Wednesday, May 31, 2006

American Triple T Triathlon

I approached the Triple T as a training weekend not an all out racing effort. I am preparing for my “A” race the Buffalo Springs Lake Triathlon (1/2 Ironman) in Lubbock, TX on June 25th 2006. I was invited to travel with a client of mine to the Triple T and have always wanted to give the 4 race 3 day event a shot. This was Ben’s 4ht trip to the Triple T and felt I was in good hands and was able to get the inside scope on the event. Ben indicated that it was the hardest racing he has ever done. This coming from a guy who has raced several Ironman triathlons and has racing in the Ironman World Championship in Kona Hawaii a few times. Oh – was Ben right about it being tough. The race was held in the Shawnee State Forest near Portsmouth, Ohio. There was easily 20,000’ + of climbing in the 4 races put together. Went for a run today (a few days post event) and it felt like I have never run before. The following is a brief breakdown of how the races went for me!

Race #1: Prologue
Friday, May 26, 5:00 PM
250m Swim - 5 mi Bike - 1 mi Run
Finish Time = 26:08
As this race indicates, it was a sprint triathlon. I held back on the three legs knowing the racing I had ahead of me. Was able to post a 6:27 mile even with my HR under control! It was mild and a bit of rain fell on us just before the start. The water in the lake was unusually warm, but I still chose to wear my wet-suit.

Race #2: Individual Time Trial
Saturday, May 27, 7:30 AM
1500m Swim - 24.8 mi Bike - 6.55 mi Run
Finish Time = 2:45
Slept well the night before this event! Ben and I roomed with an athlete from Racine Wisconsin “Jim” at the host hotel with in Shawnee State Park. We started all the events in a time trial format meaning the person with the #1 went first then #2 5 seconds after and so on. I was #385 so I was way in the back. But they utilized chip timing. I had a decent swim, but nothing spectactular, very comfortable and passed many athletes. The bike very challenging with several long climbs and very steep and scary descents. The roads were rough. About 20 mins into the bike I flatted on my rear wheel, requiring me to stop and replace the tire. This through me off a bit and I lost at least 8 mins, but it made me take a break. Made it through the rest of the ride with out a hitch. The run was brutal. 3.25 miles out, mostly uphill and on fire roads (unpaved) then 3.25 miles back. Again – unseasonably warm during this event. Felt very under control during this race and was able to keep my HR down even with all the climbing. Overall the body was holding up well.

Race #3: Team Triathlon
Saturday, May 27, 3:00pm Start
24.8 mi Bike - 1500m Swim - 6.55 mi Run
Finish Time = 2:44
Was able to get in a short ‘cat’ nap between this race and the earlier one. This race was when I could tell the racing start to take its toll. In this event we biked, then swam, then ran. The bike was brutal, a bit different course than earlier in the day. There as a brutal 12 min steep climb that really took it out of me. I was using a 12 – 25 rear cog and I could of used a 27. I was ironic that I had just a 1 min faster time in this second race with out a flat. The run was the same fire road course and the temps rose to the mid 80’s in the afternoon. After the race my quads were telling me that I did some racing that day!!!!

Race #4: Team Time Trial
Sunday, May 28, 7:00am Start
1.2 mi Swim - 55.5 mi Bike - 13.1 mi Run
Total Time = 5:53
Tried my best to get some solid sleep and recovery before this event, but I slept like crap during the night. I hydrated and fueled well as I woke up at 3:30am to eat my pre-race meal of ensure and oatmeal and went back to bed. Legs were very tight in the morning, but loosened up on the bike (sort of). My swim was about what I expected given my tired / fatigued nature. My bike was so starting slow it was hard to deal with. This course was brutal, several 25+ min climbs and descents to steep you had your breaks on the whole time. It was a 2 loop course that was unsupported meaning you had to carry your own fuel / water and the only time to refuel was at the transition area after the first loop. It got into the 90’s during the race, but I managed to hydrate and fuel well during the ride. The run was double what we had done in the previous day’s races. I knew the run was going to be brutal and I threw out my open ½ Ironman race ‘run’ pace and made it about survival. I made a promise to myself that I would not walk during the run, not matter how slow my job would be. It was tough but I made it thought the entire run with no walking. My run time was very slow, but I was pleased that I made it over the mental barrier. There were athletes coming unglued all around me, but I just kept on moving forward. I was very pleased how my nutrition plan worked for me during the run. I drank water at every aid station (every mile) and took a gel every 20 mins. At every opportunity I got a cup of ice and dumped it down the front of my shorts to aid in keeping my core temp cool. It works like a charm!

Total Racing Time for 4 races = 11:49

So – some hard course racing in just a few days! I look forward to going back to this great event and giving it a another shot. I know better what to expect the next time! If you are interested in knowing what an Ironman Triathlon feels like, but are not ready for the Iron distance all at one time, this event is for you!

Train Smart and Learn to Suffer –

Coach Kevin

Thursday, May 18, 2006

Wild at Heart

I am reading the book “Wild at Heart” with my good friend JD. I asked JD if he would be interested in investing in me on deeper level as a mentor. Have you ever met someone that you just clicked with right off the bat? That is the way it was with JD and I. JD played football at Trinity College just outside Chicago. As athletes, even though from different perspectives, we really hit it off. The thing that really drew me to JD was his spiritual leadership. JD and I meet for an hour or so each week and discuss life, struggles, and our spiritual formation. JD suggested that we read the book 'Wild at Heart' as a way to lead our discussion. I have read the book or at least part of it a few years ago, but reading it with JD and being intentional about discussing it has made a huge impact on my spiritual life and the relationships in my life. The book really calls out to men and the re-discovery of their heart.

Although we are only half way through our reading, I have been challenged in the way I view my role in life as a man. As a believer in Jesus Christ, I am a seeker of the truth. And as a disciple of Christ, I have a willingness to be active in my pursuit of this truth. Thus my relationship with JD. What most often happens during my pursuit of the truth is that I am confronted with my sin nature that requires a response from me in some way.

In his grip -

Kevin

Survival


My friend Gavin was married last weekend and his best man and friends planned a survival weekend instead of the traditional Bach Party. The plan was to camp two nights on the Buffalo river while canoing during the day, We would not be allowed to bring food or a tent, but would be allowed to bring fishing poles, sleeping bags and one change of cloths.


A Journey of Survival:
As we met up to make the trip down to the Buffalo river in Northern Arkansas, the forecast for the weekend was 90 – 100% chance of ran. But, being the testosterone filled men that were are, the 12 brave soles loaded up 6 canoes and the limited provisions the made the trek down south, an 8 hour drive..

On arriving at our first camp site, there were sprinkles but the rain had note moved in yet. I volunteered to drive the pick up vehicle to our take out point a 3 hour round trip, while most of the group stayed and setup camp. On our return to camp is started to rain, and on our return is was raining pretty good. The group set up a communal tent, for all of us to sleep under, the problem was it was not big enough the the 4 of us that drove vehicles to the take out point, so we had to make shift and addition in the rain. I actually sleep well in the conditions and only woke at 6:30am the next morning when I noticed my feet were wet, then noticed that my sleeping bag was soaked. I quickly exited the tent and got my rain gear on as it was pouring outside. The rain gear I brought was not very adequate, so I was thoroughly soaked with in a few mins. But the temp was good, a solid 50+ degrees. After we readied the canoes and broke camp, we set out down the Buffalo river.

The plan was to travel a total of 23 miles on the river, 11.5 the first day, then camp, then 5-10 the second day then camp then the last 2 – 3 miles the morning we would drive back to Nebraska. As we headed out the first day, it was miserable conditions, huge down pours and cool. We had 6 canoes and one capsized with in the first 10 mins on some pretty solid rapids. We tried fishing from the canoes, but had very little luck. It rained on us for much of the 3.5 hour canoe and we were ready to set up out second camp. We spotted a nice flat area that was river bed but was a bit higher to set up camp. It was about 12:30pm when we went ashore. We started the task of build a fire which took about 3 hours to get going (I choose to spend my time doing this as I was cold and had little interest in finishing or hunting). The rest of the group either started to build shelters out of tarps or other natural structures (trees), or fishing / hunting for game. Several of the men caught some small bluegill / sun fish and one guy – Travis caught a nice small mouth bass. We had no luck at catching the Trout (on trout lines) that the area was famous for.

It was a pretty quiet group all afternoon as the group was pretty miserable. But I also realized that this is what I was expecting on a “Survival Trip” It was going to be uncomfortable. I told the men during the trip down that ATTITUDE was going to make or break the weekend and that they were all going to need to find comfort in dis-comfort. During the afternoon of the first day, the ran stopped and it actually got warm enough to dry out some of out wet clothes and sleeping bags. I kept myself busy all afternoon with the fire and enjoyed keeping it going. After the fish were fried from the days catch, we noticed that the river was starting to rise at a solid rate, but nothing to alarming. We moved the canoes higher up the bank and it started to rain again. During the day I made a very primitive “A” frame shelter with a tarp as the roof and a tarp as the base right next to the fire that we got going. As the rain started to come down Travis and I took cover in the shelter. My sleeping bag was pretty moist from the rain but I crawled in with all my clothes on. I was freezing cold and the only way I could stay warm was to seal the bag and breath heavy inside the bag to elevate the inside “climate” of the bag. It worked and although I was wet I was warm. We took shelter around 6:30pm.

I woke up several times that night to relieve myself and each time I noticed that the water level was rising. At 12:00 midnight, I noticed that we (Travis and I) would most likely need to move our shelter, and at 3:00am I woke to see the water level only 12” from out shelter. I woke Travis and told him we needed to move. The rain had broke and the sky was clear then. I could see thousands of stars and the Milky Way! It was amazing. The most enjoyable moment of the trip as I took time to appreciate the vastness of God's creation. As I was accessing the situation I noticed the the canoes that we had moved were ½ submerged (we had them upside down). Three other guys Frock, Brandon, and Brent had set up their shelter at the same level as ours so I woke them up. Travis and I took down our shelter, moved the canoes to higher ground and then spent a couple of hours trying to make a fire as we were cold to the bone. At about 5:45am, I woke the rest of the group up and informed them of the situation. As they got up and got going the water was still rising, as we pushed off, the water was now at the level of the fire we had tried to start.

We pushed off at 6:30am, in a dense fog. The water level was amazingly high with a ton of dabree in the watter. We could tell there was clear sky and we all were anxiously awaiting the sun. The temp was cool but not cold and a bit windy, There was a strong current and were making good time. Gavin and I were canoe mates and I finally figured out the steering on the second day. The group was debating on what to do, do we bag the trip and go directly to the take out point, or do we find another camp site for another night of “SURVIVAL”? We stopped to take a break after 1:45 mins of canoing to enjoy the sun and determine out move. I think were were split 50/50 on the decision, but made the decision to continue down stream and access where we were at on the map. It was very hard to determine our exact location. We new we had to get on the White River and paddle up stream to get to the take out point. We approached a junction in the river and almost missed the White river. But we took it to be safe and it turned out to be exactly where we were supposed to go. As we were loading the canoes, we discovered that the river had been shut down yesterday because the water table had risen 16' over the last 24 hours and was considered to dangerous by the Game and Parks Commission. There was an additional 4' of water rise still expected in the next few hours. Park Rangers were actually looking for us!

We stopped for lunch my first meal in 40 hours. Yes – I fasted during the trip. Best Sonic chicken sandwich I have tasted. It was quite the site. 12 men pulling up to a Sonic fast food. We stopped in a town called Fricken, AK. Yes – you read that right. We got some great laughs out of the Fricken Police car that drove by many times.

All in all a great trip with a bunch of guys, my most memorable bachelor trip. Best thing about the trip was to see how people handle stress and discomfort. It is easy to think that a trip like this will be a blast and we tend to identify with the GLORY of it all, but after it has been raining on you for 24 hours you get broken down and it becomes a challenge.

Life is Survival -

Kevin