A couple of weeks ago, I foolishly read MJ's blog and decided to click on a link, which took me here and then I clicked the enter button for the lottery for one of the coolest tri's in the US, and today, I got this email (below) ..... DAMN! Now I have to train for a super hard race with no flat sections to speak of....
Congratulations DARREN SMITH!
Your registered email address is: [Email]Your registered date of birth: 2/3/1966
Please follow this link to register for the race:https://secure.escapefromalcatraztriathlon.com/index.cfm/override/92,1,1-E6FEDD6A694668ABB91FF2F9ABA0C202.htm
You are one of the exceptional triathletes that has been selected as a Random Drawing Winner for the 2009 Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon. As a Random Drawing Winner, you receive a slot in the 2009 Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon to be held in San Francisco on June 14, 2009. You have until January 9, 2009 at 11:59 pm to register for the race and pay your registration fee. Your slot is non-transferable and will be void on January 10th. We recommend that you register right away to make sure that you are able to complete the process, don’t wait until January 9. On June 14, you will get to jump off a perfectly good boat into the frigid water of the San Francisco Bay, swim with 2000 of your best friends from Alcatraz to Little Marina Green. You will climb out of the water and run (with or without shoes) one half mile to the transition area, jump on your bike and ride 18 miles (most people say that it is all up hill) and then run 8 miles under the Golden Gate Bridge, through the sands of Baker Beach, up the infamous sand ladder and back to Marina Green to the finish line. What a great way to spend the day! If you need any assistance please e-mail registration@escapefromalcatraztriathlon.com and give us a description of what you need and we will have someone contact you.
We look forward to seeing you in June,
Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon Event Staffwww.escapefromalcatraztriathlon.com
You are receiving these messages as you have previously participated in The Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon or have recently signed up for a race or the random drawing. To ensure that you get future messages, please whitelist all email coming from the domain "escapefromalcatraztriathlon.com". You are currently subscribed as "drdsmith@hotmail.com". If you need to update your email address or would like to opt out, please contact: registration@escapefromalcatraztriathlon.com
So, now Im trying to figure how Im going to do this since Stacey has Boise 70.3 on her schedule and it coincides with EFA.... Not only that but this is a hell of a race, no AWAD category so Im going AG but it wouldnt matter anyway, looks like for me, its going to be a survival thing.
Running on the beach with my ankle might be a tough one, climbing stairs, riding up silly 18% hills could be tough on me. It might be my A race for the year for triathlon at least since I want to be a bike racer next season and try and make the Canuck team. Who knows, but I really want to do this race so Im hoping I can do it.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Its that time of year..... Part 1, work
Yep, time to reflect on the past year and all the things that have gone right, wrong, and in between. I will start with my year in work and follow with my year in sport and if I confuse you, as they say in la belle province, c'est la vie.
I spent the first part of the year being a stay at home dad, working a few hours a week doing physical exams for a trucking company. On top of the PE's, I had to give them pee tests as well. Yum, that was fun. I learned that truckers, as a group, are the most unhealthy people I have ever met. All of the people I examined were newly hired employee's but not all were new to trucking. I tried to give advice to all of them about smoking, walking/exercise, and eating habits, but with the short time I had with them, Im not sure how well it worked. As gas was creeping up in price, it was costing me more to go to work than I was making so after making no headway to get a gas allowance from them, I resigned.
A few months ago, I found out that I would have been layed off anyway as the company HQ in Nebraska, hired a new medical officer and he said he didnt want chiropractors doing the PE's. Old school MD, wouldnt even listen to reason and the company backed him up on it even though it cost them a ton of coin in the long run to have MD's doing the exams. Oh well, not my problem... ok, I have a problem with closed minded health care professionals of any sort but I wont get into that.
In early April, my friend Molly connected me with Lisa Hunt, the director for the Value Act Capital women's pro cycling team. I agreed to work for the team at the Tour of the Gila in Silver City, New Mexico and I was gone for 8 days. Longer than I had ever been away from the family before. Thats was a great experience for me and I agreed to do additional races with the VAC team later in the season. Turns out, that was the only race I could do with the team but I keep in touch for possible future work.
Not long after I got back from NM, I had an offer to work with the men's pro team, Bissell, at the Mt Hood Classic. Another great experience, but I was away for almost another whole week. I love doing the work but it doesnt pay as much as I should be making to justify being gone from home for that long. At the time, however, I wasnt working much in an office as a chiropractor so this was fun and it paid me a bit.
In mid May, an acupuncturist friend of mine asked if I wanted to work in the office he was in. They were looking to replace another chiro that wasnt fitting in very well and since Terry and I had worked together before, I came out to look at the office. After talking to the owner, I agreed to work with them. Its been a long process to get used to the way things work in that office but after 6 months, I think Im getting the hang of it. The clinic is Russian owned and staffed and we market to Russian's that get into auto accidents. Myself and Terry are the only native english speaker's in the place so that is tough at times with my lack of knowledge of the culture and language.
In the summer, I do a lot of work with the Oregon Youth Soccer Association and their Olympic Development Program (ODP). I provide medical support for the ODP tryouts throughout the year as well as a couple of tourney's, one is during Memorial Day weekend in May. This coming January, when its cold and wet here, I get to travel to Phoenix for a regional ODP tourney. It will be a very long weekend but should be a nice break from the dreary weather here in Oregon.
My friend Jonathan and I have done medical for the Premier 50, a soccer camp for the top 50 high school girls in the country, for the past 2 years. This year, due to some politics that I didnt understand, they cancelled it and put a 7 on 7 touch football tourney in its place. This was a good experience for football as we had a few more injuries than I normally get at the Premier 50 camp.
I was asked to work at the Cascade Cycling Classic in Central Oregon for the UCI Pro Continental team, BMC, but as I had been gone for so many days already this year, I had to turn them down. This is the first year since 1998 that I have not worked at the event for one team or another.
The annual family trip to Mexico was pushed back from the normal winter travel time to June, after the kids were out of school. Stacey's brother Andy was deployed to Iraq with his Air Force Reserve Unit and since he was gone until April, we postponed the trip to June. That sounded redundant but you get the point. Andy is a Major (then Captain) and an engineer with the 557th Red Horse Squadron and they basically build stuff (sorry, dont really know what they built). Anyway, thankfully, Andy returned home safe and sound with all the ammo that he was issued with when he left.... The trip was great, a welcome rest that came immediately after I did World's. I was still training for Ironman Canada so I was trying to swim and run when I could but having never run in extreme humidity (extreme for me, 80%), it was very difficult. Swimming, my strong suit, consisted of maybe 3 short swims but more on that later.
For the past 8 seasons, I have been the team chiropractor for the Portland Winterhawks of the Western Hockey League. This season, the team was up for sale, and in late October, they were sold to a Calgary businessman. The new owner cleaned house, fired the head coach, one of his assistants, the head trainer (he had been there 32 years), and some of the front office staff. He hired all new staff, all with NHL experience. The new trainer had worked with the NY Islanders and the Olympic team in Bejiing this summer. I went to meet him and left him a resume. Not to 'apply' for a job, but more to let him know what I was all about. He said he would call me later that week. He never did. I tried to get him on the phone but had no luck so at the next home game, I showed up, like always, and was prepared to do what I always did on game day. I wanted to find the trainer first but by the time I finally found him, all the guys that wanted to be adjusted, had to get dressed for warm up. He didnt recognize me from our first meeting (first bad sign) then he says "I dont need you to come to games anymore".... Um, ok, what DO you want? Im not sure he says, I will be doing most things in house and referring out. Okay, so, um, Im still confused. Anyway, long story short, after reviewing my resume with me (obviously he didnt read it before) he said he would come to see my office later in the week and then blew me off to talk to someone else that had interrupted me. Again, he said he again that he would call me and visit my office later that week. Its been 5 weeks and I still havent heard from him. i have given in to the fact that I wont be working with the club anymore but who knows. I havent contacted him either but if players are in need of an adjustment, I would think I might have received a call.
My impression of him is the same that I have of a lot of ATC's (not all) and PT's that work with elite and professional teams; they feel like I am somehow going to step on their toes (usually because of a bad experience with a chiro) and they put their ego in the way of the health of the athletes they are paid to protect. As a side note, I saw a chiro that I had worked with before, a real prince, coming into the arena one for a game and given that he went to Bejiing as one of the Team USA chiro's, Im sure he knows the new trainer, and it could be the players are now going to see him. I havent found that out for sure but it seems to fit since said chiro always told me he doesnt like hockey and yet, he was at a game, hmmmmm.
Anyway, you know, all in all, I had a good year with work. Better than last year in general I would say. Im looking forward to 2009. As I said, the work year starts with a trip to Phoenix where there is a very good chance that I will be seeing the sun.
I spent the first part of the year being a stay at home dad, working a few hours a week doing physical exams for a trucking company. On top of the PE's, I had to give them pee tests as well. Yum, that was fun. I learned that truckers, as a group, are the most unhealthy people I have ever met. All of the people I examined were newly hired employee's but not all were new to trucking. I tried to give advice to all of them about smoking, walking/exercise, and eating habits, but with the short time I had with them, Im not sure how well it worked. As gas was creeping up in price, it was costing me more to go to work than I was making so after making no headway to get a gas allowance from them, I resigned.
A few months ago, I found out that I would have been layed off anyway as the company HQ in Nebraska, hired a new medical officer and he said he didnt want chiropractors doing the PE's. Old school MD, wouldnt even listen to reason and the company backed him up on it even though it cost them a ton of coin in the long run to have MD's doing the exams. Oh well, not my problem... ok, I have a problem with closed minded health care professionals of any sort but I wont get into that.
In early April, my friend Molly connected me with Lisa Hunt, the director for the Value Act Capital women's pro cycling team. I agreed to work for the team at the Tour of the Gila in Silver City, New Mexico and I was gone for 8 days. Longer than I had ever been away from the family before. Thats was a great experience for me and I agreed to do additional races with the VAC team later in the season. Turns out, that was the only race I could do with the team but I keep in touch for possible future work.
Not long after I got back from NM, I had an offer to work with the men's pro team, Bissell, at the Mt Hood Classic. Another great experience, but I was away for almost another whole week. I love doing the work but it doesnt pay as much as I should be making to justify being gone from home for that long. At the time, however, I wasnt working much in an office as a chiropractor so this was fun and it paid me a bit.
In mid May, an acupuncturist friend of mine asked if I wanted to work in the office he was in. They were looking to replace another chiro that wasnt fitting in very well and since Terry and I had worked together before, I came out to look at the office. After talking to the owner, I agreed to work with them. Its been a long process to get used to the way things work in that office but after 6 months, I think Im getting the hang of it. The clinic is Russian owned and staffed and we market to Russian's that get into auto accidents. Myself and Terry are the only native english speaker's in the place so that is tough at times with my lack of knowledge of the culture and language.
In the summer, I do a lot of work with the Oregon Youth Soccer Association and their Olympic Development Program (ODP). I provide medical support for the ODP tryouts throughout the year as well as a couple of tourney's, one is during Memorial Day weekend in May. This coming January, when its cold and wet here, I get to travel to Phoenix for a regional ODP tourney. It will be a very long weekend but should be a nice break from the dreary weather here in Oregon.
My friend Jonathan and I have done medical for the Premier 50, a soccer camp for the top 50 high school girls in the country, for the past 2 years. This year, due to some politics that I didnt understand, they cancelled it and put a 7 on 7 touch football tourney in its place. This was a good experience for football as we had a few more injuries than I normally get at the Premier 50 camp.
I was asked to work at the Cascade Cycling Classic in Central Oregon for the UCI Pro Continental team, BMC, but as I had been gone for so many days already this year, I had to turn them down. This is the first year since 1998 that I have not worked at the event for one team or another.
The annual family trip to Mexico was pushed back from the normal winter travel time to June, after the kids were out of school. Stacey's brother Andy was deployed to Iraq with his Air Force Reserve Unit and since he was gone until April, we postponed the trip to June. That sounded redundant but you get the point. Andy is a Major (then Captain) and an engineer with the 557th Red Horse Squadron and they basically build stuff (sorry, dont really know what they built). Anyway, thankfully, Andy returned home safe and sound with all the ammo that he was issued with when he left.... The trip was great, a welcome rest that came immediately after I did World's. I was still training for Ironman Canada so I was trying to swim and run when I could but having never run in extreme humidity (extreme for me, 80%), it was very difficult. Swimming, my strong suit, consisted of maybe 3 short swims but more on that later.
For the past 8 seasons, I have been the team chiropractor for the Portland Winterhawks of the Western Hockey League. This season, the team was up for sale, and in late October, they were sold to a Calgary businessman. The new owner cleaned house, fired the head coach, one of his assistants, the head trainer (he had been there 32 years), and some of the front office staff. He hired all new staff, all with NHL experience. The new trainer had worked with the NY Islanders and the Olympic team in Bejiing this summer. I went to meet him and left him a resume. Not to 'apply' for a job, but more to let him know what I was all about. He said he would call me later that week. He never did. I tried to get him on the phone but had no luck so at the next home game, I showed up, like always, and was prepared to do what I always did on game day. I wanted to find the trainer first but by the time I finally found him, all the guys that wanted to be adjusted, had to get dressed for warm up. He didnt recognize me from our first meeting (first bad sign) then he says "I dont need you to come to games anymore".... Um, ok, what DO you want? Im not sure he says, I will be doing most things in house and referring out. Okay, so, um, Im still confused. Anyway, long story short, after reviewing my resume with me (obviously he didnt read it before) he said he would come to see my office later in the week and then blew me off to talk to someone else that had interrupted me. Again, he said he again that he would call me and visit my office later that week. Its been 5 weeks and I still havent heard from him. i have given in to the fact that I wont be working with the club anymore but who knows. I havent contacted him either but if players are in need of an adjustment, I would think I might have received a call.
My impression of him is the same that I have of a lot of ATC's (not all) and PT's that work with elite and professional teams; they feel like I am somehow going to step on their toes (usually because of a bad experience with a chiro) and they put their ego in the way of the health of the athletes they are paid to protect. As a side note, I saw a chiro that I had worked with before, a real prince, coming into the arena one for a game and given that he went to Bejiing as one of the Team USA chiro's, Im sure he knows the new trainer, and it could be the players are now going to see him. I havent found that out for sure but it seems to fit since said chiro always told me he doesnt like hockey and yet, he was at a game, hmmmmm.
Anyway, you know, all in all, I had a good year with work. Better than last year in general I would say. Im looking forward to 2009. As I said, the work year starts with a trip to Phoenix where there is a very good chance that I will be seeing the sun.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
and I ran to the end of Greenbough County......
.......... and I just kept running. Well, unlike Forest, Forest Gump, I can't run that far or that fast but I did manage two short runs this week. I havent got to write that letter yet today but Im working on it.
On Monday, I took the husky and ran just over two miles in 24 minutes and change on the Heritage Trail. Yesterday, I got to the school early and ran the block around the school a couple times. I didnt time it but I figure it is about a mile per lap as my run time was 24:20. Unlike Monday, my knee didnt hurt at all. Monday was pretty cold though so that might have been part of it. Yesterday, I felt great and probably could have squeezed out another lap but I didnt want to be waiting with all the other parents while smelling so poorly.
Anyway, Im going to give this running thing another go. Simon Whitfield is going to be here on Saturday and although I have to work, I really want to meet him. MJ said he is a great guy, not to mention we have the same jacket from World's. Simon will be leading a run from Athlete's Lounge, our team sponsor, and although I would love to, I wont be able to keep up, but I certainly can try for a bit anyway.
On Monday, I took the husky and ran just over two miles in 24 minutes and change on the Heritage Trail. Yesterday, I got to the school early and ran the block around the school a couple times. I didnt time it but I figure it is about a mile per lap as my run time was 24:20. Unlike Monday, my knee didnt hurt at all. Monday was pretty cold though so that might have been part of it. Yesterday, I felt great and probably could have squeezed out another lap but I didnt want to be waiting with all the other parents while smelling so poorly.
Anyway, Im going to give this running thing another go. Simon Whitfield is going to be here on Saturday and although I have to work, I really want to meet him. MJ said he is a great guy, not to mention we have the same jacket from World's. Simon will be leading a run from Athlete's Lounge, our team sponsor, and although I would love to, I wont be able to keep up, but I certainly can try for a bit anyway.
Monday, December 1, 2008
Weather, Beavers, training, traveling, writing, running, Jason Lester, Meyrick Jones....
I always have so many things on my mind, usually when I have no computer to bang out my thoughts on so, even though I really should be doing other things (I am the reigning king of procrastination), here are some things I want to talk about.
Weather: I live in Oregon, I shouldn't complain about the weather, but I always do. In some ways I wish it would snow. As I look outside today, however, its beautiful so I guess I wont dwell on that subject too long.
OSU Beavers: Watched the Civil War game on Saturday. It was a mess! The Beavers looked like a high school team, at least their defense did. I don't mind the Beavers loss so much as who they lost to, the freakin' Ducks. Duck fans have an excuse for losing and a superiority complex when they win. I know I wont be able to wear my Beaver's shirt without some Duck fan rubbing it in my face about the win last week, regardless of how long since the game was played. I would love to see UCLA beat the Trojans next weekend. Not to gloat about the Beavers making it to the Rose Bowl, should that unlikely event happen, but to shut up annoying Duck fans.
Training: Haven't done much. About two to three times per week is all I am able to motivate myself to do. Today is Monday. I started out the day with a 25 minute run. Not sure how far I went, probably about 2 miles, but at least I got out, no excuses. I just have to get over the pain in my knee so I can do something again tomorrow. I want to train, just unsure what I'm training for at this time. I want to try and do some track stuff so I can try and make the national cycling team in 2009 but I also want to race XTERRA events. I had a coach lined up but I told him I wasn't going to use him this year. he is a tri coach, a good one, but I think I need a cycling coach. I have a friend that is a cycling coach and I might use him hourly since he is pretty pricey per month. Having said that, should I spend more to get a good cycling coach because of my lofty goals?
Traveling: I'm supposed to go to Las Vegas this weekend for a seminar. Its worth 18 hours. I need 24 by the end of the year for my sports medicine degree, but the hours required for my state licenses are not due til February. Financially, it is going to be difficult to get it done by the end of the year. Going to Vegas will be relatively cheap however I will miss out on a couple of things, half a day or more of work due to flights, working this weekend at a soccer camp (more money out of my pocket), food etc in Vegas (lodging is free as I will stay at my mom's place) so now that I type all this out, I'm thinking I'm not going. I can do another seminar locally, not miss work, but miss out on an easy $400 for doing the soccer event. Decisions, decisions, decisions.
Writing: Not writing things like emails and blogs, but writing as in pen and paper. How many of us do this anymore? Even Christmas cards etc, some of us get pre-printed cards. I thought about this the other day and dammit, I'm going to write a letter the old fashioned way this week. I will keep you posted on that one. I do write chart notes but that definitely isn't what I'm talking about since my chart notes are usually in my own version of short hand and its not legible to anyone but me and hopefully most insurance adjusters.
Running: Like I said earlier, I ran for 25 minutes today, maybe 2 miles. I took the husky with me which perhaps took me faster so maybe I went 2.2 miles in 25 minutes but it hurt. My left knee hurt, my right low back hurt, and my right glute is tight and sore. I remember early last season, I went through a lot of pain and discomfort but once I got back into it again, the knee pain went away. I'm going to go with that until I figure that isn't the case and then perhaps rethink the whole running thing.
Jason Lester: Jason is a guy I met at World's this year in Vancouver. He was representing the USA in the AWAD division. His coach is one of my Ironhead team mates and told me about Jason before I met him. We have talked about getting together to put a proposal together for local race directors to have an AWAD division put into some of their events. He has an injury to his brachial plexus from a bicycle/car accident and is unable to use his right arm. Yesterday, Jason finished Ultraman Hawaii a little over a month after finishing Ironman world championships and winning the AWAD category there. Ultraman is a tough event, 6.2 mile swim and a 90 mile ride on day one, a 171 mile ride on day two, and on day three, they get to run a double marathon. Jason swims with one arm and on day 1, he swam through a school of jelly fish, got stung, had trouble breathing, and got pulled into the rescue boat. After hearing the doctor say he was going to get a medical DQ, he rolled into the water and kept swimming. After battling jelly fish, massive cross winds, a whopping headache, and 100 degree heat, Jason finished in 24th place at 32 hours and change. Pretty amazing guy. I wouldn't even think about attempting something like that. I don't like swimming that much :)
Meyrick Jones: Another guy I met at World's in June. Meyrick is a below the knee amputee (BK) and is on the Canadian tri team. He is hoping to make it to the 2010 Paralympics representing Canada in the Nordic Skiing events. MJ is one of the best ambassadors for disabled athltetes I have ever met. He started the Momentum Foundation (website is still under construction) and has been working on getting it off the ground along with raising three children, being a husband, training, being an advocate and motivating people (able bodied and disabled alike) to push themselves beyond what they expected (not sure if that comes out right, but he is one hell of a motivator), and traveling around parts of Canada doing some kick ass things. Not bad for a kid missing part of his wheels eh? I'm writing about him not only because he motivates me but because his writing is amazing. I like to write, MJ LOVES to write so I encourage you to read his blog, he is very insightful.
OK, I'm done with my writing to make up for last month, I hope to write more sometime soon. With a pen and paper........
Weather: I live in Oregon, I shouldn't complain about the weather, but I always do. In some ways I wish it would snow. As I look outside today, however, its beautiful so I guess I wont dwell on that subject too long.
OSU Beavers: Watched the Civil War game on Saturday. It was a mess! The Beavers looked like a high school team, at least their defense did. I don't mind the Beavers loss so much as who they lost to, the freakin' Ducks. Duck fans have an excuse for losing and a superiority complex when they win. I know I wont be able to wear my Beaver's shirt without some Duck fan rubbing it in my face about the win last week, regardless of how long since the game was played. I would love to see UCLA beat the Trojans next weekend. Not to gloat about the Beavers making it to the Rose Bowl, should that unlikely event happen, but to shut up annoying Duck fans.
Training: Haven't done much. About two to three times per week is all I am able to motivate myself to do. Today is Monday. I started out the day with a 25 minute run. Not sure how far I went, probably about 2 miles, but at least I got out, no excuses. I just have to get over the pain in my knee so I can do something again tomorrow. I want to train, just unsure what I'm training for at this time. I want to try and do some track stuff so I can try and make the national cycling team in 2009 but I also want to race XTERRA events. I had a coach lined up but I told him I wasn't going to use him this year. he is a tri coach, a good one, but I think I need a cycling coach. I have a friend that is a cycling coach and I might use him hourly since he is pretty pricey per month. Having said that, should I spend more to get a good cycling coach because of my lofty goals?
Traveling: I'm supposed to go to Las Vegas this weekend for a seminar. Its worth 18 hours. I need 24 by the end of the year for my sports medicine degree, but the hours required for my state licenses are not due til February. Financially, it is going to be difficult to get it done by the end of the year. Going to Vegas will be relatively cheap however I will miss out on a couple of things, half a day or more of work due to flights, working this weekend at a soccer camp (more money out of my pocket), food etc in Vegas (lodging is free as I will stay at my mom's place) so now that I type all this out, I'm thinking I'm not going. I can do another seminar locally, not miss work, but miss out on an easy $400 for doing the soccer event. Decisions, decisions, decisions.
Writing: Not writing things like emails and blogs, but writing as in pen and paper. How many of us do this anymore? Even Christmas cards etc, some of us get pre-printed cards. I thought about this the other day and dammit, I'm going to write a letter the old fashioned way this week. I will keep you posted on that one. I do write chart notes but that definitely isn't what I'm talking about since my chart notes are usually in my own version of short hand and its not legible to anyone but me and hopefully most insurance adjusters.
Running: Like I said earlier, I ran for 25 minutes today, maybe 2 miles. I took the husky with me which perhaps took me faster so maybe I went 2.2 miles in 25 minutes but it hurt. My left knee hurt, my right low back hurt, and my right glute is tight and sore. I remember early last season, I went through a lot of pain and discomfort but once I got back into it again, the knee pain went away. I'm going to go with that until I figure that isn't the case and then perhaps rethink the whole running thing.
Jason Lester: Jason is a guy I met at World's this year in Vancouver. He was representing the USA in the AWAD division. His coach is one of my Ironhead team mates and told me about Jason before I met him. We have talked about getting together to put a proposal together for local race directors to have an AWAD division put into some of their events. He has an injury to his brachial plexus from a bicycle/car accident and is unable to use his right arm. Yesterday, Jason finished Ultraman Hawaii a little over a month after finishing Ironman world championships and winning the AWAD category there. Ultraman is a tough event, 6.2 mile swim and a 90 mile ride on day one, a 171 mile ride on day two, and on day three, they get to run a double marathon. Jason swims with one arm and on day 1, he swam through a school of jelly fish, got stung, had trouble breathing, and got pulled into the rescue boat. After hearing the doctor say he was going to get a medical DQ, he rolled into the water and kept swimming. After battling jelly fish, massive cross winds, a whopping headache, and 100 degree heat, Jason finished in 24th place at 32 hours and change. Pretty amazing guy. I wouldn't even think about attempting something like that. I don't like swimming that much :)
Meyrick Jones: Another guy I met at World's in June. Meyrick is a below the knee amputee (BK) and is on the Canadian tri team. He is hoping to make it to the 2010 Paralympics representing Canada in the Nordic Skiing events. MJ is one of the best ambassadors for disabled athltetes I have ever met. He started the Momentum Foundation (website is still under construction) and has been working on getting it off the ground along with raising three children, being a husband, training, being an advocate and motivating people (able bodied and disabled alike) to push themselves beyond what they expected (not sure if that comes out right, but he is one hell of a motivator), and traveling around parts of Canada doing some kick ass things. Not bad for a kid missing part of his wheels eh? I'm writing about him not only because he motivates me but because his writing is amazing. I like to write, MJ LOVES to write so I encourage you to read his blog, he is very insightful.
OK, I'm done with my writing to make up for last month, I hope to write more sometime soon. With a pen and paper........
Monday, November 10, 2008
Cross racing in the mud... not as easy as it might look to some
Yesterday I decided to attend my 3rd ever cyclocross race. I had not raced since Stacey's unfortunate incident and all told, I probably trained about 4 times since then as well. I didn't expect to do well, I just wanted to go play in the mud, is that wrong? Oh, wait, I did race last weekend but I'm not sure you can count the annual Guinness/Ironheads Beer Crit as a race but it was heaps of fun... drink a Guinness, ride a lap, and so on for a total of 4 beers/4 laps.
Anyway, it has been pouring in our fair city for days on end with a few scattered sunny breaks but not enough to dry out anything especially areas with grass and dirt... I got to the venue early, checked in, paid my money, and went for a quick one lap ride to check it out. It was ugly, I wanted my money back... OK, not really, but I wasn't looking forward to it especially when there were going to be somewhere in the neighbourhood of 130 beginners and 120 cat C riders going before us not to mention the 30 or so minutes of other people warming up before the first race even started.
I hung out with a couple of friends from Camas, they get there early too and get their tent and other 'tailgate' supplies set up. It never ceases to amaze me the turn out we get at one of these events. If you do not get there early, you stand the chance of parking a few miles away but getting there early is fun anyway if you like to people watch. There are some interesting characters to say the least. I think I saw a picture of a guy wearing a pink spiderman outfit and of course there is always the ever-present boy scout.
Anywho, at 9:50am, the C's go, all 120 or so of them and two minutes later, 35 heavy weights go. I know I bitch about this all the time but if you are BARELY cresting 200 and do not have some sort of paunch, I don't think you should be considered a clydesdale. The top 10 guys, most of them are between 200 and 210 and after they race in our cat, they go and do the B race as well. OK, off the soap box now.
I didn't go very hard off the start, like I said, I hadn't trained for a couple weeks.... ok, maybe a couple months off from REAL training. I got into a groove and fell in behind most of the folks that started in front of me. There were a couple of interesting bits along the first straight away, one went alongside a steep hill then back up on the road, on the grass, made for some falls (not me, at least on that one), then a 180 down a short hill, onto another road with loose gravel. Again, lots of falls, but not me :)
Another section of road, up a grassy hill, back down the grassy hill, then came the tough part. An open section of grass that wound its way for about 100-120m and it was completely muddy. there wasn't a dry section anywhere, even if you went half a foot off the course, your wheels sunk in. My legs were burning. I ended up running part of it on the first lap and remounting, riding through a big puddle, and then dismounting again to run the rest of that section. By the time i got back clipped in to my pedals, it was time to jump off again to go over this concrete barrier. For me, it was a tough step up and a long way down.
It was much easier to remount after that barrier as there was a slight downhill after it. My cleats were completely full of mud but somehow, I managed to get clipped in and out for the whole race. OK, there was another grassy section which was not as bad as the first, which led to the next set of barriers and a run up through the infamous windmill. This was the toughest section for me, even more than the muddy grass area because I had to cross the barriers carrying my bike up hill. I had a bit of difficulty going over the barriers with my left leg and my right leg was starting to weaken too.
This area had the most spectators as there was not only the four barriers to run across but also there was a slick section on the side of the hill along the grass. I managed to ride that section all four laps. Some guy with a drum and a cymbal was doing his thing each time someone biffed it. Fun times!
Another 200m dirt road section, up a short hill and then down the hill only to come back up, on grass again, VERY slick. I rode the first two laps, walked down the third due to the number of people on it, and rode the last lap but fell down when some young rider pre riding the course cut me off. I bent my shifter but it is fixable, it only rotated on the bars.
After that run up, I remounted and rode through the area where the windmill was again with lots of fans because? You guessed it, a curvy downhill on grass, perfect for falls and hilarity. Then, back through the start finish for another fun lap. As the race wore on, I believe my HR Average would have been in the 180's should I have worn my HRM but I specifically chose not to utilize this wonderful piece of feedback as it wouldn't have mattered anyway, I was having trouble focusing on the track let alone the thingy on my wrist.
The flat grass/mud section was getting worse and i wont bore you with the details of each lap but lets just say, I was ready to pack it in on my fourth lap. Actually, had I known they weren't going to give me my last lap in the results, I would have packed it in. I ran the entire section on the last two laps and instead of remounting on the last lap, I ran through the mud puddle . I twisted my ankle a few times (I normally wear an ankle brace for running) but when I saw a couple guys running because their bikes were in some state of broken-ness, I figured I could still make it out of last place.
I crossed the finish line and talked to a couple of people that have joined my triathlon team for 2009 and then went to the truck, got cleaned up (sort of) and went back to the expo area for my $3 bottomless pint glass of beer. It was PBR but after that race, that's all I wanted. I wanted to stick around for the single speed race as it was the main event of the day, but had to get home to the kids. I missed out, they had a bubble machine and other fun costumed riders (I still dont get it, but Im getting used to it).
I swore after yesterday, I would train for the next race in a couple weeks but today, i did not fulfill that wish but I can justify it by saying today is normally a rest day.....
Anyway, it has been pouring in our fair city for days on end with a few scattered sunny breaks but not enough to dry out anything especially areas with grass and dirt... I got to the venue early, checked in, paid my money, and went for a quick one lap ride to check it out. It was ugly, I wanted my money back... OK, not really, but I wasn't looking forward to it especially when there were going to be somewhere in the neighbourhood of 130 beginners and 120 cat C riders going before us not to mention the 30 or so minutes of other people warming up before the first race even started.
I hung out with a couple of friends from Camas, they get there early too and get their tent and other 'tailgate' supplies set up. It never ceases to amaze me the turn out we get at one of these events. If you do not get there early, you stand the chance of parking a few miles away but getting there early is fun anyway if you like to people watch. There are some interesting characters to say the least. I think I saw a picture of a guy wearing a pink spiderman outfit and of course there is always the ever-present boy scout.
Anywho, at 9:50am, the C's go, all 120 or so of them and two minutes later, 35 heavy weights go. I know I bitch about this all the time but if you are BARELY cresting 200 and do not have some sort of paunch, I don't think you should be considered a clydesdale. The top 10 guys, most of them are between 200 and 210 and after they race in our cat, they go and do the B race as well. OK, off the soap box now.
I didn't go very hard off the start, like I said, I hadn't trained for a couple weeks.... ok, maybe a couple months off from REAL training. I got into a groove and fell in behind most of the folks that started in front of me. There were a couple of interesting bits along the first straight away, one went alongside a steep hill then back up on the road, on the grass, made for some falls (not me, at least on that one), then a 180 down a short hill, onto another road with loose gravel. Again, lots of falls, but not me :)
Another section of road, up a grassy hill, back down the grassy hill, then came the tough part. An open section of grass that wound its way for about 100-120m and it was completely muddy. there wasn't a dry section anywhere, even if you went half a foot off the course, your wheels sunk in. My legs were burning. I ended up running part of it on the first lap and remounting, riding through a big puddle, and then dismounting again to run the rest of that section. By the time i got back clipped in to my pedals, it was time to jump off again to go over this concrete barrier. For me, it was a tough step up and a long way down.
It was much easier to remount after that barrier as there was a slight downhill after it. My cleats were completely full of mud but somehow, I managed to get clipped in and out for the whole race. OK, there was another grassy section which was not as bad as the first, which led to the next set of barriers and a run up through the infamous windmill. This was the toughest section for me, even more than the muddy grass area because I had to cross the barriers carrying my bike up hill. I had a bit of difficulty going over the barriers with my left leg and my right leg was starting to weaken too.
This area had the most spectators as there was not only the four barriers to run across but also there was a slick section on the side of the hill along the grass. I managed to ride that section all four laps. Some guy with a drum and a cymbal was doing his thing each time someone biffed it. Fun times!
Another 200m dirt road section, up a short hill and then down the hill only to come back up, on grass again, VERY slick. I rode the first two laps, walked down the third due to the number of people on it, and rode the last lap but fell down when some young rider pre riding the course cut me off. I bent my shifter but it is fixable, it only rotated on the bars.
After that run up, I remounted and rode through the area where the windmill was again with lots of fans because? You guessed it, a curvy downhill on grass, perfect for falls and hilarity. Then, back through the start finish for another fun lap. As the race wore on, I believe my HR Average would have been in the 180's should I have worn my HRM but I specifically chose not to utilize this wonderful piece of feedback as it wouldn't have mattered anyway, I was having trouble focusing on the track let alone the thingy on my wrist.
The flat grass/mud section was getting worse and i wont bore you with the details of each lap but lets just say, I was ready to pack it in on my fourth lap. Actually, had I known they weren't going to give me my last lap in the results, I would have packed it in. I ran the entire section on the last two laps and instead of remounting on the last lap, I ran through the mud puddle . I twisted my ankle a few times (I normally wear an ankle brace for running) but when I saw a couple guys running because their bikes were in some state of broken-ness, I figured I could still make it out of last place.
I crossed the finish line and talked to a couple of people that have joined my triathlon team for 2009 and then went to the truck, got cleaned up (sort of) and went back to the expo area for my $3 bottomless pint glass of beer. It was PBR but after that race, that's all I wanted. I wanted to stick around for the single speed race as it was the main event of the day, but had to get home to the kids. I missed out, they had a bubble machine and other fun costumed riders (I still dont get it, but Im getting used to it).
I swore after yesterday, I would train for the next race in a couple weeks but today, i did not fulfill that wish but I can justify it by saying today is normally a rest day.....
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Helmets for everyone
I have had my share of times riding without a helmet. Never went without on a MTB ride but there were times that I have driven to get to a road ride only to discover that I didnt have my helmet and rode anyway. One time I rode back home with a friend to get my lid and another time I just put my hat on backward and did my ride. There were times, however, where I wouldnt ride with friends because they didnt have a helmet, sort of hypocritical I know.
Sometimes after cleaning my bike or putting my race wheels on I would go up and down the road in front of my house all the while making the kids put their helmets on regardless of where they were riding. After this weekend, NEVER AGAIN will I get on my bike (except on the trainer) without having my helmet on.
On Saturday, October 18, Stacey got geared up to go for a ride. She put a backpack on with her running kit and set out for the gym, a mile or two away. About 20 minutes after she left I got a phone call from a woman I didnt know. She said she was with Stacey and she was OK and the paramedics were with her...... Holy crap, what the hell happened to her? Can I talk to her? Where is she?
I quickly got the needed info and left to go and get her. Both boys jumped in the truck without shoes because we were in a hurry which I later regreted. We drove down to where she was, past the fire truck, the ambulance, and the police Suburban. I was instructed to pull into a driveway down the hill and walk back up. As we drove past, I could see her on the spineboard with C-collar and all the other gear they put on you when they suspect a neck injury.
I didnt think about it but the boys saw her too. I told them to stay in the truck while I went up to talk to the police man and the paramedics. The woman that had called me was there and she helped me take Stacey's bike back to the truck. Again, not thinking about the boys being in there being able to see her lying on the spineboard and then being picked up to be put inside the bus. I said hi to Stacey and she said "I fell down". She asked how her bike was so I knew she was somewhat OK.
I talked to the paramedic briefly and he told me what they found and they were transporting her with lights and siren because of head trauma. She had an abrasion on her head but had her lid on when they got to her and because of her repeated questions about the same thing, I knew she got her bell rung pretty good.
I took all her gear back to the truck as they loaded her up and could hear the boys crying. They were very upset and in hindsight, I should have grabbed a neighbour to watch them while I went to see her. I calmed them down and we drove to the house to get some extra clothes and to get their shoes and Kelton's soccer gear just in case. I thought I could get someone to take him for me should i still be in the hospital with Stacey.
On the way, I left a voice mail for Stacey's parents because I thought they should know. I didnt say anything but to call me. They didnt need a VM saying their daughter was in the ER after a bike accident. We got to the hospital and the paramedic met me and asked for her helmet to show the ER doc then we went in. We were met by a chaplain and directed into a private room to talk to him. I wasnt very interested in that I just wanted to know what the situation was with Stacey.
Finally, the ER doc came in and told us what he found so far. She was going to get a CT scan but we could see her before they took her.
I took the boys in to her room and she was still in the C collar and still had blood on her head. Kelton didnt really want me to lift him up to see her but I lifted Taguen up so he could give her a kiss. She kept asking questions, the same ones over and over again. I really thought she was pulling my leg but apparently, she wasnt. Her melon was pretty shaken up and her memory wasnt working so well. Kelton stayed away and Taguen and I held her hand til she was taken to the CT.
We went to the cafeteria and after talking to her mom, we agreed they would pick up the boys. After a crappy $8 sandwich, the boys went with Papa, and I went to see Stacey.
The doc met me on the way in and said the CT was normal and as soon as they dressed her wounds, she could go home.
There were two nurses helping us, one was in her 40's, the other MAYBE in her 20's. The younger one was supposed to be dressing the road rash but what should have taken her 15 minutes max took almost 45 minutes. She missed a lot of blood but I was getting impatient and just felt like I could clean in better when we got home. She used some topical pain killer and got most of the ashphalt out of the wounds.
We finally were able to go home around 1pm and after picking up the boys and dropping Kelton at his game, we got Stacey home and into bed around 2pm.
In the week since she crashed. I dressed her wounds in some Tegaderm a couple of times and all the road rash is getting better. Her memory isnt so good right now but its getting better.
I started out just talking about helmets and how I have, at times, gone without but NEVER AGAIN will I do that (I think I mentioned that already). After seeing how Stacey's helmet saved her noggin from something more severe, Im a believer. Even test riding after switching wheels, helmet time. I wont roll my eyes at my wife when she tells me to wear my helmet even on those 2 second test rides, my lid is huge and it needs a protectin'.
On a positive note, Stacey can go out for Hallowe'en as a busted up cyclist with fresh wounds.
Sometimes after cleaning my bike or putting my race wheels on I would go up and down the road in front of my house all the while making the kids put their helmets on regardless of where they were riding. After this weekend, NEVER AGAIN will I get on my bike (except on the trainer) without having my helmet on.
On Saturday, October 18, Stacey got geared up to go for a ride. She put a backpack on with her running kit and set out for the gym, a mile or two away. About 20 minutes after she left I got a phone call from a woman I didnt know. She said she was with Stacey and she was OK and the paramedics were with her...... Holy crap, what the hell happened to her? Can I talk to her? Where is she?
I quickly got the needed info and left to go and get her. Both boys jumped in the truck without shoes because we were in a hurry which I later regreted. We drove down to where she was, past the fire truck, the ambulance, and the police Suburban. I was instructed to pull into a driveway down the hill and walk back up. As we drove past, I could see her on the spineboard with C-collar and all the other gear they put on you when they suspect a neck injury.
I didnt think about it but the boys saw her too. I told them to stay in the truck while I went up to talk to the police man and the paramedics. The woman that had called me was there and she helped me take Stacey's bike back to the truck. Again, not thinking about the boys being in there being able to see her lying on the spineboard and then being picked up to be put inside the bus. I said hi to Stacey and she said "I fell down". She asked how her bike was so I knew she was somewhat OK.
I talked to the paramedic briefly and he told me what they found and they were transporting her with lights and siren because of head trauma. She had an abrasion on her head but had her lid on when they got to her and because of her repeated questions about the same thing, I knew she got her bell rung pretty good.
I took all her gear back to the truck as they loaded her up and could hear the boys crying. They were very upset and in hindsight, I should have grabbed a neighbour to watch them while I went to see her. I calmed them down and we drove to the house to get some extra clothes and to get their shoes and Kelton's soccer gear just in case. I thought I could get someone to take him for me should i still be in the hospital with Stacey.
On the way, I left a voice mail for Stacey's parents because I thought they should know. I didnt say anything but to call me. They didnt need a VM saying their daughter was in the ER after a bike accident. We got to the hospital and the paramedic met me and asked for her helmet to show the ER doc then we went in. We were met by a chaplain and directed into a private room to talk to him. I wasnt very interested in that I just wanted to know what the situation was with Stacey.
Finally, the ER doc came in and told us what he found so far. She was going to get a CT scan but we could see her before they took her.
I took the boys in to her room and she was still in the C collar and still had blood on her head. Kelton didnt really want me to lift him up to see her but I lifted Taguen up so he could give her a kiss. She kept asking questions, the same ones over and over again. I really thought she was pulling my leg but apparently, she wasnt. Her melon was pretty shaken up and her memory wasnt working so well. Kelton stayed away and Taguen and I held her hand til she was taken to the CT.
We went to the cafeteria and after talking to her mom, we agreed they would pick up the boys. After a crappy $8 sandwich, the boys went with Papa, and I went to see Stacey.
The doc met me on the way in and said the CT was normal and as soon as they dressed her wounds, she could go home.
There were two nurses helping us, one was in her 40's, the other MAYBE in her 20's. The younger one was supposed to be dressing the road rash but what should have taken her 15 minutes max took almost 45 minutes. She missed a lot of blood but I was getting impatient and just felt like I could clean in better when we got home. She used some topical pain killer and got most of the ashphalt out of the wounds.
We finally were able to go home around 1pm and after picking up the boys and dropping Kelton at his game, we got Stacey home and into bed around 2pm.
In the week since she crashed. I dressed her wounds in some Tegaderm a couple of times and all the road rash is getting better. Her memory isnt so good right now but its getting better.
I started out just talking about helmets and how I have, at times, gone without but NEVER AGAIN will I do that (I think I mentioned that already). After seeing how Stacey's helmet saved her noggin from something more severe, Im a believer. Even test riding after switching wheels, helmet time. I wont roll my eyes at my wife when she tells me to wear my helmet even on those 2 second test rides, my lid is huge and it needs a protectin'.
On a positive note, Stacey can go out for Hallowe'en as a busted up cyclist with fresh wounds.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Cyclocross, why didnt I do this before?
Getting ready to go up some stairs, carrying my bike, WTF??
I decided on Tuesday to race on Sunday. My first ever cyclocross (CCX) race. I was a tad nervous. Not because of learning how to race cross, not because of a fear of crashing, but having to dismount my steed in a hurry. Turns out, Im pretty good at getting off it fast, however, getting back on is another story. Well, getting on, isnt exactly the problem either, its getting the left foot back into the cleat without stopping to do so. All in all, I think there were about 5 dismount sections including a rock barrier, a double, a single with a short steep hill after it, a single with a hairpin turn immediatly after, and a set of stairs. I may have missed one but no matter, it amounted to 20 times over 4 laps. The only time I fell was when I had to dismount for the short hill anyway so I just kept going. The crappy part about falling was having my left leg stuck in the cleat with mud and grass so it was tough to get up and start running up the hill.
So, the race was started at 9am. I raced in the beginner category based on advice from veteran cross racers. I started near the front because in my experience from MTB racing, getting the hole shot or near it, is a good thing. The first tricky part was about 40 seconds from the gun. Its a downhill in the grass and slick dirt. I wouldnt have called it muddy at this time but it was going to be before too long. The descent was what I expected on the first lap. Lots of fast people on the flats hit it before I did and I had to use my brakes. Later in the race, I would be passing people down said hill that were on full suspension MTB's and were too chicken, I mean cautious, to let it fly.
The first lap is all about spreading people out. About half way through, I was wondering what the hell I was doing out there (as can be seen on my face in this picture).
My WAR FACE!!My cleats were not very muddy at this time but they were getting there. I thought I was doing OK, but my HRM was telling me otherwise as it read 189bpm. I decided to ignore that little bit of feedback and concentrate on slowing down, pacing myself, and having fun.
There were a few people from Camas there waiting to race and cheering me on. They kept yelling things like "keep going, you still have 10k to run", etc. Good times. That first lap, as I said, was hell. After I got in a groove, I pushed on, getting passed mostly on the uphills and on the remounts after the barriers. I think on the first lap, I would have had the energy to bunny hop a few of the barriers but not being used to a road bike in the mud, I didnt even attempt it.
I dont think I have heard so much cowbell in my life. It was like there was a sale at Walmart on them. About 1 in 10 seemed to have one. Around my 3rd time in the velodrome, I heard the announcer say that the lead riders were almost at the finish. I was kind of hoping at that time that I would get lapped so I could save my legs and shoulders for another race but alas, I did one more. I think the first one took me about 12 minutes and given that I did 4, I felt pretty good. The lead riders did 5 and when I looked at the stats for the Clydesdales, only a few did 5 so I think Im moving cat's. I finished in 112th place...... By far my worst ever finish in any kind of bike race but I didnt come in last. There were a few DNF's and Im glad I wasnt one of them although at times, again, I was wondering what I was doing out there in the rain and the mud on a road bike and thought abuot just riding to my truck.
Some observations of CCX riders.... most of the guys show up in capri pants although Im sure they call them something different when a guy wears them. Some race in some weird get-ups, some wear team uni's, VERY few shave their legs, even fewer shave their faces or get hair cuts. One guy that started at the front had about 20lb of dreadlocks wrapped up in some sort of cloth and tucked into his jersey pocket. One dude was wearing green and white striped socks like the wicked witch of the west. There are less attitudes than at a road race. There seems to be a lot of weed smoked prior to racing, not that I smelled any, but more like the way some people act. The people parked next to me were very friendly before and after the race. They gave me a home made oatmeal chocolate chip walnut bar that really hit the spot after the race. Dave and Sarah I think were their names. the guy parked on the other side of me, sorry to say I dont remember his name, but he found me after the race to see how I liked it. He got the holeshot and led the race for the first lap. This was his 3rd CCX race and he had never led a lap before so he was pretty pumped about it. All in all, everyone I met was very helpful, pleasant, and happy to be there and I think I want to be part of this "cult" (as so many CCX'ers call it) and race again next week in Wilsonville.
Jumping across a barrier AWAD style!!
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
To Run or Not to Run, what a great question
I have been running lately, more like shuffling, but, hey, Im mobile right? I pushed myself to do a 5k and managed a negative split on the last mile (first was faster than the second mile but the third was faster than both) AND I did all at under 10 minute/mile pace. Yesterday, I knocked out a mile at under 9min/mile pace but was knackered after that so I didnt do much more high pace stuff. I picked up a marathon training guide just before my run and they said Monday was a day off so I only went 2 miles. BTW, if you want to up your pace, bring a husky and have someone that runs faster bring their dog, that way the husky will pull you to a phenomenal pace. My dog is for rent on a daily, weekly, or monthly rate and he is dirt cheap.
I have not yet decided whether Im doing a marathon or not. After a 5.5 mile run last week, I felt pretty good, and I was all over doing another 20.7 miles given the right training. Towards the end of the week, my legs still felt pretty good on my shorter runs, 3 and 4 miles, but mentally, I didnt want to go another step. Not because I couldnt, but more like, why am I doing this?
Today, I will ride my bike, a little cross training like it said in the article, and tomorrow, an hour run. I dunno, do I have it in me? I know I can get faster on a 5 and 10k so maybe, I wont push the long distance stuff except maybe for a half IM in 2009. Which reminds me, I guess I should sign up for one of the good ones. My buddy Mark seems to think he can beat me at the 70.3 in FL but I dont think so. The only thing stopping me from not proving him wrong is the trip across the country but you never know, I might find a way just to make him lose to a handicapped guy.
I have not yet decided whether Im doing a marathon or not. After a 5.5 mile run last week, I felt pretty good, and I was all over doing another 20.7 miles given the right training. Towards the end of the week, my legs still felt pretty good on my shorter runs, 3 and 4 miles, but mentally, I didnt want to go another step. Not because I couldnt, but more like, why am I doing this?
Today, I will ride my bike, a little cross training like it said in the article, and tomorrow, an hour run. I dunno, do I have it in me? I know I can get faster on a 5 and 10k so maybe, I wont push the long distance stuff except maybe for a half IM in 2009. Which reminds me, I guess I should sign up for one of the good ones. My buddy Mark seems to think he can beat me at the 70.3 in FL but I dont think so. The only thing stopping me from not proving him wrong is the trip across the country but you never know, I might find a way just to make him lose to a handicapped guy.
Saturday, September 13, 2008
2008 Paralympics
So, Im a good swimmer. In most of my races I am in the top 1/3 and Im good with that considering my swim training isnt as much as it should be during the tri season. I was reading my friend's blog today and he talked about this swimmer that won the gold medal for the 50m Fly.
This athlete has no arms, not even stumps, and he did the 50m fly in 37 seconds and change. I will let you read about from Meyrick as he is a better writer than I but I watched the youtube video of this guy and was amazed. Imagine every time you have to make a turn, you crack your skull on the end of the pool..... no thanks.
The unfortunate thing for the Paralympics is, at least in the US, the coverage is nil as far as I can tell. I havent found anything except for the paralympic.tv site but you cant change channels to watch other events so whatever is on at the time, is what you get. We had an Oregonian win a gold in the women's TT so it made it on the sports section of the news but thats all I have heard.
Maybe by 2012, they will have some better coverage. I sure hope so, because if I attain my goal of making the Canadian cycling team, I want my family and friends to be able to watch.
This athlete has no arms, not even stumps, and he did the 50m fly in 37 seconds and change. I will let you read about from Meyrick as he is a better writer than I but I watched the youtube video of this guy and was amazed. Imagine every time you have to make a turn, you crack your skull on the end of the pool..... no thanks.
The unfortunate thing for the Paralympics is, at least in the US, the coverage is nil as far as I can tell. I havent found anything except for the paralympic.tv site but you cant change channels to watch other events so whatever is on at the time, is what you get. We had an Oregonian win a gold in the women's TT so it made it on the sports section of the news but thats all I have heard.
Maybe by 2012, they will have some better coverage. I sure hope so, because if I attain my goal of making the Canadian cycling team, I want my family and friends to be able to watch.
Friday, September 12, 2008
PC, AWAD, AB, BCS, AK, BK, WTF??
Our society is full of acronyms, I kind of like them. CIA, FBI, DHS, RCMP, GOP ....... the list goes on and on. One thing that sport is filled with too. In the 'disabled' world there are a TON!
After I got hurt, I used the term physically challenged. When someone asks me why I'm limping however, I sometimes tell them I disabled or handicapped but that's not very PC but I am a PC athlete. I used to be an AB AG athlete, now I'm an AWAD. I'm not BK or AK, I'm 'les autre'. I'm not a para or a quad but I did have an SCI. When I race AG, I'm not a 40-44, I'm a Clydesdale..... OK, no acronym for that. When I race, I have mediocre T2 but a pretty fast T1 but my injury was at T8...... confused yet? cuz I'm just getting started.
I spent some time at OHSU after I got hurt then I was transferred to RIO. I get emails from the CPC, the ITU, TriBC, and TRICAN. I used to be a member of USAT and now am just a member of OBRA but next year I will probably have to be licensed by the UCI as well as BCC and OBRA. I have professional licences from the WADOH and the OBCE and if money were no object, I would get certified in ART.
I don't drink MGD or PBR but I do like other kinds. I have patients that do MMA and also ride CBR's. I went for a few tryouts for the BCJHL but ended up in the KIJHL as well as the BCJFL. I work with some kids in the WHL that have aspirations of the NHL as well as some others that want to go to the NFL but only after some NCAA time. Hopefully soon, they will have a better system than the BCS.
I used to have a husky that was AKC but she is gone. Now we just have mutt's that need some attention from a DVM. I have friends that are DC's, MD's, DO's, DMD's, and DDS's. I have other friends that are CPA's, SPHR's, and PhD's.
When does the insanity end??? How bout RFN! Now I just have to wait for my sister to proofread this so I can be scolded for using too many acronyms improperly and WAY too many apostrophe's.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA, bubye!
After I got hurt, I used the term physically challenged. When someone asks me why I'm limping however, I sometimes tell them I disabled or handicapped but that's not very PC but I am a PC athlete. I used to be an AB AG athlete, now I'm an AWAD. I'm not BK or AK, I'm 'les autre'. I'm not a para or a quad but I did have an SCI. When I race AG, I'm not a 40-44, I'm a Clydesdale..... OK, no acronym for that. When I race, I have mediocre T2 but a pretty fast T1 but my injury was at T8...... confused yet? cuz I'm just getting started.
I spent some time at OHSU after I got hurt then I was transferred to RIO. I get emails from the CPC, the ITU, TriBC, and TRICAN. I used to be a member of USAT and now am just a member of OBRA but next year I will probably have to be licensed by the UCI as well as BCC and OBRA. I have professional licences from the WADOH and the OBCE and if money were no object, I would get certified in ART.
I don't drink MGD or PBR but I do like other kinds. I have patients that do MMA and also ride CBR's. I went for a few tryouts for the BCJHL but ended up in the KIJHL as well as the BCJFL. I work with some kids in the WHL that have aspirations of the NHL as well as some others that want to go to the NFL but only after some NCAA time. Hopefully soon, they will have a better system than the BCS.
I used to have a husky that was AKC but she is gone. Now we just have mutt's that need some attention from a DVM. I have friends that are DC's, MD's, DO's, DMD's, and DDS's. I have other friends that are CPA's, SPHR's, and PhD's.
When does the insanity end??? How bout RFN! Now I just have to wait for my sister to proofread this so I can be scolded for using too many acronyms improperly and WAY too many apostrophe's.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA, bubye!
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Boston Marathon???
So, Im probably an idiot... why you ask? Because I want to qualify for the Boston Marathon. Maybe the voices in my head are right. After I asked myself why, besides the obvious, that I am an idiot, I was reminded of little things such as my hatred of running, and I always say it hurts, but you know what? Just like my little league coach would say as he hit line drives at us, it only hurts for a little while. What do they say, "pain is temporary, pride is forever"?
Ever since I did World's and met some great inspirational people, my goals have been more lofty. Hell, I even think i could get into Nordic skiing, just to see if I can qualify for the Winter Paralympics. No worries Meyrick, I wont take your slot, you're younger, stronger, and faster but I'm better looking :) I used to be a great rifle shot, maybe I can be a good biathlon athlete.
Maybe I will train to swim the English Channel..... naw, forget that, I don't love swimming that much. But, while I may be an idiot, I am driven. I know what a bad hurt is and I know what the pain from doing something like an Ironman is, and the two, so far, have not co-existed in my body.
Ever since I did World's and met some great inspirational people, my goals have been more lofty. Hell, I even think i could get into Nordic skiing, just to see if I can qualify for the Winter Paralympics. No worries Meyrick, I wont take your slot, you're younger, stronger, and faster but I'm better looking :) I used to be a great rifle shot, maybe I can be a good biathlon athlete.
Maybe I will train to swim the English Channel..... naw, forget that, I don't love swimming that much. But, while I may be an idiot, I am driven. I know what a bad hurt is and I know what the pain from doing something like an Ironman is, and the two, so far, have not co-existed in my body.
swim bike run repeat
I dunno what to do with myself lately. Just like last time I did an Ironman, I am lost without a plan. I swim, I bike, I run, but for what? No races til next year unless I do the one in Seattle area next weekend. Maybe some running races are in order. COMPETITION, I NEED IT.
I have to work on my sponsorship letters. I have to clean my kids toys up (sort through them). I have to organize my garage. I have to organize my office. I have to work on my grammar so my sister doesnt send out emails telling me how bad I am at using my punctuation marks. I want to learn Russian for my job. I want to learn Spanish for my vacation. I want to get a new mountain bike. I want I want I want I want........... it never ends. I want peace and harmony in my world, and maybe even the rest of the world too.
Ok, done for today, more exciting news with bad grammar tomorrow.
D
I have to work on my sponsorship letters. I have to clean my kids toys up (sort through them). I have to organize my garage. I have to organize my office. I have to work on my grammar so my sister doesnt send out emails telling me how bad I am at using my punctuation marks. I want to learn Russian for my job. I want to learn Spanish for my vacation. I want to get a new mountain bike. I want I want I want I want........... it never ends. I want peace and harmony in my world, and maybe even the rest of the world too.
Ok, done for today, more exciting news with bad grammar tomorrow.
D
Monday, September 1, 2008
Season is over.... or is it?
Yesterday and today, I had two of the best, short workouts I have had in ages. I ran yesterday for the first time since IMC. I cannot believe how good I felt. I was on pace for a sub 10 minute mile. Mind you that was dog assisted, but even so, after the first mile, I still felt full of energy. Well, that nasty GI issue I continually get jumped out of its evil hiding spot. The problem with a spinal cord injury (SCI) at least for me, is I never know when I gotta go and it always seems to creep up when I need it LEAST. Like when Im having the best run of the year or during a wetsuit swim.
Today, I rode my MTB for the first time since March. I was inspired to ride it after sharing an email with Jaimie Whitmore. I had read about her illness in Competitor Magazine and Stacey suggested I share my story with her. I get all emotional when I talk about how I got hurt, not sure why, just the way I am I guess. It took me a while to write it and not long after I sent it, she wrote back. I basically said what happened to me and if I can help inspire her to get back on the provervial horse, then I have accomplished on of my goals. To help others that have had recent life altering injuries. Jamie's situation is much worse than mine; she has had cancerous tumors removed but the neurological issues are similar.
Anyway, I got on my MTB and 15 minutes later, I was back at the house, getting my roadie shoes and my TT bike. I remembered why I hadnt been on it for 7 months, it needs work. You know, the bike has grown on me since we were so up close and personal for 7 hours and 4 minutes last weekend. It hurt me, but I now respect it. Before I left for Canada, I was hating it and couldnt wait to get rid of it. Today, I think I will be keeping it. Its great for shorter distances which I will be focusing on next season.
My steed.
I had to get some groceries after my ride so I threw it in the truck, went to QFC, and rode from there.
Except for the dozen or so lights I had to stop at, I maintained a good solid output for an hour and I felt awesome. I climbed one hill and didnt have to granny gear up it. I was very pleased. Guess Im in good shape after all.
So, back to the title. The day after IMC, when we were driving back home, I thought I would just kick back, work out daily with weights or other cross training activities. Over the past few days, I got an itch to race at least one more time this year. There are a couple of Oly distance races near Seattle and of course, there is the CAF event in San Diego but that might be out of the budget for the year. If we can find someone to watch the boys, Stacey and I might both be racing as there is a sprint event too. I feel like I could kick ass on a sprint today but I should do the Oly distance. I have to save face from Nationals when I had the worst 10k ever.
Today, I rode my MTB for the first time since March. I was inspired to ride it after sharing an email with Jaimie Whitmore. I had read about her illness in Competitor Magazine and Stacey suggested I share my story with her. I get all emotional when I talk about how I got hurt, not sure why, just the way I am I guess. It took me a while to write it and not long after I sent it, she wrote back. I basically said what happened to me and if I can help inspire her to get back on the provervial horse, then I have accomplished on of my goals. To help others that have had recent life altering injuries. Jamie's situation is much worse than mine; she has had cancerous tumors removed but the neurological issues are similar.
Anyway, I got on my MTB and 15 minutes later, I was back at the house, getting my roadie shoes and my TT bike. I remembered why I hadnt been on it for 7 months, it needs work. You know, the bike has grown on me since we were so up close and personal for 7 hours and 4 minutes last weekend. It hurt me, but I now respect it. Before I left for Canada, I was hating it and couldnt wait to get rid of it. Today, I think I will be keeping it. Its great for shorter distances which I will be focusing on next season.
My steed.I had to get some groceries after my ride so I threw it in the truck, went to QFC, and rode from there.
Except for the dozen or so lights I had to stop at, I maintained a good solid output for an hour and I felt awesome. I climbed one hill and didnt have to granny gear up it. I was very pleased. Guess Im in good shape after all.
So, back to the title. The day after IMC, when we were driving back home, I thought I would just kick back, work out daily with weights or other cross training activities. Over the past few days, I got an itch to race at least one more time this year. There are a couple of Oly distance races near Seattle and of course, there is the CAF event in San Diego but that might be out of the budget for the year. If we can find someone to watch the boys, Stacey and I might both be racing as there is a sprint event too. I feel like I could kick ass on a sprint today but I should do the Oly distance. I have to save face from Nationals when I had the worst 10k ever.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
IMC 08, Part 3, T2, seeing stars on the Run, Post Race fun and more pain
T2 was faster than T1, unusual for me because I have to put on my ankle brace. I wasnt in a hurry anyway. I had a little trouble getting off the chair but once I was up, put on my fuel belt, and put the left foot in front of the right, I was committed.
It was starting to rain a little when I went into the tent but by the time I was done changing, it was coming down pretty good. I wished I had put my jacket into my T2 bag instead of my special needs.
T2, 11:22, slow, but I changed all my gear again.
I knew when I got off the chair in the transition tent that I was going to make it. I had over 8 hours and if I couldnt run, I could walk it. I walked out of the tent, walked to the timing mat and started jogging. I immediately regretted the choice of taking my fuel belt. I didnt need it, there were aid stations every 1-2km and all I had in there was water and some ibuprofen so I should have left it where it was.
I didnt make it far jogging, my legs were still thrashed from all the climbing and I felt weak. I walked for a bit til I got to the crowds, then I picked it up again. I hate walking past crowds of people and even though I looked like I was jogging, my kids walk faster than I was moving at this point. I saw Varney, Jenn T, and another IH spectator (sorry, couldnt focus to see who you were) and they cheered me on while I was jogging but not long after I saw them, I started walking again. The lead pro male had finished just before I got on the run course and the lead woman was heading the same direction as me on her way to the finish. I still had at least 6 more hours to go, how sad.
I started seeing stars, not the ones in the sky or entertainment, but they kind that might be noticed just before one passes out. I kept walking til I got back from the out/back by the lake, then jogged again past the fans on main street. Again, I didnt get far before I couldnt see straight again. I think I walked in a straight line, but I am not sure. I dumped out two of my fuel bottles that were bothering me when I did jog and kept plugging along, a bit more comfortable.
Having said that, each time I tried to jog, I would feel light headed. Not the first time I had that feeling (at World's in June and at National's the week before and about 25 years before that after getting blind sided during one of my rookie tryouts with a hockey team). I was starting to get worried but unless I ended up on the deck, I wasnt stopping, walking didnt cause the feeling, just running.
I heard my name numerous times by people that knew me. I think Varney, but Im not sure, called to me from a balcony at some sort of pub or ?. Linnea called to be but had to tell me who she was. I couldnt see her even though she was close to the me. I dont remember what I said to her but I do recall talking and thanking her for the encouragement.
At around the 5 mile mark, I saw Stacey and Laura. I gave Stacey my fuel belt and my sunglasses, pretty confident I wouldnt be seeing the sun anytime soon. Stacey asked how I was feeling and I told her I was getting dizzy/light headed when I ran so she told me not to run, just walk and finish. The crowd was getting bigger and I decided to jog...... sometimes I am not very smart. As soon as I was past the crowd, I walked. Not long after that, I saw Kaytee and she was looking great. Looking at my watch, I knew she was going to have a great finish time.
Over the next 5 miles, I walked. I saw Bill T and walked across the road to have a quick chat and ask how he was. He said he was having issues but was pushing on and I shook his hand and kept moving.
I had a companion from Saskatchewan for a while. We laughed about the lack of hills to train for this race. His coach is Lisa Bently and he said he better get going otherwise Lisa was gonna kick his butt for "doggin' it". We both started running because the camera man was just ahead. He let me go first so we could have our own pics. I was surprised to find that I was not dizzy at all and I felt pretty darn good. Unfortunately, my leg started to feel very weak so instead of pulling the same stunt as I did at Nationals (falling on my face), I decided to walk and run when I felt like it. I saw Leanne S at one point right by the lake and she was on pace to have a great race too.
For the last 4 miles to the turn around, I had another companion to walk with. She was from Calgary and had some issues at TZ. She had been in Malaysia for a month with no training other than running so she stressed out during T2. She had already done IMC before and 5 other ones but she decided that quitting after finishing the toughest part of the race, was not going to happen, even if she had to walk.
Along the way, the aid stations and volunteers were great. Some had themes, Hallowe'en, Christmas, but ALL had enthusiastic people of every age. I couldnt get the one with the BBQ to give me a burger but when i went past one house, I was offered a beer. Another athlete, on his way back to town, stopped to talk to friends, and did down the last of his buddy's Corona. He said he wasnt able to run so he might was well finish walking back happier.
When we got to the turn around point, I was very happy to hear my number called out for my special needs bag because it had my jacket in it. Not that I was cold, but the sun was almost down and I knew it would be cooling off quickly. Blisters were forming over the past few miles. I guess its good that I cant feel my right leg because there was a pretty good blister on that foot. On the left, I get the same blisters each time I do a long run. The wet weather wasnt helping this much and regardless of the amount of body glide I put on my toes, the blisters are present.
Deb was at the turn around and gave me a hug and took some pics.
I walked a little more with Janet from Calgary then went our separate ways as she decided to run. I kept on keepin' on, walking and running when I felt like I was strong enough. I walked a bit with a guy from Kamloops and we talked hockey and it made time go faster. I got to the 35km mark and was running, feeling pretty good. I saw Stacey and Laura, what troopers!! I was a little emotional, Stacey said how proud of me she was and after a kiss, I kept running, feeling much stronger now. She said she would meet me at the finish. I said I hadnt pee'd ALL DAY and might need an IV after I got in. Oh, BTW, I used the porta potty at 630am and at 10pm, I hadnt gone all day.
Anyway, I was walking with another Calgarian, she was walking at a good pace and keeping up with her at a walk was challenging but it was making me closer to my goal. Of course, after some quick math, I knew I wouldnt beat my IMF time but I would beat my IMF marathon time.
Getting into town was phenomenal, so many people cheering. We got to the street along the lake by the Peach and one fan was encouraging us, "come on, 15 minutes maximum and you will be done, i guarantee you will be done in 15 minutes or less, come on, you can do it!!!!". My walking companion started running, so did I. She was faster but no worries, I wanted no one else in my finish photo anyway. Around that time, one of the blisters that were forming let loose and made for a squishy finishing run.
I heard my name called from the dark. It was Leanne, I went over for a high five but got a hug (thanks Leanne!). I walked a little more then ran the last 750m or so to the finish. The lights were very bright, almost blinding as I got on to the blue carpet to the finish. As in all races, my pace picked up and nothing could wipe the smile from my face as I went through the IM banner.
Run, 7:06:30, beat my IMF marathon time by 15 minutes. One day I will run the distance but probably not as part of an iron distance triathlon.
Overall, 15:50:00. 19 minutes slower than my IMF time but like everyone keeps telling me, FL is flat, IMC, not so much.
Deb was at the finish line and with her VIP credentials, she was able to 'catch' me. We got my shirt/hat and finisher medal, got my timing chip removed, and got out of the way. For the second time, I missed getting my pic taken at the finish line wearing my medal and the baked potato wrapper you get at the end.
Stacey was also at the finish but I didnt know that til after. I called her from Deb's phone and left a message to meet me. Deb and I went to the TZ to pick up my bags and bike. When we were almost out when Stacey found us. We stopped by the food tent, found Laura, and got to the car to head home.
It was tough to get out of the car, my legs had tightened up. It was around 1130pm when we got to the house. Stacey made me some food while I showered. After, I put on my Skins tights, lay down, and very happily, went to sleep.
It was starting to rain a little when I went into the tent but by the time I was done changing, it was coming down pretty good. I wished I had put my jacket into my T2 bag instead of my special needs.
T2, 11:22, slow, but I changed all my gear again.
I knew when I got off the chair in the transition tent that I was going to make it. I had over 8 hours and if I couldnt run, I could walk it. I walked out of the tent, walked to the timing mat and started jogging. I immediately regretted the choice of taking my fuel belt. I didnt need it, there were aid stations every 1-2km and all I had in there was water and some ibuprofen so I should have left it where it was.
I didnt make it far jogging, my legs were still thrashed from all the climbing and I felt weak. I walked for a bit til I got to the crowds, then I picked it up again. I hate walking past crowds of people and even though I looked like I was jogging, my kids walk faster than I was moving at this point. I saw Varney, Jenn T, and another IH spectator (sorry, couldnt focus to see who you were) and they cheered me on while I was jogging but not long after I saw them, I started walking again. The lead pro male had finished just before I got on the run course and the lead woman was heading the same direction as me on her way to the finish. I still had at least 6 more hours to go, how sad.
I started seeing stars, not the ones in the sky or entertainment, but they kind that might be noticed just before one passes out. I kept walking til I got back from the out/back by the lake, then jogged again past the fans on main street. Again, I didnt get far before I couldnt see straight again. I think I walked in a straight line, but I am not sure. I dumped out two of my fuel bottles that were bothering me when I did jog and kept plugging along, a bit more comfortable.
Having said that, each time I tried to jog, I would feel light headed. Not the first time I had that feeling (at World's in June and at National's the week before and about 25 years before that after getting blind sided during one of my rookie tryouts with a hockey team). I was starting to get worried but unless I ended up on the deck, I wasnt stopping, walking didnt cause the feeling, just running.
I heard my name numerous times by people that knew me. I think Varney, but Im not sure, called to me from a balcony at some sort of pub or ?. Linnea called to be but had to tell me who she was. I couldnt see her even though she was close to the me. I dont remember what I said to her but I do recall talking and thanking her for the encouragement.
At around the 5 mile mark, I saw Stacey and Laura. I gave Stacey my fuel belt and my sunglasses, pretty confident I wouldnt be seeing the sun anytime soon. Stacey asked how I was feeling and I told her I was getting dizzy/light headed when I ran so she told me not to run, just walk and finish. The crowd was getting bigger and I decided to jog...... sometimes I am not very smart. As soon as I was past the crowd, I walked. Not long after that, I saw Kaytee and she was looking great. Looking at my watch, I knew she was going to have a great finish time.
Over the next 5 miles, I walked. I saw Bill T and walked across the road to have a quick chat and ask how he was. He said he was having issues but was pushing on and I shook his hand and kept moving.
I had a companion from Saskatchewan for a while. We laughed about the lack of hills to train for this race. His coach is Lisa Bently and he said he better get going otherwise Lisa was gonna kick his butt for "doggin' it". We both started running because the camera man was just ahead. He let me go first so we could have our own pics. I was surprised to find that I was not dizzy at all and I felt pretty darn good. Unfortunately, my leg started to feel very weak so instead of pulling the same stunt as I did at Nationals (falling on my face), I decided to walk and run when I felt like it. I saw Leanne S at one point right by the lake and she was on pace to have a great race too.
For the last 4 miles to the turn around, I had another companion to walk with. She was from Calgary and had some issues at TZ. She had been in Malaysia for a month with no training other than running so she stressed out during T2. She had already done IMC before and 5 other ones but she decided that quitting after finishing the toughest part of the race, was not going to happen, even if she had to walk.
Along the way, the aid stations and volunteers were great. Some had themes, Hallowe'en, Christmas, but ALL had enthusiastic people of every age. I couldnt get the one with the BBQ to give me a burger but when i went past one house, I was offered a beer. Another athlete, on his way back to town, stopped to talk to friends, and did down the last of his buddy's Corona. He said he wasnt able to run so he might was well finish walking back happier.
When we got to the turn around point, I was very happy to hear my number called out for my special needs bag because it had my jacket in it. Not that I was cold, but the sun was almost down and I knew it would be cooling off quickly. Blisters were forming over the past few miles. I guess its good that I cant feel my right leg because there was a pretty good blister on that foot. On the left, I get the same blisters each time I do a long run. The wet weather wasnt helping this much and regardless of the amount of body glide I put on my toes, the blisters are present.
Deb was at the turn around and gave me a hug and took some pics.
I walked a little more with Janet from Calgary then went our separate ways as she decided to run. I kept on keepin' on, walking and running when I felt like I was strong enough. I walked a bit with a guy from Kamloops and we talked hockey and it made time go faster. I got to the 35km mark and was running, feeling pretty good. I saw Stacey and Laura, what troopers!! I was a little emotional, Stacey said how proud of me she was and after a kiss, I kept running, feeling much stronger now. She said she would meet me at the finish. I said I hadnt pee'd ALL DAY and might need an IV after I got in. Oh, BTW, I used the porta potty at 630am and at 10pm, I hadnt gone all day.
Anyway, I was walking with another Calgarian, she was walking at a good pace and keeping up with her at a walk was challenging but it was making me closer to my goal. Of course, after some quick math, I knew I wouldnt beat my IMF time but I would beat my IMF marathon time.
Getting into town was phenomenal, so many people cheering. We got to the street along the lake by the Peach and one fan was encouraging us, "come on, 15 minutes maximum and you will be done, i guarantee you will be done in 15 minutes or less, come on, you can do it!!!!". My walking companion started running, so did I. She was faster but no worries, I wanted no one else in my finish photo anyway. Around that time, one of the blisters that were forming let loose and made for a squishy finishing run.
I heard my name called from the dark. It was Leanne, I went over for a high five but got a hug (thanks Leanne!). I walked a little more then ran the last 750m or so to the finish. The lights were very bright, almost blinding as I got on to the blue carpet to the finish. As in all races, my pace picked up and nothing could wipe the smile from my face as I went through the IM banner.
Run, 7:06:30, beat my IMF marathon time by 15 minutes. One day I will run the distance but probably not as part of an iron distance triathlon.
Overall, 15:50:00. 19 minutes slower than my IMF time but like everyone keeps telling me, FL is flat, IMC, not so much.
Deb was at the finish line and with her VIP credentials, she was able to 'catch' me. We got my shirt/hat and finisher medal, got my timing chip removed, and got out of the way. For the second time, I missed getting my pic taken at the finish line wearing my medal and the baked potato wrapper you get at the end.
Stacey was also at the finish but I didnt know that til after. I called her from Deb's phone and left a message to meet me. Deb and I went to the TZ to pick up my bags and bike. When we were almost out when Stacey found us. We stopped by the food tent, found Laura, and got to the car to head home.
It was tough to get out of the car, my legs had tightened up. It was around 1130pm when we got to the house. Stacey made me some food while I showered. After, I put on my Skins tights, lay down, and very happily, went to sleep.
IMC 08, Part 2, T1 and bike, just a little painful
On to T1. Got stripped of my wetsuit, picked up my bag, and headed into the tent. I took my time, changed all my gear to my IH bibs and a cycling jersey. Walked out to claim my bike, walked to the bike mount area, got on, and away I went.
T1, 11:45, slower than IMF but it didnt bother me
It was great fun seeing all the Ironheads that werent competing cheering for me as I made the first turn from transition. Little did they know, I wasnt even clipped in yet but I got aero in a hurry so I could show off my awesome position on the bike :) I headed out of town averaging 20+mph. At the turn onto Lakeshore, I saw Stacey and the entourage from the house for the first of many times. Smiling for the camera, a couple of people took bad lines through 90 degree turn and almost clipped me and a few others.
I passed tons of people, most of whom would fly by me by the time I got half way up the first climb at McLean Creek Road. There was a little bit of wind picking up but after we got on the climb, I didnt feel much til we crested the hill. This first hill, is about 1km long, maybe 6-7% grade (maybe more?). At the top, I couldnt find my legs, they felt like lead. I was hoping it was temporary but I couldnt get going. There was a bit of a false flat but it wasnt bad. The downhill into OK falls was wicked. I hit 44mph, passed heaps of people that dont have my weight and momentum. The rest of the trip to Osoyoos had a bit of headwind but not too much.
I drove the road to Richter Pass last year so I know what to expect. I could see it looming as I approached the turn. I fueled up with a gel and loads of water about 5 minutes before I hit the base of the climb. I didnt think I would be able to drink while I was climbing.
I was still shaking the cobwebs off my legs and the first pitch of the climb, being the longest, really took its toll. Thank GOD I put that compact crankset on my bike. If I didnt have the 34 on there, I wouldnt have been able to make it up the remaining hills over the next 120km or so.
There were SO MANY people on the climb, you would have thought we were doing at grand tour in Europe. People in silly costumes with silly signs, it was AWESOME!!! Very motivating to people lacking enthusiasm for climbing.
Oh, did I mention the large caliber rifle shots I heard about half way up the first pitch? I thought maybe there was a range nearby but the shots were too close and at one time, I thought I was being shot AT! On with the climbing, it wasnt fun, seated climb for 30-40 minutes really sucked. My back was screaming at me, my ass hurt, and my neck hurt from being aero for too long.
Got through that section, crested the top, and descended fast. I hit 48mph on that one. I soft pedaled all the way down hill so my legs didnt seize up further. Then came the rollers. Although I didnt know it until after the next aid station when I asked someone if these were in fact the infamous rollers. Dont get me wrong, they arent easy, but I was expecting something a lot more difficult from what people were telling me. Stacey, Laura, and the rest of the house were there to cheer me on which was cool because I only expected to see them at Yellow Lake.
Next came the out/back section of the course. By this time, my butt was getting so sore. The back pain was average and my neck hurt but I was still 2 hours from being done the bike and could hardly sit. My special needs bag had some more chamois lube in it but truthfully, it was just the pressure from the saddle in the nether regions that was the painful part.
This is a real ugly part of the bike course. The road has lines across it, thump, thump, thump. Water bottles, tires, tubes, are everywhere as they got knocked off bikes. I saw Leanne and another friend from Camas, Pete Adams, and we shouted encouraging words to each other and went on our merry ways.
I got to the turn around and there were Stacey, Laura, Kelly, and Jacob. I smiled for the camera and picked up the pace. I didnt want them to see how much pain I was in. I grabbed my special needs bag and did the roadie thing, grabbed everything, stuffed it in my pockets, and threw the bag out, all without stopping the bike. I hit the 80 mile marker towards the end of the out/back section. 32 more miles of hell and I was NOT looking forward to it.
Stacey and I drove to Yellow Lake on Saturday so I was prepared but in hindsight, all it did was stress me out. I began to do calculations in my head. Lets see, 20km of downhill from the top of Yellow to Penticton, thats 12 miles, its a 10km climb to the top, the pitch should be rising up.......... NOW!
Crap, it started. Before you can say slug, I was slithering along at 5-6 mph. My legs had nothing left. It wasnt my fueling, that was dialed in. I was just plain worn out. I feel like I had enough training for this event but maybe not enough hills. With all the bike problems I had this season, I attributed it to a poor fit, not poor prep. After all, I have a great coach, thanks Scott.
Not far from the top, there was Stacey, Laura, Kelly, and the rest of the house cheering me on. Laura actually walked next to me, thats how SLOW I was going. I asked where Clint was and they said he was behind me. Thats strange, I thought, he should be way ahead of me. Oh well, I had 500m of climbing to go, cant stop to chat. Turned out, poor Clint had some massive GI problems and was puking his guts out somewhere behind me. At the bike dismount area, they took him the the med tent, his day was done after 8.5 hrs on the bike with a stomach issue. Not fun.
200m from the top, people screaming, cheering, yelling encouragement, it was phenomenal. I stood up on the pedals and danced my way to the top. OK, so it wasnt like dancing but I was shaking my butt, doesnt that count?
I knew this wasnt the last climb of the day but the hard part was definitely over. I knew I was going to finish this sillyness and cross the line before midnight. Now my goal was going to be beating my IMF time. A short downhill and uphill later, I was going 50 mph towards Penticton. The wind shook me a few times but i was on a mission. I had one hand on the horns, one hand was in the aero bars, and I was squeezing the frame with my thighs.
I maintained a good clip all the way back. The wind hit me as I was eastbound in front of Skaha Lake. I was leaning hard to the right to keep from being knocked over. Those Zipp 808's sure can go fast but they sure pick up crosswinds. I got to the bike dismount and had to ask one of the volunteers to hold me up as I had no strength to twist out of my pedals. I was surprised when I was able to walk after I got off, hey, I thought, I might be able to run some of the marathon after all.
Bike, 7:04:24, lots slower than IMF but duh, the course is flat in FL. Average speed, 15.8 mph. Pretty poor.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
IMC 08 Part 1, pre race and swim
So, I started this whole blog thingy for my IMC prep. Good way to get my thoughts out and if someone wanted to read it, all the better. Well, I did it, I finished another Ironman distance race. There were times where I was on course where I wasnt so sure I was going to make it but seeing all the people, the signs they had (pain is temporary etc), my family, friends, team mates, made the voices in my head stop telling me to pack it in. Mind you, that was all while I was on the bike.... ok, and part of the swim where I was getting a worse beating physically than I have had in 500 hockey games....... ok, and MAYBE when I was just leaving town on the run course and getting dizzy and starting to cramp, but those were the only times.... so Im sayin anyway.
My IM adventure started off the week before with a little trip to Kelowna to do the Apple Triathlon on Sunday, Aug 17th. What a great event. It was coupled with an ITU event so I got to see some of the elites of our sport do their thing.
After the Apple, I went back to Salmon Arm to hang with the family and finish my IMC training. I got in two rides, two swims, and a couple of runs. On one of my rides, I had some form of explosive/fireworks thrown at me. What an interesting ride that was. Over the years, I have had lots of things yelled at me, been swerved at, had water (or I hope it was water) thrown on me, but the "screecher" was a first. Luckily, I rolled past it before it ignited. The rest of the time in SA was uneventful as far as fireworks go and on Friday, Stacey and I headed to Penticton.
As soon as we got to town, we headed to the IM Expo area to pick up my registration packet. I got in and out within about 20 minutes, all braceletted up ready to race. I got some ART done by the same guy that treated me just before World's. If you are ever in Vancouver BC and are in need of some soft tissue work, call me, i will give you his clinic number. I felt GREAT!!! I had signed up for a 30 minute massage too so Stacey got her bike stuff and went and demo'd a Cervelo P2C. The massage might have been a good relaxation rub, it certainly wasnt what I wanted. Oh well, its only money right?
We called our host family and said we would be there shortly. Well, that wasnt exactly true because after we finished at the athlete village, the truck wouldnt start. Kind of like the day I left for Canada, it just went click click click. Probably the last thing I needed just before the race. I had it checked before I left Camas, they said the battery was fine.... Good old Les Schwab, should have known better and had it checked by someone that only does battery's. Actually, a guy in Penticton said it was fine too. After getting a boost, we just drove to Marty and Laura's place and unloaded the gear, met some great new people, and settled in for the night.
Saturday morning, we got up early for a 7am swim. Too bad the truck wouldnt start. GRRRRRRRRRRRR!!! Laura came out in her PJ's and gave us a jump and off we went. My friend Debbie was working with Blue Seventy and offered to let me use a long sleeve wetsuit for the race so I went down to test it out during their demo time. It fit like a glove and 15 minutes in it sure made me want to buy one but $600 isnt in the budget so I opted to take Deb up on the loan. Right after that, we met Coach Scott and had a short ride with him. Back to the truck, click click click. YAHHHHHHHRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGG!!
Another jumpstart, back to Marty and Laura's, kept the truck running this time, switch to race wheels, pack the rest of my TZ bags, throw everything into the truck, then back to TZ to drop my crap off.
I was pissed and stressed at the same time. Stacey calmed me down (thanks honey) dropped me off with my gear and parked down the street. After I got my stuff into the TZ, I went into the overpriced merchandise tent and bought her an "Ironmate" Tee shirt. She really earned that title on race day, more about that later. During the time I was doing my thing, she called the Dodge dealer to see if they could do some tests on the truck to determine what it was. Turns out, it was the battery, silly people that did the test on it at Schwabs, didnt load test the damn thing and instead of it costing me around $100 US, it was $215 CAD.
Anyway, it had to be done so the nice folks at the Penticton Dodge dealer had us on the road in half an hour. Two stops to get food, water, and wine (for our hosts, not me...... OK, so I had a glass with dinner, it calmed me down), then back to Marty and Laura's for the rest of the day.
I have to tell you, the afternoon dragged on. After I had finished preparing my fuel bottles for the next day, we watched the Olympics. CBC coverage was great. No Bob Costas or Al Trautwig to give us heartwarming story's, just good coverage. We watched the marathon on NBC as well as CBC and it was quite different, and thats all I have to say about that......
So, after dinner, lots of water, peeing 20 times, I finally went to sleep around 10pm. Although the house was full of people, only myself and one other, Clint, were getting up at 4am to do eat and get ready to race.
I drank my usual 700 calorie bottle of Sustained Energy and ate a banana. I kept drinking water, but my GI was doing its usual routine as well, flip flopping all over the damn place, thats all I need to say about that. Around 520am, Clint, his wife Kelly, and son Jacob, headed down to the TZ. That was the last time I saw Clint as we both went to finish our prep.
I saw David Christian, Mike G, Leanne, and Kaytee and ran into my friend Deb. She helped me get into my wetsuit (not used to top down wetsuit zipper). Beep, beep, beep, we all crossed the timing mats and I wandered into the cold water.
I didnt do a warm up swim, just dunked my head under the water to test my goggles. I made sure I kept my hands in the water to get used to it, talked to Leanne for a minute or two, gave her a quick hug, wished her luck, and got my game face on. I was going to need it.
7AM, Peter Reid fired the cannon and off we went. I started very close to the front, pretty close to the TZ/swim exit but the wall of people were lined up at least 50meters to my left. Its a free for all, and like i said earlier, I got beat up less playing hockey. I was seriously wondering what the hell I was doing during those first 400m or so. I got kicked by some breast stroker, in the side of the head and a few times I thought I would have broken fingers. I kept on keeping on and found some open water.
The first right turn at the house boat brought everyone closer together and of course, more pummelling. All in all, it wasnt so bad I guess, but getting back to open water was welcomed for sure. One woman kept going back and forth across my line but the rest of the swim was uneventful. Had she kept in a straight line, she would probably have done a much faster swim.
Swim, 1:15:59, 30 seconds off my IMF time, satisfying considering the swims that I missed.
My IM adventure started off the week before with a little trip to Kelowna to do the Apple Triathlon on Sunday, Aug 17th. What a great event. It was coupled with an ITU event so I got to see some of the elites of our sport do their thing.
After the Apple, I went back to Salmon Arm to hang with the family and finish my IMC training. I got in two rides, two swims, and a couple of runs. On one of my rides, I had some form of explosive/fireworks thrown at me. What an interesting ride that was. Over the years, I have had lots of things yelled at me, been swerved at, had water (or I hope it was water) thrown on me, but the "screecher" was a first. Luckily, I rolled past it before it ignited. The rest of the time in SA was uneventful as far as fireworks go and on Friday, Stacey and I headed to Penticton.
As soon as we got to town, we headed to the IM Expo area to pick up my registration packet. I got in and out within about 20 minutes, all braceletted up ready to race. I got some ART done by the same guy that treated me just before World's. If you are ever in Vancouver BC and are in need of some soft tissue work, call me, i will give you his clinic number. I felt GREAT!!! I had signed up for a 30 minute massage too so Stacey got her bike stuff and went and demo'd a Cervelo P2C. The massage might have been a good relaxation rub, it certainly wasnt what I wanted. Oh well, its only money right?
We called our host family and said we would be there shortly. Well, that wasnt exactly true because after we finished at the athlete village, the truck wouldnt start. Kind of like the day I left for Canada, it just went click click click. Probably the last thing I needed just before the race. I had it checked before I left Camas, they said the battery was fine.... Good old Les Schwab, should have known better and had it checked by someone that only does battery's. Actually, a guy in Penticton said it was fine too. After getting a boost, we just drove to Marty and Laura's place and unloaded the gear, met some great new people, and settled in for the night.
Saturday morning, we got up early for a 7am swim. Too bad the truck wouldnt start. GRRRRRRRRRRRR!!! Laura came out in her PJ's and gave us a jump and off we went. My friend Debbie was working with Blue Seventy and offered to let me use a long sleeve wetsuit for the race so I went down to test it out during their demo time. It fit like a glove and 15 minutes in it sure made me want to buy one but $600 isnt in the budget so I opted to take Deb up on the loan. Right after that, we met Coach Scott and had a short ride with him. Back to the truck, click click click. YAHHHHHHHRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGG!!
Another jumpstart, back to Marty and Laura's, kept the truck running this time, switch to race wheels, pack the rest of my TZ bags, throw everything into the truck, then back to TZ to drop my crap off.
I was pissed and stressed at the same time. Stacey calmed me down (thanks honey) dropped me off with my gear and parked down the street. After I got my stuff into the TZ, I went into the overpriced merchandise tent and bought her an "Ironmate" Tee shirt. She really earned that title on race day, more about that later. During the time I was doing my thing, she called the Dodge dealer to see if they could do some tests on the truck to determine what it was. Turns out, it was the battery, silly people that did the test on it at Schwabs, didnt load test the damn thing and instead of it costing me around $100 US, it was $215 CAD.
Anyway, it had to be done so the nice folks at the Penticton Dodge dealer had us on the road in half an hour. Two stops to get food, water, and wine (for our hosts, not me...... OK, so I had a glass with dinner, it calmed me down), then back to Marty and Laura's for the rest of the day.
I have to tell you, the afternoon dragged on. After I had finished preparing my fuel bottles for the next day, we watched the Olympics. CBC coverage was great. No Bob Costas or Al Trautwig to give us heartwarming story's, just good coverage. We watched the marathon on NBC as well as CBC and it was quite different, and thats all I have to say about that......
So, after dinner, lots of water, peeing 20 times, I finally went to sleep around 10pm. Although the house was full of people, only myself and one other, Clint, were getting up at 4am to do eat and get ready to race.
I drank my usual 700 calorie bottle of Sustained Energy and ate a banana. I kept drinking water, but my GI was doing its usual routine as well, flip flopping all over the damn place, thats all I need to say about that. Around 520am, Clint, his wife Kelly, and son Jacob, headed down to the TZ. That was the last time I saw Clint as we both went to finish our prep.
I saw David Christian, Mike G, Leanne, and Kaytee and ran into my friend Deb. She helped me get into my wetsuit (not used to top down wetsuit zipper). Beep, beep, beep, we all crossed the timing mats and I wandered into the cold water.
I didnt do a warm up swim, just dunked my head under the water to test my goggles. I made sure I kept my hands in the water to get used to it, talked to Leanne for a minute or two, gave her a quick hug, wished her luck, and got my game face on. I was going to need it.
7AM, Peter Reid fired the cannon and off we went. I started very close to the front, pretty close to the TZ/swim exit but the wall of people were lined up at least 50meters to my left. Its a free for all, and like i said earlier, I got beat up less playing hockey. I was seriously wondering what the hell I was doing during those first 400m or so. I got kicked by some breast stroker, in the side of the head and a few times I thought I would have broken fingers. I kept on keeping on and found some open water.
The first right turn at the house boat brought everyone closer together and of course, more pummelling. All in all, it wasnt so bad I guess, but getting back to open water was welcomed for sure. One woman kept going back and forth across my line but the rest of the swim was uneventful. Had she kept in a straight line, she would probably have done a much faster swim.
Swim, 1:15:59, 30 seconds off my IMF time, satisfying considering the swims that I missed.
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Apple Triathlon Race Report
For those that dont know, Kelowna BC is in the Okanagan Valley. During the summer, the valley is very HOT!! I got there Friday evening and had dinner with one of the race organizers and had arranged to park my folks RV in front of their house. It was 34C. It has a great air conditioner however, it needs a 30amp connection, the same plug in as a dryer more or less. If you plug it in to anything less, you will blow a fuse. I chose not to do that to people I just met.
After dinner, I headed out the RV. It was an oven still but with all the windows open and a fan blowing all the hot air out, I slept pretty good.
On Saturday, I ran for 15 minutes at 730am, before it got really hot. The forecast called for a high of 36C and I didnt want to do too much in the heat. I still had to bike for 30 and had planned to meet my friend Meyrick and Scott, two other Team Canada AWAD's that I met at worlds, to ride a lap of the course. I was nervous about the large hill that the website showed. It turned out to not be as bad as it looked. It was shorter than the hill at World's but it was a bit steeper. The rest of the course was not bad, the out and back section had a bit of a hill but it soon leveled out and was pretty fast (although on race day, I missed the sign for the out and back on the first lap and did it twice on my last lap which slowed me a bit).
The elite juniors went on Saturday and I kept seeing athletes coming in with road rash, 4 in all. One kid had hit a "hippy" (as he called him) and was unable to continue. Others had taken a corner too hard and slid into the curb. The last thing I heard was the water was so warm it was going to be a non wetsuit swim. Probably one of the few times Im glad Im an AWAD, we get to wear our wetsuits.
Meyrick and I dropped off our bikes at the TZ then headed to dinner at the Pheasant and Quail Pub for some decent food and to watch the Olympics. We watched Phelps get his 8th, Bolt "sit up" while running away with the 100m gold, and got to see some Canadian athletes finally get us into the medals. Back to the RV, which was now at the RV park with the A/C cranked, to sleep in cool comfort. Meyrick's friend Deb, who had done the 5000m OW swim earlier in the day (and won her AG), had one hell of a sunburn and chose to sleep in my RV versus her tent, which was apparently very hot.
Sunday morning, 5am, my alarm went off. I got my 700 calorie bottle from the fridge and went back to bed. I had to have the RV out before 11am and due to our start time, I wasnt sure I could make it back to the campground before then so I packed it up, and parked it next to the same house as friday night. Meyrick and Deb picked me up and off we went to get body marked.
So, Im an AWAD, when we got body marked, the lady asked what age group I was in. I said, Im not in an AG, Im an AWAD. She looked confused. She asked again, what AG I was in. I again explained that Im an athlete with a disability and we have our own class/division. She asked someone, who asked someone, who found my RV host/assistant race director, and discovered that sure enough, I didnt need to have an AG on my leg, only my number and an A. Perfect, onto the TZ to get the rest of my area squared away.
I felt kind of weird. We had our own section with LOTS of room, two chairs each, and a HUGE orange sign saying "do not remove chairs, these are for the AWADS". Kind of brings attention to our little group. Scott (I found out later that he is the top wheelchair athlete in Canada) gets lots of attention as he is in a chair and uses a handcycle so people always come over and look at that. Meyrick is a below the knee amputee (BK) so his carbon fiber running leg gets heaps of people looking at it, and Kim has a walker and two canes. Then theres me, looking pretty much able bodied (AB) but Im wearing my Challenged Athlete Foundation jersey and I have an ankle brace that unless you come over to my area, you cant even see it. I get looked at, but not for the same reasons. People wonder why Im in this group. Oh well, they wanna know, they can ask me right?
The sprint started at 7am and they were just finishing their waves when we were ushered down to the water. AWAD's get a separate start time, usually around 10 minutes before the rest (at World's, we had 30 minute head start). We had a quick course description, then Meyrick held onto me and another person and started taking his leg off, a new experience for me. Scott and Kim were already in the water, next thing I knew, the race was on. We had two laps to do but unlike the AB athletes, we didnt have to run around the beach onto timing mats. We just swam around a buoy that was in about 3 feet of water. I was doing well, keeping up with Meyrick and Scott but then after the first left turn, around 450m into it, Scott turned on the turbo charger and took off.
As we started our second lap, Scott stopped in front of us, turned back, and started yelling something. I stopped for a second but Meyrick kept going so I started again. Turns out, he missed the buoy on the beach and was sent back by the kayakers. I still kept Meyrick within about 3-4 body lengths until we turned to start lap two, then he got away from me as we got swept up in a mens AG wave.
I got swam over a couple times and thought my timing chip strap but it stayed on. I still had plenty of open water to swim so I kept a good pace. On the last leg of the second lap, I had a kayaker try to send me on a third lap. It was interesting because he let Meyrick go but chose to try and herd me to the left. After I politely explained I was finishing, he apologized and let me go. I picked up the pace and exited the water just ahead of Meyrick, an advantage of not having to install a leg after exiting the water.
Swim time, 26:10 for an average of 1:45/100m
I had a helper, an awesome guy named Mark, and he just let me do my thing, standing by in case I fell. When we got to T1, he helped me strip my wetsuit and after I got my kit on, he stayed next to me while I ran out to the bike mount area.
T1, 2:47, pretty fast for me
I got out of T1 just behind Meyrick but I couldnt stay with him as the hill was not even 2km into the ride. My HR was max'd, probably around 180, til just before the hill. I geared down and spun up the hill at a bristling 7mph. I knew the course and the 2 minutes I spent climbing would be easily made up on the downhill and the flats.
As I said earlier, I missed the sign on the out/back section either because I didnt see it or it wasnt up yet. We started after the sprint waves and being the first of the Oly distance out of the water, I guess I was following a sprint rider. I was very happy at the time as I was passing all these sprint riders but after I figured out I missed that section, I was mad at myself. I realized I missed it when I got back to the start/finish for my second lap and my speedo only read 6 miles and change. I decided to make it up on my last lap. My second lap with the out/back section was not too bad, the first part of it had a bit of a hill then sort of a false flat but I was still able to make 19mph. After the turn it was all down hill and flat to the start/finish. I hit 65kph for a top speed and I was able to maintain a decent average speed of 30.8kph for the 40km.
On the last lap, I did my diligence and did the out/back twice and as fast as I could, went back to the TZ. I saw Meyrick twice on that section, once on my first of the two laps on the way down, and then again when I was on the way back up. He had a puzzled look on his face.
Bike, 1:17:50, average 30.8km/h
I got to the entrance to T2 and Mark was there to meet me. He ran on the left side of me while I had my bike on the right. I didnt trip there, I got to the rack, hung up the bike, then sat down to change my shoes. Mark wanted to help but there wasnt much for him to do but be there in case I tripped on the grass (which I tend to do due to the whole foot drop thing). I was up and running in a pretty good T2 time. This is where my good day ended and the crap day was about to begin.
T2, 3:28, again, fast for me
I ran for about ten minutes and after looking at my watch, I thought I could do a sub 3 hour race. I did 2:54 in Vancouver but that was with a 1100m swim. The weather was great, not too hot, not too cold, but I soon started to fatigue. My legs were not cooperating. I got to about the 3km mark, a nice little out and back section through Kelowna's skid row, and then I felt like I had to walk. I walked for a few, watching my HR go from 175 down to the 150 range. I couldnt do much but wait for it to go down before I started to run again. I was only able to run for a minute or two at a time, then had to walk again. My GI felt great, my lungs felt great, but my legs werent cooperating. My foot drop was getting worse as the course dragged on. My hopes of a sub three hour race quickly was going away.
I ran through an aid station, joked with the ladies running it, but as soon as I passed through, I started walking again. Just after this, I was on the last 1.5km of the first lap, all along the boardwalk. I walked and ran for this section. When I got to the actual boards of the "boardwalk", I was running. I was about half way across this section and my left foot caught the lip of one of the boards and I hit the deck. I rolled onto my back, said a bad word, lay there for a split second then started to get up. There was one or two people that witnessed my fall and one of them asked if I was OK. I said I was fine, got up, walked to the end of the boardwalk and started running again.
When I got to the start of the second lap, I stopped and talked to one of the race officials. I asked if he could locate my helper and ask him to meet me at the start of the wooden part of the board walk. When i was saying this, however, I was having some trouble breathing. the same problem I had at the finish of World's. I felt like I was wheezing, like maybe asthma. I was upset so that might have had something to do with it. At World's, I was overwhelmed since my mom was at the finish line so maybe that was it. I didnt want the race official to notice I was having trouble so I started walking away. My host, Tabitha, ran up beside me and said she was going to be my helper for the next 5km. I didnt want her to do the whole lap with me and I just explained that I needed her only at the boardwalk. She just said she would be fine and would to the whole lap with me. About twice more, I had the breathing problem and got light headed but I just walked for a bit and it went away. By about 1.5km into it, I finally convinced her that I was ok and all I needed someone for was the last 1km.
In hindsight, I wish I would have had someone for the whole lap, its good motivation. I walk/ran the rest of the lap. I got to just before the boardwalk, saw Tabitha, called to her, but I guess she didnt hear me. I was on a roll with my running so I just kept going. I ran the whole boardwalk, concentrating on lifting my foot with each step. I hit the end of the boardwalk, saw the ramp towards the finish. There were tons of people lining the course so I picked up my pace. I crossed the finish line, listening for my name but I guess they couldnt read my number. Finally, after someone stopped me to read it so they could announce my name.
Run, 1:26:19, CRAPPPY!! Overall, 3:16:32, 3rd OA, 1st TRI3
I finished in 3:16, my worst finish of the year but I qualified for worlds in Gold Coast Australia in September 2009. I got to stand on the podium for the first time in 6 years but like my friend Meyrick said, Im not going to brag about the win as there were only 4 of us. Before the awards, I said to Meyrick and Scott that I didnt want to go on the podium by myself and that all of us should go up there. He said that as an AWAD, for the time being, I should get used to doing podium's on my own. Both he and Scott said they had their share of solo podiums.
My folks were there with my kids and they were very proud of me being on top of the steps and mom got lots of photos. Today is Thursday, four days later, and she is still showing people my medal and telling them I won Canadian Nationals.
Well, getting ready for IMC in two and a half days, keep you updated soon.
After dinner, I headed out the RV. It was an oven still but with all the windows open and a fan blowing all the hot air out, I slept pretty good.
On Saturday, I ran for 15 minutes at 730am, before it got really hot. The forecast called for a high of 36C and I didnt want to do too much in the heat. I still had to bike for 30 and had planned to meet my friend Meyrick and Scott, two other Team Canada AWAD's that I met at worlds, to ride a lap of the course. I was nervous about the large hill that the website showed. It turned out to not be as bad as it looked. It was shorter than the hill at World's but it was a bit steeper. The rest of the course was not bad, the out and back section had a bit of a hill but it soon leveled out and was pretty fast (although on race day, I missed the sign for the out and back on the first lap and did it twice on my last lap which slowed me a bit).
The elite juniors went on Saturday and I kept seeing athletes coming in with road rash, 4 in all. One kid had hit a "hippy" (as he called him) and was unable to continue. Others had taken a corner too hard and slid into the curb. The last thing I heard was the water was so warm it was going to be a non wetsuit swim. Probably one of the few times Im glad Im an AWAD, we get to wear our wetsuits.
Meyrick and I dropped off our bikes at the TZ then headed to dinner at the Pheasant and Quail Pub for some decent food and to watch the Olympics. We watched Phelps get his 8th, Bolt "sit up" while running away with the 100m gold, and got to see some Canadian athletes finally get us into the medals. Back to the RV, which was now at the RV park with the A/C cranked, to sleep in cool comfort. Meyrick's friend Deb, who had done the 5000m OW swim earlier in the day (and won her AG), had one hell of a sunburn and chose to sleep in my RV versus her tent, which was apparently very hot.
Sunday morning, 5am, my alarm went off. I got my 700 calorie bottle from the fridge and went back to bed. I had to have the RV out before 11am and due to our start time, I wasnt sure I could make it back to the campground before then so I packed it up, and parked it next to the same house as friday night. Meyrick and Deb picked me up and off we went to get body marked.
So, Im an AWAD, when we got body marked, the lady asked what age group I was in. I said, Im not in an AG, Im an AWAD. She looked confused. She asked again, what AG I was in. I again explained that Im an athlete with a disability and we have our own class/division. She asked someone, who asked someone, who found my RV host/assistant race director, and discovered that sure enough, I didnt need to have an AG on my leg, only my number and an A. Perfect, onto the TZ to get the rest of my area squared away.
I felt kind of weird. We had our own section with LOTS of room, two chairs each, and a HUGE orange sign saying "do not remove chairs, these are for the AWADS". Kind of brings attention to our little group. Scott (I found out later that he is the top wheelchair athlete in Canada) gets lots of attention as he is in a chair and uses a handcycle so people always come over and look at that. Meyrick is a below the knee amputee (BK) so his carbon fiber running leg gets heaps of people looking at it, and Kim has a walker and two canes. Then theres me, looking pretty much able bodied (AB) but Im wearing my Challenged Athlete Foundation jersey and I have an ankle brace that unless you come over to my area, you cant even see it. I get looked at, but not for the same reasons. People wonder why Im in this group. Oh well, they wanna know, they can ask me right?
The sprint started at 7am and they were just finishing their waves when we were ushered down to the water. AWAD's get a separate start time, usually around 10 minutes before the rest (at World's, we had 30 minute head start). We had a quick course description, then Meyrick held onto me and another person and started taking his leg off, a new experience for me. Scott and Kim were already in the water, next thing I knew, the race was on. We had two laps to do but unlike the AB athletes, we didnt have to run around the beach onto timing mats. We just swam around a buoy that was in about 3 feet of water. I was doing well, keeping up with Meyrick and Scott but then after the first left turn, around 450m into it, Scott turned on the turbo charger and took off.
As we started our second lap, Scott stopped in front of us, turned back, and started yelling something. I stopped for a second but Meyrick kept going so I started again. Turns out, he missed the buoy on the beach and was sent back by the kayakers. I still kept Meyrick within about 3-4 body lengths until we turned to start lap two, then he got away from me as we got swept up in a mens AG wave.
I got swam over a couple times and thought my timing chip strap but it stayed on. I still had plenty of open water to swim so I kept a good pace. On the last leg of the second lap, I had a kayaker try to send me on a third lap. It was interesting because he let Meyrick go but chose to try and herd me to the left. After I politely explained I was finishing, he apologized and let me go. I picked up the pace and exited the water just ahead of Meyrick, an advantage of not having to install a leg after exiting the water.
Swim time, 26:10 for an average of 1:45/100m
I had a helper, an awesome guy named Mark, and he just let me do my thing, standing by in case I fell. When we got to T1, he helped me strip my wetsuit and after I got my kit on, he stayed next to me while I ran out to the bike mount area.
T1, 2:47, pretty fast for me
I got out of T1 just behind Meyrick but I couldnt stay with him as the hill was not even 2km into the ride. My HR was max'd, probably around 180, til just before the hill. I geared down and spun up the hill at a bristling 7mph. I knew the course and the 2 minutes I spent climbing would be easily made up on the downhill and the flats.
As I said earlier, I missed the sign on the out/back section either because I didnt see it or it wasnt up yet. We started after the sprint waves and being the first of the Oly distance out of the water, I guess I was following a sprint rider. I was very happy at the time as I was passing all these sprint riders but after I figured out I missed that section, I was mad at myself. I realized I missed it when I got back to the start/finish for my second lap and my speedo only read 6 miles and change. I decided to make it up on my last lap. My second lap with the out/back section was not too bad, the first part of it had a bit of a hill then sort of a false flat but I was still able to make 19mph. After the turn it was all down hill and flat to the start/finish. I hit 65kph for a top speed and I was able to maintain a decent average speed of 30.8kph for the 40km.
On the last lap, I did my diligence and did the out/back twice and as fast as I could, went back to the TZ. I saw Meyrick twice on that section, once on my first of the two laps on the way down, and then again when I was on the way back up. He had a puzzled look on his face.
Bike, 1:17:50, average 30.8km/h
I got to the entrance to T2 and Mark was there to meet me. He ran on the left side of me while I had my bike on the right. I didnt trip there, I got to the rack, hung up the bike, then sat down to change my shoes. Mark wanted to help but there wasnt much for him to do but be there in case I tripped on the grass (which I tend to do due to the whole foot drop thing). I was up and running in a pretty good T2 time. This is where my good day ended and the crap day was about to begin.
T2, 3:28, again, fast for me
I ran for about ten minutes and after looking at my watch, I thought I could do a sub 3 hour race. I did 2:54 in Vancouver but that was with a 1100m swim. The weather was great, not too hot, not too cold, but I soon started to fatigue. My legs were not cooperating. I got to about the 3km mark, a nice little out and back section through Kelowna's skid row, and then I felt like I had to walk. I walked for a few, watching my HR go from 175 down to the 150 range. I couldnt do much but wait for it to go down before I started to run again. I was only able to run for a minute or two at a time, then had to walk again. My GI felt great, my lungs felt great, but my legs werent cooperating. My foot drop was getting worse as the course dragged on. My hopes of a sub three hour race quickly was going away.
I ran through an aid station, joked with the ladies running it, but as soon as I passed through, I started walking again. Just after this, I was on the last 1.5km of the first lap, all along the boardwalk. I walked and ran for this section. When I got to the actual boards of the "boardwalk", I was running. I was about half way across this section and my left foot caught the lip of one of the boards and I hit the deck. I rolled onto my back, said a bad word, lay there for a split second then started to get up. There was one or two people that witnessed my fall and one of them asked if I was OK. I said I was fine, got up, walked to the end of the boardwalk and started running again.
When I got to the start of the second lap, I stopped and talked to one of the race officials. I asked if he could locate my helper and ask him to meet me at the start of the wooden part of the board walk. When i was saying this, however, I was having some trouble breathing. the same problem I had at the finish of World's. I felt like I was wheezing, like maybe asthma. I was upset so that might have had something to do with it. At World's, I was overwhelmed since my mom was at the finish line so maybe that was it. I didnt want the race official to notice I was having trouble so I started walking away. My host, Tabitha, ran up beside me and said she was going to be my helper for the next 5km. I didnt want her to do the whole lap with me and I just explained that I needed her only at the boardwalk. She just said she would be fine and would to the whole lap with me. About twice more, I had the breathing problem and got light headed but I just walked for a bit and it went away. By about 1.5km into it, I finally convinced her that I was ok and all I needed someone for was the last 1km.
In hindsight, I wish I would have had someone for the whole lap, its good motivation. I walk/ran the rest of the lap. I got to just before the boardwalk, saw Tabitha, called to her, but I guess she didnt hear me. I was on a roll with my running so I just kept going. I ran the whole boardwalk, concentrating on lifting my foot with each step. I hit the end of the boardwalk, saw the ramp towards the finish. There were tons of people lining the course so I picked up my pace. I crossed the finish line, listening for my name but I guess they couldnt read my number. Finally, after someone stopped me to read it so they could announce my name.
Run, 1:26:19, CRAPPPY!! Overall, 3:16:32, 3rd OA, 1st TRI3
I finished in 3:16, my worst finish of the year but I qualified for worlds in Gold Coast Australia in September 2009. I got to stand on the podium for the first time in 6 years but like my friend Meyrick said, Im not going to brag about the win as there were only 4 of us. Before the awards, I said to Meyrick and Scott that I didnt want to go on the podium by myself and that all of us should go up there. He said that as an AWAD, for the time being, I should get used to doing podium's on my own. Both he and Scott said they had their share of solo podiums.
My folks were there with my kids and they were very proud of me being on top of the steps and mom got lots of photos. Today is Thursday, four days later, and she is still showing people my medal and telling them I won Canadian Nationals.
Well, getting ready for IMC in two and a half days, keep you updated soon.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
broken bike, 1 week to IMC, what to do?????
Last time I rode my TT bike was during the Mid Summer Sprint Triathlon at Blue Lake. I had a good 20k TT, 33 minutes, but after I got home, I put it in the garage and have been riding my road bike. Today, I was going to get new aero bars put on it and have it dialed in before I head to Canada. After sitting on it while trying out new aero bars, I made a decision to go with the less expensive aluminum bars. AFter the mechanic started tearing things down, cutting cables to change out the bars, he called over Larry, the fit guy from Athletes Lounge that was doing my fit, and they whispered a bit, Larry said some things like "wow, that was the noise we heard", then called me over. I felt like I got kicked in the jimmy. I have a race in five days and another in 12 days and although I have a good road bike, its not like the TT bike.
I frantically called my Orbea connection and left a voice mail. One of their riders, a tall kid, broke his collar bone and isnt going to be riding his TT bike anytime soon so I thought i might be able to use it. More stress, waiting for the call back. I stopped on the way home, cracked my friends at Bike Central, but left my phone in the car. Of course, the phone call came while I was busy at the store. He suggested getting some photos so he can show them to his Orbea rep. I called AL, got Todd, the mechanic, to get some pics, and he emailed them to me. I got back tot he office, emailed him the pics, and waited.... more stress.
Got email from David, he said he had a large frame TT bike I could use til we got mine squared away. At least I have another option. Problem is, the bike wont be fit for me but at least it has the same geometry as my current broken steed.
So, stress level is lower, but Im still worried. Going to be bringing my Bianchi anyway, just in case.
I frantically called my Orbea connection and left a voice mail. One of their riders, a tall kid, broke his collar bone and isnt going to be riding his TT bike anytime soon so I thought i might be able to use it. More stress, waiting for the call back. I stopped on the way home, cracked my friends at Bike Central, but left my phone in the car. Of course, the phone call came while I was busy at the store. He suggested getting some photos so he can show them to his Orbea rep. I called AL, got Todd, the mechanic, to get some pics, and he emailed them to me. I got back tot he office, emailed him the pics, and waited.... more stress.
Got email from David, he said he had a large frame TT bike I could use til we got mine squared away. At least I have another option. Problem is, the bike wont be fit for me but at least it has the same geometry as my current broken steed.
So, stress level is lower, but Im still worried. Going to be bringing my Bianchi anyway, just in case.
Monday, July 28, 2008
Pain, nutritional errors, lack of bike fit adds up to poor mental attitude
Bad idea number 1...... On Saturday, I was scheduled to do 5.5 hours on the bike. I was excited to be back on my TT bike after not being able to ride it for 2 weeks. Unfortunately, those two weeks had rides of 4.5 and 5 hours and I did those on my road bike and I had not done more than 3.5 hours on my TT bike prior to Saturday.
Bad idea number 2..... Friday night, I mixed my bottles with the usual maltodextrin with Crystal Lite for flavour. I got a bright idea, since I needed to have some electrolytes, to put a scoop of Hammer Nutrition's Heed. Well, looking back on it, VERY bad idea. First off, the bottles tasted so sweet, I didnt want to drink it. Secondly, and I should know this already, there was not enough of the desired electrolytes to make a difference. I think I drank one bottle in 3 hours, about 600 calories then I replaced it with water I bought. I had also taken some watered down Hammer gel in a flask. All told, I had two bottles of fuel, one flask of gel, and one large water, one Cliff Bar and most importantly, no salt. Guess what Im doing today?
Bad idea number 3......... So, around 11am, I put my bike in the truck, drove down the hill to the gym and got geared up to ride. I have two kinds of Chamois Butt'R, the original one and one called "European". That means there is some cooling agent or something like that in it, kind of like Assos cream. I brought the original one and should have brought the other as it seems to last a lot longer.
I felt pretty good when I started out. I got aero a few times but for the first 25 minutes, I have to go through traffic, lights, stop signs, etc so it was pretty much sitting upright for the first 10 miles. I got down to Marine Drive, got up to speed and went in the aero bars. I stayed that way for about 6 miles. I still felt pretty good. I got to the first of my 40 minute climbs around 17 miles. Its not a terrible climb, just long. I guess there were a few parts that were more than 6% but probably averaged 5%.
I got passed by a skinny kid from Rubicon/Orbea, he obviously didnt recognize me (Im their team doctor) but I was too beat to even call out to him. I crested the hill almost right at 40 minutes then began the descent towards Multanomah Falls. It was a windy, fast descent, lots of fun. I was starting to get sore in the shoulders and neck and was contemplating just going back on the flats instead of climbing back up to get my second 40 minute climb. Well, I have at least two 40 minute climbs coming up at IMC so I figured I would just get it done. In general, I hate climbing, Im too damn big. My 230lb body, grinding up a 10km hill at 5-7% doesnt sound like fun but I have to do it to finish my second Ironman. I turned around and headed back up the windy hill. This one hurt much worse. I got to the top, absolutely knackered and was beginning to feel the time I had spent in the saddle in obvious places, and the time in the aero bars in my shoulders, neck , and lower back. I was having trouble getting aero down the hill and then on the flats, I had nothing.
I got back onto Marine Drive and started to ride around the Troutdale Airport. My phone started buzzing in my back pocket. I first contemplated letting it keep vibrating since it kind of felt good on my LB but I picked it up. Apparently I had just passed my friend Frannie. I needed a break so I turned around and had a 15 minute break while we talked. I took some of her water and some salted nuts. That was mistake number 4. Within 10 minutes after getting back on the road, I felt kind of sick. So, on top of all the pain in my back, neck, and ass, now my gut was not being cooperative.
I rode the rest of the way to the 205 bridge then to Home Depot and grabbed a couple of waters. I wasnt finished my time on the bike but mentally, I needed to go home and forget this horrible experience. I dumped the remaining malto/Heed mixture and filled my bottles with water. I had some gel, drank some water, and painfully, began the journey back to the gym.
Normally, I can ride the 205 bridge at 11-12mph but didnt manage more than 9 the entire distance. Every time I stood up to pedal, my inner thigh would cramp. I geared down and tried to spin faster. It helped a little. Every bump in the path was amazingly painful. I had my phone, I was going to call home and get picked up at the top of the bridge but I didnt. I persevered and made it back to the truck.
I was supposed to do a 40 minute run afterwards but running didnt appeal to me at all. Walking was all I could muster.
I guess this is what training is for. I took pics of the bike afterwards and was going to put it on Craigslist or Ebay but i thnk I might try and have a good fit done before I do that. This late in the season and this close to IMC, there isnt much left in my size. I need to work with a team that rides Cervelo or Devinci, I like those...........
Bad idea number 2..... Friday night, I mixed my bottles with the usual maltodextrin with Crystal Lite for flavour. I got a bright idea, since I needed to have some electrolytes, to put a scoop of Hammer Nutrition's Heed. Well, looking back on it, VERY bad idea. First off, the bottles tasted so sweet, I didnt want to drink it. Secondly, and I should know this already, there was not enough of the desired electrolytes to make a difference. I think I drank one bottle in 3 hours, about 600 calories then I replaced it with water I bought. I had also taken some watered down Hammer gel in a flask. All told, I had two bottles of fuel, one flask of gel, and one large water, one Cliff Bar and most importantly, no salt. Guess what Im doing today?
Bad idea number 3......... So, around 11am, I put my bike in the truck, drove down the hill to the gym and got geared up to ride. I have two kinds of Chamois Butt'R, the original one and one called "European". That means there is some cooling agent or something like that in it, kind of like Assos cream. I brought the original one and should have brought the other as it seems to last a lot longer.
I felt pretty good when I started out. I got aero a few times but for the first 25 minutes, I have to go through traffic, lights, stop signs, etc so it was pretty much sitting upright for the first 10 miles. I got down to Marine Drive, got up to speed and went in the aero bars. I stayed that way for about 6 miles. I still felt pretty good. I got to the first of my 40 minute climbs around 17 miles. Its not a terrible climb, just long. I guess there were a few parts that were more than 6% but probably averaged 5%.
I got passed by a skinny kid from Rubicon/Orbea, he obviously didnt recognize me (Im their team doctor) but I was too beat to even call out to him. I crested the hill almost right at 40 minutes then began the descent towards Multanomah Falls. It was a windy, fast descent, lots of fun. I was starting to get sore in the shoulders and neck and was contemplating just going back on the flats instead of climbing back up to get my second 40 minute climb. Well, I have at least two 40 minute climbs coming up at IMC so I figured I would just get it done. In general, I hate climbing, Im too damn big. My 230lb body, grinding up a 10km hill at 5-7% doesnt sound like fun but I have to do it to finish my second Ironman. I turned around and headed back up the windy hill. This one hurt much worse. I got to the top, absolutely knackered and was beginning to feel the time I had spent in the saddle in obvious places, and the time in the aero bars in my shoulders, neck , and lower back. I was having trouble getting aero down the hill and then on the flats, I had nothing.
I got back onto Marine Drive and started to ride around the Troutdale Airport. My phone started buzzing in my back pocket. I first contemplated letting it keep vibrating since it kind of felt good on my LB but I picked it up. Apparently I had just passed my friend Frannie. I needed a break so I turned around and had a 15 minute break while we talked. I took some of her water and some salted nuts. That was mistake number 4. Within 10 minutes after getting back on the road, I felt kind of sick. So, on top of all the pain in my back, neck, and ass, now my gut was not being cooperative.
I rode the rest of the way to the 205 bridge then to Home Depot and grabbed a couple of waters. I wasnt finished my time on the bike but mentally, I needed to go home and forget this horrible experience. I dumped the remaining malto/Heed mixture and filled my bottles with water. I had some gel, drank some water, and painfully, began the journey back to the gym.
Normally, I can ride the 205 bridge at 11-12mph but didnt manage more than 9 the entire distance. Every time I stood up to pedal, my inner thigh would cramp. I geared down and tried to spin faster. It helped a little. Every bump in the path was amazingly painful. I had my phone, I was going to call home and get picked up at the top of the bridge but I didnt. I persevered and made it back to the truck.
I was supposed to do a 40 minute run afterwards but running didnt appeal to me at all. Walking was all I could muster.
I guess this is what training is for. I took pics of the bike afterwards and was going to put it on Craigslist or Ebay but i thnk I might try and have a good fit done before I do that. This late in the season and this close to IMC, there isnt much left in my size. I need to work with a team that rides Cervelo or Devinci, I like those...........
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