Spoly

Well, Elizabeth and I have decided we would really like to do another triathlon within the next month or so, but we want to dodge the high entry fees. So....we're going to do the 1st ever In Transit Spoly Triathlon. The date and location are still in the works, but here's the scoop so far:

We decided to make up our own distance, halfway between a sprint and olympic, aka the Spoly. The distances are as follows: 1000m swim, 30k bike, and 7.5k run. We hope to travel to Colorado to complete the race in the Denver/Boulder area. Once we get everything figured out we will announce the date and everyone is invited to join us. If you can't make it to Colorado then you can always do a tri in your own neck of the woods and tell us how it went. We plan on dedicating an entire episode on the results. Also, if you don't want to do the spoly distance, then do a sprint or oly or whatever you'd like!

There is also the possibility of adding some untraditional elements to the race (e.g. a lap around transition area on a roller racer before you can go on). This is still pending.

More to come soon....

In Transit Show 9

We have finished Show 9! This one is a review of our Mountain Man triathlon, Grand Canyon trip, and a special interview with fellow triathlete Peggy from Colorado. You can download it by clicking the title above or through iTunes.

Show 9 coming soon...

I'm in the final editing phase of show 9, so don't fret it will be coming soon. We have some awesome footage from our trip and also a special interview with a fellow triathlete from CO.

More pics from the trip

A pretty sunset at our North Rim campsite.




Getting my feet wet in the Colorado River.




The view behind me is from our North Rim campsite. Pretty stellar!




A couple lizards at the Petrified Forest in AZ. The one on the left is kind of difficult to see due to the shadow-- look closely.




Elizabeth and I after the race.




Me taking a break and enjoying the view from our hike down the canyon on the north rim.




View from the South rim of the Grand Canyon.




Here I am standing next to ruins at the Petrified Forest. These are the remains of a home made of petrified wood.

Arrived alive...

Well, Elizbeth and I made it home safe and sound from our long long road trip to AZ. We had a great time racing on Sunday and checking out the Grand Canyon and other monuments/sites along the way.

We will have full coverage of the race on our next show, but for now here's a short report:

This was an oly held in Flagstaff, AZ on July 16th called the Mountain Man. The altitude is ~7000ft, which is 6500 ft higher than I'm used to here in Dallas.

There were also sprint and half distances offered. It was a relatively small race, there were about 450 competitors combined for all 3 race categories.

Swim-- 1500m
Did this in 38:22, which is 2:33 per 100m. I usually average around 2:10 per 100m, so this is a little slow for me. I did feel altitude effects in the 1st couple minutes though, so I tried to just do the swim slow and steady.

Bike-- 40k
My time was 1:25:42, which is 17.4 mph. This course was flat except for 3 major hills. It was an out and back course. I was a little disappointed with this time, b/c cycling is my strength, but I was actually 2nd in my AG with that time.

Run-- 10k, with a super steep part about 1.5 miles into it.
This was more a run/walk, unfortunately. I really ran into a wall -- not muscle fatigue, but just couldn't get enough oxygen. To my surprise there were tons of people walking the run course, esp. the really hilly part. I have never seen so many walkers in a triathlon and I wasn't even in the back of the pack. My time was 1:16:04, for a pace of 12:14 min/mile. Pretty darn sad. lol

Overall time: 3:23:37
This put me 5th in my AG out of 9, surprisingly. This was a very challenging course, esp. b/c I'm not used to such a high altitude.

I'm planning to do another oly this season to attempt to redeem myself. I am really glad I did this event to challenge myself and also to experience racing at high alt.

That's all for now...


Finally crossing the finish line!!

Completed the race and saw the Grand Canyon

Well, the race (Mountain Man olympic in Flagstaff) was on Sunday and although I didn't do quite as well as I would have liked, I did finish the race and place 5th out of 9 in my age group. I was really shocked about that because I ended up walking part of the run. I was truly amazed how many people were walking on the run course. Many people were complaining about breathing problems due to the altitude (7000ft). I was one who had a bit of difficulty breathing as well. Half of the run course was super steep though, so that didn't help.

After the race we spent Monday through Wednesday at the Grand Canyon, visiting both the North and South rims. I had never been there, but I must say it was truly beautiful and unlike anything I had ever seen.

We're still making our way back to TX, so there will be more to come and a full review on our next podcast when we get back.

Hot off the presses...In Transit Show 8

In this show Elizabeth and I review our road trips back home for the 4th of July weekend, talk about our upcoming triathlon in Flagstaff, and our Grand Canyon camping plans. Please give it a listen by clicking here or downloading from iTunes.

Freakin' hilarious...

This clip was forwarded to me by my friend Deb. I think it's pretty funny. It gave me a good laugh. It may be a little non-PC, but isn't that what blogging is all about? Check it out.

In Transit Show 7

After a long delay due to the holiday weekend In Transit is back in business. Show 7 is up and ready to go, just click on the title of this post to listen. It is also available to subscribe to in iTunes. The show covers a training session with Jetdrvr (Tyler)--a fellow Triscooper, a velodrome riding review, and much more. Also enjoy a great pump up song at the end of the show called Swim to Me by 101.