Monday, July 15, 2013

St. Louis 5150

On June 28th I raced the St. Louis 5150. Since there have been so few Pan-Am Cups in North America this year, I have been racing a lot of non-draft events to keep sharp... and because they're fun too, in spite of getting bike-envy of age-groupers who make astronomically more money than I do...

The race actually took place in Innsbrook, which is pretty much just idyllic. I would love to vacation here, or even get a training camp set up here. It is nestled in the wooded hills outside St. Louis, and there are several very pristine lakes around. Rachel was glad she came with me, if for no other reason than to enjoy the views!

We drove down after a day in Omaha, and I warmed up a bit and scoped out the race course the day before. I knew it was going to be tough, but I didn't know how tough! Olive Garden for dinner, lights out, an early alarm, and an hour drive brings us to the race course again. Now, I got in a little warm up, but then I realized I had to use the bathroom. I went to the porta-potties... of which there were only 12 for 900+ competitors... and sparing you the gory details had to wait and wait and wait and finally was finished just a few minutes before my wave left! I got transition set up and warmed up just a shade more and headed to the water.

Rachel is a great motivator for me, without even knowing it. I've never even fully illustrated this to her, but seeing her just before the start brings out my prehistoric this-is-MY-mate-and-I-will-fight-to-the-death-for-her instincts. I know it sounds weird, and I realize none of my competitors will probably even come in contact with her at all, let alone hurt her. But I had visualized that, and the weird thing was, it WORKED! I was in kill mode toeing the line. I led all the way through both turns, and then got passed by 3 guys who I stayed with. Coming into the finish, I remembered I told Rach I would come out in the top 3, so I passed one of the guys back and hit the beach.

I helped a guy with his zipper running up to transition (there is not a single level surface in that whole county, so we ran up and up and UP) and got some Karma points, and came out of transition in second behind Mr. Billington himself. I knew the bike would be hard, but not having a good warmup really hurt me in the first few miles, which is where I got passed. It was a hilly, winding course, so I lost contact with the leaders, but came off the bike 8th.

I would like to start out the run recap by saying that Ultramax Sports are murderers. Some swimmer must have stolen that dude's girlfriend a while ago, because he clearly hates us swimmers judging by that run! I cannot stress enough how brutal this run was. It was mostly on gravel, and to say it was hilly would be like saying Lindsey Lohan kinda likes to party. The hills were steep, rolling, and everywhere. I thought I might have to crawl at times. I got passed twice, and crossed the line, gasping for air and vomiting shards of my pelvis into the bushes, for a 10th place finish.

I was reasonably happy, but again I had hoped to be in the money. Still, I think 10th here was a much better result than 10th in Lawrence with this field and this course.

After the race, Rachel and I had a bit of a vacation. We ate at some damn good restaurants (Pi Pizza, restaurant review in the future?) went to the zoo, and toured the Anheuser-Busch Factory, which was really impressive. I think we both needed that time, kind of away from everything and being together, more than either of us realized.

Until next time, FOLLOW THE PACE RABBIT!!

Dallas Re-Cap 2013

So, I realize this is quite late, but you're all used to that by now... In other news, this is the first time I've had to put a year on a race recap to keep it straight with the prior year, so that's pretty cool!

On June 1st, I raced in the Dallas Pan-Am Cup. Going in, I felt pretty well-prepared, although I knew the field was tough and it was going to be hot. I had done plenty of heat acclimation, and I felt like my head was on pretty straight. I stayed at the host hotel, which literally has the transition in its parking lot and several restaurants within walking distance, so I was set up nicely!

In the weeks leading up to this race, my goal was to finish top-10 and get some prize money. This is a good goal, but I think it caused me to focus on that outcome rather than on the process. A process goal would be something like "MAKE THE PACK ON THE SWIM!! YOU'RE A SWIMMER FOR GOD'S SAKE!!" But I was too worried about what might come later, and so I lost focus, didn't realize how far back I was in the water, and missed the breakaway group of 9 coming out of the water.

Now, in my own defense, I was probably not as fit in the water as I thought I was. Also, my warmup got cut short due to incoming weather (which never really came at all...) but so did everyone else's. And, I was leading a group going into the first buoy, but I got mauled by a bunch of people, like literally dunked. Not fun. Ultimately though, the loss of focus caused me to make bad judgements in the water which cost me that breakaway group. Making that group nearly guaranteed coming out in the money!

The bike was largely uneventful, except that our small group got caught by another small group, and then no one wanted to work anymore (except the breakaway!). OK, there was an incident involving me and another rider, so I figure I'll give my side of the story here.

I won't name names, but basically this guy and I had been running our group together, and doing a pretty good job until the groups joined. Now, we had been rotating to the right after taking a pull at the front, so after I took a pull I moved right. His front tire had crossed mine, so he was basically sitting where I was about to move, and when I did, we touched tires pretty hard and he went down... pretty hard...

It was an honest mistake on both of our parts, I wish him all the best, and I would never purposely do something to put one of my peers in danger.

I had a decent run given the conditions... which were hot and long... and wound up 18th overall. Obviously not what I'd hoped for. After the race I had to face some tough questions, and I came up with some good answers. I revamped my mental approach, and I really sharpened my swim. It is, after all, my weapon, and I wanna KILL with it!

Until next time, FOLLOW THE PACE RABBIT!!!

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

#FBF: Luau Take 1

I know, I said I wouldn't do this again... but I failed to blog for a while. My bad... I'd make some half-hearted vow to be more regular, but lets me honest, its me we're talking about here. Here's how the first little piggy made it to the market!

Last post I previewed my plan to do a Luau, complete with the Kalua pig. Well, I simplified things a bit, but for the most part I did everything as traditionally as I could, and the results were delicious and fun!

OK, for you non-pacific islanders out there, a Kalua pig is basically roasted in a pit in the ground over the course of a day, using smoke and hot rocks buried with the pig to do the cooking. Now, I am a big picture guy, so I will give you a general rundown of what I did, and then detail the rest out further on down. To me, this is the easiest way to understand it.

You know what the best part about this is? I pretty much just read other people's blogs (none of whom are trained chefs... or Hawaiians...) to figure out how to do this. And now, you are reading my blog learning how in the same way. I can only hope one of you dumb schmucks tries this, and then blogs about it to pass on the information! ... OK that got too deep, just read and enjoy...

*Disclaimer* This cooking process involves fire, super-heated rocks, and burying and leaving said objects (fire and hot rocks) relatively unattended in the ground for a while. Use common sense! Don't burn your house down... its a hassle... take my word for it.

Here is the general rundown:

1) Dig a pit

2) Line the pit with rocks

3) Build a fire on the rocks

4) Feed the fire for a couple hours to heat the rocks

5) Prepare and wrap the pig

6) Put leafy branches or soaked wood chips on fire

7) Put pig on fire and cover with more branches

8) Cover the whole mass with a wet blanket

9) Cover with a layer of dirt to make airtight

10) Wait 12-16 hours, and enjoy!



That's basically it! Here are more details on what I did with each of the steps.

#1-2 The pit: Dig a pit about 3 feet deep with steep walls. If you're doing a whole pig, it should be about the size of a shallow grave (foreshadowing? I hope not... so be careful!) Since I only did a shoulder it was just about 3 feet by 3 feet. The rocks should be somewhere between the size of a softball and a grapefruit, and enough to surround whatever you are roasting, and maybe even to stuff a few inside the carcass. I used paver bricks, which actually worked great! *Warning* Evidently some rocks, like those that have been in water for a long time, will explode when super-heated. Maybe try just heating one rock in a fire first before going all in. Or just wus out like me and use bricks!



#3-4 The fire: Pretty easy, right? The bigger, hotter, and longer you burn it, the better. Once you've got glowing hot rocks/bricks, let it smolder down for 20 mins or so.

#5 The Piggy: Now, at the outset, I'd like to say that those who are strictly traditional are never innovative. Traditionally the pig is just salted and wrapped in banana leaves, and maybe chicken wire for easy handling. I followed suit and just used salt and wrapped it in cabbage leaves (again, no banana trees in Kearney!) and then aluminum foil to keep it all together. When I do it again, I am gonna spice rub the sh%+ out of that pig! The final product was tender and juicy, just a little bit plain. I love me some BBQ, so I say spice that up! But don't try and tell a large Samoan man that it is traditional, he might hurt you.



#6-9 Entombing: arrange the rocks and coals a bit (I don't feel like I need to say "don't use your bare hands" ...maybe some tongs would be in order?) to make a nice bed that will surround the meat. If you're using a whole pig, save a few to put in the cavity. Then, put some wet wood or leafy branches down to make a 2-4 inch cushion. No, I still haven't found any damn banana trees in Kearney! I used maple branches and soaked hickory chips... did I mention I love barbecue? Put a few more branches on top. The steam/smoke really flavors the meat and helps cook it, so don't be shy! Then, put a wet blanket over the whole mess, and add enough dirt to make it airtight on all the edges. Wait for a minute and watch for smoke escaping, that is not what you want! Seal 'er up tight!




#10 Wait: This was really hard for me, and that is why I hate baking. Just wait. Leave it alone. Don't look at it. You won't be able to smell anything or see anything happening, so there's no need to check on it. Why are you still glancing over there?? It might be smart to have someone on the premises to make sure nothing burns down or explodes, though. HEY, what did we say about checking on it?!?! Leave it alone!



If you've done everything properly (which you probably didn't... you're a dumb schmuck and you've been pounding Bud heavy since 9 am) then after 12 hours or so you'll have a mess of tender pork waiting to be eaten in a drunken-munchies rage. Take the blanket off, clear off the branches and get ready! If you just did a shoulder like me, use a pair of oven mitts and just put it in a pan. If you did the whole shebang, find the three drunkest guys at the party to help you haul Babe off the coals and into the kitchen!



At this point, it's all fair game. Sandwiches? Sure. Pork tacos? Prove it! Sauce? I like your style. Pork Pie? Lets get weird! Just eat it, and until next time, FOLLOW THE PACE RABBIT!