and adoption.
Thanks to all our sponsors!
Matt Wright
Monday, October 6, 2014
Miles for a Future
Sunday, September 28th was a beautiful day for bicycling in Three Oaks, MI for the 41st annual Apple Cider Century. There were multiple routes to choose from, ranging between 15 and 100 miles. I chose the 62 mile route (metric century or 100 Kilometers) to accomplish my fundraising goal for the year. With the help and camaraderie of WSI team mates, Team Active employees, and loyal Team Active customers I was able to stay on task and complete the 62 mile route. I raised over $400 in donations to support CityLinc ministries here in Battle Creek so they can continue to provide licensing services for foster care and adoption.
Thanks to all our sponsors!
Matt Wright
and adoption.Thanks to all our sponsors!
Matt Wright
Sunday, October 5, 2014
BattleFrog Pittsburgh
I never figured myself to be the type of guy to do an obstacle course but it is also rare for me to turn down requests from friends either. I was recently asked by a family friend to compete in the BattleFrog Pittsburgh OCR. What is BattleFrog? Well, this is direct from their site “To challenge even the most rigorous obstacle course / mud races in the market today, former Navy SEALs have launched BattleFrog , the most adventure-packed, 15K, 5K or 1K obstacle course race (OCR) series in the history of the sport. The race raises money for the Navy SEAL Foundation, the Navy SEAL Museum and Memorial and the Trident House, underscoring BattleFrogs commitment to memory, legacy and family. The obstacle course challenges are inspired by BUD/S (Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL) Training.” So, for my first ever OCR, I decided to go BIG and tackle the BattleFrog Pittsburgh 15k!
Thursday, September 25, 2014
Harvesting Time Outside
If you are anything like me, you fear the prospects of sitting in the basement doing interval training while the snow piles up in the driveway. I think that may be the reason I am so keen on getting outdoors more now than when it was 80 degrees this summer, or maybe it is because it seems that summer was very short and very cool and it seemed like a long spring instead of the traditional long summer days. In any case, I took a friend’s advice (who started cycling the same time I did and has surpassed me since then) by getting outside before work for a run—any run, just run and enjoy the morning.
I did, slower run, but the stars were bursting and, aside from a skunk who wanted to show me the exit to the woods, it was one of those painless deeply cathartic exercises that makes you happy and ready to face the day. Thanks Doug for the advice. Even though I will not be able to get on my bike again today (early morning start and late evening work dinner), I harvested some outdoor time before ‘old man winter’ forced me into solitary winter interval training.
There is about a month left before the Iceman Cometh Mountain Bike Race, and the culmination of fund raising for the MADC Family Support. Check out the website. If you have a family caregiver who would like a retreat, there are events starting as early as October 6. Spread the word! http://alzheimers.med.umich.edu/live-well/
I did, slower run, but the stars were bursting and, aside from a skunk who wanted to show me the exit to the woods, it was one of those painless deeply cathartic exercises that makes you happy and ready to face the day. Thanks Doug for the advice. Even though I will not be able to get on my bike again today (early morning start and late evening work dinner), I harvested some outdoor time before ‘old man winter’ forced me into solitary winter interval training.
There is about a month left before the Iceman Cometh Mountain Bike Race, and the culmination of fund raising for the MADC Family Support. Check out the website. If you have a family caregiver who would like a retreat, there are events starting as early as October 6. Spread the word! http://alzheimers.med.umich.edu/live-well/
Monday, September 22, 2014
Last day of Summer
Everyone has a day where, at the end of work, the gravitational pull of the couch and a bag of potato chips is very strong. Today was one of those countless days for me. Thankfully, I know that the only way to combat that demon is to prepare in advance...putting my bike and all of my gear in the car is half the battle, the other half is making the trip to the trailhead before I get home. On the way home tonight, I was going to stop at Island Lake for a quick loop before the autumnal equinox darkened the woods. Instead, I went to a place that I have heard of many times, but never tried-The Tree Farm in Novi.
I got there about 5:30pm and put my WSI/Team Active knicker and long sleeved shirt on, seemed a tad cool for me. As I went to the trailhead, I ran into a guy who was just getting ready to roll as well. Since I have never ridden the trail before I asked him where the trailhead was, he said that he was on his way and was happy to show me. He was riding a Niner, full rigid, single speed--I knew I would not be waiting for him! I asked his name and he said in a British accent Paul. I immediately wonder if he knows Gary, the other British guy I ride with (what a silly thought it was, but it was my thought, none-the-less, so I say nothing.) Bad thing about accents on the bike, if someone warns you about a long drop off a log jam and you cannot understand them, chances are you will find out the hard way what they were saying--I did, spectacular crash off the top of a log jam in the first 5 minutes of the ride.
After that, it was just a nice flowing pace on a semi-technical course through the woods in southeast Michigan. I made a new fried (which is always the way these impromptu exploratory rides seem to be) and had a nice training ride on the last day of summer 2014. Not too much longer to the Iceman. There will be a lot of miles and crashes between now and then.
Don't forget to check out the fund raising that is the focus of the Iceman race for me. We are over 1/3 the way to our goal to raise $3,000 for Alzheimer Family Support at the University of Michigan. See you on the trails!
Jack Miner
http://www.active.com/donate/AlzheimerFamSupport
I got there about 5:30pm and put my WSI/Team Active knicker and long sleeved shirt on, seemed a tad cool for me. As I went to the trailhead, I ran into a guy who was just getting ready to roll as well. Since I have never ridden the trail before I asked him where the trailhead was, he said that he was on his way and was happy to show me. He was riding a Niner, full rigid, single speed--I knew I would not be waiting for him! I asked his name and he said in a British accent Paul. I immediately wonder if he knows Gary, the other British guy I ride with (what a silly thought it was, but it was my thought, none-the-less, so I say nothing.) Bad thing about accents on the bike, if someone warns you about a long drop off a log jam and you cannot understand them, chances are you will find out the hard way what they were saying--I did, spectacular crash off the top of a log jam in the first 5 minutes of the ride.
After that, it was just a nice flowing pace on a semi-technical course through the woods in southeast Michigan. I made a new fried (which is always the way these impromptu exploratory rides seem to be) and had a nice training ride on the last day of summer 2014. Not too much longer to the Iceman. There will be a lot of miles and crashes between now and then.
Don't forget to check out the fund raising that is the focus of the Iceman race for me. We are over 1/3 the way to our goal to raise $3,000 for Alzheimer Family Support at the University of Michigan. See you on the trails!
Jack Miner
http://www.active.com/donate/AlzheimerFamSupport
Sunday, September 21, 2014
Ride to the Stadium
I have been riding with WSI/Team Active for about 7 years and racing for about 5 of those. Before I was adopted by the Team Active family, I did a couple group rides with my fraternity brothers. These group rides happened once a year (for 24 years!) from Birmingham Michigan to the Big House in Ann Arbor. This last weekend, was the annual event and after I describe this gathering, you will know why I was an easy convert to a cycling enthusiast.
The Friday night before our annual ride, we all get together along with our spouses at one of the rider’s homes to catch up. I have known many of these guys since 1980 and some of them knew each other when they were in diapers. (We joked about the fact that long before ‘keg stands’ some of these guys may have been done ‘sippy cup stands’). We carb load (excellent pasta and cheeses) and have some of the best wine in the country and then we try to retire to our respective homes before it gets too late. Some Saturday mornings are easier than others, but the older I get, the more intent I am in enjoying the morning ride instead of having a pounding headache until we reach the Ann Arbor Township line. This year, I was at home double-checking my gear, well in advance of 11pm.
Our ride starts early in the morning because we want to stay ahead of the traffic and ensure we have ample time to get to the Big House and ‘tailgate’ before the game. I leave my house in West Bloomfield and ride the 15 miles to Birmingham by myself with my lights on. It is a very cathartic ride, rarely do I see more than 5 or 6 cars on some of the most travelled roads in Oakland County. 5am is just a little early on Saturday for most people to be out, let alone on a bike so I am sure people are wondering what I might be doing until they see that I am dressed from head to toe in the University of Michigan cycling team gear, and on game day! (Then they might at least suspect that I am headed toward Ann Arbor.
There are about 25 to 30 of us who ride and everyone is at all levels of experience and fitness. To say there is a no-drop rule would be a complete lie, but we do try to stay together in small groups. There are so many people and we are so spread out, often times, we have no idea if anyone has had a mechanical until they roll in after we have been standing around for 30 minutes. (So much for being our brother’s keeper!) I doubt we have ever taken the same route twice, and this year we went more south than previous years because some of the roads were under construction. I am not that familiar with the route but I was out front with Steve Frank pulling into the 11 mph headwind from the south. We missed a turn and by the time Steve and I turned around, the main group had already made good progress toward our final check point (a party store at Plymouth Road and North Territorial).
This is a false flat and there was a crossing wind and the two of us were well separated from the group. This group ride suddenly felt like a road race. Steve is a spinning class instructor and very solid, so I tucked in behind him and he started to pick off the back of the group one by one. They would try to hold on to my wheel, and I was doing everything I could to hold on the Steve’s. After about 5 minutes, Steve said that was all he had and we were still 1/10th of a mile behind the lead group. I pulled for a couple minutes and gave Steve a chance to catch his breath, then he got in front again and started to narrow the gap again. We narrowed the gap, but did not catch them before our final stop. When we rolled into the party store, the lead group said they were going so fast because they thought that Steve and I were on a parallel road trying to beat them to the check point!
At this final stop, many of the group grab a quart of beer (which conveniently fits nicely into a standard water bottle cage) and we have our own victory lap complete with the champagne of beers for the last 6 miles to the stadium.
When we arrive at the stadium, we do a bit of a tour of the tailgating area and then find where we stowed our change of clothes and commence to celebrate our 50 + mile ride to the stadium (and that we all made it one more year). It is great to see these guys every year and do something that is so enjoyable. It is a nice long ride for me and it underscores the miles that still need to be completed before the upcoming IceMan Cometh Mountain Bike race. Go Blue and Go WSI/Team Active Racing.
The Friday night before our annual ride, we all get together along with our spouses at one of the rider’s homes to catch up. I have known many of these guys since 1980 and some of them knew each other when they were in diapers. (We joked about the fact that long before ‘keg stands’ some of these guys may have been done ‘sippy cup stands’). We carb load (excellent pasta and cheeses) and have some of the best wine in the country and then we try to retire to our respective homes before it gets too late. Some Saturday mornings are easier than others, but the older I get, the more intent I am in enjoying the morning ride instead of having a pounding headache until we reach the Ann Arbor Township line. This year, I was at home double-checking my gear, well in advance of 11pm.
Our ride starts early in the morning because we want to stay ahead of the traffic and ensure we have ample time to get to the Big House and ‘tailgate’ before the game. I leave my house in West Bloomfield and ride the 15 miles to Birmingham by myself with my lights on. It is a very cathartic ride, rarely do I see more than 5 or 6 cars on some of the most travelled roads in Oakland County. 5am is just a little early on Saturday for most people to be out, let alone on a bike so I am sure people are wondering what I might be doing until they see that I am dressed from head to toe in the University of Michigan cycling team gear, and on game day! (Then they might at least suspect that I am headed toward Ann Arbor.
There are about 25 to 30 of us who ride and everyone is at all levels of experience and fitness. To say there is a no-drop rule would be a complete lie, but we do try to stay together in small groups. There are so many people and we are so spread out, often times, we have no idea if anyone has had a mechanical until they roll in after we have been standing around for 30 minutes. (So much for being our brother’s keeper!) I doubt we have ever taken the same route twice, and this year we went more south than previous years because some of the roads were under construction. I am not that familiar with the route but I was out front with Steve Frank pulling into the 11 mph headwind from the south. We missed a turn and by the time Steve and I turned around, the main group had already made good progress toward our final check point (a party store at Plymouth Road and North Territorial).
This is a false flat and there was a crossing wind and the two of us were well separated from the group. This group ride suddenly felt like a road race. Steve is a spinning class instructor and very solid, so I tucked in behind him and he started to pick off the back of the group one by one. They would try to hold on to my wheel, and I was doing everything I could to hold on the Steve’s. After about 5 minutes, Steve said that was all he had and we were still 1/10th of a mile behind the lead group. I pulled for a couple minutes and gave Steve a chance to catch his breath, then he got in front again and started to narrow the gap again. We narrowed the gap, but did not catch them before our final stop. When we rolled into the party store, the lead group said they were going so fast because they thought that Steve and I were on a parallel road trying to beat them to the check point!
At this final stop, many of the group grab a quart of beer (which conveniently fits nicely into a standard water bottle cage) and we have our own victory lap complete with the champagne of beers for the last 6 miles to the stadium.
When we arrive at the stadium, we do a bit of a tour of the tailgating area and then find where we stowed our change of clothes and commence to celebrate our 50 + mile ride to the stadium (and that we all made it one more year). It is great to see these guys every year and do something that is so enjoyable. It is a nice long ride for me and it underscores the miles that still need to be completed before the upcoming IceMan Cometh Mountain Bike race. Go Blue and Go WSI/Team Active Racing.
Friday, September 12, 2014
Good Luck Riding Your Bike on Those Waves
[caption id="attachment_1336" align="alignright" width="300"]
No, this is not "Aquabike."[/caption]
This past weekend I returned to Cedar Point in Sandusky, OH to compete in the Rev3 Half Aquabike event, Clydesdale division (220 pounds and over). This also happened to be the US National Triathlon National Aquabike Championships, which was also pretty cool. This was also my big event to raise money for the Children’s Neuroblastoma Cancer Foundation (CNCF) as part of Pedaling With a Purpose. Inspired by Christi Thomas, a sweet little girl who lost her battle against the disease at the age of 9, Cedar Point was one of her favorite places and we spent many afternoons riding rides, eating elephant ears and having fun. Plus, September is National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, so even though my race is over, I'm leaving my donation page up through the end of the month and with any luck, I'll be able to exceed my $1,000 fundraising goal (so spread the word!).
While most have heard of the term “triathlon,” which consists of a swim, bike and run, an aquabike event eliminates the run part and just athletes swim and bike. It's a great opportunity to compete in a multi-discipline sporting event, yet avoid running (which seems to be what takes most athletes out of comission). I hurt my knee earlier this year training and was not up for the 13.1 mile run, but wanted to still compete in this great event. The funny part is, when I say I’m doing the aquabike, visions of a “bike riding on the water” spring to mind. However, with the rolling waves in Lake Erie at start (3-5 foot swells), there’s no way I’d even consider riding a bike on those waves (heck, swimming was hard enough).
[caption id="attachment_1339" align="alignright" width="300"]
Doesn't look like much, but the waves got a lot bigger when you were in the water![/caption]
Our wave was the first to head off at 8:20 am and many of the full distance Rev3 racers were in the process of finishing their 2.4 mile swim (they went off much earlier). Heading into the water the get used to the temp I realized very quickly that this was going to be a swim like no other. I’ve played in waves this big before, but never swam in them, let alone tried to race. Good thing for the wetsuit, as the buoyancy was surely going to be a Godsend and keep me from becoming fish food for the Lake Erie inhabitants.
Start time arrived and we were off. Swimmers were “dolphin jumping” over the waves, as the sandy bottom reached pretty far out into the water. Once we got past the point of touching the ground, it became an immediate challenge just to spot the sighting buoys to keep on track and swimming straight, having to time my breathing with the roll of the waves. For racers that had done a lot of open water swimming this may not have been a big issue, but for me I have to admit to being just a “little freaked out” at what was ahead of me. I kept saying to myself “just keep swimming forward, even if that meant breast-stroke and doggie paddle to get this over (which happened more than I care to admit, unfortunately).
[caption id="attachment_1348" align="alignright" width="225"]
Happy to be back on land, headed to for the bike now![/caption]
Once I made the turn (which seemed like it took forever to get there) and started swimming parallel to shore, it got a bit easier. I breathe on the right, so when I turned my head I was facing away from the oncoming waves, but there were times when I went to stroke with my left arm and I could feel it never even coming out of the water with my timing coinciding with another oncoming wave. “Just keep swimming” I said to myself and make the turn to that final buoy to make the swim back to shore. One of the cool parts about racing in Lake Erie is at this point when I took a breath, I could see Cedar Point (assuming I was not at the bottom of a wave and looking at water, that is).
As land got a little closer with every stroke I was elated that very soon I’d be back on the ground and soon would be tossing a leg over my bike and headed off for my ride. Coming out of the water, my buddy (and WSI Cycling teammate) Shayne was there to cheer me on and he said afterwards that I looked totally spent – he was right. I can honestly say I’ve never been so glad to be back on land after a swim in my life. But the good news was I was headed off to get on the bike and then the fun would begin.
After getting “stripped” of my wetsuit (yae) by a couple of the volunteers, I entered the transition area. Knowing that I was not going to have to continue with a run afterwards, I skipped the socks and just tossed on my shoes, grabbed my helmet and glasses and was off for the remaining 56 miles. Due to my horrible swim time, I knew if I wanted to make up any positions I’d have to put the hammer down.
[caption id="attachment_1334" align="aligncenter" width="500"]
Love the bikes with roller coasters in the background.[/caption]
It was so nice not to be sucking in water and praying for land like on the swim just a few minutes ago and I was able to keep a fast pace for most of the bike leg. Passing riders one after another, you can tell which division they are in thanks to the markings on the racers' calves. “H” meant they were also competing in the Half Rev event, everyone also had their age, but I was looking for that extra “AB,” which stood for the aquabike. Those were the people I was after and needed to pass as many of them as I could.
I passed a lot of people out there, but it wasn’t until about the first 15 miles, I started to see some of my fellow AB-ers and was able to pass by them with ease. It was pretty obvious which of the disciplines was my strongest and I kept thinking about how nice it was going to be not to have to put on the running shoes and finish with those 13.1 miles at the end. Don’t get me wrong, I love being able to do all three legs of a triathlon (and a little part of me did miss being able to do the full event), but it always ended up with me passing a ton of people on the bike, only to be passed by them again on the run, which meant they ended up finishing before me in the overall event. Well this year that was going to change and I just ride.
The only “potential incident” (that was luckily avoided) was coming out of one of the small towns that we pass through. There were people lined up along the streets yelling, rattling their cowbells and cheering us on. I was coming up on the right of a woman to pass her and ahead was a 90-degree left hand turn to take us back out into the country. Not even thinking that she would go the wrong direction, I was surprised (and quickly applying my brakes) when she turned to the right, directly in front of me. It looked like she was really out of it and obviously was not paying attention, but fortunately I avoided a crash, which would have ended my day on a sour note (and some road rash).
At about mile 40 I could tell that I had been riding at red-line for most of the race as one of my legs began to cramp. I ate one of my energy gels, grabbed a drink and dialed it back a bit so I would not blow up. Heck, I still had 16 miles to go and wanted to make sure that I was able to finish strong. Fortunately, I got the cramping under control and was starting to see more AB racers. Being in the Clydesdale division, when I saw a “big guy” with an AB, that got me even more excited.
Coming into the last five miles, I basically took the gas pedal and stepped on it, all the way to the floor. While many of the triathletes on the course were starting to dial it back a bit in preparation for the run (which I would have been doing if 13.1 miles awaited me), I was blowing by people like a man on a mission. Making the final right-hand turn in to the big Cedar Point lot, I could see the aquabike finish banner in the distance and sprinted across it, leaving “nothing in the tank.”
[caption id="attachment_1341" align="alignright" width="300"]
This makes four Rev3 finisher medals![/caption]
Coasting into the transition area was much different than years past. I would have been hurrying to get to my rack, ditch the bike, scurry around swapping my cycling shoes for my running shoes, messing with my number belt and then heading off to run the streets of downtown Sandusky. Not this year. My event was done and I coasted in, took my time, sat down and leisurely put on my socks and shoes to go out and then run through the finish chute and claim my medal and get a few cheers from the crowd.
I hopped up and exited the transition area. Volunteers were handing out water and Gatorade, which I would have normally taken as I started the final 13.1 miles of the day, but I decided to leave it for the runners and made my way to the final turn, headed back into the finishing area. Shayne was there and could see he was headed back to try and get a photo of me, so I just took my time and even waited at the end of the final straightaway for him. The announcer, who is a bit of a card himself, even called me out on it saying something like “looks like we’ve got another finisher taking some extra time to make sure he’s got a nice Kodak moment – here comes Eric Cook from Battle Creek, MI.”
Unfortunately, Shayne’s iPhone froze on him (hmm… maybe he should get an Android – ha ha) so I don’t have any photographic evidence of my finish, but I came across in 3:34:12, which was good enough for 2nd place in the Clydesdale division. Overall I finished 78 out of 141 and considering the horrific swim time, I was happy with my result. Not sure I could have done either the swim or the bike any faster, which is what my goal was.
[caption id="attachment_1333" align="alignright" width="300"]
Celebrating Shayne's finish.[/caption]
The day before my race, Shayne raced in the Sprint triathlon, which was the second year for the Saturday event. He won the Clydesdale division last year, and since it was the first time for that race, we were telling people he was the “world record” holder for the Rev3 Cedar Point Clydesdale Sprint Triathlon. May be a bit of an embellishment, but it was true (technically speaking). Good news is that he retained his crown and again won the Clydesdale division. In true Shayne fashion, I caught him “hamming it up” a bit coming into the finish line (and yes, I’ve got an Android phone that did not freeze up!).
[caption id="attachment_1335" align="alignright" width="300"]
Front row (again). Did you know you're not supposed to take photos on the rides? Oops![/caption]
One of the best parts about this race is spending time at Cedar Point with Shayne and just being "big" kids. We went in Saturday and Sunday and rode just about every ride we wanted. As mentioned earlier, it's a special place for me given the memories of Christi. Angela, Shayne's wife, and Shayla, their daughter, came up Sunday as well and I got to take Shayla on a lot of the rides her sister and I used to ride together. Of course, Christi was seven or eight years old and Shayla is now a sophomore in high school, but it was nice to carry on the tradition.
With any luck I'll be back agai next year for the "regular" half (70.3) triathlon and will have some time to get a bit of running in. While I'd like to continue competing in the Clydesdale divison, it would be nice to also come in next year under 220 lbs. I have a feeling the run would be a little less painful if that were the case, so we'll see how it goes.
Thanks again to those that have donated to support the CNCF and supporting me along the way (and it's still not too late to donate). While the ability to compete is certainly a blessing, being able to tie it to something that can does good for others is just an added bonus.
Eric
No, this is not "Aquabike."[/caption]This past weekend I returned to Cedar Point in Sandusky, OH to compete in the Rev3 Half Aquabike event, Clydesdale division (220 pounds and over). This also happened to be the US National Triathlon National Aquabike Championships, which was also pretty cool. This was also my big event to raise money for the Children’s Neuroblastoma Cancer Foundation (CNCF) as part of Pedaling With a Purpose. Inspired by Christi Thomas, a sweet little girl who lost her battle against the disease at the age of 9, Cedar Point was one of her favorite places and we spent many afternoons riding rides, eating elephant ears and having fun. Plus, September is National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, so even though my race is over, I'm leaving my donation page up through the end of the month and with any luck, I'll be able to exceed my $1,000 fundraising goal (so spread the word!).
While most have heard of the term “triathlon,” which consists of a swim, bike and run, an aquabike event eliminates the run part and just athletes swim and bike. It's a great opportunity to compete in a multi-discipline sporting event, yet avoid running (which seems to be what takes most athletes out of comission). I hurt my knee earlier this year training and was not up for the 13.1 mile run, but wanted to still compete in this great event. The funny part is, when I say I’m doing the aquabike, visions of a “bike riding on the water” spring to mind. However, with the rolling waves in Lake Erie at start (3-5 foot swells), there’s no way I’d even consider riding a bike on those waves (heck, swimming was hard enough).
A Swim Like No Other
[caption id="attachment_1339" align="alignright" width="300"]
Doesn't look like much, but the waves got a lot bigger when you were in the water![/caption]Our wave was the first to head off at 8:20 am and many of the full distance Rev3 racers were in the process of finishing their 2.4 mile swim (they went off much earlier). Heading into the water the get used to the temp I realized very quickly that this was going to be a swim like no other. I’ve played in waves this big before, but never swam in them, let alone tried to race. Good thing for the wetsuit, as the buoyancy was surely going to be a Godsend and keep me from becoming fish food for the Lake Erie inhabitants.
Start time arrived and we were off. Swimmers were “dolphin jumping” over the waves, as the sandy bottom reached pretty far out into the water. Once we got past the point of touching the ground, it became an immediate challenge just to spot the sighting buoys to keep on track and swimming straight, having to time my breathing with the roll of the waves. For racers that had done a lot of open water swimming this may not have been a big issue, but for me I have to admit to being just a “little freaked out” at what was ahead of me. I kept saying to myself “just keep swimming forward, even if that meant breast-stroke and doggie paddle to get this over (which happened more than I care to admit, unfortunately).
[caption id="attachment_1348" align="alignright" width="225"]
Happy to be back on land, headed to for the bike now![/caption]Once I made the turn (which seemed like it took forever to get there) and started swimming parallel to shore, it got a bit easier. I breathe on the right, so when I turned my head I was facing away from the oncoming waves, but there were times when I went to stroke with my left arm and I could feel it never even coming out of the water with my timing coinciding with another oncoming wave. “Just keep swimming” I said to myself and make the turn to that final buoy to make the swim back to shore. One of the cool parts about racing in Lake Erie is at this point when I took a breath, I could see Cedar Point (assuming I was not at the bottom of a wave and looking at water, that is).
As land got a little closer with every stroke I was elated that very soon I’d be back on the ground and soon would be tossing a leg over my bike and headed off for my ride. Coming out of the water, my buddy (and WSI Cycling teammate) Shayne was there to cheer me on and he said afterwards that I looked totally spent – he was right. I can honestly say I’ve never been so glad to be back on land after a swim in my life. But the good news was I was headed off to get on the bike and then the fun would begin.
Let’s Go For a Ride
After getting “stripped” of my wetsuit (yae) by a couple of the volunteers, I entered the transition area. Knowing that I was not going to have to continue with a run afterwards, I skipped the socks and just tossed on my shoes, grabbed my helmet and glasses and was off for the remaining 56 miles. Due to my horrible swim time, I knew if I wanted to make up any positions I’d have to put the hammer down.
[caption id="attachment_1334" align="aligncenter" width="500"]
Love the bikes with roller coasters in the background.[/caption]It was so nice not to be sucking in water and praying for land like on the swim just a few minutes ago and I was able to keep a fast pace for most of the bike leg. Passing riders one after another, you can tell which division they are in thanks to the markings on the racers' calves. “H” meant they were also competing in the Half Rev event, everyone also had their age, but I was looking for that extra “AB,” which stood for the aquabike. Those were the people I was after and needed to pass as many of them as I could.
I passed a lot of people out there, but it wasn’t until about the first 15 miles, I started to see some of my fellow AB-ers and was able to pass by them with ease. It was pretty obvious which of the disciplines was my strongest and I kept thinking about how nice it was going to be not to have to put on the running shoes and finish with those 13.1 miles at the end. Don’t get me wrong, I love being able to do all three legs of a triathlon (and a little part of me did miss being able to do the full event), but it always ended up with me passing a ton of people on the bike, only to be passed by them again on the run, which meant they ended up finishing before me in the overall event. Well this year that was going to change and I just ride.
The only “potential incident” (that was luckily avoided) was coming out of one of the small towns that we pass through. There were people lined up along the streets yelling, rattling their cowbells and cheering us on. I was coming up on the right of a woman to pass her and ahead was a 90-degree left hand turn to take us back out into the country. Not even thinking that she would go the wrong direction, I was surprised (and quickly applying my brakes) when she turned to the right, directly in front of me. It looked like she was really out of it and obviously was not paying attention, but fortunately I avoided a crash, which would have ended my day on a sour note (and some road rash).
At about mile 40 I could tell that I had been riding at red-line for most of the race as one of my legs began to cramp. I ate one of my energy gels, grabbed a drink and dialed it back a bit so I would not blow up. Heck, I still had 16 miles to go and wanted to make sure that I was able to finish strong. Fortunately, I got the cramping under control and was starting to see more AB racers. Being in the Clydesdale division, when I saw a “big guy” with an AB, that got me even more excited.
Coming into the last five miles, I basically took the gas pedal and stepped on it, all the way to the floor. While many of the triathletes on the course were starting to dial it back a bit in preparation for the run (which I would have been doing if 13.1 miles awaited me), I was blowing by people like a man on a mission. Making the final right-hand turn in to the big Cedar Point lot, I could see the aquabike finish banner in the distance and sprinted across it, leaving “nothing in the tank.”
[caption id="attachment_1341" align="alignright" width="300"]
This makes four Rev3 finisher medals![/caption]Coasting into the transition area was much different than years past. I would have been hurrying to get to my rack, ditch the bike, scurry around swapping my cycling shoes for my running shoes, messing with my number belt and then heading off to run the streets of downtown Sandusky. Not this year. My event was done and I coasted in, took my time, sat down and leisurely put on my socks and shoes to go out and then run through the finish chute and claim my medal and get a few cheers from the crowd.
I hopped up and exited the transition area. Volunteers were handing out water and Gatorade, which I would have normally taken as I started the final 13.1 miles of the day, but I decided to leave it for the runners and made my way to the final turn, headed back into the finishing area. Shayne was there and could see he was headed back to try and get a photo of me, so I just took my time and even waited at the end of the final straightaway for him. The announcer, who is a bit of a card himself, even called me out on it saying something like “looks like we’ve got another finisher taking some extra time to make sure he’s got a nice Kodak moment – here comes Eric Cook from Battle Creek, MI.”
Unfortunately, Shayne’s iPhone froze on him (hmm… maybe he should get an Android – ha ha) so I don’t have any photographic evidence of my finish, but I came across in 3:34:12, which was good enough for 2nd place in the Clydesdale division. Overall I finished 78 out of 141 and considering the horrific swim time, I was happy with my result. Not sure I could have done either the swim or the bike any faster, which is what my goal was.
Two-Time Champion
[caption id="attachment_1333" align="alignright" width="300"]
Celebrating Shayne's finish.[/caption]The day before my race, Shayne raced in the Sprint triathlon, which was the second year for the Saturday event. He won the Clydesdale division last year, and since it was the first time for that race, we were telling people he was the “world record” holder for the Rev3 Cedar Point Clydesdale Sprint Triathlon. May be a bit of an embellishment, but it was true (technically speaking). Good news is that he retained his crown and again won the Clydesdale division. In true Shayne fashion, I caught him “hamming it up” a bit coming into the finish line (and yes, I’ve got an Android phone that did not freeze up!).
Just Being Kids
[caption id="attachment_1335" align="alignright" width="300"]
Front row (again). Did you know you're not supposed to take photos on the rides? Oops![/caption]One of the best parts about this race is spending time at Cedar Point with Shayne and just being "big" kids. We went in Saturday and Sunday and rode just about every ride we wanted. As mentioned earlier, it's a special place for me given the memories of Christi. Angela, Shayne's wife, and Shayla, their daughter, came up Sunday as well and I got to take Shayla on a lot of the rides her sister and I used to ride together. Of course, Christi was seven or eight years old and Shayla is now a sophomore in high school, but it was nice to carry on the tradition.
With any luck I'll be back agai next year for the "regular" half (70.3) triathlon and will have some time to get a bit of running in. While I'd like to continue competing in the Clydesdale divison, it would be nice to also come in next year under 220 lbs. I have a feeling the run would be a little less painful if that were the case, so we'll see how it goes.
Thanks again to those that have donated to support the CNCF and supporting me along the way (and it's still not too late to donate). While the ability to compete is certainly a blessing, being able to tie it to something that can does good for others is just an added bonus.
Eric
Tri 4 Evan
By Nikki Elder
It has taken me a month to write this. Trust me, that is a good thing. It has allowed me to condense my emotions about this experience and NOT bore readers with a novel. To make a long story short, I chose the Cereal City Triathlon to be my fundraising event through Pedaling with. Purpose. I'm a runner, I've enjoyed cycling for the last year and well, swimming, let's just say it wasn't/isn't my cup of tea.
[caption id="attachment_1328" align="alignright" width="200"]
Photo by Stephanie Parshall Photography[/caption]I have had a fear of open water for quite some time. Many of you followed my personal blog and Facebook page and were able to see the weekly posts about ,horrible swim sessions, crying every time I got init a lake, etc. You get the point. But is still did it, and trained, and trained well for the event. I was still having panic attacks near and in water up to five days before the event.
On race day I was a wreck. Tears were flowing all the way up until the horn sounded to start the swim. Amazingly, once my head went underwater I felt a huge weight lift off my shoulder spans did what I had trained for. I took the swim SLOW, knowing if I sped up too much I would freak myself out....besides, what is that saying about the turtle and the hare? I was fortunate to have a great volunteer next to me the whole time on his SUP helping to ease my anxiety as well. I cam out if the water to one of the biggest cheering sections at the race complete with posters and cowbells. Did I mention I was the 2nd to last out of the water?
After about a mile on the bike I was finally able to clear my mind and foci on what was ahead. I powered through the bike course making up a great amount of time. The bike course was an out and back and I was able to see and cheer on several WSI riders on bikes as well.
The run was to be expected. The course was nice, non-hilly, and with it only being a mile from my home, it was familiar territory. Upon rendering the lark I had several friends and family run alongside me up to the finish. I finished.
I finished. That was my accomplishment. I overcame my fear of water and that had been my goal all along. Imagine my surprise when my name was called for 2nd in my age group!
I did it AND survived the murky waters! I was a nervous wreck with lots of tears beforehand but the minute my head went underwater I felt this amazing weight lift off my shoulders. As I showered afterward I looked down to see a few pieces of seaweed stuck to my hip as a reminder of what I had just done. It made me smile.
I finished my first triathlon. I overcame my fear of open water. I earned 2nd in my age group. As if that wasn't enough, through the support of my friends and family I raised OVER $1,000 for the Angelcheeks Foundation in honor of my friends' son, Evan!!!
I'm overwhelmed at the amount of support I had near and far, thankful that each and every one of you (too many to name) had your place in my journey as supporters, encouragers, pray warriors, coaches and more.
One down, no promises on more to go, although I do have a 1 second challenge to beat next year, right Chris Gillette?
It has taken me a month to write this. Trust me, that is a good thing. It has allowed me to condense my emotions about this experience and NOT bore readers with a novel. To make a long story short, I chose the Cereal City Triathlon to be my fundraising event through Pedaling with. Purpose. I'm a runner, I've enjoyed cycling for the last year and well, swimming, let's just say it wasn't/isn't my cup of tea.
[caption id="attachment_1328" align="alignright" width="200"]
Photo by Stephanie Parshall Photography[/caption]I have had a fear of open water for quite some time. Many of you followed my personal blog and Facebook page and were able to see the weekly posts about ,horrible swim sessions, crying every time I got init a lake, etc. You get the point. But is still did it, and trained, and trained well for the event. I was still having panic attacks near and in water up to five days before the event.On race day I was a wreck. Tears were flowing all the way up until the horn sounded to start the swim. Amazingly, once my head went underwater I felt a huge weight lift off my shoulder spans did what I had trained for. I took the swim SLOW, knowing if I sped up too much I would freak myself out....besides, what is that saying about the turtle and the hare? I was fortunate to have a great volunteer next to me the whole time on his SUP helping to ease my anxiety as well. I cam out if the water to one of the biggest cheering sections at the race complete with posters and cowbells. Did I mention I was the 2nd to last out of the water?
After about a mile on the bike I was finally able to clear my mind and foci on what was ahead. I powered through the bike course making up a great amount of time. The bike course was an out and back and I was able to see and cheer on several WSI riders on bikes as well.
The run was to be expected. The course was nice, non-hilly, and with it only being a mile from my home, it was familiar territory. Upon rendering the lark I had several friends and family run alongside me up to the finish. I finished.
I finished. That was my accomplishment. I overcame my fear of water and that had been my goal all along. Imagine my surprise when my name was called for 2nd in my age group!
I did it AND survived the murky waters! I was a nervous wreck with lots of tears beforehand but the minute my head went underwater I felt this amazing weight lift off my shoulders. As I showered afterward I looked down to see a few pieces of seaweed stuck to my hip as a reminder of what I had just done. It made me smile.I finished my first triathlon. I overcame my fear of open water. I earned 2nd in my age group. As if that wasn't enough, through the support of my friends and family I raised OVER $1,000 for the Angelcheeks Foundation in honor of my friends' son, Evan!!!
I'm overwhelmed at the amount of support I had near and far, thankful that each and every one of you (too many to name) had your place in my journey as supporters, encouragers, pray warriors, coaches and more.
One down, no promises on more to go, although I do have a 1 second challenge to beat next year, right Chris Gillette?
Monday, August 25, 2014
Kevin Bridges Louisville Ironman Report
Katie and I spent the weekend in Louisville KY at the magnificent Gault House Hotel which was the host of Ironman Louisville. Friday was athlete check in, Saturday bike, gear check in and athlete briefing. The build up to Sundays race was nerve-racking, the weather was predicted to be hot and humid (Kentucky in August, who knew). We did get sometime to go out and see Louisville, which is a very nice town and maybe even nicer people.On race day we all headed to the swim start, 2000 triathletes like lemmings about to jump off a cliff or a dock in this case. The swim is in the Ohio River starting up river then turning down river swimming under two bridges and exiting at Joe's Crab Shack.
The bike course was in beautiful rolling horse country. They had water stations every 10-12 miles which helped deal with the heat. My bike leg was uneventful, I tried to keep cool and not use up too much of my legs.
The run is though Louisville past University of Louisville and Church Hill Downs. The heat became very apparent on the run, most of us were pouring ice water on ourselves at the water stations trying to keep cool. The run seemed to take forever, but the great folks of Louisville were out on the course cheering us on. The last two blocks of the run are incredible, both sides were lined with screaming people, cheering like they personally knew me.
This event had tons of volunteers that made it easy to navigate transition and get what ever was needed on the course, it was largely due to them that I was able to finish in 12 hours and 38 mins. under my goal of beating Hines Wards time at Kona of 13 hours and 8 mins.
Sunday, August 17, 2014
Katie Bridges GBF Triathlon
A Girl’s Best Friend Triathlon, Race Report
The setting: Prairie View Park in Kalamazoo County, Michigan. It was a cool morning, but sunny. I have participated in this event four of the last five years, first as a duathlon, then sprint triathlon. The past two years I have chosen the Olympic distance. There’s a lot to love about this race and I keep coming back to it. It was my first-ever race, the atmosphere is celebratory and the weather is always perfect. With crystal-clear water (okay, granted, being able to see all of the weeds creeps some people out, but I’m not one of those people anymore), a flat and fast bike course and a trail run, this race is built for me.
The goal: To improve upon last year’s times and place first in my age group instead of last year’s second. SUCCESS on the first part; FAIL on the second. I had an absolutely miserable bike and run after a pretty mellow swim. I felt so slow and after awhile, somewhat queasy. The running and riding I have been doing has had lots of hills, which made me wonder why this was so difficult! It should have been easy-peasy. With about two miles to go I remember thinking, I may need to throw up, but I’m waiting until after the finish line. That thought got me through and once I’d finished, I felt fine.
The data: I already mentioned, 2nd. I’m happy and I’ll take that. I have dropped about 7 seconds per 100 from my best swim time, 2.0 mph from my bike pace and below 9-minute miles on the run. My transitions were also my best this year and I shaved 14:45 from last year’s overall time. It feels great to have improved on all three disciplines, where in the past if one went well, generally another one suffered. Triathlon is a sport where finding the perfect balance when training each skill is difficult, I can definitely say it has been difficult for me. It’s funny how things like swimming, biking and running, all things I could do as a kid, toss me for a loop as an adult. I think its part of the challenge and draw to the sport. Now that my season is done, I’m wondering… if I did one more tri, and got the nutrition right this time….
The cause: This race is also the event I chose for my Pedaling With a Purpose campaign. The organization I am pedaling for is Girl’s on the Run of Calhoun County. GOTR is so much fun, and makes such an impact on the lives and futures of girls. Could you please follow my link and donate today?
The setting: Prairie View Park in Kalamazoo County, Michigan. It was a cool morning, but sunny. I have participated in this event four of the last five years, first as a duathlon, then sprint triathlon. The past two years I have chosen the Olympic distance. There’s a lot to love about this race and I keep coming back to it. It was my first-ever race, the atmosphere is celebratory and the weather is always perfect. With crystal-clear water (okay, granted, being able to see all of the weeds creeps some people out, but I’m not one of those people anymore), a flat and fast bike course and a trail run, this race is built for me.
The goal: To improve upon last year’s times and place first in my age group instead of last year’s second. SUCCESS on the first part; FAIL on the second. I had an absolutely miserable bike and run after a pretty mellow swim. I felt so slow and after awhile, somewhat queasy. The running and riding I have been doing has had lots of hills, which made me wonder why this was so difficult! It should have been easy-peasy. With about two miles to go I remember thinking, I may need to throw up, but I’m waiting until after the finish line. That thought got me through and once I’d finished, I felt fine.
The data: I already mentioned, 2nd. I’m happy and I’ll take that. I have dropped about 7 seconds per 100 from my best swim time, 2.0 mph from my bike pace and below 9-minute miles on the run. My transitions were also my best this year and I shaved 14:45 from last year’s overall time. It feels great to have improved on all three disciplines, where in the past if one went well, generally another one suffered. Triathlon is a sport where finding the perfect balance when training each skill is difficult, I can definitely say it has been difficult for me. It’s funny how things like swimming, biking and running, all things I could do as a kid, toss me for a loop as an adult. I think its part of the challenge and draw to the sport. Now that my season is done, I’m wondering… if I did one more tri, and got the nutrition right this time….
The cause: This race is also the event I chose for my Pedaling With a Purpose campaign. The organization I am pedaling for is Girl’s on the Run of Calhoun County. GOTR is so much fun, and makes such an impact on the lives and futures of girls. Could you please follow my link and donate today?
Tuesday, August 12, 2014
New York City Triathlon
Who can pass up an opportunity to swim in the Hudson River? Not I! It's fast and dirty. An epic swim that can't be replicated because each sighting breath brings the famous New York skyline into focus.
A few years back my daughter Christi Thomas passed away from a rare cancer. She was made famous in oncology circles in part through the work of webmaster Eric Cook and Christithomas.com. As we progressed through treatment we made close friends from around the world who had children with the same cancer. One by one all of the children that we knew died. As an offshoot of that experience several of the dads formed a group of commiserating guys that became known as Sad Dads. Two of them founded a charity dedicated to eradicating this disease Solvingkidscancer.org The executive director and co-founder Scott Kennedy is pictured.
[caption id="attachment_1296" align="alignright" width="225"]
Shayne Thomas with Scott Kennedy founder of Solving Kids Cancer[/caption]
So all that is to say that in New York I raced on team Sad Dads promoting Solving Kids Cancer!!
It was raining in New York so everything that the city belched out came into the Hudson. The current was swift and the water was dirty. As portrayed in the New York Times.
Remarkably I did the Olympic distance swim in 16.11. It took me over 5 minutes though to get to the transition. NYC is the longest run I have ever endured after a swim.
Team Sad Dads finished in style in the middle of chaotic Central Park followed by a relaxing brunch at Tavern on the Green.
A few years back my daughter Christi Thomas passed away from a rare cancer. She was made famous in oncology circles in part through the work of webmaster Eric Cook and Christithomas.com. As we progressed through treatment we made close friends from around the world who had children with the same cancer. One by one all of the children that we knew died. As an offshoot of that experience several of the dads formed a group of commiserating guys that became known as Sad Dads. Two of them founded a charity dedicated to eradicating this disease Solvingkidscancer.org The executive director and co-founder Scott Kennedy is pictured.
[caption id="attachment_1296" align="alignright" width="225"]
Shayne Thomas with Scott Kennedy founder of Solving Kids Cancer[/caption]So all that is to say that in New York I raced on team Sad Dads promoting Solving Kids Cancer!!
It was raining in New York so everything that the city belched out came into the Hudson. The current was swift and the water was dirty. As portrayed in the New York Times.
Remarkably I did the Olympic distance swim in 16.11. It took me over 5 minutes though to get to the transition. NYC is the longest run I have ever endured after a swim.
Team Sad Dads finished in style in the middle of chaotic Central Park followed by a relaxing brunch at Tavern on the Green.
Monday, August 11, 2014
Marie,Scott, and Rose Rock Cereal City
Cereal city triathlon:
Scotty: I did the sprint triathlon, with the sun shining and no wind; it was great weather for a race. The swim felt short, but I’m not complaining. I was off to a good start on the bike as I headed near the half way turnaround. And decided to see how fast I could make the 180-degree turn. So I toke the turn as hard as I could and before I knew it I was on my butt. With a goal of averaging over 20 mph on the bike leg I was not going to let this minor setback slow me down. The run was good, with nice and helpful volunteers I finished in 1:16. I overachieved my bike goal with averaging 21.1 mph. and a 20:30 5k. With a nice course and simple layout I would recommend this race to a friend.
Rose: I participated in the sprint duathlon, the weather was nice in the morning which made warming up really easy. The first run was simple, the layout was nice and everyone who helped did a great job, I never had to wait for cars or directions because everyone was paying attention and knew exactly what to do. Transitions weren’t crowded so that sped everything up, and then I was quickly on the bike. The bike course was really nice, there wasn’t much debris and with the police officers the cars were minding the cyclists. The second run was hard to start but as soon as I got my land legs back it was easy to tune out everything and tell myself I was almost done. Before I knew it I actually was done and I went and had a hot dog. I think that next year I’ll sign up again and see if some friends will come with me too.
Marie: I did the sprint tri and it was one of the best ones I’ve done in a while. The swim was good, people spread out quickly and there was minimal crowding (where I was, near the back). I was happy to get out of the water and start the bike. The bike was an out-and-back course that was nice. There was a good police force to direct traffic so we had no problems. It was a beautiful day and I felt good. I was able to go really fast on the bike. The bike and run courses were pretty flat for the most part. I finished the bike and started for the run. The run took me out to Riverside Elementary and back. Once I got used to running I was able to go faster than usual. I finished with a 1:33. My 5k run was a 22:47. I crossed the finish line and was glad to be done. I live in Battle Creek so I had many friends around from my cross country team. Our coach was there and was happy about our times. I had 2 other teammates do the tri and a few others do a relay together. We hung out and got food and waited for awards. I was first in my age group. It was a great day and a great race. I plan to do it next year as well.
Scotty: I did the sprint triathlon, with the sun shining and no wind; it was great weather for a race. The swim felt short, but I’m not complaining. I was off to a good start on the bike as I headed near the half way turnaround. And decided to see how fast I could make the 180-degree turn. So I toke the turn as hard as I could and before I knew it I was on my butt. With a goal of averaging over 20 mph on the bike leg I was not going to let this minor setback slow me down. The run was good, with nice and helpful volunteers I finished in 1:16. I overachieved my bike goal with averaging 21.1 mph. and a 20:30 5k. With a nice course and simple layout I would recommend this race to a friend.Rose: I participated in the sprint duathlon, the weather was nice in the morning which made warming up really easy. The first run was simple, the layout was nice and everyone who helped did a great job, I never had to wait for cars or directions because everyone was paying attention and knew exactly what to do. Transitions weren’t crowded so that sped everything up, and then I was quickly on the bike. The bike course was really nice, there wasn’t much debris and with the police officers the cars were minding the cyclists. The second run was hard to start but as soon as I got my land legs back it was easy to tune out everything and tell myself I was almost done. Before I knew it I actually was done and I went and had a hot dog. I think that next year I’ll sign up again and see if some friends will come with me too.
Marie: I did the sprint tri and it was one of the best ones I’ve done in a while. The swim was good, people spread out quickly and there was minimal crowding (where I was, near the back). I was happy to get out of the water and start the bike. The bike was an out-and-back course that was nice. There was a good police force to direct traffic so we had no problems. It was a beautiful day and I felt good. I was able to go really fast on the bike. The bike and run courses were pretty flat for the most part. I finished the bike and started for the run. The run took me out to Riverside Elementary and back. Once I got used to running I was able to go faster than usual. I finished with a 1:33. My 5k run was a 22:47. I crossed the finish line and was glad to be done. I live in Battle Creek so I had many friends around from my cross country team. Our coach was there and was happy about our times. I had 2 other teammates do the tri and a few others do a relay together. We hung out and got food and waited for awards. I was first in my age group. It was a great day and a great race. I plan to do it next year as well.
Tuesday, August 5, 2014
Shermanator Du
Josh Haas here; coming off a tough finish at the Gull Lake Du, I was quite nervous about the Shermanator Duathlon this year. I had high hopes of again taking 1st place overall for the 2nd year in a row.I've been working on my core, strengthening my bum knee and of course, continuing to ride hard on the bike to keep my fitness level as high as possible. Going into the event I felt good and saw only a few athletes that looked to pose threats. I ended the first 2.5k run in 3rd and a smoking fast transition sailed me past two of them before they were even on their bikes. Seeing the last one in front of me on the bike, it appeared he wasn't an aggressive rider and I smoked past him before even getting to the main road. After exiting the Sherman Lake property onto 39th St., I buckled down into my rhythm and began picking off Tri riders one by one. I was very pleased to know I had roughly 10 miles to gain as much time on my Du competition as possible knowing I had a couple faster runners that could potentially catch up in the 2nd run.
I had another fantastic transition going into the 2nd run. After the first turn-around I began seeing my competition and at the time thought he was a little too close for my comfort. This drove me to push the run pretty hard which resulted in me finishing with a PR 5k and well over two minutes faster overall than the 2nd place finisher.
This was definitely the performance I needed given the knee issues and rough finish at Gull Lake. I look forward to another good showing next week at the Cereal City Duathlon.
-Josh
Saturday, July 26, 2014
Katie Bridges at Dream,Believe,Achieve
Dream. Believe. Achieve. It's a triathlon, hosted at Sandy Pines Resort near Grand Rapids. The name alone caught me, and I was all-in. All week the forecast looked bad, with thunderstorms which would cancel the race. When my alarm went off at 4:20, I checked the weather and that was when I realized... today, I was lucky. It was my day. The race was ON.The swim went great for me, which is a big deal because often the swim is where things go bad, very very bad. I stayed... chill. The water was flat, 77 degrees, and not trying to drown me. Then it was time to get on the bike. The course was very hilly, which went okay for the most part. It was so much fun roaring down those hills, but going up really causes the burn. I was worried that I was pushing too hard on the bike, and I wouldn't have anything left for the run. But, the bike is the fun part, right? I had forgotten my chomps and I was hungry when I got to T2. I NEVER eat the Hammergels, but I sampled apple, something berrie and the huckleberry along the run course to keep going. The run went through the Sandy Pines park, and was flat and full of people cheering and encouraging the runners along the route. Two loops through the park, and I was headed back to the finish.
I ended up finishing first in my age group! The post race festivities included a cold Pepsi, some snacks and I even won a raffle prize. See, I told you it was my lucky day!!
May-hem and Destruction
A month long race report for Charles Elder
The grieving process takes time, and until now I have not been ready to relive the race that severely injured my beloved two wheeled ride.
My race season began in early May at the Fort Custer Stampede on May 4. After the harsh winter we had and little riding opportunities, I am sure I was not the only one feeling unprepared for this race. My wave took off at a faster than normal pace heading into the single track. I knew at that moment I was in trouble. Overall, it was an uneventful race (on my part), finishing middle of the pack in the sport class.
Amidst traveling for work the following week, I came across a Wednesday night race series where I was in North Carolina. Every Wednesday night mountain bikers met in different locations of Greensboro for the Racing in the Woods summer race series. New trails, new riders, new sights: why not? I raced sport class on a whole new hilly terrain. It was a constant course of down hill, up hill, corner, and repeat. The climbing made it hard to gain any type of momentum. I finished dead last. Looking at the results, the sport class riders which I raced, were posting the same lap times as the elite riders. No wonder I was feeling slow. Regardless, it was still a fun way to spend a Wednesday night while on the road. Definitely beat sitting in the hotel. (Side note: the trail system and mountain biking trails are amazing, and easily accessible through almost anywhere in the city. If you are ever near or in Greensboro, I highly suggest checking some out.)
In just a couple of short weeks it was time once again to hit familiar trials and race Yankee Springs TT. My recollection of this race is about vividly in my memory and as I think about it I still get choked up, or rather feel like choking someone. The start felt great and I was
able to catch about 10 riders within the first 2 miles. Finally, I was in my groove. Around mile 4 I got a little too familiar with the terrain when I flew over my handlebars at a corner. Pick it up and keep on going. I was riding solid while struggling on the up hills. With about 3 miles left, a pink jersey rider flew past me and became my "rabbit". With the finish line in sight I saw my "rabbit" only 6 bike lengths ahead with one rider in between us. I gave it all I had on the last corner and the flat and pushed forward. I flew up next to him ready to pass reaching 22 mph and my "rabbit" did not want to be passed. It gave the spectators quite a show when I flew over the handle bars off of the course a remarkable distance. The response told me it didn't look good, and there was definitely some amazement that I was uninjured. My bike, however, didn't make it out as easily. I ran my bike, with its wobbling bent front wheel, across the finish. Not the fastest, not the slowest, but I finished. Then I had to make the phone call home and break the bad news. My wife always tells me to not hurt the bike. "You're insured, the bike is not" she says. Well, sorry to disappoint this time, but the bike took the brunt of the fall and it will never be the same again.
I ended my month of May with a Christmas gift. My wife and I were registered to run the Seahorse Duathlon on May 25th at Coldbrook Park. Luckily, this was not a race that required my mountain bike. Coming into this race I do not think I had even ran six miles, total, for the
entire year so I was not expecting much. The run was challenging mixed with trail, paved and unpaved road and even some stairs. There were only 12 participants in the duathlon. I was happy to see that I was the third fastest on the bike portion overall (especially considering the beast, Danny Wolin, was number 1). I was 1st in my age group, as well as the only one in my age group. The highlight of this race was seeing so many other WSI teammates on the course and after.
May was eventful, to say the least. My mountain bike has been repaired and put back together. It's rideable, but not the same. My custom Project 321 red rims no longer match. Still grieving (a.k.a. pouting). *insert sad face*
Race report written for Charles Elder by Nikki Elder (give credit where credit is due).
The grieving process takes time, and until now I have not been ready to relive the race that severely injured my beloved two wheeled ride.
My race season began in early May at the Fort Custer Stampede on May 4. After the harsh winter we had and little riding opportunities, I am sure I was not the only one feeling unprepared for this race. My wave took off at a faster than normal pace heading into the single track. I knew at that moment I was in trouble. Overall, it was an uneventful race (on my part), finishing middle of the pack in the sport class.
Amidst traveling for work the following week, I came across a Wednesday night race series where I was in North Carolina. Every Wednesday night mountain bikers met in different locations of Greensboro for the Racing in the Woods summer race series. New trails, new riders, new sights: why not? I raced sport class on a whole new hilly terrain. It was a constant course of down hill, up hill, corner, and repeat. The climbing made it hard to gain any type of momentum. I finished dead last. Looking at the results, the sport class riders which I raced, were posting the same lap times as the elite riders. No wonder I was feeling slow. Regardless, it was still a fun way to spend a Wednesday night while on the road. Definitely beat sitting in the hotel. (Side note: the trail system and mountain biking trails are amazing, and easily accessible through almost anywhere in the city. If you are ever near or in Greensboro, I highly suggest checking some out.) In just a couple of short weeks it was time once again to hit familiar trials and race Yankee Springs TT. My recollection of this race is about vividly in my memory and as I think about it I still get choked up, or rather feel like choking someone. The start felt great and I was
able to catch about 10 riders within the first 2 miles. Finally, I was in my groove. Around mile 4 I got a little too familiar with the terrain when I flew over my handlebars at a corner. Pick it up and keep on going. I was riding solid while struggling on the up hills. With about 3 miles left, a pink jersey rider flew past me and became my "rabbit". With the finish line in sight I saw my "rabbit" only 6 bike lengths ahead with one rider in between us. I gave it all I had on the last corner and the flat and pushed forward. I flew up next to him ready to pass reaching 22 mph and my "rabbit" did not want to be passed. It gave the spectators quite a show when I flew over the handle bars off of the course a remarkable distance. The response told me it didn't look good, and there was definitely some amazement that I was uninjured. My bike, however, didn't make it out as easily. I ran my bike, with its wobbling bent front wheel, across the finish. Not the fastest, not the slowest, but I finished. Then I had to make the phone call home and break the bad news. My wife always tells me to not hurt the bike. "You're insured, the bike is not" she says. Well, sorry to disappoint this time, but the bike took the brunt of the fall and it will never be the same again. I ended my month of May with a Christmas gift. My wife and I were registered to run the Seahorse Duathlon on May 25th at Coldbrook Park. Luckily, this was not a race that required my mountain bike. Coming into this race I do not think I had even ran six miles, total, for the
entire year so I was not expecting much. The run was challenging mixed with trail, paved and unpaved road and even some stairs. There were only 12 participants in the duathlon. I was happy to see that I was the third fastest on the bike portion overall (especially considering the beast, Danny Wolin, was number 1). I was 1st in my age group, as well as the only one in my age group. The highlight of this race was seeing so many other WSI teammates on the course and after. May was eventful, to say the least. My mountain bike has been repaired and put back together. It's rideable, but not the same. My custom Project 321 red rims no longer match. Still grieving (a.k.a. pouting). *insert sad face*
Race report written for Charles Elder by Nikki Elder (give credit where credit is due).
Tuesday, July 22, 2014
2014 Tri del Sol Race Report
It was a beautiful day for a triathlon in Middleville, MI at YMCA Camp Manitou-Lin. The water temp was just cool enough to make it "wesuit legal". I felt like I had a really good swim: 750 meters in 11 minutes and 43 seconds. Then on to the 13.5 mile rolling bike course which I completed in 35 minutes and 32 seconds for an average speed of 20.8 MPH. I finished 2nd over all in the sprint aquabike division. Matt Wright
Sunday, July 13, 2014
Bridges run the Keweenaw
Copper Harbor and Eagle Harbor are about as far north as you can get in Michigan. It is the setting of Run the Keweenaw, a set of three trail races which challenge, amaze and inspire. The trail runners among us spent quality time dodging roots, rocks and (occasionally) water to test our inner mountain goat. Kevin accomplished the series, finishing with a beauty of a blister and a smile. The kids and I ran the hill climb (really BIG hill) and the Copper Harbor Trail 12k. The kids and I scored some age group places, with coffee beans, handmade soap and bug lotion as our awards. I'm sure I'll use that bug stuff up here soon! It was an awesome weekend, the RD Mike was awesome and I can't wait to run these trails again.
Tuesday, July 1, 2014
Gull Lake Tri/Du
Josh Haas here; if anyone has ever had a bad day of racing, they will relate to my performance in the Gull Lake Duathlon. My first run went well and I was feeling strong into the bike leg which is my strongest discipline. Knowing I still had a 10k run ahead of me and some hills on the back part of the bike course, I backed off hoping to leave enough in the tank. Even with that, I was in 3rd position coming off the bike with high hopes of hitting the podium with Danny (knowing he'd likely do well). That goal was shattered about a mile and a half into the second run when severe cramps took hold and refused to let go. Not willing to give up, I began taking breaks and walking when necessary.
Having recently been working through some knee issues, my running has been non-existent for the past few weeks. I had hoped my base would sail me through the race ok but at the Olympic distance, I think that was probably a bad decision. Having said that, I did finish (with roughly half of my second run being walked) and while this affected me mentally I did walk away looking at it as a great learning experience.
While this was my worst showing in a race yet, I still finished and felt that was the right thing to do to properly represent the WSI team. A special thanks to the Katie Bridges for her encouragement during the second run and a huge thank you as always to Obewon (Danny) for being the consummate team mentor/coach.
-Josh
Having recently been working through some knee issues, my running has been non-existent for the past few weeks. I had hoped my base would sail me through the race ok but at the Olympic distance, I think that was probably a bad decision. Having said that, I did finish (with roughly half of my second run being walked) and while this affected me mentally I did walk away looking at it as a great learning experience.
While this was my worst showing in a race yet, I still finished and felt that was the right thing to do to properly represent the WSI team. A special thanks to the Katie Bridges for her encouragement during the second run and a huge thank you as always to Obewon (Danny) for being the consummate team mentor/coach.
-Josh
Sunday, June 29, 2014
The Bridges Family Gull Lake Triathlon Report
This weekend was the Gull Lake Triathlon and WSI Cycling had several racers at the event. The Bridges family not only participated, but had a great showing!
I raced the Olympic distance at Gull Lake, had a very good race finishing 2ND in my age group. The swim was great, nice warm and clear water. The bike was a rolling ride in Barry County on fairly good roads at least better than we’re used to. The new Aero wheels I got this week worked wonderfully, I averaged over 20 mph, a first for me. Thanks Team Active! The run was hillier than I thought but I managed to get through it with a respectful run time. I was able to fix the mistakes I made at Seahorse earlier this season so I’m very pleased with my race.
Why do I do these? Misery can be so much fun, I guess. I also did the Olympic distance triathlon, and also came in 2nd in my age group. This course is beautiful; the lake is crystal-clear, the bike and run are rolling hills. The weather was fine, warm and 70s as we started out, heating up to the low 80s by the end. I’ve never been a fan of running in the 80s, but I guess after complaining about a cold winter, what can I say? Today’s goal was to work moderately keeping the heat in mind, and focus on the nutrition part. I did fine there. The swim just seems to take me FOREVER!! I just kept those buoys in my sight and worked toward them one by one.
By the time I got to my bike, I was so thankful to have some time to ride. The bike is my favorite part, and the rollercoaster hills were fun to play around on. Then I remembered… I need to have SOME legs left to run. The run was fine, but feels so slow after the bike! I like the out-and-back run, as I was able to see some of my WSI teammates, friends and family members finish up their race, cheering and giving High 5s. Gull Lake is a great race, I really enjoyed it as a first-timer, and I would recommend it to anyone who’s looking for a great local race.
Gull lake triathlon was my first Olympic distance triathlon. The swim was very nice, but was a struggle at times, I had a very slow swim, with a lot of ground to make up I headed onto the bike. The bike course is great, with smooth roads and some hills made it interesting. With just averaging under 19 miles per hour, I felt great and saving something for the run, which is where I felt even better. Finishing strong and got 1st in my age group.
Gull Lake Triathlon was a great race. I did the sprint triathlon and finished in first in my age group and was the 7th women overall. The swim was nice and clear and seemed pretty short. The bike was great- only a few small hills and only like 10 miles. I was able to go pretty fast. The run was a 5k and relatively flat and on pavement. I started slow then got faster as the run went on. I wasn’t able to see the finish line very well coming up to it, but I soon saw it and sprinted the finish. Pretty good food at the end, and another great race.
Kevin Bridges
I raced the Olympic distance at Gull Lake, had a very good race finishing 2ND in my age group. The swim was great, nice warm and clear water. The bike was a rolling ride in Barry County on fairly good roads at least better than we’re used to. The new Aero wheels I got this week worked wonderfully, I averaged over 20 mph, a first for me. Thanks Team Active! The run was hillier than I thought but I managed to get through it with a respectful run time. I was able to fix the mistakes I made at Seahorse earlier this season so I’m very pleased with my race.
Katie Bridges
Why do I do these? Misery can be so much fun, I guess. I also did the Olympic distance triathlon, and also came in 2nd in my age group. This course is beautiful; the lake is crystal-clear, the bike and run are rolling hills. The weather was fine, warm and 70s as we started out, heating up to the low 80s by the end. I’ve never been a fan of running in the 80s, but I guess after complaining about a cold winter, what can I say? Today’s goal was to work moderately keeping the heat in mind, and focus on the nutrition part. I did fine there. The swim just seems to take me FOREVER!! I just kept those buoys in my sight and worked toward them one by one.
By the time I got to my bike, I was so thankful to have some time to ride. The bike is my favorite part, and the rollercoaster hills were fun to play around on. Then I remembered… I need to have SOME legs left to run. The run was fine, but feels so slow after the bike! I like the out-and-back run, as I was able to see some of my WSI teammates, friends and family members finish up their race, cheering and giving High 5s. Gull Lake is a great race, I really enjoyed it as a first-timer, and I would recommend it to anyone who’s looking for a great local race.
Scott Bridges
Gull lake triathlon was my first Olympic distance triathlon. The swim was very nice, but was a struggle at times, I had a very slow swim, with a lot of ground to make up I headed onto the bike. The bike course is great, with smooth roads and some hills made it interesting. With just averaging under 19 miles per hour, I felt great and saving something for the run, which is where I felt even better. Finishing strong and got 1st in my age group.
Marie Bridges
Gull Lake Triathlon was a great race. I did the sprint triathlon and finished in first in my age group and was the 7th women overall. The swim was nice and clear and seemed pretty short. The bike was great- only a few small hills and only like 10 miles. I was able to go pretty fast. The run was a 5k and relatively flat and on pavement. I started slow then got faster as the run went on. I wasn’t able to see the finish line very well coming up to it, but I soon saw it and sprinted the finish. Pretty good food at the end, and another great race.
Thursday, June 26, 2014
Up date last 2 races back to back 24hr.National Challenge Road Bike and Lumberjack 100 Mtn. Bike
The plan for this season's racing and training is with the intent of competing in RAAM 2015. Each one of these races on its own is grueling, and done within five days, fits perfectly into a training program for RAAM. I was the only WSI team member at the 24hr and yes; it was lonely at 3am. There were other teams grouped up and I felt their energy as they whizzed by. Part of me was a little jealous, but deep down my defiant side was deeply motivated to keep going. The Lumberjack is a tough course, but so much fun because other WSI team members were there competing. There were also team members and fans at the event supporting racers Eric Cook, Dan Frayer, and Jack Miner. What a difference in motivation between the 2 races! I used my intrinsic desire to succeed solo aginst the world at the 24hr and my love for comraderie and shared suffering with friends at the Lumberjack.
Kathy Roche-Wallace
Kathy Roche-Wallace
Tuesday, June 24, 2014
State TT Championship in June
Josh Haas here; the 2014 State Time Trial Championship brought some good talent to a hilly, technical course in late June. With three turnarounds and a short 16 miles ridden, it was an odd route that catered to the more technical riders. It was certainly a learning experience for me and I felt I rode well given where my fitness level is currently. I missed the podium by 57 seconds and I placed 4th in my division. I was happy with my performance and believe the hilly course did play to some of my strengths. Pre-riding the course the night before was also very useful. WSI was also represented by Danny Wolin and the time trial master podiumed with a 3rd place finish in his division.
I'm looking forward to next year. The goal is to come in stronger and faster than ever with a podium finish.
-Josh
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