Brandon Del Campo

The Grapes of Wrath- VINEMAN

2010-08-02T11:36:00.000-07:00

Brett getting ready to complete his first Ironman!

This past weekend I went out to Sonoma to race the Full Vineman Ironman. The whole build up to the race was a disaster and caused a bit of stress and "wishy washy" feelings in regards to what I should do. A little over three weeks prior to the race I broke my rib and it put a halt to training. I did what I could and waited for the damn thing to stop hurting enough to train. Long story short I was really under baked for this race and the week before tried to microwave myself and salvage something and hope for the best.

JZ always felt I should just have done the Aqua Bike division due to what happened and I suppose she gets an "I told you so" added to her credit. I had nothing on race day. The swim wasn't "hard" as I totally hopped on David Glovers feet and did as little work as possible. You're a good man David Glover! We came out just under an hour which is my worst Ironman swim to date. It still really took it out of me and I had a hard time pulling it together to get on the bike. Glover put a min on me just in transition. I never saw him again.

The bike was really cold for the first few hours. I didn't have a power meter and really didn't know how I was riding. It felt bad from the start and I never really got in a groove. The rib was bugging me on a very minimal level. But everything else just felt flat. I came through the 1/2 way point in 2:35 and was in the hurt locker big time. That is pretty slow so I knew things were off. I tried to stay positive as I knew the conditions were hard that day. Head winds all day and the air felt very "thick" to me. Lots of moisture so it was hard to move through it. I gave myself some credit and said "Well you are a good rider so maybe the guys up front are going to blow up???"

I started having inner leg cramps on the bike towards the end and my neck was burning for the last 30 miles. It just sucked. I still figured I would try and run. A training buddy of mine from a while back once said that he got off the bike in an Ironman feeling like pure ass and still ran really well. I was banking on that. I forgot that banks close early on Saturday and when I got to the run my legs were really feeling like crap. I shuffled along and when I got to the turn around I realized that I wasn't running that slow. I was still on about 3:01 marathon pace and after a huge session of slamming about a litter of coke at an aid station, my energy levels felt the best they had all day. It makes me wonder if something was off nutritionally on the bike, but I was taking plenty in so who knows?

Around mile 7 my left leg started twinging near the lower calf when I went up hills. I stopped and stretched it out for a second but it just kept bugging. I walked for a bit to see if it would go away but it didn't. I stopped again and saw a goat looking at me through a fence. "Should I pull out little goat?" He totally nodded! That was enough for me. When animals start communicating with you it is time to pull the plug!

I have never dropped out of a triathlon before and prided myself a bit on it but since I was considering doing the Aqua Bike I had less issue with it. And, I don't run through "that" kind of pain that I was having. I have two crippled parents who smashed their bodies up from years of running marathons. I am not looking to be like that. So I walked it in and enjoyed seeing the other competitors out there and encouraged those that were having a tough time too. I wasn't upset about the situation at all. In fact I thought "Wow! I really did get my Pro card, I'm dropping out of an Ironman!" Pro's drop out all the time! I laughed at that a bit.

One of the forces that made me want to go to Vineman and try was the fact that I had several people racing that I wanted to support. My dad decided to do the Full Aqua Bike but pull out at the 1/2 way. He wasn't ready for the full ride but wanted to do the entire swim. He had a rough day too from getting really cold after the swim and then having some horrible allergic reaction on his lip. It swelled up so bad that he looked like Angelina Jolie after a visit to the plastic surgeon. Good on him for still finishing his plan. Apparently I passed him on the bike but I never saw him. He just said I barked "On your left".

Grant, a guy I coach and whose real name is Sprinkles, is just getting into the sport. He did the Full Aqua Bike and won his age with a really good ride just under 5 hours. The course was so hard that day that a 5 hour ride was really impressive! Now if we can just get him to swim a bit faster he will be set. The guy runs really well even though he thinks otherwise. There will be more to report on Grant after he does his first IM in Cozumel this November. I'm excited for him.

Wadley of course had to sign up and do the Full Ironman because he has a disease that makes him sign up for all of the hardest events that he can find. I passed him on the bike at about mile 50 and all he said was "MAAAAAN. This sucks!" I agreed! Wadley won the swim portion....duh!....and actually looked really good on that first run loop. Ran into some issues later in the day but he got that shit done! More than I can say.

Jake Taylor did his first Full Aqua bike in preparation for Ironman Cozumel too. He just added to the list of people that thought all that head wind was some serious BULL SHIT!!! ALLLLLLLLL DAY! I think I had maybe 2 min of coasting time during my 5 hours and 17 min of torture. Oh man, I need to take a break here and not think about it. I am having Vineman PTSD!

Last but not least of our group comes Brett Johnson. Brett is the ultimate trooper in sport. I have never met someone who can take on challenges with such a positive and calm attitude! I met Brett about 5 years ago and he did his first tri with a group of us and really got into training for all kinds of races. He wanted to run a fast marathon and we worked on taking him from a 4:30 PR to a 3:11 PR in his 40's! Then he took on the challenge of doing the AIDS LIfe Cycle several times and somehow got bit bye the Ironman bug after doing the Vineman 70.3 . I knew he was very nervous and intimidated about the distance and concerned that he wasn't going to get it done on the day. Considering how hard that bike was on the day, I started to get concerned for him! But of course, Brett is able to just put his head down and get it done. The highlight of my day was seeing Brett finish this thing! I was really impressed with his effort and excited that he can check this of his list and never ever has to do it again!!!! But I suppose there is always Ultraman in Hawaii to think about!

As for me, I came back to Boulder early instead of driving back to LA with Wadley for a week visit. I want to keep the ball rolling and get myself in a better position for the REV 3 Ironman which is September 12th. Vineman was a good prep for that and if I can make sure the ribs are all healed up and everything else feels good I do look forward to stepping up to another Ironman start line this year.

Thanks to everyone who came out to support and to my mother for making some kick ass biscotti for all of us. It's world famous! Congrats to everyone who finished and a major thanks as always to Dave and Amy Latourette for putting on such a great event!

Cheers,
bdc

IRONPLAN

2010-07-06T18:20:00.000-07:00

I told myself that I would make a decision on the 4th of July if I was going to do the Full Vineman Ironman this year. I had to set an actual date because if I waited until I "felt ready" I would probably never do another Ironman again. Of course, to celebrate my decision that I would race this distance again I went out on my roommate Roddys boat and tried wake boarding for the first time. That way I could ensure that the next day I would wake up feeling like a truck ran over me. Nothing like having "Popeye" forearms and being aware of every muscle in your back less than 30 days out of an Ironman. Not to mention I took such a face plant that my eyes still feel like they are in the back of my brain. Other than that, I was pretty good and will have to monitor a new addiction!

One of the things that will be different about this Ironman is that I am not going to have a race done leading up to it. All of the Ironmans I have done in the past has had some form of triathlon race completed about 4 weeks out. However, my little wake board incident has left me feeling similar to the way you feel after your first race. So I am just going to let that be my "breaking in" for this race.

Everything has been going pretty well since I started training again and so many of the things that have been bugging me in the past have started to go away. It is a very pleasant feeling when you go to work out and the only thing that makes it challenging is the fact that it is challenging. Hopefully I will have lined up enough challenging days in a row to make Vineman a successful experience.

Now that I have taken my pro card back I have been asked more than once why I am going to go race Full Vineman rather than one of the larger WTC Ironman races. As a "pro" you can get into any of these WTC races whenever you want unlike age groupers that have to sit at their computers ready to sign up as soon as the race opens to ensure they can get in. This is usually a year in advance. How one plans an Ironman a year out is beyond me! Anyway, my reason for doing Full Vineman is because I want to do a lower key race as my intro back into Ironman and also, Full Vineman is a true test of the Iron distance.

At Full Vineman there will not be 20 guys getting out of the water and riding a train for 112 miles. The race is going to be a true time trial test. The two times I have done the race it has been me and my bike the whole way. It is the oldest Iron distance race on the mainland and is one of a small few Ironman races that has not been bought out by the WTC. I really enjoy the ambiance of this race!

As well, the last time I did this race I had two flat tires and only one spare. That didn't go over so well and caused a major delay on the bike. I have some unfinished business at Vineman. This year I am expecting better luck with my tires!

In addition to Full Vineman I am going to be racing the new Rev 3 Ironman. Rev 3 hosts a series of triathlons and will now be introducing the Full Iron distance this year. Again, it is another non WTC event. If these two races go well and don't leave me feeling trashed I will hop on the WTC band wagon and race Ironman Cozumel. It seems that it is going to be an iron year. I have no 1/2's on the schedule and don't plan to put any on it. I may do one Xterra race in between but that is it. After that it will be break time and gears will shift a bit.

Okay no more boring blog typing. My poor arms are worn out from the typing due to the fact that wake boarding has left my hands in a fist for most of the day. I think I will take that activity off the schedule until early August....

AIDS Life Cycle Recap

2010-06-15T12:05:00.001-07:00

Another AIDS Life Cycle has come and gone. The week was one of my best training blocks that I have had in a while and the energy of all the other riders was beyond awesome. The weather was perfect (minus a few days of head wind) and deciding to ditch the tents and "Princess" the whole thing turned out to be a very good decision!

We all started early Sunday morning just outside of San Francisco at the famous "Cow Palace". I was well rested having had an amazing home stay with my buddy's Dan and Andres. Nothing like being able to chill in a private roof top hot tub overlooking the Golden Gate bridge the night before a week of tough riding, running and swimming.

On the morning of our first ride out the plan was to meet up with Dope Peddler, Michael Gray and his brother Robert. They had rented an RV and Robert was going to be the driver. This was the true VIP treatment as I would not have to use the ALC staff for luggage transport. Hotels and an RV.....That goes beyond the "Princess Tour". But in my defense I did the tent thing twice and twice is twice too many times! But others love it and this year had no rain so I am sure it was fine for them.

Mike and I walked into the Cow Palace towards the end of opening ceremonies. Again, we have "been there done that" and wanted the extra sleep so we skipped it. They don't let you into the bikes that you parked the night before until opening is done so we just waited in the hall outside the packed auditorium. Of course I get the urge to go to the bathroom for the 5th time so I tell Mike that I will be right back and jam to find one. I walked all the way around the stadium where there were ones with no lines. As I am in there I can still hear Lori Jean, the head of the LA Gay and Lesbian Center, giving her yearly "HEEEELLLLOOOOO RIDERS! Pep talk". She likes to talk and does it well but it sounded as if she was about to wrap it up. I was trying to hurry it along so that I could get back to Mike before Lori was done but didn't pull it off and when I came out the halls were being flooded with riders walking to their bikes. For some reason they held everyone in the hall for a while and it was total claustrophobia. I lost Mike and had no way of getting to him so it looked like ride out was going to be solo.

I started about 1000 riders back which is kind of a pain in the ass because it means a morning of "On your left". Not to mention there are a lot of stop and starts the first hour and everybody wants to race. That made for a really hard morning as I don't like to have 400 watt bursts like that. But I needed to get out of the mix and find some open road. My little joke about "On your left" is that when you pass a gay guy they tend to say (use the gayest voice possible) "You didn't say on your left loud enough. Why are you riding so fast?! It's not a race!" And when you pass a lesbian you get (use your butchest deep voice) "HEY. Nice pace. Mind if I try and sit on your wheel for a sec"?

Once I started to get out of town and find a rhythm I noticed that I had a guy on my wheel. When we stopped at a light he said that he was also a Dope Peddler. I was happy to find another fast rider. We hammered the first day and made it to Santa Cruz in no time at all. His name is Chris and informed me that he was only going to be on the ride for 3 days as he had to get back to work. In fact, when we got to Santa Cruz he had to drive back to San Francisco to put on the musical "Wicked". He is the head electrician for the show....and no, he is straight. It happens. Anyway, he and I had a blast riding for the first three days. Day two was 107 miles and I felt like I was on fire and hammered pretty hard. It was nice to have some company!

Day three we were off to Paso Robles which has the dreaded "Quad Buster". It is not the longest day but there is some good climbing. Another buddy, Zach, decided to ride hard that day so he joined us at ride out. We actually had a few riders in the AM. It seems like there is always a group that wants to get to the base of the climb so they can race up it. Zach was riding really fast and I was trying to sit on his wheel so I could actually get a warm up in. When you sit on a wheel and your power is in the 300's you know the pace is pretty strong. I could tell early on that Zach was a climber so I figured he would want to smack it. As we got close he said he wanted to drop back and rest up a bit before we hit Quad Buster. Thank God! I was hoping we could slow it down for a bit. We hadn't even been riding an hour yet.

We all clumped up and when we hit the base of Quad Buster the race was on. I held back at first because one, my legs felt like ass, and two I could tell right away that Zach and Chris were going too hard. The climb was super foggy and you couldn't see the top. I knew how long it was and that it got pretty steep towards the top. About 1/2 way up my legs decided to show up for the ride and I attacked. To my surprise I was able to hold them off and get up the climb first. Both of them are really strong guys. I think they just played their cards wrong on that one. Zach decided to go back down and ride up again with some of the other riders. Chris and I kept on to Paso and I happily sat on his wheel the whole way. My legs were done and needed an easy day.

Before Paso we stopped in Bradley, which is a really small town and they have a BBQ for us that raises money for their school sports teams. It is the only fundraiser they have to do all year since 2,000 hungry riders come through and buy burgers from them. Chris convinced me to stop and wait. They were not ready for us yet so we hung out and chatted with roadies and the people cooking food. Eating a big burger and then getting back on your bike is a very hard task! Not to mention, I missed my morning glory. The last 20 miles felt like crap. Literally.

I met up with my parents in Paso, as they live there, and my mother was kind enough to drive me to the pool. They have a fantastic 50 meter there and I got a great swim in. Then I took her out to get a foot and neck massage for her B-Day. It is kind of scary that she is now 61! She looks like she is in her 40's. I hope I get that gene.

The rest of the ride I was without my buddy Chris sine he had to go back. Luckily I enjoy the solo riding. I did get some quality time in with a few of the other guys and made an effort to stop at the rest stops that put on a little show for us. I even had some ice cream at Paradise Pit in Santa Barbara. The town comes out and brings a huge truck full of free ice cream and other treats for the riders.

The whole ride was a better time than I could have imagined. I was fortunate to get in some quality runs and swims. I had written a few weeks ago about some of the issues that I have been having with my left leg and, knock on wood, they all seem to be going away. In fact, when I got to LA my Frontrunner friends convinced me to run the Pride Run 10K the next day. I managed to win the whole thing with a 35:20. Not too shabby for 20 miles a week and no speed work! And today nothing on me hurts! Something this last week clicked and I am just going to go with the explanation that it was "magic".

Thanks to everyone who supported my ride this year. Not only have you helped a wonderful cause, you also gave me one of my best training weeks to date! I look forward to keeping this momentum up and racing Ironman. Congrats too all the other riders that made the journey. Not only were there some really hard days, everyone managed to raise the money required in a very tight economy. I am planing on doing the ride again next year and if you think this is something you want to do and would like more insider info please feel free to contact me.

Cheers,
bdc

It's Not a Race....Or Is It?

2010-06-04T18:30:00.000-07:00

For the last few years I have incorporated the California AIDS Life Cycle into my triathlon training. It is a fantastic way to bump up my cycling a bit, as it covers 600 miles over the 7-day trip from San Francisco to Los Angeles, and I have been able to line up pools and plenty of trails to run on all the way. It is the ultimate triathlon training camp for a great cause.

Every year as I get ready to leave for the trip, people always say to me "Good luck at the race" or "I hope you win." It makes me laugh because there is no "race" involved but everyone who knows me understands that I can and usually do turn ANYTHING into a race. "I need to go to the bathroom".....WANNA RACE?!

It is true that there are a select few on this ride who have been known at times to turn it into a hammer fest. I would say that I am not the prime instigator and would probably blame Ben Armstrong (his last name says it all) but then I would be lying. I guess I just need to come clean and say that I am a "race-aholic." But still, the reality is that the AIDS Life Cycle is not a race. And I keep telling people that.

Today when I was on the phone with one of my good friends, Ms. "John" Miranda, he just laughed and said "Oh shut up! It is totally a race!" Before I could stop him with some half-baked notion that it isn't a race, he went on a long rant as to why it should be.

In John's mind, this event needs to be a race to symbolize the urgency of things. He expressed how passive everything is becoming and that nobody has a sense of urgency anymore. AIDS is not over and the lack of an "IT IS A RACE" mentality is causing a situation that one day will blow up in our face just like HIV did in the 80's. It is URGENT that we educate the youth out there who are becoming positive in alarming numbers. It is URGENT that we find a vaccine for this virus. It is URGENT that we prevent further cuts to funds for people living with HIV and AIDS. It is URGENT that we let people know that HIV is not the new diabetes and cannot simply be handled just fine with medications in all instances. (Although the drug companies might disagree with that one.)

We have lost our sense of urgency, not only in matters of HIV and AIDS, but with everything! I mean, take the situation in the Gulf right now. There was no urgency to make sure those wells were safe or fixable in the first place. Now there is urgency, and guess what? Too late! There was no urgency to make it mandatory to have a double hulled ship carrying oil until Exxon hit a rock and screwed up Alaska. That seemed like a no brainer to me! I am only using the oil example because it is on everyone's mind right now. But what else out there, if we actually take the time to think, could use some urgent attention? How about the obesity crisis in kids or the school systems? Maybe the energy crisis, if you even believe that it exists? And if you don't, I am thinking "Drill Baby Drill" is out for a while. How about the fact that I am loosing my hair? Okay, that is a selfish, vain, of no real importance issue but I'm a gay male so it makes it URGENT!

My point here, and John's as well, is that we all need to get up and start racing! So for me, this week, as I ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles, it is a RACE! A race to symbolize the UGENCY of HIV and AIDS related issues in the United States. If you would like to support my RACE you can go to http://www.facebook.com/l/f49ae;www.tofighthiv.org/goto/brandondelcampo and if this cause is not "your thing" you can still do something by getting your own ass up for whatever you feel is of an urgent matter AND START RACING!

Cheers,
bdc

Triathlon Update

2010-05-12T19:19:00.000-07:00

I had to take some time before I posted this one, considering every single person in Boulder was right about my last post. When I told my buddies that I wasn't going to race triathlon this year they all laughed in my face and started making bets as to how quickly I would be back at it. The total time away was 3 months. And in that three months I really found out how much I actually love training and racing in the sport. I also was fortunate to reunite with my real true love which is skiing! Aspen, Taos, Mammoth and Eldora were hit pretty hard.

What I don't love is injury. While I made the remarks that my main reason for stopping was so that I could focus on my real estate business, I kinda lied about that. Obviously I knew that trying to build up a business and train/race would be a bigger challenge, my main reason for stopping was that I was ALWAYS injured. It is a hard thing to accept.

In this spot, the athlete is in a constant battle with "something". With me that something became chronic and not totally diagnosable. My running rant about that whole issue has been that I have a male pro right leg and female age group left one. I wanted to see this time around if the time off would help clear up the issue and then also see what happens when I start back up. It is a major downer to try and become better at a demanding sport like triathlon and have to constantly miss workouts and have pain not only in training but day to day life.

I started things up about a month ago and to my surprise, I was REALLY out of shape. But to my even bigger surprise, the out of shape thing didn't last very long. Neither did feeling injury free. It only took about 2 weeks for that mysterious issue in my left leg to come back. I wasn't sure if I was even going to bother seeing someone about it because nobody could ever give me a clear answer before. But I did with a little push from the ever optimistic JZ.

The conclusion was either that I had a nerve in my lower back that was "shutting off" my leg, which then led to injury because smaller muscles would have to take the load of my whole body, or that it was from my hip surgery that I had in college. I broke my femoral neck and had it fixed. The nerve in the back is something that can be dealt with but the surgery is what it is.

One of the biggest places to look when it comes to a nerve being pinched is in your bike fit. We spend a lot of time in the saddle and if something is not right you are going to have problems. So I went in and made changes and it actually made things even worse and now my left leg really started to shut down and continued to atrophy. Well, that was depressing at first, but turned out to be a good thing because we at least knew that something wasn't right on my bike. JZ made me come over and deconstruct my bike. I swear that women could charge top dollar for bike fitting if she wanted to. In only a few hours we had made some serious progress due to her changes. I think the biggest change was going back to the Adamo saddle. Yes, I know it is ugly and not "cool" but I really don't care The thing works and keeps my junk from going numb!

I also saw Bob Cranny, The Wizard of Boulder, and Sara Berg my Chiro and they both got to see that my left ass was not working and I could barley get my calf to fire. Clearly a nerve! Everyone had hope about things at this point but me. I know that sounds pessimistic but I was at the "Show me the money" point. And they did. Over a few weeks time the leg has improved. I can run about 20 min now which is not ideal but I can bike and swim without issue and that is a good start. I have a running background so I am going to be calm and patient about it and see what happens. At least now, on the bike, I don't feel like I would be better off with a prosthetic. That is no joke.

I really want to race Ironman this year and am going to give it my best shot. Full Vineman at the end of July is what I want to do followed by either the REV 3 Full or Ironman Cozumel late November. It is hard to say what will happen as my confidence in this issue clearing up for good is not super high yet....but it is there. My main goal, I suppose, is to always be able to train which is what I love the most. Racing is just the icing on the cake.

AS part of my training this year I decided to do the AIDS Life Cycle again and raise money for the San Francisco AIDS Foundation. The ride is the biggest fundraiser of the year and is always an amazing event. It is from June 6th-12th so if anyone reading this would like to sponsor my efforts you can go to www.tofighthiv.org/goto/brandondelcampo Everything helps!

Now that I am back at it I will keep things on here updated a bit more, especially when on the ride! Hopefully there will be a good story to write about, as Blogs like this last one I just wrote put me to sleep!!!! Let me see if I can end it with something funny....hmmmm.....Holy crap. Nothing funny has happened lately. Maybe Carole will read this and put a potato at the bottom of the pool during masters that looks like a turd. Now that was funny!

Sleeping With The Ex

2010-01-28T17:15:00.000-08:00

I'm sitting here after a long hard day of.....reading. I have been told in the past that I was crazy to train for an Ironman. And rightfully so! But I must say that people who sit behind a desk all day are equally crazy!! I just got done with a nice 6 hour chair stint reading and reviewing material that will get me ready to pass the CO Real Estate Exam. I have not put this kind of study time in since I was in college. I forgot how draining it can be and my final assessment is that I would WAAAY rather have my ass glued to a bike saddle than a desk chair. With head wind!

I bring this up because I have made some changes to my 2010 plans. For the next year I decided to take a break from my pursuit of triathlon in order to build up a real estate business. I thought about doing both triathlon and real estate but after careful analysis I felt that, in the beginning, neither could be done to the standard at which I want them to be done at. So I had to make some tough decisions and come up with plan B.

Plan B (better) is that I will just focus on running. I come from running and I have never trained for an open marathon so there was some solid intrigue there. I joined up with Steve Jones running group here in Boulder in an attempt to have some team structure. Man I MISSED being on a team. That is where triathlon falls short. There are very few team dynamics out there. What we had going on last season with JZ and company was pretty close but still missed a true "team" feeling by a small margin. Maybe that is why they call it Tr"I"athlon???

Anyway, with the new running and real estate adventure came some adjustments. I had that "what the hell am I doing?" feeling for a good while but then I started to notice my running was getting much better and that feeling went away. Then I also realized that since I was taking a break from triathlon and nothing serious was in the immediate future regarding running that I could take a bit of time and become a "real" person again. So I decided to go hit up the Gay Ski Week in Aspen. I lost my gay card a while back because I never "did" anything anymore so I assumed that a week in Aspen with a bunch of homo's ought to do the trick.

Sure enough, I got my card renewed and I was officially "gay" again! I only had to say "Heeeey Girl!" once (thank god). I forgot how fun and funny that many gays at one time can be. It was a total blast to get back to some of my skiing roots as well. By day two we were hitting the double black tree runs until our quads wanted to explode. Unfortunately I think mine actually did. I came back with a bit of ITB knee pain most likely from all the hard skiing. I also ate shit on the board one day (I was cheating on skiing) and that may have triggered it. None the less, I am back in Boulder not running.

Hmmmmm??? Well if I can't run I suppose I could always get on the bike or go for a swim. Seems like a logical idea. Especially since I am sitting inside all day reading and going stir crazy!!! The idea wasn't as logical as I thought. Who knew that thinking about swimming or riding was going to cause such emotional chaos? All of a sudden, out of nowhere, the idea to go to the pool made me feel very strange. It was like I was about to sleep with an ex boyfriend that I had recently broke up with! No joke. I am sitting here right now coming up with all the reasons why I shouldn't go swim.

I suppose that it is because over the last few years I was given an extraordinary chance to experience something so wonderful and challenging. I traveled the world, met some of the greatest athletes in this world, developed life long friendships and pushed my own body and mind to limits that I never thought was possible. I feel in love with triathlon. And now, I seem to be feeling like we are breaking up. Yes, let me have my god damn dramatic moment THANK YOU!

I never imagined I would be feeling this way about it but obviously I am. I truly believe that we need to allow ourselves to have the feelings we have and deal with them rather than shoving them in a box and pretending they don't exist. I have tried that approach. It doesn't work at all for me.

So here I sit, broken hearted over triathlon, hearing the pool that is only a 2 min walk from my house call out my name. "I know you can't run. Come swim in me!!!" Sorry Charlie. I just can't do it right now. Give me time and maybe in the near future we can be friends again.

I know I must sound crazy, but this is the best analogy I could come up with as to how I feel regarding all the transitions in my life. I know that getting a business up and running will allow me to come back to the sport the way I want to. But for now the focus is going to have to take a shift. I'll keep you posted though, as there are odds all over town stacked against me that when the snow melts and the sun is shining that you will find me on the back of a bike train huffing and puffing my way up to Estes Park. I guess we will just have to see!

Cheers,
bdc

Thoughts on Clearwater.

2009-11-23T09:13:00.000-08:00

Where should I begin with this commentary on Clearwater? I guess I will just start from the days leading up to the race as they played a key role in what went down.   JZ and I had gone to Clermont the week before to escape the weather in Boulder and get some training in at sea level. We had a nice apartment right by the pool and got in some fantastic riding. I really love Clermont! Anyway, about mid week we started to take notice of the tropical storm brewing in the Gulf of Mexico. It seemed like there was going to be a very high probability that the race was going to be affected.

Sure enough, when we got to Clearwater the weather was cold and really windy with scattered showers. The ocean was extremely rough. Knowing these races have had serious problems with the swim portion when the weather is bad, I figured it was going to be cancelled. WTC had a contingency plan and the day before announced that the swim would be moved to the bay. They announced that the swim for the age group waves was going to go off Time Trial style with one athlete being sent off one at a time in the original printed wave start.
 
Upon first impression, this seemed like a potential solution to many of the drafting issues the race has had in the past 3 years. This was not the case, however. They loaded the entire field in the water way faster than planned; in fact everyone was in the water in half the allotted time from the printed schedule. The organizers were concerned about opening the unforeseen closed roads. Instead of a nice spread between waves, chaos ensued on the bike course with even more packs than normally seen. The maximum occupancy of the course was exceeded! Athletes need to stop blaming each other for drafting, as this was inevitable, but instead need to find a solution for the future.

  The Pro Field was also robbed of a fair race. The Pro men and women went off in two waves as a mass start. The women went off at 6:45 and then the men went off around 6:53. I have tried to come up with logical explanations for this decision. As an aficionado of conspiracy theories, I have come up with the following explanation. Since Clearwater 70.3 already has a reputation for SUPER fast times, they wanted to set it up so that a female Pro could break 4 hours. JZ came very close last year so the possibility was clearly there. With the Pro men going 8 min behind the women it was known that they would pass the Pro women on the bike after about 50 min of riding. The strength of the riders in the women’s field made it impossible for the men to go by without them getting an inadvertent free ride. The top women ended up in the mix with the boys and got off the bike with them. Had the men gone off first they would have never seen the women and then both fields would have had a better chance of riding legal on the flat, fast, narrow course. This also added issues to the safety of the course. When the men and women merged it created more riders in a smaller amount of space.

 This race doesn't deserve the title "World Championship" and dialogue needs to occur on how to make this event worthy of such a name. The venue in Clearwater is beautiful and the swim and run courses are top-notch, but the bike course has been mismanaged. A viable solution to the bike course situation has not yet been addressed, but that does not mean there isn’t one. Alternatively, a new venue could easily be chosen out of the other multitude of 70.3 events on the calendar.

 In addition to the other issues mentioned, Joanna had a horrible crash at mile 49. Clearly Ironman has implemented the "Tara Norton" policies and procedures when it comes to this. What exactly is the “Tara Norton Policies and Procedures”? Well, Tara was hit in 2008 by a volunteer on the bike while in 4th place at mile 80 at the Hawaii Ironman. Medical sent her home, WTC didn't give a shit and she ended up having 11 broken bones and was NEVER taken to the hospital by the race. They even reneged on giving her a medical spot the following year. Joanna never heard from anyone at WTC or the Clearwater staff after the crash. When you have a top athlete that you know very well, who has been in the sport for years, and who in fact won your “World Championship” race the year prior, that crashes because of a volunteer on the bike course, it raises a red flag when nobody from the race contacted her.

 Just because we all sign a waiver, does that waiver allow a race to not try and make changes to some of the faulty areas? I really think something needs to be done regarding aid stations on the bike. While I love the fact that volunteers get out there and give us their time and spirit, they are not safe. It’s a bad situation for not only the athlete but also the volunteer. I know the one Tara hit was really hurt and could have been killed. The kid that took JZ down probably feels horrible for what happened. Something needs to change. I have plenty of ideas on how they can do this and will share them in a later blog.

In closing I would like to say that I was very excited to earn a 30-34 age group title. I know there were a lot of people, including myself, who were disappointed with how the race transpired. As athletes, let’s stop blaming each other and channel our negative energy towards finding positive solutions for the Clearwater 70.3 World Championships.

Cheers,
bdc

Update

2009-10-19T11:42:00.000-07:00

So I think I forgot that I actually have a blog. Figured I would write a quick update on things since it has been a good while. It's funny because I think I stopped writing about anything after the 5430 1/2 as the body just fell apart and I wasn't sure if I would even continue doing triathlon. It was a really hard time because the "injury" in the left leg was so bad that I had issues walking and it was topped by a good two years of issues with my left foot. I think there was a part of me that was just "over it".

This sport can be really challenging when you are dealing with injury. The biggest part has got to be what goes on in your head. I remember reading an article where Brett Sutton was interviewed in and he said one of the main things that makes top athletes different from those just below, is how they mentally handle injury. The fact remains that if you train hard and push the envelope, things are going to arise. My biggest challenge has been remaining positive during injured times. It didn't start that way for me, but developed when an injury turned chronic and just kept leading to other problems. This last issue that came up started to raise a lot of questions in what the hell I was doing with my life.

If you are to make a jump from where I am in the sport you MUST be injury free for a long period of time and train consistently. Without that, I will just float right around where I am. I think most people would love to be where I am when it comes to racing but I want more out of it. The challenge, for me, is gone when you stop progressing.

I had a nice sit down a while back with JZ, who has been the most wonderful coach, training partner and friend, and we went over everything that was going on. I think a big part of me wanted to give up on finding a solution as it had just gone on way too long. I would make progress and then BAM something would fall off and start hurting. JZ is not one to back down from a challenge and she pushed me pretty hard to see some new people and look into the idea that a lot of the left leg issues could be nerve related.

So with all that I went to a new resource that has been getting a big buzz from many people here in town. He is one of the team docs for the Garmin Chipottle cycling team. I met with him for a good hour and gave him the laundry list. He looked at me after the long narration and in a somewhat "cocky" way was like "so is that the only problem"? I wasn't impressed with that because I felt that he was more concerned with letting me know that he is the shit and can fix me like it is no big deal. Not fully understanding that over the last 2 1/2 years I have had these issues. But I was desperate and agreed to come back and let him try and work some magic on me.

In my second visit with him he got right to work finding a million imbalances in my legs. Then he did a few things and before I knew it, things were feeling "different". I wasn't sold that it would have any long term effect but had nothing to loose. He gave me some notes to relay to Joe, our strength guy, and work it into the gym routine. He also had me go to Colorado Multi Sport and have Ignats do another bike fit/check. I did all this and kept seeing him and before I knew it things felt better than they ever have. I was SHOCKED! Even that crazy heal pain that I would get in the AM that WAS NOT Plantar Fasc even went away. That pain seemed like it was going to be life long.

Long story short, I got back on track and have been able to run without pain. I have also noticed that my legs feel "equal" when riding and the left calf is almost caught up to my right in size. I don't know exactly what he has done for me but I am extremely thankful that it worked. And as JZ likes to say, "Who cares how it works as long as it does"! I agree.

So next on the list is Ironman 70.3 Resurrection (I mean Longhorn) and then I am going to Ironman 70.3 Redemption ( I mean Clearwater) JZ and I have renamed the races as we both went through the ringer mid season. I am looking forward to racing again! I will make sure to post a report after I get back from Austin. I have a few specific goals for these next two races so hopefully I will achieve them.

Cheers,
bdc

5430 1/2 Ironman Race Report

2009-08-14T11:50:00.000-07:00

Well I survived the dreaded fear that everyone around here seems to have about racing in Boulder. I never really understood the big deal. I mean, it's not like people don't just go online and stalk you when you race somewhere else! I actually enjoyed racing here and felt 5430 (The soon to be 70.3) was one of my favorite 1/2's to date.

The race was actually very eventful for me. I had more things come up than I would in an Full Ironman. I suppose that is a good thing considering I felt like I raced well. Handling adversity always leaves me feeling good.

The fact that the race was just down the street from me threw me for a loop in the amount of time I would need before hand. I left with enough time to get ready but didn't realize that T1 would close at 6:30 on the DOT! I almost wasn't allowed to set up and then forgot to put my running shoes in. I had to use the force to convince them to let me back in! It almost didn't work...

After that rush I got the "call". You know, "the call"....I had to poop. And in a big way. Well 90% of the porta loo's were in T1 making them useless. The 4 or so that were available had a line around the parking lot. That was not going to fly. I found some TP (it was like a sign from god) and took matters into my own hands. Literally. Circling around like a dog looking for a spot to crap, I found one and then once done my hand fell into it. I know this is getting way too gross for the average reader but hey- Shit happens. I fell into it because as I was in mid poop a lady walked up on me. If you can't laugh at stuff like this you really need to check your outlook on life. Just my opinion....

Anyway, at this point I am now rushing to get my skin on ( I opted out of wearing a wetsuit as the water was just too hot) and head to the water. Don't worry, I got my hand cleaned ;-) Cicely was there and was no help as she was still laughing at the fact that I had gotten shit all over my hand.

Once down to the water I got in and did a flash warm up. I like to get the heart rate nice and high before I start and didn't have that much time to do it. Then I realized I forgot my pre swim Gel and also noticed that I seemed to have a "round two" of crap wanting out. SHIT!

I have never gone to the start of any race, any distance with the feeling of needing to take a crap. I have heard of this happening and knew, at this point that there was nothing I could do. I was going to have to hold er in.

I had lined up next to Shane hoping that I would be able to use his feet. He has been swimming well and I figured it made sense. So I just looked at him and said "Go out hard. I want your feet." Why try and be slick about it??? I saw Drew Scott across the way and he seemed like he picked a better position to the far right but it was too late for us to change. We were dead center like a bunch of idiots.

When the gun went off I blasted and Shane did not go out hard enough. I was scrambling to try and figure out who was in front, but again, was having issues seeing. I was boxed in pretty bad but was remaining calm about it until I went to sight and got whacked in the back of the head pretty hard. It caused my ears to start ringing and then of course I panicked. Fuck!!! I have had issue with panicking in the water before so it wasn't anything new, but combine it with the altitude and the fact that I only had my skin on, I was being swamped and felt like I couldn't breathe. This is probably the worst way to start a race and I knew that I needed to recover from it or I was going to have problems. I had to slow down and try and find some open water. It took way longer than I wanted to get calmed down. Eventually I was able to find a rhythm and not be so freaked out. Although, I knew my swim was going to be a shit time even though I was back on some feet.

The whole rest of the way was spent climbing over AG swim wreckage. I was actually in a good mood about it because I felt accomplished that I survived the panic. It was the worst one I have had in the water and getting through it made me feel stronger. I wanted to quit at first.

Exiting the water I was just glad to be done with it. I was in shock that Shane was out just behind me. I was in even more shock to find out later that Drew got our 90 seconds ahead of me. I swim circles around Drew in the pool and Shane has been swimming circles around me. We were all mixed up!

In transition Shane and I had all our friends there heckling us. It was pretty funny as we were both trying to get out first and having issues with our stuff. I exited first but Shane came up on me and passed me pretty quickly on the bike.

Shane has been ridding very well so I thought I would use him as a gage. If I can keep him in sight and have my numbers not too high on the meter I think I will be fine. I passed him a few times on the downhill sections as I had more gears than he did, but for the most part he was off the front. We chatted quickly a few times during a pass just to see if we both felt okay. I made sure to keep twice the legal distance between us as much as I could. The fact is that we are both very similar in ride ability and started together. We were going to be near each other for the whole ride and I did not want to get pegged with a penalty. I could have rode in front but I think Shane gets a bit "antsy" in the back LOL.

The whole ride felt really easy except for the fact that I still had that major poop in me. I wasn't able to take much in on the bike. I got about 200 calories total but didn't have a choice. I guess I could have stopped but I wasn't willing to do it. I figured I would just have to when I got on the run.

Once I rolled up to T2, Shane was about 45 seconds up and I ran passed him right away. He dropped some encouraging words telling me to go smoke the run but I was a bit unsure as I had this poop issue to figure out.

I was running at a good clip and things felt okay in the stomach so I thought I would just wait until it felt different. I was a bit dizzy in the head from lack of calories so I went right to the coke plan. I think I felt that if I went to the bathroom or took in anything major, that I was going to have problems. The coke seemed to help the dizzy head right away.

As I ran along I saw a guy running up the road that looked to be moving at a decent clip and thought I would try to catch him. As it turns out, it was David Thompson, who was in 4th overall. Catching up to him made me feel that I was probably running well. It is hard to tell with that run course because the gravel is so loose that you feel like you are going nowhere.

When we got to the back side of the course, I was running a bit faster so he tucked in to avoid some of the wind that was out there but as we came closer to the finish he picked it up. I had another loop to do so I tucked in behind him. He is much taller than I am and makes for an excellent draft! It's funny that I was running with him as the same thing happened on my first loop at Lifetime.

Starting the second loop, I wasn't sure how I felt but I just decided to keep plugging away, and if I crapped out at some point I would just have to accept that. I did roll up on Keri Wvlad who was on her first loop. She is a quick runner and went with me for a bit of the back side. I told her to tuck in but she fell off the pace after a min or two.

I finished in 4:11:35 ( I had said 4:10 but when looking at results I didn't follow the line across properly LOL! I guess I do need to get these glasses!) and was very happy with the effort. I ran straight across the line to the bathroom and FINALLY dropped the kids off at that pool. OMG what a relief that was haha! I can't believe I did that race with that much in me and taking in only 400 calories. Who knew???

Confidence is up a bit more and I think I have gained some fitness from the event. I was only 4 min down from the top AG'er who with no surprise was Tim Hola. I love having that guy out there. He is an excellent marker for top Age Group racers. I won't lie, I want to take him down once this year! All in good sport of course!

I have 2 Olympic distance races coming up. Not sure how they will go but I have to remember that this whole season is just about prepping the bod to be able to handle the Ironman run load. I really feel like I am getting there and am excited to put an Ironman on the calender. It may come sooner than we predicted....

Good job to everyone that raced and thanks for all the support from those spectating. It was a really fun and challenging day!

Vineman 70.3 Race Report

2009-07-23T12:05:00.001-07:00

Well I am back in Boulder after a successful trip to California. The weekend involved my second 1/2 Ironman of the season as well as my Dad's and friend Brett's first 1/2 Iron race. I also found out after the race the my friend Roberta raced her first 1/2 too. I was so honored when she told me that it was I who inspired her to do this a few years back when she watched me race my first triathlon in LA. Go Robbie!

So the week before the race was not the greatest. I wasn't in the best head space. In fact, Thursday before the race, JZ, Billy and I went out to do some intervals on the bike and I couldn't even do them. Billy was doing 2x20 getting ready for Ironman Lake Placid (which he will probably kick ass in this weekend) and JZ was doing 2x10 in prep for Vineman. All I had to do was 4x5min. I got SO dropped by both of them. JZ and I had to have a quick chat about weather or not doing this race was going to be a good idea. The issue was that I was not having consistently strong workouts and just raced like crap the weekend before. The whole thing was stressing me out and I honestly didn't know what the right answer was.

I believe that if you are going to race you need to be ready to give it. Granted, you won't always be able to, but you should have the ability to put your best effort out there on the course. I didn't know if I was going to be able to do that. My fear was that I was going to get out there and have nothing from the gun and then have to "get through it". I'm not a big fan of dropping out. Haven't ever done it and really don't ever want to. I am not in the league of folks that can go to a race and make $5,000.00 dollars so I also don't qualify myself as someone who can drop out so I don't "waste the effort" and go make money the next weekend.

Anyway, I had to figure out what was in my control and start making decisions based on those items. The ability to make a decision is very underrated. You can't have athlete ADD. You need to sit down, evaluate and make your decision. So that is what I did. I decided that while things haven't been going as well as I wanted since I got the infection, I did still have fitness in me and would go into the race relaxed and try to pace it a bit slower so that I can hopefully have a strong complete day. I think I also had to come to terms with the idea that my best effort right now may not place me as I high as I like but it doesn't translate as a bad race. I want to race Clearwater this year and in order to do that I need to do a 70.3 and get a slot. Not a hard task as there are plenty of them and they roll down like a fat kid on a grass hill. But none the less I would have to do the race and finish.

Saturday before the race, JZ and I went to the river to swim 20 min, then bike 1/2 the course and run 30 min. Quite the opposite of what I did the day before Lifetime which was nothing. When we got into the water I was surprised that I could hang on her feet. Granted, she wasn't swimming super hard, but JZ doesn't really have a "slow" speed. So that made me feel good. Then we got on the bike and things felt "crisp". The run also seemed fine. I really needed that boost. Just to know that I didn't feel like dog pooh on Saturday made me excited to race.

Race morning I woke up with a freaking kink in my neck. Honestly I had to laugh. I was pretty much of the mind set "Big fucking deal. I'll just breathe to the other side or something." It was the lamest thing that could be happening but I will say that it is almost the following Saturday as I write this and I still have a bit of kink so it wasn't some "pre race" fake injury thing.

When I got to the water I opted to not use my wetsuit. The water was too hot and I would overheat for sure so I used the Speed Suit instead. My wave started at 7:10. 40 min behind the pro wave. We would have a ton of people to climb over on the way back. While I was floating in the water waiting for the gun I was really just trying to relax and cut myself some slack. No pressure, just see what happens. Oh and remember now you are breathing on the left side!

When the gun went off I hit it hard and scoped out the fastest guys in the wave and got on their feet. it turns out there were only 3 of us. We had a 3 way line going with me on the back. It was fast enough to drop our wave but those two guys were not fast enough for the kind of feet I wanted. It was so relaxed and enjoyable but I had no desire to go around and try and swim harder. The energy to do that would be wasted.

When we hit the turn it was so shallow and crowded that we had to stand up. The guy in second started to walk slow while the guy in first took off. I had to give him a slight push and said "Yo! Get on yellow caps feet!" He picked it up and we were back face down. They were pretty good at navigating all the Tri Wreckage. There were a lot of slow swimmers from the prior wave. It was a mess.

Once out of the water I was very happy with how it went and got on the bike and started rolling. I finally got my SRM to work again and had it for the race. JZ told me not to look at the numbers as we don't totally know what they should be but after a while I just tried to keep it around 275 and 315 for the climbs.

Around 8 miles into the bike I was getting ready to pass a women from an early wave and at that moment it looked like she was going to pull over for something. She went in the middle of the road and started to stop. I was passing on the left and was like "What are you doing!! Don't stop there!" I went around her on the right as I was going pretty fast and as soon as I turned the corner a big "OH FUCK!" came out of my mouth. I slammed on my brakes as a decent sized Oak Tree had fallen into the road. It was blocking the entire course and as I got off my bike I realized that a rider was under the tree and two others were also down on the ground. The one rider was actually hit by the tree. The back end of his bike was smashed and he was in bad shape. The other two looked like they ran into it after it feel. This was a bad situation.

There was one spectator there already and I wasn't sure what to do. There was nothing I could do for the injured riders and to be honest I thought that the race was going to be canceled or majorly delayed. I knew that all the people in my age were already up the road. There were two waves in front of mine and the one I was in was the last and I was in second place. I had to think fast because I didn't want to be out of the race. I looked at the tree and noticed that I could crawl under it. So I did that and then dragged my bike under and just said "I will tell the very next person that I see what has happened and send help". The one women there was tending to the hurt riders so that was the most effective thing I could do for them.

Off I went as I tried to get back into my groove. Kinda hard after what I just saw! The rest of the ride was uneventful. I never got passed and was solo except for the slower riders on the right. The whole ride felt great. Complete opposite of last weekend. I think part of that was that I raised my saddle height. My quads were not loading up at all. The mistake I made on the ride was that I didn't get enough fluid in. AND I had on a camel pack on. 100% my fault. I had a minor stomach cramp so that may have been the reason I wasn't taking in the fluids.

When I got off the bike my SRM had me at 2:18 for the ride. "Damn! Where did that come from???" It felt so easy. However, the lack of hydrating left my legs a bit flat. I was behind the 8 ball and thought I could make it up on the run. I peed as I ran through transition and it was a short stream of yellow jello. Not a good sign but doesn't mean that it is game over. The legs were a bit heavy and maybe I rode too hard? But I settled into my pace and tried to get fluid in. It was blazing hot out and the run turned into a shuffle for me. I still had an okay run time of 1:25. I thought it was going to be a 1:32 but it wasn't that bad.

There was a bit of comedy on the run. I'm sure JZ doesn't think it is funny but she did bring it up today so I figure it is fair game to write about. People that know us understand we are a harsh crowd. I made jokes about her IM AZ dnf about an hour after it happened. To her face! Anyway, I dropped my salt when I was on the bike and didn't have any. About 4 miles into the run I see JZ in the distance on the ground. It was disappointing to see this happen again but I kinda knew something was up as I had not seen here on the way back yet. The funny part is that I didn't say "are you okay?" or make any reference to what happened. All I did was yell a bit before I was going to pass her. "Joanna! I need your salt!" If you could only see the look I got. Dropping your salt pills on the bike: $12 dollars. Asking JZ when she is on the ground dropping out of a race for hers: PRICELESS!

So the run didn't go well but I gutted it out and was happy with the overall race. Plus, when you take the tree into account I don't get chicked! A goal this year was to not have slower times than any pro women. I think the tree covers that! And I don't plan to do any races with Chrissie in it! hah!

I also think that even though I was only 6th overall armature, that I made a mistake giving back the pro card. While I am not as fast as the top pro guys, when you are in the AG waves you aren't even in a race. None of the guys that beat me were in my wave. If you look at the pro guys times, the swim and bike are all the same for so many of them. And not THAT much faster than what I did. Granted they ran me into the ground but I know in the end, I am actually a runner.

It's not that I think drafting is going on, but they are able to sit legal and see the competitors. It makes a difference. It's too bad that they don't have more races with elite AG waves to allow a race for fast AGer's that want to make the jump. But I made the decision to stay AG this year and I have make the most of it.

I look forward to my next race here in Boulder (5430 1/2 Ironman). It will be my first race at altitude. Should be fun!

I will post my Dad's race report up here in a few days. Very proud that he has been so committed to this since the initial motivation in Hawaii. Amazing to me that he got it done on such a hot day!

good times,
bdc

Lifetime Report/Pre Vineman

2009-07-15T10:24:00.000-07:00

Well I am not totally sure what to say about Lifetime. I want to view the race in a way that is accurate and addresses some of the things that went wrong without it sounding like a list of excuses. It was by far my worst race in about 3 years and I am not going to say that it wasn't disappointing.

I think all my races in triathlon have been pretty good for the most part. Even races that didn't go as well as I wanted still had a decent result. Lifetime was the first race where everything from start to finish was off. Looking back I think there were a few things stacked against me that I probably could have prevented. And of course, as in all races, there were some things out of my control.

With that said, the first thing that I thought about after the race was "Did I push it too soon after the infection"? During the race I had NO top end and felt crummy from the gun to the line. No matter what I did I couldn't get the legs or engine going. It is hard to say if the infection played a role because there were so many other things that could have attributed to the poor race. Not to mention, I had some decent workouts the two weeks prior. I do know that I haven't felt "the same" since the infection and am not sure if that is physical or mental. Hard to explain how the experience of the infection has left me feeling in a general sense.

So infection aside, here is how the trip and race to Lifetime played out. For starters, it was the fastest trip I have ever been on for a race. My buddy Jim who raced as well went with me and we decided to make it a fast drop in trip. We left Friday, raced Saturday and then packed it up for a flight right after the race. I think that was a bit of a problem for me as I didn't really do anything Friday. JZ felt that I was too tapered and that is what left me feeling flat. I am not a fan of the big taper. I did an Epic Camp and then 2 days later did the swim and bike of an Ironman as a relay and felt fine. I swam a PR and rode in close proximity to the pro field. I think your body needs to be moving a decent amount up to the race. Mine was the opposite prior to Lifetime.

Mentally, I was feeling insecure. I hadn't raced since WF, which went well, but that was so long ago. Also, this was my first Olympic race in about 2 years and while the distance is no big deal, the pace can be. And it was a qualifier for Dallas and I really wanted to get a top 3 slot. I had a great race last time I did it and I think there was a part of me that just felt it wasn't in me right now. What came first? The belief or the reality? Maybe I psyched myself out?

The swim was going to be wetsuit legal and I stand firm in protesting that. The pros didn't get to wear them and I think if you are going to have an Elite AG wave you should apply the same rules. The water was WAY too hot. I understand wetsuits make it less risky for the majority of the racers but we don't constitute the majority. Why didn't I just not wear it then? Well if everyone else is and I am not, while I won't be hot, I swim a lot slower without one. A bit of a Catch 22.

When the gun went off I ran in and felt the bottom of my foot get cut on something. After what I just went through I had a hard time not thinking about that. I could feel the cut and was like "I'm in a disgusting swap like lake". Then I started to overheat and this is going to sound crazy but we were swimming right into the sun and you couldn't see anything and that seemed to make me feel claustrophobic. Not to mention the wave start was quite large. I was not enjoying myself, trying to stay calm while I continued to heat up thinking that if I can just relax to the first turn the sun will be out of my face and I might feel better being able to see. Unfortunately, the dialogue had started and I couldn't turn the "commentary" off for the rest of the race....shit, I couldn't even turn it off after the race!

Once I made the first turn, I was having shallow breathing and did not feel like I was in a race. Of course, wanting to do well, I knew I was going to have to have all three portions go very good. It was a fast field and the swim I was having was not going to cut it. I tried to let it go and assume it wasn't going as bad as I thought but it just dragged on and on and on....

When I finally got to the end Patrick Baldwin got out with me and that gave me a slight sign of hope. He is a fast guy and we have had similar swim times in the past. He just said "Get going. We can't let these Midwest boys get too far ahead." I was so hot I had a hard time running up to transition.

I wasted no time and once on the bike realized that I had some sand in my shoe. I could only feel it because of the cut. No joke, I was so paranoid of this cut I almost stopped. I got the infection from my shoe and was not looking to make the sequel. None the less I kept going and thought I would just keep Patrick in sight for a while and then try and turn it on.

Patrick started to pull away and I couldn't respond. My legs felt like shit and my inner quads just burned. Turns out I had my saddle height a bit low. Something that should not have happened in the first place. Every two min or so I would try to rev it up but it just didn't happen. As well, god somebody call the Whammbulance, I wasn't dealing well with the road surface and the sunlight and shadows was really making it hard for me to see. I am in denial about my eyes. I need contacts and just keep putting it off....

I had one bit of hope on the ride which was that the pro men passed me going the other direction in the exact same spot they did last time I raced here. Maybe the other guys were riding too hard??? I know that I can run so I was starting to think that I might have a shot when I get off the bike. If in fact this train wreck of a ride ever ends.

When I got to T2 I knew the shot at a top 3 was over by the number of bikes on the rack. No matter how fast I was able to run that day it was out of the picture but I still blasted out of T2 to try.

Right as I exited, Crowie and David Thompson were coming by on the second loop from their race. I was able to hop in behind David for most of the first lap but every step just felt like crap. It was pretty windy but David made a decent block for a while. I couldn't believe that I was going to have to work this hard for another 5K loop.

The second loop felt the same effort wise but was slower. I got passed by people that just shouldn't be running by me. My run time was 36 something. Ouch. Don't get me wrong, I know that is quick for some but it is not even close to what I want to be doing.

When I finished it was kinda funny because as soon as I stopped I was fine. I didn't even really feel like I did anything. I was just like "that sucked". At this point I am done debating what went wrong and just deciding that I had a crap day and hopefully I will still gain some fitness from it for Vineman 70.3 this weekend.

On a positive note about Lifetime, my buddy Jim Moriarty, that I can take credit for coaching, had a BRILLIANT day! He had a 15 min PR and was second in has age. 2:48 overall time. He is one fast 62 year old! Seriously, you should see this guy run on the track. Talent.

We both packed it up extremely fast and hit the airport for our return to Smurf Village. I shall be packing up once again this Friday to go give it another shot at the 1/2 Ironman distance.

Cheers,
bdc

Back To The Races

2009-07-08T19:15:00.001-07:00

Well I am feeling a million times better than the last time I blogged. It seems I have moved passed the whole Staph infection crap. The last week I have really been trying to get things back up to speed and find some confidence for the next two weekends. I leave this Friday for Lifetime Fitness and then next Friday for Vineman 70.3

The race this weekend will be my first Olympic distance in a long while. I think the last one I did was actually Lifetime. Back then it was the Elite Champ race that you had to qualify for in one of the other races in the series. I qualified at the LA Triathlon by getting 4th. When I got to the Champ Race I was pretty sure that I was going to get my ass handed to me but ended up getting second. So a quick lesson in "don't discount yourself until it's over".

This year the race is a qualifier as they moved the Champ Race to Dallas on the same weekend as the Hawaii Ironman. I am hoping to make top 4 this weekend so I can go to Dallas as I am not doing Hawaii. If you qualify they pay your way and hook you up. It was a really fun experience last time. If I don't make top 4 I will have one more shot when I race the Chicago Triathlon in Aug.

The funny part about this trip is that I am leaving on Friday Am, racing Saturday AM and flying back to Boulder Saturday at 2:30. That will officially be a "Travel PR" for me. Luckily I will be traveling with my buddy Jim who is also doing the race. He rolls in style so I think this should be a smooth trip!

Once back I just need to keep things moving until the next weekend as I leave that Friday to go race Vineman 70.3. I had to back out of Racine because I missed Buff Springs due to the infection and need a race that has 70.3 slots. Hopefully it will go well. I mean I have done the 1/2 once and the full twice so I can't say I don't know the course. Knowing a course is such an advantage in my mind.

I think it was all meant to be as my dad is racing the 1/2 and now I can be there for it. As well, my friend Brett will be doing his first 1/2 there too. Not to mention JZ is racing to defend her title. Seems like this is the race I am supposed to be at.

That is the update. Hopefully I will have good news to report back this weekend.

cheers,
bdc

Curve ball.

2009-06-27T19:22:00.000-07:00

Well there were actually 7 days on the ALC ride and I only wrote about 6 of them. Deal with it. If you want to know what Day 7 is like you should sign up and do the ride. Maybe, just maybe, you will get to experience a full police escort on PCH through Malibu with 5 other fast riders. Awesome!

My time in LA after the ride was pretty fun and I let loose a bit with some old friends. However, I think my immune was down as it seemed like I was always on the verge of getting something. I thought for sure that alcohol kills all that stuff....

I never really came down with anything and once I got back to Boulder I went back to Tri Dork and gave up the fun juice and got back to training. I had to start putting my head on about Buffalo Springs 70.3. After loading up on a big week of riding I figured I would be in great shape for it if I played my cards right in the next few weeks.

I had a nice recovery week and felt back on top of my game. SBR was all going very well and JZ and I decided to go hit Magnolia for a nice long run. My foot had been behaving and I was going to actually try and hit 1:45-2 hours. It had always been our plan to get me back up to longer runs if the foot did not act up.

JZ and I started out together and then I kinda ran off. I was feeling good and I don't seem to notice the high altitude up there that much. In fact, I think I would do quite well in a race that high. Anyway, I was moving along and had noticed that I had a slight blister on my heel. Nothing major but I could feel it. When I hit my turn around point I decided I would re tie my shoe to see if I could maybe make it not hurt at all.

Five steps later and I was not able to walk. Something happened after I stopped and the blister just went bananas on me. DAMN! JZ had gone on as she was running further and now I was up at Mags stranded about 7 miles from my car. The road up there is not heavily trafficed so getting a ride might be hard. I did try to run on it but that was not in the cards. I had my shoe off and the blister was massive.

I was so pissed that I was missing this run. It was my best to date and now I am trying to hitch hike. Several cars went by me like I was some kinda of mountain man rapist. Not even an "are you okay"? Finally some guy picked me up and it turns out that we had met on the track a week ago. He was coached by a friend of mine and I met him at a session on the track. Small world.

Once back at the car I waited for JZ to return. My foot was actually throbbing but I had nothing safe to pop it with so I just had to wait till I got home. Being a "picker" that was the first think I did when I got to the house. Needle to flame. Lance!

I was impressed with how much blood came out. It seemed like it was going to be okay now but I wasn't sure how it would fair on the long ride the next day. None the less, my buddy Billy Edward's was getting married and I had to cram it into a dress shoe and get to his wedding.

Seemed okay until I woke up the next day. It was extremely sensitive. So what do I do? Cram it in my bike shoe and ride to Estes Park of course! It was going to be a fun ride as we had a good group going. Denny and Matt were going to join and Belinda and Justin Granger were in town and I had not seen them in long while. Also, Marlyin McDonald was joining us and of course training wife JZ. I really didn't want to miss the ride with this fun group. So I grunted it out but every pedal stroke it just got worse.

The pace was a bit slow for a good while and I decided, in all my pain, that I would just get her done. I went off the front and started on my own pace. I was riding great minus that fact that my foot felt like it was going to explode. When I hit Glen Haven I was wondering where the hell Denny and Matt were. I wasn't riding that hard and I figured they would catch back up. Eventually they did and the three of us hit the Devils Gulch climb which is pretty damn steep. Nothing new to us, but a hard effort for the fittest rider.

Once at the top I almost passed out with pain. The foot was done. I must have used up all the endorphins on the climb. I couldn't even put the foot on the ground. I tried to ride into Estes with my feet on top of my shoes but even that hurt too much. Finally I had to stop. Eventually JZ and Marlin came up on me. I had a minor moment and then they helped me hitch a ride into Estes. From there my good buddy Jim Morriarty was on his way to come get me. He started with us but was only doing 2 hours so he was already home. A friend that will drive out to pick you up in Estes Park because you are too fucking dumb to not know when you shouldn't start a ride is A GOOD FRIEND!

Jim took me right to Urgent Care where they had to cut out the heel and inform me that it was loaded with Staph. Lab results would later confirm all this but they went right ahead and gave me two shots in the ass and some orals to start taking. The blister really looked bad now and it would appear that I was going to be out of everything for a good week. I was NOT happy.

The next day I went back to urgent care to get it re wrapped and checked out again. It seemed a bit better but I was feeling "off". I had a massage that day with Kim so I went up there but the massage was horrible. Not because of Kim, but because something was not right with me. My skin was hurting lightly all over. Long story short, I was having severe chills and fever within hours.

Cicely was at my house and had dinner with me but I made her come back when all this started. My fever was getting really high and I could not move. My legs had this ache in them that I had never felt before. I figured I had the flu but was curious about the feeling in my leg.

I made it through the night but around 5 AM all Hell broke loose and I started vomiting. I knew then that something was really wrong so we went to the ER and sure enough they were telling me that I had an infection that had now gotten into the rest of me. It was not pleasant and they said I was gong to have to be admitted to the hospital for a few days. Fun.

They took good care of me and the funny thing was that my first nurse had just had dinner with Belinda and Justin that night. Small world again! Not to mention that I had her as a nurse when I did actually have a severe case of the flu last January. When a gay guy gets sick like this twice in 6 months you go into a bit of a panic. Nobody likes to talk about it but I made those people give me an HIV test STAT and I wanted results ASAP. I was starting to go a bit mental at this point. My fever was so high and the drugs they were giving me was making any rational thought go out the window.

Once they admitted me I started to feel like things were getting under control. I had some test results back now and we were getting closer to an explanation. The big guns, HIV, Swine Flu etc were ruled out. However, they thought I might have West Nile because of some exposure to bites and I had all three of the major signs. That test takes longer to get back so we had to wait on it.

I thought I was feeling better. JZ, Carole and Cicely had all come by for extended periods of time to basically watch me sleep. When I was awake I thought I felt better but as soon as the PM rolled around things took a really bad turn. My fever went way up again and all the pain in my legs was back in full force. I was developing a migraine type headache and was starting to get a bit scared.

The night nurse started me on a Morphine, Vicodin, Fentinol cocktail. I am not a fan of these drugs at all but within a few more hours I was begging for them. It all sounds so dramatic but the pain I was getting in my legs was now traveling up my my body, into my arms and eventually was in my head. My eyes would move on their own when I would close them so sleeping was out of the question. All I could do is sit there and take it. My nurse had to come in and put me on ice and started mopping me down as the fever just would not break. 106 for 6 hours is pretty much the worst thing I have ever experienced.

3:30 AM rolls around and I had had the Morphine pumped in every hour since about 11PM. That is a lot of drugs for someone like me who doesn't even like Advil. Lucklily something magical happened. I exploded! Literally for 10 min I went into a sweat that was out of control. The bed looked like buckets had been poured on it. And just like that I felt 90% better. I took advantage of it and got up for a few, took a shower and tried to have some food. The window of freedom lasted about 2 hours and then it all came back. I spent the rest of the day with a mild form of the pain I had in the night. It was pretty bad but nothing like what I went through that night. Then later I dumped water again and the fever never came back. The leg pain was still there and all I did was sweat for the next day, but I was definitely out of the woods.

So two nights in the hospital and then another two days of bed rest at home. I was feeling better but totally out of it. Depressed and tired. The infection felt like it ruined everything. I was doing the best I could not to go to the "dark place". JZ is really good at those kinds of talks so she was on "dark place" watch LOL. The nurse did tell me that I would have some withdrawl from the narcotics I had. And that was the truth. I threw out the bottle of Vicondin they gave me to take home. I know myself well enough....

As I started to come back over the next few days I was eager to try and do something but at the same time my motivation was pretty much gone. Makes no sense I know. I had a 70.3 race lined up less than 11 days away and knew that wasn't going to happen now. It felt like my season was over. Everything hurt.

Getting a curve ball happens. The people that can still hit one have excellent control over how they react to it. I know that I have some weakness in that department so I decided that this would be the perfect time to work on that side of life. Curve balls come in all forms. Ask anyone screwed right now by the economic climate. I know that if I am to achieve any of my goals in life I am going to have to be stronger in this department.

Did I bitch about it? Sure. But that helps me. I like to express it and then try and let it go. Did I feel like it was over when I tried to go for a ride and had to sleep 5 hours after? Sure did. But after each "episode" I just let it go. I think it is good that I have all these feelings but I needed to make sure that they are kept in check and that I am the one in control. It can be hard to do when you are a crazy OCD triathlete.

As of now, each day is better and better and I think I will be fine. Did I have to get out of the pool this AM after 1K because my body hurt? Yes. Did I bark at Carole? Yes. Did I let it go and then have a great ride and run? Yes! Not so bad after all.

I think it all comes down to stress. I have Lifetime Fitness on the 11th and then Vineman 70.3 on the 19th. I want these to go well and now that I had a major curve ball it is uncertain how they will go. Really all that means is that the expectation needs to be lifted and just take it one day at a time and see what happens. There is less chance to do well when you think you have been screwed.

So we will see what happens in a week. I think I will get stronger and stronger and be in top form by my races. Then I can write about how all us crazy triathletes need more rest LOL! That is what I am banking on!

To sum up a long story- Don't pop your blisters. And if you do and end up in the hospital with an infection; don't come crying to me! haha.

Cheers,
bdc

ALC Day 4,5,6

2009-06-05T09:19:00.000-07:00

Hello Hello from the road. Well actually right now I am in a hotel room of another rider. It is day 6 and I am not on my bike which is turning out to be a VERY good thing. I had started to feel a bit of a cold coming and last night while trying to sleep in the tent, it began to rain. The rain did not wake me up because I wasn't able to sleep in the first place as there were some extremely vocal frogs. They kept it up ALL NIGHT!. My super sonic NASA ear plugs couldn't even stop it. As well, Cicely and I had to set up the tent on a bit of a slant and I kept rolling into her. Long story short, is was a rough night in the tent and I woke up at 5am feeling pretty congested. Did I mention the tent wasn't water proof LOL! Wet pillow, wet feet, wet suitcase.

Luckily for me I have a friend on the ride that is working for a few other riders. He is helping them with all there stuff and they are in a hotel. One call and the Land Rover was on the way to pick my wet ass up. I was a bit bummed that I didn't feel up for riding because in all honesty the weather was not my issue. It was that I felt sick. However, Cicely just called me from camp (she is working bike parking) and told me that CHP has shut down the ride for the day because the rain in the mountains is so bad that they do not want riders descending. Obviously for riders at my level, the rain would not be an issue, but they have to make decisions based on the slower, less experienced riders. Boy am I happy that I am not stuck out there! That would not help my situation.

The last two days have been pretty good. We had a nice long day starting out of Paso Robles that took us up a pretty sweet climb they like to call the "Evil Twins". The Dope Peddlers and I had gone to coffee first and about two miles into the ride I realize I left my Camel Pack at Starbucks. That had a good majority of my calories in it. Mike waited with me as I tried to get a hold of someone at camp that could get it and take it to the next camp. By the time I found someone we were now way back and would have to pass a gazillion people. We did the majority of the passing on the climb which let me see how the other riders handled it. Lets just say I now understand why ALC gave the name "Evil Twins" to the two hills. There was some suffering going on and I am sure that having me fly by them wasn't exactly "encouraging".

I dropped Mike on the climb and ended up riding solo for most of the ride. I had waited at a rest stop after the descent but he ended up breaking his seat post and had to deal with all that. The ride was a bit uneventful. I was too far back to catch up to my crew so I just enjoyed the foggy day.

The next day was a shorter day and we made sure that we rolled out first so we could just get er done. 67 miles of some of the best riding So Cal has to offer. We went through Solvang which is very nice town. We didn't stop because we all had our sights set on South Side Coffee shop in Lompoc. We got there in just over 3 hours and then proceeded to sit there for about 4 hours LOL. It was nice and sunny and we all just soaked up the day. I could feel that cold coming though. I think it is allergies but no matter what, I definitely do not need to ride 85 miles in the rain today.

Xavier has gone out to rescue the other guys. I am going to take advantage of the hotel room and clean up. We will drive to Ventura in a bit and depending on the weather and how I feel I shall either be back in a tent or I may get a room. If I start to feel really crappy I am going to pull from the ride and have someone come get me and take me to LA. I am racing Buff Springs 70.3 at the end of the month and want to be sharp for it. Getting sick won't do me any good. Other than that I feel awesome. The riding is making me stronger and my feet are holding up. Like I said before....GAME ON!

You can still donate to the cause at: www.tofighthiv.org/goto/bdc

Cheers!
bdc

ALC Day 1,2,3.

2009-06-02T13:53:00.000-07:00

DAY ONE:

I was way behind the eight ball in terms of sleep most likely due to travel and excitement to get this ride going. Cicely and I had been in San Francisco the two days prior and all I really wanted to do was sleep. Unfortunately that did not happen as there was much to do with checking in, seeing friends and taking care of all the last minute things that come with a training trip like this. Still, the alarm went off at the ripe hour of 4am. The thing with rides like this is that you have to start really early so the riders that who take all day have all day. Being fast, you still have to start first or you spend too much of the day saying "on your left".

Opening ceremonies takes place now at the Cow Palace. Much better way to start the ride since it cuts out any riding through the actual city. The ceremony is always a bit touching especially when they bring in the rider-less bike. The bike represents all of the people that are not as fortunate to ride because of HIV/AIDS. The bike is presented by all of the riders that are currently HIV positive. They each carry ALC flags that have been signed by people in honor of those they have lost. I signed one in honor of Doug Blasedale who was my first spinning instructor before I ever rode and my buddy Derek who passed this last month. He was 38.

Once the ceremony is over we all file out like sheep to where the bikes are parked. I got stuck behind a huge crowd and was going to have to ride out almost last. I wasn't bothered by that but I knew that it meant I would be passing people for a good part of the AM. That can be a bit annoying. More on that later.

The ride out was pretty cold and overcast as it always is in SF. The scenery is fantastic after about an hour into it. Then you end up on the PCH which is also a very nice view. I was cranking away and prepared to not have to stop at any aide station. I had made it past the majority of people and wasn't sure if there was anyone else ahead of me. Soon enough I saw some dude up the road appearing to be stopped. As I got closer it turned out to be Ben Armstrong who I met the first time I did the ride. He rides like his last name.

I was glad to see him and helped him fix the flat. He told me that there were some other fast guys up the road. I have to admit, I thought "they can't be that fast" since I was the last one out and I was pretty sure that they knew better and got out first. I had been told by some other friends that these guys called "Dope Peddlers" do the ride and that they are fast and kinda dicks. I didn't make any judgments about them as I don't know them. But I do know that in rides like ALC, the fast guys are always thought of as dicks. I was happy they were there because I knew that once we all find each other it will be GAME ON!

Ben and I rode together for a while. I had to test his fitness and see if he had progressed since I saw him last. Well, lets be honest, I had to show him how much I had progressed since he saw me last. I let him take a pull and he made it a good one. Just not good enough. I took my turn and had to drop him. The ride was on the Big Kahuna course at this point so I knew how far we had to go etc. It wasn't far.

Back in camp it turns out that we were the first ones in. We never passed the Dope Peddlers so they must have pulled into an aid station and we didn't see them. When they did arrive they were a bit shocked to see that there were two bikes parked. The butt sniffing was about to begin and you can guarantee that tomorrow the tape measures would be pulled out. We all sat on the grass and had some lunch getting to know each other as best we could. I had my bias of them from my friends but so far they didn't seem like dicks to me. They are just straight and fast.

Camp life was going to be fine for the week. I made friends with my gear truck so that they would put my luggage in last so I wouldn't have to wait. Cicely would be working bike parking so it looked like I was going to be setting up shop every day. That was fine with me as I didn't have anything better to do. I would, however, have to take camp down in the AM because she was going to be out super early to work. That was a bit of a bummer but I would deal.

DAY 2:

I got up early so that I would be ready to get out first. Ben was waiting at bike parking for me. We were going to ride together as it was a big day. 107 miles of rolling hills and wind. Normal you get some nice tail winds on this route but the forecast was opposite and we did end up with some nasty head and cross winds. There would be a lot of casualties today.

Ben wasn't feeling so hot and I ended up dragging his ass around all day. He goes out too hard. I tried to tell him that so that he would be of some use late in the day but I couldn't make contact with his brain. JZ would have a field day with him!

We blew all the aid stations and just pounded out the ride. It was probably the hardest I have ridden that far in training in a good while. Our ride time was 4:35 min. On a course like that with the wind that we had, I would have to say we were working. We still had not connected with the Dope Peddlers. At this point it was a bit like "Race For Your Life Charlie Brown". If you haven't seen that a portion of your childhood was robbed. Anyway, one in camp we did all get together and had a proper chat on the grass. We had to wait for our gear for over 2 hours as we beat the whole "city".

We decided that the next day we would all ride together. It was a shorter day (66) and I think we could all use the group. I knew there would be no break. These environments are not new to me.

I got my 9 mile run in a bit later and then proceeded to pass out by 8pm. Maybe earplugs and a tent are the key to my sleeping problems? It's probably just being down from altitude. I always sleep better low.

DAY 3:

I decided to get up really early because I wanted the help from Cicely to get the camp taken down. I was ready to ride by 5:45 but we can't head out until 6:30. Ben and I met up with Dope Peddlers and we were all ready to take the 66 miles as a group. The ride would include "Quad Buster", a hill that apparently busts quads. I have done it before. It's no big deal. Then we would end up on the back side of the Wildflower course. Kinda funny that day one and two I would be on sections of races that I have done.

Anyway, like I said before, the ride was not very tame. Quad Buster became a KOM and the rest of the ride was pretty rowdy. It was a fast pace but when you have a line going it is manageable. I like riding like that and don't get to do it that often. We all had a great ride and bonded a bit. I think tomorrows ride of 95 miles will be easier as we now have a clear group. We have to go over the "Evil Twins" which in my mind are a bigger deal than Quad Buster.

I am off to go swim now and then have some dinner with the rents. We are in Paso Robles so I get to score some more parent points! Dad was going to ride tomorrow but ended up with too much to do at work.

More to report later. Limited Internet from the road.

Cheers,
bdc

Aids Life Cycle: DAY ZERO

2009-05-30T20:05:00.000-07:00

Well I got to San Francisco with no real issues. In fact I didn't even get charged for my bike at DIA. That is special! And now I am all checked in for the 7 day journey that will take me from San Francisco to Los Angeles. While the feat of the ride is not really that big of a deal for me, the charity attached to it IS! Over the past year, a majority of the HIV/AIDS funding in California has gone away. Events like the Aids Life Cycle are becoming more important as the years go by.

I would have to say that the "training" environment that I am now placed in is a bit different than what I am used to. I guess you could say that it is like a cross between an Ironman, circuit party and a local bike path. It's funny how you learn more and more about your comfort zone when you do things outside of the usual routine.

While I am gay, my usual routine does not involve being around this many gay people at one time. And while I lived in LA for most of my life and I have been out since I was 19, this many gays at one time is overwhelming to me. What is even more interesting, to me, is that I am not 100% comfortable around all the straight people that I train and hang with on a regular basis. I guess you could say that I am having an awakening to the fact that I am not sure where I am 100% comfortable. Growing up gay can kinda do that to you. Once you come out, it is like you are supposed to just join the whole "gay community". Or it least that is how it can feel. A little hard to explain but my issue has always been that I never thought my sexuality had to be the top thing that "defined" me. That can be a hard thing to not let happen because the reality is that it IS a huge thing that defines you. Being straight is a huge definer too. Most just take it for granted.

Anyway, Blah blah blah lets stop the Dr, Phil show before I start analyzing every part of my life on a blog and get back to the ride.

I have seen so many of my friends from LA and am excited to sleep in a tent for seven days. Okay, that was a lie. I am willing to sleep in a tent for 7 days. I am pretty willing to do a lot of things in fact. Hopefully we won't get any rain. Tent + Rain + Training all day = Credit Card + Hotel.

Better get off to bed. Have to wake up SUPER early as the ride starts at the butt crack of dawn. There are going to be some people out there all day every day and we have to start according to the slowest rider. I am going to try and find out who those people are and set up their tents if possible. See what a nice guy I can be if I want to be!

You can still donate: www.tofighthiv.org/goto/bdc

More later from ALC 8!

bdc

Bolder Boulder 10K Race Report

2009-05-25T15:09:00.000-07:00

I decided after Wildflower that I wanted to run the Bolder Boulder 10K for fun. It is one of the biggest 10K's in the country and there are NO spectators. Why? Because EEERRRRRREEEEEYBODY in town runs it. I mean everyone! I haven't run an open 10K in years, and since my foot has been behaving I thought "why not"?

About 2 min after saying that in front of my friend Jim, I had an e-mail in my in box saying that I was registered for the race. My run time at WF got me in the "A Wave" so I wouldn't have to start behind the masses. That was a plus for sure. If you saw how many people there are you would understand.

JZ let me do the race as long as I used it as part of my long run and didn't take off my usual Saturday workout. I must say, Saturday was a pretty huge day. JZ served up a nice 3.8K swim that included a 2K TT. Then we hit the bike and popped off a nice 105 miles. The last hour I felt like crap but was still riding strong. When we got back to the home base I SOOOOO did not want to run. My desire to run was about as low as it gets and I was praying for a thunderstorm. One came but we still ran.

Sometimes you surprise yourself. After a few steps everything felt excellent. We were on our way to the track to do an 800 workout. I have started doing a second track workout off the bike on Saturdays in addition to my Wednesday track session that comes before the second long ride of the week. Saturdays workout is a bit slower than wed. So anyway, we get up there and I start out on the 800's. We ended up doing 4 of them starting at 2:55 and ending in 2:38. Felt great. I should add that as part of the "keep my feet in order" plan, I do 1/2 of the track stuff in the reverse direction.

All in all Saturday was a great day. Where am I going with this? Oh- Probably telling you this as a built in excuse about Bolder Boulder. I mean, it wouldn't be a true race report if you didn't list at least 10 reasons on why you could have gone faster!

I ran 4 miles to the race (excuse) and then when we got lined up for our wave they held us in the coral for about 15 min (excuse) and the first mile is down hill which I don't really care for (excuse). We are up to 4 excuses so far!

I ran into my buddy Sven, who actually ran at UCLA right before I did, and we had a quick chat about what we wanted to do for the 10K. He was thinking 5:30 pace so I thought I would just stick with him. Of course I went out faster than that (excuse). First mile was 5:15. And then the course started to go up. First time racing at altitude (excuse) and it was more of a climb than I thought (excuse). Man I am good at this excuse thing! I actually settled into a pace that wasn't too bad and finished with a 5:40 average. Here is the kicker- I won my age LOL! They do age by exact year so apparently all the 32 year olds slept in today.

I was happy with the effort. I recovered from the race the second I stopped running which was a good sign. I didn't really stop for too long actually. I just ran home. I was a bit cold and had nothing to change into. Plus JZ told me to run home.

Once home I met up with JZ, Carole, Monica and a few others for a swim. The swim went great and helped flush out any lactic acid left in them. Not a bad training day!

Now I am off to drink some beers at a BBQ. I have a few days left in Boulder before I head off to Cali for the California Aids Life Cycle. I will write a blog on that adventure in a few days and also plan to keep a daily blog while on the ride.

Cheers,
bdc

Wildflower Race Report

2009-05-15T20:58:00.000-07:00

Wildflower is a race I always seem to want to do. It's a unique race atmosphere and kinda early in the season (for me) so I enjoy the fitness check. And let's just say Wildflower will NOT lie to you about how fit or unfit you are. It's BRUTAL. I actually got to write the chapter on "Wildflower" in "50 Greatest Triathlons". The book should be out soon. I hope I did the race justice.

Anyway, this was my third time doing the race. It was the first time I went into the race not injured. What a better way to race. Not injured. Go figure. I had a decent amount of prep for it and was very happy with my end result which was 2nd in 30-34, 5th AG overall and beating over 50% of the Pro Field. Not to mention I had a shocker of a run. 1:21.03 was the time. I really wasn't expecting to be able to go that fast on this course. I would have to say, given the training I have in my now, it is a pretty good sign.

The day before the race I was feeling a bit of the pressure. I think most of it was coming from the fact that my last race was Hawaii and last year I only did 2 other races, one of which didn't go well internally. The result was fine but the way it felt was another story. As well, my swim in Hawaii, while being a non wetsuit PR, had a major anxiety attack attached to it. I was obsessing about the swim at WF. In a way I guess I was just out of practice when it comes to racing and I felt like I didn't know what to do.

That feeling became even stronger about 30 seconds before the start of my wave. I was standing next to Patrick Baldwin (Not that Bachelor). I have gotten to know him over the last 2 years racing as he and I seem to always be right around the same time give or take. We both are not a big fan of the swim start so we jockeyed for the far left of the front line. I said something lame to him in a nervous chatter like "So what do we do"? It was such a strange feeling I was having. I had NO IDEA what I was supposed to do. Luckily triathlon is not rocket science and when the gun went off instincts took over and I swam like a mofo to that first buoy.

When I made the turn I was in a great position. Things were calm thus far and I had a pair of feet with a green cap. Unfortunately, those feet went out a bit too hard and I had to go around them. I felt so smooth in the water early on which is not normal for me. I usually take a while to find a rhythm. Maybe all those hard swims JZ has been making us do on Saturdays is paying off!?

It was crazy how many people from the wave before us we had to swim over. And not in the second 1/2. I was climbing over people by the second buoy. So the rest of the swim was my best attempt to be polite to yellow caps. It wasn't easy but I tried. As the swim progressed I would look up to see if I could find any green ones that I might be able to get on but I never saw any. Of course, part of me thought I might have been dropped by my wave. But then I thought "Hmmmm? Maybe I am swimming in the front of my wave?" Turns out I was. I got out third which was a first. I was stoked. I saw a 26 on the clock and that was good enough for me. It was probably the most effortless swim I have ever done. Maybe it was that new Orca 3:8 suit. I must say it was quite slick!

Out of the water I had a minor issue. I got to my bike and I was extremely dizzy. I bent down to get my stuff and was like "WHOA! I better sit down." SO I did and that helped but for the first few miles on the bike I had this strange vertigo feeling. Never had that before but I figured it came from the swim. I wasn't planing on riding very hard for the first 30 min so I just cruised along till it went away.

As I cruised, I was passed by Jonathan Toker (Salt Stick) and then by Patrick. I wasn't sure if I should let those two guys go but I did. They rode away from me pretty quickly and by the turn to the back side of the course they were both gone. I didn't have my power meter on the bike nor did I have a running time going. I was 100% numberless for this one and I wasn't sure how I was riding. I could clearly have a conversation with anyone. I wasn't working hard but my left quad felt a bit spent. Just the left one. So I rode using that as my gage.

Once I got to the "hill" some dude in my AG caught up to me and I decided that I needed to at least keep this guy in my scope. I rode the hill like I might in a training ride and then tried to keep the other guy in view the rest of the ride.

Somehow at about mile 48 I caught back up to JT and when I go by I ask him how far up Patrick was? He said that Patrick was just up the road. This lit a fire in me. I will admit that for most of the ride I thought I was out of the game. Apparently I was back in. I rode so easy that I should be able to run off this bike okay and hunt these guys down.

My transition to the run was quick and as I started the run I felt like I was just shuffling along. I was moving well but my stride was so tiny. I usually have a pretty long stride that actually makes me look like I am running slow. I just kept up with it and before I knew it I had Patrick in site and passed him at mile 3 and then saw the other guy. I passed him in the next 2 min. At that point I thought I was in front for my AG. That is what people were telling me.

I never really opened it up on the run. The progression to being injury free has been long and I wasn't about to screw that up. The Wildflower run would be hard enough on my feet as it is. From the running days, we would get green lighted in races. If you have a green light from coach you can open it up and run hard. Without it, you better do what he told you to do or you were gonna be in big trouble. I did not have a green light for this race. I was just supposed to run smooth. And that was all I was doing.

It felt great. I was actually present and aware of people watching. I had some interaction with the aid stations and my friends watching. It wasn't until about a mile and half to go that I spot my friend Matt Dixon watching and he tells me that there is one more guy in front of me. "DAMN! I thought I had this in the bag". There wasn't enough road left to try and get him. So I just kept trucking along at my pace. I really wanted to win my AG. I really wanted to be top AG of the day but that didn't happen and I was okay with it.

The race was a perfect start. The feet fell better than I expected afterwords. I don't have a race until Buffalo Springs 70.3 in late June so there is plenty of time to recover and move forward. Hopefully, I will be able to ride that new sweet Orbea Ordu I am on a tad faster :-)

The weekend was a blast and I look forward to next year!

Cheers,
bdc

Wildflower: With The Senior Disscount.

2009-05-10T20:46:00.000-07:00

I thought I would post my Dad's race report from his first olympic distance triathlon at Wildflower. I will get around to writing about my race at the 1/2 Ironman this week.

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Did you ever agree to something, then utter to yourself, “now what am I going to do”? What if what you agreed to do was so far out of your comfort zone you knew you were entering the twilight zone !

Dateline: Kona. October 19th 2008. I am at the Ironman Awards banquet to celebrate the superb race that Brandon completed the previous day. There was a kinetic static in the chatter about having spectated all those racers, particularly those who were finishing in the 16th hour of the race. So Brandon, my son, says that he has always thought that in the past, with all the running and biking I did, that I could have done an Ironman if I could swim. It is important to know that if I ended up in "hell", it would be an endless deep pool. I avoided ANY immersion into water unless I have on life vests. Brandon persists in importuning me that I still could do this. "This" being a triathlon event. He announces he can coach me! This is where my brain entered the twilight zone. I think, "I live in the backyard of Wildflower, it’s eight months away, I have a tri bike, I can start running again, and, I can try, not tri, swimming". Oh, and there is one more impeding issue. I have to loose a lot of weight and deal with the fact that I now have a fake knee that I didn't rehab properly so the amount it bends is not "the best". So, being a reality TV lover (Survivor), I just created my own reality show, "Triathlon Extreme Makeover"! With that, those two words spilled from my lips in front of everyone, “I’m in”!

The next day I am anticipating that no one will remember my uttererances due to the amount of beer consumed and I can slip out of this one. I’m off to play golf early and get a ride to the course and play 18 solo. Plenty of time to think this through and come up with a graceful exit. I call Mary Jo to come pick me up. She will be there in a half hour. Then it hits me. I’m not backing down. Instead, I start running back rather than waiting for her and think she will catch me in 10 minutes. Thirty-five minutes later I get picked up. Now back to the condo to get ready to go to black sand beach with Brandon and the group. Hey what the heck, I’ll run some more on the way to the beach. Two runs today! Clearly, I have that strange gene that most of the people in the sport posses.

The group decides to go out to the water and swim out past the waves and just hang out. I put on a jog belt and snorkel mask and venture to the edge. I have to get past the surf to reach the group. This is huge, not the surf, but the fact that I am thinking of doing this. I get out there and actually get to see a turtle when I put my head in the water- Maybe the turtle was there to tell me "Hey, water ain't so bad". Brandon decides this would be a good time to evaluate my swimming technique, even though he is not totally sure I should be out there in the first place, or lack thereof. I flail for twenty yards and gasp. What am I going to do about the other 1,480 yards? I demo a little backstroke and Brandon declares, “You can swim”. I made it back to the beach and managed not to panic. There were about 6 of us out there so I had plenty of "life guards" with me. I must say, floating out in the ocean was a fantastic experience and I can't believe it has taken over 60 years to feel that.

Later, back at the condo I go to the pool knowing there is safety. I swim some and now know there is a long way to go.

The Coach: Moving forward Brandon will now supply the training wisdom, workouts, evaluations, and motivational encouragement. I have to supply the effort. Back at Oak Shores (houses on the Wildflower course) we have a small pool and it’s still open for another two weeks. I can start the swim training here. I can’t swim one full-length non-stop, but I am determined that I can improve and get better.

Brandon visits for a few days a month later. I’m on the weight loss plan and getting through the small workouts. We try a small ride in the neighborhood and I have trouble riding the bike a mile on the small inclines. And when I say small I mean small. The hills on the WF course are like mountains compared to these flea bites. There’s work to be done. I join a health club that has a 50-meter pool. At my first pool swim I cannot swim a length and have to deal with the “deep end”.

By the time the Christmas holidays are here, I have made significant progress with all three events. I am now swimming as much as a 3K, biking up to 48 miles, and have run up to 10 miles. An additional note is that while I am running on a titanium knee, all three sports have helped make it feel better. Brandon continues to evaluate my progress based on my reporting back after workouts and establishing benchmarks. It wasn’t just, “how was that workout, and for tomorrow do this”. He asked questions a coach needs to have answers for so that training is meaningful and on target. I knew the workouts he assembled were to reach the incremental improvements and not just to be able to say I did X. By January 2009 weight loss was good and still dropping.

Four months to go until Wildflower and toeing the line at the open water’s edge. I knew that if I listened to the coach I could complete the Olympic distance. There was still a matter of that open water swim, which I had not experienced to this point. I knew the pool and my ability in the pool. But how was that going to transfer to the open water? By the end of the month I was ready to test the event distance and see what level of fitness I’ve reached. This is where I strayed from the prescribed workouts. I went to the club and swam a 1500. Transitioned as quickly as I could and jumped on the stationary bike for 24 miles. I walked off the bike and stepped on the treadmill for a 10K. After finishing I thought, this is not too bad. However this was a controlled environment and not the real thing. Nonetheless, I was pleased to know that I could cover the distance. Now I had to keep loosing weight, and get stronger for each event. Weekends allowed for some rides with runs right off the bike. I was now doing well over the race distance with rides on the Wildflower long course that included "hell" hill. I saw the light.

At the beginning of March I knew there had to be some actual "on course" testing. So I entered the Cal Poly Sprint Tri for April 4th at Lake Lopez. Heck this is only a 750-yard swim, 12-mile bike, and a 5K run. I expect this distance will give me the confidence that I can complete a Triathlon. I still have to keep training, loosing, and listening to my coach but the sprint would help work out some of the newbie bugs. A note to keep in mind is that I’m working 50-hour weeks so a lot of training is happening after 6 PM. Work, train, sleep and do it everyday.

A week before the Lopez event I purchase my first wetsuit. I decide sleeveless is good for me. After all, I’m usually warm and I can handle some chill. My first wetsuit swim in the pool is taxing due to different body position, different breathing, not to mention this compression on my chest. So I completed a couple of 1500 pool swims for acclamation. Plus it helped on how to get the wetsuit off.

Dateline: April 4th. Here I am at Lake Lopez at 6:15 am for my first Tri tryout. Mary Jo (my wife and Brandon's mother) is there to watch me get settled in transition but she has to attend a course and won’t be able to stay. Now I am solo. No coach other than in my head. Check list done. Set up is done. It’s a chilly day and the announcer informs us that the water temp is 57 degrees. I know there is not going to be any in water warm up, so I run for 30 minutes to generate some thermal energy. Transition closes and now I have nowhere to go but to waters edge and wait for my wave.

I observe the first swimmers and reconnoiter the course buoys for my 750. They don’t seem that far out and before I know it, it is time to go. I walk in and feel the chilly water and don’t even dip my arms. I decide that if I did, I might not take the plunge. Better to just hit it and take it rather than anticipate. At the water level that first buoy now seems further away than I thought. I have to keep it in sight but at the same time keep forward motion. Looking up is an issue with breathing. I know that my arm turnover is quick, thinking I’ll get out faster. I stray a little right of the buoy but make it for the first left turn. The next buoy is not as far since it will be the left turn and head for exit. I stray too far to the right and have to come back on line, but still at high arm turnover. I know this is more effort than I need, but I need to stay on top of the water. I’m out in open water, my hell. More course correction but still adding too much additional distance, but finally I’m at the timing matt. Numbness is in my hands and feet. I find my sandals and slog up the path to bike transition.

I’m biking now and know that "Fear Factor" is over. I just need to re-energize and I do after 5 miles. The first hill right at the start was tough and the re-entry hill gets your attention but I know they are nothing in comparison to WF's monsters. I’m back inside the park and ready for run transition. I’m running now and just have to get through a 5K. It’s tougher than expected because there is no fast leg turnover. It’s a maintenance run. Same pace at start, same pace at finish. Now there’s a word I can deal with, "finish"!

I am pleased that I made it and that my coach would be pleased with my first time out. Hey, I’m thrilled I didn’t drown and become a Tri statistic. I’m further pleased when I learn that I took 3rd in my age. This might be the time to consider, that having completed a triathlon event, maybe one was enough. It was on the “bucket list”. No, I need to know, can I do Wildflower Olympic? More training, coaching, and weight loss. That next day I rode the Wildflower bike course and knew once again, “I’m in”.

The approaching race day: After more longer pool swims, longer rides, and longer runs, I envision that the race will go well. Brandon is now assigning workouts that will increase with intensity and have the next week at lower intensity. As race day gets closer I know this is going to be a much different experience. I’ve got people there. Brandon’s there and his coaching will tell the tape. Brandon arrives eight days before the race. He needs to see first hand, is Dad ready for this? This is where it get’s interesting.

We are going down to the lake for some practice. Naciamento, the other lake near WF, is nowhere near as cold as Lopez. A course point is set. I dive in and start the fast arm turnover again. This causes anxiety and the need to rest after 100 yards. What about the other 1400? This is where Brandon’s coaching plays a major role. He knows that I have to slow down, relax, find a comfort zone in the water, and get some technique for sighting those buoys. First day was tense. Head thoughts about, “how did I do Lopez”? Breathing was compressed. Maybe Lopez was a one time only event. But, if anyone knows me, and Brandon does, I’m not throwing in the towel. He has me go back to the pool and swim a 1500 with the wetsuit and swim as slow as possible and find that relaxed stroke zone. I complete this swim in 37:16 and thought I was slow. The reality is I was relaxed. The other reality was that I was in the pool.

We go back to the lake for another practice swim the next day. Same course points as before. Re-arranged my mental perspective. Stay relaxed. Improvement is apparent. Swam longer with less stress and far better breathing. Thursday, one more lake swim before race day. Again marked improvement, most notably with relaxation and breathing. I can and will do this! After all, I’ve got an Ironman Coach.

Race day at Wildflower: Here’s the report on the weight loss and part of the extreme triathlon makeover. I’m down 52 lbs.! Goal was 50. I know that this weight loss will play a role on this course. I’m in the 10 am wave. A later start that I am pleased about. No rushing, keep calm, have time to warm up, and soak in the atmosphere of the second largest triathlon event in the USA. I’m here and “I’m in”. Brandon is there after a great previous day giving it his all on the Long Course, and designates himself as the "go to" guy. Keep me in race mentality and not be overwhelmed with race day stress. Which I should note, we had something come up. I left my Tristar race top at the house. HOW DID I DO THAT? Luckily, MR. Go To, got on the horn and called up his friend Jen Martinez who was still up at the house. She was just leaving but grabbed it for me and Brandon found her to get it with 20 min to go.

Swim: Start left and wide to avoid the churn. I stay wide enough that at 60 yards I hit beach but no problem. Brandon’s there and asks, “OK?”, I let him know o’yeah.
I stayed relaxed in the open water even after getting my goggles knocked off twice. My buoy sighting was far more efficient and my breathing was level. No fast arm turnover. At the last right turn buoy I knew that I was heading for exit. I could see the houseboat dock as a marker. A small bend to the left, and I’m done. I swam out in 38! Brandon had my crocks there and I slipped them on and ran to transition. Triathlon I can do. Running 400 yards barefoot up a ramp. I'm 61. I get to wear Crocks!

Bike: It was a fairly uneventfulin transition. No numb feet. Less time spent in it. Of course, this time, I was racing in Tri Star uniform and felt a sense of strength, like I really earned it. I left transition feeling strong for the uphill bike out. The ride was familiar. I’d done almost all my training rides on that road. It made it easier to know where I was and what was coming. I finished the bike knowing that I was going to have an Olympic Tri under my belt. I hit transition and got out of there as quick as I could. Especially, after stepping on my drink carton, and squishing chocolate, all over the place including my run hat. Ironically, I didn't need it. Brandon told me that but I guess some things you just have to experience to know it.

Run: A 10K to go. My legs are not "rubberized" and I feel solid about this run. I know that there are some nasty hills so there won’t be any fast leg turnover. Get into a zone and stay there. The long hill was taxing but I passed others that were walking. As I have in so many past running races, I ran one mile at a time. I knew of course that at 5 miles downhill would take over. Half way down the hill I could hear the crowd cheering. I was a Gladiator about to enter the arena. Brandon had done his job as my coach.

Who knew that seven months before I would be at this time and place about to finish what is considered to be the toughest Olympic distance triathlon? Now I’m in the fencing, the arch is 125 yards away, I can at least pick up the pace for my finishing photo. It was at that moment of 3 hours and 43 minutes that I knew, “I’m in”.

And when I say "I'm in" I really mean it. Brandon pulled some strings and got me into Vineman 70.3 and I also signed up to race the Chicago Triathlon. He is still on board to coach me and I will need it. Chicago was my first Marathon years ago and I am so pleased that after a long hiatus from any athletic activity, I am back to it! I have completed 29 marathons in my younger years and Brandon seems to have this crazy idea that I might just do one more. He also seems to think that I am going to swim and bike before I start it.....we shall see.

Dan Del Campo
Triathlete

BDC Cliff Notes

2009-04-29T17:54:00.000-07:00

It is clear I don't keep this thing up to date and that it is always due to the fact that I view blogging like writing a college paper. I like to have something worth writing about. Actually, I have had a lot to write about so I guess that excuse just went out the window.

Maybe it is because I am too tired to write when training is going well (No posts is a GOOD sign in that regard!) Or maybe the creative flair isn't there when I actually have the time? I also think blogging is a bit narcissistic. It's like, now that we have all these venues to self promote and talk about how wonderful we are and how much we know about this or that or what we think gets to be a bit much. Facebook, Twitter, Blogger, how about we just attach cameras to our heads all day?

On that note, I guess I will take a moment and flash update this thing. It is a bit strange though as I have no idea who reads this and if they do I don't know their reasons. Maybe I am just talking to myself.....

The Florida trip is long gone. Great time. House had a flea problem. Carole pretended to throw a flea on Billy's food and he freaked. We question if he was in fact a Marine.

While in Florida I had a MAJOR epiphany with JZ. It was that I have no desire to do an IRONMAN this year. Why? I want my foot to get better and race AG one more year and kick ass as best I can. JZ told me after I made that decision that I looked like I took the biggest shit of my life.

My major goals in the sport are still focused around an IRONMAN.

I had a major mental unload in Florida on the phone to one of my best friends because I felt like my foot would never actually be better. I cried for the first time in about 5 years. It was a very cleansing moment. Since the conversation my foot has gone away. That is interesting to me.

I got an SRM for my bike and it actually worked and now I hate ridding when I don't have power.

My good buddy Carole has had issues with her training. Not being able to get her power up on the bike. Frustrated. Not understanding why. We had a chat on the phone and I told her to go out the next day and hit the numbers that she needed to if it killed her. She did. Now she is riding well. That is interesting to me.

I really want a dog.

I have been coaching my Dad for a triathlon since he got UBER inspired in Hawaii watching me race. Coaching my father.....that is interesting to me.

He races his first Olympic distance at Wildflower. I am more nervous about his race than my own.

I have had a few friends die in the past months. Suicide. Aids. One had texted me 9 times. They went unanswered. I was angry with him. Petty. He killed himself. It has made me reflect on relationships. Life. How can I be a better person? Being a better person is interesting to me.

I was in Tucson for over a month. First to visit with a friend at a nice resort. Then to train. I stayed at my friend Hillary's pad. I got to know my friend Doug better and meet a new Friend TJ. We laughed alot.

Tara Norton joined me for a week in Tucson and I just think she is the best. The last time I got to hang with her was at Epic NZ. We rode. We cooked. She got me hooked on American Idol. Adam Lambert is interesting to me.

I went to a training camp because my coach and training wife, Joanna, was going to be there. I said I was done with camps. I am glad that I went. It was the best camp I have been to. Great dynamic. Wonderful crowd. I got to hang with Bjorn who I had not really seen since we lived in NZ together.

I am able to go get my ass handed to me by top notch females. I don't think most guys can handle that. JZ, Tara, Sam, Catrina all served it up to me at some point. I don't mind. I want to see them achieve their best. Since my days of running, fast women have helped me achieve my highest level of success. If your ego can handle them smashing you from time to time you will be better off than smashing yourself with the boys day after day. Take it from someone that had a foot injury for two years. Not so interesting. Quite boring in fact.

At the camp I shared a condo with JZ and another women. She came up to me mid camp and said "Hey we are family". I had no idea what she was talking about. "We are related???" I asked. "No dork! I'm Gay." I had no idea. We had an interesting chat.

I stayed in Tucson for a few days after the camp so that I could see Hillary after IM China. I picked her up at 11:00 PM. She got home wide awake. Went to bed at 3am. Got me up at 7am to swim. How does one do that? That is interesting to me.

I left Tucson a day early to drive to Palm Springs. My buddy Mitch put me up for the night. He lives in Palm Springs. He has a fancy modern house. He cooked me Fillet Mignon with multi colored potatoes for dinner. We sat at the table and ate. One of us is not gay. That is interesting to me! haha.

I got up the next AM and ran 14 miles. I still had a two week sore throat from the dry Tucson air. Never affected my training.

I drove to LA after then run. LA is not interesting to me.

I got to see some of my very best and oldest friends while in LA for the night. It was a very relaxed and nice time.

I left LA early the next AM to drive up to my parents place who live on the Wildflower course.

I hate driving.

I swam in the lake with my dad for the first time. He had some open water anxiety and didn't understand why. I did. I tried to explain to him why but he didn't understand it. That fact that he doesn't understand why is interesting to me.

We swam in the lake again and the anxiety was less.

Being around Daisy, the golden retriever, REALLY makes me want a dog!

I am looking forward to the Boulder crew getting here for the race.

My parents just got home so I am going to stop rambling. I hope to actually write something. Probably about a reflection on the recent deaths of friends. But don't hold your breathe. I am not in denial that I don't update this thing. But people can change!

Florida Training and Fleas

2009-03-16T19:34:00.001-07:00

Well I can tell you that I am not in Florida right now and I have been back in Boulder for quite some time. I wanted to write about the second part of my training trip but the condo that we were in did not have Internet access and the training just made me way too lazy to drag my butt up to Panera Bread (that is where we would get a quick Internet fix) and type something out. But for my own journaling sake I will write something now...

One of the things that I have noticed lately is that people get their pantie hoes in a bunch when they are going to travel with a bike because of the outrageous fees that the airlines are charging. I was a prime candidate for getting totally screwed as I left Palm Springs to meet my buddies in Florida. I had a bike box, one checked bag, a wheel bag, back pack and second carry on. I could have been looking at over 250 dollars of extra fee's. That isn't the most pleasant way to start the morning.

But here is the deal. When you are traveling you ALREADY KNOW that high charges are a strong possibility so what is the point of letting that get your goat? I decided that I was going to work some mojo and see if I could get out of these fees. The first thing that I had to do before I even got to the airport was know that if I did get charged I wasn't going to care. Secondly, I got into the "character" that I wasn't a person that was going to be charged. Sounds a bit odd but just wait....

As I cart all my crap to the counter I begin to go about my check in as if all this luggage is normal. Not to mention I throw in a little charm which really is just making the person behind the counter feel good. They are human and even if they charge me I would still want to make that person feel good. It can't be bull shit. You have to be sincere. With my sincerity I do tend to pull an Obi Wan once in a while. "This is not the bike box you are looking for. This is not the bike box you want to charge." Make sure you do the whole hand wave thing too or it loses effect.

I stick to my guns when I say my mental approach to this situation is why I got all that luggage checked for $40 dollars. I kid you not. On UNITED! AND I walked to the gate with my wheel bag and stroller tagged it. That is a little secret that I have been using for a good while. Save room in the bike box and carry your wheels on. I figure, I am not having kids so they can stroller tag them for the next few years for me.

The flight had a stop in Denver and I was meeting up with Carole as she was on the flight with me to Florida. I got a text from her when she was on the train to the gate saying "I can't wait to see you. Lets do an airport scene!" Oh dear lord. I knew she was planing on pretending to be my girlfriend and do some obnoxious jump on my lap and act crazy. It's rough when you have people in your life that know how to embrace you.

I strated looking around to see if I could hear Sharps on her approach but somehow she manged so sneak by and before I knew it I was being straddled. "OHHH Babies!!!" Her hair tossing from side to side was actually a bit funny. I did the only thing I could to get her off me. "Lets go get some food."

When we got on the plane I had to tell Sharps about the Texan Cougars I sat next to for all of 5 min on the first flight. They were these skinny, chain smoking, jewelery wearing, hair sprayin little numbers chatting away in the seats beside me. The one by the window was reading a magazine and the other right next to me began to say "You need to be reading up on our trip to Alaska!" The other one agreed and then said in the thickest Texan accent I have ever heard, "I hope I can git Sara Palin to sign my MOOSE hat." "Ohhh we like Sara Palin" said the other one as she played her Sudoku (easy level of course). And right then this overweight, hillbilly, older dude sitting in the row back grabs our seats and leans over and says "We DOOOOOO too. WE DOOOOO TOOOOOOO!" Regarding the Sara Palin comment. I was hard for me to decide between laughter or a really dramatic eye roll. I just looked back and saw that the entire back row was free. I kindly said "Ya'll have a nice day" and busted to the back for a nap.

That was our line for most of the trip and it just got funnier as the week went on. As Carole would say to that, "Yeeees it DIIIID! YEEEEESSSSS IT DID!" I am so thank full that we have laughter in this life. I swear it is the only thing that keeps me going sometimes.

Carole and I got in really late and got lost a bit on the way to the condo. It wasn't until after the first 40 min of being lost that she was like "Oh JZ gave me the Garmin for the car. We could use that." She is lucky that I am the fun gay friend and not her straight husband! When she got it working I told her to type in Taco Bell. Food like that doesn't count when it is past midnight. Everyone knows that.

The beauty of getting in late was making JZ have to come out to the gate at 12:30 in her bathrobe! She had it all figured out on how to sleep through our arrival but of course we weren't going to allow that! We all actually had a good late night chat. Mostly telling JZ that she was crazy if she thought we would be ready to ride at 7am. Her exact words after that were "What about 7:15?" God love her.

The next day was smooth and we got settled in to the condo and now just had to wait for Billy to arrive. He would be there in the next day or so. I think I will finish up writing about the actual time in Florida later. It had it's moments for sure but I doubt I can hold anyones attention much longer on this one. I'll get to the fleas in a day or two.

Later

End of West Coast and on to the East!

2009-02-15T10:47:00.000-08:00

The last few days training in Palm Springs has been great. The weather turned around and we had a nice dose of sun that is so common for that part of California. Because of the rain prior, I spent a bit of time in the pool and put a few more “K’s” in than usual. Turned out to be 17 in 3 days. Surprisingly it all felt really good. I think I needed that to get me rolling again. All the campers did a hefty load of swimming. We had a few do 6K one day and that was by far the most that they have ever swum. It made me reflect a bit on my own journey in the sport. It was around this time three years ago that I did my first 6K swim. It was in New Zealand at Epic Camp. I remember how it made me feel and I could see that “feeling” on the campers face.

The riding was also a bit more than I had been doing but it was at a very tame pace. Mitch, Mike and myself decided that we would let the campers pull and set the pace for our first ride in the sun. It was just shy of 100 miles. We had started a tad late and I began to get concerned about the amount of daylight we had. The pace out was not that fast. Since the ride was on out and back we had no choice but to turn around and go back. We told the campers that Mike and I were going to go on the front and pull. The pace would have to be picked if we were going to make it back before the sun went down so we made sure they loaded up on some black gold (coke) and got rolling towards home as quickly as we could.

I had the sun go down on me once before when I was training in Kona. I was on the upper highway and got totally screwed with darkness. Scott Jones and Ben Cotter were with me but that didn’t really help since neither of them glowed. Luckily we had Teresa back at the house and called her to come get us. By that time that Cougar found us the sun was on its way back up! Anyway, I’m sidetracking from the fact that all of us were now in this same situation.

Mike and I kept pulling a bit too hard and loosing the bunch. There was one guy there that seemed to be able to hang on. His name was Adam but I’ll just call him the London Dynamo. He was from London and had a KIT that said that and wore it everyday so of course that is what I called him. I am a lot like Sawyer on “Lost” and tend to call people anything but their actual name.

The three of us waited for the bunch and Mitch gave Mike and I the go ahead to take off. LD stayed back with the group and Mike and I went to chase what was left of the sun. Again, it was that time of year when Mike and I seem to get together hammer out miles. It wasn’t crazy, which I enjoyed, and ultimately I pulled hard enough for a while to make Mike feel like he needed to challenge me. Trick worked and I sat in for the rest of the ride and got home faster with less effort! I’m so smart.

We managed to make it back just as the sun took a dive over the PS mountains. The riders made it back shortly after as we not knowingly took a longer way. They were lucky there was a shorter way because they would have been in the pitch black for sure. Not typical camp protocol but Mike and I were ready to do a rescue pick up in the CpC Van. If it had been me, there would have been a call from me saying “You can pick my ass up at Starbucks!”

The next day we did another swim ride combo. The ride was headed up in the Mountains. Palm Springs has got some awesome climbing. One of my favorites actually so I was very pleased that the weather was good enough to do it. Going up would be great but the descent might be a bit chilly so we all packed up like mules. My back pockets were total porn star. I hate to be cold so I had pretty much everything I owned with me.

The climb was tame at first but then Mike took off. I bridged back up to him a while later, dropping my London Dynamo companion, but Mike didn’t like that. He took off again and I had to stay 40 seconds back in order to keep it at a sane pace rather than a race. Fine with me. I was enjoying myself. The mountains were looking alive and we started to have snow on the ground. Pretty, but not good for going down.

We regrouped at the top and then took the crew a bit further along the top where we described it as Kiwi rollers. That is some bullshit because really it just goes up. Rollers, Kiwi or not, need some down hill. I took off on my own for a little bit trying to enjoy the peace up there. Amongst all the snow, rocks and trees without any iPod, what do I have going on in my head? “Let me see that thong. That thong tha thong tha thong.” Really? A sole biker in natures playground and I have the “Thong Song” stuck in my head. Wonderful.

After 20 min of that we made to the point where would turn. I waited for the other campers packing my bike in the snow to keep it up. When they got all arrived I had to give them the good news and the bad news. The good was that we were going to turn around and go back because it was so cold. The bad was that the store on the corner was closed. I was really wanting a coke too. Damn.

The ride down wasn't nearly as cold as I ad planned. However, I figured I would be okay calorie wise and I wasn't. While descending I felt the strong onset of a bonk. I wasn't even really working but sure enough my blood sugar went way down. It was kinda funny to because I seemed almost euphoric. Flying down the side of this mountain totally spaced out not really caring if I just flew off the edge. I think my mind figured I would take off like Eliot in E.T. Good thing that didn't happen!

Once down everyone but me was pretty damn cold. That is very rare. Usually I am the one with my shoulders crammed up by my ears shivering. I decided that we would all just go to Starbucks and have Mitch come get us in the Van. We weren't far from the hotel and the rest of the ride would be traffic ligths anyway. Mich was on the same wavelength and showed up in the van before I could even call him. He turned early and was super cold so he figured we were all screwed.

Having a nice coffee with the campers was perfect. We all got a good climb in and now had some down time to socialize. Everyone seemed very pleased with the day and they effort they put out. I was definitely okay with my ride.

I had to pack my stuff up that night as I am heading to Florida in the AM to meet up with Joanna, Carole and Billy for some warm weather training in Florida. My flight connects with Carole's in Denver so having a buddy to travel with should be fun and filled with stupid shit to write about. Will keep you posted from Gatorland!

Cheers,
bdc

Bi Costal Training Part Uno: The West.

2009-02-07T14:45:00.001-08:00

Well our drive out to Palm Springs has taken place and I am not not in sunny Boulder Colorado but rather in rainy Palm Springs. I tell ya, the cold in Boulder really isn't that bad becasue we don't have the wetness. I think the summer in New Zealand may have actually been more of a challnege than the winter thus far in Boulder. Live and learn....

Anyway, the drive to Palm Springs went pretty quikly. Probably a little too quickly while I was at the wheel since I got pulled over. Luckily for me, if there is anyone that can get out of a speeding ticket it is me. When the cop came up to the window I had to really pinch my wrist had so I wouldn't be tempted to give him a "Sir Sandwich". I served one up on the bike in Kona to a ref and got a yellow card turned into a red card so I figured speaking was not my best bet on this one. "Do you have any idea how fast your were driving?" Of course I did but I waited silently for him to state the obvious. "wow, I really had no idea. These new cars just ride so smooth and we were on a down hill...." *smile* *look dumb* *smile* He went back to his car and took ten years to finally come back and let me know that he was jusst going to give me a warning. Exhale.

I decided to let Sasha drive the rest of the way. Driving 80 on an open highway in a car that can easily go 100 while feeling like it is 55 is just torture to me. So someone else had to do it and I decided to just read and chat with Fiona. I think the mini stress of the possible ticket gave me a headache. Sasha of course had the answer. "Brandon- All good real estate agents have a few nessisary items in their glove box. A flashlight, tape measure, Sharpie pen, marble to test floor level and 800 milligram pills of Ibuprophen becasue almost all clients will give you a massave headeache." It was like a freaking horse pill. But it did the trick and before I knew it I was headache free and less than a 100 miles from Vegas.

We decided to stop just outside of Vegas so we wouldn't have to sell a bike to pay for a hotel room. We all just cramed in one room and I got to share a bed with the lovely Fiona. Now I had to warn Fiona that while on the surface it would seem that she would be safe sleeping with me. This is not entirely true. I let her know that other "girlfriends" of mine that have slept with me have been molested in the wee hours of the night. Cicely and Jessica have both had their asses grabbed in a very innapropriate way while I was long gone in dream land. I told her that she would need to whack me upside the head if I fouund my way on her side of the bed. This wouldn't be hard as they seemed to only be full size beds. I built her a nice pillow wall in the midlle. She told me in the AM that I behaved but the bed was a freaking wreck!. She looked dissapointed haha!!!

The two of us went out for an easy 30 min run. It was so nice to be able to run. Even though I am still "dealing" with issues in my foot I was happy too be out running. I have decided that no matter what happens with my foot there is only so much I can do about it. One thing I can do is not let it affect my mood. I think staying in a good mood about it is part of the healing process. Not always easy for me to do but I am trying.

The run gave me a nice little buzz as well as the tripple shot mocha that I had :-) I am really turning into a caffeine junkie. It makes me so happy! Anyway, we made it to Palm Springs in a short few hours and settled in. Mitch has a nice new house and I am staying there with none other than Mike Montgomery. There must be something about this time of year that the two of us just can't be apart. In the past we have been in New Zealand hammering away at an Epic Camp. I decided that I was not going to be doing anymore camps, Epic or not, unless they were small training groups that I knew or I was one of the people running the camp. I made the exception here because the camp was going to be smaller and Mitch's house is now in Palm Springs rather than Yucca Valley so everything would be really close and easy. He has also been nice enough to have me help out with stuff so I wouldn't have to pay. As well, I can stick to my training and not do anaything crazy that could jeapordize my body.

Today was our first day and we all rode together. It was a nice sane ride of a bout 3 1/2 hours. There were a few small picks up between Mike and myself but nothing cray. I now have an SRM Power Meter so I am pretty excited to start some training with power. I am going to use the camp to learn the device. I know Joanna will be excited to get a hold of the data. She has her theories about me. We shall soon see if they are true.

That's the report from Palm Springs. The camp is off to a great start and there is a nice group of people here. Hopefully the weather will cut us a break so we can get the Idlewile (sp?) ride in on Monday. That is one of my favorite rides of all time. I will make sure to pop a picture or two up when I can get them downloaded.

Cheers,
bdc

Are we ever having that damn swim race??!!

2009-02-03T20:33:00.000-08:00

Well my flu kicked my butt pretty hard and left me with lungs that made me sound like some 85 year old woman named Hellen that smoked 2 packs a day. I am feeling much better now and back at it but I seem to leave bits of my lung every where I go. So with that, Carole and I did not get to have our SHOWDOWN as of yet. Nor did JZ and Marky V get to have their challenge. However, as soon as I am a little further away from this I am making Sharpie race me. Unfortunately, with out trying to be negative, I think I am going to get my ass handed to me. She appears to be very motivated these days and is flying through the water again. I on the other hand feel as if I have bricks tied to my ankles. But I ain't SCUUURD! I'll still give it my best and see if I can somehow break her!

I think that the swim race may actually end up taking place in Florida. JZ, Billy, Carole and myself are going out to Clermeont for 10 days of training. JZ was going to be out there before hand so we all decide that we would meet her and extend her trip so we could all train. It should be a good time. Although, our housing just fell through so we may be sleeping in the back of a pick up truck. I don't think that would be all that strange for the area.

I am getting a mini camp in prior to the Florida trip in Palm Springs. My good buddy Mitch is holding one of his tri camps out there and asked me if I could come out and help while I get some training in. My friend Sasha and Fiona are driving out Thursday so I am tagging along. We are going to take two days to make the drive and I am really looking forward to the road trip. It should be a blast. Hopefully there will be something funny to write about. I have been sooooooo bored lately when it comes to topics to write about. Well maybe I have just been a bit uninspired because plenty of things have happened that I could turn into a good tale. I can't believe I am not going to write a little bit about Michael "Bong Hit" Phelps. I don't smoke weed (Anymore). But I totally like the guy way more now. And Debbie needs to stop crying!

I'll keep you posted on the travel, training and fun that is to be had in the next few weeks. Side note to anyone that reads this in LA: I had to go to the ER when I got that nasty flu and I honestly think it would be faster for someone in need of an ER to fly out to Boulder rather than going to Cedars. I have never in all my life been seen so fast. The doc even came in and "hung out" for a while. It was brilliant.

TIMEX/TRISTAR Showdown Update

2009-01-23T10:57:00.000-08:00

I thought I would post an update on the TIMEX/TRISTAR Showdown between myself and Carole Sharpless that was supposed to take place on the second Saturday of January. I figured that most people probably just thought I lost the swim race because I didn't write about it. Actually it was postponed by Princess Zeiger. I can call JZ a Princess because of the "takes one to know one" policy.

Anyway, Joanna scheduled some eye correction surgery and wasn't going to be able to swim for a few days, one of which would have been second Saturday in January. She wanted to TT a 1,500 with us as well and convinced us to switch the date. This clearly works to Carole's advantage because it just gives her more time to sharpen up the swim skills she has had all her life. Myself on the other hand will probably not benefit as much simply because my top end in swimming is not even close to where hers can be. I guess this just means that when I WIN it will be even more deserved!

Since the race has been postponed to the 31st JZ is going to get a little race of her own. Marky V (Markyv.com) challenged JZ to a different kind of 1,500 race. Their challenge is to see if JZ can beat him but she is allowed to swim on his feet. He gets to flip on the left side of the wall and she gets to flip in the right side of the wall unless she passes him and then it would switch. Mark is one of the fastest swimmers in the sport and JZ is one of the fastest ladies. It will be a good challenge.

Unfortunately for me, I just had a quick stint in the ER with a fever of 106. I got some strain of the flu and now have a ton of crap in my chest. I also seem to have busted a rib from all my coughing. Sleeping has been pure joy. I haven't been in the pool for over a week but that won't stop me. I am focusing on rest and recovery and if I can get my lungs clean by the 29th I am just gonna go for it! Sharpie has been out of town and hasn't had the comfort of our group to train so I am going to assume she slacked a bit. I mean, I did get a few texts asking if it was okay that she was at a Wendy's or something.

So there is the quick update. Hopefully we will all be ready to go ahead with this race. My next challenge is to JZ. I want to take her on in a 1,500. She has to swim and I get to use a buoy and paddles. For some reason my ability to swim with paddles makes me 5 times faster than without. It will still be hard to beat her though.

What The Poop?

2009-01-05T12:10:00.000-08:00

Well I am back in Boulder after 7 days with the folks. It was nice to see them and also watch their progress. My dad is training for Wildflower (they live on the course) and he has never done one. I was impressed that he came out and rode the entire long course loop. I was just happy to be riding outside!

Now that I am back in BOCO and the New Years Beer mile is over (I sucked) and JZ's New Years Party is done (I hid for a good while upstairs) it was time to get everything rolling again. Our Saturday morning swim group that I like to call "Saturday Morning Cartoons" was back in action. JZ had no problem dishing out a hard set that was supposed to help Carole and myself get ready for the Timex/Tristar Showdown. Which, by the way, seems to be growing with competitors. More on that later. Considering this was the WORST swim I have had in months I am very thankful for the "other" event that took place in the pool that crazy morning.

As I was walking on deck to the pool freezing my nuts off because someone stole my new swim parka, I saw Carole and JZ getting ready to jump in. I swim in the same lane with Carole and she was off before I could even say "hi" to her. That is odd as she never likes to start without the group. When I got in I kept noticing that she was standing up a lot and acting kinda weird. I didn't really think much of it because, well, we are all usually acting kinda weird. I figured Carole was probably getting ready to flash me or something! She tends to do that with me. Conversion tactics that don't work.

Anyway, about 300 into the warm up she stops at the wall and is laughing. I thought she swallowed a leaf or something. Looking back on all this I can't believe how clueless I was that something was up. I even noticed JZ stopping and laughing for a second. Normally she is buzzing away like a humming bird on the warm up trying to lap me on 200's and when stopped she is barking orders at us!

Soon enough I discovered what all the laughter was about. However, when it happened I didn't put 2+2 together. So, as I am swimming along I finally look down and notice that there is apparently a log of poop sitting at the bottom of our lane. I literally did a freaking double take, stopped and yelled to Carole and JZ that we had a log in the lane. Before I could hear Carole or JZ respond I went down to investigate how bad this was going to be.

Under water I didn't want to get too close to it but I had to make sure it was in fact a poop log. As I got closer it continued to pass the identity check. The only thing fishy about it was that it wasn't "glowing". You know what I mean, poop tends to have that halo around it that can look like an angora sweater. It looked dense and dark, divots and all.

When I came back up you would think I would say "We need to get out of the water!" But no, what do I say? "You guys have to come check out this poop log!" I was in disbelief that someone would crap in the Flatiron pool. And let me tell you, this one did not come from a kid. It was adult size.

Carole and Joanna were cracking up. I know they love poop humor just as much as I do but there were no signs of them freaking out. Carole then proceeds to tell me that it was in fact a potato, a black potato that she has been wanting to plant in my lane for about two weeks. How the potato was discovered is so funny to me and you can read that on sharpies blog (www.carole-sharpless.com) I have been laughing about that blog and the poop incident since it has happened. I would like to thank Carole for getting my abs back!

When Billy finally showed up we tried to pull the stunt on him but he was in such a mood from being up all night with his new puppy that nothing was going to make him laugh. Some lady showed up towards the end of our workout and almost jumped out of the water. Carole quickly told her what it was and she too started laughing. We laughed all the way to the hot tub and then realized that we had left the potato in the water. Did we go back and get it? Of course not! Kelly Reed just showed up to swim and we didn't want to deprive her of the joke. Plus, she was directly related to the potato.

Anyway, check out Carole's blog. She tells the story way better than I have. I will post in a few about the growth of the Timex/Tristar Showdown. Hopefully my horrific swim on Saturday is no indication of how I am going to swim in the Showdown. I have a HEAD SCRATCH to win!

TIMEX / TRISTAR SHOWDOWN!

2008-12-20T17:53:00.001-08:00

A few weeks ago our little training group of Billy Edwards(www.billythekidtriathlete.com), Carole Sharpless(www.carole-sharpless.com), Joanna Zeiger(www.joanna-zeiger.com) and myself were at the pool doing our Saturday AM swim workout. Usually it is some form of torture that JZ has come up with. Anyway, I am not really sure how it came to be, but a swim challenge between Sharpie and myself developed. I think JZ said that Sharpie could "kick my ass" in a 1500 meter swim. I love it when my coach has 100% faith in me! Probably pay back from when she was drinking something out of an Ironman Arizona glass and I said; "Sure ya can finish that?" Clearly you have to have thick skin in this group.

Anyway, the TIMEX/TRISTAR challenge is set for the second Saturday in Jan. It will be a 1500 short coures meter race at altitude in Boulder! I am calling it the TIMEX/TRISTAR Challenge because Sharpie races on Team Timex(www.timex.com/gp/node/n/242470011and) I race for Tristar(www.tristarathlete.com).

My background is running and Sharpie is one of those "fish" people. In 2007 she came to support in Kona (she is the worlds best cheerleader!) and was out for a ride with Billy and JZ and had a horrible crash. Broke both wrists and and really busted her already "not so great" back as well as some other stuff. Basically she was messed up pretty bad. Long story short she is on the mend and as the rest of us proceed to get fat in the off season, Sharpie seems to be getting fitter as each day goes on!

Right now we are very similar in the pool. I know she HATES that I can keep up right now! However, with her swim background, I could be totally screwed by the second weekend in Jan. Swimmers don't loose their mojo. They just put it away for a while and with her new found motivation to humiliate me at the Flatiron pool, it is clear she is polishing up the swim mojo to be nice and shinny!

Lets not forget to mention the fact that I think both her and JZ are trying to sabotage me. First, I show I up to our lifting session and Sharpie is all bubbly and hands me a loaf of pumpkin banana bread that weighed around 12 pounds. "Happy Holiday honey!" Then I go over to JZ's for one of our group training rides because it is as cold as witches fart outside and JZ hands me a basket of homemade chocolate truffles. I know what's up. They know I have no self control and they are trying to fatten me up before the race. Clearly it is working because I ate both treats in one sitting. JZ called to inform me that she made more but this time I stayed away from the house! I'm on to you both!

Regardless of how fat I get from now until the second Saturday in January the race is on. I really think that a swim race is a wonderful idea for triathletes. We rarely do that and in my mind you NEED to race to get better. I think we should race once a month in the pool to get that burn and use it as a marker for where our swimming is. Plus, the race has been a great motivator for the both of us. Sometimes in the winter months (I have been in summer for the last 3 years so I am talking out of my ass) you need that extra motivation!

This race is not just for bragging rights. If I win (which I will!!! OHHH!! YEAH!!!) Sharpie has to scratch my head for 30 min while I lie back and make uncomfortable sexual type groans. If she wins (Whatever!) I have to clean her car inside and out. I might just do it for her anyway cuz that is the kind of guy I am....Awweeeeeee. NOT! Take that shit to the car wash and get back to scratching my head! Haha!

Seriously though, both Carole and I have been working really hard at our swimming and general training. We have the best crew and are so fortunate to be living in Boulder. I think we may film the race so I will try to post some clips if we do that. Even if I get my ass (and mouth) handed to me, I know the effort will ultimately help both of our swimming and that is the real goal at hand.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Holiday. I will be sure to post a blog after the Beer Mile and New Years party at JZ's. I have a feeling there will be plenty to write about!

Cheers,
bdc

Proposition 8

2008-11-20T15:57:00.000-08:00

Some time has passed now since the historic presidential election of Barack Obama. I am a supporter of Obama and voted for him because of his stance on many of the pressing issues this country faces. However, I do understand the importance of him being the first black man to become a US President. Politics aside, I think it should be recognized as a milestone, even if you did vote for the other guy.

Unfortunately while we took this great step forward, we also took a few back. There were several issues on ballots across the country that pertained to the equality of gay people. Yes, in the "Land of The Free and The Home of The Brave" we spent millions of dollars and hours of time focusing on whether or not two people that love each other can take part in the same union that people with opposite genitalia do. Sounds kinda silly when you put it that way....

The biggest loss gay people saw in the election, besides the one in Arkansas that bans gay and single people from adopting children, was Prop 8 in California (which I will be focusing on) and proposition 2 in Florida. The proposition amended the constitution of California to ban same sex marriage. The issue was previously granted by the California Supreme Court, saying that it was "unconstitutional to deny same sex couples those rights". That is why the opposing side had to attempt to amend the constitution. Now it is "constitutional" to ban same sex marriage.

Organizing my thoughts on this issue is a bit challenging because I have so many. Clearly there is plenty being said about the Mormon Church that encouraged its members across the country to donate to the "yes" side of the proposition. Twenty two million dollars of encouragement. But let’s not give Mormons ALL the credit. You had plenty of other religions with their hands in the cookie jar. Not to mention the hordes of minorities, who continue to suffer from discrimination, casting their vote to ban marriage. I mean, even Dr. Laura Schlesinger, a Jew, is against the idea of gay marriage. I sure wish I could invent a time machine. I wonder where and when I would send her? Perhaps to a time where she could see just how far discrimination can go. Nazi Germany did not start on a large scale. It was a seed that continued to get watered. Prop 8 is a seed.

That last comment might get me in trouble but it leads me right into the sub discussion of this issue which is that of comparing struggle. A huge majority of the Californian black community played a role in passing Prop 8. Many black people do not see the parallels between the civil rights movement and the gay rights movement. It seems they feel that it takes away from their hard times. Well, I guess it is more that, what gay people go through is nothing compared to what black people went through and still go through to this day. I totally get that but still think they need to take the time to examine the issue purely from the perspective of discrimination. A perspective they should fully understand.

I think black people should see the comparison to the civil rights movement not as an insult or threat to their struggles but rather a compliment. HELLO! Black people have paved the road on the idea of anti discrimination. And another "HELLO!", Gay people aren’t just white! We come in all colors, except of course, that shade called Iranian. Apparently they don't make that color.

And you also have to think of the issues in terms of percentages. Black people make up a larger percentage of people in this country than gay people do. If there were as many gay people in this country as there were black people I think you would see a higher percentage of anti-gay crimes being committed than you do now.

But let’s forget all that and discuss why so many black people didn't have our back on this issue. Plain and simple, you have religion, misinformation and CHOICE. I am a huge believer that the main reason gay people struggle on these issues is because it is seen to most as a choice or "lifestyle". Can I tell you how much I HATE it when people refer to my being gay as a lifestyle? Doing triathlon is a lifestyle. Being gay is like being left handed. But again, even if it WERE a choice I’d say "SO WHAT!"

Arguing against racism is a lot easier than arguing for gay rights because there is no way to deny the color of one’s skin. Homosexuality is not as “black and white”. Black people don’t have to come out with their “blackness”. It’s hard to continue to argue for discrimination on something that "just is". However, I bet if we put a proposition up in the South to take away some of black people’s rights it just might pass. But hey, it would have been voted on by the people. I guess that makes it okay!

Part of this issue seems to also be that everyone is so nice. I have gotten quite a few "nice" e-mails from my Mormon friends that I had in high school not understanding why I am so enraged at the Mormon Church's role in this. They say things like "we don't hate gays. We just think marriage should be kept between men and women. Would it be okay if we gave you the same rights but didn't call it marriage?" I feel some cursing coming. FUCK OFF!!

It should be noted that Mormons prohibited blacks from holding the priesthood in the LDS Church until 1978. Holding the priesthood was a right given to every other adult male. Without the priesthood, blacks were forbidden from entering Mormon temples like the big one on Santa Monica Blvd that you see in all the protests. They also could not participate in eternal marriage ceremonies there which effectively consigned them to a lesser version of heaven. Mormons place their whole concept of heaven on forming eternal families through marriages or “sealings” in their temples.

Mormons are finally coming around to the fact that people are born “homosexual”. They don’t really like the word gay. The catch for them, which is also the catch in a lot of other religions, is that it is a sin and it should not be acted on. So basically they acknowledge you are born that way but you are never supposed to act on those urges and desires for love, sex and compassion that heterosexual people have. Do Mormons really believe that a god would ever create so many of his children to be gay and consign them to a life of loneliness? And per religion, aren’t we all created in God’s image? Doesn’t that mean that there is a part of God that is gay too?

I am really getting sick of being nice about this. Everyone is hiding behind the "nice" side of this. It is time to get mad. Is it worth getting mad over marriage rights? You bet it is because this goes deeper than marriage rights. Look up the suicide rates of gay youth. Look at how gay teens have been treated. Look at people like Matthew Shepard. When the COUNTRY allows for some of its members to be seen as second class citizens which this marriage crap does, then you justify the public treating them that way.

The part that kills me on this is that it was the Churches that made this happen. I really think the Mormon Church should become an example and loose their tax rights. They had their hands too deep in this political arena. If Mormons were going to lose their rights for practicing religion I would certainly vote for them to be able to keep them. They should be able to practice their religion even if I feel it is a stupid religion. I think most religions are lame but I don't want to take that right away from people. Believe whatever you want just don't impose your views on everyone else, let alone the government. SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE!

I have heard the argument that some are worried that if gay marriage passed and their priest or whatever didn't want to perform the marriage, he or she could be arrested for discrimination. Give me a fucking break! Churches are absolutely protected under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and have always had restrictions on who they choose to marry. It's their choice to perform marriages OR NOT and always will be. First off, if your church doesn't believe in gay marriage and you are gay YOU NEED TO FIND A NEW RELIGION!! Secondly, you don't see Catholic priests being arrested for discriminating against people that have been divorced.

Let’s talk about how sacred marriage is. Really? Is it sacred? Is there something sacred about two drunk people in Vegas that get married in a drive through? Look at the freaking divorce rate! Tell me what is so damn sacred these days about it? If you want to save marriage you need to make DIVORCE illegal. Then maybe people would think a bit more before they tie that knot which usually ends up around their neck. If you ask me we need to take marriage out of government all together. Make everyone able to get civil unions and if you wanted to get "married" in your church then so be it. Just don't invite me.

Another problem right now is that people think civil unions are the same as marriage. They aren't. If I have a civil union with your brother and he dies, you, as the sibling, have more rights over him and the estate than I do. I’m talking about inheritance rights -- automatically rather than having it have to go through probate, not having to pay tax upon inheriting the property, and not having to adjust the tax basis of the property if you decide to sell it. The biggest "right" is actually attached to Federal law -- it's rights of survivorship to Social Security and other retirement plan (pension) benefits.

Some people have said "why don't gay people just set things up contractually then?" Well that costs money and we shouldn't have to do it the longer and harder way. EQUALITY people. It ain't that complex. Besides, many of the rights attached to marriage cannot be set up via contract. Same sex partners in a civil union or even opposite sex domestic partners aren't entitled to federal Social Security benefits. That only comes with the word "marriage." Not to mention that if I wanted to add a domestic partner to my health insurance, I would have to pay tax on it. My employer is kind enough to offer it, but because the IRS doesn't recognize same sex couples as "married" even in MA and CT where it is legal, I would still have to pay tax on the cost of that insurance because of the word "marriage." Again, please tell me how my getting married affects you?

I have done quite a bit of world travel in the last 3 years. It sure would be nice to know that if I met someone in another country and it went well that he could come back and live in the US with me. Straight people can do this. I have plenty of friends that are married to no US citizens. In fact, two of my friends that were both non US citizens actually got married in the US. Does that make any sense?

One more issue and then I am done. About the whole "I don't care what people do in the bedroom”: Is your straightness restricted to the bedroom? NO! Is being gay only about having sex? NO! People that say “I don’t care what you do in the bedroom” make me want to drop kick them to the moon! If you are in a straight relationship I want you to take a few days and see how many times a day you throw your sexuality in my face.

“Man! All that straightness just makes me SICK! Do they have to hold hands and wear those rings? It just makes me so uncomfortable when they talk about it. I can't even get dressed in a locker room with out hearing about all those straight guys’ talk about the pussy they got on Saturday night.. And what about those women that go on and on about planning their weddings or talking about how their boyfriends don’t pay any attention to them. ICK!

Clearly I don't feel this way and I hope what I just said sounds ridiculous. "Yeah but if we let gay people have equal rights I don't want my kids seeing that and turning into a Mo." Look people, I have been hanging with straight people all my life, and as much as they try to convert me, nothing has happened thus far. I mean, I do tend to smell my clothes to see if they are clean but as far as having a taste for pink taco.....hasn't happened.

I think the best way to really understand how I feel is by watching this video clip below. Keith Olbermann is not my favorite but he really hits the nail on the head here. I would love to hear some arguments against what he says. And please, get out those bibles so I too can find fun and utterly retarded reasons for stoning you!

Actually, I think I am going to go make up some signs right now and go harass all the fat people for their gluttonous behavior. GOD HATES FAT PEOPLE!!!!! MAYBE IN HELL YOU CAN LOOSE SOME WEIGHT CUZ IT WILL BE LIKE A SAUNA!!!! JESUS DID IRONMAN!!!! THINK OF ALL THE STARVING KIDS IN THE WORLD NEXT TIME YOU GO TO WENDYS!!! FAT PEOPLE SHOULDN'T BE ABLE TO BREED!!!! MOOOW!!!! ....Ohh this is fun! Now I see what all those crazy FAG HATERS get out of this. LOL...I'm just kidding of course....

This is the link to the clip:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnHyy8gkNEE

Here is clip with screenwritter and executive producer, David Lance Black. He produced the upcoming movie "Milk" with Sean Penn about Harvey Milk. He was also a writer for the HBO show Big Love. Black is gay and grew up as a Mormon.

http://www.npr.org/templates/rundowns/rundown.php?prgId=13

As well, "Talk of the Nation" on NPR had some intersting points about Prop 8. Less than 20 min.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=97266934

In The Works....

2008-11-07T18:36:00.000-08:00

Hey All,

Don't you worry! My blog on PROP 8 is in the works.....

bdc
Second Class Citizen of The United States

Hawaii IRONMAN 2008

2008-10-16T13:05:00.000-07:00

Well the race here in KONA has come and gone. I wasn't very good about writing prior to the race (actually I wrote nothing at all) so I will make sure I keep this short (yeah right). I don't have any pics to put up right now either. Man! What a slacker I have been! I guess it was really just one of those times where ya had to be there.....

Going into this race I had to be very careful not to mistake what I really wanted to do (my ideal) and what I was going to be capable of doing for where I was with things (my reality). Last year I had a pretty good race and a successful season that included many other races. This year was very much the opposite. Less "success" with almost no racing. Ultimately this has all been an effort to get rid of a long standing injury in my foot. In the end, I think my choices this season have been wise and my race in KONA was a step in the right direction.

The one thing I really noticed this year was that I was much more relaxed going into KONA. I never really got that nervous about it so when race day rolled around it just felt like another training day. In fact, I was actually excited to race because I felt like I had just been sitting on my ass for weeks. And that wasn't even true as my taper was only 5 days. The decision to make the taper short was due to my lack of a season and how horrible I felt in the 1/2 I did a month before where I tapered a bit more. Anyway, I was very eager at this point to get it going.

My bike spot in T1 this year was in the coolest place. I was the first bike you saw when in transition. I had number 97 as that was my place last year. 97 racked first in the isle that was closest to the T1 exit. I was the last male number before you started the pro women (how ironic lol). There was no 98-100 so those spots were left empty and then you had 101 which was the number of the new Queen of Kona, Miss Chrissie. I have the strangest feeling that she won't be handing over that crown any time soon (flat or no flat). Since I was in the age group wave that started 15 min later, my bike was going to be standing there all by itself. I would have all the room in the world and not far to run with my bike.

Before the race I was in the same area that I was last year, right near that giant blow up Power Bar Gel. This year every person in my group had a Power Gel in their pocket due to the fact that I didn't have mine last year. It was kinda funny but nothing really comical happened so I might as well fast forward to getting in the water.

I had decided that my swimming was strong enough where I could hit it pretty hard and try and get in with a slightly faster pack. I swam an hour flat last year and wanted to be in that 57-58 group this time round. My plan was to go line up with Scott Davis and use his feet to get me out in the first 400 meters and then I could settle in knowing that he is ultimately too fast in the water for me.

We swam out and got right on the front line dead center. They had us roped in a tighter line this year so it seemed a bit more crowded than last year. As we all floated around nervously awaiting the cannon I started asking people nearby what their projected swim times were. I heard times that made me feel confident that starting where I was would be a good idea (note to self- it was a DUMB idea).

We kept waiting and waiting and finally I looked at Scott and said "When do you think this race is gonna sta...BAAAM!" That always happens to me LOL! I started swimming as fast as I could. And when I say as fast as I could I am not exaggerating. I felt like my life was in DANGER! Never in my whole experience of triathlon has anything like this happened to me in the swim. It was a disaster. I was being engulfed by people, I couldn't breathe, I couldn't take a real stroke I was fucked. That's the king of bad language- but that's what I was. I tried to stay calm even though I have a huge issue with claustrophobia, HUGE! I began to tell myself "this will only last for another min and then it will clear up. I was in shape so just put your head down and swim". Well that was too late. I started to panic. And when I say panic I mean I started to PANIC. I was gonna be that guy that dies in the swim.

Once that feeling kicked in I stuck my head up, stopped swimming and looked both ways to see which was the shortest way out of this mess. I just wanted out of the swim and to be in clear water. This didn't go so well with the rest of the people in the race as I was now in their way and getting pounded by fists. At least my head was out of the water and I could breathe. I did what I had to do and climbed over a lot of people to get to the side. Once there I had to pull myself together fast or I might pull the plug entirely.

Luckily when I came to watch this race a few years ago I was one of the guys on a surf board and had pulled a pro out of the water because he began to panic. That guy decided not to finish the race and I was now in that exact situation. I tried to get that guy to keep going but he decided against it.

I took my own advice that I gave a few years ago and started swimming at a very relaxed pace and tried to find my breathe again. I was so far away from anyone that it was easy for me to do this. The next two buoys I came to, I passed with them on my left. Technically they are supposed to be on your right but we were going in a straight line so it didn't shorten the course at all. There was no way in hell I was going to go near anyone yet. Plus I saw plenty of people ahead of me do that and the officials seemed fine with it.

Slowly I got my confidence back and found some feet. I thought for sure my swim was now blown but it didn't phase me that much. I was just happy to be calm again and before I knew it I saw the turn around boat. This was a bit of relief but I also knew it was going to get crowded again. Sure enough it did and things got physical. I was fine now and did my best to just let my hands glide off anyone I made contact with. Unfortunately some dick head in front of me thinks it is okay to violently kick his feet if he gets touched. His violent kicking came so close to really knocking me out. I understand that some people swim on you to draft and you can get annoyed but in a situation like this, purposely kicking that way could have really hurt someone (me). There is no excuse for violent kicking. I'm having rubber wrist bands made immediately LOL!

The best part of that swim was when I got to the pier I thought, "Boy, this was a piece of cake minus the panic. You aren't even tired!" In all my Ironman swims I always get out of the water being very thankful that it is over. This one felt like a 1/2 Iron swim.

Transition was SOOO crowded. Last year it was pretty empty but this year it was standing room only. I felt like I got out pretty fast and decided to put all my stuff on near my bike. And sure enough it was just me. I looked like I was a pro that really sucked!

Heading out on the bike was business as usual. I passed a few people that I knew straight away and though "that's odd?" thinking they would be miles ahead by now. Then I passed Mark Pietrofessa in the exact spot I did last year. We both commented on it. The bike was turning into dejavu. Lots of people all riding a very uneven pace.

Out on the Queen K there were draft busters all over the place and they were handing out yellow and red cards like a fat geeky hall monitor on a serious power trip. I get that they were trying to fix the drafting issue but doing it in the first 10 miles of the race is a bad place to do it. There are too many people and I don't think anyone was drafting to "get ahead". This race does need some time to thin out a bit and if we can't achieve that after an hour or so then something needs to happen.

Knowing that the motor bikes were hovering around us I tried my best to stay back from other riders but again, people would jump into my legal zone. It was frustrating and equally frustrating if you made a pass and then 5 seconds later they passed you back. There was a gap between myself and another pack up the road. I wish I had the strength to put the hammer down and dump these guys that were around me but I wasn't willing to do it. We came through the 40K mark in 1:04 and that felt pretty easy. I felt good that I was riding well and then WHAM "Number 97! YELLOW CARD!" I looked over and the draft buster was telling me that I got a yellow card. Me and my big mouth had to say something and turned that yellow card into a red card. It was so unfair. Now I had to stop at the next penalty tent and stand down for 4 min. When I got to the tent I couldn't believe how many people would go by in four min. It was killing me! Not to mention that as they went by it looked like giant pelotons. I was so pissed.

Once I was released all I could see were hundreds of bikes up the road. The wind was howling and I was having a hard time shaking the penalty. Staying in the game mentally was my biggest challenge of the ride. Not only was I now much further back than I wanted, the wind had picked up and I wasn't making any ground. I kept getting passed by people and couldn't understand what the hell was going on. Where was my power?

I climbed up to Hawi at a snails pace due to the wind and was again a bit discouraged when I saw where the riders that I wanted to be riding with were. They were miles ahead of me. The only thing that kept me going was to say that they will all implode on the run.

The decent from Hawi sucked donkey balls! I am so glad that I only had 404's on because the wind was not taking prisoners that day. I had gotten out of my aero bars because I felt like I couldn't control my bike. A guy rode up to me and said to get aero and put my weight on the front of the bike. Good advice but it was Kevin Moats giving it and I couldn't keep up. Kevin is in his 50's and I am being dropped. Fun. Well wait, it gets better! I saw a 70 on another guys calf. Funner!

Clearly I wasn't having the ride I wanted but it didn't "feel bad" I just wasn't going anywhere. When I finally got off the decent and made it back to the Queen K I thought I felt fine so maybe now I can try and put out a little more power. The wind was bad the whole ride and any extra power I put out didn't show. Ultimately I decided to just keep riding and hope it wasn't as bad as it seemed.

The last 20K of the ride felt great minus the issue I started having with hot feet. I haven't had hot feet in ages and for some reason they were both burning up. Possibly the scorching KONA sun?? It was just one of those things that I had to block out. For some reason pain like that works well for me. It helps me focus. I have run some of my fastest runs with blisters that felt like cattle prods.

As I got off the bike I wasn't able to get my shoe open so I just clicked out and ran towards the tent. As soon as I made the turn and hit the AstroTurf I went a sailing! My cleat slipped and I went right down on my side and into a a guard rail. That must have been comedy to anyone that saw it. I wasn't too happy but luckily I wasn't hurt. I took the shoes off and ran the rest of the way in my socks.

The next 5 min were chaos in the transition tent. People everywhere and my brain just couldn't really think. I was happy to get out of T2 but as I started running I had this feeling like "this isn't going to go well." I had to think back to a training run I did off the bike where I felt like passing out and then had some sugar and was fine. I knew not to judge things until I had gone about 15 min. Maybe I just had left over issues from the bike. Lord knows I didn't ride very fast so I shouldn't be that affected on the run.

Things did start to open up for me. My legs felt as if I was out for an easy run. I had my Garmen on so I could tell what my pace was. I wanted to know that so I didn't run too fast. Last year I had a 5 mile section that was really bad. I wanted this run to flow the whole way and not have any evident "dips". My goal was to run 3:05 or faster and not have another IM run in the teens.

I had been thirsty all day on the bike. My nutrition plan went out the window because all I wanted to do was drink Gatorade. I only had 1/2 of my gels but went through I don't know how many bottles of drink. On the run it was a similar situation. I just wanted coke. From the first to last aid station all I took was coke. No gels. Just as much coke as I could get in. I did have some water but not very much. It was a gamble but it tasted so good and seemed to give me a nice lift every time I took some.

As I ran down Ali'i Dr. I was passing people with every step. I'm not sure why all these guys rode so hard? They exited transition on pace to run a 4 hour marathon. But I guess that is what happens when you start the run so far back.

I noticed up the road a pro female that seemed to be clipping along at my pace. I figured that if I caught up to her I would have someone to run with, so I picked it up a tad and settled back in when I caught her.

We were moving along at a nice steady pace. I said hi and we had a quick chat about the race. I asked her if she could keep this pace up and she replied with an enthusiastic "oh yeah". I didn't know who she was and when I looked at my watch I became a bit skeptical of the pace. So I waited a bit and then slipped in "soooo what is your fastest IM run?" She responded with 3:00 and I was sold! This was my girl. She knew what she was doing so I thought I would just run with her.

It was really fun to have a buddy on the run. She would drop me in the aid stations as I was having issues with running fast through them and getting in all that tasty coke. But I would catch back up. One aid station I was able to keep it rolling and we made note that it was my best one yet! lol

It was really hot on Ali'i and my shoes were soaked from all the sponges I was grabbing but I felt totally fine and comfortable. I told my new found run buddy that last year when I got to the top of Palani, things feel apart a bit for me. It came out of the blue so I was a bit tense that it might happen again. She reminded me that we were just out for a run and this pace wasn't super fast.

Once we made it up the hill and started our trek out to the Energy Lab, I realized that it wasn't going to be that far. Last year I felt like it took forever to get there and that it was a never ending road. While in Kona this time, I studied that section of the course thoroughly and found it to be mentally short. That made all the difference in the world.

I still managed to drop the ball a bit. About 1/2 way up I was pounding coke and when I looked up my run buddy was now a bit further up on me. This was my worst aid station and I got dropped. That was a crucial mistake. Once the link was lost it was harder to keep moving. I should have made it so that my life was dependant on staying with her. I still kept it going and didn't loose too much time but she ended up running 3:01 and I did a 3:06. Had I stayed with her I would have been around 2:59-3:00 (I caught her about two miles in). But that wasn't the case and I now had to do the rest of the run on my own. We exchanged words when we passed at the turn around in the Energy Lab. She wasn't that far ahead but I didn't have the ability to bridge the gap.

The biggest issue I faced on the run was the weakness in my hips and issues in my foot. My core has been very week from an old injury that prevented me from working on it and at the end of all my runs (last 4 miles or so) I would feel the hip area break down. Since my longest run this year was only 16 miles I could feel the breakdown happening at about mile 18. I knew all I had to do now was just suck it up for less than 10 miles and I could stop.

Running back on the Queen K went by a lot faster than I thought it would and the only slow down I was experiencing was still from muscle breakdown. I wasn't really "tired" and I knew the pace wasn't fast. Once I saw Palani I knew I had made it. Not only had I made it, I looked down at my watch and realized I just might hit my 3:05 run goal. And if I don't, I will still be really close to it. I was so over running outside of the :00's. No more :10's and above for me!!! It put a smile on my face and made dealing with the hip/foot pain easier. Honestly my feet at that point were so bad I actually thought "screw it. Just run em to the nubs and you never have to do this again." I was in the "negotiating" phase of the race LOL...

When I crossed the line my body was done. I saw my dear friend Linda Bless from Bike Works waiting with a towel. I just grabbed the two closest people as my legs went on strike as soon as they crossed. For some reason, even if I feel great after an IM, my legs just stop. I guess they have that right.

Anyway, the race was not really where I wanted to be in regards to placing and the time was slower than I wanted. But I have to walk away from it knowing I had a good swim and solid improvement on the run. I learned alot form the race and dealt with some of the days adversity well. Now it is time for a rest and a plan to fix some things in the gym! I am actually pretty geeked up to race IM again. The biggest thing I take away from this race is confidence. Something about the distance and pressure of racing it clicked in my head. I think the best is still yet to come!

Thanks to everyone that supported me and congrats to all that raced! It was an awesome time and I look forward to next year!

Cheers,
bdc

Go Mary Jo!

2008-09-01T15:45:00.000-07:00

It has been a while since I have updated this thing. Honestly nothing that exciting has happened as of late and when I wrote about my training I read it over and thought I had developed a sudden case of narcolepsy! Seriously, nobody needs to hear what I have been doing. I mean, I won't have any numbers to give you and the only people that actually enjoy hearing about training are the UBER number geeks. Shit, I haven't even timed my long rides lately LOL...I just do em.

So what should I write about? The DNC? My mother didn't watch Obama's speech and I nearly ripped her a new one. (As much as a son can truly rip their mother a new one, which isn't much!) I'll just say that I think it is "Un-American" (I love that lame ass term) to not watch both candidates speak. For the last 8 years we have watched G-Dubb's try and talk. The least we can do is watch both of these guys say their thing....But I am not going to ramble on about politics other than saying you need to make sure you are registered and just get out there this November and do it. I don't care if you vote for Gramps and the Tina Fey look-a-like (even though that is a horrible mistake and only a fool would).....JUST VOTE!

The highlight of my recent weeks has actually been regarding my mother. She had come to visit about a month ago and we got to talking about her health and well being as she enters the next phase of her life- 60 and up! She was such a great runner in her day and had all sorts of things go wrong with her feet that led to surgery's and ultimately the end of her running. I have a whole differnt opinion of what happened in the last 20 years that is too long and complicated to go into. Ultimately she had developed some "ideas" in her head that over time led to her getting out of shape.

I used the word "ideas" because that is really all they are. The biggest idea that she had was that she can't loose weight. The second biggest is that she will never run again. We sat and talked about what she does to stay active and what she eats (I am eating a burger from Wendy's right now- Do as I say not as I do!) and came to the conclusion that the ideas in her head were holding her back and that she needed to tweak what she was doing. I promised her that if she did what I said, she would loose weight. Her goal is 20 pounds and it has only been a few weeks thus far and she is already at a 7 pound loss!

One of my favorite quotes that I shared with her is "He who argues his limitations gets to keep them." People do that all the time!!! I can't do this. I can't do that. It's because of this. It's because of that....

Watching her make this shift that is both physical and mental has been very inspiring to me. Success in Ironman doesn't come over night and if it does you either were a kick ass short course guy in the past or have some of that "flax seed" that seems to work so well. My mothers success will not come over night either because she didn't get to where she is now over night. It was a build up of the last 10 years. As I see her make the smaller changes in her life to reach a long term goal it makes me reflect on my own training and lifestyle to see if there are things I can do to continue myself forward as well. I know- PUT DOWN THE WENDY'S BAG!!!!

My mom is my new project. I told her that if she looses 20 pounds we will talk running. She has had some really bad surgerys on her feet and ankles but I refuse to believe that she can't run again. From my own experience with injury I think I can build her up to something. She seems to have the fire now. I will keep my blog posted on her success. I see a marathon in her future at the age of 65! How kick as would that be!!!

Well I talked about my mom this round. And here I thought I was going to talk about how I think there should be category's in Volley Ball LOL. I decided that there should be a division of V-Ball that is for teams with people 5'9" and below with a lower net. Maybe I will get into that next time....Or maybe I will just spare everyone.

later,
bdc

Fitness Update

2008-08-08T17:39:00.000-07:00

I haven't really had anything exciting happen in my life lately that is worth Blogging about so I thought I might actually do a real update.

I have not raced since Hawaii 70.3 and have been focusing 100% on getting my fitness where it needs to be and the left side of my body back in balance. I had a minor setback with my foot but patient and smart training has shown to pay off.

The best way to describe what is happening with me is simply a major shift in fitness. In the last few months I have gone from feeling injured and out of shape to quite healthy and fit. I decided to go back to solo training (no coach) after Hawaii because my injury has been so complex that coaching me is a bit of a challenge and ultimately I am the only one who truly knows how I feel. As well, I came to the realization that I know what I need to do. Getting fit is not rocket science.

Today I ran the furthest I have run since the the Hawaii Ironman 07. For me that was a huge milestone. Not only was it the furthest but it was also the most enjoyable. I was off by myself utilizing both trail and road holding a nice sub 7 min pace for the entire run. The best part is that my fitness is 100% on the way and my leg/ankle/foot is only a small step behind. Each time I bump my long run up I do get a tired foot for about the last 15 minutes but after the run it seems to be okay and retains strength that allows me to up the distance for the next one. Distance is one thing that I have added to my training. I run for a specific mileage rather than time.

I am excited to have the itch to race. I still have an entire month before I get to a start line but that itch is going to be great motivation for this next month.

Cheers,
bdc

Fun Shway!

2008-07-17T21:46:00.000-07:00

I was going to continue with my "BDC in The City" postings as I had a few more things come up that seem blog worthy. However, I was sent this link from the Slow Twitch forum that was pure comedy! I am not a frequent visitor to the site and a posting like this could be part of the reason.

http://www.forum.slowtwitch.com/Slowtwitch_Forums_C1/Triathlon_Forum_F1/Thinking_about_a_fern_for_my_workout_space_P1882194/

Hmmm...I guess you will have to cut and paste. ENJOY!

P.S. Parts of this conversation was described as "gay" and I totally get where that is coming from but I gotta say in all my years of being a gay (31) and all the gays I have known, we have never had a dialogue about ferns LOL. I think the real word we are looking for here is NERDS! And I don't mean the kind that get branded "Nerds are Hot". I mean the old school definition of Nerd. Similar to the new school definition of gay. haha.

Okay, enough of this blogging, I better get back to tending to my house plants so that when I ride inside I can increase my wattage and normalized power.......NOT.

cheers,
bdc

BDC in The City: OOOMMMM My God!

2008-07-12T15:32:00.000-07:00

It was my first real day in the city. I could hear all the honking cars, sirens and construction that had been going on since about 7am. Coming from Boulder I am used to birds chirping, squirrels climbing on trees and the occasional dog bark. I decided to jump start the day with one of those yoga classes I had found on line the night before. According to the map it was just an elevator ride and one block down the way.

Walking to class made me realize why there were so many yoga classes in the area, There was so much foot traffic that no doubt everyone on the side walk was a constant stress case. I was in awe of how many people there were. I have been to the city many times before but this just seemed unusually high. Maybe it was because Martha Stewart films her show just across the street? Although, who really wants to go see her? "And now we will be making a beautiful and tasty center piece out of fruits and chocolates" *SNORE*

The Yoga studio was on the third floor. It was Beikram yoga like I had been doing back in Boulder which means the room should be around 100-103 degrees. I had become so addicted to it in Boulder that I couldn't wait to get my sweat on! When I got to the studio it seemed really nice inside. Everything was zen as usual and the woman at the front, who was also going to be the instructor, seemed very pleasant as well. She asked me if I had done hot yoga before and I told her I had and was really enjoying it etc. She also asked me if I would like to buy a water for the class. Normally I don't drink water during the class. I seem to be fine and just hydrate after. I told her I would pass. She looked at me as if I was one of those guys who has to do everything the "macho" way and prove themselves. Really I wasn't, I just don't drink water in classes.

Once I was signed in she went over a very strict policy that the studio has. It says ONCE IN THE ROOM YOU WILL NOT LEAVE THE ROOM UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE. Basically they want you to stay in the room and go into child's pose or something if it gets too hot. I was like "fine whatever". I wasn't planning on leaving anyway. I signed the notice and went to change into my shorts.

The class was just about to start and I walked into the room directly followed by the instructor who proceeded to close the door. "HOLY HELL! WHAT HAVE I GOTTEN MYSELF INTO!!!!" I had not been in the room yet but when I did the smell was seriously making me want to vomit. Literally I had some dry heaves and developed a minor moment of panic. I looked down and saw that the room was carpeted. How can a hot yoga studio have carpet!!! There were about 7 others in the room. As I tried my best to breathe though my mouth I looked around trying to make some eye contact with anyone that might share my issue with the smell in the room. Nobody seemed to have issue but me. All these crazy bitches were breathing hard through their noses and exhaling with that "HAAAAAAAAAAA" sound. The room was extra hot as well. I was used to hot but the temp in here was CRAZY hot. Honestly you could have baked a pizza in there.

My manly pride did get the best of me and I missed my chance to run out of there before the class started. I set my mat up and quickly went over to get some water in the spray bottles that you use on the soft matt to help you from slipping. I didn't pay attention to the bottle I was grabbing and before I knew it I was spraying matt cleanser all over the place. Honestly I didn't care because it was the best smelling thing in the room. I sprayed the shit out of my matt. Sure I would probably have soap bubbles on the mat by mid class but I didn't care! I even managed a quick spray on my finger and rubbed it on my nose to try and kill the smell of the room! The girl next to me saw me do that and moved her matt over a bit LOL. I think people in the room could sense my discomfort. How was I going to make it for an hour 30 of this. I was in Yoga HELL.

Once we all got to the top off our mats for the opening breathing exercises I was getting a bit acclimated to the smell. Or maybe it was the ammonia in my nose? Anyway, as soon as the class started, the instructor who had put on a Madonna like headset was now shouting out commands at mach one to us. Was this really happening? She sounded like a yogi auctioneer. "SHiiiiiivasinavasinavasinavasinavasina, DOWNWARD DOG, UP DOG, DOWNWARD DOG going once, twice SOLD to the lady doing Cobra in the back row!" It was the most uncalled for way to run a yoga class. She kept telling us to "stretch, go further, FURTHER, feel the pain, go beyond the pain, pain is good" etc. Since when is pain a good idea in a yoga class?

My past experience in yoga has been that time can go by rather fast. Classes for me in Boulder are over before I know it. It was no wonder that when I looked up and saw the clock I only had about 45 min to go. Thank the lord! I was already dying of the heat and smell. My matt was soaked and in fact did have a few bubbles on it from the soap spray. Of course the room stank like bad booty as most of my sweat was rolling onto the carpet.

We were doing some poses that had us facing the front mirror for most of the time. But finally the yoga auction was going to take a break and she had us turn around and face the back wall for some seated stuff. My relief of all the standing pose came to a halt when I realized that all this time, which I thought was a lot, was in fact almost nothing. I had been looking at the clock in the mirror. In reality only about 15 min had gone by. How can one mistake 45 min when it is actually only 15? It must have been the heat. I don't know. All I did know was that hope was fading away and I had well over an hour left in the room. I was so thirsty, so hot, so miserable and so annoyed! There wasn't even anyone hot to look at in the room. In fact there was only one guy who was in front of me. He was mid 30's, somewhat over weight and needed a good back waxing. I didn't care. I was desperate. I gave him a mental make over LOL Not bad.

As I cleaned up Mr. Big (We'll call him that to stay in line with the Sex and The CITY theme. Besides he was in fact "big") I noticed he had two bottles of water with him. Only one had been opened and the other was totally full with delicious beads of moisture running down it like it was about to be shot for an Aquafina add. I wanted it bad. I needed it! I MUST HAVE IT! We were all down on all fours doing some easier stuff and I was trying as best I could to get "Big's" attention. All I needed to do was make him understand that I had to have that water and that I would get him a new one when it was over. That is alot harder to do with just your the eyes. I suppose I could have said something as Miss Crazy teaching the class was so loud that you probably wouldn't hear me whisper. Alas I couldn't make contact. I thought about just grabbing the bottle and acting like it was mine but I could totally see myself grabbing it and running to a corner in the room screaming "IT'S MINE! IT'S MINE!" A heat induced tantrum.

I was screwed. I had exhausted everything at this point and was stuck in the room for another 50 min with no water and no hope. We were in triangle pose and I was looking up at my hand as hoards of water came running down my arm at my face. It was at that moment that my inner Miagi kicked in. "You want race Kona! You need deal better with heat!" This whole class was in many ways like my 5 miles of crap on the run last year in Kona. When I realized that I decided that this was my lesson for the class. Sure I was uncomfortable and things stunk (literally). The only thing I could control now was my mind and holding poses. Everything else was out of my control. I decided to go deep within and stay centered for the rest of this class. I focused more on the poses and less on everything else. Of course Miss Crazy had to add one more element and turned up the heat a notch. As if we weren't all dying already! I figured at some point I would stop sweating all together. I mean how much water can I actually have in my body.

We got down to the last 5 min in class. I had made it!!! I felt so much better and really think that if anything this class was mental training for Hawaii. Well it was training for any situation in life that is beyond uncomfortable. When I picked my mat up water went everywhere. I really didn't give a shit. That studio deserved to have a giant puddle left from me. I was leaving my mark!

I took the biggest breath of my life when I got out of there and ran for the shower. I had thought for a while that I would buy several waters and chug them but now I was kinda interested to see how much water weight I had lost. I held back and stumbled my way back to cliffs. He had a scale at the Apt and when I got on I was 152 pounds! Normally I weigh around 161-164! Even if it read low, that was still some decent water loss. I grabbed a huge jug and even found some Salt stick pills and took it all in while again having a nice ice cold shower.

Later that day we were going to head out on a ride into the park. It is about 20 blocks from Cliffs place which would mean some serious city riding for me. I can only imagine what kind of blog worthy stuff it will bring!

BDC in The City.

2008-07-09T09:28:00.000-07:00

A while back I agreed to take some time away from my Boulder life and go to The Big Apple to train a bit with my buddy Cliff Scherb (a.k.a Cliff Bar, but I guess now that I have the Power Bar Sponsorship I should just go back to calling him Cliff). Cliff started an online coaching company called Tri Star Athletes ( www.tristarathlete.com ) and we thought it would be fun to do an inner city camp for all the die hards he coaches here in Manhattan.

I was very excited to go on this trip especially because I wasn't going to bring my bike. Cliff has and extra Scott road bike that he was going to let me use. The last time I came into the city with my bike was a complete nightmare! Not having to deal with all that and save on the added costs got my trip off to a very enjoyable start.

When I got on the plane I could tell right away that it was a NY based crew. Everything is very "to the point", efficient and has just a hint of friendliness so that they don't come off rude. It was very impressive the way they can say "All you's people needs ta sit down now!" and not be rude. True skill.

Anyway, somehow I got stuck sitting in front of this woman that had two over grown monkeys...I mean kids...that decided to scream and climb all over the seats for the entire flight. When the flight attendant came by with her cart there was no hint of friendliness but instead a rather large dose of an "un friendly" hint. "Lady your kids cant be climbing all overs the seats and screaming bloody murder while the captains got the seat belt sign on! Are you crazy or something?.....Pretzels?" Okay she didn't say all that but when she got to me I gave her the eye roll and wink letting her now that all of us passengers would back her up if she decided to go off on this women. She didn't and I just got my usual extra snack, a shoulder squeeze and wink back from her. *Sigh*

I of course forgot my headphones and with the new airline crunch they weren't giving any out for free. Jet Blue had the Wimbledon Final on so at least I could watch something that really didn't need the sound. The match between Federer and Nadal was so good it took my mind off the screaming, chair rocking and occasionally peanut flying over my seat. I really wanted Nadal to win. I love Roger and think he is an awesome Tennis player but I go for the underdog 99% of the time. When Nadal took it in the 5th set I found out how many people were watching the match. The entire plane made this huge gasp. You would have thought we were going down. The lady sitting in the aisle across from me was a real hoot as well. She was a blonde (dyed for sure) in her 40's (total cougar) that looked as if she may have been trying to make it in LA for a few years and finally realized Tinsel Town wasn't calling and decided to cart her ass back to NYC. She was watching as Nadal gave his speech and she had her head set on and I am assuming that her ears were a bit clogged because she kept going "AWWWWEEEEEEEE...." followed by a lip smack sound that was so freaking loud you could no doubt hear it from both ends of the plane. Literally every 5 seconds "AWWWEEEEEEEE.....*lip smack*" I couldn't control myself and started laughing. I was so embarrassed because she could tell I was laughing at her. Luckily the captian started the final descent although I would have liked to get up and go to the can so I could stop my laughing. "Awwwwweeeeee *lip Smack*"

I will admit that I felt a little displaced when I got into the airport. I have become so accustomed to traveling in smaller cities except for LAX where I really know where I am going. Here it is like a zoo. Actually it is a public zoo like Lincoln Park. What a dump! But I guess that is part of the lure to NYC.

Cliff had given me two choices to get to his place. I could either take a cab or hop on the train. I only had one bag so I decided to catch the subway. Honestly, taking a cab is like doping. It is expensive and totally cheating! Getting the train was no big deal but when I got off at 23rd st. I soon found out that I was in Queens rather than Manhattan. A cab was tempting but I just got back on the train and took one that was headed towards Manhattan. The great thing about NYC is that you have plenty of landmarks to go off. Cliff was right down the street form the Empire State Building so I just got off when I was in Manhattan and walked towards that.

When I made it to the apt I was quite impressed with the pad. The last time I stayed at a friends in NYC, the bed took up the whole place. cliffs was more like Jerry Seinfeld's place. I can do this for a week!

I settled in and got on line to see if I could find some Yoga classes in the area. Sure enough I found plenty and figured I could go all week for free. Then cliff and I walked downstairs to Whole Foods. It was just like being in Boulder but I was trapped in cement! Hopefully I won't die when we go on some rides. I'm sure there will be plenty to write about in the next few days.

Cheers,
bdc

Half Naked Cougar Spotted In South Boulder.

2008-06-14T16:20:00.000-07:00

Well I am back in Boulder after a week of really "bummer" weather in Canada. Ben and I went to watch the ITU World Cup race in Vancouver which was pretty awesome. I have never been to an ITU race before. Matt Reed was racing and I was stoked on that as I have never seen him race in person either. Fifth over all and a damn gutsy effort our there! I hooked up with Kelly (his wife) to watch the race and got a little race of my own helping her run after her very energetic two year old!

Anyway, when I got back to Boulder I was very excited to see my peeps. Teressa Rider who is abandoning us all for a, get this, "MAN" was going to come over to my house for a run before she flew off to be with that "MAN"! Teressa of course had on one of her super cute Jagged running outfits. A nice spandex bottom with a very small jog bra top thingie-ma-whats-it. Shit, if I was rocking her body you can bet I would have something cute like that on too...

The run was nice. I went her pace which is a bit slower than mine and that afforded me to run a tad longer time wise with her. She was complaining that she had a stomach ache when we turned around. Apparently she had a decent amount of beets for lunch. Who hasn't gone for a run where you had a little too much in the belly? Normally when I have these problems my running companion gets blasted with some pretty toxic farts of mine. I'm a little notorious....

We got to about 33 min into it and Teressa wanted to run further before we went back. I had been having issues with my foot again since the race and didn't want to go further so I told her that I would just wait on this bridge near the East Boulder Rec Center while she ran out and back to a parking lot. Teressa has been known to get lost on her way to the bathroom in her own house so I thought it would be safe sending her on this out and back. "Just follow the stream and turn around when you get to the parking lot". She looked around as if to get the land marks in her head before she took off. "OUT AND BACK! GO!"

I waited patiently on the bridge stretching, enjoying the views, finding my inner zen so that I don't go into freak out mode if my foot decided to hurt the next morning. When I noticed that I was feeling quite calm I also noticed that it was because so much time had passed and the Cougar was taking a really long time to do this out and back. "I swear to god....if she got lost....."

A little more time goes by and this women comes running over to me. "Are you Brandon?" she says. "Yeah I am." I must say I was concerned now. Something was definitely wrong because this woman seemed very nervous about whatever she was about to tell me.

"Well your friend is in a bit of distress." Oh shit she's probably hurt I thought. "Ummm she is down by the creek and is bottomless." I don't think my mind registered what she said right away but then I got it and thought, has Teressa pulled a Margo Kidder (Lois Lane) and gone nuts, taken her bottoms off and started running around South Boulder? I know she has been a bit stressed these days but...

"Actually she was going to the bathroom by the creek and some man startled her and she dropped her bottoms and they went down the creek and she couldn't get them. So she is just naked by the side of the creek." When I stopped laughing I had to actually grab the woman's arm and ask her if she was serious. "For REAL!?!" There was no joke here. Teressa was somewhere down South Boulder Creek trying to get it renamed to Beaver Creek. I hoped to god she wasn't running towards the bridge with her hands over her WHO HA. I was fully prepared to pretend I didn't know her and run off! But then I realized how "real" this situation was and that her bottoms were not coming back. I started running down the trail calling out her name. I figured she wouldn't be easy to see so I was looking near bushes and stuff. The women had told me that she was trying to hide near a bridge.

I ran all the way to the parking lot and couldn't find her. It was funny because for some reason when I was calling out her name I was whispering. I was waiting for a "Psst. BDC, I am over here and I lost my knickers." That didn't happen so I started to ask a few people if they had possible seen a small, fit, 1/2 naked Aussie women running around. Most said no, key word MOST, and after I told them why she was 1/2 naked they gave me this look like "That's what you get for having sex with your girlfriend down by the creek!" Now I was getting embaraced. Well, okay I wasn't. I admit, I was feeling like a stud. "uhhh yeah, that's it, she couldn't resist me and made me take her right here on the trail." Everyday I understand the straight male mentality a little bit better...

So when I didn't find her and had asked every person around me if they had seen her, and quite a few had, it gave me the idea that she had gotten help from someone. With that I decided to run back to the house and hope she was there.

When I got back my roommate Lindsay was home and I asked her if Teressa was here and she said no. When I told her what happened she immediately went into "nurse" mode (she's a nurse) and got some shorts a towel and grabbed her car keys STAT! "Come ON! She can't be left out there with no bottoms!" I explained that I didn't know where we should look so she said that we should go to the parking lot. That was where Miss Godiva was spotted last.

Lindsay who is a runner as well couldn't understand why she would take off her bottoms all the way to go to the bathroom. I was dumbfounded as well. I mean Teressa is a veteran athlete, multiple Kona Age Group Champion and was 17th overall at the LA Marathon in her FIFTIES. There is no way this is the first time she has pulled a road side service dump. I was really looking forward to an explanation on this one. We couldn't come up with anything.

Lindsay and I decided to split up when we got to the parking lot. She took the towel and drove over to East Boulder Rec and I took the shorts and ran the track. I couldn't find her again and when I made to East Boulder Rec I went inside and asked the front desk if anyone nude had come in lately. They looked at me like I was nuts but I really didn't want to explain the story. So I left and sat outside waiting for Lindsay to come here. Hopefully she had found her.

Lindsay rolls up in the car and sure enough the cougar had been caged. They were both laughing hysterically. When I got to the car I looked down and she had a United Airlines blanket wrapped around her waist. Apparently some guy ran back to his car and gave it to her. He later saw her running up and down the trail looking for me. His exact words were "Oh, good job. You are going to finish your run."

Teressa was in shock at how many people had been on the trail. "Bloody HELL. There were couples, baby joggers, dog walkers FRICKEN HECK! I just said "Hi" and pretended nothing was wrong. It wasn't until some man offered me some help by getting this blanket." Then she proceded to talk about how cute the blanket was with her top LOL!!! You should have seen how she had it on. It looked taylored!

The only thing left was to get the scoop on why she had taken her bottoms off. Well, she did have stomach problems and went to use a Port-A-potty but, well, just didn't get there fast enough. DOOH! Don't laugh, we have all been there. When she saw the creek she thought "Oh I can just walk down and rinse them out." While in the process of this some man said hi to her and she freaked and dropped them and the current took them away. I guess this actually leads to another question. "WHY DIDN'T YOU JUMP IN AFTER THEM!!!!" With my little Cougar, we may never know.

Fear not Boulderites. The 1/2 Naked Cougar spotted in South Boulder has been caught and transferred to Seattle for the next week. She will be released back into the Boulder wildlife for another two months when she returns so make sure you keep on the lookout!

P.S.- In order for me to get permission to tell this story I had to ad that I am the only one that gets to call her "Cougar". All others must refer to her as Kitten.

Cheers,
bdc

Hawaii 70.3 HONU Race Report 2008

2008-06-05T12:42:00.000-07:00

Well the first race of the season is under my belt and I have some really good information on where I stand physically and mentally. I had two goals for this race which were to grab a Kona slot and not get chicked. I know that sounds a bit lame but there were some top notch females in the race and I felt that if I could hold them off, my day wouldn't be too bad. However, as you will see, both goals were just barley met!

The week leading into the race did not consist of much. My training had just started to come around and I didn't want to do anyting the week leading up that would make me tired. The mind set was still focused on health and not doing anything that was going to upset my foot. The race would be enough.

The days leading into the race were really windy down by Hapuna Beach. I wasn't too excited about that because I knew deep down that a windy day for me was going to be a hard day. Granted, all windy days are hard, but I knew where my bike strenght was and for me to ride strong I was going to need a calm day with favorable winds. Race morning was anything but that.

I had to accept what I was in for and try and go at this with a positive attitude. I had been swimming much better lately and thought I might be in the position for one of my all time top swims. Unfortunately that did not happen and the swim was in many ways a wash. The race changed its venue to a deep water start rather than a beach run in because last year certain people decided to run along the beach and cheat. Stuff like that just gets me. Anyway, the set up was that all swimmers needed to be between two orange bouys. I decided to line up towards the deepest one to avoid the merge of people as much as possible. The problem was that all swimmers on the line were shooting for one bouy that was about 600 meters away and then will have to make a 90 degree turn. With the Hawaii IM start you have such a long way to go before you merge that things thin out a bit. This was looking like it was going to be pure chaos.

It actually got worse before the gun. It seemed that more and more people were coming over to the section that I was in. The pro filed was over here as well and they kept inching forward. To be fair, the current was pulling us all past the line and the swim crew kept trying to push us back. I of course decided to grab the bouy so I would stop drifting. That was dumb. I should have stayed on the front line and just got yelled at like everyone else. There were several people with surf boards and a guy on a jet ski right in front of us screaming that they would not start the race until people got back. There was no way that the race would start with this entire section blocked by officials. "BANG!"

I couldn't believe the race gun just went off. I was about two rows back and had a jet ski right in front of me. I got stuck so far back and was getting kicked and whacked more than I ever had in any triathlon. It was so bad that it was just stupid! There wasn't a damn thing I could do. When we got to the first buoy I thought I might have a chance to get out of it. But no, I was with people that felt a break was needed when they hit the buoy. I stoped being nice and started pushing people under. I was the jerk grabbing legs and heads and literally crawling over you. Even that didn't work. I was just stuck. The swim was going to be a write off at this point. I just put my head down and smacked feet for the rest of the way. It felt like we were going so slow. It was like a Dave Scott workout on a hot summer day!

At least I wasn't expending that much energy on the swim. When I finally got out of the water the time was a high 28 min. Bad but not horrific. When I saw some of the people that I came out of the water with I knew that it was most likely that way for everyone unless of course you can swim sub 26 min. I don't care that much about my swim times though. They are what they are...

The run to T1 is a bit long and up a decent hill. It is best that you don't run up it like Carl Lewis. Of course some people do and it just makes me smile.....well laugh. Another thing that makes me laugh is my transition times! What the hell was I doing? I must have sat down and had a coffee or something as I checked them against other peoples and I was 2 min slower than everyone. TWO MIN!!! That is so lame. At least I know I have some "free speed" for my next race. That could have moved me up a few places overall in the race.

Once out on the bike I tried to find a rhythm. Ben Cotter and Mike Montgomery were in T1 with me and I know that both of them are very strong riders. I wanted to see if I could keep them in site. That so did not happen. I did move up a bit but then we turned around to head up towards Hawi and the wind was taking it's toll on me. I actually got passed by quite a few people on the bike. There was a group ahead of me that I figured had Sam McGlone in it and I couldn't make any ground on them to save my life. Johnathin Toker passed me on the climb as if I was standing still. I think I have ridden longer and harder in training rides. But none the less it was where I was at. I thought that I would get a break when we turned back down but it seemed that we only got a brief tail wind and then it was back to a cross wind. I just wanted off the climb at that point.

When we got back on the Queen K I was passed by a good number of people including a female pro. But wait it gets better. I couldn't even sit legal and keep up with her LOL! Mitch and a bunch of others rolled by too. I was now getting a bit discouraged. Even if I could pull off a good run I was now pretty far back. I think there was a bit of concern on my part about the run as last year it was my slowest run in my entire triathlon endeavor. This was going to suck if we had a repeat of that.

When I finally made it to T2 and got off the bike the legs felt like I rode all out. My quads were heavy and running through T2 was not pretty. I had a really hard time finding my rack number and had to stop and get someone to find it for me. I was in super lame mode at this point. But none the less the shoes went on and off I went.

Mitch was stepping out of the porta potty as I ran by and he said something to me. I think he wanted me to run with him but the way things were going I needed all the time I could get and just ran off. I had my Garmin 305 on for the first time and the damn thing didn't pick up the satellite until about 2 miles into the run. Part of the reason I am not a gadget guy is that when they don't work it frustrates the hell out of me and causes my mind to think about things other than running. My goal on the run is to get to that point of ultimate discomfort as fast as possible so that I can acclimate to the feeling. One of the keys to running fast for me is to get as uncomfortable as possible and then bank on my fitness to tolerate it. If you are in shape then each mile should feel a bit better and you can push the level of discomfort. Hence my ability to run negative splits on the run. I don't recommend that in an IM though...It doesn't work!

I achieved that level of discomfort from step one and when the watch finally kicked in I couldn't believe how slow my pace was for the perceived effort I was putting out. There was still a part of me holding back though because I really didn't want to bonk on this course like I did last year. I just kept focusing on the next person in front of me and roped them in. It wasn't until some guy with a 43 on his leg passed me that the fire really got lit. I know I wasn't having my best day but I rarely get passed on a run and to have it be by some 43 year old guy was just not gonna happen. Not that 43 year old guys can't run.....

He was moving at a good clip when I caught back up to him but I could tell by the way that he was breathing that he had bitten off way more than he could chew with his pace. I used him for a bit to get my own pace up and then took off. I saw the pace on my watch start to drop and began to feel the best I felt all day. I was now on parts of the course that was pure hell to me last year. Feeling good at that point was the green light to turn it on. I had about 3 miles to go and I was able to drop sub 6's for all of them. My last mile and a 1/2 felt really good. I now had people insight that I thougth were out of my reach. Sam and Jonathin Toker were two of them. I really did not want to get beat by Sam today and knew that JT was in my age group. At this point it wasn't a matter of "Can I?", It was a matter of "Do you want it bad enough?" My body wasn't going to fail but it would be hard to convince the mind to go to a place that is that uncomfortable. I didn't have much time left so I really had to treat this like I was in a 5K road race.

I passed 2 others on my way up to them, all of which were in my own age group, and then saw Sam take off away from JT. There were two aid stations left and I had to blow them all. In fact, I should mention that this race was somehow done on almost nothing. I had a Power Gel before the swim and on the bike I had one Gel and a bottle of sports drink with a few chugs of water. I think the wind was one of the main things that prevented me from getting more. But on the run all I had was coke at every other aid station. I had JT's salt stick pills with me and never took any and only had a sip of water. Not sure why, but I never felt like I needed anything. So by this point skipping an aid station was no biggie.

I didn't catch Sam until the last 400 meters. As I ran in I could hear "And here she is. Defending champion....". All I wanted was to get to the finish and get out of there. I felt like a dick passing her at the end and didn't want to be in the way of her glory moment LOL. None the less my fast last 1/2 got me my Kona slot. I would have been about 4th in my age had I not got motivated to pick it up. I didn't win but finished second and luckily first place was from Hawaii so he got an island slot and I got the international one. His name is Flanagan and he swam something crazy like 23 min. I think he went to the Olympics for swimming. Anyway, he and I were on the bus to the airport and he said this was his first 1/2 and that Kona will be his first full. I think you will see something special by him on his first go at it.....just a hunch.

It was a great trip and if you look at the results our entire crew there took a good number of the Kona slots! Ben Cotter (25-29) Myself (30-34) Mike Montgomery (35-39) Mark Peitrofessa (40-45) Scott Davis (40-45) Linea Alford (35-39)

Great job to all that raced!

Big Decisions

2008-05-20T20:13:00.000-07:00

This was a pic taken up in Canada. I was on a run with Ben (who is Ben you ask?) and I saw this giant log thing and realized that it looked like the worlds largest turtle! It really looked like it might get up and walk off at any moment.

So this last week was filled with a few big decisions. The first being the Supreme Courts ruling in California on gay marriage. I am not going to get into that now but will later as the whole thing is more complex than it appears and I want to spell it out with all the facts. The second is related to my triathlon life. I decided that I am going to race one more year as an age grouper and have given up my pro card.

This was a decision that I was thinking about for the past few weeks. I talked to a few friends around here that I trust and it seems that everyone was in favor of me switching back. With the injury I faced this last year I don't think I am ready to step it up a notch just yet. I may still make the gains that I want to this year but I think that it would be a lot harder with the added pressure of racing pro. Even though racing "pro" is in some ways just a "classification" I still found that there are pressures around it that I really don't need right now.

I do eventually want to race pro but only when I am confident that I can race at that level. I see a lot of guys out there that have the talent but don't cut the mustard when it comes to results. Having a year like that will not benefit a guy like me. Gordo and I talked allot about the "enjoyment factor" and I realized that I wasn't enjoying what I was doing as much anymore. I think it came from this feeling that if I raced pro I was going to have to be spot on every time I came to the line. Granted, that is based alot on just worrying what other people think and maybe that is the case. I just don't want to go to a race as a pro and finish 3rd in my age. I think that's silly. But that's just me.

What I want to focus on now is having a solid year so that I do make even more gains that allow me to have the confidence to race pro. Part of that is going to be having an injury free year. So far we are still on track. If I raced pro I think I may have felt the need to rush things and that might put me back to square one with my foot. In the age group field I can relax a bit and go at my own pace. Besides, there are PLENTY of awesome age group athletes that make the field pretty damn competitive!

Some may ask how I was able to have a pro card and go back to age group this year. The simple answer is that I haven't raced yet. I never raced pro in 08 and called USAT to make sure all this was kosher and have been cleared etc.

With the switch back I also found some fire starting around an Ironman. I clearly don't have the fitness right now to do an Ironman anytime soon but as my body becomes stronger and the injury, plantar faciitis (AKA Schizophrenia of the foot) goes away, I think I would like to get a Hawaii slot and build up for it later in the year. I'm not totally sold on the idea yet but I will take my slot if I get it in Honu or anywhere else. I just love that race and had a blast last year. Having another crack at it as an age grouper seems like a great challenge to me. I was 97th overall last year so 75th seems like a nice target :-)

Training is going well and I just had a test on the bike over at Gordo's "Endurance Corner Lab". I showed signs of improvement and have actually found the testing to be helpful. I was such a skeptic before and really had no interest in it. But now I quite like it and enjoy using my power meter and dare I say heart rate monitor a bit. If anything I think it is fun to go in the lab and try and beat your last test or show that the bod is more efficient. Matt Steinmetz does the test and is really good at getting you to give it towards the end when it gets hard. And yes, this is a blatant plug for Endurance Corner! Those guys have been really good to me from the start and they have a good little show going on over there.

Well I am now a few days out of leaving for paradise to go race Honu. Lots of great friends racing from all over the world and Ben! "Whose Ben?"

Cheers,
bdc

Denver Academy Diversity Day

2008-05-12T08:51:00.000-07:00

I haven't got my site complete yet so I am going to use this blog for a non tri post (like I said I wouldn't LOL) The pic above is an attempt to balance it out. Marky V had asked me if I wanted to go Snow Shoeing up in the mountains for some "cross training" and this pic is from that day. That is actually Mark in the pic....

This last week I had the privilege of being a guest lecturer at The Denver Academy High School for their Diversity Day. I was asked to speak about the Matthew Shepard murder and also share my own personal experiences with coming out and growing up gay.

The day was broken up into two 55 min sessions followed by a lunch session with all the speakers and students for a larger discussion section. I didn't have that much information on what the day would be like so I kind of went into it a bit blind. I had several things prepared and decided that I would make a really quick assessment of the situation and go from there. For the most part I am really good at "winging" it.

When I got there I found I was a bit nervous. I haven't really talked on this subject to a group this young and wasn't exactly sure how they would react. I figured it would go both ways with some kids being accepting and others not so much. I decided that I would try and make the sessions as interactive as possible and encourage questions and sharing. However, I was going to stay away from anything that dealt with sex, religion and politics. That isn't so easy to do with this subject because right now that is the "hub" of homosexuality. It is heavily in the political arena, religions battle about it and well, part of being gay obviously involves sex. So how was I going to go about this staying away from the big three?

It turned out to be much easier than I thought. Most of the kids were really interested in my story and I easily transitioned most of the talk into a larger scope that dealt with the way in which we all judge people. I think the idea is not to stop judging but rather, where do you go after your judgment? It would be nice if we didn't judge people as much as we did but it seems we are hard wired to do it. We need to start taking our judgments and question the reasons we have them. Much of the information that we obtain on a certain subject or group of people is not correct. Taking a moment to think about things a bit more will help with that realization. I catch myself doing it. I will have developed an opinion on something and then realize that my information on it is limited and sketchy.

In regards to homosexuality, many people have very strong opinions about it that are based on miss information. Some of the questions I get absolutely floor me. "So when you are in a relationship, who is the guy and who is the girl?" That is my favorite one!

All in all I found the kids at this school to be WAY smarter than most adults on issues of diversity. It gave me a lot of hope to see so many smart young individuals that get "it" on so many levels. My talk probably would have been more effective if given to the parents.

It really is all about education and obtaining truthful information. I try to check myself when I have an opinion about something that I don't have that much information on. Even if it is as simple as my thoughts on a movie that I haven't seen. I realize it isn't fair to comment on it. People need to stop making comments on things that they know nothing about. We do it ALL the time. I do my best these days not to. It is okay to not have an opinion on something and just say " I really don't know". Lets all try it.

UCLA Cross Country Alumni Race

2008-05-06T09:26:00.000-07:00

What a difference a few weeks make! I have noticed that in the last few weeks things have really turned around. I was in a physical and mental slump in regards to triathlon for a decent amount of time and I am seeing a very bright light at the end of this tunnel. I say "this" tunnel because as we all know, it would be foolish to think that it would be the last "tunnel" when doing triathlons. It's part of it and the people who manage those times best seem to do quite well.

Anyway, as I said, things are on the up and up. I had made a quick last minute trip to LA this weekend. It just so happened that I had a meeting out there on Friday and the UCLA Cross Country Alumni Race was on Saturday. I had not been able to go to the race in the last two years so I was pretty stoked that I would be out there.

The race is a 2,400. I think we figure that is long enough but not too long while short enough but not too short. The race had been taken off the track because it was felt that the track was too intimidating and attendance became low. That was fine with me as I was in no shape to run a 2,400 on the track.

The race site was on our old stomping ground in Brentwood. We met at 26th and San Vicente which is one of the major running areas in LA. I can't begin to tell you how many times I ran up and down that strip while in college. Even when I was younger I ran and raced there as my parents always took me to the Brentwood 5K/10K race. I think I actually ran it when I was under the age of 10!.

San Vicente has a huge grass median that we run on and there are these really big trees that have roots that pop out of the ground about every 20 feet. If most people are not careful they are sure to go down. Back in college we could run that strip with our eyes closed and never hit a root!

So the race, which I decided to take part in, started at the top of SV and 26th. When I rolled up in the car I was shocked to see Bob Larson standing there. I had no idea that the "Bobcat" would be there. He had his mega phone in hand just like old times. Bob is now the head Olympic Track Coach and well known for coaching my former teammate and high school rival Meb Keflezigi. Meb had that extra something back then that we all lacked which took him to a Silver Medal in the Olympic Marathon. That extra something wasn't necessarily athletic potential. The guy was just mentally mature to a point none of us were. I guess that is what happens when your family flees a war torn part of Africa. Most of us were taking our college time for granted......

Meb wasn't at the race but he had planned to be at the UCLA/USC track meet going on later that day. A few of the guys I knew and ran with were there, most noticeably Matt Olin. He was my best friend in college and is exactly the same today. It was a real trip to be lined up on SV next to Matt with Bobcat giving us the workout.

I had debated not to do the run because of the fear of possibly injury. But I gave in and decided that I would do it. I figured I would have a "get out of jail free" card on this one. I was the most "trained" guy there and to sit on the sideline was just dumb.

After Bob got done making his jokes like he always did (some funny, others horribly painfull!) he sounded his horn and off we went. It didn't seem like we were running that fast but in a few min a could feel my lungs burning a bit. That could have been from the speed or the smog! I just kept chugging along and was laughing that I was so far back. I had to take it out a bit slower as I think all this IM training has made me slow. I haven't done any top end running in a few years other than races and boy could I feel it.

Bob was standing at the mile marker with his horn yelling out splits. I didn't have my watch on and figured we were running about 6 min mile pace. We came through at 5:01 LOL! No wonder my lungs were burning. Who knew I could run a 5 min mile out of the blue like that?? We kept the same pace for the rest of the race which was only 800 meters more. When it was done I felt like I had taken a shot of battery acid. To think we would do 8 of those at a pace much faster and not really even notice it until number 7.

Matt and I decided to go on one of our old runs since we were down that way. We headed to the Santa Monica Pier and actually ran our to the end of it. Matt and I were the only guys who used to run all the way to the end. We always felt that if we were down there we might as well enjoy it. The water looked really nasty and it pains me to think LA Tri Club people swim in it. I used to do that. Yuck!

Once back from our run which was about an hour total we gave a good stretch and then I had to rush off. I was doing a charity spin class for the Aids Life Cycle. It was an hour 30 class and was trying to figure out how I was going to be able to do that now. All in all the class was fine. Spinning is so hard if you don't do it. Even with bike fitness it still gives you a much harder workout. I think that is because it requires a strength that we don't really use on the bike. I liked it alot and found myself super sore the next day.

I was worried that my decision to do the race and the spin class would hurt me but it didn't at all and I really think I might be able to start training my top end a bit more. After the the Alumni race it made me realize that if I was injury free I could totally get myself back in to 15 min 5k shape. That is only 3x4:50 mile. If I can do a 2,400 at 7:20 pace off nothing a 15 min 5K is not that far off. But not that I am going to train for that. However, it did give me some confidence that I could get down to my 1:15 1/2 ironman run time. So we will see what happens.

As of now I am still going to proceed with caution. I have decide that Hawaii 70.3 (Honu) will be my first race. Looking forward to it and will keep the postings current on how the training is going. The new site should be up around Friday where I will be starting my other blog that doesn't talk about triathlon or sports.

Cheers,
bdc

Update

2008-04-23T21:02:00.000-07:00

So I never wrote about that last day in AZ. It isn't really relevant anymore but lets just say it was a long day with a super climb and plenty of heat. Good times as usual.

I am not the best at keeping up on a blog and I think it is actually because I have too much in my head and I can't decide what to talk about and then I just end up saying nothing. I pride myself in being a triathlete that can think beyond SBR and don't like to blog on and on about training, watts and heart rate. But it seems that most of the stuff I want to talk about these days revolves around my training and I just decide to not geek out and end up with a blog that isn't updated.

With that said I think the best decision is to start two blogs. It may sound crazy but I think I will actually be more consistent with writing if I have one that is dedicated to training and one that is just about "stuff". I suppose there are people out there that might enjoy reading about my trials and tribulations in triathlon. It would also be a good exercise for me. Writing tends to ease my frustrations. With that said I will make this update about training....or lack there of.

It's funny that I use the word "lack" in my description of training because I am clearly not "lacking". I'm just not going as long or hard as I have in the past. This is a very deliberate choice. After my time in NZ, Canada, and AZ I got back to Boulder and just realized how deeply tired I was. Tired may not be the correct word because it seems to be both physical and mental, but none the less I wanted to slow down.

The reality is that my training has reached a point where gains are not really happening. I see repeated injuries and with that I see mental burn out. You can only go so long dealing with the S.O.S. I talked a little bit about some of the changes I made in the run department in a prior blog. That ultimately led to even bigger changes.

Gordo and I had a chat about things and we both came to the conclusion that it is in my best interest to not do an Ironman this year. I had been on a program that was geared more towards health but G and I made some big decisions that really back that up. Here they are:

* No Ironman this year.
* No rides over 3:30, runs over 1:30, swims over 4K.
* No Bricks
* No back to back hard workouts
* Riding only ever other day. Swim every other day. No swim, bike, run day.
* Get running consistant.
* No racing until healthy.

When I decided to make this my new training "law" I felt like a million brick were lifted off my shoulders. Don't' get me wrong, I still have some challenging goals in the sport, but I just dont see them coming true until I get a break. Not to mention I was turning into someone that just didn't really enjoy it anymore. Ultimately I enjoy training sooo much that it would not be wise of me to continue down a path that makes it my enemy. I mean, if that happens all goals in the sport are done.

In the past few weeks I have been following my plan and the great news is that my feet don't hurt anymore!!! I took my orthodics out of my bike shoes too and the very next day I didn't wake up with heal pain and I haven't since. You may think that is because I haven't been running enough but I have run 20 days in a row in racing flats with my most recent runs being between 30-50 min.

All the bike sessions I have done have been around 2 hours just cruising. I go out with Marky V on his easy days and ride with people that I don't normally ride with because I am just chillin. It is really nice. Too bad I am not straight as I am finding all sorts of hot girls to ride with LOL!

The funny thing with this new plan is that even with the time off swimming because of my shoulder, I am swimming faster than I ever have! I went to a Dave swim the other day and lead my lane in a main set of 15x200 and was hitting 2:40-2:45 (meters) on a good number of the back end with my slowest one being 2:55. I think it was one of the first swim workouts I have had in a long while where I felt truly present. I didn't have that tired feeling that I always seem to have. And then to know that I don't have to go ride 90 miles just put a big smile on my face! I went home took a quick nap and then went about my day. I think the reduction and rest is going to be really good for me.

So that is the athlete update. I should actually have a website up by May 9th and I am very excited about that because with the reduction in training I am going to focus a bit more outside myself with some added coaching. I get a huge kick out of helping people meet their goals and pride myself with getting people under 3 hours for the marathon!

I will make the switch to two blogs once the new site is up. It will be brandondelcampo.net as I lost the .com on accident and now some British guy owns it and wants $1,500 dollars for it. Good luck with that!

Cheers,
bdc

Arizona Training- Final Days

2008-04-01T15:01:00.000-07:00

Well the last three days of camp are done with and I am back in Boulder. It was basically a 2 day block for me as I only did a 45 min run on day 6. It was too bad that I wasn't running more as we went to the Cactus Forrest which is filled with some really awesome trails. I was jealous of all the guys that got to do a 2 hour+ run. I still noticed some twinges in my feet. Honestly I am more concerned about the right one now as it is "new". The left one just feels bad in the AM but seems to go away. I am making some changes that I think may help in the long run (no pun intended)

My last two days at camp were really solid. On day 7 JD, Matt, Jonas and I went out for a separate ride. The main group was going on a two hour ride in preps for the long day 8 "Kit Peak" ride. I opted to go longer because of the lack of swimming and running. Plus it gave JD and Matt some extra people for their ride.

We went out on 86 which would be the direction we go out on Day 8. The plan was to ride 40 miles out to the base of the Kit Peak climb and then turn around. We turned off onto 286 at some point which was the wrong way to go. We just went out until we hit 35 miles and then turned around. Going out we had a bit of wind and some rollers that were more "up" than down. It was a main ride for JD and Matt so they were going at a good clip. When we turned around we dropped Matt but I think it was just that he didn't have any aero bars on his bike. Gordo seems to think we smashed him which may be the case as he has ridden pretty hard all week. But I am sticking with "lack of aero bars" as my story :-) Jonas randomly turned back 10 miles into the ride. He had a blister or something LOL.

When we got back we did a little run in the trails behind the compound (camp home base). The run was pretty good for me and I am always thank full when I get to run. I have noticed that one of the problems I have is that running on a surface that is not flat or level like a street, I really run a high risk of twisting my ankles and feel totally unstable. This should not be the case with me given my cross country background. I love trail running but over the last years I have noticed some issues with it.

What I have decided due to a few things I have read and some basic common sense is that I need to get out of my current shoes and orthodics. When I ran in High School and College I was not accustomed to running in super supportive shoes. We ran in light trainers and even lighter racers. I have a pair of my old CC racers at the house and was looking at them. I put them on and could not believe how "nothing" of a shoe they are. Then I put on my current trainer and felt like I had on platform shoes that someone might wear because they have issues with being short.

Here is what I think happened:

Over time shoe companies started making training shoes that had more and more support and over time most people ended up in a much firmer shoe than is needed. I did a decent amount of running in shoes like that but would also switch down to an ultra light racing shoe that didn't have anywhere near the support. So over many miles in the more supportive trainer, my bodies own muscles that are used to keep me stable became weak. Finally one day when I put on the light racer and ran hard I injured my foot because I was overworking weakened foot muscles and tendons.

Of course when you get injured you end up being told that you need more support, motion control, orthodics etc. And maybe you do in the early stages of the injury. But after a while you become so "addicted" to them that you find walking bare foot or without the support terribly uncomfortable.

It has been argued in several articles that I have recently read that states people who wear cheaper, less supportive shoes have lower rates of injuries. Some of these articles have also stated that the impact your body takes in these heavier shoes can be worse than if you were running with bare feet. Hard to believe for most. I was for me but when I really sat down and gave my running some thought certain parts of this theory started to ring true.

For one thing, not only do I feel less stable in the "more stable" shoe, I also feel that my body is not reacting to the surface of the ground as fast as it needs to. Think about it, When you walk or run your body is sending signals to your brain that tells your body what muscles to fire to keep you up and going. If you have all this shoe under you, well you are going to be getting "blurred" messages and delayed signals. Running for me in the past two years has taken a toll on my hips as well and I am wondering if it is because my form is being altered due to the thick shoe?

The question now is really to figure out what is going on. I can't continue on the path I am on. I am often angry and unhappy about my injuries and if they continue I will need to stop all together. That would suck. But at least at this point I have less to loose with decisions I make.

Here is what I have done:

I got out my racing flats that I ran in all year. They are much "less" of a shoe than my trainers. I took out my orthodics and put in the standard insole that comes with the shoe. Then I proceeded to put on way too many clothes as it is cold as crap here in Boulder and went out for a little jog.

I could tell instantly that I had a better "feeling" of the road. It almost felt barefoot to me! But I kept on and ran out for 10 min and then turned around. The feet felt pretty good on the run. I understand that making the switch back to a basic shoe is going to take some getting used to. I won't be able to jump right into this but I am hopeful that if given the proper acclimation period, I will get back to my roots of injury free fast running. Like I said, I have nothing to loose at this point.

Here is my plan:

I was scheduled to race Wildflower and Ironman CDA. All that is on "pause". It is uncertain if I will do either. It is also uncertain if I will even do an Ironman this year. The stress of trying to train for a race while you have multiple injuries going on is too hard and ineffective. This is a bit hard for me to digest as I love to race and proved it last year by racing a ton. Granted I did quite well for where I was but it seems I am left now in a state that is unproductive. Is that due to all the races I did on an injured body? Maybe? Does that mean that racing alot is a bad thing? Not in my mind. There are plenty of people out there that race all distances all the time and do VERY well. I think the key to that success is that you can only race a ton when you are injury free. As of now, I am not.

This week back in Boulder is going to be filled with VERY short runs in the lighter shoes paying close attention to how the feet and body are adapting to the change.

The bike is going to be cut back as well. There will be no long rides and nothing too fast. That won't be hard with this weather! For the most part my riding focus is going to be about recovery. Gordo and I both agree that I have put some decent work in and that letting the body absorb it is not a bad thing.

At camp I got a second cortisone shot in my AC shoulder joint and that took a large majority of the inflammation down but swimming still aggravated it and I have pain throughout the day. However, I took the last few days off from the pool and have noticed that many of my muscles in my arm and shoulder are sore from that one simple 2K swim that I did on Day 8. That is probably a good sign because it just means that the surrounding muscles need to get back up to speed in order to support the joint. Dr. J thinks that that shot may take a few days to have a full effect and that I can work swimming back in at small doses. I am also going to schedule an MRI as the burning sensation I feel might indicate a tear. If that is the case then we deal with it. I know plenty of people that have had a tear there and a simple procedure can be done to fix it and the success rate is very high. But I would really prefer avoiding that route. I am going to try a 1,500-2K swim every other day and see what happens. Again, nothing to loose.

Once I get some of these things sorted then I can figure out what a good basic week will look like for me. Until then it is operation "Fix BDC"!

I guess I never got to Day 8 of the camp. I will write about that in a separate blog as it was a very decent day and deserves it's own blog. I am SOOOOOO glad to be off the road and back HOME! IT has been a long 3 months.

Cheers,
bdc

Tuscon Heat Fest-Day 4

2008-03-26T17:00:00.000-07:00

Today was a step in the right direction as I was able to get back in the pool! That was very exciting for me as it has now been a good two weeks since I last swam. I only did 2K but to be honest I didn't notice much difference from where I left off. The shoulder does hurt a bit now but seems manageable. The cortisone shot arrived so I think I will give it until the end of the week before we use it.

Our ride today was pretty good. It was by far the hottest day for us and felt like it was well into the 90's at certain points. I still can't get over the dryness factor and have had a huge headache for the last two days. I know it is just dehydration but I can't seem to get back on the plus side with the water. It's not really effecting my ride except for the fact that it feels like a hammer hitting me all day LOL...

We got on the bikes after the swim. The guys from Wheels on Wheels had transported them all for us to the pool. The service they provide is EXCELLENT and my bike has never been this cleaned and tuned for this many consecutive days. I got a nice demo on how to quickly clean a bike thoroughly from one of the guys. I think I might get some OCD on bike cleaning when I get to Boulder.

I rolled out with the A group and Matty got on the front pretty early on and had the pace rollin a bit. I was second in line and when I pulled through we split up a bit. Jonas and I took off but honestly I wasn't trying to drop them. I think I just took advantage of a larger gear I have on the slight down hill. We didn't know where we were going so we eventually had to stop and group back up. Plus it was so damn hot and dry that we figured we could grab a swig of coke from JD who was in a SAG van crewing.

Once we regrouped we did a bit of pace lining which is always fun to do at a camp. I was a bit concerned of our choice of road that we decided to do it on so I decided to lay back for a while. Somehow I got back on the front and Jonas, Jeff from North Carolina and myself took off again. We broke away (unintentionally) and finsihed the ride together. I think Gordo and Matt doubled back to check on the group as it was so hot that a double back was probably needed today.

The climb was unusually easy for me today. We did have a slight tail up it but I can tell that my legs and "pep" are bouncing back. I think that I haven't felt fresh because I have taken a bit longer to adjust to the new time zone from NZ. Even though I was in Canada for a week prior I wasn't able to make the time change happen. I wasn't able to get up before 12 noon to train. I'm cursed with extreme sensitivity to things LOL! At least I know it.

Sitting here now I can finally feel a break from my headache. I think I will take some clothes up to the house and do a small run when it cools a bit or maybe even after dinner. The feet feel good and I just read an interesting chapter in a book about shoes that I will write about later. Plantar Fasciitis seems to be the most chronic of injuries in the running/tri world and the more I get the feet under control the more I feel I have to offer about how to deal with the injury when it first comes on.

Anyway, time for some of Brook and Russell's AMAZING cooking. Brook is coming over to my place when we get back to Boulder for some crock pot cooking lessons!!

Tuscon Camp- Day 3

2008-03-25T16:50:00.000-07:00

Today was a very nice recovery day. We are all sitting here outside now after a few workouts enjoying the shade and nice views. I got a little bit of a sleep in as I am not going to the pool in the AM with the crew. Hopefully I will be joining them very soon.

I rode with the second ride today that was about 30 miles or so that had a mini climb and some scenic views through Old Tuscon. Jonas and I basically rode by ourself as we opted for a slightlu faster pace. It was perfect for me to get the legs loose and some kinks worked out of them.

JD had a run planned this afternoon that left from the house into the trails. It was of course in the middle of the day with the sun beating down on us pretty hard. I like running in the heat because all the joints and muscles feel nice and loose. The trail was a bit unstable for my taste (at least until I feel more confident in the foot) but I faired well and the feet feel quite good right now. The run was 50 min.

Tomorow should be a pretty big day.

Tuscon Camp- DAY DUCE

2008-03-24T20:58:00.001-07:00

Well the second day of camp is done and I think for me, day 2 is always the hardest. Sleep last night was pretty sketch as my legs were a bit crampy still from the poor hydration tactics I had on day one. Of course they were not done on purpose and it all kinda snuck up on me. Needless to say I was still feeling the effects when I got up this AM.

Luckily my mind was viewing the ride as an out and back ride of 40-45 miles total. Granted 21 of them would be straight up! Hills never scare me because after you get enough experience with riding you understand that you can get up anything and if it is long you just find the zone and keep grinding. If it gets hard, just slow down. Eventually you will get there....."eventually" was the key word today.

The climb was Mt. Lemmon. A long, windy, occasionally step climb that takes you from about 2,000 feet to 8,000 feet. Coming from sea level, each 1,000 got a bit more noticeable. I did have one moment where I had some flash backs from the Winter Park ride last summer but it passed nicely.

My group went out last and it was Jonas, JD, Matt, Dr. J, Nick, and Jody. It should be noted that Jody had a serious case of Montezuma the day before and I was a bit curious as to what the hell he was doing climbing to 8,000 feet with us. It should also be noted that he felt the same way when he finally got up there!

Anyway, we all rolled out and Nick had some bike issues so he turned back and JD being the Good Guy that he is turned back and went with him. The rest of us rolled on and in about 15 min we were met with MT. Lemmon. And so up we went at a comfortable pace. It picked up a bit with Jonas and I on the front but I knew it would not be long before Jonas threw out a "No. No. I must fall back and rest". He was bragging about how he was going to be the slowest up. When he got to the top he admitted that he took 2 walk breaks and then proceeded to put on some Abercrombie and Fitch cologne LOL....Gordo has the pick to prove it!

None the less little Matty Stein was rollin on the front with me spinning a cadence of about 105. I wasn't lucky enough to have that gearing. We started to roll and actually got moving pretty good. He was feisty and up for a challenge and around mile 9-10 broke away from me. I was worried about cramping and feared that if I tried to go after him I would make them fire up. But honestly he was riding really well and he had it on me today for sure.

I didn't mind getting dropped as the views were spectacular. Who knew Arizona was so nice looking? So I just kept it rolling and actually hooked up with this guy that was training for IM AZ. It was a bit annoying though because he was one of those guys that if you go to pass him he surges and makes you stay back. I just wanted to ride my steady but his pace was all over the place so occasionally I would creep up. It was clearly a race to him.....little did he know there was a 2 time Ultra Man Champion and 8:24 Ironman guy behind him taking walk breaks LOL. That fact also made getting dropped by Matt a bit easier on the ol' ego!

So when we got to the top we realized that there was nobody there. The other riders had started before us and we had all assumed that they were hauling ass up the hill and that is why we were not catching them. It never crossed our minds that they got lost and were behind us. Why would it? That would be logical- At 8,000 feet you are not logical.

We stood there for a minute and Matt rolled down as he was a bit further up and just as we figured out what had happened Gordo pulls another GREAT example of the "Hey Buddy". He was in the first group that left and then rounds the corner from below as we are standing there, we figure out they got lost, he gives a "Hey Buddy" and proceeds to go on up. * This Classic Gordo Moment was brought to you by Infinint.

Once we got to the top we all had a nice refuel, I was happy that my legs made it and Jonas smelled good. We put on some warm clothes and made the decent. It wasn't as bad as I thought it was gonna be and didn't feel like 21 miles of down hill. But I still rode like a wuss...

Jonas and I were carted off to the house as we were going to be late for a massage. KP and a few others hopped in so we got to have a bit of social time in the van while we sat in Tuscon traffic. Damn it was alot of traffic.

The massage was great, dinner was AWESOME! And then we had a few good chats about training and how Jonas hates to get up early for training and thinks it is stupid. He and I then went on a 30 min run to prove later hours of the day are just as good as early ones!

Still not swimming but the injection is on it's way and I hope to be in the water a day or two after I get it.

Cheers,
bdc

March Madness 4 Triathletes

2008-03-23T17:03:00.000-07:00

I am now in Tuscon Arizona and done with a nice week of recovery training in Victoria, BC. I can't begin to express how HAPPY I am to be training with some of my good buds here in AZ.

I think that my time in NZ (In training) was a bit of solitary confinement. It was really hard to do so much on my own when it was combined with a few of the injuries that I am dealing with. When you are isolated it seems that so many of the negative things are exaggerated. Or at least the way in which you react to them. I can already feel the health beginning just from being around the group.

Today we up to Madera Canyon. On the way out it was myself, Gordo, JD, Jonas and Nick. Nick is my roomie for the came and from North Carolina (friends with Jon Shilt and Dr. J). He got a nice taste today riding with us. He had mentioned that he felt "great to be riding with the big boys". I still feel that way!

The climb to Madera was decent but I think the biggest challenge was how DRY it was out. I don't think it is possible to stay properly hydrated in this weather but will try better tomorrow.

Jonas did his usual first day get in the van. One of the best things about Jonas is that he trains without his ego and is not afraid to make smart decisions. He flew something like 40 hours in the last two days so he knew anything more would be stupid. Something we can all learn from.

JD got in as he is working the camp so on the way back it was just Gordo, Nick and myself. We rode well but got a bit broken up due to a flat. I actually dropped back for a second as I started to get some abductor cramps. I think it was just a sign of dehydration. Normally when you get these as strong as I got them you would think the ride is over. I just slowed down for a bit and got in as much water as I could. I actually recovered from them and got rolling again at a nice pace. I caught up to some of the riders that had gone off early and was very happy to ride in with KP. If you ever need a nice draft he is one great dude to get it from.

When we got back I decided that one of my "things" for the camp would be to get out of my bike clothes as fast as possible and shower up. Monica would be so proud of me :-) No mushrooms! haha....I like to call what I am doing a great example of how to properly execute a true Gordo Byrn "Hey Buddy". You see, you have a nice hard day out on the bike, get in and get cleaned and dressed as quick as possible. Then you sit outside, looking so well groomed, and give everyone that rolls in a "Hey buddy" as if you had been sitting there all day enjoying the sun!

Really looking forward to the rest of this camp and very happy to be back in the states with the Good Guys and CO.

Will keep you posted on how everything is going in the run department and if we can get Dr. J a cortisone injector so we can shoot up my shoulder. We did run for 50min this AM and it felt pretty good.

Cheers,
bdc

A Very Good Letter

2008-03-14T12:40:00.000-07:00

My last post was my own response to Rep Sally Kern. My friend Brett forwarded a letter to me that was written by a High School Senior named Tucker. I found the letter to be well written and very powerful. I wanted to share it with you:

*NOTE- He uses the word tolerance a few times. Take a moment and see if you can understand my issues with that word in the letter. My last post explains the "tolerance" issue.

Rep. Kern,

On April 19, 1995, in Oklahoma City a terrorist detonated a bomb that killed my mother and 167 others. 19 children died that day. Had I not had the chicken pox that day, the body count would've likely have included one more. Over 800 other Oklahomans were injured that day and many of those still suffer through their permanent wounds.

That terrorist was neither a homosexual or was he involved in Islam. He was an extremist Christian forcing his views through a body count. He held his beliefs and made those who didn't live up to them pay with their lives.

As you were not a resident of Oklahoma on that day, it could be explained why you so carelessly chose words saying that the homosexual agenda is worst than terrorism. I can most certainly tell you through my own experience that is not true. I am sure there are many people in your voting district that laid a loved one to death after the terrorist attack on Oklahoma City. I kind of doubt you'll find one of them that will agree with you.

I was five years old when my mother died. I remember what a beautiful, wise, and remarkable woman she was. I miss her. Your harsh words and misguided beliefs brought me to tears, because you told me that my mother's killer was a better person than a group of people that are seeking safety and tolerance for themselves.

As someone left motherless and victimized by terrorists, I say to you very clearly you are absolutely wrong.

You represent a district in Oklahoma City and you very coldly express a lack of love, sympathy or understanding for what they've been through. Can I ask if you might have chosen wiser words were you a real Oklahoman that was here to share the suffering with Oklahoma City? Might your heart be a bit less cold had you been around to see the small bodies of children being pulled out of rubble and carried away by weeping firemen?

I've spent 12 years in Oklahoma public schools and never once have I had anyone try to force a gay agenda on me. I have seen, however, many gay students beat up and there's never a day in school that has went by when I haven't heard the word **** slung at someone. I've been called gay slurs many times and they hurt and I am not even gay so I can just imagine how a real gay person feels. You were a school teacher and you have seen those things too. How could you care so little about the suffering of some of your students?

Let me tell you the result of your words in my school. Every openly gay and suspected gay in the school were having to walk together Monday for protection. They looked scared. They've already experienced enough hate and now your words gave other students even more motivation to sneer at them and call them names. After all, you are a teacher and a lawmaker, many young people have taken your words to heart. That happens when you assume a role of responsibility in your community. I seriously think before this week ends that some kids here will be going home bruised and bloody because of what you said.

I wish you could've met my mom. Maybe she could've guided you in how a real Christian should be acting and speaking.

I have not had a mother for nearly 13 years now and wonder if there were fewer people like you around, people with more love and tolerance in their hearts instead of strife, if my mom would be here to watch me graduate from high school this spring. Now she won't be there. So I'll be packing my things and leaving Oklahoma to go to college elsewhere and one day be a writer and I have no intentions to ever return here. I have no doubt that people like you will incite crazy people to build more bombs and kill more people again. I don't want to be here for that. I just can't go through that again.

You may just see me as a kid, but let me try to teach you something. The old saying is sticks and stones will break your bones, but words will never hurt you. Well, your words hurt me. Your words disrespected the memory of my mom. Your words can cause others to pick up sticks and stones and hurt others.

Sincerely,
Tucker

Sally Kern

2008-03-12T17:55:00.000-07:00

Okay people- Here is the clip:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRGau30jl3E&feature=related

Maybe at some point I will get smart enough to just put the actual video in the blog. Until then it is cut and paste. Watch it if you want more reference to what I am talking about.

Basically, republican (and christian) representative Sally Kern made some pretty extreme statements towards gay people. She has refused to apologize for it, and in my mind I don't give a rats ass if she ever does because it wouldn't be sincere anyway. She asked the question "what is so wrong with me as an American using my right to free speech?"

That is actually a VERY good question. We do live in a country where you are allowed free speech, unless of course you are in the media or military (the beginning of the end tisk tisk), and that freedom is something worth protecting. I think you should be able to say whatever the hell you want. I also think that we as a people need to start making sure that speech like this comes with consequences.

She has a right to have her religious views about this. She has her right to feel that way even without her religion (Which I will get to in a minute). What everyone needs to understand is that if you do not feel the way Sally Kern does and you think it is CRAZY and HATE FULL you need to start speaking up. I have said it time and time again that allowing public figures and people in power positions to hold these types of views is not just hateful but it also lethal.

It makes me so mad! Some people tell me to just let it go and understand that these people exist. Why should I let it go? I know what it does....... The sad part to me is that the gay population is too small and "injured", if you ask me, to beat it.

I am confused on a daily basis why people are so threatened by this. How did we get here? Why is this a nation obsessed with homosexuality? I think it's largely Christians. Lo Siento all my fellow christian friends but you get the majority of the blame if you ask me. I know the christian people that are friends with me are going to write me and say that "those" people are not really Christians. And yes, I know you guys don't feel that way and that there are many Christians that also don't feel that way. But guess what? That doesn't make people like Sally Kern not a christian.

But it goes beyond the Christianity because you see all these posts out there that say "Well the bible also says throw a stone at a women if she eats pig or if you cut your lawn on Tuesday you go to hell". I ovioulsy don't know the real examples that people take from the bible to contradict the whole "gay is evil" thing and I'm too tired to look them up so hopefully you have heard them. I am also tired of people using that as a come back because it doesn't do anything. These Christians don't care about those parts of the bible. They are just obsessed with thinking that it says homosexuality is the end all of end all. Why is that? I really really really want to know.

But you can't know. They don't even know. And there, my friends, is the problem. If you can't know then you can't solve. How do we go about solving the problem that a good majority of homophobia and hate comes from crazy Christians that don't even know why they feel that way? They have a right to their religion, speech and opinions and unfortunately they feel it is necessary to loudly express them. And they also like to breed....alot.

Do we decide to have a society where we just tolerate them and they tolerate us? No thanks. If you live in a state of tolerance you live in a state of hate. Tolerance is for a bad hair day and everyone hates a bad hair day. I can't believe there is a museum in LA about the Holocaust called the "Museum of Tolerance" Such a poor choice of words. It's okay to hate the Jews but just try and up that tolerance a bit so ya don't feel the need to kill em....

I guess it all goes back to influence. To the individual. To education and relations. To projecting what you want the society you live in to look like. That may sound a bit corny and new age but it's all I can come up with....

If you want to help in regards to education please visit:

http://www.matthewshepard.org/site/PageServer?pagename=Take_Action_Team_eRace_Hate_Lobby

Or you can sponsor my efforts at:

http://www.matthewshepard.org/site/TR/Events/General?px=1203161&pg=fund&fr_id=1120

Don't feel like you have to be a rock star to donate. Even a 5 dollar donation shows you listening!

Cheers,
bdc

A True Loss

2008-03-10T14:12:00.000-07:00

"Long Bays" will always be "Kristy's Ride".

When I first came down to New Zealand in 2006 Kristy was one of the first people that I met. We were living in the same place and she saw me lying on a giant trampoline that was in the yard and just came over, jumped on and tried to "bounce me off it" and then laughed. She knew I had come by myself and was just being friendly. Her boyfriend at the time, Class, had not showed up yet. The two of us kept each other company for that first week in NZ and shared our love of tasty snacks from the bulk bins.

Kristy had taken me out on a few rides that week so that I would know where I was going. One of those rides is called Long Bays that takes you through the hills and then around some very scenic bays. I did that ride yesterday and was reflecting on my first trip down here and how much I had changed as a rider and person. I gave a lot of thought to my first Long Bays ride two years ago with Kristy. I had come to this section of the ride where she and I stopped to take a picture and once again got off my bike to take a moment. I was really just reflecting on myself and the good times that we all had that year. It made me think that this may be the last time I come down to Christchurch as the tri scene has seemed to fade away.

When I got back from the ride I had put on my check list to e-mail Kristy and see how she has been doing and find out if she was going to be racing Wildflower. She was there last year and I wanted to make sure that we had the chance to catch up if she was racing again.

I am in shock of the news that she was killed yesterday in bike accident. Apparently she was out riding with a friend of hers. They were both struck by a police car that crossed over the double yellow line and killed instantly. A third person was also injured in the crash.

This is a very tragic sad time for anyone that knew Kristy. I think it is a tragic time for anyone that rides a bike. We all know the risk is ever present and each year it seems that you are only a few degrees away from someone that has been killed. It never makes sense and always feels like it could have been avoided.

I will miss Kristy and her loving, spunky, outwardly introverted self. She was one of a kind and will be part of my memories from a time that was very special to me.

R.I.P

Team E-Race Hate

2008-02-29T14:58:00.000-08:00

I have wanted to write a blog on the recent murder of 15 year old Lawerence King but haven't really known exactly what to say. This was a tragic incident on so many levels. It is so hard for most people to grasp the reality of this that they don't even begin to try. It just gets written off as a tragedy.

I don't want to write this off. I want people to understand that when we live in a society where a 14 year old boy kills a 15 year old boy in his class room that is filled with other students we are failing as a society. It has been labeled a hate crime stating that Lawerence King was shot because he was gay. No! That is NOT why he was shot.

Lawerence King was shot because our society has sent a message about being gay that is so strong and rage full that it would cause another human being to feel the need to go and commit an act of murder. You may say that Brandon McInerney, the 14 year old classmate that shot him, was just a minor and did not understand the severity of what he was doing. Well guess what people? Brandon McInerney will pay the price for his action but in my mind he will be serving time that is rightfully ours.

By "ours" I mean society's. Brandon IS a 14 year old kid and the fact that he pulled that trigger signifies a second crime. The second crime was committed by our society. It is time that we understand these incidents that happen are our OWN. We OWN them. All of us! Whether we choose to accept that or not.

It isn't just about the "gay" issue or the "gun" issue or the "violence in the media" issue or the "video game" issue or the "macho" issue. It is one big mess that results in incidents like this one. Where does it begin? Where does it end?

I'm not exactly sure what the answer to those questions are. I do know that we are not at the beginning or the end so we can disregard them and focus on where we are RIGHT NOW. Right now we are at a point where a 15 year old gay kid gets shot by his 14 year old class mate. Right now we are lacking in many areas of education that expands on understanding the differences in a society.

It seems on the surface that we are moving in the right direction regarding the "gay" issue. However, this incident has me questioning that. Do I feel that we are headed towards equality because there was a show called "Will and Grace" or "Queer Eye For The Straight Guy"? Do I feel that way because you are seeing talk and some action of Civil Unions? Possibly. But really, I think that for the most part gay people in this country are just one big lame novelty. I mean, civil unions aren't even close to the equality of marriage. And the gay people that you see in the media, well, does that really add to truth and understanding. I don't think it does.

Long Pause....

Okay this blog is proving to be way to hard for me to write because I grew up knowing that I was gay at about the age of 4. I lived with it silently until I was 19. Then I came out and then I had to "come out" again when I started this whole triathlon thing. My perspective of it is all over the map and I am finding that evertying I know and understand in my head about it is too complicated for me to wirte in a blog. Besides, so much of it can never be understood unless you experienced it for yourself. So let me try and get back and focus on the incident in Oxnard as best I can.

What we need to do is start with education. We need to get past the point of taboo around the subject. We can't move forward until we realize that addressing gay issues at younger ages is okay. If it was addressed when I was a kid I would be a completely different person. At times it saddens me that it wasn't. I don't want someone to go through what I went through and I certainly don't want more shootings or hate crimes to take place. I can guarantee that it will continue if we don't begin to take action now.

You may wonder how you can take action on this. Luckily I have created a way for anyone to help through a new program that I have started with The Matthew Shepard Foundation called Team E-Race Hate.

Matthew Shepard was murdered for being gay almost 10 years ago. In fact, the anniversary of his death will fall on October 12th of this year, the day before the Hawaii Ironman. His mother Judy has dedicated her life to his foundation which educates and enlightens others on the importance of diversity, understanding, compassion, acceptance and respect. While her son was murdered for being gay she feels that the mission of the foundation is meant for all.

I have decided to dedicate my entire triathlon career to help Judy Shepard spread her message. I love this sport so much and I see how so many come together to better themselves and everyone they come in contact with. What better forum for me to work in than triathlon?

What I have done is set up a fundraising program that works in two ways. The first is simply through financial donation to the program. I have created my own fundraising page that you can link to below and donate on line. The second is to decide that you want to dedicate a race you are doing to The Matthew Shepard Foundation and create your own personal fundraising page. My main goal is for Team E-Race Hate to raise $100,000 dollars by Oct 12th. I encourage athletes that decide to raise funds to commit to raising $1,000 dollars or more. We do have a marathon team that is recruiting specifically for the Bank of America Chicago Marathon which falls on Oct 12th. Anyone is welcome to the program and can recieve free coaching from me by signing up.

There will be fundraising incentives along the way and I am having Team E-Race Hate kits, visors and other gear made. I will keep you posted on how that is coming. In the mean time you can check out the website and my fundraising page below. You will also find all the information you need regarding The Matthew Shepard Foundation.

Team E-Race Hate Page:

http://www.matthewshepard.org/site/PageServer?pagename=Take_Action_Team_eRace_Hate_Lobby

BDC's Fundraising Page:

http://www.matthewshepard.org/site/TR/Events/General?px=1203161&pg=fund&fr_id=1120

The best thing about this cause is that we have our cure! We just need people to start distributing it. Please find a way to do what you can.

Thank you,

BDC

Basic Week

2008-02-23T23:20:00.000-08:00

Here is a pic from a while back when I was down in Wanaka for the Challenge race. That's Bevan James with me. You can hear him in all his raspy glory on the Ironman Talk podcast. I hosted the show with him that day while Johhny Newsome was out hammering the bike. Doing the podcast with Bevan is always a huge laugh for me!

I'm still down in New Zealand taking advantage of the nice summer weather and long days. The week after Epic was a bit of a recovery week for me. I wanted to take a some time to let things heal up so I could focus on my next task at hand which would be consistent weeks of training. I don't really enjoy these kinds of blogs because I find talking about training in too much depth to be boring and unnecessary for my blog. But since this is going to be my first year racing pro and my first year with an actual coach I figure I would take time once and a while and break it down.

I meet with Gordo, my coach, after Epic and we came up with my game plan for the rest of my time in NZ. The plan was built around the idea that I will be racing Wildflower in May and then Ironman CDA in June. Of course everything I am doing right now is built first on the idea of health.

Gordo is not a coach that is going to give you workouts on a daily basis. His philosophy, which I strongly believe in, is doing the same "week" for blocks of time and then building off of each block. I like that because it lets you have a set schedule and you can then manage the rest of your life around it. I am amazed at how well this process works for me. I have not been doing it like this for very long and already can't figure out how I trained before this.

Here is what my week looks like:

MONDAY-
Rolly swim (He is the squad coach) >6K.

JZ workout (Joanna Zeiger hooked me up with a really good gym routine that helps me not only build some strength but also ads to my flexibility issues. Gordo has added to that routine as well.)

Optional 90-180 Brick. Mostly I will just commute on the bike to the pool and do a 30 min run. If I am too tired I ditch that so that I can be sharp for the rest of the week.

TUESDAY-

Rolly Swim >4K

Gorges ride. That is one of the long rides we have here in CHC. It takes you out to the base of the hills for some rollers and then has a really nice long stretch that is a good hour 30 of either nasty head wind or sweet ass tail depending on the weather. I have yet to get a nice piece of tail. The ride from my place is 165K

Easy run 30-45 min. I don't really run straight off the bike yet. I like to stretch and refuel first.

WEDNESDAY-

AM run 30 min

2hr flat ride. I ride with Dave Dwan one of the crew guys from Epic and we head over to sumner for a nice coffee shop ride. I really enjoy a nice coffee on the beach in Sumner!

PM run 30 min

Yoga.

THURSDAY-

Rolly Swim >4K Make this a day where I go a bit faster. I either lead my lane or jump up a lane.

JZ workout.

Easy 30 min run.

FRIDAY-

Rolly Swim >5K

Ride to Little River. This is the ride we did first day of Epic but we went past to Akoroa. The ride is between 3-4 hours depending on where I start. It is pretty flat but the winds can be really hard and the road surface is rough as.

Easy 30 min run.

SATURDAY-

Ride to Corsair Bay. This is a bay just past Littleton. I ride to Sumner and then take Evans Pass (steep climb but short) over and then put on the Blue Seventy for a 2 loop swim in the bay (30-45 min). After the I go for a 30 min run and then ride back.

SUNDAY-

Ride Long Bays. This is a ride that has a nice flat section to start and then climbs a bit and then goes into rollers followed by an hour of flat.

Easy 30-45 min run

Yoga.

So there it is. I repeat this week until I leave. I am going into my third cycle of it tomorrow. Of course there are variations to it when weather forces you to change the day. If I have to miss something I don't "tack" it on to the next day or make it up. I just carry on with my week. Being anal just makes life miserable and a miserable life makes for poor racing.

There is nothing complicated about my training. I am working on making sure that I understand that and don't "think" about it too much. So many people obsess on their training, which is fine if it works for them, but I would rather not be that way.

I am rebuilding my website now and will try to get things updated with in the next few weeks.

Cheers,
bdc

Epic Camp Day 6- A Storm's A Brewin!

2008-02-06T15:47:00.000-08:00

This photo is way better when you take me out of it. But the one with me not makes you think it isn't real....

Spell Check is not working so I appologize for looking like I didn't pass 4th grade.

For the last year waking up has been a very "stressful" time of day for me. It ussually starts with me wigling my toes and moving my left ankle around. If I flex and rotate my foot and feel pain in my heel it is never a good sign. If I don't feel that I then have to give it a test on the ground. Of course I spend a good five miniutes massaging the foot and calve. I would say that one out of seven days I feel pain in my heel when I get up. I'm on the right track and have grown accustomed to my AM ritual. Today I had one more to deal with becasue of my knee.

I had decided that the knee was no big deal but it could still possibly cost me another day in the van. So as I got up I noticed I could still feel it but it wasn't nearly as bad as it was the day before. When something goes away by a large percentage in one day you can almost always rest assure that it is minor. I was happy with that and decided that I would give the ride a go. I knew I may have to get a ride up the Crown Range but I could just get back on the bike after I got over.

We had a swim to take care of first and the option was to either go to the pool or hit the lake with Gordo. Sitting there eating breakfast I decided to go to the lake. I'm not sure why I did that becasue we were all chatting about how bad the wind was today and the fact that a storm was clearly on it's way towards us. The lake would be a mess of waves no doubt.

When we got to the lake it was just as I predicted. Cold, windy and big chop. I had my sleveless Blue Seventy with me and was sooo not in the mood to be cold. I was already cold standing there in my wetsuit. When I got to the water it seemed pretty damn cold and I just watched everyone get in. I just stood there. Gordo had taken the van key with him in the water so if I got in and then wanted to get out early I would REALLY be cold. Most of the time I can bring myself to get in and just deal but this camp was proving a challenge to do certain things.

So I got out, put on Mikes jacket and finally got the quiet time I was looking for. It was time needed to clear my head on many issues going on outside the triathlon world. It was very ironic that when I first sat down the lake was dark and gloomy but by the time people were getting out of the water it was graced by a giant rainbow. That was a similar pattern that my mind took.

After the swim we all went on a run. I was game to give it a try but I had to walk and stretch alot as I could feel the knee. So I just turned it around and got back to the van and waited for the rest. I was still set on riding.

Once we were back and ready to get on the bikes we could see the storm getting closer. The ride went out nice and slow but by the time we got out of town I couldn't stay with the group. It seemed that I was fine but I had to ride at a very high cadence and couldn't go fast. I was okay with getting dropped and just happy to be riding. I couldn't stand up on the bike either but it seemed that it was warming up as I went on even thought the temp kept droping.

When I got to the climb I looked back to see where the sag waggon was. The entire time I thought that it was right behind me but I never looked back becasue I didn't want the temptation to stop. I did have a few moments of irritation when I was going realy slow and wanted to tell them to just leave me and go with the group. To my surprise it wasn't even there LOL! I'm glad it wasn't becasue it forced me to keep going.

The climb wasn't as bad as I thought. I could stay seated for the most part and actually caught up to a few of the other guys. It was so close to starting a massive down pour on us. I wanted so bad to make it down the other side before that started. I did just that and only had to deal with minor rain on the decent. My hands were completely locked up from all the braking! It is a very windy decent.

Once at the base the rest of the group was there pretty much frozen. I passed Rob Chance on the decent and he had NO warm gear on. I was frozen in a jacket. I think he was about delerious! Quite a few of the guys got in the van for the rest of the ride. My knee didn't get any worse so I figured I would do the rest of the ride. Tara and Albert were getting ready to take off so I got some dry clothes out of my day bag and took off with them. Little did we know what we were in for.

Twenty min into the rest of the ride we got hit with massive cross winds and rain. The temperature was also being influenced from the south so it dropped a good 15-20 degrees on us. It confirmed that I am certainly not soft because I was having a blast. I have ridden in most types of extreme weather and always feel good about getting through it. I guess I just have a very low tollerance for injuries.

Albert and Tara and I stayed together as there were sections that were actually a bit dangerous. When we crossed bridges the cross wind was extra strong. Luckily we had a great crew that was watching us all very closely making sure nothing bad happend. At one point a bird was flying and the wind actually slamed it into the road. Tara saw it and we both had a good laugh about that later in the day. "It" wasn't funny, but the fact that we riding in weather that bad kinda was.

We came up on Molina who got a flat. Now that is a shitty time to get a flat. He was fine so we just left the old guy out there LOL. We wouldn't have been able to help anyway as our hands were frozen.

We made it to Q Town and the crew had some awesome soup wating for us with all our bags already sorted in the rooms. They are so freaking good! I took a 30 min shower and felt so good that I was back on track. However, I missed my swim in the AM so as son as I got out of the shower I got my bag and walked to the pool that was luckily only 5 min away. I put in 4K and that was iceing on the cake for my day.

Later that night I went into town and got some dinner by myself. Again, needed some more BDC time. Then I hooked up with Ron and John and we decided to take the Gondola up to the top of the mountain. One of the best views you could ever ask for!

cheers,
bdc

Epic Camp - Day 5 "Never Get In The Van"

2008-02-05T01:02:00.000-08:00

Never say "never". I woke up knowing we had a really decent day ahead of us. We were riding from Wanaka to the "hard" side of the Crown Range just outside of Queenstown and going to do a TT up it. The ride to the Range is pretty decent as I did this ride the other direction last year. To TT up the Range would prove to be a challenge given what everyone has done thus far.

Me, well I was in a pisser of a mood. My knee was bugging and my new rule is that if you feel pain STOP! I know that there are times when you need to push through pain but I have been an athlete in the running world long enough to know the differnce between "suck it up" pain and "don't be a fool" pain. Most pain at this early stage of the year would fall under the latter. Why? Because I don't have an IM until June and there is no reason to suck it up.

The big problem with me is that I still see a reason to "suck it up". Who wants to miss a day like this on Epic!? I had been looking forward to the climb up the Crown since last year when Newsom and Gordo decided to put it on the books. But as it seemed now, that would not be happening.

I walked around our kitchen living space trying my best not to be outwordly pissy. It was hard becasue so many things were going through my head. Not just the idea that I probably wasn't going to be able to do this ride but more along the lines of WHY THE FUCK DO I KEEP GETTING INJURIES! I still have to baby my left foot a year later.

Gordo gave me the idea to just ride the first bit to Cromwell and see if things warmed up. I was fine with that but had the internal strugle of wanting to make a clean decision and just stick to it. I didn't want to try and then get in the van. I either wanted to ride or not ride. Bottom line.

But I choose to give it a try and ended up getting in the van within several miles from the start. In the end, getting in the van wasn't actually as bad as I thought. Of course I had all the stupid shit going on in my head about what other campers might think. Does this make me soft? Is this knee thing going to be on going? Now I have to be out on the damn ride course all day when I could have been back at the lodge doing something else like a swim, etc etc etc.....I had a nice moment of PURE NEGATIVITY. It was probably the most negative I have EVER been. My head was even planing a rental car back to CHC so I could pack it up, fly home, screw triathlon and become a slave to some job I would hate by the end of the week. WOW! Where the hell did all that come from? Well, I think after a year of injury you get a little sensitive to say the least.

When I got in the van Chris was driving and I stayed quiet at first. He is a great guy and after a bit of conversation I began to realize the major swing that my head had just gone through. I began to see the light and decided that I was doing the best thing for me. "So what if you miss a day on the camp?" I told myself. It is better than missing a season. I was still a little irritated that I was now stuck in a van for most of the day but I got over that when I realized that I could be the photo guy for a while and stick my head out and take pictures of the other campers. I also decided that I would run the TT (not physically- I mean manage) up the Crown Range.

The guys looked pretty good on the early bits of the ride. Being in the van you don't realize how fast or slow the group is going but you certainly see which riders haven been beaten down a bit by the camp. It seemed that a few like Albert and Newsom were playing it easy and saving up for the TT.

Once we made it to the base of the climb everyone re-grouped and I would then send them off in 30 second intervals. The climb was no joke. I knew what they were in for and had shifted to a better mood which made me really eager to watch how it went down. For the most part the order was slowest to fastest (as best they could decide). Bevan was last to go and would shread through the field. However, John Drewery had gone about 3rd and was the only person that Bevan did not catch. John was the first camper to the top and had an awesome ride. Good on him! I mean, Bevan still killed him....but good on him!

After the TT we drove the van back to the lodge ahead of the riders and got there well before they did. I decided that I would give a run a try. The knee only seemed to bug me on the down stroke of the bike. At this point I wasn't concerned about it becasue I had time to reflect on what I actually did the last three days. No doubt it was quad overload and a tiny bit of time off would be all that it takes.

My run was okay. Just a 40 min easy jog. I was entertained as the riders came back in becasue Johno thought he was being slick and tacking on but then Albert rolls along right behind him to tack on too. The two of them were doing 5K loops LOL! JOHNO- DON'T BEAT THE SPONSOR LOL! I can't belive that was me last year doing all that tack on shit. I got tired watching them and had to walk a bit haha.

The goal now was to stretch, get some massage and a good night sleep so I could make the ride to Queenstown the next day. We would ride the other side of the Crown Range and then direct to Q Town. Not a super long ride but the climb might be dodgy for me. I really did not want another day in the van!

SIDE NOTE-

One thing that really helped me on this camp came a few days later when Molina and I were having a chat in the "oh so nice" hot tub. We were sitting there with John Drewry shooting the shit about running days that seem like another life already. The convo took a turn toward injury and Molina shared a bit about the mental strugle he had when he was injured with Plantar Fasc. It was just nice to hear someone like him admit that it what a SHIT time for him. Three years of it! You would never think that Molina had a rough time with anything. I guess what I am saying is that it made me feel somewhat normal that I have such feelings of frustration and that it is common for the head to do a 180 on you. But the conversation ultimatley helped me find new ways for me to stay positive when the body breaks down. Hopefully that will be less and less this year.

In the end you are training your own body and you need to take responsibilty for knowing what it can and cannot do. If you continue to compare your training to how others go about it and never learn from your own journey you will constanly be going against yourself! When I look back at my mental state in the van it was simply my ego having a major tantrum. Lets just say that I gave my ego a pretty bit "time out" for the outburst.

P.S- Tara is still SCHOOLING the boys on this camp. DANG!

Epic Camp Day 4- Was that really only 10K?

2008-02-02T19:38:00.000-08:00

This is a picture from Wanaka. We rode back into Trebble Cone and this is the view on the way back. IF you look close you can see Mark P cresting the hill.

EPIC CAMP DAY 4.

Okay I am not going to lie. I am tired. We have been smacking it pretty hard for the last 3 days and I am happy to say that a "rest" day has arrived. For our "rest" day we are getting up early to do a 4.5K lake swim race and then a 10K run race with a time prediction component.

When we all got down to the lake for the swim I was kinda dreading it a bit becasue of how tired I was and how shitty the swim part of the Aquathon was for me. But alas I look at the bright side and am thankful that the lake is like galss right now and the mountains surounding us are holding back any bad weather. Really though, how bad can it be? In Wanaka to do an open water lake swim with a great group? Life ain't that bad.

The swim took off and of course the big fish in the group took off. I wasn't going to go out that hard but normally I would at least try and stay on G's feet for as long as I can. His feet are not really "reality" for me right now especially since he is trying to be on Molinas feet LOL. BUt normally I like to give it a try.

I did most of the swim on my own leading Tobby around. It was two loops and I had him pull for a wee bit but you know my massive strength and impeckable swim form just made going that slow speed too boring so I had to pass him up LOL...Kidding of course! We had a nice little kick for the last 300 or so. He is a great guy and always makes open water swiming more fun for me. There wasn't anyone real close behind us.

After that we trucked back towards the lodge and got out of the vans on a road that we measured out a 10K run course. It would be a two loop out and back. The fun part was that it was a race but it was alos a point challenge to try and guess your time. No watches for the race obviously. I predicted 41:11. That would be pretty slow for me under normal conditions but I figured i would try and run 4 min K's and then when you add in the fatigue of that last 3 days I woudl be a bit slow. I am pretty good at these guess your time things. The first year I was 1 second off my guess of a 1/2 marathon time.

The race starts and I am NAKERED! My quads hurt so bad that I was actually wondering how I would get through a 10K run! I figured that I would be way off my time but tried to keep the shuffle pace I was going. Bevan was pulling out all the tricks and took it out and ran himself into second place overall. I wanted to try and run fast so bad but it went against my "stay injury free" moto and probably wouldn't have been there anyway..

AS I got close to the finish I really thought it was going to be slow but turned out that I was only 16 seconds off my predicted time. I totally forgot that all my race runs end in a kick and I didn't do that. Maybe that would have hit it on the head? Anyway, I was glad it was over. My quads were DONE.

Later we rode out to Trebble Cone which is a really nice 60K ride and has some pretty amazing sights. I will get some phots up when I get back to CHC. Mark P and I gave "riding easy" a new definition. I was starting to get a bit of a sore spot in my knee so I spun as slow as I could. I felt the mental cloud that goes into my head when something starts to hurt physically arrive. My ability to remain calm when I begin to feel pain like that is almost zero. I have spent so much time being injured that psychologically I really can't handle anyting major happen again.

When we got back into town from the ride Gordo, Bevan, Mark and I went and got some tasyt hamburgers. I think Bevan and Mark had about 5 cokes each! Even I can't do that. the spin back to the lodge was pretty hard with all that food in our stomacks. We ordered way too many fries as well and I was on the verge of barfing. The ride back confirmed that my knee was getting sore. We were do for a big ride the next day and normally I would just take some time down to let it heal up but in this environment it was making me extra pissy. I can only keep those feelings to myslef for so long and then when that period is over you will definantly know what is up if you are around me.

I just went back and chilled out by myself. I needed a good night sleep and thought that if I got a good rest the knee my feel better in the AM. Who know's? Anything is possible.

Again- No spell check.

Epic Camp Day 3- Wana get to Wanaka.

2008-02-01T13:33:00.000-08:00

I think we had about 10K to go. This is how we felt due to the wind....

Epic Camp day 3.

The plan was to get out of my bed that overlooked the lake up in Tekapo to go on a 50 min run. I slept through that! I had taken a small sleeping pill the night before to ensure that I would get some and well, it did the trick. When I finally got up to get ready for another big day of riding I was pretty groggy to say the least.

We rolled out on a side road that paralleled a man made river. It was nice becasue it was flat with some tail wind and their were no cars at all. We stayed as a group for the most part so I could suck wheel for a good while until I woke up.

Apparantly I did wake up becasue at some point I ended up on the front and things began to feel good. I decided I would stay on the front for a while and go for first to lunch again! They give double points for doing that. Oh wait, no they don't. It was nice becasue I found a pretty steady grooze and just rode right along. We were riding two abreast so I got to have new company often.

After lunch we were going to be going into the hills which I knew that I wouldn't do that well in. Mark P and I pulled again and pushed a decent pace to the base of the climb. Not as many went with so we were actually in the race to the top at that pouint. Of course Bevan pounded it and won the climb. Gordo climbed better than I have ever seen him. Mark and I were simply there to try and displace points between the guys going for it so as we climbed we kept looking back becasue we knew that Molina was behind us and that he would be launching his attack on us at some point.

Looks like Molina called the troops a tad too late as Mark and I mangaed to keep our lead on him by a matter of seconds. But he must have been motoring up beacasue he was a ways back at the start.

The decent is where the crazy shit began. We hammered the next bits with Mark P of course pushing the pace trading of with Molina and myself as much as we could. that bridged us back up to Beavan and Gordo. Newsom dropped of at some point. The four of us rode very hard until the aid station. Bevan kept attacking and Mark and I were on some kind of mission from god. It was great! That is the kind of riding that I live for. You just get smashed to bits and go forever!

We hit the last aid station and I pretty much said "screw this, lets get there" and got to the front and motored along for most of the way back. I did just want to get there....There was pretty far away LOL. But when we did we had to walk up a big dirt hill to get to the lodge. Being so tired we decided that John Newsomw was voted off the island. But actually the accom turned out to be really cool and was a perfect choice for the camp.

Later that day (there wasn't much left of it) we went to town for an Aqua-thon (swim run). I have never swam so freaking slow in my life! I was laughing duringit becasue I thought I was going to get to experience what it feels like to come out of the water dead last. But as I came out I turned around and saw Bevan and Tobby among others LOL. How the hell anyone swam slower than I did is a mystery to me. Serioulsy!

I just cruised the run at my slow trainng pace and stopped in the bathroom a few times as my stomach is gooooone! Any progress I made on the gas issues is OVER! I fell bad for the rest of the campers.

Anyway, that is the update from the road. Maybe I will be able to be a litle more entertaining in the write up next time. I'm too tired to be witty or spell check so you will have to deal with all my spellinmg erers.

bdc

Epic Camp DAY 2

2008-01-29T23:04:00.000-08:00

Epic Camp Day 2 (Okay it is really day 4 and I need to catch up)

I am not sure how people are doing it but the lodge looks like a college library with 15 page papers due in the AM. I have about enough energy to walk to the kitchen, get some snacks that I shouldn't be eating and then walk back to my couch for a nap. This is assuming that I am not on my bike, on a run or in the pool....

So anyway I kindly gave away the Yellow Jersey to Mr. Molina on day 2. I was able to wear it for day 1 since I finished second last year to Mike Montgomery and he didn't come to the camp this year because he is still sitting on a couch recovering from last year! As I reflect on day 2 on day 4 I feel very happy with my decision to be sane this year. Although watching all the campers that are seeing yellow right now makes me very very sleepy.

At the start of day 2 we were up early as usual and headed off to the pool. It was a 2,600 warm up and then the dreaded 400 IM. I was soooo not looking forward to that because under normal circumstances I would go home and take a nap after but today we were going to ride 240K and then run. My strategy for the 400 IM was to use the LEAST amount of energy as possible. I think it took me over 10 min to do LOL! Mine was no where as fun to watch as Paul Westwood. Not only was his fly the most entertaining thing I have ever seen but he backed the performance up with an even more entertaining breast stroke! Alas we all got it done and got back to get ready for our ride.

We stayed together as a group for the first two hours with Clive powering us through. It took me about 2 hours to fully wake up. Somehow I did wake up and the fun began. Mark P and I realized that since we were both not going for points that we could be the fukwits of the camp and ride harder during sections that didn't count and see who we could get to blow a bit of their wad before a climb or what not.

Initially Albert "got bored" and started riding a bit off the front. At this point we had all separated a bit and it was Beaven, Molina, Gordo, Mark, Clive and myself being towed along by Albert. Albert does this you see. He doesn't say anything and just decides that he's hungry or something and wants to get to lunch faster.

That situation of course stirs Mark up. I knew exactly what was going to happen and was simply just waiting for it. Mark takes off and I jump on his wheel. We trade off a bit and see that Molina and Bevan are trying to get on with G right back off them. clive cramped or something and Albert....well, Albert has a brain.

Mark gives the word to try and drop them and we start smacking it with 30 second pulls. We are clearly going for the "first to lunch points" which don't exist but you get the best pick of the grub :-) we did drop them but then got foiled with a one way bridge. That sucked because Bevan and molina timed it right and rode right past us we were at a stand still. Gordo, of course, was able to jump on the back of a truck and bridge back up.....It was a hammer fest but it was good for me because it sparked my interest in this whole thing again. This is the shit I like about these camps. And now that Mark and I have teamed up a bit, we have our own game to play.

After lunch we had a bunch of climbing to do. I knew that I wouldn't be easy for me as my climbing legs are somewhere in never land. I held my own though in the bits before the hills. We smacked it again until the next aide station but I got dropped in the hills. Charlsey and I ended up riding into the aide station together. The front group that smacked the climbing went off for the rest of the ride and I decided to hang a bit longer and wait for Mark that apparently BLEW BIG TIME in the hills. He actually ended up at a gas station 100 meters away from the aide station buying coke and water LOL....I guess he just couldn't make it.

We rolled easy with some of the other guys and started to get the next 90K done. Little did any of us know that it would be the HARDEST 90K of our lives due to heat, hills and wind. When we got out of the hills we were hit with the most intense wind I have ever ridden in. It was bad going up but just went to a level I have never seen on the flat. Elliot and I were rididng together as the 3 guys we had on the wheel dropped off. It took Elliot and I about 10 years to cross this one section of flat. I have never been so desperate in my entire life!

Finishing that ride was very good for my mind. It was the hardest ride I have EVER done and got me back into the groove of loving this shit. I was going to run for 15 min off the bike but when I got into tekapo I just said "I think I will take a shower instead". I have to remember that even though the plan is to run as frequently as possible I do have to understand that I haven't seen how the foot responds to this kind of riding with the minimal running. I would be able to get my run in for the Aquathon at the end of the next day.....

I took a sleeping pill that night and retreated back to the room for some quiet time. When you are in the wind like that all day smacking it for hours on end quiet time is essential.

Everything seems good on the camp so far. Maybe tomorrow I will have the energy to catch up on the last two days as they have been pretty massive.

For more hit up www.ironmantalk.com or www.epiccamp.com

cheers,
bdc

Epic Camp- Junior Year

2008-01-27T00:29:00.000-08:00

EPIC CAMP DAY 1

* For more quality stuff direct from the camp check out the Ironman Talk Pod Cast at www.ironmantalk.com or go to Epiccamp.com and don't forget to check out Endurance Corner!

I figured that Epic Camp would be a great way for me to get back to the blog scene. I have been off since Kona and know that my website is down. Long story...trying to get it sorted. Until then I will keep this updated.

I think that this Epic Camp might be the hardest camp I have attended yet but for reasons that may not be obvious. The first is that it is going to be some REALLY LONG riding and I am not in the usual shape I have been in at this time of year. Since I did Hawaii I took a decent amount of time off from training and feel the effects to say the least. However, I do think that I am stronger, in general, than I ever have been. The second reason is that I have purposely taken myself out of the points completion. That was a hard thing for me to do. I like being competitive and I know that beating people (or trying to) is a huge motivator for me. I know there are plenty of Zen reasons to do this sport but when it comes down to it, I just want to try and kick your ass.

When we got to the pool this AM for the traditional 2K Time Trial in the pool there was already a sense of things being "off" for me. For one thing the pool at QEII has been short course forever now and that bugs because I actually loose time with my text book flip turns. And since I wasn't going for points there was a part of me that thought "well maybe I can just focus on my form or something.." Of course Gordo would disagree with that when he found out that I took it out in a 1:12 LOL. I have no sense of pace in the pool (Goal #1 for the year).

Not to focus on the negative aspect of the AM I decided that I might try getting a better push off the wall on my turns. JD gets on me about that in Boulder because I almost NEVER make it to the flags LOL...It was hard to do this today as well because I had Mr. Tobby Radcliff sitting on my feet the entire time typing his race report. To think he got to be 5 seconds faster than me because he sat on my feet the whole way! SHAME ON HIM LOL...I'm just jealous because I didn't pick a better lane. My whole plan was to go over to Gordo's lane and sit on his feet and try to stay on them. I think I could have. Maybe I will get my shot later in the camp?

Once we got back for some grub and changed up we headed out for the ride. It was a 180K ride to Akoroa and back. It's a hard ride as it has 2 decent climbs and rollers after the first climb and right before the second climb. As if that wasn't hard enough Epic throws in two KOM point races and then a 30K (turned out to be 42K) Time Trial on the bike at the end.

As we rolled out I came close to going down twice so I decided I would pull back and not sit in the bunch. It would give me some time to see how the new guys I don't know ride. But then I thought that maybe I would just do the entire camp like that. No drafting for 8 days. And then I got pissy because I realized that I was having that conversation because I wasn't in the points game.

When we got to our first re group at the base of the hill I decide to commit Epic Camp suicide and leave early for the climb so I was REALLY going to be out of the points race. Mark P just got off a plane and was driven to where we were and left early as well so we had a moment to catch up. Little did anyone know that he would SMASH everyone on the TT later in the day. Just got off a plane from the states.....that is a stud.

Once I got to the top I just kept going and was the first person to the lunch stop in Akoroa and then decided "screw this" I am not going for points on the second climb why not just leave now and go back. My stomach wasn't feeling that great and I wanted to try not eating too much real food on the rides so I packed up some Gels and hit the road again.

My climb up the other side was minimal to say the least. I don't feel like I have any climbing legs at all and thought I needed a larger cassette on the back. Apparently it is not the cassette and I need some larger quads LOL....

Once back to Little River where the TT would begin I decided that I would do it because I need some form of competition to stir up my mood and bring some excitement to me for the camp. Plus, a hard ride on the bike wasn't breaking my rules for and "injury free camp".

I took off setting my pace for a 33K Ride. We weren't sure how long it was going to be. Long story short it was 42K and I blew my wad and ended up with abductor cramps and having to soft pedal the last 3K or so. Not a big mood lifter. It was really windy and I felt like sheep pooh.

I had a big moment of diarrhea before the TT and just felt bonked on calories so maybe that was what it was. IT wasn't the best way to kick off a camp but luckily when I got back Bevan and Eliot went for our 50 min run and that felt pretty good and was filled with some nice laughs.

I'm sure things will come round and I will gain things on this camp that I haven't gotten from the last two. I am feeling a quiet camp is in the works for me. Not feeling that social for some reason and all these long rides give me plenty of time to think about all the other non triathlon related stuff going on in my world. Which brings me to my mini camp goal which is to try and switch conversations to something other than triathlon as much as possible. I know it is a triathlon camp but DUDE there is only so much that can be said. JFT.

Do something good for yourself tomorrow.

bdc

My First Kona Part III

2007-11-30T23:22:00.000-08:00

THE END.

I couldn't believe that I was eating my breakfast in such a tired state. Just a few hours ago everything was great! I was wide awake and ready to go. Now I just wanted to go back to bed. There wasn’t even any real excitement about what was about to take place.

Luckily I felt a bit more peppy after I got some food in me. My mom, Jess, and Cicely all loaded up in the Jeep and headed to the start. It looked like it was going to be a nice day with light winds. Although, you really never know in Kona.

We had parked at Uncle Billy’s Hotel because my friend’s John and Maggie were staying there without a car so we took their spot. That was KEY. It was nice to not have to take the shuttle and also not drive around forever looking for a place to park.

I got out and decided I would head to T1 and meet them after I was all set up. It seemed like a good idea to do a light jog over there to get a bit warmed up. How in the world did I start having hamstring cramps from that LOL! I mean REALLY! The day hadn’t even started and I felt “twitchy”! That has been my big thing when it comes to races. I have a tendency to get hamstring cramps on the run. I’m not really sure why they happen when they do. Maybe nutrition or maybe they have just had enough? Who knows?

I figured the cramps I was having now was coming from nerves so I stopped running and walked. I got over to the area where they body mark you and got in line. The line had an interesting feel to say the least. Some people were clearly on edge while others where up beat and excited. I was neither. I just stood there by myself waiting and wondering why everyone needed to talk so much that early. There was a volunteer that kept shouting “Pros PLEASE come to the front. Are THERE ANY PROS in line?” She repeated it over and over and over. I wanted to say “Look lady! Pro’s know what to do. That is why they are called pro’s. It‘s not necessary to act like it is 6:42am.” I think she was more excited than any of us LOL. “PROS! I NEED ALL PROS! PROS! PROS!” Dear god would a pro please show up and put this hen to rest! Sheesh.

Anyway, I made it to my two sweet little old ladies that were going to be my body markers. They were a KICK! “Hi sugar. What’s your number?” That made me laugh because it sounded like they were hitting on me. Who knows? There were defiantly a few cougars roaming that island this week! They took there time and put those numbers on me like they were painting the Sistine Chapel. I wish I had remembered their names as they were a highlight of my morning. Probably Margaret or Dolores. Maybe Helen?

I caught up with Marky V and we went over to the bikes. Transition was controlled chaos. People were running around futzing with everything under the sun (that wasn’t really out yet). It made me start to think if there was something I should be doing??? The bike was there, everything was in my bags, bottles were on the bike and I had on what I was swimming in. What the hell was everyone doing? I had to get out of there fast. Denny walked over and we all gave our tires a last check and then I was like “PEACE OUT!” I couldn’t handle being around that many crazy people! So I set off to find a nice “safe haven” of a bathroom. There is ALWAYS a toilet at a race that has NO line. You just have to look hard. But when you find it you have to follow the “Safe Haven Code of Ethics” which is that you can only tell ONE person about it. I’m sure I am breaking a “Safe Haven” rule right now. First rule of “Safe Havens”- You do NOT talk about Safe Havens.

While I was in my SHORT line for the safe haven I noticed some cameras started filming right next to me and they seemed to be filming the porta potty. I wanted to ask them if they were purposely trying to blow the cover of this safe haven! But I kept quiet.

So when the door of the porta that they had been filming opens open’s, Mr. Bachelor Andy Baldwin came out. They were blowing the cover of the safe haven for that tool! Cicely and I have this thing going because I call the bachelor a “tool” and she just keeps saying “why you gotta call him a tool? Leave him alone!” I wanted to look into the camera and say “And the Bachelor poops too!” But again I kept quiet. Rare.

It was a good dump. Always a nice way to start a race. I call it the “Crystal Ball” dump. It’s usually in sync with how the rest of the day will go LOL. I know. TMI, but I am a poop humor guy…

So I met up with my crew outside the Transition area. They were all standing there just looking at me like I was going to explode or something.
“What?”
“Nothing. Are you excited?”
“Sure”
“What’s next?”
“I guess we wait.”
“For what?”
“For me to go in the water.”
“ok”

Then it hit me. I knew I forgot something!! I didn’t have a pre swim Gel! That sent the crew into a tizzy like a pile of ants that got spit on.

“OH MY GOD WE NEED A GEL!!!!!” “GELLLLL! WE NEED A GEL!” It was like that episode of “I Love Lucy” when she finally was going to have Little Ricky. I just stood there while the crew went crazy! (that was gay)

How ironic was it when nobody around had one. Especially since we were standing under a giant two story blow up thing that looked like a Power Gel. That was what I really wanted because I know that my stomach likes them and mentally it is what I use. No luck though. Maybe if I poke a hole in this two story gel I could suck some out LOL!

Anyway, Jessica, I think, found a gel but it wasn’t a Power Gel. It was some nasty flavor of one of the other kinds out there. I wasn’t going to take it until I exhausted all my resources in the Power Gel hunt. At least now I had something to trade up.

The people that I found that actually had a Power Gel looked at me like “You’re not getting my Power Gel! You better step back from the Gel Blondie!” But then I realized I could just go back to my bike and take a chug form my gel bottle and then I could grab a Power Gel on the course if I came up short.

The pro race was off already so transition was now closed. It was time to turn on the charm and get to my bike. Luckily I got some woman volunteer that was over excited to help out. “What’s the issue? Mhhmmm. Okay. Okay. Lets remain calm. We need to get you to your bike! Lets go. Hustle! Hustle!”

She escorted me to my bike and I took a quick chug from the bottle and felt much better. But now the line to get into the water was really long. I think she saw my distress so she grabbed me and off we went. She took me through the transition area and then around by the hoses and opened a gate that let me jump right into the water. That was pretty sweet because it seemed that it was taking everyone FOREVER to get in.

It was official now. I was in the water for my first Kona! I started my swim out to the start line and figured I should take Denny’s advice and go over to the far left. There was a “Ford” buoy in the water and I figured I might run into him over there. Truthfully I didn’t want to see anyone I knew before the race because I really wanted this to be my swim and do it alone (so to speak).

When I got to the front we had to tread water for about 7 min. It seemed like 20 min and this dude kept grabbing me and kicking me. I thought we were all doing that and then I realized no, I am not touching anyone. So I turned around and kindly asked him to try and stop. “JESUS CHRIST! STOP GRABBING ME!!!!” Well that came out wrong. Luckily the gun went off shortly after that. I was ready to be in the washer that is the Ironman swim.

To my surprise it was the calmest swim I had ever been in! For the first 10 min it was ass if it was myself and about 4 other people swimming. I had to look up because that might be a sign that we are way off course but we weren’t. It started to bunch up a little bit here and there as people tried to upgrade the feet they were on. Some chick pushed me off the feet I was on so I just moved over to another pair. I tried to get right on the hips rather than on the feet and as I did that I saw that I was now drafting off the bachelor. I knew it was him because I saw him in the safe haven area and knew what he had on. Plus he has a funny looking chest that is very recognizable. Anyway, I started laughing in my head about drafting off the bachelor. I could just hear Cicely “Who’s the tool now!” I was laughing internally all the way to the body glove boat at the turn around.

My laughter was interrupted when we made the turn because all of a sudden EVERYONE lost their manors. I don’t know what happened but that washing machine I was expecting at the start was happening now. I was getting grabbed, kicked, pulled ,pushed under, you name it! I had to pull my head up at one point and give this guy a look! You know the look. The “If you do that one more time I’m gonna kick your ass” look.

When we turned again to head back to the pier it seemed to be less crazy. I say less because it was still crazy and would be all the way back in. Where all these people came from I don’t know???? It was so pleasant on the way out…..sigh.

I just kept swimming on feet. I was kinda bored at one point because we were going as fast as I could go in the mess of people that I was in. I tired a few times to get around and try and move up but it was way too crowded so I just stayed where I was. At least it felt really easy.

When I saw the pier as I took my breaths I got excited. Not just because it was about to be over but because I felt so good! I was a little worried that my legs would cramp as I exited but there was no sign of that. I grabbed a quick rinse and headed into the tent. I checked my watch and saw that I swam exactly one hour. I thought I would be a bit quicker than that but whatever.
As I sat down in the change tent the volunteer took all my stuff out and was helping me get ready. Then I got a tap on the shoulder. I look over and Denny is sitting right next to me LOL…“Hey Buddy“ Again I get more proof to my theory that I can get out of the water at the same time as many of the people that swim way faster than me in the pool. Not sure how I do that?…But I do.

Denny ran out of the tent before I did but it motivated me to hurry my ass up and get on the bike. I know that I can ride with Deny if I want so it would be cool to have him in sight. I put the helmet on and headed for my bike trying not to slip in my bike shoes. I wear mine rather than have them attached to the bike. I would say only about 1% of the people that put their shoes on the bike are good enough at getting in them where they actually save time. I usually pass about 5 people that are swerving trying to get their feet in. At Honu it was crazy because we started the ride on a hill and nobody could do it. I counted 15 people that time LOL.

So the bike begins and it was as exciting as all the hype about it. People were everywhere and there were lots of cyclists around me. I found myself passing quite a few on that first section. I was a tad bit nervous making the turn on the “hot corner” because of all the people. It only takes one loopy rider to take us out. Of course there was no issue and we rode on by. I heard the crew yell out a few times. It is really hard to miss Jessica’s voice. And now low and behold we have a new tri groupie in Miss Maggie! She was now officially Jessica’s side kick. The two of them know how to get their cheer on!

I used the first out and back section to get a look and see where everyone was. I wanted to see how far away the top women were because they might be a nice target to try and go after. Denny was in sight and I rolled up next to Mark Pietrofessa and a few other people I knew. The pace I was going seemed really easy but it was kinda hard to tell because everything was so bunched up. I had no computer on the bike and no heart rate monitor. I was going 100% on feel. I had an Ergomo Pro Power Meter but it went down and they couldn’t get me one to use before the race. I will use it next year in training but only to help me push harder in a workout. I know how to ride steady on feel.

Once we got out on the queen K we were one giant pelliton. I was trying my best to stay legal or at least off to the side in a stagger to be as fair as possible. Every time I put the 7 meter gap in some schmuck would pop in and push me back further. It was pissing me off a bit.

I rolled up to Denny. He was sitting up and looked like he was on a coffee shop ride. I asked him what was going on and he said he had been vomiting since the swim. Not a good sign but also nothing to get too alarmed about. He was doing the right thing by taking it easy and letting things settle. It is such a long day that a little barf in the beginning might just be salt water.

Denny and I talked about the drafting problem that was at hand. A few other guys were being vocal too trying to find a way to break it up. I just pulled back and rode at the very end for a while to see what they were going to do. I knew that if I just hammered it for a while to try and gap them that I could be throwing my whole race away. Not to mention these guys would just sit on my wheel and draft. Very few people were trying to be fair.

Denny did what I had thought about and went off the front. I watched him pull the entire pack with him. Looking back on it I should have just gone with them. The drafting was so ridiculous that it seemed as if getting a 4 min penalty would still be a better way to go. I wanted to ride fair though and I think ultimately it put me a bit further back in the end….I later heard that there were only 2 qualified draft marshals on the course and that the rest were just volunteers. That is not a confirmed statement but it would make sense because many times there was a ref near the pack and they just looked at everyone. I guess that is just the way it goes.

So my ride went very well. I was alone a good majority of the time. I passed a ton of riders on the climb up to Hawi. I saw Albert Boyce and had a quick chat. He seemed like he was really rocking it. It was also odd to see Normans Kuota sitting on the side of the road. I couldn’t believe he was out of it now. In fact, when I saw the top guys on the way back there seemed to be many of the top players missing. I knew Macca was gonna win the race when he went by.

I had made the right decision to put the Aero bottle on the bike. I was sucking down Gatorade bottles like never before. I was also getting in a good amount of water and by the end of the ride I had taken all 12 of my gels that I had in my water bottle. I mixed them with a bit of water so it would be easy to drink. I also had 20 of Jonathin Toker’s Salt stick salt pills. I would say that I nailed the nutrition that day on the bike. I had zero solid food.

Once back on the Queen K. I thought I would just try and hold my pace the whole way in. I was moving just fine and if I maintained it, I would have a great ride. I was never passed from that point and only over took people. I came up to Lisa Bently just before Blue Hawaiian and I had to laugh because I passed her and then about 30 seconds later she passed me back. I never slowed down and was moving considerably faster than her. Not to mention that I had to catch up to her from the separate start. So I waited a min as she slowed back down and then went around and made another pass but this time I turned it up a little because I didn’t want’ her to keep doing that. After 5 min I looked back and she was gone as well as the few other guys that were with her.

It was just me and the occasional clump that I would pass. I don’t think I passed one person riding by themselves. At one point I came up to two guys and I just looked at them and said “Maybe next time you would like to do it on a tandem bike” and then speed off.

I had just passed the four seasons and was now on my way to the airport. In the distance I could see a female pro that was in all black. She looked like Hillary but I couldn’t tell for sure. When I got up closer it was in fact her. I pulled up next to her and had a quick chat. It was so cool to be having that moment because it was only a little over two years ago that she had dragged me into the Ironman distance and started coaching me. And now here we were rolling down the Queen K! Very cool.

We talked for all of 20 seconds and then I kept plugging away. I came up to JZ as well and was concerned about how her day was going. She gets out of the water at the front and she can ride well so I was surprised to see her back where she was. She had a positive attitude going so I guess it was all good. I made the comment that she had some guy sucking her wheel and she laughed. I asked him how he felt sucking a chicks wheel that is riding a pink bike? Then I speed off.

I was so EXCITED when I saw town. I felt so amazing right now and thought “I am going to have a good race!” I wasn’t sure what my bike time was going to be but I knew it wasn’t going to suck so now all I have to do is back it up with a good run.

I took my feet out of the shoes for the last ½ mile or so to cool them off. I never do that but I wanted to make sure I didn’t have “hot foot” going into the run. I really wanted to hit a sub 3:05 run not just for myself but also to win the bet with Macca and get some free food LOL. He said if I go sub 3:05 food is on him for the rest of the trip! I was in shape to do it. I can run way faster than that pace normally so it was really a matter of just executing it.

When I rolled into T2 they took my bike and I made the longer run around to the transition tent. My stuff was waiting in the hands of a volunteer and he squated down and began taking the bag out. He saw that I had running shorts in it and started to ask me if I wanted a towel but as he looked up I was already standing there naked haha. I grabbed the shorts from him and put them on as fast as I could, sat down to put my shoes on and the next thing I know I was peeing in the chair. I tried to stop it but I couldn’t LOL! I looked at the dude and was like “I’m sorry but I am peeing all over the place” He laughed and got a towel for under the chair. It sure felt good though and I think was a sign that I am nice and hydrated. When it finally stopped, (It went on forever!) I headed out.

They had giant exterminator cans filled with sunscreen and was spraying it on everyone. That was pretty smart of them. I got screened up in both transitions and avoided getting any burns from the race. I literally had no tan lines when it was said and done. I think not getting torched by the sun is a big part of that race.

When I began the run I felt so good from the first step. There was no awkwardness phase for me. That made me feel even more pressure to hit that run. I passes by Jessica and gave here a quick hello. Within 2 min of the run I was passed by some dude and this is possibly where the downfall of my run came. I am not used to being passed on a run. I think it has happened twice since I started triathlon and both those times were when I felt like crap. Now I felt great and I was getting passed. Then I got passed some more. At some point I decided to pick it up and run with someone. Mistake! I should have run a pace that felt ridiculously slow for that first 10 miles.

I came through 5K at 19:25. That was WAY too fast! Did I slow down and adjust my pace? NO! Why? I felt good and was acting CRAZY! I really did feel great. So I just kept rolling. I think the “logic” that went through my head at the time was “well I feel good and I know I will slow down at some point but maybe I will slow down to 7 min miles?” That would be an awesome run of around 2:54 or so. The other problem that backed up my logic at the time was that I truly feel I could run that.

Lets just say it was dumb logic that was heat induced haha. HOWEVER, I do think there is one other thing that happened in the first 10 miles that might have changed things. I had grabbed a gel and saw that it had caffeine in it. I didn’t want caffeine at the time and rarely use it in the first place so I ditched it and just had Gatorade. This happened twice in that segment so I missed out on about 200 calories. When my run went “Sour” it felt similar to a bonk which makes me think that the missed calories might have had something to do with that. You hear all the time of people not getting their special needs bag on the bike because it wasn’t ready and then having a crappy race because they don‘t go back for it. What I did on the run was similar.

Had that not happened and I ran a non crazy pace I think I would have been okay.
The reason I think I would have been okay comes from what happened from the exit of the energy lab to the finish. Basically I bounced back and was running fast again. But lets talk about that bonk section first.

Once I hit Palani I noticed that getting up it was a bit rough. I figured it was just because it was a hill. So I went up it a bit slower and then as I crested and turned onto the queen K I found the feeling wasn’t going to go away. Jessica had told me that Denny was about 8 min up and that Marky V was closer and not having a fun time. It is always nice to know where your training buddies are. It seemed like Denny was having a great race but I would be seeing Marky V very soon. Although, my run was going into shut down mode so there was a chance I might be seeing Hillary again. I really didn’t want that to happen.

I was able to keep a decent pace through the construction section on the Queen K but then I hit an aid station and just stopped. I grabbed Gatorade and sponges. My head was really hot and I felt like my legs were done. I didn’t get that discouraged for some reason and it didn’t really cross my mind at the time that it could end up being a VERY long day. I just kept shuffling along thinking that the Energy Lab would pop up at any moment. It didn’t and the strips of road just seemed like 100’s of miles. I only walked when I was at an aid station but the running I was doing felt oh so similar to my run at Honu this year. Not a pleasant feeling.

Somehow I made it to the entrance to the Energy Lab. It seemed like the down hill helped because I was able to pick my pace up a bit. Then my mind started to clear a bit and I think that all the calories I had taken in on my bad patch were kicking in. I could see Marky V in the distance and then I saw Denny pass me in the other direction. He looked really good. Even in my despair I thought “hmmm? I am starting to feel good again. Maybe I can still run him down.”
I passed Marky V right near special needs. We chatted for a second and I tried to get him to run with me. He was having serious issues with his lower back. I felt bad for him because it is one thing to be tired but another to have actual pain. It sucks. So I had to leave him and try and get things rolling again if I was going to try and catch Denny.

When I turned out of the Lab it was as if I was back in my first 10 miles of the run. I was moving again and probably doing 7 min miles. Not as fast but it felt like it. I began to pass people back and thought “If I can just keep this up I will have a really good day even with the bad section”. My PT Bob Cranny told me “Remember, it doesn’t always get worse”. He was right. Things went from great to good to bad to horrible to good and now we were great again.

Part of the challenge now was to continue to get the proper calories in. I decided that I would gel up at the aid stations in an effort to not bonk again. This did help me from going into a calorie issue but it created a small stomach one. I got a side stitch just as I was heading back into the construction area. I can run through them but they are not comfortable to say the least. I just kept the breathing nice and shallow and tried to relax the area. It ultimately slowed me down but I think the water I took in helped it work it self out.

As I ran back up towards Palani it felt hard again. But I was able to run through the “hard’ feeling” and knew I was getting close. As I crested and turned down Palani I heard someone yell “Go Heather”….Oh HELL NO! I am not about to get run down by a girl at the end of my first Hawaii LOL. It was Heather Golnick and I know that she can run fast. I watchered her run down JZ this year at IM AZ. She was going to make me work for it.

I saw Amy (one of the race directors at Vineman) and gave a quick groan at her. I really had to get my legs moving because Golnick was not taking prisnors. I couldn’t believe I was going to have to work this freaking hard at the end of my Ironman. I really wanted to casually run to the finish. But NO! We were now running close to 6 min mile pace and at that point in the race it felt like 5 min miles.

Heather was clearly going for 4th as the there was a chick in sight. I mumbled something to her and then she surged and passed me. That got another “HELL NO!” from me. I had no shame and I sprinted right past her and kept it up. So for my first Hawaii I will always get to remember out kicking Heather Golnick (who I was 15 min ahead of to begin with LOL)

Apparantly as I made my way to the finish line my mother found her “Boston Marathon Legs” and took of running. Cicely and Jessica laughed because one min she was standing there and the next she was already in the tent area. She used to run fast in her day. Her day would still be here if running didn’t completely cripple her feet (an issue I am trying to ward off!).

I got up that stupid ramp they have at the finish line and just stood there bent over for a min. The ramp isn’t stupid unless you are in the race. Otherwise it is a great idea! But at that moment it was stupid. The fact that I had to think about how I was going to get back down it is the reason it is stupid.

I took my time after the race an layed out on the lawn for a while. I was tired. I was happy and excited but at the same time I felt dissapointment. I went 9:26 which is my fastest IM to date, yet it left a sour taste in my mouth. Granted you really can’t be upset when you PR but my run was such a downer. 3:16. I know for some that is a great run, but for me it just plain sucks. HOWEVER, I feel I learned so much from this race that I can nail a 3 hour run next time I give it a go.

So enough with the Debbie Downer talk. WOO! HOO! Hawaii #1 is done. I think writing this report was harder than the race. With that said I won’t promise to write about the after race partying that took place or how Denny broke my shoulder on the last day! Meeker, you are a lucky man that we have cortisone shots!

Congrats to everyone that raced. Our Boulder Crew did awesome with Denny having a stellar day and Marky V getting a PR too. Billy had another consistant race. I think that was 3 IM’s for him this year??? Of course Macca won! Teresa pulled off a second in her age only to a former pro! GO COUGAR! Albert Boyce, Mark Petriofesa (sp?) Mitch Gold and Big E all did great (Epic vets) but I think the race of the day goes to Scott Davis who went 9:40. We think that he was getting extra hypoxic training on his rides because he talks so much!!! Linnea pulled off her FIRST IM ever. That’s got to be hard in Hawaii. And Lori was turning heads out there on the bike and run!

THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH TO EVERYONE THAT CAME TO KONA TO HANG AND SUPPORT! The entire experience would have been nothing without you!

I really also want to thank Jane Scott for being there for all of us throughout the year. None of our swiming would have been where it was without you. And also to Gordo for helping bring us all together for one of the best summers ever!

Well there it is…..KONA. Everything and nothing what I expected.

It's 19 outside....That sucks.

2007-11-30T09:06:00.000-08:00

Here is a pic from after the race. My mom was so excited to meet Chris and startd acting like a Cougar around him LOL..It's funny how you can't tell in this pic that the three of us are completely WASTED! The pic was also taken several hours before I was brutally attacked by Dennis Meeker!!!!

I'm finally back in Boulder and I am trying to get my barrings with this new weather thing. I keep forgetting to put a jacket on because it feels so warm and toasty inside, yet on the outside I end up freezing my tits off! Only one month of this so I should be okay haha.

The first thing I did when I got here was get my butt over to Flatiron Gym and get a nice swim in with Jane. It was good to see some of the crew and be back in a group workout. I am supposed to go swim today too as I build into my "massive" swim month but it is sooooo cold out!!!! I feel bad for Lindsay my roommate because I am notorious for ripping up the bathroom and you can't open the freaking window. Good thing I brought back some of that Trader Joe's Citrus Spray. COLORADO NEEDS TRADER JOE'S!!!!! I am soooo shipping myself food from TJ's to New Zealand.

Speaking of food, here is my new diet:

-NO Wheat

-NO Dairy

-NO Soy

-NO Sugar (refined)

What's left to eat? Yeah well I am still going through that stage myself. Cicely did the new plan with me when I was in LA and really helped out with finding stuff to eat. Our new favorite thing is Spaghetti Squash! Man that is tasty stuff. And really easy to cook too. Anyway, it really isn't as hard as it seems. Last night I went out with "The Good Guys" and was able to find a nice meal at an Italian restaurant (of all places). Nice Spinach salad with Ahi ( I know, that is such a bitch plate of food). Then I had some fries a bit later at Mountain Sun Brewery.

Part of this is also "food combining". There is a whole list of rules regarding what you can eat with what. For example, no meat with starchy foods. Fruits are only supposed to be eaten by themselves etc.....Why in god's name would I do this????

Well, someone like me who is notorious for killing bathrooms is also notorious for a gas problem that could most likely solve the crisis in Iraq. Send me over there with a loaf of bread and a gallon of milk and you have a new definition of terrorism.

Basically I was so bloated on Thanksgiving that I knew this had to end. Being able to fart on command is not a valued virtue unless you are 11. Luckily Jessica's sisters Karyn and Cynthia were over and they are huge exercise and nutrition guru's in LA. Cynthia has had many of the same issues with her stomach as I do and did years of research on it and finally figured out what worked and what didn't. She told me to cut out all of the above things and then follow her food combining plan. So I said I would give it a try and see what happens.

It has only been a week but I am now proud to say that I am gas free. (tear, tear) The whole thing still kinda sucks because I am a BIG emotional eater and so many of my fun foods are gone. I made the pact with myself that I will keep this up until IM NZ to give it a full chance to work. Maybe by then I won't have some of the cravings I do. I got up this AM and wanted a bagel sooooo bad!!! But no dice on that.....I'll keep you posted on how it goes and some of the creative things I am doing in the cooking department.

In the training department things got derailed once again. Of course it has to do with my foot. I just got back from a PT appointment with Bob Cranny and he wants me to take another week of running off. We discussed what the real issue is and how to handle it over time. Basically my left foot is crap and I have to come to the realization that it isn't going to change. The structure of my foot is ruined most likely from a few twisted ankles that happened in NZ two years ago. The ligaments got stretched out and now the foot is floopy with a fallen arch and won't ever return to the way it was.

It sounds depressing but Bob put a really good perspective on it. First, it can be managed and I should be able to reach all my goals that involve running. I need to learn what I can do and what I cannot. I took a month off after Kona and then started running. I did a few "stupid" runs and set myself back. It wasn't just plantar fasciitis this time. The tissue in between the metatarsals got sore and I thought I had a stress fracture. Basically because the foot is structurally weak I am going to be prone to other areas around the foot to become "injured".

How do you put a good spin on this situation? Bob said that because this issue is permanent, I have to look at it as my "gage". My foot will now be the thing that tells me when I am doing too much and when I need to rest. It will also force me to build into training rather than go smack it from the start like so many people do. I did build up to some really good running this last season so it will be possible to do again. I just need to be cautious with it. But now I need to get the foot back to zero. So rest it is. I want to improve my swimming and biking anyway.....(that was my effort to pretend I don't mind not running LOL)

Time to go finish unpacking and then go swim my 6K!

Tomorrow the Kona report is going up and I will write my five things. Getting me to tag 5 other people is going to be tough.

Cheers,

bdc

UPDATE (sorta)

2007-11-28T09:52:00.000-08:00

Hey Party People,

I have been in Los Angeles for the last few weeks and been off line etc...I am getting on a Jet Plane today to go freeze my ass off in Boulder!!! As soon as I get back I plan to update this thing properly and keep it updated as I get my crickety butt back into shape.

Here's the TO DO list....AS if anyone wants to read that LOL.

* Put the Kona report up (Remember that race they had waaaaaaay back? If I wait any longer the report will be about Kona 08!)

* Reespond to Amanda's "Tag" SOOO not a fan of that but I will do it becasue everyone else seems to be doing it and Amanda looks hot in her Splish bathing suit. ( I thought BDC was gay?)

* Launch my good news! (No Eddie you didn't miss it...I have just been a blog tease with it)

* Give a briefing on my recent health scare (This will gross people out for sure but I am SOOO talking about it!)

* Respond to peoples coments that they leave on here. Don't laugh but I had a hard time for some reason on my own blog LOL...But I got it worked out now and love to hear from people!

* And finally talk about my new diet that anyone who knows me is going to be like "yeah right!"But hey...it's been 6 days on it and I must say that I have had 90% less gas. People going to Epic Camp NZ this year should be dancing in the streets with praise!

Hope everyone had a great Turkey Day!

Cheers,
bdc

Dumbledore is Gay. Bill O'Riley is just dumb!

2007-11-05T17:23:00.000-08:00

It is very rare that I will watch Fox News (I use the word “news” loosely) but every now and then I will chime in for one of their “fair and balanced” shows. Since I am not working out right now I figured that I could get my heart rate and adrenaline up a bit if I tuned into some Bill O’Riely. I think next time I do this I will wear my heart rate monitor for shits and giggles!

Bill was talking (yelling) about the whole “Dumbledore is gay “ thing. Many of you know that J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter collection, outed one of her lead characters Dumbledore. I am not a huge fan of the books/movies and have only read/seen the first two so I am not a Harry Potter expert. However, I do know that she never had Dumbledore do anything in the novels or movies that would “out” him. There was no scene in a magic wizard tent involving spit. It was simply some back story about a character that is never really revealed.

So of course Bill and all his glory has to do an entire segment on how J.K. Rowling is ruining a series of books for political reasons. And of course he thinks that it will now make it uncomfortable for parents to talk about the books with their children because they will ask questions about it. He even brings in “experts” to go over what “impact” this will have on the youth that enjoy the series. Am I living in an alternate universe? I hope to god I am. Somebody PLEASE just leave me a comment and say that I am because I can’t handle the amount of idiots roaming free on this planet….

Saying that a character you created is gay is not political. It is artistic freedom. It becomes political when you have ignorant morons like Bill O’Riley putting negative spin on it. He says that he “doesn’t understand why the books can’t just be this really cool wizard fantasy that everyone can enjoy“. Is being gay really that big and scary of an issue? I wouldn’t be surprised if some of these uber right wing conservative Christian schools had counselors set up to deal with this. I’m sure there is going to be a motion to ban the books or something lame like that.

Bill is of course is allowed to have his views. It is sad how many people buy into the shit he is shoveling but what REALLY gets me is that in my mind he has insulted the youth of our society more than anything. We need to give young children more credit and stop trying to protect them from the “adult” world. I truly believe that kids have a better ability to process, in a rational nonjudgmental way, most things handed to them. Racism, sexism, homophobia, religious extremism and the like are all LEARNED behaviors. Nobody is “born” like that. Okay, maybe every so often you get a really bad seed, but for the most part I feel people are born as loving individuals and taught how to hate.

When you have someone like Bill going on TV and creating all this drama about Dumbledore all you end up doing is teaching hate and ignorance. YES, you are TEACHING hate in an indirect way. When you put the negative connotation towards being gay it will eventually link and evolve into someone’s hate. Most often that hate is in the form of a young kid that is gay and will end up hating him or herself. Statistically speaking that leads to a suicide attempt which if “successful” then , in my mind leads to the indirect murder of some poor kid. It may sound like a stretch….but everything has a root.

My buddy Gordo had blooged about how he likes to do positive things that may seem small but if done by everyone would equal a giant change. He mentioned that he likes to pick up 5 pieces of trash a day. That is a very simple thing to do. I am finding that with this whole “gay issue” we need to take similar action. It is time that people who are well informed and non-ignorant start having less tolerance to certain forms of language, actions and opinions.

As a society we can take Gordo’s idea about trash and start picking up the pieces of hate. What exactly does a piece of “hate” look like? Well, they can sometimes be tricky to spot. Obviously there are going to be times when it is very clear that someone has a problem with gay people. “I hate fags”. Clear enough. Dealing with someone that is on an extreme side of the fence like that may not always be the easiest or smartest thing to do. I can tell you that if I am somewhere and I hear someone say “I hate niggers” I am probably going to keep to myself. Only because I think “safety first” is always a good rule. However, if you find yourself in a situation that is non threatening I think it is time to start speaking out. Speaking out doesn’t have to be confrontational. It can be done later on the side or simply as a heads up when it happens.

I think that part of what we need to do is start working on changing the language. One of the most common phrases used is “That is so gay.” It seems pretty harmless and I personally don’t get offended when I hear it BUT it still needs to change. Most people that use the phrase don’t mean any harm to anyone and are really great people. It is just one of those phrases that took off. But it is still a negative connotation towards being gay whether the intent is there or not. Lets face it, we all know that when someone says “that is so gay” they are never referring to anything that could also be described as “that is so awesome or wonderful or rad (I think we should bring back the word rad) etc”.

The issues begin when a young person that is gay is in the process of discovering their sexuality and repeatedly hears things like “that is so gay”. Most of the time you won’t know if someone gay is around when stuff like that is said. When enough negative things build up in the mind of a young gay person it can brew and turn into self hate, rage, suicidal thoughts or simply just be a factor in someone’s decision to hide it and live a sub par life. Yes, I think that people that know they are gay and decide to hide it end up living sub par lives. I gave it serious thought when I was younger and looking back I couldn’t IMAGINE having to live like that. Unfortunately there are many that do. Just go on line to any gay “hook up“ site.

But the closet cases are the least of my worries. However, the closet cases with mouths are a big problem! I think that you find many of the Anti-Gay people out there to actually be gay. It is so obvious and lame but a whole separate topic that I will address later. I am more concerned about the youth out there who are going to struggle or become dangerous to themselves and/or others if we as a society continue to tolerate certain uses of language.

How bad do you think it can be? I have debated many times about issues relating to the Virginia Tech shootings, Columbine shootings and other such horrifying acts that are taking place in our society. After something like this happens you always hear people on the radio, news or wherever so shocked that something like this could happen. “I can’t believe someone would do something like that! They must have been crazy!” Well, actually I think WE are the ones that are crazy. I am shocked that stuff like Columbine and Virginal Tech don’t happen more frequently. Peoples’ emotions are real and when they get messed with over and over it is no wonder that we get people snapping from time to time.

Let me propose a scenario. Some might find it to be over dramatic, but I will still use it to make my point. Suppose there is a kid in the 5th grade who goes to school and on most days he is teased for being gay. He hides the teasing because he is in fact gay and is afraid to bring it up. Many kids don’t talk to someone about teasing no matter what the reason is. Anyway, internal pain starts to develop and it becomes very overwhelming and fantasies about how to stop the pain begin to develop. It just so happens that his father owns a gun for hunting, One day the kid goes to school and kills the kids that tease him. Did that 5th grader start out as crazy? Is it a stretch to think this could happen?

If you think that only someone who was predisposed to being “crazy” could do something like this, I think you are sadly mistaken. It is more probable that the kid would kill himself but with all the violence we expose young children to, without really understanding the reality and consequence of it, I think it is very possible that a school shooting could result.

I could go on a whole tangent about school teasing and bullying but I want to stick to my point which is that negative input on a daily basis causes mental damage to individuals that could result to something as severe as murder or suicide. This society still allows large amounts of negative input regarding gay issues. Most of it is simply “trash” that can be picked up and disposed of on a daily basis by people like you!

Of course you can’t really stop people like Big Bad Ugly Bill from saying what they want. But you can address simple issues like this to people that cross your path. That is, picking up a piece of hate. It's time.

My First KONA Part II

2007-11-01T17:49:00.000-07:00

Denny and I getting a pre race ride in on the Queen K

Of course when I got to Kona my mental rant about Marion went away and the excitement of it all filled my veins. Denny, Billy and Cicely were all staying with me. I hadn’t seen Cicely in a while and it was going to be so awesome to have her their. She is one person the brings the best out of me and knows how to calm me down if I get stressed and bitchy. Me bitchy? NEVER! Of course if Cicely can’t slap me out of it Denny can always come to the rescue and take me out for a ride or something. I trained so much with Denny this summer and he had some of the best advice that week leading up to the race. He claims to be a basket case before races too, but he was smooth as silk and his result proved it!

So picking up Cicely at the airport that first night caused a bit of tension. I hadn’t seen her in so long that I could tell we were both a little insecure if everything would be in tact. She had cut her hair all off and it was obvious she was nervous about what I thought. I knew she was going to be thrown in with all my Boulder friends and might feel like odd man out.

When I got her it was so strange to see her only because with the new do did look so different. Who am I to talk though as I had blond hair myself! Anyway, we get back to the place and there are two single beds, a futon and a queen in my room. I think I had it all set in my head that I was going to take the queen and get my own room the whole time because I need “my space” to focus etc. Well, when it came time to go to bed, Cicely asks in her extremely direct way “where do I sleep?” I could tell she sensed that I was going to say the futon. You see, Cicely and I go way back and we have shared beds on SO many occasions. Many times we crack each other up to the point of tears right before bed when we share. I stopped for a second and thought “why should this be any different? My best bud is here for two weeks and we should hang like old times.” So I said for her to stay with me in the room. I would have been Bitchzilla if I had spent two weeks in there by myself!

Denny and Billy were in the two singles in the main area. You would have thought that the four of us were at summer camp. The amount of farting and pranks that were going on was at an all time high. Billy was getting pretty irritated with the farting. He stepped out for a min and we didn’t really know where he went but he came back and he had this look on his face. It’s that look that a dog has when he has been digging through the kitchen trash. Something was up and sure enough about 5 min later we find that Billy left a few floaters for us in the toilet LOL! He though he was sooooo slick with that. Cicely was like “Don’t’ be leaving no floaters when I need to pee!”

Then at some point after the laughter died down we all decided to go to bed. I would step out about every 3 min to get something from the kitchen and leave Denny and Billy an air biscuit. They kept laughing about something but I knew it wasn’t about the crisp winter green smell of my farts. So I am in bed and all of a sudden I feel something under my pillow. It was my book and I look at Cicely and say “ What the hell did you put my book under my pillow for?” She gave me that “your crazy” look. And then I move around some more and come to find that Deny and Billy had put pretty much everything I owned in my pillow. How they got the shoe in there without it looking stuffed I don’t know. Anyway, it was clear we were all regressing to the 7th grade.

The next morning Denny and I got up to go get a swim in. We decided to swim the entire course as we still had some time before the race. It’s funny how many occasions I have been to Kona and never done the entire swim. It seems that every time I am there I can’t find anyone that wants to do the whole thing. I sure as hell don’t want to be out there by myself without a wetsuit on. I get a little freaky when I get too far from shore.

So the pier was crazy as usual. Everyone was showing off the bodies like a bunch of peacocks in heat! It is amazing how fit everyone looks. Very intimidating to say the least. So we just got in and started the swim. It went by rather quickly. Before we knew it we were at the turn around buoy looking back at the shore. Billy had come with us and was a little bit behind. As we were looking at the shore we were also waiting for Billy. When he finally reached us he looks at us and says “Where is the buoy?” Denny and I were confused as we were floating right next to it. We turned around to point to it like a bunch of smart asses but as it turns out there was a current and we had drifted pretty far away from it without even knowing. So Billy being the Marine that he is (and squirlly) had to go “touch” the buoy. I get it, OCD. All us triathletes have it…..Yes you do. No, I swear. Yeah you, the one reading this….you have it. LOL.

The best highlight about that swim was that on the way back we met up with a few dolphins. Normally I don’t like the sea creatures to get near me. And at first all I saw were fins. JAWS! But then once I saw they just wanted to check us out I was okay with it…but I still had one eye looking for the sneak attack. You know those dolphins KNOW they are so cute and shit. They could be plotting to distract us with their “under the sea charm” and then WHAM! Lunch. It could happen. So I’m ready.

After the swim we went out on the bike and then got a small run in. The rest of the week pretty much went something like that in regards to training. We just did a little of everything every day. We did drive to Hapuna beach and then road up to Hawi and back. I felt strong that day on the way up but on the way down it was so windy that I didn’t get any calories in and bounced a few bottles. I freaking BONKED! Not the best thing to be feeling the week of Ironman. I got to that gas station at the bottom and had another one of my “eat everything in site” moments. I ran for 7 min and 21 seconds after the ride. That wasn’t a very encouraging run either.

Luckily everything went well after that. I was feeling calm about everything and actually looking forward to the race. I still had nerves but not to the extent that it made the pre race process un enjoyable. If anything, I was concerned that my mother was about to join the frat house. She was staying with us and would be subjected to all the shenanigans. She can handle it though. As you will see later in the write up she gets a few Mai Tai’s in her and then proceeds to go out with us.

Once I got my mom I realized she was going to fit in just fine. Before you knew it she was on the beach with Cicely in “chill mode”. You have to understand that chill mode for my mom is relaxing for 5 min, vacuuming 10 times in the day, cleaning something, and then maybe another 5 min of down time. The women never learned how to chill but Cicely was doing a pretty good job of showing here the ropes.

There were only 3 more people in my group that needed to get there. Jessica, John and Maggie. Honestly I couldn’t believe that they were coming. Jessica is always all over the world researching for her PhD and big trips like this are SOOO not in the budget of a student, John is a big LA guy with movie shit going on all the time so getting away is never easy and Maggie is this awesome chick that I only know through John. It meant so much that they were going to be there for my first Hawaii. In fact, I met John at my very first triathlon and he and I came out to Kona to race Lava man a year after that. It was so crazy to think that I was now here in Kona getting ready to not only “do” Hawaii, but actually race it.

The night before the race everyone was here and we decided that nobody wanted to cook so we went to eat at the Italian place on Alii Dr. There was not a lot of room for us so Maggie crashed a table and we ended up eating with two Canadians doing the race. It hit me that it was not the night before the night before the night before anymore and that it was simply “the night before”. The resturant was so loud and busy that all I wanted to do was get home. I was getting edgy again and the environment wasn’t helping. Luckily for me the group could see that and we got the check rather promptly and retreated back to the sugar shack where we were staying.

All that was left to do was get a good nights sleep and have some faith in the work I did up to this point. I was down at about 7pm. I woke up at 1:30 WIDE awake but felt like I should still sleep untill 3am. I did that and when I woke up again I was EXTREMELY groggy! Oh shit! This can’t be good. All I wanted to do was go back to sleep……but wait, I have an IRONMAN to do today …..

My First KONA Part I

2007-10-23T23:38:00.000-07:00

Me, Jen, Denny, Bill, Trix, Mitch and Terresa. We made the cover of http://www.blueseventy.com/

I’m sitting here in my favorite chair with a box of saltine crackers, chocolate soy milk and a big glass of red wine. It is way later than I should be up but I am on Hawaii time and I have a broken shoulder (hence the big glass of wine) that prevents me from sleeping well. It is clear that a post Ironman depression has kicked in and due to the fact that I haven’t done a lick of exercise since the race, minus walking the dog which made my foot hurt, my serotonin levels are way down. Serotonin is that stuff that the drug companies draw pictures of on TV and tell you that if you take their pills that you will go from a sad little egg looking thing to a happy bouncy egg looking thing. Sure.

Mmmm yum. These crackers are so good. Anyway, I haven’t bloged in a while because the site was down and now I am at a loss of what to say. Well actually I have way too much to say and can’t formulate an outline of how to cram it all in without boring the reader and writing a 10 page blog. Let me chug some of this wine and see if that helps……

I’m sure you expect me to write about Hawaii and give the typical race report. I suppose I will but before I do I really need to get this whole Marion Jones thing out of my system. I would first like to officially thank Marion for cutting that last twine of rope that in my mind held professional sports together. You see, I went to high school with Marion and got to see her on a daily basis do things that would blow your mind away. I was there when she did the long jump in practice for fun and broke the national high school record. She would go to meets and destroy not only her competition but also most of the boys. She got along with everyone and was always very articulate with how she handled the fame of it all. I felt so honored that I was on a team with such greatness.

When she went to college and won an NCAA Championship in basketball it only reinforced what a super talent she was. Then the world championships came where she dominated and then finally her fab 5 in Sydney. I was so happy for her. I felt that because I saw her at such an early stage of her career I KNEW that she was clean. She was so gifted that their wasn’t even a shred of evidence that she needed the juice. So many others before her would get busted. So many after her would fall as well. But Marion was my tiny piece of truth that gave me faith in pro sports. I was a huge advocate for her when the allegations started….

I saw Gail Devers on a regular basis training on the Bruin track. I never called her out but if she turned up dirty I wouldn’t be surprised. Thanks to Marion though I can give my full opinion which is that I would bet my life that she is/was juiced up. Sorry Gail, but why should I think you are clean? Dara Torres? I don’t even know her or truly understand swimming but I’m not buying it. Lance? Oh please. Floyd? I know, he got screwed. I won’t even bother to list the people that were busted in track and field alone in the past 5 years. Just do a google search on it.

I found the timing of the whole thing to be quite interesting. Right before I go to race my first Hawaii Ironman and see the best Ironman athletes in the world! The people I look up to! The people I freaking train with! Marion has to go and cut the rope. Really what she did is make a persons word 100% meaningless to me. I knew her and saw what kind of person she was. If Marion can lie about this and go fight court battles over it then ANYONE is susceptible to being a cheat.

Do we need to bring up the fact that she wasn’t even caught by drug testing? The drug testing doesn’t work! I assume that the drugs are too advanced and that the politics behind them are also corrupt. If money is involved then you know the system is bunk!

How many “Marion’s” do you think were in Kona? It is hard to say. It makes me ill to think about it because again many of the top people there are friends of mine and sometimes training partners. I’m sorry but I have to turn my head away. I can no longer look up to any of them. They are what they are but they are no longer heroes. Shit, it is so bad that I even dare say that if I achieve my goals which are to go around 8:30 you are going to have to wonder about ME! I know I would never do it but like I said, someone’s word has no credibility anymore.

All those years in Kona with all those people racing and doing things that to some seem super human, how many ever got busted for dope? Nina? Maybe a few more? I would have to do my research. But in cycling anyone that shows up for a Tour race is getting busted. What segment of the Ironman has made the biggest leaps? Cycling. I am not buying it. When a woman that is 40 years old and ½ my size can put out more power on a bike than me, a red flag goes off. I want so bad for the people in my sport to be super heroes but I just can’t do it…..it is so fucking sad.

Viva Las Vegas!

2007-10-02T18:57:00.000-07:00

Oh yeah! Norman ain't got nothin on my new ride for Kona!

Well I can tell that Kona is approaching. My fuse is very short right now and I am turning into a hermit. I have been in a great mood but it doesn't take much to make me snap. The last few workouts I have had made me feel like crap. I bonked with Denny on a 3 hour ride LOL. I literally ended up in a gas staition eating two egg Mc Muffin type things, a muffin, some drink and then went back in for some more. After that I got dropped and my legs were completely gone. I slept on the grass in front of Denny's place (when I finally freaking got there!) I don't know??? My legs just haven't felt all that great....That is probably a really good sign that I am going to be able to throw down in Hawaii LOL....Seems the worse I feel before a race, the better I actually do.

I went to Vegas with Marky V for Interbike. We joined up with Amanda Lavato, Fiona Docherty, and Jen Martinez. I felt like I was on an episode of Sex and the City LOL We had a blast and I made some really good contacts for the 08 season. It was really nice to get my mind off training with the trip. Cranny (my PT) took me off running for 5 days because the foot decided to give an encore performance before k0na. SCREW THAT! I will NOT tolerate that bull shit again. It seems much better now but it has been hard to take the time off this close to Kona while I watch everyone else get their running in.

Here is the thing when this kind of stuff happens. You really have to decide how you are going to let it affect you. I decided that if I had to sit on my ass and do NOTHING for the rest of the time leading up to Kona, I will still KICK ASS out there. Jane was coaching us the other day at the pool and I was expressing everything about how my body was feeling and what I thought it meant etc. She just looked at me and said "Jesus, stop being so psycho!" That made me laugh my ass off. I guess you really have to know Jane to understand why it was so funny. But she was right! She has been around for all the top psycho's like her brother Dave, Mark Allen, Molina etc...She knows what's up and tells it like it is. So I am calm now. It's that simple. I am calm now.

If anything my stress is coming form being in Boulder. I just want to get out of here and be in Kona. I love that Island and this is going to be my only "first" Kona and that excites me. Sometimes I think we mistake anxiety for excitement. How great is it going to be to see all my friends out on the course giving it their all and then to be around family and friends that I haven't seen in a while!. It is going to be Tony the Tiger GREEEAT!

Two more days here in Boulder until I head out. Time to pack it up and get ready......

A while back I had mentioned that I have some exciting news to announce. Well everything regarding that is final and I will make that announcement in my next blog :-)

Keep it rollin to all racing!