Storrie Lake Race Report (from Clay)

Well, it's about time we started putting this year's race reports on the blog.  I've been meaning to, but man I've been busier than usual this year.  It just so happens that I found some free moments thanks to getting sick from something that Mila contracted somewhere and now I'm here at home in the middle of the day suffering in our overly warm, un-air-conditioned house.  

The Storrie Lake Triathlon is such a cool race.  The course is fantastic and the organization is superb.  It is definitely one of the best races around and at the top of the heap as far as New Mexico is concerned.  In my opinion, anything that is produced by Chasing3 is going to be one of the best races we have.  Just as a side-note, I'll rank my favorite local triathlons like this:

Race Director, Angie Kandalaft (owner of Chasing3) putting on one hell of a great race!!!

1.  Storrie Lake, Cochiti Lake, Elephant Man, XTERRA Four Corners (tie) [all open water, great courses]
2.  Milkman, Dam It Man, Bottomless F-1 (tie) [all short distance with great open water and great courses]
3.  Socorro Chile Harvest (great course, outdoor pool swim)
4.  Billy the Kid Tombstone Olympic (needs some improvements, but lots of potential), Grady Williams in Farmington (now cancelled, was a cool race)
5.  Patriot Tri & Candyman (sort-of repeat races at the Rio Rancho pool, but well-organized with great courses)
6.  Spring Fling (yet another pool swim at Rio Rancho, good for an early season tune-up, but you have to watch out for traffic on the bike course...some improvement needed there) & Jay Benson (kind of a boring course and lots of trouble with the base, etc.; this one is a must for an early-season tune-up with it being the Abq World Championships.  It's also very well organized and promoted by my sponsor, Sport Systems)

Sorry, that was a long side-note.  I just wanted to give some perspective on how great the Storrie Lake Triathlon is.  And another early apology here...I'm going to vent about my less than expected result in every painful detail (as Dina describes it).

This year, as in many years previous, the water level was low.  It was VERY low this year, but just fine for putting on a race in the 2-loop format of 750 meters per lap, which I quite like.  The bike course is fantastic, but unfortunately the DOT put in those huge drunk strips that causes some issues here and there.  At race speed, I just have to ride in the lane because of space issues passing other riders, etc.  It works out well most of the time, but I did get crowded and honked at by a big truck right at the sprint race turn-around.  The run course is so cool with a mix of quiet back roads, some dirt roads that are scenic, and a challenging section coming back to the finish along Hwy 518, which is also scenic.  It is a great venue for a triathlon.  Add in the nice camping at a well-kept state park and you have everything you can ask for.

Looking out over Storrie Lake from T1, with boat ramp exit in the foreground.  It's a pretty setting for a lake.

Las Vegas is also an interesting town.  It's a bit different, yet also very familiar New Mexico.  It's a quirky place with two universities, so there are lots of modern amenities, but also with that rough-around-the-edges feel of most New Mexico towns.  We ate at El Fidel restaurant, at the historic hotel of the same name, and just loved the awesome food there.  What a treat!

At last year's race: Bear, club prez Bill Dunn, Timo

This year's weather was also a 180-degree difference from the year before.  It even showered nicely the evening before, giving a fresh feel to the morning.  Race day weather was just beautiful, though it got a bit hot by the time the race was finished.

I had high hopes for this race, as I have been feeling great and training pretty well, or at least as much as my life allows these days.  Unfortunately, Mila got very sick the week prior, as did Dina and so things started to get a little messy around the house.  We bailed on our original plan to take the camper and make it a family camping trip, so I had to go solo, which isn't as much fun as it used to be, especially when Mila was so upset and Dina was very tired when I left on Saturday.  That made it hard to leave.

I was lucky to hook up with my buddy, Keven Kandalaft in Las Vegas, and we scoped things out with a couple of his buddies from Boulder.  One of his friends is a wicked fast swimmer and was the first out of the water for the swim prime.

On to my own race:  race start was an early 7am, so Kevin and I got up at 4am to get breakfast down and get out to the lake and get set up and warmed up with time to spare.  It was all so easy and I was very ready to go with even some time to fiddle with the brakes on my new Felt DA.  It's a great bike, but it's a little tight with the brakes under the stays.

Normally, I would have been so amped up and ready to go, but I was feeling a little lethargic.  That is not normal for me on race mornings but I ignored it and did everything I could to get my mind on the game.  I went and got a good swim warm up, but just didn't feel spunky.  We meddled around a bit for the timers to get set and for the kayakers to get into the water and in that time I felt a wave of something "not quite right" but didn't know what it was exactly.

Last year's swim start

I actually got off to a pretty good start on the swim, but was hurting far too much and too early.  I stuck it out as best I could and found a couple of feet to follow toward the end of the first lap of 750 meters.  I just focused on following those feet the whole second lap (I think it was Kristin Moriarty and Philip Sunderland, with Chris Werth touching my feet from time to time).  Overall, the swim was good without the usual bloody scrum at the front and some good open water, so I hoped for a miracle out on the bike...

The women's wave starting in the 2011 race

Once out of the water, I felt super gassed.  I was all full of acid and didn't feel good on the longish run up the boat ramp.  In comparison, I felt awesome running up that same ramp last year...I remember it well.

Out on the bike, I messed around WAY too long with my shoes, and Kristin Moriarty had to ask me if everything was all right as I left T1 just ahead and she had to get around me messing around.  I finally got them on and barely could get past her for the longest time.  I watched as my main competition, Randy Arriola, pulled away from me with some authority.  It was not a good feeling and it only seemingly got worse until I just finally got angry with the situation and went all-out over the first climb in a do-or-die attempt to jump start my body.  I had hoped that I was just "blocked up" and needed to blow it out of my system to get going, but the weak feeling never really subsided.  It did get a little better once I got some recovery on the descent into the Sapello valley, and I motored with everything I had up that long, gradual hill to the turn around.  Things didn't seem too out of hand when I saw both Randy and Rance Irvin at the turnaround, only about a minute and some change ahead of me.  I figured if I could find my legs on the way back, I might have a chance if I could also keep things on the mend in the run.

But, there was no miracle to had on that day.  I did gain a little time back on Randy on the return, coming in less than a minute behind him at T2 (which I suppose is a miracle considering how I was feeling).  Rance flatted just ahead of me, so that variable was taken out of the equation.  He has not been running his best this season with some sort of foot problem, so I had figured I had a chance to catch him if my run held up.  Randy runs well, so with him able to kick my butt on the bike, I figured he was really gonna give me hell on the run.

Since Dina can't race this season, I thought it would be nice to add her to the  blog.  Here she is leaving T1 at the 2011 race

One of the main problems I was having, besides feeling super-weak, was that I wasn't able to ingest anything without it making me feel sick and wanting to come back up.  I didn't take in nearly enough fluids for the event (less than one water bottle), much of which DID come back up while out on the bike.  That wasn't good.

Coming into T2, Randy was just about leaving and was about 30+ seconds up on me.  I tried to hustle through, but I realized I was in trouble when all my muscles were cramping while trying to put on my shoes.  I sucked it up after taking a few extra seconds to stand straight up and grab my abdominal muscles that had seized up on me (and are still sore right now) in order to make one last big attempt at bending down to get my other shoe on.  Once my shoes were on, I hobbled out of T2 and did my best to find a quick rhythm.

I did manage to relax and find a comfort zone for a while, the problem was that it was slow and I just didn't have anything more to give.  I just locked into that and focused on doing everything as efficiently as possible.  Again, I could barely take anything at the aid stations, yet I was dehydrating rapidly and knew I needed fluids, so I mainly just threw water on myself and used it to re-hydrate my lips.  At one point, I just decided to turn my mind off to the situation and see how far that got me before I started thinking about the situation getting more critical.

Somewhere at the far end of the run course, I was feeling downright ill.  I wanted to quit, but there was nowhere to quit.  I would have just died out in the middle of nowhere so I kept on going...plus I was miraculously still in 2nd.  I looked down and realized I wasn't moving that slowly and that I had a long way to go before I was walking, so I kept it up.  I managed to make it to with about 1/4 of a mile before a hard-charging Richard Sena came flying by me.  Needless to say, I had no response and that final 400 meters felt like an eternity!

I was bummed about the whole thing, but really, I'm also a little amazed that I ended up 3rd.  I had a feeling that I had been getting stronger and should have been quite good, but something caught up to me right during the race and knocked me down a few notches.  I was pretty ill afterward and just did what I could to get myself home and to take a nap.  I was sick all through the night but slept well anyway.  I still felt crummy today too, but another long nap has helped.  I'm gonna rest for a couple of more days before doing any light training.  It'll also help me get caught up on some things, so it's not all bad.

The cool thing was to log on today and see how everyone did in their IM and 70.3 races.  Congratulations to all of you who did those events!!! 

Again, sorry for all the gory details.

Billy the Kid Tombstone Olympic Tri

I'll add a quick blog about this "new" race at Sumner Lake near Ft. Sumner.  I think this was actually the 3rd year for this event, but it has been a relatively small affair and it never fit into our schedule, so we hadn't gone to it before this year.  Chasing3 added it to their "open water series," so it got put on my schedule right then and there.  They also have a sprint version of this race that was quite popular.  So, there's something for everyone.

The trip to the lake is not so bad, as Hwy 285 gets us down to I-40 so quickly, then it's just a quick trip to Santa Rosa (also a great place for some training with all of their lakes, and one of the venues for a new open-water sprint race in August).  It's about 38 miles from Santa Rosa to Sumner Lake, so it's quite easy to stay there where there are far more amenities.  But, Ft. Sumner is kinda cool with the Pecos River flowing through it and there being some very nice quiet and scenic roads to ride on.  I love riding down to Bosque Redondo and Billy the Kid's grave from town and back.

Mila playing on the cool rocks that ring much of the lake.  It's a pretty venue.

Anyway, this race is directed by the local school superintendent.  It's a great venue with LOTS of potential.  As is somewhat the case with many rural areas of NM, the roads are less than smooth, so that is the main drawback of the venue.  It's not that bad, but the road is a little rough, much like NM-4, actually.

The lake is on the Pecos River, so it's a little murky but nice water.  It's also not all that chilly.  The swim course needs to be altered.  They ran it as an out-and-back style course with one buoy on the far end and one on the near end.  That caused a lot of messes with the two-way traffic.  One more buoy just a little off of the swim line would have helped tremendously.

Racers getting ready for the swim.  They didn't provide any swim caps...not a big deal, but kinda different...

A wider angle shot of the random swim start staging

I had a somewhat crummy swim for me -- my back had been bothering me from before Jay Benson and I aggravated it the week before.  Otherwise, the rest of me felt pretty good.  I was just off in the swim due to the tender muscles and didn't pull 100%, nor evenly.  I ended up in a not-so-great group that didn't sight well and so we didn't have a very good swim time relative to the leaders.  This would affect the entire race for me.

This shot says it all.  That's me all locked up and trying to move after a lousy swim.  My back bothered me pretty badly that day.

The exit from the swim is up a typical NM boat ramp, but not as steep as some of the others.  The transition area is in a nice, although rough-pavement, parking lot.  The state park is not that big, but nice and scenic.  The roads are rough with some speed bumps that are a minor nuisance but not that bad.  It's important to use good tires at this race.

Out on the bike, I put the hammer down (I had made a mistake in getting out of the park and it cost me probably 20 or 30 seconds overall).  I was going WAY too fast over a roller that led down to a sharp curve going over the dam.  I nearly didn't make the curve, twice actually, before getting my mind in the game and getting over the dam.  The road is narrow and open to traffic, so there were some cars behind some of the other racers who were faster on the swim than I was, so that was a little sketchy getting around all of that.  Then, it was open road.  I felt good, but saw that I had a HUGE gap to make up on the front-runners.  I didn't panic and just did what I had to do.  Fortunately, my back wasn't bothering me on the bike and I was able to really crank it out.

Coming back to the lake, we made a turn-off of the route out to an even narrower road that went down and around a curve that many of us nearly missed, as there was a dirt road leading off the apex of the 90 degree bend.  It looked like the way to go, so I over-cooked it and had to skid and hook a tight, slow turn to get back on course.  I think a lot of folks did that.  It was a bummer, as I was just about to catch the 2nd-place guy (Ken Corigliano) at the time.

Coming in from the bike.  I felt good and hammered hard on the bike.  I forgot my racing suit at home and had to race Tarzan style =)

I finally got off that little road and passed Ken and hauled it back into T2, where it was a bit confusing as to where we dismounted.  My back was bugging by that time and I had a slower-than-usual T2, but not too bad.  I was really locked up and my whole body was reacting to the tightness in my back.  I tried to find a comfortable position to get my rhythm, but it was a significant uphill in the first mile of the run.  I heard footsteps and knew Corigliano was a fast runner.  He passed me with authority and I shuddered to think how much time he was going to put on me if that situation kept up.  I fought hard mentally to not think about it and just focus on getting my body to come around and find a comfortable running stride.

Out of the park and over the first big hill, I watched as Corigliano strode away from me.  But up ahead, I saw Rance Irvin not making any progress on me at all and in fact, was seemingly coming closer into view.  I was heartened by that, so I worked on getting my effort going even better.

There was another hill up to the first aid station and so I was able to get two good cups of water.  I had hydrated well on the bike, so I didn't need to drink too much, even though it was hot without much of a breeze.  I put most of the water on my back and legs, and that did something to help my back relax quite a bit.  I suddenly felt myself becoming more comfortable and moving faster.  I was pleased to see that Corigliano was not advancing his gap as quickly as before, and that Rance was also getting closer.  I just increased my tempo and overall speed as my body allowed, and before I knew it, I was really running and feeling not so bad as before.


The return home was great, actually.  I ran well and got closer to Rance and even ran faster than Corigliano for a time, but when he caught Rance, there was an increase in both of their speeds, so I started running out of real estate to move up.  By the end, they both had over a minute in hand on me, but it had been much more earlier.  My bike/run time was better than Corigliano's by about 40 seconds or so, and well over a minute faster than Rance's, even though he had a great bike too and we were basically even (I think I nipped him by one second =).

What started out as a disaster of a run turned into a pretty decent run...I still lost a lot of time at the beginning, but pulled it out by the end.

 So, it wasn't a win, but I was actually not bummed about it.  I fought the entire way and without such a sad swim, it would have been a great race for me.  I like the venue and everything, but there are definitely some details that need to be attended to and some major improvements made overall.  It has a lot of potential as a really good race.  We'll go back if they have it again in the future.  It's a fun event overall in a cool part of the state.

XTerra Dread Mon Mtn Bike clinic Sat May 19th!

From Clay:

"I've been meaning to send out information regarding the mountain bike (and possibly also swim and run) clinic this weekend at Elephant Butte for the coming XTERRA Dread Mon in July.  This is a little late in coming, but if you are planning on taking part in this super-cool race, it might be a good thing to consider coming down and camping (or moteling it in style...) and doing the clinic with us.

There is great camping at the Elephant Butte State Park, as you're probably aware from the Elephant Man tri, but there is also great camping at the Dam Site as well.  That is actually where the XTERRA Dread Mon and the Dam It Man triathlons are, not at the State Park beach like the Elephant Man.  Information on the Dam Site lodging, restaurant, and marina can be found at:http://thedamsite.com/  There is actually a lot of really cool options with an historic lodge, cabins, campsites, etc., and it's a very scenic and fun setting.

The mountain bike course for the XTERRA is quite challenging, so I've heard.  I have not actually seen it myself, so the focus will be to develop a strategy on the most technical sections to limit time losses and make the experience as fun as possible.  XTERRA events are a lot of fun and the atmosphere is a bit more laid-back than normal triathlons, but there are some technical differences between them and regular road triathlons, so this will be a good introduction to what you may expect, as well as getting a little more comfort with the whole thing. 

Hope to see some of you there!"

[to sign up click here: http://www.dreadmontriathlon.com/mountain-bike-clinic ]

Input on NM502 changes, please! Meeting Feb 7th!

Those of you in the Los Alamos area: its the last chance to weigh in on the NM502 options!! Details below are from Betsy L through Darien R. Also, see comment regarding this project from Khal Spencer at the very bottom of the post. Khal is a local cycling enthusiast and advocate and has been following and working with this project closely.

The County Council will make its final decision regarding design of NM502/Trinity Drive at its Tues, Feb 7th meeting, beginning at 7:00pm at the Community Building Council Chambers (475 20th St, next to Ashley Pond on the Ruby K side).  It is the only item on the agenda and the council chambers will be packed.  The so-called Zimmerman Option, which calms traffic, improves livability and supports multi-modal transportation (read cycling, pedestrians, buses etc), has been recommended by the T-Board.  Those opposing this plan are proposing a widened, 4/5 lane road past the Eastern Area neighborhood with a traffic signal at Central.  The council can decide to do anything they want - and unfortunately the loudest side often carries the day. So, we have the facts on our side - now we need the voices of the people who will send emails to countycouncil@lacnm.us, and show up and speak up at the Feb 7 meeting.

Below is a statement of support that explains the proposed "Zimmerman Plan" and its benefits, and has links to more details.  Select points and benefits that are especially meaningful to you and send them to CC in an email and/or speak about them at the meeting on the 7th.  This email and attachment can be forwarded to like-minded friends.  For those who want to see Trinity Drive become a safer, multi-modal street that also addresses the needs of adjacent homes and businesses, your support is essential and appreciated.  Now is truly the time for, "Speak now or forever hold your peace."

This is to ask your support - email the county council (countycouncil@lacnm.us) / attend the County Council meeting, Tues, Feb 7th at 7:00 at the Community Building Council Chambers (475 20th St, next to Ashley Pond on the Ruby K side) - for the Zimmerman option for the east end of NM 502 with a roundabout at the Central/Trinity intersection. This option, proposed by County Engineer Kyle Zimmerman, is a compromise plan based on designs and ideas considered by the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC). Transportation Board endorsed this option at their Jan. 19, 2012 meeting.  The County’s NM 502 web site has a description and drawings of the Plan. 

(http://www.losalamosnm.us/projects/publicworks/Pages/NM502TrinityDriveCorridorStudy.aspx)

The Zimmerman plan with a roundabout supports the County’s goals and street design policy in the following ways.

• Respects and accommodates adjacent residents by reducing motor vehicle speeds to 35 mph near the Eastern Area Neighborhood through road design, using widened medians at Airport Rd. and Tewa Loop, and single thru lanes in each direction near Eastern Area.  This reduces noise by about 4 dB in this area. 

• Accommodates pedestrians by providing HAWK crossings at both East Park and east of Canyon Road, and roundabout crossings at Central Ave.  Buffered sidewalks are included on both sides of the road.

• Considers needs of multi modal transportation by preserving sufficient right-of-way east of Central Ave. so that bike lanes and bus stops can be accommodated.

• Links and improves physical and visual access to our commercial areas on both Trinity Drive and Central Avenue by the roundabout at Central. 

• Improves safety for all users by calming traffic with widened medians, roundabouts, HAWK crossings, and single thru lanes in each direction.

• Improves the environment and livability with a roundabout at Central that reduces vehicle delays and stops and reduces vehicle pollution emissions.

• Incorporates best planning practices of professional traffic engineers.  The Plan’s lane configurations and roundabout designs have been analyzed by Kyle Zimmerman P. E. and by professional traffic engineering firms Parsons/Brinkerhoff and Ourston Roundabout Engineering.  These professional engineers have found that the Plan accommodates our projected traffic volumes until the year 2030.

The Zimmerman plan was arrived at after a long and difficult process that began over a year ago.  No interest group obtained everything they wanted in this plan, but it is a good compromise that accommodates our projected traffic volumes and fulfills many of the goals of the County’s street design policy. We strongly urge Council to pass this option so that we can get on with the task of upgrading NM 502 to a road that serves the needs of all corridor users.

Below is a comment from Khal Spencer, local cycling enthusiast and advocate, who has been following and working with this project closely:

Dina is right. Make your opinion heard. Loudly and clearly, but rationally.

This is a very political decision based on relative values of unimpeded vehicle throughput (i.e., high level of service during rush hour), speeds, and pedestrian safety.  A lot of the resistance to the Kyle plan is based on the perceived need for more capacity and what I consider outlandish requirements for high level of service (of course, I spent decades on Long Island and in Honolulu).  If you want to see how to waste dollars, take a look at Diamond Drive. It is a speedway and HUGELY over capacity even at rush hour.

But on the hill, capacity is limited by the two laner farther down the hill.  Not to mention, future changes in the price of gasoline and its impact on commuters from Espanola, Santa Fe, and elsewhere. My doubts were not with the modeling being done by the citizens group, which was quite good, but with the assumptions on future growth being based on past practice. As long as we have the right of way intact, we can add more asphalt if it really becomes necessary.

Once in town, I think we might actually need more than two lanes since you really don’t want a congested downtown during rush hour. In between is a transition zone.

Frankly, none of the options are perfect for everyone, hence what five ( I think) of us who voted yes saw as a compromise solution. None of the options are terribly “bicycle friendly” unless you are already a pretty serious rider. Frankly, I enjoy Trinity as it is because if someone wants to pass me, they have another lane.  Central is a bother for me because it bottles up traffic behind me. Two lane options with bike lanes result in right hook crashes at intersections, such as the cyclist who got clipped last week at Diamond and Sandia.

If the county wants something that any potential bicyclist would enjoy, it needs further thought and potentially a “European Solution”. I personally voted for the Zimmerman option on the T Board. Probably the last vote I will cast, since I am term limited off the board at the end of February. Whew.

Get involved if you want to influence the outcome.

Khal Spencer

IM World Championship, Kona, Oct 8, 2011

Watch out - this is a long one...
As usual, I will include some stuff leading up to the race, as this is a week long set of festivities, not just a single day. We arrived on Tuesday, just in time for the Keiki Dip n Dash. Our sixth grader Ben came along with Dan and me, although the other two kids, being older, stayed home with my visiting Mom. We were also joined by Greg Geoffrion, Nancy Johnson, and Fred and Mindy Shelley from Los Alamos. My cousin and her partner from San Francisco rounded out the cheering section. Frankly, it's easy to come up with spectators, when you are racing in such a nice place to visit.

They had two races – one for the younger kids, followed by one for the older. Ben did great, and it was funny to watch all of the highly competitive parents with their kids during the race. Not that you could include me in that generalization (ha!). Liz Sponagle (from Santa Fe's Running Hub, and also racing on Saturday) was able to join in the spectating fun with us as well. Liz had a hotel right downtown, and therefore needed no car. The rest of us, for a variety of reasons, were staying up in Waikoloa, about 25 miles north of Kailua-Kona. It was nice to be out of the fray, but we found ourselves driving down a lot, so that was a pain.

Immediately after the kids race, the Parade of Nations, with all athletes welcome to walk in it, went down Ali'i Drive, starting at the Kim Kam hotel (race headquarters) and finishing in the Expo, which opened that evening. Tons of gear reps here, including some that were allowing you to demo running shoes, bikes, etc. (Dan and Greg arranged for two hour demos of Argon18 bicycles for the following morning). Having said all this, though, we have learned that especially for our arrival day, this is the best time to skip the festivities, and head straight to our favorite restaurant, the Kona Brewing Company for beer and pizza. Which we did. Ben caught geckos, while the rest of us enjoyed the wide beer selection. Still time for the Expo afterwards, and the crowds had thinned a little by then. Opportunities to visit with pros abound throughout the week.

That's Craig Alexander, the eventual record-setting winner, with Ben, and the following day Mirinda Carfrae, second this year and first place last year, signed some stuff for our absent cross-country runners (John, and Emily Johnson) that was spot-on encouragement.

Gatorade was not a sponsor this year, but PowerBar Peform was, and they sponsored the daily morning swim. They set up a booth where you can check in your gear and go for a swim, and not have to worry about anything while you are out. The swells were high all week, and I hadn't swum in my cool Tyr Torque swim skin since last October, so I was glad to get out there and check out the suit and the conditions. The coffee boat serves up coffee, and PerforM for those who wish to swim by and rest on their ropes.

We were too late to register on Tuesday, so Liz and I took care of that while the guys rode bikes with our helmets Wednesday morning. It was quick, and extremely well run, as you would expect. We each got a bag of stuff, Wheaties, PowerBer, etc. No finisher's T-shirt or cap yet - you don't get those until after you cross that line. The athlete's bracelet was bright orange with a commemorative "KONA ATHLETE" written on it, as well as your number. I guess some people do something clever with these after the race.

Thursday was the popular Underpants Run. Dan, Ben, Greg, and Nancy all participated. Liz and I, with an upcoming race, chose to sit this one out... we were tapering, you know.

Lunch was at Lava Java, a favorite restaurant for many, including Normann Stadler (two -time winner) who was nice, but seemed a bit peeved he had to share the wall with Fred, rather than have a seat at a table like the rest of us.

We spent the afternoon at one of my favorite snorkel spots, next to the Place of Refuge, where we hung out easily for more than an hour in the water with a resting pod of dolphins. It was spectacular. You are not allowed to approach dolphins and turtles, but what can you do when they come to you?! Afterwards, we visited the National Historic Monument and took our annual tiki photos. Ben is wearing this year's official Underpants Run shirt - they raised over $12,000 for West Hawaii Special Olympics last year. And his Biest Milch tattoo got him another free T-shirt this morning. The lesson from this year's race: do not bring too many clothes. I think we each wore a different free T-shirt for the first three days.

Thursday was the pre-race banquet; Friday was gear drop; and Saturday, the race. Up early in order to get body marked, and organized, make my kajillion bathroom stops, and then wonder what to do with myself. It was nice to be able to get myself situated and then come out and hang out with Dan and Ben out of the crowded area. I saw Liz early-on in the body marking tent, but never again after that. I did find my TriSports.com teammate Karin, and spent some time with her in our usual spot in transition before we headed out for the deep water start.

The swells were unpleasant during the swim. Similar to last year, I tried to stay out of most people's way, and succeeded fairly well, though occasionally got pinched by people on both sides and would have to re-group to find open water again. I tried sighting off of the swimmers around me rather than using landmarks this year. The swells were enough that I was worried that if I pulled my head out too many times to look up and around, I would end up getting seasick. Once again, I was reminded about how nice an ocean swim is where you can see the coral and fish. It easily helps you note forward progress, and is just more interesting. Most cool was the pod of dolphins we swam over on our way back in. They were fairly deep down, but not so deep that you didn't get a great view of them.

Out on the bike was great. It's always long, and around 2 hours into it, I found myself losing focus, and really working hard with little to show for it. So I took time to do a little housekeeping - slathered some sunscreen on both shoulders, had a salt pill, and essentially just got my head back into the game. And it actually worked! Continuing on, the ride went smoothly, and most notable, was the lack of wind. That's not to say that it wasn't blowing, and it really did out near the wind turbine farm near the Hawi turnaround, but it wasn't that nasty Hawai'i "head wind no matter what direction you're going" that I have run into in the past. It definitely helped me have my fastest split ever. Although, it did make certain areas very hot, since the wind also helps keep you cool.

Back in T2, I took a bathroom break, got more sunscreen, and was out on the course looking for family. Dan had done a great job of getting everyone to good spectating spots so I could see them multiple times throughout the bike and run. (Although, while I was way out on the Queen K, Dan and the gang were able to have a nice little race respite up at a coffee farm we had discovered a few years ago. What a delightful break, up in the quiet coolness of 2000').

Anyone who's seen any of my other blogs, knows this is the key moment of a race for me - a high five with one of our kids. That's Ben's hand.

The first 10 miles were fun. It's out and back along Ali'i Drive and lined with spectators, and is still early enough that you are excited to be off your bike and running. Even heading up Palani hill wasn't too bad and I was thinking I'd do alright today. And then, the long slog out the Queen K towards the Energy Lab. What a killer. I slowed way down. Decided it was OK to walk through every aid station, be selective about what they had to offer, and basically checked out. Then, and I have no idea what did it, somehow I was able to turn it around and get focused again, so that as I headed into the Energy Lab, I was back into a decent run pace. Which I was able to maintain for the rest of the race. Of course, I cannot run a complete marathon without at least one bathroom stop, so it was necessary to spend more than 2 minutes in the port-a-loo at mile 19, after having just passed two women in my age group leading up to it. It couldn't be helped, though. I was able to get back into it, though, afterwards and continued on my run (yes, it was a run, not a slow miserable shuffle) back to town. I saw Dan and Ben up on the highway, which was a huge finishing boost.

Finished with one of my fastest miles, and best yet - beat the sunset. This has been my goal all four times I have raced here, and this was the first time I actually did it. And with sunset around 6:25 PM, and crossing the line at 6:03PM, there was no question that the sun was still up. I hadn't looked at my watch since 4:30 in the afternoon when I realized that I should be done before the sun, and so hadn't realized just how close I was to breaking 11 hours. But so what; the closest I've ever come to that before was in 2007, when I ran an 11:23. I was totally psyched. Came in 10th in my age group, another personal best at Kona. It was a lot of fun, in that weird sort of Ironman way.

The day after activities include the post-race banquet, which we skipped. We did make it down to Polulu Valley for a nice hike to a black sand beach, and a great opportunity to just stretch out after a long previous day. Sorry to see the trip end. As usual.

Elephant Man Long Course -- THE first in New Mexico!

Elephant Man Long Course Triathlon

Well, New Mexico’s first Long Course Triathlon is finally a reality. And, it definitely lived up to all the hype and anticipation. I can say for sure that this is definitely the most difficult long course race course I’ve ever done. I won’t say that it was a death march or anything like that, but it was definitely not for the under-prepared. I really enjoyed the course and felt like it went by fairly quickly, except for a couple of sections. If you’re up for a big triathlon challenge, this one is for you.

I’m pretty serious about challenging our tri folks to take on some of the bigger local triathlons. It’s kind-of frustrating to see so much effort being put into these bigger races, but then have the turn-out be somewhat lighter than it should be because people are either too scared to take that next step to swim in open water, or won’t drive the tiny little bit farther, or are “training” for a “real” triathlon somewhere else. Well, I can tell you that there’s plenty of real challenge right nearby. That being said, this is probably THE best bang for the buck, and the scene at Elephant Man is pretty cool.

We have made the trip down to the Elephant Man 4 times now, and it never disappoints. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to take on the first long course race in NM, and after reviewing that course and knowing the terrain in the area, I was extra motivated. Again, this one was the real deal, and if you have designs on stepping up to the Ironman, you should do the Elephant Man long course first.

We have fully subscribed to the “camp right there” plan because it just works with a little one in tow. Not only are we skipping the morning commute to the race, but we have so much fun playing on the beaches and in the water at these open water venues. It’s the best time. Elephant Butte is like a second chance at a real summer time weekend in late September. The water is still warm and the air can even get a little hot. This year was the hottest weather we have had yet, but it still wasn’t too bad.

Camping out was great for this year’s race: my race started at 7:00 A.M. Dina’s started at 8:05 A.M., and Suzie Schillaci was so kind to watch Mila for us. That was a big deal, as I was gonna be out for the better part of 5 hrs and Dina would take nearly 3 hrs. We didn’t have to go far to set up transition and got to test out the water all we wanted the day before. Plus, it’s just nice to camp right next to water. We were luckier with this year’s situation, as the Park limited camping to mostly just race participants. Things quieted down a lot earlier than usual and we all got to sleep with no problem.

The water level was also very low this year, due to the drought. If you compare this year’s pics with those of 2007, 08, 09 and even last year, it’s clear that the lake has lost a LOT of water. It looked like little more than some puddles surrounded by the desert hills and mountains, whereas other years it looked pretty good, especially 2008.

Because of the low water level, they had to make an unusual swim pattern, but it worked out pretty well. It was a “T”, but with the top part the longest and the “tail” the shorter part. With the low light at the start and the color of the buoys, we had some trouble sighting at the front of the race. We rounded the second left turn and it was a long way to the far end of the T-crossing. The kayak volunteers were floating back and forth, and at times they obscured our view to the far end turn buoy. That caused a group of us to get off course for a few minutes. The guys in the big boats (mainly Kori Mannon’s dad, Ron) yelled at us to head left and get back on course. Thanks to him, it wasn’t a long way out of our way, but still added a fair bit of extra swimming. The first two guys didn’t get off as much as my next group of four.

I made it out of the water in 4th and passed the 3rd place guy in transition. I caught the 2nd place guy before we even got out of the park, so I figured 1st (Justin Newcomer) was just up ahead. I pretty much just figured I’d forget about him and ride my own race and quickly settled into a steady and comfortable rhythm. I was actually enjoying my ride and the air was nice and cool, with just a slight breeze out of the northwest. I had actually forgotten about the 1st place guy until I saw him on the two big climbs out of Monticello Canyon. Those are two pretty big hills, so he looked closer than he was. I didn’t catch him until we got to the crossing of I-25. He was going pretty well, so I was happy to catch up to him.

We stayed on the Olympic course until that big aid station at the Sierra County airport, where we made the turn out onto the longest and most lonely stretch of the whole race. This section was like going onto the dark side of the moon. It was a 30 mile out-and-back on a pretty lonely stretch of highway in some desolate terrain. It is pretty out there, but in that desolate, southern New Mexico way.

Soon, that little light breeze began to be a wind. It was picking up steadily as we made our way to the semi-ghost town of Cuchillo. We got a little respite from the steady grind with the descent into Cuchillo, but then were punished with the long climb into the wind out of Cuchillo. This was probably the most difficult part of the race and I was glad I had put on a lower gear on my race wheels than I normally use in a race like this. My speed dropped down to a crawl.

There was no relief once at the top of the climb. In fact, the wind was now blowing with some authority and it was right in our face. There is a slight, but relentless grade on that road, as it heads toward the foothills of the Black Range toward the more famous “ghost town” of Winston. It was just a mental test to keep it together on that stretch. I decided to back off a bit and use the time to ensure I was eating and drinking enough. I knew the run was going to be harder than usual, so I figured I would be smart and conserve where I could. I also knew that my closest rivals would likely see me in the distance and probably work too hard to try to pull me back. Another thing I made sure I did was stand up and stretch a lot, despite the stiff headwind, since my back now gets very achy in the aero position for more than an hour. It really affects my run more than it used to.

It was all a very good strategy, but it was a bit scary to see those guys getting close at the far-end turnaround. I kept my head about me and just slowly dialed it up on the way back, not losing my cool and burning out too quickly. On the way back, we had the tailwind with the slight downhill. It was a super fast section and one that took concentration and leg speed. It was also 15 miles, so it got tiring. We got a break, albeit a scary one, on the frightening descent into Cuchillo. The wind was buffeting our aero wheels as we wound down to the base of the canyon and the town. It was fun, though!

Climbing out was actually a welcome relief from the hunched position we had to be in the previous 10 miles. Then, it was back at it with the tight aero position and the super-speedy efficient pedaling.

The final stretch on the Olympic course was fast and fun, and it seemed like the bike wasn’t so bad when I got into Elephant Butte. But, a check on the watch told a different story: 2:32 for the 56 miles is a long time for me. Even on a slow year at Buffalo Springs, I do about a 2:25, so that gives you some idea of how challenging this course is. It was all fun, though.

Into transition, I knew I had a lead, but didn’t know by how much. About 3 guys were pacing together to pull me back at the far turn around, but I knew I had ridden well those last 20 miles. I knew I had gained some of my time back, but didn’t know by how much. The main thing was that I felt quite good and had good energy going into the run and still was in the lead. I felt confident.

I did the transition just like I would have if it were an Olympic. I hit the run and quickly settled into a long-distance rhythm that I think I held the entire way without falter. It actually felt good at first, although it was a burn on my legs to get up that “dam hill” at mile one. I felt the small pangs of cramps, but they quickly diminished once I stretched it out over that dirt dam stretch.

Everything was going GREAT until about mile 4, when I started to notice that the bottoms of my feet were getting hot and quite uncomfortable. I sort of ignored it for another mile, but then just before the mile 6 aid station (where the Olympic turned down that dirt hill), I had to make a stop to loosen my laces. That helped for a few moments, but climbing the long hill off of that dam, they were really getting pissed off at me. The road surface was just too rough for the lightweight soles on my racing flats. I needed beefier shoes (or tougher feet) for those surfaces and the heat wasn’t helping.

I tried lifting my toes when I landed; I tried landing on different parts of my foot and pushing off differently too. It was much more of a problem on the uphills because I needed to land on my forefoot and push off aggressively. It became agonizing by mile 7.

I took only one gel on the whole run, then figured I had enough energy and electrolytes to make it through the race. I started taking on just water, about a cup per aid station. At the 8 mile aid station, I spilled water on myself and when a little trickled into my shoes, I noticed it made them feel better, just a little. I was so happy about that, because the hills just kept coming and there was not one section of that long course run (especially the "extra" part that we did…) that was flat…not one section!

So, I got extra water cups at each of the aid stations and took a few seconds each time to pour it on my feet. It helped a little and kept me from just losing it.

Finally, we had a steep dirt trail/arroyo to climb, followed by a mile of sandy hills before turning onto the long climb back up to the ridge above the lake. My feet were toast, but that was with 3 miles to go, so I just put it out of my mind and tried to push harder. Up to that point, I tempered my running because of my feet. It was like I was trying to run on eggshells. It probably kept me from running too hard, but I wanted to run harder.

With one mile to go (the run down the steep sandy “dam hill”), I kicked it into gear and finished strongly. In the end, I was tired, but it was my feet that limited my race the most. I spoke to 2nd overall, Richard Sena, who had a very strong and smart race, and he said he had the exact same problem and was limping on hamburger feet too. So, I suppose it was an even situation…he still outran me by 3 to 4 minutes. My feet didn't look good after the race -- like a bubbling hot slice of pepperoni pizza on the bottoms. As I write this, they're still very sore and sensitive and dicolored from the blood blisters, etc. Gotta love triathlons!


I was so pleased with the race overall, despite missing my goal time of 4:40 by about 4 minutes. That’s pretty good for a long-course time estimate. And, I was happy to have accomplished such a tough race finish.

They have an awesome race course there and it would be cool to see more people step up to the challenge. In the end, only 63 people crossed the line. Hats off to all of them. That is a huge accomplishment.

And of course, I want to send out a HUGE congratulations to all of you Triatomics racers who gave it everything to pull in some great results, both long course and the Olympic. I'm always SO impressed with how we do as a group.

Enchanted Forest Trail Festival

Enchanted Forest Trail Festival off-road Duathlon

First of all, a big thanks to those of you who made it out. I know it's tough to commit to something with family and on such short notice. But in the end, it was a great weekend for camping, hanging out and especially for doing this type of event. It's something that any of you who like off-road and mountain adventure should do.

I’ll spare you all the details of how we worked on getting this together and everything that I had to do to make it happen. Suffice it to say that I now realize that a day of chainsaw work is not all that detrimental to preparing for a ½ Ironman the following week =) A big thanks to Dina, who kept encouraging me and filling in the gaps left at home during the time that I was working on this race. It actually turned out to be a great course.

Speaking of the course, I thought it was beautiful. It was also challenging, especially at that altitude. I will admit that the run was a bit long: probably about 2.5km per loop instead of the advertised 2km per loop. Throw in the forest and mountain obstacles, and that turns out to be a pretty tough addition. The bike course was not much over the 10km per loop, but some thought it was longer than it was. Again, chalk it up to the challenge and altitude. I patterned these courses after what I’ve seen at XTERRA events, and in particular, the XTERRA Indian Peaks at the Eldora Alpine and Nordic ski areas. My bike time was exactly the same, but they do say their race course is 12km per loop, if that gives any reference.

The runs took in both wide and open xc ski trails, along with some very forested terrain that serves as the snowshoe trails in the winter. It had been raining a lot in the weeks before the race, so everything was green and wet.

Running at altitude is tough and takes a lot of people by surprise. I think we triathletes are especially surprised, but that is what makes doing these types of events great. They’re different! Even though I ran a grand total of only 51+ minutes at this little event, it served me well the following weekend at the half-IM I did at the Elephant Man because it was so tough.

The bike course was also very interesting and required a variety of skills. There were never any LONG sloggy climbs, but there were plenty of tough hills and slow stretches to make it a very hard workout. The return leg on the “Northwest Passage” xc ski trail had plenty of fast and fun riding, with just enough technical challenge thrown in to make it interesting for the real mountain bikers. This was a very ride-able course and Dina even enjoyed it. That’s saying something from an arguably non-mountain biker.

The cool gray weather, wet forest and green environment made for a beautiful day of racing. I was a little bummed that we weren’t able to see Wheeler Peak out on the “Piece de Resistance” (pronounced with a French accent) trail at the far end of the course, but the low foggy clouds and cold air made for a real Pacific Northwest experience. The course and challenge was hailed (almost universally) as awesome.

That afternoon, the GetOut!NM team hosted a cyclocross clinic that actually had an impressive turnout. I was pretty psyched to see how many people were interested in the clinic and the camping.

The next day, there were two (actually advertised as four different races) consolidated practice cyclocross races. These were a lot of fun and there were just enough guys and gals from around the state to make them interesting. We found a GREAT ‘cross course that had lots of real cyclocross elements: grass, grassy run-ups, boggy areas, really muddy corners, fast sections, wooded downhills, etc. It was a lot of fun.

I jumped in at the last second just to add to the mix. It was fast off the start with some quick-starting juniors, but the altitude probably got to them quickly and I was able to capitalize on the high concentrations of lactic acid coursing through their bodies and ended up on my own after the first lap. I worked on finding good lines and speeding up where I could, especially over the barriers. It had been a while since I’d done a ‘cross race, but I’ve done a lot of them in my life and the XTERRA racing I’ve done helped me to handle the run-ups and barrier sections. It was a blast.

Hopefully, this event will grow in popularity. We’ll likely attempt it one more time and see what kind of turn-out we get.