A New Race on the Horizon

Earlier in the year, I completed my first Half Ironman. Despite my best efforts, I didn’t have the kind of performance that I was hoping for. I can attribute it to several things. All were within control and my own fault. After searching around for a while and discussing it with the wife, I’ve found another Half that will give me a chance to redeem myself. It’s the South Carolina Half Ironman on September 30th in Greenwood, SC.
This excites me to no end. While the time to hang up the aero bars for the season is just around the corner, I’ll be going out in style. I have two full months to prepare with only one little speed bump (a sprint) in the middle. These next two months will be focused on one distance and one distance only. It’s going to be beautiful.
I'm a little off on my training this week due to the race this past week, but I'm looking forward to getting back on track. I've only managed 1 swim, 1 run, and 2 rides. I have two long bricks this weekend. The plan for these is endurance and form, not speed. Hope all is well. Thanks for reading.

The Neshoba County Fair

As mentioned in prior posts, this weekend’s race was in connection to the Neshoba County Fair in Philadephia, Miss. This Fair has occurred annually at the same spot since 1889. The grounds themselves are like something I’d never witness before. Surrounding the grand stands and horse track sits a neighborhood of 200 or so rustic 2 and sometimes 3 story cabins. The cabins, which hardly ever come up for sale, consist of a front porch, a kitchen and common area, with one big room upstairs for bunk beds. All have electricity and running water, and most have A/C. Many of these cabins have been updated or rebuilt throughout the years and have become quite a show piece. Families from both sides of the tracks converge and become neighbors in the week and a half long event. Archie Manning and his two sons (Peyton and Eli) were at the fair this year as usual. Their cabin is right behind the one where we were visiting. Local politicians walk from porch to porch handing out fans and vying for support (this is an election year you know!). Kids run wild during the day. Parents simply “tag” their kids by writing their cabin number on their leg in magic marker in case they get in trouble.
The attractions include local’s preserve competitions, an art show, mule pulls, horse races, nightly concerts, the usual fair rides, cake walks, and pretty much anything you could want fried and on a stick. Although, Neshoba County is a dry county you wouldn’t know it by the large coolers and glassy eyed Fair goers. The days are somewhat tame, but the night time is when the partying starts. So I hear.
There is an unspoiled feeling you get at the fair though. You see life the way it was 50 years ago before Google, blackberrys, and the café mocha latte. Life is simpler and a little slower. Without the distraction of TVs, people actually sit around,talk, laugh ,and enjoy each other. A beautiful life in its most simplest form. Enjoy the pics.

And the best part?? Spending the weekend with my wonderful wife!

Heart O' Dixie Triathlon

This weekend was the 28th Annual Heart O' Dixie Triathlon in Philadelphia, Miss. It's one of the oldest Tri's in America and may be the oldest race without any changes to the course. It's unique in that it's a point to point race starting in Louisville, Miss and ending at the Neshoba County Fairgrounds in Philadelphia, Miss. It's an Intermediate distance race set at .5 mile swim, 27.5 mile ride, and a 7 mile run.

This was the first triathlon that I competed in, but it's also the first race that I ever came really close to quitting. This is the fourth year that I've competed in this race so as I mentioned before, this has a bit of a homecoming feeling for me.


Race preparation started with proper nutrition as early as Monday of this past week. I wanted to be fueled properly and well hydrated. It's never a fun week, but it's worth it.

At 3:30 am on Saturday, I was up and eating my pre-race meal. On this morning it was oatmeal and a powerbar. I worked on a gatorade on the drive up to Louisville and cleared my head. We arrived just after 5. It'd rained the night before and lingering clouds kept the morning dark until just before 6. I scored a great rack spot for my bike and began my pre-race warm-up. Our bike to run transition bag was boxed up and shipped down the road 27.5 miles in Philly to await our arrival. I minimized my transition area down to bike, shoes, and a helmet. I didn't want any distractions.


The swim - at 6:30 the gun went off. I was #38 in line for the 5 second interval start. This type of start makes it so much easier to get into a rhythm without having to fight for position too much. From the start, I focused on not doing all the things I'd done wrong in my last open water swim. The biggest key to this swim for me was taking three strokes before I took a breath. When I get tired I tend to breathe on one side every other stroke. I end up going off course and wearing myself out. Prior to the race I went through a series of breathing drills to help expand my lungs. I'm a believer in this warm up routine, and it seems to help. As for this swim, everything went really well. I spotted well and stayed calm. Both are struggles for me. I made it out of the water in 14:37.


T1 - As I mentioned. I had a great bike rack, and I kept it simple. Fastest T time ever - 36 seconds.


The bike - here's what I'd been waiting on. The course consisted of rolling hills with a net loss of about 50 feet over the course. The hills on the course are loaded on the front half of the course when you are your strongest. I never pushed myself too hard, but kept my speed up just enough to hurt. I made sure to power down the hills, but I also forced myself to make up distance on whoever was in front of me on the climbs. It worked beautifully. I caught more than came near me throughout the ride. In the end, I surprised myself with a 23 mph average and a time of just under 1 hour and 12 minutes.

T2 - Probably the worst thing I did all day. I decided coming into transition that I would wear socks for the run. I just didn't know how my feet for the 7 mile run without them. I do it all the time, so I don't know why it was important to me at that moment to have them. This cost me 30 seconds. As I was making my move to leave, I knocked over my bike, twice. This cost me another 30 seconds. Luckily, a volunteer helped secure my bike for me, and I was off. A poor 1:27 transition time.


The Run - This run has always been a death march for me. I've notoriously lost it on this run. Walking has become a habit. It's hot and it's hilly. Last year I cramped up pretty bad and nearly pulled out, but went on to post a 1:13:04 time which is a 10:30 pace. This year I felt incredible. So I went with it. I started mowing the miles down. I couldn't believe they were going by so quickly. Could they be mismarked? I watched my splits and was shocked at the pace. At the end of the 7 miles, I had a big grin on my face and posted a 47:51 time. A 6:51 pace.

The last half mile of the run consists of a lap around the horse track at the Fairgrounds. After the rain the night before, the Southern red clay had become Southern red mud which caked my shoes until they felt like bricks. As I viewed the finish line, I could have been pulling the mule cart for all that I cared. I was ecstatic. I clapped my hands and fist pumped the air a few times in the final yards. Mission complete.

My total time was 2:16:30. A PR for this course by nearly 25 minutes. I finished 30th overall and 3rd in my A/G. A rare podium finish.
David Gottlieb, who rocked the course in his first time in the H.O.D., asked me the other night what my favorite race had been so far this year. I told him I didn't really have one. I can look back at a few races and see that I did well in some areas, but overall hadn't put a good race together until this one. Months of training and planning all came together at the Heart O' Dixie. I can honestly say that I enjoyed the entire race from start to finish. The race is run like a well oiled machine, and you can't beat the atmosphere the Neshoba County Fair brings. If you're in the area, put this one on your calendar for 08.


Also, a big congrats to those who made the trip from Birmingham. The top two males, the first and third female winners were all from Birmingham. At the end of the awards ceremony, thirteen athletes from Birmingham would finish on the podium. Look out Boulder, CO!

Great Brick and a New Helmet

Let's start off with the stats. With the Heart of Dixie one week away today was my last big workout to test my endurance for the race. I planned two race simulations this weekend. I did the swim and bike portion yesterday out at Oak Mtn. My plan for that was to just feel out the distance on the swim and just stretch the legs on the bike. The swim came out just as planned. 900 yards in 15 minutes.

Today was the bike and run portion. I found a road close by that I could do 27.5 miles on without interruption of stop lights and intersections. I also wanted to be able to come off the bike and start running as quickly as possible. For those in Birmingham, I chose Rex Lake Rd and started at the Chevron in Leeds. The goal was to push the speed just like I would in a race. I started off the morning with my race day nutrition and downed a few acid zappers. The morning had been over cast so I waited until around 11 am so I'd be able to feel the heat of the day.

Both the bike and the run went really well. I finished both within my planned time frame. The 27.5 mile bike averaged out at 22 mph and the 7 mile run averaged out at 7:35 per mile. I was shocked there. As I mentioned in the past, the last three times I've done this race I've had to walk a good portion. Sad but true. Thanks Transitions! We've made some improvements.

Good news #2. I took a step out of dorkville this weekend and bought a new helmet. I've been riding with an 03 Giro Eclipse which basically looks like a mushroom on top of my head. See here (obviously not a fast transition time):

So, I stepped it up and bought a LAS Squalo. It's super tight and very comfortable. Believe it or not, I could tell a big difference today in the heat. The vents worked really well to keep my noggin cool. The best part is that I don't resemble a mushroom any more.

Also, as you can see, it's really aggressive and fast!

The Jogging Bike Mount Revisited

Yesterday afternoon was spent tracking up and down Smyer Road, my personal but much smaller version of Alp D'Huez, for the weekly hill repeats. Afterwards, while sitting in the parking lot, I decided to make good use of the large flat surface to work on my mount and dismount for transitions. Note: a vacant parking lot is a much more preferred location over the road in front of my house for the simple fact that my neighbors aren't around to poke fun and ask questions. I do my best not to be THAT guy that does weird stuff in front of his house. I'm already THAT guy that wears spandex and sweats a lot.
The parking lot was great. Long flat surface provided plenty of room to practice. I've got the dismount down. Velco straps off. Feet on top. Right leg over the bike. Dismount on the run. Easy. Now getting on the bike. A different story.
I should mention that I don't have "Tri" specific shoes. This means that I have 3 individual straps and no loop on the back of the shoe. So for a while I practiced starting off with my feet on top of my shoes then getting in to the shoes and getting them strapped. Easy. Now how do I get to this point?
I got off the bike, left my shoes in the clips, and jogged with it for a bit waiting for the best chance to jump on. I felt like a kid that's standing on top of the highest diving board at the city pool yet he can't find the nerve to jump. That was me. I kept looking at the seat and thinking, "I can't get up there! I'm only wearing a thin layer of padded spandex on the boys. They could get crushed!" I can't do this now while no one is watching how am I going to do this when I'm wet and in a race? So, I tried. I misjudged the jump and landed a bit awkwardly on my stomach. Don't ask. It wasn't pretty. It was anything but athletic or cool. I pretty much lost my nerve after that. But after writing this, I realized that I was being a big ole sissy and that I'm going to have to go try again tonight. Stay tuned.

Black and Blue signing off....

Thinking and Preparing

The days are winding down to my next event, an Intermediate distance tri in Philadelphia, MS. It's called the Heart of Dixie Triathlon, but I wouldn't be much of an Alabamian if I didn't take offense to this state to the west of us borrowing our nickname. But I'll let it pass as I'm pretty fond of this event, and I believe that it truly encompasses the Southern experience. The race kicks off the famed Neshoba County Fair, a week long gathering of folks to watch mule pulls, preserve competitions, and eat most everything that you can think of fried. More on that later, but not today. I've got the race on my mind.

With just under 2 weeks to go I've started to evaluate my condition. My swims have been horrid. I feel like this David Gray song I'm listening to this very moment. Fittingly it's called "Dead in the Water." Wow, thanks Dave for the words to describe my futile attempts in the pool. The swim is just .5 mile. An easy distance as far as "Olys" go, but one that I'm not going to set any records on. My goal is to push for a 14-15 minute finish time. I don't want to over do it as the real struggle comes in the next two stages, the 27.5 mile bike and the 7 mile run. This race is definitely weighted on these two legs, but that's fine. This is where I can make up time.

I've put in several bricks over the last few weeks. Long rides followed by a long run. Leg strength has been good throughout the run and the endurance is there as well. The race is in my head a bit though. This will be the fourth year that I've competed in this race, but only the first time I've been properly trained. This race is somewhat of a Homecoming for me as this was the first triathlon I ever competed in. It's sort of bitter sweet as well as its also the only race I've really ever felt like quitting. Last year, I came in way under trained and under nourished. Leg cramps wreaked havoc on me in the 95+ degree heat. Mississippi can be harsh in July. It was an embarrassing finish, my slowest of my two prior finishes. So this year, I've put in a little extra work in preparing for this race. In a race that I've historically had to walk as much as I ran during the 7 mile leg, I'm determined to run my heart out and nail this run. Lately, I've been delaying workouts until the middle of the day to practice race day hydration and electrolyte balance. It hasn't been fun, but it's helped.

So, the body feels good. I'm weighing in just above my race weight right now, so over the next week or so I'll drop it down a few pounds. Cutting out my TCBY consumption and Zucchini bread snacks will be key. (Sorry Lauren, no TCBY until after the race!) So here we are. It's game on for the next couple of weeks. It's time to really focus and work toward exercising some demons that have haunted me for the last year. For all of the Friends watchers out there, it's time to go "Red Ross!" Thanks for reading.

I've changed my mind ZBuck

I'll have to admit, at first when I read this, I was disappointed, but supportive. My good friend Zbuck made a very heartfelt and tough decision this past week. I trust that he weighed his options completely and didn't make the decision lightly. If you knew Zbuck, you'd find that he is one of the most like able guys you'll ever meet. Easy going, but passionate. You might even be able to get past that he pulls for this team:

So, through the exchange of a few emails, I felt like I got a pretty good idea of where Buck was coming from when he decided to focus more on golf and less on triathlons. Buck promised me that he was still going to train hard so as to complete his goal of kicking ass at Mtn Lakes this year. I believe him too. Once he reaches his goal at Southeast Sprint Championship, he transitions for the last time into the pleated shorts wearing, golf cart riding, manners watching Joe Golfer. You know to tell you the truth, I'm fine with that.

But there is something I'm not ok with, and it just recently hit me. I'll explain. Thursday, I found myself at the golf course for the first time in I don't know how long. My in-laws are coming in town and my father in law and I are playing golf on Saturday. I haven't picked up the sticks in a while since my training has increased so I decided to go out and knock the dust off the old clubs. After finishing off a medium sized bucket and being fairly confident that I'd made the right decision to stick with Triathlons, I surveyed the greens and rows of golfers. I sized them up. All shapes, sizes, and physical abilities. Men and women of all ages. I didn't like what I saw, and then it hit me. Zbuck, what are you thinking? Now ladies, Zbuck is a single man. Single as they come. A genuine guy that's going somewhere. If I knew any single women in Northern Alabama, I'd do my best to point them in the right direction. But I don't, and now that he's made this decision about Triathlons he's shooting himself in the foot. You gotta think about meeting girls and what the each sport offers! We all know there are some beautiful girls inside and out in the triathlon scene, but I'm really worried about what he'll find at the 19th hole. So here's my call out. Buck! Come to your senses!

Are you willing to exchange this:

For this?!?!

The decision is yours my friend. Happy Friday.

Happy 4th

Happy 4th to all. First of all, God bless the U.S. of A. and our troops. Big thanks to those that are serving, who have served, and to those who have lost loved ones while fighting for our freedom. Thank you for your sacrifice.
It's been a great week so far. Work has been boring as hell, and the only thing I can think about is getting out and training. Now don't get me wrong, I've had plenty to do around the office (daddy's still got get paid you know?), but my heart hasn't been in it. Having 15 hours of day light calling your name all day doesn't help either. Am I alone here?
I switched up my training schedule a bit this week. Usually, I'll run for an hour on Tuesdays in the morning, then catch up with a group ride at night. The last few weeks that I've done this, my legs have been cashed out and I've gotten dropped like a hot potato. So I moved my run to Monday morning and swam at lunch. So I was interested to see how I'd do on Tuesday. Now the Tuesday night rides are not for the beginner cyclists. These guys are the real deal. The heavy hitters are cat 2 - cat 3 cyclists. Then there are guys like me who doesn't even like cats much less have a ranking. The pace is fast and competitive. Well, I went out with fresh legs on Tuesday night, and they answered the call. While I never saw the front of the peleton, I was never dropped and finished up strong with gas still in the tank. A proud moment for the Crew'd one if I say so myself.
I saw two guys take a spill during this ride. One was a fluke accident, the other was a guy being too aggressive by trying to pass on the right shoulder of the road. Cocky. Cocky.
Today, being the 4th, I had the day off. Even though I rode hard last night, I couldn't give up a free day and not put a brick together. So I headed out around 6 am on the bike. Man, the temp was perfect. Mid to low 70's. I put in 34 miles at a 19.5 clip. Saw some friends on the way, including Coach himself putting in some Ironman training. Coach, you're looking strong, but remember I'm on your tail. I'm still coming after you!
After the ride, I put in a quick 3 miles at a 7 minute pace. Legs felt great. Energy level was there along with leg strength. I'm really working on keeping fueled with enough calories during training. I need to nail down my nutrition before my next race. I believe I may have found something that works. More on that later. Take care and thanks for reading. I'm off for a beer and some grilling.

NECTAR? I DIDN’T EVEN KNOW HER!

Afternoon to all. Let me give you a recap on the weekend that was and also give you some thoughts on this coming week.
Saturday started off early with a trip out to Oak Mtn to meet up with Mary Rebecca (who’s promised to start a blog soon) and my boy Daniel for a swim and a bike ride. Both are gifted athletes and couldn’t be any nicer. After Saturday’s swim, I had a bit of a revelation. During most swim portions of a race, I tend to freak out a bit and get off my rhythm. I never get comfortable. I don’t know how fast I’m going or how to gage my progress. Overall, I swam ok, but I spent too much time worrying about my pace than I did relaxing and finding my groove. If you’re not relaxed, then you’re just fighting and expending too much energy. I definitely need more practice time in the open water.

Saturday afternoon, Lauren and I met my parents up at a different lake for a little grillin and relaxing, which is not always possible with my 3 year old nephew but we had a good time. Every time we head up to this particular lake, we go through the little town of Nectar, Al. It’s almost as big as my left big toe so you have to be careful or you’ll miss it.

Sunday is always yellow jersey day. On my Sunday rides I sport my replica Discovery Malliot Jaune in honor of the Kid from Austin, TX with 7 Tour wins under his belt. I’ve been doing so for the last couple of weeks as I’m getting ready to watch the 2nd biggest sporting event of the year. I’m speaking of none other than the Tour De France which starts this Saturday. (note: College Football will always remain number 1).

I’m really stoked about this year’s Tour. There are just a few Americans with a chance of finding themselves on the podium after the 3 week event. They all ride for great teams with a lot of experience. There are a few contenders out of Spain and Kazakhstan that would love to put an end to America’s 8 consecutive win streak. They both have wait it takes to make that happen. Can’t wait!

So this week should be a good one. Lot’s of training on the table as I get ready for my next race toward the end of this month. I’m concentrating on finishing my runs hard and not blowing it all on my bike. Congrats to Paul in CA for his 11th OA and 5th AG finish in the San Diego International. Dude’s a stud.