Good and Bad timing

April 30, 2010

I woke up in the middle of the night to tend to my son. When I stepped out of bed I nearly feel over as pain shot through my body. I guess I was slightly dehydrated and unfortunately now have 3 nasty cracks on my left foot. The dry Utah air doesn't help matters much either. I have 2 days to tend to these holes in my feet so that I can run.....fast. I need to load up on some prolytes! Can't let a few cracks break my sub 5 hour streak.

This afternoon I packed and saved myself 20 dollars. I successfully managed to get all of my gear and travel items into one carry on bag. OH YA!! I am learning how to travel on a budget! Remember I pass all funds donated to the cause, so being travel smart is essential since it's my moula.

Tonight it is time to travel again, destination - St Croix US Virgin Island. And yes I am excited about this weekends race. I will be greeted at the airport by Ernie Harker and the Extreme Tourist TV show crew. This weekend the show is doing a shoot there in St Croix. I convinced Ernie to do the 70.3 event with me. The show will be highlighting the Tri and Give a Dam project.

This afternoon I was helping a friend move some small furniture and I must have moved one of the pieces awkwardly as I can't look to the left at this point. Oh and left is the side I breath on when I swim. We shall see if I am ready to go Sunday morning. I would have thought my knees before foot cracks and back issues would slow me down.

Ironman Undies and Shoulder pain

Last night I went to help lout coach Keena and coached her track workout for her. Unfortunately due to really cold and windy weather only two other hardcore athletes showed up. We tried to warm up and did the following. 200, 400, 600, 800, 600, 400, 200. Worked hard and hope I do not regret running at a 5:30 pace.


Muscleworks! Once a week I get to go to my buddy Hayden at muscle works and get treatment on my legs. This is a painful but incredibly beneficial. This year for my birthday my friend Tyrell bought me a pair of big boy undies that say “Ironman” on them. So as a joke I stripped down to just the Ironman undies and waited for Hayden to come in. He bust up laughing and thought it was hilarious! He says that my legs are doing very good. He dug into my shoulder today and nearly brought me to tears... looks like some of my old wrestling injuries still need some attention. Maybe this will also help my swim.

Ride with friends and recovery massages

April 28th,

It is Wednesday and I feel great. On Tuesday I met with John Rose (DUB owner) and Jess Brereton and we headed out for a easy spin. Jess is recovering from a broken back. He was in a car accident in late November and has just returned to his regular activities. I thought this would be a great ride for him to join me on. We hammered out an easy 23 miles and dropped Jess back off at the truck. With only about 20 minutes before I needed to head out to my post 70.3 massage, John wanted to hit a 6 mile loop hard. I loved this idea as I think I need to do more than just a recovery spin if I want to try and improve on my, so far, slow bike times. I loved the hard biking! I had my massage with Alicia and she said everything was ship shape. “Drink lots of water and try to stay lose.”

Today I went to coach Keena’s swim class and was met there by Shane Morris. A local, fast friend who is doing the St George Ironman this weekend. The weather is suppose to be bad. Not what the athletes wanted to hear with the course already being one of the hardest on the circuit. We pounded out 2500 meter swim and called it a workout! Shockingly I enjoy swim workouts now where I used to dread them.

Burger #3 The Miss Daisy

Burger #3 - The Miss Daisy

This weeks burger is called the Miss Daisy. I have to admit...when I read the ingredients and looked at the picture of this burger I wasn’t super excited to eat it. As usual Garen did a wonderful job preparing the burger. His wife, Debbie, asked if she could start the burgers before he got home from work. He insisted that NO ONE is to prepare the burgers besides him. Needless to say, this burger project is his baby!

Surprise - it was wonderful! When I took the first bite my mouth was confused. “I am eating a burger or is this a wonderful party in my mouth?” As the bites continued, the more enjoyable Miss Daisy became. I would recommend this burger to anyone. “Wholesome and well-mannered, The Miss Daisy is a country girl at heart. She was born and bred where the air is fresh and the soil is fertile. Where a birch tree carries on a conversation with a babbling brook. Despite The Miss Daisy’s delicate ways, she’s a cheeseburger that can satisfy the strongest of appetites.”

Here are the ingredients: Wisconsin Brie Cheese, Beef Patty, Apple Butter, Dijon Mustard, Spinach, Toasted Brioche Loaf.

Enjoy!

Running with the pro's

Run 1:35:23

I transitioned quickly (there really isn’t much to do in T2) and headed out for the run.  The run course is a four lap course that I wasn’t sure if I was going to like or dislike.  I really like having an aid station right out of transition.  I stopped, topped off my liquid, grab some cool sponges and was off.  Within 400 meters, I had my legs back and started to actually feel pretty good.  When my watch beeped indicating the first mile was down I looked and was happy and sad all in one breath.  6:55 is what the Garmin said, a very similar start to my run last week in New Orleans where I struggled at the end.  I had told myself this week that I would go out a little slower and try to finish stronger.  With that plan out the window only 1 mile into a 13.1 mile run, I forged onward still feeling good.  I made it through the first lap and kept a solid pace in the low 7’s per mile.  I really enjoyed the 4 lap run as I got to run with the pros (which is a stretch, they blew by me like I was standing still) who were on their 3rd and 4th laps of the race.  It was very cool to see and feel the pace that they run.  It was inspiring again to feel their power.  I got passed by the likes of Bozzone, Odonnell, Lieto and Potts for men and Samantha McGlone (fellow Canadian) on the woman’s side.  By the forth lap I had managed to maintain and keep a very consistent pace.  I stopped at each aid station throwing cold water on my head, taking in some needed liquid, snagging the odd banana and I made sure to grab two fresh cold sponges as I exited.  I finished strong with a smooth 6:45 mile and averaged a 7:16 on the 13.1 portion of the race- my best run time ever in a half-Ironman event! I guess I do like the 4 lap format.....

As I crossed the finish line I felt better than I had the previous weeks.  I grabbed 2 pieces of pizza and headed over to the massage tent.  Fortunately I got right in. Unfortunately it was only a quick 5 min rub down unlike the 2 girl paradise I experienced the week before.

With the heat up and the race completed, I wandered over to gather my things to go back to my hotel, anxious to get some real food and a shower.  As I approached transition I noticed that it was full of bikes and zero people.  As I tried to enter I was scolded and told that I could not enter the transition area until ALL athletes had finished the bike portion of the race and that she was about 10 miles out.  Oh boy... so with nothing else to do I found some well known pros and made small talk and watch the majority of the field cross the finish line.  It was fun to see the excited and pure joy on people faces as they realized their goals of finishing a half-Ironman. 

When they finally let me back into T2, I gathered my things and headed back to my hotel.  I took a quick shower, lounged and watched some great playoff basketball.  As evening approached, I need some final bits of food and a walk to get out any lingering lactic acid.  So I strolled around the rows of Walmart before finding a sandwich and some fruit. 

I woke up early to make sure I had enough time to pack up my bike.  I am getting smarter and this time I threw in my wetsuit and bike shoes in the bike case.  If I can maximize what I put in the bike case, I may be able to get the rest of my items in a smaller case for next trip and just carry my bag on to avoid the $20 fee at check-in.  I quickly found a UPS/FedEx store and asked how much it would cost to ship my bike to St Croix for next weekends race.  The sweet lady behind the counter typed in all her numbers, looked up and said that will be $1159.00 dollars.  I must have sworn cause she looked at me funny.  I stood there with a look of disbelief in my face, not knowing what to do.  I finally decided to ship it to my house in Lindon, as that would be cheaper than checking it on the flight with me - shipping it to St Croix was not an option!  I just hope my bike gets to my house before I have to leave on Friday.

Shifting winds and flat roads

Bike 2:42:32

A quick and successful transition took me out onto the bike course.  The first half-mile was on bumpy roads as we made our way to a coastal road where the main part of the bike would take place.  As I started up the road, I felt something hit my bike.  I check my water bottles and GU and found everything to be in order.  About five miles down the road I thought I would be a good idea to eat the Powerbar I stuffed in my jersey while frantically putting on my wetsuit.  Come to find out that the object that hit my bike at the start was my Powerbar being launched and left for the bird on the side of the road.  Better start early with the gels and hope I have enough to get through the ride.  The road top was newly paved and was perfect to ride on... the downside was the massive side/head wind, for which I had to cautiously navigate my bike.  I battled the wind for 28 miles and successfully made it to the turn around.  The sites were pretty cool as we had ocean on both sides of us and all the houses were built way up on stilts incase of flooding.  Right before the turn around we rode on a bridge for about a mile, this was a neat part of the ride.  I was super excited at the turn around knowing that I was going to have a strong tail wind for the next 28 miles.  To my AMAZEMENT there was still a slight head wind on the way back... this phenomenon always amazes me!  I didn’t feel very comfortable on the bike on this return section and ended up sitting up a lot coming in.  I need to get refitted on my bike and take better notes where things are suppose to be.  This way when I assemble my bike next week, everything is in order and fitting right.  I put in a less than stellar performance on the bike with a time of just over 2:42.  As soon as I jumped off my bike headed into T2, I knew I was gonna be in trouble for the run.  I remember thinking to myself,  “Brace yourself for a 2 hour run.  It’s ok, no one is expecting you to go fast, just get through it and finish with your head up.”

Race #3 Galveston Texas

Swim- 36:53

Up at 5:20.  Motel 6 has very limited supplies as in nothing.  I needed to make my Rokitfuel and realized that I didn’t have anything to make it in, heat it up or eat it with.  So I cleaned the ice bucket found in my room and measured out a cup of the good stuff and added water.  I gathered the rest of my things and headed to the car with my gear bag and bucket.  I stopped by the front desk.  Well, desk is a stretch, it was more of a booth or cage.  I wanted to see if they had any plastic forks.  Nothing, so I took a Styrofoam plastic cup and tore off a side to use as a spoon.  The cold Rokitfuel actually wasn't bad and went down just fine!

I arrived to the bike area with plenty of time to set up.  The night before I looked on-line to find that my wave was scheduled to go off at 8:04.  This gave me plenty of time to get into the wetsuit after the men’s and woman’s pro waves went off.  I walked down to the beach and found a great spot to spectate from a reclining beach chair.  So with wetsuit, swim cap and goggles in hand, I listened to the national anthem and as always, enjoyed seeing the pros take off on their swim.

To get to the swim start I walked down a long dock.  This is where the athletes jump in and swim 20 meters to a deep water start.  As I lay stretched out in my beach chair enjoying the sites, I notices a large group of fit looking individuals standing all the way at the end of the doc.  They have the same color orange swim caps as the one I had in my possession.  I jumped up in a panic, as these athletes started to jump in the water preparing for their wave start.  I scrambled through the crowds of athletes and spectators and ran down the dock to reach my competitors in disbelief.  I asked if this was the 30-34 mens wave.  I guy looked at me like I was an idiot as I was still holding my wetsuit and said, “Yes, they moved us up.”

“One minute!” is the next thing I hear from the guy who is sending the race waves off.  I quickly turn my wetsuit right side out and jump in the legs.  For anyone that has tried to get on a swimming wetsuit, it takes time and care.  I didn’t have time for care at this point.  I got the bottom on and pulled the top up over my shoulders.  I was now standing all by myself with all the other orange caps floating in the water.  With a sheepish face I asked the guy holding the clip board if he could be so kind as to zip me up.  With all the confusion, I hadn’t taken my pre race Dub shots and Powerbar.... I pulled out the two shots and slammed them down while being zipped.  “10 seconds!”  I throw on my cap and goggles and plunge into the water - BANG and we were off!  I had swam right to the front in time for the gun to go off.  I wanted to see how fast the good swimmer in my age took off.  It was incredible!  With just five strokes, they were 4 - 5 body lengths ahead of me and pulling out of sight.  I kept a good steady pace and tried to remain calm after such a hectic start. 

The swim course was a point to point swim.  It starts by swimming straight out to the first marker where we made a left turn.   We swim across the top, make another left turn, then back to the shore & water exit back at T1.  The winds were much weaker than the day before, but still blowing enough to kick up some water.  The swim was much more manageable than last week in New Orleans.  I swam in control and for the third race in a row I didn’t break stride.  This was a big deal if you know my swim background.  A nose plug and the breast stroke were very much a part of my routine in the water.

The fast swimmers of my group were long gone and I had clear water for the most of the swim.  I weaved around the slower swimmers as I came up on them and made my way successfully to the shore.  My swim time was the slowest of the three but I feel that I am getting stronger each race.  After looking at the results I noticed that my swim time was exactly where it usually is compared to the rest of the competitors, which means the swim course was a little long- whew.

Rear Derailleurs and Whataburgers

Saturday April 24th.  Slept in and had a great sleep.  Built my bike first thing and had issues with my derailleur - rear gears would not shift.  So I headed to check in to see if I could find someone to see what the problem was.  The day before our 70.3 event there was an Olympic and sprint race going on.  The swim was canceled due to extremely high winds.  I guess they ended up doing a time trial start for these athletes.  I sure hope they do not cancel the swim portion of our event.  The olympic and sprint racers were still racing and most of the Ironman athletes weren’t there yet.  I took my bike to the mechanic and he fixed my rear derailleur.  I had one spring on the wrong side, but know I know! 

Check in went smooth.  There was a guy wearing Powertri.com shorts so I asked him if he was from Utah, he looked at me silly and said “no, England”  Way to go Powertri crew.  I checked out the swim and found it to be very straight forward, only two turns.  With wristband on I was able to check in my bike and headed back to the hotel to get off my feet.  On the way back I passed a “Whataburger” and remember being told that if I was ever in Texas that I had to stop in and get one.  And now I know, that is the last Whataburger I will have - nasty!  Coach Keena says to stay off my feet as much as I can so like a good student I went and took a nap!

As I woke up I was once again hungry and headed out to find some good eats.  All I could find was a Golden Corral and thought, “Why not?”  It is cheap and has a good selection.  I was right, filled up the belly and retired for the night.

Rental cars from heaven

Travel started today at 2 MST with only one flight to Houston. Last night I didn't have a car rented or a way to get from the airport to my hotel, which I found out was 50 miles from the airport. As I was getting ready for bed I decided to check my Dailymile website and found that a girl from Houston was wishing me luck on my race this weekend. With nothing to lose I asked if she could pick me up from the airport.... she said no. BUT she did work for enterprise car rental and offered to set me up with a rental. 4 days car rental = 74 bucks - booyaa!! Thank you so much!!!

I landed safe, pick up the car with zero problems and headed out to find my hotel. The good new is I only got lost twice but eventually found it. I am staying about 2 miles from the ocean and about 10 min from the race site... looking forward to some good rest while enjoying some basketball - GO JAZZ!

Houton...James has landed

This week was a strange one for me.... after returning home from New Orleans my legs felt fine from the race. I think the travel was harder on me than the actual race. I sat beside a person on the flight home who needed a belt extension... not good when sitting in a window seat. I couldn't move my leg and feel that that led to some tightness. Tuesday I was treated by my therapist Hayden at Muscle works. He said things felt good and prescribed rest, stretching and water before toeing the line again on Sunday the 25th. Following the treatment from Hayden I proceeded to an awesome massage from my friend Alicia Harris. This special person is donating her time and expert hands when needed. I mentioned that the week was strange as I didn't know if I was recovering or tapering..... mentally I will say tapering.

My only workouts this week prior to travel was two relaxed swims, a one hour spin, a 6 mile run and some yoga. I feel good and ready to go!

Thank you for everyones continued support. Race #2 is done and New Orleans is in the books.

SWIM BIKE RUN OVERALL

35:39 2:32:12 1:43:59 4:55:16

I had a great race and posted another sub 5 hour half ironman. I am headed to Galveston Island Texas this weekend. For details of my journey my blog is always the best place to visit.

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James Lawrence

An athlete with a purpose

MYOMED, PROLYTES and MUSCLEWORKS

I made it back safely and it was wonderful to see the family. I just wanted to take a quick second this morning and thank one of my sponsors. I use these Prolytes drops during training and racing. It is a very inexpensive way for me to get the electrolytes I need, and they rock!

"All-natural Prolytes Performance Electrolytes in water soluble drops are a perfect blend of essential electrolytes for energy, stamina, and endurance. Eliminate cramping, fatigue and dehydration. Say goodbye to sports drinks full of sugar and artificial ingredients that cause bloating and stomach aches. This sugar-free, flavoring free, balanced formula replaces the essential potassium, sodium, sulfate, chloride, and magnesium your body loses during physical activity sports like running, cycling, and bodybuilding. Proven by pro sport's toughest athletes, Prolytes turns any drink, even water, into a sports drink."

Thanks guys!

Who Dat's, oh Canada and spicy food.

Before I knew it, transition was here once again and I found my bike spot without getting lost. Trust me, I have made that mistake more than once and hopefully never again. The last time I did it it cost me a podium finish. I started to head off onto the run and realized I forgot my Garmin on my bike. I quickly turned back and snagged it. I really like to know my progress during the run. Most people I talk to need a mile or so to get their legs under them and used to running. I seem to be the opposite and have no problems, whatsoever, running right off the bike. I have to concentrate to really slow it down cause I feel so good. I opened with a 6:50 mile - dang it! I knew I had gone out too quick, but I felt fine and my heart rate was in check - 165. I followed that mile up with a handful of 7:10’s. Still feeling good and in control. I just tried to get into a rhythm and finish strong. The crowds were great along the streets of New Orleans. My favorite comment was “WHO DAT - YOU THAT!” I though, "Hell yes! Thank you!" as if she was speaking directly to me. As I reached the 6 mile mark I looked down and noted the time of 44 min flat. Over the next 3 miles my time started to slip and the legs started to get heavy. I started to walk every aid station taking in Coke and water. The cold sponges were a welcome treat and I took two to put under my shoulder straps to keep my core temp down between aid station located at every mile. At mile 10 I heard a “GO CANADA” as I wear my Canadian running hat and sport the arm tattoo. this lifted my spirits if only for a moment.

By mile 11 the legs had abandoned me and it took all of my little brain to get my legs to hold an 8:30 mile and not stop to a walk. I finished strong and smiled as I ran the shoot. Tri and Give a Dam race number two in the books!

The after party was awesome! They had a live band that played a very creative variety of fun music. The atmosphere was great and all the finishers and spectators were having a great time. I headed straight to the massage tent and put my name on the list and then headed to the food tent, as I knew there would be a wait. The food at the finish was catered and tasty. They had sandwich wraps (a little spicy), rice with a bean sauce and my favorite was cheese grits! These things were an authentic and very tasty treat. I filled my plate and went over to massage tent to wait for my name to be called. My time came and oh... was it worth the wait! IF you fortunate enough to get in, which I was, you were treated to a 30 min. massage by two therapists. I scored two local black women who were incredible! One worked my legs and the other work on my arms, back and next. They were super nice and we chatted the whole time. When it was over I told them that they were chocolate heaven. We all had a great laugh!

With a satisfied belly and feeling fairly loose I located the buses that took us back to transition so we could gather our bikes and gear. Jan was conveniently just leaving work and was able to come pick me up to take me back to the house to get cleaned up. Every time I needed a ride, the timing was amazing. I need to try to duplicate that every race- I’ll start sending that out there now. The evening concluded with me going for a few mile walk to find a place to eat and snag a red box movie. After a well deserved burger and fries, I retired for the evening to a Matt Damon movie called The Informant that was just ok. I threw on some more MyoMed and covered up with my recovery skins. Who knows if these compression pants really work, but I need all the recovery help I need get with another 70.3 event next weekend.

Woke up and quickly packed up my bike. I was so frustrated with the bike fee on the flight here I decided I would look into shipping costs with FED EX. Did some quick research and found that I could ship my bike to the hotel I was staying at in Galveston, TX next weekend. I located a FED EX on the way to the New Orleans airport and for a cool $95 bones, I shipped my bike. Just saved myself $300 smackers - booyaa! Hope it is there waiting for me when I get there! I figure I won’t be riding it this week as I will only be doing a light mid week spin which can be done on my spin bike or my road bike.

Rough roads, winds and alligators.

After a decent transition, I was off on the ride. Projected to be flat and fast. I was told that the “big hill” on the ride was an overpass.... Ooohhhh, I train in the mountains so a few overpass climbs shouldn’t be too tough to handle. I was trying just one bottle of water with Prolytes and a flask with GU in it. Due to all the Katrina construction the course needed to be altered. They changed the first three miles and wound us through the streets of New Orleans making the first 3 miles bumpy and full of turns. On the way out we were headed into the wind. I though at least we would have a good tail wind coming in!! Once we got onto the scheduled course the roads were much better and the pace started to pick up. On one stretch of the bike course they have us take a side stretch that runs along a marshy area. I try to look around on the rides so I can appreciate the different area’s of the country I am in and not finish the ride just seeing the road directly in front of me. On this particular glance to the right was marsh, only this time I saw an alligator swimming in the middle. Oh poop - someone is gonna get eaten! No more than 20 seconds later, I came up on a guy that had flatted and was walking.... "Dead man walking!" I thought, "He is lunch for the alligators!" Then I started praying really hard that my flat streak from the week of training would not continue on this stretch.

Around mile 40 of the bike ride I rode up on a lady with the number 80 on her calf. It was sister Martha Butter. Hell yes - can I say that sister? I said hello and wished her well. My wife has a picture of her up on out bathroom mirror as an example of how we would like to be when we are that age. What an honor to be on the same course as this incredible woman. Thank you for your incredible example of what is possible - 80 years old people! It is never too late to get off your butts and get healthy!

To my disappointment, it seemed like there were more stretches into the wind than moving with it. We did have some good stretches where the speed was over 24 mph... but they never lasted long enough. With a less than 6 miles to go, I finished my liquid and pounded a Powerbar. As I rounded one of the corners, I saw an athlete in my division on the side of the road. I recognized him as he had a unique disk wheel. I thought, "Too bad, he is a strong biker" since he blew by me earlier in the race. I thought he must have flatted, how unfortunate... for him. A few minutes later this same athlete blew by me again. When he passed me I realized that he didn’t flat, he had crashed. His shoulder and arm were opened up and the top layer of skin was missing. That is one tough dude! Passes me, crashes, then passes me again. NICE WORK and BIG UPS!

#2 New Orleans 70.3 April 18 2010

5:10 and I’m up! I am enjoying the 7 o'clock start times over some previous 6 am starts where you have to get up at 4..... barrrffffff. I actually got to sleep in 10 more minutes than the usually 5 am masters swim alarm. I quickly made my daily ROKIT FUEL and pounded a full cup, de-lish! Made sure to take my DUB Nutrition Muscle capsules to ensure myself the best chance at recovery. Lastly, I pounded my four ounces of ASEA to make sure my cells are well lubed and my oxygen capacity is at its peak. I made sure to get everything ready the night before so all I had to worry about was breakfast, supplements and GO! Every last minute of sleep is precious on race day, especially when race day is gonna be a hot one. I strolled down a few blocks, waited a few minutes and my ride came out right on que. A good start to having a good race- showing up!

The race start was down by UNO (University of New Orleans) so there was plenty of parking right by transition. After a complete set up I went down to the waters edge to check out the conditions. As expected the water temp was the same as yesterday; however there was one difference, what were those white things.... oh those are white caps. The winds were up and the water was rough. The race directer announced that anyone who didn’t want to do the swim didn’t have to. They could opt to just do the bike and run. Well that simply wasn’t an option, so I suited up and waited for my 8:04 start time. We always get put in the later waves of the race, which means I get to watch the pros compete. Andy Potts had an incredible swim with a ridiculously low sub 24 min, putting a few minutes on the rest of the male field. They always amaze and inspire me to work harder in the water. As the chase pack exited the water I notice former world champ Chris McCormick was missing his goggles. He must have lost them somewhere in the swim... insane! These are bad, bad men.

It was finally my turn and the winds unfortunately didn’t calm. Looks like it was gonna be a long day in the water. Let’s do this!! Slammed back my 2 Dub Shots and a Power bar. Worked well in Oceanside so I figured I would try the combination again. This was my first shore start which was fun. The horn blows and our group takes off running down the beach and splash into the water. We headed straight in the waves to the first marker. I realized early on that sighting was going to be difficult and breathing was going to need to be well timed. Nothing throws off a good swim rhythm than a lung full of lake water. The swim course has only 3 turns. Straight to the first marker, turn left and swim the long stretch to a turn around marker and back to a final marker. This is where we would make a right and head into shore. When I made the first right ,I knew I would be able to relax and do this stretch easier than when I have to swim back. See, I breath on my left side which meant the waves would be on my right - whew. It was still a very bumpy swim along the back stretch with sighting still nearly impossible. I made it to the turn around and started to head back having to breath with my face exposed to the waves as I tried to breath. I knew coming home would be a bit slower, as I would have to slow down and concentrate on the task at hand. Sometimes I would go to take a breath and see a wall of water about to crash down on me. I tried really hard to not break stride, duck my head and wait another stroke to take a breath. Next thing I knew, I was at the last market and success! I did it, I did it! I feel that despite my slower time this was a better swim for me than Oceanside a few weeks earlier where I posted a personal best. I had to relax, concentrate and really stay focused on the task at hand without getting too frustrated with the condition. I now am going to concentrate on learning how to breath on both sides. There are always areas to work on and improve.

Air, Dead people, and Smart shopping.

With air in my tires and a city to see I decided to ride my bike downtown to the expo and mandatory athlete briefing. Along the way I saw many cool things; however the coolest thing I saw was this cemetery. I guess because the water table is so high (being below sea level and all) that they can’t bury people. So I guess they build these mini houses of massive granite structures and place the people in them. It was such an awesome site as I rode past it that I just had to stop and check it out. WOW!

After about 10 miles I made it to the host hotel for the expo and athlete briefing. Same old stuff really. I wanted to buy a jersey from each event but just can’t come up with the extra $80 - $100 dollars per race. So I am settling for a 1.49 sticker from each race - another great idea by my wife Sunny.

One more day till the canon.

Surprisingly I slept very well last night. It was very quiet and I pretty much slept all the way through. They do say that the night before the night before is the most important - check. First thing I did this morning was assemble my bike... first go at this by myself. It went good for the most part and I think I got it together right - (needed a little help from a youtube video to make sure I hung the rear derailleur correctly.) I went to the main house to see if Jan has a bike pump.... no dice, so I asked her for a ride down to check in as I was sure there would be pumps I could use at the expo. She was washing her car and needed a half hour more. I decided to take a short walk and go see what these levies that failed when Katrina hit 5 years ago. On my way there I ran into a guy on his tri bike. I waved him down and asked if he lived close and if he had a bike pump. Turns out he lives 3 blocks from where I am staying and indeed he had a pump. I ran home, snagged my bike and took it to get some air. Great news - I also landed a ride race morning to T1 (wasn’t really sure how I was getting to the race as my hosts were working. Looks like things happen for a reason. Sure am glad Jan was washing yellow PT cruiser.

The New Orleans course at a glance.

Not such a scary place after all

Landed safely in New Orleans and was greeted by a very nice local couple in a fancy yellow hummer. I was relieved as they could have very well showed up in a small Kia and then what do I do with my bike. Mental note - check what car the host drives so to not have an issue at the airport. Steve and Jan (host couple) gave me a quick tour of the area so I could get my bearings. Tomorrow I will assemble the bike (which wasn’t lost in transit- thank goodness). I am thinking about going for a quick walk to see if I can get some of the travel stiffness out.

Bike fees and long layovers

Woke this morning with some anxious energy. So much of what I am doing is unknown. How will my body respond? Will I make each race? Can I recover fast enough? Will the logistics work out? I have faith, so the answer is yes!

Race number 2 in New Orleans should be easy... perspective right. Received a message late last night that my contact Ray in New Orleans came though and found me a home stay. WHEW! I didn’t have a hotel or rental car booked. Funds are tight and I was willing to gamble with the worst case being I have to sleep in a rental car. A bed should be much better than sharing the back seat of the car with my bike and gear.

After a quick packing of gear it was now time to see if I could disassemble my bike and safely get it into it’s case..... success! Time will soon tell if I can put it back together and make it run smooth. I should be really good at it by the end of the year.Off to the SLC airport compliments of Garen Winn. Garen is a good friend of mine who specializes in insurances and life planning. Because of Garen I am well covered just in case something happens to me over the next 30 week in 2010.

Check in...... expensive and frustrating. I knew this was coming but the sting at check in just sucks. $190 bucks to check my bike, which is lighter than my gear bag. I guess I looked suspicious as they decided to open my bike case and unpacked my bike for me, which to me an hour to get it in there.... The guard felt it necessary to take take my co2 cartridges away, just in case I climbed into baggage mid flight, located my bike, unpacked it and used it as an explosive somehow. It actually made sense to me .... it is a pressure device and could blow with the flight pressure....maybe.... 2 dollar lesson learned. So I will now have to buy some co2 at every event.

Flight number one completed.... now just the four hour lay over. On the flight I sat next to a very nice lady who’s husband works for Fed EX.. what? Hopefully that luck of the draw with seating will turn out to be a good thing in the shipping bike department. Off to New Orleans... hope I find the people picking me up;-)

Happy Birthday to My wife Sunny

YOU HAVE TO CLICK ON THE PICTURE


What a difficult few months it has been... but it is all over now baby! Sunny is 29 years old and has 5 wonderful children ages 7 and under. (well six if you count me!)

Over the past 12 weeks Sunny has done a killer job with her working out and eating. Now that we are done having kids (please oh please), Sunny set out on a quest of her own to regain her body back. She did an incredible job and has inspired many along the way. I couldn't be more proud of what she has accomplish. She looks and feels amazing! I love her with all my heart and I could not be doing this give a dam project without her. She lost close to 30 pounds and dropped over 12% body fat! No pills, no potions - just hard work and good eats!

Happy Birthday, Thank you and Congrats!!!

Happy Birthday

Today I am 34... for some reason disappointment has set in. I thought I would be a millionaire by now... weird that I’m not. I was certain by now I would be, 100% certain.

I’ve worked hard, I guess not hard enough.

Today is the first day of the rest of my life....I hope. Things are going to fall in place, they have to. The Tri and Give a Dam project has started and I have no clue how I am going to get through the project and make it happen. I have contemplated gambling full time, but I’m not that good and there are no casino’s here in Utah. In my ideal world a rich dude or company will step in, see the big picture and marketability of my project and fund it. A few weeks ago I completed the first of 20 half Ironman races.... felt good felt strong.

Today was good spent the time with my family. Went to bootcamp and got my but kicked with coach Keena. I pushed harder than I usually do knowing this would be my last good hard book camp for a while. I do not race this weekend so I can be sore. After boot camp I went to Nichole Beckstead’s place to ride on her compu trainer. I wanted to ride the New Orleans bike course one time before I head there on the 18th for the 2nd of 20 70.3 races. New Orleans may be my best shot to qualify for the 0.3 world championships later this year. Biked hard and LOVED the compu trainer- I need them to sponsor me. To know what my power is, my cadence, heart rate and many other things was just awesome. I biked harder than I should have and I know I am going to be sore.

Went home to a wonderful surprise.... Begle pizzas made by my kids. “Happy Birthday to you” was sung to me as I entered the house.... moments like these make sleepless nights worth it. After lunch I too the kids over to the local pool for a fun swim on the slide and the lazy river. Mom stayed home with the really little ones and napped. Sunny is pretty tired with her current weight loss competition coming to a close.

Dinner was roast and potatoes. My favorite! We did a few small gifts and enjoyed a home made blue berry pie. Thanks family, what a great day.

Post Race Activities

Waiting in Line at Knotts / Oceanside Pier! / We're gonna miss this place


Sparkling Apple Juice / Garen, James and the ladies at Hooters

The first race is over and it was time to celebrate. I couldn't think of a better way than relaxing with some friends, heading to Hooters and watching George St. Pierre defend his title. And defend he did- what a stud! After a good nights rest we woke up, went to the coolest little breakfast place for some good eats then rolled out to Knotts Berry Farm. What a blast! My wife loves a good fast roller coaster, so that's what we did - rode roller coasters.

Post Race Cheese Burger

I love a good cheese burger. And www.cheeseandburger.com has 30 of them that I want to make and devour. After I do an event I am starving and frankly deserve a nice meal. Following each race I am going to create one of the 30 cheese burger sensations until I’ve enjoyed each and every one of them. If you can’t join me on the race course, join me on my cheese burger journey. Click on the video to see what we created. Burger #1 - The Casanova! Thank you Garen Winn.

Oceanside - The Run

1:36:52 Running... How will the body respond? I started the run with a million questions in my head. How is my knee? How is my IT? How is my foot? Am I healthy? Has Muscle Works done enough? Have I done enough? These questions were answered quickly. All systems go! This was spectacular run course. Crowds of people the entire time. Breath taking ocean views with every glance to the South. Mostly flat run with only a few quick climbs. As this was an out and back course, every climb you did you was rewarded with the equivalent of a decline. I started out running a 7:10 mile with my heart rate right around 160. I kept telling myself to slow down as I usually feel good coming off the bike and then run myself into the ground leading to that negative experience I didn't want to have. Checked my watch and told myself to focus on heart rate and not speed. 3 miles, 6 miles, 9 miles.... still feeling great. I stayed within my heart rate zones prescribed to me by coach Keena and all was still good. No knee pain, check. No stomach pain, check! Rounding the last corner for the home stretch my wife asked me how I was doing? I yelled out "I feel great, this is easy!" Right as I said it I instantly felt bad for the other competitors around me who may be struggling. But it was true, I felt good and it was easy. I guess proper preparation, a game plan and good execution is the key.

Oceanside - The Bike

2:38:18. After a smooth transition it was off on the Ellsworth TT for the 56 mile ride. Not knowing exactly where my fitness was I wanted to just go out slow and execute a consistent ride. Time didn't matter as I was focused on heart rate and saving something for the run. I wanted to ensure that race #1 was a positive one. The ride started out pretty fast and flat. I quickly got my heart rate up to 155 and locked it in. This made for a very enjoyable ride. I stayed well within my limits and never panicked. The weather was perfect, and the sights were amazing. It was also neat riding through camp Pendleton. Riding past army trucks and men with guns! After the half way mark of the ride it was steady climbing and some hefty winds. I didn't panic with the climbs and just settled in to a comfortable pace... no stress, no expectations. With about 6 miles to go this course gets fast. Flat to downhill terrain and smooth roads. One of the benefits to starting in the last wave was that I passed a lot of other athletes. This really helped the confidence ans I passed way more people than people passed me - a good ratio indeed. My Ellsworth bike was PERFECT. This bike is solid and fast. Speedy T2 - check.