Pacific Crest Weekend

Kristin and I's friend Tony was planning on doing the Endurance Duathlon at Pacific Crest on June 24th. This endurance duathlon was a 56 mile bike ride and then a half marathon (13.1 mile run).
Pacific Crest had several events over the weekend ranging from a Half Ironman Triathlon and Endurance Duathlon (the two hardest events) to shorter Tri's and Du's along with some running events ranging from a 5k to a full Marathon. These events took place on Saturday and Sunday. Tony's event was on Saturday.
Tony and Joanne rented a Condo in Sun River, which is about 3 hours from Portland where the event was being held. Tony and Joanne invited us to join them in Sun River and we couldn't pass up the oppurtunity to go see Tony race and spend some time with Tony and Joanne in Sun River. For those of you that don't know Tony, he is definately the best athlete that Kristin and I know, so watching him race is always great to watch.
Kristin and I decided that we would do the 5k race on Sunday, as the run looked really fun. This would be my first actual race as an adult. Even my cycling events are not considered races, they are considered organize rides.

We took off Thursday through Monday from work to be in Sun River. I did my long bike ride before going to Sun River so that I would have that out of the way. After my ride we went to Sun River to meet up with Tony and Joanne. Shortly after I got to Sun River I realized I forgot my running shoes at the house. So... I ended up having to drive to Bend, which is bigger than Sun River and has a good running shop, and I bought another pair of running shoes. That was a big bummer.

Kristin and I found this amazing trail along a river, I think it was called Burnt River. This was a good break in for my new running shoes. The thing that Kristin and I noticed was with the higher elevation, it was noticeably harder to breathe, and to a certain extent, harder to control your breathing. Sun River is at 4,100 feet and where we live is at 200 feet. I am not saying it was impossible to breathe, or climbing stairs was difficult or something like that, just that it was noticable.

On Saturday, we woke up early and met Tony at the start line (Tony took a bus to the start line). The morning was definately colder than we had anticipated and there was some frost on the ground. At the start line we were able to see Tony before he started his warm-up on his time trial bike. While Tony went out for his warm-up Kristin, Joanne and I went to the beach by where the Duathlon starts. The beach is where all of the triathletes started with their swim. We laid out a blanket on the beach and the three of us chilled out for a bit while Tony warmed up. When it was closer to the start time we packed up off of the beach and talked with Tony for a while while he was waiting for his start. Due to the limited amount of storage on a bike, and the desire to be at the right temp once you get warmed up, Tony chose not to wear any arm or leg warmers, so while he was standing there, he was freezing and shivering. We watched Tony start his Duathlon, and then we went and watched the Triathletes start their swim.

Next, we went to a point on the ride that was about 30 miles in to the ride. At this point we set up some chairs and waited for the cyclists come by and cheer them on, and take some pictures of the riders. After this we went to the transition area where Tony will change from cycling to running and then we met Tony at the finish line after he ran his half marathon. This was an amazing event as it was truly an amazing effort that these athletes had to put out to finish the Endurance Duathlon and Half IronMan Tri. Tony did not have as good of a result as he was hoping for, but Kristin and I think he did really well for his first shot at an Endurance Duathlon. He ended up 26th out of 78 athletes. Considering this event was a Worlds qualifying event, so you had some world class athletes there, Tony did great. So, if he wasn't feeling right, I wonder what he would have done on a day he felt good?

After the race, we all pretty much just lazed around for the rest of the day and had some good food.

On Sunday, Kristin and I ran our 5k. My hope for the 5k (3.1 miles) was to do it in under 30 minutes. Tony and Joanne went to the start with us and cheered us on and they were our official photographers. After Kristin and I did our run, we went to a local coffee shop with Tony and Joanne and had some coffee. After we were done with coffee, I thought we should go and see how we did on our times. I already knew that I was under 30 minutes, and according to my stop watch, I was at 29:00 and kristin was a few seconds behind me, but I wondered how I did in comparison to everyone else. We went to see the posted times, and Tony noticed that I was first in my age/division and then we looked at Kristin and she was second in her age group. My age/division was small because I signed up as a clydesdale (anyone over 200 pounds), so I knew I was the fastest in my age group for a heavier guy. I got a gold medal and nice glass for it though, which was cool. Kristin recieved a silver medal and a nice glass for it. The cool thing for Kristin was the age group she was in had the overall female winner in it. So, she took second to the female race winner, in the age group. In the 5k, there were 235 females, and Kristin took 30th overall for all females, which was AWESOME!!! We were pretty happy. I was chuckling about mine though, I was not thinking I could contend for any kind of podium, and I really shouldn't have, but I knew I was in a small group. I know I am not considered a fast runner by any means. I finished in 29:00 and the winner finished in 17:53. After the times were posted online I realized I actually won in the clydesdale division for the 39 and under division. I also won the normal age group division that I would have been in if I hadn't put myself in as a clydesdale, which is 25 to 29. Not sure how it happened, but it is kind of cool that my first race as an adult I get a gold medal. :)

Okay, this blog has gotten way too long, again. I just wanted to share some of the highlights of our weekend with you.

Another cyclist is killed

This is an email I sent out to some of my friends, and figured I would share it here.

Last weekend a cyclist that was a member of the cycling club I belong to was killed on the club ride that is called the Saturday Signature Series. Here is the news story http://www.katu.com/news/local/7928067.html. Not only is Tim someone I have met, he is also a good friend of my neighbors Steven and Maria. The Saturday Signature Series is a ride I try and join every Saturday that I can, but this Saturday it did not work out. I ended up riding on that exact road with Weaver the next day (we did not know about the accident at the time). It really brings to light for me how dangerous cycling can be, and even if I have the right of way, does not mean I will win against a 4,000 pound car and I could end up dead. Even though I don't ride aggressively, nor do I think Tim was being aggressive, stuff happens.

Below is what our club has sent out, and some information about the accident, in addition some information about the legal process. It is amazing to me that you can kill someone, while having a suspended license, and driving carelessly and you still don't get charged with homicide! Even though this was a cyclist, the same is true for pedestrians, kids on their way to school, other drivers, etc.

I am emailing all my friends in the Portland area that may be interested in what is going, and who may be willing to write our polititians (info below).

Please keep Tim's friends and familly in your prayers.

Thanks,
Nick

Remembering Tim O’Donnell

On Saturday, 6/9/07, Portland Velo member Tim O'Donnell was struck and killed by a motorist while riding with the A17 group on our Saturday Signature Series ride. Portland Velo members Martin Obando, Michael Forester, Leslie Louis and Alan Jeddeloh were riding with Tim. A celebration of Tim’s life will be held on Friday, June 15 at 3:00pm at St. Patrick’s Church, 1623 NW 19th Street. Please come and support the family and your fellow club members who were with Tim. Please send your cards and condolences to Mary O’Donnell and Family, 17725 SW Sugar Plum Lane, Aloha, OR 97007.

Tim’s tragedy has struck us to the core; we have lost a friend and fellow cyclist. Tim was already an avid cyclist when he joined Portland Velo, but he really took to the sport last year when he joined our first (and only) development squad ride. John Ohnstad introduced Tim to the club, as Tim was a regular at John's spin class. Tim went from barely being able to keep a 12 MPH pace for 10 miles to riding regularly with the A19's. Along the way many of us got to know him as a super-friendly guy with a hearty laugh who would never give up on a ride, even the rainy, miserable ones. We will miss his infectious smile and his dogged determination!

Tim is survived by his wife Mary, his two sons and daughter and 5 grandchildren. And also by his friends and his cycling club. In the coming days you will hear our plans to keep Tim in our memory, and the steps we will take to ensure that this never happens again.

Write Your State Senator - NOW!

The driver in this weekend’s incident was cited for driving with a suspended license, passing in a no-passing zone and careless driving. Under Oregon State Law, vehicular homicide is only applicable in cases where a felony has been committed. Believe it or not, the above citations do not amount to a felony! We’ve seen this too often over the past 3 years!As cyclists, we have the right to ride our bikes safely and securely. One way to raise awareness is to write to your state senator immediately and urge them to pass HB3314, the Vulnerable Roadway Users Bill. While this does not address the vehicular homicide dilemma, it does raise the penalties for careless or reckless drivers who seriously injure or kill cyclists, pedestrians, or other vulnerable roadway users. It may seem small in comparison to what has just happened, but it is a start and we as cyclists need to support it. For more information contact the Bicycle Transportation Alliance (BTA).
There have been starts and stops in efforts to change the vehicular homicide statutes and we are one of four states that do not protect cyclists under these statutes. This needs to be changed! Over the coming weeks we will be looking for ideas for how we can unify with the rest of the Portland cycling community and raise our voices to change the law.

In the meantime, House Bill 3020 seeks to get memorial signs put up at crash sites where riders were lost. It is a great way for us to memorialize fallen cyclists and remind the public of how vulnerable cyclists are on the road. For more information, please contact Lorna Kautzky, the wife of Eric Kautzy who was killed on his bike by another careless driver. You can contact our local representatives and senators as well – here are a few names: sen.kurtschrader@state.or.us, rep.marynolan@state.or.us,
sen.betsyjohnson@state.or.us, and rep.jerrykrummel@state.or.us.

You CAN make a difference!

Some Friends Suck!!!

Okay, so Kristin and I don't watch most reality shows seriously, but we love to watch the first few episodes of shows like American Idol and America's Got Talent and we stop watching once it gets serious. The first few episodes are filled with people who are in extreme denial about the fact that they are not good at what they do. Could they get there with lots of hard work and dedication? Maybe, but not right now.
This is where "some friends suck!" comes in. Why don't these people have family and friends telling them that they are not ready for "prime time", or just a simple, hey you suck! I would not go out there trying to win at any pro, college or high school sport, and if I had any illusions about this, I would hope that someone would sit me down and say, you are not ready for this.
It really makes me wonder, if people are so affraid of telling others they are close to that they are not good at something, and let them get crushed on national TV, would they say anything about more serious matters? Probably not...
However, if Bill Gates father told him he was smoking a pipe dream and he took it to heart, would he have bought a $5 diskette and then re-coded the OS on that diskette and made it run on a hard drive, this thing called DOS would never have been created and he would not have become the richest man in world. Maybe these people aren't telling their friends they are not good because nobody wants to crush someone's dreams.
I guess it is a judgement call everyone needs to make in their friends best interest. However, if I ever decide to do any kind of competition on national TV and I am not of the highest caliber, please LET ME KNOW!!!
P.S. let me clarify one thing, I was not talking about any of Kristin or I's friends. This post was about people I see on reality TV.