Jordan River Trail - DOMINATED

Saturday, while the Dominator was resting for the Motor City Tri, KB and I paid a visit to the Jordan River Trail (JRT) in northern lower Michigan. The JRT is a beautiful trail which meanders in and out of the Jordan River valley for 18.5 miles. If you follow the trail counter clockwise from Dead Man’s Hill Overlook (appropriately named), as we did, the trail immediately descends over 400’ to the Jordan River, follows the northern bank of the river to the Pinney Bridge campground 8 miles later and returns to the start following high ridges which yield great views of the valley.

Once, while on an overnight trip to the JRT, I was passed early in the morning by a day hiker who intended to hike the whole trail in a day. This brief encounter planted a seed inside me that I thought it would be “fun” to see how long it would take to run the entire trail. So, this weekend we set out to run the entire trail with only one goal, to finish. It only took me 15 minutes before I tripped on a root and fell. It was a quick reminder that this trail was not intended for running but rather a cautious hiker. The other half of the Dynamic Duo, KB, stayed upright a little longer, making it 60 minutes until she took to the air like superwoman and skidded to a halt in mid-flight form. Fortunately, neither of us was hurt and these were the only incidents of the day. We were elated to reach the Pinney Bridge CG in good form after only 1:40 of running. After a 20 minute break, in which we topped off our Camelbaks, we found the last 10 miles to be particularly challenging with very difficult hills and tired legs. We managed to finish the loop exhausted and sore in 4 hours 32 minutes.

Motor City Tri

It was a great day for racing on Belle Isle. The sun was out, the winds were light, even the river was pretty nice. I was in the first wave of the day, and made it out of the water in 30 minutes. The water was clear and 69 degrees. The current was a little tricky for a first timer. I have even more respect for the salmon after swimming up stream. The bike course was mostly flat and unlike most Michigan's rodes, it was smooth. The Olympic distance made four laps around the island for a total of 23 miles. I felt pretty comfortable on the bike and was able to average 20.6 mph. The bike course became some what crowded with all 600 athletes from the Olympic and sprint race and all the other people enjoying the day. After T2, it was on to the run. I tried to maintain a steady pace, and worked on keeping the Gatorade, water and gels on the inside. It was a slow and steady 6.6 mile run to the finish line. I was able to finish with a PR of 2:47. It was good enough for 5th in the big kids division. Sorry, no trophy this time. The motor city tri was a well put on race. The course was great even the river was better than expected. There were many first timers and elite athletes in both the sprint and Olympic distance. I would also like to thank my wife for all her support and cheering.

Spare Tire goes to the Motor City

I am pleased to represent STR in the Motor City Triathlon. The race will be held on Sunday, June 24th at 8am on Belle Isle. I will be competing in the Olympic Distance in the Clydesdale division. This is Michigan's premiere Olympic distance triathlon. I am looking forward to the shorter distance so I can really put the hammer down. I am not promising another 1st place trophy, but I will do my best and will probably leave it all on the course. All are welcome to come out to Belle Isle.

Winner, winner, chicken dinner!

I am pleased to report Spare Tire Racing has a 1st place trophy from the Clydesdale division in the Racing for Recovery 1/2 Ironman. The weather was nearly perfect for my first triathlon in over two years. The winds were calm for the 1.2 mile swim in Lake Erie. I made it out of the water in 42 minutes after a rough start. The bike course was mostly flat and smooth with the exception of a few miles of old Michigan road, which caused my inhaler to fly out of my jersey pocket. With an average of 18.9 miles per hour, I was off the bike in under 3 hours. Everything was going good, until the last bottle exchange when I was handed an extremely strong Gatorade bottle. It was tough going down and four hours into the race, my belly was not liking it too much. It was on to the run. The first mile was surprisingly well, which means I was excited that my legs would actually move. My legs were not the only thing moving after the first mile. That strong Gatorade decided it wanted to make a comeback. So, I had to pull up and "leave it all on the course". After that things would not be the same. Nothing was going down well, which is not good when it is 80+ degrees and you have 12 miles to go. I managed to drink a few sips of water while walking at each aid station. It was a run/walk for the next couple of hours. After a 2:23:07 1/2 marathon, I crossed the finish line with a final time of 6:10:17. It was good to be back racing again. I would like to thank Annette, "The Boss," and Madison from Brown Dog Brewing Co. for their great support.

Time to DOMINATE Racing For Recovery Half-Ironman Triathlon

After meeting with the Dominator recently I’m pleased to report he appears loose and ready for the Racing For Recovery Half-Ironman Triathlon this weekend. The race consists of a 1.2mile swim, 56 mile bike, and 13.1 mile run. The race will be 7:30am Sunday, June 10th at Sterling State Park, Monroe, Michigan. Although Ralph described the swim as typically being “full contact”, he assured me he will be thinking of his STR legion during the more than 3 hrs he will be on his bike and approximately 2 hrs running. Good luck Dominator!