A Better Story

One happy...and proud...family

For the month of August it seems that Emma has been doing a lot more racing than any of us. She wanted to race the Hot Summer Nights 5k series (3 races). So, like any 7 year old, she wanted to pre run the course a few days prior. So we, as a family, decided we would. I told Emma that since the course goes right by our house, we could join the course there and do 1 loop. She said that would not work. Emma said that we needed to drive to the start and do it the "right" way. Sooo, we loaded up and headed to Twigs.

We got out and ran the course. Emma did a great job pacing herself and getting an idea as to how the course went. She remembered a lot of it from the race last year (she ran it 4 times). Afterward, I was thinking that she may rethink running it, or setting too lofty of a goal. Nope. She wanted to run faster than she did last year where her fastest time was a 34:50. If you know Emma, then you will know that when she sets goals, so will bleed through the eyes to meet them.

She ran her first race in 31:40. Holy cow! I thought a sub 33 would be great for her this year. The conditions were really good on that day so to repeat would be tough the following week. Emma did not seem to take race #2 as serious, but somehow she pulled out a 30:20. She really worked hard. She collapsed at the finish and was so excited. The last week was much hotter and conditions just did not seem the best for a PR. Jessi and I both ran with her and cheered her along. I was getting hot, so I knew her little body must be miserable. But she kept it steady and finished strong. Her goal was to beat last week's time, but her super secret goal was to go sub 30. Sub 30 was a steep goal given the conditions. But we cruised along and I knew Emma was working so hard. She was heading into the last 400 meters and we could tell she was picking it up. But she knew to make time was not about a sprint...a steady effort makes up time. So as she was approaching the final 100 she was clipping long well and when she could see the clock, she raised her hands as if winning the whole race.

Emma seeing the clock

You can almost 'feel' the excitement

Emma high 5'ing Uncle Mark

On the clock read 28:04. She was so excited to cross that line. She annihilated her super secret goal. She fell grass and was almost in tears. She did it! She set goals each week and worked to meet them. Along the way, she beat over half the women who raced...wow.

Feeling Flat?

There are many events that happen in life that connects us all. Events like, locking your keys in the car, burning dinner, saying something you regret when you are intoxicated (maybe more than once), having your zipper down when walking out of a public restroom. All these things most people can say, “Oh, I have done that,” and then a subsequent story ensues.

As a cyclist, or triathlete, one thing we all seem to stumble on from time to time is getting a flat on a ride. Some of these unfortunate events happen when you are close to home, and simply require a quick and easy change. Other times, they require a phone call…assuming you are in cellular range. But on occasion you are faced with a unique challenge that you wonder if there is a solution to.

One such challenge I have been faced with from time to time is when the puncture size is so large, that the tube will actually come out of the tire upon inflation. These can happen on the “tread” of the tire (part that touches the road) or on the sidewall (part that does no touch the road where all the tire information is). If you do not notice this, after you install a new tube and inflate it to 80-100psi, the tube can come out immediately, like a kid blowing a bubble, and explode. Though it makes one hell of a sound, it will still cost you the price of a tube (about $4-$5). One expensive firecracker.

A couple weeks ago, I, once again, experienced such an event. I was riding with Jessi as she was conquering her ascent of Mt. Spokane, and to my fortune, I flatted near the base. As I waved her on and told her to go one without me (between the rapid panting) she continued up the climb and I allowed my wheel, with the deflated tired and tube, rumble to a stop. Upon my inspection of the tire, I saw that there was a pretty big slit in the tire that went through the casing as well (meaning the slit went all the way through to the tube). Normal punctures are caused by small sharp objects like glass, nails, staples, etc. The impact those have on a tire itself are quite small and the tire can normally handle installing a new tube and you are on your way. But when the cut is so large, as stated earlier, you have to get a little more creative.

All the supplies

Here is a picture of the cut in the tread

The cut being a little more visible

The inside of the tire...it's actually bigger than it looks in the picture

In fixing such a problem, you need to put something inside the tire, where the slice is, so that the tube will not “squirt” out. This does not have to be a very big, or bulky, item. Most things can be found on the side of the road. In this case, I had just eaten PowerBar so I used the wrapper. I have also used a dollar bill, grass, paper cup, etc. Just something to block the opening. You could even use a patch from your patch kit and stick that over the hole in the tire. Seems like a waste of a patch though.

The wrapper

So the next steps are the exact same when you change a flat. The critical part is to make sure that you place the covering over the whole. It would be easy to have it slip when you put the tube in or when you inflate it.

However, I have to say that I did not use a CO2 cartridge on this one, which I normally always do. I used this cool little mini pump that fits INSIDE my under-saddle bag. It took quite a few pumps, but was well worth it. It is made by Innovations. I added this to my repair kit after having my CO2 inflator not work. Believe it or not, this has happened twice to me when I am out by myself. It is pretty frustrating when you have 2 tubes and 2 CO2 cartridges, but you cannot get the air into the new tubes! And that is where the cell phone comes into play.

Yup, it works

I hope you never flat, and if you do, you don’t have to implement this strategy. But if you do end up having a large hole, or slice, in your tire, don’t freak out. There is an easy fix.

2 Videos Of The Kids Triathlon

Emma after the finish. (photo by Dave Erickson)

Dave Erickson (www.daveerickson360.com) created a two part video series of the race that Tri Fusion put on again this year. It was an amazing day and so many kids (a sellout) were able to take advantage of it. If you ever want to watch triathlon in its purest form, go watch a kids triathlon. These guys have a blast and put it all out there. And parents... I think they get a better workout in the process as well. A HUGE thank you to all the sponsors that made this great event happen and all the hard work of the volunteers and excellent direction by the beautiful Jessi Thompson.

Click HERE for video #1

Click HERE for Video #2

Mt Spokane

I think it's a ride that most cyclists and triathletes do once a year or so. That is, ride to the top of Mt. Spokane. This is about 3500 vertical feet +/- effort that has some good pitches. Some friends of mine have ridden some of the epic stages in the Tour de France such as Mont Ventoux and L'Alpe d'Huez and said that Mt. Spokane was a tougher climb. I personally have not confirmed this, but I think it goes to say that it is a respectable climb.

It has been a ride that I have been wanting to do for over a month now, but just have not had the time. But recently Shawn Howard, a stellar local cyclist, posted on facebook that he climbed up there and had pics that looked cool. So, I thought, "What the heck." Jessi and I rode for over an hour before she had to go and meet with my mom. She just got a new Cervelo road bike that she has been enjoying to ride and we have been getting out from time to time and enjoying time together on road bikes. Since I did not have a lot more going on, I started towards Mt. Spokane. The day was cloudy with some shots of sun. But there were some very daunting clouds that were throwing down the rain that required any driver to run the wipers on high and slow to about 30mph.

As I rolled across the flatlands, the weather was holding. But just when I hit the base of the mountain, it started to rain...and boy did it rain. I tried to capture how hard it was raining but I could not pull my phone out of the plastic bag because it would have been ruined by the volume of rain.

The last 2 pics were taken through a ziplock bag...but you can still see how hard it's raining

As I climbed up the gradual 5-6% approach, I watched the water stream from my cotton gloves and looked at the sleeves on my jersey droop from my arms and drip water. Fortunately I wore my Timex thermal vest by Sugoi. Though it would get wet, I would hopefully stay warm...especially on the way down. I rode for about 30 minutes in an absolute downpour. It was amazing. It was raining so hard, that you did not even think about how to try and stay dry...or avoid standing water on the road. I don't think I could have been any more wet if I were to have stepped out of a pool. But, I plodded along and maintained some body heat.

I was watching my power output on my new SRM powermeter (thanks Robin and Fitness Fanatics!). I had not even reached the main part of the climb and I was already in my easiest gear. Oh boy, this is going to be a long climb and my legs would be turning over very slowly as I climb.




About 1/4 of the way up the mountain the rain stopped and the sun was trying to come out. The road was still very saturated and the water was streaming down it. But it was beautiful. There was really no place to take it easy and take some pics, but I snapped a few.

I eventually reached the snowmobile parking lot. The clouds took over again and the winds were blowing pretty good. At this point I had 2 options. 1) continue up, or 2) head back down. I was a little nervous about getting too cold, but what the heck. It's just a mountain.

Continue up...Or head down...Down does not sound all that bad...

I have not ridden to the top in quite some time. But whenever I have, I seem to get so friggin' cold. Then, you have to coast all the way down and get colder. But mountains are meant to be climbed and I was most of the way up...I think.

The last portion of the climb is beautiful. You zig zag along the ski runs and are treated to some amazing views...and winds. The road narrows and you really feel like you are on some grand tour alpine stage, but without all the crazy fans.

Kind of looks like a Tour stage.

Once on top I only took a few minutes to snap a couple pics and send Jessi a video to let her know I made it and was heading home. I could not feel my feet and the wind was smokin'. I ate 1/2 a PowerBar and headed down. I made some pretty good time down the entire mountain and was back into the sun. I really don't like descending because I feel it's kind of a waste of time. I'd rather be riding my bike than coasting and braking.

Towards the end of the ride I actually ran into Shawn Howard at a stoplight about 1 mile from home. Crazy. Though I am sure I did not climb it anywhere as fast as he did, or felt as good, I saw the same amazing sight. It was a lot of fun and I hope to ascend that climb again.

Great Northern Stage Race, Whitefish, MT

This weekend was the Great Northern Stage Race in Whitefish, MT. I raced a similar race here back in 1985 when I was 13. It went well then, but this was a couple decades later.

The Players
Patrick Bulger

Mark Hodgson

Cris Lucas

Me

This would also be the debut of the Arrivee Cycling club where we all raced together in a stage race. This was going to be fun. This stage race consisted of a criterium, time trial, and road race. It was all based on time so the more time you finished ahead of people, or "time bonuses" you got, the further ahead you would get. Since there was a time trial in this race, I really liked it being based on time.

Pre race warm up. "How are we supposed to take all these corners?"

Stage one was the criterium. It would be 45 minutes around a 1k 6 cornered course in downtown Whitefish. It has been quite some time since I had raced a crit, but I was racing with some of the best team mates ever. I knew we'd have a blast and make the best of it. From the start, I took off. I ended up getting a little gap so I kept going. The pack stopped chasing and the gap grew to be about 25 seconds. But that was about as far as it ever got. I was working my ass off and I knew this would hurt my time trial which would be about 2 hours after the conclusion of this event. I was not too sure what this was taking out of me, but I was well above threshold, and was hurting. But I also knew that my team was back there doing what they could to slow things down so we would get the win. I ended up soloing for the entire 45 minutes at a hard effort, but also ended up winning the stage and becoming the race leader with about a 30 second lead with the time bonuses and primes. But would I lose over 30 seconds in the TT because of this? We would soon find out.

Me off the front for a looong time.

Arrivee controlling the pack

Pat finishing the criterium

Post criterium discussion

Jessi was there giving me all the support you could ask for including taking all these great pics and helping me through the crit with her words of encouragement. But she was also going to race today. She signed up for the TT that would be shortly too. So we wolfed down some food and got her ready and off she went to the race site. I was able to get there before she took off and I was able to give her a few cheers and take a couple pics. The TT venue did not really lend itself to spectators, but it was a TT. Jessi ended up riding really well and ended up 3rd in her category for the TT. Impressive. For not riding her bike more than 4 times in the last 3 weeks, she flew.

Emma giving me a hug before the TT

Talkin' strategy...go hard

Jessi before the TT

I started about 20 minutes after her and the last of the Arrivee team to go. I waited patiently in the 80 degree heat and was hoping to dear God that I had something left in my legs after my 45 minute TT just a couple hours prior. Now, I would attempt a sub 30 minute TT on tired legs. This could be interesting.

I took off and quickly settled in to an anaerobic pace. I caught my 30 second man (giy who started 30 seconds before me) within the first mile...only 10+ to go. The course was bumpy and had some pretty tough hills. Ones that required me to be in my 39x23 and working pretty hard. On the way out I saw Jessi coming back and yelled at her...might have sounded more like a wheeze, but I think she heard. She looked comfortable and was moving well. I finally hit the turnaround and saw that my avg speed was good, but had no clue what others were doing. I continued back and maintained a great effort to roll off the 11.4 miles in 25:55 and to win the TT by over a minute. Whew, I did not blow it. I would now go into stage 3 with about a 2 minute lead. That felt good. I was a little disappointed that our group had such a minimal time between the crit and TT, but that's the way it goes. Some of the men in the other categories had about 5-6 hours. I would have got 12th in the 1/2 Pro category, but did not feel that my time was reflective of what I was capable of. My effort was great though.

Post TT awards

Pre road race nerves

Now on to the road race which was a 6.6 mile loop that we'd do 9 laps of in 78 degree heat...maybe warmer. We all felt that my time was fairly secure, but wanted to try and move Cris up a few slots from 7th. But that would require him getting some time bonus sprints and a top 3 finish. This course was fairly flat, but you never know. Things stayed together through the efforts of a few chases and attacks. But as we rolled into the last 5 miles, I went to the front and brought up the speed to alleviate attacks and crashes. I pulled for quite some time and no one was coming around. Pat came to the front and took over for a bit and then for the last mile I wound it out. It kept people honest and did not allow for some lame attack. Cris was in good position but jumped a tad too early. He ended up 3rd, which is amazing, and moved up to 6th overall. Though we did not win the final stage, we won 2 stages, and overall as well as a 3rd place in the road race and 6th overall as well. It was a great debut for the new Arrivee.

Cris throws his bike for 3rd in the road race and 6th overall

Big thanks to Jessi for all the pics and support through the weekend as well as a great result in the "last minute" TT. Also thank to Michelle (Pat's wife) and Lisha for their cheers and help through the weekend with entertaining Emma and wanting to come in the first place.

Swimming, and cancer support

Cancer is a word that is used to describe many things that we don't like...or something that spreads negatively within a group. But anyone with cancer, or has survived cancer, knows this word as more than an adjective, it is a word that can change your plans, your outlook, and your life. We have all beocme more aware of this tragic disease through education and research. To sustain those efforts, it takes some money and time. One of my sponsors, Aqua Sphere wetsuits and goggles, has created a swimming opportunity to do just that.

Aqua Sphere is supporting a Swim Challenge event where men and women and logging the amount of hours they swim per-day in a friendly competition. The women are swimming for breast cancer and the men are swimming for prostate cancer, a real great cause that helps raise money and awareness.

Check the website out at www.swimchallenge.org for info on the event.

TIMEX Global Trainer Now Available!

Huge news!! REI is now selling the brand new TIMEX Global Trainer on line! The Global Trainer will is also shipping to each individual store over the next few weeks and should be in store mid June.

I have been using this full functioning GPS and heart rate watch since February and LOVE it.

For more information on this, and get in the know, click HERE.