Lake Benbrook Half-Marathon 2010

This morning's hilly and chilly Lake Benbrook Half Marathon was pretty tough but I survived and had a decent time to boot.

The temperature was only 30 degrees at the start time, and with a 15+ mph wind, the wind chill was only 16-17.

I had a pretty good race - all things considered - and completed the 13.1 mile course (13.36 per GPS) in 1:57:37 for a 8:59/mi pace (8:48/mi per GPS). My time placed me at 94th out of 217 finishers - and 10th out of 22 in my age group. There were fewer runners than in the last two years - the weather no doubt kept participants away.

This is a PR for me for this course, but that is not saying much since I was just 9 seconds faster than last year and in 2008 I had a DNF due to my nagging ITBS. However, I was proud to have a very consistent pace for the entire 13+ miles. Most of the race was done with 8/1 run/walk. Time taken from start to the course's turn-around: 58:47; time from turn-around to finish: 58:50 ... not quite a negative split, but close!

My run started off okay, but there were a few obstacles. Without sweat to hold my PattStraps (a must for my IT bands on the hilly and often banked roads of this course) in place (and I probably didn't put them on tight enough), I had to stop twice (once for each leg) to re-adjust them. At Mile 1, we hit the expected low-water crossing of Benbrook's park road. Unexpectedly, there was quite a bit of flowing water and no way around it. I tried my best to jump over it, but still got one shoe soaked (brrr) in the frigid water. Not pleasant.

At Mile 5, there was ice on the road and we were directed to go off to the grass to avoid it. Unfortunately, the grass/dirt was wet and muddy so it was still not an optimal path.

0.65 miles later, "Nice Hill" was reached. Having taken a walk break less than 7 minutes earlier, my legs still felt pretty strong and I was able to power up the 75 feet of elevation change (in 0.11 miles) in just over a minute - not too bad for such a steep grade. I just "rode the downhill" (and rolling uphill) to Mile 6.66 (hmm) and walked at the turn-around water-stop.

The return leg was the same as the "out" with the same ice & mud dodging at Mile 8.25 as Mile 5 and same low-water crossing/river at Mile 12.3. Unfortunately, the water flow was worse the second time (maybe extra ice had melted further upstream?) and I got BOTH feet wet - and despite (or maybe because of) being warmed up after 12+ miles of running, my feet were VERY cold after the second dousing ... and my shoes were a lot heavier for being wet.

Luckily, I could already see the Benbrook YMCA (the start/finish was right behind it) and pushed myself to an 8:00/mi pace for the final mile.

So not the most fun race, but I'm glad I got in the required 13 miles for my Cowtown Marathon training plan and I got to see some friends at the start and finish - albeit briefly - we all left pretty soon after the race due to the bitter cold (and wet feet!)

Garmin Connect info: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/23553989

Official results:http://www.runtimeracingservices.com/Results2.aspx?RaceID=780

Saturday Aqua-Bike, Sunday Blackjack Run & Monday Recovery Swim

I had a solid workout on Saturday morning - a 2,500 yd swim in 48:37 - splits:

• 1st 500 yds: 9:30.5
• 2nd 500 yds: 9:55
• 3rd 500 yds: 9:52.5
• 4th 500 yds: 9:51
• 5th 500 yds: 9:28

followed by 2 hours and 35 minutes of spin class (avg hr 150 bpm) ...

Then, on Sunday I had the first of my two scheduled 20+ mile long training runs for the Cowtown Marathon.

Despite having to run all by myself (just me and my MP3 player) in my neighborhood, I ended up running 21.25 miles in 3:25:45 (a 9:40/mi pace). I'm happy that I kept a fairly steady speed for the entire run - the first 7 miles were at 9:26/mi pace, next 7 at 9:32/mi, and last 7.25 at 10:03/mi - so I slowed down, but not horribly. In addition to that I am now very familiar with the roads of my community - it's amazing that I was able to run so far and yet I was never more than 1.5 miles (as the crow flies) away from my house (in case of emergency) and (for the most part) I didn't double-back on any of the roads - i.e., I didn't do a 10 mile run and then just turn around and do it in reverse.

Afterwards, I tried my first post-run ice bath. I filled the tub with about 8 inches of water. Dumped all the ice that I had in the freezer (probably about as much as one of those big bags from the grocery store) into the water and hopped in. Brrrr, it was really cold. I could only stand to keep my legs in the water for about 10-20 seconds at a time and then I had to pull them out for 20-30 seconds for some recovery. I "dunked" them about 20 times - so probably only about 5-7 minutes of total "ice bath time" (15 minutes is recommended) but that was all I could take.

I have to admit that despite the pain and discomfort during the actual bath, my legs did feel better afterwards (maybe just from being out of the cold :-). And the next day I definitely felt less soreness in my legs than my previous 20+ mile runs. So I will have to keep going on these ...

Today, I was originally planning to take a well-deserved rest day, but because of a last-minute business trip coming up (which, by nature, usually equals rest days), I decided to squeeze in a recovery swim this afternoon. It ended up being one of my fastest 2,500 yd swims to date. Total swim time was 46:55 (I think that is a PR??). Not bad for a day when I was originally just going to sit on the couch. Splits:

• 1st 500 yds: 9:10
• 2nd 500 yds: 9:29
• 3rd 500 yds: 9:34.5
• 4th 500 yds: 9:25
• 5th 500 yds: 9:17

So my Iron Distance Challenge totals through today - Swim: 11.65 miles, Bike: 357 miles, Run: 83.65 miles. Three full Ironman distances complete - need 91 bike miles and 21.25 miles by this weekend (Sunday evening) to meet my personal goal of four. Not exactly sure when I can get them in, but I'm going to try my best!

Clearing the "Swim Watch" memory

The 100 lap memory of my Timex Ironman "swimming" watch is full. Going to save the splits of my longer swims for posterity/future review.

Fri, Nov 06: 2,000 yds in 42:10.5 - not a very fast swim, but was at the end of a week of solid workouts.

• 1st 500 yds: 10:30.5
• 2nd 500 yds: 10:46
• 3rd 500 yds: 10:44
• 4th 500 yds: 10:10

Mon, Nov 09: 1,500 yds in 31:37

• 1st 500 yds: 10:33.5
• 2nd 500 yds: 10:40
• 3rd 500 yds: 10:23

Sun, Nov 15: 2,500 yds in 47:29 - good swim, might be a PR for this distance. For the last two sets of 250 yds - I alternated between breast-stroke and freestyle for each half-lap/pool-length. Followed up the swim with a 65-min spin session. :-)

• 1st 500 yds: 9:15
• 2nd 500 yds: 9:31.5
• 3rd 500 yds: 9:35
• 4th 500 yds: 9:39
• next 250 yds: 4:52.5
• final 250 yds: 4:36

Mon, Nov 23: 1,500 yds in 31:35 - recovery swim after 20.5-mile run on Sunday

• 1st 500 yds: 10:31
• 2nd 500 yds: 10:27.5
• 3rd 500 yds: 10:36

Tue, Nov 24: 1,500 yds in 30:53 - another (short) swim day; still recovering ...

• 1st 500 yds: 10:17.5
• 2nd 500 yds: 10:27
• 3rd 500 yds: 10:08.5

Sat, Nov 28: 2,500 yds in 48:45

• 1st 500 yds: 9:29
• 2nd 500 yds: 9:41.5
• 3rd 500 yds: 9:55.5
• 4th 500 yds: 10:05
• 5th 500 yds: 9:33.5

Sat, Dec 05: 2,500 yds in 49:32

• 1st 500 yds: 9:39
• 2nd 500 yds: 9:53
• 3rd 500 yds: 10:07
• 4th 500 yds: 10:08.5
• 5th 500 yds: 9:44

Mon, Dec 07: 3,000 yds in 57:49 - a training PR for this distance ... until Jan 18 (see below)

• 1st 500 yds: 9:28
• 2nd 500 yds: 9:37.5
• 3rd 500 yds: 9:37.5
• 4th 500 yds: 9:42
• 5th 500 yds: 9:53
• 6th 500 yds: 9:31

Sat, Dec 19: 2,500 yds in 49:24

• 1st 500 yds: 9:31.5
• 2nd 500 yds: 9:44.5
• 3rd 500 yds: 10:04
• 4th 500 yds: 10:14
• 5th 500 yds: 9:50

Mon, Dec 21: 2,000 yds in 38:05 - squeezed in a quick lunch-time swim before our evening flight out for the holidays :-)

• 1st 500 yds: 9:22
• 2nd 500 yds: 9:30.5
• 3rd 500 yds: 9:45
• 4th 500 yds: 9:27.5

Fri, Jan 01: 2,500 yds in 53:44 - Happy New Year! My pace was not that fast, but I was back to wearing baggy swim trunks for this swim and it was my first workout in a several days (and first swim in almost two weeks) due to vacation/holiday.

• 1st 500 yds: 10:22.5
• 2nd 500 yds: 10:45
• 3rd 500 yds: 10:57.5
• 4th 500 yds: 10:58.5
• 5th 500 yds: 10:40.5

Sun, Jan 03: 2,500 yds in 49:25

• 1st 500 yds: 9:26.5
• 2nd 500 yds: 9:49
• 3rd 500 yds: 10:02
• 4th 500 yds: 10:14
• 5th 500 yds: 9:53.5

Tue, Jan 05: 1,000 yds in 20:39 - not a bad pace for following an hour of spin class

• 1st 500 yds: 10:27
• 2nd 500 yds: 10:12

Fri, Jan 08: 1,000 yds in 21:07 - this was following a 7-mile elliptical/treadmill run

• 1st 500 yds: 10:44.5
• 2nd 500 yds: 10:23

Sun, Jan 10: 2,500 yds in 49:20

• 1st 500 yds: 9:24.5
• 2nd 500 yds: 9:54
• 3rd 500 yds: 10:01
• 4th 500 yds: 10:12
• 5th 500 yds: 9:49

Sat, Jan 16: 2,500 yds in 49:50 - I don't know why my weekend morning swims are getting slower?!? I had even taken yesterday off. :-(

• 1st 500 yds: 9:50
• 2nd 500 yds: 10:01
• 3rd 500 yds: 9:59
• 4th 500 yds: 10:04
• 5th 500 yds: 9:55

Mon, Jan 18: 3,000 yds in 57:14.68 - I believe this is a training PR for this distance! What a change from Saturday's swim - and what a great time considering that I did that 2,500 yd swim + 2.5 hours of spin on Saturday, and then 14.5 miles of running (including a 15K race) on Sunday!

• 1st 500 yds: 9:08
• 2nd 500 yds: 9:20
• 3rd 500 yds: 9:34
• 4th 500 yds: 9:52
• 5th 500 yds: 9:51
• 6th 500 yds: 9:30

Ahh, now the watch memory is cleared - all ready for more!

2010 Too Cold To Hold 15K

Good run(s) today. Beautiful running weather. 5 miles before the race and then the Too Cold To Hold 15K for a total of about 14.5 miles.

My "warm-up" run went pretty well. My route was west across the northernmost bridge of White Rock Lake and then south down the west side of the lake - past the 5K water-stop & turnaround - and then back to my car. My was a little faster than I had originally planned and a little longer than my Garmin stats recorded. I had mis-read (or mis-recalled) the race information and thought that it began at 8:00 AM (the start time was actually 8:30) so I only took one walk break and really picked up the pace on the return leg. 4.94 miles in 43:36 (8:49/mi pace). But like I said the distance was actually a little longer - I had to reset/restart my watch after 0.25 miles because my heart rate monitor wasn't working correctly.

The Too Cold To Hold 15K had a new course this year (and the 5K did as well) - it was an out-and-back from Norbuck Park down along the east side of White Rock Lake with the U-turn just past the Arboretum. Coming back, there was a small deviation and we went up the hill at Winfrey Point before rejoined Lawther Drive.

Unfortunately, because of my mis-timing, instead of getting back from my workout run and then immediately starting back up on the 15K, I had almost 30 minutes of down time after dumping my fuel belt, soaked shirt and empty gel wrapper. In the morning air, I cooled down quickly, but luckily, there were multiple outdoor patio heaters placed around the registration area (NICE!) so the wait wasn't too uncomfortable.

I ran the first mile with Serena at a relaxed 9:30/mi pace before speeding up. I really felt great during the run - a lot less tired than I thought I would be after already putting in 5 miles. I didn't do my normal run-walk intervals though I did stop and walk for about a minute at all of the rest stops (except for the first one where I only slowed briefly). At around Mile 7, I calculated that I did about an 8:15/mi pace for the rest of race I could break 1 hr and 20 min. I came very close (my official time was 1:20:02) and had a sub-8:00/mi pace for the last half-mile+, but didn't quite make it. Oh well.

My final result of 1:20:02 put me in 200th out of 719 overall (137th out of 268 men and 34th out of 52 in my age group). From the results, my official 5K splits were

• 1st 5K: 27:35.74 (227th place)
• 2nd 5K: 26:23.25 (181st place)
• 3rd 5K: 26:02.21 (177th place)

And here are my splits (yes, I'm really digging the consistent pace and strong finish :-):

I am very happy that my time for the 15K was only 2 min, 20 sec off of my PR (which I set at last year's race). The almost perfect race conditions - mostly cloudy (the sun didn't come out until near the end of the race) yet not too cold nor windy - really helped me today. They also helped Lee (2nd place in his age group and 12th place overall) and Serena (a new 15K PR). Woo-hoo!

I'm probably going to take it easy this week, running-wise. 20 miles on the schedule for next weekend - less than 6 weeks until Cowtown! :-P

Miscellany:

• Garmin Connect info (5-mile warmup): http://connect.garmin.com/activity/22586508
• Garmin Connect info (15K race): http://connect.garmin.com/activity/22586543
• Full race results: http://www.runontexas.com/Results/2010/TooColdToHold002/TooColdMenu.htm

Monster Tri "One"

This morning, I participated in my second Monster Sprint Triathlon of 2009. Monster Tri "One" (in Keller) was actually the weekend following Monster Tri "Two" (in Denton). I had a pretty good race today though not quite a PR - more on that later. I completed the 300 meter pool swim at the Keller ISD Natatorium's 50-meter lanes, "12 mile" bike (12.5 miles per GPS), and 5K run in 1 hour, 8 minutes, and 43 seconds for 11th out of 42 in the men's 35-39 age group ... and 42nd out of 541 total finishers overall. With over 600 participants, turnout for this race continues to grow (last year, there were just over 500 entrants) even with the addition of the Denton event. Apparently, the recession has not damped triathlon event interest in the DFW metroplex.

Jack was 5th in our age group with a 1:06:25, and Lee captured 15th place with a time of 1:05 flat and grabbed 2nd place in his age group. My friend Eddie from spin class finished 4th in his age group as well. My splits:

• Swim: 5:46 (1:47/100yd pace)
• T1: 1:30
• Bike: 35:22 (20.4 mph average, 21.2 mph per GPS)
• T2: 1:11
• Run: 24:56 (8:03/mi pace)
• TOTAL: 1:08:43

Full results at http://results.active.com/pages/page.jsp?eventID=1805631&pubID=3

As I alluded to earlier, this is actually 27 seconds slower than last year. I would have guessed that my run would have been my weakness, but it was actually my bike time that was slower - by over a minute! My T2 was also a little slower - I think the reason for that was because my costume today (a "Hugh Heffner" robe) took a little longer to put on than last year's caveman outfit. Oh, well - the sacrifices one must make for art :-).

Last year's splits for comparison:

• Swim: 5:51 (1:47/100yd pace)
• T1: 1:34
• Bike: 34:12 (21.1 mph average)
• T2: 1:00
• Run: 25:40 (8:17/mi pace)
• TOTAL: 1:08:16

The weather seemed to be about par for this race. Cool - a little chilly at the start of the bike when wet from the swim, but perfect for the run.

Lee actually beat me into transition - surprising since I live so close to the venue - and greeted me as I entered the bike racks. After we set up our bike & gear and grabbed out timing chips, we headed out for a short warm-up run.

Back inside the Keller Nat ... and more waiting. We watched the LONG line for chip-pickup. So glad we got there early. By some miracle, the race didn't start TOO late - only 10-15 minutes after the scheduled 7:30 AM.

My bib number was "454", but since the first swimmer into the water was actually "325", I only had about 100 people in front of me for the pool. The swim was uneventful and my time was decent - I probably could have shaved a few seconds off of the 5:46, but I hit some traffic about two-thirds of the way through as well as at the ladder for the pool exit.

T1 was pretty smooth. I was slower than everyone else on my rack, taking in an AccelGel and putting on socks, but that's just how I roll. Mounted my bike fairly smoothly upon exiting the transition area and headed down Bear Creek Parkway to start the bike leg.

I felt a little tired on the hills, though my (GPS) speed was still about the same as last weekend. There was a little bit more discourteousness/cluelessness from fellow racers today with regards to blocking ("On Your Left, guys!") but that honestly didn't mess me up. I did do a spin class yesterday and ran 3 miles yesterday, but I can't really use that as an excuse when comparing with last year because a year ago I did 15K worth of running at the Four Seasons Cool Run event the day before Monster Tri 2008!

As I finished the bike leg, I got a cheer from my friend and fellow Keller Running Club member, Melissa. I had a small mishap at bike dismount - couldn't unclip my left shoe out of the pedal (I really need to take a look at that pedal/cleat) - so in the end I had to just pop my foot out of my bike shoe, dismount, and run through the transition area with one bike-shoe and one sock-foot. Fun stuff. :-P

Aside from being "left-shoeless", I had a fairly smooth T2. As mentioned earlier, the robe costume is a little more involved than the caveman outfit. It was hard to get my arms into the sleeves and tying up the "belt" took a few extra seconds, too. I grabbed a gel and snapped on my race belt and headed out on the run course.

I had neglected to take a SaltStick before the bike and about a 1/8 mile into the run, I started to get some small cramps in my calves. Uh-oh ... Luckily, they disappeared after another 1/8 of a mile and I turned onto the Keller running trails. Since the course is part of the normal Keller Running Club route, I can pretty much run these trails in my sleep. The run went fairly smoothly. I didn't think I was having a very good run - every time I looked at my Garmin, my pace was listed at 8:10/mi or so - but it wasn't terrible either.

My costume wasn't too unwieldy, but it kept slipping off my shoulders. It was also a little warm - I wasn't wearing any top at all during the bike and its 21+ MPH speed - and now I had on an extra layer while going slower and at a higher heart rate! Hmm, something to think about for next year ...

Speaking of costumes, my "side goal" for the last few Monster Triathlons has been to be the first person to cross the finish line in a costume. There was a "referee" who had a 1/8 mile lead on me at the start of the run. We were pretty evenly matched; we were nearly to the turn-around until I finally passed her. After making the U-turn, I saw an "Elvis" and a "Wonder Woman" but they were 1/8 and 1/4 mile behind me, respectively, so I thought I was okay as long as I could keep a steady pace. However, as I neared the Mile 3 marker, I heard a volunteer/fan shout out "Way to go, Wonder Woman". Uh-oh, I guess my cushion is gone. I kicked it up a notch for the final sprint through the grass, around the corner and to the finish line - finishing only a few seconds ahead of her. Actually, Kristina (Wonder Woman's alter-ego) started the swim & race about 45-50 seconds after me and bested my chip time by 52 seconds (and took third place overall female)! Oh well, I guess I was still the first costumed finisher by clock time. :-P

All-in-all, a great race and a nice end to the 2009 triathlon season. Okay, now it's time to get serious about White Rock!

Monster Tri "Two"

My legs were definitely a little tired from yesterday's century ride, but I still finished strongly in the inaugural Dallas Athlete's Monster Tri "Two" at the Denton Natatorium this morning. I still find it weird that Monster Tri "Two" is a week before Monster Tri "One" (this coming Sunday in Keller), but I suppose the latter is the original race.

I can't believe that it's been six months since I last did a sprint-distance triathlon. Between doing the Olympic distance for Texas Man, PlayTri, and Disco (and of course the PrairieMan 70.3) - and skipping the TWU Power Sprint (I never liked that pool swim and Dallas Athlete's charged $20 more than Ironhead did!), Old College Tri (also too expensive) and Take On The Heat (Las Vegas vacation) - I missed out on doing the shorter events. Anyway, maybe the time away was a good thing, because I had a blast at this race and a great performance to boot!

I completed the 250 yd swim, 16 mile bike, and 3 mile run course in 1:19:52, which netted me 6th place out of 25 in my age group and 24th out of 289 overall. This is one of my best performances ever - top 10% - and to think I did it only 24 hours after a hard 100-mile bike ride - needless to say, I am ecstatic! Here are my splits:

• Swim: 4:52
• T1: 1:26
• Bike: 46:51 (20.5 MPH, 12th fastest bike split!) - 21.1 MPH for 16.5 miles per GPS
• T2: 1:15
• Run: 25:30 (8:14/mi pace) - 8:13/mi for 3.1 miles per GPS
• TOTAL: 1:19:52

Full results: http://results.active.com/pages/page.jsp?eventID=1804210&pubID=3

Garmin Connect map & data: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/16600918 (bike) & http://connect.garmin.com/activity/16600936 (run)

The swim went relatively smoothly, though the 10 x 25-yds set-up made passing difficult. I did pass three people (and got passed by two as well) in the swim including the young woman who went immediately before me; however, she must not have appreciated that because on the final lap she swam up beside me and basically crowded me against the pool wall. Not cool! (I see from the results that she got first place in her age group so maybe there is a competitive streak trumping sportsmanship ... ). Anyway, I finished the final lap and hopped out of the pool a lot more gracefully that I would have expected and sprinted out the open doorway to the transition area.

T1 was okay. I got to the race site relatively late so I had a bad rack position and had to run in my bike shoes the maximum distance to Bike Out. However, despite the cool morning weather I opted not to put on a tri-top so my swim-to-bike transition was pretty fast except for my normal AccelGel & water break.

The bike leg was great. The course was an out-and-back from the Denton Nat with a turn-around at the Aubrey Middle School. There were definitely some hills along the way (~400 ft of elevation change over 16.5 miles) and my still-tired legs were complaining during the climbs. Here is the elevation profile:

However, FM-428 (Sherman Rd) had a very nice road surface - a huge contrast from 70+ miles of chip-seal the day before - and that got me motivated to get some speed. In fact, between getting warmed-up on the bike and the fact that the climbs were more gradual on the return leg, I was actually faster during the second half of the bike (21.5 vs. 20.8 MPH). Speed and other stats below (I ended "Lap 1" as I entered the Aubrey Middle School parking lot for the turn-around):

T2 was very smooth. I had no problems putting on my caveman/Tarzan costume and made it out of there quickly.

My run was not my best, but still pretty good. We had nearly perfect running weather. I'm sure that if I hadn't done such a long bike ride the day before that I could have gotten closer (or perhaps beaten - one can dream :-) my tri-5K goal pace of 8:00/mi. Here is my run speed (blue) and heart rate (red) charts:

The heart rate looks a little funky. I'm thinking those spikes are in accurate. Probably a bad connection between the strap and my chest during the run.

The drop in speed at Mile 0.4 is because I had to stop to redo my timing chip strap which was falling off (bad initial Velcro job on my part, I suppose). The slowdown at Mile 3.0 was a near-collision with the runner in front of me - he was circling around the cone (and me) for his second lap of the run course, while I was making a "hard right" to head to the finish line. Luckily, no serious incident occurred.

Following that I sped up again for the final push (though the hill up to the parking lot did slow me down a little) and crossed the finish line. My streak (2 for 2) of being the first finisher of those wearing costumes is intact! (though a girl in a Twister outfit was probably only a few minutes behind me :-)

With the standard disclaimers ("Hindsight is 20-20"; "If 'if's and 'but's were beer and nuts, oh what a party we'd have!"), I think that if I hadn't ridden yesterday, I probably could have shaved 90 seconds off my time (say a minute on the bike and 30 seconds on the run) which would have gotten me 4th place in my age group and 17th overall. Oh well, no biggie, though - 4th is still not award-worthy, and since this is my first time (okay, everyone's first time) doing this race/course, it is automatically a PR. Anyway, I'm definitely looking forward to a repeat/better performance at "Monster Tri One" this coming Sunday - a familiar course (will be my fifth time doing it) right in my backyard in Keller.

Race Review: The bike and run courses (the small mishap with the "second loop turn-around" notwithstanding) were great. The pool swim was a little annoying with the 25yd "short lanes", but manageable and over before you knew it. Overall, I definitely would do this race again.

Kiwanis Crazy Kicker 2009

Woo-hoo, another century-ride under my belt. My last organized bike tour of 2009 was also my longest. I finished the 100-mile route at the 6th Annual Kiwanis Crazy Kicker this morning in Mineral Wells, TX. It was a tough ride with lots of hills (3,245 ft of elevation change) and not-the-best road conditions. I was fortunate to be able to ride with Angela and her friend Phillip for most of the ride - it would have been pretty lonely without the company.

The ride started off okay - though the cannon blast from two years ago was absent. The road on Rt 180 was very smooth - as was Rt 337 and its Three Amigos - so the first 14 miles of the ride went by pretty quickly despite the hills. However, upon turning onto Rt 254, the chip-seal started. I hoped it wouldn't last, but alas pretty much the entire middle of the route (nearly 70 miles) was chip-seal and about half of it was VERY rough. So it made for a long (jarring, vibrating, tiring) ride - in addition to the overall distance.

However, even with the chip-seal, Angela, Phillip and I kept a pretty fast 18.5 MPH average speed through the first 60 miles. In fact, coming down one of the hills, I hit a new max speed - 39.7 MPH!

We stopped at the Mile 65 rest stop for cookies & pickles (and the porta-potty) before heading for Cherry Pie Hill. I'm definitely in better biking shape than when I tackled Cherry Pie in 2007. While it was still tough (nearly 400 ft of climbing) in about 1.25 miles, I was able to do it seated this year. (In fact, I think I did just about the entire ride without needing to get out of the saddle.) And while my speed did drop to 6 MPH at it's slowest, I averaged around 8-10 MPH for the bulk of the climb.

Unfortunately, I got a flat tire at Mile 75 and it took about 20 minutes to fix (and check the tire for embedded nail/glass - there was none to be found, so it either fell out, or the chip-seal just took its toll on my tire). This was my first flat during a race/tour this year - oops, I just jinxed it - so it may be time to put on the new Vredestein Fortezza TriComp tires that I have sitting in my pile of "backup gear."

After the flat "adventure", we rode another 10 miles to the final rest stop to collect our breath and legs before the final 14 miles and hitting the Three Amigos in reverse - although only the final two Amigos are steep climbs when approaching from the north. In fact, in some ways, the "Reverse Second Amigo" is tougher than Cherry Pie Hill in that it lasts for 1.5 miles and starts at Mile 91. On the other hand, at least it was not on chip-seal (just before the turn onto Rt 337 after the last rest stop, there is a sign that reads "Smooth Road Ahead ... Ahh!" - truer words have not been written) so that made it a little easier.

After those hills, there was just a few more miles on Hwy 180 before the return to West City Park. It was a little tricky crossing the traffic with Jello-wy legs, but I made it. Upon turning into the park I noticed that my GPS read 99.5 miles so I made an extra-wide loop around the park to make it an even 100.

Garmin Connect map & info: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/16491257

Ride Review:

• Course: 3/5 - fast blacktop on Highways 180 and 337; other roads had chip-seal galore - much of it "fresh"; course was fairly well-marked and there weren't too many turns (and none on small/non-obvious roads); roads were fairly straight; minimal traffic control but traffic was not too bad; great routes if you like/want hill challenges
• Rest Stops: 3/5 - very limited selection - some fruit, homemade cookies, and water/Gatorade - nothing to write home about. Stops were well-marked with signs alerting that they were "1/2 or 1 mile ahead"
• Logistics: 3/5 - no issues with race day packet pick-up - packet was pretty weak but the long-sleeve T-shirt was nice; only $20 for pre-registration; minimal porta-potties at the start/finish, but lines weren't too long; adequate parking at West City Park for the number of participants (approx 300 this year)
• Overall: 3/5 - a pretty bare-bones ride, but I will definitely do it again for the challenging course to make for a good "end of season" ride; hopefully, by next year some of that chip-seal will have worn-down a bit and this grade will improve!