Live Free and Tri

Ironman Wisconsin 2010: The Return!

2009-09-14T15:06:00.005-05:00

Your registration is complete!

Purchased at: September 14, 2009 10:14 AM

Event Confirmation #: 25292215-091409101455

Bring it!

Ironman Louisville: A Long Cool Summer

2009-09-01T18:39:00.060-05:00

My first visit to Louisville will be a highlight for 2009 since this was the location of my second Iron man event. The attention to detail and the logistics are always a challenge when you attend such a huge event, but I always enjoy the energy and all the new things I learn from each Iron man triathlon. Louisville was hosting the Ironman Triathlon for the third time and you could definitely tell as the city was prepped for all the athletes (about 3000). With family and friends, the city was going to deluged with Tri bikes, fuel belts and Lycra for the next few days.

After are long commute to Louisville (and the hotel) we scurried our bikes and luggage to our rooms and eagerly walked over to the Galt House hotel to pick up our athlete packets and shop at the ever-popular Ironman Expo nearby. The location of the Galt House Hotel was right on the Ohio river near the bridge where we would run during the marathon. We eventually found the large room to start our packet process pickup. We still had an hour or so before closing time, the lines were long for each stage of the process: sign this, sign that, move here, move there, etc.

We felt like cattle being rustled on the farm as we went from one station to the next. While waiting, I talked to a fellow tri athlete that was next to me to pass the time:
Me: How many Ironmans have you done?
Triathlete : 12 so far, Louisville, Wisconsin, Lake Placid, Kona...
Me: Wow, you did Kona, did you qualify? (qualify in top ten age group or win lottery)
Triathlete : I didn't qualify for Kona, I won the lottery two times in a row...
Me: (To myself) Why couldn't I be that lucky!

And so it goes with all of the interesting people you meet at all these events, for some, this was their first Ironman (0ver 800) and others were veterans, pros and age groupers like me who were still new to the sport and amazed that there's this must interest in such a difficult challenge. Would all of them become new Ironmans that weekend? No, but they will have at least gave it there best tri and pushed themselves to the limit of what they can do and even learned something about themselves as well.

Now, onto race Ironman race itself. I had planned for a very hot day, as I had watched a friend of mine do the race a few years ago in stifling heat and humidity. This year was going to be a cooler temperature (around 72 for the high) but would the humidity play a factor this time?

The swim for this Ironman was a time trial start, meaning every three seconds two people would jump off a dock into the water to start their swim. The pros start first, then the age groupers, two at a time every three seconds dove off the dock. Therefore with 3000 athletes, the line is over a mile long and there can be up to a 40 minute delay depending on when you start. We arrived about 10 till 7 and looked for the end of the line. We walked and walked, thinking on each turn we'd find the end, but we decided to just sit down and rest and waited for the end of the line to come to us. The starting time begins when your chip crosses the timing mat anyway, so it was no big deal anyway.

Once within site of the docks, the line quickly moved from a snail's pace to a quick jog as we removed our outer clothes and placed them in the swim bag which we would pickup after the race. I quickly spat into my goggles but had no water to wash them out so I grabbed an open water bottle on the ground and rinsed them and put on both my swim cap and goggles and jumped into the warm Ohio river. I quickly established my bilateral breathing every three strokes and sited on the sixth stroke and moved at a relatively steady pace. All other Ironman swim starts are just a mass start of over two thousand athletes with the first twenty minutes like a chaotic mosh pit; which makes it very difficult to establish any type of rhythm. I moved right along, found the first red buoy at around the thirty minute mark and turned and now swam with the current (if there was one?). I finally finished at around 1:42 minutes, feeling a little tired but ready to get on the bike after a not-so-fast transition.

I planned for typical hot and humid day for Louisville, even though weather reports were showing highs of just 72 degrees! Just in case, I made sure my SNB (special needs bags) were stocked with frozen Ensures, along with blue ice inside a small cooler for both the bike and the run. I wasn't taking any chances with the heat because there's nothing worse then drinking warm liquids during a race. The plan had one major flaw...Which I'll talk about later on ;-)

After my swim I quickly ran into the tent to don my bike gear, lather on some sunblock and try to find my Quintana Roo Tri bike among the thousands in the football sized field that was their temporay location for the morning. It wasn't hard to find my bike - there was only a handful of bikes left leaning against the traditional triathlon triangle metal bars (this was because we were the last to start the swim and my swim time). I quickly located my bike, choked down some not-so-tasty calories and ran the bike to the exit, where I jumped on the pedals and shifted into high gear, along with a myriad of many other triathletes.

The course was somewhat familiar as I had drove the course the day before, so as I weaved in through the side streets keeping a relatively fast pace I was somewhat dismayed with the amount of cars on this portion. Didn't anybody know there was an Iron man today? Fortunately they blocked off a lane during one busy section where the cars were lined up bumper to bumper while cops directed traffic. They must have been out of towners, tourists or other uninformed individuals that didn't realize that there was a small race in the Louisville today. I snickered to myself and I thought about all the times cars passed me by and now I was passing them.

I kept my bike cadence around 85 rpm during the first segment of the bike ride- I didn't want to burn my legs as I had to run a marathon after this 112 mile bike ride. The first 22 miles I managed 17 mph (1:17) which was a good steady pace and I felt good as I worked my way up the hills to start the two bike loops. At this point my stomach was feeling somewhat strange, a queasiness that made me uncomfortable, so my speed was slower than normal but this was the first section of the bike race so I wasn't too concerned.

I used Gatorade and the Infinite Nutrition drink so I didn't have to use any gels or goos during the long bike ride. As I neared the location for the SNB (Special Needs Bag) I decided to stop and ingest some different calories to help the stomach. I yelled out my number and grabbed my bag, opened the small cooler - everything was cold, too cold! It was all rock solid! $%@! The temperature wasn't that hot and the bags were in the shade and everything was in coolers with ice! Ooops! What could I do? I threw the bag down in disgust and jumped back on the bike; I had already lost time since this wasn't a scheduled stop. Maybe after the first bike loop the items may be melted after a few hours I thought.

My stomach was still upset but I continued on and managed to increase my bike average a little bit and watch almost everybody pass me(!) at the SNB area on the second loop around 1pm in the afternoon. I stopped again hoping the items had melted somewhat. I was wrong! The Ensures were like tasty ice creams (and you know I like ice cream!) so I tried to squeeze as much out as I could, but I really needed a spoon (why didn't I pack a spoon I thought to myself) to get all of it out of the small, plastic container. Oh well, I was feeling better anyway by that time and decided to put the hammer down as they say.

As I did the second loop, nobody passed me, I did the passing since I saved my energy for the last leg and looking to finish before six hours, the only thing that slowed me down was all of the cars that slowed down to pass other bikers on the course, which was quite frustrating for the most part as it created a serious safety problems for both triathletes and the volunteers directing traffic. The last 45 miles of the bike ride was fast and furious (20.06 avg) as I weaved in and out through cars and bikers and looking forward to getting off the bike.... to start running. Fortunately, this year I was much less pain compared to last year's Iron man in Wisconsin since I had a different (tri) bike, better bike shoes and was in better shape. I rode as fast a horse, eager to start the next, and last part of the race.

I was very much relieved to be off the bike after almost six and half hours and my legs felt a bit like noodles after such a long ride. I quickly changed from bike shoes to running shoes, and started the long marathon run. The weather was warm, but not as humid as expected around 4:30pm but I made sure to hydrate as much as possible. I felt good. I was doing around a 10:30 pace so I kept it slow and steady going through the downtown and then we ventured onto the bridge that overlooked the Ohio river where I had swam several hours before. I was tempted to move the run pace faster but I kept it slow and rested at the aid stations then pushed on. As I ventured out of the downtown there were many athletes that had started their second lap to my dismay. I continued to keep the pace slow and steady for the first loop of the run.

Each mile slowly crept up to me like in a hazy dream.... 4, then 5, there was 6 miles done... just finished a 10k! Only have to do that four more times. As the miles went up, I noticed my pace had started to slow down; my stomach was in pain again. The dreaded stomach stitch again. I took some deep breaths while I ran and the pain eased up after about 15 minutes. I had experienced this before at the half in Kansas in June and after some research learned this was mainly caused by the aero position on the bike; the diaphragm is compressed for such a long time during the bike plus weak abdominal muscles. It can also be caused by gas bubbles from food eaten before the run. I mainly was using liquid calories so that wasn't the problem. During the off season I will have to strengthen my core to prevent this happening on my next triathlon.

The rest of the marathon was flat and due to the cool temperature I decided to skip a few aid stations to increase my pace as my average pace slowed down each aid station, although I stopped at some aid stations for some quick energy and so I wound't become dehydrated. My first 13.1 mile loop I finished in about 2 and half hours so I was at a 11:10 /min pace which was a bit slower than my goal of a sub 11:00 pace but I had hoped to keep it slow the first half and then run a faster split on the second 13.1 mile loop - if I had the energy to do it! The SNB (special needs bags) were at the half way mark so I stopped and drank down two cool (not frozen this time!) high protein Ensures and didn't change my socks and continued on. Of course, like Wisconsin IM, the start of the second loop is where athletes who were done with the second loop continued toward the bright and loud finish, where throngs of people line up along the finish and cheer all the finishers till midnight. It's an amazing experience and I had hope to actually finish during the daylight someday!

The second loop continued on as I waved to my family and other onlookers that cheered me at the start of the second loop. My plan was to finish before dark so I tried to increase my pace, so I did mini intervals on the second loop and stopped at every other aid station to not waste more time. I also felt the beginnings of a small blister on my left pinky toe. It wasn't painful - yet, but seeing that my pace slowed down to a 13 min pace, I pushed past the pain and persevered; the finish was only a short 10k distance! I wanted to finish strong, do a 9 min pace toward the finish but my body was exhausted so my mind fought my body toward the end. The last few minutes were just a blur, the bright lights, the screaming crowd and the ever joyful finish line! I had made it and I was so very grateful!

All of the people in the race, from ages ranging from 18 to 76, had different goals that day. Some were there just to finish, others to beat a previous time or friend; the Iron Man is a race within a race. I saw a blind man in the race, others with disabilities, all come here to push themselves to the edge, to face the challenge and call themselves an Iron man.

Me at Iron Man Louisville

Iron Abe: Fast, Furious and Fantastic!

2009-08-01T21:11:00.017-05:00

The Iron Abe Triathlon in Springfield. Yes, this city has some historical ties to a very famous president in our nation's past, but what made this day special was that from the onset of this race, I turned a corner in my training and it paid off during this race.

It was just an Olympic distance race: .9 mile swim, 24.8 mile bike and a 10k run (6.2 miles) so it was going to fast and furious race unlike my previous two triathlons, however, it turned out to be a very significant race in my short triathlon career. Quick note: I did the Stoneman race two years earlier so I was already familiar with the course.

The swim was in lake Springfield, a bigger than average lake with a normal water temperature around 80 degrees. Not this time, some how the organizers were able to take water temperature tests and average it a few tenths of degree below the wet suit legal 78 degrees, thereby allowing participants to wear wetsuits and still be able to place in their perspective age groups. Due to my incident in the Kansas Half triathlon, I had no wet suit to use. There was no use in crying about it, the race would go on (just like Kansas) and since this was a short swim course I would only lose 3-5 minutes on the swim, not good but certainly not critical as the swim does not make the race.

The transitions for both Stoneman and Iron Abe were very convenient and only seconds away from the swim end. This was a nice perk as it's not normally the case for a lot of triathlons. This enabled me to have a much faster transition which is always a good thing regardless of the race.

The bike portion was flat with a few short rollers and a turn around at the half way mark. This is where I could really push to gain time and I did. I was able to average a 21.8 on the ride and gain time that I had lost on the swim without the wetsuit. I maintained a fast cadence throughout the ride and made sure to drink the Infinite the latter half of the ride to carb up for the upcoming 10k run.

I was able to average the pace on the bike that I wanted, was I able to keep my goal and run a sub 9 min/mile on the run? I felt good, it wasn't too hot (like Effingham) and it was only a short 10k that I had practiced many time while in training. I quickly transitioned to the run and off I went, just like I had two years ago, except I was doing another 3.2 miles this time.

I paid close attention to my watch (Suunto T6C) to verify my pace: 8:30 min /mile. I raced onward and then a few minutes a fellow Godzilla team member quickly strides by me after the first mile, I wasn't going to match that pace and watch her go on her way. I was moving at a nice pace and I had another 5 miles to go. At mile 3 I caught up to Christian as we did the turn around at the half way mark, as I was still maintaining my average pace of a sub 9 min/mile. In fact at the bridge toward the end I increased the speed down to a sub 7 pace and finished with an impressive 2:29:55 which was 3rd place in my age group! Boo Yahh! My final pace on the run was a 8:20 min /mile way faster than my goal. My training had paid off! Fantastic!

till next time.....

Brett

2010 will be a busy year!

2009-06-22T15:49:00.005-05:00

Event Name: 2010 Ford Ironman Coeur d'Alene

Date & Time: June 27, 2010 07:00 AM

Location: Coeur d'Alene Lake (map)

The Effingham Half! (aka EffingHOT!)

2009-06-22T10:56:00.004-05:00

The Effingham Half triathlon could have been expressed in couple words: Very hot! Although the triathlon was on June 21st, temperature for this time of year was above normal causing many of the participants to drop (over 20%) out of the race that day.

The swim was also different that day as we had to swim in Lake Sarah twice! We did one loop and when we swam to shore, got out of the water, shouted out our number and then jumped back in the water to do another swim loop. The certainly did through off one's rhythm therefore increasing my swim time to 48 minutes, at least I was faster here than in Kansas without a wetsuit!

The bike portion was full of rolling hills throughout the course. I felt good the first 20 miles but the heat was starting to get to me and my Infinite drink was hot and my energy levels were dropping so my average speed decreased down to a disappointing 18.9 which wasn't bad but could have been better.

The run was the most difficult half Marathon I had ever finished. The heat at this time was like a sweltering sauna with very little shade. I staggered from one aid station to the next and threw ice sponges in my hat trying to cool myself down. After finishing the first loop at over an hour, it was daunting to get back out there and do the same loop again in that oppressive heat. The sun was so hot my shoes were sticking to the melting asphalt on each step as it buckled from the intense heat. I continued and watched fellow friends Christian and Ian struggle to keep a good pace as well as I started the second lap. I just pushed myself to the finish and realized that this is what Iron Man Louisville will be in late August, although it will be twice the distance! I did finish with a 6:39 which was still faster than last year's Half at Buffalo Springs so my training has definitely helped.

Kansas 70.3

2009-06-15T13:01:00.002-05:00

The wetsuit zipper broke right before the swim. That's how my race started in Lawrence Kansas on June 14th. It started with a culmination of events that day but I had to make a decision and make it fast as I was losing precious time as my wave took off without me. There was only one option and that was to swim without the wetsuit while everybody else swam with one. I had to swim back to shore, remove the wetsuit and give it to a volunteer and start the swim again. Swimming 1.2 miles with a wetsuit is tough, without one is even tougher. I lost an entire 10 minutes during the swim, the race day had not started well.

However, with the new kicking Caliente from Quitana Roo, I rocked the bike course with a blazing 19.8 mph avg, finishing in 2 hours and 48 minutes I came very close to my goal of breaking the 20+ avg on the bike ride. The aero drink combined with the new Speedfil hydration system using the Infinite drink I was able to stay in the aero position longer without using gels or sitting up to drink from a bottle. For the longer rides (ie Iron man distance) I can add more to the Speedfil or Aero drink while on the ride during each aid station.

The run was not as easy at all this time around. I started out with a good 10:30 pace for about the first 5 miles then I started feeling a cramp in my stomach as I continued on. It was 11:30 am and now the clouds were gone and it was becoming very hot with little shade. I slowed down to see if this would ease the stomach pain but the spasms continued about every two minutes, the pain was almost made me stop, but I continued on. I finished the first loop in 1:15 so I had a good pace and I had hoped to have a negative split on the second lap but the stomach spasms were getting worse so on a few occasions I had to walk but continued my slow jog to the finish. I really wanted to finish before the 7 hour mark so I pushed forward, slower pace but just kept moving, drinking Gatorade, water, even a gel to see if this would help the pain; nothing worked. I moved on and the last 2 miles I skipped the aid stations and pushed forward until I hit the finishing chute, oblivious to the crowd and knowing I was done!

A quick reflection on this race reminded me of all the problems I had that day. The race started out with a problem and even though the bike ride was stellar I still had issues on the run. This year I even had to DNF a race because I wasn't prepared for a bike mechanical issue, I took a risk, thinking nothing would happen, but it did. Life is much like a triathlon in many ways. We are all in race to get something done, to finish school, get married, buy a house, new job etc, however not everything goes to plan as life gets in the way of our plans. Adversity is part of life and we must learn to plan for the good and the bad that is inevitable through life. If you don't you may feel the need to give up and quit the race, not realizing if you had persevered to the finish your reward would be sweeter, knowing all the hardship it took to get there.

Some lessons learned:

Prepare for the good and the bad,

learn from you mistakes,

challenge yourself more often,

you can do it if you at least Tri.

In pain but I finished!

Time for an upgrade!

2009-06-08T12:29:00.013-05:00

I know what your thinking, why did I buy another bike! Well, after using my Giant TCR2 carbon bike for the last two years and seeing all of the fast tri bikes at the triathlons, I wanted to level the playing field, using an acutal tri bike. The Quintana Roo, (pronounced [kinˈtana ˈro])although a strange name, they built the first triathlon bike way back in 1987! It must of looked quite strange at the time, but now they are the standard for all triathlons.

So far after a few rides on the new bike I've been very happy with the speed and comfort. With the added benefit of the aero bar shifters I should be able to add a few mile more per hour since I don't have to move my body to shift on the drops anymore. The added Cateye computer will keep track of speed and candence as well.

The full test will be at the Kansas Half on June 14th where I will be biking 56 miles. My goal will be to average around 20mph. Bring it!

Brett

First Triathlon of the 2009

2009-06-03T21:48:00.009-05:00

Well, after much debate and hem-hawing over where we wanted to do the first triathlon of the year, it ended up at Elsah, IL, the home of Principia college. This was there first hosted triathlon for the college and in my opinion they did a great job of hosting. My only complaints were why it took so long and there were no split times, but overall it was a great race, accept for the occasional rain!

After eight months of training and shedding unwanted lbs to get back into shape I felt very good for the entire race. The swim was somewhat of challenge as it was 16 laps in a 25 meter pool so we had to swim two laps per lane and with multiple people passing and being passed it was much like a mass swim the entire distance.

The bike portion was 15 miles of rain and with some added 14% grade hills at the start it slowed down the bikes a bit, bringing some people to just walking up the hills. I was conservative on the speed due to the slick road surface and tried to keep a constant pace. According to my bike computer I managed to eek out just a 14.4 average which was by far my lowest average bike speed to date.

Overall I felt good the entire day, the race was short but I was able to practice my T1 and T2 transitions so I can be ready for the longer triathlons where it becomes more important.

The next triathlon is at the beautiful private resort of Innsbrook near Wright city, MO

Brett

A change in scenery

2009-05-30T22:06:00.008-05:00

While the month of May was a great time to train I had to take a trip to Hawaii also for my second job in the Air National Guard. Yes, I know darn the luck! I had been training for eight months now so it was nice to have a change of scenery for a few weeks to enjoy and relax. I did get some training in while there, mostly running and a few swims in the ocean. (very, very salty) Some day I'd like to visit the Big Island where I can visit holy grail of Iron Man triathlons: Kona.

Fishing on North Shore: A 8lb Skipjack tuna

Me at the North Shore!

April Training Stats

2009-04-30T21:45:00.003-05:00

The month of April is when I hit my Triathlon Training full steam ahead, my body felt stiff but through the month I felt stronger each day and there even were days I felt like sleeping with my bike! The weather made it quite challenging to actual get outside as old man winter refused to give up to spring which made it tough to actual get some outside time to bike or run and using a treadmill and stationary bike is not the ideal way to train.

Monthly totals *
Bike - 15 hours
Run - 6.5 hours
Swim - 7 hours

* This is a guesstimate of the total hours since my Suunto was not working the entire month!

Since this was the first actual training month with me able to go outdoors without frigid temperatures , the schedule will ramp up to a even more hours with the warmer weather finally here so there will be days I will feel like sleeping with the fishes (or bike)!

till next time..... Live free and Tri!

Brett

2010 IronMan St. George

2009-03-19T10:51:00.006-05:00

Taking place on May 1, 2010, the event will consist of a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike and 26.2-mile run. The inaugural Ford Ironman St. George will utilize a variety of Utah's scenery, including the Sand Hollow Reservoir, Snow Canyon and the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve.

That pretty much tells it all. I will be participating in the first Ironman in Utah with breathtaking scenery and weather, there just was no way I could pass this experience up. See you all in Utah in May 2010!

Registration Details

Confirmation #:	25292215-031909081437
Date & Time:	05/01/10
Location:	Sand Hollow State Park
Purchased at:	03/19/09
Category:	USAT Member
Name:	Brett Whitehouse

B the Iron Man

Happy St. Patricks Day

2009-03-16T21:20:00.004-05:00

Yes, I had a very nice trip to Fort Walton Beach the first week and half of March. The weather was a bit cool but it warmed up by the time we left. I was to have started my second phase of Triathlon training on March 1st but I was in Florida. Now, did I follow my training guide..... er, ummm, no!
I did get some running (on the beach) and some swimming and of course some scuba diving in as well, therefore it wasn't all work and be lazy.

Yesterday I started my second phase of Triathlon training with a 45 minute swim which is about 1500 yards (.85 of a mile) and felt very good. Did some 300 yard intervals to push myself a bit and felt very good. Certainly not to the level of training so that I can move right to a long run, but I didn't feel the normal lethargic level of exhaustion that I used to feel after such a long swim. I guessing the P90X the last three months had something to do with this. Anyway, its a great start to the 20 week training plan. I do need to thank BeginnerTriathlete.com for the online training plans, its a great resource for new and seasoned Triathletes.

till next time

~ Brett

2009 is here!

2009-02-28T22:09:00.004-06:00

Oops!, I think you knew that already!
So, what have I been doing this year? My training for the 2009 big Triathlons (Kansas and Louisville) started last December. I bought the ever poplar P90x program and finished up the 90s days this week! To answer your first question, no I don't look like the guys in the infomercial! The second question, yes, I did lose about 10lbs of holiday weight and am now ready for phase two of the training which starts March 1st. More on that in a later post. For now, let me say, I'm back and ready to Bring it for 2009!

B the Iron Man

Kona Congrats

2008-10-11T22:15:00.004-05:00

Congrats to the IronMan Kona 2008 Champions

Craig Alexander and Krissie Wellington!

Hmmm....maybe I can be a Ironman Kona Finisher next year!

Watch me finish the Ironman Wisconsin!

2008-09-26T14:26:00.003-05:00

Ironman Wisconsin 2008! Yeah baby!

Call me Mr. IronMan!

2008-09-09T18:39:00.038-05:00

Swim, bike, run, then repeat again. That was my mantra during my many training sessions that prepared for my first Ironman in Wisconsin. I choose this Ironman location because it was close and the temperatures would be cooler than the average day in sweltering mid-west. Also, I was lucky enough to have a faster computer online to sign up for the slot last October. This was by far the the fastest part of the entire event!

The location was beautiful. The Ironman Triathlon had been racing here in Madison, Wisconsin since 2002 so the organizers had mostly all the kinks ironed out which was very nice. The 2.4 mile swim would be in freshwater Lake Monona, surrounded by the city of Madison and Monona Wisconsin. The start of the Ironman was at Monona Terrace, which is the isthmus that forms downtown Madison. After the swim is the every enticing 112 mile bike ride through town to the county roads of both chip and seal the smooth pavement. Of course, what Ironman bike ride would be complete without its fun-filled hills - 7440 feet in all - this alone made my legs cry out for mercy post bike as I hit the pavement running two 13.1 mile loops through downtown Madison, College Campus, Camp Randell Stadium and finishing up at the Capital!

If you every had any anxiety about swimming with 2207 people in one big mass, then you may not want to participate in this Ironman mass start. That's how you start in this race, and like you can imagine the first 20 minutes is nothing but fish trying to swim out of barrel in a mad frenzy to escape! A water most pit was more like it! I stayed back to let the faster swimmers go by but that strategy didn't really work too well. "Why don't you swim OVER me!" At the first quarter mile buoy everybody bunched up around it, but as time went on eventually I found some open water so I could maintain a long, smooth, relaxed stroke pace, for the rest of the swim. After the second lap I had some problems with my site breathing as the sun was directly in my eyes trying to see the water buoys and fighting swimmers as I went around the buoy, however I just kept swimming, seeing other swimmers going the same direction. Looking for the last, large Red water triangle buoy begun the next lap or swim for the finish, I knew that I was close to the end as I swam toward the beach. I slowly moved to the beach exhausted from the swim. The volunteers pulled my out of the water, I faintly heard my name over the load speaker and ventured my way through the gauntlet of people and to the wet suite strippers. Checked my watch and it said 1:40:50 which was not bad for a 2.4 mile swim. The strippers quickly pulled off the wetsuit and I was slowly running to the helix where I had to run up four floors in a circle up to the first T1 and get ready for the long bike ride next.

The T1 transition was different than those I had done in the past. After running up the four story helix I ran into the Monono Terrace building into a large room full of T1 bags with volunteers shouting out bib numbers as we came in. I quickly grabbed my bag and went into another room full of chairs and more volunteers helping us sort through our stuff. I quickly put on my bike shoes, helmet, sunglasses and number belt and off I went. Outside there were the people with rubber gloves to apply sun lotion as we all darted out to find my bike (Red Horse) in the T1 parking lot. I was fortunate that my rack had a helium Star Wars balloon floating from the rack so I new exactly where to go. Took my bike and ran with it (we could not mount bike until outside of T1) which seemed like a half mile to end of the transition and off I went down the helix to start the long journey of 112 miles!

The start of the bike portion was along Lake Monona along the a very nice bike path. We ventured through a large parking lot to very rutty road for about a half mile to some country roads for the first 14 miles till we reached the loop that we would have to repeat twice. The weather was beautiful, nice and cool, about 65 degrees and sunny. We had heard of previous Ironman races were the temps and weather were much less and higher so I was glad to be right in the middle temperature for the next seven hours.

The challenge of this ride was the frequency of the rolling hills so it was hard to get into a steady, fast rhythm since I was constantly shifting all the time. The large hills were toward the end of the first loop and that's were most of the spectators were, clamoring and beating drums and holding signs for their loved ones on the race. There was chalk graffiti all over the course (it was emphasized NOT to use paint). I saw a few individuals walking their bikes up some hills, wondering if they would make the cutoff time of 5:30pm after biking 112 miles, some were on the side of the road changing out flat tires or fixing some mechanical issue. Lots of interesting signs posted along the way "There are only IronWomen - Men don't Iron" and "If this was easy, then they would call it Pantyman!). It was very entertaining during one part where all of the spectators where dressed in pirate costumes shouting at us as we whizzed by. All distractions aside, at the first time check I was averaging around 15.1 mph, not slow but would put my bike time over seven hours. On the start of the second loop I needed to get my bike speed up to decrease my total bike time. However, half way through the second loop I had to pee. I was hydrating and eating but after four hours on the bike I had to go and thought of doing it a la European style (Tour de France) off the bike but there were port a potties at the aid stations. So when I saw the next aid station, I quickly jumped of the bike and did my business. Unfortunately, that didn't help my overall bike average so I quickly accelerated back up to warp speed (in this case 20mph) while I was on some easy flats hoping I could up my average a bit and get off this !#$@ bike!

My butt and right toes were numb (your feet tend to expand in the heat) due to the warmer temperature in the afternoon ( 72 degrees). I was still feeling good at the 56 mile mark (half way!) and decided to stop for my special needs bag and quickly gulped down an Ensure drink and I chalky cliff bar. I jumped back on the bike and quickly accelerated to gain back some time so I pushed in on the rolling hills at top speed of around 45 mph to push over most of the hills and sucked down to gels to prepare for the large hills at the 80 mile mark. I was ready and charged to get up those hills on the loop. When I got to the large hills the second time around I noticed less people on sidelines this time. This make sense, the pros and leaders were already through and they were probably going home or heading downtown to see the last leg of the race: the long distance marathon! I realized there that I need to slow down a bit and rest the legs a bit knowing that I still had another six hours of running to do after this! This wasn't just a lone century that I had done in the past. Up I went, not a powerful this time, my legs were starting to really feel it now, 10mph....9mph....8mph... I was getting close to the top, people shouting. I here some guy say "welcome back, we missed ya...", I show a sly smirk as I go by and slowly inch up to the top of the hill again, pushing and pulling my legs looking for the distant peak of this long hill. I finally make it to top, still in my lowest gear, heart rate maxed, only 42 miles to go....

I hit the time check for the forth time, quickly checked the my avg and it was now 15.2! Wow! All that effort for another .10 of a mile increase! This wasn't my fastest average but I wanted to conserve some energy for the next leg of the race. I quickly followed the bright colored arrows back to Monono Terrace. I pass the 100 mile mark, now only another 12 miles to go. I'm thinking to myself, why did they (Ironman Creator) have to find and island that was 112 miles in diameter? Now only 10 miles to go and I'm back to Rutt Road again where I started 7 hours ago; I try to jump the ruts, but there's just too many of them. Now I was back to the large parking lot and biking on the trail, I could now see Lake Monona and where I started. It was 3:30pm, over 7 hours on the bike, but 2 hours before cutoff time for the bike race. I quickly spiral myself back up the parking deck helix and cross the time check mat and had my bike off to another volunteer to take back to the Transition parking lot. My butt and feet thank me and I scamper my exhausted body into Transition to the long awaiting run.

It was still very quite warm when I started the long run. Only 26.2 miles I said to myself as I started my walk, I was just too tired to start a 8-9/min pace run like the pros. About five minutes later into my walk, a few tasty protein/carb chews later, I was feeling my legs again so I managed a slow jog about 14/min mile than proceeded to a faster pace to see how I'd feel. I figured I could jog a slow pace to each aid station and eat up and continue like that the rest of the way. I had plenty of time and I wasn't trying to catch anybody but the clock. I was enjoying the scenery of the city, university of Wisconsin, Lake Monona, and the crowd. My legs felt good, although a bit tired, I took it easy on the fist loop and might increase the speed on the second 13.1 mile loop.

1st Lap

The first 13 .1 mile loop I all right up to mile 8 where I had started some blisters in my heel. I discovered my I had not put my socks all the way up so my heel was exposed to the back of the shoe! Ouch! I quickly stopped and fixed the issue as well as loosen my shoes a bit to the heat of the day. That helped and I continued on through the park and university in the city. We even did a lap inside the University of Wisconsin's football stadium. I finished the first 13.1 mile loop around 6:30pm which starts again at the finish line for which I have to do the entire course once again! To watch others finish while I start my second loop was somewhat disheartening but I continued on one step closer to the finish line. I was handed a glow loop, so I guess its going to be a night finish! This was also the furthest I had every gone on a run! Wow! I felt good, a bit tired, but still able to keep moving which was the key, albeit somewhat slow, I wanted to increase the pace this loop as I continued on but for now, I was content to keep it slow, not overheat and maintain a good, even pace. What was nice about this triathlon is that our bib numbers had our first or last names prints on them. So as I'm running (or slow jogging) I here the crowd shout out my name: "Hey Brett Farve, great job". Okay then, someone had too many beers!

2nd Lap
I stopped to for my Special needs bag and drank a 5-hour energy drink to boost me up for the next 13 .1 miles. I left my rain jacket behind since the weather was fine and I would be done in a few hours! That was not a good decision as you read later on! The stop at each aid station was an oasis of life each mile. They offered up delicious food such as bananas, pretzels, powerbars, water, gatorade, grapes, gooes, coke and even hot broth! At each aid station I ate something, tried the mini pretzels and promptly spit them out! I took the bananas and washed them down with gatorade or water and even tried the coke a few time to see what it would do. No powerbars for me, hard enough to choke them down when I not running, so I could easy bypass that option. The night sky, the cool breeze along with the wet rain cooled things off a bit, never felt like I hit any wall or even bonked, just felt a bit tired. A few times I had jogged/walked the the next few miles, no use in burning up precious energy up those darn hills on campus. Then in mile 18 it began to rain, fortunately, I was in the campus park with lots of trees to shield me and it only lasted for about 10 minutes. The rain cooled things off although it was already dark at this time it energized me a bit to pick up the pace a bit. I was now up to mile 20, only 6 miles to go, a 10k left, I could sprint this with no problem I thought. However, I was just too tired to increase my pace, I wanted to but my body said no... not yet at least! I was running a bit faster now, the blur of the landscape, every nerve aware as is near the finish, less than a mile to go!

Was I zoning out, this all looked familiar again. I'm getting closer! I saw the turn around, all of the people surrounding the finish, I quickly sprinted to the finish, I hear the roar of the crowd, I was excited, elated to see the finish line. I was done!! I had finished! I was an IronMan!

Brett, you are an IronMan!

.... and here's what you get after 140.6 miles!

2008-08-30T20:44:00.015-05:00

Ironman Wisconsin 2008

Ironman in one week!

Pere Marquette Trail Run

2007-12-26T15:42:00.000-06:00

How would you like to be cold, wet, muddy all at the same time? Well, I had my chance at the annual Pere Marquette trail run on December 8th. It was my first run at the park and the conditions would be much different than any race I had participated before. The temperature was in the 40s with ice and mud on the 7.5 mile trail, with multiple hills to get through!

Since this was a trail run and there were 600 runners, the start was staggered in waves every 30 seconds to break up the faster runners and to spread the line out a bit. Therefore, the early runners had the distinct advantage of a clean trail, unlike the rest of us who galloped our way through a mix of ice, snow and mud during the entire race.

I did my best to during the flatter stages but the hills were difficult to climb (as most people would walk the hills) as I had to maneuver around the walkers on the slippery ice and snow to get around them, so most times I walked just to get my heart rate down. The cold air just zapped the strength but managed my second wind around the 4 mile mark when the trail was at its muddiest, where each step was like thick, chocolate pudding which stuck to my shoes adding more weight to my stride each time. Too bad the temperature wasn't below freezing where this mud would have been easier to run on.

Toward the end when we climbed some huge steps for what seemed like hours, my legs were starting to feel the pain and as finally reached the summit and I began my descent back to the finish, I put the body into overdrive and through caution to the wind and pushed myself to get to the finish line at 1:20. (10:46 minute/mile). This was the most difficult run to date as the conditions made it difficult to open up during the entire run.

Well, here's to some mud in your eye..... ;-)

Mr. Red Horse

Brett

First Half Marathon!

2007-12-11T07:19:00.000-06:00

28th St. Louis Track Club Half Marathon

It was inevitable. After a few month of training (should have done more) I decided to try a half marathon. Yes, 13.1 miles (21 km) 6918 feet, anyway you measure the distance its a long way!!

The run was in St. Louis in Clayton and ran through Forest Park most of the route. It was more hilly than I expected and quite warm for November 11th. The race started at 8:oo am sharp with over 400 participates at the start. I didn't have my Garmin (see Chicago Urbanathon blog below) but some of the check points had digital clocks to measure your progress. I drank two Ensures before the start and felt good at the 6.5 mile mark, pacing myself at a constant 9 minute mile. Toward the second loop as we climbed more hills I slowed down a bit continued on my pace to finish before two hours. The last two miles were painful as my body had never gone this far before while running. My mind wanted to finish but the body wanted to stop now!!

I finished with a time of 1:55:08. This was good as my goal was to finish under two hours and I kept the pace below 9 minutes.

Next goal is the full marathon baby - 26.2 miles ( 42 km) Nothing schedule yet....

Brett

the red horse

Chicago Urbanathlon!

2007-11-03T20:47:00.000-05:00

A wild finish in the Windy City! A few friends and I drove up to Chicago to participate in the first Urbanathlon! I was a run with multiple obstacles during the race along Lake Shore drive starting in Grant Park. With five different obstacles this made for an interesting challenge for everyone involved.

The first obstacle was at the end of the Navy Pier. These were the Jersey Barricades with culverts in between. This was quite a challenge after running about 4 miles and with my heart rate maxed, it was true pandemonium for everybody to get through.

The second obstacle was the most difficult because it was after running for 5 miles up Lake Short drive and these Marine Hurdles were over 6 ft tall so many individuals (women) had a difficult time getting over with out help. Fortunately there was sand to cushion the fall on each hurdle.

After running for 9 miles it was time to do some climbing - Soldier field style!! Yes, we starting at the entrance and worked our way all the way up to the nosebleed seats and it was timed as an individual stage. I was able to finish in 5: 44 which was 455th out of 850 total. This part could have been much faster but as you can see, it was single file up to the top so it was hard to speed up and pass. By far, this one tasked the heart the most, it was the heat of the day and after 10 miles we were getting tired!

Yes, we had to jump, slide, roll, or whatever you could do to get over the Taxi cabs. At the end of the race even the windshields were broken. This was by far the easiest of the obstacles but it was the most fun too. I jumped over the cab, much like it pictured here, I didn't have time to do a Bo and Luke Duke slide!

After jumping over the taxis we were confronted with this very colorful wall to get over. At this point my adrenaline took over and I just grabbed the rope and scaled it like superman! Some of the women needed assistance but most were able to make it over after running a gruelling 12.2. miles!

Well, there you have it. The first Urbanathlon in Chicago, we came we saw and we conquered the Urbanathlon! No age group winners though, however we all finished with respectable times. We also had a great tour of Chicago afterwards although we were all very tired. Time to start training for next year and then we will be ready for the Nija Warrior in Japan! Boo Yahh!

the Red Horse

Brett

Live free and fly!

2007-10-22T21:51:00.000-05:00

It was time to change things up a bit and try something I had never done before: skydiving. It was something I always wanted to try but never had the nerve, until a couple crazy guys talked me into it. What better way to spend a day then to jump out of an airplane!

It was on a beautiful October weekend, an extended summer this year so it was a hot day. We all drove out to Archway Skydiving, out in Vandalia, IL about an hour away from East of St. Louis. We decided to do a tandem, jump mainly which means the instructor is connected to you on the way down wears the parachute, all you do is enjoy the ride. The hardest part is, of course, jumping out of the plane!

We went through a myriad of paperwork to sign so that to save us the time and money in trying to sue them if something went wrong. We also viewed a video to enforce that point again. After that we dawned our flying gear and some preliminary instructions on how to fly and land! Yes, very important. During this time we were being video taped for DVD prosperity which is great idea for the first jump!

The plane itself was small, enough to hold about 10 people with some gear and the pilots. The jump window was just a round rolodex type window that rolled up and there was the outside. No locks, no bars, no nothing, just the windy outside! Once inside, and somewhat comfortable, the plane was up in the air gaining altitude slow according to my newly altimeter that I was wearing for the trip. At about 6k, two divers rolled up the window and jumped out! Wow! I was going to do this, I was feeling a bit nervous but not enough to just not do it. Both Jay and I looked out side to find the two early jumpers and watch as the roads a became smaller and less visible through the clouds. The sun was getting close to setting, but it would still be a few hours yet for that and we would be back home to Vandalia within the hour.

We came up to 14000 feet and it was time to jump. The girl with us went first, she didn't see reluctant, her instructor moved her toward the rolled up window and like, that -- they we were - out and gone! Then, Jay went next, my heart was starting to beat faster now and he was gone. Now it was my turn. I noticed that the instructors didn't waste too much time as we got to the open window. We rocked a few times and then out I went -- into the cold air (probably less than 20 degrees) and just like that I was flying, probably faster than my car would ever get up to, viewing the clouds, sun and the video guy in front of me while we turn a 360, it was an amazing feeling of just falling and just like that it was over! What seemed like 10 minutes was only 60 seconds of free fall at near terminal velocity was short but quite exhilarating than any other sport , circus ride I've every done!

If you ever have the chance, step up and do it!

the flying Red horse

Sandy Creek Century

2007-10-08T10:55:00.000-05:00

Hello again, another fun-filled day of biking, heat, sweat, water and tasty liquid goos to report about today. Yesterady, I did the the last 5 Star Century series last Saturday in Hillsboro, MO. For October it was unseasonable warm, especially for an early 4:30am wake up time.

It was a dark and humid morning for this last 100 mile bike ride. Also, it was an hour drive down to Hillsboro, Missouri so it was going to be another adventure just to find the starting location. Alas, I had better directions and an hour and 15 minutes I made it to the starting point.

After 5 century rides this I was beginning to get into a routine to prepare for the ride so I'd not forget any item, like shoes, gloves, sunglasses, body glide, etc. I had already pre-registered so the paperwork was done, just needed the map and some sunlight to lead the way. Along with my biking pal, we punched are time cards in at 7:01 am and started out with a low temp of 82 degrees! It was going to be a very hot day! The ride was setup at two loops, one for the mourning and another loop in the afternoon. The first loop was going to be 64 miles and then we finish off the 36 miles in the afternoon. It was a nice ride for the first 20 miles as we averaged a respectable 17 mph but we always tend to be faster at the beginning part of the ride as we are fresh and the heat hasn't zapped are energy yet! We tried to minimize stop time as much as possible, filling up the water bottles and moving on. It was temping to sit down but then I would not get back up so it was important not to rest too long.

The interesting part of these long rides is sometimes lost as I always focused on speed and not so much the scenery that I passed along the route. Since this ride was going to be slower I relaxed a bit and noticed more of the interesting points along the ride. At the 36 mile mark along West Rock Creek road we saw Stonehenge Estates complete with massive stone monoliths much like the ones at the real Stonehenge, a funny thing to see in that area of Missouri. There was a another interesting site as we rode in the valley of several miles of sod fields being watered and taking in the morning sun. It looked very much like what you see in the foot ball stadium accept on much larger scale. A plastic mesh protected the top of the sod (from what?) and it had a perfect painted color of green along the entire stretch for miles to see. The hills slowed us down and along with the two rest stops we managed to finish the first loop at 11:30. After a short rest and a quick bite to eat we were off for the afternoon loop of only 36 miles!

Since this was my 6th century of the year, and surprisingly my body has slowly adjusted to the long stress of riding 100 miles during the day. This ride was no different as I felt good on the second loop even with the higher temperature and more hills to climb, there was no acute soreness that would have stopped me going another an additional 20 to 30 miles more after the ride. I was a bit tired toward the end but that was too be expected. We finally rolled in around 2:30pm after 6.5 hours on the bike, punched in the time card and picked up our Sandy Creek patch for the ride. The ride was about as difficult as the July Steel Legs Century, although not as hot we still climbed over 11,000 feet and still manged a 15. 3 avg throughout the entire ride.

So, the end of the Century season is gone. It was a great year for riding, with the new bike and the newly purchased Garmin 305 I have been able to log some impressive mileage this year. I plan to get in some more rides this year but no more century rides. I look forward to the next year's century rides!

Red Horse

Brett

Praire Dog Century fun

2007-09-24T13:39:00.000-05:00

Last Saturday (Sept 22nd) was the 5th century for the Indian Crossing Century series. As I missed the August Century in Millstadt this was my 4th for the Century series and will do the makup century ride in October.
The ride was in St. Paul Missouri, north of St. Peters and not too easy to find in the dark. We all managed to get there and prep for the ride. I had signed up ahead of time which makes in processing much faster then the previous century bike rides.

So the start of the ride was later due to a later sun rise and someone was late.... Anyway the first loop (am route) was fairly hilly and we even meandered over to Wright City, MO where I was just a week ago for the Innsbook Triathlon. I stayed in the small group for the first 30 miles and then I decided to accelerate and push myself a bit on the last half of the mourning ride. I was able to manage a 19.1 mph/avg for the mourning ride. Unfortunately, I wasn't the first rider to finish as I saw other rider leaving to start the afternoon ride. I punched in (the card keeps track of your total time) and sat down to eat from the tasty buffet served in the Knights of Columbus hall. The food was great, lots of bread, ham, turkey and peanut butter and jelly served in small plastic cups!

The lunch was short (about 15 minutes ) as I wanted to finish the ride before the weather heated up and head winds started. The two loops for the course, one for the morning and afternoon intersected so some bikers would be from the morning loop not the afternoon loop. This made it imperative that you watched the road so as not too miss any arrows for any turns. Well, it turns out as I battled two bikers on the pm loop I missed a turn and ended up back at the start. I decided to restart the second loop again and after 20 miles saw where I missed my turn. I was already at 90 miles so I decided to bike back to the start and call it a day. After six hours on the bike I was tired, my legs were in pain and so was the rest of my body! I did a total of 95 miles which was close enough. I learned not to race through the course as I might miss a turn and get lost of even bike more miles! (which never happens!)

Till the next Bike Century....

Red Horse

Brett

Innsbrook part deux

2007-09-24T10:56:00.000-05:00

Yes, here we are almost at the end of September! It has been a busy month. A bit late for my review of my last triathlon but here it is!

A few weeks ago, the Championship Tri was here in Innsbrook again. I and some friends of mine took the challenge and competed in the QuarterMax on September 16h. The HalfMax (a half IronMan) was the previous day but that will have to wait for next year!

Overall it was similar to the Tri in June, same course but now twice as long. I stayed with a friend at one of the condos at the private resort so I didn't have to make the 1 1/2 drive to the private resort out in Wright City, MO from Illinois. It was already a long day as earlier that day I was up in Springfield, IL visiting my brother's family for a birthday. After all of that I went home and checked all of my stuff and drove out to Innsbrook that evening. We relaxed and watched some previous Ironman videos to inspire us to greatness for the big event.

Sunday was warmer than the previous morning, and as we arrived at the transition there were a few dawning their wetsuits for the swim. I had no wetsuit and the water was still a warm 73 degrees so I wasn't worried. There was a moment of silence for former Triathlete Kevin Hunt who had died in previous Triathlon in June. His father was there to say a few words which had to take lots of courage but showed great respect for the sport.

After all of the prep work and training it was time to test ourselves and push our bodies to the limit once again. As we wading in the water anticipating the start (now there was a new option to start after the mass wave now) I wondered how I would do and if I could finish before 3 hours. It was possible, the temp was cooler so our heart rates would be lower, therefore resulting in a faster time.

The swim went okay, still having problems with the goggles (leaking during the swim) I managed to finish in little over 20 minutes (1000 meter) and off to the T1 transition were I dawned my helmet and bike shoes to tackle the 28 mile bike loop of undulating hills. The bike part is my strongest and I did well although I lost time behind a tractor trailer (ugggg!) trying to pass two other bikers so that slowed me down but still managed a 19.6 avg for the entire ride. Then it was off to the T2 for the fun run of 6.5 miles. I wanted a quicker transition this time and ran with no socks! I paid a bit for that at the end as I started some blisters on my right foot (doh!). I managed a sub 9 minute pace (8:46 to be exact) and that was more than 30 seconds faster than my June Tri at Innsbook with all of the hills and gravel on this run so that was an improvent (boo yahh!). My total time was 2:42:05 about 32 minutes behind the leader in my age group so I was 12th out 17 in my age group, which is not good but this was the championship weekend so this brought out all of the tri studs, which, as a beginner, am not.

Lots of fun, good food and lesson learned for the next Tri race. I enjoy the course there at Innsbrook although it would be nice if those country roads we biked on were closed as this can cause problems sometimes. Overall I gained some more experience and hope to fine tune my T1 and T2 times for the next Triathlon in the future. For now, I will concentrate on my run as this is my biggest weakness and where I lose most of my time.

till next time....

Red Horse - Brett

Today I registered for....

2007-09-10T21:10:00.000-05:00

The IronMan Wisconsin in 2008!!

Guess I had better start training so I can finish and qualify for Kona!*
*Kona is where the IronMan started - Hawaii Baby!

2007-09-10T10:18:00.000-05:00

Lake Saint Louis Triathlon

Yes, its been a while since my last post. Busy busy busy.... Anyway, on September 1st was the Lake St. Louis Triathlon in, of course, Lake St. Louis. I had been there last year for the triathlon, but only as a sub for the long course swim. This time around I signed up for the short course which this 500 meter swim, 12 mile bike and 2.5 mile run.

This was one of the biggest Triathlons in the St. Louis area, with 750 participants this year. This was also the 25th year anniversary of this triathlon for Lake St. Louis! Had heard that there were four individuals that had participated in all 25 triathlons and they were here today! Wow! What an achievement! Will I be doing triathlons for the next 25 years? Wait 25 more years and find out!

Because there were so many participants this year I had to get there early! So I was up at around 3:30am in the morning (everything was packed the night before) and was on the road by 4:15am! I arrived at Lake St. Louis at 5:15am and was able to get a good parking spot near the transition area. I picked up my packed, (number 651) and prepared my short stay in the transition area for the big race.

This was a lake swim and a relatively hilly bike and run course so it was going to be a challenge but my goal was to finish under 2 hours and to better my transition times.

Here are my posted results: Swim - 8:46 Bike 37:58 and Run 19:53 total time 1:10:25

I placed 16th out of 224 participants.

Total time for both T1 and T2 was 3:37 which was a huge improvement over my last triathlon for the Stoneman in Springfield. The bike average was a measly 19 mph but there were hills and a turnaround spot where we had to stop! ugggg! And of course the run, just slightly better than the Stoneman and at least a sub 8:00 min/pace. I had changed the routine for the transitions, no Garmin Edge 305 and no socks for the bike or run. So with those changes I was able to shave off time for both this time around.

later,

Red Horse out

Brett

Can you tame the Babler Beast?

2007-08-12T22:12:00.001-05:00

Today was the annual Babler Beast Triathlon in Wildwood, MO Its your basic triathlon, 500 meter swim, 12.5 mile bike ride and 2.8 mile run. The difference here is the that there are some huge hills out there in Babler park. If you biked or hiked out there you know what I'm talking about!

This year, the pool was open (last year it was closed due to storms) so it was a normal tri. My start time was at 9am so it was going to be a hot one. This is the dog days of summer here in the St. Louis are so by 10am the temps are already in the 90s with that wonderful humidity index added in so you must drink down the sodium to keep from cramping.

I did well in the pool but my transitions are terrible. I wanted to were my Garmin 305 but had problems while on the bike. From now on no more Garmin, only for training purposes only. I did very well on the three laps on the bike, averaging about a 19mph with a max speed of 48 mph down those steep hills. Since I didn't have the Garmin I don't know how fast I ran but I finished the race in 1 hour and 10 minutes. I was forth in my Age group and 27th overall. It was a hot day and if I did better in both transitions I could have gained some more time. Lesson learned and will work on that for the Lake St. Louis Triathlon on September 1st.

Brett

Steel Legs

2007-08-07T10:31:00.000-05:00

What is a century? 100 dollars? 100 years? 100 miles?

In this case the correct answer is 100 miles! This ride was called the Steel Legs organiazed by the Ghisallo bike shop in Chesterfield, MO The ride is named due to amount of hills during the ride. Needless to say this was the most difficult century ride I had every attempted. The heat, plus the hills made it a very long and strenuous ride. I still managed 16mph plus average which is good speed for such a hilly, hot, humid ride.

My First Post

2007-08-02T12:44:00.000-05:00

Welcome to my blog Live Free Tri. Yes, it's a cony title but what it works and it was available! I believe in living free and trying harder in whatever you do, in my case Triathlons. This log will chronicle my triathlons, training and whatever adventures come my way.
Enjoy!

Brett