DoxA

Post Race Post Season

History... skip to the race report if that's all you're interested in (I would)...

I began training and racing triathlon in January, 2001. My first race was a sprint distance that took place in May, then a shorter version of an Olympic distance race in June, a true Olympic distance race in July and another one in September two days before the terrorist's attack on our country. At that time I didn't realize there was an "off-season" to triathlon but realized I was ready for a break from the routine and started taking it easy. My next race of the new year was a half Ironman (then Ralph's... Now California 70.3) race in April as a primer for my first ever Ironman race in June (Ironman Utah) which led to my participation in Vineman later in the summer... My first year, 4 races; my second 3 but covering, literally, much more ground! The following year 5 races, the next 2, then 5, then 5... I liked this pattern. It worked well for me since my Sunday availability is somewhat hindered. But in 2007 the race card showed - 0.

With moving from Palm Springs to San Jose and taking the responsibilities of church which required a lot of attention not only was it difficult to find time to race, it was nearly as hard to find time to train! However, with the encouragement of the Elders of our church this year would be different.

After connecting with Brian Grasky at the ICTN Training Camp late in January, who agreed to coach my comeback, I first started with Wildflower a difficult race held the first weekend in May. Next came Ironman France in late June, then Santa Barbara Long Course in August, Pacific Grove/Olympic mid September, Austin 70.3 in October and this past weekend the newly revised, Treasure Island, now known as San Francisco Triathlon/Olympic.

Pre Race... report still below.

Chris Anderson, Director of Fellowship of Christian Athletes - Endurance (FCA-E) put out a call early in the year for any of the teammates in the Bay Area who could man the booth at any of the TRI California events. I mentioned since some of the races are held on Saturdays I could easily do this. Consequently I was also able to do those Saturday races. So, after connecting with Marilyn to pick up the display tent I headed up the peninsula to set up for the Friday expo. Once set up, the expo was quiet with a great comradere of fellow vendors and athletes. Notably this time was, Cowboy with his Fuzzy Duds, the ART guys, Patty at Wetsuitrentals.com and Evan and Lindsey with 53x11 Coffee. Terry Davis, the race director of TRI California stopped by and we talked about our faith and the expectations of the weekend. He mentioned something about having one of us FCA'ers give the invocation in the morning to which I offered. Later Troy and Robin arrived with their two! daughters, Anna and Ariel. We had a good time chatting and catching up. As the sun was setting I picked it as the best time to head back to San Jose and fight the traffic... and I did! Getting home Joy was prepping dinner, I got all my gear and bike together packed away and double checked and then food, water, sleep.

Race Report...

Even though the race wasn't a priority race and I saw it much like a training day, I did toss and turn a bunch. I felt nerves that are reserved for more important races. So before the alarm went off I was already up and getting out the door eating a bowl of cereal, banana, muffin and juice. I planned to arrive at 6:30 for an 8:15 wave start and everything was going well, even a quick stop into Starbucks for a jolt of caffeine, but somewhere up the 280 a CHP officer flew by to slam on his brakes and start the "weave." Instantly, I knew what was going on and before we hit the next exit we were completely stopped. After a small eternity everyone was diverted off the freeway to find their way over to the 101. Minutes seemed like hours and my ease of time was being overcome with slight panic. When I parked my car nearly 30 minutes off my anticipated arrival I had only enough time to get my bike racked and stuff put on the ground to hear Terry begin the morning prayer. Arghh! first real frustration of the day.

Swim... After watching a few waves head out into the cold waters of a protected cove under the Bay Bridge, it was time for me to get in... and I did about 7 minutes earlier than I should. I overheard someone the day before say the water temps were 61 degrees... they lied. I got in early to warm up but since there was little room to do so I did a couple of sprints starts, warmed up my heart rate but that was about it. I had just purchased a new Garmin Forerunner 405 (which I'll be returning) but either the water was so cold it would not let any of the functions work or I couldn't figure it out. I tried and tried to get the timer function to set and only after a frustrating and cold several minutes just before the gun, while holding my left arm out of the water the whole time while doing eggbeater kick, did it finally work. Once off on the two loop swim I could tell my rhythm seemed slow. There was very little congestion and the water was flat. I wasn't turning over much and for some reason even though I could sight fairly well to the first buoy I kept swimming to the right.  At one point, I was swimming stroke for stroke with some guy on my left as if we were continuously high five-ing each other. I felt stronger coming in the second lap and expected a fairly decent time but my heart sank when I looked down to see a 27... I thought for sure I had swam a 25 something... oh well, second frustration of the day.

Bike... transition was smooth and required a long run out to the mount line. Once on the course the never-ending 90 degree turns began on this fairly rough, six loop course. All in all, the 40K bike course would employ 108 90 degree turns with several more "shuck and jives." I overheard some folks talking about their concern for the hill that had to be done six times... What hill? Oh that little thing near the end... hmmph! Come train in San Jose!

The frustrating thing about this bike is you can never get a real rhythm going. I love the flats! It's where I can hammer but no sooner do you settle into a pace and oh, another turn. I've been used to doing 40K bike time trials in the 24 mph range... here 22+ Oh well, every one else had to have the same frustration.

Run... I was looking forward to the run because it's flat and three loops. Easy to determine pace and stay motivated to push hard. But as soon as I came out of transition I intended to follow Coach Brian's advice and hammer the first 5K at a 5K pace (for me that's 6:15 miles) but no sooner did I hit the road did my quads seize and told me, "you dummy! you needed to drink some fluids during the bike!" Yes, I got lulled into thinking it's cool, (I was still cold from the swim) overcast and you're not thirsty. oh, and with all the turns who had time to grab a drink? So, with this wonderful revelation it was a matter of seeing just how hard my legs would let me push before they would lockup in cramps? Verdict? somewhere around 7:15 to 7:30 pace. That's as good as it got! Even though I was passing and never got passed on the run I knew it was not going good... One highlight though was seeing one of the spin students I see in my Wednesday night class who was doing his first Olympic distance triathlon. Passing Faan at the out and back turn, high five-ing him as I passed, he had a huge smile on his face.  I later was cheered on by his family and couldn't believe my eyes when I saw his results later that day! 2:39!!! I was also cheered on by a couple of passes by Troy doing the bike as a relay with his wife Robin. They both did a great job out there as FCA was well represented on a good day with a strong mission for the glory of God.

So, in looking back, I know I shouldn't be too upset with my results but again you always want to do better. I feel good that I'm ending the season with a hunger for more next year, a plan to get there faster and enjoy the journey at the same time. I'm grateful to my wife, church and the source of my strength, my Lord Jesus for allowing me to do this sport. I am blessed with more life than I deserve and am honored to share it with you. I hope as you consider what your goals and dreams could be in this coming year you'll consider making them a little out of reach, a whole lot real and for something bigger than yourself.

Signing off on triathlon blogging until it's time to get off the couch!

Swim - 27:34 / T1 - 1:53 / Bike - 107:11 / T-2 - 1:09 / Run - 45:50

Total= 2:23:38 - 6th AG/34 Overall

San Francisco: A Treasure Island Tri

Tomorrow will be my last race of the year. After that, I'll be able to join the ranks of millions of couch potatoes... at least for a month or two. Honestly, I'm looking forward to a break from the relentless schedule of swim/bike/run. But then again, I'll miss it too! There is something about the routine that is somewhat comforting even with the physical grind. But a change up in the schedule and more mornings of sleeping in will be a welcome change for all.

However, I have to say this year wasn't too bad so the comparison of training-season to off-season won't be as great. I haven't been taking myself too seriously this year because it was a rebuilding year; kinda like the Lakers after they lost Shaq. I knew I had to get back into base fitness to do such long distances and get a feel for race morning all over again. I'll be finishing this year with the same body composition I did three years ago when I was heading into the most successful year of my triathlon career. I'm hoping for an even more successful 09 than 06... but I'm getting ahead of myself. Tomorrow's race:

The San Francisco Triathlon, formerly known as Treasure Island was essentially the last race of the year. However, the 70.3 World Championships are now held on the same weekend and Ironman Arizona is no longer a race in April but a race done in late November. The SFTri is an Olympic distance race starting in the COLD waters of the San Francisco Bay in a protected cove off Treasure Island the island that connects the two spans of the Bay Bridge. It's primarily a Naval Base and will provide a technical, criterium type bike course and fairly flat run.

We'll see how it goes. This will be the second Olympic distance race for me this year. I've not been in the habit of hammering the bike like I used to which had provided me huge leads going into the run but I've had some of my best run speed ever this year in training and sometime in races; which is nice if I can combine the two next year... there I go again. Staying in 08 for now!

I'll have further reflections of this race after it's over and then projections for the coming year... as for today... I'll just get ready for tomorrow.     

Xterra World Championship Minus One

This Sunday 600 off-road endurance junkies will line up on the beach at the Maui Prince Resort in Hawaii. These athletes are the best of the best having qualified at 34 global Xterra races this year. Their plight will have them slug through a two lap 1500 meter swim in the often choppy and temperate waters off  Makena beach. Then a grueling climb up the backside of Haleakala, the dormant volcano on the Valley Isle, which will produce some punishing crashes, multiple flats due to the kiawe thorns and razor sharp lava and thrilling descents on the "Plunge" making this 30K mountain bike ride the most difficult on the circuit. Followed up out of transition (T2) will be an 11K trail/road/up and down a wall of rock/sand run. It is not for the faint of heart or the casual athlete... How would I know? I've done this race.

This year will produce the usual cast of characters. Pros like Melanie McQuaid, Julie Dibens, Conrad Stoltz and Mike Vine also Age Group legends such as Barbra Peterson and Tom Lyons...They'll all be there but one person who won't be there with goggles and running shoes is Jamie Whitemore. Just like Xterra Nationals held earlier this month Jamie will be sitting on the sidelines, watching all of those who feared and admired her run by grabbing bike and snapping race belts because of a horrible wrestling match of cancer and determination... Both victim and disease competing for the ultimate win. If this week produces anything similar to the sentiment and respect for this former world champion those who will be racing will do so in her honor and though the fear of having "J-Dawg" run them down will be lost the respect for her and her fight will rise to even greater heights!

Last week I spoke to Jamie who shared her hopes for her and her husband, Courtney's trip to Maui this week. She just wanted to be there, enjoying the camaraderie and magic that make Xterra unlike any sport. While road triathlon is serious and uptight, Xterra is easygoing and lighthearted, who wouldn't want to be there... But imagine having been known as the person who help make that sport what it is... You have to be there! I'll be posting an update on how to pray for Jamie in the coming days and weeks. You can check that out here. Also, please visit Jamie's blog here to catch up on her journey or send encouragement and to possibly discover how you can practically help her and Courtney as they still face incredible challenges. To check out live coverage on Sunday or to see last years coverage go here.

MAUI NO KA OI "Maui is the Best"

Unhookem Horns

Ever since our friends Brent and Leah moved to Austin, Texas they've said, "Oh Dan. Austin is your kind of town!" I remembered Austin from my old touring days with Jeremiah People as one of the places in Texas that had trees and some hills but I'm a California boy and it's hard to imagine being anywhere else. When another couple of our dearest friends moved to Austin we heard it again... "Come to Austin. You'll love it here." I knew Austin had a huge triathlon community and cycling of course is epic there as Austin is the hometown of Lance Armstrong but there just wasn't a compelling enough reason to go. Until this year when they announced the addition of the Longhorn Triathlon, a half Ironman distance race, to the 70.3 series. The race was on our anniversary and it was a good excuse to see our friends.

When we arrived in Austin last Thursday it was hot, flat (I don't care what you Texans say) and congested. We made it to John and Kelli's house just in time to see John and the boys off on a weekend missions trip to Mexico. After unpacking, Kelli, Joy and I jumped in the car and drove on down to the happiest place on earth... yep, Whole Foods! Not only was this Whole Foods but it was the flagship of all Whole Foods located at the base of their company headquarters. And let me just say this store makes the one down the street from our house look like a 7-11. WOW! This place was incredible... although I did notice to work there you had to have a tattoo or body piercing; preferably both. After joining up with Kelli's mom, Gloria, we did some serious food damage because while with Kelli it's always a epicurean delight! But this is a race report so on with the show...

On Friday, my coach had a few things planed to get me ready for Sunday's start. On this day I needed to swim, hopefully in the lake, on the course. When I got out to Decker Lake it was quiet. Only a few folks were there jumping in the unmarked lake. I met up with Cliff and Corly, a father-son duo down from Dallas to giver their first "half" a try. Come to find out through conversation Cliff is a pastor too, so it was a good time to encourage one another. The next day, I put my bike together, again on coach's orders went for a little tune up ride, where I was bit by something that was so painful and caused my arm to swell. I wondered if it was a sign of things to come. But then I donned my running shoes loosened the legs for a couple of miles, showered and drove my bike back out to Decker for check in. On my way back I wanted to swim a little in the Deep Eddy an Austin landmark which is a public pool that is spring-fed with water year round keeping the temps at a perfect 68 degrees. Without the chlorine necessary for most pools this water is brisk and refreshing for a swim. Upon coming back to the house, Kelli and their au pair, Nandini, were cooking up an Indian/Malaysian food feast! Brent and Leah arrived and the evening just flew by telling stories and getting caught up on our lives (I am going to highlight Brent's ministry, The Well Bible Church in an upcoming post).

RACE DAY: The alarm chimed me out of my comfortable sleep at 4:50am. I had placed everything exactly where we needed it for a quiet escape and within 15 minutes we were out the door. Driving to the race venue was uneventful with a quick stop at a new Starbucks for some coffee and scones. Since I was less than 3 hours from race start (or so I thought) I opted for not eating breakfast, as the time for digestion distorts insulin levels in the body. But when we made the turn on the road to arrive at the location where race organizers determined all athletes and spectators were to park and then be bussed to the race start, there was a traffic nightmare! It took over 45 minutes to go a mile and a half to the parking lot! I looked at my watch knowing there were a lot of panicked folks wondering if they would make it to the start on time. My wave start wasn't until 8:10. But when standing in the unorganized staging area for transport someone was yelling they would hold the race start till everyone got to transition. Good for them but not good for me... every minute later I start, the more I get to run in the heat of the day! Just before getting on the bus a volunteer walked up to the front and declared only athletes could ride the bus now and all spectators unless elderly or with small children had to walk the mile plus over to the race start. Joy just gave me a look.

Swim: After placing everything in transition and grabbing my wetsuit, I walked down to the lake shore looking for Joy and watching wave after wave be sent off in the calm waters of Decker Lake. When I was finally able to see the start buoys, through the crowd, it was obvious there would be no warm up for the swim by the way the course was laid out. So, when I got in the warm waters I began to question my use of a wet suit and waited on the inside; chest deep in the water. When the countdown hit "one" I buried my head and started kicking and churning my arms to get clear water in front of me. It felt weird going cold like that but I pushed hard for a couple hundred meters and then dialed it back a bit. The strategy paid off and I had what may easily been the smoothest, contact free swims in my career. After coming around the first buoy I was already bumping into folks from earlier waves and felt like I was in a good rhythm. Soon more different colored swim caps and the second and last turn buoy heading to shore. But here there where a lot of slower swimmers from earlier waves and instead of bumping into a bunch I chose to swim around them eventually putting me a bit off course coming in. Thinking that cost me some precious time I was shocked, no stunned to see 26:01 on my watch coming on shore! to put this in perspective the best 1.2 mile swim I've done before was 31:49... obviously the swim was short. I know I swam harder than I had before but taking nearly six minutes off your prior best isn't realistic by any stretch of the imagination (checking the Slowtwitch forum it's pretty much agreed, by athletes using Garmin GPS, the swim was short by nearly 300 meters). Although I never did find Joy before the race start I could hear her cheer me up the long uphill run into transition.

Bike: I steadily moved through T1 putting on socks for the bike and run. Grabbed my bike and wattled through the slow-walking crowd of newbies and those taking their time to get to the bike mount line. When I was able to get over and get out I heard a crazy guy yelling, "Go TRIbe, Go TRIbe!" It was local coach Muddy Waters. I was surprised to see him in Austin just a week before Kona but it was nice to have some other support out there! Quickly my pace was unmatched by those around me and I was finding my heart rate still hovering in the high 140's. My effort was moderate on the bike but due to the swim effort I knew it would take time to get the HR in the high 130's where I wanted it on the bike. Only one person had passed me on the bike going into mile 16 who I think was part of a relay and at mile 17 I started trading positions with another cyclist. Here there was a long decent of about 4% grade getting speed up to about 35 mph. At the bottom of the decent suddenly everyone bunched up! I was stuck on holding a line on the right side of the road as I was quickly surrounded. As someone yelled, "Bump!" I hit a hard chunk of pavement where the asphalt had separated. This impact forced my back wheel out of the rear/horizontal dropout and locked the chain and dérailleur, consequently locking up the wheel. Now skidding on my back tire, it burned through the rubber and popped the tube! Now I'm skidding on my rim. Having all this time to think (about 3 to 4 seconds) I'm trying to get to the side of the road knowing I'm going to crash, not wanting to take out anyone else and reminding myself not to brace myself with my arm... sure fire way to break a wrist or arm. Gracefully, I made it almost to the side and allowed my left hip to take the brunt of the impact with the road. My left knee, shoulder and forearm are also a bit damaged but it could have been, as it has been in the past, much worse!

Pulling my bike to the side of the road, athlete after athlete would be hitting this road hazard and things would just start flying. It was a constant rain of water bottles, tubes and air cartridges. One lady lost her cell phone. She stopped right in the middle of the road to retrieve it almost causing a chain reaction pile up. I told her to wait and I would bring it to her. Another broke a spoke and I showed her how to wrap it, open the brake and keep going. Although a race official called for a medic, for 40 minutes I stood up road warning the oncoming athletes of the bump ahead. Finally, in the distance I could see the Mavic support car. The medic had already come and gone but since I was just bleeding a little and wanted to finish the race someone else had just crashed ahead and needed immediate attention. Once the Mavic team switched out my back wheel I was back on my bike peddling toward the finish.

This was a bit different than what I was used to. Normally I'm surrounded by highly competitive hammer heads trying to get into T2 as fast as possible but here, in the back of the field, it was kind of social and friendly. There was laughter and discussion. I knew I wasn't going to make up all my time lost so I chose not to push hard and suffer. So I kept a steady pace over the rolling terrain and often windy sections of the course. Coming into T2 I wasn't frantic and paced myself onto the run course.

Run: Coming out of transition I saw Joy right away taking pictures, I briefly told her about the crash because I knew she was wondering what took me so long but being on my right she couldn't see the road rash on my leg and arm. Passing by her going out on the first of two loops there was a nice cloud cover that often gave way to sun and low 90 degree temps. It was hard to trust the mile markers because everything else didn't seem to be right this day but I wasn't going to suffer on the run either knowing I was going to finish middle of the pack. So, what would have been 7:45 pace at HR of 155 I pulled back to 8:15 pace at 144. On the second loop I chose to kick it up to 8 min pace because I felt good enough to do so without hurting. During the last 4 miles there was a guy would would occasionally pass me and then drop back on the flats. During the last climb up what the race organizers call "quadzilla" a third of a mile 7% grade climb, this guy decided he wanted to have a conversation... Uh, I'm feeling okay but not in the mood to talk so at the top of the hill I just kept the HR in the low 160's where I was, going up the hill, and pulled the last mile and a half at about 7 min. pace coming across the line at 5:28:43... alone.

I did a quick stop in the med tent, which was packed, to get some antiseptic and Neosporin for my wounds. We picked up some food, gathered my stuff and quickly got out of dodge... well so we thought. there was no transport back to the parking lot for the athletes meaning a long mile plus walk back with all your gear and bike. Then finally at the car, we found a repeat of the morning getting out of the parking lot... 25 minutes. ARRRGGHHHHH!

So here's my frustrating day! can't park, can't start on time, can swim the right distance, crash, can't finish where I want, can't get home without a long walk and a long wait! As it was; I finished 30th out of 123 guys in my Age Group. However, subtract the 40 minutes stood along the road and less than race effort, my time would have been good enough for a 3rd place, podium finish and most likely a spot to the 70.3 World Championship.

Overall... we had a great time hanging with our friends and being apart of this great sport... But for this to be a great race... It needs to grow up a little. It has great potential. But the race isn't all the fluff around it; swag, music, food... it is the race itself!

Here are the stats...

5:28:43

swim 26:17

T1 02:50

bike 3:10:45

17.6mph

T2 02:07

run 1:46:40

8:09/M

Longhorn 70.3

This Sunday will be my last big race of the year. It's a half Ironman race that joined the 70.3 series this year held in Austin, Texas. I'm looking forward to going, racing and reconnecting with some of our dear friends who now live in Austin. They keep telling me Austin is my kind of town. That I would fit in really well: Lots of cyclists, great restaurants, tech savvy and plush with A-type personalities!  That all sounds really cool but it's got that cowboy thing going on. Not sure that's me even though my wife gets all flustered when I wear that cowboy hat Dennis Agajanian got me years ago.

Also this Sunday, as I race through the rolling countryside of the Texas capitol, Joy and I will be celebrating 23 years of our wedded life together. I'm sure it will be as much fun for her as it is for me. No really, as I am suffering so will she. I promise, however, to make the day special somehow! I'm looking for suggestions on what I can do to make the day about her when clearly the focus will be on my aching feet and tired muscles. What do you think I should do? ... and nobody say something like, "Don't do it." or "Let her race instead." that just won't make sense to either one of us.

If you are at all curious you can follow the results HERE. I'll post the race report next week and tell you how the anniversary went. Hopefully, with your help, all will go well.

Triathlon... a laughing matter!

I still laugh every time I see this. To truly appreciate the "inside joke" you would have to have experienced the joy of a triathlon swim start... my favorite part is getting hit before the horn goes off.

To all of you super eager, narcissistic, center of the world types... I have feelings for you. But I'm a pastor and I have to keep those feelings to myself. And in case you're wondering... those feelings are for harm and not for good, plans to take away your future which is my hope!

Just kidding. Triathlon is a cordial sport. But add water and it becomes something else!

Pacific Grove: A Week Ago Today

The Race really starts the day before by having to drive over to the race venue pick up your packet and scope out the course. From my house the drive to Monterey is about an hour and 15 minutes. A month prior I contacted Chris Anderson at FCA-Endurance (Fellowship of Christian Athletes) and mentioned I could race on Saturday since the start was at 7:15 in the morning and it being an Olympic distance race, meaning about two and a half hours of racing, I could work the expo booth the day before the race. He had sent an email to the west coast team members asking for help. So we made arrangements so I could pick up the expo booth tent from fellow FCA-Er Troy Soares.

I met Troy for breakfast in San Jose and then drove to the expo with the "pop up" in my trunk. I had already started to regret making this commitment because the day prior I had gone on line to check the wave starts. Each age group gets it's own start at the race eliminating congestion unlike, mass start, Ironman races. "Zikes!" I learned my AG didn't start until 8:15! Why was this a problem? Well I had already  and honorably accepted to begin the wedding ceremony of two dear people at our church (check out this Linkin Blogs post) and the wedding was at 1pm. That meant start at 8:15,race 21/2 hours, gather my gear and bike walk out to my parking spot leave PG and drive back to San Jose, all taking about an  hour and a half, shower and be at the church by 12:40! Do the math.

When the booth was up, I met up with Patrick who came up from Orange County to work the expo and race Sunday's sprint race. Next to us was Patty with WetsuitRentals.com. Along with other race and vendor personnel we found the whole expo day relaxing, delightful and cold. I needed to roll out about 4pm to get to San Jose for the wedding rehearsal, rehearsal dinner and to collect all my race gear, bike, and prepare for the morning ritual. I went to bed at 12:30 am.

Morning Ritual: Alarm goes off at 3:35am. I cautiously toss and turn for about 5 minutes waking myself up. After nearly falling out of bed I grab my race shorts... BodyGlide up (reduces friction on the sensitive parts!) strap on Heart Rate Monitor (HRM), timing chip around my ankle and FCA race jersey. Pull on sweats, beenie cap and out the door I go, loading up the bike on the car bike racks. I pulled out  of the driveway with a thermos of coffee, two bananas, a half loaf of banana bread and two bottles of water.

I drove over the hill into Santa Cruz to pick up Bobby Marchessault, a buddy of mine who was doing his first Olympic race and second triathlon period. Bobby was nerrrrrvous! But we chatted all the way into Pacific Grove and got there in good time and found a great parking spot (faster exit, I immediately thought). We grabbed our gear. I showed Bobby a few tricks and got us both set up in transition. Bobby's wave was the first at 7:15 so I had plenty of time to pep-talk him and return to my car for about a 20 minute nap. Returning to transition the place was a-buzz. Music was pumping, announcers cheering the crowd the national anthem being sung at 7am. Bobby was in his Orca Wetsuit that Patty set him up with the day before and comp'd the $40 fee. I grabbed his camera and went to the sea wall about the swim start and videoed the beginning of his day. Then his wife Rachel showed up with their son Caleb and I was off to get ready for my race. Pulling everything out of my transition bag I double checked placement lubed up my shoes, calves, ankles, neck, underarms and my timing chip with BodyGlide. Pulled on my BlueSeventy Helix, headed down to the water and with 8 minutes to spare before start I jumped in the 58 degree ocean and headed out toward the first buoy.

Swim: The race is known for the kelp in the shallow waters off the Monterey Bay Coast. Just a mile down the road is the famous Monterey Bay Aquarium where divers explore these kelp beds for sea life. primarily the cute as a button, sea otters! When the gun went off, so did the largest group of any wave start that day. I lined up at the front on the inside because the kelp seemed less a problem on the inside lane. I got clear water from the start and didn't discover much kelp till about 100 meters from the first turn. Then it got thick. They call it the "Kelp Krawl" and at times you do just that; crawl on top of thick, brownish green, leafy stuff. You can try to pull on it but that doesn't really help, it just breaks up your stroke and you have to stay relaxed to glide through it. The way in was less "kelpy" and brought me into shore for the get out and run around a rock then jump back in portion of the two loop swim. My time was 13:30 a lot slower than I hoped but then again the kelp had to be slowing me down. On the second loop it actually stopped me as a strand of kelp got tangled around my neck and held me in place. I had to pull up and unwrap myself! After that it was a second helping of the same. Coming out of the water I was at 27:04 nearly a even split. Running into transition was uneventful except for the gravel in my feet but I was pretty casual about my transition then I remembered it's an Oly. distance race and we don't do transitions at IM pace. So I kicked it up a bit and off I went.

Bike: Its a 4 loop out and back along the coast heading south and turning around at the Inn at Spanish Bay. Normally I tape a air cartridge and extra tube under my saddle but this time I just opted to throw it in my jersey pocket. Wrong decision. after about a mile on the bumpy section at the lighthouse I jettisoned to the side of the road. I did my best to keep and even pace and not push my legs to fatigue. I had normally done 40K bike legs in Olympic distance races around the 1:01-1:03 mark in the past. But that was a couple of years ago and I've not been riding like I used to. My biggest fear was going too hard at the beginning and blowing up on the last lap so I just stayed within myself. On the third loop I saw Bobby up ahead and decided to give him a good "pat" on the butt as I passed by. I have always loved doing that to my friends in a friendly gesture of competition. But after the good smack I was hoping it wasn't too startling for my newbie friend and wished I hadn't done it so hard. Once in T2 with a 1:07, for the life of me, I couldn't find my gels that I had set out before the race. I think they may have been taken and that would be a first! But finally giving up on the calories, I just said, "Go!"

Run: For an Olympic distance race there were a fair amount of spectators. Coming out of T2 one of the first things you do is run by the expo and our FCA-E booth was right there on the course and the only one along with Patty's to actually face the runners. So, as I ran by it was easy for Patrick to spot me in my bright yellow FCA jersey and cheer me on! I felt really good. Choosing to run in my race flats (ultra light running shoes) seemed to be the right decision but not having worn them in a while made my feet numb for the first mile. But then everything started to click. After getting on the sea wall path I just started passing folks. One guy I went by said, "Dude! good pace!" I thanked him and kept on going.
Going out on the two mile loops was slightly downhill while coming up really presented no challenge. My second loop I was worried I had gone out too hard and dialed it back by heart rate. I was racing at about 155 on the first and dropped to 150 on the second. For the final loop it was give it what you got left in the tank time and I just pushed it back to 155 and then 160 for the final mile (that's blow up time for me!). But I just kept breathing and thinking it'll be over soon. Checking my watch and imagining what my mile pace was I realized I would come in around 2:22 well above my hope. I was shooting for a 2:25 but over 2:30 would have been disappointing. after the final turn I notice local coaching legend Muddy Waters in the street checking his athletes, I said "Hey Muddy." and he turned to tell me I was looking strong which I took to the line in a 2:21:07 finish. Coming in 9th in my Age Group and 43rd overall. My run was a personal record (PR) for an Olympic distance 10K with a 41:50, or 6:43 mile pace.

Finally, after grabbing my stuff and walking back to say goodbye to Patrick and Patty, I saw Bobby who looked at me with puppy dog eyes and said, "Dude, I did the biggest bonehead move ever." After assuring him it wasn't the biggest ever (please sometime check out Bobby's video race report HERE and find out what the bonehead move was) I began to walk to the car. Looking back at our bright yellow and black booth I read the words, "Why Do You Race?" And I began to think of Paula and the inspiration of a day she would hope to soon forget that I will never forget and I thought of Tom and wondered what it would have been like if he had been there for me seven years ago, on my first race, like I was for Bobby today. And then I thought about all the people I met that weekend, prayed with, encouraged, shared my faith with and reminded myself, some of these folks out here... I may be the only Jesus they'll ever see. So, I race because God put people in my life to inspire me to do something I would never have done myself. That's why now... I race for my Lord. I race for His loved ones.

I race for His glory.

Oh, BTW - I made it to the church on time!

Context for the Race Report: Pacific Grove Triathlon - Part 2

I am a long distance triathlete. I prefer the longer, moderately paced events with huge crowds and ceremony. Ironman races are the best... the Ironman World Championship in Kona is, well, it's in a league of its own. I remember when I first qualified for Kona one of my training partners exclaimed, "Your going to the 'Big Dance.!" Yeah, it's Ironman kicked up a few notches but I never saw a dance floor. No, just super fit athletes, the best of the best with an "I can do anything" mindset.

When a friend of mine told me she knew an Ironman triathlete who was dying of cancer and could I drop by his house to pray for him? I didn't hesitate. I called Tom's house, spoke with his wife Carol and dropped by around 2 that afternoon. When Carol walked me back to the bedroom I noticed the framed plaque, photo of Tom ,on the bike smiling to the camera, and his Ironman race medal but when I walked into the bedroom I found a small, frail, drugged and propped up man in a teeshirt and baseball-cap. We chatted casually, about the weather, the church I pastored, family stuff but what was eating at me was that photo in the hallway. I finally, took a breath and asked the burning question in my mind... "Tom, you did the Ironman. You were at the height of personal fitness, a physically fine-tuned machine, and now this cancer has eaten your body away. How do you muster up the courage to face another day as this body you mastered now has control over you?" I still remember the look and determination in his eyes to sober up enough through the pain meds to say it exactly the way he wanted it... "Dan, without a doubt, as long as I live. I will stand on the top of this roof and shout it to the top of my lungs..." and taking the one good arm he had, pounding into the pillow in front of him, "It is my faith in Jesus Christ. My faith in Jesus Christ!" Tears still well up in my eyes every time I think of this; writing this now is no exception. I committed that day to swing by Tom's every other afternoon or so to check in, read scripture, encourage and pray for Tom. Oddly, I was the one always walking away with the encouragement. A couple of weeks later I got a call that Tom was rushed to the hospital. I quickly made my way to Desert Regional and found Tom with Carol at this side in very labored breathing; the kind that sounds like fear and pain. Carol and I began to pray and Tom started to calm down to a quiet slump. Now unable to talk he just stared forward and occasionally nodded. The next day another phone call that Tom left the body and his family was on their way. When I arrived at the hospital Tom's slumped over shell was accompanied by his radiant wife, Carol.

"Dan, you're not going to believe what happened." Carol still holding Tom's hand. "Remember last night how he was breathing?" I nodded. "He started doing it again. So I tried praying but it was getting worse so I panicked and ran to the nurses station but there wasn't anyone there so as I ran back to the room I could hear the Roy Rogers, Dale Evans TV show playing." What you need to know here is most of the days I spent with Tom was spent talking about Roy, Hopalong Cassidy and old western cowboy stuff. Tom was a fan in the sense of fanatic! "So, I followed the sound till I came to the room to ask what channel it was on, then I came in here and turned it up as loud as I could. Soon he started to calm down and it was really getting to him. I could tell he was listening. So I just sat here, stroking his hair and holding his hand and we just watched the TV show together. Then they started singing, "Come On Home, Little Doggy" and sometime during the song I realized Tom wasn't breathing. It was if God was saying to Tom...  It's okay to come home now. So he did." Both of us sat there with tears in our eyes but happy for Tom there was no more pain.

A couple days later I conducted the memorial service for Tom. People from all over southern California came; many triathletes and runners. During the service I recalled my first time watching the Ironman and watching Paula Newby-Fraser just 500 meters from the finish collapse and get up and cross the finish line. For Tom, like Paula the end wasn't what was imagined along the way. It wasn't pretty, it wasn't right, it wasn't what anyone expected. But with dignity and grace, step by step crossed the finish into the arms of the ones waiting on the other side.

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. And now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing.
Tyndale House Publishers. (2004). Holy Bible : New Living Translation. "Text edition"--Spine. (2nd ed.) (2 Ti 4:7-8). Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House Publishers.

In this life, what some of the writers of the New Testament refer to as a race, there are many things that can... and will go wrong. Our ability to adjust and keep our eye on the finish is crucial to the outcome. We set goals, we plan, we strive to these ends and this makes it "ours"; different for you and different for me. For everyone who crosses the line there will be a tale; a story of how the race went. If you listen carefully you will hear the echoes of life itself.

Why Do You Race?

Context for the Race Report: Pacific Grove Triathlon - Part 1

The last time I competed in an Olympic distance race was April 2004. Before that it was July 2002 right before my first Ironman. It was a race I'll not forget. I had a friend who told me Paula Newby-Fraser, known as the Queen of Kona - the most successful Ironman triathlete of all time, was going to be racing that day. My friend was the husband of one of Paula's close personal friends and knew a significant impetuous of my racing was Paula herself.

I began my race that morning in the last wave start of the men. The next wave was men's relays and then elite women. there were 3 minutes between wave starts. Paula would start six minutes behind me in a 1500 meter swim. I remember thinking about mile 4 of the bike... that's Paula! Yes, she had swam through me by six, plus minutes; enough to get a several minute lead on me to catch her at mile 4! Note: I said catch. When I went by her I said, "Great Job Paula!" and passed by her like the wind. Later, as I was doing my best to hold 7 minute mile pace on the 10K run. I heard the patter of footsteps behind me. Looking to my left shoulder I notice Paula. Knowing Stuart told me he was going to tell her about me, ... "Hi Paula... I'm Stuart and Gina's friend." "Oh, right..." she said, "You're Don." I lost the rhythm of a few steps... "Dan... Yeah. Hey maybe we can talk after this..." She didn't break stride, "Sure." And off she went, uh, like the wind! When I got to the finish line she was there waiting for me. I couldn't believe it; we talked and I shared with her how much the worst race of her professional career changed my life.

Here's what Julie Cart wrote in the LA Times about that "worst" race. "Newby-Fraser, a native of Zimbabwe and resident of Encinitas, has never needed to. In her career, she has never done anything less than rush triumphantly across the finish line of the Ironman, a race she has won seven times. This year's race, held at Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, on Oct. 7, was to be Newby-Fraser's last competitive Ironman. At age 33, Newby-Fraser wanted to scale back and let other competitors guide the sport she helped build into a new era. Odd the way things work. Newby-Fraser's farewell performance was strangely similar to [Julie] Moss' infamous race. While she held the strongest of leads, Newby-Fraser's body shut down only 500 feet from the finish line. She went into convulsions. An ambulance was called. She sat by the side of the road for 20 minutes with her body retching and rebelling in every possible way. Then she tentatively got to her feet and walked across the finish line. Newby-Fraser and Karen Smyers came out of the water together. It was the last time Smyers saw Newby-Fraser for several hours. Newby-Fraser had a 12-minute lead after the transition from the bike to the run. It was nearly an impossible gap to make up. Or lose."...

 That was 1995. I sat on the edge of my bed watching the NBC coverage of the Ironman thinking, "What if." I was so moved by this scene I wondered what it would be like to actually DO the Ironman. I eventually did and in 2005, qualified and raced the course I watched in 95 and emotionally ran passed that spot on Ali'i Drive where Paula collapsed. I remembered looking at that spot I had memorized watching years later again on video and with tears in my eyes looking to the sky and pointing for Tom.

When I talked to Paula that, San Diego day, she denied any good in the collapse. She told me, several times, she was a professional and pros don't make the mistakes she did that October day in 1995. But I asked what really mattered, her personal accomplishment or helping change a life for the better? I was surprised how she looked at me with unabashed focus and replied that her job wasn't to change lives but win races!

I will eventually get to this race report but I felt you should understand the context... More to come.

What Gets Us Across the Line

It's the same thing that gets us up in the morning. It's a doubt, perhaps fear, within one's mind of personal limits. It's a destination never been. It's an accomplishment to impress others if asked. It's a disruption of the mundane routine of life... it's not the start of the race but rather the finish for which we strive.

But what if the finish has become too common or mundane itself? What gets us across the line?

I have competed in triathlon now for eight years. The first race I did was a short "sprint" race at Bonelli Park in San Dimas, CA. With 20some guys in my age group I took 4th. I was wearing a ridiculous skin suit that was given to me which was probably used in the 80's. Some folks actually commented on the "retro" look. I didn't care. The next race was San Diego International; a popular race that brings out many of the local pros racing for pride. In that race, your bike is positioned in transition by age group. When I finished the swim my bike was the last one on the racks, when I finished the bike... my bike was the first one on the rack. Although I finished 12th in my AG, having been run down by a dozen guys, I had the 4th fastest bike split of the day! My next race... a full Olympic distance race on Camp Pendleton, where in the middle of the ocean, amid massive swells, I got kicked hard in the eye! I saw stars, my eye-socket swelled up and I had to keep clearing my goggles just to get to the shore. Trying to look professional and cool in that race I had heard it's faster to take your shoes off while riding into T2. I started the process a little early, accidentally unclipped my right shoe and lost it along the road while avoiding a nasty crash into spectators... I looked anything BUT cool.

Since those days racing has settled into a somewhat predictable experience. I mainly race long course races because my weekends are limited; being a pastor and all (most races are on Sunday). It has been over four years since I've done an Olympic distance race. That is until this Saturday.

Someone said the other day, "Oh, you can do that race in your sleep!"

Well, I'm not worried about finishing. I'm just worried about being too casual. You see, the challenge, the newness, the novelty, the purpose, those things no longer exist. I'm training for Austin 70.3 which happens in a couple of weeks, Pacific Grove on Saturday is just a training day with a lot of people on the road. To say I don't care about this race would be untrue. I do. But to say I don't care what happens is true because it's just another day. But then again... not really. The day will be whatever I want it to be. I will predetermine through as much mental training what the day will be because I choose to think of it as just a day or a race. Whether I am physically ready or not won't matter; what will, is my mindset going in. I have seen many, including myself, start a race physically in tiptop shape and have a horrible race. I have also seen several, including myself, start a race under trained, yet so excited to be there, end up having an amazing race!

What gets us across the line... isn't just our arms, lungs and legs. Those things get us across the line faster. What gets us across the line (period) Is in our heads. So, I'm off to do a little mental training. I know I can, I know I can... but I'm going to appreciate my life; my freedom, my health, my family and friends who look to me for some inspiration, my stuff, my past, my future, my present. I'm going to... Fix my thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all I learned and received...Tyndale House Publishers. (2004). Holy Bible : New Living Translation. "Text edition"--Spine. (2nd ed.) (Php 4:8-9). Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House Publishers.