Ironman Misadventures

Well, I'm gonna throw a few posts up here about the Ironman in no particular order. First, I was absolutely freaked for the week leading up to the event since I had never entered a tri of this distance. I forgot to bring things from work that I wanted on a daily basis, I lost things I had just bought for this event, and I was drinkin' too much. The day before the event was mandatory bike check. I removed my aero-bottle (Why? Because I was freakin' out remember?) and the rubber bands broke. That's when these little jems came into play. A friend of mine in the telecom business gave them to me a way long time ago and I could never bring myself to throw them out. Good thing I held onto them. The water bottle held in place. Secondly, was packet pickup also the day before the race. The best part about packet pickup is the goody bag and they didn't skimp on this one either. It had top notch schwag from the promoter and their sponsors. However, there was an odd item. Disney, which had nothing to do with the race other than the fact that it was held on their property, decided to put an empty recycled plastic bag in the goody bag with instructions printed on it about how to recycle it. It's swell. I will cherish it for a very long time. Lastly, there were the standard issue misadventures which I imagine occur regularly on the Ironman circuit. Although I didn't witness any, there were a few bike crashes (sorry no photos), and runners were dropping like flies on the 13.1 mile course.

Next time around I'll post some more photos but I'll end with this one since it's my favorite part of the race.

It’s Been Raining, So What Does That Mean For Racing?

Last night’s race was pretty good for me. Why, you ask? Well, since I’m still feeling a little ill, it was good because it was cancelled. Yep, with all the rain we had around here, the trails at the U.S. National Whitewater Center were closed. This meant no race, which meant no trying to kill myself out there while trying to recover from whatever the hell bug I contracted. I guess it was a good thing we didn’t race there, since the trails were probably in horrible shape anyway, and the promoter was probably afraid of this happening:



So, what the hell do I do now? Do I stop riding for a while and hope that I can still do well in the 2010 Catawba Riverfront Classic this Sunday? No way. I’ll ride, even though I’m not currently feeling up to it. Also, since I mentioned da udda day that the XTERRA Whitewater is fast approaching, I need to make sure that I am “training” properly. If you thought that the team here at B-43 just drinks beer to get ready for big events, then you would be partially correct. There is other stuff involved, although the beer is the best part (but least productive.)


I went to the pool again yesterday and cranked out another half mile swim. I actually felt pretty good, despite my sudden illness. The swim portion of these triathlons are my weakness, so I’m trying to build up my confidence so that I will perform swimmingly during that leg of the event. I’m really not too worried about the bike, since I will be racing weekly (or weakly) up until the XTERRA. I’m actually hoping that a lot of out-of-towners show up for the XTERRA, since that would give me a home-trail advantage. That actually worked out pretty well for me last year when I did the Recon Off-Road Tri. Even though I got kicked in the junk during the swim, I managed to blow up the bike course on my way to a third place finish. I earned that spot on the podium, and I hope to do the same in the XTERRA Whitewater. Look out Clydesdale class, here I come.


In other news, none of the shit I’ve been waiting on has arrived at the B-43 Worldwide Headquarters yet. Even though I left some milk and cookies for the nice UPS man, I haven’t seen hide nor hair of him. I’m not being impatient mind you, but I just really like getting stuff sent to me. I once tried boxing up some of my own bike parts, placing them at the front door, and acting surprised. That shit didn't work. I’m no fool, I guess. Well, maybe I am for trying that, but I couldn’t fool myself. Damn it, now I’m confused. Well, maybe not as much as this guy:



"There's an old saying in Tennessee — I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee — that says, fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can't get fooled again."

I’m Telling Y’all It’s Sabotage

While I’ll do like the Beastie Boys, today’s post really has nothing to do with them, other than their relation to the title. All of a sudden, I’m sick. And yeah, it feels like my racing adventures have been sabotaged. Well, it’s been coming on for the last few days, but today it hit me like a ton of bricks. Even driving into work today, I was in a haze. It actually felt like I was on autopilot. So, what does that really mean? Well, if I don’t get any better today, I may not be participating in tonight’s Summer Series race at the U.S. National Whitewater Center. Big deal, right?


Well, I guess it’s not such a big deal after all. It’s not like I’m in he running in the points competition or anything. Still, I do enjoy racing, even if I’m getting my ass handed to me every week by most of the people in my class. If I feel a little bit better this afternoon, I’ll still give it a shot. Hell, I can’t come in any worse than last place, can I? Well if there’s a way to finish worse than last, I’m sure I’ll figure it out. Being sick sucks, but not riding my bike sucks even worse. I tend to get a little nutty when I don’t get enough of my two-wheeled happiness, so that alone may give me reason enough to go out there and “race.”


In other news, I have a few things in the works. There are several scheduled deliveries of goods headed to the B-43 Worldwide Headquarters, but I honestly have no idea when the shit will get here. I can’t really let the cat out of the bag, but I can give y’all a few hints. Some of the “items” are upgrades, some are new “fashionable garments”, and some are “gifts from friends.” I can tell you that there are no new business partnerships in the works just yet, but that’s mostly because of how bad I suck this season I guess.


Hopefully if I feel better by this weekend, I can redeem myself with a podium spot in the 2010 Catawba Riverfront Classic. Right now it’s not looking so good, since I fear that the worst is yet to come. Did I mention that I hate being sick? I guess if you’re feeling up to it, you can tune in tomorrow to see if I found a cure for the common cold, and lined up for yet another pathetic attempt at racing in the Summer Series.


Same Bat time, same Bat Channel?

Just Leave the Gators Alone

When in Florida Just Leave the Gators Alone. If you haven't heard this story way up yonder in NC it follows the plot line of the original Jaws movie wherein Sheriff Brody and the Mayor put a bounty on a fishes head and a bunch of yokels go out and catch a shark, get their picture in the paper, and the beaches of Amity are proclaimed safe for the tourists. The whole thing makes me sick.

Anyway, I received some photos from the Ironman 70.3 Florida event last Sunday but it'll take a while to sort and post them. As for the Mutt's assessment, I'd like to point out that no two tris are alike. So while I may have more triathlon experience the whitewater locals are master's of the domain.

Tri To Be Different

I know some of you were surprised yesterday. If you’ve been around here for awhile though, you know that the other half of this blog-writing duo, Mr. Shepherd, contributes a bit o’ stuff on here once every so often. Since he hasn’t obtained any photos yet, yesterday’s post was but a brief description of his tri-sport adventure da udda day. Yep, we do a little more than mountain biking around here, with two-thirds of the B-43 squad participating in triathlons. While that doesn’t make us elite athletes by any stretch of the imagination, Mr. Shepherd’s accomplishment on Sunday was a huge step in that direction.


While I was awfully proud of myself for swimming half of a mile during yesterday’s “training” session, it pales in comparison to the 1.2 mile swim that Mr. Shepherd had to do down at Ye Ole Disney World during his event. Tack on a 56 mile road ride and a half-marathon run, and you have yourself a feat of Ironman proportions. I have two triathlons under my belt, but both of them were sprint distances, and off road as well. What the hell does this have to do with the price of tea in China? Well, I guess I’m really starting to think about our next big event, the XTERRA Whitewater, coming up on July 11th.


Mr. Shepherd, The Dirty Party Cycle, myself, and possibly Senor Oeste are “competing” in this sure to be fine event, and we are all in various states of readiness. Obviously Mr. Shepherd is the most prepared, so he will most likely have the best results. I know the DPC is plugging away at his training, so he should be good to go too. As for me, I’m just trying to survive. I had the benefit of working with one of my friends yesterday on my swimming, so I now feel a little more confident. He’s a world-champion XTERRA athlete, and actually the one that got me interested in the sport. Since the swim is the most daunting of the events for me, I need all the help I can get.


As for the bike, I’m not worried in the least. I get plenty of practice riding the trails at the U.S. National Whitewater Center, including this past weekend. I got in a few quality “race speed” laps on Saturday morning with the MadSS and his Mrs., and they schooled me on the fine art of climbing. Actually, they schooled me on just about everything. It was all I could do to keep up with them, but that kind of “training” is exactly what I needed. It’s easier to push myself when other people are around, which is the whole reason I race in the first place. Now if I could just get someone to push me on the trail running, I’d be all set. I’d much rather push myself towards the beer fridge, which seems to be detrimental to my “training.”


This week promises to be full of racing adventure, with two events at the U.S. National Whitewater Center. Tomorrow’s race looked to be in danger of cancellation due to weather, but now it’s looking more promising. The weather has cleared, so I will most likely get to have my ass kicked once again. Oh joy. This is what it looked like outside yesterday:



Sunday is the 2010 Catawba Riverfront Classic, which will have me fighting to defend my 2009 Clydesdale title. I have a feeling that it will be more difficult this year, even though I am in much better condition than I was last year. I’m really not that competitive (other than with myself), so I guess I had better turn it up a bit. I should start getting ready.



"LLLLLLLLets get ready to get ready!"

PIG IN POOP

I have some catching up to do as I've been in a few events over the past couple of weekends. The Columbia Muddy Buddy was in the Orlando area last weekend. It seems as though all of the events I've entered this year were held at Disney and, in fact, they have been. Muddy Buddy was at the ESPN Wide World of Sports as it has been for the past few years. Although it is an endurance event the biggest competition is the costume contest and seeing who can get to the Beer Garden first. The other event I entered was the Florida Ironman 70.3 held at Fort Wilderness. Unfortunately, the photos are not yet available from the photographer. Stay tuned.

What’s Going On

No, don't worry. It’s not Sexy Time here at B-43. I just felt like chilling out to a little Marvin Gaye while I contemplate this weekend’s adventures. Since I am fresh of another disappointing race in the Summer Series, I feel like I need to relax a bit and rethink my strategy.


I seem to be allergic to any kind of proper “training”, so I have to figure out a way to keep on drinking beer while becoming better on the mountain bike. I’ve decided that a little two-wheeled punishment is in order. Yep, tomorrow morning, The MadSS and I are hitting up the U.S. National Whitewater Center for a good ol’ fashioned beat down. I’m hoping to do several laps at “race pace” to get me ready for next week. You see, I will be racing there twice next week(the Summer Series Race 4 and then the 2010 Catawba Riverfront Classic), so I need to get The Big O out on that particular trail. Besides, what better place to ride and drink beer, right?


You know, it’s a little funny. Last year, I was a little faster than The MadSS during the Summer Series races, but he came out of nowhere with some new found speed and endurance. Maybe that has a lot to do with the fact that he rides a singlespeed bike, but I blame it on too much beer (for me, that is.) I’m hoping that I can learn some trick or two from him, and ramp up my own speed and endurance. Most likely though, he’ll leave me dead on the side of the trail. I haven’t mentioned this to the Space Cowboy yet, but since he is a regular reader of this shitty blog, hopefully he’ll want in on the fun. (Hit me up buddy, you know you want to suffer along with us.)


After a couple of “death laps”, we’ll belly up to the bar for some refreshing hoppy beverages, and talk about how bad I sucked out there. This is gonna be so fun/painful. Just my thing.


As for Sunday, we’re planning on the next Tarheel Trailblazers Kids Ride, this time at Sherman Branch. I know the little ones will have a great time once again, and hopefully I’ll have some legs left to ride the short loop out there. I guess I’ll still be able to keep up with the kids, although it won’t surprise me if I’m hurting after riding with The MadSS.


So, I hope you all enjoy your weekend, and if you ride, then get out and do so. Don’t sit around and drink beer all weekend, unless you put in some miles first. That’s my philosophy, and it seems to work. Well, it doesn’t work for racing, but none of the other shit I do seems to either. One day I’ll come up with a plan. And you all know that I love it when a plan comes together.