Saturday, April 19, 2008
Friday, April 18, 2008
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Monday, April 14, 2008
Ironman Arizona - Not a perfect race, but I raced perfectly
Ironman number 10 has come and gone. My body is still sore and my appetite is ENORMOUS!
Barry D. and I arrived at the race site just after 5:00 AM. We were both glad to see that there were so many people already in transition. To me that indicated that there were a lot of veterans in the field. Arriving early makes for a less stressful day. All in all, it took us a good amount of time to check our gear bags, quadruple checking our bikes, and generally going through everything one more time.
The swim start at IMAZ is a wide and relatively gentle one. A single loop in Tempe Town Lake, we swim into the rising sun. Sighting on the buoys was made easier with some FAB new TYR Nest Pro Metalized goggles. After a few bumps and grinds I found some clear water to swim in. A few zig-zags and I was finally swimming straight. It wasn't until after the turn that I found my rhythm; a little long, but it didn't really hurt my time too much.
T1 was about normal for me. There is a 500 meter dash from the water to the gear bags. I didn't dilly-dally in the change tent, but still my time was almost 7 minutes. Where and how to find those lost minutes?
The bike course at IMAZ is a combination of urban and desert; approximately 1/3 urban and 2/3 desert. The urban section is relatively flat with a lot of 90 degree turns. The desert section is a long slow rise to the turn around; basically a false flat with a little hill at the end. With 30K winds in your face the false flat didn't seem very false :) Those long hours on the Computrainer paid off. I kept aero and kept peddling and passed lots of studly young guys and very expensive bikes. The pay off was the return trip; On that long slow downhill I maxed out at 52KPH. For most of the trip back to town I was able to keep my speed over 40KPH.
My only complaint about the bike course was the lack of volunteers at the aid stations. There just didn't seem to be enough of them. The aid stations tended to be messy and I had to stop a couple of times to make sure I got the food and drink that I needed. At one aid station I flew head-over-handlebars coming to an unexpected stop.
If the bike course is relatively flat, the run course is relatively hilly. Lots and lots of small hills and rises as the course winds its way through Tempe Town Park and Pagago Park. In addition to the hills and rises there are three bridges that are crossed a total of 12 times. The organizers reorientated the run course with a nice surprise uphill finish :P I kept my pace nice and steady, but took too much time refueling and lost precious time. In the end I am not sure if I made the right decision; I ran the entire course and passed tons of people walking and looking much worse than I felt. Perhaps next time I'll use my own camelback, a la Jean Lacroix?
I ran up that final hill knowing that I had a new personal best under my belt, 12:33 and ultimately finish in the top 25% of the field. At the finish line was Barry D. and my Mom and Dad (who had survived another Iron-spectator day). Barry had a great race, finishing 3 in his age group and helped me through my post-race wobbliness.
I came to Arizona with hopes of a break through race, but the day is the day that it is. I didn't have that breakthrough race, but I didn't make any major mistakes and in the end I think I raced perfectly.
Many thanks to Barry for sticking around to see me finish and as always, a very big thank you to my parents for showing their support by driving across the continent to watch their son sweat in the "sizzling sun" of Arizona.
2008 Ironman Arizona
Barry D. and I arrived at the race site just after 5:00 AM. We were both glad to see that there were so many people already in transition. To me that indicated that there were a lot of veterans in the field. Arriving early makes for a less stressful day. All in all, it took us a good amount of time to check our gear bags, quadruple checking our bikes, and generally going through everything one more time.
The swim start at IMAZ is a wide and relatively gentle one. A single loop in Tempe Town Lake, we swim into the rising sun. Sighting on the buoys was made easier with some FAB new TYR Nest Pro Metalized goggles. After a few bumps and grinds I found some clear water to swim in. A few zig-zags and I was finally swimming straight. It wasn't until after the turn that I found my rhythm; a little long, but it didn't really hurt my time too much.
T1 was about normal for me. There is a 500 meter dash from the water to the gear bags. I didn't dilly-dally in the change tent, but still my time was almost 7 minutes. Where and how to find those lost minutes?
The bike course at IMAZ is a combination of urban and desert; approximately 1/3 urban and 2/3 desert. The urban section is relatively flat with a lot of 90 degree turns. The desert section is a long slow rise to the turn around; basically a false flat with a little hill at the end. With 30K winds in your face the false flat didn't seem very false :) Those long hours on the Computrainer paid off. I kept aero and kept peddling and passed lots of studly young guys and very expensive bikes. The pay off was the return trip; On that long slow downhill I maxed out at 52KPH. For most of the trip back to town I was able to keep my speed over 40KPH.
My only complaint about the bike course was the lack of volunteers at the aid stations. There just didn't seem to be enough of them. The aid stations tended to be messy and I had to stop a couple of times to make sure I got the food and drink that I needed. At one aid station I flew head-over-handlebars coming to an unexpected stop.
If the bike course is relatively flat, the run course is relatively hilly. Lots and lots of small hills and rises as the course winds its way through Tempe Town Park and Pagago Park. In addition to the hills and rises there are three bridges that are crossed a total of 12 times. The organizers reorientated the run course with a nice surprise uphill finish :P I kept my pace nice and steady, but took too much time refueling and lost precious time. In the end I am not sure if I made the right decision; I ran the entire course and passed tons of people walking and looking much worse than I felt. Perhaps next time I'll use my own camelback, a la Jean Lacroix?
I ran up that final hill knowing that I had a new personal best under my belt, 12:33 and ultimately finish in the top 25% of the field. At the finish line was Barry D. and my Mom and Dad (who had survived another Iron-spectator day). Barry had a great race, finishing 3 in his age group and helped me through my post-race wobbliness.
I came to Arizona with hopes of a break through race, but the day is the day that it is. I didn't have that breakthrough race, but I didn't make any major mistakes and in the end I think I raced perfectly.
Many thanks to Barry for sticking around to see me finish and as always, a very big thank you to my parents for showing their support by driving across the continent to watch their son sweat in the "sizzling sun" of Arizona.
2008 Ironman Arizona
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Final Countdown to Ironman Number 10
Yikes, here it is ... Ironman Number 10. Who would have thought that I would be doing Ironman, and 10 of them at that. Today, an even shorter swim and bike check-in. After the swim, I picked up my pre-pre-registration for Ironman Arizona 2009. Yes, 2009!!!
Mom, Dad and I walked the mile from the hotel to the race site with my bike and along the way ran into Barry. I got my bike racked and my bags deposited.
Afterwards, ANOTHER walk through the merchandise tent ... this time ... sunscreen for Mom and a new watch for me ... along the way the seal broke and there is a patch of condensation in my watch. The Timex rep was no help; so another 70 bucks for a new watch. ARG!
On the way back to the hotel, the three of us stopped at a groovy Vietnamese restaurant for a nice bowl of rice noodles, veggies, and tofu.
Now, I am going to start my pre-race ritual: shave, bathe, final packing of morning gear, and lie down. I will be up at 3:00 tomorrow.
2008 April 12 - Tempe Arizona - Ironman Check-in
Mom, Dad and I walked the mile from the hotel to the race site with my bike and along the way ran into Barry. I got my bike racked and my bags deposited.
Afterwards, ANOTHER walk through the merchandise tent ... this time ... sunscreen for Mom and a new watch for me ... along the way the seal broke and there is a patch of condensation in my watch. The Timex rep was no help; so another 70 bucks for a new watch. ARG!
On the way back to the hotel, the three of us stopped at a groovy Vietnamese restaurant for a nice bowl of rice noodles, veggies, and tofu.
Now, I am going to start my pre-race ritual: shave, bathe, final packing of morning gear, and lie down. I will be up at 3:00 tomorrow.
2008 April 12 - Tempe Arizona - Ironman Check-in
Friday, April 11, 2008
Quiet day in Tempe Town
Friday is a quiet day in the cycle of Ironman racing. All that can be done, has been done. There is nothing to do but rest, and worry.
Barry and I drove to the Ironman Village for a swim and to pick up a few last minute items in the merchandise tent (me ... a duffel bag for my purchases and another pair of AMAZING goggles). The swim was short and sweet.
In the afternoon I went out to the desert for one last brick: short and sweet again.
The Friday evening before an Ironman race is the carbo-load dinner. Again, Barry and I managed to get near the front of the line, got a great seat in the shade near the jumbotron and listened and watched the ritual unfold. Sitting next to us were a couple of guys from Louisiana. One had completed an Ironman a few years ago, the other, an Iron-virgin. The Iron-virgin has no idea what to expect. In his training he has only drank water. He has never had a gel, a bar, or gatorade. I'm afraid he is in for a rude awakening.
2008 April 11 - Tempe Arizona
Barry and I drove to the Ironman Village for a swim and to pick up a few last minute items in the merchandise tent (me ... a duffel bag for my purchases and another pair of AMAZING goggles). The swim was short and sweet.
In the afternoon I went out to the desert for one last brick: short and sweet again.
The Friday evening before an Ironman race is the carbo-load dinner. Again, Barry and I managed to get near the front of the line, got a great seat in the shade near the jumbotron and listened and watched the ritual unfold. Sitting next to us were a couple of guys from Louisiana. One had completed an Ironman a few years ago, the other, an Iron-virgin. The Iron-virgin has no idea what to expect. In his training he has only drank water. He has never had a gel, a bar, or gatorade. I'm afraid he is in for a rude awakening.
2008 April 11 - Tempe Arizona
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Registration - Complete
Thursday is the opening of the Ironman Village and Race Registration. Barry and I made our way to the Gatorade Swim for 7:00 and were some of the first people in the water. No groovy gatorade-green bottles :-( but the swim was good. After the swim we sat around the 'village' waiting for the merchandise tents to open. I zipped down to Starbucks for a white mocha; when I returned, the commerce had begun.
I picked up the technical gear I needed at Inside-Out Sports and the souvenirs at the North American Sports merchandise tent. The NA Sports tent has expanded and now has on-site reps from Tyr, Blue Seventy, Fuel Belt, etc. I picked up a new pair of goggles and some poly swim trunks from Tyr.
Registration opened at 10:00 and again Barry and I were at the front of the line. We got through with no fuss made one my loop through the 'villiage' and were on our way back to the hotel by 11:30.
The rest of the day I spent doing errands, including driving to the far end of the city to pick up a tripod and hiking pants.
Late in the afternoon, my old friend David Soda and his partner, Brendan, arrived in town on their way to Tuscon. They joined Mom and Dad and me for dinner at a friendly Mexican restaurant called 3 Margaritas.
Bed by 9:30.
2008 April 10 - Tempe AZ
I picked up the technical gear I needed at Inside-Out Sports and the souvenirs at the North American Sports merchandise tent. The NA Sports tent has expanded and now has on-site reps from Tyr, Blue Seventy, Fuel Belt, etc. I picked up a new pair of goggles and some poly swim trunks from Tyr.
Registration opened at 10:00 and again Barry and I were at the front of the line. We got through with no fuss made one my loop through the 'villiage' and were on our way back to the hotel by 11:30.
The rest of the day I spent doing errands, including driving to the far end of the city to pick up a tripod and hiking pants.
Late in the afternoon, my old friend David Soda and his partner, Brendan, arrived in town on their way to Tuscon. They joined Mom and Dad and me for dinner at a friendly Mexican restaurant called 3 Margaritas.
Bed by 9:30.
2008 April 10 - Tempe AZ
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Tempe and Sedona
A relatively quiet day here in Tempe. Up early and off to the ASU pool complex. Good swim. Feeling great in the water; tomorrow I will swim in Tempe Town Lake.
A buddy from Ottawa just happened to be in Tempe this week for a yoga workshop. We took a drive up to Sedona for the afternoon. It is always so lovely there. Once we got to Sedona, we decided to check out the many vortexes that are advertised; and whent to an info-centre type of place. We learned that 'vortexes' are magnetic anomolies int he area and had a fun time with a high pressure time share salesman.
The weather sucked and neither of us had the right clothes, so we boogied back to Phoenix.
After dinner I went for a walk down to the race site with Barry-Konaexpress-Dmitric.
Ciao for now.
2008 April 9 - Sedona and Tempe
A buddy from Ottawa just happened to be in Tempe this week for a yoga workshop. We took a drive up to Sedona for the afternoon. It is always so lovely there. Once we got to Sedona, we decided to check out the many vortexes that are advertised; and whent to an info-centre type of place. We learned that 'vortexes' are magnetic anomolies int he area and had a fun time with a high pressure time share salesman.
The weather sucked and neither of us had the right clothes, so we boogied back to Phoenix.
After dinner I went for a walk down to the race site with Barry-Konaexpress-Dmitric.
Ciao for now.
2008 April 9 - Sedona and Tempe
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Tempe "Hot and sizzling sunshine"
Well, its day three here in Tempe Arizona. Bike is all tuned up and ready to go; and so am I.
I've been for three bike rides, three runs and a swim; and I am feeling great.
The sunshine and warm weather are so good for the soul.
The North American Sports people arrived today and have started setting up the race site: port-a-potties in place, tents being set up. In a few days it will be a hive of activity and consumerism. This year I am making an attempt to not get caught up in the orgy of spending that usually comes with an Ironman race.
A friend from Ottawa is in Phoenix for a yoga conference; we may take a ride up to Sedona.
2008 April 08 Tempe Arizona
I've been for three bike rides, three runs and a swim; and I am feeling great.
The sunshine and warm weather are so good for the soul.
The North American Sports people arrived today and have started setting up the race site: port-a-potties in place, tents being set up. In a few days it will be a hive of activity and consumerism. This year I am making an attempt to not get caught up in the orgy of spending that usually comes with an Ironman race.
A friend from Ottawa is in Phoenix for a yoga conference; we may take a ride up to Sedona.
2008 April 08 Tempe Arizona
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Safe and Sound
Everything went smoothly on the journey down. There was a little hiccup in Philadelphia (the flight was oversold) but I did get on the plane and arrived in Phx none the worse for wear.
I paid a small fortune for my bike and overweight luggage and was warned that the airlines are restricting luggage allowances even more.
The bike box worked well, although the wheels do have a mind of their own; which made maneuvering it a bit of a challenge.
My plans for today are simple: put the bike together, ride the course and go for a run. I need to figure out how my legs work on the road.
Oh, and by the way, the temperature today is going to be 30C and of course, SUNNY.
I paid a small fortune for my bike and overweight luggage and was warned that the airlines are restricting luggage allowances even more.
The bike box worked well, although the wheels do have a mind of their own; which made maneuvering it a bit of a challenge.
My plans for today are simple: put the bike together, ride the course and go for a run. I need to figure out how my legs work on the road.
Oh, and by the way, the temperature today is going to be 30C and of course, SUNNY.
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