Race Report

I'm back at my desk after nearly a week's hiatus traveling to St. George, relaxing, eating piles of carbohydrates and logging one 12:02:45 day of low-intensity exercise. Before turning to student papers, a sober reflection on Ironman St. George.

THAT WAS AWESOME!! THE COURSE WAS FREAKING BEAUTIFUL!! THE CROWDS WERE LIKE BOSTON WITHOUT ALL THE BOOZE!! MY FAMILY WAS THERE CHEERING!! WOOHOO!!

It really was an extraordinary weekend, so much so that I may send a note to the editor of the local paper with my thanks and congratulations to that community on a day well done. Differences from other venues? No local animosity toward the event whatsoever, despite nearly closing the town down for nearly three days. Extremely broad local volunteer engagement. Great cheer and course marshall support, on a hot, shadeless day, even miles away from town. (Contrast Louisville, which course boasts the legend "Ironman go home" scrawled on the pavement.)

St. George is lovely. The town is built in a broad canyon carved by the Virgin River from painted desert sandstone. It is green and even in places lush. The scenery on all sides includes red mesas and mountains rising in some places many thousands of feet. As you leave town you almost necessarily go uphill; the one exception is heading south toward Las Vegas, following the river through the extraordinary Virgin River Gorge and far northwest Arizona.

On an Ironman bike course you see lots of scenery. After a cold swim -- my feet and hands went numb half-way through -- we left the transition area at Sand Hollow Reservoir and followed Highway 9 toward St. George and away from Zion National Park. After some rolling hills and winding through the town of Washington, we took Red Hills Blvd. over the bluff above St. George (we'd see this road again on the run) and into Snow Canyon. That's the point where the loops begin. More gentle rollers and plenty of flats until we hit Highway 91, where begins the nearly constant uphill climb from about 2800 feet to 4600 feet. We crossed a tributary of the Virgin River and turned onto Route 3184, where the real climbing begins. Beyond a continuous uphill grade, I counted four climbs of progressive difficulty, the last of which is called "The Wall" and came at miles 45 (first loop) and 90. Route 3184 passes through a beautiful valley and Gunlock State Park, past the Gunlock reservoir and through the town of the same name. If you were taking time to enjoy the scenery, as I was, it was a marvelous tour through some of the prettiest desert landscapes I've encountered. And I haven't yet mentioned the downhills: once each loop we gave back the 1800 feet of climbing over a 10-mile stretch of Highway 18. Summarizing my cycling effort: I've blown up on more than one Ironman bike course in the past, I was only marginally in shape for this (with a longest ride going in of about 55 miles) and I knew it was a hard course. I followed the mantra "coasting and soft-pedaling" -- and it worked! Getting off the bike at the end I felt almost fresh.

Which is good, because I knew the run would be hard. The course is two out-and-back trips from downtown St. George, up the bluff on Red Hills and down the other side where you reach the turn-around. It includes four quick tours through Pioneer Park, which has just enough hills to be insult to injury. It also got hot and there was no shade. That run seemed to break everyone. I looked around on my second loop and at any given time within my line of sight, I might have been one of only three or four people actually running. And there's why I'm exited about the race: over my previous five iron-distance triathlon starts, I quit two races after the bike leg (Great Floridian, Louisville) and folded on the run in the other three. In St. George I assessed my legs after three miles, felt nothing, and decided, for once, to run a marathon.

The picture I put on my wall from this event will surely be a well-timed shot from a professional photographer when I'm climbing a hill on the bike against a backdrop of painted sandstone hills. I'm pleased to leave the impression for most that such battlefield heroics is what went on out there, but I'll confess the truth here. St. George was my best (not fastest, though close) long-course race because I held a slow and steady pace, and with five miles to go on the run I realized "I could do this forever, but that I'm about to faint, and please, please don't let it happen before I get to the finish." After the finish, of course, anything goes.

Cue the Music

In every Rocky movie and almost every "go for it" movie, there is a moment where the protagonist questions himself and his determination. Then the hero's wife/buddy/trainer/mentor/sensei offers words of wisdom, encouragement, or motivation. Cue the music. Training/combat/endurance montage begins and when it ends the hero stands on the cusp of greatness and their greatest challenge. There is usually a moment of quiet reflection and then the relentless path to victory/glory/self realization/the big finish/pride in a job well done.

On the eve of Max's ironman in Utah, I only have three words:

Cue the Music...

T-Shirt Slogans I'd Like to See

(W/ the ubiquitous Ironman logo): "Ironmom"

(Also with the logo): "Ironmaiden"

"Ironman: if you feel anything, you're working too hard."

"When was the last time you consumed thousands of calories in sugar and fat and lost weight?"

"140.3: Because I was tired." (Spoof on the 140.6 stickers; 140.6 is the IM distance in miles.)

"26.1: It wasn't fun anymore."

"The worst part is that you still have to go to the office on Monday."

"Ironman: where the fans get to race, too."

"Anybody who says a triathlon is a swim-bike-RUN hasn't done an Ironman."

"If you quit, I will too." (This is, of course, evidence of a naked output restriction!)

"You realize that no matter how much you explain, Grandma won't understand."

Pop Culture Final Exam

As I draft my final exams for two classes I am constantly in search of distractions as I seek ways to basically ask the same questions in different ways. I have never used multiple choice questions but have used a small number of true/false explains in civil procedure. As your distraction, consider the following questions plucked from today's entertainment news.

1) Chicago Code vs. Good Wife. Two shows, one pretends to be set in Chicago, the other actually is. One has good acting and writing, one not so much. one stars my neighbor, one does not. Discuss.



2) Judas Priest vs. Priest in 3D. Discuss.


3) Vin Diesel vs. The Rock. Who should star in the movie version as the head of the Navy Seal team hunting for Bin Ladin?


4) Which is a better distraction from grading? Discuss all relevant issues.




5) Extra Credit. Name the failed PBS comedy pilot where I played a character called "The Hasidic Sportsman"?

St. George

I landed in Las Vegas and rented a minivan (bravo Budget on a pleasant rental experience and a reasonable price -- $200/week inclusive -- for the rental).

I drove north on I15 across desert wasteland and into low sandstone hills. After about one hour I crossed the Arizona border and soon entered the Virgin River Gorge, a rock-climbing destination of some note. The Virgin River is running high, deep red with silt from the painted rocks. The gorge boasts 1000-foot walls, much of it clean vertical rock.

I got lost a little in St. George, also stopping for groceries, and rolled into the rented condo at 7 p.m. It's not the Ritz, but not a bad place to crash for five days. I'll work a little, run, ride and swim just enough to stay loose, take in some Ironman excitement and get some work done. Saturday is the big day (which must be a nod to the venue -- most IM races go on Sundays).

UPDATE: I had a nice pedal today (Wednesday) on the easy part of the bike course. I fell in with a couple of professional triathletes from Madrid who were exceedingly friendly guys. Registered for the race; got a haircut from a guy who said "that Sarah Palin is one smart woman"; and had lunch at In 'n Out burger, which is my west coast vice. Next: work a few hours and go catch a movie.

UPDATE 2: Last night I ran 40' on the run course. I sucked down 20 ounces of water and was still dry at the end, which is more than a little worrisome; I suppose the game plan will be to drink two full bottles per hour. My brother S__ arrived today, having driven all night from Portland. P__ and my mother arrive this afternoon. S__ and I headed to the swim start, where I took a short swim in the reservoir. At 56 degrees, it is brutally cold. Last year was 53 degrees, and the story is that people emerged from the water and sat for 15 minutes warming up before being able to remove their wetsuits. I don't think it will be that bad, but I am a little apprehensive. We then drove the bike course, which will be that bad.

Eugene Marathon

My buddy D__ ran in Eugene, Oregon, on May 1. Here's his description:

"For what it's worth, this race is great, by far my favorite of the marathons I've done. It's a good size (3k in the marathon field), exceedingly pretty, and very well-run. From mile 15 on, you're on a bike path along the Willamette River the whole way, largely shaded by trees and with plenty to look at. It's a fast course without being completely flat -- a few hills in the first 10 miles, then enough little pitches up and down to allow you to change up the muscles. Highly, highly recommended."

Actual rather than Virtual Running

Thanks to Max for a great 7 miler on Saturday. Max was kind enough to come up to my house, run with me, and then head back downtown to his hotel so he did 13 to my 7. But a terrific occasion to show him the sights in the north end of Lincoln Park and actually talk while running instead of pretending to do you via the blog. Next task, convince Arianna A. and Harry First to join our merry band of running antitrust prof bloggers.