Jamestown Adventure

This is just a quick note to relate a recent ride that I did on Father’s Day. It was a quick trip to Denver for the Denver Century, and to see my dad. Although the entire trip was an adventure I just wanted to relate how much fun the rides were, and they went something like this.

So the day before the scheduled ride, Dean and I decided to go on a little ride. It was something just to stretch out our legs and for me to get things moving after the long car ride the day before. The ride started out in Boulder and we rode up the highway towards Lions. Before arriving at Lions was turned west and started up a valley towards the small town of Jamestown.

The initial part of the ride totally wore me out because it was a gradual uphill that I really didn’t pick up on because it was so gentle. I just thought that I was really out of shape and must have a brake rubbing. Dean was cruising along and really keeping the tempo high, that was until he had to wait for me to catch up.

Finally, I got a break when we caught up with a larger group of about seven folks who were riding along at a good pace. We’ll unfortunately for me, they were just waiting for one of their pack to catch up. Once, he caught up they took off. Dean went with them and I didn’t catch up until we all turned to head up the valley.

On the way up the valley things were really mellow, at a slower speed. I really enjoyed it, but after a while got kind of bored and decided to see how well I could push the tempo up the climb. So, I passed the group and with Dean right on my wheel we started going up. Because I don’t get many opportunities for great long climbs out in Kansas, I decided that it would be fun to see if I could drop Dean. We always have a little bit of a game to see who is in better shape. Generally it’s pretty even, with both of us redlining the other during the rides. Dean usually is in the better shape, but I still have fun giving him a run for his money (we really don’t bet though).

I was working really hard at keeping the tempo up and was eventually at my max heart rate (or close to it I would guess). I couldn’t see straight and was almost drooling Every time I looked back, I would see Dean just hanging out on my wheel. After a long time of this, Dean pulled up on my left shoulder and I barely mumbled a question about how far to the top. Dean responded that it was about two miles and then proceeded to pass me like I was standing still.

I couldn’t believe that he was totally hanging on my wheel the whole time and then decided to take off and leave me in the dust so near the top of the climb. At that point I was too exhausted to respond, so I let up on the throttle and decided to take it easy but at a steady tempo to the top. After a few minutes, I realized that Dean was starting to come back towards me. He was gradually slowing down just enough that I was catching him.

He got closer and closer and I thought hey, this just might work out. However, just as I realized that I might catch him – the first buildings of Jamestown started to come into view. The official finish to the ride is in front of a café near the top of the climb. I saw it coming into view and decided to go for it. I stood up on the pedals and climbed as fast as I could. Just as I rolled up to Dean’s shoulder he looked over and saw with a huge shock that I had caught up right for the line. It was awesome. We both pulled over and got off the bikes laughing really hard. I almost couldn’t breath because of the altitude, heart rate, and because I was laughing so much.

www.goPlaykansas.com is Live

I'm totally stoked. Today the www.goPlaykansas.com website went live and was published about in the Wichita Eagle newspaper. The website is a very cool tool because it shows where recreation resources are located throughout the Wichita area. Be sure to check out this totally awesome website.

www.goPlaykansas.com


Here's a link to the article
http://www.kansas.com/news/story/925494.html

Kansas 70.3 Triathlon - Quick Thoughts

This past weekend I had a great time participating in the Kansas 70.3 half Ironman competition. Last year the race was called off early due to a tornado threat. Fortunately, this year the weather was less dramatic. Storms threatened early in the morning but scooted south of the race area. The clouds remained though and kept the race cool until just before the run.

My finish time at the Kansas 70.3 was a little slower than the race at Buffalo Springs. However, I felt a lot better at this one. The biggest issue is getting the nutrition factor down correctly. As in the last race, I ended up having to walk a the end. Primarily it was due to not feeling as though I had the energy to continue and not because my muscles were burned up.

During the bicycle ride I ate three Cliff bars, three goo packets, and drank about 1.5 bottles of Gatorade and one bottle of water. I felt great when I started the run, and used my heart rate monitor to keep track of my pace so that I didn’t blow up like in Lubbock. Despite all of these efforts, I gradually got slower and felt like I just ran out of steam. I stopped at all the aid stations and walked through them as I drank alternating cups of water or Gatorade.

I suspect that it might have been a salt deficiency. I might try salt tablets for the next 70.3 and hope that helps. In addition, I might work towards using more liquid calories.

I know I could have swam about five minutes faster if I had used clear goggles instead of the sunglasses version ha. I kept swimming back and forth instead of straight out.

The bike leg of the race was a blast and was about 15 minutes faster than my Lubbock finish. If I can get the swim a little faster and the nutrition thing sorted out, then I think I can make some great progress in reducing my times. All and all it was a fun race. I really can’t wait for the next one.

Cheers,

River Run 2009

This weekend was the annual River Run. It's always an awesome race and this year we had the best weather ever. The times were really fast this year. I was fortunate to hang on with a 6 minute mile average for 17th place overall in the 10K. The 2 mile was more difficult and I ended up out of the top 20 this year, maybe next year ha.

The best thing about the River Run is getting to see everyone. This year I had the great pleasure of seeing many of the running crew and folks that I haven't seen in a while. After the race I had a great surprise when I saw Toni and Charlie from Iowa. It was totally awesome to catch up with them.

We also had the first live marketing endeavor for www.goplaykansas.org . It's going to be an awesome website, so be sure to check it out. It will launch officially sometime this June, so look for good things soon.

Minneapolis APA Conference 2009

APA National Conference Minneapolis

A couple of weeks ago I traveled to Minneapolis for the national American Planning Association conference. It was a great event and I learned a lot during it. I took advantage of the opportunity to learn a lot about bicycle facility planning and transportation related design.

There are many amazing things about Minneapolis, especially the bicycle community. I was shocked to learn that they have the second highest number of people who report bicycling or walking to work (according to the US Census).
http://hr.blr.com/news.aspx?id=76065

Brew to Brew 2009

Brew to Brew 2009

A couple of weekends ago the team from the Downtown Y headed up to Lawrence for the annual Brew to Brew. The race is always a great adventure from the Boulevard Brewery in KC to the Free State Brewery in Lawrence. It’s a 44 mile race through all kinds of landscapes – urban, rural highways, dikes along rivers, muddy country roads. The weather this year was also mixed, with everything from sunshine to snow.

We came away from the event with a lot of laughs, some twisted ankles, but mostly stories of adventure. One of the most amazing and difficult parts was the last leg, where Harms and I ran close to five-minute miles with the wind and then turned into the wind to discover people walking backwards because the wind gusts were preventing almost all forward movement. I don’t think my heart rate has ever been so high running, outside of Pikes Peak – of course ha.

If you see Joe Cole, be sure to ask him about his fancy new gloves ha.

Downtown Wichita Jingle Bell and West Y Tri

West YMCA Tri 2008

It was an adventurous weekend for me. Saturday morning I participated in the annual Jingle Bell race downtown. It was a really well run race and was in a fantastic location. The best part was running down both sides of the recently redone river corridor, while the crew teams were rowing in the middle. It was absolutely picture perfect.

The first mile of the race I took out way to fast, but it was a lot of fun racing that way. The last part of it was a bear, but I was able to finish with a 6:30 mile average. Not too shabby.

The next day was the Sunday indoor tri at the West Wichita YMCA. It was a ton of fun. The best part was being in the lane with my buddy Randy Phelps. We both put down pretty accurate swim times, because we were neck and neck the whole time. He would constantly pull away from me during the swim, but I would catch up to him off the wall. Once he gets that kick from the wall thing down, he’s going to be a rocket.

The transition to the indoor bikes went well. I maintained a little over a 20 mph average and was able to finish the six miles relatively quickly. It took a lot of effort, but I surived. With the fried legs, I made it to the run course pretty quickly. The first mile of the run took a while, but the second one was a little quicker. It was a lot of fun with the cheering section of the local tri club athletes!

I finished second in my heat, and second in my age group. It was great time and I’m looking forward to the next one about a month away. I was also able to get in some home improvement projects this weekend. I’ll post some more info about those soon.

Pawnee Prairie Run

I just got back from running out in Pawnee Prairie Park. It was an awesome run with cool weather and great conditions. The sunset occurred while I was out, so I got some interesting pictures. The pictures include scenic shots and some of the local critters, including an owl, hawk, and lots of deer.

I've heard a lot about the power of connecting to folks through the internet. There was even a session on it this fall at the state APA conference. Even with all the attention, very few places have been using it for their planning initatives. I supose it depends on the type of project. 

In any case, I signed up for a Facebook account this weekend and have been very pleased to find out how well the system works. I was especially interested to find organizations like the Wichita Public Library on Facebook, a total riot. I wonder if we can get the Planning Department set up ha.

Last night Elizabeth and I fell asleep as the rain fell. We awoke at a few minutes later to the sound of massive amounts of hail hitting the roof. I stepped downstairs to discover the yard and everything else covered in white hail. It looked like it had snowed. Here's a photo of what it looked like.

October Hail Storm

A couple of weeks ago Elizabeth and I had a great opportunity to watch Elizabeth’s sister Rebbecca participate in the annual Frostbite Regatta in Wichita’s Riverside Park. Rebbecca is a member of the Wichita Rowing Club. They’re a good sized club with great participation in regional crew events. They practice on the Arkansas River in downtown Wichita and host the annual Frostbite Regatta. Every year collegiate teams from all around the region participate.

This year’s event was great, with great weather. It was a fantastic opportunity for Elizabeth and I to enjoy the outdoors while taking in some of the great spectator opportunities in Wichita.

I just installed a widget on my mac laptop this is a quick test to see how it works for blogger.

Photos from Virginia ICMA Trip

This past fall Elizabeth and I took a trip to the International City Managers Association conference in Richmond, Virginia. It was a very interesting trip, especially for folks from Kansas and a guy that grew up in Colorado. The colonial history and racial history was very interesting. It is definitely a region with a lot of potential.

Photos from Colorado Trip

Pikes Peak

This August Elizabeth and I traveled to Colorado Springs for the annual Pikes Peak accent. We we arrived, we rendezvoused with our friends Frank and Susan, Jess and Keely; and Jim and Darline. Jim’s son Jason was also there with his friend to cheer on his dad.

The drive out of Wichita went smoothly, the brilliant blue sky was a dramatic backdrop for the new windmills north of I-70. Between cities of Goodland and Limon we ran into rain storms that roared all around the car and made it difficult to see the road. The temperature dropped about 40 degrees by the time we made it to Colorado Springs, we ended up turning on the heater in the car.

The evening before the race was a stormy chilly night. We all got drenched as we met up at the Rainbow Lodge and made our way to the restaurant for dinner. The rain didn’t let up at night.

In the morning we discovered that Jim Jolly would not be participating in the race. A nasty cold had gotten into him and hadn’t gotten any better during the trip to Colorado. We were sad to see that Jim wouldn’t be starting, but glad to know that he was doing the right thing. Looking back, he made a very fortuitous decision.

At the start of the race it was still raining and the storm clouds enveloped the mountain. Runners were huddled at the start, dressed in all kinds of outfits. Some folks appeared in full raincoats, while others only had on shorts and a tee shirt. A few folks were even wearing backpacks full of gear. Most of our crew wore shorts with long sleeve shirts and extra jackets.

On the initial few miles of the trail I tried to be very conservative and walked most of it, with short sprits of running or jogging on the flatter sections. The cooler wet weather made it a very comfortable few miles, with interesting glimpses through the clouds of the town below. This was pretty much the way the race went until the ten-mile point at the A-frame. At this point things had really gotten chilly and we knew that we were in for an adventure for the last three or so miles above timberline. The volunteers at the A-frame aid station were yelling instructions to the runners. Urging folks to put on any additional clothing they brought with them and trying to turn those without adequate clothing around.

I stopped to put on my vest underneath my jacket. While doing so, I noticed that folks were taking plastic ponchos being offered by the volunteers. Just a few meters beyond the aid station, the trees started to dwindle and the winds picked up. Soon there were no trees and the wind was howling with an artic ferocity. The rain froze and started to pelt us as small hailstones. I had to use my forearm to protect my face from the onslaught of ice pellets and wind. The only relief occurred as we quickly walked the switchbacks with the wind, only to have to turn back into the wind for the uphill grind.

Higher on the mountain the frozen hail/pellets gave way to a more snow than ice mixture. It wasn’t as painful on the face. However, at this altitude the majority of people were now limited to walking. It was exhausting just to keep one foot in front of the other. I ate my last gu in the hope that the nourishment would provide my body with much needed fuel to generate warmth.

My hands and feet started to go numb. Ice and snow started to collect on my clothing. My jacket got soaked all the way through. My legs were bright red from the cold. Moving forward was the only thing you could concentrate on.

Eventually, the hail let up, and became more of a sleet. The flurry was still so intense that you could only see a little around you before things disappeared into the wintery white elements. You would hear things but were unable to see the individuals making the noise. I knew the aid station was near, when I heard people encouraging folks to keep going. 

The folks at the aid stations are my heros. They were out in the very nasty weather and conditions, providing what assistance they could to the ragged bunch trail of zombies that streamed past their positions. They dispensed frozen grapes and water. I quickly filed past, not wanting to delay getting to the top any more than necessary. 

The trip from the last aid station is a random blur of frozen rock steps and ice. Fortunately, the steps were clear enough that I didn’t slip. At that point, it would have meant some serious time in the hospital. The finish really wasn’t as much a celebration of arriving at the top, as it was a celebration of arriving where the warm shelters were. 

After collecting my shirt. I stepped into one of the enclosed structures at the top and walked into what I imagine looked like a disaster rescue center. People were in all states of crisis. The guy next to where I ended up standing was suffering from hypothermia. A volunteer got him into a chair with an oxygen bottle and blanket. 

It wasn’t long before I started shivering uncontrollably. I fumbled with my nearly numb fingers to get warmer clothes on, while standing off to the side. It took five minutes just to get my pants and jackets on. The door to the mens room opened up and I saw folks gathered around the hand dryers, trying to warm up.

The place was a mess. Fortunately, Jim’s son and friend saw me at the finish line and came to see how I was doing. We discussed if we should wait for Frank and others. I made the quick decision that we should head down immediately. I was sure that Frank probably got turned around with the second wave at the 10 mile mark, and wouldn’t be coming to the summit.

On the way down, the snow gave way to rain. I started to warm up, but didn’t stop shivering for another 30 minutes. My hands weren’t back to normal for a few hours. At the base of the mountain we caught up with the rest of the group, minus Frank. It turns out that he made it past the turn around in enough time to keep going. The trip must have been hell. He arrived looking pretty good for a guy that just spent hours in a blizzard at high altitude.

At the hotel, I took what seemed like the longest hot shower ever. Eventually, I thawed out and we started our week long vacation in the Rocky Mountains. Elizabeth and I spent our time camping at RMNP and celebrating our first anniversary. It was a great time, I’ll get some photos posted soon.

Grandpa's Journey

A couple of weeks ago Elizabeth and I visited my grandparents in Bedford, Texas. It turned out to be the final time that I would see my grandfather. It was a sad occasion, but did have some very wonderful and positive out comes. There’s a lot that can be said about the adventure that occurred that weekend. Below is a quick story about that weekend.

Elizabeth and I knew that my grandfather wasn’t doing too well. I had received sporadic calls from my dad that mentioned that grandpa’s health was declining and with updates about how grandma was handling the situation. Fortunately, we got a limited understanding of the situation. Also, my understanding has been somewhat limited by an inability to do much about any complicated situations in Bedford. Ultimately, we didn’t realize the full circumstances of what grandmother and grandfather were going through.

We got our first glimpse into the situation from an initial call to my grandmother to find out if it would be ok to visit that weekend. She said that it would and sounded very excited that we would be coming to see them both. When we arrived she was very happy to see us and we used the first few minutes to get an update of grandpa’s situation. Very soon we were on our way to the famous family favorite - Luby’s cafeteria. Over dinner we got a better description of the situation and started to learn the story of my grandfather’s quick decline in health

Recently, my grandmother had moved my grandfather in to a hospice center. He suffered from Parkinson’s and due to the disorder could not swallow food. A stomach tube was inserted to provide him with nourishment. However, soon after the feeding tube was inserted my grandfather started to show signs of discomfort. The tube was then removed, and he was entered into a hospice facility.

The night that we saw him, he was fast a sleep. He looked peaceful, and deep in thought. As we looked on, we would see small movements of his cheeks and eyebrows as he dreamt. We spent approximately thirty minutes watching him with grandmother. As we left the room, grandmother bent over and gently kissed his head. She smoothed out his hair and then headed toward the doorway. I stopped by the bed and softly wished grandpa a good night.

The next morning we received a phone call from my dad informing us that my grandfather had passed away during the early morning hours. Elizabeth and I decided that it would be best to stick with the plans we had originally made with my grandmother, calling her in the afternoon to arrange an opportunity to spend more time with her. Her morning hours were scheduled to spend time with my Aunt Elise.

We called later that afternoon and were told to come over. When we got there we were excited to see that there were more cars in the driveway. My grandmother met us at the front door and ushered us in the house. The other cars turned out to belong to my Aunt Elise, her daughter Lynda, and Lynda’s husband Darren. This meeting was especially important to me because I had never met my aunt or any of my cousins. Relationships between my dad and aunt had become strained sometime around the marriage of my parents. It appears that no one from the younger generations knows exactly what happened. Fortunately, I got the sense that many of the folks in the younger generation are ready to establish positive relationships. Although the funeral was a sad occasion because of the loss of a loved one, it was a happy occasion because it brought so many of us together for the first time.

It was great to meet them all. Although it was a little awkward, we had a great time getting to know our family members. The next day Elizabeth and I got to meet my cousins Randy and Karen. Meeting my aunt and my cousins was a great experience. I think the excitement was mutual. Following the funeral we exchanged contact information. I’m sure that we’ll be in touch in the near future, definitely any time that we visit grandma.

Fortunately, one of grandma’s sisters was able to make a visit to see her and to spend some time at grandma’s. After that, it was my understanding that she would be visiting her other sister in New Jersey. After that, maybe she’ll be interested in visiting Wichita?

My grandfather’s passing was also an opportunity to learn more about him and the family in general. I learned that my great grandfather immigrated to America after World War I. The German economy was a wreck, causing many Germans to make the long journey to America for a better life.

My grandfather came through Ellis Island. During the voyage he became sick with a cold and was extremely worried that he would be rejected from entering America because he was sick, especially given the immigration concerns over immigrants carrying epidemic causing diseases. Fortunately, my great grandfather was allowed to enter and settle in the US. He and his brother settled in the New York area. After getting established, they sent for their wives and children still living in the Germany.

My grandfather was born after the family settled in America. At a young age he was a sickly child. Eventually, his health improved as he grew older. When World War II broke out he was not accepted (not sure if he was drafted or volunteered) in the military. It is my understanding that a health inspection found problems with his feet.

Fortunately, my grandfather and great uncle did get accepted to work at a small airline company. The company was American Airlines. At that time many airline start-up companies existed and competition was fierce. My great uncle served as a pilot and my grandfather was a mechanic.

My grandfather and grandmother met through their parents. Their first date was to go bowling. My grandmother says that she was so nervous that she almost threw the bowling ball back into the observation area and not towards the pins. Things must have gone well at the first date though. Sometime later they got hitched and started a family.

My grandfather later transferred to the DFW area. At that position he eventually became the head mechanic for American Airline’s DFW hub. He was well respected by his co-workers and many had stories about him having a great sense of humor at work.

We all got to know small elements of the whole man. The funeral brought together people from all elements of his life. It was interesting to see the fuller portrait of the man I knew as grandpa. I look forward to learning more about my family and especially getting to know my cousins.

Mudwater 2008

The week leading up to this year’s Mudwater Tri was pretty hot. However, we were fortunate to have a rainstorm just the night before and the early morning of the race. The storms cooled things off a great deal, actually delaying the race for about 15 minutes. The horizon was very interesting as we took off into the water. Almost a very electric experience ha.

This was the first year that the local tri club, the Kansas River Valley Triathlon Club managed the race. It went great, no glitches with the course or any other substantive issues. I don’t think that poor Alan or Jesse got any sleep the night before the race.

The swim went well. The start was a little quick – only 15 seconds notice before the start ha. Heading out into the water I got involved in the typical bump and thump session. It was a lot of fun and went pretty well without the wetsuit. The long turn out to the turn around I started to realize how quick the rest of the field is. The stretch back was pretty easy. However, a lot of bikes were gone from the racks when I got out of the water.

The bike ride was a blast. The rolling hills were fun, with wonderful weather for hammering the gears. The out and back trip went well, with the only excitement being at the end. Mr. Stan the Man passed me right before the finish of the bike leg.

Fortunately, I spent the entire run leg following him – but was able to catch him just before the finish. I gave him a little bit of a start before he turned on the gas and punched it in for the finish ahead of me. However, I still ran a faster run leg ha.

All and all it was a great race. I’m just looking forward to moving up in the standings next year ha.

Photos and results are available on the club website listed below.
http://ksrvtc.com/

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.