John “Rooster” McConeghey = Ironman!

September 10, 2010 at 2:18 pm · Filed under Uncategorized

Louisville 2010 Race Report

After a few hours of contemplation, I have come back to one of the most important things each of us needs to remember – the first rule of any triathlon is to finish. Louisville 2010 was a memorable experience and one I will not forget. Here are some of the details leading up to the race and race itself.

Heading down to Louisville

I was joined on my journey by my wife (Heather), her sister (Cari), and my Mom (Marcia). We took off Thursday morning so we could spend some time getting acclimated to the site and soak up some of the pre-race atmosphere. Besides, there were pre-race meetings and check-ins that I had to attend. When we got to the race, the GPS tracker Heather rented had already arrived at the hotel. This was something she would repeatedly be thankful for having.

I had been watching the weather forecast leading up to the race. The normal highs in Louisville for this time of year are mid 80s with low humidity. The forecast looked similar to the norms. As the week went on, the forecast kept getting warmer and warmer. The high for Sunday went from 85 on Wednesday to 92 by Friday. The actual temp reached 94 on Sunday – this contributed to the attrition rate. More on that later. On the local news they said that Louisville had 66 days of greater than 90 degree weather this summer – ouch!

Waiting to start the swim

I went down to transition and got my final items setup (pump tires, setup fluids, etc.). From there is it about a ¾ mile walk to the swim start.

With Louisville being a time trial start the line for the swim starts very early in the morning. In fact, family members of participants were holding places in line. The folks that had the earliest places had gotten to the venue at 1:30 am to save places. People literally camped out to save spots…it takes me back to the days when you had to wait in line for concert tickets.

After I got in line I decided to lie down and catch a little extra sleep because it was at least 1 hour and 30 minutes before I would start. This did not work out too well because people kept stepping over me on their way to the end of the line and as they stepped over me they would drop grass and dirt on me from their shoes. This kept me awake.

Normally people I meet at triathlons are very friendly. The group of people around me at this race was not very friendly – a 1st for me. So, I decided to keep to myself and wait for the race to start. Once the line started moving it went quick and I was in the water at 7:20 am.

The swim

The swim is a little unique at Louisville because of the swim in the Ohio River. The swim starts between an island and the shore. The water is fairly calm until you reach the open channel and have to make a turn. You could feel the difference in the channel. After making the turn to go back downstream (which is at about 1200 meters) I felt good. I was sighting well and felt very comfortable. At the turn it is interesting because there is a sand bar on the side of the swim. Several people took advantage of the sand bar and did some “aqua jogging” in the sand bar. The water was warm too – 84 degrees and this had dropped from earlier in the week!

I made the turn and still felt very comfortable and continued to sight well. I was within 10 meters of almost every buoy along the route until the last 1000 meters of so. At this point I made a mistake and started wandering out into the main channel instead of staying close to the buoys. This added some time to my swim.

During the swim I had a first time happening. For some reason my swim goggles were cutting into my head and gave me a terrible headache. I stopped a couple of times along the route to adjust them but the problem returned again and again. I finally decided that messing with the goggles was not worth it and gutted it to the swim exit.

I finished the swim in 1 hour 18 minutes and change. My goal was to be done with the swim in less than 1 hour 15 minutes. I looked at my watch on the swim exit and was disappointed with my performance.

T1

My head was not in a good place after looking at my watch and I decided I needed to take a moment to get myself straighten out. I walked a good part of T1 to make sure I was working on my attitude. I knew it was a long day and I needed to have the right mental state to get through it all. And I was correct – more on that later!

I had some great cheerleaders in T1 with everyone spread out I got cheered on in several places which was a great boost to my overall attitude.

The bike

The bike started off very well. The first 10 miles is very flat and then a 6 mile stair step style climb begins. Joe had told me this was nothing worse than what we ride at home and he was correct. I would rather ride this course than F70 any day! There is an out and back section with some major descents and climbs starting at mile 16. Each is about a mile down and a mile up. I reach over 42 mph on the downhill’s but could only climb at ~7mph. These were not too rough and having them early in the course made the rest of the course seem easy. After this out and back section there are two loops that go through the town of La Grange. On the first pass, Mike Reilly was there doing some announcing. I was by myself as I came through town and gave Mr. Mike the “finger pistols” – he looked back at me with a strange look but then smiled. I am a dork but I enjoyed the moment.

My family was there cheering me on and that was a huge boost. I gave them a fist pump to let them know I was feeling good. Their cheers were a welcome relief from the boredom of the course.

After this, I decided I needed to do my best Boom impersonation and try to pump up the crowd. I raised my hands up and the crowd instantly responded. Incredible!

At ~mile 50 I came across a guy from Altoona. He recognized my Hy-Vee jersey and asked if I was from Iowa. We road together for awhile and talked until we separated. It was nice to run across people from “home”. I had a similar experience at mile 70 with a guy from Osceola. It is a really a small world.

This course is truly rolling with very few challenging hills. If you maintained momentum down the hill you could carry a lot of speed up the next hill. Thanks for the tip Joe – that paid off again and again and again.

On the second pass through La Grange (this part of the course is a loop) I saw my family again…it was a welcome relief to see some friendly voices and faces. I was still riding strong and feeling confident.

Shortly after mile 70, I ran across a guy who I almost mistakenly took for Big Steve. But I could tell he did not have the Shakespearean type eloquence of Big Steve!

In the last 20 miles of the bike, I believe I passed over 200 people and was feeling really good. I had executed my bike leg perfectly. I was well hydrated and my nutrition intake was where I needed to be. The only challenge was a long break between aid stations. There is a long gap from mile 85 to mile 105 for the aid stations. This was discussed at the race briefing and they emphasized it. By the time I reached the last aid station I had consumed all my drink and needed more. By this time the temperature was really starting to rise and I could feel it.

My only close call was at this last aid station. A rider decided she needed ice so bad she stopped cold in front of me just as I was handed a water bottle. I missed an accident by a matter of inches! Throughout the day the only real issue was a number of riders sitting in the middle of the road instead of following the ride right, pass left rule. This became fairly aggravating after it occurred over and over.

Throughout the course I saw a number of people with mechanical issues. I saw a lot of this in Kansas too but nothing compared to Louisville.

At mile 100 I saw a guy on the side of the road violently throwing up. A spectator with his son was kind enough to help this guy out – and he needed help.

Another common occurrence of the bike course was the sound of ambulance sirens. There were a large number of wrecks and a lot of people going down to illness. I did not really notice the heat at this point but it was starting to impact a number of people.

T2

This transition was fairly forgettable. Everything went well and I got in and out feeling comfortable. Just before leaving T2 I took a quick bathroom break because I had not stopped and done so. I was really looking forward to dropping a bomb but that did not happen. This might have been a sign of things to come!

I saw my family again at this point and they told me later they could tell I was feeling good and looking strong.

The run

This leg started off exactly the way I planned. I was running comfortably and at exactly the pace I wanted. The heat was really starting to set in and I started using the sponges at the aid stations for some relief. Besides, it felt good to get the road grime from the bike off me. At mile 3 my stomach started to not feel well. At this point I decided to walk a bit to see if I could get things normalized. I struggled with my temp (I was getting the chills). At this point I began to worry. From mile 3 to mile 10 I would walk for ½ mile and run for ½ mile. During my training, cold drinks did not sit well with my stomach so I stayed away from cold drinks but that did not help. Somewhere around mile 7 I decided to try some cold drink because nothing else was working. This tasted good and my stomach started to feel better. At this point I decided to try running some more. Shortly after an aid station between mile 9 and 10 I took in some cold water. After a large belch I instantly buckled over and started vomiting. A lot of the hydration I took in ended up on the side of the road. I ended up sitting on the side of the road for a bit when a volunteer came running down from the aid station to check on me. He asked how I was doing and if I wanted to drop out. My quick reply was “NO!”. He got the point and I asked him what would help settle my stomach. He did not know and went back to talk to medical. They suggested a little Coke. I took a cup and hit the road walking for the next 2 miles while sipping on the Coke. This started to help.

Heather was watching me on the GPS I was wearing and she saw that I stopped. She began to worry because she was not certain if something had gone terribly wrong. At the same time, one of my sisters decided to call Heather for an update. The timing could not have been worse because it was likely the most trying time of the day for Heather.

Long before this point, I realized my goal time was long lost and I was simply moving into survival mode. I was determined to finish – remember my first comment in this message? That thought came into my head again and again. My high school football coach always used to tell me the weakest part of your body is your mind. These thoughts kept going through my head – you have to learn how to play mind games with yourself when you feel this terrible because it would be easier to quit!

At mile 12 I began to run a little more followed by some walking. The mid way point of the run takes you through downtown and close to finish. The crowd was spectacular and really helped me get my head straighten out – I was really hurting again and the crowd really helped put that aside for a moment. It was at this point that I saw Heather and explained to her what happened when I stopped. This put her mind at ease because she had an explanation of what happened.

I did a lot of walking from mile 15 to mile 20. I believe I only tried to run once in that stretch. It was in that moment I ran into one of the not-so-friendly people from the start of the day. She was not any friendlier at this point.

From mile 20 to mile 22 I would run as long as I could but at mile 22 I gave up on it. I decided I would walk to mile 25 and I would suck it up and finish the last of it running. Now it is important to know that I have been using the term ‘running’ loosely. I had resorted to the “Ironman waddle” at this point and a good pace for me would be 12 minutes per mile. Somewhere around mile 22 I started talking some guys from Raleigh, NC and Cleveland, OH. Somehow we started talking about hockey. After about 2 miles, I had exhausted all my hockey knowledge. I tried to run a little more at mile 24 which was 1 mile ahead of schedule. I made it about ½ mile and then walked to mile 25. This little “spurt” was unexpected. I think this was brought on by the adrenaline rush I heard from the finish line. At mile 25 I took my last step walking and began to run. With about 3 blocks left in the race you turn and see the finish line. Again, the crowd was amazing. Every little bit of cheering helped and my pace quickened. I had not run that fast for nearly 20 miles and it felt good! At the finish line I gave Mr. Reilly some pointed fingers but he did not see me this time around. My volunteer quickly recognized that I was not in too bad of shape compared to others and quickly let me go by myself.

Overall the run was a death march. There were a lot of people collapsed along the course. In some cases, people who lived in the neighborhoods were out helping people. At the turn around on the run there were ~20 people sitting along the side of the course waiting for medical to show up. I thought I heard a lot of sirens on the bike but the run course had sirens going constantly. I think the entire medical staff was overwhelmed. Just to give you a few numbers, there were 426 people registered in my age group. By ~11 pm only 245 people in my age group had finished. Did I mention this was a death march? The medical center is about 2 blocks south of the finish line. The place was packed with many ambulances sitting outside! It was pure insanity. There were 2990 people register for the race and 2157 ended up finishing. That is a significant attrition rate in my opinion!

Post race

After the race I was assisted by my family back to the hotel room and took an ice bath and a shower. Earlier in the week I had bought a pair of compression tights. These have been a life saver – in fact, I am still wearing them. After some rest, I decided I wanted to go back to the finish line and watch the rest of the finishers. It was good to walk around and get things stretched out. Heather commented on how I was walking better when we went back to the hotel.

Watching the final finishers is a very emotional experience. I had tears many times because I knew exactly how difficult it was for each of them. Some of the final finishers included a father with his 2 sons (and they crossed the finish line together), several women over 60 years old, and many folks who were glossed over in the face and could not see anything but the finish line. Heather was with me and took a lot of videos of the final finishers. It was amazing to see this again! This was part of my initial plan and I was happy that I could still go back and watch the race to its conclusion.

After the race, I had compared experiences with a number of other finishers. Everyone had major stomach issues and cramping. Some of the medical staff, who had been at the race for a number of years, commented on the attrition rate and the large number of people who had been taken off the course.

Final thoughts

There is no way I could have done any of this without Heather’s support. I left her alone with the kids on numerous occasions while I went out on long rides and runs. She took care of everything at home when I was not around. She has been a trooper throughout the entire process. Her support was cumulated this weekend. She laughed, cried, worried, and kept me going. Thanks Babe!

Heather asked me after the race if I wanted to do another one. The closest equivalent would be asking a woman after giving birth if she wants to have another baby – probably not the best time to ask. I did not give her an answer. She asked me again Monday morning. Surprisingly I want to do another one. I am not happy with my performance and know I can do better. So, who is up for Ironman Wisconsin in 2011? I believe Joe is in – who else? Let’s take a large squad and see what the Sterling crew can lay down in a much cooler state to the North.

That being said, I still need to discuss this with Heather and decide if this is something that I should attempt as we try to balance everything at home. So I have my out if needed!

Thanks everyone for all the motivation and support along the way. I would like to especially thank Joe for all the words of advice over the past year because I could not have done it without your assistance, Wes for all the motivational comments/conversation, and Boom for a lot of tips and suggestions.

Next up, Boom with Beach to Battleship – best of luck!

Rooster

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PTC @ Big Creek Tri

September 10, 2010 at 2:18 pm · Filed under Uncategorized

What a great bunch of races you guys turned in yesterday under difficult conditions at Big Creek! Here’s the report…

Sunday morning, the caravan left Pella at 5:30 a.m. Boom, Boom’s pops-in-law, Six Pack, Dr Aero behind the wheel of his big rig with John Calvin riding shotgun, JC, Seabass, and JC’s friend Dan (checking out his first tri) cruised to Polk City…where we promptly got lost attempting to follow the “detour” instructions provided by the Big Creek people. After tooling around the residential areas of Polk City (official motto: “Hey, at least our taxes are low…what do you expect?”) we stopped for directions at Caseys, where we realized we had stopped one block short of where we needed to turn. Armed with new and improved directions, we made our way into the park, rocking out to AC/DC and Family Force 5 (‘get your back off the wall, get your back off the wa-all’) where we met up with Smooth and Kriss Kross.

Not gonnna lie…Sunday was wicked hot. They announced that, since we were under a heat advisory, the race would be shortened (the curse of HyVee lives on). It went from an Olympic to a 1000m swim, 40K bike (same distance) and 5K run. We grumbled about the change, but pledged to run another 5K when the race was over to “get our workout in.” We applied our Sterling tattoos (which some people learned stick better when you remove the plastic covering….not naming names, but you know who you are) and then made our way down to the beach. We threw down some sick warmup swims, cleaned the “parts per million” remnants off our stomachs, said our pre-race prayer and were ready to rock. Boom and Smooth were in the water first, followed four minutes later by JC and Kriss Kross. Six Pack, John Calvin, Aero and I went off four minutes after that.

The swim was, in my opinion, great. Water temp was supposedly 83, and I’m not sure it was that warm, but it was very comfortable. I was able to sight adequately, once I realized that everyone in my wave had a yellow swim cap (the same color as the marker buoys). I tried to stay on Tommy’s feet, but lost him quickly in the swarm at the start. I settled into my pace and came out of the water very pleased with my position. I was even happier when I caught and passed our resident fish, Tommy/John Calvin, in T1. Now it was out on the bike. We had a nice tailwind for the first 3 miles, then the wind wasn’t a real factor until mile 9, when you turned and picked up the tailwind again for 3 miles. But then you had to turn around and fight the wind from mile 12.5 to 16, and again at the end from mile 22-25. Hydration was the number one goal on the bike, as the temperature had now soared to over 95. Skoot, black bikes may be the fastest…but their frames also radiate a lot of heat in the sun. My Gu-2-Oh maintained a consistent temp of 200+ degrees in my bottle cages. Refreshing.

Now it was back into transition, and time to head out on the run course. The course for the 10K is a two loop affair, but since we were only doing a 5K, it was now just one loop. Within the first ½ mile, my left hamstring cramped, and I knew I hadn’t drank enough on the bike. I stretched it out, hit the aid station hard, and kept rolling. By mile 2, it was loose and I was running my fastest pace of the day. With ½ mile to the finish, I passed 2 kids (17 y.o. girl and 19 y.o. boy who had passed me in the first mile), so that made me feel good. I was actually, kind of, running…then JC blew past me with a “hey boss” greeting. Jerk. I was able to see him finish, as he threw down a sick kick to catch his Copper Creek nemesis, Goedken aka The Man with No Chip. Then I was across the line, as the speakers appropriately boomed “All you single ladies, all you single ladies…” My dance moves in the chute were not necessarily appreciated by the teenage girls trying to remove my chip, but I was just glad to be done.

After attempting to rehydrate, and enjoying the shade of the Sterling tent (thanks Travis!) we headed out for a recovery jog…which lasted for one mile. Thank goodness we didn’t try the whole 5K again. I did throw up a bit in my mouth as we jogged, not from heat but from the sight of Boom’s butt in front of us, as he gave us the half-moon recovery run. We realized, as we ran out on the course to “recover” as people were coming in to finish, that we were now those jerks that we used to see jogging out as we were finishing…and man, did it feel good to be “that” guy.

Overall, it was a great day. Six Pack completed his first triathlon in a great time (although we gotta work on those transitions, 6PK!) Smooth set a new bike average PR, as did Kriss Kross and Boom. JC threw down his typical fast run, and Tommy blitzed the swim as usual. Everyone finished under 2:00, and I believe everyone was in the top 50% of their age group, too. Boom, Seabass and JC all qualified for Nationals in Tuscaloosa, AL (although none of our wives seemed excited about going to a race in Alabama…strange). After a great lunch at Old Chicago, we parted company (but not before JC’s son, Lake, told me “you didn’t win today. My dad did.” JC, you gotta explain that staggered start to Lake. He’s killing me J)

Times are below. Great work everyone…just an awesome showing for the PTC crew, sponsored by Sterling PT and Recker Dental Care. Don’t forget the Tuesday night ride this week (5:30 as usual—time to ride to Knoxville to check out the wildlife at the Nationals!) and the Saturday brick workout (6:00 a.m.—-it’s gonna be hot, so we’ll get out as early as possible).

Keep it fast,

Seabass

Results:

Tom “John Calvin” Anderson Swim 14:05 T1 1:48 Bike 1:14:18 (20.1 mph) T2 1:21 Run 28:16 Total: 1:59:49 (135th out of 370, fastest PTC swim)

Matt “Dr Aero” Morgan Swim 16:46 T1 :51 Bike 1:09:338 (21.4mph) T2 1:14 Run 28:14 Total: 1:56:43 (119th overall, and he finished. The “Morgan” joke is dead)

Joe “Kriss Kross” Greenley Swim 17:51 T1 1:04 Bike 1:08:26 (21.8mph) T2 :49 Run 25:31 Total: 1:53:41 (and he didn’t even draft Skoot during the bike this time! J)

Mark “Six Pack” Solomon Swim 15:27 T1 3:45 Bike 1:09:39 (21.4mph) T2 1:41 Run: 20:58 Total: 1:51:41 (first ever tri, great job…but even Wes thinks your transitions are slow! J)

Josh “Smooth” Smith Swim 16:40 T1 1:16 Bike 1:05:42 (22.7mph) T2 1:13 Run 24:32 Total 1:49:23 (8th in his division…missed Nat’ls by 1 spot…and he didn’t wear sunscreen)

Josh “JC” Cowman Swim 16:26 T1 :52 Bike 1:07:57 (21.9mph) T2 :31 Run 19:59 Total: 1:45:45 (Total transitions=1:23…unbelievable. No wonder his wife says he’s “really fast”)

Eric “Boom” Recker Swim 16:26 T1 1:05 Bike 1:01:35 (24.2mph) T2 :50 Run 22:36 Total: 1:42:33 (1st Clydesdale. Again. He dominates the Clydesdale category like a fat kid owns cake)

Wes “Seabass” Chaplin Swim 14:30 T1 :51 Bike 1:01:49 (24.1mph) T2 1:01 Run 23:49 Total: 1:42:01 (I cut 2:45 off my transitions from HyVee…practice pays off J)

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Dear BIKEIOWA.com & Miller Lite,

July 9, 2010 at 1:18 pm · Filed under Uncategorized

The following is our shot at winning $500 for our SterlingPT / Recker Dental triathlon club…enjoy!

Bike Iowa and Miller Lite,

Pella Triathlon Club, sponsored by Sterling Physical Therapy and Recker Dental Care

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“Epic Training Run” by Dr. Ross (aka Clooney)

June 30, 2010 at 7:25 pm · Filed under Uncategorized

So I know that I don’t usually contribute a lot to these email postings but something truly incredible happened to me on a training run this weekend and I feel that it is my duty to share – hopefully to inspire others among us to run that much faster and train that much harder…

So here it was, a perfect Sunday afternoon in Pella – and I decided to take advantage of it by going for a nice long training run. Coach B and I are going to Racine IM 70.3 in three weeks so I’ve been stretching my runs out with a goal of reaching 12 miles in the next two weeks before the taper.
I had a goal of running around 10 miles so I headed from my house through downtown and out on the bike path with my goal turn-around at the former Red Rock Quick Stop gas station / bait shop. The run was going well – it was hot but with a few well placed drinking fountains near smokey row and at the water treatment plant, I was feeling adequately hydrated. I made the turn around and was feeling strong so I continued back on the same path – up past Central college and rounded the corner on Main Street. It was there that I saw the challenge present itself to me…
Now I know from reading these posts that when you have particular training achievement – it’s good to share with others… I’ve been enthralled with stories of running with viscious dogs, near misses with deer, running over racoons, hanging with TJ in time trials – and then the grand daddy of them all… passing a tractor.
Well, like I said – I rounded the corner onto mainstreet and I saw my gauntlet get laid down – it’s as if the triathlon spirit (the one Wes met at the top of Pikes Peak) was finally saying to me – Hey Clooney, it’s your turn. I had about 2 miles left and wasn’t sure how much power I could muster up but I just knew I had to go for it.
I looked ahead and saw him kind of look back – not the kind of looking back where he was just looking back, it was the kind of arrogant sneer that you’d see from someone who had not yet been beaten…
I bit my lip, turned up my ipod (theme from top gun I believe but it was all really just a blur) and reached deep down inside. I passed the old grade school and crossed the next block when I found his achiles heel – it was the incline by the library. I knew that the better man would be able to hold his pace while the other would falter… I couldn’t let that be me, not this time.
I saw him look back one more time as I began to draw near – this time the arrogance of youth had been replaced by a look of fear – not fear from fright but the type of look that lets you know that he realized that he had finally met his match – his day had come.
I took in a deep breath and allowed the oxygen to enrich my muscles for one last kick – and then it happened… I passed a guy on a rascal scooter!!

What – it’s not like it was one of those wimpy little three wheeled ones – this was a full-on 4-wheeled rascal. The kind with 3 forward gears AND reverse.

His hands were shaking from squeezing the throttle and he was dropping gu packs (or it could have been metamucil – hard to tell) along the was as he pushed both his physical abilities and the limits of his machine to their max.

Once I passed, I took one little glance back and there he sat, shoulders shrugged and head hanging forward – as if to say, I relinquish my crown as the champion of main street…
Or I guess it’s possible that he may have died – Wes could you look out the window and see if he’s still sitting there, if so, disregard this message – I know nothing of it.

Clooney

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Knoxville Nationals 1/3 Marathon & STERLING PT 5k

June 23, 2010 at 4:50 pm · Filed under Uncategorized

The Knoxville Nationals 1/3 Marathon and Sterling PT 5k is coming up later this summer.  It is sponsored by PTC’s very own, Travis Sterling – - Sterling Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy.

Details below…see you at the races!

Date: Saturday, August 07, 2010 @ 8:00 AM local time

Address: Auld Park Corner of Rock Island and Third St

Fees: $35 for 1/3rd and $20 for 5k

Registration Closing Date: August 05, 2010 @ 11:59 PM

Brief Description: Join us for Iowa’s biggest and oldest one-third marathon! Great course, live music, and great swag. Technical T’s for the 1/3rd Runners.

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Matt “General” Patton represents PTC @ the Boulder 5430 Sprint

June 21, 2010 at 7:35 pm · Filed under Uncategorized

It was a beautiful day for the Boulder 5430 Sprint. The day started at 60 degrees, little to no humidity with a slight breeze. At 7:20 am we were graced with two hot air balloons taking off across the lake, three parachuters skydiving in with the American flag in tow and a high school student singing the national anthem. The only thing I was missing was the traditional Sterling team prayer. I would need that prayer in about 75 min.

At 7:35 I entered the water with 150 fellow 35-39 year olds. Yes, you read correctly, I was an age-grouper. Apparently, since this was an Ironman sponsored sprint they did not recognize the clydesdale division. Either that or Steve’s lobbying efforts have been paying off. The swim start was tough, lots of elbows, kicks and sighting directly into the sun. It took me to the halfway point to get enough room and find any kind of rhythm. I quickly learned that following my normal routine of breathing every other stroke would not allow me enough oxygen to get my desired pace. Apparently elevation does matter. So the swim took a minute longer than anticipated finishing the 750 meters in 16:17.

The bike leg was awesome. With the Rocky Mountains as a backdrop I hammered out 17.2 miles in 55:05. My best bike to date. Check out the elevation chart for the bike leg below. It actually looks far worse than it was. It was fun and fast after the first 5 miles. By the way, Cervelos and Quintana Roos dominated the bike rack in transition. Treks and Specialized were few and far between.

I left T2 feeling great after the bike. I felt good enough to flash my camera snapping wife the patented Recker thumbs up with my tongue hanging out. I was cruising along pretty well at my normal slow 10
min./mile run pace when at the mile 1 marker it hit me hard.
Apparently, oxygen is important to your body and when it isn’t getting enough it will let you know. My lungs were burning and muscles aching, but that was something I thought I could push through. Then my fingers began to tingle and the tunnel vision started. Since I figured passing out and getting a ride in an ambulance would not be a good end to my race, I gave in and decided to walk, run, walk, run. I finished the run in a horrid 37:09. Again, apparently elevation does matter.

What a great experience to do a race in Colorado. All in all it was a great Father’s Day with the family and another memory for the scrapbook.

General (competing as an age-grouper since June 20, 2010)

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Scott “Skoot” Mathes @ The Elk Hart TT

June 21, 2010 at 2:13 pm · Filed under Uncategorized

This past Thursday (6/17) I took part in the Elk Hart Time trails. I decided to take part in the event out of prompting by Ma Hen. I decided that of the events she participates in the safest bet for me to participate would be the 12km time trial bike race. The event is located just north of Ankeny (in Elkhart) and it took approximately 1 hour to get to the venue. The course was a north-south out and back with a single turnaround point. The course is extremely flat with there being one minor hill. Some of the minor things that I did not realize was 1) how I was going to change into the Sterling/ Recker dental swag while keeping the modesty of those around me. 2) How one is supposed to start a time trial event 3) Make certain not to ogle competitors bikes before the race. (I picked up a nasty scratch on my forehead from a tree limb due to my inattentiveness to my surrounding as I was checking out deep dish rims and disc rear wheel sets)

I arrived at the venue and got checked in. The number I received was the number that is given when you checked in I was the 68th competitor to arrive, so I was given number 68. I find beauty in the simple things as I age. The event is set up so numerically each competitor leaves the start line every thirty seconds. After a minimal warm up which consisted of me pedaling at about 60% for about 15 minutes I was ready to get in line. I was giving my best Kobe face to the gentlemen in front of me and the 17 year old junior competitor behind me. When it was my turn to start they had everyone already clipped in and you did a deadened start with a person behind you holding you up from behind. When they said go. I realized quickly I was in the wrong gear and did my best to mash from a dead stop to gain some momentum. The race plan was to really push going into the wind (20 m.p.h. +) and then keep a good high cadence on the way back with the wind at my back. I started out strong and within the first five minutes I had picked up the gentlemen that started in front of me and I was building some confidence. After that smaller victory I soon began to realize that I was keeping a pace that I wouldn’t be able to sustain and the turnaround was nowhere in sight. I really didn’t know what to think during this time, so I kept singing salt and peppa push it. I like to sing that song because it has a slower tempo but the lyrics include push it, so I felt it was appropriate from a cadence standpoint. As I reached the turnaround I heard a Whom whoom whoom sound and I thought to myself there is no freaking way I am getting passed…. before the turnaround J. As I got around the cone I looked to the left and saw a person on a speci bike disc wheels, deep dish front. I thought to myself who is the freak of nature. As they passed me approximately 800 meters past the turnaround I recognized that it was Morgan’s more athletic younger brother T.J. Tolkackson. He passed me and immediately I did the most appropriate thing I could think of downshift, and gear mash and try to pull a draft off of a professional. I was able to hold on for approximately another 400 meters until he slowly* (*rather quickly) pulled away. I instantly felt better knowing that I got clowned by a pro and continued to go back to my original plan of running a high cadence back and trying to stay as aero as possible. I came in at 18:08.0 which I was happy with given the conditions and my lack of knowing how to race these types of races. Also this time placed me second in the division I was racing. (The division they put me in was the I have never raced this before and I have no idea what I was doing division) I would recommend it to all of you to give it a go. I liked to think of it as a truth indicator because I had no other events to hide behind. I am certain that Julie will keep everyone posted as to when the next event is. Also Julie ended up in 3rd in her division. So congrats Julie!!!

Scott Mathes 18:08.0

T.J. Tollackson 15:27.3 1st overall

Julie Goodman Velo Rosa 21:59.7

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Keith “Coach” Anderson @ Marathon to Marathon

June 21, 2010 at 1:49 pm · Filed under Uncategorized

What a weekend of weather the state of Iowa has had this weekend.

I jumped on the Internet when I woke up Saturday morning and went to weather.com to see what the latest forecast was. The night before it said a 60% chance of isolated showers and temps about 67 degrees. When I got to the radar all I saw was red. I’m not a meteorologist, (but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night) but red is not good in terms of weather, (although it is a great color for a Warhawk!) Anyway, I drove to Storm Lake High School where the race was to begin and was informed by the race director that the race may or may not happen, but definitely would not be starting at 6:00 a.m. as planned. The lightning was still going hard and people were starting to wonder if this was going to happen. Finally at 6:45 we were informed that we were going to be starting at 7:30. YES!

There was a little rain at the start, but for the most part the storm had passed through. The humidity was terrible, but it usually is in Iowa during June. The first 10 miles of the race felt really good. There was a strong headwind out of the east, and of course we were running north and east. At mile 10 we had to turn east and run straight into the wind until mile 16, this is when you could say the wheels started to come off. Rolling hills + headwind do not make for a very enjoyable stretch of running. At mile 16 I turned north and this would take me to the town of Marathon. I’m a little embarrasseded to admit it, but I think I hit the infamous wall around mile 14-15. I somehow managed to push through to the end, met some wonderful people along the way and crossed the finish line with a gentleman from Texas who was running a marathon on his birthday. My official time was 4 hours 23 minutes. Not too shabby for a Clydesdale.

Anyway, thanks to many of you for encouragement over the last few months as I took this challenge on. Time now to remember where my bike is and start spending some time in the saddle. Sorry to those of you who had your Hy-Vee race shortened today.

Coach

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PTC at the Hy-Vee *SPRINT* Triathlon

June 18, 2010 at 8:49 pm · Filed under Uncategorized

for the 2nd weekend in a row, the Pella Tri Club athletes were out in full force with the “Marathon to Marathon” on Saturday and the Hy-Vee Triathlon on Sunday.  Keith “Coach” Anderson rocked a 4:23 marathon in less than ideal conditions (race report will be posted soon) and 10 PTC-ers hit the Hy-Vee Tri course.  it was great to see all the SterlingPT / Recker Dental Care kits all over the race course. 

the team meal on Saturday night epic, with lots of good stories, laughs and pranks to go around.  full of Spaghetti Works pasta, we went our seperate ways to get a little sleep before the next day’s race.  on Sunday while setting up transition at 5:15 AM, we got the word that the distance of the race had been shortened from an Olympic to a Sprint (400m swim, 20k bike and 5k run) and so although bummed, the team was ready to roll.  the shortening of the distance turned out to be the right call as the heaven’s opened up around 7:45 AM.  it was a great day with several great results (below) across the board.   

Scott Mathes – 1:03:42 (10th / 121 in 25-29 AG)

Eric Recker – 1:05:16 (1st / 73 CLYDE)

Josh Cowman – 1:05:25 (16th / 121 in 25-29 AG)

Wes Chaplin – 1:06:59 (21st / 141 in 35-39 AG)

Josh Smith – 1:09:47 (14th / 44 in 20-24 AG)

Josh Manning – 1:10:55 (40th / 135 in 30-34 AG)

Matt Morgan – 1:12:51 (59th / 141 in 35-39 AG)

Tom Anderson – 1:15:17 (62nd / 152 in 40-44 AG)

Joe Greenly – 1:17:05 (70th / 121 in 25-29 AG)

Jeff Davick – 1:24:55 (72nd / 94 in 45 – 49 AG)

Awesome turnout and showing for PTC – - Sterling Physical Therapy and Recker Dental Care. 

Matt “General” Patton goes to Boulder, CO this weekend for the 5430 Sprint.  Good luck Patton!  Bring us back some hardware…or at least a race report and some good stories.

JC

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