I was working my way into my wetsuit when I heard a commotion behind me. I
turned around to see a strapping guy walk by with two very good-looking women
on either elbow. Apollo Anton Ono waltzed by and made his way to the swim
wave start, and was that Craig (CROWIE) Alexander I just saw? Yes, Dorothy
we were no longer at a small town race. This was the big time.
The Monday after Leadman back in September, Jaime and I sat down to lunch to discuss the racing season and to talk about the coming year. We agreed that my first half-ironman would be at Boise. Even better, Jaime said he would join me.
It would take some doing. Eight months of training, a half-marathon, a sprint triathlon, an Olympic triathlon, and a thoughtful plan would prepare me for this race. I’d need to make some sacrifices. The race would be four days before the end of school so I would end up taking a day without pay so that I could head over to Boise on Friday.
Friday morning I woke up around 4:30, a couple of minutes before my alarm would go off. The sky was lightening up as I showered, ate a quick breakfast, grabbed my bags, put my bike on the rack. I discovered my front tire was flat. I had ridden that bike just two days earlier so I hoped that maybe it was a leaky valve. I pumped the tire up and watched it lose air. I needed to get on the road and I had an extra tube. I figured I’d need to get an extra tube when I reached Boise. I’d change the tire when we got there so I did one last check and texted Jaime that I was on my way. Our travel partner Wendy was waiting at his house. We got everything loaded and pointed the car toward the rising sun.
The drive across Eastern Oregon is a beautiful but lonely country. Towns are few and far between. We lost an hour as we moved into the Mountain Time zone and arrived in Boise after lunch. We drove to Julia Davis Park and got all of our registration materials. Originally we had hoped to be able to drive up to Lucky Reservoir and get some time in the water. Jaime had a new wetsuit and I knew he wanted to gauge the chilliness of the water (something that is discussed over and over by athletes who participate in Boise). Unfortunately we were not allowed to swim in the reservoir. We arrived at the lake. Jaime switched out the wheels on his bike to his race wheels and threw on his disc and we got a new tube into my front tire. The three of us rode our bikes to the T1 area and checked them in. My number was easy to remember, 222. For those of my generation, who grew up watching TV in the early 1970’s it reminded me of the show Room 222. I remember having a crush on Karen Valentine, one of the stars of the show. I decided my mantra for the weekend would be ‘Karen Valentine is my co-pilot’.
We headed back into town to attend the athlete meeting and drove by the T2 area on the campus of Boise State University. The meeting was held and questions were answered. It was time to head to the hotel, but first we made a
The Monday after Leadman back in September, Jaime and I sat down to lunch to discuss the racing season and to talk about the coming year. We agreed that my first half-ironman would be at Boise. Even better, Jaime said he would join me.
It would take some doing. Eight months of training, a half-marathon, a sprint triathlon, an Olympic triathlon, and a thoughtful plan would prepare me for this race. I’d need to make some sacrifices. The race would be four days before the end of school so I would end up taking a day without pay so that I could head over to Boise on Friday.
Friday morning I woke up around 4:30, a couple of minutes before my alarm would go off. The sky was lightening up as I showered, ate a quick breakfast, grabbed my bags, put my bike on the rack. I discovered my front tire was flat. I had ridden that bike just two days earlier so I hoped that maybe it was a leaky valve. I pumped the tire up and watched it lose air. I needed to get on the road and I had an extra tube. I figured I’d need to get an extra tube when I reached Boise. I’d change the tire when we got there so I did one last check and texted Jaime that I was on my way. Our travel partner Wendy was waiting at his house. We got everything loaded and pointed the car toward the rising sun.
The drive across Eastern Oregon is a beautiful but lonely country. Towns are few and far between. We lost an hour as we moved into the Mountain Time zone and arrived in Boise after lunch. We drove to Julia Davis Park and got all of our registration materials. Originally we had hoped to be able to drive up to Lucky Reservoir and get some time in the water. Jaime had a new wetsuit and I knew he wanted to gauge the chilliness of the water (something that is discussed over and over by athletes who participate in Boise). Unfortunately we were not allowed to swim in the reservoir. We arrived at the lake. Jaime switched out the wheels on his bike to his race wheels and threw on his disc and we got a new tube into my front tire. The three of us rode our bikes to the T1 area and checked them in. My number was easy to remember, 222. For those of my generation, who grew up watching TV in the early 1970’s it reminded me of the show Room 222. I remember having a crush on Karen Valentine, one of the stars of the show. I decided my mantra for the weekend would be ‘Karen Valentine is my co-pilot’.
We headed back into town to attend the athlete meeting and drove by the T2 area on the campus of Boise State University. The meeting was held and questions were answered. It was time to head to the hotel, but first we made a
quick stop for some food at Whole Foods. Jaime had recommended a couple of
things and I wanted to try them out and see how my stomach would react with
plenty of time prior to the race. Wendy was staying at a different hotel so we
dropped her off at her hotel, made arrangements to pick her up for dinner and
made our way to where Jaime and I would be staying. We got checked in, found
our room, and started to get things laid out and prepped for the race. Jaime gave
me an extra tube so I was set in case I got a flat during the race.
It was dinnertime and we decided that Italian would fit the bill. We picked up Wendy and made our way to the appointed restaurant where we met up with Brad and David, two other athletes from Bend. We enjoyed a great meal and Jaime was even kind enough to order spumoni as a belated birthday treat (my birthday was the day before). It was time to head back to the hotel. Say goodnight to the family, and get a good night’s sleep.
7:00 came – probably the latest I’ve ever woken up for a race. Most races start early, usually somewhere between 6:00 and 8:00 am, but in Boise a cannon would fire off at noon in order to start the first wave. I woke up refreshed and ready to go. Jaime and I made our way down to the lobby to grab a bite to eat. We talked to a couple of other athletes and all of them commented about the late start and how it felt a little bit off. It was nice to be able to order up an omlet and hashbrowns and read the Idaho Statesman. We had plenty of time to eat, get things organized, check out, and make our way over to Wendy’s motel. We headed to the park, eventually found a parking spot, dropped our bags off in T2 and boarded the school buses that would take us out to Lucky Reservoir. I utilized the time to center myself, relax, and visualize how the race would go. All too soon we were off the bus and making our way to T1.
Suited up, I had my brush with Apollo, got a good luck fist bump from Jaime, and headed to meet up with the others in my swim wave. After my issues at Oregon Dunes, I purposely held back and chose to enter in the back. I turned to the ladies behind me and said, “all right girls, no laughing when you swim by me”. This got a chuckle and it helped me lessen my nerves. I slowly made my way and got accustomed to the cold water. The earplugs and neoprene cap made things bearable. I kept telling myself that all would be good. The horn went off and we were off. The course was laid out in a clockwise triangle with the first leg being the longest. I felt good in the swim. There were a couple of ladies from the wave before me that caught up and passed me, but I also passed folks from the wave before me. I experience choppiness for the first time. Thankfully it didn’t seem to concern me and I didn’t get nauseous. I rounded the final corner, sped up my swim stroke, and felt strong as I made my way to the swim exit. I ran up the hill and was greeted by a stripper. Quickly I was on the ground, the suit ripped off my legs, helped back to my feet, suit pushed into my gut, and I was off to the bike.
It was dinnertime and we decided that Italian would fit the bill. We picked up Wendy and made our way to the appointed restaurant where we met up with Brad and David, two other athletes from Bend. We enjoyed a great meal and Jaime was even kind enough to order spumoni as a belated birthday treat (my birthday was the day before). It was time to head back to the hotel. Say goodnight to the family, and get a good night’s sleep.
7:00 came – probably the latest I’ve ever woken up for a race. Most races start early, usually somewhere between 6:00 and 8:00 am, but in Boise a cannon would fire off at noon in order to start the first wave. I woke up refreshed and ready to go. Jaime and I made our way down to the lobby to grab a bite to eat. We talked to a couple of other athletes and all of them commented about the late start and how it felt a little bit off. It was nice to be able to order up an omlet and hashbrowns and read the Idaho Statesman. We had plenty of time to eat, get things organized, check out, and make our way over to Wendy’s motel. We headed to the park, eventually found a parking spot, dropped our bags off in T2 and boarded the school buses that would take us out to Lucky Reservoir. I utilized the time to center myself, relax, and visualize how the race would go. All too soon we were off the bus and making our way to T1.
Suited up, I had my brush with Apollo, got a good luck fist bump from Jaime, and headed to meet up with the others in my swim wave. After my issues at Oregon Dunes, I purposely held back and chose to enter in the back. I turned to the ladies behind me and said, “all right girls, no laughing when you swim by me”. This got a chuckle and it helped me lessen my nerves. I slowly made my way and got accustomed to the cold water. The earplugs and neoprene cap made things bearable. I kept telling myself that all would be good. The horn went off and we were off. The course was laid out in a clockwise triangle with the first leg being the longest. I felt good in the swim. There were a couple of ladies from the wave before me that caught up and passed me, but I also passed folks from the wave before me. I experience choppiness for the first time. Thankfully it didn’t seem to concern me and I didn’t get nauseous. I rounded the final corner, sped up my swim stroke, and felt strong as I made my way to the swim exit. I ran up the hill and was greeted by a stripper. Quickly I was on the ground, the suit ripped off my legs, helped back to my feet, suit pushed into my gut, and I was off to the bike.
The whole plan with the bike was to maintain a certain heart rate throughout the
race. I slipped into a good cadence, checked my heart rate and headed out.
The steepest hill came at the beginning of the race. There would be more hills along the route but this one would set the pace. I made it up the hill and was thankful for all the time I had spent climbing the hills around Bend. Miles ticked by and I was surprised at how quickly things were going. My nutrition was working and I even became comfortable grabbing the bottle behind my seat while riding. The turn around came and I knew that I had it in the bag. I fought off the wind, which whistled across the flatter portions of the race. My white sleeves were keeping me comfortable and things were feeling good. At mile 35 I heard a familiar voice behind me. It was Jaime, who had gone off twenty minutes behind me. He pulled up along side, told me I was having the race of my life, and noted that it might be good to remove my earplug from my left ear. I had taken my right earplug but failed to get the other and didn’t even realize it was still in. He told me to remember the plan, I wished him luck, and he was off. I made my way into Boise and continued to monitor my heart rate. Things were feeling good. I was familiar with the area around Boise State so I was excited when the old train station came into view. I knew it was a quick downhill into T2.
I came into the T2 feeling pretty good. As a triathlete being on a bike for an extended time can lead to some interesting hygiene issues. I had been struggling with allergies a couple of days prior to the race and throughout the bike I was blowing my nose. No Kleenex, just gravity, and lot of wiping. I ripped off the sleeves, blew my nose into each sleeve, jammed them into my bag. Shoes were thrown on along with my hat and it was time for that final leg of the race. The run would be two loops along a paved path along either side of the Boise River. Though it was late afternoon, most of the run would thankfully occur under a canopy of large cottonwoods. As I made my way across the bridge I felt a slight cramp on the lower left side of my abdomen. I made a decision that I’d need to slightly alter my plan. I knew that there would be aid stations each mile so I’d try to keep the cramps at bay by staying cool and hydrated. At each aid station I grabbed a cup of water, took a sip, grabbed a cup of ice, through a piece in my mouth, and then dump the rest down the back of my trisuit. I’m sure from the rear I probably looked to someone like Nicki Minaj had taken up triathlons. I didn’t care. The ice kept my core temperature down, and more importantly, it kept me from cramping up. Each aid station was full of happy and enthusiastic volunteers. It kept me going and the miles ticked by. As I made my way under Capitol Boulevard for the last time I saw a familiar face heading my way. I high fived Jaime as he made the final push to the finish and I picked up my pace, knowing that the end was in sight. Even though I know I lost some time stopping at each station by doing so I was able to maintain a sub 8:30 pace while I was running and was able to keep my pace below 9:00 for each mile.
The last mile flew by. I ran past a nice crowd gathered at the final turn before the last straightaway. I made sure to grin broadly at the cute sorority girl holding the sign that said ‘smile if you’re not wearing any underwear’. I caught her eye, she
The steepest hill came at the beginning of the race. There would be more hills along the route but this one would set the pace. I made it up the hill and was thankful for all the time I had spent climbing the hills around Bend. Miles ticked by and I was surprised at how quickly things were going. My nutrition was working and I even became comfortable grabbing the bottle behind my seat while riding. The turn around came and I knew that I had it in the bag. I fought off the wind, which whistled across the flatter portions of the race. My white sleeves were keeping me comfortable and things were feeling good. At mile 35 I heard a familiar voice behind me. It was Jaime, who had gone off twenty minutes behind me. He pulled up along side, told me I was having the race of my life, and noted that it might be good to remove my earplug from my left ear. I had taken my right earplug but failed to get the other and didn’t even realize it was still in. He told me to remember the plan, I wished him luck, and he was off. I made my way into Boise and continued to monitor my heart rate. Things were feeling good. I was familiar with the area around Boise State so I was excited when the old train station came into view. I knew it was a quick downhill into T2.
I came into the T2 feeling pretty good. As a triathlete being on a bike for an extended time can lead to some interesting hygiene issues. I had been struggling with allergies a couple of days prior to the race and throughout the bike I was blowing my nose. No Kleenex, just gravity, and lot of wiping. I ripped off the sleeves, blew my nose into each sleeve, jammed them into my bag. Shoes were thrown on along with my hat and it was time for that final leg of the race. The run would be two loops along a paved path along either side of the Boise River. Though it was late afternoon, most of the run would thankfully occur under a canopy of large cottonwoods. As I made my way across the bridge I felt a slight cramp on the lower left side of my abdomen. I made a decision that I’d need to slightly alter my plan. I knew that there would be aid stations each mile so I’d try to keep the cramps at bay by staying cool and hydrated. At each aid station I grabbed a cup of water, took a sip, grabbed a cup of ice, through a piece in my mouth, and then dump the rest down the back of my trisuit. I’m sure from the rear I probably looked to someone like Nicki Minaj had taken up triathlons. I didn’t care. The ice kept my core temperature down, and more importantly, it kept me from cramping up. Each aid station was full of happy and enthusiastic volunteers. It kept me going and the miles ticked by. As I made my way under Capitol Boulevard for the last time I saw a familiar face heading my way. I high fived Jaime as he made the final push to the finish and I picked up my pace, knowing that the end was in sight. Even though I know I lost some time stopping at each station by doing so I was able to maintain a sub 8:30 pace while I was running and was able to keep my pace below 9:00 for each mile.
The last mile flew by. I ran past a nice crowd gathered at the final turn before the last straightaway. I made sure to grin broadly at the cute sorority girl holding the sign that said ‘smile if you’re not wearing any underwear’. I caught her eye, she
giggled, and she let out a big whoop! There was no one ahead of me or behind
me as I made my way to the finish. I heard the announcer say my name, I raised
my hands as I crossed the finish line, and kicked my heels in the air. The crowed
roared and the announcer yelled out, “I give that an 8.5!” Boise was in the
books. I made my way through the chute and was greeted with a big grin by
Jaime. Eight months of work was a success. I finished in 5:48:00, which
bettered my goal by 12 minutes. We waited for Wendy to cross the line. We
gathered up all our stuff and headed back to Bend. Fueled by Dutch Bros., with
some help from the Grateful Dead and Billy Joel we made it back by 1:30 a.m. I
dropped Wendy and Jaime off, headed home, showered, and hit the rack. Sleep
came quickly.
I’m quick to thank Jaime for my success due to his coaching. His plans have allowed me to be successful. The true success of the program he developed for me was truly apparent though on the following day. I woke up feeling great. No stiffness or soreness. My wife and I even went for a mountain bike ride together in the early afternoon. That’s base fitness and it gives me confidence that I’ll be ready for the next race.
My doctor, who is also a triathlete, told me to make sure I enjoyed this race since it was my first 70.3. Boise was a blast and I look forward to not only doing it again, but improve on the benchmark I set for that race. I know I backed off a bit on my training and in the final plan. Jaime noted on our way back from Boise, that sometimes it’s better to back off a bit and have a balance between life and training. He noted that sometimes racers sacrifice it all for the race and then the pressure is too intense. If they fail, which he noted that 90% do, then they are left with nothing. My goal is to remain in the 10%, continue to strike a balance, have fun. Lake Stevens is in two months and I can’t wait.
I’m quick to thank Jaime for my success due to his coaching. His plans have allowed me to be successful. The true success of the program he developed for me was truly apparent though on the following day. I woke up feeling great. No stiffness or soreness. My wife and I even went for a mountain bike ride together in the early afternoon. That’s base fitness and it gives me confidence that I’ll be ready for the next race.
My doctor, who is also a triathlete, told me to make sure I enjoyed this race since it was my first 70.3. Boise was a blast and I look forward to not only doing it again, but improve on the benchmark I set for that race. I know I backed off a bit on my training and in the final plan. Jaime noted on our way back from Boise, that sometimes it’s better to back off a bit and have a balance between life and training. He noted that sometimes racers sacrifice it all for the race and then the pressure is too intense. If they fail, which he noted that 90% do, then they are left with nothing. My goal is to remain in the 10%, continue to strike a balance, have fun. Lake Stevens is in two months and I can’t wait.
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