Triathlon•
on May 31st, 2011•
The 2011 BolderBOULDER held this Memorial Day Monday was memorable to say the least. Something like 55,000 people participated in the 10K run/adventure, and that’s not including all the people NOT running. Bands on the side of the course jammin’ on Bob Marley’s hits -it is Boulder. Veterans chilling on their front yards in lawn chairs cheering for everyone. Unofficial aid stations with what? -BEER -it is Boulder, home of some world famous micro brews. Costumes galore, off and on the course. It’s like Woodstock on wheels. If you’ve never experienced the BolderBOULDER, you NEED to. Whether you run or not, that’s up to you. Even though Boulder is practically in my back yard I haven’t ran the BolderBOULDER in years, and I’m thankful my good friend Luke got me out this year. 25th | 33:42. Not very impressive, I know. It gets better.
How did I prepare for the BolderBOULDER? Well, let me first say that I’m NOT a “coach,” and I’m not one of these clowns pretending to be a “coach” for a handful of trust fund babies/weekend warriors, just to pay my mortgage. -That’s another story. But, I can tell you what you DON’T want to do. You DON’T want to run a Marathon two days before your 10k race. That’s what I did. In the last few weeks a tornado has turned my life upside down with the addition of a new job, I’ve been working 10+hour days, and my training… well, working two jobs, there is no real time to train. But, last Friday at 4:00pm, I was free. Off from work and the evening was mine. At about 5:00pm I started my run near Foxton, Colorado. You’ll have to Google it if you want coordinates. I didn’t intend on running that far, but my planned route had NO TRESPASSING signs posted at the start of the road. With respect to the property owner, and respect for my life I sought out a different route, because these country folk typically have rifles in their pickups. Problem is that this area doesn’t have too many choices as far as roads. I knew if I ran along the South Platte I would come across the Colorado Trail Segment No.2 and then I could loop that back around to Buffalo Creek then just a few miles to Foxton. I was thinking 20ish, granted that 11.5miles are on trail with a significant elevation gain. My training philosophy is, if you can’t run throughout the week, just lump all of your mileage in one day. -Right? WRONG! I had three-four hours to run and that what I was going to do. Lace up the KSwiss Kwicky Blade Lights, and I was gone. “I didn’t drive all that way for nothing.”
The run was EPIC. Lions, tigers and bears? No, but EPIC. No water. No nutrition. No iPod -NEVER. No Scarecrow, Tin Man or Lion. Maybe there was a mountain lion, but I didn’t see one. So, at one point on the Colorado Trail I came to the decision, after a long discussion with myself, that I was not going to compete in my next upcoming race, Ironman 70.3 Kansas. I was really looking forward to this race, as I went to college in Kansas and have ties in the area. Once things settle down with the job situation, I’ll need to focus on training, not racing. It breaks my heart that I’ll miss Kansas this year, but I’ll be sure to make up for it next year.
Where do I go from here? Not on my run, but with my race schedule, although it would be nice if I came across RD126 some time soon. It’s been a little over two hours and I’m running West on the trail when I need to be heading East. As far as my race schedule, the next race after Kansas would be the TNT Duathlon. The TNT Duathlon is a short 2mi run / 12mi bike / 2mi run duathlon format held in Lincoln, Nebraska around the 4th of July weekend. This is the first multi sport race that I ever competed in back in 2003. I can train right through and I’m not to concerned with the outcome of the race. I think it is perfect for me right now considering my hiatus from training these last few weeks. Plus, I have family in Nebraska, and believe it or not, I sometimes refer to Nebraska as home. Speaking of home, I’d like to click my heels together and be back at my car now.
26miles | 3:07:00
In the end, we’re all wishing our dreams come true. We’re all wanting to find that Emerald City at the end of the yellow brick road with this Wizard handing us answers to all of our problems. I hate to be the one to pull back the curtain on life and reveal that no such little dude exists. Trust me, I’ve been all over Kansas. As The Wizard of Oz shows, “home” is with family and friends… and your dog.
Triathlon•
on May 18th, 2011•
5i50 N’awlins? Okay. I’ll do a few things different next time. Thanks for asking; but if your looking for a race report on the inaugural 5i50 New Orleans race, you’ll have to find it somewhere else. Sorry, because this is how I roll…
I don’t know how other athletes roll on their travels, but I know it can’t be as “low budge” as my epic excursions. -Let’s not compare, but if you want a challenge, here it is. I’m up for another win. Now this isn’t a pity party of any sort, I’m content with my economic status, nor is this a chance to discredit those who travel like Donald Trump. C.R.E.A.M. -Right? This is just an attempt to inform the public. People are usually taken back when I tell them that I sleep in my car the night before a BIG race. Whatever, no big deal. Sometimes, I even get choice parking at race venues. And we all know that’s a huge PLUS at 4:40 in the morning. Though, the Honda-tel doesn’t give wake-up calls. Then I tell them I’ve been carb loading on pb&js (peanut butter and jelly, not pear, brie and jambon) for the last two days. Got to cut corners somehow. On the pocket book that is, not on the course, that’s wrong, or off one of those pb&js, that’s just wasteful. Mom raised me better than that. But, literally can’t afford it. Then I tell them that I just shower at the local gym where I have a membership. “What if there’s not a gym close?” Glad you asked, you’ll be sorry that you did. A bar of soap and a 32oz cup of water will do the job. -What? It’s very green. Only 32oz of water! Just have to be discrete where the shower takes place. Seriously. Do you have a mental image? Sorry about that.
So the 1993 Honda Accord LX decided to give up the ghost on me in Lawrence, Kansas. 314,000+ miles. Not on my watch! On Monday, May 16th, between Kansas City and Lawrence the battery light began to come and go. Perfect! On the turnpike, none the less. Lawrence was the next available exit. I stopped at the first auto parts store and asked if they would preform a battery diagnostic on my vehicle. Nice thing is that I’m in the Midwest. People in these parts are the most genuine, honest and trustworthy people. Chris determined it was the alternator. $120.00 and 2.5 hours later… SHE’S ALIVE! If you’ve never changed the alternator in your vehicle, just do it the way I did: 1.Pop the hood. 2.Look for something like what Chris just sold you. 3.Start loosening nuts and bolts that are attached to that thing. 4.Replace. 5.Shut the hood. 6.Pray that GOD will help you reach your destination. -Simple. Refer to photo below. *Warning! Brandon is NOT an auto mechanic. For correct installation of an alternator on your vehicle, please read your owner’s manual. Or, if you have a credit card that won’t be declined at $300.00+, drive to closest dealership and tell them you know nothing about cars and that you’re traveling. Good luck with that. So, I arrived in Denver at 3:00 Tuesday morning. If you knew my lack of auto mechanic skills, you’d be going to church next Sunday.
Triathlon is a rich man’s sport. I was told that an Ironman athlete’s AVERAGE annual income is $180,000. Joke’s on you. If you only knew how far I bring that average down, you would laugh… then you would probably cry. I’ve robbed Peter AND Paul just to compete in this sport, and trust me, I’ll pay for it later. Aside from selling my soul to the Devil himself, I’ve done all I could do financially to compete in the sport of triathlon. I might sell my soul to the Devil, but I’d view that as cheating. He might give me a good deal considering I robbed Peter AND Paul. It wouldn’t be right, though. Unfair to the athletes who have worked so hard for so many years. -Do you want to know something? I have the MOST expensive bike in transition. TRUE STORY. “Brandon, your bike is about $10,000.00. I see several bikes about that.” -Sure. Most of those richies wrote a check for their bikes. But, do you know what the interest is on ten thousand dollars on a premium credit card? Well, I do. No, really, I know. Not because I can do math, but because I see the number every month on our statement. I figure my bike is in the neighborhood of 13-15. -Sad. -Sad. -Sad. The ironic thing is, if I could pedal that bike just a little faster I might be getting my next bike for “free.” Weird how that works.
The icing on the cake is that after the 5i50 New Orleans I made a phone call to my moms. It went kind of like this: “Hi mom. I’m safe. (Pray for those in danger of the flooding of the Mississippi.) I qualified for my Professional IRONMAN Membership ($787.50). I need some money…?”
-Thank you, mom.
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