Ironman Mooooo

So the big dance has come and gone and what's left are a boat load of positive memories that I won't ever soon forget. From the training experiences in Idaho w/ new friends, to the family and long time friend visits during the summer, to the 100% unconditional support from my wife. It's been an awesome ride and I can say without a doubt that this has been by far the most pleasurable Ironman experience I've had in the nine races of this distance I've finished. As I write this I find myself going back through pictures and videos my niece took during the race, reliving the experience and trying to jog my memory on things that happened. I'm not quite ready to let go and start looking for the next big thing on my athletic plate. It was one of those experiences that felt too good to let go. The only thing that could have made the experience better is if Kate was there in person to get me home. She's half the reason why I got to the starting line in the first place so that would have been sweet. She was online all day though, following my progress as well as getting updates from friends who were on the course. So it was about as close to the real thing as she could get. I imagined while racing that after each event (e.g, swim/bike/run) she would see how I was giving it my all and would be screaming like crazy, which I found afterward was exactly the case. For instance, when I popped out of the swim and saw my time I thought, "Hehehehe, Kate's gonna dig that time!!!!" From the phone conversations to the Face Book chat, I had her and friends everywhere cheering for me. Pretty kickass!!!

Taper Time

During the last week of June and heavy training month of July I was having a terrible time sleeping. Man, when I can't sleep everything and everyone around me suffers. My mind was everywhere. From trying to gear up for the Half in Bend, to my new bike frame cracking and going through the replacement process, to making sure I had all my ducks in the row for when my brother arrived, to making sure my responsibilities w/ work were on track. All of these things were causing some sleep issues and I just needed to relax. Once the sleep sucks so does the training, mainly the long runs for me. Without good sleep it was really hard to push through the long 2+hr runs up in the foothills so I tended to come home feeling like a failure. What a mind-job! After the Emmett Olympic race, the sleep started to come around and I was actually stringing big hours each night. It was fantastic and couldn't have come at a better time now that I was in taper mode. Every workout once again had purpose, focus, and confidence. I felt everything was coming together and I was ready to take my mind to a new level. Pretty kickass!

Wednesday, 4-Days Out

Early on when figuring out my flight schedule to Wisconsin I wanted to get there a little earlier than I would typically arrive for a race. Doing what I can to make sure the travel was completely out of the system before the race was key along with being able to relax and enjoy myself. So that ended up being the plan, which worked out great. My other travel situation was I had a sponsorship with Bike Sherpa, which is a company that will ship your bike to these Ironman events without ever disassembling your bike. I got accepted on the team last January so I figured the crazy bike expense portion of my budget was handled. Once the gas prices skyrocketed there was no longer a justification for the company to handle a few bikes in the PAC North West so that plan fell through. Rather than shipping my bike I decided to take a chance and bring the bike case. The case itself weighs 30lbs so to get it under the required 50lbs meant I had to only pack the bike and nothing else. I used to pack everything in it back when there was only one fee. To keep'er low, the chain, pedals, bike bag, and anything else that could be easily detached got thrown in the other bag. When it was said and done the bike case weighed 49lbs and my other bag weighed 48lbs. I even managed to somehow talk/confuse/eyebrow-wiggle the check-in lady to not charge me the $50.00 for the bike case/oversize fee so the bike went through for free. How friggin cool is that considering she could have charged me $200 for the whole thing? OK, so enough about prices, I might end up jinxing myself.

The flight to Milwaukee was easy/uneventful and my brother and his oldest daughter, Andrea, was there to greet me. Ahhh...with family again! And not to mention Andrea's fiance', Mike, who just returned from a year-long stint in Iraq was in town. He came to hang with family as well, but also to get inspired so he could stand in line on Monday and sign up for next year. Which, of course, he did so I'll be back as a spectator next year to scream his ass to the finish line. Kate and I sent him a little care-package while he was in Iraq, which of course included a box of Crank Sports Gels! He sent me a slew a pics that are totally cool and funny. Strapping a bunch a gels to the barrel of an M-16 like one would to a bike frame is pretty friggin funny!

With a quick drive over to Madison and a quick run to the grocery store we were finally settled in and ready to begin the waiting.

Thursday or Rainday, 3-Days Out

Yeah, it flippin rained all day on Thursday. There was hardly any wind so the clouds just sat there and dumped. Bla! The plan was to get down to the lake for a swim then head out on the bike course for a quick bike and run. The plan totally fell through so we just pushed the workouts to Friday and did plenty of relaxing. We still managed to get a little 20-min run in the rain on Thursday, which was fun considering I hadn't seen rain since early June. Anyway, we got all checked in to the event, got our cattle wristband attached, then spent a couple bucks at the merchanise tent before all the crazies bought everything out. Seeing that half the field (1000+ people) were doing an Ironman for their first time, stuff just sells out quick.

Thursday night we met up with friends for a good dinner. My buddy, Keith aka Kona Dog, got me a replacement GFOQ (Get fast or Quit) bracelet for the black HTFU bracelet we got over the winter. HTFU (Harden the fck up) got so overused thanks to SlowTwitch (or Pantytwitch as I like to call it because everyone in that forum seems to have their panties in a bunch) that it lost its luster. By May, every time I'd hear or see an HTFU I wanted to say STFU (Shut the ## up). Just one of those things. Anyway, the new wristband has that LiveStrong look, but with GFOQ on one side and "Don't Suck" on the other. A perfect progression in motivational wristbands, I must say. It stayed on me for the race and I looked at it several times for a small pump.

Friday, 2-Days Out

Two days out is always my big rest day. It's the day I warn family about ahead of time so they realize that I'll be a log pretty much all day with the feet usually pointing up. Sort of like a Vegas showgirl without the feathers, and heels, and flexibility, and well ok, nothing like a Vegas showgirl, but I try to keep those feet up. Just maintaining my Dork Card there is all. Flipper and I were able to get down to the lake for a good swim then get back to the condo and relax for a bit...well a lot. So much, it drove us crazy since we did plenty of relaxing during our rain day. We eventually made it back downtown for the Ironman pasta meal and to meet up with the Bloomington gang. Seeing everyone again was great. The food really sucked and I seldom complain about stand-in-line food; however, this time, wow, not good, which sucks for the athletes paying for the extra tickets to get in there. I do have to say that the food for the awards ceremony hit the spot. Redemption meal! With all that said though, most meals can be graded based on the company you're with. In that case, the meal was perfect. Hanging w/ close friends is always a beautiful thing.

Saturday, 24 hours Out

Flip and I headed down with Britney to the swim a little earlier today so we could meet up with the gang. Britney wanted to get a good run in so that worked out well since the path along Lake Menona is right there. The big crew from Bloomington was there who's doing the race along with a close buddy of mine, CD, who was there to train. He came here last year, had the race of his life, and now is gearing up for Kona this year. Seeing this is the only year Kate and I couldn't go to Kona to spectate it's a bit of a bummer. We have three friends from Bloomington racing Kona this year. It would have been amazing to go, but we'll just head back to the big island another time. I doubt any of those guys are done going and I'm not exactly giving up on the dream myself anytime soon.

After the swim we threw the bikes in Flip's truck and headed out to the bike course for a quick test and make sure all is good with the legs. We went out to the section where two of the bigger climbs are at, which tend take a little out of you by the 2nd loop of the race. I hadn't been on the hills of Madison since way before moving out to Boise so I wanted to see how they felt after training around here. I have to say, when you get to the base of climb and can clearly see the top it's not too bad. The bike was feeling comfortable and my legs were feeling phenomenal. As long as the sleep holds up and I nail everything else (nutrition/hydration/etc) I think I'm going to have a good day.

Flipper and I got the bikes checked in and got our gear dropped off in typical fashion. The rest of the day and night was spent with family and I managed to sneak downtown in the evening to get one traditional beer w/ my friends from Bloomington. It's tradition in Madison that if you're not racing you head to the German restaurant, Essen Haus, for beers and some good German food. Seeing not even the Germans eat German food the night before an Ironman you can almost guarantee you'll get a seat fairly quickly! I got my pre-race meal in me prior so I was there for the beer and company. It was so great to see everyone together again and I was able to hang there for a good chunk of time before returning back to the condo. I got myself settled into bed and had a great night sleep. It's time to get this thing going.

RACE DAY

The race morning alarm goes off at 3:45am and the entire family is up and ready to go. The nerves are totally in check and I can see my brother is ready to get this thing going as well. After nine of these bee-otches I think I've become a little more calm or have at least learned to keep the nerves at bay a little better than back in the early days. We head down to the transition area and start getting the bikes prepped and ready to go.

As I'm getting things ready I realize the very first thing I always do was never done. Strap my damn chip to my ankle. Stupid thing is sitting on my dresser back at the condo. No chip, no problem. I'll get another one, but it could have added to the drama if I wasn't so happy to be there. My mood was great and a lot of it had to do with the environment and the presents of family and friends. No other race of this size could there be so many people I know. Once again, kickass!!!

We all head down to the lake and I head over to the chip timer dude. He assigns a new chip to me and says, "You're #18". Whatever that means, but I asked if it would get assigned to my bib and he said no problem. Flip kind of disappears after that so I imagine he was strapping his game-face on. I run into Dr. Dennis and Dr. Mark and we chat a little before the start of this thing and get the "good luck" hugs in. I think these guys are all going to rock this course today. The weather turned perfect and winds were nice for the swim. The winds will get a little crazier later in the race, but nothing to worry about now. It's time to get wet.

Swim 2.4 Miles

Swimming out on the course to bob around was an indicator that I was feeling good. Sometimes you just know it, other times that powerful feeling comes later. Today, it jumped out at me. Tonto says, "Hmmm Kemosabi..taper good!" The canon finally goes off and it is time to go. I'm out a little wider so I take my sweet time to eventually get aligned w/ the course buoys. In fact, it takes me almost the entire first stretch before I was directly on course. The line getting there was perfect so I don't think I lost any time w/ that approach. When I hit the last corner buoy to start the 2nd loop the watch read 29mins and change so I knew I was having a good swim. But in typical fashion something during that 2nd loop slowed me down. When I finally popped out of the water the clock read 1:02 something with a final time of 1:03 and I was quite pleased with that. The approach I took towards swimming this year had me in the pool three times a week w/ 75% focused on nothing but drills. I swam roughly 5000 yards a week and had nearly the same swim I did back in Germany when the coach I was using (some De Boom guy) had me swimming 12-15000 yards a week. Obviously there was nothing wrong with my endurance and much more to correct w/ my form. So like the flippin Republicans like to chant these days, "Drill baby drill!!!"

Bike 112 Miles

My transition went pretty smoothly and I was off on the bike. Seeing I got out a little earlier this time I didn't have nearly the draft packs I've had in the past. In fact, I can't recall a single instance where I was upset/concerned/frustrated by the typical draft packs I normally see. The Moo course is so rolling though that perhaps that had something to do with it. Other than that bitch-stretch from Verona to Mt. Horeb I think it's hard for draft mongers to get their peloton on.

I'm feeling pretty good on the bike and I'm also keeping a very positive attitude. I must have said "thank you" a thousand times to the volunteers and got some great laughs seeing some of the characters out on the course (e.g, pirates, Eric the Devil, etc). Around mile-45 we begin the series of climbs that help define this bike course as challenging. As I'm heading up the first climb, which is around a half-mile long I see my family just getting ready to begin their cheering section. I probably surprised them a bit though. The times I gave them for when I'd be coming through was way off so I'm early. My bad! They see me and give out some good cheers and then I'm off to the top. At the next climb I see a lot of the Bloomington gang and get a great boost from them. I couldn't wait to get back around to see everyone again.

On the last big climb a dude out of nowhere pops out and it's the Devil. Except I know this Devil who happens to be none other than Eric the Eeeeeeel who's chanting, "HEY DREWBIE, HOW YOU DO'N MAN????" and all the other positive stuff. Eric and his wife, Naomi, are like the Super Fans of Ironman. You can always count on them to help you get to the finish line. And now they've created a little addition to the family so I'm sure the little guy will be raised in the ways of Kung Fu Ironman Super Fan-dome! Eric runs with me the entire climb and before you know it the climb is done. Man, I hope he's around for the 2nd loop when I'll need it even more! Thanks dude!

Somewhere near the end of the first loop the wind changed direction and got a little stronger. We had wind to our back on the bigger climbs, but the next loop those climbs would feel a bit steeper with the wind in our face. However, they were still very manageable for me. All that saddle time in the foothills and mountains paid off for me this year. Getting up the first climb on the 2nd loop and seeing the family again was great. I even had Mr. McCarthy run me up a bit. He asked me if I blew a tire, which was news to me. Apparently that happened to Dr. Dennis so there was some confusion. All is good with my ride (knock on wood). The 2nd steep climb didn't have anyone I knew so I figured I'd see them on the run. It's a quick steep burst that's there just to piss your legs off until you get to the last big climb. On the last dandy the Bloomington gang appears, which was a totally cool surprise and awakening. They cheer for me and then out pops the Devil again. Ahhhh, awesome! I don't recall saying much to Eric just because I was keeping my quads at bay, but he talked to me the whole way up again and before I knew it the climb was once again done. Once again, Beelzebub, thanks!

Riding from Verona back to Madison was friggin sweet. We had a tail and crosswind the entire way home so it was easy to spin out the legs and get them ready for the marathon. When it was all said and done, I got back to T2 in 5hr 20mins w/ a 21mph average. Given how good my legs felt off the bike, I'm pretty stoked about how the ride went. Now it's just a matter of seeing what kind of guts I've got to make a run for a Kona slot since almost all slots are earned on the run.

Run 26.2 Miles

T2 went through smoothly as well, which consisted of a quick change, a quick stretch, and quick unloading of the liquids I consumed. Everything was in check. Hydration was good and the legs felt very good. Time to run.

In true Quentin Tarantino style, lets go back to Wednesday when I arrived at the airport. When you fly with those large bike cases they usually get unloaded last since everything gets piled on top of them. While waiting I noticed a couple other guys waiting who appeared to be in for the Ironman. I started talking to them and found they're from Portland. Every day up to the race I would bump into these two guys. I'm thinking I'm starting to creep these guys out since it just seemed like everywhere I went I'd run into those two. We'd get a good laugh then I'd top it with a more sadistic, over-the-top laugh. Well, OK, in my head anyways.

Fast-foward back to the marathon. A couple miles into the run a guy gets next to me and we start running together. We're chatting a bit and he's keeping splits for us. Around mile-4 he says we ran that last mile in 6:53. What the hell? I'm going to blow at mile 10 at this pace so I'm slowing'er down. I guess you just lose yourself in those early miles while being a chatty Kathy. After a bit I ask him where he's from and he says Portland so I finally look over to see this guys (I've been looking straight ahead the whole time). Shit, same guy from Portland! I say to him, "You're kidding me, man, I'm the guy from the airport." We both start laughing and shake our heads. What are the freakin odds???? Anyways, later in the run he dropped back and finished about 10-mins behind me. This was his first Ironman so he's off to a good start in this crazy sport.

The miles continue to click away, but I'm constantly keeping my quads at bay. It appears I'm slightly dehydrated, but it's slowly getting better. When I finally hit State Street the crowds got huge and that was a big pump. It's such a crazy-cool section for spectators, but it always goes by too fast. Next thing I know I'm out of the crowds and running along the lake. On the back part of the course I see the entire Sweet gang cheering people on. That was a cool surprise since I figured I wouldn't see anyone for awhile. With a couple miles left in the first loop I once again run into The Eeeel. He's cheering me on and checks to see if Kate was being updated. I had no idea so he took care of it. The guy has like teleporation powers! Near the end of the first 13-mile loop I see my brother and he's looking good. No matter how focused I get on a race I still look for the people I know, especially when my bro is there. It's good to know they're off the bike and now it's just a matter of will that'll get them home.

So I got through the first loop in 1:48, which isn't too bad, but I really need to pickup the pace. A few more miles click by and I'm starting to slow down some. Crap! The mood is still great, I'm still seeing family, friends, the big crowds, life is good, but the pace is beginning to drop. Then the paranoia starts to creep in. I started thinking about the chip I had replaced this morning with the #18. Was that a Pro chip? Are my splits off by 10-mins? Watch I miss I Hawaii slot by 10-mins because of the chip and can't prove my case. All of this crap started to bug me because of stories of blown tires and people telling me times that just didn't seem right. OK, I'm just shutting it out and get back to task at hand. Man, I can be a headcase sometimes!

Once again I'm back through the State Street section, which is around mile-19 and see the family. The girls are wearing Boise State shirts their Dad got for them when he was out here. They were quite easy to spot. It looks like they're having a great time! I can't really say much to them at this point because frankly, I was starting to want to get this thing done and get a beer. I managed to catch up to my brother who was on his first loop and he was doing just fine. I knew he'd be right behind me and finish his second Ironman. He gives me some encouragement to get this thing done and I'm off for the final stretch.

With about 2-miles left I'm looking at the watch I'm not exactly pleased w/ my splits. I've slowed down miserably, but that's how it goes. I dig a bit deeper and suck it up to get to the crowds. The crowds could then get me home. Once again, Eric flies out of the crowds to cheer me up the last oooph to the capital. He says, "Mark's just up there. Go get him." I see Dr. Temple and give him a healthy spank. He gives me a good cheer and finally...FINALLY...there's the finish line. I take a quick glance back to see if anyone was trying to run me down. The coast is clear to have a great time before I hit the tape. Reily is calling out my name and naming out all the Ironman races I've done. I'M SOOOO HAPPY!!! I see CD and Sloan in the bleachers and CD comes down to give me a high-five. I literally leap through the finish line in pure joy. I'm so pleased with today and feeling...well...reborn.

When I finally got my finishers stuff, confirmed that my chip was OK (and it was), and got through the finish chute, there's my niece, Britney. It was a total surprise since I thought I'd be alone during this time. She snuck away from the aid-station to see me finish and that was so cool. Having her there brought out all of those emotions that buildup throughout the day that I would have otherwise sucked up, which would have come out at some random (most likely embarrassing) time later. Thanks Chica! Brit hands me her phone and I give Kate a call. Kate is screaming over the phone she's so happy. We talk a bit more, Brit helps me gather up some stuff so I can get out of these nasties and into something a bit more comfortable. Now it's time to start cheering everyone in.

Britney heads back to the aid-station to get the rest of the family so they can all get back to see Flip finish. I hang with the gang as they come in and its just great to see everyone having great races. As people are coming in so are the friends who were out there cheering me on all day. I couldn't have thanked them enough. After a little bit, my brother finds the finish line as well and he's so happy with himself. Wisconsin is such a hard course and he kicked some butt. Way to go dude!!!!!


As you can tell I'm pretty happy with how this race went. I didn't get the Kona slot I was going for, but that's OK. I'm getting closer and this was by far my strongest race. I was a couple minutes quicker at Ironman Florida back in 2006, but Kona slots are based on how you place, not by some time. I moved up nearly 20-slots so there will be a day when I get my Kona day and when it happens you can guarantee you're all invited to the party!

Now it's time for some well deserved rest.

Train Smart,
Drew.

The Gang

Last Blast before Moo

A couple weekends back I did an Olympic distance race, Emmett's "Most Excellent" Triathlon. This race is hosted by the local tri-club I belong to here in Boise (The Boise Aeros). My buddy, Ken Runyan (who was actually a very fast runner back in his day so it's not just a clever last name), directs this race and did a fantastic job as did all the Aeros out there supporting. I've heard many good things about this race and the timing seemed fitting as the intensity of my workouts seem to be in full force these days. I had a very soft half-iron in Bend so I really wanted to come into this with some pain on the brain.

This is another point-2-point race, which is the only kind of racing I've done all year. It's going to be strange in Madison biking to the same place I started. Anyways, we start out at Black Canyon Reservoir, which is about 30-mins from my house. Nice close race this time. It's a beautiful little area back there, but surprisingly the water is rather dark (or black). It's not dirty, just has that dark color from the rocks/minerals in the water. So the sense of knowing where the field is during the swim should be a bit more acute. This race also has more familiar faces so it was nice to have that this year. Not being at Tri-Shark, where I know just about everyone, this race helped sooth my tri-stranger-pain.

I have to say, it's been awhile since I've prepped up for an Olympic distance race. My habits are in tune to go long-long-long so I think I made my race week prep a bit overcomplicated. I didn't come into this race rested (actually sleep deprived), but I put in my normal prep time with a full day's rest two days out (typical stuff). I just didn't have the strategy figured out and made some dumb mistakes during the race. Sort of goes with not racing as much this year too, I suppose.

The swim kicks off to a good start. Two strokes into my race I take a full-force heel to the face, totally knocking my goggles off. Damn, that was quick and what a nice star-gazing session it was for a few seconds! Whoof! I got my lid reattached and goggles back on, did a quick blood/tooth check, all is good so I got clear and into a groove. The goggles continued to fill up so I had to finally stop, empty them out and adjust the swim cap. When it was all said and done the swim went pretty well despite having to stop those couple times.

My transitions have sucked this year. I can't say it enough, SUCKED to the nth! I had a heck of time getting out of my wetsuit (need some spray) and getting that point-2-point gear bag packed was awfully slow. Ken was standing there taking pictures, asking if I was planning to read a book. Man, I'm supposed to be good at this stuff and that was embarrassing. On the way out Kate yells out that my nutrition had fallen out of my back pocket. Looking back, I can't see where it dropped so now I'm stuck with the just the fluids. I have a gel waiting for me in T2 so we'll see if that's enough, but SCREW ME DUDE....too much freakin drama!

The bike course is surprisingly flat with some gentle rollers and one short-steep hill. If you know the course and can hammer then breaking an hour is certainly in the cards if you can back it up w/ a run. I hadn't ridden the course so I kept a steady groove since I really wanted to run a hard 10K and finish strong. I was redlining for the first couple of miles and eventually got my heart down so a bit more warm-up on the bike would have helped. I ended up swapping places w/ a couple guys during the ride and a couple caught me near the end. I wasn't hammering too hard so that was fine, coming in around 1:02 for the 25-mile ride.

Quick Summary

The second transition went a little better, but still some big room for improvements. I guess it's time to start practicing transitions again. I thought I had those down about 5-years ago. Blame it on age, laziness, your mom, I don't know. When I got into the run I felt pretty good, but not awesome. I figured it would take a mile then I could put my head down and run. Well, it never happened. I never could get enough air in my lungs and let enough C02 out. It guess it was just one of those days...again! I was also found myself in no-man's land during the run. The PROs and some elites were ahead of me and everyone else was behind so I was pretty much out there alone with the people from the Sprint race and no one to push me. Not trying to make up excuses, but it didn't help during my time of badness. On the second lap of the course I was cooked. I probably stopped three or four times to get my lungs back and it ended up being the worst 10K of my life (PW!). The finish came and I ended up 18th out of the 216 and 3rd in my age group. So I actually won $10 for that effort, but could have really given 1st place a run if my run would have cooperated. I was around six minutes slower than my typical 10K if that says anything. DANG IT (said w/ Star Wars Robot Chicken voice)!

So I've got some things to think about and do until Moo. I had my last big week of training (hell of a ride last Saturday) and now into a good taper. I've had a rough go with sleep these last few weeks, but that's coming around again. I'm sure that had a lot to do with my sub-par race performance, but I'll own it and happily take a good HTFU slap to the head.

So with some positive mantras....

Harden the fck up, Drew.
Harden the fck up, Drew.
Harden the fck up, Drew.
Harden the fck up, Drew.....SSSSSSSSLAP!

OK, enough for now. Time for bed.

Taking July by the Horns

It seems as if July disappeared as fast as June. I'm still sort of shaking my head about the whole thing. Kate and I enjoyed our 4th of July in Boise though we both had some subtle setbacks on missing our families. Everyone was doing something and we really didn't have much for plans since Kater had an epic week of school starting that Monday. We got to see some great fireworks from our backyard and seeing it doesn't get dark-dark in early July until about 11pm everyone tends to start late and end late w/ the firecrackers. Such as life, it's once a year. I had a big ride planned that next day so I was hoping for some good sleep, but once 12:30am hit I don't think a blackcat Atom bomb could have woken me.

My brother was arriving the week after the 4th for some good family time and training. I had a 95-mile route planned out so I decided to ride it before we tackled it together. It started w/ some short killer hills after 10-miles then off to some longer climbs of around 2+ miles after 30-miles, then off to climb the Bogus Basin Summit starting at mile 40. You've probably heard me talk about Bogus in the past, but it's a great 16-mile climb and since it's very close by it's very convenient to get big training in without having to go forever to get there. I ended up hitting the route well and even tooks splits on the bogus climb. Knocking 22-mins off my previous attempt made for a very smiley descent back down the mountain. I think the legs are starting to enjoy the tilting-up roads of Idaho.


Having my brother arrive was exciting and I couldn't wait to show him around in the car, but mostly on the bike. Besides the mentioned route I also planned to take him up to the Mores Creek Summit, which crests about 13-miles past Idaho City and is around a 108-mile route. This route has three summit climbs since it's a down and back. Once again, it starts all innocent for about 11-miles then on to a 4+ mile climb up over Highland Valley Summit or Hilltop as the locals call it. From mile-23 you slowly gain elevation for 30-miles w/ the last 10 getting pretty steep. With about three miles left the road begins the switchbacks. The pic to the right shows the first switchback. It's an absolutely beautiful ride. I knew Flipper had his own demons to conquer going up so I went ahead and tackled my own. Reaching the top is always a kickass experience.

When I got to the top I waited for Flipper to arrive. It wasn't long before I could hear his grunts up the switchbacks. I got a good laugh out of it, but I knew he put in a hard effort to get to the top of that beast. We snapped some shots then turned around and enjoyed a very fast 13-miles back to Idaho City. Other than the Highland Summit being an absolute beeotch after 90-miles in the saddle we felt like life was once again fantastic. The beer that night tasted quite good.

It was great having my brother here and I can't wait until he comes back. He even managed to design up and build a huge shelving unit in my garage. He was the mastermind and I played the grunt dude. We had a blast and the house now has a ton more storage space. Something it was running a bit short on.

The day after Flipper left I had to fly out to Columbia, MO for work. I'm a geek who supports a lot of other geeks at State Farm so we had to present a bunch of the new technology coming their way. It was great to see everyone I work with again face-2-face. Being a teleworker you lose some of the that personal 1-on-1 contact. The conversations and more importantly, jokes!, that come up when we're all together is priceless. You just can't get that on the phone and email. Anyways, the presentations all went pretty well and I managed to get one good run in on Columbia's Katy Trail. Columbia is a very green, woodsy city so the run on the trail and along the river was quite nice. It also reminded me how dry Boise is and how humid the midwest is. Sheesh, my workout clothes never dried the entire time I was there. It was a nice reminder though since there's always a good chance that Ironman Moo is going to be nasty.

Other than that, training has gone exceptionally well in July despite not having my tri-bike for nearly the entire month (I've got the new frame now). These last six weeks will be nailing the longer runs and hitting my FTP efforts on the bike. I have an Olympic distance race on August 9th so that'll be my last FTP effort. Then it's one last big weekend and off to the psychotic taper. Whooya!

Take'r easy,
Drew.

Jeeeese Focker, where did June go?

Seems as if June came and went with a blink of an eye, a turn in the pool, some crazy-ass ride on the trainer, and the list goes on and on. Where the flippin heck did June go? I don't know. I do know it was eventful so I guess that explains it, time flies when you're having fun. As I mentioned in my May blog, the Boise 70.3 half-Ironman kicked off the beginning of the month with some positive feedback and also some "what not to-dooz". Recovering from that race could have been a little quicker, but I came back in full force w/o any injuries to speak of so knock on wood there. The month built up nicely and ended with a Half Ironman in Bend, Oregon. I'll get into that race in a bit.

June has been the month of family and friends and it felt damn good. My parents made it here in early June, driving their little yellow corvette all the way out here from Wisconsin. It was so nice having them in Boise and they can relate to all the great things we've been talking about when it comes to living in Idaho.

My buddy Brian made it out here so we could drive up to Coeur d'Alene and meet up with CD and Kdog for Ironman CDA and our annual "guys trip". Man, I didn't think a Guys trip was going to happen this year, but we made it work. Kdog was there to kick some butt and he left Idaho a butt-kicker. He did fantastic as did the rest of the Bloomington gang. Ya'll certainly didn't' suck! :) Rossi, CD, and I also got some good training in. We managed to get one lap on the Ironman swim course (1.2 miles) and roughly three laps of the bike course plus a little running. The new bike course at CDA is a huge improvement over the older course. I had no idea how beautiful the riding up by Hayden Lake was going to be so that was a pleasant surprise. There's also a few more challenging hills on that course so it helped us all get our legs better prepared for Wisconsin (Ross and I) and Kona (CD). Yes, there are hills in Kona! It was also simply great to be riding with the guys again. It didn't take much to realize how much I missed that.

By the time Rossi and I drove back to Boise (7-1/2hr drive), him flying back, and with everyone now gone I think I sunk into a small depression. I think it's typical when there's so much build up to see everyone then you have such a great time. Once they're gone you're sort of empty. So the entire week after CDA and leading up to the half Ironman in Bend I felt sapped of energy, tired, bored, and pretty unmotivated to race. I really considered bagging the race since all I wanted was to just get out the door and train w/o the headaches of racing. I also wasn't too excited about being in the car again, but I really wanted to go experience Bend. Besides, the race and cabin were paid for so we're going! I've been told by plenty of locals how beautiful Bend is. It's a dry climate like Boise, but there's a few monster mountains and miles and miles of huge pines. Another thing putting a damper on heading to Bend was Kate couldn't get out of class until late so we wouldn't be strolling into our cabin until late. It turned out she was able to leave class early so that helped a lot.

Race morning was a bit as expected for me. I felt ok, but I was really unmotivated to kick ass on the course, which was too bad. Its just how it is when your low on go-go juice, but I was still happy to be in Bend and at this venue. The Pacific Crest venue is pretty cool. There's about every distance race and types going on all weekend. There was a marathon, half-marathon, half-iron, and endurance duathlon (bike/run only) all going on at the same time. So during the run you see all sorts of different bibs on the course. It also has that small race feel to it, which I have really missed since I've only been to WTC sponsored events lately. Ironman brand races don't exactly have that laid back feeling.


I went ahead and got warmed up in the water and ready to go. The water was warmer this time around so no need for the thermal cap. It was actually about perfect, at around 63F. When I got done I came back out of th water to hang with Kate and all the spectators started to show up. There was a few people who looked like they were ready to have a good time. I'm pretty sure they were half in the bag. The picture kind of says it all, but from the time my wave went out and when I got done they changed into some band of Indians. It was pretty funny and those guys got a lot of stares. They ate it right up.


The swim went fairly well though I was feeling fatigued from the get-go. Yes, more whining about feeling tired. I expected the water to be clearer, but like everywhere else out West, there has been so much snow run-off from the mountains the lakes were a bit murky. The only weird thing that happened to me was on the way back in, say about halfway through the swim, I hit a "slick" of fish spawn. It was this huge load of fish eggs on the surface that I had to get through for about 20-30yards. It was pretty gross, but I survived. I have noticed a strange ability to stay underwater longer now though...hmmmm....

The bike course is pretty cool. There's only five turns to be made in the 58-miles (this was a non-standard distance race). Once we turned out of the park we had about 10-miles of riding until the next turn. Then it was nearly 40-miles of straight highway and the roads were fantastic. There were three major climbs to do, two of which were actual mountain passes, topping off at around 6300ft. On the mountain passes the temps rose pretty high, but there was still tons of snow on the ground. Only the roads didn't have snow and they just opened a couple weeks prior. It was a pretty cool sight to see. On the way up one of the climbs I saw a dude fling himself off his bike into a snow bank. I said to him, "Dude, you OK?" He laid in the snow, "Cramp, leg cramp." So no big whoop, he was going to survive. The climbs themselves weren't too bad since I've had my fair share of long grinds this year. Nothing crazy-steep, but if you weren't used to zoning out for 6 to 7-miles at a time going up it might become tough. I ended up having a fair bike, but nothing outstanding. I really tried to be conservative in hopes that this lack of energy would turn into something positive, but it never did. Such as life. Lets go for a nice hot run.


I was warned by club members that the 13.1-mile run was a hot one. And they were right, temps got to 100F (if not more) on the run, but it was nothing like running at Moo in 2005. With only 20% humidity it was tolerable and you'd catch a good breeze from time to time to help. I just couldn't muster up a run. So I played the walk-run-walk walk game, had a few bouts of uselessness then finally see Kate around the 10mile marker. I needed to vent to her about my lack of desire, but she pepped me and I was able to muster up enough to run most of the last 5K (slowly) to the finish line. Man, whatapisser! And not a pisser that I finished a bit slower than I'm used too, but more that I was in such negative spirits doing it. Stuff's supposed to be fun and this time around not so much. However, my lovely bride always refreshes my noggin about how I need to put things in perspective and enjoy the moment. Afterall, we're in flipp'n Bend, for Pete's sake.
After a little recovery we headed to the beer tent to collect my prize liquid. Mmmmmm......Beeeeeer!!!! Then it was off to the grocery store to get some salmon steaks and head back to the cabin. There's nothing like cooking up your own meals in a cabin on a lake. Heck, the next morning we treated ourselves to some home cooked eggs/bacon/toast and coffee. Life is grand!

Recovery from the Bend race went quickly since I didn't hammer out the run. So I was right back on the horse w/ a refreshed attitude on getting prepped for Ironman. Other than needing my tri-bike back things are looking good. The next race is in August, which is a local Olympic distance race. That'll be my last Vo2 max effort before I start calming it down for the big dance. Man, this mother is right around the corner and I'm getting hungry.

Well, that's about everything. Train smart and be safe.

Drew.

May Stuff

Well I got through May training fairly well. It was one of those months where the bike volume started to crank. Managed to get in 95+ mile rides every Saturday except for this last one since I had the Boise 70.3 to race. I'll get into that fun soon. Swimming is coming along at this point. I continue to improve by drilling tons, but I'm also putting in at least one day of hard sets for strength. I'm still very motivated to get to the pool as well as get to the several choice ponds for open water swimming. The ponds are clean/clear so it's not much of a gross experience. My running continues to improve on the hills despite the lack of volume. I get my long runs done up in the foothills so that's not a problem and I get plenty of climbing in, but I think it's time to get at least one more day on my feet. June/July will be big months for me.

Two weeks ago I took on the Boise Aeros annual bike ride from Boise to Stanley (check out the terrain view). This is a 130-mile trek, covering a slew of elevation gain (about 11,000ft of climbing) and three major mountain passes. Once you leave Boise and head up highway 21 the scenery goes green and mountainous. It's truly a beautiful ride. Around miles 80 to 90 I had a small rough patch, but I pretty much tuned it out and just listened to the surroundings. Nearly the entire ride you go along the south fork of the Payette river. The river is currently running very high due to all the snow runoff from the mountains. If you tune everything else out and just listen to the river the pain you talked yourself into miles back pretty much disappears.

Experiencing the mountain passes on the bike was a trip. The first pass (Moore's Summit) was a 10-mile doozy, with some big switchbacks and steep grades. I had my tri-bike for this ride so that makes it interesting since you don't spend much time in the aerobars when climbing these honkers. The second pass (Beaver Creek), which is only about 5-miles later is another dandy, but the easiest of the three. Then at mile 90 the climb up over Banner Creek Summit is a 15-mile straight shot up and over. Not only are you zonked from the 90-miles of continuous UP, you're now faced with this big climb that continues to give you this false hope that you've reached the top. Every time you think you're over...WHAM...it just keeps working it's way back up. I had my Garmin with me so I knew 7200ft was the magic elevation marker. After 90mins of climbing though you just sort of want it to end. I had fun climbing the other summits, but I was pretty much ready for this one to be done. Half way up my supplies went dry and was basically recycling spit. That's when Super Wife arrives (insert superhero theme music here). Kater was driving up separately so she could get some studying done. When she asked me if I needed anything I was like "OH BABY!". She packed the cooler full of everything and I went for the coke. I slammed one can, threw two more in my aerobottle, proceeded to drink over half while gabbing with her so threw another in. So now I'm buzzed up and ready to go. Once I reached the summit I think I threw two more cokes down me. Cheeze ballz dude!!! I'm surprised I didn't jitter-vibrate myself off the road. Once we got over that last summit it's about 25-miles to get down into Stanley. This was 25-miles of rollers, elevation LOSS, and wind to our backs. And with all the cokes in me I think I averaged 25+ getting there. Also, once you're over that last mountain pass you see the Sawtooth Mountain range. "Damn", is all I can say. It's a spectacular view and after being in the saddle for nearly 7hrs it's a very welcome site. It was just a kickass experience, to say the least.

I took'r a little easier this week to get prepped for the Boise 70.3 half-Ironman. This was our 1st annual event here and it turned out to be an event I'd recommend to anyone. Logistically, it's a bit of a challenge since it's a point-2-point race. So it's one of those deals where you have to get your bike out to the Lucky Peak reservoir before-hand then get your running gear over to T2. I think there's some things they can do to make it a little easier for everyone, which always improves over time. I also didn't witness any first-hand whiners, which was a surprise. I was actually impressed by the lack of whining from the athletes as it always seems to be a case of "please me please me". Dude, just harden the f#@k up and race! Anyway, quick rant.

The race itself for me was pretty good. This was the first half IM where I got to sleep in my own bed the night before, which is a new/strange experience. And to have it as an Official Ironman sponsored race in my backyard that made it even stranger. Ironman also did a fantastic job of bringing in some top-notch pro athletes. Chris Leito, Desiree Ficker, and Kate Major to name a few. Once again, weird having these athletic icons in our backyard.

So though the race is local it didn't change the wakeup call. At 3:45am I'm up in the shower to induce "wake up" then down for my pre-race meal. Kate and I were then off to our friend's place to pick them up (more support crew) then off to downtown. We then get shuttled out to Lucky Peak to start the race. By 7:30am my wave finally goes out and we hit the friggid choppy waters. I'm guessing it was around 55F. It's cold, but tolerable, especially with the thermal hoody on. Some guys had little wetsuit booties on and i think I'd opt for that next time at this race. When I got out of the water it was a bit of a challenge running with stiff ankles on a stoney path. The swim itself went pretty well. Times were slow due to the conditions, but I ended up 9th in my AG for the swim. That's a rather large step up from the usual 3rd of way down the list.

T1 was a slow slow slow. The point-2-point thing changes plans so you have to pack all your crap in a bag before you head out so they can take it downtown for later. Not only that, all of the crap you plan to wear on the bike has to be in that bag before the race. So it's unload the bag, reload the bag. It's an even playing field for everyone so that's cool, but I get impatient in the transition area. Blame the A.D.D.!

The Giant is starting to mold to my frame. I still have some tweaking to do so I can hold pace for 112-miles, but it's coming around. The bike today felt pretty good and the couple bigger climbs we had I think I handled with "running 13.1" in mind. Very conservative up them things. The rest of the ride went well other than dropping the chain once and loosing my gel (off to plan B). I still have some impatience I need to take care of, which is all things to expect in early June. The ride itself was good enough for 5th in my AG so I was happy with that.

T2 was once again slow slow slow. I had to pack my bag again, but I also had to rip it open since I tied it the night before so my shoes wouldn't get wet. After ripping the bag open then trying to throw my aero helmet in there, the force of me squeezing the helmet in broke the side ear piece. Arg!!!! We'll see if crazy-glue can fix it. Otherwise, you might be seeing a new lid on me soon. Whattapisser!

My legs felt great going into the run. I had to stop the first mile to pee, but then got into a groove of 7:00-7:10 splits. I eventually slowed down a bit which shows to me that nutrition is still a factor on the bike and perhaps requires little more conservation. But I also think adding some more high quality volume to the run will help as well. I know I have it me, just requires some work. During the run I was able to see Kate and the gang several times. The run is pretty much a pancake other than the "here and theres" and today there was overcast with periodic drizzle. If you can run fast, today was the day to prove it. The crowd support for the run is worth it alone to do this race. It has an Ironman Wisc feel to it, but a much more scaled down version of it. And it's only going to get better. When it was all said and done I had the 9th fastest run in my AG and it was good enough for an 8th place AG finish. Not bad. I'm happy with that and it gives me some things to work on.

Well, your basic race report stuff.

Train smart, keep your nose clean, don't f@$k up! :)

Drew.