Thursday, December 31st
I'm just going to forget pretty much the last week of mostly eating and drinking. I've managed to get my weight up to 194#'s, probably the heaviest I've been in God knows how many years. Tomorrow I start a new year . . . and a new blog.

http://theroadtokona2010.blogspot.com/

Hopefully this will be my successful journey to Kona as I age up and I have a new sense of committment.

Just a summary for the year:
Running: 1,192 miles
Biking: 3,537miles
Swimming: 128 miles
Workouts: 412 (1 hr, 42 minutes / day)

In all, it was an okay year. My training was 25% lower then last year but I was healthy and had some okay races to remember.

Tuesday, December 22nd
I was just ready to cancel my spin classwhen 3 people dropped in 5 minutes after the class was to start. Another lady wondered in so I have 4. Disappointing as I had put together some good music for a Christmas special.

Monday, December 21st
I have my Monday morning swim group and get in a few hundred yards of easy swimming. This evening was something new, Bikram Yoga. 6 of us signed up for it. It's a 90 minute very structured Yoga done in a room at 105 degrees. I take 2 bottles of water and two big towels. Not near enough. After 60 minutes, I'm a soggy pretzel lying on my mat. The heat got to me and made my too dizzy to even attempt any of the poses. As much as I really did not enjoy it, I'll give it another try. I'm hoping it will help acclimate me to better handling heat.

Sunday, December 20th
I meet up with Lowell and a big group of old running friends at Steve's house for a Christmas run and brunch. Awesome food. I wear my Santa suit which gets us a little easier going. The cars slow down so they don't want to risk hitting a Santa. We do a 6.5 mile route though the neighborhood. My piriformis muscle is very sore after the run.

Saturday, December 19th
Back to Bally's for a good hour of indoor cycling.

Friday, December 18th
Pilate only.

Thursday, December 17th
Meet with the run group at 7:30. It's 15 degrees but no wind so not too cold. My piriformis muscle is still a real pain. I can't even keep up with the tail end of our running group. I've been using Lowell's massage ball for almost a week now but it hasn't helped. Master swim is good but not a killer like on Tuesday. Our main set is 3x100 on 1:50, 3x100 on 2:00, 3x100 on 2:10 and 3x100 on 2:20. The 1:50 intervals Mary and I barely make. 2,800 yds total.

Wednesday, December 16th
Just an easy day with only pilate.

Tuesday, December 15th
Wow - 15 show up for my spin class. It sure makes it more enjoyable with a full class. Awesome masters swim tonight. After our warm up it was 2x250 on 5:00, 4x125 on 2:30, 5x100 on 2:00 and 10x50 on 1:00. Mary and I were the only ones in our lane and we were able to make all of our splits. And, after almost a year of following Mary, I'm back to leading. This was the longest main set of all free style no pull buoy effort I can remember. As for my shoulder, it's still holing up well with very little pain during or after my workouts.

Monday, December 14th
I just laid around yesterday with the holiday blues. I don't feel much better today but having the morning swim class helps get me going.

Saturday, December 12th
I'm back at Bally's for Saturday spin class. Tara is still teaching. That's good as she has an upbeat hard core class.

Friday, December 11th
Still doing my lazy stuff - - a lousy pilate class. On top of that, Sandy brought home 20 dozen, yes 20 dozen cookies from a cookie exchange. Now that's one dozen a day for the next twenty days. I can do it!!!!

Thursday, December 10th
Every thing was closed yesterday because of the weather. We got about 8 inches of very wet snow but some areas west of us had 17. Today we have wind chill temperatures of -20. So everyone stays in for our run. Because of my sore ass and ankle I opt to workout on a spin bike. I'm trying to see how consistent the new bikes are in measuring distance. So I ride as hard as possible for 2.5 miles on each to see how long it takes. I was pleasantly surprised as my times were not that far apart. It made for a good workout. Masters swim at 5:30 is probably the hardest I can remember. We did our main set as 4x125 on 3:00, 4x100 on 2:00 and 4x75 on 1:30. With Mary, Lowell, Iron Mike and I pushing each other on every length, it was exhausting. I end with 3,200 yds.

Tuesday, December 8th
A big snow storm is moving in tonight and tomorrow. I though I'd have a few more for my spin class but only 6 show up. Masters swim at 5:30 goes well. I get in 2,950 yds.

Monday, December 7th
I must have twisted my ankle worse then I though as I'm limping this morning. The little bit I do during my morning swim class seems to help.

Sunday, December 6th - Cross Country Challenge 5 Mile Run
14 of us pile into a maxi van and head south to Elgin, Ill for the Cross Country Challenge Race. This is appropriately named as it is a truly a cross country race and a challenge. It's sunny, low 30's, a dusting of snow on the ground. Over 800 have showed up. Two guys are running in Speedo's. Several girls have white lace gowns. One guy is wearing flannel Star War PJ's. The horn sounds and we start out across an open grassy field. It gives us a little taste of what's to come, a little mud and water. Beyond the field is a mile of very steep hills winding through the woods. Up ahead I hear the screams of runners entering the marsh area. But, before I even get there, 30 yards from me coming up the side of my hill is a very large black bull. He stops as I go by. The yells from behind me tell me he has decided to proceed up the hill crossing the path of other runners who are now scrambling in every direction. Up front, I reach the marsh and the first of several creeks we cross. The earlier runners have broken through all the ice and we are left with a 10 foot stream of knee deep black mud and water. The cold temporarily numbs the legs. For the next 20 minutes, it's a weaving through high grass, deep mud, fallen trees and several more creeks. At each creek, there are runners loosing their balance and landing arms and chest in the icy water. It's a blast!!! We finished looping back over the hills and through the field. I have no idea what place I finished nor do I care. This is more about the experiences we will all share for years to come.

Friday, December 4th
Just pilate.

Thursday, December 3rd
I meet up with our run group to do the Rocky Point loop. My right hip is really bothering me and I trail the pack. It takes cutting the loop for me to finish with them. Master swim goes well with 2,950 yds.

Wednesday, December 2nd
Another nothing day except for pilate and working on my autos. This time it's replacing the starter in my Camry so I can sell that car too.

Tuesday, December 1st
I setup some new music including Christmas songs for my morning spin class. Masters swim is another big one. Our main set is 300 pull, 200 swim, 2x50 on 1:00, all repeated 3 times, 1,800 yds. I'm able to keep up with Mike and Mary and lead all the pull efforts. My shoulder is still holding up very well and my speed and endurance is improving. After practice, it's a big bowl of ice cream.

Monday, November 30th
I take yesterday off . . . only because I just didn't feel like doing anything. Actually, I spend most of the day replacing the axle and bearings on my GMC Jimmy so I can sell it. I get in maybe 30 minutes of easy swimming during my class this morning. An hour of pilate in the evening.

Saturday, November 28th
About 10 show up to run the trails at Lapham Peak. I take some Ibuprin before hand to relieve a little of my hip pains. It seems to work as I have a good run. We do the entire black loop, 7 miles in about 1:15 hr

Friday, November 27th
Another nothing day except for pilate.

Thursday, November 26, Thanksgiving
We've organized a 5K non-race Turkey Trot out at West Wood. About 50 people show up this year. Actually, it's not even a 5K. We just have everyone run a 4+ mile loop or something shorter if they want. My hips are really bothering me so it's a good thing it's a short run.

Wednesday, November 25th
Just a nothing day with an hour of pilate.

Tuesday, November 24th
I ride through my Tuesday spin class as normal. Master swim is shorter then normal as we engage in the original Turkey Relays. Because of the craziness of this group and its relay competition, I opt to watch from the side line in fear of injuring my shoulder.

Monday, November 23rd
Our Monday swim group gets in a good workout. Since it is only a couple days before Thanksgiving, I introduce them to the Turkey Relays, something our Masters group does every year. These are basically swimming relay races where we do stupid stuff. One is swimming backwards. That means swimming feet first, not an easy task. It's fun. I get in a short 45 minute afternoon run. My hips are still giving me a little trouble, just sore. I'm hoping it's just from doing a lot more pilate and yoga.

Sunday, November 22nd
The great November weather continues. It's sunny, calm and 55 degrees. I cannot pass this day up without going out for a ride. Iron Mike, Lowell and I head to Pewaukee Lake. We meet up with 4 other riders and the race is on. Dan and a young friend of his set the pace pounding every hill. We do a hill repeat on Glacier hill to give time for 2 of our group to catch up. I feel good.

Saturday, November 21st
We meet out a Lapham Peak at 8:00 AM to run the trails. We do the 7 mile loop, 1:12 minutes. It's a lot easier than 2 weeks ago.

Friday, November 20th
Just like Wednesday, an hour of pilate.

Thursday, November 19th
A big group shows up for our morning run. We run on the trail out for 30 minutes and turn. About a mile from the end, we can hear a group that ran out further coming up behind. We decide to make them work if they want to catch us. It works! We run hard and they don't catch us. This evening, it's another good masters swim with 2,900 yds.

Wednesday, November 18th
An hour of pilate - not much for a nice Wednesday.

Tuesday, November 17th
I put together a whole new music and cycle routine for my class this morning. It is all great classical music. Unfortunately, my MP3 player gets stuck on random play so my whole workout sequence gets all messed up. I have to wing most of it not knowing what the next song will be. A few in the group however don't care as they love the music . . . compared to the usually canned cycle music. Master swim tonight is a BREAT THROUGHT workout for me. After our normal warm-up, drills and kicking, our main set is 200 pull, 3x100 on 2:00 and 50 easy. We do that 3 times. My 100's I do at 1:44 - 1:47. I haven't been able to do that in over a year. After more kicking, it's 2 sets of 150 pull / 150 swim. My total is 3,600 yds, very high for me. The best part is my shoulder is not hurting.

Monday, November 16th
Family obligations and an OFF day yesterday. I have 7 for my swim group this morning. With spenting time helping with the swim technique, I really am not getting too much of a workout with teaching this class.

Saturday, November 14th
I meet up with Lowell and a couple other runners at 8:00 to run the black loop at Lapham Peak. This is John's first workout since he broke his shoulder this summer on one of our rides. He has to walk some of the hills which is fine with me. After last week's run that left be sore for 3 days, I don't need to be pushing anything.

Friday, November 13th
It's a nice day for what may be my last ride outside. I head out to Pewaukee Lake, a 30 mile loop. As usual, I do it too close to Pilate class. With only an hour to recover, my muscles are sort and stiff for the class.

Thursday, November 12
My legs are still sore and tight. Running this morning is nothing short of ugly. If it wasn't for the group, I would stop and walk. After spending all afternoon crunched down working on replacing the wheel bearings on my car, I'm not looking forward to masters swim. Once I got going though, I feel pretty good. Our main set of (3) 4x100's on timed intervals goes well. A little pizza and brew at Slugo's after our swim is a good break.

Wednesday, November 11th
Just taking another easy day working in the yard. Pilate class at 4:30 is enough.

Tuesday, November 10th
Still pretty stiff. I have 8 for my spin class. I'm actually looking forward to Masters swim tonight. Around 4 PM there are 2 news helicopters flying around. I find out some kid at the high school blew up something. Now they've cancelled all evening activities - including my swimming. Crap.

Monday, November 9th
I can hardly walk this morning. My legs feel like I've just run a marathon. Thank goodness for hand railings. I make it to my 6:30 AM swim. I'm the leader so I don't have to do most of the workout. I little bit I do swim helps loosen me up a bit. The rest of my day's workout is cleaning up the yard for winter.

Sunday, November 8th - Turkey Trot Prediction 2 Mile Run
It has never been this nice for this race, sunny and mid 50's. My legs are really sore from yesterday. This race is a 2 mile and 15K run where you predict your time. The 25 people closest to their predicted times in each race win big frozen turkeys. Last year I ran 14:40, much slower then my prediction. So this year, I put that down for my time. Well, either the run yesterday or just getting older slowed me down to 15:09, off by 29 seconds. UGH! No turkey. I would have had to be within 18 seconds to win one.

Saturday, November 7th
I meet some friends at Lapham Peak to run the trails. It's supposed to be near 70 today which is near record for this date. Love it. We run the black loop, about 7 miles of up and down steep hills. It takes 1:11 hr. I can really feel it in my quads.

Friday, November 6th
We're having an Indian summer, temperature in the 60's. I head out on my bike to ride Pewaukee Lake, 30 miles. My legs are definitely telling me I haven't been on the bike in almost 2 weeks.

Thursday, November 5th
19 show up for our Thursday run. 30 minutes out, 30 back at a pretty hard pace. Masters swim at 6:30. Not as hard or as long as Tuesdays.

Wednesday, November 4th
I'm continuing my fall "I'm getting lazy" taper. I should have gotten out for a run but get some home project done instead. I do make it to pilate class at 4:30.

Tuesday, November 3rd
Not many for my spin class this morning. If nothing else, it's always a good workout for me. After the call, 4 of us meet to talk about organizing in indoor triathlon at West Wood this spring. I think we're going to do it.

I feel ready for Masters swim tonight. I do a longer then normal warm up, 850 yds. The main set is 300 pull, 4x75 pull. I can't keep up with Cindy but strong enough to stay ahead of Mary and Iron Mike. Then its 200 free, 4x50 free. I move to the back of the pack but I'm able to keep up. After some kicking, its 400 pull, 4x50 free. I end up with 3,400 yds. That's my longest Master swim this year.

Monday, November 2nd
Today is my first Triathlon Swim class out at West Wood. I have 9 signed up. Now that it is an official class, I feel more responsibility. I know everyone is looking for feedback on their swim technique and I can't do that when I'm swimming with the group. So this means I'm not going to get much of a workout from it. But, that's ok. After I get home, Sandy and I drive to the Chicago area to welcome our latest granddaughter into the family. Lilly. That's 7 granddaughters and only on grandson.

Saturday, October 31st - LAKEFRONT DISCOVERY 15K RUN
This is the 15h time I've done this race. It is always cloudy, windy and cold. Today is no different. I feel exceptionally unprepared to run fast. My expectation at the start is to make this a long training run. The race starts and I reach mile one in 8:07. That's way faster then I expected. That's short lived as my pace falls off to 8:15 to 8:20. I just keep it going expection to somewhere along the way hit the wall. By mile 7 I still feel good and the last mile I'm even able to pick it up. My final time is 1:18:51, an 8:15 pace. Even though it's 2 minutes slower then last year, I'm happy with it. The traditional stop at the Ale House after the race helps the pain go away, as least for awhile.

Friday, October 30th
I'm taking it easy today. Well, actually, it's been windy, rainy and cold so I'm not going to run or bike and have no interest in going swimming. So, being nice and rested, Pilate at 4:30 is easier then normal.

Thursday, October 29th
After 2 long days of driving and being lazy yesterday, it's back to training. The difference is, now it will be low key and more when I fell like it. Just about everyone shows up for our Thursday morning run, about 20 people. We do the short route, about 5 miles. My legs are still a little to tired to keep up with our lead groups and too recovered to want to run with our slower groups. So I run in no-man's-land in between. Eventually a catch a couple and finish with them. Masters swim is at 6:30 and I kind of dread it. Our main set is 8x100's alternating between pull and swim. I keep up and finish our other drills with the group. It turns out to be a good workout. On the down side, my weight has crept up. I'm already at my holiday 185+ pounds. Not good!

Sunday, October 25th - AUSTIN LONGHORN 70.3 TRIATHLON (1/2 Ironman)
After spending 2 days with my friend, Iron Mike, driving 1,300 miles to get here, I'm read to race. I'm just not sure how ready.

We get up around 4:30 AM, grab a bite to eat and drive to Walter E Long Park where the race is. The temperature is in the 50's, nice with forecast of sunny and temperatures in the 70's. Not too bad. We are both in wave 2, right after the pro's start. That's great as we'll have less congestion on the swim and bike.

Its 7:35 AM, the sun has just come up and we're off. My shoulder is not bothering me and I get into a strong swim early. I push it pretty hard hoping to get under 40 minutes. Other then heavy weeds near the finish, I feel I've done ok. I check the clock as I get out. Its 1.2 miles in 40:31 minutes. I was hoping for a little faster but I'll take it.

I get through bike transition about one minute behind Mike. I did not have a chance to ride any of the bike course. I was told it was not too hilly but have not idea what to expect. I catch Mike at mile 10 and make it to the 20 mile mark averaging over 20 mph. Other then a lot of turns the course has been mostly flat or rolling hills. For the next 10 miles, the roads are rough and we are into a wind. My average drops to 19 mph. My plan is to over hydrate, cut back on calories and take lots of electrolytes hoping to avoid any cramping. The roads get better and I make a final push to the finish, 56 miles in 2:48 hr, a 19.9 mph pace. So far, things are going well. I just hope I can finish with a good run.

My transition to the run goes smooth and I begin the first of 3 loops. What I did not know was each loop was out and back with long hills each way. It was bad enough doing it once but the realization I have to do it 2 more times is depressing. I was hoping for a 9:00 minute pace but I can barely maintain 10:00. I keep up with my drinking and electrolytes. Fortunately, the forecast is wrong and a bank of clouds keeps the sun from baking me. The last 3 miles are a real struggle. I desperately want to walk but just keep telling myself to just run to the next telephone pole . . . or traffic cone . . . or aid stations. Finally the finish. 2:12 hr for 13.1 miles, not very good.

My final time is 5:49:44, good enough for 3rd place. I wait around for the 70.3 World Championship selections. The guy in 1st does not accept our age group invitation but the second place guy does. I'll have to wait until next year to try again.

Tuesday, October 20th
The scale says 185# this morning. That's a little better. I teach my spin class at 9:00. We have new bikes and they are awesome compared to the old ones. I planned on swimming tonight but the high school has some plumbing problem and the pool is closed. Darn!!

Monday, October 19th
I get on the scale this morning. It's 189#'s. UGH!! I was hoping to keep it in the low 180's all winter. This is not the time to gain weight just before a race. I meet my swim group at 6:30 AM and we have an OK workout. Early afternoon, I get in a ride around Pewaukee Lake, 30 miles. Pilate class this evening.

Sunday, October 18th
More family stuff and I don't get a chance to get out. The only thing I do is eat more.

Saturday, October 17th
It's finally half way decent this morning. I was going to run two Fox Brook loops but decide to run my long 9.6 mile single loop with a faster pace. It goes okay but I'm still not feeling very fast. I think I peaked a couple weeks ago and should have raced then. This afternoon is my nieces wedding and the rest of the day I spend eating and drinking. I hate to think what the scale will say tomorrow.

Friday, October 16th
An easy day. No running, biking or swimming. Just a pilate class that I don't fall asleep in.

Thursday, October 15th
Another ugly cold rainy day. At least it wasn't raining during our Thursday morning group run. We did the rocky point loop 6.9 miles. Not much energy so it was a 9:00 minute pace. Masters swim at 5:30 was a bust. I did the warm up, drills, kicking and our first set of 4x75 yds. That was enough and I quit. Don't know if it is the weather or what but I'm definitely finding it hard right now to keep going. With a race in 10 days, I hope that changes.

Wednesday, October 14th
Another ugly cold day. The average high for today is supposed to be 61. Its 45. We haven't had a temperature this month above 59. Global warming? Not in Wisconsin! Regardless, I have to get a bike ride in today. In addition to being cold, its drizzling. I put on my warm biking stuff and head out to ride hard around Pewaukee Lake. I catch a strong east wind coming back which makes it even harder. I finish my 30 mile ride with a bike and clothes wet and coated in road grit. After a couple hours rest, I head over to Pilate class. Near the end, we do a couple minute relaxation on the floor. I proceed to fall asleep. When I open my eyes, the entire group is standing and doing a final series of stretches. I feel just a little embarassed. Maybe I should have taken a nap after my ride?

Tuesday, October 13th
I get my times all screwed up and rush out to West Wood to teach my 9:00 AM spin class . . . but it's only 8:00 AM. If nothing else, it gives me extra time to ride before class. 8 show up and the class goes well. Master's swim is at 6:30. It's what I've been dreading, a big one. I get in a 600 yd warm-up before we start drills. After the drills it's 150 yd kick. Our main set is 4 x 125 yds with the 3rd length the breast stroke. We do it 3 times for 1,500 yds. My hand starts to cramp from fatigue. After a cool down lap, it's another 150 yd kick. Finally it's 4 x 75 yds with the last 75 hard and 100 yd cool down. Total is 3050 yds. My shoulder is holding up but I'm concerned that it might not feel so good tomorrow.

Monday, October 12th
I'm starting up a winter triathlon swim program as West Wood. Although I've been leading a group for the last two years, it was never an official club program. Now it will be. This way I will have pool time and lanes assigned and not have to share with other members using the pool. Although the first official session begins in November, a bunch from the Thursday running group wants to start now. So we get to the pool at 7:00 and get in an hour of training. Some of it I coach from pool side so I don't get the full workout myself. But that's okay as I'm more interested in helping them to become better swimmers. I have my Masters swim on Tuesday and Thursday. This afternoon, I get in a short high intensity run, 4 miles with pace pickups ever 2 minutes. I feel good. Pilate class is at 6:30. I good workout day.

Sunday, October 11th
I only log today because it was crappy outside and in. It's cloudy, gloomy, cold, windy and my mood is crappy too. So I watch a bunch of golf and football and vegetate and eat. Not a very motivated athlete, or motivated anything, that's for sure.

Saturday, October 10th
I spent all day yesterday helping my son, Ken, disassemble one of those wood playhouse, swing, slide contraptions from his friends back yard and moving it to his house. Since it was raining nearly all day, I guess that was as close to a workout as I was going to get.

This morning, Iron Mike and I headed out at 8:00 for a long run. Its 37 degrees but at least the sun is shining. We plan on two loops out to Fox Brook, 6.6 miles each. The first loop I have no energy and I'm dragging. We do the second loop 3 minutes faster. We get in a little over 2 hours of running.

Thursday, October 8th
My legs are pretty tired from yesterday's ride. Fortunately, we only have a small group for our Thursday run and we cut it to 45 minutes. I also cut Masters swim in the evening because of a birthday party gathering. Actually, I never mind cutting out of swim early.

Wednesday, October 7th
Iron Mike and I put on the leg warmers, long sleeves and gloves. It's cold weather biking time again. UGH!! We head out to do two loops around Pewaukee Lake, 42 miles. We push all the hills and straight stretches. It's a good ride. I get in a 3 mile brick run after the ride.

Tuesday, October 6th
Today is my first fall spin class. I have 6 people show up which is good. Masters swim at 6:30 also goes well. My shoulder is hardly bothering me right now and I'm able to make my stroke reach about 80% out. It's giving me confidence . . . as long as it stays this way.

Monday, October 5th
We get back home earlier enough for me to get a bike ride in. I head over to Mitchell Park to do one mile intervals. I also make it to 6:30 Pilate's class at Vic Tanny's.

Sunday, October 4th
I drive up to Watersmeet with my bike planning on riding to Marenisco and back, 56 miles. By the time I get the bike out, shoes and helmet on, a cold rain shower pushes through. These showers come off Lake Superior and I know are going to continue on and off for the whole ride. The temperature has also dropped. It's now 47 degrees. It's just too miserable for me and I pack the bike up and head back to the cottage. No training today.

Saturday, October 3rd
We drove to our cottage yesterday and it's been drizzling ever since. I've got to get a long run in so I can't wait for good weather. I'm running around Duck Lake, my 13 mile route. The first 6+ miles to the forest road go well and I make the turn at 57 minutes. As I head back, the drizzle and rain start up again. The rain doesn't last too long but just make it a little more miserable. The good thing is I feel good. I push the last mile at 8:08 minutes. It's a good run.

Thursday, October 1st
43 degrees this morning. Burrrr! Still not cold enough for tights yet. About 12 show up for our Thursday run. We head down the bike trail 30 minutes and return. The run back is in 28 minutes as everyone is just pushing the pace hard. It's 6.8 miles. Masters swim goes okay again with 2,15o yds.

Wednesday, September 30th
I meet Iron Mike at 1:00 and we head out for a ride. It's cool, upper 50's but the sun is out and the wind has died down. I was planning on 50 but the rout we plan is only 38 miles. So, I make it a hard ride pushing it most of the way at 20 - 22 mph. I add a 3 mile brick run at the end. It's a good work out.

Tuesday, September 29th
I was planning on doing a 30 mile bike ride but the weather is cold and windy and I just can't get myself to do it. I make up for it with a good Masters swim. After the normal warm-up stuff, we do 3 sets of 100, 75, 50, and 25 yd on our training interval. We then do 600 yd continuous. We follow that with 2 sets of 100, 75, 50, and 25 yd hard pull on interval. I end up with 2,800 yd, the most this fall. The good thing is my shoulder is holding up with not too much pain after the workout.

Monday, September 28th
Autumn arrived. It's 55 degrees, it's cloudy and the wind is gusting to 40+mph. Good day for a character run. After a couple mile warm up, I start 5 minute tempo efforts with 3 minutes of recovery. I do the full 9.6 mile loop that way and I feel good. I also get infected with the racing bug. I talk to Iron Mike and we registered for a 1/2 Ironman race in Austin Texas on October 25th. That'll keep me motivated for the next month.

Sunday, September 27th
Time to start working on trying to get some speed back in my running. I do my short 4.3 mile loop with 2 minutes at race pace with 2 minutes recovery. It felt ok, a start.

Saturday, September 26th
I meet up with Lowell and Gary and we run for an hour around Pewaukee Lake. It's really a conversation pace run as they slow down to my pace for a change.

Friday, September 25th
The weather has been great for the entire month, except for that hot day, IM Wisconsin. Got the bike out for the first times since the race. Ride around Pewaukee Lake, 30 miles. I push the pace, average 18.2 mph. At 4:30, I go to Pilate, the first time in months. It's awful! I can't hold the low bridge for more then 5 seconds and the yoga poses are just torture. I've got a long way to get back to where I was in the spring.

Thursday, September 24th
I meet up with my run group as we begin our fall running. That means shorter more intense running and not too much biking. My legs feel fresh and I try to keep up with the lead bunch. I stay with them the first 30 minutes but eventually fall back. I do the 6.7 mile Rocky Point loop in 58 minutes, a fast time for me. After, I get on the scale. It's 172 lbs, 5-6 pounds of dehydration. Masters swim I still take it easy at. Our main swim is 4 sets of 2 x 100 yds at 2:00, 50 yd breast stroke. I do the first two but drop the breast stroke on the last two as it bothers my shoulder too much. I get in 1,600 yds, not a lot but a start back.

Tuesday, September 22rd
It's 10:00 AM and I begin the drive back home. On the way, we stop at a McDonalds and I have the Angus burger with beacon and cheese, probably 6 million calories. I love it! This evening, I'm back at Masters swim. I only do the first part of the workout. I don't want to aggravate my shoulder so I plan on starting back into pool swimming slowly. I'm trying to be practical!

Saturday, September 19th
For the fun of it, I put on my running shows and head over to Little Duck Lake, 4 miles. If feels good to just run for fun. We have friends here at the cottage who are not very active so I plan on spending the weekend eating and . . . eating.

Thursday, September 17th
I meet up with my run group for a half hour run. I feel pretty good. About 20 show up and we all reminisce about the Ironman Race. Many in the group were there volunteering and have their stories to tell. Several of them also signed up for next year, their first.

Sunday, September 13th - IRONMAN WISCONSIN

She’s holding my hand and asks, “Are you still with us?” I open my eyes and answer, “I’m still here.” In the background I can hear the ambulance. Right now, I feel too awful to even think about my disappointment in not finished another Ironman race.

It started so great. It’s Sunday, September 13th, 2009 and I’m ready for my 10th Ironman race. Except for the predicted 80 degree temperatures, I’m feeling exceptionally relaxed and positive about everything. My previous 9 Ironman races have taught me a lot and I know I’ll be able to eat and drink and pace and make all the right decisions. The alarm goes off at 3:30 AM for my 10 minute breakfast of banana and energy bar. A little more rest and my second wakeup call comes. Its 5:15 AM, time to get ready.

I meet my friends, Lowell and Mike, in the lobby and we head over to Monona Terrace. On the way, I drop off my bike food bag with my replacement bottles of energy drinks and a few more energy bars. I will need these at the half way point on the bike. I also pack a wet wash cloth to wipe the sweat from my face.

A volunteer with a large magic marker puts my number, 2061, on my shoulder and a number 64, my age, on my calf. I make a final check of my bike and fill my aero bottle with water. A stop at the Porta Potty and it’s time to get ready. It’s now 6:30 AM and the 2,400 athletes are beginning to put on their wet suits. Hundreds of spectators, each looking for the faces of friends and family to cheer on, line the 3 story helix we walk down on our way to Monona Lake. Some spectators look more anxious then the athletes.

The mass start of the 2.4 mile swim can be brutal. The swim course is a double loop long rectangle. We can swim inside the rectangle as long as we go outside on the corner buoys. I’ve decided to start by the inside buoy line hoping to avoid some of the crowding in the middle. 7:00 AM, the cannon fires and the water erupts with arms and legs flying everywhere. I’m lucky. After the initial hitting and pushing and banging into each other and getting my goggles knocked loose, I find some open swimming. Getting around the corners, especially the first one, is always tough. Like an hour glass, all 2,400 athletes are trying to swim in the same square foot of space to make the turn. I get my goggles knocked loose several more times but feel my swim is going well. As I get to the finish, I check my watch. 1:24 hrs. It’s 6 minutes faster than I had hoped for. My arthritic shoulder has not been a problem. My biggest worry is now behind me.

I get my biking stuff in transition, get a coat of sun screen from friends who have volunteered, and I’m on my way for a 112 mile bike ride. The first 32 miles to Mount Horab I ride easy and relaxed taking plenty of water. My family is there and I get “. . . go grandpa” cheers from my grandkids. I ride through the cheering crowds of Verona still feeling great . . . until a race official calls me for drafting. I’m in a long line of riders and we are all keeping the required 4 bike length distance apart. I do not feel I was drafting!! I’m pissed!!! I will have to wait 4 minutes in the next penalty tent.

As I ride the second loop and get back to Mount Horab, I still fell fine. I get more cheers from my family. I look for the penalty tent but it’s not here. I ride on still trying to forget about the stupid penalty. The penalty time will give me a chance to eat, drink, and give my legs a break. As I head out of town, I get my first twinge of cramping. I’m hydrated. I’ve been taking my electrolytes. This cannot be happening!!!

The penalty tent is in Cross Plaines, the 83 mile mark. I get my stop watch with my 4 minutes set. I check it after a couple minutes and it’s not working. The official just tells me to go but I’m tempted to stay because of the cramping.

I have to really ride slow now with constant small cramps in my quads. At the bottom of Midtown Hill, I stop a minute to rest, hoping to avoid cramping going up the hill. Just then, both quads cramp! With head down, I have to walk my bike up the hill. The last 20 miles back to Madison are a constant struggle with the cramps. My time is 7:17 hrs, 45 minutes off my plan. And now I have to run a marathon, 26.2 miles.

I get through transition and begin a slow run / walk for the first few miles. Physically, I feel good. The quad cramps have stopped. I’ve given up any thoughts of making a top 5 finish. I know I’m going to finish and that will be okay. By the turn around at mile 13, my legs are drained and I’m mostly walking. I know I’m a fast walker. At mile 16, I have just 10 more miles to go, just seventeen thousand six hundred more steps. Its 7:45 PM. I’ll be done by 10:15. Mile 17, just sixteen thousand more steps. As I approach mile 18, I start to feel a little nauseated and I can’t keep up the fast walk anymore. As I reach 20 miles and the dark trail along Lake Mendota, I start to loose my balance and cannot walk straight. I feel faint and I think about stories of athletes that have wondered off during races. I keep looking down the trail, hoping to see the lights of the aid station. I know it’s up ahead. I know I need help.

As the paramedics arrive, the soft cushions of the gurney are a relief from the concrete I’ve been laying on at the aid station. The ambulance ride to the medical tent seems to take forever. Even though I’ve left half my stomach at the aid station, I still feel awful. It takes an IV and 30 more minutes in the medical tent before I start to come around. My vitals are all fine. I’m only down 2 pounds so my hydration is okay. I’ve taken lots of electrolytes. I wish I knew!!
It’s 11:30 PM and Sandy and my son meet me outside the medical tent. I’m starved. I grab a couple sub sandwiches from the food tent. As I walk back to the hotel, I feel fine, . . . except for an overwhelming sense of disappointment. But, what the hell! I have 12 months to figure it out before next year’s race. I’m registered!

Saturday, September 12th
I check-in my transition bags and bike. All things are a go. Dinner is at 4:30 at my daughters, spaghetti and salad. I'm ready!

Friday, September 11th
We leave for Madison at 8:30 so I have enough time to join the IM course swim in Lake Manona. Sever 100 (maybe a 1,000) athletes do this before the race. It's my last chance to see how my shoulder feels. It feels good. After the swim, it's registration then hotel check-in.

Thursday, September 10th
I meet up with my run group but only go half an hour easy. My Ironman nerves are starting to work in overtime.

Wednesday, September 9th
Another short 4 mile run. I've re-laced my running shoes in the hope of not have the same problem I had at Louisville. I was hoping the new shoes I ordered would be here but they did not arrive so I'll probably race Wisconsin with these.

Tuesday, September 8th
I get on the bike and ride over to Mitchell Park. I don't need any long rides, just an hour to stay limber. I do some one mile surges and the rest easy. This evening is the beginning of my fall Masters swim program. I do part of the workout but don't want to extend my shoulder too much. It's good to be with the group again.

Monday, September 7th
I need to push out my run a little more. I head down the forest service road for 30 minutes and head back. I feel good and my pace is good. This afternoon it's back into the car to drive home.

Sunday, September 6th
My son, Paul, and I get in a short run to Little Duck Lake and back, 4 miles. My legs feel almost normal.

Saturday, September 5th
I take the bike into Watersmeet to get in an hour ride down Highway 2. I normally ride west but they are paving the road and have the barrels sitting in the middle of the shoulder where I ride. So, I head east. The weather is beautiful and autumn colors are starting to show. The legs feel good and I push the pace a little.

Friday, September 4th
I meet up with Iron Mike and Lowell and we head to Lake La Belle for a short swim. I'm still a little stiff but it's getting better. After the swim, it's back into the car for a 5 hour drive up to the cottage for the weekend.

Thursday, September 3rd
I meet up with my Thursday morning run group at 7:00 am to see if my legs will run yet. They're still a little sore but better then I expected. It's an easy 4 mile jog.

Monday, August 31st
I'm sore but not cramping. We finish up visiting with friends in the morning and head back to Wisconsin mid afternoon. That helps us avoid Chicago traffic. It's still a long trip.

Sunday, August 30 - IRONMAN LOUISVILLE
It’s Sunday, August 30th, 4:15 AM and the alarm goes off. Except for two bathroom breaks, I’ve slept well. Ironman Louisville will be my 9th Ironman race. The apprehension is always there but I feel good and I’m fairly confident. The weather forecast is for a near perfect day, partly cloudy, low 70’s and little wind.

I packed my swim stuff and special needs bags last night. I checked my bike and transition bags in yesterday. I’ve gone through my check list. I head down stairs to get a banana and eat a Clif Bar for breakfast. We load up the car and head to Louisville. Sandy is dropping me off so I can get in line early for the swim start. This race has a time trial format for the swim. Rather then every one starting together like most Ironman races, we will be lined up ahead of time and enter the water from two piers. Your race time starts when you cross a timing mat on the pier.

It’s a little after 5:00 AM and I meet Iron Mike in transition. We drop off our special needs bags, put our water bottles on our bike, go through body marking, and head to get in line for the swim. Even though the race doesn’t start until 7:00 AM, everyone else seems to want an early swim start too. There are over a thousand in line ahead of us. Some have brought chairs and even an air mattress. You’d think we were in line for tickets for some rock star concert. Now we sit and wait . . . and watch the sun come up.

It’s 6:50 AM and I hear the cannon fire. The pros have started the 2.4 mile swim. The line begins to move. On the way to the pier, I drop off my warm up clothes. I reach the pier about 7:15, make my jump into the Ohio River and my race has started. As predicted, the water is warm, low 80’s. The first ¾ miles are up stream in a narrow channel shelter by an island. There may be a current in the river but I don’t feel it. I stay near shore to avoid other swimmers and get into a comfortable rhythm. As I get to the end of the island, my hand brushes against something in the water. At first I wonder if it’s a fish, maybe a big carp . . . or the bottom?. The water is extremely cloudy so I cannot see more then a few inches below the surface. Then I spot athletes in front of me standing on a sand bar. We’re in water probably only a couple feet deep. The next think I know, I’m swimming over a large submerged log. I’m tempted to stand up but don’t. I reach the buoy at the end of the island, make the turn, and now head down stream in the main part of the river. All barge and boat traffic has been stopped so it’s a straight swim to the finish. Although the water is cloudy, it is not foul smelling or unpleasant to swim in.

I’ve been swimming out from the shore hoping for a stronger river current. Before reaching the exit, I swim under the Kennedy Bridge and an old railroad trestle. A set of stairs mark the exit with volunteers helping us get to our feet. I check my watch. 1 hour, 42 minutes. I’m disappointed! Its 13 minutes slower than what I had hoped for. The river current and the speed swim suit I borrowed for the race were not enough to offset my bad shoulder and the buoyancy I lost from not being able to use my wet suit in the warm river.

Transition goes well. I mount my bike and begin the 112 mile ride. I plan to ride the first 30 miles very easy. At mile 18, we turn off River Road and begin an out and back leg. Suddenly, I’m flying down a long winding hill lined with beautiful trees and rock formations. It’s fabulous! I also know the basic law of biking. For every great down hill there is an equal and opposite ugly up hill. Just as I reach the bottom the climb back up begins. It’s not excessively steep so I can stay in the saddle. After a couple miles I make the turn and head back to ride the hill again.

Mile 25 comes. My legs already feel tired and I’m starting to mentally dread today. Things don’t get any better when I miss the bottle cage on my bike and my large bottle of concentrated energy drink slides across the road into the ditch. My small bottle in my jersey will have to last until I get to my special needs bag at mile 65.

From here, I have two 30 mile hilly loops to ride. The hills are not steep but some are long and there are a lot of them. I finally get to La Grange where there are crowds of people cheering us on. It lifts my spirits.

My legs start feeling better. If it wasn’t for my pedal clip-in on my left shoe not holding, I would now be enjoying the ride. I ride past a wooly caterpillar near the shoulder of the road. He picked a bad day to cross the road. There are 2,600 bikes going by him. Today, is his lucky day. If he doesn’t turn around, he will make it to the waiting field of green. Maybe this will be my lucky day too.

A sign says “CHICKENS $10”. What would I do with a chicken on a bike?

I’m on my second loop and there is traffic on the road. This is horse country so I should not be surprised by a truck pulling a horse trailer. He is going slow and crowding the entire road. I’m frustrated by not being able to get around him. I finally get a break and throw it into passing gear. I’m still feeling good as I head back to Louisville.

So far, I’ve been able to ride conservatively and avoid cramping. Seven miles from the finish we have one more long hill. Three quarters of the way up, I get my first cramp. I get out of the saddle hoping it will go away. It doesn’t. I have to stop. I stretch it out. My cleat is still giving me problems and I’m hoping it holds while I try to get going back up the hill. The last thing I want is to crash now or have to walk up. My cleat holds, the cramp does not return, and I’m on my way to the finish. I check my clock, 6 hours 35 minutes, only 3 minutes off my plan. I feel my conservative ride is going to really help my run.

I’m through transition, get a greeting from my wife and friends and begin the 26.2 mile marathon. I take the first mile easy giving my legs a chance to recover from the ride. It’s an 11:30 mile. The next 3 miles I feel relaxed and run easy. My pace is 10:17, much better then I expected.

From here, the wheels fall off. I get a sharp pain on the right side of my little toe on my right foot. I take off my shoe and adjust my stretch shoe laces. I’m too sore and cramped to bend over and get my shoe on. A good samaritan lady standing on the side of the road helps me. The pain goes away. I start walking and slow jogging. By mile 8 my legs are toast. I meet up with another athlete who is walking because of stomach problems. We walk and talk for 6 miles. He’s recovered but I’m not. I try jogging a little but stop at a timing mat. It’s flat but I’m still worried about tripping on it. At mile 21, I talk my shoe off for probably the 5th time. A police man with a flash light offers to help me get it back on. I’m ready to throw my shoe into the nearest dumpster. At least I haven’t cramped.

The 23 mile marker appears. Only 3.2 more miles. That would normally be a very, very short run. At my current pace, it will be a very very long 45 minutes. I put my head down and keep walking as fast as my legs let me. Even the bottom of my feet hurt. My hopes for a good marathon have been dashed to the slowest one ever. As I get to the final few blocks, thousands of people are cheering ahead and I make myself run to the finish line. My race time is 14 hours, 42 minutes, 47 seconds, 14th out of 26 finishers in my age.

I get a finishers picture taken, grab some water and look for Sandy. I can’t find her so head to the food and medical area. I retrieve my sandals from my morning clothes bag and exchange them for my hated running shoes. After grabbing a piece of pizza, I settle on a chair still look for Sandy. It doesn’t take long for the post race nausea and dizziness to starts. I might as well head to the medical tent as I know it’s the first place Sandy will look for me. I’m not badly dehydrated so no IV this year. From my cot, I can see Sandy in the doorway and I give her a sign for 5 more minutes. The medical staff helps me to my feet only to have the dizziness return and a return back to the cot. After another 15 minutes, I’m finally able to get to my feet. It’s now past midnight. Iron Mike has also finished. We sit around talking and eating the last of the pizza.

In some ways, it was a good race. I finished. Physically, I don’t feel as beat up as some of my Ironman races. But, on this perfect day, it was my slowest race. I’m deeply disappointed that I could not have done better. I’ll go home and think about it. In two weeks I have Ironman Wisconsin, another chance to do this all over again, another chance for a perfect race.

Friday, August 28th
It's been a couple long days. On our way down to Louisville, Sandy's brother past away. It was expected. Yesterday was the funeral. Today is the burial. 3 of my kids were able to drive down so we go out for an easy 4 mile run across the Louisville 2nd street bridge over the Ohio River. It brings back memories when I use to run over the one mile bridge 20 years ago while here visiting Sandy's mother.

Tuesday, August 25th
Another easy run, this time only 4 miles with a couple 1 minute surges. Time to start packing up. I print out my race and nutrition plan. I print out race maps. I print out spectator and athlete guides. I print out my competitor list and check list. Early tomorrow morning, we hit the road. My next posting will hopefully be my "successful" race recap.

Monday, August 24th
I get the bike all cleaned up and put a new rear tire on it. I ride over to Mitchell Park mainly following my run route to check the milage. After a couple 1 mile surges up and down Mitchell Blvd, I loop around the local neighborhoods and head home, 17 miles of easy riding.

Sunday, August 23rd
It feels great to be tapering. I run out to Fox Brook doing my 6.8 mile loop. Its good running when your legs aren't tired and feel strong.

Saturday, August 22nd - MADISON OPEN WATER SWIM RACE
Here is my chance to really test my Blue Seventy swim suit. The race is held in Lake Manona in Madison, the same course used in IM Wisconsin. They have a 1.2 and 2.4 mile race for both wet suit and non wet suit. Over 200 are doing the 2.4 mile with wet suit. Most of these are triathletes training for IM Wisconsin. Iron Mike and I opt for the 1.2 mile non wet suit. This is our taper swim for IM Louisville next week. There are only 27 in this race. I think the suit is helping me and I finish feeling I did okay, . . . until I see the clock. It takes 52 minutes, about 7 minutes longer than I thought. I'm not last but there are only 4 swimmers slower than me. I'm also not the oldest as there is a guy 71 who swam faster then I did. It does give me a better idea on what to expect for Louisville. It will be a long swim!!!

Weeks Training: 16.0 miles running, 141.1 miles biking, 3.6 miles swimming. One core training workout. 13:10 hr training. After my 90 mile bike race on Sunday, a good taper week with a chance to practice non wet suit swimming.

Friday, August 21st
It's cool with a light drizzle, not the most appealing morning to do anything. But, it doesn't stop us from swimming at Lake La Belle. Yesterday, my friend, Lauren, lent me a Blue Seventy speed suit. There are full body swim suits, the type professional swimmers use in world class meets. I'm hoping it will help me in my swim at IM Louisville where wet suits will not be allowed. Today, I get to see if it helps. I swim about 30 minutes and I feel comfortable with it. I feel it makes me more proficient. This afternoon I was hoping to get in a 90 minute bike ride but ran short of time. Instead I ride an hour and throw in (8) 1 mile sprints.

Thursday, August 20th
There's a light rain this morning but the hard core runners in our Thursday group are all here. I stay with Steve and Iron Mike and we run the trail for 30 minutes out, turn and run back. Nothing hard, just conversation pace running.

Wednesday, August 19th
Iron Mike and I head out to ride around Pewaukee Lake. Immediatly, I'm getting a noise from my rear derailer. Something is out of adjustment. Mike goes on and I head to the bike shop. They do a few adjustments and I'm back in business. I plan on an easy ride so I have no thoughts of trying to catch up to Mike. I finish the 30 miles in 1:42 hr. At 4:30, I drive over to Balley's for the Pilate class. It's awful. With my bad left shoulder, still sore rib and a few other pains, I can only do about half the routines I routinely completed this spring. My core strength is not were it should be. Oh well!! To late to fix it now.

Tuesday, August 18th
I plan just a moderate run today doing my 9 mile Mitchell Park loop. My legs feel good and I keep a pretty good pace for the whole run. My only pain is my right aductor muscle that cramped Sunday on the bike. It's a little sore after my run. My rib is still bothering me some but everything else is okay, except of course for my bumb left shoulder. Even that isn't too bad. Most of the day I spend getting my race plan and other logistic stuff ready for next week.

Monday, August 17th
Still pretty tired from yesterday. I make it over to Pewaukee Lake in the evening for open water swim practice. Once again, it's windy with waves. I think this is the 4th Monday in a row it's been windy. I get in 8 loops, a little over an hour swim. It helps loosen me up.

IM LOUISVILLE TAPER BEGINS

Sunday, August 16th - RACE THE LAKE
I get up at, ugh, 3:00 AM, get dressed and drive over to pickup Lowell and Iron Mike. We drive to Fond du Lac for a 90 mile bike race around Lake Winnebago. None of us have ever done a pure bike race so this is all new to us. There are close to 1,000 bikers. We start in waves. Ours is the last. Two friends, Gary and Doug, take off in front of me. I try to catch them and immediately catch a fast peloton. We are cruising on a beautiful flat road at 25 mph. I never catch them but the ride is feeling great. I finally have to break at mile 30 to stop for water. I get to the north end of the lake and we begin riding south down the east shore. The great ride just turned sour. Strong gusty head winds and an occasional light rain shower make riding miserable. Occasionally I catch a small peloton but the riders are pretty spread out. Eventually, my lack of drinking catches up and I cramp at mile 80. I get off the bike long enough to stretch it out and get water and electrolytes in me. It doesn't fire again until just before the finish. I end in 4:23 hr., 20.5 mph average. I'm happy with this and it's a good final tune up for IM.

Saturday, August 15th
OFF day. Getting ready for tomorrows bike race and 2 weeks taper before IM Louisville.

Weeks Training: 30.2 miles running, 135.6 miles biking, 5.0 miles swimming. No core training workout. 15:27 hr training. A very good week with long biking, running and swimming.

Friday, August 14th
Lowell, Iron Mike, Dennis and I head out to Lake la Belle at 8:00 AM. Since the lake is shallow, it's a good chance for me to swim open water without my wet suit. Even though I've been swimming for 8 years. I still am not comfortable in the open water without it. I can swim well enough but just prefer the safe feeling I have with the wet suit. Plus, I'm much more efficient in the wet suit. Reguarless, I have to swim the Louisville IM without it so getting a little more confidence won't hurt. We swim out to the point, around it and back plus a little more to get in an hour. It does lift my confidence.
I also have a long run today. Mike stops over at 3:30 to run the first part of it with me. We head out to Fox Brook for the first 7 mile loop. After a couple miles, I have a small vertigo attach and have to walk. I've had these before and they go away. The sun and mid 80 degree temps don't help. It's a slow loop. The second loop I'm on my own. I get to Mitchell Park and feel much better. It gives me the confidence to add on a loop over to Capital Drive. I don't know how far my run is but I'm guessing over 17 miles. My time is 3:11 hr. I'm getting too old for these!!

Thursday, August 13th
I have no energy this morning, My run with the group is pretty bad. I'm bringing up the rear with Mike and Susan.

Wednesday, August 12th
I'm back home. Lowell and Iron Mike have some things planned so I'm on my own today. Since I missed doing a good brick workout last week, it's a good day for it. I ride out around Pewaukee Lake, 30 miles, and push it all the way. If it wasn't for the construction near our house, I would have averaged over 19 mph. I grab my running shoes and head to Fox Brook for a 7 mile loop. My legs have no energy and it's a slow run. I checked my weight before I started, 181#'s. I'm 175#'s when I finish. Not good.

Tuesday, August 11th
My nephew's new wife, Aerie, is staying up north with my brother. She is a good swimmer and use to play water polo, a really tough sport. So, she is up to swimming with me. She has never swum long distance so making it to the island and back is too much. We go about 20 minutes and turn back, a nice easy morning effort before my trip back home.

Monday, August 10th
I plan to drive to Land 'o Lakes and bike from there to Manitowish Waters and back, 105 miles. As I load the bike in the car, the rear tire is flat. Not a good start. I change the tire but now I'll have to ride with no spare. I guess I'll have to remember to bring extra tubes the next time I come up here. I know there is a bike shop in Boulder Junction, 37 miles out. If I can get there, I'll be ok. It's cool and there is absolutley no wind. I love this ride. On my trip back from Manitowish Waters, a slight breeze picks up to push me along. I finish in 5:54 hrs, an 18.3 mph pace. I'm really feeling good about where my bike training has me.

Sunday, August 9th
I didn't get much swimming in last week so need to pick it up. I head to the island at the south end of the lake. It takes me 31 minutes. With the waves, it takes 36 minutes coming back. It's a 2+ mile swim.

Saturday, August 8th
I was planning on doing a triple brick workout (Swim / Bike / Run) but couldn't fit it in. So, instead, I do the tempo run I had planned for Monday. Its 8 miles with 3 minutes hard and 2 minutes easy. I feel great with a little pop in my legs. I finish the last mile down the gravel road in 8:33, a good pace for me.

Weeks Training: 39.9 miles running, 159.0 miles biking, 1.6 miles swimming. No core training workout. 16:32 hr training. A very good week with long and hard biking and running. Swimming however wasn't what I wanted.

Friday, August 7th
Ah, an OFF day. I need the rest.

Thursday, August 6th
I've been dreading this but I need to get in a long run. The humidity is low and temperature in the 60's, perfect. The first 4 miles to highway 45 are slow. I stop there to refill the 2 water bottles I'm carrying and to drink water I've dropped off in the woods. I don't know what was in the jug I used for the water but it tasted terrible and I had to pour it out. Now it is 7 miles down the snowmobile trail before my next water drop. I'm completely out when I get there. I drink extra and refill my bottles. It's enough to keep me going. It takes me 3:11 hrs for the 18.5 miles. At least I didn't cramp up. As I get older, these long runs are really tough for me.

Wednesday, August 5th
I drive up to Watersmeet, park the car and head out west on Highway 2 to Marenesco and back, 57 miles total. As usual, the wind is in my face all the way there. That keeps my pace to 16.5 mph. But, on the way back, I feel great. Even going up hills feels easy. The flat sections I hold 22-24 mph. I finish with 18.5 mph average.

Tuesday, August 4th
I try to do some tempo pickups during my run this morning but my legs are still tired from the weekend of biking. So, my 9.2 miles goes pretty slow. Later, I hop in the car and head north to the cottage. On the way, I drink 4 sodas and stop for coffee. I guess the run left me a little dehydrated.

Monday, August 3rd
Just an easy day today. This morning I run 4.2 miles easy around the neighborhood. At 5:00, I meet up with Lowell and Iron Mike and we join the group out at Pewaukee Lake to swim. It's windy, probably as rough as I've had to swim in, which is good training for the day I have to do this in a triathlon. I get in about 1.5 miles, about an hour swim.

Saturday, August 1st & 2nd - MS 150 Ride


I'm home and pretty tired from 2 days of hard biking. The MS 150 ride offers an option to ride 100 mile routes both days. Iwas riding on my friend, Dan's team. Dan has MS and we had 87 riders. Many were recreation rides but there were about 10 of us who were doing the double century. We started at WCTC in Waukesha at 7:30 on Saturday. We weren't out long before the rain clouds moved in on us. It wasn't a big storm but enough to make it a ride in the rain. It didn't last too long. Our route took us down to Whitewater, south west of Waukesha. After the rain, the wind picked up from the south west so it was tough going for many miles. It took me 5:46 hrs of riding, a 17.5 mph pace. I talked Gary into a short run when we finished to get a brick workout. We slept overnight at the University of Whitewater campus and were back on the road at 7:30. The clouds cleared and we had a perfect day for riding, sunny, dry, low humidity and temps in the 70's. I started to tire around 40 miles and struggled till we hit lunch at 60. I got my energy back and we linked up for some pretty hard pace line biking the rest of the way. I finished with 102 miles, 5:52 hr, 17.3 mph pace. Hopefully, this will help my Ironman training.

Weeks Training: 26.6 miles running, 167.6 miles biking, 4.4 miles swimming. One core training workout. 17:41 hr training. A good week with a long bike, run and swim.

Friday, July 31st
We meet out at Lake La Belle in Oconomowoc at 8:00 am to swim. Today is an easy day so I limit it to one loop, 26 minutes. Yoga class at 4:30. I still have a little trouble with my sore rib holding some of the poses. Saturday and Sunday are the MS 150 bike ride. They have 100 mile ride options each day so it will be good IM training.

Thursday, July 30th
For a change, our Thursday run group meets out at Pewaukee Lake Beach to run a famous local hill, Glacier Hill. I'm determined to try keeping close to our lead group. It takes all I have to stay relatively close up the first side. I keep the same gap down the back side 'till we get to our turn around. Coming up the back side isn't quite as steep but I fall further behind. We run about 5.3 miles total. It's a good aerobic run. I take an unusual afternoon nap and almost over sleep my Masters swim. Our workout is shorter then normal but we do more high intensity short distances.

Wednesday, July 29th
The 3 amigos head out at 11:00 for a 50 mile bike ride. We get out near Oconomowoc, about 25 miles and Lowell's chain breaks. His bike is becoming an achillies heal to our rides. This time we are lucky. His son just happens to drive down the road we are on 5 minutes after it happens and gives us a ride into town to the local bike shop. It's a 5 minute fix and we are back riding. I finish with 51 miles. I still feel good so add a 3 mile brick run after the ride.

Tuesday, July 28th
I'm planning on a 9 mile tempo run today. But, our out of town guests show up early so I have to substitute some early afternoon beer consumption for my run. This is now my OFF day for the week.

Monday, July 27th
I head over to Mitchell Park to ride some high one mile cadence intervals on my bike. My legs are awful tired from the last two days which is making the intervals hard. I was going to do 8 of them but quit after 6. 15 miles total ride. The 3 amigos, Lowell, Iron Mike and I head out to Pewaukee Lake at 6:00 pm. There is a triangular course set up and I plan on 10 loops. There are a lot of other swimmers and some sections are pretty weedy. I try to avoid both as I'm just swimming for time. I check my watch at the finish, 1:19 hrs. This is good.

Sunday, July 26th
My legs are tired from yesterday's ride but I still need to get a long training run in. The weather is great so I have no excuse. I start out at a very slow 10 minute mile. Eventually, my legs loosen up a little and I can pick it up. I decide to do a long loop first so that it will mentally be easier to do the second loop knowing it will be shorter. I try to drink quite a bit but, because it's not that warm, I still under estimate. I end up with 16.2 miles and sweat a little over 5 pounds.

Saturday, July 25th
Iron Mike, Lowell and I drive to Madison to ride the IM course. We meet up with 4 other friends. They're late so we don't get started 'till 8:20. We get to Mt Horab and have lost Big Mike. He shows up 15 minutes later, flat tire. As we leave our stop at Kwik Trip, Lowell has a flat. He proceeds to pinch flat 3 tubes before he gets one to hold. We finally head out and I ride with the lead group. After ridding through the Witte Road hills, I slow to see were Lowell, Big Mike and Iron Mike are. I wait for 3 bikers coming up the road. They are not them. My cell phone rings. They are back at Kwik Trip. Big Mike has another flat and no tube. I leave our group and head back. None of us have a long stem tube so we patch his tube. We also find the tiny piece of glass in his tire that caused it to go flat. It's now almost noon and we have 85 miles to go. We stop at a bike shop in Cross Plaines for new tubes and decide to just ride one loop cutting out 40 miles. With all the delays, I have not paid enough attention to my fluids. On the final hill back to Madison, I cramp. That eliminates my plan to run after we get back to the parking lot. It's a 76 mile disappointing ride.

Weeks Training: 18.3 miles running, 163.2 miles biking, 5.1 miles swimming. One core training workout. 17:58 hr training. A good bike and swim week. Also a good volume week with almost 18 hours of training.

Friday, July 24th
Another early morning swim at Lake La Belle. I get in an 1:10 hr swim, about 1 1/2 miles.

Thursday, July 23rd
I meet up with my run group at 7:00 AM at West Wood. Big group this morning, about 20 show up. After about 10 steps, I walk. My rib hurts. Eventually I get into a slow jog where it feels ok. I stay on the trail and get in an hour of slow jogging. Master swim at 6:30. I feel better then last Tuesday and finish the workout, about 2,700 yds.

Wednesday, July 22nd
Lowell and I head out to ride around Pewaukee Lake easy. A car cut in front of Iron Mike yesterday causing him to lock his brakes and take a dive over his handle bars. His helmet probably saved him a concussion, if not his life. But, he has a few injuries that will take a couple days to recover from. During the ride, I have to make an emergency stop, not for a car, but for a stupid bee that somehow flew into my jersey and was crawling around my back. Maybe it was a sign of good things to come as he chose not to sting me. As a result, he is still alive flying around Pewaukee Lake some where. Since I have nothing planned this evening, I go to Pilate class at Balley's. What a total mistake. My rib hurt too much to do crunches. I found out I must have tweaked my lower back Sunday as it hurts. My thigh hurts. This, plus my shoulder and just tired muscles make me skip or stop half the routines.

Tuesday, July 21st
Everything hurts. My ribs are still sore and my whole thigh has turned a beautiful shade of purple. I take a chance and go to Masters swim, hoping that will help. I make it through part of it before calling it quits. I think it did help me to loosen up my tight muscles a little.

Sunday, July 19th - Spirit of Racine 1/2 Ironman Triathlon
I get up at 4:30, have a banana and energy bar, some coffee, cough medicine and Aleve for my shoulder, pack my gear and head to Racine. Pre-race preparation is pretty normal. I get my transition stuff set up, check my bike, make a last minute pit stop and head to the swim start. The weather is near perfect, cloudy, calm, in the 60's with Lake Michigan water temperature also in the low 60's. I'm in the last age group wave, male's over 50.

The gun fires and we're off. The swim is 1.2 miles along the shore line. It takes me a couple minutes to get use to the cold water but then I'm fine. The Aleve is working and my shoulder is not bothering me. The biggest challenge is trying to synchronize bouts of coughing with breathing and swimming. Before I know it, I see the yellow buoy for the turn into shore. I hit the beach and check my watch, 27 minutes. That's unbelievable! Later, I learn there is a strong undertow that has pulled us the whole way.

I make a smooth transition to my bike and I'm off. The first few miles are slow as I get my heart rate back down and find a rhythm. By mile 10, I'm averaging close to 20 mph which is where I want to be for the race. Soon, both my knees and legs start to just hurt and feel fatigued. I start doubting myself and wonder if I'll be able to continue to race. Still, I'm able to keep my pace. By mile 40, my legs have gone the full cycle of hurting and feeling great several times. As I head east back to Racine, I'm into a little head wind. I've decided that I'm going to push hard the whole bike and not worry about the run. It'll be what ever is left. I reach the 56 mile finish in 2:44 hr, a 20.4 average. I would have like to have been faster with the great weather but it's okay.

Transition to the run also goes well. After a quick pit stop behind a few bushes, I'm into my run. The first couple miles are very slow, over 10 minute pace. I just have no energy. I finally get into a 9:30 pace until mile 5. My tired legs drag my feet along until I catch the edge of a crack in the road. I'm too tired to catch myself and do a full belly flop. A number of runners ask if I'm okay but I don't answer. I don't know! I get my senses back and roll to my side. My left hand and right elbow hurt, my right leg hurts and my chest is hurting . . . but none too bad. I get back on my feet and try to run. I guess I'll be okay as nothing is hurting bad enough to stop. Now every crack in the road is very large and becomes a challenge to not trip on.

I make the turn and start my second loop still chugging along. I give a high five to my granddaughters as the cheer me on. The weather has stayed cool and no signs of cramping. As I reach mile 10, I come up behind someone in my age group. As I pass him, I pick up my pace hoping he will not. He doesn't and stays with me the next mile. I really don't feel like racing but now I have to. I'm determined to stay ahead of him. Finally, I don't hear him and I think he has fallen behind. But I still don't want to chance him catch up so continue to push it. With a mile to the finish line, I come up on another age group runner. I'm tempted to stay behind him but I'm worried about the guy behind catching me. So I pass him too hoping he will fade. He doesn't. After a couple 100 yds, he passes me. Now it's me trying to keep pace. I can't. He finished 20 seconds ahead of me. My run is 2:07. Very disappointing!

I finish 7th in my age, 5:25 hr. Even though this is my fastest Racine race, there are some very good athletes here in my age who can still run and bike very well. Considering I did not taper much, have a bad cold and a bad shoulder, I should be happy with my race. But, as usual, my expectations are higher then my results.

The best part of the day was having 7 of my friends from West Wood complete their first ½ Ironman distance race. Some of them were part of my winter swim group who worked very hard to accomplish this. One had 2 flat tires during the race and still kept going to finish in 7 hours. True perseverance!

I’m home now, very tired and sore. I think I bruised my ribs as it hurts every time I cough. Everything else will just need a few days of rest.

Saturday, July 18th
I spend the morning picking cherries from our tree and getting my stuff ready for tomorrows race. I clean the bike and change my rear tire. Normally, I'd never change a tire the day before a race but there are thread bare spots showing and I don't want to risk it. I go out for a 30 minute ride to test it out. My son-in-law and I drive to Racine to register and check in our bikes. I feel kind of indifferent about this race. I'm not nervious or anything. My hacking cold is hanging on which doesn't help.

Weeks Training: 21.9 miles running, 73.7 miles biking, 4.6 miles swimming. One core training workout. 11:58 hr training. Not a true taper week.

Friday, July 17th
Were back to fall. It's only in the low 60's and cloudy. Not very summer like and not very pleasant for swimming. But, we still meet up at Mary Jo's lake cottage on Pewaukee Lake to swim. We do about 20 minutes along the shore line. Mary Jo, Dennis, Steve, and Kris are doing their first 1/2 IM race on Sunday so they are full of last minute questions.

Thursday, July 16th
We get our Thursday morning run group together and plan on a shorter easy run as many of us are racing this weekend. As usuall, we end up going longer and harder then planned. Iron Mike and I decide to not follow the pack and still end up with almost 6 miles. Masters swim in the evening isn't too bad. My only problems is my stupid flippers. They do not fit very well and this time it rubs a sore on the top of one of my toes. Time for new ones that fit.

Wednesday, July 15th
Lowell, Iron Mike and I head out at 11:00 planning on a 50 mile ride. It's warm, windy, and humid and, with all of us racing this weekend, the plan is to hold down the intensity. We make several stops and, in the end, only ride 42 miles. I have a bad cold so this was fine with me. At 4:30, I go to my first pilate class in 2 months. It's ugly!

Tuesday, July 14th
Its a cool day, great for a run. I put on the shoes and head out, planning on 9 miles. As usual, the first mile is slow but then I feel pretty good. I get into a good rythm and it's a good run. At 6:30, I make it to my first Masters swim in over 2 weeks. I expect it to be hard and it is. I only get in 2,200 yds.

Monday, July 13th
I head out by myself to ride around Pewaukee Lake, 31 miles. I want it to be an easy pace so I ride my old bike, Wow, what a difference. It really feels unconfortable. The aero bars are an inch closer together which makes my shoulder hurt. The seat is not confortable and the forward position makes it feel like more work. I wonder how I ever rode the stupid thing. At 5:00, I meet up with Iron Mike and Lowell and we head out to Pewaukee Lake to swim. I do 8 loops on the marked course, just over an hour. I feel ok. Next weekend is the Racine 1/2 IM triathlon so this week I plan on tapering a little.

Sunday, July 12th
Another beautiful day. My daughter, Sherry, is staying with us and wants to get in a run before we head down to the Circus parade. We do the Fox Brook loop, 6.6 miles. I make it a tempo run with a number of 3 to 5 minute surges. She's back to running my pace which makes both of us work. It's a good run.

Saturday, July 11th
I took the last two days OFF to recover. We also returned from the cottage. Since I haven't been in touch with my training friends, I'm not sure who is doing what today. So, I head over to the YMCA to catch the TriWisconsin Saturday morning ride. About 8 of us take the lead on the 42 mile loop. Eventually it's down to 4 and finally, Jen, a very good biker and I are riding together. The pace from the beginning was hard, mostly 20-22 mph. I finish at 18.7 mph average, one of the fastest paces I've ridden this course at. I grab my running shoes and head down Root River Parkway to Greenfield Park, grab a drink and head back, 55 minute run. It's been a good brick training workout.

Weeks Training: 22.9 miles running, 161.6 miles biking, zero miles swimming. No core training workouts. 13:25 hr training. A good biking week but no swimming is not good.

Wednesday, July 8th
I spend the morning digging out stumps and working on our lake shore line. Combine this with yesterday's long ride and I'm just toast. But, I've planned on a long run today so that's what I'm going to do. I wanted to do 15-16 miles but decide to run around the lake, 13 miles, After that, I'll decide if I want to go further. My first mile is a miserable old man's shuffle, probably about a 12-13 minute mile. The little hills I walk. Eventually, I get into a rhythm but it's awful slow, about my Ironman marathon pace. I finish in 2:23 hr, about 20 minutes slower then my normal pace.

Tuesday, July 7th
Everyone is gone so I have the day to myself. It's sunny and cool, great for bike riding. My plan is to ride to Manitowish Waters and back, 105 miles. The first 10 miles are slow but I then pick up the pace. I reach Boulder Junction about 5 minutes faster then last weeks ride. The stretch from there to Manitowish Waters is flat and I push the pace a little more. I was hoping to get more of a tail wind coming back but it's swung around and I only get a cross wind. At 65 miles, I start feeling a little fatigued. When I get to Star Lake, 80 miles in, I'm loosing it. I stop at the little general store and talk to the little old lady running it for about 15 minutes. I'm hoping a bottle of water and a Snickers will lift my energy. It helps but the last 25 miles are tough going. I haven't bonked like this in quite a while.

Monday, July 6th
Everyone is packing up and leaving today. I do find time to run to Little Duck Lake with my daughter, Sherry, 4 miles.

Sunday, July 5th
Yesterday was all family eating and picnic. My son-in-law, Rick, at 50+, just bought his first road bike. I take him and my sister, Carol, to Land 'O Lakes to ride the new bike trail they have. Its 15 miles out and back, some through the woods with a few inclines. The inclines are enough to get him huffing. When we get to the turn around, Rick comments that, at 7.5 miles, it's the longest he has ever ridden a bike. He enjoys it and hopefully will keep it going.

Weeks Training: 18.4 miles running, 104.8 miles biking, 4.1 miles swimming. No core training workouts. 11:38 hr training. An okay all around training week except my volume needs to be higher.

Friday, July 3rd
My son, Paul, my nephew, Trent and I head out for a run. I tell them I want to run about 8 miles. Since we don't know how far that is on the forest road, I tell them we will go 35 minutes out and come back. Trent is in college at UW and wants to stay in condition for Ultimate Frisbee, I club sport he plays. As we get to the corner about a mile from the cottage, I decide to pick up the pace to see how well playing frisbee keeps you in condition. When he figures out I've picked up the pace, he is in the race. Paul mean while has to fall back. It isn't long before Trent has me chasing his pace. We finish with a 7:30 mile with Trent in front. I can add him to the list of family members I no longer can run as fast as. Later in the afternoon, my other son, Ken and I, pull on the wet suits and swim to the end of the lake and back. The water is cool, probably low 60's. There are a lot of boats on the lake so we swim the shore line to the north end of the lake and back, about 2 miles. My shoulder holds up but I'm 5 minutes behind my son. Its 56 minutes for me.

Thursday, July 2nd
A cool front moved through last night and it's in the 40's, too cold to ride without a wind breaker. I head out on my bike from Land 'O Lakes to Boulder Junction at a fairly slow pace. I just don't have a lot of energy. I refill my water bottles at the gas station before heading back. It's 75 miles and I average only 17.1 mph.

Wednesday, July 1st
This morning, it was pack up the car and head north for the 4th of July. The misquitoes are still bad. It's been the worst year we can remember for them. Fortunately, with a little spray, they don't bother me while running. I get in the 4 mile run to Little Duck Lake and back.

Tuesday, June 30th
Wow, almost half the year is gone. Anyway, it has cooled off considerably, in the 60's. It's great for running. I head out at 11:00 am for a 6.6 mile tempo run. The first 3 miles go slow. I just can't get moving. After a pit stop at Fox Brook, I get a burst of energy. The next (3) 3-minute surges feel easy. I push up North Ave hill and finish my last mile at 8:01 pace.

Monday, June 29th
Back to training. Iron Mike and I head out for an early 8:00 AM ride around Pewaukee Lake, 30 miles. The strong gusty winds help make it a good workout. I push the pace on some of the long straight ways and on all the hills. At 5:30, we head out to Pewaukee Lake to swim. Even though the water is very rough, there are over 50 swimmers. It makes it more like a triathlon. I do 3 loops, about 2/3 of a mile.

Sunday, June 28th
OFF day. No training. So I'm working on installing windows, only 2 left, both upstairs bathrooms. After working 6 hours getting the first one prepped and installing the frame, I finish the outside trim and calking. My final task is to put the window panes back in. CRAP! I installed the frame upside down. I'll start over tomorrow. Right now, I'm drinking what ever was in the first bottle in my liquor cabinet.

Saturday, June 27th
The morning kind of gets away from me and I don't get out to run until 3:00 pm. There is a breeze and a little overcast, not too bad for running. I decide to take a new route to get in a few extra miles. I figure it's about 10+ miles.

Weeks Training: 26.9 miles running, 126.4 miles biking, 3.9 miles swimming. No core training workouts. 14:39 hr training. Finally, a good all around training week.

Friday, June 26th
Iron Mike, Lowell and I head over to Lake La Belle at 8:00 AM to swim. We go across the lake and back, about half an hour. After coffee, we meet up with Kris and Mary Jo to bike. It's still in the 80's but the dew point is much lower. It's the first time I've ridden with them. I though we might be in for a little slower ride but it turns out Mary Jo is a very good biker. We get a good 50 mile ride in out in Jefferson County.

Thursday, June 25th
I meet up with our running group at 7:30. It's still very humid. I run with Mary Jo at the end of the pack. After a couple miles we start walking. We probably only go 4 miles in the 49 minutes. I get on the scale in the locker room. 175#'s. That's 16 pounds lower then I was 2 days ago. Drink, drink, and drink all day. Masters swim at 6:30 goes slow but okay.

Wednesday, June 24th
Iron Mike, Lowell and I head out in the heat of the day to ride 45-50 miles. We stop several times for water but I still get badly dehydrated. Later, I stop at my favorite running shoe store, Performance Running. The Mizuno running shoe mobile van is here and analyzes my foot for the best running shoe. They let me try them out on a 3 mile run. After 2 miles, I have to walk. When I finish, I have to lie on the grass with my feet up to keep from passing out. I guess I'm still dehydrated from the bike ride.

Tuesday, June 23rd
Same heat again today. I head out at 8:00 for a 9 mile run. After 6 very slow miles, even my shoes are soaking wet. I step on the scale when I get home and I've lost 8#'s. At 6:30, I'm back at Master's swim for the first time in 2 weeks. I have to use my pull buoy to keep up with most of the swim workout. I get in 3,000 yds.

Monday, June 22nd
What the hell just happened! After months of cool weather in the 60's and 70's, it skipped the 80's and went right to 90 with high dew points. Even riding in the morning today, it was hot. I ride around Pewaukee Lake and average about 18.5 mph. My eyes are burning from the sweat.

Saturday, June 20th
We drove back home yesterday. This morning, I meet up with a bike group at the SW YMCA. It's our first real summer day with dew points in the 60's. I do the 41 mile loop. I ride with a friend and I don't feel we push the pace. I check my odometer at the end and we averaged 18 mph, faster then I though we rode at. We finish our workout with a 20 minute run. When I get home, I'm done 4 pounds and take a long afternoon nap.

Weeks Training: 21.6 miles running, 136.4 miles biking, no miles swimming and no core training workouts. 11:10 hr training. A good bike and run week. Unfortunately, no swimming.

Thursday, June 18th
The humidity is up a little as I take off to run around Duck Lake, 13.2 miles. I feel better then when I ran it last week but it's still a slow go. It takes me 2:06 hr.

Wednesday, June 17th
It's sunny and cool, great biking weather. I plan on riding from Land 'O Lakes to Boulder Junction and back, 75 miles. It's by far the nicest area I ride with forests, rolling hills and smooth roads. I dropped my sun glasses in the garage and ran over them with the car. I try using my driving sun glasses but they're just too small. I find a new pair at the gas station in Boulder Junction which makes my ride back easier. On the way, I meet another biker. He has ridden from Minneapolis and is headed to Connecticut. Talk about a long ride?

Tuesday, June 16th
I head out our gravel road for some hill repeats. I push every hill hard for 30 minutes and then head back. I feel pretty good.

Monday, June 15th
After a little rest yesterday, I ride over to Mitchell Park to do some 1 mile intervals on my bike. After I get back, we head north to our cottage.

Weeks Training: 34.9 miles running, 63.8 miles biking, 1.9 miles swimming and no core training workouts. 9:33 hr training. A pretty good week with the triathlon and MC200 races.

Friday, June 12th and 13th - MC200 Relay Race
By 8:00 AM, we have our caravan of 4 vans heading to Madison for the start of the race. It's a 12 person, 202 mile run from Madison to Chicago. Both of our teams, STICKY BUNS I and STICKY BUNS II, have 10:00 AM start times. Everyone is excited as most of our runners have never done anything like this. Everyone runs 3 times. The shortest leg is 3 miles and the longest 8.2 miles. Most legs are 5-6 miles long. Even with our detail maps, both teams have troubles leaving Madison making wrong turns. Eventually, we get on the Glacial Drumlin Trail that runs from Madison to Milwaukee. My first leg is 5 miles and I run an 8:05 pace. My second leg is longer, 7.7 miles and slower, 8:40 pace. Our van finishes its second section around midnight and we head over to Martin Luther King HS, our sleep over stop, for a couple hours rest.

We get back on the road about 3:30 AM and get a call from our second van. One of their runners has had some medical problems. She is okay but will not be able to finish the race. It also has been raining on and off all night. We meet up with them at 5:00 AM and begin our third set of runs. My final leg is 6.7 miles which I run at an 8:41. Before I started my leg, I was planning on running the 3rd leg for our injured runner. By the time I'm done, I'm not so sure I can. Nancy and my daughter are still feeling ok and we decide to each run a third of her leg. Not approved by race rules but it's what we can to to finish.



Both of our teams have been running close the whole race. Starting the last leg, we are about 10 minutes ahead. Their last runner is also injured so they are loading the last leg with their fastest runners. With 2 miles left, they catch our runner. After almost 30 hours we are tied. They pass her leaving her with knowing our team had lost our bragging rights. As she came to the finish, they were waiting for her. We were going to finish the two teams together. It was an awesome example of sportsmanship. It's a great bunch of people and the most enjoyable relay I've ever done.

Thursday, June 11th
I meet up with our Thursday run group and we head up to Pewaukee HS track. I haven't done a track workout in quite a while. I do the first 440 loop in . . . what seems like a long time. The second loop is a little faster but still awful slow. 2 loops are enough for me. With our run back, I get in 6 miles.

Wednesday, June 10th
It's still cool for a summer day but a great day for bike riding. Everyone is busy so I'm out on my own. Since the Pewaukee Lake loop has a few hills, I make two loops and get in about 48 miles. It's a good ride. The rest of the day I work on getting a substitute for our relay and shifting people around on the team.

Tuesday, June 9th
Our 12 person 200 mile relay race from Madison to Chicago is this Friday and Saturday. I get an email this morning that one of our team just injured himself jump roping. This can't be!!! So the rest of the day I spend trying to get a substitute. I won't know until morning if one of the people will commit. I meet up with some of the Masters swim group at 5:00 pm and we run about 4 miles before swim practice. About an hour into the swim workout, there is thunder in the distance so the pool, an outdoor pool, gets closed. I am just about to quit anyway as my shoulder has had enough.

Monday, June 8th
It's another cloudy cool day. I planned on running but it just didn't happen. Finally, I meet up with Lowell and Dennis and we head out to Pewaukee Lake to swim. The TriWisconsin Triathlon club has organized an open water swim every Monday evening from 5:30 - 7:00. In spite of a thunderstorm moving through at 5:00, about 30 people are there. It's windy and the water is not warm and very rough. About half a mile is enough for me.

Sunday, June 7th - Lake Mills Sprint Triathlon
I have to get up at 4:00 AM. UGH!!! I pick up Iron Mike and Dennis and we follow Lowell for the hour drive to Lake Mills. It's Dennis's first triathlon and we are all doing it for support. It's not the nicest day, cool in the 50's and threatening rain. There are close to 600 in the race. We get set up and head to the lake to check the water. It's cold but not as bad as we were expecting. It's tolerable. We wade out in the lake for the start. The horn blows and I'm cautious to keep from hyperventilating. No problem. The 1/4 mile swim seems very easy. My shoulder doesn't bother me at all. I get through transition and it start to rain. The 16 mile bike course is very flat but the on and off showers make it miserable. I make a good transition to the run and feel strong. My first mile is 7:32, that's good. I hold my pace and finish the run in 23:13, only 8 seconds slower then yesterday's 5K. My finish time is 1:19:51, good for 1st in my age. Overall, I'm 118th out of 595 finishers, ok I guess for an old guy. I'm happy with my race.

Saturday, June 6th - Race to the Pigs 5K
This weekend is our parish festival which includes a 5K run. It's low key with several hundred runners. I feel ok and my first mile is 7:23. The rest of the race is okay too and I finish with a 23:05 time. I'm first in my age but there is not a lot of competition in this one.

Weeks Training: 20.3 miles running, 87.3 miles biking, no miles swimming and no core training workouts. 8:14 hr training. Not a very good week. No swimming or core training.

Friday, June 5th
After yesterdays slow run and races this weekend, I take the day off. I also drive back home.

Thursday, June 4th
Today's plan is for a run around Duck Lake, 13.2 miles. The weather is cool and perfect. The only thing bad is I have no energy. I keep waiting for it. It doesn't come. Every mile is a slow shuffle, 9:30 pace and slower. It's the longest time it has ever taken me to run around the lake. The only car the passes me is the Tribal police who give me a friendly hello and a business card, in case I every need them.

Wednesday, June 3rd
I get my morning chores done at the cottage, throw the bike in the car at 2:00 and drive up to Watersmeet. My plan is to ride to Marinesco and back on highway 2, about 56 miles. It's cool enough that I wear my arm warmers. The wind out of the north west makes it a tough ride. I stop at the only gas station in town to get more water but it's closed. As I head back, the wind seems to have shifted more out of the south so I don't get the tail wind I was hoping for. I just don't feel any energy and it takes me 3:12 hr.

Tuesday, June 2nd
I get on the road about 9:00 headed north to our cottage. It's now 3:00, the weather is nice so I head out for a short run over to Little Duck Lake, 4 miles.

Monday, June 1st
After my ride on Saturday, I take Sunday off. At 2:00, I head out on my bike to ride around Pewaukee Lake. I'm into the wind and look forward to a fast easy ride coming back. I'm half way and begin my return on the access road parallel I-94. Jus then, the wind makes a 180 degree change and the temperature drops 10 degrees. My 22 mph drops to 15. This is not what I was counting one. By the time I get home, I'm tired and cold. It's below 60 degrees now. I'm suppose to meet Iron Mike for a 5:30 pm swim out at Pewaukee Lake. I walk in the house and it's Mike on the phone. A cold swim is just not what I want to do and cancel out. I'm a wimp!!