running aid station to aid station has gotten me this far and it’s the strategy to getting to finish. As I approach the finish line, I hear my name announced and there’s Holly and Bruce cheering again.
Total Time: 4:43:27, 19th overall, 2nd AG M40-44
Epilogue
Wow, thirty minutes off of last year’s time. I picked up time everywhere except the run where I gave up five minutes. I think everything clicked for this race and it all came together. The training, the nutrition, the rest, everything went good. Going into the race, my goal was sub-five. To do that I wanted finish the swim in thirty-five, the bike in 2:40 and the run in 1:40. I gave myself five minutes for both transitions. The swim was under, the bike was way under, the two transitions were under and only the run was over. Overall it was a great effort and a wonderful way to end the season.

Bike Safety

I took a bike safety class and after learning the rules of the road and the laws, we went outside to learn new skills. The first skill was how to fall and it's not as easy as it seems.

First, you have to keep your hands on the handle bars. The goal is to keep the hands in and take some of the impact on the bike. You try to drive the bar into the ground.

The second part is to keep your feet on the pedals. With clipless pedals this is pretty easy but with running shoes, there is the temptation to put your foot down.

When the hands stay in and the feet stay put, you take the impact on the hip and shoulder. This should prevent you from breaking or dislocating anything. We practiced by sitting on our bikes next to a tree and then letting go. You wouldn't believe how hard it is to let go when you're just sitting there. Once I fell, it made sense and didn't really hurt. Hopefully I can remember this trick if I ever need it.

Tour of Missouri

The third major US stage race kicked of today in Missouri. I think it's a great day for US cycling to have another week long stage race with some of the UCI Pro teams in attendance. Several teams are here including Discovery in one of their last stage races as a team. I hope this race becomes established and survives next year when Discovery is no more and Chipolte-Slipstream is the major US team.

The web coverage hasn't been as smooth as the Tours of California or Georgia but it's only the first day. Hopefully everything will get worked out.

Fall Frenzy Triathlon

Prologue

With a 10:50 am start time this could have been a long day. I talked to the race director the day before and she said I only had to arrive an hour before my start time. That was a blessing in disguise. I got to sleep in, have breakfast and then go to the race. When I arrived at 10:00, the people who started at 7 were already leaving and I was able to find a close parking slot and get my transition set up without the usual crowd and chaos.

ACT 1 – The Swim – 500 yards pool - 7:45, 1:35/100

Fall Frenzy has an interesting swim format for a pool triathlon. They do the usual seating based upon your predicted swim time with the slower heats going first. One unique thing that Fall Frenzy does it when a lane is emptied, they start another group without waiting for all the lanes in the heat to finish. The swim coordinator gets the next five swimmers, puts them in the empty lane, the timer comes over and the group starts.

The other unique concept is the fast lane. For about an hour, the race has one lane dedicated to swimmers who can do a 500 with flip turns under 7:30. Rather than wait for the last wave where most of these swimmers would start, they can start a few hours earlier. It’s a great way to race if you have a busy day and don’t want to wait until 11:00 to start. How do they keep people out of the fast lane who shouldn’t be there? If you don’t finish in under 7:30 or don’t do flip turns, you get accessed a 5 minute penalty.

When I finally got ready to swim and it was time for my group, there weren’t many people left in my heat. Of the original 7:30 and under thirty people, there were maybe ten left and we were the very last to start. Since we were the last, the race director allowed us to wait an extra minute or two and we were given our own lanes. It was great, like a swim meet where everyone gets a lane.

To give everyone an accurate start time, there were three timers with PDAs who started every swimmer. They typed in your bib number, tapped the screen and said go. The PDAs were later downloaded to the timing system. As I made my first turn, I realized that in all the excitement to race, I forgot to start my watch. Oh well, I guess my swim time gets to include the run to transition. The 500 passed pretty quickly and the lap counter was nice enough to stick a kick board in the pool with 50 to go so I knew when to get out.

The run to T1 was a little long but it wasn’t longer than any others I’ve done this year. By the time I got to T1, most of the bikes were gone, either the racers had left or were still on the course. I suspect most had left since it was over four hours since the first people started. The first thing I noticed as I ran to my bike was my helmet was gone. A quick look around and I saw it on the ground by another bike. I guess it must have been bumped. Strapping on my helmet and grabbing my sunglasses, I dashed out of T1.

T1 - 1:48 including run from pool to transition

ACT 2 – The Bike – 13 Miles - 33:01, 23.6 mph

Part of the bike course was held on the Cherry Creek Trail and another portion on the E470 Trail. I’ve ridden both sections a lot so I knew what to expect. The new bike performed great. I was a little wobbly in a couple sections but I think I was pushing too hard and not relaxing. At first on the bike, I didn’t see any other competitors but that was because I was one of the last three people to start. After a couple miles, I started to catch up to people which helped my follow the course. There were a couple long climbs but I kept the pressure on the cranks and kept myself right on the red line.

When I arrived back at T2, there were even fewer bikes than before. Of course the race had now been going on for five hours so you can’t blame people for leaving early. Plus it was the first weekend of football season and you know how Bronco fans are. I pulled on my running shoes, grabbed my hat and race number and ran through the rows to the run start. Another advantage of so many bikes being gone, I ran straight to the exit instead of down the row and then out.

T2 - 43.4

ACT 3 – The Run – 3 Miles - 19:09, 6:11/mile

The run was held on the Cherry Creek Trail going south while the bike route went north. There was a slight downhill at the start which meant an uphill finish. I took off running and it didn’t feel right. It felt rushed and choppy and I never did establish a good rhythm. Maybe it was because I pushed so hard on the bike or maybe it was just because it was a sprint and I was trying to sprint. As I approached the turn around, I saw one of the other late starting swimmers and set my sights on him. I caught him as we started a short climb and I pushed hard over the hill. I figured if I dropped him on the ascent, he would have a hard time latching on. From there it was a fly to the finish. As I neared the line, I heard footsteps and put on a final burst of speed. It turns out the high school kid I just passed was trying to get me at the line.

Total Time: 1:02:27

Epilogue

After the race, I had a chance to talk with some of the guys I started the swim with. We were all around 1:02 – 1:04 so it was going to be close for the win. While waiting for the results, I went back to the transition to pack up my gear. When I got to the transition area there were maybe thirty bikes left. The crew was even starting to pack up the racks. I packed up, put everything in the car and hit the showers. I figured being at a recreation center meant good showers and a chance to relax. Another benefit of finishing near the end is that instead of half a burrito, I got a whole burrito. Overall I placed third overall, edging out fellow Amino Vital racer Greg by a few seconds. Not bad for a race I wasn’t planning on doing.
Perhaps the best part of the day occurred on the way home. I called my brother after the race since it was his slot and entry fee. Turns out during the swim he was talking to the race director and the RD was talking up two of the competitors. The RD was saying that these two guys were going to compete for the win and my brother said to watch for the guy swimming in lane one which was me. He said I was fast and would be right there at the end. How cool is that.

Opportunity

Originally my brother and I talked about doing this race. My brother was enthusiastic about the race but I wasn't that excited so my brother registered and I kept thinking about it. When I finally decided to do the race, it had sold out.

This morning, opportunity came knocking in the form of an email from my brother. He had been under the weather for the last couple weeks and didn't think he could complete the race. Since the race had a transfer policy, he was offering me his slot.

I thought about it all day and since I'm already racing the next two weekends, I decided I would pass on the opportunity and stay home. So what happens when I get home? My wife told me she was invited to go on a trail ride on Sunday and would be gone all morning. I guess when opportunity knocks this hard you should just race.

Week 2

I've ridden five times on the new P2SL and it's still going great. I'm starting to get used to the handling and I'm becoming more comfortable on descents. I spent the morning at Interlocken going down and up the hills to practice descending. It's nice there early on the weekends since there isn't a lot of car traffic. The hills are pretty good and they bend and curve which I think is important. Going straight down is easy, going down into a curve takes practice.

SwimLabs

I went to Swim Labs the other day to have my stroke analyzed and it's official. I can't swim.

They put you in an endless pool with three different video cameras, one above the pool, one underwater from the front and the other from the side. You swim, they film and then they show you what you look like. I look pathetic. It was really evident when they showed the demo swimmer who has a perfect stroke. It's not like I can't swim, I did a 1500 open water swim in 23 minutes the other week. Compared to the swim model, I'm a thrashing, flailing mess.

At least I have things to work on now. The first things for me to correct are my head position (too high) and my pull (need to bend the elbow and drop the s-pattern). It was funny watching my stroke and talking to the coach. We both learned to swim back in the 70s and he commented that everyone from back then swam like that.

Day 2

Out for the second ride on the P2 and it's still handling great and impressing me. I took it back north to loop around Broomfield and it just wants to fly. I took a right at a light and there was a group of ten or so riders waiting for the light to change. I took off and they formed up to chase. After eight miles, I hit the turn around with over a minute gap.

I'm working on staying aero up the hills and with the compact cranks, I think I can up to six percent grade. I don't think I can stay aero up Old Stage or the Lake to Lake hills but everything else so be ok.

After finishing the ride, I hit the trail for a quick nine mile run. The legs felt pretty good. It was around ninety degrees without any shade except for the underpasses. Still, after the bike, I managed to hold 7:30 and that's with dialing it back to talk with some other runners.

Cervelo P2SL

I finally upgraded my ride to a Cervelo P2SL. It's not the top of the P2SL line but it's all mine. Ultegra components all around with the Profile Design saddle and T2+ aerobar.

I went for the first of many rides today. It took a while to get used to the handling. Since you are positioned so far forward, it's a little squirrelly compared to a road bike. By spending time in the aero position, your center is more narrow than on a road bike riding on the drops.

It has a compact crank which means the big ring is only 50 teeth. It allows you to spin at a higher rate than a 53 tooth ring. I was able to spin up most hills and stay tucked.

All in all, I'm really happy. It's a great ride at a great price. Hans at BikeSource did a great job getting me fit to the bike. I didn't have any problems staying aero for most of the ride.

Honesty

While hanging around after Rattlesnake, I overheard a guy talking about the race results. As he looked at the results, he noticed that his overall time was different than his watch time by about two minutes. His friend looked at the official's penalty sheet and noticed that he had been penalized for overtaking. The first guy then said that he didn't care and he was going to tell everyone how he did without the penalty.
It may not seem like a big deal since it was just a local race and not the USAT Sprint National Championship that was held the next day. What's interesting is what it says about him. Prior to the race, the USAT head referee addressed everyone and warned everyone about what the officials would be looking for and how many there were. I think they were using the Saturday race as a practice for Sunday's championship.
Here was a person who thought what his friends might think is important is how he finished in a race. In his age group, he was in the middle of the pack and the penalty didn't change that. It might have moved him up a space or two but he wouldn't be in the top ten.

Rattlesnake Triathlon

Prologue

It's back to Aurora Reservoir for another triathlon but this time it's Olympic distance and not a half-iron. This will be the third Olympic and fourth open water triathlon this summer.

ACT 1 - The Swim - 1500 meters - 21:55, 1:31/100

This swim has two unique features, the course and a time trial start. The swim course is straight out, straight back, out again and then a turn towards the beach. It looks like an inverted "V" where you do the first part three times.

The start is time trial style which I've never done. Everyone lines up and then every 5 - 10 seconds another person starts. When you start, you also have to watch for the earlier swimmers who are coming back to start their second loop.

I wasn't sure if I would like the start format but after experiencing it, I really do. You didn't have to worry about the mass mob start with the elbows and knees flying everywhere.

Without the crowd, I was able to settle into my rhythm quickly and started passing people. I finished the first loop pretty quickly and headed out on my second loop. Everything on the swim when perfect. I passed quite a few people, my siting was good and I swam pretty straight. Exiting the swim, I stopped at the wetsuit strippers and ran through T1.


T1: 2:03 watch


ACT 2 - The Bike - 40 kilometers - 1:08:34, 21.4 mph



If there's one thing you can say about eastern Aurora, it's not flat. It's continuous rollers and this bike course was no exception. After the race I heard someone say the only flat part was the swim.


Like Harvest Moon, Rattlesnake exits the reservoir and heads east on Quincy. I stayed aero on the descents and most of the climbs. The bike felt good and I kept the pressure on the pedals the whole way. I think the level of effort was having an effect on my stomach since it wasn't draining and was feeling full the whole time. Like the swim, I kept passing people and was only passed by one person.


T2: 56 watch


ACT 3 - The Run - 10 kilometers - 42:11, 6:48/mile

Like the bike course followed the Harvest Moon course, the run also followed the Harvest Moon run course. You exit T2 and head out on the bike path. With my iffy stomach and the rapidly climbing temp, I wasn't sure how the run would go. By this time, I was catching the women who started around thirty minutes earlier than me. I decided to count the men coming back since the course was out and back. I only counted twenty-five men by the time I reached the turn around. The only problem was that with the time trial start, I didn't know what position I was in. I passed a couple more men on the way to the finish but it was a struggle the entire way.
Run Split: 42:11
Epilogue
After sitting in the shade and cooling down, my stomach started to feel better. In hindsight, I might have been dehydrated. After the race I drank three bottles of water and a couple pepsis and I still was thirsty. I finished first in my age group which is the first time I've done that in an open water triathlon. It felt really good to win against the tough competition that always shows up. Although my run was slower than I wanted, the increase in bike speed has paid off. With the rolling hill run course, I'm not sure I could have run faster.
Total Time: 2:15.42, 1st Men 40 - 44

Outsourcing

A friend who is a software developer told me he was concerned his company was going to start buying off the shelf solutions or outsourcing development. He was rightfully concerned about his job.
Outsourcing rarely occurs in a vacuum. There is usually something that causes a company to consider it. Occassionally a company decides to move IT to India or somewhere else but there is usually a reason behind it.
At my friend's company, the IT department has consistantly missed deadlines and has failed to deliver a service to the rest of the company. When software is completed, it has failed to meet the expectations of the customers. Although the IT department is part of the company, project overruns still occur and deadlines are missed.
As we talked, I realized that if my friend's IT department had a better customer service ethos, outsourcing might not looming. If the IT group could start to meet deadlines and deliver quality products, the rest of the company might be more willing to support them.

Trust

Trust is a strong concept that is extremely fragile. When we are young we trust our parents because we aren't able to do things for our selves. Over time that trust grows and gets stronger.
We need trust in order to live and work with others. When meeting new people, we tend to trust them until we learn otherwise. When we get hired, our new employer trust us to get our assignments done.
When trust is broken, it usually doesn't happen over time. Just as we nurtured and grew trust over time, when something betrays that trust, it doesn't collapse immediately. We want to believe that our trust was well placed and what happened was an abberation and if we just give trust another chance, it will come back. Eventually, the trust has been betrayed so many times, it can't recover and is finally broken.
Can it ever recover? For most of us it can but it takes time to be rebuilt. Just like it didn't die over night, it won't come back immediately.

Environmentalism

I heard several times that the ancestral Puebloans of Mesa Verde were environmentalist and I found that comment very interesting. While I agree that they cared about the land and respected the land, I don't think they were environmentalist.

One needs only examine what we know of their lifestyle to reach this conclusion. Current climatologist believe that each family used a tree a week for heating and cooking. The population estimates suggest that up to 50,000 people were living in the area at its peak. If a family had ten people then up to 5,000 trees were being harvested per week.

I think one of the primary causes for the abandonment of Mesa Verde was depletion of natural resources. The ancestral Puebloans were primarily farmers and they planted up to two crops a year. The only way for the soil to be replenished was for winds to carry new top soil to the area. I think over time, the nutrients in the soil diminished and crop yields began to drop forcing the area to be abandon.

Sacred

While visiting Mesa Verde a couple weeks I was told that the sites were considered sacred by the decendants of the ancestral puebloans. I found it interesting since at the time the dwellings were occupied, they didn't consider them sacred.

The people living there would take apart existing buildings to use the materials to build new structures. It makes sense since there were materials at hand and it's easier than having to find and transport new bricks.

They would also build over the existing structures. Again this is pretty practical since Mesa Verde has limited space. At the time, if they left the old structures standing, they would have to move miles away and eventually they would have to leave the area.

I wonder if the sacred designation came about when the Europeans started moving west as a move to save the sites. When the ancestral Puebloans left Mesa Verde, I don't think they had any intention to return.

Vacation - Telluride

I took some time off last week and we finally made it to Telluride. We were going to go in August but I hit my vacation max at work so I had to either use it or lose it.

Telluride is absolutely beautiful. The town is set at the end of a valley and surrounded by mountains. The town is around 8700 feet above sea level and many of the surrounding peaks tower over 13,000 feet.

If you need to relax and decompress from the every day, this is the place to be. It was good to not have to do anything or be anywhere at any time. So much of my day is running figuratively here and running there. It was nice to have nothing to do and no where to go. We just did whatever we felt like doing. I know I have to do this more often.

Doping

From reading the press reports, a lot of people think that drug testing in cycling isn't working. The reasoning is that some cyclists are still using EPO and blood transfusions to gain an advantage.

I think that testing is working or people wouldn't be getting caught. I think that the major of cyclists are clean and one reason is the deterrent factor. Most of the cyclists know there is a good chance they will be caught if they cheat and so they don't. There are a few who think that the risk of getting caught is worth the reward of cheating so they try it.

To say testing isn't working would be like saying the judicial system isn't working since people still commit crimes. We arrest criminals, convict them and send them to prison but still others commit crimes. Imagine how many people would commit crimes if there were no consequences for their actions.

Cycling is one of the only professional sports where athletes are tested on a regular basis. For years, the player unions of the big American sports have fought random drug testing. The reason I believe is that rampant drug use would be discovered.

I do think cycling could increase the penalty for illegal drug use but even that would not eliminate the problem completely. As in the judicial system, the death penalty or life in prison doesn't discourage some people.

2007 Boulder Peak

Prologue

It's time for the annual trip to Boulder for the Boulder Peak Triathlon. This is my seventh BP and it should be one of my best. I've been getting a lot of swim time and my bike training has been consistant. Since it is BP, I'll be racing with several friends including my brother, Bruce, Holly, Bree and Neil. It's always fun seeing Neil since he's so fast and always in the mix for a top finish.

ACT 1 - The Swim - 1500 meters - 26:30, 1:46/100

I decided to do something different this year and I lined up in the middle of the second line of swimmers. Why not? I'm a pretty good swimmer so I positioned myself right in the mix. That was a big mistake. I couldn't find my rhythm until after the first turn. The scrum was as bad as Ironman. I guess that's one lesson learned from this year's race. Even if you're a good swimmer, line up to the side or in the front row. Compared to my other BP performances, this year's swim was pretty average.

T1 - 1:16

ACT 2 - The Bike - 42k - 1:10:48, 22.1 mph

As I grabbed my bike and exited T1, I saw Rafael heading out so I gave him a shout. He's really fast so that should be last I see of him until the end. I run out of T1, jump on the bike and do the flying shoe trick. BP is one race where you see a lot of the flying shoe trick and while I don't have it perfected, I can at least struggle through it.

I pass Shaun before crossing US36. I wish he had more time to train cause I think he could be fast but like so many others, life has so many committments and something has to bend to fit everything in. When I pull out to pass a few people before the turn to Old Stage I hit a nice pothole and launch one of my gels. I hope I don't need it later but it's gone now.

Going up Old Stage, I shift down to my middle ring and keep pushing hard. I watch one of my fellow competitors hit stall speed and fall over straight sideways. Old Stage always gets its share of racers. I do so well going up that I don't have to shift to my granny gear which is always great. After the big downhill, I stay on my aerobars and try to keep the pressure on the pedals.

T2 - 1:02

ACT 3 - The Run - 10k - 41:16, 6:45/mile

Out of T2, I start to chase a guy in blue but when we hit the dam road, he starts to pull away. With the heat starting to climb, I decided to let him go and run my own race. I know it's a cliche but I know what I can do and I don't want to explode in the first couple miles. The first half passes easily enough if a 10k can ever be easy. Coming up on the turn around I see a racer for Team Snickers so I set my sites on him and decide to try and reel him in by mile 5.

I gradually up the pace and slowly Snickers comes back to me. Somewhere on the dam road, I finally catch him and about twenty yards ahead is the guy in blue. I noticed that Snickers and the guy in blue are both in my AG so the race comes down to me, the guy in blue and Snickers. I start to reel in blue but I make a critical mistake, I catch him too soon. I pass blue before we leave the dam which means there's about 800 meters to go. Blue covers my move and there is too much race left to stay with him. Somewhere in all this, Snickers gets dropped off the back.

Total Time: 2:20:53

Epilogue

Personal Record - 2:20:53 - 4 minutes off of my previous best. 10th in my age group and 85th overall. First top 10 AG, first top 100 overall.

It happened with a solid bike ride of 1:10 which is where I picked up the four minutes. I kept the pressure on the pedals solid the whole way even up Old Stage. On the flats and small hills, I kept the RPMs high and kept ticking over the pedals. My swim was solid. I've spent a lot of time working the swim to make it steady and it paid off. I wasn't in any trouble in the water and just kept my pace. The run was good but the heat too its toll. I was solid but I wasn't as fast as I wanted. Both transitions were right at one minute which didn't hurt. I think the shoe trick is working and the practice is paying off.

Buffalo 5k

Nothing like a 5k before your A-race to see how you legs feel. The Buffalo 5k is held in Grand Lake at 8400 feet with 125 feet of climbing. Even if you don't push it, you have trouble breathing with elevations like that.

I decided to run the race the day before with a goal of just having a good run and not pushing too hard. I let the start group take off since it was mostly high school kids who were all legs and no weight.

After an easy start, I began the steady climb to the turn around point. Most of the people who went out too fast faded on the climb and I was able to climb up the standing. The second half has a pretty steep and long climb which you just push through. Overall I was tenth and second in the 40 - 49 age group. Now I just have to hope I didn't push too hard with Boulder Peak tomorrow.

Boulder Peak - 4 days and counting

Four days and counting until Boulder Peak Triathlon. This is the one I've been training for most of the summer. If I have an A-race, this is it.

They posted start times yesterday and I get to start at 7:10. Just once I wish I could start around 6:30. I guess the advantage to starting late is that I don't have to wait around to see the pros. A couple of my friends get to start even later so maybe I'll have a chance to take pictures.

The only thing left to do now is rest, relax and get ready to race.

Why - Work vs Fitness

Why do we consider it normal to work eight or more hours a day but when you exercise for an hour, people think you're obsessed? We encourage people to work but we don't encourage exercise. I don't think you have to go crazy and workout eight hours a day but thirty or sixty minutes would probably be great.

If you work in an office, you could escape outside for a quick thirty minute walk. Most office parks have actual parks which are great places to escape. You could even walk to lunch. Think about it next time you jump in the car to drive two minutes to get a burger and fries. Maybe walking over, eating and walking back would be something to try.

Hootie

We said goodbye to our cat last night. She was pretty healthy until a year ago when we noticed she wasn't her usual self. She developed arthritis so we got her on medication for that. She was then diagnosed with a hyperthyroid and she underwent radioactive iodine therapy to control that.
A couple months ago, the vet said she had really bad gum disease and would need to have her teeth clean and possibly removed. We scheduled the cleaning and at that time, the vet discovered a tumor in her upper jaw. He removed a couple teeth and the tumor but he wasn’t sure if he had gotten it all.
Apparently part of the tumor was missed because during our followup visit, the tumor had returned and had entered the sinus cavity. It was also causing pressure on her eye which is why it seemed to be discharging mucus all the time.
The vet said that Hootie only had a few months left and that at some point the pain would cause her to stop eating. We knew it was time to say goodbye.
After work I went to the vet and spent a couple hours with her just holding her and stroking her fur. I made her as comfortable as her arthritis allowed and just spent time with her. When it was time, the vet took her, put in a IV and then brought her back. I got to hold her while they gave her the final drugs and then it was over.
I wish there was something we could have done to make her better but we tried just about everything. It’s sad with her gone but I know she’s not suffering anymore and that’s some comfort.

2007 Loveland Lake to Lake

Prologue

If you haven't done a race in Colorado, this is one of the best. The organization is great, the volunteers exceptionally friendly and the post race food is fabulous.

I last race here in 2003 and I was excited to return. The transition area is in a grass field which is so much better than pavement.

ACT 1 - The Swim - 1500 meters - 25:32, 1:42/100

The swim went really well. I've been working on weak side breathing and I think that helped straighten me out. Like all Colorado triathlons, the swim is in a lake and the visibility was extremely low. I kept looking for feet to draft off but I couldn't find any. I could see the bright swim caps when I was sighting but there weren't any feet.

T1 - 1:14

ACT 2 - The Bike - 30 Miles - 1:21:15, 21.9 mph

The bike course is as challenging as you'll find with a steady climb to Horsetooth Reservoir followed by two more challenging climbs with quick descents thrown in. I kept focused and held my pace through the whole ride.

When we got back into town, the bike route took an interesting twist. There was a wide right turn which put you on the wrong side of the road in curb lane. It was coned off but it was interesting to be traveling against traffic. As I approached on intersection, the race volunteer allowed a fire engine to make a right turn before me. Since there was plenty of space, it wasn't an issue but there was a pickup behind who decided to cut me off. I don't know how but I avoided the pickup but it definitely took me out of my game for a mile or two.

T2 - :50

ACT 3 - The Run - 10k - 40:10, 6:35/mile

The run has changed since my last race here and it's for the better. Before you looped around Loveland Lake which meant you crossed the entrance to the transistion. The course is now an out and back so you don't have to mix it up with the cyclists. My run started out a little slow and a slowly built to race pace. I felt pretty good the whole way and missed my 40 minute goal by only 10 seconds. That bodes well for my next race.

Total Time: 2:29:46

Epilogue

Overall I had a great race. Everything worked really and I felt really good. The bike went especially well and the run really came through.

Mini Ha Ha Triathlon

Prologue

It's back to Broomfield for my second Mini Ha Ha. It was going to be my first race of the season but then Pelican Fest happened. Although it's a short race, it's very popular and sells out pretty quickly. Last year, I barely got in so I registered as soon as I could this year. Bruce, Holly and I have teamed up and will be racing as a team were each person does the whole race and then the times are combined.

A couple friends of mine will be trying their first triathlon at Mini Ha Ha. It's a great race for beginners since it's short and a pool swim.

ACT 1 - The Swim - 300 yards pool - 4:09, 1:23/100

A nice aspect of Mini Ha Ha is that the first two heats of the swim are the fastest two heats. If you have a good swim time, you can get off to a quick start. Pool swims always start with the great confusion of trying to figure out who's going first. No one seems to want to go first and this was no different at Mini Ha Ha. After trying to convince the fastest swimmer to go first, I gave up and volunteered to go first. We had one guy in our lane who estimated his swim time at 5:30 but the rest of us were guessing 4:30. I almost lost count but when I heard the crowd roar, I knew the first swimmers were finishing and I knew that I was almost done. After the short, quick swim, it was out the back door to transition.

T1 - 1:14

ACT 2 - The Bike - 11 Miles - 30:02, 22 mph

When I ran into transition, there were about ten people there. I quickly pulled on my glasses, helmet and ran my bike out. As I started out I passed one other racer and started the first loop. As I go around the loop, I keep looking for other racers up ahead. With the nice straight aways, I can see pretty far but I don't see anyone. When I start the second loop, I start to see some people but they have to be from the second or probably the third wave. As I start the last leg down Main, I get passed by a racer on a nice Orbea. I decide to hold the gap and follow him into T2.

T2 - :48

ACT 3 - The Run - 1.7 miles - 10:21, 6:05/mile

The Orbea racer is racked a couple spaces down so we charge into transition together. I quickly slip on my shoes, grab my hat and number and bolt out T2. I don't know what positions were are in but if he wants to beat me, I'm going to make him work for it. I don't really know how close he is so I'm basically running scared and just push it hard. As I approach the aid station someone says that I'm the first runner. Well that can't be because all those people exited the swim before me. The aid station is on a corner where you go right, 30 yards and then right again. I don't see anyone in the turn area and as I take the second right, I glance back and there's no one back there. Still running scared, I keep the pace high and push it to the finish. As I approach the finish line, I hear the announcer saying I'm the first finisher. Wow, where did all the fast swimmers go? No wonder I didn't see anyone on the bike or run.

Total Time: 46:35

Epilogue

My time held up through the morning and was the fastest time of the day. Since I was on a team, I wasn't eligible for the overall awards but my team did win with strong performances by me, Holly and Bruce. The two new triathletes had a fun time and I think they will both be back next year.

Pelican Fest Triathlon

Prologue

The Pelican Fest Triathlon wasn’t on my race schedule until three days before the race but after seeing some friends had signed up, I decided it would be a good early season race to see how my training was going. I was expecting a nice low-key, relaxing race without a lot of competition but was I wrong. Making the drive up to Windsor from Westminster, I started to wonder where all the nice bikes on the highway were going. When I pulled into the parking lot, I could tell it was going to be competitive, all the fast bikes were there and a lot of fast looking athletes too. Apparently a lot of people were using it as a tune up race.

ACT 1 - The Swim - 800 meters - 11:42, 1:28/100

The swim went pretty well except for the drifting off course a couple times. I need to work on the sighting more and I need to balance out my stroke. I’ve started practicing transitions and I think it paid off at this race.

T1 - 1:16

ACT 2 - The Bike - 10 miles - 26:49, 22.3 mph

I ran my bike out, jumped on and slide on my shoes without a lot of trouble and coming back in, I left my shoes on the pedals. I actually felt good about both T1 and T2. The bike course was mostly flat except for the half mile, six percent hill at the beginning. Once you climbed the hill, the course became pretty crowded. After the race I was talking with Jerry and he was wondering about drafting. To avoid drafting you either had to drop back or just pass everyone you could.

T2 - :52

ACT 3 - The Run - 5k - 18:17, 5:51

The run was held on the cart path for the golf course and had two very steep hills. The hills were steep enough that the concrete was grooved to provide traction. I pushed up the hills pretty good but you had to work pretty hard to stay in control on the descents.

Total Time: 58:57

Epilogue

Things that went really well: transitions and bike leg. Things that need work: swimming straight. For the first triathlon of the season and being a last minute race, I think it went really well. I finished twenty-ninth overall and fourth in my age group. I did get nipped at the end by the thrid place finisher in my AG. I don't know what I was thinking but I let up a little near the end and he took advantage of it. Next race, Bolder Boulder in two days, hopefully I’ll be recovered.

2006 Resolution Review

In no particular order:

• Run a 5k in under 18:20 - I only ran a couple 5ks so this one didn't happen. I think all the long course training didn't help either.
• Run a 10k under 38:00 - I only ran two 10ks, Boulder and Holy Cow. Boulder isn't fast and it rained heavily during Holy Cow so the course was pure mud.
• Average 21 mph on bike during an Olympic distance triathlon - 40k bike - I held 21.1 at Boulder Peak.
• Run under 40:00 during an Olympic distance triathlon - 10k run - I ran a 41 at Boulder Peak so I wasn't really close.
• Finish under 2:30 at an Olympic distance triathlon - 1.5k swim, 40k bike, 10k run - 2:24:59 at Boulde Peak. The increased bike speed made it happen.
• Complete Ironman Coeur d'Alene - 11:02 - Everything went right.

2007 Resolutions

In no particular order:

• Complete an ultra - either 50k or 50 miles
• Complete the Chicago Marathon in under 3 hours
• Run a 5k in under 18:20
• Run a 10k under 38:00
• Average 22 mph on bike during an Olympic distance triathlon - 40k bike
• Run under 40:00 during an Olympic distance triathlon - 10k run
• Finish under 2:20 at an Olympic distance triathlon - 1.5k swim, 40k bike, 10k run
• Get one new person to complete a triathlon