SkirtChaser

Ramblings and early season training

2012-02-16T14:18:00.000-08:00

Since the last time I left you I have been a little busy with training, and trying to get myself back into proper shape. Amazingly the older I have gotten, the harder it is for me to recover after races and the harder it is to come back from time off. So my plan going forward is to make sure I don't have to take any more forced time off due to stupid injuries. i.e. broken clavicle, broken foot !!!

So as usual in January our local Rock N Roll Arizona marathon rolled around. Due to Mary and my 2012 race schedule for Ironman, etc... we decided that if we where to go back and run Boston in 2013 that this would be the race to qualify at. Well life threw us several curve balls and when race day rolled around I had only been running for a few weeks and in NO kind of shape to be running, let alone racing a marathon. The simple goal was for both of us to run just fast enough to hit our Boston Qualifying times. Well to make a long story short, Mary for her 2nd time at this race had to pull out half way through due to a knee injury. After walking with her and talking about it, I decided to go ahead and finish the race up. Good news is I qualified, bad news is I ran a slow (for me) 3:07 marathon, also bad was that Mary didn't qualify, thus leaving us with the issue of getting her healthy again and picking out a new 26.2 to get her BQ. I will update you on this topic next week :))))

Then because of said lack of training miles, as Feb approached and the Pemberton 50k, we had to make a painful decision to not race the 50k option that we had planned on doing since doing it last year.

We instead made a wiser choice of doing the relay option. I started the team off with a 1:44 loop and an overall pace of 6:49 per mile. I slapped Mary's hand and she took off and smashed her loop with a 8ish minute PR of 2:08!!!!

Team Knott-Beaver took second in the relay division. A solid training day for the bigger picture ahead.

In between the two races we took a little trip to St George to preview and do a training weekend on the Ironman course. After two days driving and three days of training we all knew what we needed to do to prep for race day. GET ON OUR BIKES and ride BIG HILLS!!!

Its going to be an epic race day come May. I'm getting excited just thinking about suffering for 140.6 miles again, and the french fries afterwards!

For now it is time to smash myself on the bike and hit MT. Lemmon and Sunflower as often as possible.

I hope to have some great news next week to share. Fingers Crossed.

until then, Be Safe out there!!

What? it's 2012 already???

2012-01-05T14:54:00.000-08:00

I know it has been a LOOOOOng time between blog post. I must get better I know.

So a little 2011 review:

Swam- 539,700 meters

Biked- 7935 miles

Ran- 2013 miles

(Next Year will be better on the bike and the run)!!!

Raced:

3 - 1/2 marathons

1- 50K Trail race (1st ultra, at night)

3- 1/2 Ironman (70.3)

2- Ironman (140.6)

2-5k's

(This to, will be much better next year) Smallest amount of racing in a decade!!!

Travel:

Oceanside, Ca

Monterey, Ca

San Diego, Ca (Meg's first trip to Cali and the ocean)

Coeur D Alene, ID

Show Low, AZ

Flagstaff, AZ

Kona, HI

I saw my wife and myself run our first ultra distance trail races (50k), also cheered from home as Mary completed her first 50Mile trail race.

Then had the joy of watching my women set new PR's at 5k, 4mile, 1/2 marathon, 1/2 Ironman, & marathon distances!!! Freaking Amazing. So proud of Mary :))))

There where so many great times in 2011, but now I say bye-bye!! Last year is so..., last year.

On to 2012:

No resolutions, just a few cool things I hope to see happen:

Jan- qualify again for the Boston Marathon with Mary at Rock N Roll Arizona Marathon

Feb- Set a PR and win the masters division at the Pemberton 50K trail race.

March- Set a course PR at Oceanside 70.3

April- Train my ass off on hills

May- Win the "Knott family throw down" divison at Ironman St. George

May- Recover enough from IM StGeorge to be able to run Rim2rim2rim at The Grand Canyon

June - Keep Smashing myself in 115 degrees in prep for Ironman Arizona

July- same as June in addition to traveling to Tahoe to watch/pace Mary for the 50 miler

August- Set a course PR at the Mountain Man 1/2 Ironman in Flagstaff, AZ

Sept - Set a course PR at Deusec Wild 1/2 IM in Show low, AZ Oct- Finish the smashing of ones self for said IMAZ

Nov- Set a new Ironman PR at IMAZ (weather permitting) :)))) & get that Kona slot for 2013!!!

Dec- Celebrate the off season and our 3rd wedding anniversary (Not in Gilbert)!!!

That is it for now. See you on the race course!!!

The Big Hula in The Lava Fields

2011-10-15T18:14:00.000-07:00

I sit here typing this race report just after Mary took off 18 minutes ago on her night time trail race, I conjure up the details from this time last week (shortly after 3 pm Hawaii time) and think how fleeting the pain of that day disappears. (Except for my foot), that is for later in the story.

I will skip over the details of getting to the Islands, luckily there wasn't anything to talk about. We had a seamless trip, non-stop flight into Kona from Phoenix arriving at 2pm, simply perfect! The few days leading up to race day where full of the usual. Watching everyone and their brother and sister swim/bike/run 24/7 up and down Alii Drive and Dig Me Beach. I tried to stay under the radar as much as possible. I had nothing to prove, and decided to save as much energy both mentally and physically as humanly possible. Mostly spent my time doing the "have to's"

Have to register, have to pick up my bike from Tribike Transport, have to check in my bike and T1 & T2 bags.

We swam from the pier twice, did a little bike, and ran just enough to not feel bloated and fat :)

One highlight was watching Mary make her debut on the SUP. After quite a fiasco the first morning with said SUP, she got really good at it. Going out everyday for at least and hour or so.

Race morning dawned at 3:30am. I woke up feeling rested and ready to race.

I had my pre race breakfast of oatmeal, bagel, water & EFS drink and we headed to the pier.

Through body marking smoothly (with a lucky #888), and then after the crew secured their spot

on the sea wall over looking the swim start, Mary and I hung out in the hall way of the King K

hotel, just relaxing and chillin before the craziness of the day would start. The pro field was called to the water at 6am for their 6:30 start, and that pretty much was my sign to start making my way

closer to the ocean. Mary and I said our I love you's and shared a few kisses and then she headed

back to her spot on the sea wall as I headed over to the transition area to collect my thoughts and get good and body glided for that salt water swim. The chaffing caused by salt water under your

speedsuit is instant and painful for the remainder of the day if you don't catch it before it starts.

At 6:20 I finally entered the Pacific Ocean with 1900 would be Ironmen and Ironwomen.

6:30 a.m., No count down just the cannon blast and we are off. Elbows and feet ass deep for

2.4 miles. I had decided that I would line up on the most inside line heading the straightest line

to the buoys. Well this was an interesting decision. I'm not sure it was better or worse than the other lines, but it was definitely frustrating. Once you pick the inside there is nowhere to hide. You are stuck there for good, no pulling off to the side to stop the pounding for even a second. So

about every 250 meters there is a pile up at the red buoys as everyone is forced around the outside by the paddle and SUP boarders. Frustrating, more elbows and feet and knees than before. Finally We make it to the turn around buoy and start out way back to the pier. By this time you have swallowed so much salt water that your tongue and mouth are swollen and your stomach is not so happy either. Now this year was a very choppy year in the water with some nice

strong currents on the way back in. With about 1000 meters to go I swear it was just like swimming in a spinning drum. No going forward,no going side ways, just staying in the same spot going nowhere. I just dug in deep here and gave my last bit of real effort to break loose and then before I knew it I was standing in the sand again. Hell yes, get me out of this water,

Swim Time 1:12, T1 3:00

Onto the pink steed, a.k.a. the Bike

Once through the long ass transition area of Kona and onto the bike I didn't feel like I had brought my legs out of my T1 bag. I was being passed like I was standing still one after another, but I tried to stick to my plan and not blow up in the first 30 minutes of the bike. I passed my crew around mile 8ish, I think? They where screaming and yelling their heads off (Loved it), so out to the turn around and then knowing I would pass them again I blew a big kiss as I went by again ( I knew they needed some energy from me as much as I needed it from them)

At this point we head up Palani Hill and out onto the Queen K. Hwy, My main focus for the section out to Hawi (the bike turnaround) was to stay on top of my hydration and nutrition, and to stay within myself, one thing a pro friend told me once was to go one gear easier here than you think you can go all day long. This paid off big time as we started our 19 mile climb up to Hawi I was starting to pass EVERYONE! It was crazy cross winds and I was loving it. This is what Kona is all about :)))) Loved it!!!

During this section is when I get to see all the pros heading back to town, and we get to see how the race is playing out. As usual Chris Lieto was the first bike to pass me going the other way, but

a big surprise, he only had a small lead on a pack of about 5. This race is going to be exciting!

Then after counting about 15 men I see the hammer known as Julie Dibens go flying by me! Are you kidding me? Holy crap, I check my watch and count for the next lady 8 minutes and it is Caroline Steffen, and then Leanda Cave and finally 12 minutes after Julie comes Chrissie. Damn, this is going to be very exciting, I can't wait to get back onto the run to watch it play out first hand. A few minutes and ladies later I see my good friend Linsey Corbin come by and I figure she is in the top ten which is awesome because she will bring back some girls on the run.

Finally I reach Hawi and the turn around and start the crazy descent for 19 miles at 30+ mph into a major cross wind. Love it!!!

Finally we get back to the Queen K and I know I have somewhere around 2ish hours of serious concentrating to get me back. This is the hardest section for me, this is where the winds become head winds and the fatigue and humidity starts to take a toll. Just keep it together and stay focused. I take water at every aid station (every 7 miles) and either drink it or pour it on me.

Somewhere in here my right knee starts to really hurt. Are you kidding me? I bike 100 plus mile bike rides every week of the year and no knee pain, what the hell is this? So I try to minimize then pain of pushing to hard with my right leg, I change positions, everything but no good, just get off this bike and onto the run ASAP! I end up losing about 10 minutes in this last two hours, but still within reach of my goal to be running before 7hrs. Into T2 and start running away from that bike so happy to be running, even if it is only into the change tent. Another very speed transition and we are off.

Bike 5:39, T2 3:00

Out onto the run and instantly my foot is in pain. No, this is what I dream of all day, time to smash the run, my foot just is asleep from the bike, it will go away just keep running. Well mile 1

I stop and take the shoe off, there has to be a nail in my shoe or maybe a beach ball. Nope, nothing in there. Well just keep moving, it will go away, just forget about it, block it out and get running.

So mile 1 1/2 I come up on my crew, they are screaming and cheering and jumping up and down,

some great energy from them, I give Mary a kiss and keep moving. Just 3 ish miles and I get to turn around and head back to them. That was a long section, I keep feeling my foot with each foot fall and tried to think about everything and anything else. I finally stopped for my first pee of the day? What, I have been drinking non-stop and it is now 7 1/2 hrs late and only one pee. Not good.

Also along this section I have a hell of a time keeping my race number belt up around my waist, I must have lost some major weight on the bike because it won't stay up. Finally I stop and a spectator takes it from me and tries to tighten it up. No go, well lets go old school and just pin the

damn thing. Finally I hit the turnaround and head back towards town. a few miles later I get a lift

from the drunken part of the crew screaming out from the bar as I ran by "Beaver" the Buckeye's are winning. This preoccupies me late for a few miles trying to figure out if they where telling me a lie to make me feel better or where they really winning?

So I finally turn off Alli Dr at about mile 9 and there is my crew again Mary high fives me and tells me Crowie set a new course record and that Chrissie is just around the corner in first with less than a mile to go. Now we made a semi deal that when we passed each other she would high five me, so I stopped and put my hand out, and instantly could read her face and eyes. She was out of it and totally focused on getting to that finish line first, I slapped her on the butt and keep on running. Wow, chills go up my arms and a tear in the eyes at seeing this amazing sight. It can't be put into words, you had to be there to see and feel the strength and internal fortitude that women

exudes. Simply AMAZING!!! Just two minutes later I pass Rinny she is hammering and I yell over to her as well. What a freaking race. They both break the old run course record on a day that

many a pro blew up on that hot run. As I head up Palani Mountain and make the turn onto the Queen K again, I pass Leanda Cave, she is in 3rd place and digging very deep. I send her some energy and keep on trucking. At this point the women's race has and is playing out just two feet away from me. So Stellar, I Loved it!!! Unfortunately my foot still is killing me and I just can't land on it or push off normally. This is a loooooooong section out to the Energy lab, never seems to end. Finally at about mile 15 I am forced to walk for a minute through an aid station and my teammate Erica "Hank" Mcclurg passes me. So happy for her, she is having a nice day. As much as I try to pick up the pace to run with her I can't get another gear. My mind says your strong go, my body and partially my foot says you don't have another gear. Come on, get to that Energy lab.

I pass Linsey around this point and give her some encouragement and her me. Later I found out that L.C. had some major issues for over her last 6 hours and it wasn't her day, but I assure you she will be ready to win IMAZ in November!!

Now I have Michelle Simmons come up and start running with me and we keep each other company for several miles. Finally up ahead it is The Natural Energy Lab, I make the left turn and enter. It is just a little out and back in there but seems to go on forever, I make the turn around and start back out, no special needs bags for me just keep on moving. On a side note, probably the funniest thing ever found in a Special needs run bag at an Ironman, Michelle's daughter pack her a shovel, you know the little sand shovels for the beach! So Michelle picked it up at mile 18.5 and carried it all the way to the finish line. Love it!!!

Anyway, finally we hit that last climb out of the energy lab past mile 19 and back out on the Queen K for our return trip to Kona. By this point my foot is on FIRE, and this is really the first time I start to question if I could keep running. I kinda ran/walk here for about a mile or so. Finally I remembered what Samantha Mcglone once said, "the fastest way to the finish line is to keep running" and I am ready to be done. So I start making deals with myself at this point. Just run to that aid station, and then once I get there then I pick another small goal, anything to keep me going. I even make a deal with myself that I only have to get to mile 25 miles and then it is just a 1.2 mile victory lap. When I hit mile marker 20 I can not carry my water bottle any further and I drop it right onto of mile 20. Ok only 5 miles to go and a 1.2 mile victory lap. I keep running and

promise myself no matter how much it hurts I am going to run that last hill before turning right onto Palani at mile 25. Finally there it is mile 25, now that down hill is a major quad buster at this point of an Ironman, especially when you are on a screwed up foot, but I just suck it up and finally make the last turn onto Alii Drive, I have nothing left, I wanted to pick it up the final 400 meters or so, and I could not. I see my crew and Mary and barely can manage a low five. There is the finish line and I just want to get there. I climb the last little incline ,raise my hands and after about 5 seconds give myself over to the medical staff.

Finish Time 11:00:50

I am finally handed over to Mary for about :30 seconds before I am then taken to see the medial

tent for an hour. That is another blog, for another day.

Stay tuned:

Butterflies, Already! WTF?

2011-09-01T13:04:00.000-07:00

I hate to start my blog post the way I started my last one, but...

I know is has been forever!!

OK, Now that is out of the way.

AS I sit here typing this , I have this really crazy feeling of confidence and excitement.

For what you ask? Today is Sept 1st, meaning as soon as this month fades into the distance I will be 4 days away from heading back to Kona to get my pay backs from last time.

The strangest thing is that I started training for this years trip to the Big Dance without any pressure or really any illusion that I could go over and do anything special on Oct 8th. I mean come on, I can just go to Hawaii, have a very average day and still come out a winner. After my last appearance in 2009 (following my bike/car accident) and resulting in a surgery, 8 screws, a metal plate, and shit for training, I could go over, have fun, not push myself and still come out with a 1-2hr faster performance than the last time. That would be winning in most people's book.

A funny thing happened on my may to training for an average day Oct 8th!

I started getting extra motivated, starting getting (unofficially )some coaching advice, and I have found my sweet spot when it comes to suffering in the heat.

Yep, I am actually getting that feeling I have had right before the two best Ironman races that I have ever had (both Kona qualifiers). That feeling of peace and inner harmony. Sounds corny,but the best way for me to explain it!

Don't worry, we are still going to have a TON of fun, just this time I will have that feeling of total accomplishment! 37 days and a wake up call :))))

It's that time again!!

2011-06-17T17:02:00.000-07:00

I know it has been for ever, and ever since I have blogged. Too be very honest 5 days after my last blog all of our lives where changed forever here in Arizona and all over the world! The day of Sally's death still seems to be beyond words. I just could not bring myself to blog about anything else because nothing else seemed as important as her death, and I felt like blogging about something else would be as if I had just went on with life like nothing even happened, like I had just swept in under the rug and ignored it. The other problem was that I just couldn't bring myself to talk about that day and that horrible feeling in a blog.
Today, I felt it was time. As I prepare for the week leading up to my next Ironman, Sal is so fresh in my mind. She was to be my training partner this summer, we where to spend endless miles biking and running together as we where preparing for Kona. We where to go there and suffer on the lava fields together, and she was about to snap some necks as she came from nowhere to set a new run course record, and make her name in the sport of triathlon.
Well, now I carry her memory, her strength, her passion with me. I will be channelling her as I go to that dark place when the real suffering starts. June 26th will be Sally's first full Ironman, as I race IMCDA with her. It will be a great day for us to get used to each other over a 9-10hr day, because when Oct8th gets here we need to be 100% on the same page as we SMASH the Lava fields and Alii drive together. This will just be a great first step towards that day.
I'm not making any predictions on time or finish place, but I have a feeling it will be a special day out there.
Check back to see how we do:))))

Talked in to another Crazy weekend race!!

2011-03-02T12:48:00.000-08:00

Every since my wonderful wife did her first Ragnar relay a few years ago she has raved about how much fun she had, and has tried to talk me into putting together a team to do it with her. I have always been able to come up with an excuse to why I couldn't do it each year.

Well this year she asks again, but I don't have a good enough reason to get out of running almost 200 miles with a team of 6 runners over roughly 24-30 hours, in one van, with ZERO sleep or showers!

Next thing I know we are all packed up and on the road to Wickenburg, AZ

We arrive, as per usual about 2 hours early. We kinda hang out, kill time, hit the Port a Potty a few times, and next thing you know our first runner (Kris) is off and starting our LONG trip to Tempe.

Now I won't go into every little things that happened over the two days blow by blow.

The first four runners went off with out much fanfare, or issues, everyone was just clicking off the miles and looking fresh and fast. I being the 5th runner started my first leg just as the sun was setting, being the oldest I was given the longest leg of the weekend (17.7miles), The thing I have heard over and over about Ragnar is you try to pass as many other teams as possible (a.k.a. ROADKILL). So instead of focusing on the miles ahead of me, I focused on as much road kill as possible, counting each person I flew past with a smile and a "good job, keep it up", as the sun finally ducked down it was my first time experiencing the constant stream of blinking red lights on the road ahead, each one another potential Roadkill for me. I actually past 6 different people that I knew in that first leg, as I spotted the 1 mile to go sign I felt and heard another runner behind me, Oh no you don't. I will not be someone else's roadkill, so I buried the hammer and smashed the last mile to keep that young kid from catching me. (this became a bit of a theme). I hit my relay point, handed to wristband to Jenifer and was so excited that I had passed 38 runners in 17.7 miles, 2:04 and a split time of 6:59 per mile. I changed my clothes, and we headed off for the next relay zone.

Mostly we just went from relay zone to relay zone while each runner took their turns smashing their legs and legs. Now it started to get wayyyyyyy past my bedtime by the time my next leg came around. roughly 1.am., this was a much shorts and faster 8 mile leg, as I excited the relay zone a paused to fix my watch and water bottle and some young guy goes flying by me. What, I will not be passed, Of course I knew he wasn' t running the Ultra so I only had like 4 miles to track him down before he handed off to his next teammate, so even though I had another 4 miles after that point I was going hard to catch him, and just as we enter his relay zone I pass him, Yes, i knew I could do it. Hell at this point I might as well just keep hammering and get this over with, i roll into the relay zone to hand off to Jenifer with a total run segment time of 51:00, 6:42 per mile split. and another 27 roadkills. At this point things start to get blurry, we are all fighting lack of sleep fatigue.

The good news is that we all knew we just had to do one more leg and we where home free. I even managed 30 minutes of shut eye just before the sun came up. As Kris rolled in to the relay zone and ending his day, Mary started flying down 9 mile hill into Rio Verde and now we where back into my neck of the woods, no more surprises, I know the remaining miles very well. Up into Mcdowell Park, heading to Fountain Hills. When Rachel finishes her last leg and hands off to Brandon we all know he has some major sharp climbs ahead, and he eats them up and spits them out. Freaking stud, he hands off to me for my final leg, (thank godness), I decided from the get go that I will smash it will all I have, clickinfgoff 6:30 miles, and counting the roadkilll as I go, as i finally hit the 1 mile to go sign I see a red shirt up around the corner and decide that i will try to catch it before the hand off spot. I start picking it up, faster and faster, and faster until with 1/4 of a mile to go i catch and pass this young fast kid, instantly I feel him jump in behind me, and I push just a little harder, (in my mind I am thinking, i have ran over 33 miles, and not been passed once, no way i am letting this kid pass me back), we round the corner with about a tenth or so to go and I push it one more time, then he comes up next to me and passes me by about a step, I dig down one more time and say to myself NO WAY, get him! I push with all I have left and catch back up to him just as we enter the relay zone, and pass him by half a step before handing off to Jenifer for the last time. Shit!!! I AM SPENT!!! After I catch my breath I check my Gps, my last mile of the 33.2 miles comes out as a 5:40 split, bu far the fastest of the weekend, I have no idea where that came from, crazy actually, that is about what I have been doing my mile repeats on that track at.

From there it is off to the finish line in Tempe to wait for Jenifer, as she comes around the last corner we all meet her and run across the finish line as a team. Clock time 27:38:03. We are home!!! What a great group of people, some serious super start performances. From here it is food bed and 16 hours of sleep.

My first official Ultra Marathon

2011-03-01T15:21:00.000-08:00

So last year I decided to run the Pemberton 50K trail race as a relay with my friend Kelsey. After we took first place and set a new course record my whistle was wet. I started thinking that I could do the entire thing myself, and even be somewhat competitive.

Fast forward one year:

I find myself toeing the line of shaving cream in the dirt, that marked the start and end point of the 2011 Pemberton 50k. To make this year a little more special the race would start at 5pm, meaning that everyone would run at least half of the race in the dark. This not a road race with street lights, this is out in the middle of nowhere in the desert on trails, in the dark!

I had planned in my mind to really train for this race and to shoot for a fast finish time, of course having never ran a Ultra or having never run a race on trails in the dark, I didn't really know what "fast" would mean. Unfortunately, I never really put in the kind of training I would have liked to be as competitive as I could have been, and went in to race day not having run farther than 18 miles in over two months, and I only did that once. Oh well, just give it what you can on that day. I know it will be a "PR" as long as I finish!

The race director yells go, and we do. I started off running with the top guys, these are the guys that run 100 mile races on REAL trails all over the world, and in the dark, so I thought just see what happens. Well mile 1 = 6:37, ok keep going and see what happens, mile 2 = 6:35, ok, are you stupid, this is more like my current marathon pace for a road race, back it off some.

So I let the top 3 or 4 guys go, to never see them again.

From here I decided to just run comfortable and try to go as far as possible before it gets dark.

Heading into the last 10K of the first 15.5 mile loop It is down hill all the way, I already started feeling my quads, and knew that it would be a painful recovery from this race, (little did I know how bad at this point), I came through the first loop pretty much unscathed, 1:52 minutes, just as I started loop number two It was time to click on my new head light Mary got me for Xmas. Instantly I noticed that my pace was dropping and not because I was tired (at least not yet), but because I could not see all of the little ups and downs quick enough. I also had not seen another runner for over 10 miles and just decided to do what i could and get myself to the finish line without breaking something, especially my clavicle again. I had one relay runner pass me 3 miles into the 2nd loop and that was it, no one else until the finish line. Where my beating the shit out of myself came was from throwing on the brakes every time I went down a sharp hill, so as too not fall, in addition to that I was also holding my neck in a weird position so my light would hit the ground and that caused a unbelievable pain in my traps for the 4 days following the race. Anyway, I finally made it back to the final 10k section, again straight down hill. My quads where SCREAMMING!!!!, but I thought to myself I can either lay down here and take a nap and wait for Mary to come by or I can just suck it up and get it over with even with the knowledge that my legs are in a world of hurt, and it is going to take a few days to recover from this. So I dug in and trashed myself all the way to the line. I ended up finishing 7th Overall, and 2nd in the masters division.
I guess not bad considering, but way slower than I thought I would be able to go. I ended with a finish time of 4:15, I was shooting for 3:59:59, but just didn't handle the night running well.
After finishing i climbed into the back of the Xtrerra and sleep for a few minutes and waited for my Mary too finish her first Ultra as well. She Freakin crushed it breaking the 5:30 mark and ending up 11th woman overall, finishing :01 second behind the great Pam Reed. Wow, what a great story to be able to tell. Finishing your first Ultra with Pam Reed. great job sweat heart, you ROCK!!
Ok, off to ice my legs and get ready for the next running extravaganza.

Ironaman Arizona: A day of suffering, french fries and a World record.

2010-12-14T10:00:00.000-08:00

Ok, I wasn't the one to set the new Ironman World record. It was Chrissie Wellington. Every adjective has been used to describe her and her day. So I will just say it was very inspiring to every little girl, and big man alike out there wondering if they can do something.

Going into Ironman Arizona I felt very prepared physically and mentally, no real nerves, just ready to get at it. I decided back in October of 2009 (after having finished my first Kona race), (just after my bike/car accident) ,that my next year plan was to get stronger and faster and focus on Ironman Arizona 2010 to claim my next slot to Kona (2011). so as to go back to the Islands and feel like I actually was able to race the World Championships, as opposed to just finishing it.

That meant not racing as many races as I would normally like to, and to only complete Ironman Canada as a "B" race at best, so as to fully soak in the effort of the day as a deposit into my IMAZ fitness bank, and not have to take an extended taper and recovery before and after.

With the lead up to race day the weather forecast was not looking like it would be in my favor. I suffered all summer in 100-115 degrees and really had wished for a warmer race day so as to make the others I was competing with to hurt more than normal. So the race day forecast was for cool temps the entire day, rain, and lots of wind. Oh well, like I said before, I felt well prepared and knew I was willing to do whatever it would take to get that Kona slot. Unfortunately for me the conditions made it into a cycylist's race because of the ridiculous, unrelenting winds. More on that later.

The Swim: 1:05

This happened to be one of the least full contact IM swims that I have ever been a part of. I am not complaining! I didn't really notice the 60 degree water temps as feeling cold, and after about a ten minute treading of water the cannon sounded and we where off. As Paula Newby Fraser once told me, "don't let your brains fall out to the bottom of the lake" , In other words: use your brains and think about what you are doing, and need to be doing next. I found my rhythm and just went for it heading past the rural st. bridge and to the turn around buoy. Everything just as planned, but shortly after the turn I felt something wasn't just right, but kept working and spotting, but again noticed all of a sudden that a was going right for some reason? What the hell, I have swam this swim a 1000 times, and there is not a current in this lake. After trying to correct several more times it finally dawned on me that the chop had gotten much bigger than normal. I get it now, it is from the wind coming so strongly out of the south that it is blowing us right, or at least it is blowing me right. so I put my head down and just pushed for the last buoy and tried to not loose my day in the swim. I quickly exited the H20 with a swim time of 1:05. within 1 minute of what I had hoped for. I'll take it.

T1 6:00

I made a big mistake here, I over packed my T1 bag with crap because I wanted to be prepared for whatever the conditions threw at me. Well I had so much to choose from I couldn't decide. Finally I just said screw it and took off. This blunder cost me about 2 minutes that can be very valuable at the end of the day. I have missed qualifying by as little as :12 seconds.

The Bike: 5:22:00

So off onto the bike and my game plan was to hold as close to 22 mph as a could without blowing myself up into the 35-40 mph winds.

Patience was my theme for this leg of the race. It is impossible to convey the day out there on the bike if you where not there yourself, but when I spoke with Chrissie Wellington after the race she told me she felt like "she was standing still at points on the bike" The wind was out of the south, which meant that there was no real break from it the entire day. It was a cross wind for about 90 of the miles and a head wind for most of the remainder. I just stuck to my plan of patience until the last of three loops, and at this point just give it what I had for the last lap and get to the run. My nutrition was spot on as was my pacing, I actually rode my last loop stronger than my 2nd loop. Going into the day I had hoped to be right on 5:00, but I made a decision early on not to get bogged down by a number, and bike my ride, and not be upset with the windy conditions. I rode most of the race with one or both of the Folts brothers, who where also trying to save something for the run.

T2: 1:50

I was in and out as quick as possible. had to make up for T1!!!

The Run: 3:19.00

Ok let's face it! I am a runner, and always will be, but I have never been able to run anywhere near my potential for an Ironman marathon, mostly because of either pacing or nutrition issues.

I was determined to control both of the issues today, keep an even pace the entire 26.2, and not take in anything that I didn't absolutely need to eat or drink.

As I headed out onto the run I saw a good friend of mine (Marc Rubin), spectating and cheering me on, this was a huge lift right out of the blocks. You see Marc is a great guy and Kona Triathlete that has gone through some major knee surgeries and rehab issues for almost 30 weeks now, and hasn't ran a step in this time. It is killing him to not be racing, and I tried to channel his pain and energy and think about how much he has gone through and would be willing to go through if he could be out there with me.

So after a high five and a smile it was time to settle in and focus. The first loop was just about feeling good and staying on an even pace, (nothing faster than a 7:00 pace and nothing slower than 7:30) is what I keep telling myself. I found my wife, mother in law, and tons of super supportive friends at the best aid station on the course. PTC station at the marina. Thanks for the laughs Brian Kochert.(Damn Those shorts), Everyone at this aid station made me look forward to seeing them each of the three loops. Thanks Guys!! Even if I couldn't respond.

Anyway, back to the race. So I got through the first lap and headed out for number two, feeling still damn good and just flying by people. (The entire marathon I was actually passed by only 1 person). Running through one of my other favorite spots on the course was aid station #2 where once again I had lots of friends cheering me on and making sure I got everything I needed to be successful. Thanks to Shane and the crew. Now the second loop is always the hardest to stay focused and I fought extra hard to make sure I didn't drift from my "here and now". Back past the PTC aid station and through the transition area again, at this point I see Mary, Stella and several of my Triscottsdale friends cheering their asses off for me. Here I started to get a little emotional with myself, and had to actually yell out loud at myself to focus and get this thing done. Heading towards the 19 mile mark I had done a great job (for me), at managing my nutrition the best I have ever done. I had taken two hits off my 1st Endurance liquid Shot, drank water sparingly and took two Gas Ex's to keep the bloating under control. I could feel myself losing energy due to the lack of calories, so I decided to go for the Cola at 19 miles, just a little swig followed by water. Stomach not happy, but I needed the energy and got through it. Just keep pushing, every time I needed to pick up the pace I was able, it felt so good to actually be running still. Just get over the Curry St. hill one more time. Just as I was about to turn onto Curry st, I caught my foot on a crack in the curb and just about went down, now I realize that my legs are really getting tired, so for the first time all day (23 miles) I walked through the aid station so I could take in a full glass of Cola. The entire race and I only walked for 10 seconds, right here my good buddy Brandon jumps out of the bushes and tells me to get running, and I do. Thanks for the push Brandon, I needed it right there. I do what I will call run up Curry and then just start pumping the arms and working hard, back to the PTC aid station and my buddy Scoot Perrine tells me I am in eighth place, I am pretty sure that this would get me a slot to Kona if no one passes me. From here I totally hammer it with all I have left, no one is getting past me from here out, go with all you have and pass everyone you can, I am telling myself. At mile 25 I pass another great friend Julie Ann who is looking great and doing her first Ironman. I couldn't say anything at this point, but as I passed her she shouted out "I love you", she had been telling me for months how much she hated me for getting her inspired to do an Ironman, and now she was telling me she loved me! I knew it.

So, as I am running the last 1.2 miles I just keep looking for calfs and ages, I am so focused in leaving it all out there on the course and trying to bring anyone in my age group back if they are in front of me. As I made that last turn towards the finish line I could see one more guy ahead and just went for it, I couldn't tell his age, but wasn't taking any chances. About 25 yards from the line I realize he is a pro and just went ahead and passed him. On my right all I remember is seeing Mary and Stella just before hitting the line. From here I don't recall everything that happened because as usual I ended up in a wheel chair and totally in the hurt locker, big time!! From here Mary and good friend Maik took over and ushered me off the massage before the medics could take me to the Medic tent. About an hour later, I finally got my french fries that I look forward to after each Ironman finish.

Finish Time 9:55:00

I spent the hour after finishing mostly in the fetal position trying to keep warm. Once I thought I could actually walk again and was ready to make it back to the hotel I told Mary I wasn't leaving until I knew for sure that I had qualified for Hawaii. She disappeared for a few minutes and came back with the good news. We are heading back to Kona baby!!!

It is such a great feeling to know that all the suffering through 115 degree workouts day after day all summer long, and all the core workouts, and skipped cookies, and passed by beers, and early to bed, and early to rise days all paid off on the day I needed it to. What a huge relief, and utter happiness set in at that exact moment. Let's just say that each time I finish and Ironman, it changes me for the better.

In closing I really would like to thank everyone that makes it possible for me to chase my dreams. First and foremost

my unbelievable wife Mary, seriously without you there would be no Ironman in my life, you take care of me in only ways

that you and I will ever know. I love you!

Also thank you to each and every friend that encourages me each and every step of the process, and not just on race day. Thanks to my little girl Megan for telling me how much she loves me and thinks I am the best dad in the world everyday. Focus Cyclery for taking care of all my bike needs, RunAZ & Carlos Paradelo for allowing me the freedom to train, travel, and race. Surf Kat Massage for keeping my old muscles working, Triscottsdale for being a great sponsor and being so supportive out there. Phoenix Tri Club for really caring, you guys all rock, and I have made friendships that will last a life time. Julie Ann for training my ass and for help with the great cycle classes and core workouts you have provided to make me stronger this year.

Then there are the amazing performances from friends that inspire me and help drive me from day to day, Linsey, Samantha, Hillary& Maik, Michael & Amanda, Bree, BG, Sally, Bryan D, Marc R, & of course Chrissie. I channel each and everyone of you at different times while suffering. Mahalo!

It was a long day

awesome pic from Jeff Benintendi

Got that piece of paper.

2010 Ironman Canada race report

2010-09-02T17:43:00.000-07:00

I'm going to skip straight to race morning:
Three alarms beeping at 3:50a.m.? Must be race morning.
Mary and I hop out of bed eager to get this thing on the road. I make my normal oatmeal and bagel breakfast, chase it with some h2o, and grab my morning clothes bag containing my swim gear and head out the door for transition.
Throw some water into my bottles on my bike, borrow a pump and top of my tires, and then head to Mary and her bike position. As we are starting to get colder we decide to dawn the wetsuits a bit earlier than normal so as to keep the heat in. We drop our bags in their spot and head off to the lake to get our positions and watch the pro field take off. The cannon blasts for the first time at 6:45am and the pros are off. We now have 15 minutes before our turn, and we are just excited to hear our cannon, and before you know it BOOM!!!

THE SWIM:
Just seconds before the cannon goes off I tell Mary to get in front of me, so that I could protect her for at least a few feet from getting pounded by some of the big guys at the front. My plan was to try to stay behind her as far as possible, well that last about 5 seconds and then I got REALLY rough. As Mary said we ended up being in a boxing match not a swim. It was probably the most beat up I have ever gotten in an Ironman start. After about 200 or so meters of this I decide to just go inside the buoys to try and find some open water, and this help some, when we hit the turn around boat/buoy, I was glad to be heading back towards land, but two things instantly hit me. One being some guys foot kicking me in the face and on my fixed collar bone, it really dazed me and my clavicle starting hurting instantly and I am thinking oh shit, I hope it didn't break again, but i have no choice but to keep going to shore. The second thing that hit me was a BONK, yep, I screwed up and didn't eat something 30 minutes to the swim start and I got that low sugar and energy feeling. Not good when you still have over 1800 meters of boxing/swimming left until you reach solid ground and food. I started wondering if this was going to be my worst swim ever, as nothing seemed to go as planned. When I finally reached the spot where I could stand I did, now normally I would keep swimming because it is faster to swim until your hand hits the bottom, but because i was bonking I was just happy to stand up and walk. As I looked at my watch it said 1:02;??, I was totally surprised, and once I exited the water and hit the timing mat it was 1:03:30. I will take that!! Not my fastest, not my slowest. on to T1 change tent. It was slower than normal because my bike was in the farthest back corner that your could be from the bike exit, and i had to pee, and figured I might as well go before getting on the bike for 112 miles.

THE BIKE:
Ok, finally off on the bike. Mary and I had a race plan, and I was going to stick to it. Basically go out one gear easier than I thought I could handle the first 40K until we hit the first of the big climbs (Richter Pass), and my plan worked to a tee, I spun up to the top, never standing up even once and just using patience, it was going to be a long day, and we still had the biggest climb over 100K away still. I bombed the descents, I was going to fast to actually look, but my bike computer said that at some point during the day I hit 76 mph!!! That could be wrong, because I was just pushing so hard with my head almost completely buried out of the wind i never really looked at my speed. The middle part off the bike was mostly rolling hills into a steady head wind.
Finally at mile 76 I was approaching the biggest climb of the day and ready to pull out the big guns and hammer it and everyone on it, and so it went. Just as I started the climb the skies opened up, the rain and hail started and the temps dropped big time. At this point though I am climbing and working hard as I am dropping people left and right. God this feels great, just a few more miles of climbing and then I get a nearly 40K descent straight into town and T2. I do a little calculation as I approach the crest of the mountain and I am clearly on pace to go about 5:15-5:19 on the bike and I am feeling very confident. so here we go baby, the best part of the entire race course straight down a mountain at the end of the bike leg. As I start descending all of a sudden i can not keep my bike on the road, I figure it is because I am going so fast and into a wind that I would just sit up a minute and get under control. Then I try again, and almost go over the edge of the road out of control, Now It dawns on me that I am shivering uncontrollably and I am not able to keep the bike on the road no matter what I did. No it is getting really scary, I sit up and hold onto my brake levers as hard as I can, but that still only slowed me to 16mph with wet carbon brake pads and I still could not stop shaking. I have several guys come by me and tell me I should pull over and warm up, but i know that this will not help, how will I warm up out here in the rain? It will just make this last longer. One super nice guy actually stops and rides next to me trying to talk me down. He tells me I look really bad and should consider stopping, he even volunteers to stay with me all the way back to town, but I told him to just go, I didn't want to screw up his day. It wasn't his fault that I lost 10lbs gearing up for this race and didn't have enough body fat to keep me from freezing! At this point I am in the worst place I have ever been in an Ironman, I have never been so close to DNF ever. It took all my will and inner voices to get me down that mountain. When I came into T2 finally after 16mph down hill for over an hour, I was shivering so bad that the medic staff grab me and tried to take me to their little tent, i had to fight with them to not make me go in there. They walked me to the change tent and I could not use my hands to change my gear, so they had to do it for me. They tell me it will take at least 25 minutes for them to warm me up seeing that I am hypothermic. I look at them and say no way, I am gone, and off I went doing something like running.

THE RUN:
So the medic runs through T2 with me saying I should come to his tent, but I keep running and out onto the road I go. Right away I realize two things, A-I can't feel my feet, B-My back is extremely tight. Both= not good! I have no sense of my pace at all, but figured just keep running and you will warm up at a minimum. We do the little mile out and back and before I know it I am on main st. and passed mile 2, and just focusing on getting this thing done. I realize at this point that me finish won't be the time that I had hoped for, but this was a training race anyway for IMAZ, so get some training in! I would say the first 6-7 miles went by pretty fast and I actually found myself running through the field, I had to make myself stay in control and have patience, just run the pace you trained for (7:30's). As I clicked off the mile for the first half of the marathon I was consistently hitting 7-7:25 pace, hell accidentally threw in a couple sub 7 miles. All was going as well as possible until about mile 14 when I started to bonk, I said to myself instantly OH SHIT! I forgot to eat. Damn it! See what happened was I was to cold to take in nutrition on the last hour+ of the bike, and because I was shivering so bad I actually used a lot of energy and calories up, then once I got off the bike I was so cold I couldn't even think about anything but getting warmed up. So when I hit mile 14 it had been about 3hrs since I last took in calories, and I should be taking them in every hour. So in my haste to fix this I started taking in gels, cola, soup, oranges, whatever they had. Well that was the end. Now by mile 16 my stomach stopped absorbing anything and I became bloated and nausea set it along with the stomach cramps. I started the run/walk think for the next several miles thinking that maybe my gut would clear and I would feel good again. Nope, not working at all. Finally I made it to mile 22 and though to myself: "ok, four stupid miles, you can do this", just about that time the cramps and bloating stepped up their games and it go even worse then before. Mile 22-23 was a 17minute mile. Ouch!!!! Between sitting, laying, bending over, walking, and even a couple feet of running, some how I made it to the 23mile marker. On a side note, the funniest thing happened along this mile, at one point and old lady sitting in a lawn chair yells over to me "would you like some company?, I will walk with you as far as you need me to". I of course said no, but thank you! so freakin awesome!!
Anyway, I hit that 23 mile marker and made a promise to myself that NO matter what I was running this bitch to the finish line. I had to talk myself through each and every step of that last 3.2 miles, but I got it done, and no walking. I was very much done when I hit the finish line as my finish line photo shows. i then spent the next hour laying on the ground wrapped in Mylar blankets trying to warm up and feel better. Thank you sooooooo much to Erika and Chris Mcclurg for taking such good care of me!!!

FINISH TIME: 10:44:37

The take away from this day was that I felt physically very strong! I am feeling very confident that IMAZ is going to be a successful day. I already have some promises of bikini clad hotties on the run course to keep me motivated!!!!

The hay is in the barn.

2010-08-17T13:45:00.000-07:00

Well just finished up my last ride/run brick on my steed. It has now been sent off to Tribike Transport for its trip across the border to Canada EH!
We are at T-Minus 12 days til Ironman Canada, and feeling super fit. Can't wait for Mary and I to once again embark on the Ironman journey.
Ironman has become so much more in our lives then just a race. It has become almost "who we are", and I am good with that. We/I could be so many other things (not as positive).
Not only has IM made me a better person in so many ways, but It will always hold a very special place in our lives. We are coming up on our 1yr anniversary of Mary asking me to marry her at Ironman Wisconsin's finish line. (Sept 13th).
On our ride this morning I was commenting on how much has changed in one year. Last year at this time I could not swim/bike or run, I was not married, and I was so happy just to be able to race Kona & Clearwater. This year I have already turned down my Clearwater slot, and will also do the same for Kona (probably), if I earn one in Canada. The only way we will end up in Kona on Oct 9th 2010 is if Mary gets her slot in 12days. It will be somewhat sad this year to be watching Kona online and wishing I was there. It is so different now that I have been there. I now know I belong there, everyone that is anyone in Ironman will be there, but we won't. URGH!!!!
I am using this feeling as a fire in my belly to make sure that I get my slot for 2011. I will be back on the Big Island racing and not just surviving. Until then, we will add to the size of our engines and learn a little more about ourselves and this crazy ride called Ironman !!!

A little mid season motivation - Kona 2009 Ironman World Championships

2010-07-23T16:12:00.000-07:00

America's Birthday/ Mt Lemmon

2010-07-08T12:54:00.000-07:00

Fresh back from out little Tucson trip over the 4th of July weekend.
Mary and I decided that the best way for us to celebrate was with a little smashfest of our own.
So we headed 90 miles south on Saturday July 3rd for a little getaway training day. We arrived at our hotel about 6pm, checked in and headed to a little Pizza place I had found online. Just so happens that it was actually right across the street less than 100 yards away from our room.
What a find, an all Organic Pizza joint, with Fat Tire on tap. The weekend was already a victory at this point. (Ecletic Pizza). We shared a kick ass salad because we where to starved to wait for the pizza. 15 minutes later we had a beautiful pie and ice cold Fat Tire on our table. Then 5 minutes later it was all gone. Told you we where starving. back to the room, filled our water bottles and retired to bed for our 4:30am wake up.
4:30 alarm buzzes and we are up and at it, sunscreen, breakfast, and load up the car for the 4 mile drive to our starting point for our little epic 4th of July workout!! (Mt Lemmon).
We pump the tires, and have the wheels down at 5:54a.m, a few minutes later than planned, but no big deal.
Off we start on our bikes to the base of the climb. My gps said we started at 75 feet above sea level. We where to climb to the top of Mt Lemmon (9300+ feet) in 26 or so miles. Depending on where you stop. This was Mary's first time tackling the entire climb, and was a bit nervous, but she needed to face down her demons and just get to the top and back down, no matter what it took. She HATES descending, especially on switch backs at 40 mph, for 26 miles!!!
My plan was to get to the top and head back down to see where she was so I could go back down a bit and then climb back up to meet her at the Cookie Cabin in SummerHaven (mile 25).
I felt strong, if not fast pretty much the entire way up, my back issue was flaring up, but not much I could do but get to the top. So off I went, once I hit the little town of Summerhaven I turned right and headed on up another couple miles to the Ski Lodge. Stopped for a Clif Bar, and started back down. At the mile 20post here comes my beautiful bride pushing up the mountain, we stopped and figured out the logistics from there. The plan was she would continue to the Cookie (approx. 45 more minutes), and I would descend to the half way mark and then climb back up and meet her there. The second time up seemed so much easier, and I was happy to arrive in SummerHaven for half of a HUGE cookie. 15 minutes later, water bottles filled up and we where ready to go down. We started up and stayed together for the first 4ish miles which ironically is mostly climbing. Then as the real down started I just couldn't hold back and off i went, tucked in my aero bars and flying at over 40mph around the switch backs passing all the cars and motorcycles that could handle the turns at my speed!! Loved it. At mile 14 I decided to stop and make sure Mary was still doing ok, and after about 5 minutes her she comes with a big smile on her face, and couldn't even smell her brake pads burning. I encouraged her and told her she was doing great and then I continued on to the bottom. After adding on a few extra miles on Catalina Hwy, here she comes flying and happy to be to the bottom. At this point reality hits us, it is no longer 70 degrees and pleasant like on top of the mountain, it is now 100+ degrees and we still have a 50minute run ahead of us after 5:18 minutes on the bike, and a shit load of it climbing straight up!! The only thing we could do was "get it done", we changed shoes, packed our bikes into Jane, and headed back down the hwy towards the mountain again. 25 minutes in and we both turned around, for me that was 3.5 miles in, now it was just push the pace and eat up the 3.5miles back to the car and lunch. I placed a target on Mary's back as I started closing the gap between us and just focused on catching her by the time we got back to the car, and sure enough just as we entered the parking lot I caught up. Done, done & done!!!
After a nice lunch at Le Buzz we where in the car and headed the 90 miles home. what a great way to celebrate our independence!!!

What an Epic Journey!!

2010-05-20T12:37:00.000-07:00

I am fresh back from my first trip to the Grand Canyon. What better way to see something as expansive and old as over 300 million years, than to immerse one's self deep inside of said Canyon?
Our trip started with an uncanny happening. Car all loaded, and ready to pull out of the garage. Turn the key, and nada, nothing. Dead battery. Shit!! Ok. lets just jump it and we are off. Done, ok back on track and only 5 minutes lost. Now just fill up the gas tank and hit the highway. Oh, shit!! It won't start again, and this time it takes like 15 minutes to get it charge enough to start. NOT GOOD. We call a friend that has a car dealership and that is on our way, and he says "stop in we can check it out and fix it quick", so the battery is bad. I year old, and it is shot. Kris has a guy run and get us a new battery and install fast. After a few little strange car computer issues and 50minutes or so later we are back on the highway. Whew!!
The drive up to the Grand Canyon was actually pretty uneventful, we arrived to the Mather overlook pt. about 30 minutes before all the others that where meeting us. Just enough time for my first look and the huge hole in the earth. A couple quick pics and we are off to the camp grounds to set up our tents. A few Big Sky brews, some marsh mellows, and off to sleep to prepare for a 3am wake up call.
DAY ONE: We where all so excited to get started, and by 4:25am we where on the South Kaibab trail and headed to the Canyon bottom and the Colorado river some 6000ft below us. Did I mention, it is pitch dark as we start this very, very steep decent?
After roughly 2ish hours and about 4000 pictures taken we hit the bottom. It was sooooo nice to be on flat ground, as short lived as it would be I took total advantage of it. Mary new of a little side trail that leads to a cool little secluded water fall where we all sat down for the first time and noshed on our lunches. After about twenty minutes we where back on the trail and headed to what would be the hardest part of the day. (the climb up to the North Rim). as we crossed the Canyon floor we all fell in line and got a nice little running pace line going for about a hour. stopping only to refill our water at the last stop before reaching the top of the North Rim. This would also mark the last time we would see any flats for several hours. Mary (the billy goat) Knott took the lead as we climbed, and climbed and climbed. I ran up to her and we talked and stayed together for a while, before I kinda found myself alone at the front of the group. Just like in any race I have ever done, I started to focus on getting to the top. Stopping a few times to make sure everyone behind me was doing ok, and then off I would go again. As we started to crest the North Rim we started seeing the left over snow from the crazy winter they had in Northern Arizona. We could all start smelling the finish at this point and just wanted to get there already. Of course the entire day everyone talk about the need for some cold beers and a shower, and I think that keep most of us going forward. As I reached the top of the trail there where a bunch of other people that had finished just before our group and they where cheering us all and offering up free cold COKES! that was one of the best Cokes I have ever had. I sat there at the top waiting for the group and taking "finisher pictures" as each and everyone of us made it to the top. How freakin cool it was to see each of their faces as they realized the had made it. We tried not to think about the return trip tomorrow. I think the longest part of the day may have been the 1.5 hike/run to the cabins/saloon. Then after a few beers/shots, and some well earned dinner we where off to the cabins for a short sleep and another 3am wake up call.

DAY 2: After, basically no sleep due to the snoring idiot in the adjoining cabin. we where up and actually reading to get it on. The early morning temps where much colder. Me in my sleevless shirt and shorts, and everyone else in long sleeves and pants. I couldn't get anyone to start running with me to warm up so we just fast walked the 1.5miles to the trail head. Then we started all over again. a almost 7000ft steep decent down the Canyon floor. Luckily Eric gave one of his shirts to throw on and that kept me comfortable for the first half hour until I warmed up a bit, and the sun came up. The quads and ankles where a bit sore, but not as bad as I had guessed they would be, but after heading straight down the mountain side for an hour or so, I was starting to feel it. At this point I knew there was nothing I could do about it, and would just have to deal with the soreness until we got back to the car on the other side of the South Rim. With about 2-3 miles left in our decent Kata started to run, I was a bit hesitant at first, because of the trashed quads, but figured what the hell, lets just get this over with, so her and I took off straight down and around some really hairy switch backs, and before I knew it, we had made it back to Cottonwood and the flats. We just chilled out for a few minutes and we all gathered back up to start the run to Phantom Ranch. We started out little pace line again and it felt much better than hiking down hill. I tried to stay at the back of the group so as to keep an eye out for everyone else in case someone had a problem out there. I figured being the stronger of the runners, that if I was the one to fall off the back that I would be able to catch up at some point. Sure enough as we crossed over one of the bridges I rolled my left ankle all the way over, and stopped for a minute or two to gather myself and take advantage of the break to take a nature break. Then I was back off running, and really flying. I caught back up with the group before they even knew I was missing. We basically stayed together running for the next 1 1/2 straight until we reached Phantom Ranch and our lunch stop. We relaxed for 1/2 an hour and ate and drank, preparing our minds and bodys for the last really tough push up the finish at the South Rim. Back across the river, through the tunnel and bam, there it started. More steep switch backs then you could count for the next 3hrs. Almost instantly Mary (billy goat) Knott shot to the front again, and we started to drop the rest of the group. From here on out it was pretty much every man and women for themselves. Whatever you have to do to get yourself there. I once again (like yesterday) found myself off the front alone for most of the climb, but tried to keep an close eye on the rest of our group from the top of the switchbacks. Finally deciding about half way up that we should regroup and take 5. After a quick calorie push we where all back at it. This last half of the climb was the hardest part of our two days. The switchbacks just got higher and steeper with every turn. When we passed the sign that indicated we had actually passed the half way mark we all got a little extra energy boost, just when everyone needed it. As we inched closer and closer to the top we started passing more and more people that where out for a little day hike. It felt so good to know you where so much stronger than most of these people and that you are so close to accomplishing such a great endurance event (Rim 2 Rim 2 Rim)!!!
Finally I turned a corner and there it was, The sign indicating that I had made it back to the top of the South Rim just ahead of me. At this point I paused to wait for Mary so that we could finish the last few feet together. Hell Yes, we did it. I stopped at the top and yelled encouragement to the group, while snapping a pic of each and everyone as they crested the top of the finish line.
PRICELESS!!!!! After a few teary eyes and pictures we complete the 1.4 mile hike/run back to the car where we all dug into the food and drinks that we had waiting for us. We rearranged the car and all piled in looking for the nearest Pizza place. It was one of the best pizzas I have ever had, and then we started the long drive back to Gilbert with a lifetime memory that no one can ever take away from each and everyone of us. Thanks goes out to all of our crew. Eric, Kata, Nick, Rebecca, and Callie. What a cool group to experience this adventure with. A huge special hug, kiss and thanks goes to my amazing wife, for without her the day never would have
happened. I LOVE YOU MARY!!!

I have been a little distracted.

2010-05-13T13:22:00.000-07:00

I have been away from the blog for some time. For me my blogging goes hand in hand with the feeling of accomplishment and hard work. Don't ask me why, just seems to work that way.
So I have a few things to finally share. Not sure where to start so I will just jump right in!!
March- seemed to just fly by. We had a great, (but way to short), to Oceanside California to tackle what has become an annual event for Mary and myself. After a 5ish hour drive to the coast with friends (Kata, Nick & Kevin) following us in car #2, we arrived at MY ocean. A quick stop off at the packet pickup (right on the ocean) and then a check in at our condo for the next 48hrs. (again, right on the ocean), and at the start and finish line of the IM 70.3 race. Pizza and a beer for dinner (right on the water), and an early to bed.
Race morning started early as usual, but it was sure nice to be 100 yards from transition. I went into the race a little under prepared on the bike, and a little over prepared on the run. All in all my day went so, so. I biked a little faster than last year, and ran a little slower. Go figure!, my over all time ended up a few seconds faster than the previous year. Mary on the other hand smashed the course for a huge course "PR". After wards we had two things on our minds 1- get Mary a slot to Canada, and then get us all some Margaritas!! and so we did, and then some. We all followed that up with a little (not so midnight, swim in the Pacific) it was actually like 9pm.
Mary made it all the way to 9:37pm before passing out on our bed for the night. Great time had by all. Next morning we where up bright and early and on our bikes to our favorite little breakfast/coffee shop, Buccaneers (right on the Ocean). Unfortunately the end of breakfast marked the end of the Ocean, and it was time to pack the cars and drive back to Phoenix. All in all it was a great weekend and we will be back

No, Really, I am still alive!!

2010-02-24T12:01:00.000-08:00

I know, I know, it has been a looooong while since I have blogged. See what happens when you get married!!??
Just kidding. Marriage has been great. Not much different than it was before December, except for when Mary had to figure out the taxes.
Life has been crazy busy, Mary is now working 6 days a week, and of course we are both still training full on.
I have raced a few times in 2010, with lots more to come. I raced the PF Changs 1/2. result was ok with a time of 1:22. we got to meet some great runners. Olympians Ryan Hall & Deena Kastor to name a few.
After that I raced the Londons 1/2 with a little better result of 1:19 (course was short), but finished 2nd overall.
Race # 3 was the Pemberton 50K trail race, I ended up doing as a relay with Kelsey. We smoked the course settinga new course record and winning the overall relay award.
Next of the schedule is the Desert Classic Duathlon( stay tuned on the results). on 2-28-10...
Our next trip will be to Oceanside Cali for the IM 70.3. We love this race, and the location. My favorite place, wish we could live there soooooo bad.
Most importantly though is the upcoming marathon fun. Mary, Katie and I will be toeing the line at the Boston Marathon (Mary & Katie's 1st time), on April 19th. Mary is VERY excited, which makes me very excited for her. We will have a fabulous time in BeanTown, then 6 days later we will follow that up with a trip to Monterrey Cali, to run the BIg Sur 26.2. This may be very interesting.
Keeping the theme of new and crazy things we then leave for the Grand Canyon on May 14th to run the Rim to Rim to Rim or something like that!?
Stay tuned and I will try to do a better job of staying updated, at least until June when the Ironman Training kicks in full force!!!

It is all Legal and Shit now!!

2009-12-14T11:52:00.000-08:00

Thats right, we did it. All hitched up and married!!!

It has been a very exciting few weeks after IMAZ. We finally hit out "off season", and we kicked it off in a big way with out first beermile. I will spare you most of the details, and just leave it at this "We Are the CHAMPIONS my friends" Thats right Mary and myself have bragging rights for the next year after hammering the competition at the Beer Mile Worldchampionships. Ok, well at least the PTC club championships. Finishing #1 and #2 overall.

Next up was our BIG Day. Again I will spare you most of the details, but we, along with several of our friends did Vegas, the 1/2 marathon and the run through wedding on Dec 6th. What a fun time we had.

Then to top off our final week of off season we showed up yesterday to Usery Park for the Ride N Tie. We where tapered and ready to go, our new game plan worked well, we just cam up short. Finishing first in the Coed division, and a podium finish of top three overall. What huge fun we had. the highlight of course being the not so aide station at mile 4. Which included hammering down to nice size glasses of egg nog and grapefruit juice mixed together, and two bowls of other assorted hard to chew and swallow treats. Thanks Eric!!

Next up is our annual New Years day 5k, and hopefully a New years eve polar bear plunge, if we can talk some of our wussy friends into joining us!!

Last Time

2009-12-04T16:51:00.000-08:00

Just a quick little note to mention this is the last blog I will make as a single man.
We are off to Vegas in the morning, and will be wed on sunday morning during the Vegas 1/2 marathon. There will be much to follow. Until then, look out Vegas!!

Where has 2009 went?

2009-11-09T14:46:00.000-08:00

Wow, as I sit here typing this blog entry, I realized that 2009 is coming to a close. It just seems like Nov 2008 and I was so excited about what 2009 would bring, and how far off it all seemed to be.
I am now facing my last real race week of the year, and I feel so unsatisfied by my 2009 race season. On the other hand, the most amazing thing happened on September 13th. It made all the tough times in 2009 seem less important. That my friends is a day that will be remembered by many for the rest of our lives. Just a little recap, that is when Mary finished her latest Ironman(Wisconsin). While crossing the finish line she held up a sign high over her head reading,
(Dan, Marry Me)?
Of course I said yes just seconds later and the party began.
This saturday I toe the line at my 2nd Ironman World Championship for 2009. It is the 70.3 race in Clearwater, Florida, and unlike 4 weeks ago, I will smash the shit out of it. I will then hurry home to my sweetheart and help her get ready for her final Ironman of the 2009 season, and another "PR". Followed by turkey day at our house with her family and Megan, which is going to be tons of fun. Then less than two weeks later it is off to Vegas to get hitched at the Las Vegas Marathon. Then the following week is Mary's 33rd B-day, then it is 10 days til xmas and then it is New Years day, and we will be preparing to watch the BUCKEYES win a bowl game.
Which officially marks the start of the 2010 race season. Lots of fun on the schedule for 2010, capping it off 50 1/2 weeks from now with a smashing of the Ironman Arizona course and my new "PR"!!!
Whew, I am worn out just thinking about it. Stay tuned for a exciting ride!!

My first Hawaii trip!!!

2009-10-20T15:17:00.000-07:00

I will start my race report with a little recap of the days leading up to the big day.

*Tuesday, October 6th
Mary and I were awoken at 4:30a.m by the sound of our alarm clock screaming “it is time to go to Hawaii, get your asses up. A quick loading of the car and we where off to SkyHarbor airport. Along the way Mary started a photo-documentary of our travels. Normally we never take any pictures when we go somewhere and I spend the entire time saying where is the camera? Great job sweetheart!
After dragging what would become a very familiar job of traveling with 2 bike boxes and 2 other checked bags, we were finally aboard our first of many flights on our way to Honolulu. Arriving right on time and after a short lay over onto our next leg of the trip to the big island of Hawaii and our final destination , for a few days at least of Kailua-Kona. Ironman holy ground and the mecca of Ironman racing.
Our rental jeep and bikes all loaded , off we headed onto the first journey down the infamous Queen K Hwy. Just like in all the pictures I had seen, it was uninviting, very windy, and humid as hell. A short 15 minutes later we pulled down Alii Drive and into out accommodations for race week. The Royal Kona Resort. At this point the next three and a half days where pretty much a blur, with a few things sticking out here and there.

* Wednesday, October 7th
Mary and I meet Marc Rubin at the pier for my first swim on the actual World Championship course.
We swam about 40 minutes, which included a trip out to the Kona Coffee boat, where you swim up and they serve you free shots of coffee or Gatorade. Then we headed off towards our turn around buoy when we saw Roch Frey on his stand up paddle board. He asked if either of us wanted to give it a try, and Mary not having to worry about getting injured before race day rose her hand and jump on up. She only went for a short time, but was totally hooked, and wants to go again soon. The swim back in to shore was kinda crazy, we had what seemed like thousands of swimmers all going in the opposite direction, so we put Marc out front to block for us and let him lead us home safely.
Then I knew it was time to face the demons and go for a short ride out on the Queen K. Mary and I loaded the Jeep and headed out to find a place to park and start our ride from. It was getting warm already and it must have been only 8:30a.m. Down the road we went, after about 20 minutes Mary texted me and said :I have had enough, “I am going back to the car to wait for you”. Seems she forgot to eat and with the heat, and wind ,was already bonking. So I went out 30 minutes and then came back. I felt great that day on the bike. Must be a good omen, RIGHT?! We will see.

*Thursday , October 8th (THE UNDER PANTS RUN)
T-minus two days until blast off. The morning started off with a nice lttle run around Alii drive with several of my closest freinds, oh yeah, we where all in our underwear. A lot of fun, some things you never want to see again, and some things that you wish you had on a poster.(The Lovato's).Following the run it started to feel like this thing is going to actually happen when Marc and I went through registration together giving each other shit and taking tons of pics of each other. We where interviewed by Jessi Steensland from Active.com. It is up on their website under Ironman videos.
Once we had our athlete wristbands and all that goes with them, we hit the Ironman store for a few hard earned gifts. Marc and I had waited a long time to be able to buy some IRONMAN WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS gear. With goodies in tow we headed back to our rooms for a little R&R.
The remainder of the day was pretty low key, a little jog, and dinner and off to bed.

*Friday, October 9th
This day is all about bike and gear bag check in. this was one of the coolest parts of my experience, you show up with said gear and bikes at a time determined by your bib number. When you arrive they have at least 50 people from all walks of the cycling world counting and checking out every little piece of bike equipment you have, from the frame down to your bottle cages, and everything in between. Then you are taken by your very own volunteer through transition. They take your bags, your bike anything you need and walk you through every inch of transition and answer every possible question you may have. So first class, you know you are in Kona now!! So after leaving my trusty steed behind off Mary and I head for an early dinner and bed time.

Race Day
October 10th 2009
(the day I had waited for and dreamed about for soooo long, the day that just a few weeks back I didn’t know if I was going to be part of) as many of you know my trials and tribulations I will make this brief, but I missed qualifying by :12 seconds in April of 2008 in a sprint finish to the line. Only to come back in November of the same year to get the last qualifying spot in my age group by :11 seconds in a sprint finish to that same line. After all the hard work and sacrifice I was in the best shape of my life leading into the end of July 2009 when I was forced off the road by a car while riding my bike. Resulting in 4 breaks of my right clavicle and followed by surgery to insert a metal plate and 7 screws to hold it all in place. After weeks of extreme rehab I decided that even based on my limited training base that there was no way I was missing this day damn it!!!
So anyway, back to race day. We woke up at 4:30 and after the normal stuff we headed down to the swim start where we met up with Marc Rubin , Jeff Bassett and their families. I did my body marking, and we did some picture taking and Marc, Jeff and I started getting our minds right for the day that laid ahead.
Finally a big kiss good bye to Mary and I was headed into transition and it was time to put on my not so speedy speed suit, and head to the water.

THE SWIM

Well just so happens among the 1800 plus athletes I swam right up to Jeff and we hung out the final 5 minutes or so together excited to get the day going. Then bam, the cannon sounded and it was every man or woman for themselves. Let the slugfest begin! I spent the next 30ish minutes trying to find some clean water. What most of you don’t know is that I met with my surgeon the week before and the x-rays showed that the bone is not healed yet and that as long as no one kicked or punched me in my shoulder then I should be fine. Well lets just say that is all that happened for the first 30 minutes or so, and that was all I could hear in my head was him telling me that, and all I could think was I wasn’t getting dragged out of this water by a life guard and having my day cut short. (not finishing was not a option)!
Once I made the turn buoy I figured out a couple of things, first off the life guards keep the course so tight that each time I saw one of them and they pointed us towards the other way it was because the width of the course was only like 25 meters. So each time I corrected myself I was correcting to far and was ending up on the other side of the 25 meters, but I thought I kept swimming way off course. The other effect of this narrow alley is that everyone stays right on top each other pretty much the entire swim. Just after the turn I had to stop and dump the salt water out of my goggles because my eyes where on fire and that is when I realized the narrowness of the course and felt like I swam a much straighter line back to shore. I came out of the water and looked at my watch 1:16, the slowest, by far Ironman swim I have ever had, I bent down and kissed the top step so happy to be back on dry land.

T1

Pretty nonevent full, hosed the salt water off of me, took off my speed suit and headed for the long run to the bike. I think only Ironman Wisconsin has a longer T1 transition .

THE BIKE

My first order of business was to get up the hill out of transition and get some water in my mouth.
I had swallowed my share of salt water over the last hour and my nose was burning and my mouth was so damn dry. All I could think about was getting that ocean taste out of my mouth.
Onto the bike course I saw Mary ay about mile 5 and then after the turn around at about mile 7ish . I blew her a big kiss because I knew from this point on it was going to be a long time and a major effort before I would see her again. One or two small turns and we where off onto the Queen K. This time it counted, and my very simple plan was to go out conservatively to mile 60 in Hawi (the turn around) and just see how things played out from there. My first sign of the trouble that lay ahead was when I had my first ever flat in a competition. Mile 30 into the World Championships, are you kidding me, and of course it was the back so it takes a little more time to change and causes a much bigger mess of grease on your hands for the rest of the day. Oh well, 5 to 10 minutes later I was off again. I was feeling good and flying by people, most of whom I had already passed once. At one point in the the first 45 or so miles I was still averaging over 22 mph. I knew that was a little fast, but didn’t feel like I was really killing myself at that point. Then things changed in a hurry. The ride up to Hawi was into a tough head wind. Though I made the turn and was flying again at 40 mph down hill and pretty darn happy. Here is when the awakening happened around mile 75 or so, I noticed that my average speend was dropping quickly, and I had no answer for it. The wind was relentless, and the word to describe my day came out for the first time, BRUTAL!!! I just started thinking about survival, it didn’t make sense to me, I had ridden lots of windy days, and on bigger hills, but my body
Just was not responding. Now what? I did everything I could think of to change things, eat, drink, salt tabs, stand up and stretch, nothing made a difference. Then I lost my chain, so I though ok, get off and fix it and take a minute to stretch your legs out. Here I have about 25 miles to go and start to cramp like I have never cramped before. My adductor muscles where in full rigor, I could not pedal. Not good! Seriously, not at all,
I grabbed a mouth full of salt tabs, and half a bottle of Infinit, and hoped for the best. Luckily the let up, but I could tell the damage was done and I wasn’t out of the dark yet. Just try to get back to town is what I kept telling myself. Not finishing is not an option!!! Do whatever it takes. It started to become so painful that I was actually yelling in pain. I got to the last him coming into town and was not sure how I would get up it, I had 1 mile to go and couldn’t stand, sit, pedal coast, it all hurt like hell full on Charlie horses in my legs and nothing helped, with lots of yelling and effort I made it to the top and never pedaled again, I coasted the last mile back into transition. Bike time with my flat was 6:03. By far my slowest bike leg ever.

T2

I honestly have never been happier to be off of my bike in my entire life, but I can not even run through T2,
So I walk the entire way to the changing tent, did I mention that it is a really long transition area?!
I grabbed my run bag and sat down in a chair. Trying to think what I can do to help myself out of this deep hole I had gotten into.

THE RUN

If you want to call it a run. It was more like a walk with intervals of running included. My problem of leg crapping became major stomach cramping instead. I walked the first mile out of transition where I saw Mary and the Triscottsdale group. I was hurting bad at this point and Mary gave me some tough love, basically she told me this is what I had worked so hard for and it was time to dig deeper than I had ever dug before and just get to the finish line. Not finishing was not an option, even if it took until midnight. I really thought at that point that it could take until midnight. I saw Marc on my way out to the first run turn around and he too was suffering, and he told me to catch him. I so wanted to, but every time I tried to run my legs cramped and worst my stomach would just double me over. Mary came by on her bike at about mile 5 and gave me some encouraging words for the next few miles, but then it was off to the Queen k again. This part from mile 10 until the turn around in the energy lab at mile 17ish, was the longest section of any race in my life. I tried everything to be able to run and nothing worked. I tried food, not good, cola, not good, gels, not good, water, not good, I tried to vomit and couldn’t, I tried to pass gas and couldn’t. I was just run a bit and walk a bit. Finally when I entered the Energy Lab things started to come around a little. I was able to run a little farther each attempt. I was flying when I was running the entire time, around 7 minute miles. Finally at about 19 miles I was able to start hammer out entire miles at a time before the cramping would come. So on and off I went. Once I hit mile 24 I said get this shit done, suck it up and finish already. I ran to the top of the last hill (Palani) and made the turn down hill to the 25mile mark, I just dug in and kept pushing, flying by people, onto the last right turn onto Alii Dr and the finish line. Just before the finish I see Mary and all of my buddies that had raced and all of our friends and families that came out and yelled for nearly 13 hours in that heat and humity, and I ran up the ramp and Mike Reilly called me an Ironman again. What a feeling and what a day.
As I wandered out of the finishing area there was mu love Mary to take care of me, and boy did I need it.
I always say that I want to push myself until I vomit in a race, and this time I did twice after finishing. Thanks to Marc and the use of his room and shower. Now lets go get some French fries!!!!!

This was the hardest day in my racing career, and I am so grateful for it!
Thank you to everyone that sent me so many kind words through face book and text, and phone calls.
A big Thank You to my medical team that help me realize this dream, Dr Amit @ASMC, Matt (The scrapper) Kraemer, Shawna @ Endurance Rehab, Christina (Surf Kats) LaRoche, Carson Robertson @ Alpha Chiropratic, & Jason Loth @ Sports Docs.
Thank you to Triscootsdale for being such a great bunch of teammates. I will be back!!!
Most of all thank you to my fiancee Mary, with out here support I would never have made it to Kona.
I can not put into words what she has meant to me, and can not even begin to list all of the things she has done for me. I love you!!

Mahalo
Dan

Mary and I in front of the Big Island Jewlery store. Where Mary bought our wedding rings!

Action Sports International - Ironman Wisconsin

2009-09-17T16:00:00.000-07:00

Action Sports International - Ironman Wisconsin

I'm Getting hitched!!! What a weekend

2009-09-17T14:47:00.000-07:00

Well as some of you may know by now. I'm engaged!!! Woop, Woop!!!

Thats right, Mary actually proposed to me.

Not just a "will you be my spouse" thing. It was huge and dramatic.

We where in Wisconsin for Mary's 4th Ironman. She had a really solid day throughout, coming out with a new PR (personal record). The day started with the swim and seeing Mary come out of the water and heading up the helix to T1 and her nice new bike. Katie, Alida and myself took a

fast pit stop for breakfast, and headed out to Verona to catch the bike portion. We found a great spot on the corner and I got John's bike out and set off looking for Mary. In no time at all she came by finishing up her first of two 42mile loops. We all cheered and took pics as she passed by. I tried to keep up with her for a few miles and snap some more action pictures but she was flying , and after about 5 or so miles I turned around and headed back to the girls to wait for her 2nd pass by before heading back to Madison. As soon as she passed by we jumped into the car and where off to catch her on the run. Just as we got set on State street she came out of T2 and came running by looking so good with a huge smile. (More on the reason for that smile later). So once past us I headed off on the bike to see what I could see. I right away ran into Hillary (Biscay) and rode off of her side for a couple of miles finally leaving so as not to get her into a dis-qualification senario. Then i found Mary finally coming up the Howard Temlin Lakeshore path, she looked great and was just hammering. I rode by her for about 3 or so miles, and then decided after not eating at this point in about 7 hours, I needed fuel. I bike back to State street to meet up with the girls at BW3 for a quick chicken sandwich and then back on the bike to find Mary. Locating her at the roundabout by the Vet school roughly 16-17 miles into the run. She still looked great, but said she was starting to fade do to lack of calories. So she spent the next 2-3 miles taking in all she could, finally getting some chocolate chip cookies at 18.5 mile (just before the big hill section) which seemed to do the trick. Funny enough just shortly after this I decided to stop at the end of State street where she had a little out and back turnaround. This is funny because at the exact moment is when Katie handed her a surprise for later. I did not even notice anything at this point and was back on the bike next to her for another mile or so. At mile 21 I asked her if i was annoying her and if i should just head back to the finish line. Mary said just go hang out with the girls at the finish line and I will be there soon. As I was about to leave i notice her carrying a (what I thought was a white t-shirt) and asked her if I should take it for her, she tells me no thats ok, I will keep it in case I get cold. I am thinking COLD, how the hell is she going to get cold and this point of the race? One thing I know though is that you DO NOT question someone at mile 21 of the run during an Ironman, you just do what they say! So off I headed to the finish.

This is where it is still amazing that everything fell into place. (stay with me). So before going to the finish line I decided to go back to the hotel to drop off the bike, so I wouldn't have to deal with it later. Then i decided shit i have time i might as well take a shower also. Then i headed to the finish figuring that I still had about 15 minutes before Mary would be there. When I arrived the girls where standing and cheering for the finishers and said hey come on up here and stand by us. Just then Hillary texted me that she was in the vip tent, and to come by and say hey. So I tell Katie I will be right back. Later I find out she just about shit herself when I left!!! I walked over to the vip tent and said hey to Paula and Heather and noticed a nice opening right next to the finish line, so I stepped up into the prime position. Doing so i could see Katie and Alida looking for me so I waved at them and they saw me, i yelled I will right over, and they are like, no, no, just stay there you have a better view! less than two minutes later I can see off in the distance a white bra, and blue hawaii print skirt and knew it was my girl. So i readied the camera and as she approaches I see her holding a sign over her head that through the camera and at a distance I thought said something about Des Moines, I thought someone must have gave it to her in the last straight away seeing she was from Iowa. Just a split second later as Mike Reily is calling her name out I see the sign and as Mike reads it out loud I read it "Dan, marry ME"

Holy shit!!! as I take off to meet her at the medals area, I run up and hug her and say YES!!!!

Wow! what and exciting moment. The girls show up just minutes later and apparently Katie hands Mary the ring, and she gets down on one knee after 12:39:00 minutes of racing and places it on my finger. It just doesn't get any better than this my friends. The crazy thing is that everyone at the race and in Phoenix and Iowa knew all about this and I never had a clue. What is so ironic is that I had been trying to figure out just the perfect time and place to propose to her (again)!

Lets just say the next night was a bit of a celebration and i may have celebrated just a bit too much. It made for a LONG plane ride back to Phoenix, but we had fun. What a trip and thank you to everyone that helped Mary pull this off, it is something i will never ever forget!!

Mostly, thank you to you Mary for making me the person you want to spend the rest of your life with. I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Day 11!!

2009-08-19T12:24:00.000-07:00

Yes today was day 11 of my attempted come back. The first week was pretty rough both physically and mentally. The one is obvious, but the mental part I didn' t really expect. I thought shit everything will be great once I can start to workout again. I never thought I would feel like I had never run before, and I never thought I wouldn't be able to use my right arm properly. Just figured as soon as the clavicle was good to go all would be back to normal. WOW, how wrong I was!!
I have finally just in the last couple of days started to feel like I may actually be able to run right again. The biking has gone the best of all, I really didn't feel a huge drop off. The real concern now is when and if I am going to be able to start swimming. I have now 7 1/2 weeks until Kona, and haven't swam a stroke in over 5 weeks. So thus the mental part again. Thinking starts to go like this: here I am now killing myself to get my bike and run back to pre wreck, and if I can't finish the swim than it is for nothing, and of course I can't finish the swim until I can actually start the swim. Damn!!!
The good news is that Mary starts taper in 4 more days, and then 3 weeks later we head off to IMWI where I get to watch and train while Mary goes for the gold. It will be nice to get away for a while and with my fingers still crossed, be able to put some good swim/bike/run training in.
So tomorrow will be two full weeks of rehab at Endurance with Matt (the scrapper), I sure hope next week will include me in the water starting to not drown!! :))

I'm Back!!!

2009-08-08T10:50:00.001-07:00

Just like when Michael Jordan made his return to basketball, with his announcement by fax simply saying,"I'm back".

I to "am back".

I did my first run today after not running a step for 4 weeks. I was awesome to be back out there. My injury never hurt, but everything else sure has hell did. I have a ways to come to be pre injury, but at least now I feel like I am going forward for the first time in 4 weeks.

Much more to come over the next 9 weeks.

Stay tuned!!!!

Yes, I am alive :)))

2009-08-05T14:18:00.000-07:00

I still don't really feel like recanting the day that has changed our lives for the last 3 1/2 weeks. I am sure at some point I will go there, but right now I have something else on my mind. "MARY"

If I had ever any doubt if I had found the person to spend the remainder of my life with that all changed on July 12th at 9:07am. That is when Mary took over, no not like she normally does having to be in control of this or that. No this time she became even more of my everything then ever before. She was my life line for over two weeks, she was at my every beck and call, no matter how ridiculous it was, no matter if it was day or night. She feed me, bathed me, dressed me, nursed me, and never a second of complaint. I can without question state that i could have never made it through this extremely tough time with out Mary taking such amazing care of me.
She was so unbelievable, I wish I could have been a fly on the wall so as to just step back and see her at work. I can only remember bits and pieces of those first two weeks after surgery, for everything i do remember I am sure there where many more moments of struggle.
Not only do I have the most beautiful women in the world to go home to every night (Hands down), but I have "the" person that understands me, has my same likes, and most of the same dislikes, but also the same dreams and love that i have. I look forward to our long and exciting, love filled life together more everyday. Thank you my love!!!

Happy Birthday United States of America!!!!!

2009-07-02T12:00:00.000-07:00

I sit here on July 2nd thinking about my long weekend of suffering on the bike and run in some amazing heat and humidity, and thinking about all of my friends that are going away for the weekend for one reason or another. i.e to go somewhere cooler, to take some off days from training, to watch fireworks, etc...

It sounds crazy, but I really am looking forward to my sufferfest this weekend. Guess thats why I am going to Kona and some of the others aren't. It is not that I am "that" special gifted guy. It is that I am self motivated and work my ass off EVERY day.

Last year at this time Mary and I where in recovery from IMCDA and doing some sightseeing and running in Sedona and Flastaff for the 4th weekend. As much as we both really enjoyed it, needless to say neither of us could stand actually taking two days off from running, so we ran everyday, Sedona on some strange road and in a park that I could never find again if I had to, and then at 7000ft in Flagstaff. Our 1st times ever visiting either place.

This weekend it will be Training and Tour de France all weekend. We can't wait!!!

Happy 4th of July!!!!!!!!!!!!

Where did it go....?

2009-06-26T18:04:00.000-07:00

I sit here looking at my last blog, it was two weeks ago already that I tuned 41 years young.

In addition I am at the end of my recovery week wondering where the hell the week went!!

Alot has happened in the last 24hrs, reminding me of how fast life goes by.

Yesterday the world lost two major aerican icons. First thing in the morning I heard of Farrah passing, she lost the battle with a horrible illness that I would not wish on my worst enemy.

Then later in the afternoon it was Michael Jackson. As a kid I absolutley adored Farrah and her "POSTER", I mean charles angels was a must see tv show.

As for MJ. Well he was simply the most powerful single person EVER to record music. He reinvented himself over and over, and even though his personal life was a freakin nightmere, people all over the world loved and adored him. As Mary said yesterday, he was the equal of Elvis for anyone between the ages of 30-60.

Well this weekend we will go to Mt. Lemon to suffer a little bit on the bike & run. I am sure that their deaths will ring in our ears for some time!!!

RIP!!!!!!!!!!!

They say it's your birthday!! Nah, nah,nah!!!

2009-06-12T11:29:00.000-07:00

Now this is a BIRTHDAY CAKE!!!

Yes it is June 12th!!! My 41st b-day. So at 9:27 pm this evening will actually be the 2132th week that I have been on this earth.

The cool thing about a persons birthday is that you just feel like you have a little more spring in your step, and many of the worlds worries are kinda forgotten for a day.

My money issues, my car issues, that house needing cleaned, the fact that I haven't shaved in a few days, etc... They will all be there tomorrow, so i will deal with it on June 13th! :) or not!

It is also a great day to reflect on life, and all the life experiences that one has had.

I try not to think what if??? You make choices in life that at the time you coud never fathom will shape your future they way they do. You can't forsee how things workout, and you never make a choice at the time that seems like a bad idea. It is so easy to say I wish I could have, or would have, but in the end you have to be happy with your choices, because without those paths one has taken you wouldn't have ended up with all the great experiences and people that are in your life at the current.

As a person who probably would have ended up playing Major League Baseball and having more $$ than i could ever imagine, but I made choices that took me another way when several of my friends followed the path and did so. If I hadn't made the decisions I made at that time in my life i would never have ended up in Wisconsin, would have never meet my ex wife, would have never had my beautiful daughter Megan, and would have never ended up in Illinois and meeting my lifes true love and best friend Mary! So even though it seems like sometimes you take the wrong paths and make bad choices, you have to let life play out and appreciate it for what it is.

I truely am fortunate and would never go back and change a thing!!

My work has been noticed

2009-06-08T16:53:00.000-07:00

Inspirational Moments in Ironman: Five
Gaylia Osterlund offers up her fifth installment of inspiring Ironman stories
Published Monday, June 8, 2009
This month we feature two Ironman qualifying stories - Gilbert, Arizona's Dan Beaver, pictured here and Delaware's Margaret Amidon.

Dan Beaver – Gilbert, Arizona – Running for Seconds
It would be the same race, but later in the year where Dan Beaver would redeem himself.
At Ironman Arizona in April, 2008, Beaver was having a solid day. He started the run alongside Chris, a guy from his age-group, and they ran stride-for-stride for most of the marathon. It was in the final mile where the dynamic shifted. The two came around the corner, entered the finish chute and what was a friendly rivalry became an all out sprint to the line. With just 25 yards to go, Beaver fell off the pace and finished 11 seconds behind Chris. What the two didn’t know was they were racing for the last slot to Kona in their division.
Fast forward to Tempe in November of 2008. All day, Beaver kept reminding himself that every 11 seconds counts. Little did he know how well his mantra would serve him. At the spot where he had been dropped by Chris in April, he willed himself to pick up the pace and, as he made that same turn, he saw a very different picture.
“There was one more guy in front of me but I could not see the age on his calf,” he explains. “I told myself to keep pushing because he could be the one to get the last slot.”
In his last acceleration for the pass he glanced down and saw they were the same age.
“I just went with all I had to the line. I finished 12 seconds ahead of him and this time, I claimed the last slot in our age-group!”
In a year where every athletic endeavor is going his way, Dan says those 11 seconds lost are a lesson he will never forget.

Memorial Day already???

2009-05-21T11:38:00.000-07:00

Can't believe we are already at the end of May. My next B-Day is only a few weeks away, and Kona is getting closer and closer.

Last weekend was full of excitement in The Beaver/Knott family. Mary had an amazing trip to and through the Grand Canyon. She is still raving about it, even though she can still barely walk right!! LOL!!!!!!!

I on the other hand stayed home and race an Olympic distance Tri in 107 degree temps.

Short and sweet race report. Swim sucked 31minutes (was about 200-300 meters long), bike went well for me. (1:03), and the run was fantasic (36:45).

This week has been kinda crazy with Dancing with the Stars and American Idol wrapping the season up, and the last day of 4th grade for Megan.

So this weekend we are going to head south to Tucson for some bike training on Mt. Lemon. (26 miles straight up) can't wait!!!

Wishing everyone a great memorial day weekend!

Bringing on the heat!!!

2009-05-13T11:30:00.001-07:00

It has finally hit!!!! Summer of 2009.

We are in the 6th day of 100+ degree days, and there is no end in site.

This weekend is going to be interesting in two ways. My love Mary is heading to the Grand Canyon with a group of people to run the Rim to Rim on sat/sun.

I on the other hand with be racing the Tempe International Tri on sunday. We are expecting temps of around 104, which should make the run very interesting. This is also the Arizona Club Championships, meaning that all of the tri clubs in AZ are going after the championship trophy. We (Triscottsdale) should be very strong!!!

It will be a lonely time for me without Mary around this weekend, even at the race. I enjoy nothing more than sharing my life everyday with her.

I am also posting one of latest race pics from the other day in the rain!!! SEE ABOVE

Feliz Cinco De Mayo!!!

2009-05-05T16:08:00.001-07:00

Holy shit, where did April go? We are ready into the first week of May, and all that free time I thought I had until training started for Kona is gone!!! The beautiful days in the 80's are gone with it.

I am now down to like 22 weeks until the suffering on the lava fields, A.K.A Ironman World Championships (Hawaii)! We are now in the midst of our first solid run of 100+ days, and the winds are still crazy strong. So what better way to prepare for the Queen K?

I am still a little confused on how I am going to handle IMWI in Sept. or should I say how I will handle the run leg. I will go hard on the swim, and really work the bike, but the run is where i can really dothe most damage to myself just 4 weeks away from Kona. So as i see it my options are limited to:

1- Don't do the run at all.

2- Just do half of the run and drop out.

3- Take it very, very easy on the run and not care if it takes me 4 hrs +.

4- Just race the damn thing from start to finish and hope I can recover in 4 weeks for Kona.

There are pros and cons to each one of these choices, and I can't decide what is the best! Damn it!!!!

In the mean time, it is just a ton of training and suffering here in the desert and doing everything I can to make myself stronger everyday. I must remember that everyday is an opportunity to get myself faster and that each day counts as much as all the others.

Keep your fingers crossed for Mary and myself. It is a big fall for us. maybe bigger than anyone knows right now!! :)))) Stay tuned...

1 Down, 4 to go!!!

2009-04-07T16:21:00.000-07:00

Fresh home after our little trip to California for Ironman 70.3 Oceanside. We had a great extended weekend. I love traveling and spending extra alone time with my Mary!!! We are so good together. :)

Up early friday morning we arrived at the Pacific Ocean before noon. It is so beautiful, I love it on the beach.

Anyway, we got all checked in and went for pizza and an early bed time seeing that race morning would be another 4am or so wake up call.

Lets just say race morning was a little cool. As we hurried to get our wetsuits on just to keep warm walking around. I could actually see my breath so it wasn't just that we have gotten soft living in the desert.

The swim went off with out my issue, I was suprised how the salt water tasted after being in the pool and lakes for sooo long, but with the wave start I didn't have to get used to swallowing it from repeated blows to the face an head like a typical Ironman swim. I exited the swim with (for me) a very respectable time of 31 minutes. Through T1 and off on the bike for one of the coolest bike legs I have ever done in a race or training for that matter. Several REAL big hills, with a view of the Pacific Ocean for the better part of the ride. I felt really strong the entire ride and as usual really felt good towards the back side of the course. i call it the "smelling the stable effect".

When I get close to the finish I really hammer it. I went by alot of people in the last 15miles. Suprising considering I don't fell like my training mileage is where it should be right now. Hey, I'll take it. Bike split 2:37. T2 and off to my favorite, the run.

I felt good from the get go, which is pretty common for me off the bike, I decided not to push it at all the first full loop and if I still felt comfortable I would pick it up later. My garmin wasn't working properly at first so I am not for sure what my first 2 mile splits where. The markers on the course where to hard to spot because of all of the constant comotion going on with the crowds and other runners coming the other way. By mile 3 it started to work and I was just watching my splits stay easy and consistant around 6:30. This is good news, because I have not been able to keep my pace where i would like for my 1/2 ironman runs spilts. This time it felt easy and consistent, finally all of this training is starting to kick in from the last 3 years. Even with 4 sections of running on loose sand i was able to kick the last 1/2 mile and run down a couple more guys in my age group and sprint to the finish line again. Finshing my run at 1:26 a new run PR for a 70.3 distance. Who would have thought it. I figured that the sand portion cost me about another 2 minutes of time, and that i could have easily went 1:24 ish without it. Damn, that is a good sign for the 2009 season.

After a few bites of food off to find Mary and see her finish. Mary was wayyyyy under trained for this race and was smart enough not to push it beyond her limits for no reason and to but herself in a place this early in the season that she would have to spend weeks to get out of. IMWI training started for her last week.

After the race we showered, went back to the awards and claimed my slot for the 70.3 World Championships in Clearwater FL Nov 14th. Yes that is only 4 weeks after Kona. We will see what happens.

Then it was off to Margaritaville!!! Yes, we had been thinking about this for weeks. We where joined by our friend Dean and after several Large beverages we stumbled our ways back to our hotels for some well deserved sleep.

Sunday brought the day I had dreamed about for months, a complete day off from training and spending it on Mission Beach with my True Love. What a nice day. Coffee and breakfast, a walk down Oceanside Beach and two hours on Mission Beach. It doesn't get any better.

Oceanside or bust!!!

2009-03-28T11:31:00.000-07:00

Yes!!! Mary and I are heading to California this coming friday. I can't wait.

I love California!!! Especially San Diego area. So even though we are doing a race.

it is kind of a (C+) race. Really it is a good reason to get away for a few days, do a

cool race and spend another day in San Diego chillin after the race.

When we get back it is all in for Ironman training. Shit!!! Ironman Wisconsin is 24 weeks away.

This summer is going to be spent becoming a kick ass cyclist. I don't want to finish last in my age group at my first World Championships in Kona.

I have finally decided that Kona is my one "A" race of 2009. This is the first time maybe ever that I have only one "A" race in a year. So I must really focus on just hammering the shit out of it. (Though I may end up doing the Ironman 70.3 World Championships in NoV) Just a thought!!

Until then I am going to enjoy a little alone time on the beach with Mary!!!!

Boston here we come!!!! :)

2009-03-05T13:33:00.000-08:00

Fresh back from our long weekend trip to Napa, CA.

Mary and I went there with one goal in mind. Qualify her for 2010 Boston Marathon.

We where very much all business the days leading up to race morning. We just enjoyed each others company, and the fact that we didn't have to be anywhere or doing anything for atleast 48 hours. A very nice break for us. If Mary was nervous she sure didn't show it. I tried to keep her preoccupied mentally on other things. Like the damn rooster that woke us up the first morning at the crack of dawn. Lucky I did'nt have a shot gun!!!

Seeing that I had never been to Napa and Mary was a many time visitor she kinda took over as tour guide on friday and saturday. We drove the main road hwy 29 up the valley seeing all of the famous vineyards, until reaching Calistoga which is the start of the marathon course. So we then traveled back to Napa along the Silverado Trail. 23 miles of the marathon are run along this road. Checking out the topography and making mental notes for sunday. Mostly we relaxed and ate (way to much)! leading up to sunday. Now I won't give the race report, because Mary did an excellent job on her blog. http://runnerchick-skirtgirl.blogspot.com/. check it out.

The bottom line is it was a successful weekend, and Mary proved just how damn tough she has become! She hurt, she suffered, and she keep on pushing all the way to the finish line. I am soooooooooooooooooooooo proud of her. I know how it feels to have all the emotions that she has gone through for the last couple months, and so maybe I get "it" better than most, but eveyone should understand how hard she worked physically and mentally to obtain this goal!!!!!

We are now getting ready to head back to california in 4 weeks for the Oceanside 70.3 Ironman on April 4th. before really kicking up the training load to prep for the fall Ironman racing season.

Keep you posted!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Desert Classic and then off to Napa!!

2009-02-19T16:10:00.000-08:00

Things have been pretty quiet on the Dan and Mary front. Just trying to get healthy and preparing for our first flury of races for 2009. Both mentally and physically we have been trying to get back on top of or games.

This weekend we are racing the Desert Classice Duathlon, (http://www.desertclassicduathlon.com/).

Always a fun and challenging course in the Sonoran Desert. This is a world championships qualifier and should have some really kick ass competition form all over the country and world.

Our sights are really set on March 1st. (Napa Marathon), This is going to be the biggggg day for our house hold. Mary WILL qualify for Boston!!! I can't wait.

We come home from Napa and then head back to California in April for the Ironman California 70.3 April 4th. One step at a time though. Keep your fingers crossed and poitive thoughts for us on March 1st~~~

Back from Mars

2009-02-04T15:20:00.001-08:00

Hey, just back to earth! I know I have been away for some time from the blogging.

My blogging kinda goes with my daily life and how I am feeling. As you can see based on the lack of blogs, that I have not really been inspired by any earth moving happenings lately, but finally something exciting. I feel like I am back to REAL training, Mary has a new Marathon picked out on March 1st (Napa Marathon), we have the Desert Classic Duathlon coming up on Feb 22nd, and Amanda Lovato is our Home stay for the weekend. After our Napa trip we come home put in some more solid hill training and then head to Oceanside, Cali for Ironman 70.3 on April 4th.

This past weekend I finally did a longer bike ride to Tortilla Flats, AZ. Some really nice hills and it felt easy!! SHHHHHHH, don't tell anyone!!! wouldn't want to jinx myself.

Most encouraging right now is that my love Mary is feeling good again, and is ready to go get that Boston slot for 2010. At this point we haven't really figured out if I will run all or any of it will her. She will keep me posted!

So we have the Shirtchaser 5k coming up on Feb 14th, which should be lots of fun, Mary has once again volunteered to get in over her head with helping out with the race, but the after party should be a good time!!!

Positive thoughts, and I will keep you all posted!!!

D-Day is around the corner!!!

2009-01-13T16:07:00.000-08:00

Well all the work, sacrifices,pains, early to beds, early to rise, personal trainers, yelling ,cursing

worrying, & ice baths are all behind us. It is time to put the talk behind us and put the feet to the pavement. Thats right, this is Mary's BIG week. She has worked her arse off to reach her goal that is so close she can taste it now. Sunday afternoon we wil be celebrating her big victory and getting on line asap to get registered for THE Boston marathon!!!

Wish us good luck, and stay tuned her for the results of by how much Mary blows away the qualifying time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Finally, we have made it to 2009

2009-01-06T14:28:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I have a lot of things to be thankful for, and can't wait to kick it into full speed ahead mode. 2009 is going to be even more amazing than 2008! If you can believe that.
I have been seeing a PT for 3 weeks now trying to workout my achilles and hip issues. Let me just say that Astym is probably the least pleasant thing I have ever experienced in my life. I say this knowing that I have competed in countless marathons, and 5 Ironman races. I have spent time in several medic tents, and have recieved 2 IV's (Chicago Marathon 2004) after said races. Have spent my time in the Army and going through the gas chamber without a mask on,
but to actually pay someone to peel your skin off of you while awake is in another category all together. That is what it feels like to have Matt take his special blunt metal scrapper to the back of my calf and achilles and scrap until he sees blood. I highly recommend trying this atleast once in your life!!! The funny thing about it is that when I meet with my massage therapist yesterday it made it so I couldn't even feel the fact that she was digging deeper and deeper into my muscles. Guess my pain threshold has just went up yet another degree.
This is all being done so as to have myself in tip top shape for my fall trip to KONA BABY!!!!
2009 is going to be another year of firsts for Mary and I.
Mary's first time qualifying for Boston, my first trip to Kona for the Ironman World Championships, the first time that Mary will run the Boston Marathon, and the first time we will run it stride for stride with one another experiencing all it has to offer together. I can't wait!!!
Who know's maybe I will even marry her this year!
Stay Tuned....

Mary's 32nd Birthday present!

2008-12-17T13:40:00.000-08:00

No it was not some useless rock on a ring or necklace, it was way more priceless.

She received something you can't buy, a "PR"!!! Thats right, we got up nice and early for Mary's special day and went to Scottsdale to run The Fiesta Bowl Half Marathon. That is the way we prefer to celebrate special days in our lives, instead of going out and eating a $100 meal that we should not have eaten any way.

My present to Mary was that I would, (like it or not) pace her through the entire 13.1, or in this case 13.3 miles. With the simple goal of getting her that new 1/2 marathon PR. I was exactly three weeks out from Ironman AZ, and had not done any real training since, as for running I had only ran one run over 8miles (11miler easy) in the last 21days. So knowing that (A) It would be pointless for me to race, and (B) it woud be sooo much more fun actually helping Mary get that fast time, that off we went.

As usual we went through mile 1 too fast for the day (6:48), so that is when I decide that I had better take over at this point and keep her in check, and make the day successful. I am sure that she could have PR"D without me, but seeing that I was with her we where without a question gonna PR, or else. So we settled in to a nice comfy 7:15ish pace pretty much the next 9 miles, each time I would hear her breathing pick up and the pace quicken I would make her hold back some. It was like holding the reins on a young colt, she just wanted to go. In my mind I wanted her to enjoy finishing strong and not strugling to the line. It is so much more of a positive to finish passing, then it is being passed, and after all, this day was a training race, the BIG PICTURE is keeping our eyes on the prize Jan 18th. So I had not told her, but was thinking hold her back until mile 10 or so and then let her set the pace. The only catch was that if she slowed down I would make her pick it up, but she could go as fast as felt comfortable. So as we approached the 10 mile mark I told her this, and I kinda just dropped back a step or two and let her go. Mary just stayed consistent another 7:15ish for mile 11. So I explained to her that it would be ok to start to build little by little from here on out, just pick it up a little bit at a time, again she would set the pace not me, and she did at just after mile12 she started to push it more up the one hill on the course, and I could tell she was starting to feel it now. GOOD, that was the point see what you can do the back end of the race. She started pushing it just a little too much to soon (6:40's pace) and we backed it off just a little again for about 50 yards so she recover for the last .25 of a mile. Then I picked out a row of trees and said when we hit them you are gonna puc to the line, and Bam she is off, so I just stayed with her we are now under 7:00 pace again and stuggling too keep it, with the last turn we can see the clock and I tell her she has 30 seconds to break 1:36:00, and she says Shit!! and picks it up to an all out sprint to the line 1:36:07!!!!

and a new PR by over 2 minutes from just 4 weeks ago!!!!!

Way to go Babe, very proud of you, and can't think of a better way to spend your birthday!!!~!

Blah, blah, blah

2008-12-11T13:18:00.000-08:00

so you can tell by the frequency of my blogs that I haven't had a lot of excitement going on recently. I am in the 3rd week of my recovery from Ironman Arizona, and Just started this week getting serious and structured workouts again. Well kinda!!
I actually woke up on monday and had a bike and a run on my schedule, but because Mary had the day off and didn't have to be out running at 5am I decided to stay in bed with her and enjoy not having to actually be somewhere. So I skipped my ride and just went for my run 1 1/2 later. So nice to be able to do that.
I have been feeling really motivated with my running, but not so much with the bike or swim. There is One thing I have know for sometime about myself, and that is I NEED to have some goal ahead of me, I don't do well with too much rest and without direction. Seeing that I don't have any tri's until April, but with several larger runs before hand I guess I have just migrated towards running, that and the fact that I enjoy running the most!!! Also up until tuesday of this week I have been able to swim outside, but as of tuesday the 60 degree water was not any fun for swim workouts without my wetsuit, so now I am inside swimming until spring, and I HATE SWIMMING INSIDE!!!!! I hate it so much that I actually swam 750 meters in that water on tuesday before giving up and going inside to finish my workout. Just for the record I may have been a little chilled from my early morning ride in the cool & dark. So I may try it outside yet again this week on saturday!!

Sunday is a BIG day in our house, it is Mary's B-day and she is racing a half marathon,(The Fiesta Bowl 1/2), which I am attempting to pace her through. She has been running well and has came such a long way. I am so excited for her and the big day in just over 5 weeks. Look out Boston we are on our way!!!!

For now that is it, Remember Ironman world championship is on NBC this saturday, I will be there next year! YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Athlete of theYear!!!

2008-12-03T12:06:00.000-08:00

I want to congradulate my very own true love, Mary!!! As voted on by the memebers of our Tri club (Phoenix Triathlon Club) Mary was named the Female Athlete of The Year!!! She has had a fabulous racing season, finishing at the top of her age group in every race this year, all the hard work and focus she has but forth is starting to really pay off. She so deserves this and I am soooooo very proud of her.
The scariest part is that Mary is just now starting to scratch the surface of her abilities. Watch out for what she has coming up over the next 12 months if you think she had a good year in 2008!!! Look out 2009!!!!!!!!!!
I love you darlin, keep up the hard work.

IRONMAN ARIZONA Race REPORT!!!

2008-11-29T11:44:00.001-08:00

Ironman Arizona Part II 2008: I have put off for several days now actually sitting down and putting fingers to keyboard. Not because I didn't want to, but because I wanted it to all set in. I wanted to convey all of the thoughts and feelings that I have experienced over the last week. So here it goes...Nov 23rd I awoke at 4:15am. Feeling very calm, with a great desire to just get out there and test myself. Unlike any other Ironman or Marathon that I have ever done before I had an amazing feeling of comfort and silent confidence. I never felt like I had to double and triple check my equipment and bags of gear. Just a really strange feeling to have. Normally I am so type "A" that i must pack and unpack, and then repack my bags several times. I ate my normal pre race breakfast of oatmeal and bagel with honey on both. Then after putting on my oh so comfy TRISCOTTSDALE one piece race suit, and a few layers to keep warm off Mary and I headed from our hotel 1/2 mile walk down Ash St. to Tempe Lake and the transition area.Upon arriving at the transistion area all went smoothly, air in the tires, water in the bottles of INFINIT,then just relax before putting the wetsuit on. I did try one new thing and that was to throw my running shoes on and do about a 10 minute warm up jog just before heading to the water, thought this might help me in the start of the swim.***The Swim**The cannon fires and all 2000 plus of us are off, let the elbows and feet begin!! After about 10-15 minutes it started to thin out a bit and i could actually find my own water, trying to take the straightest line to the 1st turn buoy, felt good at the turn and just wanted to keep it straight all the way back. I maybe for the first time ever in an Ironman found someones feet that I could stay on for most off the way back. (still need lots of practice at this). When I went unde the last Mill st. bridge I heard my watch beep indicating 8:00am seeing that we started at almost 7:02 I know that I would be close to the time I was shooting for 1:04-1:05. I exited the water and my watch said 1:04, ok right where I need to be.After a little problem getting my wetsuit over my size 14 feet I was up and running to T1, In and out pretty well, I saw my buddies Brian Folts, and Marc Rubin changing beside me and knew I had a good swim for me. Where is my Felt time to go hammer the Bee-Line for a while!!!***The Bike**Off onto the bike and feeling real good, just wanted to stay steady to the turn around and fly back down the road back to town. As usual there was my old friend I had worried about not seeing today (the wind), though it was very mild you could still feel it in your face. My bike goal was to try and keep my average pace for the day always at or above 21mph. so when I hit the turn around at about 20.5 I was extremely happy, because know I get to take the down hill into Tempe and up that overall average.after loop one my 21.5 average was stellar for me, now just keep it here the next two loops and you will be golden. Honeslty I just tried to stay focused out there and look for calves with 40-44 on them. On my start of my 2nd loop I saw Marc Rubin and Billy Dean Johnson in the penalty tent, and could tell Marc wasn't happy if you know what I mean?! Just as I passed them Marc comes past me still pissed off and hammer the bike like a mad man, so I decided to see how long i could stay close to him know Marc is a much stronger biker than I am, so I thought I might help me up my average pace if i could hold onto him as long as possible. Of course Marc and Dean where trying to be very careful at this point and trying to stay clear of other riders so this made for a challenge as a big group of about 10-15 guys riding in a pack came by us, Marc and I are trying to stay honest and they are just cheating their asses off! It made for a nervous 2nd loop as the ref. was right next to us the entire way out the Bee-Line waiting to give you a card, and he gave out plenty, but we killed ourselves to stay out of trouble. At the 20nd turn around marc and I where off the front and pushing it, finally Marc dropped my and I was on my own. No problem still way ahead of where I need to be. Off to the 3rd loop still feeling great average is at 21.5.Then like a light switch going on i realized that i had probably just bike to hard for my abilities and would end up being sorry on the run. So at the 84 mile mark I had to decide if i should back it off some to save for the run or just go with it, and try to get as much time as possible on the bike. I went with the later figuring that at this point the damage was probably already done i might as well just hammer the last 25miles and just survive the run. Most of this last loop was back and forth with another of out boys Brian Henry. He was doing his first Ironman and was having a really solid race. I kept trying to encourage him each tme I saw him!! The 3rd loop was my best and I came in with a 21.9mph average heading to T2. Brain and I came in together off the bike and now it was time to see what I was made of!***The Run**I can out of T2 and the clock read 6:28:00, I was like what? That can't be right, where did I lose 10minutes? I had a great T2!!! By the time I reached 1/2 mile of the run I realized that the time was the pro time and i was actually out of T2 at 6:18:00! Ok, just take it easy and run a conservative 26.2 miles and you are going to have the day you dreamed of. (Sub 10hrs and a Kona slot). My Ironman math told me that if I just ran my pace I trained for (7:30pace/ 3:16 marathon) I would be somewhere in the 9:30's. I repeated to add and subtract this equation for about 4 miles becasue I couldn't believe it, and because my Ironman math has been off before and has cost me on the run several times. As I passed mile 1 I also passed Marc, and told him to just keep it focused and steady. Before I knew it I was at mile 4 and realized i needed to slow down badly. I had went out running 6:30pace and only needed to go 7:30's. The next 8 miles where great, I passed alot of pros (male and female0 and just kept it solid at 7:30's. I went through the Phoenix Tri Club aide station at the marina where my biggest supporters where hanging out. My BEST half Mary Knott was as crazy nervous as I have ever seen her, taking the microphone and screaming my name as I ran through the station. Everyone working the aid station was so great. screaming for me and encouraging me with all their energy. Thanks guys!!! A special shout out to my 10 year old little girl Megan, and Hillary Biscay who where yelling for me as I came through, when Hillary yells something at you, it is a good idea to listen, who is stronger than her when it comes to Ironman racing? So onto my next 8 miles (12-20) not pretty, just after I passed the transition area at mile 12 things started to come unraveled. I was losin energy, my stomach was starting to hate me,a dn i was starting to panic!!! No, not again, I kept trying to figure out how to fix things. I tried some more Powergel, No way !! So I went to cola, Nope!!! I walked a minute, shit don't do this, start running!!! I did everything and anything possible for those 8 miles. Finally at the 20mile mark I said THAT IS IT!!! you are going to run through whatever happens until you cross that finish line. Remember how bad it sucked in April when you didn't get to Kona becasue of 11 seconds, remember watching Hillary Biscay come back from done and win her first Ironman in Wisconsin. She should have been dropped but somehow dug in and went to that place that few of us every visit, that place where the suffering is so bad that you just kinda leave your body and get through it. remember all those days running when it was 115 degrees!!! So I went to that place, so focused that I couldn't talk out loud when i tried a couple of times. I could see everything and nothing at all, It was if I was watching this all happen 2nd hand. When I hit that Curry Hill for the 3rd time and the people where laying on the ground, and walking, and i was the only one running, my legs where screaming at me, but i promised no matter how slow it was, I must keep running, just get to the top and it is home free down hill. Through the PTC water station again, up onto Rural bridge back down onto the dirt trail. Mile 25, this is where I got pushed out of my slot in April. Do not let up, matter of fact, pick it up damn it, pass everyone you can form here to the line, passed one, and then another guy with a 40 and 41 on their calves, ok there is the Mill bridge you are almost there, keep pushing to the line, just then I see someone ahead of me make the final turn at the 26 mile mark into the parking lot, shit doe she have a 40 on his calf? I can't tell, damn it, this is where you got dropped and beat by 11 seconds in April, you have to pass him with all you have, do not let him have a chance to stay with you, go with all you have in you. Just as I get to him I see a 41 on his right calf, and go by with all my might, as I pass he shouts out " thats right, run it on in", before he finishes his sentence he sees my age and attempts to go with me, no way, not this time do not let him past you, I can hear him breathing soooo hard on my neck, but I am not giving in, just push a little longer he must break before you. we make the final turn onto Rio Salado and probably about 50 yards to go, All of a sudden I notice that his breath on my neck is gone, I figure I have to look over my shoulder, because If I have to go to black out for this finish I will, but he is dropped!! Yes I look at the clock for the first time and realize i have beat him and it is 9:53 ish, I have broken 10hrs and gave myself every chance possible for that Kona slot!!! As I cross the line, I am totally freakin done, finished, cooked, spent. I am non verbal and put into a wheel chair(not my 1st time for this). Mary is there to take care of me and get me through that first hour after I finish where I can do nothing but lay on the ground in the fetal position. I have given all I had and them some, all I can do know is sit a wait to see where I finished and how many slots there are. Sometime in that first hour someone texted Mary that I was 11th. We knew this would be very, very close, but didn't think I would know until monday morning for sure.After a very slow walk to the hotel to shower, and cry a little, we headed back to the finsh line to see everyone else suffer!!! HA!! Sitting in the vip tent with some friends someone says that the slots for the 40-44 agre group ended up going 11 deep! What, how do you know this, where is this info for sure???I hobble over to the registrayion area and there it is, the slot allocation, in bold black age 40-44(11 slots). I am in!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! grap Paul Huddle as he is walking by, and make him translate for me, does this say what I think it says? He confirms for me and after a big hug I call Mary who has went back to work the aid station. No answer. Damn! Call my buddy Jason to see if he is there with her. No he is headed back home, I try Mary again, she finally answers and I give her the news!!! Mary puts me on hold and grabs the mircophone one last time and anounces to all our friends at the aid station that I have qualified!!! Wow!!! What a day.I want to thank everyone out there screaming and cheering for me all day, all of the little words helped.also every voluteer on the course was fantastic, we couldn't do it with out you. Thanks to Hillary Biscay for helping me find that other place. Big thanks to TRISCOTTSDALE, INFINIT NUTRITION, FELT BIKES, FOCUS CYCYLERY, FIRST ENDURANCE, PHOENIX TRI CLUB, RUNAZ, all in no paticular order!!!Most importantly my little girl Megan, and Mary Knott for believing in me, loving me, pushing me to be all I can be, and for being there to support my crazyness. I love you girls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Cheers, and i will see you in KONA,Beaver

Time for the Sufferfest!!! Finally

2008-11-18T10:30:00.000-08:00

1st off I would like to throw a shout out to my beautiful Mary. Big "PR" at the Tulsa half marathon last weekend. (1:38:00). On top of that it was the third week out of the last month that she was traveling,(Hawaii, Napa,and Tulsa) and she did it with zero taper. Someone is gonna freakin kill it at PF Changs in Jan.

Oh, and by the way, this is race week for me. 2008 Ironman Arizona part II. This will be my third Ironman of 2008, and this will be the one I have been dreaming about for the last year. I don't normally like to make public statements about my race predictions, (bad luck, and all that stuff) So I will just say I have several goals going into sunday. A) Most importantly to get a Kona slot for next Oct. B) Go under 10hrs for the first time. C) Place myself on the podium for my age group. Rest assured I will give it to myself all day and hope to grab hold of those goals I have set for myself.

This week is normally the worst week of training for me. My training is so tiny that I get weird.

This time around I know that I am the most prepared that I have ever been for an Ironman race. That is all I could ask of myself. Now I am ready to go out sunday with an inner confidence

that I have have never felt. So keep your fingers crossed for me, and about 3pm on sunday throw me a little extra energy, thats when I will need it the most (about the half way mark of the marathon)!!

Cheers

Finally, NOVEMBER!!!

2008-11-05T11:22:00.001-08:00

After months of training and dreaming about getting to Nov. for Ironman Arizona part II, I am actually here. Now I am trying to just put in the finishing touches on my training, and start my official taper (taper starts the 10th). I have really been putting in some stellar training sessions with very promising results, but must say my body is begging for the taper to start. See mentally I love the suffering, but my body is saying ok already, you have suffered enough for a while, lets get to the rest and the race!!!

This weekend I will swim the OPen water 2.4 mile swim down at Tempe Town Lake (the site of the Ironman swim start), at 10:30 sunday, and that will really signify the beginning of the end.

I woudl of course love to put up this super fast time, but because you never know the accuracy of the course distance I will not get to concerned with the out come on my watch, but will pay more attention to how I feel and what kind of effort I put in.

Mary heads to Napa on thursday to celebrate her fathers 60th B-day (HAPPY B_DAY JIMBO), and will return on sunday, just intime to see me come out of the water. Then I am getting a kick ass massage from Christina, and relaxing this old body!!!

The picture at the top is my bike computer, with my new fastest speed I have hit on my bike

That is 52.6MPH!!!!!

Just Focusing!!!!!

2008-10-23T10:51:00.000-07:00

Yes I have been away from the blog for a while.

It has been a very crazy and productive couple of weeks.

Mary has went and came back from a week in Hawaii with the girls. I missed her horribly but needed to be here with my mind focused on Nov 23rd. and the suffering that needed to happen to get me prepared for the big day. Funny how the one week that I actually got to recover I felt much worse than when I am out there giving to myself everyday. Note to self, No more recovery weeks!! HA!

This week has been very eventful, I had Meg's big 10th B-day on tuesday, but not until I spent 8 1/2 hours on the bike and running first. Today I turned around and had my long run for the week of 19miles. Ran the first 7ish miles with Mary while she was doing her Tempo portion of her morning run. It was awesome to not only run with someone, but to have it be with my Mary made it even that much more sweet. See I Never ever ever get to run with anyone. The only recent time I can remember actually running with someone more that a mile was April IMAZ when I came up :11 seconds short of qualifying for Kona. (Needless to say this will NOT happen again), I have spent months with myself and finding that next level of suffering i needed to find. Being able to suffer beyond the point of suffering. It is that last 2% or so of suffering that makes all the difference. Just watch, check back here after Nov 23rd and I WILL show everyone!!!

Anyway back to this mornings run, One wish I have always had is that as I get older (slower), and Mary gets faster, that we will actually be able to spend my later years running together. It was so cool to see how far she has come with her running. I prefer to look at it only as Mary getting faster, instead of me actually getting slower. Mary has worked soooo hard for this marathon, she is without question going to rock the shit out of the Rock n Roll marathon in

Jan.

Well this weekend is kinda of a bonus weekend, I get to add a little extra mileage and intensity to my week. Soma 1/2 Ironman is sunday, i will plan on trying to really focus on the swim and the bike, the run will be a hard effort not a race effort. Need to save that for the day 4 weeks later!

On my run this morning I actually counted 4 or 5 niggles that I have going on when i run from my achilles on one side to my hip flexor on the other. So I must be smart enough to save it on the run!! ONE more big week next week, and then I can start to look towards the long awaited taper!!! YAHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

Happy Anniversary Babe!!!

2008-10-10T11:44:00.000-07:00

So today is a very happy special day in my mind and heart. It is Mary and my anniversary.

It has been 4 years today that Mary and I finally got to know each other at the 2004 Chicago marathon. The Chicago Marathon needless to say, holds a very special spot in our hearts.

So tonight we will go have so Pizza at Mary's favorite place (NYPD), and just relax for a little while. I know it sounds very low key and simple for an anniversary celebration, but thats the way we like it. Hell, tomorrow we both have to do our long runs, and mine is a 22miler!!! Yikes.

So a little carbs will be helpful.

The down side of today is that tomorrow my beautiful bride leaves me for Hawaii for a week.

I know she will have fun will her sis, and mom, so i am happy for her, but I will be lonely without my Mary!!! I mean come on, who else will listen to my mindless talk about training paces and sore this and that!!! Not to mention the last time she was gone I had the worst bike ride of my life. You can read about that in my past blogs.

As for my training, well I am at the end of a VERY long three week cycle. by 3pm on sunday I will have done almost 900miles on the bike, 25miles in the pool, and 150miles running in just 21 days. I am feeling so strong, but am ready for a little recovery week next week before my final push to the taper.

Keep you posted!!

The Hunt for October!!

2008-10-01T14:43:00.000-07:00

Oh Yes!!! It is finally hear. OCTOBER!!!!
What a great time of the year. I look forward to October every year. There are just many awesome things gong on this time of the year.
All of he great Fall Marathons are in October, Chicago being my personal favorite. You see Mary and I first got to know each other at the Chicago Marathon. If it wasn't for the fabulous fall weekend who knows if we would be together today!! Hawaii Ironman is in October, and is the pinnacle of the Triathlon world, the greatest Ironman athletes in the world show up in Kona for 140.6 miles of total hell on earth. Temps in the high 90's, humidity to match, and winds of up to 60mph. Not bad if you are going sailing, but hell if you are covering 140.6miles with nothing but your own body power and strength!!!
October also brings us the baseball playoffs and the World Series, which have always been very near and dear to my heart and always will hold a very special place inside me!!! Go Reds!!! Shit maybe next year (again)!!!
October is the month my one and only child was born (Megan), it is so fun to see her light up on October 1st, knowing her birthday month is finally here!
In addition the weather finally starts to break and in Arizona we have made it through another summer and can look forward to 7 months of near perfect days and nights, while the rest of the country, especially our families start winterizing the houses and getting the snow blowers ready for a long, cold, dark winter!!! Did I mention COLD!!! Ha! I lived in Wisconsin for 15 years, I know cold.
Now this time of the year finally means that here in Az we are only about 7 weeks away from our Ironman race, for Dan his 3rd Ironman of 2008!!!
This is gonna be the one that makes next October even more special than most of the others. I will be in Kona next October (Fingers Crossed)
Stay tuned.....

The Pain!!!

2008-09-24T13:59:00.000-07:00

Yep thats right, I knew going into sundays olympic distance race (Nathans) that it was going to hurt if I raced it all out. Seeing that I have been training ONLY for Ironman distance races for 2 solid years now. That means going short + fast = PAIN!!!
I also knew that going in at this distance there was zero chance I would be able to run up to my standards with it taking at least 1-1/2 miles for my achilles to stop hurting every time I run. With this in mind and the fact that we wouldn't be using wetsuits (water temp 82) meant that my swim & my run wouldn't be very good bench marks of where my fitness and hard work is paying off. If you are at all familiar with triathlon that means I only had one other leg to really challenge myself (the bike). I have been really been focusing on my bike leg for about 9 months, and have been really been feeling stronger each week, being able to do climbs that I used to really struggle with. So anyway i was a little disappointed that the bike course was going to be 28miles instead of the standard 24.9 miles that most olympic races are. So I wouldn't be able to compare my previous times, but could campare my speed and my competition. I was very happy to hammer out a 1:07 bike split averaging over 24mph for the entire ride. After comparing this to some of my normal competition, I actually closed some time on them and beat some of the guys that normallt out split me. YEA!!!!!
So I ended up going 2:18:00, 15th overall and 4th in my age group. My swim was wayyyyy slower than normal, but even the very best swimmers where about 2 minutes off their normal swim times so that made me feel a little better, Seems the swim course was about 150 meters long! and my run was so so, but that is ok my eye is on the big day in NOV. where I break 10hrs for the first time in an Ironman!!!!
Great job by my best half Mary. she rocked it as usual coming in as the 4th overall woman, and 1st Age group. Not bad for someone that has bike all of about 50 miles since June!

10 Weeks and counting!!!!!!!!

2008-09-15T17:17:00.000-07:00

So riding such a high all last week after witnessing Hillary Biscay's first Ironman Victory. read her report @ http://hillarybiscay.wordpress.com/ ,I went through a week of unbelievable mental focus, I was so on it was scary, I actually had to dial myself back a few times, I was just smashing myself every workout!! Thanks Hillary!!!
I wrapped up my week with a trail 10K race. Now I had to be smart here, my achilles is still shit and that course is totally not good for me, so my plan was to just treat it as a tempo run, and no faster than 6:00 miles. I was very happy to see I was between 5:56 and 6:05 ish the entire race, I never let me self get caught up in things and felt so good. Amazing how much better you feel when you don't cross over into that last 5-10% of your limits. Afterwards I just keep running to complete my 12miles on my schedule. then off I dashed to my Felt to ride back to gilbert lifetime ((40miles) ,to meet Mary at the pool for our sprint swim workout (3000 meters), we finished up in time to get some luch and head home for a nap, I got 30minutes before leaving for my massage, and Mary got to sleep for about an 1 1/2hrs.
Mary starts her Official marathon training today. Got get em girl, I will be there to help when you need me, (just ask)!!!
Peace out!!!

What a trip!!!!!!!!

2008-09-11T12:18:00.000-07:00

So last friday Mary and myself headed off to Wisconsin for IM MOOO!
We arrived friday evening, and my friends John, Rhonda & Katie meet us at the airport for the short drive to State street. We where to meet up with some Skirts at State Street Brat House. There we had a local brew, and headed across the street for a surprise cocktail. See It has been a few years since I have been on the state st. drinking seen, but wanted to get Mary a drink (cherry bomb) that I used to enjoy at an underground bar named The Pink Flamingo, well it has changed names and apparently drinks. For $14 we received something with not resemblance of the old cherry bombs of the past. Needless to say, I ended up drinking mine and most of Mary's. Sorry about that sweetheart!
Saturday a.m. we where off to the IM venue to check in for our volunteering job, and then we where off to the lake for one loop of the IM swim course. The water was so perfect. We swam 30min and headed off to get our hour run in. I took Mary to one of my old running routes. Howard Temlin trail, along the beautiful Lake Mendota. It was so nice to share such a great place with my loved one. It is amazing sharing things with Mary that mean so much to us, and that most people just don't understand. Running along a lake, with shade, on a dirt path, with tons of other runners and bikers! Does it get better?
Yes, it actually does. Sunday morning we arose a like 7am ish, which is sleeping in very late for us. We headed to my favorite place to run, The UW arboretum! Mary and I ran our 2hr run through some of the best running you could ask for, it just flew right by. We bot just really enjoyed the scene, and the 100's of runners and bikers out there with us. At this point we are getting very spoiled. 68degrees and beautiful yet again. Does it get any better than this?
After our run we headed for coffee and bagels and a shower. We relaxed for a little while watching the start of the IRONMAN online. Our friend Hillary Biscay was leading the entire swim and bike portions of the race, and we started getting extremely excited for her. So we couldn't sit still any longer, and decided to head to the run course so we could catch up with some of our many friends doing the race, and to cheer Hillary on for the final stretch. We did see all of our friends on the run from our position on State st. We camped out at about the 25.5 mark of the marathon. Finally we hear the crowds screaming and we jumped to our feet, fingers crossed that the cheers where for the 1st place women, and wishing deep down for it to be Hillary. As the 1st place female lead bike came around the corner and Hillary was right behind it we just about flipped out!!! We started screaming and running down State St. right next to her, what an amazing moment. We realize that if we want to see her finish we have to hammer up hill with all our shit to beat her there. So Mary and I take off, It was not pretty but we got there just as she was coming down the final 50 yards. SO Amazing!!! Now after Hillary finishes and does her interviews and etc... I get to hang out with her for a few and talk to her about the race and what she is feeling. To give you an idea of how competitive she is, when Mary and I where running beside her on State St. she said she could see us out of the corner of her eye and was thinking, "I can't let them run faster than I am" So she kicked it in one last time. How crazy?!
Now to give you an idea of how determined Hillary was, she had been in the lead the entire race until she was passed at 19 miles of the run, and was dropped to a minute back at 23miles. At that point she said to herself, "bullshit, I promised to myself I was going to win this race today"! So she started pushing it. She closed the gap back to :30 seconds at 24miles , and then realized that she could do it. She took back the lead at 25miles, and ended up winning by 2:30! That is called dropping the hammer, to put 3minutes on her competition at that point of an Ironman within 1mile is nothing short of impossible! DAMN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So anyway Mary and I worked the finish line catch and seeing almost all of our friends, and our last catch of the shift was truly that! We had to carry our last person to the medic tent because she was coming in and out of it, and was white as a ghost. What a day!!!
Does it get any better than that?
Well!!!!! We wake up sunday morning early and head down to sign up for the 2009 IM MOO. After about and hour or so of standing in 55 degrees and rain we get it done, and have just enough time to get our hour run before the airport.
I once again took Mary to one of my old trails for runners and bikers only. It is 54 degrees and raining, YES!!!! Finally a run in the rain, my most favorite thing!!! It has been at least 2 years since I have had a chance to do it. So we just rain and enjoyed ourselves wishing that it would never end!!!!!!!! Thanks for sharing this great weekend with me Mary. There is no one in the world I would have wanted to be there with me other than you!!!
I won't go into the horrible flight back you had! HA!!
We hope to head back to the land of MOOO sometime next spring for a week long training block.
Until then!!!!

ON to Wisconsin!!!!!!

2008-09-04T15:35:00.000-07:00

Not alot report from the home front for me, just training solid and trying to get closer to the big day.
I have a couple of things to side track me which is good, I am so excited about Ironman Arizona in Nov I just want to get there already. Until then the little things keep my mind off it. This weekend we head to the land of Mooo's and beer for a little thing called Ironman Wisconsin. In the mean time Mary and I will volunteer at the finish line, meet up with some old friends, and get some good hill training running through the Arb.,as it is called in Madison.
Today I had my 1 1/2 tempo run. I have been feeling stronger by the week with my running, the achilles still is the same, but I have just learned to deal with it and the bright side (knock on wood) is that it isn't getting worse!!!! So I started off on my normal tempo run route, I felt decent from the start, not great but decent. As usual I do my two mile warm up and then starts the suffering. I was able to keep my tempo pace at between 6 and 6:15, so within my range of acceptance. finishing up keeping everything else at as close to 7:00 min pace as possible, so alittle faster some a little slower, but again decent. My range I shoot for is 6-6:09 pace.
Then it was off to bike ez for an hour, my 5th day in a row on the bike, with yet one more day tomorrow before leaving town. from sunday through today I have logged about 250miles on the bike, so the legs are ready for a little break.
I will check back in next week after Wisconsin!!
Cheers to all!!

Proper alignment...

2008-08-27T14:34:00.000-07:00

Well after not having Mary around for the better half of 5 days while she was in KC,
It was so comforting to have her body next to mine last night! Now I will just leave that stone unturned so as not to embarrass her, which I have been known to do!
This past weekend was a very out of alignment type of weekend of workouts. With Mary gone things where just a little off. I have been running for years, and have come up with all sorts of injuries, sprains, tears, etc... but on my saturday long run last weekend I actually injured my elbow while running! Yes, my elbow, and no, it wasn't from falling on it during my run (Mary)! LOL. No, what I did was come around a tight corner flying at the end of my run, and bamm, my elbow was kinda sticking out and I ran into a parked truck. It made a horrible sound and took my breath away with the instant pain. It had to ice it for two days to get it to stop hurting!!
Then on sunday, my long bike/run brick I made my 5hr ride turn into 7+ hours because of flat tires. I ran all out of tubes and co2, and still was farrrr from being home, actually anyones home. I was out in the desert all by my self. This is where the crazyness started. I bike about 10miles with a total flat on my front until I reached civilization again, racking my brain for ideas, I remember that a couple from our Triclub lived only about three miles out of my way, so i would head there get a tube and be on my way. Not so easy!!! First they live in a gated community so I had my bike, and my bike shoes on me and am trying to climb the fence so I can get to their house. finally I get in and nobody is en casa!! So know I am 3 more miles farther from home and still no tube, so i start down the road flat and all 13 miles an hour, first I try Walgreens, no tubes, did I mention the are ZERO bike shops open on sundays??? I was only a couple of miles from three differnt shops!!! Next I try Walmart, in I go with my bike, find what I think should work, and head out front to fix the tire. Stip the tire off tear out the old stupid tube and damn it, the valve is too thick, so it won't work, I put my bike back together and head back into Walmart. Did I mention that it is also 110 degrees outside and I still have a 40minute run ahead of me if and when I get home. So I go into Walmart the 2nd time, and they tell me I must go wait in that line of 10 people over there in the corner to exchange my fucking tube! Well I figure out they don't have my size tube and the last ditch effort is to try the instant flat sealer with air can thingy. Back out I good tear down my bike tire again, and this thing is shit, it just blew crap all over the place and doesn't fix it either. Damn!! Next I flag down a truck that has a lady driving that has a bike in the back, so i figure she might have a tube. Well she is on a freakin recumbent bike with 20in tires, but assures me her husband must have the correct size at home and he is only a mile or so away, so I throw my bike in thetruck and off we go to their place, after another half hour out in the hot as hell garage we come to the conclusion, no tube that will fit. So now I have no more choices, just suck it up and bike the rest of the way home on the flat, at this point it is 12:30 and I have been out for 6.5 hours, so I realize I am going close to another friends house Jason, and I know he has tubes, so I call on my cell going 13 miles an hour, he is actually about 3 miles away and coming my way, he picks me up and takes me to his house where I finally fix the tube!!!! YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!, So I know only have about 6 miles to home and am just thinking to myself, that if ever I had an excuse not to run this was it, but then I said to myslef, there are no excuses, and that I can't do what most people would do, and pussy out and just call it a day. So I get home at 1:34 pm, the middle of the afternoon, at the hottest point of the day (112 degress), I throw on my running shoes and head out, within less then a mile I realized that I made the correct decision, as I am flying down the trail, but still to pissed off to even look at my pace, some where around the half way mark I finally check my garmin and I am flying along effortlessly at a 6:30 pace, I end up my last mile at 6:08. Of course Mary's not in town, so off to the grocery I go without any lunch, I am now on a mission and am going to do everything, after the store I head home and spend an hour Ironing all of Marys work pants. Finally I must eat and sleep, to bed i go at 6:30.
What a crazy weekend, I am so glad my balance is home THANK YOU MARY!!!!!

No!! I didn't fall off the face of the earth.

2008-08-22T14:54:00.000-07:00

I guess I have just been so busy training, I haven't had time to blog. Actually the truth of it is I have been crazy busy at work. So no time for the blog.
I have really been seeing continued success in my swim/bike/run thing!!
Mostly a little concerned that I may be hitting my stride a little soon. IMWI is in like two weeks, and it just so happens that the time between IMCDA and IMWI is exactly the same amount of time I had between IMAZ and IMCDA, so my body is saying come on dude, its time for another Ironman. It is going to be tough being at IMWI and not be racing. I am trying to bide my time until I can do an OLY distance in a few weeks to get my race fix on. Then I will have several more BIG BOY training weeks to put in before I get to throw it down at the Soma half IM.
Just all small stepping stones toward my BIG day at IMAZ part 2 at the end of NOV.
I WILL put up a qualifying time and a new PR!!! It is just a question of whether or not I will also win my age group!!! How is that for positive thoughts???
Any way, gotta figure a way to make it through the weekend without my Mary who is in KC for work!!! LOVE U BABE!!!

My newest Photo press release?!

2008-08-13T13:18:00.000-07:00

So I am not sure exactly why, but all of a sudden (the last 2 weeks) I have gotten much faster in the pool!?
Yesterday I swam the 2nd day in a row, monday i did a nice aerobic workout of 3600meters, and then yesterday Mary swam with me for my 3600meter Anaerobic swim. She always pushes me when we swim together, and makes it hurt so good. Well for the first time in a long time, and actually maybe ever, I swam all of the long sets below 1:30 per 100 pace! Now of course I wake up this morning, kinda excited because I get to swim my third workout in a row this week, and then I have my favorite cycle class at the gym. So happens that both the swim and bike class today are sprint workouts. Meaning, anaerobic, I love that word! With Ironman training you get kinda tired of aerobic long this and aerobic long that! So anyway, I was very suprised to find myself doing my swim workout at 1:21-1:24 per 100meters. That is all out for me, but I haven't hit those numbers in a super long time, and that was probably with totally rested arms. Whatever I am doing in the water I just want to get doing it. LOOK OUT IRONMAN AZ!!!
As for the cycle class, well it was my favorite class with my NEW favorite instructor (Julie Ann)
she really is great a motivating, she gets in my head and challenges me to push myself. Today she basically challenged the entire class to try to keep up with me, and do what I did, when I did it! Needless to say, that was a green light to hammer the piss out of the rest of the class! Sorry cycle class, it is not my fault!!! Blame Julie Ann!!! I basically came out of the saddle and made everyone push the pace, at the same time adding load every 20 seconds until their heads popped off. Man it was fun! Did I mention it was also my 4th day in a row of biking? My bike legs are getting stronger everyday. Damn! I can't wait until November!!!

"Moderation is the key to mediocrity."

2008-08-11T15:48:00.000-07:00

So if you talk to anyone that doesn't do what I do, Ironman , Marathons, and anything that seems extreme. You will get the old standard , moderation is the key speech.

Do you think that Michael Phelps and the rest of the mens 4 x100 relay team practiced moderation the last 4 years?! HELL NO!!! As stated above "moderation is the key to mediocrity"
If you are going to put in the time, money, and effort why not put in that extra 10% or so.
This blog isn't directed to anyone in particular, but all of us in general!!! When you are out there training, don't make excuses or find ways to be mediocre, find a way to be your own gold metal winner.
GO USA!!!

Getting my shit back to normal!?

2008-08-06T12:29:00.000-07:00

Well I am 3 days into my 1st recovery week in my training cycle for Ironman Arizona Part Duex.
After a couple of months of not be quite right, I have really started to feel more like my self the last 2 weeks or so. Little things that mean big things are starting to show themselves. Knock on wood I have learned how to manage my achilles issue. It is not great, but it is use able. I just have to do the smart things. My bike legs are feeling extremely strong, I had been thinking this for about a month or so, but because I haven't raced or rode with anyone since IMCDA it is hard to really compare myself to others, but last weekend I did my 1st group ride in around a year with the Triclub guys, and I pulled for the entire day, never once having any of the guys that I used to have to struggle to just stay up with come to the front. That was fine with me, one of my issues with group rides is "I DO NOT " want to sit on someone else's wheel, you can't do it in Ironman so why get lazy and into bad habits in training?
In addition my running legs have FINALLY came around in the last 14 days or so. Funny, it seems like once I made myself get out of my comfort zone and push my pace to where it wasn't so much fun, I finally started seeing improvements in my pace at all distances short and long.
About Damn time!!!
So now what about the swim thing? Well, it kinda comes and goes, I have been tinkering with my stroke (as usual) trying to become more efficient. Mary continues to kick my ass, but I realized she is actually getting MUCH faster, so if I just stay where I am than that means I also have improved. RIGHT? Well I will keep working on it and just try to not cost myself my race in Nov because of a horrible 1st leg!
I will continue to enjoy my recovery week, and I look forward to giving it to myself again next week. The fact that I am looking forward to the next training phase in a good mental sign!!!
XO BEAV

The State of Triathlon is Alive and well!!!!!!!!

2008-07-28T12:35:00.000-07:00

This weekend was a great indicator of how far triathlon has come and bodes well for the future of all of us addicts!!
This weekend on prime time tv we had The IronGirl Las Vegas Triathlon, this race is a womans only event full of world class female athletes. Great champions such as Miranda Carfrae, Samantha Mcglone, Karen Smyers, Pip Taylor, and many other top notch racers to also include your average age group athlete. This was on NBC on saturday afternoon!!! YES
Then on sunday afternoon on NBC, we had the Hyvee Triathlon in Des Moines, Iowa. This race has the largest single race pay out in the sport. (the winner takes home $200,000). It also included the best Olympic distance athletes in the world. In addition in marked the final spot to be won for the USA Mens Olympic team in Beijing next month. Hunter Kemper secured the final spot on the team fighting back from career threatening injuries to secure his spot on his third olympic team, just edging out Andy Potts.
How exciting to see our sport on tv on the weekend on normal tv stations.
Tell your friends, wife, boyfriend, children, whoever, that it is time to get involved in triathlon right now, you don't know what you have been missing.

I may be getting closer!?

2008-07-24T11:09:00.000-07:00

37 days till the BUCKEYES KICK off the season!!!!
Today was the day I have been trying to not look at on the calender for several weeks now.
Not because it is an old girlfriends birthday or anything like that!
The reason is because today was the first "Tempoish" run on my training schedule in almost 8 weeks. I have been really struggling with my running since Ironman Coeur D Alene. If it isn't my Achilles it is just the fact that I feel REALLY slow. So earlier this week I decided I had better get my shit together. I forced myself to do a fartlek type run on tuesday. with the knowledge that today I needed to be able to run some tempo miles today.
As I started out this morning, as usual it was 10000 degrees and humid. What is new? Just making me stronger. What if come race day the temps are like IMAZ this April? Then I will be so much tougher than everyone else out there. (and it is a good chance that it will be 100 degrees come race day in Nov). Anyway as I started out today I didn't feel to bad, as normal it takes about a mile for my Achilles to stop killing me and just go to a dull ache. So by the time I hit 1 1/2 miles into my 10 mile "tempo" run I was starting to believe. I figured if i could keep a even 7:00 pace for the warm up and cool down and get myself into the low 6's for the tempo portion I would have to accept it. Low and behold, tempo pace ended up being 6:19. WAY off from where I would normally be, but in my mind for today acceptable. It is a start in the right direction.
I will say that my swim felt like total shit afterwards, but hey I always swim like shit!!!
Cheers!

Allez! Allez!!!

2008-07-22T14:28:00.000-07:00

Ok! I have been watching to much of the Tour, other than watching the Tour and training through some of the worst weeks in Phoenix to do so, not much else has been inspiring enough for me to blog about!
You see my blogging tends to go along with my work out mood. that is if my work outs are going well then I tend to blog more, and if my work outs are sucking then I am not motivated to blog!!
So based on my blogging the last several weeks in is apparent that my mind has not been just right. I have several toughts on why, but no excuses. The truth is that my achilles injury has really concerned me, but it is time to just suck it up and put it out of my mind. The other problem has been that there is too much time in between my last Ironman and my next. I know that sounds crazy, but I had been getting used to racing more frequently.
Well the inspiration to blog came very unexpectedly today. I awoke with a hotter than hell 7 mile run, that I actually was able to get some of the miles back down to around 6;20pace. Still a long way from where I want to be , but looking up a little. Then I jumped on the bike for a hot,windy , and fairly uneventful 2hr ride. That is until about half way through the ride I am out in the desert in a fairly rural area when I notice a taxi go flying past me, then about 50yards ahead of me he pulls off the road into the dirt and jumps out of his cab. I thinking what the hell, is this guy lost and looking for directions? Just as I get close to him, he runs over to the side of the road stands like a statue with his arm out. He is holding out an ICE cold bottle of water for me to grabas I pass him! I grabityellout a thank you, he jumps back in his taxi and off he goes!!!
How damn random can you get??? It made my ride though, I laughed about it the entire way home and told Mary when I got home and she just about wet her pants laughing!!!
So here is to the AAA taxi driver that has been watching the Tour also!!!
Thanks Dude!!!!!!!!!!

No Excuses!

2008-07-12T14:11:00.000-07:00

So I wake up this morning somewhat excited , but a little concerned about my run that lay ahead of me!
You see, I am at the last day of my recovery period after Ironman Coeur D Alene, and I have been really itching to get out there and start running long again. The problem is my achilles is not getting better, so even though my energy levels, my legs, and my mind all are ready to hammer, it still hurts like hell after I do so.
I am not one to make excuses of why I can't work out, I actually find excuses for why I should workout, but the concern of the unknown keeps digging at me, should I take two weeks off from running? If I do and that doesn't help then I am two weeks behind in my training for my next Ironman, but if I keep training and it doesn't get better or actually gets worse then I am really screwed. See I don't have a true prolonged rest period scheduled until December of 2009. Lots of important races in between now and then.
So anyway, It kills me when I hear people with all their bullshit excuses of why they can't or won't exercise. So here I am with this beautiful summer morning in Phoenix out for my run, thinking about all this stuff with every step I take, and I turn down one of the streets on my saturday morning route, and on the other side of the street passes 1,2,3,4 kids on bikes, followed by a lady running with two German Sheppards, and I think to myself, shit if anyone has a good reason for not doing their workout it is her. I am sure it would be much more convenient for her to stay home on a hot, humid saturday morning, then to get 4 very young kids, and two hyper dogs together so she can go do her run around the neighborhood. In addition, seeing that we live in a large Mormon community, she likely has another 4 or 5 kids that she left at home! HA!!
So I guess the moral of this story is; quit making excuses and just get out there!!! You will be so much happier that you did!!!!

The Ironman Gods want me back!!!!!!!!!!

2008-07-03T15:14:00.000-07:00

Thats right. I am supposed to be in a 3 week active recovery period after my 2nd Ironman of the season. The problem is, the Ironman gods don't want me to rest!!
I know this because, if I sleep in and don't at least go do two (easy) workouts each morning I wake up the next morning with a head ache. Just like those days years ago when I finally cut cafine out of my diet. I guess I just replaced that drug with another one, and even though i knew that I have an addiction to working out and pumping up my endorphines, I hadn't realized that it actually caused my body to revolt if I tried to skip out on a workout.
I also know that the gods are trying to trick me to come back to soon, because all of a sudden my legs aren't cashed 24/7. Hell I was able to jump into a spin class yesterday with Claudia, it happened to be one of my favorite classes, (Anerobic threshold intervals), this means you get to go as hard as you can for basically an hour!! Ok, well that may not be what the entire class was to do, the word interval indicates taking a break before going like hell again, but with the gods talking to me and my fresh legs I decided to see if I could stay above my threshold (174ish) for the entire class. Well Claudia, who is from Mexico and has a very strong accent (so you basically can't understand anything she is saying with the music blarring) brought out her tunes, which are always old school tunes that I love, I knew it was gonna be an awesome workout. I rocked the class and everyone thought i was a total freak (I love this) It started with AC/DC, and ended with Quiet Riot (bang your Head), she pulled that one out of her ass, what a great tune.
I burned 757 calories and keep my avg heart rate for the class (including the warm up of 5 minutes) at 167bpm. It felt so damn good!!!!!!!!
I know the Ironman Gods where pleased with themselves!!!!!!!
This weekend the most beautiful women in the world, (Mary) and myself are taking 3 days away from the 115 degree weather, (we have already had 13 days over 110 degrees this summer, and it is only July 3rd) and are heading north to Sedona and then on to Flagstaff , where the temps are only high of 80. This will mark only the 2nd time in 4 years we have taken any type of vacation that didn't include traveling to a race of some sort. Even though we are not "In training"
we will still run everyday at 7000ft of elevation (oopps, I forgot to tell Mary about that part)
and we will feel a little guilty, but we will get over it. Ha!!! Ha!!! Ironman Gods!
Everyone have a awesome celebration of this great country this weekend. Also take a minute to throw a little positive vibe towards my buddy Kyle Alcorn whose is racing i Eugene Oregon this weekend at the olympic trials. If he finished top three at the finals of the 3000m Steeple Chase on saturday he is heading to his first Olympics!!!!!!!! GO KYLE!!!!!!!
Happy 4th everyone.

IMCDA Race Report~~ Gotta get that Metal!!!

2008-06-24T15:24:00.000-07:00

What can I say about Ironman Coeur D Alene Idaho? Well to start, "it is a beautiful course", what that really means, it is a tough ass course!!!

I should really start by giving props to everyone out there that made it to the finish line that day.
Especially my beautiful and amazing MARY! She once again killed it out there. Smiling all day long and ending with an almost 7 minute personal best race time, on by far the toughest Ironman couse she has ever done. She is a ROCK STAR!!!!!!!!!

Now for my day.

As Mary and I stood on the beach counting down to the swim start, I was determined to give it all out there, especially on the swim , which I sometimes feel like I let myself get to comfortable, instead of getting out of my comfort zone and going for it.
The cannon went off and 2000 of us ran into the balmy 59 degree water to start the first of two loops equaling 2.4 miles. On the way out I could see Mary next to me for about 200 or so meters and then it got conjested and it was all about survival. All in all I felt like I swam really well, it wasn't my fastest clocking, but based on the chop and the slower than usual times for even the top pros I guess I can't complain much, not to mention I still had about 9 hours still ahead of me, after a 1:08 swim time. I flew into the changing tent and off to get my bike.
I was feeling pretty good about myself throught the first loop of the the two loop bike course, averaging 21 mph for the first loop. As I started the 2nd loop I noticed the wind conditions had changed and not for the better. I felt ok through about mile 75 or so and then just about ended my day after taking a sharp down hill corner to fast and running off course and up the side of a big hill. Al was good with the bike and off I went, but within about 15 minutes my right need started aching something terrible, and this became problematic as there where lots of hills still to be climbed. Also at this point I heard a noise, looked back and it was the remaining two hours of my bike nutrition falling and rolling down one of those big ass hills. SHIT!!! I am not going back down to get it, I will just go with plan B, use powerbars. (That decision would come back to bite me in the ass later) So I finished up the bike in 5:35, 10 minutes slower than Ironman Arizona 10weeks ago, but on a MUCH tougher course, so not bad!
I did some real fast and not fully accurate math, and reasoned that i needed to run sub 3:15 to get that Kona slot. I decided to go for it!! I would either run 3:15 or I would blow up and run 4:15. I did't care what my time was if I couldn't go fast enough to qualify. In otherwords in my mind 10:15:00 was what I needed to finish at, 10:25:00 was no better than 10:52:00.
So off I went flying by hundreds of people, and feeling great, (I hit the half at 1:37:02) that is until about the 14 mile mark when I started to feel a little off, but I gathered myslef and pushed on. Once again at about 18miles It all came to a head. Come to find out, that last bottle I lost on the bike was vital, and my stomach had not been absorbing anything I had put into it from mile 90 of the bike to mile 18 of the run, so i had gotten basically zero calories, zero sodium, and very little water. Even though i had put it into my mouth, my stomach did nothing with any of it. So two big problems, 1-no power left, 2-Horrible bloating and stomach cramps.
So there I sat at mile 18 or so, for almost 21minutes, trying to get my stomach to work again, and when the EMT started talking like she was going to pull me from the course I jumped up and started running again, no way in hell I wasn't getting that metal at the finish line. So I put one foot in front of the other and was actually alot better, not 100%, but at least I was able to keep about a 8:30 or so pace most of the way to the final turn, as usual when you finally see that finish line everything feels better, and I was able to pick up the pace and pass 3 more guys in the last half mile, running the last mile at 7:04 pace, and having that metal placed around my neck felt just as good as every other race I have done!!! Even if I did end up short of my goal, with a 10:52:00 finish, by far my slowest Ironman ever, but I will sit down and dissect the day and take the positives and negatives out of the day and move forward

Thanks to all the well wishers and I will be back, look out Ironman Arizona in NOVEMBER!!!

T- Minus...???

2008-06-17T14:19:00.000-07:00

Yes the count down I have been trying not to do for the last couple of weeks has started. I figured if I acted like I wasn't counting the days to go then I would stay more focused on the here and now!!!
Guess what? That ended today. I officially started thinking about the days, hours, minutes to race morning? Probably because we leave tomorrow at like 6am for Idaho. 24hrs from this moment i should be @ the race site checking out the course, and dipping my big toe into the ice bath we are calling "the swim leg of the Ironman".
Not only will I not have access to any blogs or facebook or any other computer games, but frankly I wouldn't be apt to use them anyway over the next 5days. I have only one thing on my mind, and that is can I find those 11seconds?!
I have done everything I can do to keep myself together for this race, I feel like I have trained harder on the bike than ever before, my swim feels strong, and my secret weapon (the run), well lets just say I have used duct tape, stitches, rubber bands, and super glue to just keep myself and my achilles on the road. I know come about 6 1/2 hours into the race on sunday when I start my run, I will not feel anything and I will be thinking of only one thing... Kona baby!!!
Keep your fingers crosssed for Mary and I, and check back here next tuesday or wednesday to see if we survived!!!
GO MARY!!!!!! GO DAN!!!!!!!

You say its your birthday, its my birthday too!!

2008-06-12T14:54:00.000-07:00

The most amazing thing happened today, I woke up 40 years old, and I am sure at least 11 seconds faster in the Ironman!!!

Yes when some people go buy themselves something expensive or even go out a drink themselve into a tizzy, I gave myself a birthday present of biking 40 miles for my age and then running 4 miles today. I know most people just look at me like they feel sorry for me, that is the best you could do for a gift? They just don't get it! It is an exciting thing because it allows me to be outside in 105 degree weather doing what I love. It also marks the last real bike ride before my next Ironman race. Mary and I took our bikes to the local shop to prepare them to be shipped tomorrow to Idaho for the big day next weekend. http://www.ironmancda.com/, come check us out online June 22nd!

Anyway, in addition to that I gave myself the gift of leaving work two hours early tonight so as to have a nice romantic dinner with my TRUE LOVE, (Mary). We couldn't go after work, because birthday or not, we have to be in bed by 8pm as usual!!!

In closing, I must say, I kinda have that feeling of "the cat that ate the mouse", the "I have a secret that know one else knows about", feeling.

Yes I am 40 now, and I must say, I really do feel different, I feel so much faster and stronger than I did yesterday. I can't wait to get to Idaho!!!!!!!!!! Even if the water temp is only 49 degrees...

Stay tuned!!!!!!!!

Loving the Taper & Turning 40 tomorrow!!

2008-06-11T11:49:00.000-07:00

Wow! Slept in until after 6am two days in a row. It is nice to feel a little lazy and now it is actually part of your training cycle. Yesterday was 105 degrees here in the Valley of the Sun, but the real news was that it was snowing, and sticking in Idaho where Mary and I have our Ironman in 11days. I am so excited, I love extreme conditions!!!
Anyway, yesterday Mary and I did I nice little hour or so spin on the bike, I needed to test out one of my sets of race wheels, and then we headed out to One of the few lakes here in the desert for an open water swim in our race day gear. After two nice loops around the bay (30mins) we wher out of those damn wetsuits and headed for lunch. So refreshing to have in two workouts and be showered and at lunch before 11:30a.m.
We are getting dangerously close now. Our bikes get shipped friday!! Hope I have everything ready to crush that bike course!!! I will be 40years young tomorrow, and my gift to myself is my last bike/run brick before heading to Coeur d' Alene for the big day!!! Fingers crossed, I will be in Kona in Oct.

Bike/Run Brick Naked!!!

2008-06-09T15:39:00.000-07:00

Now that I have your attention!
It is 13 days from Ironman CDA, and as unsure about my health as i was just 2 days ago, I am now very confident. Saturday I did a faster paced 13 miler as part of my taper, and the achilles actually didn't suck!! The real test though was to be sunday, because running on back to back days for the last three weeks has been are REAL problem. Mary and I awoke later than normal (6:20a.m.) man is it nice to sleep in. We where to do about a 4hr bike at higher heart rate, followed by a 30 minute run also at a higher intensity. Mary and I did a warm up of about an hour until we got out into the Indian Res. where we could really cut loose and not have to worry about cars. At that point I did the next 2:45:00 at 22-23 mph. It felt sooooo good to be flying again instead of crawling up another mountain, which is all we have been doing for about 8 weeks. We arrived home within about 5 or so minutes of each other and Mary was off on her run just as I was pulling in the drive, she was look sexy as usual, so my goal was change fast and take off after her. I was to try to catch her by the time we got back home. 15 minutes out and 15 minutes back. When I exited the neighborhood she was already about 1.25 miles ahead of me, and amazingly enough my Achilles stopped hurting within about .25 of a mile, so I figured I would push it a little harder and try to catch her, but when we passed each other, (Mary coming back, and me still 1 mile behind her with only 1.25 miles for her to get home I decided to ease up a little, no way to catch her even at my fastest pace, and I was enjoying running pain free for the first time in about three weeks, so why hurry. I rolled in about 4 minute behind as Mary was still stretching (and still after 5hrs in 102 degree temps, look at as beautiful as if she just got out of the shower), what a lucky man I am. Fingers crossed i will wake up Monday and my Achilles will still be attached!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Duct tape it!!

2008-06-06T13:15:00.000-07:00

That is exactly what I am doing, trying to keep my achilles together day by day, trying to get through the terrible pain when running knowing that i am one more day closer to race day where I can just give it to myself and not worry about being able to run again the next day or the day after that. This is what I used to look like without injuries.

I will get back there, only ??? is when.

Survival in the Mountains

2008-06-03T13:48:00.000-07:00

Well, I survivded a weekend of racing at 6500 ft of elevation, and camping in a tent with my girls
(Mary & Meg).
We had a beautiful, and actually quite easy drive up to Show Low, Az on friday a.m., the only real hitch in the getty up being Meg getting a little white faced from riding in the back seat of the car on very hilly roads. A little pit stop to change to the front seat and to get some dramamine, ( I tried to tell Mary before we left to give her some) and everything was peachy again.
We arrived around 10am after a three hour tour, and went to work setting up camp. 1hr later we where swimming in the 54 degree lake for a shake out swim before the race. We went followed that up with the typical packet pick up thing and then a little get together with the Phoenix Tri Club for Pasta and all the fixins, (especially Marys famous mint/chocalate brownies) and we where headed to bed by 8pm for a 4:10 a.m. wake up call.
Race morning went as planned in transistion by 5:10 a.m. all set up and ready to answer the bell at 6:30 to start the 1.2 mile swim. (not my best swim) exited the water at 33:00 minutes, oh well, gotta go hammer the bike. because of my achilles injury for the last three weeks, my plan was to go hard on the bike and just be smart on the run. "Dan this is not your "A" race".
After a very brutal bike leg with LOTS of climbing and more than your fair share of cross winds,
I dismounted with a respectable 2:41:00 split, considering that the course was long and ended up measuring 58.1 mile and not 56, I was fairly happy, only being passed by two people the entire ride. And with that off I went on the run, telling myself just take it easy and don't push it beyond about 80%. Right out of transition I heard a scream of "GO DADDY", and that always helps pick up your spirits. Lets just say I am glad that I wasn't trying to race the run leg, it was yet again very hilly. I still was only passed for good by one person the entire run, I so wanted to run him down, but stuck to my plan. BE SMART DAN!!! So I just stayed with him from mile 6 all the way to mile 12. At that point we where passing people that had went to hard early and we had run ourselves into the top 10 for sure. I told him to drop the hammer and go for it, seeing he was only 26 I wasn't really competing with him (Jesse) on that day. After one last mile of mostly down hill, with one last climb (the killer that most people have to walk up), I was through the Finish line and greated with my finishers metal (by Megan) who had volunteered the entire hot, sunny day over 6 straight hours. Mary was quickly at my side to take care of me post race. If you haven't seen me after a race, especially one at 6500ft, I generally need a little aid. Mary took care of me with water and popsicles for the next half hour or so. THANKS BABE!!!
I finished up with the 6th fastest run time even after all that, 1:38:00, not a very fast run time for me, but considering the day I was just glad to be done and with an 8th place finish overall!!
See you again next year Show Low!!!

Feeling Old...?

2008-05-28T11:58:00.000-07:00

Or maybe it is just that I am just over 3 weeks from my next Ironman, on top of the fact that I just did an Ironman 6 1/2 weeks ago. I think I was ready to race about 10days ago, now I have to be smart get healthy and rested and be ready again in 3 weeks. My shoulder hurts when I swim, my quads are shot from doing 6-7 hr bike rides with nothing but climbing more hills/mountans than I ever have before, and my achilles is sore whether I am running or not!!!
Yes I do turn 40 in like two weeks, so maybe it isn't that I have been training/racing Ironman without a break for over a year and half. (Nah, can't be that), maybe I am not training hard enough!!!!
The last couple days have been pretty typical! Sunday I ran 20miles @ a slower pace than normal (7:20), because of my achilles issue. Then yesterday I did a bike/run brick workout, which is a 6hr ride through the mountains, followed by a 7mile run. This morning woke up and did a killer anaerobic swim workout of 4100 meters and a short 6mile run before work.
So at this point I am sitting at work using an ultrsound machine on my achilles (thanks to my PT friend Carson).
maybe tomorrow I will take and easy day? Probably not!!!

Achilles Heal

2008-05-23T10:17:00.000-07:00

"Well its not so good". That was the first thing I said to my self when I awoke this a.m.
The Achilles is still killing me. So now I run into the question, what to do about my 22 mile run tomorrow? On top of that I have a 1/2 Ironman next weekend, and my "A" race, Ironman CDA in 4 weeks. Do I not run for several days, and cross my fingers or do I go ahead and run anyway, and cross my fingers? I know what I would tell someone else to do, but for some reason i can't seam to tell myself the same thing! Damn it!
I could live vicariously through my better half Mary. She has the same schedule as I.
Well keep positive thoughts and your fingers crossed!!

Skirtschaser's very 1st blog day!!!

2008-05-22T18:08:00.000-07:00

Yes its true. Mark it on your calender, post it on your fridge door. This is the start of my blogging. I have joined the computer age. (well kinda).
Today was a real exciting day, I started off with a 13 mile tempo run in 25 mph winds with my very sore Achilles tendon. This Achilles thing really started acting up about two weeks ago, but normally after about a mile it warms up and I don't notice it until I finish. Well not today it hurt like hell the entire run, which actually turned into a 12.5 mile tempo run.
I limped over to my neighbor, Nicole (our local PT). She proceeded to scrap my Achilles with a torture device she called ASTYM. Shit!! Lets hope that pain was worth while. Stay tuned...