2012 Iron Man St George

St George Iron Man 2012 more than just a swim-bike-run. Team Bruin headed out on race morning at 4:30 am to meet our friends Brandon, Dave and Brittany at the bus for our ride to Sand Hollow Reservoir. We dropped our special needs bags in their designated boxes and away we went. Meri was funny because she brought more stuff in her bags than she would have packed for a trip to Hawaii (smart). After arriving at the lake we made a few last minute preps on the bike, sun-screened up and zipped up the wet-suits and before we knew it, we were headed down to the lake. The walk down is like a cattle call herd you into a narrow fenced carpeted pathway into the lake. We moved to the side of everyone and waited a seemingly long 10 minutes before heading out to the far left start buoy. At 5minutes to the 7am start we made our way to the buoy line to the left. This would help to keep us straight for the 1000 meter stretch North towards the big sand mountain. Just as we entered the water I noticed a slight breeze and the flags started to flutter a little bit more and more as the sun rose over the horizon. I didn't think much of it other than it was kinda weird timing. It was my friend Brandon's first Iron Man and he was going to try to stay with me following my feet the best he could. Very difficult to do when 1000 people are around you, but it is worth a try. The area around me started to get crowded and the cannon went off and away we went. The first 800 meters heading south I was in a groove and it was smooth. I was hitting buoy marker after marker like planned and we approached the turn. As I got near the turn to head east I felt my body rise and fall a few times. It reminded me of a swim I did last year in Oahu with the ocean swells and waves but much worse. I thought “uhh ohh” that wind has picked up, or as other people described it as who is driving there big boat out here causing these wakes? Things got crazy as I made the left turn. Turn buoys create bottlenecks with swimmers and I learned from last year that this left turn was very difficult because it is directly into the sun. If you hold up you get climbed over. I could not see anything except spray of water everywhere. I knew if I kept swimming slightly into the sun and follow the majority that I would reach the next turn. Wave after wave would hit me from the left, at least every two seconds. Finally I spotted the bouy and made the turn directly into the wind. My body was then rising and falling into the crest and trough of each wave. I would tread water and try to sight but could not see very well at all. I would get pummeled in the face if I did not time the waves. Treading water was not the thing to do right now and I had no choice but to put my head down and swim up over and through each wave. Every 20-30 strokes I would pop my head up to sight. I did not seem to be getting anywhere. I was hoping I was not staying in one spot. I used the Sand Hollow Island as a landmark in the hazy distance. I knew we had to get past the island and keep it on our left. Treading water was harder than swimming, so I just kept going. I remember my swim stroke was chaotic, crossing over, under, and into wave after wave. Slowly I was making it. My hamstrings and calf muscles were on the verge of cramping and I did what I could to relax and not tense those muscles. Finally the island was too my left I new I was getting close. Off to the distance I could see multiple kayaks struggling to get upright and one pulled up on a submerged rock helping a swimmer to take them to shore. Out of the blue I heard someone yelling my name, it was Meri!! holy cow what a relief, she was swimming right by me and I didn't even know it. We tried to follow each other from that point into the finish. Heading into and up the boat ramp my I had made it and Meri was ahead of me. My buddy Heath was right with me too. It was a weird coincidence because we seem to make this a habit in races we do together. I usually jog up the ramp at a race but today I just walked in amazement. Wet suit strippers quickly removed my suit. Immediately my skin chilled as the wind hit my wet skin. I began to shiver like crazy. I hurried into the change tent and found a heater in the corner. I sat there huddled over the heater with this guy from France. My jaw muscles and teeth felt like lock jaw. I could barely talk as we tried to communicate and share our experience in the water. He said he had never been in anything like that before. I would just nod my head up and down in agreement. I put my dry clothes on and slowly started to get back to normal. Volunteers kept checking on us and kept saying we had plenty of time. I knew once I got on the bike I would start to warm up again. I could hear the howling wind and knew it was going to be a tough 112 miles. 1:36 swim (21 minutes longer than my best) and a whoppin 24 minutes in T1. I could have made hot cocoa with marshmallows and watched my favorite episode of Magnum PI in this time. It actually only seemed like 5 minutes but time flies when your having fun!! Heading out of T1 to the highway was tough into the wind. I was not going to fight the wind so I got as aero as possible. Sand blasted across the road on the road out of Sand Hollow as I pedaled through it. Coming into town on Redhills Parkway was a slight relief. New road had been paved and the wind seemed to have died down or was actually just being blocked from the landscape. I made a pit-stop in Ivins at the aid station. I kept thinking now we will have a tail wind up the canyon to Gunlock. The wind unfortunately was coming down through the canyon, headwind again. My plan was to keep the heart rate in check on these climbs but it was hard to do battling the wind. I remember getting to Gunlock reservoir and seeing whitecaps from one end to the other. A quick pitstop in Gunlock at mile 45 and I knew I had to get to The Wall where the tail wind would help up one of the hardest hills. The Wall was reached and I turned into a tail wind and sat up. Ahhh up the wall was actually quiet moving with the wind and sitting up to catch the wind on my back. Veyo was a positive mood changer as I rode by and yelled hello to my favorite pie shop. I was feeling sick from the time I left the lake and figured I must have swallowed water and air in the washing machine experience at the lake. I needed to get to Mile 55 special needs. I swapped out my bottles and nutrition at special needs and away I went. I stopped at the next aid station and there is Meri!! She says, “are you on your second lap”? I laughed. I went to the pota john and felt much better, took two Aleve and within 5 minutes I was feeling decent again. I thought this is awesome!! We get to ride the descent back to town together!! We were flying down. We were able to stay within sight of each other for 10-15 miles or so. We got back into near Gunlock and I slowly pulled away but knew she would do her thing and I would do mine. The winds on the second loop were still there but not like they were on the first loop. In Veyo, I stopped to talk to my friend Devaney at Veyo Pies. No I did not eat any dessert! I can't remember what I told her, but I asked her later and she said “You said with a beat face, almost sad, that "it has been very tough, not sure if I can do the run or not, not much strength left, we'll see when I get to town. Meri is behind me a little ways, we rode together for about ten miles and she should be a couple miles back" . She had rock music blasting for the athletes. Off I went and I knew this tail wind would help me recover again. The decent was very fast in some places with some athletes reaching 50plus mph!! I was cautious and didn't want to get blasted by a crosswind at that speed. Coming into town I remember laughing and thinking... MARATHON?? After this?? Ha ha ha. Ryan and Sterling were an awesome site to see as I rolled into T2. I made sure I stopped my watch with authority knowing I made it through the most challenging of any of my longest rides on a TT bike. Transition 2 tent was another mental prep to get out on this run course. I changed out of cycling shorts into running shorts, got all sun-screened up and exited T2. I walked a good half mile and my friend and neighbor Adam said “You got plenty of time”. Legs started to run finally and I continued to do a run/walk through aid stations. I really liked this run course with spectators lined all over. Shade trees helped to keep it a bit cooler on the course. My body and mind fell like a roller coaster as I felt good and bad, good and bad. This course also allows you to see the other racers multiple times on the course. I ran with my friend Heath for a while, a friend Paul kept me going from the sidelines!! Couldnt thank him enough. I saw my family members on the Hot Corner. The Lamberts, Whitneys, Funks, and Kings yelling my name. Students from school cheerin like mad. I couldn't wait to get back to them after I would pass them. And YES, I saw Meri running with our buddy Lyle both looking strong. I said to Lyle, “I will trade you spots”!! I knew I would be able to finish this race with Meri again!! I was not too far up the road. At Mile 20 my friend Brittany Dell says: “Rich!! you are going to get to finish this race with your wife again”!! This had to be the greatest thing to hear all day!! And soon enough we were together to finish this race together!! Incredible experience! The crowd of people at the finish were incredible. We both went down to the massage tents and we felt both felt pretty good after. The cold pizza was not appealing. We had to retrieve our bikes and get to the car. We decided we wanted fries from Macdonalds. We have not been there in months. Around 2a.m. we hit the hay and boy what a day! I am so glad all were safe this with the conditions we faced. IronMan is hard. We did the best we could with the situations that were dealt to us. People often ask me what my goal time is going to be. 4 IronMan finishes all at 4 different hours. I have to say: “I have no idea, I just want to get to that finish-line”!!

My Journey to St George IronMan 2011

My Journey to St George IronMan 2011

While it's fresh on my mind I want to write my thoughts on my journey to Ironman. I ask myself or am often asked why we do it and maybe the answer is in here somewhere. This whole crazy journey began again a few months after finishing Ironman St .George 2010 which by the way was the most amazing finish to a race I could ever have. I told myself I would not do it again but the drive and desire came back again as well as the ok from Meri who by the way trained, raced and finished with me last year, decided to wait it out this year and help me to give it another go, and I signed up. 20 weeks out and training began again. I owe thanks to my family, Veyo Pies, Jay at Blackbottoms and to my friends of The Southern Utah Triathlon Club. Coach Dennis Budd was outstanding for coaching advice. Most weeks the club would get a group together to go out on the course and train. Some of the most memorable were the 13 mile runs with Matt Bracken in the drenching rain and getting sprayed by cars as we ran the hills of this epic course. Training bricks of 80 miles on the bike with 13 mile runs on the course with Jeff, Dennis, Breanna, Craig, Ben, Jamie, Heath, Ryan S, Ryan D, and Dan. Other times at Sand Hollow reservoir chasing Heath's feet and bubbles in the frigid 52 deg waters. Good Times!!

Before I knew it, It was May 7th and I was drifting in and out of sleep waiting for the 3am alarm for breakfast. I changed my IM breakfast from last year and it worked pretty well for me. 2:30 am... 1 bottle of chocolate Ensure and 2 Eggo waffles with a drizzle of syrup. Went back to bed for 30 minutes and at 3 am went with another bottle of vanilla Ensure, 1 serving of tapioca pudding and 1 serving of sugar free applesauce. By 4:30 A.M. I was dressed and off with my bro-inlaw Jeff (who is one of the main reasons for getting me hooked into IronMan distance to begin with) down to the shuttle school busses for the 5am departures. We dropped our special needs bags for the bike and run in huge boxes labeled with your race #. These are bags that we have access to on the race course during mile 55 of the bike and mile 12-13 of the run. I put extra things in there just if I needed them like a tube, tire, a few gels, endurolytes, powdered Carbo Rocket and water. The school bus ride was very dark and unusually quiet. Very different from riding the bus up to the St George marathon from years past years where you couldn't hear yourself think. I drank 1 bottle of Carbo Rocket during the bus ride before I got to the race and tried to keep my mind focused and listened to my I-pod. Just before the swim start it was awesome to spend time with Meri, Shell, Craig and Mel all volunteering at T1 and there to help us and others get ready. 1 potty break waiting 15 minutes in line. Just before getting the wet-suit on they started calling us down to the lake. All of a sudden I had to go to the bathroom again with the anticipation of starting was near!! It was slow going like a cattle drive of wet-suits and Jeff and I decided we needed to get up in the front or the cannon will go off and we will still be standing in the parking lot. We made it to the water just after the anthem and swam to the far left side along the buoy line, We figured by following the buoy line and to stay out of the middle would make it less chaotic. Jeff and I made a deal to meet in the corner of the transition tent of T1 just in case we swim the same time. Treading for 5 minutes in the water seemed like forever and I was ready!! The cannon goes off. I swam buoy to buoy to the first turn somewhere near 1500 meters and was never in much traffic, a few times a body would climb over me and I was wondering what they were thinking trying to climb over me sideways in the wrong direction. Turn one was directly into the sun and I just followed people and the lifeguards voice in the megaphone until I eventually saw the next turn buoy. This next stretch was a long stretch back behind the Sand Hollow island and again I just focused on one buoy at a time. I would actually just count my strokes and when I would lose focus I would start over again. I swam a consistent pace and breathing was normal and relaxed. My hip flexors were getting tight which I had never had happen before but I set my mind back to counting strokes and I didn't notice the discomfort. The last turn in and I looked at my watch 1:02 and I was right on my goal with 600 meters to go or so. Exited the water and saw Meri off to the right!!! and headed to a wet-suit stripper. I made it a point to walk and get blood back in to my legs. Sometimes after swimming, standing and running you get dizzy. My heels were completely numb. At T1 I went to the corner and had an awesome volunteer help me with everything. He even opened my Honey Stinger Waffle cookie out of the package for me which I downed as one of my solid fuel sources for the race. Within minutes Jeff comes around the corner. I was ready to go so I told him he would easily catch me on the bike and I would see him out there. Out of T1 and onto the bike. I planned to ride this course smart at what I should and not try to kill it, having trained on the course I knew it demands respect. Jeff caught me about 5 miles out and we stayed within 50 meters or so of each other for quite a while. I started to drink and eat by alternating every 15-20 minutes with GU chomps/water and Carbo Rocket energy drink. The first 20 miles seemed to go by so fast and I was grinning and loving it. I made it to the start of the loop actually ahead of my planned time but wasn't worried since I didn't feel I was over doing it. On the descent down to cross Bluff street where the loop begins I lost a crucial bottle of Carbo Rocket liquid fuel due to the bumpy ashphalt in the road at a high rate of speed. I knew I would need it but I also knew I had an extra bottle of it at Special needs in 25 more miles. I went to the IM Perform drink which I have used before but was not what I preferred. Now thinking back I should have grabbed that fallen bottle. Mile 30 approached which was Ivins for a quick potty stop and I saw my good friend Brandon chillin in his lounge chair. It was good to see people in unexpected places. Jeff was right in front of me doing the same. As I exited the restroom I ran back a few feet to get more drink on the bike and when I did that Jeff thought I went ahead. He spent the next 10 miles trying to catch me when all along I was behind him. Onward and upward I went. The town of Gunlock was crazy with volunteers and Jeff and I met up again and he was excited to see me since he thought I was 10 miles up the road. Next was “The Wall” which is a huge hill that climbs up about a mile. I saw a few people walking at the top and if you have never been on this course you would be asking yourself, “What have I done?”. Well I have trained this course plenty of times and I always tell myself it will be over soon and not to think that I have to do it again at mile 80. Welcome to “THE WALL”! I stayed in the saddle on this climb and stayed in a Aerobic HR zone. I could not wait to get to Veyo and see one of my favorite support crews at the Veyo Pie shop. They were rockin out and cheering like crazy. I was so glad to see them and they were a huge support for me. The next 18 miles is one of my favorite parts of the course where you can get down and cruise. Despite going down hill it still takes a toll on your body. In past training rides I have felt great at the start of the Veyo Volcano and by the time I reach Bluff street I had nothing left. I would think, how am I going to do this again. I had a straight on head wind which made it difficult to get to high speeds but it was not impossible to maintain a good pace and still stay within my zone. I got to special needs and had two bottles of frozen water that were now melted. I refueled with and added my missing bottle of Carbo Rocket!!! I wish I had it earlier. All went smooth up through the second loop. The heat started to rise and I was dumping water bottle after water bottle on my head, face, arms, ears, nose to stay cool. I made a potty stop in Ivins again and onward to climb again. Just before Veyo at mile 70-90 Jeff started to pull away. I don't blame him, its in the Lambert genes. My mind was a roller coaster of ups and downs just before The Wall for the second time, It was getting hot. I made it and regained mental focus as I made a stop to say hello to the support crew at Veyo Pies (no I did not eat a piece of pie even though I wanted to) Fellow training friend Dan flew by me and said hello and I thought it would be good to descend (not draft) with him since he is real fast on the downs. I think he asked if everything was OK and I think I replied that I was just visiting for a moment and all was good. I downed a Gel and off I went. The same head wind as the first descent was still there as I headed back into town. I kept it under control and at a safe speed knowing I would still get back the speed lost on the climbs. I almost caught Dan on the Veyo Volcano climb but once the flats and downhill came he was gone. He told me in training he got going near 50mph on some days. Must have been another one of those days.
After descending and flying down SR 18 for 40 minutes it was sure good to see the intersection of Bluff and Snow Canyon. Just when you think you are done you have to descend for about ¾ mile down Snow Canyon Parkway and loop under to the other side of the road and come right back up Snow Canyon Parkway to Bluff . Finally entering diagonal flying down the street lined with people before T2 was energizing. It was awesome to see more family and friends. Bike handlers were there awaiting my bike as I thought I would do a nice cyclocross dismount but I knew if I did I would not of been able to get my leg over my seat. I stopped and dismounted safely. I hobbled to the change tent, I changed out of cycling shorts (thick pad) into running tri shorts and had the aid of an outstanding volunteer at my beck and call. I could have wanted a pizza and he would of ordered and delivered it. Six or so minutes in T2 and away I went. My plan was to run a 10min/mile starting out to keep it under control running up Diagonal street. For most of this run you are either climbing or descending. One quick calculation at my watch and I was thrilled to be way ahead of last years time and just ahead of 2008's time in Coeur d'Alene. (faster swim this year) The over-all goal is to finish but I have many other little goals filed away. I just had to execute a 5hr marathon at this point....easy right? Ha ha I told myself since I have run a sub 4 marathon before. The plan was to run to each aid station walk through it and take it one at a time. It was good to see friends at aid 1, Ryan Duckworth with sponges drenched in water. These were life savers!! Each mile ticked away and I was able to get to Pioneer Park and actually run through it!! This was where in the past that the Tri Club had done some hill training work-outs and it paid off today knowing I could run it. To my amazement I caught my brother in-law Jeff 6 miles into the run. Last I saw him was mile 70? I was excited to have someone to run with but as I passed and tried to get him to come with me he said he was done. He was pulling from the race. Arrghh. I had to keep going and the HEAT was climbing as I headed into miles 7-13 at my doable pace. Coming into mile 13 I made my turn on Main. I passed special needs and grabbed a few endurolytes just in case I needed them. This point was mentally draining as I did not see anybody that I knew. This point in the race can break you mentally because you see the finish line one lane over and you know you have to go back up 1000 plus feet of road that I just got done doing. As I approached the Duckworth aid station I found myself bypassing any food or beverage that was offered by the volunteers and I remember telling Duckworth that I needed something but none of this is was working. Perhaps I needed a 5 hr energy or something but I needed a kick start and didn't have it and couldn't find a rhythm. He told me I was ahead of my time from last year and gave me a few words of encouragement and I knew I would make it if I just kept going. 1 mile later a fellow racer and buddy Craig was sitting on the curb in disarray and I thought; I can finish this with him. But as he approached to join me he crunched over and couldn't go with me. I told him to see if the people sitting on the lawn chairs in their front yard had some water or something that he could try to recover with and keep going. The sun was brutally in our face and I just wanted it to go behind the mountain so the temperature would drop. I made it back up to Pioneer Park and headed back out on the road and Craig had recovered and Jamie Egbert was with him. We teamed up in away just before the turn at mile 18-20. Just as we made it to the turnaround to head back there was a huge mental boost as Meri and my nieces and nephews: Domans and Lamberts and Abby, Josh and Seth were there cheering. They ran along side of me for a few yards. My neighbors the Funks and Kings were having a great old time doing the stadium wave to athletes as we went by. It was a much needed lift. The temperature was finally dropping and the three of us would set small goals to run to a street cone and walk and repeat as much as we could. I was not sure if they were going to continue but we kept plugging away. I had times when I thought after cresting the top of Skyline drive, alright I am going to run this in and then I also thought don't mess it up, keep moving and avoid DNF. What does the 20min faster matter at this point, it is about getting to the finish. We all had moments of doubt but we hung in together told each other we are going to make it (Kinda weird and cool that some of the people we train with all off and on over 20 weeks with each of us having different strengths and weaknesses are all together 132 miles into a race that can be 17hrs long). You could hear Mike Reilly the announcer of Ironman off in the distance calling peoples names as we got closer and closer. The finish was well within reach just play it smart. Heading back down Bluff street again I saw friends treating me like I was a rock star, Kellie and Adam!! and Stephanie and Todd. Stephanie actually called my Triathlon idols Stan and Marti Davis. I could here them cheering through the ear piece on their phone!! Just as I enter the Elks lodge it was really quiet and a dreary place. This is where the Ford motivation station is. A billboard sends messages to athletes for encouragement. As we rounded the turn to head out of there It was Deja vu, Meri was there waiting to cheer us home. Meri and I were both racing last year and this was just about where we joined up and finished together last year. (fyi...greatest race experience ever!!)Just this year it was her on the cheering side and I was wishing she could be on the racing side finishing this off together. I told her I would see her at the finish. As we rounded Diagonal Street roundabout and approached the finish the atmosphere was amazing and the energy from the crowd was absorbed and the fatigue went dormant. I slapped high fives and enjoyed the moment going back and forth from people on the right and left. I was thrilled to see my mom, dad, Meri and my brother waiting at the finish line.
I DID IT. IRONMAN #3!! You may ask me, will I do it again? The answer is........._____.

Things to know when training and completing an IM.
-Just face it....The race is too long so just grin and BEAR it.
-Figure out your nutrition, what works for one does not for another.
-Have Fun. Enjoy the experience.
-You got 17 hrs.
-Have friends and family on the course to cheer you on. They help with the mental game!!!
-Race your race.
-Make sure the family will support you.
-Join a club or team
-Don't say you cant do an IM.
-Thank the volunteers!!

North Shore Swim Series Sunset Beach to Ehukai Beach

Arrived at the North Shore in Lae'i on Friday night. We decided to head over to the first race of the North Shore Swim series first thing Saturday morning. We raced in the Waimea Bay race two years ago and had a blast so we figured we would do another one since we just happen to be here for one of the their races in the series. I don't think I have seen so many fit swimmers in my life. 700 or more were registered and ready to go. We got in just before the day of registration closed and we headed down to the shore. The first step of my vacation into the beautiful water of the North Shore was to do a 1 mile swim just off the break from Sunset Beach to Ehukai Beack park. We had to swim out about 300 meters to the two bouy start. Men went first and women followed 5 minutes later. My first impression when I swam out was very calming and relaxing with the salt taste of the water. In less than a minute getting to the start the horn sounded and we were off. Lifeguards placed bouy markers every few hundred meters to follow. It was difficult to sight them with the swell. I just tried to follow people and sight as well as I could. It was much more challenging than an open fresh water lake swim with a wetsuit. The salt water takes a second to get used to the taste and the water is so clear for 10-20 feet it is almost like snorkeling with tropical fish here and there. I had to clear my goggles out once and if you get the salt water in your goggles it stings. I thought I could see the finish buoy with two to go but when I reached it and saw another I was thinking wow this is longer than 1 mile. The rolling waves and current carry you forward and backwards and hold you in place at times where you feel you are not moving at all. Time wise in past swims I would have been done at around 30 minutes but still had a ways to go. I finally spotted the final turn triangle buoy and the fast women were starting to catch and pass me. I drafted as much as I could but was dropped many times. Finally making it to shore was a relief and if you time it you can body surf in on a wave. You have to run up the beach to cross the finish in the deep and everyone sprints in the sand to the finish regardless if you cross 1st or 700th. I only waited a few more minutes and Meri was coming out. The look of "Are you kidding me" was on her face. We headed over to get our finisher shirt, ate a piece of chocolate to get the salt taste out, grabbed a few red-vines from the snack stand, and we were done!! We had to get back to the start somehow where Jeff and our kids were waiting so we decided to run along the beach. What an awesome opportunity to race and in such a beautiful place. We had a blast and hope we can do another one someday.

Summer Games Triathlon

Meri and I raced the Utah Summer Games Triathlon this weekend and had a fundraiser at registration for my 12 year old niece Abby who needs a heart transplant. We had great prizes that were given from Pro triathlete Heather Wurtele, Red Rock Bicycle, Perks, Swig, Bicycles Unlimited, and St George Running Center. Friday night we set up a table at Rebel Sports where race packet pickup was taking place. I was amazed by the generosity of the people that came by. It was very successful and cant thank everyone enough who helped in one way or another.

The race has two transition areas. Starting at Gunlock reservoir and finishing at Snow Canyon High. I ran the bikes up to Gunlock just at sunset and put the bikes at t1. Luke and I did some fishing before sundown and then we headed back to town.

The morning came early and we had to be on the shuttle bus at 5:30am. I only slept maybe two hours and at 4 am I ate my traditional pre race meal of tapioca pudding, apple sauce and a bottle of Ensure! I left the Eggo waffle out this time since it was a sprint race I didn't need many calories. I did consume 1 bottle of Carbo Rocket on the bus ride up and just before the start of the swim. The whole process with the shuttle went really smooth and I did not mind it at all. It is actually nice to have your bike already set and not have to haul it around with you in the morning.

7 am was drawing close and it was very fun to have many friends at the race to talk to in preparing to make our way to the water. The tri club is growing and it is fun to see the sport grow.

The water was perfect in the high 60's as we started the 750 meter triangular swim. The start was more physical than any previous triathlon or Ironman I had ever been in. I was around flailing swimmers and I think I may have been in a bad starting spot. I got hammered in the goggles a few times for the first 50 meters and then the crowd opened up. Rounding th last bouy I could only see a few caps ahead of me. I ran right into some floating dead wood and was startled for a second wondering what the heck I hit but realized it was just wood. It startles you when you cant see two feet in front of you and you see something you are not expecting.. I came out of the water in 10th and had a pretty fast transition other than a slight struggle getting my left ankle out of the wet-suit. Ryan D was right with me and also had his bike set up right by mine. I got out ahead of him on the bike and knew he would shortly be catching me on the bike because he is one of the strongest cyclist I know. I thought to myself, wow holy cow I am in 5th or 6th coming out of t1!! The ride into Snow Canyon High was fast with most of it flat or downhill with only a few quick uphill bursts. It was lonely out there only seeing about 3 others on the bike. It was nice with no traffic and coming in off the bike in top 10 right behind Ben F. T2 was fast at 38 seconds and a quick grab of Abby's Unicorn and we were off. I told Abby I would race for her with her Unicorn!! A minute or so in I was passing Ben and we started to hit the uphills into the lava fields. I knew the I had to keep this pace or I would be caught. I saw Meri coming in off the bike and knew she was up in the lead somewhere against the other women. I made the turn-around and had made a gap on Ben but Craig and Heath were closing not too far behind. Heath is my shadow when it comes to racing. We had the almost exact same bike split by 1 second and in past races like the St George tri a month earlier we were steps from each other and he beat me out by seconds heading into the finish. I had a lead on him this go but knew he had the ability to catch me so I just kept pushing hard. I finished 6th over-all behind Craig and the gold medal was mine for the age group. Heath finished 7th right behind me for silver. It was pretty cool to see 5 of the top ten finishers were buddies I have been training with the past year. I stayed at the finish to see Meri finish 2nd over-all for the women and getting the silver medal and 2nd place plaque.

This was a fun race, with a good turn-out of near 170 participants. I hope they can continue and make it a yearly event for the Summer Games. Jeff and Colby put on a good race!! A huge thanks to those that helped Abby.

Now its time to check the calender and see what's next!!

1

135

Steve OLSEN

ST. GEORGE UT

Utah Male Overall

0

01:07:20.7

00:00:00.000

00:14:30.486

00:01:10.383

00:32:05.408

00:00:39.913

00:18:54.564

2

173

Todd MITCHELL

LAS VEGAS NV

Utah Male Overall

0

01:10:47.5

00:03:26.800

00:13:32.311

00:01:22.750

00:34:23.631

00:00:42.986

00:20:45.898

3

190

Kalani SCOTT

ST GEORGE UT

Utah Male Overall

0

01:10:56.0

00:03:35.300

00:11:40.828

00:01:37.469

00:34:27.121

00:00:39.636

00:22:31.005

4

202

Ryan DUCKWORTH

ST GEORGE UT

Utah Clydesdale

0

01:11:41.0

00:04:20.300

00:13:32.988

00:01:42.247

00:32:32.124

00:00:59.625

00:22:54.066

5

107

Craig COATS

ST. GEORGE UT

Utah M 25-29

0

01:12:08.6

00:04:47.900

00:13:37.937

00:01:56.627

00:35:14.236

00:00:47.171

00:20:32.631

6

138

Rich BRUIN

ST GEORGE UT

Utah M 35-39

0

01:12:21.0

00:05:00.300

00:13:29.209

00:01:40.164

00:34:42.809

00:00:38.664

00:21:50.230

7

139

Heath BURCHINAL

SAINT GEORGE UT

Utah M 35-39

0

01:12:26.7

00:05:06.000

00:13:56.598

00:02:10.835

00:34:43.293

00:00:49.257

00:20:46.814

8

155

Kim FORD

ST GEORGE UT

Utah M 40-44

0

01:13:14.6

00:05:53.900

00:11:57.743

00:01:33.639

00:35:41.807

00:01:13.596

00:22:47.858

Time to keep up on the Blog

Testing Testing 123

Ironman Training??????

When to actually start training has been churning in my mind the past year. I do not want to start serious training too early and then burn out or not peak at the right time. 20 weeks seemed to work well for CDA but I am not sure if there is a better option. For now I will keep enjoying my shorter workouts just to keep a base and then when January comes it will begin!!

Goulds+Jem+Rim=Fantastic

Set out early this morning for the Hurricane ride. Rode with the Bro in-laws who I call Juan de Niner and King Hype. 21 miles of sweet trail riding. As usual they pinned it from the get-go. I was tempted to go out hard on the first mile and chase them down but remembered to leave some in the tank for the last 5 miles of this ride climbing out. So I kept it under 160 and just plugged along. Trail was in great shape as long as you stay on it as King found out by hitting some loose stuff. This ride makes you feel like you are on a slalom course with fast singletrack right then left then right then left. Reaching the final overlook where the bathroom is located I felt pretty good going into the last 4 miles(was it the Carbo Rocket?). We arrived back just as the heat was starting to set in.
I'm trying to figure out where the 25 hour race is going to be. I would like to ride it.
Its about time to charge the light and ge some evening rides in.