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!

About what? About driving up to Ardmore, TN.  Yes, you read that correctly.  I said Ardmore, TN.  No, there isnt usually anything particularly exciting in Ardmore, a little town on the Tennessee/Alabama border where AL SR 53 meets I-65.  But there will be this Saturday as that is where I am meeting teammate Bruce Gennari to pick up the Southeast’s own Ford Edge.

Last year was the Timex Multisport Team’s first year partnering with Ford, but unfortunately I dont think any of the vehicles provided made it south of the Mason Dixon line.  This year Ford is back and has given us five brand new Edge crossovers.  Unlike last year, though, the southern contingent of Bruce (Nashville, TN), Bo Parrish (Nashville, TN), and myself (Huntsville, AL) were fortunate enough to receive one of the vehicles and Saturday will be my first time driving it. As a result, I’m stoked to finally get to check out all the cool features like the panoramic vista roof, Ford SYNC, and MyFord Touch.

While the features are cutting edge, I’m really just excited to be driving a brand new Ford.  I realize this may seem contrived due to the fact they are sponsoring the team, but I have been a big fan of what Alan Mulally has done since taking over as CEO in 2006.  Mulally, who had previously been a long-time Boeing employee, took over a company in bad shape turned it around.

Realizing major changes needed to be made, Mulally leveraged all of Ford’s assets, all the way down to the patented nameplate, to borrow around $24 billion.  The company used that money to upgrade factories and develop new fuel efficient vehicles, realizing their cash cow (large trucks and SUVs) wouldnt sustain them forever.  Meanwhile, it shed costs by reaching a landmark agreement with the UAW to drastically lower future liabilities.  All the while, GM and Chrystler, the other two of the “Big 3″ US automakers, were churning along with their heads in the sand, producing large trucks and barely hanging on to solvency.

The result?  What looked like a desperate moved at the time turned out to be prescient.  Fast forward to 2009 and Ford did not have to take a government bailout or have its debt restructured while GM and Chrysler did. This lead to an increase in its market share by about 1%, the first time it had seen a full year increase since 1995.  Then, with the economy on the (admittedly still slow) rebound, Ford took advantage, recording a record profit in the third quarter of 2010 off a net income of $1.7 billion.

So the moral here is that smart, effective management trumps government bailouts every time, and thats why I’m excited to get the Edge.  Well that, and the fact that sunroofs are sexy.

Come check out the Edge at the Cotton Row Run on Memorial Day in Huntsville, AL, the Coliseum Rock ‘N RollMan Half in Macon, GA on Saturday, June 4th, or the Nashville Kids Triathlon in Nashville, TN on Sunday, June 5th.