Braveheart FREEDOM

This is for the cannondale rep...you had to be there........

jennelle is a poster child

One of my new favorite products ever ( one of those...Why didn't I think of that??? things ) Action wipes which we have been using for commuting, racing, camping and an UH OH moment on the way to a race......good stuff and now i can say Jennelle is a poster child.

ankle doing better...

The ankle is doing better but the full report will be in a day or two. That tape rocks, costs a lot but well worth it. but before i tell the ankle test story here are some random pics from the last few weeks. stay tuned.......

plans for tonight

found the tape at Rebound here in town so going to tape up and try and swim freestyle manana and try easy run

getting better

The ankle is getting better even though I still walk with a slight limp guarding it. continued Ibuprofen and ice is helpful. I swam another 1000 meters or so yesterday and then after work I took Jennelle to swim team and went in to try the spin bike. I had talked with Dr. Frank and he said based on how I was doing to give it a try. OHHHHH YES! the spin bike worked and no pain and no limit in motion. I spun for about 40 minutes and then went in to the gym and did alternating pullups and pushups. I supported my legs on a bosu ball instead of the feet. I got a decent workout. so while I would not go run right ow between bike and swim I will very likely lose no fitness and should be ok by by June 21 ( 25 days away) to run a marathon.......after a little swim and bike. Adversity tests you and that is a good thing. I have been thinking worst case scenarios lately and since I already have an ironman medal what if I lost this one??? oh well i gave it 100% I sure would not want to but I could always sign up for another one. looks like I should be ok in this one though...cross your fingers.

next SATURDAY

so i signed up for this fitness event about 4 nonths ago and the actual workout for the event came out....We will see how the ankle is at weeks end. I can perhaps tape it up really good like they do in gymnastics but at the same time do not want to hurt it clearly so we are really on the fence on this.

Oregon CrossFit Championships

ANNOUNCING MAY 30TH OREGON GAMES WOD #1

WOD:

The completed course is 1.3 miles including:

500m row

Waiters Walk

Clean and Throw

Burpee Long Jump

Details will be listed below:

The movements performed are for distance you will be moving from point A to point B.

500m Row - rower will be set up at course start.

Run - Distance to next movement.

Waiters Walk - Approximately 100 yds. with one KB overhead and one below waist.

Advanced - 24kg/32kg Men

16kg/24kg Women

Intermediate - 16kg/24kg Men

8kg/16kg Women

Beginner - 8kg/16kg Men

8kg/8kg Women

Run - 3/4 mile.

Clean & Throw - Athlete will clean the assigned weight from the ground, you may take one step and throw. The clean & throw will be from point A to B approximately 50yds. Once you have reached point B push your bar back to point A.

Advanced - 135lb Men

95lb Women

Intermediate - 95lb Men

65lb Women

Beginner - 65lb Men

35lb Women

Run - 1/4 mile.

Burpee Long Jump - Athlete will touch chest and thighs to the ground at the same time rise up and long jump. Repeat this movement the distance of approximately 40 yds.

Run - Sprint to finish.

Watching the Giro d' italia

since the Giro is not being televised Jennelle and I are watching Lance and boys live on the laptop from Italy. the live feed is pretty good actually. Usually when you watch these on the laptop they are in Italian but I found the English feed. Jennelle has been my bike race buddy since she was old enough to sit up on the couch. good memories being made.

cut that hair hippy

Sprained ankle day three

After a rolled ankle on Friday during the run I continue to ice it every few hours and keep it elevated. The swelling has gone down but is still not gone. I spoke with Pharmacy Rob and Dr. Frank and appears to be a strain and should get better if I stay smart. No black and blue so that was a good a sign. This morning I am taking Jennelle to the pool to do laps. I will use a pull buoy and just work the upper body. I need to work out so I may be improving my swim during this rest of the legs. ARRRRRGGGGG!!!!! this blows.

Finally found where you can watch the giro live:

WATCH GIRO HERE

NASC Promotional Video - 2009 from NASCWorkshop on Vimeo.

This is where I will be one month after Ironman. A great organization that I volunteer my time with....this is my 21st year with the organization starting in 1988 as a student. Hopefully I can use some of what got me to ironman as inspiration for the kids that a skinny asthma kid from nebraska can do some crazy stuff if he sets his mind to it.

CRAP!!!!

So i went swimming this morning for about 600 meters and then realized I needed to head to work, wored on the tips that Brett gave me. I then wrapped up key tens at work and headed out for a 8-10 mile run at lunch.....mile 6 I was headed under the bridge near Alder creek kayak and took the turn and wappppppppp i rolled my ankle bad. I really was in pain. I limped back to my car which was a mile away and went home and wow was it swollen. hurt pretty bad so i started googling "sprained ankle" and even called Dr. Frank.....with some ice and Vitamin I I think I will be ok. I guess I will swim with a swim buoy and take it easy this holiday weekend. I guess the bright side was that it was not a week before the race right????

speed shadow

after a few days rest i will get in another 4 day block of fitness with the three day weekend. today I will go swimming in the 50 meter to work on the tips Brett gave me and a run after. I am getting spoiled having two big weekends in a row that's for sure. I am getting ready to start go into a slight taper mode for the race ( 30 days out!) so get it in now and then do less and less.....I hate the taper which most not endurance folks would think the taper is fun because you get to rest a bunch....NOOOOOOO. If you are used to the stimulation and energy you get from a run or bike for hours then you just get bored really bored!.

I threw in some pics of the bike I am using for Ironman in 30 days....did I already say 30 days...4 weeks? my that is soon. I have also gotten my shoes I will use. I always Wait and get them about a month out so I keep them fresh. They are the Nike Zoom Vomero+ 4. I picked these as they are plush and I want the legs to feel plush during the marathon.

30 days people!!!! 30!

Steve

I did not know him well but had met him many times and knew many who did know him.....all I can say is sad news in Bend

Email Print Text Size Bend pro cyclist Steve Larsen dies after collapse Posted: May 20, 2009 06:01 PM Video Gallery <1> Bend, cycling community mourn Steve Larsen's passing (5/20) 2:45 Despite many other accomplishments, friends agree that Steve Larsen's love of his family was biggest achievement (submitted photo) He excelled in worlds of mountain biking, triathlons By Nina Mehlhaf, KTVZ.COM Sad news for many in Bend and the world's cycling community, which lost a friend and leader when Steve Larsen collapsed and died Tuesday night after working out with a training group in downtown Bend. The husband and father of five competed all over the world in mountain biking, Ironman triathlons and bicycle races with such top names as Lance Armstrong and Levi Leipheimer. Larsen's friends said Wednesday they are devastated but want the community to know just how influential he was. "This is something he has called his body to do not hundreds, but thousands of times and this one time, something was different," friend Jim Lewis, the owner of Hutch's Bicycles in Bend, told NewsChannel 21. After a workout with 40 other athletes Tuesday evening at Cascade Middle School in Bend, 39-year-old Larsen collapsed. CPR from bystanders and every possible lifesaving technique by Bend Fire paramedics and ER doctors at St. Charles Medical Center-Bend couldn't save his life. The stunning news has traveled far in the hours since, across the world, from pros and old teammates like Armstrong, and Leipheimer who wrote about their sadness of Larsen's sudden passing on Twitter, and of course throughout Bend, Larsen's home for the last 15 or so years. Friends are heartbroken. "I felt he's one of the my most trusted friends," close friend Doug Kerkoch said as he broke down into tears. "I would trust him with any business deal, anything in life. He is an affable, wonderful man." Larsen first started as a mountain bike racer, winning titles and magazine covers and training others. After marrying high school sweetheart Carrie, he moved on to road races and competed for the Motorola team and with Armstrong. Larsen moved to Bend and started triathlons, finishing strong in the most grueling of them all, Ironman Kona. "To find him approachable and willing to teach what he knows to mere mortal athletes here in this area, it was very very exciting," Lewis said. Professional Bend triathlete Matt Lieto expressed his sadness about Larsen's passing in an e-mail to NewsChannel 21. Lieto said Larsen was instrumental in his young career and wrote, "Steve was a special man, a fierce competitor but most importantly a great father and family man." "Everyone I have spoken to in the last 18 hours (and its been a ton) local and from the Triathlon community have all said the same thing, He was a dedicated father and he loved that family. The most tragic thing is that those five kids won't get to experience that love again. Very sad for the community, but tragic for the family." Two years ago, he started Steve Larsen Properties, a commercial real estate business in Bend. But everyone agrees it's his love of his five kids, the youngest twin 2-year-olds, that was his biggest achievement. "There's a huge void in Bend today," said Lewis. "And the fact it's a bright sunny day, he would say, if he were here today, 'It's a great day for a ride.'" Close friends say his heart is being sent to be examined and studied for any kind of hidden disease. Brother Mike Larsen told magazine "Velo News", the autopsy done Wednesday in Deschutes County, ruled out a heart attack and a blood clot. The cause of death may have been viral, he told the magazine, saying, "The last few weeks he had been having serious troubles with his breathing." He said his brother had been seeing a doctor about his breathing troubles and had been unable to finish his workouts. A fund is being set up to help support Lewis's five children. We'll have more details on that as soon as they are available.

busy day

another fund day with Brett and Emily......( photos stolen from Bretts Twitter account)

average day in Bend

We started out with a swim at the Juniper pool out in the 50 meter pool. Brett would be an awesome swim coach, in a matter of 15 minutes had improved my swim 100%.

We then went on to hit Kyle and the KMA workout and both Brett and Emily did well although I think they will be sore today. Steph and Rob joined us in the workout and then also a mountain bike ride right after the workout. Brett and I borrowed some 29 inch wheel bikes from Web Cyclery. Unfortunately the Niner i was on had a fork that blew up and had to return. Rob and Brett headed out for another hour.

I then gave Brett a tour of three of the biggest bike shops in the area ( out of the 6-7 in town) as he also is curious how a small town has so many shops just like I do.

More to follow....I like vacation

Brett visit

So far we have done some mountain biking and some city biking and some podcasting and some swimming.............rest of today will be KMA, and more biking.

I had a great swim session this morning that helped a ton. Brett is a very god swim coach and was able to give me some tips that really stuck. It makes a difference when a coach explains a concept in a way that you understand and can show you. We did some video analysis that I will post later.

busy having fun

race report

oregon State tri team girl had a beaver tail on her uniform.....tooo funny



what a great race, evertything went well. I drove over at 6 am as my wave did not start until 9:40 so had lots of time. on the way there i realized I needed to use the loo and I pulled into a state park in the middle of nowhere in the mountains.....no paper! but alas I remembered that i had action wipes in the car. Off to the races. The only issue i really had with the race was the bike setup, there were like 6 waves and only bike racks for like 2. As I came in mid race I could not tell where to put the bikes because some were blank areas onb the rack because they were out riding.......cluster.

got in the water and swam fine, I admit there is only so much you can do in a 25 meter pool with 4 other people in your lane. uneventful and good swim.

fast t1 and this time I wore some cycling socks...yeah I know all the cool kids go sockless but the extra 2 seconds really make the difference which think helps in the speed later.

bike was insane!!!!!!! I used Cannondale reps bike and it ripped! I used less energy and went just as fast if not faster than usual. thought about saving some energy for the run.... worked. Also fun to chew up the fast swimmers on the bike......always fun.

t2 really fast and the run was flat as a pancake.....I had a great negative split ruining some people happy finish as i sped past them.

the finish results were a TOTAL CLUSTER. The results came out as having me like 24 out of 300 and 2 or 3rd in my cat. so podium.....but then they kept revising them and handing out trophies and then asking for them back since they were wrong. they then raffled off single powerbars and single gels...seriously......i left as I had to get back home as Brett was coming.......I am still waiting for the official results.

solid week

I spent the rest of the week mostly running and biking. I got out on the cannondale rep bike ( super sweet TT bike that weights 15 lbs.) and will race it tomorrow at the lebanon sprint tri. My buddy Canada Dave was coming but he did not register in time....bad Dave!!!!!

I did this little community fundraiser race a few years ago and it is a small one but using it as a training workout and good to get the transitions down and since i am using the cannondale for my ironman (in 37 days) figure I better get some real world time on it.


bagged a training session Wed. for a $15 massage that was 90 minutes. yeah the massage class at the local college has it set up for students to practice. pretty good massage and my legs were still tired from the weekend race so it was needed.

Big news is that long time podcaster of ZEN AND THE ART OF TRIATHLON is coming to hang with me over the next 4 days here in Bend. He and Emily will hit the friendly skies tomorrow from Texas. We will have a jam packed fun time with sights and sounds from Bend and cycling and running and swimming.....will be a blast.



looking forward to meeting Emily since she gives Brett as much shit as I get at my house....

selling my TT bike as this Sat is likely the last time it will be used. I am using a cannondale reps bike for ironman and then my next big tri will likely be 2011 so I will get a better bike by then. I am going to put the money towards a better cyclocross bike.

film

So I made a cyclocross film last year with a handheld camera during the race season and edited together on my new mac.........it came out sweet. They are going to use it as part of the 1st annual bike film festival in Bend. That is pretty sweet. so add filmmaker to my resume.

hard day.....good day

I was fresh and well rested for the chainbreaker MTB race on Sunday. I rode out to the race with the Utreks and Rob had set up the Bontrager Ti single speed for me. What a sweet single speed. that thing roade well and it was so light. I must say these weresme of the best race conditions out there. Weather was mild, the trails were moist and not dusty. There were some 300 people out there racing and still one of the premeir race course in the area. The one thing I like about the course is it loops back to the crowds a few times so they get to see you and you get that cowbell ringing energy. I did a nice 4 mile warmup on the starter loop a few times and then rode right up to the start to get going . As the gun went off I was with the single speed group and the bad part is this is a pretty hardcore group of riders. most of the top SS riders I know and I do not really even try and compete with them. I took off staring staying with the pack but by about mile 4 I was off the back a bit. The first 12 mile loop I went out a bit hard and had to bring the old heart rate down...so once I got into my groove the 2nd lap felt awesome. I finished hard and felt pretty good coming in 14th place.......................then i put on my running shoes and ran the 10.5 miles home. That felt good as I needed the big brick for the day. My only issue was forgot to bring any food or water. I grabbed a 6 ounce powerade bottle at the race from an aid station and took off. It was warm but not too hot and by the top I got to Utreks house I broke into their garage ( god thing I knew the code) and stole a soda. then ran the rest of the way home. I got home about 2 pm so with the warm up and race and then the run ended up being a solid 5 hour day.

Proud brother

My youngest bro is an all around good guy so The Governor gave him an award.....well maybe not for being an all around good guy.....