JustKev.in  •  From Lazyman to Ironman, one inactive guy's journey to triathlete (and everything else under his beer helmet.)
July 12th, 2010 | 95 views | 4 Comments »

2010 Tri! Ballantyne Race Report

This triathlon was unique as it was my first as part of a relay team.  My sister, Melissa, and I decided it would be fun to participate in a triathlon with her running and me cycling and we happened to find out that one of her friends, Sally, happened to be a skilled swimmer, with competitive swimming a part of her past.  So we had the idea out there, then we had to convince everyone to be on board and commit.  Long story short, we did and we even came up with a clever team name to acknowledge our inexperience as a relay team and 2/3 of the team inexperienced with triathlon overall (Melissa had since raced her first triathlon before competing in the relay, but Sally had never taken part in a multi-sport event until race day).  Team “So that’s what you meant by tri…” was formed.

We staged a couple of informal swim practice sessions prior to the event, but overall, everyone was on their own.  In fact, we never practiced the transitions prior to race day and even then it was just a verbal communication of how we would pass the ankle strap (that held our timing chip) in the transition area.

Going into the days before the race, we learned that there were 12 relay teams that were registered to compete in the event.  Normally there are only a handful, so I was secretly (or not so secretly) hoping for a chance for our team to place in the top 3 for an award.  Now that we had 11 others to race against, our chances went down.  Not to worry, we had a decent enough team, and who knows how good the competition would be?

Also in the days leading up to the race, I learned that my bike (Felt B16) had been involved in a recall.  Apparently there have been 7 problems with the fork (the part that holds the front wheel and goes through the frame and holds the handlebars) that involves a construction flaw with the carbon fiber and has caused the fork to crack.  If this happens during a ride, a crash would be imminent.  I had been in communication with TrySports several times to get the fork replaced, but it wasn’t going to happen before the race.  I spent the last couple of weeks training on the trainer to prevent a crash, but I had to take my chances with the race.  Hopefully this issue will be fixed very soon so I can get back out there!

Other things special to this event were the many friends that had chosen this race to be their first triathlon ever.  Chris Bugart, Wendy Arias (both friends through Melissa) and Melissa McConnell (Melissa’s neighbor) all were racing their first ever triathlon!  And Scott Helms came out to race the event as well.  Scott made it his personal goal to beat our relay team by himself.  I also knew one other competitor, my chiropractor, Dr. Adam Cooper!

This was a first year race and apparently they had expected around 200 participants.  When the registration numbers reached 380, they were forced to close off the event.  The problem with this many racers in a triathlon with a pool swim is that only one swimmer can start at a time.  The first athlete entered the water at 7:00 and the last one not until 8:52!

I look a little evil this early in the morning!

Wendy, me and Melissa after setting up transition

Scott and I doing some "trash talking"

chilling before the race

transition filling up

Sally was fast, so she was seeded towards the beginning of the race, so we were to start our race at 7:20:30.  Scott was 1 minute behind us.  I knew that Scott’s goal was to beat us, so I did not want to let him catch me on the bike.

ready to go!

Melissa and I waited in our transition area until 7:24, when we expected Sally to come out of the pool area.  Once we saw her, I was ready with my bike and Melissa switched the ankle strap from Sally’s ankle to mine.  I ran out of transition area, mounted my bike and took off.  The course was fairly straightforward early on the course with some flat spots and some downhills.  I was able to pass several people, but there were a few that passed me as well.  Around halfway, the one I did not want to see on the course appeared and blew by!  Scott had made up the minute difference and was now gaining time on us.  I pushed to keep up with him, but to no avail.

I arrived back at transition area where Sally transferred the ankle strap from my ankle to Melissa’s.  She took off for the run course and I was told Scott was only a couple minutes ahead.  Fingers crossed Melissa would have a great run and Scott might hit a wall.

Our star swimmer having fun!

Melissa & Sally waiting in T2

T2

T2

Scott ended up finishing at 1:10:12 and Melissa came across the line with 1:13:36 for our team.  3:24 faster.  Well done Scott!

Melissa heading for the finish!

doing damage for next time...

doing damage for next time...

We saw the preliminary results with 6 relay teams finished and we were in 3rd place.  We were hopeful to hold onto that placement.  Unfortunately for us, a team came in 31 seconds faster than us and bumped us to 4th.

After all is said and done, I am extremely happy with 4th out of 12.  And with zero practice on transitions, we tied 3 other teams for fastest T1 and we had the fastest T2 of all the 12 teams.  Great job Melissa and Sally!

Oh, and Chris Bugart finished his first triathlon with a time of 1:49:47 (he was worried they would pull him off the course if he didn’t finish in 2:30!).  Great job beating his goal time by over 10 minutes!!!

Go Chris!

Chris heading for the finish!

Melissa McConnell finished with a time of 1:24:23 (she was worried about a 2:00 penalty for forgetting her race number on the run, but it doesn’t appear to have been assessed) and Wendy Arias finished with 1:35:49!  Great times and not just for first timers!

Dr. Cooper did great too, with a time of 1:14:46!

We capped off the morning by meeting up at The Flying Biscuit Cafe in Ballantyne, NC for food.  Jenn, Mia and Sadie met up with us for the delicious meal.

Mia at The Flying Biscuit

Next up is Assault on Cherokee International Triathlon and I am a little nervous.  I have not been swimming as much as I should be and I have having problems with my Sciatic nerve that is causing pain and numbness in my left foot and leg.  This is aggravated when I run, so I am under doctor’s orders not to do any running for a while.  This could get interesting and hard!

Categories: Race Reports, Triathlon Training, Uncategorized
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June 23rd, 2010 | 63 views | 3 Comments »

2010 Tri at Baxter Race Report

This race was my second triathlon of the year and it was a special one.  It was Melissa’s first triathlon and I had convinced her to race it.  I wanted her to have fun and be proud of herself.  And I wanted to be there!

I came off almost a week of illness and the thought crossed my mind not to race it, and my wife even suggested that I shouldn’t.  I got so sad at the thought of not racing with Melissa, that I told myself that I didn’t have to be fast, just be there and finish.

To add to my troubles, I was up until midnight the night before trying to fix my bike.  You see, after I installed my bike on the new trainer, I realized that my rear brake was rubbing.  I tried everything that I knew, pulled the crank (with the hidden brake on the Felt B16, the crank has to be removed to fully access the rear brake) I had the rear tire removed, etc.  I should have taken a picture; this was a mere 6 hours before I had to be there!  Well, I didn’t get it perfect, but I thought it would be good enough.

5:15AM-

Wake up time.  Hit snooze.

5:24AM-

Getting up now (so I thought), turned off alarm.

5:35AM-

Jenn says, “Get up, you’re going to be late!”  I went into the bathroom for a quick dressing with tri shorts and top under “street” clothes.  Good thing I had prepared everything the night before.  I went downstairs, grabbed a granola bar and went to the car where my bike and all my gear were already waiting.

6:10AM-

I met Melissa and Jeff at the race site.  Melissa was already setting up and she did a great job.  I guess the practice and the REI workshop paid off!  I got my transition area set up and we went to get body marked and get our timing chips.  We saw Scott and then Alex arrived after that.  We then went back to transition to check over everything and grab our swim gear.  We went to the bathroom and then to the pool for a little warm-up swim.  This is the benefit of arriving early.  We were able to take our time and get comfortable.

ummm?

someone's missing something

Scott giving last minute advice

The Swim:

Once it was my time to get in the water, I was feeling pretty good.  The swim went well and I felt I seeded myself correctly.  I passed the person in front of me and I allowed two people to pass me.  The short distance of 300 meters was nice!

getting in the pool

starting the swim

on the swim

almost done with the swim!

Melissa, ready to go!

go machine!

The Bike:

As soon as I started pedaling, I realized that I had not fixed the brake as well as I had thought.  The brake was rubbing a good bit.  This not only slowed me down, but I realized it was a big mental hurdle as well.  It was very frustrating to have to give more effort than I was getting out of it.  As I made my turn around at the halfway point, I started to look for Melissa.  She was not far behind!  And she looked great!  About 3 miles before the bike finish, I saw Scott walking his bike.  He was not hurt, so I did not stop.  Apparently, his chain had problems and he could only coast down hills and was forced to walk up them.  This did not stop him though, he still finished strong!

out for a ride with a rear brake rubbing!

heading out on the bike

Melissa in T1

back from the ride

Melissa is all smiles!

The Run:

After a frustrating ride, I was tired and a little annoyed.  It was hot and I was not feeling well stomach-wise.  I ran and walked the entire 3.4 miles and made for a VERY slow run.  Scott passed me first, then I heard Melissa’s voice not too far from the finish say, “Don’t let me catch you!”  That was enough motivation to run the rest of the way, but I knew she already had me beat; she started 1:40 after me.  There was no way for me to make that up at that point.  Congratulations Melissa!  Next time, though, I will be better prepared!  Speaking of, Melissa had a great time and is hooked!  What’s the next race, Melissa?

Jenn and the girls ready to cheer us in

Sadie's having a blast!

starting the run

heading out for the grueling run

melissa's smile is bigger than mine at this point!

Melissa on the run

Scott passed us both on the run!

that's the smile of finishing with my girls cheering me in

finish

pain!

I am hurting!

Melissa finish - she actually beat my time with the delayed start!

congratulations, TRIATHLETE!

the trio

It was a great race and a fun time with family and friends.  Melissa got hooked on multi-sport and Scott, Alex and I fueled our fires.  My bike is now in the shop at TrySports, so hopefully I will be back in the saddle next weekend without a rubbing brake.  I did actually finish 3rd in my age group, but I can’t really count it since there were only 3 of us!  Next up is the Ballantyne Triathlon, where Sally, Melissa and I are racing as a relay team.  Should be fun and we should be pretty fast!

Results:

Overall ——- Swim 300M ——- T1 ——- Bike 16M ——- T2 ——- Run 3.4 ——- Total
Place Place Name Bib No Age Rnk Time Pace Time Rnk Time Rate Time Rnk Time Pace Time
3 78 Kevin Davis 78 27 3 06:37 2:12 02:40 3 1:00:35 15.8 00:49 3 40:27 11:54 1:51:10
Categories: Race Reports, Triathlon Training
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June 20th, 2010 | 4 views | 1 Comment »

Happy Father’s Day!

Categories: Random Thoughts
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June 5th, 2010 | 41 views | 4 Comments »

report from mitchell & beyond

When a trip starts off with blue lights, things could get interesting…

Friday:

Jenn called to tell me that she unfortunately would not be able to join us on the trip.  She was sick.  Huge bummer!  She told me that she still wanted me to go and have fun, so I decided to stay with her Friday night and head up with Althea on Saturday morning.

Saturday:

I left the house about 10 til 5:00, about 5 minutes late.  I was to meet Andrew (who was driving Karen, Chad and Stephanie) at some point on I-485.  I called him to let him know that I was a little behind, and after a little chastising from Andrew, he told me he would stop along the shoulder of the exit for Tryon and I would flash my light when I saw him.  Well, the boys in blue beat me to him.  When I arrived, there were blue lights ablaze, so of course, I did not stop and let Andrew deal with that.  I got off onto Tryon and figured once Andrew got out of jail, he would give me a call.  Just kidding no jail time, but they were most interested why someone was stopped on the shoulder at 5 AM on Saturday.

After the excitement, we headed on.

We decided to stop at Waffle House along the way, of course.

We arrived at Mount Mitchell State Park parking lot about 30 minutes late of schedule, but not too bad.  We decided to summit Mount Mitchell first since the clouds were all low in the valley and there was a good view.  Also, there were very few people on the summit at this early hour.  1 down, 8 to go.

Next, we headed south to summit Mount Hallback.  This consisted of a bushwhack through relatively thick forest up a fairly steep hill about a 1/4 mile off of the trail.  There happened to be a sign (albeit a little loosely anchored) to mark the summit.  2 down, 7 to go.

After we returned to the trail, we continued on where we hiked past the first gate to the park, a few miles from the summit of Mount Mitchell.  We could tell at this time that the park we getting very busy as the weather was still nice on a Saturday of a holiday weekend.  Several motorcyclists were riding on the scenic roadway.

From there we hiked up a long gravel roadway that led us near to the summit of Mount Gibbes.  This was a slight bushwhack that took us near some very creepy buildings (some abandoned) that apparently were used at times by NC State University.  We found the summit that was not marked, but we are certain we were there.  Snapped some pictures and headed back to the parking area.  3 down, 6 to go.

Along this stretch, Karen, Andrew’s wife, let us know that her knees had been bothering her a good bit all day.  The terrain we were covering is very technical, especially for someone that has had a couple of surgeries and zero cartilage in one knee.  By the time we got back to the cars, we all needed a break.

We ate lunch and rested up before packing our overnight packs to head in the opposite direction towards Deep Gap for the night.  We got about 1/2 mile in and Karen was not doing well.  We could all tell she was in a lot of pain and we decided it would be wise to turn around before it got worse.  The last thing anyone wants is for someone to be 4.5 miles into the back country unable to walk.

We headed back to the cars and decided to still camp in the area so we set out to find a place.

All of the campgrounds we came to were full.  Apparently we weren’t the only people who decided to go camping in the area for the long weekend.  We finally came to a trail head where, after hiking along the trail for about a 1/4 mile, we found a decent place to make camp.  We headed to the cars, packed what we needed for the night and returned to set up.

We got a fire going and made dinner and told stories for a while before turning in.

The next morning we took it easy for a while before breaking camp.  Little else happened, but we did stop to eat at Sonic (since Zaxby’s wasn’t open yet) before heading for home.

All in all a great trip, but we will be back for the remaining 6 peaks!  Get well soon Karen!

P.S. The special places ended up being in restrooms, so nothing to note on that here.

Categories: Hiking/Camping, special places
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May 28th, 2010 | 24 views | 6 Comments »

mitchell & beyond!!!

Tonight, Jenn, Althea (Diego would not want to come…) and I will travel to Mount Mitchell State Park to be ready to start our hike to climb 6 9 peaks on the South Beyond 6000 list (SB6K).  We will meet up with Andrew, Karen, Chad and Stephanie tomorrow morning to start the hike.

First, we will head south to climb Mount Hallback (6320 feet) then on to Mount Gibbes (6560 feet).  From there we will return to Mount Mitchell State Park to eat lunch.  After lunch, we will head north on the Black Mountain Crest Trail to visit the peaks of Mount Mitchell (6684 feet), Mount Craig (6647 feet), Balsam Cone (6611 feet), & Potato Hill (6475 feet).  After we summit Potato Hill we will arrive at camp for the night.  We will camp at Deep Gap, where we hope to find a water source. 

Sunday morning we will set out for more peaks on the trail which will include Winter Star Mountain (6212 feet), Gibbs Mountain (6224 feet), & Celo Knob (6327 feet).  We will return to Deep Gap to camp again on Sunday night.

Monday morning we will return to the parking area and make our way back home.  I am sure it will be a fun and exhausting weekend, but I am so excited to be taking Jenn on her first backpacking trip!  I hope it is a great one and she will get hooked like the rest of us!

If we have views anywhere close to this, I will be happy!

Categories: Hiking/Camping
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May 12th, 2010 | 33 views | 9 Comments »

new running shoes

I just got a lunch time run of 3 miles and it happened to be the first run in my new shoes!

Of course, I bought them at my favorite running, cycling, swimming, triathlon store, TrySports.  Melissa has written on her blog several times about how great they are at TrySports.  Yesterday’s purchase experience was no exception.  Once I walked in, Jenn (an associate that has been there since I have started shopping there) recognized me, said hello and asked how I was and asked how Melissa is.  Now that is customer service!  Keep in mind too, that it has probably been 2 or 3 months since I have been in there.

Once I told them that I think I needed new shoes, they started their fit process.  They put me in a pair of Brooks, had me run on the treadmill to analyze how my feet contacted the treadmill when I ran.  They determined that I still needed a neutral shoe so she got a few out for me to try on.

I ended up deciding on a pair of Mizuno Wave Creation 10’s.  They have a different feel than my old Saucony’s.  Not that I didn’t like them, because I loved them, I just wanted to try something different to see if there was something possibly better out there.

After my first run, I still like them.

They are interesting because the cushion is really different than that of a normal shoe.  Instead of cushion all over the bottom of the shoe, your foot rests on a sturdy foot-bed and the ankle area is supported by several cushion “points” so-to-speak.  I will show the picture so you can see what I am talking about.

Of course, I had them put a pair of Yankz! in for the ease of use that they offer.  When they asked me what color, I said “white, I guess” to which they promptly told me that was boring so we compromised and I ended up with reflective white.

After getting the shoes, I met up with Andrew, Breanna, Chad and Stephanie at REI to get some food for Mitchell & Beyond coming up memorial day weekend!  Two of my favorite stores in one day woohoo!  Oh, and did I mention that I was able to convince Jenn to join us this time for her first backpacking trip!?  So excited!

Categories: Hiking/Camping, Triathlon Training
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May 9th, 2010 | 103 views | 2 Comments »

2010 Tri the Rock Race Report

This race marked the “anniversary” race of my first triathlon.  It was also my first tri of the year and I had not been training the way I should due to a very busy schedule.  So I did not know what to expect, but I hoped to beat my times from last year.

The swim:

I was running late to the race due to a faulty alarm clock (or perhaps it was my faulty hearing?) and arrived at the race with less than 5 minutes before they were to close the transition area.  Good thing I had picked up my race packet the day before and had my numbers on my race belt, helmet and bike.  I got my transition area ready in a hurry and went to get body marked and my timing chip.  Luckily there was not a line at this time and I was able to get in and out of there.  After that, I hit the bathroom to christen another special place and then headed to the pool side.

They were midway through the pre-race meeting, so good thing I had raced this event before and pretty much knew what to do.  I waited for my swim start (this year 57th) and the race was on.

I actually felt pretty comfortable in the water, as opposed to last year, and went at a steady pace for the 500 yards.  I must have seeded myself a bit fast as there were a few people that needed to pass me along the way, which required me to stop at the walls a few times to let them.  That slowed me a bit, but no big deal.

Swim time: 12:09

Last year: 12:06

The bike:

As always, after the swim I am glad to be heading out on the bike.  I had a relatively quick transition and hit it.  I was soon to find out that the weather conditions were windy and that wind was pushing against me on the way out.  This made for a very tough bike, but relented a bit on the way back.  I also realized that they extended the bike course by about a mile or so, which the extension was uphill and into the wind!  I didn’t beat my bike time from last year, but the conditions and extended course could explain.

Bike time: 51:42

Last year: 50:24

The run:

After the tough bike, I was tired.  I headed out on the (also changed) run course hoping to finish strong.  Early into the run, I had calf cramps.  I stopped and stretched.  I went on with a run/walk program for most of the remaining run.  I also didn’t beat my run time from last year.  I attribute that to under preparedness in addition to the tough bike.

Run time: 32:11

Last year: 29:40

Total time with transitions: 1:39:20

Last year: 1:32:09

Complete reults here.

Overall this was a very fun event again, and will most likely race this one every year.  Also, Jenn, Mia, Sadie and Melissa came to cheer me in!  Oh and remember my brother-in-law, Alex, who said he wasn’t ready for the race because he hadn’t run or cycled since Christmas?  He freakin’ won his age group.  Told you he would win it anyway!  Go Alex (aka The Machine!)

I will post pictures once I am able to get my hands on some…

Thanks Melissa for the pictures and for being there!!!

P.S. see Keith, I really did do it and have the pictures to prove it!

Categories: Race Reports, Triathlon Training, special places
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May 7th, 2010 | 12 views | 1 Comment »

tomorrow’s tri and 100 posts

Tomorrow is my first triathlon of the year, Tri the Rock in Rock Hill, SC.  About 1 year ago, I raced my first triathlon, which happened to be the same event.  Not too long after, I started this blog.  I think it fitting that my 100th post be the day before I race this triathlon for a second time.

I only hope I can beat my times from last year:

Swim – 12:06

Bike – 50:24

Run – 29:40

I picked up my race packet at lunch today, and guess what?  Dry-fit event t-shirts!  More and more events seem to be moving away from cotton t-shirts, which is great so the participants can actually use them while exercising!  Plus it works for the event because it works as advertising.

As always I am looking forward to the support of my friends and family.  Jenn plans to bring Mia and Sadie to cheer me on (Mia already told me she wants to bring her pom-poms :) ), Melissa said she wants to come and my brother-in-law, Alex, who convinced me to race this triathlon last year will be racing as well.  He says he won’t do well, but I think he will win it in spite of the fact he hasn’t ran in months.

I will report back and let you all know how it goes!

On another wonderful note, I will be racing my first triathlon as part of a relay team!  Sally will tackle the swim, I will take the bike portion and Melissa will run to the finish!  We will race at the Ballantyne Triathlon on July 10th.  We are currently throwing around team names, so what do you all think?  Check out some of the names suggested on Melissa’s post today.

Categories: Race Reports, Triathlon Training
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April 22nd, 2010 | 6 views | 1 Comment »

unorganized training

I am less than 3 weeks from my first triathlon of the year and I am in no way training like I “should” be.  I have battled back issues, lack of motivation and job stress this year, but those are all excuses.  I am extremely excited that the race is coming up and although I am not training correctly, I am fitting in workouts.  I wore my Garmin while we walked around the Greenway at Earth Day festivities and for mowing the lawn and walked a total of 4.41 miles.  I rode my bike to a pub last Saturday night to meet up with a buddy before he goes to Afghanistan with the Army (4.44 miles and 3.87 miles).  I ran at lunch on Monday (3 miles).  I wore my Garmin while I went to the zoo on Tuesday with Jenn, Mia and Sadie (6.31 miles).  I rode to work on Wednesday (9.79 miles) and back home (9.59 miles).  Since Saturday, I have logged 41.42 miles and burned 4,050 calories.  Again, this is not ideal training, but I am finding things to do that work with my schedule.

I hope to get some swimming in this weekend and possibly a “long” run of 7 miles or so.  Also, I want to get Melissa back on her bike!

Speaking of Melissa, she fired me up for Tri the Rock coming up on 5/8/10 with this post that includes a reference to one of my favorite stickers on my “new” 4Runner:

Categories: Triathlon Training
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April 5th, 2010 | 0 views | No Comments »

running…harder than it should be these days

I had a great long weekend with my girls this past weekend.  We went to the mountains (my favorite place to be) for the holiday weekend.  I was able to go on a couple of runs, but it was so much harder than it should have been.  I am not in as good of shape as I had gotten prior to the marathon last year and I am not used to the heat we are experiencing right now.  Add to that, I was in the mountains and my first run on Friday was very hilly.  I went back out for another runon Saturday, but this time I found a relatively flat course at a nearby park.  On Sunday, we went for a hike to visit Tom’s Creek Falls and even that was tougher than it needed to be.

I have signed up for Charlotte Racefest 1/2 marathonthis Saturday, but I have decided to switch to the 10K race to avoid injury.  I will also begin cycling to work again to get extra cardio in.

Any other suggestions?

Categories: Hiking/Camping, Triathlon Training
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