A Journey Of Two Hundred Miles Begins... Very Badly (But Ends Well Enough)

The STP (Seattle-to-Portland) was a couple of weeks ago. In spite of my best efforts, I survived.

Lots of ground to cover, so let's get to it:

I flew out to Seattle on Thursday, with Scott and Katy picking me up at the airport. I had disassembled my bike for the trip, but I wasn't sure I could get it back together safely, so I put it together Friday morning and had one of Olympia's hippie bike shops look it over while we had lunch. Evidently I had gotten it mostly right, and we were good to go.

That evening Katy took us up to Seattle to stay with Darrell, drafted to be team "leader," and Jolene, who is smart enough to not ride the STP. We stopped in Tacoma for a traditional carbo-loading of spaghetti at the Old Spaghetti Factory.

Darrell and Jolene were great, making us feel right at home. And they were nicely positioned, too. They live on a hill with a nice view of north Seattle and the UW (boo) campus, which is where the STP starts. We got up at 5ish, so I was able to get a picture of the sunrise.

Sadly, when I was deciding what to bring along on the ride, the camera was sacrificed to my desire to not carry any more weight than absolutely necessary. It came down to the camera or a spare tube. Easy choice.

So, long story short, this is the last STP picture from my camera:
Right, so we headed down to the Husky (boo) Stadium parking lot by about 6:30. After waiting for the team to assemble, we got started a bit later than we had hoped (7:20ish), but we were on our way. We got off to an inauspicious start, when Scott lost track of me and thought I was way ahead of him... after 50 yards. He accelerated rapidly and away he went. So I had to sprint to catch him and let him know I was still behind him.

That little bit of excitement behind us, we settled in and headed south along Lake Washington. It was a great view on a great, sunny morning. A picture would be perfect here. If only I had brought a camera!

After we had gone about 5 miles and were starting to get into a rhythm, Scott's left wheel suddenly decided it had plans of its own and started to come apart. That's right, I said "come apart," as in "trying to fall off." I don't know why. Luckily, I was riding behind Scott and saw it happening. He stopped quickly, and we assessed the damage.

After a half hour of searching, we found the necessary pieces and reassembled his wheel. I'm still not sure we found ALL the pieces, but we found enough that when we got it back together, it stayed together for the rest of the weekend, so... good enough, I guess.

Scott's rebellious wheel and our later than expected start had us off the back of the ride. There were very few riders around, and we were still in Seattle. Not good. We were in for a long day.

For some reason, my bike computer wasn't working (I think one of the batteries is going bad), so we were relying on Scott's. It seemed a little off to me, but I had no way of knowing for sure until my computer suddenly - once again, I have no idea why - started working. That's when we found out that whoever set up his computer had set it to the wrong wheel circumference; it was reading about 50% off. So, when he was doing his training rides, and he thought he was going 45 miles at 15 miles per hour, he was really going 30 miles at 10 mph. Big difference.

Scott did great, but those extra miles came back to haunt us later. He powered up the Puyallup hill and made it to Spanaway (just over 50 miles) really well. He slowed a bit after 60 miles, a lot after 70, and was pretty cooked at 75. That put us in Rainier, which was close enough to Centralia for Katy to come and pick him and another team member up. It was just too far, too fast, too sunny, and too warm, but it was a great effort, nonetheless.

Once I was sure Katy was close and there was someone to wait with Scott, I rode the rest of the way to Centralia. With light and favorable winds, flat roads, and a few riders in front of me, I hit the gas. I had heard enough "On your left" for one day. Short story, even shorter: I got to Centralia in a hurry, and Jean's dad Ray had pizza waiting for me when I got there, and my parents were there too. After scarfing dinner and visiting, it was time for a shower and a bed.

The next morning, I rode from Centralia to Napavine through a thunderstorm and met the rest of the team at the Napavine Rebekah Lodge's pancake breakfast. After Saturday's experience, Scott, Katy, and I decided I would ride to Goble, OR, and Scott would rejoin the ride there, and we would ride to Portland together.

So I headed south on my own. It was a fun ride, hillier than Saturday, but not bad at all. I picked up the pace a little between Vader and Castle Rock and between Rainier, OR, and Goble, OR. Sunday was cloudy, but it didn't rain again until I got to Kelso and the bridge over the Columbia River. It wasn't much more than a light mist, but it was enough to wet the road and make the bridge crossing plenty dicey.

After crossing the bridge, I headed to Goble to meet up with Scott. While waiting for me, Scott and Katy had a little time to snap a few pictures. They were nice enough to send them along. So thank them for the pics, and enjoy.

Scott with the Mean Green Machine, all wheels more-or-less intact:

"Draught Beer, Not Me":

I arrive in Goble:

About to hit the road, Coug windsock at the ready:

So I took up my position behind Scott, and we lit out for Portland.

* Note: Katy took this picture as she drove past.

** Note: If there are any Oregon law enforcement officials reading this, that first note's a damn dirty lie.

We followed the Columbia River past St. Helens and Scappoose, which put us about 14 miles from the finish. That's when it started to sprinkle very lightly. As we got closer to Portland, the rain got a little stronger. As we passed the "PORTLAND 10" traffic sign, Scott began going faster...

No, that doesn't quite describe what happened. Instead, let me just say, SCOTT GOT A BUG UP HIS ASS AND WE WERE MOVING!!! He passed a guy going up a hill, traveling 17 mph. After a couple of miles of this, I pulled up alongside and, with my customary subtlety and sensitivity, asked "What the hell was that?!?" Scott, without even glancing in my direction, just said, "I'm tired of being wet."

And with that, we cruised through a steadily worsening rain to the finish, meeting a couple of teammates at a stoplight just a few blocks from the end. Katy and much of the team was there to greet us.

Before leaving Portland and heading back to Oly, we stopped at a local institution, Burgerville.

Monday meant relaxation. Scott and I took their Wii for a spin, and Scott, Katy and I went to lunch at a pizza place in Oly called The Rock. I would like to note for the record that I managed to contain myself and never once pulled out my Sean Conneryisms. I think I'm making real progress...

Tuesday, Scott and Katy took me to the airport, and I headed home.

All in all, it was a fun weekend, and the team met its fundraising goal, so it was successful in that respect too. Scott was impressive on the Mean Green Machine, and Katy took good care of us. I had a great time.

Let's never do it again.

Overflowing With Awesome

This Is Just Getting Silly

Adam had his 18 month appointment Friday. The doc says he's fine.

And freakishly large:

Height: 34.5 inches (95th percentile)

Weight: 30.8 pounds (94th percentile)

Head: 19.75 inches (95th percentile)

I'm Not A Smart Man

Scott and Katy were going to do the Seattle-to-Portland bike ride together. Katy - wisely - decided she wasn't ready to do it, so Jean volunteered me to stand in ride in her place. I - unwisely - agreed.

So, I guess I'm riding the STP. 100 miles a day on back-to-back days. This should be interesting...

Anyhoo, I'm riding with Scott and Katy's team, Team Busta Move, and we're trying to raise some dough for the Hereditary Disease Foundation. If you click on the team name, you'll go to a donation page. Anything you can give would be appreciated. It's for a good cause, and besides, you were just going to waste that money on Ring Dings and Natty Light anyway.

So give 'til it hurts. Don't make me go all National Lampoon on your butts:

Things to do in Washington When You're 1 1/2

(by Jean)
Getting to Washington was about what I expected - On the plane Adam didn't want to sleep, didn't want to sit (either on the seat or in my lap), wasn't going to be distracted by toys or books, and was happiest running up and down the aisle disturbing everyone's drinks, food (used loosely to describe peanuts or pretzels), and computers. I finally banished him to the back of the plane, where he opened and closed all the toggles holding the equipment and food in place in the cabinets, and played peek-a-boo with the flight attendants. Once we got off the plane and into the car he finally fell asleep - only 3 1/2 hours later than normal. It was stressful at the time, but actually contributed to his time change acclimation, since he slept in until 7:00am the next morning (pacific time!).

Washington weather in June was much better than I expected. Lots of sunny days, filled with visits with friends and family, yummy food ( Mom and Dad, Bill and Deanna, Katy and Scott, and Emily and John, thanks for feeding us!), and lots of playing.

Things to do in Washington when you're 1 1/2:
1. Play in the dirt
2. Play in the water
3. Play in the sand
4. Play at the park
5. Play with cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents in all of the above mentioned locations

Getting home from Washington was much better than the outbound trip. It was naptime when we got in the air, and Adam was tired enough that he only rampaged up and down the aisle a couple times. The area at the back of the plane is very handy for standing and rocking small over-tired children while singing to them... it is loud enough that noone except the small child can hear the off-key singing, which is a plus. Small child napping for 1 1/2 hours on the plane is about as good as it gets!

"I Think I Just Blinded Tim DeBoom"

That's what I wrote in a text to Jean Sunday morning. Here's why:
Poor guy. He was just trying to make a living.

Last Sunday was Ironman Kansas 70.3. The full Ironman distance is 140.6 miles (2.4 mi. swim, 112 mi. bike, 26.2 mi. run), so 70.3 is what used to be called a half-Iron. Last year's top two men's finishers each went on to win a world championship (one at the 70.3 distance, the other at the full IM distance - that's the race in Kona, HI). And this year's field included Tim DeBoom (the temporarily blind man above), who won Kona in 2001 and 2002, and Chrissy Wellington, the 2-time defending IM world champ, who has never lost a triathlon. So, there were some of the best endurance athletes in the world there.

For obvious reasons, I decided to head over to Lawrence and watch the race. For not-so-obvious reasons, I volunteered to help clean up after the race was over. I guess I'm just a sucker for a free t-shirt.

I missed the start of the swim, but I was able to get some pictures of the pros coming out of the transition from swim to bike. You've already seen what I did to poor Tim DeBoom. Here's the eventual men's winner, Luke Bell:
And Wellington (foreground), who would get a flat tire out on course: After the bike, they run a half marathon. Bell led a tight four-man group out on the run:

With DeBoom, evidently recovered from my flash photography, hitting the run a few minutes later:

This is Timothy O'Donnell, who set an unbelievable run pace, leading with just a few miles to go:

Unfortunately, I don't have any good pictures of the end of the men's race because they came in just too dang fast. With 3 miles to go, O'Donnell had a lead of almost a minute, but Bell kept coming and O'Donnell faded as the sun came out and he paid for his blazing pace. Bell ended up winning by a little more than a minute. DeBoom developed a leg injury, but he managed to finish 12th overall.

On the women's side, Wellington recovered from her flat tire to lead at the start of the run.

Her main competition came from Pip Taylor, an Australian who is using Lawrence, KS as her training base this year.

But Wellington was simply awesome. Even with the flat tire, she won by almost 5 minutes. Here she is entering the finishing chute:

And, yes, that's some poor soul on the right dressed as the Cowardly Lion. There were other Wizard of Oz characters too. Now, I volunteered to help clean up after the event, which I happily did with no expectation of compensation (aside from my stylin' tee), but if you want me to dress up in that outfit on a day like that, it's gotta be a paying gig.

Anyway, the pros were not the only ones racing Sunday. In fact there were about 2,000 people participating. There were people of virtually all shapes and sizes, like this guy in the hat, who, if you look closely, has a prosthetic left lower leg:

Pretty cool, dude.

And here is a neighbor of ours, Tony, who was just incredible. He finished 73rd among the age-groupers (non-pros).

One more thing: Wellington's an interesting person. There's the fact that she's never been beaten in a triathlon by a woman, which is pretty impressive on its own. But what gets her so much support from tri fans is that, when she's finished kicking everyone's butts, she hangs around until everyone finishes, greeting people as they finish, giving them the finisher's medals they've earned, signing autographs and posing for pictures with virtually anyone who asks. And smiling the whole time.

For a full Ironman, the race doesn't end until midnight, and she's there to the end. Fortunately for her last weekend, a 70.3 doesn't take that long. And in Tony's case, she didn't have to wait long at all. It may be hard to see, but here's Tony getting his medal from the best woman triathlete in the world:

Warm day; cool people...

And I really am sorry about that flash in the eye, Tim.

DIRT! DIRT! DIRT!

Jean decided she wanted to raise the garden a bit. This involved borrowing our friend Casey's truck and getting a couple loads of dirt. The dirt, as you can see, was greatly appreciated by Adam. (Me? Not so much. I pulled a muscle in my calf hauling that darn dirt to the garden. Grrr...)

While I tried to get the wheelbarrows full of dirt to the garden before a thunderstorm reached us, Adam learned a new word.

And here, I cut off the video 5 seconds too early. Just after I stopped filming, Adam shouted "Dirt! Dirt! Dirt!" Oh, well.

And a couple of weeks ago, Jean competed in the corporate challenge triathlon. While she was doing that, Adam and I cheered her on. When the tri was over, Adam found a nice patch of dirt to occupy his hands.

Cheesy Excuse For Corny Title

Or is that the other way around?

Jumbo Shrimp

Adam had his 15 month checkup a couple of weeks ago. Everything is a-okay. No problems; no worries. We'll have more up soon about other recent developments. In the meantime, here are the stats:

Height: 32.25 inches (80th percentile)
Weight: 27.2 pounds (85th)
Head: 19.25 inches (90th)