May 2009
In the Bitterroot
Athlete Valley

 

Warm weather finally arrived in the Bitterroot; or rather summer keeps peeking in, retreating and peeking in again.  The predictable river flood waters too. And finally, by the last day of May, the snow in the “beaver tail” is almost gone.  Time to plant your garden and get out for some great riding and running temperatures. This picture above of the Como Peaks was taken May 9th during our Saturday run.  It will be the same route for the PTA run, June 13th.

Local Events

Speaking of the PTA run, June 13th is going to be a very busy day.  There is the PTA run, a church run and BBQ, the Chief Victor Days and fun run, the Bitterroot Swim team will host the first meet of the season the 13th & 14th, there is an art show at the River Inn, the Eagles Lodge is having a convention, and it is a Donkey Rodeo at the Fair Grounds.  the next weekend, it is time to head down to Coeur d'Alene to see Bill & Dr. Kirk and 2200 other athletes compete in the Ironman.  There will be time to get a workout in--or two in between the athletes coming and going.  If you did not see the article about Bill Halden and Dr. Kirk Crews training for the Ironman, here it is. It will be placed somewhere along with the Diet Vegetable Soup--very good.

The Lake Como Triathlon (LCT) website is up and the countdown has begun.  Funds will be raised for the Lost Trail Ski Patrol, the Ravalli County Search and Rescue, and the Trapper Creek Job Corp Student Council.  They are all organizations that will be assisting with the race.  Some men will finish in under three hours, maybe women too?   The course is a 1500 yd. swim, 12.6 mile mountain bike, and 7.7 mile trail run.  The bike route is an elevation climb of 2,279 feet and a descent of 2,305. It was a workout.  Below is the elevation change from my Garmin. I hope this race will be a challenge and yet will inspire your nature-loving spirit. Spectators are welcome to enjoy the beach, get a sample of an open water scramble and to see the finishers glide across the damn.  What a great time to train at the lake too.  It is very pretty and fresh...the lake is full, the falls are ROARing and we just caught the beginning of the lake easing over the spillway this June 7th. 

 

Getting Back to May

The Bloomsday race was on May 4th.  Close to 54,000 people ran and walked.  We found out some people run the12k (7.46 mi) two and three times.  Some use it to train for the upcoming Ironman in Coeur d’Alene.  Thirty-six people from Hamilton and Corvallis attended.  Steve Gideon, the Darby Coach led the pack running the 7.5 miles in 48:59.  Then it was off to lunch to celebrate the event.  We had a little rain before the race and an hour or so after the race.  Temperature-wise, it was great running weather.

Other Goings On

Matt Guzik had a very inspirational talk at the Roxy Theatre to raise funds for the Australia bound Heather Demorest and Seth Garbett.  Great photos and Matt's supplemental details made it a really interesting evening. He actually made marathoning sound a little romantic...or mabye it was because he got engaged this month to Linda. She ran her first marathon in Trinidad and attended Matt's marathon in Antarctica too.

Saturday Runners

The runners continue regular Saturday group runs.  We began running Como on Saturday mornings since May 23rd.  Trail running seems easy compared to the roads. The scenery and watching your footing keeps your mind off of what you are doing.

Tuesday Walkers

It was hit and miss this month with inclement weather. We did have a good walk up to see the river flooding.  It was two days of flood levels, then it receded then it rained and reached flood levels again.  We may have to put walking on hold with the busy summer season coming up.

Cycling Inquiries

I have been getting a number of people asking about who's riding what & when lately. People want to ride with others for both mountain and road biking.  If you have a group or two that rides, send me an email. I will work on getting a page up with all this info. Plus, if you are trying to sell a bike I will put it on the page too. Even visitors to the Valley come and ask me where they can ride and if there are any groups. Send me info!

Come in for RACE BELTS, swimwear, tinted goggles, bike shorts and skirts and try out my inversion table. I am evaluating to see if I want to carry them.  And don't forget Dad on Dad's day June 21st. Give him inspiration with something new to workout in.

Take care and have a great month!