I need you all to log on and VOTE!

Big News!

My band buds from Drunks Don't Lie made the finals!

I need you all to log on and VOTE!

Please logon and vote, the whole process is only going to take you 5 minutes and heck it's the off season, so I know you guys have the time.

Voting ends on December 5^th so please do not delay.

Here are the instructions and a message from the band:

Hello Friends,

Little Steven's Underground Garage, Channel 25 on Sirius Satellite Radio, has selected Drunks Dont Lie as a Semifinalist in The Greatest Unsigned Band in the World contest. The top 3 bands with the most votes out of 12 Semifinalists will advance to the Finals, which takes place as a live show on January 17th at Piano's in New York City. A celebrity panel of judges will select the winner of the live show to be signed to a record deal with Little Steven's Wicked Cool Records!

Drunks Dont Lie needs your help to get into the Finals and play the live show in New York. We need you to vote.

Voting for the Semifinals has already begun at

www.goldiesgarage.us
and runs from Friday November 21st through December 5th. You are allowed to vote ONE TIME PER EMAIL ACCOUNT.

Please refer to or print out the step-by-step instructions for voting as listed below. It is a very easy process and will only take a few minutes of your time.

For those of you who voted to get us this far, we thank you. Please spread the word to family and friends and help Drunks Dont Lie realize their dream. This is like the American Idol for garage bands! With your help we really have a chance to get into the Finals and win at the live show. All we need is that chance. Your vote will get us there. If you are already registered, just sign in and vote! If you are new to the process or just need a reminder:

1. Go to www.goldiesgarage.us.

2. At the upper right hand portion of your screen, see the REGISTER HERE box. Click on the little green circle with the + in it- this is where you REGISTER.

3. Now you are at the REGISTRATION page. All it will ask you for is your name, username, email, and password - then click on SEND REGISTRATION.

4. The screen will now say REGISTRATION COMPLETE: Your account has been created and an activation link has been sent to the e-mail address you entered. You must activate the account by clicking on the activation link when you get the e-mail before you can login.

5. Now go to your EMAIL ACCOUNT – open the email from 'Goldies Garage' and click on the first link to activate the account. Now you'll see a new window open up a Goldies Garage page that says ACTIVATION COMPLETE! Now close this page to go back to your email. Click on the second link to take you back to Goldiesgarage Home page.

6. At the upper right hand part of the screen, log in with your Username and password.

7. Now your name will appear on the home page showing that you are logged in- click on VOTE!

8. Now the names of all the bands will appear on the screen – scroll down to DRUNKS DONT LIE and click on the circle next to our name. Then scroll down and click on VOTE.

That's it. We appreciate your spending a few minutes to help us. Please spread the word!

If you haven't already, become a friend at: www.myspace.com/drunksdontlie.

Much Love,

DRUNKS DONT LIE

 

2008 Emerald Point Triathlon race report:

What a long few days it been…

If you're short on time and don't want to read extended weekend report, then….

My race weekend started something like this.

Friday night the spousal unit informed me that we were having a yard sale Saturday with our neighbors and I needed to get in the garage attic and retrieve all of the kid stuff I have been packing away. I wasn't really thrilled with the idea of a yard sale, but I did want to get rid of the things the kids have out grown.

So I went to bed at approx 22:00, I didn't sleep well. We have been getting lots or rumors at the office that layoffs were coming and while I didn't think I would be one of the employees released it was on my mind. I had been keeping my thoughts to myself, no need to get everyone to def con 3 over rumors. So as I awoke during Friday night I kept thinking to myself, "it's the night before the night that counts for sleep", talk about pressure. Saturday morning came and I was allowed to sleep in to about 08:30ish when I was asked to get going and start prepping for the yard sale. I got going and started to unpack the old bikes, scooters and strollers that we have been collecting and all the while reminiscing about when the kids got that bike and that scooter from Santa and all the Band-Aids it took to patch them up. We got all of our past treasures out and price marked and off we went. As the day wore on the empty beer bottles started to collect and I ended up having a few too many, well not really, but the day before a race it's not really a good idea to have more than say 5. I was in the sun and on my feet all day and with a few beers I had I was tired and ready for a nap. I never got the nap, but I did get to clean my bike and pack all my gear and load the car. This is where it starts to get good.

With the day almost done and with all my gear packed in the car all I needed to do was get some sleep. My oldest daughter is a 4^th grade cheerleader and Sunday (also the day of my race) was the big Cheer-off competition. The girls had all be over the coach's house curling hair and all that type of girl stuff I have no idea about. The girls got back to the house sometime after dark but the spousal unit was looking for a shower cap so she could try to preserve the hairdo and needed to run to the store to buy one. Let me back up my story for just one second, my car is packed and my race is in the early AM, so I left my packed car in the driveway rather than in the garage, ok, I can continue. My wife, jumps in the family truckster and pops it in reverse, check the rear view and guns it. A few seconds later I hear screaming, not a good sign, I run over and I see her at garage door and she's crying. Now I know both kids are in the house and safe, but, but, but, my car wasn't so lucky. She took her car and deflowered my car in a bad way. My car took the brunt of the action and both port side doors have a good crease in them. So she's upset, I'm not thrilled, but I'm happy no one was hurt and most of all I'm glad it was her and not me smashing the cars together. So after looking at the wreckage, she ask "Do you think they can buff it out?" not unless they have some magic pixie dust.

Shortly after that I got off to bed, but I kept waking up, I just couldn't sleep. I woke before the alarm and snuck downstairs and got ready for the race. I ate my peanut butter oat bar and shot a GU and drank a large glass of water. Got into my wreck of a car and headed to the race.

I got to Lake Lanier Islands early enough to get a parking spot opposite the transition area, racers showing up later had to park a approx a mile away, so the early triathlete gets the good parking. I was able to get to packet pickup, get body marked and use the portlets without much trouble. My rack was seconds to last in the back by the run out, good spot and easy to find. I set up my gear in no time, not too much to it. My big question was whether to wear my wetsuit or not, I mean it's only 400m right. Not too many people were wearing them so I was starting to feel like a wimp, but in the end quite a few did. My thought process was, I've never wore one in a race and I bought one in the spring and only wore it twice, and I really wanted to race in it once to gain the experience and to justify the cost. So I pulled it on and I've glad I did because it was really cold out waiting for the swim.

So the race:

I was in the fourth waive (40-44 + 45-49 + Clydes in age group) , so it was a decent size waive, 100-110 give or take. It was a shore start and I found some ground on the left side of a counter clock wise swim. Funny, as I was waiting for our group to get into the corral I was standing and talking to a big guy, arms like my thighs. Anyway his woman came over and wished him good luck and said "Don't break anyone's nose this time". At that point I found a new place to start, I know wimpy right? So the horn goes off and here we go, everyone gets in the water and start swimming, but just as I think to myself "cool I can see feet" the pack got jammed up and everyone stopped, WFT, GO! It was tight quarters, it's a short swim, and I could not get outside and start passing. More than once, maybe twice I had to actually stop and kind of breast stroke / doggy paddle because we were stopped. Note to self and other, if you can swim get up front! After the initial cluster %$^#$ I was feeling pretty good and proceeded to jam myself between others to get ahead. I was cautious, I did not want to wreak anyone on the swim, I know how getting swum over can freak someone out. At the halfway point I found some real state and got going, I wasn't looking for any feet, I just wanted some space. Out of the water I went, feeling good, I unzipped the suit and pulled my arms off and ran up the mountain of a hill into T1, and actually I walked part of the steep section. The timing mat was just outside transition, so swim times include the run, I was thinking "hell they could make this thing into a duo easy".

T1, not too bad for me, I got out of my wetsuit and got my gear on, the hardest part was getting the arm warmers on my wet arms. I grabbed my bike and got out of T1.

The bike was fun, it had its hills, and for me once I pay that gravity bill, the down hills are fast. For a short course it was fun, it was up and down and full of lot of turns. I took the first few miles at a slightly less than race pace to get in my HR under control and see how I felt. At about mile 4 I was ready to go and I feeling good. I hit the up hills hard and got out of the saddle, and was able to stay aero most of the time. I got to pass many rides and I wished them all luck, not this is not to say I wasn't passed, because I was. I love the sound of a disk wheel coming up on me, it makes me give it just a little more. At about the halfway point the "bike law" came up on me and pack of riders. I knew what was about to happen, I had nothing to fear because I was down hill of the pack. The motorcycle was taking up the middle of the road and it wasn't exactly safe to pass, I mean I got to pass you guys on the left, right? After what seemed like two miles I got a node from the marshal and passed. At that point I figure it must of put me back a minute, but hey what can you do. I dropped the hammer and started to get jacked up on my speed and maybe hanging behind for awhile saved my legs for this stretch. The course turned back onto Peachtree Industrial, and we were riding in the fast lane which was coned off. The issue with this was that slower riders were riding on the far left side of the road, and I can understand why, it's safer. The issue was that they were blocking, and when I yelled "on your left!" they didn't know what to do. I didn't say much to anyone, I was just trying to get back to transition, I didn't want to be the guy who had to school them on the rules on the bike. Many of the 'Blockers' were on Mt. bikes and other non road/tri bikes, so I know they didn't understand, so no big deal. With a few miles to go you enter the park and then your almost home, the only thing in your way is a few rollers and a few turns. With about a mile to go it gets real fast, I was flying and making my last few passes. With about ¼ - ½ mile to go the crowds were out and hooting and hollering and it gave me a good boost, I had to be going 30 mph. I flew up to the crowd, cranked the breaks, took the hard left, out of the saddle, smiling, and ripped it up the large hill and into T2.

T2, not too much going on here, I racked my bike, drank what I had left in my aero bottle. The only thing that took any time as getting some socks on my feet, I need them or I'd get blisters, I need to get some Zoots!

The run was what I expected, well, I thought it was going to be dead flat and it wasn't, no big deal, I have not run on anything flat outside of the dreadmill. My legs were feeling fine, I didn't have heavy legs and I was going a good pace (for me). A little into it my chronic Achilles pain started and I needed to take a short walk break, but I was able to push past it and continue on. The course was nice, tree lined and shady, up and down and it just rolled all over the last island in the chain that makes up the park. Now don't think me a wimp for not letting it out as fast as I could, my tendon pain as been a factor this entire summer it's just now starting to ease up, no way I was going to blow something now. My legs felt fine, and I've been trying to run with my quads and hams more than my calves. By the midpoint everything was starting to loosen up and I was feeling good. I picked it up a little and headed for home. As I made the turn into to run up the massive hill and into the finish area, I heard someone yelling at me to pick it up and finish strong, it was Dan from my lap pool, cool I thought, I better run faster (thanks for the words), I cranked it up the hill and at the top my HR was 199! Wow I thought I'm going to die, well I didn't die and I finished my race strong.

I crossed the line, grabbed the tee shirt and a banana and headed down the hill to cheer on my fellow racers. I just love this sport.

I packed the car and headed for home.

I was proud of myself, I felt I gave it a good effort and I left it all on the course.

I got home, quickly showered and headed off to Emily's Cheer off competition, two hours of screaming 4th grade girls, I loved it. Her team, Grayson Rams won first place and the place when nuts. She and her team members have put a lot of hard work into what they love and it showed. The entire team went to the local sports pub for some good food, R&R and some more little girl giggling.

Whew, what a weekend!

So that's my EP tri weekend story, I know I rambled on, so thank you for indulging me.

I hope you all had a nice weekend and a great season.

-BMac

(I do not proof read, so please excuse my assault on the English language, I mean no harm)

Emerald Point Triathlon:

My full race report is coming, but here are some quickies:

The swim start was nuts, too many in my wave (approx 100+).
I started about mid pack to the left and it was like swimming in a crowded mall at X-Mas time.
By the time I got some real estate it was about the halfway point.
The swim exit to timing mat was about ¼ mile away and all uphill, so swim times are way off.
The bike was great, I must of passes 50+ people, that felt good.
The bike had some good hill, and I got out of the saddle a few times.
The last 6 miles or so, I was hauling a$$ and screamed into t2, the crowds were great.
The run was slow, but I'm a slow runner.
I had to walk for a minute or two here and there, my right foot Achilles tendon and arch in bad shape.
At the half way point on the run everything started to feel much better and I finished strong.

I like this race.
Next time, I'm getting upfront on the swim.

-Brian

PLACE O'ALL NO. NAME
===== ======= ===== ================
52/67 604/749 412 Brian MacDonald

RANK SWIM TRANS
==== ======= =====
41 11:12 3:34

RANK BIKE MPH
==== ======= =====
28 43:27 18.0

RANK RUN PACE
==== ===== ====
63 40:41 13:08

TIME
=======
1:41:23

4th Grade Grayson Rams:

I am very happy to announce the 4th Grade Grayson Rams Cheerleaders have won the 2008 Cheer off!

Think good thought

It's the night before the Emerald Point tri and I'm trying to kick back after a long day. The gear is all packed and the car is loaded and parked in the driveway (as to be ready to sneak away in the early AM). Maria makes a run to the store, but doesn't see my car and grinds the two together.

Yup, lost virginity.

It's only a car, don't sweat the small things.

-Bmac

Free beer, does it taste better:

Yes it does.

Morning run:

I am in San Fran this week at Oracle World, what a show.

Anyway I had a great run this morning along the bay. It was cool and dry, somewhat different then the ATL weather.

Help calling all Bloggers:

Guys and Gals,

It's time to pay it forward, and I need your help!

Friends of mine are in a band and play some of the best music I have ever heard and are in the midst of the "Greatest Unsigned Band in the World" contest sponsored by Sirius Satellite's radio show Little Stevie's Underground Garage.

These guys really have some fine tunes; you have to check them out. Really, check them out, they play with emotion and lay it all on the line, their songs are real.

Give them a listen, go to www.myspace.com/drunksdontlie

All of the songs hit home with me, and I can tell you if you listen to their songs you'll want to cast your vote.

During my long workouts, when I'm felling low, I crank up one peculiar song "Media Man", and when that song is playing it just gives me a boost and gets be back on track.

I just have to add, band member Eric and his wife just completed Ironman Lake Placid, so congrats to both of them!

Ok, here are the instructions on how to vote, please let me know that you voted and I'll send you a few of their tunes.

Thanks,

Brian

"We are all brothers under the sun" --DDL

Little Stevie's Underground Garage, Channel 25 on Sirius Satellite Radio, has selected Drunks Don't Lie as part of The Greatest Unsigned Band in the World contest. This is a monthly contest where only 12 bands worldwide are selected for competition. The band with the most votes advances to the Semifinals, putting prizes, a recording contract, fame and fortune within reach! Voting has already begun and runs until September 30^th. You are allowed to vote ONE TIME PER EMAIL ACCOUNT, so please help us as much as you can if you have more than one email account. Below are the step-by step instructions for voting for you to print out or refer to. It is a very easy process and will only take less than five minutes of your time. Please spread the word to family and friends and help 5 guys realize their dream. This is like the American Idol for garage bands and we really have a great chance to win with your help.

1. Go to www.goldiesgarage.us
   


2. At the upper right hand portion of your screen, see the REGISTER HERE box. Click on the little green circle with the + in it- this is where you REGISTER.
   


3. 
   
   Now you are at the REGISTRATION page, or http://www.goldiesgarage.us/index.php?option=com_registration&task=register
   
   
   

   All it will ask you for is your name, username, email, and password- That's all- no more personal information necessary! Then click on SEND REGISTRATION
   

   
   

   4. The screen will now say REGISTRATION COMPLETE with this message : Your account has been created and activation link has been sent to the e-mail address you entered. Note that you must activate the account by clicking on the activation link when you get the e-mail before you can login.
   



4. Now go to your EMAIL ACCOUNT – open the email from 'Goldies Garage'
   


5. Click on the first link to activate the account
   


6. Now you'll see a new window open up a Goldies Garage page that says ACTIVATION COMPLETE! Now close this page to go back to your email.
   


7. Click on the second link to take you back to Goldiesgarage Home page.
   


8. At the upper right hand part of the screen, log in with your Username and password.
   


9. Now your name will appear on the home page showing that you are logged in- click on VOTE!
   


10. Now the names of all the bands will appear on the screen – scroll down to DRUNKS DON'T LIE and click on the circle next to our name
    


11. Then scroll down and click on VOTE
    


12. THANKS! YOU JUST VOTED FOR US! We are one step closer to realizing our goal- WE APPRECIATE YOUR HELP!! Log in again to see the up-to-date results…
    

-MUCH LOVE,

DRUNKS DON'T LIE

www.myspace.com/drunksdontlie

Things to do if you have too much free time:

Too much time, never. But I've taken on a new roll lately, one I freely accepted.

I'm not sure what to call it, but I am organizing my company's participation in the Kaiser Permanente (KP) 5K Corporate Challenge this year.

Long story short, part of our company split off and the folks that organized the race for us last year were part of the company that split off.

They did an awesome job in the past, remarkable really, and for many years it was a major highlight for runners in the company.

For those of you that don't know about the Kaiser Permanente Corporate Challenge, it's a 5K road race with approx 20,000 participants(not all from my company) and it runs Thursday September 25^th at 7pm.

It's a race and it's a party, the road course starts at the Braves stadium and runs north into downtown Atlanta and then loops back to stadium parking lot, where companies set up large tents for the post race party.

This has to be the best 5K I've ever run; you toe the line with a bunch of you colleagues, you run a closed course in some of the best parts of downtown Atlanta and then make it back to the tent for the party.

So, this is the year I became the guy.

I'm in charge of getting a budget (did I mention something about my company splitting), it's harder than it sounds. Asking for money nowadays or should I say getting it is harder than it sounds.

Working with the folks at KP and Active.com to set up accounts, teams and a registration process.

Getting the word out to the masses, email campaigns, kissing babies and shaking hands, and getting folks off the couch of doom.

Couch to 5K training plans, training sessions, lunch time, after work and everything in between.

Creating a tee shirt design, finding a screen printer, so we can all get the all important race shirt.

Trophy's, we got to have trophy's right, how about some real cool ones, yea, trophy's.

Food, what would the best 5K be without food, how about, chicken wings, ribs, pulled pork and pulled chicken with baked beans, coleslaw and potato salad followed up with cookies and brownies.

Beer, we have to have lots of beer, ice cold beer and plenty of it, we need to storm the castle, pillage the buffet and drink like Vikings.

Door prizes, timing, transportation and this, that, and the other thing.

Getting them all to the line on race day, priceless.

-Brian

I'm in mall hell.

Somebody shoot me!

My wife and kids tricked me, they said how about lunch and a movie. Sucker, I need to put this one in the Book of Man under code for let's drag dad around so he can carry all the bags of shoes.

Payback for a two hour ride this morning (worth it).

-Brian

I want candy!

Good fun at Stone Mt park

Saturday bike ride

I'm about 1.5 hours into a ride when I passed this oasis of a park.

I love my bike:

I finally got on my bike after almost two weeks.
I took off about 09:30 for what was going to be a one hour ride, just a shake out, but I was having so much fun just tooling around I stayed out for two hours.

One thing I got to today was explore some new roads, you know all those side streets you just fly by when you out on a training ride. I got to make it down quite a few and found some nice short steep hills, many farms, and in one neighborhood a young boy on a BMX bike that wanted to race.

When I pulled in the hood, I was about 6 minutes short of 2 hours so I made the hilly hood loop (HHL). The HHL is all down hill for about 3/4 mile then up hill for about 1/4 mile, That means that coming back is just about all up hill, so I found a gear and got out of the saddle for about 1/2 to 3/4 of a mile, yup a real butt kicker. I made it home, showered, then the wife and kids took me to Texas Road House for a steak and then it was home for some Olympic and a nap.

I just finished week one of the 100 pushup challenge, and all I can say is pushups are hard. I hope next week it gets easier LOL.

I got a funny foot thing going on, where my second longest toe metatarsal bone meets to the ball of my foot it kind of feels like I have a dime stuck to the bottom of my foot. It sore, but it's not killing me, but it's been two weeks, so I might have to spend to co-pay and see a doc. But being a guy I just might wait another week, I mean it's not oozing puss yet, you know what I'm saying.

Ok, thats it for now,

-Brian

The bike is back on the road:

At long last I got up to see the mighty fine folks at Roswell Bike and swap out my two piece seat post clamp for a one piece. :).

The first thing you notice about the new part is that it's about 5 times the weight, then you notice it's not the same color, I guess this was the easiest to fix the issue. Either way I'm just happy to be able to ride:)

I got my fingers crosses, and if all goes well tomorrow, I get in a 2 hour ride.

Ha, I almost forgot to add, I start the 100 pushup thing, tomorrow is week1, day3, feels good.

-B

Good day at the pool:

Good day, it was a good day all the way around.

It started off at 06:45, rise and shine; it's the first day of school for the kids. My youngest chicken nugget (borrowed term) started Kindergarten today and she was very excited. On top of starting real school today she got to finally ride that yellow school bus! After years of watching the older chicken nugget strap on the backpack and hop the roaring yellow beast it was her turn and she was all smiles. With the school bus was out of sight and my wife stopped crying I headed off to the office awaiting my post school report.

I was happy to learn that my baby found her way to class, met the teacher, made it to day end of the day and somehow made her way home without getting lost, or losing any of many things she had in that shiny new backpack.

It is a new dawn in my house!

While the kids battled the first day of school, I was battling Monday, you know, email, voice mail and a new long list of things to do.

At my midday break, the one that I used to lunch hour, I tore off to the pool. Still felling ripped off from missing my bike ride; I hit the pool with a vengeance!

I set of for a 300m warm up, followed by 3 x 500m, first 500 at race pace, second building and the third, well, with watching all that swimming over the weekend and all, I smoked it. I have to say I learned a few things over the weekend, watching all of the Olympians I could see that they really got a good glide and really reached. So today's mission was to work on technique, then speed, and I think it was working.

My first set was about 149 avg., second about a 145 avg. and my last was about 139 avg. for 100m, and for me that's damn fast.

Tomorrow, I might run my midday break or swim, either way it will be kinds of a recovery day.

-Brian

"There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, learning from failure." Colin Powell

No bike ride today.

I'm really sad today, I had planned to head out on a early morning bike ride, but it wasn't meant to be.

Last night I gathered up all my bike crap and aired up the tired and I was ready to go. So I got up and got dressed and grabbed my bike when I noticed my saddle looked a little low. Upon examination I could see that my seat post clap was broken, oh WTF! Felt has had a problem with this damn clam, and this my second one, my first broken clamp happened while on vacation and I was able to get it swapped out. But now this getting old.

I guess what makes me mad is that I registered my bike with Felt online and they must know they have a problem and they never contacted me. So now I missed my ride and I have to waste $10 bucks on gas and drive up to the only shop that has a replacement.

Maybe I should go run.

-b

That guy smells:

So, it like 100 degrees here in Georgia so when it's this hot I head to the gym to run on the hamster wheel.

I get home from work and walk in the door and the spousal unit "said I need to go shopping", then I said I need to go to the gym. Being a true gentleman and wanting to keep peace in the house, I day "Sure, why don't you do your thing, I'll hang with the kids and you go off and shop and when you come back I'll head to the gym" or something like that. She is gone for 90 minutes or so, she comes back happy and with new shoes (yeah that's a topic for another day, woman and shoes) so head to the gym.

I feel good, and I look good because I got my new shirt and when I get to the gym it's a little past rush hour, perfect. I find a bunch of empty treads and hop on and do a walking warm-up. I like to walk for 5 minutes, do a little stretch and then have at it, but I decide I should use the restroom because I had been hydrating all day. I put my towel up on the display (international signal for I'm in the men's room) and when I'm walking to the men's room I get a whiff of what smells like 7 day old roadkill. You guys know the smell, your running down the road and the wind is blowing the right way and holy $h1t, yeah, that's what I smelt. Now I'm a big boy and things like that don't bother me too much, hey it's a gym (or a social hangout for some people, alas another story) and when you work out you, well, you can get a good funk going. But when I say 7 day old roadkill, I mean this person was ripe. So, where was I, oh the men's room, I do my business and when I am heading back I am hit in the face by the roadkill, damn I think! As I walking back to MY treadmill, I can see that most of the other empty treads are now full, but then it happened, the roadkill (I'm calling him skunky now) cuts me off, and jumps on the tread to my left. I'm from the Boston area now living in Georgia and I'm trying to be a Southern Gentleman, so I go about my business and start running, but I can't really get up to speed because all I can think about is how bad this guy smells. This person looked as if he might have been new to the country and in his last place they didn't bathe all the time, I know we have it pretty good here, lots of water and soap and etc… I'm not knocking where ever this person may have been from, but yeah Skunky was ripe and it wasn't anything new. As I hit the ten minute mark I remember thinking what the hell does this guys bed smell like, I was really not liking this guy much, but in the back of my mind I was hoping that he was just warming up so he could go lift. At the twenty minute mark I was getting agitated and I was thinking was I going to squirt him with my water bottle, tell him to get the %$#% away from me before I kick his A$$ (I did say I lived close to Boston), but I just bit my tongue and upped my speed. It was really all I could do not to kill this man, I couldn't move to a new tread they were all taken, and I had to get my workout in. I didn't know if I could finish my workout, I start thinking about stopping, maybe I should just leave and go home, I don't want to go to jail for killing this guy, do I? Hmmmmm, what jury could convict me, I wonder, temporary insanity brought on by the smell of death, yeah, that's it. Skunky's wife came over and started talking to him, not sure what she was saying, but I'm sure she was smelly too. I was pissed off because this guy was giving me heart burn and I was hoping that Mrs. Skunky would take him home, but that Skunky ran for 45 minutes, wearing a long sleeved shirt, shorts and some sort of slip on loafer like shoes. Once he left I thought for sure they are going to have to burn the tread where it stood.

I ran for another 15 minutes, and I have to say it was pure pleasure, free from negative thoughts and it smelt as good as rain.

Now I know I'm over reacting about this guy, but every once in awhile It's fun to bitch.

I'm going to bring Febreze and if I ever see him again I going to give him a couple shots.

-Brian

100 degrees out, this is not so good.

I hit the indoor pool for a lunch time swim and when I got back to my car the temp said 100 degrees!

I’m still alive, just taking it easy:

I've been a little burnt lately, like you couldn't tell, I'm still training, but I doing it on my terms.

My 'A' race was early and I started my base training back in January, raced in mid May and took a few weeks to unwind and get back in-touch with my family. I missed many things while I toiled away at my reclusive training plans and the strict schedule and I needed a break. Then came a somewhat extended family vacation, and many trips to Six flags and the water park, time well spent. We had some real fun, and while I love triathlon and training, it had to take a back seat to the demands of being a husband and father.

I haven't been a complete slacker, I've been training, I just haven't been worrying about time or heart rate or distance, the only thing I have been worried about is having some fun. It's a whole different world when you don't have a goal for every workout, and you're just out for the fun of it. I like to run or ride with no plan, just go get lost somewhere, find something new, and think about life, my plans for the future as well as review the past. After a long run or ride my body is tired buy my mind is so clear and this has been my training purpose these last two months.

Feeling refreshed I now need to put a few things on my calendar, I'd like to race a two more triathlons this year and at least on half marathon this fall. Tonight I'm going to discuss possible plans with my wife and see what our schedules look like and see if I can squeeze a few races.

Forgot to add, my daughters suggested that we do a family race, so I'm going to be looking for a one mile fun run 4-6 weeks out and get them involved in some training.

Be good to each other,

-Brian

 

 

Time stands still for no man or woman.

It's been awhile to say the least, but the storm tonight knocked out the power so I've got some time.
Where to start, July is passing like a summer storm, just as it arrives its almost over. I've been in a little funk lately, I ended June and stretched into July with a vacation home to see my family and friends and spent two weeks having fun at the beach. I got to see a lot of old friends and some young ones, we broke bread and drank wine with many. My how time goes by, the kids all got bigger and smarter, wish I could stop time. My life is so good I don't want anything to change, my wife kids are wonderful and I can't imagine it any other way.
Sorry about the rambling. So I left the wife and kids at my in-laws for an extra two week of vacation and I've missed them dearly, what can I say underneath my rough exterior I'm just dad that misses his family. I pick them up at the airport tomorrow and I can't wait, 14 days is a long time without them.
My training has been a little poor after 70.3 Florida, I've been feeling a little burnt and my Thyroid has me up and down daily. The weekend I got back from vacation was the Chattanooga Waterfront triathlon, I had been looking forward to the race for weeks, but on race morning it was raining and the forecast was calling for rain all day so I pulled the plug on the race and just watched, in retrospect I wish I raced it, its been haunting me for two weeks. I wrote it off to two weeks of beer and BBQ and the fact that I didn't get many good training days in while on vacation, that coupled with the fact that I haven't been feeling too good. Deep down inside I know some of what I was feeling was race day jitters and they got the best of me. Not racing was bad, the event looked like a blast even with the rain and I know I'll be doing this race next year.
So enough crying in my beer, I'm still getting some key workouts in. The weekend was great, Saturday I got in a good swim and then rode 30 miles, Sunday was a 60 minute run, all my weekend workouts were unplugged, just enjoying the time. I'm feeling fresh and I know when I see the wife and kids tomorrow all will be as it should.

So if any of you know of a good race comming up let me know.

Ok, be good to each other and enjoy the ride.

-Brian

Home Sweet Home:

After a wonderful vacation I am home and it feels good to be back. I missed my bike and my bed, although I was able to borrow a bed and a bike while I was traveling, there's nothing like your own.

I got home last night at about 1:00 am after a 4 hour delay because of the rain in Atlanta, I know it doesn't rain for a year and then the day I need to fly the sky opens up and backs up the airport. I had to drag my butt out of bed this morning for an all day off-site meeting, ouch.

Tomorrow is Friday and I'm going to get a swim in at lunch and then on the way home I need to stop off for a few tubes and some air and then get me transition kit packed up.

I haven't had to time to post much but I'll post something good soon, I'm still unwinding (code for recovering) from my vacation and I got a few bloggers I've got to check up on. I haven't been able to check on you peeps for awhile and I know you guys are kicking some butt and I miss reading your works, so I catch up with you guys tomorrow.

Le Tour is in full swing and I'm catching up on all the news now on VS, so it's stage six today.

I got the Chattanooga Olympic this Sunday so I got to get me mind wrapped around the race, I haven't been thinking about it too much and it's so close I get to get focused.

 

Be good to each other,

 

-Brian

 

Mondays

Mondays are sweet when your on vacation.

Happy 4th of July everyone.

Fireworks from the Plymouth waterfront.

Pictures from the road

Sometimes lifes a beach!

I've been on holiday for the last few days catching up with my family and some old friends.
I haven't had access to the internet so I haven't been blogging or reading my favorite blogs. Today we are just sitting on the beach watching the kids play and I'm playing with the crackberry, so please forgive any typos.

Ride to work:

Rode into the office again today, this time I left from my house.
It was a real nice ride this morning, cool without much traffic.

My ride was just under 20 miles in and it took me 1:04 with a few traffic lights and 4-way stop signs. I expect it will take me a little longer on the way back with the extra climes and late day heat (90+).

Just an observation on my part, but I think motorists are slightly more aware of cyclists and can see the financial benefit of parking the car. During my ride in I felt that many motorists went out of their way to give me some extra room on the road. But WTF is it with big red pickup trucks, every time I have a close one on the road, it's some jackhole in a red pick up.

Anyway, I'm saving about 1.5-2 gallons of gas today, so if anyone needs it.

-Brian

UPDATE:
I had a good ride home.
It was hot and much of the first 6 miles is up hill, so my tongue was hanging out and I was panting like a dog.
I got back to the house and I could feel the heat in me and my skin felt the hot from the sun, it was awesome.

When I got home, my kids, some of their friends and their parents where home and they were all asking me questions about my ride and I could see they were impressed or they where thinking I was crazy, not sure which. I think I could see some pride in my kids eyes when their friends and parents were asking me questions about my ride, I mean come on, they know I'm a badass.

It was a good day.

New Blackberry

I finally broke down and got a new phone.
If your in the market check out Best Buy they have the Blackberry Curve 8310 with GPS on sale for$49.99.

I hope everyone had a good weekend racing and training.

-Brian
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Bike it to work day:

Well I finally did it, I rode my bike to the office.

What a nice way to start the day, the weather was great, sunny and 62 degrees.
I met up with a pal from the office and we rode in together, the route was calm traffic wise, it had some long grades and some nice hills to it.
We started from my friends house and rode down past farms and forest and we even got to ride over a covered wooden bridge.

I've showered up, had my large vat of coffee and now it's time to gloat about our epic ride. Well not so epic, but the office crew doesn't need to know that, hehe.

So today I'm saving 1 gallon of gas, that's $4 bucks in my pocket OPEC, take that!!!

Later today I hope to swimming at lunch, if I can get a ride I'll take it easy, I'm thinking a cool 1000m at a nice slow pace.

Then I'm riding back home, and then I got mow that damn lawn. :-D

Round trip on the bike should work out to 27 miles +/-.

I'm putting out the challenge to you guys, if you can, and if it's safe, then pick a day and ride it in.


Train smart, race strong,

Brian

P.S. the Celtics beat the Lakers and took the title!

Break time is over:

In my post Ironman 70.3 recovery (extended) period I've been a little lax in my training.

Those days are over and I'm back on the wagon!

My next 'A' race is less than a month away and I got to get going.

Next up is the Chattanooga Waterfront tri on July 13, so I started tuning up for it. I'm really excited about this one; from everything I read it's a really nice race.

I've been kind of winging it with my training schedule but tonight I'm going to get on paper my training plan from now to race day.

I would like to really start to work on my run, my gosh is it bad, I've been having some real issues with my lower legs this year and it's been hard on my psyche.

Some of the issues are related to my low thyroid levels, everything I read speaks about muscle weakness and cramping when you real low and I can attest to it.

I've been working with my doctor to get me dosage right but I'm still too low and I know it's been effecting me all year, so Friday I'm going in for blood work.

So back to my training plan:
Swim, I would like to get 2 or 3 per week.
Monday, 1200 meters of short drills x 50s.
Wednesday, 1500 of longer x100s or x150s drills.
Friday, 2000 or longer straight swim for endurance.

Bike, I would like to get in 3.
I am also going to plan at least 3 rides, still working on days and times.
Saturday, long ride 40 + miles, followed by a run off the bike of 30 + min.

Run, I'm thinking I will run 4 times per week.
I would like to 2 runs off the bike, one short 15 min and one longer 30 min.
Tuesday, I can run at lunch, 40-60 min.
Thursday, I can run at lunch, 40-60 min.
Saturday, run off the bike 30 + minutes.
Sunday, longer run 90 + minutes.

On top of all that we're on vacation for some time, and I'm going to have to borrow a bike while I'm on vacation.

We're going to be visiting family and friends, two of our friends are training for Ironman Lake Placid so I know I can get in some training action with them.

I just have to watch out for the "Screw it I'm on vacation" thoughts.

P.s. I swam today at lunch, 2100m in 42 and change, felt pretty good.

Train smart, race strong,

Brian

Not so Mock TRI.

Saturday was our Inaugural Phat B’s “Not so mock TRI” and I had a blast!
First, I have to say we had a great bunch of people come out to play, you guys were great.

An Athlete in Training... Chris (http://athleteintraining.blogspot.com/)
Kevin (http://triaflete.blogspot.com/)
Mary Ruth (http://snowgypsy.blogspot.com/)
Richard (http://beyond05.blogspot.com/)
Sam (http://slowsam.blogspot.com/)
Sarah (http://www.chasingiron.com/)
Wes and Dee Dee (http://www.codegeekstail.com/)

The Swim: We had 8 people doing the Inaugural event, which was really the perfect number because of the lanes in my neighborhood pool, any more I would have needed to set buoys and do laps. Anyway, we started the swim sometime around 10:00 and swam for 15 minutes; I think the swim went fine; the duration of the swim was perfect.
We all hopped out of the pool and walked back up to my house for a lazy T1. We decided that we should all stick together for the bike, at least the first loop. So we all got our bike stuff on, mounted up and headed out.

The bike: The route I mapped out is a relatively flat route with a few good hills mixed in, but nothing crazy. We had a couple of issues along the way, we had a chain bounce off and later we had a flat, and I actually did a small crash like thing. Ok, I admit it! I crashed, I jumped up and asked if any saw it and everyone said no (what pals), I was just about standing still and I was looking back to see where the group was and my wheel turned and I dumped. The bike didn’t get a scratch but I scuffed my arm and leg a little trying to catch the bike, I’d rather wreck myself then scratch the bike. A few times some of the faster riders would speed up and let it out a bit, but wait at the turns so everyone could regroup and keep together. For a group ride with riders of both sides of the spectrum I think everyone was having fun, after all this is a fun event and a fun sport.

We got back to the house for another lazy transition; I got a pitcher of Gatorade out and stated filling cups and bottles while everyone got their run stuff on. At this point a few peeps headed out for another loop.

The run: for me was a very flat 1 mile social event. My running has been miserable this season, I’ve been plagued with shin splits and I am just now starting to get over them. So I just wanted to run a short distance and take it easy. The short run also allowed me to be the first person back to the house so I could start playing host. We got back to the house got a drink and I stayed at the house while many of the others did more loops.

Post race: (my best discipline), we all got to sit back and have some snacks and drinks while we got to know each other better. We talked about which raced we had planned, which raced we had done. A bunch of us are going to race the Chattanooga Waterfront Tri next month so we talked about that a lot. I just had a great time, lots of laughter and smiles.

My next question is when can we do this again?

I think for the next event we might want to do an open water swim, so I was thinking maybe at one of the parks around Lake Lanier or Lake Altoona would make for a good starting point. I loved having it at my house, but I think we were at capacity on the pool swim, and OWS would be a better training session. I think we could have a post race BBQ and any non racing family member could spend some time at the lake.

Let’s pick a date and a place.

-Brian

Fat B & B Course Maps:

Ok, so here is the long awaited course maps.

Bike, we can do 1, 2 or more laps, it's got some rolling hills but nothing too hard.



We have some options for the Run :
My 1 mile run off the bike:


My flattish 5K option, mostly on sidewalks and very quite streets:


The 5 Miler that's full of hills:


So, check out the maps, you should know your route and if you can print them out.

Let me know if you have any questions or comments.

-Brian

Inaugural "Fat B(astards or itches)'s tri club" triathlon:

So it looks like we’re going to have a good bunch for the
Inaugural "Fat B(astards or itches)'s tri club" triathlon.

Wes and (I hope) Dee Dee
Sarah and her husband
Sam
Richard, his wife and Daughter
Kevin and his wife
And the mysterious “An Athlete In Training”
And myself
I hope I’m not forgetting anyone, but If I did let me know, everyone is welcome.

Everyone please make sure you know how to get to my house.
Email me, my address is in my profile, and I'll send you my address and phone numbers.
Let me know if you want to bring any food items, I'd hate it if you made the same thing as me and it was better than mine.

This is going to be a self supported race so pack a water bottle(s) for the bike and run.
I'll have some GU gels to share but I am sort supply on the water bottle thing.

Tonight I'm going to map out the bike and run, and I’ll post them up on my blog.
Swim: My neighborhood pool is a 4 lane no rope Jr Olympic pool and if we can start before 10:00 we should have it to ourselves. With the no rope layout if gives is 8 lanes if we stay on either side of the stripe so everyone should have plenty of room. in the event some other residents want to use the pool at the same time will have to circle swim. Either way it’s going to be fun. Almost forgot, I was thinking the swim should be like 15-20 minutes, but I’m open to suggestions.
Bike: I'm thinking the bike should be something like 15 - 20 miles of rolling hills, nothing too high, I don't want anyone to die, but I don’t want it to feel like your ridding on their trainer. It is also my plan to ride with everyone on the bike, I want to make sure everyone has a good day and no one gets lost or dropped.
Everyone has the option of ridding the loop more than once.
Run: I am going to have three options, a 1 mile flat run off the bike, a 5k flat mostly sidewalks out and back and a 5 mile hilly loop that will kick your butt.
My plan on the run is to run the 1 mile or maybe the 5k, I’m still nursing some weird shin splints and I want to be back before everyone else to I can play host.

Bring a towel because we can use the pool post race if you want.

Let me know if you questions or comments.

We need a logo, so if anyone can draw or has photo shop skills....

-Brian

Update, Mock TRI @ my house:

All,

I have been playing with the schedule and I have decided on Saturday June 14 at 09:30 am.

Judging by some of the responses it looks like we'll have a good mix of abilities, so I wanted to come up with routes and distances that can done with killing anyone, or that can be done as two loops for those of you that want a good arse kicking.

I still have no exact routes mapped, but here is what I'm thinking.

• Swim: We can swim (lap pool in my neighborhood) 15 minutes or more depending on everyone's mood.
  
• Bike: I am setting up a 15 mile ish rolling bike course that some can ride once or twice depending on their mood, and if you want to add some hills then I can oblige.
  
• Run: Again we have a few options, I have a nice flat 1 mile run off the bike, a flat 5k or a hilly 5 miler all depending upon your pain threshold.
  

My plan is to do a swim and bike and maybe the one mile run off the bike, this way I can get back in time to play host. For the bike and run I will have maps and I hope to paint a few arrows out on the turns, and so that everyone will be able to get in a good workout.

If needed we have a shower at the pool or you can shower at my house.

Post workout we can grill some meat and drink some beer and maybe hit the pool for the cool down.

 

So now it polling time, please post or email me what you're thinking.

I need to know if you coming so I can plan, so please don't be shy, let me know your plans.

Everyone is welcome!

-Brian

Chattanooga Waterfront Tri, I’m in:

Well it's a done deal; I'm going to race the Chattanooga Waterfront Tri July 13. The "Chatt" is an Olympic distance event (1.5k swim / 42k bike /10k run) and takes place in beautiful downtown Chattanooga. I got a good look at the area last year when I ran the Chickamauga Marathon and the bike looks like it could have some hills.

Other bloggers I know have signed up, let me know if I missed someone:

Wes
Kevin
Sarah

Below is the bike course:

Click here for the website.

Train smart, race strong,

-Brian

Georgia gets a Ironman 70.3 race:

The cat is out of the bag and Georgia is getting a Ironman 70.3 race in Augusta in September 2009.

Here is the official word:

June 2, 2008 -- Today, Ironman, in conjunction with Premier Event Management, announces a new Ironman 70.3 Event scheduled for 2009 in the southeastern United States. Ironman 70.3 Augusta will take place in the classic southern city of Augusta, Georgia on Sunday, September 27, 2009 with a field limit of 2,000 athletes.
Premier Event Management, producers of the several major triathlons across the United States including the Nautica New York City Triathlon, Ironman 70.3 Lake Stevens and the Ochsner Ironman 70.3 New Orleans, is excited to bring Ironman 70.3 to the city of Augusta. “The city of Augusta and its aggressive sports council has been simply fantastic to work with on the planning of this inaugural event,” said race director, Bill Burke of Premier Event Management.
Ironman 70.3 Augusta will offer athletes the unique opportunity to race in two states, as the cycling portion of this event will take athletes into the great state of South Carolina. Prior to the bike portion, athletes will swim a 1.2 mile point-to-point course in the Savannah River exiting at the Augusta Rowing Club Complex and the Augusta public boat launch. Athletes will then cycle a single-loop 56 mile bike course through the beautiful countryside of South Carolina before returning to the Georgia side of the Savannah River and the city of Augusta, Ga. Finally, athletes will run a two-loop course consisting of 13.1 miles, through the downtown community of Augusta finishing near the Augusta Marriott Hotel and Conference Center. Athletes will be vying for 50 age group slots to the Foster Grant Ironman World Championship 70.3 being held in Clearwater, Florida and a $25,000.00 professional prize purse.
To recognize the 4th of July, Premier Event Management is offering athletes a one-time discounted registration fee to the inaugural Ironman 70.3 Augusta. Register online anytime throughout the month of July at http://www.ironmanaugusta.com/ beginning at 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday, July 1, 2008 until July 30, 2008 and receive a $10.00 discount on your 2009 Ironman 70.3 Augusta entry. Ironman 70.3 Augusta is limited to 2,000 athletes, so don’t be left out of this new event.
For further information on the inaugural Ironman 70.3 Augusta event or other events produced by Premier Event Management, check out http://www.pem-usa.com/ or call 866-454-6561. For more information on Ironman and the 70.3 Event Series, visit http://www.ironman.com/.
WWW.IRONMANAUGUSTA.COM

Mock Triathlon @ my house!

I love triathlon, I love to swim, bike and run and if I could I would like to do it every weekend. "If I could", but I can't, I just don't have the time to travel to all of the locations and on top of that gas is $4 bucks a gallon and then many times hotels are involved and well it can get expensive. But the real underlying truth is I just can spare the time away from the family.

So what am I going to do…

I've decided to put on my own triathlon in my own backyard.

My neighborhood has a lap pool, so I got the swim thing covered and that always the hardest part. I've got endless rides and run courses, so I can pick all of the hills and complain about them during the race. Post race I can drink my own beer and eat my own hamburgers and float around the pool (quick shower before implied). And best of all I get some of my pals to come race it with me, some that have raced before, and better yet I might get a few newbie's.

Because of commitments to family plans I cannot attempt the first annual "Fat B(astards or itches)'s tri club" (borrowed from Wes, as he coined the phrase) triathlon until June 14 or 15.

If anyone would like to join me for a free backyard triathlon and beers in two weeks let me know. I am open to all suggested distances but I can tell you Iron might be out of the question this time.

Post a comment or email me at try2tri@gmail.com.

Train smart, race strong,

-Brian

Wave pool:

Not too much going on here, I am still recovering from my race. LOL.

I took it easy this weekend, I got in two runs and some weight training and that's about it for active recovery.

This weekend was a bit crazy, we took it easy on Saturday, but Sunday we headed to the local water park for some big time waves in the ol' wave pool.

We always have fun at the water park. Last summer we went about 10 times, and Emily my 9 year (8 year old then) old and I would bring the swim goggles and float around in the deep end of the wave pool and dive for whatever we could find.

I know this year Emily is starting to discover life as a per-teen, I get a roll of the eyes from time to time, and when I can't find the phone I know who to see. This is the time in her life where she will discover new things for good and bad, she will learn about money, and how it's made and spent. She will learn about things that we've tried so hard to protect her from, (mostly from the boys and the mall), and she will start growing up, and this scares the heck out of me. Just the thought of my sweet little girl being turned into a teenager keeps me up at nights.

But the wave pool is a great place; it's a magical place where time stands still.

Emily is very much like me in so many ways and it's kind of funny to see myself in a 9 year old girl (you know what I'm trying to say), but I can and love it. We both love the wave pool, and for some reason, not too many people like to be in the very deep end of the wave pool, so it's just the two of us many times, performing ticks for the tourists. No tubes, no noodles, no vests and no flooties, but just us, swimming and diving and floating on our backs, floating on the big ones. I can see Emily feels some big time pride for swimming in the deep end with dear old dad, diving for quarters and being bounced around like cork while the crowd looks on. She grabs me around my neck and we dive below to grab a quarters and swim around making faces at each other. She will get older and discover those darn boys and the mall (I know she found the mall, thank her mother for that one), but for now we have the wave pool.

I cannot forget my little one Mary, she's 5 and she will swim with me in between the wave sets without a vest from the shallow end to the deep end and back giggling all the way. She too will be a terrific wave pool swimming doing tricks for the tourists in the years to come.

Watch out boys, because my pair of girls are pretty and tough.

Folks, it's not about the race, it's about the journey.

-Brian

Back to business:

OK the 'A' race is over and I had a blast, but it's time to start picking out the rest of the season.

I've been trying to feel out the wife to see that her pain threshold might be for my race and training schedule to come. So for now I am going to pick one race per month and make a calendar where I can pin it up in the house so that there will be no surprises.

So what I do I think I want to do for distances and events? Well I think I would like to do some Olympics, I think that I might be suited to this distance for a number of reasons.

• Training, I think for the next 6 weeks or so I can keep training hard and still have plenty of time for the family vacations and obligations.
  
• Distance, I know I could race next weekend and not have to taper down or spend too much time recovering.
  
• Day trips, The Olympic events are more popular that half iron races and I should be able to find a few that are close to home.
  
• Cost, 70.3 Florida was an 'A' race on my wallet, and with summer here my wallet needed to recover.
  

Events that might work for me:

• June 14, 2008 -Olympic- The West Point Lake Triathlon, LaGrange, Georgia
  
• July 13, 2008 -Olympic- Chattanooga Waterfront Triathlon, Chattanooga, Tennessee
  
• Aug 31, 2008 -1k/30k/8k- Callaway Gardens Triathlon, Callaway Gardens, Georgia
  
• Sept 28, 2008 -Half Iron- South Carolina Half, Ninety Six, South Carolina
  

This is a quick list, and subject to change, pending the spousal approval. LOL.

I think I might be able to one more for some time in August, so if you know of any good races let me know.

So in my immediate plans, I would like to find a new HIM training plan, something with some longer bricks and maybe a little more run focused then most. I need to also be able to work in at least two full body workouts per week and a real stretching program. I also see a need to drop a few pounds, I've been pretty stable with my thyroid so I really have no more excuses, and so if someone wants to buddy up for the biggest looser contest let me know.

That's all for now, have a nice long weekend.

Train smart, race strong,

-Brian

Ironman 70.3 Florida Race Report Part 1:

I'm going to write my race report in stages because I'm sure I'll forget something the first time and want to make an update.

It was Thursday May 15; I'm still a little sick and a little tired. I washed my bike and made a few final adjustments then packed the car. I went over my large check list to make sure I packed everything. I felt good about having everything so I headed off to bed.

It was Friday May 16 at 05:30 when my alarm went off, as I laid in my bed the fact that my race was just a few days away started to scare me. Not that I was afraid of it, but that it was so close and I'd have to put up or shut up. I've trained for 18 weeks and it was time to go, so I jumped out of bed and showered as quietly as I could. I tip toed into the kids room and gave them a kiss on the forehead, kissed my wife and left for my 500 mile drive. I was going to meet Eric at the Orlando Airport @ 02:00pm. Jumped in the car and started on my way, I had one small traffic issue, a car had knocked down a power pole and Rt. 78 was closed! The police had to divert us thru a parking lot, so I lost a few minutes but I was still on schedule. I made the dive in a good time and got to the airport as planned, I picked up Eric out front and we headed to the hotel so we could drop of all of our stuff. As we drove to the hotel we got to catch up a little, it had been a year since we got to hang out.

We unpacked the car and headed over to Disney to check in and pick up our race packets. Because it was Friday and the masses hadn't arrived yet check in was smooth and I we got to check out most of the tents. I picked up a new Zoot tri top and race belt and checked out the many Ironman branded nick knacks they had for sale. While we were looking at all of the tri crud I got Wes on the phone and got his location and made plans for dinner. We had a very nice dinner at Carrabba's with Wes, Dee Dee, Eric any myself. I think we were all excited about the race and a little spent because of all the travel. We said goodnight to Wes and Dee Dee and we headed back to the hotel to unpack and get some sleep.

Saturday May 17^th, We woke up and got some breakfast and just hung out and catching up on current events and reminiscing about the old times. I should also add that Eric and his wife Sara are both training for Ironman Lake Placid on July 20^th, so much of the time I was asking questions about training and was training going. After breakfast we drove the bike course to get a firsthand look at the route and see where these hills where. I did not see anything that look too tall just a from miles of rollers, so I felt much better, I have been training on much bigger hills. We finished up the drive and got to the Ironman village. Eric had shipped his bike so we went over to pick it up and get in a small 30 minute ride to work the legs a little and make sure the bikes where ready for the race. Once we got back into the village Wes had called and asked if we wanted to meet for lunch, we were both hungry so we checked out bikes into transition and we met Wes, Dee Dee and Kate for lunch at Davey Crockett's Tavern for a large lunch. After a nice lunch I looked at my watch and it was only like 3:00, but it felt like bed time, I think the long drive was getting too me. Soon we parted ways and Eric and I headed back to the hotel to drop our stuff off and get ready for a short run. We both got in a run, me 25 minutes and Eric ran 45 minutes, we headed to the hotel pool for some time to float around and just relax. After an hour or so at the pool we got cleaned up and went out for dinner and one beer (you know for good luck). We got back to the hotel and laid our transition bags, watched a little TV and just took it easy.

Sunday May 18^th, We woke got ready and drove to Disney parking lot and took the bus over to where the race was, the line for the busses about a 500 people deep, but it moved quickly. Once on site we headed to transition dropped our bags and got body marked. We got back to transition and set up all of our stuff and made our way to the beach. Once we got down to the beach we found Wes and Dee Dee, I was glad to see them, Wes and I have been training and looking forward for a longtime. So we all hung out on the beach and got to see the pros go and a few waves take off. With about 10 – 15 minutes to go I started getting butterflies in my stomach about the swim, I knew I could make it, but my head was starting to play tricks on me. I needed to clear my head and focus, so I stepped away from Wes and Eric to try to center myself and watch the swim. This is the point where I lost Wes (sorry bro I didn't mean to), but they were calling my wave (red caps) and I need to get into the staging area.

The Swim:
I looked ahead and the furthest buoy looked real far, the water was dark, it still was a little dark, fear was trying to get a grip. The poor person that didn't make it out of the water at last week's Gulf Coast was on my mind and I could feel myself tighten up. With a quick blast of the horn I decided to Hardened The F%^& Up and jumped in the water and swam my butt of. I swam in the back and off to the side for most of the first leg, it took 300 meters or so before I felt my rhythm. The more I swam the better I was feeling, so I pulled inside a little more and started to swim more with the other swimmer and not in the boonies. I bumped a few times but nothing that caused me to lose my focus so I just kept going. I swam freestyle 100% of the time and only had to stop once for 1 or 2 seconds so a traffic jam could clear, I was real proud of my swim, this was a huge improvement from last year. I got out of the water in 41:19ish (my watch time) and made my way to T1, with a big smile on my face.

T1:
I got into transition and dried myself off a bit, my feet were covered with filth from the run up, it would have been nice if they had some trays with water for dunk and go. I had remembered to bring a bottle of water in past races but I left this off my list. I sat down and while I was cleaning my feet I called home and left a message I was out of the water, I know Maria was worried about the swim, so I didn't care about the extra minute in T1 if it made her feel better. Everything else was fine, but I forgot put out my chest strap and I had to search my bag for it. I grabbed my bike and ran to the mount line.

The Bike:
I mounted up and started riding, having fun, thinking about the swim still, boy I thought I swam good. I made my way out on the course and started drinking and eating as much as I could. This was my first time riding with my aero bottle and I found it real easy to drink from and refill. At about 5 miles into the ride my pedal or bottom bracket was making some noise, everything felt tight but the sounds where not that calming, I had the thought that if the BB was toast I would be done. The noise continued for another 10 miles or so and just worked itself out; I thought that was nice of my bike not to toss its cookies. I hit the first mile maker, mile 15 and I had 15.2 on my computer, I thought that was close enough, and I found that at every 15 miles or so I was that same .2 miles off, so first I was off .2 then .4 and then .6. During the first 30 minutes life was pretty good on the bike, but after that my lower back muscles started to get real sore and I could not ride in the aero position. If I rode up right my back felt better, so much of the last 2 ½ hours where spent in a less than ideal position. It was getting warm I had some sweat dripping of my head but just about when it was hot the rain rolled in and boy I started smiling. I knew the rain would make things a little messy, but it would cool it down and that's what we all needed. Once I got past the hilly section the rain stopped and I felt like I was on the home stretch. I think the bike was about 1 to 1.5 miles long, my computer was accurate for the other mile markers but in the end I was over, I had it as 58+. Eric passed me on the bike, said he was doing good and took off, I got to see he once more on an out and back section. I missed Wes all together, I guess he got out of T1 before me.

T2:

Once I got to T2, I ditched the bike, changed my socks and shoes, I was happy to have my long packing list that said extra socks for the run, drank some and grabbed a GU flask, my visor and headed out. I wish I grabbed some sun screen because I got a little toasted.

The Run from hell:
I ran out of T2 and needed to stop for a quick bathroom break, after that I ran for about 5 minutes and my right calf started to act up. I knew the run was going to be bad, and I knew I was going to have to walk part of the run so I hit the aid station and started to fill up, water, Gatorade, gels and cold sponges and ice. After 2 or 3 miles of walking with a few short runs tosses in Eric ran past me, he was on his seconds loop and said he was doing great. I was glad for him I knew he was training hard and he would just rip this race, he chatted for a bit and I said GO! Don't waste any time. My calf started to relax and my back was started to feel a little better so I started to mix in a few 2-3 minute run in with my much longer walks. Most people like to run and walk the aid stations, but I guess I like to walk and run the aid stations. I was really starting to feel a little sad that I wasn't running, I was feeling like a bit of a failure. But that didn't last long, I trained pretty hard, I gave up a lot to train, I gave up soccer games, lunch with the family and the list goes on, so I wasn't going to walk if I didn't have to. It was hot and I spent all on the swim and bike so I was ok with letting myself walk. I got past my time on the grass and got to the last paved section and ran most of the way into the finishing area.

The finish: I dug down and found a little for the end, not much, but enough to motor to the end. Thank you Wes and Dee Dee to waiting for me, when I turned the corner and say you two it felt great, it's been a long road bro. I got to slap hands and as soon as I left Wes and Dee Dee I could hear Eric yelling BMAC, or that's what I thing he was yelling, got another hand slap from Eric and headed down the last few meters to the finish. Hands raises for Joy, for the hard work, for the suffering, for the misses time with the family and for knowing that I can do anything if I work towards it.

Final thoughts:
I had a fear of the open water swim, so I focused much of my training on swimming and running was last on the list. I think I've put to rest my fear of OWS and my bike may not be 100% but I feel like I can really start to work on my running.

Thank you Maria, Emily and Maryelizabeth, without you guys none of this would have been possible. Thanks Wes and Dee Dee, thanks Eric I had a great weekend, and a race of my life (up to this point). Thanks to everyone at the office for putting up with me making them swim and run at lunch and listen to me blather on about triathlon.

-Brian