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mrtubes

@mrtubes

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Mostly pictures of the outdoors, my cats, bands and occasionally my hifi. ADK 46/46 IAT 452.1/1139.7 Marathon PR: 4:13:26 Half: 1:44:34 Cats: 2

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Ironman Texas from Saturday. My first full!

Swim was non-wetsuit and felt like a lot of jostling not just at the beginning but throughout. While I was off my goal time, I stuck my plan of cruising through it. I'm not fast but I feel confident in the water.

Bike was a lot of fun because it was very much a course where you put your head down and cruise. Got some rain, extending my "first new distance triathlon gets rain" trend. Not light but also not heavy and not windy so very manageable. I did have a mechanical issue, but it didn't ruin my race so I almost hesitate to mention. Got moving again.

Run was about managing to the finish line which I did. Running felt fine when I had the energy for it. When I didn't, I walked. As a plan to get to the finish line, this went just fine. I did get some blisters, probably from the wet. We didn't get heavy rain on the run but there was some light rain, enough to make pretzels a little soft.

Overall thoughts: flying to a triathlon is a pain but doable. I would do it again only as an A race but not just for fun. Houston area is fine if not my ideal vacation destination for anything else. The lake we swam in gets criticism for being murky and gross, but I didn't get that impression. I remember an aquathon at Warner Beach that made Lake Woodlands feel like glacial spring water! I like the closed bike course, and the flat highway suited me (as I thought it would). The three loop run was nice with good variability from the busy canal to quieter through wooded neighborhoods. I feel like three loops made the last loop fly by because I had a strong mental picture of what was next and how far to the next thing. Good crowd support and of course volunteers.

For an Ironman, I feel like confidence in the water, training time on the bike, and ability to keep moving got me to the finish line in one piece. I was moving slow the next day but not too bad. My primary goal was to finish and not feel like the whole thing was a disaster, and I think I accomplished that. ✅ taken in The Woodlands, Texas by @mrtubes

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6 months ago

Did the Devil's Challenge Triathlon today. Different course due to construction! Still crazy hills and new this year: hills on the run. It was great to get out and push hard. I was cooked by the run, but sometimes you just have to get on with it.

One of the things I didn't want to happen was to be someone who does an Ironman and then never does another tri. And it does feel great to walk back to my car and see the 140.6 magnet!

📸: @focalflame taken in Devil's Lake State Park by @mrtubes

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a month ago

Dug out every finisher medal I could find. Every race is its own race, but in a lot of ways the Ironman feels like it built on every previous race going back a decade.

Medals here from @runmadtown, @madison_mini_marathon, @madisonmarathon, @ornerymuleracing, @lakemonona20k, @witriseries, @milkmantriathlon, @milwaukeelakefrontmarathon, and @ironmanamericas. 😊 Good times. by @mrtubes

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4 months ago

by @mrtubes

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7 months ago

Today is Frances's three year adoptiversary! She was pretty scared when she came home, though she loved her brother from the beginning. ❤️ She's pretty comfortable now! She's a great little lady. by @mrtubes

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9 months ago

Today is Hugo's six year adoptiversary! He's a medium-sized guy and a huge household presence, and I'm glad he's here. by @mrtubes

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9 months ago

Raced Ironman Rockford 70.3 on Sunday. Finishing time of 7:10:45 which although is my slowest 70.3 I'm proud of this one because it wasn't easy to get to the finish line.

Swim was non-wetsuit but down river. I had a three minute PR but was not in PR swim shape. The current probably gained me five minutes. The swim was nice and I had basically no jostling until right at the end and trying to get out of the river.

Bike was fine. As usual I need to work on fast descents, but it was fine. I was never "over" being on my bike which is nice. It's a nice ride every time.

I started feeling the heat around mile 40-45 on the bike. I did fine with it but it was undoubtedly getting warm. Forecast high was 96°.

The run was always going to be slow and from the start more about getting to the finish. I hadn't run more than six miles since February and as recently as early April had zero mile weeks. I never let myself get overheated and dumped ice down my kit at every aid station. I ran the run I was capable of and had fairly even splits which tells me I didn't burn myself out early.

Volunteers were great, cheering was great, the neighborhood along National Avenue with hoses spraying athletes was great. @gorockford deserves a lot of recognition as a great host city. This was my first 70.3 that wasn't at home, and it went great. taken in Rockford, Illinois by @mrtubes

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a year ago

Raced the Lake Mills tri yesterday. It's always a favorite! Nothing remarkable as far as my performance, though after struggling with some run issues I'm happy with my run going reasonably well. Next up Rockford 70.3 which is a bit of a yikes with current fitness but it's just a half, right? 👀 taken in Lake Mills, Wisconsin by @mrtubes

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a year ago

Devil's Challenge triathlon today to close out the series.

My swim was nice. I got a bug in my helmet and then lost my repair kit going over train tracks. I'd never had to stop in a tri and then had to twice today. Ah well.

Then a run better than my current run fitness so I'll happily take it. taken in Devil's Lake State Park by @mrtubes

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2 years ago

Beautiful day on Dix yesterday. I hiked up from Round Pond. Not a short hike but a nice one. The elevation gain is relentless at the end, and there are so many sections of rock hopping. I bet it's a pretty nice winter hike. taken in Dix Mountain by @mrtubes

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2 years ago

Hiked Grace Peak from Highway 73 yesterday. The trail was great in long stretches and confusing in several places but I made it work. Beautiful views! taken in Grace Peak by @mrtubes

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2 years ago

Sugar River triathlon today in Belleville. My third time doing this one but first time doing the swim! Water was black but otherwise pleasant. Bike was fine. It's a course with a few hills which I'm not great at, but the flatter bits felt great. The run wasn't a personal best but good enough in the warm, humid weather. taken in Belleville Community Park by @mrtubes

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2 years ago