IMFL

I love this picture maybe the most of all of them

We finished.  I'll give a more complete report later, but thanks to everyone who tracked us online, watched the finish line camera, sent us these awesome screen shots, posted on FB, texted me, emailed, and prayed for us yesterday.  It might have been the toughest think I've ever done.  

I was so happy to get back to my hotel last night and get a hot shower.  My feet are covered with blisters...an awesome souvenir that will remind me of this race for probably another week.  But I'm glad I did it.  I'm glad it's over and that I don't have to worry about doing this anytime soon.

Here are a few more screen shots from the live finish cam last night.  Troy, Matthias, and Lance--I couldn't ask for better brothers!  You are so awesome for sending these so quickly!  I love them!  Ray Ray, thanks for your Instagram post.  I loved that one too!

Photographic evidence that I did finish the race!

World's Best Training Partner!

So glad it's over!

Did I Shave My Legs For This?

Nice weather.  :-/

Rain. Wind. Waves. Did I really sign up for this?  Just as soon as my brother and I dropped off our bags, the heavens opened and dumped rain, rain, and more rain.  Look at that picture above...multiple swells pounding the beach.  Flags pegged.  Beach grass bent under the weight of the wind...I guess things can only get better right?

That's some decent surf out there.  Did I mention there's currently a rip current warning in effect?  Maybe it'll help my swim time...

Most triathletes put countless hours of preparation into a race like this.  In addition to hundreds of hours of training time, no details are left undone.  Nails are trimmed (so as not to tear wetsuits), energy packets are taped to bike frames, and running shoes are carefully placed.  Some triathletes will even go as far as shaving their legs in the vain (misguided) belief that it will shave seconds from their bike times.

I trimmed and filed my nails last night, mixed my energy drinks, rented aerodynamic wheels for my bike, and carefully packed my bike's Bento box with goodies.  I've put a lot of time (at least for me) into preparing for this race.  But I didn't shave my legs for this.  Nor would I ever.  But if this weather holds, I wonder if it will even matter. 

My bike is racked and ready in the center there (note the aero wheels).  See how strong the wind is?  It is actually blowing bikes around on the racks!

I did a race like this once.  18 months ago.  It was one of the hardest things I've ever attempted.  I was hoping for a little better conditions tomorrow.  I guess I'm putting a lot of faith in the weatherman right now.  Because it's not looking great.

If things don't improve at all, I'll be glad that--despite all my other preparation--at least I didn't bother to shave my legs for this.  :-/

 

 

On the bright side, this was lunch!  Delicious!!

And now, the musical stylings of Deana Carter...

"When I Run I Feel His Pleasure"

Eric Liddell - 1924 Olympic Gold Medalist

I ran the St. George Marathon yesterday.  There is a lot that I could say about the experience.  Running for 26 miles gives you a lot of time to think about things and to ponder.  I appreciated and am grateful for many things about yesterday and I feel like it is important to note them so that I can remember them and remember the experience.

Weird as it may seem, running the marathon yesterday was a spiritual experience for me.  And I don't mean "spiritual" in the sense that I felt closer to nature because of the scenic beauty along the course.  (And it is spectacularly beautiful--red cliffs, white rock formations, volcanic cinder cones, and wide open desert vistas.)  For me it was spiritual because I feel like it helped me feel closer to my Heavenly Father.

At about Mile 11 or 12, the following quote popped into my head from the movie "Chariots of Fire:"

• "I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast. And when I run I feel His pleasure." --Eric Liddell

I'm not saying that I'm fast.  In fact, I'm not.  There were 2,789 people that were faster than me yesterday.  But I did feel like I felt loved by my Heavenly Father.  We all faces trials, challenges, and adversity in our lives.  At times, it may seem overwhelming.  Certainly a marathon is a microcosm of life in that adversity can be crammed chock full into the 26.2 mile course, but it is a blessing to feel a confirmation that we are literally children of a Heavenly Father, that He knows us personally, that is aware of our individual circumstances, and that He loves us.  And I am grateful for that experience yesterday.

My Brother

My brother and I at the starting line...brrr...it was cold!

I also did the race with my brother.  This is not the first race that I've done with him, but as we get older and are now farther apart geographically, I've realized how important it is to treasure these opportunities.

S. was not even going to do the race.  Neither one of us was prepared--although he was a lot more prepared than I was.  As I drove down to the race, by myself, I placed one last call to him.  I got his voice mail and told him that it wasn't too late to come and that I hoped that he'd do it with me.  I told him that I had a hotel room reserved and that he was welcome to share it with me.

S. was concerned that one or both of us would get hurt and that we would not be able to finish the Ironman Florida (IMFL) race next month.  I admit it was a valid concern and it did worry me a bit, but I wanted to do the race and committed to listen to my body.  I pledged to myself that I would stop if it felt like my body was telling me that it was in trouble.

Well, miraculously, S. had a change of heart.  I was certain that he was not going to make the 5 hour drive to the race, but he did!  Unfortunately, when the packet pick up line closed at 9 p.m., S. was still en route--nearly 2 hours away.  I somehow managed to persuade the race officials to let me get his race number (which saved us some time the next morning) and I was excited when I heard him opening the door to the hotel room--even though I had just gone to bed!

The next morning, I saw S. for about the first 30 seconds of the race.  The runners thronging the start line left quickly shifting gaps and very little room to maneuver.  S. went right, I went left.  And then he was gone amongst the sea of runners surging over and beyond the finish line in the pre-dawn darkness.  I knew I had to run my race and hope that he could run well.  For the entire race, I looked for him in case he had to drop off the pace or got hurt.  I never saw him.

At the end, I just hoped that I hadn't missed him somewhere along the way because he was hurt (or hurting).  Turns out he had a spectacular time--finishing in 3:41 for his first marathon ever.  I'm proud of my brother and that he did so well.  And next time, I'm going to be motivated to keep up with him!

Relieved to be finished!

The Volunteers and Spectators

The people of St. George are wonderful.  They come out and volunteer in droves.  They line the roads along the route and cheer for us.  The ring loud cow bells.  And their kids stretch out their hands to give the runners five as they zip on past.

The volunteers and the spectators inspired me.  They held signs in the cold--many of them wearing parkas, hats, and gloves.  I'm not sure that I could do it!  The signs were great--many were funny most were inspirational.  I really enjoyed the signs cheering on grandma or grandpa.  One of the funniest signs that I saw simply said: "Worst parade ever.":  We were a motley crew!

I saw Ryan Cuff handing out water at one aid station.  Ryan Cuff was one of the best high school basketball players in the history of the State of Utah.  But he is also a good human being and consummate teammate.  He had no idea who I was, but I was proud to tell him that I remembered him and that I had played hoops with him.

I also saw my niece Elizabeth L. handing out water along the course.  I think that her high school cross-country teammates were helping to support the event.  I was really happy to see her (even if she was surprised to see me there) and told her to say hi to her parent for me.  Her family has always been so kind to me and I was grateful to see her.

Utah's Governor Gary Herbert came out to support the marathon runners

The groups that lined the course were so cheering so loud that I turned off my iPod so that I could appreciate the moment.  I tried to make a point of thanking the spectators for coming to cheer for us and thanking the volunteers for handing out water, Gatorade, Clif bars, vaseline, bananas, Gu shots, and other essential items.  It was inspiring to see volunteers raking up empty cups that had been thrown to the side by the runners.  It made me try harder to hit the trash can!  ;-)

But beyond a general "feel good" sort of inspiration, I drew tangible strength and energy from the spectators.  As I ran along the rope line at one point, I looked down at my watch and saw that my pace had quickened by nearly 30% as I ran along the line giving high fives to all the little kids.  It made me worry that I might have expended too much energy--but the fact was that the spectators made me faster.  Literally.

Post race with one of my favorite missionary companions

One of the spectators was an old mission companion of mine.  I hadn't seen him for nearly 14 years!  After the race, he graciously invited me to his home in Diamond Hills and to dinner with his cute family.  Renewing this friendship was yet another thing to be grateful for that came out of the event.

I've blogged about St. George and its volunteers in the past.  They did not disappoint today.  What a great city and what great people!  I'm certainly grateful for you!

My Fellow Runners

Snow Canyon along the route

I'm also grateful for my fellow runners out there.  I felt like you "pulled" me along even when I didn't know if I could keep going myself.  The list is long and distinguished, but here are a few that I remember:

• Daniel. R. and his brother - An attorney colleague from back home.  You inspired me by actually doing the run with your brother and I'm glad that I kept up with you for a bit.  We talked jobs, families, and running.  I hope I get to bump into you at another race in the future!

• Varls - This may have been your first marathon and you bounded past me with a surge of energy and enthusiasm.  Thanks for tapping me on the shoulder.  I didn't see you when I past you, but congrats on finishing!  And I hope to see you in San Clemente or at a BYU game soon!

• David Tanner and his daughter Cheyenne - David was running while carrying a large American flag.  I looked up and saw his flag and was inspired to catch up to him.  We ran together for a few miles.  His daughter was doing her third marathon in 3 weeks!  I thanked him for his patriotism and for his willingness to inspire his fellow runners.  I saw him at the finish line too and thanked him again.

• Ken Duke, Andy, and Richard - Ken is blind and was running his 56th marathon!  Richard and Andy were his two guides that ran alongside him.  I noticed Andy at about Mile 14.  He had pulled out his cell phone to take a call and said: "Hey, I'm doing a marathon.  I can't talk now, but I'll call you later!"  Andy was on his 18th marathon, I think.  He was also wearing a BYU hat.  I knew there was a reason I liked the guy.  It was fun to run with Ken and his guides for a few miles.  I had to push myself to catch up to him.  Once I did, I thought that if I blind guy could do this, so could I!  How could you not be inspired by someone like Ken or by his guides?

There were many more that I haven't mentioned, but I really appreciated the comaraderie of my fellow runners.  Thank you for pushing, pulling, and inspiring me!

The Result

I'm also grateful for the result.  I had people (beside my brother) tell me to skip the race and not to do it because I really have not had much time to train.  There a lot of reasons for that, but they are all excuses.  If I were to do the race, I had to do it and not make excuses.

I'd love to say that I lowered expectations, but I didn't.  I honestly did not know what to expect.  I really could not start training for this race until literally two weeks ago.  The longest run that I have done in the past month and a half was only 6.2 miles.  I really did not have any business starting the race--much less have any expectations for it.

I started the race and was still unsure of what I could do.  At one point, I was about ready to drop back when Daniel R. pulled up beside me and kept me on pace.  I walked for a brief half mile stretch on the big hill just past Veyo.  My thought process was to conserve my energy and not be a hero.  This was Mile 8 and I was still just hoping to finish in less than 6 hours and not get hurt.

By the halfway point, I was still feeling strong and starting to realize that I had a lot left in the tank.  My 13.1 mile time was 2:04--not great, but not terrible either.

Every finisher medal is unique

Mile 18 was where the wheels came off the train for me two years ago in this race.  There is a long hill just after the aid station and it can be discouraging and demoralizing.  In my case, it was two years ago.  This time, as I approached that same spot, I got a little emotional.  I realized that I still had enough left in the tank to finish and to finish strong.  I think it was at this point that I finally realized that not only was I going to finish, but I was also probably going to PR (set a new personal record).  My Garmin data actually shows my heart rate spiking at that point.  It was exciting to realize that I was going to meet my goals for this race and set new marks to shoot for in the future.

With about 3 miles to go, I realized that I had a chance at breaking 4 hours for the race.  I've always wanted to run a marathon in less than 4 hours and I tried to push harder.  Unfortunately, it was too much.

My final time was 4:03 and I couldn't be more thrilled.  It beat my time from 2 years ago by about 23 minutes.  I know that I gave it my all on that course.  I also know that there is room for improvement if I am willing to put in the training and time in the future.

Thank you St. George Marathon for such a fun event!  Hope to see you next year!

Camp Pendleton Tri 2013

Last Year's Competitors

As you have probably noticed, one of the things that I like to post on my blog are race recaps from the races that I've done.  It's fun for me to do the races with family and then to put up some fun pictures, etc.

The first real triathlon I ever did was the Camp Pendleton Sprint Triathlon in 2010.  It's become a fun tradition because the race is practically in my backyard.  Not only do I do it every year, but every year we've had more and more people (both friends and family) doing it.  (See pic above.).  Last year's race was the biggest yet with 7 members of Team Skil!

Maybe because of our family reunion this year or maybe for other reasons, the silence this year was deafening.  I pleaded with my brother to do it and I think he would have, but ultimately Team Skil was unrepresented this year.  So I can't give a race recap.

Instead, I felt like I needed to go out to Arizona to visit my kids and family out there.  So even though I didn't do the Camp Pendleton Tri this year, I felt like I got a "triathlon-ish" experience during my whirlwind trip to Arizona.

Swim

Rather than fight through the breakers for a 500 yard ocean swim, I settled for some time in the pool with the kids.  We worked on some very technical dive techniques:

It looked pretty much like this..."Ladies and gentlemen, may I please have your attention...."

Bike

Are you crazy?  I don't think that anyone bikes in the summer in Arizona.  The temp is 110+ and the heat index is off the charts.  Instead, I satisfied my need to heed the call of the open road by driving over 800 miles roundtrip in a 36 hour period.

It's a lot easier to handle the heat when you have the AC cranked up to full and a cooler full of ice cold water and soft drinks.

Still, an 800 mile roadtrip is about 7x as long as an Ironman bike course and requires a certain amount of endurance and stamina in its own right.  Unfortunately, I don't think it's the type of training that's going to help me in Florida!  :-/

T2

I managed to find a great job to transition from driving to the "run."  Getting a shaded spot is just half the battle.  You need to try and make sure that you have shade when you leave church as well--not just when you get there.  These spots are worth the extra walk!

Run

I got to chase after Baby M. all through church.  It was actually a lot of fun and I'm realizing that he's not such a baby anymore.  He's getting big and I feel like I can't really hug him enough.  Here's some more gratuitous pics (even if I'm the only one that wants to look at them!--well, okay and the grandmas too)  :-)

Summary
Even though this year's Camp Pendleton Race didn't happen, I still feel like the weekend was a success.  And don't count Team Skil out quite yet.  I have a feeling we'll back back in even bigger numbers next year!

No Brother Left Behind: Camp Pendleton's World Famous Mud Run

Team Dyer Brothers

Last month, my four brothers and I got together for the last session (June 15th) of this year's Camp Pendleton World Famous Mud Run.  This was the first time that all five of us have run together in a race and it was a lot of fun. We started off the race fast and I did my best to keep up.

Look closely and you can see Team Dyer Brothers just off to the right in our blue sleeveless shirts

I bought matching shirts (moisture wicking, of course) so that we looked like a team.  It turned out to be a good call.  The light blue color that I picked really stood out in the crowd.  My parents were watching the live feed in Colombia and they were able to pick out all of us on the live feed (and by "all of us," I mean everyone but me!  Apparently, I didn't get any love from the cameras!).

This year's race had a lot more obstacles than last year and it was a lot of fun--except for the low-slung cargo nets.  They were set at about 2.5 feet off the ground and were pure torture for me.  I was just too tall!  I also narrowly averted disaster when the watch strap on my million dollar Garmin watch broke going over the "Wall" obstacle.  Luckily, I noticed that it was loose and grabbed it before it was lost forever in the Camp Pendleton mud.  That was the good news...the bad news was that I had to carry it the rest of the way and that meant I didn't have full use of my hands for the remaining obstacles.

One of the first obstacles: The Steeplechase - My brother N. successfully completes this!

The first few obstacles went smoothly...N. is my youngest brother and is just a year removed from his mission (to Argentina).  This was his first race, so I kind of stuck with him and within sight distance of L. and Big S.  Click here for a cool pic of L. with N. and me in the background going over the Steeplechase.  SLD was gone as soon as the gun went off.  Only later would I learn how amazing his race was.

SLD tackles the high "Wall"...Notice how there don't seem to be any other runners in sight.

The high "Wall" was a difficult obstacle.  I was so tired by the time that I got to it, that it seemed like it was 8 feet tall.  I managed to get over it somehow, but landed in the mud as my watch dangled from my wrist.  Luckily, I snared it and kept going.

Here's some video of me going through the final obstacle...the Mud Pit:

One thing that occurs to me when re-watching this is how utterly exhausted I am at this point.  You can see it as I enter the Mud Pit and then you can see it as I stagger out to finish the race.  Even though I was tired, my motto is to just keep moving forward.  Hopefully you can see my determination to keep going.

Here are the links to the videos of the rest of us going through the Mud Pit:

• SLD
• L.
• Big S. and N.

Thanks Nicole for taping these for us!

Here are some of the notable achievements.  Indulge me for a second while I brag on my brothers:

• SLD - 51:59 (for a course that billed itself as a "10k" but was actually about 6.6 miles long!).  SLD got 14th overall and 2nd in his age group!!  There were about 3,000 runners in the race.  SLD is a frickin' amazing runner!
• L. - 1:02:34 - 13th in his age group (118th overall)
• Big S. - 1:06:05 - 19th in his age group (#168 overall)
• N. - 1:06:53 - 8th in his age group (#186 overall).  This was an awesome result for his first race ever!
• Me - 1:09:44 - 28th in my age group (#246 overall).  As the oldest brother, I took responsibility for making sure that no brother was left behind.  Someone had to do it....  :-/

After the race, we hit the showers:

And took some more pics:

N. and SLD with his medal

Superman photobombs the post-race brothers pic..

My miracle, super-nephew!

If you're family and not already bored out of your gourd, you can check out Nicole's photo album on Google Plus here.

Love this cute fam pic!

Riding the shuttle to the parking lot...

I love my nephew's cute smile

This run has become somewhat of a tradition now in our family:

2011

2012

2013

I'm sure we'll be back next year!

How NOT To Do A Half Marathon

Today was the Laguna Hills Half Marathon.  I did it for the second time in 3 years.  When I did it two years ago, it was the longest race that I had ever done.  Today when I did it, I was wondering why in the heck I had decided to do it again!

The Course Elevation

The course is unique because it basically runs downhill and then finishes with its last 4.5 miles going pretty much all uphill.  Fun!

Here are 10 Steps on how NOT to do for a Half Marathon:

1. Preparation - This starts early.  Do a half Ironman about 3 weeks before the race.  Then go running exactly once before your half marathon.  This will ensure that your legs are well-rested and plenty fresh.
2. Nutrition - Don't carbo load the night before.  Who needs all the extra calories?  Also, don't really drink any extra water.  You can get all the water that you need at the aid stations along the course.
3. Sleep - One of my specialties.  You'll probably have a 5:30 a.m. wake up call, so you probably don't need to get to bed before about 2 a.m.   3-4 hours is more than adequate.
4. Procrastination - Don't bother registering early, you might decide not to do the race at the last minute and then you've wasted your hard-earned cash.  You should have plenty of time to register if you get to the race about 15 minutes before the gun goes off.  Of course, they'll have run out of t-shirts and medals, but those are for suckers.  They claim that they'll mail them to you, but do you really need "another" finisher medal to add to your collection?  
5. Stretching - See Procrastination above.  Don't worry about stretching.  That's what the first 2-3 miles are for.  You're not going to have time for it anyway.
6. Equipment - Slip some high tech inserts into your running shoes because they're scientifically guaranteed to make you run faster.  Realize about about mile 6.5 that they only thing that those high tech inserts are "making" you do is getting blisters all over both feet.
7. Brain Function - See two people that you know along the course.  Call both of them by the name of their brother/sister instead of their own.  Ignore the puzzled looks on their faces.  Blame it on the fact that your body is diverting all available oxygen to your legs, rather than your brain.
8. Photos - Carry your iPhone with you even though by mile 4, it feels like it weighs as much as a brick. Don't bother to take any pictures of yourself.  You don't want to remember what you look like at the finish line anyway.  Trust me, it's not good.  You're just glad you're still breathing and ambulatory.  Tell yourself that even the professional photos turn out even halfway decent, you'll consider paying $30 for one single shot.  Try to spy those professional photogs early and remember to smile.  Even if you feel like you'd rather collapse and die, fake it and make it look like you're having the time of your life.
9. Volunteers and Spectators - Be prepared to thank them for the many thankless tasks they're doing so that you can have a fun event.  Handing out water, picking up discarded water cups and other trash, and cheering for you.  Be amazed at how much energy you draw from some the cheering of random strangers.
10. Expectations - Be willing to lower them, if necessary.  Listen to your body telling you that it wants to stop and start walking about about mile 4.  Realize that despite everything above and the feeling that you "want" to stop or start walking, you don't actually "need" to do so.  Maybe you're training hasn't been as hopeless as you thought.  :-)  You manage to run the entire race without stopping or walking.  Be excited about that and call that a "success."  Redefining expectations has been the secret shortcut to success for eons. 

Camp Pendleton's World Famous Mud Run...

I can't wait for my next race.  After today's effort, it should be a piece of cake!  ;-)

On Volunteering

Ironman Florida Finisher Medal

I've blogged about how I've been inspired by the volunteers who help at the races that I do.  We really couldn't have the experience that we do--or even do the race--without those volunteers.  They are great and one of the reason that I love doing these Ironman races is because the volunteers make me feel like a rock star!

I came across this video the other day on the Facebook page for Ironman Florida.  I thought it was an amazing, inspirational video and I wanted to share it (partly because I can use some good news following last night's debacle!):

After watching this, I decided that I need to do something to give back.  It's a little early for a New Year's Resolution, but that's okay.  I want to find a race or event next years where I can be a volunteer and cheer on the participants.  Anyone have any suggestions?

I'm In!

Florida.  2013.  See you there!

It's official.  I'm in.  Registration for this race sold out in 15 minutes last year, but I made it.  I felt like I was camping out for tickets to a NKOTB reunion!  (Not that I'd ever go to one of those concerts, but I know people at least one person that would...)  Registration is still open.  If you're going to do it too, you'd better hurry!

Don't ask how much it cost.  I'm sure it will all be worth it!

Twas the Night Before Pumpkinman...

'Twas the night before Pumpkinman, when all through my room

Not a creature was stirring, as I dreamed of my costume;

My transition bags had been laid out with care,

In hopes that on race morning I wouldn't have to prepare;

And I was all nestled, all snug in my bed,

While visions of Gatorade and a personal best danced in my head;

When my brother arrived late and put on his striped convict cap,

Just as I had settled down for what I hoped was more than a nap,

When out of my phone there arose such a clatter,

I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.

Away to the lobby I flew like a flash,

Grabbed my brother's gear and was glad he hadn't crashed;

On race morning, we spoke not a word, but went straight to our work,

We prayed that the water wouldn't have any strange quirks,

After the swim, we mounted our bikes,

And rode on and on, up the hill nobody likes;

Then sprang from our bikes to run through Boulder City,

Trying hard not to puke, that wouldn't have looked pretty,

But I heard us exclaim, as we crossed the finish line,

"Happy Pumpkinman to all, and to all a fast time!"

Exhausted, but glad to be done!

Pumpkinman Triathlon - October 15, 2011

Our Family is Loyal--L Helps E With Her Bike Before the Race
(This may be my favorite pic from the event)

One year ago, I was racing in the Pumpkinman Triathlon.  I've been wanting to blog it for a year now.  But I haven't felt like I had the time to do it right.  Sometimes the perfect is the enemy of the good.  So since the 2012 race is tomorrow, I figure that there's no time like the present to get this post up!  :-)

First, though, here is a little video recap of the day, set to some pretty good tunes.  Props go to my brother L for putting this together.  You can read his (brief, but timely) recap here:

The race for me got off to a bad start.  I had to drop off my run stuff at T2 and so I was late to the starting line.  The parking for the race is along the shore of Lake Mead and the parking lot is littered with little tiny thorns that could easily puncture a tire.  That makes getting your bike set up a little tricky.

I managed to get into my wetsuit as I scrambled toward the finish line, but as I went to put my goggles on, disaster struck!  My goggle straps broke!!  Somehow, I had a flash of inspiration to tie a knot in them and it worked.  Then I got the race director to let me start with the next wave and the crisis was (mostly) averted.

That water is cold!

Because I didn't start in the same wave with L. and S., I was behind them getting out of the water.

The first transition (aka T1) is always tricky.  Usually, you're pretty cold and your arm muscles are fatigued because you've been windmilling your way through the water for the past 30+ minutes.

So during T1, you have to use your fine muscle skills to get dressed and get on the bike and it can be a bit tricky.

My transition was trickier than normal because I had chosen to do the bike and run portions in costume--dressed as a skeleton. I was proud of my costume.  Heck, I felt like it took a lot of time and energy to come up with and make, but I had on my normal tri pants, then black tights from ankles to wrists, then the black polyester skeleton costume.

It was a lot of black fabric and it wasn't exactly Nike Dri Fit material if you know what I mean.  Still, I thought that the costume looked great and I was pumped to wear it.

(I actually would win a prize following the race for the Best Costume and my picture is still on the web site for the race.  Though it was not not lost on me that my "cover boy" moment came with me wearing a mask to cover my face!  :-)

The bike portion went fairly well.  I caught up to L.about 8-10 miles in or so.  I think he was surprised to see me pass him.  I gave him a couple quick tips as I rode past and I think it really helped him.  His pace the second half of the race was a lot faster than the first half.

At about Mile 18 or 19,  I passed a milestone.  This is the part where you begin a significant uphill climb from Lake Mead up to Boulder City.  You go up about 1300 feet or so in only 5 miles and it is challenging.  The year before, I had almost puked at this point.  I was glad to be able to get past this part and was thrilled that I felt a lot stronger this year.  I love seeing my improvement in these races from year to year.

All those layers made me very hot!

The bike portion can be exhilarating, especially when you get a little downhill and a cool breeze.  The last half mile of Pumpkinman before Transition 2 (T2) is a downhill coast and it feels great after the five mile climb!  (A really, really brutal climb!)

Next up was the run.  I feel like the run is the worst part of this race.  You basically run through the streets of Boulder City and end up on a road to nowhere.  It's just you, the competitors, hot asphalt, and bleak desert for miles around!  Plus, I've heard a rumor that the run is actually slightly longer than a 10k, which makes more of a mental challenge.

This gives you a good view of my costume--from the front and the back

I got a few comments about my costume during the bike portion, but I got way more during the run.  A few people called me "Skeletor."  A lot of people said, "Great Costume."  Quite a few asked me if I was "hot."

Ummm, yeah!  Thanks Captain Obvious!  I'm in 3 layers of polyester and spandex and it's 95 degrees and there is no shade.  (Not to mention the mask that I had to wear as well!)  It was like being in a frickin' oven to wear that costume!!  But I was committed to it and I've long felt that if you're going to do something, you need to do it right.  "Go Big or Go Home!" as a wise person once phrased it.  ;-)

So I just decided to endure it.  I can endure a lot of things, but this was a challenge.  My time for the first half of the 10k was 28 minutes.  That's actually a pretty decent time.  But during the second half, the wheels came off the bus....My split for the second half of the race was 40 minutes!  Yikes!  Let's just say that I was probably pretty dehydrated and lucky that I was still ambulatory by the end of the race,

As I neared the end, I got my favorite comment of the day on my costume.  One of the other competitors told me: "Sexy bones" as I passed by.  What's interesting about triathlons is that they write your age right there on your leg, so I knew exactly how old she was.  And even though she was a little bit older than me, she was definitely pretty cute.  I was glad I had my mask on so that nobody could see whether I blushed!

Triumphant!

As you can see in the video above, I hit that final turn and I felt like I just launched myself toward the finish line!  I felt like I was sprinting so fast.  After watching the video, I'm thinking--not so much!  It definitely felt faster than it looked!

All in all, it was a really fun race and I'm glad it's become somewhat of a minor family tradition.  I have to give some props to some of my other family members who competed (and to Ray Ray who drove down from Provo to cheer us all on!!):

Brother-in-Law T:

T gets the Polar Bear Award for doing the swim without a wetsuit!

 T. did the Sprint distance (shorter than the Olympic) with my sister E.  I think that this was his first triathlon ever, but he did great!

E:

The Bike Ride Has Some Spectacular Views

L:

L. had the best pit crew at the race.  His wife and cute little miracle baby both came to cheer him on!

S:

S. had the best overall time.

Results:

Here are the results from the race:

• E - Swim: 17:26 (2:20 rate); Bike: 1:04:29 (11.5 mph); Run: 32:08 (10:22/mile); Total: 2:00:19 (Sprint Distance)
• T - Swim: 17:00 (2:16 rate); Bike: 1:27:04 (8.5 mph); Run: 35:41 (11:31/mile); Total: 2:26:10 (Sprint Distance)

• S - Swim: 28:48 (1:56 rate); Bike: 1:47:40 (13.8 mph); Run: 59:06 (9:32/mile); Total: 3:21:34 (Olympic Distance)
• L - Swim: 36:29 (2:26 rate); Bike: 1:43:47 (14.3 mph); Run: 58:14 (9:24/mile); Total: 3:24:58 (Olympic Distance)
• G - Swim: 32:47 (2:12 rate); Bike: 1:38:53 (15.0 mph); Run: 1:07:15 (10:51/mile); Total: 3:26:20 (Olympic Distance)

I'm still ticked that L. and S. beat me.  And especially that L. beat me by literally 82 seconds!

The Plan for 2012:

The plan for this year is the same as always...get a better time than last year!  The only problem is that I have no right to a better time because I haven't put in the preparation that I should have.  Still, I think it will be fun and I'm looking forward to the challenge!

Check back in year to see how I do in the race tomorrow!  :p