Visiting the Sweets in the Land of Lincoln

Sweet Times




A couple of weeks ago I had a wonderful opportunity to visit some friends out in Illinois. Chris, Cara, and Jonah Sweet were very gracious and invited me out for the Evergreen Lake Triathlon in Bloomington, Illinois. It was a great to see them all and to meet little Mr. Jonah for the first time. You can tell he’s gonna kick some butt out on the race course some day (just like the rest of the Sweet Clan).

It’s about a 9 hour drive from Wichita to Bloomington-Normal. The trip takes you through two major metro areas, KC and St. Louis. Of course, I hit both of them at rush hour (lunch and evening). The trip started out with rain in Kansas, gradually giving way to sunny but crowded roads in Missouri. The number of truckers and billboards were simply astonishing.

I arrived in Bloomington just in time for dinner. Chris’ culinary skills have definitely improved with time, he was good in college – but the meals at his place were extraordinary. I was fortunate to catch dinner with the Sweets; including Chris’ brother Andy and his wife Heather. We had so much to catch up on, we could have spent hours there, and a few more bottles of wine ha. However, I was practically crashing at the table because of the long drive. Also, we had the big race the next morning – so we called it a night early.

The next morning Chris got me up early and we started to get our gear in order, when it happened… the sky opened up and the deluge began. Chris kind of groaned a little and said something to the effect of oh no not another duathlon. The earlier local club race (the Tri-Sharks Invitational) had been canceled due to the severe storms in the area.

The rains kept up all the way out to the lake. Here, they tapered off enough for us to get the bikes racked, the gear sorted, and registration completed. As soon as the race director called everyone over to announce the rules, the rain started again. By this point everyone was already soaked and looking forward to the swim, so we all stood in the rain getting soaked. The announcement that wetsuits would be legal was my saving grace and caused lots of folks to make a spilt second decision about whether to wear the suit in the barely legal and warm water, or to go as is.

I chose to get the suit, got on the boat ramp and waited for the heats to start into the water. The pro wave went first, my wave was soon after. The start went really well. However halfway through the swim I was starting to overheat and was really suffering. I got er done, but it really wasn’t a great swim for me. However, it was a really neat one – because I got to experience swimming while it was raining.

The firs transition went well and soon I was off on the bike. The roads were soaked, with rain pouring down. Out on the first smooth flat road, I really noticed the Zipp 404 wheels that Andy graciously let me borrow. I pushed down on the crank and immediately felt some extra get-up and go from the bike. It was awesome. I passed a lot of folks on the bike and ended up with a pretty good bike split. It was really interesting to be riding on the roads traveling through the corn fields. The corn was so high that you could’t see over it or through it. It was like riding in small valleys.

The run stage started well. The sun started to come out, but fortunately the clouds hid it for most of the race. That saved everyone from sweltering in the humidity. I passed a lot of folks on the run and felt really good about the race. I also got to see Chris on his way to a 36 minute 10K at the end of the tri (holy moly), freak’n awesome. Cara and Heather were a riot too, it was great to see them on the course. Oh, and I got to meet Chirs’ mom and Al, an awesome cheering section.

After the race we had a great time visiting Chris’ dad; with the house that he got level using major lumber, big cables, and a truck. The Sweet clan is ingenious at everything and very industrious. However, this takes the cake. Chris’ dad got the house square by tearing it down to the studs (he was doing this away to renovate it), then using the leverage system to get the house square, finally – they nailed the sideboards to keep the house in position. Ya, I couldn’t do much but shake my head – just amazing.

Chris didn’t fall very far from the tree when it comes to the home improvement projects. I think he and Cara have rebuilt their house from the inside out. I need him to come visit with some power tools for about a month ha.

After the tri, some of the club members threw a great party out at the lake. It was a great time, with amazing food and music. But the best part was getting to see Shorty, Knutson, and Knutson’s girlfriend. We had a great time catching up on what everyone is doing. John is working the editing desk and Shorty is threatening to bust knee caps if people don’t pay up ha. It was great to see them all. I’m so happy they drove down and that the Sweets arranged it all.

I stopped by Springfield on the way home and got to see Lincoln’s grave site and the outside of the museum/library downtown. Both were really impressive and I highly recommend visiting them. It’s especially interesting given the context of the presidential race going on this year.

Buffalo Springs Adventure 2008

A few weeks ago I had a great time participating in my first half Ironman competition. My buddy Joe Cole and I traveled down to Lubbock, Texas for the annual Buffalo Springs Half Ironman. It was an epic adventure and a real learning experience for me.

Getting to Lubbock was an adventure in itself. The trip takes approximately nine hours from Wichita and utilizes a multitude of small or low-volume highways. The landscapes change from the flat high plains of Kansas and Oklahoma to the scrublands of Texas with small river valleys along the way. The most unique features had to be the scrub badlands of Texas just to the east of Lubbock. The washed out ravines and barren scrub brush made for an imposing inhospitable looking place. Ironically, just a few miles to the west you travel up and out of the small washed out canyons onto the flat Staked Plains, an agricultural oasis.

The weather was half of the adventure. This summer has been very wet, with lots of rain and thunderstorms. The trip to Texas was no exception. Along the way, we traveled through a multitude of storms. In some places a line in the road would appear ahead, with the road beyond the line appearing darker before it disappeared into dark rains. Upon hitting the line in the road we would soon enter a tempest storm that would rock the small Kia and threaten to collude with the nearly bald front tires to create more of an adventure as we hydroplaned. Once, we turned on the radio to hear a severe thunderstorm warning. As the forecaster computer voice read the names of the town where the watch was, we looked up to see the same name on the sign we were passing. I almost peed my pants. Looking for shelter, I realized that the car was more stable than most of the corrugated metal structures we passed. Fortunately, we were able to continue with only a torrent of rain.

Once we arrived in Lubbock we immediately headed to the registration. We were within two hours of the things shutting down, so we practically jogged through the parking lot to the lobby. After the long car ride, the registration process was almost a triathlon by itself. I kept having to run from one table to the other, either forgetting information or getting lost on the course. Eventually, with Joe’s help I was able to navigate the registration process and get my numbers etc.

We ran into Tom T and the Ushers just outside the registration area. Unfortunately, the expo didn’t last very late and we had just enough time to catch the very end of it. The experienced triathletes did a huge favor by showing us the ropes and letting us know what last minute things we needed to purchase. Soon afterwards, we made a quick dash for the Italian restaurant up the street and headed for our hotel room.

We hit the hay pretty early in the night and got up very early in the morning. I think I was still asleep as I packed up my things. We headed out of the parking lot with a stream of red lights from all the other triathletes’ cars. As we got out towards the reservoir, you could see lighting to the north of the City. The landscape looked very barren, with power lines being illuminated by lightning in the distance.

After waiting in a line of cars to enter the course parking lot, we finally pulled into a field and started to disembark with the other races. It was pitch black outside and the only lights were the headlights and dome lights of the cars. Fortunately, Joe said that I’d better not roll my bike around too much because the weeds had stickers and there was a decent chance of getting a flat.

We carried our bikes to the road and deftly dodged the cars as we headed down to the transition area. It was a scene reminiscent of a sci fi movie. Everyone was dark silhouette against the bright lights of the transition zone, which was lit up like an alien craft landing zone in a movie. Body marking went really quickly, with the longest wait being the bike and helmet inspections.

The bicycles were all assigned positions on the racks according to your race number. It was a great system, reducing the usual worry about getting to the race early to get a great rack position. I ended up sandwiched in a group of serious looking triathletes. Nearly all of the bikes on the rack were worth thousands of dollars. It was totally wondering what the heck I was doing there until I got in line for the Porto potties. While standing in line, I heard stories of people who were in the same situation as I was. It was reassuring and totally cracked me up.

Once I got my wetsuit on and caught up with Joe, we made our way down to the swim start. The blessing by the Native American was very cool. Soon afterwards they started the pros. They practically ran 50 meters along the shore before they disappeared around the bend of the cove and off into the lake. Before long it was time for my wave. I decided not to take the running course around the cove and dove in for the swim.

The swim turned out to be one of my better ones; I felt comfortable almost the whole time and really had a great adventure doing it. I passed folks from the earlier heats, but was surrounded by folks from heats that followed my own. The strippers at the end were really different. They were really adept at getting the wetsuits off of folks.

I started out pedaling hard on the bike and passed lots of people on the first hill. Although my bike doesn’t have aero bars, it’s very light and I’m able to rock going up hill. Exiting out of the park, I passed a guy on what looked to be a P3 with a disk wheel - it was awesome. Approximately three miles into the ride I had to pull over and use a Porto let. I had swallowed about half the lake during the swim and needed to get a little more comfortable on the bike ha.

It started raining right after I got on the bike. The rain was never a squall, but did come down fairly steady at times. It did cause some pretty good spills. I didn’t witness any, but did see some of the aftermath. Tom T. reported that he saw a guy go down on his back and slide across the road. Ya, the country roads were a little slick.

The Buffalo Springs course takes you east with north and south zigg zaggs. It crosses through the creek that flows from the reservoir, with significant up hills and down hills on ether end. At one point I entered into the creek valley into a heavy rain at about 38 mph. It was a little scary, but lots of fun. The wicked section was the turning climb that twisted off into the distance in the rain. Going up I passed a lot of folks, coming down we were all riding the brakes trying not to go out of control.

We mostly had a wind out of the east during the ride out, so coming back was a lot easier with the wind. We went a little slower through some of the corners and turns because the volunteers were warring of dangerously slick corners. At one corner they were yelling out warnings that seven people had already crashed earlier that day. One of the nastiest climbs of the entire event was at the end of the course, you have to go up and over a hill to get back to the transition zone. It wasn’t too difficult, but it wasn’t a breeze either.

The run started out well. I was blasting through miles one and two. I passed lots of folks and thought that I might be on for a great time. However, things got a little more complicated after mile three. I started up a significant hill, with the sun overhead (it had finally stopped raining). After walking the hill, I just didn’t have the same get up and go. The next ten miles were a little tough, brief periods of jogging - with long sections of walking. It wasn’t very pretty. I think I might not have gotten enough fluids on the bike or didn’t have enough sodium. In any case I was able to persevere and did finish.

Overall the race was a great accomplishment and one that I’m proud of. Now, I just need to get back to another Half Ironman and kick some butt ha.

Chug-a-lug Retirement

Elizabeth and I recently purchased a small Kia from family friends. The car is the replacement for the 92 Subaru Loyale wagon affectionately known as the Chug-a-lug. The Chug-a-lug and I had some great adventures over the years, I feel that it is only fitting to provide a quick tribute to such a great teammate.

The Chug-a-lug and I became teammates when the totally awesome Meyers family relocated to Australia. Unable to move the car with them to Australia, the very very generous Meyers gave me the Chug-a-lug for free. The timing was simply a miracle. I had recently gotten a job in Wichita and needed to relocate from Denver. I had been living for two years without a car and was sorely in need of transportation.

At the time that I received the Chug-a-lug it had just less than 200,000 miles on it. The frame was a little banged up from an earlier accident, which occurred prior to the Meyers ownership. The engine always made a little noise, probably from a stuck valve lifter (hence the nickname). It was the perfect grad school / new job vehicle.

Over the five years that I owned the Chug-a-lug we traveled an additional 15,000 miles here in the Wichita area. I think the furthest I ever drove it was to Arkansas City, a town approximately 69 miles southeast of Wichita. The car served me very faithfully, with only one problem when the battery died. I had it regularly serviced and only spent a few hundred dollars making minor replacements for parts that had gradually worn out over the years.

Over the years the Chug-a-lug saved me some serious cash. It wasn’t great on mileage, but the insurance was cheep, and thanks to the totally awesome Meyers I didn’t owe any payments. Because of the money I saved, I was able to spring for an awesome roof rack off Ebay and yellow bicycle carriers. They added a little flair to car and made it a little sporty.

The Chug-a-lug wasn’t much to look at. I always knew that my dates saw more than material wealth when they went out with me, after seeing the car ha. However, the Chug-a-lug was one of the best cars out there on the road in the incremental weather. It got me through blizzards, ice storms, and gully washers.

I’ll miss the Chug-a-lug, but don’t worry because it’s adventures aren’t entirely over. I sold it to an auto recycler who also runs a low-end dealership. Maybe it will end up on the road again, ether whole or as contributing parts in other cars. Either way, the Chug-a-lug had a great run and has more to come.

To replace the Chug-a-lug we acquired a pastor-mobile from the pastor that married us. His family was moving to Montana, and needed to find a home for the Kia. It is an awesome little car with some spunk. Over time I’m sure that we’ll have adventures with the Kia to post.

Trouble in Topeka

Trouble in Topeka

A couple of weekends ago I participated in the annual Topeka Tinman Triathlon long distance course. The Tinman is always a great event. It’s always a large event with big crowds. This year it was a little smaller than normal, with many perspective participants taking up the challenge of the Kansas Half Iron Man in Lawrence.

The weather was fantastic for the Tinman, clear and warm. This was very fortunate considering that severe storms hit the area two days before the race and the day right after. One hit the Lawrence area causing the race officials to end the race early.

I started out in the first wave of the swim. It was a great spot to be, but also a little intimidating because this is the longest distance tri that I’ve done up to this date. The swim went well. I got boxed in during the first leg of the swim, but was able to get out to the left side right before the first turn. From there it was smooth sailing. I was excited to see that I was passing people all the way through the swim.

The first transition went well, with no major problems getting out of the wetsuit ha. Once I got on the bike and was rolling the adventure really started. I had a great start going. Following the course arrows, I made great time. Before I knew it I could see the water tower near the park. Checking my mileage, I knew that something was wrong. I arrived at the transition zone, only to discover two other cyclists stopped with puzzled looks on their faces. After a quick chat, I confirmed that they only had 8 miles on their computers. This was far short of the 20 course, not even half. I quickly proposed that we make a better ride out of it by doing the 8 mile course a second time, knowing that we would still be short of the official distance.

The second time out went just a quickly as the first. In no time I was onto the run. Coming out of the second transition, I quickly realized that there were no signs for which direction the runners needed to go. I started to ask around and didn’t get any answers from the spectators. So, I just guessed which direction to go and started running. Fortunately, about half a mile later the course volunteers confirmed that I was on the right course.

The run went well. I quickly passed four people on the course and wasn’t passed by anyone faster. The course was shaded and very scenic, which was a good thing because I didn’t run into any other competitors. Eventually, the course merged with the short course. It was a neat experience to merge into the mob of folks. From there, the finish came pretty quickly.

The awards were really interesting. The event organizers must not have looked at the results before they handed out the awards for the long course. Some of the awards went to people with 30 minute bike rides for the 20 mile course (something even Lance Armstrong would have a difficult time achieving ha). After discussing the bicycle course with other participants, I discovered that we were supposed to go straight at the second turn. It turns out that the organizers had a right turn sign for the short course, but never put out a sign indicating that the long course folks needed to go straight. It even confused some folks who have participated in this event for multiple years.

The initial results listed me as fourth place for my age group. The results were later revised and posted on the Tinman website. The revised results indicated that I finished in 4th place. It was a riot. I have contacted the race organizers to let them know that they should disqualify me for not completing the full course. I wonder how many other long course participants also did the short course bike twice. I truly doubt they will ever get it all sorted out.

Here’s hoping that the race organizers take all the comments they have received as constructive criticism and use it to make the race easier to navigate and an even better participant experience.