Jeremy’s Blog

Hello from down under!  Jennie and I are currntly in New Zealand visiting her sister Tina, hubby Andrew, and our nephew Elliot who will turn 2 on Jan. 3rd.  It’s been a great trip thus far with lots to tell.  We arrived on Dec. 17th and will be here until Jan. 7th.  The weather has been fantastic and we just got back from touring the entire north island, stopping in Wellington for Christmas where Andrew is originally from.  We’re back in Auckland now where they live and a few other folk are arriving to town today for a New Year’s bash.

Our travel down was great.  Uneventful would best decribe it.  Jennie didn’t swell up much considering she is 5 months pregnant and we both fell into the time change well.  It was a chore to stay up until 9 the first night, but nothing some good coffee couldn’t help with.

The first week we made base in Auckland and did a few day trips here and there.  I went sailing the third day with a family friend which was a blast.  I immediately found the local pool just down the road and hooked up with a bike shop that has some group rides during the week.  We are also just 2 blocks away from One Tree Hill, a famous park in Auckland, that has fantastic running on super hilly terrain.  All in all it’s a fantastic winter training area!

The past 9 days we went on tour around the north island.  We packed up the Subaru sedan with four adults and the little tike.  We had a rather large trailer in tow keeping with the first rule of camping which is to ‘bring everything’.  We made our way down through Taupo, the location of the New Zealand Ironman, and on to Tongararo.  We camped at a great campground that had a kitchen available to all.  There were a ton of Germans there for some reason.  The next day I got dropped off at the start of the Tongararo crossing, a 19km hike that goes up some sick mountains.  I ran most of it but had to scramble up a couple of steep climbs that I don’t think are possible to run nomatter who you are.  I arrived at the other side just as Andrew, Tina, Jennie and Elliot arrived by car.  The next day we went down to Wellington.

Wellington is an amazing city.  It’s situated around a large bay and all the homes are nested on steep hills.  There was a 40km loop around the bay that was very bike friendly.  I hooked up with the local tri club and went on a 170km ride on the day after Christmas. 

After Wellington we headed north up the east coast to Opotiki.  This is a great little town with miles and miles of beach.  The running and riding was excellent.  The first morning we all got up and went ‘pipping’ which basically means digging into the sand under the water for pipis - small clams.  We bbq’d those up for morning tea.  We tried to net some flounder as well but didn’t have any luck.  Still, it was great fun to be out and the water temp was quite warm.

Those are the basic highlights.  I could certainly go on about the views and on and on about Elliot.  We’re having a ton of fun getting to know our nephew.  Last time we saw him Elliot was just 4 months old and I had just gotten in my accident.  This is certainly a much more pleasurable experience with him!

I’m looking forward to this final week.  It’s nice to have a home base again after 9 days on the road.  You certainly could spend a ton of time jumping around New Zealand to see it all, but I prefer to be in a place for a few days or so to get a better feel for things.  This vacation was greatly needed.  I’m feeling incredibly refreshed after a brutal fall semester teaching and am confident that I will come home completely rejuvinated.  The skip in my step is back as is my motivation for all things.  Perhaps the biggest highlight so far had to be Christmas day.  I was lying in bed with Jennie and my hand was on her tummy.  The sun was just comming up and peaking in our window.  Right at that moment I felt a little ‘thump’ on the palm of my hand.  I quickly sat up, closed my eyes and concentrated on my hand again.  Again, ‘thump’.  Then a coule of thumps together.  Our future son was letting me know he was there.  It was a moment that put the best of Hallmark movies to shame!

So that’s the quick summary for now.  I’ll write more and put up some pictures when I return. 

Jeremy

Quick post:

Jennie and I had a very detailed ultrasound yesterday morning.  The little Sartaininator passed all measurements with flying colours.  He was a bit shy at first, but flipped over to show all his glory and clearly clarify that he’s a boy! 

 Since Jennie and I are both 35 we’re apparantly considered geriatric breeders.  But insurance will pay for what’s called a type 2 ultrasound which goes into great detail and can look into the heart, brain and vessels with great precision.  At one point ‘my boy’ put his hands behind his neck and was wiggling his fingers.  Totally takes after his dad!  I was so excited that I hardly slept last night.  It’s a huge relief to know that you’re kid is healthy and brewing nicely.  Due date is April 19. 

 Jeremy

Jennie is now showing.  Her belly is poking out and she felt the baby move a couple of nights ago.  We go in on Dec. 3rd for the ultrasound and will find out ‘what kind’ the kid is then.  With Jennie’s belly growth comes the growth of my anxiety and the utter realization that I’m really going to be a dad!  It’s not a terrible anxiety mind you, just a voice in the back of my head at all times that is quite giddy. 

Jennie and I will be heading off to New Zealand for x-mas break to visit her sister, hubby and nephew Elliot.  Elliot will be turning 2 while we are there.  It’ll be summer, so I’m brining the bike, running and swim gear with.  I’m sure that I’ll get some fantastic training in and hopefully come home to boat loads of snow.  There’s a ton to do with work, the triathlon club and house projects before leaving but I’m confindent that with minimal sleep I can get it all done!

I have begun to outline my racing season.  I’ll hit the local bike races in the spring and then head off to Ohio for the 3rd weekend of May for a very unique race.  The little Sartaininator will be over a month old presumably and I’ll be motivated to show ‘it’ the triathlon world.  The Ohio race is called the American Triple T.  It’s a 3-day, 4-race triathon.  There’s a very short race on Friday night, 2 olympic distance races Saturday, and a half Ironman on Sunday.  Overall you swim, bike and run about 140 miles total.  Perfect!  After that I’ll hit the Kansas 70.3 in early June, Trinona olympic distance the next weekend, Rochester Tri the weekend after that, then down to Texas for another 70.3 that is a qualifier for Hawaii.  The Texas race is a big one for sure as I do hope to get a spot for Hawaii!  July is shaping up to include Lifetime Fitness and Chisago Half and August includes a 1/3rd Ironman, Pigman Half Ironman, and St. Paul Tri.  I’m registered for Ironman Wisconsin again for September, but if I qualify for Hawaii I’ll sandbag Wisconsin and use it as training. 

Regular training is finally taking shape.  I need to lose 8 pounds before the season, a very doable but yet unfortunate amount.  Too much beer and cheesy poofs after a very tough 18 plus months.  But I’m now motivated with having signed up for some great races to get going with the training and the New Zealand trip should serve as a nice venue for that as well! 

I hope this post finds everyone well.  Have a great Thanksgiving!

Jeremy  

That’s my new name - Big Daddy.  Life.  You try to race it.  Sometimes you win and sometimes you just need to try again.  Lately I’ve been winning though, and that includes becomming a dad this April.  Yep, Jennie is pregnant!!!

I haven’t posted since my disappointment at Ironman Wisconsin, but I really didn’t stay down for too long.  When you’ve planned to have a kid with the woman of your dreams it’s pretty easy to get upbeat again.  Many people are wondering what will become of my racing endevours.  I can state that one of my 2010 race season goals is to wear out a Chariot carrier.  These are the best by the way - great for both running and riding.  I figure July will be the first century ride for the future Sartain. 

We’re already 16 weeks into this thing (I say ‘we’ like I have anything to do with the next 5 months) and thus far everything has been great.  We already have the mini van (which WAS purchased for triathlon purposes primarily), have friends who are unloading kid stuff, and Jennie has had no morning sickness or significant issues of any kind.  We’ve heard the heart beat and can now see Jennie’s belly peaking out a bit.  I rub it for good luck in the morning and it seems to be working.

Of course I’m freaking out a bit too.  It’s a whole new feeling where you become incredibly protective of your wife and future kid.  Not that I wasn’t before, but this is just a greater and almost instinctive feeling than it was before.  Makes me want to go hunt stuff and bring the kill back to the cave!  I’ll help cook and clean up though. 

Jennie and I had a ton of fun breaking the news to friends and family.  We told her parents first by wrapping up the digital pregnancy kit.  Jennie’s mom was leaving to visit Tina (Jennie’s sister) in New Zealand and initially thought that she was supposed to bring that for Tina as she was chatting about having a second kid (she has a boy named Elliot who we will celebrate his 2nd birthday with this x-mas down under).  Jennie yelled ‘no, that’s ME’ and her mom about jumped out of her pants while her dad had a staring face with the most wide eyes I’ve ever scene.  None of our family thought we would have a kid so it was a fun surprise.  We next told my family by hiding an ultrasound picture amongst pictures of Elliot.  My mom was flipping through the pictures with my dad looking over her shoulder.  She got to the ultrasound and said ‘what’s this? Is Tina pregnant again?’ But my dad saw the name accross the top and quickly declaired ‘That says St. Paul Radiology…..Jennie Sartain!’ My mother threw the pictures in the air and screamed.   On facebook I simply posted ‘Jeremy Sartain is proud to contribute in dispelling the myth that cyclists have a low sperm count’.  That received 45 replies in 2 hours.  Jennie put ‘went to the doctor today and heard a heart beat that was not her own.  Hmmm…wonder what that could be?’ and received 50 replies in 15 minutes.  We have about the same number of friends. 

So next year shall indeed be interesting.  I will absolutely be racing full on while being a dad full on.  I’ve witnessed countless examples of amazing athletes balancing parenthood, work, sport and perhaps most importantly the relationship with their significant other.  That’s my main goal for 2010, followed by wearing out a Charriot.  Intwined is to have all the fun that I can because life is short, sweet and definitely fun if you just take a moment to look for that. 

Big Daddy Jeremy

Yes, I am alive.  I know many of you have called, e-mailed, texted, etc.  Sorry, I can’t physically get back to everyone so I thought I would get this post up first thing upon arriving home.

Here is the summary: I woke up sick last Monday with swollen glands in my neck and a scratch in my throat.  Although this bug never progressed it didn’t improve much either.  On race day I had a cloudy head from the get go but managed to punch out the best IM swim I ever have had.  I was excited going into the bike leg that maybe I would have an epic day after all.  The bike leg was going great and I made it up to the first amateur on the road and passed all the pro women and several pro men.  My legs felt fantastic but around mile 65 I had throbbing pain in my head that quickly escalated into tunnel vission and eventual black out.  I had to lock up the bike and stop.  My sight came back in a couple of minutes and I tried to get going again but the tunnel vission returned.  I tried once more after soft pedalling for 10 minutes but had the same symptoms.  I stopped in Mt. Horib where there were medics.  My blood pressure was up and I felt terrible from the neck up.  I was advised that it would not be wise to continue and took the ride back to the medical tent at the finish line in Madison. 

Ironman Wisconsin wasn’t meant to be for me this year.  After leaving the medical tent at the finish line I stumbled back with Jennie to the van parked a few blocks away in a parking garage.  I wiped myself off, let myself get right pissed off and yelled with the doors closed, then found myself back where I stated I would never be - feeling sorry for myself.  This lasted for a couple of minutes and I then changed, packed up a small back pack, and went out to cheer my brains out for the many friends that I knew in the race and anyone else for that matter. 

If there is one thing that I’ve learned this past year it’s that stuff happens.  You can’t control it but you can most definitely overcome it.  My head is held high today knowing that I did the best I could on the day.   I signed up for next year with the same goals in this order: try like mad, finish, qualify for Hawaii. 

Thanks to all for your concern and support.  This journey can’t be done without you!

Jeremy

Today was one of the most satisfying days in a long time.  Today was the Saint Paul Tri, located less than 3/4ths of a mile from my abode.  Today I won.  Today I set a course record (albeit the previous one held by Brett Lovas was done in miserable conditions).  Today I ran sub 6 minute miles (5:45 to be precise which was good enough for 1st on the run).  Today the bike flowed with simple translation of leg to pedal in perfect sychronicity.  It was just one of those days where everything clicks and the world is yours for that moment.

But, more importantly, today I got to watch someone who I admire dearly do something that many of us take for granted.  Today, Suzie Danner is now a triathlete.  Many of you know Suzie as this energetic woman who is one of the best massage therapists out there.  Suzie graduated from the Clinical Massage Therapy Program at Saint Paul College, a program that I teach and direct in.  During her second year in the program (it’s a two year program) Suzie had to take a class called Therapeutic Exercise.  Jonny-J was the lead teacher in that class and fully beleives (as I do) that students must not master just theory but rather application.  Suzie went forward in this class full speed.  Suzie was quite overweight at the time.  In the course of that semester Suzie lost 80 pounds.  Her true character began to shine greatly and she enrolled in the Personal Traner program eager to learn everything that she could and help people that had similar backgrounds to herself.  Suzie lost another 80 pounds.  Today, many many friends showed up to cheer Suzie on.  Suzie has been full of nerves all week but persevered non the less.  Suzie finished the sprint race at the Saint Paul Tri running and not walking.  She did the bike leg on a cross bike.  She was not last out of the water nor last on the course - something she was concerned about.  Suzie doesn’t know this yet, but she motivated me today to push beyond what I thought that I was capable of this year.  Thanks Suzie, for showing us all what we are all capable of, and for giving me the motivation to overcome a mental block present in me this season.  I have new found confidence in my abilities and cannot wait to race with you again!

That’s it for now.  An absolutely perfect Sunday capped off with some extra running as prep for Ironman Wisconsin (I ran 17 total including the race) and a great late lunch with my amazing wife.  Today I count my blessings.  Today I was inspired.  Today I witnessed once again human potential and perseverence.  I can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings!

Jeremy Sartain 

Ironman Wisconsin is right around the corner - September 13th to be precise.  Pigman Half is a great tune-up race for Ironman Wisconsin and is possitioned at a perfect time.  I did this race in 2007 and managed a 2nd place behind super star David Thompson (well behind by the way).  This year I knew that the field was stacked and everyone is simply faster all the way around than 2007 at every race.  Add to the competition severe weather condidtions and you have yourself an unforgettable race!

Prior to Pigman, I raced with my buddy Shane Swenson at the 2nd Miracle Kids at Lake Ann in Chanhasen.  The course was extremely hilly and Shane had a new hand cycle that was deadly fast, especially on the downhills.  This kid is fearless and made me run; scratch that, SPRINT on the downhills.  Although I wanted to do a few openers to get ready for Sunday’s Pigman half, a couple of those downhills put me a bit on the rivet trying to keep up.  Shane always amazes me with his grit and determination.  Although Shane was hesitant to do the swim, we hit the water happily and made it through the course without incident.  Shane always starts out totally psyched and ripping it (much like I do) and then begins to get a tad redish, bead up with a bit of sweat, and begin to quiet down and concentrate on the task at hand.  That’s the typical protocol, but on this day you could hear screams of pure glee as he ripped down the hills in his new race hand cycle machine.  I took it upon myself to adopt this scream of glee at Pigman and found myself yelling ‘yippee’ as I hit a downhill tail wind section and clocked 46 mph.  Try screaming with glee during a race - it’s invigorating and can get you totally psyched up.  You’ll pick up the pace quite a bit and simply enjoy the race more.  Lesson learned - thanks Shane!  The run (Shane does this in his race wheelchair) was also hilly with plenty of grass, wood chips and gravel.  This was a bit more challenging, but again Shane proved to be strong.  Prior to the start of the race, all the kids (about 800 of them) have a procession that stops at an outdoor stage.  Several people talk about Miracle Kids, hand out fundraiser awards, and much more.  It gets a bit long for young kids but it is very important.  At one point things were in transition between speakers and Shane yells out a big ‘AHHHH’ immediately followed by ’sorry’ for breaking the silence.  I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been in a position where I wanted to just scream ‘AHHHH’ and NOT appologize.  It was completely hilarious and representative of what all around were feeling at that very moment.  Maybe I’ll adopt Shane’s ‘AHHH’ as well…. Shane finished up strong and not long after my nephew, Adam (who also raced and smoked his last year’s finish - everyone missed him at the finish line as he came in so fast) found us.  We all chatted and congratulated each other on a fine race and then Jennie and I headed out for the drive down to Cedar Rapids.

Pigman.  The most brutal conditions I have ever raced in.  Downpouring right before the start.  A bit of chop and high winds during the swim.  Brutal winds and wet roads for the bike.  Clouds parting, sun high and humidity through the roof on the run.  You hear stories about the wind at Hawi in Hawaii, but this was as bad if not worse for the ENTIRE race, not just a small section as in Hawaii.  The rain let up a bit right when we started the swim.  I had a fantastic start swimming on David Thompson’s feet for the first 500.  After that he decided to start racing and dropped me like I was sea turtle trying to swim with a tuna.  But sea turles are more graceful so I got that going for me!  I got out on the bike very smoothly and started out super easy.  You climb out of the park and the transition from the swim to bike is a long uphill grind, so I thought it best to keep the heart rate in check and pick things up after climbing out of the park.  I immediately hit a head wind after leaving the park but found I was staying on top of a solid gear and was steadily moving up.  I only had to pass 5 people to get to 2nd position on the road and managed to catch all but David Thompson before the turn around.  The wind was brutal and I choked up on the aero bars quite a bit, sat way back in the saddle, and tried to hold the most steady possition that I could while staying as relaxed as possible.  The wind was not steady but was gusting from all over the place.  You would be lured into thinking you had a tail wind or head wind and then suddenly get blasted from the side.  There were several crashes from getting blown of the course and many a mangled wheel from getting blown into potholes.  At about 3 miles to go it would be my turn of bad luck.  I was beginning to think of the run and taking in a gel and water when ‘BAM’, my front wheel hit a hole that went down to China.  Completely my fault - I wasn’t paying attention, got too relaxed and put my front end into the hole.  My tire blew and my spair case launched from my bike even though it was well strapped.  I had to stop, walk back and pick up the spare tube, co2, etc, which was sprawled all over the road.  Since HED loans me wheels, I didn’t want to break it by riding in on a flat.  So I decided to take the time to change the tube as this was ultimately a training race (althoug I really wanted to score a top 5).  I changed the tube and gingerly aired it up and ‘BANG’ the new tube blew.  Upon proper inspection I discovered that the tire had ripped open and the wheel got buggered up.  I put the wheel back on the bike and road in very carefully the last few miles.  In running the math, I lost 13 minutes plus another 2 in transition as I walked in, sat down and then got my head together to get out on the run.  I caught up to Mo Mouw and we ran together for the first 3 miles or so and chatted away.  I decided to get a harder ‘workout’ in and picked things up for the remainder of the run.  Mo had an acute foot issue soon after I picked things up and wasn’t able to finish.  I thought I was just awesome at running as I couldn’t hear Mo’s footsteps behind me and upon looking back couldn’t see him anywhere.  But no, I’m an average runner after all!  At any rate, I finished 12th overall and was happy that I have yet to quit a triathlon.  I only wish that I hadn’t allowed my head to get the better of me momentarily after I blew up my front wheel.  In the great words of Winnie The Poo, ‘Never ever ever never ever give up’. 

All in all it was a fantastic weekend.  Shane rocked the house again, my nephew is continuing with his triathlon racing, Pigman was epic for myself and so many others, and I had some quality time with Jennie.  Props to Sarah Viamonte for getting the card stamped on her first half.  Sarah is over the hump in regards to recovering from a stress fracture and Pigman was a solidifying test.  Her speed will definitely be improving quickly and she’ll be smoking it at Duathlon worlds in September.  Lessons learned, experiences had, life is good!

 Jeremy Sartain

You blink and summer is almost over.  Ahh!  I’m just getting going and it’s already mid August.  Since my last post I’ve done the Lifetime Fitness Tri, Miracle Kids with my buddy Shane, Chisago half and Turtleman.  There has been a mix of results, but all in all things are looking great for Ironman Wisconsin this September.

I finally started doing some rehab again for the remaining scar tissue present in my lower leg.  My original pt, Mike Mancini, moved back to Canada (Winnepeg to be precise) last October and I’ve been left to my own devises since.  Granted, everything looked great before Mike left, but when you’re racing a lot you find some final touches that need to be addressed.  Fortunately I started seeing Dr. Josh Sandell at Spine and Sports Institute.  This guy and his team are amazing and are getting me in tip top shape in regards to full range of motion which allows for a proper gait.  I no longer look like I’m limping when running and can get a bit more oomph in my stride.  It’s going to take until next season to be competent at short course again, but I’ll be up with the top dogs in short course come next year and have full confidence in my long course abilities right now.

Liftime Fitness was a bit of a training session when it came to the run.  My swim was alright and I had a ton of fun on the bike - great roadie course for sure!  My race was relatively uneventful overall but our team had a great showing and a ton of fun. 

Miracle Kids was a blast again this year.  I raced with my buddy Shane who has spina bifida and uses a hand cycle and race wheelchair.  Shane knocked a ton of time of his last year’s race and we had plenty of time to eat burgers afterwards!  I’ll be racing with Shane again next weekend at the Chaska Miracle Kids.  My nephew also did Miracle kids part 1 and will be at Chaska as well.  He has a great road bike now and can really hammer the bike! 

Chisago was a breakthrough race for me.  The field was stacked but I had a great swim, super fun bike and incredible run.  My goal was to go 4:15 or less and do the run in under 1:30.  I went 4:02 (a pr but the course was a bit short) and ran a 1:26.  I’d had 2 treatments with Dr. Josh and this really showed on the run - smooth gait and zero pain.  I caught everyone on the bike except that David Thompson character but was unable to get away from the two Wisconsin pros.  I road the last 20 miles with those guys and put in a couple of digs, but I wasn’t able to shake them unless I really burried it.  Since I was uncertain of the run, I choose to be conservative on the bike and ride it in more easily.  I’ll be blasting everything at Pigman and will certainly attack the crap out of anybody that I catch and attempts to pace off me.   If puking is racing then puking it shall be at Pigman! 

Turtleman was one of those epic races that shall always be remembered.  I went into it very tired from boat loads of trainig (24 hours in before the race starting the previous Sunday) and then they cancelled the swim due to heavy storm clouds.  The race started as a time trial start and we went off solo running over the swim timing mat, along the water line of the beach, up over the T1 timing mat and off to our bikes.  The ’swim’ only took 20 seconds.  I went off 4th mixed in with all the ladies as I received a number that originally was assigned to an elite female.  I was then in first position on the bike (but not first place overall) very quickly.  I hammered the first 5 miles and then backed it off a bit.  My head wasn’t in the game and my body was fighting staying up near anaerobic threshold.  Devon Palmer and Dan Cohen caught me around mile 15.  I went with for a couple of miles but was feeling the fatigue of training coupled with Devon’s pace of 27mph into a friggin headwind.  This kid is totally legit and it’s great to see him ripping the crap out of every race he enters.  Devon is a super cool kid and my bets are on him at nationals.   My run was pokie but I chalked it up to a tempo training run and truly enjoyed myself. 

This weekend is Miracle of Mitch with my buddy Shane and then it’s off to Iowa for the Pigman half.  There’s a stacked field again and there will certainly be some fast times.  This is an A race for me and will be great preparation for IM Wisconsin.  After that it’s the St. Paul Tri which is just a couple of blocks from my abode.  Nothing is in the books after that, but I may jump into something else if I’m feeling motivated.

Overall training is fantastic.  Work is incredibly stressful right now as we are less than two weeks from starting with students.  This is always the busiest time of year for me but this year I seem to be staying somewhat relaxed and positive.  I’m giving precidence to my training and blocking that time off.  Past year’s I’ve sacrificed training for work during this time and lost ground going into Wisconsin.  My prep has been focussed mainly on Wisconsin Ironman and I’m simply not willing to let that go.  I think that as you get ‘old’ you finally figure out how to prioritize better.  Still room for improvement, but it is comming on the prioritization end!

That’s the summary for now.  I’ll post in detail about Miracle of Mitch tri and Pigman early next week. 

Jeremy Sartain

Well, I’m a bit behind in blogging this year.  Last summer I obviously had plenty of time to write a bunch.  That definitely helped to keep me sane (well, as sane as I can be).  Tons has happened since my last post.  I’ve got a couple more races under the belt (Minnetonka sprint, Rochester and Minneman) with lots more to come.  I got in a couple of criterium bike races on Tuesday as well.  And of course I’ve been busy with ‘house projects’ and found out that my chimney is basically shot and will cost me the other leg.  All in all though things are great!

Minnetonka was a key race in which I went in with my brain willing to let my body truly suffer.  It was the first race that I pushed super deep and it payed off with the fastest bike split (by 3 seconds over Steve) and a 4th overall.  Still the run kills me.  It’s simply going to take time.  I’m really not that far off 2007 pace, but all these other runner kids have learned how to swim and bike faster!  It was nice not to get completely smoked though and great to pick up a ‘fastest bike’ trophey. 

Rochester was a solid race.  Again, fastest bike split and solid swim for me.  The run was defintely longer than a 10k and I got passed by 2 people within the last mile.  The result was 7th overall but Sam Hauk from our team won so it was a great day.  There was plenty of competition even with the HI-Vee and Waconia events all on the same weekend.  Rochester is a fantastic event with a challenging bike and run course and a unique doulbe lap swim where you run accross the beach after the first lap.  Talk about hypoxic!  It felt like a cyclo-cross race!  Do this race if you can sometime.  It’s run super well and the prize money is quite solid if you are a fast kid.

Minneman holds a special place in my heart.  It was my first tri ever in 2005 and got me absolutely hooked.  My buddy Bill puts this on and it is by far the best run race that I’ve ever done, period.  This year it was very hard.  I spent Friday morning fitting super star Patrick Parish on his bike and then rushed home to meet Sarah Viamonte to do some pre-race training.  We road out the gateway trail on our bikes and came to a road crossing where a car looked like it was going to stop but instead rolled by super slow.  Sarah was track standing really well but couldn’t hold it upright any longer and tipped over shredding her pinky and fourth finger in my cassette.  She felt super bad but fortunately didnt’ take me down.  She was bleeding pretty good but we went back to my place, packaged her up and continued our training.  Tough chick!  I told everyone that her injuries were a result of a fireworks incedent - fitting for the 4th of July (and Canada day).  I expanded that story to state that I bet her $50 she couldn’t hand onto it for 30 seconds and that she was extatic to make $30 ($50 minues the $20 hospital co-pay).  Again, this is a total tale - she did indeed crash and shred her fingers in my cassette.  But the fireworks story is pretty cool.  After training with Sarah I ran to Grand Performance, loaded up gear for the shop who provided race support and set up everything including my tent at the race site.  ‘Sleeping’ did not occur though.  I maybe dozed for an hour as every kid with a drivers licence and willing girl friend attempted to ‘park’ in the park.  That and all the excited rednecks lighting off fireworks before the 4th.  I swear that everybody goes through their stash of fireworks well in advance of the 4th.  The night of the 4th seems very quiet after 11p.m!  Needless to say I was incredibly tired for the race.  I finished in 7th (I think) but had a good training on the less.  I stuck around and helped take down everything, got home at 2p.m and crashed for 2 hours before heading out for a BBQ.  We did light off some fireworks with friends but I still have all my 9 fingers and thumbs. 

This weekend is the Lifetime fitness tri.  I’m planning to rip it up to the best of my abilities but am traiing through for the main goal of IMWI and a Hawaii slot.  I’ve never truly focussed on a single race like I am now and am having to have some personal discussions with myself regarding the possibility that I won’t make it.  I certainly am not saying that in a negative context but rather trying to be open to the possibility of not qualifying for Hawaii and maintaining a possitive attitude.  I’m feeling very confident though but you never know until you cross the line. 

Perhaps the biggest and coolest news is that I’m back in the Miracle of Mitch race with my buddy Shane.  Shane had a couple of new shunts put in his head last month but things are healing much faster than anticipated so we will likely do the entire race.  If not we’ll do a duathlon.  Most of you recall that Shane has spina bifida.  He’s one of the coolest kids you’ll ever meet.  I visited him briefly at Children’s post surgery and everybody there knew him.  He’s an upbeat spitfire and I’m totally excited to race with Shane and get another finishers medal!  I don’t know anybody my age who has a finishers medal from the Miracles of Mitch kids race!  Of course this year I might be able to trasition as fast as Shane.  Last year Shane smoked me in T1 as I was cutting off the double garbage bag that I duct taped to my leg that I had cut open the previous day.  I had to have Jennie, my wife, run after him and it took me near a mile to catch up with my speed walking with a cane. 

That’s the news for now.  I’m sure I’ll see a lot of you at Lifetime Tri.  Keep the rubber side down and the fireworks away from your hands! 

Jeremy

As usual it has been a crazy couple of weeks.  Since my last post I did an interview with Rosen Sports (WCCO channel 4), di the Liberty Half, got my nephew his first road bike (he’s beyond excited), and visited my little buddy Shane who had to have a surgery at Children’s Hospital (Shane has Spina Bifida).  Add work and some training to the mix and it feels like yesterday when I last posted.

For those who missed it, I was on Rosen Sports this past Sunday.  Regions hospital wanted to get my story out and WCCO were the ones to jump on it.  It was wild to recall the whole accident and past summer as it now seems like eons ago.  They did a great job truly capturing what I wanted to portray with the help of Jonny-J, my wife Jennie, and my physician Dr. Cole.  I wish that they would have left in parts about Accua (where I was able to run on the underwater treadmill) and about my P.T Mike Mancini who is the most out of the box thinker possibly on the planet.  For those wanting to check out the coverage go to www.tcmultisportsclub.com for a link to the story.

Last week I aquired a used road bike that fits my 9 year old nephew Adam.  I had to do some minor work to get it in perfect shape but it went together very nicely.  I had Adam come over to Grand Performance where I was working on the bike.  He came in the back and I showed him what I called ‘my new bike’.  I then took it off the work stand and asked him ‘do you think it fits me?’.  Since my nephew is well versed in bike fit, he said ‘I don’t think so’.  I looked back and said ‘well do you think it will fit you?’ and his face beamed with excitement.  We went outside for him to try it and 10 minutes later I had to grab my bike to go and look for him.  I saw him riding down one of the side streets and had to go a bit hard to catch up.  He’s been on his new ride every day and will be doing both Miracle Kids tris this summer.  Look for the fastest bike split in the 9 year old group from Adam Sartain!

Liberty Half went quite well this past weekend.  My goal was to have an overall solid race and go sub 4:30 overall.  I went 4:27 and change and felt like I had a lot more in me.  I’m still developing top end power on the bike and speed on the run but I have those sensations that it will be there soon enough.  Amazingly I was only 10th as there was an incredibly stacked field.  Normally a sub 4:30 would get you at least a top 5 but I’m pleased anyway.

Today I visited my buddy Shane whom I had the pleasure of racing with at Miracle Kids last summer.  I had been at HED wheels prior to going to see Shane at Children’s Hospital in Minneapolis and grabbed a hat for him to wear.  It took a minute for Shane to recognize me but he was his typical excited self.  Every nurse and staff member in the place knows him well as this kid’s energy is absolutely contagious.  I’m hoping he’ll race with me again at Miracle Kids this year. 

That’s the basic low down for now.  I’ll be finished with teaching a nutrition class after next week and will add more volume to my training.  I’ll be doing Minnetonka Sprint Tri on Saturday and then plan for a very long ride on Sunday followed by a 10 mile run.  Obviously Wisconsin Ironman is on my mind!  Oh, I almost forgot - local tri and nordic ski guy Ben Pop began the Race Accross America (RAAM) today.  There is a link to his blog which his crew is updating at www.skinnyski.com.  Please check it out and drop a note of encouragement if you can. 

Jeremy Sartain