Slide show here...

Yikes!  The Adirondack mountains were tougher than I had remembered.  Except for some showers during the swim and rain at about 9:30PM, the weather was really nice.  

I went for a training on my bike the Friday before the race and crashed.  So I was still pretty sore on race morning.  But no excuses - I just didn't train enough.  A guy from Houston should know better than to go ride mountains!

I'll be back next year to try to prove I can do better with proper preparation...

Buffalo Springs Lake 1/2 Ironman, Lubbock, TX

1/2 Ironman in Sylvania, OH

The race will be held on June 11.  I've never done this race before, though I have done the olympic distance race at this same location.  As near as I can tell, the race will cover much of the same course but with multiple loops; the exception being the bike course which will likely just go further out into the country side.

Tri Bike Transport a huge success!!

I used this service to get my bike from Houston, Texas to the 1/2 Ironman race at Disney World in Orlando, Florida.  The service was even better than advertised.

All I had to do was remove the pedals from the bike.  Then I dropped the bike off at my local bike shop about a week before the race.  When I got to Florida, my bike was sitting on a rack right beside packet pick up.  I had brought tools and rags to get my pedals back on (and off after the race) but I didn't need them.  The people with Tri Bike Transport, after verifying my identity, put the pedals on the bike for me.  The bike was in perfect shape when I picked it up.  Just like when I dropped it off.

After the race, I simply wheeled my bike out of the transition area and over to the Tri Bike Transport tent (a very short walk) where they greeted me and asked about the race.  Then they removed my pedals for me and put them in a zip lock bag that they provided.  It was GREAT!!  

This was all done for about the same price I would have paid to put my bike on an airplane.  And if you've done that - and hassled with the assembly, disassembly, struggle with the rental car, etc., etc., then you know that using this service is simply a "no-brainer".  I strongly recommend the service!  I will definitely use them again for my trip to IronmanUSA in July.

1/2 Ironman Florida

This was a fun race.  The swim was nice - a single loop course in a lake right inside of Disney World and a short walk from the Wilderness Lodge where we stayed.  The water was warm, so no wetsuits were allowed.

The bike was a breeze.  The first and last 15 miles were pancake flat.  There was no wind, and with a very early race start, the weather was still cool during the bike ride.  The hills were in the middle part of the course, but none of the hills were at all challenging; in fact, I suspect people that live in hilly places wouldn't even call them hills.  But for someone from Houston - they were definitely hills.

The run got to be tough because the heat and sun were out in full force.  The humidity was low, so that was a blessing.  The run course was mostly on a dirt trail which I liked.  But there was no shade for the biggest part of each loop of the 3 loop course.  The aid stations were well placed which was a life saver.  The only thing bad was that a couple of the aid stations had run out of ice and one aid station ran out of cups.  To me, for an Ironman brand race where you pay a premium price, this is inexcusable.

I was disappointed in my run time, but I was pleased with getting through the run without having to walk between any of the rest stops.  I was hoping to beat 6:30, which I should have done easily, but the long run put me over.  I ended up with a time of 6:34.

Daniel and I ran in the Austin Freescale Marathon on Sunday, February 19.  The weather was horrible.  Cold, freezing rain.  It was miserable.  The bridges and overpasses were covered with ice so you had to be extremely careful walking across.  Also, and there is a video to prove it, there was a herd of deer that got trapped and then spooked at the start of the race.  In their panic to escape, they leaped through the hordes of people at the starting.  One runner was actually injured when they were kicked by the leaping deer!  Here's a picture of Daniel and I about 6 1/2 miles from the finish line.  That's the Texas state capitol in the background.

The Houston Marathon is being run Sunday, January 15.  My son, Daniel, is running in his first marathon.  I'll be running (not the right term - I will be walking/jogging/hobbling) in the race.  I am not prepared, but I'm going to try any how.

You can register to track people you know via text messages to your mobile phone or pager, or receive email updates.  

The weather forecast is for a high of 71, overcast skies and a 20% chance of rain.  That wouldn't be too bad.  We will see....

Hawaii Ironman BLOG:

I was surprised how popular my hurricane Rita blog was, so I'll try this blog thing again, this time journaling my dream quest to compete and complete the Hawaii Ironman.

Hurricane Rita BLOG:
I'm trying to write a little bit about what's happening here in Houston during the approach and passing of Hurricane Rita.

Although I received a lottery slot, the slot needs to be validated by finishing a USA Triathlon certified 1/2 Ironman race in under 8 hours.  I accomplished that (my time was right at 7 hours - my best time on that course is 6 hr 20 min) in June at the Buffalo Springs Lake Triathlon in Lubbock, Texas.  If you've never done this race, you should try it.  The race organizers, Mike and Marty Greer, do an absolutely incredible job.  In case you are interested, here's a few photos from that race:

• Preparing for the swim
• Swim start
• Finishing the run

• My son got married!  Here's a few photos of the wedding from Old Town Albuquerque, New Mexico
  • The bride, groom, best man and matron of honor
  • The traditional feeding of the cake

• Engagement photo of Daniel and his bride-to-be.