Saturday, October 18, 2008

More Hawaiian Diving....Bottom Time!

Scuba diving in Kona is nice. The water is really clear, and there is an abundance of sea life. The coral reefs and ledges are spectacular, and the water temperature is 82 degrees. The two shots of scuba divers include Kim. I am VERY proud of Kim learning how to dive, as she was a tad bit scared about the prospect, but she learned how to do it, and really did a great job. We are already talking about when we will dive again, just not sure we want to do it in COLD water.

The different types of sea life we saw was immense, so if you want to know what we saw, buy the book; Fishes of Hawaii, and that should cover it! We did the the nighttime Manta Ray Dive, only trouble is the Rays didn't show up (cuz the plankton were somewhere else). Maybe next time. Tomorrow we fly back to California. Aloha!!


Thursday, October 16, 2008

HAWAII-life is good after a week in paradise...


Today was a chill day, where Lar Dog went for a 2 hour bike ride on the Queen "K". Then off to some shopping, and a cool beach where the Turtles were abundant....more than abundant.
Note who's arm is handing Ironman Champ Chrissie Wellington an H20 bottle? Thats at mile 2 of the run course. The sunset is from the front of our condo at Kona Makai...it doesn't get much better than this...tomorrow we scuba...wooo-hooo!





Hawaii-been hangin here for over a week bruddah


See who's arm is holding out the H20 for Ironman Champ; Chrissie Wellington? The Iron people are mostly off island, so it has calmed down where we can get to Lava Java and not have to wait in line! Went to an amazing Turtle beach today...where they were stacked up. Very cool creatures. Also visited an ancient Hawaiian spor called the "Place of Refuge". Kim loved it, and so did I.




Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Kim's idea of a nice bike!!


I was obsessing about Cervello's, Argons, Orbeas, and QR's....but Kim had another idea!!

Sunday, October 12, 2008

Hawaii Ironman-2008 Edition!


It was a HOT one in Kialua-Kona on Ironman Saturday. We were up early for the swim start, and made our way to various spots to watch the pro's and the AG athletes, all whom are quite amazing. I was struck by the heat & humidity, wondering how in the world I raced in these conditions last year. One of the photos shows me with the laptop, waiting for the lead athletes at mile 2 of the run course.

We did finish line "catching" for 3 hours, and caught athletes from all over the world. Fun to help them walk and unwind. Many, many were taken to the medical tent for treatments of various kinds. One gal had crap (yeah, pooh), all over herself; gross! I didn't take a picture of that...

Fun day out there, but I was beat, and we got home at 10pm...now we get to relax, enjoy the beach, and get ready to scuba Hawaiian Style!


Thursday, October 9, 2008

1st full day in Ironman Paradise








Dudes...it is a cooker out here, and if the IM were today, there would be some big time melt downs, but I guess you can count on that at IMH regardless. Got up early, and did a swim in Kialua Bay...where the water was TOASTY warm...like 84 degrees maybe. Saw dolphins, and ran into a guy from Orange County out at the Expresso Bar that is on a sail boat about a 1/2 mile out on the swim...went to try out the new Ridley bike, but couldn't ride it as it will not fit me, and they would have to CUT the seatpost to make it work, so I had the guys at Ordea hook me up with an Orbea Ordu. I took it out on the Queen "K" and hammered on that bad boy for a bit. It was equiped with the Zipp Vuka Aero Bars, and the not yet released new Dura Ace Componants. It was Africa HOT out there, but I booked a little more than 20 miles in wind/heat without any nutrition/fluid...holy crap...now off to a SlowTwitch Get Together....

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Arrival in Kialua-Kona.....yipppeee...





We arrived in Kona today, and again, I felt the Hawaiian "BUZZ" come over me...the heat, the humidity, and being back on this magical island...how sweet it is...with no lack of local characters...(see Viking Man!) As I sit out on the Lanai, watching the beautiful Pacific Ocean, I know this is my "favorite" place to be...dinner tonight w/Ben & Miwa, and an early to bed....


Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Lets go to Kona!

My favorite place in the world is Hawaii. Kim & I will be flying to the Big Island tomorrow am on a direct flight from LA to Kona. I want my body dumped into the sea in Hawaii, or at least my ashes when I die. That way my family/friends can remember Lar Dog and smile when they visit this paradise that God gave us to enjoy. Pictures and and few stories will follow in the next few days....yipppeee!!!

Monday, September 22, 2008

IMW Race Pics

Some Race Day Photos of the "DOG", havin a good ol time in and about Madison...2.4M Swim, 112M Bike, 26.2M Run, lotsa fun!











Wednesday, September 10, 2008

IM Wisconsin is in the books!






Ironman Wisconsin

September 7, 2008

Dudes….here is my race report. One of my very best dude friends, Quinton sez “dude” a lot, so I can’t get it out of my head.
I just finished the Ironman Wisconsin Race affectionately known to many as IMOO, for obvious reasons. Everyone except Quinton, who asked “Dude, what is that IMOO thing?” I had to “school” Quinton about the course, take him on a “bike preview” (we drove the course the day before the race), to show him the ropes, and told him that the run was flat as a pancake and not to worry about it. Post race, Quinton “Q”, said, “Dude, that run course was full of hills, what the hell were you talkin about; dude!”
I had the fun of doing IMOO 2006 & 2008. The two events were so different; it is hard to describe. Even though they were on the exact same course, it felt like an entirely different event to me. Funny how HUGE a factor weather is for a multi-hour endurance event, its effect on the athletes, the attitudes, the spectators, the terrain, the safety, and so on.
Finishing an Ironman is a big “gut check” for most athletes. Training properly, and then attempting to follow that up with racing well to give yourself a chance to podium is a mega-gut check. Although the weather was terrific, it still is a labor of love to work your ass off for over 10 hours dude.
Following a typical IM swim, I got out on the bike course, trying my best to “hold back”. I would say that is the hardest thing for me to do in a race, but I none the less spun up those nasty hills on the double 40 mile loop dude. A bee found its way INTO my helmet dude, so I had to pull the helmet off to get that bad boy out! Try doing that on aero bars with one hand, and re-securing the chin strap with the other!
My moniker “Lar Dog” is emblazoned on the top tube of my tri-bike. The fun benefit of that is that people recognize me. I had three different guys ride next to me and say, “Are you Lar Dog” from Slowtwitch?” Slowtwitch is a popular triathlon forum website and a lot of athletes know each other by their screen names.
Off the bike, and on for the run. As I exited T2, I was ready to roll. As I took off for my 26.2 mile stroll, my wife gave me a HUGE shout out, and the fact that my bib name sez “LAR DOG”, I get all sorts of “love” from the crowd. A few hundred yards into the run, the lead male Pro is doing his 2nd loop.
The Bike Escort comes by me, and I look back and it is Chris McDonald (who eventually won the race) right behind me. I picked it up a bit, and we were running shoulder to shoulder for a while. The crowds were freaking out screaming, and I thought “how cool is this?” Chris started to pull away from me, and of course, I was no match for that pace. But it was great fun while it lasted. I told myself on the run, “Self, I am NEVER going to do another Ironman, this is freakin hard dude!” I was forced to stop 5 times due to a severe and recurring hamstring cramp. The routine would be to find a curb, and stretch it out gently until I felt it ease up a tad, then resume running. I was downing salt pills dude like a 6 year old pounding M&M’s. I estimated that I took down way over 6,000 milligrams of sodium. Finally, by mile 21 the cramping let up, and I could run without further problems to the finish.
The dude who finished ahead of me in my AG did so by less than a couple of minutes, and I think I could have beaten him without the hamstring cramps. The other 4 guys ahead of me, well, no way dude!
Had you asked me “pre-race” if a 10h46’ race would get me on the podium in the M50-54 at IMOO, I would have said, “Dude, oh yeah”. I had predicted my splits and wrote them down as “best case” scenario goals 10 days before the race:
Best Case Swim
1h10’
Actual Swim
1h11’
Best Case Bike
Bike 5h42’
Actual Bike
5h40’
Best Case Run
Run 3h43’
Actual Run
3h44’

The end result was a 6th place in my AG. The Kona slots went 4 deep. I have already been to Hawaii, so in that regard, it was not that big a disappointment. My wife and I will be in Kona this year to volunteer and to scuba dive, so I get to enjoy Hawaii, and chill dude!
This is my 4th IM in 4 years. I did Florida in ’05, Wisconsin in ’06, Hawaii in ’07, and now Wisconsin in ’08. I have to rank this as my best executed race; dude!

Saturday, September 6, 2008

15 hours till the SHOWDOWN in Madison!





Almost race time! Boooo-Yah! The photos are of the Welcome Banquet, out in the country on the bike course (note the cows!), the bike transition, and Kim at the finish line.
Today was the Badger football game, wow, this place goes CRAZY. No partying, no driniking, no music, just a lot of laid back college kids! haha....Kim had Cheese Curds, so she was a happy camper!
Going to dinner with other competitors tonight, and early to bed for the Dog!
Family and friends of athletes competing at Ford Ironman Wisconsin, along with fans of triathlon, will be able to follow all the action on race day through www.ironman.com

Friday, September 5, 2008

IM Wisconsin....2 days to go!








Today was a terrific day! I had a wonderful nights sleep, especially after hearing John McCain speak at the Republican Convention.
After 2 quick cups of java, I headed out for a "shake the legs" EZ run. I found myself nice and stiff, as it was cool and misty outside, but I started to loosen up as I got on the IMW run course along Lake Mendota. I love to S/B/R, but must say, nothing gives me the buzz that running does. I ended up doing about 2.5 miles and felt great when it was done.
Kim and I grabbed breakfast at the "Badgerland Grill" which is suprisingly decorated in Red/White....(this is Wisconsin Badger country). Then off to the swim start to meet Quinton at Lake Monona.
We had a great swim and I "schooled Q" on where to site. The water is perfect and we probably swam around 1600 yards or so. When that was over, I had to walk about 50 yards to get my bike that was delivered by "Tri Bike Transport"...what convenience.

The day was capped off with a wonderful 35m bike ride through the Wisconsin countryside (Wild Turkey, Hawks, and LOTS of COWS!!! MOOOOOOO)
Lonely country roads, no cars, no people, and all with new asphalt is HEAVEN, and this was certainly a TOP 10 ride for me. I can only tell you that this was a wonderful ride, and I am PUMPED.....

Now off to the Welcome Banquet to get MORE PUMPED!











Bike Ride

2h 09m
35.00 miles
16.28 Mi/hr
Rode the Paoli Loop; this is a top 10 ride for me. Through the Wisconsin Arboretum, turkey, hawks, and gorgeous scenery, out to the countryside with cows, and lonely rodes. Came upon a small store in Paoli. The guy was super nice and gave me an extra bar. Said this is the most popular bike route in "God's Country" Kept the intensity "in check"


Run

22m
2.40 miles
09m 10s/Mi
EZ run along Lake Mendota


Swim

27m 45s
1600.00 yards
01m 44s /100 yards
Lake Monona Ironman Pre-Swim with Quinton

Thursday, September 4, 2008

Back in God's Country!








Kim and I arrived in Madison around 2pm today...as you can see, I was ripping into a Starbucks as we were boarding our plane to Minneapolis. We flew from OC to Mpls. then to Madison. It is cold and rainy here. As an added bonus, 2 weeks ago, when doing an ocean swim, my friend Sara was zipping up my wetsuit for me. Well, the zipper busted and I have been w/o a wetsuit. They intended to fix it, but after 2 weeks, I said, how bout a new one guys as I have an IRONMAN this next weekend.


Orca responded, and they sent me a new suit which was sent RED LABEL UPS and was waiting for me today when I arrived. Well, guess what? They sent me the wrong suit!!! Kim jumps on the phone to ORCA, and I don't think I would want to be on the receiving end of that call! They are sending me another one today, so hopefully I will get it tomorrow. Fortunately, this is IM #4 for me, and my stress level is well within the standard guidelines!


Wednesday, September 3, 2008

On our way....almost


4 days to go...and Kim & I are busy packing our stuff for Ironman Wisconsin. My wetsuit zipper busted, so I am counting on ORCA (the wetsuit company), to overnight a new 3.8 ORCA wetsuit. They better come through!
Had a wonderful day, started off with a solid 40' run, then swam 2,000 yards at Masters Swimming, and just finished 30' of spinning on my bike. Tomorrow is a travel day, so the next post will be made when we get to Madison. Weather looks good for the weekend, but that can change at a moments notice. I am prepped for 50 degrees or 90 degrees.

Ironman Wisconsin....HERE WE COME!!!