Lake Powell over the 4th

This is a picture overlooking Bullfrog bay


Hiking up a slot canyon. Jackson, Josh and Pappa

I always get excited when we get the opportunity to go down to Lake Powell. I have spent over a year of my life on this lake and now I get to share it with my kids. The red rocks, blue sky, warm water and hot days make this place a paradise for me. I have pictures of my as a baby at this lake, my first kiss was at this lake, and I fell in love with my best friend turned wife at this lake so with 35 years of adventures you can see why I am get excited about LP.
This trip was going to be just my family and my parents. We left Denver after a very busy week of work and made the 7 hour drive from Denver. I am always impressed with how my kids travel, they do so well and it is not such a struggle to make a long drive. It was the 4th of July weekend so I was able to have one extra day on the lake and not have to take time away from work.
Mom and Dad were still awake when we arrived and they helped us put the food away and the kids to bed. When we stay in the slips we get water and power and do not have to use any engines or generators. The trade off is that we are not able to park the boat on the beach and sleep on top of the houseboat or have a beach to play on.
The next day and the 2 days after that we spent our time swimming, playing on the boat and playing games. This trip was very special for me because Jackson was able to get up water skiing for his first time. He tried last year and was not able to get up and so when we wanted to try again this year I was really hoping that he would get up. I help him with getting ready and my dad drove the boat and as Jackson yelled “hit it” seconds later he was up like he had done it 100 times before. He fell shortly after and after 3 more attempts he was able to stay up and have a good long ride. The rest of the trip he spent talking about water skiing and what tricks he could learn. I remember when I first learned and how big of a deal it was to me and now to see those same feelings was a pretty big deal for me. Josh tried and was not able so maybe next trip he would get up. One thing that Josh is getting good at is the knee board. He was able to even stand up and ride the board like a surf board by himself. We have two knee boards so Jackson and Josh would ride together and would do tricks and try to splash each other. It was fun to see them enjoying themselves so much. This trip was also the first time that Lexi wanted to ride the kneeboard by herself. I rode double with her and after a few minutes of getting use to it she was up on her knees going side to side and having a great time. She would jump from her board to mine and she even rode on my shoulders.

Jackson, Lexi and Josh having fun on the tubes

Lexi up on the Kneeboard for the first time

Jackson, Josh and Lexi also had a blast on the tubes and the yellow banana. We would tow the tube and the banana together and they would jump from one to the other as the boat was making turns and going over bumps. They had a blast and the days seemed to last only hours. We went touring and went hiking in slot canyons. We soaked in as much of LP as we possibly could in such a short trip and as the last day arrived I was very sad to leave. I was wondering if my best friend turned wife would love the lake as much as I did and over time she did and to now see my kids love it as much as they do brings great joy to me. LP has special powers and for some reason time stands still. The feelings I had as a little sunburned boy have never gone away. I am so very thankful to my parents for give us this place. This magical wonderland that never gets old or boring. I realized this trip that I need to figure out how to keep going to this place with my family. At the end of the month we have our 2nd annual 48 hours of LP fun. My entire family gets together and for 2 straight days we do nothing but play. We let the kids play as long as they want and they get to play with family.

Lexi with Dad on the Kneeboard

Love you Anne,

T

The American Vacation

The adventure started the second we pulled into long term parking at the airport. The kids we excited, helpful and kind. Lexi looked up at me and said “so we do bus first, then train and then airplane and I get to sit by the window”. “Yep” is all I could come up with since I was trying to get 5 big bags of luggage to the bus so we could start our first Disney World experience.
The West’s, Spittle’s and Walton’s (Ohio group missing 2 families) planned a party in Florida for 8 days. We were going to hit Disney World for the week and also add in a few days on the Florida beaches. The kids were excited since we told them that we rented a home for everyone that had a pool and for the next week their bedtimes were going to be super late.
Magic Kingdom- We spent the first day at Disney Magic Kingdom with the Spittle’s while the West’s were still traveling in and as we arrived that morning the heat index was over 105 and would stay that way all week. The blanket of heat hit me so hard that I could almost eat it. I started to soak my clothes and for the next 9 days this process never changed. The first ride we did as a family was in Frontier land on the Pirates ride. The park was clean and fun and we had only planned on spending a half a day. We hit several other popular rides, had a good time and headed to our rental to get settled and cooled down in the pool.
Beach- The whole group made the first official day a beach day and we headed to St Petersburg for a great day in the ocean. All three kids had a funny face the first time they tasted the salt water. The sand was white, the sky was blue and we for the next 6 hours had a blast building in the sand, and playing in the water.


Magic Kingdom,Epcot,Universal and Animal Kingdom - Each of these parks rocked, We did every popular ride that Disney had to offer. We saw all the shows that we were told would be fun and by the end of each day we had very tired kids. In Epcot we watched the fireworks show, in Magic Kingdom we watched the light parade and Lexi even was able to take all the girls for a birthday dinner with all the Princesses within a 2 mile radius. The favorite ride for us was the Rock and Roll in Universal. Anne and I are not park people, in fact we never have been together on a ride in our 12 years of marriage. Thanks to Dawn she did her first without me. Then at the end of the trip we rode together and it was a blast.
Daytona Beach- We did this beach two times as well having so much fun on the boogie boards and the waves the first time we went back again. We had dinner at Bubba Gump’s and the older kids went to see the new Karate Kid. After getting lost just a bit we made it home just before midnight.
The Ohio group worked to squeeze every ounce of fun that we possible could out of this trip. It is a magical place where kids get along, friendships were renewed and future plans for the next one were started. I loved this trip and was pleased that we went with friends. Trips with friends are for sure the best way to go and I forever will try to rock our family trips this way. I have added the best pictures from this trip. Lexi falling asleep on me after the light show is one of my favorites. She struggled to stay awake for the show and then had no chance after, she was just too tired. Thanks to Jessica for planning the trip. Thanks to everyone for putting up with me and for making us realize how awesome friends really are. Love you all

M-I-C-K-E-Y-M-O-U-S-E

Ah the iconic American trip (vacation is when you are without kids) has finally made it to the Walton home. In anticipation of making the trip the best we could we purchased the "how to" Disney books, we watched the DVD's and as the departure day is finally here we feel good. Jackson and Josh do not need the "make me taller" shoes since they are the required height for all the rides. This was a real concern in our house. Lexi has packed more dresses than shorts and shirts and well Anne and I are just along for the ride. OK, that last statement is not true, I am totally excited to be a kid for the next week. The Waltons are indeed ready to rock Florida.
Jessica Spittle has slaved away for many, many hours as our trip planner and we are on the beach as much as we are in the parks, which is a good call. We are staying in a rented house between all that we want to do. We have the Wests joining us as well and the three families are going to have a ball.
Coach Beth that has written workouts that I will be able to get done and invite others to join in and will allow for them to get done on the beach or at the house or hotel. That is awesome and I am glad that I have her helping me this season.
It has been several years since we took the time to have a family trip to some place other than Lake Powell or Salt Lake City. Our kids have grown and I think that they are at the perfect age to really enjoy this adventure. Work can do without me for a few days and I will be glad to put my Blackberry away for a few days.
Disney here we come!

Bolder Boulder 2010 a spectators view

Anne and Nicole decided to run the Bolder Boulder which is the nations best 10K and draws between 50-55K participants a year. I am the one that usually races so I spent some time helping plan the event so it would be fun for all.
We decided to us the RTD as the transportation choice up to the race and I would come later with the kids. I took them to the station and they were able to get on the 5:10am bus. I received a call from Anne an hour later telling me that they had checked in and they were in the 8:10 wave start.
The kids were dressed and we were in the car by 6:30am and had smooth sailing until the last 3 miles on Hwy36. With the crowds expected to be over 100,000 strong I was concerned with parking and getting my 3 kids around in time to see Anne and Nicole on the course. To my surprise I was able to find a parking spot close to mile marker 1 and mile 5. We were able to get a great spot just after the mile 1 banner and started to cheer. The kids know how to cheer and they had the cowbells rocking and were giving high 5's to the runners as they came by.



They were having so much fun that 3 different film crews came and took video of the kids. Lexi was interviewed and decided to be shy for the first time in her life!!!


A few minutes later Anne and Nicole came running by and almost missed us. We cheered as they passed by and then made our way to mile number 5. We took our time and had fun watching the never ending wave of people doing this event. Some were running, walking, wearing crazy costumes and all seemed to be having a great time.

Mile 5 was again very easy to get to and find a perfect cheering spot. The enthusiasm at mile 5 versus mile 1 was way different and so we tried to cheer even louder. Jackson and Josh had a photo make it on the Daily Camera and I was able to capture a great shot of the kids giving high 5's.
Anne and Nicole looked awesome as they came by and I was able to capture a pretty good shot myself.


After they passed we made our way up to the stadium and found the girls just a few minutes later. We walked through the expo and had some good eats and snacks.
Making our way back the the car all seemed to be in great spirits. Jackson and Josh were taking the scout motto of doing a good turn daily serious and picked up trash on the way back to the car. We all had a great time and will try to make this a family event next year. I am pleased with how well this event was done and if asked would recommend the Bolder Boulder 10k to anyone that inquires. It will not be your PR race but you will not find a more fun run race either.

Great job girls,

Pelican Fest 2010

It has been a few years since I race in a sprint triathlon. I have been working on my pace and speed and wanted to have a trial run on a short course to test this effort. My goal for the race was to push a max effort and be able to sustain it for the entire race in each discipline.
The race was in a small town called Windsor in northern Colorado. It was a small local race but in years past has had good attendance from some of the better racers in the state. I liked the look of the race with a point to point on the swim, a fast bike and a seemingly flat run.
I was in the first wave start and lined up on the beach with my heart racing. I was very excited to toe the line today and felt really good at the start. The siren sounded and off we went running through the water. I hit the water and started swimming at a very fast pace. I was able to jump on some feet and was working to keep up with them past the first turn. The feet could not keep a straight line and so when they drifted to the left I held the line and was able to pass just swimming straight. I was alone for the moment and worked on a smooth hard stroke. I was feeling the results of a hard swim from the start. I passed another few guys and then found a second pair of feet to follow. He was a kicker and it was easy to follow him and he kept a straight line so I relaxed just a bit and let him pull me to the finish.
Out of the water and a fast run to my bike rack. I took my goggles and swim cap off with one hand and was able to pull the top of my wetsuit off with ease. I found my rack, dropped my wetsuit top and worked to get the bottom off. Seconds later I was ready to put my sun glasses and helmet on and was running through T-1 holding my bike seat in hand passing swimmers as they finished. The first 4 miles of the bike was up hill and usually I would take it pretty easy but not today. Last week I did hill repeats up Deer Creek and in the 3rd hour on my 3 repeat I was instructed to ride as hard as possible. I kept my HR between 175-190 for over 45 minutes after doing 3 hours or riding already. So to say that I was going to take the bike easy today was not possible. I was to build on the hard swim and take the bike even harder. I slowed down on the bike after a few minutes only to put my shoes on and then I was off again hammering up the hills like I did last week. Usually this time in all my races I am the pretty fast swimmer that gets passed by many faster bikers. So when the first pass came I was OK with it but I was also reminded that I am not that guy anymore. I picked up my tempo and cadence even a bit more and tried to relax my upper body. The first 4 miles went really fast and I was only passed by one. I felt OK about that since in the climb I was able to pass two riders myself. The next 4 miles was down hill and fast. I took a drink and dropped my gears until I had no more to give. I kept a very aggressive pace and what seemed like just a few minutes I was on my last few miles before T-2. Just as we were in our last half mile left on the bike I was passed by a guy that would win my age group. I wanted to stay with him to the end so we hit the dismount line within 3 seconds of each other. I ran faster then normal to my rack and had my helmet off in seconds. I slammed on my shoes, no socks and grabbed my race belt and hat and was off. I made eye contact with the guy that just passed me and he was still working on his transition. Out of T-2 and on the flat run course. The game plan here was to take the first mile pretty fast and then drop it like it hot but today I was racing and I did not have time to take it easy. I was in max run effort out of T-2 and wanted to make the guy work to get past me again. It was just at about a half mile in that he blew by me running what seemed like a low 6 minute mile. I know that I am not that fast and so I watched as he ran away from me. I still had to finish and so I relaxed my upper body and rolled my shoulder forward and put my head visor down and went to work on the last few miles of the race. This course was an out and back so I was able to count how many runners were in front of me in my wave. I could see 5 ahead of me and they were not that far in front of me. I counted one, then two and three were pretty close and then a break. I was approaching the turn around and was passed by the guy that I raced out of T-2 and then one other. I also at the turn checked to see who was trying to chase me down and I had a fairly big gap between me and the next guy. I was pretty tired at this point and had to focus really hard to stay relaxed and in good form. I passed T-2 and was on the last mile of the race. I picked up my effort for the last bit and was definitely at my max effort. I held that all the way to the finish line and as I was approaching the finish shoot I saw the race clock and it had just turned to 1:04. I smiled crossing the line and was very pleased with myself. I wanted to come in somewhere between 1:09-1:11 and I killed that goal.
I cheered in Holly, Julie and John as they came across the finish line. Everyone seemed to have a good day and raced well. After some pancakes and a cookie I went to see the results. I knew that I had a good day and was even more pleased to see that I had taken 2ND in my age group and 14Th overall. It was my fist time ever ranking this high in a race and for the next hour I soaked it up. The awards were really fun for me and for some reason it was a bit easier waiting around for the awards ceremony to start.
I enjoyed this race and would recommend it. I felt safe on the roads, the volunteers were in mass and were good at their jobs. The event was a success and was really fun. Good job Pelican Fest I will return again.
RACE RESULTS:
800 yard swim - 13:12
T-1: 1:32
10 Mile bike: 26:28 22.7MPH
T-2: 1:06
5K Run: 21:52 7:04/Pace
Total: 1:04:08

Rev3 Knoxville TN

After being on the plane for 45 minutes I was finally able to start relaxing and calm down. The effort that I went through the last 24 hours to get ready for this trip was one of the most difficult challenges work wise that I have ever had. Like many other’s right now work these days are tough to navigate and for me trying to get done what needed to should have taken 2 days and I was able to compress it down to 24 hours and then get most everything packed and ready to go for the trip. Anne took me to the airport and was very eager to make sure that I took this time away from the stresses of work and life and to really work on me. No family to take care of and a very relaxing schedule for my first race weekend.
The 2.5 hour drive from Nashville to Knoxville on I-40 was spectacular and very enjoyable. The colors of green I saw are very uncommon in Denver and it was fun to be spending some time in a state that I have spent very little time in before. The race site was right down town next to the University of Tennessee.
Beth, Michelle, the Wieck’s including Eric, the Beeson’s and Randy and Ross were the familiar faces and friends that I was able to travel with. We spent Friday and Saturday getting ready for the race on Sunday, previewing the course and working out race day logistics. The swim was in a local river with riverboats, bridges and snakes to keep our minds busy. The ride took us through campus and then out into the hills and country of Knoxville. The road was rough in areas and I spent the few days before hoping for a safe ride because I felt it could be a challenge for many. The run was open, fairly flat with lots of shade for my new shaved head. After the preview I was a very excited athlete and ready to toe the line for the first triathlon of the season.
Swim recon the day before the race. Thanks for the Photo's E. Wieck

The race was put on by a company called Rev3 and they came to town as a class act and made us athletes feel like this race was a big deal. I would recommend going to this company’s races, they put on a really great event.
The races early season start later in the morning and so sleeping until 6am was great. We had our transition bags packed and had checked our bikes in the day before. After setting up and taking a quick warm-up run I was left to get my wetsuit on and head to the start.
Getting transition ready for the day

The water was warmer than the air and it was fun to jump into it. I was in the 5th wave and started with all men between 30-39 years old. I took the swim a little faster than I would normally race and was feeling good. The first section went into the rising sun. The river boats, restaurants and fans were fun to swim by and look at every time I took a breath. The first buoy came quick and I started to relax and really focus on swimming smooth and pulling hard. I was able to get into a grove and navigate through traffic without too much effort. My sighting was on and I was able to see the swim exit faster then I felt I usually would in this race distance. I felt fast in the water. Jumping out onto the dock the crowd was cheering loud and I was able to fully get into the race focus on my approach to T1. Over the timing mat and into transition I grabbed my glasses, helmet and bike and then was off. I hit the line out of transition and was able to get on my bike and start working on getting my shoes on. The next few miles were pretty calm and I was feeling good. The first half of the bike is always funny to me since the slow swimmers who are great riders and runners have to get past me. By the first hill I was hitting the effort that I wanted to for the first half of the course. I was getting pasted by the really fast riders and it was fun to have Anthony pass with a word of encouragement. He was rocking and looked to have a good day. I was right since he took 2nd in our 35-39 age group.
Coming back on the bike after 24 miles of riding

The bike course once out of town had 3 good climbs and as I approached the first one I decided to take it very easy and was pleased with how smooth I was able to climb. Climb 2 and 3 were similar. I was fast and unafraid on the downhill’s and were able to pass guys that climbed better than I did, then they had to pass me again. I liked having to make them work to get past me the 2nd time. I saw 3 crashes on the bike course and was glad that I was able to stay safe. Coming into T2 I was able to bring my heart rate down and had a very clean T2.
Start of the run

The first 3 miles of the run I was working to take easier than the last 3 and worked hard at getting calm and finding a good grove. I was able to see Anthony, Sonja, Michelle and Beth on the run course and everyone looked great. I draw energy from seeing friends and teammates during the event and it was especially great to see them working so hard.
The first 2 miles in the run I had been passed by 2 others in my age group. One of them took it out way too fast and I caught him by mile 3. The other came into view at mile 3.5 and by mile 5 I was on his heels. Literally!! I kept it calm and followed him stride for stride for the next mile. I was able to hear his breathing change and as we made the climb to the finish I took my effort way up and passed him. He did not come with me and I was able to keep the effort up.
My very first chase!!!
As I was making the final turn into the finish shoot I heard Sonja, Troy and Michelle yelling my name and encouragements. I passed them with a strong kick and then hit the tunnel where Anthony was. He realized that the volume was strong and the echo was impressive so I went through with a very loud push from him. As I left the echo of the tunnel I head him laughing at how loud he really was. I kept the effort all the way in and finished my first race of the season feeling awesome. The first race of the year went really well for me and I am very pleased. I did not find out any of my times until later in the day and when they came in I was again very pleased and happy. I have several areas that I will be working on the next few months. I will not be taking the bike so casual anymore and will keep the hard swim effort in my races going forward that I had for the first time this race. I look forward to the 2010 race season and I am pleased to be leaving Knoxville the way I am.
Michelle Ford and Sonja killed it in the Elite age group finishing close to one another. They were able to use each other to push themselves and were pleased with the results. Only if the timing would show their results!!!!
Anthony took 2nd in our age group and as I said before looked strong and impressive. Beth took first place in her age group and really killed it. She is so casual about it so it is my opinion that she is a real rock star.
Eric took several hundred pictures and Troy, Annie and Michelle Beeson were the best cheerers.
Traveling home to my family I am tired, happy and in love with racing triathlon all over again. Racing keeps me training and that keeps me healthy, happy and headed in the right direction.
I want to tell my family that allowed my to travel this weekend many hundred thanks. I love you and know when I travel it is not easy but worth it.

Picture with Tara from the Biggest Looser, She Rocks!!

All my love Anne,

T

35 and counting

35 years old started out with an early AM ride trying to beat the storm that was headed to Denver and would eventually drop a small blanket of spring snow later in the day. I was able to ride with my training partners and friends and we really had a blast. I enjoyed the warm weather at the start and as we started to climb it was fun to be in the mountains seeing snow all around and working to get to the top. The ride for the day was a loop on Wadsworth; a small 4 mile out and back warm-up and then we would head up to climb up to City View road. This is a road that is 3500 feet from the valley floor and has a very spectacular view of the Denver city. Before you get to this view and this road you need to make the climb up Deer Creek road and then up to the School house. The speed up to the switchbacks slow was slow and we were all visiting and when we arrived at the turn off to get to school house Beth decided it was time to get our workout in. We were able to keep a good enough pace for the next 3 miles to catch some of the riders that passed us while we were in our chillaxen pace. One rider (Wearing pink gloves) did not like the fact that we made this move and by the time we hit the switch backs he passed us back again and so I decided since I was leading that I would hold onto his wheel. I dropped it a gear and we were climbing and increasing the speed at the same time and I was approaching my top end. It is early in the season and I really have only started to do high end training over the last two weeks and was not really prepared to push to this level on this day but remember I am now 35 and have to show that I am not getting old often and in what Anne would say "a very stupid manner". I held on to his wheel and heard that this chap in pink gloves was maxing out by his breathing and so I wanted to push past him hard and fast enough that the statement would read "THOU SHALT NOT FOLLOW OR YOU WILL DIE". As I made the move and hit the next turn I was on my own and was alone taking personal inventory. In that inventory I realized I grabbed a box of "stupid" from the shelf and not "smart" and allowed myself to blow up. Not that blowing up is bad except I was only half the way up and only a third of the way done with the ride to the timing and location was not ideal. I slowed down so my HR could come back from the boiling red point where smart people do not go in the middle of a training ride and went into the "try to recover mode". I kept things rolling and within half a mile Sonja, Beth and John came rolling by without pulling the "your an idiot and if it was not your birthday we would leave you" banner out for all to see. Sonja kept a great pace and soon she was gone, soon Beth was gone and yes soon was John. I made it to the top of School house, not in the best shape but I did make it. The few climbs up to City View Road were harder than I have ever, possibly because I had cement for legs and they were done. I rest of the ride was fun, it was mostly down hill and I love to bomb the downhill.
I learned today that I do have a max and this will always win over my ego!!!! I am sure that I will try to prove this theory wrong again sometime when the memory of today has warn off. This is a bit of who I am, I am not proud of this but I has helped me in times past as well.

A quick lunch with the gang and then off to meet the family.

In the pool at 24 Hr is where the kids were swimming. The water felt great and it was fun to see Lexi swim on her own. She is getting better, almost to the point where we will feel good about her able to re-act somewhat if a problem were ever to occur. Again, I should have kept that one in my mind, but really I think we all look at the risk of life and we are glad when our kids make it to the next stage of whatever (Swimming in this story) and can lower the risk for a problem to occur. Josh and Jackson's swimming is greatly improving since the stroke classes and they should become pretty good after their first season of swim team this year.

The rain started shortly after this and we spent the remainder of the day indoors. We had Rusty and Holly over for dinner and the kids as usual had a blast. Anne made German Chocolate Cake with Mint Chocolate ice cream for desert. This is the only time I like to eat this desert and I love it greatly each year.

Happy birthday to me, I am now 35 and feeling just a little old. I am not sure why of these feeling but I do feel just a pinch old. I will try to beat it out of me with this weeks training, I only have a few weeks until Rev3 in Knoxville, my first Olymipic Triathlon of the year.

Love you Anne,

T