Woeful Weather

We heard it before we realized what it really was.

6:05 a.m. at the Dolphin club. The rain against the windows of the club was so loud; Vince had to shout to make himself heard as he described our course. The four of us nodded in approval of the course and I was the first out the door.

I shuddered as I made my way down the stairs to the beach. The air temperature was 48 degrees, the wind was howling, and of course it was pitch black. The cold rain and wind hurt my shoulders and the frozen steps hurt my feet. I tried to stay focused, but something was different. It felt like the wind and rain were stinging me, biting into my skin. I turned toward the light coming from the club and couldn’t believe what I saw. . . the stairs were alive with bouncing white hail! I hurried down the stairs and regrouped with the other swimmers under an overhang. No one spoke. The crash of the hail and our swim caps made any discussion impossible. After a prolonged silent exhange of wide-eyed stares, we burst into nervous laughter and headed out into the weather.

Vince was the first one in the water. The lamp attached to the back of his swim cap momentarily illuminated the white hail covered beach. I stared at it in awe and it went black again. Nobu was next and by the light of his lamp I noticed a perfect swath of hail being pulled into the dark water by a wave. Insanity, I thought, but knew if I didn’t go now I’d be alone in the dark. I turned and forcefully waded into the freezing water until I had to swim.

The hail storm was short. It ended shortly after we began our swim, but it is something I’ll never forget. After our swim I took this iPhone photo of the remaining hail on my car.

2009 Challenges/Events. . .

What are your plans for 2009? I’d love to hear about it and share it on the blog. Email me or post a comment. I’ll gather the responses and post them here during the month of December. Happy Holidays!

* * * * *
Ben - 41 mile Molokai to Oahu competitive outrigger canoe race
Jack Read - 1/2 marathon
Kenneth - Bike to work more, 10k run (1/31/09), kayak SF bay, Iron-April
Mitch Moghadassi - Half Dome and Iron-April
Lisa Haugh – Ironman Arizona 2009
Cary Laird – Ironman Arizona 2009
Bob Morelli – Ironman Arizona 2009
Nobu Takahashi – Ironman Arizona 2009
Melissa - Ironman Arizona 2009

Ironman Arizona Photos (x2)

All smiles at mile 120 of the Ironman.




Crossing the Ironman finish line as a family - unforgettable!

Ironman Arizona - Race Report

Ironman Arizona was a huge success and an unforgettable experience. Lisa and I crossed the finish line together with our two boys after nearly 15 hours of racing. Lisa wrote this race report. Enjoy!!! Photos soon.

Kev.

It is all about finishing what you started…

I am still on a high from finishing the race. After saying “Congratulations” the first question is always “So, how was it?” I wish I could put into words the overwhelming feeling of euphoria, accomplishment and pure joy I felt crossing that finish line hand in hand with Kevin, Brant and Lance. You probably won’t believe me, but I enjoyed every minute of the race: from the national anthem being sung prior to the starting gun, to the words “You are an ironman!” as we came down the finish chute, and all the pain in between.

We flew into Phoenix on Thursday with my parents and met Kevin’s mom, Mimi, at the airport. After checking into our condo Kevin and I headed to the ironman “village” in Tempe to check in. Unlike other races, we had to show our ID, get weighed and sign pages of waivers before they would put on our ironman wristbands and give us our numbers. My heart was racing – after a year of hard work and stress, I couldn’t believe that the day was finally here and tried to take in the whole experience. After checking in, we went to pick up our bikes, which we had a third party transport for us. I panicked when I realized that my back tire was flat, although we had just put in two new tubes before we left. We headed to the on-site bike support tent to have it looked at over night. It turned out just to be a pinched tube, but it definitely set off my nerves. The next couple of days went by so quickly. We drove the bike course and went for a test ride on the first 6 miles and were relieved to see how flat it was, although got to experience some of the wind that had sidelined racers in the past. We also jumped in the lake for a test swim one morning. It was a little freaky not to be able to see the turn-around point from the water since it was so far away, but otherwise the temperature was fine and there was no real current to speak of.

For the carbo-loading night before the race we made pasta with bread and salad. I couldn’t understand why Kevin bought 3 loaves of garlic bread and made a huge salad until a surprise walked through the door - my brother, Cary, his wife, Lorie, and my two nieces, Camy and Piper had come to cheer us on in person! I was so ecstatic to see them. You can’t underestimate what the power of support from family and friends brings to an event like this. However, knowing that we had to get up at 4:00 a.m. the next morning, we went to bed at 8:30 and Mimi “reiki”-ed me to help me sleep.

It was really cold Sunday morning as we got to the transition area at about 5:30 a.m. and you could feel the nerves and excitement in the air. What really struck me, though, was the sheer number of athletes. I read somewhere that there were 2200 athletes from 47 states in the US and 30 countries. Even more impressive was that the event required 3000 volunteers. The volunteers were so positive and amazing – stripping off your wetsuit, grabbing your transition bag to help you get changed, eat and back on the course, handing you water, Gatorade, gels or bananas on the bike and all of that and more (including coke, chicken broth, cookies, pretzels and grapes) on the run.

The 2.4 mile swim had a mass water start. Since I had seen some videos of the mass starts and Kevin had described how pummeled you can get if you get caught behind slower swimmers, Kevin and I swam towards the starting line of kayaks as soon as we jumped in. I couldn’t help but get choked up when hearing the national anthem, but then something strange happened – all my nervousness left, calm came over my body and I heard a voice say “let’s do this thing.” The gun went off, the crowd of spectators went crazy and the race was on! We did get pummeled. I got kicked in the gut and scratched on my legs and Kevin got hit in the eye, but stroke for stroke, Kevin and I did the entire swim side by side. We came out of the water together and went into our respective transition tents. I didn’t know if I would see him again during the race.

I love that our ironman race numbers for the bike and the run actually have our names printed on them. So imagine this: as I got on my bike and started down the road, all I could hear were screams of “Go Lisa” “You can do it, Lisa” “Looking good, Lisa!” Feeling like a rock star, I headed out on the first of 3 loops of the 112 mile course. The course was mostly flat with a gradual climb to the turn-around, then downhill back to the transition area. I actually liked the loops since it gave me a chance to see the boys and my family every time I was starting to get a little tired. Seeing Brant and Lance jump up and down screaming “Go Mom” gave me the energy to push through the course so I could see them again. Bob passed me at about mile 15 on the bike and it was the only time I saw him. Kevin was about 10 -15 minutes ahead of me the whole ride, so I got to see him almost every loop. The wind picked up on the second loop, which made it harder than it otherwise would have been, but I was still getting giddy each time I saw the miles tick by: 56, 72, 99, and back to transition. Once I completed the bike portion, knew that I would finish the race.

I was wobbly getting off the bike so when they asked me if I needed anything when I went back into the transition tent, I had an ART (active release technique) specialist stretch my legs. Feeling pretty good, I headed out on the run. With hugs and kisses from the kids, I was off on my first of 3 loops on the run. I can hold my own in swimming, have learned to love road biking, but let’s face it, I am just not a runner. But for the sake of all my “fans” chanting my name, I started out with a jog. As I crossed the bridge around mile 5, I saw Kevin on the trail below. I picked up the pace and caught up with him, and we stayed together for the next 21 miles, while the sun set and darkness covered the course. During this time I met a cancer survivor, a grandfather, a new mom, and countless others. Everyone had a story to tell and a smile on their face. But to each individual, on that day nothing else mattered. It was going to end with each one of us being an ironman. When Kevin and I began our jog through the finish chute, the boys were waiting for us. Lance led the way (of course) and the crowd went wild.

“Limits? What limits. You can do anything you set your mind to.” I understand that now.

Lisa

Ironman 2004 - Movie!

I did my first Ironman in 2004. At the time, I didn't know anyone who had done the race. It was a life changing experience for me. I was grateful that my family was there to support me and share the experience. Four years later, I decided to give it another try. This time around, Lisa decided she'd accept the challenge too.

Midway through my training for Ironman 2008, I suffered a knee injury and almost threw in the towel. That all changed when my brother, who was visiting me from Santiago Chile, gave me this movie he made. He inspired me to rehabilitate my knee and to persevere. Now that race day is nearly here, I thought I'd share his movie with you.

Some things to note before you watch this. First, this movie comes from the heart. Brad filmed every minute of the movie himself. He must have run a marathon just to get all the footage! Second, Brad and I are movie geekers so the movie might seem a bit overly dramatic. Third, be patient with the pre and post race footage. . . keep in mind this movie wasn't made for the blog. I didn't want to edit it in anyway because it shows how special this race was to me and my family.

Thank you Brad for this wonderfully touching movie. I'll cherish it forever! Thank you Kenneth for adding it to my blog.

Enjoy!

Part One (4 minutes)


Part Two (8 minutes)


Some photo credits. . . the little guy on the beach is my eldest son Brant (at age 3), the cute blonde is my brother's wife Jennifer, the guy flexing his muscles is my brother Brad, the guy with the Jurassic sized waffle cone is my dad, the Hawaiian lady is my mama, the Japanese lady is Lisa's mom, the bearded fellow is Lisa's Dad and the other folks wearing the Ironman shirts are Lisa's brother's family.

Oh yes, that is my son Brant at the end of the movie too (at age 7). I can't let him down, now can I?

End of Ironman AZ training

Lisa and I finished our Ironman Arizona training Sunday with a cold and windy 6-hour bike ride in the hills of Livermore. It marked the last weekend night of - prepping our gear, going to sleep early, waking at dawn, and training through breakfast and lunch. With two weeks to go, we’ll keep up the 1-hour training sessions, but thankfully the long ones are behind us.

I’m amazed at Lisa’s transformation as a biker and equally impressed with her consistent dedication to the training. I’m proud of my ‘catch up’ training and hope it is enough to carry the day. I’m thankful for all the support we received from our family, our caregiver Sandy, Nobu, Alex, and Ed. I’m also very appreciative of the emails I’ve received from you folks.

Soon, we’ll surrender our bikes for transport to Arizona and begin packing.

Stay tuned. . . my brother produced a short film of my 2004 Ironman. I hope to upload it to the blog this week.

One Month to go to Ironman AZ. . .

This is the last month of Ironman training. This month is absolutely critical. On one hand, my fitness a month from now will not be all that different than my fitness today. On the other hand, my fitness could get a lot worse. I need to keep at it and train consistently without injury for 3 more weeks and then begin my taper.

I’m up to 80 mile bike rides, 10 mile runs and 2-4 mile open water swims. Honestly, this is where I'm at. Anyone who has done the Ironman would probably point out that my running is deficient and they'd be right. However, I'm working around some nagging aches and pains and my goal is to finish. If I have a weakness, let it be running.

Allow me to focus on the positive. My true advantage at this distance is experience. I know the trick to putting it all together on race day. The key to making it to the finish line is race day nutrition and mental toughness. I’ve done dozens of 12+ hour races and I know how to eat, drink, and refocus during these long efforts.

One month to go to Ironman Arizona,

The goal is to finish,

and I’m starting to believe.

Finishing What You Started. . .

I've been battling some demons lately. I lost 6 weeks of time on the bike and the run due to a knee injury. My fitness is greatly diminished and Ironman is a scant 7 weeks away. I've thought about bagging the race many times but I'm haunted by something John Collins (the founder of Ironman) once said. . .

"Ironman is about finishing what you started; its about doing what you set out to do. Maybe not as fast as the guy next to you, but certainly faster than the one who never started.

You can quit. . . but no one else cares and you'll always know."

--John Collins

I'm determined and optimistic. My goals for the race have changed, but I'm still committed to finish what I've started.

Big Kahuna Half-Ironman

Last Sunday was the Big Kahuna Triathlon in Santa Cruz. It was a Half-Ironman distance race - 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, and a 13.1 mile run. Due to continuing knee pain, I could not race. No matter, it was a wonderful day out! The weather was awesome and three of my best friends did their very first triathlon at this distance. For Lisa and Bob it was a huge milestone toward their goal of Ironman Arizona. For Ed, it was his very first triathlon! I was so proud of their race and also very humbled by having to sit this one out. Much aloha and congrats on a fine race guys!!!

The Big Kahuna athletes - Ed, Lisa, and Bob




Lisa's transition area




The procession down to the ocean, emotions were high




Beautiful sunrise and nervous triathletes




One last photo before a 70.3 mile (6 hour) race




The start!




Yikes! Look closely at the dark triangle rising out of the water next to all those swimmers!




Just a SEAL. . .




A better shot of the whiskered menace!




On to the bike. . . Lisa showing her 'aloha' spirit!




56 miles to go. . .




On to the 13.1 mile run. I probably saw 1,000 athletes muscle up this hill - only one was smiling.




The race finished on the crowded Santa Cruz shore.




The glorious finish line!




Lisa loving life!




Newly anointed 70.3 triathletes!!!

Never, never, never forget.

Golden Gate Bridge Swim

Saturday morning I had the unique opportunity to swim the span of the Golden Gate Bridge. The morning sunrise was spectacular. From the boat, the bay seemed as tame as a mountain lake. As we pulled away from the dock our skipper began to rattle off the emergency procedures, "the life jackets are located. . ." He stopped short and laughed, "Well, I don't suppose you guys will be needing them, huh?" Someone quipped, "Don't worry, we'll save you if the boat goes down." As it turns out, some of these folks were a bit over confident.

Once in position, under the Golden Gate Bridge, we realized the opposite shore was completed obstructed by a thick fog bank. There was some nervous discussion and we waited a bit, but the tides were turning and we had to make haste. As the sun rose over the Oakland hills, we jumped into the 60 degree water and swam parallel to the bridge on the ocean side of the bridge I breathed on the right, siting the bridge with each breath. I remember praying the fog would clear before we swam blindly into the bank.

There were only 34 swimmers who participated in the event. All were well qualified swimmers, yet most wore wetsuits for added buoyancy and warmth. The consensus was this would be a tough swim. We quickly spread out into solo efforts, pairs, and groups of three. I swam alone, making my way further out into the open ocean.

About midspan, I began to swim under the Golden Gate. The sun had risen and the bridge appeared as red as fired iron. Through my swim goggles, the sun reflecting off the red paint was so bright the image remained burned into my vision as I turned into the dark waters.

Time passed I got a bit nervous so I pulled hard and rose out of the water to get my bearings. There were no swimmers in site! I was completely alone. I was suddenly at ill ease and started to swim faster and faster. The fog enveloped me and the bridge above me disappeared. My breathing became labored, but I continued to increase my pace. Swimming blind, I charged ahead curling my finger tips, anticipating an impact for some odd reason. Finally, I sited a bridge support and used it to judge my progress. I realized I actually lost ground and was slowly being pulled out into the open sea.

Later I learned that nearly half of the swimmers had lost the battle of the current and had to be picked up by rescue boats. Some were too slow to overcome the currents, others lost their mental edge under the vast expanse of the bridge and began to tread water. During the short swim reprieve, these swimmers were swiftly swept toward into the open ocean by unseen currents. The rescue boats repositioned the swimmers on the bay side of the bridge so they could easily complete the swim. Some swimmers were repositioned twice.

At the time, I had no idea any of this was going on. All I knew was that I was alone, swimming nearly blind, caught in a wide current, and that I needed to punch through. A kind of survival instinct took over and the beautiful swim became a serious affair. After 10 long minutes of swimming against the current, I broke free and finally spied Lime Rock. At the swim briefing we were instructed that our swim was complete when we touched Lime Rock.

As I approached Lime Rock, I became aware that the water had become perfectly still. During my fight with the current, the fog had completely disappeared and the sun had risen high in the sky. It was as if the fog and current never existed. The adrenalin rush of the swim had passed and all seemed quiet as I glided up to Lime Rock. I swam a victory lap around the pick up boat and stared at the bridge for a long time. Floating in the calm water with the morning sun warming my shoulders I felt completely at peace with the world. It was a wonderful morning!

Here are the photos, some are really nice.

Click on any photo to enlarge.

My 'game face'



Our safety pilots


The goal


Some wrist inspiration - David Woo's mighty Kobold SEAL!


Sunrise over the Oakland hills, notice Alcatraz island on the left.


The fog


San Francisco skyline - notice the formation of gulls in the sky


View from the outside (ocean side) of the Golden Gate Bridge


Goofy Conehead photo


The fog was really thick and creepy


View an hour late from the other side of the bay.


Lime Rock!


Success!


Totally content.

Fort Point Swim and Video

As a primer for the Golden Gate crossing next week I signed up for the Dolphin Club's Fort Point swim. It is a 3.5 mile costal swim starting outside the Golden Gate Bridge and finishing at the Dolphin Club. It is the longest and most difficult Dolphin Club swim of the year. Of the over 800 Dolphin Club members, as of Friday afternoon, only 12 had committed to the swim.

I had a tough time sleeping the night before the swim and awoke a few minutes before my alarm rang out a 6 a.m. I flipped on the television to bring some normalcy to the morning. This was a mistake. . .

The more attractive and less poised, weekend announcer read from her tele-prompter in a serious monotone, "A second great white shark was seen at Stinson beach yesterday resulting in a 4-day beach closure. According to scientist, the great whites migrate up the California coast during this time of year and are visible from the surface of the water as they hunt for Seals. If your holiday weekend includes a trip to the beach, stay out of the water."

Immediately awake, I found myself sitting a full attention with the remote in my hand. I thought to myself, "The distance from Stinson Beach to the start of the swim is shorter than the distance from the start of the swim back to the club." After 20 minutes of soul searching I headed out to my car. I knew if I backed out of this swim, I'd likely to back out of the swim next week and I wasn't going to let that happen.

2 hours later I was being tossed around on a small boat just beyond the Golden Gate bridge. There was dense fog on the air and it was cold. If the fog lifted, I would have a clear view of the beach where the two shark had been seen. I stared hard into the fog bank. As we waited to jump into the bay, I scanned the surface of the water for any threats. The water was really rough in the open bay and I was beginning to feel a bit queezy. As the horn sounded, signaling the jump, I was felt really vulnerable. Wide-eyed, I spied the waters around the boat once more.

Out of the dark waters rose a dark black fin. I quickly looked to the aft of the boat and several swimmers were already jumping over board! I turned back and peered again though the foggy window. Two more fins appeared, closer this time. Three fins became, six. . . . it was a pod of dolphins! A swimmers sign that the water is safe! Somewhat reassured, I pressed my goggles against my face and dove over board.

Once in the water, I swam toward the South Tower of the Golden Gate. It was the first time I had been under the Golden Gate and was an exciting preview of things to come. The water was relatively warm for San Francisco Bay, however there were some cold spots. Mentally, I broke the swim up into for distances - the bridge to Crissy Field, then to the Palace of Fine Arts, then to the Yacht Club, then to Aquatic Park.

It was a long hard swim. I felt strong throughout, but had little left when I arrived at the beach. According to my Kobold watch, my total swim time was 1:45. I am really proud of this swim. I was focused and strong throughout.

A very talented and brave paddle surfer from the club took some video of the swim. It is edited and shows bits and pieces of the entire swim.

Video of yesterday's Fort Point swim shot from the surfboard cam:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzFzFro109w

Kent Meyer's webpage. . .

web: www.papaya.net
blog: www.papaya.net/wordpress

"Sharky"

My knee has continued to be an issue on the bike, so I've been swimming a lot. The Golden Gate swim is two weeks away. This Saturday is the Fort Point swim. It a 3.5 mile coastal swim and should be a great opportunity to tune things up for the Golden Gate attempt. There will be 12 other folks participating in the Fort Point swim. It is the longest Dolphin Club swim of the year.

Persistent knee pain has been very frustrating, but it has allowed me to make a new friend. Alex is a physical therapist who also participated in Iron April. He has been helping me rehabilitate my knee. Last night he invited me for a sunset bay swim.

The bay was in full flood conditions, so the water was approximately 9 feet above low tide. The winds were whipping and there was a strong flood current. The sunlight was fading and the chop created weird shadows in the waves. Midway through the swim I got really "sharky".

"Sharky" is one of two things - 1) an irrational fear of sharks or 2) a sixth sense about a shark in the water. We avoided the opening of the bay and circled back through the ships and arrived safely at the beach.

This morning this was in our local paper. . .

The waters off Stinson Beach are closed until sunset Friday because of a shark sighting over the weekend, officials said Monday.

A surfer who previously worked as a National Park Service lifeguard spotted a shark, 8 to 10 feet long, about 125 yards offshore at 7 p.m. Sunday, said park spokesman Rich Weideman.

The shark, possibly a great white, was north of the beach's main lifeguard tower.

Signs have been posted warning visitors to stay out of the water until Friday.

The last shark sighting at the beach was this spring, Weideman said.

Such sightings prompt an immediate three-day restriction, as sharks typically feed for several days in a given area, he said. The park service decided to add on two extra days this time as a buffer.

Stintson is a couple of miles (7?) from where we were swimming. So, I'm sure we were safe.

However, the Golden Gate is a lot closer to Stintson - 3 miles?

Upcoming Swim - The Golden Gate

I’ve wanted to swim the span of the Golden Gate Bridge for over two years. If all goes well, I’ll finally get my chance next month. I’ll start at the South Tower of the Golden Gate Bridge and swim under the bridge mid-span to Finger Point Rock in Marin. The shortest distance, between these two points is 3 Km (1.85 miles). I’ll make the attempt without a wetsuit. Click on this map to see my swim route.

It is a bit unnerving swimming at the opening of the bay. It is impossible to ignore that the Farallon Islands are a mere 27 miles away from the Golden Gate. Again, I'm told there is no credible shark threat in San Francisco Bay. . . but there aren’t supposed to be whales or dolphins in the bay either and I’ve seen those. I digress.

I love the idea of a point to point, open water swim, under the Golden Gate. I’ve been waiting a long time for this one and it is almost here.

Training continues. . .

The Bay is at its Warmest!

Of the three sports of triathlon, swimming is still my favorite. Gliding weightless through the open water is my favorite state of being and San Francisco bay is my favorite place to swim. Admittedly, most of year, the temperature is colder than I’d like. However, the bay is up to 62 degrees now (it dips to 43 in the depth of winter).

Aside from the initial shock of getting in, I think this is the perfect water temperature for long distance swimming. No special training needed this time of the year. I know it lacks curbside appeal, but if you’ve ever wanted to try bay swimming. . . now is the time!

Photo by Dolphin Club member – Lolly Lewis.

A Little Help From a Pro

With the massive volume of Ironman training, some aches, pains, pinches, blisters, soreness are to be expected. However, during the past two weeks I experienced a terrible knee pain under my left knee cap.

The pain was only in my left knee, it always followed long bike ride, and the right knee was unaffected. It was literally sore to the touch for a few days after each long ride.

It was frustrating because I knew I had the capacity for much more output on the bike but was limited by my knee pain.

Unable to determine the specific cause or correct the problem, I turned to Coach Phillip Casanta for help. Phil coaches for Hyper Cat Racing and has pretty much seen it all.

Coach Phil quickly diagnosed the cause - a worn and rigid cleat on my left race shoe. Apparently, this caused my left knee to track in one position rather than allowing my knee to float naturally through the pedal stroke. He assured me the injury was temporary, adjusted my cleats, shared a few bike tips, and in 20 minutes I was out the door and ready to ride. I’m hopeful that my next long ride will be better.

Thanks Coach!!!

The Versace Gaunlet

The Versace gaunlet has been thrown down!!!

Apparently, Lisa isn't the only lovely lady stepping into the triathlon arena. According to SFGate, J.Lo. is training for a triathlon. I doubt J.Lo. is attempting Ironman. She is likley doing a shorter race. However, Ironman Kona is in October, so who knows? You may have some competition Lisa!

Good Luck J.Lo. & Lisa!!!

As an aside, I still don't get the Marc Anthony thing. Here is the article. . .

Lopez Training for Triathlon -

Jennifer Lopez is training furiously to be fit enough to take part in a triathlon, just eight months after giving birth to twins.

The superstar was snapped on vacation in Italy this week with her bikini body back, following the February birth of tots Max and Emme.

And her husband Marc Anthony reveals Lopez is on a tough training schedule on foot, on bike, and in water.

He tells the TV show "Extra," "Jennifer is training for a triathlon. In October."

But crooner Anthony confesses he will be watching from the sidelines, instead of working up a sweat with Lopez.

He says, "I'm very supportive. I'll be on my Segway (encouraging her)."

Tale of a Tough Ride

In an attempt to step up our training Lisa and I set out early this morning to meet Nobu for a LAR ("Long Ass Ride"). We define a LAR as anything over 50 miles. The first couple hours on the bike offered everything a roadie could dream up. We started with a ride over the Gold Gate Bridge. Headed down into the sleepy bayside town of Sausolito. Then headed into the Marin headlands. The romance of the ride pushed us further and further out. Instead of turning around at 25 miles, we extended to 30. Then we extended our turn around point to 35 miles (Point Reyes). That set us up for 70 miles on the day.

Shortly after turning around, my back tire blew out. Here began a comedy of errors which would have been funny, but for the blazing sun and lack of any breeze or shade. Ask any roadie how to change a tire and you'll likely get different answers regarding the best technique. That said, all would likely agree getting a road tire on a wheel is frustrating.

An exercise in frustration. . . My first attempt was with a tire with too small of a stem. My second attempt was with my patched up blown tire. It almost worked until the stem broke off! My third attempt was with a donated tire from another roadie. It went flat right after I got it on. Finally, I patched the donated tire, got it on my wheel and started off again down the road. All in, I spent 90 minutes on the side of the road and switched out 4 tires.

My repair worked for about 5-10 miles at at time. Then I would have to hop off and pump up my tire. The 4 hours of riding and roadside repair had taken a toll on all of us. It became clear to all that it was time to call in reinforcements. Without discussion, Nobu called his girlfriend, Kaori, to pick me up in Fairfax. I had covered 50 miles and my ride was over. Thanks Kaori!!!

Nobu and Lisa pushed on into some fierce winds. While climbing back up to the Golden Gate, Lisa was literally blown over by a rouge gust of wind. 20 miles and almost two hours later Nobu and Lisa rolled into the parking lot. I could not have been more impressed with their effort and accomplishment. They covered 70 miles!!! Don't let Lisa's casual smile fool you, she pushed her limits and is now passed out beside me.


Reflections on the day. . . bring correct tires to IMAZ (x2). . . Nobu is no joke. . . Lisa is one tough lady. . . running a marathon is unimaginable right now. . . in fact, I can barely walk. . . hoping for a better ride next week.