September 2007

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Friday, September 28, 2007
The best email I have ever read.
I have read this time and time again. It never loses funny. Especially about every 4 weeks it gets funnier. Thank God for Beth Ann at In the Pink.
All hair removal methods have tricked women with their promises of easy, painless removal - The Epilady, scissors, razors, Nair and now...the wax. Read on......... My night began as any other normal weeknight. Come home, fix dinner, play with the kids. I then had the thought that would ring painfully in my mind for the next few hours: 'Maybe I should pull the waxing kit out of the medicine cabinet.' So I headed to the site of my demise: the bathroom. It was one of those 'cold wax' kits. No melting a clump of hot wax, you just rub the strips together in your hand, they get warm and you peel them apart and press them to your leg (or wherever else) and you pull the hair right off. No muss, no fuss. How hard can it be? I mean, I'm not a genius, but I am mechanically inclined enough to figure this out. (YA THINK!?!) So I pull one of the thin strips out. Its two strips facing each other stuck together. Instead of rubbing them together, my genius kicks in so I get out the hair dryer and heat it to 1000 degrees. ('Cold wax,' yeah...right!) I lay the strip across my thigh. Hold the skin around it tight and pull. It works! OK, so it wasn't the best feeling, but it wasn't too bad. I can do this! Hair removal no longer eludes me! I am She-rah, fighter of all wayward body hair and maker of smooth skin extraordinaire. With my next wax strip I move north. After checking on the kids, I sneak back into the bathroom, for the ultimate hair fighting championship. I drop my panties and place one foot on the toilet. Using the same procedure, I apply the wax strip across the right side of my bikini line, covering the right half of my hoo-ha and stretching down to the inside of my butt cheek (it was a long strip) I inhale deeply and brace myself....RRRRIIIPPP!!!! I'm blind!!! Blinded from pain!!!!....OH MY GAWD!!!!!!!!! Vision returning, I notice that I've only managed to pull off half the strip. CRAP! Another deep breath and RIPP! Everything is spinning and spotted. I think I may pass out...must stay conscious...must stay conscious. Do I hear crashing drums??? Breathe, breathe...OK, back to normal. I want to see my trophy - a wax covered strip, the one that has caused me so much pain, with my hairy pelt sticking to it. I want to revel in the glory that is my triumph over body hair. I hold up the strip! There's no hair on it.? Where is the hair??? WHERE IS THE WAX??? Slowly I ease my head down, foot still perched on the toilet. I see the hair. The hair that should be on the strip...it's not! I touch. I am touching wax. I run my fingers over the most sensitive part of my body, which is now covered in cold wax and matted hair. Then I make the next BIGmistake...remember my foot is still propped upon the toilet? I know I need to do something. So I put my foot down. Sealed shut! My butt is sealed shut. Sealed shut! I penguin walk around the bathroom trying to figure out what to do and think to myself 'Please don't let me get the urge to poop. My head may pop off! What can I do to melt the wax? Hot water!! Hot water melts wax!! I'll run the hottest water I can stand into the bathtub, get in, immerse the wax-covered bits and the wax should melt and I can gently wipe it off, right??? WRONG!!!!!!! I get in the tub - the water is slightly hotter than that used to torture prisoners of war or sterilize surgical equipment - I sit. Now, the only thing worse than having your nether regions glued together, is having them glued together and then glued to the bottom of the tub...in scalding hot water. Which, by the way, doesn't melt cold wax. So, now I'm stuck to the bottom of the tub as though I had cemented myself to the porcelain!! God bless the man who had convinced me a few months ago to have a phone put in the bathroom!!!!! I call my friend, thinking surely she has waxed before and has some secret of how to get me undone. It's a very good conversation starter - 'So, my butt and hoo-ha are glued together to the bottom of the tub!' There is a slight pause. She doesn't know any secret tricks for removal but she does try to hide her laughter from me. She wants to know exactly where the wax is located, 'Are we talking cheeks or hole or hoo-ha?' She's laughing out loud by now...I can hear her. I give her the rundown and she suggests I call the number on the side of the box. YEAH!!!!! Right!! I should be the joke of someone else's night. While we go through various solutions. I resort to trying to scrape the wax off with a razor . Nothing feels better than to have your girlie goodies covered in hot wax, glued shut, stuck to the tub in super hot water and then dry-shaving the sticky wax off!! By now the brain is not working, dignity has taken a major hike and I'm pretty sure I'm going to need Post-Traumatic Stress counseling for this event. My friend is still talking with me when I finally see my saving grace....the lotion they give you to remove the excess wax. What do I really have to lose at this point? I rub some on and OH MY GOD!!!!!!! The scream probably woke the kids and scared the dickens out of my friend. It's sooo painful, but I really don't care. 'IT WORKS!! It works !!' I get a hearty congratulation from my friend and she hangs up. I successfully remove the remainder of the wax and then notice to my grief and despair....THE HAIR IS STILL THERE.......ALL OF IT! So I recklessly shave it off. Heck, I'm numb by now. Nothing hurts. I could have amputated my own leg at this point. Next week I'm going to try hair color......
posted @ 9/28/2007 1:45:18 PM (0) Comments
Friday, September 28, 2007
Lessons Learned
Last night I took my bike out for this first time in like.. okay like a week and a half… fine! …Since HalfMax. Ugh! I know, I know.
I kept telling everyone I wasn’t going to take any time away from training after the half…but I did. Actually I pretty much did no training at all. It was a combination of timing and lack of motivation- one of my closest friends in the world got married on Saturday and I had most of the MOH duties, which meant, well, most of the work. J In the last week I also had a few things come up that took precedence over training (being with my family- and my grandpa).
So, back to last night…
I had just left my house at 10 til 6pm. I was cruising up a hill that I have to cruise up quite often. But my legs were already cursing me. Stupid stupid girl! There’s a reason it’s called active recovery, no sit-on-your-ass-and-watch-tv recovery! Ugh! Eff you! Eff you! Sure, they were spinning along, but my HR was a tad bit too high, and then the lungs were burning. Guess what else hurt? The hoo-ha. Yes, the hoo-ha. The hoo-ha takes all the weight bearing of my (rather heavy) frame. This is something the hoo-ha has grown accustomed to by the immense hours in the saddle. However, in just a few days, the hoo-ha regains feeling (I’m pretty sure I have permanent nerve damage), so when you get back on the bike, just a few minutes is painful. Deal with it. I told myself. Almost like some sort of S&M- Your fault, you deal with it. You should have been on the bike. It’s your punishment for not riding. Now you get to deal with mental and physical pain. Remember this?! I bet you won’t stay off the bike this long ever again. Your fault, you deal… Yes Ma’am, I tell the hoo-ha. I’m sorry. Thank you ma’am may I have another?
However, I soon rode on up to the freshly paved asphalt that is 40 highway towards Grain Valley. Oh, how I love this stretch. I wish I could ride directly on the road, as the shoulder has rocks and such, but it’s so smooth. Very, very small rollers, but you know when you are going up, and down. I have to admit: when I ride 40hwy I like to pretend I’m rolling down the Queen K. The asphalt is such a crazy dark it makes me just drool over the thought of racing Kona.
I rode out through Grain Valley, up to Monkey Mtn, past the motocross track (which was having practice- I ran into this guy that helps my pops out at the track {he was pulling into a gas station as I was going by}- he asked if I wanted a candy bar. Funny, Matt, real funny) and then turned around. To my surprise the sun really does go down by 7:30 pm so at just over 30 minutes out, I decided to turn back- I had no lights or reflectors, and after all I decided I didn’t want to die that night. So I got in about an hour and 15 minutes of riding. Hardly anything, most would argue, but I think it was just right.
During my ride my memory was jogged on why I’m doing Ironman. I want to accomplish something bigger than myself. I want to show to my mind, my body, and the whole world what I am capable of. I also made the connection that I only have 36 days until the race- also this week, next week, and the first couple days of the week after are my last chance at fitness gains. It’s now or never. I had someone tell me yesterday if I wasn’t ready by now I wouldn’t be. Not true. Physically, yeah, I believe I’m good to go. Problem is, I am saying “I believe” instead of “I know.” My mind hasn’t made some things concrete facts. I have on last long run tomorrow- 20 miles. I thought I’d like to go longer, but with the IT band and hip problems I’m having, I don’t think that would be wise. Then I have about two weeks to get in some time in the saddle. I feel like I’m way behind my peers in the amount of time/distances I’ve been riding which really concerns me. However, I know I am not going to finish sub 12 hrs. Sure, I have some time guesses, but really, I just want to finish. I need to go under 17hrs. I can do that. I can do that. … I WILL do that.
posted @ 9/28/2007 7:18:52 AM (0) Comments
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Rant: Sprint/Nextel
Hi all-

I am sending out these email to let you know that I am absolutely disgusted with Sprint PCS. I first got Sprint service nearly 6 years ago. Since then I have repeatedly been jerked around.

I renewed my 2 year contract the first time because the plan rates were decent, and the coverage was good- I had no bill or customer service problems. The second time I renewed because I felt the coverage was decent, even thought I had issues with my billing statements. I renewed the last time only because of ONE incident where I was given good customer service on (yet another) messed up bill. The coverage had started to fade, the plan rates had increased, and I had poor service on multiple occasions.

That was in August of 2006- around the time of the Sprint/Nextell merger. Since that time I have had numerous dropped calls, TERRIBLE customer service, and, problems AGAIN with my plan (strange increases, added charges, etc). Today I received my bill and it was over $200 dollars of the normal amount. Incredulous I called Sprint/Nextel and asked for an explanation. I had to speak to four different individuals after talking to an automated phone. The first three had accents so poor I couldn't understand what they were saying. They basically told me that what the last customer service rep told me was INCORRECT, and I would be receiving charges for what he was supposed to have eliminated. I told them that I would appreciate a credit to correct the incident. They said they would credit up to $22. What a slap in the face!!

I hung up the phone and called another service provider- for the cost of this ONE bill I purchased a very nice new phone, with full internet/email access, as well as all the whistles and TWICE the minutes of my old plan. My new bill will be $83 a month. It is an excellent plan with great coverage.

The point of this email is to let you all know how poorly I was treated with Sprint. My suggestion is that if you do not have Sprint/Nextel, please never consider them, also, if you do currently have them, best of luck. I was a very loyal customer and was treated with no respect.

Please weigh your options heavily when considering a mobile service provider.

Thank you,

Courtney


PS
UNBELIEVABLE!!!
I just- while typing this email- received a phone call from Sprint saying that I was "Such a valued customer" and that they would like to offer me a free phone, at an UPCHARGE on my CURRENT PLAN... I told them that I had just canceled my current plan. They again repeated themselves. The rest was useless as the woman's accent was so heavy. How DISGUSTING.
posted @ 9/25/2007 11:32:23 AM (0) Comments
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Ironman Brain Mush
I don't know what it is. It's not burn out. I want to train, I want to race. However, as soon as I think about a specific workout (tonight, a bike run brick ) I start to get anxiety. I think about all the things I have to do to just workout- wash gear, maintinence bike, clean bottles, fill bottles.
I think about how far away IronMan is. 39 days. Its coming, it's coming really soon. I have 2 weeks of training until I reach peak hours. A mere two weeks. Then the taper begins.
I feel like I have too little time, have done too little. I keep comparing myself to all others. She has done longer rides, he has done longer runs... all that. I know that it doesn't matter but if I'm questioning myself now, what will it be like on November 3rd?
At the same time, my mind ponders, when will it end? My season started in January when I began marathon training. Although I have only been training "officially" for Ironman for 14 weeks (wow! it's only been that long??) I started training for the season 40 weeks ago. Thats a long freaking time.
That's a long time to hurt your body. There's no way around it, I hurt. If I wake up in the morning and something isn't hurting I question if I put forth all my effort in the previous days workouts, or maybe I missed the workout entirely. What a waste.
My mind rambles thoughts from the jellyfish, to moldy watter bottles, to money, to training... they all seem to ping pong off of one another in such a crazy fashion my brain must be filled with Ironman mush.
Liz puts it the best....
Borrowed from Liz Fedofsky (www.elizabethfedofsky.blogspot.com)
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Tunnel of Fire
Training for Ironman has become the tunnel of fire. You are swimming, biking, or running in the tunnel. You can see the end. But the walls are lined with fire. You are hot, you are uncomfortable, you are hurting, you want out. But you have not yet reached the end. It’s up there, but still miles away.
The tunnel of fire.
We are at the peak of the final push, the last straw before the back breaks, and feel the heat of the Ironman fire every step of the way. We are tired. We are hungry. We are hurting. We are restless, antsy, waiting. Our thoughts are filled with Ironman, our conversations are filled with where to positions ourselves on the swim, our days are numbered until towards Hawaii we are on our way.And we are getting to the point where the tunnel of fire seems to never end. We’ve been running through this tunnel since June 10th, when we qualified, signed the check. Since then we’ve trained for something far, many months away. The date gets closer but the tunnel doesn’t seem shorter and it’s these final miles that will take the longest until we arrive on the other side.I was running the other day at 5:45 am, looked down and realized my heart rate monitor was stuck on stop watch countdown mode.It was a sign, you could say.And so every minute for the next 50 minutes, it beeped. Not that running at 5:45 am in the dark wasn’t annoying enough. Or getting my morning poop at 30 minutes into the run in the middle of the woods.After that, the heart rate monitor completely died. Symbolic? You could say. A representation of how my body feels right now, a countdown that we are really ready to be done, the body is tired, the buttons are stuck, we are very close to break.But first a peak week, a taper, and then an Ironman. See? Now that’s not so bad. Right?The other day my coach asked how I was doing. On schedule that night was a 20 mile run. She said I could do it as long as nothing was niggling. Niggling? I told her it was pretty safe to say these days my entire body is one big niggle. Especially my left side – that would be left knee, left quad, left hamstring, ITB, foot, and heel. I told her I’ve put in a replacement order for all of these parts, hell how about a whole new left leg, but haven’t heard back from the manufacturer.Yet.Top it all off with the fact that my stomach today has been tied in knots. Those knots. I know what you’re thinking – you do all that training and you still get it? I have come to realize that even if I was chasing it with a flaming stick I would still see it every 28 days. To chase it away with hours in the saddle, yards in the pool, and miles on the run? I wouldn’t be so lucky.
Chris is starting to feel it too. No, not the cramps but just about everything else. Yesterday I received a text message that simply said “worst workout ever”. Enough said. I replied with something along the lines of welcome to Ironman, the best of the worst training you’ve ever done. He came back home with stories of missing a morning poop (the kiss of death for a long ride), stomach dropping at mile 30, organized bike ride on a trail, excessive heat, high heart rate, yes, yes, yes all signs pointing towards Ironman training almost ready to be done.He woke up the next morning convinced he had an Achilles strain. This began the usual I’m-training-for-Ironman-tirade of help convince me I am injured. You know, where you test, fret, and search for reasons why you are 100 percent injured, hurt, put me in a boot, on crutches, tell me I’m injured and sentence me to the couch for the next 30 days. Because when your body feels pain I am convinced we are not happy until someone says you are hurt. Otherwise why would you feel pain?“Where is my Achilles?”, “do you think I strained my Achilles”, “what would it feel like if I hurt my Achilles?” all which left him hopping, bending, and pushing off in the living room while I convinced him that unless a bone was sticking through his skin, it hurt to hop, or experiencing non-stop stomach churning pain, he was not hurt.Then what, what is it? What could it be?YOU ARE TRAINING FOR IRONMAN. You are just in pain. Simple as that. You rode 100 miles yesterday. You went for a run. You will hurt. Maybe every day for the next few days. And if you wake up and something does not hurt – ask yourself how much you drank the night before or how much advil you had to take. Because the ways of Ironman are filled with pain.Especially these final days.But here’s the best part – the end of the tunnel is less than 3 weeks away. I know that rationally - even though irrationally it still seems weeks, maybe months away. I know that in another week I’ll begin to taper and the miles will decrease until race day.Until then, our bodies will ache and burn and niggle in the tunnel of fire. Literally. It was 90 degrees here on Monday. It was mother nature’s way of telling us she’s still out there. Her fire still burns, and if not here in Illinois for much longer than thousands of miles away, on an island of Hawaii, October 13th, the real tunnel of fire we will run through on race day.
posted @ 9/25/2007 6:39:09 AM (1) Comments
Monday, September 24, 2007
introducing... FLUID RECOVERY
Hey there-
Just wanted to let everyone know- I have signed with Fluid Recovery.
I'm so excited to represent a company that really beileve in helping athletes perform better.
I will post later on the product and give you guys the full info, in the mean time, please check out their website, and order som Fluid of your own!!
www.livefluid.com
Also, I have posted their logo with a lil info on the drink on my homepage.
posted @ 9/24/2007 6:55:48 AM (0) Comments
Thursday, September 20, 2007
New Sponsor!~
So yesterday I had a nice conversation with an owner of a post workout recovery drink company. I am really excited to represent their ideas and products.
Once my contract is signed I will be able to tell you fine folks about their product and such, but in the mean time, look for updates.
:)

Nothing like a little teaser, eh?
posted @ 9/20/2007 6:15:20 AM (0) Comments
Monday, September 17, 2007
USA Long Course Nationals and Club Championships!
2007 HalfMax National Championships Courtney Crutcher 20-24 AG
Innsbrook Resort, MO September 15, 2007

1.2 mile swim/ 56 mile bike/ 13.1 mile run

PreRace

Friday morning I packed up and headed out towards St. Louis. On my way I picked up my friend Ashley in Columbia (she was racing the sprint on Sunday). We rolled up to the beautiful Innsbrook Resort about 12:15pm, perfect timing to set up for the expo (I was handing out freebies and talking up my sponsor, TriSports.com). Shortly there after Robyn, Dawn, and Julie rolled in.

Everyone went about their own ways and did what they needed to do. I talked to SO many people about TriSports that my voice was starting to get raspy. I was so pumped to meet a LOT of my TriSports team mates- just to name a few, Gail, Cyrus, Liz, Chris, Carrie, and quite a few more. It was such a great experience.

Friday evening Robyn, Ashley and I enjoyed a five star meal at Bob Evans, then headed back to the room for the TA bag ritual of packing, unpacking, repacking, unpacking, repeat. Also, I think we came up with about 1000 “You are a..” and “Your mom…”-isms. Ugh. Your Mom Goes To College.

We got in bed about 9 pm. Alas, I woke up about 11:30 thinking it was go time. Then my phone decided to go in and out of service beeping half the night. I woke up again about 3:00am and just laid there. At about 3:30 I realized Robyn had rolled over at least six times. In a whisper I asked if she was awake and she said she was. Eff it. We’re up, we decided.

Race Morning
I had to go out to my car to pull out my tooth brush. I had on sweats and a warm up jacket. By the time I got back inside, my teeth were chattering. It was FREEZING. The weather channel claimed it was 41 degrees outside, but I could have SWORN it was only 3. I have never been so happy at the idea of a full wetsuit!

One thing I would like to note- I never was nervous heading into this race. I got excited, yes, but never afraid or nervous like last year. I went into this event fully prepared. I know that I will be nervous about IMFL, but I hope to head into that race knowing I have done all the training I could possibly do and am readied to the best of my ability.

Robyn, Julie, and I were all on the same rack and got everything set up. Robyn and I were right next to each other, and Jules was down just a bit. The hour or so before the race went by really fast, and the next thing I knew we were all standing on the beach listening to Sister Madonna Buder give a quick speech.

We made our way down to the 73 degree water (WAY warmer than the air. The temp at the time of our start was a mere 47 degrees). Robyn and I started pretty much right next to each other, and Julie was just a row back.

Swim 29:31 (pace 1:24/ yards)We were started by some old guy with an M-80 (yes, a real one. We really got some bang for our buck. Hahahahah hahaha hahah. No, really) and I was ready to throw ‘bows to get in the water.

My swim was decent but the Velcro on my wetsuit was scrapping my neck (yep, I have a big ole burn). I kept going this way or that way… eventually I found my way back to a pack and then swam on through them. When I looked at my watch coming out of the water it said 27 something (SURPRISE!!! My goal was under 30!) and by the time I made the mat up by the TA my “actual time” was 29:31- a terrific swim (refer to my QuarterMax recap on this crazy swim exit- it took me almost TWO MINUTES to get from the water to my rack in the TA)!

T1 2:56
Did I mention it is only 47 degrees!!!??? I am shivering, as is everyone else. I am looking down at my bike deciding on the jersey and I hear “Hey Court!” WHHHAAT. Ok, I know I had a good swim, but I’ll be damned if Robyn didn’t come out of the water RIGHT behind me. To be honest, I was partially good surprised, partially pissed! I had enough foresight not to wear my tri tank under my wetsuit and get it wet. Whew. I ditched the jersey in my frustration with not being farther ahead of Robyn, so I went with the tri top. I pulled that on, rolled up the armwarmers, well, struggled to get the arm warmers on, and tried to chase Robyn down- she had a much faster transition than I did!

Bike 3:17.50 (pace 17 mph)
There’s no way around it, the bike course is hard. The first five miles out of the transition are straight up, straight down, shaded and curvy. I was freezing!! I saw Leslie in the TA and then again on the bike course. I saw Robyn at about mile 2 and made it my mission to chase her down. I knew her run would be good and, after all, we are in the same age group- World Champ slots are on the line! I was able to get around her at mile 4ish, but I was working for it!

I was (thankfully) out of the resort and the worst of the hills before I knew it. I felt strong but knew I needed to stay in my zones and not charge yet. My watched beeped that it was time to eat. I opened up my Gu, got that down, pulled out my salt tabs and WOOSH they went into the wind. Great. Oh, well, deal with it. At least it’s not hot. That was the first time I was thankful it was a cool day. Somewhere between mile 12 and 14 I had major drama. I was forced off the road by a truck and trailer! To simply put it, these morons came up to the top of a hill that I was climbing, realized another car was coming, and then moved over- physically pushing (the trailer brushed my shoulder) me off the road. THANK GOD I was able to stay under control. I kind of lost my cool though and took off like a banshee screaming every expletive in the book. I caught up to this group of men that had just past me and told them what had happened since they heard me yelling the whole way. One guy even sat up and slowed down to check on me. I was in a surge of adrenaline and it was the only time I got in my top zone- I never should have but I was freakin’ out, man! The next 37 miles went on much less dramatically.

However, once back in the resort on the out and back I heard Dawn yell from behind “Courtney! Move your feet!” I didn’t even have to turn to know it was here. I clicked down a gear, stood up and hammered. Dawn is a great rider and I wanted to hold her off as long as I could. I could see her coming for me after the turn around. From mile 30 to 52 I could look back and see her. She was coming, it was a matter of time. Not only did I want to stay ahead of her, I really wanted to impress her- she was the first person to ever take me out on a “group” ride. It was May of last year. I think we rode 6 miles and I was destroyed!... She eventually caught me, offered some much-needed words of encouragement and some good advice and then was gone.

The most unbelievable thing then happened to me. I got hit on. Like, ya know, hit on. A hillbilly in a raggedy old truck pulled up next to me, asked me how far I was riding, where I was going, and if he could come watch. No joke. (Right out on the run the girl that was behind me on the bike asked if I got his number- she saw the whole thing- and said it was the highlight of her ride)

*I’d like to point out that I heard my name from so many people, both racers and spectators. Talking to all those people Friday apparently made me popular (I’m sure it was really the free bottles and coupons in actuality)! Also, there were all kinds of TriSports.com racers cheering for one another.

T2 1:48
I thought I was on the second rack, but I was on the third so I had to make a zig-zag but eventually found it. I was out of there as fast as I could be.

Run 2:47.08 (pace 12:45/mile)
I had a run time goal of 2:40 in mind. But, that was an accident- it was supposed to be 2:50, so I was very pleased with my time.

During the whole run people commented on my kit, and especially the Freeride Bike and Skate armwarmers. They are SO bad ass. There were actually people at the aid station calling me the “Cool armwarmer girl!” Hey, I’ll take it!

I passed Dawn at about mile 1, although we did run together for a bit. I knew she could chase me down. Speaking of chasing- it was unbelievable how close we all ran- here’s the times for example:

Robyn 2:45.5 Me 2:47.08 Julie 2:47.35 Dawn 2:49.35

Crazy, huh!?

Again it was great to see so many people I knew on the course, and I was pumped to see Liz up front running like cheetah (ok, um, if I said run like an Elf, no one would get it), Leslie had a great run, and the rest of the DFT girls and TriSports.com folks. Good job to EVERYONE!

The run was pretty uneventful and I have to say I honestly felt good the whole time. Every time my strides would get shorter and my feet would shuffle I could hear Eric’s voice “Pick up your feet!!” (I was really wishing he was there and that was the low point of the day. That would have been the only thing to make it better). Dawn was coming for me and I kept seeing her at the out and backs (I swear, there’s 1000 on that run).

Finally I came up through the clearing and headed down the finish chute passing Michele, Ashley, and Dan who were all cheering! Thanks so much for being there!

Finish time 6:39.15

A 57 minute time drop from last year!

WHOO! Thanks for everyone who came up to me after the race and told me good job! And, to you, god job!

To cap and EXCELLENT day, I got 4th in the age group and Robyn got 5th- we both ended up with Long Course Worlds slots. That was my second USA World Team qualification in as many years, and it felt great! So, anyone want to pay for us to go to Holland next August??

In addition, DFT ended up winning the Div. 5 category and brought home $1000 from Club Champs points! Yes!!

Thanks: TriSports.com, Eric, Freeride Bike and Skate, DFT, Tropical Xtreme Tanz, and everyone else that has supported me this summer.
One more race to go- IronMan Florida in SEVEN WEEKS!


Comparison from this year and last year:
Year
No
Swim
Min/100
T1
Bike
MPH
T2
Run
Min/mile
Total Time
2006
240
33:31.0
01:54.3
02:22.2
03:36.6
15.5
02:50.7
03:20.2
15.17
07:36.0
2007
18
29:31:00
01:24.3
02:56.7
03:17.5
17
01:48.8
02:47.1
12.45
06:39.2

posted @ 9/17/2007 2:28:51 PM (1) Comments
Monday, September 17, 2007
Quick for the Sake of Quickness
This weekend was absolutely terrific. Everyone had great races, except I think we all may have gotten sick. Saturday night we were all coughing and choking and weezing. Now today my throat hurts…
But who cares!? I posted a big time drop, EVERY ONE of the DFT gals finished their races (Both the Half and Octo gals). We had a great time, and really felt like we were a “team” for the first time.

Once the race results get posted I will put up a recap. As for my results, I will say I placed 4th and earned my Long Course Worlds slot!! Whoo hoo.

However, I will put out all the details once I can add split times and pictures~!

Ciao!

Courtney
posted @ 9/17/2007 7:02:53 AM (0) Comments
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
A Top 10 & Mr. Lynch
Top 10 Reasons Why I Love USAT National Long Course Championships:

10. The swim actually takes longer than 8 minutes.
9. National caliber competition to hand me my butt on a silver platter.
8. Talking smack with Robyn. Most recently I’m gluing her swim goggles to her face.
7. The pretty people. Come on, even you can admit it, while it might be frustrating to see 100’s of people more fit than yourself, you really enjoy the seeing both sexes look good.
6. The venue. It is stunning. Also note- the leaves are starting to turn colors here in MO. Nothing like a slight red tint to trees over crystal clear water while you’re swimming.
5. The RD. UltraMax and Mark Livesay do amazing events.
4. The course. It’s freaking brutal, man. But you feel like a champ just by crossing the finish line.
3. Goody err, Schwag bags galore. My favorite? That shave secret stuff. I am in love with it.
2. Camaraderie. Your girlfriends, team mates, people you don’t even know. Everyone has to do the distance.
1. Adult beverages. You swim 1.2 miles, bike 56, run 13.1. You finish and there is a cold Miller Lite in an ice bucket ready for you.


Meet Joe Lynch
Inspiration- in·spi·ra·tion /ˌɪnspəˈreɪʃən/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[in-spuh-rey-shuhn] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
–noun
1.
an inspiring or animating action or influence: I cannot write poetry without inspiration.

2.
something inspired, as an idea.

3.
a result of inspired activity.

4.
a thing or person that inspires.


...Inspiration- ya know, like this guy:



Meet Joe Lynch, a 42 year old Laborer from Memphis, Indiana. Joe completed Ironman Louisville in 16:10.59. He did the bike in … well, what you see pictured, and the run in… what you see pictured minus the helmet.

If THIS guy can do it, I can do it.



posted @ 9/12/2007 11:44:09 AM (0) Comments
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Tour of Missouri and Just a "Small" Sacrifice
The Tour of Missouri begins today. Now, while I am a triathlete, I do not consider myself a cyclist. I look at cycling as a means to transport myself from the swim to the run.
However, I love me some Lance Armstrong. Love me some. Love me some long time. And, I will even take a swing with Contador, if offered the opportunity (Eric, I mean this in a hypothetical sense, just like you would jump Angelina Jolie if possible… in fact, I’d probably I encourage that, actually).

Well, here’s my chance. In a fairly accurate recap of a conversation between myself and Justin (owner of the best bike shop in the world and Eric’s brutha from anotha mutha). Justin owns Freeride Bike and Skate in Warrensburg, and Freeride Motorsports in Clinton- the starting place of the 2nd stage.

Justin: You coming down on Wednesday morning for the start?
Me: No. I have to work.
Justin: What about for the party Tuesday?
Me: Can’t; I have a really important key training brick.
Justin: But I thought you like Lance Armstrong.
Me: I do, but I am not driving to Clinton just to get maybe a peak of him.
Justin: Peak?! You know the starting point is my shop right?
Me: No, but how is that going to do anything?
Justin: I’m having dinner with the Disco team Tuesday night and thought you’d like to come.
Me: AAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.

So here’s the thing. I’m doing an IronMan. Also, I am doing a half IronMan on Saturday. I have a three hour brick scheduled for tonight. I tried to think of ways to change up my schedule to make this happen. So then I thought maybe tomorrow I could make the 60 mile trek to Clinton for the race start. However, I’m already taking Friday off from work…
Alas, my training is ::sigh:: more important than eating El Sambre (Justin’s dad’s restaurant in Clinton) with Contador, Leipheimer, Hincapie, and Armstrong. Ah, the sacrifices one makes for Iron Glory.
...This crap better all pay off.


posted @ 9/11/2007 7:51:52 AM (1) Comments
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
If It Weren't For Bad Luck, I'd Have No Luck At All

Where's that damn black cat?
I'm broke. I mean hideously broke. If it weren't for the help of my family for Florida the trip would be dang near impossible.
I Never. Ever. Ever. Speed. I did this morning. Guess what? 53 in a 40. Dammit.

Okay, actually, I guess the only bad luck I'm having right now is that I got caught speeding and I'm broke. So, the speeding just rolls into being broke.
Please see two posts down on how you can help. :)

On the plus side, as you can see here, I have learned how to add pictures to blogs...
posted @ 9/11/2007 6:14:28 AM (0) Comments
Monday, September 10, 2007
HalfMax 2006 - REVISITED -
IN an effort to pump up my pals and myself, I am posting my recap from last year. Now, while I would really like to get on the podium again this year, I can only race my own race and give it all I have. In my previous post I made a note on my goals for the weekend. Check it out down below.

Here is the Oh-Sixer:
USA Triathlon Half-Max National Championship
Half-Ironman Distance- 1.2 mile swim / 56 mile bike / 13.1 mile run
Courtney
09/16/2006

Day Before Race
Julie, Dan (Julie’s fiancé), and I drove out to Innsbrook, MO on Friday. We got out to the resort, picked up our packets, and fielded all the “Are you really racing?” questions I got. I have a walking cast on my left leg because of a torn Achilles. I can easily get in and out of it by just a few Velcro straps. It looks worse than it really is, promise. I eventually started telling people that Time sent me special cleats to attach at the bottom of it, and Brooks was over-nighting me a size 20 left shoe so I could put the whole walking cast inside of it. I told this story enough times I began to get good at keeping a straight face and people started to really believe me.
We dropped Dan off at the hotel and Julie and I headed back out to the resort to check out the swim. The lake we swam in is one of the most pristine, beautiful lakes I have ever seen. Rarely do you find a lake in Missouri that you can see past your toes and not taste or smell gas fumes.
I have to say, standing on the beach looking at the buoys, it looked like a very long swim. Julie and I suited up into our skiing wetsuits, which are very good to keep you warm, very bad at keeping water seepage at a minimum. It felt like I was dragging a parachute behind me, but I warm and that was okay. It felt so great to swimming along, out in the lake all by myself with Julie just a little bit back from me. I don’t remember how long it had been since I felt so relaxed and clam just out swimming. The shore line is just phenomenal, too. Great big, beautiful homes, with landscaping going all the way down to the water’s edge. There were some grey bluffs that dropped into the water, and all of the trees just had the slightest color in them, indicating the turn of the seasons. I swam out to the half mile buoy, came back and met up with Julie. We just floated in the water for a few minutes taking it all in. We swam back to the beach, dressed and went to the pre-race meeting.
We had a terrific pre-race meal of Bob Evans (Hey, French toast has a lot of carbs!) then headed back to the hotel. I was having a really hard time just getting everything put into my TA bag. I kept thinking that I was forgetting something. I eventually got settled and climbed into bed about 9:00 pm.


Race Morning
The alarm went off about 4:30 am, Julie and I both started swatting at it, and then sat up at the same time. It was immediate nerves for both of us. We got dressed and headed down for breakfast. We both picked at our bagels and looked around the dining room. It seemed that everyone there was a previous World’s team member. Everyone had on a Team USA jacket- except for us.
We loaded up the car and headed out to Innsbrook. In the short drive there we listened to Cake’s song “Going the Distance” probably five times at the minimum. Poor Dan got to hear us sing every verse.
After unloading the car we went down to body marking and then set up our TAs. The racks were assigned by age group, and in terms of location, we were in BFE. But, we got lucky and were racked on the same stand, with just one girl in between us. The rack location did play out well after all, because we were the closest rack to the bike out and bike in.
We climbed into our wetsuits and headed to the beach. The sun was just coming up and the water looked pink. It couldn’t have been a prettier site. I swam out into the water a little bit, and came back in. I stretched and did some jumping jacks and Nordics to get the blood flowing and the HR to wake up. Even though it was getting closer to race time, the butterflies started to go away and could feel myself getting more focused. I gave Julie a hug, told her good luck and made my way up the front of the women’s pack, to see the men off.

Swim- 1.2 miles 0:33:30

The guys started five minutes before we did. I haven’t seen very many large wave starts before, so it was really exciting to everyone out there. I started to get a bit of tunnel vision and found two girls that I knew were quick swimmers. I chose to start right next to them so I could at least draft off of a hip or some fast feet. When the gun went off I immediately got shuffled to the outside. Not a good place to be in a 1.2 mile swim. I tried to work my way back over, but it was futile. I just decided I was going to need to swim my own race, and then push to the middle again near the half mile marker. Since the water was so clear, it was pretty easy for me to see my watch under the water. When I rounded the buoy, I saw that I was actually right on the pace I wanted to swim. I passed the half mile at just over 13 minutes, continued on the .2 mile section, and then was able to get back into the group. Every time I looked up to sight, I could see hundreds of people in front of me. Not something that I’m used to on the swim. Then I looked to my right, and saw a white swim cap, then to my left, another white cap. It donned on me then, I must have squeezed into the second women’s pack that was following the lead pack because the girls had on blue caps, and I was passing people in white caps- the guy’s caps. I came out of the water with a time better than I had expected at 33 minutes. I had a goal of 35 minutes; however, the top 20 women were all under 32 minutes, so I had some time to make up. It really surprised me how fast these gals were in the water. It was humbling to have so many quick ladies in front of me in the part of the race where I’m usually at the very front.

T1 0:02:22
I had some trouble getting my suit off of my shoulders, but it came off okay. I really wasn’t in a big hurry in the TA because I wanted to be absolutely sure that I had everything I needed for the next 56 miles.

Bike- 56 miles 3:36:59
The bike course was 28 mile two lap course.
Right out of the TA we hit a decent climb. I was very glad that I had set my bike up in the little ring. I felt almost naked, though. I really thought I was forgetting something important- when you peel out of a full wetsuit into a tiny tank top and spandex shorts, you feel naked. The first five miles would be the most difficult, as determined by the long steep climbs. At mile 3 there’s an out and back section where you get a chance to go fast, on the way out of the out and back you had to make a sharp right turn at a small down hill. I was going pretty fast so I got on the brakes, when I did I went over a small sand patch and it shot the back end of my bike around sideways. If you know what flat tracking motorcycles look like, then that’s how I looked. Then BAM! My rear tube exploded (yes, exploded, not went flat, but exploded) like a shot gun. I thought for sure I was going down. The road drops straight off into a 15 foot crevice filled with gravel, dirt and tree stumps- not somewhere I’d like to find my self. It was so bad, that the girl that was in front of me stopped to make sure I hadn’t died.
Now I had changed a tube one time ever, and I was sitting on my front porch talking to the neighbors. So, in an adrenaline fed frenzy, I clicked my bike into the little cog, flipped it over, and pulled it off. I didn’t have to do anything to take the tire and tube off, because the sideways slide caused the tube to get ripped completely out of the tire, and both the tire and tube were just barley dangling off the rim. At this time a guy at the aide station a ways up came running over and asked if I was okay and if I had gone down. He had heard the tube bust! I asked him if he had a tire pump, which he didn’t but there was a SAG truck about a half mile up the road that did. It turned out perfect because I only had one Co2 cartridge, and since the next aide station was 18 miles away, I wanted to save it as a just in case. The SAG guy got there just as I was pulling the last part of my tire back onto the rim. Amazingly, the rim was not hurt, and the tire would last the rest of the race (but it’s done now, for sure!). I pumped the tire and popped it back on, then off I went. I had one more big climb to get out of the resort (it’s like you’re in a deep valley and you have to climb your way out), and then onto the outer roads.
One note about the hills at Innsbrook, so much has been said about how terrible these hills are. Even Julie remembered them being just awful. Well she and I really did some training on some massive climbs- both short steep and long slow climbs. This really paid off. The hills that I had built in my head were twice the size of the ones we actually had to do. It was such a relief to count on my training to get me out of the resort each lap.
Once onto the nicely paved roads I encountered quite the head wind, but the section was very, very fast rolling hills and it made for quite the ride. Then you descend back into the valley with a few climbs, but nothing terrorizing. Then repeat the course repeats, with out the near debilitating tube blowout. The second lap was much windier than the first lap, I guess the wind was blowing between 20-25 mph, and gusts even more. Not fun to ride in. However, I almost didn’t want to get off the bike because I knew that the run was next.
Throughout the ride I was wondering how Julie was doing. I figured it out when I headed to the TA and saw her standing there taking pictures of me. As it turned out, she was having terrible knee pain and finished the first bike loop by just pedaling with one leg.

T2 0:02:50
Once again, I wasn’t in a huge hurry here. I was sure I wasn’t racing for any major spot, so I went a quick as I could, but was very deliberate in everything I did. I was racked on the very outside of the stand, so my towel and gear had plenty of space. I grabbed my DFT hat, more gels, sipped some more water, and out I went. I put my number belt on as I was running.


Run- 13.1 miles 3:20:22
Well, we know what happens here. I haven’t been running that great so I know what I need to work on. The run course was an out at back 6.5 mile route. The hills here were just straight up or down, with the “Three Sisters” right in the middle. These are the biggest nastiest hills. And I got to run each one four times.
One of the hardest parts of this course is at 6.5 miles, your run right up to the finish line, just outside of the finish chute, and turn back around to do it again! I saw Julie and Dan there and that gave me a boost. I was glad to see Julie and I felt like I was getting a second wind.
As you can see from my half marathon time, my mile pace was about 15 min/mile. I’m usually much closer to nine or ten. In the last four miles I walked up the big hills backwards to relieve some of the pressure off of my Achilles- remember, it’s injured. At about mile 10 or 11, I hit the wall. The wall is when you shut down, mentally and physically. It’s hard to come back from. This wall was the middle and biggest climb of the Three Sisters. I was walking about ten steps, stopping, stretching, mainly just standing there, then repeating for the whole length of the climb. I started to get over it and shuffled along a little slower. It had begun to get really lonely since the nine mile mark, and the only other people still out on the course were the ones behind me. I would not pass anyone going to other direction, or basically see another person until the finish. Even the last aid station had been abandoned. There was still plenty to drink and the cups set out, but the volunteers had gone back to help round up the last of racers.
I managed a survivor shuffle as best I could, and tried to “finish strong,” which, at that point, meant picking up my feet and feeling like I was running. When I got to the last 200 yards I felt tears welling up. I was just so tired, and happy to be finishing. I started crying as soon as I got through the finish chute. By the time Julie and Dan had come over to me, I was hunched over bawling. The medical guy came over to see if I was okay, and I told him, in between sobs, I was okay, and just tired. It probably took me near five minutes to make my hands quit shaking and make the “Holy Shit, I just did a Half-Ironman on a hurt Achilles” freak out I was having stop.

Race Time: 7:36:05


Post-Race
I grabbed some food and listened to Joe Friel, THE guy in triathlon and cycling coaching speak. I got up, went and changed clothes, and put my leg brace back on. My ankle hadn’t started to hurt yet, but I knew it would. I also hobbled over to the results board, just to check my official time. I scanned with my finger down to my age group, 20-24, and completely over looked my name. Then I went back to the first line… it read: Pl. 1 No. 240 Crutcher, Courtney L.
No way! I won! I won! I had qualified for the ITU World Long Course Champs as a member of the National Team USA and was now the reigning American Women’s 20-24 Half Distance National Champion.
I was so excited when they called my name at the awards ceremony. It was even sweeter that I had a cast on my leg. I had the winner and runner-up of the Women’s 25-29 tell me how amazing they thought it was that I was even racing.
So, I had a great time, got a bad-ass Granite Trophy, a sweet finisher’s medal and visor, and TriSports.com Contingency money! Whoo-hoo!

Next Up: A month off. Entering next year’s IronMan Florida. Then I’m looking forward to my first full marathon with Julie this spring.

THANK YOUS for a wonderful first season:
My boyfriend Eric for listening to my non-stop triathlon chatter; Justin Julian at Freeride Bike and Skate- the best shop in the Midwest! (www.freeridebikeandskate.com); my training partners- Julie Williams, Robyn Karlege, Sarah Jones and Kathy Penka, they made training this summer fun; The whole Defined Fitness Race Team and owner, Megan Hottman with out them I would never have had any direction; Peggy Donovan and Tri 101 coaches helping me out all summer; and all the new friends I’ve made doing triathlons! See you next spring!

swim- 33:30
pace- 1:54.3
t1- 2:22
bike- 3:36:59 (with the flat) so i'd give myself 8 minutes there so 2:28 w/o flat
pace- 15.5 (with the flat)
t2- 2:50
run- 3:20:22
pace- 15:17
total- 7:36:05






posted @ 9/10/2007 12:56:22 PM (0) Comments
Monday, September 10, 2007
Catching Up.
I haven’t posted in a long time. I know, I know. Bad blogger. Well, here’s a collection of thoughts that are stewing around in my mind since over a week ago.

I’m going to be in a world of hurt.
That pretty much says it all. As I have been preparing for this upcoming weekend- the USA Half Iron Championships (or HalfMax)- I have started to remember some of the hurt from last year. You know how people talk about child birth? That’s it’s terrible but you don’t really remember the pain until you’re about to pop out the next one? That’s what’s going on in my mind right now. And, if that weren’t enough, I got a memory jog back in June on the same course at QuarterMax.
I come into this race 1000 times more prepared than I was last year. Last year, I had completed one 56 mile ride and a 93 mile ride (at the MS 150, merely 7 days before HalfMax). My longest run? 5 miles. FIVE MILES. In case you don’t know, here are the distances for a Half Ironman:
1.2 mile swim – 56 mile bike – 13.1 mile run
BACK TO BACK TO BACK
So, sure, I could bust out 1.2 miles in the water, no prob. In fact, I ended up with (if I remember right) a top 10 swim time- even though I was wearing a half unzipped skiing wetsuit.
As for the bike… the first 5.5 miles in the course are pretty ridiculous. I dropped my chain at least twice and then had a flat, all before I made it out of the resort. The course is a 2 loop 28 mile course. Just under the first 6 miles are hilly, as are the last three. So, this is how it goes- 6 miles short, but very steep climbs, followed by 19 miles of rolling county roads. The last 3 miles are longer, less steep climbs. …and, since this is 2 loops, the breakdown is this:
· 6 miles hills
· 19 rolling hills
· 9 miles hills
· 19 rolling hills
· 3 miles hills
Get the Eff off the bike (and Praise the Lord).
Somehow (I have no idea how) I made it off the bike. I attribute it to Julie and I doing a couple of crazy hills out by my house. Honestly, the hills really were not quite as bad as a few people made them out to be (Robyn, Michele, Ashley, you WILL survive, just like Gloria Gaynor). And, because of my dumb mistake the weekend before, I primarily walked the run course.
This year will be different. I am riding consistently over 60 miles- on both hills and flats. My running has improved dramatically in terms of distance training. I would like to say I “easily” completed an 18 miler two weeks ago (ok, so easy is a relative term). Rarely ever do I run shorter than 5 miles- last season’s long run.
To add to that, I am 6 lbs lighter right now than I was at this time last year, and 20 lbs lighter than the beginning of the year. 6 lbs does not seem like a big deal, but my muscle mass and strength to weight ratio has increased dramatically. I can see and feel a difference. I can actually touch myself (not like that, you perverts) and feel the change physiologically in my muscle, fat, and skin texture, most notably in my but and legs. It is incredible.
This brings me back to the world of hurt. Why, will I be hurting more – or as much- this year? Because I feel I am physically able to push myself. I will have a strong swim. I would like to go under 30 minutes. It’s a terrible layout for the swim to bike transition- long uphill run right out of the water- about 450 yards. I will get on the bike and eat and drink accordingly to my plan. No reason to change it up. The weather is going to be a paltry 67 degrees (compared to the mid 90’s last year). My bike, GoldMember, is tuned and ready to roll. It’s a rocketship compared to Larry (speaking of, I should check up on the that bought him). I will be ready to attack the later portion of the bike. All those that went out too hard the first 35 miles will suffer coming back to the resort. My run? Okay, there’s more than plenty of room for improvement. However, earlier this year I ran a half mary an hour faster than I did at HalfMax last year. Also, if my QuarterMax run is a predictor, I feel confident that my run time will be nearly 40 minutes faster on the same course.
So, for those of you that know how incredibly slow I am (yes, you may hail the Middle-of-the-pack queen now… although at this race it’s more BOP than MOP), I predict that I will go … let’s see here... add the 2, carry the 4, divide by number of pictures Dan Hurley will take while waiting and then number of coffee’s Liz Fedofsky will drink this week… and… okay I’m say 6:40. My ultimate goal is to go under 7:00. However, I am going to strive to reach 6:40.
I don’t care who you are: That’s gunna hurt, right thur.

-- In the same thought Liz made a comment today about being comfortable during the race. Yeah… if I could only be like the ELF--


Death before DNF.
I just want to let Julie know that she is gonna kill it. I know she’s doubting herself from last year (she has her only DNF at this race), but if I can feel confident leading into the race, than she should too. IMO, once she is out of the resort on the second lap of the bike, I fully expect to see her go past me. I can feel it. This might be the race where Jules crosses in front of me. Not that I am going to let it happen, I’ll fight to the death. We have been very close to each other in our races this year (only 3 minutes apart over a 35 mile race at QuarterMax), and I am prepared to battle.
Speaking of battle, Robo and I were kidding each other for the last couple months that we would stab each other at the finish or cut of legs, or let air out of tires, etc., to finish in front at our age group. Guess what. Currently there are 6 girls in our AG. Awards go to 5th. To the death!


Money - Get away - You get a good job with good pay and you're okay - Money - It's a gas - Grab that cash with both hands and make a stash - New car, caviar, four star daydream - Think I'll buy me a football team ~Pink Floyd, “Money”
I am so over being broke. I mean, seriously. I have NO money. I should set up a charitable fund for myself. “Help the Courtney Buy Groceries” or something like that. This tri stuff is ridiculous. I’m looking forward to no new bike and Ironman trip next year. Maybe I will be able to afford a “new” used car or something. Please, if you’re passing around the collection plate, sending a little my way won’t offend me.
Actually, I still am looking for supporters and sponsors for IronMan Florida. If you are interested in having me promote your company, please contact me. I would be glad to send you a resume packet. (email triswimcoach@yahoo.com)


Thank you, Thank you VERY much.
Seeing as I am ridiculously poor right now, I would again like to publicly acknowledge my sponsors, specifically TriSports.com and Freeride Bike and Skate. Without these to companies, I wouldn’t have a bike, gear, and wouldn’t make it to the races. These guys have helped me out tremendously.
Give them a visit. They’re great.
www.trisports.com - use online coupon CCrut-S when ordering for 10% off!
www.freeridebikeandskate.com


posted @ 9/10/2007 12:49:19 PM (0) Comments
Wednesday, September 05, 2007
Watch out!!!

Clever line about sponsor could go right here. -->
Murder charges in bike deaths
Authorities say teen was driving drunk when he plowed his truck into two men; he had also been indicted in the 2005 death of a bicyclist
Wednesday, September 05, 2007
By DAVID FERRARAStaff Reporter
Less than two years after a remarkably similar fatal collision, a Spanish Fort teen was charged with two counts of murder Tuesday in an alleged drunken-driving crash that killed two bicyclists.
Patrick Blake Young Ballard was released from a Mobile hospital after the crash and immediately charged in the deaths of William Frederick Imle of Daphne and Archie Leroy Clemons Jr. of Spanish Fort.
Authorities said Ballard, 19, was under the influence of alcohol and speeding east on Bromley Road in a 2003 Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck, when he lost control of the vehicle, swerved across the road and slammed into Imle, 48, and Clemons, 46.
Though authorities do not believe Ballard intentionally struck either bicyclist, Baldwin County District Attorney Judy Newcomb said he showed an "extreme indifference to human life."
Just two years ago, Ballard was indicted in a crash that left well-known outdoorsman and cyclist Laurence "Larry" McDuff, 65, dead in Fairhope.
Prosecutors said Ballard had been using drugs before he drove his mother's 1991 black Jeep Cherokee onto the shoulder where McDuff was riding.
Ballard initially left the scene of that crash, but police said he later turned himself in at the Fairhope Police Department.
McDuff, whose wife also was killed in a separate incident while riding her bicycle, was apparently struck from behind.
Because of Ballard's age, that case was sent to juvenile court and the record was sealed. Neither his defense attorney, Pascal Bruijn, nor Newcomb would discuss the resolution. As the result, it was unclear whether Ballard had a valid drivers license.
Newcomb stressed the hazards of drunken driving.
"It's just as dangerous walking around with a loaded gun and firing," she said. "The bullet hits someone. If you're old enough to drive a car, that's a huge responsibility."
The deaths of Imle and Clemons stunned and concerned bicycle enthusiasts around Baldwin County.
A little before 9 a.m. Monday, the cyclists were pedaling west along Bromley Road about 11/2 miles from its intersection with U.S. 31, when the pickup truck struck them.
After hitting the bike riders, the pickup slid into a ditch and overturned, ejecting the driver and his 17-year-old female passenger, who State Troopers said were not wearing seat belts.
Trooper spokesman Cpl. Joe Piggott said Clemons and Imle were wearing proper riding gear: helmets, shoes that latched onto the pedals.
Jeff Hudson, a member of the West Florida Wheelmen which frequently organizes rides through the area, said he had ridden with both men in the past.
Clemons and Imle originally started in a group of four Monday, but two others turned off and rode in a loop in the opposite direction.
They probably chose Bromley Road because it was freshly paved and the traffic is typically light.
"We all know the situation," Hudson said of bicycling along roadways. "You have to be a lot more careful. These guys were just doing it right."
Clemons worked for paper producer Kimberly-Clark, while Imle, a retired U.S. Coast Guard commander, did consulting work for the defense contractor Lockheed Martin, according to another friend.
Both men attended Spanish Fort United Methodist Church. A wake for Clemons was set for 5 to 7 p.m. today at the church, while his funeral will be held Thursday at 11 a.m.
Imle's wake was set for 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday at the church and his funeral will be held Friday at 11 a.m.
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posted @ 9/5/2007 11:33:28 AM (0) Comments