Avia Wildflower Long Course 2008

What an awesome weekend! I participated in my first Wildflower triathlon this past weekend and had an absolute blast...I only wish I had more time to just hang out and take it all in. Wildflower is a legendary triathlon event that features over 7,500 athletes and combines three races (a half-iron , Olympic , and mountain bike sprint ) with camping, music, and a festival-like atmosphere.
I headed up to the event with my friends Seth and Anne. We got up there early afternoon on Friday, registered, checked out the expo, and went for a quick swim in Lake San Antonio. Friday night was chill just hanging out and chatting with other campers. The campground was crowded by Friday evening, but not as noisy as I expected.
As for my race, I was happy with my results. I was hoping for a sub 5:30 performance and went 5:21. I had a decent swim just staying in the middle of my wave. The bike was very tough right from the start. At mile 2 there is a long steep climb to get out of the park and my hr was still sky high from the swim. My bike computer wasn't working, so I just settled into a comfortable hr and went with it. I passed quite a few people, but also had a few minor mechanical issues (dropped a chain and my front hub kept squealing) that I had to stop for which probably cost me a few minutes. I finished the bike in 2:54. Of course the run was hilly as well and running on trails was something I didn't do much of in training. I almost rolled my left ankle on an early descent so was very careful with each step afterwards. There were parts of the run that I walked up because they were so steep and I'd only lose a few feet to the guy ahead of me that tried to jog it. I was pleased with my run of 1:50 given the course.
It's very scenic course that passes Central California vineyards, lakes, and lots of hills. All the climbing make it very tough at times, but they also provide a great opportunity to really push the downhills which I enjoy doing.

I'm planning on taking it easy this week as I recover before I get back on the horse in prep for Vineman...my first full Ironman in early August!

Grandma Meets Liya

After much waiting and anticipation the weekend of our big trip to Phoenix to visit Grandma Gilbert arrived. After bailing from work on Thursday afternoon, we loaded up the car and headed out of the city in an attempt to miss most of the evening traffic. Our plan went fairly well, but the 91-West was horrible (as usual) and we lost about 40-minutes sitting in stop and go traffic because we were too cheap to take the toll road (and didn't think traffic would be so bad so early in the day). Lesson learned.

We stopped once to refuel and once for dinner at McDonalds (a very rare occasion for this health-conscious family). The 383-mile drive took us right at 7-hours including both stops. Liya was a roadtrip champ, sleeping and playing most of the trip. Upon our arrival we were greeted by Grandma who was ecstatic to see her first and only grandchild. Liya seemed equally excited to be out of the car and see Grandma for the first time.We also got together with Uncle Matt and Aunt Beth for dinner several nights. Fortunately, Liya was in a great mood the entire visit. Everyone who saw her had to squeeze her chubby legs and ask all about her. Liya almost always greeted these inquisitive faces with smiles and her excited kicking.

We had a wonderful time visiting Grandma, Matt, and Beth and can't wait to see them again soon. Though after another 7-hour drive home...we'll look into flying next time!

First Race of '08...Ironman California 70.3

Ironman California 70.3 was my first triathlon of 2008. A huge thank you to my friends and family for supporting my fund raising efforts for CAF's Operation Rebound. With their contribution I was able to meet my goal and raise over $1,500 to help troops permanently injured in Iraq and Afghanistan. In total 61 Ironman California 70.3 participants raised over $168k for Operation Rebound!

The Friday before the race I had the opportunity to go to the Operation Rebound pre-race luncheon and not only meet many of the wounded soldiers who would compete with me on race day, but hear their emotional stories of injury, fear, and ultimately recovery through the help of CA. It was very a very inspiring experience that would continue on race day as several of the injured troops blew by me on the bike and run! Here's a story from the OC Register about Evan Morgan, one of the guy's I met that has benefited from Operation Rebound.

As for my race, despite the forecast it turned out to be a beautiful sunny day in Oceanside. I started in the third wave and had a good swim in the rolling waves of Oceanside Harbor. After a quick transition I headed out on the bike. The first 30 miles were mostly rolling hills, but the last 26 had a couple of major climbs. In addition to the climbs, the wind picked up during the second half of the bike and we faced a headwind back into transition.


Onto the run...the two loop course is very flat and right along the beach. It was a beautiful scene and I had one of my better runs averaging just under 8 minute miles for the half marathon. When it was all said and done, I cut 18 minutes off last year's time to finish in 5hrs 15mins. I had hoped to go closer to 5hrs, but need to work on my bike if that's going to happen anytime soon!

Liya's First Easter

This was Liya's first Easter. Even though she didn't know what was going on we were quite excited to get her all dressed up and take her to church and then to my in-laws for lunch and an Easter egg hunt. What follows are some photos from the big day...

CAF's Operation Rebound California

On March 29th I'll be competing in my first race of the season, the Ford Ironman 70.3 California. The grueling (and cold!) 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike ride, and 13.1 mile run take place in the Camp Pendleton Marine base in Oceanside, CA.

I've decided to use this race to support the Challenged Athletes Foundation, an organization that raises money to help people with physical disabilites pursue an active lifestyle through physical fitness and athletics. CAF’s mission is clear: give those with the desire to live active, competitive lifestyles every opportunity to compete in the sports they love.


CAF’s Operation Rebound program is helping troops permanently injured in Iraq and Afghanistan get back in the game – and back into life. Each of the CAF military team members has experienced the healing power of sports. Now, they want to make sure their brothers- and sisters-in- arms have access to the same opportunities.

By making a donation towards my fundraising goal you will directly help a challenged athlete in need. Click here to make a donation to Operation Rebound and thank you for your support!

My New Ride!

I haven't had a chance to post photos of my new ride...a 2008 58cm Cervelo P2C Dura Ace. She came from the great guys at Bike Authority located in Broadview Heights, OH (outside of Cleveland). They were awesome to deal with and took excellent care of me throughout the entire process. I can't recommend you check them out enough if you're in the market for a high-end road or tri bike. I feel so lucky to do what I love on such a nice bike! Here are the full specs:

• Shimano Dura Ace 7800 Crank, Ders, Pedals
• Zero Gravity Ti Brakes
• Easton Vistas (Training)
  
• Hed 3 Clinchers/Renn 575 Disc (Racing)
• Michelin Pro Race 2 tires
• Hed Vantage Eight Aerobar w/Carbon s-bends
  
• Tektro Carbon Brake Levers
• Ritchey WCS Stem
• Selle San Marco Aspide Saddle
• Profile Design Kages
  
• Fizik Microtex Bar Tape
• Custom Carbon Hydrotail
• And of course the custom sailnfast graphic below the seatpost!

Now I just need to continue to work on building an engine worthy of such a nice ride!

Soggy Surf City Half Mary (But Still a PR!)

I awoke early this past Super Bowl Sunday to the sound of raindrops falling on the roof...uh oh. I've never really raced in the rain before, but there's a first time for everything. I signed up for the Surf City Half Marathon to force me to work on my run fitness and ultimately improve my run times for tri season. I was in for a very wet and windy race!

It was really pouring at the start of the race and within the first five minutes my shoes were as soggy as a wet sponge. Fortunately, the wind was at my back and the poncho I was wearing kept me mostly dry and somewhat warm for the first 8 miles or so. I paced off of my friend Scott since I knew he planned to average 8-minute miles for the first-half of the race with the intent to negative split the second-half. This plan worked well, but at mile 8 we turned south for the long straight run back to the finish and the wind was head on! I dumped the poncho and did some quick math in my head...if I pushed it the last four miles I had a very good shot at going sub 1:40:00 which was my stretch goal. I contemplated this decision for a mile or so, wondering when my soggy feet were going to start blistering and how long my legs would hold out, but decided it was worth a shot. At mile 9 I picked up the pace to around 7:20ish and felt pretty good. I held this for the last 4 miles or so and down the home stretch was motivated by the marathon winner passing me by right before I came into the finisher's chute.

My official time was 1:40:03...three tiny seconds short of my stretch goal. Nonetheless, I was quite happy with my performance as it was a Personal Record for me, averaging 7:38 over the 13.1 mile course in very crappy conditions.

I was shivering uncontrollably after the race, but fortunately my friends Anne and Seth live near the finish and invited us back to relax in their hot tub! I've never enjoyed a hot tub so much in my life!