I just completed my first triathlon while traveling and am compelled to share some of my many learning experiences with the RTB group. Everyone at RTB has been so generous in providing valuable advise to this newbie, so I thought I would try to return the favor.
I decided to rent a bike from a shop in Las Vegas, where the event was being held, instead of bringing my road bike along. Mistake #1!! My wife Brenda and I spent an hour and a half driving around looking for the bike shop which turned out to be only 8 miles from the hotel. My wife called for directions but grew impatient with the dude from the bike shop as he was carrying on multiple conversations, and hung up the phone. When we called back he was pretty honed in on the hang up, and not buying the dropped call excuse - we were on our own!
The morning of the race I was feeling pretty tense and probably taking it out on Brenda, and we got into a heated argument, about what I couldn't tell ya. We then spent about a half hour trying to find the parking garage as well as the car, not a simple task in this town (we were on the strip). The drive out to Lake Mead (Hoover Dam) appeared to be going well until our directions failed us, or visa versa, and were were on the wrong freeway which cost us another half hour. Once we got near the lake there was not one sign pointing to the actual event. My wife and I could not have been more aggravated or on each others nerves at this point, but somehow made our way to the event. It was a point to point race with a requirement of putting our swim gear in a bag to be taken to T2, but unfortunately I did not get one upon entering, and had to race back in my wetsuit for one. I had no idea what time my wave went off but made it down to the water and found the guy with the horn and he said my wave was in 2 minutes...amazing.
Felt pretty good in the water, although still stressed and a bit bummed that my wife and I were at each others throats, but was able to apply much of what I learned with Patty in the beginner swim classes and kept by far a faster pace than ever before despite the fact that this was a 3/4 mile swim as opposed to the usual 1/2. Once I came up to T1 my wife was transformed into super fan #1, cheering me on and snapping as many shots as she could. This seemed to provide a stronger burst of energy than any gel shot or electrolyte drink ever has. Turns out this was well needed, as I was about the embark on the hugest one way mountain these rookie legs have seen. The bike I rented, which I had not tried out the day before, seemed to have 3 gears at best. This was painful on the hills but even more frustrating on the flat or downhill sections where I was able to go about a third as fast as normal. I also ran out of water just as the desert sun was heating up. I was sure I was going to suffer the embarrassment of walking up the final mountain but it was not to be, in what felt like the biggest victory of the day. Wife there again at T2 cheering and snapping away. Run felt pretty good - met very cool guy and we paced each other for then last 2 miles or so. With about a 1/4 mile to go he clearly had more in the tank than me, but rejected my offer to go ahead, and instead pushed and encouraged me for the final leg. Wow getting a chill just thinking about that - triathletes are some of the best people I have met.
Always the best part of the race..the finish. A feeling of agony and "what on earth am I doing out here" to complete euphoria that maybe only endurance athletes can relate to. More hugs and photos with my better half, and time to actually enjoy what this town has to offer. Turns out if I had a far better time relative to other participants than I had in any of the 3 other tri's I had completed. Go figure!!
Lessons Learned:
1. Stay as close to the even as possible the night before.
2. Have clear directions well in advance. Do not rely on Mapquest, particularly in other cities as the accuracy seems to vary city by city.
3. If renting a car, splurge for the GPS devise. This would have saved at least an hour and a half between the 2 days of priceless time and aggravation. Don't be a cheapskate like yours truly, and cough up the extra 10 bucks.
4. Pick up the packet the day before for obvious reasons, not the least of which avoiding the stress of being able to find it the morning of.
5. Do not take anything for granted such as signs pointing you in the right direction, volunteers being able to answer questions, etc. as this was not the case.
6. Plan for hydration based on the event. While 1 water bottle was enough for a sprint in Seattle not so much in the heat of the desert. DUH!!!
7. Seriously consider bringing your own bike, particularly if the course is hilly. Missed my baby particularly on the downhill's. If you do rent do it as early as possible as you're much more likely to get your hands on a quality bike. If you are going to rent a bike, don't be an idiot - test it out and get comfortable with it the day before.
8. If staying at a hotel, valet park if possible. One less thing to worry about particularly in a hectic scent like Las Vegas.
9. Even if you need to bring your marriage counselor along with you, do not fight with your spouse on race day!
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Matt Hoover's Response to Critics and Positive Experience at Kona
Ben,
Thanks for the heads up, but I will be honest with you. I actually don't read any forums. If Jim hadn't forwarded me the email he sent you guys, I would have never even known that anything negative had ever been said about me on your site. I felt like you were very respectful and professional toward me when we interviewed and if you feel like covering my next Ironman when there won't be any cameras and hoopla, I'd be glad to talk with you.
I've been in the public eye for many years now and have learned that no matter the success or the failure, there will be people jumping on the opportunity to bash a perfect stranger. I did the best I could that day and that is all I can do. At the end of the day, the only people I am worried about impressing are God, my family, and my friends. When it's all said and done, whether I crossed the line at 16:59:59 or at 17:03, they all still love me and that is what is truly important to me. This year people will be negative toward me and next year those same ignorant people will do it to someone else and no one will be sitting around talking about my performance this year. The cool thing is that the people I met while I was here, amateurs and pros alike were all so nice to me and that is what I am going to take away from this experience. The people screaming for me when I crossed that line, the strangers that ran alongside me down Alii Dr. and the 2 little boys yelling that I could still do it even though time was way past the cut-off. Those are memories that will be with me the rest of my life and as I said to you during our interview, I will never feel bad or apologize for making the most of an opportunity. I was inspired that day, by the athletes that passed by me, by a stranger that I will never see again with one leg and one arm who was still going at the energy lab even though neither of us were going to be "official" Ironmen, by the people at the aid stations who never let on that I may not even get the opportunity to cross the line, by thousands of strangers screaming as I made the turn toward the finish, and most of all by my coaches, friends, and family who let me believe I could actually do this and were still proud when I didn't. I didn't do this Ironman to prove to some stranger wrong or right, I did it to prove to myself and others that we can do anything we set our minds to. For all of the negative statements, there are positives. For all of those feeling uninspired by my performance, there are those who will be. I am proud to think that whether I am a real Ironman or not, (I will be when I cross the line under the cut-off at my next one) there may be at least one person who chooses to chase what may seem to be an impossible goal and not quit until they get to the finish line.
Thanks for letting me know, but I am not going to waste a moment of my time trying to change the opinions of others toward me. Triathlon has been a gift in my life as well as my family and we are going to do our best to promote it and all it has to offer in the best light we can for as long as we can. The athletes that are already involved in this sport should welcome all people into the tri-life whether they are fat, skinny, tall, short, fast or slow. You never know, this sport just may be a new lease on life for someone.
Not crossing the finish line under the cut-off in Kona would be far less embarrassing than knowing I turned even one person off to this amazing sport because of my attitude toward them or their appearance. As I said in one of my interviews last week. "You can only make a first impression of someone by their appearance. You can never judge their heart and mind until you give them a chance." I firmly believe that all of us in this great sport should give everybody who wants to, the chance to experience their own victory in our sport. Have a great day!
Matt Hoover (Almost an Ironman this time!)
Thanks for the heads up, but I will be honest with you. I actually don't read any forums. If Jim hadn't forwarded me the email he sent you guys, I would have never even known that anything negative had ever been said about me on your site. I felt like you were very respectful and professional toward me when we interviewed and if you feel like covering my next Ironman when there won't be any cameras and hoopla, I'd be glad to talk with you.
I've been in the public eye for many years now and have learned that no matter the success or the failure, there will be people jumping on the opportunity to bash a perfect stranger. I did the best I could that day and that is all I can do. At the end of the day, the only people I am worried about impressing are God, my family, and my friends. When it's all said and done, whether I crossed the line at 16:59:59 or at 17:03, they all still love me and that is what is truly important to me. This year people will be negative toward me and next year those same ignorant people will do it to someone else and no one will be sitting around talking about my performance this year. The cool thing is that the people I met while I was here, amateurs and pros alike were all so nice to me and that is what I am going to take away from this experience. The people screaming for me when I crossed that line, the strangers that ran alongside me down Alii Dr. and the 2 little boys yelling that I could still do it even though time was way past the cut-off. Those are memories that will be with me the rest of my life and as I said to you during our interview, I will never feel bad or apologize for making the most of an opportunity. I was inspired that day, by the athletes that passed by me, by a stranger that I will never see again with one leg and one arm who was still going at the energy lab even though neither of us were going to be "official" Ironmen, by the people at the aid stations who never let on that I may not even get the opportunity to cross the line, by thousands of strangers screaming as I made the turn toward the finish, and most of all by my coaches, friends, and family who let me believe I could actually do this and were still proud when I didn't. I didn't do this Ironman to prove to some stranger wrong or right, I did it to prove to myself and others that we can do anything we set our minds to. For all of the negative statements, there are positives. For all of those feeling uninspired by my performance, there are those who will be. I am proud to think that whether I am a real Ironman or not, (I will be when I cross the line under the cut-off at my next one) there may be at least one person who chooses to chase what may seem to be an impossible goal and not quit until they get to the finish line.
Thanks for letting me know, but I am not going to waste a moment of my time trying to change the opinions of others toward me. Triathlon has been a gift in my life as well as my family and we are going to do our best to promote it and all it has to offer in the best light we can for as long as we can. The athletes that are already involved in this sport should welcome all people into the tri-life whether they are fat, skinny, tall, short, fast or slow. You never know, this sport just may be a new lease on life for someone.
Not crossing the finish line under the cut-off in Kona would be far less embarrassing than knowing I turned even one person off to this amazing sport because of my attitude toward them or their appearance. As I said in one of my interviews last week. "You can only make a first impression of someone by their appearance. You can never judge their heart and mind until you give them a chance." I firmly believe that all of us in this great sport should give everybody who wants to, the chance to experience their own victory in our sport. Have a great day!
Matt Hoover (Almost an Ironman this time!)
Elevar la barra - Ironman Cozumel
Hola mis amigos de Levante la barra y compañeros de equipo. Bueno otro año de triatlón para muchos de nosotros y lo que es un año muy emocionante que ha sido. Todos hemos tenido nuestras luchas y desafíos, cambios de trabajo, pérdida de empleos, y el endurecimiento de nuestros bolsillos.
OK, sorry Patty told me about Google Translator and I couldn’t resist…..
Hello my Raise the Bar friends and teammates. Well another year of triathlon for many of us and what an exciting year it has been. We all have had our struggles and challenges including job changes, job losses, and the tightening of our pocketbooks. For me, it also included selling my company to my partner in May. Not an easy thing to do or anything I wanted to do, but in the end it was the right thing to do. My challenge this year was to stay focused through a loss of identity. Many of us triathletes and Ironman can use those terms to answer part of the question “who am I”. Of course those terms do not describe us fully, but between the work we do, our hobbies, and our families it is a significant part of how we identify ourselves.
Whether it is selling your company, changing jobs, loosing your job, or just challenging times either financially or physically, all of these things can take a toll and moving through these times and beyond can sometimes feel like your doing your own personal Ironman without ever swimming a lap, riding a mile, or running a block.
This year my goal is to finish Ironman Cozumel on November 27t in the 13 hour range. It sounded like fun when I signed up last year (as it always does when you sign up) and with a few setbacks and a few good races thrown in there, I am looking forward to testing the Ironman waters again. Last year, after 2 Ironman’s in 8 weeks I was ready for a break. This season has brought me a few podiums spots, some PR’s, and some good fun. I am still pretty healthy (no signs of the swine flu) except for nagging Achilles tendon on my right foot and the normal MS tingling, numbness, and electrical shocks that invade my body daily. On November 4th, I will celebrate (odd term to use) 5 years of living with this disease and my new “normal” for a body. If you would have told me then that I would be 5 time Ironman in 5 years I would have told you that you must be crazy.
With some good training behind me and ahead of me I dare to start dreaming of the day that has the potential to occur. Paula Newby-Fraser told a group of us a few years back in CDA that “you race the Ironman you trained for”. If you trained for a 12 hour Ironman more then likely you will have a 12 hour Ironman kind of thing. Well, I am hopeful I have trained for a 13 hour Ironman and that my work will pay off this year to officially put me in that category.
This year also brought an opportunity to watch the Ironman World Championship’s last week in Kona. It was oppressively hot there and the athletes were truly amazing. Every single one of them gave me inspiration to swim more efficiently, bike harder, and run faster. You see their faces and you truly wonder what sacrifices they had to give this year in order to be there.
I wrote a blog in 2006 that if you ever had the chance to volunteer in Kona to do it. It is amazing journey and it is amazing day. I re-lived that again this year. Our RTB teammate Matt Hoover was truly an inspiration to perseverance. Moving forward (and just moving) can be the hardest thing when all your body wants to do is stop. Matt proved to everyone at the finish line last Saturday night what is truly possible. That finish chute has to be the most amazing finishes of any endurance sport out there. If you don’t leave crying, wanting more out of life, or being overwhelmed with inspiration, someone should check your pulse.
There are two things I am taking with me to Ironman Cozumel, one, a medical volunteer standing next to us in the stands that night said that they had one lady come in to the medical tent and when they laid her down her feet kept moving like she was running. Can you imagine? And two, an Aussie volunteer yelling at runners “keep running - you won’t die”.
So with that my RTB’s friends and teammates, I want to go hard and I want to keep running – cause I have been told I won’t die if I do.
Seis semanas y contando (Six weeks and counting)
Cheryl
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Race is over!
Quite a day... I hope Matt will write a report of his day, so we can get the REAL details, but here's what Cheryl and I know.
He had a FANTASTIC swim. 1:37. That's SUPER good.... Matt didn't even really know how to swim when he started this year! He finished the bike leg well before the cut-off. The weather, like we've said 100 times on the blogs and twitter, was wretchedly hot and humid. And there was some wind on the Queen K from what we understand. To top it off, it Sounds like he had some stomach issues later on the in the bike and wasn't keeping anything d
own.
So on to the run - overheated, dehydrated, underfueled, fatigued....hard to get going like that! The first 10 miles were super tough and we were starting to get a little concerned about the cut-off. I got a text out of the blue from George Anderson (good friend, PT, and athletic trainer) asking how Matt was doing. I told George what I knew and he said he'd probably bounce right back and get to the finish line if he just got cooled off. They poured buckets (garbage cans!) of cold water over Matt at the aid stations, and gave him some chicken broth (that was to drink, not to pour on him) and he DID bounce back. In fact, he started running again and dropped MINUTES off his pace per mile. But in spite of that huge effort, he just couldn't quite bridge the gap. He charged across the finish line, though, just 3 minutes past cut-off at 17:03.
We just LOVED watching Matt take that race on today. And it was fun to see Suzy and their boys and a whole CREW of family and friends out to support him. His months of preparation and training really paid off.
Your family at Raise the Bar is super proud of you, Matt. WAY TO GO!
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Race Morning
You can look at the details of the race on www.Ironmanlive.com if you're looking for information about the pros and conditions of the day. I won't try and regurgitate all that - i'll just mess it up.
I can tell you that Matt Hoover, RTB's only athlete out on the course today had an absolutely killer swim of 1:37. A quick transition and he was on his bike looking great. A few pictures are posted here. You'll be able to see a bigger collection on www.weraisethebar.com/Gallery at around 2:30PM Seattle time.
Friday, October 09, 2009
Friday in Kona
As Brian Guillian and Nancy Larson reported last year when they actually RACED here, there's a neat coffee bar out on the swim course. We swam out there and took it in. RTB's next venture should probably be a floating coffee bar in Lake Washington. I think we'd make a killing...
We talked to some nice people in the village today. Said thank you to ou
r sponsors at PowerBar and Velopress. Looked at some pretty incredible bikes (every bike here looks like a rocket ship)
Our hotel has some pretty hot bikes that you can check out FOR FREE!!! The grocery store is about 4 miles away and on these babies it took us a half hour to get there. Cheryl told me that some EXTREMELY fit bracelet-wearing guy riding a scooter (oh please, a scooter) laughed at us. I'm sure it was more like a chuckle of admiration.
On our bike ride, we saw Andy Potts getting into an SUV....he drove past us as I stuck out my phone for a picture. you can clearly see his hand in the SUV window. He was waving at Cheryl saying how cool her bike was.....
Moments later, a 70+ gentleman had the audacity to pass us on Ali'i drive on his way to drop off his bike. We caught up to him and snapped his photo. His name is Joe and he's from Belgium. GO JOE!!!
At the pool today we overheard a dad talking about his daughter who is racing tomorrow. She qualified somewhere with a 11:15 and hopes to go 10:00 tomorrow. He looked good...his wife looked good...dang it why does everyone in this town need to look so good??
Matt is holed up somewhere in town tonight with Suzy. Talked to her awhile ago and it sounds like he's getting himself ready for race day. We're so proud of him and his work to get here. Did he have to qualify? no.... But he will be racing in some really tough conditions tomorrow and the RTB support crew will be twittering and supporting all day. GO MATT.
Thursday, October 08, 2009
Thursday in Kona
Rachel Chiavaras is here SOMEWHERE, but we've yet to track her down. she's volunteering somewhere too...
Matt Hoover is here, of course, representing RTB. GO MATT!! He
swam the course today, went to the athlete meeting tonight, and is looking forward to race day.
Very fun to run into Desiree Ficker at the village. Desiree took 2nd
overall in the Ironman a few years ago and is CUTE. Cheryl and I are hard at work trying to make a connection between Desiree and RTB's Phil Spencer. Emails have been exchanged - here's hoping!!
Friday, October 02, 2009
It's only 250 meters....how hard can it be?......
That was what Nicole, my 'signed-up-for-the-2008-Danskin-in-August' wife told me 3 days before some triathlon in a town called Elma. You see, she signed up for the August event and thought it would be a good idea to 'try a few' before the main event. Even though I was a mtn biker at heart, I supported her goals and I agreed that I would 'train' with her. I had no plan of doing any triathlons. I would just 'train' with her......
So here we are in Elma looking at this large pond that will be our 'swim leg'. Of course we have never done this so we show up with our mtn bikes, some running gear, and NO WET SUITS. Now for those who have done a race in Elma in April or May, you know this is a bad bad thing being without wetsuits. Of the 50 or so people on this Mothers Day weekend, we are the only 2 WITHOUT the seal-looking wet-suits. This might be a bad thing I thought but Nicole did remind me it was ONLY 250 meters.....
Needless to say the water was the coldest thing I have ever endured. I have never swam that 'long' of a distance let alone in a race, let alone with no wetsuit, and let alone in sub-60 degree water. Its ONLY 250 meters.....The humorous part was having to listen to the guy behind us yelling the F-bomb the ENTIRE way thru the swim. I wonder if his wife told him it was ONLY 250 meters.....
We survived and as I waited for Nicole to get out of the water to 'safety' I thought to myself what have I gotten myself into. Once she was out I headed to something called 'transition'. I of course put on the gloves, socks, changed my shirt, you know real important things (read: SLOW). We did manage to finish the bike leg and then the run. Wow. That was tough.
But we liked it.....
Fast Forward 16 months to last Sunday. Last Tri of the year. My second year doing a sport that I had no intention of doing, only to 'train' with Nicole. During the first year doing a sport I had no intention of doing (after buying road bikes, wet suits, tri shoes, etc) and completing 7 triathlons in 2008 (nothing longer than a 400 swim) I was hooked. Each event I was on my back during the swim. I knew I could finish it because I finished 250 meters in Elma.
But Sunday was different. It was an Olympic. Yes I had done 9 Tris this year before-hand but this was a big step. I hear about people who do a few smaller events and then right into an Ironman. That's not my style. I like to work-up to things. This year I apparently am working up to an Olympic I found out. A buddy of mine had suggested it and after my first successful true Sprint Tri in Samish (800m), I signed up for Black Diamond. Problem is it isnt 'just' a 250 meter swim....
While getting ready for this years Triathlons we found RTB and the swimming classes namely the 'swim technique' class. Since we didnt have any kind of 'technique' we thought this was a great idea. Making the trek to Covington on Saturday mornings from Seattle was a good jaunt but to me it was worth it. If it helps us in the water next year then the investment paid off. In the course of doing the swim classes we met a lot of fun and supportive people. Of course Patty was lively and bubbly as usual, but as we got into it we met more people and felt this is a good group. Needless to say we do have our own RTB gear and have fun wearing them, hearing the cheers, and of course cheering on others out there on the course.
Once I got to the park for the Olympic my nerves were pretty calm actually. I liked the course...I can do that swim I thought to myself. Its just 2 loops. I did what I could do without burning myself out in the water and beat my anticipated swim leg time by 6 minutes. Bike was its usual solid leg and the run was good as well. I hadnt ran longer than 5 miles in a single stint before so the 10K would be another first for me.
Overall I was very happy with my effort and enjoyed the last Tri of the season. We are looking at next year already and planning on what events we want to do. Of course being able to be a part of the RTB team is another aspect to look forward too as well. I sure hope to do a better job of meeting and remembering everyones' names. Not sure if Elma will be in our plans next year but hey......its ONLY 250 meters........
J Greg Kline
thanks for reading
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