tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63284061980045364772024-02-06T23:36:37.250-06:00All-Weather Cyclistjethroelfmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05154313429911481786noreply@blogger.comBlogger100125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6328406198004536477.post-1696416300089703652019-09-03T21:36:00.000-05:002019-09-03T21:36:28.026-05:00Had a ride todayI'm in the middle of the big long workout push for Ironman Louisville. I switched out my bicycle seat last week, and installed the thick cushy gel seat that I've used for all my previous Ironman races. I kept thinking that I could perhaps get used to a regular seat like on my commuter bike, if I only gave it enough time. Once the rides got up over 4 hours, I couldn't take it. It's like sitting on a rock for too many hours. The gel seat wroks for me, and was fine for today's 4-hour ride. 95 km. Today I followed the roads towards Port Burwell, but turned back after 50 km. The ride felt good. A bit of burn in my right foot around 80 km, so I might need to see what I can do for that issue. I've never had trouble with blisters before, so I don't exactly know what to do. I feel strong. Last weeks 20k went really well. With the bike-seat trouble a couple weeks back, I was still having the uneasy feeling that maybe I can't do this. I'm just starting to get over that, and looking forward to race day as a battle which I will overcome.<br />
<br />
It's Tuesday, so I had the Running Room group run tonight with the Scotiabank half marathon group. I didn't eat enough after the bike ride, and was whupped after 10 minutes. Tomorrow is the Marilyn Manson concert, so it's a short day for workouts, and then a rest day.<br />
<br />jethroelfmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05154313429911481786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6328406198004536477.post-77744088094820465162019-07-24T08:02:00.004-05:002019-07-24T08:02:57.563-05:00Ironman summer<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Training log (Tuesday)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Run 5 km slow</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Run 5 km hill sprints</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Presently I'm gradually increasing distance at the start of the large training push for Louisville in October. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<br />jethroelfmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05154313429911481786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6328406198004536477.post-82603227814132166092019-07-22T20:18:00.001-05:002019-07-22T20:18:28.628-05:00Registered for Penticton 2020<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I always wanted to race there. It's like a patriotic duty. It's the True North Ironman Canada. After the city cancelled the contract with WTC (Ironman), I would still have gone, if it was the official course, but that wasn't always there in the selection of events that the new organizer was offering. When I heard that it was once again the Ironman race, THE Canadian Ironman race, I was determined to be there. Right now, I have the time, I have the funds, so I'm registered and off to Penticton Aug 30 2020.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>jethroelfmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05154313429911481786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6328406198004536477.post-45828825825621671572017-09-30T10:55:00.002-05:002017-09-30T10:55:31.820-05:00Ironman Lake Placid<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Other than the details of the race itself, how was the trip overall? Good, really good. the weather was beautiful, until Monday morning for the drive home. It was mostly sunny, but not ferociously hot like it could be. Race day was pleasantly cool in the morning, with more and more sunshine throughout the day, making it a wonderful bike ride. Cool again in the evening for the run. No rain affecting any day's activities.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I stayed in the village of Willmington, about 20 minutes drive North of Lake Placid. Hence my worst fear was having car trouble. Friday and Saturday have required activities, so if i'm stuck outside of town, i'm screwed. The motel was a typical room, but cost over $200. For what it cost, a few years ago I got a condo with room for 8 and a full kitchen in Mont Tremblant, so Lake Placid was definitely pricey. Both Madison and Chattanooga had cheap hotels nearby, so for the overall cost, Lake Placid has a problem that way. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">My trip last year helped tremendously with navigating the city. I parked every day at the big field on WesValley Road, which is just a 10-minute walk over the hill to the race site at the Olympic oval. Sign-in on Friday was quick. They were concerned that I didn't have a companion to provide race support. This shouldn't be done alone. The drive in from Wilmington was fine on race morning. I even picked up a racer hitch-hiking after his ride dropped him way too far from the start line. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I needed shoes. I brought my typical 4 sets of footwear, but gave one to a hobo whom I picked up on the highway out of Toronto. I sometimes pick up a hitchhiker, who's usually a local without a car, needing a ride to the city. This guy was a professional drifter, making his way to the East coast, with plans on going out west later in the year. I found him on the on-ramp just east of Toronto, and brought him for the 3 hours to Cornwall where I cross the border. Noticing he was just wearing socks, I gave him the shoes off my feet. They were the burner shoes that I meant to wear down to swim start and abandon. when I unpacked, my training runners were missing. The hobo was admiring them, and we might have left them in the parking lot at the gas station, or perhaps he took them too. I don't know. That left me with my race runners, and my slippers. I tried wearing the slippers for the day, but they weren't good for walking, and my plantar fascitis began bothering me. I went to the local Marshalls and bought some cheap sneakers as walk-around shoes. I left them in my morning clothes bag and went barefoot like most everyone else, to swim start.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">What Worked Well</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">- The motel in Wilmington. I considered staying at the cheap Motel in Malone where i stayed last year, an hour away. That's too far. Wilmington at 20 minutes was just far enough. I drove it quickly enough race morning, with no traffic issues when i got to the city. I was able to drive home that night without being too tired. I could even have eaten at McDonalds first, on the way out of town. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">- Nutrition. I ate all 4 Clif Bars and all 4 Rice Krispies while on the bike. It was great having them open and ready to go. Fumbling to rip open the on-course food was no good in Wisconsin. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">- Riding easy. I should have pushed harder, instead of cutting it so close to bike cut-off. I loved having so much energy coming out of the gate to the run.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">- Lots of run training. Nothing like running to improve endurance and power. I should have taken a refresher swim, but overall I wasn't hurt by my lack of swim training. If anything, I could have done more strength training to get my shoulders and back ready for the swim and bike.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">- Lists. I packed Wednesday night using a trip list and the triathlon list. Did i miss anything? I meant to bring my bottle belt, but went for a run Wednesday, and it didn't make it into the packed set of stuff. That's about it for the entire event. I loaded my bags Friday night using the triathlon list, and everything that i needed was there when i opened the bag.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">- The hitch mounted bike carrier. A year ago I bought a SportRack carrier from a second-hand store. I had to refit the hitch adapter for my 2-inch hitch instead of the 1.5 inch that it came with, but overall has worked great. It is much easier to mount that the octopus rack which i used to use.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">- Parking. The field on WesValley road was easy to get to, always had a spot for me, and was really close to the event area.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL5MjQXK5tdwCgQEr6R0dXnaig-5YQL-VF6nBUCx9Qv3uFV9VafB0T9tkPH_kY9L1kToz7UrLE1FmaBZoSbQAx_tuNR5WuTl_0r9ZQgygmXl38PWbqrFyJYe0GuzynKcwR47pRvnNSYF4/s1600/Bike+summary.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="46" data-original-width="595" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL5MjQXK5tdwCgQEr6R0dXnaig-5YQL-VF6nBUCx9Qv3uFV9VafB0T9tkPH_kY9L1kToz7UrLE1FmaBZoSbQAx_tuNR5WuTl_0r9ZQgygmXl38PWbqrFyJYe0GuzynKcwR47pRvnNSYF4/s1600/Bike+summary.JPG" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">What didn't work</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">- No bike computer. My super-easy pace made it risky to make the cut-offs, so it was important to have the computer to measure my distance and figure out my estimated finish. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">- My feet. Not sure it it was my shoe choice, or short taper. I could have gone with my customary Asics. Perhaps a set of new Nimbus 2000's, my favourites. I could have eased up further during the week or two before the race. Who knows if either would have helped.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">- No breakfast. The McDonalds was closed at 5:30 in the morning. I didn't know where to go for my customary coffee and egg sandwich. All I ate was a granola bar. I drank a Mountain Dew, but that just helped give me that bloated feeling during the swim. With that little food, i had plenty of energy for the swim, but overall missed the coffee and eggs.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">- Sleep. I had trouble sleeping the week before, including the evening of the race. I should have gone to the movies. That's worked well to calm my mind. Going to the mountain Saturday to meditate on the race just got me worked up. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">- Mountain Dew. It was good to have in Chattanooga, but failed in Lake Placid. When I dumped out the Run Bag, it split the can open and pissed Mountain Dew all over my stuff. Half the can went down okay. At run special needs pickup, i was starting to feel nauceus already, and the fizzy pop was no good for that, so I poured out most of the can.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">- Running. I probably could have gone back to my loping run after resting the ankle for a couple blocks. After an hour of walking, I just couldn't pick up the pace to run steady again.</span>jethroelfmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05154313429911481786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6328406198004536477.post-8921049845807421872017-07-25T20:27:00.000-05:002017-07-25T21:02:51.804-05:00Ironman Lake Placid 2017 Race Report<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Final
16:27:48<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">(2111<sup>th</sup> out of 2195 who finished on
time - 2340 starters. 1572 men, 623 women; me 1523 among the men, 226 place in the M50-55
bracket)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKw8vvMM5F8kCN2osmT8mWYq0ATPi6pM-J0IDXdCdZ89XNurHfLXMjdOODWKlq95wgaF9G2xhEyb9tj0ugSmBM80vwWutNK43_X-x-P5GFFcNgNc0FTLpqVUOc4CBj1Nl1RYW1aUGE-JM/s1600/Finish+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="731" data-original-width="853" height="548" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKw8vvMM5F8kCN2osmT8mWYq0ATPi6pM-J0IDXdCdZ89XNurHfLXMjdOODWKlq95wgaF9G2xhEyb9tj0ugSmBM80vwWutNK43_X-x-P5GFFcNgNc0FTLpqVUOc4CBj1Nl1RYW1aUGE-JM/s640/Finish+1.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The clock shows time of day at 11:25</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The last
time I wore my wetsuit was two years ago for the race in Wisconsin. The last swim I had was for last year’s race
in Chattanooga. I should at least have
done a cursory refresher swim. I take
several minutes to get into the groove, where my breathing has settled into a
rhythm, and I’m at a steady pace. This
day, it didn’t want to happen. I’ve
gained 5 or 10 pounds, and the wetsuit felt tight. I just couldn’t get my breath. I took off the nose clip, to get more air
when I breathe. I did side-stroke for
most of the first leg, out to turn-around for the first lap. My side-stroke is
almost as fast as my front crawl, so I was making okay time, and could have
finished that way. I noticed a guy
beside me with a really slow turnover.
That’s a good idea. I slowed my
stroke cadence down to half. At that
speed, I was able to get enough air, and calm my heart and breathing. After turn-around, I was fine, and picked up
to a comfortable speed doing front crawl.
I kept to the outside, letting the fast swimmers past completing their
second lap. The professionals set out at
6:30, and some made it back to the beach for the crossing to second lap even
before I was in the water. We
age-groupers began at 6:40, self-seeding with the slower swimmers like me in
the back. I was with the final few,
getting into the water at 6:58. We each
get 17 hours on the clock from when we start, so my deadline was a minute and a
half before midnight. I better not need
that. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Swim 1:56:11
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI6QMdchBF9F_tFFeJ7irS2BXJ5wNxRWuyv9ntARqyNgy7Gian-pTws13NohG7-jVJJoSOGI9MbKr4hot51HmM5DTCKSEjbmW61aR1B94vVWbO3EJTXQG-j_eKPB34PR9vjEJFTupKoL0/s1600/Swim+Start+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="582" data-original-width="1089" height="342" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI6QMdchBF9F_tFFeJ7irS2BXJ5wNxRWuyv9ntARqyNgy7Gian-pTws13NohG7-jVJJoSOGI9MbKr4hot51HmM5DTCKSEjbmW61aR1B94vVWbO3EJTXQG-j_eKPB34PR9vjEJFTupKoL0/s640/Swim+Start+2.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I'm just going through the gate here. About 2300 in the water already.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Friday, for
fun I decided to bike up the hill to Whiteface Mountain.</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I didn’t get as far as the entrance where it
transitions from the public road to the switchbacks to the peak.</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Drenched In sweat after 5 km (it’s another 15
to the top) I turned and went back to the motel.</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">On that downhill I rode the brakes so hard, the
wheel rims got so hot that one of the labels came unglued and peeled off.</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Far from giving me confidence, it increased
my worry over handling the long downhill early in the course.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR31Jy8KD5ZNro3lM5yrr5l2n5dyWvc052diS-t09PtQAmpvNIWkZbp0QmoMh7AP8XnfwN-cRRLF5DZOEjga6T2PQwps1lpO36w3gsFMnzx77oUf2dNu3Knm5B_Kqk7OTns5o94V2SVkw/s1600/Swim+Exit+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="682" data-original-width="1159" height="376" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR31Jy8KD5ZNro3lM5yrr5l2n5dyWvc052diS-t09PtQAmpvNIWkZbp0QmoMh7AP8XnfwN-cRRLF5DZOEjga6T2PQwps1lpO36w3gsFMnzx77oUf2dNu3Knm5B_Kqk7OTns5o94V2SVkw/s640/Swim+Exit+1.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Me at left, in shirt with white and red swoosh pattern</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">My bike
strategy was take it easy.</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Real
easy.</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Save it all for the run. I took a
lazy, slow pace through the early section, always using the lowest gear up the
hills.</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The long downhill section to the
village of Keene wasn’t as frightening as I remembered from my scouting ride
last year.</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">It’s long, but not nearly as
steep as that incline to Whiteface.</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I’ve
practiced a bit of downhill, and learned to stay in the saddle instead of
putting my weight on my legs.</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I still
braked plenty, keeping it under 50 km/h, a speed I’m comfortable at.</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">It was still surprising how long the descent
goes for.</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The first section is through
the gorge alongside the river, where there was a headwind blowing on us,
keeping my speed down.</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Then another
downhill.</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">After that a “use low gear next
2 miles” sign, and more downhill.</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Another low gear sign, and still more fast descending.</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Finally comes the village.</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Not over yet.</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The sign says</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">“Welcome to
Keen.</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Use low gear”.</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Another fast downhill.</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgODpg-YiOHganPMpxCrEgJPv_N0buS3e3inqfwj8JWAdH7XQ3ZkdJ8WGKymq2pu8AytGFdwJfYDteoujcqYvFxgrl5gXsDR47N2d0UQRV-pWk3bnxWNR9t0slhLQ66-7s52OQZaANbGIg/s1600/Bike+In.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="550" data-original-width="856" height="410" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgODpg-YiOHganPMpxCrEgJPv_N0buS3e3inqfwj8JWAdH7XQ3ZkdJ8WGKymq2pu8AytGFdwJfYDteoujcqYvFxgrl5gXsDR47N2d0UQRV-pWk3bnxWNR9t0slhLQ66-7s52OQZaANbGIg/s640/Bike+In.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">He's got my bike. In five minutes they start taking timing chips</span></td></tr>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The weather was perfect. Cool around 20 C in the morning, with the water about the same temperature as the air. Mostly cloudy at first, with more and more sun coming out as the day went on, but still comfortable. Cool again after sunset. Monday it rained all morning. That would have sucked going down those long hills. </span></o:p><br />
<o:p><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Next comes
the flats.</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Many kilometers of flat,
straight road by the river.</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">It’s a
slight breeze as headwind from the North here.</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">This is where the aero bars excel.</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I put my head down so I could barely see ahead.</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">This was the only section where I pushed a
hard pace.</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I flew along, banking
time.</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">An hour of that, and more
hills.</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I turned the corner going past my
motel, and he’s put out a sign for me and the other two athletes staying
there.</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">That felt good.</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Down the long hill.</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">It surprises me for the second time today
with how far it goes on with the downhill sections.</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I just don’t get the feeling of doing that
much climbing to come back.</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The climb
may feel deceptive to me because it’s slight and steady along a river.</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Lots of river on this course.</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The flats have a long out-and-back.</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I count riders behind me.</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">52.</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">About 30 of them will start the run.</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">My bike computer turned up dead this spring.</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I don’t care how fast I go, so I just left
it.</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">That made it really difficult for me
to judge my pace on course. I can’t tell how far I’ve been or how long to get
there. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">At the Wilmington aid station,
she advised me to hurry, because it was getting late.</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I was estimating my bike finish at 5:00 pm,
half an hour before cut-off, but I had all those hills to climb.</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">By the time I made the outskirts of Lake Placid,
it was 5:15, with another hill to go.</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I
rolled down the chute at 5:25.</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">No time
to saunter through transition.</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Have to
be on the run course by 5:40 or they close the gate and we’re done for the
day.</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I’ve made it by 5 minutes.</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Bike 8:11:36<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJoriE1llK5t9_s58UQJLmqFQFtEM5t2DaqMu9VBWaXU4eL4lU5DipChteH_X4XOqL3mi23fOoHTwWXIZsfOJdNUNjNHCXXAHeDEbwf1b7C6N-gtmHiCBpHscjcDPNK4n752YuE0YIPRo/s1600/Run+start.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="1032" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJoriE1llK5t9_s58UQJLmqFQFtEM5t2DaqMu9VBWaXU4eL4lU5DipChteH_X4XOqL3mi23fOoHTwWXIZsfOJdNUNjNHCXXAHeDEbwf1b7C6N-gtmHiCBpHscjcDPNK4n752YuE0YIPRo/s640/Run+start.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I had a good, but slow, run for the first hour and a half</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The
intention was to save it for the run.
That worked out well. I settled
into the 5-hour marathon gait which I perfected at the Ottawa marathon. The splits on my watch showed that I was
behind target, but I had the energy to go for a long time. Most everyone was on their second lap,
heading to the finish line. At 15 km in,
my left ankle suddenly gave in. It hurt
a lot, but I wasn’t going to slow for that.
I talked to it, and told it to hold together, but the response was, “No, we’re limping”. I couldn’t make it run smooth. I hobbled along like that for half a block,
deciding what to do. To carry on might
mean permanent injury, or worse: being expelled. I settled into a fast walk, which the ankle
was able to do. Like that I was about 2
hours 45 minutes getting to start of 2<sup>nd</sup> lap. Every now and then I stepped up to running
for a spell, and the ankle was okay. Everything
hurt through my legs. How do I know when it’s going to give out again, or if
it’s for good next time? So I ran down the occasional hill, but mostly kept to
a steady fast walk. The long walk to the
finish took the next 3 hours. Finally I
got there at 11:30 with Mike Reilly shaking my hand, welcoming me in. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Run 5:57:25.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
jethroelfmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05154313429911481786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6328406198004536477.post-27395982614424083712017-02-05T19:47:00.000-06:002017-02-05T19:47:12.146-06:00Hypothermic Half 2017<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Every time I raced this, I said never again. When I saw the medal with the abominable snow monster, I chose to come back. There was some snow blowing for the drive there, but it stopped by the time we arrived. I went with Tammy from my running group training for Around The Bay. I was nice weather this year; right around 0 C. Had a good run. It's a great brunch afterwards, and now I'm very tired. The next 6 weeks have 20 km runs on the ATB training schedule, so that will be a regular Sunday thing.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLBW62F-cMVNaIcdmmGEERLXSLapG3I8Se9umU9r0elMO3G5jy4ToG-H_9tQbm4EU2-XBUe1V84X1LoySS9xwpHv0zuO9tOQuAWtaKuT5t6SGA3WoZKVvu9iZRhoF-wqYqi5XdJ2rednQ/s1600/20170205_083345.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="470" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLBW62F-cMVNaIcdmmGEERLXSLapG3I8Se9umU9r0elMO3G5jy4ToG-H_9tQbm4EU2-XBUe1V84X1LoySS9xwpHv0zuO9tOQuAWtaKuT5t6SGA3WoZKVvu9iZRhoF-wqYqi5XdJ2rednQ/s640/20170205_083345.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And we're off</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Some things didn't work well.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Carrying a water bottle and fiddling with my gloves and phone was a problem. I kept dropping one or another of them. Shouldn't have brought the bottle. Shouldn't worry about pictures. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The clip to attach my phone to my belt is really important. My jacket pockets aren't any good for that. Dropped the phone twice. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The Powerbar chews were no good, because they were too hard to get out of the package wearing gloves, and also because I wasn't drinking enough water to get them down. Need to stick with gels in winter.</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I updated my prep list so I don't make these mistakes at ATB.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVi8wA2eZcNXMQGjk5UAejp_aSY_K-RNV0Oq9dOKPDBE_UmsUjTiwnkXjY7WNxr10nikk_ekUa5n3AHo1BJ0wvkeIVjKFiY5dfepIrL2aiNoh-mgKIO6Kvw6SVagjPb7ECiEBMyF1-Zmg/s1600/20170205_082557.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVi8wA2eZcNXMQGjk5UAejp_aSY_K-RNV0Oq9dOKPDBE_UmsUjTiwnkXjY7WNxr10nikk_ekUa5n3AHo1BJ0wvkeIVjKFiY5dfepIrL2aiNoh-mgKIO6Kvw6SVagjPb7ECiEBMyF1-Zmg/s640/20170205_082557.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Race prep</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLBW62F-cMVNaIcdmmGEERLXSLapG3I8Se9umU9r0elMO3G5jy4ToG-H_9tQbm4EU2-XBUe1V84X1LoySS9xwpHv0zuO9tOQuAWtaKuT5t6SGA3WoZKVvu9iZRhoF-wqYqi5XdJ2rednQ/s1600/20170205_083345.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Finished in 2:07</span></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLBW62F-cMVNaIcdmmGEERLXSLapG3I8Se9umU9r0elMO3G5jy4ToG-H_9tQbm4EU2-XBUe1V84X1LoySS9xwpHv0zuO9tOQuAWtaKuT5t6SGA3WoZKVvu9iZRhoF-wqYqi5XdJ2rednQ/s1600/20170205_083345.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-yUYQ7-SWMWH19YP2Ncyr1VBbEuLIlFIK0p4Q1LQV6WQm8GzxWhJvyZxrygKKql5W3KZlrtEqA5BphJHqjW0Zd-NQ5OObY3cqcgvaWIVGAJzq2J0GqfapkBgnSsik1Gx_XLy-7Y019jQ/s1600/20170205_083000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-yUYQ7-SWMWH19YP2Ncyr1VBbEuLIlFIK0p4Q1LQV6WQm8GzxWhJvyZxrygKKql5W3KZlrtEqA5BphJHqjW0Zd-NQ5OObY3cqcgvaWIVGAJzq2J0GqfapkBgnSsik1Gx_XLy-7Y019jQ/s640/20170205_083000.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">On your marks</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>jethroelfmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05154313429911481786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6328406198004536477.post-33948859835860713072017-02-05T19:21:00.002-06:002017-02-05T19:21:36.212-06:00Perth Kilt Run<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Was waiting for the Guinness certification to post this, but it never came. It seems something went wrong, and we didn't get the largest kilt run. Never heard why. Looks like they will try again in 2017. No marathon in 2017, so i guess i should have done that last year. Once in a lifetime. It was a hot day. They had the most music I've come across during a race. A piper (bag) on many a corner. </span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuEin3KtYanV6pHtc1b5nSUu_xsADPK6NKak9K2ogS6d52PPjmiFvCkJ8kVeLuwZ4XQb-WIz7Luod2JnuK1btihdys-Fk1fGPx7Ur_YhPge687UJ_wRRnEgHghKl8uUESbuSuwiPSACp0/s1600/Kiltrun.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuEin3KtYanV6pHtc1b5nSUu_xsADPK6NKak9K2ogS6d52PPjmiFvCkJ8kVeLuwZ4XQb-WIz7Luod2JnuK1btihdys-Fk1fGPx7Ur_YhPge687UJ_wRRnEgHghKl8uUESbuSuwiPSACp0/s640/Kiltrun.JPG" width="418" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Long kilt over long legs</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifD43Wz9uKp29PMSsqFYHvDyyGMQ4kvkbcAtXGXdxPX58fg-EeVJGVC1LMabJ4ohRF9eAmOKJ3h9UMOlxhoJs5BdHACrip59wU530ypauw5UriCGTIeqzE09fPdUGGYaQs3-DPHKh4HGM/s1600/IMG_0900.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifD43Wz9uKp29PMSsqFYHvDyyGMQ4kvkbcAtXGXdxPX58fg-EeVJGVC1LMabJ4ohRF9eAmOKJ3h9UMOlxhoJs5BdHACrip59wU530ypauw5UriCGTIeqzE09fPdUGGYaQs3-DPHKh4HGM/s640/IMG_0900.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">On your marks</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0CKfTwBnBEnosWi010FvtyWS2c_HdMWkOQZrGdOTONZA35mUmSbZQloGs3v8QyHP0vtJiMow733i0iQy4aGz0lMy9QwOJNGwQNLQZBCamT7WKldX0OyXVdPmmEDRJtaQ_krMj8r7mkPM/s1600/IMG_0909.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="388" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0CKfTwBnBEnosWi010FvtyWS2c_HdMWkOQZrGdOTONZA35mUmSbZQloGs3v8QyHP0vtJiMow733i0iQy4aGz0lMy9QwOJNGwQNLQZBCamT7WKldX0OyXVdPmmEDRJtaQ_krMj8r7mkPM/s640/IMG_0909.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Thousands came to run</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcV22KPrwfQfooie_VW9o2NE2VeKpCOpXSfFq765cwUq39pKKuqbdL5pzWgoEBEmwbgnHlvM94CI1IniEB6Y91xN8TV27iY2BrsWhsdwT0unkmglh8CY_Uf_vLuZXZgU6hyVkWpxbADhI/s1600/IMG_0917.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="404" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcV22KPrwfQfooie_VW9o2NE2VeKpCOpXSfFq765cwUq39pKKuqbdL5pzWgoEBEmwbgnHlvM94CI1IniEB6Y91xN8TV27iY2BrsWhsdwT0unkmglh8CY_Uf_vLuZXZgU6hyVkWpxbADhI/s640/IMG_0917.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Kilt runners</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCYta5EE2JRSOIM7bW5NMtTSQ18VcbBhYDk5x4QfR7p1oiQRDIlkW5Uirdk5g319NDBM85ndtz72rUq0nhvtMu-TjV0Y-luvJJMmRra8FFRBhtB2eH7hAiNE_HbYsHvupUG6TvWCCj9ro/s1600/IMG_0920.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="502" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCYta5EE2JRSOIM7bW5NMtTSQ18VcbBhYDk5x4QfR7p1oiQRDIlkW5Uirdk5g319NDBM85ndtz72rUq0nhvtMu-TjV0Y-luvJJMmRra8FFRBhtB2eH7hAiNE_HbYsHvupUG6TvWCCj9ro/s640/IMG_0920.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Chafing set in about here</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>jethroelfmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05154313429911481786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6328406198004536477.post-51434812551422022332016-10-03T21:05:00.002-05:002016-10-03T21:08:31.036-05:00Ironman Chattanooga<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I'm running through the park. It's a slow shuffling run, which I can only sustain for a hundred meters or so at a time until back to walking. Off to my left a woman is on her knees, vomiting into the grass. I turn right, heading across the river. Suddenly a woman to the right of me screams out, wailing as she clutches her right leg, rubbing it furiously. I know what that's like. Mine did the same thing an hour ago. I carry on across the bridge. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">How hot was it? I was stopping my bike to pick up other peoples' discarded water bottles to pour it over myself. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">It's race day in Chattanooga.</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">About 2200 people jumped into the water in the morning. Of that, 26% would not make it to the finish within the time limit. I would manage with just 15 minutes to go before my time ran out.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Swim 1:28:06. Bike 7:30. Run 6:15:21. Total 15:58:10.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Dean and me, on Lookout Mountain high above Chattanooga</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> We left early Wednesday. You have to sign in by Friday, so it’s important to get some distance down the road towards the race site. We traveled most of the day, looking for a layover in Kentucky. The Historic Boone Tavern sounded like a good bet. Unfortunately the clerk advised that it was not a wet county, so we wouldn’t be getting any beers around there. Daniel wasn’t serving anymore. My partner this trip was my brother Dean. The kids are all grown up, so it's not a family adventure anymore.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">We got to Chattanooga on Thursday and hit the usual tourist locations. We visited Lookout Mountain and Rock City. For my afternoon run on Thursday, I went out around 5 PM. It was ferociously hot in the sun at that time of day. Not a good sign, since I should be freshly off my bike on Sunday at that hour.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Let me put this into perspective. In 2007, the Chicago marathon shut down during the race when temperatures hit the high 80’s. Some of the aid stations were out of water, and medical support was overloaded, so they radioed across the course to get everyone to stop running. In 2012, with projected highs in the high 80’s, the Boston marathon offered participants to forgo running, and come back the next year instead. The Kona Hawaii triathlon, known for its heat, on average is 84 degrees . There, everyone gets 17 hours. Chattanooga on Sunday topped out at 97 degrees, with 80% humidity.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">This was more than unusually hot, it was past what other races considered safe. This is Ironman. We were good to go. The forecast was in the nineties. Water temperature was measured at 83, making it just one degrees below the safety limit where wetsuits are forbidden. I’ve trained in warm water with my wetsuit, and ended up overheated and tired. It’s a poor way to start the day. I thought it would make an interesting change to race in just my swimsuit, so I was looking forward to leaving the wetsuit at home. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Behind me is the second / fourth bridge of the race</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Laying out my gear on Friday night, there was no timing chip. I reread the instructions, and it was on a table that I skipped during sign-in. No matter, I quickly found the timekeeper on race morning and got set up with one. I also skipped the morning clothes bag, coming to the waterfront in old running shoes, of which I have plenty, and a nightshirt. I abandoned both in the grass to jump off the dock for race start. I was in the water at 7:40. It’s a time-trial start, with the long line of us going onto the dock in single file. It takes about a half hour to get everyone in. We each get 16:15:00 as time limit counting from when we start. As I commonly do, I headed off course and was chased down by a woman In a kayak. "That way", she pointed. I was headed across the river and would have missed the left channel around the island. It was a scenic swim, beside the cliffs where the art gallery sits, then under two bridges. The current helps us along, but only gained me 10 minutes over my previous swim times for the distance. Skipping swim training entirely this year, my preparation all summer for it consisted of the swimming pool in the hotel on Friday night. In 90 minutes I was out. Dean high fived me at swim exit, then he stayed to watch the rest. An hour later, there was one racer who failed to make the time limit in the water portion; ending her day early. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">What a great bike course. The hills and valleys of Georgia were beautiful. The rolling hills had nothing very steep or high for us to ride on. There were two fast downhill spots, where they warned us with caution signs. Not really that fast, I don’t think I topped 50 km/h all day. After the half way, heading to my second lap of the loop, my neck got to be really painful. That was a problem, since a breeze from the south made a headwind, and with the lack of any technical difficulty to the ride, it was a great opportunity to sit low on the aerobars for long periods. I couldn’t take that any longer, and rode up on the brake hoods or even sitting fully upright holding the cross piece of the handlebars. The heat was getting to me, and I noticed that I couldn’t swallow my fourth Clif Bar. I had to wash it down with Gatorade. With that warning me of dehydration, I stopped at all the next aid stations to chug half a bottle of water, pouring the remainder over my head and arms and legs. Sipping it while riding was getting me enough. The volunteers were great. I asked for sunscreen, and immediately was given a bottle of sunscreen to refresh my layer. There was always water, usually cold. That’s a big deal. If they ran out, many more of us would have been in trouble. Between aid stations, I resorted to picking up discarded water bottles, hot from the pavement, to further douse myself. That helped a lot, because the air flow while riding wet like that kept me cool. There were many, many riders stopped at roadside to sit under a shading tree with head in hands. I persevered and made it back to Chattanooga at 5:30 PM. Coming around the last corner, my right thigh adductor seized up, and I leapt off to the shoulder of the road to let it ease up. Back on the bike, it immediately cramped again. A guy riding by called, “walk it off. walk it off” Good advice. Walking helped, but I wasn’t sure I could ride any further. A passerby commented that it was all downhill. Another good idea. I got back on and coasted the couple hundred meters to the gate. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Dean was there, handing out water. He was smiling and happy. I could tell he was having a good time with the other volunteers. Volunteering is more fun than racing, with the camaraderie you get from working together. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Done it! Dean in the red shirt.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Out to the run course. All summer I enjoyed PowerBar chews instead of gels for the runs. So I filled a ziplock bag with several packages of them for the run. Collecting that at transition 2, the heat had melded them together into a big glob. Maybe they will pull apart, I thought. First they stuck to a couple fingers, then a couple more, then the palm, and in short order I was wearing the entire lot like a mitt. That had to stay for the 2 km until the first aid station for me to wash it off. This was my aid station last year! They had Clif Blocks! Cold ones! Hurray! I was saved again by the volunteers. I didn’t bother running for the first little while. If my hip cramped again, I was finished. I wasn’t going to risk that. Instead, more eating. I ate 4 Clif bars and 3 Rice Krispies on the bike. Now I started into chips. Salty, crunchy, potato chips. I was nicely hydrated, as evidenced by my ability to take on several cups of chips. That plus the Clif Blocks gave me plenty of energy to keep going. I chatted with another walker, who had the impression we got 17 hours. No. With 16 ¼ available, I needed to finish just before midnight. It’s a brisk walk to cover it in the time I had. More support needed from an aid station. Vaseline. I selected my shorts because they prevent chafing, but it didn’t work like I needed. Then came the blisters. I could feel them painfully swell up one after another in my heels and under the ball of the foot. I've never gotten blisters; not even on my long run a week before in the rain where my shoes filled with water for 10 km. Except that one time when I came out of the water to find no socks set out at my bike. I ran the 21 km that day with no socks and got a nasty welt at the Achilles. No matter, after finishing the first lap, I raised a finger in the air, excitedly shouted "Uno Mas!" and went back for another. I got my second Mountain Dew from my special needs bag. This is the first time I’ve used a special needs bag. The Mountain Dew was great. An extra load of caffeine to start each lap of the run. Now in the dark, I put on a string of glow sticks. All the more like a zombie, I was nevertheless able to run a few short bursts. Shortly past 11:30 I crossed the final bridge and managed a lumbering run down the hill to the finish. Once again Dean was there. What a great Sherpa he was. I had a good time. Time was tight, but always within reach, and then suddenly, there it was.</span><br />
<br />jethroelfmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05154313429911481786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6328406198004536477.post-3924703898807046452016-07-28T21:44:00.001-05:002016-07-31T22:15:38.684-05:00Ironman Lake Placid<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Google said the trip was about 6 hours, which makes Lake Placid close enough for an afternoon drive. I left after work on Thursday, and spent the night with the trucks in the parking lot at the OnRoute just outside of Cornwall before crossing the border into the US. I should do that more often. With the right planning and bedding, it would be quite comfortable. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Run Aid Station #3, on River Road</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I arrived Friday morning with plenty of time for a full day of adventure. First the bike. I rode one lap of the bike course. It reminds me of the Mont Tremblant course, only with higher mountains all around. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Looks better in 3D</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Highway 73 descends into a gorge down, down, down, like forever. Then it finally levels out alongside the river valley. ...and the sign for "trucks use low gear down the hill for 2 miles" comes. More screaming fast downhill. Finally 2 miles later levelling off. That will be some climb coming up out of this valley. Then another sign, "trucks use low gear down the hill for 1 mile". I'm still chicken on the downhills, and that one set my brakes to squealing. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Me on Mount Marcy. Fitbit says it's 400 floors for the hike.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The climb doesn't seem nearly as steep, taking almost half the course to get up the hill to the village again. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQENXkPhk-Vsd9geFJmKqXTPnLNaOn6us-CCRE8HNmGq07AXiSRyakrgMZiTTmA9nYAaLInPL4fVo7DBAuwlLkVjLdKrLv_W-2QdnkUYdK_8-8z1ssrNJady2EmK2gjEk8AEreVRaEV9Q/s1600/IMG_1047.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQENXkPhk-Vsd9geFJmKqXTPnLNaOn6us-CCRE8HNmGq07AXiSRyakrgMZiTTmA9nYAaLInPL4fVo7DBAuwlLkVjLdKrLv_W-2QdnkUYdK_8-8z1ssrNJady2EmK2gjEk8AEreVRaEV9Q/s640/IMG_1047.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Danger, No swimming</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I should eat and go to the washroom, but I just have an energy bar and set off for the run. I made one lap of the run course. It's a lonely out and back down a farm road by the river. Lonely because it's largely inaccessible to spectators. Quite flat, which will be nice, except for a long, steep hill on the way back into town. I got some cramps at that point, needing the room of requirement, so I walked the last few km. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAdmqHOvvebpyYKCfK7IPzm6j6xAtjpPFELrCf4wlc1QIrpS-e1yU2P1o9kUdv0Bz0_cc4wS-1fHQG1a-ZTi4sRusrC8elrrrRen-3n1bvk0_jF5vBveoVLP22SpLLu4Kdzz0NjL3jiKI/s1600/IMG_1049.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAdmqHOvvebpyYKCfK7IPzm6j6xAtjpPFELrCf4wlc1QIrpS-e1yU2P1o9kUdv0Bz0_cc4wS-1fHQG1a-ZTi4sRusrC8elrrrRen-3n1bvk0_jF5vBveoVLP22SpLLu4Kdzz0NjL3jiKI/s640/IMG_1049.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Last swimmer gets his own flotilla</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Everything in town is booked, so my hotel is 40 miles away, for a long night's drive.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Sunscreen is spray-on this year</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Saturday, and the highest peak in New York state is just up the road, so I drive to the trailhead and hike up to Mount Marcy, about 12 km each way. My Fitbit records it as over 400 floors worth of climbing. The round trip takes me about 7 hours. I wore one of my Ironman finisher shirts, so people keep asking if I'm racing tomorrow. No, just handing out water. The peak is just above treeline. I don't think I've ever been above treeline. Not on foot anyway. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Kids building sand castles behind the wetsuit strippers</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Well rested overnight, I make it to town to watch the swim. I like watching the swim, especially the last few racers, for whom the crowd cheers like mad. Then it's off to Run Aid Station #3, out the isolated River Road. I'm there in time to see the first pro come by, and stay on into the night until the last man on course has passed. Like last year, at dusk I set out to do roadway clean-up. I fill about 3 garbage bags. One item, I think is a shoelace, until I've picked it up to see closer. Dead snake. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Me at the aid station</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I make it back to town for the last hour of finishers coming in. There's a large set of bleachers, so the crowd is wild. I hear that the race doesn't sell out anymore, with this being one of the more difficult Ironman courses available, but I come back Monday morning anyway, to buy my race entry. I will be back again as a racer in 2017.</span><br />
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jethroelfmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05154313429911481786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6328406198004536477.post-13633648590733653072016-06-05T21:59:00.003-05:002016-06-05T21:59:48.611-05:00Fredericton Marathon<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">It's a long drive, but it wasn't for a marathon; that was a last-minute addition. Daughter Jen is living on the army base in Oromocto. She had a few weeks free between training camps, and I had some vacation time, so I hopped in the car Wednesday morning to drive there. Google said 15 hours, but after that passed, it was dark, and I was still in Quebec. The deer crossing signs changed to moose warnings. Then came the sign with the giant image of a moose beside a crushed car. The beasts are huge. Then came the sign with flashing yellow lights, "Caution - moose. Slow down at night." Alrighty then, that's enough. I pulled into the next motel and stayed the night. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms, sans-serif;">What's to do in Fredericton? Not much. There's the art gallery, but it was closed for construction. I wandered through the military museum at the army base. The farmer's market made the top 10 list of must-see attractions, so we went there before the race expo. It's truly great to see Jen again. She's grown up and gone to save the world, but hasn't lost her youthful charm. I have cherished every minute of being with her over the last few years. We wandered by the riverside, ate sushi (at Naru), went to Strange Adventures the comic-book store, went to a movie (Captain America Civil War -- it was awesome). All the fun things all over again. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms, sans-serif;">Race day! She called a week ahead to say that she was signed up, so with that little notice, I signed up too. They did a good job of putting together a big-city race. There was water right to the last aid station. It was well organized and operated, with race packets readily available at the expo, and all the support right where it needed to be. We got to see the kids races on Saturday, which is a great part of the race weekend. It's an inclusive sport, so it's good to see them have a special event for everyone.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms, sans-serif;">The weather was overcast, with not much wind, and the rain was finished by race start. After a short loop through downtown, we crossed the converted rail bridge, and used the rail trail for a double out and back. For the first half, we stayed close to the 2:30 pace rabbit, with lots of walking in the second half. We even met a lady from London, who raced at the Forest City Road Races a week before.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms, sans-serif;">Finish time: 5:33:33</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">On your marks</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Me in my Sporting Life 10k shirt</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Start off with a loop through downtown</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Of course, some people do go both ways</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Bridge across the Saint John river</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sure, you look happy now</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJWB2wW0IeLboTktd6pwAfL5GIQqaOeGl9vOGA2ZdxyyPMuL7Nj8WN6MuV5ro79Zie37cY429BXnr0wfacx64JGeQQfxJ-tCOx_IQcfiGGFrLb0DfO5oaOggCAufr_3W5wO_Z_QRd0tkc/s1600/IMG_0741.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJWB2wW0IeLboTktd6pwAfL5GIQqaOeGl9vOGA2ZdxyyPMuL7Nj8WN6MuV5ro79Zie37cY429BXnr0wfacx64JGeQQfxJ-tCOx_IQcfiGGFrLb0DfO5oaOggCAufr_3W5wO_Z_QRd0tkc/s640/IMG_0741.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Much of the rail trail is paved for us</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhECCUMBJyy0Zy3hLL8oxmIpam4MdnHo2x7wQQZq6Xib_pv0ufBPUf0tN3D7wHontE-OlxSVz1b4lxDXlL_2s4N0m-2L4hCSOhzrVQNCXcLiqTm1UbYpQnMQbAwxLFxaSgBSmGOl2VR0hU/s1600/IMG_0744.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhECCUMBJyy0Zy3hLL8oxmIpam4MdnHo2x7wQQZq6Xib_pv0ufBPUf0tN3D7wHontE-OlxSVz1b4lxDXlL_2s4N0m-2L4hCSOhzrVQNCXcLiqTm1UbYpQnMQbAwxLFxaSgBSmGOl2VR0hU/s640/IMG_0744.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One more bridge to cross</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjR8kxaZM5DIqfwHBJw6AouHWdydTHwdBokkAaMo15uEkHTQCvsrH1uq4jyhio_m8tXwJlhOns6Csq-bEufLx2JxS5TSyZRM2pyJv15OfJrLp-UH14ZxTCGeVcdfKSdYZUeUoR03nJTMc/s1600/IMG_0750.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjR8kxaZM5DIqfwHBJw6AouHWdydTHwdBokkAaMo15uEkHTQCvsrH1uq4jyhio_m8tXwJlhOns6Csq-bEufLx2JxS5TSyZRM2pyJv15OfJrLp-UH14ZxTCGeVcdfKSdYZUeUoR03nJTMc/s640/IMG_0750.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Back at the start, we keep right for 2nd lap</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl9KIByxwuFtxISqJROQ0D0JiAv-tIgYnlvsqjy2mo-NlteTxiDmeCITiMJg_xt4rPJyyQOIoK8qu2iqNVay3gETuhomHlIhxB30Qhfu6MxsqGxh3saoS4FxJswj75U6WrzLPPiLsV7m4/s1600/IMG_0736.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl9KIByxwuFtxISqJROQ0D0JiAv-tIgYnlvsqjy2mo-NlteTxiDmeCITiMJg_xt4rPJyyQOIoK8qu2iqNVay3gETuhomHlIhxB30Qhfu6MxsqGxh3saoS4FxJswj75U6WrzLPPiLsV7m4/s640/IMG_0736.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Jen in the race shirt</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>jethroelfmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05154313429911481786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6328406198004536477.post-12071013679472942872016-05-22T18:44:00.003-05:002016-05-22T18:44:23.813-05:00Forest City Road Races<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I love their slogan, "Any age, Any ability". </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It's a fully inclusive event. Bring your friends, your family, invite strangers. Run as far as you dare, at whatever speed you can muster. As long as you are making forward progress, they will wait for you at the finish line with your medal.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I entered the half marathon. It needs its own name. I often call it the 20k. It's a long long way that you can't finish without some prep. What a strange course. A short loop around the river, then a long loop to the north end of town, finishing on the same path by the river. The river is scenic and I like running there. I wasn't concerned about timing, so I didn't check my watch the entire event. I just pushed as hard as I thought to be sustainable. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Fitbit map of FCRR 21 km route</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">It was still really cool in the early morning, so I wore my jacket. The sun came out for us, so I unzipped and let is slip down my arms. As I got crossed the street back to the park, with a half loop of the park to go, they sounded the horn to begin the 10k, which starts 2 hours after my race. I kept to my pace, and finished just seconds under 2 hours, about the same time as 2012 in Milton. I got cold quickly, and headed home to walk my dog.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Most everyone in my running group were aiming for the GoodLife race the next weekend, so they went for a short run apart from this event. I did see Mitch, however. At about my pace and age group, I often ran with him during the group runs. He and his wife ran the half, finishing shortly after me. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It's good to be out there competing. They gave me a medal and a tree. The tree is lost in the tall grass now. If I can find it I will help it along. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I planted the tree back there</span></td></tr>
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<br />jethroelfmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05154313429911481786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6328406198004536477.post-41348072101978021822016-04-05T10:36:00.001-05:002016-04-05T10:36:21.786-05:00Long run with the group<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Long run with the group. From The Running Room through the park by the river, and back along city streets. This week I ran with John, who is running an ultra in June for 100k.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Run through the park</span></td></tr>
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jethroelfmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05154313429911481786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6328406198004536477.post-78871888153805986572015-11-08T20:48:00.001-06:002015-11-08T20:48:51.773-06:00Ironman Chattanooga -- Volunteer<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">It was most of the day driving for me to get to Chattanooga from the guidestones monument in Georgia. Right away I was put off by the strange layout of Chattanooga's roads. It took ages to find the hotel. The city is bisected by a tall ridge. The tunnel through the ridge to get from downtown to my hotel was closed for construction. None of the gas stations where I stopped had a map of the city, and the attendants were entirely useless at giving directions. The streets were busy, with little indication of being accessible by bike.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Heading to the water</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;">The next day improved my feelings towards the city. The downtown core has many bicycle routes marked. I followed one such southward, looking to follow the bike course. Sadly, the expo had run out of guidebooks, so I didn't have maps or directions. I came to the Georgia state line and was again disheartened. I found it difficult to believe that they would cross out of Tennessee. That was incorrect, with most of the bike course being in Georgia, down to the town of Chickamauga. I ran one lap of what I remembered to be the run course, and got it roughly correct. For my next year of training it will be in my head, like Wisconsin was all this summer.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The directive is to jump. No diving.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;">Race day I made it to the swim start before dawn. The start is delayed to 7:30 because dawn comes later this time of year. The time-trial start looked like a problem for those further back in line. The line up went on for a long ways down the path through the park, so those towards the back half had some running to get to the start and onto the dock. Your time starts when you get on the dock. The day was mostly cloudy. The water was 77 degrees, making it wetsuit optional. It took until 7:55 to finish all of the non-wetsuit athletes. They got to go first. Then another 10 minutes for the wetsuit wearers. I'm not going to wear mine. This is my big chance for a non-wetsuit race.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">TT start, but still a mass of swimmers</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Go that way! Over there!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Life is worth swimming</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;">From the bridge, it was interesting to watch people's swim form. Some of the slower swimmers had poor arm movement, not extending forward on entry, then bending their elbow for the propulsion stroke. Can you do the iron swim using dog paddle? Yes, there was a guy doing that. He barely made his own headway at all, moving along largely due to the river current. There was a competitor in the rescue boat. Don't know what his story was, but that would suck to be out of the race before leaving the water. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Slippery when wet. Wet. Slipping. Crashing. Hurting.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;">With everyone in the water, I biked back to the start. The wooden bridge is slippery when wet, and my back wheel went out slamming me down to the walkway. It left a bloody welt on my hip. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;">Lunch was at Noodles and Company, a franchise that Noah I discovered in Chicago. You order and pay, then sit at a table where they will bring the food to you. That feels so much nicer than standing in the McDonalds lobby.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;">I should have just started my volunteer shift, but after locating the station where I was to be on duty later, I headed off to Lookout Mountain by bike. The road is a moderate incline for six km, for a total gain of over 250 meters. It was a tough ride, leaving me spent by the time I made the top. Having enough of riding, I went for dinner at Five Guys, then to the aid station. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Run aid #1. My crew</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;">The most requested item was ice. Although overcast, the day was warm, and the runners struggled in the heat. Some rain would have been nice to keep them cool. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">By nightfall, the runners had thinned, so I made a clean-up pass down the road. Lots of Gu tabs. Runners were coming out from special needs, so I found some strange items. A couple shirts. Cans of pop and energy drinks. A little hotel bottle of mouthwash. A toothbrush -- because you want to brush your teeth during the race, right? Cookies. Towel. This one thing looked like a pair of socks on the road. I picked it up. Nope -- dead squirrel. I moaned for the next couple of runners to thank me for supporting them, because that was nasty and way beyond what I signed up for. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;">I ended up selecting Chattanooga as this year's race because the lunar eclipse was happening at 9:30 that evening. The moon came out for about a five minutes at 8:30, then it was cloudy for the rest of the night, so no joy there. No blood moon over the race.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">After the last runner, who stopped at our station and decided to abandon, I stayed on station cleaning and packing until the work was done and the captain said it was all over. The trash was piled, and the cardboard recycle as well. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">By the light of the moon</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I went down to the finish, but was too tired to stand there cheering. They didn't have bleachers. On towards the midnight close, there were a few stragglers on course, and I hurried the one guy, yelling that he could still make it, but needed to run for it. He found the speed, and ran the last minute to the line, crossing just as the clock ticked off midnight. It seems like everyone who managed to finish was recorded an official time, as if the customary midnight cut-off didn't apply. The book still says that you get 17 hours, so maybe midnight doesn't matter here. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Wanting to get out of town early, I didn't go back in the morning to buy my ticket. It shouldn't sell out for weeks. I signed up online when I got home. Ironman 2016 I'm back to Chattanooga. </span><br />
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jethroelfmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05154313429911481786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6328406198004536477.post-54495570563567043852015-10-28T20:44:00.001-05:002015-10-28T20:44:28.615-05:00The Great Smoky Mountains<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">On my trip to Chattanooga, I wanted a side-trip to visit the Georgia Guidestones. On my map, it's only "that way" about an inch, but it's a map of the South-Eastern states, so an inch is a few hours drive. The direct route is from through the Great Smoky Mountains. All off the routes made mad wavy lines in that region. Thinking of <i>Deliverance </i>and <i>Wrong Turn</i>, I didn't want to get stranded in the middle of nowhere, so I chose the highway based on how easy it looked to navigate the backwoods. </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The first major city was Gatlinburg. Did I say back woods? This place was like Vegas South. It was a long strip of hotels, shows, and attractions. That was a surprise. This was really the wrong place for me. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sunset from Clingman's Dome</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Then comes the border of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. In an instant the crush of tourist-trap nirvana is replaced by endless woods and hills. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg60U9s9cmXFAHuI7yll8IVJf6JM6Q6SCu5RjT78xHpDl55YZLCG_Mhyphenhyphen-o4XeUeY03oaKX6ctm-k4X40t_HoFZkb8vPsYUp2VG11s2cY7jkjKxU1SxqA0ZRKF3l5-qEio73acXmC6tgbdE/s1600/Clingman%2527s+Dome.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="497" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg60U9s9cmXFAHuI7yll8IVJf6JM6Q6SCu5RjT78xHpDl55YZLCG_Mhyphenhyphen-o4XeUeY03oaKX6ctm-k4X40t_HoFZkb8vPsYUp2VG11s2cY7jkjKxU1SxqA0ZRKF3l5-qEio73acXmC6tgbdE/s640/Clingman%2527s+Dome.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My GPS watch says it was 280m up the hill</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I got directions to the highest point around, and went for a hike. Clingman's Dome is a peak on the ridge separating Tennessee from North Carolina. </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">It really did seem endless driving out of the mountains. It was a couple hours just to get clear of the park, and then I drove for several hours through the mountains as night fell. Then it started to rain, so I abandoned drive for a nearby hotel. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Let These Be Guidestones To An Age Of Reason</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">So is translated the hieroglyphs at the top of the monument. As with other great stone monuments worldwide, the designers of the guidestones are unknown. Operating under a pseudonym, a man arrived many years ago, acquired the small plot of land, and hired the local stone cutter to build them. It's not exactly a great mystery. Whoever put them here knows why. In a few hundred, or even several thousand years, they should still be standing, as a message to the future. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Selfie at the Georgia Guidestones</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span>jethroelfmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05154313429911481786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6328406198004536477.post-27810331342563365182015-09-29T19:03:00.000-05:002015-09-29T19:11:22.409-05:00Ironman Chattanooga photo dump<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Here's my complete set of photos from Ironman Chattanooga</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/jethroelfman/albums/72157658860017640" target="_blank">Flickr Album</a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAhuEuJ-E4wAGwdATd39OP0aaeQZklFLjwEfzup7knFWmch17HXjJb0NMKwTGv0RNriy-lEyIZWr6n7H3SJmkRpNZqfIkneUJpVQQLfL5lctuCjrD12eFlvKsoisgqT4XeCyzcelAKWfc/s1600/IMG_0280.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAhuEuJ-E4wAGwdATd39OP0aaeQZklFLjwEfzup7knFWmch17HXjJb0NMKwTGv0RNriy-lEyIZWr6n7H3SJmkRpNZqfIkneUJpVQQLfL5lctuCjrD12eFlvKsoisgqT4XeCyzcelAKWfc/s640/IMG_0280.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The starting dock</span></td></tr>
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<br />jethroelfmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05154313429911481786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6328406198004536477.post-16007500757523021492015-09-22T22:50:00.001-05:002015-09-22T22:50:39.454-05:00Ironman Wisconsin - Madison Race Report<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKCFRp_kMu5YPofQYcj2h6E3UYk2Yq5OAHiEySnY6ScM1j618AWIdNFrFVWTKNJlw1kJ2ZKfaqjKHUXYDKx5r8eFGpTXAk1NrSj-iVcPwVlGAnGdO-s80Rowi4qoEqmZEIt14VkUcIjBk/s1600/IM+WI.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="436" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKCFRp_kMu5YPofQYcj2h6E3UYk2Yq5OAHiEySnY6ScM1j618AWIdNFrFVWTKNJlw1kJ2ZKfaqjKHUXYDKx5r8eFGpTXAk1NrSj-iVcPwVlGAnGdO-s80Rowi4qoEqmZEIt14VkUcIjBk/s640/IM+WI.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Begin at the sun</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I went running on Sunday, for 20k, and it hurt. Aching in my leg muscles. I need the run. STWM is only three weeks away. The scar on my arm is still sore, and my right foot has something wrong that aches when twisted too far. Ironman was hard on me. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This year, my son Noah was race support. We visited the capital building together. He was there for me at the finish line at 9 PM, like I suggested. I wouldn't be along until after 10 o'clock.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU6Lr8IZcputwMzgNXzGhACh9WY8TXLdkNZkApw5O94-NGp_kZv4ZQIh2aASJjV-__YGffDkCX_QYa_ADpgRVNpjZotKeaHPQj25NwTERt8tfNLBPf6403aQZHInyRPMHC1lpn3Im-bVQ/s1600/Noah.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU6Lr8IZcputwMzgNXzGhACh9WY8TXLdkNZkApw5O94-NGp_kZv4ZQIh2aASJjV-__YGffDkCX_QYa_ADpgRVNpjZotKeaHPQj25NwTERt8tfNLBPf6403aQZHInyRPMHC1lpn3Im-bVQ/s400/Noah.JPG" width="227" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Noah was race support</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">In Madison, they built a scale model of the solar system. The sun is right at the start line of the bike course, where riders come down the spiral ramp of the Monona Terrace parking garage. Mercury is a block away, then Venus a few blocks after, and the Earth a few more blocks after that. Then it's on for several kilometers to get past Ceres, Mars to Jupiter. Neptune and Pluto are out towards Mount Horeb, the furthest point on the bike course, 50 km or so away. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Some people suggested that we skip the aero bars; that the course was endlessly hilly. Not so. The ride out until Mount Horeb has plenty of flat road. The moderate wind from the South East made riding in aero by far the preferred choice. After the climb to the village of Mount Horeb, the hilly parts begin. The twisty downhill of Garfoot Road and the steep drop on Timberline were posted with caution signs. I saw no evidence of crashes, but several flat tires, and a guy with a broken chain. Someone else had his behind-the-seat dual-bottle holder fall off onto the path. You need lock washers to hold that in place. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I love this bike course. The hills are tough going up, and a lot of fun coming down. There's plenty of them to enjoy. Especially Garfoot, with all of the bends in the road. It was shared road, and someone was coming up in her pickup as I flew down the first time. Yikes. The road surfaces weren't as bad as I remembered, except for Stagecoach. It's a mess that needs resurfacing. Old Sauk Pass was the worst of the struggles. Long, long, and steep, with crowds of silly people to cheer us on. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Coming in from the bike, I made my second great blunder. I got off, and started running to T2. I hadn't had sensation in my right foot for over an hour, and it wouldn't be commanded. The pain, then the limping set me to walking. I pulled something in my foot that still aches a week later.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In the queue to get into the water, the sun was an orange glow beyond the horizon. It rose just moments before race start. At the Friday briefing, they warned us of cold weather to come, but it didn't happen. We won the weather lottery, with the best conditions imaginable -- almost no wind, cool temperatures, but not chilly, and zero clouds. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Because of the threat of cold weather, I made a horrible blunder by choosing to wear a T-shirt under the wetsuit. It might keep me warm on the shore, I thought. Swimming, it chafed under the collar, and bunched up under my left armpit cutting at 4-inch long gash that hasn't healed in a week. It didn't bleed, but it hurt when it rubbed on anything. Mostly that was fine during the race. My cycling kit was loose enough not to affect it, and I carry my arms high enough on the run for it not to be a bother. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One lap of the run</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I managed to run most of the first lap. After that, I walked a bit, which lead to walking a lot. They had Red Bull on course, so I sampled a cup, ending up vomiting it into the bushes along Lake Mendota. That seemed to settle my stomach so I could take another Gu, bringing on energy for more running. It was just a slow shuffle really. Even so, the run of 5:25 was only 10 minutes faster than my 5:35 in Mont Tremblant, where I walked most all of it. The tough cycling course added a half hour, coming to 7:30. My swim was consistent, at 101 minutes, was just on par for my regular pace. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Final time: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">15:03</span><br />
<br />jethroelfmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05154313429911481786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6328406198004536477.post-18216736764730664072015-03-30T21:10:00.000-05:002015-03-30T21:10:17.857-05:00Around The Bay<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Jen described it as reminders of parts of her favourite races. There's the store-lined streets of downtown, like The Yonge Street 10k, the highways and overpasses of Disney, the hilly suburbs of The Mississauga Marathon. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTwbqKtnKaRikaaEAwwiaKNjSx3oFMTnU7cMjNEHJnDJX9rN1MlivftJTejAiTVswIBtksN5EteuBWDDsdidKZbOJHVAp-gD6MY05ftrlUA24EvCbPop5xbyZELBKkOE5lGUrKCdhyvtQ/s1600/Hamilton+2-20150329-00898.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTwbqKtnKaRikaaEAwwiaKNjSx3oFMTnU7cMjNEHJnDJX9rN1MlivftJTejAiTVswIBtksN5EteuBWDDsdidKZbOJHVAp-gD6MY05ftrlUA24EvCbPop5xbyZELBKkOE5lGUrKCdhyvtQ/s1600/Hamilton+2-20150329-00898.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Across the overpass</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Long road ahead</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI1nwsRT5apTqii3ASU1DQIFB3MCfwcNiG-oVLyDIaC3hhT0HTfXOOJlV-JRs-OD-eXh0I16WMeFhJT9Mp_qsDVUAxBOyuo2IvYLt9jQpR1W7Fl_Llc85jLJSXdfoyWMFlTHav9t1wOAQ/s1600/Hamilton+2-20150329-00894.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI1nwsRT5apTqii3ASU1DQIFB3MCfwcNiG-oVLyDIaC3hhT0HTfXOOJlV-JRs-OD-eXh0I16WMeFhJT9Mp_qsDVUAxBOyuo2IvYLt9jQpR1W7Fl_Llc85jLJSXdfoyWMFlTHav9t1wOAQ/s1600/Hamilton+2-20150329-00894.jpg" height="542" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The crossing lights were on, alarms sounding</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We parked several blocks away, then found that the lot across from the stadium was still mostly empty. It was great to be able to wait for the start in the warm stadium. It was really cold outside. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfT4_WcNAYUeD3RV_inExLwLPAFSE8N1VeGZ2uyruZ4YxDv9iIgYZ6nAQzHBANTiuz7U04jxY4rFUIzjTNXyE7nX053FdOpN1YieHGIfV7T7L-0HwV4i9aDfatnSnsEghh3sanewHpQx8/s1600/Hamilton+2-20150329-00897.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfT4_WcNAYUeD3RV_inExLwLPAFSE8N1VeGZ2uyruZ4YxDv9iIgYZ6nAQzHBANTiuz7U04jxY4rFUIzjTNXyE7nX053FdOpN1YieHGIfV7T7L-0HwV4i9aDfatnSnsEghh3sanewHpQx8/s1600/Hamilton+2-20150329-00897.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Batman! That's going on the blog</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I can understand people complaining about the weather if they are summer runners, and tried running here in shorts. After the Hypothermic Half, we were well prepared, with layers of Merano wool to keep us warm, heavy gloves, hats. It's what you need. It was a nice sunny day if you had the right gear.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6bu3gEtdZIFQGtZjnYvGsdGtHvqIbvRcH61QypDwdkMJwrRhuY-_STxMsDDJQ3sRo0k32oEcyOUNI1RmrgpycVnTFsbrgZk90D2l9Qec2T7K4Hp6k_kKNVubnPLfGEkel8kxd1Q7l4RA/s1600/Burlington-20150329-00912.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6bu3gEtdZIFQGtZjnYvGsdGtHvqIbvRcH61QypDwdkMJwrRhuY-_STxMsDDJQ3sRo0k32oEcyOUNI1RmrgpycVnTFsbrgZk90D2l9Qec2T7K4Hp6k_kKNVubnPLfGEkel8kxd1Q7l4RA/s1600/Burlington-20150329-00912.jpg" height="548" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Happy Palm Sunday</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It was Palm Sunday, and two churches had people out waving palm fronds, wishing us a good run. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirXToLNMMrEksAatQ6RN-PJkP3YJoB4st91KoQ16I3ReRrcUeXtGO0aoQ9pHZOZr6Npi6qXxzFMyFarqAiV1868IcElyD0tbKCfG-pzA-17uKUbq7GiIsZkNyHnRVPFlAtYyoQl3-_d8I/s1600/Hamilton+2-20150329-00916.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirXToLNMMrEksAatQ6RN-PJkP3YJoB4st91KoQ16I3ReRrcUeXtGO0aoQ9pHZOZr6Npi6qXxzFMyFarqAiV1868IcElyD0tbKCfG-pzA-17uKUbq7GiIsZkNyHnRVPFlAtYyoQl3-_d8I/s1600/Hamilton+2-20150329-00916.jpg" height="510" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Skyway in the distance. We just came from there.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I like how you could always look across the bay to see where you were going, or had been. It really gave a sense of the scale of a long run like this. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>jethroelfmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05154313429911481786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6328406198004536477.post-82040647130929850972015-02-15T17:11:00.003-06:002015-02-15T17:11:37.017-06:00Hypo One Half Race Report<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">There isn't even an athlete briefing. It's just expected that everyone knows what they are doing and has dressed how they need to. The weather forecast this year was for ice pellets. With some wind, that would be bad. Really, really, frostbite, ouch this hurts, what are we doing here, bad. I think this is the most dangerous race that I enter. In triathlon, I'm not going to drown, I might get scraped falling off my bike, but that wouldn't compare to freezing rain and ice pellets. For this I packed my ski goggles that I use biking in this weather. You can't have any skin exposed. Sunglasses are to keep in warmth as much as to keep out the light. It could be horribly cold, or wet, or strong winds with ice pellets.</span><div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjxpwKiS9Nvj2gxgLQ94Q-WRjoQU8s6aeTlyx0b87Axhx67AxAZKZ5NquuVbC0et_DEWe5phQ8fCQFjwkZUPPD7RK7f4YtwNhTyutfQQLznS77vFegp6ukOL3fyqiRWSCPMwsakdxbKO4/s1600/IMG-20150208-00878.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjxpwKiS9Nvj2gxgLQ94Q-WRjoQU8s6aeTlyx0b87Axhx67AxAZKZ5NquuVbC0et_DEWe5phQ8fCQFjwkZUPPD7RK7f4YtwNhTyutfQQLznS77vFegp6ukOL3fyqiRWSCPMwsakdxbKO4/s1600/IMG-20150208-00878.jpg" height="462" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Hypo One Half</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Jen worked Saturday, so I picked her up at Pita Pit at 5. I should have gotten there early to eat, but traffic was bad and I couldn't find parking, so I was late. I grabbed a chicken sandwich at Tim's on the highway out of town. We collected the race packets from Dayna in Sarnia. She got them for us yesterday.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We stayed at the host hotel, the Holiday Inn near the bridge. It was packed for a weekend pool tournament. People carried bags everywhere with their cues. We were to bed early, but every hour or so, drunken pool players would pass loudly down the hall. About midnight, one came pounding on the door of the room next to us. In the morning, Jen suggested we return the favour. No. Breakfast in the hotel restaurant. Toast with jam and peanut butter. Just like one of our driving trips where we go to Tim's for the same. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We assembled at 8:30 in front of the hotel. That's great. No driving, just walk outside and ready to go. I want to do that for one of the Toronto events. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Lake Huron is frozen over</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The weather was nice! It was right around freezing, with no wind at all, not even for the stretch of the run along the lake shore. As we came in to finish, it began to rain, and that's all of the precipitation we had. I hadn't snowed for a few days, so the roads were clear of slush. The water at the aid stations wasn't icing over.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The run begins towards the bridge, then heads east to the outskirts of town, and loops back along the lake. We passed the church where my mom's funeral was held two weeks earlier. That's why I raced here two years ago. It gave me an adventure while on a trip to visit her. It pleased her that her granddaughter (Jen, whom I race with) took care of herself with all the running. You can't go home again, but you can go running there. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Back at the hotel, we enjoyed the brunch provided. Chocolate milk, eggs, and bacon. Lots of bacon. Usually after a run I'm not very hungry. I use Gu to keep my energy up, but today the sight of all the hot food brought on quite a craving. The drive back was horrendous. Freezing rain kept icing up the windshield wipers; and ice pellets; but not for the race.</span></div>
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jethroelfmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05154313429911481786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6328406198004536477.post-23409813916453542292015-01-18T18:02:00.002-06:002015-01-18T18:02:58.440-06:00Winter sunset<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I wanted to include a pic of the sunset. I pulled out my phone during today's run, and wondered what the flashing green light was. I turned on the screen, and it immediately shut down for low battery. That's the green light.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The sunset was nice, but a bit of a problem. There was a train across the tracks earlier, just sitting there. Instead of waiting, with my sweat giving me a chill, I took the long way around. It's another 5 km, making the run 21 km total. I was feeling good and had an extra Gu to keep my energy up. The railway crossing was at the outskirts of town, and the bonus distance was on the gravel road into the countryside. I began the run in the afternoon, with plenty of time for the planned route, so I was wearing my black and red Brita jacket from last year's Resolution Run. I got a nice and bright MEC jacket for Christmas, all covered in reflective highlights, but it was at home. So here I was, a kilometer from town on a country lane, dressed in my black ninja outfit, with the sun going down. The streetlights would be on by the time I made it to the house. Plus, my phone was dead, taking my music away.</span>jethroelfmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05154313429911481786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6328406198004536477.post-32068363073422123272014-12-31T20:54:00.001-06:002015-01-04T17:19:31.324-06:00Festivus pole<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I built a Festivus pole out of the traditional material: beer cans. I has stood up well, except for the night someone came to look at it and tripped over the cord for the blue lights on the nearby tree. I found them stretched across the lawn in the morning. It's almost 7 ft. tall. Back in November we had a couple days of snow before it got warm again and melted it all away. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Festivus pole of beer cans</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Our two snowy days this winter</span></td></tr>
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jethroelfmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05154313429911481786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6328406198004536477.post-78936922286303595802014-12-30T14:32:00.004-06:002014-12-31T20:52:02.267-06:00We could go biking<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I went to visit my brother in Toronto. The weather is nice, so we went biking of course! </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It's winter. Let's go biking!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Here we passed by the local ski hill with the snowmaker desperately trying to get some coverage put down. The next day it snowed a lot, and it took me 2 hours to get the 10 km to Milton.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>jethroelfmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05154313429911481786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6328406198004536477.post-7417371193202683942014-12-07T19:41:00.002-06:002014-12-07T19:41:27.101-06:00Santa Shuffle<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I had on a numbered race bib, wore my new running shoes, and did 45 minutes of running, but wasn't intending to be in a race. It surprised me when a race took place around me nevertheless. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Always ready to go</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The Santa Shuffle is a fund raiser for Salvation Army. He said this is the 24th year that they have done it. Jen and I signed up only a few days earlier when we found the time slot compatible with our work schedules. They promote it not so much as a race, but a fun-run/walk. They provide the horse track at Western Fair raceway for the venue. So off we went for a fun morning run together. There's no timing method provided. The distance is about five kilometers or thereabouts, or as far as you feel like going within the hour that is available. Jen and I did 9 laps, which is a little over 6 km. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqkKyLVh9d4y8au-3SWDAhFEh1pDJ7pTa6S-C3Lk6IgJWL4rPscps41Cj2TLi40ZiM1IQECCrcrbQUXTUhdAzd443XQZ25Vd1n11BD1wWlXctXaHywHwqW5k3A3uY41zqr4rrSnhCS61s/s1600/IMG-20141206-00774.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqkKyLVh9d4y8au-3SWDAhFEh1pDJ7pTa6S-C3Lk6IgJWL4rPscps41Cj2TLi40ZiM1IQECCrcrbQUXTUhdAzd443XQZ25Vd1n11BD1wWlXctXaHywHwqW5k3A3uY41zqr4rrSnhCS61s/s1600/IMG-20141206-00774.jpg" height="432" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Shuffling</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">However, Running Room is a principal event partner. They made it into a race. Everyone gets a race bib to wear. There's prizes for the first finishers. There's medals for everyone upon completion. The race is 7 laps which was considered to be almost 5 km. Who knows. There isn't even a finish line. The race started and ended somewhere over there on the track. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1XEyzZOcRN87uXS-lcf0QQRJpXOaTY0CiCS82-FD2if-fi3GT7UeVtR7bcGrWxW8-b06iUvPd4EmLLbwyjwJSynpCCPSprUyV34B5n9zUDyDkcd5MUDF4DuodYXzp8FnLWzTqxMocDr4/s1600/IMG-20141206-00771.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1XEyzZOcRN87uXS-lcf0QQRJpXOaTY0CiCS82-FD2if-fi3GT7UeVtR7bcGrWxW8-b06iUvPd4EmLLbwyjwJSynpCCPSprUyV34B5n9zUDyDkcd5MUDF4DuodYXzp8FnLWzTqxMocDr4/s1600/IMG-20141206-00771.jpg" height="504" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Shuffling with wings</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Before we began, came a trip to Canadian Tire for some rope to secure the angel wings. The included straps were fastened at the top, making them more of a backpack than wings. Needing the rope cut to order, Jen fetched a clerk. He was startled to find the giant snowmonster in the aisle. What to do? Act natural and treat it like a regular customer. The girl was talking to the snowmonster, so it must be okay. After the race, we went to Costco. There, I did them the courtesy of putting on pants. It seems so much more civilized to wear pants in their store.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">For us, the point of the day was the same as any other race we go into. Have a good time. Hang out with your friends and family. Get some exercise. Accomplished. She dressed up in angel wings. I bought a couple Santa caps, then decided to make a snowman. Most everyone had a red Santa cap. Dogs and babies were welcome. The weather was around freezing, with a light breeze, and no sunshine. The track was dry, thankfully. Even a bit of overnight snow could have turned the day into a muddy mess. We ran laps in the gravel until most all of the runners quit. I was surprised to get a medal. What's a finsher's medal about when you finish whenever you feel like stopping? </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhigfF0fzMYtPEZs4yPJm5Dj5OLuXTTBXtkF7r3NNCj9rR0Ofa9ddY22j_HLpwIhZtMajsgxq_-OGb6NsS4Z8lTIVk5XKnMXPiW_JrpMb_hLdqnwknpvEgEYluSCes-oJ-_q6RDssQWVRU/s1600/IMG-20141206-00775.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhigfF0fzMYtPEZs4yPJm5Dj5OLuXTTBXtkF7r3NNCj9rR0Ofa9ddY22j_HLpwIhZtMajsgxq_-OGb6NsS4Z8lTIVk5XKnMXPiW_JrpMb_hLdqnwknpvEgEYluSCes-oJ-_q6RDssQWVRU/s1600/IMG-20141206-00775.jpg" height="482" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Santa came to shuffle</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Anyone looks friendly when wearing a Santa cap, so the crowd appeared very friendly. After running for a while we stayed to drink hot chocolate and coffee. It was a good start to the holidays. Jen and I are signed up for the Hypothermic Half in February, so we need to keep on running on into the winter. The cold weather has just begun, and there's so much more running to do.</span><br />
<br />jethroelfmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05154313429911481786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6328406198004536477.post-75490533267183268442014-11-22T10:38:00.004-06:002014-11-22T13:10:57.372-06:00Yes, I rode today<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It's that time of year when people ask me, "Did you ride today?" </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLa_xrYsm91N9PIz4ac6uCbF2GbFftocfAKxba6nDi7iWl-yCtW0kr_RN43UK4MPwPLABrHxH91r_2dxEAN8oCyIypBL10yBusHp5djeTT1j93xidvMv6XDF0HrDi2KogjWG4LRzehNzk/s1600/Snow1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLa_xrYsm91N9PIz4ac6uCbF2GbFftocfAKxba6nDi7iWl-yCtW0kr_RN43UK4MPwPLABrHxH91r_2dxEAN8oCyIypBL10yBusHp5djeTT1j93xidvMv6XDF0HrDi2KogjWG4LRzehNzk/s1600/Snow1.JPG" height="386" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The first snowfall of 2014</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Yes, I did. I have all the right gear, so the snow isn't so bad. The balaclava. Must have a balaclava. And the ski goggles. Can't leave any skin exposed at all. Snow is much better than the rain. The rain gets in and I'm wet, and cold and there's nothing that helps. This storm was easy, because the snow was light and fluffy, so I could cruise right through it. When it's wet packing snow, the tires have a much harder time to plow through it with these wide tires I have on. They pack the snow down instead of slicing through like narrow tires would.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJIRnuIUfdkg1FUCsS7tbNs3IVdNowyCh2Pt-2_EQLkb0i8WlhXMvo0ni3ExcRU51US_-aq04L9oVEssnyp8hDGV9JteOU-uEOMbGRTpWA2ePkznJpgPixvZr8ALUk5fLARgpgGHtBOEo/s1600/Snow2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJIRnuIUfdkg1FUCsS7tbNs3IVdNowyCh2Pt-2_EQLkb0i8WlhXMvo0ni3ExcRU51US_-aq04L9oVEssnyp8hDGV9JteOU-uEOMbGRTpWA2ePkznJpgPixvZr8ALUk5fLARgpgGHtBOEo/s1600/Snow2.JPG" height="400" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There's a train coming</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I tried snow tires for my bike, with tungsten studs screwed into the knobs. It's supposed to help on ice. It doesn't. It's ice, and it's slick no matter what. I've still got the street tires on my Townie, which I use in the winter. When I take the bike in for the mid-winter tune up, I will have them put on the snow tires. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi75Yct3aajaFB9DZJ4VhnjHhEUX0lbMMqcaK_IwT9qQ6OaqUCN7RrdSlI66xeXj8x-kJkMCctoUpQKba6L0C-2suWHgdRuY_JaNGtarvyHpvlZxI9GR1ywqUUEnK5JIC2X-1xgF2ZkBUY/s1600/Snow3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi75Yct3aajaFB9DZJ4VhnjHhEUX0lbMMqcaK_IwT9qQ6OaqUCN7RrdSlI66xeXj8x-kJkMCctoUpQKba6L0C-2suWHgdRuY_JaNGtarvyHpvlZxI9GR1ywqUUEnK5JIC2X-1xgF2ZkBUY/s1600/Snow3.JPG" height="444" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Snow on the overpass</span></td></tr>
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<br />jethroelfmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05154313429911481786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6328406198004536477.post-61374846833598570842014-11-09T10:26:00.000-06:002014-11-09T10:27:41.767-06:00Beware!!! Cyclists!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFgwGqTQyKKCevQNBhVzoQSya-BuxdZE9GnnF6R_2-s8JzURN3tlkk4GooWE5m-mfCSaF367b8OxiVuEgLhKZA63oDnpKh036s_bdFj5Mhz68DlqYZnl3162VGCzeFUzsQFmg1unUQ-oA/s1600/IMG-20140716-00577.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFgwGqTQyKKCevQNBhVzoQSya-BuxdZE9GnnF6R_2-s8JzURN3tlkk4GooWE5m-mfCSaF367b8OxiVuEgLhKZA63oDnpKh036s_bdFj5Mhz68DlqYZnl3162VGCzeFUzsQFmg1unUQ-oA/s1600/IMG-20140716-00577.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Be wary of cyclists</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">There's something disconcerting about this caution notice. Be aware, perhaps, but beware? Are we known to leap in front of cars? </span><br />
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<br />jethroelfmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05154313429911481786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6328406198004536477.post-16839332033276226442014-10-28T19:55:00.000-05:002014-10-28T19:55:10.860-05:00Perhaps the last of the nice rides<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The weather is still good, so every weekend I get to have one last ride. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Roads of tar and chip. Just like Wisconsin.</span></td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The sheep are out</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>jethroelfmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05154313429911481786noreply@blogger.com0