Today's the day to...

Where do you live???

2011-12-12T20:26:00.001-05:00

Terre Haute, Indiana is known as the Crossroads of America. Checkout what Will Ferrell has to say.

Don't Judge...I'm an Onion

2011-12-01T20:01:00.001-05:00

Often times people rush to conclusions without knowing the whole story, or simply just rush to make a judgement. To put into an athletic context, it's similar to thinking the athlete who looks the most physically fit will be the fastest....not always the case! In fact, I can recall some races where I thought I was fit and racing just fine, only to get passed by someone who was carrying a few extra pounds!

Another example of quick to judge, in triathlon, is at the bike rack (transition area) the morning of the race. Athletes are checking each other out, sizing-up the competition, looking at who has the "fast" bikes, aero helmets, etc... One such time at a local sprint tri a few years ago, I was racking my bike and setting up for the race, and overheard a conversation between two people. Basically, one athlete told the other he could have more room on the bike rack, because he looked like he was serious (had all the expense and latest gear) and would be finished way before him.....this eventually wasn't the case. While cleaning up our stuff after the race, I casually asked the athlete if his prediction came true, and he told me that he saw the "fast" guy running out of transition while he was finishing the race (about a 21min) difference!

I think it's easy to rush to judgement, and possibly even human nature. I'm not totally talking about sport arenas only, but also within media. There are two sides to every story, and sometimes even certain aspects are not included for reasons undisclosed. This same holds true for people--we are very complex!

Remember the Shrek/Donkey conversation??

Shrek: Example... uh... ogres are like onions!
[holds up an onion, which Donkey sniffs]
Donkey: They stink?
Shrek: Yes... No!
Donkey: Oh, they make you cry?
Shrek: No!
Donkey: Oh, you leave 'em out in the sun, they get all brown, start sproutin' little white hairs... Shrek: [peels an onion] NO! Layers. Onions have layers. Ogres have layers. Onions have layers. You get it? We both have layers. [walks off]

I'm an onion...so maybe that makes me an ogre?

Pacific Northwest Tour- in Pictures!!

2011-11-15T22:36:00.000-05:00

Having a few laughs w/ Beeson before the swim at Rev3 Portland. Here's my race report

Rev3 is currently offering a discount on the Rev3 Portland & SC races!! But only for one week....check'em out!

After Rev3 Portland, Emily and I spent a few extra days out in the PNW. Heading back home!!! Spent some time with my family, which I don't get to do too much. So, here are some snapshots of our little adventure!!

Portland waterfront

One packed car for the week!

Day before Rev3 Portland, Emily did a local Sprint

After Rev3 Portland, we headed to southern Oregon to visit my dad and my step-mom. They live on the side of a mountain with trees and tons of privacy!

View of our little car from dad's house

My half-bro Chris and his family also stayed with dad, and we decided to go for a little run :)

Emily and I only stayed one night with my dad, and then it was time to head up north to Seattle to visit my mom. But we had to make one last stop...had to visit grandma and grandpa! She used to baby sit me when I was a little squirt and makes the best pb&j ever!! Sandwich cut in quarters with the crust cut off....Grandma knows how to treat her Ryan!!

Visit with the old folks :) love ya guys!!

About 7 hours later we arrived at my mom's in Seattle. We were pretty tired from the journey so far, but when we woke the next morning, it sure was pretty out!

View of Lake Washington from my mom's

Meet Susie...she owns my mom & does what ever she wants to. But how could you resist this face?

Emily & I on our bike ride around the lake.

Rowers...can you tell which one is the coxswain? (just wanted to use that word...it's kinda funny)

Striking a pose

Emily & put the bikes up and thought it would be nice to surprise my mom at work. She enjoys show and tell, and we happen to be the "show". While there, we were treated to introductions to Vivian. Now, this is not intended to make fun of the homeless....but she happens to live outside my mom's window... This means, while my mom may be holding meetings, Vivian may be outside her window sleeping, talking to herself, or taking a shit! That's right....mom has had to knock on the window to tell her not to poop outside her window!! Imagine seeing that daily!?

Vivian's under the umbrella

We toured work, and then explored Seattle...

I wanted to check out famous Pikes Place...

Emily wanted to checkout famous Louis Vuitton...

Then it was drinking time!!

Few next to the Pacific

Then up to the Space Needle...Highly recommend it for dinner, but make reservations.

View from the window

Wine with my name on it?? Sure I'll have some!!

Emily and my mom

The trip was a blast!! Very busy and too short, but it's always nice to visit with family. After some crazy delays, canceled flights, and a consideration of driving from Seattle, WA to Terre Haute, IN (2,200 miles) we got on a flight!

In Denver Airport having one last sip before it's back to the Haute

I've had issue with TSA before not treating bikes nicely, and it's frustrating. Even more so when I spend a ton of time adding padding, bubble wrap, and zip ties only to have it be half-way closed and tossed by TSA. So this time, I included a little note for them.

The note sorta worked....Both bikes where wrapped nicely and no damage done. Of course, the bikes where lost somewhere and we didn't get them back for a few days. I guess they showed me!

Don't forget to checkout the sites if you are racing Rev3 Portland!

~Ryan

Ryan's Mo-Stache!

2011-11-14T07:20:00.001-05:00

Last year I missed the start date for Movember (Nov 1st) and this year I was looking forward to seeing what kind of 'stache I could produce! I've never had facial hair, so it was going to be an experience...

For those that don't know, Movember is a world-wide movement responsible for the sprouting of mustaches on thousands of men's faces. These "Mo's" are to raise awareness and funds for men's health, specifically prostate cancer. Women have their pink in Oct....us dudes have our staches in Nov!!
I was hoping that I could grow something pretty bad ass like the dude above...but after week 1, all I could muster was this little dirt spot on my upper lip.

week 1 Mo update!

I quickly found out my Mo was more creepy than cool, but I made a commitment to grow this fuzzy caterpillar until the end of the month. Definitely a lot easier said than done! While riding or running in colder temps, your nose tends to drip. A snot-rocket helps launch it, but alas, I have created an obstacle course at the opening!

And so now we have week 2 complete! Thinking about getting some Just For Men, and dying it a little darker....thoughts?? Over the weekend, I went to a local running race with a black hoodie, black beanie, and dark sun glasses; I was told by more than one person I looked creepy! :)

week 2

I took about 10 different pictures of week 2 from different angles trying to find a good pic, but I came to the conclusion that there really isn't a good angle for this stache! This really is all for a great cause, www.movember.com and remember that for every new twitter follower during the month of November, I will donate $1 towards prostate cancer research.

On a side note, base training has been going pretty well. It's hard building slowly, but I'm really trying hard to stay the course!

Weeks training numbers:

14.5 hours of training
1.5 hours of weight training
5,400 yds in the pool
143 miles of cycling
28 miles of running

~Ryan

Rev3 Anderson, SC!

2011-10-29T18:03:00.003-04:00

Rev3 Anderson, SC Finisher Medals

Revolution 3 Anderson, SC was the last race that I have "scheduled" for the year. Again, another amazing Revolution 3 Triathlon event!! The Rev3 staff do a great job of working together and promoting a fun family atmosphere, as evident by allowing friends and family to finish with the athletes, listening to suggestions from the participants, and including events for the little ones! I'm continually impressed with their execution of the event and the management of the logistics!!

So......let's talk about me :)

Allie, once again made an appearance at the practice swim. Allie thought it was pretty sweet that people from Facebook recognized and wanted to take their picture with her.
My journey back from this fatigue hole that I built for myself was something else! I've never really experienced this before--basically, you feel like you're putting out, your heart rate sky-rockets, and when you look at your pace, it's way to slow!! I took about a month off, then started gearing up for this race. My goal for the event was to just simply finish solid, without any issues.

The swim was great! TYR makes some seriously bad ass wetsuits, and it's too bad that we don't get to wear them around often---yes they are that cool! I swam the .9mile with relative ease, and quite honestly, didn't push myself hard enough. Olympic distance racing can be a little confusing for me and I sometimes think if I push too hard I'll blow up, so I race a little on the conservative side....

I came out of the water and felt great! Not winded and smiling...even got a shout-out from

Ashley from Rev3!

The bike section was rolling an beautiful.....and then "pop"... Yup! Blown tire....I pulled over, made a quick change and was rolling again. Here's where my race then began to fall apart--sort of. I was a little pissed that I flatted and was pushing hard for the rest of the ride. On each of the climbs, I was cursing out loud...telling the hill it could "go #$@! yourself!" Luckily no kids were around me as Rev3 is known for being family friendly! I only had one bottle of fluid on the bike--2 scoops of First Endurance EFS and 1 scoop of PreRace. I could have used some Liquid Shot for added calories, but nope....Ryan didn't plan this too well.

The hard pace I was pushing because of the flat took it out of my legs. When I hit T2 and came to the run, I gave it a go, but I was slow (around a 7:45 pace). My dumbass forgot to have any nutrition for the run waiting at T2 and I didn't even think about taking anything on the course....What a rookie mistake!! Or would a rookie do that?? I don't know; but I do know that I wasn't moving too fast, which was a disappointment because my training had been going so well.

Anyway, I made the final (or what I thought was the final) turn into the park and was pushing as hard as I could, excited about finishing and being done. Then a volunteer directed me to turn up this little hill...GRRRRRR! *Again a mistake; know the course....

I made the little horse shoe route up the hill and back down to the finish line! Glad to be finished! I waited for Emily (my wife was racing too!) who wasn't that far behind to cross as well. Shortly after, I made my way to the beer for some post race shenanigans! And, Allie needed a cup to drink her water out of...Coincidence that attorneys advertise on the side of the beer cups??? I think not!

I ended up 3rd in my AG, which is pretty good considering how my race unfolded and the ding-dong mistakes I made. Maybe I should review this next race so I don't make them again!?

Another awesome Rev3 behind the scene person who does a great job of taking care of me...('cuz I need lots of taking care of!)Hi Krista!

While I was happy to be finished, and looking forward to some down time, I knew that it might be quite some time before I saw the Rev3 crew and my teammates again...great extended family and maybe I'll see'em in 2012 at Rev3 Costa Rica!!!

If you can't find a Pilot, you're just not looking!

And thanks again to Pilot/Flying J for supporting athletes! I had a great time meeting and talking with you at the race!.....So peeps, consider purchasing your fuel from someone who supports you!!

~Ryan

Goals!

2011-10-24T07:17:00.000-04:00

I haven't done any training for two weeks now and it's really been a nice break. When I write "any training", I mean just that---I've been on the couch getting caught up on TV. By the way there are some pretty bad ass new shows on! But, total chill time has come to an end. Today marks the journey into next year, and at some point I'll reflect on 2011 races and goals, but I'm not ready for that yet. 2011 has been not so good and I'm ready to pry my ass off the couch and get move'n.

Goals are important to establish for success (most people know that) and they act like a navigational beacon to keep us on track, or illustrate how we may need to adjust our course. Until all the sport psych classes I've taken, I didn't realize just how important goals are... So, I've decided to share some of my goals for the week:

Train 2 X 30' in each sport (s/b/r) with all easy aerobic
Drop 1-2lbs (sitting on the couch can make you fat!!)
Schedule my practicum work for my final project for my Masters in sport psych
Get at least 8hrs of sleep each night
Clean bike, put trainer tire on, and set up for future workouts
Clean treadmill and re-calibrate
Begin to create potential 2012 race schedule

As you can tell, some of these are pretty easy (like #5) and I've done this on purpose. I want my goals to include challenging (lose 1-2lbs) and easier goals. If they are all difficult, I may feel frustrated--set yourself up for success! Some of these goals are simply a "to do" list, but I find by setting it in this manner, it will aid in my success later on. For example, I won't have an excuse why I couldn't get my ride in, because it is already all set up on the trainer.

We'll see how I do next Monday, and I challenge you to consider creating goals of your own.

~Ryan

The Uncle Did It--26.2!!

2011-10-16T11:38:00.003-04:00

Two weekends ago, my uncle completed his first marathon in Portland, OR!! Below is what he sent out....I am so proud of him!! Great job Tony, you have accomplished something truly amazing!! It's not the 26.2, but as Tony found out, it's the journey getting to the race....

Well done!!

Rev3 Cedar Point!

2011-10-13T15:53:00.009-04:00

This is LONG overdue, but Rev3 Cedar Point was a great race!! And here's the deal, the race for next year is going to be even better!! Rev3 has added two kid's triathlons and a sprint triathlon to the weekend fun...this means kid's, sprint, half, and full distances will be offered Sept 8-9, 2012!! Some of these races are discounted....so check it out here!!

For you super bad asses out there, Rev3 is also offering Sprint + Half! Crazy!!

This year, the race was a tad different for me. I have been trying to dig out of my 'funk' and the week of the race was the first time I had been able to successfully run longer than an hour. If you remember, I had originally signed up for the full distance race, then asked to change to the half, and then decided that wasn't going to work.....race morning-lots of volunteers!

So, I switched to the half aqua bike. I've never competed in one of these before, but thought it was the best idea. It was the 1.2mile swim, followed by the 56mile bike, and.....nothing. That's it. NO RUNNING!! :) I did a short transition run for training, but my race was over the moment I crossed the timing mat heading into transition off the bike. Kinda weird, but really cool!! For those of you who struggle with the run, I really think this an excellent option; maybe something to consider if you have knee issues??

I had a pretty tough swim--just wasn't ever really comfortable, and swallowed a crap ton of Lake Erie. Transitions were pretty solid and the bike was (for the most part) flat and fast. I had sooo much fun!!

This was also Emily's (my wife) first race at the half distance. She did great! Unfortunately, Murphey (our chocolate lab) is quadriplegic, and doesn't like to be left alone, so he couldn't make the adventure. But, Allie, our golden was there and had a great time!! She enjoyed posing for pictures with peeps as well as crossing the finish line with Emily!! Rev3 doesn't discourage people from crossing with their families--because let's be real--it's not just the athlete who has sacrificed. The support of family and friends are important to the athlete, and in some races (half and full distance) I think spectating can be just as hard as racing!! Just try it!! Anyway, Emily and I don't have kids (with two legs) so she ran across with our four-legged princess! Allie loved the attention, and Rev3 even hooked her up with a little medal. Thanks Rev3!!I'm such a dork! Me in the blue

Next up Rev3 Anderson, SC baby!!

~Ryan

Rev3 Triathlon Does It Again

2011-08-03T22:25:00.004-04:00

A little over a year ago, I had formulated a race plan and training schedule that would map my way to Kona, or at least I would give it a good go. The plan was to qualify at IMCDA. If you've read or followed what happened that day, you undoubtedly know that it was a real tough day for me.....

Anyway, I had another plan. If I wasn't fast enough in Idaho, then I would build great fitness and completely rock Rev3 Cedar Point at the full-distance in September!!!

Like some plans, things change.

My body isn't responding very well and I still need more recovery time. The 2.4 mile swim and the 112 mile bike aren't the parts that are on my mind-it's that 26.2mile run at the end. I had originally decided to give myself a couple more weeks before I made up my mind, but this last weekend, my body made my mind up for me. The reality is I won't have the legs needed for the run. This is hard realization, especially since this year I haven't produced the results that I had hoped. Personally, I consider this as a growth as an athlete, and another level of athleticism. I have great self-awareness. Tomorrow I'm heading to Indianapolis to the spine and rehab center to get some work done.

But this post isn't about me.........it's about Revolution 3 Triathlon!!!

Rev3 is just that, a revolution. A novel way of thinking. I emailed Rev3 today to see if it would be possible to switch from the full-distance to the half at Cedar Point. Some race organizers have a no exception policy. Rev3 understands that it's difficult to predict what is going to happen 6months or even a year in advance. Thank you Rev3 for allowing me to switch and for revolutionizing the sport of triathlon!

See ya in Cedar Point.........I'm not totally wimping out. I'm still doing the half :)

Wanna join me? Here's the info!

Rev3 Portland

2011-07-20T20:11:00.002-04:00

Rev3 Portland!!
I don't get a chance to race that much in front of my family (most of them live in Oregon) so when the chance to race in Portland presented itself, I had to jump on the opportunity! Even though, I was coming off a very tough IMCDA performance just 2weeks prior, I didn't want to miss this chance....

The Rev3 Portland course was great and would make for a PR for anyone seeking it at the Half-Iron distance (1.2mile swim/56mile bike/13.1mile run). Unfortunately for me, I was just hoping I wasn't too thrashed and went into the race with a positive mindset.

Having some pre-race jokes with my teammate Anthony!

The swim was in beautiful Blue Lake and was pretty calm. The first turn buoy was only about 150meters or so from the start, so I knew it would be a tad congested, but once that turn was made, it was a good 1/2mile or so until the next turn. While swimming, I remained relaxed and was really enjoying the moment. I even spotted Anthony and hoped on his feet for a bit....Thanks bro for the draft! Once the next two left-hand turns were made, things were spreading out a bit, but I still had some fast feet to follow. With about 400 meters left, I started to build into a faster pace and kicking more.

Coming out of the water

Once out of the water, I made a pretty quick transition into my running shoes...we had about 1/2mile to run to the "real" transition zone. I also heard the cheers of my Oregon family which made me smile and wave! Rev3 did a great job of staging gear bags so we could change out of our wetsuits and into our running shoes. The volunteers did most of the work, as I stripped out of the suit and threw on my shoes-leaving a wet mess for the volunteers to put back in my gear bag. THANK YOU!!!

Immediately, I could feel the muscles in my legs scream! The two weeks between the full-iron and half was not enough and I made up my mind to bring my heart rate down and just make it to the bike. This was only a 1/2mile run, but the legs were really heavy.

Rev3 Portland bike course if amazingly fast!

Once on the bike, I settled and found my rhythm. Things were going great and I was starting to pick a few people off that had passed me in my slow-ass trot from the swim exit to transition. The bike is a two-loop out and back, so it was really spectator friendly and I'm pretty sure most families were able to see their athletes 3 or 4 times on the bike from just standing in one spot!

My first loop was fine. No issues and was making good ground. Then came lap number 2!! At about the 30mile mark or so, my glutes and hamstrings told me they had enough! My ass felt like I had a giant rock under each butt cheek. The muscles had tightened, and I ended up losing the ability to get into the aero position. I stood up for a bit, tried stretching while riding, twisting, turning, and even massaging my ass, but nothing seemed to work. So, I said screw it! I sat up, maintained a cadence of about 95 rpm, light on the pedals, and just went with what I had for the day. I knew there was a 13.1mile run just around the corner, and if I was thrashed from the ride, the run was really going to suck!

Heading out on the run...beautiful course!!

The first couple of miles (like 4!!) were pretty challenging for me. I had to stop and stretch a ton! This was also an out and back, sorta shaped like a bow tie...which made for great spectating and cheers for all. Once I finally started to loosen up I felt much better! When I finally made the little turn to head towards the finishing chute, I was really happy to done! This race was not a PR for me by any stretch; not because the course was difficult, but because on that day, I just didn't have it.

Thank you Rev3 for another great event! Your attention to detail is amazing and I look forward to racing Cedar Point in a couple of months! Thank you to Morgan from All3Sports for loaning me your brand new helmet to pre-ride the course, even though I totally stunk it up with my nasty sweat! TYR, First Endurance, Kestrel, SBR (makers of TriSlide!!), Recovery Pump, Avia, Rudy Project, Morris Trucking and All3Sports---thank you for your support! Family!!!!! Thank you!!!!! I had my mom, dad, step-mom, aunt, uncle, and wife all there shouting for me to hurry up!! Great seeing you all and I'm glad you were able to come watch, even if it wasn't my best performance I know you are still proud. Emily, thank you for always taking care of me and organizing my life! You are definitely the glue that makes this possible. You take care of all the logistics, so all I have to do is show up and race! Love ya honey!!

Time to recover and enjoy our Pacific Northwest Tour!!

IMCDA--WTF!?

2011-07-04T11:57:00.004-04:00

It's now been a week since I raced Ironman Coure d'Alene and I've had time to reflect on how my day unfolded. And if you followed my race, you're probably wondering what the hell happened??? Unfortunately, my time does not reflect the effort that I put forth that day, nor the preparation and hours and hours of training. I plan on breaking it down into swim, bike, and run in the days to come, but here is the summary.

Finishing time (140.6miles): 11:51:53 (570/ ~2500)

Swim (2.4miles): 1:12:52 (586/~2500)
T1: 6:07
Bike (112miles): 5:28:10 (225/ ~2500)
T2: 2:46
Run (26.2miles): 5:01:58 (570/ ~2500)

My day started off just as I had planned. I thought I would come out of the water about 1:10, so I was pretty close to where I thought that I would be. Once on the bike, I again started off as I had planned, this includes nutrition, settling in, "spin-to-win" philosophy, planning where I was going to push hard, etc.......then came mile 100.

For some reason, I hit mile 100 and just started vomiting uncontrollably!!! Totally emptied everything in my gut!! I noticed that I had a substantial amount of fluid in my gut as it splattered all over me. I then sat up and tried to sip on water to settle my stomach, but it didn't matter--I couldn't keep anything down.

I hit T2 and knew the run was going to be extremely difficult! Not that a marathon at the end of 2.4mile swim and 112mile bike is ever easy......but I had really worked on my run off the bike for the last 6months and had really improved and was planning on 3:30. This did NOT happen. By the time I started the run, it was about 25 minutes since I first threw-up and still could not keep anything down.

I kept moving one foot in front of the other in pure agony! Stopping to walk every aid station, praying I would be able to get some calories or hydration and keep it down. Shortly after the second aid station (about mile 2) I completely emptied my gut again, and now it was very little fluid, but mostly acid and some bile. I realized that my goal of sub 10:00 was not going to happen and now I would be lucky to just finish. Then it was: shuffle, walk, vomit, walk, shuffle, and repeat for the remaining 24.2 miles. Often I was moving with my eyes closed, no form, and on the verge of collapse.

After I crossed the finish, I collapsed into the arms of the "catchers" and was sent to the med tent. By this point, I hadn't been able to have any fluids, calories, or electrolytes stay in my system for about 6hours! They first gave me Zofran (a common drug given to those with nausea from chemotherapy)-----I threw that up. They gave me another Zofran......just dry heaving. After about an hour of this, they moved me in the back and gave me two bags of IV. Once the solution hit my body, I was immediately cold and my body started shaking uncontrollably. I was spasming all over, much like a fish out of water, and my muscles were totally cramped up.

Finally after about 3 hours of med tent, I was able to walk and ready to go to the hotel, sip on some Ginger Ale, and recover.

This race broke my heart. I had worked so hard. So many early mornings. So many hours pushing myself, and so on.....

My outcome was a huge disappointment, but I am very impressed with my effort. It would have been very easy to quit. As I passed aid stations, they would ask, "do you need a doctor?" I just pushed.

Thank you to all that followed my race. Thank you Emily for keeping me positive when times are hard. Mom, thanks for coming and seeing your kid race--sorry about the scare in the med tent. To all my Trakkers/Rev3 Teammates and sponsors (Revolution 3 Triathlon, Trakkers GPS, First Endurance, Kestrel, Avia, All3Sports, Morris Trucking, TYR, Recovery Pump, TriSlide/TriSwim, Rudy Project, and Gray Goat Sports) thank you for your support in pursuit of my dreams.

Next up: Rev3 Portland, 70.3 on July 10th!

For detailed reports click here (coming soon):
Swim
Bike
Run

It's almost here

2011-06-17T01:17:00.002-04:00

With just over a week until Ironman CDA, I'm beginning to get a little restless. One part anxious, one part achy, and three parts ready!

I haven't raced a Iron distance race this early in the season in a long time, and it's amazing how little doubts try and sneak in your head..... Did you train enough? Did you rest enough? Is your nutrition dialed in? What cassette are you going to ride with? Is the course really as hilly as it seems on the Computrainer? What is the weather going to be like race day? I heard the water is in the upper 50's right now, do I need a neoprene cap? What am I going to put in my special needs bags? Fuel belt or no fuel belt on the run? I'm getting really hungry, but don't want to add extra weight! My homework is keeping me up late, so am I getting enough rest? Is there a way to get a 20 or 30 min nap in during the day some how? Questions.......Questions.........and more Questions......

Ryan, just breathe! You've put in the training. It's banked. Relax. Breathe. Enjoy life. Follow the plans that you've been doing--they work. Breathe......now get your ass to bed!

Things don't always go like you prepared for...Rev3 Knoxville Race Report

2011-05-22T21:09:00.002-04:00

A couple of weeks ago, I went to Knoxville, TN to race in the Rev3 Olympic distance event. I was really quite excited to race with my other teammates, as well as test myself in this short course distance (1.5K swim/40K bike/ 10K run). For the most part, the few years I have been focused on the longer races--1.2mile swim/56mile bike/13.1mile run & 2.4mile swim/112mile bike/26.2mile run, and thought this would be a good opportunity to just go hard!

I'll post more about the event and hanging with the team in a couple of days, but here is how the race went for me:

My bike was racked the day before, so there really wasn't much to do in transition race morning, except add my race nutrition (bottle of EFS with 1/2 serving of PreRace), check tire pressure and lay out anything else I'll be needing for the race (running shoes, race number, clip in cycling shoes, helmet, etc.).

SWIM--.9miles
After transition was all set, my wife, her parents and I walked down to the swim start. I lubed up with TRISLIDE (which not only prevents chaffing, but makes it easier to put the wetsuit on!) and pulled up my TYR Hurricane Category 5 wetsuit. This was my first race in the new wetsuit, and I've often wondered if the more expensive suits really make a difference??? Well, they do! So much more freedom in the arm and shoulder areas, great fit, etc. I started in the front and went hard to the first turn buoy, then found some feet to jump on. I quickly found that I had caught up to some of the 1/2 Rev swimmers who started a few minutes earlier (1.2mile swim) and was navigating through them. The .9mile (1.5K) swim was pretty uneventful and I felt pretty good coming out of the water.T1
The transition was just across the street from where we came out of the water, so it was nice not to have to run 200 yards or so, like in some races. I heard a few shout-outs from friends and family as I got ready to head onto the bike.

BIKE--24.8milesThis course is known to be hilly, and it didn't disappoint! Within the first couple of miles or so, there were short little power climbs. At about mile 3, I was descending, and heard a loud "BOOM!!!" I had been focused on the road up ahead, and didn't see the huge pot hole. I thought I had broke my wheel, and slowed to assess the damage. After a quick inspection while still moving forward (wanted to make sure my wheels/bike was okay) I noticed my nutrition bottle had ejected out of the bottle cage on the down tube! CRAP!!!!! This was the fuel that I was counting on for the race....plus the stuff on the course I knew wouldn't sit well in my gut. Oh, well, nothing I could do about it now, and I wasn't about to turn around and look from the damn bottle and lose precious time.

I told myself not to worry about it, and just race hard (and be thankful your Kestrel 4000 didn't break). I made it through the first couple of climbs pretty well (for me--I'm not the best climber) and was really glad I had a 11-25 cassette!! I picked up a bottle at the aid station (about mile 12 or so) and knew that I needed to get some calories in me....I was a little concerned that it might not agree with my stomach, but thought "Okay...you can shit yourself, make it to the port-a-poty, or have a really horrible race because you bonk!" I elected to use the bathroom if needed--I wasn't about to bonk and didn't think shitting myself would be much fun either.

I made it back in to T2 and was ready to run.

T2
Bike in, helmet off, running shoes on, grab number belt, visor....and away I went.

RUN--6.2miles
Running has been an Achilles heal for me. I came in off the bike in a real good position, and tried to hang with the pack in front of me. Needless to say, I popped and drastically slowed down. The run course had some gentle/gradual hills, but was mostly flat. I became increasingly frustrated as my heart rate was where I wanted it to be, but the speed wasn't there. Very frustrated as my great race started to unravel right before me as I was passed, passed, and passed again. At mile 4.5 or so, Carole Sharpless was out there cheering people on, and seeing her put a smile on my face! She's the "team mom" who totally takes care of us and is crazy funny!! For a brief moment, I thought about those who can not race anymore due to injury and this put everything in perspective. "Ryan", I said to myself, "You are out here doing what you love....enjoy the moment 'cause you never know when it may be taken from you."From there, I just let the frustration go and enjoyed my run into the finish line, where friends, families, fellow athletes, teammates, and others had gathered to cheer on our accomplishments for the day.Not the best race (result) I've had, but I am happy to be able to do what I love.

Times:

Swim--25:07
T1--1:29
Bike--1:11:26
Run--47:41
Total--2:26:35

Next race....Coeur d' Alene June 26!

A sneak peek into training

2011-04-24T10:58:00.005-04:00

As both a coach and an athlete, I get tons of questions regarding training. What should I do? How can I make my training more interesting? Do I need to take a full day off? These are all great questions, and my response is pretty much the same each time..."It depends."

Here is a look at a training week I did a few weeks ago. Maybe you'll find a fun workout or some ideas that you can implement into your training. If you have questions, or are looking for performance coaching, consider the coaches at Forward Motion Athletics.

Monday
Workout #1
Strength :45
TRX: 45sec each w/ 45sec rest between; complete all for one set, then do it again 2 more times
WU:
5mins easy run
MS:
Hamstring Curl w/ Hip Press
Sprinter Start w/ Hop at Top
Atomic Pushup
Roll out
Lunge
Crunch
Power Pull
Crossing Balance Lunge
CD:
10 min easy spin

Workout #2
Yoga 1:30

Tuesday

Workout #1
Bike 2:00
Trainer Intervals
WU: 30' aerobic build, power z1-2. incl. 6min SL drill alt L & R by :45sec.
MS: 2 x (10' @ 70cd power z3, 10' @ 85cd power z4 low, 10' @ 95 cd power z4 high) w/ 15' easy at 90rpm rec'y between
CD: to 2hr. practice taking shoes on and off in the pedals.

Workout #2
Swim 1:00
Pace Work
WU: 600choice, 600 (50K, 50free, 4 x 50D, 50K, 50D, 200free)
MS: 15 x 100 (15") at 1500 pace + :02/100m.
CD: 150K; 150free
Drills: Fingertip drag; tennis balls

Wednesday
Workout #1
Run 1:30
Hills / Strength
WU: 15min. 6 strides @ 70m
MS: 8 x 3min hills (2min rec'y) heart rate z3 - low z4. Hill at 7% grade.
CD: to 90min

Workout #2
Swim 1:00
DPS + technique 3k
WU: 100 choice; 100 free
MS: 4 x (4 x 50D, 4 x 50DPS). 600m free easy, great technique. 8 x 50K (30") desc 1-4.
CD: 200 non-free
drills: Pause 1, Pause 1 with tennis balls

Workout #3
Strength :45
TRX: 30sec each w/ 30sec rest between; complete all for one set, then do it again for a total of 3
WU: 5 min easy running
MS:
Squat
Single Leg Squat
Oblique Crunch
Crunch
Tricep Curls
Hamstring Curls w/ Hip Press
Overhead Y's
CD: 10 min easy spinning

Thursday
Workout #1 The Bree Wee Swim
Swim 1:00
Warm up (600 total): 2 X (75free/25 fly drill, 75 free/25 back drill, 75 free/25 breast drill)
Main set (2400 total): Complete entire set two times.
4x50(10") as 25 fly fast/25 free easy, 100 IM all out (30");
4x50(10")as 25 back fast/25 free easy, 100 IM all out(30")
4x50(10")as 25 breast fast/25 free easy, 100 IM all out (30");
4x50(10")as 25 free fast/25 free easy, 100 IM all out (30")
Cool down:
200K easy

Workout #2
Bike 1:30
Trainer
WU: 30' incl 5-6 x 20sec sprints
MS: 6 x 5min (4min rec'y) cd 50-65, power zone 3 (no higher!)
CD: Run off the last interval

Workout #3
Run :30
Brick Run
15' high zone 3, 15' zone 1.

Friday
Workout #1
Strength :45
TRX: 45sec each w/ 45sec rest between; complete all for one set, then do it again 2 more times
WU:
5mins easy run
MS:
Hamstring Curl w/ Hip Press
Sprinter Start w/ Hop at Top
Atomic Pushup
Roll out
Lunge
Crunch
Power Pull
Crossing Balance Lunge
CD:
10 min easy spin

Workout #2
Swim 1:15
Aerobic Power
WU: 100 choice; 3 x 300 (100 free, 100D, 100K); 4 x 50 surge 15/50
MS: 20 x 100 (15"). Short rest, steady aerobic. 1500m pace + :03-:05/100m
CD: 100choice; 100free/back; 100K
drill of choice

Saturday
Workout #1
Bike 4:00
Aerobic Base
The middle 2/3 should be Rolling to Hilly.
Power fluctuate between zones 1-3, mostly zone 2

Workout #2
Run :45
Brick Run
Off the bike, zone 2

Sunday
Workout #1
Run 2:00
Aerobic Base
30' heart rate z1, 60' z2, 30' z3. Rolling terrain to Hilly.

Workout #2
Bike 2:30
Aerobic Base - Right after run.
flat to rolling. Power fluctuate zones 1-3, mostly zone 2

And there you have it! It was a solid training week!

~Ryan

Transition Runs!

2011-04-10T20:15:00.008-04:00

Race time is here!!!! By now athletes have logged countless miles cycling/running, and yards in the pool building up for this season. Often the small details of racing are not practiced or forgotten within training plans and now is a perfect time to implement them...So on to the transition run!

On your next tempo run, wear the shoes that you plan on racing in. If you don't plan on wearing socks on race day, then don't for this tempo run. Shoes will feel different without socks, and come race day it will be horrible if your hard training efforts over the winter are ruined by a painful blister.If you notice a "hot spot" or rubbing, there are a few products on the market that can help. The first is to apply an anti-chaffing product like TRISLIDE to the inside of the shoe where the rubbing takes place. You can also spray your feet at the beginning of the event, but I highly recommend the shoes--so maybe apply to both.

Some athletes have found purchasing some moleskin and putting a small piece inside the upper of the shoe also helps. This product works well with shoes that are not smooth on the inside and have stitching that rubs. If you make any adjustments, make sure to try them out again before race day.

Adding some powder inside the shoe will also help. It will reduce the amount of moisture (which is one culprit of the pesky blister) and will help your feet slide in the shoe with ease. As an added bonus, you look pretty cool running the first few steps with powder clouds around your feet. Smok'n!!!

By applying simple race day scenarios to your weekly training, your performance will improve, and your feet will thank you for it! Plus, who wants to the be the athlete who can barely walk to the post race beer tent?

Hypoxic Swim Training: Psychological or Physiological Adaptations?

2011-03-24T20:48:00.001-04:00

Coaches have been prescribing hypoxic swim sets for many years. Essentially this is reducing the number of breaths taken while swimming. Typically they are in the form of breathing every 3, 5, 7 by 50, but may also be even less than that. What are the benefits? Are these physiological? Are they psychological? Does this decrease in breathing cause adaptions to use oxygen more efficiently while swimming? Are there associated risks?

There seems to be a wide variety of anecdotal evidence that both support the use of hypoxic training in the pool, and that completely discourage this type of exercise prescription.Stay tuned, as I examine hypoxic swim training, and present both anecdotal and research proven information. With this information, you can be the judge and form an opinion of your own based on facts, not just the ramblings of some thread discussion on some website.

Avia Bolt II-Great Shoe!

2011-03-13T22:10:00.002-04:00

I am really impressed with this shoe! I guess I should start by saying that like most people I'm a little nervous when it comes to change, especially when it comes to equipment or gear, but Avia made a great shoe with the Avia-Bolt II (and it's on sale!!). It fits like a glove and offers the right amount of cushion, breathe-ability, and performance that athletes expect from their shoes. The shoes are exceptionally light at 8.5oz and for a guy just under 6 foot weighing 175lbs, a traditional "race flat" doesn't always offer the padding I need for long course racing and my joints can really feel it. The air mesh upper allows for your feet to stay cool when pounding the pavement hard. This feature also allows for some of the weight that would normally be on the top of the shoe to be in the sole and cushioning.

Avia uses a guidance scale which takes into account arch type and pronation. Click here to learn more about this scale. These shoes are a "1" on the Avia Degree of Guidance.

The black material has some shine to it which looks super awesome while you run, and is reflective in low-light conditions.

The shoe offers Avi-Grip heel and tongue, which at first I thought might rub, but because of the fantastic liner, there are no issues. This grip will allow for smooth and fast transitions during T2!

The shoes come with a locking lace system for added transition speed, and during my runs, I have had no issues of the lock slipping. The heal also has AVIA's Cantilever® System, which according to Avia's website, "centers the heel over a concave sole. The concave sole acts like a trampoline to soften impact, stabilize the heel and provide increased energy return. KEY BENEFITS : BASIS OF ALL AVIA TECHNOLOGY/STABILITY/ SHOCK ABSORPTION" I don't really know what all of that means, but it sure made for a great ride at tempo and speed efforts!

The Avia Avi-Bolt II really is a great addition to the arsenal for both racing and those tempo/speed training days. (Yes, I'm wearing my "Powered by Burritos" socks :0 ) There are limited quantities of these left, and Avia just released the newest member of the Bolt family, the Avi-Bolt III.

I haven't had the opportunity to test these yet, but from what I've heard they are even better--(which I find hard to believe).

Just some ramblings....

2011-03-03T22:21:00.000-05:00

These are just a few things that I have noticed in the last month or so. Some of them, I've noticed for longer...

Old guys walking around the locker room naked! Dude nobody wants to see that--put a towel on!
Mother Nature can be super sweet or very harsh, so world-don't piss her off!
If you are elected to a public office, don't like what is going to be voted on, you don't have to show up.
If those that controlled public funds treated them like their personal funds, our Country might have a different outlook.
We can talk about stimulus, unemployment, buyout, etc, but if we (US) can't get a hold of these rising fuel prices our economy will never climb out of the toilet!!
When you turn 33, it's a great year, but lookout for the back hair-pluck one, three will grow!
President George Washington had something, when he told the US to stay out of other countries issues during his farewell address.
I can donate .10 each day to a child in Africa, but the homeless shelter on Main Street is overcrowded.
The space shuttle Discovery is one bad mo-fo!!! 39 missions!!
In politics, just as in life, there will be those who will feel they have gained, and those who feel they are on the losing end. I guess that's why long ago dudes that are on our money had the foresight to create a vote!!
Three things my dad doesn't like to talk about--politics and religion. The other is insurance.
When training, the stuff that is really good for us sometimes hurts the most, and therefore we don't do it as often as we should.
The Godfather is still one of the best movies ever made....well the first two.
The toothbrush I get from the dentist is like the superhero side kick. It still does a good job at fighting grime, but not nearly as bad ass as the electric.
I could make a quilt out of the non-matching socks that I own.
While you may have 400 friends on Facebook, only about 10 of them are really your friends. The others you are stalking.

Been a trying couple of weeks!

2011-02-16T21:06:00.002-05:00

Allie-

I want to thank everyone for their 'well-wishes' of Allie! The past couple of weeks has been really tough but she's going to be okay!!! :) It all started with the surgery to remove the tumor, then she ate out her staples. That was a nice move by the golden child! We brought her into the vet, and they had to scrub out her wound because of the potential contamination, and this time they put in tension sutures in two different layers along the incision. They gave us a cone to put on her head and while in the car we took it off, because she kept getting her head stuck.....we FORGOT TO PUT IT BACK ON!!!! The cone-less head of Allie ate out her brand new stitches and opened the wound back up! This time it was a little more serious because it didn't have time to heal from before. So back to the hospital she went, for emergency surgery. When we picked her up, she had tension sutures, staples, drain tube, and the cone--which was staying on this time, no matter what!

The tumor didn't look good, but the surrounding areas were clean! YAY!! We had a sonogram done on her lymph nodes and a chest Xray to evaluate further. All clean....huge sigh of relief. The stitches, drain tube, and staples are all out, and the cone is gone. Allie is back to rolling in stinky stuff and playing again.Buster on the beach in Panama City, FL

Buster-

In past posts, checkout the Florida race recap- you may remember Buster. He's the chocolate lab, litter-mate to my son Murphey, best friend to my Father-in-law, and ruler of the compound. He has always struggled with hip issues, and the doctors originally thought he wouldn't make it past a year or so, but Buster has a pool-a large swimming pooling with a deep end where he could work on his back-leg strength! Over the years, Buster has been in many parades, Olympic Trials for Cycling, hundreds of other running, cycling, and triathlon events. He would steal the candy from the kids while walking in Labor Day parades, and is rumored to even have lifted his leg and peed on one!!! (Way to go Mr. B!!)

Last Summer he turned 11, and time and arthritis had really taken a toll on the little fella. He slowly began to lose the use of his back legs, and his upper body just couldn't take the weight. Early in the Fall, Buster was quadriplegic and could no longer walk. But that didn't keep his spirits down! He would still bark orders from his wagon, and during Christmas night went sledding with his dad. That's right! Mike sat on the sled, we put 80lb Buster in his lap, and away they went down the snow covered hills in Deming Park. Buster loved it! His tail still worked and it would wag like crazy!!!!

On Saturday, February 5, Emily and I got the call......Murphey's brother had passed away. "Little B" as he was affectionately called just grew more and more tired. The months of not being able to move had finally taken its toll. While I personally felt sad, I kept thinking to myself, "How am I going to tell my son that his brother has died?" They had been peas in a pod for the last 11yrs. They got into trouble together as puppies, swam in the pool together, and Murphey being the cuddler he is-would snuggle with his bigger brother. On Sunday, February 6th, while most of America was watching the Superbowl, we buried Buster. We love ya Buster and miss you so much! Thank you for cheering me on at races. Thank you for looking out for your brother, Murphey. Have fun swimming and chasing balls again in the dark park in the sky. Goodnight sweet boy....Mike (Buster's dad) and "Little B" cheering on Iron distance athletes til midnight!

Buster sleeping in his memory foam filled wagon!

Buster (left) and Murphey (right) ready for their 11th b'day party!

Buster and Emily on the pool deck...Buster is a great supervisor

Buster (facing the camera) is ready for b'day celebration!

My little girl is in the hospital

2011-01-25T22:34:00.002-05:00

Allie watching her mommy race.

As a parent, you don't ever want to be told that there is anything medically wrong with your kids. Now, we don't have two-legged kids, but have Murphey & Allie, a chocolate lab and golden retriever. And yes, they are our kids!!! They have birthday parties, Christmas stockings, cook-outs, invite friends to stay the night, stay the night with their friends, play, etc...

Allie and her brother Murphey cuddling

I've had Allie since college and she was always a riot to have around! She loved the volleyball pit at the fraternity house and looked forward to the year end Pi Kappa Alpha party "Luau" held just before finals in the Spring each year. During the bigger parties, I would put a hiking backpack (specific for dogs) on her and stuff it full of beer. She'd walk around the party being every one's friend....and magically my beer would disappear, but she loved all the attention!

Today Emily took Murphey for his acupuncture appointment and had the vet look at Allie's bump on her hip. We had the vet look at it before and they thought it was just a fatty cell, but now it's larger-much larger. Anyway, the vet said they rate tumors on a scale of 1-3, with 3 being the most aggressive. He believed this to be a 3. So the decision was to leave Allie at the hospital and have surgery tomorrow to remove the tumor and have it sent to Purdue for analysis. Nobody wants their child to be ill, especially have cancer.

We'll pick her up later in the afternoon tomorrow and give her lots of love. She's only 8. She's still full of so much life and in "people" years that's still pretty young. She is apart of our family and while we sit here at home, I can't help think of her in her room at the hospital. Is she scared? Is she going to be okay? And then there are the horrible thoughts---the what ifs....
Allie and I in Florida after a race

So in blog land, what ever you believe in: Allah, God, Buddah, Zeus, Jehovah, Elohim, Tenri-O-no-Mikoto...whatever, please say a special blessing for our little girl. Or at the very least keep in your thoughts.

Unplug

2011-01-17T11:47:00.004-05:00

Heart rate, cadence, pace, iPod, cell phones, etc.....we tend to focus on so much when we train, that often we forget about the pure enjoyment of just being outside. Have some serious quality time with Mother Nature and time to yourself (or with our training partners). Many training plans, including plans that I create for athletes, have a warm up, main set, and cool down and can be somewhat complex depending on the specific goal of the training.

But sometimes it's great to just unplug!

You can still record heart rate, distance, pace, etc and report it to your coach or on your own training, but try and put the monitor under your layers so it is not easily seen, and just go for a run. You may want to have a predetermined course mapped out, or just go out and run. (Having some sort of route and how long you think it will take is beneficial because it will keep you from looking to see how much further/time you have to reach the run goal).

The winter time is cold, yet very peaceful. Listen to your breathing, and remember why it is that you enjoy running. Most athletes in the Northern Hemisphere are beginning to work on their aerobic base and this provides a foundation to build on in later months. Keep it aerobic, you don't need to look to see what your heart rate is...if you can't breathe, then you're going too fast.

In the upcoming months, you'll have plenty of time to be glued to your electronics, especially if you are targeting other bio-systems (tempo, threshold, etc) but see if you can go without occasionally? Are you an athlete that needs constant feedback and can't just go run? Try it and see.

*Be sure to dress appropriately in layers. Consider a trail shoe like Avia Avi-Stoltz that will help keep the elements out and maybe some gators. Also, you will probably need to shorten your stride and watch your step-don't twist ankles!!!

Where's the Video Camera?

2011-01-10T21:36:00.000-05:00

Earlier today I was stuck at the light waiting patiently for it to turn green. It turned, we stayed. Ok??? Whatever, I thought I'd just catch the next one. Green again.....we still didn't move. What the heck?

Then the cars parted to the left and right like the Red Sea and alone in the middle was this green pickup with their hazard lights flashing. I thought about helping the driver out, but then realized it was cold, ground was covered with ice, and I was warm inside my car. Really toasty.

Then Jiminey Cricket appeared and told me to get my ass out and help... (I hate that guy!!!!) So, I put my flashers on and asked the driver if they needed a push. She looked back at me like I should help her get it started, but I thought it was best to just get it out of the middle of the Highway.

We both started pushing, slightly up hill on frozen ground and eventually made it to the apex. Of course this is the intersection of two major Highways on the western side of Indiana. The light turned green a couple of times, but luckily nobody ran us over! Thank you!!!! :)

But....as we came to the top of the slight incline and eventually crested the top, the truck started taking off down the other side!! I tried to stop it, but with the ice in the road (and what I later learned was gasoline from the truck) I slipped and fell flat on my face!!!

Middle of the busy intersection. Truck rolling away. Me sprawled out face down. Quite a sight I'm sure.

The lady tried stopping her pickup and slipped as well. Luckily there were a set of concrete pylons that stopped it....

We're both okay, so you can laugh now!! =D Oh and I ran back across the Highway and got the hell out of there!!!

New Year, New You

2011-01-04T19:35:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year!!! With each new beginning, we close another chapter. I tend to reflect (as most do) on the good, the bad and the ugly from 2010. For me, it was a great year, as an athlete, and in both my personal and professional lives. I have made some great new friends being apart of Team Trakkers, some of which I communicate on daily basis and have been blessed with the assistance of some great sponsors. But more than that, I tend to reflect on how I'm doing as a person.....the growing that has occurred over the last year (if any). The people that I've made laugh, and unfortunately, the people that I have made cry.

Right now there are heaps of commercials promising to help people lose weight, quit smoking, get ripped, etc. but wouldn't it be great if we could also focus on our "inner" self? Resolve to be a better person, actually set goals this year--not just dreams, and work to achieve them. The link below is from the Goo Goo Dolls, and while I was listening to it on my long run the other day, thought they summed it up best..."Better Days".

Take this year to be a better you. Learn to be compassionate, and caring. Maybe even forgive someone.

"And you ask me what I want this year
And I try to make this kind and clear
Just a chance that maybe we'll find better days
Cuz I don't need boxes wrapped in strings
And desire and love and empty things
Just a chance that maybe we'll find better days"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-kHleNYIDc

Don't Ask, Don't Tell-Repeal?

2010-12-20T22:53:00.001-05:00

These are my views and not any of those that I am affiliated with. I just really feel the need to say something about what is currently going on.

So....here is some background on yours truly (from a political sense). I am socially liberal and fiscally conservative. Does that make me a moderate republican or perhaps a conservative liberal??? Does it really matter???

That said, I think this whole repeal of DADT (Don't ask, don't tell) is absolutely ridiculous! Now, before you in the blog world start bashing me, read why. And then make any comments you feel are necessary. Do I have homophobia or am I anti gay/lesbian???? NO! I really don't think it's any of my business who people want to be with (nor the governments), and I have made some great friends that are gay/lesbian. So why do I take such a strong stand with the DADT Repeal??

Those in the military DO NOT HAVE THE SAME RIGHTS AS THE REST OF US!!!! I was in the US Marine Corps for 4 years and excited as a Non-Commissioned Officer honorably, so I do have some idea of what I'm talking about. Those that enlist, provide and protect the freedom and civil liberties of our nation, but do not have those same liberties and rights. When our service men and women sign on the dotted line, stand on the yellow foot prints, and raise their right hand to "support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic", they are giving up their rights to provide for the rest of us. This is what makes these service men and women so special and why we should care for them.

But, back to DADT repeal. Those who are supporting the repeal say it's because of their civil rights and liberties...well, how about telling that to the Marine who can't go out for the weekend because a speck of dust was found during "field day" (cleaning of the room/barracks). Or when the Soldier, Marine, Airman, or Shipmate doesn't feel well and doesn't want to man their post. In the "real world" we call in sick if we can't make it to work or don't feel well. Having a bad day and tell your boss off??? In the "real world" the most you'll get is fired....in the military, you may end up in jail, painting rocks, or getting some other form of punishment. What happens when you write a bad check? In some states, you can be made to go to court, but in the military, they can take your rank, pay, and still put you in jail. Want to go see your son or daughter be born? In the "real world" you ask off and if your boss is a jerk, maybe they say "No". Then, you can tell him you quit and go anyway. There is also this little thing called the FMLA (Family Medical Leave Act) and maternal/paternal leave. Think you can just quit the military if your commanding officer says you can't go? NOPE! Think you can just leave your post? NOPE! But wait, shouldn't that be a civil right to be allowed to witness the birth of your child? Guess what, it's not, and many on deployment have missed this magic.

So really, is it about the civil rights of those who are serving? And then I'll pose this question: do these men and women that are in the military and say, "I'm gay" still share group showers with those of the same sex? Or does the military now need to come up with separate barracks and facilities? Sounds like segregation and discrimination? How does that promote team cohesion and unity? I know it sounds stupid to the average Joe, but in many occasions, military personnel are made to sleep in large areas that have 20+ bunk beds with big open showers (think high school gym). Some are even assigned shared rooms based on rank. Now, this isn't to say that gay men and women would be checking out the other members of their unit in the shower, but if that's the argument, then why can't men and women just share these facilities at the same time currently? Can you imagine the public uproar if the military made men and women shower together? Of course, the same argument can be made, "this isn't to say that straight men or women would be checking out the other members of their unit".

See, that's where I think the issue really exists. Not everyone is supportive of individuals when it comes to who they are attracted to. So, what is best for the team? What is best for the nation(not Joe citizen, but our Country-they are serving remember)? I know there are men and women who are gay that are defending this nation and placing their lives in harms way to provide us with a blanket of freedom; just as there are straight men and women. So, shouldn't they be entitled to at least live how they want to? As I wrote above, they made the choice to give up their freedoms, so you and I can enjoy ours.

I would love to hear other thoughts and opinions on this. And as I stated earlier, these are solely my opinions and not those of whom I'm affiliated with, nor am I anti gay/lesbian.

If you'd like to leave an anonymous comment, you may do so below.

Just Deal With It!!

2010-12-16T06:53:00.000-05:00

Many of the posts I written have been jovial and somewhat silly. Talking about peeing, pooping, dwarfs getting eaten by animals, etc. But not today....

Today it is about optimizing your sport performance. Being a better athlete and learning to manage anxiety. Perhaps not as fun as couples getting arrested for stealing sex toys, but the reality is, most athletes (or even in our daily lives) experience anxiety. In much of the course work for my masters in sport and exercise psychology degree, there is this reoccurring theme of stress and anxiety, and how it correlates to optimal performance. So what are some ways to possibly manage it?

First-let's establish that some anxiety is a good thing. This (physiologically) helps get the blood pumping, releases hormones and prepares the body for an upcoming activity...maybe sports, or maybe a speech at a conference?? The key is to finding what the ideal combination of anxiety is for YOU! A ton of anxiety may push you into a panic-stricken craziness, while little or no anxiety may make a person lethargic and stale. Ok???? So-some is good, too much or too little may be bad. But it is totally individual so evaluate what works best for you.

Now, we understand that some could be good, but what happens if we have too much anxiety? How many athletes (or job related tasks) have been up or had trouble sleeping the night before the big day??? Restless??? Look at the clock every hour to see what time it is??? (I know, because I've been there too). Here are 4 methods to help reduce anxiety levels and bring them to manageable levels.

1. PMR--Progressive Muscle Relaxation. This works great the night before to help get a solid night's rest. Lay down on the floor and take a few deep breaths to relax yourself. Try and eliminate distractions like TV, radio, and other noises. Close your eyes and feel yourself sink deeper into the floor with every exhale. Then, starting at your toes, isolate each major muscle group, flex them one at a time and hold for 10seconds then release. Then move on to the next muscle group. For example: With your shoes off, laying on your back, eyes closed, flex (hard!!) your feet and toes and only your feet and toes and hold it for 10seconds. Release. Next, in your mind isolate the muscles from your knee to your ankle and flex for 10seconds. Release. Then your quads/hamstrings; glutes; abs/back; pecs; biceps/triceps; forearms/hands/fingers; neck; then face (this is more of a scrunching). Then, try and flex everything together and hold for 10seconds and release. You can do left and right sides simultaneously or one at a time. Remember to include about 4 really deep breaths after each release.

2. Imagery--Close your eyes and relax. Imagine yourself completing the task successfully. Notice the sights, sounds, tactile, and tastes that may be involved. Pay attention to the details. For triathlon, visualize your race...from start to finish. This includes arriving to check-in, setting up transition (where are you going to put everything?), and the actual race itself. Surprisingly, imagery has been shown to activate the muscles neurologically that are needed to preform the activity. If a person can visualize themselves performing the sport or business presentation correctly, this decreases anxiety and increases self-confidence, which also has been shown to have a positive correlation to performance.

3. Just breath and don't be afraid to discuss your anxiety with others. Bottling up your nerves might mean that you are having a difficult time managing your anxiety--talk about it. In sport, most everyone out there is feeling some sort of anxiety too, but remember that once the gun or cannon goes off, the anxiety fads. Then you're on autopilot and you race! Go back and revisit your goals and discuss them with someone close to you; think about your journey and where it was that you started. By finding a "friend" at the start of the event and laughing/joking about life, your anxiety should be reduced. Many times I've heard, "Man, I'm so nervous!!" My response is usually something like, "Why?" Let's face it, the majority of athletes are not going to win the race....there is only one winner, so what is there really to fear? "Well, what if I don't place in the top 50% in my age-group?" My response, "Ok, what if?" "Does your well being and financial stability rest on the shoulders of this one race and you being on the podium?" Might sound like some tough love, but it puts it into perspective.

4. Assign a number to your anxiety level. Sit calmly and with your eyes closed, imagine your anxiety level being a number on an electric blanket, ruler, scale or some other numbered device (you need to create your own). Then through relaxation and breathing, focus on turning down the dial, reducing the number on the ruler, etc to reduce your anxiety level. This really takes practice, but through repetition you'll be able to reduce anxiety levels rather easily.

Hopefully these tips to reduce anxiety (whether pre-race or otherwise) will come in handy. You should enjoy what you do, and I've been at some events where people just get so worked up---it really doesn't look like they're having fun. The time to practice these techniques is now! Don't wait until you're all rev'd up; they do take a bit of practice.

Rev3 Portland

2010-12-10T17:53:00.006-05:00

Here is a video that my peep Carole emailed. Rev3 is heading to Portland for the exciting HalfRev and Aquabike!! Currently there is a seriously awesome discount if you register before December 13th! Click here for complete details of Rev3 Portland, and hope to see you out there.

This video was completely "borrowed" from You Tube at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1B2_r6Azvg

This is really exciting for me, 'cause that means I get to head back and race in front of my Oregon family!!!! Portland is an amazing city and is filled with great people! Looking forward to coming home.

Gift Ideas For The Athlete In Your Life

2010-12-03T06:54:00.003-05:00

It's that time of year, and if you are still looking for some great ideas that are relatively inexpensive AND that will be used and appreciated by the athlete in your life, "here are a few of my favorite things...."

The Cateye Double Wireless is great! It's sleek, easy to use, and if I can set it up, anyone can. Doing low cadence-strength training sessions or fast spinning drills? Now you can ensure that you are pedaling at that cadence with this device. The computer easily attaches to your stem, but if you have aerobars, you may want to pick up the Profile Design Universal Computer Mount. Another added benefit to this model is the magnet is connected to your rear wheel, so you are able to still monitor your distance and speed while riding on indoor trainers!

It's winter in the northern hemisphere!!! That means dry skin, especially if you happen to go outdoors. I have super sensitive skin, and HATE lotions that are heavy and greasy. Zia makes an oil-free lotion that will keep your face moisturized throughout the season, without causing breakouts for sensitive dudes like me.

Winter time means swimming inside! This means lots of chlorine, which is hard on your hair and skin. That's where TRISWIM comes in! Their products of shampoo, conditioner, body wash and lotions work to remove the harsh chlorine and eliminate that crazy odor. For added bonus, you don't smell like you just stepped out of the mall with all those perfume testers spraying on you! The smell is clean and light.

Let's face it, we are now running in tights, knickers, and long sleeves, which means chafeage (ya, it's a word, I looked it up!). There are other products that are like deodorant sticks, but seriously-you want to rub a stick around your neck that was just applied to your butt and crotch??? Isn't that why girls remember the "Front to back" wipe technique--for cleanliness??? If you use the stick, you have bigger issues that chafeage!! TRISLIDE is a clean, anti-chafe product that is aerosol. This means you can actually share it! **Word of caution**This product works awesome and should not be sprayed on the bathroom floor--it will make it wicked slick!!

For the self-coached athlete, or someone looking to get an edge, here are a couple of books I find very helpful to get them started. Joe Friel's Training Bible is great and full of tons of helpful hints and even some ideas to create your very own annual training plan! I think my favorite book is Sports Nutrition for Endurance Athletes by Monique Ryan. Most athletes love knowledge and sport performance ideas and help. These books make great gifts!

Do they have a gear bag??? If not hook them up!! They're not too expensive, and you can even take it down to your local embroidery shop and have their name put on it. Plus, it can be fun to wrap other presents and put inside!

For the mega tri-geek who needs all kinds of data-heart rate, speed, distance, etc. the Timex Ironman Global Trainer is the watch for them!! If you order from All3Sports before December 19th, you'll receive $50 bucks back from Timex click here. I really like this watch, and it's something you can swim in as well, but obviously no heart rate or gps data while splashing around. It also has a multisport function that you can use that will include swim, T1, Bike, T2,& Run splits. It's easy to use and will automatically upload your data from your computer to your trainingpeaks account if you have one. **As seen in the picture, the watch is pretty big. It's not uncomfortable big, but if you have small wrists this may not be the unit for you.** (I don't race in this watch, but use it for training)

Who couldn't use another pair of shades??? Rudy Project USA is having some really killer deals right now and even if it's not super sunny, often the wind can really do some damage to your eyes. Keep'em protected!

This really isn't a gift idea, more just a holiday idea. Take all those medals you've collected over 2010 and hang them on your tree!! It makes it pretty fun to open up your ornament box each year and reflect on the good and bad races! Plus, the REV3 medals look awesome next to the Christmas lights!

Boost your winter fitness with indoor trainers! Looking to be a better triathlete? There's no secret that one of the keys to performing well is to have a very strong run. So how? Running of course!!! :) But to make sure you have a strong run, you have to have the legs to do it coming off the bike--this means boosting your saddle fitness! There are many different types of trainers and they range in price, but I would consider weighing the cost with how annoying it will be! If you plan on riding indoors, while watching tv with your family, then you'll need a somewhat quiet trainer. These are typically your fluid trainers. My recommendation---Head to your local bike shop and just ask them for a test drive. If it makes lots of noise, but you think you can live with it and it's in your budget--then $$$ (cha-ching!!!)

We live in social networking world. Facebook, Twitter, Myspace (does anyone use that anymore???), blogging, and so on, so why not hook them up with a camera that document all of their training activities (pictures and video). Check out the electronic sales going on right now and you'll find some steals!

Winter is cold, and if you are lucky enough to live where you can ride outside, you may still need to make sure your feet are protected! These booties from Pearl Izumi keep my feet warm and dry from the elements--a must for any winter cyclist!

Last, but not least---Stock up on the AIRBONE!!!! Not too many things suck worse than being sick, and if the athlete in your life is training for a winter event, their immune system may be down a bit. For added bonus in the winter time, I make a hot tea, then plop a tab of this in it. It's fun watching it bubble (I'm easily amused), tastes great, and helps fight off the germs from all the holiday parties.

And the winter weight begins!

2010-11-26T14:54:00.003-05:00

It's been almost a month since I was at my fighting weight and today I decided to hop on the scale to see how well I've been doing at not adding too much flubber as I take a break from a serious training schedule....

Maybe not the best idea the day after Thanksgiving, but I really didn't stuff my self too much yesterday. This marks week number two of being gluten free and basically that cut out many of the holiday treats, but fear not, I still managed to get full and take a short nap in the middle of the football game!

In looking at my race results and training over the last year, I'm pretty pleased with the results and really think I did well with the amount of training hours I was able to put in. So where to go from here? Increase my power to weight ration and get fit!

That means shedding another layer or two for next season. I noticed a trend with some of my longer brick sessions and when I started the run after long sessions on the bike, I noticed my core would become sore and tired. This = more core work. I think the winter months are great for sport specific training and next weekend I'm headed to a TRX training class. I'm sure I'm going to get my ass kicked, but isn't that part of the fun????

So as the holiday season has been officially kicked off, I'm going to see what I can do to minimize extra flab and start the 2011 race season stronger and leaner than 2010.

If this doesn't make you smile, you are a GRUMP!!

2010-11-16T07:02:00.001-05:00

It's no secret that I love dogs! Poopsters are man's best friend, fun to run with, play fetch and enjoy swimming in the pool. This video really tops the cake!! They're not my dogs, but it sure is fun to watch these dogs go "sledding" in the snow.

Hope you enjoy and if you're having a bad day this should put a smile on your face!!

Race discounts....but you have to hurry!!!!

2010-11-14T15:17:00.002-05:00

Here's a copy of the Newsletter the REV3 Sent out...

Cedar Point was sooooo much fun! Can't wait to do it again. The course is great, the venue is perfect for the family, and the temperature this last year was perfect for racing. In the 10+years that I have been racing, I don't think I have found a more spectator friendly run course. For those athletes looking to compete in their first half or full, this is the race for you! Promise!!

Cedar Point REV3 Half and Full Registration Click Here

Athletes

We've got a special, limited time offer for athletes interested in signing up for next year's Cedar Point Half or Full Rev races taking place on Sunday September 11, 2011. Read the full details below.

And don't forget: After December 1st, registration fees increase to $250 for the Half and $500 for the Full. One more reason to sign up today!

Sincerely,

The REVOLUTION3 Team

Heading to Florida

2010-11-11T15:02:00.004-05:00

We loaded up on Tuesday, election day, and headed to the polls to do our duty....I figure if you don't participate, then you can't complain....So, after Emily and I cast our ballots just shortly after 6am we headed south to Panama City Beach, Florida for the race.

I am not the most organized person, but when it comes to race stuff, I get pretty freaked out when I can't find things. Nutritional items being one of them, so I thought I'd share how I pack all the goods. I just use an empty shoe box and fill it. It works great because everything is together, the box is strong enough it won't get squished, and I don't get gooey stuff on my clothes. Ever put on a race kit that has sticky gel stuff all over it....? Yummy!!!

This was during a time when this crazy cold front blew the jet stream down and the entire middle of the country was cold! We made it about 2 hours south when, "BOOOOM!!!!!!" I ran over something, but didn't really think much of it. Well, turns out I shouldn't be trying to take my sweat shirt off while driving; the low tire pressure light came on and CRAP! I had a flat tire!

For those of you that know me personally, you know I am no Bob Villa or mechanic. As a matter of fact, I'm lucky if I can change the oil by myself (which I don't) and having never changed the tire in our new car, I was REALLY hoping that I would be able to be man enough to do it. It would be pretty embarrassing (for me anyway) to have to ask my wife to change the tire because I don't know how....

Never fear, I did it!! It was really cold out, and honestly, the hardest part was unpacking the suitcases, bikes, gear, and our two kids (Murphey and Allie).

I would like to think that I mastered the change with the precision of a NASCAR pit crewman, but let's be real-it took me almost an hour :). Much of that time was the loading and unloading, but I did keep turning the jack the wrong way. I did make sure to put the emergency break on and like the dork I am, read the instructions over and over again. All I could keep thinking about is when Ralphie (in A Christmas Story) got out to help his dad change the flat, spilled the nuts, and then belted out the infamous, "Ohhh, FUUUDGE" and was punished with the soap.

While I did this, Emily was on the horn (that's what us hardcore mechanic types call the phone) searching for a matching tire at the nearby city so we wouldn't 1)have to get a different tire than the other 3 and look like dorks; and 2) so we wouldn't look like even bigger dorks driving 50mph all the way to PCB (about 10hours from the blow out site) with a donut tire on.

After a few calls, she found a place, and we would be back on the road. Great work Emily!!!

More to come on our Florida adventure!!!

Trick or Treat

2010-11-05T10:49:00.004-04:00

I love Halloween!!!! The scary, the goblins and ghouls, haunted houses and jack-o-lanterns, but this year I was a little disappointed with the my neighborhood.

I think I live in a pretty typical subdivision with houses and kids, friendly neighbors, etc. but not very many people handed out treats...and not very many kids came around. What the..?

The time that had been set for going house to house was 6pm-9pm by the elected peeps and I think that's fine, but my wife and I noticed some of our neighbors had their porch lights off during that time (the sign to little ones that no body is handing out candy) and then just like clockwork, at the stroke of 9pm, their porch lights came on. What the hell??? Not like we are the nosey neighbor type, it was just pretty obvious because there were so few houses handing out candy. Some of these people even have kids or are grandparents.

Anyway, Emily and I have don't have any two legged kids, just the fuzzy four-legged ones and we were pretty disappointed with the turnout and the participation in our hood. I know some think Halloween is the crazy satanic holiday, and if that's you, checkout the History Channel's take.....

For those little goblins, dinosaurs, ladybugs, baseball and football players, and princesses who stopped by our house and said, "Trick or Treat!" please remember that we gave a treat and I'd keep in mind the ones who didn't and are probably wanting to be tricked!

Here's some picks:

Pirate Ryan

Skeleton dude chill'n in the chair

This guy has seen better days!!

Hope your Halloween was safe and fun, and here's to hoping my hood steps up next year!!

Everybody was kung fu fighting!!!!

2010-10-16T22:11:00.002-04:00

Tomorrow many of my teammates will be racing all over! There are some racing in the Detroit Marathon, Austin 70.3, Columbus Marathon, cyclocross and others.....look out nation, Team Trakkers is on the march and will be standing on podiums tomorrow!!

Stupid is as Stupid Does!!

2010-10-06T21:41:00.004-04:00

We all do stupid stuff from time to time...that's life! But check out the articles below, it'll not make you feel so bad. However if the dwarf getting swallowed by the Hippo makes you giggle....you may have to check your Karma... :)

Happy Reading!!!

Seriously some funny shiznit!!

Cedar Point --Ultimate Rev3 Venue!

2010-09-30T15:13:00.008-04:00

The last race of the Rev3 series for 2010....

The day before the race, First Endurance VP of science and technology & nutritional guru, Robert Kunz stopped by the Trakkers booth to increase our knowledge. I felt like Luke when he first meets Yoda...a bit lost, but after some "training" Robert really helped to explain the science behind their products and why they are important to endurance athletes.

Soon after I took this picture, Robert made the FE water bottle levitate with his mind!!!!

After our nutritional session, some of the Trakkers team decided to hit the roller coasters!!! Seriously, a person wouldn't come to Cedar Point without hitting the rides....plus...for all the athletes, the park was included. That's some serious bad ass SWAG!!

Some team peeps before we took to the rides!

On our first ride, I thought it would be cool to bust out the phone and snap some pics.......then as I was taking the picture a voice from the heavens (or the speaker box) shouted, "Please put away your cameras and video recording devices!!! It is a crime to film a ride in the state of Ohio!!" Oopsie, busted.....but luckily, I didn't have to go to jail that day.

What goes up, must come down!!

The race site really was awesome and Emily was a riot on the rides!! Her face would get completely white and stricken with fear! The screams were pretty rad too. I'm glad she was able to provide additional entertainment to my teammates on the rides....

She did like the roller coasters, but I think she may have preferred the ground.

I was put in time out for making fun......

Carole seems a bit intrigued by this sign......who knew it was so simple??

This next series is from my favorite ride there.....The Dragster!! It's ridiculously fast and has something like a bazillion, trillion horsepower!!! (now that's some torque!)

You get in your drag car and then line up at the light.....You can feel your heart pounding as you anticipate the light turning green....

Then in a split second, your head smashes to the back of the seat and it feels like your stomach has become super close friends with your spine.....

This is the car passing by. The white streaks is the car....(see through, now that's fast!)

....and if going mock 3 doesn't do it for ya, the car takes you up and over this....
What a ride!!!

I didn't check this one out (below) because my body could only take so much jarring a couple days out from the race, but it sure is an awesome looking structure! The Cedar Point employees seemed to really be helpful and happy to have just us athletes floating around in the park. Yup, the park was open just for us! That meant no lines......Thanks Rev3 & Cedar Point!!

Soon to follow is the actual race report.....

Some Imagery Required!!!

2010-09-28T21:29:00.003-04:00

Well, it's official........I am an endurance athlete!!!!

I have been riding so much over the last couple of weeks that when I woke up this morning I had an ingrown hair in my taint!!!! Don't know what that is (a few diagrams, but something like you'd find in a text book) you can ask Wikipedia, or just.....click here

OUCHY!!!!!

Woooo Pigggg!!!!!

2010-09-23T22:54:00.004-04:00

Last weekend Emily and I headed down to Little Rock to visit some of my college friends and watch the Razorbacks beat up on the Bulldogs. It's so much fun to see where we have all ended up, especially since I am one of the oldest of my homies, and one of the only ones with out a kid. So, I had the chance to play Uncle Rhino and spoil some of the little rug rats!

This was the projection screen set up that we watched the game on. Great idea!!! And super shout out to Luke for providing the two Port-a-Cools. These giant fans are like the ones on the sidelines of the games that cool the players....and they came in handy. Summertime in Arkansas is hot and humid!!!!! Ugh!

Brian and Katie had a great party and quite a setup in their house!! Thanks for putting us up! I know the visit was short, but I'm glad that we all can still stay in touch after these years and the miles between.Go Hogs!!!!!Boys under one tent.....

And the girls in the other.......just like Junior High

Katie and Sara...two ladies that I coached last year for the Chicago Marathon--they totally kicked ass!

Thanks again for a great weekend!!! It sure is great to meet up with your peeps!

Man Boobs!!

2010-08-24T07:42:00.001-04:00

Last weekend I was out for a long run, and heading in the distance was this guy with his shirt off. He wasn't running or anything, but instead sitting on the bench, sunning himself. At first glance, I thought I was looking at a topless lady!!

This guy had some "C" size boobies with large silver dollar areolas and Farah Fawcett nipples. As I ran closer, I found myself gazing at his boobies, and had to mentally tell myself, "Dude, stop looking at the guy!!!" (I think I was checking to see if by chance it was a lady??)

After I passed and a few miles of pounding pavement later, I started thinking back to my "moob" (man boob) experience I had just had. Then it donned on me that he had to have walked or jogged to get to the bench that he was sunning on. I immediately felt a little bad for poking fun (even if it was in my mind) of the guy, who was clearly trying to get some exercise and better himself. I am by no means an athletic specimen, and need to focus on improving myself and stop looking at boobies!!

Major kuddos to the guy who was out on the trail and not filling his face full of cheesy puffs!

Some Races Just Rock!!!

2010-08-06T23:52:00.002-04:00

I seem to be one of those athletes who will have a great split or two, but struggle putting together a strong consistent race.....well no more of that!! Last weekend I headed north to race Steelhead 70.3 and put together a pretty solid performance. My swim split wasn't the best, but I felt really good in the water and when I came out I was relaxed and ready to hit the bike. On the bike course it was smooth sailing, sticking to my nutrition plan of Liquid Shot and EFS and staying within my desired heart rate. Coming into the run, I felt great! Actually really great!!! I started and my legs felt good and I was able to post a pretty fast run split. Overall, I was really pleased with my performance and the race Gods added some wonderful weather to help all us athletes out...THANK YOU!!!! The cheers from the spectators and even the other athletes saying, "Go Trakkers!!" were really appreciated.

Splits:
1.2 mile swim: 34:13
T1: 3:01
56 mile bike: 2:27:58
T2: 2:24
13.1 mile run: 1:34:15

Total: 4:41:51

That race was on Saturday in Michigan, and I decided to hit up a local sprint race the next day in Indianapolis. Maybe not the best decision, but whatever....Funny thing is, I had planned on just trotting through it because I figured I would be uber tired and sore, but the competitive Ryan came out and I ended up winning my age-group and placing around 16th overall out of 500+ athletes.

It was fun, but I really felt it in my legs on the run. Time to get ready to run up Mt. Werner and ride with Lance next weekend in Steamboat, CO.

Don't drink the water!

2010-07-25T10:52:00.000-04:00

This last weekend I was getting ready for a long ride on my TT bike and was feeling a bit lazy about taking off the Speedfil bottle that had been on there for about a week. I used it last weekend in the Evergreen triathlon with my rocket fuel (EFS & PreRace) mixture, and then went on two other rides early in the week, and just added some water to it with out cleaning it out....ya you see where this is going!

So, on Saturday I gear up, air up the tires, and see that I still have some liquid in the bottle....hmmmm? It's been in the garage with this 90+ degree weather we've been having, and as I'm airing up the tires, I catch a hint of rotten milk.....

Of course I stick my nose down to the straw to see if that nastiness is coming from my water bottle and YUP it is! But like a dumb ass, I decide I must taste the fluid to see if it's really bad, or just smells.

It was bad!!! Really bad!!! With just the small gulp that I had in my mouth, I could feel chunks in the water....yummy!! I removed the cover to look inside the bottle and there was a tropical rain forest growing in it. I started gaging at the smell and then threw up the water I just swallowed. The smell...oh the smell, it was like very warm, rotten milk!

I tossed the straw in the garbage and placed the bottle in a bleach water solution in the kitchen, and I started noticing the bleach was getting over powered by the smell. Really gross!

I changed bottle cages, grabbed another bottle and then headed out.

Lesson: Don't be a knucklehead!!! Clean your bottles!!!

Life sucks...

2010-07-19T07:35:00.002-04:00

OK not really! But I usually write about some great training experience I had, a great race, or maybe even about me vomiting on my self. Well, not today. I just finished a really big training block, and everything was going great and then BOOM!!! It seemed like nothing was going well. My swims were slow, I felt heavy in the water, seemed like every time I would turn to breath I would just drink pool water, and I was frustrated. My bikes and runs weren't much better. My Computrainer took a big fat crap on me while I was doing threshold intervals and now I'm waiting on the repair gadgets. Try and do long hill repeats in the flat part of Indiana--it ain't happening. I suppose I could over gear, but whatever.

My runs-they have been really sucking! I've been pushing hard and completing the training, but just really feel like garbage. Stress? Over training? Is my school work causing me to stay up too late and so I'm not getting enough rest? Or is this just because I just finished working my ass off and now my body says "hey brother, I hurt!"

So, last week I drove to the 50m outdoor pool to motivate myself and try and get out of the funk. Body said, "No dice!" and after about an hour of feeling like crap, drinking 2 liters of pool water with a dash of kid pee for taste, and getting beat up by a 60 year old lady for taking up too much of the lane, I headed back home.

On the drive I felt really horrible. Thinking to myself, what the "F- is wrong with me?" "Why can't I hit this training? It isn't that hard?" As I made my trek back (which is about an hour each way) I started feeling sorry for myself, which is totally not like me, and began to think about why I am I working so hard? Who cares anyway? I would have much more fun just being fat, drunk, and lazy....when

"SPLAT!!!!!!!!"

A lightening bug (or firefly-whatever you call them) totally exploded on my windshield. As I listened to my '90s on 8 (radio station) this sense of relaxation came over me. The previous thoughts had just vanished, and now as I thought about my life, I looked at the florescent bug juice glowing on my windshield and thought, "His day was definitely worse than mine!" and poof all better and at that moment this song came on! And seriously how can you be in a bad mood when this song is playing.

Big Audio Dynamite - Rush (Official Music Video). Watch more top selected videos about: Big Audio Dynamite

Thank you Mr. Bug for sacrificing yourself for me and showing me that life really isn't that bad after all and it can always be worse.

REV3 Cedar Point BABY!!!

2010-06-29T06:58:00.001-04:00

Do something fun with your family this September!!!!

In case you have been living under a rock and haven't heard, Revolution 3 is the race series of all race series! Let's be honest, most of us aren't pros and are looking for races that cater to the athlete AS WELL AS the family...is there a better venue than an amusement park???? (Cedar Point)

How about a race entry that includes tickets to the park? Tons of SWAG? A name plate at your bike rack with YOUR name on it (not some number)? Seeing yourself on the jumbo-tron as you cross the finish line? Having your family and friends being able to track your progress in real time, not at checkpoints??? Great aid stations??

Still not convinced that REV3 is the race for you??

Checkout slowtwitch.com and read their forums---lots of athletes choose Rev3 over others because as one person put it, "What you won't see with Rev3 is them jamming in 3200 people like those registered for IMLP."

How about a discount??? How about doing it as a team with your family or friends??? Try and do that with other Iron distance races!

Check out the video for a preview of the area!! You can bet I'll be at the water park hotel!

REV3: Cedar Point Promo from REVOLUTION3 Triathlon on Vimeo.

Don't wait until they're not accepting anymore entries. Click here to get your ass signed up and I'll meet ya on the giant roller coaster!!! And I know it's not much, but for a $10 discount type "Trakkers126" in for the coupon/code....hey, it'll cover your post race beer!!

Group rides rock!

2010-06-28T07:36:00.000-04:00

This past weekend was the annual ride and party hosted by Butch and Myra. They really put together quite an awesome ride complete with turn markers, maps, and of course a SAG wagon! About 25 of us met at their house and were briefed about the upcoming 52 mile ride.

Butch looks so serious!!

We were told from the beginning that this is a "social" ride and not a race! Meaning, talk-NOT a hammer fest, which would prove to be difficult for yours truly as I enjoy going fast, but didn't want to be that guy on the ride.

Check out the mace!! I asked Kelly about it, and she let me know it wasn't for dogs, but for people who tried passing her....(I guess she needed to be reminded this was a social event too)

Super SAG filled with all kinds of goodies! My favorite was definitely the popsicles, and once the started to melt it was just super sugar water!

Along our ride we made a stop while we waited for the rest of the pack to catch up. (I'm not too good at the social ride stuff--something to work on perhaps) While there, we made a few friends!

Animals are curious little fellas so I thought I'd let his one sniff some Liquid Shot. I think he liked it!!
This also bring me to an important topic of the ride...nutrition! Even though this was a pretty easy pace ride, it's important to keep up on your nutrition-calories, fluids, and yes-electrolytes! You can't wait until you start cramping to decide that you need to do something. Be proactive! The temp was probably in the lower 90's and the breeze was nice, but it felt more like a blow dryer than something that kept you cool. Anyway, the SAG was needed toward the end as people started cramping. Sharing is caring, and I gave people a taste of what I was using. They seemed surprised when they found out it sorta tastes like vanilla frosting :)

One of the stops was here! Super old, super cool bridge!

"Need a hug........come on in!!!!"

While they do have great ice cream, I opted for the chili-dog!

While I wouldn't normally recommend eating a chili-dog on a 90* day, 52mile ride; the smell was just too tempting. (The smell of the chili, not me!)

Turnaround point!
One thing I've noticed about Indiana that is pretty cool is all of the old courthouses. Every time I see one it reminds me of the fluxcapacitor from Back to the Future. Doc Brown is a mad man!!

The ride was a success, nobody was hurt and only a few people suffered from heat cramps...First Endurance next time peeps!

After the ride it was party time, and beers and margaritas were a plenty!! After the recovery drinks and treats, it was time to head home.

Allie (the golden) apparently had a party of her own with her friend Walter "The Farting Dog".

They disemboweled many stuffed animals digging for the squeakers inside.

For those in the Wabash Valley that missed out on the ride, I hope that you'll be able to make it next year! Those that cramped...hope it goes better next year! My beer drinking skills....hope they too are better next year! Thanks again Butch and Myra for a great time!!

Rev3 Quassy Race Report

2010-06-09T23:14:00.012-04:00

Rev3 Quassy was a great race! The venue, athletes, and coordination of the race was first class and I'm ready to give it a go again next year....but here's what happened this year.

Swim-

I started at the front of the line running into the water, but was cut-off and the wave split into two groups. I ended up in the second group-tried to get on the feet of the first group, but things seemed to get sorted out really early and I wasn't aggressive enough for the first 100-200meters. I had a great line to the first turn buoy and was on the feet of a pretty good swimmer, but then they pooped out and I ended up swimming a great portion out in front of the second group. I sighted really well to the second turn buoy, and made the final turn to the swim finish. I drifted a tad on the way in and found myself in the middle of the first wave fighting swim traffic. It was somewhat tough seeing the swim exit--it was a giant inflatable Muscle Milk thing and was brown--which is hard to see with trees and other "browns" in the background. Some-what camouflaged. I was pretty pleased with my swim and came out of the water 67th overall.

T1-

I had a pretty good T1. Wetsuit came right off, helmet on and snapped, and sunglasses in mouth (they were all fogged up so I couldn't see out of them). I made up some time in transition and came out 52nd.

Bike-

This was tough course! The first few miles were uphill and a few rollers thrown in. I stuck to my nutrition plan, 1 bottle of Fruit Punch EFS and 2oz of Liquid Shot at miles 5 & 15. It was really humid and I was dripping with sweat, but kept the cranks turning, working really hard. On some of the climbs, I had to get out of the saddle and really work, only having a speed of 7 or 8 mph! Looking back, I could have made some adjustments-like changing my cassette! My dumbass had a 21-11 on the back. I really needed a 25-12!!!!!!! I did max out on one of the downhills at 48.9mph. Which is pretty awesome in the areobars! Just pray you don't hit a big bump. I was hydrated well and came into T2 33rd. Ryan made up some spots!!!

T2-

Not much going on here. Made up one more spot and headed out on the run in 32nd. Came in shoes already off and still in the pedals, ran in, racked bike, took helmet off, slipped on my Saucony Fastwitch 4's and slid my race belt on as I was heading out. And of course I wouldn't be a true tri-geek if I didn't put on my visor....Trakkers visor that is!!

Run-

I felt really strong for the first mile or so and then I had some issues. I had some gassy, bloating, sloshy feeling in my gut. Not sure if I was cramping or not, but the sloshing was really uncomfortable and truly hurt. I could feel and hear the fluids with every step. I tried to push through it, but I felt like I was going to explode and crap myself (and that's no good for anyone!!). My pace slowed dramatically, and I felt like all I could do was shuffle and pucker...(nice image there :0 ) The hills really kicked my ass, and as I would try and push through, I was trying to release some of the gas, but had to mentally work hard to separate the gas from the solids ( or liquids????)---maybe too much info? I did feel bad for the three super fast ladies that past me as I was "crop dusting" up the hill....sorry ladies!

Seeing my Trakkers Teammates at the one mile mark on the run was great!!!!

Anyway, overall I fell back 25 spots on the run!! OUCH. I finished 57th overall and 7th in my division. I guess on the bright side, I did make it to the bathroom without any issues. To illustrate my pace on the run, I ran about the same pace at this race as I did in New Orleans and the distance was more than twice as long.

Heading down the finish chute.This picture was taken by Teammate Kelly Covert. Her hubby is kicking hard right behind me. He totally rocked the course!

Next Rev3 race for Ryan is in Cedar Point!! This is going to be one heck of party and race!! There's still a few spots open, and if you're on the fence, you should get registered before it fills up!! Not sure if you want to do a half-iron or full-iron distance??? No worries, do it as a team/relay!!

It was great spending time with the Trakkers Team, and and looking forward to spending even more time together in Ohio.

World Champ, Cool Cat, & Twins in the Hizzy!!

2010-05-31T21:30:00.003-04:00

Last weekend Courtney, Jamie and their super awesome twins, Christian and Ryder came to Terre Haute for the 25th anniversary of the Terre Haute Triathlon. Courtney came back for a second year as the race announcer-and let me tell ya, the dude is crazy funny & powered by a ridiculous amount of energy! His wife, Jamie Whitmore also spoke again this year at the pre-race dinner. Her message of motivation, determination, and hope is powerful! For those of you who don't know Jamie, she's is the 2007 Xterra Triathlon USA Champion, 2004 Xterra Triathlon World Champion, and the '03&'04 Xterra Triathlon European Champion-and all around bad ass. In 2007, Jamie found out that she had cancer....to read more checkout her blog here.

While in 'The Haute', Courtney & Jamie stayed at our house with their new babies Christian and Ryder. For the first time, Ryan, Emily, Murphey, & Allie got to experience what little ones are like. Their kids were really good and didn't fuss as much as we thought they might-our first time around kids!

It was great having Courtney & Jamie here! Courtney did some serious cooking and we loved every bite!

Jamie did a great job directing and taking care of the little ones while the feast was being prepared. The two of them have a great balance and it really shows in how they manage everything.There's one of the babies, but where is the other one???

Murph Dog!Murphey, did a little babysitting. He used to be a dead-beat dad, more of a 'hit-it and quit-it' kind of man...I'm glad to see that he has become more responsible as he gets older.

We're having some work done in the backyard, so it's off to the driveway to party! Courtney, Jamie and the boys stayed for the weekend, and we hope to see them next year! Or, maybe we need to head to Cali to hang???

"I like mine with lettuce and tomato..."

2010-05-17T00:09:00.009-04:00

Getting ready for a busy, but great day!!! Saturday's are great days for sleeping in and maybe even hitting the snooze button a couple times-not THIS Saturday! I had training to get in, birthday presents for my wife to open, a tail gate party, and a Jimmy Buffet concert to go to!

The morning started off at the track with 10 X 800 repeats at 10K pace.

This workout hurts a bit but I survived and held pace throughout the set!! The sun was out and that made for a great workout too, cause I'm a little pale right now!

After track, it was time for Emily to open up the gifts from the kids. :)

Then we loaded up and were ready to turn into parrot heads! It was great that two of our friends, Jim and Susie were able to go too! The party was a blast!
While the ladies enjoyed drinks and snacks, Jim and Mike worked on putting the grill together....note to self, "put the grill together at home BEFORE you decide to take it to the party." It was pretty entertaining watching them put it together, especially since I drove and don't have any tools in the car.
This was our creation!!!! Yummy!!!
Mike then illustrated why you shouldn't just squeeze the chip bag until it pops to open it....or if you do, then I guess you need to make sure they don't fall out the bottom.

The next few pics and video are from the concert One the way in

working our way through the crowd to our seats...look at all those parrot heads! We did notice some "funny" smells as we made our way.

The picture is a little dark, but the weather really wasn't that bad...beach balls included.

Then came Jimmy!

5 rows back.....but those seats weren't ours.

Buffet ROCKS!

Yes, that's me singing in the background...and don't worry, I don't plan on quitting my day job.

If anyone gets a chance to see him, I highly recommend it! Thanks Jimmy for a great party! Already looking forward to next year...

What a day!

2010-05-13T23:58:00.002-04:00

Today was super crazy!!! I spent the morning hours finishing up some work from yesterday. Not too big of a deal, but really needed to get done. Lunch, well that was the trip to FedEx to mail a project that I did for some kid in California. See, I live in the Vigo County, and I guess this 8th grader's great, great, great, great...grandfather was Francis Vigo---the dude that the county is named after. Anyway, he sent me a letter explaining the assignment and a life size cutout of himself. I was supposed to take him around the county and take pictures. No worries! I like helping out others and it is pretty cool that he's related to Francis.

So lunch....his project is due back in California in just a few days. I wanted to get this to him earlier, but got busy with work, training, life...and planting of trees. Well, thanks to my procrastination, I forked out $53.00 for next day shipping! And, no time for food.

I then was called and recieved some good news-my dentist appointment was cancelled. I actually enjoy going to the dentist and having my teeth cleaned-I know super strange, but I do. I was glad it was cancelled because time was not on my side today.

After dropping a 50 spot because of my laziness, I headed back to work to begin a new project. 4pm came and I was outta there!!! I zoomed home for my training session, which was a 1:15 trainer session with the main set threshold repeats, followed by a sub threshold run. It was super tough and took a total of about 1:45....which made me more than 15 mins late to my next meeting!

Off to the park to get things squared away for the Terre Haute Triathlon coming up next weekend (may 22). My wife and I are responsible for the bike course, so we needed to work out any kinks with Paul, the race director. We covered the race information, and then it was a quick trip back home....my in-laws were coming over to go run some hills (I was going to ride them with water and EFS for everyone).

Back home....our kids, Murphey and Allie get to go to work with Emily everyday. She works for the family business, Morris Trucking and of course there is grease in the shop. I guess Allie, our golden, decided to lay down in the gooey stuff without telling anyone, then climb in the car, come home, and walk all over our white carpet and tan couch!! That's right, daddy's little girl covered our living room with grease, and the in-laws just arrived. Sorta cleaned some paws and coated the house with spray-n-wash, then headed out.

When we got back, it was time to clean for real. Emily busted out the steam cleaner and went to town! While we were working on this, a nasty storm rolled through, and Allie disappeared!!! We looked everywhere for her: basement, rooms, closets, upstairs, under beds, behind toilets, behind chairs, in the garage, out side....seriously EVERYWHERE!!! We did this for about 20mins and now I was starting to freak out. I jumped into the car (11pm now) and started driving around the neighborhood whistling, yelling and looking. No Allie. Then my phone rang, and Emily says, "Honey, Allie is in the kitchen."

Ryan: "Right now?"
Emily: "Yeah, I was looking in the garage under the car for her, and when I came inside, there she was."

I pulled back into the drive and gave my little girl a big hug! I think Murphey (the chocolate lab) knew where she was all the time, just figured if his sister was gone for awhile then he'd be an only child....

THEN I get this super cool email from Carole Sharpless, aka "Sharpie". She's a pro triathlete and the Team Trakkers team mom--and she takes great care of all 30+ of her kids! If you get a chance, check her out. Essentially, the email was a thank you to the team for being (for lack of a better word) AWESOME! Being on the team, I'm sure I'm biased, but the group is so diverse and we motivate, inspire, comfort, and are growing together-just like a team should. Thanks for the email Mamma Bear, it was a great read after a long day! Sharpie must know what her cubs need.

Finally after all the cleaning, it's bed time!

Free First Endurance Products!!!!

2010-05-07T06:30:00.001-04:00

REVOLUTION 3 KNOXVILLE!!!

Athletes!! This Saturday stop by the Trakkers booth at the Rev3 Knoxville expo--they'll be handing out FREE First Endurance products at 10:30am est! Look for the peeps wearing bright green.
I have been using these products for about a year now and absolutely love them!! If they have EFS bars-enjoy, they taste like a candy bar, but are packed with go fast goodness! First Endurance prides themselves in researching their products and listening to athlete feedback-not just the pro's, but all athletes! Check'em out at www.firstendurance.com and scroll through the blogs, research, and product info.

I hope everyone has a great race, and watch as Team Trakkers goes head to head with Team Trek/K-Swiss for some $$$ and bragging rights!

Training Put On Hold

2010-05-06T07:38:00.000-04:00

Last weekend I had super training planned...but as life would have it, it wasn't in the cards. I've been working really hard over the winter and before the summer race season begins, I had to cross a few things of my "honey do" list...luckily, the whole family got involved in the project.

Holy cow this work hurts!! Manual labor sucks-I'm ready to get back on my bike!

I spent the better part of 3 days planting, digging, and spreading mulch. In all, I planted about 15 bushes, 8 trees and created a large flower bed where grass had once been. It's all part of my backyard project that has taken a second seat to training, school, and family...but this seemed to be the time to do it.I worked so hard getting the grass to grow, only to remove it to plant "an area".

This weekend is also the Knoxville Rev3 race-what a pro field!!!! Shout out and best wishes to all the athletes competing and special powers and magic race dust to Team Trakkers!! This is the first race in the series (Knoxville, Quassy, Cedar Point) and they have just announced another race---Costa Rica!!! Might have to save some pennies for that one, but what a beautiful destination race!

Nashville

2010-04-26T06:59:00.000-04:00

A few months ago a couple of my college buddies emailed me and asked about running the Nashville Rock'n Roll 1/2 marathon with them. This wouldn't really work having just raced a half-iron distance race the weekend before, but I didn't want to miss the opportunity to be an athletic supporter!!! Those who can't race-support!

The original idea was that my wife was going to run, but the race was sold out by the time she went to register. She wasn't too heart broken because the entry for the 1/2 was around $145!

Stuart and Kenan (brothers) did a great job and it was great to see them and their family again!Me with my homies at the finish line.

Kenan, works in D.C. and ran with this shirt on....funny man!

And it looks like Kenan may have finally found a steady girl...Brooke, good luck with him!

The weather for the half was actually pretty perfect, but probably around the 2.5 hour mark, it started to storm. We headed back to the hotel for some rest, and Allie wanted me to build her a fort to keep her safe!

She hates thunder and lightening!

Murphey and Allie like being in the water, but not big fans of hanging out in storms!

And look who Emily and I ran into....Last week we were at his house, now we're partying with him in Nashville! Next time I'll be in Nashville, it will be with my dad for the Country Music Festival!!! Yeeeee Haaaaw!

It was great seeing everyone again, and I miss my college buds! Tia, take care of Stuart, and Brooke....nice to see ya check'n up Kenan!

My recovery is going great and I'm looking forward to the next build getting ready for the Rev3 event in Quassy!

"Laissez Les Bon Temps Roulez"- New Orleans 70.3

2010-04-21T06:30:00.004-04:00

"Let The Good Times Roll !!!"

That what is says on the back of the finisher medals from the Ironman New Orleans 70.3. This is the break down of the adventure as we (myself, wife, and father-in-law) set out from Indiana to Cajun Country!

Thursday-

The car was all loaded and ready to go, so after work away we went on our 787 mile trip. The speed machine has a nice home in the Ford Flex along with the gear, bags, and still plenty of leg room.

First stop....

Here's the scoop....I went to college about one hundred miles from Graceland and never went. My wife on the other hand-went a few months after she turned 16. So on the way down we made our pilgrimage to see the King's house.

This is the wall just outside his house that is filled with thoughts, wishes, and lots of "I love you's"...I simply wrote "Long live the king!"

The famous musical gates.

Wife Emily & her dad Mike

I thought this plane was super bad ass!!

I'm taken care of business...

Graceland

Friday-

We made it to New Orleans super late or early on Friday, and caught some shut eye. Then headed off to packet pickup and to get shuffled around like cattle. We had to sit through a "mandatory" athlete briefing which took FOREVER!!! Pretty much the same info as all the other races, and if anything was different, it was listed on the website, in the packet info...so if you screwed something up it was because you didn't pay attention! But before you could start your packet pickup, you HAD to go to this briefing and get your hand stamped--lame o!!

Like a good boy, I conformed and thought about asking all kinds of silly questions to make them pay for wasting my time, but I behaved myself and smiled, nodded, and even fake laughed at a few of the stupid jokes. Hey man, I'm here to race, not to listen to tales of when your Body Glide failed--serves you right, you should have been using TriSlide anyway!

After I got all checked in, and thank you Ironman for herding me through your gift shop---when I said that I didn't need anything I meant it, and didn't need to be herded through all the Mdot merchandise--again, I was there to race. Anyway, Mike took Emily and I to the World War II Museum. Talk about cool!! If anyone is ever in New Orleans, I highly recommend going, and if you do, spend the extra dollars to see the movie--WOW!!

Big planes!!

Saturday-

The three of us headed out to the transition area, and I went for a ride to loosen up my legs, go through the gears, visualize, and honestly--to look super cool in my duds. I had a local news station following me around a bit, but didn't get to see the video-hope the tv didn't add 10 pounds :)

After check in, it was off to Bourbon Street and the French Quarter--talk about a party!

Oh yeah!! Parrot Heads all the way. Speaking of, we're going to the Buffet concert on Emily's birthday. "Fins to the left. Fins to the right."

Sunday-

Race morning! I didn't sleep much, because I am always afraid that I'm not going to hear the alarm, so I looked at the clock about every 45 mins- super annoying! Ate a super light breakfast and drank some EFS to get me started.

This is about an hour before the start of the race.

Here's a great shot of the swim start-not my wave, I was in the second to last group! Fun swimming through everyone :)

Me coming out of the water. It's hard to tell because they sent us off in waves by age-group, and my group had two waves, but I'm pretty sure I was the first one out of the water in my wave (there wasn't anyone else around on the racks). Also, the race directors skipped a wave, and I don't think they accounted for it. This added 4mins to my swim time and overall time which totally blows!!! Thank GOD for Rev3 events which will run so much smoother!

The bike has always been one of my strong suits. Seriously, look at those giant thighs and ass-it's like a 454 Big Block engine! Thank you Rudy Project for the great helmet and Gray Goat Sports for setting me up wonderfully! Yeah, that's the "goat" on my arm. All3Sports also hooked me up with the Speedfil, which came in handy out there.

I had a pretty good bike, but held back some so I didn't blow up for the run. I ended up a 2:34 for the 56mile ride.

Off to the run...this has been my Achilles heel for most of my races. I started off great and the first 5K was at about a 7:20-30 pace. Then, a super pain just below my right calf happened.

I tried sucking up the pain, but was afraid I was going to tear something, so I backed off. The final 5K I figured, "If it's going to tear, it would have done it by now." So I picked the pace back up to around 7:20 and finished strong. Over all, the run was a 1:49 for the 13.1. Thank you so much Trakkers for allowing me to be apart of such an awesome team and Saucony for the kit and Fastwitch 4. The shoe was great, light, and was perfect for the course. If there had been any rocks, off road type running, or had been any longer, I would have needed a shoe with a little more to it like the Tangent 4

Seriously, if you haven't checked out First Endurance and their products you should! For the race I had:

30mins before swim-1serving of EFS w/ 1serving Pre-Race
2servings of EFS every hour on the bike (one bottle) w/ 1oz of EFS liquid shot every 30mins.
@ the 2hour mark on the bike, I added 1serving of Pre-Race to the EFS for a pick me up
Every 20 mins on the run I had a sip of 4oz of EFS liquid shot diluted with just a little water.

Biggest bonus--never felt out of energy, never cramped!

Finished the race with a 4:59--just sneaking in under the 5hour mark. Thank you again, Saucony, Trakkers, Gray Goat Sports, Kestrel Bicycles, All 3 Sports, Morris Trucking, Rudy Project, First Endurance, TriSwim, ProMotion Wetsuits, and of course my family for all of your support!

Trakkers vs Trek--The Show Down!

2010-04-15T19:16:00.006-04:00

Put your money where your mouth is!!!!

Lately all the buzz has been the challenge issued to the Trek/K-Swiss triathlon team by the Trakkers Triathlon Team. The pros are going head to head, each team ponying up $5,000, winner take all at Rev3 Knoxville on May 9th. Competitor magazine got in on the action at the Trakkers Team Camp, when the team through down the challenge.

Trek/K-Swiss replied to the challenge simply..."any day, any time." So it's set....

But check this out (click here)

Go Trakkers!!

Chat live with Joanna Zeiger

2010-04-07T15:53:00.002-04:00

Chat with Joanna Zieger, Stu, and Heather at Blog Talk Radio....8pm EST!! If you missed any of the other Wednesday topics, check over to the right of the blog, you'll find them...

What a "Good Friday!!"

2010-04-04T14:27:00.001-04:00

Gooooooood Friday!!!

Spring is in the air and it's a good thing, because cabin fever has really set in. My computrainer and I have this love/hate thing going on and she (yes she...Tami the Trainer) has really been socking it to me mentally and physically.

But not today! I'm heading out to enjoy a great day!!
After plugging away at some homework and eating a yummy bowl of maple and brown sugar oatmeal, it was off to the pool for a super long threshold set. But, once I got there, I noticed Ryan had no goggles. I must have left them out & we all no what happens to gear when you leave it out...bye, bye. Funny thing is, I wear Swedish goggles or socket rockets, which do not have any gaskets on them to add cushion to your eyes. The air tight seal is the plastic pressing into your eye socket----ha, ha sucka's. Take goggles from me-you feel pain!!!

But I still had work to do, so I sweet talked the Assistant Director of the student rec center at Indiana State into loaning me her goggles.

Does pink work???? Thanks so much Kimberly for loaning them to me and I even resisted spitting or licking the inside of the lenses.

I was pretty tired and super hungry after my swim, but I had a couple things to knock off my list for the father-in-law. He was putting on a running race "Swamp Stomp" the next morning and Ryan was a good little gofer.

The weather dudes said it was going to be windy, but wow!!!

You can't really understand what I'm saying, but the head winds where 30+mph and of course that's the way I was going. It did make for one super fast trip on the way back home though!

If you open up your cupboard and take a look at your baking powder, chances are it is Clabber Girl Baking Powder....

This is just outside Terre Haute, Indiana

Spring sure rocks!!

Nice pic of the landscape, some geese, and trash-come on. Throw it in the garbage!

And if you happen to travel through Terre Haute, you'll most likely come in contact with one of these~

Trains really love just parking for 5, 10....20mins on the main streets! If you are super lucky, you'll experience the "blocked in", where one train is blocking the road in front of you and another is blocking the road behind you! I guess that's why they call it Crossroads of America!

I stood waiting for about 10 mins, but then made an executive decision. I was still riding after all, and so I don't get in trouble with my wife, authorities or anyone else, I won't go into how I got across :0

~Ryan

Race Report

2010-03-28T09:56:00.008-04:00

Sam Costa 1/2 Marathon Race Report

I was all packed and ready to go, woke up early, had my pre-race breakfast (1/2c oatmeal, water, banana, some efs, and coffee) then picked up my father-in-law to drive to Indy for the race.

Then comes the post-race video.....

Honestly, I was expecting to run about a 1:30, even on the tired legs, but the course was a bit more hilly, windy, and cold than I had expected. I gave it a good go, and it's nice to get one out of the way. Some lessons were learned (I think you forget about some things when you haven't raced in a while)--I took in more caffeine at about mile 8, and soon after I had to stop and puke on someone's lawn. That cost me about 2mins of actual stopping, and then the slow progression back to pace. Before that, I was on pace for a 1:30, but damn it, I wanted some "go juice" and I paid for it...lesson learned and sorry about the fertilizer I added to the lawn!

It was pretty cool to see a few friends that I haven't seen in a while and check in with them.

We drove back home, just in time for me to refuel, then take a nap. Then it was time for some riding. The weather wasn't too bad, but the roads in the Midwest really suck right now! A car could disappear in these potholes, let alone a bicycle.The ride was nice, all aerobic, but the head wind/cross wind on the way out was tough--but I was fly'n on the way back. Great way to spin the legs out after a solid training day.

Then it was family time. I know the red-eye makes all look evil, but only Pooh is the trouble maker!

~later

Pre Race Day Fun!! Day 7

2010-03-26T21:58:00.003-04:00

Day 7 of the week in my life

Today was great! I woke up, had a bit of reading to do for my sport psych class, then off to the pool for a swim. I ended up swimming 4000yds, with 10 X 300 at 1500 pace with 15sec rest between. I was pretty tight at the beginning of the swim and could really feel my lats and triceps burning! I had a tough time keeping pace, and was super glad when it was over!

Off to lunch with Emily and then to home with the kids for a nap. They beat me to the bed, but I still managed to find a corner. After the nap, the kids and I headed over to the trail for some pre-race warm ups and a little walk. They had a great time exploring and Murphey brought his buddy Pooh, so you know it was a good walk.

I'm getting ready for the Sam Costa Half-Marathon tomorrow in Indianapolis. I'm pretty excited about racing, but will be on pretty tired legs, so we'll just get out there and see what we can do. Below you'll see my gear for tomorrow.
Time for bed, I have to get up pretty early and run hard!

~Ryan

Get your @#%*ing Dog!!!

2010-03-25T22:32:00.005-04:00

Day 6--Really?

This morning I woke up and headed out for a great run! It was a little bit colder than normal, so I put on these super bad ass gloves/mittens from Saucony. The color didn't turn out too well on the pics, but that is a very bright orange and black. The right hand even has this flashing led light that you can use, or remove...it doesn't weigh anything, so it's not your like your hand is heavy. With a pair of gloves, here are a couple of things that I look for, and these definitely deliver. They are warm, light weight, and they have a soft area for rubbing my nose, 'cause let's face it, if it's cold enough for gloves, your nose is probably going to run too.

But check this out---

There is a little finger "pop out"!! Ever tried to really use your fingers with gloves on? It can be tough-try picking your nose and you'll see what I mean. This glove allows for you to really dig to clear the air passages while on the move!

I had a great 12 mile run full of rolling hills and a few climbs, but here's the deal-people don't let your dogs go after runners!!!! I was on the road, at about the 3.5mile mark, and a pit bull comes out of no where with his friend to let me know that they own the road. Hair up, teeth showing, the whole thing...the entire time, I'm yelling for the owners to come get their "......ing Dog!!" I think pit bulls are fine, it's just the owners who screw them up. And, I'm fine with poopsters coming up and saying hi by barking at me...but when they act aggressive and are about 1 foot from you...that's where I draw the line!

This dog was not the one that was after me...just wanted to show that pits can be cute too.

I had some serious discussions at work, and I think there are some great things in the future for Vigo County!!!

I wasn't able to get my evening ride in...sometimes life just happens and that's the way it is. I tend not to let it get to me if I miss a workout and try to remember that I'm doing this because I love it! Not because I have to.

For dinner, Emily and I went to our favorite sushi place in Terre Haute. Actually, I think it's really the only place for sushi in Terre Haute. Yummy raw fishies!After dinner, we washed it down with a new episode of Project Runway. Yes, it's true-I'm addicted to the show!

Later.

~Ryan

HUMP DAY!! Day5

2010-03-24T21:14:00.003-04:00

Hooray For Hump Day!!! Day 5

Early morning run-- ahhhh-hill repeats!

During my run, I had to vomit up some oatmeal. Funny how after all these years, I still manage to make silly mistakes, like eating too much, too soon before working super hard. Maybe next time I'll remember. Of course, the oatmeal was really good the first time-not so good the second :)

I was completely exhausted after my repeats! The cool thing about doing them on the treadmill is that you can totally control the pace and the incline of the hill. Sometimes it's tough to find a 7% grade that you can run up for minutes at a time.

And now for some venting--What's up with all the nakedness in the locker room? The older guy who walks around naked with his towel over his shoulder???? Or how about the guy that starts a conversation with you, right next to you, with nothing on? Come on. Is this how the girls do it too? I like to think that in the girls locker room, they just walk around in their lingerie and ask each other to help wash their hair. Or maybe a spontaneous pillow fight or snapping of the towels =0

But today I was horrified!!! I walked into the locker room to shower up and get ready for work, when I stumbled upon the ultimate inappropriate locker room etiquette. SOME DUDE HAD HIS LEG HIKED UP ON THE SINK, NAKED, WITH CLIPPERS!!!! HE WAS TRIMMING HIS UNDERCARRIAGE!!! What the ___?! I couldn't believe this! While I think personal hygiene is a good thing, this is totally unacceptable in the locker room----okay dude!!

After a very "normal" day at work, I headed to go see my kids before I headed to the pool. Allie big time loves her Easter scarf! I had a great swim with the local tri club. There are some pretty fast peeps in the group, and even though I was swimming 3500yds focusing on recovery and technique, I found myself going a little faster to keep up. Great swim guys!

~Ryan

Oh boy..Day 4!!!

2010-03-23T22:08:00.006-04:00

Tuesday, Day 4 of week in my life...

Today was pretty solid! I was a little tired starting the day and crawling out of bed was tough, but I managed. 5:30 sure comes early some days!

This morning, I had a pretty solid bike training session. Some good strength training or overgearing...I like to use the computrainer instead of heading outside because you can control things-maybe I'm a control freak? Anyway, it's pretty awesome, cause when you need to simulate climbing or big ring intervals, you can just push the up button and add more tension to the back wheel.

This is my heart rate data from most of the ride. I ended up taking it off toward the end, but I only rode for 1:15 anyway. Legs felt pretty good, but the efforts were hard.

Then...Hi Ho, Hi Ho, It's off to work I go... I spent some time in the morning in the Commissioners' Meeting. They're the Executive Branch peeps of county government. Worked on making sure questions were answered and everything was in line for the council meeting later that night. The big hot topic was Air Pollution Control Dept. In the end, I think things went pretty smooth, nobody lost their job, and the county is still move'n along. If you haven't been to a Council meeting or Commissioner meeting before YOU SHOULD!! Find out where your local tax dollars are being spent-if you don't participate, how can you complain??

I did get an email from Dr. G saying that I forgot to attach my assignment last night! And off to the pool!

Today was a great training session, but a little on the hard side. The main set was threshold work with only a few seconds rest between. I ended up covering 3500 yds and then headed home. The new facility at Indiana State University sure is AWESOME!!!!

No homework, and time for bed!

~Ryan

Monday, Monday....Day 3

2010-03-22T22:07:00.008-04:00

Day 3 of my week and I'm still here!!

This morning, I went and picked up the kids' toys they left outside. The rain is pretty welcome, I mean, it sure beats the frozen tundra that we've been living in.

After my morning clean up, it was time to go to work. Not super sexy or exciting, but there is going to be a County Council meeting tomorrow night (I'm the administrator for the fiscal body) and there are a couple of local concerns that will get worked out. The day before these meetings is always a bit crazy, but the work upfront makes the meetings themselves better--kinda like training for a race I guess??

After work, it was time to go play at the pool!!! YEAH!!!! I'm the club director for the local tri club and today we had swim practice and it's always cool when the lanes have people in them! That's right all you other clubs in the Mideast Region---we are learning how to swim and we are coming for ya!

I realize that I will be punished severely for (1) taking this pic of my buddy, and (2) posting it for all the world to see.

But sometimes the pain is worth it!!!

After play time, it was back to the books. Right now we're covering attentive behavior in my counseling skills class for sport psych. I have the attention span of a two-year old, so how am I supposed to be in tune with the behavior of my clients??? Guess that's something I should pose to Dr. G....

Maybe I can get these books on disk and download them on to my iPod, and listen to them while I train? On second thought, I wasn't motivated by Donna Lewis on Sunday, so I don't think somebody reading me "Intentional Interviewing and Counseling" is going to get my engine running either.

While my nose was buried in the books, Emily was hooking up dinner.
At first I was a little concerned when this bellowing smoke came pouring out of the kitchen, but she made a masterpiece!

Beef ravioli with mushrooms sauteed in white wine and garlic, a dash of grated Parmesan and bread with butter!! Seriously, who doesn't like their bread buttered every now and then?

Super good eats!

My little boy was tired, and so am I. Rest day is over and now the training week begins again. I'm super excited to start the next build, and race this weekend...even if it will be on tired legs.

Goodnight World!!

~Ryan

Week in my life Day 2

2010-03-21T22:14:00.004-04:00

Sunday, Day 2

I usually wake up before everyone else does, and on the weekends, it's sorta my job to make the breakfast. We are creatures of habit, and on Sunday's it's usually cinnamon rolls and scrambled eggs. Yummy!! All washed down with some coffee of course!

Even the kids know when it's the weekend and they don't have to go to work! Allie loves crawling up there in the bed with her mom after I leave. I think sometimes she and her brother plan on waking me up early, just so I'll get up-dirty pool!!

The corner on the floor is Murphey's lair...complete with sheepskin rugs, pillows, blankets, and most of the time his friend Pooh Bear.

I headed out for a nice aerobic run. It was a bit chilly compared to yesterday (about 30* difference) but I was making the most of it-NO SNOW!

I found myself rocking out to Pearl Jam, Poison, Pantera, and White Zombie. Somehow Donna Lewis snuck on my iPod, and "I love you...always...forever, near and far..." doesn't do the trick like the boys of rock. Must be my wife's music?? Or at least that's what I'm claiming.

Happy Tails!!! These kids are great!! And yes.....my man Murph does get grounded for his little stunt at the end of the video.

While I was out running Emily went to get a massage. I love that she comes back with the toilet ring around her head!!! I'm guessing she must have been pretty relaxed. I swear that's not a worry line or wrinkle!

Eating is sooooo important to maintaining great training. If you feel like crap because you don't have enough energy, then your training session will be shit! Why would you put so much time into getting fitter, faster, stronger, but then not do simple stuff like fuel your body? I always say, "you don't expect your car to run without fuel, so why would you expect your body to?"

This is my fuel island. This helps keep me going and ready for my next session.

But before I can go out and train again, I need to get my honey do list knocked out.

Writing Easter cards with some lottery tickets! If they win, they know they have to share it with me :)

While I'm getting those completed, Emily makes some snacks for the kids.

It's true, Murphey and Allie eat grilled steak and chicken. They like it-big surprise, so we treat them on occasion.

Then, it's off to the pool for a great swim!

I really had a great swim tonight. This is the end of my recovery, and I'm feeling really strong and have tons of energy! I hope I can harness it again during my next build...So tonight I focused on technique and drills. When you are fresh, it's amazing how much easier it is to swim, as opposed to being tired and fighting the water. Life is good my friend!

Yo, Dinner Time!!

Whole wheat tortilla, grilled chicken breast, zucchini, tomatoes, onions, celery, avocado, some vinegar, and cheese!! Be careful, these can be addicting.

After dinner, it's time to hit the books and get some studying done. Dr. G, I told you I really do homework! Right now, I'm learning about clinical psychology/counseling. I think I'm a pretty good listener, but I'm learning that my nonverbal communication sucks! I guess that's why I'm taking this class.

Time for bed! I hope your day was fun too! Oh yeah, I did forget to mention that my wife made some bad ass peanut butter cookies-I've already ate about 10 of them!

~Ryan

Week in my life Day 1

2010-03-21T14:04:00.003-04:00

I'm just finishing up a recovery week, and getting ready for my first race of the season, the Sam Costa Half Marathon next Saturday. I thought that I would write up a week in my life, complete with training, work, school, and yes...the poopsters!!

DAY 1

Saturday, Emily and I headed out to Rose-Hulman for some repeats, but they had a track meet going on, so we moved to a local middle school. Emily warmed up with me, and then headed for a loop around town, while I did some 1K repeats at my half marathon pace.

Round and round we go!!

The sun was out, and we were having fun! I started with some EFS mixed with a serving of Pre-race from First Endurance....boost!! I decided to run with my shirt off, because tan fat looks better than white fat!

The repeats went great, and I held pace throughout the entire set. I have really enjoyed training in my new Saucony Ride 2. With all of the running and "abuse" the shoe is actually quite cushy without feeling like I'm running with weights attached to my feet.

After some Ultragen, a trip to McDonalds for a swirl cone, and a visit to The Harmonious Hedgehog, it was time to go home for some bike work. The weather was supposed to turn icky, so I did some trainer work. Me and the Computrainer have this love/hate relationship thing going on. I love the fitness that it brings, but hate staying in one place. Maybe I could put it in the back of a pick up truck and have my wife drive around the country roads while I ride the trainer? That'd be a sight!

Allie makes sure that I don't cheat and stick the workout. After an hour I needed to get outside for a bit, so I took off. It was a fun ride, mostly aerobic, except for the couple of dogs that chased me up the hill! Hey peeps-the weather is getting better, keep your dogs on your property!!

Time for rest and get ready for day 2!

~Ryan

My life is outta wack!

2010-03-18T06:53:00.001-04:00

Sometimes things just seem to get crazy, and life gets out of wack. I think right now my balance looks nothing like what's listed above. I actually figured it out, and this is what my approximate percentage of time came to:
34% At Work
29% Sleeping
13% Training
8% School Work
16% Split Between Family/Eating/Relaxing/Housework

Hopefully that adds to 100%, if not, just fill in the blank??

I'd say that my scale is off somewhat and not everything is intersecting.
With the first races of the season just around the corner, hopefully some will ease up and balance out.

Calling all athletes!!!!

2010-03-10T06:51:00.001-05:00

Rev3 Quassy Champion Mirinda Carfrae will be chatting live tonight with Heather and Stu on blog radio. Last week was great, and if you missed the chat, get in on this one! It's tonight @ 8pm EST and the call in number is (646)727-2131. Just come back and click on the button!! I wanna know how the hell she runs so fast!!

Listen to Rev3 Triathlon on Blog Talk Radio

Cake and Track Repeats

2010-03-07T17:10:00.004-05:00

My borther in law had his birthday on Friday, and Emily and I were incharge of making the cake. She made the cake, and I put on the frosting. I opened the can and smeared on the chocolate, put on the sprinkles and then there was the spray frosting...didn't work so much. I gave it a try and started to write "Happy Birthday", but then I noticed I was running out of room.

So I thought I'd change "Birthday" to "B Day" that didn't work out either. The "Y" in Happy had to share with B Day.

The cake tasted really good, even though it looked kinda funny.

The sun finally made an appearance in Indiana!!!

The repeats hurt, but I was just happy to be outside and see the sun-I've missed you!

I did want to shout out to Carole Sharpless , "Sharpie" for suggesting the super yummy EFS Bars. It says on the wrapper they are good for you, but they really taste like a candy bar! Peanut butter and chocolate chip-thanks First Endurance!

How Bad Ass is Rev3 ????

2010-03-01T07:43:00.000-05:00

Revolution 3 Triathlon Series & World Champion Julie Dibens ....... LIVE

Seriously, how awesome is this: Heather and Stu are going to chat live with 70.3 World Champion Julie Dibens about her training and preparation for the Revolution 3 Triathlon Race Series! But, YOU CAN TOO!!! Call in at: (646) 727-2131 on Wednesday, March 3 @ 8pm EST to ask your questions!

For more information, checkout this link: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/rev3tri/2010/03/04/rev3-interview-with-julie-dibens

Hopefully I won't get my calls blocked for asking too many questions & be borderline stalker!!!!

~Ryan

Swim TT and Anxiety

2010-02-28T19:36:00.004-05:00

On Friday, I did a swim TT to establish some pacing and OUCHY!!! It always hurts when you have to go hard. Anyway, super big thanks goes out to my pal, Paul who was keeping my splits. So, there I was getting ready to get into the pool at the college, with my speed suit on. I know, super geeky! But, there was a method to my madness.

I had a Suunto Memory Belt on to keep track of my heart rate while I was swimming. I have included that info below for fun.

The horizontal lines are the bpm, and the top is 190 and then it's -10bpm from there. The vertical lines are 10mins. I had a great time trial and from the data, you can see that my heart rate was climbing and got up to 188. It's funny how these hard efforts (that really are tests), can cause some anxiety. Well, I survived, then completed another 600yds of training.

Run and bike tests this week!!! more pain!

~Ryan

Florida Training

2010-02-09T07:01:00.000-05:00

I left the big tundra known as the Midwest! Holy cow did we get some snow! Emily, the kids and I left to go to Anna Maria Island, Florida for some RnR and Training. Looks like we left just in time, but the 15 hour drive ended up taking us closer to 22hours. We had to drive 35mph on the freeway through all of Kentucky and most of Tennessee. The cool part was, we were the only car on the road, so I just drove down the middle!!

We landed!!

Huge difference from the 20* weather! It was really nice having this little courtyard in the front for the kids to wonder around in.

The view from our deck in the back didn't suck! It made for a nice view while having morning coffee and working hard on the trainer.

It was really nice out, but Florida is tough to get big ring intervals on-no hills. Later I found out that my heart rate strap made a nice tan line across my back....sexy!

For all of the training sessions, I finished up with some Ultragen and felt great for the next one. But who can resist nachos and beer?

It well know that naps are an important part of training, so Murphey and I snuggled up for some rest before we headed back out.

There is a brown nose in the pic, just look close.

Florida is great for some long rides, and I found a great loop from Anna Maria Island to Sarasota. The bike lanes are great and the roads are pretty smooth-very different from the no shoulder and pothole Midwest.

Who am I the Fonz?

Just outside of Sarasota, I came across some bagpipers....or baggies....or...you get the idea. They were a group of Shriners and the sweaty cellphone pic really doesn't do them justice, but they totally rocked.

I hope my legs look that good when I'm 60

This is a great monument. You can almost feel the excitement the sailor felt...or maybe the lady felt the excitement?????

The weather was a bit warmer each day than what I had been used to in Indiana by about 50* so Emily thought that we needed some chocolate cream pie with chocolate syrup. Good Call!!!

It was also a great thing that TRAKKERS had sent some hats for me, and more than one! After the training runs, I would be completely drenched, so instead of washing my hat, I could just use another. I think I wear the pink really well!

TRAKKERS has launched their website and it's fantastic!!! Click here to learn more about this amazing GPS technology and read about all of the amazing athletes they sponsor.

In the distance, you can see the hula-hoop lady. Allie (the golden and my college puppy) kept a keen eye on her everyday the lady was out. Allie was amazed at how the rings could spin around her without falling.

When in Rome....or when at the ocean???? Go Sailing!! Super cool dude, Fletch, of bikesnjava...he is the mastermind behind that super cool bike shop in Sarasota, took us sailing on his boat. This was the first time that I had been sailing, and I officially have my sea legs. Fletch is the middle, and the guy to his right is a friend of his from the 60's. They hadn't been in touch for about 30yrs, then that day, Pat decided to go sailing with us...I think those two had some great times back then, and the two old hippies from San Fran had some great stories.

The wind and spray picked up, so we had to come back a bit early, but the boat trip was awesome!

Murphey and his buddy Pooh enjoyed watching the ocean from a distance. Poor little man, walked out into the waves and was knocked over. His back legs are getting stronger thanks to his acupuncture, but we still have a ways to go. Keep on truck'n partner!

Allie on the other hand LOVED the water. This was her first time to the ocean, and enjoyed rolling in the dead fish, peeing on the dead stingrays, and running up and down the beach. But, her favorite thing to do was body surf!!! She'd swim out, turn around, and ride the wave in. Daddy's little girl!

Allie is that dot.

Emily and Allie our last night at the beach. What a great time!

The next day, the kids, bikes, and all the gear was loaded up for our journey back home. Allie doesn't seem to be too happy to leave HER beach, while Murph looks like he found a pedal to rest his head on.

This was long overdue, and we had such a great time. It was really nice to be able to get out and ride-the trainer can get so mentally challenging, and it's amazing the bike handling skills that you sorta forget. So for now, I guess it's back to the Indiana and the snow. Like they say, "you can't have the sweet, without the sour."

~Ryan

I feel like $#..T..!!

2010-02-01T00:12:00.001-05:00

The last few days I've been super sick! I don't know if it is something that I ate or because I didn't get the H1N1 shot and now I'm being punished by karma. Normally, this might not be a total loss and I could just put my feet up and catch up on my General Hospital...is Michael Corinthos still on there? He sure is a bad ass.

I have a training trip coming up, and I'm not really interested in being sick for camp! Without getting into too much detail, it all started with the vomit thing, and veal parmesan doesn't taste too good the second time, and those small bits that get stuck in your nose....YUCKY!! Then I posted up in the bathroom with tons of reading material! Not much was sticking to my gut, and I reached the point where I was afraid to sleep, because I might wake up with a surprise in the bed....DOUBLE YUCKY!!

I started getting really down mentally, besides being physically beat up, and then my wife really did a good job of putting everything in perspective. She said, "Honey, don't worry about pooping so much; people pay big bucks to get cleaned out like you're getting."

Thanks baby for the words of wisdom!

~Ryan

Mundanity of Excellence!! What do you think?

2010-01-17T21:30:00.006-05:00

What a funny title. You're right, but in an article that I came across in one of my sport psych classes, I thought I would share. Unlike most of my posts which shoot from the hip and are somewhat less than scholar, I plan to wow those with my brain power. Ok, not much power here, but here is a summary of the article. Please share your thoughts. For those that have a tough time locating the Chambliss article and you want it, let me know and I'll send you the pdf.!

The author suggests that excellence is achieved through consistency and states, "excellence does not result from some special inner quality of the athlete" (Chambliss, 1989, p. 72). Chambliss (1989) discusses the misconception that some individuals are born with a special ability, talent, or athletic gift, but suggests that other factors may influence excellence. Every day, individuals achieve some form of excellence in something, but athletes share their excellence to the masses on stages periodically, and therefore the audience only sees glimpses of their excellence (they don't see the struggles in training). Talent is also purposed in the opposite direction, stating that if an athlete's excellence is due to talent, then why is "it" only noticed after they have achieved success?

The mundane aspects of achieving excellence are the little things that are repeated over and over, until they become habitual. The author discusses the breakdown of the the flipturn and various stroke mechanics as the mundane aspects of swimming that lead to excellence. These mundane activities may be labeled as very short term/immediate process goals to achieve a much larger goal. Interestingly, these mundane activities can also be applied to any circumstance in which an opportunity to improve or a decision presents itself--whether it is shaking hands more firmly in business, speaking more confidently when asked questions, or any other task.

There are other factors that are suggested to have an influence on the attainment of excellence besides the mundane. The author lists these as genetic make-up, geographical location (is the athlete in the best climate for their sport?), is the family able to meet the financial investment required, and the ability of the coach. There is also a time commitment that is involved, and when younger, the athlete will need to rely on the transportation of others. Similar to Jonny Law's story of overcoming adversity and injury (Law, Coleman, & Orlick, 2008), a "crucial factor is not natural ability at all, but the willingness to overcome natural or unnatural disabilities of the sort that most of us face..." (Chambliss, 1989, p. 80).

References

Chambliss, D.F. (1989). The mundanity of excellence: An ethnographic report on stratification and Olympic swimmers. Sociological Theory, 7, 70-86.

Law, J., Coleman, J., & Orlick, T. (2008). Embracing the challenges and gifts of big mountain free skiing: An interview with Jonny Law--world tour champion. Journal of Excellence, 12. Retrieved January 13, 2010, from Journal of Excellence Website: http://www.zoneofexcellence.ca/Journal/Issue12/an_interview_with_jonny_law.pdf

What the >>>?

2010-01-06T07:29:00.001-05:00

Hopefully the title was catchy??? Anyway, with a new year, brings new resolutions, goals, and a crap ton of info-mercials-PUKE! Although the Sham Wow guy seems pretty cool.

So, what happened to your resolutions you made last year? Do you even remember them? Did you achieve your goals?

Here's the thing-typically we make these resolutions at the beginning of the year, because it seems like this is our chance for a "do over". I like to look at it as a chance to do better. But once you make these grand statements at the stroke of midnight (and John, I wish you luck on climbing Everest buddy-especially since you hate the cold) what do you do with them?

Most people it's lose weight, quit some vice, find another job, and so on...but just as you may use mapquest or a gps (shout out to mine Lola!) you need to map out your plan. In the pic above you can see what I did. I posted this in an area that is highly visable-next to the crapper! This is one week's worth of training, and then I wrote three goals that I want to accomplish this week. These goals will bring me closer to my resolution or goal for the year. You may also want to make one goal that is somewhat easy to attain, like for me goal #1 was to renew my gym membership and get the parking pass-super easy, just have to swipe the card.

The third goal isn't so easy-Establish routine for AM workouts. This means waking up at about 5:30 every morning, so I can complete the AM training and then get my ass to work. This one is going to be a struggle!!!

~Ryan

Hip Hip Hooray for Christmas Vacation!!

2009-12-29T20:22:00.003-05:00

Christmas time sure is magical, and full of yummy food! My father-in-law guards the food!

Our kids Murphey & Allie wanted to make sure that Santa had a biscuit of two before he went to other houses. Of course our kids have four legs, and they think Santa does too.

The Oilar Family tree!! Throughout the years, both my wife and I have collected quite a few medals from racing, and we hang them on our tree as ornaments. It's kinda cool, because you forget that you have them and get to check them out once a year. This also allows me to tell the "fish" stories about my triumphs. "Honey, do you remember this race? It was at least 145 degrees outside, with no shade, and there wasn't any water on the course?"

~Ryan

Good-bye Kiwi pals

2009-12-27T15:22:00.000-05:00

Warrick and Michelle have left us......Emily met Michelle on a group ride a couple of summers ago and found out that they [Warrick & Michelle] were here from New Zealand getting their master's in coaching. After a few months, our new Kiwi friends needed a place to stay, so they became our roommates, or as they would say "flatmates". Which I guess is more appropriate, because we didn't share a room with them....I don't think Emily and I are there in our marriage..?

Anyway, they stayed with us for about 6months total and we became quite good friends and it was sad to see them go, but they earned their degrees and headed back to the land of the Kiwi. But, before they could head out, we had to throw them a good party!! So-off to the local college bar.

We had a great time, and Mike did very well in the ugly sweater contest!

Dancing??? not quite sure? The lady in the corner with the tall purple boots-yeah that's my wife! We won the the party at an auction, and thought it was perfect for the occasion. This bar is the last bar on the bar crawl/hook-up list....you know, the one that everybody still looking for some action at 2 am goes to. We where there at 8 pm and pretty much had the place to ourselves (crickets).

At about 1:30, things really came to life. Special thanks to Mike for his musical selections and introducing me to wonderful shots!! Didn't make the training scheduled for the next day-actually I was quite sick!!

Yep-I did it to myself.

And this is were the pictures of the party will end...women dancing on tables....They were busting it out to Miley and having a "Party in the USA". It was really nice sharing our home with Michelle and Warrick, and we are going to miss them tremendously-especially Michelle's cooking. Dude's, Emily and I look forward to coming to Christchurch, New Zealand for the wedding, and flights are a bit cheaper right now....no pressure though Warrick!!!

~Ryan

Be more like Gumby!!!

2009-12-15T06:50:00.000-05:00

Last weekend, my family told me that I was running a 5K Cross-Country style race with them, and that it was being scored like a team....top 5 times counted out of 7 man team. It was cold, wet, frozen, and windy, not to mention IT WASN'T ON MY TRAINING SCHEDULE.

Earlier had ran some pretty tough mile repeats, and all I have in my closet are road shoes & racing flats-nothing with traction for the race. Anyway, I did it, and I'm glad I did.

We ended up 2nd overall in the teams, but considering the other was stacked with high school XC state runners, we were super happy.

Some of the team post race.

My man Murphey, is always there with a bottle in hand or mouth for some recovery fluids.

Honestly, I really wasn't excited about doing this, not because of the weather, but because I wondered how this would affect my overall training plans for the week and the day. I think as athletes, we sometimes get so pigeon-holed into our training that we forget to have fun.

It was pretty cool racing with the family, because it's not something that we get to do all as a group. It's time to spend some fun with family and be a bit more like Gumby during the holiday season. I need to be more flexible.

~Ryan

Training day butt kicker!!

2009-12-10T07:45:00.000-05:00

I've been working pretty hard already trying to lay some foundation and speed for next year. I really worked hard this morning on the treadmill-I know they suck, but it's stupid cold outside and I'm a bit of a wimp!

Today was tough!! Real tough!! In typical Ryan fashion, I'll post my blow-by-blow account. The workout was a 15 min warm-up, followed by 8 X 1 mile repeats on 2 min rest, then another 15 min cool down. OUCH!!

I started off with my pre-workout concoction of First Endurance 1/2 scoop pre-race + 1/2 scoop EFS with water. This is a super pick-me up for the early morning training sessions. Headed down to the gym and jumped on the treadmill. The warm-up included some drills and strides, to get my heart rate up. One of the things that I have noticed, is that it is really important to get your heart rate up slow, but steady during the warm up. If I don't push it a little bit, then I spend the first interval trying to get it up there---which is always an uber fast pace!!

I ended up running the repeats pretty consistent, except for the brief interruption between 1 & 2. *Don't eat black bean burritos the night before hard interval training! Especially if you are indoors and might be sharing the air with others. I didn't follow that advice, sorry lady on the spin bike directly behind me!!!

During the training, I followed the usage directions for my new found nutrition, and it worked great. I sipped on water for the first 30 mins, and then it was on to the 2 scoops of EFS powder with 24 oz of water. At the conclusion of the training, I went for the 1 scoop of Ultragen for recovery. I will say that a side from the burrito issue, I haven't had any GI issues with these products. They taste pretty good, but are light on the stomach, and that is what I really like!

Time to recover the legs and get ready for an evening swim....I miss the warm weather!

~Ryan

Turkey Legs, One-Eyed Willy, & Glory Holes???

2009-12-03T21:07:00.001-05:00

This year for Thanksgiving, my wife and I headed back out to the Oregon Coast. The coast has special meaning to us, because that is where we met back in 2005 on the Hood to Coast relay race. My mom, aunt, & uncle rented a cabin in the small seaside town of Cannon Beach, and it known for the picturesque, Haystack Rock.

Here's haystack! Those little dots are people-it was a bit chilly out and me being the cold wimp that I am, I didn't want to get wet.

Cannon Beach, might be famous for Haystack, but remember this view? It's where One-Eyed Willy's pirate ship sailed out of in the movie Goonies!! "Hey, you guys....!"

The cabin was pretty awesome! The Oregon Coast is completely different from the beaches of Southern California. Lots of trees, super hilly, and about 30-40 degrees colder. Thanks, mom, Tony, & Ann for hooking us up with great accommodations!

Here's the view from the cabin deck. It stayed pretty foggy and a bit misty/rainy while we were there, but hey-it's Oregon. Do you expect anything different?

We headed into the heart of Cannon Beach for some tourist stuff, and shopping. My aunt & uncle are pretty familiar with the beach, so they acted as our tour guides. Our first stop was this great glass blowing shop.

Here it is peeps-where all the magic happens.....the Glory Hole! I swear I didn't make that up, I'm not that creative.

They made all of their products right on sight, and allowed the public to watch as these master's of glass went to work. It truly is amazing, especially considering I have no art talent what so ever. I can't even trace well.

Here's a Santa looking fellow blowing the glass, while the lady is shaping it at the other end. They repeated this step over and over. Quite amazing!

And here is some of their finished product. Upon entering the store, my wife looked at me and told me not to touch anything, keep my hands in my pockets, and stay at least 2 feet away from all objects. Of course I didn't listen, and picked up a piece to see the price.

I very gently put the glass object down and immediately placed my hands in my pockets!! Time is money, and these artist obviously put a lot of time into their work.

They did have some items that I would only have to donate a little blood to afford, so don't think it's all super expensive.

The main drag of Cannon Beach! Lots of people out for the Thanksgiving weekend.

Of course we had to check out the local bike shop!!! Mike's Bike Shop is a great place! He opened his shop in 1974 after returning from a world cycling tour-from Portland, OR to Paris, France. I'm puzzled on how he road over the Atlantic, but he's a salty dog so I imagine he used a snorkel and not scuba gear.

Mike and I in his store.

Thanksgiving!!!

I find that I am usually in the way when it comes to meals like this, so I typically just hide in a corner, sneak many snacks and bites, and take pictures. As you can see, the cabin came with just about everything you need except sharp knifes! HINT: If you rent a place, you may want to bring a knife sharpener, especially if you are carving a turkey.

Just before we unleashed furry into the yummy treats! Me, Emily, mom, aunt, & uncle.

My mom's dog Suzie checking out the turkey. She approves and is ready for a small bite.

Me...not so much; I choose big bites! I always go for the drumstick, super yummy. Check out that form.

Emily posed by the garbage can...which led to...

Doing my part of Thanksgiving. They cook, I eat, they clean, I take out the trash. I just like making funny faces.

Anniversary Day!!

Emily and I celebrated our 1 year anniversary in style! We started off having breakfast at Pig-n-Pancake. Notice piggy in the booth behind me?? This is the Cannon Beach restaurant, but 4 years ago, in Seaside, Oregon, this is the place we had our first meal together. I know, Mr. Romance!

Beach picture of us with Haystack in the background. It may seem like I'm wearing the same clothes everyday...I was only allowed so much room on the carry-on bag, and it was mostly filled with running shoes and swimming gear. Emily had the rest.

This is the spot where it all began. Our finish of the Hood-to-Coast relay back in 2005. We became friends that year and now, 4 years later, and 1 year of marriage, we are back. Seaside is a great coastal town, and for Emily and I it holds a special place.

Someday, I should invest in a little tripod for my camera. I placed it on top of the street garbage can and set the timer for this one.

Again, us at Seaside.

Two years ago, we went to Mazatlan, Mexico for Thanksgiving. Last year, we headed to Acapulco to get married. So...for our 1 year anniversary nothing but the best for my baby!! That's right-I took her to Mazatlan in Seaside!!!

We had a great visit, and although it was short and didn't get to see all of our west coast family, it was very special. Mom, Tony, & Ann, thank you again for making our Turkey Day extra special, and Emily, thank you for our first year!

~Ryan

No More Colds & Entry Fees For Less!!

2009-12-01T11:10:00.006-05:00

Typically this time of year, I get a little bit of a cold that decides to hang out in my upper chest, nose and throat. This obviously becomes problematic for training and recovery, and eventually have to rest up for a few days or even a week......that is until now!

About mid July, I added First Endurance Multi-V and Optygen HP to my daily nutrition plan, and haven't looked back. There are the training effects, which totally rock! but with all the media attention about H1N1 and the flu, colds, and people just being sick-I expected to be laid up in bed. This is not the case!

Being sick can really toss a monkey wrench into a training plan and I find it takes me many days to recover. Since I started my daily dose of Multi-V & Optygne HP, I feel great. I was just in O'Hare the Sunday after Thanksgiving (talk about a cold & flu fest) and I kept a watchful eye on people to see who was going to sneeze on me. Thank you to the lady in blue at Gate C18! Anyway, still nothing and still feel great. As with most products there are additional benefits, and me not being sick is one of them!

Athletes, the Revolution 3 Triathlon Series (Rev3) are the bees knees!!! And...I will have a code that you can enter to get a discount on the entry fee---see isn't this company awesome!

~Ryan

PS-lady in blue @ Gate C18, you need some Multi-V for sure-and hope you feel better.