The Strenuous Life

K-Swiss K-Ruuz Shoe Review

2011-09-04T18:10:00.054-05:00

I was looking around last year for a new pair of running shoes and came across the new K-Swiss K-Ruuz's. I read several articles about them in the Tri magazines that I get and being that I dabble occasionally in Tri's, I was really interested. I am not your average follow the normal path that others follow kind of guy and I knew there was something about these shoes that intrigued me. I knew that K-Swiss had sponsored people like Mirinda Carfrae and Andreas Raelert to name a few pro triathletes, but other than that, I just knew them as a tennis shoe company that had been around for awhile. Nobody here in Tulsa carries these shoes, so I knew that I would have to take a risk and order them online. I do not like to buy shoes that I have not tried on, but I found a deal at runningwarehouse.com that offered free returns, so I thought, why not. So, this is my review.
I entered in my information to their website and two days later, this appeared on my door step. Runningwarehouse.com has awesome two day free shipping and two days later I was the proud owner of a pair of K-Swiss K-Ruuzs.
The box itself is pretty cool. I normally run in New Balance and they have a pretty plain looking brown box, but this actually had colors and I like the K-Swiss logo.
This view of the box made me feel like I was back in grade school and I was buying a new pair of tennis shoes. There is nothing wrong with that as it brought back great memories as child. I like old school!
The shoe itself is an attention getter. It screams, "Look at Me"! The patriotic color pattern is awesome with the three colors of the red, white, and blue perfectly blended together. I remember running the Mother Road Half Marathon last year and when I went through a small town in Kansas, a guy on the sidelines yells out, "It's all about the shoes"!
The main view from the outer side is the blue, which I think was a good choice, versus having the white as the outer.
The white inside is fine, but it definitively is not an attention getter by itself. Put all three together and it works.
The bottom of the shoe continues with the Red, White, and Blue scheme. This is a racing flat through and through. Who needs wimpy gels or cushioning?
This shoe is made to breathe easy, wick away moisture, and transition easy from the bike to the run. Ease and speed is this shoe's mantra.
From the front it looks like a bad dude coming at you. It reminds me of the Ford Raptor that comes at you and looks like something out of a Maximum Overdrive movie.
The front mesh is very breathable and allows for sockless running.
As you can see, this is like wearing a sock with a piece rubber on the bottom. Nothing as serious as Vibrams, but this is built for speed.
Very, very breathable. A lot of daylight comes through this shoe.
My last pair of road running shoes were the Asics Hyper-Speeds. A very good shoe worn by Ryan Hall. They were decent shoes, but the K-Swiss looks better. The Asics were very plain.
The close up of the back of the Asic shoe shows that you are not getting very much under your heel.

In comparison, the K-Swiss has a 20mm heel and 10mm drop from heel to toe. They still have a slight drop and are not like the newer shoes that are having no or very little heel drop. The weight on this is supposed to be at 7.1 oz's. Very light, but that is the way I like it. So, enough talk, time to take them out for a run.
Don't they look nice? So how did they fair?
Well, after 1,300 miles. Yes, that is correct. 1,300 miles in a racing flat. This is my normal running shoe, not just my racing shoe. I train in this shoe all the time. I do not believe in using a lot of cushioning, but that is another blog.
The biggest issue I had was my big toe ended up blowing through the side. I think the rest of the shoe held up fairly well in spite of all the mileage.
The bottom of the shoe ended having part of the black rubber piece on the heel come off. The rest of it, looked fine. This is the left shoe.
This is a closer view of the heel. Even without this piece, it was fine. I don't want the cushioning anyway.
On the right shoe, the front part of the shoe starting digging a groove into it. This is because I tend to pronate a little bit and I definitively put a little bit more pressure on that spot. It still worked fine.
Inside the shoe, it still looked great. I thought that it would not be built solidly enough with the additional breathability that the shoe has. Kudo's to the team for designing the stitching so that it held up to my 1,300 miles of wear.
Amazingly, the K-Swiss sticker inside the shoe was still intact. A little bit peeled, but still there.
The outside of the shoe still looked good. From this side, it still looked OK. You just can't see the hole on the other side where my big toe was sticking out.
Even the little K-Swiss sticker on the side of the shoe was still there. Amazing shoe.

Overall, I really liked this shoe. It has carried me through treadmill speed workouts, training runs, and from 5K's to Marathons. Yes, I have ran Marathons in these. I probably have ran over 20 races in them if I went back and checked. I would recommned this shoe to anyone. Is it for everyone, maybe not? I think if people really dug into the importance of proper footwear selection to maintain full tendon and muscle usage during running, they would check into this shoe and others like it. I would recommend it and I have got great use out of it. A great entry for K-Swiss into the running shoe market.

I guess now, I may have to get a new pair of shoes now or can I get 1,400 miles out them?

Summer Review 2011

2011-08-19T19:17:00.023-05:00

Well, it's been awhile since I last posted. Pretty much the entire summer has passed. This summer has been one of challenges and extreme weather. In June we had one day below 90 and we are currently at least over 45 plus days of above 100 degree weather. As I am writing this, it is 105 and we are only a few weeks from Fall. Needless to say, training has been hard to muddle through in these conditions.

The last post I had was the OKC Half Marathon. A couple of weeks after that, I ran the Full Moon 5K and set a new PR of 18:28. That really hurt. I don't have any pictures as we left the camera at home and realized we did not have it on the way to the race. The race had decent weather, but it was kind of muggy and a lot of speedsters came out. I was really happy with the new PR, but I would still like to get under 18. Is it possible?
During the month of June, my legs pretty much felt dead and I did not do any races. This usually does not happen. I still kept running, but did some cycling and swimming. I thought about doing a Tri, but it never happened. We headed back to Illinois around the 4th of July for vacation and on the 4th, we headed to E. Moline, IL for the Firecracker Run. My legs were not expecting much, but the entire family wanted to do it and who could resist. The race has a 5K and 10K option with the same start time. The 5K is really flat and the 10K is really hilly. Of course I opted for the 10K and everyone else did the 5K. I knew I was not going to be able to have a great race, but I still wanted to get under 40. I managed to squeeze in at 39:57. Not a great race, but with dead legs and hills, I was pleased.
Wyatt ended up 3rd in his age group in the 5K and I was 2nd my age group. We both got a neat little trophy and memories that will last.
After the race it was time to relax. After all, we were on vacation. We spent the rest of the time on the farm, doing very little but chilling. Shannon likes driving the 4-wheeler and I was brave enough to join her. It was a good visit and great time to see my mom and family again. It is a very nice place to do nothing.
At the end of July, I did the Chris Brown Duathlon, 5K run, 30K bike, and 5K run. Race time temps were in the low 80's, nice. Nothing like sweating just standing in place. I ran a decent first 5K with a decent bike, but slowed down on the 2nd 5K. I won my age group by close to 5 minutes, so I was pleased with my time. Phillip West was the overall winner, but ended up getting disqualified for taking his bike out of transition early. I am not for sure what that was about, but it was really strange how it all came down.
Yeah, another mug. I know mugs are cheap, but race director's need to really start thinking outside the box for awards. I still appreciate it and I am glad to get it.
Last weekend was the Riverside 5000. A great race put on by Tulsa Runner and good friend, Trani Matthews. The main concept of the race is to have an elite division that races for money and have an open race for the rest of us. Trani tried hard to talk me into doing the elite race as there was money for the top 3 Masters, but once they announced that it was age graded, I stayed in the open. It would have been neat to race in it, but the winning time was 14:51. I would have finished several minutes later, but I would not have been last.

The open race is kind of the opening of the cross country season for the schools and as you can see, I am up front and I think I am the only one able to shave.
Here I am sprinting towards the finish. I ended up 19th overall, but I was the second Master. Everyone else was a lot younger than me that ended up ahead of me. My final time was 18:43 and Trani was 18:35. I have some work to do, but Trani look out, I am gunning for you! LOL.

Hopefully it will not be so long before I post again. I need to write a review on some running shoes, so maybe this weekend I can squeeze it in. In the meantime, I am thinking about switching back to strictly running in preparation to go sub 3 hrs in the Marathon. That would be pretty cool to do, but I don't know if I can just run? This is my first full week just running and it already driving me nuts. I am used to cycling and swimming and not just running. The jury is still out on this.

I should end up around 60 running miles for the week. Not monumental, but decent for the first full week. I may add a double run one day next week. We shall what happens. The lure of triathlon and the Ironman always looms in the background. It is just too bad I am not that great of swimmer. I need to improve on the bike also, but the swim is where the majority of work is needed. I guess there is always Duathlons? For now, I will just keep putting one foot in front of the other.

OKC Half Mathon Race Report

2011-05-13T18:22:00.006-05:00

Another OKC Marathon has come and gone and I have to say this was the most memorable one for several reasons. First off, I only did the Half Marathon. I know, I know. Throw the popcorn, heave the pop cans, and let the raspberry's fly. I really struggled with not doing the full and felt like a complete wimp for not doing so. So, here are my excuses or reasons why:

1) Easier recovery time to come back and maybe do a Half Ironman or other future races. Sounds like a viable plan.

2) I have been concentrating on short races and have not done many longer runs. That was because of my previous race schedule.

3) I have been running good lately and wanted to PR in the half. Why leave the race disappointed in my Full Marathon time when I could do a good half. Plus, it is a lot less painful.

Whether these are good plans or excuses, let me say that I was so glad that I did not do the Full and here is why.

Just imagine yourself sailing on the high seas with Captain Bligh en-route to find Moby Dick. A storm has blown up and the ship is rocking back and forth, the winds are howling, and it looks like the ship may go down. That is kind of how race day felt. When I got up at 4 am to get ready, the weather was perfect. 54 degrees with light winds. I checked the weather map and it looked like the rain may stay to south of us. After letting the dogs out of the hotel room and loading up the kids, we headed for downtown OKC. We parked in our usual spot. This secret spot is not to be revealed on this blog. I would have to hunt everyone down.

I made it to the corner of the OKC Memorial and got in the port-a-potty and guess what, it started raining. My plan at this point was to stay in the blue port-a-potty portal, hope the rain might pass, and maybe catch a nap, but I decided to brave the elements like a good warrior. As soon as I made it out of the funky, blue water holder, it started to pour rain. Lightning started shortly after and the cold front moved in. Mark Twain once said that everyone complains about the weather, but no one does anything about it. At this point I wanted let the people on the weather channel know how I felt about their great forecast. That language would not be suited for this blog.

We made it over to a Catholic church and found an overhang and tried to stay out of the elements at this point. The front had dropped temps at least 10 degrees and the wind chill felt like I was back in Illinois going around a corner of a building.
I waited my time out and hoped I was not committing some kind of offense against the Pope by using the Church grounds as shelter from the storm. I can honestly say that I never considered just loading back up and heading home. Now, all my family considered that, but I did not. I figured it was only a Half Marathon. That shouldn't be bad.

After waiting around for the start, I ventured out in the rain towards the start line and there was nobody lining up. Now either the race had been canceled or the rapture had just taken place. I was wrong on both accounts. They had moved the start back to 7 AM instead of 6:30, so it was back to an overhang to stay dry. I waited as long as I thought possible and started over to the corral at about 10 minutes till 7. As I started shedding layers of clothes to the Mrs. and headed to the "A" corral, they were just getting ready to shut the gate for the corrals. From that point it was like a Bugs Bunny cartoon to get closer. Excuse me, pardon me, excuse me, pardon me, until I got fairly close to the front. This was one of the longest 10 minutes I ever waited for the race to start. The cold rain was coming down, the wind was blowing, and I was cold. I was ready at this point to set something on fire. The wheelchair racers took off and 5 minutes later it was time for us to go.

I had chosen to wear a singlet and go with the arm panties, in case it warmed up. I can hear laughter from the readers at that thought. Not happening on this day. I had a hard time settling into a good pace. I don't know if it was the weather or watching this guy next me running without a shirt. I figured they would find him later frozen in mid-stride around mile 9.

I saw a local triathlete guy from Tulsa and settled in behind him and realized that he was pacing the 1:30 half group. I went through the first mile in 6:30 and I knew I needed to pick up the pace. In between mile 1 and 2 there are a few hills and that mile was a little slower than planned. Once I got on a flatter section, I sped up. At this point I was dropping sub 6:20 pacing and was really wondering if I was not overdoing it. My tendency is to go out too hard and hang on for dear life. I felt good at this point and decided to go with it. I managed to go through the 10K at around 39:30 and still felt good. The rain was still pounding us and at various points on the course we had a direct wind or a crosswind. It was so nice after the 10K point to turn to the left and head back downtown. I did not have to experience the loneliness of Lake Hefner, let alone the weather. Going out around Hefner always makes me feel like that I have been transported to a remote island and that I am being chased by the local natives. Definitively a creepy part of the race. Glad I wasn't there!

I hit Classen Blvd. and went through the 15K in 59:48. Sub 60 at the Tulsa run will be a piece of cake this year. I started to feel it a little bit in the last 5K, but I was able to maintain a good, solid pace. I knew I just needed to hang on and bring it in strong.

The last portion of the race has some smaller hills, so I kept my cadence up and finally made the turn onto the straight stretch towards home. There were several of us bunched up at that point and some started to take off to sprint towards the finish. I dug down deep and started picking up the pace. I was able to hit some sub 6 minute miles in this last section and when I got close I saw that I was getting close to breaking 1:25. I picked it up a little bit more and finished in a gun time of 1:25 and chip time of 1:24:55. Good enough for 1st in may age group and 28th overall out of over 7,700 runners.

The OKC Marathon is such a special race and the ambiance around it cannot be matched. The reason we run is to remember those who lost their lives during this evil act of terrorism on innocent men, women, and children. Even with the rain, I was glad I did the race and was proud of being a part of something that transcends all human comprehension. This race is ran with the body, but the Spirit is what really comes alive. God bless all the families that were affected on that tragic day.
May God rest their soul.

Spring Fever Tri 2011 Race Report

2011-05-07T13:31:00.021-05:00

When I was a kid the old timers at the pool hall used to say, "better late than never". That may be a good saying for getting to church or maybe a funeral, but I am not sure how it really applies in life. As the minutes go by so are the days of our lives. Or was it like sands through an hourglass? This is bringing back a flashback to my youth of being tortured as a child by this giant hourglass and having to endure an hour of television torture. With three channels to choose from and not much else going on, I went outside. What does this have to do with anything? I am not for sure. All I know is that this is my overdue race report. Better to have finally penned my experience than to have forgotten the times that have passed. That saying would not have went over in the pool hall.
I have done this Sprint once before, but I skipped it the last several years due to doing the OKC Marathon. The races are only a few weeks apart and falls about the same time I need to get my last long run in. This year, the Owasso Tri club had several members participating and had built a lot of excitement around it, so I thought what the heck, I will sign up and do it and maybe just do the half at OKC this year.

The race takes place at the Claremore Rec. Center and starts with a 400 meter swim, followed by a 12 mile bike, and a 2 mile run. This is really too short for me as my swim is my weakest link and it would not leave me enough time to make up on the bike and run. I figured I would give it my best shot and see if I could at least land an age group award. I knew my run would be strong, but I really had no expectations for the swim other than get on dry ground.

Here we are discussing some pre-race strategy before the swim. Really we were just watching the other swims ahead of us and thinking, my swim is not that bad after seeing some of the others.
The race starts a swimmer every 10 seconds based upon what you estimate your swim time to be. I put down 8:40 and thought that was being aggressive. I had not really swam that much over the winter and thought I would be somewhere close to that. A lot of people either don't time themselves or they just lie when they put down their swim time as we saw people ahead of us doing side strokes and back strokes to complete their swim. The swim is a snake swim and you have to duck under the ropes after every lane is completed until you finish. It usually ends up as a cluster somewhere as people bunch up sooner or later.
If you look behind me as I am going up the ropes, their is a guy walking. My understanding was that he walked the entire thing, except where he could not touch and then he did the breast stroke. All I know was that I kept kicking him and told him to go around. I would have thought he would have got tired of me kicking him, but maybe he thought it was part of some weird triathlon ritual. Either way, I think he needs to learn to swim.
Finally made it out and time to head to tranistion area in 9:01. A little over the 8:40 mark. Must have been the King Fu kicks I had to use on my opponent in the pool.

Transition this year was in the shed on the tennis courts. The area itself was quite long and it made our times a little slower. I am not the best at getting in and out fast, so I will need to work on this if I am going to get better.
Made it out on the bike and it was time to head for the hills. Immediately after you leave the expo area, you have a huge hill that goes up by the University. Nothing like making you cry for your Momma before you have a chance to dry off.

On the way out to the turnaround, I was flying past people who had faster swims and I made it to the 6 mile turnaround in 14 minutes. I turned around and all I can say it was like being in a wind tunnel. No wonder I was flying on the way out. The bike times started to drop. I was still able to pass others and did not get passed by anyone. My return to the transition took me 22 minutes. It went from 14 to 22. Brutal winds.
Transition number two heads out the other door for a short 2 mile run. I was feeling good going out and knew I had a pretty good clip going. I didn't have my Garmin, but had a stopwatch on and I did not know how fast I was going. When I made the turnaround, it looked like I hit the first mile in 5:40.
This is the fast and furious Eddie James heading out on his run. Eddie rocked the course and represented the Owasso Tri club well.
Here I am heading back into the finish. I knew I was going to be close to have a 12 minute even split and I came across the line in 12:01 for the 2 mile run. Not bad for an old guy.
Here is Eddie's better half, Sharon heading out on the run. She also rocked the course and got an age group award. I need to get an Owasso Tri suit instead of my Tulsa Triathletes one. Nothing against them, just need to update.
After it was all said and done, I managed a 2nd in my age group and finished 23rd overall in 1:00:54. 22nd best bike and 8th best run. I won't mention the swim.

I had a great time and it is always nice to get an award. The weather overall was nice, but a little too breezy for the bike. That is part of the fun of things of racing no matter what the elements throw at you. I am glad I did the race and hopefully represented the club well.

I now I need to figure out what to do next? I am torn between concentrating on running or maybe do some more Tris? I might even do some cycling? Prayerfully I will figure it out soon as race season is definitely upon us. Results can be found here.

Where Do I Start?

2011-04-16T16:24:00.016-05:00

It's been about 2 months since I have blogged and a lot has went on. First off, I changed jobs and that adjustment has really taken up a lot of my time. I am still working for the same bank, but just in a new capacity. I have went from the night shift to day shift and it has really thrown my schedule off. Getting up at 5 AM to run really stinks. I am used to having my mornings free after getting the kids on the bus. Now I have fit it in where I can. This is after 6 years of working nights that I have to re-adjust. At least I am able to see my kids at night during the week. There is always a positive side to everything.

Since I have last blogged, I have done several races.
In Feb., I did the Sweetheart double run at Mohawk Park. I ran the 5K and then about 40 mins later, ran the 10K. I wanted to race the 5K hard and make the 10K a nice tempo run, but I know once they fire the gun, that all changes. Here I am running with the Kenyans. Not really.
My plan was to try and break 19 minutes in the 5K. As you can see, I barely made it, 18:58. That was the first time I have ever been under 19 minutes. It was an awesome feeling, but I couldn't rest too long as I had to get ready for the 10K. I took off in the 10K at a nice tempo pace and held on to it to finish in 6th place overall. Not bad for after running the 5K. The results can be found here.
Next up was the Post Oak 25K Trail run. I was on the committee for this race last year and was volunteering both days to help keep the aid stations stocked and was unable to run it. This year it was a really cold day with a low level mist raining on us all day. I took off too hard at the first and was in 2nd place for the first 5 or 6 miles. A couple of guys came up behind me and I settled in with them for several miles. After stopping at a couple aid stations, they dropped me and I ended up in 5th place overall. I was pretty happy with my time as it is a really hard course and challenges you throughout.
One of the challenges of the course is that if you get off the trail, you will pay for it. Towards the end of the race, I caught up to some slower 10K runners and had to go off course to get around them and this is what happens. This is part of trail running whether you like or not. Overall it was a great race. The results can be found here.
Next up I did the St. Patrick's Day 5k, but I have no pictures. This one of my favorite races put on by the best running store in Tulsa, Runnersworld. I am fortunate to be on their race team and was glad to be a part of it. This race benefits the Special Olympics and kind of kicks off the Spring racing season. I ran a really good race and set a new PR, 18:45. Can I get closer to 18? Hmmm. Not bad for an old guy. The results can be found here.

The next day I did the Tall Chief Cove Road Race in Skiatook. Not a running race, but cycling. Cycling is a totally different animal and I have experimented a little with it in the past. This was a very hilly course, but I thought I would try it. I am not the lightest guy and I pay for it on the hills.

As we lined up for the start, one of the race officials walks over and says that one of my teammates has his number pinned on wrong and I need to fix it. No problem, I start to fix it and they start telling everyone to line up. What? I just get the last pin in and they start the race. The peloton ends up taking off up the hill before I can even get going. I end up behind the truck and trying to play catch up. I pass a few people on the hill, but the main group is already turning towards the downhill and my race is over before it starts. Once you get out of the draft on a cycling race, it very hard to get back in. A common phrase talks about getting spit out of the back and that is just what happened to me. Needless to say, I was not happy and headed home as soon as the race was over.
Next up was the Lake McMurtry 25K trail run over by Stillwater. I have done this race at least 5 times and look forward to it every year. It is put on by TATUR and is a great time to enjoy the woods and meet up with old friends.
Here is good friend Aaron Ochoa coming in to the finish. Aaron was going to try and run the first loop with me, but once we got to the gravel road, I left him behind. He is a great runner, but he went out too fast on top of his injury.
All the years we have gone to Lake McMurtry, Julie has never ran the race. She signed up for the 12K with the goal of not finishing last and she smoked that easily. Great job!
I have been fortunate enough to be a part of the Owasso tri club and several of the members came over and ran the race. Here is Sharon James and John Stanfield coming in for the finish.
My overall race went well other than a face plant, getting lost, and cramping a bit after the first loop. My goal was to break 2 hrs., but I managed a 2:01:02. This was good enough for 3rd overall and entitled me to a cool trophy. After the race, it was time to relax, eat, and talk about the day. What a beautiful day and race. Results can be found here.

Next up is the Spring Fever Tri in Claremore tomorrow. 400m pool swim, 12 mile bike, and 2 mile run. I am going to try and get under 1 hr, but I think the swim will decide that. I am not the fastest swimmer, but I can get through it. If this goes well, then I will decide what races to do next. Hopefully, I will do better at blogging after this race.

Race Schedule

2011-02-01T21:06:00.013-06:00

As I sit here at work, bored silly, as there is nothing to do but wait for work to come in as we have got almost two feet of snow. This something that people here in Tulsa have a hard time dealing with. Having grown up in Illinois and being used to dealing with this every year, I really don't mind the snow. Some of the things you learn are to drive slower, pay attention, and keep focused. The Tulsa way is to drive too fast, hit every Quik Trip, and leave your vehicle in the road for others to drive around. But this snow is just what I needed to put together most of my race schedule.

I have never sat down and tried to compose a race schedule before and focus in on key races. I have always been a person who trains all the time and just jumps into whatever sounds good at the moment. My first attempt at this was not pleasant as I wrote down so many races that I wanted to do, that it just frustrated me even more that I could not do them all. I know I need to have a plan and commit to some goals and races, but I have never really tried it. I feel like I am going to miss something. Maybe I need a coach to keep me focused? Who knows.

Any way, this is what I have come up with for most of the upcoming year, but not all of it. It is very aggressive and may still not be very realistic and I may have to back off of it. With the addition of being on the cycling team, this has added another whole new dimension to what races I can do. The good thing about cycling races is that you recover a lot quicker from those than Ultras. So here goes:

2/12 - Sweetheart 5K run. This is a goal race to run sub 19. If I don't achieve this, I may add some more 5K's, plus they are offering a 20K after the 5K. Double up time.

2/26 - Post Oak trail run. This is a real tentative deal, but I may run the 25K because of the next weekend plans. I am really struggling with signing up for this one.

3/4 -6 - 360 Sports Cycling camp. Weekend camp with the team for training.

3/12 - St. Patrick's Day 5K. Great race that ushers in the race season in Tulsa.

3/12 - 13 - Salty Cow cycling race in Mannford, OK. The Saturday race is the same day as the 5K, but I think the race is in the afternoon and I could do both. I know the race team will do it.

3/26 - Northwest Arkansas Spring Classic cycling race. Heard it is a great road race.

4/2 - Lake McMurtry trail run. Having done this race 5 times, I will probably do the 25K. Great race by the TATURS.

4/17 - Spring Fever Triathlon. Local sprint race that I may or may not do. Still on the fence about this one.

5/1 - OKC Marathon. I have ran this race 3 times and have never had a really good race. PR of 3:23 on this course. There a lot of special things about this race that keeps drawing me back.

5/22 - Sand Spring Crit cycling race.

6/10 - 12 -Tulsa Tough. Part of the USA Cycling NRC tour events and is a local great race.

6/15 - Speedwheel. Part of the Freewheel across Oklahoma event.

6/20 - Sapulpa Crit cycling race.

7/1 - TATUR Midnight Madness 50 miler. A big maybe. I might do the Leadville Marathon again.

7/24 - Chris Brown Duathlon. This depends on the previous events.

8/14 - 360 Sports Crit race in Owasso. This is a team sponsored event and I will be there.

The rest of the year is undecided, but I may do the Pumpkin Holler race. Also on that list would be the Tulsa Run, Route 66 Marathon, Redman Ironman triathlon, and Branson Ironman 70.3.

As I said before, this is very aggressive and I may have to scale back. It will be interesting to see how much I can adhere to it, let alone, do well at all of this. With my new day shift job, I will be able to run in the mornings and cycle in the evenings. Maybe even throw a swim in every once in awhile. Time will tell how I do, but for now, the sub 19 5K is next on the list.

1-21-11

2011-01-21T11:23:00.002-06:00

After being offline for over a week, due to some Malware that got on our computer, I am now back on line. It really irks me that these people, who have obvious great technical abilities, decide to use it for bad instead of for good. Instead of applying their talent to the greater good of society, they decide to use it for evil. Really a sad story about the demoralization of society. Pretty heavy stuff.

We had our first meeting for the 360 Sports bike team and we have a few races lined up for this year. Some are the obvious ones, like the Tulsa Tough, and some are new, like a new crit race in Owasso in August. I will still run during my time of cycling as my love of running will always be on the forefront for me. I will have to concentrate more on the cycling, but I will still run. I would like to sneak in a few races in this spring or maybe even an Ultra. I will do the Sweetheart run in Feb and attempt to go sub 19 in the 5K. I may also double up and add the 20K for kicks. I am still up in the air with the Post Oak trail run and then I may do the St. Patrick's Day 5K. Other possibilities are Lake McMurty in April or the OKC Marathon in May. We are having our first 360 Sports Tri/Bike club this Saturday and I may change my schedule based upon what the group is doing. I know they are looking at the Leadville 50 in August. That may go on the race schedule.

The biggest news is that I finally got a job to where I can be at home at nights with the family and lead a somewhat normal life. Whatever that is. I have always worked odd shifts throughout my career and for our last six years in Tulsa, I have been on second shift. I will be moving to the Mortgage division of Bank of Oklahoma and be embarking on a new adventure there. This is great news as my current position is slated to be eliminated this summer. God is so good that I do not have to worry about getting downsized, but instead I get a new day shift position with a pay raise. We are so blessed.

There have been some great reads on other blogs, like Geoff Roes, to where people are posting anonymously and are having to be screened. It is great for people to voice their opinions, but it is still hard to not take things personal or really limit who posts on your blog. I understand completely what Geoff has had to do. You check it out here.

This is just a quick update as we have been offline for awhile. Life is such an adventure and I relish what God has planned for us next. Maybe it is time to step out in the ministry? Hmmm.

Two Wheel Fury

2011-01-06T09:47:00.007-06:00

It's official! I have been accepted to be on the 360 Sports cycling team for 2011. 360 Sports bike shop is a locally owned bike shop in Owasso that is ran by a great guy, Jon Ray and his family. They been open a few years and have decided this year to sponsor a race team and when I saw that, I couldn't resist to throw my name in the hat. And to my surprise, I was picked to be on the team.
I don't have a lot of racing experience on bikes. I have done a number of Duathlons and a few Triathlons just to prove that I can survive the water. I am more of a dry ground kind of guy, but I have been known to venture into the water. There is still something about Triathlons that intrigues me for the future. Maybe it is the lure of the Ironman?
I did do the Oklahoma Road Race Championships this last year and managed a 5th overall. This was only because a neutral was called towards the finish because of a crash. I was just getting ready to pass a guy to go into 4th and then go after 3rd, when it got called. Maybe next year.

There is something electric about being in a big group of bikes inches apart going over 20 mph. For me, it is really a big adrenaline rush. The excitement of going fast and the danger of being in a peloton all at the same time is exciting. Where as running is more of a solitary endeavor, cycling truly is a team sport.

So what does this mean for me for 2011, I am not for sure? We have our first meeting next week to discuss the 2011 race calendar and what key races we will target. That will help me plan what goals I will set for for this upcoming race year. My commitment to the team is for a minimum of 5 races to fulfill their requirements. That will not be a problem as I like to race.

So what does this mean, will I not be running this year? Not at all. Running is something that I can never see my self not doing. Even when I will have to concentrate more on cycling to get better, I will still run several times a week. I may even throw in an occasional swim just for kicks. Why, I am not for sure. Once we have the meeting and plan the year, I can make my plans around what commitments they require. In the mean time, this is going to be an awesome year and I look forward to trying something different. After all, that is how we grow to be better than we were the year before.

Ramblings

2011-01-03T10:42:00.014-06:00

It's been awhile since I blogged about anything worth writing about. It is not that a lot has not happened, it is just things have become a blur. Life is so short and every moment so precious, that it becomes harder and harder to be able to do everything you want to do. This means that some pruning of things in my life needs to take place to make sure that the priority things get taken care of. TV is probably the biggest time waster there is. As I was walking by a TV on at the gym today, it said that the average American spends 34 hours a week watching TV. How sad. I know there are several other things that are time wasters, but I know TV is one of the biggest. But, that is enough of that for know as that will be a future blog. So what has been going on?
For the 5th year in a row, I ran the Route 66 Marathon here in Tulsa. With weather conditions here in Oklahoma, you never now what it going to be like. It ended up being muggy and very windy. Hurricane force is how one person described it. Not exactly, but strong enough to slow all the times down. The course was also changed once again this year. I think it is the 4th change in 5 years. I am not for sure why. At least this year they went to corral starts and that allowed me to get out early from the slower runners.

I really like how the new course winds through downtown and gives people an opportunity to see the sites of Tulsa. The actual worst part for me is on Riverside to where it is flat and boring. The problem this year was you hit Riverside going south directly into the wind at about mile 14.5 and had about 6 miles of strong winds. That really took the wind out of my sails or put it in. Pun intended.

I had went through the half at 1:31 and felt pretty good, minus the buckets of sweat pouring off of me because of the humidity. I had wanted to run at least a 3:05, but once I turned on Riverside, my chances started to drop. I tried ducking down behind some of the half marathoners until the turn around, but close to 41st, you are on your own. My splits started dropping down to 7:40 miles and slower at that point. At the turnaround, it was all hang on and just finish. The wind had really beat me up. I held it all together and pulled in a 3:14. Good enough for 18th overall and 2nd in my age group.
Wyatt ran the 5K that was held in conjunction with the Marathon. He managed a 2nd place in his age group. It was a good day at the races for the Dorothy family.
I was on vacation this last week and took the boys ice skating at the BOK Center before it closed for the season. Will had played ice hockey for 3 years and was not impressed with the condition of the ice. I guess they don't know how to use a Zamboni.
This was Wyatt's first time skating and he did really good. He only fell twice. He decided that was enough for the day as we had a race that night. Almost every year we do the Race into the New Year on Riverside. It is a great race put by Runnersworld running store. The best running store in Tulsa and one that I am honored to run for. The concept is to start running in one year and finish in the next. Unless you are Kyle King and run a sub 15 and finish in the same year.

I wanted to race it hard as I had been running good and thought that a sub 19 may be in the cards, but with the wind and the lack of being able to see, it didn't happen. The temps were around 20 degrees and the wind chill was in the low teens. Not bad for Illinois weather, but brutal for Oklahoma weather. At exactly 11:45 the gun sounded and we were off. I let the young guys go ahead and stayed at a steady pace with some of the lead women who were complaining that they could not see the road. Duh, it is almost midnight.

We start on the Westside trail, go up a little incline, head East across the Arkansas river bridge and head south to about 17th Street, turnaround and head home. I was running decent and from what I could tell, I hit the first mile in 6:09 and was feeling OK. On mile 2 is where we headed back into the wind and our times slowed again. Going across the bridge I think I hit the 4K mark at 15:33 and knew that sub 19 was gone. I ended up running on the Westside trail again while the fireworks were going off, so I knew I was still doing good. I ended up crossing the line in 19:26 by my Garmin. Good enough for 11th overall and first in my age group. Not bad for their being about 600 runners and the poor running conditions. I still believe that sub 19 is there for this Spring.
After resting up on Saturday and just riding the bike on the trainer for an hour, we headed to Turkey Mountain after church on Sunday and I went Mountain biking while the rest of the clan hiked and ran. I have had a love and hate relationship with Mountain biking, but yesterday was good day and it may be something to explore in the spring. I did a little over 10 miles in 1:16 and did not crash once.

Today was a 4X4 minutes interval workout on the treadmill at 6:03 with 3 minutes rest in between. Now it is time chill a little before going back to work. Have a great day!

Scott Jurek Interview

2010-12-28T13:49:00.001-06:00

Cool Video of Scott Jurek.

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-25T14:03:00.001-06:00

Happy Birthday Son

2010-12-09T12:58:00.004-06:00

My beautiful wife sent me this e-mail today and I wanted to share it. This was the most beautiful thing I have ever read. Happy Birthday Seth. Mommy & Daddy sorely miss you.

"I remember what today is. Today is a very special day. On this day 14 years ago a beautiful baby boy was born. He would have been a wonderful addition to a growing family. A parents second son, a younger brother to an older brother, a future older brother to a younger sister and a younger brother, another grandson to grandparents, a second nephew to an aunt and uncle, another cousin to cousins……as I pause to remember the moment I held him and thought how much he looked like my grandfather with his long fingers and the details of his face…..I miss him more than words can say….what would he have been like? What would he be doing today? Would he be more like his mother or his father or somewhere in between? How much more busy and fun and tiring and exciting our lives would be today if he were still here. I thank God, my heavenly father who is full of mercy and grace and love for us, for letting me be completely assured and at peace with the fact that Seth Elijah Dorothy is with Him and he is complete and whole, lacking nothing, nothing missing and nothing broken in his life and he is waiting to see us when we are satisfied that we have finished our race and we commit our spirit into our fathers hands."

Scenes From the Trail

2010-12-04T16:28:00.010-06:00

One of the good things about going back home is that I get to run some great trails at Spring Lake.
Spring Lake is not a huge lake, but it does sport some really great trails that, I dare say, have steeper hills than Turkey Mountain in Tulsa. I know, heresy!
We start at the Marina and the trails then split up into several different off-shoots. For my adventure, I hit the longer Fox trail.
The trails are marked really well, due to the local Mountain Bikers. You can tell that they have spent a lot of time and effort on the trails.
Not too long into the trail, you hit a nice creek, or crick from my part of the woods.
The stream flows south from the spillway off the dam.
Standing on the bridge, I looked down and there was dead doe. She had been shot from a tree stand as she had been hit up close to her spine and came out her gut. She must have fallen over in the stream and never been found. Amazing, since no hunting is allowed out there, but I know how that works.
Plank bridge very reminiscent of the trails in Huntsville, Texas state park.
Beautiful time of the year to be in the woods.
If you look close at this, the Mountain Bikers had piled branches up and packed them with dirt to create ramps.
Looks like good bird cover.
Julie coming out of the trail. Before we started she said that the trails were probably pretty easy compared to Turkey Mountain. She regretted those words.
After a hard day in the woods, nothing can top it off better than an ice cream sandwich bigger than your head from Dairy Queen. That is one thing about Tulsa that I don't like, no DQ's, other than the small ones in the mall. They are everywhere back home.

Overall it was a good trip back home to see family and take some time away from the rat race. We really enjoyed the serenity of being back home, but it was also nice to be back in Tulsa.

Marathon Runner vs Fiat Panda on London Marathon Course

2010-11-24T06:42:00.003-06:00

Can a Marathon Runner beat a 4WD Fiat Panda on the London Marathon Course during rush hour traffic? Watch the videos and find out.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Long Overdue Reports

2010-11-22T11:53:00.019-06:00

I am really, really, really behind in my blogging duties. A lot of things have happened since I last posted in early October. I have just been so busy with life, that I have not had time to post. The last time I had posted I was just a few weeks back into my running schedule. I spent most of the summer training on the bike and had done very little running. A lot of this was due to the heat and I do not do very well in training without a goal in mind and I did not have goal races lined up. With the staggering summer heat here in Oklahoma, I decided to just do a lot of riding. I still ran a couple days a week and at least once in awhile, I did a brick off the bike, but my heart was just not into it. Slowly, but surely, that has turned around.
The next race that I did was the Tulsa Zoo Run. Wyatt did the 5K and I did the 10K. If Wyatt does not look happy, it is because he is not. He is mad at me for making him do a little warm up before the race. Sorry, need to get the blood flowing.

The Zoo Run is one of my favorite races in Tulsa as it is at Mohawk Park, which is flat, and we end up in the Zoo and can walk around the Zoo and check out everything for free. This is was only my 3rd week back running and the race did not go as planned. I maintained a steady 40 minute 10K pace, but towards the end, my fitness level, or the lack of it, showed up and I dropped off in the end. I still managed a 40:25, but it was not near where I wanted to be.
Here is the start of the 5K.
Here I am coming across the finish line. The one good thing about this race is that I beat John Stukey. You can see him in the photo behind me. He must have been injured as he is a lot better runner than that.
Next up was the Route 66 Half Marathon. I definitely was not up to the full Marathon, but thought I had a good chance at doing well in the half. I like the longer distances better and thought I would give it a go. This was a first year race and was happening on 10.10.10. How cool is that. Plus, I had the added benefit of running on old sections of Route 66. This was a point to point race and the half started in Baxter Springs, KS and ended up in Joplin, MO. The full Marathon started in Commerce, OK and went through Baxter Springs, KS and then on to Joplin. What a neat concept for a race.

The weather for the day turned out pretty nice for the half, but it would have been warm for the full. The one bad thing about the race is that there is very little shade and it can warm up quickly. There was about 800 runners in the half and after the the gun was fired we were off. I wanted to maintain a 6:40 pace as I thought that was achievable with my current fitness level. I ended up being able to cruise through consistently at about 6:39 pace and felt decent. We ended up going through a few smaller towns and the crowd support was phenomenal. I think most of the people in the small towns came out and cheered or handed out drinks.

The course itself was pretty hilly and from about a little past mile 5, we had at least a half mile uphill section. My pace slowed a little, but I still maintained a 6:45 pace. We entered Galena at about mile 9 and I was starting to feel it. I popped a GU and the crowd support really helped pick up my spirits, let alone seeing Tow-mater on the edge of town. Have no idea what I am talking about, check out the movie Cars.

After Galena, we got on an old stretch of Route 66 and started heading towards Joplin. This last section of the course was full of rolling hills and really pushed you to your limits. I was wondering at this point, when I was going to be in Missouri? Once I hit the main 4 lane heading back to Joplin, there was a little sign along the road that said Missouri. From there, it was about 3 miles to go. I just tried to maintain my pace, but it was slowing to about 7 minute miles because of the hills. I caught an 18 year old kid with about a mile to go and tried to put some distance between us. My experience has always been that you may pass them initially, but once they see the finish line, that youthfulness kicks in and they sprint past you at the finish.

We turned to the left down about a half mile flat road and it was time to kick it in. I dropped my speed down to about 6:10 and was able to finish up in 1:28. First Master and 8th overall. Not too bad for a race with about 800 people.
Here I am getting my nice trophy for the first Master. I was really impressed by the this race and the friendliness of all the people. This was a major undertaking on their part to do a point to point race through 3 states and they pulled it off. The people were so friendly and glad to have you there. Even at the hotel, they prepared food for the race participants. I will have this race on sights again next year as they were able to do a big time race and keep the small town feel.
Three weeks later was the Tulsa Run. I end up doing up this race every year as my employer is one of the two main sponsors and we get in for free. This race I had an additional 3 weeks of training and felt good going into the race. My goal was get under the 60 minute mark and get one of the coveted Hillcrest cups, but the Denver hill at 13K, always looms in the background.

The weather was really cool and turned out be a great day for a run. I had qualified to be up front with the Elite start at the Zoo Run, plus I have the privilege of running on Brian & Kathy Hoover's Runnersworld race team, and they usually grant me an elite start through the team.

Julie had originally signed up for the 15K, but backed down to the 5K at the last minute. She can do so much more if she would just stick with it and keep focused. I really wish she had someone her speed to train with and keep her motivated. She could do great.

After the 5K'ers took off, it was time to line up. Since this race offers cash, several out of state runners come in to try and grab some training money. This usually gives me a chance to say that I have ran with the Kenyans, but usually entails me just lining up with them and watching them fade off into the distance. They are so fast, it boggles the mind.

At 9 AM, the gun sounded and we were off. I was trying to stay around 6:25 and hopefully bring it in at under 1 hour. The first 6K of the course is very hilly and it is easy to overextend yourself and not save enough for the end. I kept everything even throughout this section and was even about 6 seconds under my goal. The next section up to about 13K is flat on Riverside. This is usually where I have faded off in the past and I wanted to make sure and maintain a steady pace. Once we headed south on Riverside, we were in the wind. Everyone was trying to duck down behind other runners, but it didn't make a difference as the wind hit you no matter where you were at. We turned around at about 41st St and headed back to downtown at the BOK center. I was still maintaining a good pace and went through the 10K at right at 40 minutes. I kept it going until I hit the 13K mark on Denver and lost about 20 seconds on the hill. After the big initial incline, it still has smaller rollers and it is hard to get it back going again. Once everything leveled out and I was able to start getting a good rhythm going again, it was too late. I could still see the clock under 60 minutes, but watched it fade away in the distance as I crossed the line in 1:00:21. Oh, so close.
Here is Julie finishing up her 5K run. I wish I could have seen her come in and cheered for her.
Here I am getting my cool award for 5th place in my age group. They gave us a cool print of the race that some artist had drawn. I really like getting something unique from a race as I like the medals and cups, but they are getting old.

Yesterday, I ran the Route 66 Marathon on a humid, windy day. I had a great race, but I will do a race report on it tomorrow.

The European Kona Contingent

2010-10-05T11:51:00.002-05:00

As the days are winding down towards Saturday's race, the European studs only did a 4K swim, 1 hr run, and a 2 hr bike. Slackers!

A Day in the Life of a Kona Star

2010-10-04T12:26:00.001-05:00

To get yourself pumped about the Kona Ironman Championship this Saturday, check out this great video about Mirinda Carfrae.

Alberto Contador: Winner or Loser?

2010-09-30T10:08:00.023-05:00

Here we go again. Last night Cyclingnews was reporting that 2010 Tour De France Champion Alberto Contador had tested positive for clenbuterol. Clenbuterol is typically a steroid associated with Bodybuilding and one that I have heard of from my weightlifting days. The initial reaction to the news is one of shock, which turns into disbelief, and then anger.

The shock comes from that another Tour winner or participant has tested positive for an illegal substance. After just getting over the Floyd Landis controversy, we now are hit with another scandal within the cycling community. It has been happening on a regular basis that cheaters have been caught and suspended, but when the Tour Winner tests positive, then it is major headlines.

The disbelief part comes from trying to figure out why Contador would stoop to that level? I know the obvious answer is that people will do whatever to win, even if it involves cheating, but I still don't understand when someone has so much natural talent, why would they stoop to such a low level. Like him or hate him, he is a great cyclist.

The more I think about it, the angrier I get. Cycling is a great sport and one I like to do, but when numbskulls like him continually bring the sport into the public eye in such a bad light, it infuriates me. People like to rally around winners, not cheats and it really lets the wind out of your sail when things like this happen. I know they are human, but when you are at such a high level of competition and and are thrust into the international light, you have a certain level of responsibility to the fans and the public. I know Charles Barkley thinks he is not a role model, and I agree that the parents should be the role model, but whether Charles or Alberto like it, they are broadcasting an image to the youth and fans of today.

I personally have never been a Contador fan because of actions like him overtaking Schleck's chain problem.. Right, wrong, or indifferent, I think that he has never been a team player. Cycling is very much a team sport. Yes, they always have the GC contendor, the climber, the sprinter, but they always function as a team. If you read Lance's book, he paid his team a big bonus after one of his Tour De France wins, because he realized he could not have done it without them. Priest Holmes, the former great running back of the Kansas City Chiefs, won an award for the most rushing yards in a season and he went out and back all of his lineman gifts, because he realized he could not have done it without their help.

He did the same thing in the 2009 Tour when he attacked his own teammates and ended costing Kloden a podium spot. Lance was able to bridge the gap, but fell from 2nd to 3rd. Team manager Johan Bruyneel was not happy with the move, but I would have expected no less from him. Kind of ironic that everyone left him on Astana to go to team Radioshack.

Alberto is supposed to have a conference today in his hometown and I guess explain what happened? Right now he is saying that is because of some meat that he ate. The guys over at Science of Sport have a more accurate take on this, but my experience has always been, that lies usually proceed the truth. Whether it is a politician, athlete, or even the President, they always start out lying and then eventually the truth comes out.

It may be possible that it is because of him eating some meat that caused it, but I don't know if I buy it. I am not a doctor, nor portray one on TV, and I did not stay in an Holiday Inn Express last night, but I can read human nature. Floyd Landis had everyone fooled. Wrote a book about his innocence, conned millions of people into believing it, had tons of money donated to his legal defenses, and when it appeared that he got mad about getting snubbed for the Tour of California, he comes clean. Greg Lemond has been kind of a cantankerous, bitter, old kook as of late, but maybe he is right on some of these things. He is kind of like the crazy, old uncle everyone has.

Sadly, last month, great cycling champion, Laurent Fignon, passed away after losing his battle to cancer. He was a father, champion, and hero to many. But before he passed away, he said that he did not know if some of the doping that he did may have attributed to his cancer. No one will ever know, but to think that to achieve the highest level in this sport may have cost him his life, is truly sad. It is one thing to be the best, achieve the highest, and succeed where others have failed, but when it costs you your health and your family, was it really worth it.

Time will tell whether Alberto is innocent or not. The media will try him in the public, long before the courts do. In the meantime, I hope that he is honest with his fans and himself. Whether you like him or not, I do not think anyone wants to hear about him passing away at a young age because of the choices he made to be the best.

Race Across the Sky - Leadville 100 MTB Race

2010-09-28T10:49:00.002-05:00

Race Across The Sky 2010 from Citizen Pictures on Vimeo.

It's back! I think I might throw my name in the hat for the lottery next year.

Tulsa Susan B. Komen Race for The Cure Report

2010-09-27T11:04:00.016-05:00

I know this is only a 5K and I have the reputation of being a long distance runner, but it worked for my schedule. I have been only running solid for the last two weeks as I have been concentrating on cycling more over the summer. I would have much rather been doing Do-Wacka-Do or Flatrock last Saturday, but the 5K was in the cards. I am going to concentrate on some shorter, faster races in hopes of going sub-60 in the Tulsa Run. That may be a stretch, but it is worth a shot.
We were greeted with beautiful lower 60 degree weather early in the morning. We grabbed a front row parking spot in the Mabee Center at ORU and started to set up for the day and I do mean day. My race started st 7:45, but they had an untimed 5K after ours, a Survivor's walk, and later a 1 mile fun run. So basically, we were trapped until after the 1 mile run, unless I didn't get an award and we could leave early. All the races start on 81st St. and we were facing the road for all the action. After the mandatory 500th last port-a-potty trip, it was time to start warming up.
I have not done a local 5K in awhile and it looked like the usual suspects were out. A lot of runners here in town do all the local races and you can expect them to show, but this race was huge. I heard on the radio Thursday, that they had 12 -13,000 people signed up for all the races. My work, Bank of Oklahoma, had a team and I was a part of it. My race ended up with around 2,000 runners.

You can see that it was cool out as I had a jacket on to warm up. I always love how most all of the faster runners go up and down from the start warming up and doing some sprints. It reminds me of some form of animalistic mating ritual. Like strutting peacocks.
At 7:45 we were off. One mild complaint about the start, if you are going to use an announcer to start the race, just make sure that the speakers are pointed towards the runners, so they can hear the instructions and the start. Just a thought.

We headed down 81st to turn onto Riverside to head north to a little bridge, turn around and head south to about 86th St., turn around and then back North on Riverside to 81st and to the finish. The course is pretty much flat and a good one to run fast.

As usual, I started out really fast and then try to hang on for dear life. I head out and hit the first mile in 5:59. About this time we turned and I could see who was behind me at this point. I saw Scott Ostrem and knew he would be coming after me. He is in my age group and would be challenging me for an award. One good thing about Triathlons is they write your age on the back of your calve, so you can see who is in your age group. Maybe a thought for running races?

I felt good at this point and managed to hit mile two at 6:14. A little slower, but still good. At close to 3K, Scott passed me, but I managed to stay with him to the turnaround and then he started to pull away. In between mile 2 & 3 is where I really started to feel the Hang On For Dear Life Syndrome. I turned the corner onto 81st and it is a flat, straight shot to the finish. I tried really hard to maintain my arm swing and keep my turnover up. I went through mile 3 in 6:25 and finished in 19:21. Good enough for 27th male and 2nd in my age group.

While I am talking about age groups, when they finally posted the results, my age group was 44-47, not the standard 5 year age groups. It wouldn't have mattered as I would have still got an award for the 40-44, but I have not seen this before and I have done a lot of races.
After the race, it was time to walk around and get something to drink and eat and take in the festivities. Re/Max brought out one of their hot air balloons.
After walking around for quite some time, I finally located the tent where the goodies were. It was hard to find where to go, but once you got there, they had quite a bit of stuff. Whenever I just finish a race, I cannot eat and just look for something to drink. I have learned though to grab whatever I want for later as it may not be there. I will say for this race, they had plenty of stuff and did not even run out of water. Pretty impressive for such a large turn out.
I just had to throw this picture in. This is one of Tulsa's finest motorcycle Cop's ride. A six speed Harley Davidson. They have always said that after God created the Harley-Davidson, he rested.
The start of the 1 mile fun was delayed as somebody got in an accident on Lewis and they had to clean it up before they could start. Really?

Once they did take off, I did not think it was ever going to end. It looked worse than a Marathon. I don't know how many people were in this race, but it was huge.
Here is the mass still coming at us.
After it was all said and done, it was time to get my award. One complaint here. I am not for sure who timed the race, but to wait 2 hrs. to see if you got an award is ridiculous. A lot of people took off because they got tired of waiting. I am stubborn, so I wasn't going anywhere until I saw the results. I finished my race at 8:04 and they did not post anything until 10 AM. I have seen Ultra finishes posted faster.
After all that, I did manage to get my award. Pretty cool looking.

Overall, I am glad I did the race and I am happy with my time. To run a 19:21 on only 2 weeks of training, I am pretty pleased with the result. With another solid month of training. I will be even faster and hopefully fast enough to make my goal.

I am pretty sure I will do the Zoo Run 10K this Saturday and I may even do the Mother Road 1/2 Marathon the following weekend. I will probably then lay low until the Tulsa Run. Then it will be time to get ready for the Route 66 Marathon. I have done the race every year they have had it, so why stop now. The results of the Race for the Cure can be found here.

Open Letter to New Balance

2010-09-22T09:53:00.020-05:00

I have debated for a long time about writing this report and I finally have time today to do it. I am writing this to vent my frustration with the New Balance corporation and how they handle some new shoe releases. I highly doubt that anyone from New Balance will actually read my blog, but this is more for me and my own piece of mind.

I for one, like good friend TZ, like shoes. I am very particular on which ones I run in since I had a bad case of PF that put me out of commission for over 6 months. I switched over to minimalist shoes since the injury, sans Anton, and I have been very careful on which shoes I pick. I do not want to repeat being injured again and running this way has kept the lions at bay.

So, when I find something that works, I like to stick with it. Trail shoes are very tough to find that are not beefed up and have a hoof under the heel. They are usually way too heavy and padded for my liking. Thank God that people like Anton have been involved with shoe design for awhile and helped to usher in a new revolution of lighter, more responsive trail shoes. The book, Born To Run, which I have reviewed in the past on this blog, also has helped keep the trend going. When New Balance came out with the MT 100's, I was ecstatic, as were others in the Trail and Ultra community. I had been running in the 790's and was happy with them until they discontinued them and made the switch to the MT 100's. I had been through a couple of pairs of them and decided it was time to purchase a new pair. I went to the local running store in August to be told that the shoes had been discontinued and were no longer available. OK, what about the new MT 101's? They will not be out until mid-October? What? Who in Corporate made this decision? I have been in business for a long time as a Manager in the Food Industry and now in Banking and you do not get people to buy your product and then discontinue it before you have something to replace it with. That is not the way to keep people loyal to your product. That is why QT every summer lowers its price on fountain drinks, so that you will get hooked on buying them and hope that you will continue once they lift the sale price. Good marketing. Whoever is making these kind of decisions at New Balance needs to maybe spend some time at QT and other places like Wal-Mart to see how to effectively handle sales and marketing.

I have been a loyal New Balance product consumer for quite some time.
I went through at least 7 pairs of the 767 AW when I was racking up high mileage. These obviously have become mowing shoes.
When they discontinued the 767, I switched to the 768 AW and went through at least 3 pairs.
When I injured my foot with PF, I switched over to the 790's and went through 2 pairs.
When the 790's were discontinued, I made the switch to the MT 100's and managed to run in a couple of pairs before they became unavailable. I do not understand the logic in this. This is not like the anticipation before Steve Jobs unveiled the iPad.

To top it off Runners World Magazine did a short blip about the new 101's in the October issue on page 119. Also, the October issue of TrailRunner Magazine did a little bit better review on page 56. Really, you can throw the teases out in the magazines and not release it to the public? This is what drives consumers to other products. I heard from a friend during a long run last Saturday that he talked to the NB rep and they said the new 101's may not be out until November. What????
I am perplexed as I look in this photo. This was right before the start of the Rocky Raccoon 50 miler this last Feb. and I was wearing the MT 100's and they performed well. It is too bad that New Balance has taken this kind of stance with their consumers. Maybe they have lost site of, if the consumers do not buy the products, then we don't get paid and I don't have a job. Maybe it is time to change things up at New Balance and add some fresh blood to the mix. All I know is, this is not how to run a business.

So for me, I may hold out for the 101's or I may check into the Inov-8 X-Talon's. I hate to buy shoes I have not tried on, but they may be worth a shot. I have already made the switch on my road flats and I will have a review coming out shortly on a really neat and unique shoe with a company trying to make its way in the field.

Next up for me is the Tulsa Race for the Cure this Saturday. I really don't like the shorter, faster stuff, but I want to do well at the Tulsa Run this year. I would like to go sub-60, but I have got some work to do. This is just my 2nd week of a full run schedule and things are going well. I have reduced my cycling to once a week and I am running the rest. We will see where the chips fall this Saturday and see where I am. I will then probably do the Zoo Run 10K the following weekend. Life is good!

Get Inspired!

2010-09-17T08:41:00.002-05:00

Great video! Have an awesome Friday!

Garmin Giveaway

2010-09-07T10:46:00.002-05:00

DC Rainmaker is having another Garmin 310 Giveway. Check it out here.

Oklahoma Road Racing Championship

2010-09-01T11:32:00.009-05:00

As Monty Python used to say, "and now for something completely different." I decided a couple of weeks ago to participate in the OK State Road Racing Championship in Kansas, OK. Yes, there truly is a Kansas, OK, all 685 of them.

I haven't been running a lot lately due to a number of factors. One of which is that New Balance in their infinite wisdom, decided to stop production on the MT 100, my personal running shoe, and would not release the MT 101 until October. I personally do not know anyone that works for New Balance, but whoever made this decision, needs fired. My current shoes are wore out and every time I run, my knee hurts because my shoes are shot, but I have to wait until October to get the new ones. I am very picky about my shoes and have not been able to find any to replace them. So, I guess it is time to cycle more.
The race took place at the beautiful Flint Ridge resort community. We were only about 20 miles away from Tahlequah and Arkansas. And no, I could not hear banjos playing while we were racing.

The resort was tucked away amongst pine trees and provided some optimal shade, which was really nice as the temps this day were hovering around 100 degrees. We pulled into the gated community and did not see where to go for the race. So, we stopped at the office and they told us that the race was at the top of the hill to the right. This was a foreshadow of things to come.

We headed up this steep hill to find trees lined with cars to park wherever you could. We did a U-turn up by the registration table and found a nice shaded area to park in. I settled in to getting my gear together so I could head out on a small warm up before my start. I was registered in the Cat 5 group, which is the beginner group. They did not offer a Jersey to the winner in this category, but you could take home medals, 3 deep.

After a few miles of warm up, it was time to head to the start line.
Cat 4's were to start 5 minutes ahead of us, so we lined up behind them and watched them go and then it was time for the Cat 5's. We went through the mandatory roll call and we had 19 people to start. At running races, you always look around to eyeball your competition and this was no different. This was a little different as a lot of this is also about equipment. I had my entry level road bike and several people had there several $1,000 dollar bikes with their fancy team bike kits. I had my tri shorts on with my regular cycling jersey. My strategy was to stay towards the back in the beginning and stay with the pack as we had 4 loops to complete for about 22 miles. At about 9 o'clock we were off.

We immediately started uphill. This had me a little worried as the hills always slow me down from the real scrawny guys. The course wound its way through pine tree lined scenic views along with several housing developments. One of the bad things was that traffic was open and we had to dodge a few cars on the course. The course had several rollers on the first half, which made me hang on as best I could to the peloton. We turned back towards the start line at a rural fire station and this was a more flatter, downhill section to where I was able to hang a lot better. As we got closer to the end of the loop, we were met with a huge downhill followed by a sharp turn to the left with a steep uphill to the start line. It was this point that the group splintered. I really lost track of where I was at, but saw a group ahead and knew I needed to stay with them. I thought another group had went on ahead, but I just wanted to stay in contact with this group.

The group I was in was about 4 of us and we took turns taking the lead and letting others break the wind. As we went past the fire station, sirens went off and the EMT's took off past us. More than likely, someone went down. As went down the hill again, the EMT's had parked in the road and left us a narrow spot to maneuver the hill on. This was very tricky as I hit 41 mph on this downhill. The reason they were there was someone had crashed at the bottom of the hill. Lap 2 was in the bag.

We headed up the hill past the start area and I fell behind, but then caught back up to the group. This was pretty much my loop pattern. They would drop me on the hills and I would catch them on the flats. Some of this was due to my bike being heavier and some was due to me being heavier. Hard to climb hills against a 140 lb. guy.

On the back side of lap 3, I took off and broke away from most of the group for a little while, but they passed me on the downhill. At the bottom, the ambulance was now there and the road was still narrow. Up the massive hill for number 3. Lap 3 in the books and one to go.

I caught the group again on Lap 4 and they were moving slower, so, I took out in front. Nothing of a hard pace, but it was too slow for my liking. Usually you lead for awhile and then someone else steps up and takes over the duties, but no one was having it. I let up and still no one passed. We made to the back side and 2 of the guys took off. This was way too soon and I let them go, but kept them in site. I started to gradually reel them in. I was just about to pass the guy ahead of me, when a guy in a golf cart comes up and said it was a neutral finish. This meant that whatever place we were currently in was where we were going to finish. They had called a neutral because of the bad crash at the bottom of the hill. This was too bad as I just passing the one guy and going after the next. Oh, well. I had no idea what place I was in and thought that I was way back.

I crossed the finish line and talked to my wife and she said that only a few other guys were ahead of me. I didn't believe it, but I at least survived and did pretty well.

I went back to the Jeep and got changed and headed back up to see the results. I ended up 5th, which meant I was going into 4th and may have caught the next guy to go to 3rd. Wow! There were 2 others that were ahead of us in the front group, but we were the 2nd main group. Because of the rules, since I had a 1-day license and not a full USCF license, I was not eligible for an award, which I would have got. The guy in first had a 1-day and the guy in 2nd was from MO, so it would have rolled down to me. It's the thought that counts, right?
Having never been to Flint Ridge before, this was a really nice community and area. I love being surrounded by trees and there were plenty of them. I get tired sometimes of the more open spaces and like the woodlot areas as it reminds me of back home and deer season.
This is one of the beautiful waterfalls in the area. They also had minutaure golf and a full fledged golf course with a pool area. It was truly a nice place to visit.
It even came kid approved. Shannon liked it, but she it not real happy about taking a picture next to Wyatt.

Overall, I had a blast and would really like to explore more of this type of racing, but I am limited by my equipment. I can do with what I got, but eventually, I would need to get a better road bike. Something to think about for the future. The results can be found here.

2010 Chris Brown Duathlon Race Report

2010-08-15T20:18:00.019-05:00

A few weeks ago, I was able to attend the Chris Brown Duathlon at River West Parks. I have done this race the last several years and had decent success last year by nailing second place in my age group. It is a 5K run, 30K bike, followed by another 5K run. Since it is held the last week in July in Tulsa, you can plan on hot, muggy weather. I signed up for the race knowing that I had not trained properly for the speedy 5K's that it requires to do well. Every time I ran during the month of July, I felt really burnt out. Like my heart really wasn't into it. I thought maybe it was the heat or I just needed to do something else for awhile. I did not like the feeling that I did not want to run. I have always loved running and have since added cycling and swimming. Running has always been my bread and butter. This was my mindset going into this race. I was really looking forward to the bike and not so much to the run, but why let that stop me.
As expected it was hot and muggy. We lined up as usual in the road to head up to the 21st street bridge and then veer off south on to the Westside trail to loop back to the transition area in the festival parking lot. Part of the trail was closed and they had to make adjustments for this years race. We ended up going back North on the trail to a second turnaround before heading back to the transition area. The more turns, the more frustrating the course, but what can you do?

I started out at a fairly decent pace as I did not want to do my typical go out too fast pace and hang on for dear life run as I had a bike and another run to follow. I ended up running in a group with Steve Lee and Hugh Dunagan. We all stayed together pretty good with me setting the pace. The Westside trail is flat, but has a few undulations. The first 5K was pretty good, but I wanted a little faster time, but I wasn't feeling it.
Here I am coming back into the transition area followed closely by Steve Lee. First 5K done in 20:25

Now was the time for me to shine with the bike. Last year I managed a 22.4 mph average pace and felt confident going into this year that I could equal it or do better. My heart hasn't been into the run, but my cycling has been going good, so I had high expectations.

I made it out of the transition area and headed across the 21st street bridge to veer on to Riverside to do 2 loops. One thing I like about this race is that they close down all car traffic on Riverside. We have the entire road to ourselves from 11st to I-44. Awesome!

I headed out and felt good, but it felt like my front brake was rubbing. I thought about stopping to check it, but did not want to lose that much time and just kept going. I felt OK on my exertion levels and was passing quite a few people. I did get the occasional pass from the guys with the big butts and disc wheels. Must be nice to drop that kind of cash to go a little faster. Maybe when the kids get out of the house.

The 2 loops were pretty uneventful and before I knew it, it was time to head back into transition. Bike leg complete in 51:01 for a 21.9 average. Not as fast as last year.
Here I am heading out for the 2nd and last 5K. That is not an issue with the camera on the right side of the picture, but sprayers they were setting up by the fire department.

I had not practiced running off the bike for awhile as I stated before, my heart hasn't been into running lately. I definitely felt it off the bike. I felt like I was dying, but I still was managing a decent pace. At this point it was hang on for dear life and just finish.
I managed to get across the line in 1:35:32 with a 2nd 5K in 22:15. Also, a little slower from last year. It was starting to warm up at this point and I was just wanting to get in the shade and drink some Gatorade. I ended up 24th overall and 5th in my age group. I was about 2 minutes faster last year and that probably would have got me an award this year, but with 5th in my age group, no dice. I am still glad I did the race and at least I did not have to wait around forever in the sun for my award. It was still another great day outdoors, being able to race, and experience life. Great to be alive! Results can be found here.

Tulsa Kids Triathlon Report

2010-08-11T12:22:00.018-05:00

Life has been very crazy lately and my blogging has severely fell behind. Not that I am trying to make any excuses, but it is a matter of life choices. Obviously, I chose to do other things beside blog. I am going to try and catch up on some things that have happened since the last post. For this post, I am going to concentrate on the kids race they had a few weeks ago.
At the end of last month, the kids had an opportunity to do the 13th annual Tulsa Parks kids triathlon. This is a very low key and kid supportive race put on by the Tulsa Parks crew at McClure park. They offer a long and short course race with the main emphasis being on participation. My kids have done the race the last three years and they both decided to do the long course, 150m swim, 2 mile bike, and 1 mile run. Here they are getting set up in the transition area.
Being a typical Oklahoma July day, it was hot and muggy. I am sure the swim felt pretty good. The long course goes first and they line them up according to race number. After they start the first kid, they kick them off every 10 seconds. I was not worried about Shannon's swim as she is on the swim team for Swim Tulsa, but Wyatt dropped out of Swim Tulsa and has not been doing much with it over the summer.
Shannon started first and had a really nice freestyle stroke going in the water.
Wyatt started next and it showed immediately that he has not swam much lately. He was trying to do a freestyle stroke, but he would not keep his head down. I was not for sure if he was going to make the 150m. He managed pull through it by making the shallower end and then hanging on to the ropes to help guide him along.
Shannon was first into the transition area and got her bike to head out on the 2 mile course. I bet Will that Shannon would be the first one back into transition with the loser doing the dishes. Shannon has had a strong bike in the past, so I felt pretty confident.
Wyatt was next in transition to head out on the course. I knew that he would catch her on the run, but I thought she would hold him off until the run. He is a great runner as he did a 6:18 mile in a race at age 7.
Well, I lost the bet. Wyatt passed her on the bike. He had a big smile on his face and told us as he went by that he beat her.
Shannon came in next and she was ticked. The photo does not show it well, but she was not a happy camper, plus she had to run next, which she does not like.
Her comes Wyatt sprinting towards the finish in a time of 26:40. Great job Wyatt!
Next was Shannon hitting the line in 32:15. She was not happy that she got beat by her brother, but she still did great.

They had several kids at the race that were part of some Tulsa Youth Triathlon team. I am not for sure who they are, but it seemed to be all the Tri Mettle team's kids and appears to be not open to the public. I am on their Facebook page, but it really does not have any information. Too bad, as it seems like a great thing for all Tulsa kids.

I am really proud of the kids being in the race and no matter how fast their time was, they still had fun. I always tell them before any race, that the main thing is to have fun. Sometimes, I need to take some of my own advice. The results for the race can be found here.

Genesis Firecracker 10K Run Race Report

2010-07-09T14:02:00.015-05:00

Over the 4th of July weekend, we had to head back to Illinois to pick up the kids as they had spent the last two weeks at Grandpa's. We were not looking forward to the 500 mile trip, but at least we would get away for awhile. The problem with going back home is that their is nothing there. Everything is getting smaller and it is really a sad state of affairs for the people who continue to live in the poverty that is all around. The positive side is that if you want to get away and not be bothered, this is the place to go. Good luck on finding a job though.

We always stop about halfway and grab lunch at Panera in Osage Beach, MO. They have been working on this bypass for a long time and it will be nice once it is completed. It takes so long to get through town with all the narrow streets and the lake traffic. You can see all the boats were in full force on the lake.

We made it back home on Saturday about 5 pm. I had signed up for a race in East Moline, IL on Sunday, called the Genesis Firecracker Run. They were having a 5K & 10K. The 5K was billed as flat and fast and the 10K was hilly and challenging. That would be an understatement. How bad could it be, Illinois is one of the flattest States there is at elevation zero. I always forget how hilly it is around the Mississippi river and that is where the race takes place. Of course I signed up for the 10K.

I had to get up at 4 AM to leave at 5 AM to drive the 1.5 hrs to the race that starts at 7:30 AM. The Misses was not thrilled about this, but hey, experience life! The alarm went off and we loaded up and headed out. I always have to remember to have everything ready the night before, because if you plan on stopping somewhere that early in the morning, good luck. Nothing opens until 6 AM. We managed to make our way into East Moline and went by the Quad City Western Illinois Campus, which is my Alumnus, but only at the main campus. We drove down a huge hill and I said, "I bet we have to run up this hill." Oh, so right.

Packet pick up was in a storefront and they had all the race numbers posted on a sheet in the window and you had know your number before you went in as that is how you picked up your packet. That was different. I grabbed my stuff and headed back to the Jeep and Julie was already asleep by the time we got back. Slacker.

I went out for warm ups as usual and headed back towards the start. I usually just go straight across the start and grab a spot up front. No can do. The start line was guarded by volunteers and barricades. I had to go around and I found a barricade that I slid around to get as close as possible. Everybody was crowded in, sweating , and it was humid. Some local girl sang the National Anthem and they said go and fired the cannon and we were off.

I don't know how many people were in this race, I think about 3,000, but it was ridiculous at the start. A lot of slower runners were up front and I had to almost stop several times before I could get out in the open. I passed a lot of people at this point. It was a straight shot down the street until we turned left at the East Moline sign and headed back on another flat section. At 1.5 miles, you heard, "5K keep straight, 10K up the hill." We headed straight up this hill that was just as steep as Lipbuster, but a little longer. The times started to slow. We got back on the flat section, but we had several more rollers and smaller hills. My time was starting to drop as I went through the first mile in a slower 6:19, but after the big hill I was really struggling. I went through the first 5K in 21 something. I knew my chances at medaling were slipping away, but I didn't care and just wanted to finish. I really wished I had signed up for the 5K. At about mile 5, all splits in Illinois are in miles, we had another smaller, but steep hill. Cruel punishment. This was followed by a massive downhill to where I got passed a lot. I was trying to keep the brakes on, but others were really flying past me. We took a right and met up with the 5K'ers and headed for home after two more left turns. I made it across the line in 42:29, one of my slowest 10K's in a long time. 4th in age group and 34th overall.
My only defence is that it was extremely hilly, humid, and I have not raced in awhile. The race was pretty cool, but I once heard Bobby Bomer say, that you never really appreciate the quality of races we have here in Tulsa, until you do some out of State. The race directors did the best they could, but it could have been organized a little better. The awards took way too long in the heat. They made the trophies for all the different placements, when they should have had a standard trophy for all placements. They jumped back and forth from 5K to 10K to one mile and it took forever.

They also ran out of water, which is not good on such a hot day, the free Pepsi was a nice touch. The benches to sit down were also nice. Since it was Illinois, they had a stage set up on a hay wagon for the awards. Nice touch. Overall thy did a good job, but there is always room for improvement. We really have it good here in Tulsa.
One neat thing was that we ran down the street under this massive flag for the Fourth. Nice touch!
It was absolutely huge and really cool.

I had to snap a picture of this old Mini Cooper. I do not know hold old it was, but it was really awesome.
Nothing makes a great race like Elvis or multiple Elvis's.
They also had hospital bed races. The had one person on the bed being pushed by 2 people on each side. They ran up the street, did a U turn and then headed back. The person on the bed had to ride a tricycle through the cones, put on a hospital gown, ride back, and then get back on the bed for one more lap.
After everything was done, I headed across the river into Iowa and checked out Antique Archaeology. They are the people behind American Pickers on Monday nights on the History Channel. This is one of my favorite shows as I like to do some collecting myself. I knew they were closed on Sunday's but at least I got to see it.

This is there actual shop to where they film. I was honored to be there.

I was glad that we got up early to experience the race, but a little disappointed to not place. That happens. This was a huge race that I think the race directors were not prepared to handle. They announced that they had a 1,000 more people this year than last. There were a lot of people, but I am glad I experienced it. The race results can be found here.

Ozark Valley Triathlon Race Report

2010-06-30T11:37:00.018-05:00

I have finally decided to sit down and write my race report from the Ozark Valley Triathlon over by Wedington, AR. The last several weeks have brought some challenges and time has been impacted. First, I got a letter from some lawyers back home that my Step Grandmother had passed away and I was in the Will. Nice of someone in the family to let me know about it. Will was driving our van, which we had for a month, and got into an accident and totaled it. Thank God no one was hurt as Shannon was in there with him. I then attempted to do the Tulsa Triathlon and 4 miles into the race on the bike, my front derailleur snapped off. Race over. Last, but not least, our air conditioner died last week and we spent the entire week without air during the hottest week of the year so far. Nothing like a lot of challenges to make you stronger. To try and redeem myself, I signed up for the Tri over in Arkansas.

We decided against getting a room the night before and got up before the crack of dawn and drove over to Lake Wedington. The drive was not bad as it only took about 1.5 hrs to get there. Not much action on the drive over, but when we got to the Turnpike to pay, they had no one manning the overnight station. You had to use all change or get change from the changer to pay. Luckily, I had a few dollars for change and was able to pay. I guess this is part of the State Cutbacks? The rest of the time was spent trying to stay awake. Although, when we went past the Casino on the border, a car with a bike attached, obviously heading to the race, went whizzing past us, and at 5:30 AM, a police officer pulled out and headed their way. Hopefully they still made it to the race on time.

We made it to the Lake by 6 AM and did the packet pick up, headed to transition to set up, and sat around getting ready. The transition area was monitored very closely and had very specific instructions. All items had to be to the right of the bikes. I heard several people getting called back to transition as they did have everything set up properly. I am not sure if I liked the total control or not. Any way, by 7:30 it was time for the pre-race meeting and then last minute checks before the swim started.
The Lake was isolated to the area and we had absolutely no boat traffic and had the Lake to ourselves. It was the typical wave starts and I was to start at 8:05 in the second wave. I have been working on my swim and made some modifications and was curious to see how I was going to fare. My last swim at the Tulsa Tri was in choppy water and I lost several minutes trying to re-attach my chip as it got knocked loose during the start. I finally had to decide to keep moving or let it sink to the bottom of the lake. Because of that, I had a really slow swim time, not that I am fast any way, but loosing several minutes, just compounds the issue.

The swim was a 1,000 yard swim and the water was calm with the only problem being that we started swimming directly into the sun and you could not see the buoys. I had a horrible time sighting at the Tulsa Tri and lost several minutes as I am sure that I swam more than the 1,500 meters. At 8:05 we were off. That is me in the picture, the third from the left, no not that one, the other one.

I started out pretty decent and before I knew it I was around the first buoy. I passed several people and felt like I was going good. At the Tulsa Tri, I didn't pass anyone. As I started heading West, I passed several people from the first wave, Males under 40, and that lifted my spirits. I am not a great swimmer, yet, to actually pass some people was pretty cool. I made the last right hand turn around the buoy and headed towards the shore. I was going to make it.
I got out of the water and started running on the long carpet towards transition. I passed several people walking, while I ran by. Come on, it is a race! My swim time was 22 something, which is a little faster because of some modifications I had made in swim technique. Time to get on the bike and head out.
I got everything loaded up and headed out of transition. We were told that that we had two no passing zones coming out of the park and we had to obey or be disqualified. I hung back a little as we got out on the road and I heard, "On Your Left", so I guess we were out of the no pass zone. I was like, "Heck No", and took off and passed the lady and never saw her again. The bike loop was a 19 mile loop through the countryside around the park. It had one major hill that was not real long, just steep. I was passing a whole lot of people on the bike because of my slower swim. I passed one guy on the bike and he said, "Go on and git ya sum." That definitely brought a smile to my face as all I could think about was banjo's and Deliverance. My cadence increased after that.

Only a couple of people passed me towards the end and a lot of that is because I am not that great of a climber, but on the flat sections, I can fly. There was several little rollers and they would pass me on the hill and I would reel them back in on the flats. Before I knew it I was back in transition and time to get the run on. I ended up averaging 21 mph. Not bad, but I always feel that I could have went faster on the bike when I finish.
I made it into transition and switched into running shoes for the 4 mile run. My right insole on my shoes bunched up, and I tried to fixed it three times and just decided to go with it as I was losing a whole bunch of time. I headed out on the run and I was not feeling it. My time was not bad, but the legs weren't feeling the love. I made it to the start of this monster hill and managed to run it part of the way up, and started an Ultra power walk up the hill. I do not walk hills in races, unless they are Ultras, but this hill was killer. I did not see anyone running it. I finally made it to the top and the turnaround and headed back downhill. We have the huge downhill, a slight uphill, and then loop back around to the hill again. That's right, it was a two loop course with the same hill. That's sucks! So, I power walked again. Some were still try to run it, but my Ultra walk was just as fast. I made it up again and back downhill to the aid station and then uphill to turn right to home.
The run to the finish was slightly downhill and that was the best part of the whole run. I think I was getting under 6 minute miles on that little section. I had a horrible run, but still managed to have the 27th best run time overall. My total time was 1:50. Not bad, but out of the money for an age group award. That is the thing about Tri's, I am so used to getting an award for running, but when you have to put all 3 disciplines together, it is a lot tougher. My main thing is to improve the swim. Once that is there, look out.

Overall, it was a great race. It was very well organized, had great swag, and the location could not have been better. One of my biggest complaints about the Tulsa Tri is that there is nowhere to get out of the sun or for people to really hang out. I know it is because of the lake area, that there is not much you can do about it, but at this lake you had plenty of shade for lawn chairs, picnic tables, catered food, podiums for the award groups, and great announcing for when people finished. I would recommended this Tri to anyone, but you had better be prepared for the monster hill that you have to hit twice. The results can be found here.

Something Cool Came in the Mail

2010-06-10T10:54:00.004-05:00

Got my award for the OKC Marathon. Really beautiful award.
In taper mode for the Tulsa Tri this weekend. First full Olympic Triathlon. I can't wait!

Running Hope Through America

2010-05-18T09:56:00.020-05:00

With much anticipation and goading by TZ, I have finally sat down today to write about my experience last Saturday for being OK State Captain for Lisa Smith-Batchen's attempt at running 50 miles in 50 States in 62 days. I am amazed that anyone reads this blog, let alone is waiting to read my report. I have not had much time to blog lately, but I will try to do better for those of you who do read it.
At about 1 AM this past Saturday morning, the RHTA crew rolled into Tulsa. This is the start of fruition of many months of planning and coordination between people I have never met and making sure that their needs were met. I understand the dynamics of what it takes to complete Ultras, but what it takes to complete 2500 miles in 62 days is another thing. This all started because of a thought on Lisa's part to raise money for Orphans worldwide. Lisa does not think small, so instead of just running across the country and just hitting a few States, which is still a monumental task, why not do all 50 States. Her plea went out across the Internet and I threw my name out there by saying that if they happen to need someone to help in OK, I would be glad to help. Not knowing or expecting that I would ever be chosen to head things up, but I am glad I was.
Lisa does not do this on her own by any means. Her main job is to put one foot in front of the other for 50 miles. One of her main friends and crew support is Sister Marybeth. You may have heard of the flying Nun, well she is the running Nun. Fully clad in habit and outfit, she logs at least 20 miles a day or more with Lisa and tends to her needs. Sister and Lisa go way back to when Sister Marybeth was coaching girls cross country and was needing a coach and Lisa applied for the job and the rest is history. Sister puts most runners to shame by the amount of miles she logs all while wearing wool, which she did at Badwater to help Lisa. One of the many great things of the day was Sister was looking for a place to attend Mass and we found a church off of 49th & Peoria, which is at least a good mile or so away. She said she would just walk over there. I felt really bad about letting her walk and offered her a ride and she said that it was not that far away and she preferred to walk. This was after already doing about 20 miles that day. Truly amazing.
One of the main reasons this even took place was because Brian & Kathy Hoover stepped up and volunteered to help with the aid stations, publicity, and anything else we needed. When I knew that I was going to be in charge of this, I knew immediately that I needed to get TATUR and Runnersworld involved. If anyone was going to know the needs of an Ultra, it was them. They both put in countless hours sending out e-mails and posting things on the website to make sure that the word got out and it did. The are truly one of the most giving people I know and the kindness that they have shown my family, really got shared with the RHTA crew.
At 5:30 AM, there were a few introductions and Lisa said, "which way do we go?" The crew that had assembled headed North and it was to be a long day of 50 miles. Lisa starts out walking the first 10 or 15 miles to get her legs feeling good and then starts mixing in walking or running, depending on how she feels. The amazing thing about this was the amount of people that showed up, but more importantly the amount of people that stayed with her all day. Several comments were made about that this the largest amount of people that stayed with her all day of any State. We have such a good group of runners here in Tulsa. I am very proud to be a part of them.

I did not head out on the first loops, because I wanted to make sure that everything was coordinated and that we were providing them all the support they needed. Michael Evans, one of the support crew from Idaho, went out a few times for a run and I joined him and Elaine Palmquist for a few Zink Loops. I managed to get in 16 miles, while still maintaining coordination of all the activities. I had a lot of good help from Brian and my wife. With them helping, things were going smoothly.

They predicted a washout of rain all day, but instead we just got some mist and overcast skies, which made for a great day of running. You could not have asked for better weather to run in. After our tornado on Thursday and massive storms on Friday, it was not looking good. We made sure and prayed for better weather and we were blessed to have it.
The RHTA crew had a table set up by the RV with some information about the run, the causes, and a jar that people could donate to. It is amazing that amount of people who stopped and dropped in some money. Thank you!

So, what does Sister Marybeth do while Lisa is still out running, what any smart Nun would do, catch a snooze. No, she is not praying. I cannot imagine the stress of all the traveling, let alone the running takes on you, so I would be catching some Zzzz's whenever I could too.
Why are all these people really excited, it is because they are headed for this.
The finish line. After a long day, 12 hrs., and her 22nd State, Lisa was finally done. The day went by extremely fast, but a lot happened during that time. A lot of stories were shared, some lives were changed, and history was in the making. That is one thing about running, once it courses through your veins, it is hard to get rid off. It pulses throughout your body and life, molding and shaping, and changing the fabric of who we are. No matter our backgrounds, lifestyles, upbringings, or current circumstances, running peels away that very existence and for one one moment in time makes us all part of a very special group of close knit people who can come together for one special purpose. To raise money for Orphans around the globe.Once the run is done, another State is marked off the list and it is time to pack them up and head them out.
But, before you go, how about a massage. I was able to have good friend Dr. Peace come out with his massage therapist and give Lisa a free massage to help her in journey across the USA. Thank you Dr. Peace for coming out and being a good friend.
Well, the OK journey for Lisa was finally over, but her mission still lives on. Her fight for those who cannot necessarily fight for themselves goes on as she travels across this great land of ours bringing awareness to their plight. I thank God that I am a runner. What running has given me, is something I can hardly put into words and give the proper voice for how it has changed my life. Because of that, I the least I can do is give back to what has given so much to me. Please consider that also, by going to runhope.com and giving something back to help those who are less fortunate than us. God bless Lisa and crew and may God bless all the runners, volunteers, and people who donated on Saturday. Thank you all so much for making this happen and it is my privilege to call you a friend.

Friday 4/30/10

2010-04-30T09:56:00.003-05:00

Rode the trainer today for 1.25 hrs with the looming storms clouds outside. May lift some weights at the Y later.

Ran an easy 5 miles yesterday. The calves are loosening up and starting to feel better from the OKC Marathon. Swam at the Y for a half an hour.

Tomorrow is the big MIWOK 100K race in SF. Hope everyone has fun. Very stacked field and I hope that Tony Krupicka tears it up. I am sure he is using this to get into Western States.

A lot of triathlons tomorrow also, Escape From Alcatraz, Ironman St. George, and others.

Kids are doing the Renal Run tomorrow night downtown.

Also, tomorrow is the Kentucky Derby. I watch it every year. This all started from when we lived in Kentucky. The experience around it is awesome. Have a great weekend!

OKC Marathon Race Report

2010-04-27T09:03:00.012-05:00

I had the privilege of running the 10th Annual OKC Marathon this last Sunday. This was my third time running it and something about it keeps drawing me back. I have never had a real good run time here as the weather has played a factor in times past and that is why some people prefer to do the Little Rock Marathon in March. Despite all that, there is something mystical about the race. The way the city comes out and supports it is truly amazing. I really appreciate how all the volunteers encourage you and say Thanks for coming out and running the race. The city really embraces it and supports it. It is very evident when you are out on the course. The Route 66 Marathon here in Tulsa could learn a lesson from them about how to put on a great race.
We left Tulsa early Saturday afternoon and rolled into OKC about 3 pm to see things like this. Unfortunately, the expo was the same day as the OKC Thunder basketball game against the Lakers. The game wasn't until that night, but people were already lining up. The Cox Center is where the packet pick up is and it is right next to the Ford Center, where the Thunder play. Not to be out done, the annual Arts festival was in the park next to the Cox Center. Traffic was backed up way back on Robinson all the way to I-40. I had never seen the packet pick up this bad. They were expecting record numbers this year and it showed. We hurried up and got our packet and headed south to Moore to our room. It was time to get some food and relax. 3:45 Am was going to be early.

I set the alarm for 4 Am, but I was up at 3:45 AM and I was starting to get ready. We made it out the door and downtown at about 5:30 AM. Race start is 6:30 AM. I knew that I would have to make one last port-a-potty stop and I wanted to get there early as it is a typical race to where the ratio of runners to port-a-potty's seems to be off. I made it through the line and headed north to the corral a little before 6 AM. When I got there most of the people were huddled in the back with slower pace times and they had special black dot seating up closer. I got into the slower corral, not knowing what it all meant. I looked down at my bib and I saw a black dot. Hurray! I could move up. I made my way up and was able to get close to start. I talked to Wes Hollander who was pacing the 2 hr 1/2 Marathon group and then I ran into Darryl Stillson who was pacing the 1:45 1/2 Marathon group. I was standing around checking out the competition, when I got bumped into by good friend, Bill Richardson. Bill is a great trail runner and does have a Marathon PR of 2:47. He is a really great guy and talking with him, made the time fly by, which was good since I had on a singlet and it was in the lower 50's with the wind blowing. I was ready to get moving. One of the most poignant parts of the race is the 168 seconds of silence in remembrance of the 168 who lost their lives in the bombing. Nothing like 23,000 runners suddenly going completely still out of respect for those who lost their lives. Finally at 6:30 AM, it was time to go.

I set my Garmin for a Quick Workout with the Virtual Partner so I could just look and see where I was at. I set it for 3:10, which I knew may be a little aggressive, but what the heck. Finally, the gun sounded and we were off. In the first 1/2 mile I started feeling a little tightness around my chest and wasn't for sure what was going on. I was hoping it would go away, otherwise it was going to be a long day. A little while later it did go away to never return. My pace felt pretty good at this point, but around mile 4 I started to get some side cramps and had to take some electrolytes to have it go away. I thought it was a little early for this to happen, but every race is different. I hit the 10K in 44:20. A little faster than I wanted, but hey, just roll with it.

In between mile 8 and 9, just past the big Circus aid station is where I started to fade. I knew at this point, unless I started to feel better, 3:10 was out of the question, but maybe 3:15 or 3:20 was possible. This is where I can insert all the excuses as to why I couldn't make it. My running really hadn't been where it should have been. One of my problems is that I like to do too many things and should probably concentrate on just one thing, but I can't. I think for Boston next year I will try that over the winter months.
One we get to about mile 11 and headed West, this what we ran into, Wind. The wind was out of the West and was pretty strong. This definitely did not help my time, but I still made it through the half at 1:35. A little before mile 14 is where you hit Lake Hefner and this has to be one of the most boring sections of the race. Not only is it boring, but we were getting a cross wind. It reminds me of the section on Riverside from the Casino to 96th St. Boring! I am so glad to get out of that and head back into town. About mile 17 is where you head back in. At this point I am still clicking off 7:45 miles, but I know this is dropping my chances of even a 3:20. I hit the 32K at 2:29 and all I have to do is run a 50 minute 10K and 3:20 is in the bag. Yeah right! I really fell apart on this section. My average pace was 8:45. The little stretches of hills, especially the one up Classen was it for me. The hills are not very steep, but just enough to tick you off.

At about mile 25, I saw Darryl again and he ran a little with me and kept me going for a little while longer. Once I turned the corner and could see the finish line, I knew it was in the bag. I did not have a sprint left, but got passed by some guys from Tulsa right at the finish. If you had that much left, probably should have ran faster.
I was glad to be finished, but I did not feel really beat up. I just don't think I had enough good solid runs to get to where I needed. I am happy with my finish time of 3:23. I was 85th overall out of 2,597. I think I was 5th or 6th for all Tulsa area runners. This was my best OKC time, but not my PR. I still really enjoyed the race and the whole experience.
Once you get through, it is just a mass of people standing around at the finish reminiscing and trying to find family members and friends. I tried to eat back my registration fee in Carl's Jrs hamburgers and I think I succeeded. I think OKC has a good handle on this Marathon and I would recommend it to anyone.

The overall experience of the race is well worth checking it out. The people are great, the sponsors are great, and the atmosphere is astounding. When you get through with the race and you are hurting and then you go through the Memorial, you realize how minimal your pain really is. I may be suffering some temporary physical pain, but the emotional pain that others have endured does not even compare. God bless the families of those who lost loved ones on that fateful day and may God bless OKC.

Tulsa St. Patrick's Day 5K Race Report

2010-03-22T11:10:00.014-05:00

I know this report is way overdue, but life has been crazy lately. With spring break, work, and my son Will's graduation coming up, it has been intense. I know, excuses, excuses. Oh well, what are you supposed to do?

A week ago last Saturday on March 13th, I had the privilege of running in the Runnersworld St. Patrick's day 5K benefiting the Special Olympics and the Tulsa Running Club. I do a few 5K's each year and this is one of my favorites. First off it it put on by Runnersworld, the best running store in Tulsa by good friends Brian & Kathy Hoover. Second, it kind of ushers in the spring racing season, and it benefits some great non-profit groups. I had the privilege this year of being on the race committee and was involved with of the planning behind the scenes. Plus, my youngest son has been bugging to me run the race and one of my team members at work was in the Couch to5K program and this was his first 5K to run. So, why not not see what speed I had left in my legs.
Here I am at the initial rooster strutting phase before the race. This where all the studs warm up and then sprint initially back and forth to show off our stuff to the fellow roosters. Quite the male ego challenge.

I had no idea what kind of time I was able to do. I had done some tempo runs earlier in the week and felt like I was dying. I wanted to make sure and get under 20, but I knew that the speed was not there after the 50 miler at Rocky Raccoon in February.
Here we are at the start. The guy on the left in orange won the race. I was talking with my swim coach, Duncan Wise, who was asking me if I had been swimming. Oops.
I am not for what Scottish kilts have to do with St. Patrick's day, but hey, I like them. There is something very spiritual about them.
The race started and I took off at my normal "too fast to maintain" pace and headed up Peoria. I felt pretty good through the first K, but in between here and the 2K, I knew it was not my day. As we headed up the little incline to the turnaround, I thought for sure that my day was just going to get slower. At the turnaround, I was able to see who was behind me and saw some runners that would be coming for me. All I had left was to hopefully maintain and not lose much ground. I was able to maintain about a 6:20 pace and once I got to about the 4K mark, I got passed by a fellow TRC board member, which made me mad, but there was nothing I could do about it. I held on and managed a 19:43, which is still good, but not where I wanted to be.
Wyatt ran a very good race and set a PR of 26:11. Not bad for an eight year old. Believe it or not, he got 4th in his age group and no award. Tough age group.
After all was said and done, it was time to celebrate my daughter Shannon's 11th birthday. Nothing is better on a birthday than an ice cream cake.
I am so very proud of her and it is very hard to believe that she is 11 and starting to grow up. Where has all the time gone. I hope you had a great birthday. Daddy loves you!

Scenes from Post Oak Trail Run

2010-03-03T10:05:00.007-06:00

I spent the last weekend helping keep the aid stations stocked and set up for the TRC Post Oak trail run. Julie and the kids helped out both days at the aid stations and made sure that everyone running was taken care of. This was not an easy task and after all this, everyone was pretty whooped. Here some of the scenes.
Oklahoma Botanical Gardens, where we had one of the aid stations.
Part of the trail around Flatrock aid station.
Curtis and Kristi at the Botanical Gardens aid station on Saturday during the Marathon.
Runners coming up the trail on Sunday to the Flatrock aid station.
Runners re-fueling on Sunday. Great table fare.
Good friend and great Ultrarunner, Randy Ellis at Flatrock.
If you look real close, you can see white specks or runners, heading up Holmes peak.

Good friend and great runner Mike Adams after he finished up on Sunday after two days of running.
On Sunday, I think that I spotted Bigfoot. I could make millions in the tabloids with this.
Sorry, just a Zombie.
Great view of downtown Tulsa. Such a beautiful place.

Change of Plans

2010-02-26T11:19:00.020-06:00

Well, it official, Swimming Sucks! I am so fed up with trying to swim and not making any progress. I absolutely cannot stand that I cannot figure out how to do something and do it well. I have bought the videos, taken lessons, read the books and blogs, and my swimming is still crappy. I know, I know, it is all technique, well my technique sucks! I think that my capability for swimming is in the crapper. Can I get up and down the lanes, yes, am I good at it, no. Will I ever be any good at it, who knows?

Einstein said that the definition of insanity is to do the same thing over and over again and expect different results. That is exactly what I am doing. I do not know why I keep going back to the pool and expect different results. I try different things through some of the things I read, but it does not help. I swam today with a larger lady who was swimming circles around me and who I knew if we were on the track, she would not even make around without stopping once. Been there, done that. I know for those of you reading this, this where you say to yourself, that is because it is all technique. I get that! My technique stinks!

I have done some triathlons and I can make it through the swim enough to survive and kiss the ground in celebration, but it is just that, survival, and I cannot be competitive, especially in the shorter distances as I do not have enough time to make up on the bike and run. Triathlon is like a sickness that continually pounds you with the allure of being an Ironman and going beyond where others have not gone. I think this is one sickness I am going purge my body of and concentrate on what I can do. This may be a form of surrender and waving the white flag, but hey, at least it was on my own terms. I think maybe it is time to move on and concentrate on some things I can do.

One of the things that I would really like to try this fall is CycloCross. I went and watched one of the races last year at Chandler Park and it looked really fun. Anything that combines obstacles with riding and running, sounds like fun to me.

I would also like to concentrate some more on cycling. I really enjoyed some of the group rides I did last year with the Church on the Move Cycling Team and the MS 150 training rides. I liked excitement of be in the peloton and being forced to keep up with the group or be dropped. It was challenging. The Tulsa Wheelmen start doing some Crits in April and I may do a few of those and target some of the Tulsa Tough races.

Or, maybe I should just stick with good old trail and ultrarunning. I have had some pretty good success with it, but after getting a bad case of PF in both feet in 2008, I get really nervous about concentrating solely on running. I really like the trails and the people that are involved with it. They are such a great group of people and it is a lot more relaxed than the road races. Nothing against road races as I do my fair share of them, but trail and Ultra people are a lot more fun.

I do need to get a Mountain Bike as I am sure that I would really like that also. I am really at crossroads right now with what I should focus in on for 2010, any ideas?

At least I can cross tris off for this year as the swimming is going nowhere. I feel as though I have given it more than adequate time and yet still no results. I have even tried to find out that maybe the Bible has something to say about swimming. All I could come up with was this guy name Jonah and his swimming adventure was not that pretty. Jonah, I know how you feel.

Rocky Raccoon Race Report

2010-02-15T10:16:00.020-06:00

I finally have time to sit down and write a race report about our excursion to Huntsville, TX for the Raccoon. I have had this race on my calendar for quite some time, but have never been able to do it. I have come as close as signing up for Sunmart, but did not go. Sunmart is held in the same park, Huntsville State Park, as Rocky Raccoon. The course is billed as one of the least demanding courses as compared to Western States, Leadville, etc., but 50 or 100 miles is still a long dang ways.After picking up my packet and checking into our diggs at the La Quinta, we headed out for pizza. I am not for sure if this was such a good idea as the binding effect of cheese may wreak havoc during such a long race. I wanted the carbs, but I did not want to get a few miles in and have to start a long chain of squatting maneuvers. We settled on Pizza Hut only to see a Lil Caesars right after we bought the pizza. Oh well.

We headed back to room to do the pre-race ritual of watching the Weather Channel and relaxing. After the long drive I was ready to sack out about 9 pm. I managed to make it to bed by 10, but my wake up call was at 3:45 AM. Ughhh!

After the clogging effects of the pizza, we managed to make it out the door a little after 5 AM and headed to Huntsville State Park. I have never seen such a huge long line of cars waiting to get into an Ultra. I thought for sure we were going to have trouble finding a place to park, but we managed a spot by Lake Raven and the outhouse. Temps were around mid 4o's, so it was time to sit in the Jeep, relax with the heat on and wait. The 100 milers were taking off at 6 AM, so I had and hour and half wait to go. The kids went back to sleep and I just relaxed and stayed warm. Before I knew it, it was time to get out in the cold and head to the start.
Here I am shedding some layers and starting to lining up. I really was not that nervous about this as I knew it would be a long day. I get a lot more nervous about 5K's than I do about an Ultra. Strange, but true.
I am getting my game face on and heading towards the line. Let's get it on!
This is what I was headed for. The start of the 18th annual Rocky Raccoon trail run. A lot of great runners have toed this line and it was time for me to throw my hat in the ring.
Promptly at 7 AM, we were off. Nothing fancy other than a go, I much prefer the shotgun at the start of Leadville. I started out with the sun coming up and you could now see Lake Raven. I kept looking for alligators, but I did not see any. Do alligators hibernate?

My pace starting out was a little higher than I wanted, but I kept thinking to myself, why are all these people in such a hurry, we still have 50 miles to go. I know that some people will start out too fast and I will reel them in later and others start out fast and then speed up. The group I was with was running a decent pace and I just stayed with them. We all stayed together until we hit the first aid station as some stopped and some kept going. I determined to stop at every aid station and take in plenty of fluids. One of my biggest tendencies is to not stay hydrated enough and it costs me later. This day I hit every aid station.

The course is a 16.67 mile loop and we hit the first aid station in 5K, then we hit the Dam Road aid station, do a loop around and hit it again and then head to the final aid station before the finish. From the last aid station it is 4.4 miles to the Start/Finish. I really enjoyed most of the course, but this last 4.4 mile section was a drag. It was all I could do to stay focused. The other sections kept my attention, but this last part was really boring and a long 4.4 miles.

The course had a few mud holes that we had to avoid, but for the most part, it was really runnable. Their was a lot single track mixed in with Jeep roads, and a lot of planks to run on. On a few sections I smacked some elbows with others on the course, but managed to stayed injury free. I almost bit the dust 3 times on the trail, but had a great recovery each time. Really a very runnable course.
I felt really good through the first loop and managed a 2:22. Right where I wanted to be and felt like it was a pace I could maintain. I ran all the hills on the first loop and did no walking. On second loop somewhere around mile 26 or 27, the wheels came off. I took in plenty of fluids and electrolytes, and ate a little, but I tend not to eat enough and it hit me. On the section leaving the Dam road aid station on the Jeep trail is where I started walking. I knew I was in trouble when I start walking flat sections. I thought for sure my race was over. All I could think about was quitting the race after this loop. My legs felt fried as I was going for a sub 8 finish and probably hit it too hard or it just may have been because I did not take in enough calories. I made it to the next aid station and took my time and started towards the finish. A lot of things go through your head at this point. How do you explain this to your kids, I can be home earlier, why did I do this, etc. I ran when I could and did a lot of walking. Finished this loop in I think around 5:15. Still not a bad time.

I spent a lot of time sitting in the chair at this point. I managed to eat a Clif Bar, drank a couple of Gatorades, and headed to go to the Port-a-Potty and I felt like maybe I could finish the race. Some of the workers came over and talked to me and all I could tell them was my legs were fried. I think that a lot of this was I did not take in enough calories initially and was paying for it. After at least 20-25 minutes in the chair, I ventured back out. I was able to start running again, but it was around 10 minute miles. Hey, at least I was moving.
While I was out on the last loop, the wife and kids took off to do some site seeing. Huntsville is where Sam Houston is from and they have quite the memorial to him. If you look close, Wyatt is picking Sam's nose.
This is Wyatt just at the base of the statue. Words do not give it justice.
Sam was obviously larger than life.
On this loop, I just wanted to finish and ran when I could and walked the hills. I definitely felt better after taking some more calories, so I was running a lot more. I spent the whole time wondering if I could break 9 hours. 8 hours was the original goal, but 9 was going to be a great accomplishment in spite of the day. I just kept moving. It had warmed up to the upper 50"s, but it still felt like perfect weather. I managed to run more of this last section home, but it was still a challenge.
Finally, I could see the home stretch. As I crossed the road, I could hear this big, booming, familiar voice crying in the wilderness, "Come on Dorothy!" Brian Hoover was at the finish as well as my family. I crossed the line in 8:43:36. Not bad for an old guy.
What a day! I was glad to be done. Joe P. came up and shook my hand told me I could quit running now. It was official, I was done. When I was finished, Roman and Carolyn were getting ready to head out on their last loop. They invited me out and I politely declined. Kathy was also there and I discovered that she had some issues and had dropped out after 40 miles. Still more miles than most of the world has ever ran. I spent some time standing around talking to Brian and it was time to find the family.
Time to head for the house!
Joe P. and the Tejas Trails group puts on a great race and I was glad to be a part of it. I would recommend this race to anyone for the challenge of going beyond the 50K and being supported by a group who knows what they are doing. It was nice to run the race surrounded by friends and family, but it is great to run the race to experience life. Memories are made of times like these.

What's Up

2010-01-19T11:18:00.013-06:00

It's been awhile since I posted, but things have been very busy, plus I have been doing a lot of soul searching lately, but enough about that for now. Last Saturday, I had the opportunity to lead a training group at the Post Oak lodge here in Tulsa. The Tulsa Running Club is putting on a massive trail run the last weekend in February. Starting with a Marathon on Saturday followed by a 50K, 25K, and 10K on Sunday. This will be the first ever race out at the Lodge and this was the first TATUR & TRC training run. Rain was not in the forecast and I checked Accuweather for the temp when I woke up and saw rain on the map. I immediately opened the back door and saw it was indeed raining. Not the ideal running weather considering we had just melted off about 10 inches of snow the same week. I still managed to get dressed and out the door as I was not about to miss an opportunity like this. 80+ people has RSVP'd, but only about 40+ showed. I headed for the lodge and ran into good friend and great Ultrarunner, Randy Ellis and got to talk him. He was the celebrity runner for the training run and I also saw, El Mustapha Khoubiz, my good friend from Morocco had showed up. He needs to do some Ultras, but he is trying to make the Olympic standard for the Marathon Trials. Sometime a little after 7 we took off. We started out on the road, but we finally hit the trial after about a half mile. As soon as we hit the field, shoes were soaked and man was the water cold. We hit a hill at the beginning and we soon ran into a few more hills. This course was truly pretty intense. We finally made it to the big one, Hamburger Hill and headed up the highest point in 3 counties. I ran all the way up the hill, but it was strenuous. The hill was a turn around and we headed back down the trail. On one downhill I saw a doe cross right in front of me. This timber and the trail reminded me a lot of back home in Illinois. We made it to the last big hill before the return trip to the parking lot and I could not run all the up it as I could not get my footing. I hope we have some drier weather before the race to harden up the trail. We got back to the parking lot and no was one around, so we headed down the road and saw one of the last groups going on a different trail and we joined them for some bonus miles. We ended up back at the parking lot with 9 miles. Some others were heading back out, so we joined them.
We ended up running some of the trails by the lodge. In this group was K2 on the left, myself, Elaine, Johnny, and Joel taking the picture. On this part we got some more water crossings and some extra bonus miles on different trails. Total for the day day was at 11.5. When we got done, my fingers were so cold, I could not get my key back on the key ring. My feet weren't too bad, but my fingers were stiff. This was a great run, great lodge, and it always nice to see old friends and make new ones.

Lately, I have been thinking a lot about this blog, life, career, and just in general, a lot of soul searching. I am not for sure if I will continue the blog or not. Only 5 people read it, but I guess that doesn't matter. I write it because I like to write and it is a good way to communicate what is going on in our lives. I am very proud of my family and the things I have accomplished, but when I write that, I get comments that I make selfish, abased, arrogant type posts. Well, last I checked, it was my blog to write about whatever I want. I also get anonymous or fictitious name commenter's by a certain fellow blogger in town who feels, I guess jealous, that anyone else can have a blog or they might read mine instead of his. I am not for sure what all is behind that, but to each his own. So, who knows what I will do. I may continue, I may not. A lot depends on my time schedule and the rest on me. Thanks for the 5 who read the blog, we will see what the future holds.

Santa Came Early

2009-12-22T16:30:00.018-06:00

Since the Thornton YMCA pool has been closed for maintenance, we have been going to the Owasso YMCA to get some laps in. I am on vacation most of this week, but have to go in on Christmas Eve off of my vacation because my boss if freaking out. I will be there about 5 or 6 hours and not with my family, but they will not have to go in. Funny how that works.
The kids enjoy going to Owasso better as they have a water slide and fountains. I don't like it as well as they only have two lap lanes and kids and people who have no concept of what the laps are for. The lifeguards do not do a real good job of policing the lanes. Once there was a huge lady taking up both sides of the lane. She wearing a hat and I could not figure out how she could swim and wear a hat, but I soon realized that that she was so huge that she stayed afloat an was in no danger of her head going under the water. I asked the lifeguard if he could talk to her ask to either move over or get out. She was just doing some float stroke and was only staying in the deep end. She was not going anymore than about 5 yards in her deep end. He did not want to talk to her, but he finally did and she got out and sat in the circular water area for the kids. Unfortunately my kids had goggles on and saw what was underneath and have needed therapy ever since.
Will had a double header basketball game at the Salvation Army Boys & Girls Club in BA. I have not been able to go to any of his games since I work nights, so it was a real treat to do so. As it happens, Julie had to work late, so I had all the kids. There first game was 6 pm and they another at 8 pm with an hour in between. They lost the first game, but Will made a 3 pointer and had some rebounds. In between times, we needed something to do and I suddenly realized that I have deprived my kids of Foosball and pool. Stuff that I grew up on.
After kicking their behinds at Foosball we ventured over to play pool. When I was a kid I spent most of my time in the pool hall. Not the best crowd to hang around with, but I really loved pool. I had several books by Willie Mosconi and my own pool cue at age 13 and could beat adults 3, 4, or 5 times my age. I realized that the kids had never ever played. Here is Wyatt looking sharp.
Shannon is zeroing in on the stripes. We played a couple of games and it was time to head in for the second game. This game was totally different. Will had 8 points, several rebounds, and some broken up plays. His team won by over 20 points in this game.
At work on Friday, my lead got me a special gift. A Paul Stanley KISS Mr. Potato Head. Being that I am a proud member of TATUR and a childhood KISS fan, the gift was quite appropriate.
In the mail today I got another Christmas gift of a Louis Garneau Thermal Cycling Jersey, Windproof Skull Cap, Nashbar Tights, and Long Finger Cycling Gloves. So, what better thing to do but go for a ride. I have not rode on the roads for a few months and I do not have a Mountain Bike. I have rode the trainer during all this time, but the ride today kicked my behind. It is amazing how different the trainer and the road is. Just a few months ago, I was doing 60 mile rides for fun and today a 26 mile ride was all I needed. It did not completely wipe me out like an Ultra, but I felt every minute of it. It was nice to be out again as I did not have any cold weather Cycling gear until now. It is supposed to be warmer tomorrow and maybe I can squeeze a ride in between storms. One thing I did not miss was most of the Tulsa drivers. All I can say is, God Bless all of you in a hurry to where ever it is that you need to go.

On a side note, I heard on the radio that the individual that hit the elderly cyclist and killed her earlier this year, plead guilty and is getting 7 years in prison. I am not for sure if this is justice or not. He was late for work, an illegal, and went on to work and did not even stop. Seems like more should have been done. My prayers and sympathies go out to the family.

Every Kid Needs A Bike

2009-12-20T22:42:00.003-06:00

http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=11&articleid=20091220_11_A17_IzayaC1263

Ford Ironman 2009 on NBC

2009-12-18T09:48:00.003-06:00

The big Daddy of them all, the Ford Ironman is showing tomorrow on NBC from 4:30 pm EST to 6 pm EST. Be sure and check it out. One of these days, I will be there too.

New Balance Promo Video

2009-12-17T10:15:00.002-06:00

Awesome New Balance video about some Mountain running studs. I love my NB 100's and some of those trail shots are some trails I ran this last summer in Leadville. Great promo.

Happy Anniversary!

2009-12-15T18:07:00.010-06:00

My how things have changed. It has been awhile since we had ran at Turkey Mountain and I thought what a better way to celebrate our anniversary than by a trail run on Turkey, but it has really changed.
They now have restrooms at the trailhead. I do not understand the concept for this as behind this is one gigantic port-a-potty. I guess this is for the ladies and to keep the freaks from freezing in the wintertime when they are trolling.
This is a view of the Tulsa skyline, but this area last summer was a gravel parking lot as they were putting in a new paved parking lot.
On the South side they have cut off the beginning of the Red trail and made it paved to connect to the East side. They also put in these new stone rocks.
Kind of looks like Moab.
This what we look like after 18 degrees and 9 miles of trail. This was a cold outing, but it made sure that you kept moving. I have always said it is one thing to be in shape and it is another thing to be in Turkey Mountain shape. Having not ran trails and hills in a long time, I was definitely not in good trail condition. After the run I looked like this.

Dogtired.

Today is our 19th wedding anniversary and it has been a wild ride going from Illinois to Kentucky to Kansas and now Oklahoma. We have been through 4 kids, several dogs, and numerous jobs. This journey has taken me from being careered focused and out of shape to qualifying for the Boston Marathon. I am now on a new adventure to tackle the triathlon world. This journey is never ending and I hope it never does. The search for who I really am has taken me far beyond what ever I had thought I could do. I owe my life to my wife, kids, and what endurance sports has given me. It has given me my life back and much more. So, Happy Anniversary dear and here's to many more.

Beautiful Day

2009-12-13T16:15:00.011-06:00

Today was a great day. The morning was kind of dreary and humid with a little rain. Not too bad temp wise and a good time to head off to church. Enjoyed a great kids musical at Rhema and then headed to QT. When we came out of QT, the sun was out and I knew it was going to be a great day to get a run in.
Normally I would have opted for this, but temps were around 52 degrees with a light south wind and made for a great afternoon run.
I was able to wear shorts again for the first time in several weeks and headed out the door. It has been three weeks since the Route 66 Marathon and qualifying for Boston, so I decided to hit it a little harder for the first time in awhile. I decided to do about a 10 mile and throw in some Marathon pace miles. The following were my splits:

Mile 1: 8:06, feeling pretty good.
Mile 2: 8:02, cruising and decided to start picking it up.
Mile 3: 7:23, running good.
Mile 4: 7:08, definitely at Marathon pace.
Mile 5: 7:01, going a little faster than planned.
Mile 6: 7:16, really starting to feel the lack of speed work.
Mile 7: 7:22, I was hurting and decided to start backing it down.
Mile 8: 8:02, in recovery mode.
Mile 9: 8:04, a few hills on this mile.
Mile 10: 8:07, glad to be done.

It is amazing how easy it is get out of race shape. I have been swimming, biking, and running over the last three weeks, but without any speed work, it really shows. I am also about 7 or 8 lbs. heavier than I like to be. I chalk this up to Thanksgiving, slacking off after the Marathon, and trying new things in my diet. I have went back to some Paleo and switched back to Vegan. I am not for sure what works best yet for me, but I will keep trying.

I can honestly say that I am feeling more and more like a triathlete. I have been strictly a runner over the last four years and have added biking in the last year. Swimming has been a whole nother animal. Thanks to some good coaching from Duncan and tips from good friend Rob Chance, I have been able to improve to the point that where I think I can handle the swim in an 70.3 Ironman. I am still slow, but I have recently taken about 2 minutes off of my 1,000 yard time and I am actually at the point to where I can say that I look forward to the next swim. I have absolutely hated it, because I was not any good at it. Taking it up in my forties has been a real challenge, but I do not quit easily. I am eyeing the Lonestar 70.3 in April. It is the same weekend as the OKC Marathon, but I have done that twice and have already qualified for Boston. I think the beach at Galveston sounds pretty nice. Before too long, I will be swimming like this.

Nice Surprise

2009-12-02T10:17:00.003-06:00

Came in to work Monday to find all of this.
What happened to my office?
Mock Finish Line.
Confetti on the desk.
I don't think that was me.
I have the greatest group of people that work for me.

Route 66 Marathon Race Report

2009-11-29T16:44:00.015-06:00

It has been a crazy week and I am late getting this report out, but I ran the Marathon on Sunday, Julie had surgery on Monday, we went to Illinois on Tuesday for Thanksgiving and drove home yesterday. That is a full week.

I was looking forward to the Marathon as it is a hometown Marathon and I can sleep in my own bed. I have ran the race all 4 years and I did not want to miss it. I had only made one long run of 21.5 miles at the Mock Marathon since the Leadville Marathon in July. I knew I needed more training, but I had been running well and did not have anything to lose.
I showed up at the race and had to deal with this yahoo. This Brian Hoover of TATUR and Runnersworld fame, the best running store in Tulsa. Brian was also doing the Marathon and so was a lot of his training groups that meet on Saturdays in the same location at Veterans Park.

After I talked to Brian, I had to make my way through this mess. I had waited too long and barely made my way up to in between the 8 & 7 minute pace markers. After the wheelchair people took off, We were able to scoot closer. I was having trouble with my new Garmin as I was trying to put in a quick workout course for the Marathon and every time I did, it would shut off. I was hoping that this would not be a sign of a really bad day. A Marathon can be a great experience as well as a long day.

At 7:30 AM, we were off. We were lead off by the classic police car and some of the 1/2 Marathoners took off at a faster clip than I wanted. I hit the button to start my Garmin and it just re-set to zero, which is what the other button is supposed to do. I did it again, same thing. I tried it once more, ditto. So, I decided that as long it would hold out, I would just look at my pace and use that.
Another shot of the start.

Michael Wardian and Zac Freudenburg were racing each other for the Guinness Book record for a Marathon pushing a stroller, which Michael already owned at 2:42. They had made a deal to look at each others kid as they did the Marathon. Great teamwork! This is at the 10K spot.
Mark Dolph on the right coming through the 10K marker. He keeps getting faster and faster. I think he ran a 1:19 at age 51.
Here I am at the 10K mark. I felt pretty good at this time and my split was 42:31. I was headed to the West Side and then downtown. I wanted to go through the half at 1:35 and see what I had left on the second half. I made it through the downtown at 15K 1:08:35. As I was heading downtown, I saw Pete Orban already heading to Riverside, what a stud.

The downtown part was a little hilly, but not bad. Somewhere on Denver I met up with the slower 1/2 Marathoners. This got pretty congested. I passed one older guy and he muttered, "you suck." Come on, I'm busting my tail here! At the water stop on 11th, people were stopping or slowing down and I almost plowed a girl over to try and get some water. This continued as I headed south on Riverside.
On Riverside I hit the half at 1:35:17, pretty close to where I wanted. I was still running on the opposite side of the street for all the congestion I was hitting. At about mile 14, I started to feel it a little. Nothing major, but I knew I was going to be a pushing it on the second half. Once I lost the 1/2 Marathoners, it got pretty lonely and boring. My pace started to slow and I thought it was going to be a long day. I was still running about a 7:25 pace, but I was slowing down as we were heading into the wind. I saw the stroller guys heading back at just past 51st street and Zac was in the lead. I ran to the turnaround at mile 20 and I thought I could maybe make up some time up as I was out of the wind, no such luck. I was still able to run around a 7:55 mile, but it was a chore. I kept everything going and I finally hit that spot where I knew I was going to finish.

Here I am just coming to the mile 26 marker and I was able to pick it up a little. My last two miles had been over a 8 minute pace, but I was heading home and I knew I was going to make it under 3:20 and qualify for Boston.
This is the chute for the finish and I hit it pretty strong and crossed the line at 3:17:46, well under the 3:20:59 for Boston. There were 3 guys that finished ahead of me by no more than 30 seconds in my age group. Oh well.

It is too bad that Boston closed on Nov. 13th, but at least I am in for 2011. I ran a pretty good race considering I had not done much Marathon specific training. I know I can do even better, but I am really happy with the result. The weather was perfect and I could not have asked for anything better. Zac did break the stroller Marathon record by 10 minutes and also won the entire Marathon. How cool is that! The Route 66 Marathon is one of my favorite races and I look forward to next year already. Results can be found here.

Day After Marathon

2009-11-20T12:14:00.001-06:00

This what I will probably be like on Monday. I love this video!

New Balance 100 Shoe Review: Updated

2009-11-19T09:38:00.008-06:00

I have ran for awhile in the New Balance 790's, but like a lot of things, they must come to an end. I have really enjoyed the 790 shoe for its low profile and feel on how I can grip the road. This is the shoe that Tony Krupicka used to wear and what Kyle Skaggs wore to win the Hardrock 100 in a new course record. New Balance decided to stop production on the 790, so it is relegated to the past.
They have decided to focus their attention on the MT 100. This shoe had a lot of input from Tony Krupicka and Kyle Skaggs and personally I think it is a big hit. I have about 50 miles on them and they are performing well. I do not think that they grip the road that well, as they are a little stiffer than the 790, but overall I think it is a better shoe. It has better breathability with better rock guard protection. The support around the heel is higher, but the main fit around the foot is definitely a thinner material, almost like the Addizero. I have yet to do a longer 20+ mile run in them, but I am sure that they will hold up well. I thinking about tackling the Rocky Raccoon 50 miler in Feb. and this is the shoe I would wear. I would give them a 4 out of 5 and hey, with a retail price of $75, you cannot beat the price.
This Sunday is the Route 66 Marathon, but I will not be wearing the MT 100 for that. Instead I will be wearing the Asic Hyperspeed. I originally wore them during the OKC Marathon and they performed well. They have a real good fit and feel with a low profile. After all, this is the same shoe Ryan Hall wears. Not that I will run like him, but I think I am in good company. We are three days away and I cannot wait. It is going to be so much fun and the weather should be just right. This is my fourth year running it and I have had my best Marathon times here. An added bonus this year is that Michael Wardian will battling another guy, Zac Fruedenburg, for the Guinness Book record for a Marathon time for pushing a jogging stroller. Michael already owns the record, but once he found out it was going to be challenged, he wanted in. The record is 2:42 and some change, that is incredible! This weekend is going to be a blast!

Well, I finished Rocky Raccoon in my NB 100's and they performed flawlessly. I had absolutely no blisters or any hot spots after running a 50 mile race. I had concerns about the higher back in the heel was maybe going to rub, but it was not even an issue. I heard from so many people how their feet were raw and hurt from the roots and sand, but I came through without a hitch.

I know that the new 101's are supposed to be out in October and they are supposed to address a lot of the issues, such as the higher heel part of the shoe. As for now, I will continue to run in the 100's as my shoe of choice. On or off the road.

Deer Cycling

2009-11-16T11:38:00.004-06:00

Words do not do this picture justice. The thoughts around this are endless. I know a lot of Redneck hunters back home that have never done this, or that I am aware of. This may be a new type of cycling or training for the Ironman. Did he hit the deer on his bike? Is this a new transit system for animals? My guess is, this is the best way to spot an Oklahoma DUI driver that lost his license.

Mock XC

2009-11-10T10:09:00.006-06:00

Saturday morning I had the privilege of running the 4th annual Mock Marathon. I have ran all 4 versions of this with the Runnersworld gang and each year it keeps getting bigger. It was amazing to me this year to see all the different people from the other running stores come out and do it. The course has changed again this year and we venture downtown a lot in the first half, so it was good to see what kind of hills were on that part of the course.
We started at 7:30 am, the same time as the real Route 66 marathon. I wanted to go slow as I have not done a long run for awhile. I started out running with Aaron Ochoa and we were going about a 8:40 pace. We were joined by Curtis at about mile 6. I have never ran with him before, but got a chance to talk to him while running the rest of the course. He has done several other races and is looking at getting under 4 hours on Route 66.

The downtown piece had a few hills, but overall I did think it was too bad. The worst is on Cincinnati, but other than that, I think it will very doable for a PR. The second half is flat on Riverside. We went through all the downtown part together and once we got on Riverside, we lost Aaron. Curtis and I hung together until about mile 19, when I said I wanted to drop some faster miles at the last. I did the next mile at 7:08 and the last one at 6:56. I felt really good and I know I am in good condition for the Marathon.
Later on that day, we went out to check the Cyclocross races at Chandler Park. I have read about them, but had never actually got a chance to see them. The bikes are slightly different than a road bike with different tires and brake set ups. The cool thing about it is that it is on grass with hills and obstacles that you have to dismount and carry your bike over. It really reminded me of trail running. This is the start of the Cat 4's, Masters, and Single Speeds.
They had a kids race that I entered Wyatt in. Here he is at the beginning. It was a real short course and he was disappointed it was not longer. His comment was that he could have ran the whole thing.
He ended up with second place and got a medal. He is really athletic and I cannot wait to see what the future holds for him.

I really hope this video turns out as there was this kid on a single speed that did not dismount on his bike and carry it over the barricades. He actually jumped both the barricades with his bike. It was truly awesome and I am sure the video does not do it justice.

Tulsa Run Race Report

2009-11-03T09:52:00.005-06:00

Saturday was the 32nd edition of the Tulsa Run. Being a BOK employee, I get to run for free. Joining me this year was Julie and several of my co-workers. Most of them were going to walk to walk the 5K, but hey, at least they got off the couch. Julie had decided to do the 15K. She had planned on training for it, but she did not do much running in October. I figured it was going to be a long day for her.
Here is a few of them at the start of the 5K. From left to right is Shane, one of my Transit employees, Cheryl, who works with Julie, and Tracy, who is one of my leads. This was Shane's and Cheryl's first 5K. I warned Tracy about wearing her Tulsa Run shirt for the race, but she didn't listen. You cannot wear the shirt until you have actually done the race!

I was very fortunate this year to start up front due to the kindness of Runnersworld. I have been on their race team for a number of years and they were allotted 10 slots and I received one. It was kind of neat being up front as we did little tiny loops to warm up in front of the masses. It was kind of like being on display at the circus.

I ended up about second or third row behind some of the tiny elite Kenyan girls. They were very petite, but quick. I am pretty sure I have ate bigger sandwiches than what they weighed. The countdown started at we were off at 9 AM. I had just got a Garmin 305 on Wed. and decided to wear it during the race to try and pace my self. It worked out really great during the first 5K, which is where I normally go out too fast and pay for it later. I stuck right on my 4:00 pace per K for the first 6K. As we came down on Riverside, where it was flat, I started to fall back. This is where I should have been able to kick it in, but instead, I just got slower. I guess I have not had enough longer tempo runs. I went through the 10K at 40:45 and knew my goal of sub 60 was gone. I kept a pretty even pace up to the Denver hill, but knew that would drop me back even further. I hung in there and pulled out a 1:02. Good enough for 121st overall. I even managed to be the top runner for the Bank this year and pulled us into a 3rd place for Corporate teams.
Here is the first female coming across the line. I think she finished in 50 something.
One of the great things of the Tulsa Run is that is either around or this year, on Halloween. Clark Kent ran the race this year and flew across the line. He is pretty fast, sub 60!
Here I am coming across the line. I was sure glad to be done. I have a ways to go to get sub 60. I hung around afterwords and drank a soda and talked to the kids. They were getting fussy holding all our gear, so I told them to go take the stuff back to the Jeep and I would go back out and find their mother. I headed back out on the course and the looks on peoples faces when I was going back out was priceless. I did a slow jog and saw several people still coming in, Bobby, Ken, Kathy, and the Runnersworld group. I was starting to wonder how far I was going to have to go back and in between 11 & 12K I found here. She was so glad to see me. I stayed with her the rest of the way as she slow jogged and walked it in.
Here is she coming into the finish. I am so proud of her for not quitting and accomplishing her goal. She was not last and she even beat one of the celebrity runners. With some training and dedication she can do a lot better. No matter what, she still did 9.3 miles.
Glad to be done.
Here we all are after the race, except for Wyatt, who was hanging out in the port-a-john.

The Tulsa Run is a great race with a great race director. The course is really tough with all the hills, but it so much fun to come out and see the excitement. I really hope that this sticks with the people at work who did this and this will lead them to a more healthy lifestyle. I will see what happens next, but I may throw myself into the Route 66 Marathon in a couple of weeks. Who knows? The results can be found here.

Race Across The Sky Movie Review

2009-10-24T17:41:00.008-05:00

I had the privilege of watching the premier of the Race Across the Sky movie last Thursday on the big screen. It was an one night nationwide showing of the epic Mountain Bike race in Leadville, CO last August. It is 100 miles on an out and back course that pitted Lance Armstrong against 6X champion Dave Wiens of Gunnison, CO. Having spent a week in Leadville this past July and raced the Trail Marathon, it was so nice to be able to see some of the old sites and sounds of Leadville. Ken Chlouber puts on all these races since first putting on the Leadville 100 trail race I think in 1983. Since that time it has morphed into more trail races and a MTB race. The MTB race has drawn in Tour De France winner Floyd Landis in 2007 and Lance Armstrong in 2008. When Lance raced here last year he finished second to Dave Wiens. Lance credits the race as the reason why he came back to race the Tour De France this year. I know Lance does not like to lose and this got the competitive juices flowing again.
A hundred miles is a long ride no matter what, but when you throw in the Leadville factor it is huge. Leadville sits at 10,200 elevation and is a challenge to anyone. The altitude did not bother me that much, but climbing uphill was very hard to get enough air. On the downhills I could clock off sub 8 minute miles, but I did a lot of walking on the hills. Those that can keep trucking uphill, my hat is off to you.

The MTB race starts downtown just like all the other races and heads out to the Twin Lakes area and up Columbine Pass which is just above 12,000 feet. It was funny sitting in the theater and hearing everyone ooh and aah when they announced how high it was. The Marathon I did went up Mosquito Pass at 13,100 feet. Everybody was in Parkas and it was cold. The MTB race was no different as it started sleeting on them and it was freezing up the top of the pass. The lead pack of riders was about 7 or 8 people and splintered once they made it to Twin Lakes at the 40 mile mark. Lance at that point took off and never looked back. He shot through the aid station and separated himself from the rest of the field. The most impressive thing was watching Lance pedal all the way up Powerline trail on the way back when everyone else, including Dave Wiens got off and pushed their bikes up the trail. Lance made it back to Turquoise Lake and had a flat about 7 miles from the finish. He made a feeble attempt to put some Co2 into his back tire, but decided to just ride it in. He barely made it in on the flat and finished in a new course record. Dave Wiens managed to hold onto second and break his course record time from last year. From this point it was truly exciting to see the rest of the pack struggle in to beat the 12 hr cutoff. The stories and struggles that people have went through to make the start line and the finish is truly inspiring. My family and I fell in love with Leadville and cannot wait to go back, I am not for sure it will be for the MTB race though.
Overall it was a good documentary and one that I would recommend to anyone. I was a little more excited about it as most of the areas and scenery I had been to and seen in person. From what the website is showing they are having an encore showing on November 12th. I would recommend you go and check it and maybe it will inspire to push your limits of endurance and see that you can do a lot more than you think.

Woolaroc 8K Race Report

2009-10-19T09:13:00.008-05:00

On Saturday we headed to around Bartlesville to run the 29th Annual Woolaroc 8K throughout the Woolaroc ranch. This course had the reputation of being very hilly and it did not disappoint. It is about an hour drive from Tulsa, but it is very well worth it. We made a morning of it and had a blast.
Woolaroc was the getaway for Frank Phillips of Phillips 66 and Conoco Phillips fame. The name is a combination of Woods, Lakes, and Rocks, hence Woolaroc. The ranch in its current state is about 3,700 acres and has numerous wildlife that roams free throughout the ranch. One of the docents told us that they used to have Giraffes and Camels, but they could not adapt to the climate. It was quite the site to see.
The race started at 8:30 and we went to the west side of the parking lot and kind of scrunched in between the cones. I ended up being in about the 3rd row, which I do not normally do. I was surprised there was not a lot more fast runners as they offer cash for first, second, and third. Pete Orban was there along with Mark Dolph and several college age runners, but none of the other fast Tulsa runners.
And we are off. We headed out and curved around the lodge. I hit the 1k at 3:38. A little faster than I wanted, but I felt good. We then cross the dam and for almost a K we had a hill. My next split was right at 4:00. After that it was either up or down the entire time. I do not think that there was a flat spot anywhere on the course. I wanted to bag it so bad after 3K, but I kept going. I think I hit the 5K at 20:12, but everything was a blur. I made my way back to the lodge and the last half K is uphill to the finish. I hit the tape at 32:49, which is not where I wanted, but not bad for the course. I finished 19th overall and second in my age group.
Here I am receiving my 2nd place award for my age group. They gave us a cool Woolaroc buffalo bag with a pin for our placement.
Here is Mark Dolph after receiving his award.
This is a beautiful shot looking out over the Osage Hills and yes, they were hilly!
They also had one of the best Museums I had ever been in. I thought it was never going to end. The amount of Western, Indian, and local artifacts was unreal for something local. Frank Phillips was quite the collector.
I am a big Theodore Roosevelt fan and they had the saddle he wore for the Rough Riders reunion on display. Awesome!
Like I said, on the ranch were all kinds of wildlife. This is a Sika Deer. He was not too happy with me as he was very protective of his females.
This is one of his brood. She was not bothered at all by us being around.
Not for sure what this is. They had Zebras on the ranch, but I guess this was a cross between a Zebra and a horse. ?????

I can't even imagine getting gored by this. Those bullfighters are nuts.

It looks like Wyatt is not too impressed with his playing.
Belle Starr. If you look close, you can see that Belle has a bit of a bladder control problem.

This kind of sums it up, Thank God for such a beautiful day with the family. The results of the race can be found here.

Quick Catch Up

2009-10-16T11:09:00.011-05:00

I have been really busy lately and have not been able to blog much, so here is a quick recap. Last Saturday I did the Inaugural River Rush 5K to benefit the River Parks Authority. I forgot the camera and did not get any pictures, so just stare at the logo.
The run started at 31st & Riverside and headed north to Houston and turned back on the River Parks trail. The weather was a little crisp, but great for a race. I started in my usual spot up front and settled into a nice pace with the second lead group. I was leading the second group, but I was unsure of my pace, I have got to get a Garmin. I missed the 1K marker and finally hit the 2K mark in 7:35. Not too much further we turned on the trail and headed home. I could look back and see that Malcolm McCollum was closing in on me. The group I was with was pacing me pretty good and I did not feel bad. I hit 3K at 11:32 and 4K at 15:28. Somewhere in the next K Malcolm came flying past me and I could not match it. He finished at 19:13 and I hit the tape at 19:23. 13th Overall and second in my age group. I got beat by some guy from Britain. Oh the shame to be beat by a guy with bad teeth. The results can be found here.
Also over the weekend some good friends headed north to the Heartland 100 miler in Cassoday, KS. Cassoday is home to the Prairie Chicken capital of the world and nothing much else. We have been there several times when we lived in Kansas. Kathy Hoover did her pacing duties to help someone finish their first 100 miler. The Energizer Bunny, Randy Ellis, who just keeps going and going completed another 50 miler. This is after he did the Leadville 100 in August. He is such a great inspiration. Trail Zombie had a good run at it, but had to give up the ghost for the day. That happens, but we live to fight another day. Sounds like they also had the best crew possible from Tulsa. Results are here.

The bid daddy of Triathlons, The Ironman Championship took place in Kona last Saturday. Craig Alexander and Chrissie Wellington repeated as Men's and Women's champion. Chrissie pretty much controlled the entire race, but Craig was 9 minutes down to Chris Lieto off the bike. Craig is such a great runner that he caught Chris with about 4 miles to go and won again. Such a stud! Several people from OK completed the race and Coach Rob had a couple of athletes from Tulsa Iron in the race. They both finished strong and I am proud to be a part of the team.

Sammy Wanjiru went after the Marathon record in Chicago on Sunday, but failed to beat Haille's world record, but set a course record by 1 second. He went through the half in 1:02. I wish I could run that fast. He is the reigning Olympic Marathon champion and will be a force to reckon with for some time to come.

Tomorrow is the Woolaroc 8k outside of Bartlesville, OK. This was a ranch set up by the Phillips oil family and is supposed to be a great spot to visit. We get in free with the run and it ought to be a great way to spend the morning. The course is supposed to be really hilly, but it should be good training for the Tulsa Run in 2 weeks. I have been doing a race every weekend in preparation for it. I really want to get under 1 hour for the Tulsa Run, but I am not for sure if I can do it with all the hills, but I am going to give my all. I will get a full race report this weekend and hopefully remember to bring the camera.

The Army is on the Move

2009-10-08T20:05:00.014-05:00

I cannot believe it is actually going to happen. The KISS Army is invading the BOK Center. My life is now complete. You can check it out here.

Tulsa Zoo Run Race Report: Updated

2009-10-05T09:41:00.008-05:00

Saturday was the 40th annual Zoo Run at Mohawk Park. This is the second oldest run in the state of Oklahoma and draws out a large crowd. They have an one mile fun run, 5K, and 10K, all of which end up inside the Zoo and you can check out the Zoo for free. This is always a hit with the kids and is not a bad day for the family. I have done the race a few times, but have never done well here. I really wanted to place well in my age group and get an award. I signed up for the 10K and signed Wyatt up for the 5K. The night before the race, Will and Wyatt were playing football and Wyatt came up with a bummed knee, but the race must go on.
On Saturday morning, Wyatt came into our bedroom walking like he had been injured in battle, so Will got told at 6:30 in the morning, you will be Wyatt and run the 5K today. Nothing like waking up to realize you need to run a race without any training. Oh well, he is young. I kind of look like I have a Mohawk in this picture. Perfect for the race!
The 5K started at 8:45, but the 10K started at 9. All the family had to be in the Zoo by 9 am or they would have to pay, so we only got pictures of the 5K start. Here is Will in line, I think he is winking at me.

The 5K is off and running. Scott Ostrem is in the red on the left at the start. After their start, it was time to eat a GU and warm up. I ran past Darryl Stillson, Mark Dolph, and a few others I know. I was feeling really good and had way too much energy when I woke up. I had not had any fast legs since the Leadville Marathon, but realized that I had been putting so much time in on the bike, it was zapping my speed. I just did some one hour fitness trainer bike rides and my legs came back. Coach, you were right.

At 9 AM, we were off. I held back a little and felt really good at the start and did not go after the leaders. Race conditions were almost perfect and I could not have asked for more. I went through the 1K at 3:43, still pretty fast but still felt like I was not pushing it too hard. Second K was 7:37, slowed a little. Somewhere about the 3K mark, a posse of some fast guys came through and I tried to hold onto them for as long as possible. I hit the 5K mark in 19:34 and still was not pushing that hard. 6K was in 23:34. In between 7 and 8K I started to fade. I hit 8K at 31:47. I had only been doing some intervals for a week and needed some longer tempo runs. In between 8 and 9K you have a hill on the back side access road for the Zoo. I hit 9K at 36:11. My dreams of sub 40 were fading. Somewhere around here, I know I got passed by some guys in my age group. I tried to pick it up on the last K, but it has a lot of turns and could not do much. I hit the tape at 40:15. Good time, but I though for sure I was going to go sub 40. I paced myself pretty well on the course, but I think I held back a little too much.

Will ended up running the 5K in 27:25, a new PR for him. I am very proud of him. I just wish he would run more.

We waited around for the results enjoying the food and fellowship, when the big bomb hit. Ladies and Gentlemen, the timing is messed up and there will be no awards. This was a first. I do not get all bent out of shape about these things, but others do. I have done enough Ultras to not get impatient about the results. Road runners are a different breed. If you do not get the results up 2 seconds after they finish, they are ticked off. They said they had problems with a new timing system and would get the results up by Monday morning. As I am typing this, they are still not up. I am just curious is to see if I placed and those guys that passed me are in my age group.

So, no results, time to hit the Zoo.
Wyatt and Shannon on the Lion statue. I think this is illegal in 4 states.
Picture of a family member, obviously not from my side.
Don't ask.
Nice kitty. Female Snow Leopard.
The face on this Ostrich, kind of looks like some of my co-workers.
A Kite. No not the kind your Grandma bought you. They are part of the Hawk family and are native to this part of OK.
Bard Owl.
I am always impressed with the Rhinos. I try to imagine what it is like to be in the jungle and run across one of these. This would definitely be a shorts changing experience.
Asian Elephant. Smaller ears and not as big as the African cousins. They only weigh about a 1,000 lbs.
Nothing finishes the day like taking the train home. The Zoo was neat, good run, and a great day to be out with the family. Once the results are posted, I will update the blog. Unless of course I didn't place. LOL.

Results are finally up. They can be found here. 3rd in Age group. Not bad.

I Finally Found It!

2009-10-01T09:56:00.005-05:00

I used to think that I was going to have to spend a couple of grand on a good set of Zipp wheels to help my tri bike performance, until , I found this.
This is the bomb! The possibilities are endless! No more having to worry about having enough to eat or drink on the bike, I can load up what ever I need, 2 liters of soda, loaf of bread, peanut butter, bagels, I could go on for ever. I will never have to worry about having enough spare tubes, CO2, or even getting double flats. As long as the bike course goes by a Walmart, I'm good!. I was thinking that I may even put a little generator in the cart and hook up a TV and DVD player. Satellite is a possibility, which would be great if the race is televised, so I can see where I am compared to the leaders. Holidays will also be a blast. I can hang Christmas lights, Halloween scary stuff, and even on the Fourth of July, I can be setting off fireworks while doing the race. The really great thing about this is, who needs a babysitter anymore? Slap the kids in the cart and off we go. They can hand me all the drinks and make me sandwiches on the go. And maybe if I get tired, I will let the kids pedal and I will sit in the cart. Got save myself for the run! Do you think this is covered in the USAT rulebook?

Local Celebrity

2009-09-30T09:40:00.005-05:00

Tulsa People magazine has a new article about good friend and Owner of Runnersworld, Kathy Hoover. Kathy & Brian run the best store in Tulsa and do a lot of great things for the Tulsa running community. It has been my privilege to know them and race on their race team. They have been great friends to my family and it has been an honor to call them friends. Check out the article here.

Race Across The Sky

2009-09-27T15:54:00.001-05:00

Can't wait for this to come out. This should be awesome!

It's Official!

2009-09-23T09:41:00.010-05:00

As the old KISS song goes, "You wanted the best, you got the best!" I believe that if something is worth doing, it is worth doing right. Having said that, I can officially say that I have joined the Tulsa Iron triathlon team. I have decided to focus in on Triathlons for next year and set some key races as goals. In order for me to be the best and perform at the level I need on race day, I have hired a coach. I have not just hired any coach, but I have hired the best coach for triathlon in Tulsa. The one, the only, Rob Chance.
This is a picture of Rob finishing an Ironman, which I so boldly stole from his blog. Rob has over twenty years experience in triathlons and has stepped over into the world of coaching and has formed Tulsa Iron. The group is based around the idea of helping others achieve their dreams and perform at their best. This is not about just saying that you finished a race, but being able to say that you competed at your best with your maximum effort. This is all done through a series of training routines all based around being your best on race day.
I have a done a few tri's and Du's and have done fairly well, but the swim has always been my weakness and that is what we are going to work on first. I had my first swim lesson this week with Duncan Wise and we are going to focus on getting this up to speed first, before we go ahead into full bore training. I am sure that in no time I will be a better swimmer and be able to be more competitive.
I enjoy the variety of the training involved in the three disciplines as it gives me a break from all the running. I know that I have a lot more potential to get better and faster in Tri's and I know with Rob's help, I will be able to achieve that.

For now it is time to work on the swim, pick some goals races, and strives towards the goals ahead. I am so excited about this and cannot wait to see the results. I will definitely be keeping you updated on my progress over the next year. Onward and Upward!

Late, Late Weekend Report

2009-09-18T11:34:00.007-05:00

Things have been really chaotic as of late and I have not had anytime to blog. Hopefully that will change. Last weekend Will started an intra-mural football league at Rhema. He had his first game last Saturday and he is really excited about playing.
He is in the green making a cut to the left. He was a little slow starting out, but he came around towards the end. He is really laid back and needs to be more aggressive.
Wyatt in the bleachers. Say What? If you look close you can still see pizza sauce on his face.
The meeting of the minds. The big guy in the red is Fui and he is one big Samoan.
He looks really excited.
Saturday morning I also did the 56 mile DAM JAM ride in Pryor. This is a really neat ride and one I enjoy as the aid stations cannot be beat. The people are so friendly and have that small town feel. They remind me so much of the people back home.
I have got to get one of these. This was some sort of electric car, but he was also pedaling it like a bike. You got me.
Team Crude bus was there blaring old hippie music. You have got to love this. These are my kind of people.
You can see the pool on the right and the mass of cars. I do not know how many people do this ride, but it is a lot. After this ride my legs were feeling pretty beat up. I have just rode easy this week on the trainer. Sunday during my run I aggravated left shin, so I have been taking it easy.

I also have a big announcement coming that will blog about in the near future. I do not want to do it now for lack of time, but it is huge and I am really excited about it. Have a great weekend!

God Bless The USA!

2009-09-11T10:21:00.000-05:00

Great Labor Day Weekend

2009-09-07T15:59:00.005-05:00

I woke up early on Saturday morning and decided to do the MS 150 training ride starting from the Westside parking lot. It was kind of an eery feeling being close to where the cycling fatality happened this past week. I cannot let it affect me, but you cannot help but think about it while riding. The ride of the day was a 50 miler and it was kind of soupy out with lots of humidity. It was looking like London as the fog was low and it was cloudy. We started out at about 7:30 and took off towards the 21st bridge. I was riding behind a friend of mine, Tim, when all at once a guy on a lazy bike, Recumbent, that is what my son calls them, got his bike caught in a seam and went down and took Tim with him. We had only made it a quarter of a mile and had already crashed. I stopped and helped him with his bike and he appeared to be OK. I think this kind of shook him up as he kind of hung back the rest of the day. I knew something was bothering him as he normally sets the pace and everyone else hangs on. I was going a lot of slower than planned, but I did not want to leave him behind.

We turned and headed towards Sapulpa and a peloton of Tom's riders passed us. I did not even know that they had a team, but apparently so. I so much wanted to hop in with them, but I wanted to stay back with Tim. We stopped at the first rest area and come to find out he had hurt his knee and he told me to not wait up. I did just that and ended up pretty much riding by myself for the rest of the 50 miles. I got back to the Jeep and Julie was waiting as she rode her bike on Riverside, while I went on the ride. She did 12 miles and one of these days she will be able to keep up.

Sunday after church, I hopped on the bike and rode to the Owasso YMCA. I know this is a picture of the Thornton YMCA, but I forgot to get a picture of the Owasso one. After the 21 mile ride there, I hopped on the treadmill, which I rarely ever do, and did a 45 minute run. I did some short intervals and even got down to a 5:18 mile for awhile. It was kind of exciting to run that fast, but it still amazes me that marathoner's run faster than that over 26.2 miles. Truly amazing. While I was running, the kids were in the pool, so I finished up and headed to the pool and swam for about 30 minutes. Somewhat of a mini tri for the day.

Today, the Church on the Move cycling group met at the Zoo and were going to Skiatook for lunch, about 38 miles round trip. I rode my bike from the house and added some bonus miles. I ended going faster than I wanted as Tim was feeling better and Lance Pitts led us up there. We averaged close to 20 for the trip up. We ate lunch at Subway and spent way too much time there. They are a great bunch of guys, but they waited for all the groups to come in and eat before we left. I think we spent at least an hour and 15 minutes in Subway before we left again. It was already heating up outside and I could feel it on the way back. Tim led the way back to Mohawk and we were flying. I peeled off on the backside of Mohawk and headed home. I was getting hot and just wanted to get home. I ended up with 100K for the day, not bad.

This was a good weekend of training and I felt really good. My heart rate does not feel elevated in the morning and my legs feel good. I trying to decide what to do this weekend. There is a Crit race in Springdale, AR on Saturday. I have never done a Crit race before and would like to try one before the season is over. My cycling has been good and I think I could do it. They have a Citizen category, so this should be less intense. Also, this Sunday is the Turkey & TATUR's 50K, which I have done the last three years. I am undecided, but that is typical for me. I will wait until probably Friday.

Friends of mine ran the New Mexico Marathon yesterday and the Colorado Springs Trail Marathon today. Crazy, but sounds like something I would do. Have fun this week and get outdoors!

Something Has Got To Change

2009-09-02T10:05:00.001-05:00

It's The Name of the Game

2009-08-27T10:21:00.007-05:00

This is really cool and pretty darn good.

TATUR Tulsa Mud Run Race Report

2009-08-24T09:56:00.011-05:00

Saturday night was the second annual TATUR Mud Run held at Chandler Park. The run consists of 2 one mile loops that take you through mud slides, mud pits, tires, hills, and even road work. I had no idea what to expect, other than it was to be fun. I had won the TATUR Estimator and won a free comp entry for a 5 man team into this years race and put together a team from the Tulsa Running Club board, consisting of Marisa Dial, Mark Dolph, Daryl Stilson, Wes Hollander, and myself. We had every intention of winning the top prize, but still have some fun. I was the only trail runner in the group and it was interesting seeing my teammates in their white racing flats. I was in an old pair of Asic Trabuco trail shoes. After running in my New Balance 790's for so long, these felt like lead weight.
We started on the road in three waves. We were in the first wave, so we got the initial experience of the mud. The gun went off and so did everyone else. This girl took off past me like a shot and I struggled to keep up. I have not had any speed in my legs since the Leadville Marathon, so it felt like my legs were like lead weight. Mark and Daryl took off and I stayed on Wes's heels. After going through mud, tires, and then some hay bales, I passed the girl and headed back towards the start.
Once we get off the road we had to maneuver through several obstacles and this was one of them, the mud slide. The first time I went down it I didn't have much speed and basically stopped before hitting the mud hole. I slowed once in the mud hole, but was able to run through it. The second time I was spinning out of control and could not turn straight for anything.
The Tulsa Area Triathletes, which I am a member, sponsored another obstacle, the tire, mud, swim lake or whatever you want to call it. I love the sign.
This is what it looks like from the other side. If you were really good you could dive through the tires and do a face plant in the water. I was not that good. After I was through and watched the pit, I actually heard Reynaldo Gomez get booed by the crowd for not getting dirty enough. Tough crowd.
This is the backside of me in the blue after getting through the pit. At this point I was hurting so bad, I just wanted to finish. With the hills, obstacles, and mud soaked shoes, I was spent. I felt like I felt like I was running in reverse. I spent all I had on this course.
Daryl and Mark finishing up. They finished over a minute ahead of me. Mark and Daryl are both really fast road runners.
Here I am finishing up and never so glad to be done. I was right behind Wes and for some reason his bottom part of his tag came off in the mud, so they could not take it. He offered to give them his entire bib, but they declined. Marisa finished up about a minute behind me. I spent the rest of the time watching the other runners as the awards was done after all three heats were finished . It was funny to see people running dressed in three piece suits to a guy in a thong. Good thing it was on the outside of his shorts. After everything was done, it was time for the awards. We waited as a team and they announced the winners and we were not on the list. We knew this could not be right so we asked about it. I guess since Wes did not have his tag, they did not give him a time and I guess disqualified us? I am not for sure how that works and I am still confused on the age group awards. I was first in my age group, but did not get an award, I guess because I was on a five man team, but the people on the two man teams did place in the age groups? I have no idea how this works, but it does not really matter, the bottom line is that the race was for the Tulsa Burn Camp for Kids, so kids who get burned from fires can go to summer camp. Sounds like a great cause to me. Some people got a little excited about us not getting our award, but that is what happens when you mix alcohol, egos, and personal things into the mix. I was really proud of myself as I just laughed about it and went home in a good mood.
Yesterday after church, I went for a run on Riverside and when I came home, some oompa loompas had delivered our first place prizes for the 5 man team to my home. I guess they had worked hard all night long at the Wonka factory to make sure that we rightly got our awards. That Willy Wonka is a good guy after all, so buy some of his candy!
This is the before picture.
And after. Julie said I looked the cleanest of the three.

All in all it was a lot of fun and a great way to spend a Saturday evening. It benefited a great charity and it was nice to see some old friends. I am sure it will be a landmark annual event. It is time now to train hard for Turkey & TATUR's 50K in less than 3 weeks. Results for the Mud Run can be found here.

Leadville 100

2009-08-21T07:21:00.006-05:00

Tomorrow is the big dance with the Leadville 100 trail race. After the Leadville 100 Mountain bike race last weekend with Lance Armstrong setting a course record and de-throning 6X champion Dave Wiens, it is time for the last event in the Leadville outdoor adventure series.
2X returning Leadville 100 champion, Tony Krupicka, in my mind and others is the odds on favorite and has made it well known that he is gunning for Matt Carpenter's previous course record. He will have his hands full as newcomer Tim Parr is in the field and some say he can take home the numero uno slot. Tim is fresh off a win last weekend at the Pikes Peak Ascent with a commanding performance, but did I mention that it was last weekend. I think that running a hard Ascent the weekend before the 100 is going to be his downfall. Leadville is the real deal and it will take all that you can give it.

Duncan Callahan is the returning Champion and is expected to be a contender, but I do not think he is anywhere in the league of Tony or Tim. Duncan is a great runner and should be top 5, but I think it he will be more around the 17 or 18 hour range and Tony is shooting for sub 16.

Most notably in this field is good friend and ultrarunner, Randy Ellis. Randy started doing the Leadville 100 in 1984 and has I think challenged the course 5 different times. He is a seasoned, wily veteran, who if anyone can come from low elevation and complete the race, it is Randy. He will not be up front with Tony and Tim, but he will get back to the start somewhere around 28 hours.

Also, hats off to those who competed in the Pikes Peak festival last weekend. Several local people participated and Matt Carpenter won the Marathon again uncontested. It was even reported that he looked bored as he did not have much competition. Still, it a great accomplishment for anyone to complete either one of the events. I think I may have it on the radar for next year. Probably, just the Ascent for starters.

Get outside, get some sun, and enjoy the great outdoors.

Faster Than A Lightning Bolt

2009-08-18T07:47:00.000-05:00

Tulsa United Way Trailblazer 5K Race Report

2009-08-17T08:06:00.005-05:00

Friday night was the United Way Trailblazer 5K. The course starts at 6th & Peoria at Centennial Park and heads into downtown for a very challenging course. I ran the race last year and did not do well as I was suffering from a bad case of plantar fasciitis. I forgot how hilly the course was and suffered for it. I signed up for the race because the bank where I work is part of the big fundraising drive the United Way has during this month. I do not know why I keep signing up for these 5K's, but I do. Once I finish I always say I am not going to do another one. This one was no exception.

To even do the race I had to leave work, run the race, and then go back to work. So I ended up rushing around to get home and then downtown. All 3 kids were also running, Will & Wyatt in the 5K and Shannon in the mile fun run. Because of all the rushing around, we forgot the camera, so no pictures.

The temperature was pretty warm, the humidity was not bad, but it is still Oklahoma in August. I ran the one mile fun run with my daughter at 7 pm and then did some accelerations to stay loose and hopefully engage some fast twitch muscle fibers. It looked like the usual suspects were there, Mark Dolph, Tom Lam, Clay Mayes, etc. Our race started at 7:30 pm and immediately goes uphill. Once I got going in the race, I remembered how hilly it was. After the first hill it levels off and then goes uphill again. We then make a right, then a left, then a right, and then a 180 around a cone. Not the best race for a PR. We then do an out and back on Boulder which is a series of rolling hills and then another 180 followed by a right hand turn and then back to finish. I felt OK during the beginning, but I did not have the normal speed I have had earlier in the year. My speed legs have not been there since Leadville. I think it took more out of me than I thought.

Once again there was no split callers and the only mark in the road I saw was at 4K. It is not that it could have made me run any faster, but gives me a good indication on how hard I am hammering it. By the time I got to 4K, I just wanted to get it over with. I did manage a 4:04 last K, but I do not know how my other splits were. I managed a 20:16, nothing stellar, but pretty darn good for this course. Will was just under 30 and Wyatt was just over 30. The most impressive thing was that my former boss and co-worker came out and walked the whole thing and finished around 57 minutes. I really hope this sparked a new interest in her and she will come back for more.

Overall, not a bad day. I got outside, got some exercise, and spent some time with friends and family. After all, that is what it all about. Results can be found here.

Action Packed Weekend!

2009-08-14T07:48:00.006-05:00

Tomorrow is the Leadville 100 MTB race pitting 6X Gunnison, CO resident Dave Wiens against a fresh off a podium finish in the Tour De France, Lance Armstrong. Lance finished second to Wiens last year and that sparked Lance's return to competitive cycling. Lance will be stronger than ever this year, but Wiens is a wily veteran. Trek is sending a group of riders to push the pace for Lance, so I am not for sure if this is fair or not, but hey it is all about Lance. I like Lance, but he is a little full of himself.

This weekend is also the Pikes Peak race with the Ascent tomorrow and the Marathon on Sunday. A lot of mountain running studs are in the Ascent, but former local stud, Tommy Manning, is in the race and I think will surprise some people. He is fresh off a 7th place finish at the Mt. Washington Road Race and I think will place top 10, which is pretty impressive.

In the Marathon, Matt Carpenter is the favorite, but he will have his hands full this year with the return of Ricardo Meija. Meija is a former 5X winner and will give Matt a literal run for his money. This also marks the return of Arlene Pieper. Arlene the was the first woman to run a Marathon in US history, sorry to Katherine Switzer, but Arlene was way ahead of you. They located her and her daughter and they made arrangements for her to be there for her 50th anniversary of her completing the marathon.

Not to out done, I will be running the United Way Trailblazer 5K tonight. This does not seem to match up in magnitude compared to what I just reported. I would much rather be in Colorado. Anyway, my legs have been feeling good and I should have a great run. It looks like they may have changed the course this year and added some more hills, so times may be slower. I fully expect to be below 20 and put in a good showing for the bank. The kids are also running the race, so it will be a family affair.

Whatever you have going on this weekend, check out the results online, then get off the couch and get outside and enjoy life!

Movie Review: Bicycle Dreams

2009-08-10T10:39:00.023-05:00

I had the privilege of going back to the downtown Circle Cinema and watching Bicycle Dreams which was part of the Tulsa United Film Festival. The festival was created by a local film producer who is from Tulsa , but now resides in LA. The festival is shown in places like London, San Francisco, New York, and amazingly Tulsa. This is a venue for lesser known film makers to show their creative works to an audience that they would not normally get to. These films usually do not make it to the bigger chains and they bank on word of mouth and the Internet for promotion. The film that I had the chance to see was Bicycle Dreams, a documentary about the annual Race Across America bicycle race. Considered to be the toughest sporting event in the world, it made for an epic tale of a race.
The route changes, but above is the 2008 route. The film we were watching took them from San Diego to Atlantic City, somewhere in the neighborhood of 3,000+ miles. The participants go on very little sleep and average over 300+ miles per day. This is a race you cannot do without a support crew and lots of planning. The estimated costs of doing the race costs is somewhere between 30 and 40,000 dollars. It is a monumental undertaking.
Those who take on the task usually do not end up finishing. The completion rate is somewhere around 40%. They go on very little sleep and have to endure heat, cold, hills, pain, mental fatigue, and other little nuances that go with extreme sports. This is not a race for the faint of heart and it is amazing what they have to endure. The race we watched, they were in 107 degree heat in Utah and then had to endure the Rockie Mountains. Most competitors try to make it about 48 hours before they take about an hour nap and then they are back on the bike. Truly incredible. I know what what my back side feels like after being in the saddle for a few hours, let alone a few days.
Above is the 2008 champion and several time champion Jure Robic. He is from Slovenia and he is an animal. He won the race we watched by completing it in a little over 8 days with a total of 8 hours of sleep. He is a former bicycle racer who is still in the military and juggles work, family life, and training. What is costs him to compete is almost equal what his annual salary is, so when he does this, it is an enormous undertaking to do. He is a beast on the bike and does not look back and usually rides the whole race by himself as almost no one can keep up.

The director of the film was at the festival and announced that we had a special audience member in attendance. Dr. Breedlove's wife in the theater, Dr. Breedlove was one of the competitors in the movie. She was from Des Moines, IA and happened to be in town and saw that it was playing and came out. We were about half way through the movie when they showed a portion of the film when the competitors were passing through Colorado and they showed something had happened to Dr. Breedlove as he suddenly has slumped over his handle bars and when into oncoming traffic and was killed instantly. We had no idea that this was going to happen. I felt so bad for her having to re-live this tragic moment, but the RAAM person on the clip said that Dr. Breedlove knew the risks involved and was very experienced, he had completed it several times before, and he went out doing what he loved. The film said they did an autopsy and did not find any sign of heart attack or stroke, so it made you wonder what actually happened with the driver of the other car. They said no charges have been filed against the driver. Truly a sad deal.

At the end of the movie, via Skype, we were able to chat with the director on the screen and ask questions, try that at the next Hollywood production! This was a great film about the monumental tasks that we as endurance people sometimes take to find about who we are. These events are all voluntary and people often ask why, and truly it is hard to explain, but it is something inside that makes you want to challenge yourself mentally to find out who you really are. You can't really put into words to an outsider, but to those of us on the inside, words do not even have to be spoken. A nod of a head, or a wink of an eye, speaks volumes.

I would give this move *** stars and it would be a great addition to any film library. Who knows, maybe this will inspire the next Lance Armstrong or someone to just get off the couch and be a player in the world and not a spectator. The movie can be purchased at bicycledreamsmovie.com

Movie Review: Food, Inc.

2009-08-02T11:06:00.014-05:00

I had the pleasure of going to see Food, Inc. at the Circle Cinema downtown. The Circle Cinema is a historic and neat theater that has been renovated to show some avaunt gard type movies and ones that you will not see in the normal theaters. The screen is smaller and the seating only holds 104 people. It is very cozy, personal, and gives you a feel that you are in someones home theater area. A welcome change from the business and marketing of the big chains.
I have heard of the movie and did not think that it would ever come to the likes of Tulsa. I even checked the listings while we were in Colorado and could not find it. I was really glad that I was able to take off from work to see the premiere. It was sold out along with the second showing.

The movie covers a lot of the aspects of the food industry and how it has changed the food supply and what we eat. This was very much at home for me as I used be a Plant Manager for a major food company in a hog kill facility and have experienced a lot of the scenes first hand. When you work in this environment, it becomes a job a lot like anything else. You just try to get the job done and provide for your family. Having been out of it for about 5 years and looking back at it, has been a real eye opener. When I worked in the industry I did not exercise like I do now and my eating habits were not very healthy. So, knowing what I know now and looking back, it is very scary. The food industry is not about your health and it is all about the almighty dollar. The food industry does not care about you for what effects their food may have on you, but they are more interested on how they can make their product taste good and get you coming back for more. Money has overruled our conscience.

The movie goes inside the food industry and covers companies like McDonald's and Tyson and how they rule the market and put the demands on producers. It is really scary how much influence these companies have. The movie also goes down to the lower level and looks and how even the crop producers are ruled and influenced by the manufacturers. How we have got in this mess, we will never fully comprehend.

It tells about tragic stories about how a family lost a 2 year child simply by eating a e-coli ridden hamburger and how they are trying to change the food industry regulations by working with Congress. Unfortunately, they have not had much success as the companies wield lots of money and lawyers. They question how the product even got out with testing in place, but I can tell you how as I lived it. The product is produced and goes right on a truck and out the door, but the test results take usually three days to come back and if a positive is found, they scramble like crazy to recall it and get it back. Unfortunately, some of it may have already been consumed.

The movie was not an anti-meat eating movie, but did show a sustainable, natural farmer who raised his own livestock and sold it to the public, hormone and antibiotic free. This way of living can be done, but it must be done local, it cannot meet the demands of the American stomach, but it has got to start somewhere.

I give this movie 4**** and it one that I recommend that everyone goes and sees as it affects every single person on the planet. It will wake you up and hopefully get you to think about what you consume on a daily basis and how it affects your health. I say we each do what we can and try to change the industry forever, otherwise, well, I think you know the result.

Please, check it out!

Fixin' It Okie Style

2009-07-29T21:33:00.004-05:00

I'm pretty sure I saw the last guy at a TATUR event.

Book Review: Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, & The Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen

2009-07-28T10:33:00.005-05:00

I just finished up reading the new book by Christopher McDougall called Born to Run. This book has several different facets to it, but the main thread throughout it is about the Tarahumara Indians of the Copper Canyons in Mexico. They are famously known for being great long distance runners on nothing more than a homemade sandal for support and chia seeds and pinole for food. The book covers Chris's quest to find out if he is made for long distance running and how the Tarahumara manage to run so long even when they are older.
The book goes behind the scenes of the some country's best Ultrarunners and delves into the closed culture of the Tarahumara. It was great to read about what some of the runners are really like as the magazine articles tend to build them up as superheroes and in reality they are normal people like everyone else. I really appreciated the amount of depth he went into to talk about how we are built for running and the effects shoes have had on our running injuries. I am a big minimalist when it comes to running shoes.

The book covers a lot of history going back to when the Tarahumara ran the Leadville 100 and follows this mysterious character who turned his back on society and followed the Tarahumara into the wilds of the Copper Canyons. This white ghost travels the secluded trails of the Mexican wild in search of his purpose in life and seeks out the ways of the Tarahumara. After he gains the trust of them, he comes up with an idea of having an ultra race on their turf with some of the USA's best runners. The race does come to fruition and even brought in the great Scott Jurek. For how the race went down and the details of the planning, you will have to read the book.

Overall this was a great book and I give it 3***. This is one of those books that I did not want to put down and I did not want it to end. If you are into running, ultrarunning, or just curious about why people challenge themselves to extremes, this book is for you. You will be glad you read it.

Tulsa Chris Brown Duathlon Race Report

2009-07-26T18:41:00.023-05:00

Today was the Tulsa Chris Brown Duathlon, a 5K run, 30K bike, and another 5K run, all based over at the Westside parks and trails. I had pretty good expectations going into this race other than I haven't done a lot of speed work lately. I am just two weeks off of doing the Leadville Marathon and have been in a recovery phase. I felt as though my speed would still be good and that I could easily do a sub 20 5K on the first leg and maybe a sub 21 5K on the second leg. I was not for sure about the bike as that is something I feel like I am still working on. Weather was typical for late July in Oklahoma, hot and miserable. When I woke up this morning at 5:21 am it as already 76 degrees. About the same as last year.
Here we are lining up on West Jackson before we head out on the trails. I was standing next to and talking to Trani Matthews who was doing the run portion as a relay. He is a real good runner and I knew if I could keep up with him, I would have a good starting pace. I am in the dark blue suit up front towards the left.
And we are off! Kyle Brady sprinted out to the lead, but was followed closely by Tom Brennan. Tom is 2X winner of the Arkansas Traveller 100 mile trail race and he is a great friend. I felt good going out and was on pace for a sub 20 first leg. I felt good through the first 2K, but reality started to set in and I knew it was going to be rougher than expected. I knew Rob James was in my age group and I kept him in my sights. At this point I was still in the top 15.
Here I am finishing up the first 5K and headed towards transition. I ended up with a 20:23 5K, not bad, but I wanted to be a little faster than that. Some of my competition was close on my tail and they ended up in transition not too far behind me.
Here we are heading out of the first transition with me on the far left. The two guys in front of me were behind me on the run, but passed me out of transition. I felt pretty good on the bike and ended up passing several people and just bided my time around a few others. One by one I started passing some pretty good athletes, Tom Brennan, Kara Cassel, Steve Lee, and some others. I stayed well hydrated and did not feel as though I was pushing myself too hard. I passed some people on the bike and they were breathing pretty hard, but I felt in control. I am still not for sure how hard to push myself on the bike in order to save some for the run. I ended up averaging 22.4 on the bike, my best average time and by far the best in how I felt. I still need an aero helmet.
It was time for the second run. I knew I was ahead of Tom Brennan, but I did not know how far. He is faster than me on the run and I knew I had to go hard. I went out in the first 5K in about 4:12, but I knew I wouldn't be able to maintain it. We had a turnaround at halfway so you could see your competition and I saw Tom coming. He ended up passing me in between 3 and 4K. I still passed some more people and managed a 21:53 5K. Not bad, but not where I wanted. This put me in 11th place overall with a time of 1:33:53. I thought I had a great chance at 1:30, but with the heat and my speed legs not being there, it didn't happen. This is me with Tom after we did some cool down running.
I ended up with an award for 2nd place in my age group and an overall great day. I have struggled with the bike in the past, but today I really enjoyed the bike and the run was a struggle. Kyle Brady took the men's overall with a time of 1:24:35 and Kara Cassell took the ladies overall with 1:35:53. I still have some work to do, but I had fun and I love going out and competing hard early in the morning, enjoying the fellowship afterwards, and then spending the rest of the day with the family relaxing watching movies. It was a good day! Results can be found here.

Tulsa Kids Triathlon Race Report

2009-07-25T14:57:00.013-05:00

Today was the 12th annual Tulsa Parks kids triathlon and our young gun, Wyatt, entered into the short course version. Last year he did the long course, but he still struggles with the swim and did not want to wear a life jacket, so he entered the short course version. The swim is 25 meters, bike 1/2 mile, and 1/4 mile run. He was really overqualified for the bike and run portions, but that is what he wanted to do.
They did not start the short coursers until the last long course person was off the course, which took about an hour. Here he is waiting in eager anticipation. I asked him if he was excited or nervous and he said, "Why would I be?" Nuff said.
They line up the kids one by one and start them 10 seconds apart. He needs to get some more sun.
After exiting the swim area he could take off running. He kind of looks like an Ethiopian. He will be a great runner, very light.
Coming in off the bike, too fast for the camera.
Coming into the finish chute.
Glad to be done. Great job, way to go Wyatt!
They make sure and give every kid a medal and do not award places. It is very non-competitive, but a lot of fun to watch and cheer them on. Hopefully, he will do the Ironkids next month in OKC.

Next up tomorrow is the Chris Brown Duathlon. I should be able to improve my time from last year as I have a real tri-bike this year and my runs last year were horrible from having a cold. My goal is to be around 1:30. Full report tomorrow.

Tour Time

2009-07-23T10:52:00.012-05:00

I can honestly say this year's Tour De France is one of the best. I have been watching with eager anticipation as to when Lance was going to attack and how he was going to perform. I have literally been yelling at the TV for Lance to breakaway or to give a raspberry to Contador.
Contador is one heck of a rider and he will repeat as the Tour De France champion this year. He smoked the competition in the Time Trial today and has proven he is for real, but the bottom line is, I cannot stand him. His tactics in yesterday's stage were all about him and not about the team. He dropped his teammate like a hot rock and helped the Schleck brothers gain some spots. Even they were shocked.
There has been no secret that once the Tour is over Contador, Johan, and Lance are parting ways. They just cannot wait long enough for it to happen. The situation has been doomed from the beginning as you have two big egos on the same team and one is not going to lie down for the other. It is too bad, but it also great to see what Lance is doing and shows that even some of us old guys can still hang. He has definitely proven himself better than what Greg Lemond did. Greg, you can leave Lance alone now!

Also, this weekend is the White River 50 miler. Big name guys like Krupicka, Crowther, Koerner, and Wardian and going to go head to head in the state of Washington. The line up is incredible and the competition fierce. I cannot wait to see the results. This should be good race training for Tony in his bid to re-take the Leadville 100 title this year. The line up for the race can be found here.

Also, a shout out goes to fellow TATUR Arnold Begay who just completed the Badwater 135 in just over 58 hours. Way to go! That is quite the accomplishment and one I am not for sure I want to do. I hate the heat, but you are a stud. Way to represent!