"We are all failures--at least, the best of us are." -
n Sir James Matthew Barrie


"Happiness includes chiefly the idea of satisfaction after full honest effort. No one can possibly be satisfied and no one can be happy who feels that in some paramount affairs he failed to take up the challenge of life." -
-- (Enoch) Arnold Bennett


"Accept that all of us can be hurt, that all of us can--and surely will at times--fail. I think we should follow a simple rule: if we can take the worst, take the risk." -
-- Dr. Joyce


"Failure is the condiment that gives success its flavor." -
-- Truman Capote


"You must accept that you might fail; then, if you do your best and still don't win, at least you can be satisfied that you've tried. If you don't accept failure as a possibility, you don't set high goals, and you don't branch out, you don't try-you don't take the risk." -
-- Rosalynn Smith Carter


"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts." - -- Sir Winston Leonard Spenser Churchill


"Failure is success if we learn from it." -
-- Malcolm Stevenson Forbes


"Through perseverance many people win success out of what seemed destined to be certain failure." -
-- Benjamin "Dizzy" Disraeli

All I had started a race report last night(although it was partially fueled by wine :) ) and fully intended to complete it today and find this in my 100+ emails that were waiting for me as I get back to the office. A little background prior to reading-Carmen, the boys and I spent a week in June up in Okoboji(a lake here in Iowa, for you out of towners) and while up there decided to do a bike ride sponsored by the community. While on the ride I meet another tri-guy that I spent the day with. We shared our names but never anything beyond that(that I remember)...

Here is what I got and my reply...I am using it as my race report as it is my thoughts in their rawest...in the unedited version you will probably "hear, see, and feel my day"-I hope this makes sense. I am including my friends email as it will help explain why I find tri precious...


In my inbox
Jeff-

This may come as a bit of a surprise, as you may not remember me. I rode the Lake Okoboji Classic century with you - I was the other 'mental midget' triathlete on the QRoo Tequilo that couldn't find my way around the course (like yourself). I was a bit disappointed that day as my odometer registered barely under 90 miles when we finished, but I digress - it was good to ride that day and it was great having you ride a majority of the way with me to break up the monotony of it all. I figured out from that day around Okoboji that triathletes are really unconditionally connected to one another during a ride or run, and there's always plenty of stories, etc. to share along the way. Regardless if the person next to you is your best friend or just some tom, dick or Harry that rode/ran up beside you, I think it's a untold part of what makes it unique.

That said, I remembered your name and had planned on tracking you as I spent some of the day watching the IM Wis video feed at the finish line. I didn't stick around long enough to see everybody finish, of course, but I checked the tracker tonight to see how you did. Looks like the mission was not accomplished in the way you would have like it (I saw DNF) and learned that it was somewhere after mile 13.1 on the run. Maybe it's a mistake and you finished with flying colors; maybe I checked the wrong athlete...

Wanted to let you know (if that's the case) that stinks, and I'm sorry to hear about it. Of course I have no idea what happened but I've had a DNF in my lifetime to know that it sucks (for me, anyway) - hope it's not to hard of a blow to you in afterthought.

What really grabbed my attention is the blog you kept up during the whole ordeal. That was cool to read through as time passed by. I trained with a would-have-been IM Wisconsin participant this summer until he broke his leg about a month ago. That's somewhat irrelevant because he screwed his knee up at Lifetime Tri - we started 2 apart from each other but I found myself waiting for him for about an hour after the race was over, totally oblivious to the fact that he was walking the course less than 1/2 way through.

Anyway, just wanted to drop you a line and let you know I admire your determination for starting to train, having second thoughts and then pulling it together to go the distance. I barely know you (for all of 4 hours on a hot Saturday afternoon), but still felt compelled to send you an email to say, in some odd, unexplainable way, I'd been rooting for you since that ride around Okoboji. Sounds odd, I know, but you were in a predicament I wanted to be in this year- I just didn't get registered soon enough for it. Overall, I'm glad you around, showed up and presumably gave the course hell on Sunday.

People really underestimate the mental anguish triathletes go through in a season (we bring it on ourselves). Yes, 140.6 is crazy, but you have to be a little crazy to get yourself through it all. I

Take care-
Jamie

My reply and race report...
Jamie
This is an amazing email as I really never thought we would ever "talk" again, but I too felt the connection you spoke of.

Sunday was an interesting day. Specifically my day was one that happens but is impossible to plan for. I will provide you a brief recap:


Get down to bike transition and find that my aero bottle is broken-no big deal. Go to "inside out" and get a new one. This was cause of a few moments of stress but well worth the new aero bottle. However it certainly cost me a few extra minutes of anxiety.

Swim-seed myself towards the front as I am a 1:02-1:09 swimmer. Swim starts normal chaos, then I get kicked in the head HARD. Think that my day is over there. But then realize that I can't have a concussion if I think that I have one...concluding my head just really freakin' hurts. Out of the water in 1:13'ish much slower than planned for but hey I got kicked in the head. Good transition and onto bike.

Feel great on bike. Really hold back on bike trying not to burn too many matches for the second loop. Really focus on hydration and nutrition. I feel total rock star, and have friends at Sauk Pass and Mt Horeb that really give me a ton of motivation. Headache gone. Start second loop still feeling great. Special needs- eat a bite of a melted snickers and a sip of a hot coca-cola. Off I go.

Get to ~ mile marker 70(this is simply a guess) I am tucked up in aero and a guy passes me and immediately gets in front of me. As he gets in front of me he flats, and slams on his brakes. I grab mine, unfortunately hit him, bounce off of him hit a guard rail, then bounce back into the road and lay it down for some nice road rash, and bruising as my top tube blasted my knee and really messed my day up. I re-composed to my best ability and focus in on getting to see my boys at sauk pass. I can't lie to you I was in bad shape as my knee immediately swelled, and I had a remarkable bruise on the inner aspect of my knee that really had me nervous as it continued to grow throughout the bike. I get to sauk pass and get through it, get to Mt Horeb and get through it until the crest of the climb and flat. Ultimately after 25 minutes of trying to change the tire I(with some outside help, yes I cheated and am not proud of it but I had earned a little variance due to my donation of skin to the course) finally get it on, inflated, and back on my bike. Between the two "incidents" I had 40-45 minutes of non-riding. Pedal back into T2 and push into medical tent looking for an orthopod. Well there wasn't an orthopod "in the house" so they send over two chiropractors, who tell me that without doubt I have torn my MCL, and they urge me NOT to run. I politely tell them they were not going to determine my success or failure as I hadn't been peeing on myself for the last 4.5 hours to have a bike crash preclude me from at least trying the run, and left for the course.

On the run course my first three miles were~8:15's which I was thrilled with because the pain in my knee was not good and getting worse. End of first loop I was really suffering physically, mentally, emotionally(this is a major life commitment and to see the wheels falling off when you have planned and prepped for a year is painful, probably more so than the physical pain) but decide that I have over 4.5 hours to finish and could walk the entire second loop if I had to. I get out of my second tour of Camp Randall Football stadium, and make it towards mile marker 17 and my foot was numb, the pain was intense, and decide that with all of the info I had the best decision was to pull it(My HRM stop watch stopped at 13:42 but I stood for 5-10 minutes) This was the hardest decision of my life as I knew that with all my friends on the course supporting, if I could see them I may be able to finish, but started asking myself: was it the best thing for my longevity as a triathlete, as a husband, dad, business owner, was I doing more damage, did I win without the medal, did I live as IronMan was intended, would the ghosts of IM understand my DNF(seriously not sure what I was thinking at this point)-ultimately I decided that I fought longer than many if not most people would have and then...asked for an ambulance ride to the medical tent. It was emotional, and as I think about it now get emotional again, but I am proud of my effort and realize I can't win everything. The MD that evaluated me said I present more like an automobile accident patient than a triathlete. He postulated that from the point of the accident 4 hours(maybe) up until hour 13 I had been going on adrenaline and my body had managed things as long as it could and finally said "you are done", however; no MCL tear.

What is really amazing about this IM was that I suffered more, hurt more, doubted more...but have found more joy(and pain) in this IM. I am not certain why the dichotomy but suspect it is found in the elation of pushing and becoming more IM in my heart, but find the pain in unrealized goals and dreams. Getting to the starting line of an IM is amazing; I now place more value on IronMan, and also understand what a DNF feels like-now. My wife thinks that I will cherish the journey more-she’s probably right. Wisconsin and I aren't done, we will have another day which will be mine. I am going to sit back, reflect, thank God for all of my blessings, and ride my mountain bike when my knee(and my wife) allow me.

Thank you for the note, it came at a time that was needed. Jamie, let's stay connected who knows where we may meet again.

EDIT/ADD
The other thing that was an amazing lesson was showering(no lesson there) drinking a beer and hobbling down to the course and cheering people on to finish. They earned their medals, and while I didn't I earned something a bit different but every bit as rewarding...


P.S. I hope you are able to read through the typo’s as I have decided not to edit this as it is my rawest, and true sense of my day.

all I will have a race report tonight or tomorrow...lot's to tell. It was an amazing day!

jeff

Hey all!

I have my bib number! I will give directions for those interested in tracking me online later this week, but my bib number is 850! Actually getting excited with the exception that Carmen won't be able to come up to Madison as we have run into sitter issues. I won't get to see her face out on the course...although I take confidence in my training, a friendly face is worth a million bucks when out on the course.


Jeff

http://www.bikeiowa.com/asp/hotnews/newsdisplay.asp?NewsID=2494

The clock is counting down. We are at less than 14 days until IM Wisky! Feeling pretty darn decent. Had a nice easy long run on Saturday 17 miles'ish. Sunday nice 3 hour bike with 10 minute brick....ahhhh what a beuaty of a weekend here in the Heartland.

Volume is declining, resting well, drinking water, lots of fruits and veggies. Starting to see the finish line....

10 day forcast looks really manaagable-but it is a 10 day and can(and will) change many times.

For those that didn't know this Carmen's grandpa died last week, so I have been traveling-which has been a very convenient excuse to spend some time with the boys. As Earl(Carmen's grandpa) was a WWII vet, full millitary honors were a part of the cermony. Touching and powerful-

two weeks and counting-

Jeff

If you want to see the mental and physical struggles of Ironman training here it is. Start at the bottom and see my email to two of my IM buddies and their responses.


I really contemplated not doing IM Wisconsin next month. Carmen wasn't happy with this as she and the boys have sacrificed and want to feel the finish line as much as I do. IM is a battle on race day, most people don't understand the physical and mental sacrifices associated with IM. I was hit hard this past weekend with a stomach virus that prevented me from doing much of anything away from running plumbing. It is not uncommon to red-line physically so that little "bugs" can wreak havoc on your body. IM is a sacrifice-this time the sacrifice has been less taxing on the family as we have arranged a schedule for my workouts the minimizes(although does not eliminate) missed family time.

I now need to re-commit to the finish line...it seems as though their are others out there that think I deserve to cross it-I guess I better get my head screwed on to prove them right. Right?



(From me to the guys and carmen cc'd)
Gents
Thanks for your thoughtful responses-I appreciate it. After reading your responses, talking with Carmen and Jenny, I have decided to finish what I have started.

Thanks for your friendship…

Jeffrey M. Bratz, CFP®




(from Carmen)

So it’s settled.

Thank you for forwarding the thread. I knew I was right about this, and I’m so glad your friends backed me up on it (not that they knew they were backing me up).
Training for and completing an Ironman is a group event when you have a family, and much more difficult to train for when you have a young family. Even though Zacky, BenBen and I won’t be swimming, biking and running next to you, we will still be with you during the race, and have been with you every step of the way as you prepared for it. Regardless of your time, we are proud of your accomplishment. Finishing an IM is a big deal. Actually, getting to the starting line of an IM is a big deal. You will do well on race day.

From: Jeff Bratz [mailto:jeff.bratz@lfgplanners.com] Sent: Monday, August 13, 2007 2:10 PMTo: 'Jenny Weber'; cbratz@mchsi.comSubject: FW: opinion...Importance: High


(to my coach Jenny Weber)
Jenny
See the email thread with Reed and Loran. I start the thread at the bottom-as you can see I am not ready to race mentally.


I am ready to go long on the training road. I know myself and racing this weekend isn’t right, I need to go long training for the confidence of race day. I would really like to do the century/long brick with the long run, which I wasn’t able to do because of the stomach virus, this coming weekend. That still gives ~ 4 weeks of recovery to race day.

I have really been struggling the last 72-96 hours with this(I think probably because of the stomach virus and accumulated stress) and really was considering dumping the race. Carmen, Reed, and Loran have really helped me come to the right place on this, and helped me realize what I would give up if I didn’t go and give it my best effort.

Jeffrey M. Bratz, CFP®
CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™
jeff.bratz@lfgplanners.com


(from Reed)
From: Reed Rinderknecht [mailto:reedr@fostergrp.com] Sent: Monday, August 13, 2007 1:50 PMTo: Loran.J.Storts@wellsfargo.com; jeff.bratz@lfgplanners.comSubject: RE: opinion...

I agree totally with Loran’s comments. Don’t show up wishing that you didn’t go.


Now for the motivational:

It is about the time to be second guessing yourself. September is a long time to wait for a race. You would be the exception if you didn’t feel a little burned out.
Why are you doing the race? My first IM, I did the race to finish and enjoyed the entire day…..at least, all but the last 13 miles of the run. (Loran, you remember my weakened, one-arm flex on the last hill!) My second IM, I went to get a Kona Slot. There was more pressure, but I was focused on working towards that goal. Both races, I learned much about myself that has helped me in life and racing. Pushing yourself beyond what you think you are capable of is a great lesson. Also, when I realized that my day was slipping away at IM Wisc last year (when my stomach cramped hard enough to want to stop running at all), I had to refocus and pull it together. I knew I had the fitness to run 3:40ish, but couldn’t take any nutrition on the first 12 miles on the run, b/c of cramps….still ran 3:55, but had to adjust my expectations even mid race. Many times since then, I’ve had to make adjustments and work through issues during races……now, I expect it and deal with it.

If it was me, and I had already put in this much training and work, I would want to see the end result. It is a dang tough bike course, but you have done the training. Set your goals on each piece. Swim steady and come out confident. Smooth transitions……focus on nutrition, hydration, and pacing on the bike in the first loop, reel people in on the second loop. Ride the hills easy, don’t burn any matches too early. Run the best that you can given your fitness. Set a PR on a much tougher course than AZ. Use this as a springboard for the next 2 years. Looking back, I think you will be glad you raced.


Go ahead and do Cy-man for fun and enjoy life. Be thankful for your health, family, finances, and the freedom to push your body, mind, and soul.

Because, my friend, there is not a lot of better feelings than running that last ½ mile in front of thousands of screaming fans, hearing……

JEFF BRATZ FROM DES MOINES, IOWA, YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!


Rent the movie Facing the Giants tonight and watch it. The first half is really bad acting, but then it is an incredible story. God asks us to give Him 110% everyday…..we praise Him in victory and also in defeat.
r

Reed R. Rinderknecht, CFP


(from Loran Storts)

From: Loran.J.Storts@wellsfargo.com [mailto:Loran.J.Storts@wellsfargo.com] Sent: Monday, August 13, 2007 1:24 PMTo: jeff.bratz@lfgplanners.com; Reed RinderknechtSubject: RE: opinion...

Jeff-

This is strictly my opinion and take it for what it is worth. If you aint hungry to race the IM then you are in for a long day- IM hurt and they are suppose to hurt! You gotta be 100% committed to challenging yourself physically, mentally, and emotionally come race day.

I had IM races where I was either unsure of my fitness level, not really motivated to suffer, tired, etc and at the end of the day I didn't race well and didn't enjoy the experience. Regardless of the final finishing time you have to feel good entering the race and excited to cross the finish line. Keep asking yourself, "Why am I doing this race?" There's your motivation!

With that being said, it is perfectly normal to be questioning yourself right now. You are a Type A personality that has undoubtedly put extreme pressure on yourself to perform at a certain level. Right now you are fatigued possible from all the training and you should be fatigued because we are 4 weeks from race day. What you will have at Wisconsin that you will not have at any other IM race is a huge group of people that know you, can inspire you, and can encourage you throughout the race.

I am happy to chat with you over a cup of coffee or lunch this week so you can "noodle" on your decision. And lastly, don't forget to put this in your prayers!



Loran
(from Me to the guys)

From: Jeff Bratz [mailto:jeff.bratz@lfgplanners.com] Sent: Monday, August 13, 2007 11:34 AMTo: Storts, Loran J.; 'Reed Rinderknecht'Subject: opinion...Importance: High
Guys
I wanted to get some thoughts from you guys in regards to IM coming up.

My training has been going well, until this past weekend, when a stomach virus derailed my long run and long bike. However; there has been something missing for me in this buildup. I have really enjoyed my shorter races this season, and feel like I am racing/training better, faster, stronger then ever. However; I have yet to get excited about this IM, originally I wanted to do Florida this year but I let my buddies(Kirk, Bob, and Bob) convince me that doing IM Wisky with them would be more fun. It has been o.k., but I simply am not excited about this race. I have lost more weight(not enough however) and am proud of how well I have done with my training-I’m just not sure that this is the race for me.

I am considering DNS’ing(did not start) this race, and continuing to train and continue to work-I just am simply not passionate about Wisconsin, it isn’t the right course for me. I think that with more time, and continued weight loss, I could get excited about IM WIsc, just not right now. Normally I would see this as being weak, etc. I just am not certain that I have committed to the finish line the way I need to. What I would really LIKE to do, is finish the season with a sprint or two, then put together a two-year plan to go and tear up Florida in ’09. I envision this as a two-year plan to get me to my final “race weight” work on my running, and get to IM fitness(as I don’t really feel like I am there yet).

I know that I can go to Madison and PR today-but it isn’t about PR’ing it is about enjoying the day, the process, and being my best. I don’t feel like I am at my best.

I respect both of you and would like to get your opinions on this…

Jeffrey M. Bratz, CFP®
CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™

Took person number 5 or 6 into the shop this week. This is either the 5th or 6th bike I have helped the boys at Rassy's sell this week. I always enjoy watching them work, they are very professional, friendly, and if they don't care...they sure act like it. One of the guys here in the office bought a entry level carbon fiber rig. Nice starter bike and Greg hooked him up pretty darn well. Last Friday, I took another buddy in and he picked up a Specialized Roubaix-nice carbon bike, and he spent a good chunk of time and money on Terry's recommendations.

IM Wisconsin is getting closer. 9/9 isn't terribly far away. I am wrapping up the real long rides this week. I have another 100+ mile ride on Friday, followed by a long brick. Saturday is a long run, and then things really start winding down in terms of "BIG VOLUME". This week has been like this:
Monday-3400 yards and core work
Tuesday-90 minutes on the bike immediatlye followed by 30 minute run(felt really strong)
Wednesday-1:15 tempo run & 2800 yards in the pool
Thursday- 3600 yard in the pool
Friday-6 hour bike 50 mintue run
Saturday-18-20 mile run
Sunday-rest and recover

This Friday is our 11th anniversary. 11 years-wow.

Train Smart-

Jeff

Went to Madison to train on the IM course. Headed up with Bob Levinstein, we met Jenny Weber and a group of other triathletes.

Madison is far hillier than I had ever imagined! Bike course tought. Run course flat(except one hill).

Bike Time 6:42 Average HR 112 Max HR 155
Brick 15 minutes.
Total experience yields Jeff needs to get better at hydration, and nutrtion.

After session hungry! Ate a room service burger, and a beer. Ice bath-very cold.

Sunday run:
13.1 miles average HR 133 2 hours+/-; find that still not doing well on hydration. I must drink more h20!

Honestly, thought about bailing...but don't think I will at this point.


Train smart.

jeff

Well it is starting-the IronMan grind. The training volume is really headed up. My bike volume and run volume are really ramping up. I think that I have~ 9 weeks until IronMan Wisconsin and this is where the training gets tough. Not "hard" in the sense of intensity, rather in the context of "holy cow" I am going to ride 5 hours then run for 15 minutes on Friday...then run 15 miles on Saturday.

In "the grind", things in life get more challenging because I find that I really am always walking the thin line of overtraining. For example last week I put in a 3+ hour effort on the bike on Friday afternoon, the distance wasn't bad but the heat nearing 95 degrees really takes its toll. After the bike I did an immediate T-run which is basically just running immediatley after getting off the bike. The concept is to get the legs accustomed to making the switch from one disipline to the next. THEN Saturday morning, I met Bob Skidmore out at DMACC west, we ran the hills for ~8 miles in the early morning heat and humidity. This run was epic and I felt like I was finding the "runner" in me. After the run, went and got Zach and went to the gym. At the gym he went to the kids area for 45 minutes and I went and swam a mile and a half. Once done with the swim we played in the pool for an hour or so then went home.

Sunday is my normal day off, but I decided to do a sprint distance tri on Sunday. I took a buddy of mine up with me(he is getting the tri bug after 20 years of not racing tri's)and we left at 5:45 a.m. Sunday. The drive up was simply beautiful! I fought a migraine on the way up and dosed up on my migraine meds, with a little caffeine, water, and food I felt decent. Got organized and warmed up for the race-felt as though I was pretty dialed in, and ready to go.

I was in the second wave and took off with 60 of my closest buddies. For whatever reason the swim was very easy. No bodies banging, no kicking, no hits to the head...nothing. It was simply swim straight to the turnaround buoy. At the turnarond I looked up and saw the shoreline and looked at my watch and saw 4:08 and thought "this is awesome". I take a few strokes and notice to my left a yellow rope in the water, I realize the rope is what is linking all of the buoys together! I basically swim straight in with no challenges whatsoever by following my yellow friend into the shoreline. Exit the water and head over to my transition area-in second place in my division-nice. Get the socks, helmet, bike, and the all important gels and sunglasses and take off.

Hop on the bike and within a quarter mile of getting on the bike, my chain pops off while shifting-arrrgh. No big deal off the bike, and back on within in 20 seconds. I never really feel like you just lose the time to fix the bike, but also momentum, mental clarity etc. I calculate that this probably cost me a minute +/- Round the lake to "the hill" and pop up it, but my legs just didn't feel "right". Get out on the open part of the course and take advantage of the tail wind out to Gladbrook and scoot along and felt o.k.'ish, but once again never a lot of "snap". Head back home snarf down to gels, one with some caffeine to maybe wake up the legs, and feel o.k. I have the 2nd fastest bike split of the day in my division(20.6 mph on a hilly/windy course), and come off the bike in 1st place in the division-sawheet. My hope is to run 8:15-8:30 miles.

The run legs let me down...I never really could get them going the way I have in training. I realize that no taper, and a tough week of training really contributed to the legs never moving the way I wanted. Wound up running 9:47/mile as the ugly hill out of T2 kicked me, and I was never really able to recapture the feeling of "ok" legs on the run. I wound up 1:22:22 in fifth place in my division 4 minutes back from the winner. My buddy James Holloway took 2nd, he had a nice day and really should be happy. James and I never "race each other" but there is certainly a friendly rivalry developing. I was able to sneak in ahead of him at Hy-Vee, he got me this past Sunday score this season 1-1.

This was a really long way to tell you with the training, racing, and dieting(another story) I am starting to feel the effects! Tired, hungry, thristy, did I mention tired(loss of focus :) ) I need to get through this week, then enjoy some recovery week next week, as I am planning on the Spirit of Racine Half-IM...

Train smart, be safe!

Jeff

I am on holiday right now, and loving every minute!

We have had a great time with the boys, the beaches, and good ol' family time.

I have been getting a lot of training in this week and feel very good. I told my coach that I felt as though my IM legs were starting to show up. I am doing a Century Ride(100 miles) on Saturday, followed closely by a 15 minute run. This sould be interesting to see how the legs, nutrition, and training hold up.

We have had one IM "casualty" as Bob Skidmore decided to bail on IM, in liue of suffering the rest of the summer he will finish "unfinished" projects-me thinks he may be the wiser for having done so.

****I would like to briefly mention that the time spent with Kim West heading out to the funeral was special, and I am moved as an athlete and Iowan to engage the solution "process", more on this as a formulate a plan of action.*****

jeff

p.s. Rebecca tahnks for staying at the house and taking care of the cats-you know just how much I love those cats;)

All this was an email I sent a few moments ago...if moved please join me.

All I was checking out Kim West’s Blog and found that another cyclist was killed on Sunday afternoon in Atlantic, Iowa-while most of us were enjoying father’s day, or recovering from Hy-Vee Tri. If you don’t know who Kim West is, I can briefly explain that he is a good hearted cycling nut! Some of you that did the Hy-Vee Tri may remember him as he was the dude dressed as El Diablo(of Le Tour fame)at the top of Grand yelling and giving you encouragement:

This piece on his blog hit me hard and I feel like I need to ride with Kim on Friday morning:

Universal Laws
1--like the yin and the yang,
the ebbs and flows of life are constant, unpredictable,
inevitable, unstoppable, undesirable, envied,
good and bad, plus and minus,
for better or worse, more or less.

2--you can't have what you don't know,
and you can't know what you don't have.

3--sometimes things happen that just aren't right,
but they sometimes lead to just the right thing to do.
. . . . .
so, i'm riding my bike to this funeral friday in atlantic,
for yet another unknown cyclist,
run down,
killed by a 77 year-old motorist mid-day sunday,
a bright sunny day.
going the same direction,
run over from behind.
i've mentioned how i feel about this:
"investigation continues."
80 miles out, 80 back.
2:00 pm funeral.
sunrise 540 am; sunset 850 pm.
funny thing is that this is the longest day of the year.
somewhere i had noted that it will be celebrated
as "the happiest day of the year."
i had thus noted on my kitchen calendar for the blog topic du jour.
instead, i'll spend it riding by myself (this is where we come in)
to the funeral of someone i don't know
who was killed like seven or eight of my friends,
and i'll remember them,
and be happy for having known them.
i'll think of the many friends
--too many in just the past year--
who were struck and somehow survived.
and i'll be happy for knowing them,
and for having them around--alive.
i'll be riding alone, thinking of my many, many friends
who joined me on a whim, as a lark,
on sunday, on a hill in front of a stranger's house.
and of how we laughed, heckled, cajoled, encouraged friends
and strangers,
and made some feel like pros,
and made others feel full of energy,
and happy,
when moments before they were tired and drained.
we made them smile.
and i'll be happy for my many many friends,
and for the joy that they have given me,
and for the joy that they have helped me give to others.
as i ride to atlantic, and back, for this stranger's funeral,
i'll think of my pregnant daughter,
of her second child that is due hopefully after ragbrai
--this is the second time she's done this--
and i'll think of my little granddaughter, nyla,
and of my son-in-law, dwight,
and of all the joy they have given me over the years.
and i'll be happy.
happy as hell, actually.
i'll think of my dogs, boris and amelia,
and of the third one--shut up!--dmitri
that i'll have at the end of the month,
and i'll be happy.
. . . . .
and if i never have to do this again,
then it will have been the happiest day of my life.
. . . . .
by the way, i know that there is a group of cyclists
that leaves bike world west sometime early on fridays.
i know, because often i have cursed that they leave so damned early.
wanna ride west with me?
supposed to be wind out of the southwest,
and i could sure use a little help...
maybe you could meet me coming back in late friday, too.




I have spoken with Kim already today and told him that there was a good chance he could count on several of us tri guys joining him at Bike World West early Friday(he mentioned we would have light ~5 or 515) for the ride out(partially). I figure if the wind is from the SW we can do the pulls so Kim can set it and have enough juice in the legs to get home. I think this will be a very reasonable pace as Kim has said it has been a long time since he has done 160 miles.

If you feel as though this is something you can do please join me-I am not sure why but I am tugged to do this ride. I understand if you aren’t motivated in the same way it is something I need to do. I often feel my own mortality when riding and want to do something, and if pulling together with other cyclists to make a safe trip to a funeral for a fellow cyclist is what I am “lead” to do-I got’s to do it.

Feel free to forward to anyone interested in cyclist safety, and let them know they are welcome for 5 miles, 50, or the entire thing.

Been a long time since I posted, but I will get caught up here:

Today was Hy-Vee Tri Day:

Woke up at 415a
Grabbed a big water.
Grabbed a ClifBuilder Bar.
Grabbed a Diet Coke-yup caffeine even on race day, so what.
Out on porch by 4:22 a.m.
My ride arrives at 4:26 a.m.-Thanks Bill!
Drive over to pick up Brother Bob.
Bill drops off Bob and I, we head into Transition-I felt very relaxed and ready for the day. Music is good, day starts very nicely.

Race starts 10 minutes late-not a big suprise here.
My wave starts I think I got the chance to swim next to Ray Charles as at one point maybe 100 yards into the swim a dude swims over me at a perpendicular angle to the course-not sure where he was headed. Swim course was poorly marked as there where not enough bouys on the swim to navigate the course-I am sure it will be better next year. My swim was really pretty slow, I just settled in for a relaxing swim, I also did not navigate well: time 28:23(45 seconds slower than my previous race at this distance). Swimming really isn't a concern as my coach and I aren't sweating the swimmming details. I will swim IM Wisky in 1:05-1:10 and today wasn't about TT'ing the swim portion of the race.

Swim to bike transition-quick and really felt good. Grabbed my gear and hopped on the bike. Headed round Fleur and got to moving. First part of the course I felt as though the course was controlling me instead of me controlling it. I was riding my 11x23 rear cassette, which allowed for pushing some bigger gears-maybe pushing to big a gear to start out. First little uphill on Grand starts at Tech High until the governor's mansion. I really didn't have my bike legs under me yet and my hr popped. Snagged my gel out of my back pocket, ate it as if was a ribeye, and took a swig of h20 and felt better within 5-10 mins. There was a group of people that I rolled up on that were "pack riding" which ticks me off Tri is an individual sport, I work really hard to play by the rules and these bums made it impossible to pass and forced me to sit back and let them figure it out(more on this later). Saw family, friends, and neighbors out on the course. Average speed 22.58 mph-solid effort, felt really great to hammer it out.

t2
quick, solid felt good.

Run
Felt pretty good the first 20 minutes, but realized that I forgot my energy gels back in the transition area-quickly start thinking about what my chances of finishing the run well with less then 500 calories consumed all day. Answer: not very likely. With the course not having one single mile marker it was tough to figure out how to conserve energy, and I quickly overheated and ran out of calories. The second loop still is a fog, as I was confused, grossly hypo-glycemic and hugely "bonky". Bonking sucks-not much else to say other than I felt like I was dangerously close to getting a trip to the medical tent. Didn't walk all day until the top of the hill-less then 300 yards from the finish line. If I didn't walk i was close to crawling as I was a hurtin' unit. Finished with 9:57/mile which sucks. I was shooting for 8:30/mile-today was a lesson in race nutrition.

Got to the finish line, got water, ice, and food. It really helped quickly!

Total time 2:38

Logged on to race site to find that I got a two minute penalty on the bike-must be a mistake! that is utter non-sense -the bums that were pack riding needed a kick in the butt and let those of us that were moving get by. This is the last I will post about this but the ref made the wrong call today! Rant over. Plus I can't be too angry as brother's Reed and Jason-got screwed today on the run-too complicated to explain but the three of us got the wood today.

Congrats to fellow Rassy athlete Amy H. as she had a killer day and either got a podium finish or just missed the podium. She passed me on the bike, but I was able to sneak past her until the run where she blazed past me! She looked great, and did Rassy's proud.

Recovery week starts today-next Saturday 100 miles up in 'Boji on the bike.

jeff

Carmen and I went to Mexico last week, we left early Thursday morning and got back late Monday afternoon. This was our first trip without the boys since Zach was born. Travel was easy, no delays, not one single issue in immigration, not one single issue. We really enjoyed ourselves, the sun, water, food, and time relaxing was great. We were joined in Puerto Vallarta by my brother and sister-in-law, as well as another couple. We had a great time! We even played a little water polo-damn hard to get those horses in the water. :)

I had several beach runs-man I love running near the ocean. One day I ran with my sister-in-law, that was a blast as we ran along the ocean then found a hill in downtown PV that we ran repeats on.

Saturday I did a 5+ hour bike ride into the Sierra Madre mountains that took us from sea-level to several thousand meters. I had a guide, we rode on a gravel mountain road that was narrow and fairly well traveled. We both ran out of water and food and struggled in the 93 degree heat and 94% humidity. What took us nearly 5 hours to climb we descended in just over an hour. This was nerve racking as my rented bike's brakes were less then new. As we drove down the cobbled rodes of PV returning to the shop my guide who is exhausted, looks at me and says in a heavy accent "today...today we were warriors". That to me is an awesome feeling to have worked so hard, been so exhausted...but feel so alive! As I got back to the hotel Carmen had a couples' massage scheduled so we got "rubbed" in a cabana less than 20 feet from the ocean. It was simply amazing to lay there and listen to the ocean-this was an awesome day of exercise and recovery. I later learned that the average grade was 11-12% and the max grade was something like 19%.

Both boys were glad to have mom and dad back home...I was glad to be home and hold them. Being a parent is pretty darn cool.


I have added a new event to my race calendar-I am going to do an adventure race this year, will tell more why later.


Train hard!

Jeff

Well, I had an average week of training last week-not a lot to mention. Jenny W, my coach at Zoom had me over to do a wattage test. Good effort, and always enjoy hanging with Jenny. Friday night went to a wedding over in the Amana's,hung out with a bunch of great folks, and I always enjoy weddings as it reminds me of our wedding day.

We are headed to Puerto Vallarta on Thursday! There is a really good chance that I am going to head out on a guided mountain bike tour. The deal is I think this will be real mountains, and should provide a serious challenge. I am trying to talk my brother-in-law into joining me kinding of hoping he mans up and joins me.(Jay if you are reading this now everyone will know if you wuss out!) I am really looking forward to sleeping, running, swimming, and spending some time with Carmen. Z and B are going to be at home with family and I look forward to quite time. Love those boys more than I ever thought possible, but I really think it will be good for us to get away.

jeff

Started off the tri season this past weekend with a Sprint Distance Tri down in Columbia, Mo. Reed, Jason, and I headed from my place on Saturday evening at about 5:30. The ride down was full of good conversation, laughs, jokes, and good ol' guy time. Everytime I am with Jason I come to find out he is funnier and funnier the more I get to know him. Reed, is funny-be careful with him though don't tick him off as he may curse you to drink from the "River of a Thousand Camels"-seriously he said that after an unfortunate gaseous situation in the hotel room Saturday night.

After the 4+ hour drive down to Columbia, we decided that it wouldn't be a bad idea to pre-drive the course, despite the fact that it was getting late. The course was pretty much on the open roads of Columbia, and had a ton of right and left turns. There really weren't a lot of straight aways that allowed you to totally drop the hammer. The other thing we found about the course was the it was really pretty hilly. There were was one long pull on the front side of the course that wasn't overly steep just a longer grade...much like one of the hills into Waukee. However; there was one hill on the backside of the two-loop course that required one to climb a 16% grade hill(no I'm not kidding)-more on this later.

Once we are done with driving the course we decide to head over to the hotel. Reed and I quickly decided that in future travels we will make the hotel reservations and leave Jason to leading us with his true skill: navigation(Jason has an uncanny nack for directions and addresses so much so that I called him TomTom several times this weekend.)

Once in the rooms we get our bags organized(which takes all of 5 minutes, compared to all the planning required for IronMan)and got ready for bed. We decide on a 5:15 wakeup call and fell asleep after several, as previously mentioned, unfortunate gaseous situations. I woke up at 4:45 really nervous about the race-which isn't common for me because I normally sleep well pre-race...not so much this race. I think the fact that I haven't raced since IM AZ 06, I was nervous and wanted to put out a good effort.

We left for the race and got our spots in transition. This really is a well run event and looks to be a fun start of the season going forward(hint, hint, Carmen). The swim was in the UoM Aquatic Center(which is where Michael Phelps set a world record last year). The start is a self-seeded stagger start that has each swimmer leaving every 11 seconds. By the start of the second 50 meters I had passed the gal in front of me as we went under the lane lines. I closed to 3 seconds of the gal in front of her but never was able to close the gap. Got out of the water and my HR was pegged at 146-which is pretty high as far as swimming goes. Ran to T1 and grabbed the helmet, shoes, sunglasses, and headed for the road.

The ride was really fun! It was great to be in the game! The long hill and the 16% sucked but what is racing without a little pain! Heck I should probably be honest and say a lot of pain-especially on the 16%'er(Average HR during the bike was in 150's and sneaked into the 160's on the big hill). Thanked every volunteer on the course because without them the sport just wouldn't be possible. As we headed back in, I started getting ready for the run...more mentally than physically. Running challenges me everytime I start the process. Found a really nice gal from Quincy, IL to run with. We stuck together the entire run right up until the last hill coming back into the campus area. Arrrrgh-she dropped me and was pulling away until I used the DQ(my former coach)method of mental gymnastics which helped me trick myself into pulling back even then finishing a bit stronger than her to cross about 20 seconds before she did. Also helping with that push was the guy closing from behind and the unbearable thought of having Reed and Jason at the finish line watching me not finish strong.

Finish time was 1:25:42
Swim 6:49(which includes part of the transition)=1:33/100(2nd fastest in Division)
T1 3:00(2nd fastest in division)
Bike 47:55(4th fastest in Division)
T2 -data not provided
Run 27:56=9:19/mile(8th fastest in division)

After the race did a cool down run, drill, stretch regime and clapped for the folks still heading out on the bike. That's right there were folks still swimming long after I finished. Finally ran into Jason and Reed-we decided to stick around as the awards ceremony was going to be kind to the DM boys. Jason 2nd overall, Reed 4th overall(1st age group), me 5th in div and top 25% overall. Since there was a good bit of time until the awards ceremony we decided to pack up the bikes and head for a shower over at the pool. I realized I only had my transition towel which isn't much bigger than a wash cloth to dry off with. I made a comment about "towel isn't any freakin' bigger than a wash cloth".

Get to the locker room and I pull out my "towel" instantly my buddies start in with the comments. Reed asks me if I would like a Kleenex. Jason comments "hey nice loin cloth"-now they are just encouraging each other. We walk over to the shower stalls I hang up my "towel", and Reed asks "hey Bratz, can I borrow your wash cloth"-everyone in the shower area snickers. I leave the shower first, closely followed by Jason(not REALLY closely, that's just icky) I am desperatley trying to dry off with a cloth that is about the same size as a big stamp and Jason says "hey Bratz how about a cotton ball to dry off with." Reed fires "how about a Qtip for your crack"...ahhh friends. I get my revenge and offer Jason my "loin cloth" when he realizes that he forgot his boxers.

Last bit about the trip to RFS(which is run by one heck of a guy named Mark Livesay)comes in the form of a irritation kind of like a hang nail. As soon as we got to the race the announcer was chattering non-stop. This is typical at races, for whatever reason race promoteres think triathletes intellect is that of a retarded catepillar, they repeat the days rules and reminders non-stop. This wouldn't be so bad but the dude on the mic today has a "transient Kiwi-accent". Meaning he would be talking like a native of Missouri on moment...the next second he was dropping words like mate, bloak, and other choice phrases. This really bugged Jason and I...Reed was much more patient. However, it certainly was a great launching point for laughs all day as this guy tried way toooooooo hard to sounds like a lad from down under.

One lesson learned-veggie dogs are not the best food to consume prior to traveling in a car for hours follows.

Have a great week!

Jeff

Well it has happened. Zachy has pulled an Andy Dufrain from Shawshank Redemption. Not sure if you remember Andy but he was the prisoner that was quite and plotted his escape from prison...never to be found.

The other day Carmen had Zach in the FENCED-in back yard, both gates to the back yard were locked. Carmen was in the kitchen looking out on Zachy, and after several minutes he disappeared. This is not uncommon as he will crawl under the porch, hide behind a tree etc. However this time he seemed to be gone longer than normal, she got a little concerned and started to go look for him. Just as she was about to open the slider to the deck the front door bell rang.

A bit flustered she ran to open the door, much to her dismay Zach was the one that rang the door bell and greeted her with "open garage door mom, need bike pump." His "uncle" Rebecca had given him one of Gregory's old bikes and he was ready to ride it, however; the tires did not pass muster as he wanted to pump them up like I do everytime before I ride.

Carmen was sick/scared and scolded him as any parent of a 2.5 year old would be when their child escapes. She then said to him, show me how you got out here-he promptly replied "ok" and grabbed her hand to takes her to the back yard. Well our steel fence is a "little old" and has been abused by years of lawnmowing. Mowers have created a bit of space between the ground and the bottom of the fence-not a lot. Well Zachy pointed to this space and said "crawl under mom"...he freed himself from the backyard

While Shawshank never got their Andy back, we have ours back safe and sound.


Jeff

Well it has been two weeks+ since I posted. Life has a way of getting in the way of blogging.

I have had some great training-really great. Last week I was in Manhattan Kansas at a KSU advisory board meeting and got a 5k road race in, and lugged the bike out for a quick spin around Manhattan. I got home late Saturday night, and was able to trick Bob Levinstein into joining me for a hilly/Booenville(for me ride) on Sunday.

This ride was suprising on several levels:
1)The temps were in the high 80's low 90's
2)The wind was very brisk
3)I didn't get shelled like I normally do when I ride with Bob.(Now understand he had some training time that was pretty robust throughout the week which clearly explains my "not getting shelled".
4)I am climbing better-yet not to where I need to be, but getting better as the weight comes down.

As we wound our way back home Bob and I were riding through a neighborhood and saw some kids running a Kool-Aid stand. I have personal policy that stipulates that when I see kids getting the free enterprise bug I must support them. I pulled up and they told us .25 bought us a pretty sizable drink. I asked them if I gave them $1 would they fill my water bottle-"YES!" was the answer. I was able to enjoy Kool-Aid on the ride home...priceless.

I race this weekend down in Columbia, Mo. It is looking to shape up as a perfect day to race. I am not looking forward to the swim as I really haven't put real solid effort in at the pool. My energy has really been saved for the run and cycling, which has been bearing fruit but the swim could take me quickly into the proverbial "pain cave" if I push to hard.

Lastly, my Zachy got his first bike from his "uncle" Rebecca. He has gotten uncle and aunt mixed up lately so as of right now aunt Rebecca has become uncle Rebecca. We are going to go out tonight and "race" our bikes while mom is out with the girls...

jeff

Well as I mentioned in my previous post I was looking forward to a rest week. I took Monday off and Tuesday off to rest and shake the feeling of a chest cold. Today I had a nice session of 10 minute w/u; then 5x5 minutes at Lactate Threshold then with a 2:30 recovery between sets followed by a long cool down after the 5x5's. Since I worked up in Ames this afternoon I was late getting home, and spent a bit with the boys before they were off to bed. As a result I went to the club to get the session in. With two days of recovery on the legs I felt great during the w/u with my heart rate barely scraping the 106-110 range. As I got closer to the first set I kicked up the pace and felt pretty good. I finally finished the first set of 5 minutes at a pace of 7:29/mile-which for me is awesome. Did this four more times and felt great! Rest is a good thing...Average HR 131 max(this is skewed a little as my hr dropped quickly during the 2:30 recovery) Max HR 163(never to painful which is new for me at this HR) 700+ calories(per HRm).

I am pretty certain in a previous post I mentioned that I would be heading down to Columbia to do the Sprint Tri in Columbia, Mo. called Race for Sight(http://ultramaxtri.com/races/rfs/race_info.php) on May 6th. I am lucky enough to be heading down there with a couple of Tri-buddies Reed Rinderknect and Jason Halfpap(some of you may recoginze Jason's name as his family provided us with our housing in Tempe for IronMan Arizona). These are two absolute studs athletes and all around great guys, I really look forward to heading down with them and racing in Columbia. Today we were working on coordinating our travel plans and I get an email from Jason that asks if it is ok if we get a room with one king-size bed with the caveat to protect our athletic manliness by stipulating that we could build "man walls". Hmmm...Jason is in Managment with Wells Fargo and clearly successful, Reed is a partner in a highly successful wealth managment firm, and I am doing ok professionally as well-and the best the three of us can do is a kind size bed that we freakin' share?! I replied that I suppose that was "ok" but I wouldn't object to broadening the scope of our search to include a room with two beds and a rollaway. Reed questioned my committment to the "tri" lifestyle, and Jason encouraged me to be more "sporting". But the absolutley priceless part was Carmen laughing regularly this eve, and muttering under her breath "good grief man walls who builds man walls, what are man walls, are you kidding me, man walls, man walls..." This should be a great weekend,it sounds like my Dad is coming up from Lake of The Ozarks to cheer me-which is cool as he hasn't seen me race in nearly two seasons. It will be fun to have Dad there, I always enjoy having family at races.

On a much sadder note, I have been overwhelmed with the horror at Virginia Tech. For whatever Carmen and I have been fixed on this story, and has lead us into deep conversations about parenting, our children, and what we would do if... We are sad and grieve for/with the parents that have lost their children. This includes the pain, grief, and shame that the shooters family is weighed down with. We are also probably odd in our sense of pain for a human(Cho) to be so ill mentally that he is lead to such darkness, pain, and silence that the outcome of his life is mass murder. We pray for the families, the victims, and Cho-and those that missed the signs.


Well my post workout high is fading into sleepiness, and it is after midnight so enjoy the rest of the week and be safe.

Jeff

Hey all!
Hope everyone is enjoying the awesome weather here in central Iowa. I have had a great week of trainig and really looking forward to a recovery week this week.

The miles have been building up, and I am feeling pretty decent for this time of year. My first race is in Columbia, Mo in early May. I will be doing the Race for Sight Tri which is a sprint distance tri(400 m swim, 14 mile bike, 3 mile run) it should be pretty interesting to see how this goes, as it will certainly give an indication how my winter training has been.

I helped one of the guys here in my office pickup some gear over at Rassy's and Terry did a great job helping us find just what was needed. I appreciated the fact that he helped us find exactly what we were looking for and steered us towards the product right for my buddy not what was the most expensive.

I went out on a ride with Amy Hanrahan(http://rasmussenbikeamy.blogspot.com/) and her friends. It was great to be outside enjoying the weather! It was very windy as we headed west/northwest. We were riding some of the Booneville roads and made our way towards Hickman to grab the trail. We ran into Jason Halfpap and rode with him for a few miles before his new horse(QR Lucero) was screaming to go far faster than I wanted. At the turnaround we enjoyed wonderful tailwinds that made going fast really pretty easy. The turn south brought us back through Waukee into the hilly area south of Waukee - every climb I am reminded of how much I like the QRings!

Once back into WDSM I grabbed EP True and enjoyed a small part of the Hy-Vee Tri course-I really think this ride is going to produce some fast bike splits. Once back home did a quick T-run which was supposed to be 30 mins but was only able to complete 19 mins. Sunday was a great day with nearly 3 hours of cycling and running. After the run I gobbled some Hammer Recovery drink mixed with a little Endurox and went to Hy-Vee for some evening grilling.

Power Tap data
Avg power 191
Max Power 897
Avg HR 128
Max HR 161

All in all a great day and a great week.

Get outside and enjoy the weather...as I am writing I am sure my boys are outside diggin' in the dirt.

jeff

Hey all!

I have had a great week of training! This week has included a run on the dirt road heading out west from DMACC West Campus on Grand Ave in West Des Moines. Ran this with the Bob Levinstein and really was pretty pleased as I was able to run most of the hills.

Had a nice swim the other day, rode a quick ride yesterday on the trainer -1st 17 miles of IM Wisconsin. This a.m. Brad Westy came over at 6a.m. and we headed out to Moffit Lake. We got there and met Kirk Cox, and Bob Skidmore(from here on out to be known as Skirtmore-just kidding Bob) for a run that looped Moffit Lake. I am not going to lie it was freaking cold! Wind chills in single digits! This was a great run and very enjoyable company. I picked up a new nickname on the run...but will save that story for later. After the run we stopped for the obligatory post run coffee-this was especially tasty and welcomed after running today.

OK, I will tell a story that the boys(Skid and Cox) convinced me I had to tell. Remember the ride Bob and I did down to Moffit Lake(the titled "Down with the Q") well this was my first time on the bike as previously mentioned. This also was the first time I had use this pedal system. As I pulled out to start the ride I couldn't get both feet clipped in and fell over less the 20 feet into my ride. Yeah that's right crashed going 2.1 miles per hour. The bike never touched the ground as I was somehow able to land on my back. I am fairly certain I looked like a turtle as I was upside down on my back with the bike and my feet sticking up in the air. Nothing but a few bruises to the legs...but more importantly a bruised ego. Levinstein witnessed the aftermath as he was further down the road. It is events like this that remind me why I hang with Bob, he didn't laugh at me directly until I started making jokes about my self. BTW, I do like the pedal system(DuraAce) it is just a new way to get in that is new to me. I really enjoy the width of the pedals as it really seems like there is not a lot of wasted energy.

Headed to the shop to pickup the QR as I was having the guys install my PowerTap and tweak the shifting on the QR Tequilo. Got to remember to pick up some Hammer Recoverite that is the best post workout nutrition-love the stuff!

Enjoy Easter!

jeff

Hey all!

I had a really tough week last week recovering from the injury I sustained while snow shoe'ing out in Breckenridge-yes wicked blisters kept me from training. Some(skidmore) may question how a couple of blisters could stop you from training-these things were large and situated such that there was no way to find relief.

Enough of that let's focus on the good over the last week.
1-Got my QR fitted and she runs like a beauty. Spent two hours with the "Donald" at Rassy's tweaking, modifying, and manipulating the bike to position me so that I had maximum comfort while kicking out max wattage.

2-Stopped in late one night this week at the shop and Greg, Sterling, and Terry were carbo loading for the next days wrenching, selling, and servicing all of Rassy's customers. When I say late, I mean really late-but they let me come in and pick up my needed items which included a gift for one of my training buddies...Bob Levinstein. On Rassy's website the ad line says "our service starts after the sale" -I have always disagreed with that-they have always proven to me that they care whether you buy or not-thanks for all you do Greg.

3-Went out and watched the Altoona Road Race-roadies are a hardy breed as these cats raced in sun, rain, hail, howling winds and hammered out 50-80+ mile races. The A9Y team looks pretty solid and clearly are the most organized local squad. Good job guys keep up the good work.

4-Today went out for a ride with Bob Levinstein and the new QR. Just a quick ride down south towards Moffat(sp?) Lake. Coach Jenny had a ride slated that had some hill efforts included, so what better way to test out the new ride than with a ride down south! I am immediatley a fan of the Q-Cranks-these things are awesome. I found that I had better cadence and ability to push through the hills while keeping the HR down which is really helpful...especially for me. This was a nice quick session but really allowed me to put a quick intense effort in.

Looks to be a "not so nice" week of weather but should get in some great training this week.

Enjoy the journey!

Jeff

Hey all!

Been really busy the last couple of weeks, been hard to blog regularly. Last week I tried to cram 5 days of work into 3-as I left Thursday morning for a guys trip to Colorado.

Had a great week of training last week, including a great swim, bike, and run through early Thursday morning. Got to Breckenridge about 8 p.m. Thursday night, ate some pizza, watched some NCAA b-ball and got to bed. Loren Storts and I decided to get up early Friday morning and sneak down to Breckenridge Recreation Center and get a spin class in before the rest of the group was up and at it. The class was great and the instructor pushed us with a nice LT/power ride including a 10 minute seated climb. The rub here is the class wouldn't have been to bad normally but being at 10,ooo+ feet of altitude you quickly find out how well your training has been going. Loren is a great athlete and just being on the bike next to him pushed me...but then the T-run that we did after was the real challenge. Running next to Loren is awesome as he is a great runner, with solid technique. After a quick t-run did some quick strength drills for the hip flexors. We wrapped Friday up with a good 5+ hours on the slopes of Breckenridge. The legs were less then thrilled with the accumulated training volume-but what a great day.

Saturday we strapped on some snoe shoes and headed to Sally Barber trail, and climbed from approximatley 10,200 ft to 12,900 in 3 miles...what an epic session. This hurt but was great fun...with the exception of the 2 inch+ blister on my arch and the blister on my heal-yuck.

Nice running volume this week-should be pretty interesting to see how the feet heal up before the runs later this week.

Train hard-

Jeff

It has been a bit since I last posted-no special reason other than I have been busy and forgot to logon.

I have had a great week of training, my biking has been really solid, swimming I have felt pretty decent, and believe it or not had some really enjoyable runs the last 7-8 days.

This weekend isn't toooo brutal as I have already done the swimming piece this a.m., and will ride for an hour this afternoon-then do a 2 hour ride tomorrow followed by a transition run. T-runs are always the most interesting reminder of the disconnect between the brain and the legs after riding as it seems like when you first start running you aren't even in contact with your legs.

I talked with THE DQ( http://donnyquixote.blogspot.com/) last night for awhile and our bikes are actually in and being built as we speak. Really looking forward to getting on my new ride. When Amy and I met with DQ I had him put on Q-Rings( http://www.rotorcranksusa.com/s1-q-rings.shtml ) as the reading I have done postulates that these things help with pedal stroke efficiency and heck if former IronMan World Champion Tim DeBoom uses them they have worked for someone, right? I also will be heading into the shop to pickup some Hammer Recoverite powder(www.e-caps.com)-as the sessions get longer I have found that immediatley after working out the Hammer or Endurox recovery drinks really do help with getting the proper fuel on board to replinsh the glycogen and flush the post work crud out of the system.

I have signed up to do the sprint distance race called Race for Sight in Columbia, Mo on May 6th. Should be fun as this is a very short race and should be fun to see how the winter training has gone...and to see how much more work there is to do. BTW the weight is coming off-I would like to lose another 30 lbs before IM Wisky and I really think with my coach Jenny Weber, who is pursuing a master's degree in sport nutrition( www.getzoomperformance.com)I really have a decent shot at that goal. Pulling the weight off is good for tri but great for life!!!

Train hard, enjoy life!


jeff

Worked until 11:oo p.m. last night-too much to do not enough time.

Anyway up at 5 a.m. and got in a 35 minute run. Felt good and pretty pleased with the effort in spite of the lack of sleep. I am headed to get in 2+ hours the Computrainer. Going to go and do a hilly course-just love hills(can you hear the sarcasm?).

Have a good weekend!

j

I was 10 years old and I remember watching this with my dad and mom the first time it was aired. In some weird yet prophetic way I remember wondering aloud "I wonder if I could do that..." I can say 25 years later that yes I can do that-I have and I will again. The beauty is in the training, the glory is in fighting to enjoy the journey-the changes that occur as the result of tri are amazing.

Some of the changes are physical but many more are found in the personal changes and realization that occurs when challenging yourself. I never thought when I started tri'ing that I would go 140.6(well deep down I did) but just getting through my first 500 yard swim was a battle-getting through the first raced stunk-but it is worth it! When I was pushing 275lbs's trying to tri saved my life-come and join me!





jeff

Last night as we were unpacking the awesome gear bag that DQ put together for us I found two boxes of Erin Baker's Breakfast cookies. Zach was thrilled to find them as the cookies had two important features:
1)They say Breakfast on the box so the must be a morning food!
2)They are COOOOOOKIES!

Thanks Erin for making breakfast that much more special(and healthy) for a 2 1/2 year old!

Got a great night of sleep last night after two really good training sessions yesterday, was up at 5:15 and went to get on the bike and found that my legs just hadn't recovered well enough from yesterday's sessions. Decided to wait until later in the day to ride(thinking I can eat and rehydrate through the day)-this gave me the chance to stretch for about 45 minutes and relax by reading The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand.

Busy day today-I am a financial planner and have tons of paperwork and client meetings today, as well as a class to teach at DMACC. Make it a great day-

Jeff

Wow, where do I start?

First of all thanks to the boys at Rassy's-especially Donny and Greg. Without them this sponsorship program would not be possible. I also want to put out a HUGE thanks to Mac and Quintana Roo for the bike and wetsuit. I know that both Amy(female winner of the '07 sponsorship) and I are excited and look to make this worthwhile for everyone involved.

I am honored to have won this sponsorship-especially as I am not the typical "sponsored" athlete. I am pretty certain that when most people look at me they don't think "triathlete"-they think normal guy. I am the average person that has decided that I was going to make exercise a part of my daily life-and without a silly/huge goal I would never be motivated enough to get to the gym to workout and eat healthy(relativley speaking)-so TRI is in my life to provide me with a reason to workout.

I have a long story and will share as the season goes along. My plan as it sits right now is to provide regular updates about my training, racing, weight-loss, injuries(they happen), etc.
I will also occasionally tell you tales of my 8 month old boy Benjamin(4 new teeth in 3 weeks), Zachary my 2 1/2 year old who is my training partner, my wife Carmen who is my buddy and biggest fan, and whatever else slips into my life.

If there is anything you would like to hear about as the season progresses, let me know-this is an open forum. Lastly let's have fun as we dig into this season-I know that I will.

Once again thanks to DQ, Greg, Mac, and Quintana Roo!!! Stay tuned for pics of the gear that all of the sponsors hooked us up-just awesome.

Jeff