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

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

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.

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

Looking Forward: Ft. Benning Reverse Sprint Triathlon

While I am previewing upcoming races in which I will be participating, I wanted to go ahead and bring up the 2009 Ft. Benning Reverse Sprint Triathlon. It is being held on June 6th at 8 a.m., a week after I am scheduled to compete in the Grandman Triathlon. The reason that I decided to go for two in a row is that I am very familiar with the run and bike routes for this race. Here are PDF's of the race flyer and registration form.

This is a bit of an unusual race, in that you run first, bike second, and swim third. I have been practicing for normal triathlons with the upcoming Grandman and will only have a few days to re-train my body to get accustomed to a reverse order. The race starts out from the Main Post Bowling Center on Ft. Benning Army Post just south of Columbus, Georgia. The race is open to the public, but be sure that everyone in your party has a valid driver's license (or photo ID) and vehicle registration & insurance to get on post.
The Route Preview: The run starts at the Bowling Center, which is also the T1 and T2 Transition Areas. It starts off on only one of two real uphill climbs on the 3.1 mile route. On this portion of the route, you pass by several Airborne Training Mock-ups. You continue up and around the back of the outdoor pool, where the swim portion of the event will be held, and along Riordon Street to Burr Street. Here you run alongside the three jump towers that have become somewhat iconic to Ft. Benning. There are also a few vintage, WWII airplanes on display on the parade grounds in front of the jump towers. The run up Burr Street is the second uphill climb. As you continue and make your turn onto Eckel Street and pass the Smith Fitness Center, you have a smooth downhill run back to the Transition Area for the bike ride.

The bike ride begins with a left turn out of the Bowling Center onto Sightseeing Road for the 12.4 mile out & back route. The first stretch of the route is all uphill and the roads are not in great condition. Be on the lookout for potholes and loose gravel. As you make the turn onto Dixie Rd, and eventually Sunshine Rd, it is a gentle descent until the turn around. There will be one big hill before the turn around spot just past a bridge. Everything that goes downhill, must come back up on an out & back route. The only real relief you get is around the Lawson Army Airfield runway coming and going. Finally, you crest the hill back onto Sightseeing Road and head back down to the Bowling Center for the transition to the swim.

Once you leave T2 from the bike ride, you make a short run across Eckel Street and through a parking lot to Cary Pool for a 550 meter swim. From what I hear, this part of the race gets a little crowded. Once the racer is in the pool, there are 11 - 50 meter laps to complete, down the length of the pool, swim under the rope, and back the other way. The race concludes with the final lap swum. The race is conducted by the Army M.W.R. Department, and they hold post-race awards ceremony at a Mexican Restaurant just around the corner from the Bowling Center and Cary Pool open for everyone to attend.

One final note: Ft. Benning recently reopened the National Infantry Museum in a state-of-the-art facility. They have an IMAX theatre, the Fife & Drum Restaurant, large parade ground, and an authentically renovated WWII barracks area on the property. Inside the museum are memorabilia and artifacts from every major conflict that the U.S. Army Infantry has been involved. It really is something to see if you have the rest of the day free after the race.

Graphics from www.benningmwr.com

Looking Forward: The Grandmand Triathlon

Now that all my long distance running for the winter, it is time to switch to a more well-rounded sport, triathlons. This has been a busy year for me with a variety of firsts, my first ten mile run event, my first half-marathon, my first & second marathon, and now my first sprint triathlon.

The Grandman Triathlon is held in Fairhope, Alabama on the shores of Mobile Bay on May 30th. It consists of a 1/3 mile swim in the bay, a 16.4 mile bike ride out & back, and a 3.1 mile run through the streets of town. There is a very easy to follow registration page where you can sign-up online or mail-in a printed form. They have sent me monthly updated emails as more information become available on packet pick-ups, pre-race expo, etc.

The race itself should be a lot of fun. For those of you that have never been to Fairhope, Alabama, it is a quaint little town off the beaten path between Mobile, AL and Pensacola, FL along the eastern shores of Mobile Bay. There is a large variety of shops downtown and beautiful bungalow homes set within the groves of Live Oaks. There is great dining, golf, water sports, night-life and family events to suit any visitors.
The race starts off with the swim from the Fairhope Pier at 7 a.m. and is an out & back course where the swimmers will be guided by buoys and volunteers in kayak for the 1/3 mile swim in the Mobile Bay. From the information off their web site, the water temperature ill be close to 80 degrees Fahrenheit and a wetsuit will not be needed. I have gone ahead and purchased a one-piece triathlon suit to use for the whole event, swim, bike, and run, in order to cut down on my time in transition. The transition area is situated round-about at the end of Fairhope Avenue. It will be the spot for the bike in/out and run in/finish.
After the swim, we transition to the bike portion of the race. It will consist of a 16.4 mile out & back course up a steep hill from the pier area along Fairhope Avenue until we turn South onto Section Street (Hwy. 3). We follow this route for 8.2 miles until we reach the turnaround at U.S. Highway 98 before we retrace out steps and descend back into town.
Now on the last leg of the event, we come to the run. Once back in the transition area of the round-about, we change our gear and head back up the large hill on Fairhope Avenue and Magnolia Street on foot. We make a truncated out & back route up N. Bayview Avenue and Summit Street before heading back over our footsteps to the transition round-about. The race does not end there as we continue along Fairhope Park Drive north along the coastline to the turnaround at the "duck pond." The final sprint of the 5K run goes back down through the round-about and finished in the field just south of the transition area.
After the race, there are a variety of awards for all levels and age groups. The Grandman Triathlon web site is filled with helpful information, including maps, weather, rules, hotels, etc. This event is also USAT sanctioned and should really be a lot of fun.

Graphics from www.thegrandman.com and photo from media.kickstatic.com

Nashville Bound

My wife and I are heading to Nashville tomorrow for the Country Music Marathon. I will be running in my second marathon ever. I ran my first almost two months ago. The Snickers Marathon Bar Albany Marathon had only a thousand runners. At that time, it was the largest event in which I had ever participated. It was a good flat course and a good temperature, but it was literally 100% humidity with zero precipitation.

The Country Music Marathon seems overwhelming even before I even show up to the starting corral. Besides there being 26,000 runners to navigate, 50 bands stationed around the course, and endless numbers of spectators, there is an mountain of paper work. I have a folder filled with maps, confirmation sheets, shuttle schedules, parking instructions, timing chip instructions and a final information packet.

It has been hard to recover from my first marathon, start building back mileage for this race, and then taper back down to make sure that I am rested enough. I have been doing a lot more cross training during my time between races. I have really started putting some significant miles on the bike and made my first visit to the pool Tuesday morning. All of this is looking forward to my first triathlon at the end of May. It is a modest sprint distance, but you have to start somewhere.

Also, this will be my last race in my Nike Max Moto +5 shoes. They have been a good shoe but I have run the soles off. I will have to see how they look after another 26.2 miles. Finally, here is a map of the race course. From what I understand it is different from last year but still has some scenic views and a great finish at LP Field.


photos and graphics from www.cmmarathon.com.