Another trip

James Connelley, Jamie Landau and Dale Clymens leave this Friday for a 8 day trip to climb Orizaba in Southern Mexico, Pray for them.

Triahtlon at Cornhukser State Games

Karl Schaphorst, One of the Landmark Group Endurance team Athletes plaved third place overall at the cornhusker state games triathlon last weekend. Great Job Karl.

Mt Humboldt Peak - Sangre de Cristo Range

In Mid-June, my daughter, Jordyn (Age 17), and I made a climb on Mt Humboldt. This was a great hike. I would recommend doing this over a 2 day trip. Accessing the Trail head is via a 4-wheel drive mountain road. The topo maps call it the Upper 2Wheel drive road, but they are lying. Do not attempt this road unless you have 4-wheel drive vehicle. You can get details on accessing the trail head and map of the area from http://www.14ers.com/ Lots of good information at this site. The first nearly 3 miles is hiking up a wide, former road, a little monotonous, in a valley with trees on either side. Scenery is blocked by trees frequently. Once we reached the lower Colony Lake the scenery was amazing. We camped that night on the south side of Lower Colony lake with a view of Mt Humboldt to the North and the Crestone Peaks to the West. The scenery was amazing. We planned a two day hike, reaching the upper Trail Head at about 9:30 AM. Then reaching the Colony Lakes by mid afternoon. We set up camp and settled in for the evening, which comes pretty fast in the shadow of the mountains. Our plan was to schuck all the weight we could and make a dash for the summit the following morning. I had decided to take the "West" route up the mountain, route #1. Next morning we hit the trail around 7:00 AM, after a nutrious warm freeze dried powdered eggs & ham pouch. The keyword here is warm. It did taste good to have something warm in our stomachs after the hike the day before and the cold morning air. Up until now I had pretty much planned ahead and was prepared. What I did not take into account was this was the "West Route" which means it accesses the summit from the West side of the Mountain, in other words the shaddy side of the mountain. It was a frustratingly cold hike in the shadow of the mountain nearly the entire hike. The sun was shining bright and brilliant on the the peaks to our left and right, but we were struggling to stay warm in the high winds above tree line shadowed by the peak. The only way to stay warm was to keep moving. We were in good shape and moving at a good pace. This is Class 2 hike, which means it is a scramble in places around bolders and over large rocks. You will need to use your hands in places to pull yourself up to the next step. There is a section below the false summit where finding the trail is difficult. You just have to scramble on towards the next rock pylon (pyramid) that you can hopefully see, watch your step, exposure is not fatal, but it is a factor worthy of consideration. Keep in mind you are carrying a pack, your center of gravity has changed, add to this the high winds trying to push you over, then you get the picture.

At the false summit, we took a break behind some bolders to rest. The summit was in sight, maybe another hundred yards and another 60' or so feet in elevation gain. We were both cold, fingers numb, despite wearing thin gloves. We were wearing all our layers, but both wishing we had brought one more layer of clothing. I took a good look at my daughters face and I could tell we had pushed past the "having fun" point. Being cold and uncomfortable, we decided to declare victory at the false summit and begin our descent. Note to self: Even though it was June attempt, don't underestimate cold temperatures in the shade at 14,000 feet, bring warmer gloves for frost bite prone fingers and another wind breaker layer. The descent went much faster through the bolder field below the false summit, soon our numb fingers warmed up at lower elevations. The scenery looking to the south and west is breathtaking. We had a grand view of Crestone Needle Peak, this peak is rated the most difficult climb in Colorado for good reason, the peak is true to its name, rising to sharp point at the summit with obvious exposure to fall being great. I took good note of this peak and logged into my mind as a future climb that would be quite a challenge. There are 3 different 14,000' peaks in this immediate area, with another 2- 14ers close by. I will back to this beautiful area for future hikes. If a group had some time and willing to pack in enough supplies for establishing a base camp at the Colony Lakes, multiple peaks summits is possible. I would recommend bringing in water filtration system instead of backpacking in all necessary water. No fires were allowed at the time we were camping, this means staying warm is a factor in the cold mountain night, bring warm clothing and plenty of energy food. You will enjoy the warm food of a freeze dried meal in the morning and evening. On my next trip I will not bring canned food, instead opting for all freeze dried meals, to save on backpacking weight.

You will enjoy the area and hike, we sure did.

St. James Methodist Church Biker Crew came through!

Last Saturday was the big first annual http://www.omaharace2recycle.com Myself and 3 other men from church completed the 176 mile bike ride in Relay style. Our time was 11.5 hours at a pace of 15.3 mph. Starting at Millers Landing (OMaha) 6:00Am, the ride down to Rock Port Missouri was very fast. The wind was at our backs helping push us along. At one point on a long flat section, pushing hard in high gear, I hit 30 mph. Jason Kennedy, pastor, hit 35 mph on a downhill section near Glenwood, IA. Jim Lamb, had a challenging section, biking from Hamburg, IA flat valley up an over the Loess Hills bluffs down into Rockport, MO. For every joyful moment the wind gave us on the trip down, it took away with vengeance on the return trip back north after the turn around point. Mike Wilson rode a longer leg of 25 miles straight into the wind. It felt like riding uphill the whole way.

After finishing, we had 2.5 hours to relax before the final Event awards ceremony. Since Jim lived downtown in the Old Market, we went to his place and enjoyed a good long soak in the hot tub. The hot tub had a roof top view of Omaha's river and Old Market. With a cold beverage in hand we laughed and talked about our long day. This day was also extra special for Jim Lamb, being his birthday. At the Awards ceremony we were surprised to find out we had earned a Medal. Our team came in 3rd place in the Mens 4-man division. All in all a great day and great ride with good friends. Thank you Jesus for that fun adventure.

Palisades State Park - Rock Climbing

This place is on my radar screen of places to go. http://http//gfp.sd.gov/state-parks/directory/palisades/default.aspx

Only 3.5 hours north of Omaha, outside of Sioux Falls, SD. They have natural rock climbing areas. Check out the downloadable rock climbing brochure. I picked up a rope and harness seat a couple months ago on Craiglists. I need an excuse now to go use them and check it out. Now to find the time to get it done. The world just spins faster with every year.

Ride notes

I rode the first half of Landmark Group's Race to Recycle this weekend. It was just over 85 miles. The course is very fast and the scenery was incredibly beautifully. The is very little traffic on large sections of it. The challenging part with be the hills around Glenwood on the bay back.

Elbert

I am sure you heard by now, but we were unsuccessful in attempt, we got to 12,000 ft before the kids pooped out. I will try again. Not sure when. Dale is going to try this summer sometime

Nice Weekend Ride

Well I finally broke out the bike this weekend for long ride. Weather was great, wind was at my back. Left Bellevue and rode to Camp Fontenelle, a 47 mile ride. I had a great opportunity to speak with teenagers from church on their Confirmation weekend retreat. I spoke about the Whitney experience and my faith. What a great honor to be asked on top of a great and fun ride. Debated whether to take the road bike or the heavy mountain bike, ultimately decided on the knobby tire mountain bike. It was hard surface road travel most of the way, then the last few miles on gravel roads. Camp Fontenelle is a methodist church camp in the bluffs overlooking the Elkhorn River, near Nickerson, NE. Yep I had a few hill challenges. I have to admit, I walked and pushed the bike up one long gravel road hill. I am motivated now to do some bike commutting to work again. Weather is cooperating and Spring is here. Get on that bike and do some riding.

Race Nutrition

I asked Lincoln Murdock the following questions and I thought I would post his response

"Can I get your overview of what hammer products and how much I should be taking? During training/racing/recovering."

Thought I'd send this to everyone in case anyone else had a similar question. The last two long rides I've done, I've alternated each hour with what I take in for nutrition. Hours 1, 3, 5, etc. I do a large water bottle of Perpetuem - 2 scoop = 270 calories. On the alternating hours, 2, 4, etc. I do a Hammerbar and Hammergel. During those hours I do 1/2 a bar at the 15 min. mark. At the 30 min. mark I do a gel and at the 45 min. mark I do the other half of the bar (LOVE the cashew/coconut bar) = 320 calories for those hours. I do a bottle of just water with the bar/gel during those hours.

I find this changes things up for me so every now and then I get the "treat" of having something solid and something that tastes really good to me.

If possible, I do 300-400 calories (breakfast) 2 1/2 - 3 hours before I start the ride and make sure I'm well hydrated before I start.

As soon as I finish I drink another bottle with 2 scoops of Hammer's Recoverite.

I also do what I call a "pill cluster" every 60-90 min. I think I might have shared this a week or two ago but...

The cluster is one or two Electrolytes, one Race Cap Supreme, one Anti-fatigue Cap, one Mito Cap, one Amino Cap and if I want caffeine...I toss in an Excedrin. I can also get caffeine from certain flavors of Hammergels.

I want to experiment with the Perpetuem Solid chewables more. 6 = 200 calories. I've done them at times but to equal one bottle of the liquid Perpetuem / hour, I'd have to eat one about every 7-8 min. during the hours I did them, with of course, a full bottle of water.

Bottom line - about 300 calories / hour is all we can really process and as long as it's premium endurance fuel like Perpetuem, you're golden. Cost is a limiting factor of course for many people, so for long stuff, think Perpetuem and gels and Electrolyte Caps.

Hope this helps a bit. Let me know if anyone has more questions about the Hammer line of products. If you are going to order from Hammer and it's your very first order, if you give them the number, 17654, you'll get 15% off that order. This only applies to your first order. www.hammernutrition.com

Linc

PS - if you're training or racing less than 2 hours, then Hammer's HEED and gels will be fine. If your workout / race is over 2 hours, you need to be using something that also give your protein, which Perpetuem does and Hammerbars do as well.

Pico de Orizaba

Dale is trying to set up a climb of this Mt, it is the highest peak in Mexico. Email him if you are interested. dclymens@dinosstorge.com

Landmark Groups Race to Recycle

Everyone is asking why we are organizing Landmark Groups Race to Recycle.

Here are our reasons.
#1 To provide a great rider experience
#2 Raise awareness about a healthy lifestyle
#3 To raise awareness about recycling. Only 12% of the trash in Omaha that could be recycled is
#4 To raise awareness that Landmark Group sells commercial and residential real estate
#5 Connect with other companies that have common goals to get sponsors for the landmark Group Endurance team

OFFICIAL SPONSOR OF THE ENDURANCE TEAM

Hey Team-- Just to let you all know, Jennifer Russell who is organizing the Race 2 re:Cycle landed the Endurance Team their first official sponsor-- Lucky Bucket Brewing Co.!

http://www.luckybucketbrewing.com/

10 TIPS FOR THE 2011 TRIATHLON SEASON

1. Attend a camp
There are several good camps depending on how munch of a commitment you want to make. I highly recommend the ICTN Camp held in Tucson each year. UNO has a one day camp a couple times a year. FCA- Endurance does a camp at Common Grounds in Elkhorn. All are well done and geared for beginners as well as seasoned triathletes.

2. Spend time training for your transition areas
I have seen people struggle in the transition areas because they do not practice. Take time each week to practice running up to the bike with wet feet and getting onto the bike and coming in off the bike to prepare for a run. Whenever you practice your open water swims, take a little extra time at the end of the swim doing a practice T1. Swim with whatever top you are going to wear on the run, it is very difficult to put a top on a wet body. Loose the socks on the bike and run. Get used to getting on the bike with your shoes already clipped it. Some people like to rubber band the back of the shoe to the frame in a breakaway fashion. I prefer not using this method and have trained myself to get into the shoes when they are dangling.

3. Find a training partner
Call one of the bike shops and find out about group rides or spinning classes. Pinnacle and Lifetime both have triathlon clubs and the Nebraska Triathlon Club has group workouts throughout the year.

4. The week of the race do not do anything new
Have a plan and stick with it, don’t get off track, don’t eat anything new. Know exactly when and what you are going to eat all week. This is not the week to try that new Paleo recipe. Do not try a new pair of shoes; don’t even try a new sock. I once used a tube on my bike that I had never used before and ten minutes before the race I could not get the tube to hold pressure.

5. Focus on you weakness
Kirk Nelson who is a friend of mine and a pro triahtlete gave a talk at the ICTN Triathlon camp about focusing on your weakness. The swim is most people’s weakness. I recommend swimming three times a week for an hour. Keep in mind the swim is less about fitness and more about form. I recommend joining a Masters swimming program. If you are in Omaha, I like the one that Todd Samland does at College of St Mary’s. Lifetime Fitness also has one but there are others.

6. Train with intensity
A lot of people go out to train and just think they need to get the mileage in. There is something to be said about this, I believe you need to teach your body to train with intensity. A six hour ride or two hour run does have its place. But if you do not do have tempo/interval training in your schedule you will not find improvement from your workouts. Focus on return on investment. If you are going to train for an hour you need to get as much out of that hour as possible. I suggest you invest in an indoor trainer for your bike and get a Spinerval training DVD. Most gyms have spinning classes but some are not very well done. Shop around or ask me and I will suggest my favorites. For tempo running workouts show up on Tuesday nights at the UNO track at 5:15pm. The Nebraska Triathlon Club puts on a free coached track workout that concentrates on interval training. Also, CrossFit endurance has some great work outs.

7. Match your gear to your goals
If your goal is to complete your first tri this year and all you own is a mountain bike, you are fine. However if your goal is to finish on the podium at the Hy-Vee triathlon you may want to go for a top of the line bike. For most people a $1,500 to $2,000 bike is a good price range to start. I would suggest starting with this and adding gear as you go. Here is the order that I think you should go with if your bike does not already have it. 1- Aero bars, 2- Carbon forks, 3- Aero helmet, 4- 404-Aero rear wheel, 5- 404 Aero front wheel, 6- carbon crank, 7- Aero-carbon frame, 8- disk rear wheel . Forget new, craigslist is great place to buy used bikes.

8. The importance of recovery
Most people completely underestimate recovery. I have discovered the miracle of ice baths. You only need to stay in for 10 to 20 minutes; they significantly reduce your recovery time after long workouts. Also, take at least one day a week off and listen to your body. You will benefit more by taking a week off to deal with a problem area than over training for that week.

9. Mental toughness
Be prepared for the swim. There is a video on YouTube, put on by Cliff Bar, which is a satire on the swim on a triathlon. This video is very true; prepare yourself to get knocked around a lot on the swim. I am a better than average tri swimmer, so my strategy is to stand or tread water as close to front of the pack. When they blow the gun I go all out for the first few minutes so I can get some distance between me and people trying to run over me. But if you don’t feel like you’re a strong swimmer then stay towards the back. Do a few brick work outs. This means to do both a swim and bike or bike and run workout back to back. This will prepare you for the uncomfortable feeling that goes with the transition.

10. Concrete
Spend as little of your long runs on concrete as you can. Become obsessed about this. The difference in how much concrete bounces back energy into your knee is shocking. Look for asphalt where ever possible. When I do a run of more than two hours I go to the Wabash Trail. The crushed limestone is ultra smooth and there is plenty of shade for an out and back 20 miler.

LandmarkGroupEnduranceTeam.com

Steve and Dale recently wrote a Gear Review and What to Pack for the Elbert Climb. It is listed on the website under gear reviews.

If anyone else has any gear reviews they want shared, please email them to me.

Also, if youre profile is still not on the site-- please email me your responses! We would love to have every member on the website.

elbert Climb

The first team to attempt to climb Elbert was not successful. The next team will leave on April 8 and attempt a climb on April 9

Race Calender

Here is the Race Calender forthe year. Let me know if you want to add anything

Mt Elbert Climb February 20

Mt Elbert Climb April 1st

Bone Bender Mountain Bike Race Lawrence Kansas April 16th and 17th

Lincoln Marathon May 1

Landmark Groups Race to re:Cycle May 14

Papillion Half Marathon May 15

Council bluffs Half Marathon May 23

Papillion Half Marathon. 10K and Family Fun Walk May 15

Omaha Women’s triathlon May 22

Ironman Kansas June 12

Muessel Man triathlon July 15-17

Okoboji Triathlon and Marathon July 16

Omaha Triathlon July 24

Omaha Urban Adventure Race August TBD

Black Squirrel Triathlon August TBD

Louisville Ironman August 28

Leadville 100 Mountian Bike Race August 13

Hyvee Triathlon September 4

Omaha Corporate Cup September TBD

Market to Market Relay October

Landmark Group's Race to re:Cycle

Registration for Landmark Group's 1st Annual Race to re:Cycle is open!

Register online by visiting http://www.omaharace2recycle.com/ !

There are 3 events:

• 172 Mile Tri-State Relay Race (Teams of 1, 2, or 4 persons); Goes from Midtown Crossing to Rock Port Missouri
• Family Fun Ride, 7 or 14 mile Options: Midtown Crossing to Pedestrian Bridge, Iowa Riverfront Trails
• FREE Childrens Tricycle Ride "Trike-a-Thon" in Midtown Crossing's Turner Park

Register today and take advantage of the early registration pricing!

Bone Bender Mtn Bike ride

Looks like the bone bender mtn bike Ride Changed locations to Lawrence KS

http://bonebender.blogspot.com/

Anyone up for going?

Landmark Group's Race to Recycle

The web site is up and registration starts Febuary 1.

http://omaharace2recycle.com/