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

Runner Dies After Finishing Half-Marathon

On Saturday, a 25-year old runner collapsed shortly after finishing the Country Music Half-Marathon that I was at. He had finished the race around 2:16, only a couple minutes after a friend of mine that saw his collapse. From her account, he collapsed and medical workers jumped in quick to do what they could, performing rescue CPR before taking him off in an awaiting ambulance. He would later die at Nashville General Hospital that day.

The saddest part of this story is that he was a military veteran. Army Staff Sargent Benjamin Pigman from Hamilton, Montana had served 4 tours of duty in Afghanistan and 1 tour of duty in Iraq. He was a decorated veteran with several commendations and medals for his service. The medical director of the Country Music Marathon called it a "sudden cardiac event" and said that it was not contributed to the record heat on race day. It might be the case that it wasn't heat stroke or heat exhaustion, but indirectly, the heat could bring on over-exertion and stresses to the heart. My heart goes out to his family. It is terrible to see a life cut short before it even really begins.

Photo from www.wgnsradio.com

Minute Maid Commercial

This had me laughing out loud and rewinding to watch again.

What Happened to Ben Harper?

Over the years, I have given Ben Harper plenty of my money and time. I was first introduced to him in the mid-90's when I started going to the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival and have been following him around periodically since. I have followed him through each new album and venture, from picking up the Innocent Criminals to the Blinds Boys of Alabama and now this new phase with the Relentless 7.

Each album created a new persona for Ben Harper, but it was still uniquely him. This new album and band seem far more removed from those previous standards. From articles that I have read about the direction he is heading, he wanted to turn towards a more stripped down rock 'n roll feel, although there are elements of that scattered throughout his previous records from Welcome to the Cruel World to Both Sides of the Gun. This new album lacks the soul and biting lyrical phrasing that made him appealing to large groups of diverse fans.

My wife and I are both graduates of Auburn University and have since moved back to that area. We found out that Ben Harper and the Relentless 7 were going to be performing a free concert for the students of the university. I did not give it much credence, but my wife was insistent that we go. She had seen him once a few years ago and instantly connected with his music. She knew very little of his song library at the time but was hooked from the first couple songs. I had already previewed the new album and kinda knew what it was going to be like, but I wanted my wife to be happy. So, we got student ID's and tickets from our nanny and her fiancee and headed to Beard Eaves.

They played songs only off the new albums with very little typical Ben Harper flair. It was only in the encore that the crowd that was left in the Coliseum really got into his cover of "Under Pressure." The Relentless 7 looked like a cookie-cutter house band, with their standard issue jeans, button up oxford shirts, and shaggy hair. They all looked like Bill Heder, from SNL, clones. They were not in sync, came in at wrong time, and had odd, almost corny, solos. The drummer spend more time bouncing up and down on his stool and throwing drum sticks up in the air than he did connecting with the guitarist, bassist and Ben. I felt like Ben still had something to prove to himself that he could take a mediocre band, at best, pull them under his wing, and build them (and this album) into something there are not.........good. That would be the motivation behind not playing any relatively known Ben Harper songs. It just feel short of the mark, and I was not the only one to notice. I made sure to veil my ho-hum sentiment until my wife spoke out first, and she confirmed it. No connection.

There was a limit of 8000 FREE tickets available. On the day of the event, our nanny went to pickup our ticket and it was around number 4500. I don't think there were that many that showed up, and I would guess that were only 2500 there for the encore. I am sticking by Ben Harper, but I am ready to sweep this itch that he had under the rug.

Photo from musicremedy.com and graphics from thescenestar.typepad.com

Raising Cole

Raising Cole: Developing Life's Greatest Relationship, Embracing Life's Greatest Tragedy: A Father's Story by Marc Pittman

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
This was a very good book for me to read right now, and I sincerely thank my friend Stan for recommending..insisting that I read it. My wife and I have two 2 year old boys at home.

Although my upbringing was not as rough as Cole's father, Marc Pittman, I struggle with trying to identify and remedy areas in which my parents fell short and replicate the love that was shown to me. This book is heart breaking to listen to him talk about how invested he was in his son and then lose him. It goes to show that our days are numbered and that we have to do the best with who we and what we have to offer.

This is a very honest book about everything that the author was going through. At times, it was heart-felt, it was brutal, it was arrogant, it was direct and to the point, and it showed the greatest love of all. The last few chapters had me glued to the binding, and there was no way I was putting it down before finishing it. I really enjoyed his descriptions on the "Dead Man's Talk" and can see that being something that I will adopt into my relationship with my sons.

It was hard for me growing up to really connect verbally to my parents and build that since of trust that no matter what I told them was proprietary between them and me.

View all my reviews.

Race Day, Part 2

Now in the heart of downtown Nashville, we made the break from the half marathoners on the circle around the Tennessee State Capitol Building. We began a long, slow climb up our next out-and-back route following Rosa Parks Blvd. heading towards the Metrocenter area. This part of the route was one of the less scenic parts of the entire day. It was very industrial and very gritty.

It was only until we were on the northwest end of the Metrocenter area that the route turned to show us vistas of another Nashville landmark…The Cumberland River. For the next 2 miles, we ran along an elevate footpath that looked to be a part of some “Rails to Trails” project. There were steep banks on both sides of the path, with one side being the river and the other being an industrial park. There was only one area on the trail that had spectators and no water stations. I just keep looking to my right, admiring the river and greenery that tried to hide the rock-faced cliffs. You could barely see the downtown area to the right. Although the area was lacking in crowds, it was nice to have a few miles without the fanfare. It was more like a normal weekend run I would have at home.

The peacefulness did not last long as we made our return trip south on Rosa Parks Blvd to join back up with the half marathoners around the State Capital. If there was a confusing part to the route, this was it. Half-way through mile 19, we were again running alongside the hoards of half-marathon runners. Over the next mile, our paths were overlaid but were sprinkled with turnoff they would take before rejoining us on our path over the Woodland Street Bridge. This is where we got out first glimpse at LP Field where the race concluded for all of us.

The half marathon runners only had1/2 mile to go, but we would have to stick it out for another 10k. The joy that I had felt when I first saw LP Field quickly dissipated as we began to weave our way through more neighborhoods to our final loop around Shelby Park. Although I was in serious pain at this point and doing an alternating run/walk combo, this was one of the most scenic parts of the route. On one side we had the Riverview Golf Course and Shelby Park and on the other side was the Cumberland River again.

Now on our final leg, we headed down Davidson Street and passed under Interstate 24. As we rounded the corner and started heading straight towards the southern end of LP Field, I got my first glimpse at my wife that I had kissed good-bye at 5:30 a.m. that morning. Her and our other friends started yelling out my name. I looked at them and all I could do was shake my head. I actually found a little kick for the last quarter of a mile and pulled into the finish area in 4:19:39.