Chile Pepper Ride

    It has been a while since I have done an event, but doing the Chile Pepper Ride was a great way to get back into the swing of things.  Today I finished the 38 mile ride with my buddy Russ.  We started off on time at 9:30.  It felt hot when we left the La Vina Winery and I was a little worried that the heat would make it a hard ride but that was not the case at all.  It was a perfect day for a ride down the scenic highway 28.  The event was well organized and had plenty of aid stations.  The aid station at the halfway point was the best.  One of the volunteers asked if he could hold my bike while I stopped which was really nice.  At the rest stop plenty of fuel was available such as energy bars, fig newtons, and peanut butter sandwiches, which really hit the spot.  After a brief stop me and my buddy Russ were off again.  One of the best parts of the event was riding through the canopy of the pecan trees, it really made the ride worth it.  I finished the race riding at an average speed of 18.5 mph which I was well pleased with. 
    Like I said this event was really well organized and I will do it again.  If I had to complain about anything I would have to say that more outhouses are needed at the beginning of the race.  To many riders were standing in line waiting to go to the restroom.  Also the race packet was really cheap, but on the other hand it did not cost much to join the event.  I just wish a t-shirt would have come with the package rather than having to buy it separate.  Over all I highly recommend this event and hope to do it again next year.  If God is willing I would like to do the century or metric century.

The weight loss journey continues!

    At the end of each triathlon season each athlete has to make a decision about how to handle the off season, to rest, or not to rest.  I have been training for triathlons since 2008 non-stop with out a break; with the exception of recovery days and injuries.  At the end of the 2011 season I was mentally and physically exhausted.  I think every athlete will experience a year plagued with injures and 2011 was the year for me.  One of the worst injuries happened during the Red Raider triathlon in Lubbock, Texas when I tripped over a sand bag that was holding carpet down due to the wind.  I landed on my bad knee and being the stubborn person that I am I continued the race.  As I did the run portion of the race I could feel my knee throbbing.  This injury would haunt me for the rest of the season but I continued to push.  I completed the Boulder 70.3 Ironman with my injured knee and would go on to complete two more sprint triathlons to finish the season.  At this point I was really ready for a break but just didn't quite know how to handle it.  During the month of October I ran about 4 days a week anywhere from 3-5 miles to try and stay in shape.  Being mentally exhausted around mid November, I completely stopped working out and did absolutely nothing until after Christmas.
    If there is one thing that I am good at it would certainly be at gaining weight.  During December I really enjoyed Christmas and ate . . . more and more.  I do love desserts and would indulge in 2 sometimes 3 different desserts at parties that I attended.  Any athlete knows that sugar is not exactly the best food to be consuming.  From the month of November to December I gained a total of 30 pounds.  My wife noticed that I began to snore again. I began to feel unhealthy and unhappy with my body. 

This is what 1 month of eating badly can do! 30 lbs gain

    Two weeks ago I started working out again and I'm already feeling better.  The question that I keep asking myself is, should an athlete take a break at the end of the season or not.  My mind does feel refreshed but on the other hand I am mad at myself because I have lost so much ground.  At this point I would not even be competitive with some of my triathlete Clydesdale buddies, such at Rob Lovett and Jason McClure.  They would leave me in the dust!  Well . . . no use in crying over spilled milk, its time to work my way back into the hunt. 
    I have always believed that the reason I do triathlons is to compete for the glory of God!  Even though I enjoy competition, how I place is not what matters.  It is the will of the Father!  It is my hope that I can help inspire others.  If you put your faith in God anything is possible.  Matthew 7:7-8 Jesus says "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you". So I am inviting anyone who reads this blog and who needs to lose weight to join me!  Ask with faith and in the name of Jesus to help you lose your excessive weight and live a healthy life.  Join me in the new journey of weight loss for the Glory of God!  I will keep you posted on my progress.

Eagle in the Sun Triathlon

  In the Southwest Series Challenge there are plenty of great sprint triathlons to enter.  I will have to say that this year the Eagle in the Sun Triathlon was the most well organized out of all the events with the best goodies bag!  This a probably one of the easiest sprint triathlons to do in the series.   It is fast, fun and plenty of competition to push you to your red line.  I will definitely be back next year, if God is willing.  If you plan on doing this event sign up early because if I am not mistaken this years event sold out in about three weeks!
  This event is held at the Tigua Recreation and Wellness Center.  It is a great facility that has an Olympic size swimming pool.  The triathlon starts with the swim which I am not crazy about because it is time consuming having to wait for each athlete to start the race one at a time.  While you are on the coarse you really don't know where you are in relation to your competitors (It is like a time trail event).  Personally I like either a mass start or a wave start.  I will have to say though that the swim in the pool was not crowded due to the spacing and also the wide lanes of the pool.  I finished the swim in 8:55 which was over a minute fast from last years time.
    I really like the bike portion of this event because it is flat and fast and you can really hammer on the pedals.  Going out there was a bit of a head wind but it did not bother me much.  Right when I turned onto Socorro Rd. I passed Felix Hinojosa who is a great cyclist.  I was really happy to pass him and then he burst my bubble by passing me shortly after.  I chased him up to the turn around point and was able to pass him  again.  Shortly he passed me for a second time and he maintained his lead over me but I was glad that I had someone to chase because it pushed me all the harder.  I finished the bike portion of the event in 32:12 with and average speed of 22.4 mph, a great time for me.

Rob and I checking our results!

    Entering T2 I had a little trouble getting on my knee brace and when I finally got it on I realized it was up side down.  I had already spent to much time with it so I decided just to run with it that way.  Leaving T2 it took me about two minutes to find my pace which was not bad, I guess.  My legs felt heavy but shortly the feeling left me and I was able to find a decent pace.  This is the best run that I have had since I injured my knee back in June, running at about an 8:50 pace.  At about the half way mark I spotted my buddy Rob Lovett who is also in my division and it made me pick up my pace.  Rob is such a great runner I could only hope to be able to catch him.  He completed his run in 25:19 and I finished my run in 27:30.  Rob would place 2nd in the division ahead of me by two minutes.  I have to be faster on the run to be able to hang with him, which is a problem right now with the condition of my knee (even with a healthy knee I can't keep up with Rob).  The overall winner of the Clydesdale division was David Fairbanks who is absolutely in a class of his own.  Even though he has the weight of a Clydesdale he could certainly beat those racing in his age group.  I know that David finished in the top ten and just shy of 9 minutes over Rob Lovett, blowing the rest of the Clydesdale's away. Even though I placed fourth in this triathlon I cannot complain about my performance.  I gave it my best and am just thankful to God that I can even compete.

Finish Line

  At the finish line all athletes were given a finishers metal that was definitely worthy of a medal just for those who placed.  Also a really nice post race lunch was provided for all the athletes.  It consisted of chips and a ham sandwich which really hit the spot.  The athletes that placed also received top notice gifts such as a Race El Paso tote bag, a Eagle in the sun glass and a gift certificate for those finishing first in their division.  Each athlete that registered received a bag from Tri Sports and a really nice technical t-shirt.  This may be one of the more expensive sprint triathlons but it is worth every penny!  If I had to complain about anything it would be about the cramped space in the transition area, however, with over 575 athletes it is hard to pack them all in.  Gabriela Gallegos the race director really out did herself and I would really like to thank her and all the volunteers who put on one of the best races of the Southwest series.  Most importantly I would like to thank God for blessing me with the ability to race.

Ironman 70.3 Boulder

    Ironman 70.3 Boulder is one of the most scenic Triathlons that I have ever done.  It's hard to believe that there is still snow on the Rocky Mountains during the summer time.  During the swim, bike or the run you can really enjoy the beauty of Boulder, Colorado.  I highly recommend doing this event, it has been my favorite Ironman events so far.

Snow is still on the Rockies during the summer!

    As with any Ironman on the morning of the event roads and parking lots quickly filled up.  My family and I arrived exactly at 5 a.m.  After setting up my transition area and planning out every detail of all my equipment the nerves kicked in.  I suddenly felt like going to the restroom and made a B line for the port-a-potties.  The time was about 6 a.m. and there was a huge line.  I made it in time without any problem, however, after going the first time the nerves continued and I felt like I had to go again.  Now the time was 6:10 a.m. and the transition area closes at 6:20 a.m.  For the number of participants in this event there was not nearly enough potties.  I made it just in time to grab my wet suit, swim cap and goggles but definitely was rushed to get out of transition.

    One of the cool things about doing an Ironman triathlon is that it is the only sporting event that both pros and amateur athletes compete together on the same coarse.  At 6:30 sharp the pros's started their 1.2 mile swim.  I was in wave 7 which started at 7 a.m.  Just before the horn goes off you can feel the adrenaline and anticipation of all the athletes.  As the horn blew I started off in the middle of the pack and battled it out with the other athletes in my age group.  As with most swim starts it was like a mosh pit.  The water gets churned up as arms are flying and legs kicking.  This was my best swim ever and I sited well, swiming in a straight line from buoy to buoy.  I made it out of the water in 41:00 which is a great swim time for me.  I ran through the showers and to transition while mentally preparing for the bike ahead. 

Start of the 56 mile bike

    The two loop bike coarse was definitely the best part of the race because the scenery is indescribable.  Most of the coarse for the bike is relatively flat with slight inclines for the first 8-9 miles.  Once you turn on St. Vrain you decend for about half a mile and I managed to hit 41 mph which I really enjoyed.  The rest of the coarse was flat which makes for a fast ride.   When I was at about mile 8, I was passed by Joe Gambles (Who won the race).  He was already on his second loop and rode the coarse at an average speed of 27+ mph.  It really is a humbling experience when a pro passes you on the coarse.  There were three water stations along the coarse which meant that participants have 6 chances at a station because it is a two loop coarse.  I finished the 56 mile ride in 2:50 which was an average speed of about 20 mph.

A 100 yards from the finish line

I finished!

    In T2 I had to spend a little extra time putting on my knee brace but it was time well spent.  My strategy for the run was just to survive.  Two weeks prior to the race I had not logged a single mile running.  I have had a knee injury that has plagued me ever since I fell in June at the Tri Raider triathlon.  I stopped running before the Ironman in hopes that I would heal up.  The biggest worry that I had before this race was how am I going to run 13.1 miles under my current condition?  Funny enough my knee still hurt but in an entirely different area.  The first few miles of the run did have some gradual hills but nothing to difficult.  Most of the run was on a dirt/gravel road with about 1 1/2 miles on asphalt.  The hardest aspect of the run was that there was absolutely no shade what so ever.  Usually the temperature during this time of the year is around 85 degrees but by the time I finished the run it was 100 degrees due to a heat wave that made its way to Boulder.  I did the whole run at a slow pace and never stopped with the exception of hydrating and fueling up at the aid stations.  Considering the pain in the knee and the lack of training for the run I am pleased with just finishing.  I crossed the line and finished the Ironman in six hours and thirty three minutes.  Not a fast time but when I crossed the line I remembered one of my favorite verses, "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength".  One of the best part of the race was seeing my family at the finish line after traveling 70.3 miles.  I am especially thankful to my wonderful wife who spent the entire time watching the kids while I was having fun racing in an Ironman.  I am not sure who had it harder, me or my wife?

Dam it Man Triathlon

The Dam it Man Triathlon is claimed to be the hardest triathlon in New Mexico!  This triathlon is the sister version of the Elephant Man Triathlon which is an Olympic distance race and this year a 70.3 distance will be offered as well.  If you ever consider doing the Dam it Man triathlon just know that it is not held in the same location as the Elephant Man triathlon and it is a little tricky to find.  I would recommend that you arrive a day early with plenty of time to find it and to become familiar with the coarse.

My daughter at the start of the bike ride

My daughter running like the wind!

    One of the most wonderful events to see is the kids Dam site duathlon which is held the day before the adult race. This event is offered for kids who are 5 years old and up.  My seven year old daughter participated in it and gave the family plenty of joy watching her and the other kids pedal and run.  I would really like to thank Kori for putting this together and inspiring kids to live a healthy life style.  My daughter is not to crazy about the bike portion because she is still learning how to ride but she can run like the wind.  The day before the Elephant Man Triathlon Kori also puts together an event for the kids so visit elephantmantriathlon.com for more information if you are interested.

If you look close enough I am the one with a yellow shirt.

  The Damn it Man Triathlon starts with a four hundred meter swim.  I do have to say that the best part of this race is that the swim is about the only part that is flat.  To get to the swim from the transition area participants have to walk down a long winding path to the water.  The good news is, you have to run back up the same path after you exit the swim to get back to the transition area.  I had looked at the results from the previous year and wondered why some of the T1 times were 7 minutes plus and now I know why.  If you ever do this event I would recommend taking some shoes or sandals down to the dock if you have wimpy feet like me.  There are two waves and it is a deep water start which was the first time I have done this type of start.  Getting out of the water was also a little tough since the water was deep and you had to get back up on the dock.   However, volunteers who were football players, were there to help pull athletes out of the water.  I was not exactly happy with my swim time, but I was one of the first Clydesdales out of the water.  Now in my opinion the hardest part of the triathlon was running back up the winding path to getting back up to transition.  If you look at the picture above that my wife took from the transition area you can get an idea of how far the swim is from T1.  

Running up the path to T1

    After reaching T1 I was passed by my friend and competitor, Jason McClure.  He is one of the nicest guys and it is a pleasure to be his friend.  However, when it comes to racing I have never been able to beat him.  He is super fast on his bike and by the looks of his run time he is much faster on the run than I am.  Of coarse the good thing out of all this is that it inspires me to train and get faster.  Can a triathlete ever be fast enough?  I would also like to mention some of my other friends, Greg G. who finished first over all, Gretchen M. who finished first overall for the women,  Brooks V. who finished fourth over all and Flip Lyle who finished 1st in his division.  I could only wish I could be as fast as these guys.  It was also a pleasure to race with Elvin P. and Mr. Wiggs and to see Elvin's kids race in the kids duathon.
    The bike portion of the race is crazy because of all the direction changes, climbs and descends.   My strategy for this race was to hit the bike hard so as soon as I started I hammered away on the pedals.  I really enjoyed the bike portion of the race because you can really get moving on the descends and I love the feel of speed on a bike.  If you ever plan on doing this race I do recommend that you become familiar with the coarse the day before.  Apparently some triathletes including some of my friends got off coarse and ended up losing time.  The pavement was marked with orange arrows,  however, if you are not paying attention you might miss them.   Also volunteers were placed through out the coarse.  I finished the bike in 39:00 (an average speed of 18.6 mph) which was great considering the nature of the coarse.  The last two miles of the bike is a worthy climb that takes the air out of most participants.  If you plan to do this race get ready to climb.

Riding into T2

    Coming into T2 I experienced a few problems.  I dropped my Garmin,  and put my shoes on the wrong feet (I am not sure how that happen).  I started the run and my knee began to hurt immediately.  I still have not recovered from a fall that I had back in June.  I had trouble finding my run pace and it did not help that the coarse had switch backs and was hilly.  The run portion of the race had one water station but during the coarse of the run athletes pass this same station three times.  One problem that was experienced on the coarse was that the first turn around was only marked with and orange dot on the ground and no volunteer to tell you to turn around!  Several athletes ran past this point and lost time.  After this point participants had to run up a gradual hill towards a water tower.  At the water tower you have to climb up a winding path to the tower where a volunteer takes your number to make sure you reach that part of the run.  Apparently the year before some people missed this section of the run.  The rest of the run is mostly down hill and by this point my knee pain disappeared and I was finally able to find my pace.  Coming to the finish line was great because the spectators were very supportive and cheered for each triathlete.  Crossing the finish line with your wife, kids and a crowd of spectators cheering you on is certainly the best part of the race.
  After I finished the race I entered the transition area to pack up my stuff.  A volunteer approached me and all the other athletes as well.  They asked us for our finishing time because apparently CEP timing did not turn on the timer at the finishing line.  At first I was upset at this blunder because how can you have a triathlon without timing it?  But then I remembered the saying on my FCA jersery,  "Why do you race?" As each athlete trains and competes there will come a time when the questions pops up in your mind, "why am I doing this?" (especially during the hard times).  To be successful in triathlons each athlete must answer this question with all of your heart.  The reason that I race is to honor my Lord and savior Jesus Christ who died on the cross for all sinners.  God has blessed me in so many ways that I can not even begin to count them.  I have a beautiful supportive wife and two wonderful daughters.  In 2008 I weighted close to four hundred pounds and had a bunch of health issues related to my excessive weight.  I prayed to God, asking for His help.  By His loving grace I have lost over 180 pounds and I have the ability to race in triathlons.  I do not deserve such blessings but God is loving and merciful and though it might be a small offering I race to honor Him!  Why Do you race?
    I am not sure how they figured it out but some how results were finally posted.  I had also timed my self so I know that they got it right.  Despite the problems that this race had I still highly recommend doing this race.  It is a lot of fun and it is a challenging race.  Is it the toughest coarse in New Mexico?  Out of all the sprint triathlons (30 to date) that I have done in all of Texas and New Mexico I would say that the three hardest sprint events would be the various triathlons held in Rio Rancho New Mexico, Ruidoso Triathlon and the Dam it Man triathlon.  If you plan on doing any of these races be prepared!

Santa Fe Triathlon

  The Santa Fe Triathlon is held at the Genovena Chavez Community Center which is a grand facility.  I just can't explain how nice this place is!  First of all it has an Olympic size swimming pool, a kid pool with a river raft area, and believe it or not a hockey rink with ice. 

Running to the pool after T2

  This event is a reverse triathlon which has a mass start.  The first half of the run is slightly down hill so make sure to warm up and stretch before the start of the run.  This year the route for both the run and the bike changed from previous years, but I would say for the better.  The run starts off on one of the main streets in Santa Fe and that is why the event starts so early in the morning.  On the bright side the entire street is completely closed to traffic most of the way (How nice it must be to have a city that is so supportive of living a healthy life style! Even the mayor and a city council member participated in the triathlon).  Of coarse that means that the second half of the run is slightly uphill.  The second half is on a paved running trail and part of it even goes under a tunnel which was cool.  There were two water stations along the run, one at the half way point and the second was just past the mile two marker.  I finished the run at a slower than usual pace (28:00) because of a knee injury, but I am just thankful to God that I can even compete. 
  The transition area is basically half of the parking lot of the Community Center and I purposely placed my bike at the far south end so I would not to have to run as far to the pool after T2.   That means that it is a longer run for T1, because the transition area flows in one direction only.  I had a decent transition and started off on the bike.  The bike coarse starts off with rolling hills for the first three miles, but for the next three miles it is a gradual climb that can take the wind out of your sails if you push it.  The bike route is out and back so the second half of the bike was really fast on Rabbit Road because of the down hill.  It took me about 36:00 minutes to complete the coarse but, both T1 and T2 times were lumped in with the bike split.  So everyone will have a slow bike split which can be misleading when you review the results.

Coming into transition after the bike

  Again, I had a long run through transition because of the one direction flow, however, it is a long run to the pool so I thought it would be best to place my bike closest to the pool entrance.  I had a fast T2 and ran with shoes to the pool because every other year I have done this event I ran barefoot which was a pain.  The pool is not exactly close to transition so if you do this event I recommend running with shoes to the pool.  The nice thing about this event is that a volunteer will have your shoes ready for pick up after you get out of the pool.  The swim is in an Olympic pool and is one direction in each lane.  For the first time I had a great swim and even managed to pass a few people.  Since each lane was only one direction it was not crowded at all.
  After the event athletes are provided with all sorts of good food.  Bagels, cream cheese, meat trays, fruit and water were available.  They also held several drawings for prizes such as gift certificates, helmets, and bike jerseys.  The awards that they gave away were medal style but made out of wood.  Also athletes who placed were given a prize which was really nice.  This is a well organized triathlon that had several police and volunteers on the coarse.  I heard that there were over seventy volunteers for this event.  I would just like to thank every one involved who put on such a great triathlon.  I would especially like to thank my wonderful wife who is always so supportive of me with all the training and events that I do.  If I had to complain about anything I would really have to look for something to complain about which would be the T-shirt.  I have done this triathlon for the past three years and each year it is a white cotton T.  Not a big deal I just wish they would change the color next year.  I highly recommend this event, not to mention Santa Fe is a great city to visit.

Bottomless Triathlon

  The Bottomless Triathlon is a lot of fun and is a must do event.   I have to admit that at first I was not really sure that I wanted to do this triathlon because of the short distance of the coarse.  The event starts off with a 400 meter swim in the Bottomless Lake.  I really enjoyed the swim because the water was cold and clear.  The camp host of the park said that the temperature of the water was 65 degrees but I am not sure it was that cold.  I will have to say that the name of the lake surely is accurate because after swimming past the shallow water there is a steep drop off and the water below becomes dark.  It is literally like looking over a cliff but under water which made it a little eerie to say the least.  The triathlon starts with two waves, the females go first and ten minutes later the males head off.  I was pleased with the swim and made it out of the water along side one of my best friends and brother in Christ,  Russell Shute. 
  I had a decent transition and was off on the bike only an 8.4 mile ride.  As soon as you start off you quickly come up to a challenging climb.  I hammered away on the pedals and made it up the mountain with little trouble.  The roads of the coarse where rough and riders really have to pay attention because on the side of the road in some places there are steep drop offs, most of which are protected by rails.  About half way through the race I realized that my front brakes were not working which made the ride interesting.  I continued to ride hard and depended on my back brakes when I needed them.  I made it to T2 without any mishaps and was please with the ride which I completed in just over 23 minutes.

Me and Russell in the transition area.

    The run is an out and back run that is only 2.4 miles but for some reason it felt like it was three.  I think the heat might have played a role in making the short distance feel so long.  As I started out on the run I headed out of the transition area in the wrong direction and lost some time, but thanks to a spectator I was quickly directed on the right path.  The run is basically flat and had two water stations along the coarse.  I was not to happy with my run split but I have not quite recovered from a knee injury that I sustained during the Tri- Raider triathlon in Lubbock.  I am however, very thankful that God has given me the ability to race in triathlons.  Both me and my brother Russell had podium finishes and competed not for our selves but for the glory of Christ our Lord and Savior. 
  I do recommend this race for anyone who is interested.  After doing this race I wish I could do the F1 triathlon held in August but it conflicts with another event that I have signed up for.   The F1 Triathlon is basically twice the distance of the Bottomless triathlon.   The T-shirt for the event was simple but nice and the awards were wooden plaques.  After the race, water, bagels and water melon were provided for the athletes. 
    The only complaint that I have about this event is that the race results were not posted to my knowledge and if they were I apologize.  Never the less the event was still well organized and had plenty of volunteers who deserve a pat on the back for their efforts.  Without volunteers none of the these races would be possible and I am very thankful for them.    

Tri Raider Triathlon

Look Mom real race numbers, just like Kona!

    Buffalo Springs Lake is one of the best places to do a triathlon.  This past Saturday I competed in the Tri Raider Sprint Triathlon which was a great event.  The package pick up was at the Holiday Inn Plaza in Lubbock, TX and had an expo going on due to the 70.3 event which would be held on the following day after the Tri- Raider.  Marti and Mike Greer are the race directors and do a fantastic job organizing three different triathlons in two days.  The goody bag had a cool cotton t-shirt, power bar, advertisements,  and new race numbers called Tri Tatts.   I was really impressed with the numbers this year because it sure looked professional.
This triathlon has surely gained in popularity and broke the record for the highest attendance in its history. 
    This triathlon starts with an open water swim that is a beach start.  The water temperature was 74 degrees so I did not use a wet suit for the short 500 meter swim.  This year had two different waves, all of the guys and three minutes later, all of the girls.  Thank goodness none of the girls beat me out of the water.  I will have to say that the water was a bit choppy due to the windy conditions but I think the number of swimmers getting around the first buoy was the biggest hurdle of the swim.  I was quite happy with my swim time of just under nine minutes which is fast for me.
    My T1 transition was fast and I was on my bike quickly only to hit the first hill of the 17.6 mile coarse.  The bike coarse is an out and back route and has two decent climbs heading out of the park.  After getting out of the park I had a great tail wind heading toward the turn around point.  I took advantage of the tail wind and hammered hard on the pedals.  As soon as I reached the turn around point it was like hitting a wall.  The wind was brutal and everyone felt it.  The wind was blowing hard enough that I had to lean into the wind several times to keep balance on the bike.  I say that I actually like head winds because these conditions are favorable to strong cyclist.  I broke my PR for this coarse and finished the bike in just over 54 and a half minutes.  At this point I was doing great and was leading all of the Clydesdales, then disaster struck!

Trying to manage to run after falling

    I had a great T2 time and started out of the transition area.  As I ran onto the carpets leading out of the transition I tripped on one of the sand bags that was being used to keep the carpets from blowing away.   I landed right on my left knee which just happens to be my bad knee.  I quickly got up and started the 3.1 mile run.  As I was running I could feel my knee pulsating and I knew that it was not good.  About a mile into the race Martin Farrell past me like I was standing still.  My knee was bleeding, swollen and aching and there was no way to respond.  Truth of the matter is, Martin is such a great runner I don't think I could have done anything about it with a healthy knee.   God has His reasons for everything, and maybe I needed a piece of humble pie.  Even though I was injured I managed to finish the run in just over 28 and a half minutes.  I finished second in the Master Clydesdale division and really enjoyed the race.
    The day after the race not only is my knee swollen and achy but my calf muscle feels strained.  This has been a season filled with injuries, however, I am just thankful that God has given me the ability to do triathlons!  I just ask for those of you who read this blog to please pray that God would heal my knee and calf if it be his will.  Despite my mishap at the Tri- Raider I highly recommend this event and will return to do this triathlon again, if God is willing of coarse!

Ruidoso Triathlon

  The Ruidoso Triathlon is one of the shortest distance races of the Southwest Series Challenge, but one of the toughest courses.   This is a reverse triathlon that starts with the run which includes about two thirds of the coarse being on trails.  The event description states the the run is 3.5 miles in length but according to my Garmin it was 3.2 miles.  The trail, which goes around Grindstone Lake definitely makes this a great race.  Not only is it challenging but the run offers some great views.   During the run you will have to jump over roots, rocks and carefully navigate up and down the trial.  Passing other participants can be a problem because at many points along the coarse the trail is only wide enough for one person.  I would highly recommend some hill training before taking on this coarse.
   The bike coarse is not a picnic by any means either.  According to the Garmin the length of the bike coarse is 9.8 miles.  The coarse is out and back and the majority of the first half of the ride is an up hill climb.  The ride passes by the Inn of the Mountain Gods Hotel and Casino and offers some fantastic scenery of the lake and forest.  Of coarse what goes up must come down, so the second half of the coarse is mostly down hill.  I managed to hit a top speed of 43 mph and enjoyed every minute of the decent. The last part of the ride (a little less than half mile) finishes with an up hill climb, but nothing to serious.

Running from the transition area to the pool

  Finally the swim is in an indoor pool which was my least favorite part of this race!  The pool is very small and very crowded.  It is difficult to swim because it is up and back in each lane (total of four lanes) and when completed you have to get out and re-enter the pool and do the swim a second time.  I think it would be more pleasant in a mosh pit.  Once you finish the swim you have to run out of the building, across a parking lot and to the finish line.  Some of the participants at the race said they were not aware of this. 
    All in all this is a great race and I would highly recommend it as long as you train for hills for both the run and the bike.  The two main complaints that I have is the thin air, but I don't think the race director can do anything about that.  The elevation is about seven thousand feet so if you are not use to the thin air the race becomes so much more of a challenge.   During the run one of the girls read the back of my FCA tri-top which says "Why do you race"?  I really wanted to turn around and tell her for the Glory of Jesus Christ, but I was so out of breath I could hardly talk.  The second complaint that I would have, which I already mentioned, is the swim.  It would be great if the swim could be held in either Grindstone Lake or at the Inn of the Mountain Gods.  It would be my guess that some politics may be in the way of using either lake.  As far as the goody bag it came with race numbers, fliers for other events, gel, chap stick and a cotton t-shirt (which is a down grade from last years technical t-shirt).  In addition burritos were provided for the participants after the race and they tasted great (being a Clydesdale I am not sure I really need a burrito)!  The trophies where really cool! They were carved out bears from the pine trees in the area.  If only I had placed to get one. What is really important for me is not the trophy, but racing for the Glory of God!

Milkman Triathlon

  The Milkman Triathlon is one of the best events of the southwest series in my opinion.  This triathlon has been going on for 27 years and the race director, Larry Marshall has all the little details worked out so the event is very smooth.  I was especially pleased that before the race Larry said a prayer, praising God and also thanked the men and women who are serving our country.  As a matter of fact the t-shirt for this event says "God Bless America" and has a picture of three cows dressed in military attire, one cow holding swimming goggles, one with a bike helmet and the other with running shoes around his neck.  I would just like to thank Larry Marshall for acknowledging our one true sovereign God.  After the race the sponsors give lots of goodies to the athletes such as honey milk and ice cream (after all it is called the Milkman triathlon).  The awards for the top three finishers in each category are top notch.  The awards are old style milk Carafes and also coffee mugs are given to all first time triathletes.

Russ and I praising God for giving us the strength to race

  This triathlon is a sprint distance with a 500 meter swim, 12 mile bike and a 3.1 mile run.  The race is organized by waves, spaced apart by about 5 minutes.  The water this year was cold (68 degrees) but doable without a wetsuit.  I have never seen the water so clear which was a nice surprise because last year you could not see your own hand in front of your face.  This year was really special because my good friend and brother in Christ, Russell Shute,  joined me for the race.  Russ is such a blessing, as I mentioned in one of my first blog entries God introduced us and used him to inspire me to lose over 180 pounds competing in triathlons.  Both of us got into the water before the race to get use to the temperature which was a tremendous help. As the start gun went off I swam hard because my other friend and top competitor Robert Lovett was also part of the race and he is really fast!  One thing about open water swims is that they can be like a mosh pit and this year was no exception. I was hit, kicked and bumped into, several times, but that is just part of the sport.  This year I broke my personal PR for the swim so I was pleased.

Not for my glory but for the glory of God!

  The bike portion of this race is somewhat hilly but nothing to serious.  If I had to complain about anything, it would be that the roads on this race tend to be bumpy but that is also part of the race.  I pedaled hard and at the turn around point it felt like I hit a wall because of the head wind.  Also shortly after the half way point I spotted Robert Lovett which made me pedal harder.  I finished the bike slightly behind my PR by about 30 seconds.
  As I started the run I new that I would have to push the pace because Robert would be right behind me since running is his strength.  Half of this run is on pavement and the other half on trails which makes the changing terrain nice.  The run goes around the lake and about half a mile into the run it detours onto a trail which goes around a fishery.  Every year it never fails, around a mile and a half into the run you really feel the heat beating down on you.  A little after mile two the trail comes to an end and the final mile heads back around the lake and on pavement. I pushed during the final mile of the run and broke my PR for this race by 17 seconds.  No big deal but I am happy with any improvement.  The best part of the race is the many blessings that God has given me including the ability to swim, bike and run for his glory.