Ford Ironman 70.3 Oceanside, California

The pressure started to mount about a week ago. I was having moments where I couldn't wait for the race, and then other times where I wished I hadn't even registered. My training for the last few months hadn't turned out like I planned due to some sickness and a bit over over training. To top things off the weather was not going to be too favorable. The forecasted air temps were in the low 60s, overcast and the water was going to be about 58 degrees. Come on...I picked San Diego because the weather is suppose to be sunny and warm .

Friday came and we loaded up with the Stubbs for the drive down. When we arrived in Oceanside it was definitely cooler than I had planned; I couldn't stop thinking about how cold it was going to be coming out of the water and getting on the bike. It was at this point that I thought....the upside of the cooler weather is that maybe I'll be hypothermic half way through the swim and not have to finish. I'm pretty sure everyone could tell that I was a bit nervous.

Race morning came and I was surprisingly calm. Once I got to the transition area to setup I had forgotten about being nervous and was now super pumped. There was rad music playing and over 2000 competitors hustling to get ready. My swim wave started at 6:50 and to be honest I didn't even think about the 58 degree water. In fact most people said I was crazy for wearing a sleeveless wetsuit but I was plenty warm. The swim went well but I wished I hadn't been so conservative. Finished the swim in just under 40 minutes.

Then onto the bike...I started out feeling pretty sick with a belly full of salt water but my stomach calmed after a few miles. The first half of the 56 mile course was fairly flat and I was averaging around 22 to 24 mph, I started to get kind of excited because I thought I would beat my expected time. Then I hit the 2nd half of the bike course and it was all downhill (my performance, not the course profile). I was behind on my hydration and had to force myself to eat. On top of the course being a bit more hilly the wind had picked up. My average speed dropped and I ended up finishing the bike course in a little over 3 hours. This is not meant to be an excuse for not riding faster but I was blown away by the other competitors bikes, most of the bikes I saw had wheel sets that were more expensive than my whole bike.

The transition from biking to running was interesting due to the fact that my stomach was not happy. Nothing went down easy but I kept drinking and eating so I would have enough gas to finish. I pretty much suffered through the run and only averaged about a 10 minute mile with a run split of 2 hours 13 minutes.

Total time with transitions was 6 hours 11 minutes. I was slightly disappointed because I was hoping to break 6 hours but hey it was my first one and I learned tons. I did have some interesting thoughts while on the course; I had a few moments of intense gratitude that I was capable and had the opportunity to participate in an event like this. And even as much as I suffered at different points during the race I found myself feeling almost sad that it was over towards the end.

Anthony sure has had some good exposure on the Harber's blog lately; I fully expect 10% of his earnings if he's discover by this photo:

This one's even better because it makes him look like a giant:



It may not be for a few more years but I do see a full Ironman in my future. I would like to leave you with my opinion that racing and/or suffering in any epic event such as this will bring much joy into your life. Now get out there and find something to register for! Oh yeah http://www.active.com/ is a great place to find all kinds of events in your area.

Speed Racer & Local Spot to Score

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I don't know what's better the one piece race suit or the gold helmet. On top of looking the part this sucker has skills on the track; lets just say there were new records set last night at the Las Vegas Mini Gran Prix. I'm still not sure why the track operator was unhappy when Anthony did his victory doughnut through the grass after his lap, isn't that what all the big Nascar guys do?

We then headed to an old Vegas favorite Luv-It Frozen Custard; not ice cream...Custard! The location across from the Stratosphere couldn't be more perfect, you can satisfy that sweet tooth and then score some crack across the street. And if cracks not your thing you can head over to one of the hourly motels or just get married at one of the ten wedding chapels in the area. Hey you can't beat the custard and if you don't step on an old needle in the parking lot it's well worth the trip.

A Result of Paying Tithing!

Yesterday was one of the best days ever. I had just gotten back from the Saturday road ride and was doing a bit of cleaning up in the garage. Matt (the hero of the day) rode over to throw his bike on the stand and do a little maintenance. After he was done he headed home; after a few minutes he returned and said that he thought he saw my bike that had been stolen in a garage down the street. I bolted down the street and saw that beautiful green Surly pony sitting there. I didn't even knock on the door, I just swooped it!

I got back to my house and realized that this sucker was just on the other side of the street only about 5 doors down, I had to go back to find out who the bike thief was. The people that answered claimed they had moved in only two weeks ago and that the bike was there when they moved in. Either way I was just glad to have it back.

Huge thanks again to Matt with the eagle eye!

Oh yeah...scroll down a bit to check out the post from the Tucson 24 Hour Race.

Weber State Star

This is my little sis...when she's not dunkin she's making shots like this. Look out MJ!

24 Hours in the Old Pueblo

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Does riding your bike in circles for 24 hours sound like a good idea? Yeah I don't know who came up with this idea but he/she is crazy sucker! Even though this race was a little out of my league I had to take the opportunity to ride with Racer's Sabrosa Cycle team. Maybe someday their speed will rub off on me.

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Last Thursday we started the voyage down to Tucson. I say voyage because it took us about a day and a half to get there. We had a stop in Phoenix where we stayed Thursday night, and then visited every Home Depot on the way out of Phoenix Friday morning. The Home Depot trip was with the intent of purchasing a propane heater due to the freak weather we were about to encounter. When we finally got to the race site it was snowing/raining; it's super fun setting up camp in weather like this:

Needless to say to say I wasn't super pumped about the weather. The race was going to be epic enough without snow and freezing weather. Lucky for us the bike gods were nice enough to show show some kindness and let the sun out right before the start of the race. I felt bad for the guys that had the first lap; everyone was outfitted with gear to ride in subarctic conditions. The rest of the race was clear skys and almost warm weather.

The course was perfectly fitted for a 24 hour race. and with the recent rain it was hard packed and fast. The course was 16 miles of mostly single track through super thick cactus; it sounds ridiculous but I've never seen that much cactus. I witnessed a couple of unfortunate suckers that took corners too fast on the night laps and ended up in a cactus bed; not fun!

I'll tell you what really made the race, our support crew was amazing! Shea and "The Tammer" were top notch. These guys did just about everything for us; big thanks again to the support crew.

We ended up doing pretty well, 13th place out of about 140 teams in the 4 man open class. I've promised to bring faster lap times next year if they'll have me back so I've got to get myself in shape. Below is how the hardcore racer takes his shower, I on the other hand treated myself to the shower trailer.

Right after the finish we packed up and head back. I knew it was going to be a long drive back so I celebrated with a 2 lb bag of peanut M & Ms, raspberry filled powder doughnuts, and a 4 pack of Full Throttle. I don't think the human body is meant to have that much caffeine and sugar in one sitting. I have to apologize if I was a bit out of control on the ride back; it was the Full Throttle talking. Below is the best way to describe the way you feel after riding a 24 hour race and then getting the car for 8 hours:

Thanks again to everyone that helped make the weekend happen; I'm already looking forward to next year!

Catalina Buffalo Run

Last Friday we made the trip down to southern California for the Buffalo 1/2 marathon on Catalin Island. Our running crew included John (Laura's brother), Jesse, Baker, and myself. The support team included Laura, and Paul & Nola Harber. Laura was super disappointed that she couldn't run due to an injury (or was that a story fabricated to cover something else?) but she's on the road to recovery.






It was already going to be a pretty epic race due to the fact that the course was so tough, but for Jesse and Baker it was ultra intense because it was their first 1/2 marathon. As you can see on the course profile it's a consistent climb for the first 5 miles, oh yeah and in those first 5 miles you climb almost 1600 feet. There's really nothing I can say to describe how gnarly it was; all I remember was that every time you thought you were reaching the summit you would round the corner and it just kept going strait up. Needless to say it was a painful one!

Althought it was one of the most difficult races I've done it was compensated by the fact that it was absolutly beautiful. The majority of the race was on fire roads through the interior of the island; we had amazing views of the ocean and the weather was perfect. Everyone did great with strong finishes. The good thing for Jesse and Baker is that with this being their first half marathon everything else will almost seem easy.

Saturday afternoon we headed back to Newport and hung with the Jones and the Morphys. We had some amazing Califoriental food; I don't know if it was exceptionally good or I was just really hungy. Either way it hit the spot. The other highlight to the trip was seeing our friend's kids. Baker and Matt are always one step ahead in the game of life; I'll be there someday guys.

I had to laugh at this picture, it's similar to the one at the top of the page but this is after the race. We're still smiling, but it's pretty obvious that we're beat. One of the things I love the most about these events is the addictiveness. On the boat ride back and the drive home there was a ton of planning for the next race.


Get out there and register for a race, any race...it's the ultimate motivator!

Awesome clip from UTI race

2004 Olympics triathlon silver medalist Bevan Docherty of New Zealand lives up to his motto of "He who wants it most wins!" Here, he sprints from behind to clutch victory from the grasp of compatriot Kris Gemmell at the 2005 New Plymouth ITU World Cup triathlon.

I was so pumped after watching this clip that I had to go for a run. Some day I'll be passing suckers like that on the course. Ha Ha