My Coffee table book

Anne strikes gold again this week as a present arrives for me. Anne took the time to format my blog from 07-08 into book form and it arrived today. I have a picture on the front of my three wonderful kids by our Christmas tree last year that I took and have loved. As I opened the pages for the first time and started to read what I had shared last year I was a bit taken back. I would frame up the last year as a very hard year with all the change that has gone on. As I turned from page to page I was reminded that we had a Awesome year. We did so many fun activities with friends and family. I loved seeing the pictures, reading some of the stories again and I am really thrilled with the present. Home run again for my wife taking care of her 4 children (cause we all know that she is the only real adult in our family).

Thanks Anne,

T

XC Moab 1109

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XC running race in Moab Utah

This past weekend I was able to sneak away for a first time XC running race. The event had 3 distances, 10(really 12.5), 20 (really 24.2) and 50K (really 30+ miles). I signed up for the 10 miler and wanted to have a very enjoyable event.

The group known as FOB (not going to tell since I am not an official member) was in full force at the starting line. We took pictures and enjoyed the 8am start. The weather was cold and overcast but not raining so everyone was in good spirits. The vibe was calm and really different from normal tris that I have done so I enjoyed the laid back nature of the crowd.

I started with my group (I mean the group that I am still not an official member of yet!!!) and we headed up a canyon for 4 miles of climbing. We took pictures and really started slow and ran as a group. I enjoyed the flavor and spent the time getting warmed up and rolling. At the top of the canyon we all collected for pictures and then ran the mile or so to the first aid station. I loved the dirt, the trails and running on rocks but as I approached the aid station I really fell in love. M & M's, Potato chips, and pretzels were the first row of items and the crew managing the station spent the day before Jeeping up to the site and sleeping outside to help us have a good day. I filled up my hydration and after 1.5 hrs I had drained 45 oz of Hammer Endurance. I filled up with H2O and headed out with my new peeps. We were rolling on the flats and then turned a corner and started our decent out of the canyon. Paula who is a FOB took off and I followed at a full sprint. Long story short I never did catch her and took my first loss of many for the day. We were on single track going down the canyon with 2000 feet to the left and running at 8 min pace. IT ROCKED. I wanted more and was very sad to have my day end from the others at mile 9. SO,,,,, John M and I decided to Join Beth and run the longer distance (24.5). I filled up at the 2ND Totally AWESOME aid station and took off. We ran up a dirt road and then had a 1.5 mile out and back up a canyon following the stream that was flowing. Back to the road for a few more miles to where the valley opened up and I could focus and see little colored dots climbing the side of a mountain that was several thousand feet tall. Beth noticed what I was looking at and with a NEW YORK SMILE said "yep were going to climb that". I spent the next 2 miles climbing straight up the side of a mountain and taking in mental shots of the view. Making it to the top I allowed myself to run out of H2O and Calories and was pretty nervous. I took what Beth would give and what John could give and ran concerned to mile 17 the next aid Station. I felt OK and filled up my fuel to the brim. 70oz in my Nathan pack and then I took a few PB&J's for the road. At this station they had cooked potato's with pure salt in front for dipping. At this point I had been moving for over 4 hours and this stuff tasted great. We headed back down a canyon slipping down the Red Rock of Moab and having a blast. I was able to start feeling better a few miles later and we headed for the last decent to the finish line. I was proud of my day because after 5 hours of running I was still moving and feeling great. Beth had taken care of me with great advice for the event as we were doing it and I appreciated her company. We picked it up on the last few miles down the canyon wall towards the finish line which tells me I was doing well with my long distance nutrition. We made it to the bottom to Ken and Lori Cheering us on as we came into the finish. They did the 10 miler and waited hours for us to finish and I REALLY APPRECIATED IT!!!!!.

The day was great, 24.5 mile in 5:46:36 and race director did not yell at me too much for changing the distance when I was not allowed to.

I loved it and want to do more of this style of events.


At this writing, Anne and I were able to spend a day with Friends Boone and Nicole showing them around Denver and hoping that they can find a practice here that will work.
I Love the outdoors and hope for many more awesome adventures.

Thanks ANNE,

I love you

12 mile XC run

During the week I had a 7 mile tempo run. I decided to see what my actual weight loss would be on a faster run that was a short distance and time. (I mean short since I am trying to work on nutrition for events lasting over 1.5 hrs) My starting weight was 185.2 and when I ended the scale showed 181.6lbs. The weather was about 50 degrees and I kept my HR around 174 for the Tempo run. I figure that I loose between 1.0-1.5 liters per hour and will try to lock this in over the next many months.
Saturday I joined, Beth, Julies, Ken and Lorie for a 12mile XC run starting at about 7500ft elevation. The course was up and down and the views were to die for. My goal for the event was to see how I would feel on 400 Calories per hour and 70 oz of water. I mixed 750 calories of Gatorade and took 1 package of PowerBar Gel Blasts at 130 calories and 2 Granola bars at 90 calories each. I liked having solids better this time than the gels that I took last time. I am not sure why but I feel better processing the solids better.
The weather was warm but not hot and I took everything in a newly purchased Nathan Backpack that held everything that I needed. I monitored my intake much better this run and took drinks every 2 minutes or close this time. I took the solids at 1 hour and 1.5 hours and felt the same as I did last long run GREAT. I did not feel depleted and just before 2 hours we has a .75 mile section along a ridge that Beth and I took the pace from 10/mile to around 8/mile. My HR stayed on the level section under 168 even though we picked the pace up by almost 2 minutes per mile. I was very tired at the end and used parts of my legs that the road does not. I finished feeling very positive and feeling good. I felt that this event was a huge success. I have not found the top of what I can take and process and will continue to work to this result but for now I felt that the run was awesome. 2.18 hours and 12.31 miles and I had an average HR below 170. I did pee only once this time as I did 3 or 4 times a few weeks ago. I think that because the weather was 30 degrees warmer I was able to process everything easier.
I have signed up for the Moab, Utah 10mile XC race November 14Th and look to see how I do running a very hard XC course at race pace working my new program.

I would appreciate any input because I am doing this only because I have not found success the other way. I feel that at 183lbs I could loose some weight and over the next 6 months I will work towards this direction. I started my life change at 235 and have kept myself around 180 for nearly 3 years now. I think that I would do better close to 170 so I am trying to get to this area. Anne says go not by the scale but how I look and feel and so I will have that be the largest factor.
Stay tuned for the next update.

Love you Anne,

T

Plan for the Winter

Hello all,

I know it has been too long since my last post and many events have passed under the Blogger bridge to try to catch up on all things. Anne and I did sell our home in Highlands Ranch and we are renting in "A" town. We have a 1425sf house that keeps us close and happy. Work is going well and Miche Bag continues to consume a large portion of my time. My parents came home from a Church Mission after almost 2 years and it was great to see them so happy and back in Colorado.

With the off season now in full swing I spent some time with Coach Steve after spending a large amount of time with Team Walton and here is what we decided.
-Training is going to become a bigger challenge as the kids grow so I will continue to adapt and have family as my #1, this will take my training volume down but not quality
-Spending time this winter getting stronger and faster will be my main focus.
-I would like to slim down 10-15 lbs and will work all off season towards this goal.
-Longest race distance will be Olympic Tri's next year and I will try to increase my speed.
-Training LSD while working on training nutrition will be a huge factor and I will expand on this topic below.
-Lexi will learn to ski this winter and so all of Team Walton will be on the hill almost every weekend.
-I will not do an Ironman in 2010 and its Boo Yaa cool that I am not.

Distance training:
PROBLEM: I run out of energy after 1.5 hours of running or 4 hours of biking and have been for the last 3 years
I have come to the conclusion that I have changed my endurance in a major way over the last 3 years but I still feel the same doing longer efforts. On a 2 hour steady effort run I can loose between 3-8 lbs. I have been consuming about the same as those that I train with both Liquid and calories even though I sweat and burn much different.
TRIAL AND ERROR:
Since the I know that the definition of Stupid is doing the same thing expecting different results I am going to work on what I need to consume to feel good and have the energy that I need on distance training and racing.
TRIAL #1: 15 miles LSD in 30 Degree weather.
Goal: I want to over consume calories and H2O to the point that my stomach will allow no more.
VOLUME: 70oz of Water with Gatorade mix at 1.75 normal volume or 500 calories. 2 Gels at 100 calories each. Total calories 700, total Liquid 70oz.
REALITY: The group allowed me to set the pace of the day and we finished 15 miles in 2:45 and my GPS said I burned 2066 calories. I did not weigh my self for this run. I used a Nathan backpack hydration pack with 70oz capacity and finished it by the end of the run. I did not have stomach problems and consumed the majority of the Gatorade the last half of the run.
LESSON LEARNED: I can consume more and will try to take in 300 calories an hour between food and water. However I was able to keep my Heart Rate consistent the entire run and for the first time EVER I felt good at the end of the run. I hurt and was tired but not worn down to below empty. I take this as a positive trial and look forward to the next one.

For all those that do not have a runners body and sweat a ton know that you are in good company. I want to figure out how to have the strength to finish longer distance events and so I will keep you posted on my success and failures.

Love you Anne,

T

2009 USAT Age Group Nationals Race Report

Getting the opportunity to race in a qualify only race is always a treat for me as the consummate "middle of the pack "athlete and for it to be the top 10% in the country makes it all that more special.

Tuscaloosa Alabama "Bama baby" was the location and over 1100 athletes converged last weekend with our Type A personalities for 2009's National Championships. We had the best professionals in town as well and it is always cool to see a Pro do what we do only REALLY, REALLY fast. I arrived on Thursday with friends from Practical Coaching and by the time all arrived we were 13 strong. The weather was crazy with rain for two days but it did not dampen our spirits as we had fun getting ready for Saturday's race.

I always try to rise to the occasion on race day and give all that I have to give. And when the alarm clock showed 10 minutes before the alarm was set to go off and I was feeling awake and excited I knew that it was game on.

Normal pre race went well, my rack was good, I felt good and the sun for the first time in 2 days decided to show up. In addition to the sun the Core of Engineers had to release some of the rain fall in the river so a nice river swim turned into a current that caused many not to finish the swim and for others an increase of swim time over 2 hours. The sight of the first wave of swimmers hitting the turn where the current was and seeing many of the swimmers not go anywhere or even loose ground had a huge affect on the crowd especially me. The race was set up for the first 5 waves to be men and woman over 50 and then a 30 minute pause to allow for them to get on the bike course and spread out a bit. During this 30 minutes I was doing a run warm up and was really affected by seeing these older athletes struggle and not quite. A normal swim time for them should be 25-45 minutes to finish a mile swim and as I said earlier it took some of them over 2 hours but they did not quite. Some had to but the majority put up a fight and did not back down. All the many hours of training put in the "training bank" and they were not going to be cheated a finish and I felt and saw with my own eyes one of the best feats I have ever seen and I will always be impressed looking back at the men and woman twice my age giving it all they had to beat the current that the river had that day. The oldest athlete to finish the race this year was in the 80-84 age group. Yep 81 years young and still rocking, what inspiration that will always be for me.

I jumped in the water and cleared my goggles. I looked in the river water again and realized it was not my goggles but the "Dingy" river that was making it hard to see. The swim start was down river from the swim exit so we were to make 3 turns in the water and the second turn, the longest leg was up current. I decided to take it really slow and easy the first until the turn into the current and this decision paid off. By the time I hit the second buoy I was passing people left and right. I relaxed, kicked hard (the water was too warm and so wet suites were not allowed)and tried to be as smooth in the water. I pushed harder than I normally do and felt the struggle of the current. I pushed my pace even faster and started to make some headway. I saw many struggling swimmers and felt for them but had my own race to fight. I found some feet to follow the last leg of the swim and as we exited the water the crowd cheering us on was lined all the way up to transition and I welled up and ran with a huge smile on my face.

SWIM TIME 36.01 (normal for me is 24-25)

The bike course was up and down and two loops and so for the first loop I settled into riding and choosing where I was going to push for the second loop. I was getting passed by athletes that were trying to make up ground after such a tough swim and felt good that I has so much swim practice at Lake Powell (thanks again Mom and Dad). The second loop I was feeling good and climbed hard and pushed my bike as best as I could. I was not getting passed much on the second loop and came into T2 feeling really good.

BIKE TIME 107:33 (22.1 MPH close to a PR for me)

I took the time to put on socks since the run course had 3 steep hills that we needed to climb and also grabbed two hand fulls of ice that I brought from the hotel to keep me cool on the run. I felt good the first mile and the first climb. I took a steady pace and passed a bunch who were walking. The humidity was up and since the sun show up as well it was getting really hot. The second climb went just as well as the first and so on the third climb I did not let up as I had on the previous two and survived. I was more than half way done and it was little rollers back to the finish line. I increased my pace and gave all that I had for the day to this last section of the race. I stayed focused and did not pay attention to my surroundings until I heard the crowd at the finish line. This year the finish shoot had a huge Jumbo Tron that was showing the athletes crossing the finish line. I heard my name announced and it was a huge honor since I was still standing when this happened.

RUN TIME 47:26 (7:38 Pace)

TOTAL TIME 2:33:55 (55TH of 77 in my age group and 456 of 925 overall)

I had a great race and I am really proud that I was able to execute as well as I did for the day. I am learning how to race well in this sport and look forward to the years to come. Hopefully I can be the 81 year old finisher one day. I will always be amazed at those I get to train with, we have 5 of 13 Practical Coaching athletes make it to Age Group Worlds representing the USA in 2010. I am very thankful to my family that allowed me the time to be at this race and their willingness for me to spend time exercising. I am glad that I made the choice 3 years ago to change my life and make a new direction.

I love you Anne,

T

Living a Lake Powell summer

I was raised on Lake Powell from the time that I can remember. Sleeping on top of the houseboat and waking to the sun as it lifted over the red rocks of southern Utah. Playing on the boat with the tubs, wakeboards and kneeboards until my arms were too tired to hold on to the rope. Going touring and falling asleep to the sound of the motor and the gentle bounce of the boat as it rolled through the waves in the main channel. Eating great meals and snacks all day and at night feeling the cooling sensation of lotion bringing much needed relief to the days sunburn. THE STARS in the billions looking over me in the dark night and spending the last few minutes until sleep overtook me looking for satellites. I spent weeks each summer doing these activities every year and now I get to see my kids have the same experiences and I have to say I could not be any happier. Lake Powell is magical, it was as a kid and now I even believe it more as a adult. I will always love this place, love what it does to me and my family. My kids now are doing what I did when I was 3 and 6 and 8. Jumping off the top of the houseboat, playing in the water for hours at time and living all day long on the beach. This is my Lake Powell and I hope that you enjoy some of the pictures of this summer.

We miss it already and can't wait until we can go again.

Lexi, Jackson, Sam, Liz, Johah and Josh on the Tube at the end of the day.

Lexi was tired and fell asleep after a few hours of touring on the boat



After the boat was set on the beach it was time to play with the kids

Getting Jackson and Thomas ready to kneeboard with the houseboat in the background.
(Crazy hair provided by Rob Walton)
Josh with his BFF Libby and Lexi sporting summer sun glasses

Lexi could not wait to play on the beach the first day on the trip, she spent time here every day

This was Josh's first year kneeboarding and I was able to help him get started. Jackson is looking cool on the other side

Up and away

Jackson chillin on the tube in the slips getting ready for some play time