Toyota Challenge at Deer Creek Race Recap

This story begins friday morning while at work.
Ray the building manager pokes his head into Rocco's to let Zac know his car is leaking transmission fluid. The car was now grounded for the weekend and Deer creek was a uneasy maybe. I got home and threw an SOS to the CTC. Good news. JenC answered the call and offered me a ride down. I secured a campsite online and met Jen Saturday at the Caribou.

The ride was good, however I am terrible with directions. At least I am terrible at communicating them. We never got lost or missed a stop, but I was often late with the facts.
We arrived in Grove City at Jens Hotel in the early after noon and met up with Sam, Joe, and Paula before heading to the packet pickup.

After checking in and getting our race essentials, We drove the bike course. We took two cars and Jen suggested Paula act as the navigator. I rode along with Joe and Sam and got to talk Ironman with them. They will be heading to Lake Placid next July and completed their first half distance yesterday.

The course was a little different than advertised and offered no shade or protection from the wind. The back section had a few climbs. Some of the roads were less than smooth. Flat and fast was a relative description.

After the course drive I was dropped off at my camp and the others went back to Grove city. I set up my tent and rode to the park lodge for dinner. The restaurant was great. The waitress got really excited about my diet request and said that the cook loves creating vegan meals. Unfortunatly I wasn't after creative, just simple. I had pasta and marinara with a side salad and rolls. The photo at the top of the post was shot from my table. I sat and gazed at the lake for while. the waves and ripples were quite trippy.

Following dinner I went back to camp, talked to Nichole on the phone, checked the tribe score, read and went to bed. The sleep was mostly fine sans my neighbors partying till 3am.

Race morning I woke at 6am. I rode to transition and was greeted by a sea of red.

Joe, Sam, Ryan, Jen

The Cleveland Triathlon Club was in full force. The weather was a little cool and it looked to be a great morning for Triathlon. With my preface rituals all taken care of I headed for the beach. My wave was one of the last. We went off around 8:50 or so.

When the horn blew I hit my watch and began swimming the two loop course. I immediately had to secure my watchband and just kicked as I dealt with that. I fell back and got tossled a bit. by the first turn I was back with the mass of swimmers. It was a chaotic swim that was rougher than the Ironman swim. Full contact was on. I was punched clawed, kicked, pulled, and elbowed. I swallowed a bit of water and swam into a few bouys and rope. Aside from that, it was a good swim with an unofficial PR of 35 minutes. I spent the other 4 minutes wrestling my way out of my wet suit on the grass before entering transition.

In T1 I couldn't find my bike. My rack had a card that said "Y". On the other side it said"J". I searched for Y and got freaked out thinking my bike had been pulled from Transition. I eventually found my gear and quickly got on the road.

The bike course was 3 loops. I pushed hard through the hole 56 mile only letting up to eat or take salt. The hills, wind, road surface, and heat were all strong factors. We had 6 turn arounds forcing near complete stops. My time was 3:04. I was disappointed, but knew I could still go sub 6 hrs with a 2:10 run.

My transition was smooth,except for forgeting my visor. After 20 steps, the sun reminded me to get my visor. I took in some gatorade, hit the loo and began running. By mile one I was at 9:25 and feeling comfortable. I settled in.
after leaving the park the run course went over the Deer Creek Dam. The view was awesome. The wind was gone. The sun was hot, and the course had no shade. my plan was to maintain my pace from aid staion to aid station. The tempurature hit 91. We were roasting. I was going strong through 11 miles and following my plan perfectly. The problem was that I could not pee, and was taking in a lot of fluid. A began to feel sick, and backed off quickly. The last thing I wanted was to vomit in this heat. I was close to the finish and on pace to break 6 hrs if I continued running. The decision to slow was tough, but ultimately my life means more than a PR. Aftter walking the better part of mile 12, I jogged easy most of the final mile and picked it up with a few hundred yards to go to protect my position of 98th place from a pursuant runner.
Finish time 6:11. No PR, but not bad in the heat.

Victory was mine, I was not the last double digit finisher. I tried to shake his hand, but no. 99 would have none of it. I spent 30 minutes looking at food in recovery while trying not to puke. I couldn't eat, so I sipped some Pepsi and cleaned up my gear.

Paula drove me back to camp where we got showered and I packed my camp up and waited for Jen who was still cheering on Sam and Joe.

Jen and I drove back to Cleveland and talk about all kinds of stuff. She has a great sense of humor and a fantastic collection of metalica and Abba. I had fun.

Final thoughts
I pushed myself every inch of this race. The conditions were downright dangerous. MY time goal was sub 6. My real goal was max effort. I did that. I have to expect IMKY to be as hot if not hotter. What I received at deer creek was what I needed. It was a very tough race. I feel successful.
I missed Zac and Nichole, but having so many club members down for the race really made me feel at home. CTC is an incredible club with great people. I am lucky to have such a good tri club in my town.
Thanks to the Collisters. Matt was the Lone spectator on the course, and Jen made the hole experience a reality by providing me with a ride.

I am going to rest for a couple days. I hurt and am tired. I left myself out there.

Next up, The Columbus Marathon.

My '07 Triathlon season has come to a close

Very tough day. I am exhausted. I will give a full recap later.
06:11:42
Thanks Jen for the ride. The travel was the highlight.

Last race of the season

Headed down to the old Pineman, now called the Toyota challenge. JennC is picking me up near the freeway and I am camping alone at the state park.
Zacs car broke yesterday and the bus is not ready. I will miss them (Zac, Nichole, and Max).
See ya Sunday.

Ironman UK Critique

I am guessing registration for Ironman UK will open soon. This is a review of the course, race management, and host town of Sherborn. If you are thinking of doing this race, hopefully I can provide some objective insights to help you with your decision.

First off, let me make it clear that my only other Ironman experience was for IM Austria in '99.

Travel-This was a very simple trip. The town of sherborn is about a 100 miles from London. If you rent a car, Stonehenge is halfway. Stop there. It is freakin' stonehenge.

Lodging- Sherborne does not have many hotels. There are a few options for bedding. Camping, home stay, and dorm style.

We chose to camp. I dug it. Being a former scout, and an old dead head, the open field full of tents was very comfortable. Clean bathrooms and private showers were on site with hot water. If you are not a tent camper, you can rent a trailer that will be on site when you arrive.

The homestay program has athletes staying in the homes of Sherborne residents. I heard good things about this option. In its fourth year, the hosts have come to understand the needs of IM competitors.

The dorms sounded bad. curtains separate competitors. No Privacy.
But then, it is not camping.

Race management-The IMUK crew was great. Very organized and attentive. Laura, the same women that checked me in, also put the medal on me at the finish. The race had a more organic personal feel. Very little was overlooked.

The volunteers were incredible.

My two complaints. 1- No cookies, pretzels and chips on the run as promised. 2- pre race meeting included a few surprises with only 3 hrs till transition closed. To avoid a DQ, 1200 athletes descended on the Expo for bottle cages and reflective strips. I, thanks to Zac and Nichole had scouted out a bike shop in town. Just the same, to much stress to close to race time.

The course- The swim is two laps in a narrow lake. Sighting is simple. Just swim.

The bike course is hilly. Downhills are short and quick. Uphills are long. This is not a fast course. It is incredibly scenic.

The run course is also very hilly. It is a mixed surface course. The scenery is great except for the two loop mid hill section.

The finish is at the Castle. Very cool.

The town of Sherborne and Dorsette county- Pubs, Abbys, amazing countryside and Indian food. The town is small and very friendly. Take a half day in Cerne Abbas and see the Giant and abby.

The English people were very welcoming and all share a great sense of humor.

Summery- Sherborne and the IMUK crew host a really nice event The weather was often less than ideal, yet we never seemed to be bothered by it. The lodging is unique, and the race is a bit more intimate than I remember Austria being. The course is challenging.

This was a fun event and was very affordable.

I am glad I went. I highly recommend it.

I am thinking IM Japan in '09....Hmmmmm

Unmotivated

Before you slap me, please remember that these things are relative.

Twenty five days since IM and 10 days till the half at Deer creek. I did a solid brick Saturday, ran 2hrs Sunday. My pool workouts have been short but strong.

Returning to the indoor pool, I am swimming with swimmers I haven't been with since early June. My progress on the swim is evident while swimming with a couple of swimmers that I used to pace with. I am excited to continue to grow as a swimmer in the coming year.

I have been pushing the big ring on the bike lately. For IM I went conservative during the bike. I rarely went big unless I was going downhill. A big goal for Kentucky is to work harder on the bike. One great thing about choosing IM so close to home, is that I can ride the course in advance, or at the very least drive it a few times.

As a runner, I have used a three day on, one day off routine for years. I really like that schedule as a runner. However, I am no longer a traditional runner at this point in my time as an athlete. I am an Ironman distance triathlete. This means that recovery is a must. The other disciplines are of equal importance. Every week now includes two days in a row away from running. The three day has been cut to two days in a row followed by one or two rest days.

I feel that I am now truly thinking as a triathlete. My training goals are focused on Ironman. I want to go Sub 1:15 on the swim, sub 6:30 on the bike, and sub 5 on the run next year at Louisville. with my T1 and T2 being 12 minutes I have left 3 minutes to finish sub 13. I believe these goals are within reach and will make me focus on improving.

During my UK training, I gave endurance work all of my focus with the exception of swim tech drills. For KY I will focus on strength and speed while maintaining a steady flow of long sessions.

Next week at deer creek, My "A" goal is to go sub 6. If for any reason I struggle trying maintain that pace, I will let go of any expectations, back off and enjoy the final triathlon of one great season. Finishing is important, as it may be the long session prior to Columbus.

Well, I guess I have lots of motivation...........Never mind.

Commitment

10 years ago, I was seriously considering a spring marathon(my first). I knew that I would have to find cross training alternatives to my running and add some weight training. I started looking for a gym to join and stopped at a Bally's for some info. The minute I walked into the place I had 3 muscle heads putting the hard sell on me. They were demanding that I take a 3 year membership.

I am an Aquarius. I squirmed, became aloof, and started heading for the door.

"What do you have against commitment?" Shouted the drill Sargent/sales rep with the Joe Piscapo neck.

"I just ended a 3 year relationship with my girlfriend, I am not ready for this!" I replied.

The Bally's rep paused and said "Oh."

I left.

I ended up joining the YMCA at the end of my street an eventually became engaged to the program director.

IRONYMAN

Today I spent following 2 1st Ironman races. I read a recap of a 1st ultra marathon and a 1st Century. It was clear to me that the four athletes I was following had all made huge commitments to themselves. They have based much of their lifestyle on the commitment they have made to reach their goals. You can not start one of these events, without investing a great amount of time and energy toward these goals.

This morning while stretching the legs out on the towpath for 2 hrs, Dane was comparing her marathon with her bar exams. She said, The big difference is that the process is more important than the result in the marathon. The bar is all about the results."

As mostly recreational athletes, we are afforded this option of just enjoying the process of reaching our goals. We can explore the joy of success and suffer personal defeat with wonder, always knowing that we are learning something knew. No matter what the result of a single race might be, we have gained more than we ever imagined while training for the event. We win before the starting bell is ever rung.

We do not need to win on Sunday to preserve our careers. We just need to make a commitment to start.

Congrats Jack, V3Jen, Matt, and Jayme. Your commitment continues to inspires me.

Ragweed

Yes my eyes are extremely bloodshot from this weed. I am sneezing, I have a runny nose, My eyes itch, I get headaches, I struggle to sleep. allergy season hits me hard.

Last year at this time, we were camping on lake Erie awaiting the Great Lake Escape(GLE) Triathlon. The rag weed was horrible and I never slept the night before the race.

GLE, like the other escape style races had a ferry boat start. Our race became a duathlon due to bad lake conditions. Bummer, I still would like to do this race with the ferry start.

During the race, I was very excited about IM MOO. IM started an hr after our race began. My big plan was to register the following morning. Every time I ran by Jodi, I would get big eyes and say something like "they are swimming in Lake Monona". As our race went on, we began a back and forth play by play of the race in Mad Town.

After the GLE, I fell asleep and Zac toted my slumbering sweaty self back to Coventry.

I had asked for the following day off from work, so I could register for the race.
I was ready. I had raised my entry fee with a gig at roccos the week before. Jodi, Jenn C, Brian, (all bloggers) and others contributed to my fund raising goal. Nichole made Gift baskets that were raffled off. I sang and gave away CDs.

Monday after Moo, I sat with a cup of coffee where I sit now . When the reg. site opened I got on very quickly. I filled every thing out and hit enter......I waited 20 minutes.




Errors.... please correct and resubmit.
OK, ENTER...........


"Registration for Ironman Wisconsin 2007 is no longer available".

My heart dropped...

My journey had stopped before it began.

This was my last major obstacle on my way to Ironman. The lesson: pause, regroup, adapt, move on.

Last year my goal was to do the distance. My theme was the GD lyric "Show me something built to last, or someone built to tri". I created a motivational image for my desktop to remind myself of what I was doing. My goal was to build the endurance for Ironman. I know now that I can cover the distance.

Anyhow, due the crazy demand for Ironman entry, I registered for IMKY before I had a chance to digest what I had just done in the UK. I knew that I had a blast. I love the life style. I like the distance.

But what business do I have in Louisville?

That question made me come up with a goal and a theme for this race. I want to improve on what I have become. I once again looked to Jerry Garcia and Robert Hunter for a little direction. "Won't you tri just a little bit harder?, won't you try just a little bit more?" from the Dead tune The Wheel.So my plan is simple:
Little bit harder, just a little bit more,
A little bit further/(faster) than you gone before.

I will start just as soon as my hay fever subsides....sniffle, snifle.!

Dane County

War protest in London

I played at the Peace Show yesterday. The gig went well, the day was beautiful, the crowd was huge.
The event is held every year on labor day. Oddly it began in 2001. We were basically living at peace back then. A week later our world changed.
The show has shown many faces over the past years. Compassion, outrage, frustration, hope have all been moods of the anti war/peace community as exhibited at the Peace Show.

Yesterday seemed to have a lot of energy. I think people feel a troop reduction is near, as is an administrative change.

Of the many groups present, I found myself drawn toward the Animal rights and cycling groups more so than the efforts to end the war. I think I see peacemaking as a personal thing that happens with the choices I make in my own life.

_____________________________

I have gotten back to a regular training schedule. I feel good. Nothing long yet. I think I may do a 13 miler with Dane.

______________________________

Speaking of Dane, good luck to those of you headed to Dane County, Wisconsin. I will be following races of my CTC friend Jack Carney (78) and blogger IM Able (53). Part of me will be wondering "What if?" because my plan "A" was IMMoo. I didn't have a "B" plan at that time. My music career began 20 years ago on State Street. Becoming an Ironman there seemed like such a fun plan.

Well, you know how the story played out. I wouldn't have changed a thing. My experience was amazing. It will forever be one of my favorite memories......Oh yeah, and I am an IRONMAN.

Overpriced official finish photo

Hee Hee Hee....I will cut that out in a few weeks. Still can't wipe the smile off my face.

The best way to watch a race is from the course.

Nichole and Zac have come to a lot of my races the past couple of years. I can't begin to tell you what this has meant to me. From Maumee Bay to the UK, they have become some seasoned tri spectators.

We always make the trips into little vacations, generally choosing to camp near the race site. We all have a lot of fun, and good memories are born.

Something funny happens while watching an Ironman. Often friends and family are on the course for15 or more hours while waiting for a handful of sightings from the athlete they have come to watch. The anticipation and worry becomes enormous. I remember going through this in Austria while waiting for Jen. It is really very exciting watching your Ironman coming down the chute and witnessing the finish.

I can't imagine very many people seeing the IM finish, and not wondering what is possible. I know that it planted a deep seed in my mind. If you don't want to be an Ironman, then DO NOT go to Madison (Have a great race Jack, bib #78)next Sunday.

Anyhow, since returning from the UK, Nichole has been doing a little Swim/Bike/ and Run. Last night she called and asked if I wanted to go running today.......She also mentioned that she was registered for the Columbus Half Marathon.

Go Nichole!

We ran today for an hour at Rocky River. She did great.
She is going to enjoy the Race in Columbus from the best vantage point of all.
From the course.

More UK photos

Kurt took some great photos. He really captured IMUK week well. Click here for his photos


Here are more of mine.Ironage Ironman

Gardens, Gardens, Gardens...



Peace encampment in Parliament square

Shakespeare's Globe

UK photo Blog

Nichole and I make Zac go to the Smoking Box at Heathrow

Stonehenge.Kurt and Michelle Get registered and do some last minute shopping.
Zac doing his Brian Rhodes impression.SherborneHomer, The Cerna Abbas Giant, and me.

Cerne Abbas

Pasta PartyCan a Beef eater be Vegan?
The Palace

More of London to come....

Whoops, a little recovery fun

I went to watch the ballgame. It was the first chance coventry had to celebrate IM with me.
I am a little sauced. All I heard was the clink of the glasses.

Trifolk goes blugrass

After mulling it over for 24 hrs, I decided if it wasn't sold out, I was signing up.
I'm goin' to Louisville.


The reasons are simple.
1. Close to home.
2. Lots of CTC folks going.
3. Rob Reddy gave rave reviews.
4. I got in.

I had been mulling over races for a while. IM Wisconsin, Vineman, Chesapeakeman, IM Florida, Great Floridian, or maybe a 101 event.
101 has canceled all races.
Moo and Fla will sell out in minutes again.
Vineman and Chesapeakeman are non IM events. Maybe later, but I love the Ironman party.

Anyhow, I am excited.

Tomorrow europeon vacation.

Final thoughts on IMUK and a hard fought battle against impulsive decisions

First off, let me thank you all for the well wishes and congratulations. It means alot.

Now onto the wrap up.
Was it all that I imagined?

Yes, and then some. The course was very scenic and challenging. The event was well run. The English people were great. The weather was.

I feel as tho my training, nutrition, taper, equipment management and race day plan were all executed well. I was able to stay in the moment. My mood remained positive. I had no mechanical or physical problems.

My swim was my personal performance highlight. This was huge considering I listed the swim as my biggest limiter last fall.
The bike was not as fast as I would have liked, but I also know how tough the course was. Momentum was never a theme on the bike. I feel I was smart on the bike.
The run was VERY difficult. This was one crazy marathon course. I maintained my sense on humor and stayed positive. I encouraged everyone around me.

My Ironman experiance was magical.

Negatives did excist. Vegan was really hard to do. We mostly had indian dinners(not so bad). At the pasta party I had to be one of those peaple to get my pasta without cheese. At the awards banquet I wasn't so lucky. The veg offering was quiche, bread, cheesecake and a mix of greens.

At first I resigned myself to bread and lettuce. That righteous strength lasted 15 seconds when my body began screaming "ARE YOU FREAKIN' INSANE? HOW MANY CALORIES DID YOU BURN YESTERDAY? DO YOU THINK I AM AMUSED BY THE POTATO, BEANS, OATMEAL AND BANANA? EAT THE QUICHE! EAT THE CHEESE CAKE".
It caused me sadness and remorse. The hunger following Ironman is intense.
On that note, here is something from a london market.

I am a little tender, but my recovery has been very easy. I have run marathons that left me feeling much worse.
Two days After Ironman we spent 7.5 hrs walking around London. I felt fine. I Have done two bike rides, 1 swim, and 1 run since the race. I feel good.

I really have had an amazing Ironman experience. I recommend it to everyone.

I have decided to do Toyota Challenge at Deer Creek Half IM, and the Columbus Marathon.

I was looking at the IMKY registration and found myself within the 3 digit security number from regstering for another Ironman. I got out. That was close. I want to do another, but that would have been financially irresponsible.
My IM success was based on careful planning and execution.

Next blog-UK vacation and world traveler experience.

My race had seen the sun rise and fall.

Coming out of T2 my confidence was soaring. I had dropped the long sleeve jersey but stashed a light windbreaker in my tri top pocket. The weather was perfect for a marathon but it could turn. It had often already.

The first 4 miles sailed by. At the 2nd aid station I stopped to straighten my sock. Better to deal with it early. The first section was a double loop within the castle grounds. This section had short hills and a mixed surface. I was really enjoying the first 9 miles.

Near mile 9 we left the castle grounds and headed into town. I passed Kurt as he was headed through his final mile. Soon after I saw Zac and Nichole out on Cheap Street. They were holding up a sign they had made that read "Go Charlie-Show me something Built to Last"(Dead lyric). I was happy to see them.

After passing through town, we went through the girls school grounds. The wind was becoming strong and was becoming a factor again. After the school you go up a steep stairway to cross the road before heading out of town toward Yeovil.

The wind was really strong now and the air was getting colder. This section had some long rolling hills.The hills lasted12 miles and were taking there toll on everyone. I put on the wind breaker and went into a walk up, rundown approach to the hills.

This section of the race was so hard. The long hills, the wind, the lack of scenery, the drone of the freeway. Every ones mood was at its lowest point. You could feel it from everyone.
Gatorade, power gel, bananas were all so gross. This was the hardest section of a race I had ever done.

The one bright point was crossing the mat at 13.1. When I heard the beep from my chip, I knew it was going to let every one back home and here in blogland know that I was still going.

The sky was incredible. The day was falling and I became aware that my race had seen the sun rise and fall.
As the hell...er...I mean hill section came to a close I realized that my IM journey had become a 5k. Upon descending the stairs and heading back to town I started running strongly once again. I could sense the finish was near. I started repeating the word "IRONMAN". Everyone along the course was cheering me through. I could hear music coming from the castle. The final 5k seemed like 5 minutes. I was crossing the road into the castle grounds. People were shouting out my distance from the finish like like a football play by play touchdown. "200 meters" "100 Meters", "50". I was heading up to the castle and making the final turn toward the finish. I was running as loose and light as I had ever run. I threw my hands in the air and crossed the finish line in 14:35.25.


I was an Ironman. I had a huge smile that would not quit. I hugged and thanked Zac and Nichole. They seemed as excited as I was.
Kurt told me of his 80 marathons, this was the toughest course he had ever seen. Kurt finished in 11:13.20, Congrats.

I saw Michelle in the recovery tent. She finished 15 minutes ahead of me for her 1st. I said "congratulations IRONMAN and gave her a hug.

My post race meal was a baked potato(jacket) and beans. I took a long shower at camp and went to bed.

Well, first I had to right my tent. During the race, the wind had blown my full tent about five yards from its original spot.
The wind during this race was really strong. But not strong enough to stop Iron. WAAAHOOOO!

112 miles of wind rain and hills

Knowing my swim had gone very well, I was excited to move to the bike. The air was chilli, but dry so I grabbed the long sleeve jersey, strapped on the brain bucket, put on my shoes and gloves and went to get my bike. As I searched around, I heard IM announcer Paul Ryder talking about an athlete who came across the atlantic for Ironman. He started talking about the Barista/ Musician from Cleveland Heights, Ohio named Charles headed off on his bike leg.
Hey, thats me!.
I found my Giant and ran to the mount line, jumped on and started peddling.
My plan was to maintain a cadence between 75-90. I also had to start refueling. I knew that my decisions at this early stage would have long term effects on my day. I ignored all of the bikes passing me by and settled into my groove.

The course was 3 loops. Out of T1 we began a steady easy climb. This was a good place to start holding back. Following the early climb, we had a moderate flat for 15 miles. Just before Cerne Abbas we had a relatively short but tough climb following the aid station. Next was another flat down to Dorchester before we turned back.

At Dorchester we began climbing the giant(biggest hill on course). The climb was long, and I found it to be a good time to eat. The climb was well protected from the wind due to the hedges along the roadside. I mostly sat back on my saddle and placed my hands on my arm rests. When we hit an opening in the hedges the wind would push me hard. The views were amazing atop the Giant, and I passed many while climbing.
Following the decent we finished the loop into a very stiff headwind.

During the second loop I really had to work hard as the winds were really strong. My final loop was my strongest despite a light rain. My early conservative approach really seemed to benifit me late in the bike section.
I stopped to pee, and ate alot. No flats. I felt strong and my confidence and mood remained positive as I rode into T2.

In Ironman they grab your bike and return it to the rack for you. After mine was taken, I stopped the volunteer, patted my bike on the seat and thanked my steed for getting me as far as it did. I was headed into T2 of the Ironman. I was getting ready to run my IM marathon, and I was stoked.....

I am an Ironman! IMUK recap

I woke sunday at 3am (10PM Cleveland time) to the sound of rain on the tent. The campground was very muddy and the weather Saturday had sucked. Wind, Rain, Cold. The conditions were aweful. My friends Zac and Nichole came into camp late and got stuck in the mud. My food was in the car, so I had to wake them up. Fortunately Kurt and our new friend from Canada, Michelle had already waken them while making sure I was up. I Sat with Nichole in the car and had a peanut butter and marmalade biscuit, 2 bananas and a Lara bar. I gathered my things and set off to the race site while listening to some Grateful Dead.

As I approached the race site I went into my bag to find my timing chip. As I finished searching the contents I began to panic. I could not find my chip. I was convinced it was in my tent and I was 20 minutes away and an hr till transition closed. I turned toward camp and began a quick walk.
I had one last hope. I may have stuck it in my tri top pocket......I did. I now had to get my heart rate back down and get focused. Whew. That would have sucked.

I got marked, pumped up my tires, added powerade to my areo bottle, hit the portaloo, and pulled on my wet suit.

After a brief start delay due to the mud and parking situtaion we entered the lake for a deep water start. I was smileing a huge nervous smile. I lined up with an athlete from Windsor, Canada. We watched the English go through a series of unison "oye,oye, oye's". The horn sounded and we were off.

I was very relaxed and just swam. everything I had been taught was coming to me. I felt strong and steady. As we made the turn into the 2nd lap I was excited to know that I was not going to get run over by the lead group. I was also psyched to see blue sky peaking out from behind the clouds. At the final turn, I knew it was just 1.2k left and was amazed at the number of swimmers still behind me. As I swam to the exit I noticed my calf had tightened. I began light kicking and warned the volunteers as the helped me through the exit.

In T1 the volunteer helping me noted that I was looking very confident and asked if I had a good Swim.
1:25.24 GREAT SWIM!

OK .... Jet lag.
To be continued........................

I leaving for the UK in a few hrs.

The time has come. I am packed and ready. We fly tomorrow.

I really started getting nervous today. This is for real.

I want to thank you all. The feed back I receive here in blog land is awesome.
The past year of my life has been great. I am glad I have been able to share it with you through this blog.
Thank you all for being a part of this dream.

Hopefully I can post back while in the UK. We will see.
I will be posting some photo's when I return home.
Thank You all.
I have a little race to go do now. Gotta go do ironman.
Charlie

GCT gig recap

I woke at 4am and headed to Mentor headlands to play music, direct parking, direct swimmers out of the water, and see many friends.

The weather was perfect. I had a lot of fun spending the day with all of my CTC friends. Standing on the beach I saw so much CTC red emerge from wet suits. It is amazing to me how many of these folks I think of as friends. Last year I was such the wallflower...or a roadflower. This year, I had amplification. I sang for a while 'bout 4 and a half hours, got tired and started forgetting words....Whoops. I moved out of the way for awards presentations.

Lots of 70.3 debuts. Lots of CTC hardware. Way to go everyone. I had a lot of fun.
__________________

The bike is packed. I saw my folks tonight. I did my laundry. One more day of work, and we are out'a here.

I am really tired now. I will post my final pre IM(unless we have net access in the UK) blog tomorrow.

Race Numbers are up

I am #557.
If you are not familiar with the race tracker system, go to www.IRONMAN.com
They will have a banner for Ironman UK with a link to the athlete tracker. Just search using my bib number.

The Duds

756, the price of winning

Last night Barry Bonds became the all time home run leader.The celebration was light. Not what you would expect from a record of such high esteem. The previous two record holders, Babe Ruth and Hank Aaron are nothing short of legends. Each changed the game of baseball and in many ways changed America. Barry Bonds represents a change in baseball and maybe a change in our society that nobody seems to be very proud of.

Barry Bonds under suspicion of steroid use during his career has not been raised to hero status by baseballs leadership. Baseballs greatest player is considered a cheat and a jerk by baseball.

The sad thing is that baseball and its ownership(including former Texas rangers owner and current US president George Bush) ignored steroid use. Any rules regarding 'roids were not enforced. Baseball encouraged the Sosa and McGuire Season HR chase. They did nothing to stop it until congress threatenend Major League Baseballs antitrust exemption.

Bonds has never tested positive. We just assume his guilt because of his body mass increase midway through his career.

My guess is that Barry is extremely driven to excel at his sport. Who can blame him. As athletes of varying ability we all want to be better than we are. We all make sacrifice to better our performance. We experiment with nutrition and supplements. We look for equipment that will help us better our own game. The higher the stakes, the greater the sacrifice.

As I look back over the past 10 month's of Ironman training I have to consider my own sacrifices. What am I willing to do to succeed? What has it cost me? What has it cost others? Is it within the rules of the sport? Is it fair to others. Did I cause harm to another living being for my success.? If I did, did I have another choice?.

For me, the easiest example is my choice to live vegan. Animal meat is rich in protein. But I can no longer justify eating animals for this reason. I have other choices.

In my opinion, causing death to another being should be our last resort. My short term success is not worth another's life.

Longterm health risks further my decision to remove animal products from my diet
(read The China Study)

I am glad to see that the idea of playing fair has become an important issue lately. I would like to think we all want to flay fair.
Even Barry.

So Barry, let's play fair.

"Say No To Corn Dogs!"

Somewhere over the Atlantic

A week from right now I will be in a plane somewhere over the Atlantic ocean. A year ago figured I would be getting set for a GCT 1/2 in preparation for IM MOO. One little error during online application, and my whole life has changed. I am going to Europe to do my Ironman.

After one of my last indoor swims, another athlete said to me, "England? That is a long way to go for a race."
I responded with "Anyway you look at it, Ironman is thousands of miles".

Most of those miles are behind me now.

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My belly is finally right following the little bug I got on vacation. It seemed to take a full week to get out of my system, but I think it is gone. I am very aware of my body right now. Every little thing catches my full attention.

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I am really excited!

Two Weeks

I am two weeks out. I am healthy. I am trained. I have my plane tickets. I will have the bike case on Thursday(Thanks to CTC Prez Andrew Joyce). The campsite is secured. All that is left is to stay healthy, pack, get on a plane, get to Sherborne.

I am very fortunate to be where I am. I know other athletes that were following the IM dream when we started but never made it this far for various reasons.

I believe in my training methods. I have been conservative and deliberate. I never missed or compromised a big session. I made changes and addressed my weaknesses as planned.

I feel strong physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually.

I know what I need to do. Patience is the key to my success. I need to maintain the same methodical pace I have maintained since November. I most stay within myself.

I am ready. Now I wait...........

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Last night Cleveland Peace Action held its' Hiroshima/Nagasaki remembrance. I oversaw the event, performed, and hosted the event. The program went well tho attendance was low. At the conclusion of the event, we floated 30 or so lanterns on the lagoon as the sun set. It is very beautiful. This year a few lanterns burst into flames....Whoops.

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I saw the Simpson's Movie....Thumbs up!

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Yesterday I went to the Cleveland Triathlon Expo to pickup some Yankz shoe laces for my new running shoes. CTC members were a bit sparse (I expected this as many members including myself no longer feel good about the race). The few I saw stopped to talk about tri stuff as we normally do. While I was talking to one fella, I heard the voice of a young women.

"Sir?" she said.
Sir? SIR?! I thought as I looked up and realized that this women was half my age. How sobering.
"How much is the GCT entry next week?" She asked.
"I am not sure. They should have fliers here somewhere." I responded.
""What do you win?" She said.
"I don't, I just have fun and spend lots of money" I said.
I then heard a little laughter and looked further back behind her. I realized that I was standing directly in front of a seated course talk crowd waiting for someone to explain what to expect during the race. I had become the RD's warm up act.....Whoops. I left.

Patriotism

As an athlete visiting and competing abroad, I have to consider that I will be representing my nation. I am a U.S. citizen from birth. How I conduct myself may effect the way people of other nations view the U.S. I respect this duty, and hope to serve as an ambassador that leaves others feeling better about the people we are.

I believe strongly in the constitution. Our bill of rights is as important as any sacred law. The laws that govern our government enable us to govern ourselves fairly. No one is above it.

I believe in democracy. We are responsible for our future and our past. We as a people guide our nations future. Some choices are poor, some are great, but they are ours.

There are times when I have strong criticism of our elected officials. I have questioned the legitimacy of past election results and conduct. I have vocalized my disagreement with foreign and domestic policy.

Currently I am not a big fan of our president and his administration. I have concerns over the direction of the supreme court. I am unimpressed with the congress and its lack of backbone.

I am a fan of local congressional Rep. (D)Dennis Kucinich and Senator (R)George Voinovich. Ohio's Gov. Strickland seems like he going in the right direction.

Ultimately I believe the greatest choices we make are in our personal life. I think these things effect our world more than anything else we do.

As a representative of the US I plan to treat everything with respect. I am proud of the great things this nation has accomplished and ashamed of our mistakes made in fear and arrogance.

Will I fly the flag at the finish line? I doubt it. But I will not disrespect it either. If I am asked to carry the flag during the parade of nations, I will.

I love this country. It is who I am. It is where I am from. I want the best for it.
I am a patriot.