Iron Pol

Reports out of Spain indicate Team Astana rider Lance Armstrong was involved in a multi-rider crash around the 12.5 mile (20km) point of the race.  Holding his arm still and grimacing in pain, he was loaded into an ambulance and taken to a hospital.

Unattributed early reports suggest he may have fractured his collarbone.

Update:  First, a correction.  The crash was about 20km from the finish, not the start.

The latest reports confirm Lance did break his collarbone.  At this point, he is scheduled to fly back to the United States to consult with physicians regarding treatment options.

No, you aren't crazy.  The look of the site DID change, again.  My hand was kind of forced, this time.

If you'll check out the tabs at the top of the page, you'll note that a Forum tab has been added.  Now, to be honest, I'm posting this before even taking a look at the forum and seeing how it works.  So if you see it vanish, or the site revert back to the previous layout, it means I was less than enthused with the addition.  I'm hoping it will give people another means of communicating.  Sometimes, comments just aren't effective for discussions.

 So, stop by the forum and see what's up.  I'll be playing with it to get the layout right.  Feel free to start a discussion, make comments, ask your own question, or answer that of another person.

One of the recurring topics in my experiences as an endurance athlete is the "that guy" situation.  As has been stated in the past, I was never really "that guy" growing up.  Well, at least not in any really cool sense.

Tuesday, I had a message waiting for me when I got home.  I returned the call to the friend and found out that he is working with a local Christian radio station, Q90FM.  In particular, he is part of a show called Sports Faith Radio.  After a recent interview with a fellow Tri Fox, they had received quite a bit of correspondence regarding endurance faith, sports, training, and youth.

They contacted me as they were looking for someone with experience in all three areas.  My friend helped set up the youth triathlon club with the Boys' and Girls' Brigade, and figured I would be able to answer the kinds of questions they and their listeners were asking.  So, Wednesday, they contacted me and conducted an interview of about 20 minutes.

We covered a lot of ground, and the show should be broadcast on Saturday.  Anyone interested in finding out just how much I sound like a cartoon character can swing by the Q90 website and follow the links to listen to their on-air broadcast.  I'll be listening, myself, as it's always hard to judge how well a presentation went without listening to what the audience hears.

But I already know I sound like a cartoon character.

My biggest hope is that I did a good job representing the triathlon community.  Outsiders are often unaware that triathlon means everything from a few miles to Ironman.  If someone believes they have to travel 140.6 miles to become a triathlete, they are likely to dismiss the sport as insane.

If they realize that triathlon can be approached by taking baby steps, they might make the leap.  And who knows, in time, they might become "that guy," too!

Swimming Notes

The Spirit of Racine 70.3 race started more than an hour late this year, due to fog.  This picture says it all.  And, no, the water in the foreground isn't the swim start.  That's a puddle.  The lake is just on the other side of the participants.  If it weren't for the fog, you would be able to see it.

While that race was started in the fog, the conditions rapidly improved, and we were soon biking and running under clear skies.  Lately, my swims seem to be "in a fog," and I'm pushing myself toward clearer skies.

At a recent Tri Fox meeting, I was discussing my recent challenges after the long swim break.  I commented about all of my other training and how little benefit that training was providing.  His reply...

"Swimming is the only thing that helps swimming."

I guess that's a "good news, bad news" response.  Good because there is a lot of swimming on the horizon.  Bad because I despise swimming more than running.  Where's Mary Poppins when she's needed?  If swimming is the medicine, I would take a spoonful or two of sugar.

Blog Notes

In the midst of some extraordinary technical issues at Weebly, my sidebar got hammered.  While it showed up on the site, I was unable to make any changes.  Their support crew did a good job restoring the sidebar, though there were a few notable changes.  Like certain elements being repeated an extra time or twelve.

Rather than worry about it, I pretty much reconstructed the entire sidebar.  If you notice something horribly wrong, please let me know.  If there's something you think is missing or would be beneficial, tell me that, as well.  I tend to limit it to the basics, keeping anything unrelated to the site and teams with whom I race to a minimum, so there might be useful links or tools I'm missing.

Race Notes

A few races are starting to materialize on the horizon.  Next year looks to be similar to 2008, with some of the race names changing.  Several co-workers are interested in the Green Bay Marathon, so I'll likely join them.  Spirit of Racine is out due to scheduling conflicts with a youth camp leadership role, so I'm planning on revisiting the High Cliff Triathlon.  I don't know if I can set a 70.3 PR there, but I can try to beat the time from my first attempt.

I'll be coaching kids, again, next summer, and might race the Oshkosh Area Triathlon with them.  In the "insane" endurance department, I'm in discussions with the owner of the Fox Valley Running Company to tackle the Fox Cities Marathon as a double.  We'll start about 3:30 a.m. and run the course in both directions for a total of 52.4 miles.

That will work out well as other co-workers and friends will be tackling that race as their first marathon.  If I can keep up, I'll be able to run with them as the celebrate that accomplishment.

Iron Challenge Notes

Training numbers for the first week of the Evotri Iron Challenge!

Swim - 6850 yards

Bike - 0 miles

Run - 11.82 miles

Obviously, the goal for this week is to find my way to the trainer and watch a few movies.  My bike isn't going to pedal itself for 112 miles.

And that about wraps up the news for the week.  Have a great week of training and stay safe!

WARNING: Inherently political post to follow.  Those interested in triathlon specific content, there is none in this post.

Anyone who knows me with any amount of clarity can confidently state my political beliefs.  I am a conservative.  Note that I didn't say I am a Republican.  It is an important distinction.  Being a conservative means one holds a specific set of beliefs on social and economic issues.  Being a Republican implies membership in a specific political party.

Over the past several months, there has been a great deal of discussion about the "failure" of conservative principles.  As a true conservative, allow me to point out that it is really the abandoning of those principles that has put us where we are, today.  And given the current state of things, it appears we may get to take a ride similar to what my parents experienced when President Carter was in office.  I believe that to be likely regardless of who assumes the presidency in 2009.

While Senator McCain has supported many policies that go against deeply held conservative beliefs, Senator Obama voices opinions that are far more disturbing.  Unfortunately, far too many people want to focus on Senator Obama's past, when there is so much of the present to discuss.  Though I believe Obama's connections to frighteningly anti-American individuals show an incredible lack of judgment, I will take him at his word.  When he says he can separate those beliefs from his service to the country, I see no underlying deceit.

I will also, however, accept him at his word regarding other things.  Obama reveals most about himself when speaking in unscripted moments.  Months back, speaking at a private event in California, Obama commented about bitter people who "cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them..."  My question for Senator Obama would be, "Does that apply to everyone who owns a gun and believes in God, just the ones who don't vote for you, or some specific group?"  It is interesting that Obama chose to pick those specific issues.  Most of the issues he cited are issues important to the conservative voter.

Last Sunday, at a rally in Ohio, Senator Obama responded to a plumber's question about taxes stating, "It's not that I want to punish your succes.  I just want to make sure that everybody who is behind you, that they've got a chance at success, too.  My attitude is that if the economy's good for folks from the bottom up, it's gonna be good for everybody... I think when you spread the wealth around, it's good for everybody."

Senator Obama made Karl Marx very proud with that statement.  It was Karl Marx who stated, "From each according to his ability, to each according to his need."  He was referencing communism.  What Obama proposes with his "spread the wealth" comment is increased socialism.

His comment begs the question about success in this country.  He presumes to state that if Joe the Plumber is succeeding, it is because someone else is somehow missing the opportunity to succeed.  It's a flawed argument.  Joe's success has no impact on somebody else's ability to succeed.   Everyone has a shot at the dream job in this country.  Just look at Senator Obama.  From apparently humble beginnings he is in a very small group of people positioned to become President of the United States.

He says he doesn't want to "punish your success," then indicates that is exactly what he is going to do.  If Joe builds a successful company, Obama will force him meet Joe Biden's definition of patriotism, pay more taxes.  That money will then be "spread around" to those who didn't earn it (please note, there is no discussion of who may or may not deserve the money, that's irrelevant).

Here is another simple question for Senator Obama (and those who still think his plans are brilliant).  How many jobs have you held where the employer was a lower or middle class individual?  Now, how many jobs have you held where they employer was a very successful (and yes, wealthy) individual, or a corporation?  Personally, other than mowing lawns as a youngster, I've never had a job provided by someone of modest means.  And even as a youngster, lawn mowing jobs came from the more successful members of the neighborhood.  Those of more modest means cut their own lawns.

Senator Obama asks that we take him at his word.  I do.  I take him at his word that he doesn't harbor some dark, hidden belief about the United States.  And I take him at his word that he views a large majority of the US population as people, "clinging to guns and religion," and that he wants to, "spread the wealth around."

That's not what I want in a president.

Warning Two: Please feel free to respond.  There are two things to keep in mind.  First, I will take no offense at any respectfully offered rebuttal, and little offense at the rest.  Second, I love debate, and may respond with passion.  At no time will I mean to give any offense, and regardless of any disagreement, I place more value on friendship than political affiliation.  Just ask my best friend, the die-hard liberal.

For months I have eagerly awaited the official release of the Chevy Volt.  Today, marking the 100th anniversary of GM, the production version of the vehicle was introduced.  GM is determined to make the car a success, and their future as a company is at least modestly tied to that factor.

The concept behind the car is actually fairly elegant.  Simply put, it is an electric car with an onboard generator.  "Traditional" hybrids combine a gas engine and battery assist to power the drivetrain.  In the Volt, the battery powers the drivetrain and the gas engine powers a generator that charges the battery.

For trips less than about 40 miles, the battery is sufficient and the car uses no gas.  As the distance between charges increases, fuel economy decreases.  After the car is fully dependent upon the generator to charge the battery, it becomes similar to other hybrids, with a fuel economy of about 50 mpg.

My excitement over the potential of the vehicle was tempered by the unknown cost.  Reasonably priced, the Volt could catapult GM back into a lead position in the automotive industry.  If the price was out of the reach of most Americans or resulted in a long pay-back time, teh Volt's potential would quickly fizzle to nothing.

Unfortunately, it appears the latter will be the case.  The current intent is to price the Volt at about $40,000.  At that price, most interest will come from people more interested in "saving the world" than saving actual money.

Assuming someone puts on roughly 80 miles between charges (100 mpg), gas costs $4.50/gallon, and a 30 mpg vehicle is available for $25,000, the payback period for the Volt would be 10 years.  Even at $7/gallon, the payback is well over six years, longer than most Americans own a car.

Locate a 30 mpg vehicle for $18,000 and you can buy gas at $4.50 for nearly 14 years before the Volt would have been a better purchase.

GM has the potential to electrify the country with the Volt.  Based on the news, today, they may find the battery dead before it even hits the market.  Time will tell, though, and I will be keeping both eyes open as the vehicle gets closer to full production.  Perhaps they'll find ways to drop the price and reenergize prospective customers.

A wide range of well known celebrities competed in the Nautica Malibu Triathlon, this past weekend.  Though Jennifer Lopez and Matthew McConaughey received the most attention, other Hollywood icons raced with them.  Some of my favorites?  William H. Macy, Mark-Paul Gosselar, and Anna Kournikova.

The extensive publicity surrounding their success at the race is sure to invite the standard responses.  Some will ooh and aah over famous actors and actresses competing in the event.  Others will decry the attention pointing to the thousands of "average joes" who compete in a wide variety of races without so much as a peep out of the media.  Still others will wonder what all the fuss is about.

I, for one, am glad to see articles about well known people pursuing endurance events.  First, they have a much larger audience than I have.  While I might be able to motivate several, even dozens of people to pursue a running race or triathlon.  Jennifer Lopez completing a triathlon has the potential to motivate tens of thousands, particularly young ladies.  The combined "star power" of those competing in Malibu this past weekend vastly increases that potential.  And anything that helps grow the sport is wonderful.

Second, I believe actions speak louder than words.  J-Lo made a comment that it might be neat to do a triathlon.  That got some attention.  Her training might have garnered a bit more coverage.  Actually starting and finishing the race was the real news.  Rather than blathering on to the news media about things outside her control or expertise, Lopez put in the training she needed to succeed.  And while we can't all be famous in Hollywood or the music industry, we can all succeed in pursuit of a healthier lifestyle.

Finally, I celebrate the personal achievements of anyone who decides to pursue any endurance event.  J-Lo's celebrity status in no way diminishes her accomplishments.  Her situation might make certain aspects of the journey easier.  Then again, I've never tried to train for a race while juggling a family, a singing and acting career, and all the demands that go with it.  She deserves a great deal of credit and recognition, as do all of the others who finished the race, celebrity or not.

It's been said before that one of the great things about the sport of triathlon is the way it brings people together.  Very rarely in the rest of life will you find yourself competing toe-to-toe with the top performers in the sport.  Now, we also find celebrities racing in our midst.

Lopez is like us in at least two ways.  First, the swim is her biggest fear and worst discipline.  Second, she is a triathlete.

Certain events in history have helped define and shape our country as we know it, today.  They are usually easy to identify because they are those moments that seem frozen in time.  They are forever etched in our minds.  Years, even decades later, we find ourselves going, "I remember it like it was yesterday.  I was..."

In my life thus far, the single most remarkable event is that which occurred on September 11, 2001.  It turned the very simple act of looking for supplies at the UW Oshkosh school store into a surreal image that will remain with me to the day I die.  James Nachtwey and Time Magazine provide the image shown here.  I think it is a good representation of how many felt, that day.

The world as known crumbled around our ears.  We stood in the rubble, looking on in horror as events unfolded.  And then we mourned.

In a way, our country is still mourning.  We continue the struggle that started that day, and we have no way our knowing how or when it will end.  All we can do is fight for what we believe to be right.

So today, remember.  Remember those who gave their lives without even knowing the reason.  Remember those who died trying to save others.  Remember those who lived and face the pain of the past.

And remember those who lay their lives on the line every day that we might continue to live free.  Those who serve in harm's way in places far from home.  They do so for little recognition, less money, and well aware of the risks.

Most importantly, REMEMBER.