2008 Hy-Vee Triathlon Report

Hello strange blog world. Sorry for the slight delay in posting the tri report. It has been  a very busy couple of weeks.  Overall the Hy-Vee Triathlon was a good day, but I need to learn how to better rid myself of stress and errands on race weekends.  Maybe it was the swim/no swim drama of the race, but I don't remember ever being so mentally not prepared to race. 

Prerace
Melissa and I drove to Des Moines on Friday for Sunday's race. I worked a full day so we didn't arrive in Des Moines until past 11.

I had only heard a few days before that the swim was back on.  Race officials had announced about 10 days earlier that they had to cancel the age grouper swim due to flooding.  Needless to say, I simply stopped practicing the swim when they made that announcement.  This wouldn't have been such a big deal, but Lake Michigan has been so cold this year that I had only two open water swims under my belt at the time of the race.  

Saturday we were up early and had a long day of running errands.  They included a trip with Melissa to the farmers market in downtown Des Moines, a quick swim in Chuck's fastlane in his backyard, the typical prerace packet pickup activities, lunch at Manhattan Deli, picked up a battery for the camera, and going out to drop off the bike and T2 supplies at the triathlon site in West Des Moines (there were two transition areas).  The real highlight of the day was dinner where we had the big first meeting of the parents (Melissa's parents came down for the race and met my folks for the first time).

We didn't get back home until past 10, but I don't think it really interupted my sleep.  I only slept for 20-40 minute incraments the whole night. Either way you look at it, it wasn't a good race prep the day before.

I left bright an early on Sunday (4 AM).  The only people on the road had USAT stickers and bike racks on their cars.  They had the athletes park at Valley West Mall, which was about 2.5 miles from the finish and about 5 miles from the start.  The shuttle was full of nervous energy, or maybe that was just me.  I am a talker by my nature, add a little bit of butterflies to that and I am just looking to make new friends.  At 4:28 AM, most athletes don't want to make new friends.  I suffered through. 

Once at T1, I made a quick trip to the bike stand.  Said hello to my old friend Andy Lueck, who checked the air in the tires and removed my embarrassing reflectors that were on my wheels for a year.  Then it was back to my transition spot to set up my gear and struggle into my wet suit.

As I was fighting the wet suit, I quickly looked around to realize that they had organized the transition area by age group (which is good so you can see how many bikes are gone when you get out of the water), and also that the fellas around me seemed to look much more serious than I did.  Now considering I only minutes before removed reflectors from my wheels, this probably isn't saying much, but I was a little intimated.  

[From stage left, enter KT]

"Yo Murph, what's up man?"

I don't remember being so pleased to see someone.  Kevin and I went to high school together, played little league together, and have shared a few sips of whiskey over the years.   Now he is living in Des Moines, and has been doing tri's for a few years.  He is actually a damn good triathlete and also just as friendly as they come.  Since we were a few miles from any spectators (they told all the spectators that there wouldn't be space near the makeshift swim area, so to stay up by the high school to watch the bike and run), I was glad to have a friend there.  

As I managed to get into the wet suit, talking to Kevin really let me relax.  By the time Charlie and Bikal ran into us about 10 minutes before the start, I was feeling good, ready to go.  A few minutes later the first group went off.  A few minutes after that, our horn went off and were off into the water.

I remember thinking what a perfect morning it was.  Very pretty sunset.  It felt good to be back in Iowa.

Race

All those pleasant thoughts were kicked away the first time I was kicked in the face in the swim.  Still, after last year when I got significantly off course during the swim, the kick and subsequent beatings I took were good indications that I was headed the right direction.  In fact, if I didn't feel someone passing me by going over me, I began to worry I was off course.

I managed to do much of the first half of the swim without stops.  The wetsuit made a huge difference.  The course was triangle, but felt a lot like an out and back as it was so long.  The water was a typical Iowa lake in that it was VERY merky.  

After the turnaround, I started to get tired.  I would stop, tread water, and adjust my goggles a little more often that before, but I continued to make progress.

I made it out in pretty good time (17 minutes faster than last year), but I think a lot of it has to do with the wetsuit advantage (and some might be due to swim lessons and training).


After a pretty uneventful T1 I was out on the bike course.



[In a related note, I make really funny faces on the bike.]

The bike course we a good Iowa course, some hills, a stretch on a country road, a couple of hot laps around a mall parking lot (could have done without the last part). I pushed it hard thinking that I had been riding more and should keep a good average mph (also known as "not thinking"). There was a part in the ride when I remember feeling somewhat tired, never a good sign.

On thing that made the whole event better was my awesome crew. Good look'en too!



On to the separate T2 area I had a pretty quick bike rack and shoe switch, then tried to minimize the damage with a gel (unsuccessfully). Then it was off to the run.

I don't need to go into much detail, but the run was hot and my legs felt like bricks. I was spent. All that lost sleep and crappy prep week, plus bad hydration and nutrition, plus probably not running enough, and my run when from an enjoyable Iowa morning to looking forward to stopping.

In the end I finished well and slightly improved my time from last year's tri.

Overall, I have to say I liked the 2007 course better, but I think that is clearly because I grew up in the city of Des Moines vs the suburbs. I did hear from a number of people they liked the West Des Moines course better because the downtown run was too confusing. Either way, they run a top race there. They changed the entire course on a flip of a dime due to the flooding, and it was run very, very well.

I was also pretty pleased with my performance. I didn't drown, Melissa's parents and my parents got along well in their first meeting, and I dropped a ton of time in one year. New PR in the swim (37:47), the bike (1:18:11) and the run (54:05) and overall (2:55:41). 

'Cause I'm Coming Home Again...

Couple of notes before we talk off for Des Moines...

• Positive thoughts going out to my boy, Chuck, who is taking the day off to swim around Key West. Not just your average day at the beach... this is a 12 mile swim. Check out the website. He is gearing up for the English Channel swim this August. This is a big test. He started swimming around 9 AM EST. I talked to him last night and he said there were 11 solo swimmers giving it a shot. I am sure he will do great. Looking forward to Sunday afternoon by his pool swapping our weekend war stories.
  
• It's my sister's birthday this weekend. You know you are a self-centered athlete when you get you sister up at some ridiculous hour on her birthday so she can watch you doing silly sporting events. Hey, it's all about me people (see link). She is turning 24 (?), and while the rest of the world may have figured it out a few years ago, she has matured into quite a special woman. Happy birthday Patricia.
  
• Cub-Sox Part 1 is this weekend. Despite losing a few games in a row, the good guys haven't given up much ground to the evil cardinals in the NL Central. That is all fine and dandy, but for the next three days no one I know really cares about the NL Central. Let me sum up my feelings on the subject: Sox suck.
  
• Better now than later in the year, but I am a little annoyed with the Cubs articles reading like medical reports.
• Not only is this the weekend of the Redline Classic, the FL Swim for Chuck, Patricia's Birthday, Dave's Next Attempt at Drowning... it is also the weekend Mo and Coach meet Jane and Craig (aka WND Gal's Parents). Very exciting indeed. Melissa and I agree, they are so much alike. I am sure they will get along great.
  
• There was an article today linked in Daily Triathlon with 10 Tips to Keeping Up Your Relationship While Being a Self Centered Endurance Athlete (I might have improved the title a bit). I was going to link it, but the article was really bad. It had me going until one of the tips basically recommended that you don't cheat on your loved one. Brilliant advice dumbass. So I am going to put that on my list of posts to write this summer... right after I figure it all out. 

Lastly, it has been a while since I have had a good music post. In honor of my trip home to Des Moines, and my love of all things Chicago, and my infatuation with Coldplay now, I give you Kayne West's Homecoming:



Catchy tune right? Doesn't Chris Martin (from Coldplay, lending his vocals to the song) sound like Sting? "Oh-ie oh-ie, oh!"

Hy-Vee Triathlon Preview... Oh Crap! The Swim is Back

[Updated: 6/19/08 8PM]

On my way back from a work trip from Reno, I wrote a post about my running and preparation for the Pikes Peak Ascent. Back in Chicago, I spoke with my sister Patricia who told me the swim was back on for the Hy-Vee Triathlon. I told her it was just for the elites so they could keep the Olympic trials on schedule and at Hy-Vee.

Well Trish was right. They sent out this email this evening:

2008 Hy-Vee Triathlon Update—The Swim Is Back On!

For days, Hy-Vee and West Des Moines city officials have been monitoring water conditions at Blue Heron Lake in West Des Moines’ Raccoon River Park in the hopes of hosting a true triathlon. Today, they got the news they had been waiting to hear: the water level is lower and the bacteria readings well within the safety range.

This means that age-group, junior and youth elites, and ITU World Cup athletes will all have the swim returned to their events during this weekend’s Hy-Vee Triathlon. So bring along your wet suit! Water temperatures have not yet been determined so please be ready for a wet suit or regular swim event. When we find more information out about the temperatures we’ll pass that along via the e-newsletter.

Please note: the Hy-Vee Kids Triathlon for children will remain a duathlon, which is a run-bike-run. It will be hosted entirely on the campus of Valley Southwoods. The finish line will remain on the campus of Southwoods School, where officials moved the event last week after flood waters threatened Des Moines.

New course maps are being drawn up reflecting the swim routes and bike transition area. Those maps will be distributed to the media and posted on www.hy-veetriathlon.com as soon as they are finalized.

All activities will take place at the times already scheduled. Volunteer and spectator parking will be at Wells Fargo on Mills Civic Parkway. Athlete parking will be explained during the mandatory briefings each participant must attend prior to racing.

Oh CRAP! I have to swim Sunday. I guess it is kind of like tapering, because I haven't swam since they announced it was going to be a duathlon last week.

A big congratulations goes out to the organizers of the race. They deserve a lot of credit for keeping this going. I am sure there are still major challenges that must be overcome, but so far it has been a herculean effort.

I don't know much about this lake, but I will do what I can to find information about the lake (water temps especially). Check back later for more info.

Notes:

• They released an updated course today. Looks like the bike is a point to point course of sorts, with two transition areas. See the map of the bike.
• Here is the website for Blue Heron Lake on the West Des Moines Park and Rec Page. There isn't much info, but it does have a few photos. I tried calling the Parks and Recreation Department on a water temperature, but they didn't know. I guess that is something we will find out at the expo.
• UPDATE: The triathlon just sent an email out saying the water temp on Thursday was a balmy 73 degrees.  That means unless it gets REALLY hot in the next couple of days, it will probably be under 78 for race day, and it will be wetsuit legal.  
• Also in the email, they announced practice swim times on Friday.  That isn't going to do me a lot of good getting into Des Moines on Friday night.  I am going to head over to the lake on Saturday to at least look at the set up and see if I can sneak into the water.  If not I am going to take a quick dip to loosen up in the fastlane de Wittmack.
• Here is the story with quotes from the Des Moines Register. I love the quote from the native Iowan from NYC who talked about the tri being just gravy on top of the water receding in general. My feelings exactly.
• Lost in all the fuss over the swim is the fact we have an Olympic Trial going on!!! Inside Triathlon talks about it some in this article. The big showdown will be between the US's top male triathletes, Andy Potts and Hunter Kemper. If you need help figuring out who to cheer for, Andy Potts swam for the University of Michigan... so he is out. GO HUNTER! [Andy, I am only kidding, if you win I am sure you will represent the country well and not wear any horrible UM stuff in Beijing.]
• As people are looking for information on the Hy-Vee Tri, a lot of you are ending up on What's Next Dave.  Welcome.  Feel free to click here to see the rest of the blog.  If you lik what you are reading, feel free to click here to subscribe or here to get it sent to your email.
  
  Just for fun, and to get a little fired up, here is a video from last year's Hy-Vee Tri:
  

Hy-Vee Triathlon Update

There has been some news about the triathlon in the last couple of days. They released the course for the age groupers. You can see it here (10k and 5K and bike routes). It is way west of town, and no where near the flooding.

There are two news stories that sum up what is going on with the tri. First the one on in the local paper, The Des Moines Register.

Then there is one that came out yesterday in the New York Times that does a good job explaining what we know about how it will affect the US Olympic Team Trials (which is not much).

For more info on the Hy-Vee Tri, hit up my blog for my other posts.  

As for me, its race week. I have to admit, a lot of air is taken out of the sails of this one, but I may have had too many A races this year anyway.

Time to focus on Pikes Peak. More on that this week.

Chicago Marathon Training’s Opening Day

Like most people, I divide the year up into seasons. There are tax seasons, duck hunting seasons, Christmas seasons, wedding seasons, football seasons, stone crab seasons, Some coincide, many overlap, but each hold their own special significance. To celebrate the seasons that matter most to me, I always like to commemorate opening days.

Opening days are special. No matter what season is commencing, opening days have a special sense of hope and excitement. It is the only time when the answer to the question, “How will this season turn out?” is always, “Perfect.”

The most popular opening day in my neighborhood, takes place annually on a cold, rainy day in April (or this year late March), when the Chicago Cubs take the field for the first time of the year. It is a very exiting day. Typically 40,000 fans do best fake cough on the phone to the boss in the morning, then don their best rain suits and parkas for an exciting day of Cubs baseball. The bars open at 6 AM, and all the sudden a sleepy little northside neighborhood comes alive after its five-month hibernation.

But this is not a story about baseball. Rather today is another equally exciting, but VERY different opening day in Chicago. Today is opening day in Chicago Marathon training.

The 2008 Chicago Marathon is October 12, and this year God has promised it won’t be so hot. For those of you who were unaware, that makes it only 15 weeks away. So break out your body glide and nipple band-aides, it’s time to go for a run!

By why is today opening day? Well many people, and most organized training groups, work with a 16-week training for the 26.2 mile run. So training technically started on Monday, but today is the first group “long-run” for most training groups.

Training Groups? Yes, in many cities and towns there are these strange underground sub-cultures of “Running Groups”. These slim and often mentally deranged people wake up at obscenely early hour to meet up with other “runners” to “run.”

I have been running with Chicago Area Runners Association for about five years now. I have trained with CARA for three half marathons and one of my three marathons. This year I have deiced to pitch in and help lead their training groups. I led a very small pace group for the winter half-marathon training from January to April. There were only three people in my pace group that often braved sub 20 degree weather. Today I started my role as pace group leader for CARA’s much more significant Marathon Training Program.

There were probably 250 people who showed up this morning at 6:30 to run with CARA. They are all divided into pace groups by whatever pace they can hold for their training runs. Then, within each pace time, they are further divided into groups by how hard they want to train (which correlates to how far they will run each week). All the people that choose to run 8 minute, 30 second per mile pace, and wanted to run the intermediate distance, were stuck with me as their leader. While people will shift between groups, there were about 30 people following me around this morning.

So happy opening day. If you are training for a fall marathon, check back here for tips on running and endurance sporting. If you are stuck in my group, think about trying to run a faster pace (only kidding).

Today’s Run:
They opened up the season with a pretty tame 6 miler. Some in the group decided to spread it out to 8, but I stuck with the program to get to know the group.

6.1 Miles, 50:43, 8:18 min/mile

Time to Run

I am over my hang up with doing a triathlon this year. Sure, I did work hard at the swimming, and was a lot more prepared for my tri this year than last. But even had Des Moines worked out perfect, I had spread myself too thin between very different types of competitions.

This was never to be my year of the triathlon. This was the year to improve in the three disciplines, not to master the tri. This was always to to be my summer to do the Pikes Peak Ascent. Now its time to refocus on my original goal. It's time to run.

How to Do a Du?
If anyone has any hints on duathlon strategy, I am all ears. Sounds like a very taxing day on the legs. I remember thinking last week at Batavia, that I was really glad I was doing the tri because the du looked really hard.

Pikes Peak
64 days until the Pikes Peak Ascent. I am going to put a countdown widget on the site the next couple of days, as well as a link to my workout plan.

Thoughts are in Iowa
As a native Iowan, my thoughts and prayers are with everyone back home who are having to deal with issues related to the flooding and devastating weather.

Notes:

• Lots of good links today in Daily Triathlon media watch email. If you don't already get it and are into tri info, that is a great source.
• They posted an interesting article on the USOC site about how they are still scrambling to find a swim location for the pros in Des Moines for the Hy-Vee tri. They still want to make it an Olympic qualifying event, but to do that it sounds like they really need the swim.
• With all the news of the floods in Des Moines, I have yet to report on the pro's race last weekend Vancouver. Matt Reed continues his good racing by placing 5th and in doing so secured the US three spots in the triathlon in the Olympics. Here is the story in Inside Triathlon.
• On the Time to Run theme, CARA's (Chicago Area Runners Assoc) marathon training program started this week, with the first group run this weekend. I have decided to lead one of the pace groups this year. Hopefully I will have more than two people in my group like the winter half training group had (it will be closer to 20 this time).

Email from Hy-Vee Triathlon on Changes Due to Flooding

Below are the contents of an email to the particpants of the Hy-Vee Triathlon:

As participants of the 2008 Hy-Vee Triathlon we know how disappointed you must be to learn that we are hosting a Dry Tri this year due to extreme weather conditions. Trust us; we are very disappointed by the situation as well. While you’ve been training for months preparing for this race we’ve also been busy getting ready and were excited to watch all of you compete in each of the three events. Unfortunately we can’t control the weather and had to come up with a plan that keeps each of our kids, junior and age-group participants safe.

Since the Dry Tri announcement was made, we have received many questions and concerns from participants—we hope this e-mail will help field those.

First of all, please understand that eliminating the swim portion was the very last option on our list to consider. Over the past few weeks we met with various communities in the greater Des Moines area to host the swim event. However, all of these bodies of water, which include Gray’s Lake, Easter Lake, Copper Creek Lake, Raccoon River and Lakewood Lake, have all been impacted by abnormal amounts of rainfall and less than ideal temperatures, resulting in high bacteria counts, beyond the allowed limitations. To ensure that our kids, junior and age-group participants are safe, we had to do what was best and avoid potential health concerns and problems by eliminating the swim.

Having said this, USA Triathlon has asked us to continue exploring any options to accommodate an elite swim. While we are doing this, we are not optimistic we will find a swim venue that will be suitable to accommodate an elite swim, let alone an age-group swim. If there are dramatic improvements, we will consider any options to host the triathlon, but are currently proceeding with our plans for a world class duathlon.

Finally, unfortunately we are not offering refunds or the option of transferring registrations to those who are now unable to participate. If you read through your registration form again, you’ll see that the form explains our no-refund policy—this policy still remains in effect.

We greatly apologize for any inconvenience this causes but hope you’ll all join us on June 21 and 22 for what promises to be an exciting event!

For more info on the Hy-Vee Tri, click here to see my other blog entries.

Update: Flooding Will Move Hy-Vee Triathlon, Dry for Age Groupers

They have announced that the Hy-Vee Triathlon has been changed to a duathlon for age groupers.  They are going to run a 10k Run, 40k Bike, and a 5k Run.  Sounds like they want to keep it a triathlon for the elite athletes, but they are still looking for a place to swim.  

They have changed the location of the transition area to the Valley Southwoods Freshmen High School in West Des Moines.  With the location so far from downtown Des Moines, it sounds like it will be entirely in West Des Moines.

Here are the sources:

• The Des Moines Register has a story on the tri.
  
• KCCI, a news station, also has a story on it.  Click here for the whole story.  They note that they new course will be announced Friday.

I know the race directors are doing the best they can, and making decisions best for the athletes.  I also know there are people who are having big losses due to these floods.  All that said, I can't help but be a little disappointed. I have been really working on my swimming for months now. I have taken lessons, spent hours in the pool, I even went in the 60 degree lake tonight.

Truth be told, I wasn't sure if I was really ready for the 1500m swim yet, but I wanted to give it a shot.   I know I can finish it, but I wanted to do it comfortably, and to really cut some time off of my last year's finish. 

Now I am not sure what I should do. I would like to sign up for another triathlon, but my summer schedule is so full, and I really need to switch my training to focus on the Pikes Peak Ascent. I am going to talk to Melissa, look at the schedule, and figure out what's best.

For more updates, click here for the blog main page. 

Flooding Might Move Hy-Vee Triathlon? (UPDATED 11:30 PM)

Unless you are living in a cave, you probably know that there is a lot of excess water in the midwest right now.  With the Hy-Vee Triathlon is now only 11 days away, there seem to be some concerns on how the flooding will affect the event.

The Hy-Vee swim takes place in Gray's Lake in Des Moines, which exists in the flood plane of the Raccoon River.  See a specific map of the race from Google Maps here.  Additionally, the run crosses the Raccoon and Des Moines Rivers a number of times.  Now according to reports the Raccoon River itself is not necessarily flooding, but it meets the Des Moines River about a mile from Gray's Lake.  The Des Moines is nearing record flood stages, and because it is so high, it is creating a dam like affect upstream on the Raccoon.

Now that all being said, 11 days is a long time for water to receded, although the water is still rising and they expect more rain later this week. Even if the water recedes there exists other concern of bacteria contamination that officials will have to make sure is safe prior to the race

Moral of the story, if you have ever been to Des Moines when there is any flooding at all, you know its always bad near Gray's Lake.  Gray's Lake Park and the adjacent Water Works Parks are flood plains.  And even if the Raccoon stays behind the newer (1993) levees, the Des Moines is currently so high that they have closed the downtown bridges over it (where the run was scheduled to cross it a number of times).

Thus, from reports I have read, race officials are scrambling to figure out a solution.  They have not made an official announcement yet, as they do not want to release any misinformation, but I suspect something will come out later this week or early next. As Hy-Vee is the last of the US Olympic Trials, they need to do a swim-bike-run for the pro's (vs. changing the format to a duathlon, were you would run-bike-run).   Of course, even if they decided to change the race to a duathlon, they would need to change the course considerably with the original transition area being flooded out, and a bunch of the run course not usable due to river crossings.

There are other lakes in the Des Moines areas, and from the reports I read, it looks like officials are looking into an alternative route should Gray's Lake not be ready by race day.   Of course many of these lakes are at flooding levels themselves, and they also might present challenges for the size race that they are trying to hold. I don't envy race officials right now, although I am sure they will do the best they can.

Of course, I should note that this race is one of the least significant outcomes of this flooding. People are loosing their homes, possessions, and businesses. I will certainly keep them in my thoughts and prayers, and pray that it dries up a bit so water levels can drop.

Either way I am looking forward to going to Des Moines for the race. I do hope I can do some type of a swim, seeing that I have been working on that for some time now. In the event there isn't a swim assocaited with Hy-Vee, I might look to do an additional tri this summer, although I am really running out of open dates.

Notes:

• There is a good discussion going on over at Slowtwitch on this subject.  You will find it here.
  
• The Des Moines Register is also doing a great job of covering the flooding in Iowa right now.
  
• I will update WND with a new post as more information leaks out. 

Tonight:

Going to Lake Michigan for a swim in the new wetsuit.  Brrrrrrr

Hy-Vee Tri Update (11:30 PM CST):

• All indications are pointing to moving the event from Gray's Lake to Easter Lake. It will take some rerouting of the course, but it sounds like the event directors are on top of it.  [Update, no route announcement, but the age groupers will be a "dry" race (a duathlon).  See my update post here.]
  
• The Des Moines Register wrote a quick bit quoting the director of communications from Hy-Vee corporate (which by the way is a grocery store chain those of you not from the area). Looks like a decision is going to be made soon "“I can’t say until the (release) is approved, because we’re waiting for one more phone call.”
  
• One of the local news channels, KCCI, did a spot on their evening news. 
  
• Check back here at after the 10 PM news in Des Moines is over. I will update this post when if an announcement is made.  See the updates here.

Batavia Triathlon Report

It's a crazy sport that calls an hour plus event a sprint.- Annette Jonker, CTC

A good look at the swim layout for the triathlon. (and Melissa's best photo of the day)

I am still a relative "newbie" to the triathlon world. I knew this summer that I wanted to try the Hy-Vee Triathlon again, other than that I took me quite a while to plan my races this year. I think part of my slow planning comes from my background in running where you didn't really sign up for most races until the morning of.

Well times have changed and races are becoming more popular, and triathlons especially fill up quickly. For example, as soon as I figured out most of the Chicago Tri Club (CTC) members do Galena and Tri-Shark as their early season warm-ups, they were full.

I had to look for another option to give me a race to get under my belt before I took my revenge on the Hy-Vee course. Enter the Batavia Sprint Triathlon. I liked that I didn't have to travel for the race, saving the price of the hotel. I liked that the run is 4.1 miles, was longer than most sprints, which typically have end with a 5k. Without knowing much about it, I was in. A sprint triathlon would be a great way to see how all this training was paying off.

3:35 AM: Alarm goes off. Ouch early. It's raining. I threw the tri shorts, a tee shirt, and the flip flops on, brushed my teeth and I was out the door. Pulled up the car, tossed in the bags, and secured the bike.

I live in Wrigleyville USA, home of the Chicago Cubs and about 40 bars and nightclubs. This was one of the first times I have ever awoke before 4 AM while living here, but I knew what would be outside. Let's just say it wasn't other triathletes packing their cars. No, it was the leftovers of Saturday night's fun. And like a tuna sandwich after four days, it wasn't looking so good.

Despite having the option to sleep in, Melissa decided she would join me for the day. I was a bit surprised as she is a self-confessed sleepaholic, but I couldn't have been happier. Despite her ever decreasing patience for all of my crazy endeavors, she has come to enjoy race day. As I have learned watching my friends run the Chicago Marathon, as a spectator you can't help but feel a lot of the anticipation, excitement, and pride that the participant feels, even to the point where you typically feel very tired at the end of event(although it could also be partly due to the obscene early hours at which time you have to get out bed for these events).

So half awake Melissa and I took the drive out to Batavia, a pleasant suburb about an hour west of Chicago (or around 40 minutes at 4:20 AM).

We arrived just after 5, with the transition area open from 5-6. Already I felt rushed. The chip pick-up and number writing went smoothly. I gave Melissa a quick kiss and headed into the transition area to set up my gear.

I found the rack numbered with the range that matched my race number, found an open spot and couple of pretty friendly guys next to me. Set my my stuff out, took a quick sip of the Gatorade and decided I should hit the restroom before donning my new wetsuit.

Well it turns out I wasn't the only one with that idea. There were four stalls, and about 20 people in line. It was 5:38. I told myself, "if I can get out of here by 5:52, I should be OK." Well, I was out of the bathroom at about 5:54. On my way out I saw the line had grown to about 50. Timing is everything.

There was a lot of discussion around water temp and should you wear the wetsuit or not. Well, I decided I needed to practice with it, so it was going on. Then I hear from the PA, "The time is six o'clock. The transition area is closed. Participants please make your way down to the pool area." My first thought was, "oh crap," but I really didn't have much to worry about. My transition area was set up, I just need to toss my new CTC jersey on, spray a little "suit juice" on the right spots (a lubricant designed to make putting on and taking off the wetsuit a little easier), and put on the wetsuit.

Sounds easy right? Well I had only put on a wetsuit maybe three times before in my life, and I think the average time was about 10 minutes. But they had to do the pre-race announcements, the Star Spangled Banner, and then they were not starting in big waves, but a person every three seconds. I was around the 240 person, so I had some time.

AND it only took me a couple of minutes to get the wetsuit on (a subtle brag).

The "Swim"
They had us line up by our race number (see above, thanks to Melissa for the photos), which was also in order of the average 100m swim time we put down when we registered. I had put 2 minutes per 100, because that is my reach goal for a 1500m swim. This was a 400m swim. No worries, I was glad to see how the whole thing worked before I got in the water. As they didn't care what swim cap you wore, I put on a different color one so Melissa could see me.

When it was my turn to start, I have to admit I was VERY nervous. Not like running races, it was more of a surreal moment, one which I can probably most compare the beginning of my college boxing matches. The water temp felt great with the wetsuit, so I am glad I had it. Once I took my first couple of strokes, I was fine, but also swimming in a crowd for the first time this year. It was also the first time this year I swam in open water, but I felt much better about it compared to last year in the Hy-Vee tri.

I quickly noticed that swimming in a wetsuit was great. I felt the buoyancy right away. I kept to the inside mostly so I could see the side of the island we were swimming around on my breaths. That worked well until it took a turn towards my right and I was all the sudden pushed into traffic around the turn.

After around 80-100m it was time for a U-turn left for the second half of the first of two laps. I was feeling pretty good now, but then people started standing up. It was shallow enough on the whole backstretch you could stand. Now I had watched the first swimmers swim almost the whole lap, so you didn't have to stand up there, but it was very hard to swim around people that were walking in front of you. I did by get around a couple of people, but after a while it was too shallow to swim (as we had been told), so I plowed my way around the end of the first lap (see below).

The second lap was more crowded than the first. What I should have remembered is how short the actual swim is and just gunned it, but I think the nerves got the better of me. The second back stretch had twice as many walkers, which made the swimming very difficult. None the less, when I came out of the water I was glad to see the time on my watch was under 7 minutes. Good enough.
I wanted to focus on transitions today, and they were faster than the last race I had, but still slow. I need to remember to do my recovery from each event during the next. Still, considering I had to take the wetsuit off, and everything was wet from the rain, I think the first transition was OK. With practice they will get faster.

The Bike
The bike course was nice. There was a pretty solid cross wind on a couple of miles of the backstretch, but overall it was a very pleasant day for a ride. I tried to go out hard early, but I am not sure if that worked out. I always seem to "warm-up" on the bike, and pick up speed as I go. I averaged over 19 mph on the ride, but I still see this as one of my weak disciplines. I am going to try to get a little extra time in the saddle the next two weeks.

I felt like T2 was fast. The shoe change was quick, but I did eat a gu and take a quick sip of Gatorade (why I didn't do this on the bike is beyond me.) I say it felt fast, because according to the times from the tri it was painfully slow (third slowest in my age group?). I had all these times on my watch, but the memory was full prior to the race and I couldn't go back and look at my splits. This whole dumb move with the watch is especially annoying because there was a three minute difference between my chip time and my watch (not in my favor).

I keep telling myself that the watch splits don't matter, but I am curious as to where those three minutes went. Let's just say I am very suspicious with the tri's timing system (not helped by the fact it took them over a day to post the results).

The Run
The switch from bike to run is a tricky one. Your legs typically feel like they weigh a ton each after getting off the bike. That being said, after leaving the transition area, I felt surprisingly good. I felt like I was moving fast, mostly because I was picking off a lot of other runners.

I hit the first mile marker at 7:25, which is pretty quick for me. The second one was closer to 8 minutes. I don't know exactly what the last two were (watch and the memory issue), but I think the mile markers may have been a little off. My pace didn't drop that much.

I think I may have had four or five people pass me in the run total. I probably passed two or three dozen. That being said it was so tricky because the race wasn't organized by age group (by numbers or start times), but by estimated swimming time.

The run course was very nice. It was along the fox river in Batavia. It reminded me of running along the Iowa River in Iowa City. A wide, full, slow moving river with a nice bike trail running along it. We actually crossed over the river at the turn around point, and then crossed back as we approached the finish line.

Melissa was there at the finish, she was impressed with my day. I felt good, but I wanted to go faster. Overall I was right at the top third (179/517 finishers), top half in my age group (22/49). My goal was top half of my age group, but this is kind of a beginners tri with a very short swim (my weakest link), so I will have to put up a much better effort to keep that kind of place in Des Moines.

Final Times: Batavia Sprint Tri
(400 m, 14.7 miles, 4.1 miles; first number is my age group place out of 49 people)
Swim: 28 6:36 (1:39 per 100 m pace)
T1: 32 3:29
Bike: 20 45:28 (19.4 mph ave)
T2: 45 3:34
Run: 16 32:38 (7:58 per mile pace)
Total: 22 1:31:43

100 yards away from the finish

Batavia Triathlon Tomorrow

I need to get to bed, but I have a little nervous energy.  First tri of the year is tomorrow.  I actually have to leave the house at 4 AM.  Everything is packed.  I am ready to go.  I hope the weather works out (it rained and tornadoed today, supposed to rain more tomorrow).

Obviously, I will let you know how I do.

Not Talking About "It" at the Cubs Game

"Yeah, I'll take a light one," Ryan says to the beer guy.

Last Sunday, my good friend Ryan and I decided we would catch up at our favorite spot in neighborhood, Section 127, Wrigley Field. The view was pretty good (see above), the weather was cool but sunny, and he and I had some things to discuss.

It was the fourth inning and the Cubs had just tied the game up at 2 with the Colorado Rockies. Rookie Sean Gallagher was on the mound for the Cubs, and looking pretty good. He would have been in better shape if left fielder Alfonso Soriano hadn't dropped a routine pop fly earlier in the inning (he later made up for it with a monster HR in the 6th).

Both Ryan and I were not quite 100% from the night before (the night before the Zoo 10k, more on that later). As I was finishing my Gatorade that I smuggled into the stadium, Ryan decided it was time to order another beer.

"Yeah, I hope Soriano gets those drops out of his system. We can't have those type of mistakes in the World Series," said the beer dude.

We both grunt in agreement.

"Yeah, that will be $93 for the beer."

"Here you go, keep one for yourself."

"Thanks." [Beer guys walks up the aslie.] "GET YOUR ICE COLD PAIN KILLERS."

I look to Ryan, "I just don't feel comfortable when people refer to it."

"I know what you mean."

"Do you ever think about it? I do all the time. I mean without a doubt this team is a contender. They need another starter, or at least one to really step up so we have three solid starters. That and just a little more middle relief."

Ryan pipes in, "Yeah, but I like how like last year, Lou is shuffling the line ups, sending guys up and down from here to the minors."

"Right, that is what makes me think this time is deep enough to survive the typical injuries that will happen."

"Yeah, like when Soriano went down."

"Right."

"Honestly, I don't even like thinking about it," said Ryan.

"I am ok thinking about it. I just don't like talking about it."

"Yeah, me too."

We will miss you guys when you move.

Notes:

• The Cubbies won that game Sunday 5-3. They swept their entire 7 game home stand.
• Cubs won again tonight. 10 of the last 11. Their Magic Number is 98.
• Speaking of the Cubs' Magic Number... the automated script is working again! (See right)
• The photos with the singled out color were made with my Canon SD700, which has a color accent feature. We had a lot of fun with that one Sunday.

The Lord Stanley's Cup

The Mac in the photo makes it look strange, but this is what it looks like to watch playoff hockey (especially in a 3OT game).  It as exciting as sports get.

The good guys lost that one, but won the next to bring home the goblet.  

Congrats Red Wings  Have fun with Lord Stanley's Cup this summer.

You Like Everest Stories? Then Go See It

I realized before I even started doing this weblog, that I am really not all that interesting.  In order to keep my loyal readership awake, I have decided I need to occasionally do some interviews with other people who asking "What's Next?"  Some of these stories will be crazy adventures, some will be comparatively simple, but they will share a common thread… they set a goal, and then they made it happen. 

I hope you enjoy the series.  If you have any ideas of people I should talk to, please drop me an email.

The Everest Base Camp Trek
The first in this series of interviews is with my co-worker and good friend Jennifer Dewitt. Jen is 25 and like me lives in Chicago. As you will read, she increasingly became interested in Mt Everest over the last couple of years and after seeing friend of WND Charlie Wittmack talk about his Everest experience in Chicago, decided she wanted a closer look. Five months later, she was on a plane for Nepal, set off for a three week Everest Base Camp trek. She returned to Chicago last, and was graciously willing to share some of her experiences with WND. Enjoy!

WND: Why did you want to do this trip?
JD: Over the last two years I've gotten really interested in the allure of Everest. What first started out as curiosity around some of the disasters on the mountain (mainly 1996) I began reading books, articles, and watching programs about climbers conquering the mountain and what a mental and physical challenge it is... it was unlike most anything I'd heard about. So when I found out that there were guided treks to base camp I thought it would be a perfect way to see what it is all about and see for myself if I could make it. I was also looking forward to learning more about the culture of the sherpa people and the Hindu and Buddhist religions in that part of the world.

WND: What technical skills did you need to acquire before making the trip? How did you prepare physically for the trek?
JD: Our trek wasn't very technical so mostly I just tried to get in shape so I could physically do the hiking and carry our pack.

In terms of preparing physically I walked in my hiking boots at the gym on a treadmill at an incline. I looked pretty weird to the other gym goers but such is life. I probably didn't prepare as much for the trip physically as I should've but in the end I think your body's physiology and how it interacts with the altitude trumps whatever kind of physical shape you are in. Some of the most physically fit people in our group really had a rough time with the altitude towards base camp so you never know.

WND: What did you learn most about Everest, Nepal and yourself from this trip?
JD: Nepal was an amazing country with a very eclectic population. Many of the Nepalese people look either more Chinese or Indian and all ranges in between since it is such a religious and cultural melting pot. The Nepalese people in Kathmandu and the mountains were all extremely kind and overly helpful to all visitors. Their Buddhist and Hindu cultures are very peaceful and although they lead rather simple lives many of the Nepalese in the mountains regularly live to be over 90 years old!!

Everest amazes me even more now that I've been there. I could imagine the types of people that would take on this challenge before but now after actually meeting many of them it really is almost a way of life for many climbers. There are some that only have the goal of climbing the tallest mountain in the world to say they've done it but the majority of people we met were more seasoned climbers who have climbed extensively throughout the Himalayas, Pakistan, and South America. I think one of the biggest misconceptions is that now that things are so commercialized that anyone with enough money could climb Everest but I really think this couldn't be farther from the truth. It is true that if you pay enough you could get a guide to organize the trip and take you but if you don't have the mental, physical, and physiological toughness to combat the harsh elements, altitude, and physical demands you certainly won't make it very far. Even though Everest is the highest in the world it is certainly not the prettiest or most technical in the Himalayas....mountains like Ama Dablam and Lhotse are beautifully picturesque and much more technically demanding.

As for what I've learned about myself I think I really tested my mental toughness more than I thought I would. Especially at the beginning after getting really sick from the food but forcing myself to keep climbing to not fall behind was definitely a challenge. Additionally with the altitude affecting our sleep (2-3 hours a night) and appetite (nearly non-existent) it was hard to keep yourself energized but I think mental toughness definitely carried us all to our goal. I also learned a ton about the world in general with a lot of the conversations we had as a group and with our guide and sherpas. Between politics, religion, and cultural discussions it was truly a wonderful learning experience.

WND: What about the trip was different than you expected it to be?
JD: I really kept an open mind going into the trip and had certain ideas of the physical challenge of hiking and what the altitude might be like but I really wanted to go into it blind for fear that I would psych myself out. I definitely did not expect all the altitude challenges and especially getting so out of breath after walking just a few feet. I think if I had known all of this going in I wouldn't have had such an optimistic attitude but once you get there you find yourself just putting one foot in front of the other because that is all you can physically do or think about.

WND: How long did it take, how many people did you travel with and what hurdles did you have to overcome (I read one of your emails that said you and everyone got sick)?
JD: The whole trip itself was 19 days of which 10 days were spent hiking up to basecamp and 6 on the way down, the other 3 days were spent arriving/departing in Kathmandu and sightseeing in the city. There were 9 of us on the trek plus 1 guide, 5 porters (to carry our heavy bags, we carried our day packs), and 3 sherpas who served as assistant guides.

The biggest hurdle was getting really sick from the food on day 2 of the trip. It's especially hard for Americans sometimes because all our food is so processed that in Nepal you get kind of a shock to your system. I had to stay back one night by myself (with an assistant sherpa) in a village 4 hours below the rest of the group because I was too weak to finish the day's hike and that was pretty lonely and disheartening. But I had to keep hiking through the sickness the next day even though I couldn't keep down food or even water...but it was worth it once I started being able to eat again and get my strength up and met up with the rest of the group after staying back another extra day to acclimatize in the Namche Bazaar village.

WND: What did if feel like to reach Base Camp and what did you see?
JD: Base camp is really a huge sprawl of tons of tents, it's almost like a mini-city perched just along the Khumbu Icefall. Most camps would have fairly flat ground but since this is on a glacier the terrain is very rocky and uneven. We actually saw a little German bakery that was set up inside a tent selling delicious cinnamon buns and cookies so there are definitely a few comforts there for the climbers who spend months at base camp. It's a very colorful place with so many different tents set against the black and white backdrop of the mountains and it was actually really net because it started snowing right when we got there which seemed very fitting. I just couldn't believe that our trek was so long and hard just to get to the beginning of where these climbers start their summit of Everest.... incredible.

WND: Do you have any other similar climbing aspirations?
JD: For the foreseeable future I'm probably going to stick to doing some more hiking/climbing in the western U.S. and hopefully someday I'd love to do Kilimanjaro as well.

WND: What will you remember most about this trip?
JD: I think the most memorable part for me would be: 1. Reaching base camp and finally seeing with my own eyes Mt. Everest and all the determination of all the climbers risking their life for the challenge. You can read all the books that you want but nothing compares to actually standing on the Khumbu glacier and seeing climbers trek through the Khumbu Icefall right in front of your eyes... it's truly awe-inspiring. -and- 2. Just being in such a beautiful part of the world and seeing how the Nepalese culture in the mountains is so simple but fulfilling. They are all such hard workers and kind people and genuinely happy. It makes me remember to stop and be grateful for all the opportunities I have and more importantly put things in perspective in my own life.

WND: What was your favorite part of the trip?
JD: I loved getting to know the sherpas and porters in our group and understanding what their lives were like and their culture. Many of them are from large families of farmers and don't even leave the mountains. It's so interesting to see how others who are my exact same age, 25, grow up and see what their aspirations are.

WND: If you were writing an article yourself, what would you say to the reader? 
JD: In doing this trip I've talked to so many people that have thought about doing the trek to base camp but never gotten around to it. I would say if you have the means to do it you can always find the time to set aside and you should just do it. It was definitely a once in a lifetime trip and just makes me not want to waste a single day in my own life.

WND: OK, so here it is… What's next?
JD: What's next? Well I would like to do some traveling in South America and I'm really hoping to do Kilimanjaro at some point as well. I think this is just the start of my travel bug and I see many more exciting trips in my future...

Here is Jen's Everest Base Camp group at Everest Base Camp.

Jen is third from the left in the blue jacket.

Thank you Jen.  Welcome home.

Ready or Not... Time to Tri!

Harold Hall Quarry Beach, home of the Batavia Sprint Triathlon

The first triathlon of the year is upon us!
After all the laps in the pool and miles in the saddle and on the shoes, we get to see just where I am in my training. I am looking forward to putting it all together.

From what I have read, the Batavia Sprint Triathlon on Sunday should be an interesting one. The swim is short (only 400 m), but it is two laps around an unheated sand bottom pool. I guess between laps it is so shallow that you actually have to get up and run a bit. They are also doing a staggered start, with participants leaving every 5-10 seconds. I think that is fine as I am sure I will mix it up as it's a tight swim course (and it is two laps, so I will be lapped and lapping). As I still see swimming as one of my weaker disciplines of the tri, thus I like that its is short, although part of me wishes it was longer to give a better test for later. Not that I ever over think such matters.

I still don't have a wetsuit. I know which one I want now (looks like Blue Seventy's Reaction, size S*), but the tri stores in town didn't have it in my size. My hope is to break the first rule in endurance races, don't do or use anything new on race day. Nope, the experience of racing with a wetsuit trumps not. That way if I have to wear it at the Hy-Vee triathlon in Des Moines later in the month, it won't be new there.

*I am not the biggest guy I know, but by no means have I ever thought of myself as small. Despite being on the higher end of all the list size ranges for the small (height, weight, chest size), this is the size they said best fit me at the store. I am a little suspicious, but seeing as they could have sold me the M on the spot, I can't really doubt their intentions. I even tried to explain that I don't plan on being any skinnier ever again, and that I would like to use this for a couple of years, they didn't flinch.

The bike is 14.7 miles, the run 4.1. Very odd distances, but I will just be happy to be out there. The weather looks warm, but with the early start (6:30) it should be fine.

I haven't told Melissa this yet, but I plan on leaving the house at 4 AM for this race. She had planned on coming out with me, but we will see about that (I can't imagine waking up that early if I didn't have to).

Notes:

• Here is a great page for transition areas from Beginner Triathletes.com. Enjoy!
• I know I owe a couple of posts (Jen's story from Everest, Zoo Results). Expect them tonight and tomorrow.

WND Photography

I have had a couple questions this week about my photos. Specifically what camera I use, what settings I use, and a few questions on how I have taken some shots you will see on this blog. Thus, I thought I would take a quick break and talk a bit about photography.

First off, I have been taking photos for a long time, but have only recently been doing it again. I was a photographer in high school and especially in college for the student newspapers, and supplemented my post college income working on the side as a commercial photographer. Then I basically didn't take a photo for about five years.

Last year, I bought my first digital camera, a Canon SD 600. It was the perfect size to take with me everywhere, and the quality of photos are great. It lasted a little more than a year, when about 3 weeks ago it decided it wouldn't power up.

I called Canon, to see how to repair it, and they said it would cost me $99, but I did qualify for their customer loyalty program. This program lets you upgrade to the new version of your camera (although it is a refurbished model) for $100. While I wasn't pleased that I had to give Canon another $100 14 months after I bought the camera originally, I was pleased to get the new SD750.

Well now that I have it I really am pleased with the difference. I have recommended it to a few people who are looking for digital cameras. It is great.

So there you are. Please feel free to send questions my way!



Notes:

• There are two good photo web sites I recommend to people. The first is Ken Rockwell's site. It is perfect for the everyday photographer wondering which camera to buy, and how to take better photos. Here is is site, and just as importantly, here is his page for camera recommendations. As you will see, he and I share a taste in cameras (or at least agree on the best ones). That being said, he does a great job of explaining why and the details behind it. You will be happy to hear that Ken says (and I agree) you don't have to spend a bunch of money to make great photos. Oh, and congratulations to Ken on the new daughter. Needless to say, it is a great photo.
• The second site is a little more advanced, but still something I think the average Joe should learn. How to use a flash. Strobist is a blog dedicated to teaching tricks using a flash. Really again something everyone could learn and take much better photos. I learned about this site from a story in USA Today a few months ago.