(Nearly) swept away with the tide at Patriots Half -Ironman

I had originally signed up for this race because I was hoping for a fast time on a reasonably easy course last year. That race was canceled due to a tropical storm passing through the area the night before so I re-entered for this year. I expected to do even better since I would be coming off my Ironman training. Although my motivation for the bike and swim has diminished since June, my running has been going great so I headed to Williamsburg on Friday still anticipating a good shot at a pr.

I arrived at the race race site just after 7pm for packet-pickup and to check out the swim and transition area. I was not too happy with what I saw. It would be over a quarter mile to the river start on some rough ground and the take-out would be nearly as far away but at least was mostly over soft grass.

My oldset son Steven and daughter-in-law Bethany were going to be there for this one which would be nice. We would be staying at her Dad's house in Yorktown so I headed on over there to get an early bedtime. 4:30 would come early Saturday.

6 am Saturday am we arrived at the race site and I proceeded to set up my transitions and then we walked down to the race start. The water temp was measured at 74F which is wetsuit legal but I had opted not to wear mine. I don't like swimming in it and it is a pain to get off and at that temperature I would probably get hot anyway like I did at White Lake in the Spring. I plunged in for a little warm-up and it felt fine to me and soon enough the race was underway.

I was happy to feel better than expected early on and was settled into a good steady pace. We headed out into the river at a about a 45 degree angle into the oncoming tidal current but I couldn't really feel anything and made the turn about a half mile out. We then were swimming with the current parallel to the shore and once again I was feeling good. I finally made it to the turn for shore and that's when the problem started. The sun was rising above the trees on shore and I could not see where I needed to go. I looked around for the next buoy and couldn't see it either so all I could do was follow the swimmers in front of me and hope they knew where they were going. My instincts told me we should have made a sharper left turn but the mass of them was heading out at more of an angle so I followed.

As I was swimming along, I frequently tried to site the shoreline or find a buoy but still couldn't see anything. After quite a while I was growing frustrated because I knew I should be seeing something but we kept getting closer to the ferry pier. And then finally I was able to find the finish. Only trouble was it was back upriver. I was about 200 yards away from the buoys I should have been next too and now I had to swim against the current to try to make it to shore. I could really feel it now and although I was swimming harder my progress was slow. Finally with a 100 yards to go I stood up and walk it in like most of the others were doing. Good thing the water was shallow so far out. I know I swam at least a quarter mile more than 1.2 miles.

I was disgusted as I hit the beach. I should have done the swim in 45 minutes or less and it took me 59!!! With the 3 minute run to transition I was already over 15 minutes slower than I needed to have a chance at a pr. Well, nothing I could do about it so I calmed myself down and reminded myself I was just here to have fun so I hopped on the bike with the plan to just go as hard as I felt comfortable and enjoy the rest of the day.

So, now I'm on the bike and soon enough I was enjoying myself quite a bit. I really liked this bike course. About half is on the Colonial Parkway and the rest on rural country roads with light traffic. Most of the roads were smooth and in good shape. It was mostly a flat and fast course but there were enough small hills spread out along the way to keep it interesting. The biggest hill was the new bridge over the Chickohominy River which we crossed over in both directions.

I felt very good on the bike keeping to my nutrition and hydration plan and my energy level was good the whole ride. Of course the last 10 miles I was beginning to wish it was over as my butt and neck were getting sore and tired of the position but the pace stayed constant the entire time. With about 7 miles to go a 27 year old pretty young lady pulled up beside me and wanted to start a conversation. She was an experienced Ironman and I could tell by her effort that she was just out for a fun easy ride. It is against the rules to ride side by side but I don't make a habit out of telling pretty girls to go away and at this point I was enjoying the conversation. After several miles a race official passed us and was writing a note. We assumed we had been busted and would be assessed a penalty but I guess they felt as far back as we were not to bother with it as nothing showed up in the results.

At that point she said good-bye and pulled ahead. My only problem with the course was it was 1.5 miles too long costing me another 5 minutes. Otherwise my bike time was just about dead on what I had expected. When I reached the transition area I knew my chance at a pr was over. I would need to run under 2:00 for the half marathon to come. Not a problem in a running race but in a triathlon I have never run faster than 2:30 and I was expecting that even on a good day the best I could hope for would be about 2:15 My goal for today was actually to just be able to run the whole thing without taking walk breaks which would be a first. And now I wasn't holding out any great hopes that would happen because my legs were stiff and dead and I could hardly push my bike through transition.

Once I finally racked the bike I was out quickly and out onto the run course. They had to change the course this week due to a boat hitting a bridge pier. That turned out to be a good thing as far as I'm concerned because now the run would be mostly on a bike path that had shade over half the course. I started slowly and not pushing the effort letting my legs get loosened up. When I hit the 1st mile in 8:57 I was surprised because it sure didn't feel that fast as I was expecting more like 11:00. I thought it may have been a bad mark but then I hit 2 miles in 17:52 so now my confidence was growing. This was sub- 2 hour pace and if by some miracle I could hold it I would have a shot at that pr after all.

We turned off the bike path for a 1.5 mile loop on a gravel path through the woods. It was a little rough on my feet since I had on my lightweight trainers but the shade made it more than worthwhile with the temperature now in the low 80's. I was getting a side stitch but other wise felt good and still on pace. I decided just to hold steady and then re-assess at the halfway mark. Well, I went through 6 miles in 54:09 feeling great so I picked it up a little. I could not believe how good I was feeling at this point. I was very confident now that I was not going to have a meltdown. It was just a matter of not losing anytime and that pr might just happen. The next two miles were slighty faster but I got another side stitch and had to back off.

It was amazing how many runners I was passing now and I went by 10 miles in 1:29:56 still on 9mp overall. I slowed just a little more the next two miles but from mile 12 I pushed it hard and finished the run in 1:57:58, exactly 9mp and got the pr by 1.5 minutes !!!!! Woohoo !! I guess all those running miles and speedwork are paying off.

Steven, Bethany and Bethany's dad , also a Steven were waiting for me at the finish and after a shower in the hospital that Steven works for, we went out for a delicious BBQ lunch. What a great weekend and race. And to think it was nearly washed away with the tide.

NC Cancer Hospital Dedication

I had the pleasure of attending the dedication ceremony for the new NC Cancer Hospital of the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center on the campus of UNC-CH with the Marathon Princess this afternoon. Lots of dignitaries there including the Governor Bev Perdue, Senate Majority leader Tony Rand and House Speaker Joe Hackney with all the leaders of the UNC system and administration and physicians of the UNC system. As part of the new hospital, a gallery of photos and stories of cancer patients and survivors as well as caregivers was dedicated and located in the hall and lobby. This gallery is named the New Faces of Cancer Care. Karla was chosen to be represented as you can see in the photo above. I'm a bit biased but I think hers is the best picture of them all.

She has also been featured in a radio commercial that has been airing for the past week on several area radio stations. Hopefully this link will take you to a recording of it.

So how is she doing? Well, it's been almost 3 years now since her treatments ended and was declared cancer-free. As you know if you have followed this blog at all over the past few years that she and I have continued to run several marathons and other races together over the years but for a long time we were not able to train much together. Athough she was running her times had gotten much slower. I think she was getting frustrated that she could not run as fast as before the cancer but it takes a couple of years for the body to get over the effects of the treatments.

At the beginning of this year when I returned to running after my month of healing we decided to get serious again and started meeting for regular long runs on the weekends again like we had in 2005. And then in May we returned to the track to began a speedwork program. I'm happy to say that that she now seems to be as strong as ever and I expected her racing times this Fall to be back in pr range again. If all goes to plan we will both qualify for Boston and return and celebrate our friendship.

Time to give it another Tri

Yes, this weekend I will be heading up to Williamsburg VA area for the Patriot's Half-Ironman. I had signed up for this race last year but it was cancelled due to a tropical storm that went directly over the area the night before the race. As a result I entered the Duke Liver Center Half-Ironman the following weekend. I wasn't really in shape for either of them at the time and had a dnf in the heat and just did more harm to my already injured legs.

Since completing the Ironman at Couer D'Alene in June this year I'm afraid my already inadequate bike and swim training has fallen off even more. I've only been on the bike and in the pool about once a week since that time. The good news is that my running is going great since recovering from the race so hopefully that will help carry me to a decent finish. When I signed up for the race I had hopes of having a great race and going under 6 hours. The course is flat and should be a fast one, especially if there is no wind to contend with like it is so often at White Lake, another flat course.

Although I haven't ridden the bike that much, when I have ridden, I've felt stronger than earleir in the year, possibly still feeling some training effect from CDA. So, although I"m not quite as well prepared as I had originally planned, I will go and give it my best shot. No guts , no glory right ?

More running history from 1978

After that first 10k race in Winston-Salem on Mar. 11th 1978 my running had new meaning. Now I was not just running to stay in shape but I was beginning to train. It wouldn't be long afterwards that my dreams of body-building would be behind me as I fell in love with the running so completely.

I had bought my first pair of real running shoes , a pair of Nike Waffle Trainers in Nov. of 1977 and then my wife bought me some New Balance 320's for Christmas so those are the two pairs of shoes I alternated wearing in 1978.

I was so excited after that first race that I couldn't wait to run another one and then I heard about the WRAL 101.1 run for fun the very next Sunday. The race turned out to be very poorly planned which wasn't unusual for that period but I was disappointed because I thought the one in W-S was very well organized. They said they were expecting maybe 20 runners but 166 showed up. It was a freakish hot day for March and they had no water on the course or at the finish line. To their credit they did take my name and address and mailed me a t-shirt.

Over the next few weeks I began to get more serious with the training and began doing some of the workouts I had read about from some of the big coaches of the era. I was doing some fartlek and mile repeats on the road and occasional time trials. By the end of March I was already making plans to build my mileage for a marathon with the plan to run in Greensboro in October.

My next race would be the Dogwood 10k in Statesville on April 29th. This one would be better organized but would turn out to be a very hilly course. I noted that although my time of 49:13 was 14 seconds slower than my 1st one, that with the hills and warmer weather it was actually a better effort. I sprinted against a guy and two girls at the finish, beating them all but spewing gatorade for my effort. Well worth it.

The next month I would be focusing on getting ready for the first Great Raleigh Road Race. We were very excited that Raleigh was going to get a "big" race. I was working at the Revco in downtown at the time and my boss John White had been doing some training with me. We did several runs on the course to get ready leaving one car downtown and leaving one at the fairgrounds. Unfortunately I began to have hip pain and with two weeks to go before the race I couldn't run. I was afraid I wouldn't even be able to run the race.

In many ways the race was a disaster but it in others it was hugely successful. They said maybe a thousand runners would enter but were really expecting 500. What a shock when 2364 registered. The course started next to the Capital on Hillsborough Street and ran straight out to the fairgrounds with the finish inside Dorton Arena Or that was the plan.

It was certainly an experience running with that large crowd in a time when 100 was considered a big race. It was a hot day and again the organizers weren't prepared for the crowds. I made my way through the pack as best as I could but was not having a good run. Obviously I was doing better than a lot of people and I think there must have been large numbers of people that had no idea what they were getting into. Although I was hurting by the time I got to the 4 mile mark I was passing large groups of people running slowly and walking and I noticed several were passing out along the road. I went through 5 miles in 41:30, not too far off my previous times but I will never know what my finish time was. By the time I got to Dorton Arena the finish line was so overwhelmed that we had to stop running and wait and walk in a long line before we could finally get inside to cross the finish. I was not too happy with that but what can you do?

The winner was Robbie Perkins , a Duke runner in 30:11 and Raleigh and NC State runners Julie and Mary Shea took 1st and 2nd for the women. I think Mary may still have been running in HS for Cardinal Gibbons at the time.

After my first race I had gotten my brother excited and he began running and he did GRRR as his first finishing in about 57 minutes. It wouldn't be long before he would be beating me.

I didn't run at all the next week due to the hip and a sore calf but like the foolish excited beginning racer I was,I still was planning to run another 10k the next weekend if at all possible. You may have noticed that the 10k was the king of races distances in the 70's.

So the next weekend on June 10th we made the trip to Salisbury to run a race at Catawba College. My brother and I along with my wife Edith who was now pregnant with our first child and John and his wife Peggy and son Ritchie. The ladies would be cheering us men on. That is the four of us in the photo after the race.

It would be a hot day and the race didn't start until 10am. I ran well but my hip was really bothering me most of the run. I set a pr of 46:37 but afterwards had to face the reality that I had my first running injury.

Running Healthy and Pain-Free

Things continue to go well with my running now that I finally seem to have the injuries behind me. The month of July I ran 140 miles which is the highest monthly total since April 2008 Prior to that I had been close to 200 a month for several years. It was a long recovery and healing process but once I accepted that I was injured and needed to get it fixed things went much better.

I am so thankful to God just to be able to run and to have a strong healthy body. There are so many that will never be able to experience the feelings I have out there on the roads and trails. Once I decided to seek help things began to improve slowly but surely. Two people in particular were of great help to me in getting back on track. First was my massage therapist, Jay Sutton owner of AMR Therapeutic Massage in Cary. Frank and Karla had given me a gift certificate a year before but I didn't go back until I was having some Plantar Fasciitis pain. Jay was able to cure that in about 3 sessions and it has never returned. One of my biggest problems with the most recent injuries were in my periformis. Again that was fixed in just a few sessions also. The hamstrings took a lot longer simply because I had to finally just take off for a while to let them heal. Thanks Jay !

Also I began to see a chiropractor, Mark Jenson of Corrective Chiropratic in Raleigh. Mark was able to help get my lower back and neck alignment fixed which has also contributed my my overall well-being. If anyone needs either of these types of services I can recommend both.

Grandfather Mountain Marathon 2009

My main goal for the race this year was to have fun and so it was a most successful weekend. I would have liked to have performed a little better but all things considered I'm pretty happy with the results too.

Frank and Karla met me in Durham where I was working Friday afternoon and we headed to Boone from there. The trip was quick and uneventful and headed straight over to packet-pickup upon arrival. Good timing as the Trail Angel walked up right behind us. After a short visit and seeing some other friends we checked into our motel and then back into town to meet with Lisa and have dinner at Peppers.

It had been getting a little chilly as the sun went down and I was expecting a cool start for the race but when I awoke at 5am Saturday the temperature was about the same as when I went to bed. there was a light fog and a little shower but it stopped before we got in the car to drive to the start. We saw a lot more friends from the NCRC and MTC but even with the small starting field of around 400 runners I somehow missed seeing quite a few that I know were there.

Due to construction around the stadium we couldn't start on the track this year so we ran a loop around the parking lot to make up the distance. Karla,Lisa and I were planning to run together as much as possible so we started off at an easy pace and tried to avoid getting off too fast in the excitement and with the downhill start for most of the first two miles. It was already a bit warm and humid but with a mostly shady course I didn't think overheating would be too much of a problem today.

As we hit the first climb just past the two mile mark we settled in and began to enjoy the beauty of the course. Winklers Creek flows along this first section heading out of town and we were enjoying listening to the music of the flowing water and seeing the homes built along the creek. What a nice place it would be to have a summer home. Everyone was feeling fine and we continued to put the miles behind us having too much fun. After turning onto Shulls Mill road things seem to get even prettier and the forest was covered in rhododendrens which along with the views help to take your mind off the 2 mile climb from there to the Blue Ridge Parkway. Due to the haze it was hard to get a good view of Grandfather but we stopped for photos at the usual spot around the 10 mile mark. We took them quickly and a passing runner was kind enough to offer to get one of all three of us before we began running again.

Once we got to the Parkway we had a break from the climbing and enjoyed a nice long downhill stretch. It is nice to relax but you still have to hold back because there is a whole lot of climbing to come and you don't want to beat you legs up this early in the race. All too soon the downhill ends as we reached the halfway point in the race. Our goal before had been to finish around 4:30 and we were right on pace to do that at the half but I knew there was no way I was going to be able to sustain that today but we were all comfortable with that and just kept plugging along.

The climb up to the 15.5 mile aid station was slow and I was getting tired and could tell I had no climbing power left in my legs but once again the course flattened out for a little while and I was able to keep up a decent pace until we got to that hateful little steep hill known simply as 17. That's what Laura has always called it anyway so that's what I call it. And I always walk it. Even the year I was running sub 4 pace I walked the steepest part of it. So we walked it too and were glad to finally get to the end and the aid station at the intersection of Hwy 221.

From that point the steepest climbs are all behind you with just long gradual climbing with the occasional short downhill break. We were all still feeling pretty good and I was gaining more confidence that I would make it to the end with the ladies but just before the 23 mile mark the course gets a little steeper for about half a mile and I had to take a short walk break. I didn't say anything and just let the ladies move on ahead and after awhile I guess they noticed I wasn't right behind them anymore. Once I got some powerade at the aid station at the top of that hill I took off trying to catch up with them. I was able to close about half the gap but then on the next climb around mile 24 I started losing ground again. At that point I gave up the chase and just planned to finish in as good a shape as possible. Unfortunately I began getting some really weird calf cramps that felt like a small ball moving around in each one. I have never experienced anything quite like that but at least they never did completely knot up on me and I was able to keep moving although very slowly.

The sound of the bagpipes and seeing the stadium were a most welcome sight. Scot Haywood was standing there waiting for me as I entered the stadium and ran the lap around the track as an escort with me. I tried to look my best for the cheering crowds but I was really glad to be able to stop running. I think that my lack of mileage the past year and the Ironman three weeks ago had finally gotten to me. Karla and Lisa were waiting for me at the line and then Frank found us and we walked back down the hill to the marathon tent.

Lisa would take 3rd place in her age-group with Karla finishing just two steps behind her. Laura was the winner of her age-group and another friend, Julie Garrett was the overall Master champ in a great time. Several other friends did well but the performance of the day had to be Tim Meigs, a fellow runner from Raleigh. Tim was not only the Mens Masters Champ but finished 2nd overall in an amazing time on this tough course.

After the awards we went to relax and then met with a large group (18) of MTC friends at Casa Rustica. What a great way to end the day.

Will we come back next year? Could be. Karla is already talking about trying for a faster time and the way she is training hard now I don't doubt that she can make a big improvement. All three of us are planing to try to qualify for Boston at the OBX this Fall and hopefully we'll just keep building from there.

Here are some photos from me and Frank

Return to Grandfather Mountain

The photo shows one of the main reasons I love this race. I took this one last year at about the 16 mile point on the race with a view of Grandfather in the distance. The race is small with around 400 runners each year but they do a good job with adequate aid along the way. If you need a lot of bells and whistles, cheering crowds along the course and a traffic free course, this race isn't for you. But if you enjoy a low-key event with some nice people to share the experience then you should plan to come here and run sometime. And the finish on the track in front of thousands in the grandstands of the Scottish Highland Games is very cool.

I heard about this race when I first started running and was intimidated by the distance and the difficulty but by the time I got around to running it the first time in 2003 I had several hard ultras under my belt and knew I could handle it. I thoroughly enjoyed that first year and this will be my 5th time returning. Another thing that makes it special are the many friends I've made over the years that come to run here and get a little break form the summer heat on what has to be one of the most beautiful road races in the country.

I was most fortunate to share half of the 2006 race with the Trail Angel and last year we ran the last 21 ones together. I hope this year she is in great shape and feeling better but that means she will be way ahead of me. But I am most eager to share the day with the Marathon Princess and our new long run training partner Lisa. Karla has been wanting to come here since we began training together back in 2005 but this is the first year that she finally gets to do it. She has been running great this year and I expect a good run for her. I seem to be recovered from the Ironman and my injuries are well now so I hope we can stick together to the end. This will be our 10th marathon we will have run together if everything works out ok.

Look for a report and photos soon. Frank is going to be with us and is the official photographer for the start and finish for Team Ultraman and Marathon Princess.

So, what's next Joey?

Well, the first thing is running the Grandfather Mountain Marathon next week but we'll talk about that later.

The problem is that there are too many things I want to do but there are not enough years to get around to them all and my body can't handle everything I wish I could do. Despite having run for 32 years now and participating in Triathlons off and on for 7 now I still have a burning desire to set goals,train for them and have my little adventures.

So when is the next Ironman? I don't know. I won't say never ( tried that already) but there are no plans in the near future. After thinking I wanted to do one for almost 29 years I just finally got around to it. It took me about 19 years before I ever did my first triathlon and another 10 before the Ironman. It was a remarkable experience but my true love is running and right now I am ready to get back to some serious training now that I am finally able to run pain-free after nearly 1.5 years.

Ironman events are very expensive for one thing but the main reason I'm not planning another anytime soon is the huge amount of time it takes to properly train in all three disciplines. Looking back over my training it is surprising to me that I was able to do it anyway. I took the entire month of December off to let my hamstrings heal completely so I was starting over with 6 months to go. I had not ridden my bike since last September until March of this year and only rode a total of 600 miles this year prior to the race. Certainly not the way to properly prepare for the event. The swimming had gone well and was sufficient but my running was still well below my normal mileage for the past several years so my general lack of training makes it even more special that I was able to become an Ironman. I do have a Half-Ironman coming up in September and maybe a couple of shorter tri's before then so I am not dropping from triathlon completely but now the focus will be on getting my running mileage back up and also find some speed in my legs again.

So, as soon as GMM is done my next major goal is to return to Boston Marathon qualifying shape. I am a long way from being there but since I am focused on that and not doing any ultras for a while yet I am confident that I will be able to achieve that goal within a year and hopefully by this Fall. Karla and I have already been going back to the track now for about 6 weeks for the first time since Feb of 2006. These have all been cruise intervals at tempo pace so far but after we recover from the marathon next week we'll be prepared to start doing some faster stuff. And although I was focused primarily on the Ironman in the Spring we did get in quite a few good long runs so we don't have to build up to them from scratch.

I look forward to the training and running in more shorter road races as I build up to my qualifying attempt. I really miss the ultramarathons and my many friends on the trails and look forward to my return there but first I want to see how much faster I can run and how close to my pr's I can get. No way I can run the short pr's but I truly believe that at 53 I can set pr's from the half-marathon to the 100 miler over the next couple of years. A man has to dream but I like to think my dreams are within reach.

Mt Rainier and the rest of the vacation

After waking up much too early the morning after the race, I took my bike and gear back to the Inside Out Sports tent for shipping back home and then hopped in the car heading West. I didn't have much more time in Washington and wanted to see as much of the State as possible , especially Mt Rainier. It didn't take long and I was back into the desert area on the same route I had arrived on but soon I would take a turn to the South to see some new areas.

Here is a link to the photos from this part of the trip

Once again I enjoyed the changes in scenery, the many wildflowers and views. My destination for the night would be Yakima. As you can imagine I was very stiff and sore so I made numerous stops and got out to walk around for a few minutes. I was a bit surprised that I could see Rainier from 50 miles East of Yakima which means the mountain was about 100 miles away. It doesn't show up too well in the pictures but it was clearly visible to the naked eye.

Yakima is in an interesting area and is at the confluence of the Natches and Yakima rivers. They have a nice greenway,rail trail along the river and I was very tempted to run but decided resting my legs was better. I was still very tired too after less than 5 hours of sleep after the race so I checked in and went to bed early.

After a much needed 10.5 hours of sleep I was up and heading West again, destination Mt Rainier National Park. It was only about 50 miles away but would end up taking me half the day to get there. Soon after leaving Yakima you begin gaining elevation and things get greener and soon you enter the Wenatchee National Forest. Every mile revealed another gorgeous view of the mountains , creeks and rivers. I thought I had entered a corner of Heaven for sure. I was stopping over and over again to take photos and soak in the views and being so thankful to be able to see such beauty. It was also a perfect weather day, clear and in the 50's and low 60's.

I saw an info kiosk that had a picture of Bumping Lake and it looked so pretty I decided to make the side trip to check it out. It's about 15 miles down a forest service road but well worth the drive. The speed limit is 45 but I couldn't drive that fast because I was loving the scenery along the way too much to drive that fast. Along the way I saw a moose and a mule deer. The deer ran away but the moose nervously walked back and forth posing, not sure to run away or stay. The forest floor was covered in wildflowers over most of the area too. I finally arrived at the lake and it was better than the photo I had seen. I don't think my pics can do it justice either.

There was a relatively flat dirt road just up from the picnic area and I really wanted to go for a run. I would have loved to have run a real trail but now was not the time for that. I changed clothes and took off down the road. I was happy to find that my legs didn't feel too bad after warning up and I thoroughly enjoyed my little 4 miler all alone on the edge of the wilderness. And it was a perfect 57F and no humidity. If only I could spend the whole summer here !!

By now it was early afternoon and I still had a ways to go to get to Rainier so I was soon back on the way. Once I got back to the main road I began a steady climb in elevation. And still every mile seemed more beautiful than the one before it and before long I could see the snow capped mountains of Chinooks Pass. It's funny in a way that you can Rainier from 100 miles away but I had not caught a glimpse since a few miles after leaving Yakima because of the hills and mountains in between. I thought for sure when I reached the Pass I would finally see it but no, no Rainier in site. But the view from there is magnificent looking back the way I had come from, surrounded by snowy peaks.

Once you leave Chinooks Pass you began to go back downhill and almost immediately you enter the National Park and in just a few minutes around a curve there it is, the massive volcano covered in snow and icy glaciers. It would have been a perfect day for someone wanting to climb the mountain as there were no clouds in sight and a very calm day. Chinooks Pass is about 5,200 ft and the road spirals down to around 2,000 ft and from each vantage point it was hard to believe that Rainer was another 9 to 12,000 feet higher but that is due to the deceptive perspective with nothing for reference in between you and the mountain like from the long distance views.

There are two visitors Centers in the Park and I choose the Northeast corner and the Sunrise Entrance since it would be easier to head back to Seattle for the night. Well, just my luck the road was closed and would not be open for another three days so I was not able to get any closer. I didn't have time to drive all the way around to the Southern entrance so I headed back to Seattle still making numerous stops for photos along the way.

Washington State has so many beautiful things to see and do and I didn't even get to go into Seattle itself. I hope someday to return and spend a lot of time in the state in the Cascades and other areas. I would love to run the Cascade Crest 100 miler some day. Maybe next year?

Coeur d'Alene photos

Here is a link to the rest of the CDA pictures. I added a few from the race since posting the pre-race photos

If I just keep moving then they'll call me Ironman. Part 3, the run

So now at least in my mind the hard parts were over. I had about 7 hours to do the marathon and barring injury I could take my time and do that easily. My legs were like jelly and I was tired but I felt no pressure to hurry up since time was not an issue. All I cared about was finishing and not putting myself through any more dis-comfort than I had too. I entered the changing tent and again a volunteer was there to help in anyway. I didn't need anything but did accept his offer to go get some warm chicken broth. When he returned with it I thanked him and began walking out to the run course.

I walked for about 5 minutes until I finished the broth and let my legs adjust from the long ride and then began running. Hmmm, not too bad. This might not be too bad afterall. The only problem i could see was that it was raining and getting dark soon and I couldn't find my jacket I thought should have been in my gear bag. It wasn't raining hard though and I was moving along at a decent pace so at least I was still generating heat.

When I reached the two mile mark I began my plan to run to each mile marker and then walk two minutes and keep that up as long as I could, hoping to conserve energy so I wouldn't be one of the walking dead at the end. By now my legs were feeling pretty good and my split for 5 miles was not too bad considering I had walked the first 5 minutes. But now the rain was coming down harder and steady. Once again the Ironman organization proved they were experienced at this and had volunteers handing out space blankets at the aid stations. I was glad to take one because I was about to ask for a trash bag. I knew I looked like a dork and I felt like a dork but I would be a warm and dry dork.

I tried taking one gel for energy but it was so bitter I didn't try anymore and was just getting in calories from coke and a little gatorade. This was enough becasue my pace and effort remained very steady for most of the night. I was happy toget finished with the first lap. I was looking for a halfway timing map but there was not one but I checked my watch just past the 13 mile mark and it was about 2:44.Now I had over 4 hours left to do another half-marathon. Piece of cake right?

At least now the rain was stopping and I'm sure the volunteers were just as happy about that as we were. The wind had also died down after dark so it was turning into a decent night for a run. Even though I was walking more now and slowing down I was passing a lot of people that had no more run left in them. I think that is where my ultra experience and pacing paid off for me.

With about two miles to go I was getting too warm with the space blanket so I took it off and handed it to a volunteer and began to eagerly await the turn to the finish line. You could hear the cheers and the announcer from about a mile away. I finally made the trun back into town with 7 blocks to go . The streets were still lined with hundreds of spectators and I ran strong soaking in the cheers while I thought about all my friends and family that I knew were still up at 2am at home waiting for me to cross that line and become an Ironman. It was more magical running down that chute past the grandstands than I had imagined and hearing Joey Anderson from Zebulon NC, You Are an IRONMAN !!!!!

From start to finish this was an amazing event. Once I crossed the line I had a personal escort to get me my hat, shirt and medal , and then lead me to food and a massage or whatever else I wanted.

There did seem to be a mistake on the splits for the run time online though. I did slow a little but not 18+ minute miles for the last 4.25. Apparently the mileage was wrong from the last timing mat because it showed even the pros slowing several minutes per mile. I think it was actually 5.25 from there to the finish.

If I just keep moving then they'll call me Ironman. Part 2, the bike

As I left the beach area and headed into transition I got a chance to see just how professional, caring and dedicated the army of 3 thousand volunteers would be throughout the remainder of the day. There were two there waiting to rip my wetsuit off of me and another came running up with my bike gear bag and led me into the changing tent. I calmly changed making sure I had everything I would need and as I headed out another volunteer took my swim gear to put it safely in the staging area for after the race.

I easily found my bike and headed out onto the road for the longest ride of my life. I had opted to wear a long sleeve shirt and I'm glad I did with the cool temperatures and by now the wind had picked up to 14mph. My plan was to approach the ride like an ultra, start easy and taper off. The first few miles through town are flat and easy and I took advantage to begin taking in some calories and fluids. I had been having problems with de-hydration in the past so Jenn had been sending me reminders every couple of days to hydrate hydrate hydrate so I had no excuse not to remember to drink today.

The next few miles are along the lakeshore and here there were several rolling hills. Nothing steep but long and gradual and we felt the full force of the wind. It was a bit strange struggling to go fast downhill but then easily riding above average speed uphill due to the strong wind. After the first hour we headed away from town at around 15 miles in and I was very happy to feel strong and smooth. The next few miles were very nice and flat and the wind was mostly at our backs. My average pace was picking up and my confidence was increasing.

Just past the golf course at Hayden Lake is where the real hills of the course would begin around the 22 mile point. A couple of small hills to warm you up and then a really pretty and quick downhill winding around the northeast side of the lake before the real fun began. As we headed north away from the lake the first monster began and I quickly had the bike in the granny gear and standing on the pedals to climb. The steepest part isn't too long and I was able to sit and grind away to finally make it to the top. I thought hmm, that wasn't too bad. I actually climbed that pretty well. But then I did have a lot more to go with many hills a ahead, another lap and 80 more miles to go.

By now the skies had become completely overcast and threatening. I was sure hoping the predicted afternoon showers would hold off or me a and a lot of others may have to contend with hypothermia with the cold temperature and wind. I continued on climbing the many hills over the next several miles with no problem. There was only one other steep enough to require climbing out of the saddle but too many to count that took the granny gear. Several of them would bottom out with a sharp turn so you had to brake and lose your momentum for the next climb. The wind at least wasn't much of a problem out here in the countryside and with frequent turns and curves we never seeemed to have it in our faces too long at a time.

Finally around the 45 mile point the hills were mostly behind us and we began the trip back towards town and the lake. That was good because it was mostly flat and downhill but now that wind would be in our faces most of the way. I had continued to drink and eat well and they had aid stations set up every ten miles and I took advantage to get off and use the port-a-potty at 45 before continuing on. When I finally made it into town to finish the first lap I was beginning to feel the effects of the miles, hills and wind and my relative lack of training. At 56 miles for the first half I had only ridden my bike that far 3 times in my life. I knew coming in I was woefully under-trained on the bike and was just hoping to to survive it.

As I began the second lap I was encouraged that my average speed was holding steady and although I was tiring I still felt good and in good spirits.The next few miles in town went well but as I came back out to the exposed shoreline the wind had picked up even more from the morning. I was happy to get back on the flat and head away from town but even with the wind at my back I knew I was going slower. My back and neck were getting sore but at least my legs still felt ok.

I was beginning to dread the hills to come but I knew all I had to do was get over them one more time and if i could do that I was sure I could be an Ironman. There were so many volunteers along the course as well as residents in there yards cheering us along and I tried to acknowledge their support and use it to help me relax but when I made it back to the first steep hill I was just about alone as the riders left on the course were spread out over many miles. I shifted into the granny once again and climbed off the saddle but I was beginning to think I was going to have to get off and push the bike up the hill. Every ounce of strength I had and I was only creeping up the hill at 4mph but then as the grade diminished I sat made the remainder of the climb with no problem.

Over the next several miles a strange phenomenon occurred similar to my 100 mile training ride and some of the long ultras and I noticed my legs actually felt better than they had many miles earlier. I was passing quite a few other riders, especially climbing the hills and was soon out of the hills and heading back into town. By now the wind was even stronger at 20mph and gusting so I just tried to keep my head down and crank those last miles and get this over. By now the clouds were very dark and with about 6 miles to go it began to rain lightly. What a welcome sight the transition area was and just like in my song, I couldn't wait to get that stupid bike seat out of my butt.

As always the ever present volunteers were there to take my bike and rack it for me and lead me to my run gear bag.

If I just keep moving then they'll call me Ironman ! Part 1, the swim

I have to say its pretty cool when the song going through your mind motivating you is one that you wrote and recorded yourself. Funny thing though is that I wrote the song for my friend Thomas Asta before he did his first Ironman and up until a year ago I swore I would never do one.

But here I was now standing on the shore of Lake Coeur d'Alene preparing to begin my day long journey to see if I had what it takes to be called Ironman. The good news was that heat would not be a problem for us with the starting temperature at 54F and the high would only reach 62F. Also the water was only a chilly 65F and not the bone chilling cold of last year. The bad news was the wind was blowing into our faces from the lake and it was very choppy. I remained calm as suddenly the starting cannon boomed and I entered the maelstrom with 2000+

And just as suddenly my dream seemed to turn into a nightmare. I felt I lost control of my body and I couldn't do what I had trained myself to do. I could not Swim !! I could only go 5 or 6 strokes before having to roll onto my back and gasp for air as the waves crashed over me. I kept trying to get into a rhythm but it didn't get any better. What is wrong with me and what is going on? I was praying so hard for God to give me back control of my body and give me the strength to continue. The time was ticking away and I seemed to be making no progress to the first turn and I was beginning to fear my race would be over before the first lap of the swim. I continued to struggle to the first buoy and then it seemed to get worse with the waves coming into my side.

I finally made it to the turn back to shore and looked at my watch. I had already been in the water for 32 minutes and I knew at that pace I would not make the cut-off. And then suddenly I felt a sense of calm come over me and as I rolled over to attempt to swim again control of my body returned to me. I was able to freestyle the remainder of the swim with no problem and I finished that first lap and calmly re-entered the lake to finish it. I did get very tired from fighting the rough water over the last half mile but kept focused on the timing arch on the distant beach. All I could think as I exited out of the water was Thank God I don't ever have to do that again.

I still don't understand what went on in that lake. I was calm as the start approached and the water wasn't too cold. I have swam in much rougher water before including countless swims in the ocean. My training had gone well with at least two swims a week of 1.2 miles at a much faster pace. I just hope I never feel like that in the water again

Final Preparations

A much nicer day here in CDA, sunny and cool in the upper 60's. I spent most of the morning goofing off in my room resting and preparing my gear bags. Finally after lunch I headed down to the lakeside to get my bike ready and set up for the transitions. They require you to have all that done the day before the race so I headed over to the Inside Out Sports tent first to pick up my bike. I got everything set up on hope I didn't forget anything.

Then I went for another easy 4 mile run but this time on The Centennial Trail, a converted rail-trail that runs from CDA to the Washington Border. The trail continues from there into Washington all the way to Spokane and then further west for a total of 60 miles for now. I was running along between the Spokane River on one side and railroas track on the other.

The area that the CDA city park area is built and the rail trail is on land that was previously the location for lumber mills and train yards to carry out the forest products. And for those curious, Coeur d'Alene means "heart of an awl" The early French Explorers gave the name to the local Native Americans because they thought they were very sharp traders.

Soon I will be off to bed. If you are interested in tracking my progress in the race go to www.ironman.com and you will see the link for athlete tracker. I'm number 1865.

No pictures for now but more to come soon.

Weekend in CDA

An uneventful flight into Seattle WA on Thursday but it makes for a long day. As soon as I picked up my car I headed east out of town and drove about 110 miles to Ellensburg WA for the night. A gorgeous drive through the Cascade Mountains and into the central desert. Funny thing was that in the normally rainy, dreary Seattle area it was sunny and beautiful but raining when I reached the desert. The westernmost section of the desert is rolling hills made of basalt from over 50 lava flows over millions of years. Then as you head further east it becomes flatter and more like the plains of central USA with miles of scrub interrupted by large fields of various crops possible only by large irrigation systems. Lots of potatoes,peas, corn and wheat mostly.

As you get closer to Spokane you enter the foothills of the Rockies and everything gets green again. It rained lightly most of the morning as I arrived in CDA and then rained steadily all afternoon. I had to stand in line in a light rain for about 30 minnutes to get inside the tent at Ironman Village to get checked in.

After leaving the village I drove over the bike course to get an idea of what lies ahead. I'll give more details in my race report but basically the start and finish of the two identical laps is flat with the middle two thirds very hilly. Oh boy, this is going to be tough for a slacker biker like me. The rain stopped soon afterwards so I went for an easy 4 mile run through town along part of the flat part of the bike course.

Then it was time to head over to the banquet and "mandatory" pre-race meeting. The dinner was pretty good, baked chicken breast and pasta, rolls, salad and chocolate iced brownies. The meeting was a joke. They said it was from 7:30 to 8:30 but they started at 7:05 so a lot of people that didn't come to eat missed most of the meeting. There was no information being given out that wasn't already in the printed info so I left before it was over to get to bed. I'm keeping my body on EDT as much as possible and it was already past my bedtime.

Here are some photos of the trip so far for your viewing pleasure.

Heading to Coeur D'Alene

It has been almost exactly a year since I impulsively signed up to do the Ironman coming up this Sunday June 21st. It was just one of those odd things that I seem to do every now and then. I had just started swimming again about two weeks before after 3 years of no swimming at all. I had worked my way up to about 400yards and while I was in the pool I thought to myself, hmmmm, Maybe I should look into doing an Ironman. I guess it was fate because when I got home and checked online to see a schedule of Ironman events it just happened that CDA had been held that weekend and they were open for registration with just 150 slots still available. No time to think about it. Pay the entry or wait and hope for luck some other time. Click. I was in.

One of my favorite quotes is :
"When we walk to the edge of all the light we have and take
the step into the darkness of the unknown, we must believe that
one of two things will happen. There will be something solid for
us to stand on or we will be taught to fly." -- Patrick Overton

Well I'm hoping for another set of wings

Stay tuned and lets see what happens

Komen Race For The Cure 5k 2009

I started off my weekend with a great morning at the RFTC. My first time running it was in 2005. Karla and I had just been training together for about a month and she wanted to run the race in celebration of her mother who is a survivor. I had just run in the Darkside 8 hour track ultra the weekend before but decided at the last minute to show up for this one. There was a womens only race that year so Karla and I didn't get to run together. I ran the open race later in a decent time and we had a good time enjoying the post race activities. We had no idea how just a year later how much more meaningful this race would become for her or our friendship.

In early 2006 she was diagnosed with cancer and we would run the race together while she was in the middle of chemotherapy. But that was three years ago and she is in great shape now as we are once again training hard and hoping to improve her pr's at all distances and return to Boston qualifying form.

The format for the races have changed over the years and this year there was a seperate competitive 5k that started at 7am. We would be running in this one but not together this time. It was tough not to run with her but I wanted to test how my training was going so we decided to go on our own. Before the race we had a nice time chatting with the large group of running friends from the NCRC team. With 20 minutes to go before the start we went to warm up with Lisa Howell who has been joining us on our long trainng runs for a while now. It was a warm humid morning and we were already working up a sweat but hoped it wouldn't be a problem for the short distance.

The race went fairly well for me. Lisa and I were side by side for the 1st mile which I hit in 7:06. That was encouraging because I had hope to run under 23 minutes but then the 1st mile is the easiest of the race. Lisa fell off the pace but I pushed on as we begin to hit the hills. There are no really long or steep hills but several small hills that make it hard to sustain a fast pace. I slowed down to a 7:33 2nd mile but still felt ok. As I started the 3rd mile though the hills and humidity were working on me and despite my efforts, I slowed down a lot that last 1.1. Finished in 23:26 and was satisfied with that time considering the training I have been doing.

Lisa would finish about a minute later and get herself a PR and not much further back was Karla. She ran 25:07 which is amazing considering we ran 27:03 in Clayton just a month ago. We waited at the finish for Frank to come in and then went to cool down and socialize some more.

Later that afternoon I got a message from Karla saying she had good news. Turns out she won 1st place in the survivor category! Too bad we didn't wait around for the awards ceremony so she could have been recognized. I am very very proud of my dear friend , training partner and Marathon Princess!!

Moonlight Boogie Video

I have just posted a video I put together of photos taken by Laura MacLean, Frank Werner and myself at the Bethel Hill Moonlight Boogie races The song is one I wrote and recorded a couple of years ago for the race when I went down to run the 50 miler. Many of you may have heard the song before from one of my cd's or downloaded it from the NCRC website.

I recorded it using the recorder built into my digitech gnx4 guitar processor. I played my Fender Stratocaster through a 50 watt Crate amplifier. I also played an Ibanez Bass guitar thrugh the same set-up. The drums are a drum machine that is built into the recorder. It limits what you can do with the drums but it's ok. It was a lot of fun writing and recording and I hope you enjoy it in the spirit of fun that I had doing it.

I'll be returning to the Boogie as a spectator this year and if I can get some better quaility photos I may redo the video a little. It was the first time I had ever used the video program and I was in a hurry so I think I can improve it a little. Stay tuned

Moonlight Boogie Video