A 10% Grade

A ten percent grade.

Somewhat like a hard climb is where it gets its name. Enter a keyframe at the start, choose your distance and add another keyframe. Zero is flat and anything over 20% usually indicates pain of one sort or another. Ten percent is an honest grade. It separates a lot of folks, fast. Ten percent is why there are triples. It is why carbon-fiber is so popular. It is where the big lessons are learned. The University of 10.

I look at every race as an opportunity to learn something about myself. As complete disclosure, it is why I started to do Ironman events fifteen years ago; I had to know if I could do it. And then do it better. Faster. Make it easier. Race in Hawaii. It has taken me down a most interesting, challenging, enjoyable and relentless path. Still, the lessons come at you fast. Sunday's race down in Bend was no exception to the rule. I learned a lot about a lot. It seems that the lessons have changed a little, more subtle perhaps, more introspective, esoteric, odd. They seemed to create a gradient on Sunday and as I swam, biked and ran under the high desert sun, I had a chance to somewhat sort them out. The gradient:

Start: (enter keyframe) I haven't been in the pool in almost two years. Sorry but I just find it boring. I also detest the fact that I have to pay $4 a visit to the pool that my taxes paid to have built and that I repeatedly pay property taxes to maintain each and every year. Talk about getting soaked. I also can't stand the manager, or the attitudes of the staff, so I just don't go. I'll get in another CompuTrainer session, a spin, long ride or a run, thank you very much. So I stand on the boat ramp at the Wikiup Reseviour at 0900 Sunday morning facing a 1500 meter swim to start the day. Am I apprehensive, nervous, frightened? Not at all. I am so calm I start to wonder if Dad made decaf this morning. My strategy is this: I am going to take it so easy and relaxed and smooth that to the untrained eye it might appear as if I am actually having fun. A water leg first for me. I am going to practice technique and try to slip through the warm green water like a happy brown trout, expending as little energy as possible. I am going to rotate my neoprene hips like never before and breathe deep and reciprocally, my arms will reach way out in front, grab bucketfuls of water and finish with a curt little triceps squeeze. I will glide as if I am coated with WD-40. And all this comes to pass. I couldn't believe how easy it was. I was passing others in age groups that had started ten minutes before our blue caped geezer class. Before I knew it I had rounded the last buoy and was stroking towards the red carpet of the finish. WOW, maybe this is the way it's supposed to be, actually self propelling forward with quasi-gusto.

LESSON: Relax.

The Bike: I see Dad in T1 and he is snapping photos with a Rite-Aide disposable camera and smiling so I figure all is well. I have a terrible transition as the X-Terra wetsuit that I am frantically peeling off is one size too small and I am only wearing it because my good DeSoto T2 suit is lost somewhere. I tell Dad as I leave the pen that the race starts now. He smiles and says "Go get 'em." I will.

LESSON: Be present.

28 miles. The Olympic Distance bike course is a 40K, or 24.8 miles. This course just works out to be 28 miles, a little long, but everybody has to do it so who cares? I am feeling good, surprisingly good and it is quickly apparent that today I have some mojo. Major Mojo. As I pass the first thirty people who are better swimmers than I, the thought hits that maybe today is the withdrawal day paying the dividend on all that HIT spinning we've done over the years, and especially the last one. Yah? Two ways to find out mate, and the one you can control is to DO IT.

LESSON: Manage your day.

If it feels good, push, it it doesn't, well, push anyway. And I start the push. And immediately pass another thirty. And then come across my pal Lynn who I didn't know was racing here, so I brake down and chat for a few, bid her adieu, and return to the task at hand, namely, finding a powerful sweet spot and holding it for another 20 miles. I can't believe how fast the miles markers are coming on. I am flying. The sun is up, the sky is blue, it's beautiful and have a GU. Please remember to hydrate and work the axis from the core. Keep pushing. You can go harder, the run is only a flat 10K. Seek and destroy. As I hear this voice crackle over the headphones I hear a rattle from what seems like the front wheel, God, I have broken a spoke? Just when everything was going along so smooth. I check the brakes on a 30-mph decent and can't locate the noise. Shit, why today? As I try to locate the source of the irritating rattle, now getting louder, a skinny guy passes me on a Trek Madone. Hum-mm, first time that has happened today, guy looks very fit, probably a good runner, and I see he is wearing my age on his right calf. OK, fine, we got us a race here, let's go. But this rattle is now loud and starting to concern me. Should I stop and try to fix it and allow Mr. Skinny to get a mile ahead, or hope that it will hold up for another 15 miles? Remembering that I have been comped to the event and that race day insurance could be an issue, I think about what would happen if I have a mechanical failure at 35-mph, my current speed on the downhill, where I decide to pass Mr. Skinny because I now have a weight advantage. It is more important to me right now that I put some doubt into his brain that he might not be able to counter such a powerful move, and one coming from a competitor who looks to be a touch "focused". I slam the hammer down with a surge of endorphins and sweat and keep an impossible pace for five lung-burning, leg-turning, fire breathing minutes. When I take a peek behind he is nowhere to be seen.

LESSON: Never underestimate the power of power.

I cruise through the remainder of the course, passing everything that isn't nailed down or dead. My question is now, at what price? Will I even be able to keep a 10 minute/mile pace up for the 6.2? Has my race wad been shot into space? Is the tank on E? Have I learned nothing in twenty years of racing?

LESSON: Endurance is the result of power, speed, efficiency and repetition.

The run: Why do I feel so good? I have no reason to feel like I can catch an antelope at this stage of the race. I drink some water at the first aid station and look around. Everywhere are signs of carnage. I have seen this all before, many, many times. Lot's of fans out today, sitting in lawn chairs, sipping lemonade. I smile, and wave and talk to a few runners and say thanks to all the traffic control volunteers as I snake my way through the field. I see a guy with a 55 on his calf and blow by him so fast he probably lost his cap. I look at my watch and start doing some math. The mileage makers are coming on faster than they were on the bike. Mile 3, 4, 5 and then I start to hear the PA announcer and the crowd. I have less than 500 meters to go. Already? I push. The crowd is growing and clapping and kids are holding out their little hands for low fives. I get 'em all as I do my little airplane approach to the landing strip. There is just a trace of lactic acid in my legs as I hit the timing mat. I take one deep breath and I am recovered. That's it?

LESSON: If you spend all your time training for an Ironman, this is just another workout, you may go hard, race well, and go fast.

MORE LESSONS: Not everybody wants to do it this way. Competition isn't everything. But it is something. And the lessons learned here today were all good. With even a few big ones. This, to me, is the fun.

Footnote: The final results were somehow scrambled with the official times showing the winner of our age group at 2:53.12. My time was 2:50:10. An honest, albeit ironic, grade.

Enjoy the video.

WHooooo

Sometimes life can be really simple. If the look on Junior's face isn't reward enough, I have it all wrong. (you can clink on the image to enlarge). The video of Saturday's 58 miles came out pretty crisp as did a lot of the other footage from the weekend. I will have the sample teaser- trailer cut and wrapped by this time tomorrow for your entertainment and motivation. You can then, swim, bike, run or raft to your hearts content. As mine is right now. Whoooo.

WATER

Back from the wild weekend in Bend. Great days for racing and rafting. A coupla quick pix as I continue the render of IM CdA and get caught up. I will post some video of the Pacific Crest events, of our running the Deshutes and try to cut the weekend highlight vid and post as soon as I go to the store and allow my sore quads to mend.

Top is of four fearless river runners just before Big Eddy, Michael, Travis, Elliott and George.
Bottom is at the start of the long PCT long course at Wikiup Rez on Saturday.

Listen Up

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/25/health/nutrition/25best.html

The key is in not buying into the spin. Know the difference between injury and fatigue. The more you train, the more it hurts. The more it hurts, the greater the value. When your legs try to tell you (sell you) that they are tired and deserve a rest, HEAR-BUT DO NOT BUY.

Off to Bend. Adios amigos.

Since 1949

Yesterdays "Bad Boyz" video post created a bit of a stir over at our sister YouTube http://www.youtube.com/user/RCVman site and on Slowtwitch.com with almost 500 views in a day ( hence becoming the fastest RCVman vid to do so). Just think of what we could do with some T&A to go with that violence. Drop an f-bomb or two and we could get some serious attention! Just so you know we will NEVER stoop to that level (cheap exploitation) unless it becomes absolutely necessary to sustain this luxurious lifestyle. A guy has got to have some principals ya know (although I do kinda like the Richard Branson approach).

Until we launch RCVman airlines then, we will continue to promote our work in more traditional ways, such as T-shirts (Jim shown here sporting one of our event T's from 2003) and bumper stickers (since 1949?). Also included in today's gloat-post is a shot just seconds before the canon blast to start IM CdA Sunday. If that isn't a visage of quiet confidence, RCVman doesn't know what is.

Off to Bend, OR tomorrow for Pacific Crest Multi-Sport weekend. The 58 mile scenic long course gets the RCVman treatment on Saturday and the Oly distance will test his limited training on Sunday.

RCVman
Enjoying the ride since 1949.

BAD BOYZ

More from CdA. This incident happened around 17 minutes into the ride. I saw it as I rode past on the scooter and thought to myself, how sad. Upon download of the video and a closer inspection (in super slo-mo) it tells a clearer story of what really happened. Although there was an absence of malice and seemingly no criminal intent http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mens_rea, the perp still ended the victims day and most likely sent her to the ER. Not the way you want to have your race day end.

So as a PSA, what do we do with this? I have listed a few options in the video and suspect that there are a few others. Your thoughts?

Ida-Ore

Just back from the CdA shoot. Went well as attested by the download. The .2 version of IM Coeur d'Alene will put the initial release back in the can from which it came. This one, shot from the pack on the (aging rapidly) Super Shooter Scooter (see photo) is the RCV real deal: You want spills? we got 'em (first ever RCV crash literally in front of camera), you want thrills? (how about 50 mph downhills with opposing riders less than a foot away), you want hills? Duh. You want chills? (with the wind chill, cloud cover and pending rain, it got downright COLD out there). All meaning that this one was worth the effort. I will post a trailer highlight vid before we head south this time for the Pacific Crest Tri weekend down in Bend, Oregon. One of these days I'll tell ya the story of how I covered both events, Pacific Crest on Saturday (which I filmed) and IM CdA (in which I raced) on Sunday. THAT was a weekend!

From Idaho: (bottom to top)
The SSS ready to go - just add camera.
Kurt had 'em lined up wanting to test the latest RCV, IM Canada.
I pull into a driveway at mile 30 to change tape and who is there spectating? Former champ Wendy Ingraham. http://wendyingraham.loopd.com/Members/WendyIngraham/Default.aspx Gotta love an IM.

More, much more on the way.