12 Tacos

I just made a bet with a buddy of mine that I could eat 12 tacos. Well, sort of. I have 24 hours to decide. The bet is for $50. Here are the rules:

1. The tacos must be the standard Taco Bell taco (crunchy shell). Both parties have to be present when ordering, just to make sure there is no tampering with said tacos.

2. I can add sauce, if desired, and I can have the drink of my choice while eating.

3. I have a 30 minute time limit.

4. And of course, the golden rule, if I throw up during the 30 minutes, I lose.

That's the bet. We couldn't finalize it because we weren't able to agree on a time and place. He wants to do it soon because he fears I will sneak up to Taco Bell for a 'test run.' So I have 24 hours to pick the time and place, then we're both locked in.

I'm going to sleep on it tonight and see how I feel in the morning. I'm 80% sure I can eat 12 tacos. I'm a little apprehensive because once you get into 10-taco range, it's uncharerted territory. The unknown. There might be a wall our there that I can't get past. Now I know what Chuck Yeager must have felt like when he first attempted to break the sound barrier. And yes, I just compared eating 12 tacos to flying Mach 1 in a crop duster. If you can't see the similarities, I don't know what to tell you.

Lake Murray Triathlon Update

I had a great race up in Columbia on Sunday. Conditions were a little dicy because of high winds. The swim was super choppy, and headwinds on the bike are never fun. But I raced my race and finished with really good splits, cutting about 2 minutes of my time from last year.

The race filled to its 400 capacity. I think that's a first for this event. The number of triathletes continues to grow.

I did notice a couple thing that were a little different this year. Although Moes is still the title sponsor, they did not provide a post race meal. Bummer. There was only the standard assorted fruit and cookies. Not a big deal, but I was all set for a post race taco (just one). On a more positive note, the race shirt was a nice coolmax material instead of the standard cotton. Big upgrade.

Otherwise, it was business as usual. I highly recommend racing this event if you haven't done so. It's a Setup Events race, part of the SC Tri Series, and well organized. You can leave Charleston at 4:30 and get to the race site by 6:45. It's worth the drive.

Happy 10th Anniversary Speedo Man

I did my first triathlon 10 years ago at James Island County Park. I was out of shape and about 20 lbs overweight. This was before I had kids. Bar hopping, late night runs to Taco Bell, and sleeping till noon on weekends were the norm.

I’m not really sure what made me want to do a triathlon, but I thought it sounded pretty cool. I asked around, trying to get some info on what to expect, but no one could help me. The only person I could find with any kind of experience was one of my brother’s good friends who swam for the University of Florida, so I called him up to get some pointers.

After a lengthy conversation about stroke efficiency and open water swim techniques (none of which made any sense to me by the way), he said, “and you got to wear a Speedo, it will cut down on drag.” But he didn’t stop there, he went on to say that it needed to be a size smaller than my current waist size – it needed to be skin-tight.

How can you argue with a collegiate swimmer? I went out and bought a size 32 Speedo. To say it was tight would be an understatement. To say it cut the circulation off in my legs would be more accurate.

You ever had that dream where you go to school or work, but your naked? That’s the feeling I had walking around the transition area before the swim start.

And things didn’t get any better once the race started. I had a terrible swim. I was dying within 50 meters. The bike was just as brutal. I could barely turn the pedals. And with that Speedo digging into my groin and buttocks, I was uncomfortable, and in pain. If someone had rode past me (and most of the field did ride past me) and said, “Hey buddy, say no to crack,” I don’t think I could have even laughed. It was that bad.

The run took it to a whole other level of pain. I felt like I was carrying a refrigerator. I finished in 1 hour and 40 minutes, in the last 20 or so out of 300 racers.

That was my first race experience, and I’m happy to say, I’ve gotten faster. I still have the Speedo by the way. I’ve never raced in it again, but I break it out for parties every once in a while (don’t ask).

The thing is, I wasn’t ready for my first race, but I’m so glad I did it. It got the ball rolling for what has become a huge part of my life. I’m glad I didn’t wait until I was in shape, or until my friends agreed to do it with me, or until I had a better bike. And most of all, I’m glad I wore that Speedo.

When I think of that guy, clueless and out of shape, standing at the swim start in that tight Speedo, I smile. I want to give him a high five and tell him thanks.

I’ll be racing at James Island again this summer. And I think it’s only fitting that on the 10th anniversary of my first race I break out the Speedo again. It’s time. And when I cross the finish line, I’m going to give that guy a high five.

Race Profile: Lake Murray Triathlon

The Lake Murray Triathlon will take place this Sunday, May 18, at the Dreher Island State Recreation Area in Columbia. This is the 5th race in the South Carolina Triathlon Series (SCTS). I raced it for the first time last year, and I'm racing again this weekend.

The race starts at 8:00 a.m., so if your in Charleston, you can drive up in the morning. It means leaving around 4 or 4:30, but it beats getting a hotel. This race and the Pee Dee Tri in Florence are the two longest drives I make on race mornings. Dreher Island is not hard to find at all, but that Pee Dee race, that's another story for another time.

As far as I can tell, this event hasn't ever filled to capacity (500 participants). It's getting closer each year though. As of right now, there are approximately 130 spots still available. The early registration fee is $50, but jumps to $60 after April 1.

This is a USAT sanctioned event, so you must show your membership card, or pay a $10, one-day fee. And as is always the case with USAT events, don't forget your photo ID. You need it to pick up your race packet and check in.

The course
This is a sprint distance tri (750mtr lake swim, 16m bike, 5k). The swim is one counter-clockwise 750 meter loop. It's an in-water start, so you wade into the water from the boat landing with your wave and wait for the start while treading water. Wetsuits are normally legal but the water temperatures this time of year are usually right around that 78 degree mark. Last year, the water temp was 71, so no problem. I'm hearing it's around 75 degrees currently. We shall see. One thing I'll mention is that the first half of this swim is directly into the morning sun. I had a real hard time spotting the buoys with the glare, so swim straight.

The bike course is one 16 mile loop. Road surfaces are your typical country back roads with a few bad patches here and there, so use caution. Police and volunteers are at each intersection, so you won't miss any turns.

The 5k run course is all inside the park. It's an out and back with a few spurs along the way. It's not hilly, but there are one or two gradual, rolling inclines, but nothing serious.

Random Info
Along with the standard divisions (Open, Age Group, Athena, Clydesdale), there are also Relay, Physically Challenged, and Novice divisions. Hampton Inn on Harbison Road is the host hotel and offers a discount if want to go that route. There is a cut-off time of 2 hours 30 minutes. Go Tri Sports will host the official event expo, and Bird's Eye View Photography will doing the race day photos.

Thumbs up
Thumbs up for the post race meal. Moe's is a sponsor and provides a full lunch after the event. Thumbs up to the race officials who are out on the course and not afraid to assess penalties for rules violations, i.e., drafting and blocking. Thumbs up to Setup for posting the results after the awards ceremony, complete with transition splits. And huge thumbs up to the bike mechanic at the race site who fixed my flat tire last year and gave me a spare for the race, just in case.

I don't really have any negatives. It's not the most sexy venue, but it works. And it's usually the last race you can legally wear your wetsuit, so enjoy it while you can.

Race Updates

The AB&T Duathlon (2run/14bike/2run) was held yesterday on John's Island. Technically, this was a first year event, but it's really the Stono Ferry Duathlon/Daniel Island Duathlon reincarnated. Mike Loggins of the Extra Mile has produced these duathlons since the mid-90s.

I'm not sure if this race will make it either though, because turnout was low -- probably 30-35 racers at most. Part of this could have been due to the weather. It was pouring rain when I woke up, and didn't stop until around 6:50 a.m. The race sponsors didn't even show up.

With a larger storm system moving in, Mike got the race started a little early. His pre-race instructions focused on the terrible road conditions. There was standing water, mud and debris on the roads because of the storm, and in his words, the road was "as slick as owl poop." And he was right. To make matters worse, once we got to the bike leg, the rain started again. I was actually a little surprised they let us out for the final run leg because there was some pretty good lightning flashes. But everyone was able to finish, and no one crashed in the owl poop.

I liked the course, and I'll certainly race it again, that is of course, if they have it again.

North Myrtle Beach Triathlon
I wrote in an earlier post that the North Myrtle Beach Triathlon had been discontinued. But I was wrong. Looks like this event will take place after all on Sept. 6. This will be the third year for that event. For details, see http://www.nmb.us/Page.aspx?ID=5&LinkID=118&SubID=118.

Lake Murray Triathlon
Setup Events' Lake Murray Triathlon is this Sunday in Columbia. If you haven't registered, do so quickly. There are about 150 slots still available, and online registration closes on the 14th. I'll post a complete race profile for this event by Thursday.

Lowcountry Splash
Lastly, don't forget about the Lowcountry Splash on May 31. This 2.4 mile harbor swim is turning into a destination event. The number of entrants grows each year and pulls in swimmers from all over the region. This will be my first year doing it, but by all accounts, the race is well run, and well organized. For more info, see http://www.lowcountrysplash.com/

Upcoming Duathlons

Just a reminder about a few upcoming duathlons. First and foremost, the AB&T Sprint Duathlon is this Sunday (Mother's Day) May 11, 7:30 a.m., at John’s Island high school. The distances are 2 mile run, 14 mile bike, 2 mile run. If you haven't already registered, you can do so at Active.com. The reg fee is $45, plus Active's $3 processing fee.

This year's Rock N' Roll Half Ironman in Macon (May 31) offers a duathlon event as well. Instead of the 1.2 mile swim, you can opt for a 3 mile run, then it's back on course with the other athletes for the 56 mile bike, 13.1 mile run. If you do this race, I recommend you review the elevation graph provided. The bike course is super hilly.

The 3rd Annual Powerade Tri The Rock Triathlon/Duathlon is Saturday, May 17, in Rock Hill. The distances for the duathlon are 1 mile run, 17 mile bike, 3 mile run. This race is being done in conjunction with a sprint triathlon, which consists of a 500 yard pool swim, 17 mile bike, 3 mile run. For more info, check out this site: http://www.therocktriclub.com/

While I was on that site, I found a list of other sprint tris, most of which I hadn't seen, and the ones I had, I didn't know they were part of an upstate sprint series. The Rock Hill Tri Club is sponsored by the YMCA, and puts on a series of USAT sanctioned races.

Here is a list of the Upstate YMCA Sprint Triathlon Series on the calender for 2008:
04/06/2008 Upstate YMCA Sprint Triathlon, Anderson
04/13/2008 Upstate YMCA Sprint Triathlon, Greenwood
05/17/2008 Upstate YMCA Sprint Triathlon, Rock Hill
05/31/2008 Upstate YMCA Sprint Triathlon, Middle Tyger
07/19/2008 Upstate YMCA Sprint Triathlon, Union
08/30/2008 Upstate YMCA Sprint Triathlon, Laurens
09/06/2008 Upstate YMCA Sprint Triathlon, Pickens

For more info on this series, go to http://www.upstateytri.com/.