there is no limit to the human spirit

Muddy Fun !!!

2009-10-18T11:51:00.001-07:00

Rode in Wenatchee last night for there "Dark Side Ride" It's the 10 anniversary of the ride. It's a 18 mile or close to it ride in the dark up the Wenatchee hills. We were out there for 3.5 hours of solid mud riding. My legs were so trashed by the end!

~Thumbs Up~

Evening Ride along the lakes.

2009-09-03T20:41:00.001-07:00

Went out to Blue Lake to kayak for the lady's. So I figured I would ride back home to get in a good head wind ride in. Very pretty ride along the lakes.

~Thumbs Up~

2009-09-01T17:41:00.000-07:00

Just a little update, I have also signed up for Ironman Canada. 2010 is going to be so cool.

~Thumbs Up~

Apple Capital Olympic Distance Race

2009-08-26T20:40:00.000-07:00

My first race since Ironman. It's good to be back!! 3:01:09. Not the fastest cat out there, But I have a plan to get faster. =)

Swim: 36:24 Good Swim

Bike: 1:18:05 Good Bike

My daughter Hannah running across the line with me.
Run: 1:02:19 the run really hurt.

Scottie, Kelly and Paul Back together again.

~Thumbs Up~

Three must needed events for me this season

2009-06-30T22:30:00.000-07:00

The Grand Columbian half Ironman Distance

Portland Marathon

Apple Capital Olympic Distance

I'm all signed up

~Thumbs Up~

Beezley Burn Mountain Biking

2009-06-29T20:24:00.000-07:00

Beezley Burn is a local race put on by a very passionate group of mountain bikers. Founder is Jake Maedke. http://www.beezleyburn.com/ Total elevation gain: 1082 ft per lap. I did two this year, 7 mile laps. Good times.Rock stuck between folk brace and tire, Sucker was really in there.

~Thumbs Up~

Ironman Coeur d' Alene Part II

2009-06-22T17:57:00.000-07:00

I'm all signed up for Ironman Coeur d' Alene!! Man I love this stuff.

~Thumbs Up~

Going to Ironman CDA Volunteer and Cheering

2009-06-17T19:49:00.000-07:00

I pretty much writing in my blog to myself at this point to get my triathlon life back up and running. It will be a year this weekend since I participated in Ironman Coeur d' Alene. this year I will be going to volunteer and cheer all the crazy super stars on. I have been out of racing for a whole year. My wife started coaching the High School tennis team, My stepdaughter had dance classes and I coached my two daughters in fast pitch softball. I was not about me this year. Which was just fine with me, I needed to spend sometime with family. But I do miss the sport, the friends I made while training for Ironman and writing in this Blog. When I'm at CDA I will also be signing up to race Ironman Coeur d' Alene For 2010, I hope to hear from friends again. This weekend is going to be a blast. So Scottie let's get a race schedule going and goals up on the wall. It's go time buddy!!Helicopter right on top of the racers!!!

Lap 2 on the swim.

She is such a good kid. Volunteering at run special needs. I had a blast helping all the rummy racers. My wife Dee Dee and my daughter Hannah will be at this same spot in 2010, I just hope the weather is nice for them.

Finish line. Wow what a great place to hang out and cheer. I had a lump in my throat.

~Thumbs Up~

Ironman Scottie 13:47:48

2008-10-05T13:02:00.000-07:00

We are off !!!!!

59 Degress brrrr
Sam, Kelly and I The MEAN TEAM!!

Scott Rigby what a inspiration
Desiree ficker She is really cool.

Fan Club

It's early

Holy Crap !!!!!

Worth IT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

#1045

2008-06-14T14:29:00.000-07:00

I have a number!!! Hey what time is it? Umm 10:45? Nope it's Scottie Git-R-Done time!!! A race number that is. =) I wish this was my finish time.

~Thumbs Up~

What A Inspiration She Is

2008-06-08T14:33:00.000-07:00

I was wanting to go watch a local Triathlon and get myself in the spirit. To just wanted to watch and be part of the crowd to root the athletes on. I had heard that Sister Madonna Buder had signed up. I was just hoping to see her and root her on. The event was pretty small so in no time I was able to just walk up to her and say hi, tell her how amazing she is and give her a big hug! She has been such a great inspiration to me and to many others. I was so glad that I had this opportunity to meet her. I mentioned that I was racing in IMCDA. She instantly had this look on her face of concern. She said, "Is this your first?" I said, "Yes", very proudly. And then she just started to shake her head. I instantly started to worry. Here I am talking to one of the most motivated people I have ever met in my life. I have watched her race at the World Campionships in Kona and now she is starting to concern me. I tell her that I have been training very hard for Ironman CDA I will be ok. She said, "Oh, I just feel really sorry for all of you that have to swim in that water." Whew, she had really started to scare me. I was thinking she was going to say something like, "Oh it's your first Ironman, you are going to suffer so much", or something bad like that. So the good news is Sister Madonna Buder will be praying for us on Race day. =)

~Thumbs Up~

Road to Ford Ironman Coeur d'Alene Is Almost Here

2008-05-25T09:52:00.001-07:00

Wow it has been sometime since I have wrote anything about training. I asked my wife, what would be a good name for my blog entry. She just looked at me and said three words, "I am tired"

Yes, she is right, it has been a rough road. I have had my ups and downs. Mentally and physically. Yes, I have been training. Yes, I have been training 6 days a week. Yes, I am tired. Yes, I can't wait for IMCD'A to get here so I can be part of one of the biggest life changing events I will ever be involved in. My family has been there for me every step of the way. And yes, my loving wife Dee Dee is ready, so ready, for IMCD'A to get HERE!! She has been so positive, which is a must. There is no way in the world that this would have been possible without her standing behind me. Besides the fact that she is my wife and she is the leader of Team Scottie, training for Ironman is time consuming and, as we all know, EXPENSIVE! There have been times when I would come home off the bike after 5 or 6 hours and have to run, and I would be tired. I would think, "Maybe I will just skip the run." If I said it out loud, Dee Dee would just say, "Honey you know you will not be happy with yourself if you don't finish." Grrr... Oh, ok. That's what a team leader is for.

Well all has been going well. training is right on track. I need to start making list of things I need to bring. Take my bike over and get it tuned one last time. Put my new racing tires on a week before we leave. It is going to be so much fun I just can't wait for all this training to over and we are heading out the door and driving to Ford Ironman Coeur d'Alene.

~Thumbs Up~

A new day has dawn

2008-04-19T10:38:00.000-07:00

Something important crossed my mind this morning while I was laying in bed. I was thinking about this weekend's swim, 6 hour ride today (it doesn't help that the pool doesn't open until 1:00 pm so I won't get home until around 8:00 pm) and my half Marathon on Sunday. I have been saying the words, "I have to do this. - I better do this. - I don't want to do this. - I'm tired. - Holy crap! Did you see what Coach Liz has me doing this weekend?" But then it hit me this morning. This is what I do for fun. I have made huge changes in my life to be able to do these things. I stopped drinking 2 years ago. I stopped chewing tobacco 4 years ago. I sold my Harley Davidson so I could afford a REAL Triathlon TT bike. What the hell I'm I bitching about? So training is not always easy, and if it was, I'm not sure I would be happy that I even accomplished anything on that training day. I need to find my passion again. So I told myself today is a new day of having fun again.

~Thumbs Up~

Back on track

2008-03-23T09:31:00.000-07:00

A little update. All my training is back on track! I have been hitting all three sports 12 to 14 hours a week. I just love the variety of my training workouts I get from Coach Liz. I just never know what I'm going to get from her. But it works, and I have learned that if I want to achieve my goals I need to trust what Coach liz wants me to do and not second guess it. Because, what the hell do I know about training for an Ironman? Even if it means spinning 95 rpm's going 10 mph on a country road in the middle of nowhere. I have, in the past, planned my training based on distance. Now I do it by time and do not worry about how far I go. It is about the training, not trying to impress your buddies with how far you went. Smart training keeps you injury free, less chance of burn out and not getting stagnant. My swimming has come along way this season. For the first time I actually spend enough time in the pool that I'm starting to prune and I still have tons of energy left. My legs are strong and I just feel great. Life is good. I'm starting to feel like I have found a balance between training and my day to day life. And yes, it is that time of year, the legs are shaved and baby smooth. I'm going to end this with something that Coach Liz said in some paper work she sent me. "The hardest part of Ironman is the training. The biggest obstacle you will face along the way is yourself. And you will face yourself day after day after day. "

~Thumbs Up~

Happy Dance

2008-03-06T18:25:00.001-08:00

I did It !!!!!! I passed I passed. I passed my test for my job promotion. I'm am now the new "Water Distribution Supervisor" I can now focus all of my energy on my training, and of course my family. This is a big load off my chest. BIG LOAD!! I'm so happy!!
I really needed this news. I have been sick all week with a bronchial infection. I have had to stop all my training. One cool thing was when I told Coach Liz that I was sick, I was really thinking she was going to keep me going and just deal with it. But she told me rest is best and to take the time to get better. Way cool. I'm doing better now and am going to be back training tomorrow. Woot!!!

~Thumbs Up~

My new coach is a life saver

2008-02-24T15:50:00.000-08:00

These last two weeks have been great !!! I am so happy to have Liz as my coach. She has changed my whole outlook for Ironman Coeur d'Alene. I really feel like if I do everything that she tells me to do, I will be just fine. I have been enjoying every workout she sends my way and everything is different. Not the same old run that I would do or bike or swim. New drills new ideas. I will never train for a big race like this again without her. I know it has only been two weeks but in these two weeks she has been there for me everyday. I'm having a blast. The focus on my training is awesome. I have been doing this all wrong. I just had no idea of what it was going to take to achieve my biggest goal in my LIFE. But I sure do NOW!!! Thank you Liz !!

~Thumbs Up~

Changing gears in a good way

2008-02-13T20:41:00.000-08:00

I have been really having a hard time getting my act together with training. I have just felt lost. I'm not sure if it was just the winter weather hanging on or what. I have felt like I should still be in my winter building faze. This week will be my first opportunity to ride outside. Go figure, the one time I needed winter to be mild, we get all kinds of snow!!! It has really been playing tricks on my brain. I just haven't had a plan that I could get started. Don't get me wrong - I have been getting workouts in - I have just been worried that I haven't been as efficient with my time as I would like to be. I want to maximize every workout. So, I decided it was time for me to change gears!!! That is why I have hired a coach!!! Elizabeth Fedofsky Waterstraat is the founder of Multisport Mastery Inc. Inc. She is a USA Triathlon & USA Cycling certified coach with 10 years of competitive experience. She also qualified for Kona in 06' and 07'. Elisabeth has a very impressive history of accomplishments. I just sent all of my paperwork in to her so that I can get started - she is great! As soon as I told her that my info and payment were in the mail, she set up my first week of testing/training so that I could get started right away. Elisabeth also hooked me up with Training peaks That way I can see my workouts for the week and I can give her my feedback, nice huh. Elizabeth has a ton of information and advice to offer and has made it clear that she is available for all of my questions or concerns. I am so relieved that I have a quality plan to follow and someone knowledgeable to keep me on track and accountable!!! Ironman Coeur D'Alene here I come!!!
~Thumbs Up~

Snow shoeing

2008-02-11T18:10:00.001-08:00

Dee Dee, my loving wife, and I went snow shoeing in Leavenworth this weekend. This was our first time doing this great past time. And we had a great time. Just the two of us together, in nature with no kids. Total bliss!! We are planning on going back up later in the year and renting some cross country ski's and trying our hand at that.
~Thumbs Up~

Oh baby It's Cold outside

2008-02-03T14:04:00.000-08:00

Well I went for my first ride outside today. All I can say is I'm so glad I had my warm toe covers on. Ok I only went outside to take this picture. Just poking a little fun at Bigun. It snowed another five inches last night. Spokane al has been getting hammered in Spokane also. I have been hitting the trainer pretty regular and I have been getting in some 6 mile runs, of course on the treadmill. I'm waiting until next Tuesday to start swimming. With all the studying I have been doing to get that promotion at work, it has been eating up a lot of my time. It's a one hour drive round trip, so I'm waiting for next week. My two buddies Sam and Kelly that are also going to be at Ford Ironman Coeur d'Alene, they are going to start swimming on Tuesday nights. I will just hook up with them. That way I can learn a lot from them also. I'm definitely the weaker swimmer of the three. Other then the weather just being crappy, and the stress of this test that I'm taking this Wednesday hanging over my head, I'm in pretty good spirits.
~Thumbs up~

Spinervals where have you been all my Triathlon life?

2008-01-22T20:01:00.000-08:00

Yes I have discovered Spinervals with Coach Troy!! This is what I have been needing OMG I needed something like this. Why has nobody told me about these? Ok ok, I did get one with my Kinetic Trainer, but I never opened it. I just thought it was a promotion DVD or something. Well I just received Competition 16.0 - Aero Base Builder I last week and I have been all over this DVD. Its 80 minutes of base building. I love this stuff I'm so into my trainer now and I'm working the bugs out of my new Felt B2. I really needed this. I just ordered Competition 1.0 No Slackers Allowed!! Kick my ass baby. Ok Bigun and Tri-Rob let me have it!! Get me moving!! Motivate me!!

I have a test coming up for work on February 6th, for a promotion for the Water Department Supervisor position. I'm a little stressed right now about it. I am not sure I have studied enough and I have tri training to do...for some reason I feel like I am already behind. So I guess I better get my Sh*t together.

~Thumbs Up~

Happy Birthday Scottie

2008-01-12T12:32:00.001-08:00

That's right I'm celebrating my 41st Birthday today!!! Before I was born the doctors told my mother that I had a 10% chance of making it into this wonderful world. So today I am so blessed to have my Lovely wife that I could not make it day by day without. My great kids Ricky, Zachery, Hannah and Kaitlyn. And of course all of my Triathlon friends. Without Triathlons I would have never gotten off the couch and discovered the great outdoors that I love today. And I might just live to be a lot older and live life to the fullest. Thanks everyone for being there for me.
So to celebrate my birthday by climbed up my mini Mount Beezley with my sister and my little buddy Camber.~Thumbs up~

Mini Mountain and my buddy Camber

2008-01-06T15:56:00.000-08:00

Today I hiked up my mini mountain "Beezley". 50 Lbs on my back and my Welsh Corgi "Camber". My little Buddy. He is a good little trooper. most of the time he has to stay on my heels so I can brake trail for him, For as you can see very low ground clearance. Yesterday I did a one hour Yoga class, with a 30 minute rest followed up by an one hour and 30 minute advanced yoga class. I plan getting on the trainer this coming week and start logging some mileage on my new Felt. I also need to get my swimming started up. this season my wife if also going to be joining me at the pool so she can start her training for her first spring triathlons this coming year. And possibly a Olympic distance. Go Dee Dee.

~Thumbs Up~

Yes I have been working out this winter.

2007-12-27T21:17:00.000-08:00

I guess I should talk a little bit about what I have been doing this winter to stay in shape. I have never been a big fan of core workouts. Sooo... I started doing yoga. Power and yoga butt. I have really started enjoying the challenge. One thing I have found with yoga is you can make it as hard as you want to. When I first started going to class I spent all my time watching the instructor and trying to learn all the different moves. After the first couple of classes, I just didn't think that yoga was going to be difficult enough for me. Well, after learning the moves, I started learning how to work each pose. Yoga is kicking my butt. Best part is my core is getting stonger.

And I have been doing some winter hill climbing. We have a hill with rough trails in our town that measures 920 feet. I started out by putting 25 pounds in my backpack and hiking to the top. I now can pack up 45 pounds. This weekend I'm going to be doing 50 pounds. It has been a blast doing a low impact workout and enjoying the winter. I have been doing most of my hill work at night, So I had to go out and buy a headlight so I could see. I just put on my ipod shuffle and go. I went down to my local 2nd hand store and picked up a set of used ski poles for a dollar, and they have helped a ton going up the real steep part of the hill and it's a great upper body workout.

Monday, Wednesday. Yoga
Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday Hill climbing.
~Thumbs Up~

Seattle Marathon

2007-12-23T09:35:00.000-08:00

Yes I did It. Marathon number two. 26.2 miles in beautiful weather. We arrived in Seattle a day early and thanks to my lovely wife - that just happened to run the Half Marathon - and her ability to plan all of our hotel reservation for all of our events throughout the year, our accommodations were extremely convenient, she nailed this one perfectly. My step daughter Hannah has always loved to see the Space Needle. Well, all she had to do was look right out our window and the start line was 1 block away. Nice job babe.Every time I do an event I learn something big or small. Well, what I learned this time was always stick to your plan. Even if some skinny guy is standing next to you while you are watching all the half marathoners start, and he says. "I always try to start up with the faster runners that way I get a bigger jump on the pace runners that I was going to run with the whole race." Hmmm, that sounds like a good idea 10 minutes before you start a race that is going to take you more the 4 plus hours to complete. That sounds like a good idea for a race that you have been training for for months and you just want so bad to beat your bosses best time of 4:15. and someday just someday beat 4:00 hours. Oh and can see it on your face now, you are saying to yourself as you are reading this - OH Scottie just stick to your plan you should know better by now that you always stick to your plan. Well I didn't. Greed got the best of me. First off let me say that I really did put in the miles for this one. This was the most running I have done for a race of this magnitude. I was training on hills. Long slow going hills. I was feeling the strongest I have ever felt before. I was proud of all the hard work I had put into this and I wanted the best time I could possibly put out. I really was not sure what my time could be, I just knew this was my big shot to prove to myself that if you put in the time and pain you will succeed.

The race weather was about 38 degrees. I had my Garmin Forerunner 305 that I just can't live without. Tells me heart rate and pace. Everything started out great. I felt good, I was hitting all the water stations. In hindsight, with the weather being cooler, I don't think I was taking in enough water. I was drinking at least one cup of water or Gatorade at every station. I remember Texafornia saying something about splitting up your sugar intake. So if you take gel follow it up with water not Gatorade for at least 20 to 30 minutes and then after that you can take Gatorade at the water stations. I'm a big guy, 205 lbs. Not fat, just lots of mass. So someday I might figure out how many fluids I should be taking in. I was also taking in 300 calories every hour. If someone out there can help me with this I would put them on my Christmas list for life =). One neat thing about doing Seattle's Marathon was being able to cross over the I90 bridge to Mercer Island. I thought it would be so cool to do that, the half marathoners don't get to so it was like a bonus to be able to cross it. Unfortunately, when I was on the bridge I was running and taking off my under shirt and I lost my Ironman stocking cap out of the back of my shirt. Sad day. I would like to take this time to reflect and have a moment of silence for the loss of my Ironman Winter hat.

5,4,3,2,1... and now I can move on.

Ok, back to the race. I hit mile 13.1 at about 2:03. Not bad and I was still feeling good and having lots of fun. The run around Seward Park was very beautiful. Well, around mile 18 is when the hills started. What a nasty place to start hills. Some of these hills I found it just as easy to walk up because I was just wasting energy trying to run up them. Needless to say, this did hurt my time. One cool note, my friends Sam & Kendra and their kids Taylor and Gavin were waiting for me at mile 25. It was so nice have friends standing out on the course rooting me on, I really needed it. They both ran the Seattle Half. I would like to congratulate Deanna (my lovely wife) and Sam and Kendra for completing the Seattle Half. Good job. I finished the race with a time of 4:28:39. This is a personal best for me. My last marathon was Portland in 06' and I finished with a time of 4:50:08. But at the end of this race the lactic acid just ripped through my legs. Ouch Ouch Ouch. But after about 20 minutes I was all better. I had a great time at this race, I was on that runner high and I was loving it. Thumbs Up!!!~Thumbs Up~

Seattle Marathon

2007-11-23T15:55:00.000-08:00

I'm on my way to the Seattle Marathon. I have been putting in the miles for this one. I'm really wanting to put in a 4:15. I think I can pull that off. Last year I ran the half Marathon and it kicked my butt. I was not much of a runner last year. This course has lots of hills so I have been busting my ass on hill training. The weather last year was rainy and cold, this year it looks like the rain is going to hold off and its just going to be cold =) . I bought some new gear just for this race, I bought tights and a top with 5 pockets from a company out of Cali called sub4usa. www.sub4usa.com I picked these up to help against the rain and the cold. I really want to do well at this race. This race is going to keep me motivated and carry me into the winter. I need to keep my training up for Ford Ironman Coeur d'Alene in june 08' BABY. I'm so pumped Grrrrrrrr. Wish me luck!!!

Night Running or Cycling

2007-11-17T16:52:00.000-08:00

I just picked these up, they are called Guardian light by eGear. They are really a nice and bright light. They blink or you can just have them stay on full time just by flipping the battery over. These lights are really light weight and clip on nice. Steady-On mode 100 hours. Flash mode 250 hours. They make red, blue, white, yellow and green. I paid 11.95 each. I run after work so it's dark this time of year and I really needed something blinking bright and these work great.
~Thumbs Up~

Power Yoga

2007-11-13T21:47:00.001-08:00

That's right I said it out load YOGA, it's a good thing. I needed something in my workouts and in my life that would give me that stretch and that so badly needed CORE workout. I think Yoga may just be that ticket that I have been looking for. I did my first every Power Yoga class tonight. It was cool, I really enjoyed the relaxation of the stretch. I really need to find my spiritual and physical center. Wow that's deep
~Thumbs Up~

Sam and I do Ironman Coeur d'Alene Bike course

2007-11-03T22:01:00.000-07:00

Well we finally did it. Sam and I rode the Coeur d'Alene bike course. One thing I would like to say is, What a beautiful course. Lots of Trees, trees mean shade, I just love trees. The roads are in great shape , lots of new asphalt. The hills are tough but after you make it over the top you get some rest before the next one comes. It was nice getting out on the bike with Sam again. especially the location where we are going to become Ironman for the first time.

"CLICK ON THE IMAGES TO SEE THEM BETTER"

~Thumbs Up~

IT'S HERE!!!!!!

2007-10-18T20:33:00.000-07:00

My new Felt B2 is finally here!!!! It's a 18 lb bouncing baby boy. His name is Bomber and is my new best riding buddy.

~Thumbs Up~

GUT SHOT

2007-10-15T17:52:00.001-07:00

Well, after going into labor with my new baby Felt B2. It turned out to just be premature labor pains. I took the day off to see my new baby being put together and take lots of pics. After spending 4 hours waiting for to be delivered by FEDEX and then waiting for it to show up on UPS, we found out that it would be here Thursday! OMG!!! Wires had apparently gotten crossed and I will have to wait 3 more days. I feel like I have been hit in the gut. This really sucks.

08 FELT B2 IS ON THE NET!!!!!!!

2007-10-05T16:26:00.001-07:00

The New 08 FELT B2 My sooooon to be new baby is on the net. It is soooooo sweet looking Drooool Drooool.

I'm Going CRAZY

2007-10-02T16:06:00.000-07:00

"UPDATE"
I placed my order but they can't locate me a 07 B2. Soooo I have to order the new 08 model when it comes out. Soooo as you can probably guess the wait is DRIVING ME CRAZY!!!!
I can't even see one on the Internet yet grrrrr.

2007-09-03T20:11:00.001-07:00

I have ordered my new Tri Bike. I introduce to you, The Felt B2. Nickname "BOMBER!!"
Can you smell the Carbon?

The 2007 Apple Capital Triathlon

2007-08-21T19:30:00.000-07:00

The Apple Capital Triathlon was started in the 1990’s as a way to showcase our beautiful area while offering one of the best races in the Northwest. They offer a professionally timed event, a scenic course, one of the fastest swims in the region and the best swag in the state! Located at Daroga State Park. Olympic Distance:
1.5 swim, 24.8 mile scenic out-and-back bike, 6 mile run along a paved trail within Daroga State Park.
This was my first time at this event. So the night before I used Map quest. Being new at using this great service that has every road in the world at your disposal, I seemed to locate the only way to get to the Apple Capital Triathlon that requires a 4 wheel drive. At one point in this trip I was not sure I was going to make it to race on time. The road signs that we were following had been shot several times to the point where we could not even read them. Oh, and this trail that we were on - I mean road - was one way only. OK, we got lost, there I said it. Really if we were going camping then we were on the right road. But we were going to a Triathlon!! Finally we found a paved road and cell phone coverage, where we used our phone a friend lifeline. My friend Kelly informed me that the race started 20 minutes later then I had first thought. So needless to say, I was not as grumpy, I was just later then I planned on. I hate being late!

I checked in and found out that they would have to mail me my shirt because they ran out. I was positive though and said, "That's cool, that just means you had a lot of people turn out." I was just happy to be there. Setting up T1 and T2 was entertaining also. There was no room in my marked bike area so one of the volunteers told me to just put it on the end of one of the bike racks. Well all that does is make everyone look at you like uh dude you can't put your bike there that is my area. So I just ended up finding a spot at the end and the outside of the transition area and leaned my bike up against an orange traffic cone, well it worked.

The swim. This has always been my weak point. I had picked up a new pair of Speedo goggles that I was hoping would not leak. My old pair of goggles would leak about 6 times during a 1 mile swim - so frustrating. The race organizers had to cut a path in the milfoil "sea weed" so that we could swim. It was like a swim channel under the water, which made it seem like a race course. Needless to say, I can't swim straight, so I spent sometime playing in this stuff. I am pretty sure in some places of the lake the milfoil was at least 30 to 40 feet in length. I had a good swim, 35:25 and the goggle worked like a charm.

T1 went smoothly for a crowded area, and it was starting to rain again. I forgot my sunglasses in the car, but I later found out that riding without them was the only way to go. Now onto the bike course - an out and back. Not too bad, not too hilly but I had fun. I attacked every hill I came to, because I knew when I would get over the top my legs would bounce back and want more. Hill training payed off. The best part of the bike was coming into T2. They had runners and bikers coming and going on the same road that entered the state park area. It was down hill to T2 and I was doing around 20 mph. I noticed a white full size suburban, well I guess they only come in one size. But it was white for sure. It was trying to make a left hand turn. The driver had to wait for the runners that were coming up the road. I could tell that as soon as there was an opening in the runners, they were going to turn into the parking lot. Well I was in a Triathlon race and there was no room to pass them on the right, so I was going to have to pass them on the left before they could turn. Well the Suburban turned and I grabbed the brakes. The combination of new paved wet roads and no tread road bike tires equals SNOT!! This is the cool part. As I made it to the suburban I turned the bike to the side, I put my shoulder down and SLAMMED into it HARD. I think I hit it between 10 to 15 mph. This poor gal in the car just about crapped her pants. I just bounced off and started pedaling again and went right around her. All the people running up the road yelled, "Dude that was so AWESOME!!" I'm a big guy so no blood, no foul.

Onto the run. T2 was good, I just needed to take more time to set up a better transition area next time. The run was 6 miles, two laps. I had a great run. I had really worked on doing bricks in my workouts. I found out that this is a must. I felt so strong on the run. I had an 8:35 pace. That was great for me. 51:30. My total time was 2:45:30.

Whisky Dick Triathloln

2007-07-29T20:35:00.000-07:00

Where do I start? The Whisky Dick Triathlon. It's tough, but not impossible! This is a great event, it begins in Vantage and the 1 mile swim starts out in the Columbia River. My swim went well for me this time around, except for the fact the corner buoy and site markers were all the same color - orange. So when you are a stud swimmer like myself, you might make the mistake of looking at the wrong buoy!! I added an image to give you an idea of what happened. My swim time was not bad at all 32:32. Even with the modified route I took.
Out of the water and onto the bike. T1 2:22. The first 12 miles of the bike was a 2,000 foot climb. Burn, baby burn. Water station at the top had ice cold water bottles that were pretty cool. They had the Whisky Dick logo on them. After 26.4 miles on the bike, my legs seemed a little heated up. In and out of T2 1:08. Then comes the run, 8.8 miles of my down fall. First mile felt great. Water station came up fast and then the next 7.8 went bad. I blame it on bad planning on my part - the day before, I stood out in the sun for 6 1/2 hours trying to sell my Harley Davidson at a bike show so I can buy a new tri bike. Oh yeah - I have this triathlon bug bad. No water, no food. I just plain did not take care of myself. So on the day of the race dehydration set in and energy levels started to drop. I was in trouble - big trouble!! Every water station I came to, I drank one water and poured one over my head. They were every mile and I couldn't seem to get to the next one fast enough! They threw a hill at us at mile 8 and I said out loud, "You have to be kidding me. A HILL!" I was dead tired and then I saw my three kids about 200 yards from the finish and they were cheering and yelling for me. They all ran in with me to the finish. Best part of the day for me! 1:37:01 on the run. I am going to stop here because I can not explain the horror my body went through after I stopped running and I don't want to relive it. I told myself this will NEVER HAPPEN AGAIN!!!!

Ramping it up

2007-07-17T21:14:00.001-07:00

I have found a place to work on my swimming. It's called "Billy Clapp Lake". I am not too sure why they would name a lake that, but I have good medical at my work and I will keep my fingers crossed that whatever is in the lake is not contagious. I guess this used to be a location where there was several lakes located very closely together. When they put in a canal feed, they damed it which made one big lake. In the picture I swim in the upper half of the lake above the dam. It is a mile across and back, which is perfect!! I have access to a private dock and a paddle boat. This all came about because my wife's dad that passed away 5 years ago used to fish with a gentlemen that just happens to live on the lake. It's kinda funny how your life changes in a good direction and good things just seem to keep happening to you.

And then there is my lovely wife that just keeps on supporting me. I come up with these goofy ideas and she just keeps on being there for me. I put all my swimming gear on and she gets in a paddle boat, marks me across the lake, and holds up a orange flag so I don't get run over by a jet ski or boat. It was our first time out and all went well. She did remind me that I don't seem to swim very straight. I think it's her driving. I'm excited about this new find! I have an Olympic Distance event on Sunday the 22nd and I am hoping that my new found training ground will help me to be more comfortable in the open water. I really do not want a repeat of my Pacific Crest swim. Just a notable observation - the name of the triathlon I am doing on Sunday is "Whiskey Dick." I'm not too sure the combination of training at a lake with Clapp in it's name and doing a Dick tri is a good thing. What do you think?

PACIFIC CREST

2007-07-04T09:19:00.000-07:00

Pacific Crest in Bend Oregon, the location of a life changing event and great times. After a 6 1/2 hour drive from central Washington, we made it to the beautiful Sun River area on Friday at 11pm. There, we met up with two other families. In the group of 6 adults and 6 kids, 11 participated in some sort of event. The youngest participant being 8 and the oldest 43.

Saturday was the day for Splash, Pedal and Dash!! What a great event for the kids! We had so much fun yelling and rooting on the young ones. Parents can be so competitive when it comes to their kids - lol. Well Saturday night was drop of the bike night at T1. This would be this first time I would see the buoys that everyone talks about. They only had the orange marker buoys out and they still looked ok, but I was not sure how far the white buoys would be. I put my bike in that "out of the way" kind of place on the bike rack so I would not get in anyone's way when the mad dash coming out of the water bike transaction began. Remember this is my first Tri so later on, as I found out, that would not be a problem. I looked for Drew and Rob's bikes but I only found Drew's Porsche (nice bike) and fast helmet.

On the big day, the three of us, Kelly, Sam and I, all went to T2 to set up our running gear. I was looking around to get an idea of how people were setting up their T2's and I noticed that a few peeps were leaving their race belts and bib numbers with their shoes. In my mind that was a great idea. If it was legal I was going to do it too. I was thinking about the comfort level on the bike with no race belt cutting into me and one less thing to put on at T1. Besides that, there was a number on my leg, bike and helmet. I'm sure that would be enough numbers for them to see. Off to T2, we took the 10 dollars a person bus ride so the family could catch up with us later at the lake start. This was a good idea, they drop you off right at the mouth of the entrance of T2.
Ok, I made it! Race day is here and this is what all the training has been for. All the reading, talking to people, and picking their brains has lead to this moment and the most important task to remember today is to HAVE A GREAT TIME!!

Before I set up T1 I looked for Drew and Rob. This would be the first time I would meet them face to face. We met at the Red Bull arch placed by the water exit, great guys. They both looked like Triathletes, Rob seemed excited and Drew was very calm looking (on the outside I'm sure.) I have been reading about Drew's progress and nasty workouts for sometime. Very motivated guy. We talked about the buoys that seemed to be on the beach across the lake, but Drew was all, "you will be fine have fun it's not far la la la." I was glad to see someone was not about to come out of their skin. Ok, on to setting up my first ever T1. Bike looks good, tires are aired up to 110, 12 ounces of PowerBar Gel loaded up, 3 water bottles with with Hammer Nutrition HEED High Energy Electrolyte. Boy did I learn later on that would be way too much to take in. All that stuff made me bloat out bad. I need to learn more about nutrition on the bike!!! Not just all gel :(

Time to test the waters. Wet suit on, the water was great. I think they said it was 62 degrees. I had been training in 58 and I can tell you that 4 degrees does make a big difference. Race time. I was in the third wave, 40-44 baby blue caps - oh so manly. Swim was off I was right in the middle of the start. I really wanted to get the full affect of a swim start. Well at the first orange buoy all went bad - way bad. I came up out of the water and I could not breathe. Was I having a panic attack? What the hell? Ok, I told myself to just calm down but that was not working. I started to look for someone just in case I needed help. There was a volunteer in a kayak and I was watching him and he was watching me. Then I heard the last wave (BANG), here they come. I looked at the volunteer and said they are going to run over me and he just looked and me and went "YUP." My mind was going a mile a minute thinking about what will happen if I don't make the swim. What will my wife say? All the time, all the money, I CANNOT FAIL!!! I thought of Drew saying in his first tri that there was a guy that grabbed a buoy and that he was not going to DNF. Finally, I raised my hand to the kayak volunteer, he came right over to me. I know this guy was my savior, he talked to me for about 4 minutes I guess. Yes, I was falling way behind and that was not helping me deal with stress. He finally said to me, "we are watching you and you will be just fine." Hmm, I ended up swimming the rest of the way (1 mile) freestyle without stopping. Wow, that was wild! I did write an email to Pacific Crest to thank that volunteer for his help.

Out of the water at a blistering pace of 53:27 and onto the bike. Bikes? Umm, where did they all go? Wow! I have some making up to do. Took me 5:30 to get out of T1, but I think most of that was tying that damn plastic bag that I finally gave up on. (Note to self, take bag tying class in off season.) Then I see Sam coming out on his bike, cool I least don't feel all alone. Sam takes a spill just after mounting his bike which lets me catch up to him. We joke about how much fun we had in the water. It's time to go. Bike is going good, I passed alot of people. I could really tell all the good swimmers and fast bikers were way ahead of me. I passed a gal that had a chrome fender on her rear tire, I passed her early thank god. I pushed it pretty hard for me on the bike with an average 19.84 mph and off the bike in 2:49:33.

I hit T2. Drop grab and go - 2:04 for me. Wahoo! I saved some time there. I was going to need it for the run. Oh boy, it was fun trying to find my legs. I have always heard it takes about 2 miles to find them, not really sure I ever did. The Red Bull station at mile 9 was funny. I think those girls had about 10 apiece themselves, way hyper. They had good energy I needed that. Run was slower then I was hoping for. No shame in walking some I guess. 2:21:22 ouch. Beep Beep - I finished!!! Family and friends were there to greet me. I learned a lot. I learned that I better train harder and learn a lot more about nutrition for this sport.

Final # swim 53:27
T1 5:30
Bike 2:49"33
T2 2:04
Run 2:21:22
Total 6:11:58

Congratulations to the Brown, Barnes, and Moore families and all those that participated!!!

Scott - Half-Iron Tri
Sam - Half-Iron Tri
Kelly - Half-Iron Tri
Janice - Olympic Tri
Holly - Olympic Tri
Deanna - 10K
Kendra - 5K
Taylor - 5K
Gavin - 5K & Splash, Pedal and Dash
Sarah - Splash, Pedal and Dash
Hannah - Kid's One Mile Dash
Laura-Team Manager

FIRST CENTURY RIDE

2007-07-02T19:47:00.000-07:00

Well, after taking some needed time off after the Pacific Crest Half IRONMAN, I figured why not just go out and do my first Century Ride with the boys. I had a great time, the support on the ride was great. I think we stopped 4 times and ate cookies and orange slices. Jake, the leader of the group and who is also the only one that gets paid to ride, pulled us most of the ride. I did try several times to jump out front and pull my own weight and even got the group up to a grand ol' speed of 25 mph! But I paid for that later at mile 80. I felt pretty good other wise, 100 miles is a long way to ride I'm glad I did it but not to sure I could have ran 26.2 after that ride lol not a chance!!!!

2008 Ford Ironman Coeur d'Alene

2007-07-01T21:57:00.000-07:00

2008 Ford Ironman Coeur d'Alene
HERE I COME!!!!