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| August 17, 2008 | Michael Phelps - Simply Amazing | | Below is a recap of Phelp's amazing week. It was originally published on ESPN. You can blame Michael for the influx of folks at your Masters Workouts
BEIJING -- Michael Phelps' eight gold-medal swims were all magnificent. But the world needs lists, so we're here to rank his great haul of China from most memorable to least:
1. 100-meter butterfly
Yes, this was the only race in which Phelps did not set a world record -- but what he did to reach the wall first was the stuff of legends. Apparently beaten by Milorad Cavic in the final meters, Phelps somehow squeezed in a rapid-fire final arm stroke to touch and win by one-hundredth of a second. Still-frame photos show Cavic inches from winning before Phelps made up ground and splashed in at the last instant. The fact it was his seventh gold, tying Mark Spitz's Olympic record and securing a $1 million bonus from Speedo, didn't hurt.
2. 400 freestyle relay
It's hard to find good help nowadays -- unless you're Michael Phelps, and you need a relay mate to perform a miracle on your behalf. That would be anchorman Jason Lezak, who roared back from a considerable deficit in the final 50 meters to stun Frenchman Alain Bernard by 0.08 of a second. Phelps certainly did his part, leading off the relay by swimming what at the time was the third-fastest 100 freestyle in history -- in an event that's far from his specialty.
3. 400 individual medley
This was Phelps' first swim of the Games, and the pressure on him to perform was undeniable. Not only was he the centerpiece of the pre-Olympic hype, but President George W. Bush was in the stands to watch. Phelps delivered and then some, smashing his own world record and crushing fellow medalists Laszlo Cseh and Ryan Lochte.
4. 200 butterfly
Phelps said this was the only swim that disappointed him, because he expected to swim much faster. But the fact that he broke his own world record after his goggles leaked only adds to the Phelps mythology. He said he was basically swimming while blind, guessing at where the wall was on his turns. Who needs to see to win gold? Not Phelps.
Which one of Phelps' eight wins is most impressive?
100 butterfly
400 free relay
400 IM
200 butterfly
200 freestyle
200 IM
800 free relay
400 medley relay
5. 200 freestyle
Phelps only qualified fourth-fastest for the final, but he wasted no time in burying his competition. Phelps exploded to a fast start and led the entire race, leaving runner-up Park Tae-hwan of South Korea and bronze medalist Peter Vanderkaay of the U.S. in his wake. Phelps easily broke his own world record and won by 1.89 seconds.
6. 200 individual medley
Phelps beat Cseh and Lochte the same way he beat them in the 400 IM -- with a strong breaststroke leg that gave him separation leading into the final 50 meters of the freestyle. Whereupon he broke his own world record, of course. The impressive thing is the fact that Phelps' only "weak" stroke is the breaststroke. Turning that into his secret IM weapon only further validated his astonishing versatility.
7. 800 freestyle relay
This was an American tour de force, led off by Phelps. He gave the Yanks a huge, 2.6-second lead, and the rout was on. They wound up winning by three seconds and smashing their own world record, on a day when Phelps had to swim two finals.
8. 400 medley relay
The final swim of the meet, and of the Phelps program, was highly anticipated but largely anticlimactic. The American relay was pushed, but led fairly comfortably for the final 125 meters. Phelps took the Americans from third to first during his butterfly leg, then watched anchorman Lezak close the deal again by holding off the Australians.
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| July 23, 2008 | Billy Dean Johnson's Vineman 70.3 Blog | | 2000 of my best friends many of whom I had never met before met on Johnson's beach (no relation) in Guerneville California this Sunday for a little event know as Vineman 70.3. The weather was, well different… I think it was Twain that said, " the coldest winter I ever knew was one summer in San Francisco." Although we were 70 miles north of the Bay Area it was COLD!!! My day started at 7:26 which gave me a chance to see the pros who started at 6:30. I was able to see them head out on to the bike course and to cheer for Patrick Bless as he headed out. Then it was time for the 50+ wave, or as I like to call it the AARP special… Steam was coming off the river (creek???) as we started, unfortunately, I picked the wrong side to start on and missed the group, there was four or five guys up river from me from the get go. About 500 m into the race the river got so shallow that my hand hit the ground, I heard this could happen, I stood up and ran… yes ran in the water and moved up to the guy I was chasing… For once my mighty run helped… Well I hung tight to his feet I had and exited the water by my watch at 29:10, fifth out of my wave second in my age group.
One of the unique items about Vineman is T2 is fifteen miles Northeast of the swim, so everything has to be packed up for transport by the athlete before the bike out, this made for an agonizingly long and cold T1… Time for the bike… In short the bike course was a combination of hills broken up by long flat sections into a headwind that was out of the northeast… I loved it… Hard bike GOOD… easy Bike BAD… I was trying to keep track of the swimmers who beat me out of the water but at the same time take it easy on the bike keeping my heart rate under 130 bpm. I thought the conditions made the bike very slow, I had "cold legs" (did I mention the weather???)… I entered T2 with a 2:32 bike split an ok time, a harder effort than I wanted to make for that slow of a time.
T2 was another long transition I had to remember that these conditions were that same for all… all part of what makes Vineman unique. Did I mentioned the weather it was COLD… I had shivers throughout the ride but now I had numb feet so the long T2 did help wake up the feet… Now the moment of truth… Would I have my slow run or no run???
As I was leaving T2 the Pro's were finishing, one more chance to Cheer for Patrick… I was kind of worried as my transition mile was not good, even for me, I took a quick "natural break" and all was well… It did not hold off the runners, they were coming… I got passed at mile 1 by the first one. The run was rolling with very little level ground and a few very steep sections… I was running 8:30/mile for the most part a good effort for me so I was happy and enjoyed the race. I got passed the second time at mile 5, at mile 6 the run loops 1.1 mile through the vineyard and then heads back. On this loop both of the guys that passed me were just 15-20 second in front of me. I did not know if that was first and second or second and third. My run was holding up but then a few fast runners ran me down now I was out of the top five, my goal. My only goal at this point was PR and to enjoy the day. Then something very new in triathlon happened to me, I was going to catch someone who had passed me early in the run. I got him on an uphill section and ran hard past him… It was a great feeling… He was the feet I had in the river… Who ever said the swim doesn't matter is just… wrong!!! Thank you Jonnie
The fans were great at Vineman, when I got off my bike I said to no one in particular, "I had never been this cold before", when I was in the chute to the finish line one of them remembered and yelled" are you warm yet???" At the finish I took a pose from Lewis and showed them the guns… well at my age maybe they are muskets… I want to thank my teammates especially Preston and the rest of the crazy ass Saturday crew for all their help this year. Laura, Jonnie, Simon and Sun Devils Masters Swimming. Sole Sports and Scottsdale Running Company and running group. Last but not least Marc, who has reminded me in word and action… Fat triathlete will not win… All in all a good day however, I don't know if I mentioned the weather… it was cold… not in a, I will never do this again… just cold. In the end I finished fifth about seven minutes out of 1st with a time of 4:59:05… a PR and a top five… I'll take it… even with the cold…
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| July 21, 2008 | 2008 Mountainman Race Report | | We certainly had a great group and perfect conditions for the 24th Annual MountainMan Triathlon. Abby's Race Report with Results follows below, but there is much more to tell. As you will see in the results, there were many awards carried home by TriScottsdale / Village triathletes, but none more precious than "The Shirt." Last year at Alcatraz, Marc and John Dean "bet their shirts" on the race and Marc was the recipient of a very stylish dress shirt. He wore it to dinner at Pesto Brothers Saturday night. (By the way, Abby, thanks for a terrific job all weekend, especially the huge dinner.) John arrived in another stylish shirt and the negotiations ended with Marc spotting John EIGHT MINUTES as they once again "bet their shirts". As you can see from the times shown below, there will soon be a time and place for the "Return of the Shirt".
Also arriving at dinner after driving over 3500 miles and stopping over in Flagstaff on the way home, was "O.C." or Shawn O'Connell. He had competed in a tri in Wisconsin so he had all his stuff and promptly signed up and won the Sprint Tri on Sunday. Way to go, O.C.!!!
Stephen Stromberg experienced a nasty flat and was walking his bike back when a vehicle stopped and asked if he wanted a ride. After a brief conversation, Stephen borrowed a wheel from him and continued the race, although much time had passed. His time was still respectable and he was seen tracking down his benefactor after the race since the guy had his somewhat more expensive ZIPP wheel.
Take a look below and you will see the real Mountain Man, with leather suit, rifle, some animal for a hat, and riding a mule. If you look a little closer at a few of the photos, he starts to look a lot like Marc Rubin. It's a scary thought. There are many more pictures in the photos section.
Quite a few folks stayed at the race until Brian Henry finished the Half-Ironman. He looks good in the photos and I'm sure he appreciated the support. Paul Beckert's times are not shown in the results because he lost his chip. His total time was 2:26.
If you go to the full results, you will see that both Jane and George Esahak-Gage won the Masters Division of the Sprint and both were 2nd Overall. I saw George briefly on the bike course and then he just flew by. He continues to amaze with his recovery.
The great news is we had 38 triathletes and a host of supporters at MountainMan. Flagstaff is an interesting place, but a little quieter now that we're gone. Congrats to all and thanks again to Abby for all her planning and assistance.
Thanks to all who came out to cheer us on Sunday morning(I'm sorry if I forget some names here): Clem, Suzanne, Max, Tom, Alicia, Angela, Barry, Faith, Elisa & Matt, Cindy, Christine, Abbe & Ally Gugick, Scott & Ainsley and many more!
Here are the results in no particular order:
Relay-OLY
Team PAHL
1st pl overall relays
s-25:16 b-1:08:09 r-50:35 2:28:11
Susan, Heidi Pahl
Tri then Wine
4th pl females
s-28:06 b-1:15:19 r-59:23 2:45:07
Lisa Alison, Tracy Britton, Amber Meid
Tri Revolution
2nd pl females
s-21:47 b-1:21:14 r-57:57 2:42:59
Laura Hays & two other fabulous ladies
Olympic Triathlon
Taos Poole
5th A.G. 2:24:22
s-30:31 b-1:06:30 r-43:46
Abby Forsberg
5th A.G. 2:48:17
s-29:04 b-1:19:31 r-55:16
Erin Miller
14th A.G. 3:13:58
s-37:14 b-1:26:38 r-1:04:23
Stephen Stromberg
7th A.G. 2:31:26
s-24:33 b-1:18:20 r-45:05
Brett Miller
15th A.G. 2:41:27
s-31:23 b-1:10:04 r-54:57
Ryan Luedecke
16th A.G. 2:43:28
s-30:35 b-1:06:04 r-59:03
Cortney Ellish
14th A.G. 3:37:05
s-47:00 b-1:31:36 r-1:10:24
Chris Stalzer
9th A.G. 2:39:58
s-28:00 b-1:08:37 r-59:20
John Ballard
14th A.G. 2:44:04
s-26:40 b-1:12:09 r-58:24
Adam Gugick
17th A.G. 2:45: 15
s-29:26 b-1:12:37 r-58:14
Kari Boesen
2nd A.G. 2:36:38
s-27:58 b-1:11:33 r-51:01
Karen Lewis
6th A.G. 2:53:05
s-37:57 b-1:15:31 r-55:32
Christina did the run!
Amy Janetsky
9th A.G. 2:58:51
s-34:57 b-1:17:49 r-59:58
Marc Rubin
4th A.G. 2:19:42
s-24:05 b-1:02:33 r-50:01
John Dean
5th A.G. 2:24:16
s-24:58 b-1:06:38 r-49:15
Jim Naroski
6th A.G. 2:26:04
s-28:45 b-1:06:37 r-47:11
Robert Clinkenbeard
14th A.G. 3:03:59
s-47:26 b-1:14:27 r-55:31
Rob Kelly
9th A.G. 3:18:52
s-36:06 b-1:26:44 r-1:04
Preston Miller
1st A.G. 2:45:11
s-35:36 b-1:10:03 r-55:28
Sprint Triathlon
Shawn Oconnell
1st pl overall 1:04:33
s-10:55 b-29:06 r-22:06
Jeff Wescott
3rd A.G. 1:16:28
s-17:29 b-30:58 r-24:48
Markus Zimmer
7th A.G. 1:24:20
1st triathlon!!
s-16:25 b-32:45 r-29:21
Shawn Treglia
2nd A.G. 1:23:10
s-16:13 b-36:14 r-26:44
Sharon Johnston
3rd A.G. 1:29:05
s-21:22 b-33:57 r-29:49
Jeff Kootman
8th A.G. 1:18:15
s-16:23 b-33:34 r-24:35
George Catalano
9th A.G. 1:20:05
s-17:14 b-31:08 r-28:16
Rob Dunaway
14th A.G.1:45:36
1st triathlon!!
s-21:48 b-40:04 r-33:21
Alveratta Petta
5th A.G. 1:38:37
s-22:30 b-36:14 r-33:00
Ken Lewis
1st A.G. 1:20:21
s-16:19 b-34:05 r-26:28
Dwight Lundell
1st A.G. 1:34:05
s-24:28 b-32:50 r-31:50
Half-Ironman
Brian Henry
13th O.A. 5:14:42
s-34:41 b-2:41:57 r-1:53:0
2nd A.G.
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http://www.tri-a-run.com/Resultsalph.htm
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| July 20, 2008 | Marc Rubin's 2008 Mountainman Race Report | | On Sunday, my wife, my youngest son, Max, and I made an effort to escape the desert heat. We headed North to Flagstaff where I participated in the 5th oldest triathlon West of the Mississippi, the Mountainman Triathlon. Some folks argue that this is the most beautiful course in the Southwest. This is my third time to compete in this event. I also competed in 2005 and 2006. All three times I have completed the Olympic Course, a 1500 meter swim, a 40K bike and a 10K run.
We had a wonderful time. In addition, to my wife and son, I was joined by at least thirty other Tri-Scottsdale folks. We had a blast. On Saturday night, we ventured out and had a pre race meal at Pesto Brothers. It was darn good. Sometimes big crowds are a hassle but this time the crowd made the venue. My thanks to Abby Forsberg for making the evening happen.
The race had me very concerned. As many of you know, my last race was an absolute disaster. Accordingly, I had no idea what to expect. To be honest, I was a bit scared, a little intimidated and just a tad unsure of myself. As late as Friday afternoon, I was not going to do the event. However, John Dean gave me a call and made me laugh about the whole thing. (There is a picture of John and I below just after the race.) He reminded me of why we do all this - to get fit and have fun!!! Needless to say, I decided to venture 140 miles North to the INN SUITES MOTEL.
The INN SUITES MOTEL should be called the no tell motel. My god it looked fine from the outside but the inside had deteriorated over time. For example, I think the drapes were original issue circa 1932. There was a spot in the corner were there was at least four different colors of paint present. Probably 1960, 1970, 1980, and 1990 vintage.
While all the above was a bit laughable it was somewhat troubling that getting the door to open was somewhat like playing the lottery. That is if you play enough you win. In this case the door opens. Anyway, it wasn't that bad it was just funny.
As dawn broke on race day, the doubts resurfaced. To be sure, during breakfast with my buddy Steven Stromberg, I lamented the fact that we were doing this event. I was begging for a way out. On our way to the venue, I even told my wife I was unsure and that I really had doubts about this day. She assured me and asked me what time it was. I told her the time. She was a bit sad. She reminded me it was GAMETIME and asked why I had not called and texted everyone to tell them as much. Then it hit me like a ton of bricks - I was actually scared about the day. Scared that I would have another day like Ironman Couer d' Alene.
Rather than the miserable, rotten, wished I was dead, hoped I would die, day I had at CDA I had a good day in Flagstaff. I did not set a Personal Best at the Olympic Distance, but I did improve my previous best time on the Mountainman Course by 6 minutes. Here is what happened. First, I got to sit on the Mountainman's trusty steed. He let me wear his coyote mask and tote his shotgun. This was way cool. This was the highlight of my day.
The swim is a 1500 meter event in Upper Lake Mary. I started wide and went out hard. I was a bit worried about this approach at 7,000 feet but that was a decision I had to make given some of the guys in the field. I just did not want to start off poorly.
I jumped on the back of the lead pack and headed for the first bouy. All systems were go. I did not feel the dreaded pull or hypoxic moment that I dreaded (I swear at 7,000 feet when you tae your heart rate from 70 to 180 in a matter of seconds you think your are going to die.). I paid attention to my surroundings and made darn sure I was on their feet.
At the bouy I went a bit wide to avoid the scrum. Immediately, I realized the bubbles were gone. I looked up and the pack had gone tight around the bouy and was now about 4-5 feet away. I was in trouble. I tried to get back on but I was not able. Unfortunately, I was all alone. There was a huge pack about 100 yards behind and ones and two's spread out. I decided to go it alone. I paid attention to my sighting and excited the water in the top 15 out of 263 overall and 5th out of 30 in my age group.
Transition went well. However, as I hopped on my bike, I realized my visor was around my aero bottle. Now what? I threw it to a volunteer and told him to leave it right next to the cone and I would get it on the run. It was actually there.
The bike is an out and bike affair on a well paved road. There are three stairstep hills on the course as you approach the turn around. Other than that there are some false flats but other than being at 7,000 feet it is not so bad.
I hammered the bike. I have not felt this good on a bike since the U.S. Open last October in Dallas. I realized I had some some power going out but whoa I had no idea until I hit the hills.
As I mentioned before, I got out near the front of the swim so there were not many people to catch. There were however some stragglers from the 1/2 Ironman that started 30 minuted before us. Needless to say, I blew right threw them. I hit the hills and rolled past two or three people in my wave. As we hit the turn around I realized I was not that far behind the leaders. I estimated about 3-4 minutes.
I hammered out of the turnaround hoping to put some time into those guys. It was then that I realized that I had some power that I had not felt in a long time. I went up the first climb in my Aero Bars feeling great. As I crested the hill I geared down to a 54-13 and hit it hard. I must have had 100 rpm so I went into the 54-11. I actually spun out. I have no idea how fast I was going but it must have been over 50. At one point, I looked at my front wheel and then the pavement and decided it was best not to think about it.
As we approached transition, I passed the guy who went on to win my age group. He is strong competition but someone who I had held off a month or two earlier. I really liked my chances at this point. .
The run is a 6.2 mile out and back on a paved road. There is a massive 2 mile hill followed by a short trail run. I excited transition and tried to run as hard as I could. Within a mile two guys in my age group passed me. Including one that I had beaten two months earlier. I did not get down and I continued to run hard. A few more passed me but not many.
In the end, I finished 19th out of 263 overall and 4th out of 30 in my age group. It felt great to have a good Olympic race again. I think the experience excised some demons that jumped on me at CDA.
It was great to see so many Tri-Scottsdale folks out at the event. It is great to see your buddies when you are hurting.
Props to my buddy Brian Henry who had a great day and completed the 1/2 Ironman. I have no idea why someone would do a 1/2 at 7,000 feet but he did. In so doing, he improved his PR by 25 minutes and finished 2nd in his age group and 12th overall. Great stuff.
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| July 19, 2008 | Korey Bachelder's Lifetime Fitness Triathlon Report | | This was the race I was focusing on all year. Last year I had an absolute meltdown and still placed 3rd in my age group and 43rd overall. I knew that if I put the work in, I could place well at this race. Before the season started, I put this race on my calendar as my top "A" race. The 2 months of early base training set up the peak for this event. I couldn't believe that I was finally here!
First off...I can't agree that this race is run optimally. Olympic distance goes first, then Sprint distance. Generally it is the oldest athletes first and the younger athletes last. This creates the immediate problem of congestion...as "generally" a wave of younger athletes is faster than a wave of older athletes. On this day...no joke..I probably passed 500 people! It must work as I didn't hear about too many incidents. On to the race - the swim course is a triangle out-and-back. The swim start is by age group and individually timed at 3 second intervals. Awful idea. I knew from the gun that I was going to have to swim wide to avoid the congestion. I probably did an extra 50m of work. My goal was to swim fast using as little exertion as possible; really work on pulling the water and keeping my hips up. The swim is quick so there really wasn't much to it, I felt okay...but didn't feel fast. I didn't know my split until after the race was done...and that was a good thing. It was super slow! Yuck. Like most 1st/2nd yr triathletes I have some problems with open water swims...getting comfortable and getting in open water race situations comes with experience.
On to the bike and I had a lot of energy, I blazed through the transition and was off on the road. The course was the same from last year which included rolling hills, several corners and 1 tricky hairpin corner which rolled up and around on to a bridge. I had a secret weapon...a new Cervelo P3C with all kinds of space age parts. It didn't disappoint. I posted my fastest bike speed of the year. My coach told me to stay at threshold (160 bpm) but I was feeling good so I avg'd around 165. The wind really picked up during the bike...something the Pro's and Olympic distance athletes didn't have to deal with. Made for some sketchy corners. For the most part I stayed aero and had a good cadence. I also did a lot of screaming for people to get right which reminded me a lot of the 101!
Off the bike and blazed another good transition. I was very happy with my transitions on the day...clocking one of the best combined transition times. It was tough to pace myself as I blasted off to a quick 6:10 first mile. The 2nd mile I felt some fatigue..I would guess from the quick bike ride. I did 6:20. Around Lake Nokomis, I was passing people by the pack. Mile 3 I let it all hang out...a quick 1k and I absolutely put the hammer down. I sprinted 600m in. Can't say I've ever done that, but it felt great. I closed in under 6:00 min which makes me feel good about my prospects for the fall. I told my girlfriend Kaela immediately after the race that I didn't win as I knew the times from last year by heart. 30 mins later and I got the results...2008 champion of the LifeTime Fitness Short Course! Unbelievable! I was surprised by the result, I thought my swim and bike were much too slow. As teammate Shawn O'Connell put it...it was a come from behind victory. Haa, I'll take it anyway I can get it. It felt great to see a goal through and taking 10 mins off of my time from last year was a good way to end the first half of the season. Time to rest up and examine the first part of my season and look to continue to improve.
(Note: 2 days after the race the results were changed, showing my placing as 2nd overall. Peak Timing has been contacted and at this point there is an unresolved issue regarding the swim start timing for the current 1st place overall athlete. Regardless of who is named champion, I am still very happy with my results).
Times:
LifeTime Fitness Triathlon (Minneapolis, MN) - 7.12.08
644m (0.4 mi) swim: 11:00, 1:42/100m
15mi bike: 41:08, 21.9 mph
3mi run: 18:33, 6:11/mi
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| July 16, 2008 | 2 runners die during Zugspitz Extrem-Berglauf | | The next time you go for a run and feel like complaining about the heat consider the following:
A sudden weather change with sub freezing temperatures caught the participants at the 8th Annual International Zugspitz Extrem-Berglauf by surprise and 2 runners ended up dead seemingly from exposure and exhaustion, reports the Sueddeutsche Zeitung.
The Zugspitz Extrem-Berglauf roughly translates as "Zugspitze extreme uphill running race" and is 16.5km in length and goes up around 6,889 feet to the top of the Zugspitze, Germany's highest mountain peak (9717 feet). Roughly 600 runners started the race on Sunday, July 13 in Ehrwald, Austria under rainy conditions and temperatures around 50 degrees. As the runners got higher and higher the temperatures started to drop and soon the runners saw rain changing to snow and the wind picking up. Some of the participants only wore shorts and t-shirts and were now exposed to sub freezing temperatures. Alarms went out as people noticed participants in trouble and over 80 mountain rescue guides were sent to assist. 6 runners were transported to the Garmisch Partenkirchen Klinikum and treated for exposure and exhaustion, but for 2 runners all help apparently came too late. They died about 2,524 feet below the top as the could not be resuscitated.
This brings up the heated discussion again as to who is to blame for such an incident. Should the organizers be held responsible for not canceling the event or finishing the run at a lower altitude? There is also the school of thought that these extreme athletes know quite well what they are in for during events like this. The event was shortened the year prior and the Sueddeutsche Zeitung quoted 2 time World Berglauf Champion Helmut Reitmeir that the runners then were "very upset." We also have noticed heated debates about this topic in the Slowtwitch forum when a race director for example has opted to cancel the swim or considers shortening the run course for safety reasons.
The district attorney's office in Munich is now checking into the Zugspitze case to see if any charges need to be brought up.
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| July 14, 2008 | Andrew Schear's Chino Valley Race Report | | I want to start out by saying that I never though I could be the guy who exercised for fun, but the adrenaline generated by triathlon training and racing proved otherwise. In January I weighed in at 197 pounds and by March, I was 175 (gym cardio & circuit training). My reward to myself was to race in a Sprint Triathlon, even though I was not a strong biker, swimmer or runner. I was hooked, just like that. In my first race I swam slow, averaged 16 mph on the bike and ran 11 minute miles, but I finished.
Now the trick was getting faster, stronger and leaner. My buddy Jeff at Right Honda suggested that I tag along with him on a ride with his tri group, Tri Scottsdale. I showed up at 5:30 in the morning at Gainey Village only to see a group of like dressed athletes greet me with a smile and a "thanks for coming out to ride with us" attitude. It was inspiring! My first Tuesday morning ride was tough, in fact, I only made it to mile 7 before falling behind. When I returned at the end of the ride I was once again greeted by the guys and gals in blue jerseys. Their word of encouragement told me it was only a matter of time before I "could hang".
Two months and more than 1,000 miles later I can hang! Mind you I'm at the back of the pack, but I now have a greater understanding of what the human body is capable of with the right training and discipline.
On to my race report:
The Chino Valley Sprint Triathlon was my first race after training with Tri Scottsdale and swimming with Anne Wilson at the JCC. I knew I felt better on the bike, smoother in the pool and thanks to Tuesday/Thursday bricks, better off the bike into the run. The weather in Chino Valley was humid, but cool, probably 72 degrees or so. The altitude at 5,300 feet would definitely play a part, but I preferred the altitude to the heat.
The race consisted of a short 300 meter pool swim, 15 mile country-landscaped rolling hill bike course and a 3 mile out and back run. I traveled up to Prescott the evening before to avoid an early morning drive. Knowing full well that side cramps were an issue during my three previous races, I began to supplement my diet with salt tablets, more water than usual and bananas 24-hours before the race.
On race morning I felt good, rested and calm and ate a breakfast of PB, honey on whole wheat with a banana. I arrived early to get situated in the transition area. One hour prior to the race I began my nutrition of water and Hammer Gel. Once in the pool I felt that the temp was great and my new Tri-Scottsdale jersey was comfortable. The swim went by fast as it was 300 meters of crowded pool with racers traveling bith directions in the same lane before switching lanes. I was out of the pool in 5:58 about 10-seconds faster than I had swam the day before during practice. T1 was quick and easy, unfortunately I had forgotten my nutrition, but the course was two laps and required the racers to go through the transition area before a second lap. I would get my nutrition then. On the bike I felt strong, I knew that it was my strongest of the three sports so I would have to make up as much time as possible. I passed quite a few athletes and felt good about my pace. Off the bike I was showing 19.8 mph as an average and I knew this meant I needed to run faster than 9:30 miles to meet my goal of 1:25:00. I was out of T2 in under a minute and off on my run. My legs felt like lead the first half mile but my pace was an 8:30 and strong. It was 2% downhill and this helped me adjust to the run, after the turn around my pace slowed to a 9:50, I was a little tired and I had really hammered on the bike. I was able to move my pace to a 9:33 and hold it up the 2% grade back. Seeing the finish line meant I was near the end and moved my pace to a 7:30 for the last half mile. Sprinting through the finish line my time was a 1:22:50, good enough for 2nd in my age group and 24th overall. The competition was tough but I had felt good the entire race and best of all, had no cramps during my run!
It's back to my training routine and that means Tuesday speed ride and brick run tomorrow with Tri-Scottsdale. Soma is only 15-weeks away and I'll be ready!
Cheers,
Andrew Schear |
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| July 9, 2008 | More Hidden Hills Developments - City-brokered deal aims to fix rift between homeowners, bikers | | Scottsdale brokered an agreement Tuesday between a wealthy neighborhood and a bevy of speedy bicyclists.
The Scottsdale City Council voted unanimously to approve a development agreement with the Hidden Hills homeowners association. The deal calls for Scottsdale to spend $70,000 to design speed bumps or other measures to slow bicyclists on 145th Way.
Neighbors of the Hidden Hills subdivision have complained of the number and speed of bicyclists who like to use the steep, private road for training. They told Transportation Commissioners that the groups of bicyclists riding at top speed made them fearful of backing cars out of driveways.
The homeowners association had asked the city to abandon its public easement on the street, but Scottsdale and nearby Fountain Hills balked. The street is the only access between Fountain Hills and Scottsdale that is safe for bicycles, officials said.
Scottsdale years earlier had agreed not to extend Via Linda through the neighborhood. As part of that deal, the Hidden Hills developer allowed the public easement to remain open for bicyclists and pedestrians.
The Transportation Commission spent months working out the alternative plan to try and satisfy both the neighbors and the bicyclists. | |
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| June 29, 2008 | Zachary Kepes IMCDA Race Report: "Power of 1 fueled by many". | | Before anything else, I just wanted to thanks everyone who left a message on my phone, email, text etc for all of your well wishes for this past weekend. Small words, little voices and images go a long, long way on a long tough day. So thank you!
For only the race report please skip down to RACE REPORT only! For the elaborate overview continue to read below! It wasn't but a few days after Ironman Arizona when I decided not to waste the endurance I had built up for Ironman AZ to capitalize on another Ironman in Idaho. I was tossing the idea around with training buddies, friends, family etc and everyone I had spoken to about doing 2 ironman events within roughly 2 months thought it was foolish and stupid. Sometimes in life we make irrational decisions based on the heart and not mind. Needless to say, I was speaking to one of my long time best friends Marc Selik about this race when he said he would come out there if I signed up. He also said he could probably land us a Lake front Coeur D' Alene home on the water. I was thinking he was full of it when the next day he said we had the place on the lake ready to go and only 10 min from town. At that point I had no choice but to secure my spot in the race. I then spoke to Jared Messinger my sister's boyfriend about the race and he was excited about heading north to get rid of the heat and come out and support me. I started back on my training schedule from IM AZ and restructured it based on multisports.com online training program. I knew I still had a good base endurance from AZ but also felt over the past 2 months my body had not fully recovered from the first race. I truly respect the distance of a full ironman and toll and hardship it takes on you and your body. Going out for long rides with Bill Jones, John Dean, Chris Stalzer and other local guys I wasn't feeling as strong as I normally do. However, I decided not to push it too hard with emphasis on recovery and banking on the fact that I still had my base from ironman az. I really listed to John Dean about recovery and not overdoing it. I am always guilty of pushing it to the limit and trying to maximize every training session. I really took it easy the last 3 weeks with minimal running and made sure to get in some long swims and long bikes. Before long, I was packing up my gear and bike to fly to Spokane and drive the 50 or so odd miles to CDA. Jared and I flew out together and met Marc at the airport. we rented a mini van to pick up obese women. This didn't work in our favor as the ladies seem to go for the buys in the convertibles:). Anyhow we started driving from Spokane East to our destination. Immediately leaving the airport you can realize how gorgeous this place it. Green lush trees, hills, lakes, natural beauty. It seemed to have instant calming effect on the mind and made me relax and at ease. This race I came into much more relaxed and less anxious than the first because I knew what was in store for me. Before long we arrived at the house and couldn't believe that Marc got us hooked up lakefront right across the lake from John Elway, Dennis Franz from Nypd, another football coach and more. the view (pictures to follow) was out of a postcard. we immediately hopped in the canoe and headed to Elways to check out the scene. Hopefully next time Jared and Selik can learn how to canoe so we can move faster than 1mph. I returned back to the home when I got a call from John Dean about booking a flight out to watch the race. I was shocked that he had booked a flight last minute to come out and support his friends from AZ in the race. This was exciting because he has been my training partner for the last 5 months. Anyhow we proceeded to go into town, check into the village and get everything secured for the race. I wont bore you with the little details. The water temperature coming out was around 54 degrees and we were hoping for around 60 to 65. This was going to be one long cold swim. fortunately the water started to warm up in the next 48 hours prior to race morning and heated up to a 59 degrees. many athletes were in a panic regarding the cold temperature. Having done one practice swim prior to the race, I knew the water was manageable. it was so nice to see fellow buddies out there that were going to compete like Bill Jones and his brother Pat, Lewis Elliot, Marc Rubin etc. I came into this race with little expectations and one goal. Go Hard but most importantly have fun. Use this as another learning experience for future races and build on it. There was so much less pressure the second time because I knew what I needed to do to get it done and what it takes mentally and physically. We carbed up at a couple great Italian restaurants and had a great time in the city. Again what a gorgeous place and I highly recommend travelling there for vacation or relaxation. The night before the race, I managed to get in around 2 to 3 hours of tossing and turning. this is normal for a big race. woke up and had my traditional oatmeal, banana, vitamin water and a verve and my multivitamins. I felt good, relaxed and ready for a long day. Stomach was feeling good. John and Cyndi drove me down to the race along with a gentleman named Ed Bomber who was staying across the street. Ed is a stud athlete who has run a marathon in the 2 hour and 26 range. That if you don't know is flying! most people do a half in that kind of time. we walked to the transition area and wished each other good luck. Got my fuel bottles situated on my bike, got my wetsuit, goggles and cap and headed to the beach area to watch the pro's start. They started 35 minutes before us. Wished Lewis good luck and the gun fired. I was hanging by the water with John and Cyndi, and the Jones crew. I was feeling relaxed and ready to embark on a long journey. They called for all athletes to enter the beach front for our start.
IRONMAN RACE REPORT___________________________________
Bill Jones, Pat Jones and I headed with the other 2300 athletes down to the beach front for our start. My wetsuit was on and I was feeling calm, a little anxious and excited to start the day. Everything was feeling in place and in order. for some reason and I don't know why Bill decided to start on the far right of the beach. Like a pack of sheep it was follow the leader. In retrospect we should have starter closer in toward the buoys (next year:)!). anyhow wished the Jones's good luck and the gun went off. It was a cluster for the first 800 or so yards getting hammered by swimmers from both sides. I remained calm and was only breathing to the right and didn't push it too hard. My goal was to expend less effort than Arizona so i could have my legs for the beginning portion of the bike. The water temp was cold on the face and feet with no booties but seemed manageable. I started to find my rhythm and was focused on elongating my stroke, keeping my head down and relax the breathing. I remember some small waves pushing me around and a little current heading west. I remained steadfast in relaxing and trying to find some feet to swim on. For some reason, I couldn't find any good feet so I just kept my speed and tried not to get in a cluster for a calmer swim. I could eventually see the red buoy which signified the first part of the turn around. My natural instinct was to head to the inside. Unfortunately so did everybody else. this was a traffic jam swimming into the sun and 300 people on top of you. At this point you couldn't' t even move. people were hitting me in the face and trying to swim on top of me. I wasn't going to have it. I maintained my position and fought back. You need to relax here as you can expend too much energy fighting the masses. you can only move as fast as the guy in front of you anyways. I remained calm and focused on the first turn around. within 3 or 4 minutes I found some clean water and made my way back to the beach area for the first loop. got out of the water to the beach and ran back into the water for the second loop. this was interesting as I had never done this type of swim exit/re-entry before. I ran back and started to fight with the masses again. I vaguely remember the big crowd cheering across the beach and smiling at some hot chick on the beach front. As I approached the red buoy for the second time the traffic jam wasn't as bad as the first time but still congested and annoying. This time I took the outside lane and swim far right. I knew I was 3/4 of the way through. This felt encouraging knowing I was 75Percent done with the swim. I was bilateral breathing and relaxed and remained focuses on conserving my energy. I also wanted to get the f out of the water too:). As I approached the sand for the second time it was nice to be vertical and head towards the transition area. I grabbed my bike bag and started running toward the change tent. I then heard someone screaming.... "Go Zacky"..... and looked left and saw Jared smiling and laughing at me. this was funny indeed! I chugged a full bottle of water and 1/4 of a power bar (cookies and cream flavor) and ran toward my bike. As I mounted the bike, I was surprised to see how good I was feeling. My swim time was a only a few minutes slower than Arizona and I knew i put in a lot less effort. This was part of the race plan. The first 20 miles on the bike were pretty smooth. I think I averaged around 20 MPH. I was feeling good. I started taking in my nutrition bottles and grabbed a banana from the volunteers. Then the real hills began. You can't think about the whole 112 mile bike. you need to be in the moment and focus on what you can do NOW to feel better and get you to the next mile. We started some pretty significant climbs and my bike was creaking. This was not good. Again I remained calm. I switched into my small chain and it wouldn't take. This happened all day where I had to dismount my bike on an incline and physically put it on the small chain cog. many athletes asked if I was okay. This is strange. We were in the middle of an Ironman and fellow competitors were asking if I needed help? Wow, I was shocked, The people in Idaho are extremely nice and sincere. This was consistent throughout the race and in town. My bike issues were annoying. However, the ride was beautiful along the lake, into a golf course and up and down hills. one second you were climbing and the next going 40 mph down a steep hill. I noticed early on how strong many of these athletes were. Even more so than Arizona. This was a much tougher course as well with these hills. The weather was shaping up excellent. I believe in the low 70's. I was feeling good. About mile 40 my left back and hip started going on fire. I kept fighting off the pain. I also knew I was hydrating well as I could urinate off the bike many times. This is so funny to me. People are riding right behind you and they can see the urine dripping off your leg and fly onto the pavement. This always gets a reaction from the other bikers. Boy does it feel good too and takes your mind off of the long day. I was approaching the city center on my first loop when I felt the wind starting to pick up. I remained calm and kept watching my heart rate. All day I knew i was pushing it more than AZ but couldn't help on the climbs to get into the 160's but tried to stay around 139 to 144 or so on the bike. I was comfortable in this zone. I saw Marc, Jared, John and Cindy on the bike turnaround. This always give you the fuel and drive to continue. Hence the name of the blog. I remembered that the first 20 miles wasn't too bad and tried to push it a little here. my left part of my back was on fire!!!. I tried standing up and stretching on the bike. this didn't work too much. I finally decided to dismount the bike and stretch out my hip flexor. This gave me temporary relief. I continued on and and kept pedaling. I was thinking in the back of my head how I am going to run with this fire pain agonizing me all day. I then remembered to stay in the moment and don't think about the future. Also to have FUN! I smiled as fans cheered us on and made funny remarks to stay in good spirits. I believe these events should be enjoyable. Yes, we all know how difficult and how much pain one must endure to cross the finish line. However, there is no point in doing that unless you can enjoy the journey. I fought hard for the last 56 miles (2nd loop) and felt my legs and pace slowing. I kept drinking my nutrition and this race grabbed my extra bottle from my special needs bag on the big. I also started to take in some power gel and Gatorade. My nutrition seemed to be working great. No stomach distress this time. I came back to town and couldn't wait to dismount my bike. I was on there for 6 hours and 15 minutes. Could I feel my penis? NO! I dismounted and ran for my run transition bag. I quickly changed into my shoes and grabbed my visor. I felt tight leaving the tent. Upon leaving I ran into Marc and stopped to stretch out my IT bands and give him a quick chat. This was encouraging as well. he uttered words of celebration and good dinner tonight! The first 2miles is an out and back in front of the beach. This was packed with supporters and the crowd's energy was electrifying. I then heard from Jared, John, Cindy and more screaming at me. I managed a smile and probably shouted something back. My spirits were high and remembered to have fun, stay in the moment and relax. The first half of the marathon was very difficult . My legs were in agonizing pain. I managed to run through it and focused on taking in calories and salt pills every other aid station. After the first turnaround my legs were rocks. I had to walk for 30 to 45 seconds and approached a tree stump along lake cour d alene. I stretched out my hamstrings and calves and headed for the next aid station. I decided to start drinking Cola. I pounded a full glass followed by chicken soup broth. I know this sounds nasty but I have learned to treat these stations like a buffet. take one of everything. I also was feeling hungry and deprived of energy and took down 2 full gu's followed by some water. I kept running. This gave me a temporary boost. Also this was the first time I have raced in a one piece suit. I was wearing the Tri-Scottsdale racing suit and there were a lot of other supporters out there. This was extremely comfortable and also enabled other Arizonans to cheer for me rather than racing anonymously. This proved to be highly beneficial. When I saw other fellow Tri-Scottsdale guys words of encouragement kept passing from athlete to athlete. I saw Marc rubin out there looking strong on the on run. I also saw Lewis coming back to town for his home stretch. He was pushing a healthy pace and looked fresh. We exchanged quick pleasantries as well. I kept taking in coca cola and gu, and then Gatorade and salt pills. I started running with a cute girl who told me her Vagina was hurting from the bike. We laughed and laughed and told her I couldn't feel my dick. maybe we could help each other out:). She then had to start walking due to the chaffing of her private parts. I made a quick stop a the bathroom for a quick number 2. I was feeling good mentally but physically in a world of hurt. I still smiled at fans, and didn't push too big of a heart rate.. It was encouraging when other people told me I looked fresh..... I was thinking how this can be? I am dying right now. How can I look fresh. I guess my positive attitude overcame my physical stress and when shouting and blowing kisses to cute women in the crowd. I also managed to slap hands with kids on the streets. This gives you the fuel to keep driving forward to the finish line. I remember Pat Jones coming from behind me and telling me I had a nice tush. This was hilarious. I was giggling about that for a while. At mile 16 I befriended a gentleman from California named Mike. He told me he was hurting but wanted to break 12 hours. I told him the same. We decided to push each other for the last 10.2 miles and achieve our respective goals. Again my ultimate goal was to finish and have fun. Everything else was secondary. If I could have got a PR (personal record) that would be an added bonus. If I could go sub 12 hours even better. I realized that after my first run loop this was possible. I decided to push it and make it happen. Mike and I encouraged one another and were passing people left and right. We were running through aid stations as opposed to walking but still focused on taking in calories and hydration. we were maintaining sub 9:15 pace and it hurt. I knew it was worth it. One mile at a time.... one lady had a sign that read,.... "Pain is temporary, quitting is forever". I am sure we have all seen that before somewhere or another. This really hits home when you want to start walking or call it a day. This was embedded in my head and kept fighting for that sub 12. I am also reading a booking called Lone Survivor that Jared lent me. This book is about a Navy Seal and his story of becoming a seal and hell week and his missions to the middle east. I got inside his head about pushing your body to the utmost limit and trust that you can physically always endure more than the mind believes. We are extraordinary people with crazy abilities. Trust that you can always go harder, longer and faster. Extracting that mindset from his chronicles of his hell week and personal accounts was implemented in my race strategy. Mike and I continued our journey and we were about 3 miles from the finish. There were some nice hills which really hurt. That pain was overcome by the fans fueling our fast approach to becoming a 2 time ironman. Stride for stride we were bringing it home. I told him lets cross together. He said no way. He wanted me to push it out and that I had saved his day. I said, you helped make my goal a reality as well and we should run together through the line. we were a mile from the line and I joked with him saying he should freshen up for his finish line photo:). this was such a good feeling. the last .6 miles was downhill into a swarming bunch of fans and friends. the energy was electric. Mike told me to push it out and insisted I drive it home. After the 3rd time I accepted his invitation and drove it home running hard through the last .5 miles. At 11:54:14 I was finally crowned 2 time ironman. this time I made sure to hear my name Zachary Kepes from Scottsdale Arizona you are an Ironman. That feeling of elation is irreplaceable. within 5 to 10 seconds later Mike crossed and gave him a hug. I know it sounds gay but we shared an amazing 90 minutes of intense pain and gratification together. In the end, its all worth it. The journey makes you stronger each time and makes you realize you can do anything you put your mind to. Your body can endure so much and you just need to be mentally tough and focused. The second ironman even though was a harder course was easier for me because of my attitude, experience, relaxed nerves and execution of my game plan. I came in 32 minutes faster than arizona on a course 30 to 35 minutes slower. This was major improvement and extremely encouraging for the future. I want to thank all of my family, friends and fellow athletes for their fuel that filled my tank to drive it home. Without that energy, I couldn't have achieved my 2x ironman in 9 weeks. Thanks for filling my tank before, during and of course after the race. I am blessed to have you all in my life and helping me make my dreams a reality. Until next time I love you all. Zack |
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| June 28, 2008 | Jeff Bassett's Ironman CDA Blog | | Yes, I am dumb enough to try another IM this year and only 3 months after Ironman AZ. This time I traveled to beautiful Coeur d'Alene in northern Idaho. Overall the event and location are wonderful, it makes IMAZ look like a second rate event. The town and people are so nice; the location, terrain and views are amazing. I am very glad I did the event and plan to register for it again next year.
We had a great rental house right on the water, it was nice to get out of the heat of AZ for the week. Overall I was much more relaxed for this race than any IM I have done. Honestly I felt completely undertrained and figured I would just do it and see what happens. My motivation wasn't high, but neither were my expectations. My volume was much lower going into this race than IMAZ 3 months earlier, but I did feel healthy and strong. My bike power, run and swim speed were better than 3 months earlier, I just didn't feel like I had the overall endurance to finish an IM. Two weeks prior I had developed some knee issues from running, likely due to a long run with new shoes, but other than that was quite healthy and was coming off a good performance at the Show Low Duece Man Half. I told a few folks I think I am ready to rock a Half, just not sure about surviving a Full.
I had swam the course each of the 3 days prior to the race, each day getting better in terms of the cold water which was hovering in the mid to high 50's. I never found the time to either ride or drive the course prior to the event, but my plan was to take the first lap easy anyway and figure this would enforce the approach. One day I swam a complete lap of the swim course coming in at 35:xx mins with a stop at each turn buoy to survey the view and course. I wasn't particularly happy with the time, but hadn't gone hard and figure I could do better race day or at least I thought.
Race day…
I started the swim far left and just inside the buoy line, right on the front row, similar to my AZ start position. I was a little nervous but not overly so. The gun goes off and off I go. The start was one of the smoothest I have had in an IM. I had barely any contact at the start or the swim until the first turn buoy. I felt pretty good and seemed to be maintaining pace. There was a lot of traffic at the first and second turn. So much that the first turn was really a sort of bob around the buoy and no swimming. On the way back I stuck to my inside buoy line. Not much drafting, but had little contact.
I get to the beach to run over the timing mat and notice my watch at 37:xx, not happy at all. I tell myself I will keep the pace up on the second lap and do better in less traffic. I felt like I swam well, rarely letting the pace get comfortable. There was almost no traffic, but also no drafting. I did pull up about ¾ through the lap to drain my goggle of water afraid I would lose a contact. Other than that I had swam continuous and moderately hard. I notice my lap time at 40:xx coming on to the beach. Very unhappy with my swim time of 1:17:27. Not my slowest, but slower than my last two IM efforts. I find out later that the times pretty much across the board were slower as the water was fairly choppy in both directions, but not enough of an excuse for that slow.
I get into transition and actually have a better time than AZ finding a space in the tent and a volunteer to help. Unfortunately I blow that when I head out to get my bike and run past my bike rack and then get completely disoriented needing a volunteer to help me find my bike. Oh well off I go, T1 is 4:52, not bad considering.
I start the bike really pissed at myself for screwing up the swim. I have thoughts of just quitting or giving up and riding easy given my hopes for a Kona slot must be over. I notice at the first turn around I am about 10 to 15 mins back of the other Tri-Scottsdale folks. At this point I basically decide to throw out my approach of going easy on the first lap of the bike and just give it a hard effort. If I have any chance of getting a Kona slot I will have to have a very solid bike and run at this stage.
The bike course is awesome, just the way I like it with a mixture of flats, turns, shade, fast decents and fairly steep climbs. It definitely reminded me of the training rides I had done around North Scottsdale, Cave Creek and around Rio Verde with Mark and Derek. I did my best to treat it the same and often envisioned myself trying to drop Mark or Derek as I rode the course. Slowly I passed numerous AZ racers from the Phoenix Tri Club and Tri-Scottsdale. I would both feel good about it and simultaneously get pissed that I had swam so slow and needed to pass all these folks. Oh well, something to work on for the next one.
I finish the bike in 5:22:45 (just short of 21mph average) my best bike split yet and on a much harder course than IMAZ. Very happy with the bike time, but knew I would likely pay for it soon enough. It is funny that this is the first IM bike where I didn't have the feeling of just get me off this darn bike; I think I could have gone another lap, just not quite as fastJ
I start the run feeling ok, but a little sore in my lower back. I knock out a sub 7:30 mile, but then my lower back starts killing me. Again I seriously consider pulling out of the race, I can't fathom running 24-25 more miles feeling this way and just not sure I have it in me mentally to walk a marathon. I decide to start a run/walk strategy hoping I can minimize the my losses walking the aide stations and running in between. It is so disheartening to see runners pass me this early in the race as I have never walked the earlier miles of the marathon. The worst is that my legs and energy level feel great, I just can't stand up without significant discomfort in my back. I know it is better to walk a little now than a lot later. Luckily I had listened to Mark and Lewis prior to the race and took a single Advil/Aleve in the first mile of the run. I have never tried this before and it was magic, my lower back pain disappeared at mile 4-5. Now I felt like my normal IM run self and got back to a 7:30 pace for the next 8 miles.
I get through the first half of the run with hope that I can finish strong and with a qualifying time. Unfortunately, I still needed to pay the price of riding so hard and about mile 15 it starts to kick in as my pace starts to slow. I keep running, but instead of my 7:30 pace, I am doing 8:30 or slower pace. I try to pick it up occasionally, particularly each time Dan Beaver goes by me as he struggles through his stomach issues, but my legs will not respond. At this point my hopes to qualify start to fade and I just focus on finishing the race. I think about how great it will be to run across the finish line with Amanda again and just work to get there as quickly as I can.
There is a small race within the race, as I figure I have hope to finish as that first Tri-Scottsdale finisher (not counting Lewis obviously). I do see Eric Chebi after the last turn around and he seems to be running strong, but know I have over a mile on him. It helps to give me that final motivation to keep the pace up and finish as strong as possible; as getting caught in the final few miles would be a big blow to my running ego.
The race finish is amazing, 5 to 7 city blocks of people lined up 3+ deep and cheering like crazy. There are kids all over giving out high-fives, I try to get to as many of them as I can. I figure if they are taking the time to cheer me on, it is the least I can do. This is by far the coolest, most motivating finish I have seen in any type of race. Sure enough there is Amanda ready to run across the finish…another picture perfect finish, just a little slower than I had hoped. In the end I run 3:46:42, not great, but I will take it given how I started.
It gives me a final time of 10:33:25. My second fastest IM on a more challenging course and after completing a 10:24 IM 3 months prior. This time, I am 13 mins away from a Kona slot, which sadly I could easily make up in the swim alone. Oh well, any IM finish is a good one in my book.
A big thanks goes out to everyone that helped me out again and I am sure will continue to do so in the future. Particularly my wife and daughter, who made the trip up to Coeur d'Alene and supported me throughout the day.
Looks like my next race will be coming up quick as I travel to Almere, Holland at the end of August for the Long Course World Championships. I am very excited about this race, not so much about doing well, but competing for Team USA and my first time racing in Europe.
Thanks
Jeff
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08.17.08 Michael Phelps - Simply Amazing Below is a recap of Phelp's amazing week. It was originally published on ESPN. You can blame Michael for the influx of folks at your Masters Workouts BEIJING -- Michael Phelps' eight gold-me... More>>
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