tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-282382172024-03-12T22:45:03.905-07:00Roger ThompsonRule #76: "No Excuses, Play Like A Champion."Roger Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02463326772396925975noreply@blogger.comBlogger144125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28238217.post-23315151388818137842013-02-23T17:46:00.001-08:002013-03-05T18:48:02.533-08:00Accountability.Often when you ride by yourself you know where the tough routes are and ways around them. There are those few occasions that you seek out those tough routes early on just to stretch your legs, and lungs, out. White Rd. is one if those roads. At 1 mile in length and 15% grade, it isn't a hill I will seek out too often. I just happen to be in the neighborhood. <br/><br/><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG1HMc4zyoydkJ5Fsvkkph7c-bB6f3pz18_dFA37_rz6AGIue88_lOzucn1bsWNXbO8peKbfONY0osIJcOHUkUSsdWfTinviH6hpfiqPfcuACpYbMcy2F01-yoN2mSTgdOrR18/s640/blogger-image-315953424.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG1HMc4zyoydkJ5Fsvkkph7c-bB6f3pz18_dFA37_rz6AGIue88_lOzucn1bsWNXbO8peKbfONY0osIJcOHUkUSsdWfTinviH6hpfiqPfcuACpYbMcy2F01-yoN2mSTgdOrR18/s640/blogger-image-315953424.jpg" /></a></div> <br/><br/><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSJmsPIsUl-Y8XQAuHjHj_72DHa_KGAn-_GdroyAzamb_ScYkxeaa_wAOtYDEk1uBhSACWAK8blKrRl_j3zamAvgBb9KIp0_sb-sNf5FSbXoebEnKaMoMxG3R4T9nhfX58oBQG/s640/blogger-image--1613763097.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSJmsPIsUl-Y8XQAuHjHj_72DHa_KGAn-_GdroyAzamb_ScYkxeaa_wAOtYDEk1uBhSACWAK8blKrRl_j3zamAvgBb9KIp0_sb-sNf5FSbXoebEnKaMoMxG3R4T9nhfX58oBQG/s640/blogger-image--1613763097.jpg" /></a></div> <br/><br/><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih3LqLfOxkZid8wcnKtWYQe3GTzov2brN0bu-4mMCxDpMNwjs1TYEWIP6PDZF5abstmO4izqCQx9cEYTQjsscaVUN3eczsOX-Q_kokE-Uk1_LdgVGjMKZcWOVX_XnyD198Ovhv/s640/blogger-image--1436884456.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih3LqLfOxkZid8wcnKtWYQe3GTzov2brN0bu-4mMCxDpMNwjs1TYEWIP6PDZF5abstmO4izqCQx9cEYTQjsscaVUN3eczsOX-Q_kokE-Uk1_LdgVGjMKZcWOVX_XnyD198Ovhv/s640/blogger-image--1436884456.jpg" /></a></div>Roger Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02463326772396925975noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28238217.post-73181055063793455502013-02-16T17:18:00.001-08:002013-02-16T17:18:09.401-08:00BloodJust learning about watches at Timex camp. Ya know, same ol' same ol'. <br/><br/><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivtqlgLgi5Wr2cEGxUqEod5zVA2Mk-xsluqR0CQT1txhEIEp1zjr8TL5Y5pLZi026x5H9lvxNN-wFGmFtmn2Yufw2gedufk-0suxMpu-8OJUNMmCQHdDJMllB3WXI1rHwfQABS/s640/blogger-image--126743193.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivtqlgLgi5Wr2cEGxUqEod5zVA2Mk-xsluqR0CQT1txhEIEp1zjr8TL5Y5pLZi026x5H9lvxNN-wFGmFtmn2Yufw2gedufk-0suxMpu-8OJUNMmCQHdDJMllB3WXI1rHwfQABS/s640/blogger-image--126743193.jpg" /></a></div>Roger Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02463326772396925975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28238217.post-18380167661903718662012-09-26T21:00:00.001-07:002012-09-26T21:27:30.491-07:00Portland Triathlon. BOUS Qualifier.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Calm Before The Storm</td></tr>
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Portland Triathlon…this has been a race that I have wanted
to do for a few years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Big city,
big race, big fields.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Finally I
was able to step up to the line this year at its new location.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The start was on the Willamette riverbank right
below St. John’s bridge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The same
bridge you run over in the Portland Marathon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have to say that when you look from the transition area,
located under the bridge, it seems like an awful lot of vertical feet you have
to climb.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And it was.
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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After driving over the night before with Greg and Natalie,
we stayed at the Swansons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
sounds like a resort, and in a way, it was.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tim and Andi treated us to phenomenal hospitality,
a phenomenal dinner, and phenomenal accommodations in their phenomenal new
home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tim likes it when I use the
word ‘phenomenal.’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Staying with
the Swanson family was a lot of fun and afforded us an opportunity to catch up
and step out of “race mode.” </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But, race morning came and we were up before the sun and at
the race venue before the sun as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The morning was cool, and forecasted temps were in the mid 70s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A typical early fall day.</div>
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<br /></div>
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The swim was in the Willamette, which is a river with
minimal current.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But based on the
swim times, there must have been more current that I suspected.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We went off in waves and I was the 3<sup>rd</sup>
of the 4 waves for the men.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> I didn't mind because </span>I like
racing from behind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Though the
swim is a little chaotic, it’s nice to see people on the bike and run.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the start, I was able to catch up
with some athletes I had not seen for a bit, who would also be likely the most
competitive people as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A
couple of the guys were super cyclist David Gettle, and all rounder Craig Dean
(who also writes for racecenter.com).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Gettle was finishing his long season here in Portland, and Craig was just
coming off a first time Ironman finish up in Canada in a smoking time of
9:50.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I knew there would be others
that I didn’t know that would pop up as well. Gettle started 2 minutes ahead in
wave 2.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So I could use him as a
marker for my race.</div>
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<br /></div>
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The swim was interesting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Right when the horn sounded, I took one step and dove
in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On my first stroke, I felt a
hand/arm hit my face and my goggles immediately shifted to a 45 degree angle on
my face.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I understand that you can
easily adjust your goggles when swimming, but trying to do that in the first
100 meters of a race would be stupid.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>So I swam by feel a bit for the first 300 yards to a point where I felt
there was a little separation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
rolled over on my back, did a quick flip of my B70 goggles, and was on my
way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We swam directly into the
sun, and with the multiple waves ahead, there was really nothing to spot
off of.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I just kept plodding along, not
really “working” too hard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
eventually made the turn at the far end and was heading back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have found that when you cannot
really see where you are going, it is better to relax and swim smart rather
than going hard in the wrong direction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I used people as my guide as well as the shoreline.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heading Out</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heading Into T2</td></tr>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
I exited the water and felt relatively good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was running quite well up the ramp
and to T1.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I could hear some
cheers for me and figured they were from the Swansons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nice to hear that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I race away from home, and my
family isn’t with me, I miss those cheers from Jessi and the tiny, yet
enormous, voice of Emma.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Owen
might chime in too by setting off the car alarm with the remote.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>T1 wasn’t a short run, but not too long
either. I peeled off my B70 Helix and was able to get on my shoes quickly. I
decided to put on my cycling shoes in T1 since the start of the bike was
immediately up hill…like a 15% hill.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>If I were to wait until I was on my bike, it may not happen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All was going to plan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My QR CD0.1 was running smooth as
always producing the power I needed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>At the top of the hill, about 1k in, I passed Gettle, and he knew
it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I could hear him pick it up to
match my pace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I decided to ride a
little harder than I normally do for the first bit, but no later than 2
minutes, Gettle came by me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
decided to see what kind of ‘relative’ watts he was pushing to see how far off
I was.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It seemed he was lower than
what I was doing, but decided to stay behind for a bit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After a mile or so, I made the
pass.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After 4 more miles, I saw
that I had about 10-15 seconds on him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Hmmm…not too much.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But
after another 4 miles the gap grew to about 30 seconds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think I was starting to put some time
into him now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I kept it
steady and rolled into T2 feeling ready for the run and the…gulp…hill.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finishing The Run</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This run was all over the place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Steep ups, downs, paths, roads, sidewalks, bridges…you name
it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It never got boring.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Right when I left T2, Greg said, “It’s
steep at the start.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Darn, it must
be bad.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But I just settled in and
kept on moving forward.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The top
came and I was back up to full speed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I was told that I was in 2<sup>nd</sup>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hmmm…in all reality I knew he did not really know my “place”
but he did know that there was one person ahead of me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I eventually had him in my sight, and I
could see the lead bike for him as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I passed him near 2.5 and was now the ‘leader.’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I kept telling myself to relax and
settle in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No reason to reach for
anything right now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Get to 5
miles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was running across the
St. John’s bridge and was feeling good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It was nice to see all the others out there too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I gave people I came up on a little pat
on the back, and a ‘nice work,’ when I went by.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The last kilometer is pretty much downhill and I tried not
to kill myself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I came into the
finish and saw the Swansons, and Gallaghers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Again, friendly faces.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I gave the lead bike rider a high 5, and made the turn to the
finish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I snuck in under 2 hours
on a good course.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nice!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Finish</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The rest of the day was spent eating post race food and
waiting to awards.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is always
a nice time to catch up with people and hear about the day’s events.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was able to talk with the director
who wanted to know what changes could be made, which is always nice to
hear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But in the big picture, they
did very well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just under 1000
people at a new race site in a city.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>That alone is a tough one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They did amazingly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
walked away with a cool trophy and some prizes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fruits of a hard 2 hours work.</div>
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<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption">I Never Had A Bowling Trophy...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
Thanks to all the amazing staff at TIMEX, and TIMEX Multisport, for outfitting the team, and giving us the support we need to perform at our best.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
Craig Dean, racecenter.com writer, did a race report for this event too. I, personally, like it a lot. If you read it, you will see why. It can be found <a href="http://www.racecenter.com/2012/09/race-report-2012-portland-triathlon-olympic-distance/" target="_blank">HERE</a>.</div>
Roger Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02463326772396925975noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28238217.post-40997753275913317572012-09-25T22:20:00.000-07:002012-09-25T22:08:32.076-07:00Titanium Man<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
When someone asks me about this race, the first thing I say is, "It is only $35, it's chip timed, and us USAT sanctioned." Really, what else do you need to say?<br />
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This would be my second time racing here...last year was the first when I won it in a time of 1:53. With all that had been going on this year, I was a little suspicious if I would be able to get anywhere near that time.<br />
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Par for the course, I got into the water about 3 minutes before the race start. It is a current aided swim which means that for a warm up, you can swim against the current.<br />
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The horn sounded and we were off. I did not feel like I took advantage of the current as much as I could have, but I was out of the water and onto the bike. This course is a pretty tough course. Nothing crazy, but it isn't flat and there are quite a few technical areas. I was off on the bike and passed a few people in the first mile. Mostly teams and better swimmers. I saw a few bikes up the road that I was SLOWLY pulling back. I was hoping they were teams...just like last year. I felt like I was moving well and hit the turn a little off the lead two guys, who were teams, who seemed to be riding awfully close to one another. Oh well, keep going.<br />
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I came into T2 and was out of there quickly. I tried to settle into a solid run and keep a quick turnover and good form. There were 2 people up ahead. I hit the turn and took a split. I caught one of the teams and wanted to run with them for a bit, but they slowed down too much. So I pressed on. I saw the second individual and knew I had a good lead on him. But you always need to run an honest run. That way you know what you can do.<br />
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I neared the finish and made the gradual uphill to the finish. I saw the clock (with my feeble eyesight) and saw that clock change from 1:49 to 1:50. Ah, man. I was so close to going under 1:50! That's crazy! All in all my bike and run went well. My swim is coming along, but does not seem to be killing my race.<br />
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Here is a link to a newpaper article in the local paper: <a href="http://www.tri-cityherald.com/2012/09/01/2084003/thompson-defends-ironman-triathlon.html" target="_blank">HERE </a><br />
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Thanks to Natalie (pictures are all from her), Greg, and Dave for coming along and making it another memorable day.Roger Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02463326772396925975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28238217.post-36825391652574943002012-09-25T22:06:00.001-07:002012-09-25T22:06:16.391-07:00Priest Lake Triathlon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This is a must do race that takes place in northern Idaho on a phenomenal lake. The directors do an amazing job improving it each year and taking feedback to heart.<br />
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This year Jessi and I decided to drive up there the day of the race...about 1:30 drive. After the race, we planned on heading up to Canada to watch the last IM Canada in Penticton and cheer on many friends racing. It was to be a VERY busy weekend.<br />
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On the drive up to Priest Lake, the temps were a tad on the chilly side...like 31 degrees. But once the sun came out, it warmed up quickly. Since Jessi was not racing, she kindly set up my transition. Something that it seems to take me a long time to do. I tend to 'chat' more than I get ready.<br />
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The water temp was beautiful and the water crystal clear. The swim start was fast, but I soon found myself leading my wave. I knew that I had a couple near, but they were not interested in taking the lead...which I am fine with. After exciting the swim, it is a bit of an uphill run to T1. My B70 Helix came off quickly and I was already grabbing my Rudy Project helmet and glasses. Jessi had put toe covers on my shoes since it was so cold, which I appreciated. I took off quickly and tried to settle into a sold pace. But, for some reason, things didn't feel right. I was working hard, but I felt 'off.' I had a hard time getting in nutrition. But I pressed on. I later realized that the bike was a couple miles short I suspect. But that was okay.<br />
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The run is out a dirt road that wonders up hill, rolling most of it. I hit the turn and was headed for the finish. I took a split and knew I had a decent lead. I pushed all the way to the finish and felt I ran well.<br />
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It was a great race and it was also great to see Brian Hadley out there racing again too. Congrats to 3rd overall male, Nate Birdsall as well. We got some fast fellas up here in the PNW.<br />
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Roger Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02463326772396925975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28238217.post-25119935834370503582012-08-14T10:13:00.001-07:002012-08-16T09:12:50.962-07:00Cda 3.0 "Overcoming"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Race start, Wave #2. I am the one in the white cap and black suit...with goggles.</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo by James Richman </span></i></div>
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Before I even start this post, I must give credit for the
pics to the generous people, with their talent and time, who took them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Without them, this blog post would be,
well, boring.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thanks to James
Richman, Bryan Rowe, and Tanya O-Keefe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Great pics, and ones that I could not have taken myself…for
obvious reasons.</div>
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This post is mainly about the Cda Scenic Challenge
triathlon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One which I have
written about on a few occasions. The 2011 post <a href="http://roger-thompson.blogspot.com/2011/10/cda-triathlon-20.html">HERE</a>, the 2009 <a href="http://roger-thompson.blogspot.com/2009/08/results-are-incda-olympic-race-4-roger.html">HERE</a>, 2008 <a href="http://roger-thompson.blogspot.com/2008/08/cda-oly-race.html">HERE</a>). This event is near and dear to me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It always seems to teach me something…something that I must overcome in
some facet or another. It challenges me physically as well as emotionally.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I feel so much pressure when racing
this event... not from others, but from myself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I try and downplay it,
but no matter what my fitness level, I have never been able to go into it
saying, ‘Ah, it’s just another race and I want to have fun.’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think it’s the history from the first
time I raced it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have raced 3
different courses here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And no
matter the course, it has always been a challenge on multiple fronts. </div>
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1997- My first Oly tri.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just get it done…and I barely did.</div>
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1998- I was done with my triathlon season in June.</div>
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1999-2002 No triathlons at all.</div>
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2003- I was sick, and wondered why I was even there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Suffered through but wasn’t happy.</div>
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2004- I was racing well, but never really did ‘well’ at Cda.
This year I ended up 2<sup>nd</sup> overall to Matt Seeley, and the first time
I beat Cda uber triathlete Brian Hadley.</div>
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2005- I was at Nationals, which was cancelled the day of the
race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I tried to fly home to race
Cda…but couldn’t make it happen.</div>
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2006- Focus was on IM<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Canada and Kona and did not race.</div>
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2007- Focus was on IM<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Canada and Kona and did not race.</div>
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2008- I was in great form, but fell apart late in the bike
after a few mishaps. (Later to find out that I was under-fueling on all Oly
races).</div>
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2009- Nailed it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>First time I won Cda Tri.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This was the greatest ‘personal’ race for me.</div>
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2010- Did not race any triathlons because I was hit by a car
in May.</div>
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2011- Training was focused more on family.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This would be a test to see what would
happen when triathlon was a 3<sup>rd</sup> tier priority.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Result, overall win.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Crazy.</div>
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2012- read on…</div>
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This year would be no different than the other years…a few
hurdles before the race even started.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Of course, the one mentioned in the prior post (<a href="http://roger-thompson.blogspot.com/2012/07/mris-coumadin-dissecting-arteries-what.html">HERE</a>) regarding the vertebral
dissecting artery, and to add to that, I strained my calf the Sunday
prior.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As a result, I did not run
at all the week and focused recovery which included 2 massages at Elements
Therapeutic Massage, icing, heat, electro stim, stretching…you name it. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a part of the training each
day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The question was, would I
even be able to race?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even the day
before the race I was limping around a bit favoring the calf.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I did a little pre race run, just to
test it a little for about 5 minutes, and determined that it bothered me a
little, but didn’t seem to as much at harder efforts.</div>
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Race day I woke at 4:05 am, and the calf was definitely
tight, and a little sore.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But as I
walked around a little, it seemed to feel a bit better.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was counting on a swim and bike to
help with blood flow to loosen it up to run.</div>
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I got to the race site at 5:30am.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Found a spot on the rack, and placed some of my stuff
there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Immediately I realized I
was next to someone I knew and we chatted a bit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then I saw Brad Vanwert, a local legend and USAT official,
and chatted with him a bit about races, bikes, airplanes…really just about
everything.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I told him about my
calf and he gave me some really good advice…don’t race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I figured if my calf acted up, I would
stop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I saw so many other people
there, that I had to catch up with, before the race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I eventually had to get ready and sort out my transition
area.</div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinJnO91kg7i0uaVFi4g-yL2Hsh2fsZIJS96IySsU3NCozKbTnMU-mfrVV_O-Nf3T-vwA9AfzG4b5wfdDBN2-C758aQo4lkp3tSti18gLzXXTvZ6q6Z86J9qdK-eXkBgtKB9jcd/s1600/Picture+29.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinJnO91kg7i0uaVFi4g-yL2Hsh2fsZIJS96IySsU3NCozKbTnMU-mfrVV_O-Nf3T-vwA9AfzG4b5wfdDBN2-C758aQo4lkp3tSti18gLzXXTvZ6q6Z86J9qdK-eXkBgtKB9jcd/s400/Picture+29.png" width="226" /></a></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Not the most organized Transition Area...better work on that </span></i></div>
<br />
This race has 3 different start times: 39 and under, 40 and
over, and teams/Clydesdales.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They
are all separated by 10 minutes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Since I am an old guy, 40 years old, this meant that I started at
7:10.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To me, this is a nice spot
to start.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Though it is a little
congested on the swim, once I start catching the wave ahead, it’s fun to see
other people out on the course, e.g. the bike.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It also gives me an idea as to where the competition is. As long as I could keep the gap less than 10 minutes by the end, I would be ahead.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I pulled from my bag my brand new B70 Helix…still in the
plastic bag.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know, ‘never try
something new race day,’ but I have raced in this suit for years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why not?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I noticed there has been some significant changes to the
suit over the past few years…I was hoping they would help me.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmF5qZltNRPWq5I8yYFcUQx7YwGHRR9J5UT9O6mOhGHkNq7RA0c8Whr_4TYMUgzemr6OC6yCIumD9pbwNJ2VMD3FFr_iHp8u4BeeAwhqw5ao_AndaMvpT12N9Id5pZ66sGBNBd/s1600/Picture+24.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmF5qZltNRPWq5I8yYFcUQx7YwGHRR9J5UT9O6mOhGHkNq7RA0c8Whr_4TYMUgzemr6OC6yCIumD9pbwNJ2VMD3FFr_iHp8u4BeeAwhqw5ao_AndaMvpT12N9Id5pZ66sGBNBd/s400/Picture+24.png" width="345" /></a></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Pre Swim in my new B70 Helix.</i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Photo by Mike Winnett</i></span></div>
<br />
I rolled down to the start and got in a 1 minute warm
up…pointless really.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I looked
around to see some familiar faces.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>With goggles and swim caps, it is tough to spot ‘familiar faces.’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But I did see one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Gulp.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Matt Seeley.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Matt is a legend.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>2<sup>nd</sup>
at IM Cda and countless other high caliber victories.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is a true competitor and ALWAYS a favorite in ANY race he
does.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Back in 1997, the first year
I did this race, he won it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are
1 year apart in age, so would be racing in the same 40+ wave.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Cool.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was bummed I was not in top form to test myself against
him, but I doubt he was either.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
knew he was having some foot issues, but injured or not, unconditioned or not,
he is always ready to race.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The gun went off and we swam.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was pretty uneventful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I started to drift off mentally from time to time and then I
started running into slower swimmers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I knew I was near the front of my wave, but needed to swim hard since I
had not been in the pool too much the past 3 months.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So even ‘hard’ would result in a time that I would not be
too excited about.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I ended up
swimming a 22:21, yikes, a tad slow for my liking (it did include a short run
to T1).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcX0Lcxnj9v-QMGbzgrt7gNkCP-GVjle_Et5cX0szNnRS9jWA4QhnOC1u0S1A-ar6uYk0Z5LCCOU-zt-uTaOAbu6L2x1Hs6xVFIV40OMUfb1eGsvpXeyqqFJWn72cWigpAShyt/s1600/Picture+14.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcX0Lcxnj9v-QMGbzgrt7gNkCP-GVjle_Et5cX0szNnRS9jWA4QhnOC1u0S1A-ar6uYk0Z5LCCOU-zt-uTaOAbu6L2x1Hs6xVFIV40OMUfb1eGsvpXeyqqFJWn72cWigpAShyt/s400/Picture+14.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1kcShWstI1w1_I3KWPKvnmLtFRgfAv-jJZvj1o_AO-xc4rn4_uZ-VRZPFqRGp3MXVmqYiReZpL58JIpnPpBdxV7e5GVuXzAaSRVIN89zQaY5pyOWjUmbHyw0FAlR41fwpksBK/s1600/Picture+19.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a> <br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i> Exiting the swim into T1</i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Photo by Bryan Rowe</i></span></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1kcShWstI1w1_I3KWPKvnmLtFRgfAv-jJZvj1o_AO-xc4rn4_uZ-VRZPFqRGp3MXVmqYiReZpL58JIpnPpBdxV7e5GVuXzAaSRVIN89zQaY5pyOWjUmbHyw0FAlR41fwpksBK/s1600/Picture+19.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1kcShWstI1w1_I3KWPKvnmLtFRgfAv-jJZvj1o_AO-xc4rn4_uZ-VRZPFqRGp3MXVmqYiReZpL58JIpnPpBdxV7e5GVuXzAaSRVIN89zQaY5pyOWjUmbHyw0FAlR41fwpksBK/s400/Picture+19.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhITCDBdlWBNmctFekyKJop7KNACC-TrcLEb_Aye5nkLBKwXPHtdwwOL3uiwrawo5wnq2jlPW0ieHztoz510vYx8l4nzkpWs_PRQNS8lZ78xCF8buYX5wuxIWPD6NqwKIy_DCSl/s1600/Picture+28.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Focused</span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo by Ryan Rowe</span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
I transitioned quickly and threw on my Rudy Project
Wingspan, and was off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I got
to my bike, I could see Matt Seeley leaving T1.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>‘Nice, not too far off.’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But Matt can ride with the best of them…literally, the
best.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I took off out of T1 and
could see him up the road.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was
actually closing on him on the flats bringing him within 4 seconds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then we hit the first climb.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We stayed close, but he was eeking
away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the top, he pulled over
to adjust his front brake.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
figured that’s why I closed on him, his brake was rubbing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I stayed in front for a couple miles,
until, the next major climb.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There
he passed me again and slowly put more and more time on me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For some reason, on all the flats and
down hills, I would bring him back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But I never did pass him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
assumed it was my Quintana Roo CD0.1.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Pretty dang aero.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the
last turn around, I saw that I was still pretty close.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was also able to see the guys in the
first wave and took some splits on them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I figured we closed about 3 minutes on them, so Matt was in 1<sup>st</sup>,
and I was in 2<sup>nd</sup>…but they likely did not know that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we came into T2, after about a 4
mile flat section, I was only 10 seconds, or so, behind Matt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Later to find out I had the fastest
bike split of the day for individuals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Cool.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5SgUv3nRE0-GYe7a2KJDEaYz6PeeRSpw6bXZuQP5m7roJY-AWRnHNO4FnPyE1Rw4MgVqspnb3LeVIxzoyZ8j4lSxIrQoYCiNOWdIQNCYkIVWYr2tNXFCLaeZLpB2CyEGbv-Bb/s1600/Picture+27.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5SgUv3nRE0-GYe7a2KJDEaYz6PeeRSpw6bXZuQP5m7roJY-AWRnHNO4FnPyE1Rw4MgVqspnb3LeVIxzoyZ8j4lSxIrQoYCiNOWdIQNCYkIVWYr2tNXFCLaeZLpB2CyEGbv-Bb/s400/Picture+27.png" width="301" /></a> </div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Coming out of T1...left foot still not in my shoe yet</span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo by James Richman</span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj14gn_76Lm7kizSXaGcwM4MOMZZeBUc1sIgxQq-Rmp_JsDsSyMABG4-UXfqmL9ZXNnI9nGCk75dy6JGKX14Wz8UpWIpHccJh0DHWY_PpMJAYldGE6Vml-JLtZNVFQESV3_LPaM/s1600/Picture+13.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj14gn_76Lm7kizSXaGcwM4MOMZZeBUc1sIgxQq-Rmp_JsDsSyMABG4-UXfqmL9ZXNnI9nGCk75dy6JGKX14Wz8UpWIpHccJh0DHWY_PpMJAYldGE6Vml-JLtZNVFQESV3_LPaM/s400/Picture+13.png" width="400" /></a></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The end of the bike</i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Photo by James Richman</i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
Matt took off from T2, and I was near…like 6 seconds or
so.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>T2 is always fast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The only hurdle is if your feel easily
go in your shoes or not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This time
they slipped into my K-Swiss Kruuz like morning slippers, and I was off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I ran at the same pace as Matt for about
1 mile.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then it happened.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My calf ‘popped.’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Crap x2.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I immediately backed off, went to my heels, shortened my
stride, and favored it for a bit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The sharp pain went away and turned into a dull ache.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>‘I can run on this,’ I thought.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That is what I like about Oly
races.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You normally don’t notice
things that would normally make you stop…like hot spots on your feet…or a rock
in your shoe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You just keep going
and if you notice that pain, you just go harder so the pain is somewhere it
matters, like your legs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hit the
first aid station and felt like I raped them for water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One person handed me a cup, so I
reached and robbed a couple more people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I kept plodding along and watched Matt pull further away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was never really concerned about
Matt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can’t run with him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is a phenomenal runner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was more concerned about who was
behind me and how far the first wave was ahead.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I got a few splits and realized we were into the first wave about 4
minutes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So at the turnaround, I
figured they would have to run 4:50s or so if I maintained the same pace.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLsZlYJ295v_kZ7VdMjUsg6LJa0CxqQDzqoad-Lh9hw15HoZgP6YrcCcqL-MGPMp-rnv3vx4ytYP5hsJIo9tgxEoRhX3HZhiW2sDqEn_j9CY0RTASC9WFKKhTgtdvo2DWe7MaN/s1600/Picture+22.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLsZlYJ295v_kZ7VdMjUsg6LJa0CxqQDzqoad-Lh9hw15HoZgP6YrcCcqL-MGPMp-rnv3vx4ytYP5hsJIo9tgxEoRhX3HZhiW2sDqEn_j9CY0RTASC9WFKKhTgtdvo2DWe7MaN/s400/Picture+22.png" width="278" /></a> </div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Finish stretch</i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Photo by James Richman</i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl3nfThOEiM0z9j6aFTWq6x3GG7kdLYs2hG9Oz3sKnmE9pPRXGC7wP0y2Q7CZ93i6bxbId-0BRTEdeFAyR6Qt6k2HkjJN7hSSVd4uJ01jcuUGw2l6o0pQNxgqFUx2XNHiyPfi8/s1600/Picture+21.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl3nfThOEiM0z9j6aFTWq6x3GG7kdLYs2hG9Oz3sKnmE9pPRXGC7wP0y2Q7CZ93i6bxbId-0BRTEdeFAyR6Qt6k2HkjJN7hSSVd4uJ01jcuUGw2l6o0pQNxgqFUx2XNHiyPfi8/s320/Picture+21.png" width="221" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Finish stretch</i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Photo by James Richman</i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I ended up finishing 1:03 behind Matt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not too bad all things considered.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But no matter what place you get, 1<sup>st</sup>
to 2000<sup>th</sup>, you have to look at ‘your’ race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Did you do what you wanted?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Did you control what you needed
to?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Did you meet your goals?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I really did not know what to expect on
this day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My bike and run were
faster than last year when I won.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>My overall time was as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>So does that mean that I am in better shape now?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not likely.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My swim was sub par.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>My bike felt good, but I have not looked at, or compared, power
numbers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I suspect that my
Quintana Roo is simply ‘faster’ than the Orbea was…aerodynamically speaking of
course.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Over 1 hour, it does add
up at 25 mph.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My run was a little
faster this year, but the course was a tad different.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just a flat out and back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So it is comparative…but not truly the same.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bottom line, a decent effort and I was
surprised with the result.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Happy
with it too.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhITCDBdlWBNmctFekyKJop7KNACC-TrcLEb_Aye5nkLBKwXPHtdwwOL3uiwrawo5wnq2jlPW0ieHztoz510vYx8l4nzkpWs_PRQNS8lZ78xCF8buYX5wuxIWPD6NqwKIy_DCSl/s1600/Picture+28.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhITCDBdlWBNmctFekyKJop7KNACC-TrcLEb_Aye5nkLBKwXPHtdwwOL3uiwrawo5wnq2jlPW0ieHztoz510vYx8l4nzkpWs_PRQNS8lZ78xCF8buYX5wuxIWPD6NqwKIy_DCSl/s320/Picture+28.png" width="239" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Now that is one big mug. Great for iced coffees I suppose. </span></i></div>
<br />
I can’t say I was out there alone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had a lot of cheers that kept me going and Jessi, Emma,
Owen, Greg, and Natalie were following the race a bit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I saw a ton of familiar faces, and
heard voices out there too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Always
a little push.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Weeks leading up to these 'emotional' races seem to require a bit more from my family...especially Jessi. She is so in tune with me, and does everything right. I am so fortunate to have a wife that knows me and supports me in what I do. Also, my mom. She normally gets put on 'Owen Duty,' which she says she loves. But I know she does it just as much for me as well.</span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp3hyn9aH3Fmu7d7d3HDvykhmesUiKIT2dhWR0_oHlxX_2hbbOhkuNCWQVsrSqTC2XOfwM-0egvNCEoUR-fXLkzLWETY6u2UQlDjTjTgHreTKqwdKP9TcmYMKn550_3T-uR79J/s1600/Picture+15.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp3hyn9aH3Fmu7d7d3HDvykhmesUiKIT2dhWR0_oHlxX_2hbbOhkuNCWQVsrSqTC2XOfwM-0egvNCEoUR-fXLkzLWETY6u2UQlDjTjTgHreTKqwdKP9TcmYMKn550_3T-uR79J/s400/Picture+15.png" width="298" /></a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Owen and me post race</span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo by Tawnya O'Keefe </span></i></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So, what was the hurdle?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was a race that I was truly not too sure if I would
even be able to finish because of the calf strain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A
calf strain isn’t an injury that you can just ‘power through.’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So the days leading up were uncertain
and I was so close to throwing in the towel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The ’09 win was accomplishment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The ’11 win was about prioritization (family first). ’12
second place was about accepting the unknown and still race like you know.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That goes beyond the calf, but to my
fitness level and the hurdles with the paralysis in my right arm and the
vertebral dissection.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A little
more complicated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am not some
unique or special story, we all have hurdles and other parts of our lives that
create challenges.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The ones we
know about, we can generally manage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It is the ones that hit us from the side, or from behind, that put us on our
heels and make us juggle things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Then comes the subsequent problem, or question, ‘What should I do now?’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rarely are things ever perfect…but they
can always be worse.</div>
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Next race on the schedule will be Priest Lake
Triathlon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hopefully my calf will
be back to 100%...or even 80% would be good.</div>
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Roger Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02463326772396925975noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28238217.post-7237048589431966582012-07-28T10:07:00.001-07:002012-07-28T10:07:28.850-07:00MRIs, Coumadin, Dissecting Arteries, what else?<div class="MsoNormal">
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</style>Through each year, it seems that I learn something about
myself that I never knew prior.
Sometimes it is about pain, power thresholds, prioritization, equipment,
races, etc. Then there are years
you find out ways around things like injuries (being hit by a car), family
health needs, vacation…you know, ‘life.’
Then there is this year… the year when a curveball came and really
stumped a lot of people. Very few
know the whole story. Those that do, were likely stuck with me in car for a
long time, and unfortunately asked the question, “So what happened?”</div>
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Here is the gist (I laugh when I say that because there is
no ‘gist.’ It’s a friggin’
story). A couple months back I
went to our 6<sup>th</sup> grade campout.
After getting off the bus at camp, my right shoulder area hurt quite a
bit…kind of like a pinched nerve.
I figured it would work itself out. After 4 nights of not being able to sleep very well because
of the discomfort, I decided to schedule an appt with Dr. Brian Mather, my
chiropractor for the following Monday.
Rolling into that Sunday prior, I showed up to our Master swim group and
noticed that my right arm felt fatigued…kind of like I just had swum 6000 yards
with XL paddles. Kind of like my
arm was 2” longer…or like I had been carrying an arm full of firewood for 2
miles. You get it, right? During the swim I noticed that I was
compensating quite a bit…pulling harder with my left arm and kicking a lot
more. Not good for technique, but
I was making the send offs.
Afterward, I just figured it was something in my back and I would be
seeing Brian the next day.</div>
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Monday rolls around and I go to grab my first cup of coffee
for the day and I can hardly reach up to grab a cup from the cupboard. Dang, this isn’t good. The whole day at work I was massaging
my shoulder trying to figure it out.
That afternoon I met with Brian.
He made a few adjustments and ran me through a slug of tests for ALS,
MS, etc. He wasn’t sure what was
going on; the symptoms just did not seem to add up. I asked if I should see my general doc., and he said they
would likely get x-rays…find nothing…then order an MRI and put me on
prednisone. Guess what, he was
exactly correct. BUT, the MRI
would help rule things out, right?
Gulp, nope.</div>
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On Thursday I had an appt. for my MRI as well as an appt.
with Brian immediately afterward.
At this point, I could no longer lift my arm. What little I could move it, I had no strength at all. Nothing hurt, I just could not move it
any higher than about 45 degrees.
At about 2:00 pm, I went in to get my shoulder and neck MRI. Before I did, I had to get
injections…i.e. needles. Deep
breath. The doc. administering the
injections was a parent of a student I had last year. I was trying to remember what grade he got…I guess I would
find out based on the pain. After
the injection I went into the ‘tube’ fairly soon afterward. I got the directions for what was going
to happen. The tech told me at the start that I would have a safety button that
I could push if I ever felt uneasy.
‘What, me uneasy? Come on,
how tough can this be?’ As I was
lying down on the platform, and was slowly being pushed in to the small mouse
sized tube, I asked, ‘How long am I going to be in here?’ He replied, ‘Oh, about an hour.’ I immediately felt my heart rate
increase, and nerves start to go awry. As I was in there for about 10 seconds,
I opened my eyes and immediately felt like I could not breathe. I was going to die for sure at this
point. I reached for the button
thinking I needed to press it. My
legs were getting tingly, I was feeling cold…in other words, I was about ready
to pass out. I closed my eyes and
started to think about other things.
What was Jessi doing right now?
Does Emma have swim today?
When is her next swim meet?
I immediately calmed down and did not press the button. Whew. But thinking about my family and what they were doing would
only consume a few minutes. I needed
to think of other things.
Something LONG that would take some time to retrace. Okay, Ironman. I decided to reflect back on my first
IM that I did in Cda. The one that
I flatted on the bike and walked/ran the marathon. What could be longer? That got me though most of the MRI, so
I had to throw in a couple sprints at the end as well. Whew, done! After that, I like said
earlier, I had a chiro appt. with Brian.
I headed straight there where he would have the results of the MRI I
just finished. I was excited to
find out what was going on. Little
did I know…</div>
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I arrived a little late so I chilled in the massage chairs
while I waited since they pushed me back a smidge. Brian came out and said, “Let’s see what we’ve got.” He looked over the MRI first
identifying some early signs of arthritis (common) and some discs that looked a
little thinner. All in all,
nothing that would suggest anything crazy. THEN he said it was time to read what the radiologist’s
report said. Cut to the chase, it
said that I had a dissecting vertebral artery between the C4 and C5
(neck). Gulp, what does that
mean? Simply put: <i>Arterial
dissection refers to the abnormal, and usually abrupt, formation of a tear
along the inside wall of an artery. As the tear becomes larger, it forms a
small pouch which doctors call a “false lumen.” The blood that accumulates
inside this false lumen can lead to a stroke.</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> Brian said that it was a little out of
his wheel house, so he called the best sports med doctor around, Dr. PZ
Pearce. He said that if it was
truly a dissecting artery, I needed to contact Dr. Madeleine Geraghty down at
Sacred Heart who is a phenomenal vascular neurosurgeon. So, that’s what Brian did. After that, she said that I needed to
get down to the Sacred Heart ER and get admitted for full brain MRI. The concern was that the dissecting
artery could have caused a stroke, which would explain the paralysis in my
right arm. Still, no good
news. I felt like a ticking time
bomb.</span></div>
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As I left Brian’s office, I started to feel really
concerned. Could I all of a sudden
‘stroke out?’ Is this how it
ends? Will I make it to the
hospital? Just then, I saw a group
of Tri Fusion members out on a run, and there was Jessi. I stopped ahead of them and tried to
calmly explain what was going on.
Hmm…how do you quickly and calmly communicate something with such
urgency? Fortunately we have such
great people in our lives and things just fell into place. Owen and Emma were immediately covered,
and Jessi and I were off to the hospital.</div>
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Heading into the Stroke Unit at Sacred Heart just did not
seem right. I mean, I am only
40. Am I that old? Upon arrival to any ER you are greeted
by some of the community’s finest injured people. People who are convinced their life is over with the
sprained ankle…or their pro basketball contract is out of reach now because of
a jammed finger. And for some
reason, they need to be in a wheelchair as well…for a finger. I started filling out the paperwork and
before I finished, they called me back.
I was immediately set up in a trauma room. IVs being plugged in and electrodes all hooked up. I guess I was pretty safe now.</div>
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After introductions, I discovered that the ER dr. knew me
from…get this…Strava. If you don’t
know what Strava is, think of it like Facebook for cyclists. So we chatted about some routes and
stuff bike related. Kind of
comforting knowing that he was a cyclist and knew me as a cyclist, though an
injured one, rather than some random 40 year old potential stroke patient.</div>
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It was time for the brain scan MRI. This MRI is even more accurate than the
other MRIs I had earlier in the day.
It takes micro images of my brain.
I have to say some big concerns were racing through my mind. Was this how it ends? Is this where they find the golf ball
sized tumors and Matchbox cars?
This MRI went a little better.
For some reason I was not as nervous. Not to mention, the guy was talking to me the entire time
letting me know how long each section would take. Before too long, it was over…about 25 minutes. Then it was back to my ‘trauma’ room to
wait for the results.</div>
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As I entered the room, Jessi was there waiting and had
contacted all the necessary people…parents, close friends, etc. I did not feel that this was a
“Facebook” status update item… sorry.
I really did not know what was going to come of it. Mark Hodgson, best friend since 5<sup>th</sup>
grade, was obviously getting antsy at home, so he came down with Arby’s for
dinner. Dang Arby’s food is ‘good
mood food.’ I could not eat any of
it at that point because we did not know what the next step was. Possible spinal surgery? Brain surgery? Who knows. Then I saw an older man come strolling in…the
neurologist. Gulp. Deep breath. I asked him light heartedly, ‘So, was there a brain?’ He said, yes. I asked how it looked and he said it was fine. I said, ‘Define ‘fine.’’ He said it all looked great, nothing to
worry about. Whew, good news
finally. He thought he had it all
figured out, until I explained the sequence of events, again. Then he was
stumped. Eventually he retired to
say, regardless of why your arm does not work, we need to address this
dissecting artery. He also said
that I would be the topic of conversation the next morning at the neurologists’
team meeting. Is that good?</div>
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After the news from the neurologist, I felt pretty
good. My right arm did not work,
but my overall health was good and ‘hopefully’ this would all work itself
out. Though we were tired (it was
11:30pm) I felt a new sense of energy.
It had been such a downward spiral this afternoon, it was nice to have
it belly out and regain control.</div>
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The next day started the onslaught of appointments. First was with a vascular surgeon. That was fun. Ultimately I learned that though I was on coumadin, he said
I needed to be on Lovenox (big ass shots) until my INR (blood viscosity) was
stable 2x thinner, or, taking 2x as long to clot. I hate shots. I
would need one in the morning and at night for a week.</div>
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<br /></div>
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So, since May my life has been about appointments, drugs,
blood, and doctors contemplating what in the world was going on. I can’t complain though. It’s only ‘part’ of my right arm. Could be worse.</div>
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As for the training, I have been able to ride a little. But without full strength in the arm,
it is kind of like riding with a broken collar bone. I am also not too keen on crashing anyway, but if I did, I
would have to deal with thinned blood.
So I rode 1x a week…short and easy. Running was actually more difficult than you’d think. When you run, your arms are naturally
supported with muscles to hold them up, and allow them to swing and control the
swing. Without essentially 3
muscle groups working, others had to work in ways they normally don’t. So I would suffer extreme muscle
fatigue when running. I felt like
I was shaking out my arm every 5 minutes.
It has all been crazy figuring out what you can do and what you
cannot. Swimming has been
different. The first time I tried
to swim, it almost made Jessi cry.
It was really weird. I
could get my arm out of the water, but once it entered, it could not resist the
force of the water. So it just got
pushed back. Pretty much a worthless stroke.</div>
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Since the diagnosis I have been testing my arm each day
seeing if it works better. I ask
Jessi “Does this look better?” many times a day. Normally she just shrugs her shoulders and says, “Not that I
can see.” In the last 2 weeks I
have regained a lot of range of motion though. Not too much strength, but I can actually lift my arm above
my head. Pretty exciting. So in about 2 months, things are
starting to work again. I feel
like I am ahead of the curve.
Swimming is better. Longer
stuff (200s) is difficult because I have no endurance right now. I feel like that it will only get
better. ‘Fast’ is not there
though. Cycling has increased
since our 10 day trip to the coast, and running is getting better too. So with a couple weeks of training now,
I feel like I am slipping back into ‘training.’ Phase one.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Through this process, I had a lot of people ask about
racing. The most common question
being, “Aren’t you bummed right now that you cannot race?” Racing really was the last thing on my
mind. The fact that I could not
pick up my kids, was waaaay more important. Maybe it’s because I have raced a lot so the novelty it
gone... don't take that the wrong way. But the little things that
you do day to day are far more important to me.</div>
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So what’s next?
Immediately, I plan to race our sprint regional championship this
weekend (July 29<sup>th</sup>). I
am pretty excited about that. It
is a fun race and one that I have done in past years. There will be some tough competition there, but it is really
more about getting out and racing than it is trying to eek by someone and puke
at the finish. The benefit to this
race is it is a current aided swim.
That means if I am unable to finish the swim, the current will take me
to the finish regardless. Cool
huh? After that, I will likely
race a few more Oly races and end the season with a 5150 or Lifetime Fitness
series race. Still contemplating
that currently.<br />
</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm8C_Oab_bb6cVbx06l3kdUWkca-ujTfLVtDTtLfBX7Sz8nyX8wpVm8Baea7RFwT_6WpWNkUyxPdeHSbEqplJJ_07geCtqT6Hr_tTI3yJ6b3LMutiylzfvzzdy_3j1WNi1fkI-/s1600/Picture+6.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm8C_Oab_bb6cVbx06l3kdUWkca-ujTfLVtDTtLfBX7Sz8nyX8wpVm8Baea7RFwT_6WpWNkUyxPdeHSbEqplJJ_07geCtqT6Hr_tTI3yJ6b3LMutiylzfvzzdy_3j1WNi1fkI-/s320/Picture+6.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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You never want something like this to happen, but inadvertently it usually does. I am so fortunate to have the support I do. Jessi has been so amazing and understanding and level headed about this. Never freaking out and looking at the worst. I have also been so fortunate to have amazing people in the medical field that were, and have been, looking after me. I cannot imagine if I didn't have Brian Mather in my corner. A huge thank you to all my friends and family who have been
there from the start asking how they could help. It has made all the difference in the world. I do not understand how people who live
away from family can handle these situations. I really feel blessed.</div>
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Sorry for the long blog, if you are still reading, nice
work. Believe it or not, this was the short of it. Now you are all caught up.</div>
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Keep riding,</div>
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Roger</div>Roger Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02463326772396925975noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28238217.post-78886508433982777152012-03-14T13:19:00.008-07:002012-03-14T14:59:26.851-07:00Building the QR Illicito<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAwMpqJjtgV0v5konhJTSccfzUtGE_y9gVd1cI6njqFuAwhZ-abAwDLx94mVm9xeT25ASLijDJp1bHHE_oyJNLowRzsNIhwzQNJRwkLsOroxtF9BwybNyA1iqfDFfda6r5-JX7/s1600/Picture+4.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 223px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAwMpqJjtgV0v5konhJTSccfzUtGE_y9gVd1cI6njqFuAwhZ-abAwDLx94mVm9xeT25ASLijDJp1bHHE_oyJNLowRzsNIhwzQNJRwkLsOroxtF9BwybNyA1iqfDFfda6r5-JX7/s320/Picture+4.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5719867922225851826" border="0" /></a>I say this time after time after time. No one does anything in triathlon by themselves...no one. That statement applies to the assembly of my new Quintana Roo Illicito as well. Many hands in the pot.<br /><br />It started on March 5th, when my QR Illicito arrived, along with my Shimano Pro Missile EVO bars and stem. I love BOXES...especially when they are on your front porch. In the boxes are 2 products that are not that 'available' which means 2 things. 1) Cool factor. 2) Not too many people will be able to help you if you run into a problem. I'm ready...open the BOXES!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPNZQB8amSOMO4GK5HpQZtcQr3ubChC8YcKKoIVhmC5AYkMWFpICIPOFMMH2emsDX5lHxxoHY3eM2qc2Zu3bjOse-nUJ4S5JfjidJBXSWNCDZ11X5pxLTfJl_2atXC8pvcarr7/s1600/Picture+16.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 178px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPNZQB8amSOMO4GK5HpQZtcQr3ubChC8YcKKoIVhmC5AYkMWFpICIPOFMMH2emsDX5lHxxoHY3eM2qc2Zu3bjOse-nUJ4S5JfjidJBXSWNCDZ11X5pxLTfJl_2atXC8pvcarr7/s320/Picture+16.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5719868972013456178" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-style: italic;">Boxes. All good things come in boxes...like donuts<br /><br /></span></span><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-style: italic;"></span></span></div><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig8DPtYRvn63vTgX6ViBp1FvhOqlk9GcjKyWd43b868-fRH9AJ4OD0fwlCE89zW4m8agOKrYHJiQlhvEFj9_xN1A_ONbTtZlOZyJ5J3LXTt4rSwBFGbuAQ0kHBMRPyW-ULv9-u/s1600/Picture+1a.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig8DPtYRvn63vTgX6ViBp1FvhOqlk9GcjKyWd43b868-fRH9AJ4OD0fwlCE89zW4m8agOKrYHJiQlhvEFj9_xN1A_ONbTtZlOZyJ5J3LXTt4rSwBFGbuAQ0kHBMRPyW-ULv9-u/s320/Picture+1a.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5719869387131379458" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-style: italic;">Nice internally routed for Shimano di2</span></span><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAxQVoKRZeQpEIUHg8eUspyE_PqwhdBWSbn-LCSiNTF7mWL4AEGTEVl3phie4AKOuhFyJRi7GPCUC5R3TJeaSHCHDaN2MgdzAp3xKjDE0l0TLtHrkeME1fyK_lI2DCASu6Ne0O/s1600/Picture+18.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 178px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAxQVoKRZeQpEIUHg8eUspyE_PqwhdBWSbn-LCSiNTF7mWL4AEGTEVl3phie4AKOuhFyJRi7GPCUC5R3TJeaSHCHDaN2MgdzAp3xKjDE0l0TLtHrkeME1fyK_lI2DCASu6Ne0O/s320/Picture+18.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5719869360183379826" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-style: italic;">Finally in the shop!</span></span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-style: italic;"></span></span></div><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqLhyphenhypheneHDgmAMbQLqtHxqmJGjzTTcmIJIkADLRNDPpROTYmch_gZzlQBpgf2iqBmqtUM1XO7n4dxm3XGOdF9ZWahMTwR3cYVgIJcRO2yBhLxkiLlPhzJ9PpmconlNbIyDMcuH5T/s1600/Picture+17.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 189px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqLhyphenhypheneHDgmAMbQLqtHxqmJGjzTTcmIJIkADLRNDPpROTYmch_gZzlQBpgf2iqBmqtUM1XO7n4dxm3XGOdF9ZWahMTwR3cYVgIJcRO2yBhLxkiLlPhzJ9PpmconlNbIyDMcuH5T/s320/Picture+17.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5719869341714991570" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-style: italic;">Shimano Pro Missile EVO and EVO stem</span></span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-style: italic;"></span></span></div><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></span>I will try and not get too 'technical' with things, but still give you a taste of the excitement in building this bike. Before building any bike I like to have all the "small parts." And trust me, as TT bikes get more and more technical, there are always parts you need that you don't have. Fortunately, Brad DeVaney at Quintana Roo, and his phenomenal staff (Tres in particular), answered a slew of questions and made sure I had all the 'right' parts. I am very fortunate to also have Fitness Fanatics here in Spokane too. They carry QR and always lend a HUGE helping hand.<br /><br />After taking 100 measurements, and looking at spec numbers over and over, it was time to stop pussy footing around and start building. First things first... cut the fork. That way I can get the Pro EVO stem on and then everything else falls into place so to speak.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxt7MgeeWlrKj5htKClcVF_uqu3WTdZzMn-n9Q-Qa2FJtfwmn27jXuAE-oHJJm3wapKdILLgRDmOxuIRU9o9DhVEpqX6oVlU-sZ0PslP-JUsJbG-7BnjIGs153mg9C3L2T8HDo/s1600/Picture+20.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 202px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxt7MgeeWlrKj5htKClcVF_uqu3WTdZzMn-n9Q-Qa2FJtfwmn27jXuAE-oHJJm3wapKdILLgRDmOxuIRU9o9DhVEpqX6oVlU-sZ0PslP-JUsJbG-7BnjIGs153mg9C3L2T8HDo/s320/Picture+20.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5719869383321240914" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-style: italic;">Here we go...</span></span><br /></div><br />I was only able to allocate an hour or two per day building this bike. I know, normal bikes would be done in that amount of time. But routing Di2 internally and through stems and aero bars is a little more time intensive. AND this where I ran into my first hurdle. The front Di2 wire harness I have, is from when Di2 first came out. It is slightly different than the ones today. Because back then (yes, a whole 3 years ago), aero bars and frames were not designed for di2 to be internally routed. Short of it is, the wires did not reach the end of my aero bars. Crap. This is where you take a deep breath and hope for a simple solution. I called Shimano and explained my situation, and 2 days later, wires showed up in the mail. AWESOME! But not just any wires, the RIGHT wires. Now I was ready to roll. My BB30 bearings were pressed in, I threw on the BB30 to standard adapter, and we were off and rolling...not really, more like looking at a frame and fork in a stand.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfHtGqFcVm1xhbI8LLg0jxPyiWvKaKOAIGtp27vcccroYfUw03cGnKmXj0mi04E8qeRmG8zE49M0YRwWVXgiHdr09Urlz3wSYfC0-Z1PMhAjqFS3KCy8INpRMnNfjfYNisgQ23/s1600/Picture+19.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 173px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfHtGqFcVm1xhbI8LLg0jxPyiWvKaKOAIGtp27vcccroYfUw03cGnKmXj0mi04E8qeRmG8zE49M0YRwWVXgiHdr09Urlz3wSYfC0-Z1PMhAjqFS3KCy8INpRMnNfjfYNisgQ23/s320/Picture+19.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5719869369217316850" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-style: italic;">I could not stop staring at this stem/bar combo<br /><br /></span></span></div>The whole process was pretty simple. But since I did everything 2 or 3 times, it took me a bit longer. When you route housing through a stem and the bars, you only want to cut it and grind it once. Pulling it all through again and re doing it is so frustrating and a waste of materials. And with Di2, you pull a wire too hard, or press/pull against something sharp, cha-ching...$200. I also took some extra time sitting on the shop stool admiring the beauty of the bike. I seem to find myself doing that a lot. It really does not matter too much what kind of bike, I just like looking at the design of it all thinking of all the punishment and abuse that will be had on the steed.<br /><br />Time to play.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLvW3crB3YBJccItnqcGbj1iN5mENuUvSqmFL73kB3-cLD5l0zpaJosX2Ub-ofn_uzWI23tvo2RU2yy38xNZhO-uCikJuuubjF1HGQqsyE2B88I3CV0V9q_LzS-GauT-2U_Gih/s1600/Picture+10.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 253px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLvW3crB3YBJccItnqcGbj1iN5mENuUvSqmFL73kB3-cLD5l0zpaJosX2Ub-ofn_uzWI23tvo2RU2yy38xNZhO-uCikJuuubjF1HGQqsyE2B88I3CV0V9q_LzS-GauT-2U_Gih/s320/Picture+10.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5719867971506862210" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-style: italic;">The left side...minus a seat stay</span></span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfUBZnS9Le71gbGxlwB9nHgVm9Cy-fViSz4QTpuvFLEcyDZH0gSFSkBGabaSEY2m8vUz9NInWi0MKGF-kjX25lzgGbeL5Z51AA0EYkQt92eQNQ1KNiZDHCrMtA_X99N0XpVxrd/s1600/Picture+15.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfUBZnS9Le71gbGxlwB9nHgVm9Cy-fViSz4QTpuvFLEcyDZH0gSFSkBGabaSEY2m8vUz9NInWi0MKGF-kjX25lzgGbeL5Z51AA0EYkQt92eQNQ1KNiZDHCrMtA_X99N0XpVxrd/s320/Picture+15.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5719868965769821090" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-style: italic;">The cockpit.</span></span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-style: italic;"></span></span></div><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjseAKqv_aKLYXQbFkttLYE5Jm-2OU66ztHIanQnhVobWIxFa4XQG3gHUXhoeqkrZ5fdXKyqcxSDzhzYeWXCyo2QtHrCzPB8ggZdXoS3RgF4DGvWYmQPykXd6EwtwS5Qie20Ss/s1600/Picture+14.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 226px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjseAKqv_aKLYXQbFkttLYE5Jm-2OU66ztHIanQnhVobWIxFa4XQG3gHUXhoeqkrZ5fdXKyqcxSDzhzYeWXCyo2QtHrCzPB8ggZdXoS3RgF4DGvWYmQPykXd6EwtwS5Qie20Ss/s320/Picture+14.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5719868950920172434" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-style: italic;">Drivetrain<br /><br /></span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUsw8qc8JlM85vkYI8BaAoKRWjan7U1DN4R5qnRWfORpFBXCunNVqWgDBleuuKiLI0-UnDeOB6xbMLCRQfNUCakRQIDtR8MMPVXFO5RWOzvxakRK7Wk0OvA-lAOk-M6EQYktFn/s1600/Picture+13.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 178px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUsw8qc8JlM85vkYI8BaAoKRWjan7U1DN4R5qnRWfORpFBXCunNVqWgDBleuuKiLI0-UnDeOB6xbMLCRQfNUCakRQIDtR8MMPVXFO5RWOzvxakRK7Wk0OvA-lAOk-M6EQYktFn/s320/Picture+13.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5719868940493932242" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-style: italic;">Nice butt<br /><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJto0_kWiv0cBp-cuAXhG-8XGEO4hX25NOd2J9DuPnVxITNiYTq1PYxiWd2IvQGFPMd2npyhOHO7R2oI6jFqIsHgYqVLcsasYDkIxPoACPUG_2ugagR-_s86YlPzBBHxfhuTDC/s1600/Picture+12.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 271px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJto0_kWiv0cBp-cuAXhG-8XGEO4hX25NOd2J9DuPnVxITNiYTq1PYxiWd2IvQGFPMd2npyhOHO7R2oI6jFqIsHgYqVLcsasYDkIxPoACPUG_2ugagR-_s86YlPzBBHxfhuTDC/s320/Picture+12.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5719868899348667522" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-style: italic;">Where did it go?<br /><br /></span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit3W4rd8R6VDDQJBnQtxTfS8iOKte2PxCYLj2HcwUPeBDLR8TVluNi_AiJvd1_So9K_2u81b0EDa-4VNTiYi7cBgKy5psv4MCbI-6tsp_32RV974bW2UVtqRBVqvHwmlwenyim/s1600/Picture+9.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit3W4rd8R6VDDQJBnQtxTfS8iOKte2PxCYLj2HcwUPeBDLR8TVluNi_AiJvd1_So9K_2u81b0EDa-4VNTiYi7cBgKy5psv4MCbI-6tsp_32RV974bW2UVtqRBVqvHwmlwenyim/s320/Picture+9.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5719867980485764818" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-style: italic;">Clean front end<br /><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaFqkDHRNxKNxbU_ia-OnmT1CfCCnjtr6ZeSJS1ELV9Hza_ghNXXt0gcXGdEY8qDauO4WQLZl30viOq_v7OPUvk_U5zsxGgBVDPJBrTggeCSAg6i4UUP8ejMnf6CGUAAidBXjW/s1600/Picture+6.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 218px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaFqkDHRNxKNxbU_ia-OnmT1CfCCnjtr6ZeSJS1ELV9Hza_ghNXXt0gcXGdEY8qDauO4WQLZl30viOq_v7OPUvk_U5zsxGgBVDPJBrTggeCSAg6i4UUP8ejMnf6CGUAAidBXjW/s320/Picture+6.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5719867962181529506" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-style: italic;">SRM and Di2. I'll have that.<br /><br /></span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh07DSPY8On41-g-p3r1_pfz7o4xrs23MyZXVD4taAUvv1k2Y5Q6gHfzdsy6jUoHDzBAlYKldjEzUhNOBcVa3HMSyi5J9OOMJSG49HIDRQcF5Fa0-Agevml16EAJ9sX55DTFDpH/s1600/Picture+11.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 246px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh07DSPY8On41-g-p3r1_pfz7o4xrs23MyZXVD4taAUvv1k2Y5Q6gHfzdsy6jUoHDzBAlYKldjEzUhNOBcVa3HMSyi5J9OOMJSG49HIDRQcF5Fa0-Agevml16EAJ9sX55DTFDpH/s320/Picture+11.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5719867990839338034" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-style: italic;">Illicito...this is why<br /><br /></span></span><div style="text-align: left;">Thank you to Jessi and my family for putting up with me the last week. I know Jessi can only absorb so many stories about how cables and wires are run through a stem and bars and little tricks I have found. She brought me a few coffees and even dinner once.<br /></div><br />Build:<br />Quintana Roo Illicito frame- Large<br />Crank: Dura Ace 7800/7900 SRM 42/54<br />Pedals: Look Carbon Keo<br />Base Bar/Aero Bar: Shimano Pro Missile EVO<br />Brakes: TRP<br />Rear der: Shimano Di2<br />Front der: Shimano Di2<br />Brake Levers: Shimano Di2<br />Shift Levers: Shimano Di2<br />Chain: Shimano 7900<br />Cassette: Shimano 7900 11x23<br />Wheels: Shimano Dura Ace C50 Clinchers<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"></span></span><br /></span></span></div>Roger Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02463326772396925975noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28238217.post-22514239763757953272012-03-07T12:48:00.005-08:002012-03-07T14:09:17.900-08:00Interesting USADA Testing InformationSo, I have made some random statements from time to time about drugs being in all sports, but it's cycling that gets all the media attention because of how much they are tested. Take it or leave it, I still believe that to be true. I believe there is a problem in all sports, but again, cycling gets all the attention.<br /><br />It must be because the cycling world is so fond of using drugs. Being on the bike just demands a needle in the ass. Just kidding, we know that is not the case. But why is it that those in cycling seem to take the risk? Is it the money? The fame? The need? Why? Because, apparently, those in other sports don't use anything.<br /><br />So I thought I would look at <a href="http://www.usada.org/">USADA</a> (United States Anti-Drug Agency) and see what sports they really go after. Because cycling in the United States is HUGE (insert sarcasm tone)...way bigger than football or baseball or basketball. By the way, the last 3 sports are true American sports. What I found was a host of amazing resources. One of them really caught my eye though. It was a search engine called, "Individual Athlete Test History." You can find that <a href="http://www.usada.org/athlete-test-history">Here</a>. It allows you to search specific sports and names. I decided to give 'er a go. So I started with baseball. Lots of money, lots on the line, must mean lots of testing...right? I searched only the first quarter of 2011. This is what I found:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3iSNwoq85YeeX6nJlH5WGee_GKqK9H1s2kTgS9jc_8rr_jMak-xk0YlbCMs_L3cddmfSUYDcaVOPU4cYhbxrWYJm20toYNcy4dX6CZuH6C1WR0yfyNasCY2kTWVS4pNHe3Ue4/s1600/baseball+q1.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 446px; height: 198px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3iSNwoq85YeeX6nJlH5WGee_GKqK9H1s2kTgS9jc_8rr_jMak-xk0YlbCMs_L3cddmfSUYDcaVOPU4cYhbxrWYJm20toYNcy4dX6CZuH6C1WR0yfyNasCY2kTWVS4pNHe3Ue4/s320/baseball+q1.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5717266947252361282" border="0" /></a>How about Basketball?<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK5gsJy0AKsmLxCJIhsB6XYzMh_0MloBQWajvkmU2lXY1vKpOgtZI-3ZO6g0Wvfs5MOBDSHTX6NCdPz0LhEyqghQ7iHVWsR0nJDGMHVSet0kQRPt57P2ZU2ZwItzsHR7zhNbEa/s1600/basket+q1.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 381px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK5gsJy0AKsmLxCJIhsB6XYzMh_0MloBQWajvkmU2lXY1vKpOgtZI-3ZO6g0Wvfs5MOBDSHTX6NCdPz0LhEyqghQ7iHVWsR0nJDGMHVSet0kQRPt57P2ZU2ZwItzsHR7zhNbEa/s320/basket+q1.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5717266953906316258" border="0" /></a>Football?<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTT5T32VvxZATNahBHoeK1IX6pzxXfBj1Tgjwtqqd6WOTmQHpGdwFXplotX7s_QvQuJeTrx3nyhIqSoJ9m8EMSr9N79gvOC9g1BRASVyqN0B9lCsCeEyaa1mylzVnJBcpFlCi9/s1600/football+q1.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 406px; height: 139px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTT5T32VvxZATNahBHoeK1IX6pzxXfBj1Tgjwtqqd6WOTmQHpGdwFXplotX7s_QvQuJeTrx3nyhIqSoJ9m8EMSr9N79gvOC9g1BRASVyqN0B9lCsCeEyaa1mylzVnJBcpFlCi9/s320/football+q1.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5717266954811748402" border="0" /></a>Triathlon?<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe7gABGCCYXI57JJ5qu4QtnIFZdSbsY-Lywui5Pdw82lEqsGeKP4lPyk-3LW94hteTT-v2lbaQd15FTu8Vy2_BoKVoEcngzA6LVqaGN5dbJsaC_qsQgXpVs3ORdcYYdJLZvPjJ/s1600/tri+q1.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 413px; height: 389px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe7gABGCCYXI57JJ5qu4QtnIFZdSbsY-Lywui5Pdw82lEqsGeKP4lPyk-3LW94hteTT-v2lbaQd15FTu8Vy2_BoKVoEcngzA6LVqaGN5dbJsaC_qsQgXpVs3ORdcYYdJLZvPjJ/s320/tri+q1.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5717266965880753314" border="0" /></a>Cycling?<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM1pyEe2a7P6U05GqZ5D4wUIhQ197fVytzxNvTa1QOC1g82Ak0HfyS071RY-xdWpXIIKxvHwT6us16We5DhUIK10EFtmHKQcrN6zzjHfYgjG9OHUo-npJIynJBf8P-5h7Wt2AI/s1600/cycling+q1.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 293px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM1pyEe2a7P6U05GqZ5D4wUIhQ197fVytzxNvTa1QOC1g82Ak0HfyS071RY-xdWpXIIKxvHwT6us16We5DhUIK10EFtmHKQcrN6zzjHfYgjG9OHUo-npJIynJBf8P-5h7Wt2AI/s320/cycling+q1.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5717266973371269442" border="0" /></a><br />Granted, this was for only the first quarter when cycling and triathlon are HUGE in the USA. Ya know, January and February (again, sarcasm). But the only people being tested are cyclists and triathletes! This is the biggest time of the year for Basketball and Football...but not a SINGLE ATHLETE TESTED! The important thing to note is the number tested. The pic only shows a 'portion' of the list. Cycling: 68 Triathlon: 29<br /><br />So, to be fair, I decided to look at the entire 2011 season in the same sports. Here is what I found:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Baseball<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH2Gy0EX25s3emHQntQHtWs5Y9e8UL_2OrlUGJnjLnUkeK4ijZrRq4SLF3i0rQKcPOqGW0UdFCTXvkZBnPXMRHsOE1of0SepN28KGP0UYp0wtsEO4Uv1CwPcgeIpPf6hlJ5B8x/s1600/baseball+all.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 186px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH2Gy0EX25s3emHQntQHtWs5Y9e8UL_2OrlUGJnjLnUkeK4ijZrRq4SLF3i0rQKcPOqGW0UdFCTXvkZBnPXMRHsOE1of0SepN28KGP0UYp0wtsEO4Uv1CwPcgeIpPf6hlJ5B8x/s320/baseball+all.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5717273905643729010" border="0" /></a><br />Basketball</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMdhqa2OJO_N-aymLw_Kv2oM_joBy48UhAFHNrhcJYNIUJR3LZbdgTyNzkfFVuqwkp8jCGpCYHQJ2xmeqa_YrumLpXHYkQ9hIet4f5GxAHpxrlwsU1i_xQFvNPPZ2oBMNEXko-/s1600/basketball+all.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 169px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMdhqa2OJO_N-aymLw_Kv2oM_joBy48UhAFHNrhcJYNIUJR3LZbdgTyNzkfFVuqwkp8jCGpCYHQJ2xmeqa_YrumLpXHYkQ9hIet4f5GxAHpxrlwsU1i_xQFvNPPZ2oBMNEXko-/s320/basketball+all.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5717273911197709522" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Football<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3CeXHoJyXpcPzPK2YXF5QeWfF4CDHE65oM6QyIIIoeCx3TvJLN8tCLQb7uZw2EBs_h4dL6lgfwXmN4pOK3CIRF8UIUpSATRqyTViElKKPFQlDABfETlweaadr_LSkumvqqh4P/s1600/football+all.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 116px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3CeXHoJyXpcPzPK2YXF5QeWfF4CDHE65oM6QyIIIoeCx3TvJLN8tCLQb7uZw2EBs_h4dL6lgfwXmN4pOK3CIRF8UIUpSATRqyTViElKKPFQlDABfETlweaadr_LSkumvqqh4P/s320/football+all.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5717273920935391154" border="0" /></a><br />Triathlon</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIh7lv1gd5_qsZv9iiOHG3O-Py4CAH2QFXScTnSbqo-WRbAQ8Nj0EqHwbAQ62thrPcuuPGAW1mao90cXK-IngGKU78mj9Nmew8P4FfRqj7mihLd-GKyQWI0DoB_1GRKSpbxYHM/s1600/tri+all.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 174px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIh7lv1gd5_qsZv9iiOHG3O-Py4CAH2QFXScTnSbqo-WRbAQ8Nj0EqHwbAQ62thrPcuuPGAW1mao90cXK-IngGKU78mj9Nmew8P4FfRqj7mihLd-GKyQWI0DoB_1GRKSpbxYHM/s320/tri+all.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5717273922431972914" border="0" /></a><br />Cycling<br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB78cNhBPgvhpAWaI4vVnASPlO0JuXOzoHGj678YDEkQB-ed64LDw4SY5p6kHEQSBLFjek_S1dv3HctU_fb2T3RMxbu45RY-RjnoJipKBH7-H2H-_5PeIWt2h_Jv11cgaaRGAo/s1600/cycling+all.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 303px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB78cNhBPgvhpAWaI4vVnASPlO0JuXOzoHGj678YDEkQB-ed64LDw4SY5p6kHEQSBLFjek_S1dv3HctU_fb2T3RMxbu45RY-RjnoJipKBH7-H2H-_5PeIWt2h_Jv11cgaaRGAo/s320/cycling+all.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5717273912996162898" border="0" /></a><br />Remember, the list of names are just a small shot of the full list. Here are the stats for the number tested in 2011 by sport:<br /><br />Baseball:25 Basketball:33 Football: 0 (zero) Triathlon:83 Cycling:354<br /><br />I am not a keen follower of baseball, basketball, or football. But I am familiar with some of the big names in the sport. That said, I did not recognize ANY of those tested in those sports. Maybe others do, but it seems to be missing people like quarterbacks, pitchers, running backs, wide receivers, linemen, etc.<br /><br />Look for yourself at all the information and correct me. I am not saying that my perception is reality...but for the time being, it is to me. Seems like USADA avoids American sports that draw a lot of money. Maybe those players are protected by unions? Is there another agency that test those sports? I really don't know.<br /><br />If you want to see who received sanctions, go <a href="http://www.usada.org/sanctions/">HERE</a>.<br />If you want to read about the sanctions, and other fun stuff, go <a href="http://www.usada.org/press-release/">HERE</a>.Roger Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02463326772396925975noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28238217.post-68408858114414404752012-01-26T12:51:00.001-08:002012-02-27T09:05:55.458-08:00QR Illicito [wipe drool now]<p>This blog entry was taken from TOM DEMERLY OF TRISPORTS on his review of the new QR Illicito. Enjoy.<br /></p><p>The logic is simple: If you want to make a bike perform differently you have to design it differently. </p> <p>The <a href="http://www.trisports.com/qr-illicito-triathlon-frame.html">Quintana Roo Illicito </a>is different. The frame has no left seat stay. While the missing seat stay and massive left chain stay are the most visually striking features the SHIFT technology, improved carbon fiber lay-up, redesigned rear brake and BB30 bottom bracket also exert a strong influence on the bike's performance.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"> </p><div id="attachment_3579" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 810px"><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://university.tri-sports.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/illicito130.jpg" rel="lightbox[3564]"><img style="width: 508px; height: 92px;" class="size-full wp-image-3579 " title="illicito130" src="http://university.tri-sports.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/illicito130.jpg" alt="" /></a></div><p class="wp-caption-text">The lesson of history is that if you want extraordinary performance you must adopt extraordinary design. </p></div> <p>The Illicito has not gotten much media attention mostly due to different industry emphasis and greater effort on product than marketing by Quintana Roo. QR has focused on the steak and not the sizzle. The logic of tossing the UCI rule book and designing a bike specifically for best aerodynamics makes sense- to triathletes. Lotus, Zipp, Softride, Trek, Kestrel and Hotta have all done it. The <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.rooworld.com">Quintana Roo Illicito</a>, as the name suggests, is illegal for UCI sanctioned races like the Tour de France. For triathletes: who cares? It's designed to be faster, rules be damned. For QR designing a bike specifically for the triathlete is where they started in 1987. It excludes them from events sanctioned by USA Cycling and professional bicycle racing time trials governed by the UCI. In both politics and technology Quintana Roo walks the walk with the Illicito. They are truly 'True to the Tri' with the Illicito design. And of course, for triathlons the Illicito is entirely legal.</p> <div id="attachment_3560" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 810px"><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://university.tri-sports.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/illicito300.jpg" rel="lightbox[3564]"><img style="width: 669px; height: 433px;" class="size-full wp-image-3560" title="illicito300" src="http://university.tri-sports.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/illicito300.jpg" alt="" /></a></div><p class="wp-caption-text">The Illicito is a natural evolution from the company that invented the original triathlon bike back in 1987. </p></div> <p>Illicito was developed in the wind tunnel as are most aero bikes from Trek, Specialized and Cervelo. A major difference is that Quintana Roo invented this category: The aerodynamic triathlon bike. And, of course, Quintana Roo makes the claim that the Illicito has the lowest drag numbers where drag numbers matter most. I'm unapologetically cynical about wind tunnel drag numbers. Every manufacturer produces a 'white paper' that supports their sales agenda. On a practical level I will suggest these white papers are best used on a roll next to the loo since they are all purporting the same thing; 'Our bike is best!' They effectively cancel each other. But in the case of the Illicito something prevails: Logic. If the bike has missing frame sections, it ought to be faster simply by virtue of the fact that something is gone. If that is 'Exhibit A' then 'Exhibit B' is the UCI sanction of the Illicito.</p> <div id="attachment_3561" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 810px"><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://university.tri-sports.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/illicito120.jpg" rel="lightbox[3564]"><img style="width: 622px; height: 202px;" class="size-full wp-image-3561" title="illicito120" src="http://university.tri-sports.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/illicito120.jpg" alt="" /></a></div><p class="wp-caption-text">The most conspicuous feature of the Illicito is the asymetrical rear end, but other aerodynamic designcues are less obvious such as QR's "SHIFT" orientation of the down tube. </p></div> <p>And then there is the emerging anecdotal evidence. TriSports.com founder Seton Claggett can ride any bike, including brands TriSports.com currently doesn't sell. At Ford Ironman Arizona he rode <a href="http://www.trisports.com/qr-illicito-triathlon-frame.html">Quintana Roo's Illicito</a>. He had his fastest bike split ever, his fastest Ironman ever. A few weeks before that on his first race on the Illicito he had the fastest amateur bike split at a local event. While any one variable like a new bike can't be attributed with that success, it does track with the trend that Claggett made good equipment choices, trained effectively and executed a good race plan. The convergence was an age category win at Ford Ironman Arizona and a Kona spot.</p> <div id="attachment_3562" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 810px"><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://university.tri-sports.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/illicito310.jpg" rel="lightbox[3564]"><img style="width: 656px; height: 570px;" class="size-full wp-image-3562" title="illicito310" src="http://university.tri-sports.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/illicito310.jpg" alt="" /></a></div><p class="wp-caption-text">We discovered the rear end on the Quintana Roo Illicito frameset was extremely stiff in out of the saddle climbs, largely due to the massive left chain stay and high end carbon fiber lay-up. </p></div> <p>Because Tennessee based Quintana Roo doesn't have pockets as deep as Specialized and Trek, fortified by mountain bike and hybrid sales, we won't see Craig Alexander or Lance Armstrong on an Illicito. We will see an increasing number of age groupers on the bike from a live swipe of their own credit card- a more relevant endorsement than paid sponsorships.</p> <p>The logic of the Illicito seems supportable: If you make a design that is tangibly different it will perform tangibly different. There is also an accumulating repository of solid results from people already on the bike. Those two factors merit attention.</p> <div id="attachment_3563" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 810px"><a href="http://university.tri-sports.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/illicito150.jpg" rel="lightbox[3564]"><img style="width: 560px; height: 260px;" class="size-full wp-image-3563" title="illicito150" src="http://university.tri-sports.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/illicito150.jpg" alt="" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">If it is made differently, it will perform differently. The asymetrical orientation of the rear<br /></p><p class="wp-caption-text">triangle and the massive left chainstay are apparent in these photos. </p></div> <p> The Quintana Roo Illicito is currently sold as a <a href="http://www.trisports.com/qr-illicito-triathlon-frame.html">frame only</a>. Quintana Roo said there are no immediate plans for a complete bike version. The good thing is you get to pick your own components; the bad thing is this is generally more expensive than buying a complete bike. At this level most customers want a degree of flexibility with components anyway so offering the Illicito as a frameset makes sense for dealers and consumers.</p> <p>From the front of the frame to the back:</p> <p>For all its conspicuous features the Illicito is mostly a bike of subtle technology. It starts with the fork. Quintana Roo developed the first aerodynamic fork with the Carbonaero in the late 1980's. Their fork innovation continues with the Illicito fork. The dropout protrude forward of the fork blades adding stability to the front end, a great feature for a bike designed to be ridden in the aero position. Viewed from the front the fork blades arch away from the front wheel dramatically. This aerodynamic feature allows the boundary layer of air to pass between the rotating front wheel and fork blades at lower pressure with less drag and turbulence. The brake is mounted behind the fork, another aerodynamic que. The new brakes have very good stopping power and are a conspicuous improvement over prior efforts.</p> <div id="attachment_3566" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 810px"><a href="http://university.tri-sports.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/illicito190.jpg" rel="lightbox[3564]"><img style="width: 604px; height: 310px;" class="size-full wp-image-3566" title="illicito190" src="http://university.tri-sports.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/illicito190.jpg" alt="" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">The fork on the Illicito provides stable handling in the aero position and reduces the pressure of air<br /></p><p class="wp-caption-text">between the front wheel and the fork blades by maintaining a large gap from rotating spokes (right).</p></div> <p>The head tube of the frame features a conical shape we've also seen on some <a href="http://trisports.com/cervelo.html">Cervelo</a> efforts like the <a href="http://trisports.com/cervelo-p3-ultegra-bike.html">P3</a>. The downtube is a deep airfoil shape that harkens to Specialized's new Shiv. Top tube is a flattened shape parallel to the ground. There are two standard bottle cage mounts on the frame, one seat tube, one down tube. I appreciate this feature, rare on an aero frame bike.</p> <div id="attachment_3569" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 810px"><a href="http://university.tri-sports.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/illicito3202.jpg" rel="lightbox[3564]"><img style="width: 584px; height: 189px;" class="size-full wp-image-3569" title="illicito320" src="http://university.tri-sports.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/illicito3202.jpg" alt="" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Claggett's Ironman AG winning Illicito was controlled from a Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 control set mounted on a Profile "J" bend extension aerobar. Note the elegant cable inlets and Di2 integration on the Illicito frameset.</p></div> <p>The cable inlets on Seton Claggett's Illicito were very nicely done Shimano Di2 specific and made for a clean, well conceived presentation. They also do a nice job of sealing out moisture from spilled sports drink and rain. In the case of Claggett's IM AG winning bike the Di2 battery is slung under the down tube. I'd like to see more aero integration of Di2 batteries on all aero bikes. A rumored 'Race Day' battery that is smaller may help resolve this in the next few months. For now Di2 battery mounting on every bike seems like an afterthought. Bike industry: The new coffee flavor is Di2, wake up and smell it!</p> <p>Moving back on the frame you see the influence of Quintana Roo's 'SHIFT' design doctrine. The down tube angles off to the rider's right toward the crank. SHIFT technology is the first attempt at not only reducing bicycle frame drag, but also mitigating drag caused by the drivetrain. The downtube on a SHIFT technology bike sits 18mm closer to the drive side. It is claimed to 'shift' the boundary layer of air away from the drivetrain to the cleaner, non-drive side of the bike. SHIFT also seems to improve bottom bracket stiffness, a boon when climbing and accelerating. Several other manufacturers have trended toward an asymmetrical bottom bracket with SHIFT leading this trend. While the unique rear end design of the Illicito is the most visually striking the SHIFT technology may be the more effective aerodynamic design feature.</p> <div id="attachment_3570" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 810px"><a href="http://university.tri-sports.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/illicito330.jpg" rel="lightbox[3564]"><img style="width: 654px; height: 378px;" class="size-full wp-image-3570" title="illicito330" src="http://university.tri-sports.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/illicito330.jpg" alt="" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">QR's greatly improved aero brakes from TRP. The right photo shows the asymmetrical orientation of<br /></p><p class="wp-caption-text">the down tube, improved rear brake and clean cable routing as well as the Di2 battery mount.</p></div> <p>Rear bake on the Illicito is a massive improvement over previous under-bottom bracket brakes. The new TRP (Tektro Racing Products) 'U' brake has more powerful return springs, is easier to adjust and holds its center better than previous rear brakes which were, admittedly, quite poor. Another benefit with this brake is the capability to work with the wider aero wheels trending now like Zipp Firecrest, bulge disks and HED's new wider rims. The brake has more 'throw' and leverage to facilitate a more open position and better leverage. This is a great improvement.</p> <p>Chainstays on the Illicito are wildly asymmetrical giving the bike a lot of visual punch. The thinking is the massive left seat stay provides structural integrity given up by removing the left side seat stay. When asked if a future bike could be built with this design completely replacing both seat stays Quintana Roo's spokesperson went awkwardly silent.</p> <div id="attachment_3573" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 810px"><a href="http://university.tri-sports.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/illicito280.jpg" rel="lightbox[3564]"><img style="width: 620px; height: 413px;" class="size-full wp-image-3573" title="illicito280" src="http://university.tri-sports.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/illicito280.jpg" alt="" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">The eye catching rear end of the Illicito includes practical details like clearance for new wide aero<br /></p><p class="wp-caption-text">wheels, replaceable, adjustable dropouts and derailleur hanger.</p></div> <p>The rear dropouts on the Illicito are all alloy and very robust. They empty to the rear of the bike and are horizontal. At the top of the seat mast there is an alloy binder clamp that uses two bolts, another practical design feature.</p> <p>One thing that struck me working with the new Illicito is that it is a superbike you can travel with. Most other aero bikes with substantial component integration might not work well going into a flight case and, if something goes wrong when you are at an 'away' race there may not be mechanics and parts on-sight to service the issue. With the exception of the brake calipers, the QR Illicito frame uses fairly standard fittings and fasteners.</p> <p>Quintana Roo stayed true to their lineage with the fit and geometry of the Illicito since the bike can be ridden at an 80+ degree open seat tube angle. The head tube is a stable and comfortable 72 degrees across every size. Head tube height on the two smaller sizes, 'Small' and 'Medium' are a low 90 millimeters, tracking with Cervelo's P4 and P3 and Felt's 'B' and 'DA' bikes. There are four sizes in the Illicito called 'Small', 'Medium', 'Medium Large' and 'Large'. I am 5'9' and have a long torso so I would be on the 'Medium Large' with the 54cm top tube and the saddle in a forward orientation to open the angle between my torso and femur at the top of the pedal stroke. Seton Claggett, who prefers a more compact position and a slacker effective seat angle, rode the 'Medium' for his Ford Ironman Arizona Age Group victory.</p> <div id="attachment_3574" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 810px"><a href="http://university.tri-sports.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/illicito250.jpg" rel="lightbox[3564]"><img style="width: 493px; height: 125px;" class="size-full wp-image-3574" title="illicito250" src="http://university.tri-sports.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/illicito250.jpg" alt="" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">QR stayed true to the tri with their steep angle geometry for a comfortable, open torso to let<br /></p><p class="wp-caption-text">position in the aerobars. Seat tube angle is adjustable through a wide range.</p></div> <p>There have been a few bikes important enough to influence triathlon specific bike design- most have been from QR over the past few decades. The Quintana Roo Superform was the first to make a real impact on athlete performance and the market. The Illicito may be another. The Illicito puts Quintana Roo firmly back in the top ranks- if not at the very top- of triathlon bike innovation and performance.<br /></p>Roger Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02463326772396925975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28238217.post-23715694145934751302012-01-26T06:58:00.000-08:002012-01-26T07:18:24.616-08:00Elements...I like their touch<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFHM84ebMrRsuaZRhZZu7xlwbILF0LnsdExvFZ6hvncFo-ENRGX2L-QrpnDw9On6GdZOGyL6yo1YqQ17NDFZmjlJm9fhu4LNEFb-LWFvReYAcV9x-t80nHN8d0ZjHdmcGZm4Lg/s1600/Picture+3.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 178px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFHM84ebMrRsuaZRhZZu7xlwbILF0LnsdExvFZ6hvncFo-ENRGX2L-QrpnDw9On6GdZOGyL6yo1YqQ17NDFZmjlJm9fhu4LNEFb-LWFvReYAcV9x-t80nHN8d0ZjHdmcGZm4Lg/s320/Picture+3.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5701960315938213538" border="0" /></a>A recent addition to my training and racing season this year, is regularly scheduling a massage. I used to get massage when things went south...sore muscles, strained muscles, etc. But I thought I would be more pro active this season and shoot for once a week. I know the benefits, but I just did not take advantage of them.<br /><br /><ul style="margin-top:0in" type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in"><span style="font-family:Times;">Increased blood flow</span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in"><span style="font-family:Times;">Increased joint range of motion</span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in"><span style="font-family:Times;">Increased flexibility</span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in"><span style="font-family:Times;">Increased elimination of exercise waste products- lactic acid</span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in"><span style="font-family:Times;">Decreased muscle tension</span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in"><span style="font-family:Times;">Increased relaxation of nerves</span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in"><span style="font-family:Times;">Ultimately, enhanced recovery for future training/building</span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in"><span style="font-family:Times;">Reduce injury</span></li></ul><br />The north side <a href="http://touchofelements.com/spokane">Elements Therapeutic Massage</a> is located near my house, so there is really no excuse since they are open ~ 11 hours a day, 7 days a week<br /><br />Though they offer a variety of packages and types of massages, I normally get the deep tissue massage. If you have not had a deep tissue (more sports related), it's not about light touch and falling asleep. It's a "grit your teeth and try to relax" experience. Ya, I like a little torture in the week. But the advantages I have noticed are substantially less lower back issues, more flexibility in my hamstrings and I am bouncing back after the massage more quickly. Having a person tell me where some 'trouble' spots are that I can work on is super beneficial. The therapist is always able to find some 'hot spots' that do not seem to be too happy with me...go figure?<br /><br />Wherever you choose to go, make it a part of your regular routine...just like intervals or endurance days...I think you will see the benefits quickly.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMifsBl6-mk" target="_blank"></a><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/sMifsBl6-mk" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" width="560"></iframe></span><br /><br /><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/LusDk7mTiSc" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" width="560"></iframe><br /><br /><style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"Times New Roman"; panose-1:0 2 2 6 3 5 4 5 2 3; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:50331648 0 0 0 1 0;} @font-face {font-family:"Courier New"; panose-1:0 2 7 3 9 2 2 5 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:50331648 0 0 0 1 0;} @font-face {font-family:Wingdings; panose-1:0 5 2 1 2 1 8 4 8 7; mso-font-charset:2; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:0 0 256 0 -2147483648 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";} table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-parent:""; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} /* List Definitions */ @list l0 {mso-list-id:1526752993; mso-list-type:hybrid; mso-list-template-ids:34405576 67698689 67698691 67698693 67698689 67698691 67698693 67698689 67698691 67698693;} @list l0:level1 {mso-level-number-format:bullet; mso-level-text:; mso-level-tab-stop:.5in; mso-level-number-position:left; text-indent:-.25in; font-family:Symbol;} ol {margin-bottom:0in;} ul {margin-bottom:0in;} --> </style>Roger Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02463326772396925975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28238217.post-64304497503485264532012-01-06T08:31:00.000-08:002012-01-06T08:33:58.490-08:00Candy for the road<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLVHBvvU8Y3q1qkgDWlcuC4nPrjh0blblu9KC2UNMfTy0sh6m76gG68r1dDHzoQ2tGIRGRWT4Wi8dnfbdQLgX6Fz1vzNtR4JhLK0eJNmWPNF0r0tO74JqxyZfh-eq7G5-rFO9E/s1600/Picture+5.png"><br /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDB3le7QEYfBa-W24ImQXuT6MnCg-UY3qBvIGG6cxxTILZNc_haRK2FyQ6J6_lRneViYHzFE7bKce6mznGR5aGQ-HVdTibWNy_jLjncLorCWV3F75TDp_DV3_tMYmHOf-VIt43/s1600/Picture+6.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDB3le7QEYfBa-W24ImQXuT6MnCg-UY3qBvIGG6cxxTILZNc_haRK2FyQ6J6_lRneViYHzFE7bKce6mznGR5aGQ-HVdTibWNy_jLjncLorCWV3F75TDp_DV3_tMYmHOf-VIt43/s320/Picture+6.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5694557623166608466" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLVHBvvU8Y3q1qkgDWlcuC4nPrjh0blblu9KC2UNMfTy0sh6m76gG68r1dDHzoQ2tGIRGRWT4Wi8dnfbdQLgX6Fz1vzNtR4JhLK0eJNmWPNF0r0tO74JqxyZfh-eq7G5-rFO9E/s1600/Picture+5.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 209px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLVHBvvU8Y3q1qkgDWlcuC4nPrjh0blblu9KC2UNMfTy0sh6m76gG68r1dDHzoQ2tGIRGRWT4Wi8dnfbdQLgX6Fz1vzNtR4JhLK0eJNmWPNF0r0tO74JqxyZfh-eq7G5-rFO9E/s320/Picture+5.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5694557624995377058" border="0" /></a>Some new rides for the 2012 TIMEX Multisport Team. Pretty exciting! See yours at Fitness Fanatics in Spokane.Roger Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02463326772396925975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28238217.post-6963830064275243562011-12-16T21:15:00.000-08:002011-12-16T21:17:54.042-08:00Extreme Endurance<div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEias-RjnVcySfNM9IQYz8C9G4j_YSIDTfZ9aq7HhhaZb5vYylrw4MtD08MzRgmq8-m3fRCEEw_dmXYQUwyf_-ucXqFXFEIAuiMOoQqTipwpQLZh0JFKSg0sUbK-M5Y6slHp9uNB/s1600/Picture+4.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 304px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEias-RjnVcySfNM9IQYz8C9G4j_YSIDTfZ9aq7HhhaZb5vYylrw4MtD08MzRgmq8-m3fRCEEw_dmXYQUwyf_-ucXqFXFEIAuiMOoQqTipwpQLZh0JFKSg0sUbK-M5Y6slHp9uNB/s320/Picture+4.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5686961865295548130" border="0" /></a><br /></div>Many of you know that I have been using Extreme Endurance for about a year now and have seen some amazing results. I know athletes like to often 'hold their cards close' so to speak, and keep what they use a bit ambiguous or secret. I don't, because it takes a bit more than a 'secret pill' or 'magic serum' to produce results, success, or PRs. Through my time using it, I have been truly blown away. I have done little experiments by not taking it, and then taking it again. Doing tests with and without it...looking at power on the bike...lots of different pieces of data. Bottom line, it works for me. Not only does the data prove it, but I can literally 'feel' it in races and hard training. Weird.<br /><br />Anyway, here was an article that made me say, "Hmmm...tell me more about this stuff," and it just resurfaced again on prweb.com. You can view all this <a href="http://www.prweb.com/releases/2009/02/prweb1989074.htm">here</a>, or read on below where I copy/pasted it.<br /><br /> <h1 class="title"><span style="font-size:100%;">Nutritionist Investigates Claims of New Sports Nutritional Supplement </span></h1> <h2 class="subtitle"><span style="font-size:100%;">Nutritionist sets out to see if sports supplement is the real deal. Extreme Endurance is a 100% natural athletic dietary supplement, manufactured in a NSF Certified facility and certified drug-free by the world's largest sports drug laboratory. In a Gold-Standard, double-blind, placebo controlled clinical study, aerobic threshold increased 41% and lactic acid was reduced by 15%. This was a 30 day study involving 22 elite athletes.</span></h2><p> After seeing the claims of Extreme Endurance, a new sports nutritional supplement on the market, nutritionist Lori Anonsen, MS, RD, ACSM, thought the product sounded too good to be true. So late last year, Lori investigated the phenomenal claims of Extreme Endurance. What she found out made her a believer in the product.</p> <p>According to Lori, an extreme endurance athlete recently asked her, "How good can I get?" What a great question, she thought, and after several days of research, found some fascinating new sports nutrition information along with an abstract on a new sports supplement called Extreme Endurance. The abstract covered a double-blind, randomized, crossover study of 22 elite athletes. Being an ex-triathlete and current weekend aerobic warrior herself, she found the abstract very interesting and began a full investigation of the product.</p> <p>Extreme Endurance claims to influence and reduce lactic acid concentration, which in turn improves maximum exercise performance and reduces muscle soreness. These are bold claims, so Lori looked at their website, <a href="http://www.xendurance.com/">http://www.xendurance.com</a>. The site provided sound information, and cited a clinical study. In addition, there are plans to repeat the study on a variety of athletes from different sports.</p> <p>The ingredients in Extreme Endurance are fairly basic: acid buffers like Magnesium and Potassium, Antioxidants, Trace Minerals and Protease Enzyme Papain. It is important to note the buffers used in the product, as well as Protease Enzyme Papain, which stimulates anti-inflammatory agents leading to less muscle pain and soreness are obviously of important benefit to extreme endurance athletes.</p> <p>Powerful buffers, like Magnesium Hydroxide, often cause diarrhea when released and absorbed through the stomach lining. Extreme Endurance, however, is released in the small intestine to avoid gastrointestinal problems such as stomach upset, diarrhea, and interference with a healthy acidic environment needed in the stomach. </p> <p>Since Extreme Endurance is a new product, Lori contacted a lead proponent of the product, Jürgen Sessner. Jürgen is the head trainer and coach for several professional triathletes in Europe who competed in the Ironman race in Wisconsin this past September. Jürgen participated in the double-blind clinical trial on Extreme Endurance with his triathletes, and told Lori he knew which athletes were receiving the active product after the "very first test" in the 10 day trial. </p> <p>Triathletes in the first group used a substance in a brown bottle. After Jürgen tested two triathletes in the first group, he knew the contents of the brown bottle was the active substance (i.e. Extreme Endurance) and not the placebo. No one officially knew who had Extreme Endurance or the placebo until the final testing was completed 35 days later; but Jürgen knew because his triathletes had never tested so high in their lactate threshold.</p> <p>Lactate threshold is a term used to describe an exercise level at which more lactate is being produced than cleared. The first group of 11 athletes, who all took Extreme Endurance, finished the 10 day test with an increase in aerobic threshold of 84%. The test also showed a reduction of lactate by 18%. By the time the crossover study was completed with all 22 athletes, the numbers changed to an increase of aerobic threshold by 41% and lactate reduction by 15%. Aerobic threshold increase is very important in athletic performance. It will allow athletes to use fat vs. carbohydrates as a major source of fuel, and therefore perform at a higher level of intensity for a longer period of time.</p> <p>Jürgen said all 22 athletes wanted to continue using Extreme Endurance because all saw an improvement in their training. An athlete produces lactic acid during high intensity exercise. The lactic acid that is formed dissociates into lactate and hydrogen ions. Lactate can be used as a fuel source for the heart and other muscles during intense exercise. However, when the accumulation of hydrogen ions (H+) exceeds the buffering capacity of the muscle and blood, fatigue sets in. An acidic pH not only leads to fatigue, but can also cause muscle tightness and that burning feeling often felt during intense exercise. Extreme Endurance's ingredients help buffer the production of H+, and thus can increase an athlete's lactate threshold or ability to work much harder for a longer period of time.</p> <p>Articles have been written about an acidic blood pH and lowered bone density in cyclists who ride over 100 miles a week, and in light weight rowers. An acidic blood pH needs to be buffered, and one of the body's ways to handle this is by using calcium stored in the body. In 1996, a study of six Tour de France riders showed bone density losses of up to 17% over the course of the race. An important side benefit of Extreme Endurance may be as an acid buffer to help neutralize calcium loss, and preserve a healthy bone density.</p> <p>After analyzing all this information, Lori e-mailed <a href="http://www.xendurance.com/">http://www.xendurance.com</a> and asked them for product user references. They gave her the name of Coach Rick Stassi, a strength and conditioning coach from Irvine, CA. Rick's resume is impressive; coaching 13 #1 draft picks, 60 college All-Americans and a world-class swimmer, Jason Lezak. Rick started Jason on Extreme Endurance just before the swimming trials last June. During the third day in Beijing, the 4X100 free style race was held. A major television network said 81 million people watched Jason Lezak catch France's Alain Bernard. Rick said, "Bernard was the 100 meter world record holder and had about 0.8 of a second head start on Jason - but the last 10 or 15 meters, Bernard tightened up. Lactic acid buildup got him"!</p> <p>Jason smoked Bernard with the fastest 100 meter freestyle in history - 46.06. A sports announcer called it one of the miracles of the Games. Rick said, "This was Jason's third time at the games. I have trained Jason for 8 years and at the age of 32, he won his first individual Medal, 2 relay Gold Medals and swam better and faster - Extreme Endurance was his game changer!" </p> <p>After completing her investigation of Extreme Endurance, Lori concluded if you are interested in improved athletic performance, with less muscle burn and soreness, then Extreme Endurance may be the game changer you've been searching for.</p> <p>References:</p> <p>Roy M. Wallack<br />Achey - Breaky Biker Bones<br />Southern California Bicyclist Magazine<br /><a href="http://www.bikerforlifebook.com/">http://www.bikerforlifebook.com</a></p> <p>Nancy Clark, MS, RD.<br />Food for Thought<br />Rowing News, September 2008<br />Vol. 15, No. 7, 74-76</p> <p>Jürgen Sessner Extreme Endurance Clinical Test Protocol<br />Testing Facility: Corpus Diagnostik, Hilpoltstein, Germany<br />Dr. Volker Tzscheetzsch and Juergen Sessner</p> <p>Extreme Endurance is a tradename of LifeSpan International US, LLC.</p>Roger Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02463326772396925975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28238217.post-68202859938172553932011-12-08T13:20:00.000-08:002011-12-26T17:16:05.352-08:00TIMEX Run Trainer to TrainingPeaks...simpleSome of you lucky ones out there have recently acquired the new <a href="http://www.timex.com/Run-Trainer-GPS-Health-Fitness-Sport-Ironman-Shop-Now/b/3092474011">TIMEX</a> Run Trainer and have not downloaded it because you think it’s too hard…or simply put, you haven’t looked at it.<span style=""> </span>So I thought I would give you a few screen shots to show you just how easy it really is. <p class="MsoNormal">To start, go to the TIMEX support page and download the right device agent for your computer (Mac or PC).<span style=""> </span>It’s as easy as downloading any program.<span style=""> </span>That site can be found <a href="http://timexironman.trainingpeaks.com/device-agent.aspx">HERE</a>.<br /></p>The page looks like this:<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO6cmbIYNLTw1lnmd42rLnyTGIOQkwwsTV5dZiytDIBiT7IuVNo0Or1N1tuEPFH8CGaaw9M2gLLtSSSCYWEOBZSf9BdAdLOZJ_T4V2hFDYO35OgGYZy3rQLO_-Lemwe52xRg_n/s1600/Picture+6.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 243px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO6cmbIYNLTw1lnmd42rLnyTGIOQkwwsTV5dZiytDIBiT7IuVNo0Or1N1tuEPFH8CGaaw9M2gLLtSSSCYWEOBZSf9BdAdLOZJ_T4V2hFDYO35OgGYZy3rQLO_-Lemwe52xRg_n/s320/Picture+6.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5683930001783876914" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="position: absolute; z-index: 0; margin-left: 227px; margin-top: 256px; width: 113px; height: 59px;"><br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> As soon as you load it on to your computer, you should see a shortcut, or, if not, go to applications folder on your computer and it should be there.<span style=""> </span>It looks like this:</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXBc7X9Ibwo7ikY3x7pq4nG5LxZBT_k5R1D1EfLMMRkhlBTLc8UGyJRLdWDxkVl84Io7zEi3Gu2j6v4kznLBKHh8WEY44YT4oJD5WBGrUYCTyPJiwG6_QMWMiZgiM7DGpRhT3q/s1600/Picture+1.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 208px; height: 159px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXBc7X9Ibwo7ikY3x7pq4nG5LxZBT_k5R1D1EfLMMRkhlBTLc8UGyJRLdWDxkVl84Io7zEi3Gu2j6v4kznLBKHh8WEY44YT4oJD5WBGrUYCTyPJiwG6_QMWMiZgiM7DGpRhT3q/s320/Picture+1.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5683931488474412658" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Use the download cable that came with your watch, and clip it on to the back and pug into a USB port.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh48EhIPyp7v5JshHsDhNByClcV90nuSTJSdtjb2MSAaA9NRl0mLsnlkfrPXyTqr9BMMfxuNwZ2JD80WsJA_nFkXdvA4qH7q7IBT5r0xCckv_SdUe_N-G9eMMVpNZuNg4chMUa7/s1600/Picture+2.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh48EhIPyp7v5JshHsDhNByClcV90nuSTJSdtjb2MSAaA9NRl0mLsnlkfrPXyTqr9BMMfxuNwZ2JD80WsJA_nFkXdvA4qH7q7IBT5r0xCckv_SdUe_N-G9eMMVpNZuNg4chMUa7/s320/Picture+2.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5685479762939286818" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Open the program, which will bring you to a screen that looks like this:</p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfxNEv3h-1DUjIXzAvUS5C6DPywZY67ziNNvSeVYH5FgreTHtE0aFxHdKd_pHBOR0e3JQ_2ucIBD1cRwxdEEc4d653Ms-z56e8sM0t5ZDmsZKlz1_2yPKuHBuyrLMKa2KvGhWB/s1600/Picture+7.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfxNEv3h-1DUjIXzAvUS5C6DPywZY67ziNNvSeVYH5FgreTHtE0aFxHdKd_pHBOR0e3JQ_2ucIBD1cRwxdEEc4d653Ms-z56e8sM0t5ZDmsZKlz1_2yPKuHBuyrLMKa2KvGhWB/s320/Picture+7.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5683930006039821186" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal">After your watch is connected, and you have the program open you should be ready to download.<span style=""> </span>If the “Download” button is not active, you probably have not connected the your watch correctly.<span style=""> </span>Double check that the pins and prongs are in the right spots.<span style=""> </span>You are now pretty much set to take the data form your watch.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">*While in this mode, you can also make any adjustments to your watch by selecting the “settings” button (top middle of the screen).<span style=""> </span>That will allow you to adjust aspects to your watch like time, user information, zones, intervals, screen display/set up, and so much more.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">To transfer data from your Run Trainer, click on the ‘Download’ button and your workouts should start downloading.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-oxrV-kcDKQw5FLGxlMvlNpPe_ANkFZMkvcl19_jSZQVwTGOJ9oOUc6zMq-BbzNm0IBg1pgzSDyiQ_Ype67-2IDoYUaTH-o7Z0yoDx7F3vZd3l4uZnkDBbtHNHChjm1oxx2i3/s1600/Picture+8.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 202px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-oxrV-kcDKQw5FLGxlMvlNpPe_ANkFZMkvcl19_jSZQVwTGOJ9oOUc6zMq-BbzNm0IBg1pgzSDyiQ_Ype67-2IDoYUaTH-o7Z0yoDx7F3vZd3l4uZnkDBbtHNHChjm1oxx2i3/s320/Picture+8.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5683930016989919890" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal">When they all have downloaded, your screen should look like this:</p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo7nPm_1NXO0VfwUuVyC_OHVh0DhKxONkH5ePgQKwQiBS7lUoegZBEgP6Is90o20XZ3XTJnB9DEIub-2LZOhsvi7E2_OWjlFzZz0SQ0KaUKUPsWUB2fwK80q0mTQzdhr8toMd9/s1600/Picture+9.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 210px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo7nPm_1NXO0VfwUuVyC_OHVh0DhKxONkH5ePgQKwQiBS7lUoegZBEgP6Is90o20XZ3XTJnB9DEIub-2LZOhsvi7E2_OWjlFzZz0SQ0KaUKUPsWUB2fwK80q0mTQzdhr8toMd9/s320/Picture+9.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5683930021428041138" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="position: absolute; z-index: 6; margin-left: 344px; margin-top: 228px; width: 85px; height: 31px;"><br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">At the bottom of the screen, there is a button that says “save.”<span style=""> </span>All the workouts that are checked, will be saved.<span style=""> </span>Once they are saved, the desktop will look ‘empty,’ like it did when you first started:</p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Fu84ygYv9wapltYTYYEkKpS3TWzVCnXrng4BcKnmtsKIl3ucxGh-J5gAmxKKRzeUZoYlbaiLHN8paoN0eEauhevQtrAVeWgs7StxZwM7lems8MkpKXJTVyyDIXY9zip8jXK4/s1600/Picture+10.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 201px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Fu84ygYv9wapltYTYYEkKpS3TWzVCnXrng4BcKnmtsKIl3ucxGh-J5gAmxKKRzeUZoYlbaiLHN8paoN0eEauhevQtrAVeWgs7StxZwM7lems8MkpKXJTVyyDIXY9zip8jXK4/s320/Picture+10.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5683930031436134498" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="position: absolute; z-index: 8; margin-left: 2px; margin-top: 223px; width: 67px; height: 40px;"><br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Now you can login to TrainingPeaks by clicking on the “Login” button in the lower left of the screen.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGUPGWOpYECbU4V5cbPvZrs5_6yhFDg7eu6-ykJ4JmAWWizhV1rbTbLVhIhXsa-L-4AYMyhPTL_FBRvyW7m0ojIUTAfITTjCz4oWvaknGpzOQEMolMSZLVZ6Ar3UBEKUho8hHw/s1600/Picture+11.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 205px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGUPGWOpYECbU4V5cbPvZrs5_6yhFDg7eu6-ykJ4JmAWWizhV1rbTbLVhIhXsa-L-4AYMyhPTL_FBRvyW7m0ojIUTAfITTjCz4oWvaknGpzOQEMolMSZLVZ6Ar3UBEKUho8hHw/s320/Picture+11.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5683930723749672434" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal">This will now bring you to your Training Peaks account and all your workouts will be transferred on to the days.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQCj2UqeAdAM0U_XdZ3qOYOqaBlE_Vjnv_N3ih4guB5gVxlo_6sB483ykaHWUsE3yYttQZf3Xy-uONu6h1V_wTUi9XPTL6XmoDp-voQ2_1GL8iQe_0IkY3jbZ9qMmJ3TvCUlMh/s1600/Picture+12.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 111px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQCj2UqeAdAM0U_XdZ3qOYOqaBlE_Vjnv_N3ih4guB5gVxlo_6sB483ykaHWUsE3yYttQZf3Xy-uONu6h1V_wTUi9XPTL6XmoDp-voQ2_1GL8iQe_0IkY3jbZ9qMmJ3TvCUlMh/s320/Picture+12.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5683930942063542482" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal">If you do not have a TrainingPeaks account, you can activate a free one through this process.<span style=""> </span>I believe it will ask you some questions to get it set up.<span style=""> </span>With the free version, it will not allow you to build a week, meaning you cannot add notes or workouts to days beyond the current day.<span style=""> </span>So it acts more like a diary than a training schedule.<span style=""> </span>It is still a great place to story and analyze your data.<span style=""> </span>But that is a whole different post.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Another thing to note is to make sure you have the latest Firmware update.<span style=""> </span>That is a little different from downloading a program, but still pretty easy.<span style=""> </span>I will show you a step by step of that too…shortly.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Let me know if you have any questions, or if I missed a step that would be helpful to add.</p><p class="MsoNormal">Dave Erickson did a video recently too, which he posted. You can find that video <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3_q2sEdvHI&list=PLAA3A2E928A2F01FA&index=5&feature=plpp_video">HERE</a>.<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Train on,</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Roger</p>Roger Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02463326772396925975noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28238217.post-90386544361236322462011-11-01T21:03:00.000-07:002011-11-02T07:19:54.326-07:00Galveston 5150<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy99FnPAOWlTBy0CytUCzGgtHgpi2OLBwJkqcovb5f2lAN7pJLqyXs-UTDl_hnhsePC1YJZeHi4_opmjCy0HaxYeca4b2SzlfCzbGDW9__Ez4A4srIpxm6H8qEJOGuN4G9KsjW/s1600/Picture+13.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 185px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy99FnPAOWlTBy0CytUCzGgtHgpi2OLBwJkqcovb5f2lAN7pJLqyXs-UTDl_hnhsePC1YJZeHi4_opmjCy0HaxYeca4b2SzlfCzbGDW9__Ez4A4srIpxm6H8qEJOGuN4G9KsjW/s320/Picture+13.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5670259467483184610" border="0" /></a>As I destroy some of Emma's Halloween candy, I thought it would be a good time to hammer out a post on my most recent race...ahem, cough...2 weeks ago.<br /><br />I have had my eyes on a 5150 race all season. I planned on racing Las Vegas in early Oct, but it was canceled. Booo (no the scary booo either). So we, Ken Collins, rescheduled for Galveston. I really do not know too much about Galveston other than it is in Texas. I don't know too much about Texas other than it defines flat and you should shake out your shoes before slipping them on to avoid large bugs.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaFt12mKXPYNs35ofXGICBR7jT3OC2UX_ThOHgTIc6YKemktSJhFoz1Y0LBodk6j6iuOQnZzBwtwm2CdOMSTo5-5adwLk6_TtvK4re8c1gm7hosZfzBWVEsi-SNguW0RdDNH_q/s1600/Picture+12.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 166px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaFt12mKXPYNs35ofXGICBR7jT3OC2UX_ThOHgTIc6YKemktSJhFoz1Y0LBodk6j6iuOQnZzBwtwm2CdOMSTo5-5adwLk6_TtvK4re8c1gm7hosZfzBWVEsi-SNguW0RdDNH_q/s320/Picture+12.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5670259442158350946" border="0" /></a>Ken and I arrived in Houston a couple days before the race and immediately started wheeling and dealing on getting an upgrade for a rental car. We did. We had a economy car and wound up walking away with a Tahoe. Not too bad. Ken is quite the wordsmith. We also immediately noticed that it was hot...hot and humid. Blech.<br /><br />Ken and I found some great places to eat and enjoyed some phenomenal fresh Mex restaurants. Since the World Series was going on, all we could watch was baseball. And don't ever mention the word Cardinal in Texas for about 1 year if you don't want someone to spit in your food.<br /><br />We rode the bike course the day before, and I have to be honest, I have NEVER seen roads this flat in my life. I swear, if I hopped on someone's back, I could see across the entire state. But, though flat, the wind was rippin.' The bike had a unique cross/tail wind going out, and a cross tail coming back. Since the road was literally right along the Gulf of Mexico, there was no shelter. Bring it.<br /><br />Fast forward to race morning, we arrived in plenty early, and since we had to check in our bikes the day before, there really wasn't much to do. We got kicked out of transition 1 hour before the swim start (not a fan of that) and wondered over to the swim start.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwzKsoaIcLwcw21oiUefO0BRD1i9hac-XIdsykJtc60S196O-0YEIxbUq7iPCi65xGebXDGEZNDC-GyopvX6Iw9SMpH88ek10AhZb9guNgyii5Nb8sIry2OH6rsalailPEmKiJ/s1600/Picture+3.png"><br /></a>I used the bathroom a couple times and next thing I knew, I was clearing my <a href="http://www.timex.com/">TIMEX</a> Race Trainer to zero. Here we go. The horn sounded and off we went. First breath I was reminded that this was salt water, mmmm so good. We were the 6th wave and quickly started swimming through other groups. I think I swam relatively straight, but who knows. I knew there was one guy in my wave that was just ahead. Beyond that, I think I was swimming well. I exited the clam bed (or oyster bed, can't remember) and quickly headed to T1. My Orca 3.8 wetsuit came off easily and I was quickly pushing my Orbea (last race on this steed) out of transition.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwzKsoaIcLwcw21oiUefO0BRD1i9hac-XIdsykJtc60S196O-0YEIxbUq7iPCi65xGebXDGEZNDC-GyopvX6Iw9SMpH88ek10AhZb9guNgyii5Nb8sIry2OH6rsalailPEmKiJ/s1600/Picture+3.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwzKsoaIcLwcw21oiUefO0BRD1i9hac-XIdsykJtc60S196O-0YEIxbUq7iPCi65xGebXDGEZNDC-GyopvX6Iw9SMpH88ek10AhZb9guNgyii5Nb8sIry2OH6rsalailPEmKiJ/s320/Picture+3.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5670259101937382418" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRjow6vaBDNdOaqRHcFQcZ9hYLs1n9fEv8qr5gNDM2cbKO_jItSwG_kjDUuo0cY749TksQBxuGiBKX3kW1eISNKqF8-F4vmU-WDJ9eCbt_iIaS-U0b9ByuoUYBfP7kxbwq5a_y/s1600/Picture+7.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 211px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRjow6vaBDNdOaqRHcFQcZ9hYLs1n9fEv8qr5gNDM2cbKO_jItSwG_kjDUuo0cY749TksQBxuGiBKX3kW1eISNKqF8-F4vmU-WDJ9eCbt_iIaS-U0b9ByuoUYBfP7kxbwq5a_y/s320/Picture+7.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5670259148154631762" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWHS73qV3DJb5RyBsQrtuDeWFZJcRYKUeRasVM0J8b88ImKg-nyTJdeGc3T5dFhWWeo5VGeNtNLPaH85h-Gnuqr4olZQgfZVtOcYrk4_GNJmWLQ_yQ6ZpiGx1n0SywY4OgJTYQ/s1600/Picture+4.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 210px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWHS73qV3DJb5RyBsQrtuDeWFZJcRYKUeRasVM0J8b88ImKg-nyTJdeGc3T5dFhWWeo5VGeNtNLPaH85h-Gnuqr4olZQgfZVtOcYrk4_GNJmWLQ_yQ6ZpiGx1n0SywY4OgJTYQ/s320/Picture+4.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5670259119120834114" border="0" /></a>The first 1 mile of the bike has a series of 90 degree turns and rough(er) road. I used this time to get my feet in and situated. Before I knew it, I was on Seawall Road. I felt the cross wind an quickly locked into my pace, which was 'go hard.' I went past a few guys from another age group and quickly found myself somewhat alone on a highway. It was so boring. I cannot imagine IM Florida. I hit the turnaround and was headed for home. On the way back I actually had to get out of the saddle and stretch a little...at 30 mph. That is how flat it was, I actually felt the need to stretch even when going that fast. I rolled into the technical 90 degree turns and saw a couple of the pros and elites on the ground. They looked okay, but did not navigate the corners well. They sure are not helping the bad reputation the triathletes have on thier poor bike handling skills.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc2cdPRhIPBNxo-pkUHKc-v99Zl6rzWdcfQwKxMavDBHPWXA5DF5OQOMGzP06Tmbrjv05gSjFMWffyXThsiOz7jBr-pGvzBfMWRDvY-qzxyyd0bD4PSjz7pfNf1_aGAbnbwUeU/s1600/Picture+10.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 220px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc2cdPRhIPBNxo-pkUHKc-v99Zl6rzWdcfQwKxMavDBHPWXA5DF5OQOMGzP06Tmbrjv05gSjFMWffyXThsiOz7jBr-pGvzBfMWRDvY-qzxyyd0bD4PSjz7pfNf1_aGAbnbwUeU/s320/Picture+10.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5670259429473925410" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7iVpQyaisbpcJwpvnVV07ANOuYFraxnFjMhGPYcwPeWQRsF88cyLWjx1dv82X7L5iBwR44rATpJJ-MwNZsoA09sPNh6jfjxXh1xM7eq2XKZcjaVR1DyGAMBQG0Y3bOmUmZA7b/s1600/Picture+8.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 252px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7iVpQyaisbpcJwpvnVV07ANOuYFraxnFjMhGPYcwPeWQRsF88cyLWjx1dv82X7L5iBwR44rATpJJ-MwNZsoA09sPNh6jfjxXh1xM7eq2XKZcjaVR1DyGAMBQG0Y3bOmUmZA7b/s320/Picture+8.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5670259395885762402" border="0" /></a>I hit T2 and was off running in my <a href="http://www.kswiss.com/">Kwiss</a> Kruuz racing flats. The run was pretty flat and was a 2 loop course (5k each loop). The first loop I just did not feel well. I tried to push a little but just felt out of sync. I decided to settle in to what I had and then as I started lap 2, for some reason I felt a ton better. I am not too sure what was going on, I am assuming I was too hot from the bike. Once I was able to cool off through the aid stations on the first lap (I was taking about 4 cups of water and tossing 3 on me and drinking some of the 4th) I was cooling down. I ended up running the second 5k 30 seconds faster and felt like I could have run another 10k at that pace. Cool. It might also have had something to do with the <a href="http://www.xendurance.com/">Extreme Endurance</a> regimen I have been taking the last 4 months too. Legs felt amazing.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiupg4hYeD-LLj0qwKCY1TPbB9YQohLOUWHNpjRIxJtvPR3dg4xBYV4KIkanVTJ29FUGtzSrr_mv7sZjICLbV8vupyRluzu0P4nOC9pyqPNXYI4gsilrSgelxqkYG_cNY-qN1Io/s1600/Picture+5.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiupg4hYeD-LLj0qwKCY1TPbB9YQohLOUWHNpjRIxJtvPR3dg4xBYV4KIkanVTJ29FUGtzSrr_mv7sZjICLbV8vupyRluzu0P4nOC9pyqPNXYI4gsilrSgelxqkYG_cNY-qN1Io/s320/Picture+5.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5670259138497798194" border="0" /></a>I was happy with the day. I knew I stretched it a bit. Nothing felt good, it all felt tough and I was struggling a bit. Don't know why. But as a result I won my age group, the overall amateur divisions, and beat all the elite amateurs. Now I will hopefully be able to race HyVee 5150 in early September for the Championship. That would be cool.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijQJuC9uTE52ZTZv2FG4uKOl3uZbTuLYDFnringcVOQ28Ji9IRFMN4sSXow6nnjva5j0uvB4negZ_ewPqo-uMpZcyia2C35sQujeGfIls_xBRzY3Y9Mb77E3u0Za4pKJnUAs2x/s1600/Picture+1.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 262px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijQJuC9uTE52ZTZv2FG4uKOl3uZbTuLYDFnringcVOQ28Ji9IRFMN4sSXow6nnjva5j0uvB4negZ_ewPqo-uMpZcyia2C35sQujeGfIls_xBRzY3Y9Mb77E3u0Za4pKJnUAs2x/s320/Picture+1.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5670259090385145826" border="0" /></a>Ken ended up 2nd in the age group (we are in the same age group) so he qualified for the championship too. He had a great race and represented Spokane well.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXSiszK6tFjrKUl0AVhlAYalf2TAGT_vToYSW2qEkpkl1d_n0qFRue9PObc1wPNfZgFp607zlOZbn7z7jOl92VmBGuPK5HPijYggDfqO-meuMdNj9qGJy2Py0uYMZY64rQuCY2/s1600/Picture+24.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXSiszK6tFjrKUl0AVhlAYalf2TAGT_vToYSW2qEkpkl1d_n0qFRue9PObc1wPNfZgFp607zlOZbn7z7jOl92VmBGuPK5HPijYggDfqO-meuMdNj9qGJy2Py0uYMZY64rQuCY2/s320/Picture+24.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5670402934086472850" border="0" /></a><br />Big thanks to Ken for making this trip so much fun. He is an easy travel companion. It's never easy to travel to races so it's nice to have someone there that is not a stress case.<br /><br />This concluded my race season for 2011. Racing for the <a href="http://www.timex.com/">TIMEX</a> Multisport Team for another season has been phenomenal. I cannot thank Tristan, Keith, Tom, and Doug enough. They really see to it that the team is ready and on the start line with the best and looking svelte. The support is unmatched.<br /><br />Also, locally, thank to Robin and all her staff at <a href="http://www.fitfanatics.com/">Fitness Fanatics</a>. They really help me throughout the season and are such a HUGE part of the cycling and triathlon community here in Spokane.<br /><br />Finally, and ultimately, thank you to my wife Jessi for holding down the fort while I was gone. I know me being gone, and with 2 kids to take care of, can be tough. I totally appreciate your support and encouragement in seeing that I get to some big races and ready to race. I love you and cannot thank you enough for all your support.<br /><br />Sorry for the lack of photos, when I don't have any "support" at the race, there is no one clicking the camera. But thanks to the company shooting the race, I have a couple.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia1PjGfh0GyotSqeqcRw0ZuuCSPiZPTEfqB2TTXYoxvzCvBYXjIr6OywD14zBdZsMR3_g-R-lNDfmLSTR1x77rKkylA8zVtchnhsVtSrWtpCzG44S3cnw8Y0Ld-TwZoQMvkk38/s1600/Picture+14.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 297px; height: 290px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia1PjGfh0GyotSqeqcRw0ZuuCSPiZPTEfqB2TTXYoxvzCvBYXjIr6OywD14zBdZsMR3_g-R-lNDfmLSTR1x77rKkylA8zVtchnhsVtSrWtpCzG44S3cnw8Y0Ld-TwZoQMvkk38/s320/Picture+14.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5670392542061473074" border="0" /></a>Roger Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02463326772396925975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28238217.post-37720161314427982462011-10-07T11:21:00.000-07:002011-10-07T11:23:35.272-07:00RedemptionJust a quick follow up from my post on Wednesday...<br /><br />I swam again today with Ken Collins and <span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-style: italic;">smashed</span></span> my swim sets. I'm back. Just in case you were worried. :)<br /><br />Hope all your training and racing has it highs and lows...but more highs.Roger Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02463326772396925975noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28238217.post-34433505561714036752011-10-05T06:34:00.000-07:002011-10-05T07:29:53.575-07:00Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day<span style="font-size:100%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtmFJ6I0D01C-BOwdLQU_tymK6knyXQ27lDVFBui-II0wByHj57CM2gOyoLK18OdZ5zM_J4U4Emd1QgG-PiGcqFKgxSo7jic6cygDCrEeLjYD_ca826kGdecnD65H2EVtJcFuB/s1600/Picture+1.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtmFJ6I0D01C-BOwdLQU_tymK6knyXQ27lDVFBui-II0wByHj57CM2gOyoLK18OdZ5zM_J4U4Emd1QgG-PiGcqFKgxSo7jic6cygDCrEeLjYD_ca826kGdecnD65H2EVtJcFuB/s320/Picture+1.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5660008088174662530" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br />We all have these days. Sometimes we can explain them, other times we cannot. I had one this morning.<br /><br />Owen got up at 3:50am to eat and Jessi responded. I did not look at the clock because I wanted to 'think' I had more time before my alarm went off at 4:10am...BEEP BEEP...my alarm goes off and Lloyd (100 lb black lab) gets up and steps on my head. I'm up.<br /><br />I go and feed Lloyd and start my coffee only to find out we are out of coffee cups. But we have more, out in the garage. Another break in the regular pattern. I got my coffee, added one of the last sweeteners, and had one of Jessi's home made muffins. Things seemed to be going well.<br /><br />I grabbed my running gear and was ready to run in the rain after a swim. I hopped in the car and loaded up my swim bag. In doing so, I took out a few things in order to get my running clothes in it (foreshadowing?)<br /><br />Upon driving to the club, I realize I forgot my water bottle...oh well. I will survive.<br /><br />I pull into the parking lot and see an open spot right up front, but then another car swoops in and takes it. I drive another lap and park in the back row.<br /><br />I get changed and am ready to swim, and then realize I forgot my swim cap. Not the end of the world...just need to rinse really well afterward and use my <a href="http://www.sbrsportsinc.com/index.html">SBR Tri Swim</a> shampoo.<br /><br />I walk into the pool and see that every lane has 2 people in it. One has an "aqua aerobic" person in it. I decide to jump in with her...she glares. As I unpacked my bag, I discovered one of the items I pulled out and did not replace was my pull buoy. Crap. I will survive.<br /><br />I started my warm up and felt like maybe the water was "thicker" than normal. But that's why we all warm up.<br /><br />I do my first kick set and come in 15 seconds per 50 slower than normal. That felt crappy.<br /><br />I then do a 100 steady and come in 10 seconds slower than I should have at that effort and my form felt disjointed. I try again with similar results. I resign to a 500 easy and just 'swim.' I honestly felt like I was drowning. I decide to call it a day after 20 minutes.<br /><br />I place my bag in front of my locker and hit the shower. When I get back from the shower there is a guy sitting right in front of my bag changing to work out...seriously? The place is empty and he picks the only place where there is a bag? The guy smells of well aged cheese and a back alley bar in England after a soccer game...and he's panting for some reason.<br /><br />I change, grab my gear, and head out. As I was walking out of the club I hear my name called. A couple people I vaguely know are on the treadmills. So I go over and say 'hi.' They said they saw me come in and thought I got up early to only workout for 15 minutes. I said 20...not counting the shower.<br /><br />I then drive home, sit in the driveway a few minutes, and ponder what the hell just happened. I have a few options right now. I choose going back to bed. I go in to the house and find my Lloyd, my dog, in the spot I had left. He is reluctant to move, but does. I laid down and Jessi asked how my swim was (this is now 5:15 am). I said, 'Horrible, I felt like I was drowning, so I came home.' She said, 'Keep it in perspective.' I tried to fall asleep again.<br /><br />Now, this is really not that bad of a morning. Granted, it's about a 1 hr 30 min time frame, but I can't remember the last time where I just could not pull out a swim. Maybe being 40 has finally hit me and I am getting weak. I don't think so.<br /><br />What I take from this is, my next workout will be amazing.<br /><br />As Emma always says, "If this is the worst thing that happens today, it's still a pretty good day." But it's only 6:30am. There is a lot of day left though, but I will take her advice.</span>Roger Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02463326772396925975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28238217.post-4328250892292882182011-10-01T08:40:00.000-07:002011-10-01T21:31:12.942-07:00Cda Triathlon 2.0<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8tYl1eeaiyILenTcQ5B4riaWXYAmUZr5LmkC7im0IWrITd7TtSrI5uzkOu2Ne4Sc8SZUPRH1eRCzbzuIxFxWq_lJUd87ep3rpen9w2WpA4iy-mR-kMoWdnFTjercrKjKkOrZE/s1600/Picture+2.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8tYl1eeaiyILenTcQ5B4riaWXYAmUZr5LmkC7im0IWrITd7TtSrI5uzkOu2Ne4Sc8SZUPRH1eRCzbzuIxFxWq_lJUd87ep3rpen9w2WpA4iy-mR-kMoWdnFTjercrKjKkOrZE/s320/Picture+2.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5658004327053290866" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5iHpcMdTHIi2xDG1lqdr9ZbyvU3y3IyXPsYKPnVOmFcDFq3DtLz0ABG_Rc23Lt1KkHSA4UmGw1HzLrG7JH581zIVF8Lu9utuRwtf_VX_vP_PkCLDd9Et8y51wkwAmYovhr9HF/s1600/Picture+1.png"><br /></a>Cda Triathlon…possibly my favorite Olympic race in the world…possibly.<span style=""> </span>This year it would serve as the USAT Regional Olympic Distance Championship.<span style=""> </span>If you have not read my last blog post on the Cda Triathlon, you may want to in order to understand my battles with this race (click <a href="http://roger-thompson.blogspot.com/2009/08/results-are-incda-olympic-race-4-roger.html">HERE </a>to go to that post).<br /><br /><p class="MsoNormal">Fast forward to the day before the race, Aug 12<sup>th</sup>.<span style=""> </span>I was already packed, ready to roll.<span style=""> </span>Jessi took Owen and Emma up to her parent’s for the day to be with them in hopes to give me some room to get some final prep done.<span style=""> </span>I know this is a stressful/anxious time for her too.<span style=""> </span>I decided to go for a short prep ride on my race set up.<span style=""> </span>All felt good except I was having some trouble with my front derailleur.<span style=""> </span>Earlier in the week, I noticed that a zip tie had cut one of the wires and made the front der inoperable.<span style=""> </span>Remember, I use Shimano Di2, which is electronic, not cable.<span style=""> </span>But I was able to manipulate it a bit to get it to work…so I ‘should’ be okay.<span style=""> </span>I decided to double check it when I got home, and it was no longer working.<span style=""> </span>Crap!<span style=""> </span>So I spent about 2 hours trying a variety of different ways to get it to connect.<span style=""> </span>It worked from time to time, but not consistently, and not enough to make me feel confident enough to race with it.<span style=""> </span>The Cda course is HILLY.<span style=""> </span>I thought for a moment that I might be able to ride in the big ring, but I would ruin my race if I tried that.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal">I got on the phone and called <a href="http://www.fitfanatics.com/">Fitness Fanatics</a> to see if they had any word on a new wire set…no luck.<span style=""> </span>They had some suggestions to get it to work, but none seemed to fix the problem.<span style=""> </span>I made a few more calls and was left empty handed.<span style=""> </span>To start with, <a href="http://bike.shimano.com/publish/content/global_cycle/en/us/index/products/road/di2.html">Di2</a> is not really on the shelf in very many shops, and ‘extra parts’ are nonexistent.<span style=""> </span>Since I have di2 on my road bike too, I thought I could borrow some of the wires from it.<span style=""> </span>So I disassembled my TT bike and road bike only to find out there are completely different connectors.<span style=""> </span>Crap #2.<span style=""> </span>Now I have 2 bikes completely taken apart, and still don’t have a race bike that works.<span style=""> </span>It was now late afternoon and I needed to head to Cda to check in for the race that I am starting to wonder if I will be able to do.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Check in went FAST and I was able to peruse the list of 850+ athletes competing…but would I be on the start line?<span style=""> </span>I was home again at about 6:30pm looking at a bike that was in shambles.<span style=""> </span>I decided to go back to mechanical shifting…yup, cables.<span style=""> </span>So I got Jessi’s TT bike and took off the front shift lever and the front derailleur.<span style=""> </span>I got some SIS housing and a new cable that I had for some reason.<span style=""> </span>I fitted my <a href="http://www.orbea.com/us-us">Orbea</a> with the cable and housing and routed all the cables internally in the frame and aero bars…never easy.<span style=""> </span>I got it all adjusted, wrapped the bars again, took it for a 2 block ride, made a couple adjustments, and loaded it in the car.<span style=""> </span>Live by electronics, die by electronics.<span style=""> </span>I was feeling a little bit country and little bit rock and roll, but I could shift from my small ring to my big ring…life was a little better.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSbInEh8Zl124hVrUphJB2ERvu39jdnKEM4ZzS60Ft-nEIVWlh1YGPG53Y0why7ls9QjFiCvmcIADTYhm-CLpsQ9ZbWMMArXQkXR26S-g-_3CP92hj9pu6ZPrth8yKOWQcekY9/s1600/Picture+5.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 179px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSbInEh8Zl124hVrUphJB2ERvu39jdnKEM4ZzS60Ft-nEIVWlh1YGPG53Y0why7ls9QjFiCvmcIADTYhm-CLpsQ9ZbWMMArXQkXR26S-g-_3CP92hj9pu6ZPrth8yKOWQcekY9/s320/Picture+5.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5658009365153850578" border="0" /></a></p><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-style: italic;">Which looks better...right or left?</span></span><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc9C9WAuIE41gqD-iAGlJYAUOhsA1g_qx-iPNEtSzYmPPcEg5NzpNhzQacCj4cfmilZUAKWn5NAOq-gpkq_5oZFnAuGfytOl-s00mubGQCoV-LLUIaI9M8UjzCFzNVzplxTGoY/s1600/Picture+8.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc9C9WAuIE41gqD-iAGlJYAUOhsA1g_qx-iPNEtSzYmPPcEg5NzpNhzQacCj4cfmilZUAKWn5NAOq-gpkq_5oZFnAuGfytOl-s00mubGQCoV-LLUIaI9M8UjzCFzNVzplxTGoY/s320/Picture+8.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5658009388901541458" border="0" /></a></p><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(255, 0, 0);font-size:85%;" >Not exactly the cleanest look</span><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmJaqDPSwnqQy1omkQdoq7EDR5AhMFROKaEgGp0Rmo5xwBsbKJklqJd5gpWI3BmkNB_BoQR22ercnOmQQxt6Z_1BXvUQOPcl00JvrWg2PnmimU4zqlFP8Rqc9Z0zoCGnnRgX4h/s1600/Picture+10.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 212px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmJaqDPSwnqQy1omkQdoq7EDR5AhMFROKaEgGp0Rmo5xwBsbKJklqJd5gpWI3BmkNB_BoQR22ercnOmQQxt6Z_1BXvUQOPcl00JvrWg2PnmimU4zqlFP8Rqc9Z0zoCGnnRgX4h/s320/Picture+10.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5658009383323780770" border="0" /></a></p><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">A battery next to a traditional front der.</span></span><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal">I would like to say that the rest of the evening went smoothly, but it didn’t.<span style=""> </span>Jessi got home, realized she left her purse and other things across town, ran out of gas in our driveway, had to go get gas in a 5 gal container and refill, dumped my toolbox all over the floor…the list went on and on.<span style=""> </span>FINALLY I felt like we had everything where it needed to be and I hit the sac.<span style=""> </span>Jessi and I both had a short laugh about the day.<span style=""> </span>I think one more thing would have put us both over the edge…but, as I told her, it’s just a triathlon.<span style=""> </span>In the big picture, it’s not that big a deal.<span style=""> </span>It’s only as important as you make it.<span style=""> </span>Since we were now laughing, priorities were in check.<span style=""> </span>I went to bed still wondering if my front derailleur would work though.<span style=""> </span>Zzzzz.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal">I woke up and had everything ready to roll.<span style=""> </span>Breakfast, bottles, coffee… all was set.<span style=""> </span>I was a little behind as to when I ‘wanted’ to leave, but I was still good.<span style=""> </span>I hopped in the car, turned the key, and my battery was dead. Crap #3!<span style=""> </span>Since it was about 4:45am, and dark, this was not part of the ‘plan.’<span style=""> </span>I backed Jessi’s car up next to mine to ‘jump it’ with cables, but our batteries were on the opposite sides.<span style=""> </span>Cables were too short.<span style=""> </span>So I went into the garage and got our battery charger, which has a ‘start’ function.<span style=""> </span>So, finally, I was off and running, hopefully all the way to Cda.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Fortunately the drive to Cda was uneventful…I was happy for that.<span style=""> </span>But I ended up arriving about 1:10 minutes before my start.<span style=""> </span>That is pretty close for me.<span style=""> </span>It also meant that the transition area would be pretty full and I would get a bad spot.<span style=""> </span>But I know how to eek out some room.<span style=""> </span>Derek Garcia was there and let me rack near him, which was helpful.<span style=""> </span>But it still takes me some time to get all set up.<span style=""> </span>The race started at 7:00 for the 39 and under, and 7:10 for the 40 and over.<span style=""> </span>Since this was a USAT race, I was racing 40 and up and would start in the second group.<span style=""> </span>This had some advantages and probably more disadvantages.<span style=""> </span>But it was what it was.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The ‘young guys’ took off and it gave me some time to get ready.<span style=""> </span>I don’t think I even had my wetsuit on yet, typical.<span style=""> </span>I went down to the start and got in about a 100 yard warm up.<span style=""> </span>Just enough to make sure my goggles did not leak and my <a href="http://www.orca.com/category/3-8">Orca 3.8</a> was fitting perfectly.<span style=""> </span>There were some fast swimmers in my group, so I knew there should be some out in front.<span style=""> </span>The swim course itself is pretty simple, but if you don’t know the layout, you can always make it harder.<span style=""> </span>They gave us the 1 minute to go call, and I started my <a href="http://www.timexironman.com/Products/Global_Trainer_GPS.htm">TIMEX Global Trainer</a>.<span style=""> </span>The horn sounded and the race took off like a shot.<span style=""> </span>I swam steady from the start and watched the race sort out a bit.<span style=""> </span>The swim felt good, but I did not think I was swimming too straight.<span style=""> </span>I started running into the slower swimmers from the prior wave fairly quickly and that required me to do a bit more spotting and weaving.<span style=""> </span>When you come up on slower swimmers, it can often be quite alarming to them and you.<span style=""> </span>I tried to keep calm and focus on my stroke.<span style=""> </span>As I was approaching the exit, I knew I needed to be fast.<span style=""> </span>I also knew I needed to prepare to hear how far I was down on the others too.<span style=""> </span>Most people who were giving me splits, knew I started 10 minutes down, and some would just tell me how far I was down on my wave.<span style=""> </span>Both are good information.<span style=""> </span>I quickly made it through transition and was given numbers, and times of things I had no clue they were connected to.<span style=""> </span>But eventually it would all make sense.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal">I was looking forward to this bike leg because it’s a course that I know pretty well now.<span style=""> </span>I have spent a little time on it over the past years and feel that there are some sections that you can get an advantage in if you know the course.<span style=""> </span>Those that have raced this course (was also the 1999 and 2000 USAT Nationals Course) know that it is anything but flat…or straight.<span style=""> </span>As I was moving along the first 5 miles of the bike, I was passing quite a few people.<span style=""> </span>I did not know if they were from my swim start or not, but it really did not matter.<span style=""> </span>I knew what effort to ride and I had my nutrition pretty well set.<span style=""> </span>As I started the first real climb, I saw Jessi, Emma and Owen on the side of the road cheering.<span style=""> </span>They gave me splits on the first wave, which was great, but the most important questions was, did they actually start 10 minutes behind?<span style=""> </span>Because if they didn’t, the information would be off.<span style=""> </span>Regardless, it did not matter.<span style=""> </span>I was going to race hard and see where my fitness was and what kind of bike/run I could pull off.<span style=""> </span>I saw Jessi a couple more times and knew I was putting time into them, and I would need as much as possible.<span style=""> </span>I finished the bike strong feeling like I still had some fuel in the tank.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDTqR3eEOvxoB3NCKFxOqP6bT8y-sSKGiZZh62T5W1vLURegVD1fcw8nM0Xeuw1tht-PCAcNLb6GS_qiGoAWiCQJ-7rnSEc6UuJ1PdQ9GYat1JmdinIeYbk07PewLizAeBi2O8/s1600/Picture+19.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 307px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDTqR3eEOvxoB3NCKFxOqP6bT8y-sSKGiZZh62T5W1vLURegVD1fcw8nM0Xeuw1tht-PCAcNLb6GS_qiGoAWiCQJ-7rnSEc6UuJ1PdQ9GYat1JmdinIeYbk07PewLizAeBi2O8/s320/Picture+19.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5658004793216952834" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal">T2 was quick and the crowd had already seen about 10 guys through…all from the wave that was 10 minutes up.<span style=""> </span>I was leading the 40+ group, and was working my way into the other wave pretty deep.<span style=""> </span>I was excited to run in my new <a href="http://www.kswiss.com/item/52.46/02423-188/Men/Footwear_Running/K-Ruuz/Wht_Slv_Trured_Clscblu.html">K-Swiss K-Ruuz</a> race flats. The run is pretty flat which I don’t mind, but it allows pure runners to move along quite well.<span style=""> </span>After 2 miles I think I had about 2:30 on the lead of the race.<span style=""> </span>I figured they were not putting a lot, if any, time into my lead.<span style=""> </span>I passed a few more runners and was still feeling good.<span style=""> </span>At about mile 4 I started to sputter a bit, but again, seeing Jessi and others out on the course really helped keep my spirits up.<span style=""> </span>I hit mile 5 and started seeing a lot of the other runners coming out and that, for some reason, helped me pick up the pace a little.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv0CwDYJg8ocz20O6Z-YOHqj2HHM9p-G9csLYcog_yrHCyANwj0WaWkwSdeF_FimDnpBsHOmNYGHf_RKEzsenXrF50YB3MT56mp3D2Llm6xcfB2hLtPvB-LOK63hTKGSS_UJBp/s1600/Picture+3.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 186px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv0CwDYJg8ocz20O6Z-YOHqj2HHM9p-G9csLYcog_yrHCyANwj0WaWkwSdeF_FimDnpBsHOmNYGHf_RKEzsenXrF50YB3MT56mp3D2Llm6xcfB2hLtPvB-LOK63hTKGSS_UJBp/s320/Picture+3.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5658004335759527458" border="0" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal">I saw Jessi one more time with about a ½ mile to go and she gave me a few more yells and confidence boosters.<span style=""> </span>I started to think that I might just win this race.<span style=""> </span>But you never know until you cross that line.<span style=""> </span>As I approached the line, I could see the 5 guys that finished before me, and after I crossed, Derek said, “You won it man, you were about 2 minutes faster.”<span style=""> </span>It was a little anticlimactic to cross 6<sup>th</sup> and really be first.<span style=""> </span>Not so much for the glory of it all, more for the knowledge that you won.<span style=""> </span>Derek’s confirmation seemed accurate based on the other information…but again, that was under the assumption I started exactly 10 minutes behind.<span style=""> </span>I still wanted to hear it from the officials.<span style=""> </span>Soon, that affirmation was given.<span style=""> </span>I was also told that I was the ‘oldest’ guy to ever win this race.<span style=""> </span>I think that’s a compliment?<span style=""> </span>I will take it that way regardless.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0C3ltiNYezIa2I4bjsaDv7lOh7vANK6nolPn6yQL_t4f5sobZoapvNZCKWdn7tGzzeqwJv9I1QWPHS2Qhndb_6xnP_upU7yRA_AwdAeGUjdcVexEVbynIAaYWqZt_1fxX9vC4/s1600/Picture+18.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 286px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0C3ltiNYezIa2I4bjsaDv7lOh7vANK6nolPn6yQL_t4f5sobZoapvNZCKWdn7tGzzeqwJv9I1QWPHS2Qhndb_6xnP_upU7yRA_AwdAeGUjdcVexEVbynIAaYWqZt_1fxX9vC4/s320/Picture+18.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5658004342473554594" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Winning this race wasn’t the highlight.<span style=""> </span>This year has been one of new beginnings and new additions for our family.<span style=""> </span>We have made some huge positive changes that place priority on family and supporting one another not only in sport.<span style=""> </span>Though training and triathlon are a part of a MUCH larger picture, they are not the center of it.<span style=""> </span>So to walk away with a good result, win or not, really showed us that even with perspective, good races still happen.<span style=""> </span>It feels a lot different knowing that I was able to win a race with the family first.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGP6GOsO2hLTh8_BgwbWIfwhvRtHXQmuYmnvfd0Ee2RTLl3lTU7gnPokMEw1QmHylxVlqfcnxHOgrFjcSZ8Z7v6RKOqXSKqBLdhhcq7R0zeA4qdOajyL5o-nMbWTBzwskN9bYy/s1600/Cda+press+timex+pic.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 181px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGP6GOsO2hLTh8_BgwbWIfwhvRtHXQmuYmnvfd0Ee2RTLl3lTU7gnPokMEw1QmHylxVlqfcnxHOgrFjcSZ8Z7v6RKOqXSKqBLdhhcq7R0zeA4qdOajyL5o-nMbWTBzwskN9bYy/s320/Cda+press+timex+pic.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5658004319463405794" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal">This was the second time I have won this race.<span style=""> </span>The first time was redemption, this time it was satisfying.<span style=""> </span>I walked away proud that “we” did it, rather than we won it.<span style=""> </span>Weird, I know.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Here is a video by Dave Erickson (www.swimbikerunvideos.com). Check out his site for more triathlon related videos and more.<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ZHELDX93vPk" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" width="560"></iframe><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji4R7iaY4djN_q47LDTNrpkQlVl2TntDz5OZRriw81ldTzMyvLVcl-zeqiRC95y7M83_K9ZWUHTE0t9U8xwUjFcc_nC9i0aQOUPz1hfwy07fsu_6OMchoXGkAxS2JOrPy3o3d7/s1600/Picture+11.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 219px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji4R7iaY4djN_q47LDTNrpkQlVl2TntDz5OZRriw81ldTzMyvLVcl-zeqiRC95y7M83_K9ZWUHTE0t9U8xwUjFcc_nC9i0aQOUPz1hfwy07fsu_6OMchoXGkAxS2JOrPy3o3d7/s320/Picture+11.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5658009374720911442" border="0" /></a></p><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-style: italic;">Bike is back to normal...rest easy</span></span><br /></p>Roger Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02463326772396925975noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28238217.post-25958629190570277632011-09-29T07:06:00.000-07:002011-09-30T07:22:21.994-07:00Race the River Triathlon... here we go.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUG460ve5yDE0a2QPjYsM7c6TjdYvZuWkkAYRw6_d1YNfoKdB1ik388umAtoJJajDd_H8r6bpdTVO-sVqo57LWRkPhVv8OMrL3wyoXH1JKrFWYX8lY00ISqZ_veQWd-EkpWx6Y/s1600/Picture+20.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 251px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUG460ve5yDE0a2QPjYsM7c6TjdYvZuWkkAYRw6_d1YNfoKdB1ik388umAtoJJajDd_H8r6bpdTVO-sVqo57LWRkPhVv8OMrL3wyoXH1JKrFWYX8lY00ISqZ_veQWd-EkpWx6Y/s320/Picture+20.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5657783702293006018" border="0" /></a><br /><style>@font-face { font-family: "Times New Roman"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }a:link, span.MsoHyperlink { color: blue; text-decoration: underline; }a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed { color: purple; text-decoration: underline; }table.MsoNormalTable { font-size: 10pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }div.Sect</style>This year I was able to race in another one of my favorite races, Race the River Triathlon.<span style=""> </span>It is a sprint in Couer d Alene as well.<span style=""> </span>This year it would be the host of the PNW Region’s Sprint Championships.<span style=""> </span>I have raced this race in 2008 and 2009 and won it both times.<span style=""> </span>But 2011 would mark a return to my first Sprint race in 2 years.<span style=""> </span>I was a tad nervous, but I figured it would all come back.<span style=""> </span>Since I was the last one to win the race returning, I would be donning the “stripe,” otherwise known as #1.<span style=""> </span>This is a great compliment in any race, but it also is a bit of a target and burden.<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs24MlFlwIL7ykGzH_q3qTSnbzSGY1IIMbQjEqDoGBh9Smme7QLbXMWg9MZZhJX_bEd7bH1EQc6Pta2tCWw3qUFiRkVlWJKaB3_hedfAVBW7PEJ9I-zgNBMlKFQIREsyqUmVr0/s1600/Picture+1.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 169px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs24MlFlwIL7ykGzH_q3qTSnbzSGY1IIMbQjEqDoGBh9Smme7QLbXMWg9MZZhJX_bEd7bH1EQc6Pta2tCWw3qUFiRkVlWJKaB3_hedfAVBW7PEJ9I-zgNBMlKFQIREsyqUmVr0/s320/Picture+1.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5657786339338749490" border="0" /></a><span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">One aspect that I was not too sure about being back was my fitness.<span style=""> </span>It’s easy to reflect back on what you once had and have delusions that you still have the same fitness.<span style=""> </span>Based on my limited training (about 5 weeks) since our precious Owen was born, I figured I had a solid base carrying over from Oceanside, but my speed (which is essential for Sprints) was pretty limited.<span style=""> </span>The field at Race the River was maxed out at 850, and some of the elite athletes were rolling off some big events.<span style=""> </span>Brian Hadley was 4<sup>th</sup> professional at IM Cda, Derek Garcia who qualified for Kona at St. George, was just coming off a near victory over Brian…missing by a mere 2 seconds the week prior in a sprint event.<span style=""> </span>Both have been having great seasons so far.<span style=""> </span>Then there was a smattering of others that could easily pull off a great race as well.<span style=""> </span>But I felt I had a small advantage since I was familiar with the course and the bike was pretty technical.<span style=""> </span>And, you gotta do your ‘first race’ eventually.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp56bWx4jJJBpfqaYzQBFpah3zn1xlGp8nCh09FKPz8E1Nqj4uAH9rBH4oZGlSJ44_aIFAFij4pS0x_kJXIE_eiU059DjTU5D0bL-7dDclrREgYJOWPYufl4_qKroNpjsXdtlx/s1600/Picture+25.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 220px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp56bWx4jJJBpfqaYzQBFpah3zn1xlGp8nCh09FKPz8E1Nqj4uAH9rBH4oZGlSJ44_aIFAFij4pS0x_kJXIE_eiU059DjTU5D0bL-7dDclrREgYJOWPYufl4_qKroNpjsXdtlx/s320/Picture+25.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5657783823322494338" border="0" /></a> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">The race itself was a bit of chaotic for me.<span style=""> </span>I arrived about 1.5 hours before that start and I felt like I had never set up a transition area before. I was just moving stuff around not really thinking about what I needed.<span style=""> </span>It was weird… I have done a ton of these races.<span style=""> </span>Must be the old age.<span style=""> </span>It’s just a part of not doing a race in over a year.<span style=""> </span>I think this goes to show you that if you only race once or twice a year, your transitions will never be all that fast…relatively.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh68kF0qeHbCtQRtxQoqOcr3mT86N-MUW5lCUv9b3PjCccIaKGoMM6j-cYIOX_R4XA0yhsMXtf5V1kRIeG-9hsZazzGLjZ7f1cj3U40ZwR6Jof9-YUWYCaI6wanyhDlmnPND14K/s1600/Picture+24.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 218px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh68kF0qeHbCtQRtxQoqOcr3mT86N-MUW5lCUv9b3PjCccIaKGoMM6j-cYIOX_R4XA0yhsMXtf5V1kRIeG-9hsZazzGLjZ7f1cj3U40ZwR6Jof9-YUWYCaI6wanyhDlmnPND14K/s320/Picture+24.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5657783730100623170" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">The race started with a ½ mile down river swim.<span style=""> </span>I think the total swim time, with about 1 minute of running to T1, was about 9 minutes.<span style=""> </span>I was feeling out of sync, but we were moving FAST.<span style=""> </span>The problem with current aided swims is it allows weaker swimmers to stay close since relative time in the water is less. My shoulder was feeling a little stiff, and achy, but nothing too terrible; just not comfortable.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghZWVXsUXQv7CGWEpXWnRDf6tkiNjGsA8m0gRT0sevJ-o9GUMd0avl_-9TfGheh5sCGy3zJZjoRTgmU6pNsDQIOPVZR4vh8QfKCDWgszZ8ERTsQb9-2gxuhmwDut1l3BfAplyO/s1600/Picture+23.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 225px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghZWVXsUXQv7CGWEpXWnRDf6tkiNjGsA8m0gRT0sevJ-o9GUMd0avl_-9TfGheh5sCGy3zJZjoRTgmU6pNsDQIOPVZR4vh8QfKCDWgszZ8ERTsQb9-2gxuhmwDut1l3BfAplyO/s320/Picture+23.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5657783721171137186" border="0" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal">I ended up 2<sup>nd</sup> out of the water, quickly transitioned, and was in the lead on the bike in about 10 yards.<span style=""> </span>I never felt I settled in to the bike, but I rode the 3 laps hard.<span style=""> </span>I had 5 seconds, then 15, and then a 30 second lead on my nearest competitor.<span style=""> </span>I had a quick T2 and started the run.<span style=""> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7AF08W6Ii2VIIRI0103IuYHzCo6VFc8oyumRfSV3_SiOLQfarnsHhSJNLYlq0pDN24yIJv6vc-NVo256NdBCDtFdoanA9Hz03iZOhyphenhyphen1-M5GX6BhuBNsmiuyLQl6rxMGvrB3y8/s1600/Picture+22.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 226px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7AF08W6Ii2VIIRI0103IuYHzCo6VFc8oyumRfSV3_SiOLQfarnsHhSJNLYlq0pDN24yIJv6vc-NVo256NdBCDtFdoanA9Hz03iZOhyphenhyphen1-M5GX6BhuBNsmiuyLQl6rxMGvrB3y8/s320/Picture+22.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5657783716332580802" border="0" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">I cannot say I felt very good from the start of the run.<span style=""> </span>But I plodded along.<span style=""> </span>Derek Garcia caught me at about 2 miles of the 3.1 mile run.<span style=""> </span>Then, shortly after, Brian Hadley passed me at 2.5 miles.<span style=""> </span>They really did not make much distance after they went by.<span style=""> </span>But I was in 4<sup>th</sup> gear and just cruisin’.<span style=""> </span>I just did not feel like I had a 5<sup>th</sup> gear.<span style=""> </span>Derek went on to win, with Brian close behind and me about 30 seconds off the winning time in 3rd.<span style=""> </span>Brian and Derek really battled hard against one another and it was an amazing finish.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-_WY4CwexxJjJhBVFv5jdZdfKSad6fet2WXIwHxrJDWgqo7mMOQc5OYYOPCKP9yedpvf_q_AjDPHVhReeL4vXjIGwNh9A6zi5u0D2-sQKdOydeCt53uBgAlxVfGCZwE3YSINX/s1600/Picture+21.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 205px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-_WY4CwexxJjJhBVFv5jdZdfKSad6fet2WXIwHxrJDWgqo7mMOQc5OYYOPCKP9yedpvf_q_AjDPHVhReeL4vXjIGwNh9A6zi5u0D2-sQKdOydeCt53uBgAlxVfGCZwE3YSINX/s320/Picture+21.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5657783713845691554" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">I cannot complain really.<span style=""> </span>Got to keep perspective and look at the positives.<span style=""> </span>I knew going in that I did not have the races or the training that is needed to challenge for the win in a race like this.<span style=""> </span>As I reflected back on the race though, I was really happy to be able to be ‘in’ the race.<span style=""> </span>But my next race would be Cda Triathlon…2x the distance…in 3 weeks.<span style=""> </span>I love the Oly distance, but questioned if I would be fit for it?<span style=""> </span>I knew the competition would be deeper, and the course tougher.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Hats off to Derek, Brian, and Nate Birdsall. They have been racing strong all year in a variety of distances and showed today their level of fitness and speed. Just glad they were still at the finish line when I crossed.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Here is an amazing video by Dave Erickson (www.swimbikerunvideos.com). He has a ton more on there as well.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/z-XcjEZc4MU" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" width="560"></iframe><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">A big thank you the Christine and Curt and all their volunteer staff that made this event another great one.<span style=""> </span>The first year I did this race I thought, “Yes, this is what a race should be like.”<span style=""> </span>Four years later, I am still saying the same thing.<span style=""> </span>Check them out at <a href="http://www.racetheriver.com/">www.racetheriver.com</a> and sign up early…it WILL fill.</p>Roger Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02463326772396925975noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28238217.post-18030647316289702512011-09-12T22:09:00.000-07:002012-09-25T22:09:46.173-07:00Titanium ManWith a name like Titanium Man, you got to figure it’s better than any Ironman. I am still on the lookout for Diamond Man. That will be a hard race and probably very expensive.<br />
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This race took place on Sept 3<sup>rd</sup> just a 2.5 hour drive from Spokane. A group of us (Natalie, Greg, Dave, Melissa, and myself) loaded up the Excursion at 4:45am and headed down to a race that started at 9:00am. I appreciate the later start when I am driving, but prefer an earlier start when I am in the same town. The drive was full of adult humor and tri talk. We were all eating our breakfasts and trying to think of what this race would be like. This would also be my last race as a sub 40 year old.</div>
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A little background on this race…it is only $35 and is chip timed by <a href="http://www.milliseconds.com/">Milliseconds</a>. It is a down current swim with a different location for each transition. The start is also in another spot. Logistically this seems like a bit of a headache if you were to drive down there by yourself. But it was actually set up very well. The bike you would think is flat, but it’s not. It is a very honest course with lots of turns, intersections and hills. The run, however, is flat. The field limit is 225 people, and yes, it sells out. I have signed up for this race on 2 other occasions but had never raced it because it is so close to the start of school. And, with it being only $35, it’s easy to walk away from. Times are typically right near 2 hours and a few pros (Michael Gordon) have seen 1:57 ish. I never understood why times have not been faster on a course with a current aided swim and what I thought was a flat(er) bike and run. Maybe there were long transitions? Regardless, I was about to find out.</div>
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Lets get to the race. I saw Chris Zylak and his fiancé Meg before the race as we were all walking to the swim start. He gave me some pointers about the start and the exit. With a current aided swim, it is easy to overshoot the exit if you are too far in the channel, where the best current is. So there is a balance between going out too far to get an advantage and then having to swim back in, to being in too close and not getting enough current. I lined up as far out as most and thought it was good enough. I was on the start line but everyone else seemed so far behind as they swam against the current to stay in place. They gave a countdown and off we went. I took off quickly and did not see anyone for the first 100 meters on either side. For some reason this alarmed me so I actually stopped, turned around to see that the race had actually started and I was going the right way…I was. Swimming in the <a href="http://www.orca.com/category/3-8">Orca 3.8</a> feels so effortless. When you know a swim is supposed to be ‘fast’ you are always looking for the finish. I think I started looking after about 500 yards. Unfortunately this makes the swim seem long and like it’s never going to end. There was one guy further out in the channel than me that was a bit ahead of me, and then there was another guy kind of next to me. I could see the exit and angled in. I ended up coming out of the water 3<sup>rd</sup>, on the heals of 2<sup>nd</sup>. My swim time was 15:55 for the 1500 meters. I started pulling off my wetsuit as I started T1. At this race you needed to ‘bag’ your T1 items so they could bring them back to the finish. For the first time in 3 years, I was going to put on socks for an Oly race. My feet were a little beat up from a training run where I forgot my socks and my feet suffered from that a bit. I did not want this race to push back my training so I took the extra 10-20 seconds (dang that sounds like a lot) to roll them on. I then threw on my <a href="http://www.rudyprojectusa.com/">Rudy Project </a>Wingspan, grabbed the <a href="http://www.orbea.com/us-us">Orbea</a>, and was off.<br />
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Upon exiting T1, I asked the volunteer how many individuals were out on the course? He said 2, and I was 3<sup>rd</sup>. Okay, I could see the one in front, but not 1<sup>st</sup>. I started going to work watching my power and shifting flawlessly with my <a href="http://www.shimano.com/publish/content/global_cycle/en/us/index/products/road/di2.html">Shimano Di2</a>…love that. After settling a bit, I took some splits on 2<sup>nd</sup> and could see that he went from 20 seconds to 30 seconds ahead…darn. Then later he was at almost 50 seconds. What the heck? We are not even at the turnaround and I am getting gapped big time. We finally came to the turnaround (which was actually more than half way) and I could see that I was closing on both 1<sup>st</sup> and 2<sup>nd</sup> a bit, but they were still up the road a bit. When the came by me I could see that they had shoe covers and short sleeved skin suits. Hmmm, I figured these guys must not be individuals…they were on teams, thank God. That would explain why, and how, they were putting time on me so quickly at the start. They were fresh at the start of the bike, I was not. As we headed back towards T2 I was closing on them and could actually see them both. I wasn’t sure if I would catch them before the finish, but might. I kept hammering along and feeling solid. As I entered an intersection a volunteer directed me straight through when I was supposed to turn. Fortunately I looked back at her and she indicated I needed to turn. So I slowed to a stop and flipped a U turn and was back on track. Probably lost about 20 seconds, nothing too crazy other than a steady tempo. I was frustrated, but at the same time, I am a huge advocate that racers need to know the course…I did not and relied on being directed. I normally will drive the course the day prior, but since we drove down, I did not have time.<br />
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I rolled into T2 in 3<sup>rd</sup>, just behind the 2 teams ahead. I was handed a transition bag, and realized it was not mine. Funny part was, they gave me bag #6…I was #242. How could they make such a huge error? They did not, I did. I never took the sticker off my helmet from the Priest Lake Triathlon a couple weeks prior so that was what they called out…doh! I tossed bag #6 and they scrambled to give me the right bag. I transitioned into my <a href="http://www.kswiss.com/item/52.46/02423-188/Men/Footwear_Running/K-Ruuz/Wht_Slv_Trured_Clscblu.html">K-Swiss K’ruzz</a> racing flats and was off. These shoes make you feel like you are flying regardless of speed…love these shoes! I could see the teams down the road and started to take splits. I was reeling them in and passed the first team at mile #1…then started to close on the first team who was a tall guy with a decent pace. I was watching my <a href="http://www.timexironman.com/Products/Global_Trainer_GPS.htm">TIMEX Global Trainer</a> and knew my pace, and average pace, were solid. But I was closing consistently. I passed him at mile 2.5 and was actually hoping he would run with me for a bit…he didn’t. I hit the turnaround and was heading back. I took a split to see where 2<sup>nd</sup> was. Around every corner I was looking. And each time, I did not see anyone. Then he came. The perennial favorite, and Team USA member, Ryan Brown appeared. He has been in the top 2 of this race for at least the past 5 years and has won it the past 2 or 3. He is a local and is quite fast. I have only raced against him once a couple years ago. But, according to my split, I had over 4 minutes on him. I knew I was in a good spot. I felt great on the run feeling like my turnover was quick and I felt light. I was staying in control, yet knew I needed to pay attention to breathing and how my legs were feeling. I started to see some familiar faces from my club, <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.tri-fusion%20.com">Tri Fusion</a>. Scott Allen was in 3<sup>rd</sup> and then Greg Gallagher who was in 5<sup>th</sup>. Both looked good and I was excited to see where they finish.<br />
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I finally rounded the last bend and could see the finish at the top of a 400 meter hill. I kept it steady and crossed in 1:53:17. So going quite a bit faster than 2:00 was capable. Even as a 39 year old, I think if you knew this course, were efficient with transitions, you could go sub 1:50. But that will be for another race.<br />
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There were a few casualties in this race though. Natalie got a flat just 3 miles into the bike, and Dave was hit by a car on the bike while in the top 15 at mile 18. Dave ended up running his bike in and finishing the race.<br />
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So I was finally able to race the elusive <a href="http://www.3rrr.org/">Titanium Man</a> triathlon. It was a great day and I have to say it will be a race that I would like to come back to. Now that I know the course a bit better, I can race it smarter...maybe not faster though.<br />
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The only thing missing from this race was my family. I have done a few races this year without hearing Emma and Jessi cheering. Hearing their voices always brings a smile to my face. But, racing and training, and scheduling our entire lives around triathlon is not a real priority for us. That’s not to say that we don’t support one another, just saying that this was not a race that was of utmost importance. Triathlon or not, life carries on. It’s nice to be able for us to take care of needs and not feel like we are ‘missing’ something. </div>
Roger Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02463326772396925975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28238217.post-34457287910224718842011-07-07T06:44:00.000-07:002011-07-07T09:31:33.438-07:00Whitworth Criterium<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVkgg_EaC5a1dufLVB1gd9IvsAUIuRjD_GLCq6Li1gBc3uWLSEahsQICKMp7wS27_Yim93XgQ46PK58DBHmWIcm57YBhTVr_HNf0Nm0VZP-vfDe-3IN4AJS2Z3drTzsTSwpWdP/s1600/Picture+11.png"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgch2xNGdAiL-dalFpHMaPde9iqBq71sCP8d6HJ8QN42-4mHn5TxWp6sjYIwnZRV2FepTSO2GW3aIPHRZ2Sdzlu4NorwWf7ZSThtGAQ5-pnMJWjAWTbM6GKFcL1e-6Kd3jeOwq/s1600/Picture+6.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 204px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgch2xNGdAiL-dalFpHMaPde9iqBq71sCP8d6HJ8QN42-4mHn5TxWp6sjYIwnZRV2FepTSO2GW3aIPHRZ2Sdzlu4NorwWf7ZSThtGAQ5-pnMJWjAWTbM6GKFcL1e-6Kd3jeOwq/s320/Picture+6.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5626624673582332994" border="0" /></a><br />Roger to Jessi at 9:15am: "The Whitworth Criterium is today."<br /><br />Jessi: "What time does it start?"<br /><br />Roger: "11:00am"<br /><br />Jessi: "You gonna do it?"<br /><br />Roger: "I don't know, I was thinking about it, but I don't think so."<br /><br />Jessi: "You should, you will have fun."<br /><br />Roger: "I don't know. I rode kind of hard yesterday and I forgot it was today."<br /><br />Jessi: "You will regret it if you don't."<br /><br />Roger: "Okay...I should probably get ready."<br /><br />Roger: "They also have a kid's race."<br /><br />Jessi: "Emma would love to do that."<br /><br />Jessi: (smile) "What can I do to help you get ready?"<br /><br />And that was how the morning went. I went down to the basement to find my road bike. I realized it did not have any cranks on it or wheels. Hmmm...probably need to fix that. I quickly assembled the missing parts and was then finding my cycling gear. This consisted of many 'yells' up the stairs starting with, "Jessi, have you seen my..."<br /><br />Eventually I got most of what I needed. Jessi mixed some bottles for me and I was pretty much ready to roll at 10:20. The reason I could not miss this race was it was being held 2 miles away. So I saddled up and rode to the race.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTdmDPTrPjRY5R09VDhH7JwNBnXLbA-8ygdASEy2M3xuWxggkxVQzEVen3PY6Ssc_e6d8vEwt5dtI66CvFy0CH5hFu-JTtck6rhtndZhMOOf8ldcjSy-CinwzMbxMdaUqZ6ZmN/s1600/Picture+9.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 210px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTdmDPTrPjRY5R09VDhH7JwNBnXLbA-8ygdASEy2M3xuWxggkxVQzEVen3PY6Ssc_e6d8vEwt5dtI66CvFy0CH5hFu-JTtck6rhtndZhMOOf8ldcjSy-CinwzMbxMdaUqZ6ZmN/s320/Picture+9.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5626624854989479458" border="0" /></a>Upon arrival I signed in and rode a few laps. I ran into some familiar faces and did some catching up. The <a href="http://www.spokanerocketvelo.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=179&Itemid=136">Whitworth Criterium</a>, presented by <a href="http://www.spokanerocketvelo.com">Spokane Rocket Velo</a>, is a .9 mile loop with only 2 real corners. But it did pose some challenges because on race day it was VERY windy.<br /><br />Our pack quickly assembled on the start line. Since I had some hard efforts yesterday, I was surprised my legs did not feel more fatigued. They did not feel like they had that high end explosive speed, but they felt good. I take <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.xendurance.com">Extreme Endurance</a> and I am convinced that plays a HUGE role. My intentions were to sit in for about the first third of the race. Kind of let things settle, and then go to work. Well, I think I race one way...attack, bridge, chase, attack, repeat. Because I only made it about 1/2 way around the first lap and I felt the pace was too slow so I attacked. You see, when packs (especially in crits) go slow, that's when crashes typically happen. As I was off the front, and producing some pretty big watts, I had to smile. You race the way you race...<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPBf4TyqkCbKc7sDdpC4WWcq2SkTIqkB9cOrdh3PaFvy1QoxMippppNsmUxivrUkjH_LtJZO9oBXGPy5ounN0kiTj5VvdaYBQch-uKPXEuCrzSEp6CqAQbZh2ib8oCxsfb4M0k/s1600/Picture+3.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 198px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPBf4TyqkCbKc7sDdpC4WWcq2SkTIqkB9cOrdh3PaFvy1QoxMippppNsmUxivrUkjH_LtJZO9oBXGPy5ounN0kiTj5VvdaYBQch-uKPXEuCrzSEp6CqAQbZh2ib8oCxsfb4M0k/s320/Picture+3.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5626624647475197378" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPDV0uXUbYtBkZDj8FOcR0UR0hgzVA4xDGEvE15mu4O6DSv10lBsYUaZsgfaJcs5ndmVNZxe0pDnKaCJjQTiHRqaJ8VRTV_yJ_CBdgap1N1YwBTlvtAdsyTVnPgrOldpVB1DhS/s1600/Picture+8.png"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbmYoG7ZqBpP2smRwCUMiDceS87jMwg_966UQRqsSFwasfUhCWU6h5aJROKGOtYvmwvhO5Ieup_KZSfqdOh6_UGvUgI27nxQiBjEToGHZUDWQwXyXAXzICTZW7ZKmc9dSC5f-V/s1600/Picture+7.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 233px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbmYoG7ZqBpP2smRwCUMiDceS87jMwg_966UQRqsSFwasfUhCWU6h5aJROKGOtYvmwvhO5Ieup_KZSfqdOh6_UGvUgI27nxQiBjEToGHZUDWQwXyXAXzICTZW7ZKmc9dSC5f-V/s320/Picture+7.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5626624681959558802" border="0" /></a>After a couple laps in, I started to hear some familiar cheers. Emma, Jessi and Owen had arrived. I can always hear Emma's little voice cheering at the top of her lungs. Jessi had the whole clan in tow...and lots of bags too. Such a production with an infant. I will spare you all the race details, but I was able to get in a break and stay away. It was a fun event and one that I hope they will continue to have.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi33qZqHZtbwmXSNOOhKrvlHu5uERpKarHwENT4d2gIv98RvzSv0EtBFJyc6LIoX7jDyM6EHbp0lcyyXO-wtyQp-MqUDzo5aswAxTG8LFUqKDe6flpG1hWmIDgEYLRa_b29wXuU/s1600/Picture+5.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 195px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi33qZqHZtbwmXSNOOhKrvlHu5uERpKarHwENT4d2gIv98RvzSv0EtBFJyc6LIoX7jDyM6EHbp0lcyyXO-wtyQp-MqUDzo5aswAxTG8LFUqKDe6flpG1hWmIDgEYLRa_b29wXuU/s320/Picture+5.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5626624660489306930" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQtvLLUZvBTHD1s0Ac43rgl4VNpPHmX9RcEc1prQRGI9UjkIfu0Rkdw8kZY8R8sno9KJonS31PUZotYQdjLIQeUGTb70lXrBZX3IbJr1mZS68EQ9IuxrAN3DjRcQnbPS673ZXy/s1600/Picture+4.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 297px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQtvLLUZvBTHD1s0Ac43rgl4VNpPHmX9RcEc1prQRGI9UjkIfu0Rkdw8kZY8R8sno9KJonS31PUZotYQdjLIQeUGTb70lXrBZX3IbJr1mZS68EQ9IuxrAN3DjRcQnbPS673ZXy/s320/Picture+4.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5626624657679889922" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPDV0uXUbYtBkZDj8FOcR0UR0hgzVA4xDGEvE15mu4O6DSv10lBsYUaZsgfaJcs5ndmVNZxe0pDnKaCJjQTiHRqaJ8VRTV_yJ_CBdgap1N1YwBTlvtAdsyTVnPgrOldpVB1DhS/s1600/Picture+8.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 237px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPDV0uXUbYtBkZDj8FOcR0UR0hgzVA4xDGEvE15mu4O6DSv10lBsYUaZsgfaJcs5ndmVNZxe0pDnKaCJjQTiHRqaJ8VRTV_yJ_CBdgap1N1YwBTlvtAdsyTVnPgrOldpVB1DhS/s320/Picture+8.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5626624851921026114" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVkgg_EaC5a1dufLVB1gd9IvsAUIuRjD_GLCq6Li1gBc3uWLSEahsQICKMp7wS27_Yim93XgQ46PK58DBHmWIcm57YBhTVr_HNf0Nm0VZP-vfDe-3IN4AJS2Z3drTzsTSwpWdP/s1600/Picture+11.png"><br /></a>After my race I went and saw Jessi. She had mixed up a recovery drink for me and gave me some recovery supplements. So cool. She really takes amazing care of me and the family...always thinking ahead. Emma was already warming up for her race and sizing up the competition. Her race would start in about an hour and they would do 1.5 laps. They grouped all the kids together...kids from 6 years old to 12. A mix of mountain bikes and road bikes. The 'younger kids' would only do 1/2 a lap and initially Emma was lumped into that group. But she asked the official if she could do the longer race, and he obliged.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwpWHYS3aoiN4o5PmiEmBjoHbDfRq66UBT3t3CA_1gmmP1HNzb4FQqKYEJDs_5aXqSXLI1ftEsRZav6SQUAV7f0B9RXve7dnMTP5scOcaBQl_24KfLJY7k_JTHAMf9goj6pAQ8/s1600/Picture+12.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwpWHYS3aoiN4o5PmiEmBjoHbDfRq66UBT3t3CA_1gmmP1HNzb4FQqKYEJDs_5aXqSXLI1ftEsRZav6SQUAV7f0B9RXve7dnMTP5scOcaBQl_24KfLJY7k_JTHAMf9goj6pAQ8/s320/Picture+12.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5626648047182800066" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(255, 0, 0);font-size:85%;" >Photo by Kimberly Hicks Brittain</span><br /><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZQ8s1okSQrcPjSxQ-QqiGZxB-w3_SyV85eGGg-yif37RVrtbzLHYvjMt_ahjH9SLLNrcENjnEHmg_2pxoFj6_TY4m_JloB8h5oaKMXQ-aRW-i_FnlIOzd9kZ4CHahir1Eg6RT/s1600/Picture+10.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 219px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZQ8s1okSQrcPjSxQ-QqiGZxB-w3_SyV85eGGg-yif37RVrtbzLHYvjMt_ahjH9SLLNrcENjnEHmg_2pxoFj6_TY4m_JloB8h5oaKMXQ-aRW-i_FnlIOzd9kZ4CHahir1Eg6RT/s320/Picture+10.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5626624865062213394" border="0" /></a>The race started and some boys took off fast. They got a good gap but Emma started to go to work. She was passing kids and getting up to the 2 boys up front. As they approached the hill on the back of the course, Emma flew up it...I don't think she even shifted. One of the boys yelled, "Girl coming!" to his buddy. But it did not matter. Emma smoked them on the hill and then maintained over the top. I could tell she was working hard and 'racing.' She put such a gap on them, that you could not even see them at the finish. She rolled across 1st...ahead of all the boys :) It was pretty fun to watch. And the race official who questioned if she could make it was obviously surprised. When she finished she was so excited and I could tell was tired.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVkgg_EaC5a1dufLVB1gd9IvsAUIuRjD_GLCq6Li1gBc3uWLSEahsQICKMp7wS27_Yim93XgQ46PK58DBHmWIcm57YBhTVr_HNf0Nm0VZP-vfDe-3IN4AJS2Z3drTzsTSwpWdP/s1600/Picture+11.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVkgg_EaC5a1dufLVB1gd9IvsAUIuRjD_GLCq6Li1gBc3uWLSEahsQICKMp7wS27_Yim93XgQ46PK58DBHmWIcm57YBhTVr_HNf0Nm0VZP-vfDe-3IN4AJS2Z3drTzsTSwpWdP/s320/Picture+11.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5626624870300627042" border="0" /></a>The highlight was sharing the day with my family and watching some races in some beautiful weather. None of this would be possible without support from my family. We all work together to make things happen. It's such a good feeling.Roger Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02463326772396925975noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28238217.post-29948336849406982692011-06-02T23:00:00.000-07:002011-06-02T23:17:24.228-07:00Wednesday Mt Bike Race #3<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4GzEoO_j_5YJtN0I74PbA72ktvWILM6pUdAPb6Ux2pzgGUtr_b1wfvhYhZL-3oXysj4XuFQs7sH9KX1Kcq9KdhrNpRwykh4C4_tSCGxe5n8LfHHlODIYaBrHdpW1R_CODpIao/s1600/Picture+2.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 255px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4GzEoO_j_5YJtN0I74PbA72ktvWILM6pUdAPb6Ux2pzgGUtr_b1wfvhYhZL-3oXysj4XuFQs7sH9KX1Kcq9KdhrNpRwykh4C4_tSCGxe5n8LfHHlODIYaBrHdpW1R_CODpIao/s320/Picture+2.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5613834692118769794" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR_Ncyq-DYO09jmFYRchOMoqNeHw5pR-0UylKy6Xj1HxMDfa1ZMgcZKN6BhHZqugfJTlhkPYSz1_8KqqF1U-OUL-RJWnrhkeTmBiNrlaUfAh3KbkDt8qaR_-lyW08GEZXsl687/s1600/Picture+3.png"><br /></a>Well, not much more to say about these races really. They are a blast, amazing people, and a phenomenal workout regardless of your "sport." As a triathlete, these races expose me to some serious 'above threshold' efforts in a real race environment. They also train my bike handling skills a great deal as well to keep them sharp. And lets face it, triathletes, in general, are not known for their keen bike handling. Finally it allows me to network with other wheel riding people, that I have to say, are not so OCD, Type A, Compulsive, etc. Now, I can see you all now wrinkling your nose and scowling. I know I am part of this said group as well. I also know that there are many mt. bikers that are too... but I am pretty confident about the bike handling :) I'm just saying, it's a change of scenery. If you have not been to one...go. You will see what I am talking about.<br /><br />Today's race was a big change. It was a lot more single track and more technical with tight corners and major rock sections. It is definitely not the area that I make up any time on people. I need the wide open trails...the wider the better. But for today, I would be learning. I was also a little fatigued from the 24 Hour Race efforts on Saturday and Sunday. Legs will be calling for some recovery at some point. Thank you <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.xendurance.com">Extreme Endurance!</a><br /><br />I started on the front line and could not get my foot in. I went into the first corner about 10th out of 60. Not ideal. We immediately started a single track climb that I started to see a slight split. I knew not to freak out...I would let the others do that. I passed a couple guys, and we started another single track climb. The front 4 were pulling away. Patience. Things finally settled in and I figured I was with a group that I would be good with for a bit. One guy came off the lead group and we picked him up. We turned into a group of about 8, and I was riding 6. We hit some steep climbs where guys tried to move up...but then exploded over the top. After lap 1 of 2, we were down to 4. As we rounded the first corner into lap 2, I could see that Jessi made a special trip down to the race to cheer me on...or look at all the other svelte young guys :). I heard her cheer, and knew Owen was somewhere with a full belly of milk. It's so refreshing to see familiar faces (good looking ones too) that cheer your name. Makes the race feel more personal. I looked at my <a href="http://teamtimex.timexblogs.com/">TIMEX Global Trainer</a> to see how many miles a lap was so I knew when the finish would come at the end of lap 2. There were 2 guys from a local team "The Bike Hub" that did 90% of the work. The guys behind me only had an interest in getting ahead of me. The two "hubbers" navigated everything well and I was getting gapped on every technical section but could easily close on the open areas. As we rolled quickly into the last 2k or so, the road opens up. Like I have said before, when others do a lion's share of the work, I normally do not contest the finish. So I wound it up a bit and went to the front to give these guys a swift lead out. As I pulled in front of the lead guy, he took my draft. I could see the 4th guy making an effort for the finish, and I let it roll. I was hoping one of the "hubbers" would pull around me, but I think I gapped them all. As a result, I won the 4 person sprint. Wasn't really a sprint, but you get the idea. I ended up 4th overall...thanks to other people's work.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR_Ncyq-DYO09jmFYRchOMoqNeHw5pR-0UylKy6Xj1HxMDfa1ZMgcZKN6BhHZqugfJTlhkPYSz1_8KqqF1U-OUL-RJWnrhkeTmBiNrlaUfAh3KbkDt8qaR_-lyW08GEZXsl687/s1600/Picture+3.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 223px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR_Ncyq-DYO09jmFYRchOMoqNeHw5pR-0UylKy6Xj1HxMDfa1ZMgcZKN6BhHZqugfJTlhkPYSz1_8KqqF1U-OUL-RJWnrhkeTmBiNrlaUfAh3KbkDt8qaR_-lyW08GEZXsl687/s320/Picture+3.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5613834698177415410" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-style: italic;">Fast Finish</span></span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><span style="font-style: italic;"></span></span></div>Afterward I thanked the 'hubbers' for all their work and it was not my intention on stealing the finish. They loved the race and thought it was the best one they have done so far. What a great group of guys all in all. Out there for fun, pushing and challenging themselves...just like me. We chatted a bit and then I went to the finish line.<br /><br />At the finish line the keg was already tapped and the rootbeer was being pulled from the cooler. Everyone has their own account of their race which is always fun to hear. Sometimes you can relate, and other times you wonder if they were on the same course.<br /><br />I was looking for Jessi. Normally she can be found at the finish line where she gets the finish shots. I located her in her car with Owen...a little 'busy.' I chatted with a few more people. Robin from <a href="http://www.fitfanatics.com/">Fitness Fanatics</a> was there. She was the host sponsor of this week's event. As a result Felt bikes showed up. People were able to demo their mt. bikes. Jessi emerged from the car and Owen was ready for a hug...and a diaper change. No matter how hard you ride, what place you finish, or how tired you 'think' you are...poop happens.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4SDd5uBo1YE3w4yNNMSO4qRsy7ViAHS0gMFYeHiajpg_ytx0tGfNIhDL2W5OM0UeEzHhXZB2svGM_tZ9b9EPx-pQEGodIRYA_nmUxhlmGay_Ap9jAeqECKqUzzkLJPKcAh1fo/s1600/Picture+1.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 218px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4SDd5uBo1YE3w4yNNMSO4qRsy7ViAHS0gMFYeHiajpg_ytx0tGfNIhDL2W5OM0UeEzHhXZB2svGM_tZ9b9EPx-pQEGodIRYA_nmUxhlmGay_Ap9jAeqECKqUzzkLJPKcAh1fo/s320/Picture+1.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5613836329667165378" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><span style="font-style: italic;">Start the watch<br /></span></span></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV9hQooRkGoo0pGXpk8uiPgjaHALRL8N4NxaaYOBxV1qkcEPggl3B0j6G2PdVdS6S4bGv0DbGIC0yXsjbQdG0xy2zTI4PrTIvTXylPSAaDLkgfGZPEGOG_CJrfpcN1_ntv9R58/s1600/Picture+4.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV9hQooRkGoo0pGXpk8uiPgjaHALRL8N4NxaaYOBxV1qkcEPggl3B0j6G2PdVdS6S4bGv0DbGIC0yXsjbQdG0xy2zTI4PrTIvTXylPSAaDLkgfGZPEGOG_CJrfpcN1_ntv9R58/s320/Picture+4.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5613834708920632498" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">Remove diaper..wipe and clean...<br /><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijWnLDF-QWkUK_EGsgdaad2ZHwWgA2C_zMeWuxWc3tF-Axdac50oeI8bDxTSM7imHthTv07G7T4nzxIieJRXMJf7S3kyCg-8vDjMr5so9liOfSZddbnZuRq7BCIldGO1ifzevs/s1600/Picture+6.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 232px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijWnLDF-QWkUK_EGsgdaad2ZHwWgA2C_zMeWuxWc3tF-Axdac50oeI8bDxTSM7imHthTv07G7T4nzxIieJRXMJf7S3kyCg-8vDjMr5so9liOfSZddbnZuRq7BCIldGO1ifzevs/s320/Picture+6.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5613834722541791250" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Install new diaper...<br /><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjskCYFTtx-pBTO9Wpxftpq7GEAUFQZc8iHt3pkdDOLgBY0qdwLD7tucyjox7t-G6bz5LI9d6wTYThlDINX5t70AyfBGOet69OrZu60qCF13YVNs50xnQij6jB4exyCkdtMXDr/s1600/Picture+7.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 230px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjskCYFTtx-pBTO9Wpxftpq7GEAUFQZc8iHt3pkdDOLgBY0qdwLD7tucyjox7t-G6bz5LI9d6wTYThlDINX5t70AyfBGOet69OrZu60qCF13YVNs50xnQij6jB4exyCkdtMXDr/s320/Picture+7.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5613834866403677906" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><span style="font-style: italic;">Stop the clock.<br /><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhew1FbB8hyphenhyphenF6onD_xpbtx-RQIr4aGx3b34XUB-q-LR9GYo_1hvgkFc7iYvFQb1Qc-T2sAAzPsIdpjSDqzjnS2sFRJQz7KHyqrEkdVMPCPxyzgkSJESNS31WjDb4JJSzJt298lf/s1600/Picture+8.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 235px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhew1FbB8hyphenhyphenF6onD_xpbtx-RQIr4aGx3b34XUB-q-LR9GYo_1hvgkFc7iYvFQb1Qc-T2sAAzPsIdpjSDqzjnS2sFRJQz7KHyqrEkdVMPCPxyzgkSJESNS31WjDb4JJSzJt298lf/s320/Picture+8.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5613834874092454770" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">Nice split. I think the helmet helped.<br /><br /></span></span></span></div>After a quick change, (I am pretty fast at diapers), we got loaded up and headed for home. On the way home, we were greeted by a torrential downpour. So much rain that rivers were crossing the roads, small ponds were forming that cars could not cross. I love this stuff.<br /><br />Here is a short video I shot on the way home from the race. Notice the guy in the brown Chevy to my right. He decides to show how cool he is by trying to 4x4 it through the water...only to flood his rig and literally become "dead in the water." He was pretty cool for about 3 seconds.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/RfuPTYFrzzs?hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/RfuPTYFrzzs?hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></embed></object></div>Roger Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02463326772396925975noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28238217.post-67025302181237553602011-05-31T17:55:00.000-07:002011-05-31T17:56:16.328-07:0024 Hour Mt Bike Race<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH0OOCcFbs0dPFWTHEMBiRPImlwZaIhv6BVJKdTf11DOvMGXJ5Eju8Ui7dLZnydZ7E4p6SR497nbnc_Sp9nK3A70lVPBngZLhcmWs_kDHOjt8Hq6WdQDtLFvG1qVF1MP_spCMY/s1600/Picture+1.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH0OOCcFbs0dPFWTHEMBiRPImlwZaIhv6BVJKdTf11DOvMGXJ5Eju8Ui7dLZnydZ7E4p6SR497nbnc_Sp9nK3A70lVPBngZLhcmWs_kDHOjt8Hq6WdQDtLFvG1qVF1MP_spCMY/s320/Picture+1.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5613015282246172082" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:85%;">This was our Camp<br /><br /></span></span></span></div>I have heard about this race that happens on Memorial Day weekend that starts at 12:00 noon on Saturday and ends at 12:00 noon Sunday. About 850 people ride their mt. bikes around a 15 mile circuit for 24 hours straight. Some do it solo, some do it on single speed mt. bikes, some do it on teams of 2 or teams of 10. It is ultimately one big party...with a lot of mt. bikes.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS-2w0-0Sfip4_4j8YwYr4GI5xJt0wynLsHHSaWQ921bPcW2t3nyNVbj0gv7qU1tYxqRiNWhXs_qy-7cboKQa1FDzBGMXMiTr4cEWMfSPoR6Z9pWK3I11xyIWVCtfYYLjj5bh-/s1600/Picture+4.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS-2w0-0Sfip4_4j8YwYr4GI5xJt0wynLsHHSaWQ921bPcW2t3nyNVbj0gv7qU1tYxqRiNWhXs_qy-7cboKQa1FDzBGMXMiTr4cEWMfSPoR6Z9pWK3I11xyIWVCtfYYLjj5bh-/s320/Picture+4.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5613015315380987058" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" ><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">One fun day</span></span><br /><br /></div>I have never been to this event, and obviously have never participated in it...until this year. I heard that a team was short a few people so I asked if they needed a rider. I have known Tim Arnold at <a href="http://bicyclebutler.sports.officelive.com/default.aspx">Bicycle Butler</a> for many years. And I would consider him the "Mayor" or "Sheriff" of this event. He has done this race on mt. bikes, single speeds, beach cruisers, ...you name it. It is about getting out and having fun. Of course there are some "serious" people, and teams, as well. But for the most part, it's the Woodstock of the mt. bike world. Just with a lot of carbon fiber and suspension.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbhmUvbLKqUXIuddfP9LNlOOaY34RVz8gwu38K1Lj7SdJsltTbdPbtCwBzlJC5-McJYf99pN_1ODQOcnb78i8hg_0IMlKJQMMJI1qR3SfCehVaTlwdbntPGOZma3YIJoZ3pnq8/s1600/Picture+2.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbhmUvbLKqUXIuddfP9LNlOOaY34RVz8gwu38K1Lj7SdJsltTbdPbtCwBzlJC5-McJYf99pN_1ODQOcnb78i8hg_0IMlKJQMMJI1qR3SfCehVaTlwdbntPGOZma3YIJoZ3pnq8/s320/Picture+2.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5613015297533711362" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:85%;">People Hydrating...or something<br /><br /></span></span></span></div>I asked Tim where I could find "camp" and he said that I would not miss it. And I didn't have any trouble. It was a western saloon with all the fixins.<br /><br />After signing in and trying to figure out how this whole rodeo worked, I started to get suited up in all my <a href="http://www.timexironman.com/">TIMEX</a> gear. It always amazes me how much easier it is to get ready for one sport versus triathlons. Helmet, shoes, glasses, bike... guess that's it.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJLKkBlNqR3ecclfWr864aigcAwfTCejMlzrAYTGMlTrfSUZvxYgIqy8hA9tHV4phdQFxFtxsudsVr1nqknmC2rpTqis1mZTpz-b_T__eZynK0pFL33xtJLcTjRXsLxoOgvAMH/s1600/Picture+3.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJLKkBlNqR3ecclfWr864aigcAwfTCejMlzrAYTGMlTrfSUZvxYgIqy8hA9tHV4phdQFxFtxsudsVr1nqknmC2rpTqis1mZTpz-b_T__eZynK0pFL33xtJLcTjRXsLxoOgvAMH/s320/Picture+3.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5613015303852657890" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:85%;">The first corner with spectators<br /><br /></span></span></span></div>The race started with an 800 meter run that was pretty tough. But I think that was good because it spread out the start a bit. But watching some people try and run in their mt. bike shoes was pretty humorous. I already found myself saying, "If I were to do this I would have..." Dang triathlete in me. But once underway the race would continue for another 24 hours. I was assigned leg #3. My friend Greg would be passing the timing chip to me and I would be off.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNO-JtOr0ZxtMbuPvtOjHpRIZf0l6UzEvJM1WrfRrjCKfE2Kzb7jK76FgWMr0Kyk6nQODTmBAt7O56C4R4CGukRfEYG4Qh3Bhppnjbr2lhvsLADdUbVy1wgtnGn1TnIA2nG1rJ/s1600/Picture+6.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 302px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNO-JtOr0ZxtMbuPvtOjHpRIZf0l6UzEvJM1WrfRrjCKfE2Kzb7jK76FgWMr0Kyk6nQODTmBAt7O56C4R4CGukRfEYG4Qh3Bhppnjbr2lhvsLADdUbVy1wgtnGn1TnIA2nG1rJ/s320/Picture+6.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5613015464509078306" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:85%;">My first Leg<br /><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqdB3jd4AcUzOvTRSJIw0j2DrV93rsik4bmbaB6QvTUCVRn7pSYKMLy0C8dMxog8ubyfJr7PT2asyycyozo_a5hI8HQguarrVN3s4eIc3wns1FADnU-q9TogYLf60aLXRMp8yM/s1600/Picture+8.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 260px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqdB3jd4AcUzOvTRSJIw0j2DrV93rsik4bmbaB6QvTUCVRn7pSYKMLy0C8dMxog8ubyfJr7PT2asyycyozo_a5hI8HQguarrVN3s4eIc3wns1FADnU-q9TogYLf60aLXRMp8yM/s320/Picture+8.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5613015478337382194" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><span style="font-style: italic;">And off I go</span></span></span><br /><br /></div>Greg came in with a great time and had a sweet hand off with the timing chip in his mouth. I took off a little quick up the hill and settled in. The course was pretty clear of people because they were so spread out. I ran into very little traffic and was in the red zone a majority of the time. I probably took some unnecessary risks, but it was a race. I had done this course once before in a mass start mt. bike race just the Wednesday prior, so I kind of knew it a little. But instead of riding with people, you were on your own and avoiding others in your way. I eventually was about done and making it to the transition point. It seemed to go fine and I was happy to be done. My official time was only about 30 seconds slower than my mt. bike race split so I was happy with that.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAZU7rH4FaBPVT1l_uiG-VvQzOaNKiiBDlFGDtNjMX78EigQpA0Uiff3d89jTkNhyik_jjW-cqOXzERk76Vp_0K_VqD5IdUZvKinJiIDcJfXJaDUmqj1fPHXZPT45Fo1lmC227/s1600/Picture+7.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 264px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAZU7rH4FaBPVT1l_uiG-VvQzOaNKiiBDlFGDtNjMX78EigQpA0Uiff3d89jTkNhyik_jjW-cqOXzERk76Vp_0K_VqD5IdUZvKinJiIDcJfXJaDUmqj1fPHXZPT45Fo1lmC227/s320/Picture+7.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5613015467402803858" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Mug 1, done<br /><br /></span></span></span></div>At the end of each lap, the person needed to chug a boot full of drink. That may be beer, vodka, or <a href="http://www.powerbar.com/">PowerBar</a> sports drink. Fortunately a 'kind' person filled the boot with PowerBar sports drink...whew.<br /><br />I was now 'off' until the morning. I hung out and cheered people on and watched this whole carnival unfold. It was as much about the campsites as it was about the race. People were cheering as much as racing. What a great display of a sport in full form.<br /><br />I was fortunate enough to not race any "night laps." But I would need to ride again at 7:00am. After blitzing my first lap, and not cooling down, I was a little worried. I knew once I took off again, I might pay for that. Nothing worse than wanting to give your all and have your legs feel like you rode 200 miles the day before. But fortunately they felt really great! <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.xendurance.com">Extreme Endurance</a> is a product I have been using and I attribute a lot of my recovery to that. Though I could tell I rode the day before, I was not suffering. As a matter of fact, I only slowed about 1 minute...maybe less. And I attribute a lot of that to much more 'slower' congestion the next day. I spent more time on the single track behind slower riders which was frustrating. But that's the way it goes. But my power output was quite similar.<br /><br />Once done, it was chill time. <a href="http://www.blogger.com/jessi-thompson.blogspot.com">Jessi</a> packed a great lunch for me (I can already hear all of your comments) and I sat in a recliner and ate brownies, sandwiches, and a HUGE bowl of fresh fruit. Only thing better would to have her here sharing it with me. But I think it would have been a long day for Owen. I stayed a bit longer and listened to all the great stories that people had to tell. Everyone rode the same course, experienced the same mud, hit the same rocks, but had a different take. It was pretty cool.<br /><br />A great event and one which I would love to do again. However, rumor has it that they will need to limit the field next year because they maxed out what they could accommodate. Great races do that, so sign up early. Thank you <a href="http://www.roundandround.com/RoundTheClock/RoundTheClock.php">Round and Round Productions</a> and all the great volunteers.Roger Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02463326772396925975noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28238217.post-48353704490575492822011-05-26T13:48:00.000-07:002011-05-27T08:37:05.608-07:00You can lead a horse to water...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY9S1Oje4Mrh6ldEhXXerY6Fc5sEwoiYy7Ip6GB8whRlaDx9GcQx0DfeYQO1yKMc865bSEl55Q4c0c5i-l45pgxwYxi6w1x3rYTJ7nMmgikvx51Otm2H85v3-A4a1p6yvTP1jO/s1600/Picture+17.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 212px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY9S1Oje4Mrh6ldEhXXerY6Fc5sEwoiYy7Ip6GB8whRlaDx9GcQx0DfeYQO1yKMc865bSEl55Q4c0c5i-l45pgxwYxi6w1x3rYTJ7nMmgikvx51Otm2H85v3-A4a1p6yvTP1jO/s320/Picture+17.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611255496494776898" border="0" /></a>I think there is a saying that starts something like that. Or is it, "You can buy a cyclist a mt. bike, but you can't make him ride it." But that does not seem to be the case lately. Since riding for the <a href="http://teamtimex.timexblogs.com/">TIMEX Multisport Team</a>, a lot of opportunities have come my way. It's been amazing. One opportunity was getting a mt. bike a couple years ago. I have always wanted one, but really could not justify the expense. But a couple years ago I was able to. Since then I use my mt bike for recovery rides, riding in the winter, riding when roads are horrific, or getting out with a different group of people. It has afforded me a variety of riding options. But I had never raced it. The thought had crossed my mind, but it never seemed to work out. Until recently...<br /><br />Eric Ewing and Gino Liesiecki put on the Wednesday Night Mt Bike Series. Though mt. bikers are their own 'group' with special skills, the group is painted with a broad brush of abilities...kind of like triathletes (but I am not making ANY comparison). But what I like about the mt. bike group is that there is really no expectation of anyone. You get quite a diverse group of bikes, dress, and people. But I will say this...don't judge. Just because a guy has hairy legs and a third eye mirror, does not mean he won't school you (yes, it happened, and he even was shooting video at the same time, check it out <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqEP_mgD_zk&feature=player_embedded">HERE</a>). Anyway, I showed up and threw down what I was able to.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE2AoiGroE5YmtZXWgxOxgSwzBPYN6cCqPF2oYJiT5s0DmxBxPTuz_DaJGm8gMewQkqdUanIXF12RhvDmBu-9ZNkawmIMAMRAuHzgH1I_CwAkGWW0NAp-rmxtFT3vesGd8rwdg/s1600/Picture+9.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 293px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE2AoiGroE5YmtZXWgxOxgSwzBPYN6cCqPF2oYJiT5s0DmxBxPTuz_DaJGm8gMewQkqdUanIXF12RhvDmBu-9ZNkawmIMAMRAuHzgH1I_CwAkGWW0NAp-rmxtFT3vesGd8rwdg/s320/Picture+9.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611255841120665474" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Staging...and wondering what it is I am doing</span></span><br /><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgLpV3TzhXXbC9PjgvP7-oRfRdD6mAlZtoc9NKgWDqkO-BCafd3thB0S_cmc2bHTXw3_T3ShPoiU-DQL1xcWHP0sufmHVc3ud0qgTbrBsrDKFCAdM6Ek_yDkVc9Q1nI_jdD29D/s1600/Picture+10.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 190px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgLpV3TzhXXbC9PjgvP7-oRfRdD6mAlZtoc9NKgWDqkO-BCafd3thB0S_cmc2bHTXw3_T3ShPoiU-DQL1xcWHP0sufmHVc3ud0qgTbrBsrDKFCAdM6Ek_yDkVc9Q1nI_jdD29D/s320/Picture+10.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611255832669230802" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">And we are off...<br /><br /></span></span></span></div>The first race was a hoot, 3 laps of a 5.1 mile circuit. When I was registering I was hoping to casually sneak into the 2 lap race, but the folks at registration only laughed and check the 3 lap option. It was then when I was handed my timing chip where I asked if this went around my pant leg to keep the grease off it. I then asked if we would be regrouping at the top of all the major climbs so we all stay together? Though the officials got a kick out of it, I am not too sure if the other racers knew if I was serious or not. I took my chip, number, and twist ties and headed back to my steed (bike...but since it's a mt bike, it's really more like a large animal...with suspension).<br /><br />As I was fastening the number to the front of my mt. bike (which was hard for me to do since it's about the most un-aerodynamic thing I have ever done to a bike), I ran into a lot of people I knew from years past. I asked them a lot of questions about the course, what pressure they were running, tubeless or not...you know, traditional questions. Before we lined up, I had to let the race director know I had some concerns on the course. I saw that on some of the corners there was loose dirt, and I noticed that from time to time there were rocks on the trail. Fortunately, I have known Gino since I was a 13 year old junior cyclist and he knows how to dish it right back.<br /><br />As we all lined up, I did not really know where to stage myself. Nothing worse than slowing people down. So I started a couple rows back in the mass of 100 riders. The start was quick, like a crit, and the 5+ abreast pack quickly split apart when we came to some road-covering puddles. "What?" Mt. bikers avoiding mud in a race? I really did not have an option so I went flying through the small lake. In doing so, I got wet and my shoes were soaking...oh well. But when I was going through it, water was blasting to the sides of me, like a boat, and dousing the people next to me. Cool.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgLpV3TzhXXbC9PjgvP7-oRfRdD6mAlZtoc9NKgWDqkO-BCafd3thB0S_cmc2bHTXw3_T3ShPoiU-DQL1xcWHP0sufmHVc3ud0qgTbrBsrDKFCAdM6Ek_yDkVc9Q1nI_jdD29D/s1600/Picture+10.png"><br /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAXozbOxwlNeFe9O4vrUKRR5pROFoFNtS8-lkwsuj2TsrmY64k4R6a2awIgtPswO5gAv5MlpO3GbyzStkeNLryJwrpqQtQ25oBfWF1BS69yb98vBUsmEUuyi2hy_jamQfQIrpe/s1600/Picture+11.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 228px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAXozbOxwlNeFe9O4vrUKRR5pROFoFNtS8-lkwsuj2TsrmY64k4R6a2awIgtPswO5gAv5MlpO3GbyzStkeNLryJwrpqQtQ25oBfWF1BS69yb98vBUsmEUuyi2hy_jamQfQIrpe/s320/Picture+11.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611255827003671170" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Lap 1, under my belt.</span></span></span><br /><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-DVDi5wbws2wf4QIja1y8DbHLdgUxX3hB7_50JP1f0AhF0RtpwOkNKmem2RZGvHR4CzcALtecb8v6CZB4SfPRiiaToO5Oj8mHjTWEykczJ2e-Hgbsh6iyNv1C77Vz2fZbjKDb/s1600/Picture+13.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 233px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-DVDi5wbws2wf4QIja1y8DbHLdgUxX3hB7_50JP1f0AhF0RtpwOkNKmem2RZGvHR4CzcALtecb8v6CZB4SfPRiiaToO5Oj8mHjTWEykczJ2e-Hgbsh6iyNv1C77Vz2fZbjKDb/s320/Picture+13.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611255527762342258" border="0" /></a><br />We eventually hit some single track and I saw that I was definitely towards the front. Probably sitting about 18th ish. My initial racing self thought, "Great, up front." Then my common sense self thought, "Crap, this is going to hurt at this pace." You see, I kind of wanted to do this race and 'enjoy' it. Get out on the course and cruise along at a good pace and have fun. You know, group up and ride together. NOPE. Not where I was. I was following the wheel in front of me and holding on for dear life. I had no clue where I was going. Rocks, trees, sharp sandy turns, stumps, berms, more rocks, more trees. I fund myself saying silently to my bike, "Sorry for this." But with full suspension, I am blown away what a bike can do. All I need to do is hold on for dear life. But there are some limiters. Like I don't think I can go through trees...literally. I saw my <a href="http://www.powerbar.com/">PowerBar</a> waterbottle on my bike wondering why in the hell I brought it since I was NEVER going to take my hands of the bars.<br /><br />After a 2 laps I found myself in a group of 4. We seemed to be moving along quite well. The two guys in front of me seemed to like to dictate the lines. And I appreciated that. As we climbed each hill, I felt like my legs were going to stop turning around, but we were approaching the finish. Since it was a single track for the last bit, I knew that this would be the finish order. I was perfectly fine with that. These 2 guys pulled me along and I was not about to pip them at the finish. I had to sprint though as to not let the 4th guy beat me and to give the finish some respect.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD9M132vp3wma9HgtV-Fzs92EV2WZyFKyXwYSM3tIxAKNIMfwjGlRwlR3wMY16xOpt0_sxh7L4gEC62wKMDMrGRahSFfFd9Ep-zsjBpKgrNfCFuHRnfaoDJCC9mXqRqyzqGoz3/s1600/Picture+14.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 271px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD9M132vp3wma9HgtV-Fzs92EV2WZyFKyXwYSM3tIxAKNIMfwjGlRwlR3wMY16xOpt0_sxh7L4gEC62wKMDMrGRahSFfFd9Ep-zsjBpKgrNfCFuHRnfaoDJCC9mXqRqyzqGoz3/s320/Picture+14.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611255520854120962" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjCNymiRXx_n4yO7Q7sz-RMDEporKIqzlmPrD7O3BCqJhH9OCT8JBqRXCUTBSgEkdHE682y5cZLi8rFDvmqOSOeIXNQHsd2lkYxqVew_KqL7-_2vCsZhH2rhT9V7SidFDVLcJh/s1600/Picture+15.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 252px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjCNymiRXx_n4yO7Q7sz-RMDEporKIqzlmPrD7O3BCqJhH9OCT8JBqRXCUTBSgEkdHE682y5cZLi8rFDvmqOSOeIXNQHsd2lkYxqVew_KqL7-_2vCsZhH2rhT9V7SidFDVLcJh/s320/Picture+15.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611255510617702274" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsdTLSI6QDRDir3pmb3LRXFfFiM-YDpEjlacnTYrtSN0GYAv4Z-WBJOpEJxpOkxH2Er3dfYOFPI5nZPuyFR9mmv5a6v4kPrXCep7jraHw41LKw9IObRJ3qLY8-GfP9dwdRNLZW/s1600/Picture+16.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 230px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsdTLSI6QDRDir3pmb3LRXFfFiM-YDpEjlacnTYrtSN0GYAv4Z-WBJOpEJxpOkxH2Er3dfYOFPI5nZPuyFR9mmv5a6v4kPrXCep7jraHw41LKw9IObRJ3qLY8-GfP9dwdRNLZW/s320/Picture+16.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611255502968630578" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Tough finish, but it's a finish<br /><br /></span></span></span></div>It was a great 1st race. I ended up 12th overall. Not too bad for triathlete on a mt. bike. However, I often wondered if I could have gone the same speed on my tri bike. But after all was said and done, I was able to look at the data from the race. HOLY SH-Cow. My avg HR and watts were similar to what I do in an Oly bike leg! Yet it was not consistent at all. The power spikes were incredible. It looked a lot more like a criterium than anything else. And it was also about 1 hour long. Nice speed/power intervals. However, my HR was a bit higher because I was probably more fearful of dieing than anything else.<br /><br />The second race was a bit different. It was a 1 lap race on what would be in 3 days, the 24 Hour Mt Bike Race. That was good to know since I was going to be in that race too. Nice to get to know the course a bit. This time I had a better understanding of the dynamics of the start and what, in general, happens. I lined up on the front, and questioned if this was a good idea. The horn sounded the start of the race, and we were off. I took off strong and then eased up a bit because I did not want to 'lead' the race. I settled into about 7 place back into the single track.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGEe5TBW5suUnNmNA7ubzQ7r_w7V_H9N9bYUFRpgAgrj8swskJAibBDpPYBRkR0Kruf6sMMvND99v9p-KLkBMaKbd1hyNnyz77epzZ1sI39Do_w5gG_KUZoryvMCa7hhI6TzuH/s1600/Picture+19.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 198px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGEe5TBW5suUnNmNA7ubzQ7r_w7V_H9N9bYUFRpgAgrj8swskJAibBDpPYBRkR0Kruf6sMMvND99v9p-KLkBMaKbd1hyNnyz77epzZ1sI39Do_w5gG_KUZoryvMCa7hhI6TzuH/s320/Picture+19.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611257297045027250" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Start of Race #2<br /><br /></span></span></span></div>Good spot as we hit the first hill. I know this would be a leg burner since it was at the start and people would hit it hard to maintain their spot, or try and move up. Once to the top it opened up and I moved up a spot or two. I was in contact with the front until a guy went down on a rock bed section. CRAP! I had to almost stop and then swerve and go into some forest o get around. The leaders were now off the front by about 30 yards and moving fast. Double Crap. I hooked up with another person and we cruised along until I realized they were riding the technical section so much better than I was. The gap was growing and I knew I was working waaay to hard to try and catch. So I settled in and started riding steady. I caught a guy on the flats that got spit out the back of the leaders and it was nice to have some company. As we climbed a steep hill he lost traction and spilled over. I kept climbing and was waiting for him to rejoin. Now, this is where I made a mistake. There are two ways to take a certain decent on this course. The fast way, and the slow way. But I did not know which was which. I guessed, and, well, though it was 'safe, it was the slow way. Once I got to the bottom I could see the guy I was riding with was 1/2 mile up the trail. Crap Crap Crap! Fortunately it was through some flat sections and I slipped into TT mode and started closing. I passed a couple other people, who were also behind me, and continued my quest. After chasing for about 10 minutes, I caught them. I stayed with them until the end of the race where it finishes on about 1/2 mile flat 1 lane road. I was happy to stay behind the guy that navigated me through the trees and rocks, but he said he wanted me to pull through and go. So I went to the front, thinking that he would jump on my wheel, but as we rounded a corner, I could see him on the inside. So I wound it up for the last 1/4 mile and finished strong. It was a fun race an a pretty quick course. I ended up 6th overall. Compared to the last race, I worked harder (according to watts) and the race was about the same distance. All in all, great.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGEe5TBW5suUnNmNA7ubzQ7r_w7V_H9N9bYUFRpgAgrj8swskJAibBDpPYBRkR0Kruf6sMMvND99v9p-KLkBMaKbd1hyNnyz77epzZ1sI39Do_w5gG_KUZoryvMCa7hhI6TzuH/s1600/Picture+19.png"><br /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdgXB_lMTFCw3rH9Jw64iKBDF9P5kC_p7DOs5ToT3cUR8dWfLIqSQSY5Q0haJhOO1JXgfukpNFuVhcQ7OIT7Eo5sMwVYezgXh2QAXbYBrYx6LOQHQfRtYd-OdxHq4E-UIoLnb9/s1600/Picture+20.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 215px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdgXB_lMTFCw3rH9Jw64iKBDF9P5kC_p7DOs5ToT3cUR8dWfLIqSQSY5Q0haJhOO1JXgfukpNFuVhcQ7OIT7Eo5sMwVYezgXh2QAXbYBrYx6LOQHQfRtYd-OdxHq4E-UIoLnb9/s320/Picture+20.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611257050499350530" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Finish of Race #2<br /><br /></span></span></span><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"></span></span></span></div>Afterward, everyone hung out with a beer in hand (they have a keg after each race) and shared their war stories. Pretty cool. I caught up with Greg and Cris to find out how their "first race" went, and they were both ecstatic! I know they will be asking me if I am going to come to the next one. Cris just bought a mt. bike the day before the race. Crazy.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZKI4rBeIHiHrRCxgVo1fgknm0zaIJvXVnNe4Q8t6UFxtW251c8n2bQNMWxZIyFTHVQWr_9wzVg6Jv4ql2rh6gPfBdCdiYDaRlaKeS7uHe18oqFgUtB5t2stPLyEnoCuj9EWiP/s1600/Picture+21.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 212px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZKI4rBeIHiHrRCxgVo1fgknm0zaIJvXVnNe4Q8t6UFxtW251c8n2bQNMWxZIyFTHVQWr_9wzVg6Jv4ql2rh6gPfBdCdiYDaRlaKeS7uHe18oqFgUtB5t2stPLyEnoCuj9EWiP/s320/Picture+21.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611257041697739186" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Natalie and Greg with Owen</span></span></span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTW0YgWirObwV-EW940Xg5r9DsV1VyTuzRq65OJ3HwbZH4YkwMaCSoAxoC07Y7ttpFl6wReIbu0xWwQ9nu4CNmS7aVvY1BJqHsvFYhuZMnT06RD4ZhBt6xzFr6gDccezNifNw7/s1600/Picture+23.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 210px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTW0YgWirObwV-EW940Xg5r9DsV1VyTuzRq65OJ3HwbZH4YkwMaCSoAxoC07Y7ttpFl6wReIbu0xWwQ9nu4CNmS7aVvY1BJqHsvFYhuZMnT06RD4ZhBt6xzFr6gDccezNifNw7/s320/Picture+23.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611257026676044130" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Me, Cris, and Greg post race.<br /><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUcQaEiMKnWTAWd73Ghd0h-b8K9Ilg9YnqFEWd7bV6atDIP7pHQU0LhBVre3TTCOP912JV3wWbEHhmoEl5LioZvdY3LyzKyM2W5QGqDBcDQiXyPTWqUkYZgEBtj6iOIYndS2MJ/s1600/Picture+24.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUcQaEiMKnWTAWd73Ghd0h-b8K9Ilg9YnqFEWd7bV6atDIP7pHQU0LhBVre3TTCOP912JV3wWbEHhmoEl5LioZvdY3LyzKyM2W5QGqDBcDQiXyPTWqUkYZgEBtj6iOIYndS2MJ/s320/Picture+24.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611257024576878290" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">I am sure I am telling an awesome story :)<br /><br /></span></span></span></div>Big shout out to Greg W, my old coach, for tunin' up my suspension and tires before the race. Apparently I had it all messed up and he got it dialed in. Whew. He knows bikes and how to make them perform to what they are designed to.<br /><br />I cannot say thanks enough times to my family, Jessi, Emma, and Owen for coming out to the two races as well. It's a big quest for them to hang out in the woods and cheer me on. They are so supportive and patient. And because of them, I am able to post some pictures too. It's always nice to finish seeing Emma cheering her heart out. And it's a definitely a new look to see Jessi with the jogger again. It takes more time, and it's more work, but it's such an amazing gift. My family is awesome.<br /><br />Just like when I was a kid, my parents signed me up for something that I did not want to do... only later to find out that I loved it... get out there any try something new. I am too old to learn any new tricks, but I think I found a bone I like.Roger Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02463326772396925975noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28238217.post-7497384978298622532011-05-25T16:30:00.000-07:002011-05-31T11:45:22.902-07:00Spangle TT Series<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYsabkaUHackgbzeDrwCeUyE-dIKiu258iDRYd9TIus2WdTooIHzr7PXAY68zN8ryABfBGVQgvrXuIt67E5OrThhCBo6TiVrVyrI94IAK9D41xaoZdDxRV__EwRdYYd9Z3-m9I/s1600/Picture+6.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 228px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYsabkaUHackgbzeDrwCeUyE-dIKiu258iDRYd9TIus2WdTooIHzr7PXAY68zN8ryABfBGVQgvrXuIt67E5OrThhCBo6TiVrVyrI94IAK9D41xaoZdDxRV__EwRdYYd9Z3-m9I/s320/Picture+6.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610439119627157826" border="0" /></a><br />I finally got my TT bike built up the day before race 1 of the <a href="http://www.emdesports.com/index.html">Spangle Time Trial Series</a> but on my Emde Sports. This series is a combination of 4 time trials. Two 12 mile TTs and two 22 mi TTs. No sense in trying something new the day of a race. I have been needing to build up my new Orbea Ordu but had been waiting for a couple parts. Robin, at <a href="http://www.fitfanatics.com/">Fitness Fanatics</a>, got in my base bar and then I was ready to build.<br /><br />Since I run <a href="http://bike.shimano.com/publish/content/global_cycle/en/us/index/products/road/di2.html">Shimano</a> Di2, it can be a little tricky to build. But in the big picture, it is not too bad because it is wires, not cables with tension. If you have not tried di2, let me say that unless you plan on buying it, don't try it. I have never been so amazed by a new product. Technology is definitely taking new shape. I suppose the next step will be wireless shifting.<br /><br />I got it all built up late Wednesday night for Thursday afternoon race. I showed up to the race start and took it off the rack and took it out for about 4 mile spin. It all seemed to hold together, so I was ready to race. This race was a short 12 miles. Short yes, but painful as well. I had not raced a TT in quite some time, and not one this short. In a triathlon, it's a little easier to settle in. If you don't go hard enough, you can always run harder. If you go too hard, you fade and you still have to struggle through the run. But in a cycling TT, it's pain form start to finish. It's the "Race of Truth." The person who goes the fastest from point A to point B will win. No hiding, no drafting, no team, no team strategy. Just you and the clock.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>As I took off, I watched my watts on my <a href="http://www.srm.de/index.php?lang=us">SRM</a> and saw that they were pretty high. But, ignorantly, I felt like I could maintain those watts. Then about 2 minutes passed and my legs felt like plump, well done, sausages. I knew I would need to settle down a bit and ride what I know I am capable of. As I pressed on, I kept things constant and felt good. 6 miles out takes forever...but it always seems to go a lot faster on the way back. When I crossed the line I was spent. I can't say that I rode it very well, but I knew I went hard. Best of all, my bike did not fall apart and I posted the fastest time at 26:50.<br /><br />It was a great baseline for me since I had not been on the bike for a bit. I was able to look at the data and see where I was too confident, and where I faded. But all in all, it was a solid effort. Next time it would be a 22 mile TT. Ouch.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8ZdIDtfCQeoeSUS9vzJUyCXVaVtWUoOkuQtmhqF_YNnYM4YzrvmwzxbNk12E4cDH74NheYfL1BEZsJ7IRm2JAf4rztVvG32SrrNuI4MM_3Q0vt5Kbkfq_qiduQveTTZ2yoPM0/s1600/Picture+1.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8ZdIDtfCQeoeSUS9vzJUyCXVaVtWUoOkuQtmhqF_YNnYM4YzrvmwzxbNk12E4cDH74NheYfL1BEZsJ7IRm2JAf4rztVvG32SrrNuI4MM_3Q0vt5Kbkfq_qiduQveTTZ2yoPM0/s320/Picture+1.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610438857127343058" border="0" /></a><br />Jump forward about 10 days to the 22 mile TT. This race was on a Saturday and Jessi, Emma, and Owen came to cheer. It's always nice to have some "support" in case you fall apart and someone needs to drag your sorry carcass home...or to the hospital. It was also only a few days after the Wednesday Mt Bike race. I was a bit nervous about recovery, but I have been using <a href="http://xendurance.com/">Extreme Endurance</a> for a few months now and my body seems to adapt to harder workouts better. This, again, would be a good test.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy65SmKTAVY4GXYYdcKxxX5CHPScUit55tRUO5ewAYxsPvt6JOUMRbnnEooyLHTZ5SoSSeYwgt5ACd95GUUDyZ81vIzAdBiasFRMYNQpLQ163vtQ1_RRfxEwChzSiAUKrtnIBO/s1600/Picture+2.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 216px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy65SmKTAVY4GXYYdcKxxX5CHPScUit55tRUO5ewAYxsPvt6JOUMRbnnEooyLHTZ5SoSSeYwgt5ACd95GUUDyZ81vIzAdBiasFRMYNQpLQ163vtQ1_RRfxEwChzSiAUKrtnIBO/s320/Picture+2.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610438867301274690" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-style: italic;">Chitchatting with Marla Emde</span></span><br /><br /></div> <div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_E6VnROPfPpwq9owN7AOwK38kZasvCorrlb_bg-vtJQURsA2rBAUA50CP_Ym59NSYaa0xvOv9YrTmMABKiWtpaaxUALrquvaCvQVOefPXfvKFccwid6tMZfWcX1QC6q2Br1kY/s1600/Picture+3.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 216px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_E6VnROPfPpwq9owN7AOwK38kZasvCorrlb_bg-vtJQURsA2rBAUA50CP_Ym59NSYaa0xvOv9YrTmMABKiWtpaaxUALrquvaCvQVOefPXfvKFccwid6tMZfWcX1QC6q2Br1kY/s320/Picture+3.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610438877560190754" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-style: italic;">Next to go...</span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic441YVLAEBSLNr_hR_anQWr8u_53rIL95Je1yxjfb-RiuqbUfCGd2AD9NrSO4yNeNPDviwNQVS6eNtLkNeR9dLCbitcrCMmmw1hePlf46tb8BqOE8QbzI9fSwDNDe6G96fy5c/s1600/Picture+4.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 229px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic441YVLAEBSLNr_hR_anQWr8u_53rIL95Je1yxjfb-RiuqbUfCGd2AD9NrSO4yNeNPDviwNQVS6eNtLkNeR9dLCbitcrCMmmw1hePlf46tb8BqOE8QbzI9fSwDNDe6G96fy5c/s320/Picture+4.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610438889851182642" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" ><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">The Start</span></span><br /><br /></div> <div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglCrN6dX8qArDX-TR8JUsSfBCKY1WgSNjhHI69wNg4GFMH7D7QHKQYXHbLVU9Vg_8litmzxWVBVluJhKy4plZ_-PesJmbbsKhXj3Yx9cxeIfh1ZC3zIwGNsvewdn1xrujUV1dp/s1600/Picture+8.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 227px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglCrN6dX8qArDX-TR8JUsSfBCKY1WgSNjhHI69wNg4GFMH7D7QHKQYXHbLVU9Vg_8litmzxWVBVluJhKy4plZ_-PesJmbbsKhXj3Yx9cxeIfh1ZC3zIwGNsvewdn1xrujUV1dp/s320/Picture+8.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610439135076572386" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(255, 0, 0);font-size:85%;" >The Middle</span><br /><br /></div> <div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZqZtBv6ggDgFPxrOVt7GI5ax_ksZFtKNYMT2xRQcnIqGmh8ZPNHo61mrRDy_xDQ9tvwGdjcRv8T8E_nw82IT0VUW7aVVqceIBzOnzig3avLwRPJCGtyTGBGuKYt9aLSI6_v9J/s1600/Picture+7.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 259px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZqZtBv6ggDgFPxrOVt7GI5ax_ksZFtKNYMT2xRQcnIqGmh8ZPNHo61mrRDy_xDQ9tvwGdjcRv8T8E_nw82IT0VUW7aVVqceIBzOnzig3avLwRPJCGtyTGBGuKYt9aLSI6_v9J/s320/Picture+7.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610439129858235938" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-style: italic;">Ridin' the whiteline</span></span></div><br /></div> This would be ride #2 on my new <a href="http://www.orbea.com/us-us#marea-naranja">Orbea</a> with the Di2. I knew what kind of watts I did in a 12 mile race and figured I should be able to avg the same or a tad less since I felt I went out too hard in the last one. I used my <a href="http://www.timex.com/Sport-Ironman-Shop-Now-Products/b/2223481011">TIMEX Global Trainer</a> this time to see how far into the course I was, and more importantly, how close to the finish I was as well. I selected a 2 field layout. One for speed, and one for distance. My legs would tell me if I was working hard enough and the powermeter should be in line with my legs.<br /><br />I started off well, and watts were a tad high, but not like in the 12 mi TT. I settled in and tried to stay smooth. My position on the bike is pretty aggressive, so I know if I stay relaxed, it translates into speed. They had us go off in 1 minute intervals and I caught the first couple people in about 3 and 4 miles. I caught my minute man, at mile 6. So I knew I was going along well, but there was a long way to go. If too much is put out in the early miles, the last 3 miles will be rough. Kind of like a sputtering plane. Watts would be high...then low...then high, etc. Not a good pattern. I hit the turn and knew I was moving well. On the way back I held it steady and it went by fast. I crossed the line in 46:31 for the fastest time of the day, with an avg watts AND speed greater than the 12 mile race. I think it was due to having Jessi, Emma, and Owen there.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd8K7Cdft9z7GQlF8fqIQMBpzp-kyz7z_8UlbIitogCptScnISQ92dqH-gnVaaDIrpw0WqhyEpISu7dXjx8f_ICciMVSjEeusWuFFKDS50_FTOXHMa2jXzPdGeHV1jv6GHdcz6/s1600/Picture+5.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 302px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd8K7Cdft9z7GQlF8fqIQMBpzp-kyz7z_8UlbIitogCptScnISQ92dqH-gnVaaDIrpw0WqhyEpISu7dXjx8f_ICciMVSjEeusWuFFKDS50_FTOXHMa2jXzPdGeHV1jv6GHdcz6/s320/Picture+5.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610438898829480594" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-style: italic;">The Finish...with cheers from Emma</span></span><br /><br /></div>One thing I love about these races is seeing all the people out there testing themselves against the clock. It's a bold race that many people are afraid to do. I know I am each time I do. Because it's like a VO2 test. Fortunately this one you know when it will be over...you just question if you gave it everything you had.<br /><br />Good luck to all of you and your "trials."Roger Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02463326772396925975noreply@blogger.com2