"Maybe we should fall in love" - Ironman Arizona 2014

"We find that we will take flight only when we fall: Maybe we should fall in love."
   
Outside of time it awaits, it lies in wait for your arrival. But you have to know where to look and more importantly be willing. Never confuse motion with progress, physically or emotionally. In order to redefine your limits you must be willing to push beyond yourself, beyond the boundaries you hold within. Do this and a journey of wonder will begin.

Post Ironman Wisconsin this September, it was time to make a decision, time to evaluate what Ironman Arizona would mean to me. I needed to decide what direction I would pursue in an effort to evaluate any kind of result IMAZ would provide. Would this be a race that I would look to the clock and time splits in search of a race identity or would it be something more? I had no idea.

My training for Ironman Arizona progressed on schedule. My head was clear where it hadn't been for other events this year. I was seeing a weekly if not daily physical progression in my build. My training montra had become "This race is today. Ironman Arizona will be physically fought today." Every battle is won before it's ever fought. I thought this would be enough. I was focused on my physically progression, as I should be, it's Ironman for goodness sake. Stay within yourself and get better each and every day.

But it seemed a bit empty...

I know these blog things are supposed to be about the race, a race report if you will. But that wouldn't tell the story of this race. Yes I swam, I biked and I ran. The distances are ridiculous and the race was physically daunting but that's part of the reason why we do these things, right?

Stepping off the plane in Phoenix on Thursday I was relatively relaxed and reasonably clear mentally. This is a race where it's easy to remain that way as long as you stay out of your own head. One of the things about racing here is the general public in the greater Phoenix area thinks of the event as that crazy race out there in Tempe. Outside the immediate area of the race village it's pretty much a non event. This makes it easy to step away from the race, unlike Madison or Coeur d'Alene where during race week the entire cities are immersed in Ironman. Here the media ignores the race, where in Madison it's front page news. We stay in Mesa where cruiser bikes are the norm so we get some strange looks when out test riding our tri bikes. We might as well be test driving a spaceship.

Friday Bootsy and I went down to the village to check in and to take a quick spin on the bike course. I have recently started to ride a Trek Speed Concept. I'm still finding my way around as far as making some adjustments. The newest technology has made this bike fast but also has made it a bit more challenging for a newbie to be confident in his bike mechanic skills. Because of this I decided to take the bike to an on site bike tech where they would dial it in to perfection. But...it took four hours. I wasn't the only nervous athlete who wanted a professional to give their bike the once over.

They guesstimated three hours to get the bike back but "it could be sooner". Because of this Bootsy and I elected to stay at the village and wait. We cruised the vendors killing time eventually finding a seat at a picnic table over looking the swim start. We wanted to take a minute to engage the race and really start to get our heads around what lie ahead.

As we sat together in near silence, Bootsy working through her race and me working through mine, it all came together. Ironman Arizona was a search. My coming back to what is arguably my home course would re-establish my love for the distance and for the course. I hadn't planned this search at all. I thought I had come to test myself which I did but the search was unplanned and frankly a bit of a surprise. As a triathlete that sounds a bit strange. My world is very structured, it has to be. My training plan is broken down to the minute. If you were to ask me this past January if I could join you for this or that on the third Saturday in October I could have answered your question. So the surprise of this race or to have this particular search step forward was to say the least, strange.

I am always looking to redefine my personal limits both mentally and physically. Can I go deeper in an effort to endure something larger then myself? Do I wish I could go faster? Yes! But the definition of this race would lie in something other then the numbers, something other then time. The definition of this race was about looking deep within myself. About searching for and finding a love that remains but sometimes gets confused with motion.

As I worked my way through race day, I didn't get caught up in the numbers: heart rate, power or time itself. I used them as parameters, it's a long day you have to. For this race the numbers were secondary, as secondary as they could have ever been. I used the numbers as a guidance system, but the driving force lie in my heart not as much in my head.

Photo by Kellee Crary

Photo by Timex Factory Team

For all this race has given back to me, I won't be back next year. I won't be back because I love this course, as backward as that may sound. I am stepping away from this course in effort to pledge my love. I want my true freedoms of this race to always remain. Racing here year in and year out may steal the innocence of that love. So, as of now I plan to come back to this course in 2017 but that's a long way out so we'll see.

Next year Bootsy and I will plan to toe the line at Ironman Coeur d'Alene. IMCDA will always be my first love and I am excited to see what lessons it will hold.

"So it's official now. There is nothing we can do. Now you're apart of me and I'm apart you. And we can see how one and one make more then two. Maybe we should fall in love."

Respect - Ironman Wisconsin 2014

“That which we manifest is before us; we are the creators of our own destiny. Be it through intention or ignorance, our successes and our failures have been brought on by none other than ourselves.” - Garth Stein

All Iron distance races challenge and if you let them, they will challenge in every way possible. It is up to you to do your very best to control what and how much that challenge may be. It is your sole responsibility to control the things you can and let go of the things you cannot, in every aspect of the event, both on and off the course. Iron distance races commanded respect and Ironman Wisconsin is in no way any different. Respect the race or pay a heavy price, those are your only choices. Respect must come early and continue until your final step or until Mike Reilly calls your name.

Photo by Bootsy

I happened upon a tweet a few months ago that I later looked back for but to no avail, I couldn't find it. At the time it was just another quote rolling down my twitter feed. I read it without much thought but little did know at the time, the words I haphazardly breezed across were the definition of what had been for me the past two and a half years.

For the two seasons leading up to this past Spring I had some niggles. Niggles being the chosen word because no one, especially a male, wants to admit to injury. Injury is an unspoken truth. Injury is weakness. Injury is regression.

But those two seasons are in the past and even at an age where recovery comes a little slower the body has a surprising resilience, an ability to heal and moving on. But the mind can be a completely different animal.

The afore mentioned tweet said something along the lines of "train to thrive not survive". There is a big difference between the two! Over the past two seasons I had been training with one sole and corrupt purpose, to survive. Although I didn't realize it at the time, my only goal for each workout, each day, and each race was to simply get through it, to survive and nothing more.

You train differently when you are training not to get hurt or to not re-injure yourself. My body had done its part but I had been left with a mind that had not been able to do the same. I had lost sight of any kind of mental toughness. I found that I had separated myself from the commitment to training first. The commitment to be out training when the weather is bad, the attitude is bad or the body felt bad under the stress of an Ironman build. I finally had it, my excuse. My reason to take it easy. To stay home when it rained and/or when I mentally just didn't want it. If I push I will re-injure myself, right? My head had been completely removed from the game.

When you live with a world class athlete who is as mentally tough as any person you have ever met, it's supposed to rub off a little. Bootsy is a machine! She has the ability to get through the most wretched stretch of training no matter what or how she is feeling. She just flat gets it done. She pushes me to do the same but only as much as she feels she can. She pushes because she cares and wants to see me do well, but ultimately she understand it's my race, it's my journey.

We all face limiters in life, be them self imposed or not. Limiters can be as simple as time itself. My true limiter for Ironman Wisconsin was my mind and how it elected to use time.

Madison Wisconsin - Sunday, September 7th. 2014.

The weather is predicted to be absolutely perfect, low to mid 70's with some late afternoon cloud cover and winds at 3 mph with gusts to 5 mph. You can't ask for anything better then that.

Lake Monona and swim start.
Photo by Bootsy

We are up early and out the door. A struggle with nutrition is already underway but I felt I was controlling it as I continued to take liquid calories almost until start time. Not a perfect approach to race day nutrition but it was the best I could do on this day. Liquids were the only thing I could keep down. Trust me, I tested solids earlier in the day. No love!

Leading up to this race I had been terrified of the water. Any discomfort came from the pool so I just refused to go. I flat wouldn't get in the water. So about three times a week I got the same text from Bootsy "You swimming tonight?" and the answer was always the same.

I swam less then I ever have or as "some" may argue not at all. I was in the pool a handful of times leading up to Troika and then Calgary but I honestly believed I would swim more as Ironman Wisconsin approached. It didn't happen. Some of it was timing of the race and a professional avalanche that comes this time of year but that wasn't everything. I was as mentally disengaged from swim fitness as I could have ever been.

The Swim -

In a word - uneventful. You get what you pay for so this was one of my slowest swims but not that far off what I normally would expect to swim on a percentage basis.

There has been a change to the swim course since I last raced here. It's now a single loop course and for an athlete who positioned himself to far back at the start, a single loop course was a welcome change. The pack had thinned by the second turn and I was able to settle in.

Swim exit is unique in the fact that you leave the shore to run up the helix, a spiral car ramp of the parking garage of the convention center. The helix is absoultly packed with people and the long run goes by very quickly but it does give me time to look into the eyes of the spectators drawing energy as I pass.

T1 - It's in a board room in the convention center. Kind of cool, crusing the hallways of what is a beautiful building overlooking Lake Monona in full race mood. A quick change and throw down a gel as I head to the sunscreen station.

The Bike -

Having run up the helix on the east end of the building, you ride down the helix on the west end of the building.

The bike course takes you out a 16 mile what will be an out and back section where you complete two 40 mile loops on an oval course in the Wisconsin farm land. So you ride out, do two loops then ride back to town. Because the majority of the ride is completed outside of Madison proper, there are buses to get the spectators out to view the ride. These buses dump the spectators at three very specific spots. There are three shortish (or longish depending on what part of the country you come from. I did hear some flat landers doing some whining out there. If you're from the midwest where the largest hills are the overpasses on your local highway then these hills are longish) steep hills were the fans are deliver. You put bus loads of people in sections of the course that are less the a quarter mile in length, you create quit an atmosphere. An atmosphere that I would liken to a mountain stage at the Tour de France. The atmosphere is electric, alive and in your face. And yes the devil makes an appearance.

The plan was to take the first loop very easy, which I did. I rode along enjoying the atmosphere and the beauty of the Wisconsin farm land. But as the miles slid by my stomach become more and more stressed and by the time I made my way around the first loop and back to special needs anything I put in was met with a gag reflex.

On the second loop my stomach continued down its path of non acceptance and as I drew near to the turn back to Madison I was reduced to trying to get simple water to stay down. I could sip very small amounts and with some effort I could get it down. I was thirsty but I couldn't deliver the hydration in quantities that would support my need.

As the miles passed my pace slowed and on the final 16 mile section back to town it was time to start forcing nutrition. There would be no way to chase calories I had missed but I would be forced to get something in or be faced with a decision in T2 of whether or not I could go on.

I slowed, even pulling over from time to time as I tried to get in a quarter or maybe as much as a half gel in. As I road along I watched and listened for other racers, trying to time any feeding so that no one else was in the immediate area.  If the nutrition was rejected I didn't want a fellow competitor to pay the price.

T2 - Took my time changing. I nursed a gel and a few ounces of water. I stopped at the sunscreen station before heading out on the run course.

The Run -

The first few miles of the marathon went better then I ever thought they would, I was running. I walked the aid stations searching for anything I could get in but was having limited success. Poor hydration had led to cramping but I was able to walk them off.

By mile eleven I was in trouble and I knew it. How much trouble would play out in the later miles of the marathon. That is if I could get to the later miles.

Reality - it can shift and change as the race progresses. Reality can be fluid and it can crush you.

I have always been aware of how harsh reality can be but I'd never been asked to face it squarely in a race. Yes, I have had some struggled in other races but this was different, this was deeper.

As I approached mile 14, I was still in search of a combination of nutrition I could get in and keep down. I was back to strictly water having tried bits of gels, energy drink, cola and at this late hour of the race, chicken broth. As my blood sugar slipped I was left to wonder, could I finish.

I continued going through a series of checks that ultimately boiled down to "can I run". Am I physically able to continue to run because it's a manifestation of deterioration and once I crossed that line to no longer being able to physically run, could I get back?

Time is an absolute reality. I thought if walked the last 8 to 10 miles it would take another 2 or 3 hours to get to the finish. As I pressed on time was replaced with distance. Not the distance to the finish line but the distance of how far I could go before my ability to move forward would stop. Not because I chose to stop but because my body no longer had the ability to move forward.

I have raced a few of these Iron distance races but this is the first time a DNF (Did not finish) had become a absolute reality. At this point in the race I truly believed I could not finish. That my nutrition would run out and I would no longer be able to move forward. A sobering moment for sure.

Night had fallen and it was very dark along the lake Mendota. As I walked through the total blackness I took stock. I wondered what this race meant to me and what a DNF would mean to an already soft mental approach to racing. As I worked the mental side of the game, my body seemed to be recovering a bit. I would continue to walk but I was able to get a few ounces of cola and chicken broth down.

By mile 20 I was back to a run/walk but I was able to run, all be it for only short distances at a time. This is where the race changed for me, I now thought I could finish. I had come from a mind set of just keep moving until I no longer can or someone pulls me off the course to, if I just keep moving I'm going to finish this thing.

In a lot of ways this race was a real disappointment and a boarder line disaster. I didn't show the proper respect to the race, to myself or to all those that support me in this crazy pursuit. In some ways I take pride in this race. I face a very dark reality and persevered, getting to the finish line.

The athlete is blurry because it after dark,
not because he is moving at a high rate of speed.

The ability to race the way I would like to race takes balance, anticipation and patience. But racing is also about the mind. It is about owning ones body and the race is just an extension of that body.

Bootsy raced well here in Madision so she again was on the podium. So we went to the awards ceremony to celebrate her accomplishment. We arrived early and found a table with plenty of room. As the ceremony approached and people filtered in, a very nice and genuine group asked if they could join us at our table. They made idle conversation about the race never letting on that they were pros and one of them had come second on the day. They were just athletes congratulating us all on finishing.

Bootsy on the podium.

Pro athletes within competition may at times be confused for someone who is selfish and egotistical. Try to say hello during a race or workout, it most likely will not elicit a response. But to be a champion you must have no ego at all, giving yourself over completely to the race. Confidence and self awareness can never be confused with egotism.

So it's time apply these lessons to my racing, my training, to my journey. Time to get my head in the game and to give myself back to the race - Ironman Arizona awaits.


What Ironman Wisconsin 2014 looked like for the masses - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kB8c0Z891vo

When a race is more then a race - Calgary 70.3

Under Western Canada's wide open skies lie a kaleidoscope of natural experiences. These are lands of brilliant glaciers, towering mountains, roaring rapids, cowboy heritage and lands were wildlife roam free. So much wildlife that signage warning of Elk, Bear and Wolf crossing are commonplace.

Such beauty sounds overwhelming and while the diversity of ways to spend a late July weekend in the Canadian West can be awe-inspiring, a fair amount of it's beauty can be seen in one single event.

When Ironman decided to bring a 70.3 to Calgary they got it right.

We signed up for Calgary 70.3 mainly because it fit the calendar. Bootsy's "A" race this year will be Ironman Wisconsin (I too am racing) so we thought it would be a good idea to get a mid summer 70.3 to test our fitness. Although Calgary is a bit of a drive at 7.5 to 8 hours, we thought it was a race close enough to make a quick trip and still serve our purpose. We had heard good things about the race and there have been some recent upgrades to the course so we put it on our race schedule.

And that's about it. I knew the race was out there but I never gave it much thought. I mean, I knew we were training for and would soon be racing a 70.3 but I pretty much stayed focused on the home front and that fact that IM WISCO is in the near future.

As per usual, Bootsy took the lead on the travel and lodging details. We were traveling and staying with friends in Calgary so again, no worries. As race day neared it came to my attention that there would be quite a local group racing.

A few of the Tri Fusion crew.
Photo by Tom Reisenauer

Friday before what was a Sunday race, we piled into the car and headed North. I had never been any further North then Cranbrook having traveled to Fort Steele with the Photo Arts Club in college so it had been a few years since having been even that far North. What lie ahead would get my quick attention.

As we traveled North from Cranbrook I was simply unprepared for the majestic beauty of the Canadian Rockies. They are truly magical in their scenic splendor. Seven parks of the Canadian Rockies form a striking mountain landscape. As we turned East at Radium Hot Spring we were met with the gateway to the park system, two lanes of traffic leading to pay stations for the purchase of park passes, only one lane for thru traffic. Hmmm... What do they know we don't? Thru traffic or not there was just no escaping it.

The bike portion of Calgary's 70.3 is point to point, so Saturday was spent getting our pre race workouts and dropping bikes and run gear. The swim is held in Audurn Bay Lake and there was some navigating that needed to be done to get us from there to the run venue at North Glenmore Park but with some effort we were able to preview both locations.

Pre race run about to get under way.
Photo by Tom Reisenauer

Preview of the run course.
Photo by Tom Reisenauer

Race morning went off without a hitch other then the fact that I had been placed in the F45-49 age group. I got it straightened out at check-in so I would in fact be swimming with the M45-49 AG (Male 45-49 age group) but my number and corresponding spot in transition would remain the same. This meant I would transition with the women. The only rooster in the henhouse but they were all very good to me.

The swim is held in a small lake where in order to get 1.2 miles it hugs the perimeter of what looks like a backwards y shaped lake. The swim went well. The water is shallow, clear and warm.

Out of the water and on the bike it was cool for the first section. We were quickly met with rolling hills so air temps in the low 50's weren't much of a going concern. 

Photo by Renate Kempen Hein

We would head out highway AB-22X up to Braggs Creek and straight into the foot hills of the Rockies. Here I found myself drifting mentally. You know the feeling of being somewhere and wishing you could stay for an extended period of time. There are few places like this in the world and the Canadian Rockies are one of them.

Once to Braggs Creek the course really picks up. It's slightly downhill back to town and really quite fast.

The run course has some challenges with a few steep pitches that drop you down to, then lift you out from Elbow River. The course then follows the path through Weaselhead Natural Environment Park. This scenic section is lined with Aspens providing deep shade and a backdrop that I envision Sherwood forrest would provide.

After the race we hung around for the awards, World Championship slot allocation and roll down. Bootsy was on the podium but would pass on a Worlds slot, Ironman Wisconsin is the same day. We had lots of friends who got slots to the Ironman 70.3 World Championship in Mont-Tremblant Canada so it was fun to sit, watch and listen as dreams came true.

I enjoyed Ironman Calgary 70.3 and I hope to be back in the near future. Part of the fun was the amount of teammates and friends that were racing. I could have never imagined driving 8 hours for a hometown race but that's what it felt like. With so many friendly faces, so much encouragement out on course and such a large group gathering after the race maybe Calgary was a hometown race away from home.

Here's a video of what the race looked like. (Yes I have a VERY brief cameo on the bike) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETfZgKnAWCI

Monday morning we were up and out the door early. We were headed to Banff, a small resort town nestled in the mountains of the Banff National Park, Canada's oldest national park. We visited the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel and had lunch in a nice little downtown pizza place.

Love the socks!

The Rockies are a region of Canada that more or less form a boarder between British Columbia and Alberta. The roads here are amongst the most beautiful that I have seen. Much of the Rocky mountains of Canada lie within various national and provincial parks. Yes, they got there first and figured it out fast. The Canadian Rockies continue southward into the states of Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, and New Mexico. Hmmm... Seems to me most if not all of these states host races. The bucket list may have just expanded.

Troika 2014...Three is Better Then One.

The Troika Triathlon is a local Tri that begins and ends in Medical Lake. This year was the 34th annual addition of the event and the first time there were two distances offered, a sprint and a half-iron. I chose the half-iron distance or maybe I should say it chose me.

I have participated in this race a few times over the years, it's a race I love to support. It's local, it's small, it's a race that a fair amount of athletes use to make the leap to long course. Troika was my first half-iron distance race.

When Ironman Coeur d'Alene was moved from Salt Lake, long course or Iron distance racing popped up on our radar. Having never raced long course it was a natural step to a half before stepping up to full iron distance. Troika was a perfect fit to make that happen.

Over the past few years I have raced Troika as part of a team. This year was not to be any different and Team Five Boobs was in place. Earlier in the year race director Scott Ward had spoke at a Tri Fusion monthly meeting about the race. He was kind enough to offer a free slot to both distances for raffle. Well guess who won the half-iron distance slot? That's right, me! I never win anything. Very cool!

I reached out to Scott about the team and he was glad to let us pay the difference between a free individual entry and a team entry. We were set to race as a mixed team. It would be Super Swimmer Tratz with me on the bike and Bootsy on the run. We were thrilled to have the opportunity to race together and liked our chances for a strong race.

Until...

I haven't been swimming much this Spring and my run has been coming along but is not in race condition. However the bike has been good and I was looking forward to a solid bike effort to evaluate my fitness. That was until about two weeks prior to the race when I got a text from Super Swimmer, she had fallen and broken her thumb, she was out. Bootsy has had a few niggles and went to Doc to try to work through them. The decision was made that it wasn't the best time for a race effort, so she was out. Team Five Boobs had been reduced to one single boob.

Once it became obvious that I would be racing solo a change in mental approach was needed. I would go from competing to participating, using this race as a long training day. This race would also serve to draw a baseline on where my fitness is and more importantly, how far I need to progress before Calgary.

In the days leading up to the race I felt no pressure. Just another training day, right? But I still went through the usual pre race prep, securing nutrition and changing out the bike with race gear.

Race morning I arrived a bite later then I had hoped but it was just a training day so my place in transition was of no real concern. I found a spot near the far end of transition with lots of room and athletes with the same mental state about the race as mine. It was a relaxed atmosphere to say the least and very welcome.

I squeezed into the wetsuit and headed down to the water. As the time for the gun approached I moved to the back, I had no interest in a quick start. There was plenty of room on the beach which made it easy to get off to a good start.

The issue with limited swim fitness usually doesn't manifest in the swim itself, my general fitness can carry me through the swim. The lack of swim fitness seems to bite me on the bottom side late in the day. Lack of swim fitness can costs me on the run.

Going into the race I, of course, had a range of times in my head I hoped to swim. Coming out of the water prior to what I thought I would was a highlight of the day but left me wondering if I went to hard and would pay later. Very few blow up in the swim. Everyone has only so much gas in the tank, the swim is the beginning of the emptying of that tank.

Photo by Tom Reisenauer

Out on the bike and I quickly settled in. Again, it's a smaller race so there aren't a lot of people to pass in the early part of the race even for a slower swimmer. There was a tailwind on the way out which pushed us along. It's not as easy to close on other riders with a strong tailwind. We were all moving along well and the miles were ticking off pretty quickly.

The turnaround brought us into a headwind which slowed the field. As we worked our way back toward town I was able to catch a teammate or two. It's always great to see friendly faces as you grind into the wind.

The last 6 or 8 miles I was pretty fidgety on the bike. The floatation of the wetsuit can add tension to my back but with good swim fitness it doesn't seem to bother me much. With limited swim fitness a tight back on the bike is just another price to pay. I would stand to stretch my back from time to time but the stretching and fidgeting were breaking my rhythm. This was costing me minutes not just the seconds it took to stretch my back.

Going into the race I knew the run would be the true test. How my body reacts to the stress of half-iron race pace would be found on the run course and I knew it.

The first loop of the three loop course was trying. My tummy wasn't exactly settled but I controlled it with some nutrition and Gummy Bears. Gotta love the Gummy Bears. I eventually came across friend, teammate, and super fan in Jessi T who had been out on course with her family all day. I was struggling to settle in on the run and when Jessi T encouraged/coached me to "find a rhythm", I had my starting point to build from for the rest of the run.

Photo by Jessi T/Tri Fusion

The second loop went better and seemed to slip by without much trouble. The third loop was a different story. This loop would prove to give me a good picture of where my fitness is currently. There is a lot of work to be done to get to where I hope I can with my fitness, but it was fun to race. With friends and teammates out on course doing the same thing I was, testing their fitness, it felt good to be racing in their company. It was great just to be out there racing with them.

Getting some high fives.
Photo by Reanna Guerrero

I love racing locally. Sometimes I forget just how great it can be. There were so many friendly face out on course with countless cheers of encouragement and high fives. It is a blessing to be able to draw energy from the folks that have come to support you and the race as a whole. And on this "long training day", I can't say thank you enough to everybody out there. My memories of this race will always be filled with your encouragement and smiling faces!

First Love

"I am glad it cannot happen twice, the fever of first love. For it is a fever, and a burden, too, whatever the poets may say." - Daphne du Maurier

There is no second guessing it, you will know. It's like nothing you've ever felt before. You're anxious but nervous, yet completely comfortable. Thoughts bring smiles without realizing it. The feeling never fades and can actually get stronger with time.

Photo by Bootsy

In January of 2010 Bootsy and I were in Tempe for the Arizona Rock'n'Roll Half Marathon. Since we were signed up for Ironman Arizona in the fall we thought we would kill two birds with one stone and preview the IM race course while in town. Renting road bikes to do so seemed like a good idea at the time.

Big mistake! Huge!

Our rentals in Arizona were just the beginning of a love affair for Bootsy, it proved to rekindle an old flame in me. Subsequently, we have rented road bikes on other occasions as well. Once riding the vineyards in the Portland, Oregon area and again locally when our tri bikes were in the shop being tuned.

Bootsy has been sucking around about road bikes for more then a few years now and our foray into rentals had only proven to fuel her fire. I had never jumped on board, always with excuses; "We have races to train for so lets stick to the tri bikes. It's an expense that isn't needed outside of our triathlon pursuits."

The reality is that I know my love for road bikes, with the comfort and stiffness they provide. Just the thought of the ride brings the taste of adrenaline to the back of my throat and reminds me how the road whispers to me as if it were a secret. I simply didn't want my love for losing myself in a ride to interfere with the complexity of triathlon training.

This year we have chosen to race late in the season so we aren't under the same riggers of early season triathlon training. We are training regularly but with a little more latitude and a fair amount of our scheduled rides written as "Endurance Bike - Mountain or Road".

Enter road bikes...

I hate to say it but Bootsy and I aren't getting any younger. We have raced long course triathlon a bit over the past few years and realize we will eventually begin to slide away from the stringent nature of year to year Iron distance training. We can see ourselves moving more toward organized events and away from a regular race schedule.

Grand Fondos and weekend rides through specific areas in our region are things we see ourself doing. Places where we can combine our love for cycling and the intimate views it provides with some photography are things we would like to start knocking of the bucket list. There are plenty of places we've breezed through in the car maybe stopping to get a quick picture or two that we have wondered if we would like to get back to and ride through.

We have the privilege of living in the West. From weekend rides through the San Juan Islands to rides through the mountain of Montana to the rugged beauty of the Badlands of South Dakota, these are just a few areas well within reach. Some of these areas, with their amazing beauty, have pulled us back toward road bikes and the freedoms they provide.

Photo by Scott Jones

So as my Tri bike lies in wait for my return to regular riding this summer, I ride the road and some trails. Yes it's true, I have more then one love and I will return soon enough but first love can be a temptress. A longing can exist for her touch, her feel and how you just may have felt in days gone by.

Bloomsday

The Lilac Bloomsday Run, more commonly known simply as Bloomsday, is one of the largest timed road races in the world. The race is held annually on the first weekend in May. Bloomsday starts and ends in the streets of downtown Spokane, in between is where the magic lies. This 12km (7.46 mi) race was first held in 1977, making this years addition the 37th. running. This year was my 26th. consecutive running.

Photo by Bloomsday Run

There were 50,000+ signed up for this years race. In it's zenith, 61,298 participants registered for this spectacle. With crowds of this size most people fall on one side or the other. You either don't do the race because of the crowds or that's exactly why you do the race. I fall on the latter side.

I first witnessed the race in 1988. I was in photography school locally and some friends were participating so I grabbed my camera and headed down to the race. I found what I thought would be a good vantage point to get some shots and had it in my head that I would be able to catch them as they passed. Needle in a haystack?

My chosen spot was roadside at about the one mile maker of the race. When I say roadside, what I mean is on the curb. There is a 4 to 5 foot grass area between the road and the sidewalk which then leads to an uphill to what has now become the M.A.C.

I took a few photos of the lead runners and the crowd as a whole as the masses grew. Looking through the viewfinder in search of a few images that might tell the story of the race, I failed to understand exactly how the crowd of racers were growing. The race had swollen beyond the confines of the road itself and had quickly engulfed the entire area from sidewalk to sidewalk. This leaving me to find refuge behind a tree, refuge from the race itself. I was trapped on the curb by the shear masses as they passed. I waited, I wondered, I laughed, trapped behind the tree, trapped by humanity. In that moment I knew I had to be part of this.

Fast forward 26 years...

Sunday I was blessed with another Bloomsday. Bloomsday has grown to be much more then just a 12km run through the beauty of Spring in Spokane. It's a tradition. Bloomsday is the only event that continues to be on my must do list year after year. There have been years when my entire training focus has been on this race and that has brought P.R.'s. I have also limped my way through the race after knee surgery. I have raced Wildflower on a Saturday, only to return to Spokane early Sunday morning to complete the race. There have been Bloomsday's in the heat, there have been Bloomsday's in the snow and everything in between. My 26 start lines have brought plenty but not everything. I will continue to race for one reason and one reason only, I want to. I couldn't imagine not doing Bloomsday each year. It's been in my blood since 1988.

Timex Factory Team

It is truly an honor to have been selected to represent the TIMEX brand during the 2014 racing season as part of the Timex Factory Team. I will be joining more then 300 multisport and endurance athletes from across the country and around the world. I am very excited about this opportunity as Timex has a long history as one of the premier multisport teams in the world.

Log on to learn more about the Timex Factory Team and the phenomenal opportunities Timex has to offer.

Teammates: The push and pull.

I committed to doing the Snake River Tri long ago. I signed up on day one of the race.

This race has long been one of my favorite early season triathlons. It's a quirky race for sure. The swim is held Friday night, the bike and run are in Lewiston Idaho Saturday morning. Name another race where a 19 hour T1 is considered a good split.

In an effort to give back to our local community's early triathlon season and to support a great race put on by some great people, Team TriFusion has stepped up to sponsor a swim right here in Spokane.

The last time I was in the water was Sunday, November 19th for Ironman Arizona. I haven't been swimming at all and that's "by design". After a conscious effort to take some time away after IMAZ, my training has been light this Spring. Under the direction of my Doctor, I am to work on my bike and run first. Using those two disciplines to start building a base for the season, the swim will come last. Because of this I had some reservations about signing up for this race.

I got into the pool for a 500 yard swim with the encouragement and some light ribbing from teammates. I knew it would be a challenge. You can't take that kind of time away from the pool, show up to give an all out effort and think it's going to go well. It went as expected. I was out of the water in 35th place...You get what you pay for.

T1 - My favorite T1 in all of racing.

After helping with the timing and recording of other swimmers, we cleaned up and headed to dinner. Eight friends and teammates had a great Mexican meal where I was sure to order a single adult beverage only so I could claim I had a beer in T1.

The following morning Bootsy and I were up and on our way to Lewiston by 6:30 a.m. We arrived in time to find a good spot in transition and time for a quick warm up.

The race was scheduled to start at 10 a.m. but keeping in the low key nature of the race, it started shortly after the top of the hour. And in keeping with the quirky nature of the race itself, the participants line up at the far end of transition and after the gun fires you stand around waiting for the clock to hit your swim time. So if your swim time was 7 minutes 30 seconds you waited at the start line until the clock shows 0:7:30 and off you go. The gun fired and we all just stood around, some of us posing for pictures.

Photo by Fiona Dobbins

As we stood waiting for our individual times to appear on the race clock a few jabs began to fly. Kellee was first to throw the gauntlet which landed squarely at my feet. Just something friends do in an effort to push each other to make sure they are prepared and willing to give their all. She quipped how she would out split me on the bike. Kellee is a world class athlete, qualifying and racing Boston, she has out split me on the bike in other events. At Ironman Coeur d'Alene this past summer I wasn't in her time zone off the bike. The guys quickly picked up on it and the challenge was on.

This race features a 13 mile bike course which takes you 6.5 mile straight up Tammany Creek Grade on an out and back course which naturally comes 6.5 mile straight back down. I settled in quickly and found a good rhythm. Do to my level of fitness (or lack there of) the obvious plan was to race on feel. I would error on the side of over riding in hopes of taking back more time on the bike then I would give up on the run. Never a solid race plan by any means but I knew my run wouldn't be strong whatever the case. I was having some luck moving through the field and when I came upon Kellee my intention was not to lift my effort or rhythm. Passing just off her left shoulder I gave her a "jump on my wheel". Missing my wheel she did lift her effort to match mine. This is another thing I love about small races and triathlon as a whole, pushing each other in an effort to get their very best. 

When I hit the turnaround at the midway point, Kellee was standing right on top of me. I knew she would get me in the run but I was glad I could help pull a friend along on the bike. Turning for the bottom I pushed hard knowing gravity never takes a day off and my oversized frame would need to rely heavily on that. I got off the bike 10th overall.

Bootsy had elected not to race but was kind enough to travel with me. She was standing just out of T2 as I began the run. As I started out I wondered if I were "running" at all. After the race Bootsy confirmed my doubts asking "How was your run? You looked like you were struggling out of T2". Never able to settle into a good rhythm, I used heart rate to control or push my effort, not worrying about pace. Shortly after the turnaround Kellee returned the favor with a quick hand slap of recognition as she passed with a "come on let's run this in together". The only thing I could do was to utter "Go get yours Girl" or I'm all in and there is nothing I can do to match that pace.

I came to this race with some reservation but it didn't disappoint. The Snake River Tri proved fun as always in its own quirky way. I enjoyed spending time with friends and teammates, pushing each other, supporting each other, ribbing each other. I finished second in my age group well behind a teammate who had turned himself inside out in an effort to test his fitness. This guy left it all out there, tromboning what was left of his breakfast just past the finish line. Whether a fellow competitor finishes 10 minutes ahead of me or 20 minutes behind, pushing themselves hard enough to leave the remainder of their breakfast on the sidewalk always leaves me asking if I did enough. Did I leave it all out there? Next time can I go harder, push myself further?

Photo by Tom Reisenauer

After returning to Spokane, Bootsy and I had some lunch and a quick nap before heading down to a local brewery to hear a long time friend play some music and to celebrate a birthday. Bootsy convinced me to ride the mountain bikes down. She thought it would be a good idea to spin out the legs that had tightened up from a sprint effort. This proved to be a great idea and a reminder that we don't do enough of this. With the weather changing for the better I hope we continue to take the opportunity to do more of this kind of thing. It proved to be a great day all around I must say.

Music and a birthday at the Iron Goat

"So many castles to storm and so little time."

A new season has begun and with it comes new challenges and new goals. Because goals are merely dreams that are time bound, I find it easier to compartmentalize and to commit to them. Bootsie and I are continuing in our commitment to Iron distance racing and with any luck we will both compete in two this year. We hope our blessings of good health and a few finish lines will continue.

Iron distance racing provides many life lessons. One of which is how to do more with less. How to squeeze in one more run, one more ride, one more mile, one more minute. Without careful consideration this can become the pursuit of a single direction, a single and consuming goal.

Last year, although I raced very little or almost not at all as far as number of races within a season, I was lucky enough to toe the line twice. In that, I still struggled with the fact that the process of those two events became more then I was comfortable with.  There were other highlights within the calendar year, graduations, trips abroad, and some simpler times spent alone with Bootsie but for me, things outside of racing were a little bent by the process of getting to the next start line. As I saw it, to many things away from racing were controlled by the process of getting to race day. I began to lose sight of my "Castles" or some of my life pursuits as I chased large goals.

So how do I correct this? I will choose to chase smaller goals and to focus on the smaller things within the process. Now, that being said, Bootsie and I are signed up for Calgary 70.3, Ironman Wisconsin and Ironman Arizona. These will be the races we build our season around. Our large goals will lie in these races.

But…

Because of the enormity of Iron distance races and what I would like to think of as respect for the distance, the training it takes to get to the start line and for the other athletes who have done the same, I find I am not very engaging in and around Iron distance races. I find myself focused solely on the event itself. So lately I have been scouring the local race schedules. I have a strong desire to include in my race schedule smaller local events. Events where I can reconnect with my roots, with friends and with teammates.  I have sorely missed hanging out with folks as we set up transition, the post race stories of the day and "refueling" stops on the way home. Races like The Snake River Triathlon, Founders Day Trail Blazer Tri and The Palouse River Duathlon are among the events I am pretty excited about participating in this year.

After IMAZ in November, I knew it was time to take a break from any kind of pursuit both physically and mentally. I wanted to let it come to me. I have been waiting to start any kind of regular training until that happens. I have been doing what sounds good and sometimes that means nothing at all. Truth be told, last weekend I actually built my tri bike which had remained in the bike box since traveling home from Arizona. I have however been riding my mountain bike from time to time.

So it's time to bring this season into focus and get back to smaller and better things.