Photo by Bobcat 13 Photography http://bobcat13.smugmug.com/

It’s been 3 weeks since I crossed the finish line at this mountain bike ranch, and for some odd reason, I felt compelled to do it again. Not exactly for the 169th time, but I’ve more races under my belt at this ranch than any other venue, so the count is pretty high. At least this time, I didn’t have to worry about pacing myself. Every category would race the same 21 mile loop. 21 miles should be a walk in the park compared to 182. But, do it against the fastest guys in the state (and even a few in the country-Jason Sager and Adam Snyder from Team Jamis decided to pay a visit while in town for Lance’s race next weekend), then you’ve got pain of a different sort. A lung bustin, leg screaming sufferfest for 1.5 hours. To make it a bit more challenging for myself, I even decided to ride it rigid, based solely on the perception that the Salsa cro-moto fork I bought for the Dark Knight looked sexier than the Reba. At least I went with gears this go round. I was able to pull of a 9 of 15 finish in 1:32:01. Sager went on to win in 1:25:26, so all things considered, I was pretty pleased with the effort. It’s nice to know I can go out and kill it at a 24 hour, and three weeks later go out and kill it with the Big boys on a rigid at Cross Country pace.

With my time off work,  I’m going to be redeveloping the website for a new look, new navigation, and new articles, including the one on bike fit that I never quite got around to… Anyways, Team NRC/Kona is out, team Caveman Productions/ East Side Pedalpushers is in. Working on a new kit, but for now I like the understated blue black like that I picked up while in transition. Happy Monday! Have a great week!

Caveman

Shorter days…cooler nights…more cowbell. This could only mean one thing. ‘Cross season is here.

I kicked off cross season in style Tuesday night at the weekly Dirt Derby. I haven’t seriously ridden a cyclocross bike since winter. I only tinkered around the neighborhood on the latest contraption to make sure the frankenbike build I did on the IRO fixie frame would actually work. It’d be cool to say I dusted off Rocinante, the super rad Jamis Supernova I added to the collection last season, but alas, that bike is for sale and will be going to a friend of a friend in Houston, where I’m sure it’ll get good use. Not that I didn’t like that bike, but times are a bit thin and it is more bike than I need anyways. I like steel these days, and as far as cross racing goes, dislike gears. Tuesday night’s results verified that for me.

The course was still holding some muddy patches from last month’s rains, and was super rutty in a few places. The track leading to the run up was rough, and bike down even rougher. It’s one of the most technical cross courses I think I’ve ever ridden. Not exactly the conditions I was looking for to get back into the sport nor test out an unproven setup. The intermediate race had a large field of some 23 racers. I was looking to use this as a warmup and get a feel for the course. That took all but 2 laps, and then all bets were off for the remaining 4. 3^rd place was a nice little finish to welcome back the season. The bike felt better than expected. I felt better than expected having taken 2 weeks off following the 24 hour race at Rocky Hill.

Having learned the lines, timed the run ups and barriers better, and figured out how hard I could push the bike, I was set for a faster Open race. Some pedal engagement issues at the beginning set me back to the rear, but I was quick to get back to the front, work up to 2^nd, and pack on some heat to finish second. I couldn’t have asked for a better performance out of the bike, nor my rusty legs, all things considered.

It just amazes the hell out of me what can be accomplished on a so called “less technological” bike. You’d seriously have to see this bike in person to really appreciate this statement. An IRO steel frame that is designed as a fixie commuter, tack on a mismatched LeMond steel fork, throw a BMX freewheel on a non competition, non machined fixed gear wheel, slap in a heavy square taper bottom bracket with an old school heavy mountain bike crankset, a funky steep stem, some cool bartape, a mismatched set of front cantilever brake, rear caliper brake (with just barely enough clearance for a 30c cross tire, I might add) and somehow you still have a machine that can carry you to the podium. I love it, but I digress.

Once you catch cross fever, it’s a bit hard to let go. There are a lot of cross races all over the state this season, but I’m not sure which ones I’ll make. Like I said, times are thin. Racing isn’t life, either, although I’ve never been one to let finances keep me from doing the things in life that I enjoy most. Racing just happens to be one of those…

So, having completed the dirt derby races with good results and without any nagging pains, soreness, delayed recovery, etc. etc., I’m ready to ease back into some training for what cross races I do plan on attending, but also the upcoming marathon MTB series. Damn Texas racing…just when you think your season is over, another one starts up. Oh well, as long as I’m having fun and not feeling burnt out, I’ll keep on keeping on.

Cheers,
GP

PS. Enjoy this pic from Halloween! Wolverine, my alter caveman ego!!

Wolverine and Rorsach

Hello all,

I’d like to welcome East Side Pedal Pushers as my new shop sponsor. I’ve been patronizing Lee ever since I moved to the Austin east side 4 years ago. Lee is not only conveniently located for me, but competitively priced and just a damn nice guy. Whether you need to stop in for a new tube, or to get your bottom bracket chased, he will take care of you. Unlike a lot of shops in the Austin area, he will not try to sell you the most expesive bike or part, only what you need.

Please consider giving Lee a visit for your next bicycling need.

1414 E. 5th St. Austin, TX 78702

826-3414

http://eastsidepedalpushers.com/

Hi Friends. I had a little free time this week while in recovery mode so I made this short little movie/photo montage of the race I hope you enjoy it. For best viewing results, click on the HD on the bottom right corner, and let the movie fully load before starting.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1T1C3Zc1P48

Also, friend and fellow racer Patrick Barrett took a helmet cam along and got some great footage of the course. Check out his video here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qC_0MACrPeA

Today, I got back on a bike (my commuter) for the first time since Sunday. The saddle soreness has healed, and most of my muscles soreness is gone. There appears to be no major injury to any body part, so I know my bike fit was dialed in pretty good, I was well conditioned, andthe Paleo diet continues to demonstrate incredible recovery attributes. Saturday is my birthday, and I don’t really have plans, but I’m sure it’ll be a nice day. Hope ya’ll have a nice weekend. Thanks for checking in.
Greg

If there’s something I can grab, you can bet, I’ll pay the tab.

From Peace by Weezer

The body is a resilient thing. I found this out first hand back in October 2007 after winning the 24 hours of Rocky Hill. It is, however, with limits, as I painfully found out at the 24 hours in the Old Pueblo (Tucson, AZ) the second weekend of February 2008…I was about ¾ through lap 7, about mile 110 or so, and I started to feel a sharp pain right below the left patella. I knew it was only going to get worse and if I kept pushing on, it would do some pretty bad damage. So right then and there, I was faced with a pretty tough decision. I was a little over halfway though the 24 hour clock. I was moving up the ranks to where I wanted to be before really laying down the hurt in the late night hours when most people start to cave in. That’s when the race is really won. I had the energy to keep going. I definitely had the desire. Too bad I didn’t have the knees. I rolled back into camp and called the race. I’m not a quitter, and in fact, this was the first mountain bike race that I’ve ever thrown in the towel on. I don’t know that I’ve ever been so heartbroken over a decision like that…I’m out for vindication. Moab Rocky Hill is where I’m going to get it.

Reprinted from “In Search of Vindication” February 2008 (except for that Rocky Hill insert!)

Neither that 24 hour race in Arizona nor the one in Moab last fall went very well. I somewhat regret having skipped Rocky Hill to do Moab last year and have been looking forward to a return trip to the race venue that launched my 24 hour racing career ever since. My first outing, I cranked out 17 laps in 23:53. Last year’s winner also cranked out 17 laps, but on a single speed and in 23:30. I had no way of knowing if he would return, but I would prepare as if he were. You never know who else might show up either. Plus you never know what mother nature and lady luck might throw your way.

So, I not only planned on matching the previous year’s feat by racing single speed rigid (no suspension), but I also wanted a performance that would be worthy of a national caliper race. Having attended a few of these big boy races the last few years has taught me what it really takes to be the best. I was going to shoot for 20 or 21 laps, even if it only took 17 to win. I was also hungry for the $50 bonus awarded to the rider with the fastest lap time who also finished in the top 3 overall.

For this race, I setup the Dark Knight with a rigid fork and traded in the gears and shifters for a DMR chain tensioner. I didn’t feel like changing out the Middleburn Duo crankset so I just ran a big cog in the rear for 40-21 gearing. That’s slightly tall gearing for a 29er, especially for an endurance race, but the setup was light at 19.5 lbs. I wanted to crank out some fast daytime laps and then switch over to Proud Mary when the sun went down.

Come high noon the race kicked off with a LeMan’s start. There would be no walking this year as I was serious about starting off in good position and wanted to get to work right away. I only wish my bike wanted to get to work right away…

Although I had tested out the chain tensioner around the neighborhood, I didn’t have a chance to ride it hard on a trail due to all the rain Austin had been getting the week before. The chain popped right off in the middle of one of the first climbs. Put it back on and reset the tension and was good to go for maybe another mile or two before it did it again. I think I dropped my chain no less than 7 times that first lap until I figured out that having the chain roller in the up position was causing the problem, so I flipped it to the down position and seemingly fixed it, although I no longer had confidence in it, so I switched off to Proud Mary for lap 2. My 1:15 first lap was very frustrating and had already set me back by ten minutes, but I knew I had plenty of time to make it up.

Proud Mary had 34-19 gearing and a bonafide sliding dropout chain system, so I was much more comfortable on her. Mechanical worries aside, I was back in a rhythm and ready to get to work. The 2nd lap gave me the $50 fastest lap I was looking for. Somewhere around lap 4 or 5 the 34-19 gearing became tiring so I took a pit stop to trade the 19t for a 20t cog. It was a huge sigh of relief since all the climbing on the course was a bit easier on the body. Unfortunately, my mechanic/fiance forgot to tighten the dropout bolts completely and the chain came off or the wheel came out or something that forced me to stop and fix it midway up the first climb. Not a huge time loss, but a mental frustration I could’ve forgone.

By lap 7, my times had been strong and consistent enough to erase the lap 1 deficit. I wasn’t in first yet, but I was getting there. I was still having pesky mechanical problems too, though. On one lap, I tried to clip out to hike a steep climb and just fell over because my cleat was loose and just stuck in the pedal. Turns out it lost a bolt, so I had to super tighten the one that was left to finish the lap, then steal one from my spare pair of shoes back at the pit. My mechanic again (bless her heart, I love you cupcake!) didn’t tighten the bolts well enough and I had to stop mid lap to tighten them properly. I have no idea how, but the other shoe cleat bolts loosened during a later lap in the night and I had to stop and tighten them. Not once, but twice, did I smack the same low lying branch on two night laps knocking my light and battery (and luckily not my head-although it did hurt) off my helmet. Both times they went tumbling down into a creek and I had to fetch them. Even though I was still gaining ground in the standings, these silly problems were just killing me. I was praying for just one single lap without any issues. I maybe had 5 such laps, but it only felt like 1 or 2.

By midnight I had clocked 10 laps and was on pace for the planned 20, but fatigue was setting in and I knew it would be more like 18 or 19. A critical turning point came at the end of lap 12. I rolled in to see the leader checking in, right before me. He looked at me, and must have known who I was, and how much trouble he was in for showing himself. I wasted no time getting re-stocked and going back out.

A lot of people say that these races are won or lost in the wee hours of the night. It was true for my first go round, and it remained true for this one. I cranked out laps 13 and 14 only to learn that 2^nd place hadn’t gone back out yet. He was reported stretching, changing clothes, and hopping in his sleeping bag. I’m sure it was a tough decision to concede the race like that, but everyone has their limits. The guy raced his guts out for 15 hours and needed a break. Like I said in my last post, anyone who even attempts these races is a winner in my book. He did wake up and go back out in the morning for 3 more laps to hold on to third place, so kudos to him for getting back in it and putting up one hell of a fight until that point.

After 14 laps myself, I was ready for a break. I was feeling light headed, hungry, cold, and of course, exhausted. My lead over the new 2^nd place was comfortable, so I  changed into my wool jersey and warmers, cuddled up under a blanket, drank some water, and ate. Up to this point, my homemade caveman energy bars and Puresport were getting the job done. It seems though, that it gets increasing harder as the race progresses to eat and drink the same thing over and over. When word broke that some teammates at a nearby campsite had a surplus of Mr. Gattis pizza, I jumped at the chance and downed three slices.

The pizza and about 30 minutes worth of rest brought me back to life and it was time to put the hammer to the nail. On lap 15 a new problem had arisen: saddle soreness. Despite the fact that I was riding an unsuspended bike with only one gear for already 150+ miles and arms, shoulders, legs, and kneew were being subjected to the beating of a lifetime, my sore butt was giving me the most worries. The pain from trying to sit and take the weight off my legs was incredible. But without giving my legs even some relief on the flats and downhills, I didn’t know if they could hold up, literally, for another 4 laps.

The solution was to compromise. Sit as much as I could, support the rest of my weight with my legs. If worse came to worse, I wouldn’t sit at all. Just stand and hammer away. In a very sick and twisted way, I began to love the climbing at this point, because it meant I didn’t have to sit! I found being on a single speed to be advantageous in this respect. I’ve never stood and hammered out of the saddle for so long in my entire life. I’d easily say 80% of the last 3 laps was spent out of the saddle. That’s what it took to get ‘er done.

Lap 15 was a scary one in another sense as well. The course itself wasn’t very muddy, but had some creek crossings that were full due to recent rains. With about 20 crossings on the course, it was ample opportunity to get your bike dirty and tear up components. Since I was running a singlespeed, I didn’t even worry about cleaning it each lap. My rear Stan’s ZTR freewheel just wasn’t up to the challenge. Somehow, about 1/3 through the lap, I lost freewheel capability, and hence the ability to coast. It was completely seized. I’ve wanted to try fixed gear mountain biking for a while now, but this was neither the time or place for it! After riding this way for another two miles or so, I was involuntarily backpedaling down a steep descent and it sort of unseized itself. Coasting was real rough, and it sounded absolutely horrible, but at least I could coast now. I’m guessing one of the pawls became dislodged and stuck, and then partially broke, then maybe fully broke a little while later because full coasting resumed, only engagement of the hub took ½ a revolution and drove me nuts. I was ever so thankful that it got me back to the pit though. We changed out wheels and off I went for lap 16, which was pretty non eventful

Heading into 17, I was pumped up and feeling strong. I didn’t stop in the pit, just changed out bottles and kept on going, a strategy I had intended to employ the entire race but for one reason or another didn’t work out til then. 2^nd place (John Russell-Pedal Hard) was 15 seconds ahead of me, starting his 16^th lap. I caught up to him and we chatted a while, before I sped up to a pace I was more comfortable with on the singlespeed. I had problems on this lap with my rear wheel slipping out of the dropout, and John passed me back as I was fixing it one of several times, and we chatted a bit more before he continued on his mission to secure 2^nd place. These silly mechanicals were no longer frustrating at this point, just nice opportunities to take a break. I think it was the same lap that I passed a rider who was running with a chainless bike. “Lemme guess, no chaintool?” to which he replied, “Nope, but don’t worry, I don’t mind running.” I started to keep riding before thinking to myself, man this guy has a long way to run. I pulled over and fixed his broken chain for him. I just hope it didn’t break again!

I completed lap 17. I had matched my feat set here 2 years ago, only with a different bike setup and a faster time. Now it was time to best that feat and complete 18 laps. At 23 hours 41 minutes  I crossed the finish line and called it a day. John had started his 18^th lap just minutes before I arrived and I was pretty sure he wouldn’t turn a 20 minute lap to start a 19^th lap so at high noon Sunday afternoon, I was the official winner. 19 laps was not out of the question. Physically and mentally I still had it in me, but there was no sense in causing any more damage than I had to.

Another epic race, another epic victory. Hopefully, many more to come.

Thanks be to God, for whom all glory is due, for I am nothing without Him. Thanks to my pit crew, Colleen and her cousin Christie who just moved to Austin from Connecticut. These ladies supported me without end and were crucial to my success. Patty B and Mike Pawlik also helped out mechanically when they could. Thanks to Dennis Lozano’s girlfriend who brought the Mr. Gatti’s pizza that revived me in my hour of exhaustion. Thanks to Proud Mary, who, although gave me some hiccups, pulled through and showed what a tough, efficient steed she is and rode away with her second 24 hour win. Thanks to all my sponsors, for this particular race most notably Puresport who provided liquid nutrition, Performance Wellness for providing pre and post race physical therapy and massage, and Bobcat13 Photography for coming out and shooting photos. I’d also like to thank my new shop sponsor, East Side Pedal Pushers. Owner Lee Gresham gave me a great deal and shop use to get the Dark Knight setup for the race. Thanks also to you, my readers. All you guys are awesome! Now, time for me to get some more food, and more rest!! Til next time,

Caveman

Race stats:

lap splits/results  here: http://redbarnsystems.com/timer/24hourrh.asp

18 laps 23 hours 41 minutes

1st place Expert Male

1st place Singlespeed

Fastest Solo lap (1:00:28)

each lap ~10.1  miles, 182 total miles*

each lap ~900 ft elevation gain = 16,200 ft total*

consumed about 12 full bottles of Puresport, at 120 calories each = 1500 calories

about 10 full caveman bars which I estimate to be 250 calories each

1/2 lb Turkey, 1 lb of strawberries, 1 lb of grapes, 4 bananas, some apples, 3 pcs of pizza, and a good 30 ounces of Odwalla “Monster B”

In the end, I was probably a bit undernourished, but my day to day “Caveman” diet and lifestyle more than accounted for my nutritional requirements.  I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. There is no other better way of eating than the Paleo diet. For me, this race was ultimate proof. Except for that 5am moment of exhaustion, I didn’t feel hungry or lacking energy, and in fact, that moment was probably more induced by lack of sleep

*I do not use a heart rate monitor, power meter, Garmin, or computer, so I cannot provide any of those stats in case you were curious. The course numbers listed above are from other racers who do.

Hello friends.  Been MIA since getting back to Austin. Been taking care of some business. Cleaning house, selling stuff, fixing bikes, playing on the internet at coffee shops, and staying hungry. Yes, hungry. Not only for Tex Mex and copious amounts of caveman fare (since I’ve been training a lot), but also for what I’ve been training for: 24 hours of Rocky Hill. I had already committed the cardinal sin of assuming i’d be the favorite for this race and things would go my way. I was looking forward to it, but my head wasn’t where it needed to be. Luckily, I ran into a good friend and fellow athlete at the therapist’s office yesterday while getting a tune up. A strong 24 hour racer himself and likely threat should he attend (he’s doing Xterra worlds in Kona instead), he told me of another racer that will be in attendance that should give me a run for the money. I fully trust that he will, and I hope he does. I hope he’s not the only racer that puts up a fight either. The world champ could show up for all I care. That would be awesome. I’m never one to back down from a challenge. In the end, if I fall short, then I fall short. As long as i left it all out there and made minimal mistakes, I’ll be satisfied. After all, it’s not where you’re going, it’s how you get there. You know, Rocky didn’t win his first match with Apollo Creed. But he sure made one hell of a statement. In the meantime, I’m waking up to “Eye of the Tiger” downing 4 raw eggs for breakfast, doing my workouts, and getting plenty of rest. The moment of truth approaches… The man who does the most laps in 24 hours will be given a 1st place trophy come 1pm this Sunday, but everyone who even attempts the race is a winner in my book. Stay hungry, fight the good fight.
Caveman

P.S. If you are in the Austin/Bastrop area this weekend and have nothing to do, drive on out to Rocky Hill ranch near Smithville and watch the race. Bring some beer, firewood, and a tent to enjoy the overnight festivities and see what this 24 hour racing stuff is all about. We’re not crazy, just different…ok ,maybe we’re a little crazy…

Colleen and I are back in Texas from our Colorado trip, both sadly and joyfully. It’s funny how people change. I’ve always been such a hard core Texan, and never thought I’d hear myself say I’d be sad to come back to Texas, but my trip to the Rockies was just spectacular. Near the end of the trip though, I started getting used to the scenery and the altitude and it was almost as if I were a local there. It also began to get really cold. We even had snow in Crested Butte our last day there. This was when I began to remember all the good things Austin has.  I’m still getting pictures posted to my photobucket account. You can check them out here. Click the sub albums for each different day.

On another note, it is rather interesting not returning to work for the first time since I graduated college. Got plenty of stuff to keep me busy, but no deadline for it all. I could get used to this relaxed way of life. We all float on…

Hello all. I’ve been vacationing in Colorado the past week. Tonight Colleen and I are staying with good friend Shonny V. in Durango and I’ve a little time to write and post some pics. Our trip has been nothing short of spectacular. After 5 days at altitdude I’m starting to adapt and the riding is getting much easier and a lot more fun. The horse gulch trails that I was able to hit up from Shonny’s place near downtown were an absolute blast. Weather has been amazing. Fall foliage has been brilliant. Tent camping has been excellent. Travel has been very scenic. Wildlife looks tasty. Actual eating fare has been delicious. I honestly don’t have much desire to go back home, yet. A little norther cold front coming in overnight might change my mind though. Colleen posted a bunch of pics on my photobucket account somewhere, but I’m too lazy to pull them up. Enjoy these instead. Hope all is well.
Greg

What a week it has been following Labor Day. I have decided sometime in the near future I will be leaving my beloved racing team of over four years. It was a tough decision, but one I felt needed to be made. There have been lots of little pesky items on my mind for a while, but in the end, I truly feel the need for change. I feel as as if the team has done everything it can to develop me as the athlete I am today. Looking back, I have grown from a lowly sport racer to racing among the fastest mountain bikers in the state. A midpack Cat 5 road racer to a strong Cat 3. A fearful force in the Xterra age group. A beginner Cross racer to hanging with some of the best in the state. I’m looking upwards now. Getting a Pro license in MTB, moving up to a Cat 1 or 2 on skinny tires and Cross racing, and a Pro license in Xterra. It is time for me to look beyond grassroots racing and towards associations that can help me achieve these higher goals.  I have no idea what those new associations will be, but I will when the time is right. It has been an absolute honor representing NRC/Pedalmasher (now NRC/Kona) and I wish the team the very best. Colleen will remain on the team, so in reality, I will still be very much a part of the team too.

Racing is not life though, and that news if dwarfed by the talk I had with my architecture firm Thursday. They have decided to disband effective October 1, which means I will sort of be out of work. The news didn’t really come as a surprise. Times really are tough in this profession and they finally caught up with us. I enjoy my work there, but the recent slow pace along with other life happenings (keep reading!) have had me thinking about finding new work anyways. My boss here in Austin has offered to keep me on as part time contract work, and I will probably accept this until I can transition into something new.

Work comes and goes, and that news is further dwarfed by the really big announcement. Colleen and I are engaged!! Yes, despite warnings from my brother and bachelor friends to not do such a silly thing, there comes a time in a caveman’s life when he has to take the leap and throw his woman over his shoulder. My time happened to be Friday night. We’ve been dating since January 2008. She’s been there with me through all the times-good and bad. We go together like peas and carrots, and I’m not sure why peas and carrots go together, but they just do! I love this woman with all my heart and I look forward to our life adventures together. Neither one us knows when or where the wedding will be, so don’t ask. You’ll get an invite if you’re in the “cool” crowd. I’m kidding, but seriously, three days into our engagement and this question is already getting old!

So, the culmination of all these events has led to another pretty big decision. Colleen and I will be moving to Colorado. After visiting Breckenridge this summer for a killer bike race, we both fell in love with what Colorado has to offer. We were initially thinking Breckenridge, but are leaning a little more towards Durango now. We’re taking a 9 day trip at the end of September to visit lots of cities and get a better feel for where we want to be. Don’t be sad that we’re leaving though! We’re full blooded Texans and not so sure we can dish out the cold winters there. Not sure we could fully leave behind all our great Texas friends and family either. Since we both own property in Austin, our goal is to find some land we can build a cabin on, live there in the warmer months, than scoot back down to Texas when the daily high starts to hover around 35 degrees. Hopefully we rent out the cabin to skiers and such so that we’re never really having to pay more than one mortgage at a time. So, what Texas lacks in moderate climate and neverending places to ride mountain bikes, Colorado makes up for. But what Colorado lacks in Texas hospitality and social atmosphere, Austin makes up for. Sounds to me like the best of both worlds. Don’t know how well it will work out with employment and finances and such, but I don’t care. Where there’s a will, there’s a way. It is what our hearts desire and even if we have to take on jobs as loggers and waitstaff, so be it. Life is too damn short to let things hold back your dreams. It is time to quit the rat race, and move on to places where time is measured in sunrise and sunset.

This wraps up my news. If you currently contact me through my work email account, I’d ask that you switch to my personal email at aardvark31@juno.com . You can always keep up to date through the blog as well. One last note, I’m not moving to Colorado tomorrow, so no need for goodbyes at this point. We might not make it there until the spring snow melt, but who knows? Just keep in touch, as I will try my best as well. Thanks for checking in. If you’ve got dreams that are being hampered by fear or uncertainty, quit worrying and start doing! There is plenty to think about, but nothing to worry about.

Cheers,
Greg

You can’t learn if you don’t lose.

In true tri-dork fashion, here is the race recap in stats:

• In the water (which was listed as 1500 meters, but judging by my cartography skills and other seasoned racers’ account, it might have been closer to 1700m): 40:37
• On the 40k bike:  1:05:39 (22.7 mph)
• On the 10k run:  47:01 (a 7:35/mile pace)
• 2:37:58 Finish time
• 248 of 1051 overall
• 24 of about 80 in the Men 25-29 age group
• Number of hours spent training on time trial bike since the Couple’s Tri on July 12: about 1
• Number of hours spent running since the Austin Xterra: also about 1, maybe 2
• Number of hours spent swimming since the Austin Xterra: again, I think maybe 1

And now for a translation. I found out early last week that I was able to secure an entry to the race through a Sponsor (thanks Puresport!). It was not originally on my calendar, therefore I did not prepare for it in any way. Since I had never done an olympic road tri and wasn’t even planning on doing this race, I didn’t really have any goals for it, other than to “finish it as fast as possible”. This lackadaisical attitude was reflected in my lackluster result.

I would like to blame the poor result on the lack of preparation and not enough rest the week before and not having all that fancy bike equipment lots of folks were sporting, but truthfully, I just got it handed to me. Being in the water for so long robbed me of a lot of power on the bike, not to mention I’m just not very accustomed to the machine yet.  I didn’t settle into a good rhythm until maybe the last 10k of the ride. I wanted a top bike split bad, though, so I burnt a lot of matches trying to get it. ( I only ended up with the 101 ranked bike split) This set me up for a pretty painful 10k run, in the escalating late morning heat. I felt a stitch coming on in the right rib cage and tried to belly breath it out, but my diaphram and lungs would have none of it. It was that same asthmatic feeling I encountered at the Arkansas Xterra after exiting 89 degree bath water! Taking lots of little baby breaths was all I can manage, so I pretty much ran the whole 10k this way. I slowed to a walk at all of the water stations so I didn’t choke on the water from breathing so fast, but apparrently I was well hydrated because nature called after the second water stop. Luckily, there was a park restroom right there, so I made a much needed pit stop. This brought a little relief and the pace picked up until about a mile to go. I had hit the 2 1/2 hour mark in the race and this is historically the point at which my muscle energy stores deplete at this level of exercise without replenishment. Sure enough, I felt that emptiness start to settle in. Unlike days of old though, where I’d completely bonk and be forced into a walking pace in a situation like this, I just had to slow it down a little til the finish.

Athletes that I can handily beat at Xterras, XC, or even the local derby or crit races  showed me what this road triathlon thing is all about, handily defeating this first timer on their home turf.  I’m not gonna lie. It hurt, and it really wasn’t that much fun. Just look at the seriouness and determination in the faces of the top racers in the post race photos. You won’t see many smiles except at the finish line. That’s the only time the pain ends.

Despite the lack of fun, there is something about it that makes me want to come back for more. Sure, mankind’s competitive nature will always have him duking it out against his rivals, but unlike team sports or road/MTB racing, the beauty of this sport is that you don’t have to. Sometimes the enemy is yourself. There is this struggle for the next PR (Personal Record), this constant desire to improve your performance, your technique, your sportsmanship, and in the end your health. That’s what any sport should be about.

This effectively ends triathlon season, although I will be going to Comfort this weekend for an offroad Duathlon. Hopefully, the waterless off road terrain will play a bit more to my strengths! Thanks for reading.