Clif Bar Commerical

Eddie Vedder Solo Tour

A couple weeks ago, I had a friend attend the Eddie Vedder solo tour concert in Nashville, Tennessee at the Ryman Auditorium. He was a pretty big Pearl Jam fan in high school. I can still remember him wearing out the Ten album on tape in his Honda CRX. There was a 2 to 3 month period where "Black" was on a looped repeat, and that was it. Even from an obviously biased fan, I knew that he would be able to give an honest, objective evaluation of the performance. He reported back that is it was an unbelievable show. Now, he was seeing it at the Ryman Auditorium, probably the second greatest acoustics venues in the world next to the Mormon Tabernacle. That factor, as well, might have slanted his glowing reviews, but, none the less, I took a gamble.

I got on eBay 4 days before the concert to be held on 6/23 in Atlanta at the new Cobb Energy Centre and started to bid. I lucked out and got two tickets for a grand total of $34. The face value on each ticket was $75. We planned our trip and headed up to Atlanta after work last Tuesday for the show. The Cobb Energy Centre is very nice, and it should be at a $145 million price tag. It is also the new home of the Atlanta Ballet and Atlanta Opera. We were in the center section of the upper, Grand Tier. The seating layout looked to be patron-friendly for a venue that size.

We missed most of the opening act, Liam Finn, with the drive up and grabbing dinner beforehand. We got to our seats not long before Eddie went on stage. He opened up with several cover songs before settling into Pearl Jam classics and Into the Wild Soundtrack songs. He was in a very good mood and bantering back and forth with the crowd in dialogue. He was encouraging the crowd to sing along, always getting roars when the house lights would flash on. Most of the second set was sung with Liam Finn giving accompaniment on the guitar and vocals. At the end of the second set, I can only describe what he did with the song "Arc" was ART (search it on YouTube). Finally, he came back out with Liam and Eliza-Jane Barnes for a hard-hitting version of "Hard Sun." Here is the set list from the evening. It was one of the better concerts I've been to in a long time.

Set1:
Walking the Cow (Daniel Johnston cover)
Trouble (Cat Stevens cover)
Brain Damage (Pink Floyd cover)/Sometimes
I Am Mine
Dead Man
Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town
I Am a Patriot (Steve Van Zandt cover)
Far Behind
No Ceiling
Guaranteed
Rise
Growin' Up (Bruce Springsteen cover)
Picture in a Frame (Tom Waits cover)
Driftin'
You've Got to Hide Your Love Away (Beatles cover)
Let My Love Open the Door (The Who cover)
Lukin
Porch

Set 2:
Soon Forget
Society (w/Liam Finn)
Throw Your Arms Around Me (Hunters & Collectors cover w/Liam Finn)
The Golden State (w/Eliza-Jane Barnes)
Believe You Me (Bad Radio cover)/Wishlist
Forever Young (Bob Dylan cover)
Arc

Encore:
Hard Sun (w/Liam Finn & Eliza-Jane Barnes)

photos from www.cobbenergycentre.com

Blazing Saddles Century Ride

I have found my next challenge. I signed up for the Blazing Saddles Century Ride on Saturday, July 25th. It is a group ride through several rural towns along the Georgia and Alabama border. The rides vary in length according to the rider's skill level. There are 25, 48, 75, and 100 mile courses. I have decided to do the full 100 mile, Century, ride. This will be my first Century ride I've attempted. I have slowly started pushing myself on the bike to get accustomed to being in the saddle that long. It will probably take a little less than 6 hours to complete.

The ride is pretty inexpensive compared to most at $30. The race begins 8 A.M. at the Heard County Middle School in Franklin, Georgia. Showers will be available before and after the ride, and they are opening up the gymnasium for "indoor camping" Friday night. Course SAG vehicle will be on-hand to provide any needed assistance, and they are also providing a goodie bag with custom sock (see image below) and free food.

They 100 mile route goes to little spots on the map with names like, Roosterville, Stoney Point, Tyrus, Omaha, Lime, Frolona, and Centralhatchee. I used to love driving through little towns like these with not much more than a couple buildings clustered together to call a "downtown." It should make for a fun ride. Hopefully, the heat will not be too oppressive with the event held at the end of July, although, I will not hold my breath.


image from www.westgeorgiaflyers.org

West Point Lake Triathlon Photos

Below are some photos from this last weekend's West Point Lake Triathlon that my wife took. As I have mentioned before, I did the Olympic, or International, distance. They also had a sprint distance competition going on simultaneously. It was a hard day, and it was the sorest I had been following an event since the Country Music Marathon...but I did it.

The swim was 1.5K, or .93 miles. It was very hard to pick a good line. I probably swam more like 1.5 miles with all the zig-zagging.

Coming out of T1 onto the bike leg of the event. I felt pretty good and was in & out of the transition area in 1:17.

I felt good on the bike. I averaged more like 19.5 mph, but this was cut down to 17.9 officially because my chain popped off twice.

"Now, where do I park this thing?"

Lost in a see of aluminum, rubber, and carbon. I had a very good T2, getting in and out in :47 seconds.

The run was pretty tough. I only stopped to walk for a second while getting some water near the half-way point. It was a pretty flat run, except for one big hill at about mile 4.

West Point Lake Triathlon 2009 Results

The results from today's West Point Lake Triathlon are in. Here are the results for the Olympic/International Distance and the one for the Sprint Distance. I will have more reviews and photos to share from this race, but I wanted to go ahead and let people know these are available.

graphics from www.gamultisports.com

It's Contagious

I received an automated email this morning generated from Active.com, stating that Robert Bruce has registered for the Murfreesboro Half Marathon 2009 and Kids Fun Run held on Saturday, October 3rd. Robert is a friend of mine from high school that we stayed with during the Country Music Marathon in Nashville, TN. He is an avid golfer and author of the blog Game Under Repair. He is also a beginning runner. I cannot think of too many instances when I have seen him run, Team Sports class back in high school is the only thing that comes to mind. He has been influenced by some people at his work, and a little by me, to start running on a regular basis. Shortly after we returned from our trip to Nashville for the Country Music Marathon, he announced to me his intentions to sign up for the Murfreesboro Half Marathon coming up in the fall.

I have received a few updates of his progress over the last couple months, mostly of the pains his body has gone through adjusting to these new stresses he is putting on it. He says he blames me for this. Hopefully, he might start to see some of the benefits from his efforts on the golf course, as well. I would think that having a better cardiovascular system and stronger legs would lead to less fatigue on the course and more power in his stroke. As a talented writer, I may have to ask him to give me a race review of how is first half marathon went.

graphics from www.active.com

More Ft. Benning Pictures

Here are some more pictures from the Ft. Benning Triathlon last weekend. There were some interesting signs along the course and some scenery that most people probably don't get to see.

This is a predictable sign to see during a race.

This one is not...

...Nor is this on. Don't venture to far off the roads.

The Airborne jump towers on main post along the run route.

Another picture of the jump towers along the run route with with one of the airplanes on display.

A view along the bike route back the woods.

Ft. Benning Reverse Sprint Triathlon Review

I am looking back over the results, photos, and video of the race this last weekend, and it is hard to focus on writing a review. I took a trip up to West Point Lake yesterday and biked the run portion of the triathlon this coming up. I am planning to make at least one more trip up there this week before the International Distance competition.

Here is how the Ft. Benning Reverse Sprint Triathlon broke down for me. I finished the race in 1:12:42, which put me finishing 24 out of 145 overall and 8 out of 28 in the 30-39 Age Group. The bike portion was about 4 miles shorter than the Grandman Triathlon I did last weekend. Since the race was a reverse triathlon, we went run, bike, swim as I have mentioned. I got there early again to pick-up my packet, get body marked, set up my transition area, and warm-up. I was somewhat surprised when I got my packet that we did not have race bibs. The only forms of identification were the numbers marked on our left arm and leg. The packets were average, with a t-shirt and Hammer Gel being the big items. The whole race was well stocked with water. There were 3 water stops for the run and 4 for the bike. There was water at the end of the race and some fruit but not much else. I can't complain. The entry fee was a steal at $30. There was a free meal after the race that I did not attend at the Mexican restaurant on post, but that was not really what I was craving post-race.

I ran the 5K in 19:37, placing 8th in my Age Group. This is the fastest 5K I have run since high school cross country. The course was well marked at every turn. There was quite a bit of construction near the course, but there were also many historic and interesting vistas, as well. I felt good coming into Transition #1. I was in and out in 1:08. I completed the bike portion in 37:28, averaging 19.9 mph, placing me 9th in my Age Group. The first and last couple miles of the route are pretty bumpy and much focus was given to avoiding pot holes and dips. The rest of the course was very rural and had a couple good hills. There was some interesting signage as we followed the road along some of the firing range areas. I came back into Transition #2 and dismounted. I got scolded by a race volunteer for running instead of jogging through the transition. I had my bike mounted and my goggles in hand in 1:09 and was off to the pool. We swam 11 laps of a 50 meter pool. Around lap 4, I got a huge cramp in my ribs on the left side. This is the side I breath from, and it became very difficult to take in some deep air. I tried to keep my pace up, but I know it suffered. I finished the swim in 13:23 ranking me 13th in my Age Group. At 1:12:42, I hopped out of the pool and crossed the timing chip mat.

This race is one of the best values I have found. There is not much advertising for it, not much swag, it can be difficult and confusing to get onto Ft. Benning, and the post race food is lacking. It was still a fun race with a course that will let you excel if you approach it right. It will be really hard to beat the price, as many 5K and 10K are edging their costs up to the $30 mark.

Ft. Benning Reverse Triathlon Photos

The second leg of my three week blitz is complete with me finishing the Ft. Benning Reverse Sprint Triathlon on Saturday. Here are some quick photos of the event that my wife and I took while I was amongst it.

This was the transition area, pre-race, as everyone was picking up their race packets and getting their own little slice of space organized.

As I was warming up and doing a mental checklist of how I wanted the race to go down, I got a picture of the pool where we would be swimming 11 laps. It was so peaceful then. Who could have imagined all the kicks in the face and gnashing of teeth?

My wife snapped this shot off of me coming into the transition area from the run. I felt really good the first leg of the race, posting my fastest 5K run since high school.

Here I am coming into the transition area from the bike portion of the race. The bike racks were not marked, so I had to just eyeball my towel and bag sitting on the ground. An official barked at me not to run through the transition area.

I grabbed my goggles and headed across the parking lot to the fury that was the pool and final leg of the race.

This picture does not even show the chaos of the pool swim to the finish. I am in the foreground in the tri-suit.

I have not seen the final, final results sheet. I am still waiting for it to be published before I post results. I do have some more pictures to put up here and another video of the course. I was pleased with how I performed in this race up until the swim. I posted one of my best 5K runs and averaged one of my highest mph paces on the bike, but I got a huge cramp in my side about half way through the swim that made it extremely hard to take any deep breaths.

UPDATE: Here are the links to the Overall Results and Age Group Results for the Ft. Benning Reverse Sprint Triathlon. It looks like they still have to tweek them. I have noticed some errors already.

The Grandman Triathlon Video

Below is my first attempt to create a video with titles, music, credits and everything. I'm sure there are third graders out there that can do it better. This is a video I shot last Friday as I went to Fairhope a day before the Grandman Triathlon to preview the course. It really gave me a way to know what I was up against and how to mentally visualize each turn and grueling incline. I only wish I had done this for the Country Music Marathon in Nashville. I still have nightmares about that race. I am taking my video camera out to Ft. Benning tomorrow to put together a similar video for this weekend's race. We will see what my learning curve is like on the next installment.

As I was sitting in my job site trailer getting pounded by some Forrest Gump-type rain, I had ominous visions of a wet sloppy race this weekend for the Ft. Benning Reverse Sprint Triathlon. This rain was so loud that I could not hear people on the phone. It was only when I pulled up the weekend weather that a calm came over me with what I saw.

8 am

66°F
Partly Cloudy

Grandman Triathlon Review

Here are a few photos of the swim and run course that I took on Friday before the race. I did not get any shots of the bike course, but I have some lovely video to show in next post. I basically propped my video camera up on the dashboard of my car and filmed the whole bike course. I was good to have it to watch and review Friday night before the race.
This is a picture of the 1/3 mile swim course. Luckily, it was not this choppy Saturday morning. Even out the the second buoy in the picture, it was knee deep water, and we would swim a little and get up and run a little. It was not ideal.
This is a picture of the area around the final mile of the course. The first mile was all up hill, the second mile was all downhill, and the last mile of the run was flat. This part of the course followed along the shoreline below the bluffs.
We ran down the road along the shoreline to the turn around area beyond this duck pond, and it was aptly named. There were ducks and geese everywhere. There droppings were also everywhere. There were a couple on Saturday morning that did not like me doing a warm-up run around their habitat who started to charge at me a little.
This was the final stretch to the finish line. Past this straight away we ran along the outer perimeter of the transition area to the finish line stocked with pizza and beer.

Transition Area

I figured out early Saturday morning that everyone has their own way to set up their transition area. My approach was that of a minimalist. I had my helmet, race number, and sunglasses hung up on my aero bars. I had a pan of water to dip my feet in before putting on my bike shoes. Sixteen miles of sand in my shoes would be extremely uncomfortable. I had my gel packets in my rear water cages, along with all my repair tools. Other than that, it was just a change of shoes.

Here are how my transitions went. For the swim to bike transition, T1, I came into the area wearing my tri suit, barefoot, and holding my goggles & swim cap. I found my bike, clicked on my helmet and race number, and slid on the shades. The last thing I did was dip my feet in the water to wash away the last of the sand from the beach and put my bike shoes on. I fumbled some here getting the two Velcros and ratchet straps secured on each shoe. I did not change any clothing items or put on socks.
For the bike to run transition, T2, I ran my bike in to the area a secured it on the rack. On the last downhill stride of the ride, I reached down and unstrapped my shoes and pulled my feet out. I left my shoes snapped into the pedals as I ran into the transition barefoot. I took off my helmet turned my race number around. I slipped on my running shoes, again, without socks and ran out of the transition area. It took several strides to really get my feet under me, but I was determined not to walk any of the run course (not even the massive hills that started the run).
As you can see from the pictures, I was one of the first ones in the rack. It did not look like this at race time. It was much more crowded. I do like getting to races early.

By the Numbers

We just got back from the beach and a nice, long weekend. I completed my first triathlon at the Grandman Triathlon in Fairhope, Alabama. The weather this weekend could not have been any better. There were very few clouds in the sky, the water temperature in the Mobile gave us no need for wetsuits, and the heat of the day did not come until late in the afternoon.

For the race, I was signed up as a first-timer, but they also put me in my appropriate age-group division, 30-34. So, I will be giving the stats for both divisions for what its worth. Here is how the numbers broke down for my first triathlon.

I placed 154 out 530 overall.
I placed 15th out of 42 males in my age group.
I placed 7th out of 64 first time male participants.

The swim: 7:44 at a 2.6 mph pace
I placed 2nd in my age group and 8th among first time males.

The bike: 53:34 at a 18.4 mph pace
I placed 19th in my age group and 10th among first time males.

The run: 21:58 at 7:06 mile pace
I placed 9th in my age group and 4th among first time males.

I was unsure how I felt about my transition times and felt I could have done better, until I looked at the comparative results to the other racers. I was very pleasantly surprised. For the swim to bike, T1, transition, I did it in 2:54 and :55 for the bike to run transition, T2. Here are the links for the Grandman Triathlon results and Lepow Photography from the race

I have some other items to share (pictures, video, etc.) that I will do over the course of this week. I need to get everything out there that I want to publish before this weekend when I compete in the Ft. Benning Reverse Sprint Triathlon and get a whole new series of items to post.

Departure

We are loading up the car today, heading for the beach and the Grandman Triathlon in Fairhope, AL. It is amazing how much you have to pack just for the event. I dropped off my bike at Golden's Bike Shop for one final tune, lube, and wipe down. Hopefully, I can have a good clean race with few mishaps or mental lapses.

I am pumped to get down there today and have a day to relax for the early 4:30 AM wake-up call. The race starts at 7 AM and is a little more than 45 minutes away from where we are staying. I would love to be able to get in a real easy swim in the Gulf of Mexico and/or light ride. If I have time, it would be beneficial to drive up to the course and get a preview so I am not riding and running blind, but we will see how it goes. I will post when we get back about the race and let everyone know how it went.

Change of Plans

I decided Sunday night not to run the Celebrate America 10K in Alpharetta because I felt that I was coming down with a mild cold, presumably from the kids. Plus, I feel like someone punched me in my left eye. It is swollen up and seems to be a stye infection coming up. All that said, I decided not to run Monday and tax my body in a race before this coming weekend's triathlon.

I have been keeping keeping up my normal training routine and am getting ready to head down to the beach Thursday evening to get settled in, preview the race course and relax a little before the Grandman on Saturday. I spoke with my friend who ran the Celebrate America 10K, and he said it was a good race with really good support volunteers.

Gear Review: Bontrager Race X Lite Rear Cage Holder

I recently purchased the Bontrager Race X Lite Rear Cage Holder for my triathlon bike. I have looked at several, including the Hydrotail and various models from X-lab. Before purchasing this setup, I had one cage on my frame and a Profile Design Aerodrink on the front.

Made of carbon fiber, it is very light. It mounts to many styles of seats and can be adjusted to various angles to suit the rider's preference. It holds 2 bottle cages, has 4 female threaded holes for CO2 cartridges, and a small "basket" area to hold tubes, tools, and most anything else. It also has an additional area to mount a seat bag underneath.

The downsides that I have found so far are that the bolts that control the vertical adjustment sometimes fail when hitting bumps in the road, leaving the rig hanging limp under your seat. This could mean losing vital items when you need them most. Also, there is not much product information or instruction on Bontrager's website or with the product. X-lab has a very comprehensive website that shows various way to set up numerous configurations, what all the parts are, and where all the parts go. Also, there is no X-nut type system to store your CO2 valve. I took a machine screw, cut it off, and mounted it under the seat. The strap that holds the items in the basket area is confusing and always seems to be in the way.

The one thing that I did like about it is the price for a carbon fiber setup. The other options are more expensive and have more accessories parts to purchase separately to complete the system. I purchased mine from Golden's Bike Shops with a couple stores in Georgia and Alabama. They are good guys and are willing to go the extra mile to get you ready to ride.

Photo from www.bontrager.com and graphic from www.goldensbikes.com

Favorite Runs: Columbus Riverwalk #3 - Oxbow Meadows

Yesterday, I went for a run after work on one of my favorite routes. It is a 10-K out and back route along the Oxbow Meadows area of the Columbus Riverwalk. It follow the old, meandering route of the Chattahoochee River and criss-crosses multiple oxbow lakes. There is always an abundance of wildlife from land, sea, and air to distract you as your legs and lung burn.
The route begins at the Oxbow Meadow Environmental Learning Center located on South Lumpkin Road. Then, head north along the Oxbow Creek Golf Course, where you dart in and out of wooded areas alongside 4 fairways.
Next, make the descent down into the meadows area. Over your left shoulder, you'll see wide open fields of hay straw and on you right, you run by a series of oxbow lakes that are connected by streams with turn-offs and parking for the fisherman.
There are very few hills on this route, as you can see, but the ones that are present are short and manageable. This is an excellent route for cyclists, as well.
From the meadows, the course continues to drop until you find yourself interlaced with the necklace strand of lakes. This part of the course is very shaded and preferred on hot summer Georgia afternoons.
There are usually a good number of people taking advantage of the Riverwalk. They are walkers, runners, fishermen, and cyclists. I have seen a few police officers monitoring the course on ATV's to help keep the area safe.
The only thing that you might need to watch out for are alligators and snakes. I have seen a couple of both over the last six months of running this part of the Riverwalk. It is a little unsettling, but generally, if you leave them alone the don't pay you any mind.
The last part of the route before you make your returning trip back to the Environmental Learning Center is a final drop down to your first real glimpse of the Chattahoochee River. The worst part of this last section is that before you reach the river you pass by the waste water treatment plant for south Columbus, but it is only for about a quarter mile.

It never fails on this running route that I see something new, be it wildlife or plant life or other. It is an easy route that holds you attention as you maneuver in and out of varying landscapes.

Map from www.columbusga.org

Celebrate America 5K/10K

A friend of mine has convinced me to enter a 10K race while we will be in Atlanta this weekend. I am having reservations about it since The Grandman Triathlon would only be 5 days after this event. I always hate to miss out on opportunities to run with friends of mine in races. The seas of people can get lonely out there.

The race is being held on Memorial Day, May 25th, in Alpharetta, Georgia near Northpoint Mall. The race is being put on by the Alpharetta Junior Woman's Club. They are offering a 5K and 10K that starts at the AMC Theaters on Northpoint Parkway. The 5K is a single loop around Northpoint Parkway and Mansell Road, while the 10K will be two loops. I am normally not much of a fan of retracing my steps in a race, but like I said, it's always good to run with friends. The route looks like is has a couple hills but nothing too bad. I will update after the race and tell how it went. Hopefully, I will have enough time to let my legs recover for the following weekend triathlon.

Graphics from www.ajwc.net

Looking Forward: West Point Lake Triathlon

The third and final leg of my three week triathlon blitz is the West Point Lake Triathlon. I have decided to stretch myself a little bit and go for the Olympic distance race, 1.5-K swim, 40-K bike, and 10-K run. I hope that my eyes were not too big for my race schedule. I felt like I had to get in at least one Olympic distance race in this year to stick to my overall goals, which are at least one Olympic distance race this year (check), at least on Half Ironman next year, and at least one full Ironman the following year. From there, who knows what I will have a passion for next.
This race is being held June 13th at 7:15 AM at R Shaefer Heard Park near LaGrange, Georgia. I have not seen, ridden, or run the course yet but hope to do it at least once before competition. As you can guess, the 1.5-K swim will be in the waters of West Point Lake. The swim start is a Time Trials start format based upon the competitor's submitted estimated swim time. It will start on a the point seen below and continue around a peninsula to the finish at the Day Use Area of the park. This area will serve as the transition area for the race from swim-to-bike and bike-to-run.
The bike ride will take the competitors on a 40-K, roughly 25-mile, trip up U.S. Highway 29, along several different scenic points along the lake, and through quiet country roads. As you can see on the elevation chart below, there are not too many back-breakers on this route. There appears to be only a couple hundred feet of elevation change the entire race. The course is basically a large loop with a couple out & back tangents thrown in there. I can recap this review when I get a chance to put wheels to pavement.
The run course actually sounds quite interesting. The 10-K course takes the runner across the West Point Lake Dam and hugs the water's edge for most of the race. From all accounts that I have heard, both the bike and run portions of this race are flat and fast. Again, I will have to revisit this review when I can get a run in and maybe post some pictures of the routes in conjunction. Some people's definition of flat and fast are quite deceiving.
Graphics from www.gamultisports.com

Wearing Thin

The Nike Max Moto 5+ were the shoes that I began my running season with last April. I ran cross country in high school and have run sporadically during the 15 years since that time. After the birth of our twin boys and a recent move, I decided to kick my butt in gear and take on some serious goals for 2008-09.

Before my first 5-K in these shoes in April, I had a pair of Asics Gel running shoes that were broken out occasionally but never worn in. I purchased the Nike Max Moto's in conjunction with an iPod Nano and Nike+ running kit. I thought, "finally running won't be so boring." Since that time, I have run in 5 5-K's, 3 10-K's, 1 10-miler, 1 half marathon, 2 marathons, and countless hours & miles by myself on long stretches of roads whose names have faded into memory. I am now hanging up the laces on the Max Moto's now that most of my long distance running is over for a while, and I am moving to more of a triathlon specific shoe. Plus, as you can see, I was starting to run the risk of a blow-out or altering my stride from deteriorating wear patterns.

I am still trying to figure out the wear patterns that developed on these shoes. On the forefoot, it is consistent with a neutral foot strike, neither on the outside or inside edges of the shoe. On the heel, there is something else entirely going on. This is the area of heaviest wear and looks to be more along the lines of a supinated gait pattern. I think that the bulk of this wear happened early on in my resurgence to running. I feel like I got into some bad habits that eventually lead to a lot of pain in my IT Band in November and December of last year. I took some time off and worked hard to correct this when I returned to running. For the most part, I have been pain free. During really long runs, I feel that I relapse into old habits, and sure enough, the pain returns.

From here on out, I have around seven triathlons in which I am going to complete before the close of the year. None of them over the International, or Olympic, Distance in length. That means the runs will be no more than a 10-k in competition. I have moved my training and competition show over to a triathlon specific shoe, the Zoot Ultra TT shoe. I have only ran in them a couple times, but so far so good. They allow for quick entry into the shoe, speedy fit adjustment (no-tying), reduced water retention, barefoot wear design, and many other features thought out with the triathlete in mind. I got mine for about half off the retail price on the 2008 models from a website called Running Warehouse. By the way it is only a coincidence that both pair of shoes are orange and blue (perhaps).