"Something about that water is magic," she said. "Once you get in the pool, it's heaven, really heaven. And I love the smell of chlorine. When I get out of the pool, I smell my arms and smile. People think I'm crazy, but . . . it smells so clean."

I love it! I sniff my skin after swimming too! Go Madame Butterfly go!

I decided that I would measure my fitness by swimming 3 x 300s at a strong effort with lots of rest. Each 300 is to be just hard enough that you're spent at the end, but you maintain even splits for each swim. If the final one is much slower than the first (>5-7 secs.) you went out too hard. Lots of coaches use this to establish a base pace from which to set efforts/pace from for other sets. With consistent swimming and regular efforts, you should see improvements when you repeat this every month.

I hadn't tested myself like this in a wicked long time. After warming-up (which didn't go well, BTW) I was mentally set to be about 15 sec per 300 (or 5 sec per 100) slower than off peak pace. However, I finished the first one only 10 sec off my peak. I instantly knew the last one is going to be painful. Surprisingly I finished the second at the same pace and had hopeful thoughts for the third. But alas, after 75 of my first 100, I decided to break the swim up at the 100s and take 5 sec rest between each one. Just enough to catch my breath, but not enough to recover. The extra 5 seconds may not seem like much, but it makes a big difference. I was able to keep the same pace across all three 100s and again finish at the same total time for the 300 (taking out the extra 10 seconds of rest) as the other two.

It hurt, but I might not be as out of shape as initially thought. Usually, my swim fitness is the first to bounce back after a lay off (furlough?), so hopefully we'll see some improvement by the next aquathon. Also, I can't recall how I found this, but I'm going to use Swimplan.com to help provide some sets and get me out of my rut of the four or five that I regularly do. Seems like a spiffy, free(!) service.

I finally got amped as I got the beach. The parking lot even had spaces open and transition looked a bit empty. Gone were a lot of the top group, including local speedsters, Will Smith (PRO) and Mark Harms (ELITE).

I got a good run warm-up in and the legs felt good, despite little to no running. I decided to go with the wetsuit again (just like everyone else) and didn't get that great of a swim warm-up in because halfway through, I decided to tighten my goggles and the strap snapped. Luckily, one of the life guards, Clayton Greissmeyer (of race sponsor Greissmeyer Law) let me borrow his Aquaspheres. The straps were long and hung loose. I felt like Mickey Mouse's dog, Pluto.

Since Will and Mark were gone, there was talk about who was left to draft off of. Rumor had it that there was one guy from out of town. I marked him at the start and lined up. After some announcements ($15 gift card primes to Quaker Steak and Lube to the first and last swimmer for each age group!) and the sound of the horn, I ran in and took one and one-half dolphin dives. I couldn't finish the second because of the deep water due to the rainy summer. Unlike last race, I'm untouched at the start. (Must be the goggle straps slapping everyone.) I breathe quickly to both sides to see who's with me. No one. I do it again to see who's there. Again, no one. Where's the guy I marked? It's just me and the lead kayak. I focus on it and feel light touches on my feet early on. One final look left and then right to see who's with me. Still, no one. Shit.

The waves grew bigger the further we got from shore and they were smacking me around. I played with my stroke a bit and found that the longer I kept it, the smoother I felt. When not breathing, keeping my head up and looking forward also kept me in a straight line. Smooth and strong I gracelessly rounded the first buoy and look to see who was with me. Still no one.

Now I'm cross-ways with the waves and keeping on course grew more difficult. I'm tiring but there's no sign of anyone around me to draft. By the time I reach the final turn buoy, I say, "Forget it. I'm getting the prime. I need the gift card to pay for my food at my fantasy football draft." I bury my head and drive to the beach. With a goal in mind and effort raised, my stroke falters. It gets short, my head drops and I veer of course severely as I near the beach. (You can just imagine what my Pluto ears were doing.) But, I emerge from the water first, run to the timing mat, and then walk through transition and sit down.

I take off the wetsuit. put on my socks and shoes, grab my hat and Garmin, and watch ten people take off in front of me on the run. That swim put myself in a deep hole, and the run hurt. An 8:20 on each of my first two miles with a heart rate nearly maxed out meant that lots of people passed me. But I was the one with the $15 gift card. (Beat that suckas.) I stayed as strong as I could to the finish line, trying to maintain form. I crossed and got my worst Aquathon time ever, nearly 40 seconds slower than my hydration/nutrition debacle in race #2 and no where near my promising start to the 2010 Aquathon series. The swim felt long, but was really slow. And that's probably my fault. The waves and lack of anyone to draft off really slowed things down.

The resent run splits perplex me. But, I think I discovered why they've grown slower. Hint: it's not due to a lack of running. It's because I haven't been swimming! I haven't been in the water since mid June. And without any swim fitness, I put myself in a big hole wasting a lot of energy thinking I can still swim fast(ish) and that makes a relatively inexperienced runner (me) that much slower. So, can I get some swim fitness in over the next two weeks and close out the series on a high note? We'll see. But at least I'll have $15 worth of free food at my fantasy football draft.

Ohio to Minnesota Time Lapse from Dave Lucius. (via Boing Boing)

I get set up and noticed that Quaker Steak and Lube was setting up shop right outside the exit from transition. That's when Ryan announced that for every wing you eat between the swim and run, you get 30 seconds off your time. (Up to five wings.) After my debacle in the last race, I think I'll pass. Given the humid conditions, I didn't want to push anything and went into this race just to get back into it.

The scuttle in transition before the race was whether or not to wear wetsuits. The water was 81° at the surface and the air temp was near that as well. With the wetsuit, it will be hot. Without, you'll be cooler, but lose time to the front pack. Once one person says they're wearing it, peer pressure kicks in and all follow. I forget who was the first, but soon we were all pulling our wetsuits on.

Waiting for the gun, I joked with those around me about pushing and shoving, even looking at the bottom of feet to make sure I would have the right ones when I would draft off them. Little did I know that this would be the roughest swim I've been a part of. I got knocked in the head several times, body-blocked once, and all kinds of body contact. There's been an increasing number of UW-Madison swimmers competing, so the front of the pack is getting crowded. I did find some feet, but they slowed on the second leg, so I went out on my own. By the second turn and the third leg, the water sloshing in my wetsuit felt like fire. So maybe it wasn't a good idea to go with the wetsuit, but at least I was with everyone. I picked things up towards the end and made my way out of the water, walking all the way through transition.

By the time I got to my stuff, my watch picked up my heart rate. It was at 180. And this was after walking -- not running -- through transition. Now there was no way I was going to have some wings.

I settled into a nice groove on the run, comfortable enough to get through it all. On way back, it was a treat to see the sauce stains on the cheeks and chins of everyone who ate the wings. I got through the race in one piece, satisfied with the effort. But I was still too warm to have any post-race wings.

Friday's dinner at Gino's had lots of great stories and strategies being shared among all there. And the food was good, too! Evotri's very own Chris Sweet discussed the finer points of the whole race and shared his thoughts on strategies to make it through Ironman Wisconsin successfully.

Lots of folks showed up for the swim. We got to go right from Law Park and swim in front of the Monona Terrace, just like on race day. This allowed everyone to see the infamous helix parking ramps and get a sense of how steep they are. Most folks got at least 1.2 miles in, with some opting for the whole 2.4 miles.

From the swim, we made our way out to Verona's Veteran's park, where we took over the shelter and set up camp for the day. Stu stayed behind and took some great shots of the group. In all, I think we had about 50 people head out on to the course together. I set out with my Evotri teammates for a single loop.

This was going to be my longest ride of the year and my first time out on the Ironman course. Up the first rollers and then down, it felt good to be back. I knew I was having fun when I tore down Garfoot road. I got my 40+ miles and an relieved Stu at the park. There, Steve and I set up the blender from CycleOps and I went to get some alcohol and ice for blending. (See how much fun it was.)

Folks started coming in from their own loops, with many heading back out for a second loop. Some went into Madison and back for a 70-mile day. By now the sun was high in the sky, and the heat was picking up. All the more reason to stay hydrated with cold margaritas in the shelter.

After some issues with the grills, Steve and I got them lit and the meat cooking. Note, be sure to check the hamburger size on the packaging before purchasing half-pound burgers. Although tasty, they took a while to cook. But, many thanks to Steve for the grilling expertise and high-fashion sense. Although, I do think the Little League moms got nervous once the "Tickle Fight" shirt came out. (See Steve's photojournal of the weekend.)

Sunday morning we talked through the transition layout and I biked along the runners with a bike trailer full of water. Lots of humidity and sun made it tough for some after the day before. All were in great spirits, though.

Best of luck to all the WIBA folks doing Ironman Wisconsin this year. Thanks again for coming and we hope to see you again next year!

I got to the race site a touch later than I wanted, but found a spot in transition and figured out the layout, but had no time for a warm up. I figured I could use the swim for that. A bit later, we made our way to the start area up the river. Along the way, the river looked fast & high due to the recent storms that dumped a lot of rain in southern Wisconsin. The Rock Aqua Jays, a local water ski club, supported the swim with more boats & jet skis than I've ever seen for a sprint triathlon. They struggled and had to point upstream and keep the throttle open, just to keep the same position in the river. This was going to be a fast swim. Every three seconds, we jumped into the water and made our way downstream. Soon it was my turn and I leaped off the dock took off like hell.

My overall goal for the race was to have a positive pass ratio, meaning that I pass more people than people pass me. I started out keeping track in the river, but then groups got too big to see how many where in each. Soon, and all of a sudden, it was time to exit. I had barely warmed up.

On to the bike and out of the city, the course was overall uphill on the way out, and down on the way back. I must have passed quite a few folks on the swim, because there was very few in front of me. With my saddle height now dialed in, my Specialized Transition Pro flew around the course. I noticed the extra speed as I flew on the downhills and I could maintain that speed on the flats. (A little extra weight helps, too.) A couple turns and I was on my way back into down. Up the last hill, I flashed a pose for the cheering section. Turns out, it was the Wimmers! Mike was taking the pictures and sent me what he got:

Also, on the way back to transition, the race photographer caught me around the last turn in a series of four shots.

I made it back to transition getting passed by only two people. And one had the full time trial kit on, including shoe covers; I assumed it was a relay.

The run starts out going through the local farmer's market. It was cute how they lined the course with small cones and caution tape to prevent crossings. Right after the first mile, was the hill. My running legs hadn't quite come around after the bike, and they weren't ready to run up a long hill. By the time I got to the top, my stride was so short that I don't think my heel was getting passed my toe on each step. But from there it was all down hill, and I pressed the pace. The whole time I felt pressure from behind, but dare not look back. Every time I would get cheered on, it was always in the plural, "Go you guys!" so there was someone there, but I didn't know who. Back to the transition area, I think we run around the back side of the bikes and right to the line that I can see is oh-so-close. But noooooo, we have to run another half-mile around the park to get to a spot that's 200 feet away. So cruel. It's here that I get passed for the first time on the run, but not by my shadow. It's someone else that thought the finish was closer, because his pace slowed noticeably after the pass. I finally make my way around the park and head for the chute, when I get passed by another guy I try to keep pace, but let out and audible groan and he pulls ahead. But, he slowed and all of a sudden, I hear what Coach Mike yelled at me at Racine last year, "Don't let him pass you in the finishing chute!" So I sprint, catch guy off guard and nip him at the line. Woot! Only one pass on the run.

Overall, it was a good day. The hill on the run added a minute to my time, because that mile was exactly that much slower than my other two. Turns out my shadow was a woman who never passed me, but exclaimed to her friend on her finish that she bettered her run split by a minute. I ended up 9th overall (8th male - PRO Lauren Jensen raced) And depending on how you look at things, I finished either 3rd in the five-year (30-34) age group, which is what the results show, or 5th in the ten-year (30-39) age group, which is what the awards displayed at the race.

Total: 1:10:58 9th OA/8th M
Swim: 7:11 (0:57/100m)
Bike: 38:38 (21.8 mph)
Run: 22:41 (7:19 min/mi)

I won't be bashful: this was a tough, challenging week.

We spent the weekend in Chicago celebrating my sister's baby shower, and at some point, I tweaked my back. It's not a new injury. I have a single, misaligned vertebrae that pulls on my left side more than my right. One false move, and it tightens up so much that I have trouble breathing.

I felt something small Saturday, but didn't think too much about it. When we got back Sunday, I went on a run with Elsa, but my back didn't get any worse. It was during the night that it finally tightened up wicked bad. I couldn't breath deeply or even lay on the bed in a comfortable spot. I slept poorly, if at all. I barely made into work by 10 AM (usually there by 8) and left by 3 PM to try my luck with a chiropractor. He "pushed" (as he put it) on my back, cracked my spine in half, and I left feeling a bit looser, but still had tension when leaning the wrong way or holding Elsa. So I went back to the chiro on Wednesday for another "push" and by that night things were on their way back to normal. I woke up Thursday with no pain so the Aquathon was on.

Thursday ended up a littler warmer than the previous days, but nothing extraordinary. I purposefully drank water all day long to be hydrated for the race and made sure to have plenty of calories ahead of time. My warm up was abbreviated due to parenting duties, but I still was able to spend some time in the water before the start.

The aquathons are growing more and more popular with every race, and this race was the biggest yet. With an announced record setting entry of 146, the talent pool is getting deeper and competition is growing at all levels. Instead of leading the swim, I just hope to get on some feet and come out in the top ten.

Apparently we had a guest starter this week, because all we heard was a child screaming, "SetGo!" without any warning. So we were off! On my third and final dolphin dive, my left goggle filled with water. Fearing a lost contact and not being able to sight clearly, I decided to stop and empty the goggle. It went quicker than expected and my contact was still there! Sweet, now to find some feet and get swimming. The ones that I found slowed considerably after the first turn buoy, so I ditched them and went out on my own. The waves were somewhat challenging, but not overwhelming. I was on my way back to the beach when all of a sudden, out of nowhere, the final marking buoy grabbed hold and started slapping my head silly. I couldn't escape easily and had to stop and free myself from the rope. I saw a group of five pass me and try to gain back as many spots as possible. I ran on the beach in 9th and changed for the run.

The run started out innocently enough. I was ready to push it, building on a superb run at Lake Mills the week prior. I forgot my watch so I couldn't get splits, but mile 1 seemed fast enough. But, by the time I hit the turn around, I was hurting. I took some extra time and stopped while I drank a cup of water. On the way back, I slowed a bit, wanting desperately not to stop and walk. It was getting harder to breath and by the time I got to the top of the final hill. I stopped to catch my breath. It was a long stop. Finally, I get motivated to run down the hill and towards the finish line. I still put the effort in to finish hard and once I crossed the line, I dropped to my knees. Ryan, the race director & trained EMT, looks at me and asks if I'm alright, "cause, you don't look alright."

I made my way out of the finishing chute and lie down on the grass. Water is brought over, Ryan says, "you're pretty pale, how's your heart rate?" Then I shove some ice down my shirt and begin to get things under control. Kris saw me enter the chute from where she was sitting, but didn't see me exit, so she came over and saw me on the ground. As I get my color back, Ryan let's me know how serious it was, "I was one step away from calling the ambulance. You're color was not good."

Once I could stand, I spent some time sitting in the lake, cooling down. Then we headed to Red Robin for dinner and Home Depot to pick up our new screen door.

We spent the whole night considering what went into my meltdown. The biggest contribution in my mind is the lack of salts. I believe I made the mistake of thinking that because I'm not working out as often, or as hard, I don't need an electrolyte drink. But, considering the fact that I'm a salty, heavy sweater, I need to keep on top of my salts. That, and more training couldn't hurt. But, a silver lining, if you could call it that, is that I had some mental fortitude to push my limits. I've never done that before. I know I shouldn't stop, but I didn't coast in, either.

UPDATE: TODAY is the last day the rooms will be reserved at the Sheraton at the group rate of $99. If you don't have one yet, now is the time!

There's still time to sign up for this year's the Wisconsin Brick Adventure on July 9-11, 2010.

The year promises to be as exciting and fun as ever, with a reduced, but action-packed schedule with clinics, training and camaraderie. Wisconsinbrickadventure.com has the tentative schedule, map of the starting points, and other essential locations, and lodging suggestions. We have rooms reserved at the Madison Sheraton for $99/night.

Please sign up via EventBrite. It's a necessary step for us to assist in planning dinners and the clinics for the weekend. If you don't register, we can't promise you'll be included in the events.

Check out the site, and let us know if you're coming.

First, JP plays it smart and runs his legs off to finish 4th overall at the American Triple T:

"I just settled into a pace of around 7:00-7:20's. I walked a portion of every uphill to get myself under control as people were detonating all around me. The top 10 looked like a death march. I moved into 9th, then 8th, then 7,6,5. By mile 10 I was sitting in 5th and hunting. My quads were dead but walking and coke had saved me. I pushed hard and caught 4th place with a mile to go. I was jumping out of my skin as he had dominated all weekend. The last .5 miles was like the promised land. It was so gratifying. I beat my best case scenario by 40 seconds!"

And then Michelle breaks through her glass ceiling and finishes first overall in the Green Bay Triathlon:

"Before I knew it[,] I think even unconsciously, I was next to her and passing. There is psychology to racing, I realize. As I went by I said real calm like, "nice bike ride". After I went by, she asked "are you in a relay?" Now, I thought, she's shook! And I will admit in a somewhat cocky tone I said "nope". Then a few seconds later she said, "you're individual?" Ahhhh, she IS shook! "Yep," was my easy, confident reply."

Congrats you two! Keep up the great work!

Enter the bike: I finally got the new Specialized Transition Pro built out. I did it myself. Aside from some frustration and time-consuming glitches, it actually game together nicely. The final hurdle was cutting the seat tube to fit. And that was done on Tuesday, which means I was able to cobble two rides this week on the new bike. One of which sucked because the shop didn't reset the proper height and I failed to double check it before I left. It didn't really hit me that something was seriously wrong (mainly because it was 5:30 in the morning) until I was far enough out until I couldn't do anything about it. But, I fixed it for the next ride and all is well.

But all the race nerves go away when you're helping load a family to get to a race at 5 AM. There's all of my stuff, then all of Elsa's stuff and then all of us. Lots of distractions on a night when Elsa didn't sleep all that great. After the nice drive, the nerves drop away. It's quite the perk to have a family at a race. It's new for me and I hope the novelty doesn't wear off.

And the nerves stayed away as we got on site. I got set up, put the wetsuit on, warmed up, and just like that we're off. Around the first buoy and a guy guns it to open a gap. I let him go and continue in second. We make the turn towards the beach and I follow his lead. Unfortunately his lead was to the wrong side of the docks, and we're way off course. I still ended up in third overall out of the water, relatively pleased.

After the long run up to transition, I'm out on the bike course and get passed by many in a hurry. I'm flat, tired, and indifferent. I can tell I haven't raced in a while. But mile 5 goes by and something clicks. (It was either a mental thing or the wind turned to be behind us.) I lay down the hammer get my average speed above 22 mph and start feeling good. There's a relay rider out in front and I set my sights on reeling him in. I catch myself setting into a training pace/mental state a couple of times and have to force myself to snap out of it. I nearly have him when I realize T2 is coming up. So close.

I took a little extra time to talk with family in T2 and checked in to see how friends were doing in their races. All was well and I went out for a nice run. Right away I felt good. I don't know if it's the bike or the running, but I felt "on." I didn't look at my watch, I just ran the out-and-back, pancake flat course as fast as I could. When it hurt, I pushed it a little more. And then, what felt like all of a sudden, I'm at mile 2 and convince my self that seven more minutes of this is completely doable. I make the turn to the finish, and cross the line. In relation to get my Aquathon run split under 23, I thought it would be good to shoot for the same pace here. I was pleasantly surprised when I looked at my watch: 21:39! That's a run split 5K PR by far! In fact, my stand alone 5K PR is 21:04. Woot!

Now I've got the itch to do more races! And I need to get out on the bike more -- lots more.

Swim: 6:43 (included misdirection and long run up beach)
T1: 1:18
Bike: 44:39
T2: 1:19
Run 21:39
M30-34: 12/52 (Should really be 35-39 if following USAT age rules.)
Overall: 42/594

But really, the best part of the race is seeing this cutie at the finish:

So Thursday rolls around and I can already tell how being a "parent-athelete" impacts everything. Since Kris was at a meeting, Elsa and I went to the race together, and Kris was to meet us there before the start. I had to laugh as I stood in the registration line (holding Elsa) as another competitor walked up with a car seat just like mine. We stood around waiting for the respective Moms and it turns out his kid is four days older than Elsa.

The cool spring kept the water temps low; right before the race it was 58 degrees. Nice! I got in as much warm-up as I could and lined up with the rest of the brave souls. Supposedly there were 120+, with half of those signing up that night!

Right from the "GO!", local pro triathlete Will Smith took off. Talking with him before the race, he already had swum 6000 yards and completed a long bike ride that day. So we basically had no chance. I futilely tried to follow his feet but I swim like a drunk sailor and couldn't keep on track. The guy next to me must've been frustrated by me running into him all the time. Around the first buoy and into the waves, my feet growing closer to numb despite my best efforts to kick every know and then. I did find some feet, which provided some rest, but he slowed down and I passed him as I kicked it in the final leg. Out of the water in a surprising 3rd place. By the time I got to my spot in transition, Will was gone and no where to be found. Seriously. Like not even down the quarter mile stretch of road out of transition.

I settled into a nice pace and worked hard to prevent people from passing me. The first mile went by in a brisk 7:13 and by now my feet had thawed. My thighs weren't really feeling it though, and my second mile reflected it in 8:13 (but I think mile 2 is a touch long.) I worked hard to stick with the last two gents that passed me, but one is a sub-3 marathoner and the other just had a better kick that day. I finished 16th overall with average splits.

For that past two years, my 5K split for these always hover around 23:30. (This week it was 23:20.) My major goal this summer is to go 22:30 by the last race in the series. The biggest obstacle is Mile 2. I need to hit that like a...well, I just need to run hard.

The best part of the race is getting to see everyone, new and expereinced! Definitely makes it more fun.