TexanInOK

Lonestar Ironman 70.3

2010-12-30T20:10:00.000-08:00

I got enough prodding over Christmas to get back to this thing, so time to catch up with some highlights of the year...

In late April my sister, mom and I went down to Galveston, TX to do the Lonestar Sprint tri (sister Lindsay) and I would do the half Iron race on Saturday.

Lindsay and I drove all the way down to Galveston on Friday to pick up our packets for the next two days of racing. In hindsight it probably would have been good to just get a hotel. It was pretty rough to drive from Oklahoma to Houston, to Galveston and back to Houston and then back to Galveston the next morning. Maybe next time. Saturday morning we woke up really early and mom, Lindsay and I loaded up my truck with both our bikes and all our gear (it takes a lot of stuff to do a race). We get down there and Lindsay gets set up and transition and the weather was great, maybe a little windy but you are on the coast so you expect it. Then about 15-20 minutes before the sprint race was about to start the front moved in, and it moved in hard. Gusting winds were really making the bay start to get choppy. They made an announcement that they were delaying the start for a bit. That turned into another delay and then the cancellation of the swim leg of the triathlon. That was a GREAT choice. There were people warming up in the water and trying to swim the direction of the course and they were making no progress at all. With a swim start and some weak swimmers it was a recipe for disaster. So everyone made it over to the bike area and they set out one at a time every 10 seconds. Well that went downhill real quick since there were people that couldn't get on their bikes before the people behind them started. It was pretty funny.

Before long Lindsay came and went down the chute and was off. Mom and I stuck around to watch the mayhem and not too long after Lindsay made it back and looked really strong and it was on to the run. Last year she had a little trouble on the run but this year, no worries. If there would have been a swim I'm positive that she would have nailed a personal record.

After the race we loaded up and went for a bite to eat down at the pier since we were staying the night in Galveston. Some really good seafood and then we killed a little more time by hitting some shops before we could check in to the hotel. I swore I booked 2 queen beds but we got a room with one king. A little small for 3 people...We got some extra linens and Lindsay set up her spot on the floor, such a trooper. We went out to eat at a really good italian place and I had some very good pizza to tide me over into the race. Then it was more hydrating and off to bed.

Morning came and we loaded up the truck once again and headed back to Moody Gardens. My goal was to improve on my Redman half Iron time from last fall, so anything under 5:50 would be great. I jumped in the water and knew it was going to be a tough swim. The current was coming at us and the bouys seemed so far away. Redman swim time was 34 minutes. This time I was out in about 45. I swallowed some salt water and my wetsuit had rubbed my neck raw. Not a good start at all. I finally pulled out of the water and got on the bike. Not long into the ride an official pulled up next to me and gave me the red card, a drafting penalty. I thought I had plenty of space between the rider in front of me and my bike but I guess not. There went another 4 minutes for the penalty. I felt pretty strong out there for a long time but the day was starting to warm up and I could feel it already. My training in Oklahoma up to that point had been pretty cool so it was a bit of a shock. I was dumping water on me as much as I could to cool off. Last year at Redman I finished the bike in 2 hrs 52 mins. This year it was 3 hrs and 3 minutes with the penalty. At this point I knew beating last years time was shot.

So I got off the bike, onto the run course (after a quick port-a-potty stop) and plodded out on the run. At this point I was just trying to run more than I walked.

The heat was taking its toll and winning. The only highlight of the run was getting lapped by a couple of the women pros, Amanda Stevens and Deseree Ficker. They are crazy fast. I ran/walked my way through the 13.1 mile run in 2:10, about 8 minutes faster than Redman go figure...

Final time was just over 6:04. A disappointing day but good experience in an early season race. I finally recovered and cooled down enough to load up the truck and make the drive back to Houston for some much awaited BBQ.

Cruise Time!

2010-04-07T18:20:00.000-07:00

This Christmas I surprised Kim with a cruise over her Spring Break and we just got back. We headed down to Ft Lauderdale on Saturday morning so we wouldn't have to rush around and hope for on time flights on Sunday. It was a good thing too, there were some people that had cruises leaving Saturday that didn't check in in time and couldn't get on a plane. Since it was Spring Break there weren't anymore leaving until Monday. Oops.

We got to Florida and got to the hotel, Kim took a nap and I went for a run. We got a call that Kim's brother forgot some clothes so we went to Bass Pro Shop. There was this awesome shark that we had to take a picture of.

Later on my parents and friends got in and we went down to a nice seafood restaurant. A nice dinner and it was time for bed. I woke up early the next morning and went for a nice 5 mile run and then we headed down to the big boat. The Emerald Princess is a huge boat, a lot bigger than the first one we went on. As the sun was setting we headed out to sea.

The first day of the cruise was supposed to be a stop at Princess Cays but the sea was a little too rough to do the tender boats in so we had to skip it and it was just a day at sea. It was a nice day for sitting by the pool and reading a book so that is exactly what we did. The second day we were at sea again so there was more time laying out and reading. It was also formal night in the dining room so we got all dressed up in suits and dresses (well Kim...) and had a nice night.

Day 3 was a stop in St Maarten.

Kim and I went on a kyaking excursion with my mom and her brother. We started on the french side and took a boat over to one of the beaches (I need one of these).

paddled through to the Dutch side and had a little talk about some of the wild life and them came back. It was pretty fun to watch Kim and I weave all over the place. We were not synced up at all but it was a fun time. I could use a couple of these boats too.

After the tour one of the guides was saying they have a triathlon just about every weekend. I think I might have a place to head back to :) The hills would be pretty fun though.

The next day was a stop in St Thomas USVI. This is yet another place I could move to in a heartbeat. We took a ride out on a boat called the Dancing Dolphin out to Turtle Cove. We did a little snorkeling and saw some really cool sea turtles and sting rays.

The water was amazing. It was clear and warm and just wonderful to be in. I wish more pictures came out but the turtles were just right in front of us. The ride back was pretty fun too. I think Kim's favorite part were the drinks that they kept shoving in her hands.

The next day was a stop at Grand Turk.

A quick stop at Margaritaville and Ron Jon for some souvenirs for everyone.

Next up, we were on yet another boat to see some sting days. The day was overcast and a little cold so it was tough to get in the water, but it wasn't bad once you got in. One of the guides corralled one of the female stingrays and had us give kisses. It was pretty fun to see everyone do that.

As soon as we got back to the dock, it started pouring down rain. We made a B-Line to the shops to wait it out. We made it back on the boat not too much later and got ready for another formal night.

The next day was our last day at sea on our way back to reality. It was tough to just sit out in the sun and read all day ;)

Before we knew it we were back in the states in the airport headed back home. It was a ton of fun to get away and be with family like that. I can't wait until the next one.

Skiing

2010-04-07T17:48:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago Kim and I went up to Keystone with some friends to go skiing. It was the first time we had gone since we were in college so we were pretty excited. We left Friday right after work and drove straight through. Driving through western Kansas in the middle of the night isn't nearly as exciting as it sounds...We got into Keystone at about 3am and caught some sleep in the parking lot of a McDonalds. I was sure glad we took an extra comforter because it was cold. A lot colder than I thought it would be, about 4F. We woke up a few hours later grab some breakfast (and warmed up) and got to the slopes.

We got our skis and I headed up the lift with one of the other people in our group and we started hitting some of the blues right away. I was amazed at how fast it came back to me. It was almost like I had never left CO. The weather was great, no lines and I wasn't falling. Not bad. After lunch I took off on my own and hit some of the peaks out back. Man I wore myself out. We only had two days there and I wasn't going to waste any time. Sooner than I wished it was the end of the day and I headed back to the condo to relax a little and get some dinner.

That night I slept like a rock. I may not have moved at all I was so wiped out from an all night drive and lots of skiing.

The next morning came and we headed up to the slopes again. We got a couple runs in and then met of with the rest of the group and went with the kids and Kim down a nice long blue/green.

That afternoon we went to another park, Arapaho Basin, which is a little higher and off the beaten path. There aren't a lot of runs but they are a little tougher and almost all are above timber line so the air gets sucked out of your lungs a little easier. Then the snow just started coming down. Big fat flakes everywhere. It was awesome. But again the day ended too soon and we had to head back. We turned in our skis in and it was over.

Time for some food at a Mexican place where we saw a Napoleon Dynamite look alike (the voice was on the money) and some games back at the condo. Another great nights sleep and a long drive back home and it was all over.

Some day I'll have a place up in the mountains where we can go skiing all the time. I can't wait to get back.

Houston Marathon 2010

2010-01-29T11:49:00.000-08:00

Can't believe that it has taken me this log to put a report together. Here it goes as much as I can remember.

I went down to Houston with Kim on Friday and got in late like we normally do. I was trying to lay of caffeine as much as I could the week before the race so I was exhausted by the time I hit the bed. The next day we went to brunch and then Kim and I went down to the expo and packet pickup. We hit all the usual stores and I picked up a new pair of shoes, Newtons. They are supposed to change the way you run to more of a forefoot striker so you can run faster. We will see how that works...

Anyway the highlight of the day was meeting NYC Marathon winner Meb Keflezighi. He was a super nice guy, taking pictures with everyone and joking around.

That night I had a great spaghetti dinner (the usual) and then headed down to my sisters condo (since it is right near the start) and I crashed out again. The morning came really early. I don't really function well at 4:30am. But I got out of bed and took a shower to wake up. I grabbed a bagel with peanut butter for breakfast and next thing I know my sister was dropping me off at the expo center. I did forget my Gatorade that I was going to drink before for a few extra calories but no big deal.

After a little stretching and bathroom pit stops done I headed to the start line. It was kind of chilly (about 40F I think) but I warm up pretty quickly and I knew my shorts and t shirt would be fine. I went into this marathon a little nervous. My long runs really hadn't gone well at all. In fact my last one was an 18 miler that I was absolutely dead in. My shorter weekday runs all went great but I was nervous about how I would respond after 15 miles or so.

The starting gun finally went off and we were on our way. This year I was in the first wave so I didn't have any problem getting around the groups of walkers that for some reason like to start at the front and get in everyones way. I settled into a pace right in my low heart rate zone and I was surprised that it was about 8:45/mile. I was a little nervous with that pace but my HR was ok so I forged on.

My pace was pretty even the whole time. All I was trying to do was keep it even as long as I could and then not slow down too much at the end. I hit the 10k mark at 56 minutes which was on what I wanted.

I was feeling strong at mile 8.5 when I saw my family the first time.

The half marathon came at 1:56:17 (~20 minutes faster than my first half marathon by it's self). I knew I had a shot at 4hrs right there. I had 4 minutes in the bank so that eased my mind. The 30k (~18 miles) mark came at 2:46:17. Just a little longer and I could do it. I started feeling it around this point and then out of no where there was an older man down and he was stiff as a board. He had a few people around him and the cops were running up calling for the ambulance. It seemed like there was a phone tree type thing going on where people were yelling from behind for the people ahead to get the medics. Not long after that we saw the medics running towards the man with the defibrillator. He turned out to be ok so that was good to hear afterwards.

I hit the 20 mile mark and I just kept telling myself just a 10k more. I wanted to walk really bad but I told myself just run to the next mile marker and then think about it again. Over and over and over. Then you are at mile 24 and seeing downtown get bigger and bigger. So close but forever to go.

Finally the finish line was in sight. It wasn't far but it seemed like the longest stretch of the race. At this point I was pretty sure that I would beat my old personal best time from the NYC Marathon (3:58) as long as I didn't cramp up. Right at that point I saw a guy jump was seemed like 3 feet in the air, clutching his hamstring. It was so close he just kept going with one leg stiff as a board. I attempted once to "sprint" to the finish but my legs said no way. All of a sudden I saw my family and friends for the last time right before the finish and couldn't help but smile again.

I crossed the finish line in 3:55:51 a new PR by a couple minutes. I was estatic, tired, hungry, tired, thirsty, tired and wobbly. I took a finishers picture then headed in to meet my family. It really meant a lot and really helped my spirit every time I saw them, and I couldn't believe how many times I saw them. I grabbed an ice cream, a banana and a water and plopped down. Man that felt great just to sit and not move. When my family got to me we hung around for a little bit before heading back to my sisters place for a shower and then to mexican food and a beer. I think I ate about 2 baskets of chips, 3 enchiladas a taco and I don't know what else. And that is why I run. :)

MS 150 2009

2009-11-15T16:33:00.000-08:00

I finally came back to this page and couldn't believe how long it has been since I updated this.

The weekend after Redman I did the MS 150 ride from Tulsa to OKC on historic Route 66. It was really just going to be a "fun" ride since my legs were still pretty dead from the half ironman. We drove up to Tulsa the night before and stayed at my brother in laws apartment. I tried to stay awake and watch a little football but I think I was out by 9:30. I was up by 5 and headed to the start. It seems like I just dropped off my luggage, picked up my packet, met up with my friend Diana and we were off and riding.

The first few miles are always a little sketchy with all the riders close but we made it through with no problems. Diana and I tried to meet up with the group we had from work but it turned out they were behind us. We finally met up when we stopped at the second rest stop and they caught up.

We all rode off together until the lunch break. It was starting to get a little hilly at this point so the rest break was welcomed. Two other riders and myself left a little before our main group in hopes that we could take it easy and they would catch up. Turns out the hills made everyone go slow. We were hitting every rest stop to try and recover. If anyone tells you Oklahoma is flat they are flat out lying.

We finally made the halfway point, took a shower and grabbed a beer. We hung out the rest of the night as a team and had a few beers and hit the hay.

The next morning came early and it was hard to get on the bike again. The combination of the long ride the day before, hills and beers were a tough sell to keep going. But we finally packed up camp and hit the road again.

The second day was the same as the first, lots of hills and sun, but with the added fun of lots of wind. We took it really easy and hit all of the rest stops and just tried to push through without killing ourselves. We finally came towards the end at the capitol building and it seemed like we kept making turns and each turn was more headwind. I swear it was 30MPH going up the last two miles. Once we crossed the finish line it was time for some grub, shade and cold water.

It was a fun ride overall despite the tough conditions and the fact that it is all for a great cause made it all the better. I'm looking forward to next years already and hope to be in a little better hill riding shape.

Redman Race Report

2009-10-01T18:08:00.000-07:00

Woke up about 4:45 took a shower to wake up and eat a bagel with peanut butter. Picked up my friend and made it to the race site at 6 but had to park a ways away, so we had to walk. I got my transition set up no problem since I was at the end of a rack, I had some extra space.

About 30 minutes before the race started it started pouring. The 20% chance of rain was all of a sudden 100%. I found a canopy to wait out the rain so it wasn't too bad but i was still pretty cold. For a while the race staff was talking about canceling the bike portion due to flooding on the course and making it a swim/run/swim. Luckily the rain let up and they decided to just make everyone get off their bike at the flooded part and just run and carry the bike through. The rain let up and I went back to my bike to make sure everything was still there. Some jerk set his stuff up right under my rear wheel, but I laughed when I came back after the downpour to see his helmet filled up with water. I must have been on a slight bump because my stuff was not under water. I had a towel over my stuff too and it kept it fairly dry.

Before we knew it we were headed into the water for the start. The swim went pretty well for me. I did get in a group and veered off to the right a little so I had to break off from them and get back online. I only got hit in the face once when I caught up to a full distance swimmer on the back half of the swim. That was fun. I was out of the water in about 34 minutes.

T1 was just fine. I grabbed a quick bite of a cliff bar since it had been a while since I ate due to the delayed start.

On the bike and felt really good. I almost fell in the shin deep water where we were carrying our bike through. I could have sprained my ankle pretty easily, but luckily I didn't. The rain stayed with me for a while but once it cleared up it wasn't too bad. I ride that road all the time, so the chip seal and pot holes aren't really new to me (I could almost ride it in my sleep). The mud that washed on was annoying though, but volunteers were shoveling and sweeping it off where they could. That is a pretty bad area after a heavy rain with the open fields off Waterloo. On the way back a big group of cyclists formed and I backed off a little so I wouldn't be in them. I wanted to avoid that for 1 - didn't want a penalty and to do it all on my own and 2 - I didn't want one person to fall and take us all down. I finished the bike in about 2:52, just about where I wanted to be. I would have taken a few minutes faster but oh well.

T2 was pretty good too. I walked through transition to get everything situated.

The first part of the run went pretty well considering the lakes we were running through. I wore my Zoot shoes since they drain water a lot better than my New Balance and that was a great decision. They drain water like nothing else and my Under Armor socks dried really nicely. The first loop went by really well, about 54 minutes for the 6.5 miles. Then I made the mistake of taking a quick walk break. I don't know what I was thinking since if I start walking it is hard to get back going again. After that I couldn't go half a mile without a walk break. My quads just wouldn't allow it. The second loop took like 1:18. My over all goal was just to finish in under 6hr and my better than anticipated swim gave me enough buffer to do that.

I crossed the finish line in 5:50 for my first HIM.

When I crossed I didn't know what to do. Sit, walk, eat, bathroom, cry, die? I was miserable for about 10 minutes in the tent drinking a coke and eating a cookie.

I got a massage afterward and waited at the finish line to watch my friend Diana come across. I should have gone to get sunscreen because I got torched. I looked like a red raccoon.

Now that I have done my first HIM, I am ready for the next. I am heading to Galveston in April to do Lonestar.

Maybe a full in a couple years. I really need to work on my cycling base to make it through.

One More Week

2009-09-12T14:03:00.000-07:00

Well all the workouts are in. One more week till the Redman Half Ironman. 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13.1 mile run. I think I have put in as much work as I could so as long as I don't get sick this week I am ready to roll. The weather is looking pretty good so far. High of 81, low of 60 and only a 10% chance of rain. If that sticks around I'll be happy.

Also the week after I'll be doing the MS-150. I still need to raise a little more money so if you want to donate, just click this link to my page.

http://main.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR/Bike/OKEBikeEvents?px=5217495&pg=personal&fr_id=11357

Pikes Peak Ascent

2009-08-28T18:44:00.000-07:00

Finally sat down to write this up before I forget.

I woke up pretty early on race morning, I was actually pretty nervous. I knew it was going to be a long race and tough but I really had no idea what to expect above timber line. I ate a bagel with peanut butter with some Gatorade and we headed out the door.

We got to the start area and it was buzzing with runners ready to hit the trail. A quick trip through the bathroom line and we were moving our way up to watch the first wave go off (ie the really really fast people).

Before we knew it we were lining up to go. The gun went off and so were we. The first part of the race was "flat" and were were all running. I felt pretty good at this point and was just trying to bank a little time. Before the race started I wanted to run about a 4 hour race. That is about twice as long as my regular half marathon time but I had never been in a race at this elevation or grade.

About a mile in we hit the first really steep grade. Everyone was slowed to a walk at once. It was a general fast paced walk from here until mile 6. I had done this first part of the course the day before and knew there wasn't a place to run. It was all pretty steep. The best you could do was walk as fast as you could and pass the slower people when you could. Any attempts at running just lead to about 10 seconds of running and 2 minutes of trying to get your heart rate down.

About mile 6 (about an hour and forty minutes into the race) there was finally a break in the uphill. Most people broke into a run and I tried to back a little more time. It was about a miles worth of running and I was feeling pretty good. I was at 7 miles in about an hour and fifty minutes so I was pretty well on pace for a 4 hour race. Then we hit a hill at mile 8. Wow it was eye opening. I felt like I was going straight up at times.

I was taking my gels and drinking at the aid stations but I was still starting to fell a little lack of energy. Not dragging but just a little tired. It was on and on like this for what seemed like forever. Never ending uphill. I was thinking to myself about how this was never going to end.

Little by little we would catch a glimpse of the peak through the trees and it was a little heart breaking. Once you got above tree line it seemed like it went on forever.

Finally we made it to "A-Frame" and we were out of the woods. It started to get a little windy up there but it felt good to cool off a bit. It was kind of cool to see everyone just going back and forth up the face of the mountain. No running just slow moving. You could tell the air was thin and we were feeling it.

Here we were about 10.5 miles in. Just 3 more miles. I was at 3 hours so a 20 minute mile would get me to the top in 4 hours. As I kept plodding along I was going slower and slower. Each step was hard. Climbing over the rocks was tough since it was like climbing stairs at 13,000 feet after walking up hill for 3 hours. My quads were burning. I tried to eat some jelly beans with some caffeine in them but nothing was tasting good and it was hard to get down. It was at that point I saw 4 hours going out the door.

Mile 11.5 came and I was starting to "hit the wall" I had felt that a little bit in my first ever marathon. Every part of my body was telling me to knock it off. But what can you do at that point? It was 11 miles down and 2 miles up. I just had to keep moving along.

Mile 12ish came and I was at the wall and it was pushing me back hard. I had to stop walking a few times to catch my breath and rest the legs a little. I tried to keep it as short as possible since I knew I would seize up. At this point I was at what they call the "Golden Stairs". I now hate the color gold. Those things were terrible. It was more mental at this point. I could hear the announcer and could see some spectators lining the course. Just a little farther.

Finally I came around the last switch back and saw the finish line. It wasn't anything huge but it was one of the best things I have ever seen in my life. I saw my buddy Michael (who had long since gone ahead of me) cheering me on. I shouted up at him "I hate you" since he told me about sign up, I was blaming him. I got to the finish line finally in 4:30:09. Off my goal time for sure but I was happy none the less.

I had my medal draped around my neck and met up with Michael, his wife and my wife Kim. Next stop was picking up my finishers jacket (it came in handy since it was pretty cold, like 40 degrees)

I was done. Spent. Tired. Hungry.

I spent four and a half hours making my way up that mountain and stayed up there about 15 minutes. The views were amazing, you could see forever.

Here is the elevation profile for the race

We got in line to ride the bus down to the parking lot (while eating a doughnut) and made our way down. At the base I had a slice of pizza and a cold beer. We headed back to the house and just crashed for a while and tried to recover.

That night we went out for some good mexican food (honestly anything would have tasted great) a couple beers and hit up the penny arcade in Manitou Springs.

It was an amazing race. It hurt like hell but it was worth every step. To date this was by far the hardest thing I have ever done. The marathons I did were tame compared to this race, but we will see how the half ironman goes in a few weeks.

The next day was a long drive home back to OK. A couple times stopping for gas my legs didn't want to go completely straight, but we made it.

Great trip, great race, great friends.

Colorado Springs trip

2009-08-19T18:19:00.000-07:00

Somehow this spring I was convinced to do a race up Pikes Peak. I thought sure, it wouldn't be that bad. Wow, was I wrong.

I went up to Colorado Springs a few days early to get used to the altitude as much as I could and also just relax a little. The first thing I did was do a little ride from my friends house through Garden of the Gods. It was amazing. The red rocks, steep hills and terrific views.

On my ride I saw this and thought it was pretty cool. In the background is Pikes Peak. Wonder if it was telling me to stop and not go up...

I rested up the rest of the day, driving around downtown Co Springs and playing with my friends dogs.

The next morning we woke up and went on a trail run pretty much right behind their house. I could get used to that. I wonder how anyone in that town can be stuck in front of their TVs. If I lived there I may never be on the couch.

After that I cleaned up and went to packet pick up and decided to hike a little bit of the trail that we would run the next day. When I got my parking spot I hit the trail, pretty much straight up. I went off to the right a little to see what is called the "Incline". Basically a series of steps on what used to be a cog railroad.

I decided to forgo that hike and went back to the trail.

I could tell right away it was going to be a long race the next day. I went about 2.5 miles up the trail and then back down. The best thing I saw on the day was a couple mountain bike riders actually riding up the trail. I can't imagine doing that. Crazy.

In this pic you can see the towns way down below. Ugh...

I made it back down safe and sound in about half the time it took to get up. It was a lot more fun going down than up :)

That night I went to Denver to pick my wife Kim up at the airport and had dinner with some more friends in Denver. We made it back home, got the gear ready and hit the bed. I knew it was going to be a tough next day.

Du Draper Twice

2009-08-02T17:42:00.000-07:00

July is one of my favorite months for races because there is a weekend where I get to do two races in a weekend. On Saturday is the Lake Draper Off Road Duathlon. A 5k trail run, 20k mountain bike ride and another 5k trail run. All spring I had wanted to get out on my mountain bike to practice but it just didn't happen. As it turned out the last time I rode the mountain bike was last years race. I used to ride it all the time but it turns out if you don't use it you lose it. The first run went really well. I was able to get towards the front and didn't have to struggle to pass people on the narrow trails. The first 5k went by in 26:58.

Then the bike. I struggle with it for an hour and twenty two minutes. I am used to not getting passed much on the road so it was frustrating seeing so many people go by me. This year was better in the fact that I didn't crash. I was happy to get off the bike in one piece and headed off to the second run. Goal for this winter and spring, ride the trails.

By this time it was getting hot again. Luckily I took my water bottle with me so I was able to pour it on myself and stay a little hydrated. I ran down a few people but for the most part I was alone. I just kept telling myself not to walk and it would be over soon. I finally got to the finish line in 27:33 and a total time of 2:18:06 good for 26th over all and 10th in my age group. Apparently 30-34 year olds love to mountain bike and are a lot faster than me.

I was about 9 minutes faster than last year but 13 places lower overall. Looks like this race is getting bigger.

The next morning I forced myself out of bed and made my way back to Lake Draper for the on road version of the race. This was a 5k run, 24k bike and 5k run.

For some reason once I started the run I felt really really good. I was really pushing my pace but my heart rate was real low so I kept it up as long as I could. There were some fast runners out there but I didn't lose too much time to them.

I finished the first leg in 22:41 which was almost equal to my personal record for a 5k. I couldn't believe it when I saw that.

I hurried out of transition and hopped on my tri bike. There is a hill at the start of the course that some people were having problems getting cliped into their pedals and going so I passed quite a few people there. I was able to get into a nice pace and was moving right along. There wasn't a lot of wind this year which was a nice change. I was back and forth with a few people along the back side of the lake and that kept me pushing the pace. I finished the bike in 43:39 .

I hopped off the bike, threw my running shoes back on real quick and went out on the second run. I felt like I was plodding along but my pace was pretty good and I was passing the people that I was jockeying with on the bike. Towards the end of the run I spotted a guy from my age group up ahead and focused on pulling him in. I caught up with him with about a quarter mile left. After drafting behind him for a few seconds I pulled in front. He picked up his pace but I was somehow able to pick my pace up even more and he dropped back. I was able to finish the second run in 23:49 and beat him by 30 seconds overall. My finishing time was 1:31:48, a couple minutes faster than the previous year.

After the race I was wiped out. I grabbed a beer, my cooler for doing both races and headed home to veg on the couch. A great weekend of racing but I am starting to like tris better, just because of the whole less pounding on the legs thing. Too bad my next race is running up a mountain.

Vacation and a race

2009-07-19T18:31:00.000-07:00

After our quick stay in Texas we were on the way to Ohio for a family visit, mini reunion and relaxation.

The first day we were in Ohio I found out that there was going to be a triathlon in a neighboring town, Napoleon, that I of course immediately signed up for.

Part of my relaxation was using the farm as a training farm. The roads are great for biking since there is so little traffic and it is nice and flat. The weather made it nice too since it was in the 80s (coming from the 100s in OK and TX) and I was actually cold a little. Nice.

The other way to relax in Ohio is playing cards, and we did a lot of that. It seems like if we aren't eating we are playing cards. It is a lot of fun to hang out like that even though they pick on me for winning all the time ;)

While we were there we decided to build a deck for my grandma's house. The first day my dad, uncle and I got it all framed out. That really was the hardest part of the job, trying to get everything square and level. The next day was pretty simple job of putting the decking down and screwing all the boards.

The fourth of July was just around the corner so my aunt and uncle had a BBQ over at their house. All of the aunts and uncles and cousins and second cousins were over and it was great to talk with all of them again. When it started getting dark we took the quick walk over to the river bridge and watched the fireworks.

The next morning came real early though since it was race morning. 750m pool swim, 12.4 mile bike and a 5k run. I got there pretty early and got a bike spot right on the edge of the rack and started talking to a couple people around me. Really friendly and we saw a lot more people showing up and it turned out to be a lot of first timers. It wasn't like one of the races I am used to. There were a lot of mountain bikes, not many road bikes and even a recumbant bike. I have never seen that before.

The pool swim went pretty well, even though it was really wavy. Usually on a pool swim you swim up and down lanes but they have lane ropes that keep the waves down. It was almost like swimming in a lake. I made it to transition in 16:03, which was pretty good since there was a long run from the pool to the bike area.

I had a little trouble getting my shoes on but soon enough I was on the road. The bike was awesome. Very flat and not much wind at all so I was able to settle in and really get in a rhythm. I was passing quite a few people and didn't see anyone gaining on me. I had the 4th fastest bike split which surprised me. I'm never that high up.

The 5 k hurt. I was trying to push as hard as I could and was able to hold a decent pace. I passed a couple people and a couple passed me but it was a pretty uneventful run. I finished the run in just under 25 minutes with an over all time of 1:19:16. I was 5th over all and 2nd in my age group. All in all a great time and I was glad to see my family come out and cheer me on, even through I didn't really see of hear them. I tend to get into my own little world.

After the race we went to a good buffet called The Barn and I promptly refilled all my calories on fried chicken. So good. We then went over to my other grandmas house for another family get together. After more food and fun I had to get back home to load up the car for the long drive home the next day. It was a great vacation and I had a lot of fun.

Vacation time!

2009-07-10T17:28:00.000-07:00

This summer we made our annual trip to Ohio but this year we made a "side" (down?) trip to Texas for a wedding. We left late Friday night and ended up in New Braunfels pretty late so we didn't go out or anything. That next morning I got my bike out of the car and went on a great 45 mile bike ride. Nice wide shoulders, great scenery and no traffic made it a great ride. The even better part was that it meant I could eat pretty much what every I wanted. And since we were in Texas, that meant Mexican food.

Every time we are in New Braunfels we eat at a place called Adobe Verde right near historic Gruene Hall.

I had some delicious enchiladas that I had no problem taking down.

After that we spent a few hours at competing outlet malls and a few new shirts we headed back to the hotel to get ready for the wedding. It was a very nice outdoor wedding and despite being over 100 degrees we were comfortable in the park since it was so shady. It was nice and quick then on to the reception. I ended up going back to the hotel early since we had a long day of driving the next morning. On to Ohio.

Route 66 Sprint Tri 2009

2009-06-30T11:33:00.000-07:00

I went back to the location of my first triathlon to do the 2009 edition of the Route 66 Sprint Tri.

This time I have a lot more confidence in the water (practice actually does work!) so I was hoping for a much better race. Since my first tri I have a couple more open water races and I have hit the lake a couple times. I was doing this race with a couple people from work too so that made it a little more interesting.

Last year my swim time was 16:21 so that was my main focus. Last year was mostly swimming on my back and weaving all over the place. This year I was out in 10:09. I felt so much better coming out of the water this year since I was able to swim freestyle and just use my arms, thus saving my legs for the bike and run.

The bike was much better because of my swim. Last year I did the ride in 41:54 and was dead. This year the weather was even better (ie not much wind) and I was able to push a little harder even into the wind. It was a pretty boring ride, not really much to tell. I passed a few people and a few passed me. I think biking is turning into my weakest leg now that I know how to swim. I finished this year in 38:32, almost 3 minutes faster.

The run was the run. It is never much fun to try to run hard right after riding. My legs always feel like jello and I feel like I am just plodding along. I was on the look out for people in front of me that had my age group on their leg but I never did see anyone. That was almost a blessing because I'm not sure how much I could have pushed myself. Last year I struggled through the run with a few cramps and came in at 25:35. This year I felt a lot stronger and finished in 23:31.

All in all this was a great race for me compared to last year. My time this year of 1:14:09 was almost 13 full minutes faster than last year. Biggest lesson learned is practice, practice, practice and you will get better.

OKC Half Marathon

2009-06-01T19:11:00.000-07:00

It has been way too long since I last updated but I have been super busy with a new job, training and fence building.

The OKC Half Marathon was kind of in a weird spot for me. I handing really trained for in since I was in a post Houston Marathon recovery period for training and pre Half Ironman training. I don't think I ever did a run longer than 9 miles leading up to it. The weekend before the race was pretty nice, a little windy but not too bad. Unfortunatly race day wasn't like that at all. Lots of wind and hot. Probably the hottest day of the year up to that point.

I got VIP passes from work so I was able to park right next to the start area. I felt like I was running late but I was able to hit the restrooms and make my way up to the start corral to where my pace should be. Not long after the gun went off and we were moving. It was wind from the south so we would have it kind of at our backs for the first part of the race. I wish it would have been a straighter route so we would have it at our back more but we wound past the capitol building and through neighborhoods. About the time we were at mile 3 I knew I wasn't going to make my goal of 1:45. It was just too warm and I was laboring too much. I made it to the 10k in just over 52 minutes. Not too bad but off of what I wanted to hit.

Then came the fun part. About mile 8 we started turning south right into the wind. It was blowing about 20mph and felt like 50. The temps were up in the upper 70s and there wasn't much shade. I was so glad that I was only doing the half this year. The full would have killed me. I just kept moving along as fast as I could. I ended up finishing in a new best for me, 1:53:44. I may try again for a half marathon on 1:45 in Dallas in December.

Now it is triathlon training full time. It is almost a job in itself.

Lone Start Sprint Tri

2009-04-19T07:17:00.000-07:00

The beginning of April took me down to Houston to visit family, go to Astros opening day and do a triathlon with my sister. We headed down to Galveston early Saturday morning with me, my sister, my mom and a family friend. I love driving in Houston at 5 am since there is no traffic at all. Once we got to the island it was easy to find the race site by following all of the other bikes on cars. We made it to packet pickup, got body marked and into transition just fine, although it was a little close on time. I showed Lindsay around transition area so she knew where to go. It was pretty big and could be confusing especially on your first race.

About 10 minutes before the race started (I was in the first wave) we got into our wetsuits and made our way down to the swim area.

We got into the water and it was COLD. We heard 62 degrees and it felt colder than that. Once I finally started moving my wetsuit started warming up a little. Before I knew it, it was time to go.

We were off and I was making decent progress with freestyle. I turned over to catch my breath a couple times and I noticed I was off course. I tried to correct but I was still all over the place. I finally slowed down a little and sighted a little more to get back going the right direction. I was making my way back now and mercifully made it to the last bouy. I was out of the water and on my way into transition in 13:14. Better than my last sprint, but slower than I would like because of all the extra yards I swam by going off course.

T1 went just fine. I got my wetsuit half way off on the run. It was really easy to find my bike and slipped my wet suit off. I put my shoes, helmet and GPS on and I was off. The bike was very short so I pretty much just pushed as hard as I could while leaving a little left in the tank for the run. I was passing quite a few people that killed me on the swim and that gave me a burst of energy. The wind wasn't too bad on the way out but coming back in on the sea wall there was quite a bit of crosswind. Not real bad, but I heard it got worse as the day went on (sorry sis). It was pretty fun when we got back into Moody Gardens because there were a lot of turns which made me feel like I was riding into town in the Tour de France for some reason. I finished the 12.5 mile bike in 36:22, fourth in my age group.

The next transition was super fast. I had my shoes on in no time and was off running. My legs felt pretyt good considering the hard ride.

The run was fairly flat, but there were lots of turns that messed with my stride a little. I was still moving pretty well and the miles went by without too much worry or pain. I was able to keep most of my age group competitors away but was passed by a couple. I did pass one on the last hill in the last half mile though. That felt good. I came around the final corner and could believe how many people were out there cheering us on. Pretty cool. I finished the run in 24:12 (the course was about .15 miles long) and a total time of 1:17:19. Just over my goal of 1:15. I was 11th in my age group (out of 68) and 102 over all (out of 973).

The lesson learned was to get more open water swimming in so I can cut down on the mistakes of swimming all over the place.

Lindsay started about a half hour after my wave went off so I had time to get some food, a massage and we found a good spot to watch. We saw Lindsay come in out of the bike transition and she looked good. Not too tired. I was pretty proud of her to make it through the tough swim and windy bike. We then saw her come back in on the run and cheered her in. She finished her first tri in just over 2 hours. Not too shabby for a cold swim and riding my road bike.

It was a great race and I think we have a new triathlete in the family.

March In Okarche Du 2009

2009-03-31T07:06:00.000-07:00

Well it has been a while since I updated this thing again, so time to catch up.

A couple weeks ago I did the March in Okarche Duathlon (5k run, 18mi bike, 5k run). It was supposed to be on Saturday but a rare snowstorm blew through and the race was moved to Sunday. What a difference in days. Saturday was in the 30's no sun and miserable. Sunday started out nice and by race time it was in the 60's. The only bad thing about the day was the wind that really started picking up as the race started.

The start gun went off at 1:30 with about 200 people racing. The first part of the 5k was nice because we had the wind at our backs for most of the time and the course is generally downhill. I was running a comfortable ~7:30 pace. Then we turned around at the halfway point and were faced by the 20 MPH winds. The 2nd half was a struggle to keep the pace and I was worried that I was going to blow up and ruin the rest of the race. I finally got into transition at 22:31, very respectable.

I grabbed my bike and headed out for the bike. You could really tell the winds were picking up (30mph by now) but it was mainly a cross wind. This was OK, but it was a struggle to keep control of the bike at time. My neck, shoulders and arms were getting very tired from the
constant steering corrections I was making.

We made one turn north and got the wind at our backs for about half a mile and I was doing close to 30MPH without even trying. The bad part was turning around and going back into it. Oh well. I made it to the end of the bike course in just over an hour, not too bad considering.

The second run I could tell I was getting fatigued. I failed to take any nutrition on the bike other than gatorade, so I was missing some calories. I wanted to walk a couple times but I could feel some people catching up to me and I didn't want that to happen. I pushed though and caught up with a couple people and passed them. By now the wind was really a factor on the 2nd half of the run again and I guess I had more in the tank that the guys behind me because I pulled away from them. I finished the 2nd run in 24:52 for a grand total time of 1hr 50 min 3 sec. That was 6 seconds slower than last year, but much worse biking conditions.

Last year I was 64th overall, this year I pulled out 34th with pretty much the same time so vs the field I have improved quite a bit. If I could have had a little better time on the bike I might have been able to place in my age group since I was only a couple minutes out. I have something to focus on now.

Spring is here

2009-03-25T09:48:00.000-07:00

Ahh, spring is here. Great weather, green grass and racing season is about to start. My first real race of the season is this Saturday. I look at the weather and what do I see? A low of 30, high of 43 and snow. Huh?

Rain / Snow Showers / Wind

It is going to be a fun day.

Bring on Pikes Peak

2009-03-17T07:43:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was minding my business at work when all of a sudden I get am email from a friend saying along the lines of "Hey you want to run up Pikes Peak?". I must have had a weak moment and after a few minutes I decided, yeah, that would be a good idea. So this August I will be making my way to Colorado Springs to run 13.1 miles up the tallest mountain in Colorado.

From the website

The Pikes Peak Ascent® and Pikes Peak Marathon® will redefine what you call running. Sure, they start out like a lot of races on Any Street, USA. But your first left turn will have you turning in the direction of up! During the next 10 miles, as you gain almost 6,000 vertical feet, your legs, lungs, heart and mind will be worn to a ragged nothingness. But it won’t be until your last three miles, with still over 2,000' of vertical to go, that you will realize where the Marathon got its moniker—America’s Ultimate Challenge.

There’s a reason trees don’t bother growing above 12,000' on Pikes Peak. They can’t! Makes one wonder if trees are smarter than runners. Above treeline most runners take 30 minutes or more, some much more, just to cover a mile. What little air remains can’t satisfy the endless stream of zombies hoping only to survive their next step—a death march right out of a scene from Dawn of the Dead. Adding insult to injury, it might start to snow!

What was I thinking?

Frigid 5

2009-02-16T06:16:00.000-08:00

I just realized that it has been a while since I updated this thing. Not a whole lot going on around here, just the same old going to work, run, sleep, eat...

I did do a 5 mile race this Sat up in Edmond called the Frigid 5. All week it had been wonderful, temps in the 60's, lows in the 40's overnight. Then Friday night came and a nice cold front moved in. Woke up Sat morning and it was about 25 and windy. Great. I got to the race picked up my packet and started wish I had worn long pants. It wasn't real bad though since the crowd of runners started gathering around and blocked the wind. Before I knew it the gun when off and we were running. The race itself was pretty uneventful. I had hoped to break 40 minutes, and I finished at 38:55 and outkicked a guy that tried to sprint down and pass me in the last few meters. Ha. Overall I finished 94th overall out of ~950, so I am real pleased with that.

The other running thing I am working on is the 100 runs in 100 days challenge. I am at 61 days and have 55 runs in. I should be able to make those missing runs up and get back on track.

My Upcoming Season

2009-02-03T06:55:00.001-08:00

I thought I would take a few minutes and put down the races I plan on doing, so I am a little accountable.

Feb 7 - Dan Man run. This is a free trail run that you can do laps until 50 miles or until you want to quit. This is a maybe and I would do two laps for 13.1 miles.

Feb 14 - Frigid Five. This is a 5 mile race that is right around the corner from me so I pretty much have to do it.

Feb 21 - Sooner State Games. Another maybe race and another trail run. I would do the 10k. If I don't do Dan Man, I'll do this one and vise versa.

Mar 28 - March in Okarche Du. 5k run, 14 mile bike, 5k run. This will officially kick off my season.

April 4 - Lone Star Triathlon. If my sister signs up for this, I'll be headed down to Galveston to do the sprint race, 500m swim, 12.5 mile bike, 5k run. If I do this I will probably stay around Houston and go to Astros opening day.

April 26 - OKC Memorial Half Marathon. I am just doing the half this year just because I want to focus on more of the multi sport and not just running this year.

May 17 - Boathouse Olympic distance tri. 1500m swim, 40k bike and 10k run. 50% I am doing this one.

May 30/31 - Route 66 Sprint and Olympic Tri. Not sure which one I am doing, I may end up doing both who knows...

June 27 - Warsaw Sprint tri in Indiana. If we head up to Ohio this summer, I'll probably stop by here again.

July 11/12 - Draper Lake Duathlons. The 11th is an off road duathlon and 12th is an on road. I had a lot of fun last year doing the off road, so I'll probably do them both again.

Aug 16 - Hillapalooza Tri. Another course that is close to home, so I have to do it. 1500 m swim, 40k bike, 10k run.

Sept 19 - Redman Half ironman. 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13.1 mile run. This is the race that all the others will be building up to.

Oct 17 - Fall Classic Duathlon. Last multisport race of the year. Short 2mile run, 12 mile bike, 2 mile run.

I will probably end up doing the Tulsa half marathon in the fall, but we will see then. Looking at this I am going to be pretty busy.

Ice Run

2009-01-26T16:40:00.000-08:00

Today we got our first winter storm of the season so I decided it was a good idea for a run. On my way home from work today I stopped by a sporting goods store and picked up some Yak Trax.

Basically they are a cleat type thing that you put over any type of show that turns them into snow shoes. Man, they work great. I was able to run a little over 3 miles with no sliding at all while cars and trucks were sliding to stops and around corners. It actually took me about 25-30 minutes to get my truck into the driveway after sliding out and around a few times. Good times.

It doesn't look like anyone is going to work tomorrow, so I'll get to put them to the test again on a fresh layer of ice.

Houston Marathon

2009-01-21T08:15:00.000-08:00

I am finally getting around to writing about the Houston Marathon I did last weekend.

We left OKC the Friday before and headed down right after work. The 7 hour drive got us in at about 11pm, so it wasn't too bad. I slept like a rock that night. I'm not used to staying up that late and I was ready.

Saturday morning I went for a nice easy 3 mile run and then headed down to the expo and picked up my bib, chip, got weighed and picked up my t-shirt. I did a little browsing too at all the shops. Luckily, I only picked up a new race belt with a little pouch to put race day stuff in. I headed back home for a great meal of cube steak, mashed potatoes and gravy, and some jello. Man it hit the spot. The afternoon was pretty laid back. I just played some cards with the family and tried to stay off my feet as much as I could. For dinner I had my usual spaghetti dinner and not long after that I went to my sisters place that is pretty close to the race start. That allowed me a little longer to sleep in (about 90 minutes) and not worry about traffic around the race site.

Morning came quickly and I was up at 5am. I took a quick shower to wake up, ate a banana and a bagel w/peanut butter. By 5:30 I was in the car and my sister was dropping me off. I sat in the expo center for a while drinking some gatorade, surfing the internet on my phone and just tried to relax. When 7 rolled around I drank a Red Bull and headed out to the start. When I signed up for the race, I had never run a marathon and had no idea how fast I would run so I put down 4:45 which put me in the second (last) group. I knew I was going to be closer to 4 hours, so I made my way up to the very front so I wouldn't have to pass as many people. As soon as I made it up there, we were off and running.

The first few miles went by and I was a little off pace, but not by more than a few seconds. Once I made it to mile 2, I was getting into my rhythm. I skipped the 1st water stop like I normally do because there are so many people slowing down to get a cup. At 2 miles in I don't really need a drink.

Things were pretty boring for the next few miles, which was good. A little before mile 8 I found out that my parents, sister and grandma were waiting for me at mile 8.5 so I looked forward to seeing them there. I was having an issue with my MP3/Cell phone holder so I was anxious to get rid of that. I saw them there on the side of the road cheering for me and it lifted my spirits. I felt a little bad because they were there for a while and then I was gone in a couple seconds.

Not long after that the half marathoners hit their turn around. It was a little harder than I thought it would be to go past that. They only had ~4 more miles. I had ~15. Ugh.

Right after that, the crowd thinned out quite a bit and it was kind of lonely. I did get a surprise at about 11 when I saw my family again. I guess my sister saw my compression socks as they were driving by and they got out. Pretty cool.

I was at mile 13 at 1:54 so I was feeling pretty good about my time. I saw my family again not too long after that and my mom handed me a bag of sliced oranges. I found those to be a great pick me up when gu and other energy things just don't.

Mile 16 came and my GPS finally lost it's signal. Without that I didn't have a good guage of my pace, but I was running by feel more at that point. I did keep hearing the pace callers at the mile markers and I was right at a 8:55-8:58 pace.

At mile 17 I saw my wife and a couple friends on the side of the road cheering me on and holding signs. I felt like a celebrity with all the cameras they had pointed at me. That lifted my spirits up seeing them out there.

Mile 20 came and I was still feeling pretty good. I ate a couple orange slices, shot of Hammer Gel and kept running. We were in the shade still so the heat wasn't too bad, but you could tell it was warming up. At the start of the race it was about 55, which was warmer than the highs I have had in OKC for the past 2 months.

Mile 22-23 was where I started to feel the heat. I just kept dousing myself with water at the stops to cool down. It helped, but I was slowing down a bit. I never really hit a wall which means I hit the nutrition pretty well.

Mile 24 and 25 came and all I was thinking about was finishing so I could get out of the heat. It was maybe ~70 but I don't really like warmer weather almost 4 hours into a run.

Mile 26 came and I was so close. I was just barely off the 4 hour pace and I wasn't sure I could make it up, but I was going to try. At the last turn I could see the finish line, but it seemed like it was miles away. I tried to really push the pace but my hamstring was telling me know. I just went to the point it hurt, but not bad enough to stop. I saw my family and wife and friends right at the end and tried to smile, but I'm not sure if I did or not. I crossed the line in 4:01:14. Not too shabby for the training I put in and the heat at the end.

I was disappointed to find out that the chip I had was a dud. I didn't receive an official time, but I know I finished.

I finally got inside the expo center again and tried not to pass out. I got my medal then went into the restroom and washed off and cooled down. I was almost in a daze. I had some ice cream (that was delicious) while I made my way over to get my finishers shirt. After that I met up with my group and we headed out to eat.

The perfect post race meal. Three enchiladas and a tall Shiner Bock beer. I think I had about 3lbs of chips too.

All in all it was a great time. Loved seeing family and friends out there cheering me and the other runners on. I just need to verify my chip next time.

Taper Time

2009-01-12T06:51:00.000-08:00

I had my last long run before the Houston Marathon next Sunday. I got out and did 11 miles on Sunday and felt pretty good. I haven't done as many long runs for this marathon so I am hoping it all works out in a week. I would love to go sub 4hrs again, but I think a 4:10 is more realistic unless things just click.

The rest of the week is pretty low key with a long run of 4 miles.

Today is also the official start of Ironman training. I am still up in the air if I am going to do the full. I am for sure signing up for the half and train for the full. If all goes well I can change to the full before the race.

100 Runs update

2009-01-06T06:22:00.000-08:00

Well through 23 days I have 19 runs in the bag. I think after the Houston Marathon in a couple weeks I will start putting in a couple runs a day to make up the missed ones. I haven't been sore at all. In fact, I feel better now that i run almost every day. Add the swimming I have been doing I am finally feeling like I am in shape again. It is amazing how a couple weeks slacking off can lose a lot of fitness.

New Years Fun

2009-01-02T12:40:00.000-08:00

Well I didn't do anything special for New Years Eve (I was actually asleep by 11) so I decided to do something fun on New Years Day while everyone was sleeping off the hangover. Since this is my year of triathlon, I decided to start the year off with one of my own.

I woke up about 6am, ate a little breakfast and headed to the gym. I swam for about 30 minutes doing some drills and just trying to get more comfortable in the water. I probably only swam about 800 yards but it felt good for me.

I then came home and took out my road bike. I just got a new rear wheel in so I wanted to try it out instead of my tri bike. It was pretty windy but not too cold, in the 50's. I rode for 24 miles on a loop that I ride quite often. I didn't want to go too hard or long this early in the season so it was pretty easy spinning.

Once I got home I swapped into running shoes and went on a 5 mile run. I felt like I was dragging but my pace was pretty good at the end of the run. One thing I am really going to focus on this year (well, besides swimming) is running after the bike. This was a good start to that goal.

All in all it was pretty uneventful but I felt good after getting that all out and starting the new year off right.

Next up is the Houston Marathon.

100 Run in 100 Days

2008-12-17T06:32:00.000-08:00

There is a challenge going on from a forum I go to. The goal is to do 100 runs in 100 days. That doesn't mean you have to run every day, you can do 2, 3, 4... runs in one day, as long as they are 30 minutes each. This should be a fun way to get me working out consistently over the winter.

Tulsa Marathon

2008-12-15T16:48:00.000-08:00

Not sure why it has taken me so long to so this post. Maybe because I was a little disappointed in the race.

The Tulsa Marathon was on Nov 11, 2008. Kim and I went up on Saturday to the race expo. I picked up the packet, shirt and we walked around a little. I actually found a pair of shoes to replace my old ones at 60% off, so that was nice. We went back to her brothers apartment where we were staying and just relaxed. We watched some football, talked and had a nice time. I cooked some spaghetti like I always do. It's relaxing to have the same thing before a race since you know how your body will react.

Race morning came and we headed out to the race start. It was nice compared to NYC. We were able to sleep in and I was able to park about 30 seconds away from the start. Not too bad. It was pretty cold at the start, about 35 so we were bundled up. Luckily it wasn't long before the start. All at once we were all gathered in the corral and were off.

The first few miles were a slight uphill, but not too bad. We went down by the river and finally saw a few people. It seemed night and day compared to NYC. The crowd was almost non existent. There were bunches around water stops but it was pretty lonely. I was running a good pace, about 8:40 miles which was a little faster than I hoped, but I felt great.

I got to the halfway point in 1 hour 55 minutes. At the turn around we finally got the wind at our backs and I picked up the pace a little bit. Nothing else of note happened for a while. Then came mile 20. A group of us headed into the water stop when all of a sudden a woman stopped dead in her tracks when she got her water. I was right behind her and ran straight into her. All of a sudden my right knee locked completely up. It would not bend at all. I ended up walking about half a mile before I could move it at all. I was able to do a run/limp for a little bit before I had to walk again. My race was pretty much done at that point it was just a matter making it to the finish.

It seemed like the last 6 miles would never go by. My knee started feeling a little better and I was able to run more and more. Not fast, but I made progress. Then mile 24 came and it was time for the brutal hills. Why they designed a course to have long steep hills at that point in a race is beyond me. Everyone around me was either walking or doing a little shuffle. Mile 25 came and it was downhill again. Then the sweet, sweet mile 26 sign and just another turn and there was the finish line. I ran across in 4:10:01. Not was I was hoping for, but I finished.

After the run was disappointing. All the marathoners were herded into the food tent with what looked like only 2 lines. There were not moving at all. I stood in the same spot for about 5 minutes (standing still isn't fun on the legs after a marathon) before I left and went to get my post race beer. Kim and I got over to the beer tent only to find that the half marathoners polished it off about an hour before I got there. Ugh. We decided to call it a day and just grab some food on the way back to OKC.

I'm not sure if I would do the full marathon here again. The half would be fun, but the full was just not worth the money for what you get out of it. The nice thing is that it is close to home.

Since then I have been resting quite a bit. My knee is still a little sore from time to time. Now on to the Houston marathon.

NYC Marathon

2008-11-19T12:55:00.000-08:00

It has been a while, so I hope I remember everything...

Marathon morning came and I was supposed to be at the bus to shuttle you to the start line at 5am, so I set the alarm for 3:30 so I could get up, wake up and head to the subway to Bryant Park. Well I set the alarm for 3:30am, but the clock was 12 hrs off. So at 5pm, it was set to 5am. Luckily I woke up at 4am and saw the clock. I rushed to get ready and headed out the door. I got to Bryant Park and just followed the crowds to the never ending line of buses. I got right on and off we went. The next 4 hours were really long. My wave didn't start until 10:20 so I tried to sleep, but it was too cold. I just surfed the internet on my blackberry for the most part, ate a little and drank a little.

Pretty soon it was 9:30. I waited in line for the restroom one more time, dropped my bag off and headed to the start corral. It was amazing the amount of people crammed in there. I am glad I'm not claustrophobic.

I'm in the corral on the left side.

You could hear in the distance the announcer starting the race and we finally started walking towards the start line. New York, New York was playing and we were really doing this.

The first mile was on the Verrazano Narrows Bridge. It seemed like it would never end. It did have a great view of Manhattan, Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. I wish I had a better camera to take pictures, but I did take this with my phone.

I looked at my Garmin and saw I was running about 8:30 miles. It was a little faster that I planned, but my heart rate was down and I felt good so I stuck with it. At mile 2 we started seeing the crowds forming now that we were near the first neighborhoods. I was at mile 3 before I knew it in just under 28 minutes. Not too bad. I made it to the 10k point (6.1miles) in 55 minutes. Actually a bit faster pace on miles 3-6. The next few miles were a bunch of the same. Tons and tons of people cheering you on and the never ending mass of runners. I even caught a couple vikings at mile 8.

About mile 12 and we are all still a huge pack in a Jewish part of town.

At 1:55:50 into the race I was halfway done. It was at this point where I started to think that I had a shot of finishing in under 4 hours, something I was hoping to do at the Tulsa Marathon a couple weeks later. I was going to try and save my legs for that, but feeling this good I couldn't.

Mile 13, feeling good.

I got on the phone and called Kim around here to let everyone know where I was. They were waiting at mile 15 for me. Unfortunately, I missed them there. As soon as I passed that point, we were under the Queensboro Bridge and I didn't have cell service. As soon as I made it into Manhattan, I called them to let them know I made it past them. They then hustled on over to mile 24-25 to see me there.

Mile 16is, from the Queens Bridge

As soon as you get in the city, you start seeing people again as you take a left curve off the bridge. You keep curving around and all of a sudden you are on First Ave. To me it was like a wall of sound. People 5-6 deep on both sides of the road. It was amazing running up this 6 lane street with all the people cheering.

It seemed like we were going up a hill forever and I started feeling the miles. Someone was holding out bananas so I grabbed one. The last thing I felt like doing was eating, but I stuffed it down. I knew I needed the real food. I started feeling better almost at once. That random person helped me keep going.

Right before mile 20 I started feeling tired again when another spectator was holding out orange slices. Those were the 2 best quarters of an orange I ever had. I think the sugar hit me all at once. I looked down at my watch and I was still running about 9 min miles. At this point all I had to do was hold on.

Just before mile 20, we head into the Bronx

I was still feeling OK, but I just wanted to make the turns and head back into Manhattan and get to Central Park. Mile 21 came and I was on my way.

Mile 22 came and we were in Harlem. That was quite an amazing part of the city. People playing drums on the sidewalk, gospel choirs singing from the steps of their churches, and kids running up and down with the runners. It seemed like that lifted people spirits a little.

At mile 23 we finally got into the park and the first of the hills. Stupid, stupid hills. The last thing you want to do 23 miles into a race is run hills, but here they were. The crowds once again helped as they got louder and louder as you entered the park.

At miles 24 I saw my mom and Kim on the side lines and gave them a quick thumbs up. I was so close to my 4 hour time I didn't have time to spare going over there so I was gone too fast. I think mom got a good picture of me running though.

Then one of the best signs ever.

One more mile...

People started falling apart here. Lots of people walking, trying to stretch and just trying to make it through. I tried not looking at them though, I wanted to finish running.

We turned a corner and I thought we were on the home stretch.

But we weren't. This mile was extra long I think. Finally the 1/2 mile to go sign. Almost done. Then the mile 26 sign.

I was just barely hanging on. I was trying to run as fast as I could but felt like I was standing still. Then a slight turn to the left and we saw it, the finish line.

I made my way around the last of the straggling people and crossed the finishline with my hands in the air.

I looked at my watch and I did it. I finished the 2008 NYC Marathon in a new personal best time of 3hrs, 58mins, 22secs.

They handed me my medal and foil blanket and we were ushered down a long corral to food and our bags that we dropped off at the start.

I finally made it out of the chute and found the family. I tried to clean up a little, changed socks, put on some warm clothes, took a few pictures and we headed back to the hotel. Everything happened in a blur that day. At first it seemed like it would never start, then it was over.

We went out that night to Hard Rock Cafe and I had a celebratory beer and hamburger. All in all, it was great race I would recommend everyone try.

New York, Day 5

2008-11-14T07:19:00.000-08:00

Well, day 5 came way too soon. Our vacation was almost over and it seemed like we didn't get much of anything done in the city. One of the things I absolutely wanted to see was Yankee Stadium before they tore it down to move to the new one next door. I'm not a Yankees fan by any means, but it is one of those places that any baseball fan should go.

Unfortunately we got there just as the tour was leaving and the next one didn't start for 2 hours, so we didn't get to go inside. It was still pretty neat to just be there and see it next to the updated model just across the parking lot.

After walking around, taking pictures it was time to head back to Manhattan.

Next up we went to Central Park to see what we could see. It is amazing how big the area is. We walked around for a while (mainly looking for a Gyro stand) but will have to go back to see the rest. One of Kim's favorite parts were the horse drawn carriages. As we made our way across we saw a really pretty pond, right there in the middle of the biggest city in America.

We finally found a gyro stand and ate lunch under the Columbus Statue with quite a few other people. Pretty nice to eat outside and the food was great. We started making our way back to the Subway to go back to the hotel and found the ice skating rink. Maybe next year we can go. I don't think my legs would have been up to it this year. We had to get back to the hotel in order to get changed for our night out on Broadway. Kim and I had dinner with her mom, aunt and uncle at a place called Patsy's. Frank Sinatra made this restaurant famous and it really was great food and company.

Kim's aunt and uncle were going to another show, so Kim and I along with her mom made our way to the Gershwin Theater to see Wicked. Kim and I had seen it before in OKC but it was cool to see it again in NYC.

Before we knew it, it was over and we had to head home. This sign was too true.

It seemed like a really busy day of running all over NYC and everything was going by so fast. It was hard to believe we only had about half a day left.

New York, Day 4

2008-11-12T09:28:00.000-08:00

I am skipping over day 3 right now, but will come back and do a race report.

On Monday I actually felt pretty good after the marathon. It was a little hard to go up and down stairs, but other than that no real issues. Kim, mom and I headed into the city to meet Kims mom at the Empire State building where we were going to take a little tour and take in the view from the 86th floor. But first we stopped at the "Marathon Monday" store to pick up finishers gear and souvenirs. I made out pretty well with a couple shirts and a new track jacket.

We were really lucky and all met up right when the tower was opening so we didn't have to wait in line at all.

The views from up there are amazing. You can see the whole city and the taxis look like ants.

After the Empire State Building, we all got on a tour bus to take a tour of the city. It was nice because we could get off at any stop, look around, and then get on another bus and keep going. A lot easier to see the city like this than doing all the walking (especially after running a marathon).

We went through all the little neighborhoods, saw hundreds of Starbucks. We got off at the City Hall stop. Here is Kim in City Hall Park. Pretty cool area. I couldn't believe how many parks the city had.

Next, we walked over towards Ground Zero of 9/11. It is crazy the amount of open space there where 2 huge towers once were. Very somber there. But it is being built up again.

After walking by that, we headed to Battery Park. I was starving so I got a pretzel. Tasted great. From here we saw the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.

We didn't take a tour this time because the lines were so long, but that will give us an excuse to go back. We hopped back on the bus at Wall Street.

The next stop was Chinatown.

If we go back, this will be once place we skip. It was interesting to say the least. It just seemed so dirty there. Lots of smokers, fish for sale, dirty sidewalks...Just not real nice. But we made our way through and finally got into Little Italy. It was amazing the change from one street to the next. All of a sudden the smell of garlic was in the air. Our main purpose here was to go to Lombardi's Pizza, the oldest pizza joint in America. There were 4 or us so naturally we decided to get a small "White" pizza (different kinds of cheese, no sauce) and a large prosciutto. All in all, 14 big slices of pizza. Of course I made a pig of myself and polished off about 7 of them. It was so good and I couldn't let them go to waste. We were walking a lot, so I didn't feel too bad about it ;). Mom had to catch a subway back to the hotel so she could get to the airport so we parted ways. it was nice to have her wile we did though.

Now, Kim, her mom and I headed back over to the bus. We went by all of the "rich" apartments like the Trump tower were a bunch of Yankees live.

We also passed by the UN building. That is another place I would like to tour too. After passing by a bunch of other landmarks, we got back off near Macy's and headed back up towards Rockefeller Plaza. It was election night so it was pretty busy with all of the NBC people out there. I went into the NBC store and got a 30 Rock shirt (one of the best shows on TV).

We walked past another Trump building, the Trump Tower and decided to go inside. It was a really neat building. We went to the second floor and sat down at Starbucks to rest our feet a little.

A cool water wall in Trump Tower

After recovering, we went a little farther north and found FAO Schwartz. Very cool toy store. This is where a famous scene in the movie "Big" was filmed where Tom Hanks played on a big piano.

Lego sculptures and huge toys were everywhere. We were getting hungry, so we headed over to a little place called Serendipity 3 for dinner.

This place is famous for their desserts so Kim and her mom were ready to get to that part. This is their famous Iced Hot Chocolate.

We were pretty worn out from a long day of touring and walking so we headed back to the hotel with a quick stop in Grand Central Station so Kim's mom could see. Once we got back to the hotel, I was out pretty quick but ready for another day.

New York, Day 2

2008-11-10T10:39:00.000-08:00

The goal on day 2 was to stay off my feet as much as possible to save my legs for the marathon on Sunday. It didn't really work out that well. We left the hotel in the morning and Kim and mom decided to go shopping at Macys and one of the hundreds of H&Ms in NYC. I went my separate way and went more North up to Niketown.

I took the subway up and then walked around for a while before I finally found it. There was a street fair going on that I looked around at and smelled all the food being cooked. If it had been closer to lunch time, I am sure I would have pigged out.

Once I found Niketown, I saw that it was quite amazing. All the stores in New York seem to be huge and this was no exception. It was 5 stories of Nike with each floor having a theme/category. I browsed through all of the running gear, jackets shoes, and just about everything that Nike had to offer. I was able to restrain myself and not buy anything, but it certainly was neat to see. On my way back to the subway, I had a great hotdog from a vendor. Greatness...

Next I hopped on the subway and headed towards a place called Paragon sports. That is a huge sports shop that has pretty much anything you could want/need for any sport. I also had a couple game cards that you take there to see if you win anything, but I didn't. I wish I had my dad's luck. I was able to find some socks that I was looking for (2XU compression socks) that help your legs fight fatigue. I can't say enough about how great these were. As soon as I put them on, my feet and calves felt better.

After that, I hopped on another shuttle that was headed to the race expo. I went back to look at the gear again and try to pick up a couple posters and a Pint Glass. I wasn't able to find the glass, but I did get to meet Olympic marathoner Brian Sell, which was pretty cool. I also picked up another poster that I am going to get framed to commemorate this race. After wandering around for a while, I got on yet another shuttle bus and headed back to where the women were shopping. We met up, I had a couple slices of pizza while they had some hot dogs and they went back at it in Macys. I went to the Starbucks in there to get off my feet and just watched the people milling around. Not too long after that, we headed on back to the hotel to grab some dinner.

The restaurant looked Italian from the outside, but it turns out it was Romanian. Mom and I had chicken parmesan with spaghetti and Kim had cheese tortellini. So much for going native Romanian, but it was really good. Back a couple more blocks to the hotel and I got everything situated so I wouldn't have to think much when I woke up at 4am to get to the race.

New York, Day 1

2008-11-08T18:24:00.000-08:00

Finally getting around to doing a blog about the NYC trip from last weekend. Kim and I woke up real early (like 3:30 am) in order to get to the airport for our 6am flight. It was easy to get up since we knew we were going to someplace fun instead of work. No issues at all on the flights and we got to NYC at about 1:15. As soon as we got our first bag off the baggage claim, mom showed up. We got our other bag and headed out to the hotel in Queens. The area was a strange mix of people from all over the world. You could hear people speaking Chinese, Spanish and various others from Europe. Pretty cool. The hotel/room was nice, nothing fancy but got the job done and was nice and clean.

Right after we checked in we headed out to the city for some lunch, packet pick up and sightseeing. We had lunch at a little deli, not too bad and lots of people watching (nothing too special). Then we headed out to the expo.

I got my packet, looked at all the goodies in side and started to look at all the booths and shop. I wanted to buy a lot of stuff, but decided it was going to be a long trip and ended up with just one shirt.

Next we headed back to Manhattan. We went by the NYC Library and took pictures by the famous Lions.

There were also some pretty cool street dancers that had a pretty good crowd.

Next up was Times Square. It was Halloween night, so we knew there would be some interesting people out and we weren't disappointed.

Here is a Teletubbie playing Rock Band as an example.

A group of bikers were out riding (known as Critical Mass) to raise bike awareness and they were all dressed up.

We headed over to a little pizza joint and had some great pizza. The New Yorkers know how to make a good pie. I think the highlight for the ladies was the dessert, a canoili of some sort with strawberries and cinnamon.

We were all pretty tired at this point, so we headed back to the Grand Central to get the subway back to the hotel.

Lots of people dressed up at this point, a favorite of ours was a group of guys dressed up as skunks. We got back to the hotel, planned out the next day and slept great (well I did anyway).

NYC Marathon

2008-10-29T10:59:00.000-07:00

My bib number is 33370 if you want to track my progress. There should be a link on http://www.ingnycmarathon.org on race day. I am scheduled to start at 10AM in the "Green" corral so hopefully I'll be done by a little after 2. Just in time to get cleaned up and have a tasty beer.

Fall Classic Du

2008-10-25T13:17:00.001-07:00

Last weekend I did my last duathlon of the season, the Fall Classic that is put on by my Tri Club. The race is a short fast course consisting of a 2 mile run, 14 mile bike and then another 2 mile run.

I got to Lake Overholser early to help set up and hand out packets. There were a lot of new people out there so I had to answer a lot of questions, which was fun. It was VERY windy and everyone was concerned about that. Last year a lady was blown off her bike and broke her pelvis. Pretty crazy. About 30 minutes before the race I started getting ready checking everything one last time. This was my 3rd year doing this race. In 2006 I did it in 1:34:54, last year I did it in 1:34:57, so pretty close.

A couple minutes before the start we all made our way up to the line. We took off at the shot gun start and I was in the front quarter of the pack. Since this is a pretty short race every one was really pushing it. I made it to the turn around I was feeling really good so I kept pushing. I entered into the bike area at 13:54, a little under 7 min/mile. I was out on the bike course in under 30 seconds (fast for me) and started hammering on the bike.

I passed my share of people but got passed by a few too. The first part of the ride was really nice, slight downhill and the wind at our back. We made the first turn and got sideswiped by the wind. Not too long after that it was straight into the 25mph wind and everyone was crawling. It was just a matter of keep spinning and get through this part. Finally made it to the bike turn around and had the wind at my back again. Flying along again until the wind in the home stretch. Ended up finish the 14 mile bike in 43:45. Transition was 18 seconds since I just had to take my helmet off.

The second run was just go as hard as you can and hang on. I started out and felt like I was so slow, but I was running 8min/mi pace. Finally got my legs back and pushed a little more. The final turn came and I was able to keep in front of a guy I heard sneaking up. I did the 2 miles this time in 15:10 for a finishing time of 1:13:33.

I was 30th out of 127 and 4th in my age group. Less than 2 minutes kept me from placing. So close. The good thing was now my wife says I need some race wheels to go a little faster on the bike. Who am I to complain? I think I know what I am going to ask for for Christmas.

Next up is the NYC Marathon.

Travel Time

2008-10-17T17:36:00.000-07:00

I spent this week traveling in Atlanta for work. It is amazing how much meetings can wear you out. Just something about sitting around talking all day. I would rather be at my desk banging out work on my keyboard. It was nice to see some friends again and hang out. It makes up for all the other stuff.

I was still able to get my runs in so I am still on schedule for the marathons. I can't believe we will be in New York in just a couple weeks. Tuesday I did 4 miles, Wednesday I got in 7 and Friday 10. I did find a cool greenway with a sidewalk through the woods. I think I am going to take my head lamp next week when I go back so I can see a little better. I got freaked out by a couple fawns running out in front of me. This weekend I have my last duathlon of the season so I get to break out the bike one more time to race. Then back to Atlanta for another few days. Fun stuff.

Race For the Cure

2008-10-06T06:30:00.000-07:00

This weekend I ran in the Susan G Komen Race for the Cure 5k. This was my first 5k run since July 4th, so I really wasn't sure how fast I could go. I have been focusing on distance not speed. Kim was doing the 1 mile walk with a couple of her friends. We got there about 15 minutes before the race started since the street we were on was closed and we had to walk a ways. There were a LOT more people than I thought would be there. I heard there were over 15,000 people out doing the walk and run. I made my way up to the very front of the huge pack so I wouldn't have to dodge people the whole way.

The gun went off and we all took off in what felt like a sprint. Probably because we were. My heart rate about a mile in was 190 beats per minute. My max is about 208, so I was redlining it and stayed right there the whole time. I just tried to keep going and only thought about how I was a quarter done, half done, etc and just ignore the pain. We turned the last corner and saw the finish line and I was at about 21 minutes. I started into my last sprint kick and crossed the line in 21:54, a new record for me by about 30 seconds. I felt like I was going to throw up, but it was the good feeling. I got some water and met up with Kims friends and headed back home to relax and watch some football.

Ironman

2008-09-23T07:10:00.000-07:00

This weekend I volunteered at the Redman Ironman here in Oklahoma City. There were two races this weekend, the half Ironman (1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13.1 mile run) and the full Ironman (2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 mile run).

I was out on the bike course making sure people that weren't in the race didn't try and get onto the course and directing a little traffic. I was absolutely amazed at all of the people out there for this race. There were over 800 entries from what I heard and about a third of them were for the full distance. People in all shapes and sizes were out there racing from 4 hours for the half to over 17 hours for the full. It really inspired me, so I have decided to make the plunge to become an Ironman next September. After my Tulsa marathon in the middle of November, I am hitting the pool to get a good base. Real training will start in late January. Next year will have a few longer triathlons to ramp me up. I am planning on doing a sprint(short) and Olympic (a little longer) one weekend in late May. Then I am thinking about doing the Buffalo Springs Half in Lubbock at the end of June. I am a little nervous, but excited to take the plunge.

MS150 Day 2

2008-09-17T07:14:00.001-07:00

Day 2

The night was kind of rough sleeping on a basketball court floor and Ike passing through brought lots of wind, rain and thunder. I woke up in the morning tired and sore from sleeping on the ground. I'm not as young as I once was ;)

Breakfast was pancakes and sausage from a husband and wife team that had obviously been doing this a while. They were throwing us the pancakes. Pretty fun to watch some people try and catch them on the plate. A few were lost to the floor.

The ride on day 2 started at 7:30 again and I was in the lead group. We all took turns up on the front and we were really moving. I was able to keep up with them for ~25 miles until myself and another ride had to drop off. We ended up riding pretty much the rest of the ride together until we were seperated at traffic lights. We stopped at a rest stop at mile 30 and that was it. We took turns drafting off of each other and we finally hit the promised tail wind. Ike was north of us at this point so we had the winds really coming at our backs as we headed south. All of that tail wind fun ended as we had to make a couple turns and head back north for the last 5. I was on my own at this point so it was really just a matter of keep pedaling (I had the "Just keep swimming" stuff in my head from Finding Nemo).

I finally came up on the hospital where we started from and rolled across the finish line. Total ride was 63.5 miles in 3:43:18. Only burned 3,165 calories that day. I was in just before noon so I was right in line for a hotdog, hamburger, chips, cookie and the much anticipated post race beer. Everything tasted great. The Red Bull people showed up so I grabbed a couple of those and headed on back home.

I slept like a rock until I had to get up to go to Atlanta this week, but I am almost back at 100% now. All in all, great ride and great people and I will be back again next year.

MS 150 report - part 1

2008-09-16T07:36:00.000-07:00

This weekend I participated in the Oklahoma MS150 bike ride in Tulsa. I drove up to Tulsa Friday night and stayed at my brother in laws place. It was really nice because he was about 2 miles from the start line. I actually was able to sleep really well so I woke up just fine on Saturday morning.

I got the the start around 6:30. Put my bike together, dropped my bag off and made all the last minute preparations that you have to do at any event. I met up with a bunch of people from my company and we took a picture together at the start line. The weather was OK at the start. About 70 degrees and cloudy, perfect for riding. We took off right at 7:30. I started near the front since you never know how skilled the riders are going to be and you don't want to start a ride in a crash.

The first few miles were just a huge group as people started finding their pace. At 5 miles in I was by myself for a little while. That didn't last long as I was swallowed up by a group of about 15 riders. This was OK with me since the more riders you are with you can go faster with less effort due to the reduced drag. We came up on a wooden bridge a few miles later that we had to get off our bikes and walk across. Apparently a few people had already fallen pretty hard on it since it was a little wet. We stayed as a group until a rest stop at mile 35. I got some more Gatorade and a few snacks and headed on out again. At mile 25 or so, the rain started. Not real bad at first but it steadily got harder. I had a rain vest with me and put it on for a little protection. I got with another group for a while until the hills started and we separated.

There were quite a few "good" steep and long hills that really pushed you. One of the worst was dubbed "Pirate Hill" around mile 58. We came around the corner and all of a sudden you were on a steep incline with no warning. I heard that quite a few ended up getting off and walking it. I was tempted but no one else around me was so pride got me up. Right at the top there was another rest stop with a Pirate theme, hence Pirate Hill.

After a rest of about 5 minutes I set out on my own. There were a couple fun descents where I got up over 35MPH, but that was short lived since you have to climb another hill. There were a few dogs that liked chasing bikes, but a stern "Go Home!" usually did the trick. The rain finally started letting up about mile 63.

Here you can see what we just came through.

The rest of the ride was pretty uneventful. I was by myself at this point and just riding. I got to the finish line after riding 75.5 miles in 4:23:46.

My GPS said I burned 3,900 calories. Not too shabby. I think the distance was a little short since I forgot to start my GPS right away after the rest stops.

All of our bikes were filthy. The rain plus gravel roads and dirt did a number on us.

These socks were white...

After getting in to the rest area I grabbed some food, few drinks (no beer though...) and watched college football the rest of the day. Dinner was some really good BBQ (brisket and smoked bologna), french fries, cookies and cake.

Bike Ride and College Football

2008-09-07T18:23:00.001-07:00

A long bike ride and college football is a perfect weekend.

Had another really good bike ride this weekend. I got 55 miles in on my tri bike before all the football started. Felt really good even though there was some nasty wind towards the end.

The rest of Saturday was dedicated to watching college football. My Texas A&M Aggies won in a very boring fashion. I can't tell if we are just bad, or the coaches are holding back the plays until we get into Big 12 games. I am not ready to get my hopes up just to be let down again just like every other year so I'll just stay level headed.

Next week is the MS150 up in Tulsa. Looks like rain in the forecast right now. Hope that changes before the weekend.

Meat of my Marathon training

2008-09-02T06:26:00.000-07:00

So this week my marathon training really begins. This is the time when I can not take a day off (outside of injury), or I really fall behind. No sleeping in because I just don't want to get out of bed. No turning around halfway because I am not in the mood. I have to suck it up and run.

This morning I did 7 miles and felt great. I was focusing on trying to take a little longer stride and it paid off. I did about 8:30/mile pace for most of the run and about the same effort as my usual 9:30 pace.

Tomorrow is 6 mile, Thursday, 7 miles, Sat 6 (and a bike ride) and Sunday another 9. Whew.

Labor Day Weekend

2008-08-31T18:18:00.000-07:00

It has been a while since I've been on here, time to catch up.

Last weekend, the weekend before labor day, I went camping just south of Dallas. Very fun, very relaxing, and I sure didn't want to come back.

This Labor Day weekend was fun. My parents and sister came up from Houston and we just hung out, ate a lot and played cards. On Saturday I went for a nice 30 mile bike ride on the new Blue road bike. I was going to go a little more, but I got new pedals in and need to adjust the cleats a bit, my right knee was starting to hurt a little. No big deal though. Only a couple more weeks until the MS150. If you want to donate, click here. I am almost at my goal, only $5 more.

Sunday I went for a 9 mile run. Felt a little sluggish at first but got into a decent rhythm. I started a little later than I wanted, but it wasn't too bad. I did go through a bottle of Gatorade though. That is pretty much it for now, hopefully I'll have more to write later.

Weekend Roundup

2008-08-19T07:06:00.000-07:00

Well I had a pretty busy end of week/weekend. Friday I got my new bike out of the shop after getting the last few parts moved over. Only bad part was I didn't have pedals for it so the test ride would have to wait.

So instead of a bike ride on Saturday I went for my long run. This was my first real long run of the training plan and I was scheduled for 15 miles. I got out the door and was hit by wet air. I knew it would be a long day but I headed out. I got about 8 miles in when I finally ran out of water. It wasn't real hot but the humidity really sucked the life out of you. Luckily I was close to a big park up in Edmond so I made a little detour. Surely there was a water fountain I could refill at. After 10 minutes of searching, I finally found one tucked away in a pavilion by the restrooms. Naturally the water tasted like sand. Great. I filled up the bottle hoping I would find somewhere else to dump this out and get good water. No such luck so I headed on back home. I realized I wouldn't get my entire 15 in, but I ended up with 13.5, so not too bad. If I would have had good water I would have added on a little.

That afternoon Kim and I headed to a couple bike stores to get some pedals. After finding some with the right cleats, I have older style pedals, I bought them. When i got home I started looking online and found that I could get 2 new pair of pedals (for my tri bike and road bike) and new cleats, for $30 less than what I paid. I ordered those and took the ones I got at the shop back. This meant I still didn't have pedals, so I had to take the tri bike out on Sunday.

I went my usual route, way out into the country, turn around, take a back road to Lake Hefner, one lap around and back home. I stopped once for about 30 seconds to eat something but that was it. I forgot to start my GPS right away so it read a little short, but I got in just over 50 miles on the bike. Most of the ride went great, but the last 25 minutes or so were into a stiff headwind that just started up.

After all that I really just watched the Olympics the rest of the day and continued to be amazed by Michael Phelps. That guy is crazy good. The 100 Fly was one of the best finishes I have seen since, well, the 4x100 free relay with the epic comeback.

New Bike

2008-08-15T07:27:00.000-07:00

Well, I have another bike :)

While cleaning my old road bike I found a crack in the headtube, where the fork connects to the bike. Since that is a high stress area it was no longer safe to ride I went looking for a new frame. I picked up a used Blue RC4AL frame from a guy on my Tri Club team.

I was able to take just about everything off my old bike and move it to the new frame.

I should get it back from the bike shop today completed and out for a test ride. Can't wait.

Spin Your Wheels

2008-08-11T06:23:00.000-07:00

This Saturday I participated in a charity ride for the Childrens Center in OKC that benefits children that are faced with severe medical issues. Quite a few riders come out and support the cause, by far the biggest ride I have done so far.

This is just a small sampling of the riders.

I did this ride a couple years ago and I suffered through 50 miles but this year I decided to do 100k or 62 miles since I am gearing up for the MS150 (donate here, shameless plug). There were 5 different ride lengths, 100mi, 62mi, 50mi, 25mi and a 10 mile family ride.

The longest 3 all left together at 7:30 on the nose. It took me a few minutes to actually leave since there were so many people in front of me. I finally got out on the road and people were all over the place trying to get to a comfortable speed. All of the riders took up all 3 lanes of the road, it was pretty cool. I got into a group of guys going at a pretty good clip and tucked in behind them and we were on our way. One thing I did learn is a triathlon bike is not the best bike to have in a pack like that since the brakes and shifters are on different bars. About 6 miles in everyone was finally spaced out and I was able to get in my aero bars and go at my own pace.

I stopped at mile 25 to get more water and a couple little bites to eat to refuel and was off again. It got a little hilly at that point until the turn around which made for some really fun downhills. I got up to 35 on one. I stopped at mile 37 for another top off of water and headed for the finish.

It was pretty uneventful after that. I was able to cruise for the most part except for a couple stop lights towards the end that added on some time. I rolled into the finish at 3 hours 13 minutes and 59 seconds.

After that I got a free massage some BBQ and lots of water. Good way to end the day. I also won a door prize, a $40 gift card to a bike shop. I can do a little damage with that. It was a very good ride all in all, great weather, no crashes, free massage and I won something. I will be doing this ride again next year, hopefully the 100 mile ride.

Getting hot

2008-08-05T07:42:00.000-07:00

Man it has been hot around here lately. The lowest high (does that make sense?) in the past week or so has been 102. At least we waited until late July to hit that mark. It has really been taking its toll on my body though. Last week I commuted by bike 3 times and this weekend my long run really suffered. I just felt weak and slow and just overall blah. On Sunday I made it up though by going on a 62 mile (100k) bike ride. It was really weird how it ended up being 100k on the nose. I started at 6:30 AM and by the time I was done at 11 it was in the upper 90's. I drank at least 70oz of water and I still came back weighing less than when I left due to losing all the water weight. I have to get these rides in to get ready for the MS150. If you would like to donate and support me, just click on this link. Thanks for any help and a big thank you to those who have donated.

Desiree Ficker

2008-07-31T07:55:00.000-07:00

The tri club I am a member of had a great speaker the other night, Desiree Ficker. She recently tried out for the US Olympic marathon team after she ran a marathon in 2 hours 40 minutes. The marathon I ran I did in 4 hours 15 minutes. Yeah she is pretty fast. She is always coming in 1st or 2nd in some of the biggest triathlons around so it was really cool to meet her.

She came and talked to us about her story about how she got into triathlon, her quest to make the Olympics as a marathoner and her typical training. What amazed me is how down to Earth and normal she is. She really does have the same struggles training and racing that we normal people go through. She just does it while going really fast.

Week in Review

2008-07-27T11:01:00.000-07:00

Nothing too exciting went on this week. Kim is in Houston so it is just me and the cat hanging out. I did commute by bike 4 days this week for a total of 88 miles (11 miles each way). The mornings were pretty easy, but afternoons were really hot with a couple days over 100.

I took a couple days off of running, so during the week I only tallied up 8 miles. On Saturday I went trail running with a group that I joined up with. I ran with a couple other guys and got in 10 miles. I think I am going to most of my long runs out there. It is such a change of pace from the normal sidewalk running. That afternoon I went to see the new Batman movie. That is a great movie, the Joker is crazy good from Heath Ledger.

Sunday morning I got up early again and went out for a long bike ride. I felt pretty bad the first few miles but got into a good rhythm after that. I got a new seat and it helped out a lot, I felt much better. All in all I got in 52 miles. I need to do a couple more of these long rides to get ready for the MS150. The good thing is I'll be able to draft in that so I won't have to work nearly as hard.

Draper Lake On Road Du

2008-07-21T10:56:00.000-07:00

Sunday morning Kim and I went back out to Draper lake for another duathlon, this time the on road version. It was a 5k run, ~15 mile bike and another 5k run.
I was surprised that my legs felt as good as they did after Saturday's race. We got there fairly early and I was able to get a decent spot in transition area, close to the bike in/out. I downed some Gatorade and Hornet Juice (best stuff ever) and a couple pieces of toast. Before I knew it we were starting.

I started out at a decent pace (about 7:30 min/mile) and slowed down a bit as we hit the long gentle hill. The pack thinned out into the fast, average and joggers. I was in the middle of the average people. We got to the turn around and for some reason just about everyone stopped for water. I didn't so I passed quite a few people there. I came into transition in 23:49 for the first 5k and felt really good. Transition was nice and easy and I was into the bike.

There was a slight uphill start and I was able to pass a few more people as they struggled to get on their bikes and clipped into their pedals. We turned the corner and started another long gentle climb. I seem to be decent at those and I passed a few more people and got comfortable and into a good rhythm. There were a couple good downhills where I was going over 34MPH and that felt great. Some rolling hills that I eased up and we were onto the flatter part of the course. I was chugging along at about 19-20MPH for the rest of the ride and it was pretty uneventful. Didn't really pass anyone and just a couple people passed me. The end of the bike really snuck up on me. For some reason I thought it was an 18 mile bike so just under 15 was nice. Got into transition after 43 minutes on the bike. Got off the bike and headed on the run.

My legs felt fine and I didn't have any of the "jelly" feeling. I was able to settle in right behind a woman doing an 8min/mile pace. I kept right behind her until the turn around where I passed her. Just about the end of the run (about mile 2.5) a guy came flying by me on the run. I am amazed at how fast some people are even after a bike. No one was behind me or close enough in front of me to try and catch so I didn't sprint in but I finished strong. The second 5k was 24:46, just a little bit slower than the first run.

Over all time was 1:33:49. I was 6th in my age group out of 12 and probably 50th overall out of 150 men and women. Last year it took me 1:31, but the runs were a total of 2 miles shorter so I was very pleased by that. My bike was 8 minutes faster than last year.

This is probably my last race until October (Fall Classic Du) unless I find a 5k or something. Now I am just ramping up my training for the NYC and Tulsa marathons and my MS150 bike ride. I think that will be enough to keep me busy.

Du Draper Twice Duathlons

2008-07-17T13:01:00.000-07:00

I had a pretty busy weekend.

Saturday I did the Draper Lake Off Road Duathlon. This was a completely off road race with a 5k trail run, ~12 mile mountain bike ride and another 5k trail run. There were about 40 of us that started the race. I have never done a trail run race so it was a bit different to run in the woods with a bunch of people. It makes it a lot harder to pass and you have to go quite a bit slower since you are always looking at your footing. After the first rush of people jockeying for spots, we really started to space out. I was running toward the front of the middle group of runners and I was not hurting too bad. The weather in the trees was warm, but not hot and just a touch of humidity. Nothing real eventful in here, and I finished in 28:11.

I hopped onto the bike (with a new fork) and I was off into lap one of three. I used to ride mountain bikes all the time but I have not been on much lately. When I have been on, I tend to fall. I made it through lap one upright but I was working hard and still getting passed. Frustrating. The second lap I heard a guy coming up so I pulled off the side and was trying to stay clipped in. I thought I would have enough space to keep moving while he passed. Well I was able to stay clipped in, but not keep my balance so down I went. It was really just more embarrassing than anything. Later on in the lap I got caught in some loose sand and went right at a tree. Luckily I hit it straight on with my front wheel and didn't fall. On to lap three. I was really working hard (mountain biking is A LOT harder than I remember) and I am getting tired. I passed a couple people, and wrecked a couple more times. Once I just hugged a tree and got a nice scrape on my arm and another time I got a nice scrape on my knee. Nothing major though. As I was coming up the last road part I passed a guy who ran the 3rd lap with his bike. I finished the bike in 1 hour 28 minutes.

The third run started and I was beat. It was starting to get really hot out and my legs were toast. I had to walk quite a bit but so did a couple guys in my age group that I passed. I got to the 1.5 mile and there was a water stop. Was that great to see. I took two cups of water and I was walking away one of the people threw a cup on my back. Quite a surprise but man it felt good. I drank one and a half and poured the other over my head. After this I was able to finish out running, passing a couple more people. I finished the second run in about 32 minutes. Total time was 2:27:56. It was good for 3rd in my age group and 14th over all.

All in all it was a great time and good experience. I will be back next year with some more mountain biking under my belt.

On road duathlon report to come later.

MS150

2008-07-16T11:30:00.001-07:00

Well I am finally able to do a MS150 bike ride. I always wanted to do the one from Houston to Austin, but when I was in school it was always on the march to the Brazos weekend. Then after school I got a little lazy when it came to biking. Anyway, there is a team forming at work that I am a part of. The ride is a little over 150 miles over 2 days around the Tulsa area.

The event takes place on September 13-14. Day one is 78.3 miles and day two is "only" 68.7 miles. The farthest I have gone on a single ride is a little over 50 miles, so I need to get a few more long rides in. Might be tough when I am training for my fall marathons, but I think I can do it.

If you want to support me, visit here. I put $500 as a donation goal, but I hope to raise more than that.

River Run 5k - July 4th

2008-07-05T11:26:00.000-07:00

Earlier in the week I found out about a 5k in the Defiance area from my aunt Catherine (check out her blog). There ended up being a big group of us that ended up running. My wife Kim, Lindsay, cousins Ashley and Eric and Lindsay's boyfriend Chad all came out. Most just wanted to finish, Eric wanted to beat his ex girlfriend and I wanted to break my personal record and get under 23 minutes for the 3.1 miles.

I was up at the starting line with all the cross country guys that looked a lot faster than me. We started off and it was pretty much a sprint. I got to the half mile in under 3:15, so I knew I had to slow down a little if I was going to last the whole run. I finally got settled in at a ~7-7:15 per mile pace. Got to the turn around and saw Eric coming up, so he was having a good run too. About 2.5 miles in I caught up to a 17 year old kid and we went back and forth. We passed one other guy on a slight uphill at mile 2.75. Right at mile 3 the kid slowed a little and I passed him (woo-hoo). Then as we came into the home stretch I could hear his footsteps and I was in a dead sprint. He ended up passing me right at the end, I finished in 22:20, crushing my 23 minute goal.

I ended up being 2nd in my age group (male 25-34), my first real placing. My aunt also got 2nd and my cousin Eric got 3rd in his (and beat his old girl friend). Kim beat her old 5k record and Lindsay, Chad and Ashley all finished strong, and Chad did it in borrowed shoes that were a little too small.

All in all a fun day and maybe a couple more people running.

Cedar Point 6-30-08 & 7-1-08

2008-07-01T23:04:00.000-07:00

After my 50 mile bike ride 6 of us treked up to Sandusky to go to Cedar Point. In the car were my mom and dad, sister, her boyfriend Chad and Kim and I. It was a tight squeeze but it saved on gas. When we got up there Kim's parents met us at the hotel but stayed back a little bit while the rest of us went to the park. We got there a little after a storm passed through so there was really very little wait at all the coasters.

We started off on Raptor and it was great and onto Maxx Air. Even my mom rode. I think we were all a little queasy after that one, but I still love that free fall feeling. Got a little bit to eat (Kim had a corndog of course) and we were good to go again.

Next we went back to Mellennium Force my favorite ride.

Everything about it is fun. It is fast, steep, smooth and everything else a coaster should be. After that we hit up Maverick, the newest coaster. If it was a little longer, it might move past Millenium. Lindsay, Chad and I went on Mean Streak next. That might be my last time on that one. Just a little too jerky for me.

It was starting to get late so we headed over to the Top Thrill Dragster to end the night off. On our way, we stopped at the Magnum since the line was so short. We got through that and got in line at Top Thrill. If you haven't heard of this ride, it is basically a coaster that shoots you off, takes you almost straight up in the air, over a hump and back down at speeds up to 120 MPH. The ride lasts about 17 seconds.

Here is a pic of it I took from Power Tower.

We (Kim and I, Kim's mom and my dad) stood in line for about 45 minutes and we got up on the platform. Almost there! And then the ride breaks...Just when we were about to leave they shot a car off, alright we are going to make it! Well, not so much. After that car it was done for the night and pretty much the next day and we never did get to ride it. Oh well we had been on it before.

We stayed the night at a Cedar Point hotel so we were able to get into the park an hour early and start hitting the big rides again. I think Kim and I rode every one we wanted to do except for Top Thrill. That day we also met up with my aunt and uncle, a couple of my cousins and their friends. It was a good time but we were worn out. We ended up leaving at about 4 and headed on back home with a stop at a Bob Evans for dinner. Yum.

My 50 Miler

2008-06-30T18:32:00.000-07:00

Monday I set out to ride to Texas through Florida and I took my camera since I haven't really done a 50 miler in a couple years.

Starting point Jewell, OH

First town was about 8 miles away. Man Florida comes up fast. I thought the 50 was pretty cool in this pic.

Next up was Napoleon. Apparently they like water polo.

Look back at the big city of Napoleon, OH

Finally made it to the turn around point. This was the only proof I could find that I made it to Texas. Took a gel at this point and some water and started worrying about getting rained on.

I stopped about 5 miles later at a little shop to get a plastic bag to put my camera in and ate a sample size cliff bar and more water even though I didn't feel I needed it. Here are just a few pics for the rest of the ride.

A happy barn

Campbell's soup factory

This is what I saw for most of the ride. Lots of corn, wheat and soy beans. I loved it.

Ended up back at home in a couple minutes under 3 hrs ride time. Ate a great granma cooked lunch and headed up to Sandusky, OH to go to Cedar Point Amusement park for the night and next day. Hope to have some of that ready to put up later.

Warsaw Tri Race Report

2008-06-28T18:33:00.000-07:00

Day one of vacation took us from Oklahoma City to Greenville, IL. Not a very eventful drive we got through St Louis and right by the arch during the day this time which is a pretty cool sight. Day two took us to Warsaw Indiana. Checked into the hotel and then ran over to a pizza dinner and packet pick up. After I got the packet I wanted to drive the course since it was in a pretty residential area and I didn't want to make a wrong turn. I was really impressed with the course marking and that made me feel better.

Race day came (500m swim/14 mile bike/3.5 mile run) and I woke up about 5:30. I took a shower to wake up and put on my gear and drove the two miles to the race site. Got my bike out of the trunk, put it together and walked into my spot. Transition area was a lot bigger than any other tri/du I have done. About 30 minutes before race time they announced that wet suits would be legal and I was glad to have mine. I was in the first swim wave with what looked like a bunch of ex and current Purdue swimmers and triathletes. Great. We just stood there for 5 minutes and a lot of people were really starting to shiver but I was comfortable in my wet suit. Gun finally went off. I felt ok for the first part of the swim but had to move to the back stroke about a third of the way in. Got out of the water and into transition in 12 minutes, which was really good for me (took me 16 minutes last time).

T1 was a lot faster than my last tri since I already had my jersey and HRM strap on. Off on the bike immediately to a set of hills where I was able to pass quite a few people. The end was pretty cool since we came back into a neighborhood and were winding through the streets like we were on the tour complete with cowbells. I settled into a rhythm and was done before I knew it in 41:11.

T2 was OK and I was off on the 3.5 mile run. The run was nice and through a wooded area and into a neighborhood. I was amazed at the amount of people out there cheering us on. I felt like I was along a marathon course or something. Came back through the woods and into the neighborhood. The last part of the course was down a steep hill right before a turn and it threw me off a bit but once you turned that corner, the crowd hit again and they were loud. Like nothing I have ever seen at a multisport event. I sprinted to the finish in a time of 28:41.

Total time was 1:24:46 good for 16 out of 27 in my AG (damn you college swimmers) and I was 164/338 in the males. My goal was sub 1:27, so I hit that. I didn't get to stick around for any of the post race stuff like food or massages since I had to check out of the hotel. Looked really good though. If you find yourself in Indiana in late June, do this race.