Updated 1/13/08
Swim-Bike-Run
Race(s) scheduled:
San Francisco Marathon - August 3, 2008
Goofy's Race and a Half - January 10/11, 2009
Latest Race Reports Click on report to go direct.
UCSB Sprint Triathlon (April 15, 2007)
Wildflower Olympic Distance Triathlon (May 6, 2007)
Whoohoo! Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon (June 3, 2007)
Vineman Ironman 70.3 (July 22, 2007)
San Francisco Triathlon at Treasure Island (November 10, 2007)
I've been running the last few years to be a little more healthy. There's been big improvements in some of my problem areas such as blood pressure, insulin resistance, and weight. I've dropped the medications I used to take and also about 30 lbs. In 2006 I found Triathlon and am totally hooked. Great people, really fun events, and a healthy lifestyle.
Running in the White Mountains of Arizona(2004). Brrrrrrrrrrr.
My "Stumpy" mountain bike & I.
Race photos and reports from 2006/05 are HERE!
Actually seven races from 2006 and two from 2005.
All with no left ACL!! Reconstruction was done 9/06.
UCSB Sprint Triathlon (April 15, 2007)
This one was a lot of fun. The whole family went down to Santa Barbara on Friday and enjoyed ourselves on Sat. The boys had fun at the beach and we all enjoyed eating lunch at the pier.
Saturday was mostly cloudy but Sunday looked to be a beautiful sunny day. I rode my bike from our hotel to transition just before dawn. My buddy from work and his girlfriend, Jim and Lindy, met me near transition as we all got spots next to each other for the race.
Swim: The swim start was a couple of hundred yards down to the beach from transition. I downed a GU passing the last trash container. We hit the water for a little "warm-up". The water felt a lot colder than I anticipated. I was surprised to see some athletes without wetsuits. The surf wasn't bad, perhaps two to three foot breakers. The first waves were collegiate athletes only with the rest of us bringing up the rear. I saw one girl helped out and one returned on her own. It's tough to see someone sitting on the beach crying. I knew she wasn't hurt physically but couldn't do the ocean swim. One the horn went off for my wave, I didn't even feel the cold water. I did find a couple of rocks on the way in and was glad I didn't have to continue the race with a broken toe. I drafted the first hundred yards or so and then ended up on my own the rest of the way. I concentrated on relaxed breathing. Cruising through the kelp here and there was cool. At the exit there was a guy on the stairs yelling at us to guide us through the rocky areas to the staircase. Three flights up and into T1. Don't have any of the transition splits.
Bike: Some bike path but mostly roads. Pavement was to bad on the roads. I felt pretty good on the bike and averaged 17.9 mph over 16.45 miles. The long leg gave us a 13-16 mph headwind. Not completely flat but definitely not hilly. I passed quite a few people and saw Lindy changing a tube by the side of the road. Bummer. Got up to 30.7 mph descending back into UCSB. Used the Profile Design Aerodrink and liked it a lot. It definitely was easy to use and helped remind me to stay hydrated. Left my shoes on the bike going into transition.
Run: Took off with short quick strides trying to keep my HR down and get the run muscles going. Down to the beach and then a short steep hill to the run around the lagoon. As usual, I warmed up in a hurry but managed to keep a reasonable pace of around 10 min/mi. Still working on running after biking. Knee felt great by the way! Finally to the finish in 27:24 for a race time of 1:52:57
25th Anniversary Wildflower Olympic Distance Triathlon (May 6, 2007)
Ok, this was a tough one. I went down on Sat. and found a camping spot. That evening I went to find some people that I listen to on Triathlon related Podcasts. Get Your Geek On, Zen and the Art of Triathlon, and Simply Stu. It was a lot of fun.
Got setup much like last year and to my horror, it looked to
be a HOT day ahead. 
Jim and I before the start.
The swim went pretty well until I followed some people around a marker and found out it was the wrong turn. My swim was longer than most others.
The bike went pretty well and I pushed a bit but actually had a slower time than last year by just over a minute. Hmmm.
The run was brutal. I hit a gel leaving T2 and almost immediately the stomach started to rebel. That and the heat generate much more walking than I had anticipated. Even the last mile, almost all downhill, was tough on me. Unlike last year, I couldn't eat anything. I went to the medical tent and got some ice packs for my head and neck. After about half an hour I felt good enough to go get my bike. I got in line for the bus and enjoyed just lying in the shade under the tent.
Still, a brutal day in a race is still better than 99.5% of my days at work. Especially now with the FAA in Hitler mode.
Whoohoo! Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon (June 3, 2007)
What a fabulous race this is. I was very lucky to be selected from the random drawing to be able to participate in one of the two Triathlons, I know of, that require a qualifying slot or random drawing to get in. The other being the Kona Ironman Word Championships.
I was up at 3am to load up the rental car and get my bike
squared away. I left before 4am. I found parking under the freeway
by Crissy Field. After airing up my tires, I shouldered my Tri-backpack
and accessory bag and headed for transition. Should have brought a
flashlight for the transition area. Got set up and grabbed a bus to Pier 3. The pier
offered body marking and port-o-potties while waiting to get on the boat. We all boarded the San Francisco
Belle
ferry boat and headed out to Alcatraz island. The three decks were covered
with triathletes sprawled out and preparing for the race. We set up
shop next to the Alcatraz and prepared to jump from the first deck into the
choppy, outgoing current, shark infested 57 degree water for an approximate 1.5 mile swim. It was
very cool watching the TV helicopter waiting for the Pro's to go first.
I watched them go and then made my way with the masses down to the swim exit.
Swim: Off the boat and go! I headed toward the Fort
Mason Piers. The water was a little choppy but not bad. My new
SEAL XP goggles offered great visibility. Later in the
swim the waves were kicking up a bit and I was either climbing or bodysurfing it
seemed.
It seemed a bit odd that there seemed to be a number of people
close by and then at times I felt totally alone. As Fort Mason got big I changed
sighting to the big copper dome on the Palace of Fine Arts. Couldn't have
worked out better. I cruised straight into the swim finish. Up the
beach and stairs to the mini-transition. Time 39:29.
My mini-T1 consisted of a bag with running shoes for the 1/2 mile run up to T1. I pulled out my old
running shoes and stripped of my wetsuit. Put on the shoes and stuffed the wetsuit
into the bag which would be brought up to T1 later. I felt really good out
of the water and ran to T1, downed my 8.5 oz of Cytomax/Hornet Juice and headed
out on the bike though I didn't rush it. T1 time 11:02(includes run from
the swim exit).
Bike: I rode the 18 mile hilly and technical course
once last year and again this year before the race. I felt great and
the hills seemed less steep. The road is a bit bumpy in spots but most of
the pot holes on the Great Highway have been fixed. Cool. Only
problem I had was climbing up to the Legion of Honor I heard a pop with regular
hissing noise. I knew I'd gotten a puncture in my front tire. It wasn't
leaking fast enough to have to stop right away so I waited till I crested the
hill and stopped just past the aid station. Oh, oh. I'd forgotten
the tire levers. Nothing to it but use some brute force. I had my
back to the race so I wouldn't have to see all the people blazing past. I
heard someone yell "Hang in there buddy!" and my spirits rose. After
checking the tire and replacing the tube, I aired it up with a quick shot of
CO2. A little tough to do without the levers but I managed. Off
again! The pavement in Golden Gate Park wasn't great. Time to the
midpoint turn 49:22. The ride back went well.
I felt strong up the
hill past the Chart House and
powered up Seal Rock drive and kept on rocking passing quite a few people.
On one of the down hill sections through the neighborhood where Robin Williams
lives there was a crash but I didn't see any of the three people involved.
I later found out it was someone I knew. This was a pretty fast section. The first guy ended up
in ICU, the other I don't know, and my friend with a broken wrist, clavicle,
hand, ribs, and stitches on her head. Bummer. The second half time, with a
bit more down hill and no flat tires was 33:25 for a total of 1:22:46.
T2 was a relaxed 3:58.
Run: I was dreading this but after a good swim and bike
felt confident. The high 50 degree temps helped allot I'm sure.
This course has basically two big hills. The first half with a climb up
wooden stairs and then a climbing trail to the road for the rest of the climb.
One then drops down for a run down Baker beach.
I found some relatively good running sand up from where most people were running
and so on
to the turn around and back up Baker beach to the 400 stair sand ladder.
It is a monster on this run well over the half way point and after running in the sand. I was determined to do my best. 
I ran the first
and last part and trudged as quickly as I could through the really sandy middle
section with only one slip/fall. The sand ladder is timed as well and mine was 3:31. Not bad
at all for this old guy. Some more climbing after that along narrow trails
and finally back down toward the finish.
I really wanted to break 4 hours and knew as I hit the flats that it would happen. I was happy and kept up the self motivating talk to finish strong. Total time 3:43:04. YES! I really gave it my all and was elated. Much to my great surprise, after crossing the finish, there was Rebecca and my boys Alex and Connor to meet me. We had planned for them not to come down due to the crowds and likely impossible parking but they did anyway. Wow, what a great race, a great day, and a great way to finish.
My buddy Jim Silk had done the race last year and was there cheering me on as well. He asked if I wanted to do this race again, my response..... "In a heartbeat!"
Vineman Ironman 70.3 (July 22, 2007)
Well, my first race beyond the Olympic distance. Definitely a
whole new animal. It has truly clarified, for me, what will be required to
prepare for an Ironman distance event planned in the future.
One of the reasons I picked this race was that my age group started in wave 1
(after the pros). I have a tough time in warm weather and was worried it would
be hot later in the day thereby slowing me down considerably. Turned out to be
the case.
Anyhow, this race has two transition areas about 15 miles apart. This threw me
off a bit and I was not nearly as organized as I would have liked. You had to
leave your T2 stuff the day before. I wanted to stop by T2 again in the morning
but there was no way to do it and still make it to the start in time to set up
and go.
I got to T1 at Johnson's Beach about 5:45 (it opened at 5:30). By the time I got
set up, got body marked, and hit the port-o-pot, I just had time to get back to
my stuff and grab my wetsuit. I'd just gotten into the water and made it
to the back of the pack for the start when the horn went off. Surprise! The
water temp was 77 so virtually everyone was in wetsuits.
SWIM - The Russian River has a temporary dam up this time every year. The water
is fairly shallow but not overly so and the current is very mild. The upstream
leg is only a little longer than the downstream and goes under two bridges which
I thought was very cool. Excellent visuals. Course is well marked and very easy
to sight.
Swim split for the 1.2 mile effort was 46:15.
T1 - It was a short run on carpet strips up to transition.
I
stripped off my suit on the carpeted area and stuffed all my swim gear in a
plastic bag that would meet me at the end of the race. Downed about 8-10
oz of Cytomax+Hornet Juice. On with the helmet and bike shoes. I bit
of a run out of transition along a fairly narrow path. Time was 4:46.
Bike - Can you say vineyards, vineyards, and even more vineyards. Lots of
rolling hills with just a couple of moderate but short climbs. There were a fair
number of "race marshals" on motorcycles keeping a close eye on the racers.
There were penalty tents at each aid station along the route. "Drafters" got to
enjoy these tents for four minutes and other infractions were basically a stop
and go. Some of the roads were seriously bumpy in the 25 to 35 mile area. The
descents were a blast. It's probably the extra weight I'm carrying 'round the
middle but as one racer told me, I "go down the hills in a hurry". Most of the
roads were not closed but vehicle traffic seemed to be very race friendly. It
was warming up toward the end of the bike. The Garmin 305 showed about 2400 ft
of climbing total with just a little less on the descent.
Bike time 3:11:43 for 56 miles.
T2 - Great grassy area at a high school. Long transition area but I'd placed my
stuff so I could find it easily. Forgot my hat though. Time 6:19.
Run - I started feeling some cramps in the quads early on but downed some
electrolyte tabs with some Gatorade Endurance at the first aid station and had
no more problems with cramps. The temp was now climbing through the mid toward
the upper 80s.
I
walked parts of most of the uphills but actually did much better than I'd
expected for the heat. The course was a lot more hilly than I thought it would
be. About 1500 ft of climbing total. I felt blisters developing on both
feet at about 6 miles. My fault though, stupid, I doused myself a few times with
water letting my socks get soaked. Lesson learned. The course was actually
quite scenic. I really felt bad for the people I was passing on the way
back since the temp was now nearing 90 degrees.
I'd bought some "arm coolers" at the TriSports tent at the expo for the run.
Definitely a good call, they really worked! Lot's of people walking and or
limping in the heat. I even managed to pass a few of these:-) I
spotted some cups of ice at the very last aid station and grabbed one. That
alone got me through the last mile I think.
After the race I found a shady spot to rest for a bit and then headed over to
the med tent to get some ice for my feet. When I got there, I found that iit was
packed with people a lot worse off than I was. IVs, crying, wailing, and other
unpleasantness. Decided to go get some fruit and a sandwich instead.
I thought it was a great venue and well run operation. My nutrition worked out
pretty well. My swim and bike went pretty much as planned but I died on
the run. I would have liked to have been closer to about 2:15.
If I do this race again I will do more hill work on my long runs and I'll try to
better prepare for the warm weather.
I WILL NOT fill my shoes with water!
San Francisco Triathlon at Treasure Island (November 10, 2007)
I have to start out saying that I really enjoyed this race despite the fact that we had no swim this year. Seems that some tanker smacked the Bay Bridge and dumped a bunch of fuel oil making the local waters unsafe. I'm sure that we'd have done a run-bike-run if it had been logistically possible but the notice was too short I believe. The elite race in the afternoon got the R B R version.
Drove into TI that morning quite early and the parking was
already filling up. I walked the bike with my transition pack on my
shoulders down to the start/finish area to loosen up and get the blood flowing a
bit. Same drill here as Wildflower with the same racks and basic entry
exit setup.
As we grouped prior to our wave start, I walked down to the water and could still smell the diesel odor. It was quite chilly out and I almost didn't mind missing the swim. The horn went off and we ran barefoot to our bikes for T1. Whoohoo, my best at 1:43 LOL.
Out of T1 and onto the BIKE course. People had talked about keeping track of the laps, since there are six, and not accidentally coming in early. I was puzzled since I thought just about everyone had a bike computer and could just watch for 40k. Hmmm. I'd driven the bike course early in the week and knew about a few pot holes but it was really an eye opener for me. This road was rough! I got slammed pretty good a number of times and after two laps had most of it figured out. After the fourth lap I was comfy and cruisin' now that I'd got all the pavement mapped out in my head. The one little hill on the course was really great to stand up and stretch out a bit. Lot's and lot's of corners on each lap. It was fun. I didn't get passed much but did a lot of passing in the corners. I don't know why most of these people were so timid in the turns. Pavement was dry and I was not taking chances but still leaving people behind in the turns. Go figure. Bike time was 1:22:54 for my fasted average over 40k of 18mph.
T2 of 1:53. Very respectable for me.
RUN. Three laps out and back on the NE side of the island. It was warming up but not too bad yet. A little spin move around the turnaround (start/finish area) helped me keep track of the laps. It did warm up some eventually and I suffered a bit but didn't slow down toooooo much. One of my better, Triathlon 10k times but still pitiful. I still have a really hard time physically transitioning from bike to run. 1:07:40.
Finish time of 2:34:10 I'm up for this one again next year. No more tanker mishaps I hope!
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