2012 GSC #4 MTB Race

After racing just one week prior to this race, I was a little nervous about what my legs can do today. It seems that I am getting slower in the recovery process and my legs are aching alot. I also haven't been able to get enough sleep lately, especially the night before this race. So the lingering fatigue and lack of sleep will most definitely contribute in some part to my performance today.

After getting no sleep last night, I reluctantly get up at 7:00am and get ready for the race. Surprizingly I feel pretty good. As I am driving over to Flat Rock Park I am wondering if today is going to be the day that I finally make it to the podium? Will the cramping be a continued issue as it has been alot lately?

I have been training and eating like I think that I should be. The only thing missing is the proper amount of sleep to replenish and rest the body. I feel that I will be ok even if I do have some issues in the race. Only time will tell though.

I arrive at the park and am only beaten there by Dave and Terri Berger, the race promoters at GoneRiding.com. So I go over and pick up my race pack and chat with them a while. The park slowly starts to come to life as the other racers, supporters, and volunteers start to show up. I head over to talk to some of my friends as I see them arrive.

My race starts at 9:30am, so I head back to the car to get my gear ready. I have been drinking my Cytomax for 2 days now hoping that it helps me with my cramping issues. I have also packed a half bottle of pickle juice in the last ditch case of needing some cramp relief during the race.

So to the line I go. 3 2 1 and we are off. I am in 2nd position for the first 1/4 mile until I am passed by 2 guys, and then another one right before we get into the woods. I am holding my position until right before the rock garden when Mack passes me and the guy in front of me. So I crank it up and pass that guy too. I want to try to keep up with Mack since we seem to be about the same speed and are close in the points series.

I quickly realize that this was a very good decision as we enter into the rock garden. I have always had trouble with the first right hand 180 deg switchback. So I watch Mack and follow his line and don't have any problems at all. YAY.

So we are now heading past the lake, over the road and into the bottom section below the dam. This section has several switchbacks in it and they are off-angle and have loose sand and pine straw on them. When we hit the 3rd turn I get a little off to the right side of the trail and BAM, I go down so fast that I didn't even have time to put my hand out to catch myself. My wheels just slid out in the loose stuff and took the bike right out from under me. One guy passes me before I can get back on the bike. I am ok, so I jump up and jump back on the bike. Mack has now got a 100 foot lead on me, but I am not worried about that right now.

I am now riding by myself, but I can keep Mack in my field of view ahead. He is riding good but I think that he isn't gaining on me. As I make my way to the back side where the big rock is, I prepare myself for "the hop" onto the rock. When I hit the rock my chain is jarred so hard that it pops off to the inside of the crank. I am trying to pedal and shift the front derailier in hopes that it finds it way back onto the chain ring. I have no forward momentum so I quickly come to a stop and have to unclip and manually put the chain on. This resulted in Mack getting a huge lead on me. But I am still alone and I don't see anyone gaining on me.

So I keep trudging along in hopes that I can somehow catch back up to Mack. I am pretty sure that I am in 6th place now. I maintain my pace as to not go too hard and kill myself trying to catch him. I still have over one more lap to go and I don't want to push it and start cramping again.

I finish the first lap alone and with no other issues and no cramping, yet. But as soon as I reach the first climb they start. All I can do is back it down a notch and push down with my heals more. I never fully cramp or lock-up, but my legs are so close it isn't funny. Every crank of the pedal is a battle to keep them away.

About halfway through the 2nd lap, and with locking up an ever increasing issue, I decide to try the pickle juice as so many of my friends have suggested trying. So at the next flat spot I reach down, grab the bottle and attempt to slurp down a couple sips. Before the juice even has a chance to reach my stomach it trys to come back up. This is disgusting and I think I will throw up!!! Holding my mouth, breath and everything else I can think of, I manage to keep it down. That was NOT a good experience and will never happen again! Whoever thought that was a good idea needs to think again.

So anyway, I finish the race with marginal success (not fully locking up) and claim a 6th place. Not on the podium, but getting closer by the race. I am somewhat happy with my performance, but still very concerned with the continued cramping issues. What to do, what to do???

Here are the race results . I also jumped from 13th in the points to 5th. So now the race is ON...

2012 Celebrity Classic 5K run

I have been training hard in preparation for this year's coming race season. Even more so lately as I am planning on racing in the Chattahoochee Challenge Half Ironman triathlon on April 21 in Columbus, Ga. It will be my first half ironman and the longest triathlon I have ever done. So in preparation for this race I decided to add a training run/race into the mix just to see how I will do.

I have raced in the Classic 3 times before and for some reason have placed in every race. Since my last 2 5K's were in the 25-26 minute range, I was predicting a similar time. Although I have never ran this course before, I didn't expect anything faster or slower. Especially since I haven't been running much.

The race starts at 8am at the National Infantry Museum on Fort Benning. The course is perfectly flat. It winds around the Oxbow Meadow's facility and golf course and returns back down South Lumpkin road.


The morning was kind of chilly with a temp around 57, so I wore my long sleeve technical t-shirt from the Disney Marathon to keep me warm.

The race started off fast as always and then I slowed into my pace. I felt great and my pace felt good for me. I reached mile marker 1 in 7:10, then mile marker 2 at 15:10. At this point I ran the calculations in my head and figured out that I was on a record pace. So of course I had to pick it up a notch hoping for a great time.

As I turned onto the final stretch
heading towards the finish line, I never looked down for my time and I didn't even notice the finish line clock when I passed it. I was running with all I had. After I crossed the line I reached down and turned off my heart rate monitor. After cooling down for a few minutes I decided to look at the HRM. To my surprise it said 23:16. WOW I never expected to see that!!!

After resting, stretching, and socializing a few minutes with friends, I decide to go check out the results as they were just being posted. Again to my surprise I place 3rd in my age group!

2012 Diva Dash 5K Run

The 2012 Diva Dash 5K run was for Tori Svenson. Tori is a beautiful 7 year old little girl who is bravely battling brain cancer. All of the funds raised will go to help her family pay for the mounting medical bills and other personal things. There was a total of 621 participants which should bode her a substantial check.

This was my first 5K of 2012. I had only ran 2 times this year, and they were the week of the race. I wasn't expecting much out of my performance due to the lack of training, but was hoping to finish better than my last race on the same venue. If I could finish around 25:30 I would be happy.

The race went off without a hitch and I started off on the 2nd row. I got a great start and sprinted off with the leaders and then fell into my race pace. The course is 2.25 laps around the Cascade Hills Church campus road.

I finished with a time of 25:41 and felt really good during and after the run. Age groups were in 10 year increments and I placed 10th out of 42. Would have placed 3rd if it was 5 year increments.

Here are the Results

2012 Southern Spring Fling Inline Speed Skating Races

Since September 5, 2009 I have greatly waited for this day with anxious anticipation. This will be my first inline speed skating race since separating my right A/C joint (shoulder). It just happens that this race is at the very same skating rink where the accident happened so long ago. Even though I have been going to Smyrna the past few Sunday's to practice at the rink, I haven't raced there, which is a totally different feeling than just practicing. The nerves, the speed, the NEW guys to race against. And of course, the FEAR of IT happening again.

After having a great evening visiting with my kids in Auburn, I headed up to Powder Springs, Ga. to spend the night with my good friend Jerry. Since I arrived late, Jerry was already asleep, so I snuck in and passed out.

The alarm on my phone seemed to go off as soon as I hit the pillow. 4:15 comes early no matter what time you actually go to bed. The races start at 6am sharp, so I had to get up, shower and get to the rink around 5am claim my spot and get ready to skate.

I am scheduled to race the Elite Veteran division and the Novice Master Men division. Elite divisions start at 6am sharp, and the Novice divisions will start immediately following the Elite awards ceremony. It really makes for a very LONG day. We have 240 participants registered to race and we have to get them all in by 6pm. So as soon as one race is over, the next race is called to the start line.

For the first time since going to Nationals in 2008, my age group has heats. There are 14 Veteran Men in 3 heats, WOW. And one of them includes Jim Larson which is the reigning World Record holder!!! Oh well, who isn't up for a challenge.

Well he wasn't in my heat, so he wasn't the one that I needed to worry about. Most of these guys I didn't know, so I had no idea how good they were. Well I quickly found out and placed 4th in both my 500 meter and 1000 meter heats. Which didn't qualify me for the finals (top 3 go). I wasn't too disappointed though being my first race in 2-1/2 years. My starts were terrible, so at least I know where I need to concentrate my training for next time.

So now I have wait around until the Novice races start, approximately 3 hours!!! I know alot of these same guys are going to be racing in the Novice division too, so the thought of leave did cross my mind a little. I quickly tried to distract myself from the thought and walked around to find some of these guys to go talk to. Kind of break the ice so to speak. Skaters are all a good bunch of folks and are very nice, at least off the floor that is. LOL

After a seemingly endlees waiting period, my warm-up is called. So it time to get the head straight and warm-up those muscles. My legs are feeling ok up to this point. I hit the floor and get several warm-up laps in and then go check-in at the starting line. I find out that Master Men has heats too.

I'm in the first heat, but this time I come in 3rd. So the confidence is building some! My start was actually pretty respectable and I am happy with it. The final comes around pretty quick (even though it was an hour later). I get aneven better start this time and place 3rd in the 500 meter final!!! YAY I am exstactic! LOL I seems that as the day goes, my starts and skating in general are getting better and better. Now I am axiously anticipating the 1000 meter races.

When I go to check-in for the 1st 1000 meter heat, the girl tells us that some guys have bailed out of the race and there is going to be only 2 heats with 7 guys in each. WOW, I don't think that I have ever had that many GROWN men on the start line since I started racing! I am in the 2nd heat this time. I start thinking about strategy and decide that I need to put all of my effort towards the start and get out as fast as I can.

So we are now called to the line. The gun goes off and we race down the line to the first corner (cone). I am in 3rd position and am happy with that. As we come around to start the 2nd lap, the 2 guys in front of me go a little wide and I make the pass for 1st. Some how I was able to hold the off and finish the heat in 1st. I think you could have seen the smile on my face all the way back in Columbus! Top 3 qualify for the finals.

So the 1000 meter finals finally make it around about 5:45pm. Remember we have to be out of the building by 6pm. Master Men is always the last race of the day, unfortunately! So we come to the line and the gun goes off. I start the race in 3rd position again. I some how am able to hold off a late charge by one of the guys and finish in 3rd being unable to catch the 2 guys in front.

By now my legs are totally shot and hurting, but my overall feeling is grand. I had a great day with no incidences or injuries. AND my performance improved with almost every lap during the day. It was also good to see alot of my skating buddies that I haven't seen in several years.

I finished 3rd place overall for the Nocive Master Men. I am now looking forward to the next race and to see what I can do there. Possibly the Tampa Classic April 6-7. More to come then...

FAMOUS - well at least for this report

SPECIAL REPORT: The Ultimate Endurance Test
Posted: Feb 02, 2012 2:31 PM EST
Updated: Feb 09, 2012 2:29 PM EST

By Sara Belsole - WLTZ News

COLUMBUS, GA - They swim. They bike. They run.

And they put all three of them together for the ultimate endurance test: the triathlon.

"Pain, exhaustion, fatigue, where's the next aid station," triathlete Brent Staley says.

Despite the tremendous physical challenge, triathlons seem to be the new drug of choice for fitness addicts here in Columbus.

"It's the fastest growing part of my business. Two years ago it was women's cycling and now it is triathletes," Ride on Bikes owner Jason McKenzie says.

"I had heard of triathlons before I started and never really thought about doing it, but once I got into it I don't know what it is, it just grabs you," triathlete Scott Burkhalter says.

Many triathletes say once you're hooked, it's time to alter your lifestyle in order to train--which some say can almost be like a second job.

"I wake up before the sun, I was in the gym this morning running on the treadmill," Staley says.

"I bike probably about 3-4 times a week, and swim at least twice a week and run twice a week," Burkhalter says.

Not to mention a totally new diet plan.

"I eat about 4,000 calories a day, lots of fruits, I try to get a lot of protein in to kind of rebuild especially after I work out," Staley says.

If you're looking to get involved in triathlons, Ride on Bikes right here on Broadway is where you need to come. It's the only full-service triathlon store in Columbus.

"We have over 300 bikes in stock, so when you walk in, we narrow it down for you. I try to get it down to three bikes for you to choose from," McKenzie says.

Ride on Bikes also has all the shoes, clothing, and other accessories any triathlete could ask for.

"I found out the hard way, it's not cheap by any means," Staley says.

But the triathletes say it's totally worth it.

They also say the increase in triathletes in the area has created a feeling of comradery.

"We travel together, we train together, we diet together, it's kind of like, I hate to say it, a cult, it's something everyone wants to do together," McKenzie says.

And those triathletes are passing the tradition on to their families.

"The most exciting moment I ever had in my triathlon career was last year when my 11-year-old daughter called me up and said she wanted to do one," Burkhalter says.

To celebrate the explosion of triathletes in Columbus, the city is hosting four this year.

And they won't only give those tri addicts another opportunity to compete, but it will also help boost the economy.

"It's becoming a part of our community and people are going to start traveling which is brining money to Columbus. The way triathletes work is they will travel anywhere to race so the more people we get to Columbus for the motels and businesses, the better it is," McKenzie says.


If you want to join the triathlon craze, log onto www.active.com for more information on races, gear, and events here in Columbus.

GSC #4 West Point, Ga.

West point is almost like a local race. It is only about 40 miles north of Columbus. This was good in that I was able to actually go up there 3 times and ride the course before the race. It is a very typical course, about 10 miles with it's share of up and down hills and fast flats.

I had a flat front tire the week before the race, so I decided to buy 2 new tires instead of just trying to fix the flat. I got the Kenda Blue Groove for the front and the Kenda Nevegal for the back. Both are a lot more aggressive than the tires I had on the bike.

The new tires turned out to be a very good thing as it rained hard the day before the race. The course was very slick in the corners and on the bridges. The start of the race a 250 yard flat sprint, then a 90 degree right hand turn up a 100 foot steep hill that was very muddy. So my plan was to hopefully get the hole shot and be the first to the hill. I didn't want to get stuck behind anyone and take a chance that they screw up on the hill. I would hate to have to walk the bike up it.


As the gun goes off, I sprint out to the lead. I was challenged by a new guy riding for the Cycle Youth team. Luckily I was able to hold him off right before we hit the hill. I motored right up the hill and sprinted back down and into the woods. They were not too far behind me tough. I also wanted to get to and over the first bridge in the lead.

As I get to the bridge I see a lot of people watching it. I am sure they wanted to see a crash. As I carefully cross the bridge and sprint up the hill and around the corner, I hear what sounds like a crash. I have no idea what happened and I never look back. I am hoping that whatever happened slowed them down.

As I am racing through the woods, I am able to eventually catch a glimpse back when I do a few switchbacks. I have a good lead on them! Maybe I can hold them off. I am in the hilly part of the course, which is good for me. I know that Curtis is back there and will giving it everything he has to catch me. I really don't like being in the lead as I have nothing to judge myself to. All he has to do is keep me in his sites and try to catch me.

Shortly after I reach the top of the hill section, I hear someone coming up behind me. I am about halfway through the course by then, but I know it probably is Curtis. Shortly there after he passes me. We are on a long slight down hill section so I try my best to keep up with him. I am able to do it for a while, but my legs are almost short so I have to back it off a little. Curtis is very strong and I will kill myself if I try to push it too hard.

Shortly, another guy passes me. I don't pay any attention to his race number and just let him go. He is on a single speed bike so I was thinking that he was in that category. Well I was totally wrong! It was Bob Saxon and he is now in 2nd place. Dang it!!! And I just let him go without a challenge. Oh well. I will not let that happen again. Learned the hard way.

So anyway, the race a good one but still pretty slick. I did manage to finish without any problems. But I did do a lot of sliding around in some corners. I ended up finishing 3rd. Still in 2nd place for the overall series.


Here are the RESULTS

SERC MTB Race #5 - Monte Sano St. Park Huntsville, Al.

Well this one will be a short story after a long haul!!! I drove all of the way over to Huntsville, Al. (5 hours) on Saturday with the intention of racing the SERC race on Sunday morning. I get to the park early Saturday morning for a pre-ride of the trail. After about 3 miles into the course I scrape against a rock and break my deraileur hanger!!! Shoot, dang it!!!

I have to walk it out the 3 miles. When I get back to the start line I start asking around for help. No one has a hanger that will match, but someone tells me to go to the local bike shop and see if they have one.

So off I go and find the bike shop. After about an hour of them looking around, nothing! They even call all of the other shops and they have nothing either. The closest shop that has one is in Birmingham, 2 hours away. Oh well.

So I just decide that it wasn't meant to be. I have to go break down my camp site, pack up the car and head back home. Another 5 hour drive. For some reason I feel as though this race wasn't meant to be and therefore I am not mad. Hmmmmmmm... And the part only cost $30.