Ok, so this is just a short update on the training we've done here in San Diego. It's been so nice out, we just haven't wanted to stop riding and running and swimming. Consequently, we've been too tired to write much on the blogs, as we might have thought we would do. Ok, I should speak for myself, as I'm not sure if Amanda has been better about updating.

Some quick thoughts:

The riding here is really much better than I had imagined it would be. I now know why all those folks come here to train for Hawaii. In addition to having incredible weather, the riding is tough, with a lot of climbing: everywhere you go!

There is a lot more trail running than I knew about. I've done some nice road runs, but the trails are readily available as well.

Although I've definitely gotten stronger, and my cycling has taken a huge boost, I am worried I am becoming soft. How so? Well, when I get back to Boulder on Thursday, I'm going to have to get used to the cold weather all over again. Once you get accustomed to sixties, it's tough to face thirties and forties again. Ouch.

And finally, counting the one-hour yoga session last night, my seven-day training total was a healthy 39 hours. I'll summarize more of the specifics later, including a total for the two weeks we will have been in California.

Until then.

Ok, so I have slacked a bit. My slacking has not been training related, but rather photography related. I keep forgetting to bring the old camera along to document all this great training we've been doing. And all the fun we've been having. Now I hesitate to talk about how great the wether's been, as I know we might bring some instant weather karma. I don't want it to start raining, and I don't want to get more cold weather when we get back to Boulder. I don't want to jinx it.

Suffice it to say that it's been really nice, and we've had lots of sunshine.

The training has been great. Amanda and I have done a lot of riding together, we've done a couple swims, and we did a great run yesterday with Heather Fuhr. It's nice to have the locals show us around, so we can stray away from the PCH, and find all the new and interesting routes.

Today I started out with Amanda, Roch, and a couple of athletes he coaches, including our friend Rae. After about half an hour, I turned East and made my way toward the hills. My legs were beginning to feel the effects of the past few days of riding. Nothing quite like jumping right back into the cycling after two months of rest! I decided the best way to deal with the sore quads was to stop early for a nice coffee and a muffin.

After fueling up I made my way toward the famous Palomar Mountain. I had heard stories about this climb, and was anxious to see what it had in store for me. I went there expecting one heck of a climb, and I was not disappointed. I took the long way there, so by the time I arrived at the base of the climb, I had ridden about 57 miles. This was definitely going to be the longest ride of the year for me so far.

I really enjoyed the climb, and it was great getting a longer climb so early in the year. We can't make it too high up the canyons in Boulder, as you pretty much freeze your bones coming back down. This was different, as after climbing twelve miles, I was only at about 5300 feet. Not too shabby. The climb was tough though, as it was steep for the entire way. Instead of breaks with the gradual grade, like Left Hand Canyon, this had no breaks. My tired legs made it to the top eventually, and I was sure happy to be at the lower elevations, as I was able to summit without huffing and puffing!

After a brief chat with a cyclist at the top (with no photos, unfortunately!),I headed back down, and back toward the coast. In the end of the day I had ridden all up, down and around the place, and I had a great ride, and I'm officially back in the groove.

I hope to bring the camera next time... for proof!

The weather here in Southern California is spectacular. We are here and we are happy. And it is warm. And there is no snow on the ground. More on that later!

YakTrax are the greatest invention for those of you who live in Chilly Cold Climates. When the snow and ice are piled up, but you just can't take another run on the treadmill, this product is for you! Amanda, in her infinite brilliance, came home the other day with a couple sets: one pair for each of us.

We tried them out last Tuesday, as we were itching to do one of our favorite hill runs: up and over Linden--a snow-covered route--so we knew they were great. But today, we put them to the test on our long runs. Fortunately, our long runs aren't over the two-hour mark yet, so we were only facing about an hour forty-five. We had been warned by our friend Henry from Boulder Running Company that a long run in this type of cold would really wipe us out. It just takes so much energy to keep the body warm, the tendency is to tire out much sooner than would normally be the case. With this piece of advice in hand, and few more PowerGels than normal (Clif Bloks for the wife), we headed out to see what we could handle.

The YakTraks immediately proved to be a great addition to our winter running wardrobe. Leaving FAC, we ran into our friend Brad Seng. He was starting out on a run as well, but it was pretty obvious his traction was not quite up to par. We had only run a block, but were already pulling away. Brad is a quick runner, so this could only be attributed to our superior equipment!

I've heard it said that there is no such thing as bad weather, only bad equipment. Well, today we proved that yes, there is bad equipment; yes, there is good equipment; and yes, there really is such a thing as bad weather. Ten degrees with a slight snow shower qualifies as bad weather. I had bundled up very well, so well, in fact, that I was actually quite sweaty at the end of the run. And we had those incredible YakTrax on our side. However, by the end of the run, I was pretty worn out. I'd say the furnace was cranked up on high-burn out there, and although we didn't quite make 1:45, I am pretty sure we got the equivalent of 2+hours!

I messed up and didn't bring my camera along for proof. I'll have to do so next time, as I think the post with photo is more interesting than the post without. The photo would have been of me doing something I haven't done in exactly ten years.

A few days ago, I finally decided that I had talked enough about making an addition to my winter training regimen; it was time to do something. The snow shoeing is fun, and running with Yaktrax seems pretty efficient (more on that later), but there was one thing missing from the routine: skate skiing.

The other night I managed to get ahold of a set of used ski equipment. I had been searching for just boots, as I have a few friends who've been inviting me to borrow their back-up equipment. I stumbled upon this great deal for everything, and could not pass it up. I'm officially equipped.

Since outdoor riding was out of the question, due to the day's high temperature of NINE DEGREES!, I opted to start off with a ski. I didn't want to overdo it, as I suspected that my technique might need some fine tuning. I went over to local Valmont Park, rather than up to the hills.

Turns out that skiing is like riding a bike: you don't really forget how to do it. It all came back to me fairly quickly. I skated about for around forty minutes before I packed it in. I figured I didn't need to press my luck, because yes, skating did come back to me quickly, but no, I'm far from expert status. It's going to take a while to get the muscles back in the groove.

Next time I'll bring a camera, as to appease the rule of "pictures or it didn't happen."

Wednesday morning I woke up at 6:00am to head over for a 7:00am swim workout. I was up and ready to roll by 6:30.... there was only one problem: Amanda was still in bed, and wasn't budging. Normally the opposite scenario plays out: I am in bed, while Amanda is attempting to get me rolling. I realized I was not winning the battle, so rather than venture out on my own, I jumped back into bed, and cut a few more z's with the wife.

Why is this noteworthy? Well, on the one hand, it's proof that sometimes I am the first one up in our household; but more importantly, our sleepiness managed to keep me to the previously determined schedule I had sent to USADA. This is the US Anit-Doping Agency. I had sent them a schedule of my whereabouts for the entire quarter, because I'm now in their Out of Competition Testing pool. This means that I have to tell them where I'll be, on a quarterly basis, for the entire year. When I filled out the form, I planned on doing the 9:00am swim workout, not the 7:00am session, so it turns out... I needed to sleep in!

I arrived at the pool, and minutes after beginning the workout, I met with Travis, my USADA testing agent. I politely asked them to wait until I had finished, which the kindliy obliged me. As they waited up on deck, a bit chilly out there, I churned out my first decent swim workout in about three months.

After finishing Travis and I headed to the lockers where I changed, and he "accompanied" me. He has to go everywhere I go, after "serving notice", just to be certain that I do not do anything fishy. Not sure what that could be, but fishy is fishy. I showered, dried off, and headed to a more private bathroom upstairs. Being post-workout as I was, I did not know if I'd be able to provide a full sample. Dehydration can be tough on sample giving.

I was able to fill the sippy cup, and later filled my two test viles. The procedure is actually pretty air-tight, not unlike the test viles. As we sat on the bathroom floor of Flatiron Athletic Club, performing what looked like a boring chemistry experiment, I imagined how many of my competitors are going through these same procedures. My hope is that many are doing do, but the reality is that it's an expensive process, and I'm not sure how frequently this happens worldwide.

After Travis acknowldeged that I had sufficient quantity, and after checked my pH and specific gravity (that of my urine actually), we packed it up. I was done for now... besides the waiting six weeks for the results.

The sun came out yesterday. Turns out that the wind came out as well. Nobody told me that it was supposed to be howling out there, so I bundled up (see above photo), and headed out. I got a late start, as my 'cross bike didn't have wheels or tires. I found the necessary parts, installed, and brushed off last year's rust and dirt. By the time I hit the roads, it was nearly 4:00pm. That only left me time for an hour spin, but at least I was heading out.

My neighborhood proved to be the most challenging section of the whole ride. There was a ton of snow and slush and ice. I made it out to the main roads just fine. It appears that all this time on the rollers really does wonders for your snow-handling skills.

It really wasn't too cold, but that wind sure did throw a mean bite into the mix. I cruised around until it started to get dark, then headed home to continue the ride on the rollers. The workout soon ended, as dinner was calling... so was Amanda, for that matter.

I am happy to say that I'm making it through the first week of training! It's good to be back, and at the risk of jixing myself, I belive the blog is making a comeback as well...

Here we go, here we go, here we GO! I'm really doing it this time. I know these are my famously unbelievable words, but this time I'm really trying. I'm going to blog a couple times a week. Nothing too over-the-top, nothing to fancy; just a few updates.

Here we go.

It's the fifth day of the year, and our New Year's plan to train, train, train hit a solid roadblock today: 16 more inches of snow! What is going on here? I thought El Nino was warming us all up; why all this cold snow! Oh well, we did manage to get five strong days of training under our belts before the snow hit. Again.

The Drop-Dead Date was January 1, and with that date we got back to work. We're easing into things, with a plan to build into the latter part of the month. It's time to shed the winter build-up, to get back to a routine, and to start enjoying the outdoors again.

Today we did just that. After canceling plans to hit a swim workout early in the morning, Amanda and I opted to strap on the snow shoes for the first time this season. The last two blizzards hit during a time of slacking and laziness, so we just watched it pile up, with no intentions of working out in it. This time it is different.

We went out for about two hours total, with the total run time on my watch hitting 90 minutes. Not a bad workout considering we were both tired after about 27 minutes. Imagine running in beach sand, but really deep beach sand. Push too hard and you go nowhere; don't push hard enough and you go nowhere. It's quite the leg burning workout.

Our friend Graham joined us for the first thirty+ minutes, but had to bail out due to a hockey game commitment. Canadians.

However, just prior to his departure, we spotted a running icon of Boulder. Let me rephrase that: we saw an icon of the running world; one who lives in Boulder. He wasn't running at the time; he was shoveling snow and chipping ice. We stopped for a photo, and to say hello. It's always fun to meet the legends. It's always fun to see such phenomenal talent right there in your own neighborhood. It's especially fun when he's not got snow shoes on, and you know you could actually outrun the guy. Always a competition.

Our encounter was with, none other than, Frank Shorter. If you aren't familiar with Frank, you should be. He's mostly responsible for starting the running boom (jogging boom!?) in America back in the seventies. Check him out with Amanda, Graham, and me; and then check him out at http://www.runfrankshorter.com/olympic.shtml.

That's it for now. I'm off to ride the rollers for a spell, while I watch a movie.... or something.

It's that time of year again! The time of year where I sit around a lot, take care of things I have neglected for the last several months, and I... write on my blog! Ok, so I haven't been doing that, but this is the goal: to establish a posting routine, so that come spring I'll be all set to maintain regular postings. Let's see if I can do it!

As I near the end of my fourth week of relative inactivity, I am beginning to itch for a routine. This is really why I like to take some serious time off: so that I'm more than ready to fall back into a more strict, planned-out schedule. My body definitely needed the break, but more than anything, I think the off-season resting program can benefit the mind. In general I take the entire month of November as a 'exercise if I feel like it' month. I'll try to be more consistent in December, and come January 1st, I start back up.

I've really been enjoying the past couple weeks, an in particular the last ten days. Amanda and I have been spending a lot of time together, and with the dogs. We really have enjoyed sleeping in (til 10:00am some days!), and staying up late (I've seen midnight!!). It's been very relaxing, and the recharge should go a long way toward the preparation for another fun year of racing.

Last night we saw the movie Borat: very interesting. It certainly made us laugh, but the question "what the heck is wrong with these people" came up numerous times! Very funny. After that we spent an hour or so perusing the book store. We bought a couple books, and who knows, maybe we'll review them as a pastime.

Stay tuned, as I plan to update on all the fun happenings of a Lovato November Day.

For those of you who are checking in for the Hawaii Ironman report, scroll down a bit further, and you'll find it. I just wanted to send out a big, fat THANK YOU to all of you who sent me good luck notes, and well-wishing before the race. I've been away from the computer a bit more than usual the past two weeks, so I've not had a ton of time to reply to emails. Rest assured, I'll get back with you all very soon. I appreciate everyone's support and interest. Keep checking back in, as it's now off-season, and lack of time can no longer be my tardy-blog excuse!

I'm finally back home in Boulder, and I've finally found my way to the computer, so I thought I'd send out the initial race report... who am I kidding? As long as I'm reporting, I might as well give the blow-by-blow version. Sit back and grab some popcorn, 'cause here I go:

They said the swim was rough; they said it was slow. I can look at the times and realize that the fastest folks were about four minutes off what they normally swim. I can look at my deficit to those top swimmers and say that this was my best ever Hawaii swim. With the goal of coming out with the main group, I positioned myself right behind Cam Brown, a guy I have swum with in the past, but never in Hawaii. He is always in a desirable spot, so I joined him. Well, for a little while anyway. I got edged off his feet as we were joined by a larger group of little fishies. I settled for another set (and ultimately another couple sets) of feet, and rode the wave to the turnaround. I am pretty sure that those up front faced a pretty mean current coming home, so this would explain why, on the hardest swim day in recent years, I felt very relaxed.

I zipped through T1, intent to catch or maintain contact with whomever had beaten me out. I did a good job, as I ended up passing some pretty fast swimmers very early on the bike. Things were looking good, and my legs were feeling great.

I made my way to the front of the chasing group, by the time we left town and hit the Queen K. By the airport, my charge found my at the very front, as I anticipated reacahing the leaders. Early on two things became evident: there was no wind to slow us down, and I was not catching any leaders!

As I made my way out, under an uncharacteristically overcast sky, I began to wonder if I had gone out too hard. My plan was to ride pretty darn fast for the first ten to fifteen miles, but then to settle into a steady pace, perhaps with a group. What I had not anticipated was how angry and agitated I would become with other riders packed so closely around me. I made several attempts to bridge up to the lead group, while dropping those around me. Each time I would find myself alone for several minutes, but ultimately being caught back up by the groups behind me.

After fifty miles of this cat-and-mouse (cat-and-mice) riding, I began to feel the effects of my surges: my quads were really starting to ache. I made my way up the rollers toward Hawi, at which point I was swallowed up by the front end of a very, very large group: probably 30+ guys. I patiently waited for the final uphill push toward Hawi: seven miles into a typically stiff headwind. On the day there was no headwind, but I still managed to break away one final time. I charged ahead, with only one other rider in tow. Entering Hawi and approaching the turn, I was confident that I could finally make the break stick.

On the return trip back down to Kawaihae, I really hit a solid brick wall. I felt nowhere near as good as I had anticipated feeling, and was forced to let a small group of six ride away from me. I figured that with a slight break, I could catch them back up with a strong push over the final thirty miles. However, the quads were very achey, and they never seemed to come around, as they tend to do around mile 80. I was in for it!

For the next thirty minutes or so, I continued to question myself: why did I let other athletes and what they were doing draw me out of my race plan; why did I get so angry at their riding tactics and strategies; why did I not stay within and race my race; why did I not just sit in, as the other athletes had no problem doing? These questions kept plaguing me; in fact, the fact that I was dwelling on these questions was plaguing me. For the first time in recent memory, my mental strength of staying within the moment, and racing positively in my own race had let me down.

With about fifteen miles to go, I found a second wind (or should I say my quads found a second wind), and I finished well: I even picked up a few folks who had blown as well.

Starting the run, I was a few spaces out of the top twenty: a place I had begun the marathon before. I was confident that I could overturn my mental and physical let-down from the bike, and run my way into the top ten: a revised goal for me.

Knowing very well that many folks never make it out of the Alii Drive out-and-back, I bided my time for the first ten miles. I found a groove, and held several comfortable 6:20's, waiting until the Queen K to increase the pressure. I knew, just knew, that once the sun came out, I would be right there to pick up the pieces of those before me who had gone out hard.

I waited for the sun to come out. I waited for that perfect moment to begin my push. I waited for the carnage that typifies the Kona Coast marathon. I waited and waited. I needed that brutal heat.

I have to say that I am still a bit shocked that the suffering never happened: the heat never hit us, and the flies never dropped. The top fifteen to twenty guys seemed to hold steady, in the same order throughout. I did move up a handful of spots, and lost one spot along the way; however, the normal attrition rate on the Queen K was strangely absent. Just as the bike ride was strangely windless, the marathon gave us little to no sunshine, and very mild conditions.

To top things off, the damage I had done myself on the bike was preventing me from running fast. I pushed and pushed; built and built, but I gained very little ground, as I anticipated doing. I was stuck in a no-man's land. I had ridden myself out of contention.

In 2005 I truly learned what it was like to have a bad race. Being forced to a walk, and finishing 395th was a humbling experience. And now to finish back in the top twenty, and to do so with my second-fastest time on the course, I can only be pleased with the result. Even still, I must say that I am a bit disappointed to fall so far short of my goals; however, the race taught me a very valuable lesson, one that will surely aid me in next year's quest for a top finish.

After two years with mild conditions out on the Big Island, I can only assume that next year will be a brutal one. In a strange way, I look forward to this, as I have no doubt that with the normal wind and heat, this year's outcome would have been very different for a lot of people.

Earthquakes and dolphins are on my mind. I'm here in Kona, and have finally found my way to a wireless hotspot for an update. Thanks for being patient and for checking in again.

Yesterday's tremors work me up from a sound sleep. At first I thought it was a violent thunderstorm, as we've been having A LOT of rain this week. When I realized it was an earthquake, my instincts made me roll over and cover Amanda, in case the ceiling fan ripped out and crushed us. That would have been quite dramatic. That did not happen, but I felt quite heroic nonetheless. Fortunately for us, our condo is fairly new and well built, so Amanda and I did not have to evacuate, as some of our counterparts have reported doing. Aside from slowing down the start of our day, our plans were not disturbed too terribly much.

Last week Amanda and I went for a really nice swim. We set out to conquer the entire swim loop, but at an easy pace with plenty of stops to chat and see the sights. Turns out there were plenty of sights to see: about 12-15 dolphins! On the return trip, I popped up to wait for Amanda, and while floating in the pristine salt water, I spotted a handful of dorsal fins poking just above the surface of the water. After a slit-second of 'are these sharks?!' panic, I realized they were our friends: some playful dolphins.

We enjoyed watching them splish-splash about, jumping and flipping, gliding and flopping. It was amazing. We went on our way, and they on theirs, but moments later we caught up with them again, further down the way. This time they swam below us upside down, and seemed to head back out to sea. What a fun-loving animal! And what a great experience for us both!

Aside from those two noteworthy events, most of our week has been the Kona Norm. We've done some nice rides and runs; we took a great drive to Hawi for some exercise and delicious sushi; we've lounged about; and we had a great birthday dinner (mine was the 14th) with our friends Graham and Sue.

It's now Monday, and the official start of Race Week. It has begun to get a bit more crowded around town, and the reality of the pending competition is becoming more clear. I love it.

I have some a couple photos of myself and Amanda in our comfy Kona condo. I plan to use that surf board after the race, by the way!

More later, as the good stuff is only just beginning!

Aloha!

Ironman North America TV schedule:

>Ironman North America events to air on OLN/Versus
>Boulder, CO Ð Ironman North America will partner with the Versus network
>(formerly OLN) to air the five full Ironman events held in the continental
>United States. These national broadcasts on the Versus network (US) are
>scheduled for October and November at the times show on the schedule below
>(all time ET).
>October 8, 2006 3:00 pm Ford Ironman Arizona
>October 9, 2006 4:00 pm Ford Ironman Arizona
>October 10, 2006 1:00 am Ford Ironman Arizona
>October 11, 2006 5:00 pm Ford Ironman Arizona
>October 15, 2006 3:00 pm Ford Ironman Coeur dÕAlene
>October 15, 2006 6:00 pm Ford Ironman Coeur dÕAlene
>October 16, 2006 4:00 pm Ford Ironman Coeur dÕAlene
>October 17, 2006 12:30 am Ford Ironman Coeur dÕAlene
>October 18, 2006 5:00 pm Ford Ironman Coeur dÕAlene
>October 22, 2006 3:00 pm Ford Ironman USA Lake Placid
>October 23, 2006 4:00 pm Ford Ironman USA Lake Placid
>October 24, 2006 1:30 am Ford Ironman USA Lake Placid
>October 25, 2006 5:00 pm Ford Ironman USA Lake Placid
>October 29, 2006 3:00 pm Ford Ironman Wisconsin
>October 30, 2006 4:00 pm Ford Ironman Wisconsin
>November 5, 2006 3:00 pm Ironman 70.3 St. Croix
>November 6, 2006 4:00 pm Ironman 70.3 St. Croix
>November 26, 2006 3:00 pm Ford Ironman Florida
>November 27, 2006 4:00 pm Ford Ironman Florida

As long as I'm posting photos, I thought that I'd show you all a couple of fun pieces of equipment I'll be using in Hawaii. First, the kind folks at Saucony have created a custom pair of shoes for me. These are a standard pair of their triathlon-specific shoe, the Type A, but with a couple new grahpics. Thanks to Saucony for making me feel very special out there... it's gotta be the shoes!

And next up is my Rudy Project aero helmet. It's a standard Syton Open helmet, but jazzed up a bit courtesy of Fitz Graphix, a local auto body detail shop. It's scary, so beware!

That's it for now. I've got to get to sleep, as tomorrow is the final short brick workout here in Boulder before we head off to the Big Island.

Thanks for checking in on me.

Oh, and for those who are interested in seeing a bit of triathlon on TV, I'm attaching the OLN schedule for Ironman North America events. Tomorrow just happen to be IM Arizona, so I definitely recommend tuning in!

The past several days have been fun for me. As the taper progresses, I have found myself entering the phase where I am really enjoying a boost in energy. And with a boost in energy comes a boost in blog posts!

First off, I wanted to post a picture I took today while riding with my friend John Alvarez. John is here visiting from Hilton Head Island, and he's going to be taking care of our house, our dogs, and our cat while Amanda and I are in Hawaii. We headed out for an easy spin this afternoon, and this photo proves that. It also proves that I occasionally live dangerously, not unlike Austin Powers, as I snapped this one at about 20mph. I slowed a bit so things wouldn't be too blurry.

For those of you who don't believe that I'm really back, I'm here now to prove you wrong... or to prove myself right. I keep telling myself that I'm back, so that I'll really be back.

The past few days have been really nice. Saturday and Sunday both gave us a rare Septempber venture into the eighties! On both days I rode my bike up South St Vrain canyon: once on Saturday with Amanda, and once on Sunday alone. The most beautiful thing about the ride was the abundance of aspen trees with gorgeous yellow leaves. I would, in fact, be posting a picture of the stunning town of Raymond for all to see... had I only remembered my camera on these rides. Unfortunately, the camera was still sitting on the table by the door, when I reached into my jersey pocket to grab it. Bummer.

Thanks for checking in, and yes, I really am back. More later.

Watch out: I'm on a roll! I just wanted to add a few more thoughts, to prove that I'm really back.

First off, I wanted to post a couple pictures from a fun weekend of training I had with my good friend, and Jack and Adam's teammate, Todd Gerlach. He made his way up to the soft mountain air, in order to have some fun, and to escape the relentless heat of a September in Austin, Texas.

While he was here, I was finishing up week three of my big build. I took him to all my regular stomping grounds, including Switerland Trail (a gorgeous trail at 8500ft, in the mountains above Boulder), a trip up Left Hand Canyon (LHC for short), and a couple trips to FAC, our local club (pool and gym, not hip-hop/ party).

Along the way I only managed to pull my camera out twice. Bummer, but at least I got two shots. First, Todd and I were racing some incoming weather, as we shot up to mile 12 of LHC. We were hoping to hit Ward at mile 17, but the report of snow turned us around early. In photo number two, note the ominous black clouds behind Todd: this was actually down the mountain from us, and was therefore BETTER weather than what awaited us up top.

What awaited us down in the flatlands was a lot of wind. And I mean A LOT. I don't think you can grasp this unless you live, or have visited, the front range of CO. The wind was a STEADY 35mph, with gust from 50-80 mph. Please note that 80 mph classifies a low-grade hurricane (when sustained at that speed, of course). Nonetheless, Todd and I "practiced" for Hawaii for the rest of the ride.

Picture number one is in honor of Todd sprinting past the city limits sign (evidently something they "do" in Austin now) in front of me. Now, granted, I was on the side of the road waiting for him when he sprinted by... small victories.

I'm back! I realize it's been three months since the last update, and most of you have likely stopped checking in on my blog, but hey, I'm back. I went through a slump... for writing, that is. I'm back now.

My first update is right smack in the middle of my Hawaii prep! I meant to log on once or twice per week (yeah right!) during my big five weeks of training to show you some of the scenery while I was out there. Now I've only got three+ weeks 'til the race, and I'll do what I can to bring everyone up to speed.

July 30: Vineman. I had a great time in Sonoma; I had a great homestay (Iron Mady!!); I wasn't too fast on a day where four guys broke four hours!; and I really enjoyed the area, the race, and the trip!

August 20 was Timberman. I love this race. For those of you who have not made it up to beautiful NH, get there soon! It's an awesome venue, an awesome race director, great party, and one heck of a pretty place. I finished the race in second, behind a blazing fast Bjorn Andersson.

August 27 was Ironman Canada. Let me just say that the trip to the Great White North was well worth the hassle (forgot my passport getting there!). Amanda had a decent race (albeit with another botched nutrition on race day); we loved visiting our good friends S and K Wood; we spent some fun time with GF, Paula Newby and Roch the week of the race; and we truly loved the whole experience. If you've not been to Penticton for the race: GO!

August 28th was day one of my 8-week Kona Build. I planned to train hard for four to five weeks, with a three to four week taper. I'm now at the end of that fifth week, and let me tell you: I've had some great training, and I'm really looking forward to the race next month!

This time I mean it: tune in SOON for more updates. (I'm publishing this now, before I slack off again...)

BOULDER PEAK TRIATHLON!

The "to race, or not to race" question was answered on Friday morning, when I finally realized I should get off the fence, and race the local event. I had been deliberating for a while, as I wasn't sure I'd be rested enough to race, or if I'd be smart racing back-to-back weekends (with Vineman coming up).

In the end, I figured it'd be a great way to have a hard workout, to have some fun, and hopefully to make a bit of cash.

Boulder Peak always draws a tough field, mostly because half of triathlon's worldwide elite lives here or in Colorado Springs. It's a tough race, with tough competition: lots of fun! Plus, it's really the only short race I do these days, so it's hard to miss.

After truly enjoying the opportunity to sleep in our own bed the night before a race, Amanda and I rode over to the reservoir early Sunday morning; we were caffeinated and ready to roll. We got there with plenty of time to set up, and still get a nice warm up.

It's funny to note that as early as we arrived, nearly the entire women's bike rack section was full. These women were prompt! On the other hand, the men's side was very empty! Why were the men the procrastinators? And how did I end up on the early side of the equation that morning? Oh yeah, Amanda was with me!

After a nice bike ride, a short run, and a good long swim, I truly felt as ready as I was going to be. I watched the women start (they had a 14:45 head start on us), and I got myself ready to really pound out a great swim. I was practicing the old school tactic of tucking my singlet into my shorts, so I could pull it on post-swim, and avoid wearing the unitard/ one-piece/ speedsuit thingy. Everyone else seemed to have one of those on; perhaps I had misjudged. Oh well, my bare chest felt good in the slightly warm reservoir waters.

At the gun I was in position. 2.3 seconds after the gun I was still in position. 2.4 seconds after the gun, I was in dead last. Ok that's an exaggeration, but I was not in the front. It was strange how quickly I was gapped. Normally my problem with the swim is NOT the first few hundred meters. Normally, I excel at that part. This time, however, I was getting dropped. I fell in line with someone, and hoped to hold onto his feet. Sure enough I held his feet; however, what I had not counted on was that he lost the feet in front of him. We were dropped for real.

I exited the water unsure of my deficit. The encouraging words sure did encourage me: I thought I really was "just a bit behind". People sure are optimistic, and I love that about them. Turns out I was 60-90 seconds behind all the contenders. Not good. Not good for a two-hour race anyway. Ah well, the dismal swim was behind me!

Onto the bike I began my assault. My primary performance goal was to break an hour on the tough 26-mile bike course. I felt like I could do it, and I set out to prove myself right.

About two-thirds of the way up Old Stage ( 14% grade hill of about a mile), I realized I would not be able to sustain the torrid attack I was dishing out. I had passed two or three guys on the first bit of the climb, but the strength it took to push the massive 42-tooth chain ring up that incline was too great for my muscles to sustain. I needed to sit down and rest a bit. I sat and rested a bit.

I regained the momentum near the top, and set myself back to the task of crushing the bike course. Could I still break the hour with this short break? If my equally massive 55-tooth chain ring had anything to do with it, yes. I pushed and pushed and passed and passed. Before I knew it, I was gaining on the front group.

After jumping off the bike, I headed out on the run with last year's 3rd place finisher (so the race announcer informed me). I was feeling great, and surprisingly was not feeling the effects of the hard bike ride. It goes to show that all this IM training does wonders for the strength!

Within about a mile, I moved into fifth place. I was running well, and I thought I'd be able to perhaps close on fourth. I rounded the first of five turns (triple out-and-back run course), and made it most of the way back before "running well" turned into "running? well, barely". Ok not barely running, but it felt bad. I realized that I was in serious oxygen debt. It sure felt like asthma, but I think it was just me suffering. I eased up, and let the breathing return to normal. After an easier mile, I tried to build back to my fast pace for the next three or four. This time the breathing problem converted itself into some sort of diabolical side stitch. It had been a while since I had one of those (at the last Boulder Peak I raced), and I forgot how to handle them. OUCH. I realized there would be no catching of fourth, and it didn't look like there'd be any catching from behind, so I dealt with the last few miles, and the cramp.

I crossed the line in fifth, one spot better than I had ever finished at Boulder Peak. I was pleased with my effort; happy that I got some speed work in, in prep for my upcoming half; and glad to have participated in such a great local race. The run course was lined with tons of my friends, all screaming and yelling for us. I loved that part, and I look forward to doing another hometown event!

As for the bike time, well, I almost did it: 1:00.23. Next year I won't take that break part way up the climb!

Bob Roll is talking about the Pain Bank Account. The Tour de France is on, and today's stage is one of the most famous: Alpe d'Huez. Bob Roll is a funny man with a funny vocabulary; a funny way of expressing himself. And right now he's talking about the Pain Bank Account. It started me thinking: is there such a thing?

He reasoned that the cyclists who are truly competitive in the Tour have several years' training, racing, and 'pain-building' in them; therefore, they are able to make withdrawals from their accounts when the going gets tough. They can only make those withdrawals when the account is full; after years of suffering. The younger amateur racers are not able to tap into the account, because it's not been topped off. In essence, they have not put in the work; not paid their dues. Is this why Lance has been so successful with the sport? His Pain Bank Account has had many deposits, from years of racing to battling cancer. Perhaps Bob is onto something.

It starts me thinking of my own Pain Bank Account. It starts me wondering how much of an impact my prior Ironman races have had on my success at my most recent race. Did the suffering and pain I endured in Lake Placid in 2000 help me hold on for the win in Tempe? And by that logic, did the pain I handled in Arizona serve as a hefty deposit to my Account; one that will be there for future races over the Ironman distance?

Only time will tell if my ability to endure the hardships; to accept the pain; to manage the discomfort will have reached a new level. From my current experience in training and training races, I feel I have already managed to up the ante with my personal pain tolerance. I feel that the effort I extended in April at Tempe Town Lake has enabled me to grow my net worth, in a Pain Bank Account sort of way.

Come October I'll be interested to see what's there when I begin to make some withdrawals. I look forward to seeing what is there when I go a-lookin'.