tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90824788656006580512023-11-16T07:27:44.732-08:00Trek Mountain GirlTrek Mountain Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16901382514879478984noreply@blogger.comBlogger143125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9082478865600658051.post-43330377585345786592018-10-29T14:06:00.001-07:002018-10-29T14:06:30.199-07:00Ironman Louisville 2018<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I call this “the Ironman that should not have been”. I
planned not to write a race report for this one, for so many reasons, but then
I thought, well I need something to remind me of things I should not do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe if it’s on paper, I won’t make the same
mistake again for the 7<sup>th</sup> time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Just maybe, 6 times will teach me a lesson. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">After my last IM, I proclaimed my retirement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So when the Crewe said that they were doing
IM Louisville and IM Arizona, I said “no way, you’re not bullying me into doing
another IM”. I held my ground for months.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I trained with them, but did not enter, I was just there to support
their effort.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The subtle bullying
continued and I finally made a proclamation that I believed, would not come
true.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I said if general entry was still
open on August 1<sup>st</sup>, I would enter. I was sure that would not happen,
it never happens in IM.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course this
year of all years, the race did not fill up and I was caught in my own web.
Well you know how the story ends, I enter the race. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I continued to train, even threw in 4 sprint triathlons for
fun. Things seemed to be going well and then in the last month before race day,
life kept getting in the way and my training started to plummet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My runs were slowing down, my bikes were
staying flat and my swim was more of a float than a swim.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was like I peaked a month too soon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was really regretting my decision. I
dreaded the swim, worried that I would drown, thought my bike would be ok, but
that the run could go south fast. Then 3 weeks out my knee started hurting and
swelling and just not cooperating at all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Too late, I spent the money, a lot of money and I was going even if I
didn’t think I would come out alive. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Before I knew it, race weekend was here. I guess when you
don’t enter until 10 weeks out, time really does fly. All the Crewe was pumped
and ready to go, everyone was signed up as a Zilla to help with the team
competition. Lots of newbies were going and most of them were young fast
movers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>More women than usual were
entered, Liz, Tanya, Donna and I, with a host of 10 boys. We had a good team,
and we all needed to work hard to win the team competition. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">We had tons of support, lots of family and friends showed
up to cheer us on. So many people supporting us at home, sending good luck messages
and planning to track us on race day using the Ironman app.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All I could think about was letting everyone
down with a crappy finish time and even doubting that I could finish under the
time cutoff. It was only 16.5 hours instead of the usual 17 hours. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">We rolled into Louisville on Friday, checked in at race
headquarters and had some dinner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Saturday we were up early and out checking our bikes into transition and
dropping our transition and special needs bags. The weather was near perfect on
Saturday, even a little cool, but the forecast for Sunday was showing rain, but
a little warmer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were all stressing
about what clothes we packed, were they the right clothes to cover the
forecast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The river was rolling the
current was moving fast, but we were assured that the flood gates would be
closed in the morning and we would not have much current at all. Dinner came
early then off to bed, hopefully I could get some sleep.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I laid in bed and looked out the window at
the river and the swim buoys, wondering just how it would go in the morning and
thinking “just get through tomorrow and you can go back into retirement”. My
first goal was to finish under the cutoff time, alive. My stretch goal was to
finish faster than I did the first time I competed at Louisville, which was in
2010. My dream goal was to break 14 hours, and that was a true dream.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Funny thing with goals, Mother Nature can throw every goal
out the window.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even worse is when your
own body throws your goals into the trash. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I woke up Sunday to a heavy rain, I got dressed in my tri
kit and wetsuit, put on a hoodie, hat and gloves then put a trash bag over the
top of everything to try and stay dry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
headed out to transition with Sketchy in tow, we checked our bike tires and found
Jeff and Phil. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We stood under the
highway bridge with Jeff and Phil and their wives, hoping to stay dry just a
little longer. I have to give credit to these Ironwives, I’m not sure I would
have stood in the cold rain for 3 hours if I didn’t have to race myself. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">We had to get in the lines based on our swim times, Jeff
was up with the Pro’s in the under an hour line, while Sketchy, Phil and I were
in the 1:20 – 1:30 line.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sketchy and
Phil are faster, but we decided to hang together in a middle ground.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The good thing was that they could hold my
place in the line when I ran back and forth to the Johnny about a hundred
times. This is no exaggeration, just ask them. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Speaking of the Johnny, I met a really nice guy while I stood
in line, he grew up in St Louis and now lives in Louisville, he was volunteering
with his son.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I said I worked at Boeing
and he said, he flew a 737 for UPS.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
even let me cut in line in front of him, I guess the dancing around while I
talked to him clued him in that I may not make it to the Johnny in time. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While walking back to the line I heard a guy
say that the swim was being changed and shortened due to the extremely fast
current. I stopped in mid step and asked if that was true and he said yes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I took this info back to my group and we all
did a little happy dance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Soon the news
was moving through the crowd, most people were happy, except for Jeff, he was
crying.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course he was crying, he has
been petitioning for a much longer swim, he calls it the equilateral, you
divide 140.6 by 3 and all the elements are the same distance. In fact, if we
would have done the original swim course Jeff would have been the only person
in the Crewe that would have finished the swim.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Just so you know how fast Jeff is, he was 1<sup>st</sup> out of the
water in his age group of 114 men and 27<sup>th</sup> out of the water overall,
he beat some of the pro’s out of the water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The new distance was just 9/10<sup>th</sup> of a mile, in very strong
current.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The problem with the change in the swim course is that it
made the race start over an hour late. We stood waiting in the freezing cold
rain for over 3 hours, and even though we had trash bags over us, we were still
shivering the entire time. When we finally made it to the dock and were told to
jump in, it was almost a relief to hit the water. The water was so much warmer
than the air, my feet and hands felt so good under the water I didn’t want to
start swimming, but I did. I really didn’t have a choice, the current sucked me
into the middle of the river, in what felt like only seconds. I had problems
staying on course, the current was washing me further out with every stroke.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The lifeguards in kayaks and on boats were
yelling for me to cut in, I was trying, but the current kept pushing me the
other direction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I swam as hard as I
could towards the stairs where volunteers were pulling people out. I finally
was in reach of the shore, a volunteer standing waist deep in water on the
stairs reached out and grabbed my arm, then yanked me right out of the water,
pulled my wetsuit zipper and propelled me forward. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I actually wanted to the kiss the guy, but
there was not time for that. I was just saved from washing down the river, and
the only thought rattling around inside my head was to run to transition so I
could ride my bike in the pouring down rain while shivering from the cold wind.
Life doesn’t get better than that. I have to wonder what normal people do for
fun. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">It was my longest transition ever, well at the time,
because my second transition was even worse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>As I ran toward the tent a volunteer handed me my bag, and I headed to
the door of the tent, shivering all the way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Once in the tent there were no chairs available so I was standing trying
to get wet clothes off and dry ones on without getting the sand I was standing
in, in my bike shorts. I was so cold my hands wouldn’t work, I had to ask a
volunteer to help me get my shirt over my head.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I wanted to eat the peach cup I had in my bag, but I couldn’t get it
open because my hands were so cold.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
finally pulled it open with my teeth and ate it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I got my helmet on and ran out to my bike
while pulling on my gloves. Let me tell you, it’s not easy pulling bike gloves
on with wet hands. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I pulled my bike off
the rack and headed to the mount line. On the way out, I heard Pam yelling to
me, she told me Sketchy was right in front on me. As I neared the mount line I
saw Godfather cheering me on. I really appreciated all the support from
friends, I was in need of kind words at that point.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was on the verge of tears, not because I
was tired, I was just so cold I didn’t want to do it anymore, I just wanted to
get dry and warm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had to tell myself that
I had never quit and this wasn’t going to be the first time that I did.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I didn’t want to be called a quitter and did
not want to go home and have to tell all my family and friends that I gave
up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was the angle and devil on my
shoulders, one saying don’t give up, you are tough, the other saying just quit,
go get warm, it will feel so good. So I just smiled to keep from crying and
kept going. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I took off on the bike, wishing I would have put tights on,
my legs were so cold and had turned fire engine red. I had put on a vest and
arm warmers, so my core was ok, mostly it was just my legs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also put a stocking cap on under my helmet,
I think that helped a lot too. It was only a matter of minutes before I was
soaking wet again, maybe there was no real reason to put dry clothes on. It did
feel good for those few minutes though. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I rode along through rolling hills, keeping a moderate pace
because there was a lot of standing water on the roads and I was trying to
maneuver around the puddles where I could.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>After 20 miles I was on the loop, the loop had some pretty challenging
hills.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They would not have been so bad
if I could push the down hills, but because of the rain it was just too
dangerous in my mind to do that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Ambulances screamed by me three times during the bike and I saw multiple
crashes and people off the road with mechanicals. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At about mile 54 I passed Liz, I didn’t
realize it was her until I heard her yell my name. We passed back and forth a
couple times and at the special needs bags, Liz stopped and I kept going.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At mile 60 I was coming into LaGrange for the
second time and could see Sketchy up ahead.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>As I rode through town I heard people yelling my name, and saw Jennifer
Miller, then Erica and Jay Hunt cheering me on, I heard someone else, but
didn’t see them, later I found out it was Pam and Jenna.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I finally caught up to Sketchy on the other
side of town.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We started riding
together, well sort of.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We tried to keep
just out of drafting distance, but sometimes we just rode side by side, not
really worrying about getting caught.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
mean as slow as we were going, no one really cares, we aren’t going to win
anything.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Soon we were nearing the end of the second lap and the rain
was down to a light drizzle. Of course it was still cold and at one point I
turned into the wind and it felt like I was getting hit by sleet. I kept
thinking it can’t be sleeting, it’s October.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>After what seemed like forever we hit the 90 mile mark and were heading
back to transition.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was mostly flat
with a slight elevation drop all the way in, I felt like my life was changing
for the better. Oh, but then tragedy struck, my right knee started
hurting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was behind Sketchy and he was
holding around a 19 mph pace, I didn’t know how long I could keep that up, I
knew I couldn’t do it for those last 18 miles. I yelled up to him and told him
to go on, not to wait, but he slowed a little and I stayed with him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We finally rolled in to transition where we
saw Godfather cheering for us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I gave
the volunteer my bike, and hobbled towards the tent, where a volunteer handed me
my bag.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the tent, a heater was blowing
warm air, what a blessing that was. Again there were no open chairs. I finally
saw one that had cups turned over and water sitting on it, I moved the cups and
sat down, heck I was already wet. I just hoped it was actually water and
someone hadn’t pee’d on the chair. At least it was right next to the heater
vent, and it felt so good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once again my
hands were so cold I was having problems getting my clothes off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A volunteer came over and helped me, thank
goodness for the awesome volunteers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
took forever to get changed and then I realized I didn’t have my running gloves
in my bag, I quickly asked myself out loud, “is it better to go with no gloves
than wet bike gloves”, the girl next to me said no gloves, so that’s what I
did.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also grabbed a trash bag and
stuck it in my pocket just in case I got really cold later in the run.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was wearing my tri kit with a long sleeve
shirt over it and my stocking cap with a ball cap over it. I hoped that would
be enough to keep me warm, but not too warm. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">As I ran out, Godfather told me that Sketchy was right in
front of me. I caught up with him in the first half mile, his knee was hurting
and he said to go on, he was going to walk most of the run.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I ran on, my knee was hurting, but I kept
telling myself it was just from the cold rain during the bike and as soon as it
warmed up, it would stop hurting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I saw
Doug Havlin, he came out and started running next to me, telling me to stay on
pace, that I could do it, I really needed the encouragement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After mile 4 my stomach started to hurt,
which took my mind off my knee hurting, but by the next water stop, my only
option was to stop in the Johnny, I was in there so long, 3 different people
knocked on the door.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know I lost over
10 minutes in there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I came out I
felt a little better.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I moved
forward, I could see Sketchy up ahead of me, he had passed me while I was busy
“baking a cake”. I caught up to him at the next water stop, we walked through
it together then I took off again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
made it to mile 11, then my knee said enough.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I started doing a speed walk, trying to run every once in a while, but
really it was a death march. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I saw Josh,
Andrew, Sean, and Jeff passing me heading the other direction, how I wished I
was in their position and not mine, they were all many miles in front of me. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I heard people talking about the finish line and how long
it would be open.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since the race started
late, we all hoped that they would keep the finish line open later, I mean we
were given 16.5 hours, no matter what…Right?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I heard all kinds of ideas on what they would do, but nothing other than
speculation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At mile 14 I asked a
volunteer and he told me it would be open until 12:45 am.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I did a quick calculation in my head, based
on my official start time which was 9:30, I only had 15 hours and 15 minutes to
finish before the cutoff.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I finished
Chattanooga in 2017 in 15 hours and 5 minutes, my mind was screaming, “how am I
going to finish this before the cutoff”, I really didn’t think I would make it.
The thought was really mentally bringing me down, but I just kept telling
myself that I wasn’t a quitter. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I got a
few more miles under my belt and Phil caught up to me, on his second lap, he
walked with me for about a minute and gave me a pep talk then he took off, he
only had 3 miles to go. I soon saw Jeff, he stopped and tried to give me his
vest, I guess I looked really cold.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
said no, I didn’t need it, but Jeff took it off and forced me to take it. He
put it on me and zipped it up, my hands just weren’t working. That vest was a
life saver, I will never be able to repay Jeff for his act of kindness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So Jeff headed in for his last 2 miles, while
I headed out for my last 12 miles. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I kept telling myself to just move forward and I did, then
I saw “The Bus” the one that picks up everyone who doesn’t make the cutoff and
drives them back to the finish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I almost
had a mental breakdown.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I knew I was in
jeopardy of being sucked up by the bus, so I just kept moving as fast as I
could.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then the slight drizzle turned to
a downpour and all I could do was thank Jeff for giving me his vest. As I kept
moving I worried that my friends on the course behind me would not make it
either, we were all cutting it way too close. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">All of the sudden a little black kitten ran into the road
and I stopped to pet it, I didn’t have time, but I thought this cat needs some
love as much as I do right now, so I gave him 30 seconds and kept moving. Then
I kept thinking what if he gets hit by a car, I hope he is ok, worrying about
him took my mind off my own troubles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I was finally on my way back to the finish line, I only had
3 miles left, but I wasn’t moving fast, I was keeping about a 16 minute pace.
All of a sudden I hear a motor and I see “The Bus” drive by filled with
people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was talking to a guy I caught
up with and we both breathed a sigh of relief, we knew the bus wasn’t coming
for us. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I soon heard the cheering of the
finish line, and I knew it was right around the corner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I came around the corner I could see all
the lights and I stepped onto the red carpet knowing that I had made it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jeff and Pam were at the fence cheering, I
stopped and gave him his vest and straightened out my clothes hoping that I
would as least get a good finish photo.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I ran through the finish line and threw up my arms, glad to be finished,
and I then realized the rain had stopped. The rain stopped in the last mile of
the race, I’m not sure what that means, but I think someone in the sky was
getting a good laugh.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">At the end of most Ironman races I have been a little
emotional, really on the verge of tears at the finish line, the funny thing
was, this time I wasn’t.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was just
done, not proud of the accomplishment, not happy about it, just done.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t know if Mother Nature beat me, or if
I just mentally checked out. After getting my finisher swag and having my photo
taken, I sat down in a chair at the end of the finish line and waited for
Sketchy and Donna to finish, I knew they were behind me and I hoped that
neither of them were on the dreaded “BUS”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Jeff and Pam were standing behind me and Jeff gave me a chocolate milk,
it tasted like gold, well what I think gold must taste like.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We waited for what seemed like hours, but it
was really only about 8 minutes, and Sketchy and Donna came in within a minute
of each other.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was happier for them
than I was about my own finish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">We all went to the food tent and ate French fries and drank
chocolate milk.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We saw most of the Crewe
and we all talked about the great finishes everyone had.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We all rejoiced that our entire crew finished
before the cutoff. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Much more went on that night, but I won’t bore you with the
mundane.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I finally made it to bed about
2 am, thinking I would sleep late, but we all know that never actually happens.
The race was over, 6 Ironman races under my belt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you would have told me 10 years ago that I
would do 6 Ironman races in 8 years, I would have said you are crazy, but here
I am, I’m not sure how it happened, heck, I’m not even sure if I’m glad about
it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What really makes me happy is all
the good friends I have made throughout this Ironman journey. All the people
who believed in me, who cheered me on, who bullied me into races, who picked me
up when I was down, who I’m sure would come and bail me out of jail in the
middle of the night if I needed them to, all these people who have my back,
they are my brothers and sisters from another mother and I have no words that
are large enough to say Thank You.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So
I’m just going to say this once and if it ever gets out I will deny it, but I
love all of you insane people and that includes Russ!</span></div>
Trek Mountain Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16901382514879478984noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9082478865600658051.post-78620245006295238622018-05-25T11:33:00.001-07:002018-05-25T12:05:21.048-07:00IRONMAN Chattanooga 70.3 - LESS IS MORE<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Oh where to begin on this race report.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I guess I need to start with how I ended up
at Chattanooga 70.3 just months after finishing the Full IM there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">So the Tri Club I belong to, Metro Tri Club, also known as
Team Godzilla, chose the 70.3 IM at Chattanooga as the team event for the 2018
season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After finishing the full IM just
months before, I was not sure I would race because I knew how miserable the
hills were on the run.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So what changed
my mind, you ask, well 2 things, first, my daughter China said she planned to
do it as her first Half Ironman race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
know what you are thinking, at least if you know China, she hadn’t run a Tri longer
than a sprint and she is going to do a half…hahaha, I laughed too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now that she was committed to racing, I
couldn’t let her do it alone, your first half can be scary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I still didn’t really want to race, but after
reviewing the course maps, I realized that in the Half you didn’t have to run
those awful hills that almost killed me in the full IM. So I was in, and China
swore she was going to train for it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
even gave her a training plan for a first timer. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Fast forward to 20 weeks before the race and the start of
the training plan. The training plan assumes you have a base already down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course China did not have a base, oh she
had run a few times, swam once maybe and rode her bike on a few short easy
rides.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So when the plan started, China
did not, there was always a reason, she was tired, the weather was crappy, well
that was true, but that doesn’t stop a real triathlete. Then she kept getting
sick, she teaches in a pre-k class and caught everything the kids drug in to
the class room. Still not a good enough reason not to be training. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Fast forward again to 6 weeks before race day. China starts
swimming once a week, of course her time is faster than mine on the very first
swim. She runs once a week, sometimes twice, most runs between 2 and 6 miles,
yes faster times than mine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She rides
once a week with the Cyclery Women’s ride, between 10 and 25 miles at a 15 mph
or less, mostly less, average. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Keep that remote in your hand, we have to fast forward
again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>2 weeks out from the race, China
rides 50 miles with a little over a 15 mph avg, without any problem.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Swims in lake in wetsuit one time and runs 3
miles on a hot day. That was about it. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Now it’s race week and China doesn’t seem to be nervous,
she says, “well I can do the swim and the bike, and walk the run if I have to”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Her only goal was to finish under the cutoff. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The Crewe, that’s all the people I work out with, loads up
the SUV’s with bikes, gear and food and heads out to Chattanooga.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The weather forecast shows severe
thunderstorms the night before the race and all day on race day. We all hope
for no rain on the bike, it would make the roads slick and dangerous,
especially for a first timer. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Friday night we pick up packets and sit in compression legs
to relax a bit. We get dinner with the Crewe, running into teammates along the
way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Team Godzilla had 27 members at the
race. It’s always so much more fun when there are lots of people you know at
the race. </span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiILOgRqEXS6SlofN3W3rRcQA9pebVLn21Zqp1WSuhVrDVNbeOwYemko3YELIpVMMIHVREG3S_BRNU8b0pQkjcjET4rr9UVUc6MG6TtcsIdXmO5Acg0ZTYiWAfVOmsLnRJNc6Axbbuf2yQC/s1600/41394930855_5ba140af51_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiILOgRqEXS6SlofN3W3rRcQA9pebVLn21Zqp1WSuhVrDVNbeOwYemko3YELIpVMMIHVREG3S_BRNU8b0pQkjcjET4rr9UVUc6MG6TtcsIdXmO5Acg0ZTYiWAfVOmsLnRJNc6Axbbuf2yQC/s400/41394930855_5ba140af51_z.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Little Relaxation before the Big Race</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Saturday, we drive the bike course, eat breakfast at an
awesome diner, and then head to transition to drop off our bikes, hoping the
thunderstorms don’t roll in. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>China still
seems pretty calm, it must have been youth because I would have been a mental
wreck had I trained the small amount like she had.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We continuously joked about her “less is
more” training plan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She kept telling
everyone that they were going to be jealous when she finished the race using
“less is more”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It gave us old people
hope that we could still beat the kids because they took nothing seriously. </span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4xQxsSBQI2cqis4neBPWJnRUP_IO8z5N_POrTSIA-C0ZGgpx0EhD07d9OzmA0bNtjyytSPuxsHD7M4OvIO8FbCPfkVekXShQguf8i4KgmVYcMvBaWr0x8BHhqcwOxsIkv92btQ6IRtS-M/s1600/28423727588_35a6ed9c1f_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4xQxsSBQI2cqis4neBPWJnRUP_IO8z5N_POrTSIA-C0ZGgpx0EhD07d9OzmA0bNtjyytSPuxsHD7M4OvIO8FbCPfkVekXShQguf8i4KgmVYcMvBaWr0x8BHhqcwOxsIkv92btQ6IRtS-M/s400/28423727588_35a6ed9c1f_z.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">China hasn't realize how hard this will be yet</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF0NhyphenhyphenQkl2itrHaRXu9fEQpua6HqjU8jkNNEq_JcZpjZiT0ROQKRnDmbeQmSOiVTUfDGi6Zs0j6zK0UvLMEnkgeRnBsUUo8onXQYOnYWiP4OFegE4ejlNfRY12ogHLZZhT7yLypJXPyLFA/s1600/42296496091_1ec2aca1a9_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF0NhyphenhyphenQkl2itrHaRXu9fEQpua6HqjU8jkNNEq_JcZpjZiT0ROQKRnDmbeQmSOiVTUfDGi6Zs0j6zK0UvLMEnkgeRnBsUUo8onXQYOnYWiP4OFegE4ejlNfRY12ogHLZZhT7yLypJXPyLFA/s400/42296496091_1ec2aca1a9_z.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Enjoying Ironman villiage</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">So we drove out to Ironman village and checked the bikes in. </span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYO44X7nXbROhA9V8Rw-ZnQzgKDr-fGv9yprhzkJe6AWqUcsuUOkfCQVOgM5S4Y7LaUzGoLp6zkzWORO-41AEY5TvIyHRas9857AKhv1U6UrGbmuE0EAZs78NWUcDBOmyNfG1tEiSyEQ7_/s1600/41575366904_3a4163beb6_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="352" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYO44X7nXbROhA9V8Rw-ZnQzgKDr-fGv9yprhzkJe6AWqUcsuUOkfCQVOgM5S4Y7LaUzGoLp6zkzWORO-41AEY5TvIyHRas9857AKhv1U6UrGbmuE0EAZs78NWUcDBOmyNfG1tEiSyEQ7_/s640/41575366904_3a4163beb6_z.jpg" width="352" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Zilla's racking bikes (photo credit: Jeanna Clark)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Oh and China asked me if I would come back out of the run course after I
finished and help her finish the run, so there was some fear there, even if she
wasn’t showing it. Then we all met at the team tent and got a group picture
before dinner. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEdf0k7_0BepppvIw1LXezpF88EzKk8gKD0cfYFenV0SE-O0OSGM3Xlu9PpoAGQ9mDmaI3wjsxtPDoTyDj-yEtfzAjCUW_JERBWSrK8jmaAuvrCY9kpgFKjaD0zhEX1PAne1LZ_6FX3OyE/s1600/40484112940_674ee6fdb9_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="427" data-original-width="640" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEdf0k7_0BepppvIw1LXezpF88EzKk8gKD0cfYFenV0SE-O0OSGM3Xlu9PpoAGQ9mDmaI3wjsxtPDoTyDj-yEtfzAjCUW_JERBWSrK8jmaAuvrCY9kpgFKjaD0zhEX1PAne1LZ_6FX3OyE/s400/40484112940_674ee6fdb9_z.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Team Tent, ready for action (photo credit: Caleb Wylde)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz3kZ-TRWbl0Hse6dw_QouBzzQPgdeGMZ6YomkrFeVdUphEwF_hr6CXkvPDGWjgtZf6fuJakfB3Lhpdq16vEFJ2qbwnvp0tLPy6pE2SB_bdFdzCdjehaJSQbbU1fxa7iLSVM5z7FIU2bGf/s1600/41568954604_6e917edbfb_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="427" data-original-width="640" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz3kZ-TRWbl0Hse6dw_QouBzzQPgdeGMZ6YomkrFeVdUphEwF_hr6CXkvPDGWjgtZf6fuJakfB3Lhpdq16vEFJ2qbwnvp0tLPy6pE2SB_bdFdzCdjehaJSQbbU1fxa7iLSVM5z7FIU2bGf/s640/41568954604_6e917edbfb_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Team Godzilla, Locked and Loaded</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Dinner was at the Big River Grill and it was fantastic, 14
of us were there and my niece Kayla and her husband Caleb came with us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have to give a big shout out here to Caleb,
he was gracious enough to take our team photos and he is awesome at it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">This was Kayla and Caleb’s first Ironman race and they were
new at Ironfanning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They did Awesome
during the race, they were cheering us on at every transition and taking photos
and video.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">So I was feeling pretty good, but while sitting at dinner
on Friday my back started hurting it just hit out of nowhere.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Saturday, I got a massage at Ironman village
and it felt better, but by Sunday morning it was really hurting again, so much
so that I couldn’t hold my arm over my head.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I had no idea how I was going to swim, or even put my arms in the aero
bars during the bike. Pre-race always seems to have some malfunction for me. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">On Sunday,we were up early, China, John, Jeff and I headed
to the transition to get our gear laid out and get on the bus, that would take
us to the start of the race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Traffic was
awful and it took longer than expected to get there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were in a rush and I was worried about
China’s gear, I wasn’t really paying enough attention to my gear setup, which
would slow me down later when I realized what I had forgotten to do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course I was on the verge of exploding and
had to run to the Johnny, which caused us to loose each other in the crowd of
3000 athletes plus spectators. It took a while for us to find each other and
head to the bus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was beginning to
panic, I didn’t want China jumping into the river without me there watching
her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once we were back together, China,
John, Jeff, Kyle and I were all the bus and ready to get to the start. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6zYanr1ejUshgGOIBWnEgE98cmcQwloGHfRHru2wRKRglGP9f3shxIddzn37AZ2OMP1XK6LyS5F9KRIfwJkdqdJdU_7tzJYhlKKPqN_Gp5zha8eYGh_0fq8k51oMifjQRXVQX-SM2keiS/s1600/41394940485_9cd5c6a6bb_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="352" data-original-width="640" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6zYanr1ejUshgGOIBWnEgE98cmcQwloGHfRHru2wRKRglGP9f3shxIddzn37AZ2OMP1XK6LyS5F9KRIfwJkdqdJdU_7tzJYhlKKPqN_Gp5zha8eYGh_0fq8k51oMifjQRXVQX-SM2keiS/s400/41394940485_9cd5c6a6bb_z.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Zilla's ready to rock (photo credit: Jeanna Clark)</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">At the start we ran into more Zilla’s all in different
places in the starting line. We had to line up based on our predicted swim
time, so Jeff went right to the very front, but China, John, Bill, Kelly,
Jeanna and I were all in the same group, so it was fun chatting before the gun
went off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I got my hug from Bill, I have
raced Ironman with Bill so many times, If I don’t get hug from him, I’m not sure
how I can finish the race.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The swim course takes you up river for about 200 meters
then you cross the river and head down stream to the finish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On Saturday we saw a guy trying to swim upstream
and he wasn’t even moving, so of course we were all really worried about the
upstream swim section. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilJDwg-pax8rZGXz3JANPWsZdw8tAli-c1lZY7xegb0WAZnH20p-TI1q9GbFbb74_4onSKDYzgVMqxALvajaFahUcplkBxBkP0j0aYwPjBjLnyIrtn4gDJzQIzUor2wFhrAlIbAMW6byH2/s1600/imchatswim.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="409" data-original-width="1137" height="143" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilJDwg-pax8rZGXz3JANPWsZdw8tAli-c1lZY7xegb0WAZnH20p-TI1q9GbFbb74_4onSKDYzgVMqxALvajaFahUcplkBxBkP0j0aYwPjBjLnyIrtn4gDJzQIzUor2wFhrAlIbAMW6byH2/s400/imchatswim.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Swim Course</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">It wasn’t long and the pro’s were in the water and we could
see them swimming by. 30 minutes later we were on the dock ready to jump
in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I saw that China was nervous for the first time, she had
tears in her eyes and I hugged her, told her to jump in, pull the neck of her
wetsuit open to get some water in it and just take it slow and get into a good
stroke pattern.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I said “stop and breast
stroke for a while if you need to calm yourself down”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She was working on being brave, but I could
tell she was scared.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had planned on
trying to catch her on the bike and staying with her for the rest of the race,
but I had not told her that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I looked
over at John and mouthed that I was going to stay with her during the
race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He gave me that “you are a good
mom” nod. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">China and I jumped off the dock at the same time, but when
I came back up to the surface, some guy jumps right on top of me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He hit me hard in the arm, the good arm, I’m
not sure if his knee hit me or his foot, but I really thought my arm may have
been broken.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It knocked me deep under
the water and I was fighting to get my head out of the water and away from the
dock.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At that point, I was freaking out
hoping China got off ok, as my head surfaced, I saw China already swimming
quickly away from me. I just started swimming, thinking the whole time “how the
heck am I going to finish this with my arm hurting so bad”.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU_JDDfdPHkETwnF6gNm-WolLakpIgWxZU63SbskjZkZQ696iJ_6qiuhxiBQpyHxc6xRr17emazggdoGT_i5YURf9zBP4c4GDn9qii_10LH0CnAVAbc3Cuk_QDqmFb9i-eXl9ok7PFTAyr/s1600/40490542370_22766ac119_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU_JDDfdPHkETwnF6gNm-WolLakpIgWxZU63SbskjZkZQ696iJ_6qiuhxiBQpyHxc6xRr17emazggdoGT_i5YURf9zBP4c4GDn9qii_10LH0CnAVAbc3Cuk_QDqmFb9i-eXl9ok7PFTAyr/s400/40490542370_22766ac119_o.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What my arm looked like after the race</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I took off and once I made it to the downstream section, I
figured I could just float down if my arm kept hurting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Funny, I didn’t even think about the bad arm,
because the good arm hurt so much.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
swam under all three bridges all the while keeping an eye on all the kayaks in
case China was hanging on to one of them, but I never saw her. She was out of the water 6 minutes in fron<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">t of me. </span></span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0ImfZAONbeZfq69BeYJZPfiWae4bYBAZpuz3Hgu_iClMkoZa3WjU7DkZDYNAzUFdNEYW2rxDPLnP8f9Q_WlctC5bLzTdvxZDJMF1phuQzFTZrvHhF7AgOWnz7kl1zANO46Vp8J0kqEGO-/s1600/41388589035_6cc5671764_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="427" data-original-width="640" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0ImfZAONbeZfq69BeYJZPfiWae4bYBAZpuz3Hgu_iClMkoZa3WjU7DkZDYNAzUFdNEYW2rxDPLnP8f9Q_WlctC5bLzTdvxZDJMF1phuQzFTZrvHhF7AgOWnz7kl1zANO46Vp8J0kqEGO-/s640/41388589035_6cc5671764_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Feeling relieved to be out of the water (photo credit: Caleb Wylde)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I made it to the ladder, got swam over by a couple guys, I
guess they really needed to get out of the water before me, but finally was out
of the water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Shout out to the
volunteers on the ladders, they pulled me out unzipped my wetsuit and pulled it
off my shoulders, in just a split second. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I got out of the water I heard people
cheering for me, I saw Jeff’s girls and then Kayla and Caleb.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I felt relieved that I had made it out of the
water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I ran straight to the wetsuit
strippers and they had my suit off in seconds and I was running up the hill to
transition.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s when I realized I
forgot to hit my watch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So when I looked
at my watch I knew my swim time was wrong, but even so, it was still a good
time for me.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEyNINsewxaeqItvheqZ5sCZaGJOibVI6BBhohYZdoKHoTqO2kCFT_Q5ojZYdv4VeCJN2-U6q66GaBDf35TzVu7FO2G9w_k1IW3qb-idJfaP33t_42Ql9lATo8nLIJITcNBzZ3F_SvSVYq/s1600/27420891107_212914d7db_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="427" data-original-width="640" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEyNINsewxaeqItvheqZ5sCZaGJOibVI6BBhohYZdoKHoTqO2kCFT_Q5ojZYdv4VeCJN2-U6q66GaBDf35TzVu7FO2G9w_k1IW3qb-idJfaP33t_42Ql9lATo8nLIJITcNBzZ3F_SvSVYq/s640/27420891107_212914d7db_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Out of the Water (photo credit: Caleb Wylde)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I ran into transition following Jeanna Clark, Tim Holland was
just behind us and Mike Gonski was at his bike already.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>China’s bike was gone so I knew she made it
out of the water and was already out on the bike.</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKFzIPsjWbDADx_RoKeAFIV0DTY7KytHW0OMsD_teepxIepsXegnO7rK7NlWZ3u6NuCqDb6A703ve7kM8yEyVL5NINtdQsjOyYJIWeGaSnkz7m_fQ1AnSo7EWp9sVG06R7DuKgeV34Zkly/s1600/40484067190_0543c11232_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="427" data-original-width="640" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKFzIPsjWbDADx_RoKeAFIV0DTY7KytHW0OMsD_teepxIepsXegnO7rK7NlWZ3u6NuCqDb6A703ve7kM8yEyVL5NINtdQsjOyYJIWeGaSnkz7m_fQ1AnSo7EWp9sVG06R7DuKgeV34Zkly/s640/40484067190_0543c11232_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Running into T1 (photo credit: Caleb Wylde)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">My plan to be out of transition quickly faded, I was in
such a frenzy when I was setting up in the morning, worrying about China having
all her stuff and then making a mad dash to the Johnny, that I forgot to load
the beano bag on my bike with all my food, so I had to do it in transition, it
went pretty quickly though.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I headed for
the bike mount line stopping to get sprayed down with sunscreen, btw, the
volunteers double teamed me and I was coated with spray, the volunteers were
great. I quickly got on my bike and took off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyRSLKuPb2osV3CIRtdiwl_yRojq_bRS8qv3vTUOedDZABHP4QnL5pbFnFAz2D6dKc1IUmMSX-QU2Ka9CjzEzalFXS_6TI9FhzPdVX1Se18rK_m4Ff5DvNcfPTAy36p8p-lwiSYW-UjExF/s1600/imchatbike.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="387" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyRSLKuPb2osV3CIRtdiwl_yRojq_bRS8qv3vTUOedDZABHP4QnL5pbFnFAz2D6dKc1IUmMSX-QU2Ka9CjzEzalFXS_6TI9FhzPdVX1Se18rK_m4Ff5DvNcfPTAy36p8p-lwiSYW-UjExF/s400/imchatbike.jpg" width="220" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bike Course Map, check out the elevation</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I knew that there were two sets of railroad tracks that
could take me out of the game in the first 8 or so miles, so I was watching for
them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I made it across both sections
without a blowout or a lost water bottle. There were others, not so lucky at
both sets of tracks. There must have been 50 lost water bottles on the
ground.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I was riding at a very comfortable pace, not taxing myself
much, staying around 17.5 mph.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a
beautiful bike course and there were so many people on it, that I was able to
chat with other racers most of the time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I kept riding wondering if I would catch up with China.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am a faster rider than her for long
distances, but she can smoke me in the short stuff.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was really hoping she took my advice, when
I told her not to go out too fast, because she would regret it later.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I thought I saw her in the distance around mile 18, but
there were several hills, so I didn’t catch up until mile 20.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I pulled up next to her she was eating
some shot blocks, I was glad to see she remember the advice we had all given
her, about feasting on the bike.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She
was in a good mood, even after multiple hills. I rode next to her for about 5
minutes and she said, “Mom, go on, I know you can ride a lot faster”, I told
her that I had planned to try and catch her and finish the race with her. I got
a smile out of that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">So we rode more hills and finally came to the steepest of
the hills. You turn a corner and BAM… you are hit with about a 12% climb, it’s
not terribly long, but long enough to be really hard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We saw a few people walking up the hill, but
we planned to ride it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>China took off
like a bullet, I was the tortoise, slow and steady.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>China got to the top and slowed down and
waited for me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I rolled over the top and
said “what the heck got into you”. She replied “I just wanted to get over it as
fast as I could” and she did.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Next up another water stop, it was starting to get hot so I
told China to throw off any half bottles and grab cold full bottles at the
water station.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I took the water I had
left before the water station and squirted it all down China’s neck and back to
cool her down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We rolled through the
stop without incident, China also grabbed a banana, but couldn’t get the
peeling off, so she handed it to me, I peeled it and it handed back to her. She
kind of had a Sherpa for the whole race. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">It wasn’t long and we hit mile 40 heading into Chickamauga,
as soon as you get through town there is a 2ish mile climb, it doesn’t look
big, but it is a grind, the good part is, there is a screaming downhill for a
couple miles after it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I did my best to
pull China up the hill, to my surprise she did extremely well on the hill, I
didn’t hear one complaint. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We rode past
a guy who asked if we were friends, because we had the same kit on, China said
“no that’s my mom”, the guy says “that is awesome”. We felt pretty Awesome. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5gdH7f0kMDJKdoD2nJQ3qRVMYH8vLbGsmH9UaYZmNWmG_XU6HUJQpQgezqV8bBx9mpdMDzLpyn5jCZPpiCoZy9aIbwjhrti7EixYMskIlz30Ef8WB6QIWmkR22EVVz2gmV1WcNn_6lP0z/s1600/40484061820_e344df8cbb_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="427" data-original-width="640" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5gdH7f0kMDJKdoD2nJQ3qRVMYH8vLbGsmH9UaYZmNWmG_XU6HUJQpQgezqV8bBx9mpdMDzLpyn5jCZPpiCoZy9aIbwjhrti7EixYMskIlz30Ef8WB6QIWmkR22EVVz2gmV1WcNn_6lP0z/s640/40484061820_e344df8cbb_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heading into T2, happy to be finished with the bike (photo credit: Caleb Wylde)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">We killed the downhill, rolled through the last water
station and made the turn for the last 11 miles back to transition.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>China started to pick up the pace there and
we rolled into transition in good time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Just as we rolled up, we saw Kayla and Caleb and Caleb was getting some
good shots of us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Keith Timmins rolled
up, just as we were dismounting our bikes and the three of us ran into
transition together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVyV4BX7tS1LGAxGgCAuwObkhzbTnAn9C-LxC6-fqgeEdDnLFz01X0ktqJlmm1SWiz4KBSLWmgC1zIX7WkQCC6IuuDwp1YkWNvCwyzMdvKptmEH8KtLUyATn3bh9ye-kfkQK6wpKDJQyJv/s1600/42243606382_c614a6d8b0_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="427" data-original-width="640" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVyV4BX7tS1LGAxGgCAuwObkhzbTnAn9C-LxC6-fqgeEdDnLFz01X0ktqJlmm1SWiz4KBSLWmgC1zIX7WkQCC6IuuDwp1YkWNvCwyzMdvKptmEH8KtLUyATn3bh9ye-kfkQK6wpKDJQyJv/s640/42243606382_c614a6d8b0_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We both have our tongues sticking out, total concentration (photo credit: Caleb Wylde)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">We were pretty quick through transition, I even stopped at
the Johnny while China was stretching her calf that had started to hurt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We both got sprayed down with sunscreen
again, and were out on the run in about 6 minutes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPbO7THhMOaDF7igI1Mj-fmddxc6OGs8Y1Lv-L15iRBcpSB-6bRh8MYm1e_QXz1AWiy-Ayow_eVfFgXGVyZ2vHQOcJiMyW3xmNZjZx2iaPFeqsloKSOYqoRfiX_VRsUOiF658xj41e0_o1/s1600/IMchatrun.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="472" data-original-width="1041" height="289" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPbO7THhMOaDF7igI1Mj-fmddxc6OGs8Y1Lv-L15iRBcpSB-6bRh8MYm1e_QXz1AWiy-Ayow_eVfFgXGVyZ2vHQOcJiMyW3xmNZjZx2iaPFeqsloKSOYqoRfiX_VRsUOiF658xj41e0_o1/s640/IMchatrun.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Run Course</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_K43NMWnwirYftN8HkSwFZ0IYYKlWuc2WHeVH1PDRwSO4IUASByoMK1BvAobfPBL6IHuK-PmXtJHN3Mwkxcz9kC6bYoVCcG3i5bpeLrM6njOX-mMw8ZdwLLaCwdQlJmUsDZu4Ykfyb0PU/s1600/28417214418_f73eded700_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="427" data-original-width="640" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_K43NMWnwirYftN8HkSwFZ0IYYKlWuc2WHeVH1PDRwSO4IUASByoMK1BvAobfPBL6IHuK-PmXtJHN3Mwkxcz9kC6bYoVCcG3i5bpeLrM6njOX-mMw8ZdwLLaCwdQlJmUsDZu4Ykfyb0PU/s640/28417214418_f73eded700_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heading out of T2 to the Run course (photo credit: Caleb Wylde)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidOBQ1i4yq4Da9KC0lBe0H0_HgRDJVpcPhVwRjFr3wtI8jc-cvn2Xzvmil_9hBE2VYuYKo08nC5cnHv8ZIZSwEgd1qENv7Br4c6VQzyw-935Sbw2TBdf5cibM31ZjHVGtidU12yVaaxL8A/s1600/40484027020_16eda62e74_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="427" data-original-width="640" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidOBQ1i4yq4Da9KC0lBe0H0_HgRDJVpcPhVwRjFr3wtI8jc-cvn2Xzvmil_9hBE2VYuYKo08nC5cnHv8ZIZSwEgd1qENv7Br4c6VQzyw-935Sbw2TBdf5cibM31ZjHVGtidU12yVaaxL8A/s640/40484027020_16eda62e74_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Run Out (photo credit: Caleb Wylde)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">We came across our family and all our teammate’s families,
all cheering for us and taking pictures.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It didn’t seem long before we hit the big uphill into the sun.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was hot, way hotter than we had
anticipated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So I told China we would
walk the hill, we walked, but for only about 30 seconds then started running
again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were already in need of a
water stop, the first stop seemed like it would never come.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We got to the stop, I grabbed ice and poured
it down China’s sport bra and in her hat, then did the same for myself, we
grabbed water and some food and headed back out. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I have to stop here and tell you, I really thought that
China’s run would be a death march, but she was running a slow, steady pace,
and she never complained.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you have
ever run with China, when something is hard she complains and gets angry, she
is mad at the world and doesn’t want you to speak to her or even look at her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was surprised to see how happy she seemed
and never once did she get angry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She
may have cried a couple times during the run, but she just kept pushing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I stayed about 2 or 3 feet in front of her
and she just hung on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were some
really proud moments for me during this race. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">We were clicking off the miles and of course posing every
time we saw a photographer on the course, one guy asked us after we passed the
course photographer, if we had posed for him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>China said “you bet we did”. We must have had 10 people ask if we were
friends or on the same team, with China always answering “that’s my mom” and me
always commenting “It’s China’s first Half IM”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Everyone out there was so supportive, it was the most fun I have ever
had racing. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">When we hit the bridge, China says, “let’s run for the next
3 light poles then walk” when we hit the third light pole, she said, “oh heck,
let’s just run all the way over the bridge", so we did.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We walked right before the switch back and
then ran to the next water stop. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">So China had a system at the water stops and it wasn’t a
fast system.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We would walk at the start,
then get water, oranges, and potato chips. Sometimes she would just have the
volunteer put the chips in her mouth, so she didn’t have to touch them with her
sweaty hands.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She would stop and eat
them in the middle of the stop, chatting with the volunteers, then she would
get to the ice and have me or the volunteer poor it down the back and front of
her sports bra and in her hat. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then if
she had to pee, she would stand on the side of the Johnny and pee, then pour
water down her shorts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">If you are reading this and you are not a triathlete, I
know you are thinking how disgusting, but we do it all the time in races, we
pee in the water, on our bikes and during the run.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are bathrooms, but they are hot and
stinky and too slow to get your shorts down and up. Funny China always thought
it was gross hearing about it, but when she was out there, she just didn’t
care. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">We spent on average 3 minutes in each water stop, if she
could cut that down to one minute, with 15 water stops, she would have cut 30
minutes off her run without much effort.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>She sees that now, but she was having way too much fun to drag her out
of them faster than she wanted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I just
thought, let’s make this as fun as possible. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">So we ran across the pedestrian bridge, made the turn and
started the second loop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Funny, China
started picking up the pace at least from mile 7 to 10, I guess she got a
second wind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we ran we saw Zillas
everywhere, so we started cheering.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
saw Ty, then Mike, then Donna, Zillas were all around us and it was fun
cheering them on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the Kona water stop
China was soaking up the excitement of just a 5k to go to the finish, by then
she knew she was going to make it and get across the finish line far before the
cutoff time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">China was pretty happy, so we talked about the finish line,
I told her to enjoy it, high five everyone on her way through the finish chute
and I told her to run across the line in front of me, so she could have a good
pic of her first finish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It seems like
in a just a blink we were running down the hill and onto the red carpet. </span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzwvbfXBFkKCVLKaJvDlkkgwd3Ol_pd6CsVhwr16wOiyzQXI6a8OEkVT0nyrOUar2ppy5w-jriK4Iij30AYQg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6p57vOPdreM4z6scbhkQ5Ip1RRRAxxJ01w-k3cvGcQswFf3mfVeo-AiL1Km1UtwnCzjY4dFD4s-fl5W-NTiPiFINtTKOPF9GQQ-GBlMaIXBcmDee0xHhdPVVxrQMloN5imp1nYbJfjPQb/s1600/42290239781_fe0af97897_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="427" data-original-width="640" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6p57vOPdreM4z6scbhkQ5Ip1RRRAxxJ01w-k3cvGcQswFf3mfVeo-AiL1Km1UtwnCzjY4dFD4s-fl5W-NTiPiFINtTKOPF9GQQ-GBlMaIXBcmDee0xHhdPVVxrQMloN5imp1nYbJfjPQb/s640/42290239781_fe0af97897_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hitting the RED CARPET (photo credit: Caleb Wylde)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitI5sQbS3Nq6-x4Lqa1QtX62hgTxb7prw6ESrxkH6x6WOSTsstwcuEbaMvKaCL7rAsjxWpHR9jXAtROkcbCYi3LVXGnNP2SkeCzXCWFs1gfrr0GNW8YyhW8h7-h-i8zf0-fsGOKi8Kuz1a/s1600/41568976924_457b7bd408_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="427" data-original-width="640" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitI5sQbS3Nq6-x4Lqa1QtX62hgTxb7prw6ESrxkH6x6WOSTsstwcuEbaMvKaCL7rAsjxWpHR9jXAtROkcbCYi3LVXGnNP2SkeCzXCWFs1gfrr0GNW8YyhW8h7-h-i8zf0-fsGOKi8Kuz1a/s640/41568976924_457b7bd408_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heading to the finish line (photo credit: Caleb Wylde)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">We took our time, giving high fives along the way, we waved
at our IRONFAM, and strolled through the finish line.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hugged China, so very proud of her, and got
our finisher hats and medals. We stopped to talk to the IRONFAM and Caleb got
some shots of use together. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA7UuP0MI442JDWlmVtq1b8lKYbtl1YC5iLwZUcYPPNcxTD8sk4pVIEDGwUDyNpW6y35AvLSpORiS5Q3mSGMzPNIQ7PcAdDx7nzOaipbn8lUVi07_MsbckMx_pxcY4nIVTyNY-8B_fhNEA/s1600/41388633295_50a1322cef_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="427" data-original-width="640" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA7UuP0MI442JDWlmVtq1b8lKYbtl1YC5iLwZUcYPPNcxTD8sk4pVIEDGwUDyNpW6y35AvLSpORiS5Q3mSGMzPNIQ7PcAdDx7nzOaipbn8lUVi07_MsbckMx_pxcY4nIVTyNY-8B_fhNEA/s640/41388633295_50a1322cef_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We Did It (photo credit: Caleb Wylde)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">We then went through the finish line wickets, pictures in
front of the Ironman wall, then over to the food tent. None of us could really
eat though, China tried, but only got about 2 bites down. China was starting to
feel the after affects setting in and she had some blisters on her feet so she
had John pull her shoes and socks off and I found a chair for her to sit in.</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3PL9-hNVVyFHE8ikWxGOWqXMBLtUQVSeyaEwuTBktizVXQXqAsVHyI3igA2eCoiRq_jiZkfjKib3oLcLbyrCELPQ32lqgLi8N2S8HljcNVCcYAVZgN-Kv0o819qmDZohfv43rKU5sXLNm/s1600/Snap6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="291" data-original-width="197" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3PL9-hNVVyFHE8ikWxGOWqXMBLtUQVSeyaEwuTBktizVXQXqAsVHyI3igA2eCoiRq_jiZkfjKib3oLcLbyrCELPQ32lqgLi8N2S8HljcNVCcYAVZgN-Kv0o819qmDZohfv43rKU5sXLNm/s400/Snap6.jpg" width="269" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(photo credit: Finisher Pix)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Leading up to the race the Crewe gave China tons of tips on
how to have a good race, but we may have forgotten one, don’t wear crappy socks.
China told me a few times in the last few miles of the race that she was
getting blisters, and she did, and no wonder, when John pulled her shoes off,
he saw she was wearing crappy socks, he shook his head and said “these socks
will peel the skin off your feet, you need some good socks” China said
“they already peeled the skin off my feet”…. Hahaha. I know those two probably
thought the crappy socks were somehow my fault, but I swear she owns swiftwick
socks. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">China ran into her friend Cheyenne from McKendree and they chatted
about the race, it was her first half also, but she had actually trained well
for it and rocked the race course. </span><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0KfK9KCjDROzs4-G_lGEupSxJKIHNSXJD-IcPHkDh5sjEdxMLiTXUZkt04r3iXG_Q12eFi2qXx42Kt8-uReOhw2UofJNB3DMKXvEn9UfDrAoDRejUZY_j_cNIhrCdr92hv4o1YCV7SUfh/s1600/27464180317_e3fa6ba4cd_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0KfK9KCjDROzs4-G_lGEupSxJKIHNSXJD-IcPHkDh5sjEdxMLiTXUZkt04r3iXG_Q12eFi2qXx42Kt8-uReOhw2UofJNB3DMKXvEn9UfDrAoDRejUZY_j_cNIhrCdr92hv4o1YCV7SUfh/s400/27464180317_e3fa6ba4cd_o.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cheyenne & China</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">John and I went and got all China’s gear together for her
and brought it out of transition. Then headed back to the hotel for a
shower.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Chatting all the way about the
race and everything that happened.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>China
was tired, but happy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>China had to go
home after the race, due to work on Monday, so she rode home with Caleb and
Kayla, I’m sure laying in the backseat the entire way. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I have to give a big Thank You’s to so many people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>First to Team Godzilla for making this such a
fun event, it was kind of like a family reunion wrapped around a workout.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To Rhonda Grammer for pushing me during our
morning runs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To the Crewe for always
being there for me, no matter how early in the morning it is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To all the Crewe families that were cheering
us on all day long. To Bill Peterson for telling me how awesome it will be to
race with my daughter, he said it will be a memory that would last forever and
I’m sure it will. To all the family and friends that followed us online the
entire race and texted, emailed and FB messaged us after.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most of all to our IRONFAM, Kayla and Caleb,
for cheering us on, taking awesome photos and dragging China’s butt back to
Illinois after the race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyXEqGJRxodA9k0ED6yuqHu2II4AFoyPlD5PgW32lpwcf2BdGIXqpaxAtXXFKLjaks9tLGtUgIH6edPiUwvJ18FO_8k96absoOkmILc1ytkVW5KPxP3vBZAiyJUfg6uDl5aO5uLMTABwH4/s1600/28423734788_6e76eb523c_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyXEqGJRxodA9k0ED6yuqHu2II4AFoyPlD5PgW32lpwcf2BdGIXqpaxAtXXFKLjaks9tLGtUgIH6edPiUwvJ18FO_8k96absoOkmILc1ytkVW5KPxP3vBZAiyJUfg6uDl5aO5uLMTABwH4/s400/28423734788_6e76eb523c_z.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The IronFam with their Athlete</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">One last note, I have looked at the pictures that finisher
pix took, they are good, but none as good as the ones Caleb took of us. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">As for CHINA, will she do it again… I think that is a
question she will have to answer. </span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOypuTZuHReyJTz5cYYxTeJTWjqxQ4nGDOAW_wt66JP9VwPlOyOCfS4UO8B__Rb_4bhEi20rzBTlC1uyIXWs1yRWZq6RJ6720VT_ymwZCReE0D8OlLXjqyAqLBq8T3mE8sgKOJh8iapgG0/s1600/40490534810_2b2e02d367_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOypuTZuHReyJTz5cYYxTeJTWjqxQ4nGDOAW_wt66JP9VwPlOyOCfS4UO8B__Rb_4bhEi20rzBTlC1uyIXWs1yRWZq6RJ6720VT_ymwZCReE0D8OlLXjqyAqLBq8T3mE8sgKOJh8iapgG0/s400/40490534810_2b2e02d367_z.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Will She Do It Again #LESSISMORE</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
Trek Mountain Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16901382514879478984noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9082478865600658051.post-39742879052857686852017-09-30T15:30:00.002-07:002017-10-12T13:14:56.823-07:00Ironman Chattanooga 2017<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh62XsI8saHzwmnW4nkJ7Ux1n6lJ9NFAsmCHe3Ou9peV7d8uarknnfLV36t4QdwyOXuKaYkW60n0p263yvWaSRzfKCsHvDZmc8gQ3i32Xskabzs9WTyQ7Vg80bwIeIt8H4hpjhn_bFLUz0v/s1600/36623506244_2db798d844_o-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh62XsI8saHzwmnW4nkJ7Ux1n6lJ9NFAsmCHe3Ou9peV7d8uarknnfLV36t4QdwyOXuKaYkW60n0p263yvWaSRzfKCsHvDZmc8gQ3i32Xskabzs9WTyQ7Vg80bwIeIt8H4hpjhn_bFLUz0v/s400/36623506244_2db798d844_o-5.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ironman Chattanooga 2017</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "segoe print"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "segoe print"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">This adventure started like all
others, or at least, in my eyes. I was bullied into registering for the race. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You may wonder who the bully was, but it’s not
just one bully, it’s many, they go by the moniker of “The Crewe”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They make you believe that if you don’t do an
event, you will miss out on so much fun, it will fill you with regret for the rest
of your life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They make Ironman sound so
appealing and fun, I think they may all be marketing experts secretly working
for the Ironman organization. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "segoe print"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">I sometimes equate Ironman to having
a baby, it’s so painful and the lead up to it, is at least 9 months. The cost
is outrageous and it doesn’t stop, first there is the entry fee, USAT membership,
hotel bill, travel cost, bike maintenance, running shoes, tri kits, nutrition and
then all the finisher gear you can’t live without. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The event is an awesome accomplishment and
something you never want to forget, but the pain makes you say, I will never do
it again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The memory of the pain fades
over time and before you know it, you are thinking well maybe it wasn’t so bad.
Then you get the constant questions, when will you do it again and how many
do you plan to do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>See, exactly like
having a baby. The difference is, you can’t adopt an Ironman finish, at least with
a baby, you can skip the initial pain by adopting, you can’t do that in
Ironman. I guess Ironman is actually worse than having a baby. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieYMSBDucgBioG4pdL7gYkVoQiUp0hqRqOOSol6u02I1GdqMCnzBxNZEvBMJyGigsBjvaZYJrl_U0GsJNqUVlOHh2HV9QIgx5Co1W74S5IjmQlE5ZMWn2u1PBtTNcMuYxsL6Qqjr4TCU-1/s1600/grandkid44.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="518" data-original-width="718" height="287" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieYMSBDucgBioG4pdL7gYkVoQiUp0hqRqOOSol6u02I1GdqMCnzBxNZEvBMJyGigsBjvaZYJrl_U0GsJNqUVlOHh2HV9QIgx5Co1W74S5IjmQlE5ZMWn2u1PBtTNcMuYxsL6Qqjr4TCU-1/s400/grandkid44.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The memory of the pain fades - 3 kids later</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "segoe print"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">After I completed Ironman Lake Placid
in 2016 with my worst IM finish time ever, I proclaimed my retirement, but
somehow, here I was training for my 5<sup>th</sup> Ironman event. This is how it
all went down, I was sitting at the bar at the 54<sup>th</sup> Street Grill,
with my belly full of food, sipping on a half alcohol Margarita, (BTW, one half
alcohol margarita and I’m dancing on the bar) when Sketchy (A Crewe member)
says I’m going to sign up for IM Chattanooga right now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I said “no way you will do it and if you do,
well I will too”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course I did not
believe he would really do it, but then he did…and then I did. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "segoe print"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">That brings us to today, two days
after the finish of my 5<sup>th</sup> Ironman Race. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "segoe print"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">So there I was, signed up for a race
that I had not done any research on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
quickly went into research mode and found out that the bike course was rather
hilly, not as bad as Lake Placid, but not an easy course by any means.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also found out that the bike course was 116
miles, rather than 112 miles. All I could do at this point was to go into panic
mode.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What was I thinking, how did I let
myself do this… I just kept kicking myself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Of course I did not purchase the insurance, so I couldn’t even fake an
injury to get out of it. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I would not
waste $850, even if it killed me, I was in. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "segoe print"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">We were already behind on the 42 week
training plan, so we had to jump right in, but since Jeff Germer and the
Godfather were training for IM Florida, it gave us people to train with.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We would soon find out that Jeff would
transfer to Chatt due to a scheduling issue with a family wedding.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That was a good thing for me and Sketchy, but
a bad thing for the Godfather.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now Jeff
would be on our schedule and keep us honest to our training plan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Godfather was kind of on his own now, but
heck, he has done 33 IM’s if anyone can do it without oversight, it’s him. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "segoe print"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">As for the training, it went
surprisingly well, except for the swim, I just felt like I wasn’t swimming
enough, although we had more lake swims than ever, at least 4 months of only
swimming in the lake. I’m not even sure what the pool looks like anymore. We
were lucky, not only did we have the race crew to workout with, but Ray always
showed up to swim with us, no matter how early we started the workout, we were
like the Mod Squad. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "segoe print"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">I was finishing all my training runs
faster than I had planned and still felt pretty good at the end of the
run.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My long runs consisted of loops at
SIUE, just as they had in the past, but we kind of switched the loops up, we
were running the upper side of campus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We still started at the church, but ran uphill 2 miles to the east side
of campus and just stayed on top for most of the run.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Having the Crewe helped a lot, Ray, Russ,
Carolan, Carl, Rhonda and Kyle frequently joined us for runs, misery always
loves company.</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8g4CpIVopouXWTEzfwJkTz_vRU9vOKoesFKsp8PlI6zteY3kfBA2jUUWjhVgMKlM8kvBQw1J1NGtWdE7JYLvf0Fa08KdkFBEwbQxSCgyTZQC_6cmdQ14Z4eBth7rNSqp1GBMwhF6ErZyS/s1600/36671735084_9f63308635_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8g4CpIVopouXWTEzfwJkTz_vRU9vOKoesFKsp8PlI6zteY3kfBA2jUUWjhVgMKlM8kvBQw1J1NGtWdE7JYLvf0Fa08KdkFBEwbQxSCgyTZQC_6cmdQ14Z4eBth7rNSqp1GBMwhF6ErZyS/s400/36671735084_9f63308635_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The training Crewe</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "segoe print"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">My bike training was also going well,
we were riding SIUE loops again, most of the time starting at 4am, so there wasn’t
much traffic for the first couple hours of the ride.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The loops took us through multiple hill
sections that we dreaded, but in the end I really think that all of the hills during
training really helped me in the race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The rolling hills in the race didn’t seem near as bad as I had expected
and I have to attribute that to all the hills we trained on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Again, I have to thank Ray, Mike, and Brandon
for joining Jeff, Sketchy and me on those early morning rides. </span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeQe_0pQ_5wAlHtMahVI4iXGwXvE5byLsphoJ74nPM3wJk9Kp5SC3j2dRuNhc-fzPeqYWzybptiMZUWQGNN_ubZswQs1SmgGNM0lOvvOxsYWjcF7QEXRFXaeVQDQxbdULbHhxndzWTrTPp/s1600/35337185680_02bc289953_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeQe_0pQ_5wAlHtMahVI4iXGwXvE5byLsphoJ74nPM3wJk9Kp5SC3j2dRuNhc-fzPeqYWzybptiMZUWQGNN_ubZswQs1SmgGNM0lOvvOxsYWjcF7QEXRFXaeVQDQxbdULbHhxndzWTrTPp/s400/35337185680_02bc289953_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Training Ride with the Crewe</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "segoe print"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">For anyone reading this post, if you
plan on doing IM Chatt, my tip is to train on as many hills as you can, even if
you have to do hill repeats.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you live
in the area, two places other than SIUE that would be the perfect course are
Jerusalem Rd from the end of the Hamel trail to the Hazel trail and Pocahontas
Rd from the end of the Marine trail to the highway.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These are both very similar to the Chatt
course. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "segoe print"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Overall I put the training in and
should have been absolutely confident at the start of the race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you know me though, you know I was not
confident, in fact I couldn’t stop worrying.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The week before the race was nerve racking, I sometimes thought I might
break into tears just thinking about it. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "segoe print"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Thursday came and we were off to the
race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>John, Jeff and I drove to Chatt
together and discussed the course the entire way there, not that it made me
feel any better, because it didn’t.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
have to give kudos to Jeff and John, they did their best to reassure me that I
was ready. Of course I figured they were just being nice and they were really
thinking, “I guess we will have to drag her dead body home after the
race”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I guess they were right (don’t
ever tell them I said that), I must have been ready because I’m still alive. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "segoe print"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">We arrived in Chatt just in time to
pick up our packets and get a pic at Ironman village.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIY9M1ddcCpLVc95NUVwIj9lNiodSIZQ4M_EcpNZL3Y1IL7yk6wEtALLRo73tYBgYi0nUt5ILVmhF17T_yVLZmHqu6yYCYFBiJ8dt7UBlsZgeyYqnFgID6HjJPBYmgUmVrYmXnHYQQZVpS/s1600/37332987471_eab164d3e2_o-16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIY9M1ddcCpLVc95NUVwIj9lNiodSIZQ4M_EcpNZL3Y1IL7yk6wEtALLRo73tYBgYi0nUt5ILVmhF17T_yVLZmHqu6yYCYFBiJ8dt7UBlsZgeyYqnFgID6HjJPBYmgUmVrYmXnHYQQZVpS/s400/37332987471_eab164d3e2_o-16.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Arriving in Chatt</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "segoe print"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">On Friday we went to the pre-race
meeting, looked at the swim course, and drove the bike course.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We also spent some time sitting in
compression legs, oh and let me tell you, it felt so good.</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw2knfmlAS4Sms-OLyKfNGMdIouBKVYrKJQO0cT6Rpj0MrnhZDmr72RlIbyFbwihYFgaLF4aNkr7VUAwxTtbCGJGVdgxhpQnHwyyJv1EtfGz2XXF9dZoG25MbF6c9xNu2mKD6JLxPZco7I/s1600/37076634030_72d61a22b9_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="540" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw2knfmlAS4Sms-OLyKfNGMdIouBKVYrKJQO0cT6Rpj0MrnhZDmr72RlIbyFbwihYFgaLF4aNkr7VUAwxTtbCGJGVdgxhpQnHwyyJv1EtfGz2XXF9dZoG25MbF6c9xNu2mKD6JLxPZco7I/s400/37076634030_72d61a22b9_o.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oh how good it feels</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "segoe print"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLsJzfIs0zMd8_Bx17V_iHBX2iFYwLuMhAgeM6x2Fm1kbvJ91_0UH8pZkVOlz1Seq1Iloc3WA0CUyA5OOhfNEIgPLS-nmaJevQKpDmZ2GMAHHLDxBAAWuECMyBaaIkGNmElsu5rYSkaAUE/s1600/37303001212_7635d1978d_o-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLsJzfIs0zMd8_Bx17V_iHBX2iFYwLuMhAgeM6x2Fm1kbvJ91_0UH8pZkVOlz1Seq1Iloc3WA0CUyA5OOhfNEIgPLS-nmaJevQKpDmZ2GMAHHLDxBAAWuECMyBaaIkGNmElsu5rYSkaAUE/s400/37303001212_7635d1978d_o-3.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A lot of Vitality at Ironman</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "segoe print"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">We did a short ride from the hotel,
we wanted to do a flat ride, but we were in Chatt, there was no flat, so not
only was it boiling hot, but we had to ride hills in traffic, it was not our best
idea.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "segoe print"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">The Ironfans showed up on Friday, Pam
coming in early and China and Brandon showing up later that night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now we had our support crew intact and ready
to work on strategy that would give us the biggest boost while out on the
course. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pam had maps printed and an itinerary
with times and places to cheer from. I have never met an Ironfan so prepared. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "segoe print"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">We hit Ironman village Saturday
morning to do our bike and bag drop and get some more time in the compression
legs. Of course we had to hit the Ironman store and spend way more money than
we make in a week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We all needed to be
Ironman branded before we headed home. </span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7F2iFG5NbjnEZI3TT5AilbxwlSvklnGOPbeTDR9SM9LClXqjRLcgd64c3WQ-zt3u3c-cpr2GmRj-Gf0fa-7mOQ834RVbGA695BVbbJT67wkTdwK1aehIu7jQB4AmIhSpKH1qoRIrRBBPV/s1600/37333012691_94659de837_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7F2iFG5NbjnEZI3TT5AilbxwlSvklnGOPbeTDR9SM9LClXqjRLcgd64c3WQ-zt3u3c-cpr2GmRj-Gf0fa-7mOQ834RVbGA695BVbbJT67wkTdwK1aehIu7jQB4AmIhSpKH1qoRIrRBBPV/s400/37333012691_94659de837_o.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bike Drop</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "segoe print"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Oh and we raced the big Hoka, get
this, he stomped all of us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a bit
embarrassing, but we got a free towel for doing it. I wish I had a video of it, but I don't. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "segoe print"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Saturday night brought an early
dinner at the Waffle House then early to bed. I slept surprisingly well, of
course waking up each hour to check the clock, always afraid I would over
sleep. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "segoe print"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">RACE DAY! RACE DAY! RACE DAY!</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "segoe print"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">I was up early and headed out with
the rest of the Crewe to the bike transition, it was 4am, but felt even earlier.
We put air in our bike tires, dropped our special needs bags and hopped on a
bus to the race start.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a 10
minute bus ride to the start of the race, and a two hour wait in line before
the first person would even enter the water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The good thing was, lots of porta potties, the bad thing was, a long
walk to get to them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We all laid on the
ground and waited. About 30 minutes before the race started China and Brandon
showed up, Pam had been with us all morning. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6UxN6jaHXCVeTZuYgYTIv4XrkhrGmpIqaQ7IVJaVbqqiPZDEKR0Zlv3TvFkthwJs2WBbvmlZHRYaaP1kBvcrM-uidKtFW58SiqxpmgkTN0l0oC5ChiQKSCidH7_JS11wr5jxFEXBS9rye/s1600/IMG_9296-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6UxN6jaHXCVeTZuYgYTIv4XrkhrGmpIqaQ7IVJaVbqqiPZDEKR0Zlv3TvFkthwJs2WBbvmlZHRYaaP1kBvcrM-uidKtFW58SiqxpmgkTN0l0oC5ChiQKSCidH7_JS11wr5jxFEXBS9rye/s400/IMG_9296-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting ready to start</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwrptPdMOgV4Xes-1HJCbEaixxoEWy-2fsjdvb5Cen5oH3JTLgSbY1i1AVm70uwD5xPzTnw_UCSWv1fqhAIdbOfCcZh9A6Sk8azJkDqQfAxncxFTw_SFx4uC-0y3RgqO51clSxL1EOqNIQ/s1600/IMG_9297-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwrptPdMOgV4Xes-1HJCbEaixxoEWy-2fsjdvb5Cen5oH3JTLgSbY1i1AVm70uwD5xPzTnw_UCSWv1fqhAIdbOfCcZh9A6Sk8azJkDqQfAxncxFTw_SFx4uC-0y3RgqO51clSxL1EOqNIQ/s400/IMG_9297-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It was a very long line</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbgY6rHr6z5NsGwYGbHTrIbPo-mF9OhBM62N-skCQlZUQ9rOniU2sF91AAWdHgP4OiWbU2_K7Lv85HzhFHtzTwXcFPWhrvy-zINmeofJqSxv2K7bjjqVix0bq_fQDEIG_LlZwlwHANjQxP/s1600/IMG_9295-1-7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1143" data-original-width="1600" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbgY6rHr6z5NsGwYGbHTrIbPo-mF9OhBM62N-skCQlZUQ9rOniU2sF91AAWdHgP4OiWbU2_K7Lv85HzhFHtzTwXcFPWhrvy-zINmeofJqSxv2K7bjjqVix0bq_fQDEIG_LlZwlwHANjQxP/s400/IMG_9295-1-7.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm smiling on the outside only</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "segoe print"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">China had a big picture of my
granddaughter Emersyn on a pole that said “Goooo Gram!” </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh15MGvhct43ipuHr5YcJp4SWQLUfsatVPPwaa6lMD5PVAYX-JlcMXED8qNUP9Hoq_R6m8IihFyF4LH9OwsQNpyquMDVTzPeG8SS4SmXz2TN05KeicsacHW727vV4b-JgRk4HSKpaY5Klz/s1600/37303039312_d5f2753c49_o-13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh15MGvhct43ipuHr5YcJp4SWQLUfsatVPPwaa6lMD5PVAYX-JlcMXED8qNUP9Hoq_R6m8IihFyF4LH9OwsQNpyquMDVTzPeG8SS4SmXz2TN05KeicsacHW727vV4b-JgRk4HSKpaY5Klz/s400/37303039312_d5f2753c49_o-13.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Emersyn Cheering me on</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "segoe print"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">The water temp was 77.1 so it was
wetsuit optional.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jeff swam without a
wetsuit, but then again, he is a fish, so he went in the water pretty
early.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>John and I wore a wetsuit, so we
were one of the last people in the water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I’m glad that I did though, it gave me piece of mind at a time when I
was internally freaking out. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It looked
like 400-500 people chose to wear the wetsuit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In case you don’t know, if it is wetsuit optional, you can wear the
wetsuit, but are not eligible for an age group award or a Kona slot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since I am not and never will be fast enough
to get either of those, it wasn’t really a decision for me, I was wearing a
wetsuit. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8lnwD7t7DCABEy43H6RZKoiSWUzz2MQE8qiZ-sWwPRd0UPbP54FrEhyphenhyphenqmCa7sa2fgCX_qAYcILmaSVW-DXbQFkplUk5gIZj7kEocwjeTf79gvftlkG4eX0vsbA9GVbPBhms7aJgnDKX70/s1600/IMG_9304-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8lnwD7t7DCABEy43H6RZKoiSWUzz2MQE8qiZ-sWwPRd0UPbP54FrEhyphenhyphenqmCa7sa2fgCX_qAYcILmaSVW-DXbQFkplUk5gIZj7kEocwjeTf79gvftlkG4eX0vsbA9GVbPBhms7aJgnDKX70/s400/IMG_9304-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jumping in</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "segoe print"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">So we were all in the water and
heading to the bike transition.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I felt
pretty good in the water, I did stop twice and try to fix my leaking goggles.
After the second try, I just decided to swim with one eye full of water rather
than to stop again and try to fix them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It didn’t really bother me much, and I felt like I was moving along
pretty fast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I never really got kicked
much, the rolling start helps, I jumped in with about 6 other people, not 100
other people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A couple times I was
squeezed between two swimmers, but was able to work myself out pretty
quickly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Before I knew it, I was passing
the island, then swimming under the first of three bridges, it was actually
pretty cool.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhybm-whpu7vx-Qa01tF8k3mwKEzmFWW7uAmNmgm5mlTQtUS7AN3-GFo3iyMhu9ldkbUUYueTAjwoTapXaNIICuXOpufX7KefXI5hvQJH9De2366M2XDj8VwWKwavyGsVbRsLmSoI8i5C8s/s1600/IMG_9318-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhybm-whpu7vx-Qa01tF8k3mwKEzmFWW7uAmNmgm5mlTQtUS7AN3-GFo3iyMhu9ldkbUUYueTAjwoTapXaNIICuXOpufX7KefXI5hvQJH9De2366M2XDj8VwWKwavyGsVbRsLmSoI8i5C8s/s400/IMG_9318-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A view of the swim from the bridge</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "segoe print"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">When I saw the red buoys at
the finish, I was happy, they came pretty quickly and getting out of the water
was the first of my goals for the day. Then when I looked at my watch and saw
1:02, I thought either I’m not seeing it correctly or my watch must have
stopped.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I ran to the wetsuit strippers,
grabbed my wetsuit and ran for my bike bag.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>My IronFans were there waiting and yelled, you did a 1:02, I couldn’t
believe it, the time I saw was right, it was my fastest swim ever, and I felt
good. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhabd5-wqIAQ_YlQE9ZDL5tGaaYrulnRrgjNf5PPGrdr5y8F3WlQG6qXoutLXcWt15MClWdViYnssRoRafC_o4Ajj_BwOvakd70uJANVi348ytJtVpMtnRlNG2uaaOZ5UI2iU_T_uxGrPYN/s1600/IMG_9368-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhabd5-wqIAQ_YlQE9ZDL5tGaaYrulnRrgjNf5PPGrdr5y8F3WlQG6qXoutLXcWt15MClWdViYnssRoRafC_o4Ajj_BwOvakd70uJANVi348ytJtVpMtnRlNG2uaaOZ5UI2iU_T_uxGrPYN/s400/IMG_9368-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Running for Transition to the bike</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "segoe print"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">I was a little slow through
transition, but I wanted to make sure I had everything and was ready for the
ride, coming out of the tent to the bike, I heard that John was only about 3
minutes in front of me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I jumped on my
bike and headed out, but I did have a fear of having a mechanical on the
course.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had to have my bottom bracket
changed out just a week before the race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>A big Thanks goes to Matt and Justin at the Cyclery for getting my bike race ready
without incident on the course.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCKFCG6A8UQ62YZC9LNDlWLPg32FI-N3YF_qD1L_JCX2ZNTHXNvnxVLN8wU_PtKJ-qi6EWhoY0XzMLpO3dhQmPIbXXhn55sxxqnjg6-5rDpCidJRAHxK2C8SBrP53tFtaR0_8kSZRCp6Oe/s1600/IMG_9386-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCKFCG6A8UQ62YZC9LNDlWLPg32FI-N3YF_qD1L_JCX2ZNTHXNvnxVLN8wU_PtKJ-qi6EWhoY0XzMLpO3dhQmPIbXXhn55sxxqnjg6-5rDpCidJRAHxK2C8SBrP53tFtaR0_8kSZRCp6Oe/s400/IMG_9386-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heading out on the bike</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTBoXdChMg2OCZOV1d3g9MAUMIUx0qFOaWv6qng-Rb900Qb2WqAxmT8UIzJhQ5ljZiHAbppw0qbz-VQub21ozsbzqTJRATNGjcSj5dQ_HqMotlH3Dyd79KQoHcrvtX1ZfWFgqs_tTsg7QI/s1600/IMG_9327-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTBoXdChMg2OCZOV1d3g9MAUMIUx0qFOaWv6qng-Rb900Qb2WqAxmT8UIzJhQ5ljZiHAbppw0qbz-VQub21ozsbzqTJRATNGjcSj5dQ_HqMotlH3Dyd79KQoHcrvtX1ZfWFgqs_tTsg7QI/s400/IMG_9327-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jeff heading out on the bike</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhENppMs04PVkkQX1UkK6EdXDRQSrmEFw-OhizoHl4lkvru9NLsHS_meJQdFhMUIvY6k1Rl3tAtDoPmarsHRRtr-71da5GtbMd7fcjXNGHdKqUsj85Z4hA6Lm34gghuIiRdE7gYa0M2q-Eq/s1600/IMG_9383-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhENppMs04PVkkQX1UkK6EdXDRQSrmEFw-OhizoHl4lkvru9NLsHS_meJQdFhMUIvY6k1Rl3tAtDoPmarsHRRtr-71da5GtbMd7fcjXNGHdKqUsj85Z4hA6Lm34gghuIiRdE7gYa0M2q-Eq/s400/IMG_9383-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">John (Sketchy) heading out on the bike</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "segoe print"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "segoe print"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">The bike course was actually fun, it
was like riding a roller coaster, I was pushing the heavy gears down the hills
and spinning the low gears up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
course was all hills, but if you rode it correctly, it wasn’t that hard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m not saying it was easy, there were a few
hills that really hurt, but they weren’t tearing me up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And the fact that the course went in and out
of the shade really helped, I would have never made it through in such good
shape had I been in the sun the entire ride. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "segoe print"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Coming through Chickamaunga on the first
lap, I heard Pam yell go Robin, but I didn’t see her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Knowing that she was out there gave me a
boost. Our IronFans were the best support crew ever. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "segoe print"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">I spent the entire 7 hours regulating
how much I ate and drank and how much salt I took in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It kept my mind busy and away from falling
into the “I’m so tired pity party in my head”. I felt pretty darn good and when
I saw John in front of me at about mile 92, I had to smile, I needed someone to
talk to for a while.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It took me a few
miles to catch him, but when I did, we finished the 116 mile course bunny
hopping each other.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We ended up riding
into the chute together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The IronFans
were there cheering us on, and I stopped to get a much needed hug from China.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHN3F04cZhBu43LGA0tHkvAEaXZOGgojyKVt7jNdGnxvYJOB9sGt_9WetsE7b9bWoO4mRx1SSa24XUrZORvoJKlrV9aRKD0HE8Z9LlUSSTq3FqojxZpzYrHOuO-8dXk_qJ7a8OyaIpHzWM/s1600/37333017811_6cc3353e60_o-14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHN3F04cZhBu43LGA0tHkvAEaXZOGgojyKVt7jNdGnxvYJOB9sGt_9WetsE7b9bWoO4mRx1SSa24XUrZORvoJKlrV9aRKD0HE8Z9LlUSSTq3FqojxZpzYrHOuO-8dXk_qJ7a8OyaIpHzWM/s400/37333017811_6cc3353e60_o-14.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting a hug from China and a hand from Pam</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "segoe print"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">While I was out on the bike, China
and Brandon did some fun stuff, like rock climbing and visiting the aquarium. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ironfan’s lives matter!</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Ci0QeMINmywJK1Z1ZQpYkataMJBPu4xkkH9FQn6SDu4a8SmXg5ZB_yJbwXf_mFc-Xzq1F28pnLHdqd1VXQWD0c4B6GQUgBO6kgwhZaeNzzfJtE2vhSWlH_cVGblPYcVf_L4JDNAPy3Sx/s1600/36623529344_1e9b574d0d_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="540" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Ci0QeMINmywJK1Z1ZQpYkataMJBPu4xkkH9FQn6SDu4a8SmXg5ZB_yJbwXf_mFc-Xzq1F28pnLHdqd1VXQWD0c4B6GQUgBO6kgwhZaeNzzfJtE2vhSWlH_cVGblPYcVf_L4JDNAPy3Sx/s400/36623529344_1e9b574d0d_o.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A little IronFan Fun</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "segoe print"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">They continued to track all of us on
the Iron Tracker app.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They were also
tracking Charles McFarlin, another Metro Tri Club teammate, he was easy to spot
because he was wearing the new MTC kit.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo4FRRMTpSiIDsS2_7WdqgOaOMzdX4CURbs2NnXEzOS-xFJeuHAwa1g0Zotj_Quxk4trM1O3AUal5KdfQ9SAw_yYHeXBI38OMDjujQLPWlO1tVM47xEJXIuVcTEsidvHBqpsJspXUVfyrq/s1600/36728029133_ae3fae9cd1_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1065" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo4FRRMTpSiIDsS2_7WdqgOaOMzdX4CURbs2NnXEzOS-xFJeuHAwa1g0Zotj_Quxk4trM1O3AUal5KdfQ9SAw_yYHeXBI38OMDjujQLPWlO1tVM47xEJXIuVcTEsidvHBqpsJspXUVfyrq/s400/36728029133_ae3fae9cd1_o.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Charles Finishing</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "segoe print"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Into the tent I went and again, I was
a little slow on the transition.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
headed out on the run to IronFan cheers and China ran up with her phone and my
daughter Jade was on face time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jade
told me I was doing great and to keep it up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>That was a needed surprise. I started up the hill and decided it was
better to walk it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I caught up to John
again and we started running together at the top of the hill.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were both suffering in the heat, and he
pulled away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The next 4 miles were
brutal, it was open sun in the heat of the day. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is when the demons came.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My mind was saying run and my legs were
saying NO, I kept getting cramps in my left quad and would have to stop and
walk.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I did the best I could until mile
6, then I started feeling sick.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After a
stop at the porta potty and quick stop to puke, I knew for sure the rest of the
race was going to be a death march.</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGU2scNMB5F7mso4NIfi8tL46U5cnsvkr9LYbempHoyN9uj9k9Cd_Eb5VjOpn2QGPRJFmeZx-PyGyecPkkZfUo8d-jwi3VIeONUyYhDdMiHIvKCfOrxYfVQDkhIyWMwP54SZrYWe2Wzp70/s1600/37085884680_1743d77379_o-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGU2scNMB5F7mso4NIfi8tL46U5cnsvkr9LYbempHoyN9uj9k9Cd_Eb5VjOpn2QGPRJFmeZx-PyGyecPkkZfUo8d-jwi3VIeONUyYhDdMiHIvKCfOrxYfVQDkhIyWMwP54SZrYWe2Wzp70/s400/37085884680_1743d77379_o-1.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Crazy Hot Run</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "segoe print"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">I went directly to Plan B, which was
to power walk, do whatever it took to cross that finish line before the cutoff.
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s what I did, I ran all the down
hills and power walked everything else. What I didn’t know was starting at mile
8, I would encounter hills, that could have been called mountains, or at least
in my mind that’s how they looked and felt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>All I could think was that whoever created the run course was evil. When I looked up the hill as far as I could see there were people walking. I didn’t
see even one person running the up-hills in that section.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Coming out of the hills the sun was starting
to set and the demons were taking over my thoughts. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I didn’t know how I was going to finish the
second lap. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "segoe print"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">I came around the corner to start the
second lap and there was China with my mom on Facetime, she told me I was doing
great and to not give up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s my mom,
she raised me to never quit and never give up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>She used to say “when you think it can’t get worse it will, but you just
pick yourself up and keep going”. She never sugar coated life for us kids, she
told it like it was and taught us how to survive and be happy. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I live by that advice, and yes I knew it was
going to get worse before it ended, but I was not going to stop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>China walked with me for a while then headed
back and told me she would meet me around mile 20.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was moving forward and thinking about my ultra-running
friend Jim, he used to walk up hills next to me while I was running and would pass
me. He gave me advice on power walking and told me to walk the uphill and I
would get up it faster than running, I never thought it could be done, but I just
kept passing runners as I walked. I made it to mile 20 and both Brandon and
China walked with me for a while, they said I was killing the walk and China
showed me a Facetime of my granddaughter Emmy, it was past her bedtime and she
wasn’t much interested, but it was a pick me up, to see her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "segoe print"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">We got across the bridge back into
the hills and the IronFans headed to the finish line, while I endured the next
4 miles of hills.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Plus the IronFans had
made friends with another racer and they were busy passing text messages from
him to his girlfriend. They were trying to get over to tell him she was there
at the finish line waiting for him. It just amazes me how often China makes
friends with random people. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "segoe print"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">I finally made it to the wooden
bridge, the 25 mile mark, I headed across thinking that this was going to be my
worst finish time ever, but that at least I would finish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then I started thinking how much I hate
Ironman races and how I was going to retire as soon as I finished this race. </span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimAAVO4vqxEpr-At_W1ax88saHKVYDCRJOf5eEbXmo3e1KAQ1NIwNh9986EZtOUP3J1hbw5sYRSQ07uoRIftd0W_sebQXRpCw6u7DkytTKKxrSfqBkVRn0yK-iQPIHKTR71W9dnK-bSbyg/s1600/37085895300_76a10d2979_o-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimAAVO4vqxEpr-At_W1ax88saHKVYDCRJOf5eEbXmo3e1KAQ1NIwNh9986EZtOUP3J1hbw5sYRSQ07uoRIftd0W_sebQXRpCw6u7DkytTKKxrSfqBkVRn0yK-iQPIHKTR71W9dnK-bSbyg/s640/37085895300_76a10d2979_o-1.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coming into the finish line!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "segoe print"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">So I kept going, came around the
corner on the other side of the bridge and headed downhill to the finish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I ran through the finish chute, high fiving
everyone along the fence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I saw my
IronFans and ran straight over and hugged them, then headed to the finish. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGZA8AjpMSDHeM7hii1HEigFiRSdTjQStI_on7TshWNWC3NkSfLxGQZ2uHX7pdL-J8DQ8Nt-rtfZGVsBjcaPXv72JiF0UyLcjd0YNN1oYLM4lN2vhyphenhypheneDSg4kvtFGTbMLb3VQIKtD93H8hy/s1600/37076639650_a8b86dfd8d_o-11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGZA8AjpMSDHeM7hii1HEigFiRSdTjQStI_on7TshWNWC3NkSfLxGQZ2uHX7pdL-J8DQ8Nt-rtfZGVsBjcaPXv72JiF0UyLcjd0YNN1oYLM4lN2vhyphenhypheneDSg4kvtFGTbMLb3VQIKtD93H8hy/s400/37076639650_a8b86dfd8d_o-11.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I made it</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "segoe print"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">I did it… I’m a 5 time Ironman!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Get this, it was my fastest finish ever, it
was 13 minutes slower than what I had predicted I would finish in, but I am
still happy with the time. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I told everyone
I was now retired from IM and they all said the same thing…. “yeah right”, I
said “no, I mean it this time” and they just shook their heads and laughed. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "segoe print"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">The race was awesome, not the run,
but the swim and bike were.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Had it been
a little cooler I think the run would have gone much better.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I still ended up with my fastest Ironman time
ever. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "segoe print"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">I think the Ironfans had a great time
also.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can’t say enough about the
support we got from Pam, China, and Brandon. I’m not sure I would have finished
without them there cheering me on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
think they had a pretty good time also. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>China and Brandon even got to play Mall Cop
while at Ironman. And Photo Credit goes to both China and Brandon.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRa-sbEd7fMk65RlhPmo7WPaN0d9l92u5yjGJ7k47OX3OFn7EYeU9rluk52NijFYs6WEax1iTQXbL4_soEXVND9ugaEYgsDhQIarWPmksUj5A2N4GjCObYBwEPyboaahfQr9vGNV5aaxAo/s1600/36663412753_b781dbacd8_o-8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRa-sbEd7fMk65RlhPmo7WPaN0d9l92u5yjGJ7k47OX3OFn7EYeU9rluk52NijFYs6WEax1iTQXbL4_soEXVND9ugaEYgsDhQIarWPmksUj5A2N4GjCObYBwEPyboaahfQr9vGNV5aaxAo/s400/36663412753_b781dbacd8_o-8.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mall Cops</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3ju0O6x0YueNHCDc7kjU4bzkKuFSwIs3-6wmeIwpyuKBebR1R1fpK_NM6BKHmUf5fXMCxzBLUxGLi5n7OegBywQjbLOPbyE_wp1T4NMwxR2w8n3dh_vAzW8wty9yyGKYpfnNP86ZX2SEE/s1600/37076642180_b78947acfd_o-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3ju0O6x0YueNHCDc7kjU4bzkKuFSwIs3-6wmeIwpyuKBebR1R1fpK_NM6BKHmUf5fXMCxzBLUxGLi5n7OegBywQjbLOPbyE_wp1T4NMwxR2w8n3dh_vAzW8wty9yyGKYpfnNP86ZX2SEE/s400/37076642180_b78947acfd_o-1.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">IronFans less Pam<br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"></span><br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">
</span>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">
</span>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">
</span>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
Trek Mountain Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16901382514879478984noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9082478865600658051.post-44953365463754739052016-07-31T18:17:00.000-07:002016-08-01T07:17:13.445-07:00Ironman Lake Placid 2016<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Leading
up to race</span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">In July of 2015, with some urging from friends I decided
to enter Ironman Lake Placid.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know
what you are thinking, didn’t I say “I would never do another Ironman race”
after I finished the last one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I may
have said that, but then when all my other friends were signing up without me I
got caught up in the “missing out on fun” delusion.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Lucky for me, in November I changed jobs and was able to
quit traveling every week, so I had time to start my training.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For the first time in my Ironman history, I
was not injured, so I had big plans for this race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With coaching from my good friend Bill “the
Godfather” Peterson, I began my training journey to race day. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">All my training was done with friends, some old and some
new, most of us were on the same journey to <st1:place w:st="on">Lake Placid</st1:place>,
some were just out there having fun.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
had good training days and bad training days, and none of us were in sync.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do you know what the good thing about not
being in sync was? There was always someone ready to talk me off the ledge when
I was having a bad day and I in return would do the same for them, when they
had a bad day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s interesting how
close you become to friends when you spend hours and hours suffering
together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everything that happens becomes
a big joke and free game for hours and hours of ridicule.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just remember, what happens during the
workout becomes common knowledge and you will never live it down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everyone ends up with multiple nicknames, too
many to list and many of the stories of how they came to be would be a blog
post in itself. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4EqXej56MjU-LRe-Pes3DJBQR5m9siNkPtEun3cQdwmu7DzD8qF0Dg_-qZR9Oavz3LZrLBBAKgEN5pUdIDKUcaTM73714n3lRZsB0HH7Mk727kRX3CATHTn9OGYwRdR8NGKMAH1I2XKxW/s1600/crewe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4EqXej56MjU-LRe-Pes3DJBQR5m9siNkPtEun3cQdwmu7DzD8qF0Dg_-qZR9Oavz3LZrLBBAKgEN5pUdIDKUcaTM73714n3lRZsB0HH7Mk727kRX3CATHTn9OGYwRdR8NGKMAH1I2XKxW/s400/crewe.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Crewe </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">So my training moved along, I stayed on plan with help of
a “crewe” of training partners who talked me off the ledge too many times.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Overall though, this was the best Ironman
training I have ever done and I was looking forward to a good race. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQKGOr7qZvnyBFvw6dlcErc0_t7VLZTR5_KXSaIhH7ZpnAN-1uBifzMyNb6EM30IuedcdFNoMd-ZfKXIdl3ibC4K9erfKNi3P38mfYO8vKufgxTOuF71BRRGSWxKR7NWNAJg12B4LFuBgK/s1600/crewe1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQKGOr7qZvnyBFvw6dlcErc0_t7VLZTR5_KXSaIhH7ZpnAN-1uBifzMyNb6EM30IuedcdFNoMd-ZfKXIdl3ibC4K9erfKNi3P38mfYO8vKufgxTOuF71BRRGSWxKR7NWNAJg12B4LFuBgK/s320/crewe1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just another training day</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Oh, but then nothing ever goes as planned.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My daughter informed me that she was
pregnant, and guess what day she was due on? Yep, that’s right, she was due on
race day!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I began freaking out, devising
plans for everyday of the week up through race day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There would be a 3 day window that would make
me miss the race, I hoped that she would have the baby early, but it was
doubtful since this was her first baby.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Race day was approaching fast, with just 10 days until I
would be standing on the starting line.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Finally a little good luck, I found out that Jade would be induced the
day before I had planned to head to <st1:place w:st="on">Lake Placid</st1:place>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I quickly went into mom mode, making
arrangements to leave a day later and stay with Jade and the baby an extra day
and make sure she would have help while I was gone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everything went as planned with the birth of
my first granddaughter, Emersyn Ray, she showed up pink and healthy with a full
head of hair.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Both momma and baby were
doing great.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Y7Uk9Eizh6O4RNFOpcXhaORqhPjIIgSBnTqNv0xR9YyvSqTjnDVW1lC7kL6z5b0rJblHZoeF2HMXCVsUx3bMKGFgk1WYf-SJx4UNoukwVUD9dFU37DgpUKqlPsdoHPC2-IQ_ZGN_exjk/s1600/send+off.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Y7Uk9Eizh6O4RNFOpcXhaORqhPjIIgSBnTqNv0xR9YyvSqTjnDVW1lC7kL6z5b0rJblHZoeF2HMXCVsUx3bMKGFgk1WYf-SJx4UNoukwVUD9dFU37DgpUKqlPsdoHPC2-IQ_ZGN_exjk/s400/send+off.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seeing the Guys off on Tuesday morning</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaWinSl0errtqZDtKknxr927KBG01AdSmHSo7zdB5QptIs9Rk_FRwff2AfuKvwCNLeObT3LJO0As7Zk9Z_2OrIf5S3fgHYyVgRFU1xaNGhyphenhyphenAWWP1vtkqylWzBMZkxp-KcNp1xCv7Mu8aIZ/s1600/IMG_4006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaWinSl0errtqZDtKknxr927KBG01AdSmHSo7zdB5QptIs9Rk_FRwff2AfuKvwCNLeObT3LJO0As7Zk9Z_2OrIf5S3fgHYyVgRFU1xaNGhyphenhyphenAWWP1vtkqylWzBMZkxp-KcNp1xCv7Mu8aIZ/s400/IMG_4006.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jade and Emersyn</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">My daughter China drove me to the airport early Wednesday
morning and just before I got out of the car, she showed me multiple videos
from my family telling me good luck, one in particular, from my niece
Shayna,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>brought me to tears. Those
videos made my day, I can’t thank everyone enough for sending them. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwQZk-aWOWAIEW5Hq-DfELcJoYcGuL0TdKA-95df_iyYAW6jMKUVSzDT3IZ7fVm6PnlrgIEylwOdPVLVjHx4Q' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I caught a flight to <st1:city w:st="on">Buffalo</st1:city>
and was picked up by my friend John at the airport and finished the drive to <st1:place w:st="on">Lake Placid</st1:place> with him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>When I got to <st1:place w:st="on">Lake Placid</st1:place> another video
came in, and you won’t believe who it was from, wait for it… Swiftwick.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The company that makes my favorite socks,
sent me a video of them saying good luck, it was such a great surprise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">China</st1:country-region></st1:place> had contacted them and asked
them to wish me luck and they did, that just goes to show what a great company
it is, I can’t believe they took time to make the video and send it. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxMjw-xRHyQkkqSkO4JGDTQ8RYpnyJpsaCeN0erVcUuXvFrg0usRA2FDo_uGCSL2FO5k3fae5V1KA7vujVmoQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Race
Week</span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">In <st1:place w:st="on">Lake Placid</st1:place> I was
staying at Devlin’s Olympic Motor Inn, it’s a great little motel, right on the
run course, I would be passing it 4 times during the race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had many friends staying there as well. We
would spend the 4 days leading up to the race, training, eating and sitting
outside our rooms, which encompassed the entire wing of the motel, talking
every night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was like an ongoing
party. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUGx0QVJ4_GW-6cxPHCE0CyCaadNmF4MsnnrfSW_yNVs28IxLSRxiLseo7coL_bvAZa8Sjyp9T3Pf0G0XDyNMJKfXUNbxuMRXQkM9Q2rVgYdbZzw3pygIjgqA7NQHvsCWleYQtdxVroAix/s1600/devlins.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUGx0QVJ4_GW-6cxPHCE0CyCaadNmF4MsnnrfSW_yNVs28IxLSRxiLseo7coL_bvAZa8Sjyp9T3Pf0G0XDyNMJKfXUNbxuMRXQkM9Q2rVgYdbZzw3pygIjgqA7NQHvsCWleYQtdxVroAix/s400/devlins.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The ongoing party at Devlins</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">There was one thing that plagued me though, since Emersyn
arrived both Jade and <st1:country-region w:st="on">China</st1:country-region>
were not with me, <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">China</st1:country-region></st1:place>
stayed home to help Jade with the baby.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>So in turn, I had no family there to help with all the support tasks,
and also to lean on when the nerves hit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I was lucky though to have such great friends with me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have to give a big shout out to the Germer
family for stepping up and taking care of all the support tasks for me. They
grabbed my clothes at the start of the race, and picked up my bike and bags
during the race.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXR4hlCrC9RA1qXjCkvibJWv3Hwz5A6eNOBJbACVY7mpEw1tIWWnYVLfCjI51EMmjhcxdRT_l5THYn452atYFBJC9e9tNfclbzO4EvqIL7Zz1ujgpgICdq2yAAvK3wXbL9hoW5KdoJ9bkQ/s1600/Germer+family.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXR4hlCrC9RA1qXjCkvibJWv3Hwz5A6eNOBJbACVY7mpEw1tIWWnYVLfCjI51EMmjhcxdRT_l5THYn452atYFBJC9e9tNfclbzO4EvqIL7Zz1ujgpgICdq2yAAvK3wXbL9hoW5KdoJ9bkQ/s400/Germer+family.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Ironman Support Family</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The 4 days leading up to the race, we swam, we ran, we
biked, we ate and we had ice cream every night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Those days we spent swimming in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Mirror</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Lake</st1:placetype></st1:place>
were refreshing and calming, just being in the lake, gave me piece of
mind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk_RR6tngtryT-cUib6Fu3XDaDTk9Qn3hATjcSdXhIPEv84tNpugyVGA6k18L2eXo3e4zuIxHE6TVCGYGPwY4EvjP-pVbBuo-8yrVI0ahZLKhxYUYcIZ2cohZwptU8okM4aQMvcJj6BhU1/s1600/bobbing+n+lake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk_RR6tngtryT-cUib6Fu3XDaDTk9Qn3hATjcSdXhIPEv84tNpugyVGA6k18L2eXo3e4zuIxHE6TVCGYGPwY4EvjP-pVbBuo-8yrVI0ahZLKhxYUYcIZ2cohZwptU8okM4aQMvcJj6BhU1/s400/bobbing+n+lake.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our first practice swim in Mirror Lake</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Well, except for the first swim, I finished the swim, and
was standing on the dock, when Mike “Wildman” Hovatter came swimming up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As he was bobbing in the water he yelled, I
need some help.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We all thought he was
joking with us, then his head slid under the water and bobbed back to the top,
all of a sudden we all yelled “are you joking?”, and he said, “NO!” and slipped
under the water again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jeff jumped into
the water, grabbed him and dragged him to shore.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He had gotten a cramp as soon as he stopped
swimming and couldn’t kick.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
experience was scary and funny at the same time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were all just standing there thinking he
was joking and the poor guy was drowning. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpE1M9fftrlO8gPm0NC60t4DmD7V4QJOOSS5sIJwOFOBisk3EiTdc9W2iPADsBCCAje01A9xWOlbdmeEBIoV2AqPoDWNWhvq5v_zKFNUBXTH05jM9cCOIfKDKMNNlft-2OslhAj0Zz-hOx/s1600/P7220116.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpE1M9fftrlO8gPm0NC60t4DmD7V4QJOOSS5sIJwOFOBisk3EiTdc9W2iPADsBCCAje01A9xWOlbdmeEBIoV2AqPoDWNWhvq5v_zKFNUBXTH05jM9cCOIfKDKMNNlft-2OslhAj0Zz-hOx/s400/P7220116.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mike giving us a tip before our swim</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgII8bZA5peiMJHN8ktXmnoOdA26zL8wNAR80eYCO5Qiha1p2N_7wlxL9ih4gIZ-2zt52wv9-p7A4lVPt0xDSTvwkeCf3sOGmkxHW8Y-2HlEOufc9oK7iDNA3gVLRclJH5FtKy8_VVhGPTp/s1600/goofy+crew.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgII8bZA5peiMJHN8ktXmnoOdA26zL8wNAR80eYCO5Qiha1p2N_7wlxL9ih4gIZ-2zt52wv9-p7A4lVPt0xDSTvwkeCf3sOGmkxHW8Y-2HlEOufc9oK7iDNA3gVLRclJH5FtKy8_VVhGPTp/s400/goofy+crew.jpg" width="373" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Don't worry Mike, we will save you</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="border-image: none;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">We took pictures at the famous rock one morning before
the swim, we walked around the town watching all the people and all the dogs,
it is a very dog friendly event.</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2NZTskQNVkSl8MYG_V9ARxWb92BTapa4CLepDUyBtAdGRi0SU67jTGJlikCJbA53qJLk8WZvRk90LabV6gGzzhST-F745mUB5u5juQdP6DehY43QzLjsD3GKchFDZh_vwUa6XnCyywOVZ/s1600/Big+group.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2NZTskQNVkSl8MYG_V9ARxWb92BTapa4CLepDUyBtAdGRi0SU67jTGJlikCJbA53qJLk8WZvRk90LabV6gGzzhST-F745mUB5u5juQdP6DehY43QzLjsD3GKchFDZh_vwUa6XnCyywOVZ/s400/Big+group.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All the Zilla's at the Rock</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsOHDryjU5Z-KubZDEthIKNzv4xG6aBitnjs3B4zCovKZGVNKbvOIOEA90WLHmCigUpa5oWDiVzHQtPvvvmCLecwnI15PLxtxNKfbh1-tiktYar3kfTGZKE747D9Snxl73UU83zOtkHaDZ/s1600/P7220136.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsOHDryjU5Z-KubZDEthIKNzv4xG6aBitnjs3B4zCovKZGVNKbvOIOEA90WLHmCigUpa5oWDiVzHQtPvvvmCLecwnI15PLxtxNKfbh1-tiktYar3kfTGZKE747D9Snxl73UU83zOtkHaDZ/s400/P7220136.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Three Amigo's back again</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxlfOcPr6p9cGM_o_KoqYKKBj3lYqbwIhcR6wtHbHISIB_h5UZss0eh7spzW4G9Q2mLWBow_RkCc97YytZS_RcrY1wVDqcKNgkxF4mv_r_5xTZhF4S2XT0crPwbV9-LCsZ8Ip3RbR76mc9/s1600/dog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxlfOcPr6p9cGM_o_KoqYKKBj3lYqbwIhcR6wtHbHISIB_h5UZss0eh7spzW4G9Q2mLWBow_RkCc97YytZS_RcrY1wVDqcKNgkxF4mv_r_5xTZhF4S2XT0crPwbV9-LCsZ8Ip3RbR76mc9/s400/dog.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the furry friends</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">We checked in for the race, picked up our swag, shopped
at the ironman store, checked out the expo, got active release therapy at the
expo, oh, and I can’t forget getting cornered by the guy selling electrical
therapy units.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was quite a
salesman.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was sitting there trying it
out, and Russ was right next to me, he thought we were married and was going to
give us a good deal, but then he found out we were just friends, the deal
wasn’t as good then.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then John comes
over and sits down in the chair on the other side of me and he hooks him up
too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After a few minutes he decides since
we are all friends he can give us a really good deal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I felt like I was in an infomercial, if I
bought right now, I could get two for the low price of only 500 dollars and he
would throw in some “bonus accessories” too. I finally said that sounds great,
I don’t have my credit card with me so I would have to come back, yep, you got
it, I never went back. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzNKgoNv7f1nE3stqlqfGUiMM86Mm_Ahp7dcW55NeLk3UfwkPKSHJs46XB0lX5j_aAgNwDWJgm6TIUnE8WXYR2pAaP_F3yrNoBZ-lDTUq66V-b3G0aVM2FA_9sIs2O8AANt-l15jEOi2kz/s1600/checkin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzNKgoNv7f1nE3stqlqfGUiMM86Mm_Ahp7dcW55NeLk3UfwkPKSHJs46XB0lX5j_aAgNwDWJgm6TIUnE8WXYR2pAaP_F3yrNoBZ-lDTUq66V-b3G0aVM2FA_9sIs2O8AANt-l15jEOi2kz/s400/checkin.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Checking in</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">When it came to eating, we had lots of excitement during
the week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We ate at the Pickled Pig, the
food took 90 minutes to get and then it was awful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Three of us ordered shrimp tacos, and when
they came out there were 5 shrimp split between 9 tacos.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The fries were hard as rocks and potato skins
awful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Good thing we had Sketchy with
us, he told the manager we didn’t want to pay for it and guess what?... we got
it for free!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The next meal of the day
was also eventful, we got to the restaurant and while standing waiting for our
table they gave it away, right in front of us, so we went across the street to
eat. They sat us outside right on <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Mirror</st1:placename>
<st1:placetype w:st="on">Lake</st1:placetype></st1:place>, it was
beautiful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We all had our 25 dollar
vouchers for our Ironman dinner so we decided to order steaks. We got our food
and noticed Sketchy wasn’t eating, he said his steak was tough, everyone else’s
was good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When the waitress came,
Wildman told her Sketchy’s steak was not good, she was very apologetic, but
Sketchy said it was fine, he would eat it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>At the end of the meal the waitress gave Sketchy his for free.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course, now the joke is, Sketchy never
pays for a meal, he gets them all for free. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK_cG2XLrzYSBtxPqnrP47QwXezCvHiWIa520Xb9_o3Q3kA6XRwONv61PmFowoTdMY3AZWzpbPvkwEEwQPe3qrSZfRoA-K0w2Q8siVoO8ZhgH3HfJxp6d7u9GkGl7GvwvThm2yWGet3o-H/s1600/tacos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK_cG2XLrzYSBtxPqnrP47QwXezCvHiWIa520Xb9_o3Q3kA6XRwONv61PmFowoTdMY3AZWzpbPvkwEEwQPe3qrSZfRoA-K0w2Q8siVoO8ZhgH3HfJxp6d7u9GkGl7GvwvThm2yWGet3o-H/s400/tacos.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The shrimpless shrimp tacos</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicnDpUuf24X8D9CjJjRyZucLL6P7dxb4t9VbnObiU8eUsgCCBb0OSpa7SdIYNhoGw64g48ss-QGEfNUmQmYKFfs6Eo2ukdhg8mCzNR0OMz5RhFJsBKT_dkplXNDH72Z9-3itdM73rZIdEj/s1600/Dinner+on+lake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicnDpUuf24X8D9CjJjRyZucLL6P7dxb4t9VbnObiU8eUsgCCBb0OSpa7SdIYNhoGw64g48ss-QGEfNUmQmYKFfs6Eo2ukdhg8mCzNR0OMz5RhFJsBKT_dkplXNDH72Z9-3itdM73rZIdEj/s400/Dinner+on+lake.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dinner on Lake</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I have to stop right here and make the statement that
Carolan was on what we call Scottish time all week, that means, if we say 7:00
am, she shows up at 7:03. The funny part is, Jeff would say 7:00, Carolan would
roll up at 7:00, but we would have left at 6:55.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She would call us names that I probably
shouldn’t type.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You have to understand
Jeff was on a mission, no fun and games.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Someone said, “Jeff can do anything”, then someone else said “except
relax”. I am leaving out the names to protect the innocent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the flip side of this, we also had people
not taking this race serious at all, in fact, they had not taken anything
serious for the last 7 months, I’m not going to say any names, but you know who
you are Sketchy.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">There was also a little excitement on Friday while
sitting outside the ice rink.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some
little kids started throwing ice balls at Sketchy and Wildman, don’t worry,
they defended themselves using only words and the little boys started looking
through the cracks in the sign at them. I thought I was going to have to save
Sketchy and Wildman, I think those little boys could have taken them. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWk3j9KeM2cifoAWG5dJcO234bA_9YFA_xsN2yrfo-Xx4MWVov5Xabh11CsSaKAJgJjeCvm6MA2izXZ-wfBCV7-f1uf_gJA9bsqbJ-qyP_fUpMhPVFGfpo34frhuEL09A2sIuIsosiDDWT/s1600/ice+rink.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWk3j9KeM2cifoAWG5dJcO234bA_9YFA_xsN2yrfo-Xx4MWVov5Xabh11CsSaKAJgJjeCvm6MA2izXZ-wfBCV7-f1uf_gJA9bsqbJ-qyP_fUpMhPVFGfpo34frhuEL09A2sIuIsosiDDWT/s400/ice+rink.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The snow/ice that was being thrown at Wildman and Sketchy</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Friday night brought the welcome meeting and it was also
Jenna Germer’s, (my number one fan), birthday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>So we did a little celebrating at dinner and gave Jenna gifts that only
the Crewe would pick out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jenna got a good
laugh out of the gifts, one of which was slang term flash cards.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They brought many laughs for the rest of the
week and they even prompted a few new terms to be created.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Such as, Gufurting: Farting after eating GU. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsQb3hHRO1BiasXrZhr82A5WYwjqnP6k-WDAYDTL2DI2ibOmu5H6ihT4SMPp27pyde1ytqt656FmTyfvfnIhekwFv20nFe2qqZlcAC1EFDz1MHlFfkfbSE0diRNht5G1iNp7hdZPHcGlxc/s1600/jenna1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsQb3hHRO1BiasXrZhr82A5WYwjqnP6k-WDAYDTL2DI2ibOmu5H6ihT4SMPp27pyde1ytqt656FmTyfvfnIhekwFv20nFe2qqZlcAC1EFDz1MHlFfkfbSE0diRNht5G1iNp7hdZPHcGlxc/s400/jenna1.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jenna opening her Slang Flashcards</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The night was fun filled while sitting in the grass
waiting for the welcome meeting to start, the rain started, Sketchy and I ran
for cover, finding a picnic table to climb under, while Wildman ran into the
Johnny on the spot, of course, Jeff rolled up in the blanket we were sitting
on. You know what’s coming, yes Godfather walked up as the rain was ending and
saw us on the ground under the table, and we will never live that down. Wildman
however told us how the Johnny was the best smelling port a john he had ever
been in, yes we did, we all went in it to check out the smell and it smelled
just like Tricks cereal. </span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmfWsr0X2YpTmjsQC0Q2G79LS2l_v9c9060Urn2mLhNVqge9JhrqWeiczHrjbtOz_rtWdTorox2epdo-7mjionv2ywAf6dhEzBUZ5-Cnz9hmpR8iUrGExyPkZBVpl4mAmZPc1ISfjeE1e5/s1600/prerace+meet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmfWsr0X2YpTmjsQC0Q2G79LS2l_v9c9060Urn2mLhNVqge9JhrqWeiczHrjbtOz_rtWdTorox2epdo-7mjionv2ywAf6dhEzBUZ5-Cnz9hmpR8iUrGExyPkZBVpl4mAmZPc1ISfjeE1e5/s400/prerace+meet.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Waiting for meeting to start before the rain came</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJISE9bnn2ba2LxAQJhfnPxSurbXz-wyzVXT9fwcNLe6G1TiGk3SDD14cNiSF_CVva2MiUd4Jk2wOrvyVULCP_Rd5gywWwS5QnY7r5D4KjlOVJrAfxREX8xCS1UjO2oDugS4N3EHQ5wNQ5/s1600/picnic+table.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJISE9bnn2ba2LxAQJhfnPxSurbXz-wyzVXT9fwcNLe6G1TiGk3SDD14cNiSF_CVva2MiUd4Jk2wOrvyVULCP_Rd5gywWwS5QnY7r5D4KjlOVJrAfxREX8xCS1UjO2oDugS4N3EHQ5wNQ5/s400/picnic+table.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Out of the rain</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Once again we were waiting for the meeting to start and
Russ saw Mike Reilly walk up behind us, I jumped at the chance to get a picture
with him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was very gracious and even
chatted with me about other Ironman races I have done. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVntxZNdKiVrIe_QeFrJpNKQF5fMQcdDshJH6gmnEOVfBByGrM5gGPsUflJAdWNUs5U0eFHtt3QwKnWt3Ec5dcx97M-K9cntHR5AV0AV0YNmTLXHPlCx6LRc03af2FhtvCytHb3RSi7WOC/s1600/mike+reilly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVntxZNdKiVrIe_QeFrJpNKQF5fMQcdDshJH6gmnEOVfBByGrM5gGPsUflJAdWNUs5U0eFHtt3QwKnWt3Ec5dcx97M-K9cntHR5AV0AV0YNmTLXHPlCx6LRc03af2FhtvCytHb3RSi7WOC/s400/mike+reilly.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me and Mike Reilly</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Saturday quickly came and it was time to fill our
transition and special needs bags, and check our bikes in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Filling my bags, I checked, double checked
and triple checked the bags, then I took photos of the contents, so that when I
started freaking out later I could look at the pictures to make sure everything
was there. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial";"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVxjRkDHZgb8xNohZGaq00ZtVM_1gzZj0O9aURa6yfTIvBdfyO9QnmjcYPMWxNU4p7pc6LX7OSeIBf_ojEMyiluPu4R_IDaYkfmhaGbGwx7dQXj0fHyIQlJn1oKJjB0ShzLpwWM4EDeRZy/s1600/bike+bag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVxjRkDHZgb8xNohZGaq00ZtVM_1gzZj0O9aURa6yfTIvBdfyO9QnmjcYPMWxNU4p7pc6LX7OSeIBf_ojEMyiluPu4R_IDaYkfmhaGbGwx7dQXj0fHyIQlJn1oKJjB0ShzLpwWM4EDeRZy/s400/bike+bag.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bike Bag</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8yTCOFNZokr-DlWL26UkrDs2oO8jSJhlB0ldFhD6cTn5e4ZNO8ezvuwt8IJa7K-28QDl0WAVA_HBMvbDuLT_M90SZd2_f8Z9ZQzGrYjVFkMbZTUwBmr5lir8It9bVVVn84WVDhmDKZnCQ/s1600/run+bag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8yTCOFNZokr-DlWL26UkrDs2oO8jSJhlB0ldFhD6cTn5e4ZNO8ezvuwt8IJa7K-28QDl0WAVA_HBMvbDuLT_M90SZd2_f8Z9ZQzGrYjVFkMbZTUwBmr5lir8It9bVVVn84WVDhmDKZnCQ/s400/run+bag.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Run Bag</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Before checking our bikes in, we went to the pre-race
meeting which was on the oval next to the finish line.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was pretty hot and sitting there in the
sun on those metal bleachers I started to get over heated and feeling sick<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">.</span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">O</span>f
course we were in the top row, so I had to walk through the crowd down the
bleachers and then down the oval to get to some open air, <span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">while</span> everyone stared
at me. I bet they would have clapped if I had puked right there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After standing in the shade for the rest of
the meeting, I started to feel a little better, but then the mental freak-out
started to hit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I doubted I could do it,
I mean, I was just sitting in the heat and I was getting sick, how the heck was
I going to finish this race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial";"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVgdQkvq1sb8UyvPxHRHGqRu5pnFWNare6eWeFux1Y1zKFAaM8AsEnXOlD00WjsFKahM3ApYe3enuFPskI67R3OMg47JIUPtKmgGZNPKlkOrJWBaF2pvO8R79kj02YEi-RiDXy8Xx29yUJ/s1600/bike+drop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVgdQkvq1sb8UyvPxHRHGqRu5pnFWNare6eWeFux1Y1zKFAaM8AsEnXOlD00WjsFKahM3ApYe3enuFPskI67R3OMg47JIUPtKmgGZNPKlkOrJWBaF2pvO8R79kj02YEi-RiDXy8Xx29yUJ/s400/bike+drop.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Racking Bike</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE4TpRFJZr7Uap_V2RraXjKdRvjNEJ6_CQaOa9Ogg6y01qF17xevFcEPwAMDEsUMvroUtgydD2kei8rDAI_hyphenhyphen__QBhXzBPWGDdEwTf4CUxQrUpjrS_-l4EeoW2UpOhghc_cjyrbH0_Seap/s1600/bike+rack.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE4TpRFJZr7Uap_V2RraXjKdRvjNEJ6_CQaOa9Ogg6y01qF17xevFcEPwAMDEsUMvroUtgydD2kei8rDAI_hyphenhyphen__QBhXzBPWGDdEwTf4CUxQrUpjrS_-l4EeoW2UpOhghc_cjyrbH0_Seap/s400/bike+rack.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready to Race</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisWcOsMQskLlm8msTPGt9VafrcY1oDs8Lm2LWxqTyEiyCD0msPeVMaZcMZBrufIITTe4m-A10NrYouEhOeV4mmHjpYZreSMdHaOm_wYHVNC9P-sXIn0I_6huDu0zWKIWYhPtlE1biHbzkp/s1600/bike+transition.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisWcOsMQskLlm8msTPGt9VafrcY1oDs8Lm2LWxqTyEiyCD0msPeVMaZcMZBrufIITTe4m-A10NrYouEhOeV4mmHjpYZreSMdHaOm_wYHVNC9P-sXIn0I_6huDu0zWKIWYhPtlE1biHbzkp/s400/bike+transition.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bike Transition and finish line</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I was having a panic attack in my head, but trying to be
calm in front of everyone, I didn’t want anyone to know how freaked out I was
getting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everyone was invited to a
brunch that afternoon at a house some of the team was renting, and all I could
think was “don’t get there and start crying because you are freaked out!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In my head I felt like a poser,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was at the race with 19 friends who are all
incredibly talented and it always seems that no matter how hard I work, I am
always running in the their shadows.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
kept telling myself, that I have my own goals and not to worry about anyone but
myself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once you start freaking out,
it’s really hard to reason with yourself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>My brain is my worst enemy, I needed to quit thinking about it and just
do it. I mean where could I go to race that was more beautiful than this. </span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixA1DK3tRF01MuVDwa4T_6uAO2NoWdE9XAgB_NZlTqn-uxHPz9RjGqoK0wx5pRadVcBBUozHtrd-0c-CiSpgGGa7ojPXzTomtzLDyi4PqjILgDhp5JQCIi40-XwHnJwuTo7gr5CdSl6FsM/s1600/white+face+mountain.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixA1DK3tRF01MuVDwa4T_6uAO2NoWdE9XAgB_NZlTqn-uxHPz9RjGqoK0wx5pRadVcBBUozHtrd-0c-CiSpgGGa7ojPXzTomtzLDyi4PqjILgDhp5JQCIi40-XwHnJwuTo7gr5CdSl6FsM/s400/white+face+mountain.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">White Face Mountain</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV9NYSCt_Lxaz8k8ikRUc5bGCpUgM9PY4Cihyphenhyphenfx193TM4ZCiUuwMZZ3LW8G4MPd1sdaCyY9XVVSUtG8QCOs3JujIXLEYmlN9AY2PS8IHAIsXP_PU0u2UvfGTg2KhOy4qswnMZ17bYW7bjy/s1600/mirror+lake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV9NYSCt_Lxaz8k8ikRUc5bGCpUgM9PY4Cihyphenhyphenfx193TM4ZCiUuwMZZ3LW8G4MPd1sdaCyY9XVVSUtG8QCOs3JujIXLEYmlN9AY2PS8IHAIsXP_PU0u2UvfGTg2KhOy4qswnMZ17bYW7bjy/s400/mirror+lake.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mirror Lake</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I made it through brunch without a tear, the food was
great, I have to give a big shout out to Andrea and Chrissy for putting the
work in to make it a great afternoon with food and friends. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz1OdHdfsm-Vz5HXO_ufmHauFSSYpTKyYfpKGlaXlNeQozcpjTysD7J-hDK3id-s8ywERcAxfrKc7vxYmKl404LcV3dQ6vLKeHfUPduoYnHD83w_rUacAMB_Y_yxW12MNv7xMJHXUPtTG_/s1600/brunch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz1OdHdfsm-Vz5HXO_ufmHauFSSYpTKyYfpKGlaXlNeQozcpjTysD7J-hDK3id-s8ywERcAxfrKc7vxYmKl404LcV3dQ6vLKeHfUPduoYnHD83w_rUacAMB_Y_yxW12MNv7xMJHXUPtTG_/s400/brunch.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brunch at the team house</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">It also helped that I was getting photos from home of
Emersyn, Ella and Bruno, so I knew all was well at home. China and Jade texted
me and assured me I would be fine, that they believed in me. My Crewe of
friends were also great, reassuring me that I had done all the right training
and this was just the cherry on the top. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr2BNREQI0c8nx8ditI3pWqwhMCl-vUpFPgk6pR16Ww47WwQYR12kicKnaadZjnP8OD7jZ5u_aOmExe84suNkJwEDlaYpD-0HqurbCjznDMOk7a8vVPs6akdDmEGKmZxW7NXhU_hg3FClK/s1600/bruno+emmy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr2BNREQI0c8nx8ditI3pWqwhMCl-vUpFPgk6pR16Ww47WwQYR12kicKnaadZjnP8OD7jZ5u_aOmExe84suNkJwEDlaYpD-0HqurbCjznDMOk7a8vVPs6akdDmEGKmZxW7NXhU_hg3FClK/s400/bruno+emmy.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Emmy and Bruno</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg-Rym75-bDKtNIlYa0iKzLQ7ktM2ztLnoq2lSy8vC-pY16fsjQgzNa09ftk1cEq1Zr7JPvpKAO7pZZC9cZQ16ynd8fTsqwAEQUn7qIRXu-pmYAHjIEKkT03QvIjGePjI1VZ3K2R-J6gVV/s1600/emmy+ella.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg-Rym75-bDKtNIlYa0iKzLQ7ktM2ztLnoq2lSy8vC-pY16fsjQgzNa09ftk1cEq1Zr7JPvpKAO7pZZC9cZQ16ynd8fTsqwAEQUn7qIRXu-pmYAHjIEKkT03QvIjGePjI1VZ3K2R-J6gVV/s400/emmy+ella.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ella protecting Emmy</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxrMiV47_DQAk5QRCLSJbXq1HgSdSOmMu-jN4QrlS2vnZOmEhfIjN5IZDgal5DvI-oN7j0jvvDYkH-YPR6wM5Om_Mlane4P8mjjoEDUeHO4fJAQF27zM5FZ44kWu1yLlixPpm1KaRXBFg-/s1600/emmy1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxrMiV47_DQAk5QRCLSJbXq1HgSdSOmMu-jN4QrlS2vnZOmEhfIjN5IZDgal5DvI-oN7j0jvvDYkH-YPR6wM5Om_Mlane4P8mjjoEDUeHO4fJAQF27zM5FZ44kWu1yLlixPpm1KaRXBFg-/s400/emmy1.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Emmy Sleeping</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCjagAGHnIqf7wR4hVAKjYgQ9uy-L9auOnr2A4HimNPgphHfADqslZ-5g80tcMMNQjAtpLOFhz02gaDK1SDNB6U9d08EDe9SUTNt4wlY1OiP_7UZGjx7Dzzodq4e5WAp1jEe6vhwKWXOcP/s1600/devlins+crewe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCjagAGHnIqf7wR4hVAKjYgQ9uy-L9auOnr2A4HimNPgphHfADqslZ-5g80tcMMNQjAtpLOFhz02gaDK1SDNB6U9d08EDe9SUTNt4wlY1OiP_7UZGjx7Dzzodq4e5WAp1jEe6vhwKWXOcP/s400/devlins+crewe.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Crewe hanging out</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">It was Saturday night and was time to put on our race
numbers. This year many of us had rub on tattoos, called tri tats rather than a
black Sharpe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You had to apply them by
taking off the clear plastic cover, putting them on your arm and wetting it
with a wash cloth. So you couldn’t really do your own, you had to have a tattoo
artist.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, I’m not sure what to say
about my tattoo artist other than I had to fire her. Let’s just say that she
will never live her mad tattoo skills down. </span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8uzfGFxkOVlasIziOVK4sXwq82bYmHMYIgfWZs-8v0wpjLVswKCrlX1So8i0qYs8nzDKM7LVYBYCAf-F4ASTs4l1wRghnQgix8ISwLcx8YjIuZQgPbw6-VwHx8_c3gFtpPXI0dRtmKpBW/s1600/tattoo+artist.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8uzfGFxkOVlasIziOVK4sXwq82bYmHMYIgfWZs-8v0wpjLVswKCrlX1So8i0qYs8nzDKM7LVYBYCAf-F4ASTs4l1wRghnQgix8ISwLcx8YjIuZQgPbw6-VwHx8_c3gFtpPXI0dRtmKpBW/s400/tattoo+artist.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fired Tattoo Artist</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ6viAWQpDI7mzrN43npy4MlCO6QeyYZgP62rSwiJR_l_xNmIiAwfSR5WnUifOUoeMiDHYlR2Ua85Lo0i6Il0-8uM6alpSRawgUEUGtxyaXz7l-2LNPiD-gXfBqvMszZaer_9yNtaZHFvU/s1600/robin+tattoo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ6viAWQpDI7mzrN43npy4MlCO6QeyYZgP62rSwiJR_l_xNmIiAwfSR5WnUifOUoeMiDHYlR2Ua85Lo0i6Il0-8uM6alpSRawgUEUGtxyaXz7l-2LNPiD-gXfBqvMszZaer_9yNtaZHFvU/s400/robin+tattoo.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Tattoo</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">We had so many good luck notes on social media, we could
hardly keep up with them, everyone was glued to their phones reading them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well except me, I was glued to my phone
looking at baby pictures. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLfFITWmZEgi1TF80RdYWBW7Z43B02NLXbts-WduveE4zW6TD84jx3M4z16dpu9qFtYeO_2uDjs0NAaHECrl-KrlkLQE5_1QREiu4E0bUR38ptOG7wYm1ljHaUFMfuyPGJquouqtiZywZY/s1600/cheers1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLfFITWmZEgi1TF80RdYWBW7Z43B02NLXbts-WduveE4zW6TD84jx3M4z16dpu9qFtYeO_2uDjs0NAaHECrl-KrlkLQE5_1QREiu4E0bUR38ptOG7wYm1ljHaUFMfuyPGJquouqtiZywZY/s400/cheers1.jpg" width="333" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Well wishes before the race</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEXxUzxDfFIkwsDwPkOUlpq_y7fexeJZ1IySrLDg4-wVxwFluE6J4lEMzUcAIuw807iEHCC5uRX1LRDunPy_8GfdttYE0zEPoyLgG11uuSpD2OIoDbdx3-a2rfKyAamuy-DgRq8N9rryyb/s1600/emmy+peace.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEXxUzxDfFIkwsDwPkOUlpq_y7fexeJZ1IySrLDg4-wVxwFluE6J4lEMzUcAIuw807iEHCC5uRX1LRDunPy_8GfdttYE0zEPoyLgG11uuSpD2OIoDbdx3-a2rfKyAamuy-DgRq8N9rryyb/s400/emmy+peace.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Peace Out Gram!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The
Race</span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Sunday came with an early wake up and a walk to
transition to check on our bikes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We put
air in our tires, filled our bike bags with food, dropped our special needs
bags and headed back to our rooms. Of course we spent a lot of time in the
bathroom for the next hour then headed to the starting line. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5of3kRVjoYyCJqyz7xSQPMut0sFAcbrV3ldiFBx8CQxOYE768uBZFOtryn5mN9Jf4v3SZIBmJjAg-gUKUdG_BNly3HFJFucg53GnJW0WlBhss4VAI_eHcYpME57Y_ibg3MPiBr3Jgvzfd/s1600/IMG_9879.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5of3kRVjoYyCJqyz7xSQPMut0sFAcbrV3ldiFBx8CQxOYE768uBZFOtryn5mN9Jf4v3SZIBmJjAg-gUKUdG_BNly3HFJFucg53GnJW0WlBhss4VAI_eHcYpME57Y_ibg3MPiBr3Jgvzfd/s400/IMG_9879.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Walking to the Swim Start</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">At the lake we pulled on our wetsuits and headed into the
water, the water was warmer than the air and covered with a dense fog.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We could not see the buoys from the beach. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF3JMapiUp_sArHAMDGlv2Z-Qi55yEfQAHk4Th3KZdvjkX8rGnSS3YbPCStwiE1-7ww8T7zBNAAtLmmQ89TBFmRf0aKoEzLa355EB4YCXwGwKmBhq9HKk0bKB6HZgZuUitn6Z_-FDan-OH/s1600/swim+start.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF3JMapiUp_sArHAMDGlv2Z-Qi55yEfQAHk4Th3KZdvjkX8rGnSS3YbPCStwiE1-7ww8T7zBNAAtLmmQ89TBFmRf0aKoEzLa355EB4YCXwGwKmBhq9HKk0bKB6HZgZuUitn6Z_-FDan-OH/s400/swim+start.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready to hit the water</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The Pro’s took off and we watched as they came across the
beach for the second lap.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s when
Jeff, Carolan and a few of the other fast people took off. The rest of us
filtered into the crowd at our estimated swim times.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ray, Kyle, Mike and I were all together. I
don’t think you can call any of us fast swimmers. We inched our way down to the
water and headed out into the fog. I thought I was swimming to the outside, but
I must have been way outside, because after about 10 minutes of swimming I see
a paddle from a kayak motioning me in another direction, I was way off course
in the fog. I got myself back on track, but there were so many people in the
water that it was like a feeding frenzy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It looked like someone threw food in the water and a million fish were
fighting for it, and it felt like we were swimming in the spin cycle of a
washing machine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have never in my life
sw<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">a</span>m in those conditions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can’t tell
you how many times I was hit, kicked and pushed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The good news was I didn’t really get swam
over, so I started in the correct wave for my speed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I made it through the first lap, but near the
end was being passed by the swimmers that started in front of me and were
already finishing their second lap.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My
time was about where I wanted it, and I had thoughts of actually being on
track.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course the second lap didn’t
go as planned<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">,</span> I seemed to get pushed even more and ended up swimming four
minutes slower than my first lap.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My
overall time though was still much faster than any other Ironman race I had
done, so I came out feeling pretty good. Although, the next day I looked at my
Garmin and I had swam 2.67 miles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You
would think that 2.4 would be far enough, but no, I had to swim more. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAZjSs1o0AUhs1jz8urkatW2cXvfaJJFvqsuOIw5BPhO9EgkXc0z0Q7oCE7CZ93tB9jjN-X-AVlWWlkXRSiY6kmk2tLOjZxT5QIzNFxXZ6btHJJBayYUq_A4QoZev4_P2DHRPG5nNYLPrQ/s1600/swim.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAZjSs1o0AUhs1jz8urkatW2cXvfaJJFvqsuOIw5BPhO9EgkXc0z0Q7oCE7CZ93tB9jjN-X-AVlWWlkXRSiY6kmk2tLOjZxT5QIzNFxXZ6btHJJBayYUq_A4QoZev4_P2DHRPG5nNYLPrQ/s400/swim.jpg" width="267" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An now it starts</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">One fact I need to mention, Jeff Germer killed the swim
and won the award for First Out Of The Water. It was an awesome swim. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The weather forecast for the day was a high of 80 with
low winds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So I was ready for a good
bike day. I headed into the transition, where there were so many people in the
tent that I was having problems getting help.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Finally a girl ran over and got me water and she grabbed my stuff so I
could head out. Just outside the tent I stopped for sunscreen and pulled up my
shirt for her to get my lower back. I’m noting this because you will find out
later how important that is. I ran to the bike racks and a volunteer was
waiting with my bike ready to go, I grabbed it and ran to the bike mount line
and took off down the steep hill while hearing voices cheering for me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was my Ironman family, the Germers, their
cheers put a smile on my face. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCO6Axh4N7-OhmWFJsoMnnBGfNKqBQJ2l1mB8pQeLxavnpa_XzCUIy601LghISkdbpBq8nPYiMor5OzAclQQonG6UYHnz-N7VkgXaFgJDoyl6RXPokAvHxHDnzCM8FoVc_B8D9BBMGwQiv/s1600/robin+bike+out.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCO6Axh4N7-OhmWFJsoMnnBGfNKqBQJ2l1mB8pQeLxavnpa_XzCUIy601LghISkdbpBq8nPYiMor5OzAclQQonG6UYHnz-N7VkgXaFgJDoyl6RXPokAvHxHDnzCM8FoVc_B8D9BBMGwQiv/s400/robin+bike+out.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coming out on the bike</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Soon I was climbing and climbing, it still felt cool, but
there was definitely a strong wind, the weather forecast was not on point. I
was still feeling good and riding a good pace. I hit the down hill and was going
over 40 mph.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My bike started shaking
because a cross wind was grabbing at my wheel, I got a little concerned and
decided to ride my brakes the rest of the way down. Next was the 14 mile out
and back section, which is nice because I saw a lot of friends in that
section.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Greeting everyone was great,
the smiles I got from Godfather, and the rest of the crewe all helped my mental
state.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is something about
suffering with friends that makes it a little easier.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I got through the first 38 miles and made the
turn out of Keene to start 18 miles of climbing. I know this is gross to those
of you who are not triathletes, but I pee’d on my bike and was happy about it,
because it meant that I was still somewhat hydrated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">It really warmed up after that though and I was starting
to feel the effects.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I kept taking
enduralytes and salt, eating and drinking, but I could feel a fatigue coming on
in my legs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I knew the feeling, I always
get it when I get dehydrated, I was doing everything I could to drink and eat.
I was pulling bbq <span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">Fritos</span> out of my bi<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">ke </span>bag, because they always help when I need
salt, but I dropped them, I almost cried, but I bucked and kept telling myself
it was not the end of the world and to keep riding. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The lack of salt was wearing on me and no matter how hard
I tried, I was not able to pee again for the rest of the ride. I made it
through the Cherries and up the Bears to the cheers of Zilla families, I could
pick everyone out because we had made green shirts for everyone supporting, so
it gave me something to look for in the crowd.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I made the corner where Jenna and Kirsten were taking photos and headed
to the oval to start my second lap.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
second lap was slower, not by a lot, but I was working hard, too hard most
likely. At 90 miles my quads started cramping up and I could not stand, so I
just geared down and kept spinning. By the time I hit the 18 mile climb on that
second loop, I was starting to doubt my ability to finish the race. I was
starting to plan my pity party. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I once again made it to the top of Papa Bear and there
were still Zillas there cheering me on, I really needed it too, the families
and just random people out there cheering for me gave me such a boost, I don’t
know if I could do this without them. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3UQ612U1vGssfwOyvS5CLzs4FrMAYPQH5zHxnIS6clJZzNkdLkeXIJ-_LJWCpcnc11Y-juGMDesgaFS1GB0erud3uA45e9xt7VarQggf9DeQuJOSPOlTwQVFPsXVWbSW2-xfSST7gvc8a/s1600/robin+papa+bear.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3UQ612U1vGssfwOyvS5CLzs4FrMAYPQH5zHxnIS6clJZzNkdLkeXIJ-_LJWCpcnc11Y-juGMDesgaFS1GB0erud3uA45e9xt7VarQggf9DeQuJOSPOlTwQVFPsXVWbSW2-xfSST7gvc8a/s400/robin+papa+bear.jpg" width="316" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Top of Pappa Bear</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I rolled into transition and stepped off the bike, but
when I did, my entire left leg cramped up, I just caught myself from falling
and some volunteers ran over.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I told
them to leave me alone, it was just a cramp.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I worked it out and then gave them my bike and headed to transition. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Transition was not as <span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">crow<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">ded</span></span> as the previous transition and
I got my own volunteer, she helped me with everything and got me out the door
pretty quickly, I stopped once again to get sun screen and as I was standing
there John came running out of the men’s tent. I headed out to the run, just a
minute in front of him, but he quickly caught me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was thinking we could run together for a
while, but it was getting ugly for me and I couldn’t keep up with him.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ1LwL9-qAZGz7TeDUk62yaEtEPONA0QYmZfQSL6OBXtnmhnfCBV2TPJILwFlvAJk1Hl9a0hd0YhtDRlUXyPhpmAdyNJ6Y9T7ftuY46sseniH18MllEGDdQV60OrijLZaN2Vc2PmBduRN6/s1600/robin+john+run.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ1LwL9-qAZGz7TeDUk62yaEtEPONA0QYmZfQSL6OBXtnmhnfCBV2TPJILwFlvAJk1Hl9a0hd0YhtDRlUXyPhpmAdyNJ6Y9T7ftuY46sseniH18MllEGDdQV60OrijLZaN2Vc2PmBduRN6/s400/robin+john+run.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sketchy caught me in front of Devlins</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">By the time we hit 6 miles, John was a mile in front of
me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I saw so many friends on the course,
too many to list, but Godfather was who I was looking for, I have a connection
with him on this course and I needed those sweaty hugs from him. I needed all
the sweaty hugs I got along the way, but<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>No hugs for Carolan, Jeff and Carl, they were on a mission and I was not
going to slow them down, it was a quick high five and we were gone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tyler was always a welcome sight, I could see
him from a distance because of his size and he was killing it out there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Carolan was smiling so much, I’m not sure she
was even sweating, she was having such a good day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was so happy to see everyone out there,
even Doug in all his scales. </span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU_HAq2yeBdXoxD_Zdl2BqhHHEGMj3uK3SZwsaHef86Z-5B31-VQWoD3cXkMBmDBqtq6qs6xheKYQakUbqoOvXeQcTrgYlY4srQ12v0ljNmll0zx1Xi_SndOruusbF9ORY4BnzQDfAKeSS/s1600/Dougb.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU_HAq2yeBdXoxD_Zdl2BqhHHEGMj3uK3SZwsaHef86Z-5B31-VQWoD3cXkMBmDBqtq6qs6xheKYQakUbqoOvXeQcTrgYlY4srQ12v0ljNmll0zx1Xi_SndOruusbF9ORY4BnzQDfAKeSS/s400/Dougb.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Zilla Scales</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">By mile 11, I was passing Devlin’s with all the Zilla
families cheering me on, even Mike and Kathy Wever were there, they didn’t have
a horse in the game, they just traveled up to support the club members
racing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I made it through lap one,
passed Devlin’s again and was headed out for the last time. By mile 14, I knew
it was going to get really ugly. I quickly started calculating in my head how
fast I could walk the last 12 miles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Once again I began with the pity party, “poor pitiful me, I trained so
hard and everything went right, and I wasn’t injured, but here I was
walking”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had to snap out of it, so I
just kept looking for friends and tried to be as upbeat as I could, I talked to
everyone as I passed them or they passed me, hoping that the conversation would
keep me going.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was feeling some really
painful chaffing on my under carriage, I’m sure it had to be from me constantly
pouring ice water down my shirt and it running down my shorts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I needed Vaseline badly. I stopped at the
medical tent at mile 17 and took a handful of Vaseline and stuck it right down
my shorts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I warned the lady that “it
was not going to be pretty” and that she might want to turn around, but she
said “honey, you have no idea what I have seen today”, what I did was nothing
new to her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Every water stop has
Port-a-Johns and boy they made me want to run, they smelled so bad, I could
hardly get past them without gagging. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpc5r-oWEf03x0Nfy0L_xJaBrGaqZvN6L7VPSdX4XQ_TGSVkFqeNNW0fs6NHM0MLYwl-vJOIU-mUoPpm3BrBE4EKC3eOTY6zQs0W-Ljh8SLQfSgeJMbbqfKaYPxQCWRF4TCZgmXwbct-yC/s1600/robin+run.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpc5r-oWEf03x0Nfy0L_xJaBrGaqZvN6L7VPSdX4XQ_TGSVkFqeNNW0fs6NHM0MLYwl-vJOIU-mUoPpm3BrBE4EKC3eOTY6zQs0W-Ljh8SLQfSgeJMbbqfKaYPxQCWRF4TCZgmXwbct-yC/s400/robin+run.jpg" width="186" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the run</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I could hear some guys talking behind me, I knew one of
them, Mark.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I quickly caught on to a
conversation that I learned more about the day after the race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The piece I picked up on was that the guy
behind me had 6 months to live and he was going to live it to the fullest. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">This is a truly great story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>An older man named Jim was racing at Lake
Placid.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, this guy was a former US
Navy pilot who had flown A-6 attack jets, a real Top Gun. He was
married, but had no kids. He had finished 5 Ironman races before this one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He also has brain cancer with only 6 months
to live. He said he was going to prove the doctors wrong and beat the brain
cancer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He had Chemo on the Monday
before the race and had to take 10 pills during the race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He had a great attitude and was talking to
everyone. He made a deal with my friend Mark, he would make sure Mark made it
to the end of the race under the cutoff time, and in return Mark would make
sure he took his meds on time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well they
both made it to the finish. Once again, I had no reason for a pity party.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I was now at mile 18 and I was getting closer to both
John and Godfather, I didn’t think there was any way I would catch them, but I
was trying not to lose any ground.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
looked like a Zombie death march out there, most everyone was walking, plus
some of the temporary lighting had gone out and it was pitch black on the road,
so you could just barely make out the shadows of people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Oh, and the bugs, I ate plenty of them along
the way, also. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">By mile 21, I was back into a more lighted area and I saw
Ray coming toward me, his son was walking/running with him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We yelled hellos and Ray said he was going to
make it and I assured him he would.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There is a whole other story that goes with Ray, let me see if I can
quickly tell it.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Ray signed up for the race with the rest of us and
started training with the “Crewe”. During a Thanksgiving morning run, Ray had
some chest pains, but of course, being as crazy as the rest of us, he wouldn’t
go to the hospital.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Weeks later he had a
heart test and was shipped directly to the hospital for 5 bypass heart surgery.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We thought his Ironman race was over.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He proved us wrong and by the end of February
he was back to training, and training fast. He had 5 months t<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">ill</span> Ironman day and
he was determined to make it. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">On the second lap of the run, Ray’s son jumped in to help
his dad make it to the finish line, but he didn’t have on running shoes, so
Kathy Wever took her shoes off and gave them to him to wear, everyone wanted to
see Ray finish this race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s hard to
express in words how incredible Ray’s journey was. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">So here I was looking over at Ray, who was so determined
and once again telling myself to buck up and quit my whining. No one but me
cares if I make my goal time; this is about the journey, not the finish time.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I made it to mile 24, which is right next to our hotel
and Kirsten came running up next to me and walked with me on the hill, she
caught me up on who had finished and who was still out on the course. She was
so excited, Amy, her mom, had already finished with her fastest time ever. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">At mile 25, Kyle came running past me, he had been
chasing me since the bike and I had a feeling he would pass me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was the dark horse of the race, no one was
sure how he would do, but we knew from training that he could kill the run and
that is exactly what he was doing. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Mile 25.5, I was almost there, Jenna came out on the road
and stayed with me until the oval, she was excited and smiling and I was so
glad she was there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I missed my family
being there and knew they were having a watch party at home, but I needed some
love.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That is exactly what I got from
Jenna, I will be forever grateful to here for that. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkwsn1TP83vN_SRbXOAJvoHKqrBiEWgMv3PQdiz5lJMdVmpAeATnm4FGkqzbwx_eG250HNPpoiRh1Z0NCYFmsgE3m9lRxk4KmJqF3NoW4oTHdN4_jT3i3dx7_SQ5SN6y1T3y9fHAL6SdTX/s1600/jade+watch+party.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkwsn1TP83vN_SRbXOAJvoHKqrBiEWgMv3PQdiz5lJMdVmpAeATnm4FGkqzbwx_eG250HNPpoiRh1Z0NCYFmsgE3m9lRxk4KmJqF3NoW4oTHdN4_jT3i3dx7_SQ5SN6y1T3y9fHAL6SdTX/s400/jade+watch+party.jpg" width="224" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Watch Party</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Qz2M3ETf2oJLfA5xcIcIUuDPWQrfDD-7W356CJkLtQ-waXcwXh6uIm4LG4dRJ4EJPinowp7XBerZY7RpTqKEYj7XTChE3qm936HbtB4mSyBT4t3d3EP5PfgmrssSHz1ZH6xYuDL7fGEy/s1600/china+watch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Qz2M3ETf2oJLfA5xcIcIUuDPWQrfDD-7W356CJkLtQ-waXcwXh6uIm4LG4dRJ4EJPinowp7XBerZY7RpTqKEYj7XTChE3qm936HbtB4mSyBT4t3d3EP5PfgmrssSHz1ZH6xYuDL7fGEy/s400/china+watch.jpg" width="299" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More watch party</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> hit the oval and did the best imitation of running that
I could, I was high fiving all the hands hanging over the sides of the
railings, I came across the line with my head held high. A volunteer caught me,
covered me with a space blanket, gave me water, my finisher shirt and hat and
asked me how I was.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I must have looked
awful because he was really intent on getting me sat down, he even bypassed the
photo booth and headed me over to the food. John and Jeff were waiting for me
at the food, then Russ walked up, again I must have looked bad because Russ
started taking off his jacket to give to me, but just as he did my bag with my
jacket arrived and I put on a thick hoodie. My catcher brought me French fries
and pizza and kept asking if I was ok.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
was really fine, just tired, I just wonder how bad I looked. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">As I was eating my fries and chatting with everyone, I
heard Mark cross the line, followed by Mike. Mark came over sat down, started
to talk to us, then said, “I need medical help” and passed out with his eyes
open.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was really scary, I thought he
was dead, I kept talking to him, trying to get him to say something.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Medical came over, put him in a wheel chair
and took him to the medical tent. We moved out of the way so they could move
Mark and while I was up, I got my photo and got another with Wildman.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEify7GSxzsxM7B23Ab2-PaoloC9NT9_fG_F6jKXFB448wepdVFlXRMAupvUCvxsK6G7XRlTyXUWzGD6QxC1dFUj3kEiTk8iL-HAltFZi_A9DWz7gpVdxtyGUmdRCDvWYCRqwooLRBfhEjVN/s1600/robin+mike.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEify7GSxzsxM7B23Ab2-PaoloC9NT9_fG_F6jKXFB448wepdVFlXRMAupvUCvxsK6G7XRlTyXUWzGD6QxC1dFUj3kEiTk8iL-HAltFZi_A9DWz7gpVdxtyGUmdRCDvWYCRqwooLRBfhEjVN/s400/robin+mike.jpg" width="268" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We made it!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Then went back to the table and saw all Marks
stuff, I said we should go to medical and stay with him, and find his dad.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now this is either funny or sad, but the guys
said, “oh, we can just take his stuff to medical and leave it, they can figure
out the rest from his bib number. We need to go get massages.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So Russ took Marks stuff and dropped it off
and Wildman, John and I went to get massages. I wanted to yell, “this is
wrong!”, but I was too tired to. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">We all had our massages, but when I was finished I was so
cold that I laid down on a table and they covered me up, they<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>kept trying to take me to medical, but I
wouldn’t go, I just needed to warm up.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">While I lay there, I heard the lights shut off and the
announcement of 12 am. I kept hoping Ray made it in. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I finally got off the table and walked back to my room
wrapped in three space blankets, all the while thinking, “I never want to do
this again, my Ironman career ends here”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I sent a quick text to my kids telling them I made it and
that I would talk to them the next day. I had a hot shower and screamed while
taking it because when the water hit my chaffed areas, it hurt so bad I could
hardly stand up. My head hit the pillow and I was dead to the world until my
alarm went off 4 hours later.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had to
get my butt down to the Ironman store so I could purchase a finishers jacket
before they were all gone.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I looked at all the Facebook posts, and watched a video
of my kids watching me finish while my 4 day old granddaughter had her foot
kicked up on the laptop, watching too. I call it the social media “aftershock”,
it brought tears to my eyes reading all the posts from friends and family. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dw6TmzE0JK24HyHw_5EqvC9F2BN1yKSP6249QOTe85y7bWtUxTrnA9G7db1HxxwYRmOlJzM86kKhTvR7dcb0Q' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I went to breakfast to find out that Ray had finished,
they turned out the lights as he was nearing the oval, but he ran around and
through the finish line.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The medical guy
that caught him, saw his scar because his jersey was unzipped and asked him
about it. Ray told him he had a 5 bypass heart surgery 6 months ago and the guy
said, “you deserve this!” and got him his finisher medal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ray was sure he would not be an official
finisher, but that morning we opened the paper and he was listed as the FINAL
finisher. Ray’s story is the Cinderella story of IMLP 2016. </span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh45PH8ZDll-CO_w0vBGCdAFyPAiVU7hrE3fTmtqFf9W7Yw_8967IS_2Chsz0IXYQP29xn7yNBMKURbL9jBEnYizoNVntrB8ANMCCJcsbw7RWXnmbSJdJDwGbYdRqu3U_Vgpuho7lSyzz63/s1600/ray+finish.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh45PH8ZDll-CO_w0vBGCdAFyPAiVU7hrE3fTmtqFf9W7Yw_8967IS_2Chsz0IXYQP29xn7yNBMKURbL9jBEnYizoNVntrB8ANMCCJcsbw7RWXnmbSJdJDwGbYdRqu3U_Vgpuho7lSyzz63/s400/ray+finish.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ray at the finish line</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I saw Mark at breakfast also and found out that he was
just fine, that was funny, because I was sure he had died, but at least now I
didn’t feel so bad about leaving him in medical all alone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">We discussed our races, the weather conditions, and all
of our injuries, and the award for the worst injury goes to Sketchy for his sun
burned tramp stamp, I’m pretty sure it’s a 2<sup>nd</sup> degree burn.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTeE37i_VZoVjQhB98-MCKRHHkiap2wDdUB_5nJ_m1MeN2PJARL35ctKRnLcNFWlQEKStUiKuCOYvdUc-fanQT-gvZidqu_yn9qvtaOpETsxOkgftpBe1L1Y5P_0_5u_RTDTzFBby2DMoC/s1600/tramp+stamp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTeE37i_VZoVjQhB98-MCKRHHkiap2wDdUB_5nJ_m1MeN2PJARL35ctKRnLcNFWlQEKStUiKuCOYvdUc-fanQT-gvZidqu_yn9qvtaOpETsxOkgftpBe1L1Y5P_0_5u_RTDTzFBby2DMoC/s400/tramp+stamp.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The latest in Ironman tramp stamps</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">A few final notes, my mouth was so sore I could hardly
eat for a couple days, it was weird, but Wildman had the same issue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I looked it up and found that it is very
common in endurance races for that to happen, there are many different theories
on why it happens though.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have to
Thank everyone who cheered me on, especially my Super fan, Jenna, and all my
virtual fans at home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thanks to my
family for supporting me through the training and the race. Thanks to Emersyn
Ray, for making her entrance before the race. Thanks to the Crewe and the
Zilla’s for all the long training days and talking me off the ledge on so many
of them. Last, but not least, th<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">anks to </span>Dr A+, aka Arthur Langston, for getting me through
the hamstring issue that plagued me the last 6 weeks of training. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">So I am now an Ironman to the 4<sup>th</sup> power, I
never saw that coming…</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Will I do another Ironman???</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial";">Photo credit: Kirsten and Jenna</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
Trek Mountain Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16901382514879478984noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9082478865600658051.post-1527166445054054982016-01-09T17:00:00.001-08:002016-01-11T11:09:57.721-08:00Castlewood Adventure Race 2016<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">After a 2 year hiatus from adventure racing, I decided it
was time to come back to the sport and try racing again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What that really means is that my knee felt
stable enough to handle the trekking across rough terrain and my job changed,
so I was at home for more than 2 days a week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">My usual teammate Chuck, had to join another team because
I was never available to race, so when Castlewood rolled around he was already
committed to volunteering with his new cast of characters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I had to find a team, and of course someone would have to
orienteer because I always counted on Chuck for that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can plot and I can somewhat read the map,
but there is no way I am good enough to be in charge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just ask Chuck, if he ever needed to double
check his skills he would ask me which way we should go, then go the opposite
direction from what I suggested, which always turned out to be the correct way.
</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I have been training with a Crewe of characters for the
last couple of years and have talked up adventure racing enough to get them
interested in it. It didn’t take much to talk Jeff and John into trying it, but
Mike was another story. We never actually convinced him to do it, we just sort
of kept talking like he had agreed, it’s the power of suggestion, when we all
entered the race, it took him a couple days, but he finally entered it too. I’m
not sure he considered us friends after that fateful day when he hit the submit
button and entered his first adventure race. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">When you think of a rookie adventure racer you probably
think of someone with a little bit of an adventure base. Well with this group,
that would be a wrong assumption.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>John
and Jeff both had old mountain bikes, neither had much time in the saddle on
them and certainly not off road. Mike did not have a mountain bike and had
never even thought about riding one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No
problem, I just lent Mike one of mine. Jeff borrowed our friend Russ’s bike
since his weighed about a ton and had no suspension at all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>John’s bike was a little newer, but still
heavy, the problem was since he is more of a giant than a hobbit, we couldn’t
lend him one, so he was stuck with the heavy bike, but it builds character,
right. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">We spent some time riding in the woods, worried about
Mike, funny thing was, Mike was a natural, and he rocked the single track. When
we told him that he was really good, he thought we were just trying to make him
believe it so he wouldn’t back out, but he was a natural at it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think it was his low center of gravity, being
a hobbit he lives very close to the ground. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Since a lot of the bike sections during past Castlewood
races have usually been road riding and not single track, I felt that my team
would be fine with only minimal training.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We all had a good running base because we have been in the early stages
of Ironman training, so the trekking would be ok as long as my knee held out.
As far as the canoe went, we had no training, and I’m a terrible paddler.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mike and John didn’t have any paddling
skills, but Jeff had done more and was pretty confident in his ability.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So we decided that Jeff and Mike would be in
one canoe and John and I would be in the other.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>That may not have been the best decision, as you will see later. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Our only goal for this race was to have fun and finish
without assistance by a helicopter, ambulance or rescue team, we would call
this success. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">We sat down at the local coffee shop after an early
morning run and reviewed the gear list.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I had a lot of extra gear, so what I didn’t need I lent to the team,
that way no one had to spend much cash on gear. The sad part of this was, Jeff
and Mike cold both wear my clothes, if my clothes fit two guys, I’m getting way
too fat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With that said, I was able to
lend them enough gear for the race. John on the other hand is a giant and I
told him to go to Goodwill for his stuff.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Now all we needed was a name for this group of misfits
that we have called “The Crewe” for the last two years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So of course it made sense that we name
ourselves “The Adventure Crewe”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Plus
when we were exhausted and on our death beds, laying in a ditch somewhere, it
would be easy to remember what our name was when the rescue team showed up to
save us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">John picked up the packets at the Alpine shop on Friday
and met us for dinner where we plotted our maps. It was a bit dark in Deweys
Pizza so we had to get out the headlamps, I’m afraid everyone in the restaurant
was a little bit afraid of us. We plotted the points and double checked them,
we actually did it rather quickly and accurately, but then again, Jeff is
really good at whatever he does, so it was his leadership that made it so easy.
</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">That brings us to race day, Jeff, Mike and I carpooled to
the race and met John there, we were all a bit nervous, even me, it had been a
long time since I had adventure raced. We double checked our packs and found
that Mike was missing his headlamp, but we had enough time to find it. That was
the first disaster adverted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJhKu99aSETp4gIvrp61LNCoQnbr92JLZglVjOW9KkqW5rxa_v8gHRotfOAVhgVlTxzHCahJ0AMgIn0ii-dyPOosVfXvzaCm3SMW1PU68vfLannFZgZoRNzWyWGixZLZmK-joXXhSTkR0v/s1600/team.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJhKu99aSETp4gIvrp61LNCoQnbr92JLZglVjOW9KkqW5rxa_v8gHRotfOAVhgVlTxzHCahJ0AMgIn0ii-dyPOosVfXvzaCm3SMW1PU68vfLannFZgZoRNzWyWGixZLZmK-joXXhSTkR0v/s400/team.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Double Checking our Gear</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">We couldn’t decide what to wear, the weather was cold,
but would get warm quickly, so we all put on and then removed clothes as we
were waiting for the race start. Emily, the race director gave us some pre-race
comments then played the national anthem and off we went into the wild just as
the sun was coming up. Well not really, we actually got loaded into buses and
driven off to the wild.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM4-FLyiI9uS84fXhS8ls5_mOUYkgjaOPN_cKp_cbuGeoWNZe1aTki2GfX0rBYXI5w22ILb4h4jVZszYgPhVcZLpaE8dj9r1SzDionN8ysTmyL2MuscJX_PwHDPyryPIobTHb5OYQDzPeR/s1600/sunrise.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM4-FLyiI9uS84fXhS8ls5_mOUYkgjaOPN_cKp_cbuGeoWNZe1aTki2GfX0rBYXI5w22ILb4h4jVZszYgPhVcZLpaE8dj9r1SzDionN8ysTmyL2MuscJX_PwHDPyryPIobTHb5OYQDzPeR/s400/sunrise.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunrise just before the start of the race</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">After a short bus ride we were ready to race.</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8W2ToDsXPV8T8bPBu8R3VP9J-afW9TNFBJICLwoW-kZ7ErBoRoynImYBGGaELvkaheyTExTw6DJN-ZdPL3oFDSHRejaNLMM_ndltuUAGCwtk684uGtR_oix8j9LsLwOldMaZ4cnTsTWGm/s1600/DSC01590.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8W2ToDsXPV8T8bPBu8R3VP9J-afW9TNFBJICLwoW-kZ7ErBoRoynImYBGGaELvkaheyTExTw6DJN-ZdPL3oFDSHRejaNLMM_ndltuUAGCwtk684uGtR_oix8j9LsLwOldMaZ4cnTsTWGm/s400/DSC01590.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bus Ride to the Start</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The race started with a trekking section, we did really
well and weren’t even last out of the section.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuztHsh84re3J3pVAwn9s8eXMrLAqP56B1WlqglVHrpkJjl-xHDhc4sU6j-hUxjxZfkzc_s-U02YlY2vxdZgTE052Xudv_ZIWX5sQZ406Sn25wN1WZ-tRvqeo9Y4Zi2ZhGB33K29JbHL_I/s1600/contro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuztHsh84re3J3pVAwn9s8eXMrLAqP56B1WlqglVHrpkJjl-xHDhc4sU6j-hUxjxZfkzc_s-U02YlY2vxdZgTE052Xudv_ZIWX5sQZ406Sn25wN1WZ-tRvqeo9Y4Zi2ZhGB33K29JbHL_I/s400/contro.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Check Point</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">We then had a bit of a slow transition to the paddle, but
we were finally in the water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXx5NoZmnY9BWRrrb3noVgKq4vtJGSktqO-xInRQf-X3Hyqq6jV5_bSnjqPTWRxm3gs4IkTUGZcKf74n_d4uOe6eLPCUR0uFAg_v3XuwZmP4HRIkeJgm_XBMolCgwfCyAXnVSBZMRbUink/s1600/robin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="289" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXx5NoZmnY9BWRrrb3noVgKq4vtJGSktqO-xInRQf-X3Hyqq6jV5_bSnjqPTWRxm3gs4IkTUGZcKf74n_d4uOe6eLPCUR0uFAg_v3XuwZmP4HRIkeJgm_XBMolCgwfCyAXnVSBZMRbUink/s400/robin.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting ready to Paddle</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoa34JQg__DhBAPge-XLOpcEiR6OvzF93ya2wAWpdOg0EXZC2eEaJbvgynJ9RlIGZwHgq6J5gcdJm4klxF69X_2yJ75d8w3rkgch6D2MJGbkhHuKSQPG5oXNwq1CySQNCT4QneCdovA7Yz/s1600/canoe2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoa34JQg__DhBAPge-XLOpcEiR6OvzF93ya2wAWpdOg0EXZC2eEaJbvgynJ9RlIGZwHgq6J5gcdJm4klxF69X_2yJ75d8w3rkgch6D2MJGbkhHuKSQPG5oXNwq1CySQNCT4QneCdovA7Yz/s400/canoe2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Paddling down the River</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Of course I was worried about Jeff and Mike on the
paddle, only to find out that they were fantastic at it, so much so, that John
and I couldn’t keep up with them. We just kept running into Kate and Mickey,
crashing into the shore or spinning our canoe around backwards.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was really starting to get frustrated, but
I thought, we aren’t here to win the race, we are here to have fun and finish. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We did get to float by Chuck’s chimney fire
and see Lori taking photos of us in the water by the bluff, oh and Chuck
offered us homemade moonshine, but we declined, who knows maybe we would have
been better paddlers if we had drank the moonshine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We finally made it to the canoe takeout, I
think by that time Jeff and Mike were getting pretty frustrated with our paddling
ability. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think Mike mentioned to Jeff
that we had to be dead, because only dead people could be as slow as we
were.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Next we had a gear check, which we passed, then hopped on
our bikes for the next section. As we rode off, I realized that I did not punch
the passport at gear check, so we had to turn around and ride back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Good thing we only lost a couple minutes
doing that. I’m the experienced racer and I was the one that messed up, pretty
embarrassing, but another disaster adverted.</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFluT3Fa4nb4u65qS4Glzeti2sk1aV3g9EFAg5LZj84634_dhyAhOg18y_P4O2I-nE8rvSzZDWudrncPpl-ZqxaEPVfkOS8TzkN26aLlZvQSM6w29_-cjBUCwWRAiu7PH2jQDrs6k5tBBV/s1600/team3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFluT3Fa4nb4u65qS4Glzeti2sk1aV3g9EFAg5LZj84634_dhyAhOg18y_P4O2I-nE8rvSzZDWudrncPpl-ZqxaEPVfkOS8TzkN26aLlZvQSM6w29_-cjBUCwWRAiu7PH2jQDrs6k5tBBV/s400/team3.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Don't forget to Punch the Passport</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The bike section went great, Jeff was leading us right to
every checkpoint and it felt good to be able to keep up on the bike, not like
the paddle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5MfebnDBGfzdXyrDxx0CUz-t3_PRQTJBfi98ILCbevV1lTWcyKxEKOrIbxZ1oXDcxNcPNOtMzvt3QNBWHuvOmuwkmhCsqy0v1q9NW9FHoeiTAqVMpoZ-UpzfNld4jeWttXbVeKbKHLBiH/s1600/bike1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5MfebnDBGfzdXyrDxx0CUz-t3_PRQTJBfi98ILCbevV1lTWcyKxEKOrIbxZ1oXDcxNcPNOtMzvt3QNBWHuvOmuwkmhCsqy0v1q9NW9FHoeiTAqVMpoZ-UpzfNld4jeWttXbVeKbKHLBiH/s400/bike1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Biking the Hills</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The hills we rode were killers and at a couple points we
saw people walking the hills, but I was able to stay on and weave my way up the
hills.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I would have probably gotten up
faster walking though. It was a pride thing, I was not going to walk.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have John Dean to thank for that, he has
schooled me on the bike long enough to know how to reach the top of a mountain.
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were a couple places that we had
to bike whack too, and let me tell you, bike whacking really sucks, I made it
through, but there was doubt in my mind a couple times. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Jts2DTxpZUNpH3fiTU5h0LRVJAaxSJhDHiQKKFWA5P0D8uJLcXSuGih0gsA0SVkJvSjRCidAyOV93lb8Rd6LXFuwjqUxx7ABz-BG_OdhacqANejRVMBEnrP8JXajC4x6BrHZ4m6wDcBB/s1600/robinbike1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="289" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Jts2DTxpZUNpH3fiTU5h0LRVJAaxSJhDHiQKKFWA5P0D8uJLcXSuGih0gsA0SVkJvSjRCidAyOV93lb8Rd6LXFuwjqUxx7ABz-BG_OdhacqANejRVMBEnrP8JXajC4x6BrHZ4m6wDcBB/s400/robinbike1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bike Whacking</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbnxMFU9wtHHKUlUydgJ64ityn0pgL2x6EJb1upCOfqEJgoN9It1mtIrNpYhbjTRJvwbnhkEAD1KbD19wWI3Kblr2tog40rR8EqoIy7gA63ZAFroGV-1n4LKeb37jbCadaY4sbTXlU1jut/s1600/teambike1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbnxMFU9wtHHKUlUydgJ64ityn0pgL2x6EJb1upCOfqEJgoN9It1mtIrNpYhbjTRJvwbnhkEAD1KbD19wWI3Kblr2tog40rR8EqoIy7gA63ZAFroGV-1n4LKeb37jbCadaY4sbTXlU1jut/s400/teambike1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crossing the Creek</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">We quickly ended up at a CP that was inside a giant authentic
Teepee, it was really cool. There was a
guy standing there and he was nice enough to take some photos of us in front of
it. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5Z_MLKeKZQQE3Mw6rVKQCGlIYECY-1NZWtuB-AzWTLuy7ZJT5VEociB9KTVNN3l7X_d75CDsXDrCh_wn7kyxNmuhvXa-ZHFZLPxpYXR5wlq6lgUyqSwDH5Z365mN9OtSDxrOzYb5aERQN/s1600/DSC01591.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5Z_MLKeKZQQE3Mw6rVKQCGlIYECY-1NZWtuB-AzWTLuy7ZJT5VEociB9KTVNN3l7X_d75CDsXDrCh_wn7kyxNmuhvXa-ZHFZLPxpYXR5wlq6lgUyqSwDH5Z365mN9OtSDxrOzYb5aERQN/s400/DSC01591.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We found the Teepee</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The next CP was at transition which was down a long muddy
hill, it was so muddy and slick that we had to get off our bikes and walk them
down the hill.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By the time we got to the
bottom of the hill there was so much mud on my bike that my tires wouldn’t roll.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD_136LsZz-cWdIEdy8DzoCd6yFCepNCKeldP5F52quKhLtHx8mDffk85XjFLni03wE4D7xGLWic93SQy0AKrxtdxVpJL_P0k21wsoTbJSKVZ-FgHjstqhagcxkMgh_4HoJHCsp-8fKetq/s1600/DSC01597.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD_136LsZz-cWdIEdy8DzoCd6yFCepNCKeldP5F52quKhLtHx8mDffk85XjFLni03wE4D7xGLWic93SQy0AKrxtdxVpJL_P0k21wsoTbJSKVZ-FgHjstqhagcxkMgh_4HoJHCsp-8fKetq/s400/DSC01597.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So Much Mud</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpiaOHSLiJvKb66H7xKWICXdxX54ajbJsHKOzvJDROFovrSF1C3spHJenMjmvdnG_IRIRtvszvhKzmZfzz0DXHed2HldqjwfurScHvGXT-ctJ1n5I75dFcVmWakV9Iwk-VzEDasDuN17cM/s1600/tiretrack.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpiaOHSLiJvKb66H7xKWICXdxX54ajbJsHKOzvJDROFovrSF1C3spHJenMjmvdnG_IRIRtvszvhKzmZfzz0DXHed2HldqjwfurScHvGXT-ctJ1n5I75dFcVmWakV9Iwk-VzEDasDuN17cM/s400/tiretrack.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Slick as Snot</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">We had to stop and find sticks to try and get enough mud
off the tires that we could ride to the CP.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">After the bike section we were back at transition to get
another map and head out for another trekking section. </span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ6e-y6XUprhfBmOtCKOiErcM_9AKdf10RY5NsF3Ggi39tRhH-P5ljdT72Ji8s5wgU65GJzwl-5ASIqrEN94JWxstK_Nf7wpHCTzH7bmzacoSEEpJvuF0ZebHRTVUMpYJlNWm4gchsyCKq/s1600/team6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ6e-y6XUprhfBmOtCKOiErcM_9AKdf10RY5NsF3Ggi39tRhH-P5ljdT72Ji8s5wgU65GJzwl-5ASIqrEN94JWxstK_Nf7wpHCTzH7bmzacoSEEpJvuF0ZebHRTVUMpYJlNWm4gchsyCKq/s400/team6.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Back at Transition for Another Map</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Funny though, as we started the next section there was
already teams that had finished with all the CP’s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My knee was starting to hurt, but I was still
moving ok.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mike on the other had was
having a problem with his foot and was having a hard time during the trek, but
he never gave up, he just kept going dragging that foot with him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were hitting the CP’s about every 7
minutes making really good progress and then we hit the wall looking for CP 31.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We wasted about 70 minutes looking for it and
we finally found it, we swear that the CP was not exactly where it should have
been, but thanks to Jeff we found it. </span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP0Q_7Bg4XDrCvkxXPeIIKh9XZaayipkOxYd84KE5-fRkAHXWdzFyKS55MBiAqOd73ftKLb4saItn_8tZij358eUMqRh418shourFyOywCwnnbgoY8Bdt7fG5yMmJMbrQLDTaQ_csUEttz/s1600/germer1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP0Q_7Bg4XDrCvkxXPeIIKh9XZaayipkOxYd84KE5-fRkAHXWdzFyKS55MBiAqOd73ftKLb4saItn_8tZij358eUMqRh418shourFyOywCwnnbgoY8Bdt7fG5yMmJMbrQLDTaQ_csUEttz/s400/germer1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking for CP 31</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBdQCgT2NWIsr9oEK7GGzBvK_L5hcT5UsHyyJRPNRrPevuIm6WFU5N3ZLQX5GT6r3Nb7DeWbiK4BqaswrI3nR64IKGT2UDLtiLtBAIFlrBX23kjq0o5Nrd3chTf7OmZ-Bg39r7K9OJC6dw/s1600/john.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="289" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBdQCgT2NWIsr9oEK7GGzBvK_L5hcT5UsHyyJRPNRrPevuIm6WFU5N3ZLQX5GT6r3Nb7DeWbiK4BqaswrI3nR64IKGT2UDLtiLtBAIFlrBX23kjq0o5Nrd3chTf7OmZ-Bg39r7K9OJC6dw/s400/john.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Steam in the Fog</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8pVqKlWG-knDDYomKCl5DDpRWq17CSCZ6vlpJRm1afi8QtnAnUUhn9rEGGxJQ4RrIBR2Uxx5XGKfCIryqsCAoVIRvVhRN7nzc2gDz0G9xzyGMtJyNQAw9yRMAwGM9v76M4gA95lYG1pG0/s1600/robin2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8pVqKlWG-knDDYomKCl5DDpRWq17CSCZ6vlpJRm1afi8QtnAnUUhn9rEGGxJQ4RrIBR2Uxx5XGKfCIryqsCAoVIRvVhRN7nzc2gDz0G9xzyGMtJyNQAw9yRMAwGM9v76M4gA95lYG1pG0/s400/robin2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's getting Hot out here</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Off we went to the next CP’s and we were back in our
groove, finding them quickly, but we were getting close to the cutoff
time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had one more CP to get and 30
minutes to do it in, the problem was that it was pretty far out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With my knee starting to really hurt, I was
dragging behind and Mike was right there with me, his foot hurting too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We knew if we could go right to the CP we
might make it to the finish just in time, but if one thing went wrong or we
couldn’t find the CP quickly we would lose one CP for every minute we were
late.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We decided not to chance it and
headed back to the finish line without taking the last CP.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We got in with time to spare and were very
happy with our performance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Three
newbies and a veteran, and we only missed on CP and not because we couldn’t
find it, but because our strategy was to finish on time. </span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBrZyLFH_13TzvUVvnyhD-6kueynWk3P1Y7F463TT1XM-ZyLchDlrRIkDXM5-w_DYwOuxGIfr1VnW_2onOzhOmfU7tzkxpVHB9xA7i1Ej3D_-IffBQdEePWh6rxJBRk8ZfAuPUERQeBxKq/s1600/team9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBrZyLFH_13TzvUVvnyhD-6kueynWk3P1Y7F463TT1XM-ZyLchDlrRIkDXM5-w_DYwOuxGIfr1VnW_2onOzhOmfU7tzkxpVHB9xA7i1Ej3D_-IffBQdEePWh6rxJBRk8ZfAuPUERQeBxKq/s400/team9.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yeah, We Finished</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">We went into the lodge and ate some baked potatoes and
would have drank some beer, but it was all gone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If I had one constructive criticism for the
race director it would be to make sure you have beer to put out when the teams
that finish at the back of the pack come in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">On the whole it was a fantastic race, great course, great
volunteers, a really fun race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A big
thanks to Apline Shop for keeping the race alive and to Emily for making it
such a fun race. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">A BIG THANKS to my teammates, Jeff, Mike and John, it was
a great adventure, you are great friends and teammates. I feel really blessed
to have such great friends that will agree to do crazy things with me. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As for Mike, I think his adventure racing
career might be over.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jeff will never
quit because CP 31 haunts him nightly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now
John, I think he can be talked into anything, if Jeff says let’s do another
adventure race, John will say, “ok”. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Photos courtesy Alpine Shop and Jeff's Adventure Cam.</span></div>
Trek Mountain Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16901382514879478984noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9082478865600658051.post-11942592581277269332015-09-04T14:13:00.000-07:002017-02-14T08:07:25.884-08:00My Hero<div style="text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><i>By Robin Misukonis</i> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I was taking to a guy in the airport while waiting to
board a plane to St Louis, he noticed the Ironman suitcase that I was wheeling
around.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As always, when people notice
something I’m wearing or ha<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">ve</span> with me, is branded with Ironman or the MDot, they
can’t help but ask, “have you done an Ironman”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The conversation always goes one of three ways.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The person asking has done an Ironman in the
past and wants to compare experiences and race courses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He/she wants to do an Ironman and asks about
my race experience to get assurance that he/she can complete the race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lastly, it is people who don’t know what
Ironman really is, they have just heard a little about it and want to ask all
kinds of questions about how you train and how you could possibly complete a
race that long.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The guy I was chatting with wanted to do an Ironman, but
was afraid that he would not be able to complete one, he had only done sprint
and Olympic distance races in the past.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Looking at him, he was in decent shape and I had no doubt with the right
training plan and commitment he could do it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I asked him about his past races, people love to talk
about their races so it was easy to get details of his race history.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I told him that anyone could finish an
Ironman if they had a training plan and stuck to it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I did warn him that the training is time
consuming and not always easy. That you have days when you can’t even do short
workouts without falling apart and doubting your abilities, but that in the end
if you stick to it, it will all come together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Our conversation drug on, the guy didn’t want to stop talking about
it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At one point in the conversation he
asked me who my hero was. He expected me to say some great triathlete, runner,
biker or swimmer, but that wasn’t my answer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I didn’t have to think about it much to answer, and he was surprised
when I answered, and asked me why I would choose this person as my hero and not
a great athlete.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I know you are trying to guess who my hero is now, is it
God, is it a celebrity, is it a world leader, an athlete of some type, maybe a
teacher or a friend.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nope, it is none of
these.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is someone I have known all my
life and have <span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">total</span> respect for, who I’m afraid of disappointing, someone I want
to grow up to be like.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s my Mom!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know people pick parents as their hero all
the time, so there has to be a reason for it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI8wOt7HWB1mMg-6Z5CJefZN5_lvTs5Ppwumn_rblZwmap9xnIanw-JeMTKFa-F8A63ZAvcus2JdvM-A3VubQw66mykRgJ2XHRL3DY_ffmih2SZMZCyP4lIUD2m8NEujT3kk-zLw8Cint9/s1600/moms43.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="370" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI8wOt7HWB1mMg-6Z5CJefZN5_lvTs5Ppwumn_rblZwmap9xnIanw-JeMTKFa-F8A63ZAvcus2JdvM-A3VubQw66mykRgJ2XHRL3DY_ffmih2SZMZCyP4lIUD2m8NEujT3kk-zLw8Cint9/s400/moms43.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mom at 16</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">So after I finally shook the guy, he was kind of
following me around, I started thinking why I chose my mom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This guy’s question kept nagging at me, so
since I was spending my day hanging out in various airports, I decided that I
would write a blog post about why my mom is my hero</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">She isn’t an athlete, she never had a big job, <span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">her job</span> took
skills to do and she liked it, but it didn’t pay very well, she is far from
famous, well except for her homemade salsa, it’s pretty famous in Edwardsville.
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Her biggest accomplishment is raising
five happy, healthy, successful kids on a budget not large enough for one
person to live on. That’s my opinion though, she might think here biggest
accomplishment is something else, like maybe living through a zipline adventure
or something like that. </span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCDkATKgylYYsJn7hhKOuqB6Hi95BwObKZfZBXlO-VQaR6w-rpudVzFza_Efn3RUKH6SdC1OKvqPdiYfBW9g1pCl6bMxKNxXBHWn0c9i3AGXyGRllooVDIpCTGeZmY-pIm5R6IFJmcy9DU/s1600/pics02_129.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="395" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCDkATKgylYYsJn7hhKOuqB6Hi95BwObKZfZBXlO-VQaR6w-rpudVzFza_Efn3RUKH6SdC1OKvqPdiYfBW9g1pCl6bMxKNxXBHWn0c9i3AGXyGRllooVDIpCTGeZmY-pIm5R6IFJmcy9DU/s400/pics02_129.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mom, Dad and Darryl</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">By the age of 30 my mom was working as a beautician, and
we all know that’s not a high paying career, she had 5 kids between the age of
2 and 10, and she was widowed, raising us all as a single parent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It sounds like a really sad situation doesn’t
it, but you are really wrong if that is what you are thinking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnBtxN3qqYaYC0XVP0GE8exFdPxxjHTPDd_4dp1Vz8VHzon1xd8VKDRT5Vh_xxtbViONq5HoBCjpilhdLJtTTO4fHt3cZh1Xk9BCxzr0FO1gL-NsE_yit3WckOBwprfrSP354Ms208lmB1/s1600/oldpics38.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="388" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnBtxN3qqYaYC0XVP0GE8exFdPxxjHTPDd_4dp1Vz8VHzon1xd8VKDRT5Vh_xxtbViONq5HoBCjpilhdLJtTTO4fHt3cZh1Xk9BCxzr0FO1gL-NsE_yit3WckOBwprfrSP354Ms208lmB1/s400/oldpics38.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mom with me and my brothers</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">You see, we were poor, we lived in the projects, but we
really had everything a person needs to be happy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We didn’t have the best clothes, but they
were always clean, and we were always clean, well except for Aaron and Blake,
there was not enough soap in the county to keep them clean, but at some point
each day they were clean.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">We didn’t get expensive junk food or soda, we didn’t go
out to eat ever, we cooked everything at home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We had a garden and grew a lot of our food that my mom canned to help us
through the winter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We wasted nothing,
I’m embarrassed to say that I find myself wasting food sometimes,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and hear my mom in my head saying “don’t
waste that”, I should know better.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
were never hungry though, well I was sometimes if I didn’t get to the dinner
table before my brothers did.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">We may have lived in the projects, but our apartment was
a real home. My mom would make stuff to decorate it with, and she would
refinish old furniture to make it look nice. The house was clean or as clean as
you can keep it with 5 kids. We all had jobs around the house and in the yard,
my mom would say “just because your poor doesn’t mean you’re not clean”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She also believed that we should all know how
to take care of ourselves, we all knew how to cook, clean, do laundry, cut grass,
plant a garden and can food. There were no boy’s vs girl’s jobs, we all learned
to do everything. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had tons of
friends, and of course they were all poor too, funny thing is, none of us knew
we were poor, because poor is relative.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There were so many people living around us that had so much less, that
we thought they were poor, not us.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb9VlHL-oKhUDm7VgSclmxH5JCpiGshqF66QUEgUJuox46q86H-jj-FK3tvWe6d9ouf2KhUoScLPFzOviVwKcGpIr0WNWVQWZXH70OZl2gtloKMAqsLkgJZLxTlILJghu6wex-0oboCZWy/s1600/newerphotos54.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb9VlHL-oKhUDm7VgSclmxH5JCpiGshqF66QUEgUJuox46q86H-jj-FK3tvWe6d9ouf2KhUoScLPFzOviVwKcGpIr0WNWVQWZXH70OZl2gtloKMAqsLkgJZLxTlILJghu6wex-0oboCZWy/s400/newerphotos54.jpg" width="287" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Darryl, Robin, Joel, Aaron, Blake</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Any activity we wanted to join my mom somehow, someway
found the money to pay for it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I played
soccer, ran track, was a girl scout and even played the violin for a while,
well, I’m not sure you could call it actually playing, I was pretty awful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The point is activities cost money that she
didn’t have but she always found a way for us to participate. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">We celebrated all holidays, decorating, having a holiday
dinner, presents at Christmas, not expensive stuff, but we always had gifts to
open and were happy with whatever we got.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Family events and activities were a tradition and we still have many of
them now. Every winter my uncle and aunt would come over on snow days and we
would play board games all day long, which is one of my fondest memories from
my childhood.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Someone once told me my family was like a clan, there
were so many of us and we did everything together. I kind of like being part of
this clan, in the end, it’s always your family that you can count on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjne5oOEjxJAAawPVQ-5s27Y7ZJ6-ZIsfhYfVKS9d-vK70Tb_YxK2rhVkMhSlAhDIQrCeSaaAS_jO4d9c5ukwmqDYhqHHEL-MCEgowO0O8xR9bTn9PsGvw4_0MacjbJOGl8lzAL9ecnCrkN/s1600/moms107.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjne5oOEjxJAAawPVQ-5s27Y7ZJ6-ZIsfhYfVKS9d-vK70Tb_YxK2rhVkMhSlAhDIQrCeSaaAS_jO4d9c5ukwmqDYhqHHEL-MCEgowO0O8xR9bTn9PsGvw4_0MacjbJOGl8lzAL9ecnCrkN/s400/moms107.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All grown up</td></tr>
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</div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">After my dad died my mom met someone, a friend of my
uncles, his name was Jimmie <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and we all
moved to rural Edwardsville with him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
was a big change going from the projects with a million friends to having 10
kids in a 5 mile radius, but of course we adapted and made friends and found
activities to get involved in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If fact
this is when I started running.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You could
say this was the start of my athletic career. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">As we grew up we all got jobs, bailing hay, cleaning horse
and goat stales, cleaning houses, cutting grass, shoveling snow, we all worked
hard to make money.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is where you
see our upbringing influencing our path in life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We knew that if we wanted stuff that was not
necessary we needed to work for it, nothing came without hard work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We learned that from our mom, she may not of
made much money, but she worked hard both at work and at home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She never asked for handouts, she figured out
how to get by with what she had.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She also
was a sucker for helping people, we had multiple kids live with us throughout
our childhood, because they had no place to go and she couldn’t let that happen
even if she was barely scrapping by. It was not easy and I remember her saying
“when you think it can’t get worse it will, so just quit whining and figure out
how to make the best of it”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wish she
would have had an easier life, but she always made due with the hand she was dealt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG5VfclCIu44SqGPi4-aAK04cM-g8KF6uLH3rvkPWNYGYhf4CSX24fP1tXSYq0OvllklktnuGb_ZYKCfFhnkY7tQ6PhSILk4aTbObAIMKn_TWCvAD3xERmqKRMEsvbvINXbxzLk7Kr3BMj/s1600/cruise7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG5VfclCIu44SqGPi4-aAK04cM-g8KF6uLH3rvkPWNYGYhf4CSX24fP1tXSYq0OvllklktnuGb_ZYKCfFhnkY7tQ6PhSILk4aTbObAIMKn_TWCvAD3xERmqKRMEsvbvINXbxzLk7Kr3BMj/s400/cruise7.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mom was never a gambler</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Jimmie died before my mom was even 50, and she never had
another man around, she said “everytime I find someone they die”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I guess she didn’t want to take another
chance on that happening again, but I think she likes being the queen of her
own castle though.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHVcrX8mQ1NGL_hJB94d1BD40M-yMNWla32yVMFNQ4AfghsoVqFeuXLm3xL-pq8n1arhMrNqyWM9lAG2_XRhdmf0DgQCXzw-al07ypaa-SmVlUNZJ7BSAPGmg1CLcacjG8i1J2c49yFvqh/s1600/moms85.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="322" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHVcrX8mQ1NGL_hJB94d1BD40M-yMNWla32yVMFNQ4AfghsoVqFeuXLm3xL-pq8n1arhMrNqyWM9lAG2_XRhdmf0DgQCXzw-al07ypaa-SmVlUNZJ7BSAPGmg1CLcacjG8i1J2c49yFvqh/s400/moms85.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mom and Jimmie</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">So after lots of hard work and sacrifice that me and my
brothers will never truly understand since we all live easier lives than she
did, she is happy, still working in her garden and making salsa, but she is
retired and enjoying some well deserved rest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7IOcWOZNr520sh5Z4091Xps_dt00_PNwbQRc6TBsQO5WLRReSIetw9yIKisENmpHe6DAQd24ADiDqi-52W7Jnz9URu-XvBshOp64AqrV1wta2ynohQIgmCSmzkXbdpxJ8tLmRKEC66WrL/s1600/newpic45.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7IOcWOZNr520sh5Z4091Xps_dt00_PNwbQRc6TBsQO5WLRReSIetw9yIKisENmpHe6DAQd24ADiDqi-52W7Jnz9URu-XvBshOp64AqrV1wta2ynohQIgmCSmzkXbdpxJ8tLmRKEC66WrL/s400/newpic45.jpg" width="275" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Relaxing on a cruise</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I am happy, I have 3 great kids, well most of the time
they are great, I have a good job, and I am an Ironman 3 times over. How did I
get here, well I grew up with the greatest hero of all, who led by example and
never gave up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Isn’t that what an
Ironman does!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m glad I’m where I am
today and even though I have times when I don’t think things can get worse,
they do, but I know my mom made it through those tough times and I can too. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am an Ironman, there is nothing I can’t do,
well, maybe I can’t hold a tune, but that’s about it. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">We all need a HERO…pick one that will show you how to be
happy!</span></div>
Trek Mountain Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16901382514879478984noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9082478865600658051.post-66319048870777675772014-07-31T19:16:00.001-07:002014-08-01T05:28:10.067-07:00Ironman Lake Placid 2014<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Wow! I don’t even know where to start with this story, so
many things happened, I don’t want to leave anything out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So let me start from the beginning.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">One year ago I signed up to compete in Ironman Lake
Placid.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know, I said I would never do
another IM after the last one, but my friend Russ talked me into doing it with
him for our 50<sup>th</sup> Birthdays.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Then our good friend (well, maybe our worst enemy) Bill talked us into
Lake Placid, not telling us that it was the hardest IM course in the U.S.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">So I signed up and all went well for about a month, then
my knee went south and I had to have surgery on it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I finally got off the crutches, I had
less than 5 months to go from doing nothing, to being in shape for an IM
race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I whined constantly, saying how
there was no way I would be ready, but Bill assured me I would.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He even gave me an injury recovery training
plan, which I used.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Things got better and my swims were going well, my bike
endurance was good, but the speed wasn’t quite there, my runs were surprisingly
good, I was having no problems keeping up with the group on most of the long
runs, there were a couple that were awful, but that is to be expected. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">With the help of many good friends and teammates, my
training went really well, even though I had to ice my knee 2 or 3 times a day
to keep it from blowing up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So many
people joined me for long workouts that it made the training fun and easy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">So now the real story starts, race week in motion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I decided to drive to Lake Placid, it should
have been a 17 hour drive, but for some reason it took me much longer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My daughters, China and Jade had planned to
go with me, but Jade got a new job just before race week and could not make the
trip.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So China brought her friend Sydney
instead.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We drove to Erie, PA, spent the
night at a Holiday Inn, then drove to Lake Placid the next morning, arriving on
Wednesday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a very long trip, but
very beautiful. Oh and we got to see all the road construction across 5 states.
<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkK9DIT_F_1W7-15MH1nDQrfBmosWXpo7rpw74jrr1yKVINcW8596xeTcmVobRZknPFhqd1m1ONNQxIQBgtPZ6aCKgpWYU-Izn6FehtATwhMZ4szUn3Q0B5Qh1K81ujPe_-unHAxggbGF2/s1600/IMG_1045.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkK9DIT_F_1W7-15MH1nDQrfBmosWXpo7rpw74jrr1yKVINcW8596xeTcmVobRZknPFhqd1m1ONNQxIQBgtPZ6aCKgpWYU-Izn6FehtATwhMZ4szUn3Q0B5Qh1K81ujPe_-unHAxggbGF2/s1600/IMG_1045.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Drive into Lake Placid</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">When we arrived we met Bill and Vicky and they introduced
us to all the other guys Bill races with every year, Eric, Steve and Dave, and
their families.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was almost like a big
party, we were all staying in the same Hotel, well actually a Motor Inn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were just a block from race transition and
Mirror lake.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Bill gave me the run down on the schedule for the week,
we would start each morning with swims at Mirror Lake and follow it up by
meeting our families for breakfast.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir9C4a9wE3xZpsmOoRSESAZV4rJwuVF2bM1YHTRAcsT1ycJ_pT-WoJ41Yzm7_gpThkWC6rdH-qlokD6EIBpitDB-BBET_VJXakAKmVn5MnUts6kfXhF__E9kUdihl2idJfOmOPIXmjTYrd/s1600/earlyswim.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir9C4a9wE3xZpsmOoRSESAZV4rJwuVF2bM1YHTRAcsT1ycJ_pT-WoJ41Yzm7_gpThkWC6rdH-qlokD6EIBpitDB-BBET_VJXakAKmVn5MnUts6kfXhF__E9kUdihl2idJfOmOPIXmjTYrd/s1600/earlyswim.jpg" height="400" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Early Morning Swim at Mirror Lake</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">We would spend some time driving the bike course, so we
would be prepared for what was coming.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And I have to say, it was a very beautiful course, and on the surface it
didn’t look that bad, but in reality, it was a very tough course.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiog6QZJ_6S0ECCd0NbzytRtlxnz5mjew_2mab3XMxHMWrJ7RY-M0ZF8SY6OFLi28mrjoSephYVGVxnVpC7rqAUwfoTNWMbW02VoIfFvncpHCmsCVc6dw3lWMgMbY2bW5NFV8F30vduTqHC/s1600/IMG_1050.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiog6QZJ_6S0ECCd0NbzytRtlxnz5mjew_2mab3XMxHMWrJ7RY-M0ZF8SY6OFLi28mrjoSephYVGVxnVpC7rqAUwfoTNWMbW02VoIfFvncpHCmsCVc6dw3lWMgMbY2bW5NFV8F30vduTqHC/s1600/IMG_1050.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Russ and Bill on the Bike Course</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxphXmgfrMifKACNvnZsQsCmRCzWrcP55f4DnKaDvVu0zQKgUOrrdqWVshnwmlRcXBrcOc-yMZRlBXRxDLujdL6J3pkmax3sUb-3rK0naRwEl_MjnMP52HhnJ-fym2clrLlhKXcpCLMmzt/s1600/IMG_1053.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxphXmgfrMifKACNvnZsQsCmRCzWrcP55f4DnKaDvVu0zQKgUOrrdqWVshnwmlRcXBrcOc-yMZRlBXRxDLujdL6J3pkmax3sUb-3rK0naRwEl_MjnMP52HhnJ-fym2clrLlhKXcpCLMmzt/s1600/IMG_1053.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bill and Robin on the Bike Course</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">We also planned to bike the course a couple days and running
some of the run course. So the Lake Placid 3 had a plan and we spent our days
jumping through the hoops that would get us across the finish line.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-zifM0JPWbWizRps61gZEnwq71g9En3A55_OKYVzFLM1Tf5Eb8PBf-Xl9GCbudWEq7d6DsS_raKeViwE2adw2pBU2CAeHe3W5V9I7jNk2sNeivOu_hRkZKoD07gBu9b0MB2AioaZKxYJP/s1600/lakeplacidrock.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-zifM0JPWbWizRps61gZEnwq71g9En3A55_OKYVzFLM1Tf5Eb8PBf-Xl9GCbudWEq7d6DsS_raKeViwE2adw2pBU2CAeHe3W5V9I7jNk2sNeivOu_hRkZKoD07gBu9b0MB2AioaZKxYJP/s1600/lakeplacidrock.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mirror Lake and the Lake Placid Three</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">As the week went on I found that I had many virtual
cheerleaders, my nieces made me good luck cards.</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZhfYNrfIWOiT3EpH-yVmpc6rI5ewdayJaM3UKzgCdMyJzDeTA9JPzP72W-4jzsxxgBQKy0iSrmQ_Z6C-QQ2o2Me86cMwozvzcgmg9HGJVQ9FbCgrIDAFMUFhiLSNFFYEBOLtLwl8CjuyR/s1600/cards.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZhfYNrfIWOiT3EpH-yVmpc6rI5ewdayJaM3UKzgCdMyJzDeTA9JPzP72W-4jzsxxgBQKy0iSrmQ_Z6C-QQ2o2Me86cMwozvzcgmg9HGJVQ9FbCgrIDAFMUFhiLSNFFYEBOLtLwl8CjuyR/s1600/cards.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Good Luck cards</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNzqgOWCyL41orj-1s757ZJC_incWGBgRHVaKdDWAmy70ADDuSAXLDkUHegtPjstoCVrqzpVOOD8rV71d3O6oo_7rc6YuEHlS5x9BQ5CtuwXEt9B8nH0QRD0WXqCjfUkVs8QMDq69OSq8V/s1600/sign.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNzqgOWCyL41orj-1s757ZJC_incWGBgRHVaKdDWAmy70ADDuSAXLDkUHegtPjstoCVrqzpVOOD8rV71d3O6oo_7rc6YuEHlS5x9BQ5CtuwXEt9B8nH0QRD0WXqCjfUkVs8QMDq69OSq8V/s1600/sign.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">How to Card from China</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">China and Sydney made me signs to hold up on race day.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDnD5JcAqIknDnWkmaR_3qQ1CouS8u7ii7FMCgxoa_LK30-eOxld6807OCKb7DMcgAzVJLrF1RBSj7MlnMrXg_olpRylZA-I0WiZgqvb92JhQOnjLDLSC3AMEWd-QG_lZ2XQa03egGgotS/s1600/girlssigns.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDnD5JcAqIknDnWkmaR_3qQ1CouS8u7ii7FMCgxoa_LK30-eOxld6807OCKb7DMcgAzVJLrF1RBSj7MlnMrXg_olpRylZA-I0WiZgqvb92JhQOnjLDLSC3AMEWd-QG_lZ2XQa03egGgotS/s1600/girlssigns.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Good Luck signs</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Adam, one of China and Sydney’s teammates at McKendree
University, made me a sign and the entire team took a photo to wish me good
luck, it almost made me cry when I saw it on Facebook.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Adam really wanted to come to the race with
China and Sydney, but he had to work so he couldn’t come.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So he came up with a plan to cheer me on from
home. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKiokLYN1CFsHcp534dtAT3kYnX9hRFVORrdoBDfn8XGVG-vpfsngbocBsc9eOZ40_4LvvlY9Srq-y_FxejvaLAaS-p1i_FIdakNudZywuyZgWUbUOnwyU_qZX4obl4y57Rv8kooW53UB1/s1600/cheerpic1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKiokLYN1CFsHcp534dtAT3kYnX9hRFVORrdoBDfn8XGVG-vpfsngbocBsc9eOZ40_4LvvlY9Srq-y_FxejvaLAaS-p1i_FIdakNudZywuyZgWUbUOnwyU_qZX4obl4y57Rv8kooW53UB1/s1600/cheerpic1.jpg" height="298" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">MCK Cheerleaders wishing me luck</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7iHlALEJE3S4LiAfr2oejl8-wE5NGYMRnYTddTi2IPf3CDxj9N7XylNmAMjDzM5Z1b7z2qC36xDw3k3QXlcxTrxlfi-RjKn2TcRt5Xs6vQ0Q8cO7sHAksvJBdy5j622bdZ8-cs8KT_LRu/s1600/mcksign+-+Copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7iHlALEJE3S4LiAfr2oejl8-wE5NGYMRnYTddTi2IPf3CDxj9N7XylNmAMjDzM5Z1b7z2qC36xDw3k3QXlcxTrxlfi-RjKn2TcRt5Xs6vQ0Q8cO7sHAksvJBdy5j622bdZ8-cs8KT_LRu/s1600/mcksign+-+Copy.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">MCK Good Luck Sign</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">On Thursday we got registered and picked up all our cool
IM gear, that only real Ironmen have, and we checked out Ironman village,
picking up all kinds of cool free stuff.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX36nHxFm8lUtvy8E9cuV6pjrXsQ5Ln84xQY3f4cy7rBT0C-WquACPMj9kXHXyQMDCbCpqW_U9OlaeKaVVQidDeDPqzxaz354h9me-X6A7s5YcW0GesRMTXQNpAgwGIgFQg1jN5RTzPFNO/s1600/timexvisor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX36nHxFm8lUtvy8E9cuV6pjrXsQ5Ln84xQY3f4cy7rBT0C-WquACPMj9kXHXyQMDCbCpqW_U9OlaeKaVVQidDeDPqzxaz354h9me-X6A7s5YcW0GesRMTXQNpAgwGIgFQg1jN5RTzPFNO/s1600/timexvisor.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Free visors from Timex for Posting cool Timex pictures</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">We then went out for a bike ride and while on our bike
ride, we were pulled over by a reporter who interviewed Bill and Russ, then got
some pictures of us riding off into the sunset.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>You have to watch the video, it’s really good and you see me in the red
Cyclery Kit a couple times.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.wcax.com/story/26122943/ironman-competitors-get-ready-to-race-in-lake-placid" target="_blank">Video of Interview with Bill and Russ</a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">On Friday we checked in our bikes and race day transition
bags and of course that’s when I really started getting nervous.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFX8PQtY03J4cShCsneghAPZs39oyQKHlYvSWc1PwxiXyF-OazsTL7eyh8nZysfESLUF91HHGiQDaQlpa1vy6usAFnnJiXA2A9HgrdzZ9XK6CmKANXKN_Qco2XvXuTkd2dSyUoIV76QkWq/s1600/biketrans.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFX8PQtY03J4cShCsneghAPZs39oyQKHlYvSWc1PwxiXyF-OazsTL7eyh8nZysfESLUF91HHGiQDaQlpa1vy6usAFnnJiXA2A9HgrdzZ9XK6CmKANXKN_Qco2XvXuTkd2dSyUoIV76QkWq/s1600/biketrans.jpg" height="223" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkFCsxJlU_IbopkVRyz-Q4BksndycsgvfuiuPVm9lFs2F_F7jDkX-4r1LHhU7-c5yL9c-UhMEMRXuEql24wEW3Jxge6xybwRXc3Is5r5TjEGsj8J_mY_V4bxh1UD51gApz6lOAYKGNp9Oj/s1600/biketrans1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkFCsxJlU_IbopkVRyz-Q4BksndycsgvfuiuPVm9lFs2F_F7jDkX-4r1LHhU7-c5yL9c-UhMEMRXuEql24wEW3Jxge6xybwRXc3Is5r5TjEGsj8J_mY_V4bxh1UD51gApz6lOAYKGNp9Oj/s1600/biketrans1.jpg" height="223" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The girls had lots to do also, they went stand up paddle
boarding on Mirror Lake.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjQWoWfzmdikm4oV1KJ5M4T7g1W92_rtIWjO5swUX890N1WdkkbosdywjIOrrWEBuU18YGPjt2GTMytxJ_qAcgn0I_x5RR-xsiQK0Ceh95sixZT8SMr3qWlBVxzxtW2kKTlqA0U35yv7Q1/s1600/IMG_1119.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjQWoWfzmdikm4oV1KJ5M4T7g1W92_rtIWjO5swUX890N1WdkkbosdywjIOrrWEBuU18YGPjt2GTMytxJ_qAcgn0I_x5RR-xsiQK0Ceh95sixZT8SMr3qWlBVxzxtW2kKTlqA0U35yv7Q1/s1600/IMG_1119.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi907wOk9XdUGCl7I_EucJtn0-dM0oaPwij7gNcW1tZCD1-SwGPE8kDnMjiSg1_rGm7xqwQBr_RHeCcshvwk5jzMGc_l4uUHJw6DTf_Mahcyu0vpgIUPRW-c397EUjS1vIkpTCJRy5n912f/s1600/IMG_1164.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi907wOk9XdUGCl7I_EucJtn0-dM0oaPwij7gNcW1tZCD1-SwGPE8kDnMjiSg1_rGm7xqwQBr_RHeCcshvwk5jzMGc_l4uUHJw6DTf_Mahcyu0vpgIUPRW-c397EUjS1vIkpTCJRy5n912f/s1600/IMG_1164.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">They went to the Olympic Bobsled course with Lee, Russ’s
son and they all sledded down the course.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Lee beat the girls though, if I were him, I would never let them live
that down. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz8MLR_EO2aH24LgWsCLsOM2AHuqUq_iV1MJ8Gf4IiJc7WeSV3uWPMjMqHDb8ONqPA2Q72nvp0A7mDH-_grgbMLkMayUIePkR_7sBsQzc_I0z2o4urfHJOY_q9qqShiEDnGqH7Nw3wb3hf/s1600/IMG_1176.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz8MLR_EO2aH24LgWsCLsOM2AHuqUq_iV1MJ8Gf4IiJc7WeSV3uWPMjMqHDb8ONqPA2Q72nvp0A7mDH-_grgbMLkMayUIePkR_7sBsQzc_I0z2o4urfHJOY_q9qqShiEDnGqH7Nw3wb3hf/s1600/IMG_1176.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
</div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtu8spHth-2El0PZ94v6gn-DlQR3iAaA2pJtK-WrVqVP1ozFtjzktx2Le4yfYkMB4AktoIYMh6X0nBwlQmTzdd5qgLHBRHFcmKk7WpzBCAE2jVteRVOuITCV5DaSaZYKr3OtPrfweLygp4/s1600/IMG_1183.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtu8spHth-2El0PZ94v6gn-DlQR3iAaA2pJtK-WrVqVP1ozFtjzktx2Le4yfYkMB4AktoIYMh6X0nBwlQmTzdd5qgLHBRHFcmKk7WpzBCAE2jVteRVOuITCV5DaSaZYKr3OtPrfweLygp4/s1600/IMG_1183.JPG" height="400" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">China and Sydney</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7pdX9PbAGB1hqKJ6WWJqkyL6prv8MPsYaeK6V7H-8hDzWNU0KAyoUAqkA40IpFKO7RWIOAORI4A4pLOmoAld8XZTJKxNr9ocv-3q0-aobRw5OUmtnf4EvIEYudqyfNbbcTfWJGtwGbEUP/s1600/IMG_1191.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7pdX9PbAGB1hqKJ6WWJqkyL6prv8MPsYaeK6V7H-8hDzWNU0KAyoUAqkA40IpFKO7RWIOAORI4A4pLOmoAld8XZTJKxNr9ocv-3q0-aobRw5OUmtnf4EvIEYudqyfNbbcTfWJGtwGbEUP/s1600/IMG_1191.JPG" height="400" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lee</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuvb7DQyQ-8dx9T7sijRAnx5Iu8cvpDeIHIUuqlxOd4iEhsQc2M6sxpSZxMdMNPnrKTEPpb1zraP7o1kN3X1nOIT7WBTv6X7PayfPtYD1Jl-u5L2ljjLdIzQT57U4WvuHt8T6ybeUkfsJv/s1600/IMG_1186.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuvb7DQyQ-8dx9T7sijRAnx5Iu8cvpDeIHIUuqlxOd4iEhsQc2M6sxpSZxMdMNPnrKTEPpb1zraP7o1kN3X1nOIT7WBTv6X7PayfPtYD1Jl-u5L2ljjLdIzQT57U4WvuHt8T6ybeUkfsJv/s1600/IMG_1186.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8rbyYYJNU9Qplnmqjh5VnJa4XncGL0JC4_hbsdXth5Z7aAItPVTjhQk-uLj5pvAG_4OouHa1MfZNQFwiFDwiXagPC6WNriyZXU1Xj-Tl_9zEU8XIE9Ss-bh1ylda_1Ne7GUPjwcSuT6ci/s1600/IMG_1201.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8rbyYYJNU9Qplnmqjh5VnJa4XncGL0JC4_hbsdXth5Z7aAItPVTjhQk-uLj5pvAG_4OouHa1MfZNQFwiFDwiXagPC6WNriyZXU1Xj-Tl_9zEU8XIE9Ss-bh1ylda_1Ne7GUPjwcSuT6ci/s1600/IMG_1201.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lee, Sydney and China</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Friday night was the pre-race meal night and we all went
to the pasta buffet, it was fantastic, we got made to order pasta, I ate so
much I was sick. Good thing we had a day to rest before race day, my stomach
needed it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSwn2eDT3PAxiVCnMXi8D2og1gL19wihP3zRmddi1Cl08OniQmSCZ8xe1wIatpCP5qftvUkHXZIZzIML_4lD5HOouBidE429pwgAEia_vmBfY68OVvo7BdEQao0N_hNCM8ydTTdm43Q6m0/s1600/pasta+dinner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSwn2eDT3PAxiVCnMXi8D2og1gL19wihP3zRmddi1Cl08OniQmSCZ8xe1wIatpCP5qftvUkHXZIZzIML_4lD5HOouBidE429pwgAEia_vmBfY68OVvo7BdEQao0N_hNCM8ydTTdm43Q6m0/s1600/pasta+dinner.jpg" height="400" width="225" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">After dinner the girls went to the movie, while the rest
of us went to the pre-race welcome meeting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>So we are sitting at the meeting and they are going through all the
normal stuff and talking about previous races and racers who have done it many
times.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The big screen flickers on and
low and behold there is the Godfather, Bill Peterson being interviewed on the
big screen. I was sitting next to him and just looked over, with this look of
“how could you not have told me about this”. He just smiles, it was a great
interview too. This was Bill’s 31<sup>st</sup> Ironman race and his 15<sup>th</sup>
time at Lake Placid, he definitely deserved all the press coverage he was
getting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had no idea that I had been
training for the IM with royalty, now I just walk about telling everyone that
I’m friends with Bill Peterson.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hey, I
have to get the glory somehow. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSkxvrLz75Q1lp-V7-zE7_XFEONyIO7ofjxOX5vodAW-2BTZMtLL5eexHf7mE7kPaQjWLx5rawbqJ6CV4ntAamrdoJuX0XvY4IDG6HtgaOcegMtOs8CnHrix1XnBwgES39iDdSW6wrM3pJ/s1600/mikeriely.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSkxvrLz75Q1lp-V7-zE7_XFEONyIO7ofjxOX5vodAW-2BTZMtLL5eexHf7mE7kPaQjWLx5rawbqJ6CV4ntAamrdoJuX0XvY4IDG6HtgaOcegMtOs8CnHrix1XnBwgES39iDdSW6wrM3pJ/s1600/mikeriely.jpg" height="400" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mike Riley announcing interview with Bill Peterson</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Finally race morning rolls around and at 4:45 am, Bill, Russ
and I are in the transition area, getting body marked and checking our bikes. I
even got interviewed while I was being body marked, but I think I said
something really stupid, so I didn’t even look for the news video of it. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsTYMafGg4OcIK5MrPjhTzZBF-0UHYqdMAy0wO7M4P9f4zboY8nGX_uNBIEFeQ5tfbnDGNNRNNMN2XAgVY0HMlzF-l2qXy0yRG8wOQybCoJ1nJ_6-3BUUcoD74hbtjBLNv4I9IFeLjdxCo/s1600/bodymark1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsTYMafGg4OcIK5MrPjhTzZBF-0UHYqdMAy0wO7M4P9f4zboY8nGX_uNBIEFeQ5tfbnDGNNRNNMN2XAgVY0HMlzF-l2qXy0yRG8wOQybCoJ1nJ_6-3BUUcoD74hbtjBLNv4I9IFeLjdxCo/s1600/bodymark1.jpg" height="400" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Robin being body marked</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">After a last check of everything, we went back to the
Motor Inn and used the bathroom like 12 times, then walked with our families to
the start of the race, by this time the skies were looking grey and there was a
threat of rain. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZSaIYFGuUT7asF7lKJ5-0TX64AKgb6FsKXFTwTadfYTMQ3hhoWiCwLI7fx_H1k40DKi9t3EfEXTsiWHNLFW4siU8LaO5xa22mWaOhygTiV0lLJ-KQtBq7luhbUm57GR-j1Uk0CtBfh191/s1600/swimgroup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZSaIYFGuUT7asF7lKJ5-0TX64AKgb6FsKXFTwTadfYTMQ3hhoWiCwLI7fx_H1k40DKi9t3EfEXTsiWHNLFW4siU8LaO5xa22mWaOhygTiV0lLJ-KQtBq7luhbUm57GR-j1Uk0CtBfh191/s1600/swimgroup.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leaving for the starting line</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">We said our goodbyes, and headed to the swim start. The
pro’s went off first and then 10 minutes later the age group racers started
jumping in with the rolling wave start.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I stood in the group that was estimating their swim time at 1:30 because
that was what I had been swimming the distance in, during training.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Russ and Steve were there with me, so we
spent some time being nervous together. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiexw3JDEE-Gd41499nvlQ2eNE9eWuWraO4K-IsdgCWj1q3zXQeHRa_9sl9R5BpQLOHr48NbCHkobh06j2DlP6PdnfhpdPyPxcLVMpfx_zzf4CrlnamTIKNQIW7wJuu0UFBhYViI3FWX_ri/s1600/IMG_1239.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiexw3JDEE-Gd41499nvlQ2eNE9eWuWraO4K-IsdgCWj1q3zXQeHRa_9sl9R5BpQLOHr48NbCHkobh06j2DlP6PdnfhpdPyPxcLVMpfx_zzf4CrlnamTIKNQIW7wJuu0UFBhYViI3FWX_ri/s1600/IMG_1239.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Swim Start</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The swim is a two loop swim, we come out of the water for
about a 20 yard run across the beach then jump back in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>During the first loop the skies opened up and
rain poured down, but I just kept swimming.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The second loop the rain let up a little, but then came down hard
again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was about ¾ the way through the
second loop when a kayak stopped me, I looked up and was told to swim quickly
to the side of the lake. When I looked over, there were hundreds of people
swimming to three floating docks at the side of the lake. When I got the dock,
I couldn’t get out, so two guys grabbed me and pulled me up, thank you, whoever
you are. As thunder boomed and lightning bolts flew, we were told to run down
the road to transition area and get on our bikes. What really sucks is that I
was swimming a really fast second loop, thinking that I might break my goal for
the swim.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a long way to run in bare
feet on pavement, but there I was with hundreds of others doing it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I finally made it to transition and saw my gang
yelling for me.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaIrOAx_6XrZMZox2JbNSotZjt_BOTt2j3Nm3nvZXjDFfnfuRV8iwD2i1N7GBThr8-CdzdkDW3tw-cOWZdaiwSRjAZNUGrviHM82MR5V5SwUL10GKGbUpjiTYwLoPGu4f4o776IiNEiJDH/s1600/swimout1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaIrOAx_6XrZMZox2JbNSotZjt_BOTt2j3Nm3nvZXjDFfnfuRV8iwD2i1N7GBThr8-CdzdkDW3tw-cOWZdaiwSRjAZNUGrviHM82MR5V5SwUL10GKGbUpjiTYwLoPGu4f4o776IiNEiJDH/s1600/swimout1.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Swim Transition</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Transition was packed, there were so many people in the
tent and we were standing in water and mud, I just grabbed my bag and got
changed, then ran out to my bike, while the thunder, lightning and pouring rain
continued.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Out on my bike I kept pumping
my brakes trying to slow down on the steep downhill out to the road.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once again my awesome girls were there in the
pouring rain, cheering me on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I felt sorry
for them, I knew they had to be so cold just standing there waiting for me. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So now I was out on the bike in shorts,
sleeveless shirt, at least I had my arm warmers on, the last minute thought to
throw them in my bag was a really good idea.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I was really cold, but at that time I had no idea just how cold I was
going to be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">As I rode up the mountain, the wind was howling and the
rain was coming down so hard that I couldn’t see very far in front of me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was getting colder by the minute and was
even happy to be climbing because at least it kept me a little warmer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I made it to the 10 mile mark where the
decent started. As I descended the mountain, I was so cold that my body was
shaking, I was trying to brake, but my bike wasn’t slowing down enough due to
the rain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I just knew I was going to
crash and all kinds of scenarios were running through my head, about where I
should be when I crash, how to crash without killing myself, I was thinking of
every bad thing that could happen and how to deal with it best.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I made it to the bottom of the mountain without crashing,
but I was mentally and physically shot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This is when I felt like I was going to start crying, I didn’t even
think about quitting, but crying, well the tears were right there on the verge
of overflowing out of my eyes. Of course, then the whole thought of crying
because I was cold, wet, scared and frustrated made me angry with myself, so
then I was mentally screaming in my head, “you better not start crying and be
one of those whiney babies, you paid to do this, buck up”.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSo6E9zEuXtDmK11uUC4Dp-E3pCwPJb8bzZh6do8qs5tUnyEEbs2gDEb0xkieWzxcJbm3jAbI8MHgh4Q6eBVJj88gREWvUUr_F6bhagb1Ceg3KxTqc_w9dUp724C-NweGW2UhRMclH_R1p/s1600/whinyshit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSo6E9zEuXtDmK11uUC4Dp-E3pCwPJb8bzZh6do8qs5tUnyEEbs2gDEb0xkieWzxcJbm3jAbI8MHgh4Q6eBVJj88gREWvUUr_F6bhagb1Ceg3KxTqc_w9dUp724C-NweGW2UhRMclH_R1p/s1600/whinyshit.jpg" height="400" width="315" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I kept riding and by the time I hit the last 20 mile
climb, it had stopped raining, although it was still super windy and the wind
was in my face for the entire 20 miles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I finally made it to the top of the last hill, “Papa Bear” and there was
my cheering crew, I saw Russ’s family first, then Bill’s family, then mine and
last was Steve’s family.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I rode about
300 meters to the cheering “Go Robin/Go Mom”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This was just what I needed, I started to feel better and knew the
second lap was going to go better. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBlKC4r9WbfSF5npVk1mP17hA4XIPBlYXPoNjnesPRn78RWyXuvpd0lZUZZAxCpZDx0precShAjg0DG1S7YkjPgIE2KHGDquYiAzbV-ho0MUl6mdgs7ROiq-MvEjXcQfbD401RBJfozKFk/s1600/IMG_1311.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBlKC4r9WbfSF5npVk1mP17hA4XIPBlYXPoNjnesPRn78RWyXuvpd0lZUZZAxCpZDx0precShAjg0DG1S7YkjPgIE2KHGDquYiAzbV-ho0MUl6mdgs7ROiq-MvEjXcQfbD401RBJfozKFk/s1600/IMG_1311.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Top of Papa Bear</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I started the second lap with the 10 miles of climbing
and then another 10 miles of descending, this time on dry pavement and not
freezing, although the wind was still an issue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At mile 92, as I was making the turn to
climb the last 20 miles, the sky opened up again, this time with rain, sleet
and I think some hail, it could have been really big sleet though.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As it hit me it stung really bad, so I just
kept my head down so it didn’t hit me in the face. Now I’m climbing, looking at
the ground and thinking once again, “why in the heck did I sign up for
this”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It only lasted about 15 minutes
then quit, I continued to climb and got to a point where I could hardly turn
the pedals, I couldn’t understand how it could be so hard, then a guy on the
side of the road yelled, “get in your little ring”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I looked down, I had been climbing in my big
ring, “I did a mental head slap”, when the rain started as I<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>turned the corner to start the climb, I was
so caught up in my mental anguish I forgot to drop to my small ring, I had been
riding in my big ring for miles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know…
I’m an idiot!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I could have kissed that
guy who pointed it out to me, but there was no way I was riding back down the
hill to do it. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-d86qW5bQF79LtFbgayYFX7YovMdRpMrf4xfrTTMpNbQXL5BNiLuKjWFi4GOsxHa1nNb1ntLNBIBW9b6nYJp_yJe-r3TLmLY3xrDK9aRnrpsaRb_p5_b78ZMB8WeJIWPwPFdbT3GtvG1d/s1600/IMG_1077.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-d86qW5bQF79LtFbgayYFX7YovMdRpMrf4xfrTTMpNbQXL5BNiLuKjWFi4GOsxHa1nNb1ntLNBIBW9b6nYJp_yJe-r3TLmLY3xrDK9aRnrpsaRb_p5_b78ZMB8WeJIWPwPFdbT3GtvG1d/s1600/IMG_1077.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The hill I rode up in the big ring</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Side Note: While I was out on the bike China and Sydney
had come across a dog that was the same breed as my Ella, we had been missing
Ella so much since we were gone that China took a photo of the dog to show me,
it was a really cute dog too.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd0k2hPOijAZm0oEq8p-OTD5elknZ2JsHvvZGV8UqQ4rUeuphbzbQDIBIqVb9gilm6agnM520szul_1AGNBt7BPh-wzLlBZAkRPU0qyyRS-fOuqwIXVUnuUtqvSnZJaG3RQow4ozEEZKw_/s1600/IMG_1244.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd0k2hPOijAZm0oEq8p-OTD5elknZ2JsHvvZGV8UqQ4rUeuphbzbQDIBIqVb9gilm6agnM520szul_1AGNBt7BPh-wzLlBZAkRPU0qyyRS-fOuqwIXVUnuUtqvSnZJaG3RQow4ozEEZKw_/s1600/IMG_1244.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Puppy that reminded us of our Ella</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">As I rode up Papa Bear for the final time, I knew that
none of the cheer crew would be there because they would be back waiting for me
at transition, so it made the hill a little harder. I saw a State Trooper on
the hill and I asked “can you arrest me”, he said I was too close to being
finished to get arrested now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was
worth a try though.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I made it to transition and an awesome volunteer helped
me, she pulled off my clothes, pulled on my calve sleeves for me, got me
Vaseline and water and sent me on my way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There are no better volunteers than those at an Ironman race, I can’t
say enough or thank them enough for what they do. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Out of the tent and on to the run, just a block up the
street I stopped to hug China and say hi to everyone cheering for me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then China shows me the Ironman beach towel
that I wanted, but was too cheap to buy and she says “if you finish, this is
yours”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I knew there was no way I would
not finish the race, I wanted that towel. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I took off running and china ran with me for a mile, she
then turned around and said I will see you at mile 11.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I felt good and was running the pace I
wanted, my knee didn’t hurt at all, I was beginning to smile and I knew I was
just 25 miles from being an Ironman for the third time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">At mile 6 things started to go wrong, not what you would
expect, like my body breaking down, I was still feeling good, but for some
reason my bladder started feeling like it was going to explode.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I stopped at a bathroom, but I couldn’t pee,
just a couple drops came out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So on I
ran, just 4 miles later I stopped again, still I couldn’t pee. I was getting
frustrated because the stops were killing my run time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So I just kept running thinking, well I could
just pee down my leg, who would know.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
came up the big hill around the corner to find all my friends and family and
all these great messages on the road, which took my mind off having to pee.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0SJ5mIR7HIdSD8o6EGXFBzoRfC33770r00aIfQYfjU7bk2ayVUyXEpPDsgLtEEsHivqgKl5rH60R9io8cz6HFT8XEZPvZL_euS5LxzugqcsloxioBbH87Et96rDhnKt48Opa8NNhQsNGm/s1600/chalk1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0SJ5mIR7HIdSD8o6EGXFBzoRfC33770r00aIfQYfjU7bk2ayVUyXEpPDsgLtEEsHivqgKl5rH60R9io8cz6HFT8XEZPvZL_euS5LxzugqcsloxioBbH87Et96rDhnKt48Opa8NNhQsNGm/s1600/chalk1.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">China ran with me again for a short time as I headed to
the turnaround to finish the first loop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlQePlmgZGqPX06pEpgZoZnVrmSkBxCzSR2pZhy_hyphenhyphenNk2X2udcEASGKW95wQ_XOeXLyp-DoeSNz6VRJ2mEzyV8Qc9LDc5PrbN4xTUJOf76zAZE25RipDaHPts_MpUIhQAxUg8RsBCq9Qh7/s1600/IMG_1379.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlQePlmgZGqPX06pEpgZoZnVrmSkBxCzSR2pZhy_hyphenhyphenNk2X2udcEASGKW95wQ_XOeXLyp-DoeSNz6VRJ2mEzyV8Qc9LDc5PrbN4xTUJOf76zAZE25RipDaHPts_MpUIhQAxUg8RsBCq9Qh7/s1600/IMG_1379.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">China running up the hill with me</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I started the second loop and was once again cheered on
as I ran by the Motor Inn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Between miles
13 and 24, I stopped 3 more times to pee, no luck.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At mile 19 my knee started to hurt, but not
too bad, at mile 23 it really hurt so now I was doing the run limp thing and
wondering if I was going to pee my pants.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I passed the Motor Inn one last time and was joined by
China and Sydney until we got <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>to the
corner, where I headed for the last 1.5 mile loop and they went to the finish
line.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I ran the loop and into the finish
oval, high fiving all these people I didn’t even know, thousands of them
reaching out to high five me.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwcgyahlmPwMv6TMBuoujRrjh2T10DmqPrODEdM04W_YH54OnQ9871ZRB64OS9CNdiOyRC0QJlMAxr2ZiaTP6Sy8HEX7Ru2kjvHm0j-aju14vVOhiU3U96ZOlGOeyUJl6ShNup322FSh4T/s1600/IMG_1389.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwcgyahlmPwMv6TMBuoujRrjh2T10DmqPrODEdM04W_YH54OnQ9871ZRB64OS9CNdiOyRC0QJlMAxr2ZiaTP6Sy8HEX7Ru2kjvHm0j-aju14vVOhiU3U96ZOlGOeyUJl6ShNup322FSh4T/s1600/IMG_1389.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Running in the Finish Oval</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I hear China and Sydney screaming and stop to hug
them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just about to cross the finish line, giving my China Doll a hug</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I jog slowly to the finish line so that the girl in front
of me can go through and get a good finish picture without<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>me photo bombing it. Then as I start to run
through the finish line two guys, come around on each side of me and ruin my
finish picture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Really, they couldn’t
have waited 3 seconds and let me get a good picture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I couldn’t believe they did it and it messed
up my live feed so people watching me finish at home only saw a glimpse of my
head.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Those guys need to learn IM finish
line etiquette.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIIhA21X_piTwc8kHmb6vDiO4k6M7Jwu59u9hcgHCs0a_smzADLE4m0XbTWZUvBPTu9cYIrm-UCnfpUHIJAyW2UmLN_M0frf9R1sYuErgdLpw6wX_BhU6S9iZM0PncgR-j2qCJpO1zaqfl/s1600/IMG_1400.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIIhA21X_piTwc8kHmb6vDiO4k6M7Jwu59u9hcgHCs0a_smzADLE4m0XbTWZUvBPTu9cYIrm-UCnfpUHIJAyW2UmLN_M0frf9R1sYuErgdLpw6wX_BhU6S9iZM0PncgR-j2qCJpO1zaqfl/s1600/IMG_1400.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Headed to the Finish Line</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">So while this entire race was in process, China, Sydney
and Madison kept posting updates on all of our group, they did a fantastic job
at keeping everyone at home updated. In fact when I got home a friend from work
sent me a picture that he got from his daughter, she saw it online and sent it
to him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was very cool, and it just
goes to show how much support I had throughout the entire race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I want to thank everyone for their support.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWZlH1uVYmuwk_RH0RLoL9D5LUziPOBvk2x5oyYPiodFrK8ZPOSw-57_LOFFQw4JQkc8Ya1UgIOA-Ka6vMWQ1ajkgrNW1PrdJ3QGBL177QerAEQsRhdAj9uOnmCC7Vd2q1qyBh7QyzRIK_/s1600/instagram.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWZlH1uVYmuwk_RH0RLoL9D5LUziPOBvk2x5oyYPiodFrK8ZPOSw-57_LOFFQw4JQkc8Ya1UgIOA-Ka6vMWQ1ajkgrNW1PrdJ3QGBL177QerAEQsRhdAj9uOnmCC7Vd2q1qyBh7QyzRIK_/s1600/instagram.png" height="640" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Social Media allowed my race to be followed everywhere</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">THE BIG QUESTION: Will I do it again…. Well maybe I will
need to come back on 2016 just to see how I would fare in hopefully better
conditions.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0CTTb-Qp8nabeKqz0Oc1EBWnVE0TX56BaYB1WRTrF0o_SYNq_b9K0PArJSsqHC5wxbeNzFv1q-txBc9XdTvm7OfdjVU_VbcCVkGupZkqi6Ei7GO53ua4Y0GorYoRuyDMpheJ-rx9LlrYj/s1600/IMG_1412.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0CTTb-Qp8nabeKqz0Oc1EBWnVE0TX56BaYB1WRTrF0o_SYNq_b9K0PArJSsqHC5wxbeNzFv1q-txBc9XdTvm7OfdjVU_VbcCVkGupZkqi6Ei7GO53ua4Y0GorYoRuyDMpheJ-rx9LlrYj/s1600/IMG_1412.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All My Swag</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">A big thanks to my teammates, Bill and Russ and their
families for all the support, to McKendree University Cheerleaders for the
virtual support, to my family at home for supporting me and believing in me, to
Dr Bicalho for putting up with the worst patient ever, to the Cyclery for rushing to fix my bike every time I ran into the store freaking out that something was wrong, and most of all to my own
cheer team China and Sydney, I couldn’t have done it without you. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Oh and for as long as I have had kids, all our vacations have
revolved around races, so they call them racecations. On the way back to
Illinois, China says “this was the best racecation ever”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That is a Major compliment!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/rrongey/sets/72157645617779319/" target="_blank">Click here to see all the photos from Lake Placid </a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Trek Mountain Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16901382514879478984noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9082478865600658051.post-56602100074485351152014-07-14T07:41:00.000-07:002014-07-14T07:42:24.138-07:00Ironman Lake Placid - Training<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4L8WEjqBll_NyUP_Mqfb8o_GP-RRhgEfT_VTfF6GUZvIB9NEVzPxEzHGpqTGXOlBecWdfaaDiIDqIBI537SUUKbeNe8j_BG5SUL4JPM47Fz0zpFZSpIumMqjSu7recWSFz6ttDjHliY9W/s1600/DSC_0022.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4L8WEjqBll_NyUP_Mqfb8o_GP-RRhgEfT_VTfF6GUZvIB9NEVzPxEzHGpqTGXOlBecWdfaaDiIDqIBI537SUUKbeNe8j_BG5SUL4JPM47Fz0zpFZSpIumMqjSu7recWSFz6ttDjHliY9W/s1600/DSC_0022.JPG" height="267" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lake Placid Ironman </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Well, I haven’t had a post in a while, you ask why, well I
fell completely off the training track, and it wasn’t just a short fall, but I rolled
all the way down the mountain, not a real mountain, but you get the point.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had knee surgery in late December and was
on crutches until March.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I finally got
back to running and riding in March, but it was a really slow recovery.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am not fully recovered, but I am back on
the training plan and now in taper mode for Ironman Lake Placid.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I know you wonder how I could even possibly think about
doing an Ironman on 5 months of training, starting with no base.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well here’s the deal, you have to register
for the Ironman race a year in advance, when I registered I had no idea that a
month later I would blow out my knee.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And if you know me, you know how cheap I am, there is no way I’m paying
$750 dollars to race and then not show up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">So with the help of Ironman Bill Peterson, I learned to
train with an injury, using a recovery training plan he gave me and I got back
on the training track.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not to say that I
didn’t freak out multiple times and whine about how there is no way I would
ever be ready on time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had a few
really bad long workouts at first, one time I even had to walk the last mile
back to my car, then laid down in the grass and could not get back up due to
every muscle in my body locking up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
was actually quite a sight, me trying to roll over on my belly and push myself
up off the ground. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was more than
frustrated at that time, with doubts running through my head. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Lucky for me, I have way more good friends than I deserve
to have.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I continued to do my long
runs and swims with Bill, more and more of our friends came out to help us
train.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Syq56-CWI78xeuyrkL9AaPsPn5UE04VHq8qPcWF2_IWCg7kJobS_8Y-PxTG1l_-PAXB_fDBtQ9lv4-U_LKm4pot1ESd74bhXVVWFo_N0tjt7iDJ8sfpcw2V1XmlachxujCTQAbzmKbdS/s1600/20140713_100743.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Syq56-CWI78xeuyrkL9AaPsPn5UE04VHq8qPcWF2_IWCg7kJobS_8Y-PxTG1l_-PAXB_fDBtQ9lv4-U_LKm4pot1ESd74bhXVVWFo_N0tjt7iDJ8sfpcw2V1XmlachxujCTQAbzmKbdS/s1600/20140713_100743.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of the Training Crew</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> We always had 8 or so people out swimming at 5:15 am,
then others that came out on Thursday mornings at 4:15 am to run.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On long run days friends would come and go
based on the miles they wanted to run, we always had 4 to 6 people show up to
run with us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Oh and during the week,
there was always an excess of people out to do core workouts, shorts runs and
bike with us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">We even started having a debriefs in the lake after long
runs, it was the best part of the entire run.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I would love to tell you what we talked about during those runs, but I’m
not sure I can put that on the internet and the rule is, what is said on the
trail stays on the trail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Makes you want
to come run with us doesn’t it. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqCJ46ry45QLkwMFFVXiHKqvC0M1JXk-Eqc6tI2Zmf6l93f9zX51zNvbDoEUlW1IVULtfs2xFKu1yHTdrLmLUng_fxtmxc2mNK7oxpF_R2jvX-cT3-MhwkyJnue7F5AuKwe6H15scG_m4x/s1600/20140713_105647.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqCJ46ry45QLkwMFFVXiHKqvC0M1JXk-Eqc6tI2Zmf6l93f9zX51zNvbDoEUlW1IVULtfs2xFKu1yHTdrLmLUng_fxtmxc2mNK7oxpF_R2jvX-cT3-MhwkyJnue7F5AuKwe6H15scG_m4x/s1600/20140713_105647.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Debrief in Progress</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I am confident that I am in the best shape I have ever
been in for an Ironman race, even though when I compare the Lake Placid course
to the Wisconsin course (Wisconsin was my last Ironman race), It is a much
tougher course, Bill did not tell me that Lake Placid is the 3<sup>rd</sup>
hardest IM course in the world when he said you have to do Lake Placid. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKFWci-DzqHCAahDOCWgP99xF8HLhFzso6szn8ipPhHEKE_jFucbJ_fIJN37AyJ4V_J3aBIYkdsIrgorBe5BT2jQa65kzQ_in6TjtjABkFUnLMKB_pDEyCDDffjEVhXH9j-DCrYHYyWjep/s1600/runcompareLP-Wis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKFWci-DzqHCAahDOCWgP99xF8HLhFzso6szn8ipPhHEKE_jFucbJ_fIJN37AyJ4V_J3aBIYkdsIrgorBe5BT2jQa65kzQ_in6TjtjABkFUnLMKB_pDEyCDDffjEVhXH9j-DCrYHYyWjep/s1600/runcompareLP-Wis.jpg" height="196" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lake Placid Run Course compared to Wisconsin IM</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuB1jT3_0pLzrYDvOXsNqlJ1n36jkjEk8vjsxhQPHhmvTNeKZgcrexCZ9m4KcqjkOj-gk5s_Y_4nnaQZMDkNLRZZx7rKfJw04I_P82t3wAP5Tmk7WyJg5QWeGKuehV79GYhe9UYzl-akI1/s1600/bikecompareLP-Wis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuB1jT3_0pLzrYDvOXsNqlJ1n36jkjEk8vjsxhQPHhmvTNeKZgcrexCZ9m4KcqjkOj-gk5s_Y_4nnaQZMDkNLRZZx7rKfJw04I_P82t3wAP5Tmk7WyJg5QWeGKuehV79GYhe9UYzl-akI1/s1600/bikecompareLP-Wis.jpg" height="210" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lake Placid Bike Course compared to Wisconsin IM</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The race is 12 days away, I think I’m as ready as I could
possibly be, I may still be limping at some points, but it’s bearable. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>None of this would be possible without my Orthopedist
(Dr Bicalho) who I know I frustrate to no end.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>To my friend Mark who made it a point to be available to pull my slow
butt all over Madison County, especially on days that I did not want to ride. To
what I call my Zilla Ironman Training Team, all those people that show up at
ungodly hours of the morning to workout with me (Jenny, Jim, Jeff, Amy, Russ,
Bill, Doug, Mike and so many more). To my super Ironman Coach, Bill who always
had faith in my ability and always kept me in check so that I wouldn’t blow up
during those long training days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Last
but not least to my family who never complained about all the time I spent
training and worked their schedules around my training plan for the last 5
months. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I think all this effort deserves recognition and I hope
that every time one of these people jump out of the water they think of the
great times we had training for this race. And I know that many of them will be
at Lake Placid next year and they can count on me to help them train for it. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4F_N8wMet0no6zcumXXZyeIqOnc-4j8j6vsH9PQuclJi0DI0708FuBkYeuhnVOforDyWrMLSYfJ17PjDsPtbn_3RvZiUfzHEghhu21yKpDkd1uSlUxJxXHJqn3iXHNZX4E1ohhadLUJbL/s1600/20140713_105641.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4F_N8wMet0no6zcumXXZyeIqOnc-4j8j6vsH9PQuclJi0DI0708FuBkYeuhnVOforDyWrMLSYfJ17PjDsPtbn_3RvZiUfzHEghhu21yKpDkd1uSlUxJxXHJqn3iXHNZX4E1ohhadLUJbL/s1600/20140713_105641.jpg" height="400" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Only the Toughest have this</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Bring on Lake Placid because everything will be ok, Bill,
Russ and I will be an Ironman.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B03dFMG8nR4" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">But I will be an Ironman - Get ready to laugh at how true this is</span></a></div>
Trek Mountain Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16901382514879478984noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9082478865600658051.post-50612861182380828362014-02-03T12:03:00.000-08:002014-02-05T06:10:15.528-08:00Aeries February Freeze<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">As I sit here after 34 hours without sleep, I’m
physically awake, but probably not entirely lucid.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You must wonder why, well for the last 34
hours I have been working as the race director at the Aeries February Freeze
Ultra & Trail Run. It is over now, and I am trying to get all my thoughts
on paper before my head hits the pillow and I lose some of them. </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The only way to tell this story is to start from the
beginning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My girls and I were ziplining
at the Aeries winery and I noticed all the trails on the ground from the aerial
view I had on the zipline, so I commented that Aeries should have a trail run
there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Next thing I know I get an
invitation to stop by and talk to the owner Jeff Lorton, about a trail run.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I went there thinking I would do a little
consulting, and an hour later I walked away the race director.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkSygsrBiYWByFqOTSkxyTJAYnBeDoTs-v8Fj06B6iJPMcP8RZ0d8b_lHBlRJbOax8D6xJsZJVwhSpEHRDQc-_qaUVpfqQoCPoGOrY40nK6-6bJPgS4XzU_Isi20mYoo5LU14nFVNY1yQ-/s1600/aeries.jpg" height="298" width="400" /> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I quickly enlisted the help of Mike Wever from the <a href="http://www.teamgodzilla.org/" target="_blank">MetroTri Club</a> and after consulting with the tri club board we became the race
sponsor managing the race. The opportunity for another trail run in the area,
especially one on such a beautiful and challenging course was just too good to
pass up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After discussing details we
thought about adding an ultra run to the event.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I have never worked as a RD for an ultra event so this would be
challenging for me also. There was one other detail that was going to make
pulling this race off even harder, we only had 3 months before race day. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">So we were off and running, getting shirt samples,
creating a logo, getting a web page started, finding race timing, and hardest
of all designing a race course.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jim the
zipline manager was the perfect guy to help us, he can drive all the trails
with his eyes closed and he spent many hours driving me and Mike around on the
Ranger measuring distances and designing the course for the best flow of
traffic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jim even cut a new connector
trail so that traffic would flow better. (BTW, that connector trail was the big
hill just after the creek, so you can blame that one on Jim)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After the design was final, Jim spent days
marking it, not only with signs and tape but with fluorescent tacks that can be
seen when a head lamp shines on them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
also pulled out all the stops and helped design the course so that a section
would go directly down the middle of a shallow creek. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Without Jim, I don’t think we could have
designed a course so quickly nor marked it as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So you liked the course, it was all Jim.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I also held some training runs on the course and got
feedback from the runners.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Travis Redden
was my Garmin guy measuring the course and giving me feedback from an ultra
runner point of view.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most of the feedback
I got was that the course was more than challenging, but that a tough course
like this may be what “brands” this race and makes it popular. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVmfzJ3mZSNC8WYQqqdT3c5v6eDE6cXIJ0_gKWI8cclujrmpp3orVV8xbdq6ka9grYsh_LPIcvsZZ0W2XQH1sZ3k_ZY-MslFTFCEkcWH8e3N7XfWj_utIdQdptWal6UuMCNnZJvUnBq4A2/s1600/10787527034_d338d29ea2_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVmfzJ3mZSNC8WYQqqdT3c5v6eDE6cXIJ0_gKWI8cclujrmpp3orVV8xbdq6ka9grYsh_LPIcvsZZ0W2XQH1sZ3k_ZY-MslFTFCEkcWH8e3N7XfWj_utIdQdptWal6UuMCNnZJvUnBq4A2/s1600/10787527034_d338d29ea2_o.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First Training Run</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyksd4kai3tjJo90Ca9jZDfPf8LxKfh6VQEGFWzN9aFDcsbbU5n3-g5df1M0a8QIyafiByacs59xXSOLVzjdfiMjUEad_yyQMhz_NO_NBKwUeDTcixTfSp6ni6egDlLa5HQbIB9rjM0C7o/s1600/IMG_0305.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyksd4kai3tjJo90Ca9jZDfPf8LxKfh6VQEGFWzN9aFDcsbbU5n3-g5df1M0a8QIyafiByacs59xXSOLVzjdfiMjUEad_yyQMhz_NO_NBKwUeDTcixTfSp6ni6egDlLa5HQbIB9rjM0C7o/s1600/IMG_0305.jpg" height="298" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Designing the course from the Ranger</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Everything started coming together, and race day was
already upon us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With this being my
first time as a RD at an ultra event, it was really nagging at me, I kept
thinking I know I have forgotten something. It didn’t matter if I did, it was
race day and I would have to adapt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mike
and I pulled the tri club trailer up to the winery, hoping that the weather man
was wrong and that freezing rain would not be coming in and spending the night
with us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We got the trailer parked and headed
to the zipline office to get registration setup and transition ready to
go.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We found Jim and he drove us around
the course to do one last check on things. It was a cold and interesting ride,
especially driving over the ice covered creek, but we made it through the
course and decided on where live volunteers would be during the race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">As the day wore on and we got closer to start time racers
and spectators started showing up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mr
& Mrs Korsch showed up with food in tow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It was their daughter Emily’s birthday event, she was doing 30 hours of
activity over the weekend in celebration of her 30<sup>th</sup> birthday and
what better way to do it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not only was
she running, but she was also collecting donations for <a href="http://teamnoahfoundation.com/index.html" target="_blank">Team Noah</a>, an organization
that raises money for treatment of children with birth defects.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were honored that she chose our even to be
part of her 30 hour quest. As a bonus we got her parents and they helped out
all night long with whatever needed to be done, including throwing salt out on
the icy road so that the runners could make it across safely. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Racers started checking in and we even got a few race day
registrations, which was surprising with the weather forecast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Time flew by and it was time to start the
race, with 36 racers prepped and ready to go, racers lined up for the start of
the race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Don, Eric and Zach were in the
ranger and ready to lead the racers through the first lap.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYZ1yPanOsv5QsehTuH0OqDF5pRPc8IyNEmQftb_qyW9d-dJ8IKIqiyZS2NXMCCtTUPG1l-63-W4wzKbUfMiDRiovZC49ipd0z1mC3WCDds_M9WbwmmcYnusc6CAtnmB5mU6fjefVAuTMm/s1600/IMG_4346.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYZ1yPanOsv5QsehTuH0OqDF5pRPc8IyNEmQftb_qyW9d-dJ8IKIqiyZS2NXMCCtTUPG1l-63-W4wzKbUfMiDRiovZC49ipd0z1mC3WCDds_M9WbwmmcYnusc6CAtnmB5mU6fjefVAuTMm/s1600/IMG_4346.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Starting line of the Ultra Race</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnMzykCH9QwYqZGDa9GsUfYAKICtnCCeuqFrKsYcB6LtCVMQZJkRxlf6SmTp_MTJzSrFJ7P76LHYiE7aL7S9C28l1MuKcprc3RQ4Ubn0fQI9YGpVt-53dVlNHx7YLHYEiemWYrc-Uk6QX_/s1600/IMG_4351.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnMzykCH9QwYqZGDa9GsUfYAKICtnCCeuqFrKsYcB6LtCVMQZJkRxlf6SmTp_MTJzSrFJ7P76LHYiE7aL7S9C28l1MuKcprc3RQ4Ubn0fQI9YGpVt-53dVlNHx7YLHYEiemWYrc-Uk6QX_/s1600/IMG_4351.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And they are off</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The runners took off and we waited speculating on what
time the first runner would finish the 5 mile lap.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At 45 minutes the first runner came in and he
was a member of a 3 person team, he ran in tagged his teammate and she took
off. At 50 minutes Travis Redden came in and just after he arrived Jeff Sona arrived.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After the first lap it was anyone’s guess as
to how the race would finish up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A
wintery mix of snow, rain and sleet had started and it was getting colder
outside.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was spending my time sitting
next to Rich Luers who was timing the race watching the lap times and the
weather closely.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Cheri B and Jim D were
awesome volunteers, making sure every runner got what they needed as soon as
they hit the door, they had the food and drinks flowing and did everything they
could to get the runners back out the door as quickly as possible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many times convincing runners who wanted to
quit, to go out just one more time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A
Big Thanks to both of them for staying all night long in awful weather and
supporting the runners.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also a big
thanks goes to Jade, Zach, China and Autumn for helping with registration and the
start of the race.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">By the 4 lap the weather had changed to freezing rain and
the concrete just outside the door had become an ice rink, the clock was
covered with ice and so were the runners when they came in.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgVXHCqF2vuYkqByr_iRlZhntN3Fr4q5K1zQMiv9s_h821qamcHPbQAEffgtRjjDKdkgoBuiankiFiZuf_JRTZT49gPYbFR657w7io39ihPcEvb7xF-Tr1pzJ7cKKui917gKaCO0lqfGiD/s1600/IMG_4380.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgVXHCqF2vuYkqByr_iRlZhntN3Fr4q5K1zQMiv9s_h821qamcHPbQAEffgtRjjDKdkgoBuiankiFiZuf_JRTZT49gPYbFR657w7io39ihPcEvb7xF-Tr1pzJ7cKKui917gKaCO0lqfGiD/s1600/IMG_4380.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">See the ice on one runners bib</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsYu5wz3AelyG7s8rUaZErvjfPFmDr3iwA8FpDaj9fCTL7a2RA5ouErAYjjF5FyRv0gEeFW2QRCKwCYxTjjKDY3AIVCUUcy0DSaOfQympM8dBfSAeXvKl3wcRYUIfgfakBfZPeyqviDDxF/s1600/IMG_4451.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsYu5wz3AelyG7s8rUaZErvjfPFmDr3iwA8FpDaj9fCTL7a2RA5ouErAYjjF5FyRv0gEeFW2QRCKwCYxTjjKDY3AIVCUUcy0DSaOfQympM8dBfSAeXvKl3wcRYUIfgfakBfZPeyqviDDxF/s1600/IMG_4451.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The clock is covered with ice</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It was so cold and miserable outside, I really felt bad
for the runners, but nothing stopped them, they kept coming in and going back
out, no one was dropping out. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVOU2uJR838XDShAhqC1cFOtGTVdIqvazkWUDQeZMBnv4CJGPrXBrEUvCbYvEP7vvv2d1V2EEnySUWbV_Ro0eGSOE7B9w1hIWie4EXPdrrs0YEFKAFqGDBBEIU8BOWVkSoMYSypah9DrSH/s1600/IMG_4385.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVOU2uJR838XDShAhqC1cFOtGTVdIqvazkWUDQeZMBnv4CJGPrXBrEUvCbYvEP7vvv2d1V2EEnySUWbV_Ro0eGSOE7B9w1hIWie4EXPdrrs0YEFKAFqGDBBEIU8BOWVkSoMYSypah9DrSH/s1600/IMG_4385.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A runner checking in after a long lap</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZrlbz4S7ntSzoR6Yv21nG5Ca2hKT_cXBOOrJ1G7cXrZ5xbo49Rq1Fn5fWLLUjR62wMPRlOPRclaY9DCE584GDiwresOObvd4csZiFgwZiAEIK_tEw65Ob5s4DqnPw0biFJ4w7beNDqeCJ/s1600/IMG_4375.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZrlbz4S7ntSzoR6Yv21nG5Ca2hKT_cXBOOrJ1G7cXrZ5xbo49Rq1Fn5fWLLUjR62wMPRlOPRclaY9DCE584GDiwresOObvd4csZiFgwZiAEIK_tEw65Ob5s4DqnPw0biFJ4w7beNDqeCJ/s1600/IMG_4375.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A happy runner checking in, even if he is covered in ice</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Don and Eric, were busy keeping the fire going out at the
aid station, even in the rain and sleet. I spent a little time at the aid
station taking photos, and without that fire, I would have not made it 5
minutes. Some runners stopped and used the fire to warm up a bit. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQWgCjli0t-TBt4olJO3L4uMRzsHfuABoDmdUE57-CSiqrIqeIr7w-O5V58z2MgmS9vR-FBQ-NZfgtsiA7MgP6Pb34p49fGx21ZjGFtqboXnmRQAiwTHuMK_0_m4dMvihZ6YbNujYsvlBZ/s1600/IMG_4428.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQWgCjli0t-TBt4olJO3L4uMRzsHfuABoDmdUE57-CSiqrIqeIr7w-O5V58z2MgmS9vR-FBQ-NZfgtsiA7MgP6Pb34p49fGx21ZjGFtqboXnmRQAiwTHuMK_0_m4dMvihZ6YbNujYsvlBZ/s1600/IMG_4428.JPG" height="425" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Don tending the fire</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbKMsC60zlz8Ookr_yvRxIECayUyADePyxXc1j02X2JaHUyUfvgcFr5ciGLqpNnminaNZ8tHJ1pv7qL45OEawj591De0Tp1fI_w8JxYkjJ__BYcd5eIT5w2fZ4bAvSSykXmRvhuqpwJVgz/s1600/IMG_4414.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbKMsC60zlz8Ookr_yvRxIECayUyADePyxXc1j02X2JaHUyUfvgcFr5ciGLqpNnminaNZ8tHJ1pv7qL45OEawj591De0Tp1fI_w8JxYkjJ__BYcd5eIT5w2fZ4bAvSSykXmRvhuqpwJVgz/s1600/IMG_4414.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Emily as she passes the fire</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizswHqc0KqZzv01csKups0ViGsB2dF5N9sM5S4wAoJccS1UqcNriG2EJy3d6hm20AzJTiwcJ41tKvCjU7QzQd5rTH-d7EYvrBQOYIsqykdbmEpRGS2ErNhXrmb_uEe4rdTlkeKHsnIxq9D/s1600/IMG_4416.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizswHqc0KqZzv01csKups0ViGsB2dF5N9sM5S4wAoJccS1UqcNriG2EJy3d6hm20AzJTiwcJ41tKvCjU7QzQd5rTH-d7EYvrBQOYIsqykdbmEpRGS2ErNhXrmb_uEe4rdTlkeKHsnIxq9D/s1600/IMG_4416.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jeff as he passes the fire</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt-XMrF85WiWr5CNHThFcj1AYzi4hoIkTKx6i2swuSKlihv91R8c5khuqvKAK8pRjzAvcDRpuQ24FN0qax-a5tuRYy-W0BuLJIkAP65jjDB9WZEakKEFSPpiy93hx34mdundynYgAD0wTz/s1600/IMG_4439.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt-XMrF85WiWr5CNHThFcj1AYzi4hoIkTKx6i2swuSKlihv91R8c5khuqvKAK8pRjzAvcDRpuQ24FN0qax-a5tuRYy-W0BuLJIkAP65jjDB9WZEakKEFSPpiy93hx34mdundynYgAD0wTz/s1600/IMG_4439.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Unknown runners approaching the fire</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Sue spent the evening finding us all things we forgot to
bring and finally after many trips to the winery, office and convenience mart
we were prepared to work through the night.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKXNau2YR4v8hjlD01GM4of3K-C-7QM5XYOd2VLb4MYzJ16ALE9MRy57-YK9KzRPsqCeKTD1OQxMU1ROqViU-s0f9ShAJbuqgXfUEGZVrdmvGnEosRHBl6ZVwjPb8HdYqxtceCc61afb83/s1600/IMG_4366.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKXNau2YR4v8hjlD01GM4of3K-C-7QM5XYOd2VLb4MYzJ16ALE9MRy57-YK9KzRPsqCeKTD1OQxMU1ROqViU-s0f9ShAJbuqgXfUEGZVrdmvGnEosRHBl6ZVwjPb8HdYqxtceCc61afb83/s1600/IMG_4366.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sue and Jim hamming it up</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The laps ticked by and Jeff Sona overtook Travis Redden
for the first place position, the standings started changing frequently while
Cheri and Jim kept the racers going, Jim sometimes almost pushing them pack out
the door.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMOKRXYcvaaTBVKsJLw23ec-i3iJ8xMMaafuNNPnxhK8UXvXRfoReiULrYiYkGTpux3R2id3RYBxe3XHsOd_6tuLBXmYLO3Yid1DHAXmeIxKeGdmgKfMvnKdNFUhv2Xp0fU7-O1FglcxsT/s1600/IMG_4383.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMOKRXYcvaaTBVKsJLw23ec-i3iJ8xMMaafuNNPnxhK8UXvXRfoReiULrYiYkGTpux3R2id3RYBxe3XHsOd_6tuLBXmYLO3Yid1DHAXmeIxKeGdmgKfMvnKdNFUhv2Xp0fU7-O1FglcxsT/s1600/IMG_4383.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I think Jim pushed these guys back out the door</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">At about 5 am the lightning and rain started, now the
racers were cold and wet, but very few had given up. At 7:30 we started pulling
racers from the course if they couldn’t make a full lap by 9 am.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No one complained though, some asked “please
forbid me from starting another lap”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The race ended with Jeff Sona taking the lead from Travis Redded, and
Emily Korsch winning the Open Female division.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Lee Doughtery smoked the masters division. Medals where presented and attendance prizes were given
out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thanks to Salomon, Sunnto for donating
great prizes, including a hydration pack that was won by <br />
Travis Redden.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1x2K6oveLwaJFGQA4lWtr6uoadothuy1QadtlSzRRS9X7nujTpds3GCMcGkj4C6o3U6lMh1cWkBDShowxxt7UCJuOjd7zFjis0-47gTQloFygvhsOu6V5meWfj61-4wnTpWq6almxcncO/s1600/IMG_4464.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1x2K6oveLwaJFGQA4lWtr6uoadothuy1QadtlSzRRS9X7nujTpds3GCMcGkj4C6o3U6lMh1cWkBDShowxxt7UCJuOjd7zFjis0-47gTQloFygvhsOu6V5meWfj61-4wnTpWq6almxcncO/s1600/IMG_4464.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Happy Travis</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl3GWYuNIK5nMYh3W2GNOEXdgpdsCw2yTerO000KtI1pveOwGm0p0nfimrkkPdaiObZNoJ5RVZKAuMve-5vUvaWIh8VdFm0n8NSWDIZEGmgdYrAreNjGhwWinE5cDOnJ_nf8dnx4Y1xQYT/s1600/IMG_4462.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl3GWYuNIK5nMYh3W2GNOEXdgpdsCw2yTerO000KtI1pveOwGm0p0nfimrkkPdaiObZNoJ5RVZKAuMve-5vUvaWIh8VdFm0n8NSWDIZEGmgdYrAreNjGhwWinE5cDOnJ_nf8dnx4Y1xQYT/s1600/IMG_4462.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lee looks pretty good after smoking his competition</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2LG2ntllOF9ETL2gtypRq5GELE77cRvuOIY8YB6CPoBM9lLVfIq9oa1mIaKCvGsuB_HQvZX3deZPgGaK-q1k-PVLNQ2cp5SJybpYjt2ltIJU_PNz83Pv3ZSPAC7c-5iss558W6RgfQT6Y/s1600/IMG_4455.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2LG2ntllOF9ETL2gtypRq5GELE77cRvuOIY8YB6CPoBM9lLVfIq9oa1mIaKCvGsuB_HQvZX3deZPgGaK-q1k-PVLNQ2cp5SJybpYjt2ltIJU_PNz83Pv3ZSPAC7c-5iss558W6RgfQT6Y/s1600/IMG_4455.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Emily happy to be done so she can go out and get in the rest of her 30 hours</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">As Rich finished wrapping up the results, Cheri and I
cleaned up and setup for the trail run registration.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Kathy Wever led registration, with help from
Bob, Autumn and China.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOv9mB65miYHSaioLkuKrRsWN9XpTKVuAUa5MA-ViwIDva4US4iVkh5xRV9XOQJ0XZqYZqn81-RhX43_c3bim4cbgiO0_GuicJq7NnuChfc7CdQ1jjYlKae1DIdKDxYC52JQLZm1DUz4xJ/s1600/IMG_4468.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOv9mB65miYHSaioLkuKrRsWN9XpTKVuAUa5MA-ViwIDva4US4iVkh5xRV9XOQJ0XZqYZqn81-RhX43_c3bim4cbgiO0_GuicJq7NnuChfc7CdQ1jjYlKae1DIdKDxYC52JQLZm1DUz4xJ/s1600/IMG_4468.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Volunteers at work</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Runners started signing in, even in the heavy freezing
rain, we even got 6 race day entries.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
was running around freaking out about volunteers on the course and getting the
race off on-time without anyone falling on the ice. I worried for nothing, Jim
had the volunteers under control and got them out on the course and in place
for the start of the race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jeff pulled
out the skid steer and ran through the parking lot to break up the ice and it
worked pretty well taking off the top layer of ice to keep the runner from falling
at the start of the race. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bob Patterson
was in place to run sweep and bring in the last runner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I made some pre-race comments and Mike
started the race.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSxJBofHeMJssyz8S6GYqNsEbWf2u38QJ9srRKzpQpkoFQxT5C57hsh8Dfl6gZG6b9rpfaYD5RBojqelU8KkCa8Vwiw7kl8MygCGZS0rAiJlfbF9WOzQJaFUD7JZ6Km4Q4lmguXQPWYhAQ/s1600/trstart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSxJBofHeMJssyz8S6GYqNsEbWf2u38QJ9srRKzpQpkoFQxT5C57hsh8Dfl6gZG6b9rpfaYD5RBojqelU8KkCa8Vwiw7kl8MygCGZS0rAiJlfbF9WOzQJaFUD7JZ6Km4Q4lmguXQPWYhAQ/s1600/trstart.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The start of the trail run</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I headed down to the trail, hoping I could get there
before the runners did, my knee was killing me and sliding around on the ice
and mud wasn’t helping, I just knew by the time the race was over, I would be
back on my crutches again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I made it to
the trail junction before the racers did and was able to get some awesome
photos.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The photos I liked the most
though were those of Jim Donahue crossing the creek.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He did a hard face plant into the rock bank,
got up and kept running, this after being up all night supporting the ultra
runners. Jim you are amazing!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifjgdZidbyyd5_wUvoC3C2SLUb06b6VNgdiK4T2O9aY8LW0GSCZE6ChsxGudanqeLK0a_MdooLKRcx3tqQytXhr7lgn5ZusVQnuVOM0blqkLS-ttEPBTtFb3yixvdGwwPyTo0Z0tWvz4qR/s1600/IMG_4520.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifjgdZidbyyd5_wUvoC3C2SLUb06b6VNgdiK4T2O9aY8LW0GSCZE6ChsxGudanqeLK0a_MdooLKRcx3tqQytXhr7lgn5ZusVQnuVOM0blqkLS-ttEPBTtFb3yixvdGwwPyTo0Z0tWvz4qR/s1600/IMG_4520.JPG" height="400" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jim in motion</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfOHQaG6X4qNi5thIVcMDY_rUXSw62E1mC2UUmZbw-j8BLpNN_4ZEMIDtZKbQKj4A7q0AvmjgGpb61KK_zuxpicd2645bADK2077REfnXCPo3pV8wynaD19SzHKTd0dCjk_ccGkX7nt96c/s1600/IMG_4521.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfOHQaG6X4qNi5thIVcMDY_rUXSw62E1mC2UUmZbw-j8BLpNN_4ZEMIDtZKbQKj4A7q0AvmjgGpb61KK_zuxpicd2645bADK2077REfnXCPo3pV8wynaD19SzHKTd0dCjk_ccGkX7nt96c/s1600/IMG_4521.JPG" height="400" width="266" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEetEVZUuzmbW2eJIjU-y-mqCbioNX2fuhuY60cSmv6NWHDmC1vNGmTCxThl44mRhA0gzf_3KdaL3PQRE5FKTe6QT7PpO179uf0lHes1kens8tEUsJjtiBBE9YcjZbh_oWMJdeCoxrfSxR/s1600/IMG_4522.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEetEVZUuzmbW2eJIjU-y-mqCbioNX2fuhuY60cSmv6NWHDmC1vNGmTCxThl44mRhA0gzf_3KdaL3PQRE5FKTe6QT7PpO179uf0lHes1kens8tEUsJjtiBBE9YcjZbh_oWMJdeCoxrfSxR/s1600/IMG_4522.JPG" height="400" width="266" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicn0lX7dg06e0I0H3I9cPGNIaHjtLE-46RSj2VtF0s7rTK221LGHIL4af5GSXY20KZQMRuhosJKp0HZB52xfH16l0RfR4rtSwcRR7VJroyIIkoal_CfY2ScwKB_AAhVIFXgOjIRZxcsr35/s1600/IMG_4523.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicn0lX7dg06e0I0H3I9cPGNIaHjtLE-46RSj2VtF0s7rTK221LGHIL4af5GSXY20KZQMRuhosJKp0HZB52xfH16l0RfR4rtSwcRR7VJroyIIkoal_CfY2ScwKB_AAhVIFXgOjIRZxcsr35/s1600/IMG_4523.JPG" height="400" width="266" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Rob was at the trail junction in his truck making sure
the runners made the turn, so he gave me a ride back up to the finish
line.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t think I could have walked
it fast enough to see the first place finisher come through, but with the ride
I made it. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Standing at the finish line Mike pointed out the great
view from the finish so I started snapping photos of the runners crossing the
finishing line to the view.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCs5b0dCo_xDvvzNLGOEfeQC9nu6OhMFxP0V-Rqbipq0AwT2hh6G8J44vM2pRNB0Xa7L-_t4iGbwTUDTsBlfdu2SX6KfOzLK3T13Evc0YVcrdBrLhCrnHs6vnBRons8Lf0ycOPD6bUT18N/s1600/IMG_4724.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCs5b0dCo_xDvvzNLGOEfeQC9nu6OhMFxP0V-Rqbipq0AwT2hh6G8J44vM2pRNB0Xa7L-_t4iGbwTUDTsBlfdu2SX6KfOzLK3T13Evc0YVcrdBrLhCrnHs6vnBRons8Lf0ycOPD6bUT18N/s1600/IMG_4724.JPG" height="400" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Keith crossing the finish line to a Beautiful View</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSEzQNT-gv2kyJsSTyhh38VJae36liOzGukCBH0N5n7cvnm2DSvXnN4n-9mufhkh6YpbJ80tEF38hz9aingyxhW1__MECGiBzRUdgUiNSJO48GpLnqgIAqLCbIb_zCdbVsMVR7-WJkLzRH/s1600/IMG_4766.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSEzQNT-gv2kyJsSTyhh38VJae36liOzGukCBH0N5n7cvnm2DSvXnN4n-9mufhkh6YpbJ80tEF38hz9aingyxhW1__MECGiBzRUdgUiNSJO48GpLnqgIAqLCbIb_zCdbVsMVR7-WJkLzRH/s1600/IMG_4766.JPG" height="400" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Russ running down his competition at the finish line</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Dave Otto won the trail run while the first female to
cross the line was Michon Coats, great job to both of you.</span>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Overall I think the race went off pretty well, there were
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still lessons learned that we will fix next year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I learned a lot of lessons from the ultra
event and will do my best to remedy them next year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">It was the most miserable,
cold, wet, horrible weather, but I know it made for some of the best stories of
these runners lives. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span></div>
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<br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">So here is my question to you… Was this a good event,
will you come back and will you recommend this event to your friends. Oh and
did you like the shirts as much as I did, I think they are awesome.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you have comments or suggestions please
post them so we can use them to make this a better event in the future.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I need to say Thanks to all the volunteers and especially
to Rich Luers for doing such a great job with the timing and spending the night
posting laps online at <a href="http://finallapracing.com/raceresults.html" target="_blank">Final Lap Racing</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To Jen at <a href="http://www.runwellcoaching.com/" target="_blank">RunWell</a>
for providing all the Hammer products, the runners all appreciated having them.
To Salomon/Sunnto for their generous donation of products, the races that won
the items are very grateful. To Mike Wever for being my right hand man through
all of this. </span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKLSlTgylTTOZ4Z6JoWFim-pO6eZ1SIoqEk1gPqgpKW-SUzQhKj8mupeDgM6sPQTI-6gbvVeE9LdeV7L_6Zv92-IvhdqAjwI078YFCPqVuvddYPg9Nu5eIfxTe12GiK-Eh9u3yLE1kWb7m/s1600/IMG-20140201-00430.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKLSlTgylTTOZ4Z6JoWFim-pO6eZ1SIoqEk1gPqgpKW-SUzQhKj8mupeDgM6sPQTI-6gbvVeE9LdeV7L_6Zv92-IvhdqAjwI078YFCPqVuvddYPg9Nu5eIfxTe12GiK-Eh9u3yLE1kWb7m/s1600/IMG-20140201-00430.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just a few of the prizes from Salomon/Sunnto</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
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<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaYXhRcVIULHvR3FVTQwxjw7Vmb-1lxAyQrL8X1nitVFUom1Y1x7xEjA8sCqrUenzIo1m2ZV10BKorFD7IYuDzzW4vN0PxIhdAfwwtoJqrbvxTrTA8Cp2uiB8QOJeaxKDPWrp584mQhqaf/s1600/sunnto.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaYXhRcVIULHvR3FVTQwxjw7Vmb-1lxAyQrL8X1nitVFUom1Y1x7xEjA8sCqrUenzIo1m2ZV10BKorFD7IYuDzzW4vN0PxIhdAfwwtoJqrbvxTrTA8Cp2uiB8QOJeaxKDPWrp584mQhqaf/s1600/sunnto.jpg" height="110" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Most of all Thanks to Jeff and Sandy Lorton for hosting
the event and allowing us to hold training runs on the course.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you make it up to the winery let them know
that you raced there and how much fun you had. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">All thanks to all the runners for enduring the awful
weather conditions to compete in this race. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">See all the photos I took on my <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rrongey/sets/72157640426373706/" target="_blank">Flickr Page</a></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">You can see the Video about the race that <a href="http://www.riverbender.com/video/details/1st-annual-february-freeze-tall-timber-trail-run-at-aeries-riverview-winery-video-1855.cfm#.UvGqPdGYZjo" target="_blank">Riverbender.com produced here</a> </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">You can also read the <a href="http://thetelegraph.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?avis=PE&date=20140201&category=news&lopenr=302019976&Ref=AR&source=RSS" target="_blank">Article in the Alton Telegraph here</a> </span></span></div>
Trek Mountain Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16901382514879478984noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9082478865600658051.post-72671920641910511602013-11-13T10:20:00.000-08:002013-11-14T11:29:22.095-08:00Aeries February Freeze Tall Timber Trail Run & Ultra 12 Hour Run<span style="font-size: small;">So what are you doing on February 1st, 2014, I mean,
there isn't much going on that time of year. I have this great idea, I
really think you will like it. Come to Grafton, IL and run a 6 mile
trail run or a 12 hour Ultra Trail Run. They will both be awesome
events with really great schwag. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: small;">This is going to be one of those events that you do once and never want to miss again. See all the race info below. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: small;">Registration is now open, with a 300 entry limit for the
trail run and a 150 entry limit for the Ultra run, there is also a team
division for the Ultra, so grab two of your closest friends and hang out
in the dark for 12 hours, all you have to do is run a little. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">This
race is being managed by the Metro Tri Club, the same people that bring
you the Pere Marquette Trail Run. And the course is very similar to
the PM run also, so be ready for a challenge. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Online Registration: </span><br />
<span style="color: yellow;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","sans-serif";"><a href="https://runsignup.com/Race/IL/Grafton/AeriesFebruaryFreezeTrailRun" target="_blank">https://runsignup.com/Race/IL/Grafton/AeriesFebruaryFreezeTrailRun</a></span></span></span><br />
<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXthJKVPnmNE6TvbsxUenDANhd6yy3Ttpc4UwZ0ALu-lMF7hrAOWZzPmYmI3IpWi40jTzvJxrBOfdrrQztd7YVMPr3A2zFc1dCKBIzyd_42U-JcqUNZ7_-VOgYCnMiXCrHeBDL-UAD1yYX/s1600/AFFFlyer.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
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<br />Trek Mountain Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16901382514879478984noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9082478865600658051.post-10411410254201485282013-10-07T11:26:00.001-07:002013-10-07T11:32:36.435-07:00SHivering Icey Trail Run<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">The inaugural
SHivering Icy Trail Run was so memorable that all of us at ROCK Racing have been asked
dozens of times over the summer if we would be organizing the SHITR II.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We told everyone that asked “Yes”!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=9082478865600658051" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=9082478865600658051" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=9082478865600658051" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=9082478865600658051" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Now it’s time
to make good on those promises.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
SHITR II will go off on January 11, 2014 at 5pm, starting from The Mound.</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=9082478865600658051" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=9082478865600658051" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=9082478865600658051" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=9082478865600658051" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimZOkm59SF_w2tGEGfYYrOzjDpdRNzhjzcCKPv5Uu22hBfQSIpecc28Ay7vp1N0bkZz6KAXjmgXT2YkA5rjy_8MEZllUL7ADebFO7PLk_DLNqWIzpv1CAxPFj6llmatzAh5Kszg1eamE0/s1600/226693_10200443837440330_2074673957_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimZOkm59SF_w2tGEGfYYrOzjDpdRNzhjzcCKPv5Uu22hBfQSIpecc28Ay7vp1N0bkZz6KAXjmgXT2YkA5rjy_8MEZllUL7ADebFO7PLk_DLNqWIzpv1CAxPFj6llmatzAh5Kszg1eamE0/s400/226693_10200443837440330_2074673957_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Once again we
will run our favorite trail - </span><a href="http://www.gorctrails.com/trails/mlostvalley.asp" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Lost Valley</span></a><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> in Weldon Spring, MO.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Great single track, great parking, hills,
fast-flowy sections, techy sections, and open after dark.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is the perfect place for what we have
planned.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And this year a section of the
gravel double track has been replaced by more of the rocky singletrack we all
love.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Come join us for a 13.1m trail run on
some of the best singletrack in the area. </span></div>
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</div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">What could make a trail ½ marathon fun
you ask?</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Let’s do it in the dark.</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">In January.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Unsupported.</span><br />
</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijPjeLTZ8rYQqIlMkSFRcFBdBbiTGPvmjXALO77vB92baqf0yUXQa-RDYHinoHr2e0Y5DJ4o1xn6TwSYjMQ8Pcc_67R8gmw7GOG_R1m8J7EoqO4iFvf_Iz4voJ64V5d7S4KjizfiXAdLY/s1600/Ice+Trail.jpg"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-no-proof: yes; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><span style="mso-ignore: vglayout;"></span></span></a></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6i49R8XpLQkM0DHZWs9Lig3QNKs0pa1nnI2LJFGUM31UttcHLrOPGvJEIluyO4-Sj2iRIp45AzTKxtUzX0a_itMhOEmiy4_xpUWB8WHJohMRPohxJuqazFnLu3rCjJJ0tBwh4WsdFGJOb/s1600/Ice+Trail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6i49R8XpLQkM0DHZWs9Lig3QNKs0pa1nnI2LJFGUM31UttcHLrOPGvJEIluyO4-Sj2iRIp45AzTKxtUzX0a_itMhOEmiy4_xpUWB8WHJohMRPohxJuqazFnLu3rCjJJ0tBwh4WsdFGJOb/s400/Ice+Trail.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Reserve
the date on your calendar now 1/11/14. 5pm start time.</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">(Actually
read these race reports from last year, if you still want to run then put it on
your calendar!)</span><br />
</div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=9082478865600658051" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=9082478865600658051" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=9082478865600658051" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=9082478865600658051" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=9082478865600658051" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=9082478865600658051" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=9082478865600658051" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=9082478865600658051" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Truthfully though it
was awesome, awesome in a way that only the people sitting around those tables
at the Mexican restaurant could understand. We had all endured something
together and even though I didn’t actually talk to every single person who was
there I still feel a bond with everyone of them, and that is something you
can’t get from a road race.<br />
If you missed out on the race this year then you should totally feel jealous,
and if you see someone trying to merge in traffic with a SHITR decal in their
window you should give them room and allow them to move because they are badass
and deserve your respect. Next year the SHITR will be even better! Don’t miss it. - (Patrick Albert, Adventurer)</i></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://mlkillian.wordpress.com/2013/01/13/shivering-icy-trail-run-the-shttiest-trail-half-marathon-non-race-ive-ever-done/">http://mlkillian.wordpress.com/2013/01/13/shivering-icy-trail-run-the-shttiest-trail-half-marathon-non-race-ive-ever-done/</a><span style="color: orange;"><br />
</span><a href="http://kate-my-mind.blogspot.com/2013/01/shitr-happens.html">http://kate-my-mind.blogspot.com/2013/01/shitr-happens.html</a><span style="color: orange;"> <br />
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: orange;">
</span><a href="http://adventuresofdog.com/2013/01/15/latex-gloves-and-a-sticker/">http://adventuresofdog.com/2013/01/15/latex-gloves-and-a-sticker/</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://silkychrome.blogspot.com/2013/01/race-report-gear-review-shitr-salomon.html">http://silkychrome.blogspot.com/2013/01/race-report-gear-review-shitr-salomon.html</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://patrick-trailanderror.blogspot.com/2013/01/the-shitr-promised-challenge-and.html">http://patrick-trailanderror.blogspot.com/2013/01/the-shitr-promised-challenge-and.html</a><span style="color: orange;"><br />
</span><a href="http://apabstsmear.blogspot.com/2013/01/bat-shitr-crazy.html?zx=e1a0865960ab5440" target="_blank">http://apabstsmear.blogspot.com/2013/01/bat-shitr-crazy.html?zx=e1a0865960ab5440
</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://100plusproject.com/2013/01/15/the-shitr-promised-a-challenge-and-delivered/">http://100plusproject.com/2013/01/15/the-shitr-promised-a-challenge-and-delivered/</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 125.6pt;">
<a href="http://www.rock-racing.blogspot.com/2013_01_01_archive.html">http://www.rock-racing.blogspot.com/2013_01_01_archive.html</a></div>
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<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhissToORaxGklKRkChizkNkhJ-rZACxj_rF6dMR8P6_Dp1IEFlEt7t1edCOx5UO2VHjA8-wp0ETWxsL_Q4WCgJs3mZgNYClZ3EIzKHEup_RySZZRwha1nupAtwemw0Khx3FPBw-lur5CGU/s1600/stone+with+blur+cropped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhissToORaxGklKRkChizkNkhJ-rZACxj_rF6dMR8P6_Dp1IEFlEt7t1edCOx5UO2VHjA8-wp0ETWxsL_Q4WCgJs3mZgNYClZ3EIzKHEup_RySZZRwha1nupAtwemw0Khx3FPBw-lur5CGU/s400/stone+with+blur+cropped.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
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</div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">And once again…This picture might or
might not be a clue to the mystery event....if there is one. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">(More
details coming soon on the Facebook event page – like the sticker logo
contest) </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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Trek Mountain Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16901382514879478984noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9082478865600658051.post-72940879759127483622013-10-01T13:05:00.003-07:002013-10-01T13:10:45.838-07:00Berryman Adventure Race 2013<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisC2I00YbKoPvBQUo9_bdDfJ_xEAQmLKS5E9fZ9pQZKbAuudOXjf6Cvt8wBR2atUAOg0ZsWglnOv-iFHocxDHNro5bSCjJEoCIJUTJVBo4WCwfiFfoSc-IEcPZrgzCum5EfdLPRZMiz1Yx/s1600/teamfinish.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisC2I00YbKoPvBQUo9_bdDfJ_xEAQmLKS5E9fZ9pQZKbAuudOXjf6Cvt8wBR2atUAOg0ZsWglnOv-iFHocxDHNro5bSCjJEoCIJUTJVBo4WCwfiFfoSc-IEcPZrgzCum5EfdLPRZMiz1Yx/s400/teamfinish.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Two Thumbs Up</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">This was my
first time competing in the Berryman Adventure Race in 4 years, so I was
excited that it fell on a weekend that I had free and could join in on all the
fun.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Usually Chuck and I do adventure
races as a 2 person coed team, but this race we did as a 4 person coed team
because Chuck’s son Jacob wanted to do it and our friend Keith also wanted to
try a longer race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZr7DSTOf_Y9D5Iuw-EzA8Zn-nTyp8SNLTz-3vW20yozjnkR5XBGhkUOcDMdaT1vPYBUeOgeQVXUKu2QDnHwrAy6FVx7K8-TX2EHwBR38Jk3rmfwI5-cNlt4rIH-BM4_4qvdi1mM1rHR3M/s1600/chuckrain.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZr7DSTOf_Y9D5Iuw-EzA8Zn-nTyp8SNLTz-3vW20yozjnkR5XBGhkUOcDMdaT1vPYBUeOgeQVXUKu2QDnHwrAy6FVx7K8-TX2EHwBR38Jk3rmfwI5-cNlt4rIH-BM4_4qvdi1mM1rHR3M/s400/chuckrain.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chuck (Master Orienteerer)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4hMHtIRcySrR42da-NWkCwPfXpGxxYbScri9FEy91qb-XOgnXohowvXcUyqNXaKnMs2k6bEGclx8AW2IHnzYBECD9BJhfLyZAzR_jVxi2ZvxUr0G36ab1wV_SSntmsJWlZ2KcdWld1z28/s1600/jakeconfused.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4hMHtIRcySrR42da-NWkCwPfXpGxxYbScri9FEy91qb-XOgnXohowvXcUyqNXaKnMs2k6bEGclx8AW2IHnzYBECD9BJhfLyZAzR_jVxi2ZvxUr0G36ab1wV_SSntmsJWlZ2KcdWld1z28/s400/jakeconfused.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jacob (Unruly Teenaged Boy)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM6I6ZJIdToInWWnDneAV9jCpWxqMu1l3ahPhIfF1wBfzhexX4BVhLR8UNOaFUsny2qsOz1-CFKJD0-9Y9A2XXRo0DezSXnZJue1ZRye0J5qWopk9YwGbAedb0uB6Ng8SVSiNOBuco1O6C/s1600/keith.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM6I6ZJIdToInWWnDneAV9jCpWxqMu1l3ahPhIfF1wBfzhexX4BVhLR8UNOaFUsny2qsOz1-CFKJD0-9Y9A2XXRo0DezSXnZJue1ZRye0J5qWopk9YwGbAedb0uB6Ng8SVSiNOBuco1O6C/s400/keith.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Keith (Fast Grandpa)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh997gv9vvvyqUK5GNM8fEh87nxWzFlFLSjm9j0wZZdJz14_KNMhxT0mqfJbcgIlccQitF0tnqirG1rTqi9NHM6zZGgxeteHH_CCbU4re1zOs-mwVgw6ojapVQUB13uaqv0cXIy8GwxpmER/s1600/robin.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh997gv9vvvyqUK5GNM8fEh87nxWzFlFLSjm9j0wZZdJz14_KNMhxT0mqfJbcgIlccQitF0tnqirG1rTqi9NHM6zZGgxeteHH_CCbU4re1zOs-mwVgw6ojapVQUB13uaqv0cXIy8GwxpmER/s400/robin.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Robin (Slow Girl)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Just a few
weeks before the race Keith was hospitalized for a health issue and wasn’t sure
he was going to be able to race, but luck was on his side and he was well
enough on race day to make it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Chuck’s wife
Lori came along and was our personal photographer, we would be seeing her a lot
throughout the race, which I love because she takes great photos. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">We also had
a group of friends, Jenny, Jim, Travis, and Trent, otherwise known as Team
Jenny’s Angels, who were doing this as their first Adventure race. This was
their first adventure race and first time as a team, so this was going to be
interesting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I just told them to take
their time with the navigation and have fun.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSVCXEoOoeTNHMKIW354yPOSELUUCtP4O8RvTjpT0wNantjpPJZwFyCTqtfEydOMNaK_kmyVx-yOTu-VElAAxYMCFw_xN43kv0TEZTAXTyvDI8I4El37twGXeyKe49d1reqla5GqWLOZRr/s1600/jennyangels.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSVCXEoOoeTNHMKIW354yPOSELUUCtP4O8RvTjpT0wNantjpPJZwFyCTqtfEydOMNaK_kmyVx-yOTu-VElAAxYMCFw_xN43kv0TEZTAXTyvDI8I4El37twGXeyKe49d1reqla5GqWLOZRr/s400/jennyangels.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jenny and her Angels at the start of the race</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">We hit the
pre-race meeting then both teams gathered in Chuck’s room to plot the
checkpoints and do some preliminary route planning. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our plotting went well, and we helped the
other team with plotting to make sure they were going to start off on the right
foot. We were in bed by 10:30 with plans of leaving for the race start by 5:15
am the next morning. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaqB2vaHbZpyG-Ct82bS9JqIbLe8b3cc5Qg_r3KS8WkTfHySc7t3kpo7R7pUpTt0EwdUaeKpELbOJQ_DTQ1CYlW8yKsmF49NOA3AiLxcQvhik2Pd-QdPcggA_R89_hAasBSPOYi6bg-Ntr/s1600/20130927_210044.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaqB2vaHbZpyG-Ct82bS9JqIbLe8b3cc5Qg_r3KS8WkTfHySc7t3kpo7R7pUpTt0EwdUaeKpELbOJQ_DTQ1CYlW8yKsmF49NOA3AiLxcQvhik2Pd-QdPcggA_R89_hAasBSPOYi6bg-Ntr/s400/20130927_210044.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Plotting the night before the race</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The next
morning seemed to come fast, but I slept well. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jenny and I shared a hotel room so we made
sure we were awake on time and ready to go.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We met our teams in the lobby, grabbed some breakfast and were out the
door.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a 30 minute drive to the
start and it was way out in the deep woods. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXPqIWtpVT0HUq1StV9dCsxrZAoXzWZA9YOunPwr8SgcviLF8c3RXMw3lh8vEvjBE0z9f0H9FDlmPLU39mlHmDJutUHbhisglr11XIjc9yeamIGtuF3xyNc-UFyTTLqgj0Ms0HAU0thrGl/s1600/pack.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXPqIWtpVT0HUq1StV9dCsxrZAoXzWZA9YOunPwr8SgcviLF8c3RXMw3lh8vEvjBE0z9f0H9FDlmPLU39mlHmDJutUHbhisglr11XIjc9yeamIGtuF3xyNc-UFyTTLqgj0Ms0HAU0thrGl/s400/pack.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Team ROCK Racing</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">We parked,
filled our drop bags with food, staged our bikes and got ready to start, the
gun went off and we headed out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had
decided to take a different path than most teams, there were only about 3 teams
who took this line. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg21YKOjDLZOyAX-0kVKGqbyzIrt4xGATsGGAh8_wCtpWNSIB3FC02RD3Fz08d_YHRCvPuyzP5gbV5NTZZ6yPbxD7LxmkyDQ3zxhYEt3P5JNaSX30VoAz-NjCD5qZc1FJ6jrbXDzHHPJCdn/s1600/checkingmap.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg21YKOjDLZOyAX-0kVKGqbyzIrt4xGATsGGAh8_wCtpWNSIB3FC02RD3Fz08d_YHRCvPuyzP5gbV5NTZZ6yPbxD7LxmkyDQ3zxhYEt3P5JNaSX30VoAz-NjCD5qZc1FJ6jrbXDzHHPJCdn/s400/checkingmap.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Which way should we go</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I think it
was the right decision because we did not have to wait in line to punch our
passport when we got to the CP.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As usual
Chuck was our map guy and I had the passport and clue sheet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is how we always work as a team, so we
kept it this way even with a 4 person team instead of a 2 person team, like we
usually race. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4YsFNT2WfwrIBvLGYzxZGxiLOWdg_zin7aUyYL-2pi0EaM7jlBwR_9pBBeYYlaf7PuuYES_CyeVzSWm2MNZ5hcFXFP9uUDQbPEd2avw8mVUJKTUoydjADZ2rbB_pOzQn3R65KPKZwb6r_/s1600/checkpoint.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4YsFNT2WfwrIBvLGYzxZGxiLOWdg_zin7aUyYL-2pi0EaM7jlBwR_9pBBeYYlaf7PuuYES_CyeVzSWm2MNZ5hcFXFP9uUDQbPEd2avw8mVUJKTUoydjADZ2rbB_pOzQn3R65KPKZwb6r_/s400/checkpoint.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jacobs got this</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">As we headed
for CP2, we ran into Team JA, they were also looking for CP2, so we found it together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We headed off South for our last CP before
the bike, while they headed North for their two remaining points.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguggU5-oDeug3bfy5srRPBfiVaU27nDoFdITUCsfZewtiQ1c_D2-aA3JaH8VHBzsYnMz1Q5uCiUeKrjxWdAevopTwTDfdiAF7AV8vRrYImF00klOhdtoKKvq-s3C1hxmQ7-BLO8cl2q_83/s1600/jentrek.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguggU5-oDeug3bfy5srRPBfiVaU27nDoFdITUCsfZewtiQ1c_D2-aA3JaH8VHBzsYnMz1Q5uCiUeKrjxWdAevopTwTDfdiAF7AV8vRrYImF00klOhdtoKKvq-s3C1hxmQ7-BLO8cl2q_83/s320/jentrek.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Team Jenny's Angels</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">As we ran
into the HQ / TA to get our bikes Lori was standing there taking photos and
giving us an update and what teams had already been through.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We talked to some guys from Arkansas while
there and ate deer sausage that Keith brought along.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We also took off our adventure pants, since
we would be on bikes and we were so covered in beggar lice that they were weighing
us down. Keith had shorts on in the woods, so the hair on his legs were covered
with beggar lice, at least we could just take our pants off, he worked all day
to get those lice off his legs. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEW-AtS7EhTPBNAwJi1YOw-RWwjjmCKyNa5umVcEy6TeLeeen5AblLdMhazKuwnEmL5T_U8Zfj2kV9KtNKpln0ejnKiYhEHNmE4GIgxu_Ctflc0xxlsmIZ67PsWg9vFbXlYqXKX0WcDTuk/s1600/beggerlice.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEW-AtS7EhTPBNAwJi1YOw-RWwjjmCKyNa5umVcEy6TeLeeen5AblLdMhazKuwnEmL5T_U8Zfj2kV9KtNKpln0ejnKiYhEHNmE4GIgxu_Ctflc0xxlsmIZ67PsWg9vFbXlYqXKX0WcDTuk/s400/beggerlice.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beggars Lice</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-fM6NfK6QbRXvIxQy6qz2YLxbIhVWw7McA2SycEpbdGMAiqAHlLggSx_xai1fA7a_ymwPGgTbBmkPgZVU_t5V6lPi3vuHa3CM28poSiJJu8hlU3q8FJ3TZHx6cIKOpop0Pkv0BLWaCFuZ/s1600/biketa.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-fM6NfK6QbRXvIxQy6qz2YLxbIhVWw7McA2SycEpbdGMAiqAHlLggSx_xai1fA7a_ymwPGgTbBmkPgZVU_t5V6lPi3vuHa3CM28poSiJJu8hlU3q8FJ3TZHx6cIKOpop0Pkv0BLWaCFuZ/s400/biketa.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">TA 1</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbSIr7s77L7GREaxohMu7P_M1yubFISco9A2sfmEr8uE8WfIjfvbXqj9j1ne3Se-KcWLwL2KPXbY5PuBHr49rNfNqr2NMuHyOSP2A3Ix7VG5iSfn2NKv9YCoaG_k7k8nQuk80lbcI0cwRw/s1600/firstTA.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbSIr7s77L7GREaxohMu7P_M1yubFISco9A2sfmEr8uE8WfIjfvbXqj9j1ne3Se-KcWLwL2KPXbY5PuBHr49rNfNqr2NMuHyOSP2A3Ix7VG5iSfn2NKv9YCoaG_k7k8nQuk80lbcI0cwRw/s400/firstTA.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting ready for the first bike leg</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">We started
out on the first bike leg and it was mostly all single track.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was really tough, with lots of sand,
gravel, roots and boulders.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We weren’t
too far into the bike and I turned a corner and came to a dead stop in the deep
sand and crashed into a downed tree.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
was so tangled in the tree that it took a while to get out and I had to pull
tree limbs out of my spokes and my brakes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I finally got back on my bike and rode up to where my teammates were
waiting, wondering what happened to me. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">We were back
on track and soon arrived at a cave where a CP was inside.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We ran in to stamp the passport, but none of
us had a head lamp on so we were just trying to guess if we were checking the
right box or not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We headed out thinking
there was a trail around the cave, only to find out that we had to go though the
cave, at least this time we had our bike lights to get us through.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikZyl3ivkwPpqPrJ-Ga4VjxGknOD2xGmXIdoL4yM25IMCD_UeZyIFcatrndfvfuk_cH9tUmEKjVSRWS9W0BRVY7bZBD0z7A2MpbXBh7pvoe2YhQbucefpVHVp0xHwoXn6EtU9JTyTd7Lk4/s1600/cave.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikZyl3ivkwPpqPrJ-Ga4VjxGknOD2xGmXIdoL4yM25IMCD_UeZyIFcatrndfvfuk_cH9tUmEKjVSRWS9W0BRVY7bZBD0z7A2MpbXBh7pvoe2YhQbucefpVHVp0xHwoXn6EtU9JTyTd7Lk4/s400/cave.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Boys coming out of the cave</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">We were back
out for more single track and then we came out to ride hill after hill of loose
gravel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We did hit some pavement for a
while and it was one of the few places that we had some really good
downhill.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact we hit 41 mph on the
downhill in this section. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was just
hoping that we didn’t have to ride back up it. </span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMnDZ_mCQSKMyBmebh7Rv5cOcH8OWSNWcqJhylqp_c2GAeQvkFmqJQCpQs5fVPvcu1h5ZhAu9pA9FagcQ_I7k8jZF5DDaIWh5oo_sP9VGaxplCdGHgbx8zkIrWvVX_zvkRTzGUtljiGmBk/s1600/chuckjakebike.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMnDZ_mCQSKMyBmebh7Rv5cOcH8OWSNWcqJhylqp_c2GAeQvkFmqJQCpQs5fVPvcu1h5ZhAu9pA9FagcQ_I7k8jZF5DDaIWh5oo_sP9VGaxplCdGHgbx8zkIrWvVX_zvkRTzGUtljiGmBk/s400/chuckjakebike.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jacob and Chuck</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisKVN04JxKBTuNBH3K8Hc5-V3D9O2gNzMMda9lG8XHc4FnuxnbNnoQK5wGas2ajiaIPWMqpdHpj4CumUu44nc0fULuFxepgbgIlCoghbJxOgup-ZISzi_FKTZAtMRok0PblBY1pnnh8hsA/s1600/keithbiketa.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisKVN04JxKBTuNBH3K8Hc5-V3D9O2gNzMMda9lG8XHc4FnuxnbNnoQK5wGas2ajiaIPWMqpdHpj4CumUu44nc0fULuFxepgbgIlCoghbJxOgup-ZISzi_FKTZAtMRok0PblBY1pnnh8hsA/s400/keithbiketa.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Keith</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_AacuFasl-AUuCeS6mUsGRPSIMuCPE68rK5t15d6z3vy993vq3xQaHsrQYDOpQWIaMva70ioSu4-mRMQ7QVYG1vFXAaeFU4CK4IN93ysfyD2uNMH-1Fl_8agboR0018utJ2WwQW5Nf25i/s1600/robinbike.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_AacuFasl-AUuCeS6mUsGRPSIMuCPE68rK5t15d6z3vy993vq3xQaHsrQYDOpQWIaMva70ioSu4-mRMQ7QVYG1vFXAaeFU4CK4IN93ysfyD2uNMH-1Fl_8agboR0018utJ2WwQW5Nf25i/s400/robinbike.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Robin</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I kept
getting dropped off the back, every uphill I would fall behind and the guys
would stop to wait, but as soon as I got close they took off again, so they
were getting a minute to recover while I never had any recovery time, so I kept
falling further and further back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They
couldn’t just take off and leave me because I had the passport they needed me,
but I got to the point where I felt like I was the 4<sup>th</sup> wheel and the
only reason I was there was because I was the girl and they needed one to be a
coed team.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As the day went on Chuck fell
back closer to me and Jacob and Keith were off the front, usually waiting at
the top of each hill, taking it easy catching a breath, so that they could
stomp my ego again when I caught up.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKoX9SaBBu5w2eJypvntZVS6LgKuzPOlmyR6NxNhRJmUtbf7QeJIs_RMr4WixDu0S-IM4GaLrTOQ-NZxoNYfn5Rh7I4dCuYitwyyKy7Wr9PWCRkyNK7B7wg9caf9h2_PZ75YwCdcjGciO_/s1600/kjrocks.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKoX9SaBBu5w2eJypvntZVS6LgKuzPOlmyR6NxNhRJmUtbf7QeJIs_RMr4WixDu0S-IM4GaLrTOQ-NZxoNYfn5Rh7I4dCuYitwyyKy7Wr9PWCRkyNK7B7wg9caf9h2_PZ75YwCdcjGciO_/s400/kjrocks.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taking a nap while waiting for me to catch up</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">We made it
to the canoe put-in and thankfully we had the light canoes, there was a lot of
canoe carrying to get in and out of the water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Xuo0MMrhrO-YguC3L524CUJMWUedvTp0jZPbJOPbaCHD2N87fXP2Y09bzPiWXVFtus39IFOYiI9N1md9xIoG6Whm_xpZdayx-Ok-LIiJJRmF_TOGup-w1iewt1iJIFdE-6srlJlwudrS/s1600/rkcanoe.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Xuo0MMrhrO-YguC3L524CUJMWUedvTp0jZPbJOPbaCHD2N87fXP2Y09bzPiWXVFtus39IFOYiI9N1md9xIoG6Whm_xpZdayx-Ok-LIiJJRmF_TOGup-w1iewt1iJIFdE-6srlJlwudrS/s400/rkcanoe.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The hardest part of the race</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Lori was
there taking photos, and it was nice to see someone who wasn’t in race mode and
wasn’t thinking what a slug I was, and constantly stopping and waiting for me. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBDbRZbSvwph_WotYoSAKf_SGWbZbQDmVQtoJ68lLkE_44gaA6CnmZhdNm2BVjHbYQDRLQ7y3CyRJotq6xaHi0iFDN56y4hhCcvo7HN0Jatf40reF4qedrkRuPqxzNcHZkAQw4kAZuc2Wb/s1600/Lori.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBDbRZbSvwph_WotYoSAKf_SGWbZbQDmVQtoJ68lLkE_44gaA6CnmZhdNm2BVjHbYQDRLQ7y3CyRJotq6xaHi0iFDN56y4hhCcvo7HN0Jatf40reF4qedrkRuPqxzNcHZkAQw4kAZuc2Wb/s400/Lori.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lori taking our photos</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">We got in
the canoes and headed out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4IrHsmMcQgPMO_nG3bKF9tRQBHVemm7H5JtgEDS0DoshWWBIrgBH4MLXXaxiWnJOQW6121_I0wKdG6vzpfFxF5YvKczUY9Q4bg14RluW360KKTyXVkBevY128qTBY3eQcADexWiiRqF1L/s1600/cjpaddle1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4IrHsmMcQgPMO_nG3bKF9tRQBHVemm7H5JtgEDS0DoshWWBIrgBH4MLXXaxiWnJOQW6121_I0wKdG6vzpfFxF5YvKczUY9Q4bg14RluW360KKTyXVkBevY128qTBY3eQcADexWiiRqF1L/s400/cjpaddle1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jacob and Chuck</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieIZS9lnBR5wUrzRfkPEjF7hrHWrnysnp71bjAKpIRo_Xlx6qB-CxsZ2CrCANlHLDZvZZBOmn-lyzp9k3iFISy7nPILcGf3izXzeiL72G_SeeUTotZ9-wshennnw8Ml0HXcSmvk35m8Id0/s1600/rkpaddle.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieIZS9lnBR5wUrzRfkPEjF7hrHWrnysnp71bjAKpIRo_Xlx6qB-CxsZ2CrCANlHLDZvZZBOmn-lyzp9k3iFISy7nPILcGf3izXzeiL72G_SeeUTotZ9-wshennnw8Ml0HXcSmvk35m8Id0/s400/rkpaddle.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Robin and Keith</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">This race
had a little bit of an interesting twist, there were optional points thrown in
that could be picked up by any transportation mode as long as they were picked
up before a designated CP.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the map it
looked like there was a rock road that we could use to get close to the points.
So we picked up a couple canoe CP’s than beached, unloaded bikes and headed out
for points, 41 and 42.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Oh and these
points were worth 2 points each.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlymhMA_cZ-MP3blcZvfUdRDzeSYyNoN4ECqeQzWd_xQ0cgY1CsloXhRqvOWFD9feZ7_paWJxIxGfSJ-LEvc5tGs59_t8zWYul9RhbKw-aqqE-ImCuAQPdOXq9M2nTDRDEYR8xMNzBzaze/s1600/bikecanoe.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlymhMA_cZ-MP3blcZvfUdRDzeSYyNoN4ECqeQzWd_xQ0cgY1CsloXhRqvOWFD9feZ7_paWJxIxGfSJ-LEvc5tGs59_t8zWYul9RhbKw-aqqE-ImCuAQPdOXq9M2nTDRDEYR8xMNzBzaze/s400/bikecanoe.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jacob and Chuck</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsBH7OnFtTKbAoSayhfM-5MCYjjilmLZmPIlJwLkhKLvdd5402UELQuOvWskExqA2uls-9hhnN6JMoBbFHc9o-uP4jKq9Xecj8A7qYk_H54lEKE9Stw0PT1BaITjWaeLMyk6lXnFTwuPqw/s1600/IMGP3103.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsBH7OnFtTKbAoSayhfM-5MCYjjilmLZmPIlJwLkhKLvdd5402UELQuOvWskExqA2uls-9hhnN6JMoBbFHc9o-uP4jKq9Xecj8A7qYk_H54lEKE9Stw0PT1BaITjWaeLMyk6lXnFTwuPqw/s400/IMGP3103.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Robin and Chuck</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The section
of road we had to cover to get to these points started out uphill in deep
gravel, oh and that was after you got out of the sand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was tough but we made it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the first CP we had a gear check and after
some digging in our packs we came up with all the needed gear, so we stamped
our passport and headed out. We picked up the next point quickly, and we were
really surprised to see how many people had chosen to trek to the points. It
would have taken us at least an extra hour to trek it instead of bike it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We headed back to the river and we were
looking forward to some downhill to get back, but the downhill was in deep
gravel which made it very scary, at least for me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At one point I was flying down a hill, fish
tailing in the gravel, I couldn’t brake or I would have gone down, and to top
it off, bikes were coming toward me, all I could do was yell, “look out”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am so glad everyone scrambled out of my
way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I mean I wanted us to do well, but
taking out the other teams with my bike just didn’t seem right. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Just before
the river on the downhill I saw a giant copperhead snake and it had it’s head
up striking, I went as far as I could to the tail end of it to get around, I
was really scared I kept checking to make sure it hadn’t jumped on my bike. I
would have a photo, but there is no stinking way I would have gotten anywhere
near that snake to take one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Back at the canoe everyone
was talking about the snake, at least I wasn’t the only one that it scared. So
we put our bikes back in the canoes and took off again. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwqNjMa571GtR5lcWByMSvzuBF3RVR6MQbxpd4RlXu75FfhYTkMqDFDeVJqOxi5s7qnHiGyQRUJLFjaGZ0rbIeSsTyfRWZbl-PwNH8dMYGSs2pqeb3HMvXJKAxWJydR3YPXWSonJkUZFSG/s1600/IMGP3099.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwqNjMa571GtR5lcWByMSvzuBF3RVR6MQbxpd4RlXu75FfhYTkMqDFDeVJqOxi5s7qnHiGyQRUJLFjaGZ0rbIeSsTyfRWZbl-PwNH8dMYGSs2pqeb3HMvXJKAxWJydR3YPXWSonJkUZFSG/s400/IMGP3099.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Loaded down with bikes</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">As we
paddled down the river, we came upon a team that had their canoe stuck under a
log, they were taking bikes out to try and dislodge it, we asked to help, but
they said they had it under control, but a paddle and helmet was floating down
the river.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We started paddling harder to
try and catch them, we grabbed the paddle first it was lodged in some trees,
then we went after the helmet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once we
had both we stuck them on a sand bar where the racers could see them and we
paddled on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It didn’t
take long to get to the TA after the gear rescue, we pulled our canoes out of
the water and carried them up the hill and of course Lori was waiting and took
some more photos of us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s really nice
having an “in” with the photographer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">We ran up to
the CP and picked up the next map. Chuck and I sat down and started plotting
the maps while we ate and Keith and Jacob talked to Lori to get the scoop on
all the teams while they ate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimGL9qN7EMt__fxjuicqEq3SERHkAql3ex4DWtJVSces5yScPTPYpvWqEBXMSN6lqZrRHajjEzF8Aq5g9-0PwxPTdv89okUeLSi8mYN-92fpx7TiVSAa-eqQg_kskOVkphX9Tc5NUdt3MA/s1600/crplotting.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimGL9qN7EMt__fxjuicqEq3SERHkAql3ex4DWtJVSces5yScPTPYpvWqEBXMSN6lqZrRHajjEzF8Aq5g9-0PwxPTdv89okUeLSi8mYN-92fpx7TiVSAa-eqQg_kskOVkphX9Tc5NUdt3MA/s400/crplotting.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Plotting the second map</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioyUHkfJ6YIhIsKXV75kzeUAHpmVdYVs0RptH6mbkiAwvjdEm_FaVdnwLwsHh-tf01XJO3ymjTDRff7Wop6HBgUFmRGXHcd-OgpE3zEIhcrvFDmpj7XFL2ZsJ9dcUi-02m04ton_kaDu3f/s1600/plotting.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioyUHkfJ6YIhIsKXV75kzeUAHpmVdYVs0RptH6mbkiAwvjdEm_FaVdnwLwsHh-tf01XJO3ymjTDRff7Wop6HBgUFmRGXHcd-OgpE3zEIhcrvFDmpj7XFL2ZsJ9dcUi-02m04ton_kaDu3f/s400/plotting.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chuck Plotting</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">We headed
out to for the next CP’s planning on only picking up the CP’s that were close
to the road and on the way to the canoe put-in because we only had 2.5 hours
before the cutoff time at the canoe. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">As
we headed out we were running the down hills and flats and walking the up
hills.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I started to fall off the back
again, which was just normal for me for the day, and Jacob let me grab the loop
on his pack and he started towing me, when he got too fast, I grabbed on to
Keith’s pack and he started towing me. For a while I kept up only because of
the tow. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvxH7riVsclul_yCLfbQtJXrt4EVnlz4joBEEFsglABgIfHUML7euwULBUxRB3zltfHBB0gbjivHw08GQxasx7F_UMlTyuntXkBuG0rSkFk9tViHGd8YhROba4-DlDYwOXm7koHbFxZli8/s1600/theboys1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvxH7riVsclul_yCLfbQtJXrt4EVnlz4joBEEFsglABgIfHUML7euwULBUxRB3zltfHBB0gbjivHw08GQxasx7F_UMlTyuntXkBuG0rSkFk9tViHGd8YhROba4-DlDYwOXm7koHbFxZli8/s400/theboys1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What I looked at most of the day</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">We quickly
realized that we would be trekking through some really tough hills and that we
would also have to ride some of those same hills on the next leg. It was so
frustrating to know that we were going to have to ride up those awful
hills.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact as we started the second
canoe leg I was so disheartened by the fact that we were going to have to ride
up that giant hill, that I started thinking to myself, “this hill will not beat
me”, and you know what, it didn’t.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And
then if worrying about the hill was not enough, it started raining.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The rain
just kept coming and it got really foggy out, then Keith started singing the
oldies, which Jacob knew none of, and I started feeling old, because I knew all
of them. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was starting to feel a little
beat and then we saw a rope swing in the distance, it was like we were just out
on a float trip.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I said we should jump
off the rope and Jacob said, “I will do it” so Chuck paddled up to the rope and
Jacob grabbed it then jumped off the log onto the rope and into the water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was exactly what we needed to pull us out
of a tired funk and the rest of the paddle went pretty well. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOjbSq3xlbFqPw0W0Qo2NnUxgcRhdll8gusAsoUxSPVAJ1GRPiS-DQeC6LiX9TgJvO10E7ZIOWrjCfqxb5XjekHn7JF2EFvl9ig9ICNpbRHvczwQEWklouAvQ70bgZAgDW2BpXyrYgbet4/s1600/jacobjum.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOjbSq3xlbFqPw0W0Qo2NnUxgcRhdll8gusAsoUxSPVAJ1GRPiS-DQeC6LiX9TgJvO10E7ZIOWrjCfqxb5XjekHn7JF2EFvl9ig9ICNpbRHvczwQEWklouAvQ70bgZAgDW2BpXyrYgbet4/s400/jacobjum.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jacob jumping off log</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipUsDXAMR5uFFtUV1fkTY46ID0EqzywhTc3-D2xNnlG0QEb8Vzvx__l7USf8fmbv1emfgYp-CTMx1OkJy4vHYphbUBjuYR2XhRVIw3dnwkN4A95YdIiTeAVqejcyx7MOdXjqIvQoZouk5C/s1600/jacobjump1.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipUsDXAMR5uFFtUV1fkTY46ID0EqzywhTc3-D2xNnlG0QEb8Vzvx__l7USf8fmbv1emfgYp-CTMx1OkJy4vHYphbUBjuYR2XhRVIw3dnwkN4A95YdIiTeAVqejcyx7MOdXjqIvQoZouk5C/s400/jacobjump1.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fun on the rope swing</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">We reached
the TA, and saw Team JA there, they were having a rough time, but seemed to be
in good spirits even though they had been doing a bit of swimming during the
canoe leg.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN3uKY4RM17NMY8vUnibR1dgI4zNAK4h1FZoPUszcSa6ot2xLGep4uUEHyomsndeC5HUH0wvDS_YY9m8vn3PJ8EO4eeDbvU-CleHx0YXshJ2VY4wQfZAk3JCO3TFqsq5GV1l60hpvSs2kX/s1600/travistrentcanoe.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN3uKY4RM17NMY8vUnibR1dgI4zNAK4h1FZoPUszcSa6ot2xLGep4uUEHyomsndeC5HUH0wvDS_YY9m8vn3PJ8EO4eeDbvU-CleHx0YXshJ2VY4wQfZAk3JCO3TFqsq5GV1l60hpvSs2kX/s400/travistrentcanoe.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Travis and Trent</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">We were back
in the TA, doing more plotting, this time in the rain, we checked our time and
made a plan on what CP’s we should shoot for to make sure we finished before
the cutoff.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvoTyw0BxhPyUbD12xl-ScB7x9QuS0VmwsewUv8hXBgeBpCF-xD1uYnCbu6zTrOC93u4K7clboyb0VMtKQfPKbKHwJ-E7F2te09ibtrhmwHjo68HpuWOatnQkxcofkb-zGf135oIqNnzGA/s1600/plottingrain.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvoTyw0BxhPyUbD12xl-ScB7x9QuS0VmwsewUv8hXBgeBpCF-xD1uYnCbu6zTrOC93u4K7clboyb0VMtKQfPKbKHwJ-E7F2te09ibtrhmwHjo68HpuWOatnQkxcofkb-zGf135oIqNnzGA/s400/plottingrain.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Plotting under a campers tarp, he was very nice to let us use it</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtw62PteJyodkKexsuk3AA1S7tn9sGYCFA3HPskRUwRyxu27l7okJ-aDj7h3FBAj4sax1gZy3pUb0h299BmO6VUeBNfUwxhpr3Wq3Ov3XVySQy2KtPI1Sy3tdkbaP1qkbvSebrbpoySo92/s1600/TA2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtw62PteJyodkKexsuk3AA1S7tn9sGYCFA3HPskRUwRyxu27l7okJ-aDj7h3FBAj4sax1gZy3pUb0h299BmO6VUeBNfUwxhpr3Wq3Ov3XVySQy2KtPI1Sy3tdkbaP1qkbvSebrbpoySo92/s400/TA2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Loading up for the next biking leg</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">We headed
out for CP 25, it was dark by then and I had to tell the boys that in the dark
they couldn’t ride with me off the back because I might miss a turn, they said
no problem we would all stay close, ha….ha, that didn’t work out to well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had a little issue of Keith and Jacob
getting ahead and me and Chuck at the turn for CP25.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We figured sooner or later they had to look
back and see we were not behind them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">We got back
together and punched CP25, but as Chuck got to the bottom of a hill heading out
to the road, he blew a tire.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His bike is
tubeless but there was a big gash in his tire, so he had to tube it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He put the tube in and used the CO2 to air it
up, the CO2 got stuck open and he blew the new tube.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jacob gave him his tube, but it was the last
29’er tube we had, with the gash we worried about another flat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just about the time Chuck finished putting in
the second tube a team stopped to talk to us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They were nice enough to give us one of their 29 tubes in case we needed
it. I don’t know the team’s name, but Thank You! </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Next we
headed to CP29 it was in the single track section, but before we got to it we
somehow missed the turn to the single track and ended up at an old silo, we
knew it was wrong because we had not seen it earlier in the day when we were on
that same section. We turned around and found the trail head.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just before the turn to the ridge that CP27
was on we stopped to eat something and another team rode up, they said they
were done and riding back in, but we wanted to get 27 so we let them go.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">When we made
it to the ridge, we realized that 27 was really a long way out on the ridge, so
we decided to skip it and headed back to the finish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE6Dzh8aDZjY4Qpx_eh7Lg4zv7lltvcH1zKIsRkD4RnwcZ6kMn5maWDE1uKt4FTBRzSZYFtWlUv_lqPwrayjpDNfut3gYpo_MEfplaaFcCsn05UcMl62zS6033yHpnRIi6uwvoCaWIWeWv/s1600/bikelight.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE6Dzh8aDZjY4Qpx_eh7Lg4zv7lltvcH1zKIsRkD4RnwcZ6kMn5maWDE1uKt4FTBRzSZYFtWlUv_lqPwrayjpDNfut3gYpo_MEfplaaFcCsn05UcMl62zS6033yHpnRIi6uwvoCaWIWeWv/s400/bikelight.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Riding in the dark</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">
</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">As we rode into the finish we saw Lori taking
photos and Travis, from Team JA waiting for us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We were looking for the big finish line but it was gone. The generator
went out so no finish line. It was kind of disappointing, we really wanted to
ride under the finish line. </span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCl2qJrdxBOt17l_V7RfnYamVUNVxi14D4FoUhFmhgzVFU0f5mmGQRwLibpT6AX2c_hRCFDpwmAq9hwOH6OZo4ImEAY0zYzDynCvHt0SVKZTn3nVCYJmfBfZcEsOHrCCuLcpw24-WXDgit/s1600/finish.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCl2qJrdxBOt17l_V7RfnYamVUNVxi14D4FoUhFmhgzVFU0f5mmGQRwLibpT6AX2c_hRCFDpwmAq9hwOH6OZo4ImEAY0zYzDynCvHt0SVKZTn3nVCYJmfBfZcEsOHrCCuLcpw24-WXDgit/s400/finish.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was long gone when we finished</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">We turned in
our passport, got a team photo and headed to the food, which was really good,
especially the cheesy potatoes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then we
all changed clothes, I had to use a water bottle to pour water over my legs and
arms to try and get all the sand off before I put on clean clothes. I think it
took 3 showers to get all the sand off me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Now 2 days
after the race, I am covered in chiggers, and my ego is bruised because I kept
falling off the back. I have no excuse, I felt good, I just couldn’t keep up
with them, but I did ride up every one of those stinking big hills, the ones
that most people were pushing their bikes up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It’s hard being the slow girl with 3 fast boys. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8WAgDcfyIqobs554rzWshu6ilvF8m0LC9jw9PV4odjL7teDjsnNsRpC5_UOs3UcgaoxAKwqHxAHLorsPsNdIEertBI1BJ9I8GYnuiJs0LziZuft7i5WFpOoMZyQ8wTFka4j37u7l-V0N8/s1600/theboys.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8WAgDcfyIqobs554rzWshu6ilvF8m0LC9jw9PV4odjL7teDjsnNsRpC5_UOs3UcgaoxAKwqHxAHLorsPsNdIEertBI1BJ9I8GYnuiJs0LziZuft7i5WFpOoMZyQ8wTFka4j37u7l-V0N8/s400/theboys.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Three Fast Boys</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Photo Credit: Lori Vohsen.. <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/103902132@N04/sets/72157636089448483/%20%3Chttp://www.flickr.com/photos/103902132%40N04/sets/72157636089448483/%3E" target="_blank">click here to see all photos </a></span></div>
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<br />Trek Mountain Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16901382514879478984noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9082478865600658051.post-30523563381000862472013-09-24T07:37:00.002-07:002013-09-24T07:37:57.995-07:00Cyclocross - LaVista Park 2013<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">If you have
been following my blog, you know that I purchased a CX bike this year, really
to use as a gravel bike, but I figured since I had it, I may as well do a few
CX races.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I “competed”, if you can call
it that, in a CX race last year, but I rode it on my mountain bike.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was probably the hardest I have ever
worked in a bike race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was in oxygen
debt the entire race and when I got off the bike I almost fell over my legs
were so shaky.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">After that
experience, you are probably wondering why I wanted to try it again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wanted to see if it was just as hard on a
CX bike, it was, but it was a different kind of hard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was less of me just trying to muscle the
bike through the course and more of me trying to go faster.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Riding a CX bike on the course is WAY easier
than a mountain bike.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was still in
oxygen debt by the end, but it was because I was pushing myself, not because it
took everything I had to muscle a mountain bike through the course. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsFG_7eFf5IIqK_Uuj8tTZxx8cIBCGpOFB_V0zRbPNJ-pB2l1v3r-cT2uA9Ejd6buAi3dami9nN3GN-VYkBdl1CXZAO5m5TyOk2t3C-mw3L4hi3Ve-YFc9-9prFEQKxVyPGCDzd035u8WI/s1600/IMG_0275.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsFG_7eFf5IIqK_Uuj8tTZxx8cIBCGpOFB_V0zRbPNJ-pB2l1v3r-cT2uA9Ejd6buAi3dami9nN3GN-VYkBdl1CXZAO5m5TyOk2t3C-mw3L4hi3Ve-YFc9-9prFEQKxVyPGCDzd035u8WI/s400/IMG_0275.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo Credit - Russ Darbon</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I really
suck at getting over the barriers, so if I plan to continue racing CX I need to
work on that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I roll up to the barrier
and am off the bike while it’s rolling, but when I get back on, I’m at a complete
stop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I need to learn how to jump back
on the bike.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I would say my dismounts
are average, but my remounts, well let’s just say there is a lot of room for improvement. </span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I made a
rookie mistake of course.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I knew the
race was 45 minutes and the ref told us it would be 6 laps, but it ended up
being 5 laps.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So this is how it
happened, I was in the back 3<sup>rd</sup> of the field and coming around on
the 5<sup>th</sup> lap and there were two girls right in front of me, I felt
pretty good, so I thought I would just sit behind them and on the next (6<sup>th</sup>)
lap, I would wait until about half way through the lap then jump and pass
them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So I was just taking it easy
keeping in a close range as I rolled through the lap only to hear the ref say, you’re
done.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was like “what, I’m done, we
have another lap”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No one was
complaining about having one less lap, but that just through my strategy in the
trash.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I mean really it didn’t matter,
it would have put me 8<sup>th</sup> instead of 10<sup>th</sup> and neither of
these were in the money, but it was just the fact that I really thought I could
get the two girls in front of me. Oh well, lesson learned, I won’t wait next
race, I will go when I have the chance no matter what lap I’m on. </span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXhmLjf3ZdXI_1PdGrE4zwSDRoyROZUdPwPXszWKoZAgJMh45DJASoaUMpGu8kLfFWs2wcVx9lnoLclt2haxS7y6G9rZoF6Q1ibyHHlxvVqC9zrY8aZmBfDQPrGfjZ3617R6ROJjN9Y7jw/s1600/IMG_1514.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXhmLjf3ZdXI_1PdGrE4zwSDRoyROZUdPwPXszWKoZAgJMh45DJASoaUMpGu8kLfFWs2wcVx9lnoLclt2haxS7y6G9rZoF6Q1ibyHHlxvVqC9zrY8aZmBfDQPrGfjZ3617R6ROJjN9Y7jw/s400/IMG_1514.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ann, Robin, Kate, Kristen - Photo Credit: Russ Darbon</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It was a lot
of fun and I got to ride with Kate, Kristen, and Ann on a perfect day in
September.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I will do another CX race
this year and then decide if it’s something I will continue doing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I mean I have the bike, all I had to do was
swap my gravel tires for CX tires and I was ready to go. Oh and get this, I did
the tire swap by myself with no help, I didn’t even have to run into the bike
shop for an expert to fix what I messed up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span></div>
Trek Mountain Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16901382514879478984noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9082478865600658051.post-22201780021301903112013-09-09T18:29:00.000-07:002013-09-10T10:54:37.123-07:00River Bluff Half Ironman 2013<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Sometimes I ask myself how I get talked into doing such crazy stuff, like competing in a Half Ironman when I’m in no shape to attempt a race of that length.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you don’t know what a Half Ironman is, it is a 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike and 13.1 mile run.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">I have competed in a few of these races in the past, some with awful results and others with good results, so I know I can do it, it’s just a matter of how much I will suffer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So when my friend Jenny asked me if I was interested in competing in a Half IM, I thought, “oh heck, why not”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I should never make spur of the moment decisions like that, but of course it always sounds like a good idea 6 months out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After I agreed I asked a few more friends if they wanted to do it, and the only taker was Russ, I’m pretty sure it’s because he is as insane as I am and never thinks about the suffering this could cause in the future.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">So we got a training plan from our friend Jeff, but none of us stuck to it very well, life just kept getting in the way of good training.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think Jenny worked the hardest and did more long brick workouts than Russ or I.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The long bricks I did do, didn’t go well, it was mostly just me chasing Jenny and Russ and them slowing down and waiting for me to catch up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Going into the race, I was not feeling like all was going to be well, in fact, by race day, I just wanted to get it over with. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">So race weekend came and we carpooled to race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The race was in Ashland City, TN, but the closest hotel we could get was in Kingston Springs, about 18 miles of winding roads away. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On Friday we drove directly to the race site in Ashland City to pick up our packets and get a good look at the course.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The website said that the bike had challenging hills and that the run was flat. Russ said that he thought the swim would be flat also, thanks for that Russ, you were right.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The bike course was two loops, so we decided to drive the second loop which was the last 31 miles of the course.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We quickly decided that our estimated times we each had in mind, were out the window and that the bike would be more of a survival ride than a race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The hills were enormous, the first hill on the second loop was 6 miles long.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was maybe 4 miles of flat in the entire bike course. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We quickly re-evaluated our strategy as we were driving to the hotel.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">We typed in the hotel address in our GPS, which we call Karan, and Karen took us for a nice long sightseeing trip around the TN country side, it took us an hour to get to the hotel when it should have taken 25 minutes, but at least it was scenic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We finally got to the hotel, and as we were checking in, we noticed that women’s wrestling was on TV. We were making a few comments about the wrestler’s uniforms, like how do they wrestle in those boots with all that fur on them, I think we may have offended the desk clerk, we think he may have been really watching it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He did give us directions though, in case Karan decided to send us on the scenic route in the morning. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Morning came early and by 5:15 we were on the road to the race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We got there at 5:45 and it was still dark, plus there was a really thick fog in the air.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact we couldn’t even see the river when we drove across the bridge. We had to park about a quarter mile away from the transition area, so we made the long trek with our bikes and our gear.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSo-0WNUCpTSFxEg2uZhwXLN6hY-AX1mvIJAvGFVrRLN7fG6XkA6XaRbXQEOBhBDQGKI10aZJDkn5AN-UGkLhzhi5uGsl0askAZuP7hqLquDvP19eFHEA3Q_uaKM89ROuc8-J2cXcZ_ITM/s1600/IMG_0305.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSo-0WNUCpTSFxEg2uZhwXLN6hY-AX1mvIJAvGFVrRLN7fG6XkA6XaRbXQEOBhBDQGKI10aZJDkn5AN-UGkLhzhi5uGsl0askAZuP7hqLquDvP19eFHEA3Q_uaKM89ROuc8-J2cXcZ_ITM/s400/IMG_0305.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jenny read to race</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN9M4gGzIL-enz9-zs9Xb5ML735Ng_lwPdU7KFWa_ccRTaZMBDIiffqx1L40qclH3-syTkBS6BtNJ96hulY9SEcYN8hBknaC3yh1mcfZA4EmNWJMHmClBkD3fWpn2A4Pd1CxBAhLsLYxou/s1600/IMG_0303.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN9M4gGzIL-enz9-zs9Xb5ML735Ng_lwPdU7KFWa_ccRTaZMBDIiffqx1L40qclH3-syTkBS6BtNJ96hulY9SEcYN8hBknaC3yh1mcfZA4EmNWJMHmClBkD3fWpn2A4Pd1CxBAhLsLYxou/s400/IMG_0303.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Russ ready to burn it up</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">We quickly racked our bikes and started sitting all our stuff out, hoping that we didn’t forget anything.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After about 5 trips to the Johnny, I realized I didn’t have my bike shoes out, so I ran back to transition and got them out. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVkQ_AOx_a4qVKEH8ZlyjSNsfEsrLHRf3irfscGP_Ya6rXDtZw6_s_MPlB7faRjR7D_7f46Ex8qO0a0qtiGXIMwum7xq9WmtwQ6r4XLXTZRhM5aEDKci1auJMmQmXzqd29YPg-9fqhmE62/s1600/IMG_0306.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVkQ_AOx_a4qVKEH8ZlyjSNsfEsrLHRf3irfscGP_Ya6rXDtZw6_s_MPlB7faRjR7D_7f46Ex8qO0a0qtiGXIMwum7xq9WmtwQ6r4XLXTZRhM5aEDKci1auJMmQmXzqd29YPg-9fqhmE62/s400/IMG_0306.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You can see the fog</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Next we went over and picked up our race chips and put them on our legs.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq-tbzAgPcyd5Si5oXFeQik3kQS_DYFOyPN7RsnSuKSwBBTjbzBmhdV4z8IOx6FoJCImUJbiExoGfbhkKjjAWVh7OMrhFi6bY4uV3R6Opm4bjtPxscGVzHpE7D0qXwwszDWNS9UH1tU8_b/s1600/racechip.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" closure_lm_137688="null" height="320" isa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq-tbzAgPcyd5Si5oXFeQik3kQS_DYFOyPN7RsnSuKSwBBTjbzBmhdV4z8IOx6FoJCImUJbiExoGfbhkKjjAWVh7OMrhFi6bY4uV3R6Opm4bjtPxscGVzHpE7D0qXwwszDWNS9UH1tU8_b/s320/racechip.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Then we had another racer take a before picture of us, because we knew that we would not look near as good in the after picture.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting Ready to Race</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Then we started the waiting game.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since the fog was so thick, you couldn’t see the water, or the buoys or any boats in the water, we couldn’t even see the bridge and it was right near the start.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So every 15 minutes the DJ would announce that the race start would be delayed by 15 minutes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we waited, Mike and Kathy Wever showed up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They were in Nashville visiting relatives, so they came out to cheer us on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mike was also planning on riding the bike course. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cheering section</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">The later it got the more messed up things were going to be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were 3 races, the Half IM, Olympic Distance and Sprint Distance, all to be raced on the same course with different turn around points.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The swim for each was going to start when the <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>swimmers from the previous distance race were finished.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So the Half racers would finish and the Olympic would start, then when they finished the Sprint would start.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well because of the fog everyone would start one wave after the next, so the Cumberland River was going to be quite congested with swimmers. For slow swimmers like me that meant that there was just more of a chance for me to be run over by a faster swimmer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was the case. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">By 8:15, we finally started, but as soon as we got in the water, the fog started falling again and it was really hard to see the buoys.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At one point, I thought I was lost, I couldn’t see any buoys or any people, but then out of the corner of my eye I finally saw a couple swimmers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I really thought I was having a good swim, I felt fast, well fast for me and I was pretty sure I was swimming in a straight line, but when I was getting close to the finish the sprint swimmer merged in and I began getting swam over the top of.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had a bad feeling before the start that this was going to happen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Plus as I passed the last buoy, there was a cable coming off of it and I got my arm tangled in it, I had to stop and pull it out, but I still thought I was having a good swim.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I came out of the water on the algae covered boat ramp that was really slick, but there were a line of people grabbing my arms and pulling me out, so it wasn’t too bad.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I looked at my watch, only to find out that I had the worst swim of my entire life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Right then I felt defeated, I thought I was going to run into the transition area to find only my bike left there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I ran to transition I saw Mike and Kathy cheering me on and they told me that Jenny was out of the water, but in a slower time than anticipated and that Russ had not come out yet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I felt a little better then because the swim had to be long, we all didn’t have a rotten swim day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course a slow swim for Jenny still put her 23 minutes in front of me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">We were all running our own race and in training both Jenny and Russ were killing me, I just couldn’t keep up with them, so I was pretty sure I would be the last of the team to finish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I got my bike gear on, took an endurlyte and ate a peach cup then was on my way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I saw Jenny as I headed to the turnaround on the first loop, she had a lot of time on me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I made the turn around then saw Russ quickly catching me, he passed me at about 13 miles and he was just burning up the road, I tried to follow him, but he was gone in a flash.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At about 20 miles there was a crash and I went past the racer on the ground at the same time the ambulance pulled up, I barely made it though without being hit by the ambulance door opening. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">I finally hit the turn to start the second loop and I knew how bad the hills were going to be. Just as I started up the 6 mile long hill, Mike Wever rode up behind me and he just hung off my left shoulder.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was pretty frustrated by then, I was disgusted with my swim time, and I knew I really sucked at hills, so my bike time was going suffer along with my body.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I just kept chugging away, sometimes it would look like I was on a slight down hill, but it was just one those things they call false flats where it looks like its flat or down hill, but it’s really uphill.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A couple times I thought I had a flat tire because my bike just felt so heavy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was also really hot, well more like crazy hot, it felt like we were riding in an over.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At one point I grabbed my water bottle and my hands were so sweaty that I dropped it, but Mike yelled, I got it and he stopped and picked it up then rode up to me and handed to me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That was the first good sign I got all day that things would work out. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">On the the loop there was a small out and back portion, I figured Jenny and Russ would have already made the turn by the time I got there because they were so far ahead of me, but to my surprise I saw Russ, and that was the second sign that things weren’t so bad.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mike and I made the corner on the back side of the loop, where I knew for sure the worst hills were.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We made it to the first one and I’m not sure what Mike said, but I think it was something like “oh my gosh, you have to be kidding”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We made it up and rode the entire hill, almost all the other riders were walking their bikes up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By this time I had started passing people, one or two at a time. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was counting and by the time I made it to the 50 mile mark, I had passed 17 people. I had also rode up three hills where people were walking their bikes and I made it all the way up. At 50 miles my demeanor started to change, from anxiety and suffering, to looking forward to being off the bike and on the run. I knew that at 50 miles it was pretty much all downhill for the rest of the bike leg and I was really looking forward to it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was flying at about 30 mph for the last 6 miles and it felt so good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">I rolled into the transition and looked back, I had lost Mike somewhere on the last uphill and was not sure where he was, but I was sure he could find his way back, so I wasn’t worried.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I saw Kathy cheering me on from the fence around transition. She told me that Jenny had been out on the run for a long time, but Russ was only about 5 minutes in front of me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had on my bike shorts and wanted to change to tri shorts, so I put a towel around my waist to change, but it kept falling off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Kathy asked if I needed help, but by that point I just didn’t care, so I just held it up the best I could and changed shorts, I think the crowd got a really nice view of a big white full moon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hoped I didn’t get a penalty because they announced the there was absolutely no public nudity allowed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">I headed out on the run, and I was pretty sure I wouldn’t catch Jenny or Russ, so I took my time and stopped at the Johnny, then got some water, took an endurlyte and ate another peach cup.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It seemed like it took me ten minutes to get going, but I don’t know how long it really took.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">I started running out of the park, and I felt pretty good, my legs felt pretty good but, the ball of my foot hurt, I thought maybe my sock was wrinkled under my foot and that it would fix itself after a few miles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I ran I calculated where I would see Jenny and Russ, because the run was an out and back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I figured I would see Jenny when I hit 5 miles which would put her at 8 miles, and russ at 6 miles which would put him about 7 miles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I ran I kept talking to other racers and the people at the water stops. By the way, this race had awesome volunteers and great water stops, they did an excellent job. I started to realize that I was passing people, a lot of people and when I made it to the 5 mile mark, I didn’t see Jenny, then came mile 6, I still didn’t see her, then at about six and a quarter miles I saw her, she looked really hot and tired and she said she was having an awful run, but she was still on her feet and moving forward.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She told me that Russ was right in front of me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I saw him just a couple minutes later and he gave me a high five and told me to run him down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That was really bad advice on his part, because that is just what I decided to do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I didn’t really pick up the pace, I just stayed steady and I pulled another endurlyte out of my shirt pocket and took it at the next water station.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then I just ran, soon I caught Jenny, who Russ had over took, it was about the 8 mile mark, then I just kept running. At about 9.5 miles I finally came up on Russ who had just stopped to get ice from a guy driving a gator down the trail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I started running with Russ and we ran together until about 11.5 miles then as we headed off the trial and back on the road, Russ dropped off behind me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I ran the rest of the way in forcing myself to just run from one traffic cone to the next and before I knew it, I was crossing the finish line.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just a minute after I crossed the line Russ crossed the line, then a minute after Russ crossed Jenny crossed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We all high tailed it down to the river and just sat in the river trying to cool off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We didn’t care that we were sitting in the green algae, we would have sat in anything to get cool.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">We walked up to the food tent to see what they had left to eat and as we got there the awards for the Half were going on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Out of nowhere I thought I heard my name called so I walked up and checked and I had gotten 2<sup>nd</sup> in my age group and 1<sup>st</sup> place wasn’t that far in front of me, so even though my time sucked so did everyone elses. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The heat and the hills take mercy on no one. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIevmZrBIviw1eX3Bbc0kbibK0u_klo3ZH1hHtjVUCA7c4ym_Yv7EroXHfO-P82b3AxfREdzzTD2BAbweuycfk6JPzTomkoDBBs9xcHd0q1k9UyxNnHcWZh_28Kl6iEt8ynJlaaYfAS5yN/s1600/IMG_0313.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIevmZrBIviw1eX3Bbc0kbibK0u_klo3ZH1hHtjVUCA7c4ym_Yv7EroXHfO-P82b3AxfREdzzTD2BAbweuycfk6JPzTomkoDBBs9xcHd0q1k9UyxNnHcWZh_28Kl6iEt8ynJlaaYfAS5yN/s400/IMG_0313.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2nd Place</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">We went into transition and packed up our gear and had a couple “after the race” photos taken.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were all glad it was over, but I think we all really enjoyed ourselves, maybe not the entire race, but we all had our moments. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDR61IjE_VyAJ0vrHj-lhA9IhFXufNwZPlo14h1LmGCkM3QHDPKhBeZpLvpatehVhWioa5TDsqO80hZDPvHh0MsN4enzNOOBfh7tPt0LkvYkI5tP6KzUElo8sJIcbL6P2D0enlsJSXoSmF/s1600/IMG_0312.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDR61IjE_VyAJ0vrHj-lhA9IhFXufNwZPlo14h1LmGCkM3QHDPKhBeZpLvpatehVhWioa5TDsqO80hZDPvHh0MsN4enzNOOBfh7tPt0LkvYkI5tP6KzUElo8sJIcbL6P2D0enlsJSXoSmF/s400/IMG_0312.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We Made It</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOw9jLH3X0qXuQZhLLBw63qVvf4qhJDbzQgf5Y8Nn8M3G0yHRdu4IUW3KtSi8OEqz2WX8CaPWiYheWTF3-QFIeFrQuU5CX0CBIY1eawFBopc4713kVpKqONhJ6d9bmpIyMKzhplETbEqdT/s1600/IMG_0316.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOw9jLH3X0qXuQZhLLBw63qVvf4qhJDbzQgf5Y8Nn8M3G0yHRdu4IUW3KtSi8OEqz2WX8CaPWiYheWTF3-QFIeFrQuU5CX0CBIY1eawFBopc4713kVpKqONhJ6d9bmpIyMKzhplETbEqdT/s400/IMG_0316.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jen and Robin team up to beat Russ</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Russ and I had done the Half IM distance before, but this was Jenny’s first and she did fantastic, Russ also took a bunch of time off his previous race and this course was much harder and much hotter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I on the other hand had the worst time of any Half IM I have ever done, but then again it was the hardest and hottest course I have ever run, so I’m pretty happy with my finish. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Well we all said we would do another, but next time we will pick one in a cooler climate with no hills. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">One last note, this race was one of the most well run races I have done, the police were everywhere and they were excellent, emergency services were always near and everyone one them were smiling and supportive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Other than the hills and the heat, I have no complaints. <o:p></o:p></span></span>Trek Mountain Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16901382514879478984noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9082478865600658051.post-22500457590404394022013-08-22T11:11:00.000-07:002013-08-22T11:35:21.640-07:00Grafton Zip Line Adventure<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilaZKjiCrvXaJABQlfGFLimeSeUg3EvvDsv3wqwlITrYbh3wXdo3pRxMVGe4Dguj9-QKPiC5uaRRl0FL39MgPRlJITzoDURUJPUW9ti_W7-kM9aQFAzkeucxLdQ77yfmNK_GhuBzuraigz/s1600/IMGP2983.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilaZKjiCrvXaJABQlfGFLimeSeUg3EvvDsv3wqwlITrYbh3wXdo3pRxMVGe4Dguj9-QKPiC5uaRRl0FL39MgPRlJITzoDURUJPUW9ti_W7-kM9aQFAzkeucxLdQ77yfmNK_GhuBzuraigz/s640/IMGP2983.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting ready for an Adventure</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<![endif]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">About a year
ago, the <a href="http://www.aerieswinery.com/" target="_blank">Aeries Winery in Grafton Illinois</a> added a Zip line to it’s activity
options.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I thought about going a few
times, because you know we adventure racers are always up for something
new.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had zip lined in various places,
from the Wymann center in Missouri to the jungles of Mexico.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course Mexico was the largest, coolest and
most dangerous of all the zip lines.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">For
instance, in Mexico, we were not given helmets and the brake we used was a V
shaped stick that we had to find in the woods.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The towers to get on the zip lines looked to be built out of scrap wood,
they were very shaky and felt as though they might fall at any minute.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the end of the landing platforms were old
mattresses and there was no mechanism to slow down a rider if he/she was coming
in too fast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The day we went, it was
raining and the lines were fast and the stick brake did not slow you down no
matter how hard you pulled down on it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
ride was a scary rush of excitement, but we found it to be very dangerous and
no one knew that better than my mom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She
flew in on a line of about 2000 feet from I don’t know how high, it seemed like
4 stories, her stick brake did not slow her down, so she hit the mattress hard,
flipped backwards and hit her head on the platform, creating a big gash in her
head with lots of blood and I’m sure a concussion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had to take her to a hospital on the
resort we stayed at and have her head stitched up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The other
zip lines I have been on were at climbing camps and during adventure races,
they were much safer with all the correct safety equipment. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">So when I heard
about these new zip lines, I wondered how safe they were, how big they could
possibly be and how much it cost to try it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>When I found out the price, I thought it was really steep compared to
other lines I had been on, plus I wasn’t sure the hills were big enough for
them to be very long or very high. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
really didn’t think I would try it, but then my some of my family started
working there and a friend also went and said it was great, which made me want to
try it.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">So last
week, my girls Jade and China and I made a trip to Grafton, it was a nice cool
overcast day just perfect for an adventure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We met the girls Aunt and Uncle there and their Uncle Donny even went
with us, using China as his training person because he was in training to start
working the tours.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not to say that China
was a little worried when he hooked her up, but the regular tour guide, Tatter,
double checked Uncle Donny’s work. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">We had a
great time, I took along my adventure camera and got some good shots during the
Zip Tour.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our guides were great, they
knew what they were doing, they were funny and kept us moving and having
fun.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think there were about 12 people
in our group and it took about 1:45 to get through all 9 lines.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was exciting, the lines were very fast,
the equipment was top notch, the tour guides, Kyle and Tatter were great and we
had a really good time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So although I’m
cheap and thought the price was steep, I would do it again, it was well worth
the cost they charge to do it. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Oh and the
entire time I was out there, I could see paths below us and my thoughts were “this
would be a great place for a trail race or adventure race”, maybe we can talk
the owner into putting on a race, I’m sure it would sell out just like the Pere
Marquette Trail Run does. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">So if you get
a chance take a ride up the River Road and check out the Grafton Zip Lines and
stop by <a href="http://www.aerieswinery.com/" target="_blank">Aeries Winery</a> after for a taste of the good stuff. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I guarantee you won’t regret it. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw1leEAnUL5-g0M37iwRRn_udXcTS1yiXdy895fWFimKv3DtRAwBoGHPIF5gIbIf1XuUpdUaxJQqjmyGS_h__4ZaR6PksERWvu-oPsbhBdvTTr9KKGkhgp9EfVfNUs_FgD7_-Mkmo_ASOM/s1600/IMGP2984.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw1leEAnUL5-g0M37iwRRn_udXcTS1yiXdy895fWFimKv3DtRAwBoGHPIF5gIbIf1XuUpdUaxJQqjmyGS_h__4ZaR6PksERWvu-oPsbhBdvTTr9KKGkhgp9EfVfNUs_FgD7_-Mkmo_ASOM/s400/IMGP2984.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready for the Ride</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMMM9Gp8vYA2KvVzWVTFUkuXR3WCR3PfQYTvX1583TRV6P0Q0zK6IGbPORwvA9oUHkZjRkyV8mUEXapIv5qM4jK2p8pEU4HyGc_YuiY6_y8izngTcPnVKJa35eCwy4jz-VOyKqDjEdLvIf/s1600/IMGP2990.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMMM9Gp8vYA2KvVzWVTFUkuXR3WCR3PfQYTvX1583TRV6P0Q0zK6IGbPORwvA9oUHkZjRkyV8mUEXapIv5qM4jK2p8pEU4HyGc_YuiY6_y8izngTcPnVKJa35eCwy4jz-VOyKqDjEdLvIf/s400/IMGP2990.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tatter has it under control</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXrVdhJNpfPkG9lJddReyTM4h86W4s5i6mGTO7LO2fD_CqNR4_-OPa32-6OGicvHYfwRNMhooqUCF85h62CMiWMDU8IVOBjHWbsHhma9iPyZQw1JT2r7qBk6jgyvLft35VLxRzwgQVrSDk/s1600/IMGP2996.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXrVdhJNpfPkG9lJddReyTM4h86W4s5i6mGTO7LO2fD_CqNR4_-OPa32-6OGicvHYfwRNMhooqUCF85h62CMiWMDU8IVOBjHWbsHhma9iPyZQw1JT2r7qBk6jgyvLft35VLxRzwgQVrSDk/s400/IMGP2996.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fun with Uncle Donny</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSUGLlVBwXnxRHVumcI-HkXu2mypGEs3CL5sZI32tjiAN00zRjMsDqfzbviZ-ZlDJsxtO6j1K4UZPORAJQA3ky07ksFag23_LQUPynFCG3yv887EJDxVZ0dkMwZT2CQQTluld0vvyaAFDM/s1600/IMGP2998.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSUGLlVBwXnxRHVumcI-HkXu2mypGEs3CL5sZI32tjiAN00zRjMsDqfzbviZ-ZlDJsxtO6j1K4UZPORAJQA3ky07ksFag23_LQUPynFCG3yv887EJDxVZ0dkMwZT2CQQTluld0vvyaAFDM/s400/IMGP2998.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jade's flying</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf5G4c3z7CsTAMqXbtLJpATQhKrZ8pbAFbVj3cto_xZVUbynkwJCC5Qq8wwn1FoIlSXNlMZy5uwUjaB0k9uDkmnjFq-qssvRwXEpdrgyBqpJokYSNFZfTk_Vn1eMotJ-adFXWn9lKbHTxn/s1600/IMGP3001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf5G4c3z7CsTAMqXbtLJpATQhKrZ8pbAFbVj3cto_xZVUbynkwJCC5Qq8wwn1FoIlSXNlMZy5uwUjaB0k9uDkmnjFq-qssvRwXEpdrgyBqpJokYSNFZfTk_Vn1eMotJ-adFXWn9lKbHTxn/s400/IMGP3001.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Slow down Jade, you're gonna crash</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi44JZchhEFvvr6umfdWyZ4Ucnj8hKHRZ_2S9-0rcJPrz_pva6jHDbUsK2iRmpTWin7iKWeq9LtGpM2O5EBAoTeFcHg1TQRxxNzT3YNuNgITk4bYnKvcfuYOWKlymRcJADnvK4r81bPkxhF/s1600/IMGP3003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi44JZchhEFvvr6umfdWyZ4Ucnj8hKHRZ_2S9-0rcJPrz_pva6jHDbUsK2iRmpTWin7iKWeq9LtGpM2O5EBAoTeFcHg1TQRxxNzT3YNuNgITk4bYnKvcfuYOWKlymRcJADnvK4r81bPkxhF/s400/IMGP3003.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Come on China, you can make it</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsc_JqqOFwNz4kwP7-eX1C_f0OELtmDqeIHCv-X6gb8zopNlwL6H5yvq84KzIqxAfS65_-uNoGjRi6snfRaA9dcO5boEQhECkJxOd7AIYYhoDKadY0QOIxuEiwAa3tFfRXIg2pxAkU7lbb/s1600/IMGP3004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsc_JqqOFwNz4kwP7-eX1C_f0OELtmDqeIHCv-X6gb8zopNlwL6H5yvq84KzIqxAfS65_-uNoGjRi6snfRaA9dcO5boEQhECkJxOd7AIYYhoDKadY0QOIxuEiwAa3tFfRXIg2pxAkU7lbb/s400/IMGP3004.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Uncle Donny in action</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVZqoOj5a_sqFS5gcXuYWryrnknXHiqBar3dXFGlJqgga0LEjLjztUyF1S-oTEq3OsGK1NbFfHWU4azYBCsx3sSnp7KCG4jScCd3vfgtFsnn3lpEk92sFrRd53NANKwqDtRqx75Bxcx6P_/s1600/IMGP3007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVZqoOj5a_sqFS5gcXuYWryrnknXHiqBar3dXFGlJqgga0LEjLjztUyF1S-oTEq3OsGK1NbFfHWU4azYBCsx3sSnp7KCG4jScCd3vfgtFsnn3lpEk92sFrRd53NANKwqDtRqx75Bxcx6P_/s400/IMGP3007.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Big jump China be aerodynamic, its a long ride</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX9F0PTr9R-UevOqul6hceeY62TUefreABXyXGAsyvjKIhHb92gh70_M9Xuu7u8GNBudLHvaE2DT4QXgONwrltcPNQiTpCfkspXEGnnAWulWH-pL4746Ga3LNrLqJYOQ7_sdqetT0Mhs-7/s1600/IMGP3014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX9F0PTr9R-UevOqul6hceeY62TUefreABXyXGAsyvjKIhHb92gh70_M9Xuu7u8GNBudLHvaE2DT4QXgONwrltcPNQiTpCfkspXEGnnAWulWH-pL4746Ga3LNrLqJYOQ7_sdqetT0Mhs-7/s400/IMGP3014.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You're almost there Jade</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3qjzu37hdWPzE_iB0Z1fxTmbwiELtFWJgB7mCZ8ucJGGGvbqJL89moclMR0k-UvTClURDuRv9nubCIHpYDvA8iYNuUaRb0zfky4a7ZGjRyfFyb9YgLiZ7u1xEL7QQY2A7OLDO7WSqtNAe/s1600/IMGP3009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3qjzu37hdWPzE_iB0Z1fxTmbwiELtFWJgB7mCZ8ucJGGGvbqJL89moclMR0k-UvTClURDuRv9nubCIHpYDvA8iYNuUaRb0zfky4a7ZGjRyfFyb9YgLiZ7u1xEL7QQY2A7OLDO7WSqtNAe/s400/IMGP3009.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tatter shows us how you do it right</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKqPnaXBZJula7t_QkaepZ5Amv932ka_C4MGRqk7lJthf0pOpPFwy5R3RpNGRFwutId9enOWz77MFjkOUje6YJbCIVw83fFQLYMatfl2fFZAJj2KoP0qtHYwvLCqzEdr9uk91HkcCeRJ5T/s1600/IMGP3010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKqPnaXBZJula7t_QkaepZ5Amv932ka_C4MGRqk7lJthf0pOpPFwy5R3RpNGRFwutId9enOWz77MFjkOUje6YJbCIVw83fFQLYMatfl2fFZAJj2KoP0qtHYwvLCqzEdr9uk91HkcCeRJ5T/s400/IMGP3010.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kyle on a super fast line</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnYmA9t0NGMUonB6GEb_8HGeyM9Kk2j9Cys_fWIhEyB5ImM9SWezUBWC5jCI17H7FboTLFi7Y0wc7BIfNxg5-xDvbU9vUI5Edwni5gCGies5pgQKKc8PD265RD7_Go6IOr-i32l_K81aVX/s1600/IMGP2999.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnYmA9t0NGMUonB6GEb_8HGeyM9Kk2j9Cys_fWIhEyB5ImM9SWezUBWC5jCI17H7FboTLFi7Y0wc7BIfNxg5-xDvbU9vUI5Edwni5gCGies5pgQKKc8PD265RD7_Go6IOr-i32l_K81aVX/s400/IMGP2999.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">China was the only one that couldn't make it across, she needs some meat on those bones</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Trek Mountain Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16901382514879478984noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9082478865600658051.post-64489356627216216202013-08-22T10:47:00.000-07:002013-08-22T11:20:17.734-07:00Wood River Triathlon 2013<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Boy, I don’t
even know where to start with this blog, except to say, it was so much
fun.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think I had the most fun I have
ever had at the Wood River Tri.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So why
was this so much fun as compared to other years, I mean, it was the same
course, the same distance, the same time of year, so what made it so much fun. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">After thinking
about it, I feel that there are three reasons why this year was so much fun.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"></span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">1. I
am really out of shape and just trying to get my fitness level back, so I had
no intentions of chasing down other competitors and needing to get first
place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well except for beating Terry
Eldridge, that is a given goal that I have every year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So I just went out and had fun.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My swim was mediocre like always, no
surprises there. I latched onto Eric during the bike and we just traded places
for 6 laps, it was like being on an animal ride. My run was the slowest I have
ever done, but I wasn’t dying and I had fun cheering for my fellow teammates
while I was running.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">2. This
year seemed to have the most Metro Tri Club members ever, and since we all
started at the front of the line, the entire race I was either cheering for
someone as I passed or being cheer for as they would pass.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All the encouragement makes for a great time.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg_dg5JELH-Iz49KZDbzkn7kWKY0RHvs4fMcBU2pVrdF63gzJI44hB4CrgJV9bjde_HcaRXtjNlPf_tQcW4Mb3tUEyLvkDYZTxoQCG2l7etxvkFbzBhFbR-kT3irZNAneJjeVzB1lw-Pln/s1600/MTC+WR+2013e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="332" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg_dg5JELH-Iz49KZDbzkn7kWKY0RHvs4fMcBU2pVrdF63gzJI44hB4CrgJV9bjde_HcaRXtjNlPf_tQcW4Mb3tUEyLvkDYZTxoQCG2l7etxvkFbzBhFbR-kT3irZNAneJjeVzB1lw-Pln/s640/MTC+WR+2013e.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://tomatwood.smugmug.com/Sports/Wood-River-Triathalon-2013/31111393_bfQzRV#!i=2691362526&k=3C6bvZN" target="_blank">Metro Tri Club by Tom Atwood</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://tomatwood.smugmug.com/Sports/Wood-River-Triathalon-2013/31111393_bfQzRV#!i=2691362526&k=3C6bvZN" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Click to see all WRT photos by Tom Atwood </span></a><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">3. My
daughter China did her first Sprint Tri this year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She had done some kids tri’s in the past, but
it had been many years since she competed in those.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Watching her as I was getting out of the pool
and cheering for her while on the bike and run and then running her last lap
with her was really a great experience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She
really had fun too, as you will seen in photos, she is laughing and waving at
everyone. Even though near the end of the second run lap she said. “this decision
to compete in this tri may have been a bad one” I know she was very proud of
herself and glad she did it.</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Even though
this is probably the shorted post I have ever written, I’m going to stop writing
and let the photos speak for themselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They say a picture is worth a thousand words. </span><br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7PGm_gvp1OwZiX0piiTkTQg5nKkpYh7JG2F3p0E032b6IuhSkoaFHoYYiV03TFVbZNJEbhkiHNBGsnbjX5txmCXQwsklJrUwOEfhRnl69BYC4pJAshygwFFAcBs4dJtFLOy_d_a2LIEwT/s1600/chris2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7PGm_gvp1OwZiX0piiTkTQg5nKkpYh7JG2F3p0E032b6IuhSkoaFHoYYiV03TFVbZNJEbhkiHNBGsnbjX5txmCXQwsklJrUwOEfhRnl69BYC4pJAshygwFFAcBs4dJtFLOy_d_a2LIEwT/s400/chris2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Metro Tri Club Family</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6GB_U8Glnn9os5vEKZmCpd2VIhpB8GYUbeUnuQ-vxAooTky-fDempOB20RAJhT45kYC5ScpoS1B1UZlN5ojKaMJfzeugUVtztfVJcGOPTK64RMrY9W_pwJbMpbTukJmkRkY8M7rN4gMKv/s1600/eldridge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6GB_U8Glnn9os5vEKZmCpd2VIhpB8GYUbeUnuQ-vxAooTky-fDempOB20RAJhT45kYC5ScpoS1B1UZlN5ojKaMJfzeugUVtztfVJcGOPTK64RMrY9W_pwJbMpbTukJmkRkY8M7rN4gMKv/s400/eldridge.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Nemesis and his family</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP12Qas4zLZ6Peh0wYPz2j0guYpjmbmU1b4cTrOWj_c5yvzohaT_uLUjPj0OmY6WwMNagMvD1pbjLfkyOH85uHIkfYZaKs4o76VI4oBwpZr1ytXi8VgcYovmRCPBXwj39yEVAei9qtLoqo/s1600/highfil1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP12Qas4zLZ6Peh0wYPz2j0guYpjmbmU1b4cTrOWj_c5yvzohaT_uLUjPj0OmY6WwMNagMvD1pbjLfkyOH85uHIkfYZaKs4o76VI4oBwpZr1ytXi8VgcYovmRCPBXwj39yEVAei9qtLoqo/s400/highfil1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gary Out of Swim</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_OwgTlD4-jitQvKYQP-9Xyxk1hL4emVcERM_WVvssnTSKqniAOLDnrhM7gKSfn-xmB7QzN3YUPqTcfQn01s-pr2VAaubKNn6b4z0-9uQqvSx3Ng66WM5TOLLoDR0Nhtqzik1uVeQjECIS/s1600/highfil2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_OwgTlD4-jitQvKYQP-9Xyxk1hL4emVcERM_WVvssnTSKqniAOLDnrhM7gKSfn-xmB7QzN3YUPqTcfQn01s-pr2VAaubKNn6b4z0-9uQqvSx3Ng66WM5TOLLoDR0Nhtqzik1uVeQjECIS/s400/highfil2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gary Bike</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdqZNB5TADT878bWWNumQeOefz-M1hK98x9JHqEgVXKquooXZiNr9-FfSwcRSR66uVoBNjISJgYAmQ7avtECXdoKrYxJXQyvme9l4fs-Kk6IWVpwrlVom-Rngzv2vYVYUG16tNav2D_KYA/s1600/highfil3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdqZNB5TADT878bWWNumQeOefz-M1hK98x9JHqEgVXKquooXZiNr9-FfSwcRSR66uVoBNjISJgYAmQ7avtECXdoKrYxJXQyvme9l4fs-Kk6IWVpwrlVom-Rngzv2vYVYUG16tNav2D_KYA/s400/highfil3.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gary Run</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCOGj9Rh9s_-8bJoRHl_H4sVl75JnyeWiu1Rk2FpVH4uFEudZTNQBk2ZYVMIqjycxy4_llQsTqbjZMn3HLr0OYqGM5z_nCPSaHLqTjmvXuQampf0Ox6kqbDszCCjgzL1YxVQidQAXUzRTW/s1600/IMG_7501.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCOGj9Rh9s_-8bJoRHl_H4sVl75JnyeWiu1Rk2FpVH4uFEudZTNQBk2ZYVMIqjycxy4_llQsTqbjZMn3HLr0OYqGM5z_nCPSaHLqTjmvXuQampf0Ox6kqbDszCCjgzL1YxVQidQAXUzRTW/s400/IMG_7501.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jenny out of swim</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlBjHqBhHQ9aXauWt53C9WH-jNndVqZiKrkcYKcwmgIGm68WqGcqQ7AB1q3WWZeqTWCmWQTAlZ7Rrri4PZhKXm9lMlZYpMtF7LbXjFwdLyGs9lvA4NO8NMrA_qp0u7h4lVzbvKl4_edtZG/s1600/IMG_7526.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlBjHqBhHQ9aXauWt53C9WH-jNndVqZiKrkcYKcwmgIGm68WqGcqQ7AB1q3WWZeqTWCmWQTAlZ7Rrri4PZhKXm9lMlZYpMtF7LbXjFwdLyGs9lvA4NO8NMrA_qp0u7h4lVzbvKl4_edtZG/s400/IMG_7526.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">China out of swim</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfoVepT8ZSn-eC-00EZ706HkoSgqZ3AhTSkLNsTVbnSo8Vyw9Ns5VMv4AfDFaenAc5Fao8ChcNaCtGfDRIJnGoRzVMSuyqEttDpG_0QybWky4EU4dOJU-CCEPm63zwLkSxatx8_ySDvEaH/s1600/IMG_7543.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfoVepT8ZSn-eC-00EZ706HkoSgqZ3AhTSkLNsTVbnSo8Vyw9Ns5VMv4AfDFaenAc5Fao8ChcNaCtGfDRIJnGoRzVMSuyqEttDpG_0QybWky4EU4dOJU-CCEPm63zwLkSxatx8_ySDvEaH/s400/IMG_7543.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Speedy Mike</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtROb4-hM657rSUjVUODlcrcRcG9oWuB5xjDDmnbjrLnkjyKJNMzL9SIXbElg6TTFSXJQv2x6egPXjVFjed_fxGRPwsXlvvPwalTu5XCT50A4sJzcgzmUCUQcvJvI1Y0Ag0rdGKDVDelqH/s1600/IMG_7547.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtROb4-hM657rSUjVUODlcrcRcG9oWuB5xjDDmnbjrLnkjyKJNMzL9SIXbElg6TTFSXJQv2x6egPXjVFjed_fxGRPwsXlvvPwalTu5XCT50A4sJzcgzmUCUQcvJvI1Y0Ag0rdGKDVDelqH/s400/IMG_7547.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scott Bike</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jim Bike</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyQXE0QdhGkhFS5nND9-H0ViPXsPLD21ee9RvSDAl6N0YSRaUhYjjNBt7Tx31lIPLc4W5NxUseUNDeU93MR58rvbzA64Ui0jfY9Seda-Q9G3EDd2-rJUOARGPDl7rucPiNbwvcSmGhsJd6/s1600/IMG_7574.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyQXE0QdhGkhFS5nND9-H0ViPXsPLD21ee9RvSDAl6N0YSRaUhYjjNBt7Tx31lIPLc4W5NxUseUNDeU93MR58rvbzA64Ui0jfY9Seda-Q9G3EDd2-rJUOARGPDl7rucPiNbwvcSmGhsJd6/s400/IMG_7574.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jenny Bike</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2AKqfcAYQZoxLYPR47XN63TDIGsggJPzmqjzjI2cHpC2N8eQzxuPGJJqydXQqgHWV9xOGi-4WMjhgen3H_O4h-WCAMhIph74_ZFUkBdQ5cC2LJHZpgUYkt6zy5NyxkxaVLIt3kK_2vHAJ/s1600/IMG_7630.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2AKqfcAYQZoxLYPR47XN63TDIGsggJPzmqjzjI2cHpC2N8eQzxuPGJJqydXQqgHWV9xOGi-4WMjhgen3H_O4h-WCAMhIph74_ZFUkBdQ5cC2LJHZpgUYkt6zy5NyxkxaVLIt3kK_2vHAJ/s400/IMG_7630.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">China Bike</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeAQZ8g0YM1jKe3_aii3TyIZ9ZolRGq4-pzYUIZbZhYONu028ZPltyL-nsi6nuLitx4TtC-5KC7Tk_vTvtTuAOYnBwDEfzcr6pmCpBsp_uNvwamLC3-qjr2lvukv8lCiORDS7H1GH3Q2pK/s1600/IMG_7649.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeAQZ8g0YM1jKe3_aii3TyIZ9ZolRGq4-pzYUIZbZhYONu028ZPltyL-nsi6nuLitx4TtC-5KC7Tk_vTvtTuAOYnBwDEfzcr6pmCpBsp_uNvwamLC3-qjr2lvukv8lCiORDS7H1GH3Q2pK/s400/IMG_7649.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jenny Run</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6ZuH0GIMVIrb3oiuw-plQmDiPAFvIgV4XyU4djsYy8HQZci9VCON8Y34maY8DpEKdL62VJrMLnJKxhX75WvPCRPnSvFNt_aqzOUaAMDgzJgZpfWOW3YwgInOSx_qMIS96Ehlxe5xT3SqY/s1600/IMG_7655.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6ZuH0GIMVIrb3oiuw-plQmDiPAFvIgV4XyU4djsYy8HQZci9VCON8Y34maY8DpEKdL62VJrMLnJKxhX75WvPCRPnSvFNt_aqzOUaAMDgzJgZpfWOW3YwgInOSx_qMIS96Ehlxe5xT3SqY/s400/IMG_7655.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Russ Bike</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-RwFVKVeEXeD-LFz4rnv-OtdQiKwiYExR7B-XypiF80RL7Hp-YAn0KkB-3nnZzWFAM4tPUekVklPmXbeoZ4ZbkLgyxLIMgRKr9m-b4Cs2ppRvXJDHsyCfye7fqjMoOKNLZPxbZB3LIeDJ/s1600/IMG_7657.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-RwFVKVeEXeD-LFz4rnv-OtdQiKwiYExR7B-XypiF80RL7Hp-YAn0KkB-3nnZzWFAM4tPUekVklPmXbeoZ4ZbkLgyxLIMgRKr9m-b4Cs2ppRvXJDHsyCfye7fqjMoOKNLZPxbZB3LIeDJ/s400/IMG_7657.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That Darn Terry on the run</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikjsm1kptNV19WMnfmJzxJerbIVKKFUkYK8YI3LA4UxT7tDPv5cga6bXkznVnaJijxIiRFsxSZTpP1s1750wk8JR2LOtTA2JNSAfDzUPm9gPwApfFijQpZREWdmK8dKMRhI2hWg5qHkFUn/s1600/IMG_7661.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikjsm1kptNV19WMnfmJzxJerbIVKKFUkYK8YI3LA4UxT7tDPv5cga6bXkznVnaJijxIiRFsxSZTpP1s1750wk8JR2LOtTA2JNSAfDzUPm9gPwApfFijQpZREWdmK8dKMRhI2hWg5qHkFUn/s400/IMG_7661.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Doug Run</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1eqcjFcrD24_MrYY3uXdCmh5p8KgOBrBqw0vQTrPQ9lKpvu0-UV9KV5FS68OHwL3veR2f0w-421-7rpV7nXFCxt6aMRdeX-JHeGcbjS_Stm98IShc1WL6dK6vz4vH7_b9V2Qb9e6po6zh/s1600/IMG_7672.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1eqcjFcrD24_MrYY3uXdCmh5p8KgOBrBqw0vQTrPQ9lKpvu0-UV9KV5FS68OHwL3veR2f0w-421-7rpV7nXFCxt6aMRdeX-JHeGcbjS_Stm98IShc1WL6dK6vz4vH7_b9V2Qb9e6po6zh/s400/IMG_7672.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jim Run</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3a1zDkKEZL_axO6y57XHC-7hJZXCU2zzxspbezJ06YmbdbxKccnQDDKB9shdlnWBaKNrx3iN4PtBClfelGUZBoYV_t9PW9Py_gNh6xEJkKAxNJtHbPvGKjmeBxXwX1IdON_Jbli5a2hWW/s1600/IMG_7681.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3a1zDkKEZL_axO6y57XHC-7hJZXCU2zzxspbezJ06YmbdbxKccnQDDKB9shdlnWBaKNrx3iN4PtBClfelGUZBoYV_t9PW9Py_gNh6xEJkKAxNJtHbPvGKjmeBxXwX1IdON_Jbli5a2hWW/s400/IMG_7681.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chris Run</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjExB5zgnm_3-UBhx8ksk9etacR_tRJ7_5-AZ7F0uhw2UcRejD3YJTHzsC9_G68M9Y7lHBdO7HYYR_5mr-ogMOUIIYlttlCvhfoZvf-RpiY64zO7Qs-lMWharsObEksQNL9BC0HGRSbp1Hl/s1600/IMG_7684.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjExB5zgnm_3-UBhx8ksk9etacR_tRJ7_5-AZ7F0uhw2UcRejD3YJTHzsC9_G68M9Y7lHBdO7HYYR_5mr-ogMOUIIYlttlCvhfoZvf-RpiY64zO7Qs-lMWharsObEksQNL9BC0HGRSbp1Hl/s400/IMG_7684.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scott Run</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhueMhje-oneVGk9DwBMC9uMEmYNl_2n1fUCFbO1iuKWnloGi10ykFoBJl_qGRhGaoFlPu-96FJv0eKLTgQ-PBPvDl5rqxze5FBbQ3xZQ1lvRmn4i5cypC3WMXWwFeGMaw5BTVBe2z1AmIO/s1600/IMG_7696.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhueMhje-oneVGk9DwBMC9uMEmYNl_2n1fUCFbO1iuKWnloGi10ykFoBJl_qGRhGaoFlPu-96FJv0eKLTgQ-PBPvDl5rqxze5FBbQ3xZQ1lvRmn4i5cypC3WMXWwFeGMaw5BTVBe2z1AmIO/s400/IMG_7696.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Russ Run</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT6Xmz8ItsVJo4FgjyB_FroAvYKjosBe2-SEGegSmFONUexiiwiADOoaGxHq-H-4sYHj6XPUDz06FC4Bavi22nO5DgKhgJP_0PEgBQHbH8zXv5lXRv89o8uGfypajSNwrgxjfHrL5zkyBm/s1600/IMG_7698.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT6Xmz8ItsVJo4FgjyB_FroAvYKjosBe2-SEGegSmFONUexiiwiADOoaGxHq-H-4sYHj6XPUDz06FC4Bavi22nO5DgKhgJP_0PEgBQHbH8zXv5lXRv89o8uGfypajSNwrgxjfHrL5zkyBm/s400/IMG_7698.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mike Run</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0bDGv16myZO_MOkoFCjjlAyBHnLZzbLLCj_xHx17tunV1q4WaeCISMmBmbqIBkEzgQpr4ihJaluMeXnRaiKvHqMv3QPYL6RWq9j9gbmsktz0mrQm5ecjOCkJlUxXaOuCvYj46bHMRHblj/s1600/IMG_7722.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0bDGv16myZO_MOkoFCjjlAyBHnLZzbLLCj_xHx17tunV1q4WaeCISMmBmbqIBkEzgQpr4ihJaluMeXnRaiKvHqMv3QPYL6RWq9j9gbmsktz0mrQm5ecjOCkJlUxXaOuCvYj46bHMRHblj/s400/IMG_7722.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">China finishing</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgOuUSoN352hn2medcV62aR2bvlWJNYIY8ryYKmfL43cJ4fmEPH_B41O3XgjfVVqkbkXFlxz84jvhJxN7dzd3uW80BLxElxpTPdtw2KZ_g2sQEWyzfXCdqvy3AW4Uxf5rNPx9tW57DhxL7/s1600/IMG_7742.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgOuUSoN352hn2medcV62aR2bvlWJNYIY8ryYKmfL43cJ4fmEPH_B41O3XgjfVVqkbkXFlxz84jvhJxN7dzd3uW80BLxElxpTPdtw2KZ_g2sQEWyzfXCdqvy3AW4Uxf5rNPx9tW57DhxL7/s400/IMG_7742.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fit to be Tri'ed members</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYgOU6IFni_vKOacO6KAbo3nT9Elitu23uPlIkmS3S-gD-FMAH0DtEOrvb69KfsZvtidrrS-3D0wU9aj5DMBaYe7mq78RDdMTvepqEpM0ggg13AjB-0NkWqdKJ61Rbt-1GV-rOcDPirVlV/s1600/IMG_7746.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYgOU6IFni_vKOacO6KAbo3nT9Elitu23uPlIkmS3S-gD-FMAH0DtEOrvb69KfsZvtidrrS-3D0wU9aj5DMBaYe7mq78RDdMTvepqEpM0ggg13AjB-0NkWqdKJ61Rbt-1GV-rOcDPirVlV/s400/IMG_7746.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Doug's Fast Bike</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8rmC2XbTkIxxUa5xw1EhQDO0FrB4HhCBkfWEnhCfvltH92PiRJHsfONhMeRrk04STJm-n4GoBEo1EkWWOlL43enGE4PhUsm0vuxi0oRbCWN_u08neHbm36NpYwm7H_WausaQQvRgtD3QX/s1600/IMG_7750.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8rmC2XbTkIxxUa5xw1EhQDO0FrB4HhCBkfWEnhCfvltH92PiRJHsfONhMeRrk04STJm-n4GoBEo1EkWWOlL43enGE4PhUsm0vuxi0oRbCWN_u08neHbm36NpYwm7H_WausaQQvRgtD3QX/s400/IMG_7750.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">China and Keith</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHYHpGva_FuK1mjOS4pZpsCvnmV4OyKZOAoMDF0WPckvy238tlantifjJOb2vTnsqkOWTmNT3QE-9zl-8_JY_zBEWcGVZvHtUmrD8YGzmIkDR84QZSYtt3EXmLLDa29b6_IbDFGKbja-tx/s1600/IMG_7780.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHYHpGva_FuK1mjOS4pZpsCvnmV4OyKZOAoMDF0WPckvy238tlantifjJOb2vTnsqkOWTmNT3QE-9zl-8_JY_zBEWcGVZvHtUmrD8YGzmIkDR84QZSYtt3EXmLLDa29b6_IbDFGKbja-tx/s400/IMG_7780.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Terry and I and yes he beat me</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjN_t7-DkDEK7Nz1BaUaLnYcgAMgOyqjt2Sbx7vJftlvRVje-v2tRYqcPJgvl7qiUlP8gH5BIZNIxbKJ-qYC9yKGYavWrmB0Na50zjP6Ma4nJ5MVweK4szzDfuQchLe0eNxWrQlSxZfuba/s1600/IMG_7653.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjN_t7-DkDEK7Nz1BaUaLnYcgAMgOyqjt2Sbx7vJftlvRVje-v2tRYqcPJgvl7qiUlP8gH5BIZNIxbKJ-qYC9yKGYavWrmB0Na50zjP6Ma4nJ5MVweK4szzDfuQchLe0eNxWrQlSxZfuba/s400/IMG_7653.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Robin Bike</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3KpNze8OZT48f4yIlveHMdT6FJ31iAWmKqZ3sXt3Z9NwzzSgofkVA4fYWm6evqVrY-qP0hwI9Euwzpef8OjLEGih9uQN36ETBEN7s3yjohN0QHJRDCi7wErOptfAYQ0a8sjcXPnIaQ1MN/s1600/9484231867_e6ca67d226_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3KpNze8OZT48f4yIlveHMdT6FJ31iAWmKqZ3sXt3Z9NwzzSgofkVA4fYWm6evqVrY-qP0hwI9Euwzpef8OjLEGih9uQN36ETBEN7s3yjohN0QHJRDCi7wErOptfAYQ0a8sjcXPnIaQ1MN/s400/9484231867_e6ca67d226_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jade, Robin, China relaxing after the race</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br /></div>
Trek Mountain Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16901382514879478984noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9082478865600658051.post-39698787872600598022013-07-19T15:21:00.000-07:002013-07-19T19:01:22.560-07:00Tour de Donut 2013<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">It was a day
like no other in mid July, it was actually kind of cool outside, not 98
degrees, but more like 75 degrees.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
could tell as soon as I walked out the door, it was going to be a good
day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was heading for Staunton the home
of the infamous Tour de Donut Bike Race.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXvib0a17td7H7PbWmc04SoRyyOaz71rsjZT8YouiikMfCrQrqaopnwP4nbB0RABwSTnoqgNBedSNp6X9l9GwGLgO-pd0cFSe4ezeohMKFlll5Z9hyfi0i6_fp5JMpaRveHYS8MRg6n3ZB/s1600/donutcar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXvib0a17td7H7PbWmc04SoRyyOaz71rsjZT8YouiikMfCrQrqaopnwP4nbB0RABwSTnoqgNBedSNp6X9l9GwGLgO-pd0cFSe4ezeohMKFlll5Z9hyfi0i6_fp5JMpaRveHYS8MRg6n3ZB/s400/donutcar.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I am
incredibly out of shape and have been working hard, just to try and get back my
fitness level and speed from previous years, so I had no idea how fast or slow I
would ride. I pulled together a team of domestiques and hatched a race
plan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mark, Mike, Russ and John were my
official domestiques, although both John and Russ told me that they were in no
better shape than I was and wouldn’t be much help, I enlisted them anyway. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My plan was pretty simple though, if by the
second donut stop, I was having any problems hanging on, we would stop and eat
donuts and go for the adjusted time win. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig9TGE1Hjor2N7kU1gzANdUttum6T07xbYh-h8iVeRtAdt6JJXe4JKmh3YkQPwGJeZUZK2c0d56KWSlkjXpK6iZWyn4Cr37bFvn953C98nEZl979EK8etdVeLo598iaTHmAV-_qWalfN0-/s1600/domestiques.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig9TGE1Hjor2N7kU1gzANdUttum6T07xbYh-h8iVeRtAdt6JJXe4JKmh3YkQPwGJeZUZK2c0d56KWSlkjXpK6iZWyn4Cr37bFvn953C98nEZl979EK8etdVeLo598iaTHmAV-_qWalfN0-/s400/domestiques.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Domestiques - Mark, Me, Russ, Mike, John</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The next
issue to tackle was making sure the team kept all wheels on the ground.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Last year, during the first 2 miles, my team
was in a crash on Reservoir road.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It wasn’t
their fault, they were just in the wrong place at the wrong time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This year we had a plan to stay to the right
during the hilly section on Reservoir because most people went to the left and
the road was a bit smoother on the right.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We also planned to go out slow and be safe until we made it out of the
crowd.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had a nice surprise that
really helped, Christian the race director told me that he planned a neutral
start and the lead police car would not go over 15 mph and no one could pass
the lead car until Reservoir road.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hoped this would keep the number of
accidents down and the crazies from riding like maniacs through the twisting
turns leading out of town. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">While
thinking about the new starting rules, I posed for a photo with the Metro Tri
Club and we gave two thumbs up to Patrick Albert, but that’s another story for
another time. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHmd5I5d2-CwrSZ-QVDVenQ6qdCK_skxA2krbAhrTQlkPcgYTbOsdeRoMYvhPH-LMc9sp3cCNln7Zbi2mNmEVkHZJ8nudH46YssAShHD-JVrK00TUnUsUXmn9zETvodSOqZR2EewJPrEns/s1600/triclub.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHmd5I5d2-CwrSZ-QVDVenQ6qdCK_skxA2krbAhrTQlkPcgYTbOsdeRoMYvhPH-LMc9sp3cCNln7Zbi2mNmEVkHZJ8nudH46YssAShHD-JVrK00TUnUsUXmn9zETvodSOqZR2EewJPrEns/s400/triclub.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Two Thumbs Up to Patrick Albert</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">My team and
I staged our bikes about four rows back from the starting line, we listened to the signing of the
National Anthem, which was really good, then waited for the horn to sound. The
race started and the neutral start was working pretty well, but there were
still a couple guys on tri bikes that were weaving in and out of the pack, I
thought, “one of those guys is going to crash”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>My team was staying pretty close, but the crowd was large, and at the
corner turning off Main street the riders were bottlenecked, but we got through
ok.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We hit Reservoir road and everyone took
off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Due to the large number of riders
we had a hard time getting out of the crowd, after we crossed the highway, Mike
rolled back to pull John up from where he was boxed in and we regrouped.
It seemed like only minutes and we were passing the first donut stop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We could see the lead group in the distance
and we were all heading for Old 66 where the road was smooth and fast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Once we made
the turn onto Old 66 we had to watch for fast traffic, but things were going
well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mark had been pulling most of the
way and after Mike pulled John in from the crowd he started helping Mark pull.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Russ got out front and pulled for a long time
on Old 66. There was another group of about 10 riders hanging with us, but they
were not doing any of the pulling.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Russ
was still pulling so I yelled to him “drop back and let them do some of the
work”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Really though what right do I have
to say that, I enlisted all these guys to come do all the work for me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well I don’t think Russ heard me and the only
break he got was when we came upon the big crash on Old 66.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A friend of ours was on the ground with about
10 more people and it looked bad.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There
were a couple trucks stopped helping out, so we just kept riding.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course, anytime I see a crash, I get extra
cautious, so I slowed my pace a little.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The thing is, I felt really good, I had legs, so my taking a couple rest
days really worked.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were hanging
between 20-22 mph for most of the race and I never felt pushed, even on the
uphills.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We hit the bumpy road section
of the route, it was tougher riding just because the pavement was so rough, but
we still kept up a good pace, Mark and Mike were doing a great job
pulling.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>John and Russ were hanging with
me, plus we still had that other group with us too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I even had to slow down on some uphills
because the group that was with us was slowing down and the group was so large
we couldn’t get around them on the uphills.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Before I knew
it, we were at the second donut stop and heading for the White City hill. Mark
looked at me for direction and I said let’s keep going I feel great, so we sped
past the second donut stop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had a
long downhill then headed up the largest hill on the course, the hill that goes
into White City.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the bottom of the
hill we passed a lady on a tri bike and she was riding well, so I pulled up
next to her and asked her, her age.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
had to know if I would be racing her for the age group win. Lucky for me she
was older than me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mark said he wanted
to ask her age, but he knew better than to ask a female her age. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I worked my way up the hill staying right on
Mark’s wheel, I was smiling because I rode the hill so well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I found out later that Mark was not smiling
because he could not slow down and recover since I was still with him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>An ambulance sped past us, so we knew there
must have been other crash.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we rode
we did our best to stay in front of the lady on the tri bike.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We also came across Al, another friend and
after passing him,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>we kept working to
pick off riders the rest of the way in. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I couldn’t
believe it, there we were only about 5 miles from the finish and I was feeling
great.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were moving, we crossed the
dam and headed up the last of the really big hills, just as Mark got to the top
of the hill he yelled for Mike to take over, his legs were screaming.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mike started pulling with Mark and I on his
wheel, John and Russ were on my wheel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We made the turn onto Reserviour road and rode up on Mike Wever and Mike
Hovatter, the president and treasurer of the Metro Tri Club, then we saw Keith
Timmins riding back out, he is the Secretary of the club, of course since I am
the vice president of the club, we sort of had a Club board meeting going
on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mike W asked who was pulling for me
and I said Mark and Mike, so both Mike W and Mike H jumped on and tried to stay
with us. We had lost the other group coming up the hill into White City.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We made the turn that many people mistake as
the last turn and start sprinting for the finish, but it’s not the last turn
there is one more, so most people end up falling off because they started the
sprint too soon. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">John was
doing his best to beat a guy that had been riding with us the entire race and
he was in John’s age group.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not even a
second before we crossed the line the guy sprinted up and nosed John out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The good this is, it was a chip timed race,
so since the guy crossed the start line before John, John still beat him based
on chip time. John ended up in 3<sup>rd</sup> in his age group beating the guy
by just a couple seconds. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Mike W tried
his best to pull a power play and get us at the line, but Russ squeezed him out
and he couldn’t pass. I rolled across the line in a1:38 with an average speed of
20.63 mph.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That time put me in 4<sup>th</sup>
place overall in the Female division, 1<sup>st</sup> in the 40-49 age group and
66<sup>th</sup> overall.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was extremely
happy with that finish, especially for the shape I am in. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Oh and there were 1500 in the race. Plus the Metro Tri Girls pulled of a 1,2,3 in the 40-49 age group, with Kate G taking 2nd and Phyllis B taking 3rd. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsti9MkKIagT0WEznWeyLqsuaKHZZGUubjs5a0rmiX-ofcw1UqKpzvPlJPXuQKAF7xIiFiiKHV52btOwzyK6HNFWzobvEka_lD105I4pwjZccYqALgDanE8pHvnvKlPzaW1Rgwv1TplJAl/s1600/robin1st.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsti9MkKIagT0WEznWeyLqsuaKHZZGUubjs5a0rmiX-ofcw1UqKpzvPlJPXuQKAF7xIiFiiKHV52btOwzyK6HNFWzobvEka_lD105I4pwjZccYqALgDanE8pHvnvKlPzaW1Rgwv1TplJAl/s400/robin1st.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Robin - 1st Place</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">After the
race I found some leftover donuts and ate two, they are so much better when you
are hanging out after the race than they are when you are hot and sweating,
trying to choke them down. Oh and I found a diet coke to boot. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIJRoCF5a7wanoeaxKU_GTgTF91vwWqOmMcp7vSYCJH5MctKxcCufHpcNIBHqTPIwdbdArRZ8BGFBzLOd94ts6lwN33PQhCgGkbdi3YT6LLGCwr4XQmeFIiDGuV7vSP3ZFPgHVNI-cDqUj/s1600/robindietcoke.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIJRoCF5a7wanoeaxKU_GTgTF91vwWqOmMcp7vSYCJH5MctKxcCufHpcNIBHqTPIwdbdArRZ8BGFBzLOd94ts6lwN33PQhCgGkbdi3YT6LLGCwr4XQmeFIiDGuV7vSP3ZFPgHVNI-cDqUj/s400/robindietcoke.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ahhh... Life doesn't get much better</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I also
talked to couple guys that either saw the big crash or were in it, they attributed
it to someone in the group riding in tri bars, being unstable and taking everyone
down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had to wonder if it was one of
the two guys I saw at the start of the race. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">As for my riding
buddies that crashed, one had a broken collarbone and broken ribs, along with the
worst injury of all, a cracked bike frame, the other came out with a broken
collarbone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everyone else was sporting
some road rash and bruises. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Of course
Mark livened things up with his man skirt and of course he was wearing it the
correct European fashion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I won’t say what
that is, but you can ask him, next time you see him.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhurQZOMiNyTF9L-3OP06JNtExdUUHUp2ycvy0ieR1fXZFS6qBYv2YDNeTVRInPJ15flXMCq9AnKmzNSG9eCaa6dFwBcV09S_DEEZlMUIHTedenxuZFdZRZThpORp_4Mx8SNiy2MBeShb7u/s1600/mark.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhurQZOMiNyTF9L-3OP06JNtExdUUHUp2ycvy0ieR1fXZFS6qBYv2YDNeTVRInPJ15flXMCq9AnKmzNSG9eCaa6dFwBcV09S_DEEZlMUIHTedenxuZFdZRZThpORp_4Mx8SNiy2MBeShb7u/s400/mark.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hey Mark, what you got under there</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Thanks to my
Domestiques for coming out and spending their Saturday morning, dragging my
rather large read end around the course. I bought my domestiques what I thought
was a really cool gift, but they didn’t come until after the race, so I still
have to give them out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are not
really as cool in reality as they were on the internet, but it’s the thought
that counts. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifHem48qmuK7coCOBx7xlgNC63IMyGOzK8p0WtyXERsmWNvQrvIYzbATyR86lQ8YkMeRKLy7qYdNnlcwLYgS8iSxnjwhaeQ9OmKviV0lbUfrdK3M5uYlevQ2nDoW3IACTbwLTxNefSf_w2/s1600/IMG_6931.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifHem48qmuK7coCOBx7xlgNC63IMyGOzK8p0WtyXERsmWNvQrvIYzbATyR86lQ8YkMeRKLy7qYdNnlcwLYgS8iSxnjwhaeQ9OmKviV0lbUfrdK3M5uYlevQ2nDoW3IACTbwLTxNefSf_w2/s400/IMG_6931.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Donut Keychain</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Below are
some photo’s of a few of my friends taking home hardware. I can’t wait for next
year and I’m going to be in shape this time. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl_Fqp3uEAeTjkVZQeAjIoAE0U8mq2UCKEUux6KNY21ROtETw8sUuQoaP-WXPzT-jNinME3DzpHfiVMrsuPEo5bX9HP0XTZOxD2MgzvYvBgG3KS2Li5U_re6ULks7viXuTicpfxZBw1DHu/s1600/andrew.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl_Fqp3uEAeTjkVZQeAjIoAE0U8mq2UCKEUux6KNY21ROtETw8sUuQoaP-WXPzT-jNinME3DzpHfiVMrsuPEo5bX9HP0XTZOxD2MgzvYvBgG3KS2Li5U_re6ULks7viXuTicpfxZBw1DHu/s400/andrew.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Andrew</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCs4PFWzn8Zph8MLtXSfEwmzpaoC3DLRuVTl1gYjoZbqSrEcQ316KJ3LzEvTQiEFf4Si0aruCBY_QQggZSl_IASI6_EMFxMjFsmf3cUxRBlNSJIibiZzFGYHxENgMM6TIuK18rKhvEH1NS/s1600/Antonio.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCs4PFWzn8Zph8MLtXSfEwmzpaoC3DLRuVTl1gYjoZbqSrEcQ316KJ3LzEvTQiEFf4Si0aruCBY_QQggZSl_IASI6_EMFxMjFsmf3cUxRBlNSJIibiZzFGYHxENgMM6TIuK18rKhvEH1NS/s400/Antonio.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Antonio</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8CDaLzDfWg_KkacCmgNTIHkjKTUQWFkoFRF2x_6f_vNI_Ek6mKkWIszlXC6vQrLWgcNKbW988Ue8Iy5__1pdAyc_kNUVRvI2fonAD_jTcscJKWBADXaIaj0PeN4sxxU0w7-FRl65fireH/s1600/Dan+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8CDaLzDfWg_KkacCmgNTIHkjKTUQWFkoFRF2x_6f_vNI_Ek6mKkWIszlXC6vQrLWgcNKbW988Ue8Iy5__1pdAyc_kNUVRvI2fonAD_jTcscJKWBADXaIaj0PeN4sxxU0w7-FRl65fireH/s400/Dan+2.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dan with his daughter</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIAnA5_ruLnB_09sedG56lyWIlEFILvYOy0VNVNY8eL7s2KwTB6URlreTgBThaMTHlUR-lN_3x2veKdnLTHi6XYXKWEqn96__o84yZdr171TPcqtgCGSNFJh7T15ouUMFqXyR6OjCPWN5i/s1600/doughavlin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIAnA5_ruLnB_09sedG56lyWIlEFILvYOy0VNVNY8eL7s2KwTB6URlreTgBThaMTHlUR-lN_3x2veKdnLTHi6XYXKWEqn96__o84yZdr171TPcqtgCGSNFJh7T15ouUMFqXyR6OjCPWN5i/s400/doughavlin.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Doug H</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhCXsDHr39hAUFZvdZNnDqALL3cTu1lX4KkLxUhK0glLTnXGL2ZJWXdg2UVghIER_q6GJ_of2oI2QuU_QHWDSKpSvPa142eJ0GOCbXZWuS4Lac7v6nCkkuLAda0Zd6a8Yg7HVwuZfZOKU1/s1600/don+brown.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhCXsDHr39hAUFZvdZNnDqALL3cTu1lX4KkLxUhK0glLTnXGL2ZJWXdg2UVghIER_q6GJ_of2oI2QuU_QHWDSKpSvPa142eJ0GOCbXZWuS4Lac7v6nCkkuLAda0Zd6a8Yg7HVwuZfZOKU1/s400/don+brown.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Don B - 3rd overall</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7mdp4Xq3XdhVKQHx82uotK2GMpllsFCCpP0DAPHCLhsxM2trLdjE15JeQRD70DCzMe5Y9ZBx-4sfDcWV3j6auV8W7M_eKdDXRY6Op7BR-0Icmnv9XQ3cJLnRSI58auExxbr6OBaUr9LKT/s1600/jimd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7mdp4Xq3XdhVKQHx82uotK2GMpllsFCCpP0DAPHCLhsxM2trLdjE15JeQRD70DCzMe5Y9ZBx-4sfDcWV3j6auV8W7M_eKdDXRY6Op7BR-0Icmnv9XQ3cJLnRSI58auExxbr6OBaUr9LKT/s400/jimd.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jim D after 15 donuts</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXqoPbF3oyze3rfeX52KbVRX9OGg0I6IwN1fO6zj3U0YOUIJMHykHTIIGkh57_Bg93hzlYSYD9WlQOeCY7Xl3kxmGGybUSyQHdE8h2uRi5aLV2KADS9eGCqzwZaiPsfyPBWoVadyh58nTm/s1600/karenhatch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXqoPbF3oyze3rfeX52KbVRX9OGg0I6IwN1fO6zj3U0YOUIJMHykHTIIGkh57_Bg93hzlYSYD9WlQOeCY7Xl3kxmGGybUSyQHdE8h2uRi5aLV2KADS9eGCqzwZaiPsfyPBWoVadyh58nTm/s400/karenhatch.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Karen H</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4g5DbA5SwK80EaanjM-0Kf4f6Vgz5sVbTMo2ArjM4QexfQSX5-VYh3a2LNnnDjV4LNFqqfdzW6fPc_CFOy_sRnSYg2gGqk5F-sG2N5TLfYNy6PC_tOPxbWYsZ-B8_ZJwtjUCNIXih-3O4/s1600/marklinda.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4g5DbA5SwK80EaanjM-0Kf4f6Vgz5sVbTMo2ArjM4QexfQSX5-VYh3a2LNnnDjV4LNFqqfdzW6fPc_CFOy_sRnSYg2gGqk5F-sG2N5TLfYNy6PC_tOPxbWYsZ-B8_ZJwtjUCNIXih-3O4/s400/marklinda.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mark and Linda - 2nd Tandum</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtcxokY_SpoYaqNmXmNUGlykWQznpegxAe7RW5BipNniOqmnAph-9go28nXJRls8EF4yP6CteJoHFC07RC3q0vEKEkNZHh1Wpkb_6HPZ4vMb8fdfbn2zb9Fa9ao5CNpIyI22gL8eQ4S2HD/s1600/travis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtcxokY_SpoYaqNmXmNUGlykWQznpegxAe7RW5BipNniOqmnAph-9go28nXJRls8EF4yP6CteJoHFC07RC3q0vEKEkNZHh1Wpkb_6HPZ4vMb8fdfbn2zb9Fa9ao5CNpIyI22gL8eQ4S2HD/s400/travis.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Travis after 12 donuts he looks way too happy</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><br /></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj5RuibSsKHc5nIdO_CfKHV9oO2kHN4aPRem1mKKxrM9sY81du9y67ia-RU7uWxlfmcT5yNl6x154SFomgeUjuWxx4M3P6GvvfPKv6lUpJjH2hEotUnZr_5SST0jNyVYbaiT1GVn3ZpKN5/s1600/mikehrobin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj5RuibSsKHc5nIdO_CfKHV9oO2kHN4aPRem1mKKxrM9sY81du9y67ia-RU7uWxlfmcT5yNl6x154SFomgeUjuWxx4M3P6GvvfPKv6lUpJjH2hEotUnZr_5SST0jNyVYbaiT1GVn3ZpKN5/s400/mikehrobin.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mike H, we are still friends even after battling it out at the finish</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />Trek Mountain Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16901382514879478984noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9082478865600658051.post-56108255517442733682013-07-10T06:26:00.000-07:002013-07-10T06:26:26.964-07:00Cannondale SuperX Review<div class="MsoNormal">
There I was alone in what was a 110 mile gravel race, but
for me it was now a 119 mile gravel race. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was lost and alone in the middle of Kansas
on gravel roads and, I had not seen a car or a rider in over an 2 hours only
rarely seeing a farm house in the distance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It was just me and my Cannondale SuperX, grinding through the gravel
wondering if I would ever get back on the race course.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I couldn’t help but think “how did I get
here”. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3MbyVwK4YIU4IYhbb7ks6Ls35KE6pNiN2lEzuZTJndzsOlUCLJvsJViKajlNfy9PGXnkTQh6wsRxA6f_RQh8nTo46EdU4KGEnGJP7h8loILFKG55m8rXn6G8f1_TMMUvR1-_qhlRuZZPE/s1600/gravelroad.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3MbyVwK4YIU4IYhbb7ks6Ls35KE6pNiN2lEzuZTJndzsOlUCLJvsJViKajlNfy9PGXnkTQh6wsRxA6f_RQh8nTo46EdU4KGEnGJP7h8loILFKG55m8rXn6G8f1_TMMUvR1-_qhlRuZZPE/s400/gravelroad.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kansas Gravel - Photo Credit Chuck Vohsen</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Flashback</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
For almost a year I had been coveting my teammate, Chuck’s,
adventure/gravel bike.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He had scoured
the earth and found all the perfect parts and built a Salsa Vaya, he even
<a href="http://www.rock-racing.blogspot.com/2013/02/gravel-bike-evolution.html">blogged the whole build process.</a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As he
built his bike, he kept telling me what a great time he was going to have
competing in all upcoming gravel races.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I was not convinced that gravel racing could ever be fun.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had done plenty of adventure races on a
mountain bike riding gravel roads and it was never what I would call fun.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I said “I will never gravel race, EVER, I
don’t care how many times you tell me it’s fun”. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So the more Chuck rode and the more stories he told me, the
more I thought, maybe I want to try this, but I did not want to waste a bunch
of money on a gravel bike and find out that I hated gravel racing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Oh, but then the light bulb in my brain went
on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had been wanting to start riding a
few cyclocross races and I realized that a gravel bike is really just a
cyclocross bike with bigger tires.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In my
mind I could justify maybe making a purchase of a cyclocross bike and using it
as a gravel bike also. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Now this meant that I would have to start researching bikes,
because I’m not mechanically inclined like Chuck, so much so, that the bike
shop guys tell me to never ever do my own maintenance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hate to admit it, but every time I have
tried to do my own maintenance, it has turned into a disaster and I end up
running into the bike shop yelling “code blue” because it always happens the
day I’m leaving town for a race. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So after looking at Trek, Felt, Giant and Cannondale, I had
narrowed the search to two CX bikes that I could afford.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My number one choice was the <a href="http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes/road/cyclocross/cronus_cx/cronus_cx_pro/#">Trek Cronus Pro</a>
and the <a href="http://www.cannondale.com/2013/bikes/road/cyclocross/superx/super-x-carbon-ultegra-compact-crankset">Cannondale SuperX</a> was my second choice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Since I race for the Cyclery which is sponsored by Trek, I was pretty
sure I would go with the Trek. Plus the Trek had tubeless ready wheels, which I
thought I would really need, but it had Shimano 105 components, and I really
wanted the next step up to Ultegra.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
also had the Bontrager Evoke saddle which I like and of course the frame was
carbon and I wanted the lightest bike I could get.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I compared it to the Cannondale which was also carbon and it
had the upgrade to the Ultegra components, it was not tubeless ready, which at
the time was a strike in my mind, because I knew how hard gravel can be on
tires and I was afraid of constant flats with tubed wheels.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The saddle was a Fizik Tundra, which seemed
to be a very expensive saddle, but I have never actually tried one before so I
didn’t know if I would like it or not.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After all my research and thinking about it, and let me tell
you, I thought about it for 6 months before I made the purchase, I made a trip
to the Cyclery, where Andy, a master mechanic and coach, fitted me for both the
Trek and the Cannondale. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Andy was also a
Trek Cronus lover, but in the end, he said fit is everything, and the smallest
Cronus made was a 50 cm, which he couldn’t in good conscience tell me would
fit. However Cannondale came in smaller sizes and I could get a 47 which is
what I needed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Cannondale was a bit
out of my price range, but with some coordination between the Cyclery and
Cannondale, I was able to get an affordable price.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_E-B5GBKpO1Bx7r6tUaGX99Fy6CEEGY_IEhIZ-sEO-4wR-uPW1KL9gTz9DErneYO_z4n6sl_Skg__QvTrVOunG6jmsUux9t79OVOKR9lXrQN-X_CvZkTTFsT3FnlXHnz5G6j-uyQ2Yla6/s1600/IMG-20130405-00138.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_E-B5GBKpO1Bx7r6tUaGX99Fy6CEEGY_IEhIZ-sEO-4wR-uPW1KL9gTz9DErneYO_z4n6sl_Skg__QvTrVOunG6jmsUux9t79OVOKR9lXrQN-X_CvZkTTFsT3FnlXHnz5G6j-uyQ2Yla6/s400/IMG-20130405-00138.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Robin's Cannondale SuperX</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I was still not a believer and was worried that I would get
the bike and hate it, I had heard some bad stuff from fellow riders about
Cannondales, and was worried that it may be true.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I did have one friend who is a great road
racer and all he rides is Cannondale, he told me I would love it and not to
worry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I ordered the bike, while I was
still recovering from tailbone and heart surgery, it came in just a week before
I was going to be released to ride.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I started thinking about what kind of tires I needed for
gravel racing, the bike came with Schwalbe Rapid Rob’s in a 35C size.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everyone told me that they would never hold
up to the gravel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My adventure racing
team, ROCK Racing, is sponsored by <a href="http://www.schwalbetires.com/">Schwalbe</a> and I happen to really like their
tires, so I wasn’t really worried, but the Rapid Rob is not considered a tough
tire, so I ordered Schwalbe Marathons, the toughest tires they make.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had to stay with the 35c’s because the next
size up in the Marathons was a 40c and I thought it would be too big for the
bike.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unfortunately, the tires would not
arrive in time for my first ride or my first race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE5Hgds8yByZd3n_GEBWDxTSvM0yh1lchXm9C4oIDafgfE3G2e3LgmixZfumYBHC9tDIwA7JIVYjYfMHPvXwfs4pi6ZDj4iWQS0jsAfQI_iEQ3c3puwdrTM9i7V_s7ryp2l4pF7l2UBThN/s1600/IMG-20130405-00144.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE5Hgds8yByZd3n_GEBWDxTSvM0yh1lchXm9C4oIDafgfE3G2e3LgmixZfumYBHC9tDIwA7JIVYjYfMHPvXwfs4pi6ZDj4iWQS0jsAfQI_iEQ3c3puwdrTM9i7V_s7ryp2l4pF7l2UBThN/s400/IMG-20130405-00144.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rapid Rob vs. Marathon</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After a week of looking at the bike, I rode it one time on
some gravel roads in the Busch Wildlife area, in Missouri.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was only a 50 mile ride, but the bike felt
pretty good, except for the saddle. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIpXq1ZOZmFF2IrBdc0FXpbmPvQKErHxulwpXMztKrpJpWCcQh96FzAbj2VzOkYqqxqp1r-l-moDCu4C12RsNuytEmB1Jc8rW0XOpJjmFIBwaOf79QMqpXU7if1KEZmwEMQCrVXO6kWM-y/s1600/gravel.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIpXq1ZOZmFF2IrBdc0FXpbmPvQKErHxulwpXMztKrpJpWCcQh96FzAbj2VzOkYqqxqp1r-l-moDCu4C12RsNuytEmB1Jc8rW0XOpJjmFIBwaOf79QMqpXU7if1KEZmwEMQCrVXO6kWM-y/s400/gravel.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo Credit - Dan Singer</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Then six days later I took the bike to Herman Missouri and competed
in <a href="http://www.tourofhermann.com/">Tour of Herman Gravel Race</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you
know anything about Herman Missouri, you know that it is crazy hilly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm31YHA7jtpTRYbf9-z9d-YHiFE-yBKm8ub0sqB_wPB60gsl5_4YSfsdFmU5so6kvtdKo9V_QOPhv8JGBUr2_DGifZj56eBbabD_YFu3u3IH8alBiTWiARWhrxNCnwsRMBPim1c6Y1mClb/s1600/hill.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm31YHA7jtpTRYbf9-z9d-YHiFE-yBKm8ub0sqB_wPB60gsl5_4YSfsdFmU5so6kvtdKo9V_QOPhv8JGBUr2_DGifZj56eBbabD_YFu3u3IH8alBiTWiARWhrxNCnwsRMBPim1c6Y1mClb/s400/hill.jpg" width="285" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hills of Herman - Photo Credit Dan Singer</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So I’m on a new bike, rolling down steep hills at 40 mph in
deep river gravel. I was more than a little scared and I was riding a race
tire, instead of a tough tire. Guess what!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It was all good, not one flat tire, and I only fish tailed to the point
of hysteria one time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After finishing 68
miles of tortuous hills and heavy gravel, I decided that I really liked my
SuperX.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The only thing I really hated about
the entire bike was the saddle, it was not made for a butt the size of mine. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I knew I would be swapping it out for one of
my favorite saddles before my next ride.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCLZovPujS7_AFs9xMag_xEcJmwZgcPqHpRyGYW0E5vQ4alquIjIWUaxORlBFjiNUazkxU1RnaqC5I_BtXkH_ABjW8JwRG8_mZScp6ki6-tolZRNi0qosO0DejeuBImSzGplomx_U-J59a/s1600/jargravel.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCLZovPujS7_AFs9xMag_xEcJmwZgcPqHpRyGYW0E5vQ4alquIjIWUaxORlBFjiNUazkxU1RnaqC5I_BtXkH_ABjW8JwRG8_mZScp6ki6-tolZRNi0qosO0DejeuBImSzGplomx_U-J59a/s400/jargravel.jpg" width="285" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Saddle from Hell - Photo Credit Dan Singer</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I left Herman, still as out of shape as ever, but feeling
good, I mean for the shape I was in, I should have been sore from being rattled
to death over the gravel and hills, but I really felt good and I felt good the
next two days too with no residual back aches. So the bike did a great job
handling the some of the roughest roads in the Midwest. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Fast Forward</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Just a few weeks after the Tour of Herman, and not very many
rides on my SuperX, I found myself in Kansas racing in the <a href="http://www.dirtykanza200.com/">Dirty Kanza</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl2HFlvI_HwrBR8vUuGmocNr-_FYP_Nn7E9mP9wRohntDLixLH83sorqCIrllt6-ISTqbDqamY5QLHT_Zm9Ky6C7ZQFsp3hxBeOpOq2OI-CqepbOFBQEdgjACeM2gK0Az3rgofsejRvof3/s1600/IMG-20130531-00194.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl2HFlvI_HwrBR8vUuGmocNr-_FYP_Nn7E9mP9wRohntDLixLH83sorqCIrllt6-ISTqbDqamY5QLHT_Zm9Ky6C7ZQFsp3hxBeOpOq2OI-CqepbOFBQEdgjACeM2gK0Az3rgofsejRvof3/s400/IMG-20130531-00194.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Epic Gravel Race</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As far as the course went, it was all hills, but not the
steep grueling hills of Herman, mostly long climbs with one after the next and
the gravel of course was much tougher than the Herman gravel. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had to constantly find a line left from previous
riders to follow. Yes, I was scared a couple times, but I was able to keep both
wheels on the road. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMM85VmHMaHM2SXZjqk18nbhPzYAHXQCDNh1ieaCP5JXB2_PBQoEU7lw_sor1PTDJLkAsMZIDUBt60YCTYBDgRcrKpt5pBgKEsGCvvj8WP0Ca3ERtVC6JM9iOrPJF2Yk7MYgItKvFURAbO/s1600/cominghills.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMM85VmHMaHM2SXZjqk18nbhPzYAHXQCDNh1ieaCP5JXB2_PBQoEU7lw_sor1PTDJLkAsMZIDUBt60YCTYBDgRcrKpt5pBgKEsGCvvj8WP0Ca3ERtVC6JM9iOrPJF2Yk7MYgItKvFURAbO/s400/cominghills.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Who said Kansas was flat</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Oh and I was riding the half pint race of 110 miles, but
since I got lost once, I ended up riding 119 miles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Never once did I curse the bike, or feel like
it was killing me on the rough roads. I had put on the Schwalbe Marathon tires
and they were really working well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
never felt like crying or like I wasn’t going to make it, I never wanted to
throw my bike in the gravel and walk away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I have to give credit to my SuperX, it was so comfortable, so light, and
so freaking awesome, that I was even smiling when I crossed the finish line and
I finished it faster than I had expected even with the extra nine miles. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBc54GNj4LkiJn8IcM73roHLmGbkCMhBOD6QAR_XpITSxULBUQ3aVtXrpBz9YFQE55cmpplE0bZ6DHx7BK9Z0com3SDKZE8KraD0zqqqYhyMYLN7fdE-0tSfD2khYQ7QWDVa3we6c86upA/s1600/IMGP2964.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBc54GNj4LkiJn8IcM73roHLmGbkCMhBOD6QAR_XpITSxULBUQ3aVtXrpBz9YFQE55cmpplE0bZ6DHx7BK9Z0com3SDKZE8KraD0zqqqYhyMYLN7fdE-0tSfD2khYQ7QWDVa3we6c86upA/s400/IMGP2964.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">119 miles later</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Now if I were my teammate Chuck, I would have given you a
more technical review of the bike, but Chuck thinks like a engineer and he is a
guy, so all the mechanical stuff means something to him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For me though, the icing on the cake was
finishing a Dirty Kanza and thinking, well I might just do this again. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well it actually took a couple days before I
really thought that.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So next up, I will be putting the Schwalbe Rapid Robs back
on and race some cyclocross and I have no doubt that I will love the SuperX
just as much, when I’m racing a cyclocross course. </div>
Trek Mountain Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16901382514879478984noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9082478865600658051.post-41810252379947922342013-06-05T10:47:00.000-07:002013-06-07T13:36:15.897-07:00Dirty Kanza - The Half Pint Edition<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtrQpkfwpQAQanybQIbBAZCsEDrj6hVIbW4eyxarNjUGD9qZemi7niqfjWI4s_Sint0F3WFBYVZ4A46rvOe3_oKg2BoF87wQN8KjirnU_lq0Lk3kR0JeP_fgkjSIpbPCfBBY2BF-oCx7bJ/s1600/IMGP2940.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtrQpkfwpQAQanybQIbBAZCsEDrj6hVIbW4eyxarNjUGD9qZemi7niqfjWI4s_Sint0F3WFBYVZ4A46rvOe3_oKg2BoF87wQN8KjirnU_lq0Lk3kR0JeP_fgkjSIpbPCfBBY2BF-oCx7bJ/s400/IMGP2940.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">A year ago,
if you would have asked me if I would ever gravel race, I would have told you,
“there is no way in hell, I will ever gravel race”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I guess those are some of my most famous last
words. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Here’s the
thing, my teammate Chuck built a gravel bike and he was having all kinds of fun
on it, and having the fun without me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
did some adventure riding with him, but on my mountain bike, and it’s no fun
trying to keep up with a gravel bike when riding a mountain bike with fat tires
and weighing about two tons.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I started
thinking, I would like to do some CX races this year, so maybe I could get a CX
bike that could double as a gravel bike. The more I thought about it the more I
liked the idea, but I would not be doing any gravel racing, I would just use it
as an adventure bike to ride with Chuck for training purposes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>More famous last words, I guess.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Chuck and I
also work together, so when it was bonus time at our company, Chuck encouraged
me to take my bonus and use it to purchase a gravel bike.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I did research for months and had my choices
down to two bikes, the Trek Cronus and the Cannondale SuperX.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I ended up choosing the Cannondale SuperX,
more to come later on the bike, I will be posting a review, but let me just say
right now, I made the right choice. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHK-d4D330F_J_nOee0vUDYZWhTA1NFSDPpvxAO3vaiAU5BpuFapzd7T4rgq0bjzQiPxWV10a6Eo3pPUlTZ2v451SsLgp-dJUUCK6-hOy5jKR7Na3hG3RWgdc_AQhxpEldXHkx1SQlLqzc/s1600/IMG-20130405-00137.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHK-d4D330F_J_nOee0vUDYZWhTA1NFSDPpvxAO3vaiAU5BpuFapzd7T4rgq0bjzQiPxWV10a6Eo3pPUlTZ2v451SsLgp-dJUUCK6-hOy5jKR7Na3hG3RWgdc_AQhxpEldXHkx1SQlLqzc/s400/IMG-20130405-00137.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Robin's Cannondale SuperX</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Now I had a
gravel bike, but unfortunately, I also had a broken tailbone and a heart
problem, so I was not able to ride it yet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>As soon as I got released to ride, I got on the bike and tried it
out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Problem was I didn’t have a lot of
time, so I rode it twice, then I rode the Tour of Herman gravel race with
Chuck, it was only my 3<sup>rd</sup> time on the bike.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Remember a few paragraphs back when I said, I
would not be gravel racing, well that didn’t last long, but I was mainly doing
TOH for a training ride, not a real race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Well we finished the first two legs of TOH and missed the cut off to
start the 3<sup>rd</sup> lap by 30 seconds, but that was ok, the hills almost
killed me on the first two legs and I wasn’t all that ready to go out for a
third. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After the TOH, I was wondering
why in the world I signed up for the DK half pint race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had heard that the hills at DK were worse
than TOH.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once again Chuck talked me
into doing something I knew better than to do. He had decided to do DK200 and I
said no way, I won’t be doing it, but when he said Lori was doing the Half Pint
100, which was really 110, and for me 119, more on that later, I thought well,
I will do that, not really race it, just ride it for training. Of course I had
already signed up for DK before I actually rode TOH, so hide sight is always
20/20. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Next on the
list was to ride Cedar Cross as a training ride, but I had decided to sell my
house and to my surprise it sold in 24 hours and I had little time to find a
new house and needed Cedar Cross weekend to look for a house, so I had to skip
CC.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now I had a total of 3 training
rides on my gravel bike, with the longest ride being the TOH at 67 miles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But hey, being prepared is overrated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I mean who needs to train after having tailbone
surgery and heart surgery in the last 4 months. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">As DK neared
my reluctance grew, I had no training in, I didn’t even start doing anything
until March and here it was the 1<sup>st</sup> of June and I was going to ride
110 miles of gravel in the Flint Hills of Kansas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What was I thinking, how could I be this
stupid. So 4 days before the race, I got the ok from my heart doctor to go back
to normal workouts, I wonder if I should have mentioned that I planned on a 110
mile gravel race on the next Saturday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Maybe it’s better I didn’t mention it. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">My life had
been crazy for the last couple months, my youngest daughter China was
graduating from high school, and I was planning a big BBQ, plus my house was
sold, so I had a million house things to do, and to top it off my planned
support crew, which was China, had to back out because of her best friends
graduation party being on the same day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Now, I had no support crew, was feeling overwhelmed with life and had no
real training under my belt, again what was I thinking, I should have backed
out, but I didn’t. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">When Chuck
figured out a schedule so his boys could support both him, Lori and I, I
thought it must be a sign that I should go to the race. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Now with
only two weeks to go befor the race, I decided that the tires on my bike would
not do well in this race, so Chuck ordered me some Schwalbe Marathons, Schwalbe
is ROCK Racing’s tire of choice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They
came just 3 days before the race and I tried to put them on, which was a
mistake, I ended up taking them to my favorite bike shop, the Cyclery and had
the guys there put them on, since I really sucked at it. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Friday
morning came, I loaded up the adventure van and took off for Kansas, all the
way there my reluctance grew more and more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The ride seemed too lonely, I called my daughter China 4 times, just to
talk to her, she was getting really sick of me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I drove through a few storms, thinking, well maybe it will storm and the
race will be cancelled then I won’t have to ride it or back out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was kind of praying for that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I checked in
at the hotel, then Chuck called and said they were at the theater checking in,
so I drove over and met them. As I parked the adventure van, I saw Emma, who is
always smiling, it just made me feel better to see a happy person, of course
Kyle and Derrick were there also and some other adventure racing friends.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I got checked in and still wasn’t feeling
like I wanted to do this. Oh and somehow my entry said I needed a large shirt
instead of a medium so, I was feeling like, I won’t even be able to wear this
shirt because it’s too big, but I guess since I didn’t think I would finish, it
didn’t really matter. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmdxWiGjpIwPfbgdFKuGbjpKJtDgp7qLTR7olUpBwLwtveemNHnnlkMsEd0RyQTIWVWCwW7q3Dvob2YCmgfN1RCLz6qzwhLdStH8dSj0ScXGSxzf_x6m0fGY5ktrp0rz0USw1avA4vlaAj/s1600/IMG-20130531-00194.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmdxWiGjpIwPfbgdFKuGbjpKJtDgp7qLTR7olUpBwLwtveemNHnnlkMsEd0RyQTIWVWCwW7q3Dvob2YCmgfN1RCLz6qzwhLdStH8dSj0ScXGSxzf_x6m0fGY5ktrp0rz0USw1avA4vlaAj/s400/IMG-20130531-00194.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">DK Check-In</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Plus, I was
calling home trying to line up stuff for the new house financing, and feeling
like I should be home doing that and not be spending a weekend at a race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The pre-race
meeting went well, and I bought a DK beer glass that said crew, I figured that
might be the only way I was going to get a glass, I knew for certain there was
no way I would be making the cut off times. I figured it would be legal since
after I got tossed from the race, I would be crewing for Chuck. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">After the
meeting we headed to the Pizza Ranch, one of the volunteers recommended
it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we got there, we ran smack into
Team Virtus and their crew, we said our Hi’s and started chowing down, the
pizza was extremely good, but of course I ate way too much. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Since we had
to be out the door of the hotel by 5 am we headed off to bed, of course I could’nt
sleep, I think I may have slept 3 hours that night. So to pass the time I went
through everything in my race packet and found instructions on safety for the
DK200.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was not what I would have
thought the safety tips would be.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje2ZVCLJIRDCC7KIcJe5KyoiHaf8qPWytTFUhaHf8lnnJzEnCItxV28yBXejKaDsFAJHz9j0fMFl7Ekps8NPHslVntZqqKX7vR-2tRIg9XFh5ID16pB-7rlSwev1chNy0yS__Y9uVwtUKZ/s1600/IMG-20130604-00203.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje2ZVCLJIRDCC7KIcJe5KyoiHaf8qPWytTFUhaHf8lnnJzEnCItxV28yBXejKaDsFAJHz9j0fMFl7Ekps8NPHslVntZqqKX7vR-2tRIg9XFh5ID16pB-7rlSwev1chNy0yS__Y9uVwtUKZ/s400/IMG-20130604-00203.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiST9ABSfRBT3uAxxdBcf1qgQGNFbdE2rgSFnAKUatiP4xHAKtGlLV4wZjfRwkSYVe4QNf9Zi-Vy0_dl6xqvVO0Kr9VXofbtYM3x4O9nDK7VWNLHPjr2TWrp7Jka6kWIz2FUB5So06gmTrF/s1600/IMG-20130604-00204.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiST9ABSfRBT3uAxxdBcf1qgQGNFbdE2rgSFnAKUatiP4xHAKtGlLV4wZjfRwkSYVe4QNf9Zi-Vy0_dl6xqvVO0Kr9VXofbtYM3x4O9nDK7VWNLHPjr2TWrp7Jka6kWIz2FUB5So06gmTrF/s400/IMG-20130604-00204.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All about Kansas Snakes</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Soon, it was
5 am and we were off to the race, we found a good parking spot, moved my gear
into Lori’s van, got our bikes ready and were set for the start.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4ms8i3YshnIz4NI5ucJHKg3wntQtRceqj8UR1AialmC9iR89Qe9ZeabYVdsTGXJwUh6Pcr4cJQ_S-ldBR_8wbxjuIbczYedJLtNft6C6O1P42VaaaVtGzzvcopndI0DBhkRpDGrbNsZ6g/s1600/IMGP2947.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4ms8i3YshnIz4NI5ucJHKg3wntQtRceqj8UR1AialmC9iR89Qe9ZeabYVdsTGXJwUh6Pcr4cJQ_S-ldBR_8wbxjuIbczYedJLtNft6C6O1P42VaaaVtGzzvcopndI0DBhkRpDGrbNsZ6g/s400/IMGP2947.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ROCK Racing</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">While
talking with Team Virtus, I ended up in one of their group shots, I guess I
kind of photo bombed them.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoAscsnco1jVCRO1Dl4B48SJ3jn43pvA3_vnavPbD8ZD_ShL9HuvJelbQ_guUrNISdVjt3fHb3Hw1ORxNOJ5UnD_XT3IoEM2yHfUCGN8sEgn2Kgv7sG7u6G6J8msl9Y0u0YnMFWBdjty8a/s1600/virtusteam.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoAscsnco1jVCRO1Dl4B48SJ3jn43pvA3_vnavPbD8ZD_ShL9HuvJelbQ_guUrNISdVjt3fHb3Hw1ORxNOJ5UnD_XT3IoEM2yHfUCGN8sEgn2Kgv7sG7u6G6J8msl9Y0u0YnMFWBdjty8a/s400/virtusteam.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo Credit: Team Virtus</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The 200 took
off and Chuck was gone, Lori and I lined up with a Virtus friend, Jessica,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>ready to roll out for the half pint
race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lori checked her tires and
realized that her back tire was low, but here we were with just 9 minutes to
the start and we can’t figure out how to use the frame pump.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Emma, sprinted down to her car and brought
back a floor pump and we put air in Lori’s tire.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once again Emma saves the day!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtlzfBg0dY_g0mr_yqG0r5HWSSuE1FOgqbx4YUYuHMQea6VY0GZu8FLZ9AzbX-VHJkC3_RN-ds25d9pHz3z7CiPeBxqHkE9RpZC20seEc75ArarAVQsiCRt728hNodaiAQmBRxZ_MDVmOU/s1600/IMGP2949.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtlzfBg0dY_g0mr_yqG0r5HWSSuE1FOgqbx4YUYuHMQea6VY0GZu8FLZ9AzbX-VHJkC3_RN-ds25d9pHz3z7CiPeBxqHkE9RpZC20seEc75ArarAVQsiCRt728hNodaiAQmBRxZ_MDVmOU/s400/IMGP2949.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Race start from the back of the pack</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The Gun went
off and Lori, Jessica and I rolled out only to see a train crossing the tracks
ahead, but by the time we rolled up, it was gone and we just kept rolling out. I
kept thinking that I may have to pull over and puke, but my stomach finally
calmed down after a few miles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The pace
wasn’t bad and I was just rolling along listening to all the conversations
around me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We fell into a nice
comfortable pace and the rolling hills were not too bad. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We came to a muddy section of road and had to
do some bike trekking, but it really wasn’t that bad.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1KyeW01kNsX0wL3Kjgjo7hME52xtLrF7fDwCryZ_Pr9di_ugy7W7itEN9XQSVy3eXHSF7PNxDFGVAqFCw1VMTwaYzFD4cNU9Fuks1vV9ZSycdXP2KnHLbLqQU3w7hFn-wW7xLs11RfNwj/s1600/muddy+road.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1KyeW01kNsX0wL3Kjgjo7hME52xtLrF7fDwCryZ_Pr9di_ugy7W7itEN9XQSVy3eXHSF7PNxDFGVAqFCw1VMTwaYzFD4cNU9Fuks1vV9ZSycdXP2KnHLbLqQU3w7hFn-wW7xLs11RfNwj/s400/muddy+road.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo Credit: Chuck Vohsen</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I had lost
Lori somewhere just before the muddy road, so after I made it to the top of the
next hill, I pulled out my camera and started taking some photos, while I
waited for Lori.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jessica was gone, I
didn’t think we would see her again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As
I was goofing around with the camera, a few groups passed me, I thought I saw
Lori, so I put my camera in my pocket and chased for a while to catch up, to my
surprise, when I caught up, it wasn’t Lori.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Now I had no idea where she was, in front of me or in back of me, so I
just kept riding. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx_vNXnfuQZYegtEa1cdWs5wKFK3XlZXNo1jzFJYO7bi77wXUShz7OkpKxMJQ13v7jyUnToVslPmIpwyvLtKp2_KEoI8HjqS_jfQPOiHUP1O3gRdc8qUEYuw6E6xFotUS1LztCDuxjRklU/s1600/cominghills.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx_vNXnfuQZYegtEa1cdWs5wKFK3XlZXNo1jzFJYO7bi77wXUShz7OkpKxMJQ13v7jyUnToVslPmIpwyvLtKp2_KEoI8HjqS_jfQPOiHUP1O3gRdc8qUEYuw6E6xFotUS1LztCDuxjRklU/s400/cominghills.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Many long hills ahead</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I kept
moving along, just taking in the beauty of Kansas, when I came across some free
range cows, one was at the side of the road, and doing a little dance, like he
just might bolt in front of me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I rode
by him, he just kind of gave me the evil eye, like get out of my yard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVnRG6d2T7aB-Ul-6MUjFcb2qPPlA8LP0qQZfErumN5kHzVyE-j-pTLQxnum0PLgb5bNfZn_JbIw1bLUNKsx13llWy2NtBDsTFrfOS1LCzaouzZPl0pooWQH3J2g7zxHhthl2jBsM4NZYx/s1600/IMGP2957.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVnRG6d2T7aB-Ul-6MUjFcb2qPPlA8LP0qQZfErumN5kHzVyE-j-pTLQxnum0PLgb5bNfZn_JbIw1bLUNKsx13llWy2NtBDsTFrfOS1LCzaouzZPl0pooWQH3J2g7zxHhthl2jBsM4NZYx/s400/IMGP2957.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">He was not happy to see us</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">After
passing the cow there was a steep incline, as I was riding up, I could see
everyone walking their bikes, so I figured I would have to walk too, but
surprisingly it wasn’t too bad and I rode to the top, just as I crested the
hill, I saw Team Virtus take off, I thought about trying to get on back, but
then I knew we were close to the 110/200 split, so there was no real reason to
chase. I watched them about 100 yards in front of me until we came to the split
and they went one direction while I went another.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">At the
bottom of a steep gravel hill, there was a crash, a girl with a bloody face was
on the ground and a guy was holding her head up telling her to just stay still.
There was a guy in a truck there to pick her up, so I rolled on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Soon I came to the 200 split off from the 110
and I kept riding, right through a couple of creeks, and I made it through them
without taking a swim. Some guys riding in front of me got off and walked
through, I’m not sure why, it was easy ride through, the water was only about a
foot deep. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I rode a few
more miles and caught up with Jessica, we talked for a while, then I stopped to
get some food out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I really had to pee,
but there is no place to<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>hide in the
middle of Kansas, so Jessica said there was no one in the distance, so we just
moved to the side of the road, dropped our shorts and pee’d.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I felt so much better then, but I could
already feel some chaffing in places that no girl should ever be chaffed, I
would have to deal with that for the rest of the race. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4DWjGK8rjQ7gOCw6Qqwu45XLPo1VCrJ4GZFGmiwvs_xMqAhPKIZgmBf1oFr2Kqllc31T-DIUDnwjQ340SITehy7QQyfijxguyCkeQt4mov_pOromTaCMQ7ClI0UYdpf8ZRPVSGw_x2TW9/s1600/gravelroad.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4DWjGK8rjQ7gOCw6Qqwu45XLPo1VCrJ4GZFGmiwvs_xMqAhPKIZgmBf1oFr2Kqllc31T-DIUDnwjQ340SITehy7QQyfijxguyCkeQt4mov_pOromTaCMQ7ClI0UYdpf8ZRPVSGw_x2TW9/s400/gravelroad.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo Credit: Chuck Vohsen</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The wind
just kept howling and there was nowhere to hide from it, no trees to break it,
no valleys that blocked it, so what’s a girl to do, my thought was just keep
moving forward, maybe it would die down soon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Finally I got a break the route turned and I got a tailwind and some
pavement with a downhill to boot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I hit
the pavement a rock blasted me in the face and hit my xx2i sunglasses, it hit
so hard I’m surprised my glasses didn’t break, but they did a great job
protecting my eyes, had those glasses not done such a good job, my race would
have been over right there. After shaking off the thought of losing my eye, I
just coasted for 3 miles into the checkpoint.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">As I rounded
the corner, I could see my crew, Sam and Jacob, they were cheering me on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I asked if Lori had come in and they said no,
so I headed to the tent to check in, got my new map and headed to the van to
refuel. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The boys
were a great crew, they filled my bottles and pack, got my food out, washed the
salt off my glasses, and got my bike ready to go again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They gave me a report on how everyone was
doing and who had already gone out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
made a mad dash for the Johnny, then took a look at the map and headed out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPU9mvQ9NTZSbfMLSYvbzSeVYp3_Z4IU43157ny_XcauNswTOwRQ57ky7scjs5BR_bfT0GOd7Hu2ffSEnXJ1-m4yHz5Q7XdTcygjly5BFGhTmRopIQ8XXOW1obIwXMcDDiJceyeWI9UoTk/s1600/IMGP2961.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPU9mvQ9NTZSbfMLSYvbzSeVYp3_Z4IU43157ny_XcauNswTOwRQ57ky7scjs5BR_bfT0GOd7Hu2ffSEnXJ1-m4yHz5Q7XdTcygjly5BFGhTmRopIQ8XXOW1obIwXMcDDiJceyeWI9UoTk/s400/IMGP2961.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leaving CP 1</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I was really
worried about getting lost because I’m a terrible navigator.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hoped someone would be on the road in front
of me to follow, but no such luck. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was
looking at the map and knew there was a turn at 63 miles, but I totally missed
it. This is where things went wrong.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
kept riding seeing no one, finally I hit W road, and knew I had gone too
far.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I rode back, stopped and asked a
lady mowing her grass where I was, she said I missed the turn and pointed me
in the right direction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course I made
another wrong turn and hit W road again, I knew it was wrong so once again I rode
back, saw another lady mowing, she sent me through her driveway, to another
road, where I made another wrong turn and hit W road again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I turned around and by now I was really get
frustrated, plus I had already added on an hour riding in circles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Finally after an hour and twenty minutes I found
V road and got back on course.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At this
point I was so frustrated and worried about missing the cutoff time, that I really
considered calling my crew for a ride.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
just kept thinking, by the time they got there, I would have probably had time
to ride another 10 miles, so I should probably just keep riding. I thought
finishing over the time limit would probably be better than not finishing at
all. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I figured by
now I was the last one on the course, but to my surprise, I started seeing
people and passing people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was talking
to them as I rode by and I asked one guy what his mileage was, that is when I realize
that I had added an extra 9 miles to my route.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Just what I needed, I signed up for 100 miles that turned into 110 miles
and would end up riding 119 miles if I finished. All this riding on 3
training rides, the longest one being only 67 miles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I just wondered how I got myself in these situations.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">For the next
4 hours I would ride past people and when I would stop to grab food out of my
pack, they would ride back past me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
was starting to get cramps in my legs, my back hurt and I felt like I was going
to puke.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I made a new plan, to stop
every hour, take an enduralyte and eat while standing still instead of doing it
while riding. This way I could stretch my legs and back out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was able to get peach cups and cans of V-8
energy drink down and keep it down, so that’s was I kept eating, good thing I had
put enough in my pack.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I ran out of
those, I started eating the KIND bars in my pack and was able to keep them down
also. I really needed some salt and the dark chocolate sea salt flavor worked
perfectly. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Riding into
the last town before Emporia there were 5 riders somewhat together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With just 12 miles to go we started to break
up, but one guy who I had talked to earlier in the day, came upon me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He told me there was one last hill before the
finish line.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He also had a big bubble in
his tire and was just praying he made it to the finish line before it
blew.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we rode though the campus of
Emporia State University, another guy caught us and the 3 of us rode to the
finish together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We knew we were going
to miss the cutoff time, but by just a few minutes and we were all talking
about all we wanted was that stupid finisher glass and we hoped that we would still
get it, even if we were a little late. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">We rode
under the finish banner and into the chute where people were high fiving us,
and cheering, and one guy was handing out beers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9YZBnWn6bJatsIBV7ozkONT72Xc6Grc5qahD_6tTKN4wTmXTjJ_9_b4dPXHuL7hMZVoK5CgVR87PTgC0Ct2h2Ym4PxlsLAOtjwyJB5Ax7-94qYdn1IwUe4CldGPs4H_L3KaDFO6lefADU/s1600/robinfinishline.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9YZBnWn6bJatsIBV7ozkONT72Xc6Grc5qahD_6tTKN4wTmXTjJ_9_b4dPXHuL7hMZVoK5CgVR87PTgC0Ct2h2Ym4PxlsLAOtjwyJB5Ax7-94qYdn1IwUe4CldGPs4H_L3KaDFO6lefADU/s400/robinfinishline.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo Credit: Lori Vohsen</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It almost
had the same feel as the Finish at the Ironman race, except it was hundreds of people,
instead of thousands.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the end of the
chute, we were handed a glass and congratulated on our finish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyyK51De5e9tCCwp8TMI_SqND1zKXYAeobHsBc2X2ZAEIr_94H3AhSvz2V0XwsfIZFAM0W07D6XIoAn4F5_D7AnpCHaKoYUs7VNyNjOvl4ZtuXKWd3KjTigTS-6m0vUAduSbIC2VNOYj1G/s1600/IMG-20130601-00198.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyyK51De5e9tCCwp8TMI_SqND1zKXYAeobHsBc2X2ZAEIr_94H3AhSvz2V0XwsfIZFAM0W07D6XIoAn4F5_D7AnpCHaKoYUs7VNyNjOvl4ZtuXKWd3KjTigTS-6m0vUAduSbIC2VNOYj1G/s400/IMG-20130601-00198.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ahhhh, the coveted glass</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I was all
smiles then and the guys I was riding with were the same, we held our glasses
up to each other because we had finished an epic gravel race just to get that 2
dollar glass, and it was all worth it.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Lori and the
boys were waiting for me at the end of the chute and they grabbed, my bike and
all my gear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We headed to the van,
loaded stuff up, I got changed, then we went and got a burger before heading to
the CP 3 for Chuck.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the CP we talked
to other crews and watched friends come in and go out, next thing we knew, Chuck
was in and looking relatively good and in good spirits.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He sat down and ate some salty chips while
the crew went to work getting him ready to go out again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We told him that we had found out a lot of
our friends had abandoned the race just past the 100 mile mark, so he was
really doing great.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I told Chuck where I
missed the turn at, and warned him to make sure he didn’t miss it to.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not like he would, he is the world’s best
navigator, but he was tired so I thought it was good to mention. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A group of 6 guys went out and Chuck jumped on
his bike in hopes of getting on the back of that train for a while. We all
yelled our goodbyes and good lucks, then we headed back to the finish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since we had some time we decided to go back
to the hotel and take showers then go watch Chuck finish. We got to the finish
line at about 1:30 am.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We cheered for
every rider, hoping that every head light we saw in the distance was
Chuck.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The race
organizers started taking down banners and people started leaving, it made me
sad to know that Chuck would finish to no fanfare.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I mean we would be cheering as loud as we
could, but it would be like finishing in a deserted city. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At about 3 am, we saw three headlights in the
distance and one of them belonged to Chuck.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitdxffzsx0IHJESzvJ8zFKzsePEdqUOG4prc67bP7lQCeSYGlRBWwSKglmh7W3B0pqvuD2NTQJ_3iow2dNACAD7g-Z1_7sCxIcmzjVC9B85xROvZPHKmqcfYHzIFln7JGuBKPIWBS8FOk-/s1600/IMG-20130602-00199.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitdxffzsx0IHJESzvJ8zFKzsePEdqUOG4prc67bP7lQCeSYGlRBWwSKglmh7W3B0pqvuD2NTQJ_3iow2dNACAD7g-Z1_7sCxIcmzjVC9B85xROvZPHKmqcfYHzIFln7JGuBKPIWBS8FOk-/s400/IMG-20130602-00199.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chuck crossed the finish line</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">He rode in
under the finish banner as we cheered, as soon as he got his glass the finish
banner was coming down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We quickly headed
Chuck over to it and the guys taking it down pulled it back up so we could get
a picture of Chuck under the banner. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI1q9EU-zk0zDmkbotAsvuNkCNawDaRhGJNSg8b3amUkcJDSdTTv7-OzH35VnycOFxIG7F29emOb4lRs8Rc0u0jzu67sW4zXEZfYdzA302PlLCL_jdjhJT-4Xf2rp0W3EIAuK4f-yA9Qkz/s1600/IMG-20130602-00202.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI1q9EU-zk0zDmkbotAsvuNkCNawDaRhGJNSg8b3amUkcJDSdTTv7-OzH35VnycOFxIG7F29emOb4lRs8Rc0u0jzu67sW4zXEZfYdzA302PlLCL_jdjhJT-4Xf2rp0W3EIAuK4f-yA9Qkz/s400/IMG-20130602-00202.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One last finish picture</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The race was
over, Chuck had the coveted DK200 pint glass in hand, the crew was beat and we
all headed back to the hotel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">QUESTION:
Will I ever do this again, well at the end of the race, I said “never, ever,
ever, ever”, but now, I’m thinking I might do the half pint again, hopefully
without getting lost. I mean looking at my time with the extra mileage added
on, well I would have had a pretty decent time, had I stayed on course. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The best
part of the entire race, I mean besides the glass, was that I finished on
hardly any training, with a good ride time average and I really never felt like
I was going to die, I really never even felt like crying.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was frustrated over getting lost, but I was
never on the verge of tears.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hope this
means that I’m making a comeback, that my heart issues are over and my tailbone
is fixed and in time I will be fast again. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqnhRpTiH21w_MrKiXUuJ8hMB7QbfN_dCna1sqjZFBJUQF6ZScYGYxBQl4VQNipAEB9WFhA1fcard8VArGRbxdHBfjKDIZ45bfmzb-TxQiYf_KJSSe2wWfisTTQVBZj8l8Mfee4PQSS3ai/s1600/IMGP2964.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqnhRpTiH21w_MrKiXUuJ8hMB7QbfN_dCna1sqjZFBJUQF6ZScYGYxBQl4VQNipAEB9WFhA1fcard8VArGRbxdHBfjKDIZ45bfmzb-TxQiYf_KJSSe2wWfisTTQVBZj8l8Mfee4PQSS3ai/s400/IMGP2964.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was a happy finish</td></tr>
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Trek Mountain Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16901382514879478984noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9082478865600658051.post-6048760752397640612013-04-15T11:37:00.000-07:002013-04-15T11:54:40.736-07:00Tour of Hermann Gravel Race 2013<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8coXaWjlnTiM6IdP5dn5zIXzezCn7h-wW6xtZpAaxdHUfzvl-CPCAIYRo6S2tIL8anjhlyuEQtrQJiCS5dN5FvMUE0LuOFG3nXFGTOL7_d-EpezHfMhNdi0FdswZeJbpnHqNT3ExMdP5w/s1600/jargravel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8coXaWjlnTiM6IdP5dn5zIXzezCn7h-wW6xtZpAaxdHUfzvl-CPCAIYRo6S2tIL8anjhlyuEQtrQJiCS5dN5FvMUE0LuOFG3nXFGTOL7_d-EpezHfMhNdi0FdswZeJbpnHqNT3ExMdP5w/s400/jargravel.jpg" width="285" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo Credit - Dan Singer</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Gravel
racing seems to be a quickly growing bike racing event.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just a couple years ago, I had never heard of
gravel racing, now these races are popping up all over the place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Being an adventure racer, this type of racing
caught my eye, because in adventure races, we do a lot of gravel riding.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Chuck and I
had been watching this sport grow from the sidelines, but last summer Chuck
started building a gravel bike, you might have seen his <a href="http://www.rock-racing.blogspot.com/2012/08/gravel-bike-build-part-1.html" target="_blank">gravel bike build posts</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, as soon as he finished his bike, I of
course did not want to be left out, so I started shopping for a gravel bike. Chuck
built a true adventure bike, so it’s a bit heavy, and like a tank, it can go
anywhere.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Me on the other hand, I was
thinking about trying some cyclocross this year, so I went with a
gravel/cyclocross bike.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s much
lighter than Chuck’s, and since I’m not as strong as him, it helps me keep up.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Chuck and I
showed up about an hour before race time, did all our pre-race rituals,
checked-in and picked up our schwag.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
both got a bottle of wine, Chuck picked red and I chose the sparkling grape
juice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t drink much wine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We also got a jar to fill with gravel, which
was kind of cool. </span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrHBeZj_5msFxMHXAbZxcGoR79Mg_GoMlANegFOLFTggwfQmQ6Stvqgcz4aAJCsOjCWSNL1XkLY4igWOhN86ectE-Unenrqxuc8-oGku5vsrzaSAQ_vPbgR4CACmFE_YOu3FkhWgJ_umhH/s1600/swag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrHBeZj_5msFxMHXAbZxcGoR79Mg_GoMlANegFOLFTggwfQmQ6Stvqgcz4aAJCsOjCWSNL1XkLY4igWOhN86ectE-Unenrqxuc8-oGku5vsrzaSAQ_vPbgR4CACmFE_YOu3FkhWgJ_umhH/s400/swag.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo Credit - Dan Singer</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">We rode over
the bridge and out of town, and then turned on to the Katy Trail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For a few short miles we were on the flat
trail, and everyone just took off, I on the other hand hung back, I was almost last
at that point, but I knew it was going to be a long day and I just didn’t have
it in me to ride fast that early.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have
to warm up for a long time, I’m more of the endurance rider and less of the
sprinter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Chuck was pretty far in front
of me, but when I made it to the turn on a paved road section he was waiting
for me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I told him not to let me ruin
his race, so drop me and go on, but he said this was just training for him, not
to worry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I do worry though, I don’t
want anyone holding back just so I can stay on. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He stuck with me though, the good thing was as
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">We soon hit
all the gravel roads, the rock on the first lap, was mostly small and only deep
in spots, most of the time we could pick a line that wasn’t too bad.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The hills on the other hand, SUCKED, they
were so steep and so long, but every hill we rode up we would see someone
walking, I would think to myself, “you will not walk this hill, even if this
bike falls over, you will not walk this hill”, and I didn’t.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Chuck of course made it up all the hills too,
there were even a couple hills I beat Chuck up, not many, but a couple.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The down hills were probably more treacherous
than the uphills.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They were so steep and
the gravel made it really sketchy coming down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>My max speed on the downhills was 40 mph and Chucks was over 41
mph.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On one hills we both hit some deep
gravel and started fish tailing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think
my life was passing before my eyes at that time, but somehow, both of us kept our
wheels on the road.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was so scared that
I was shaking at the bottom of the hill, but not to worry, there was another
uphill right in front of us, so I was quickly in oxygen debt again and didn’t
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwp7qimb6GfzWKhRjSL7uvQ3BeTmxxLcgcQ6A0BmZ0xb1RPjeJTZnzbqlyMFa0R6c0T5HTtpMhwq4iyMaytQwkfa7owtWRx-TPq2nknh-ku-At56aEelyyuRpjdinpZnZmzEO9-EawpBXd/s1600/hill.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwp7qimb6GfzWKhRjSL7uvQ3BeTmxxLcgcQ6A0BmZ0xb1RPjeJTZnzbqlyMFa0R6c0T5HTtpMhwq4iyMaytQwkfa7owtWRx-TPq2nknh-ku-At56aEelyyuRpjdinpZnZmzEO9-EawpBXd/s400/hill.jpg" width="285" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo Credit - Dan Singer</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I wish I
could explain how big these hills were, the pictures just don’t do them
justice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was thinking, that riding
hills is much easier in the dark because you can’t see how big the hill are,
you just keep grinding away until you come to the top.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Chuck and I discussed how we had ridden to
the top of the LaSalle Mountains in Utah during the CPT National Adventure race
championships, it took us over 6 hours and it was uphill the entire time, but
we did most of it in the dark and I think that is what helped us make it to the
top. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">We finished
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lap one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxsQxt_tgwwjJeWejAWO7IiepUSvoZiAz7wl2W0yyR7e7IYlsvT064VqbP0YwgQvRlf9v1DDiY8D_09VQM6ySgocYw3VFTuHDK261rLhJDn9s-Skm0tVssklhyphenhyphen0mUAZfi4rYQSORqndWsN/s1600/lap2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxsQxt_tgwwjJeWejAWO7IiepUSvoZiAz7wl2W0yyR7e7IYlsvT064VqbP0YwgQvRlf9v1DDiY8D_09VQM6ySgocYw3VFTuHDK261rLhJDn9s-Skm0tVssklhyphenhyphen0mUAZfi4rYQSORqndWsN/s400/lap2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lap 2</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I felt
pretty good though and I think Chuck was in good shape too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were somewhat worried because we thought
the cutoff to start lap 3 was at 3:30, but at the start of the race, the race
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Right from
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paved section of road so at least we wouldn’t have to worry about spinning
tires. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWobFTbI1hSFWDu4dOnlvvgCevPD9NxIWgQQw2BLUANrH8hyphenhyphenXcMsObeKEgDoNU4fZZmsGoN4-MIxMAPsupe-6bu8Xw9HJjwUW14rt5MHHdFU5B5nrD3VYik6YOXrIK_tRua-otoy1dAvqZ/s1600/paved+hill.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWobFTbI1hSFWDu4dOnlvvgCevPD9NxIWgQQw2BLUANrH8hyphenhyphenXcMsObeKEgDoNU4fZZmsGoN4-MIxMAPsupe-6bu8Xw9HJjwUW14rt5MHHdFU5B5nrD3VYik6YOXrIK_tRua-otoy1dAvqZ/s400/paved+hill.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo Credit - Dan Singer</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">After the
first hill the roads turned to gravel and it was a chunkier, thicker gravel
than what was on lap one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It reminded me
of the gravel that you see in a river bottom.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQNyeC3nGG4k6S9BnDkblMmJ2SX_W3g2iYHS88EhTXuaSWvPSOYbJIZBc-khyphenhyphenyU7DApfxC1NeB-ir1w6KBKGlDQ2qjBBzauYBx6Ga0GDw-H0_Aef-XZpl2nyJ6IrwKH80y_kHXXVNTO3b9/s1600/gravel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQNyeC3nGG4k6S9BnDkblMmJ2SX_W3g2iYHS88EhTXuaSWvPSOYbJIZBc-khyphenhyphenyU7DApfxC1NeB-ir1w6KBKGlDQ2qjBBzauYBx6Ga0GDw-H0_Aef-XZpl2nyJ6IrwKH80y_kHXXVNTO3b9/s400/gravel.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo Credit - Dan Singer</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The gravel
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq8a7au4bhVGjsixW7mkxUaQJviT2bYRw5GaC2eGGKSMB-fUp9kAcnmf3KYTEI2xQBDYPQHp4HPHtqkSQmZfnHqWhp5NtBzC-JbMYK-W_0OhFkU5-Vdbi5iNBCy5ZOavgw98BtMZ88swY2/s1600/robinchucklap1bw1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq8a7au4bhVGjsixW7mkxUaQJviT2bYRw5GaC2eGGKSMB-fUp9kAcnmf3KYTEI2xQBDYPQHp4HPHtqkSQmZfnHqWhp5NtBzC-JbMYK-W_0OhFkU5-Vdbi5iNBCy5ZOavgw98BtMZ88swY2/s400/robinchucklap1bw1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo Credit - Dan Singer</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Once we were
back on the road we started passing people, some were just slowing down, others
were having mechanical problems. No one needed help, so we just kept riding. As
we rode into Hermann, I knew it was going to be really close to the cutoff, but
didn’t know just how close.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We made the
turn to ride the last hill into the chute and as we were just about to the top
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYHSVdA6ZiuAtJ1bbm1YecUxY5lCk6y6d8r86g9FnWyqJYm4YY1Wo6YDcDZzRh7Cxys-omoIiyWRPRnEboE8Tsl0LQvPQRoi12whpeNdm3I_Uk607qcG5OILkxIkIonvHtrj8961SeXLnj/s1600/chuckrobin3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYHSVdA6ZiuAtJ1bbm1YecUxY5lCk6y6d8r86g9FnWyqJYm4YY1Wo6YDcDZzRh7Cxys-omoIiyWRPRnEboE8Tsl0LQvPQRoi12whpeNdm3I_Uk607qcG5OILkxIkIonvHtrj8961SeXLnj/s400/chuckrobin3.jpg" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo Credit - Wendy Davis</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">So our first
gravel race went really well, we both want to do more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I do need to have my brakes looked at and Chuck
needs to learn that it’s ok to drop me, but all in all, it was a beautiful day,
spent riding bikes with good friends, you really can’t ask for more than
that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Oh, and one
last thing, I love my new Cannondale SuperX, I will have a bike review coming soon. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Thanks to
the race sponsors for having this race, and having such great support out on
the course, I think I saw the race truck about 50 times, it was always around
when someone needed help.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Like the guy
on the ground that looked like he broke his collarbone. See neither Chuck nor I
broke anything and we didn’t have any mechanical problems, well Chuck dropped
his chain once, but I don’t think that counts. </span></div>
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Trek Mountain Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16901382514879478984noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9082478865600658051.post-88967292525620207762013-04-08T17:51:00.000-07:002013-04-12T12:40:37.711-07:00tracks n treads 2013<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "MV Boli"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Well I can’t say EVERYTHING went perfect, but I can say that it was
an excellent race even with a few glitches. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "MV Boli"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">So let me see if I can tell you the story of tracks n treads in
less than 100 pages.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Oh, quit moaning, I
will keep it short. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "MV Boli"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">As you know the weather this year has been more than crazy, we don’t
know from day to day if it’s going to rain, sleet, snow, or be hot enough to
jump in the pool.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So as we were just 3
weeks out from the race, and we ended up with 12 inches of snow, I was more
than a little worried about anyone showing up to race. Just a week before race
day, we only had about 50 entrants, but then the weather got nice and by the
closing of online registration, just two days before the race, we had 105
entries. After race day registration, we had 159 entrants.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I guess I need to thank mother nature for
that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The weather was perfect, in the
low 60’s at start time and the trails both run and bike were in perfect
condition. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "MV Boli"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">In the past we have always gotten a lot more trail runners than
biathlon, but this year was different, which makes me believe that the word is
getting out to the mountain biking community that this is a great race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So here are the stats for the race. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "MV Boli"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Biathlon<span style="mso-tab-count: 4;"> - <span style="font-family: "MV Boli"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">82 Male, <span style="font-family: "MV Boli"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">19 Female, <span style="font-family: "MV Boli"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">12 Team Male, <span style="font-family: "MV Boli"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">12 Team Co-ed</span></span></span></span></span></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: "MV Boli"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 4;"></span>Trail
Run - <span style="font-family: "MV Boli"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">10 Male, 12 Female<o:p></o:p></span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "MV Boli"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">There are even more stats, which I love, but most people don’t so I
won’t bore you with them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thanks to
Randy from Metro Milers for leading the timing team and getting me the stats. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "MV Boli"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Now that you have the stats let me tell you a little about the
day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had great volunteers that helped
mark the course and setup the transition and finish line.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5C87LJx3jYyFz1rNlrEQDj0jS26qE1GxCGVdjJPaVaiMLgJ6qIe3-qf3gzzB7LKv9ltrF6A0wiZBdG59UItUWxcuHsMAfjkMGxYPWZBun7xYSXqKtGURJJUyEo9grd6VyUfe879vY1qvH/s1600/IMG_4578.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5C87LJx3jYyFz1rNlrEQDj0jS26qE1GxCGVdjJPaVaiMLgJ6qIe3-qf3gzzB7LKv9ltrF6A0wiZBdG59UItUWxcuHsMAfjkMGxYPWZBun7xYSXqKtGURJJUyEo9grd6VyUfe879vY1qvH/s400/IMG_4578.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finish Line</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "MV Boli"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Wade did a great job making the finish line interesting with a hill
and a cyclocross barrier to cross, and with red bike sculptures along the
finish chute. I bet there is no other race that you can get an art exhibit with
your race at no extra charge. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlNxLV9dsQqwsOGRtgg61encCIudUEjp1FPR3nQIICFUK27PnCEVnTk3xgTe-N8WP55amB-gjRsstssr-3CtB2I2ErE8CrCzU7CwFEYTlwwZ5Iaap4HrFdOLO5ZwsOlB4SczMOrbEKCfFb/s1600/IMG_5089.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlNxLV9dsQqwsOGRtgg61encCIudUEjp1FPR3nQIICFUK27PnCEVnTk3xgTe-N8WP55amB-gjRsstssr-3CtB2I2ErE8CrCzU7CwFEYTlwwZ5Iaap4HrFdOLO5ZwsOlB4SczMOrbEKCfFb/s400/IMG_5089.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bicycle Sculptures</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "MV Boli"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The barrier gave spectators plenty of entertainment, watching the
variety of ways people crossed the barrier.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This guy in particular was very cool. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkkiJUnDSsnAgcCQ_ev51022g8nqr2SLouzw6MC1LxmzKID3JrHGMoV_dU1yKdDve3T8R02nQIvsEHFldb4xLaMXPcLcUDmjKs0Hs9wna96BeMTvcQxQBIXtujCx3WoTPCCfDgrN_MmsQH/s1600/IMG_4962.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkkiJUnDSsnAgcCQ_ev51022g8nqr2SLouzw6MC1LxmzKID3JrHGMoV_dU1yKdDve3T8R02nQIvsEHFldb4xLaMXPcLcUDmjKs0Hs9wna96BeMTvcQxQBIXtujCx3WoTPCCfDgrN_MmsQH/s640/IMG_4962.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cool Dude jumping the barrier</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "MV Boli"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">All the pre-race setup was finished on Friday and on Saturday we
just had to pull the race off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We started
the day with late coming information about a 5K race starting and running on
some of the same course as our bikers and the race start time was about the
same time as our bikers would be coming through.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lucky for us Mike was able to reach the race director
and workout a safety plan just before the race. We also found out about a canoe
race so there were spectators all over the course.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We adapted to the change and no one was hurt.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "MV Boli"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Racers showed up and got registered, picking up a very cool custom printed
Camelbak water bottle and KIND bars.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuHCW2-3X7yLM1rMrxVC_ZhUgE8Sr4xCXoWEoYBoedDry7FO7qDMP2SPchimQHMcVtPmQIhBl2pyYMWSustFJQiOevjWdUITEGY79WX50_BESsoYEVqqmdLqRS5JZPK4MkdW3EobwiAk2u/s1600/IMG_5241.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuHCW2-3X7yLM1rMrxVC_ZhUgE8Sr4xCXoWEoYBoedDry7FO7qDMP2SPchimQHMcVtPmQIhBl2pyYMWSustFJQiOevjWdUITEGY79WX50_BESsoYEVqqmdLqRS5JZPK4MkdW3EobwiAk2u/s400/IMG_5241.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Participants Schwag</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "MV Boli"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The volunteers worked overtime getting everyone checked in. There
were a couple bib number mix ups due to changes from trail run to biathlon, but
other than that, everything went extremely smooth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Soon we had everyone in place and after some
pre-race comments, we were ready to go. Oh wait, I have one story to tell at
this point. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "MV Boli"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">My daughter China and her friend Jordyn had one important job to do,
it was to stand at the top of Whiteside hill with the police and make sure that
no cars came through as the runners crossed the road.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So Jeff, the Run Course Lead took them to
their post and tells them what to do. Well as they stand there, they have a
great idea to run to the car and get a blanket because it was kind of windy and
they were cold.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Being teenagers, they
didn’t think to check the time, so they headed back to the car and Jorydn
starts to cross the street out of the cross walk, China tells her not to J walk
because you can get a ticket. They get to the overpass and see the runners take
off, so they turn and start running as fast as they can to get back to their
post, Jordyn is running for the cross walk and China yells “just J walk” so
they cross the street and are only yards in front of the first runner, they
barely make it to their post as the runners pass by.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0MX9HJQIVQuMQwif7ZD9O3spvaFDyeRiDSHVUPCV6QMP3HaZQis74sorvbJU1miDjrJQxxWpzG5yqWRjZyxBgDtWo6n-wz8IRl34KxtqcS9pk5HXRgU4wq6IzuyJjH2ukbFOdUqDjJi0f/s1600/IMG_4625.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0MX9HJQIVQuMQwif7ZD9O3spvaFDyeRiDSHVUPCV6QMP3HaZQis74sorvbJU1miDjrJQxxWpzG5yqWRjZyxBgDtWo6n-wz8IRl34KxtqcS9pk5HXRgU4wq6IzuyJjH2ukbFOdUqDjJi0f/s400/IMG_4625.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Race has started</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "MV Boli"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">They are so out of breath that they had no idea if there were cars
coming or not, it’s just a good thing the police were there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They did go back and hand out water though,
at least they were good at that. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisvY83ggB6I2XBN7aXfDl5hHfYazq-c-G_RWU_ur95S65cOCkzI7BYhCxoI_imyo1MbY-wT_A7WypYc4Ez64m7I-2CpfZucnr2TSiIttrYKzBUjY0Y2eYfNP99hxoPFVpXdYsZLgdbIVco/s1600/IMG_4598.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisvY83ggB6I2XBN7aXfDl5hHfYazq-c-G_RWU_ur95S65cOCkzI7BYhCxoI_imyo1MbY-wT_A7WypYc4Ez64m7I-2CpfZucnr2TSiIttrYKzBUjY0Y2eYfNP99hxoPFVpXdYsZLgdbIVco/s400/IMG_4598.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The volunteers that almost missed the race</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "MV Boli"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">So as you can see, the race took off at a fast pace with Travis
Redden and Garrett Fulkerson running neck and neck most of the run.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZYWSI4XPjeA-pCHMvXnhWBg4Epgd_xV2_Wh4ZDcfwrMumbvSm_si3ESSultE1dULlJRDegzcnpB4CgYj3WIms2K8oHsXvu4HvwOW2NZlBhZAAN9imKkdtAdPIWDpTSduovOb7CY_05-Nv/s1600/IMG_4613.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZYWSI4XPjeA-pCHMvXnhWBg4Epgd_xV2_Wh4ZDcfwrMumbvSm_si3ESSultE1dULlJRDegzcnpB4CgYj3WIms2K8oHsXvu4HvwOW2NZlBhZAAN9imKkdtAdPIWDpTSduovOb7CY_05-Nv/s400/IMG_4613.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Travis followed by Garrett</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "MV Boli"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Travis finished the run first and went through the finish chute, but
then we noticed he was on a team, so he just ran about 200 meters out of his
way and had to run over and tag his teammate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Russ quickly ran down to the tunnel to direct the runners to make sure
that didn’t happen a second time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Garrett Fulkerson came in winning the trail run, with Renee Wilcox winning
the female division of the trail run. Garrett ran a time of 27:07, while Renee
finished in a smoking fast 30:52.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These
were both super fast times for the difficulty of the course. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "MV Boli"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">More and more people headed out on bikes while trail runners
finished the race, there was an incredible race going between the 1<sup>st</sup>
and 2<sup>nd</sup> place overall all men, Anthony Dust and Matt Fulbright were
racing it out for 1<sup>st</sup> overall with Anthony taking first in a time of
1:05:24 with Matt coming in just over a minute behind him. Melisa Lemus took 1<sup>st</sup>
place for the women in a time of 1:10:22. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiutX0LTVuK8zsbbeA7atFNukRwCptueQNfLl4-2P1lFvrGThPrKYFEKRRzqXcEJnY7Uz2kD0jkzvfPgtv_rvjCvgj9mZgMrkQVuj5mBgpNwZRyqUGpI8Ke9vTxfhKQloBut3geoQYgt7e3/s1600/IMG_4679.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiutX0LTVuK8zsbbeA7atFNukRwCptueQNfLl4-2P1lFvrGThPrKYFEKRRzqXcEJnY7Uz2kD0jkzvfPgtv_rvjCvgj9mZgMrkQVuj5mBgpNwZRyqUGpI8Ke9vTxfhKQloBut3geoQYgt7e3/s400/IMG_4679.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Anthony Dust</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "MV Boli"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Another notable finish was our club president, Mike Wever.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He competed in tracks n treads for the first
time and had a pretty good finish for an old guy, but he couldn’t beat Pat or
Keith, which means they will never let him live it down. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFuI-1cmddHa2QnbykiTRTCUkGGdb_yOl8jY38wv83_8NRKlY7wBCXZMb_bv58dXnpSXyYB8ixuCxZtw2cmIupuqb4H8iNSSLbdF9e3UixR6ivVKl9alPOA8G8j7wcjvC_8TmIVPYqIwQ7/s1600/IMG_4695.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFuI-1cmddHa2QnbykiTRTCUkGGdb_yOl8jY38wv83_8NRKlY7wBCXZMb_bv58dXnpSXyYB8ixuCxZtw2cmIupuqb4H8iNSSLbdF9e3UixR6ivVKl9alPOA8G8j7wcjvC_8TmIVPYqIwQ7/s400/IMG_4695.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pat</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_TYG1LPvj5iSfQOi30skhfXpwXoFE-W3bmfp3KWP2ajUhNQJG5WZcheGMSXs4Dc_a8gEHRGvWZE3dTaMeXZa7ovYAWIHoqSOhDPHqbRrXGwiYe-XBluZ90Ho1VTy76VBBT3bkJ_iT7Qdq/s1600/IMG_4703.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_TYG1LPvj5iSfQOi30skhfXpwXoFE-W3bmfp3KWP2ajUhNQJG5WZcheGMSXs4Dc_a8gEHRGvWZE3dTaMeXZa7ovYAWIHoqSOhDPHqbRrXGwiYe-XBluZ90Ho1VTy76VBBT3bkJ_iT7Qdq/s400/IMG_4703.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Keith</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-pXWa9BmvL-aH5nSmIh6cxUEmZihA20w68stIykyI2tVp-KI540WSsUeg9O9xkVsL2t-e6ZEoOdS7Hk-m_9zeaj8Q6YYpNsD8wwPqGhyphenhyphen_lVYr3hnmRL_4dB4NIe-5kixmini3TD0qT7Z4/s1600/IMG_4792.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-pXWa9BmvL-aH5nSmIh6cxUEmZihA20w68stIykyI2tVp-KI540WSsUeg9O9xkVsL2t-e6ZEoOdS7Hk-m_9zeaj8Q6YYpNsD8wwPqGhyphenhyphen_lVYr3hnmRL_4dB4NIe-5kixmini3TD0qT7Z4/s400/IMG_4792.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mike</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDLX9ZZWEQR5kf2bYySol_G7TzP-6-8qcHBrq_Q6CEtKsdlX320dF-FT1-3iTaIEzi3gnjMLiin0v-4yZsxDV1_01g5w7RFEhVor3BldegfF-J0zD21GOOgDm-UxnpSAWIZbMXtJSR6WIE/s1600/IMG_5094.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDLX9ZZWEQR5kf2bYySol_G7TzP-6-8qcHBrq_Q6CEtKsdlX320dF-FT1-3iTaIEzi3gnjMLiin0v-4yZsxDV1_01g5w7RFEhVor3BldegfF-J0zD21GOOgDm-UxnpSAWIZbMXtJSR6WIE/s400/IMG_5094.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mike at the finish</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "MV Boli"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Soon it was time for the awards and other then one competitor’s time
getting lost, due to a missing bib tag, all went well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Winners took home a really cool acrylic leaf.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPnQSMI0NOO_npTMuslOzq46mixwIpJCZHDTfgSaCWDVDu6_nzAIC31BFzTFCSGzkPyt33U1-Zibio2qxLq-fNJ9sidPMEquKJOZzvBWWQ6bFObqu1d_kxXZ6hTe5yzYFoZe5FW8QTrhqS/s1600/IMG_5236.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPnQSMI0NOO_npTMuslOzq46mixwIpJCZHDTfgSaCWDVDu6_nzAIC31BFzTFCSGzkPyt33U1-Zibio2qxLq-fNJ9sidPMEquKJOZzvBWWQ6bFObqu1d_kxXZ6hTe5yzYFoZe5FW8QTrhqS/s400/IMG_5236.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cool Awards</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "MV Boli"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">We had several people taking photos and they can be found on the
<a href="http://www.teamgodzilla.org/" target="_blank">Team Godzilla website</a>, along with the full results.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "MV Boli"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I want to take time to thank everyone involved with this race, the
Cyclery and Fitness for coming out and helping with bike needs, Wild Tracks for
loaning us their cyclocross barrier, Metro Milers for doing the race timing,
SIUE for allowing us to hold this race on their beautiful campus and providing
police protection, KIND for donating the very tasty and nutritious bars, that
everyone loved, and of course GORC for building and maintaining great trails
for us to ride and run on. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "MV Boli"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">A special shout out goes to all those behind the scenes that do the
work no one ever sees, thanks Jeff S, Mike W, Russ D, Mike H, Andrea M, Andrea
W. And lets not forget the 40+ volunteers who were out there on race day.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "MV Boli"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">2014 will be our 5<sup>th</sup> year for this event and we hope to
make it our biggest and most memorable yet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I hope to see you next year. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Trek Mountain Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16901382514879478984noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9082478865600658051.post-86544029172706117282013-03-25T15:44:00.001-07:002013-03-25T15:44:16.307-07:00I'm BackFinally, after 11 weeks off, I'm back. I may not be fast at anything, but at least I'm working out again. During the last week of February I got the OK from both the orthopedist and the heart doctor to start working out again. My orthopedist gave me free rein, but the heart doctor said I could start on with half workouts. <br />
<br />
So of course I listened to him, you know how I always listen to what the doctors tell me. Mark and I went out for an easy 10 miles on the GORC trails. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting ready to test the old body out</td></tr>
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I got to test out how the tailbone was going to do on the seat of my mountain bike and how the old ticker was going to take riding the awesome single track. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just joking, no CPR was really needed</td></tr>
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The ride went great, I felt pretty good considering how out of shape I was, but the old heart worked well and the tailbone didn't hurt much during the ride. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Made it back, alive and well</td></tr>
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The next day I went out for a run in the woods with my friend Jenny, we covered about 4 miles at a horribly slow pace, but I was just happy to be out there. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Going out for my first run</td></tr>
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So now I have been working out for 4 weeks, my bike rides are getting longer, about 3 hours now and my runs are too, but I haven't run over 7 miles at in one run yet, I'm hoping to be up to 10 mile runs by the end of April. Hopefully with time, will come speed. I guess I will just keep working at it and soon the speed will come back. </div>
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And as a gift to myself for being really good and taking the full 11 weeks off, like the doctor instructed, I bought myself an CX/Adventure bike. I just got it Friday night and rode it Saturday, but then the stupid snow came on Sunday and I haven't been on it again. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me and my new Cannondale SuperX</td></tr>
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Even though I didn't get to ride on Sunday, I did find something fun to do in the snow. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Out in the the snow with the kids and Ella Pitsgerald<br />
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I hope by summer to be back and track and be able to race in USARA Nationals with Chuck.</div>
Trek Mountain Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16901382514879478984noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9082478865600658051.post-58172447660514052432013-03-12T08:12:00.000-07:002013-03-12T12:36:58.839-07:00 Who Is Robin Rongey <br />
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Robin running the Chubb Trial in the middle of winter</div>
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<span style="font-family: "MV Boli"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">My friend Patrick asked me to write a post for his blog about “who I am”, so as I was thinking about it I thought, hey I can post this on my blog also. As I was trying to write the post I kept thinking, I really don’t know what I can say.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I mean, I could tell the truth and say that I am this super smart, ultra fit, amazingly hot mom, “oh wait, I’m channeling Reese Witherspoon again, so that’s not right.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well I could tell you what I have been called in the past, the little round ball of muscle, and the … oh wait, I can’t put the other names in print, so maybe that’s not who I am either.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "MV Boli"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">After putting some more thought to it, I think to tell you who I am, I need to tell you where I come from.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So let’s see if I can sum up my life’s journey in just a few short paragraphs.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "MV Boli"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I was born in March of 1964, one month premature, my name was going to be April, but when I was born in March, my mom decided on Robin because it made her think of springtime.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was early arriving in the world and have been early at everything since, like talking, walking, tying my shoes, everything I do, I want to do fast and be the first one done, it doesn’t matter what it is, work tasks, workouts, races, I was even the fastest person at picking berries in the summer, no one could keep up with me. I think I'm seeing a pattern here; maybe that is where my competitiveness comes from. </span></div>
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Me spending the summer in my swim suit</div>
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<span style="font-family: "MV Boli"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I grew up in the projects, we were poor, but of course I didn’t know it at the time because poor is relative.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We may have been financially poor, but we had a close family and always had fun, we just did stuff that didn’t cost anything. So many people living around us were poor in my eyes and I always felt so sorry for them, little did I know, I was as poor as they were. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "MV Boli"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I am the only girl in a family of 5 kids.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am the second in line, but I ruled the house like I was the oldest. I was always told I was really mean and bossy.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "MV Boli"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I spent my summers heading outside at daylight and not coming in until dark. We played kickball, hide n seek, kick the can, football, baseball, soccer, we even setup a ring with our shoes that we ran around acting like we were in the roller derby and knocking people out of the ring.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most often I was the only girl allowed to play any of the neighborhood sports. I think that is because all the boys were afraid of me, at least that’s what my brothers tell me. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "MV Boli"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">When I was 9 my dad died and at 12 we moved from the projects to the country. I went from having hundreds of kids to play with, in a quarter mile radius to having 10 kids to play with, in a 5 mile radius. This is when I started picking up endurance activities, riding my bike, skateboarding, even running, I would run laps around my block and it was 2 miles long.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "MV Boli"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Two weeks into my freshman year of high school I was in a bad car accident, I spent a few months in a hospital and then spent months on crutches.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My mom was told that I would most likely have brain damage, so now when I do stupid things I blame it on the brain damage. It took a year to recover, so it was my sophomore year before I could play any sports.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I ran track and cross country the rest of high school, then I ran track in college on a scholarship.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was just an above average runner, but heck back then they just wanted to find girls that would run, that’s why I had a scholarship. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was actually the first girl to ever run cross country for SIU-E.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "MV Boli"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">After college I got married and had 3 kids, I continued to run, but not really competitive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When my kids started getting self sufficient I started training hard again and decided to try some new things, like triathlons, mountain biking and road biking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I loved it all!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then in 1996, I took a job with Boeing and met my friend and now teammate Chuck Vohsen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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Me and Chuck finishing the Berryman Adventure race</div>
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<span style="font-family: "MV Boli"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">You all know Chuck as a Badass Adventure racer, but back in the day, he was just some overweight jeep driving, martial arts practicing engineer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That was when I could beat him both on foot and on wheels, but now, I’m just lucky he lets me follow him around and share his adventure racing glory.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "MV Boli"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">That leads me up to the current day and the fact that I am so lucky that I have a strong mother who raised 5 kids on a yearly income that is less than I make in a month, having 4 brothers who even though they called me mean and bossy, they put the smackdown on anyone else who said it, having friends like Chuck who would fight a bear for me or give me his last sip of water if I was out, having 3 healthy kids that fight like cats and dogs and are always planning the next way to pull the wool over their dad and my eyes, but at the end of the day always give me hugs and “I love yous”. I guess what I’m trying to say is that all the events in my life have made me who I am today.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "MV Boli"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I still sometimes wonder who I am, but if I have to say who I think I am in one big run-on sentence, this is what it would say. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "MV Boli"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I’m a girl who works hard at everything I do, I’m very organized, to the point of annoyance to my family, I love being outside and I love adventure of any kind, I never give up because I know with persistence I can accomplish anything, I may not be great at it, but I can do it, and most of all, I’m a real cool mom, well my kids may not say that, but I like to think I am. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;">Garrett and Jade checking out their new sister China</td></tr>
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Trek Mountain Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16901382514879478984noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9082478865600658051.post-42071554756793569802012-12-30T18:56:00.000-08:002012-12-30T18:56:46.063-08:00A Guide to Having Your Tailbone RemovedThis guide will walk you through the process of getting your tailbone removed in a step by step format.
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<strong>Step 1</strong>
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Go to a stupid Warrior Dash, slide down a muddy hill at the end of the race, hit a rock and break your tailbone off.
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<strong>Step 2</strong>
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Go to the doctor and find out that you shouldn't to do anything for six weeks during the middle of adventure race season
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<strong>Step 3</strong>
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Play Internet doctor and DO NOT FOLLOW a real doctors orders, then end up taking the time off months later and then a year later, you finally figure it out and you need your broken tailbone removed.
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<strong>Step 4</strong><br />
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Get the tailbone removed.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Get up early and ready to go to the hospital</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8m2nca3iyZqZrGsSEGHvEu9Xgdt208rXU18WGUg-mop8ykZcR0iy5CqnGrVyE8WBKzRTkX_WNns8Q9xd5bbNDrregJWj67Mtus8nKMCfJKtlXsF-NiSLmNwIyxryDt6CJ-lq24Y1xUWgW/s1600/robinbeforebuttsurgery1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8m2nca3iyZqZrGsSEGHvEu9Xgdt208rXU18WGUg-mop8ykZcR0iy5CqnGrVyE8WBKzRTkX_WNns8Q9xd5bbNDrregJWj67Mtus8nKMCfJKtlXsF-NiSLmNwIyxryDt6CJ-lq24Y1xUWgW/s400/robinbeforebuttsurgery1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Get ready for surgery</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijv5CdOrPCbyD6K8vDHgziz7XPDFGai8oz4D1RIIhZ7ZInYWUowLGw9npAoO9BzuTTXi6o5zH14thVPkhyu8lS3O580MpI1b89xgHq-Q6orzoat45oANn3yjlhR-badBi6dYODlJIo2GLW/s1600/robinafterbuttsurgery.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijv5CdOrPCbyD6K8vDHgziz7XPDFGai8oz4D1RIIhZ7ZInYWUowLGw9npAoO9BzuTTXi6o5zH14thVPkhyu8lS3O580MpI1b89xgHq-Q6orzoat45oANn3yjlhR-badBi6dYODlJIo2GLW/s400/robinafterbuttsurgery.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Do stupid things when you're under the influence of pain meds</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdlKn-ctbim9QNbTRucfyvF7NqAptmFzBjGQtz4DE28h5fA5Ao_Yz9JYom5X3vqBkT7QaQoVQv2LKGYbvajsoq8YLCStWQPkDtMjfhw4juLZdMCDogTeIKIjjUXOxR794tcmGX7oi0aJny/s1600/firstwalk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdlKn-ctbim9QNbTRucfyvF7NqAptmFzBjGQtz4DE28h5fA5Ao_Yz9JYom5X3vqBkT7QaQoVQv2LKGYbvajsoq8YLCStWQPkDtMjfhw4juLZdMCDogTeIKIjjUXOxR794tcmGX7oi0aJny/s400/firstwalk.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Go for your first 2 mile walk 10 days after surgery</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdf-zSD3SiOF_spNYi9IuxXabNwvR2ZVPGnoc54DRF67iYLQel44BI6LNRKKgpLJ7RfWlm4SAWf4pOlT-SXmsg-EpoRqAQEacoAyJqts7VZK8tvHoys6xBy-nvAQMOWgUxeAUHXKcTndR0/s1600/secondwalk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdf-zSD3SiOF_spNYi9IuxXabNwvR2ZVPGnoc54DRF67iYLQel44BI6LNRKKgpLJ7RfWlm4SAWf4pOlT-SXmsg-EpoRqAQEacoAyJqts7VZK8tvHoys6xBy-nvAQMOWgUxeAUHXKcTndR0/s400/secondwalk.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Second 2 mile walk 11 days out</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6V8xX4xlNpCWuR7aknUgb24XMrriDSnuUwAt13z6zJlAe7loAHwoU-zHn-UhpHtufjMUldPjRYCY-EFBnyvR07KeY5i0CT4krFIz2UbWns7eClKC4dJfOr8LYCYjuyZWD4-wVy6to07Xt/s1600/IMG_0007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6V8xX4xlNpCWuR7aknUgb24XMrriDSnuUwAt13z6zJlAe7loAHwoU-zHn-UhpHtufjMUldPjRYCY-EFBnyvR07KeY5i0CT4krFIz2UbWns7eClKC4dJfOr8LYCYjuyZWD4-wVy6to07Xt/s400/IMG_0007.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Third 2 mile walk 12 days out </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWBscFHe8X-RQmsg8Lo_w5-qMmaJTpoPtyiZtB75rIOFRRmag8NwTwMoPrg57VossJwK5oTuCFuza5nflunce8gXnlzKZPyZz7AEo1t_xkZtkgGdrePmUS7Qi9W52fTJtMhoVCLNxJg_UG/s1600/IMGP2818.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWBscFHe8X-RQmsg8Lo_w5-qMmaJTpoPtyiZtB75rIOFRRmag8NwTwMoPrg57VossJwK5oTuCFuza5nflunce8gXnlzKZPyZz7AEo1t_xkZtkgGdrePmUS7Qi9W52fTJtMhoVCLNxJg_UG/s400/IMGP2818.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seeing friends running while out on my 4th 2 mile walk, SO Jealous </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUVxDXl0inCDdbQoYr9U4Pfft904aETrJzMk_-oxK-0U3yPLdYwEP5gzCyE21PbdY4Bvfwl1qbUqP4G9DyTwAR23wpiLTdk8bqu1Gebw8BpNfIuQA6Sr2EpgG4W0s7VlyghQXatBN9eaDS/s1600/IMG_0012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUVxDXl0inCDdbQoYr9U4Pfft904aETrJzMk_-oxK-0U3yPLdYwEP5gzCyE21PbdY4Bvfwl1qbUqP4G9DyTwAR23wpiLTdk8bqu1Gebw8BpNfIuQA6Sr2EpgG4W0s7VlyghQXatBN9eaDS/s400/IMG_0012.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me waiting for my First pre-op run</td></tr>
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Trek Mountain Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16901382514879478984noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9082478865600658051.post-27436985102333751652012-11-28T16:39:00.000-08:002012-11-28T16:45:32.304-08:00Climbing & Ropes at WymanWhat happens when a bunch Team Godzilla teammates get together for an afternoon of fun, well it's just too much to write about, so instead I will show you. <br />
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Watch the video, it's not quite like being there, but you get the idea. Oh and China beat everyone up the rock wall, and she even took the hard route. <br />
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Video Music courtesy The Great Jazz Musician Garrett Rongey<br />
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<center><iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/-pHPiHVz2hA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></center>Trek Mountain Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16901382514879478984noreply@blogger.com0