racing question!

question! I'm not sure if i should use my HED3 aero dynamic wheel for the Atomic Man duathlon in White Rock NM, or my light weight climbing wheel. The HED would be faster down hill, but the biggest down hill is so technical I usually can't get to top speeds without risk. I'm afraid wont get the benifits of an aero on the biggest downhill, but I would still get the binifits on the flat & other downhills. So, which wheel should I use?

microdermabrasion for cyclists & amazing Santa Fe pictures

I've lived in NM since 1989, and this is the windiest I've ever seen it. While I was out cycling today the winds were 39-40 mph according to the weatherchannel.com

I knew today's bike ride was going to be an adventure so I brought my camera. I got more great pictures than I had even hoped for!

For the first time I got hit by a dust devil while biking. I had no idea the strength those things had! It blew me across 2 lanes of the road & a roofing shingle hit the back of my helmet hard enough it knocked my glasses off my head. Great way to get free microdermabrasion! This picture is the south west corner of the East frontage road & Bonanza creek rd.

I passed a NM highway truck that was repainting the stripes on the road. The end result wasn't pretty. The paint was blown across the entire 8 foot median. It would of made sense to wait to repaint the roads for a day that wasn't this windy.

I saw the biggest bull I've ever seen in my life. He was mingling in a herd of antelope off highway 14 near the New Mexico State Penitentiary.

Somewhere around 4-6 miles East of the frontage road on Bonanza Creek rd I saw some sort of buzzard or vulture feeding off of some road kill. That was only the 3rd or 4th time I've seen one of these in the 8 years I've lived here in Santa Fe. The bird flew away before I could get my camera out, I got this picture off the net. This picture was the one that looked most like the bird I saw.

I found this web site describing the rout I train on daily. It's amazing!!! I pass 2 movie ranches & countless gorgeous sights. If you get an opportunity to ride around this rout you wont regret it... unless you get hit by a dirt devil ;-)

http://www.seesantafe.org/day-trips/41-day-trips/124-into-the-wild-west.html

Fun times being a triathlete in New Mexico!

The upcoming 2011 Atomic Man duathlon

I'll be competing in a local race this weekend, The Atomic Man duathlon. The Atomic Man is my favorite race of all time. The Atomic Man has a ton to offer any athlete. There's two distances races to choose from, there's a free bike mechanic, a mobile coffee van, Great RD's, amazing swag, a GORGEOUS course, free pictures including a great finish photo, free pre and post race food, someone announcing your name and where your from as you cross the finish line on a PA system, a great finishing chute, pro photographers on the course, a team competition, and both courses are really challenging, & all the pictures from the course are free. Most races charge athletes for thier pictures. This small local race really does have a big time feel & draw to it. Last year there was a couple pro's and an Olympic duathlete who showed for this race.

This will be mt 5th time competing in the Atomic Man duathlon. My PR was set last year in a time of 1 hour 6 minutes 29 seconds. I seriously doubt I'll get anywhere close to beating my PR this time. Last year I was in much better shape, I weighed less, & I was racing on a borrowed pair of 404's (thanks Jason McClure!!!). Those wheels were super fast for a race as hilly as this!

This will be my 6th race for the season & for the 2011 South West Challenge Series, my 3rd race in 3 weekends, my 71st multisport race, & my 17th duathlon.

Day 3 of training for Ironman Arizona

Today's my 3rd day of Ironman training. My legs are sore. I've been training with a lot high intensity sprint distance type training for awhile now. I fully expected my legs to be fatigued switching to longer slower training, but the soreness surprises me.

I woke up weighing in at 196 pounds! 6 pounds to go until I'm at my goal weight of 190!

A large portion of my clothes are no longer fitting so I had to bring all my skinny clothes out of shed & throw my fat boy clothes into storage. That felt great!

Triathlon training in New Mexico

Here in New Mexico we are in the middle of a drought. After months of having very little to no rain, yesterday it rained on me for my entire 85 minute run. Minutes after my run ended the rain stopped. Today during my brick I got caught in a hail storm. By the time I was done with my brick the hail was gone & the weather was perfect. Yesterday was the 1st day of my training plan for Ironman Arizona 2011. Interesting timing. I guess that's the life of an endurance athlete in the high deserts of New Mexico!

Almond butter versus peanut butter

I got this off "The athletic minded travelor.

http://www.athleticmindedtraveler.com/blog/almond-butter-versus-peanut-butter-which-is-the-healthier-choice

Almond butter versus peanut butter:


Both butters are rich in protein, fiber and fatty acids and have the same amount of fat (16 grams) and calories (190) per 2 tablespoons. They also have about the same amount of carbohydrates.


what about "nutrients?"
Almond butter takes the lead: Almond butter has 26% more Vitamin E, 3% more Iron, and 7% more Calcium than peanut butter. It's higher in magnesium, phosphorus, potassium and antioxidants.


Almond butter versus peanut butter. Which is the healthier choice?


While there is something deeply gratifying about the sweet, creaminess of peanut butter (unless you lean crunchy), and the way that it often sticks to the roof of the mouth, studies demonstrate, it might be time to switch the nut. Almond butter, which also comes creamy or crunchy, offers more on a strictly nutritional basis.



What about the "fats?"
This is where the almond really shines. Almond butter has 50% more monounsaturated fat than the peanut spread and about 25% less saturated fat. This is good news for anyone, and especially for those keeping an eye on cholesterol. Another important factor is that almond butter does not contain any trans fat. NONE.


On peanut butter's defense, there is a misconception that all peanut butter contains trans fat or hydrogenated oils. This is not true. You can now choose from a range of "all natural" varieties that eliminates the trans fat (and any un-natural ingredients). These varieties are made from pure peanuts with no added oils, fats, or sugars. You'll recognize natural butter by the oil separation at the top of the jar. The trans fat found in regular peanut butter is so minimal (less than 1%) that the FDA labels it as being at 0. For more information about this check our post on organic peanut butter.



What about organic peanut butter? It's another option and it simply means that the peanuts were grown without the use of pesticides. Most grocery stores carry all three types of butters. Remember to refrigerate your natural and organic butters.

POSSIBLY THE BEST REASON TO SWITCH: Almonds are considered alkaline while peanuts are categorized as acidic.

According to some research there are benefits to consuming alkaline foods: speed up metabolism, increase energy, and prevent sickness. Almonds fall into this category. They are a powerful nut and the only nut categorized as very alkaline.

Health gurus argue that it's important to consume at least 60% alkaline-producing foods in order to maintain a balanced diet. If one's Ph levels aren't in balance the body has a hard time absorbing vitamins, minerals, and other important food nutrients. In short, Ph affects everything. In contrast acidic foods can be damaging and a variety of physical problems and diseases can be caused from acidic intake (some go as far to say that an acidic ph can cause cancer--see below caveat). Peanuts rate very high in acidity. This site provides a nice summary chart.


CAVEAT: While there is some scientific research regarding the potential dangers of an acidic diet, it is hardly conclusive. This article by the American Institute for Cancer Research summarizes the risks and notes that what you eat certainly affects your cancer risk, BUT the acidity/alkalinity of the foods is not the factor.


How do the prices compare? There is a significant price difference (usually $3-4 bucks) between the spreads. Peanut butter is the cheaper of the two. At Trader Joe's a jar of the almond stuff costs $4.99 while regular peanut butter only costs $1.79. If you want organic it's $2.99. So at Trader Joe's you're getting a bargain. If you shop elsewhere almond butter can cost up to $13.00 a jar. Generally organic butters are more expensive. With almond butter you're paying more for the quality. And remember places like Whole Foods allow you to grind your own. Now that is fresh!



One almond butter that we love can be ordered online for $7.00 a jar. Hopkins Ag makes their almond butter fresh every day.

Which one tastes better? This is a matter of preference but if you like a sweeter taste, peanut butter is likely the way to go. However, companies like Hopkins also sell almond butter with honey. It's equal to any peanut butter. We've also seen vanilla almond butter and a few other flavors.

Personally, I am partial to peanut butter. Some almond butters can be grainy and slightly bitter. But, when cooking or making smoothies, I'm now an almond butter convert. Athletic-Minded Traveler posted a smoothie recipe a while back. Give it a try.

Redemption at the 2011 Spring Fling triathlon- a race report

Today I raced at the 2011 Spring Fling triathlon. It was a seated 400 meter pool swim, 25K bike on a really hilly course, & the 2nd hardest 5k run I've ever done on a sprint distance triathlon.

The RD of the this race is Mark Mico of Tri Sport coaching so I knew it was going to be a well put on race. It had plenty of volunteers, well marked courses, it was micro chipped timed, had a quick and painless packet pick up, great performance T-shirt, the race results were posted at the race with in minutes & online with in 2 hours of the the last person crossing the finish line, & the race even had an awesome finish line chute with banners & lots of spectators yelling & cheering! I'd say Mico & the Greer's (who put on the BSLT) put on the best races I've ever competed in.

Since I haven't done any swim training at all in over a year I was happy with my 400 meter swim time of 6 minutes 39 seconds. I felt fast & buoyant! I glided along well, keeping a long pull, glide, & recovery.

I had a ridiculous 1st transition time of 55 seconds! It was by far the slowest transition time I've had in a couple years. There's no reason to be that slow in a transition, especially considering I raced without socks & have a pair of triathlon specific cycling shoes. I should have had a T-1 time half that long. The transition is free & effortless race time lost.

This was the first triathlon with a swim/bike/run format I'd done since July of last year. 10 months! I was afraid I'd be rusty, but I came out of the water feeling great & ready to bike!

I usually struggle with any races that has significant climbing, & for a sprint triathlon this race has a TON of big long climbs. I still had a surprisingly strong bike. Last weekend at the Holloman duathlon I averaged 20.8 MPH on a perfectly flat course. Today I was able to redeem myself by keeping a 20 mph average on a MUCH more difficult course. I'd say my effort on the bike and the run today ranked in my top 5 all time. The time may not show that because I'm not in as good of cycling shape as I was the last couple years, but my effort level was top notch.

At one of the turn arounds a police officer let a motorcycle drive through at the same time as me. The lady driving the motorcycle collided into me & sent me swerving & skidding into the curb of the turn around. Thankfully it was a gradual slanting curb so I was able to stay upright & skid/ride up it and continue racing once I hopped back onto the road on the other side of the turn around. Close call! Apparently I was envious of the war wounds Rob Lovit had sustained recently at the Mesa Valley triathlon & was wanting to get matching road rash.

I felt like I was a climbing animal today! Usually I struggle, huff & puff up hills. Not today! I killed it!

Today I rode a 404 rear wheel for only the 2nd time. I'm not sure if the light weight aerodynamic rear 404 was the key to climbing so well today, but I it may have been. The last race I rode the 404 was the Atomic Man duathlon last year & I had a phenomenal bike that day also. I can't wait until I save up enough $ to buy a 404 front wheel to match!

I wasn't sure how my legs were going to hold up on the run because of the serious climbing, the swim/bike/run format, & because I really hammered myself silly on the bike.

I did a perfect flying bike dismount, but had another slow transition time. Ugh. What the heck? Transitions are usually my specialty!

Once I got into my Zoot triathlon running shoes, my FCA running cap on, along with my race belt I was on my way! Right off the bat I felt really good. From the start there's a REALLY long gradual incline. After a mile or so the pavement ends & the course continues on a sandy uphill trail run that is absolutely brutal! Straight uphill with tons of speed & energy sapping ankle deep sand. I ran much better up the hills than I usually do, especially considering I'm not accustomed to running in sand. I finished the brutal 5k in 25 minutes 2 seconds.

I finished in a total time of 1 hour 20 minutes 12 seconds. I thought for sure I'd be in the top 5 of the 35-39 age group. Turns out I only took 8th place!!! 8th is my worst age group finish since 2009! The difference between my 8th place finish & 5th today was less than a minute, which was the time I had lost in my 2 turtle like transitions.

All in all it was a good day. I have to say I enjoy the races in Southern NM & West Texas more because of my fellow triathletes of that region. They've really embraced me & accepted me as one of their own. It seemed like something was missing today, and it wasn't until I was driving home I realized what was missing was the fellowship I'd had the last half dozen races with Rob, Brooks, John, Jason, & Val. I hope to race with you guys soon, cause multisport without you guys just isn't as much fun!

Teaching my son bad things & a clydesdale no longer

Today I started teaching my 18 month old son to say something that could get a Daddy in big trouble! He's a quick learner, this is a video of him after the 2nd time I him told what to say. Am I the only one who finds this funny?

I weighed in this morning at 197 pounds. I've weighed in under 200 pounds all week. I wanted to wait until I had an entire week under 200 pounds before I changed the name of my blog to Cody-the-FORMER-clydesdale. This is the 3rd time since I started triathlon that I've dropped below 200, the 2nd time I've added FORMER to my blog's name, I'm hoping this time it's permanent.

The upcoming 2011 Spring Fling triathlon

This Saturday I'll be competing in The 3rd annual Spring Fling triathlon. This will be my 70 multisport race, and my 41st sprint distance triathlon.

Last year I had a decent race time of 1 hour 26 minutes 36 seconds, I barely missed making top 3 AG. This is a really hard course for a sprint triathlon, the RD shortened the bike this year. I'm not even sure if it's the same bike course, so I wont be able to compare my times from last year.

This is my 5th race for the 2011 South West Challenge Series. This is turning out to be my most challenging year for the series by far. I've got some really fast athletes gunning for the 35-39 AG series this year. This will be the 1st year I'm not able to podium in the series if I don't start getting my bike times up.

Fatigued triathlon legs

Yesterday my daughter asked if I could build her a garden. I'm wrapped around her little finger, so of course I built her a dream garden. The garden is separated into 3 sections, each is 8 feet long & 3 feet wide. I dug down a foot and a half in each one to make sure the vegetables I plant can have a deep strong root system. It has a raised beds so that the root system will be be warmer which stimulates growth. It has steer manure & mushroom compost. It'll be a %100 organic garden. I started working on it at 9 am & finished at 3:30 PM, then went to work for a twelve hour shift. Sundays are my scheduled day off of training, but I raced at the Holloman duathlon instead of a recovery day. My legs are already fatigued and I have races the next 3 weekends in a row. I'm tired, & I know I should be taking the day off to let my body heal & come back stronger.

I weighed in at 199.8 pounds this morning. I've weighed in under 200 pounds every morning for almost a week. If I take the day off I won't be burning the calories, which will make me that much farther from reaching my goal of weight of 190. I know my thinking is flawed. I know I need rest & recovery to heal. My drive, focus, & desire is what makes me as strong of a competitor as I am, but I also know it's mt biggest weakness. Pushing myself as hard as I can all the time in everything I do is the only way I know, so instead of resting I'm doing bike speed intervals. Here's to HARD CORE baby!

This weekend I'll be racing the Spring Fling triathlon. It's a very hilly race. I own a 404 rear wheel that is awesome for hill climbing. I haven't been able to save enough money for the front 404 yet, so I'll be using a HED3 front wheel & a 404 rear. I'll look like a nerd, but I'll be a faster nerd. Besides, if I ride fast enough I'll just be a blur as I peddle by.

See you at the races!

From his crib to his toddler bed

My wife & I moved our 19 month son out of his crib & into a toddler bed. The bed transition for our 2 oldest children was easy. But Rion is always our little terrorist, always finding a way to cause trouble. He's making this a real challenge. Last night was the first time he let my wife & I sleep through the night without waking us by playing, tearing apart his room, & otherwise making a ton of racket. I told my wife,"Perhaps he's finally decided to sleep the night all the way through in his bed."

This is what I saw when I went into his room. I don't know what he was doing, but he fell asleep on the floor doing it!

so close I can taste it!

I weighed in this morning at 188.8 pounds! I'm getting so close I can taste it! What does it taste like you may ask? It tastes like speed! Rubber burning, carbon bending speed! 36 pounds lost since the beginning of my season, 8 more to go! I cant wait!

A missed oppurtunity at the 2011 Holloman duathlon- a race report

Greg Southard,Patricia Miller, and I post race awards ceremony

This is a picture of my triathlon machine with more than enough room for my bike, 2 pair of race wheels, 3 bags of gear, a lunch box, & a bed for me to sleep in.

Today I raced in the 2011 Holloman duathlon. This was my 69th multisport race & my 16th duathlon. The Holloman duathlon is one of my favorite races because it's the fastest course I've ever raced! The RD's are usually pretty horrible, but I'll always compete in this race because of how fast & flat it is. There's not a single hill, incline or decline of any sort on this entire course. Flat flat flat!

The Holloman duathlon is usually a cherry picker race, but apparently no one got that memo. Out of the 53 athletes who showed up all but a couple were experienced and fast, including the 2010 national duathlon champion Jason Atkinson.

Before I blog about my race, I have to explain some of the things leading up to it to better explain what I didn't do on the course today.

I got sick a few days before the race. The worst of it hit the on Saturday, the day before the duathlon. I'm not sure if it was just from my illness, or in combination with something else, but I was having really bad asthma issues. Triathlon training has strengthened my lungs to the point where I rarely have issues with my asthma. I've only had a few asthma attacks in the 6 years I've been training. The night before my race my asthma was so bad I kept waking up wheezing & coughing.

On Saturday , the day before the race I had one of the worse days I'd had in a very long time. I'll spare you the details, just know I was physically & emotional drained. I slept in my van the night before the race approximately 2 miles from the race start. That was awesome. I got to sleep a little longer because I didn't have to load all my equipment from the hotel room to my car & drive a long way to race start. I woke up at 6 am, & was at the transition area by 6:10.

It was a 5k run/ 30k bike format. The wind is usually blowing really bad at this race. There was no wind at all today, & the temperature was perfect! It doesn't get any better weather for racing than what there was this morning!

Like I said before, the run is flat. At the half way point I realized 3 things. 1) my asthma wasn't bothering me at all.
2) the course was a little longer than the scheduled 5k.
3) I was having a REALLY fast run! Probably fast enough to set a run PR.

By the 3/4 mark of the run I started to make up ground on Val Ramirez who a super fast guy who's in my age group.

I finished the run, which ended up being a 3.28 mile run in 23 minutes 26 seconds. I PR'd the run! My best run before today was at the Chick-Fil-A triathlon last year. At the Chick-Fil-A triathlon I weighed 186 pounds & ran an average of a 7 minute 20 second mile for the 5k. Today I weighed in at 199 pounds & I still ran a 7 minute 6 second pace!!!!

On the bike I started out feeling great. My legs still felt fresh and my HED3/ disk combo was working like a dream! I was cutting through the course like a fat guy at a buffet line! By the 10k mark I just kind of gave up. I'm not the type of person who usually gives up. I was having a stellar race, but a bunch of negative thoughts & feelings started running through my head & they ended up getting the best of me. I ended up finishing the 18.74 mile bike in a time of 54 minutes 7 seconds. I kept a 20.8 mile bike average even though I had stopped pushing myself. I still ended up doing pretty well, but I know now that I messed up big time. If I would have continued pushing myself like I normally do I'd of had the single best race of my life! I pr'd the race by a minute and a half, finishing in a time of1 hour 17 minutes 33 seconds. I finished in 4th place in my AG. All three of the guys who beat me ran sub 7 minute miles & finished the bike 90 seconds faster than me, which means they biked for a 22+ mph average. FAST DUDES in my AG this year!

After the race I was pretty down on myself & Brooks, Rob, & John did everything within their power to raise my spirits. They did, & I'm so grateful. I love triathlon not just because of the sport, but because of the people I race with. God blessed me fully when he got me into the great sport of triathlon & allowed me to meet such great friends.

Pre-race sickness

The last 3 days I've been dealing with the worst allergies I've ever had. It wasn't until I woke up this morning that I realized it wasn't alergies, I was sick. I woke up & felt horrible. I tried to go on my scheduled 60 minute run & struggled, I ended up having my first asthma attack in over a year. I knew I should have taken the day off from training, but I can't take a day off without feeling overwhelming guilt & stress. Guilt & stress makes me want to turn to food for comfort, & overeating for any reason is not good for triathlon, speed, or endurance.

I have found through trial & error that getting sick 1 to 2 weeks before a race is a sure sign that I'll have a smoking fast race. When I push myself as hard as my body will go, that breaks my body down, then I have a couple weeks of lower intensity training, and wallah! my body supercompensates, & I end up with a perfect taper & perfect race. But getting sick 3 days before the Holloman duathlon, the worst of it hitting the day before the race not a good sign at all.

This is the life of an endurance athlete. All I can do is show up, ignore the pain, & push myself as hard as I can & leave it in Gods hands. That exactly what I'll do.

By the way, remember those run shoes that I raced in at the Mesa Valley Triathlon that had given me such horrible blisters? I'm wearing them again baby!!!

Great triathlon day

Today I weighed in at 199.2 pounds. I'm no longer a clydesdale! I'm now within a 5 weeks of my goal weight!

This morning I received 2 new pairs of Brooks adrenaline running shoes from overstock.com saving me $40 per pair! I also got a pair of FCA cycling socks and an FCA running cap!

Today I completed a 2 hour 10 minute bike ride, a small part of which was on my HED3/HED disk to make sure my wheel set I'll be riding this weekend works well, & it worked perfectly!!

I took my boy Cody to his ballet class, I love watching him dance, he loves it so much. Cody has his 1st wrestling tournament on Saturday in pecos New Mexico. He'll be wrestling in the pre-k 30-35 weight class. I'm SO EXCITED! We have the camcorder charged up & ready to record! After his tournament I'll be driving to Alamogordo NM for the Holloman duathlon on Sunday morning. The only thing that could make me any happier would be a little sleep, but I never get any of that. I can't remember the last time I was able to feel well rested. Oh well, I can rest when I'm dead. Until then God has blessed me more than I could ever have wished for!

don't assume you're registered for the Holloman duathlon!!!!

This morning I woke up packed for the Holloman duathlon. I was pretty excited about this race because I'd be able to use my disk, & it'll be my 69th multisport race! Then I attempted to put my disk on my bike. After an hour and a half of trying unsuccessfully to get my bike shifting properly I took it to my favorite bike shop, Frankie Flats here in Santa Fe. Turns out my rear derailer was bent & my chain needed replacing.

It was a nightmare registering for this race. I emailed daily for 2 weeks & called daily for a week before I was able to get a registration form, and the people I talked to on the phone were abrupt, bordering on rude. Finally at the end of March I was able to get a registration form & I sent it in with a check.

Since I'd had such horrible difficulties with this race my wife suggested I call the Holloman duathlon to ensure that they have me registered. I called them, and no, they didn't have me registered. At first they down right refused to register me because the registration deadline was a week & a half ago. I told them about the nightmare I'd been having dealing with the race. After 45 minutes of complaining they finally transferred my call to a Christie Stoccio & she let me into the race, probably just to shut me up & get me off the phone;-) On the 1st try my card was declined! Uhg, what a day. 2nd card went through. This was the hardest I've ever had to work getting into a race. If your reading this, call to ensure your actually registered. The race seems to be unorganized at best.

On a side note, there is a momentous battle going on in the master Clydesdale division, and they will both be there racing this weekend. I'm excited to watch how it unfolds!!!

The Tumbleweed triathlon

Turns out The South West Challenge Series won't be able to award series points for the Cochiti triathlon this year due of enforceable problems. No fault or blame there, it was just fate. So now I'll have to drive to Odessa Texas the weekend of July 31st for the Tumbleweed triathlon instead of racing the Cochiti triathlon which is 45 minutes from my house. uhg. There's more unexpected time & money lost in the pursuit of another SW challenge series championship. At least it's a flat and fast race. I like flat & fast. I'll use my disk that weekend. I've owned my HED disk for around 4 years & have only had the opportunity to use it a couple times. Once at The Ransom Canyon tri in Lubbock TX- which was a mistake, it was not flat enough & I'm not a talented enough of a climber to warrant a disk. I also used it last year at the Chick-Fil-A triathlon, which worked out awesome! I'm excited about the prospect of a race flat enough to use my disk again, I'm not so excited about a 14-16 hour round trip drive for a race that'll take less than 75 minutes.

I raced the Tumbleweed tri once back in 2006. My finishing time was 1:19:34. I swam a 500 meter swim in 10:48, a 20K bike in a time of 40:49 which was a 18.2 mph ave, and a 5k run in 28:22, keeping a 9:01 per mile ave.

Speaking of using a disk, I'll be using mine at the Holloman duathlon this weekend! Twice in 1 season! Happy Happy Joy Joy! Happy Happy Joy Joy!

The upcoming 2011 Holloman duathlon

I'll be competing in the Holloman duathlon this Sunday April 17th. In the last few years this race has been called the Stealth duathlon, The Raptor duathlon, & the Holloman duathlon. It's the same course & distance, just a different name. I'm surprised at how hard it's been to register for this race. I've done this race 4 times and all but 1 of those years my times were within 81 seconds of each other. My PR was set in 2009. In 2006 this was the 1st race I had won a medal for top 3 in my division. I'm excited to be going & doing this race again.

2009 1:19:00
2008 1:19:50
2007 1:20:21
2006 1:32:37

I'd left a ton emails & phone calls for weeks requesting a registration form. When I was able to talk to someone they were rather abrupt with me, acting like I was an annoyance. Oh well, it's a flat fast race & I sure love a flat fast race.

Wedding rings & triathlon aren't compatable/ Or weight loss & triathlon

The other day I was talking to a fellow triathlete & cycling stud named Jason McClure. Jason is one of the most amazing cyclists I've ever seen. Anyone who knows about cycling & running knows the lighter a person is the faster they are. Jason weighs 238 pounds & is still one of the fastest cyclists competing in the South West Challenge Series. How he does what he does on the bike being so big I don't know. It's simply not human.

Jason had seen how much faster I'd become in triathlon because of my recent weight loss. He asked what I'd been doing to drop so much weight & get so much faster so quickly.... I'd like to apologize to any athletes out there who are in his age group. I told him my secret. I told him, "It's all about the diet." & I told him about the diet plan I'd been using. I can't even fathom what kind of speeds this guy will be able to get to if he tries dietpower! The sky's the limit!

When I first started triathlon training I was overweight. Within months of starting a triathlon training plan I was able to get down to 235 pounds, which was progress from where I had been at, but I got stuck at that weight. Nothing I tried seemed to get me below the 235 mark long term. A couple years ago I found a diet program called Dietpower that gave me the tools I needed to get triathlon thin & fast! Shortly after I started using Dietpower I was able to drop below 200 pounds for the 1st time since high school. I was able to stay between 184-200 pounds for a year & a half. I got my body fat tested in May 2010 at The University of New Mexico physiology department & at 186 pounds my body fat percentage was eight & a half percent. I had a ripping 6 pack (see picture above), & was a faster runner & cyclist than I'd ever of dreamed I could be. Over the winter I stopped utilizing dietpower & gained my weight back. By the new year I was back to my old weight of exactly 235 pounds. Why the heck does my body like that weight so much? I dunno, but I know I sure didn't like being 235. I was slow in triathlon & I didn't like the way I looked, so I started using dietpower again. Since Jan 1st I've lost 34 pounds & have got my run speed from a dismal 9:30-10 minute per mile pace back down to a 7:36, which is what I averaged at this weekends Mesa Valley Triathlon in Las Cruces New Mexico.

As I lose weight I get thinner everywhere. Even my fingers get thinner. The only bad thing I've found about triathlon training & finding a diet that works well for me is that I've had to buy a new wedding band every time I lost more weight. The old one became to big- rather my fingers became too small. I've had to buy 3 wedding bands, 2 in the last couple years alone! The 1st couple times I lost so much weight I had to buy a new wedding band I thought it was cool. I'm hoping if I get to my dream Ironman Arizona weight of 180 that the wedding band I wear now will still fit, having to buy a 4th wedding band would be ridiculous!

Triathlon 101 mistake on race day

I always post the good and the bad about my training & racing. I made a really dumb rookie mistake during the Mesa Valley triathlon last weekend. I bought a new pair of Zoot triathlon shoes & was so excited I decided to race in them without having ever trained in them. By the 2 mile mark I had massive blisters on both feet. The last 1.2 miles of the run was excruciating. I'm sure I could have broke the 23 minutes mark on the 5K if I'd have raced in shoes I was used to running in. It's a miracle I didn't get blisters on my face from me grimacing the majority of the run;-)

All in all I'm running well considering how heavy I still am. I'm currently 201 pounds at only 5' 11". That's normal for an average Joe, but it's pretty big for a triathlete.

On the up side I'm down to 201 pounds. I've lost a lot of the off season weight I'd gained. I now only have 11 more pounds to lose to be down to my goal race weight. I should be down to 190 by the 3rd week of May, which is the weekend of the Dog House sprint triathlon. Now that I know I'll finally be down to my race weight that weekend I'm contemplating doing the Dog House sprint tri. I shouldn't because if I race that weekend I'll have raced 5 weekends in a row. That's hard on the body & I really should be focusing exclusively on IMAZ. I have difficulties not getting OCD about the South West Challenge Series. I love the series. A couple of the reasons I love the series so much is because I don't like focusing on racing/beating any one particular local triathlete, they are all so friendly, encouraging, supportive & are honorable sportsmen to the last. But to compete in a series takes away me needing to focus on a person & I can focus on a series of events & my individual performance in numerous events within one goal. The other reason I love the series so much is because I love hanging out with all my tri buddies many times/races through the course of an entire season.

Since my wife has started going to school & I stay home with our babies in the day while she's at school & work nights I've been having to do a lot of my cycling on my rollers & indoor trainer. I think that has a lot to do with why I'm not getting the speed I'm used to at races on the bike. But I'm ok with that. My family comes first. I'll accept being a slow cyclist knowing my wife will graduate, get a great job making lots of money to buy me lots of new & triathlon gear;-)

Toughman competition at the Mesa Valley triathlon

This weekend was the Mesa Valley triathlon in Las Cruces New Mexico. There was some amazing performances this weekend.

Jason McClure passed me with authority just passed the half way point of the bike. He immediately got a flat on his rear tire, continued racing regardless of the flat tire & put even more time on me with a flat! Amazing performance!

Rob Lovit had a bad crash about a mile into the bike. He ruined his front wheel & had some pretty bad road rash on his hand, back, shoulder, & leg. It took him a bit to put his bike & wheel back together enough to be able to ride again, but as soon as his bike was able to be ridden he was back into the race pushing himself as hard as he could. Even with the crash & the pain from his injuries he was able to ride himself back into a 2nd place Clydesdale finish. Another amazing performance!

John Gardea, one of the most consistent & most improved triathletes in the SW series took 1st place Clydesdale. The clydesdale division is going to be one fierce battle this year & I'm looking forward to watching it as it unfolds.

Brooks Vandivort took 2nd place in the age group 35-39, which is my division. He's ahead in the 35-39 age group in the SW challenge series. He's getting faster with every race. He has absolutely crushed my course PR's at every race he's done this year.

Ross Martinez showed up & raced at the Mesa Valley triathlon after not racing for almost 10 months. His time off from racing sure didn't seem to slow him down any. He took 3rd place in the 35-39 ag.

Valentine Ramirez who has beaten soundly in 2 of the races I've competed in this year took 8th place in the 35-39. Turns out his weakness is swimming. Even though he's far superior to me on the bike & run, he struggles enough in the water I may be able to finish ahead of him in the SW series- as long as he doesn't improve his swimming much.

I had a great run finishing the 5K in 23:42 averaging a 7:38 pace. I had poor bike time of 49:11 in a 25K averaging 19 mph. I had a really poor swim time of 10:19 for a 500 meter swim. I finished in a time of 1:23:10 taking 5th place out of 9 in my age group & 32d male overall out of 133.

The 5th place this weekend gave me another 5 points for the SW challenge series, I now have 23 points total. I'm in 3rd place in the south West Challenge series 35-39 Age Group behind Brooks Vandivort & Val Ramirez. My next race will be the Holloman duathlon. Both Val Ramirez & Brooks Vandivort are registered for this race, and since there's no swim in the Holloman duathlon I'll probably be finishing behind the 2 of them. Hopefully I'll be able to find a race or two this year that the 2 of those beasts aren't going to be at, because the 2 of them keep getting farther & farther ahead in the SW challenge series with every race we do together. Since 2006 I've finished in 2nd place in the SW series twice & 1st place 3 times. This might be the year that I get beaten up & humbled. I'll do my best, but I be honored to be beaten by either one of those guys. They are great people & honorable competitors. Looks like this is turning out to be a challenging season! I'll keep you posted on how it goes.

Triathletes are great people

I'm going to compete in the MVT triathlon in Las Cruces New Mexico tomorrow morning. I was planning on sleeping in my mini van at the races parking lot to save money. Jason McClure a fellow triathlete I compete against regularly found out I was racing this weekend, he contacted me out of the blue & asked me to stay with him & his family. It was completely unexpected & appreciated.

Today on the way to MVT triathlon in Las Cruces I stopped at the Chick-fil-a for a diet lemonade. When I went to pay the cashier he handed me a piece of paper & told me the car in front of me paid for my drink. The paper said, "From your FCA-Endurance brother & sister in Christ. God Bless. The Tovar's.

When I first started training for triathlons I'd heard of a local triathlete by the name of Hector Tovar. He was one of' the fastest triathletes in the South West. He rarely finished a race outside of the top 2 in any race, & he was in my age group! Although we both race heavily I'd never had an opportunity to race him until The Spring Fling & Jay Benson triathlons in 2010. He was even faster than I imagined he was, I was pleasantly surprised how humble & friendly he was, but what impressed me most was he raced with a Fellowship Of Christian Athletes racing top on. I raced at those 2 races in my FCA gear also, & even though he & his wife were focused on the race (Hector being close to being in the lead) they both took the time to wave at another Christian triathlete. After the race they both came & talked to me for awhile. They were warm loving people who had a true love for the Lord. I only met them those 2 times, the last time was 11 months ago, yet somehow they still recognized & remembered me almost a year later sitting behind them at a drive through & paid for my drink.

Triathletes are some of the kindest people I've ever met. I'm so grateful to be a part of this amazing multisport community.

I believe that God worked through the McClures & Tovar's today to remind me that God is with me everyday in everything I do. It was a wonderful reminder & I was touched deeply today by God, the MCClure's & the Tovar's thoughtfulness. I will race tomorrow as the Lord requested for me to do by way of my kind fellow triathletes.

God speed & God bless!

MVT triathlon

I'm registered for the MVT triathlon this weekend. I wasn't planning on doing this race, but I got an email that the awards ceremony for the SW Challenge series will be held after the MVT triathlon. I took 1st place in the SW Challenge series AG 35-39 last year, so I can't miss that!

This years MVT triathlon is in the same area, & is the same distances as the MVTC triathlon, just a different (& better) Race Director. The old RD's retired. I've done this race 3 times before, I got flats 2 of the 3 times I've raced this event. The one year I didn't get a flat was 2006, I PR'd the course that year with a time of 1:36:03. Even though I'm still out of shape & over weight from my off season I'm relatively certain I'll break my MVT course PR this year. In 2006 I ran a 5K averaging an 8:08 pace, which was dang good considering the course & how much I weighed at the time. My bike & swim splits that year were ridiculous. I was surprised to remember how slow of a cyclist & swimmer I was in 2006! I'll post my race report as soon as I can!