NYG YAV Day 1...

Well, yesterday started off as any day starts off...the sun came up. Who would have thought? The difference was that I was up before it...WAY before it. I had to catch a flight to the 2010 LCMS National Youth Gathering in New Orleans and my ticket said the plane would leave with or without me at 6:40am. That meant a 2:15am wake up call (or alarm) and a drive to the low Arizona desert. I am not going to bog this blog down with useless details about my flights because, to be honest, it all went incredibly smooth. I had a lay over in Nashville, TN. Which is a place I had never been before. I was amazed, as always, at how green everything is in the South/Midwest/East...pretty much anywhere but the West.
My connector flight from Nashville to New Orleans was packed with youth groups from all over making their way, albeit a day early, to New Orleans. I can only imagine (no allusion intended to the 2003 Gathering "Beyond Imagination" theme) how overloaded the airlines are going to be today and tomorrow as the rest of the approximately 20,000+ youth travel down here. I sat next to a friendly gentleman named John from Kansas. They were bringing a handful of youth and he and his wife were chaperoning the event for the first time. He sounded incredibly excited and I don't think he will be disappointed.
We lucked out on our room accommodations as we only have 3 in our room (meaning no sharing of beds or sleeping on the floor for anyone). We all have the same job (which was purposely done to avoid schedule conflicts if everyone had different jobs) and are from all over the US.
We finally met "Orange Nation" (named due to the fact that our YAV shirts are orange) last night at our first training. Truthfully, though, it wasn't much training, just some bible study, ice breakers and games. For instance, the leader, Brandon "B-Wayne" Heath split the 350 or so of us into 4 groups within the conference room we were stationed at. He had us put our chairs in a circle and we played a game called "pile-up." Which goes a little something like this...Brandon would call out a characteristic or an event that happened to people and a direction to move, such as "If you flew here today, move 3 chairs to the right" or "If you are wearing flippie-floppies move 4 chairs to the left." If those instructions pertained to you, you would move down some chairs. Simple enough right? Then why do they call it "pile-up?" Well, if the person who is 3 chairs to the right, or 4 chairs to the left doesn't fit the characteristics that were called out, they were in the spot you needed to take. Which meant that you needed to sit on their lap. Didn't know anyone? You do now!!! The other part of the game makes it even harder and more awkward. If you sat on the lap of a person and the next characteristic called out pertains to the and not you, you still had to move with them because you were on their lap. So, for instance, if I was sitting on someone's lap and they had blond hair (I have brown) and Brandon called out "Blond hair, move 2 chairs to the right," I would have to move with them anyway because I was on their lap. We got to a point where there were stacks of 5,6, and 7 people all piled on top of each other's laps. It made for an interesting way of getting to know each other to say the least.
Anyway, awkward games and ice breakers aside, we heard a good opening lesson from Seth "the Rev" Moorman about Service while at the Gathering. We are here to serve and we should always strive to take the extra step, to think outside-of-the-box, to make the day and create memories for everyone we come into contact with while here at the Gathering just as Jesus was an "out-of-the-box" thinker. Taking fisherman, tax collectors and not the trained, educated Pharisees and Sadducees to be his disciples. He has created lasting memories. He has given us great service. We need to strive to be like him and serve in his name and not arrogantly.
This morning, I was up before the sun...again. I needed to get a run in. Never do I feel more blessed to live where I do than when I was running. It is humid, hot, stinky (literally) and paved everywhere. I miss the open spaces, fresh air, dry climate, bird calls, deer, pine trees. I miss my home town. I try never to take it for granted. New Orleans has already been quite an experience. I hope to learn more about, explore it and live it...for a week. And return home more grateful for everything I have and everything I am going to witness.
I will try and write every day about what I have experienced and what I am learning. Stay tuned...

Epic week cont....

I took the last month (June)to focus completely on running. I did zero swimming, save for the first week before the XTERRA Deuces Wild and very little riding except for some commuting to and from work. I feel like my running legs are returning and will continue to progress as my mileage and speed continue to increase. But, with that said, it is now 12 weeks out from the Halfmax National Championships in South Carolina on October 2nd. I haven't registered, I am still in limbo of whether I want to attend or not because of the price. But, I think it will be an incredible experience and I have an almost 100% chance (unless I can't finish) of qualifying for the Long Course World Championships in Las Vegas in 2011. The benefit of that is it is in my backyard. Only a 4 hour drive from homebase. I think consciously beginning to train for a race that I haven't registered for gives me my answer already.
That is all besides the point of this post. I wanted to talk about my week. The above information is all written to say that I have begun my intensive training again. And it has been an epic week. My goal was to climb Humphreys Peak on Sunday. I wasn't feeling so hot all day. Not sick, but not 100%. So, I decided to go for a run instead. But, Monday was a different day. On Monday, Humphreys was conquered once again, and it gained a new conquerer in my friend Lauren Cheema, who dominated the mountain. 9.6 miles roundtrip, 3000+ plus feet of elevation gain to the highest point in Arizona at 12,633ft. My legs were kind of sore the next day but I decided to go for a mountain bike ride. I headed for the other dominant feature of the Flagstaff landscape, Mt. Elden. Many of the trails on the mountain are still closed because of the Schultz Fire that is continuing to put a hamper on recreationists. But, I cruised up Brookbank trail to the upper portion of Sunset and reached the summit of the second highest peak in the region by bike. A couple hours later I was back on level ground and headed home with new views currently burned in my mind. Yesterday topped another climb of sorts. I had told Lauren on our way up to Snowbowl, after seeing so many cyclists climbing the road, that I needed to do that soon. Yesterday proved to be soo enough. I rode from my home, up Snowbowl road and back down. Even without much training, I completed the 7 mile climb with 220ft of elevation gain in a new PR (I think, can't remember ever going faster) of 34:49. Not bad for not riding in practically a month. Can't wait to do it again a few more times this summer. See how low I can go.
The week isn't quite over. I hope to continue this epic week. I have covered close to 10,000ft of elevation in the three treks. Plus swims and other runs and bikes that are not listed here. This new training block is starting excellently.

My beloved forest....

A letter sent to the Center for Biological Diversity.

To whom it may concern,
My name is Matt Boness. I appreciate the work you do to save our environment, and just like you, I agree to the final line of your mission statement, "We want those who come after us to inherit a world where the wild is still alive." As an avid mountain biker, hiker, trail runner and all around outdoor enthusiast, I can appreciate the outdoors for their pure beauty. But, I write this letter to let you know that you screwed up. I am sure you have gotten plenty of emails from other concerned Flagstaff, AZ residents after the local Daily Sun newspaper ran an article on why the Schultz Pass area was not thinned. My father is a 30 year forester and was called in to help battle the 15,000 acre blaze. It closed trails, torched thousands of acres of trees and currently has left the forest uninhabitable for animals. It also says within your misson statement that you use "science, law, and creative media" to protect "the lands, waters, and climate that species need to survive." I don't know what kind of science you were using to halt the projected thinning of this forest in 2007, as the Daily Sun has made their readers aware. Having researched the slow decline of the health of our forests in the West, I can tell you that thinning is only recreating the natural, traditional forest landscape that was abundant 100 years ago. By removing certain trees and reintroducing cool, ground fires to the area, as was the traditional role of fire, the habitat becomes healthier and more nutrient rich, which allows for more diverse growth and a more overall healthy forest.
I was also impacted by the Hardy fire that plagued my great town the day before the Schultz fire started. My household was put on standby for evacuation as smoke billowed over our house. Two weeks have passed since containment of the blaze and I have taken my morning jogs through the burned areas. With no formal training, but with years of experience gained from a father who is one of the great foresters in Arizona, I can tell you that without thinning in the Hardy burn area, houses would have been lost. The fire burned hot through the canopies of the trees and it does not take a trained eye to see that, where there was no thinning, the trees have become blackened matchsticks. But, where the thinning projects had occured, the fire still killed plenty of trees, but the canopies are still intact. When a fire burns that hot, on a windy day much like the one when it started, embers can fly up to a mile ahead of the fire and create new spot fires. I say, with little doubt, that had the forest not been thinned in that area, the fire would have continued trudging through the forest and could have potentially burned the houses of those who had been evacuated. This scenario is all hypothetical of course, but any educated person can see the difference in the fire behavior between a thinned and non-thinned forest.
With proper forest management, the devastation of the Schultz fire could have been largely mitigated. As your mission statement makes clear, you want to "protect the lands, waters and climate that species need to survive." But, I think it is obvious that you did nothing to protect the lands that are now torched and burned. The beauty of the area is lost for decades, perhaps longer. The once abundant shade of our poderosa pines is now gone. The grasses, shrubs and soil grabbing vegetation that stopped devastating erosion from wiping away our mountainside is now gone. Monsoons are lurking and the people of the evacuated neighborhoods are now facing landslides and mud flows instead of flame. This fire was incredibly close to burning through the Flagstaff watershed on the San Francisco Peaks. Which could have largely ruined the water resources that our town desperately needs to survive. All the sediment washed away from the looming rains will now wash into the streams that once flowed clear and filled resevoirs for animals to drink. The sediment, boulders, and downed debris has potential to clog normal flows and flood areas that are not used to the large increase of water. You are batting "oh for two" right now on maintaing your mission statement. Climate. I think it is no surprise that with trees, grass, and vegetation gone, the animals cannot inhabit the forest. The large amounts of CO2 that the smoke released is clearly not helpful in battling climate change. The trees lost cannot produce life saving oxygen anymore. The whole climate is different now. Not to mention, those who responsibly access the forest, the bikers, hikers, bird watchers, campers and sight seers, are banned from the forest they love. Many may not return to face the devastation that took the beauty out of their respite in the woods.
The choice was to cut a small percentage of trees. We lost almost all of them. By stopping the thinning of our forests, we face catastrophe that your center doesn't have to face. We have to look at the scarred and charred forest every day. We have to rehab the forest. And in a worse case scenario, homes could have been lost. Thankfully none were, because you would be facing an even larger backlash. Please, use science, law and creative media to make the right decisions.
Sincerely,
Matt Boness

10k education....

well....not sure what to write, but figured I should update, regardless. Ran the Northland Hospice Run for your Life 10K on saturday. Wanted to PR the course....missed it by 18 seconds. Which isn't bad considering I was about 30 seconds back at the halfway point. Got caught in no man's land after the second mile. Tried to hold on through the third but kept slipping on pace. Heard a crowd behind me (about 4-5 guys) and decided to relax and let them overtake me since it was going to be inevitable. I relaxed, recovered a bit and grabbed their pace. I learned a lot about my running that day. Running alone is not my style. Running with people keeps my mind off how my own body is doing and continuing to play through strategy, and focusing on others breathing and how I can break their spirits. It bumped my own running. I went fro a 6:38 thrid mile, to a 6:23 4th, 6:14 5th and 6:02 final mile. We were able to work off each other and keep the pace honest. I knew I was able to stave off self doubt when my pace is quicker than expected after I ran the Tucson Half Marathon in 2008. My pace was much faster than I had ever run, but running with people helped to keep my mind off how my body felt. I ran into trouble the last few miles when I was in no man's land again. I had too much time to think about my own feelings. I just finally realized how much of an impact it had this last Saturday when the transition happened in the middle of the race. It was like a switch was flipped.

Anyway, nothing planned for a while. I am still training for the Disneyland half marathon. I have quite a ways to go before I get to my goal. But I figure if I keep training toward my goal time and the race happens before my training blocks are up, then I will just run with the fitness I have at the time. Does that make sense?

XTERRA Deuces Wild recap...

Oh wow. So much good stuff this weekend. I had signed up for the Deuces Wildacouple months back and have since (if you read the rest of my blog, you totally know) been injured a couple times. But, the weekend was full of tons of good things (and a few that could have been better).

My mom and I left Flagstaff at 3:30 friday afternoon. I was given the priviledge of sharing my sports testimony at the FCA Endurance Prayer/Worship Service that evening before the races kicked off on Saturday. We had a small turnout but I couldn't have been happier with who did show up. So blessed. We grabbed dinner at Sonic (I know, terrible) before heading back to the hotel. It is unusual that we spend a night in a hotel and it isn't race morning the next AM. But, my dad got a run in in the morning, I got to enjoy a hotel buffet breakfast (easily my favorite meal of the day) and we had a nice day visiting old friends in Pinetop. I was very glad that we were able to miss the large crowds of the Saturday races which consisted of an Olympic, a Half-Iron, an Aquabike and kids Duathlon. However, we did have to fight people at the raffle dinner. My one complaint of the weekend is that trisports.com really needs to organize that better. More seating, better sound system, more fluidity with serving dinner and handing out prizes. Honestly, I could have done better in my sleep. But, overall it wasn't as bad as it could have been.

Saturday night rolled around and I got a better night's sleep than usual before a race. A good night sleep on race night is not close to what a normal good night would look like, don't mistake that. 4am was our wake-up call. I hopped in the shower, downed some water and oatmeal for breakfast and we were in the car by 5:10 heading to the race site. I knew it was going to be hot that day and was extra cautious of my fluids intake which accounted for the 6 trips to the toilet between 4 and 7am. The water was nice, I was still confused about the bike and run course but figured I would go along with whatever happened.

I came into this race expecting little. I had been injured, the pool had been closed for three weeks in May, my fitness wasn't at all where I wanted it to be. It took all day Saturday to finally prepare myself for a race that wasn't going to be my best. I just wanted to have fun and, as the saying goes, whatever happens, happens.

I personally thoughtthe swim course looked long, but I haven't done a swim that short (800m) in a couple of years. So, what did I know. Gun goes off. The usual flailing of body parts in front of me and the cliche washing machine routine commences as the Men's wave headed out to sea. The first of three bouys came up fast. I was stoked to know that we were flying through this course and as far as I could see, I was towards the front. Then the lack of training hits me and my arms feel dead with 500meters left to go. I gut it out and pump with the little left that I have for the dock. My wetsuit comes off mucch easier than in Vegas a month prior (check out that race recap for more detail into wetsuit conundrums). I utilized the wetsuit strippers for the first time in any race. I figured with all the issues I had in Vegas I might as well let someone else do the work for me. They were fabulous. My mom said I was the 20th out of the water and sure enough, the results say I had the 20th fastest swim. 15:20 for 800m, slower than I wanted.

My transition felt pretty ok. I wasn't really rushing because I was maxing already, I could feel it in my breathing and stomach. I was still out in 1:50 which I attribute to the long run out and up the incline to the road.The fastest T1 was 1:27 which isn't horribly fast either.

Out on the bike, I felt like I went out with a large crew. At least 3 or 4 other guys that I can remember. I was assuming because of the clumping of individuals that I was back in 20th or 30th place. Not the case. I started trucking and found my rythmn after a good 2-3 miles and locked onto one guy. I t was super rolly and mostly doubletrack trails which made it easy for passing and still interesting with sandy and rocky sections thrown in for good measure. Plus, we had about 5 logs that needed to be climbed over and a wooden fence. About 5 miles or so into the course comes the long, lung-busting climb. I passed 4(?) people on that climb because they were walking and I decided to granny gear (not quite, but almost) the whole way. One guy absolutely flew past me and I knew I would not see him again. I finally reached the top in time for some bombing downhills and more trees to climb over. The rest of the race favored the fast and smooth riders. I had latched on to the guy who I had earlier locked on to and one other guy riding a single speed. Everyone else had been dropped and we paced eachother most of teh rest of the way. We came to a fast fireroad and the single speed guy didn't have the gearing to keep up with myself and the other guy who had gears. I wanted to keep the pressure on because I knew that the guys behind me were trying to catch up and I was riding scared. We rolled into T2 in 9th and 10th place!!! Yeah I didn't know what place until after the big hill and I got a bit of renewed energy for the rest of the race knowing I could get that top-10 spot. I finished the bike with the 13th fastest split overall in 1:08.48

T2 was fast. I have always had some sort of innate ability at transition, especially T2. I hardly ever practice them but they always seem to go fast and this was no different. I rolled in and out in 54 seconds which ended up as the fastest T2 overall by 4 seconds!!!

The run was just survival as it always is. I rolled out of T2 in 9th place, 10th place was right behind me and 11th place was probably a minute down. The run course was less than spectacular but it did the job. It was super rolly and hot. The aid stations were life savers (Thanks volunteers!!) and I could see my competition as it was generally an out and back course with a 180degree turn around. 10th place guy overcame me at the 1st mile marker. He was gone and I wouldn't catch him. I was just focusing on giving everyone I saw some encouragement and hoping for the best. The best I could give was the 20th fastest run split overall in 39:57.

I finished the race in 10th place and second in my age group. I was shooting for 2:10 overall and ended up with 2:06.51. I was so blessed by God's work that day. My fitness levels did not have me finishing that fast. Good competition and favorable conditions gave me a boost and I could not be happier!

Looking up...

Alright, only a quick update. It is finally June and it is finally warm. If you follow this blog, you know that I complain about the weather more than anything. The wind has, generally, died off and the temps have risen. I have gotten a couple good rides in within the last week or so and the pools are finally back open, so my swim has recommenced. I am racing the XTERRA Deuces Wild on Sunday. I am already throwing this race away and hoping that maybe I can squeak a good performance out of it.
I know my training is no where close to where it should be and thats ok, because after this race I am not doing anymore triathlons til maybe august or later.
My knees are still giving me a hard time. I ordered patella tendon straps and boy are they awkward to run in. And I don't think they are doing much to begin with. We will have to wait and see after I get some good time on the roads with them on to decide if they really are making a difference.
Off to Show Low this afternoon. Wish me luck!

Quick update...

May has arrived and the wind hasn't stopped. I have been slowly getting my legs and lungs back into the running game after being gone from the venue for 4 weeks. I am slowly (and I mean slowly) rebuilding my run base, so that I don't run into any more issues and can be healthy for the Disneyland half marathon training that will commence in June.
The pool at NAU is closed for the next three weeks and I am still trying to figure out an alternative.
My IT band (of course, another issue) has been bugging me when I ride my bike. I am waiting on the local running store Run Flagstaff (runflagstaff.com) to get their new shipment of foam rollers before I do anymore biking. It doesn't seem as though I have been able to have a steady workout block with all three sports consecutively. But, what I can be thankful for is the fact that I am a three sport athlete and where one sport falls short I have two others to help me back up. It is continual cross training.