Will's World

Newspaper Interview

2010-06-06T20:29:00.002-06:00

I did an interview (pre race) about XTERRA 4 Corners. The race ended up being one of, if not the most, exciting finishs I've ever had at an XTERRA.

http://www.daily-times.com/ci_15225524

Timex Multisport & Ford Flex

2010-05-25T09:25:00.001-06:00

Some of the Timex Multisport Team did a clinic at WheatRidge Cyclery this past weekend. While there, they did a little demonstration of the "self parking" Ford Flex.

Clinic at Fleet Feet Boulder

2010-05-14T07:56:00.005-06:00

Yesterday I took part in a triathlon clinic at Fleet Feet Sports here in Boulder. It was geared towards beginner triathletes. With the RSVP list looking pretty small going into the night, we weren't sure if many people would turn up. But as 7pm rolled around, they started piling in. We had a packed house with over 25 people in attendance!

We talked about lots of things throughout the night, with how to set up a transition being one of those. I brought in my new Orbea Opal to help demonstrate where things go and give a few tips.

A big part of the evening was spent talking about the swim portion of the race. One key thing that I mentioned is to always bring two pairs of goggles, just in case one of them breaks. I always like to have a clear and shaded pair of Aquasphere goggles because you never know the brightness of the morning until you get there.

We also talked about wetsuits. For instance - its really nice to have a full body suit around here because the water is usually pretty cold. The crew over at Fleet Feet Sports rents wetsuits so that you can try one out before you buy it. I'm a big fan of the Aquashere Icon I'm holding up in the picture. It fits like a glove!

We finished off the night with a bunch of raffle prizes from two of my sponsors Timex and Powerbar and some other give aways from Fleet Feet and Skirt Sports. It was such a fun night and I was totally reminded of why I love doing this sport. I got to share a bunch of info and stories with everyone. Speaking of which, one of the stories I shared was...

To stay warm before the race, you can pee in your wetsuit. It sounds gross, but seriously everyone does it. It works! Before one race a few years back a friend, call him John (his real identity will remain hidden), and I were standing around in our wetsuits waiting to get in the water. Another buddy, call him Mike, came up and I introduced John to Mike. What I didn't know was that John had just pee'd in his wetsuit. As he extended his hand to shake with Mike, somehow all the pee in John's suit came squirting out from his suit from the wrist and it got all over Mike. I just about pee'd my wetsuit I was laughing so hard! Lesson from this: If you pee in your wetsuit, do it in the water because you never now what opening in your suit it will come out of!

Article About Running Panel

2010-04-30T14:52:00.001-06:00

I put together a running panel at Alta Physical Therapy that had 6 highly experience, educated, and entertaining speakers (Bobby McGee, Alan Culpepper, Charlie Merrill, Melody Fairchild, Aaron Anderson, Danny Abshire). Lisa Jhung wrote an article for Runner's World Online about the evening. Check it out http://gear.runnersworld.com/2010/04/one-barefoot-step-at-a-time.html#more-176

Pre Ride in Vegas

2010-04-23T15:48:00.003-06:00

This is it! The start of the 2010 season. We're out in Vegas for the XTERRA West Cup and boy o boy am I glad I'm not back in home in Boulder today. I've been seeing every ones posts about how awful the weather is. Well not in Vegas! We're having a great time soaking up the bright warm sun.

Speaking of large planetary orbs, have you ever been on the moon? Well after checking out the race course here in Vegas, I have a good idea what it would be like. Void of almost any vegetation and comprised of rock, sand, dirt, and more rocks, this course is to unique because of the total lack of ANYTHING!

Check out the pics from the pre ride of the bike course with Shelby, Branden, Ryan, Devon, and James.

Shelby sporting GU, Me sporting Timex and both of us rocking Rudy Project helmets and glasses. Light and stylin'

These hills are super steep and loose. Doesn't look that way, but this was a tough hill to power up. Glad I was riding my new softtail Orbea Oiz. Nice and efficient.

Only 2 miles! Oh man this is gonna be a hard course!

Branden and I checking out Lake Las Vegas. I've joined the "white shoe club" this year with my new Shimano tri shoes. Flashy!

Navigating across this rocky section was really hard, but we found the perfect line. Sorry I can't tell you til after the race ;-)

PowerBar vs GU

2010-04-19T19:37:00.000-06:00

Moving into the new house and there is definitely a battle between PowerBar and GU for cabinet space.

Post Race Refuel

2010-04-10T13:45:00.001-06:00

What better way to refuel after a race them In & Out Burger! Animal style of course :-)

2010-04-08T22:16:00.001-06:00

In Cali for the first race of the year. Nice little warm up for Vegas. I'm already reminded why i like drivin to races.

Riding an Ostrich

2010-04-06T15:50:00.001-06:00

Fun stuff. Enough said...

Tony the Kornhole

2010-03-22T11:11:00.001-06:00

Ok, so his real name is Tony Kornheiser, but I think I'm gonna call him kornhole from now on.

Cruising around FB the other day, I came across a group devoted to stopping Tony Kornheiser's awful talk radio show. Why stop it you may ask? Because this guy is a jacka$$ who instigates violence and is completely anti-cycling.

The other week he went on a rant about "...running cyclist off the road...." and "...just give them a tap. Don't kill them, just tap them..." It blew up pretty quick when Lance Armstrong tweeted it. He then went on to appologize because of the grief he was getting for it. And last week he had Lance on the show (http://www.espn980.com/shows/the_tony_kornheiser_show.php)

You can read more about it in a blog by Denver Post Sports writer John Meyer. http://blogs.denverpost.com/sports/2010/03/22/an-anti-cycling-rant-a-celebrity-cyclist-and-an-apology/

This is just fuel to the fire that we need to figure out how to SHARE THE ROAD.

Dave Erickson & The Timex Race Trainer

2010-03-20T18:39:00.002-06:00

Dave Erickson made a little video about using his Timex Race Trainer. I like it!

That Was A Little Rough...

2010-03-16T10:03:00.001-06:00

Tough days make you tougher. I'm talking days where you are suffering whether it be from the weather, your fitness, the workout, the terrain, or that fact that the guys you're running with are wicked fast. I find days like these can help you with mental training just as much as the physical.

I totally got my ass handed to me this morning at the run workout. It was 10 x (2min on, 2min off). I only made it through 6 of them and got dropped by like 50 meters each time. I was definitely the slowest guy out there. Yet, how does that make me feel? MOTIVATED!!

I now have the desire to go out, train my butt off, and try to run up in the front with those guys. I may be a geeky triathlete, but I know I can still hang with the big boy runners at a speed workout. You just watch me!

Breakfast with Lance

2010-03-14T19:00:00.001-06:00

This is a re-post of Conrad Stoltz's blog about his recent interactions with Lance down in South Africa. I was so entertained by it, I just had to share it with everyone. Enjoy!

Lance choppered onto stage, stayed 41 minutes and 23 seconds before Range Rovering out, President Zuma style in a motorcade.

While on stage, he dazzled us with his whit and amazing speaking skill. He chatted with the iconic Phil Liggett and his new South African Team Radio Shack team mate, Daryl Impey.

The day before there was a funds raising group ride along the ocean from Cape Town to Hermanus. Too bad it rained all the way - probably one of the most scenic rides in the world. R175 000 ($23k) got you in. Word from the bunch is, Phil Liggett gave Lance "the look."

Off course, Lance spoke about the Livestrong Foundation (I think they have raised $360 million for cancer so far) and about how to beat Contador. "The best climber in the world, and a great time trailist"

I cant remember the words he used, (like I said, he is a magician with words, PR and business) but basically he said "We will take him to the cleaners (excuse the pun) on tactics and race smarts." Lance then referred to stage 3 which is basically a mini Paris Roubaix with lots of cobbles.

This weekend however, by the sounds of it, their (Daryl and Lance's) plan on winning the worlds biggest fun ride, (The Cape Argus cycle tour), is: Either Lance rides everyone off up Chapman's Peak or "the bossy hill - I have enough bossy people to remember that name" - LA (Suikerbossie), or Daryl Impey will win the line sprint with Lance as lead out man.

The Lance quote I took home was: "The key to improving your riding is: Lose weight, or buy a lighter bike." Since I already ride the lightest Specialized available, I guess its back to the drawing board and empty out the cupboard. (Thats a joke)

Well, Lance was in such a hurry to Zuma off again, he completely missed out on his book signing and photo opportunity with me.

So Lance, my next appearance is at The Basic coffee shop in Stellenbosch on Tuesday at about 7.30. You can pick up your signed book there, and I'll even throw in a personalized Specialized poster.

2010 Team Timex

2010-03-14T13:14:00.001-06:00

I just can't describe how excited I am to be on with Team Timex again this year. This has been one of the best things that could have happened to my triathlon career, and I'm gonna make sure to do my best to make everyone proud.

Center Ice

2010-03-11T20:59:00.001-07:00

At the AVS game with my dad. Even though its the nose bleed section its still really fun. Especially since we didn't have to pay for the tickets. Go AVS!

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Silver surfer has got nothing on me! i'm crushin him on the Ironman Oz course

2010-03-10T10:22:00.001-07:00

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Timex Kids

2010-03-06T14:48:00.001-07:00

I was on my way back from Carter Lake and I stopped to get a snack. Of course Laura and Erin rolled up from the other direction at that same time. I love how on a nice day, everybody is out riding their bikes!

2010-03-03T21:44:00.002-07:00

2010 Team Timex. I'm the one wearing black, white, and red. See me?

2010-03-03T16:08:00.001-07:00

Half the fun of wearing Vibrams is all the weird looks and questions i get

2010-03-03T16:00:00.001-07:00

Checking out the Timex Performance Center after playing football inside. Go Team Timex!

Swimming With Sea Turtles

2009-11-12T17:18:00.002-07:00

When I was out in Maui for the XTERRA World Championship in Oct, the last thing I did before hopping on a plane back to snow filled Colorado, was go swimming with sea turtles! Check out the video!

Star Wars in Concert

2009-11-10T22:22:00.002-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, Shelby and I went to see Star Wars in Concert. It was music from all 6 Star Wars movie performed by a live orchestra and narrated by the guy who did C3PO.

We were totally geeking out and loving every minute of it. Check out all the people dressed up and the props.

Boba Fett and Hans Solo frozen in carbonite

The ACTUAL prop used in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. SWEEEETT!!!!

Bounty hunters, rebels, and storm troopers, what a great group of geeks.

Surfs Up Bro!

2009-11-05T20:41:00.003-07:00

I'm not saying I made it look pretty, but I was definitely having a good time. While out in Hawaii, Shelby and I rented surf boards and hit the water for a few hours. Neither of us had surfed before, but it turned out to be a lot easier than I had imagined. I know it helped that we had the Rosie O'Donnell size surf boards, but on my second attempt, I popped up and rode the wave in.

I can't wait to go surfing again! Next time though I'll have proper board shorts (I got a bad surf board rash), no neoprene booties, and a rash guard shirt that isn't 3 sizes to big.

XTERRA National Championship Highlight Video

2009-11-05T09:10:00.001-07:00

Photos from XTERRA World Champs

2009-10-31T12:26:00.000-06:00

I've posted a bunch of pictures from my week in Maui for the XTERRA World Championship on Facebook. Check em out!

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2458989&id=10220233&l=1535ee290a

XTERRA World Champs Video Highlights

2009-10-30T11:38:00.002-06:00

Its a fun name to pronounce

2009-10-29T23:10:00.002-06:00

Gear of the TransRockies

2009-10-16T00:30:00.000-06:00

During the TransRockies, my legs logged 113 miles, and I had to push myself mentally on many occasions. But it wasn't just my brain and body that kept me chugging along for 6 days in the Rocky Mountains. I had a lot of gear that made my journey possible and I don't want to even imagine what it would have been like without all of the following key products!

The Timex WS4

The WS4 (which stands for Wide Screen 4 function) was my closest partner (other than Toby) as I charged along the ever changing trails. It was great to have the option of checking altitude, temp, chrono, and direction (compass) all on the fly. It also has all the usual perks of a Timex - Indiglo, great chrono options, timer, and alarm. The over sized screen made it a breeze t read while running. www.timex.com/b/2224317011?intid=collScroll_WS4

Timex was one of the official sponsors of the TransRockies Run, so everyone who did the race received a Timex Ironman Hi-Ti+ watch. It has an adjustable titanium band, so it pretty freaking stylish and still very functional. www.timex.com/Timex-Ironman-Hi-Ti-75-Lap/dp/B000VWV6BE

The Sugoi Helium. This jacket is ABSOLUTELY AMAZING! Sugoi nailed it with this one! It is super, uber light weight, highly compressible, form fitting (even for a normal size person such as myself), wind proof, water resistant, very breathable, and pretty sleek looking. You can't ask for any more when it comes to a light weight running/cycling shell. It totally has my vote! www.sugoi.com/usa/usaeng/Products/Run/Men/Details/1452-70100U-Helium-Jacket

The Rudy Project Exyonx SX. My fav of all my Rudy's. Adjustable noise and ear pieces, along with interchangeable lenses, make these stylish glasses incredibly versatile. They fit my face well and don't block a lot of your view with bulky frames. Plus the angle on the lower part give them a sleek, sharp look. http://www.rudyprojectusa.com/

The Avia Avi-Stoltz was co-designed by my good friend Conrad Stoltz (http://www.conradstoltz.com/). They are a super kick a$$ off-road shoe. Great traction, not-to-stiff soul, light weight, durable, and breathable. I wore these for day 2, which included a monster climb (over 12,000ft) and a descent back down. They left me with happy feet :-) http://www.avia.com/

The New Balance 790 is now my absolute favorite shoe. They are incredibly light weight and very minimalistic. Other than day 2, I ran every day in these shoes. Since they are basically a racing flat, they allow you to run as you should naturally, hence eliminating injuries caused by poor form. I hope they never stop making this exact shoe! http://www.newbalance.com/

Salt Stick Tabs were not only a sponsor of the race, but an absolute necessity. With the dry climate and warm temperatures, it was really easy to get dehydrated. I would take a Salt Stick Cap before the race, one at each aid station, and a couple later in the day after the race. They provided the perfect amount of electrolytes. I forgot all of my non-race t-shirts, so Jonathan from Salt Stick hooked me up with something to wear in the afternoons. http://www.saltstick.com/

Not being a fan of packs or heavy belts with bottles attached, I went with hand held hydration. A small bottle of sports drink in my left, and a full bottle of water in my right, made drinking a breeze. To hold my jacket, gloves, space blanket, and ID I used a small neoprene waist belt (also from Nathan). I didn't notice it at all when I was running. Toby went for the shoulder pack to store all his water and other required items. http://www.nathansports.com/

Silly dog

2009-10-14T10:53:00.001-06:00

Shelby's dog Bella does the funniest thing whenever you ask her a question

Swimming in the James River

2009-10-06T23:33:00.001-06:00

TransRockies Day 6 - The Grand Finale

2009-09-22T08:57:00.000-06:00

Vail to Beaver Creek - 21.2 miles

This was it. The final day of our 6 day run. This time there was no saving any for the next day (not that we were able to go much faster anyway!). It was definitely a bittersweet day. The last 5 days had slowly drained Toby and I, both physically and mentally, so one last push of 21.2 miles was a welcome site.

After awarding Andrew (the announcer) a WS4 the night before, he called us up to the front of the starting shoot that morning to get everyone warmed up in our own special way. What way you ask? By doing the Peanut Butter Jelly Time dance!

The Timex WS4 - the Wide Screen 4 function watch helped keep Toby and I on track over 113 miles. Check it out online at http://www.timexexpedition.com

After doing our warm up dance, Toby and I stayed in the front. Just for fun, on the lead out out of town, he and I jumped to the front to say "we were leading the race." The real race actually started when we crossed the foot bridge over I-70 and the leaders took off uphill at a blistering pace as usual.

To make sure that we got enough climbing in, the race organizers sent us up another massive, lung busting climb that would eventually drop us into the town of Avon. There was definitely a light heartiness about us that day, knowing that this was it. Taking in as much of the scenery as we could, we decided not to leave anything out there as well.

Push, push, push

As hard as you can

You'll never catch us

Tuff Brit & American

The descent down into Avon was awe inspiring. The single track trail sliced a thin line through the lush fields of wild flowers that blanketed the hill side. You had to resist looking up and staring at the magnificent sights around you because one wrong step on these narrow, steep, off camber trails and you would be rolling the rest of the way down!

We started the race with several tunnels on day 1, and finished it the same way on day 6. It really put a smile on my face to duck down and fly though the creek filled culverts. The launch over the ice water filled creeks to climb back out.

As the grand finale, we ascended a couple thousand feet up to Beaver Creek from the valley floor. Again we didn't leave anything thing out there, pushing as hard as we could with what little was left in our legs. After 5 days and over 20,000ft of elevation gain so far, our "fast" wasn't so "fast."

Being unique as always, Toby grabbed our tow rope, wrapped it around my neck and strangled me with it as we crossed the finish line. A not so typical finish, for a not so typical group of lads.

After we crossed the finish line, were given our finishers medals and shirts, we plopped down on the grass above the chute to cheer the other races across the line. It was surprising that once I sat down, my body finally said "I'm done!" Almost immediately I was overcome with a soreness and tired feeling that I hadn't felt the past week. I hurt everywhere and just wanted a nap! It was great!

We all (a group of 8 of us) dumped our stuff at the hotel and headed straight for the hot tub and pool not long after finishing. Greasy burgers and fries were the perfect treat as we splashed around and relaxed in the pool.

Hanging around the bright poolside, I had my Rudy Projects on as always. I wore (and still do wear) these glasses everyday. It was so nice to have the adjustable ear and nose pieces for the varying conditions of the ever changing race. Find about more about them at www.RudyProjectUSA.com.

That night there was a huge banquet and awards ceremony to honor and celebrate all the runners, crew, and other fantastic people and organizations involved with the TransRockies Run.
It was really fun to see everyone dressed up.

We, of course, got silly as usual and partied the night away. I'm not going to post all the pics from that night on grounds that I don't want to incriminate anyone. hehehe :-)

So there it is... The TransRockies Run. One of, if not the most, epic things I have ever done in my entire life (so far). I would totally recommend that anyone who fancies themselves a runner should do this. Anyone who wants a real challenge should do this. And anyone who just wants to have the time of their life for a week in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado with some absolutely amazing people, should do this. I can't say enough good things about the staff, crew, other runners, and all the people involved in this race. I will be back for sure next year, ready to run my keester off!

TransRockies Day 5

2009-09-16T08:05:00.000-06:00

Red Cliff to Vail - 23.4 miles

Brutally epic, extremely challenging, surprisingly difficult, lung busting, and devastatingly beautiful would all be drastic understatements when it comes to describing today's stage! It was the second longest stage (about 1 mile shorter than stage 3), but had over 4,000ft of climbing. The lowest point of the day was 8,000ft!

The night before we were gathered as usual in the giant tent to be briefed on the next days stage. We were all in good spirits, but it was a nervous happy. Eyeing the map of the next day, it was bound to be a tough one. We had got to spend a second night at Camp Hale, which was nice because we didn't have to pack everything up like all the other mornings.

The morning of Stage 5, they shuttled us back into the tiny town of Red Cliff. It was really freakin cold because it is tucked away in a little valley. Toby and I were so glad Sugoi had set us up with their Helium Jacket (http://www.sugoi.com/usa/usaeng/Products/Run/Details/1451-70100F-Helium-Jacket). This was part of our emergency pack that we each had to carry daily and pulling that on when you can see your breath is a nice feeling. This jacket only weights 3 ounces, but is surprisingly warm.

I would highly, highly, HIGHLY recommend that if you are a runner who is accustom to adverse or even just early morning conditions, you have to have this jacket! It's light weight, breathable, and water resistant. I seriously can't say enough good things about this jacket. I am a HUGE FAN!

Toby and I decided to go with a similar plan to the previous day of pushing the uphills and hoping to not lose to much on the 9.5mile descent that was the final push of the day. Unfortunately for us, things didn't go quite as planned.

The stage started out going up a long jeep road for about 7 miles. I was feeling strong and had Toby in tow. We unhooked at the first aid station and stuffed our faces with everything we could. For some reason, I thought it would be a good idea to take 2 salt tabs (http://www.saltstick.com/), and follow that with all the rest of my nutrition. As we left the aid station off onto the single track climb, those 2 salt tabs got stuck in my throat. I immediately started heaving and threw up everything else I had swallowed after. Those 2 tabs went down, leaving me with a nearly empty stomach and a ton of salt in my belly. Not good.

As we kept climbing, things starting to get ugly. Toby's ankle was feeling a bit better, but the altitude was hurting him. I wasn't doing so great either. All that salt was giving me stomach cramps and I was now starting to feel the previous 4 days of running. We reattached the tow and kept plugging along trying to stay positive, but its hard when you both feel like crap.

One thing I was happy about, was the fact that my feet didn't hurt at all. I had decided to go with the New Balance 790 over the Avia Avi-Stoltz because there was so much climbing. I think the Avi-Stoltz would be better for the descent, but with 4,000+ ft of fighting gravity, I didn't want the extra weight.

As we neared the top (the second one!), it became more of a death march. We posed a couple times for the photographers and once again stuffed our faces at the second aid station, but the damage had been done. We had lost several spots and lots of time due to the fact that both Toby and I were "in the box" as he so eloquently put it. "The box" "The hurt locker" "The pain cave" Whatever you want to call it, we were both there as we trudged along at over 11,500ft above sea level.

The 9.5 mile descent from the top of Vail Ski Resort to the base wasn't much easier than going up. Both Toby's ankle and my quads were screaming out to stop. We didn't talk much for those long painful miles, but rather just kept pushing, each in our own way. I shut my brain off and tried to not think or focus on anything. This helped me to keep throwing one leg in front of the other knowing that every step was wearing on me more and more.

We pushed through to the end finishing 9th again in the Open Men's division. This had been "that one day" that everyone talked about. We both suffered like dogs and came out mentally stronger. I was glad that the next day was our final stage because if we had to do one more like today, I'm not sure how I would have fared.

They must have known that we were suffering out there because we got to camp and were greeted by burgers and beers at the Saloman Relaxation Station. Our dinner that night was fit for a king and believe me we were grateful for every last bite!

The crew got a little creative with set up of our tents on the fields of East Vail.

Though today was so brutal, I was a bit sad that it was over. That meant that we were just one day away from the finale of our trans Rockies adventure. I tried to take in as much of it as I could (which could be seen by the sun burn I got that afternoon hanging out in my short shorts), and not think about tomorrows finish.

TransRockies Day 4

2009-09-14T19:23:00.000-06:00

Nova Guides at Camp Hale to Red Cliff - 14.2 miles

After the never ending stage from the day before, we were quite excited for a "short" day. Only 14.2 miles!?! That's a walk in the park... except for that 3,000ft gain in the first few miles.

Toby's ankle was still in poor shape, so based off of our performance from yesterday we came up with a game plan. Go hard in the beginning and try to put as much time into our competitors on the uphill, in hopes that they wouldn't catch us on the long downhill.

I had a blast using the tow to sling shot Toby over the water bars on our way up. As I would approach a steep section, I would go into an all out sprint that would stretch the bungee almost 15ft! This would be enough to give Toby a HUGE pull up and over each little incline.

This was working great until the bungee came untied from the caribeaners that we were using. I found it quite hilarious, Toby didn't. Probably because the bungee came undone and snapped back, hitting him square in the chest. We took that as a sign to give it a break. This was fine by me because we had reached the steepest part of the day. How steep you ask? Well, steep enough that the 4 wheel drive jeep that was supposed to take supplies to check point one, got stuck! It was kinda funny until we realized that there wouldn't be our normal buffet at the check point. No worries though because we were on a mission to destroy that uphill, so we kept motoring.

The views from the top were absolutely spectacular. By far some of the best I have ever seen!

After a long descent, we came to one of the most fun sections of the entire race. We crossed a couple of creeks, then just jumped right into one! That's right, we got to run down the creek! The cool water felt good on our sore feet as we splashed along the picturesk creek bed, smiling the whole time.

From the finish of the creek run, we had only 3 miles of dirt road to reach the tiny mountain town of Red Cliff. I was anticipating Toby's ankle to be slowing him up after being soaked in cold water for 20 or so minutes, but once again he surprised me. HE started pushing the pace. We both knew that there were several teams not far behind, so I followed his lead. At one point I stopped to dance for the camera guy (It's Peanut Butter Jelly Time!!!), and looked back to see 2 teams not more than 150 meters back! Finishing my dance up quickly, I sprinted back up to Toby and let him know that we had to keep pushing if we were going to hold them off. We crossed the line in 9th and were quite pleased with our performance for the day.

After the race it was the usual routine. Back to camp, eat, ice the legs in the creek, eat, shower up, eat, get a massage, eat, hang out, eat, meet a few more great people, and finally eat! One of the fun things we found to do today between all the eating was walking the slack line. One of the Saloman guys set it up between the trucks, so we played on that for a while.

It was early to bed as usual (9:30-10ish) because we had what would end up being one of the hardest stages of the entire race the next day. I was so excited!!!

TransRockies Day 3

2009-09-10T09:46:00.000-06:00

Leadville to Nova Guides at Camp Hale - 24 miles

This was going to be a real test for Toby and I. For him, the ankle and ribs were not doing well. For me, this would be the longest run (in both time and distance) that I had ever done! We were both a little nervous, but it ended up working out just dandy!

This was a cool race start for Stage 3 - Main St in Leadville! Lead out of town by the police, we were certainly a sight to see! We put in a few miles along the highway before turning off onto the dirt and starting a climb. Another climb?!? Oh what a surprise! ;-)

As soon as we left the pavement, out came the tow line. We knew if we were going to finish this day we would have to seriously work together. There were 2 creek crossings early on that we strategically avoided (sort of). We skirted around the first one, and to keep Toby's ankle wrap dry, I gave him a piggy back across the second one.

Nutrition and Hydration were key for this day because as I mentioned before, I have never gone this long. I had two bottles strapped to my hands and went through them between each aid station.

I went with the New Balance 790 again because I feel that they are one of the closest things to natural running (no shoes). I really like how they aren't over built and they allow my body to run naturally, as its meant to. They dried out pretty quickly after the creek crossing, so my feet felt great the rest of the day.

It was a little frustrating when Toby and I would work our way past several teams and then on the downhill, they would fly past us. This happened a couple of times throughout the day and when it came to the final descent and then flat 3 miles to finish, I had had enough. I didn't want to lose all that time we had worked so hard for and when we popped out onto a dirt road for the final approach to the finish, some really light a fire under me.

I turned to Toby and said "I feel the need. The need for speed!" And off we went. I was giving it every thing I had. Sweat poring down my face, drool flying from my lips, legs screaming to stop. But I wouldn't give in because I was determined to make up some of that lost time. My plan was to hold that grueling pace until Toby said something, but I later learned that he had said to himself that he wouldn't back off until I did. We made such a great team! Though we only caught one other team of runners, I was very content with the effort at the end of the day. Not a bad way to finish the longest run I had ever done (and while towing someone!).

Fun sight to see at the finish line. We wore our Team Timex kits today and totally matched all the banners and flags. REPRESENT!

Life is so rough when you have to run in the morning and then get a massage in the afternoon.

Sarah, one of the TRR crew, could often be found in her hammock in the back of the Uhaul in the afternoon. She just moved over 300 giant, wicked heavy duffel bags on and off of the truck, I think a little nap is in order.

This is what we would do every afternoon, just hang out. It was so much fun! Run in the morning, shower, eat, and then hang out. Doesn't get much better.

After showing off the "Peanut Butter Jelly Time" dance to everyone at the house the night before the race started, they insisted that I do it in front of everyone one of the nights. So when the perfect opportunity arose, I just up on the table and announced to everyone that "the Timex boys want to make sure everyone knows what time it is! It's Peanut Butter Jelly Time!" I did my little song and dance and had the entire room laughing. I was then on known as "the peanut butter jelly guy."

Getting a classy shot with the sponsors logo in front of the awards stage.

Thomas Miller brought Toby and I up to help present awards for the evening. It was pretty cool to be recognized as "The Timex Team." Great way to show everyone how much Timex is involved with the race and it really matters to them/us.

TransRockies Day 2

2009-09-06T17:06:00.000-06:00

Vicksburg to Twin Lakes 10 miles

Not a bad sight to wake up to when you crawl out of the tent at 5:30 in the morning!

This day, though short, turned out to be one of the most significant days of the race for Toby and I. This stage saw us starting with a couple miles on a dirt road, then over 3,000ft elevation gain over the next few! Once we reached the pass, we descended 3,000ft to the town of Twin Lakes.

We busted out the tow (a long bungee cord with a couple of caribeaners on the ends) early on and I pulled, or more rather assisted, Toby up over Hope Pass. We had a blast hooting and hollering and listening to our echos. This was a short day, but with this much elevation gain we were gasping for air the whole way up.

Because there was so much downhill, I wanted to go with a shoe with a bit more cushioning and support. The Avi-Stoltz was the perfect fit! (www.avia.com) Co-designed by my buddy Conrad (http://www.conradstoltz.com/), these shoes can really motor! They were light weight considering the traction and support they offer. On the descents, I had plenty of grip. I totally dig the colors too!

While descending, actually I'd call it flying, off of Hope Pass, Toby took a nasty spill. He went down hard on his right side bruising several ribs, rolling his right ankle, and scraping up his arm pretty good. He jumped right back up and we kept cruising down the hill, but once we reached the stream crossings at the bottom, we knew we were in trouble.

We finished 9th for the day, moving us into 8th position in the Open Men's division, but we were far more concerned about Toby's ankle and what it would mean for the days to come.

We were loaded onto shuttles at the finish line to take us to Leadville for the evening. Camp was set up on the high school fields, and after the previous nights uncomfortably hard ground, I was pumped about the soft grass. We spent the afternoon meandering around Leadville, eating and hanging out in a coffee shop. The brief glimpse of civilization was a good reminder that I was having fun being away from it. I had really been enjoying the fact that there was no email, no internet, no cell phones.

Day 2 down and I was in great spirits as usual! Can't wait for the next day, it will be the longest run (time and distance) that I have ever done.

TransRockies Day 1

2009-09-02T13:36:00.000-06:00

Buena Vista to Railroad Bridge 20.4 miles

Talk about ants in the pants! We were all so excited we could hardly hold still! There was so much nervous energy in the air! Early breakfast (7am) and out to the start area for a 10am start.

Toby and I felt pretty cool with our Timex Expedition WS4 jerseys on. It was pretty easy to tell we are a team, to bad that doesn't mean we were a fast team! ;-) Check out the link below to see the Timex WS4 watch that we were sporting.

http://www.timex.com/gp/browse.html/ref=sc_iw_c_1_0_237130011_1/188-7760436-6347161?ie=UTF8&node=1264313011&no=237130011&timexBrand=core&me=A1S5XB33AHYRMX&rank=salesrank

Phillip on the bike, Glen, Colleen, Stephen, Shelby, Toby, and me before the start. If only we knew what we were getting into.... Our smiles would have been bigger! Phillip was out on course on his bike telling us where everyone was. Which just turned out to be quite helpful during the last section.

Every morning we would pack our bags and bring them to the truck. Memphis Joe and Sarah would lug over 300 bags into the back of this Uhaul every day! Every time we had to pack our bags, it took both Toby and I to zip them up (maybe we brought just a smidgen to much??)

This stage didn't have much down hill (only ~2700ft elevation gain), so I went with the New Balance 790 (www.newbalance.com) . This is a really light weight trail shoe. Its pretty much a racing flat with a more aggressive soul. I love them because they are so light and simple. Not over built. This ended up being my shoe of choice for 5 out of 6 stages.

The gun went off and we charged out of town. Toby and I tried to keep it easy in the beginning, but we were so excited that we pushed it a little to hard. In the middle section of the day, with a combination of heat and altitude, Toby started to bonk.

He rallied during the last few miles and we were back to a solid pace. The final ~3miles were on an old railway converted to a road. Check out the sweet tunnels we got to run through!

With Phillip telling us about the teams ahead, we charged down the dirt road and passed 2 of the top teams right before the end to finish 9th overall for the day. Not a bad start for a couple of triathletes doing a multi day stage running race.

After the race it was straight to the creek to ice the legs. This was a pretty common sight after every stage. It felt so good and really recharged the legs!

After we got to camp, where our tents were all set up, we unpacked bags and chilled at the Salomon Relaxation Station (http://www.salomonrunning.com/us/). With the whole afternoon off, we found plenty of time to goof around.

Day 1 down and we were in great spirits. Both a little sore, but in no way deterred from the excitement of what was to come! After the spectacular views, fun running, and sheer excitement of the day, it was hard to head to bed.

TransRockies Pre Race (8/22)

2009-09-01T10:54:00.000-06:00

This is the first in a series of many posts about my EPIC adventure that was the TransRockies Run. While in the Colorado Rocky Mountains for 7 days, I ran 113 miles, meet loads of amazing people, saw some of the most spectacular views ever, and walked away absolutely loving life.

Here is how it all started...

Packing turned out to be far more complicated than I originally thought. Adam Chase gave me load of tips and tricks for a race like this, and trying to fit in all the gear that could be quite crucial, was a challenge.

Maybe all those energy drinks were a bad idea!?!

We (my race partner Toby Radcliffe and I) picked up Jonathan Toker, creator of SaltStick (http://www.saltstick.com/) Saturday afternoon and made the almost 3 hour drive it Buena Vista. It would have been a lot quicker, but those guys had the bladders the size of peas, so we kept stopping to take a leak.

In BV, we checked in for the race and it turned out to be swag city. We got loads of sweet stuff (including a new Timex watch! My collection is almost complete!) Everyone had to get a competitors badge made up and the only picture I had around was one from my previous hair style.

Then came the fun part (not really)! We had to pack all of our stuff in plastic bags (in case it rained) and then pack those into our team duffel bags. It took us forever and we had to leave a bit of stuff behind.

After the first of many massive group dinners, it was off to a friend of a friends house to get some sleep and get ready for the race tomorrow morning.

This was the most comfortable (and I'm sure safest) way for me to travel in the back of a truck!

That night we all packed and re packed our bags trying to get everything in order. By the end of the trip, we were pretty good at it!

Check back soon (as in 1 day) for next instalment of Toby and Will's TransRockies Run

TransRockies Blogs and Pics

2009-08-27T16:43:00.000-06:00

I have been doing a running race called the TransRockies Run for the past 5 days in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. Its been one of the coolest, funnest adventures I've ever had. There has been little to no internet and phone access, but I will put up a play by play of the week long adventure when I get back to civilization later this week.

Feeling like a ROCKSTAR!

2009-08-18T10:21:00.001-06:00

At the XTERRA Indian Peaks race on August 1st, I have to admit I felt like a bit of a celebrity. I had tons of friends, family, and my runners there supporting me. Everywhere I turned, there was someone that I knew. It was a blast! This must be how Conrad feels all the time!

This is a rather unique swim because it is a time trial start. What that means is that every 3 to 5 seconds someone goes. I signed up rather late, so I ended up with #2. It wouldn't have been any big deal, except that #1 didn't show up, and they were doing the swim in numerical order. Yup, that's right, I had to go first!

Felt kinda weird knowing that everyone on shore was looking at me, but I knew it wouldn't last long. I almost made it to the first buoy before Branden caught me, then I no longer had to worry about being in front in the one part of the race that I really suck at.

The bike was going pretty well for the first few miles. I caught a glimpse of Cody in front of me and thought I might have a chance to catch and hang with him. But then in typical XTERRA fashion, things didn't go as planned. All of a sudden, my shifting was gone! I had a malfunction with my cable housing, and I wasn't able to shift in the rear.

So single speed it was! I had to run all the up hills, and really stand to grind out the flats. On the downhills, there was no holding back! If I didn't want to loose to much time, I had to go fast when I could.

My dad was out on course and it was really fun to see him several times throughout the ride. It was pretty twisty and windy out there, so he had to do a little walking, but he could see the course in several places.

Rolling into T2 was my total rock star moment. There was a massive wall of spectators lining the approach to the dismount line and it felt like everyone of them was screaming and yelling for me! Faster than a speeding bullet, I was in and out and it totally helped having the crowd cheering me on!

Coming off the bike in 3rd, I held that position through the run. Once again great to have my dad out there letting me know where my competition was in front and behind me.

I crossed the line 3rd, but an age grouper who finished behind me ended up bumping me to 4th. That's one of the down sides to time trial starts, you don't know exactly how everyone stacks up till they ALL cross the finish line. Guess I just need to swim faster, so that that won't be a concern at all.

My best buddy Blake who ended up taking 2nd in his age group.

My dad, mom, their puppy Lil, my brother Travis, and me after a fun day.

Several of the kids that I coach at Centaurus High School came up to watch me race. It was pretty fun because normally I'm the one cheering for them. Thanks Torie, Val, Christa, and Derek! You guys rock!

Torie and Val had these awesome shirts on that they made for the race. I felt pretty darn special because how often do people make a shirt to show support?!? Usually its just a sign. That was soooooo coool!!!

Aqua Sphere

2009-08-09T18:26:00.000-06:00

Skirt Chaser 5k in Denver

2009-08-06T13:14:00.000-06:00

Last year I had the pleasure of working for Skirt Sports (http://www.skirtsports.com/). I was one of the few guys that worked there, and it was a total hoot! I worked in the warehouse shipping orders.

If you're wondering if I ever did some product testing, well... other than the Bolder Boulder (see pic below) and a couple of other tongue-in-cheek fun times, I didn't wear the clothing.

Actually I take that back! They do have a small line of men's clothing for their Skirt Chaser 5k Series. In the picture below I'm wearing the tech T and running shorts. That's my old roommate Mackenzie.

The Skirt Chaser 5k is a series of running races all around the country where the women start first and then 3 minutes later the men chase them down. The first person to cross the finish line wins $500! Then afterwards there is a big party with lots of fun and games!

Check out the video about the race in Denver at http://www.skirtchaser5k.com/denver/. I was really excited to see my former mohawked self in it!

XTERRA Mountain Cup

2009-08-05T14:30:00.001-06:00

The XTERRA Mountain Cup was held in Beaver Creek, CO on July 18th. Yes I realize this report is super delayed, but better late than never... This race was race # 9 in 12 weeks and to say I was a little burnt out would be an understatement. Mentally I was completely toast. I've learned my lesson that there is such a thing as too much racing. With the coast to coast travel and hectic schedule of the summer, I went into this race just going through the motions.

The interesting things was how well I did considering my approach to the race. I wasn't motivated to go hard and really hurt myself, when I knew that my fitness wasn't where I wanted it to be. So anytime things got hard, I backed it off (that will be the theme for the day).

With this approach, I somehow swam the fastest I have all year! My time wasn't anything amazing, but I was much closer to the guys in front of me than I normally am. Hhhmmm.... maybe I should not try more often?

As I started the massive 3000 ft climb up to Beaver Creek resort from the lake in Avon, I kept with my lack luster mentality. "This feels hard. I should back it off." The same as with the swim, maybe I should not try more often. Glancing behind me, I saw Brian Smith (http://wheresbrianandjennysmith.blogspot.com/) 20 or so meters behind me. "Here he comes, and there he'll go" I said to myself. But somehow, he didn't come flying by me as anticipated. I was holding him off!?! Brian is a uber biker and one of the fastest guys on the circuit. I was quite surprised that he didn't shoot past me as usual.

It wasn't until a long road section that he passed me and left me behind, but I was quite surprised that I had stayed in front of him for as long as I had. The rest of the bike was rather cruisy. As I said before - anytime it got hard, I just backed it off. Burping my tire on one of the technical downhills aided to my less-than-blistering pace.

The entrance to T2 was really fun because it was straight down a hill! I came blazing in so fast I almost ran into the fencing between the bikes and the spectators. I was in and out of transition so fast, that I didn't even have time to take my gloves off! A friend was just outside T2, so I tossed her my gloves so I didn't have to do the entire run with them.

On second thought, I don't know if I'd call this a "run." Anytime it got kinda steep, I would walk. And there was a lot of steeps. Anytime I got to an aid station, I would walk. And there were several aid stations.

As usual, I didn't see anyone on the run (other than Sport athletes). A spectator told me there was someone behind me with about a mile to go, so I did put in "a little effort" to finish things off (never did actually see the guy). I finished 10th and was a bit surprised that I did considering I wasn't even tired. Hhhmmm... maybe next time I should not care, but put a little more effort in, maybe I'll surprise myself again!

You know your in Utah when....

2009-07-23T14:26:00.000-06:00

Only in Utah would this be considered the norm

Guess What Time It Is?

2009-07-19T14:06:00.001-06:00

It's peanut butter jelly time!

XTERRA Northeast Cup Race Report

2009-07-19T10:56:00.000-06:00

As far as courses go, this is one of if not the hardest XTERRA's I've ever done. At other races, the weather has made things harder or the competition, but at this race, it was the course that was hurting everyone!

I was really excited to see my good friends Cabin and Nic this weekend. Nic is racing on the World Cup Mountain bike circuit, so she and Cabin were in the area and decided to do the race. Cabin is one of New Zealands top mountain bikers, and Nic is well on her way to that same title.

The swim was standard 1500m, 2 loop course. The water was warm enough that pros couldn't wear wetsuits, but age groupers could. As usual they swam over the top of me within a few hundred meters despite my 1 minute lead.

With the rain the day before the bike turned into a ride/run, with lots of pushing the bike because it was too slick to ride. Once we passed the hike-a-bike section, it was on! The rest of the course was a muddy hurt fest. It was very difficult riding and that's why I enjoyed it so much.

Check out the homemade fender on the down tube. It was an old soda bottle that I cut up and zip tied on. It kept my bottle from getting to muddy, but other than that it was a rather moot attempt.

In the last section of the bike I could see up the road about 4 minutes and saw no one. As I reached the top of that section I looked back and saw no one. I was sitting in 8th place and knew that unless some one from behind had a fantastic run, I would finish in that same position. So this made the run a bit easier (which was good because it was freakin hard!). I ran the flats and down hills, but just "power walked" the uphills. Crossing the line in 8th, I earned a few more points in the points series.

At the expo, I wondered into the XTERRA Footwear booth and spotted a handsome young man with a mohawk on their banner. I gotta get one of those!

XTERRA Race at the Rez

2009-07-19T10:03:00.001-06:00

At the XTERRA Race at the Rez, I put on a clinic and then led a pre ride of the bike course. The clinic was a great success and we had 14 people for the pre ride! I had the helmet cam on, but unfortunately I forgot that the memory card was full, so I didn't get any footage. gggrrrr. Its a bummer because this course was SUPER TECHNICAL! I've done a lot of riding all around the country and this one one of the most technical courses I've ever seen. Rocks, roots, off camber sections, short little power climbs, this course has it all! Most all of it was ridable, but trust me it wasn't easy!

After the pre ride, I stuck around to help out with the kids triathlon. It was so cool to see all the little guys and girls going all out. I wish I could have got into triathlon when I was their age (8 to 12 years old). Way to go Max! Awesome T2 and run!

This was my 4th race in 4 weeks (Idaho then Richmond then Little Rock then this one), so I was a bit tired going into it. With the game plan of just have fun, it turned out to be a great day.

The swim was in a beautiful rez just outside of Essex, VT. After swimming in the some of the nastiest water I have ever swam in the past two weekends (James River in Richmond and the cesspool in Little Rock), I was over joyed to be in clean, clear, pristine water. I exited the 1200m swim in 8th place and jetted up to T1 intent on moving into 1st as soon as possible.

The bike course was a real doosey! I quickly caught up to the leaders and within 5 minutes or so I was in 1st. I pushed it pretty hard to catch those guys and I thought I would just keep pushing in order to build a big lead. About half way through the first lap I crashed and tweaked my thumb. As soon as I hopped back on the bike I decided to back it off and just ride smooth. This turned out to be a fantastic decision because the easier and smoother I went, the faster I went.

Sliding off the bike and onto the run, I decided to keep the same game plan of 'keep it easy and smooth.' This worked quite well and I cruised to the win with just under a 4 minute lead over Kristoffer Nielsen. He had finished a few minutes behind me at Richmond a couple of weeks earlier and is one of the fastest guys in the Northeast.

One of the things that I love best about doing smaller races such as this is all the cool people you get to meet. After the race, the race director Mark and his wife Robin, took me to downtown Burlington (which looks remarkably like Pearl St in Boulder), to meet up with some other racers (Paul, Sophie, and the boys) for some sweet pizza.

Now I get the 4th of July weekend to get a little R&R before flying back out to VT for the XTERRA Northeast Cup on the 12th.

Dog Tags

2009-07-15T13:51:00.000-06:00

Way cooler than getting a finishers medal, at the XTERRA Northeast Cup, they had XTERRA dog tags for everyone.

Fun in Vermont

2009-07-11T16:03:00.000-06:00

Getting ready for the XTERRA Northeast Cup in Sugarbush, VT we went to the venue to pick up our packets and I stopped by the XTERRA Footwear booth. I spotted this cool banner with a striking young man with a mohawk.

Matt and Melanie did the XTERRA University and had a good turn out. This was pretty cool because this was Matt's first XTERRA University at a major race.

Matt and I decided that what better way to prepare for a race than to visit the Ben & Jerry's factory tour. We couldn't take pictures inside the factory, but I did spot my favorite flavor in the hall outside of the taste room.

Will Kelsay being Will Kelsay - Version 2.0

2009-07-04T23:38:00.000-06:00

What can I say... its just how I have fun!

The Arkansas Experience

2009-07-04T08:42:00.001-06:00

The XTERRA South Central Cup was a real learning experience for me. I discovered how to NOT race in the heat. I learned the hard way what NOT to do then the water is 88 degrees and the outside air temp is pushing 104!

As we hopped into the bath water filled swimming area, I had a game plan for the swim. Start easy and stick on Erin's feet. As the gun went off, I set my plan into action and it seemed to be working splendidly until about 3/4 of the way through the swim, when I overheated and had to completely shut things down, so that I would be able to finish.

Pulling my muffin top out of the suit, I hopped on the bike and began to hammer. I knew Brian Smith was just ahead and I really wanted to ride with him. BIG MISTAKE! I went to hard, to soon in the race and had not let my body cool off from the swim (that's weird... usually I have to warm up from the swim). I immediately started to feel the affects of the heat.

As I started to fade, bad turned to worse. Finishing the first lap of the bike course, I began to see spots, my ears were ringing, and my head was pounding! I hit a little descent and BAM! Crash number one. Nothing to major, but it shook me up a bit. Jumping back on the bike I told myself 'Come on! Just keep riding!" Then BAM! Crash number two. Not one to be defeated easily, I hopped back on the bike and kept pushing. Attempting to really rail through the next corner, I burped both tires and lost most of the air in the front, and had very little in the rear.

That's when I decided to shut it down. That was the end of my race for the day. I was now just concerned with finishing. I hobbled my way to T2, sitting up along the final road section so that Erin could catch me. I figured if I wasn't going to have that great of a race, I'd still try to have some fun with it and help someone out if I could.

So out of T2, Erin and I ran side by side showing off the camaraderie of Team Timex. I carried a water bottle for us to douse ourselves with to help keep cool. Every aid station we passed it was a whirlwind of hands and cups flying everywhere trying to get as much liquid as possible.

Knowing that I would race again the next weekend (XTERRA Race at the Rez), I was content to head out for a fun run. I really liked running with Erin and helping to push her. Its so much more fun to run with someone than by yourself.

We crossed the finish line together, her coming in 6th for pro women, me 9th for pro men. It was a total eye opener, that the heat can totally destroy even the strongest of athletes. All of the top pros for the day said it was a real struggle out there, and going 100% just wasn't possible. Wish I had know that before hand! Live and learn...

XTERRA Northeast Cup Pre Ride

2009-07-02T17:58:00.000-06:00

Complete with commentary, here is a pre ride on the XTERRA in Sugarbush coming up in just over a week.

The Sweet XTERRA Bike Course in Richmond, VA

2009-07-01T03:55:00.000-06:00

Here are just a few highlights of the bike course for the XTERRA Atlantic Cup in Richmond, VA.

Richmond Race Report

2009-06-30T20:55:00.000-06:00

The XTERRA Atlantic Cup in Richmond, VA (new name, same venue) is the bomb diggity when it comes to fun races courses. Crazy swim in a river, sweet trails that are right downtown, and a run with several XTERRA style twists.

So here is my new fashion statement. I've determined that rolling the top of your suit into the bottoms to give yourself a "muffin top" is totally hot. I'm gonna do that all the time from now on. Not only that, but if wearing your swim cap and goggles while trying to put gloves on isn't cool, then I don't wanna be! It helped me shave a few seconds off of transition, which is a good thing because I lost a couple of minutes on the swim to the leaders.

I'm always impressed that Brightroom Photography finds a way to get shots on the lamest sections of the course. Look for the section that least represents what we are riding, and they are there. If I'm not mistaken, this is XTERRA and last time I checked that means we ride and run OFF road. Most of the pictures they shot for the day were on the only road section of the entire course.

I was really excited about the bike though because there was this one section where I did this one thing, that totally saved me like 3 seconds (you know what I'm talking about Conrad). I was so proud, that I shouted a big a WOOHOO, when I did it (even though no one was around to see my righteous move).

One of these days, after I learn how to swim fast, I will eventually have people to race with. I did 100% of the run by myself. Its kinda fun to be out there pushing yourself on your own, but at the same time I yearn for the challenge of racing my heart out in some head to head competition.

I did have a solid enough race to finish 9th, which earns some good points for the Pro Points Series. Staying top 10 in the series has been a goal of mine for a while and it looks like it'll happen this season!

Its Richmond! It wouldn't be complete without a quick trip to the med tent. Nothings serious, just a case of wussy-itous.

It was great to see my old college buddy Farleigh at the race. We used to be on the University of Colorado Triathlon Team. We reminisced about good old college times. Such as when we snuck 2 people into a Mexican resort in the trunk of a car.

XTERRA Northwest Cup Race Report and Video

2009-06-19T10:08:00.000-06:00

After flying into Portland to put on several clinics and pre riding the XTERRA Portland course, Erin and I caught a ride with Justin Barnhart (assistant race director for XTERRA Portland) and Matt Berg (top age grouper) out to Idaho for the Northwest Cup. With 4 bikes, loads of stuff, several cups of coffee, and enough energy drinks to kill a horse we made quick work of the drive.

The venue for the race was Farragut State Park just north of Coeur d'Alene. The race director told us all about the kick ass trails there were around (like in the pic below), but then informed us that we wouldn't be riding any of them. Go figure...

Just being a spaz as usual

Saying that race prep for this one was a bit hectic is a total understatement! 3 days out from the race the course was set. 2 days the bike course changed. 1 day out the swim course changed. The day of the race, the run was changed. But it all got sorted out in the end and with a shot gun start (the race director actually used a shot gun to start the race), we dove into some rather chilly and EXTREMELY choppy water.

You can't win the race in the swim, but you sure as hell can lose it. The current and choppy conditions affected everyone, but definitely made more of a difference for the weak swimmers such as myself. I lost nearly 7.5 minutes to the leaders in 1500m! Ouch that is painful. Gotta work on that swim...

The bike was a hammer fest! With only one "climb" in the entire course and a total elevation gain of probably around 400 feet, most of the day was spent hammering in the big ring. I was pleased to post a bike split similar to the top guys, but its to bad I was minutes behind because of the swim.

I was excited to start the run because I had done most of the second lap of the bike by myself and was a bit lonely. As I rolled into T2, there were 2 other guys with me. I blazed through T2 and was hot on the heals of one of them. We flew along the lake at a good clip, but he was just to fast up the big climb in the middle section. I finished strong to cross the line in 11th

Cuts and bruises for Team Timex at this race!

Check out the race video!

Pre Ride in Coeur d'Alene

2009-06-18T21:46:00.000-06:00

XTERRA South Central Preview

2009-06-07T19:54:00.000-06:00

On my way back from the XTERRA Southeast Championship in Birmingham, AL Angela and I stopped in Little Rock to pre ride the bike course for the up coming XTERRA South Central Championship. It was a really fun, muddy, mesquito infested ride. Check it out below.

Bama Race Report

2009-06-07T12:14:00.000-06:00

The XTERRA Southeast Championship in Birmingham, AL is definitely one of my favs on the XTERRA circuit. Our homestay Jerry is total hoot and the race venue is absolutely beautiful. All and all its a great race.

That's Jerry on the left

On to the race. My overall feel of the race was a bit of frustration. I have just been so far behind everyone out of the water, I am unable to compete with the top guys.

I had a decent swim (for me) sitting on Shonny Vanlandingham's feet almost the entire time. Danelle Kabush was on my feet to complete our nice little train. I tucked my uniform top into my shorts to give myself a nice muffin top look in the swim.

As usual I had to work my way through a load of age groupers on the bike. It slowed me up a little bit, but the big kicker was the fact that I rode about 2/3 of the bike completely by myself. After passing most of the top age groupers and pro women in the beginning single track, I did the climb and the rest of the course alone. It was really hard to push myself when there is no one around. I was psyched though to see that the photographers got some good shots of me on Blood Rock.

The run was similar to the bike in the fact that I hardly saw anyone. I cruised in to a 9th place finish, which has been my best placing so far this year. I was excited because that now ranks me 10th in the Pro Points Series. Now I have to work my butt off to keep that.

Pre Ride in Bama

2009-05-31T09:00:00.000-06:00

Mike Vine and I did a little pre ride of the bike course for the XTERRA Southeast Championship. Here is some of the footage. Enjoy!

Loading the Van

2009-05-30T11:34:00.000-06:00

With some top notch organizational skills, it's easy to pack over $40,000 dollars worth of cycling equipment into the mini van.

XTERRA Midwest Race Video

2009-05-24T06:41:00.000-06:00

XTERRA Midwest Pre Ride

2009-05-24T06:40:00.000-06:00

XTERRA Midwest Race Report

2009-05-22T20:24:00.000-06:00

Here it is. Short & sweet.

Water temperature great for wetsuit swim. Pretty cold once you got out, which made for numb feet on the bike. Super grippy and very tacky conditions on the bike course.

Would have made for a fast bike split, but my POS race bike (my old Santa Cruz), had problems the entire time. I broke my chain again. Grrrrrr :-(

The run was fast and flat with loads of curves, just like the bike course. I felt as though I had run fast, but was mistaken. I did ran my way back up to 14th though.

I'm primed, pumped, and ready to redeem myself at the XTERRA Southeast Championship.

Dispronunciation

2009-05-19T10:05:00.000-06:00

Mustache March

2009-05-04T23:28:00.000-06:00

I should have posted this almost a month ago. Oh well, here we go anyway...

Mr XTERRA Presentation

2009-04-17T17:26:00.000-06:00

I almost forgot I had this video. It is from the award presentation back in 2007, when I was named Mr XTERRA.

Velodrome

2009-04-14T10:03:00.000-06:00

On Easter Sunday, my buddy Paul invited me to ride with him and several other cyclists on the new velodrome. For those of you who don't know, a velodrome is a track with huge banked turns built specifically for cycling. This one is pretty unique because it is one of only a few indoor ones in the States. http://www.boulderindoorcycling.com/ Its also special because its so short. Only 142 meters long. The banking on the turns gets up to 45 degrees and when you're hitting that at full speed, it can be a bit scary. Scary, but wicked fun!

My entourage

Being a spaz as usual

Working the pace line

Nailing the corners

This was my first time riding a track, and its kinda obvious because I'm not right on the wheel of the guy in front of me. I was a little nervous.

That's hot!

2009-04-10T10:52:00.001-06:00

At the Timex Team Camp last weekend in San Diego, I wanted to demonstrate to everyone that regular push ups are just to easy. To make it interesting you need to add in an element of danger. Check it out...

Snow Day Entertainment

2009-03-27T10:58:00.000-06:00

Yesterday we got over 8 inches of snow (~12 in some places!), hence it was a snow day. After spending many hours catching up on emails and surfing the web, I was getting a bit stir crazy. My roommate Matt suggested a mountain bike ride and well... just watch :-)

Sprint Triathlon

2009-02-10T17:32:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday Cabin and I raced in Contact Tri Series Triathlon in Kinloch. It was a scorching hot day with some sizzling times. This race was the sprint triathlon national championship, so there were loads of speedy dudes and dudettes.

I didn't have a fast race, but that's okay considering what training I've been doing this past week. Lots and lots of mountain biking (3+ hrs a day) and all of my run workouts have been over 1 hour. I just went out to have fun and since the race didn't really matter to me, that was easy.

I think I was the only one without a wetsuit, so when I came out of the water minutes down on the leaders, it wasn't a big surprise. My legs felt good on the ride as I cruised past loads of other races. The run was a little frustrating because my "top speed" wasn't very fast. I felt as though I could have continued on for a couple more miles at that pace, but going any faster just wasn't in the cards. I didn't have another gear to shift into and really start reeling people in. Guess that's what you get for only running long.

Cabin crushed the run and hammered his way up to 3rd overall!

With the combination of the heat and his blistering pace, he was pretty smashed right after the race. Wish I could have gone that hard!

Bevan Docherty was out to race today as well. For those of you who don't know, Bevan is a Olympic medalist (Silver in Athens, Bronze in Beijing) and it was really fun to watch him race. He absolutely blew away the elite men's field. To say that he dominated the bike would be an understatement. He put 1:30 on the pack in just 20km! Then he just "cruised" the run to win by a good margin. Fun to watch. He's getting married on the 27th. Congrats Bevan and Cheryl!

45km Mountain Bike Race

2009-02-08T19:52:00.000-07:00

The second N-Duro 45km mountain bike race took place on Sunday. The race didn't go so well for me (I'm not in very good shape), but I finished 11th just like I did in the first one. I was more concerned about having fun and hitting the one of a kind trails.

Getting ready to go out and get my ass kicked!

Lining up

Hi! Wish me luck!

Andrea and I went to the hot pools after the race to ease our achy backs. The set up was really cool because the further towards the river you went the cooler it got and the closer to the spring you went, the hotter it was. And the best part.... it was all free!

Sailing in the Bay of Plenty

2009-02-08T17:45:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, Andrea invited me to go sailing with a bunch of her friends in the Bay of Plenty. The eight of us loaded up the boat with sun screen, snacks, and enough satisfying beverages to slap a well seasoned sailor silly!

The gang. Allen, Maggie, Jerri, Barry, Stephanie, Ian, Andrea, and me

Holy cow! Check it out! I love sailing and this boat had a pretty sweet setup

Setting sails across the seven seas (or something like that)

Making myself useful

When that wind hits the sails hard, the boat really leans. It was so fun getting my sea legs under me.

Working on my sun burn

The group out for a swim in jellyfish infested waters just before lunch

Them's some big sails!

And of course I had to finish up the day with more eating. A giant burger and fries really hit the spot after spending 10 hours out on the boat

Finishing up South Island Trip

2009-01-29T15:11:00.001-07:00

Living out of a backpack, jumping hostel to hostel, cramming in as much touristy stuff as possible, spending many hours everyday on a bus... I wouldn't have it any other way! I finished up traveling around the south island on Saturday the 24th and am now back in Palmerston North for a week or so before heading back to Rotorua for some more kick ass mountain biking. Here are some pics from the last few days of my backpacking fun.

Those mountains in the back ground were in some shots of Lord of the Rings

Havin a sweet time kayaking in Lake Tekapo

Sarah and I splashing around

You wish you were this "really really really incredibly good looking"

Chillin outside the library in Dunedin. Yeah, I'm that cool

Special

Always eating

Funky corn dog in Christchurch

The Boulders

2009-01-29T14:48:00.000-07:00

On the road to Lake Tekapo, the magic bus (the bus company I'm traveling with) stopped at The Boulders. These amazing round rocks are just dropped right in the middle of a beach. No one knows how they got there, maybe it was aliens. I'm sure if I had just read the signs it would have told me where they came from, but its more fun to pretend its something odd and mysterious.

They were scattered all over the beach

I almost picked that one up, but not quite

Got that one off the ground just a bit

I got hungry after all that boulder lifting and had a hefty snack of kelp

What can I say... I like climbing on things :-)

Rock Hoppin

I Owned the Worlds Steepest Street!

2009-01-29T14:25:00.000-07:00

Well, maybe I didn't "own" it, but I totally showed it whats up! I was so excited to get the chance to run up the steepest street in the world! Check it out...

The Worlds Steepest Street?!? I bet I can run up that!

That's nothing. Watch this!

It may not look like much from here, but when you get about 3/4 of the way up, its like running up 3 steps on a staircase each foot step! It hurt so good. I would love to do repeats up that!

Everybody else was taking this picture, so we thought we should too

That's no optical illusion

It just seemed like so much fun at the time!

(sorry I couldn't get the video to turn)

Food Food Food

2009-01-27T20:06:00.001-07:00

On one of our days or travel we decided to photograph everything I ate. It ended up be a bit more that I would have thought.

Pizza for breakfast

Soup and a roll for lunch. Carrot cake for dessert

Chocolate for a mid day snack

Eggs, hash browns, and baked beans for second breakfast

Yogurt for a snack

Then Mexican for dinner

That pepper in my beer gave it a bit of a kick

And just for fun (on another night) we went to Ferdburger and scarfed down some MASSIVE burgers and onion rings. Yummy!

Milford Sound

2009-01-27T19:24:00.000-07:00

Sarah, Paul, Ali, Keira, and I hopped on a bus from Queenstown to Milford Sound to see what all the fuss was about. And boy o boy was it worth it! The pictures definitely don't do it justice, but you'll at least get a glimpse of the massivenessousity and gorgousnisty of it all (Bushism's).

Getting soaked under a waterfall

The views were immense

A pack of dolphins decided to give us a show and swim next to the boat for a bit

On our drive back to Queenstown the bus was stopped by a massive herd of sheep. There had to be nearly a 1000 of them!

There was also a bit of celebration on the bus for one other American and myself on January 21st (January 20th back in the States). We were slightly less embarrassed to call ourselves Americans now that we no longer have a monkey running the country. We are now hopeful, instead of fearful, of the future of our country and its affects on the world.

Traveling the South Island

2009-01-16T16:03:00.001-07:00

Here are some pictures from my travels around the South Island of New Zealand.

Sarah and me

These currency exchange rates had me laughing out loud

Party time! They tasted like Listerine, but with out the alcohol burn....wtf!?!

At the Noah's Ark hostel, we stayed in the Sheep Room.

The pancake rocks were mesmerizing

Big fat seal taking a nap as I snapped a few photos

Kiwis, kiwis, kiwis

Everybody and their mom says "Sweet As" down here

Hey! That's me!

Lots of time spent on a bus seeing the country side

A Wicked MTB Race! (Better Late Than Never)

2009-01-16T15:41:00.000-07:00

I raced the N-Duro 45k mountain bike race on Sunday the 11th. To say it was a gnarly race wouldn't even come close to doing it justice. Wicked fast pace from the get go, leg burning grassy hills, wildly overgrown single track sections, a never ending hill, sloppy muddy down hill that had me over the bars multiple times, and winding trails that left my head spinning. Oh what fun!

Always concerned with post race recovery, Cabin and I downed a package of chocolate fish on the car ride back home.

What an Adventure!

2009-01-14T00:17:00.000-07:00

I've decided to alter my plans from the standard training regiment. I'll be traveling the south island of New Zealand with my new English friends Sarah, Paul and Allie for the next couple of weeks. I've grabbed my back pack and hopped on a bus, then the ferry, then the bus again to end up in Nelson for my first night of the inprompt to trip.

Abel Tasmen park was on the agenda for the next day of the trip. Sarah, Paul and I set out for what ended up being a breath taking hike over lush hills, to beautiful sandy beaches, and filled with loads of fun.

The trip started with a boat ride, then the hike, a swim, more hiking with lots of cookie breaks.

3...2...1... LUGE!

2009-01-11T18:27:00.000-07:00

Sarah and I hopped on the bus to head out the local luge hill. I did my best to embarrass her on the ride and we took it upon ourselves to be total goobers. What fun!

We caught some sick air and clocked a few wicked times as we ripped down the luge track. I came close to flipping the sled on several occasions.

What a great view

WTF?!? Rocky Road flavored milk!

Being my usual self

Pretty bird, pretty bird

Does anyone else get the urge to jump on big metal statues just for the hell of it?

Hanging at the Hostel

2009-01-11T17:58:00.000-07:00

I checked into a hostel for 4 night in Rotorua. This was my first experience at one and it was amazing. So many cool young people from around the world, all just looking to have a good time. This is were all the fun 20 somethings have been hanging out!

Allie, the goof ball, and Sarah. They are from England. I love the accent!

Talking mountain biking with the guys from Sweden.

Paul and Allie are on an around the world ticket and are about half way through. Sarah is on holiday in NZ for several weeks. So cool!!!

Hey Watch This!

2009-01-11T17:33:00.000-07:00

Budgie, Jo, Cabin, and I went down hilling and it was absolutely wicked! It's amazing what you can ride down when you have 8" of travel! I was hucking off things that I would never consider on my XC bike. I do have to say though, that it isn't easy riding those bikes downhill. They are freakin heavy! I was working up a monster sweat wearing all that gear and throwing a 50lb bike around. Good thing I'm so ripped ;-)

Budgie decided he was really hungry and wanted a taco.

Downhill and Dirty

2009-01-04T13:41:00.000-07:00

If you have ever gone for one of those runs that is just pure ecstasy, you know what I did yesterday. Cabin and I went for a 2 hour 10 minute run through mud, over mountain tops, down swooping downhills, up gruesome climbs, and cruised to a fast few K's on the road.

Every once and a while I go for a run that just reminds me of why I love running. With a smooth stride, I flow over rocks, whip around corners, and forget all my worries. Loads of brilliant ideas just start to flow and I feel as if I'm king of the world. I truly wish there was a way to share this exhilarating feeling with others or to get them to feel it for themselves. I guess when you find something you're passionate about, it just happens.

But enough of my attempting to be deep... After chilling out for a bit (because as good as it feels at the time, its actually quite tiring running for 2+hrs) on a beautiful sunny day, we grabbed a little food and headed over to watch a downhill mountain bike race.

Mountain biking in NZ is massive! Everybody does it in one form or another. So to say there were a few people out there watching the race wouldn't begin to describe it!

Everywhere you looked there were people crowding the course waiting for to catch a glimpse of their friends, family, local rider, and maybe a crash or two.

There was a large group of us staying at Budgie and Jo's place (11 all together), and two of them were racing that day. Harriot Harper had a fantastic showing and finished 3rd in the Pro Women's field. Sam also had a wicked day, though not quite what he was hoping for, and had a good showing in the Pro Men's race.

Harriot the Hucker!

Good thing that was from a practice run and not the race!

Budgie lite the fires and BBQ'd a massive amount of meat after the race and we all sat around chowing down like pigs (well, maybe I was the pig and everyone else ate a normal amount).

On a beautiful night, we sat around drinking and laughing as the conversation slowly degenerated and became quite crude. It was fantastic! I haven't laughed that hard in a while!

With sunsets like this, it easy to see why Rototua is quickly becoming one of my absolute favorite places. And I haven't even had a chance to touch the endless miles of trails on a mountain bike!

Farm Fun For New Years

2009-01-03T12:33:00.000-07:00

Celebrating New Years this time around was a bit different. No heading to the bars or to a house party, but rather to the hills. After a kick ass ride/run brick that left me sitting on the floor mumbling at Nic and Cabins place in Palmee North, I cleaned up and we drove to Nic's parents farm.

The new puppies were so little! They were born on Christmas Day and their eyes still weren't open. It was hilarious to see them trying to learn to stand and walk.

I was so excited to play with them! Totally wish I could have brought one home. I'm sure tiny little puppys are okay for carry on...?

Chance wanted to ride along with us on the 4 wheeler. Hard to say no to that face. Later on, Cabin and I took it upon ourselves to control the pine cone population using our legendary sharp shooter skills. We lined several of them up along the top of nearby fence posts and attempted to pick them off with 22's. Needless to say, I think we gave them a good scare.... not that we hit many, but we sure got close! haha To bad close only counts in horse shoes and hand grenades. Guess, we need some more practice.

On our way out to a back section of the farm we took "the short cut." To call it steep would be a bit of an understatement. At one point, with Nic and I on the back and Cabin driving, we almost looped it! As the front end started to come up, all three of us jumped forward throwing our weight to the front. With Cabin nearly kissing the front bumper, we crested the top, narrowly averting disaster.

Booty grinding in the kitchen. Classy.

Why I Love Airlines!

2009-01-03T12:24:00.000-07:00

Don't know if this picture does it justice, but this bike box has seen better days. Arriving in Palmerston North, it was clear that it was time for a new one.

Cabin and Nic picked me up from the airport in Nic's HUGE car. We had plenty of space for my stuff, a bike, and 3 people. Good thing it was a short ride.

My new shades (I wish... they were too cool for me)

Open Water Swim and Foooooood!!!

2009-01-01T22:39:00.001-07:00

Sporting the Budgie Smugglers (swim suits) at Manly Dam for a great open water swim. Nice swimming with no sharks (great whites had been spotted a couple of days earlier), crocs, or snakes. Although, with my over active imagination, I was definitely swimming faster at times when "I swear I saw something!"

Hi guys!

Fish and chips following the swim was not a bad lunch. Sampling them whenever possible has been my mission, and I have to say, of all the places I've been so far, these take the cake!

Not a bad view while eating lunch. I could definitely get used to this!

Last Ride in Sydney

2009-01-01T21:59:00.001-07:00

My last ride in Sydney was gnarly! Starting out in early morning, there was a fair amount of fog hanging over all the valleys. Dropping hundreds of feet down the first of several river gorges, the fog became very heavy. I'm talking fog so thick you could cut it with a spoon! (that's how that saying goes... right?)

After an easy climb (20 minutes) out of that canyon, it was down another. Switchback after switchback had my internal compass spinning. The corners where so tight I thought the pavement might just start sliding down the hill! The bottom of that canyon lead to another breath taking 20 minute climb.

That just wasn't enough to satisfy my descending/climbing crave for the day, so down another gorge. The ride down was nothing exciting, but the ferry ride across the river at the bottom was non stop excitement!

At 2.5 hours it was time for a quick snack, but not until I did one more decent and climb! Down the Pacific Highway to Broken Bay and back up (another 20ish minute climb). Coming around the final corner, Pie in the Sky awaited my sore a$$ and empty stomach.

Coca Cola and a meat pie have become the staple of my long rides and today was no different. Saltly, sugary, fatty, carb filled goodness all in one little snack. Yum Yum!

Finally to drive the point home that I REALLY LIKE HILLS, I dropped down into the earlier fog filled gorge for yet another leg burning, bug in mouth uphill adventure on the way out.

All and all, quite a fun filled ride for my last cycling outing in Sydney. Now onto the land of Kiwis!

Aussie Christmas

2008-12-28T03:44:00.000-07:00

Usually Christmas brings to mind images of snowy fields, hot chocolate by a cozy fire, and well... winter. But not this year! It was warm, sunny and felt much more like the middle of summer than winter, but thats because it is! I had an Aussie Christmas with Andrew and his family. Just like at home, there was lots of fun, lots of food, lots of laughs, and a big mess after the presents were open. Oh what fun!

The whole crew

Andrew and Mic

Absolutely delicious!

Hornsby Aquathon

2008-12-21T21:52:00.001-07:00

During the race season, the Hornsby Triathlon Club has bi weekly aquathons. Its consists of a 500m swim and a 3.8km run. They had a record number of racers this past week (35+ athletes) and with all the friends and family it was quite a spectacle. We raced, then had a BBQ and a special guest showed up!

Sprint racing is exhilarating, but quite hard. I had forgot that once the gun goes off, you just red line it to the finish line. It was fun (and painful) going as fast as you can. It was definitely a 'sprint.'

Andrew set a new PR in the 500m swim in 8:06

Wow that was hard!

What did you think? - Holy crap that hurt! It was great!

Hanging out after the race

That's one huge snag! (that's Aussie for sausage)

Santa made an appearance and had lollies (candy) for all the kids.

Saturday Sprint Tri

2008-12-08T05:03:00.000-07:00

The Hills Triathlon Club put on several races this past Saturday. Andrew (my homestay) and I, along with several other athletes from his tri club, raced strong and had a great time. Yee-Foong (Andrew's girlfriend) was out there being an awesome athletic supporter, taking great pictures and cheering us on. There were over 200 people of all ages out to just have a good time.

The races were located in the complex where the rowing was held for the 2000 Olympic games. The course was pretty unique. Since the entire complex was designed and built for the specific purpose of rowing, everything is centered around the lake. The lake itself is a massive rectangle.

Andrew did the Sprint distance and I did the Short Sprint distance (the full Sprint filled up). The races were either 750m or 500m swim then 20km ride and 5k run. It was a hot, windy day and with no protection around the lake, it was rather rough race conditions. I loved it!

Talking pre race strategy. It was something along the lines of tying a rope to some crocs and skiing in behind them.

Coming out of the water in 5th.

Olympic rings in the background means Andrew must be an Olympian

Getting aero as I worked my way up to 2nd

Rocking the drops and making it look easy

Running solid

What a fun race!!!

The Hornsby Triathlon Club. Rockstars!!

Being recognized by the race director as one of two international athletes. I picked up the win for the short sprint, but only after having to run my butt off to catch up to the leader. It hurt so good! I can't wait to do it again :-)

Fun Filled Day in Sydney

2008-12-06T21:28:00.001-07:00

Not wanting to miss a moment of all the exciting possibilities at my finger tips, I hopped on a train to Sydney for the day. Since a picture is worth a thousand words, I'll let the photos show you all the cool things I saw.

This pool hung over the bay. Battleships in the background. Freakin sweet!

Walking through the botanical gardens, there were hundreds of giant bats!

These flowers were huge.

Trippy trees

Crazy art work outside of the botanical gardens

Very cool architecture

My swim buddy I met at the Wildlife Adventure

This spider was GIGANTIC!

This python gave me the creeps

This lizard ran up to the window and just stood there looking at me like this.

Very cute. Very lazy.

Just chillin.

uummmm... that's a big bird

Here you go little wombat statue, have a Coke.

They were so fat, stocky, and funny

Still being lazy.

I finished the day by stopping at a Chinese market on my way back to the train station.

Attack of the Birds!

2008-12-04T03:18:00.000-07:00

I went for a 5 hour ride north of Sydney and it ended up an adrenaline filled thrill outing! The first part of the ride started off normal. I rode through a quaint little national park. Then hopped onto a local highway where I did a long out and back. That's when it happened!

As I was passing a truck pull out area, something suddenly slammed into the right side of my helmet. Shocked, I yelled out as my head was jerked to the left and my whole body shifted towards the outside of the road. What the hell was that?!?! As I surveyed my surroundings, I realized I had just been swooped by a large Magpie.

I had heard from friends that these birds will swoop and attack when they feel their nest is threatened. I guess I appeared as a threat!

Looking over my shoulder I spotted my pursuing attacker, just a few meters above and behind my head. I shifted into a bigger gear and picked up the pace in an effort to drop it. A few seconds later, to my surprise, SLAM!!! The bird threw its whole body into the side of my helmet again causing the same head and body jerking movements. I cried out in surprise and decided enough was enough. I dropped it into the biggest gear I had and blasted the pedals as hard as I could to reach top speed. I didn't stop the leg burning pedaling for a solid thirty seconds. Looking back, I left the feathered fiend far behind. I kept turning over the gears quickly to ensure that I was indeed out of its swooping range. Down the road I eased up, caught my breath, and couldn't help but laugh. "So that is what everyone has been warning me about!" I thought to myself with a smirk on my face. Satisfied that I had out sprinted my assailant, I realized I would have to ride right back past it on the way home!

The return ride was much different and far more exciting. I was prepared for the dive bombing bird this time. As I approached the section of road where the incident first happened, my senses where heightened. Listening for the flapping of wings, eyes aware of everything in front of me, as well as the shadows below, I proceeded along ready to spring into action. Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh! I heard the bird coming! Immediately I ducked, anticipating that it was aiming for my head. Guessing correctly, the bird narrowly missed my lowered head in its failed attempt to pummel me. Faster than a gun slinger from the old west, my finger flicked the shift trigger to drop me into my quickest gear. I exploded into an all out, balls to the wall, adrenaline pumping sprint. I grunted as spittle flew from my mouth and my legs burst into of of the fastest sprints I have ever launched (you would be surprised how much faster you can go when something is chasing you with the intent to harm you!). Head tucked, with a white knuckled grip on the bars, I produced chain snapping amounts of power intending to show that bird who was the fastest. "Come on you son of a @#&$%! Whatcha got!!" I mentally screamed out. I kept my head tucked and looked to the shadows on the ground. A couple hundred meters down the road, I could still see him there. Holy crap! This birds fast! Digging deep, deep down into that well of sheer will power (pun intended) I somehow accelerated even more. Legs screaming to stop, I pushed harder and harder. "This bastard is not gonna catch me!" I thought to myself. I kept up the blistering pace for nearly a minute. Nearing the point of exhaustion, I looked back to see that the bird was finally gone. I did it! I out sprinted a swooping Magpie. I was so proud of myself. I sat up, took a drink, and finished the ride quite content.

Now if someone asks me if I have ever been attacked by a swooping bird, I will smile and say "Oh boy, have I got a story for you!"

Hanging out in Sydney

2008-12-03T18:30:00.000-07:00

The start of my Sydney Adventure was a bit of a bumpy one. We didn't get to the train station till about 7:45 for a 7:55 departure! A quite stop at the ticket booth for directions, sent Abi and I hauling ass across the station. We arrived with plenty of time to spare (I'm being sarcastic). As I loaded my bike on, they shut the door behind me while I was mid sentence saying good bye to Abi (Steven was with the car).

As usual though, it all turned out just fine. This was the overnight service from Melbourne to Sydney, so the passengers were few and far between. But just my luck, a big fat guy who farts, snores, and wheezes in his sleep sat just two seats in front of me. So I ate a bunch of really greasy stuff from the food car so that he wasn't the only one making the other passengers constantly giggling and then covering their noses. Didn't want him to feel singled out :-)

Once I arrived in Sydney, I immediately stored my luggage and started walking around downtown. I unknowingly bumped into a tour bus driver and asked him for directions. He told me to climb aboard his bus (it wasn't a magical one. Bummer) and the Sydney tour began.

Being a goof, as usual, while checking out the opera house from across the bay. When I get a chance I would love to see it up close.

There were about 5 of us who were traveling alone on this tour. We took turns taking each others pictures with our cameras so that not all of our pictures were from arms length away.

I stopped by my mate Russell Crowe's house while I was out and about. We had a few beers, then took my boat out for a spin around the bay. Its so nice to be rich and famous.

I tried to get some sun when we stopped at Boundi Beach. Holy crap am I white! People kept looking away because the glare of the sun off of my pasty white skin was nearly unbearable!

Me and my roo buddy just hanging out, throwing some game at the girls walking by on the wharf. He's the strong silent type.

Now where did I leave my battleship??? Oh yeah! Behind my submarine! Silly me!

Some Great Training

2008-11-29T20:28:00.000-07:00

For the last couple of weeks, I've been getting in some fantastic training. Long runs, long swims, long rides, bike/run bricks, swim/run bricks, and one hard core day of swim/bike/run. That doesn't make for very exciting blogs because the schedule is usually as follows:

7am Get up. Eat breakfast. Check email

8am Start training

1:59pm Stumble back to house starving, dehydrated, and utterly exhausted

2pm Lunch. Watch an episode of the tv show 24

3:30pm Nap time

5pm Afternoon training or a bit more rest and 24

7pm Dinner fit for a king!

9:30pm Check email. Bed time

It has been quite refreshing to ONLY be training. That is the focus of the day and everything is scheduled around that. Usually its the opposite.

Nearly every pool around here is a 50 meter. Its so nice to not have to flip, flip, flip. This swim center had 2 50 meter pools (1 indoor, 1 outdoor) and the indoor one had an adjustable floor!

The sunsets around here have been absolutely breath taking. It almost looks like the sky is on fire!

New Dew

2008-11-25T02:12:00.000-07:00

I have had a mohawk for 2 1/2 years. It has been a multitude of colors and lengths. But after the bleaching debacle at Lake Tahoe, it just hasn't been the same.

What it has looked like lately

So I decided it was time for a change. This may not be long lasting (I may just shave it all off), but I'm thinking I'll stick with it for a while and see how it's received.

Divas in Drag

2008-11-21T23:06:00.000-07:00

Just in case you missed the Divas in Drag show on October 30th, a Boarding for Breast Cancer Benifit, here are some pics and a short video

http://www.fuel.tv/B4BC/blogs/view/4558

Rainy Day

2008-11-21T15:28:00.000-07:00

Most of Victoria (the southern most main land state in OZ) has been in a drought for many years, so water is a precise commodity. When it started raining yesterday everyone was quite excited. It rained through the night and looks to be set to go all day today. It reminds me of rainy days in Oregon. I find it quite comforting sitting inside watching the rain.

It has a put a bit of a damper on my plans to run a sub 16 minute 5k. There was a track meet today that I was going to take part in, but with the ongoing wetness, there is likely to be quite a bit of standing water on the track. Hence, no race...

So now I will sit down and create a very specific training plan for the next 3 months. The plan will be to peak for Geelong 70.3 in early February. When I get it finished, I'll post the jest of it (the whole thing would put you to sleep if you read it :-)

Just for fun - Tiger Cow

Shepparton Half Ironman

2008-11-17T02:41:00.000-07:00

Abi, Steven, and I poppedd up to Shepparton for the Half Ironman on Sunday. Our homestay was quite a character and I met a few other intersting blokes. Steven took 7th on the day and Abi was 3rd.

I showed Steven and Abi the hippie Q-tip. You light a special paper tube on fire and VUALA! it pulls this gross glob of greasy goop out of your ear canals.

We spent most of Monday chilaxin' and I have to say it was quite nice. Cutting out the stress of everyday hubbub really feels great. If you get the chance to slow things down, lower the aggitation meter a notch or two, go for it! I could certainly get used to this life style, other than it might make it a bit hard to pay the bills when the money runs out. But til then...

Fun Foods

2008-11-14T22:16:00.001-07:00

If it was "Made is Australia" I bought it

Its a Lemonaide! An orange shaped

lemon that is semi sweet. Very

Delicious!

Kangaroo tastes somewhat like

Elk. When cooked properly, its

very scrumptious

Abi wanted a lick of the strawberrys

and cream cow in Shepparton

A meat pie you say?!?

I'm sure it wasn't good

for me because it tasted

really good!

Chicken flavored chips.

I didn't realized that

chickens tasted like that!

Down Under

2008-11-13T18:51:00.000-07:00

Good Day Mate!

In less than two days, I have travel half way around the world, went from -6 degrees Celcius to 34, ate kangaroo, drove on both sides of the road, watched 5 movies, stood in the rain and watched a mob of roo's, ate a lemonade (orange shaped lemon that is semi sweet), and thats only the beginning! Saying that this trip has already started out with a bang would be an understatement!

My goal over the next 3 months will be to train my ass off in OZ and NZ and keep everyone entertained with this blog. I PROMISE that I will update it as often as possible (for you Matt Ward) with as many interesting things as possbile.