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.