2011 El Paso Avance bicycle tour

    The 2011 El Paso Avance Bicycle Tour has two different distances that you can choose from, a 30 and a 60 mile.  Both rides start at Painted Dunes Golf Coarse.  The 60 mile ride goes out to La Mesa where riders turn around and ride back to the golf coarse.  The turn around point for the 30 mile ride is at the community college at the end of Anthony Gap. 
  I participated in the 30 mile ride which I really enjoyed.  The ride is a great work out due to the hills that Anthony Gap has.  The ride also offers great desert and mountain scenery.  The route is easy to follow and is marked with arrows on the pavement.  For the thirty mile ride a water station was located at the community college which is the halfway point.  SAG support is provided which is always nice, especially if you get a flat tire.  Also, t-shirts and lunch was provided for all who entered the ride.  Proceeds from the ride go toward helping young families break the cycle of poverty through early childhood development, parenting, adult and family literacy.  I highly recommend doing this ride and hope to do it again next year.
  I was happy to see two of my good friends at the ride, Christy Jones and Robert Lovett.  Robert has recently been ill with double pneumonia and I was especially happy to see him back on the bike.  I am sad to say Christy will soon be moving across the country; she will certainly be missed.  I pray that her and her family will have safe travels and many blessings in their new home.

Buffman Squeaky Triathlon

    Any triathlon that I have competed in at Buffalo Springs lake has always been top of the line.  Mike and Marti whom are the race directors have always done an outstanding job putting on one of the best triathlons in the Southwest.  The coarse is fun, challenging and scenic.  I would highly recommend competing in any triathlon at Buffalo Springs Lake although the 70.3 distance, of coarse,  requires the proper training as does any triathlon.
    At the start of the Buffman Squeaky Triathlon this weekend conditions were cold, breezy and cloudy.  The first reading of the temperature of the water was 54 degrees.  The second temperature reading was 58 degrees.  The truth of the matter is the water was very cold!  I was really nervous about the swim because of the temperature and I battled with my mind.  I just prayed to God and asked him to keep me warm in the water, and He did.  As the gun went off I walked in (notice I said walked in) and started the swim. Initially the water was cold and I had to focus on getting my breathing pattern right.  I quickly adapted and soon the water was quite comfortable.   The water was choppy due to the breezy conditions so my swim time was not the fastest,  however, the coarse was very well marked with plenty of buoys and life boats.  When exiting the water there was an army of volunteers helping the swimmers out of the water and also to help strip off the wetsuits.  The volunteers as always were absolutely the best!
   Once the wetsuit came off and I ran into the transition area and could feel the cold air.  Wet and all I knew that the bike would be a cold one.  I quickly put on a long sleeve bike jersey and made my way to the bike coarse.  Sure enough my legs and feet froze on the bike.  The breeze at times on the coarse was like hitting a wall, but the bike is my strength.  I pedaled hard and managed to average a 19.4 average speed overall. Considering the hills and breezy conditions I was pleased with my bike split.  The bike coarse for the Olympic distance is mostly flat, however, there are a total of six climbs through out the coarse.  Two of the hills are immediate and I noticed some triathletes walking their bikes up the hills.  The third climb which is close to the turn around point and is not as steep and only lasted about 500 meters or so.  On the way back you will experience the same climbs again because the bike is an out and back coarse.
    The run is one of my all time favorites because it is on a path that goes around the lake.  It is a scenic run with many trees that provide shade.  It is mostly a flat path and is out and back run.  I once heard Craig Alexander say that "you have to save your penny's for the run.  You either spend them now or spend them later".  Well I found out the true meaning of his saying for this triathlon.  I had pushed hard on the bike so about a mile into the run I could feel my legs cramping.  I continued to push my pace but the cramps stayed with me through out the run.  I completed the run with an average pace of 9:21 per mile.  Anyway I had a lot of fun doing this triathlon and that is what is most important.  Thank God I have the ability to swim, bike and run!