Kyle's Tracks

Rocky Raccoon 100 Race Report

2012-02-11T08:06:00.001-08:00

You think you know, but you don't know. The light from my cell phone lit up my face in the dark RV. People who make a living predicting the weather get it wrong damn near half the time; what was my phone going to tell me? Very clearly it told me this: Things were going to be a lot different. We had all come to Texas with expectations, goals and ideas of what we would accomplish. Now we were nervous and unsure.

I have several vices: pizza, good beer, the inability to say no. Last April my friend John started talking about the Rocky Raccoon 100 Mile Endurance Run. He's a good runner who regularly logs 200 miles a month. I am lucky to get 100 miles a month much less in one race. This was likely over my head. Vices are dangerous.

Races are fun, but adventures are better. My crew of John, Katie and Brad is excellent at creating adventure, and that was the goal of this trip. With camp site reservations, RV reservations and a bag full of too-few socks, we piled into a rental car and set the GPS from Birmingham to Huntsville State Park, Texas.

Not exactly roughin' it

I fully recognize that people come of all maintenance levels, but if you are moderate- to low-maintenance, then camping before a race like this is the way to go. No, an RV is not legitimate camping, but it does allow for some level of comfort and weather protection, which I highly recommend. For our crew Brad had easily packed the most. He is a restless spirit and wants to be prepared for movies in the camper or a hostile zombie attack and he packs accordingly. John and I packed light, and with the exception of the most lavish comforter in all of Alabama, Katie did too. After a stop off in Louisiana Wednesday night, we arrived in Texas Thursday in time to pick up the RV, set up camp and enjoy campsite burgers with just a hint of lighter fluid. A few beers later, it was lights out.

Friday was all about relaxing. We had nowhere to go and nothing to do sans a packet pickup and the race meeting in the afternoon. That is where we first heard from Joe Prusaitis. He is the race director and his resume is far more distinguished than his straight-talking, take-it-or-leave-it, this-is-my-damn-race attitude. There is a reason this is one of--if not the largest—100 milers in the country. The reason is Joe.

Pre-race meeting with Joe

During this meeting the dark clouds moved in. Racers love to fret about things they can't control. Weather fits into that category. The 10-day forecast told us it would be warm, but the closer we got to race day, it started to tell us it would be wet. How wet? We've all run in rain. We thought we could handle it.

That night I met my parents and another Birmingham runner, Wade, for Italian food. Truth be, carbo-loading doesn't mean squat for a 100 miler, but traditions are hard to break and we found a nice little restaurant. We talked about expectations and the forecast and had a great time. We were full, dry, happy and we thought we knew what was going to happen in the morning.

I am almost positive the alarm didn't wake me up. It was probably the thunder. John was already awake, and I scurried down from my bed to get ready. Lube, dry socks, lube, dry shorts and headlamp all went on. John got caught in the rain on a bathroom trip and came back soaked strengthening my argument that we should run in as little clothing as possible. Shirtless, we got a ride to the start from Katie and Brad. Then we met Wade and jumped in his car. It was 10 minutes till the race was to start, it was raining, it was dark, we were all nervous and we weren't sure what was going to happen.


Drymax Socks Photo. I need a sponsor.

Nervous excitement is tempered at the beginning because a race like this starts like the line for Space Mountain at Disney World. We were tentatively jogging/walking along the dark trail, snaking back and forth surrounded by runners who all wanted to run faster, but either couldn’t because of people in front of them, or because they are smart enough to know there is no hurry in a race like this. We dodged some large mud puddles, hopped over countless roots and followed the glow of more than 300 hundred headlamps. John, Wade and I were running together, and the trail was easy here. The first three miles had rolling hills and several bridges down by Lake Raven, but nothing that I would call challenging trail.

The course had four aid stations and a total of five stops on every 20 mile loop. The first of these was the Nature Center, just 3.1 miles into the race. As I approached, concern over pace was at the top of my mind. The goal was a first loop under four hours, and that meant faster than a 12-minute pace. According to John and his GPS, we were averaging around 13 minute miles, and sure enough when we hit the Nature Center his distance read 3.1. Not fast enough.

Our crew was waiting here, standing in the rain as the conga line of runners came by. We peeled out of line, and Katie and Brad showed us where they were planning to setup our pop-up tent. This would be their home base for the next day and a half.

Out of the Nature Center, we picked up the pace. For a good few miles we all ran together and passed other runners at will and with ease, but eventually I felt like their pace was too fast, and as the least-trained runner I dropped back. I wondered when I would see them again.

The 3.1 miles from Nature Center to DamNation (a legendary aid station) were hillier than the beginning and also contained easily the muddiest part of the course. Mud is fun if you are a kid or if you are running a short race. On this morning you would have thought it was piping-hot magma sure to burn the soles of our feet. Eventually it did for many of us. Protecting your precious feet is so important to the runners, but eventually it is an exercise in futility and you say, "ahh screw it". As I rolled into DamNation, the darkness was giving way to a gray light, the rain still fell but not with angry fury, rather just an annoying reminder that it was still there and Mother Nature could torment us again.

There was much pre-race debate about what we would need in a drop bag. The course was set up to have two drop bags: one at the race start, and one at DamNation. I had a pair of shoes, a pair of socks, a shirt, batteries, lube, a bag with Aleve and salt pills. It was a relatively small bag compared to most, but it felt adequate. I added my headlamp. With a refuel of the water bottle, I was off for my next six miles.

You visit DamNation twice. It is remote and certainly a welcome site, given the next six miles. This section reminds me of a roller coaster. It starts going up and down for about three miles before it turns around and then snakes back and forth over some rolling hills. With just a few big mud puddles, this is one of the most runnable sections. By this point the runners have spread out nicely and I was running the downhills, walking the hills and doing a mix of both in the flat parts. As we passed 10 miles, it was hard not to think, “90 more to go.” That is a reality you cannot allow yourself to comprehend because it would kill you mentally.

When you get to the dam, you run across and can see back to the lodge on the other side of the lake. This is a tease of where you finish the loop, but also a welcome sign that you are close to a return to DamNation. After another refill, I was on my way.

Those that know me best know I hate several things: mushrooms, onions, smokers and Jeep roads. The trail from DamNation started out on the same single track that we ran to get to DamNation: the muddy, wet single track. Then it dumped out onto a jeep road. One of the veterans I was running with said, “This road gets longer every loop.” He was damn right, and by this point I was starting to hurt. It was only 15 miles in, and I did not think it was going to be like this.

Hurting early, at mile 15

My parents were set up at the Park Road aid station. I wasn't feeling good. but I pretended like I was a total badass. A smile and wave, and I was quickly into the tent where I refueled again, then scarfed down a cheese quesadilla. My plan was to treat this course like a 100-mile buffet, and so far I was.

I had just 4.4 miles to finish the first loop, but I was having doubts. In October I ran a marathon, 50-mile trail run and an Ironman. Those races left my posterior tibial tendon in shambles. Tough, hardheaded or just a moron, I waited until December to get treatment, then January to get the right treatment. Now I could feel it throbbing and my hips tightening up. I passed John and Wade coming out as I was going in to finish my first loop. They looked good. I was faking it, but making it and making it in 3:58.

I quickly grabbed my drop bag and sat down. I was No. 26, so I was on the first tarp. A change of socks, a handful of chewy cookies, two Aleve and I was out for loop two.

Mile 23 and I need a shirt

I thought this would be a pivotal loop. If I could do somewhere around five hours I'd still have a shot to finish, but any thought of a sub 24-hour finish was remote. I expressed my pain and concern at the Nature Center. I told my crew it didn't look good but I still thought I could finish. They gave me an Arby's roast beef sandwich and I was off.

By now the rain had slowed , maybe stopped, and the temperature was dropping. As I hit DamNation, I was muddy, wet and ready for a shirt. I was also making good time. During that six-mile roller coaster loop (perhaps a perfect nickname for not only the physical terrain but also the wild swings of emotions experienced) I was passed by the leaders. First Hal Koerner flew by, then Karl Meltzer. I found out Karl doesn't stop when he pees; he turns to an angle and waddles. Mad skills. Shortly thereafter, last year's winner Ian Sharman came by. I could tell he was not having his best day, and after he passed my I picked up my pace. I followed several yards behind Ian, which even caused him to look over his shoulder when he heard my footsteps. No worries Ian, I'm 20 miles behind you.

On the trip up we listened to a video that made fun of things ultra runners say. "I don't even warm up till 30 miles" was one of my favorites. Today it seemed true. Here I was at mile 28 and I felt great. Now I was bombing this section of the course, passing people left and right because I was coming through right after the leaders, people thought I was in fourth place. It didn't last long, but I had fun while it did and I got a ton of encouragement.

I set expectations pretty low for the second loop. My parents had gone back to the Park Road Aid station to await my arrival at mile 35, hoping that I would just make it there. A huge cheer erupted as I emerged from the woods, and I could tell they were thrilled and proud. I was feeling good, they were feeling good, but I had a long, long way to go and I wasn't sure what to expect.

A great crew can really help a runner out. The emotional and mental boost after seeing them can carry you for miles, and it carried me back to the start with a solid second loop somewhere around 4:40. Now, if I could just keep it up.

I am excited to tell my mom something

Second wind? YEAH!

Spirits remained high when I hit the nature center at mile 43. I had changed shoes and was ready for another roast beef sandwich. A quick chat and I was back on the trail. The course was starting to dry up, but any hope of keeping new shoes and socks dry was silly. I had learned that the fastest way through this section was to follow the flow of water. Yes, it guaranteed a wet foot, but also gave you the best footing. Physics (or at least my physics) said the flow of water would clear away loose mud and sand, leaving you hard-packed sand for your feet.

One more pesky little rain shower doused us, but after that the weather cleared and a north wind began to cool off the course. My pace remained consistent with good speed on the down hills and a fast walk n the flat sections and uphills. By now it was routine, and I knew my pacer awaited me at the end of the loop. I figured this thing as going to happen.

The number of runners I saw was really starting to diminish. It was, after all, more than 10 hours into the race. Many of the 50-milers had finished, and no doubt there were some people who would drop out of the 100 miler. I picked up my headlamp from the drop bag at DamNation and start out to finished the last part of my third loop in the dark. My feet were starting to burn. I had blisters, but only on my left foot.

I am a fast walker. John is not. His short legs give him a short stride and while that seems to be part of his ability to stay injury-free, it makes it quite difficult to walk fast. I caught him just before the Park Road aid station. He was struggling. His feet were worse than mine and any hope of running the rest of the way was unlikely. We came into Park Road together but shortly after he told me to go on, and I did.

One of the coolest things about trail running is that I get to share the course with the elites of the sport. At my mile 58, 98 for Hal Koerner (wow, that makes me sound slow) he came up behind me. Now I was feeling good here, so of course I started running along side him. We chatted briefly and I congratulate him on great race. It was 200 yards of running, but it was some of the coolest 200 yards I had all day.

I came into mile 60 on a "Hal High," and it was another good loop somewhere around 4:45. This is also where I could get my hands on some more lube and get my pacer--if only I could find my pacer. And where was that lady who checked my feet for blisters 20 miles ago? I could find neither. My pace goal for a sub-24 hour finish was to be here at 13 hours. It had been about 13:40 and I started thinking, maybe. Maybe I can go under 24. One more lap like I just did and it would be possible.

After a long stop at the start I took off. No pacer, no problem. The iPod was cranked, the headlamp was on and I knew these trails. I popped out at the Nature Center, where I saw part of my crew, but exclaimed that I had no idea where my pacer was. Brad stepped up and said, “I'm right here.” We argued about where he was supposed to be. I was wrong. You see, it is hard to remember everything in a 100 miler. You get delusional. You forget things. You go crazy.

It was clear that Brad was ready. He may have resembled a member of Navy Seal Team Six more than a trail runner but minus a gun, he had it all. The hydration pack had pockets with pockets inside the pockets and loaded down must have weighed at least 20 pounds. He was eager because remember Brad has a restless spirit and it had been 14-hours since the race started. I took off my iPod, refilled the bottle and with pacer in tow, I knew what was going to happen. Sub-24 hour finish, here I come.

The course was still muddy--really muddy. It was also dark and I was running fast. Brad was a few yards behind me when I heard him yell out in pain. A half mile in Brad said, "I think I broke my ankle." I'm no doctor, but even a delusional, crazy trail runner could see Brad was not being a drama queen. I had no time for this and Brad had enough gear on him to survive till Wednesday. I was on the sub-24 hour train to DamNation. He said he would get back out and I bounded along in the dark without music, but with a clear goal.

I had salt pills in both drop bags. I took some at the beginning--maybe after the first loop, but eventually they became an afterthought. Things I learned at Rocky Raccoon: Salt intake is vital. My stomach had felt weird for a while. I mentioned it to John on the previous loop, but it wasn't till this point that it became a problem. I wanted to puke, but I couldn't. I needed to eat and drink, but my stomach was so damn full. This happened before. In October at the Pine Mountain 50 miler I thought I had heat exhaustion (and maybe I did). This was the same feeling, but it was much colder outside so I was confused. Instead of stopping at DamNation I kept moving. Ultra runners don't always make good decisions. By the nature of what we do as a hobby, you should automatically question our judgment. Walking this six-mile loop would cool me down and set me straight; that is what I thought. The roller coaster got me.

It was well after midnight and I can't say I remember much of this section. It was slow, dark and I was probably stumbling around the trail in a fashion more suited for Bourbon Street than the middle of the woods. I know I sat on a bench. I know someone asked me what was wrong. And I know he said the words "Western States" and "you need salt."

Independence and stubbornness can be positive and negative. For me they had been a real detriment. Finally back at DamNation, I asked for help. and as they have for thousands of trail runners, they came through. Lynn Ballard was the captain of this aid station, and at least at one point he helped me. Maybe it was just him, or maybe there is someone else that looks like him. Maybe everyone looked the same to me by now. I took three salt pills, some food and a chair in their heated tent. Next to me was a girl who was in worse shape. She was dropping for sure. That thought had crept into my head, too. The chair was so nice and on a few occasions, Lynn or someone had to wake me up. Was I asleep for long?

Aid stations are happy to see you, but they are happier to see you go. Their mission is to get you to the next stop on the course. DamNation was hell-bent on kicking me out. I felt like a kid telling his mom that he wanted to sleep five more minutes before getting up for school. My five minutes was up. With someone’s old windbreaker and some black gloves, I was sent back to the trail.

My watch said bad things. The fourth loop was already more than 4 hours old and I still had 8 miles to go. The clock’s bad news was offset by the fact that my stomach was working again. A belly full of food looking for a place to go meant I got gassy quick. I made a brisk walk to Park Road where my parents were absent, no doubt tucked away in a warm hotel bed. A PortAPotty was an equal reward though. It even had toilet paper--two rolls! Life wasn't good, but I was going to make it, at least to mile 80. The fourth loop took me 6:30.

Eighty was a relief. I had plenty of time to do 20 more miles. At mile 40 I tweeted and I wanted to do it again at 80 just to say I was going to finish. If I put it out there then I had to, right? This is when I saw the text from Katie. Her plan was to pace her husband, John, for the last 20, but unfortunately the mud and water had burned his feet up and blisters forced him to drop out. She told me she was waiting three miles down the road, and she was going to pace me home.

Blisters forced a lot of runners out of this race. 2012 had the highest DNF rate that I could find of any of the previous 20 years. My left foot was blistered badly and I had adjusted how I was walking: back on the heel of my left and a forward roll on the right. Not a pretty motion, but a forward motion.

Katie and I are ready for some quality time

The Nature Center at mile 83 was weird. John was in normal clothes. Brad was back in the camper in a splint, sleeping. John told me Wade was about an hour up the trail. Apparently, when he came through he and John had a conversation that ended with Wade saying, "I haven't seen John or Kyle in a long time." John says, "Wade, I am John and you've been talking to me."

Things get weird on the last loop. You think you know, but you have no clue. I was better than most, or at least Katie tells me I was. We actually passed a lot of runners here. My quick walk was fast enough that Katie had to jog at times. She was moving quick enough that she needed to take off her jacket. That made me feel good.

I think I’m tough and stubborn, but I have a very worthy adversary in Katie. The youngest of our group, she is by far the most mature and the glue that keeps our wagon together and rolling forward. She knew her mission tonight was to keep me moving forward and with a mix of motherly concern and positive reinforcement she was saying all the right things.

We stopped at DamNation. I sat down in a chair to change socks. Sitting down is a bad idea. The look on Katie's face when I took off my shoes said a lot. My feet were done. I lubed them again, but they were so blistered and wrinkled that it didn't matter.

The final trip on the roller coaster loop was nice and slow. We talked about a lot, most of which I can't remember. It was good stuff though, like the kind you would have with your friend on a long road trip. She wants to hike the Appalachian Trail but thinks she needs a trail name. "Stumpy" it is. I suggested if we go fast and pass people I'll be "Anya Left," but everyone will think I'm a girl.

After four loops you think you know the trail pretty well. I was not a good trail guide. I was convinced the dam was right around the corner, but I was wrong at least three times. When I finally saw it, oh what a relief it was.

The last time through DamNation was quick. A hot dog in a tortilla, a refill and goodbye. I felt like I should really thank those guys for saving my race, but I was upright, mobile and headed to the finish, and they had bigger problems than me to worry about.

The sun started to rise when I hit mile 94. Dawn brought out the crazy in me. The pace had slowed and I was seeing runners. They weren't really there. Ghosts of Rocky Raccoon past, but none of them were on the trail. All off stretching, or peeing or lying down. It was like Field of Dreams, where they couldn't cross over onto the actual trail. This only lasted about half a mile. It was on a jeep road--I'm telling you, those things are evil.

Katie busted out her phone to give my parents a heads up that I was coming up on Park Road. They wanted to meet me there. I was surprised to see how many other people were texting Katie looking for updates from the trail. It meant a lot to see how many people were up at 7 a.m. on a Sunday and checking up on me. Pretty damn cool.

At Park Road, I gave my parents a hug. My dad offered to do the last 4.4 miles with us and I was thrilled to have him. I told him it wouldn’t be fast. He is not a runner, but I don't think he was worried. By this point I was mentally and physically done. Both feet were blistered to hell. I was tired and ready to be done. Runners began flying by me in the last three miles. They weren't moving fast at all, I was just that slow.

When you see the road, that is when you know. The emotions start to creep in and you have to fight back tears. That is when all those painful steps, delirious hours, missing minutes, all of it is worth it. To share that with Katie and my dad was special. I was ready to finish, but I'm not sure I wanted that feeling to go away. If I could stay at 99.7 forever that would be fine with me. At the final road crossing you can see the finish. I stopped and hugged Katie. She truly was the MVP of the trip and doesn't deserve a belt buckle but a crown.

We can see the finish

It is barely more than a walk

The finishing chute itself is not very exciting. It is plain, which is perfect. It’s soaking in the feeling, looking at the people waiting and smiling. I told my Dad I was going to try to run the last few hundred yards. It wasn't a pretty run, but we did it together side by side, all the way across the line. 27:43:53

The buckle is the first thing they give you. Not two feet over the line, it’s firmly in your hands, where you grip it tight like a rope over a ravine. Hugs, pictures and congratulations all seemed to happen rather quickly, and within a few moments it went away. The feeling from 99.7 on is gone. Now you are tired, and the longer you sit the stiffer you get. Bed sounds good, but can you sleep with your legs hurting this badly? Eventually, yes you can.

This was my first 100-mile race, and by all accounts this is one of the easier ones. To me, on this day, it wasn't easy. That said, I have plans to be back in Huntsville next year. Joe and the crew do a fabulous job, and I completely understand why this is one of the most popular races in the world. Huge thanks to my parents and crew. I could not have done it without them.

My first belt buckle

I learned a lot of lessons on the trails this year. You cannot have enough socks. Be prepared for blisters. Read up on how to treat and prevent blisters. I had blisters in places I don't get blisters. Nutrition can end it for you quick. I'll be monitoring my salt much better next time. Drop bags are good, but the plastic bins with trays where you can organize things are better. With these lessons I figure I'll be able to do much better next time. Now I think I know, but I probably still have no idea.

A Running Fool

2011-05-23T15:06:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure how long it has been since I posted anything here, but the correct answer is too long. There are plenty of excuses but they are all terrible. I hope to do better because I have plenty to talk about.

So the new job is going well. As it is with any new job there are some growing pains and some transitions that can take time. I feel like the grove has been hit and I'm sure my boss is happy about that. Working for al.com is a totally different experience but one that so far I really love.

My friend jokes that he is retired from triathlon... right now I feel like I am too. Never mind that I am signed up for a ironman in October. It has been all running for me so far this year. Big goals out on the horizon are the Chicago Marathon and then the Rocky Raccoon 100 Miler. Yes, 100 miles. I thought at first that would be easy (proves how crazy I am). The cold hard reality is that I will be forced to do A LOT more training runs. Truth is, I race a lot, but I don't really run a lot. If this does not change I will not run Chicago fast and I won't come close to finishing the Raccoon.

Dog training continues and we have moments of greatness but Blue is still more Bluejo than Blue Angel. Patience, right? He has lost weight and is now a trim 57lbs.

I have the greatest friends ever and this weekend we are taking an awesome trip to the Ocoee River where we will be some white water rafting, trail running, good beer drinking, super chef Charlie Elmer cooking, paintball playing, partying and then relaxing fools! So much love.

I gotta run but here is something to add to your playlist.

Music you should be listening too includes: Hey Marseilles, Griffin House, and Aloe Blacc

2011 Update!!!

2011-02-09T10:03:00.000-08:00

So it has been awhile since I've posted anything new. Things have gotten a little hectic in my life but all of it good so I'll give a quick update.

I started a new job with al.com selling advertising for the largest local media website in Alabama. This has been an awesome move for me and will allow me to continue to grow professionally. I'm very blessed to be working with great people with products I believe in 100 percent.

Since the Ironman in November I've taken some time off from the training but not from racing. Set a new marathon PR in Memphis with a 3:39 in early December. Also ran the Mountain Mist 50k in January and had a great race there as well.

Next up for me is the Mercedes Marathon in Birmingham February 13th, then Snickers Marathon in Albany GA on March 5th, and the Publix Atlanta Marathon on March 20th. I'm hopeful to throw down some fast times but you never really know.

One other development is that I have started a new round of dog training with Blue. I found some trainers at Talk Dog in Birmingham that are committed to the long haul with Blue. He suffers from some serious fear aggression but we are hopeful to get that corrected sooner than later. I've been spending time with the trainers a couple times a week and we are seeing some good progress.

That is all for now...

2010 Ironman Florida Race Report

2010-11-10T06:30:00.000-08:00

People said you don't really know what to expect till you are in the middle of it. People were right, but it was a glorious feeling and a wonderful experience.

Either the great or terrible thing about Ironman races is that they almost force you to take a vacation since they spread out the meetings and parties so much. I loaded up the new Element and picked up John Gregg and his wife Katie Wednesday afternoon for the trip down to PCB. John has a place in Sea Grove that we along with our friend Colin Soniat and his wife stayed. We had to pick up our packets Thursday so after a quick last bike ride we went down to the race site. The line was ridiculous and took two hours to get through but that is all part of the "Ironman" experience right?

I had cut down on my calorie intake on Monday and Tuesday so by Thursday night I was ready to pack them in, I recommend Pizza By the Sea. Thursday night half price everything! Yes that included my Abita Andygator Beer.

Friday was rest day for all of us despite the fact that we saw several people seemingly hammering it as we went down to drop off our bikes at transition. By this point our friend Brad had joined us, he was there to spectate and support and joined us for the dinner at Angelina's Friday night. The temperature was quickly dropping, forecast temps for race morning were 40 degrees.

Typically it can be a challenge to sleep well the night before a big race, but I opted for a vodka tylenol PM mix to help do the trick and found myself getting a pretty decent night of sleep. We woke had a light breakfast and were on the road by 5am, and yes it was cold.

Mentally you have a list of things to do in your head once you arrive: put air in the bike tires, fill the water bottle, put roast beef sandwiches in the bike and run bags, take salt pills, find a place to use the bathroom... did I forget anything? For me this process all went very smooth. There just happened to be a bike pump right next to my bike, I filled my bottle, took some pills, stowed my sandwiches... didn't have to pee so I just waited around and watched Colin stress.

I issued a "guess my time challenge" race morning and was met with some very discouraging support. I distinctly remember hearing the words, "Kyle I would tell you but I don't want to hurt your feelings." This was 15 minutes before the swim and I won't lie, it motivated me.

Most people know that Kyle and swimming just don't go together. I hate to swim, I especially hate swimming in a pool which makes training a bit of a struggle. While this was by far the weakest part of my training I did get in two 1+ hour swims in the final two weeks before the race. I wasn't looking forward to the swim but I wasn't dreading it either... the goal survive and be under 1:30:00.

If you have not done an Ironman then you probably cannot appreciate the carnage that occurs at the first buoy of the swim course. 2500 people all coming together at one spot while trying to swim and fight the incoming waves. There is punching. There is kicking. There is gasping for air. There is NOT a lot of actual swimming. Point blank it is just way too congested to swim so you tread water, try to keep your head up and wait for space in front of you. Now I was feeling pretty good and comfortable in the water at this point and the race was starting to spread out a bit so you could actually swim. Finished the first of two swim loops, ran out of the water and Muse's Uprising was playing on the big sound system. I love this song and it really fired me up. Back in the water for loop two where I was comfortable the whole way and left the water feeling great about the swim. The girl next to me said we were at about 1:20:00 which was way better than I expected.

The transitions at a race this big are a little different than a normal race. You have to run into transition, grab your "Swim to Bike" bag then race into a changing area. This area was nowhere close to big enough which led to slow transitions for everyone. Ten full minutes later I was changed, layered up, and ready to hit the bike.

I went with an interesting look for the bike leg, black long sleeve shirt, black and white tri shorts, pink and black argyle socks pulled up to the knees, and black gloves with green, yellow, orange, and pink stripes. I was going for loud and with my pink water bottle I think I nailed it.
Just about one mile into the bike I see my friend John Gregg. This made me feel even better about my swim since John typically comes out of the water well in front of me. We chatted for a bit and then he said I was in charge of setting the pace. Deep down my goal was to average at least 20 mph on the bike, but I also knew wind conditions would dictate the reality of that goal. I glanced back several times in the first 10-15 miles and John was always a few bike lengths back which made me feel good about the pace since he has done two Ironman races. At some point John disappeared and which left me to question my pace but since I felt no discomfort I charged forward in search of my friend Colin who was a good 15 minutes faster than me in the water. Some point between mile 30 and 40 I caught Colin, exchanged some pleasantries and continued on.

Going into the race I had two big strategies: Pace and Nutrition. The bike is the easiest place to do this since you can pack and bring stuff with you. I had the two roast beef sandwiches from Arby's that I ate at mile 25ish and mile 80ish. Also on board was a bottle of sports drink, salt pills, sports legs pills, and a bag of gummy bears. I know that is an odd collection, but I feel like having the real food helped even if only from a mental standpoint.

Back to the race, my strength is the bike so obviously this is where I wanted to bank time. I ended up going back and forth with a guy named Steven Conner. Turns out he and I were pretty much dead even. He even joked that we'd be great training partners. He's a few age groups older than me and had an absolutely great race and enjoyed the few hours on the bike and run where we got to chat. Now on the quest to average 20 mph I knew the winds were going to make it difficult. A Northwest wind of about 10-15 mph was not making the second half of the bike course easy but a final 20 miles down wind was enough to help me average 20.34 mph and come in at 5:30:24, a split that made me very happy.

The bike to run transition was much smoother simply because there were way less people. I plopped down in my chair to change looked across and saw my friend Clark Raymond. He's another local guy that I had done some training with leading up to the race. It was good to chat with him and it also was good to know I had someone I knew right there with me that would push me. Even though for most of us the goal is just to finish and race well, we all like to compete and you want to do a little better than the guy next to you.
I raced out for the run just a few minutes ahead of Clark and immediately felt really strong. It was very quickly out on the run that I came across my buddy Steven. He had dropped me somewhere around the second roast beef sandwich, so we ran together for a few miles before I let him surge ahead a bit. The challenge here is to control your pace. When you get off the bike it feels so good and you want to just go, but 26.2 miles is a long way still and going too fast in the first 5-10 miles usually will take its toll.

Run training has been a close second to swimming in areas where I under trained. My mantra had been the run all comes down to how tough you are anyway. The plan was to try and average 9:30's and see if I could hang on at the end. The challenge with averaging 9:30's is twofold. One that is pretty slow and not something I'm used to doing, and two I don't wear a watch. I asked around to others what their paces were and found that most of the first 6 miles it was faster than I wanted.

I had already seen my friend Jessica Jacobs when I started my run. She was coming in to finish her first lap and in first place overall for the women. There was no surprise when I saw her again at my mile 7 her mile 20. That is when she asked me to run with her. Wow, she's fast but I picked up and tried to give it a go. I didn't make it far, about a half mile before I had to let her go off and win the damn race. She smoked it and I was super thrilled for her and happy that I got to run with her for a bit even if it was only a few minutes.

At this point I caught back up to Steven and we ran together for a bit before I surged ahead. I was now passing a lot of people and while I was not feeling great, I've been worse. In the back of my head I also knew John, Colin, and Clark were all coming and surely going to catch me and I didn't want that to happen. The split for the first half was 2:01:00 which was great but I also felt like I could not hold that pace. The first time I stopped was just past half way where I saw Katie and Colin's wife Wendy. Tons of positive encouragement and I detected a decent amount of surprise that I was in first out of our little group.

The second half of the run is where most people fall apart. I had to try a different strategy here so that I would not fall victim to this. While I was able to run the whole first loop, I decided to walk the water stops for the second loop. I'd eat and drink then run to the next. I found while my pace was probably slowing overall, when I ran it felt good and probably even faster than 9:00's. My only complaint about the water stops was the sports drink flavor. Ironman has its own sports drink now called Ironman Perform and the flavor they chose to put on the run course was orange mango. That is a horrible flavor and I cursed about it many times. Coke and water got me through and before long I'm staring at mile 22 and realizing just four miles to go! Under 11 hours was not possible but I had a chance to finish before it got completely dark. The final stretch was very enjoyable and I made it a point to try and take it all in. With about a half mile to go I passed the cheering section of Katie, Wendy, Brad, and the Belser family which had joined the crowd now. They made a lot of noise and go a big smile out of me I'm sure. Crossed the finish line in 11:14:24 and was thrilled to be done.I made it back to the cheering group in time to grab a beer and watch John and Colin run by to finish off two great races themselves. Huge thanks to those guys who without them training for this race would have been extremely difficult and very boring. They helped me share in an incredible weekend and a race that I thoroughly enjoyed from start to finish. Ironman #1 is done, but I think there will be another to come.

Off to the Beach; Ironman Florida Preview

2010-11-03T11:05:00.000-07:00

Somebody asked me how long I'd been training for the Ironman... I paused and realized, it has been two years. I really haven't changed much of my routine over the past six months. There hasn't been specific focus for this race. I don't have a plan or program. It has been two years of just going from one race to the next, getting fitter along the way. Sure I've done some longer rides, some longer swims, not really any longer runs, but if I were to say I've had a specific training focus for this race I'd be lying.

This afternoon the crew heads South to Panama City Beach. I'm lucky enough to have some friends with some killer beach house access. John Gregg and his wife Katie a cruising down with me. John and our friend Colin will both be doing the race as well. Always good to be there with some others so you can be excited/nervous together. John is a Ironman veteran, he did this race last year and Louisville earlier this year so I'm sure we will lean on him for advice. For both Colin and I this will be our first 140.6 mile race and that is kind of scary. You simply don't know how your body will hold up for 10 hours and since neither Colin or I have done that before we just don't know. I expect John will be the first to finish then who knows but with any luck we all come in within an hour of each other.

People have asked, "Hey, what's your goal?" When I hear this I think, do I say what is really in my head or do I go a little more conservative? Realistically I think anything under 12 hours would make me very happy. But when I look at the pure math and the best case scenario I can't help but think I could go under 11 hours. The keys to making this happen will be pace and nutrition. The problem is those are two things I struggle with greatly. Needless to say this weekend will be a big challenge.

We have to be down on Thursday for athlete meetings. I'm sure this is where the World Triathlon Corporation will tell us how great Ironman is and ask us to spend way too much money on their officially licensed products and upcoming races and tell us how great it is to be associated with Ironman. They may also mention the race day schedule and some rules. I'm sure we will also try and get in a nice light workout Thursday as well. Friday is set up day. Bike goes into transition, drop off our bags for both the bike and run and then relax.

I'm excited to get down there and knock this sucker out and hopefully have fun while doing it!

Ironman Florida, One Week Out

2010-10-29T06:10:00.000-07:00

Here we are, just about one week away from Ironman Florida (my first and maybe only Ironman race) and I'm struggling with the question; am I ready? The answer is really irrelevant since there is nothing that can be done between now and then to make me more prepared. The hay is in the barn as one of my old coaches used to say.

Training has been interesting as of late, had a good ride last weekend where my leg blew up at mile 95... you might think that would be discouraging, but I thought it was good. To push the body to the point where it breaks means I got what I needed out of the ride, and I learned what not to do next Saturday! Swimming has been surprisingly good. I've had several long swims where I felt remarkably fresh so I'm not near as worried about that as I should be. As for the run... that is a great unknown at Ironman races. Because it is the last thing I do and I will have been out swimming and running for 7 hours already, I have no idea how my body will feel and perform. I've had a handful of good runs. Not nearly enough and not nearly long enough.

The plan is slow and steady and hopefully I can maintain. Eat plenty, drink plenty, and try to take in the race and enjoy. If I'm having fun the pain should be more tolerable, right? Time goals are dangerous and I feel like I should say my goal is to just finish, but in reality, that is not my goal. I want to go under 12 hours and I think I can.

Aside from how the race will go, another big uncertainty is Ironman Tattoo or not? It is pretty common for people to get the M Dot tattoo. A lot of finisher get it and I've got back and forth on the idea. My friend John got one on his calf, I think my friend Colin will get one when he finishes. I was sold on putting one on my back/shoulder blade, then I wasn't sure, now I think I will. I guess I'll see how I feel after the race and if the accomplishment means enough to me to get inked.

All in all I'm excited. This will be an experience and something that I know will be tough and teach me a lot about who I am and how tough I am. Also really looking forward to drinking on the beach the day after the race too!

Running, and It Feels so Good!

2010-10-15T06:27:00.000-07:00

I have been a bit scared about the prospects of running a marathon as the final leg of an Ironman in just 3 weeks. My run training has been almost nonexistent so I was really nervous when I went and ran a 12 mile trail run last Sunday. Turns out I killed it, felt great the whole way and left feeling somewhat confident. I mixed in a little speedwork and some short runs this week, then hit a 10 mile run this morning. Again, I felt great and never felt any kind of pain or weakness despite that fact that the pace was just a touch under 8 minute miles. It has been difficult recovering from the stress fracture. Not that my leg isn't strong, but there is still some lingering pain and I don't really trust it 100%. These last few runs have been huge at building that trust back. I'm re energized about running again and really looking forward to this upcoming marathon and ultra season, who knows maybe I can be fast!

Tour de Cure 2011

2010-10-11T09:25:00.000-07:00

2011 Tour de Cure

Some of you may have heard of the Tour de Cure bicycle rides that help raise money in the fight against diabetes. I've never actually participated in one of these rides, at least not yet. Today I signed up for the 2011 ride this coming May. One of the Gym's I teach classes at is Gold's Gym and their big philanthropy is the American Diabetes Association who as you may know puts on the Tour de Cure. I'm hopeful of putting together a huge group of people from the gym to help raise money and knock out some miles. If you would like to help out by either riding or donating click here.

Yoga and Christianity... Can They Coexixt?

2010-10-07T13:09:00.000-07:00

A recent blog post by Southern Baptist Leader Albert Mohler has created a bit of a firestorm about yoga and Christianity. I don't fancy myself an expert on either topic, but I am a Christian and I do yoga so I definitely needed to investigate. Here is a link to the Mohler blog.

Apparently, the yoga I've been taking isn't as intense as some of what he read in Stephanie Syman's book. We talk about chi, we meditate, we reflect, we stretch, we relax. We don't chant or discuss Eastern religious philosophies. Bottom line is it never occurred to me that there was a religious agenda behind my yoga practices. I understand that yoga may have started with roots in India and Hinduism, but are we so closed minded to thing cultural practices can't evolve? Personally, I find that I think about God and my relationship with Christ quite often during a yoga class. It isn't part of the class, not the teachers doing, it is something I choose to do when I want to do it, and I like it.

Now, in full disclosure, I'm not a theologian. My basic religious philosophy centers on my personal relationship with God. I don't read the Bible as much as I should, I go to church probably about half the Sundays. I feel very comfortable about my relationship with Christ, I pray and reflect on the type of life I'm leading. I often take issue with organized religion for several reasons.

I do not like when religions are not accepting and judgmental of teachings that don't fall in lock step with their own. There is so much we don't know about God, how can we possibly make judgments on God's behalf? God's Grace is a wonderful thing.

I do not like preaching of intolerance. We do not all have to be the same to be saved by Christ. Are Catholics any better than Baptists, or Methodists or a little non denominational church in the middle of nowhere?

I do not like preaching of rules and practices that are simply not supported by scripture. (I struggle to support this last argument based on my own weak knowledge of the bible) I feel like the Catholics have made up some unique rules. Some denominations thinking drinking is the Devil's work. Jesus' first miracle was turning water to wine, that is good enough for me.

There seems to be this notion with some people that God doesn't want us to have any fun. To me Yoga, in addition to making me feel healthier, more relaxed, more at peace with myself, is fun. If you can go to a yoga class and represent Christ in your words and actions is that not being a good disciple? As Christians should we avoid all situations that are not filled with other Christians? That seems counterproductive to spreading the good news.

I say relax (which ironically yoga will help you do) and have some fun. Life and religion have plenty of gray areas; try and make them black and white and you'll go crazy. I can't help but think that when Jesus isn't crying over Jersey Shore, he's laughing at us. Leaders like Mohler think they have it all figured out. I know we are all in for a lot of surprises when that final day comes, until then I'll relax and chat with God every Monday night at 7:30. Namaste.

The New Ride, 2006 Honda Element

2010-10-01T08:09:00.000-07:00

So I broke down before my old car did and decided to get a new vehicle. I went with something that should be much more practical for me and my lifestyle.

The Element isn't pretty but man is it functional and the gas mileage is pretty solid too. Found a smoking deal in Pensacola so I drove down took it for a spin and Blue and I drove back in the new ride. Good ole Blue wasn't so sure at first, but after about 10 minutes he was making himself at home. Hopefully it will be the first of many happy rides together in the Element.

Getting Slower Is Good (Ironman Florida Training)

2010-09-08T05:56:00.000-07:00

So I've noticed on some recent training rides that where I used to be one of the fastest guys out there, I can no longer keep up with the elite guys. At first this was a scratch my head WTF moment, but then it hit me. I'm training for an Ironman, not an Olympic distance race. These guys should be faster than me especially on the shorter rides.

It is now less than two months till Ironman Florida; am I ready? No. Will I be ready? Probably not. I haven't swam in what seems like a long time. I'm not running near as much as I should since I'm trying to avoid a nagging shin splint. I'm confident in my biking and the fact that I can and will finish the race no matter what. Looking to put together a long brick this weekend, 100 miles then an hour running. The plan is to experiment with some nutrition strategies. From what I hear that is one of the quickest ways to ruin an Ironman race so I'll be sure to come up with a solid plan.

Another focus of late has been yoga. What can I say it makes me feel great and I imagine it can't hurt my performance. Feeling good about the stretching, core strengthening, and balance I'm getting and look forward to making this a part of my weekly routine.

It is good to keep races on the schedule so there is always something to work towards. With that in mind I've signed up for the St. Jude Memphis Marathon again. I had an absolute blast there last year and turned in a PR. The plan for 2011 is to make it the year of the run so there is plenty of reason to be excited for the upcoming marathon season. That is all for now.

Tri to Beat Cancer Sprint Triathlon Report

2010-08-31T06:40:00.000-07:00

The best worst race...

It was hard to know what to expect since this was the first time this race had ever been held and since there was nobody that I knew there. Sounded easy enough, 400 yard lake swim, 16 miles of rolling hills for the bike, and a double loop 5k course. This race was more of a challenge than I expected, although most of that was probably my fault.

I drove over Saturday picked up my packet, wasn't wowed by the expo so I headed to the lake to check out the course and get in a little swim. The water was hot and I was a little concerned about the size of the swim course. It looked tight and with a wave start I knew it could be dicey; I was right. I drove both the run course and bike course and both proved to be a little hillier than I thought, but that isn't terrible since I'm used to hills.

I'm not convinced this was a mistake, but perhaps I'm wrong. Athens has some good beer and how could I pass up my all time favorite? Rogue Hazelnut Brown Nectar was delicious and well worth it.

So it has been really hot all summer and staying hydrated on training rides and runs has been a challenge. I made sure to get up and drink plenty of water, take some salt pills and get my body ready. The problem with that is, the sun didn't come up till about 6:45am, the race started at 7:00am, and it never really got that hot. I absolutely over hydrated and I paid for it later.

I knew the swim would be key. More than 100 people on a small beach racing toward a tight square 400 yard swim course. I started in the front, the plan was to hammer out of the gate and then settle into a easier pace about 100 yards in. The first 50 yards went as planned. I was not leading, but near the front and in pretty clean water. Then it was like I was torpedoed. goggles knocked off, punched, kicked, I felt like a guest on the Jerry Springer Show, being tackled by a security guard and two pissed off women at the same time. I was no longer in clean water, I was in a war zone. The remaining 300 yards it was all about survival and breathing. Hands down the most physical swim I've ever done. I left the water feeling like I had work to do and probably had the best transition of my life. Third fastest transition of the race.

The bike is where I do my work and this course turned out to be some work. Tight roads, a lot of bikes, a good number of cars, and a tractor. I hear that some police even stopped bikers to let cars pass through. There were several occasions where I had to cross the double yellow to complete a pass simply because there was so much traffic. I guess this is the nature of sprint triathlons, especially when swimming is not your strength. The bike leg was going smooth until we hit a sharp turn, exiting the turn I shifted gears to try and hammer to the next downhill and then my chain slipped off. It was stuck in my back gear ring but I was still going 25mph down the hill. First thought was maybe I can fix it while I'm on the bike. Hand would not reach. Maybe my foot can do it. After almost cutting off my toe with a spoke I decided I needed to stop. I was at the bottom of the hill anyway. No idea how long it took me to fix the problem, but long enough for a cop to stop and ask me if I needed help. Bike split ended up being pretty fast, but I assume at least a minute.

Coming off the bike the legs felt good, but the stomach did not. I had the overwhelming urge to puke and this did not get much better. Immediately I was passed on the run by about three guys, one of them an old man with white hair and a ridiculous mustache. Not a confidence booster. Luckily I was able to keep that group in sight and settle into what I thought was a nice pace. This was the second race without a watch so I had no clue where I was on any of my times. Despite feeling terrible the pace stayed consistent, and I kicked a little the last half mile. Crossing the line I felt tired but not dead. Here are the results

Second place in my age group, I was almost two minutes out of first, but 30 seconds out of fourth. It was good enough to qualify for Age Group National Championships and even though I'm not going to race the National Championships it's nice to know that I could have for the second year in a row. I guess they need to make the qualifying standards a little tougher.

Now back to Ironman training.

Tri to Beat Cancer Preview

2010-08-27T06:20:00.000-07:00

A couple of months ago someone pointed out to me that there was a race in Athens, GA. I'd never heard of it, but was interested since that is where my brother and his family live. I haven't seen my nephew Drew in a few months and since he is only 15 months old he's changing a lot from month to month. I'm real excited to see the little guy, maybe be a bit of a bad influence like a good uncle should. The race itself is Sunday and I'm not sure what to expect. This is the first year they have held the race so I'm sure there will be some issues. What I do know is that its a short race. Swim is just 400 yards, bike is 17 miles, 5k run. I'm not expecting a very tough field but I guess I'll find out Sunday. If I can finish top 10% in my age group I will qualify for the USAT Age Group National Championships. Even if I qualify I doubt I'll do the race, but it would be nice to say that I could have done it. Two weeks ago at Mountain Lakes Triathlon the race went great. I missed the top 10% mark by just 5 seconds but still finished 5th in my age group and really had a race I could feel proud about. The new race strategy of just going out and racing worked out great. No watch, no goals, just racing till the finish line. I figure this weekend will be a good fun one no matter what so I really can't lose.

New Approach

2010-08-12T07:11:00.000-07:00

Based on the fact that I have never followed an actual training schedule it would be a stretch to say I have ever taken races that seriously. One might think the natural progression would be to adopt an actual training plan and get a little more serious. Nope. I'm going to go the other way. From here on races are about fun. Sure, I have an Ironman this November and I want to do well, but if I don't, oh well. My first race in awhile is this weekend. A short sprint distance race. I am going to try and go fast, but really, who cares! I will never be a pro. This is supposed to be a hobby, why should I take it that seriously? So the motto now is go out, race hard, have fun, and show me the beer tent.

Building back is difficult

2010-08-02T11:19:00.000-07:00

I was excited when I was cleared to start training again. Not only was it great to get back to work, but I had also managed to gain only minimal weight. Surely this meant that I would be back in form in no time. Not exactly. Turns out I had lost quite a bit of muscle and replaced it with some tasty fat. Now, I can't swim worth crap anyway, and when running I go through spurts where I can keep up with the crowd, but on the bike I'm always out front. The last few weeks I've watched a lot of people riding away from me. I've spent a lot of time bonking and midway through a ride, I even had to get off my bike and walk it up a hill at one point. Big time reality check.

This past weekend I did a nice 100 mile ride with my friend John. About halfway through things were looking bad. John was pulling away in spots and I was coming to terms that I still had about 50 miles to go and temps were in the mid 90's. Lucky for me I got a bit of a second wind about 70 miles in and finished a lot stronger than I anticipated. Am I back, not yet, but at least I am starting to gain some confidence.

In other news Blue the fat Cattle Dog (AKA Blujo) has lost a little weight. He's down about 10 pounds, and we have at least 10 more to go. The heat is killing him but at least he's figured where the AC vent in the car is located. Hopefully this fall he can get his mileage up when the temperature starts to drop.

Two upcoming races in August. Mountain Lakes Sprint Triathlon and a Sprint Tri in Athens, GA at the end of the month. No real expectations, I just want to have fun.

That is all the official news I have for now, but I sense there could be some interesting things in the works so I'll keep you posted.

Gotta Run!

Back and Looking Ahead

2010-07-09T05:54:00.001-07:00

After an agonizing couple of weeks I have finally been cleared to get back in the pool and back on the bike. Still a few more weeks till I'm supposed to run. Injuries suck, especially ones that could have been prevented, but it does help to make you appreciate your health a little more. If it's possible to take a positive out of getting hurt I think I have. Now I'd like to have a couple of injury free years.

Since I haven't been doing much training I've had time to do some dreaming. If I could do any races what would they be? I've started a list, sort of a race bucket list. The list will probably change over time, but hopefully some will get crossed off. The painful realization of this list is that I need to win the lottery to make most of it happen. What are your dream races and is there something I need to add?

Challenge Wanaka
Norseman Extreme Triathlon
Escape From Alcatraz
Pinhoti 100
Wildflower Festival Triathlon
Triathlon EDF Alpe D'Huez
Boston Marathon
Swiss Alpine Marathon

Stupid Is As Stupid Does

2010-06-14T07:55:00.000-07:00

I'm in a race to destroy my body right now. Just as my stress fracture is healed up what happens, I go wreck my bike. Riding too fast in a place where I should not have been, lets just say my judgment hasn't always been a strength. The crash was pretty, or so I've been told. It also left me with a fractured distal clavicle. My parting gift is a plate and some screws to hold my shoulder in place while I slowly work my way through a bottle of Hydrocodone. Surgery was Thursday, I feel like the recovery is going well. Five months till Ironman.

1 Year later...

2010-05-28T06:52:00.000-07:00

I can't remember why, but a year ago I started this blog. It has been fun and a great way for me to hold myself accountable. Knowing that I put goals out there and that my friends and family expect race reports kind of keeps the focus on getting the job done. Seven triathlons, three marathons, one 50k, and a stress fracture later, what a year it has been. Thanks for taking an interest, or at least pretending. I will continue to update the blog regularly and hopeful become better and better at doing it.

A quick update on things. My leg is almost completely healed. I still feel some pain in it from time to time, but it isn't really stopping me from anything. I've started a training group with the church I belong to. We are training for the Mountain Lakes Sprint Triathlon in August. So far it has been interesting and I anticipate having a great time with it and hopefully making a difference in some aspiring triathletes lives.

Next race for me is Buster Britton Sprint Triathlon in my hometown of Pelham. It is short and hilly.

One other note, Blue, the dog some have called evil, is going to visit the local dog whisperer. We are hopeful that he can learn to like others. This may be the biggest challenge of the upcoming year and keep in mind I'm signed up for an Ironman!

2010-05-12T13:41:00.000-07:00

Is it possible to be both happy and frustrated? I think I am. The Gulf Coast Triathlon was my second race of the year, another half ironman distance race. I had some expectations of improving on my performance a few weeks earlier in New Orleans. I was confident I would run better and I was hopeful I would swim better.

The Gulf was rough, but so was Lake Pontchartrain 3 weeks earlier. I was eager to get in the water and I felt like I swam well. The comfort level in the water was great the whole way. My navigation between buoys left a little to be desired. I think I probably swam about 1.5 miles which is good except that the actual swim course is only 1.2 miles. That being said my time was almost identical to the New Orleans swim so I was disappointed, but times don't mean everything and I swam a lot better. The time will get faster eventually.

I've been setting the bike leg bar pretty high. That is undoubtedly my strength and I was hoping to go faster than 23 mph. The course was windy so at times it was a struggle to keep the speed above 20 mph and at time I was doing an easy 26 mph. I did everything I wanted to and more in this part of the race, a time just a few seconds more than 2 hours and 24 minutes and a average speed of 23.3 mph.

Coming off a stress fracture my run training has been lacking. Simply put I haven't been able to put the mileage in necessary. I increased it a good amount in the two weeks leading up to this race but was nowhere near where I needed to be. That being said coming off the bike I felt good. My pace three weeks earlier was in the 9-10 minute range, this time I did 8 minute miles for my first two and only slowed slightly there after. It wasn't until about mile six where I began to struggle. During the run you are able to see a lot of the competition, this is a bit of a boost. I saw my friends John and Chad, both running far better races than me. I tried to pick it up but some things are just not meant to be. I still feel very optomistic about this run. It showed a lot of improvement in just a short time. Give it a couple of months and I might get real fast. Total race time was a few seconds more than 5 hours and 23 minutes, that is about 5 minutes short of my PR. Next time I do a half iron distance race I will set a new PR, I guarantee that.

The next race for me is Buster Britton right here in Pelham. It is a short sprint distance race but since its so close I couldn't pass it up. I'll be cutting my rides and runs a little shorter and doing more work on speed for the next two months. I have reason to believe that it could be a good rest of the year!

Glutton For Punishment

2010-04-23T13:25:00.000-07:00

Today I signed up for another 70.3 in May. I'm going to attempt to actually do some run training leading up to this race. Yesterday I logged 2 miles after swimming then teaching a spin class. Not going to lie, it didn't feel great, but it didn't get any worse either. I guess I just have to suck it up. I have to keep getting better!

New Orleans Ironman 70.3 Race Report

2010-04-20T12:42:00.000-07:00

Goals can be dangerous because during a race there are so many things you can't predict. I had set out some pretty lofty goals for this race and I failed miserably, yet I left the race feeling pretty good.

There is a nasty rumor out there that I do not know how to swim. I spent 46 minutes in a rough, choppy, smelly, gasoline tasting Lake Ponchartrain. I had hoped to swim in less than 40 minutes so based on the numbers you would think I failed miserably. What I did not expect was for the lake conditions to be so rough and for me to freak out and almost drown. The good news is that I was able to take what would have been a 55 minute swim and turn it into a 46 minute swim by getting my act together and swimming like I know how for the last 20 minutes. Leaving the water I felt good and ready to ride a bike.

Now the bike is unquestionably my strength and I had thrown out some pretty lofty numbers not knowing if they were attainable or not. 2:25:00 was something I was shooting for, but under 2:30:00 was the realistic goal. I had a near perfect bike. We had a headwind going out but I managed to average 20.8 mph before we turned around. I watched the avg rise all the way back and finished in 2:27:19 for a 22.8 mph average. The best part was I didn't feel that bad and was ready to try and run.

I like running, not as much as biking, but still more than swimming. I haven't run since I hobbled through the Houston Marathon in January with a stress fracture in my leg. So the thought of running 13.1 miles on no training was a bit daunting. I was foolishly optimistic. I thought since I hadn't run in forever it would feel good to finally run. I was sort of right. There was excitement the first few miles, and I even felt good at about mile 4 or 5. The goal here was to run under 2 hours and I was not on pace but close enough that it was still a possibility. Then the wheels fell off. My engine was good, but my legs wouldn't respond. about mile 10 I felt it and by mile 11 I was walk city. So again I missed my goal and failed miserably. The positives I took from the run is that I felt good at the beginning and had I be able to actually train, I could have run the whole thing and perhaps fast. The run fitness will come.

Statistically speaking not a great start to the season, but I feel way better about the races to come than I did before I went to New Orleans.

Race Week New Orleans 70.3

2010-04-13T06:38:00.000-07:00

Most of the time you have an idea of what to expect going into a race, this is not one of those times. I'm still overcoming my first real injury since I started racing and therefore have not really run at all since January, and even in January I wouldn't call it running. The doctor says my stress fracture is healed, but that I should expect some discomfort. He is right, it still hurts and I can still feel the lump of calcium build up where the stress fracture was. He promises me I cannot re-fracture the leg.
I've done a good amount of training leading up for this race. A lot of time on the bike, an increased amount of time in the pool, and no time running. The only thing I feel confident about this weekend is that I should have a really good bike split, everything else is an unknown. My swimming should be better, but I really have no way of knowing. My run is a complete unknown. Is it possible that it will feel so good to finally run again that I enjoy it? Is it more likely that it will hurt so bad that I turn in a super slow run(more of a walk)? I just don't know, but I hope I'm tough enough to gut out a decent performance. Initially my goal for this race was to do it under 5 hours. In a perfect world that may still be attainable, but more realistically I'm just looking for a PR which would be better than 5:16:58. We'll see how it goes and even if its a bad race, I'll be on Bourbon Street when its done!

What did you say?

2010-03-15T07:43:00.000-07:00

So I went to the doctor this morning to check another check up on my stress fractured leg. After yet another x-ray he comes in and says, "I have good news, its healing." I"m like what?!? Why does it still hurt. Apparently that is common, but that part of my leg is probably stronger than the rest of my leg now. Here's a picture of the x-ray, if you look close you can see a lump on my bone. That, I'm told, is the bone regenerating and means healing has occurred. Apparently over time that lump will flatten out. I don't plan on running again for at least another week but the doc said there is very little chance of reinjuring the fracture again. The plan is to start running again in late March, try to get in at least a 8 miler before New Orleans. Injuries suck, maybe more mentally than physically but I can find two positive things that have come out of this. One, I appreciate my health and being able to run a lot more. Two, I no longer hate swimming.

Doing Nothing Is So Hard.

2010-02-17T08:12:00.000-08:00

So first off, yes I know I'm an idiot and I had it coming. But not being able to run or ride a bike like I want to is killing me! Last weekend was the Mercedes Marathon, it was also the first time I've ever signed up for a race and then not participated. Running a marathon is tough, but not being able to might be more difficult. I was able to support some great friends and at least seeing them do well was a nice consolation. Last week my doctor and I decided to shut it down completely and put an air cast on my leg. It is helping, but I continue to struggle at not doing stuff that will prevent my leg from healing. So far I've been doing more swimming and some boring slow riding. Who knows maybe this will make me a better racer when I can finally race again. April is the target... I hope I'm patient enough to make it.

Houston Marathon Report

2010-01-18T11:15:00.000-08:00

So I'm Hard Headed...
I am stubborn, but not crazy. I guess that depends on how you use the word "crazy".
The Houston Marathon was supposed to be my "fast" race. the one I was committing to and actually training for until I came up lame right after Christmas. I thought it was a shin splint, but the more I tried to run/heal it, the more I thought it was worse, maybe a stress fracture. I went to the doctor Thursday and got a bone scan but those results didn't come back till after the race.

Pre-Race
Houston is a fast race, the course is flat, the weather usually good and that was definitely the case this year. I limped around at packet pickup and the expo before going home with my parents to watch the Saints (WHO DAT!), ice down, eat dinner and go to bed.

Race Day
I woke up race day feeling pretty good, my parents dropped me off at the convention center. this a big race. 30,000 runners so I was a little in awe. The plan was to try and hang with the 3:40 pace group. I was excited about the group because I guy named Whit Rambach (ultra running superstar) was supposed to be leading it. I found out he got injured and wasn't running, ironic I guess. I can't say I felt good at the beginning, but I didn't feel terrible and I was optimistic that I could hang. At the two mile mark I was hanging tough but starting to feel it. I surged ahead to see if perhaps I could put the pain behind me but that didn't work. I hung on for about a half mile longer before I pulled to the side. Keep in mind there were 30,000 runners, so I was now the guy who is in everybody's way.

"Just Work it Out"
Now I may be guilty of this in the past, but I grew to really hate the "work it out" runners. I appreciate the encouragement to fight through the cramps and I would have loved to have been able to do this. I felt like I needed to write on the back of my shirt, "It Is Not A Cramp!" I encountered quite a few annoying runners, but more on that later.

Finding a Slower Groove
I knew going in that a 13:44 pace would get me to the finish in 6 hours so now the challenge was to find a pace I could somewhat maintain. My thought was 12 minute miles was doable and that is what I told my Mom and Dad when I saw them at mile seven. I ended up running between 10-11 minute miles for the majority of the race.

50 in 50
No I did not run into Dean Karnazes during the race. I did run into a guy who had run a marathon in all 50 states. His back was acting up pretty badly so we were on about the same pace. We had a brief little pity party and actually ran together for awhile. I think it was nice for us both to have someone else there that was going through the same thing. I saw him for the final time at about mile 23 where he motivated me enough to get me to the end.

Hold On, Let Me Take This
Did you know people actually talk on their cell phones during marathons? They do and some of these people probably finished ahead of me, now that is depressing. Among other annoying marathon people are the "you're almost there," guy at mile 17, same guy again at 20. The "you can make it," woman both as a runner and spectator. Oh and do the "looking good" people think they are fooling anybody? Nobody is looking good after 4 hours on the course, except maybe "cell phone lady". In all seriousness, the crowd support was really good at this race. Very few stretches without people so kudos to the people of Houston.

The Worst I've Ever Felt
This is a tough call because I felt like death for the last 3 miles of Stump Jump. But at Stump Jump it was a total body death so it was absorbed all over. In this race the last 10 miles were excruciating. Like there was a dagger in my leg and every step drove it deeper. Some wonderful people offered me some pain medicine at mile 18. While this did help 30 minutes later, getting started again after taking the pills was a challenge.

Doing The Math
I suck at math. I'm was trying to figure out if I could finish under 5 hours, which I was going to consider a huge success. I was struggling, physically, mentally, and with my ability to carry the 1. That is when I saw the 50 states guy for the last time. He pats me on the back as he run up along side me. I told him I was trying to figure out if I could get under 5 hours and he either lied or knew. He told me just run 12's and you got it. So I ran, or hobbled, maybe a shuffle by now. I sure did wear the bottom off my shoes! I saw my parents again at the mile 25 water stop. I probably complained about something, I don't remember. I do remember telling my Dad that I was at least going to finish under 5 hours. He replied, "You better hurry then!" I knew I had plenty of cushion but either way I finished strongish. I got passed by 2 girls wearing yellow frilly skirts, like they were part of a slutty bee costume for Halloween. Final time 4:55:32.

Ice Please...
One major complaint. I could not get any ice to put on my leg after the race. Really?!? The medical tent suggested I go over to the food area. Needless to say I just went without ice.

Monday Diagnosis
I knew I would not feel good on Monday, and wow did I hurt. One leg feels like I just ran a marathon on one leg and the other feels like it is broken. 5:30am spin class did not go well. The doctor called me Monday, yes I have a stress fracture in my tibia, that is not a surprise. I was surprised to hear that I have a stress reaction in both my right ankle and knee. Seeing as that was all before the race I can only hope I didn't cause any more major damage. I'm shelved for 4 weeks with an appointment in 3 weeks to have it looked at again. I'll be a spectator for Mountain Mist, and Mercedes is a real big question mark. Looks like it is time to hit the pool.

Houston, We Have a Problem...

2010-01-15T11:50:00.000-08:00

This has not been the start to the season I was hoping for. The Houston Marathon was supposed to be the race I was gunning for. I was supposed run a fast race, I was going to train really hard in December and start the year of right. Then my right leg started to hurt. Then it hurt some more. Then what I thought was a shin splint didn't exactly feel like any shin splint I've ever had before. I went to the doctor yesterday, he sent me for a bone scan. Now here I am Friday afternoon, just a few hours away from flying to Houston and I still don't have any results. He suspects it is a stress fracture, but I'd kind of like to know for sure. Now I am going to Houston either way, and I'm going to do the marathon either way too. The time limit is 6 hours and it could take me 5:59:59. Worst case scenario I limp around Houston and spend some quality time with my parents, best case scenario I start with the 3:40 pace group and I finish with the 3:40 pace group. At this point I just don't know and that is frustrating. The next 2 months are very uncertain and I've got to try and be smart. That is not exactly a strength of mine.

What a Year!

2009-12-18T12:37:00.000-08:00

For a lot of reasons 2009 has been a pretty rough year, the economy tanked pretty bad and that made life pretty difficult for a lot of people, myself included in some respects. But if I look past that I can without doubt say that 2009 has been one of the best years of my life. I've made some great new friends and discovered some things about myself that have really surprised me.
It started in February when I ran my first marathon. I didn't know I'd end up running three more before the year was up. In March I bought a house. Wow, I knew that would eventually happen but didn't really expect it to happen last year. In March I got a dog. Blue can be a bit of a terror, he still doesn't like strangers, but he loves me. In June I did my first triathlon, that lead to 4 more including a half ironman and a fairly expensive Triathlon Bike along the way. Also in June I became an Uncle. My nephew Drew was born, I'm fortunate enough to get to spend Christmas with him and the family. In October I got talked into running a 50k trail run by my good friend John. That is 31 miles through the woods on a mountain. It was not easy, but man a lot of fun.
I hear a lot of people that have known me for years comment on how I'm always on the go, and how they never know what I'm doing next. As crazy as 2009 has been I've got even bigger plans for 2010. Only 5 things that I have officially signed up for, Houston Marathon January 17th, Mountain Mist 50k January 23rd, Mercedes Marathon February 15th, Ironman New Orleans 70.3 April 18th, and Ironman Florida November 6th. I'm sure my schedule will take me to some other places and I'm sure there will be many surprises along the way. I just hope I have as much fun next year and I meet even more really cool people along the way. Cheers to a great 09' and an even better 2010!

Memphis Marathon

2009-12-03T08:41:00.000-08:00

There is quite a crew headed to Memphis this weekend for the St. Jude Marathon. I'm really excited to be going and pretty excited about the race. I had a dream about the race last night, I don't remember a ton of details, but in the dream I ran the race way faster than I thought I could. The goal is 3:30:00 and to be honest that probably is not realistic. My friend Julie is also aiming for 3:30:00 so we will run together and see how it goes. As usual my training has been less than stellar but still better than last year. My ace in the hole is that I've actually run some long distances this fall so hopefully my legs won't fall apart when I hit mile 20. I've always been a race day sort of guy so hopefully I can find a little something extra like I normally do. This is the site of the first long race I ever did. Just last year I ran my first half marathon, it was a struggle. My time was something like 1:50:00 and it hurt to walk for the next 3 days. I've come along way and met some great people that have helped me get there. Looking back it is crazy to think that I've only been doing this a year. I wonder what things will be like next year.

Born to Run

2009-11-24T05:57:00.000-08:00

Warning: the following contains information about a book

I enjoy reading, but I'm not much of a reader. That being said I recently finished the book Born to Run and let me say it is hands down in my top 5. I could ramble on and try and tell you the story but that would be like me pinch hitting for Babe Ruth, not nearly as effective as the way Christopher McDougall tells the story. I will say this, so many different stories are weaved together in a fascinating way. I learned so much; about the Tarahumara, about ultra running, about the ultra running community and the whackjobs that make up the community, and about the idea of running without shoes.

Yeah, that sounds weird, but the data suggests it may be the healtiest way to run. Thanks to folks like Nike the athletic shoe industry is big bucks, but is it possible that all these high tech shoes designed to make your foot move a certain way are actually fighting against nature? There are barefoot runners that swear by it and while I can't vouch for their technique, I am going to try it.

My plan is to get the Vibram Fivefingers barefoot shoes this week and start breaking them in on some short 2-4 mile runs. If all goes well it will help me develop better running form and a stronger foot. I'm eager to see how it works and I will keep you posted on the success or failure of the barefoot experiment.

Ironman Florida

2009-11-06T12:01:00.000-08:00

I am going to my first Ironman race this weekend. No, I'm not racing, not sure I'd be able to finish a race like that in any amount of time. I've got three friends that are racing, and my friend John has graciously invited me to come down for the weekend. I've done a lot of training with John, most of it on the bike, a little running, an even smaller amount of swimming. While I think I've made some huge strides in my fitness level this year, John just continues to amaze me with what he's done. I know he will have a great race. Part of the reason for going down is to support him, and my other friends Sara and Jessica Jacobs (she's a pro and really doesn't need my support, but I'll yell for her anyway) the other part of going down is so I can sign up for next years race. Believe it or not, despite the fact that these races cost way to much money to enter, they sell out as soon as registration opens. One way to ensure a spot is to sign up on site the day after. Scary to think that next year at this time I'll be getting ready to do an ironman. Can I really do it? Do I have the ability to actually train for something like that? The proper training schedule lasts for like 6 months. Lucky for me I'll have some help, John is doing it again next year and so is our friend Colin. They are both way better than me so hopefully they can drag me up with them instead of me dragging them down. I'm super fortunate to have met these guys, I mean what would I be doing if I wasn't running and riding hundreds of miles every month... probably drinking. Cheers to great race, a lot of training to come and a cold one when its over!

Putting Up the Bike, Pounding the Pavement

2009-10-28T11:42:00.000-07:00

I love the fall. The crisp air, the changing leaves, football just a few things I love about the season. But fall also marks the beginning of marathon season, at least for me it does. That means the bike will be ridden less and my running mileage should go up. Ideally I need to be doing at least 30 miles a week, that is a huge jump for me since I was only averaging about 50 miles a month over the Spring and Summer. Truth is when given the choice, I'd rather go for a ride than a run. Perhaps its because I'm better on the bike than I am the trails. Hopefully with some good weather I'll still get some rides in and I'm sure I will, but for the next five months I'll be wearing out the soles of my running shoes. It looks like I have 3 marathons on the calendar, Memphis in December, Huntsville a week later, and then Houston in January. So far my longer runs have been good and I'm optimistic. Who knows, maybe when April rolls around I won't want to get back on my bike.

Mountain Goat Century Ride

2009-10-12T05:55:00.000-07:00

"Yeah, there are some climbs."

So I thought I'd take it easy this weekend, do a nice easy century ride and give the legs a little workout. There is nothing easy about the Mountain Goat Century ride.

Just Add Water

The forecast called for rain, and wouldn't you know it the weather man was right for once. I think we did get lucky because it really only rained for about 2 hours, and it was never very hard. Nonetheless, we were wet all day. I'm not sure how many people ended up doing the 102 mile Mountain Goat route, there were multiple options both shorter and easier, but after the first few miles I was never in a group bigger than 5 people. For the most part is was a 3 person group, Al Schlosser, John Gregg and myself.

Into the Clouds

The climbing started pretty early, I'm guessing less than 5 miles in but I had no bike computer or GPS so I really don't know. Walkers Gap isn't the steepest climb in the world, but there are some parts that probably hit 10% and it just goes on and on. I jumped out thinking I would just motor up the climb, after a solid mile I began to melt. I'm sure the view is nice on a sunny day, but unfortunately for us there was nothing to enjoy. The next few miles went along the ridge, some mostly flat riding with some moderate rollers. The downhill was flying, a straight shot down the mountain and I would have loved to see how fast I could have gone, but with the weather and traffic I did not seem to be worth trying.

&#$@ Horse Pens

There is no worse feeling than trying to shift to a lower gear only to find you are already in your lowest gear. The next climb did this to me. At the rest stop the report was that Horse Pens was the toughest climb, average 10% some places much steeper. This was a brutal mile long climb. Several times I thought I can make it. Luckily the three of us all made it up without stopping. This was no doubt the toughest climb I've ever done. I just think to myself, the Tour de France would have a climb like that only 4 times as long. After the climb we rode along the top of Chandlar Mountain. My guess is that it is really pretty up there when the weather isn't so crappy. There were a surprising amount of abandoned cars, trucks, houses, stores... it almost felt like we were in a movie where civilization had died off 2 years earlier and we were the only survivors.

Leveling Out

My thought at this point is that the ride would be much flatter the rest of the way. We certainly didn't have any climbs as challenging as the first two, it was not flatter. At some point we climbed Tumblin Gap, I don't really remember this climb that well. There were a couple people in front of us that we were able to track down, but this climb didn't hurt near as bad as the first two. We made our way into Altoona and Oneonta, and by this time our legs were pretty shot. We knew there was one more climb and the plan was just to survive it.

Up, Up, and Up Some More

The last climb wasn't really a climb, it was like 10 miles that just kept gradually rising. Sure there were some steep parts, but all short. The problem is that by this time we were dead and the slow grind was taking its toll. There was one more rest stop to go and we just had to make it there, the rest was mostly downhill. When we finally hit that last rest stop we were so freaking happy. I think we stayed there for about 20 minutes, I had like 5 cookies, a BLT, brownie, some snack mix, and probably more. As more people began to trickle in, we eventually pulled out.

"Just a Few Easy Rollers"

That's what we were told as we left, these seemed like a little more than just a few easy rollers. We cruised along the ridge for about 3-4 miles before we hit our final downhill. By now the clouds had lifted a little so the view was pretty sweet. There was one sharp hairpin turn on the decent, everything else was straight and fast. All that climbing was erased in what seemed like about a minute. From there is was maybe two miles back to the cars.

Final Thoughts

I thought this would be just an easy ride, not a huge challenge. I was wrong. Despite the rain I still enjoyed it, but I think with better weather this would be an awesome century ride. I intended to take some pictures, but I suck at taking out my camera, plus the rain made that a challenge.

Stump Jump 50k

2009-10-05T06:04:00.000-07:00

All I Want to Do is Cry!

I had never done a 50k before, and as far as trail runs are concerned I've never gone more than 11 miles. That being said I'm not sure how John talked me into doing the Stump Jump 50k but despite the way my body feels I'm glad he did.

Karnazes in the House

When it comes to ultra running nobody is more well known than Dean Karnazes, he literally wrote the book, which I bought and will start reading soon. At any rate Dean was at the race to speak and run. Dean is an amazing runner, but he might actually be a better guy. Very gracious with his time even took a picture with John and me. He has been on some crazy tour for North Face and has been all over the world for the past few weeks. Not bad for a guy who broke a few ribs during a race in the Rocky Mountains a few weeks ago. He spoke after the carbo dinner, it was good stuff, a lot of insight and some humor. He shared some stories and some clips including his appearance on Letterman several years ago.

We'll leave the Light on For You (Although the bedspread is so bright you don't need it)

After the dinner and speech we drove to our motel, we opted for cheap and had a reservation ready for us at the Motel 6. There were some pretty frightening reviews, one that mentioned "credit card fraud" another strange men lurking in the parking lot. The guy working the front desk was possibly the slowest moving man in the world. He wasn't young and he had some sort of European accent. He gave off a somewhat friendly vibe, but All things considered I was pretty happy with the room. Sure it had some ridiculous bedspreads, a TV that only had VH1 for the first 3 minutes it was turned on, and a couple of odd mirrors, but it was clean. I slept pretty well and was ready for the race in the morning.

Race Morning

The weather was a lot cooler than I expected, it made me realize that Summer is really over. I was nervous, but at this point what could I do except run. There was quite a crowd, I heard some 300 people doing the 50k alone, a bunch more doing the 11 mile run. Parking was a nightmare.

A Fast Start... Too Fast???

So having never done one of these I didn't really know what to do in terms of pace. The race started in the parking lot and went around the school for about a half mile before we hit the trail. It was right then that Dean Karnazes comes right in front of me. So how do you not try and keep pace with him for a little bit. I was not alone, must have been about 15-20 people all grouped together in the Dean pack. The beginning few miles was pretty easy, some gentle hills nice smooth gravel and dirt paths. I stayed with Dean for two miles, I dropped back a bit and noticed there was almost nobody behind me. I cruised along for the next few miles and I was feeling great and the running was easy so all was good. I caught up with John at about mile 3, I was shocked to see him again I think we ran together for another 2-3 more miles including a real nasty decent, I loved it and I was flying, this was probably a mistake and my legs would pay for it later.

Wow the View

There are some parts of this race that are absolutely beautiful. There is an incredible 2 mile stretch or so that runs along a ridge overlooking the Tennessee River. It was still early and there was fog over the river so looking out over a fog covered river was just incredible and perhaps dangerous. I took several bad steps and experienced my first real fall. Luckily I fell right into some fairly soft ground and not left down several hundred feet into the river. I met a guy named Dave from Nashville along this part, it was his first 50k too and we enjoyed a few miles together before he went ahead.

The Thing About Aid Stations is...

When you are running through the woods you can hear the aid station before you see it. You hear cheering and it gives you hope. All of a sudden you are running to something and its close and it has goodies. The pain you are feeling goes away for a second, because help is just ahead. The problem is when you get there you realize they can't fix your blister, or your screaming calf, or throbbing knee, all they have is water, Gatorade, Gummy Bears, Pretzels and encouragement. Nonetheless, I thought the aid stations were great with very helpful, friendly and encouraging volunteers. They did a wonderful job all the way through.

New Territory

I promise I'm going to start doing longer training runs but I can't change the past. Going into this run my longest trail effort was about 11 miles so by mile 17 I was really feeling it. I sang a little song in my head that went something like: F#@k Fu%# F$c%, F@*&ity F&@k F%#k, then repeat. Needless to say things were not looking very good for me. Then I hit the Rock Garden.

Can Anyone Actually Run This?

So the Rock Garden is really cool, unless you are trying to run through it. I've never seen so many giant rocks all together in one spot. It must have been about a mile worth of ground to cover and my pace was not at all fast. My thought is what do the elite guys do here? Do they run or are they slogging along like a 1-year-old learning to crawl?

A Second Wind

I had been thinking for several miles if I would hit a second wind and at about mile 20 I started to find it. This was the same section of trail overlooking the river on the way out. By now the fog had burned off and the river was clearly visible. I was making up time here and was thinking I might be able to get in under 7 hours. Then came a downhill and I was flying, passing guys left and right and feeling great.

What Goes Down Must Go Up

I know that sounds backwards, but in trail running that is law. The same decent I enjoyed around mile 6 destroyed me at mile 25. I actually passed a few people on this hill, but it took everything out of me and by the time I crawled up to Mushroom Rock I was a beaten man.

The Slowest Four Miles of My Life

The remaining terrain wasn't tough at all, but it also wasn't interesting to me either. The same joyful easy trail on the way out was now a painful boring trail that would not end. I would run some then walk even the slightest incline. One thing that made this last part tough were the soccer fields. You could hear cheering and then think, "I'm there I'm actually there!". Psych! It's a F&#KING soccer game. The trail finally ends and spits us out on a paved road, just a half mile to go. I didn't remember it being this much of a hill on the way out? Coming to the finish I see John lounging in the bed of his truck with his camera, thankful there is no audio to accompany the photo. Final time 7:08:18, I didn't cry, and I finished, I actually finished ahead of people too!

Final Thoughts

This is a wonderful race, and while I don't have a lot to compare it to in terms of trail races the setup and feel of this race is big time. The trails are tough and enjoyable with more than enough challenge for anyone and plenty of beauty to distract you. I highly recommend this race and anticipate coming back next year to go under 7 hours. While I felt pretty beat up on Sunday, I was feeling good enough to sign up for the Mountain Mist 50k in January, this trail running is addicting!

31 Miles with Karnazes... probably not

2009-10-01T08:22:00.000-07:00

The world of ultramarathons sounds really cool. A bunch of inspiring yet somewhat laid back people who just love to run. My trail running history is pretty pathetic, a few runs, the longest 10 miles. Am I ready for 31 miles? Probably not.
But ready or not this Saturday I will do the Stump Jump 50k trail run in Chattanooga. One of the cools things about this run is that it brings in some big names. Legend Dean Karnazes will be speaking the night before and running the race. It would be cool to run with him, but let's be honest, I'll be running way behind him.
Apparently, the Stump Jump race has some really cool schwag. I'm not sure what all it will include but I'm always looking forward to free stuff. I'll bring my camera and try to take some pictures... or course I usually bring the camera, just never use it. I probably should be scared of Saturday morning, or maybe Friday night and the dump of a hotel I'm staying in, but I'm not. I'm excited. I think this will be a lot of fun.

Augusta Race Report

2009-09-29T06:12:00.000-07:00

Save the Best For Last

The final triathlon of the season was my biggest and longest of the year. I guess that is how you want to end the season. I'm not sure why I signed up for the Augusta 70.3 Ironman but I'm glad I did.

The Drive Over

Driving into the Atlanta metro I look in my mirror and see another car with a nice looking tri bike. I always check out bikes I see on the road like this so it got my attention. It turned out to be a bike I see quite often, my friend John and his wife Katie. Together we drove through what I can only guess was like Hell if Hell was filled with terrible rain storms and idiot drivers. We stopped for dinner out Outback before parting ways. I sort of have a spread out family and whenever possible I'll plan trips that allow me to take advantage of free lodging and a chance to catch up. On the way over I stopped and stayed with my brother and his wife. I short stay but nice since I got to see my nephew Drew. He is just 3 months old but already turning into a character.

Check in

I figured getting to packet pick up early would be a good idea since I didn't really know what I was doing, this was a good call as it was very crowded and slower than I thought. I caught a break when they decided to open transition area early so I was able to check in my bike and avoid the really bad traffic. My lodging for the race was with my Aunt and Uncle in Aiken, SC, just about 25 minutes from the race start and about 2 miles from part of the bike course.

69!

So I don't own a wetsuit and I figured I could wait till 2010 before making the couple hundred dollar plunge. In the pre race meeting the race director mentioned the water temperature at 69 degrees. That is much colder than I thought and while I was concerned, I figured I'd be ok. At dinner the night before the wetsuit comments finally got the best of me. "You don't have a wetsuit?!?!", "I'm glad I have my wetsuit", "Kyle you might want to get a wetsuit". I went to the expo and got a wetsuit, got a great deal too.

Race Day

The morning was indeed a bit chilly and overcast. I was thrilled to be wearing a wetsuit. John and I were in the same wave so we were able to calm or enhance each others nerves depending on how you see it. There were a lot of people there, it was a little overwhelming and I really had to go to the bathroom.

Swimming in a Wetsuit

It is probably all mental but I had some trouble swimming in the wetsuit. The first 7 minutes went great, then I started to feel like the wetsuit was suffocating me. I had a minor freakout and looked at a kayak. I thought I'm done, but then a realized that even treading water I was going way faster than I ever swam upstream in the Black Warrior at the USAT Age Group Championships. I refocused and actually had a good swim the rest of the way. I was out of the water at 30 minutes, faster than I had hoped and just in time to see John leaving transition as I entered. That was a huge lift of confidence to know that I only moderately sucked.

Not as Flat as Advertised

So word had it that the bike course was pretty flat. Now it wasn't Birmingham hills, but it wasn't flat either and there were a lot of turns most of them seemed to come right after a downhill and right before a hill. Just past half way I thought I saw John's distinctive orange jersey. Indeed it was him, that made me feel like I was putting in a good bike leg and also gave us a chance to ride together and chat a little bit. We rode in together for most of the ride. The last 10 miles were tough, my lower back was hurting and I still had to run. I turned in a good bike split, just under 2:40:00.

A Terrible and Great Run

I had just a few minute head start on John. Now he's a far superior triathlete to me so I do kind of use him as a measuring stick. If my strength is my bike, his is probably the run, although dude can bike too! I never saw him again till the end if you want to read his race report check out this blog. The first mile is always tough and you have to gut it out. I made up my mind that I would run the first mile and I did, but barely. My calf and lower back were in bad shape. It was here that John flew by and yelled a few words of encouragement. I'd like to say it helped but I was in bad shape. The plan was to finish the run in 2 hours, new plan just finish the run. I would set a goal of running for 4 minutes then walk a minute, then build on to that longer run intervals. It took me till about the 5 mile mark before my body started to feel better. By this point I was knocking out about 9:30 miles. I got to half way and decided I might still have a chance at the 2 hour goal. I would need to do sub 8:30's and my math skills aren't near good enough to figure out how close or not I was. I fell short of the goal, but managed to turn in a 8:47 pace for the second lap. I true negative split and a run that I was proud of even though it was slower than my original target.

The Final Numbers

So the goal going in was to finish in less the 5:30:00, I crossed the line in 5:16:58 with a huge smile on my face. Surprisingly, I felt like I could have kept going, probably not much longer but I didn't feel like dying. The race was great and while Augusta may not be the best city in the South it was a good course. Not the most spectator friendly, but still a pretty fast course. Next stop for me October 3rd in Chattanooga for the Stump Jump 50k, another race I'm not ready to do.

Headed to Augusta

2009-09-25T06:11:00.000-07:00

Training is not my strength. With that in mind I'm trying to be realistic about my race this weekend in Augusta. This will be my first half ironman and I think an honest expectation is to just finish. Having a goal time is normal and I'm trying to figure out what mine should be. My guess is 40:00 for the swim, 2:50:00 for the bike, and 2:00:00 for the run, so that tells me 5:30:00 should be my target. I have no idea if I can do that. Last night I did my last workout, a good swim, good rpm class and nice easy PAIN FREE run. I don't feel near ready for this, especially compared with my friend John (who is training for a full ironman and actually training properly), but ready or not I'm going to try and just enjoy the race. If you want to keep up with the actual race on Sunday they have a live race tracker (www.ironman.com) where you can follow people's progress.

4 days left!?!?! Ouch!

2009-09-22T11:20:00.000-07:00

I was thinking about how lucky I've been to be injury free all year. After yesterday's run I'm really scared. Rain put a big kibosh on the weekend training, and while I'm sure I could have found time and a place to get some work in I chose football. At the time I figured I be fresh on Monday and I'd be able to get a great run in. Rain again pushed my run indoors and after about 3 laps around the track I felt a great deal of tightness in my right calf and shin. I stretched it out and tried to get going several times but something clearly was not right. Now I'm 4 days away from my first half ironman and I don't know if I can run. I'm going to give it another go today but I won't lie I'm scared. The worst part is I don't know what happened. On a more positive note, I'm finally learning how to swim. Full disclosure, I've always been able to swim, I just had maybe the worst form ever. Big thanks to my friend William, he's been patient with me and totally reworked my stroke, kick and position. I feel good about it and hope to see a nice difernece in the race on Sunday. I'll be leaving for Augusta on Friday, my plan is to crash with my brother and his wife Friday night, it will be cool to see my nephew Drew. I hear he's getting a lot more active so that should be neat. I'll be crashing in Aichen, SC with my Uncle Jack and Aunt Joyce so that will be cool and pretty affordable. At this point I'm very excited but also nervous. Luckily I'll have several friends there so that should make the who thing a lot easier. Gotta run, wish me luck; I need it!

10 miles is harder than 100

2009-09-14T06:30:00.000-07:00

So I'm not going to lie, it was a tough weekend but definitely a fun weekend. Started things off Saturday morning with the big 100 mile bike ride, although it did not go as planned. We started with a big group, most of which had planned to turn off and do a shorter ride. The plan was for John and I to go to Pell City and then south for a big loop. We didn't account for highway 78 merging onto I-20. That wasn't going to happen. Luckily another rider we picked up knew a loop through Springville and that turned out to be a good ride. We encountered some angry dogs and a much more enjoyable 49 cent hot dog. We averaged 17 mph which was ok and I was surprised that I didn't feel that bad when it was all over. The real pain came Sunday... after a night of drinking John and I hit Oak Mountain for some pretty tough trail running. The plan was 15 miles, point to point so we dropped a car off at the end. 2 miles in I felt like death and was really slowing John down so I turned around. The run back to my car felt a lot better so I decided to loop around on the trail and meet up with John and at least finish the last leg. I guess I ended up doing just a little more than 10 miles and man did it hurt. Lots of chicken wings and beer afterward made it a little better but on Monday I'm in pain. I've got less then two weeks till my first half ironman, and three weeks till my first ultra race. Ready or not I'm registered.

Age Group National Championship Recap and More

2009-08-28T09:58:00.000-07:00

So I knew I was in over my head but I had no idea. The Age Group National Championships in Tuscaloosa was quite an experience last weekend. I felt like a guy who got to walk around on the field before the Superbowl, the only difference is that I wasn't going to watch the game and drink a beer, I was going race against these guys. As if the competition wasn't intimidating enough the course would be ridiculous. Because of rain, the dam for the Black Warrior River was open. That cause the swim to be very tough since about 2/3rd's of the swim were upriver. You know you are having a bad race when you have a conversation with a guy in a kayak. I was hoping to finish the swim in 30 minutes, 56 minutes later I finally exited the water. I was not only exhausted but I was cramping and realizing that I need to learn how to swim (William has already started teaching me). At this point I was excited about getting on the bike since that is my strength. What I didn't realize is that my calf would cramp up as soon as I got on my bike. After getting off the bike and stretching I figured I could find my groove and pick up some ground. I was wrong. You know you are having a bad race when you spend the entire bike leg going back and forth with a 42-year-old woman. I felt ok off the bike and hit the run. After a mile it felt real hot and then I discovered some of the hills that were randomly thrown into the run course. My 42-year-old woman from the bike leg passed me. You know you are having a bad race when the guy at the water stop asked you what happened to your sunglasses. I was missing a lens and probably had been for quite sometime. The rest of the run was terrible but when I finished I was 83rd out of 86. Not last place. Terrible race, wonderful experience. Three other friends competed with me, I think they had similar experiences except they were all much faster than I was. Despite the tough conditions we all had fun and will no doubt be talking about that swim for years to come.
In other news I've got my 10 year high school reunion this weekend in New Orleans. I'm not sure what to expect from this but I'm hopeful it will be fun. I've also signed up for my first 50k. The Stump Jump 50k in Chattanooga is October 3rd. My friend John talked me into it and I must say I'm excited but nowhere near ready. That's it for now.

Mtn Lakes Race Report and more

2009-08-17T10:21:00.000-07:00

Ok, it has been more than a week since my last race in Guntersville, the Mountain Lakes Sprint Triathlon so here is a quick recap. I had what I felt was a great race... lets start from the top.
A good group of friends and I met up at the Dairy Queen at 4:15am. Typically nothing good can ever happen at a Dairy Queen at 4:15am, but in this case it was all good. Team MAS (Mutual Admiration Society) decked out in our new Team MAS shirts (thanks B-RAd!) took a few pictures then loaded up into two cars and drove up to Guntersville. The drive up was uneventful and we arrived with plenty of time to spare. Transition setup was smooth and everyone headed down to the lake to start. The swim was supposed to be 600 yards... it wasn't. I put down a really slow swim time so I was number 588, way behind most of the group I was there with. I was able to see most of the team exit the water and they all looked really good. When I finally hit the water I started passing people immediately. I felt good in the water and settled into a good pace. At the turnaround thngs got a little interesting. The sun was right behind the shore, and at 8 am it made it almost impossible to see. I ran into one buoy, and swam over a couple other swimmers but made it out feeling fresh. I realized mid swim that I had forgotten to start my watch so I would not be able to tell my total time till well after the race. I jumped on the bike and nailed the transition almost perfect until my water bottle fell to the ground. I was going to do the bike leg with no water... that is bad since that is typically the time where you drink the most water. Despite no water I killed the bike, averaged 24.2 mph which was right on my goal. At this point I had noticed that nobody had passed me. I struggled a little bit in the bike to run transition, I turned the wrong way into the transition area, then took a little extra time to drink some water. When I hit the run course the legs felt pretty good. The first mile is the toughest, and once I got my pace I settled in and just kept finding a person up the road to catch and pass. The run was very uneventful, I pushed it the last half mile and really felt like I left a little out there on the course. Final time was 1:17:10. That was slower than my goal, but if you factor in the longer swim distance I was right about on it. Lessons learned are this... Don't sandbag so much on my swim time. It would have been good to have some faster racers near me to help push my pace. Figure out how to keep my water bottle on my freaking bike! And run faster.
Training for the Age Group National Championships has been going well. Did a long ride and then run this weekend with my friend John, he killed me on the run. It is very clear to me that the run is a weakness that I have to improve on soon. I looked up all the competitors for the race this Saturday, out of 84 people, my estimated finish time is 82nd. It will be a struggle to not finish last. I have to keep telling myself that I'm not racing them, I'm racing the course and teh clock and I think I'll be ok.
On another note I signed up for the New Orleans Half Ironman last week. That is in April and will be my 2nd half ironman assuming I am able to finish the Augusta Half Ironman next month. Wish me luck, I'll need it!

Already August!?!?!

2009-08-07T08:01:00.000-07:00

Wow, this year has been flying by! It has been 11 months since I quit my job in TV and I feel like I've done more in that time than any other year of my life. The good news is I don't see myself letting up anytime soon because I am very happy right now.
I've got a new marathon training program that I'm actually thinking about following this time. Maybe if I train correctly I can run a better race. As of now there are three marathons on the calendar in the next six months. Atlanta on Thanksgiving, Memphis 10 days later, and then Houston January 17th. The plan is to run Memphis and Houston hard, maybe a Boston QT in Houston. It is a daunting task as I have to run a 7:17 pace, but I've got time to get there and plenty of things to do before then. This weekend is Mountain Lakes Sprint Triathlon, then August 22nd Age Group National Championships in Tuscaloosa, and finally the Augusta Half Ironman September 27th. Why did I sign up for that again? I'm sure I'll post a race report for this weekend, but for now I gotta run!

Chattanooga Race Report

2009-07-13T08:03:00.000-07:00

With my first Olympic Distance Triathlon in the books I am officially humbled. I'm somewhat known for not doing things the right way and this event was really no different. My more intelligent friends decided to drive up to Chattanooga and stay at hotels on Saturday, I decided to wake up at 2am and drive up Sunday morning. The drive was uneventful and I arrived in plenty of time to pick up my packet and set up my transition area. Upon setting up my transition area I started to not feel as good about my new bike. There were some dudes with some serious bikes here, but also one guy on a mountain bike.
We bused over to the swim start about a mile up the Tennessee River. The swim is my weakest part of the race so I didn't really know what to expect. I felt surprisingly good in the water and just tried to keep a steady pace. I was out of the water in less the 26 minutes, far better than I should have expected. We climbed out of the water on to some steps, this was very awkward. Maybe because of the steps or maybe because I was pretty tired. I ran up to the transition area, quickly grabbed my helmet and bike and took off. Again I tried a little trick where you clip your shoes into the pedals and stabilize them with rubber bands. At my first triathlon I fell trying to jump onto the bike, this time I jumped on perfectly. While I was pedaling I tried to slide my feet into the shoes, but it wasn't working. Having the right shoes on the right pedal is conducive to riding your bike, I probably lost at least 20 seconds trying to recover from this mistake. Once on the road the ride went great. The new bike and aero seemed to help, how much I have no idea, but I felt good and rode fast. I averaged 22 mph and came in at just under 1:11:00. At this point I realized I could finish under 2:30:00 if I could simply run 8 minute miles for the 10k. I could not do this. Something happens to my body after the first mile of the run. Was it poor training, poor nutrition, did I hit the bike to hard? I'm guessing a mix of all of those things contributed to my slow run. I only managed a little over 9 minute miles, a little over 56:00 total. My overall time 2:36:57. Good, respectable, but defintely not as fast as I will go in my next olympic distance triathlon.
The good news is that my next olympic distance triathlon will be sooner than I thought. Because I finished in the top 33% of my age group (barely I finished in the 30th%) I qualify for the National Championships in Tuscaloosa, AL August 22nd. I plan on being faster, I plan on training better, we'll see how that goes.

Here's to a great weekend ahead!

2009-07-02T07:17:00.000-07:00

I'm now just hours away from the beginning of my 4th of July weekend and I'm convinced it will be an awesome one. Several rides are planned as well as a couple of runs and I'm sure some good food a drink with friends as well.
Some exciting news for me on the triathlon front, I bought a new TT Bike and I signed up for a half Ironman.
First the bike. What started out as a trip to get aero bars put on my road bike ended up with me buying a 09' Felt B12.
I'm really excited about it, it felt great and all the reviews of it are super positive plus I got a pretty good deal from Joe at Bike Link. They are a small shop but I kind of like that because you feel like you actually get some real attention and you get the same person every time. I get fitted Friday and will take it for the first ride Saturday. Hopefully it will be all good for the Chattanooga triathlon next Saturday.
The other big money buy is my entry into the Augusta Half Ironman on September 27th. I figured why not, even if I run the thing really slow I know I can at least do it. I'm fortunate to have some family living in the area so at least lodging should be cheap. I find it is necessary for me to always have something out on the horizon to keep my focus on training since I honestly hate training.
In other news I took my dog Blue out for his first run... the goal was to do a 5k trail, we made it half way and he was done. I think he's getting used to being around other people and dogs so that is a good thing.
I also officially became an Uncle on June 13th. Drew Hudson Stichtenoth is a healthy happy baby as long as his diaper is clean and his belly is full.
That pretty much covers everything going on with me, I hope everyone has a great 4th of July, enjoy some good food, good beer and the start of the Tour de France!

Finding Inspiration

2009-06-22T07:27:00.000-07:00

It was a very low key weekend for me, no races, no trips, no friends visiting, just me at home. It's not like I didn't do anything. Saturday morning Colin, John, Brad and I did a nice 36 mile ride and then a 4 mile run. Colin and John can really push it and it was one of the hardest rides I've ever done. Saturday night I went to City Stages, not really to see any bands but to watch people and drink some beer, maybe too much beer. The excesses on Saturday night made the Sunday workout a little tougher. Still I managed a good swim and a pretty crappy run. Sunday afternoon I followed the progress of my friend and professional triathlete Jessica Jacobs. She was competing in the Ironman Coeur d'Alene. In the last year she has really turned up her focus and training and it has paid dividends and inspired me. While she didn't win, she did put in a great effort and set a course record in the run. Why can't I achieve that sort of thing? Oh wait I can. Here is to a great week of training because I know I can and I will!
www.justfinish.com

Buster Britton

2009-06-15T06:07:00.000-07:00

My first ever triathlon is in the books and it was awesome. The race was not only great for me but for the whole crew from the JCC. The morning began early for me, I got to Oak Mtn a little before 6am. I quickly set up my transition area and got my body marked. I ended up having plenty of time to relax, which was good since I always have a fear of being late for races. There were a few problems with the swim, first lightning delayed us about 20 minutes, and second; one of the bouyies kept drifting so the swim was shortened by about 100 yards. Once I got in the water I felt pretty good, and surprisingly I was passing people. It was midway through the swim that the bottom dropped out and the rain came. When I got out of the water I felt good, I ran up the beach to the transition area to get my bike. I tried an advanced trick where you rubber band you shoes on the the bike, it is supposed to make your transition quicker. I should have practiced because as soon as I jumped on the bike I crashed. The good news is my recovery was fast and my second attempt went very smooth. The bike course was pretty hilly but I was feeling good. My number was 296, pretty high, so I found myself passing a lot of people. That is a huge confidence builder. Only one guy passed me on the bike and he was a guy who I passed in the first two miles, he ended up finishing about 15 seconds ahead of me. I got a little lost when I got back to the transition area and I ended up going to the wrong rack. Once I got squared away it was out to run 3 miles. My legs were really feeling it at this point, and to make it worse the run started uphill. This was the part of the race where I started getting passed. I was in a bad place, I was happy with things so far and I knew I was well under my target time so I probably didn't push as hard as I should have. The rain and no socks were starting to take a toll on my feet, had the run been longer I would have been in trouble. Once I hit the turn around I turned it up a bit. Something about seeing a 12 year old in front of you makes you push hard. I caught the kid and as sad as that was it made me feel good. I finished strong with a 1:10:45 good enough for 7th out of 46 in my age group. As I mentioned it was a great showing for all my friends from the JCC. Colin Soniat took first in his age group, John Gregg finished second in his age group, William Belser took third in his age, Neily Krebs finished third in her age in only her first ever triathlon. Also running her first triathlon Ruth Douglas stormed in just under 1:20:00, and Casey Coleman finished 7th in her age. And I cannot forget the Power Spouses Relay Team, Katie Gregg, Betsy Belser, and Julie Elmer dominated the field to take the relay title. A great race by all and a lot of fun. Next for me Chattanooga Waterfront Triathlon in July, I'm excited!

Another First

2009-06-12T11:08:00.000-07:00

As many of you know I've sort of become a bit of an endurance athlete. "Sort of" is the key, but I have done two marathons this year so I think I fit in the lower tier of endurance athlete. That being said I'm on the eve of my first triathlon. As far as triathlons go the Buster Britton Triathlon is pretty short and easy. Finishing the race should not be a challenge, at least I hope not, but finishing in a time that makes me happy will be tough. The race consists of a 400 meter swim, 13 mile bike, then a 5k run. I must admit I'm very anxious. I've got quite a few friends who are veterans of such races, I know I cannot hang with most of them but I'm hopeful that I will be at least respectable. If all goes well tomorrow then I should have several more of these triathlons on the race schedule including a possible half Ironman in September. I'll be sure to post a full report after the race.

Cahaba River Ramble

2009-06-08T06:00:00.000-07:00

I've recently discovered trail running. It is much different than you normal road race and a lot of fun, at least so far. Saturday I did the Cahaba River Ramble 10 mile run with my friend John, Ed(a guy I work with), and Ed's son. The Cahaba Wildlife Refuge is in Bibb County near the town of West Blocton, kind of out in the boonies. There was a small crowd but a lot of people that I knew from other races. The 5k and 10 mile started at the same time, Ed did the 5k, his son was supposed to do the 5k but ended up going 10 miles, and John and I did the 10 mile.

The run started on a gravel road along the river, very pretty. At one point I saw a hover craft, I thought that was odd, it might be the first actually hover craft I've seen. We crossed the river at the 5k turnaround, I'd say it was bout 2-3 feet deep but very refreshing. From here the trail got more challenging and more hilly than I expected. This was also the last time I saw any other runners till I got to the end. Running in the woods by yourself is peaceful but also challenging. There is nothing to keep you going but yourself and there were some times I didn't want to keep going. I only walked twice... once on a pretty tough hill around the 3 mile mark and then on "The Equalizer" at the end. This is a ridiculous hill that you hit sometime after mile 8. Miserable on the way up, but going down the other side was fun and a good way to end the run. My goal was under 1:25:00 and I finished just over 1:23:00 in 6th place overall so I was happy. No more trail runs on the schedule anytime soon, next weekend I do my first triathlon. We'll see how that goes.

The New Blog

2009-06-01T19:25:00.000-07:00

So I've been super busy with stuff lately so I decided this might be a good way to keep everyone in the loop of all my comings and goings. I'll try to update this at least weekly. Its been an exciting year so far. I bought a house, got a dog, ran 2 marathons. I got a lot more to come!