TriStreet

Aussies are a very social breed.

2008-01-17T10:18:00.000-08:00

You might think I’m about to write about the wickedly fast and outgoing athletes that frequent the Boulder area during our summer but I’m not. I’m referring to the four legged variety, Australian Shepherds. I have the fortune and sometimes misfortune of living with one. Jake, my Aussie, is the greatest running partner I’ve ever had and if you so much as pick up a pair of running shoes he’ll be all over you till you get at least 5 miles in.

In the winter several compounding issues cause my roommate and I to butt heads on occasion. One is the sun goes down early and it gets cold enough that I’m not all that keen on running when I get home from work. Jake gives me the look but when the TV goes on he knows it aint happening. The other problem is that snow piles up over the fence and he can walk right out of the yard whenever it suits him. If Jake gets bored he’ll venture out to see what’s up in the neighborhood.

Last night when I got home I noticed a ton of dog tracks all over the yard. Something had gone on and by the look of it there were more than a few culprits. It wasn’t much different inside the house. You can imagine the classic scene were parents come home to find their kids had thrown a raging party. Stuff was everywhere…every garbage can in the house had been emptied to the floor, all the pillows had been pulled off the furniture and the bed sheets were stripped off. I knew there was some socializing going on but had no idea it was to the point they were organizing events! Once the snow gets high enough most dogs in the neighborhood have the same opportunistic freedom as fences are no longer effective means of confinement. I’ve got dog doors into the garage and house so once the fence has been neutralized access to the house is a breeze.

I got everything picked up and noticed some stuff was missing. I ended up finding a blanket half way down the block. I’m baffled as to how a dog could pull a large blanket through two dog doors, over a fence and 100 yards down the street. I’m still on the lookout for some clothes. Why would a four legged animal steal a pair of pants?

In a related incident last year I woke up in the middle of the night by the sound of something walking around in the house. Jake had uncharacteristically hopped up on the bed and was sleeping with me. You can imagine my surprise when I flipped on the light to find out it was Jake walking around and the neighbor’s golden retriever had snuck in and decided to take a nap…in my bed, while I was in it! I would’ve expected my “best friend” to have the courtesy to give me a heads up when we had guests.

On the to-do list for this weekend is digging a moat around the fence line. Jake is grounded for the rest of the season.

Straw

In with the New

2007-12-29T20:50:00.000-08:00

I just picked up my new P3C from Colorado Multisport! A lighter, aerodynamic and comfortable beauty my old Tachyon could never compare. Whether it will help regain speeds from younger days or not will be played out in future competitions. My old grey ghost is now relegated to the trainer.

The Litespeed Tachyon was my first real tri bike. I picked it up in 1994 after its predecessor was destroyed in a nasty collision with a car. I was fortunate to walk out of the hospital with all limbs and head intact but decided to get back on the horse. I put the bike replacement money towards a top of the line titanium cycling beast which I had no business owning. On my first ride I rolled right into a ditch failing to get clipped out at a stoplight. I can imagine the cars around me found it humorous watching some guy who clearly can’t ride a bike with such a sweet machine.

As the years and miles went by I got faster and cycling became my strength in triathlons. I road 1000 kilometers in one week training in Australia and 200 plus miles in a day riding from Boulder to Cheyenne and back. I used it for eleven iron distance events and a ton of other races. I hit 58 miles per hour on the back side of Carter Lake. I rode up on the likes of Tim Deboom and Tyler Hamilton on training rides. I came within 8 minutes of cracking five hours for 112 miles at Ironman Florida. All told I put 45,000 miles on the bike.

As I stare at my new top of the line carbon speed freak I’m feeling the same sense of being way over-biked I did thirteen years ago. Hopefully this time I can keep the wheels under me on its maiden voyage.

Straw

My Twelve Days of Ironman

2007-12-26T12:26:00.000-08:00

In honor of the holidays I thought a recap of all my IMs to the verse of The 12 Days of Christmas would be fun. I’ve had it go wrong in just about every way imaginable with a few successes along the way.

On my first day at Ironman it was a fine day indeed…
California, May ’01, 13:15
With only the expectation and apprehension of finishing I conquered what I once couldn’t fathom. To this day I’m envious of folks taking their first shot at the distance.

On my second day at Ironman all I could do was sneeze…
5430 Iron Distance August ’01, DNF
With a head cold my second crack at the distance was much less than expected. I rolled off the bike into the grass at mile 70 and stepped off the course. I have several other abrupt ends to a race and they all haunt me. If I could only go back and exorcise those demons.

On my third day at Ironman I struggled with a breeze…
Utah, June ’02, 5:51
A freak wind storm hit just as the race started turning Utah Lake into angry waters. The race was stopped and a shortened version of the event was conducted. I made some good friends that day but in terms of a race performance there isn’t much I remember.

On my fourth day at Ironman I saw what might be…
Wisconsin, September ’02, 12:27
After a solid swim start and great ride I came up short on the run. A scenario I have repeated many times since but it was oh so close. If I could just get the run sorted out Kona would be in play.

On my fifth day at Ironman the heat gave no reprieve…
Coeur d’Alene, June ’03, 13:31
Who knew I could swim? After clocking sub 30min on the first lap I lost nothing on the second and cracked an hour out of the water. Though it was early in the day I felt a huge sense of accomplishment. The ride and run didn’t go as well as the heat crippled me. One of the many walking wounded I resorted to hiding in port-a-potties to keep from being pulled off the course.

On my sixth day of Ironman I lost my head to speed…
Ultramax, September ’03, 13:41
I’ve been accused of going out too hard on the bike many times. This time I did. Riding back from the turnaround I had moved into 7th overall and was taking time out of the leader. My detonation at mile 90 probably could have been seen from space. It was a struggle to leave T2 but with one foot in front of the other well it to the dark of night I knocked out all 26.2 miles.

On my seventh day of Ironman I ate beyond my needs…
Canada, August ’04, 11:34
Another strong swim and ride. I even had a great start to the run with the first two miles at 7:30 pace. The ticking time bomb in my gut was due to the over indulgence of gels without near enough water. By the run turnaround I was walking trying to soothe a very upset stomach. After a glorious pit stop at mile 18 the rest of the run was wickedly fast.

On my eighth day of Ironman the race went better than I could foresee…
Florida, November ’04, 10:50
Things didn’t start well with a poorly timed dive right into a sand bar and subsequent trampling at the beginning of the swim. The wheels were spinning on the ride but the slow start put me well into the masses and staying out of the illegal draft zones was challenging. At mile 80 I surged past hundreds of folks to clear all of the packs and kept the hammer down into T2 with a 5:08 ride. The run was slow but it was a run. This was the first time I actually ran every step of the marathon clocking 4:32.

On my ninth day of Ironman I found out about IVs…
Arizona, April ’05, 11:22
I quit my job and spent several weeks in Australia at Epic Camp during the winter in prep for this race. The early season event still left me lacking cycling form. It was a windy day but not hot. I didn’t worry much about electrolytes drinking mostly water. This mistake came into play on the last part of the run. I was dizzy, my vision was distorted and my fingers went numb. I stumbled into the finish and was in the med tent straight away. It took two full IV bags before they could get a blood pressure reading. I’ve always avoided the med tent and IVs, never again. The macho stance of toughing it out is silly when an IV is such a huge help in recovery.

On my tenth day at Ironman I was stung by two bees…
Lake Placid, July ’05, 12:12
This race ranks second only to Canada on my list of favorites. The swim is as fast as they come with a yellow guide wire strung out just below the entire course. I came out of the water in 57 minutes and didn’t look back. Bee number one got me heading out of town. My allergy meds were still at full strength so it was only a minor irritation. The second one got me late into the ride and caused a fair bit of swelling and discomfort. It was enough to throw me off my nutrition plan and once on the run the fuel gauge was heading towards empty in a hurry. I made it through the first lap then had to resort to walking, taking in as much gel as I could to get to the finish.

On my eleventh day of Ironman I learned there are never any guarantees…
Louisville, August ’07, 15:39
For a lot of reasons I wasn’t really into this one but still thought I could sneak it in on limited training by taking it easy. The swim was fine but 30 miles into the ride I was already tired. I made my life even more difficult by not tuning up the bike. My bottom bracket was rusty and shot with far from smooth performance. The last ten miles on the ride back into town were grueling and I was well into the latter stages of bonking as I rolled into T2. I ran the first mile out of transition and a few others along the way but for the majority of the day I was shuffling along at a snail’s pace with the terrifying thought of not finishing haunting me. It took 8:07 to finish the marathon and was a mental battle every step of the way.

On my twelfth day of Ironman I’ll be headed to Tempe…
Arizona, November ’08, TBD
I can’t wait to toe the line for this race. It will be the first time I repeat a course and there will be a strong contingent of Boulderites in on the fun.

Enjoy the holidays and best wishes for next year,

Straw

To Blog or not to Blog

2007-12-21T16:48:00.000-08:00

I’ve got to admit I’m developing a new addiction. The “Favorites” folder on my browser is starting to fill with triathlon blogs. I even get a bit miffed when they aren’t updated regularly. It’s amazing how much inspirational or just plain entertaining stuff is out there.

The question I’ve been asking myself is whether or not to join the fray. Do I have any right to hold millions of innocent electrons captive? Will anyone stumble down the unmarked corridor of TriStreet to read the dribble that leaks from my head?

I am a bit stoked on the upcoming 2008 season and have got to think some material will fall out of the un-coached and often unadvisable training antics I come up with. After an all time slow finish at IM Kentucky this year I’ve developed some major “Cubs Fan”-itis and can’t wait till next year to turn it around and PR at the late addition of IM Arizona.

Will I walk the talk or just talk and talk? I guess a blog is at least points of record for ranking on the hypocritical scale.

Straw

Ironman Kentucky Race Report

2007-09-03T20:03:00.000-07:00

Doing my best not to throw out lots of excuses, suffice it to say I wasn’t heading into the race with the same level of preparedness I normally have for Ironman events. I tell first timers when they begin their iron journey to make the commitment to start the race no matter what gets in the way leading up to it. It’s very likely something is going to get in the way to test your decision. To be true to myself I had to step up to the start line.

I must say that the WTC covered all the bases and were well prepared for the inaugural event in Kentucky. With eleven of these under my belt it was really nice to pull into town and get right into the race week groove as schedules are relatively consistent across most Ironman events. I even got out and did some bar hopping Thursday night. Louisville is a great party town. Even road kill are in on the fun.

Due to an abnormally healthy current in the Ohio River the swim was changed to a time trial start with less up river swimming. With 85 degree water temps there would also be no wetsuits. As can be seen in this photo, I had done an exceptional job carbo loading for race day. The time trial start was a great call by race organizers and a low stress way to get the race under way. I’m sure for some not knowing who was where in terms of time on the course was disturbing but for me it wasn’t much of a concern. I started up towards the front of the line and swam by myself for about a third of the swim then found some feet and latched on for a comfortable ride to T1. I came out of the water with virtually no fatigue in 1:03. The extra help from the current balanced out not wearing a wetsuit. Knowing I was going to take the ride easy I had a casual transition.

Once on the bike I made a point to hold a very conservative effort especially in the hills. The course is basically a lollipop with an out and back on the stick. Once at the top of the stick you did two 30mile loops and headed back into town. The loops were through spectacular fence lined horse country. There were plenty of hills to keep it an honest course with limited drafting. Even taking it easy I started to get a bit uncomfortable about 35miles into the ride. At that point I made a wise decision to drop to the little cookie and keep it there which brought a bit more life back into my legs. All was good until I headed back into town. There’s just no faking it in an Ironman and the lack of miles under my belt really hit home over the last stretch of the ride. I was cooked it was getting hotter and a marathon was waiting for me.

If my first transition was casual my second would rate couch potato pace. I dreaded the run course. Once I crossed the timing mats I started running as easy as I could with the goal of getting to the mile 1 aid station. I made it and quickly decided to try a run one walk one strategy. That lasted for all of two miles and I was relegated to just walking. Four miles in I was already hunched over and fighting to keep from tripping on the curb. Up to that point it had been a forgone conclusion that I’d finish one way or another. With so much ground left to cover I began to wonder whether this was the race that beats me.

One big highlight of the first loop was watching Chris heading to the finish the clear winner of the race. His 19th Ironman…a well deserved win.

I know many will sympathize with the struggle of finishing the first of two loops and making the turn to head back out into the dark for another. The finish chute is right in front of you, your friends are all there and the crowds are pushing you along irrespective of whether or not you make the turn. By this time, like a rock in a stream, not only were runners flowing by me but walkers with significantly better form than I. On most of my blow ups the run was a time to socialize and commiserate with other hobbled athletes. This time my pace was so crippled it was just me and the danged curb. As much as I willed my feet to stay out of the gutter I kept getting tripped up by that curb. The cardinal sin for back of the packers is to stop moving forward. I so much wanted to take a nap in under one of the many large trees lining the course but knew it would most likely prematurely end my day. For a first time race the volunteers were well versed with the drill and never let the smile come off my face all be it artificial for much too much of the day.

It was late into the night when I finally made the far turn to head back into town. It was also very dark making that incessant curb all the more problematic. With just six miles left to cover I was still worried that my body, mind or both would give out and I’d come up short on the day. I kissed every mile marker on the way back as they became more and more spread out. At 24 my confidence returned and at 25 a true smile came back to my face. I mustered up my best run for the last block to the finish as the clocked clicked off 15:39. Over eight hours on the run course and I never stopped moving forward. I’ve got to say it was one of the tougher things I’ve ever done.

As is normal “blow up” protocol, I headed straight for the med tent. I was surprised to get out after only one IV. It was after midnight when I left the med tent and I was up against a 1AM deadline to pick up my gear and bike over a mile from the finish. I got my bike out of transition right at 1AM. I’ve really got to make a point to have a sherpa along for these races in the future to help with the after race stuff. I was in miserable shape heading back to the truck with all my gear and bike. It took me awhile to find the garage where I had parked. I pulled into the garage just after 4AM on Sunday for the race and was leaving at 2AM Monday. It was an incredibly long day but I wasn’t beaten.