Spirit of Morgantown race report

Following the service for Patrick Saturday, we loaded the car and headed for Morgantown. I rode down with Brendon, AJ, and Ericson. All three are in their early 20's and all are very gifted and dedicated athletes. The ride was a lot of fun.
We got into town around 5:30, grabbed our race packets, racked the bikes and joined the CTC party for dinner. CTC is one of the rare groups where I genuinely like and admire everybody. I may disagree with some of them from time to time, But I still consider them all good and fun folk.
Needless to say, We had fun. After dinner we headed to the hotel and got some rest.

Race morning we headed down to the race site and joined the transition pre-race festivities of pumping tires, body marking and last minute repairs. USAT watches this race closely as it is a national qualifier. The officials had picked my bike out as a possible bar end violation with my aero bars. I duct taped pennies on and was ready to race.

We had so many Clevelander's present. My rack alone included Rob Reddy, Jack Carney, and John Telich. It was a very social affair.

After waiting for the first few waves start, I entered the water, The first thing I noticed was a reasonably strong current that was pulling us all forward. This made for a slow swim. For me it was very slow. 44 minutes. This is getting annoying. My pool work outs have been much stronger then my race results.

After exiting the water I stripped off the wet suit quickly and ran the 1/4 mile back to T1. Transition took :05 including the run and strip. I was happy as I it felt very smooth.

The bike began poorly. I was not mentally in a good spot. I was working hard, but I was questioning my self and my desire far more then I like to. The first loop also included some heavy rain at times. Most of the first loop I spent monitoring Jack as he was gaining ground on me. We are closely matched, so he is a good race target for me. By the end of the first loop I looked back and saw Jack within 50 yards. I tried to use this as motivation. Part of me wanted to slow down and ride with him. But this was a race, so race I would try.
As we headed over the bridge out of town a car pulled in front of me to escape the backed up race congestion.
I yelled "YO!YO!YO!".
The driver acknowledged my presence and I shot around him cursing to myself. My anger provoked a much more focused second loop. I dropped Jack and was out on my own saying hello to Jack and JT after the turn arounds. My bike split was 3:08.52. With the rain, hairpin turns, and poor surface, I am satisfied. Mostly I was happy to regain my focus. Next time I need to do this with out a negative trigger.
T2 went by quickly. I washed my feet of the debris from the rain and got going.
Results don't show T2 time.
The run began well. I went out at about a :09 minute pace and held it till devils hill. I was a bit smiley and was having fun with all the CTCers on the course. At devils hill I bopped up the first section and pushed my self past the second.
After passing through the campus I took a couple salt tabs. I had not been drinking anything but water and taking in gel. HFP is serving HEED. I don't like it. So I tried to compensate.
The next 6 miles were ugly. I watched my group start to pull ahead as my stomach went bad. At mile 10 I went into a walk run. Jack passed me by. Now the chore was to cross the finish line. If I could do it with out a personal worst I would be happy.
In 6hrs25minutes and :03 seconds I got across the finish having run most of the final mile.
Goal two accomplished.
The rain was beyond my control. Nutrition I should have taken better control of. My plan was to rely on what was provided on course. I should now remember that HFP serves Hammer products. I don't like Heed. The remainder of my races are WTC events.Powerbar/gel and Gatorade. That works for me. except the non vegan bar. I will carry and leave Cliff and Lara bars in my special needs bag.

My biggest concern during this race was the "I don't care" attitude that lasted through 25 bike miles. If this feeling had hit me on the run, I might have just walked off the course. I have a lot to figure out this month. I can not take this attitude into Ironman.

CTC as a group took home a ton of hardware. Congrats to you all.
I took home a hard lesson. Don't screw with race day nutrition and get your head in the game.

I had one of those moments early this week when I considered giving up and going back to the way things were. I hit a bump in the road that had me feeling completely hopeless. I worried that I was just not cut out for this.

Well, I some how have developed this odd persistence. It being a taper week, I have had extra time to address the issue and try to grow. It is not always easy. Change is difficult. I have to sometimes really stretch beyond my perception and just be open and willing. As I continue moving forward, good things happen.

Well after a few days really examining the issue and trusting my instincts, I have resolved the problem. Every thing works and I am still enthusiastic about the project.

I am talking about the switch to linux.

My system runs with amazing efficientsy. I love the desktop environment. Any software I want is available for free with no strings attached. The potential is amazing. Linux will link the 3rd world to the Internet. Linux will do this commercial free. Linux is and a techo-op.

I am dedicated to learning how to run Linux with confidence. Some drivers require research. Some time to a very frustrating degree. Ultimately the user groups are amazing in shared knowledge.

I get this also in the tri community. Zac had a problem with the bus, so he can't go. I called some neighbors, and they came through. I got a room nearby. I am excited to race. Morgantown is packed with CTC members.

We are saying goodbye to Patrick Saturday. I am playing "Into the Mystic". I am nervous. I will be with people that care about me.

In all the things I do I draw strength from others. Tips, applause, or the exhausted thumbs up from a fellow athlete at the end of the run. These things keep me going in life. I am who I am because of who we are.

Thank You.

Ironyman on healthcare

I am a bike commuter. It is my preferred mode of transportation. Currently the city of Cleveland is making the leap towards providing options for people like my self. From east 89^th to Cleveland State along Euclid Avenue a new pair of bike lanes have been created as part of the new Euclid Corridor project. Once the project is complete I will have my own lane from University Circle to Playhouse Square.

I only hope I live to see it.

Right now the project construction that continues, along with the never ending additions to the Cleveland Clinic and University Hospitals has created a barricade between the comfortable riding of the heights and the new bike lane. Everyday as I descend the hills and make my way past these two world class health care facilities, I pray that I will make it a mile and a half past the high volume of construction, shuttles, EMS, and thousands of cars ferrying overworked health care professionals and receivers. I assume many are on drugs and/or are under heavy stress as they work through health related issues. The preoccupation of thoughts amongst the drivers who the share road with me must be great.

As I am under insured, neither of these institutions is accessible to me. So aside from employing much of the population around me, I don't feel as though I am directly benefiting from the constant growth of these hospitals. I know they both are global leaders in healthcare, but locally I consider them to be the source of my greatest health concerns. I fear for my life every time I travel past these two medical giants.

Once I progress westward on Euclid into the crime and poverty of midtown, I am able to relax and enjoy a carefree ride to work.

A week from now I will be racing in Morgantown WV. I am doing the 70.3 distance. I will taper this week.

Finding focus.

Watching the US Open(Follow the link for story of the tourney), I was mesmerized by the absolute focus of Tiger Woods. I was rooting for Rocco, but I was in awe of Tiger.

During todays playoff, I turned to a friend and said of Rocco,"I hope he is enjoying every second of this."

Some how I need to find both properties in my training. As the work becomes more and more intense, having fun while remaining focused becomes a major challenge.

I see myself becoming very protective about time commitments. I get cranky when demands are made on my schedule. If I have to train, I find it difficult to enjoy other activities. That is accept all of the workout procrastinations I can come up with...(Blogging).

With the improved weather, the joy of training is returning. No more trainer. No more tights. No more indoor pool. The weather has been great for a few weeks(I want high heat).Training is fun when it is sunny.

Saturday I went long solo on the bike. These days are tough, but I truly believe in the solitude to build mental toughness. Ironman is a long day. Drafting is illegal.
Midway through the ride I ran into Bbop down in the Cuyahoga Valley. We rode for a bit. That was nice. The change of course also awarded me more climbing. This I need. I am sucking on hills this year.

The Open Mic has been amazing. Cleveland has so much great talent. Our lineup has filled every week. The audiances have responded well. The Phoenix staff is very sopportive of both the Open Mic and myself.

This is all where I want to be. I am enjoying every second of it. I am also becoming focused.

It is time to become an Ironman.

Up to Buffalo

I don't know if it will be the Sunday cup of coffee before or after a work out, or the subtle jabs at Browns fans that I will miss the most. Something always seems a little uneasy when a broadcaster has died while still broadcasting.

The thoughts I have regarding the death of Tim Russert go beyond the unexpected loss of someone that has become a common part of our life through radio or television. It has transcended the fear I have of the eventuality of loosing my own hero and favorite broadcaster. Tim Russert's death is a little different.

I have always believed that the media is the fourth branch of government here in the USA. The media is responsible for communicating the actions of our leaders with out bias. Very few have done a better job of clarifying the truth then Tim Russert. The man wouldn't accept non answers. I think we have lost a huge part of the election process. In my mind we have lost one of the most important Americans of our time.

Deer Creek race report

Double fisted was the best race plan of the day. I knew going into this weekend that it would be a hot one. Having gone though such a cool spring, I wasn't sure how well I would deal with it on the Deer Creek course. With the big goal being Louisville, heat will be an issue.


We left Cleveland in Zacs bus late Saturday afternoon. He has the VW looking good and running very well. The addition of a bike and rack make it really shine. We arrived at Deer Creek close to 9pm. We grabed a tent site about a mile from the course. It was privately owned and about a third of the cost of the State park.

The creek near our camp was very high. The area was enduring some flooding. This fact was sure to influence the race. We set up camp and had some food. Nicole is running a raw cafe within a Lakewood wellness center now. She is experimenting with lots of good food. Zac got a bag of chips. They were also quite tasty. At about 11pm I slept.

We woke at 5:50am. First me, then Max, then Zac, then Nicole brought up the rear. We rolled up to the park soon after. I grabbed my packet, set up transition, chatted and just enjoyed the pre race happenings. I met Mary Sunshine from the IMKY blog. She grabbed some AG hardware. Congrats!

Nicole went down to the water with me. We didn't have to go far, as the lake was a bit bloated. The beach of 30yrds from last fall was non existent.

I swam a bit and waited for the waves to go off. The race began 16 minutes late and was delayed after a swimmer had to be rescued. The swimmer was OK.

My wave went at 8:35. Immediately I was hit with a side stitch. Maybe it was the hammer I took before the start. Maybe the Gatorade. or maybe my water had been spiked with heed. What ever the intestinal distress was became unimportant as I began to take repeated blows to the head. I became a little defencive in establishing my space. My wet suit was tight on the left side. I was never comfortable. I also swam a little cooked as we were hit by a strong current of flood water headed to the dam.
My swim was :31. I expect better.

Once I hit T1 I got caught in a five minute comedy routine as I tried to remove my wet suit from over my calves.Body Glide is good stuff, but nothing beats a CFC hose down with a can of PAM.

Once on the bike, I went aero for 23 and 1/3 miles. I worked hard. I took in nutrition as planned. I worked at remaining cool as I kept pouring water over my self. The heat was in the 90's, but I feel I managed it well. My bike was 1:18

Once I was in T2, I knew it was going to be hot. The shock of becoming still beneath the sun was noticeable. I was out quickly.

As I started the run, I took more heed(electrolyte replacement). I again felt the same cramp as I had during the swim. I only drank water following the heed test. I noticed the returning runners all looked spent and dizzy. I went at a 9 minute miles, and really took my time at aid stations.

The end result was not fast (2:55), but it was steady. My endurance is good. I need to find speed and clean up details like sighting in the water and removing the wet suit.

The weekend was a lot of fun and I am a bit red. I now know what I must work on.

A tough nut to crack

I am confident in saying, Nicole is hooked. She is acting like a runner. She is dressing like a runner. She is researching like a runner. She is planning for a race a year away.

We are thinking of heading west for the Big Sur marathon next spring. This works for me. Next year I would like to focus a bit more on the Marathon and ultra marathoning. I plan on triathlon mid summer, but no more then one 70.3.

The marathon has always been a tough nut to crack. My PR of 3:53 was not my best race. If I had been on that day, I would have gone 3:30. That was a 9 years ago. I want to run Boston one day.

The ultra marathon also totally intrigues me. I want to go there.

Currently, I have Deer Creek this weekend. I am feeling fit and focused. I plan to go hard the whole race. I want to go through transitions cleanly. I also am looking for improvement on the swim. It is a training day. My one concern is water temps. Lake Erie is still in the 50's.

Sorry for my recent absense around here. I have been a little distracted.

I want to race

I have been a bit busy lately. Everything is going well, there is just a lot of well going on.

My swimming is on lately. I can't wait for the out door pool to open. 14 hrs of lap swim a quarter of a mile from home. One more week.

My cycling was feeling really flat. I wasn't getting enough frequency in. This weekend I began to feel the rewards of my work. My fitness seems to be coming together.

Just in time. Deer Creek is on. I want to race.

I have added another race to the plan. Nicole, Zac and I are going to do a relay at Cleveland.
ZAC?!. Zac is gonna race. We have him on the bike before he hands off to Nicole for the run. I am the swimmer. Should be fun.

Life is great.