Eric's Training, Racing and Other Fun Stuff

The Nations Triathlon Race Report

2009-09-14T11:30:00.003-05:00

I try not to be long-winded in my race reports, so let's see how I do....

Pre Race
I generally prefer to race in the Open Wave of races that offer it. I like to compete against the fastest competition head-on, even if I get my tail whooped. So when I signed up for The Nations Triathlon and it's 4000+ competitors, I absolutely signed up for the Open Wave. Or so I thought....but after some shmoozing and minor arm twisting, I negotiated my way back into the 1st wave instead of the umpteenth wave.

This has not been a great summer of training for me. Most of my training time has been devoted to helping CycleLife get off the ground (which is going great! Look for details on winter CompuTrainer classes coming shortly), spending time with Allen (he turned 18 mos on Saturday), giving my wonderful girlfriend Aimee the attention she deserves, and shopping for a house. So my expectations were pretty low coming in to the race. Have fun, race hard, don't get hurt.

Swim
Potomac River swim is starting to become one my favorite swims. It's wide, the water is not terrible and it's pretty cool to swim under the Memorial Bridge. It's in a section of the river that is not fast moving, so you don't feel much current on the way out, but it sure would be nice to feel a little with you on the way back! Out of the water in 22:40 or so. Pretty slow, but not bad for my 2nd swim since July!

Bike
Like everything else, I haven't ridden my TT bike this summer at all. And almost never at race tempo. And it felt like it. Hips and glutes were baked after 5 minutes as I watched my avg watts drop lower and lower. By the end I was down to 223 (I averaged 215 for a 60 mile aerobic ride just the week before). Thank goodness for the aeroness of my P3 and Pete Warner's 808s, or I would have been REALLY slow. 1:04:10.

Run
Hit the run very conservatively. After tweaking my calf on Thursday, I didn't even know if it was a good idea to try today. But I also went in open to the possibility of demonstrating freedom from that physical limitation. I didn't really have anyone in sight to chase, so I just took my time establishing my rhythm. By the 1 mile mark I was feeling strong and confident, so I started to ramp up my pace. I got passed at about the 3 mile mark, but stuck close and actually caught back up by the 5 mile mark. He ended up surging away, but I caught three people in the last mile. As I pulled alongside Steuart Martens within sight of the finish, I said, "I can't sprint, so you better not let me beat you!" He surged to hold me off, thus maintaining his 3 second cushion from last year's race :) Very pleased to hold a steady pace and for my calf to hold up to 6.2 miles on pavement. 37:01.

Overall a beautiful day to race, an exceptionally well-run event -- especially considering the size -- and a great time racing with the men and women of AOAT. Keep an eye out for Omar Nour who placed 6th -- 3rd if he hadn't been practicing his ITU drafting technique :) -- despite being 3 weeks into fasting for Ramadan. Follow Omar on Facebook ("Omar Nour - Triathlete - The road to the Olympics is o.n.") in his quest to become Egypt's first Olympic triathlete

Full Results Here: http://www.nationstri.com/results-2009

Experiment: Less is More

2009-05-12T09:55:00.004-05:00

These are the accounts my new experiment with a sample size of n=1.

How I got here.

I've been running since I was 15 years old. At times, I've done it pretty well. My sophomore year in high school, I earned All-State in both cross country and track. After that, I attended University of Virginia and ran varsity cross country and track, earning All-ACC in the 10,000m with a PR of 30:14. That isn't going to win any national championships, but it was good enough to get me and education at one of the best state schools in the country.

Interestingly enough, when I was in college, my parents revealed to me that when I was born the doctors told them that I would need to wear corrective shoes. They never had me wear them, relied on prayer and I never experienced any difficulty with my feet.

While I was in college I was running 2 times a day and 90+ miles a week to be successful. After school, I started training for my first triathlon in order to spread my training load over three sports and I have been hooked ever since.

As a triathlete, my run has always been my strongest discipline, but it has always been my biggest challenge to stay healthy. For years, I have had nagging calf problems to in the past few years a quirky foot ankle problem that caused my stride to be extremely awkward. I've worked through the challenges in different ways -- strength training, massage therapy, chiropractic, various shoes, altering training, etc. -- and have recently been fairly consistent, if not spectacular, with my run training.

After yet another minor setback with my calf this spring, I went to see Natalie King, PTA/CMIT, at Schrier Physical Therapy in Gaithersburg, MD, http://schrierphysicaltherapy.com/. Natalie has developed the Athletic Movement and Performance Test, AMPT, to indentify strength and range of motion limitations for triathlon-specific movements. Her assessment was the most thorough and eye-opening I have ever received. She indentified a significant range of motion limitation in my ankles and lack of activiation my my glutes. Both of these assesssments fit squarely with things I had been sensing in my stride, but no one had been able put their finger on it.

Natalie recommended custom orthotics to help address my issues. While I have tried custom orthotics in the past, I have never felt supported or benefited from them and have quickly tossed them to the back of my closet, so I was skeptical. Considering her excellent diagnosis, however, I was willing to give them a shot. We spent at least an hour forming the ortho's and adjusting them using video analysis. I felt great leaving the office and was looking forward to running again.

I was back to running right away and was running healthy. But something was still missing.....

XTERRA Charlottesville Race Report

2008-08-19T14:50:00.006-05:00

First post in almost a year. Changes to numerous to count in my life personally and professionally. All of them awesome! I've been able to maintain a modicum of fitness. At times, I feel great. Others, I definitely can tell I don't train nearly as much as I used to. So I try to focus on the times when I am going well.

Like this past Sunday. :)

I don't get back to Charlottesville very often, but it's always fun to see what has changed and what has not since I graduated from UVa in 1992. After a short pre-ride on Saturday afternoon, we pitched camp, had dinner on the Downtown Mall, listened to the Smashing Pumpkins concert outside the gate of the pavilion at the end of the mall, watched Michael Phelps win his 8th gold medal in the Medley Relay, and then headed back to the campsite to catch some z's.

Race morning was cool and overcast. Perfect day to race. After getting everything set, and a short warm-up run, I looked up to see my old UVa cross country teammate, Rob Cook. Rob had been an All-America and made the finals of the '96 Olympic trials in the steeplechase. Hadn't seen him in almost 15 years so I was psyched. It was also good to know that he would be doing the bike and run leg of relay, so at least I wouldn't worry to much if he came blazing by me on the run. :)

Swim
I, along with friends Frank, Pierre, Dr. Kathy, Chad and Lauris were all in the 2nd of 3 waves of the 2 loop, 1200m swim. I got out to a good start, 3rd at the turn buoy and worked my way up to the lead in my wave by the end of the first loop. Lead the wave until the last 50m when a guy who had been sitting my my feet passed me to be first out of the water. No worries. I gave him an "atta-boy" on the run up to T1 and was off to start the bike.

Bike
Best part about getting having a good swim in XTERRA is minimizing how many people one has to pass on the narrow trails. As it turned out, even with the 2 minute deficit, I only had 3 people to pass before being in the overall lead. That was fun for about 15 minutes until a rocket-on-rails passed me at about the 30 minute mark. He had been in the first wave, so I knew I had a 2 minute cushion, but he was fast enough, I knew I was going to have to work to maintain it.

I rode all the most technical terrain great, but botched several little things that come from not knowing the course 100%. Frustrating at times, but the course at Walnut Creek is still my favorite MTB course of the XTERRAs I have done. It's a blast! Got off the bike in 2nd place on the course, but knew that Frank would have been catching me and I couldn't get a straight answer as to where Mr.-1st-Place was, so I knew I was just going to have to run hard.

Run
After a summer of interrupted run training, it was great to feel strong and run fast again. No pain other than that of working hard. Every time the trail would open up, I would look to see if I could spot #1, but never could. With about a 1/2 mile to go, the course does a hairpin turn onto the park road that runs parallel to the trail. Through the trees I spotted him running the other way, checked my watch and when I hit the turnaround, it had only been 40 seconds. I knew I was inside that 2 minute cushion and was closing. I also knew that Frank would not be far behind me, so I had to push the pace all the way in.

I would end up winning by 1:07. Frank would finish 3rd overall 1:20 back of me (and only 13 seconds back of 2nd -- argh!). Pierre would place 4th overall. My buddy Rob finished between Frank and Pierre, so Pierre was much pleased to find out he was a relay!

Much kudos to Dr. Kathy for winning the women's race overall, beating even pro Alisha Lion, who had bested her by 13 minutes just a month before. Dr. Kathy is back!!

Congrats also to Lauris (2nd in AG), Chad for overcoming some swim demons, Tucker, Stacey (who beat Tucker out of the water!), and Darma and Amanda for their relay.

This was my last XTERRA of the season, so it felt great to end it on a high note. Will be doing the Day of Endurance and VentureQuest race from EX2 Adventures and the Nations Triathlon before the end of the season.

"Let us feel the divine energy of Spirit."

2007-10-11T16:16:00.000-05:00

This quote from Mary Baker Eddy was the theme of this past weekend's trip put on by Discovery Bound on Catalina Island.

Several months ago, I received a call from the Discovery Bound headquarters asking me to come speak and chaperon a weekend retreat for teenaged kids with a sports theme. The weekend would culminate with a mini triathlon (swim, kayak, run), so you know I was in!

Chaperons and 150 teenagers from across the country converged on LAX for a shuttle and then ferry ride to the Island. Unfortunately, 8-9 foot swells on the 26 mile channel between Marina Del Ray and Camp Emerald Bay canceled the ferry ride and left us doing mixers in the marina's park and scrambling for sleeping accomodations. Fortunately, we were traveling to a Boy Scout camp and everyone was prepared with sleeping bags as we gratefully accepted floor space at 28th Church in Los Angeles, and the UCLA Christian Science Organization. After a 3:30am wake-up and rolling 5am ferry ride, we finally stepped out onto Catalina Island.

After whirlwind of discussion groups, speakers, activies (including soccer, volleyball, football, snorkling, kayaking, hiking), we closed the evening with a bonfire. It seemed like the ferry ride had been days before.

The next morning chaperons James and April, and I took a group of a dozen kids for a 3 mile sunrise run.Each one of these kids not only ran three miles that morning, but they also came back and did the triathlon that afternoon -- 300m swim, kayak around the big rock (pictured) at the entrance to the bay, and then a 5k run. A formidable task for many adults, much less a bunch of teenagers, most of whom were not swimmers, runner or kayakers. They were awesome!

It was my great pleasure to share my ideas on how spirituality and sport interrelate. Their enthusiasm, input and curiosity were a breath of fresh air. I hope these fantastic young adults got half as much from me, as I got from them!

Some days you chase the bear, some days the bear eats all your garbage.

2007-10-02T13:58:00.000-05:00

This has been the most prolific year of racing for me in years -- and by prolific, I mean that I had raced SIX whole races. I have been so grateful to be able to train and race at a level that approaches what I used to do. My time away from that level of competition has made me truly appreciate how fortunate we all are to "play" triathlon. All year long, my goal race has been the XTERRA USA Championships. I had prepared very well, so I was looking forward to mixing it up.

UPS Sux!
I had made my travel plans to arrive on Saturday morning in Reno. Having never raced at altitude I wanted to give myself the best chance of success. Generally accpeted understanding of altitude racing is that you have two choices: 1) Arrive 2-3 weeks before to adapt to the atlitude. 2) Arrive within 24 hours to limit the increasingly negative effects of the lower oxygen concentration. Not having 3 weeks to just go play in Lake Tahoe, I chose the latter. Because of this, I decided to ship my bike UPS so that it would arrive before I did, avoid any possibilities of delay in transit, and be ready to go. So I, along with Jenn, Frank and Stacey, shipped my bike, “guaranteed” to arrive on Friday 9/28. For reasons unbeknownst to all, mine was the only one of the four to arrive on time. Check Frank's blog for his, "What can Brown NOT do for you!" rant.

And, of course, there is something about traveling that turns me into a complete knucklehead – or maybe traveling just reveals it. [See my blog from XTERRA in Maui last year!] Hmm… Anyway, after a drive to Dulles, a taxi to National, checking my bags with “seconds to spare” according to the sky cap, having my carry-on inspected because I had 3 drops of water in a water bottle, realizing I had dropped my ID back at security, running back to get it, and making my flight by about 2 minutes, I had an uneventful trip to Reno.

Race Morning
With morning air temps in the 20s (and snow in the mountains) the day before the race, the question on everyone's lips was "What are you going to wear on the bike?" After much, hand-wringing, I decided on arm warmers with my tri jersey under my wetsuit and a short sleeve cycling jersey over. While I was certainly doubting my decision as I set up my transition area on the frost-covered grass, the sun peaking through the trees felt quite warm. Might as well go big!

Swim
While I wasn't concerned particularly about the swim, my bare feet were freezing on the 1/4 mile walk from T1 to the lake. I was hoping the water, even at 57 degrees, might feel warm compared to the pavement. No such luck. I hopped in for a little stretch out swim and it was COLD. Bring on the ice cream headache! My breathlessness subsided after a couple minutes and I was ready to go. I found a 20 foot hole in the front of mass start, right in the middle and took it. At the gun I was away GREAT! No one to my right faster than me, and only a small bunch to the left. Had a good position, but when I went to transition from start speed to tempo speed, I could not relax and feel smooth. I found some feet and did my best, but never felt great. The short beach run between laps about KILLED me as it felt like a clown was making a balloon animal out of my lungs! Diving back into the water I was just happy to be moving forward. I held my position throughout the 2nd loop. And happy to hit shore in a solid position. Only thing I would have done differently would be to NOT put the arm warmers on inside my wetsuit. They chafed my arm and made peeling the wetsuit something out of a WWE Smackdown episode.

Bike
Despite my trepidation on my apparel choice before the race, I was feeling smart about it as I started the bike. As it turned out, it would be perfect mix for me that day. Amongst a few other riders, we rolled out for first mile on pavement. The words Jenn had said to me as we said our “Good Lucks” before the swim rang in my ears, words that carried me throughout the day, “Race YOUR race!” I set my tempo and watched several people pass me on the long (~40 minutes) fire road climb up Tunnel Creek Trail. I felt confident that my pacing would pay off later. At the top, the flat Flume Trail was all big ring, fast, twisty and fun. I felt good and pushed fairly hard. As we started the next climb up the Rim Trail, I quickly realized, however, that today was not going to be Eric’s day. I was riding steady, but any little bit of extra juice would send me right over the red line. I didn’t feel like I was breathing too hard. I just had not gas. The wheels started to come off and continually asked myself, “Am I racing MY race?” I was giving all I had, so emotionally I never allowed myself to get down.

One more tough, beautiful climb -- yes, there was still some snow left up there at 8,000+ fee -- and we bombed down some twisty, hair-pinned, bouldered, single track. I passed a few slower descenders, and then hit the fire road of Tunnel Creek Trail to the finish. Wheeeeeee! I have never ridden fast enough on the dirt to spin out my 42-11 (that IS the big chain ring, you roadies!). Mike Frasketti would later report to have hit 37 MPH on this section. Back to T2, I wondered what I would have left for the run.

Run
Expecting the worst, I zipped out of transition and felt GREAT! ????? “How is this possible? Who cares?!” While I was not flying, I set a good tempo and steadily starting passing people, and no one was passing me J. Remarkably, the race organizers have found an almost flat 5k run loop (think the single track at Wakefield without going up to the power lines). There were several quick ups and downs, and I could feel myself on the verge of cramping. About a half mile from the end of the first lap, the first doozy of a cramp hit. I shuffled a few steps until it loosened up, and kept going. I managed a few more, “Oh-oh-oh’s” during the 2nd loop, but kept a strong, if not remarkable, pace to the finish. Still had plenty of energy to muster a big smile and appreciate the effort of the day. Final time 3:13:44, 7th in AG, 61st OA.

Reflections
While this was not the result I was looking for, I was very pleased to know I put everything I had into my day. And for an “off” day, I have no business complaining with my place. To be true, I am far from satisfied and look forward to the next time I have the chance to race in this environment.

Lessons Learnt:
1) Just go race! Getting out there 1 day before definitely added some stress to the trip and it didn’t seem to help a bit with the alititude.
2) Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. While I did drink on the bike, I needed to drink as if it were 20 degrees warmer. Despite being in the 40s and 50s for most of the race, I still ended up cramping.
3) Your best race is the one where you give your best – in preparation, in commitment, in effort, and in attitude.
4) No matter the outcome, racing with great friends is always better than racing alone.

Shout out to the ODC: Frank, Stacey, Vergil, Jenn, Mike F. (and his whole family that came to support him!), and Scud. You can be my wingmen any time.

Damian, Pierre & Kathy, we all missed you out there and can’t wait to be hitting the trails with you again soon!

Many thanks to Mark Smith at Bonzai, for his support of my racing and Principle Fitness as a whole.

Click Here to see my pictures.

Why do we compete?

2007-09-28T09:15:00.000-05:00

Ever stop to wonder why we spend so much time, energy and money on something that rarely provides any financial gain? We take time away from our friends and family. We work until exhaustion. We obsess over every detail. Why? To lose a few pounds? To be a healthier, better looking person? Sure. But we could do that in a lot less time and a lot less $$ with a few hours a week in the gym. Difference is that we compete.

So why do we compete? Because it's fun? Seriously? Does running intervals on the track until your lungs and legs are feel like they are completely engulfed in flames sound fun to you? What about riding a skinny saddle for hours on end with nothing protecting your bum, but thing chamois? Puking on the side of the road when your nutrition doesn't go quite right? Fun is playing marco polo with your kids on a hot summer day. Fun is going to a concert on a Thursday night without worrying about how tired you will be at swim practice the next morning. No, what we do is not "fun".

It is a hobby. So what is that separates the athelte from the guy who spends his weekends building intricate model train sets in his basment? Or simultaneously plays 10 hands of online poker for hours on end?

This is what I think: We compete to test ourselves. To come face to face with that part of our souls that we don't want anyone else to know about. The uncertainty, the doubt, the anxiety. Competing makes us face those demons. It is the gladiators' arena, whereby we find out of we are strong, or brave, or worthy of praise. We hope that in forcing ourselves to face ourselves, we can make these dark places go away. That we will become better people.

And the hard part about it is that sometimes the demons win. Learning to come back from those defeats are often the hardest lessons we learn. And sometimes it takes a lot of defeats. But when we look that devil eye to eye, and he blinks, there is not sweeter victory.

XTERRA Nationals are in two days. Along with Frank, Stacey, Mike F., Jenn, Vergil and Scud, I am looking forward to testing myself against the best in our sport. Hopefully, when faced with those internal demons, I will prove myself, in this battle, to be strong, brave, worthy.

If not, there is always pottery class.

"Who would have guessed he was a figure skater?"

2007-08-19T18:07:00.000-05:00

XTERRA Charlottesville was today. Definitely one the most funnest-est courses we race on. It has a bit of everything: rocks, roots, logs, steep climbs, steady climbs, fast descents.

Weekend started with Frank, Stacey, Vergil and I carpooling down. We previewed the entire bike course in the morning which gave us a big advantage on race day. Just before the end of the ride we ran into a couple of newbie's just out for a ride, one of which, Dr. John Hong, had broken a chain. Frank helped him fix it. Apparently, he used to figure skate. Go figure..... See Video Seriously, it was him.

Pitched camp afterward and Frank "Did Nap".

Race morning dawned cool and overcast. Perfect for racing. Had a solid swim and was 1st out of the water in our wave. Had a blast "playing" the bike. Rode some difficult sections and screwed up some easy ones, but felt strong and definitely faster than last year when my suspension was held together with duct tape and zip ties! After not running much since Columbia because of a nagging injury challenge, I had been able to put in a couple weeks of light runs and was hopeful I would feel strong. Ran fast and strong the whole way, which I couldn't say for either XTERRA Richmond or XTERRA EX2 (Rocky Gap). Was psyched for that, and even more so to feel healthy! Placed 3rd Overall and 1st in AG, but more importantly went almost 7 minutes faster than last year!

Frank had a fantastic race finishing 5th Overall and 2nd in his AG. He has worked extremely hard and was happy to seem him go so well. He improved 6 minutes from last year -- a time that would have won overall!

Mike Frasketi has been working so hard to qualify for Nationals in Lake Tahoe, but took a nasty fall just last weekend. Despite a painful shoulder, he placed top 20 overall! We'll see if the points shake out, but was so proud to see him step up and rock! I'm sure it meant a lot to him also to have his wife, kids and parents there to cheer him on!

Stacey was not so happy about the long preview ride on Saturday, but she ate that course up and finished with a smile!

And then there is Vergil. Verg just started racing XTERRAs this summer. His is a long and fabulous story better told by him, but in terms of off road racing, he's been improving by leaps and bounds. In his first full XTERRA race at Rocky Gap, he was just over three hours and hoped to beat that here. Comparing the courses, I'd estimate this one as 7-10 minutes faster than Rocky Gap. Vergil went 2:35!!! Are you kidding me? Simply awesome!

Got a chance to talk and have fun with Tucker J, Scud, Sue Smiga (who won her AG), Roger M (who crushed his AG comp by 20 minutes!), Chad, as well as some new friends! All in all, a fun weekend and one not to be missed next year if you like off-road triathlon.

If you couldn't make it to this one, you were certainly missed!

Where is Eric?

2007-08-15T11:49:00.000-05:00

It's been a long time since my last post. Things have been busy at Principle Fitness, training, racing, and trying to have some sort of social life. Thank goodness for friends and for mountain biking!

Have raced 3 XTERRA races this year, the Columbia Triathlon for the first time in years, and the Cranky Monkey 12 Hour mtb race. It's been a busy year of races for me! I've been pleased with my results and continue my upward swing back toward the level of competition I am used to.
Been on few fabulous rides to Gambrill State Park and Elizabeth's Furnace (see pic) in the last few weeks. Pretty amazing the places a bike will take you.

Races coming up: XTERRA Charolttesville, (8/19), Annapolis Triathlon (9/9), and then XTERRA Nationals in Lake Tahoe (9/30).

In June I started as Second Reader in my church. The church pastors are our church textbooks, the Bible and Science & Health, by Mary Baker Eddy. Each church elects laypersons for read from these books each Sunday and at Wednesday meetings. While I was very nervous to commit to this post, I have found it an amazing privilege to really delve into the richness of these texts. It's given me more depth in my faith and understanding then ever before.

One thing I do find, is that the deeper I dig and the more I grow, the bigger that challenges with which I am faced. It's like a video game, I guess. Once you get strong enough to pass one level, the next one makes your work even harder. And the more you want to keep going!

Race Report

2006-10-30T15:03:00.000-05:00

Race morning dawned as all mornings this week. 70 degrees and cloudless skies. Since Xterra races often starting later in the morning -- I think it's a mountain biker thing -- we had plenty of time to have breakfast, gather up our stuff and head down to the race course.

Caught up with Pierre and Kathy and chilled out before the race start, which was delayed 15 minutes for unknown reasons. The cannon fired and we hit the small surf in a 450 person mass start -- pro's and all. I got away clean and made it to the first turn buoy in good position. Exited the water at the end of the first loop next to Jamie Whitmore (two-time champion here). After the short beach run, I hit the water and moved up steadily on the 2nd loop. Hit the beach at 23:21, just 16 seconds behind Justin Thomas (JT), with whom I'd been staying all week along with his wife Julie. I was pleased.

Best thing about being out of the water early in Xterra is being able to maneuver as you like on the tight trails and pick the best lines. After a short road section we hit the first climb, a dirt/gravel road that went up and up. I paced myself b/c I knew that this was going to be a long day. I was feeling good, not great, but still passing as many people as I was passing until just before the first feed station when I dropped my chain and it got stuck between my spokes and the largest cog. It took me about a minute to dislodge the chain which was frustrating as I watched all the people I had passed on the climbs catch back up and pass me. No worries. This is Xterra. No one gets away without a little bit of hassle.

I continued to ride strong, but was starting feel the effects of the 2800 feet of elevation gain of the course. We topped out at 1400 feet at Ned's Peak. This last climb was about 1 mile straight up and actually included a couple hudred yards of paved road that had me on the rivets using my granny gear (22-34, that's 22 front chain ring, 34 rear!) Many people were standing by necessity. Didn't make it to Deep Creek a couple weeks ago, but I can only hope that was not as steep as this!

After Ned's peak is The Plunge. Where we drop 600+ feet in less than two miles on loose, nasty, sharp lava rock. It was the scariest thing I have ever done on a MTB because you really could not count on your bike going the way you pointed it. I got a little loose in one turn and got caught in the outside of the trail in the weeds. I had just about steered myself back to the trail with I washed out and fell sideways. Underneath all those weeds, of course was plenty of lava rock, and I thought, Ouch, lava rock is sharp and my shin had a nasty scrape. Other than that, I escaped unscathed.

A few rocky, rutted climbs later and we bombed back down that dirt/gravel path to the finish the bike. I was in a good position, but I knew I had lost some time. I wanted to have a steady run and just see where I would end up. This, however, would be one of the hardest runs of my life. We started out on the same road as the bike and then up, up, up for about 2 miles. It was rough. Had to stop and stretch out my cramping hamstrings 2-3 times. I was managing my energy levels and took a few walk breaks on the steeper sections to stay under control. On the way down I was able to make up time and pass a few people. When I reached the white sand beach at 4.5 miles I was feeling OK, but after 2 minutes on the 5-600m section of soft sand, I was DONE. I was passed by 3-4 people, but none in my age group, so I was OK with that!

Once I passed the last black sand beach section and made it the hotel golf course, I knew I was going to make it. Crossing the line I was elated. I had given everything I had and competed in the hardest, scariest race I had ever done -- no disrespect to and Ironman or other road triathlon. Xterra is just a different kind of hurt. Never before had 8:27 per mile pace felt like such an accomplishment. I had simply hoped to race and compete with the best in the World today. To place in the top 10 would have been very gratifying. When I found out I had placed 5th, I was overwelmed.

After cleaning up my war wounds, I went back to watch Pierre and Kathy finish. Pierre had been nursing a badly sprained ankle for the last month, so he was going to make today a fun day. Kathy simply rocked. Passing people left and right she would later say she has never felt this strong on this course. She would place 2nd in the her age group, her highest placing ever at Worlds. She finished with style, turning a cartwheel across the line.

Results are posted at www.xterrplanet.com

More details and pictures to follow!

Aloha

Two Days to Race Day -- Getting Antsy

2006-10-27T20:28:00.000-05:00

Two days to before the race. Everything about my rhythm, however, makes me feel like we should be racing tomorrow. Chillin' a lot.

Enquring minds want to know, "Eric, how is your foot?" Went for a run this morning and it felt good. More importantly, legs felt good. Ran through the two beach sections (one white sand, one black sand) and "The Spooky Forest" which was cool. Lots of over/under logs & limbs.

After a short swim, met up with Pierre, Kathy, Valerie and Kathy's mom for Starbucks (of course).

Yesterday evening, we went out to watch the sunset from the beach. This is truly a remarkable place when you can take 20 steps and see such breathtaking views.

Aloha!

Race Course Preview

2006-10-26T21:52:00.000-05:00

Woke on Wednesday morning to cool (upper 60s) and partly cloudy morning. The sun rising over Haleakala was beautiful. First picture is the West Maui Mountains. The 2nd is 180 degrees the other direction looking up to Haleakala.

On my way out to the beach to take these pictures, I encountered a new friend who said, "Of course I am racing, can't you see how fast I'm going?!" He was about 4 inches long. Big sucker!

Went for a swim and then a ride on the practice course. They don't let us ride on the actual course until race day because it is private land. The picture looks timid doesn't it? Problem is, underneath all that green of the trail are fist-sized loose lava rocks that make it feel like you are riding on marbles. Even the mild descents feel sketchy. Ooo, can't wait for Sunday!

Today, Thursday, went for another swim and ride. Swim course (see picture left) was flat and clear (yesterday was Eagleman-like choppy). Rode up the practice course again and felt much more comfortable with the loose rocks.

Ran into Pierre & Kathy who were out to pre-ride. They look ready to go as long as they, along with Kathy's mom, can keep little Valerie occupied!

Welcome to Maui!

2006-10-24T20:14:00.000-05:00

Well Ironman is over. Vergil's parents are off to some 12 hour, around-the-island tour of Hawaii (....a 3 hour tour....a 3 hour tour). The crowd a Lava Java is not nearly so lycra-clad. Always hate to leave the Big Island, but looking forward to getting into MY race mode.

While taking the turbo prop plane over to Maui, I took the opportunity to snap a few pictures. Below is the last leg of the road to the infamous Natural Energy Lab. The NEH is not infamous for it's physical demands, but, as you can see, for it's psychological torture. You can see the end of the road for all the of the two miles, but you just can't seem to get there!

Then as we approached Maui, Haleakala voclano above the cloud line. Sunday's race will climb the lower ranges of the volcano which will be plenty brutal enough, thank you very much.

Justin and Julie Thomas picked me up from the airport and JT got a call from Dr. Kathy just as we started down the road. We went for lunch in Paia and then a side trip over to "Jaws" to check out of the waves.

We then headed back to the condo in Kihei to assemble the bike and chill before going for a ride. 20 steps out our back door is the view below. It's a tough life here!

Aloha for now!

IM Pictures

2006-10-24T13:01:00.000-05:00

Cheryl McMurray rocking on Kuakini Highway!

Nice tail, Vergil! More cowbell, Tom!

G Lo rollin' down Hualailai Road (turn LEFT!)

Elizabeth Weaver 9 miles in on Alii Drive

Vergil finishing with style!

IM Day After

2006-10-24T00:29:00.000-05:00

As excited and nervous and energetic as Kona is the week before IM, it is like a bubble burst the day after. Most people are walking gingerly (even the spectators) and the atmosphere has very much mellowed. It is a time for reflection on the tremendous accomplishment of racing here in Hawaii, and even more so, on the journey that it has taken to get here.

We went to the awards dinner on Sunday evening, sitting with Tom & Cheryl, Christianna Ober (also her first IM in Hawaii) & Sean Ward, Vergil, his parents & friends Darren & Amanda. We couldn't find G Lo and Chuck (sorry we missed you!). Without at doubt, it was the LONGEST awards dinner ever. Why does it take 3 1/2 hours to give out these awards?

Highlights:

They showed a "final finishers" video and Vergil and his parents crossing the finish line was the first clip.
Sister Madonna Buder was the last official finisher at 16:59:03 and 76 years old!
G Lo made the final video of the evening as she was interviewed a few days before the race while at the swim practice area, aka Dig Me Beach.

Walked by the street sign on the way home that marks the start and finish of the race year round.

The evening finished up with a loud, smokey (believe it), crowded evening at LuLu's bar on Alii Drive. Got to bed at 12:30...6:30am EDT...just as Monday swim practice was finishing back home (thanks covering this morning, Franz!)

IM Hawaii

2006-10-23T15:35:00.000-05:00

IM morning broke overcast, humid and cool (mid 70s). Hard to connect with everyone in the crowds downtown, so we dropped Vergil at the closest point and parked the car about a mile from town. Stopped in for breakfast at the famous Lava Java and ran into Justin Thomas (Xterra pro with whom I’ll be staying when I get to Maui). Ate with Dr. Kirsten Grove and Ally Heim.

As the gun fired, a light rain began – always a good omen in Kona. The water was “up” a bit and the finish times would reflect the slow conditions. Most competitors would see times 5-15 minutes slower than expected on this day. [The picture here was taken just east of the course which runs North/South. The competitors didn't have any breakers to deal with.] Jason and I would later jump in for a 30 minute swim and I can vouch that the current was definitely pushing out.

Once we saw Cheryl, Elizabeth, Gail and Vergil head out on the bike, we chilled out and waited for the pro’s to come back to town. The weather remained predominantly overcast with light winds. Reports came back that the winds were down and there was even rain on the bike course – between a few minutes and an hour and a half depending on where you were.

As the pro’s came back to town, both Normann Stadler and Michellie Jones had established big leads they would not relinquish. Just as notable, however, were 2nd place finishers by Chris McCormack and Bethesda, MD native Desiree Ficker, who ran through the fields after several struggles in previous IM races.

As the sun dipped down, our local heroes, Cheryl, Elizabeth, Gail and Vergil made their way back to town and to the famous finish on Alii Drive. Each having gone through their own journeys to earn that the phrase, “You are an IRONMAN!” Congrats to all!

More Pictures to follow!

So Who Needs ID to travel?

2006-10-20T21:04:00.000-05:00

Well if you every wondered what would happen if you forgot your ID when traveling by air, I can now tell you!

The morning started uneventfully as Jenn (I owe you, big time!) shuttled me to BWI airport for at 7:20 flight (do the math, we left just before 5am). I had prepacked virtually all my gear. Just needed to gather up the loose items and hit the road in the morning. Made it to BWI in record time -- who knew that traffic actually MOVES on the Beltway at 5am? As soon as I opened up the hatch of the Element, I knew it. I didn't even have to look. I had left my wallent on my desk. After a few choice words and some debate as to whether we could get home and back in time (Jenn was great. Never panicked, just let me steam slowly), I went inside to see if they would still take me. After a little mumbling with other people behind the desk, I was told that I could get through, I'd just have to go through the extra screening. Deal!!!

Fortunately, I had stashed cash in my carry-on expecting to use it later! After a relieved hug from Jenn, I made it through security without at hitch. The depth of my indebtedness grows to Jenn who retrieved my wallet from home and is sending to to me here in Hawaii.

Other than that, the trip has been uneventful. Quick layover in Phoenix (saw an ad for the Cirq de Soleil show KA on the airplane which reminded me of the Las Vegas trip last month), I landed in Honolulu 30 minutes ahead of schedule. Only drawback was the 3 hour layover waiting for a 40 minute hop to Kona. No worries. We're on island time!

IM is tomorrow. I'm here to support Principle Fitness athletes Gail Lohman, Vergil Arbuckle, Elizabeth Weaver and Cheryl McMurray (yes, I'm claiming Cheryl because she swims with us!). Each is racing IM Hawaii for the first time and they have each traveled their own unique path to get here. I am looking forward to sharing their experience with them. If you want to receive text message updates on these or other athletes, check out www.wigglewirless.com. It's a pretty cool, free service.

Until then, I'm out. 17 hours of training is plenty for me!

Here we go

2006-10-18T13:36:00.000-05:00

Two days before I leave for Hawaii to watch Principle Fitness athletes Vergil Arbuckle, Gail Lohman, Elizabeth Weaver, and Cheryl McMurray. I'm looking forward to the trip. Getting nervous for my own race (Xterra Worlds, www.xterraplanet.com) the following week. I hate packing because I always feel like I am forgetting something (and I usually am). Starting early to hopefully avoid that!

Will keep you posted as the trip continues.