Keep Moving Forward

Its been a while since I posted last so I figured I would get something out here so that my loyal readers (all 2 of you) would not think I was missing :)

Wolf Creek Sprint Triathlon is coming up June 10th - .25 Mile Swim, 10 Mile Bike, 3 Mile Run. Wolf Creek was the first triathlon I ever did and I am returning to see how I have improved. Plus, its a nice event with good scenery and it's was well organized. Last year I finished in 1:23:18. I'm hoping to improve on all the times this time around. Ideally, I'd like to finish the swim portion in under 10 minutes, average 18+MPH on the bike and under 8 minute/mile on the run. I am considering this a "C" race, so if I dont hit those I won't be too upset, but I think they are reasonable goals.

My "B" race is the IronAbe in mid-July and my "A" race is the Chicago Triathlon in the end of August.

Below are some pics from the 2005 race. I'll update after the 2006 event with some new ones.



After the swim.. I'm not in last, but close :)


Made up some ground on the bike. This year's
bike portion is 10 miles, last year's was 11.

Exercising is a very primal act. It's you running down a road, swimming in a pool/lake, or riding down the road on a very simple mode or self-propelled transportation. Of course you can make it very technical by; wearing a GPS enabled watch, have super high-tech wicking garments, motion control shoes, aero bars, the list goes on and on. The basics of it are that it is you and your body out to make itself better. I use exercise to get away from the day-to-day grind, the so-called "Cubical Ecosystem," but I use a lot of technology when I do it. My job title is "Technical Specialist" so you know I love that stuff.

So what's the new technical stuff I found that has to do with endurance sports? I recently started listening to Blogcasts. You may have heard them called "podcasts." You don't have to have an Ipod to listen to them, it can be any portalbe media device, or even just listen to them on your computer, so I will refer to them as Blogcasts to keep it generic. A Blogcast is basically a recorded blog entry that you can download and listen to on a MP3 player.. I found one the other day when I was looking to register for a local triathlon. The site is http://zentri.blogspot.com/ its got some great stuff on there for training, eating, and all kinds of triathlon related information. Through thier blogcast, I found http://www.enduranceradio.com/. So check them out!! Great stuff for listening to on the run..literally!!

For those that do not know who Dean Karnazes is, I recommend that you check out the book Ultramarathon Man. To put Dean in a class of "endurance athlete" would probably not do his accomplishments justice. To name a few, he has run 260 and 350 miles non-stop! His next "quest" is the Endurance 50. The goal is to run 50 marathons in 50 different states, in 50 days. This will be quite a feat. Looking at the race calendar, adding up the mileage, and factoring in travel got me thinking about how huge this will be to complete.

After reading Dean's book, I really got into running and pushing myself again, so I am excited any time he ups the ante. My blog title actually comes from something his father said to him when he ran his first Western States 100. Check out the Endurance 50 website, it's going to be intense. Good luck Dean and the rest of The North Face Endurance 50 team!!!!! See you in St. Charles, MO on day 1.

-Keep moving forward

I went to the bike shop to get some new components for my road bike to make it a little more aero. I picked up a bullhorn handlebars, shifters to mount on the aero bars, new brake levers and an angled seat post to make up for the longer top bar on my raod bike. All together with labor was going to cost over $400, which I was expecting. The plan for me was since I bought a road bike last year, to get parts this year then move those over to a tri bike next year, but....

while they were writing up the bill for parts and labor I saw hanging on the wall a 2004 Cannondale Ironman 2000 tri bike. It was cut over $700 over original price. I of course was interested and had them take it down. I took it for a spin then decided to have them fit me for it to make sure it was right. I spent about an hour on and off the bike, checking my fit and how it shifted and proper leg extension.... Long story short I bought it! It had all the components I was looking at to put on my current bike (now and future), but better, plus it was an actual tri bike, not a road bike that I was trying to convert. I weighted my costs of the $400 that I was going to spend, plus what I had planned for next year and decided the deal was too good to pass up. I had them put the stuff I was going to get and got back on the trainer to adjust everything, seat, pedals, aerobars... and off I went. I have a pic below. I took it with my cell phone so its not the best, but it works.

- Keep moving forward

My sister had her first baby on Saturday... Welcome Ayden Dixon Daniel. How long until I can take him out for a run? :)