this race report starts last week Wednesday night (Sept. 15th) when i developed some swelling and soreness near the ball/toes of my right front foot. knowing i had IM Branson in 4 days i did what every person would do and panicked a bit. i settled quickly and opted instead for some advil, elevation, prayer and ice. i also ditched the flip-flops for the rest of week and weekend in favor of some good quality shoes. all played a part (shout out to my prayer warriors!) and my foot, though still a bit swollen was a non-issue on race day.

Friday morning at 4 AM, with the swagger-wagon packed up and loaded, Chelsea, Lake, Harper and i hit the road with my parents following in their vehicle. Leaving at 4 AM turned out to be a great idea as the kids basically slept until the breakfast stop which was at an IHOP in south KC. we stopped at the Bass Pro Shop in Springfield, MO on the way down as well so L & H could burn off a little steam.

mission accomplished!

Friday in Branson (my foot was still in pain and swollen at this point) we played at the pool(s) and enjoyed the sunshine and our condo. topped off the day with some mexican food and a walk down by Moonshine Beach on Table Rock Lake to check out the swim start.

Saturday was basically a whirlwind of athlete check-in and EXPO, bike check-in, race course preview and race briefing/rules meeting before finally getting together with the other 5 members of the Pella Triathlon Club crew and their families for a pre-race pasta dinner. lots of laughs, stories, trash talk and H2O. after that we hit up one of the many options for entertainment in Branson…mini-golf! oh and my foot was still swollen…less pain, but sore.

almost forgot…while i was doing the race “stuff” the Lake and Harper were playing at the pool with Chels and my parents. Lake can be seen below coming off the top rope in what was probably a surprise attack on my dad (aka Papi).

after mini-golf and some cold stone ice cream for the kids, it was back to the condo and time for a bubble bath and some sleep before the big day on Sunday.

the swim. 1.2 miles with all of my male 25 to 29 age group friends.

it was a wetsuit legal swim and so clad in our wetsuits we hit the beach and waited for the horn. this was by far the roughest swim i’ve had in a race when it came to getting kicked/hit, grabbed, swimming into and over other swimmers, etc. on the plus side, Table Rock Lake was awesome! it was clear and clean…quite a change from Lake Red Rock…no offense Des Moines River, but you’re not good. i didn’t find “clean” or uninterupted water until about 900 meters left in the swim and even then it remained pretty congested with the swim waves only 3 minutes apart. after taking a heel to my left eye/goggle i decided against adjusting it as that has led to problems in previous races, so ala Finding Nemo, i just kept swimming. 39 minutes later, i was out of the water (way too far to the left and 4 minutes slower than i wanted to be, but i was out of the water and feeling good).

the (mountain – HA!) bike: 56 miles o’ slow brutal hills and screaming fast decents.

My parents kept the kids at the condo race morning and watched the swim from our balcony while Chels came to the beach to wish me luck and take some pictures. the road to our condo was half-way up the 1st climb right out of transition and so i was greeted with the cheering voices of my parents and the smiling faces of Lake and Harper as i made my way up the hill (this was a common theme for the ride). it is always awesome to see familiar faces and hear familiar voices! big thanks to my parents for their support during the weekend and on race day!

from that point we headed out to a section of highway that i would get very familiar with that morning. Ironman Branson had closed down a four lane highway and it was incredible. the roads were in awesome shape, the views were unlike anything i’ve raced around and the hills/downhills were aplenty. while there were several long climbs (1 mile plus and steep) there was 1 spot in particular that was brutal. i was looking at my speed monitor and was litterally struggling to keep in at 4 MPH. on the flip side, going down that hill i touched 49 MPH before deciding to get my eyes off the watch and on the road. i’ve never gone that fast on my bike before…it was sweet. i heard one athlete after the race talking about that downhill section and he summed it up pretty well…”i felt like i was 12 years old again and wanted to yell, WOOO HOOO!”

the bike course was definitely challenging and i knew it was going to be a tough day when i hit a rough patch mentally at around mile 25. it was a false flat section where i just felt like my back tire was stuck in concrete and my stomach and mind starting playing magic tricks. my nutrition plan was one area where i hadn’t dedicated much time or planning or so i think that affected my ride and race a bit, but as quickly as the sick feeling set in, it was gone a mile or 2 later. another rough patch at mile 38 (close to the same section of road IIRC), but from then on i felt pretty good with the exception of some cramping that had started to set in. did i mention the bike course was hilly? there were people getting off their bikes and walking them up the hills. i have never seen that at a race, but this was also my first 70.3, so who was i to have an opinion. still, it reminded me that this bike course was no joke. after 3 loops of the closed 4 lane highway, it was on to an up-and-down, curvy road into Branson Landing where tranisition 2 was located. because of WTC/Ironman rules, i wasn’t allowed to come out of my cycling shoes and dismount barefoot as i typically do. i’m told many athletes were doing it anyway, but i followed the rules, unclipped and stayed in my cycling shoes. my reward for following the rules? down goes frazier! really, i crashed. it was awesome hearing the “ooohs” from the spectators who were surrounding the bike chute. no blood, just bruised. hopped up and heading into transition to grab my shoes. 2:56 on the bike…longer than i expected, but i was happy and had worked out the leg stitches by the time i hit T2.

the run: 13.1 miles (half-marathon)

my goal was to run as many 7 minute mile splits as possible. that was before i started the swim that morning. the bike course elevation according to my Garmin watch was 6,692 feet. it was hard and definitely played a hand in what i had left in the tank for the run. i hit the run course feeling pretty good. it was a 3 loop course with each loop approximately 4+ plus miles. the first loop clicked off pretty well and i established a routine at the aid stations. pass on the gatorade and powerbars, grab 2 waters (one to drink, one for the face/neck) and grab a cup of ice (the ice went in my shorts…in case you were wondering).

the race support and volunteers were amazing and so good all day. offering encouragement and ice for my shorts! i thanked as many as i could, but 3 in particular during different parts of the day merit mentioning. there was a guy wearing a blue shirt and white cap on the biggest hill during the bike ride. he was our there all morning yelling words of encouragement, whistling, clapping, etc. as we climbed that hill. there was also a section of road on the run course where 2 neighbors stood at the edge of their driveways spraying athletes the entire afternoon. i want to send them money for their water bill! they were incredible and definitely effected my race in a positive way.

so the run was good for the first 2 loops and i was passing people and not getting passed, but then near mile 9 my toes started to curl up and my legs began to cramp. i adjusted my stride and fought the urge to walk for about a mile, but then i hit a dark spot and walked for the first time. from miles 10 to 12, i walked a lot more than i wanted to, but i was cramping and doing what i could to keep moving forward. i was playing all the mental games i could to make myself run, but the heat was winning. at mile 12, i called myself some names, ignored my cramps and “ran.”

looking back now, i can say it was an awesome day and an accomplishment that i’m proud of, however, i probably wouldn’t do the sport of triathlon if i was easily pleased, so i can definitely say that i will be back for Ironman Branson 70.3. thanks for the support! back to swimming, biking and running next week!

2:50 AM – cell phone alarm tone

2:57 AM – cell phone alarm tone (again)

i was then able to remind myself it was “race day” and not the typical “5 AM weekday training run day.”  we (the Pella Tri Club crew) had a great, but late team meal at Spaghetti Works in Downtown Des Moines after the race briefing and bike check, but it made 3 AM seem a little crazy. anyway, i showered, packed up my gear, ate some breaky (the usual: whole wheat toast w/ honey, peanut butter and bananas), and waited for my ride. we left Pella at about 3:45 and arrived at the athlete shuttle location at 4:45. i hoped bus and headed for the race site. at 5:15 AM as i was setting up my transition, the race director comes on the intercom…

“athletes, we have a very important announcement…bad weather, blah, blah, blah…shortening the course to a sprint…safety…blah, blah.”

my initial response, like many around me, was dissapointment as we were mentally prepared for an olympic distance event (1500m swim, 40k bike and 10k run), but at least we were racing. i finished setting up transition as i was doing math in my head trying to put together a new time goal for the 2010 Hy-Vee SPRINT Triathlon…400m swim, 20k bike and 5k run. then it was time to hit the beach.

swim 8:53

the swim went off as a time trial (TT) start as opposed to the typical wave start. we left individually with 3 second intervals in a line as opposed the entire Male 25 to 29 age group running off the beach at once. it was my first TT swim start in a race and i liked it a lot. it allowed for a lot less feet to the face and hands on your back/legs. i was happy with how i felt coming out of the water, but based on my times and others i think it’s safe to assume that the swim was longer than 400m…

T1 1:43

muddy and slow. too slow.

bike 35:08 (21.2 mph avg.)

the bike was the leg i was really looking forward to as i had the Rassy Bike Shop Zipp 808 front wheel and Sub-9 Disc on my Orbea Ordu (pictured below with the wheels…sick!). at the end of the day, i wasn’t happy with my bike split for the 2nd race in a row, but i did feel better coming off the bike at Hy-Vee than i did at the Copper Creek Tri the week before. besides “Heckler Hill” the bike course is pretty flat and fast. with the exception of a little head wind after the turn-around spot, it was a nice ride. i took a clif shot block on the bike which i normally don’t do in a sprint distance race, but mentally it got me prepared for the run. placebo effect? probably.

T2 0:57

muddier and not quite as slow. go figure.

run 18:47 (6:04 / mile)

i was stoked with how my legs felt coming off the bike and told myself to keep the cadence high. after not breaking 20:00 minutes at Copper the week before i was positive i was going to put out the effort to get it done at Hy-Vee and fortunately my legs cooperated. the turn around was half way up Fuller Road…which was nice. Fuller road just off of Grand Ave. in West Des Moines is steep and long. it’s pretty fitting that there is a cemetary along one side. i remembered running all the way up Fuller at last year’s Hy-Vee race and the cemetary didn’t sound too bad at that point. turning around halfway up Fuller was the 1st time during race i thought, “self…the RD made the right call about shortening the course. even thought it’s not raining (YET), i could really go for turning around and heading back.” so i did. also, as much as i hate to say it…the run leg, unlike the swim leg, was a hair short. my 5k PB is 18:30 and that was a stand alone 5k…now swim or bike before hand, so i’m thinking the run may have been a hair shy of 3.1X miles.

overall 1:05:25

i was definately pleased with my overall time, but as always you find yourself looking for places to improve. the bike times will improve as the summer goes along and my run is getting to where i expect it to be.

the storm (the reason for the shortened race) showed up at about 7:30 AM when we were packing up our transition areas and so a couple of PTC teamates hoped on our bikes and headed for Valley West Mall along with a nice guy from Chicago. this was a bad idea as we got completely soaked, but it made for some good laughs and provided a time to cool down the legs and trade race stories. the plan was to watch the pros (female and male) races later that day with Chels, Lake and Harper and so after meeting up with them for my 2nd breakfast of the day, we headed to Target so i could get a dry shirt and shorts. Chels has some pictures up from the day over at here blog.

swim 13:40

the swim went very well in that it was the only leg of the S/B/R day where i met/exceded my goal.  i was happily cruising (that’s term i use for when a slow swimmer like myself is feeling good) in my rented DeSoto Water Rover wetsuit.  Sighting was difficult to first 2 turn bouys due to the rising sun and i found myself getting off course a few times, but after that the sighting got better.  checked my watch when i hit the swim exit and it read 13 minutes flat.  i was quietly excited as i expected to see a 14-something.

T1 1:02

uneventful…pulled off the wetsuit and grabbed the lid, shades and bike.  did have a little  trouble (okay…a lot of trouble) getting clipped in to the pedals at the bike mount line, but my personal frustrations with that quickly faded when i saw a fellow Pella Tri Club (PTC) rider fixing a flat.

the bike 35:24

for a 12.5 mile course it was pretty hilly and that’s saying something because the roads around Pella where i ride are very hilly and so races generally feel easy (edit:  EASIER not easy).  maybe it was due to being the first race of the season, but it was a tough sprint course.  the roads for the most part were in great shape, which is always a plus.  with the exception of the railroad tracks we crossed (4x) the seat was pretty comfortable.  i was shooting for a 22 mph average for the course and came up short at 21.2 mph.  it was great to see familiar faces on the bike course…both racing and volunteering.

T2 0:39

i pride myself on fast T2′s.  off the bike and into my running shoes as quickly as possible.

the run 20:45

coming off a new PB (personal best, not peanut butter) 18:30 at the Klompen Klassic 5k in Pella, my goal all year was to have every 5k run come in under 20 minutes.  No dice on this day as my legs just weren’t there on the way out to the turn around.  probably due to the lack of “bricks” (running after a bike ride – - it’s called a brick because that’s how your legs feel when you do it) during training.  up to this race i had only done a couple bricks, which isn’t enough and definately has me nervous for next weekend at Hy-Vee when we follow up the 25 mile bike ride with a 10k.  Anyway, i was a bit bummed with the 20:45 5k and 6:42 minute/mile pace as it left me short of my overall time goal.

overall 1:11:33

my goal was 1:10:xx, so i was happy with getting close, but you always question what you could have done differently.  it turns out there wasn’t much else out there for me on this day.  i swam, biked and run as well (read: fast) as my legs/body would allow and so i was excited to have the 1st race of 2010 under my belt.  i finished up 4th overall in the 25-29 age group (AG) and 1 spot off the podium.  only slightly bummed because my preliminary result print-out showed me at 3rd overall in my AG and so i stuck around for awards when i could have been home with Chels, Lake and Harper that much sooner. 

Lake had his 1st day of Waumba (sunday school) at church and so Chels stayed in Pella to make sure his transition from nursery to Waumba went well.  i later found out that Lake cried when he had to leave.  good sign for Waumba, but not so fun for Chels.

the post race chocolate milk and food was good and now i have score to settle with this race next year…and the new pair of goggles they give out doesn’t hurt.

the crew

the “kids” (over here Pippa!)

my crew

and again…gulf side

my girl

our girl

the captain (he smiled like that for an hour after checking out the cockpit)

just to be clear…these are doubles if you happen to follow my wife’s “phlog” (photo-blog), but it had been a really long time since my last post and i needed something to get out of the slump.  hopefully this entry will be my slump buster.

 last night i had to run to the local hardware store with Lake and my dad.  that’s right…keepin it local…eat it wal-mart.  anyway, i needed some night light replacement bulbs and a couple screws so that i could repair the baby gate at the top of the stairs.  we get what we need and as i am paying, the high school kid behind the counter asks me (outloud with Lake standing right next to me), “Can he have a sucker?”

i’m thinking to myself…[yeah.  sure.  he can have a sucker...he's almost 3 years old...it's 8 PM...a sucker is exactly what he needs!  got anything else back there?  maybe a bag of sugar?  raw chicken?  some sharp knives?  we'll take 'em.]  as that all runs through my head, i say, “sure.”

so, i tell Lake to say “thank you” for the sucker.  i get the bulbs and screws, Lake gets a sucker and we are on our way out the door.  we get half way to the door and Lake stops in his tracks and pauses.  he turns around, puts up his hand and says,  “peace out homies!”

we get outside and before my dad even gets a chance to ask me what Lake just said i tell him that he heard correctly…he just called the hardware store guys, “homies.”  i read my dad’s face to say, “i’m guessing Chelsea didn’t teach him that…”

anyway, i was taking a shower this morning and as is becoming the norm, before i could even get my hair wet; i hear the bathroom door burst open and moments later i see a tiny little hand.  its Harper and she’s trying to open the shower door.  she wants in.  now.  so we get the pajamas and diaper off and in she goes.  so there i am with Harper in one arm as she snuggles in on my shoulder and the Dial for men 3D body wash in my other hand. 

——————– 

sidenote:  i provided the name of the soap and a link because i’m still coming to terms with “body wash.”  i was raised as a “bar soap” guy and so when Chelsea introduced “body wash and a puffy thing” to my shower routine i was a bit unnerved and wasn’t sure what it said about “body wash and puffy things” in the MAN CODE handbook.  all that to say, body wash for men smells good, it works and i don’t miss the bar soap…except for days when i have forgotten to tell Chelsea that my “man-wash” bottle is empty and i head to work or wherever smelling like vanilla-bean extract or lavendar and cucumbers…i digress.

——————–

so Haper is snuggled in and i’m trying to figure out how i’m once again going to pull off the one-handed shampoo, body and face wash routines and i think of my blog.  i originally started this thing as a way of recording funny and heart-warming stories that were created by my kids and moments like i was having right then.  so here i am; my hair didn’t get washed today.  the water bill is definitely going to be higher and i was late for work.  no big deal.  i’m going to record these stories for Chels and me and maybe some of them will encourage other parents or make someone smile.  no more 3 month breaks…there’s no time.  while there’s still opportunities like this morning, i’m going stand in that shower until the water turns cold.

check back in.

so we finish the stories and still no Chels, so i start the prayers.  i’m halfway through when Lake takes his hands off his face and looks right at me…i know he has a question…

- – - – -

“where is God?”

He’s everywhere.  He watches over us and protects us.  He’s pretty awesome.

“can i hug Him?  can i feel Him? 

Ummm…not really hug Him, but sometimes you can sortof feel Him.  You can always talk to Him.

“when He comes back and He’s real then can i touch Him?”

you bet you can.

“is He in the dark?”

yes.  He’s everywhere.

“does God punch mean guys and alligators?”

i don’t think He would do that.  he created all types of guys and all the animals…even mean guys and alligators.

“can you tell me a dinosaur story?”

sure.

- – - – -

i can’t wait until i get to answer Harper’s questions about “God, mean guys, alligators and dinosaurs”…girls like alligators and dinosaurs, right?

so Chels and i took Lake and Harper to the Iowa State Fair this year and we had a great time.  we saw the animals, rode the sky glider and Chels and i went down the giant slide with Lake more times than i care to admit (what recession, eh?).  for a break we decided to head up to the playground area to let Lake run around.  he saw the big wooden train as we approached and headed straight for it.  Lake loves trains.  it was great because i had to use the facilities and there were benches were Chels could nurse Harper. 

so i am walking down the hill to one of those lovely portable 3×3 bathrooms and i notice a sign posted on the train.  EXHIBIT A:

i know my son pretty well and so i am concerned, but i quickly glance at the construction of the train and the roof doesn’t look very accessible for a 2-year-old, so i continued without heading back and alerting the authorities (mommy).  i’m not sure why i was so shocked when i walked back up the hill and looked up to see a  little blonde kid in a red sweatshirt standing on the roof of the train, but i was.  i immediately think, “CRAP!  Chels is nursing Harper and probably can’t help, but is definitely nervous if she is seeing what i am seeing…” 

my walk up the hill became a jog as i looked at the bench where Chels and Harper had been sitting only to find a cute old couple sharing something on a stick.  i then spot Chelsea holding Harper on her hip with the camera in her other hand snapping a photo of our curious climber.  EXHIBIT B:

i love my wife, because what she couldn’t see were the mothers on the other side of the train, looking up and holding their hands over their mouths, wondering if this little boy’s mother or father was going to show up to get their son off the roof of this train.  i was tempted to tap them on the shoulder and let them know that she (my wife) was going to get him (my son) down…she just had to get a picture first; but i let them continue looking around for “the little boy’s parents” before i made my way to the roof of the train to get him down.  it was a pretty good view from up there…some rules are made to be broken…whether you can (me) or can’t (Lake) read the sign.

OR

“better be three hours too soon than one minute too late.” – william shakespeare

its been a long time and i don’t have any good excuses and i’m not prepared to make any promises, but i do like to blog and i know at least some close friends and family enjoy reading this, so i am back to make a solid effort at being conisistent.

that being said, i do have some catching up to do.  stories, race reports and family photos will be following and hopefully i can remain a little more consistent going forward.  thanks for checking back in.  by the way, i tend to agree with bill shakespeare…plus that anonymous guy has thousands of quotes and i’m pretty sure i’ve caught him in some contradictions in the past.