Rock Clliff Triathlon

Rory Duckworth: 1st in Clydesdale Division 2nd in age group 10th overall
Kelly Duckworth: 1st in Athena Division 3rd in age group

Overall good event. The time chip company had some issues so we waited a while for awards and a few people turned the wrong way on the bike course so there bike times were all messed up but the event was a good with great weather. Thanks Courtney for the cheers and great pictures.

Rock Cliff Triathlon info:

http://www.onlineraceresults.com/race/view_race.php?race_id=13724&relist_record_type=result&lower_bound=0&upper_bound=147&use_previous_sql=1&group_by=SEX#racetop

http://www.ustrisports.com/rc2010.htm

My new Ride!

Love it! Great deal. Cannondale Slice with Easton EC90 SL carbon wheels. Going from road bike to tri bike is a big change. I have only taken a few rides and love the new MPH's increase.

My own Century!

The other day I was really itchy to get a long ride in. I have the Utah Half coming up on August 28Th and so I planned a ride around Utah lake. I really didn't know of anyone that wanted to go so I went by myself (Not recommended). I started out on my bike from Herriman and the first thing I noticed was a little sprinkle of water on my arms and a cold breeze. I knew it was going to be interesting. After Saratoga Springs, the rain really came down but I was determined to do this ride. I kept telling myself that I need to prepare for any conditions because I will not be able to control the weather during the Ironman. After 56 miles (half way) I had made it to Santiquin and stopped at this nice Sub shop and had myself a Philly Cheese Steak. The owner was very nice and the restaurant was too. After lunch, I got lost from my original route and kind of made one up myself. In the end, it worked out great. I only needed to make one small turn around. At this point the rain was on and off once I made it to Provo. It eventually stopped and the sun came out. It was so nice to get some sun! I also started to ride with another cyclist. It helped because at this point my body was really taking a beating. I was about 83 miles into it. We parted ways around Lindon and shortly after that, I hit the wall. I was really hating my bike and just wanted to be home in a hot shower!!! But I made it! In the end, I should have tried to get someone to come with me for safety and company reasons. I was really happy about my average speed of 19.5 with no major hills.

Below is the link to the ride and the ride itself.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/36808049

Shark Attack Triathlon

(By Courtney- My wife)

Saturday, I did the Shark Attack Triathlon in Riverton, UT. It's was my second TRI. Sprint distance was: 300 meter swim, 12 mile bike, and a 5k (3.2 mile) run. It was SO cold and

wet! It was pooring rain when we got there at 6:00 am. But before the swim started, thankfully, it stopped! My swim time was actually better than I thought it was going to be! It was so crowded in the pool! I guess I could have been a little more agressive and pushed my way through....

Next bike....It was freezing AND it started raining a bit when I was out. I was soaking wet! Rory told me that it was best to wear socks with my cycling shoes to keep my feet warm...(even though I train with no socks) Well, my socks got so wet that it probably made it worse!

Then, my run...It was ultimately my downfall. I just am so slow! I didn't stop once but I am just not at the pace I should be... I ended up placing 3rd in my age group! I was pretty surprise, but it wasn't that big of a race to begin with. I got a medal though! I thought I would never get one! Thanks Rory and Kelly for coming!

Not sure when my next one will be...I am thinking about the Herriman TRI in August. For now, training will focus on getting my run up to speed!

Ironman Loop

This will be my last post about St. George. My wife and I spent a half week down there and really enjoyed St. George. On Saturday I went with a few guys from the Southern Utah Tri Club on the Ironman course. We started from Sand Hollow (Start of Ironman Bike) and we did one loop which is called the Veyo loop (2 loops in Ironman). It was nice to go with a few guys that will be doing Ironman. We made great time and I was also happy to get some good ideas from some Triathletes that will be doing the Ironman (Nutrition, equipment and hydration). An idea one of the guys had was a small bag of cooked red potato's. I tried one and really liked it. It was a great ride to prepare my self for the Ironman bike course next year. After the ride the guys went on a long run. I was extremely exhausted plus the temperature was over 100 degrees so I only ended up doing 3 miles but it was good to practice my transition from my bike to the run.

I am going to start to get some long rides in every week. If anyone out there is interested in some long rides send me an email so we can connect. rordog2@yahoo.com

Here is our ride:

Courtneys First open water swim!

My wife got the Triathlon bug! She did her first open water swim at Sand Hollow. We rented the wet suit from Rebel Sports in the outlet mall. Only $6 for Southern Tri Club members. We also rode the SGTri bike course in 100+ degree weather. The hill wasn't fun!

Check her out!!!

Southern Utah Tri Club BBQ

Went down to the Southern Utah BBQ this weekend. The food was great and it was really good to see everyone in the Tri club. I also won a free entry into the Herriman Tri by RaceTri on August 14. They had tons of prizes! Everyone won something. Thanks Jamie for the great event.

More info: http://www.southernutahtriathlonclub.com/index.php

PS- Its worth being in the club (even living in SLC) I have saved tons of money on race entry's and triathlon products because of my membership.

Product Review: Mack's Aqua Block Earplugs

Was reading http://www.utahopenwater.com/ and they have an article about "Homemade Ear Drops for Swimmers" I like the idea it reminds me of my problem I had when I first started to swim. When I started swimming I would always get water in my ears it bugged me so bad. I finally looked into getting silicon for my ears that molded to my ear. I tried that for a few weeks but every lap it seemed like I need to adjust the silicon so finally I bought some cheap ear plugs on eBay from China and they worked great the only complaint I had was that they hurt my ears to put in and take out the plugs. They were kind of hard. Doing some research I ran across a product called "Mack's Aqua Block Earplugs" I bought some and they were awesome they are soft and don't hurt my ears. I use them every swim and would highly recommend them unless you like water in your ears. One negative it's a little hard to here but that could be a positive if you have a annoying partner...JK

Here is a link to buy a pair:
http://www.swimoutlet.com/product_p/2240.htm