Often when I meet people at races around the country and I tell them I live in Alabama, I generally get one of two responses. The first is a look of total bewilderment accompanied by a “Really???”, while the second is the “Ohhh…” with the face that says, “Awww, I’m sorry that your mom has cancer…”

Apparently, people (or triathletes at least) have a negative perception of Alabama. OK, so maybe Rick Santorum won our republican primary. But really, living in Huntsville is actually pretty awesome. First, we have the whole rocket thing going for us. Perhaps you’ve heard of the Saturn V? More importantly, though, for runners, we have a pretty awesome local running scene, as evident by the races I’ve done the last few weekends.

First, March 4th was the UAH 10k. This race had RFID timing, mile markers with people giving splits, and all the usual food and drink post race, for a grand total of $3 to register. Thats right THREE DOLLARS. The best part? The age group and overall awards were gift certificates to the local running shop!

After a nice swim, I got in a good warm up and ended up first in 33:52, so not a bad way to spend a Sunday afternoon. 

The next weekend was the Delano 12h. As the name suggests, this is a 12h race, where you run as far as you can in 12h. The course? A one mile loop:

I had never experienced it  before this year, so when Lynn C, Lisa R, and David R mentioned they needed a teammate for a relay, I figured the least I could do was give them a few laps. Although it looks/sounds really boring, it was actually kind of fun. The surface was awesome, and it was great to have so many other people out there running at the same time. Plus, I had to do a long run anyway, so why not?

I ended up running 18mi w/ a 10mi progression run in the morning, then another 4 a few hours later for 22mi total. It was more than I had a planned, but nothing compared to most of the crazy people out there. But the best part was that it went by so quickly!

The third race of the trifecta was the Rocket Run 10 miler. This was another awesome, inexpensive race. First of all, the 10mi / 15km is a great distance. Next, this was even cheaper than the 10km, as it was free to Huntsville Track Club members! (It was $10 for those who weren’t; still a great price). And once again, Fleet Feet Huntsville provided gift cards to the top 3 in the AG.

Here local stud Josh W showed up and smoked everyone, finishing in 52:19 and leaving me a distant second in 56:29. I had expectations coming into the race, and just wanted to get in a good effort, so I went out at 5:50, dropped down to 5:40s for the middle miles, then accelerated in over the last two. With 4mi warm up and 4 more to cool down, it was a pretty nice little 18 miler.

So there it is… three weekends; three awesome races. Fun times in the South!

Last weekend I drove to Athens, GA for the Athens Half Marathon.  Since the Timex Ford Edge had yet to make a stop in this stereotypical southern college town, I realized that had to change.  The only problem?  The Edge was up in Nashville (well, technically Brentwood), TN at Bruce Gennari‘s residence.  Nashville isnt on the way to Athens, so how the heck was I supposed to get the Edge down to Huntsville?

The first option would have been to drive my trusty 2001 Honda Accord up to Bruce’s place, but the neighborhood he lives in is way too nice for his house to have a random old Honda sitting out front.  I also could’ve gotten a ride up there but a 2h drive, and therefore 4h round trip, is kind of a lot to ask from someone.  The solution?  Ride there!

Not wanting to go solo, I recruited my riding buddy, Dave V, for the trek north.  Thankfully the Sunday before last featured marvelous weather for this time of year.  It was a bit brisk at the 7AM roll-out, but warmed up nicely throughout the day.

Having never ridden this route before, we were both a little hesitant about the road conditions and traffic.  Thankfully though, we went large stretches without seeing any vehicles and when there was some traffic, there were bike lanes/shoulders to provide some extra room.  Of course the early start likely helped as well.

So after spending the first 30min or so warming up, we were rolling along pretty well after the first hour.  We both missed the sign alerting us of our departure from Alabama into Tennessee, but by the time we realized it we were definitely too far to backtrack.  Moving through downtown Fayetteville, we discussed starting an “Occupy Fayetteville” movement, but decided to just keep riding our bikes.  Right around 60mi we stopped to refill water bottles and split a Coke, and soon enough we were back on the road.  Apparently the Coke was just what Dave needed because at this point he started CRUSHING it, which made me wonder if I was riding with DV or DZ….

Finally, after ~90mi, I knew we were getting ready to turn off the main road and head towards Bruce’s neighborhood when… FAIL.  Guess who forgot the last few directions?  Somehow though, with a huge assist from modern technology, we made it.  98 miles and 4h41min (not including stops).

All in all, a pretty easy trip north.  The saddle time was well worth the reward of taking the Edge to Athens.

The details, courtesy of the Timex Global Trainer:

“That was such and epic fail” -Katy Perry

Another week, another race. After two races the weekend before last, I was back in action on Sunday with Eagleman 70.3 in Cambridge, MD. When Coach Paulo proposed adding this race to the calendar a couple of weeks ago, I was admittedly a bit apprehensive, as I thought two half IMs on back to back weekends might be a bit much. However, I was feeling pretty good by the middle of the week, so I was fired up to race with teammates Bruce G and Bo P by the time Friday rolled around.

Onto the race! A quick “GO!” and we were off on a beautiful morning in the warm water of the Choptank river. The water was relatively smooth, considering this is a notoriously choppy swim, and I got out to a good start.  Things settled down relatively quickly and I noticed I was swimming next to Richie C, so I figured I was in a pretty good position. As we approached the end of the swim, all I was thinking about was a fast transition so that I could get out, ride hard, and stay with the group.

Out on the bike however, the legs had other ideas. The guys I came out of the water with punched it hard.  I tried to maintain contact, but the legs just werent there.  I was riding what felt like hour TT pace, but only losing time. From there, things didnt exactly get much better, as I threw up a few minutes after every gel I took. I didnt think I had swallowed that much water during the swim, but I cant think of any other reason for the otherwise (seemingly) random vomiting.

Heading out onto the run, I wasnt really sure what place I was in, but was still hopeful I could pick some people off. I felt OK running 6:05-6:15 pace, but when I tried to dip under 6, my hamstring really started screaming. Then, around mile 8, I felt the blister under the ball of my left foot tear.  This wouldnt have been too big of a deal except I had already gone through a couple of layers of skin the previous week, so I was now tearing through a couple of more layers. For about a mile this was really painful, but then it thankfully subsided enough for me to keep running an even pass a guy in the last mile.

Crossing the finish line, I still had no idea about my place, but eventually determined I had ended up 10th in 4:08:58.  So all in all, not too bad.  I wouldve liked to have biked and run faster, but at least I got some much needed points for 70.3 Worlds.

Full results are here.

PS After the race I was privileged enough to crash at Alyssa‘s house in Baltimer, after the obligatory post race hamburger and ice cream, of course.  AG is an epic ultra-runner/triathlete baller, and was even gracious enough to drag my sorry butt to the airport at 5AM on Monday morning (which also happened to be her birthday!!) so that I could make it into work on Monday. Thanks Alyssa!

Part I: Bringing home the bacon from Macon

I raced this weekend, but dont have too much to report.

Friday afternoon my friend George and I headed down to Macon, GA in the Edge for the Rock ‘N RollMan Half.  Why Macon, you ask? Well, $1000 was up for grabs to the winner, so I was looking forward to a good race. This, however, didnt quite pan out.

I arrived at the race site on the morning of the race and heard the announcer say the water temp was a balmy 86 degrees. Combined with the predicted high air temperature of ~100F, it meant it was going to be a warm day from start to finish. I was then thrown a bit of a curve when the valve on my tube in my rear tire broke, necessitating a tube change.  I switched out the tube without too much trouble, taking care to ensure the tube wasnt pinched as I certainly didnt want a pinch flat right after starting the ride. Finally, with the start fast approaching, I headed down to the lake.

I got a pretty good start and soon enough Nina Craft and I were swimming together with no one else in sight. I swam behind her for a while, then moved ahead after a little over the half way point, only to have her stick right on me.  I felt like were holding a solid pace, but nothing extraordinary.  Fortunately though it was strong enough to create some separation from everyone else, and we exited the water at almost the same time.

I had a pretty quick T1, and was out on the bike first. I was out on the road all alone and wanted to keep it that way. The bike course was challenging but fun with plenty of hills and decent road surfaces most of the way. I checked behind me a couple of times at the end of long straightaways, but never saw anyone so I just focused on pouring it on keeping up with calories and hydration. The miles ticked away and before I knew it I was rolling into T2.

Starting the run, I was feeling pretty good. The first half of a mile of the run course overlapped with the bike course, and I still didnt see anyone, so I figured I had a pretty decent cushion over 2nd. So I just wanted to stay comfortable and make sure to not blow up.  Of course “comfortable” is a relative term when you have to run 13 hilly miles in 90F heat after biking 56!  So it turned into a long run by myself, not counting the encouragement from George at miles 2, 6, and 11, but before I knew it I had made it to mile 11.  This was near the 2 mile mark on the way out, so when I turned back to the park I got to see people heading out on the run. I cruised in from there, crossed the finish line, and, just like in FL, went straight to the med tent for bandages on my blister- covered feet.

Results: http://www.setupevents.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=event_results&id=2407

Speaking of people heading out on the run… I have much respect for anyone who finished this race! With a smaller field and brutal conditions (tough course, hot weather) this was certainly one of the hardest half IM courses I’ve done.

Unfortunately I couldnt stick around for too long post race as that evening I was due in Nashville, TN for…..

Part II: The Kids Triathlon

Pretty soon after finishing the Rock ‘N RollMan Half, George and I were back in the Ford Edge heading north on I-75 towards Chattanooga before heading west on I-24 towards Nashville.  We arrived just in time for me to be introduced as a Celebrity Big Kid during the packet pick up for the race the following morning.

I awoke Sunday morning to some sore legs, but was ready for a fun day with the kids. Timex Teammate Bruce Gennari was there as a Big Kid as well and we started the day off by helping the not-so-big kids set up their transition areas.  This was fun and entertaining as with kids from ages 6 through 15, some of the bikes didnt have either tire on the ground and were instead just hanging from the racks.  Additionally about half of the bikes were pink with white seats so it was a was pretty funny sight; certainly not the not your typical transition area!

The kids started according to their age group, with the 6-7 yr olds first, and 8-9 yr olds second.  I was helping at the swim start and then moved to the transition area, where it was great to see the unabashed excitement on their faces.  It was also pretty cool to see the competitiveness; some of these kids were really getting after it!

After the 8-9 yr olds went off, the Big Kids had to race. My feet torn up and my left glut/piriformis was still really tight courtesy of the half the day before, but how could I not race for the kids??  Thankfully I managed to pull out the victory while rocking the speedo the whole way.

After the “older” kids had their races, it was time for everyone’s favorite part of the day… the awards!  I say this partially in jest as at most races, the only people who stick around are the people who are receiving awards and even they usually arent all that excited to be there, and then jet as soon as their names are called.  Not so with the kids!  They were genuinely thrilled to get to go up on stage and receive their awards.  In addition to trophies, Bruce and I were placing Timex hats on each of the award winner’s heads, which really got them pumped!

All in all, I thought it was a really successful event.  Almost 300 kids raced and I didnt see a single one disappointed. Rounding out the day, Bruce, George, and I had a late lunch at Chipotle… cant beat that!