From Kona to Ironman Coeur d'Alene

The journey to Ironman Coeur d'Alene began a year ago at a hotel near the bike course of Ironman Kona. Knowing how Ironman races fill up close to the opening of the online registration I knew I'd have to do it from this hotel room. Thus the title of this post. The year that I dedicated to preparing my body for the Ironman had its highs and its lows. The shortened list of lows included: disappointing times at the Harvest Moon half-iron triathlon, three marathons where I struggled to finish them under 5 hours, vomiting on the second run during the Atomic man duathlon, plus failed training goals and weight loss goals. Some of the highs included the establishment of a successful energy conservation plan at the Superfrog triathlon, a personal best at Jay Benson Triathlon, meeting certain training plan objectives, establishing a reasonable nutritional plan, plus meeting a special lady who is attempting to understand this obsession with the sport of triathlon.

Before I begin the formal race report I'd like to thank those along the way who have helped me reach this longtime goal of mine. There are those who brought me into this sport after I had long past considered that an Ironman was not something I was going to do in this lifetime, specifically, Kai Kadau and Partha Rangaswamy. Then there are those who got me out there to train even when it would have been much easier for me to back out. Especially when I realized that I was severely behind the training schedule laid out for me, namely, Rob Aulwes and Tim "Bad" Gallegos. My success can also be attributed to Martin for preparing a training plan that I could work with as well as introducing me to energy conservation strategies. Then there are the numerous others who knowingly or unknowingly provided me with encouragement along the way.

Pre-race

As the race date approached there were many things flying through my head all evidence of the fact that I had a good dose of pre-race jitters, nervousness, and taper anxiety. Questions running through my head were things like what do I put in my special needs bags? For that matter what is a special needs bag? Do I ride on my carbon tubular wheels or do I go with the clinchers? How do I make sure that I eat and drink enough while not eating or drinking too much? What are my specific fluid intake requirements? How much electrolyte do I need to take in? How do I avoid the urge to hammer hard on the bike where I feel comfortable and still retain enough strength and energy to complete the marathon? Do I need to get the neoprene swim booties and swim hat on account of the reported lake temperature being in the mid-50s? Am I ready? And the list goes on and on.

When I would tell people especially my family members, there would be this long pause followed by "Okay!," "Are you nuts?," "You are crazy," or my favorite quote from my step-father, "Is the race sponsored by a mortician?"

When I got into the tapering portion of the training plan, I struggled with wanting to put in that extra workout to "make up" for my missed workouts in the prior weeks. Realizing that it would take approximately two days for me to drive up to Coeur d'Alene, ID and that if I stayed in Los Alamos I would be all the more tempted to get another long ride in. So on Sunday, June 15th I began my journey to Coeur d'Alene. The goal was to arrive at my special lady's sister's house on Wednesday June 18th. In addition this would give me time to relax along the way and settle into the final week of training approximately 4 hours worth. Also it gave me an opportunity to exercise some mental training for the upcoming race. Namely, I was going to try to exercise my plan of energy conservation in driving up to Coeur d'Alene by focusing on minimizing gas consumption in my not so eco-friendly Ford Explorer. So when the hills loomed ahead of me on the road instead of gunning the engine to crest the hill I allowed the vehicle to crest the hills a the lowest motor rpms while maintaining a sufficient speed. This was going to be my plan to apply during the Ironman.

On Thursday, June 19th, I took a 45 minute swim in the lake. The realization that I had failed water walking training as all exposed body parts cooled. At this time I was thankful for having that little extra "fat" insulation upon my body. Later in the day I stood in line to pick up my race packet and pick up my souvenirs for the race. Looking around me everywhere there were people running, riding, and swimming. Well this did not help my nerves one bit so I decided to drive the bike course. In driving the bike course it was definitely apparent that the bike course would be one of the most challenging bike courses I have ever raced on with the exception of the Fat Man course here. The course had lots of curves and "rolling" hills with grades approaching 7 or 8 percent in places. This caused me further anxiety which prompted a call to Clay. Thanks Clay for settling my nerves and giving me a strategy in dealing with these hills.

Friday, I found a quiet stretch of road to both run and ride upon. For those of you unaware of the Ironman experience, on Friday night a banquet is prepared for all the racers and inspirational videos of the Ironman experience is shared to provide inspiration. Some of the inspirational people present at the banquet included a double amputee who competed in Ironman Kona. Also present were some people who in the last 8 months preparing for this race had lost 86 pounds. There were those who were of the older generation still getting out there and racing. On my way home my brother-in-law leaked a secret to me as a result of my worrying about my sister. My mother was on her way with my sister. Talk about the emotions that began to flow. I would have watching me the following family members: father, step-mother, mother, sister, niece, nephew, and girl friend. What a crowd. Four of which had decided on Wednesday or Thursday to come up from Sonora, CA and Reno, NV.

Saturday found me trying to act surprised at my mothers presence, picking up my girlfriend from the Spokane airport, enjoying all the family members present, and worrying about what they all would be doing while I was racing on Sunday.

The Race

At 4:15 am I found myself on the way to the race course. Complete with all of my food that I had prepared for the race. The day dawned with low settling fog. I took this to mean that the the race would not have a lot of wind. Later I would realize this was a misread of the weather of the day. At the race venue I prepared my bike and myself for the race.

At 6:25 am the Pros were off while the amateurs were funneled to the beach. It was a slow walking mass of neoprene moving to the beach for the mass start at 7 am. Knowing that I struggle with the water I wandered to the outer flanks and to the back of the pack. There I tried to pick out a line to follow. Well my following the line did not work out as was evidenced by my getting to know the lifeguard who told me which way I needed to go. Thanks to the life guards directions I found my way back to the course. On course I realized I was with people as the thrash fest resumed. Done with the first lap I looked at my watch approx 56 minutes. Back in the lake with an idea as to where the course was I was done with the swim after 1:46. Thus my second lap was 50 minutes. Guess my adventure on the first lap took an extra 6 minutes. Yes I need to work on my directional skills, as well as, my swimming speed.


The transition area was well equipped with many volunteers. The wetsuit came off easier than it went on. They helped me change into my bike jersey over the wet body. Upon exiting the changing tent a couple of ladies applied ample sunscreen. It felt good being pampered and cared for like no other race that I have been too.
It was now time to bike. I settled into a comfortable pace for me passing numerous people along the way. There was a temptation try to make up my lost time but echoing in my mind was Martin's and Clay's advice conserve your energy. Fuel up. The course took you down an edge of the lake with beautiful scenery then you turned around to head out toward Hayden Lake. On the first lap, I settled into a habit of eating, drinking, and riding. The uphills drove the heart rate up while the downhills I coasted and let the heart rate drop low. Going up I'd pass a particular lady, going down the lady would pass me. I had to comment on this game we were playing. On the flats though I settled into a rhythm which left her behind. She caught me while I took my stop at the porta potty. Filling up the back of my jersey with a new supply of food at the special needs stop. On the way I saw three pros on the run course with Victor Zymetsev in third closing in on the second place runner. Around the center of town, I passed my cheering section where my sandwich fell out of my back pocket. I wouldn't know it was gone until I started up to the hilly portion of the course. Realizing it was missing I decided the clif bar was the alternative. Taking two bites of the clif I turned one of the technical corners to be faced with an major uphill. What timing I had? The remaining portion of the bike had similar poor timings. But I tried to find humor in the situation and remain cool.

Into the changing tent to change into the tri-jersey. Let's see do I have every thing for the run. Yep. Out of the changing tent and to the run, I went. Over the timing mat, oh but wait where is my race number? The photo captures the panic of it all.

The first half of the marathon took approximately 2 hours 30 minutes. I was feeling great. At mile 14 the cramps began to set in. My left hamstring and my right calf. I had a solution in my special needs bag with the electrolytes present there. Well I got to the special needs area open up my bag to find no electrolytes. So I downed a gel and some pretzels and soon the cramps were gone. I was feeling relatively strong. As I passed mile 18, the normal area where my prior marathons deteriorate yet I was feeling still very great. At mile 20, I look at the time on my watch and realize I could get close to a 14 hour Ironman race if I keep this current pace. At 4 km to go my body began to revolt. So much for my 14 hour race. Walking about a mile and a half I made my way toward the finish line.


About three quarters of a mile left, I decide I must finish this race in style. I begin to run. My sister and nephew greet me at the final turn. They begin to run with me but seeing finish line and not wanting to be disqualified. I shewed them away to run to the finish. Doing a victory flight, a race volunteer sprints to get waiting niece. The niece charges me grabbing my hand throwing me slightly off balance. She then changes direction for the finish line and we cross in step.

Post race included willing volunteers to monitor my health and well being but beyond waited my sweetie who escorted me to the massage tent. This was a sweet end to my "Sweet 16-triathlon."

For those of you who thrive on a challenge, are willing to contribute many hours to training, want to experience the joy of accomplishment, discover the limits of your own body, experience the best supported race you'll ever do, ... I thoroughly recommend adding an Ironman to your race calendar in the future. I am planning on doing another one in the future.

Farmington Four Corners XTERRA trip report

Just a few notes about the inaugural Four Corners XTERRA held in Farmington 06/07/08. I traveled out Friday late with another Los Alamos local (non-Triatomics member but I'm working on her) Kim Katko. It was nice to be able to pick up registration packets early race morning. It was even nicer to meet Laurie Goddard and Paul Graham in the parking lot of our hotel race morning and simply follow them over to the right spot. One of the hassles in Farmington, similar to their Grady Williams race, is that the swim start and the finish line are in different places so you have to arrange your own ride, or wait for a shuttle back to the start at the end of the race. It was nice being able to pick up packets, drop off bikes in T2/finish area (swim, run, bike order), and then leave one vehicle there, and take the other with all four of us over to the start/T1 area. There was lots of concern early on (months before race day) about water temperature, but it was 68F and fine. Still glad I had my wetsuit, although some hardy souls decided to go without. Hint for Farmington races: the area around Farmington Lake is sandy so it is nice to bring a little washtub with you that you can fill with lake water, leave next to your run stuff in T1, and then nicely rinse off your feet before putting on your run gear.
The swim was a two loop - you actually had to return to the beach and run up about 20 yards to re-enter again for the second loop - a lot like IM FL, and a nice break for my wussy arms. It's a brief sandy run to the transition area lined with fake green grass/carpet. Dunk my feet, strip my wetsuit, take forever to put my socks and shoes on, and I was off on the relatively firm trail around the lake leading to a mixed sandy/firm trail under the power lines over to Lion's Head Amphitheater. It was fairly well marked, although there were definitely a few places it was easy to veer off course. The sandy pits at the bottom of all of the little hills were a bit of a pain but overall not too bad. I came into T2 the number 4 woman, just behind another "old" lady (she was 46!), but thanks to my fear of clipless pedals on a mountain bike, I headed out of T2 ahead of her. A lead I promptly lost thanks to my inability to negotiate an early sand patch. As has been noted by other bloggers this year, practice riding the bike you're going to race on certainly helps your chances of succeeding. Dan had built me a very cool, new mtn bike this year but I had only taken the opportunity to ride it about 6 times prior to the race. My road bike practice came in handy for the few times we got on dirt roads and I was able to just put the hammer down, but my lack of mountain biking prowess became clear in all of the little twists and turns and sand pits. What's better than strongly grazing a tree because you can't make the turn in time? Doing it in front of a volunteer so that they ask if you're OK with a bit of a worried sound to their voice. Oops. I passed my closest competitor on one of the roads, but she soon passed me once it got technical again and that was the last I saw her. I was passed by another woman at some point as well, early in the ride. The ride itself was really quite fun - lots of whoop de doos, decent surface, very pretty, open scrub like the trail along the canyon rim in White Rock. Part of it is on the well-known Road Apple bike trail. There were two significant downhills on the course, both of which I very unabashedly walked. I knew I could ride them, but I also knew I wanted to come home to Dan and the kids without a cast. Sure could use more practice on that bike!
By the end of the race, I was pretty much all by myself on the trail (except for those volunteers - of which there were plenty), but it was well marked so I didn't get lost. I finished fifth woman overall, and quickly hooked up with 2 or 3 of the other women who had finished ahead of me and we all had a good laugh at my inability on the bike. The 46 year old made a comment about the fact that watching me after I had passed her on the bike, she knew she had me, because I just didn't look that comfortable and adept. No kidding.
Laurie came in soon after me and we both discussed how well-run the race had been. You never would have known it was their first year. And a very cool (pun intended) touch: they were handing out ice cold wet washcloths at the finish line - what a treat to wipe down with after the race. Laurie and I were able to go back and collect the car at the starting line, and come back and meet Kim and Paul dining on some excellent post-race cuisine. They had a very nice buffet meal setup. And for those who were interested in purchasing a race photo, the photographers already had proofs printed out so all you had to do was pick out your photos and you could purchase them on-site.
Nice awards as well - Mesa Verde-style ceramic bells for the top three in each age group.
Overall - a fun race, well run, and worth doing. The biggest drawback - having to choose between the Milkman and this race, as they were on the same day.

Cochiti Lake Brick #2
Sunday, July 13
Meet at Sullivan Field at 6 a.m. to carpool
~2500m swim + 24mi bike (feel free to adjust the distance for your own training needs)
Tina (or her son) will be kayaking behind the swimmers IF we can locate a kayak to borrow for the day... anyone have a spare one for such an occasion (and a way to transport it)? Last time the water temp. was around 72 and should be even warmer in a few weeks. Remember to bring lots of hydration, sunscreen, and a bright-colored swim cap.
FYI: Friday, July 25 has also been proposed as another date to do more training at Cochiti as well as a camping/brick outing to Heron Lake in mid-to-late August. More details soon!

Track Workout for Wednesday, June 25

If any of you are up for a group track workout, I think I'll be there at noon. The suggested workout is as follows:

400m warmup
Pyramid at 10km pace (fast group ~1:30 / 400m...adjust for your pace accordingly):

• 1x200
• 1x400
• 1x600
• 1x800
• 1x1000
• 1x800
• 1x600
• 1x400
• 1x200

See if you can pick it up on your way back down the pyramid. Use quick turnover and don't "overstride."

See you there.

Suggest swim workout and 400 timed interval

Many of you did the Cochiti swim yesterday and may not be ready for the "regular" Monday swim workout and timed 400. But, if you are, or can wait a day or two, here is a suggested workout:

6/23/08 Workout:
warm-up 500 yards
5 x 200 yds - alternate slow & fast each 50 (slow, fast, slow, fast)
100 easy kick: 1x50 flutter kick, 1x50 breaststroke kick
1 x 400 timed interval
200 to 500 yds, easy…pull bouy, paddles, fins, whatever…just easy
Total = 2,200 to 2,500 yds

Send me your timed 400 interval times if you do one.

Cochiti Lake Brick -- Report

**Follow-up to Cyndi's report: So sorry for your unlucky sequence of events... hopefully this won't completely deter you from joining future group bricks at Cochiti, because as you can see from the report below, sometimes it turns out really well.**

Kim, Susie, Paul, Tina, Rob A, Laurie, Ben, Bill, Joe and I and got up bright and early Sunday morning to head down to Cochiti for a swim/bike. After a slow reorganization of carpoolers etc., we headed south and got to the lake at about 8:10 and got all set up. Bill brought his kayak and Tina kayaked behind the group -- it was reassuring to know she was behind us if something came up. The water was around 72 degrees and pretty calm; everyone seemed glad they had their wetsuits on, which made the swim really comfortable. We swam a little more than a mile (well, OK, maybe more like 2800 meters, but who's counting?) which took ~1:10. We got all geared up, Laurie stayed to warm up from the swim and Tina joined us on the bike ride. We biked 24 miles through beautiful, rolling country into Cochiti Pueblo and back, taking ~1:40. A few firsts for people: this was Laurie's first open water swim, Joe rode his new bike (see pic!), Susie wore a wetsuit for the first time ever, and I tried out a full-length tri wetsuit for the first time--loved it by the way! Great group, great support, and a really fun "course". I'm already thinking about when we go back and do it again in July. In fact, I had so much fun that I came home and registered for Elephant Man! Here's a couple pics:

How *not* to do a Triatomics Cochiti Lake brick

The brick workout at Cochiti Lake sounded like a lot of fun and I needed some open water swim practice and to get used to my wetsuit again. So, I was in. My husband Mike had to attend a gathering in Santa Fe on Saturday evening for a departing coworker, so we loaded up the dogs and camper, headed down to Santa Fe, and then went to the campgrounds at Cochiti Lake after the going-away celebration. Settled in at a great campsite, beautiful night, slept really well . . .

Headed down to the boat docks at 7:30 AM. No sign of anyone. By 8:15 AM, I walk back up the hill to try to get some phone service. I don't have anyone's phone number, but I call Mike to see if he can see any swimmers from the overlook. Mike takes a look through the binoculars and thinks he sees a group of swimmers. Crap. I'm apparently in the wrong place! Oh, well. My fault. No reason to not get some open water swim practice in. Mike nicely agrees to come down and watch out for me in the water from shore. (We didn't bring the little inflatable boat with us as his newly plated collarbone is still healing and he cannot do the oars.) So, I put on my wetsuit. Dang! Before I know it, I've torn a 4 inch gash on the side. No matter. I swim back and forth for a bit. Probably just 1/2 hour or so. Decide to ride the bike out. I clip in, wait for a car to pass, and then, start to ride. I think. I don't know what I did, but I struggled for a second to unclip and then I'm landing on my elbow and hip. Double dang! I take a quick survey. Doesn't look too bad, just a little chunk out of my elbow, a blue knot on my arm, and some soreness on my hip bone. I think, "If I can get the shift hood moved back into the proper position, I can still do a ride. You're not hurt." Just to be extra careful since I'm covered in lake water, I decide to go back to the campsite to clean out the wounds. Since I've missed everyone, anyway, I decide to hang out with Mike before going back on the bike. He cooks a fabulous breakfast. After about 20 minutes since the fall, I then realize my iPhone and water bottle must have fallen out of my jersey (while Gu and everything else stayed in) when I fell.

Triple dang!

I rush down the hill and find my water bottle near the crash. No iPhone. Vanished! Someone must have picked it up as its guts were not all over the road. Not worried about the money as much as the personal data on it. Yikes!

So, I think I've consumed all the bad karma for Cochiti Lake bricks for the club for the season. Go ahead and enjoy! :-)

Tough Tuesday evening time trial!

Ooof! That was one dry, windy time trial. My throat is still stripped raw from that. It's always a shock to go out and make a hard effort for the first time in conditions that are that dry...and the wind made it a lot worse.

I felt pretty hurtin' the whole time. I was expecting that, as it seems to be the status quo this year. I tried a little harder than last week, where I sort of "dogged" it somewhat. After that water tank on the new bypass road, I was feeling pretty weak and just had to focus on getting the pedals over smoothly and not break form. That "not breaking form" thing really helps me when I'm not feeling so hot in all sports that I do: xc skiing, swimming, running, and biking. It helps to focus on that rather than how bad you may be feeling.

After all was said and done, I was not too disappointed in the effort...it will improve, hopefully. It was a tough day, and going through those always seems to help the next time you race or do a hard training effort.

The results are posted on the Triatomics website:
http://www.triatomics.org/bike_activities/bikeactivities.htm

Wednesday Track Workout 6/11/08

Track Workout courtesy of Scott Valdez:

Track workout out suggestion for 6-11/6-12-2008

Be at track ready to start warm-up at exactly 12:00pm.
1600 warm-up on grass
6x600 at 5K pace with 200 slow jog recovery between.
800 cool-down on grass

Ab work 3 x 25
crunches 3 x 10
hanging leg lifts 3 x 10
leg lifts lying down

Milkman Tri: "Would Recommend to a Friend"

So, I've never written a race report, but I wanted to share a few thoughts about the Milkman Tri held this past Saturday in Dexter, NM. You say, "Where is Dexter, NM?" Good question. It's pretty much out in the middle of nowhere, just past Roswell. Kim, Jeri and I pondered more than once how this race got started in such a remote location, but that being said, I have to say that it was one of the most fun, well-organized races I've done. It was very hot and windy which is apparently abnormal for this race so the course was probably more challenging than normal too. But, it's always nice to do an actual open water swim on a sprint-tri, something that is hard to find in this area. The bike course was relatively flat with a couple rollers toward the turn-around and the run was dry, dusty and hot but was also nice and flat. Fun course, good people, relaxed atmosphere, family-friendly environment, and one I would definitely make the trip to do again.
A few funny observations:
- the woman in my swim wave pointing out the big sign that's posted at the dock that states "No Swimming Allowed"
- knowing I could stand up if I needed to during the open water swim
- "Tyler from Texas" giving a very animated report about almost running into a cow crossing the road on his bike leg
- people talking about seeing a rattlesnake on the bike course and worrying about snakes on the run leg (part of the run is on a jeep trail through fields), myself included
- passing the farmer on the tractor who was helping direct people on the course and the farmer on the ATV checking on people during the bike leg
- having a 39 sec. T2 (I was right by the entrance/exit of the bike/run leg but ya' gotta take what you can, right?)
- being asked in regards to our new uniforms, "Are you one of THOSE?" and thumbing toward Clay. Here is a uniform shot:

- being asked if our club "kicked the Outlaws butt?"
- the cool and unique ceramic milk jug awards--my first top ten finish! Here are most of the top 10 women demoing the milk jug awards:

- seeing the "Best of the US" banner on the awards podium with big pics. of Clay and Dina on it--so cool!
- seeing baby cows at the festival afterward and enjoying all the free frozen treats, of course :)
- meeting some new tri folks from around the state and Texas
See you next year for sure!

Milkman Race Report

The Milkman Triathlon, one of the longer running triathlons in the region, has an interesting tradition; they hand paint the names of each of the winners on large milk can. It kind of reminds me of the Stanley Cup, and the various names painted on the cup provide a timeline of two generations of New Mexico triathlon history. Several Los Alamos names are etched on the can….Jeff Bangor, one of the best triathletes in the country in the early 90’s and with whom Pat Brug had many memorable battles won the men’s race one year. Our transplanted Ukrainians, Toma and Viktor have each won the race once. A casual glance appears that Clay has won the race more than any other male in the history of the race, and next year Triatomics will be able to see the names of two of it’s own on the milk can, Deb Kidd won the woman’s race, and Clay repeated again by narrowly edging the second place competitor by 5 seconds. Click image for large


Milkman is again the New Mexico qualifier for Best Of The US, a race that both Dina and Clay qualified for and raced the last two years, with Clay finishing an impressive 8th last year. I know Clay was planning on attending this year, I don’t know about Deb.

Milkman is a great race, and if you haven’t competed in the event you should consider it for next year. The town of Dexter is about 7 or 8 miles from Roswell. Roswell is about a 4 hour drive from Los Alamos with plenty of reasonably priced hotels and some decent restaurants. The venue is at Van Lake, a small fishing lake with camping facilities. The race has laid-back feel and is well run. It has a festive post race party with light snacks, free ice cream, milk products and other tradition post race beverages. For years he race has been issuing unique ceramic milk jars as prizes, going three deep in each age group, and giving additional prizes to the top ten men and women.

The race starts with an open-water 500M swim in Van Lake. It is a basic out and back and is generally considered a good “beginner” open water swim because it is easy to sight, they have 7 moderately sized waves which diminishes the chaos open water swims usually exhibit and the lake is only about 5 feet deep, so if you get panicked you can stand up anywhere in the swim. The bike is a rustic out and back on rough, empty country roads that is deceptively challenging. The run is a flat, loop over roads and trails. The race is well supported with lots of aid stations and friendly volunteers.

The day presented tough conditions, with a stiff southernly wind and hot weather that had to be in excess of 90 degrees by the end of the race. Long time participants said it was the toughest conditions they could remember. For me, the race started well. My swim wave was the 6th out of 7, and I had a strong start in the swim and quickly put myself in second place in my wave. Some people wear wet suits, some don’t. I chose not wear one, thinking the time gained in the short swim would be lost in transition trying to get it off. I observed that while I was swimming with a hard effort, the 2500 ft elevation of Dexter made the effort feel pretty easy – an observation I have had with other low altitude swims. The bike was a rolling climb to the turn around, and I felt like a rock star - chewing through earlier swim waves, passing a lot of people, really hitting my stride. The turn around revealed a different kind of reality, as that stiff south wind was right in our face. My new super deep dish front wheel was getting pushed around quite a bit making the progress a little sketchy. I don’t know if it was nerves or what, but my return bike ride was quite a bit slower and I lost valuable time to the couple of guys from my wave I was trying to race with, and I didn’t pass nearly as many people on the return. Riding into T2 I saw Martin starting the run, and I figured he must be in first place for his age group. The run went well for me, I could see that I was slowly catching the two guys from my swim wave who were ahead of me, and while I cut into their leads, I ran out of race. I ended up second in my age group and 5th overall. In context, I was a little disappointed I didn’t have more courage on the bike return, but all-in-all it was a decent effort and sets me up well for my first big race of the year at Buffalo Springs the last weekend of June, where I hope to qualify for the 70.3 championships in Clearwater FL, and place well in my age group.

Triatomics were well represented, with Rachael Hundhausen, Deborah Kidd, Kim Meyer, Jeri Sullivan, Taraka Dale, Tina Andres, Ben Davis, John Boland, Martin Pieck, Clay Moseley, and me all attending. Almost everyone won something, or was satisfied with their race. We placed three men and two women in the top ten of each field. Here is a group shot courtesy of Clay:

Deuces Wild Xterra Race Report

I just read Bill's account of his Olympic race. It seems a lot of people had trouble with the cold lake. Show Low is about at the same altitude and has more or less the same climate as Los Alamos and has a lake, so you can imagine how chilly it must have been only one week after the Memorial Day Southwestern snowstorm. It was chilly...in the 50's.

Mike Hoog and I drove to Show Low together...he's a nut. He also had trouble with the cold water. While he was doing the Deuceman long course, I got out on my mt bike and checked out the course and then went for a swim. Water seemed fine after a hot bike ride, but was different in the chill of the morning.

For once this year, I felt pretty good on race morning. I started right up front and had a great swim. Once on the bike, I realized that I had never swam then mountain biked. It was weird and I was a little off-kilter, but eventually got my wits about me right about the time we had a fast harrowing decent down a rutted jeep road. Oh, I had the slowest T-1 too. I didn't quite have the whole routine down for going from a swim to a mountain bike ride...I'll have to work on that.

The mountain bike went pretty well. I got a sore back from not having raced on a mt bike in years, and on a bike I'd barely ever ridden. It is a Paul Graham reject...we purchased it for Dina, but it's the lightest mtb we have, so I ripped it off since she ain't ridin' mt bikes much these days =)

At one point, I had caught up to about 3rd, 4th and 5th and we were all riding together, them on their very light carbon full-suspension bikes, me on Paul Graham's 1998 Stumpjumper hardtail reject. I climbed well on it, but the steepest technical decents were tough to stay with those guys. I scared myself quite a bit, but eventually moved into 3rd anyway and stuck it out. The 4th place guy drafted me on the long dirt road sections, but this wasn't like a normal triathlon anyway.

I got into T-2 and had another long transition, as I was pretty sure the Xterra run was going to be weird and I would need socks. My socks were already soaked and very muddy from the mt bike ride, but I just had to deal with them like that. My feet slipped and sloshed in my old pair of racing flats (which didn't provide much support on a pretty tough trail run, fyi). I soon found myself chasing down the guy who passed me in T-2 and had 2nd place overall in my sights as well. That was cool.

The weird thing is, it's not like a road run. They take you through boulder fields, up really steep stuff that you need both hands and feet and just crazy stuff like that. I tried to run faster, but the obstacles always threw me a little. I eventually did catch 2nd place before the halfway point, but it seemed to take longer than I thought it would.

The final weird obstacle was a channel of the lake. We had to cross the channel, which got deep and I ended up swimming half of it...in my running stuff. That was funny. My feet really slipped and sloshed around in my shoes after that.

I was quite ready to be finished right after that, but it was just a little bit further than I wanted it to be to the finish. My legs cramped going up the final hillside railroad tie stairs to the only bit of pavement leading to the finish. But, I had 2nd place pretty well wrapped up and was jazzed as I could be.

Overall, I would say that this was a very fun experience. People say that this course is a bit above average for difficulty for many of these Xterra races, so if that's the case, I wouldn't hesitate to try another one. It wasn't nearly as hard as I had expected, but enough that I was psyched at having completed it and gotten a good placing in the process. The Xterra awards are weird with all sorts of weird activities and give-aways. They say it's part of the Xterra "planet culture," or whatever. It was strange, but I'll definitely do another one someday and I recommend it for everyone.

How not to Train for Deuces Wild!

A few lessons learned from a senior individual. First, buy new bike (need to post that soon), don't ride bike until the week before the race. Ok, there were extenuating circumstances. I got a cold the week after AtomicMan, was sick for the SinkodeMile meet, had my Mother come in for Mother's Day followed immediately by my son. Lost another week to a business trip to Berlin. At least I got in 3 four mile runs there. So I found myself with six days to train, seriously jetlagged and desperate. The new bike is a Kestrel RT700 set up for triathlon. So it is a lot different from the roadbike. I rode it Tuesday and figured out it was definitely not as stable. Only fell once when the new pedals didn't release fast enough and the chain went on the inside of the cogset going uphill. No serious injuries. Deborah put me back together with a great massage on Tuesday and gave me some hints. The Thursday ride was better. Friday I dragged out the wetsuit and tried it out in the pool. Boy was it tight! I'm sure it shrunk over the winter..... Threw the gear in the car and drove to Show Low.

The race was interesting. I did the Olympic. We had Max Light and his son, Max, as well. The wetsuit went on a lot easier. Could have been all the oil I put on to warm up my muscles and sunscreen. The water was.....icy. Somewhere between 53 and maybe as high as 60 in parts of the lake. My feet fortunately went numb after 5 minutes or so of aching. I did warm up a little and stayed in the water. The men went first so we had about 130 swimmers going out of a narrow inlet to the lake. I had a hard time seeing the buoys, but managed to keep swimming. It was hard to get comfortable. You didn't see the next guy until you ran over him. My time was pretty good - under 31 minutes. But I was really woozy getting out and needed help. Hence, the bruise marks on my upper arm. Getting the wetsuit off set off cramps in both legs. So I spent 5 minutes on the sidewalk in recovery mode. The support people were extremely helpful, keeping an eye on me and helping rub my legs. I finally got to my feet and hobbled to the bike. The bike leg went surprisingly well. I had only one problem with the drink system. I'm working on that. I averaged 16.6 mph, which is good for me. The run was the usual - run/walk/run/walk/walk.... I was running with the younger Max most of the way. We would trade the lead. He finally left me and I finished about a minute behind him. But I did finish and the time was - acceptable. I got sunburned on my shoulders and the backs of my legs. I didn't take the time to add sunscreen during transition. My daughter has advised me to get a spray to speed it up. So, I ended up 4th in my age group out of 4. But I did OK. I accomplished my goals which were primarily getting ready for Buffalo Springs. The new uniforms worked great. I was dry in 10 minutes from exiting the water. I need to add sunscreen to my back where a small gap exists. So on to the next race!

Max was the only 70 year old and was not the last finisher. He did an outstanding job and I hope I'm still racing when I get to that age. Clay and Laurie Goddard did the Xterra. Clay took second overall. Laurie had a great time as well and was the only one in his age group. He would have beat me anyway. These are well run events and I really enjoyed going.

Cochiti Lake Brick -- Sunday, June 22

We're planning a brick workout down at Cochiti Lake to get in some open water time and warm weather training... The bigger the group, the safer the open water swim will be, so come join us!
** Sunday, June 22
** Meet at Sullivan Field at 6:30 a.m. to carpool and/or caravan
** 1 mile swim + 24 mile bike
Feel free to go shorter or longer, depending on your training. Also, Bill Bearden has generously offered to bring his kayak along if anyone is up for following behind the group of swimmers in lieu of swimming. Remember to bring lots of hydration and sunscreen and we'll hopefully see you bright and early on the 22nd.

Wednesday Track Workout 6/04/08

I keep saying it, but man, for some reason this year has been tough. I can't seem to get caught up physically to go out and have quality workouts. I am certain that a regular track workout would put me in a hole for the Milkman triathlon this weekend. I still feel pretty tired from the Xterra this past weekend, and from whatever time trial effort I gave last evening.

I think a number of us have races this weekend, thus, I'll suggest (borrowing a workout from Jeff Johnson a little) a fairly easy interval workout that should be done very carefully and lightly, so that it won't load up your legs and make you feel tired...alter as necessary, but keep it light. This can be done on the track, or anywhere else that you either have measured or you can use your stopwatch.

Workout:

• Warm up ~10 to 15 minutes
• 2 x 1600m; alternate very easy laps with one lap "pick ups" at a brisk, but not at all hard pace (1 lap very easy, 1 lap pickup, 1 lap easy, 1 lap pickup)

Take a lap between for rest at either a walk and/or very easy jog.

This won't take long and should feel pretty good afterward. If you don't wanna use the track, use your stopwatch and alternate intervals at something like 2 minutes easy, 2 minutes pickup, etc.

Have fun!

Ooof, things are a little crazy...

For those of you wondering where the Monday swim workout was or why I haven't posted the results from last Tuesday evening's time trial, well, I just haven't gotten it done. It's been pretty crazy at work, and to top that off, I went to the Deuces Wild triathlon in Show Low this past weekend. So, I can say that I've been buried at work, which has been true, but in between that and racing, I have been able to manage to go see the new Indiana Jones movie and plant tomatoes in the back yard and pull some weeds.

Anyway, I hope to be a little more consistent after the Milkman triathlon this coming weekend. I'm taking a forced break for a little while...

I'll also try to get a report out on the Deuces Wild trip. It was fun. I did the Xterra, which was a first for me and caused me to get pretty sore, but made me want to do another one!