TRI PHX

‘08 Blue Water Long Course - Parker, AZ

November 10, 2008 – 1:41 am
So, there I was sitting at my desk when I got an email from Scot Little @ ESPN. "Hey, check out these races (Parker, Nov 9 - Anthem, Dec 7) and see what one you want to do and I'll fly out." Immediately I fired back that Dec 7 wouldn't work a I'll be in Las Vegas for the marathon. We settle on Blue Water, and I fire off an email to Jason. His response was an emphatic "Yes". I signed up for the Long Course version that day, and was looking forward to doing a tri in the Colorado River on the AZ/CA border. Actually, we crossed the state line on the swim and for half of the bike course. Sounded like a perfect destination triathlon; Parker is about 3 hours from my house in Phoenix, it would be a great chance for the 3 guys to head out ...

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I’m Running for Team Tillman!

November 6, 2008 – 4:20 am
  Please help me support Team Tillman at the RNR Marathon! My goal is $500, with the help of my friends that should be no problem. please take a few minutes to donate a few bucks using the link below.  https://www.kintera.org/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=291536&lis=0&kntae291536=47D398F766BF4842AB3BE23990187DCD Please pass this along to your family & friends, Thanks! What is Team Tillman Arizona: Team Tillman is a fundraising program for individuals that identify with the values exhibited by Pat Tillman and believe in the Pat Tillman Foundation’s mission of inspiring and educating young people who are striving to promote positive change in themselves and the world around them. All funds raised via Team Tillman directly benefit the Pat Tillman Foundation’s core initiative, Leadership Through Action™.    About the Pat Tillman Foundation http://www.pattillmanfoundation.org/found_about.php    

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Learning what a PR *really* is

October 28, 2008 – 11:25 pm
I've retyped this opening line 5 times; "What a week!", "A strange thing happened on the way to mile 70" and others. It seems I have a tough time expressing the highs and lows, lessons learned and extreme satisfaction of hitting my goal at SOMA 70.3. Here are the back stories: Our close friends Erik & Mandy from the ESPN Tri Team were coming out to AZ to visit Kristen & I for the first time and racing SOMA. The three of us have done our first triathlon together at Timberman in '06, our first marathon at OBX in '07 and now I had the pleasure to be with them for their first 70.3. They had been training on the East coast, while I had been training with Jason in AZ. Jason was dealt multiple blows at the same time that knocked him out of SOMA: Pressure-packed deadlines and long hours ...

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SOMA 70.3 - Getting Ready

October 22, 2008 – 3:27 pm
5 days to go, pretty late in the process to post my training "plans" or any of that stuff. Actually, I'm in the taper portion right now; so here's a quick recap. Running: As much as I can during the week, usually daily 3-5 milers @ lunch and "long" run on the weekend. I use quotes, because my 70.3 long runs are considerable shorter than marathon longs... only up to 15 miles. Swimming: 3 mornings a week -- until the last 2. I totally fell off the wagon with my swimming. *sigh* Biking: 25-30 milers either heading home from work or on weekends. Since my bike has been adjusted to actually FIT me, the bike has been wonderful. SOMA - Erik & Mandy from ESPN Tri Team are flying out to race and spend a few days in paradise. The weather has been incredible the past few weeks since the temps dipped from 110 ...

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Motivation

October 10, 2008 – 3:29 am
The Nautica NYC Triathlon in '06 was the first olympic distance triathlon for me and some members of the ESPN Triathlon Team. Several other members had many tris under their belts and raced as individuals, me and 3 friends did it a a team. I was petrified of the swim for 2 reasons: 1. It was in the Hudson River. It looks and smells even worse than I imagined*. 2. I hadn't been swimming since I was a kid. The thought of swimming a mile anywhere way too daunting for me at that point. Scot (Swim) Brett (Bike) & Mike (Run) formed a team -- and placed 2nd in our division! Scot also ran for another buddy Paul who'd broken his ankle.. Paul did the swim and bike, but his ankle hadn't healed well enough to run 6.2 miles. After I'd completed the bike portion, I went to Central Park to ...

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Stealth Office Push ups!

October 6, 2008 – 3:26 pm
I don't really like push ups (no push-up bra jokes), pull ups or sit ups. Heck, aside from Guinness World Record holders or Paddy Doyle I can't imagine who does. Fitness-wise, there aren't any exercises that are easier to perform and yield such great results. I try and do 100 - 250 push ups a day in sets of 25-30. I'm also working up to 100 in a row with a great site: One Hundred Push Ups. Here's how I make 250 (10 sets of 25) fun: I sneak into different offices (NOT the CEO, CFO or CIO (or any C's for that matter) and do a set. There's no schedule or planning, if I walk by an empty office or conference room I knock out 25 before anyone catches me. Not as if anyone cares; most people around the office know -- or at least get a snicker out of ...

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Biking: Numb Junk, Pitch Black & Pinch Flat!

October 1, 2008 – 10:06 pm
SOMA 70.3 is only 4 weeks away, Jason and I needed to get a little more time in on the bike. Most roads in PHX have wide, clean shoulders and quite a few have dedicated bike lanes. This really is an awesome place to train, and luckily for J and I our houses are located right on a 50-mile loop that is frequented by a lot of pro/semipro riders. Our rides usually consist of part of that route, as we generally ride home from worth (23 - 30 miles). Saturday, we decided to hit Carefree Highway and log about 40 miles out & back. The ride started well enough with a great pace, we hit the mile-long climb at 7 and kept on trucking. Now, something that's pretty interesting about AZ scenery vs. what I am used to in CT: you can see for miiiiles. So, when you are less than ...

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No Wetsuit… No Problem?

September 22, 2008 – 12:42 am
I daydream like I'm writing a blog. Really. In my mind, I pretend I'm writing an ongoing dialogue of the events as they unfold. If I could only type all those things that are going through my head -- the anecdotes, humorous ponderings, play-by-play -- I'd be a brilliant writer. The more monotonous the task, the more I can focus on my mental script. Today, I had one of those tasks at Nathan's Olympic Triathlon in Tempe, AZ; the 1 mile swim. I've done dozens of triathlons, somewhere north of 50 in the last 4 years, and have changed every piece of my equipment. New bikes, shoes, goggles, tri suits, rims, tires, etc. The one constant has been my wetsuit. Well, I've even changed the wetsuit a few times... but I've ALWAYS raced with one. Being from the East Coast, every race I've done has been wetsuit legal due to water ...

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50 marathons in all 50 states — before I turn 50.

September 17, 2008 – 3:47 am
I need goals, that's how I motivate myself best. I know it, my friends know it and surely my wife Kristen knows it. Sometimes I take things a little too far; and need to keep myself in check. Once in a while I pick a goal that just totally seems to fit me. 50 marathons in all 50 states -- before I turn 50 feels & sounds right. Now, I personally know others on the quest for 50/50, but the last 50 makes it a little more interesting considering I'll be 38 in January, and have only run 3 marathons so far. (See map below) AZ (R&R Phoenix), NC (OBX) and CA (R&R San Diego) are all set; Las Vegas, NV (Dec 7) and Seattle, WA in June '09 are next up. So, I'm working on the schedule and I need to hit at least 4-5 a year over the next 12 years. I'll ...

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Those last few pounds…

September 17, 2008 – 3:36 am
I'm still "the fat kid", and I will always be. I grew up being called "Bubble Butt", "Thunder Thighs" and suffered through all that childish crap. Unfortunately, those memories are hard to erase. In 2001 I worked really hard to lose 45 pounds, and I never want to feel miserable with my body again. I train hard and eat right so I'll never have to; but what can I do when I still can't get the results I want? Dieting sucks, so I decided to call it something else. I call it "eating healthier". For the last 3 weeks I have been doing just that -- even through a vacation, happy hour with old friends, wine-tasting party and a catered baby shower (not to mention airport & airline food). The result? I've dropped half of those pesky pounds and feel a helluva lot leaner. I really don't care what my total weight ...

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