2010 Schedule (tentative)

So I am officially registered for Ironman Florida 2010!
As I said earlier, this would be the deciding race in my 2010 schedule. So at this point in time my 2010 race schedule is as follows:

12/31 and 1/3 Series 60 cross races
2/13 Psycho Wyco 50k trail run
3/28 Ouachita Challenge
4/4 Brew to Brew solo 44 mile run
4/24-25 Transiowa
5/8 Rock Creek 1/2 marathon
6/6 Dirty Kanza 200
7/10 Psycho Psummer 50k
7/25 Rock Creek night 20 mile race
8/8 Ironman Boulder 70.3
8/14 Leadville 100 mtb (upon accepted application)
11/6 Ironman Florida

That's the plan at this point in time. I'll be doing as many road races and local mtb races as I can between now and then. Somehow in between the races I have to run 2 shops and come April manage 2 kids! It looks to be a fun year!

HPT Cross and Moots

I finally got my Moots cross bike built up yesterday just in time for the Heartland Park Topeka Race. I got a late start out to the race, which was once again top notch, and got changed and registered. I've come to realize that I'm not nearly as fit as I was this time last year. I know that I would be battling out for a win in the cat 3 field, but since I upgraded to a 2, I have to battle it out for last place in the 1/2 field. It's not much fun watching 15 guys ride away from me, and despite my efforts I can't hang on. On a happier note, the new bike rode great! Everything felt really smooth on it, and the handling was spot on. I need to make a couple minor adjustments today, but it will be ready to go for the next race. I'll get some pictures up very soon.

So...Ironman Florida was yesterday. That means that registration opens today at noon for the 2010 race. It sold out in 6 minutes online last year. I'm gonna throw my hat in the ring for it and see what happens. My entire 2010 race schedule will be dependent on if I get in or not. I'll get my tentative race schedule up here very soon, but it will be guaranteed to include dk200 a little bit of road racing, and some ultra runs.

72 and Sunny!

So, it's been a very busy few days. Saturday's Boss Cross #3 went very well. The weather was perfect, the crowds were good. The whole race went off without a hitch. I can't wait to race this Saturday night in Topeka at Heartland Park. I raced very well there last year to a strong 2nd place, but I expect things will be a little different in the 1/2 field.

I've spent the last 2 days in beautiful San Diego, Ca at the Haro Bikes Dealer Summit, a hands on intimate sales meeting with everyone at Haro. It's been really cool to see what goes on inside a small company like this. I flew out here Monday morning along with 5 other dealers from across the country (Florida, Phoenix, Cincinnati, Seattle, and small town Tennessee). There's only about 12 employees on the inside of Haro, including marketing, design, and sales, so the 1 on 1 personal touch that they were able to give us was great.

Basically, we were wined and dined, then drilled on how they can improve their company, bikes, and vision. They are looking to the dealers on ways to improve their 2011 and beyond bikes, and what they need to do to get their bikes in the hands of the consumers.

We stayed in a nice little beach front hotel in Carlsbad where Haro is headquartered, and we were within walking distance to all the restaurants, and about 100 meters from the water...life is rough.

I'm very excited to get back to my family and the shop though. Spinning at the Parkville store starts thursday evening, so I've got to get some workouts in order. Apparently my fork came in for my Moots cross bike, so I'll have plenty of fun stuff to do when I get back to the shop.

rainy day

It rained most of the day today, much like it has the better part of October. I had some time to for final preparations for this Saturday's Boss Cross #3, get some stuff done at the Liberty store, and hang out with Levi while Kathy ran some evening errands. This weekend's race looks like it could be a muddy one, but I doubt it will anything as bad as last years race. Barring another 3+ inches of rain tomorrow the entire course will be ridable.

I'm working on an excel spreadsheet to get full results posted for the Boss Cross series so we can let people know where they stand. I'll have results from the first two races and series points posted at the race on Saturday.

If you've never been to a cross race, A: wake up, and B: Come check it out.
Platte Ridge Park is a gem of a park developed and maintained by Platte County. The race is easy to get to, it's supposed to be 55 and sunny, and I can guarantee good times and mediocre food.

I hope to see all of you out there supporting the sport.

Rock Creek 15 mile trail run

So apparently I've got the running bug again. I put in over 70 miles in less than two weeks (in only 4 runs!). I've been trying not to neglect my many bikes, but it's so easy just to go for a run. This past weekend I did the Rock Creek heavy half marathon at Lake Perry. It was somewhere between 14 and 15 miles, but I like to round up!
It was a really cool event. Super relaxed, kind of reminded me of a cross race. I started out at a pace that I thought I could maintain for 2+ hours. There was a 50k running at the same time, so I knew they would be pacing themselves, so I fell in w/ a couple pretty good groups. There were 3 aid stations spaced at mile 4.2, 8.8, and 11.3. Nice volunteers and some good snacks. I hadn't been running on the trails in 5 years since I did a trail half marathon in Florida some time back. It did a number on my ankles, calves and knees, but I recovered pretty quickly. I ran right at a 2:30 flat. Not a screaming fast pace, but w/ nearly 1500 feet of climbing and a heavy bed of wet leaves on the ground, I was pleased.
There will be some more running races in my near future. First the Gobbler grind (I'm leaning toward the half at this point in time), then this little beauty out a WY CO park. I don't know if I'll be ready for a 50k trail run by February, but I figure I can at least knock out a 20 miler.
I've got a few cross races between now and then to do, and maybe even a trip up to Lincoln on the Saturday before the half.
This weekend is Boss Cross #3. I'll get some more info on here in the next couple days. Soon I will post my 2010 racing Calendar (barring any major catastrophes).
Until next time.

Kansas City Marathon

So it's been a good 2 1/2 years since my last marathon, but I thought I'd give it a try anyways. In all these years I hadn't done the KC marathon. So after 5 solid weeks of training (I managed two 15 mile runs), I showed up ready to run. I knew it would hurt, but I didn't know it would be that bad. As always, the first few miles felt fine, not too fast, and I had a nice group to chat with. I realized it was a little quicker than I could maintain at around mile 6 so I backed it off. I ran with another group until about mile 13 then had to back it off even more for fear of a dnf. By mile 19 my run had become a very painful amble. At one point in time I was actually on pace for a 3:20 (albeit 10 minutes slower than my pr), but by this time I was barely limping along at 9:00 minute miles. I saw my dad out on the course on his new Moots (check em out!) around mile 22 for a nice pick-me-up. Then I saw Kathy and Levi about a mile later. Kathy ran with me for a mile and it was everything I had just to try to keep up with her while she was pushing Levi.
The last few miles hurt like no run ever has. I've done 10 marathons in 7 different states and this was by far my worst; 3.47:57. Nothing a little training can't help for the next one.
Tonight I'm gonna go spin my legs out at a little local cross race...we'll see how that goes.
Until next time (which won't be so long, I promise!)

Cross is the new Black!

Hey,
I've pretty much been inactive over the last couple months, but that is about to change. Cross season is upon us, and I'll have a lot to talk about here in the next couple months, as everyone knows Cross is the new Black!
This weekend is the first and second Boss Cross Races of the year. Killer venue down at English Landing Park in downtown Parkville.
here is the link for pre-registration. Starting position will be based upon registration order...so sign up early if you wanna win!
BC Schedule
Boss Cross #1 - 10/3/09 - English Landing Park, Parkville, MO
Boss Cross #2 - 10/4/09 - English Landing Park, Parkville, MO
Boss Cross #3 - 10/31/09 - Platte Ridge Park, Platte City, MO
Boss Cross #4 - 12/5/09 - Barry-Platte Park, Kansas City, MO

Race Schedule:

10:00 A.M. Men 35+, 45+, 55+ 45 min
10:00 A.M. Women Open (1-4) 45 min
11:00 A.M. Women Cat 4 30 min
11:00 A.M. Junior 30 min
11:00 A.M. Single Speed (M &W) 30 min
12:00 P.M. Men Cat 4 30 min
1:00 P.M. Men Cat 3/4 45 min
2:00 P.M. Men Cat 1/2/3 60 min

See you Saturday. More to come!