Inaugural Duluth Trail Festival Day One...start to finish!

Start of the race!!!


Friday morning!!! What a great feeling to get the kids off to school...head into the city for some great breakfast with Izzie and then head out to Big Lake to meet up with Shawn and head north for the firwst inaugural Duluth Trail Festival. real quick synopsis...DTF is a 3-day trail racing (running) event in which each individual races different running event each day of the weekend. Today was a late afternoon 5k at Chester Bowl...more to come on that later, but nlets not get ahead of ourselves.

So, I'm on my way to Shawns. He bought a new house a while ago and I haven't seen it yet, but was very excited to (mostly because he says it has a chicken coup). I call him up and he gives me the directions and I'm about 30 minutes out...can't wait for this trip to get going...gonna be so solid. I find Shawns place, and its quite a neat joint! We get the truck packed up, tie-up a couple loose ends on the internet, and head to the great white north. It's just the 2 of us this weekend, so we plan for some fun, some relaxtion, some good hiking and great racing.

The drive up isn't too long...Duluth is about 180 miles away I suppose...so about 2 and a half hour jont. Very beautiful scenary, smoothe pace, and lots to look at. We started chatting about triathlon, racing, the expecdtations of the weekend, and Shawns dating life as of late....in my 'non-gay' opinion, he is a very eligible bachelor...What?

Anyway, we're making our way and having a ton of laughs the whole time. Our race for today is slotted for a 5 o'clock (PM) start time and we are right on schedule. We get into duluth right around 3:15 and get checked into the hotel, which is right across from Spirit Mountain recreational area...great views, and just a little ways out of downtown Duluth. Get checked in, unpacked, calmed down and we are on our way to Chester Bowl, which is right by UMD St. Scholastica school way up on the north ridge (its where the big downhill ski jump is). What a beautiful drive out to the race sight...we were really looking forward to what was to come, and we had ZERO idea what we were getting ourselves into.

Found the race area and got parked, and headed over to registration, which was in an old school chalet at the foot of the "mountain". Everyone around seemed real nice and in good spirits! Always great to see....! So Shawn and I made our way to the top level of the chalet to check in and get our race bib and what nots...very cool 'swag' they gave us! Cool t-shirt that says "dirty-runner" on the back along with the sponsors, a sweet Brewhouse pintglass with logo, a grip of raspberry Hammer Gels, and some stickers and other coupons for some local bars and clubs. We were pumped to say the least. The two nice ladies at check in gave us our offical numbers, which were to be used throughout the weekend races and we chuckled at the fact that Shawn was #2 and I got #5...thats alot of pressure. Haha.

Headed back to the truck to change into our official race gear and shed some layers...took a look around at some of the route, did some 'extinguishing' in the woods and headed toward the start area to warm up. Talked to a few locals and some folks who were racing from the metro as well. Again, everyone we encountered was so nice. A quick pre-race speech by race director Rod Raymond (google that, you'll be surprised what you find) and we were ready to get running.

Ready set and GO! And we were off to 3.1 miles of trails....but I wasn't quite sure what that meant since I am so used to the flat roads in the metro area. Straight away we got into the trails and they were no joke either. it's easy to think you can hold the pace up and down the 'small' hills, through the roots and rocks and mud. Thats a lie, well for me anyway. After mile one I was dying, but it was so much fun....so much to look at, yet you miss alot of it cause you have to concentrate on the path so hard. I remember navigating my way through the course, running with some unfamiliar faces and limbing alot of rocks. We were soon approaching the chester Bowl hill challenge part fo the course...one of the steepest




This is a view of Chester hill, you can see the ski jump at teh top of the picture, well, chester hill is the landing...it's nearly straight up!

So..I see a water aid station, which means we are about to round the corner and climb the hill. What you shouldn't do is look up at the hill, but most did I'm sure. And I did too, then I looked straight into the hill and started digging, choosing good spots to put my feet and propelling myself up and up and up and up....grueling at best. As you make your way to the top, you lose sight of whats actually going on, then you get tot he top with a sigh, and realize your lungs are shot and your legs are like jelly and you don't want to move (Mamma, thumb sucking). So you keep going....accross the ski hill and more ups! Finally there is a spot on the trail where you head into the woods and start a downhill descent. Wow, I am so ready for this part. So down we go. i've been running on the heels of this other guy who is just plugging away, so I'm drafting him and we are cruising the best we can. Down through the backside of the area where we started this madness, around the soccer fields and back into some gnarly trails...about 1 mile to go (or a bit less)...still plugging away and helping the guy in front of me navigate the tree flags.



Me...coming accross a secton of the race trail....




Shawn and Rocky getting it done!


After coming up one more steep incline I get passed by a gentleman ( I now know him as Rocky...well, thats his name)...it was time to pass the guy who had been just in front of me the whole race so I did...he wasnt' real happy about it but it had to happen. I have Rocky in my sights and I'm not letting go as we traverse through the final stages of the race. I remember seeing the point where we were at beforehand and I knew as soon as we got to the bottome of the hill it was pavement mixed with trail, and I was ready to open the throttle. And so it was, down the hill (steep) and onto the road and i opened her up and my legs felt stronger than ever. Sorry Rocky, but i had to snipe you and as I passed him...I had to LEAP over a rock and it felt as if I were flying and then to the finish. Small crowd with big cheers, i turned and waited for Shawn to come through jsut a few moments later and yelled for him to push it to the finish....he's a good listener. And there you have it, the first of 3 races over the course of 3 days in beautiful Duluth. couldn't wait to go out and celebrate with dinner and beer.

Headed back to the hotel after chatting it up with some new friends (Rocky and Brenda) and got ready for a fun night on the town.

Last Tri of the season~St. Croix Valley Sprint

What a beautiful setting for the race morning! Perfect weather, the sun coming up over the horizon, no wind, and just a nice nip in the air! I took off from the burbs and headed souteast towards Hudson Wisconsin...home of the 9th annual St. Croix Valley Triathlon. My last triathlon of the season this year (and only #2 overall) and I was pretty excited about the race. 1/3 mile swim, a deceiving, yet short 10 mile bike, and a 4 mile run. Not bad, right?! LOL (hamstR).

I arrived around 6:35 in the AM and traffic in town was thick as theives. Cars with bikes everywhere...the smell of triathletes was in the air (gross). As I meandered down the river road, i found the check-in area, but it was packed with cars and people, so I went up the hill around the corner and on the other side of the road blocks and found some good parking just north of check in...maybe 2 blocks away! Score for me. I start to unload "The Lethal" of the roof rack, get the front tire outta the trunk assemble and pump up the tires. I have everything else int he TRI bag, including my wetsuit which I was still in debate to use or not. Tires pumped, backpack snuggly fastened to me and pedaling away in my flip-flops (no, not just flip-flops...but could you imagine...anyway) toward the transition area. I rode into the T-spot and there were already people everywhere, I mean it was shoulder to shoulder packed with racers and fans. I have zero problem with the race fans (friends and family members) being in the transition area pre-race..just as long as we can get what we need to get done, done. So, that being said, it was all good, I just didn't expect so many people...it was actually nice to see so many smiling faces. So, I set up my area right between bike out and run out. Actually think I scored one of the better spots overall, but for some reason it wasn't too full yet...whatever. The racks were perfect height for saddle loading which is nice cause it seems to be able to hold more bikes without cramming them in as opposed to when they are bars to bars. So...time to loosen the load (so to speak) and on to the bathroom. There were biffy's and right by my 'T' area set-up there was a park bathroom! I opted for the flushables this time around, had to wait a bit, but it was worth it. I had my rear zip tri suit on,so using the facilities is a bit more of a chore, I'm over it though.

Got the system cleared out and headed over to my area again to start putting on the wetsuit. I love wearing wetsuits, though, today we probably didn't really need it...it still feels a bit faster (and who doesn't, honestly, like a bit of full body compression). nice beach are for an out and back swim..the swim was 1/3 mile so i was confident that my shoulders would be able to hold up with my 'side-stroking' genius. I was in wave 1...WHAT! Yep, wave 1. Apparently this was an 'older' mans, and womens, race so age group males from 16 to 34 (or 34 and under). Mr. Bongers did the count down and away we went.

The swim was weird right away. usually I opt for the outside to stay outta peoples way, but today i stuck right on the buoys. Tried my best to stay in freestyle mode, but I just can't get a rythm going so I switched it up to side stroke and got comfy. So I'm pulling water sighting yhe buoys on my right wtih my left side in the water...going at a nice pace, mind free of garbage and just trying to find a rhythm. Next thing I hear is this..."Hey, you can still touch here!!!" Then I hear..."these weeds are crazy thick!!!" Now, since I'm on the inside of the pack, I flip over to see whats going on next to me...people are actually walking the swim and holding conversations! Are you kidding me right now, I thought to myself...all kidding aside, this was a first! Got to the turnaround and have been passed by a few good swimmers, but am feeling pretty good about where I was at at this point, so I kept plugging away. The way back to the beach was great...good tempo, easy breathing and sooner than later the beachfront was upon me...so I stood up and headed to T1, wetsuit already half way off!

SWIM: 225 out of 510 2:02 100 yard pace 1/3 mile in 11:52 (I'll take it)

Up the beach, through the tunnel and right into T1. I felt good...sighted my bike and bright red towel and headed in that direction (wetsuit now peeled). Suit off, helmet on (always first thing), feet dry as could be, and I'm on the 'Lethal' and on my way outta the valley. Climbing out of the river valley toward the hilly farm land and I hit a bump, and then I hear....yep, the sound of a water bottle falling to the ground and rolling away quickly. I only brought one bottle and put it in my aero rack behind my seat....bad move. I didn't want to lose any time stopping to pick it up and thought I would be fine with my 'chomps' and my GU.

Into the country through the rolling hills and 'S' turns (tight corners too). Brand new black top and boy is the 'lethal' smoothe! So we're cranking through the miles (there are only 10 in this race) and i come around this corner at a nice clip...and look ...up....holy hell, that is one big hill. It didn't seem to have an end. Now I know what they were joking about before the race. Now mind you, I have been training in the BIG gear all month for this race...I had zero idea that this should have been a small gear race. So I am up out of my saddle hammering as hard as I can and barely moving toward the crest, or what I thought was the crest, of the THIS hill. FINALLY made it to the 'second' top of the hill and was totally shot, out of breath, and I couldn't find air. I relax back down into AERO and then look ahead....oh boy, another biggie on its way. Staying focused and not anxious, i drop a few gears to gain speed and start acceleration up this thing knowing that the 5 mile turn around is close (and it was) and when i got to the top I turned to go back down that monsterous climb (x 3) that I had just made.

onward and downward I hammered the gears! Biggest ratio and just flying, legs on fire but in the best possible way. Now is about mile 6.5 and that big boy that I went up not too long ago is now my fastest descente....EVER. holy horse manure, I looked down at my Garmin and the speedo says 43.7 miles an hour. I'm getting nervous, but 'lethal' is holding her ground so nicely so I tuck harder and see that big...um...corner, hard right corner, oh Sh*&$!!! Still on the descente I'm up and out of aero, peeing my pants in gloriousness and I look over and see multitudes of people pushing, yes pushing, their bikes up the hill. Again a first for me on the bike to witness such a thing. But ya know what, at least they were out there trying their best...mad props! About two miles to go and my calves are cramping (lack of H 2 the Izzo)...a guy with fancy wheels starts to pull away, much to my dismay, and I get passed for the second time on the bike by another guy who looks fit as a fiddle...whatever that means, but I'm feeling good. Coming back through town and toward T2, down into the valley again and, what the bloody hell, a hard right...I'm sideways, literally, and I love it. Bike portion... OVER! 20.9 MPH (16th overall) and it was a tough 10 miles believe it or not.

Into T2, bike racked, shoes off...running shoe on, nope, in-sole slipped forward...shoe off, other shoe on, nope...in-sole slipped on that one too. SWEATY soles anyone? Finally figured out to hold the back of the in-sole while trying to put my feet in. The one drawback to going sockless in a race, so the time I saved is the time I lost and it all comes out even n the end. Cool thing is this, running and cycling barefoot is bada$$!! LOL...so I'm off to the run, finally.

legs were shot right outta the gate. Sipped water in transition and could feel it sloshing around a bit, but no biggie. i was passing people, but being passed as well. The start fo the run was real nice path down by the river (sorta) and then up through town and over the river bridge (st. croix river that is). Feeling pretty crappy at mile 1 just over the bridge, but keeping a good pace, but not fast enough for me to gloat about. hard left toward the bars and me and another guy in my AG were chatting about quitting and going in for a drink. We laughed about it and then moved on...maybe on the way back. So off to mile two and the turnaround, and thats wehn my legs finally came back. now we are moving at the pace we should be (sub 7's), but the earlier portion of the run makes me want to punch myself in the throat, oh well. So i hit it home, and again the story goes...the other guys that I have been pacing were dialed in as well. A few more passed, but no more gettin gpassed and 1 mile to go (4 mile run). I waited too long to hammer down, but here we go. Made up a few more positions and on to the finish where I can hear the announcer (he calls me 'tattoo man') and then around the back side of the boat house to the finsish. And there ya have it! Finished, and TRI season is officially over :(

place 47th out of 510. Time: 1:12:52
missed my goal by 2 minutes 52 seconds...but was in the top 10%!!!

I love racing. The people are great at races, the energy is wild and it just feels good to get up, out of bed and go get something done...for me, and for my kids, and for my Mom, and this one was for Greg (you will walk again...if not on earth, surely in heaven)!

Thanks for keeping up...more reports and stuff to come as we go!

Bishop out!

28.1 miles of glory!

Elm Creek Park Reserve...
not too far from home, but never
ridden enough.
So, Chad and I decided to tackle the 17 mile loop and then head
out to the Coon Rapids Dam park.
All the trails are linked, you just have to
know where to go to get there.

We met up in the Al to the bertville
and loaded our bikes in the 'Lethal Bishop Machine'
(that is now what I call the new Grand Prix.
headed south tot he park and chatted non-stop
all the way there.

We pulled up, chatted with some fellow bikers
one in which had raced with Chad (unknowingly at the time)
at the Minneapolis Duathlon. They shared some stories
and then we were off.

Twisting and turning through the trails
and Chad was all smiles!
Its gorgeous out there and the trees were
starting to change, it was peaceful
and warm...almost perfect for riding.

Passed a guy on a nicer Bianchi on the way
toward the north loop area...
i think he was srprised to see us out there
why? I'm not sure, but his eyes got kind of big.
Who knows for sure, but nonetheless, he was there...
we got to out first major left turn and stopped to check out
the map of the grounds. dude shows up outta nowhere,
searching for oxygen and red in the face.
"Mind if i ride with you guys?"
"Of course not, the more the merrier!!"

So we rode, 3 in toe, drafting throught the park.
I took lead spot after about a mile,
Chad running #2 position and our new buddy 3rd.
We were pushing pretty good!
next big turnaround (about 3 miles later) and I look back
No more new buddy...
"Where'd he go?' I asked Chad.
Apparently he couldn't keep up the tremendous pace.
As if we are fast or something, hahaha.

Anyway, we meandered throught the trails and found our
outlet to the Dam over the bridge and across
the fields of Champlin and Brooklyn Park.
i was pulling the two of us pretty hard
and I felt so much restistance.
I knew that I had checked my brakes pre-ride
to make sure they weren't rubbing,
and they weren't.
Chain and gears were in tact, wheels seemed true.
No evidence of anything holding me back.

I asked Chad how he felt. He was good...
I told him my lungs were on fire and I felt alot of resistance.
He chuckled and said..."thats becuase you've been going 24 miles an hour
for the last 3 miles or more!"
Ah, that makes sense, and brings smiles.

We continued on and made it to the Dam in good time.
After sitting up on the 'Dam' bridge
watching the water flow rapidly and sounding
like a thunderstorm, we found a drinking fountain
to reload on H2O! The fountain had a 'HIGH' and the fountain
had a 'LOW'. If on HIGH, you had to stand about 4 feet away and catch the water
from a distance.
On the LOW setting, it would slowly trickle into your bottle and fill about a 1/4 of the way.
We opted for the 'more fun' HIGH of course. Lotsa laughs about something so peculiar and silly. We're triathletes afterall.

Got back on the paths, kicked her in high gear (literally)
and headed back to the post. It was getting dark out quick
ooops, no lights.
made it safely back to the lot where we had parked,
loaded up the bikes in a swarm of misquitos...
and headed home laughing our inglorious asses off!

Good times!

Bishop out