photo Rich Miller

Busy…… that is what is happening.  Life has been moving at what seems like light speed and the priority list has cut into website updates.   That being said, everything has been going fantastic.  The season kicked off over a month ago with a solid finish at the XTERRA West Champs and from that point training, some racing, family, work, volunteering for the YMCA Off-Road Sprint Tri, and yard projects have taken center stage.  I wanted to add doing laundry just to see the reaction from my wife….. hehehe, unfortunately it isn’t in my genetics, I am only good at getting things dirty; I have mentioned this before but my wife is the glue that holds everything together and Mac, Lucy and myself would be lost without her.

Here are a couple shots from our local mountain bike racing, a fun picture of my daughter (Lucy 4 years old) just crushing the jump in our driveway with her Christmas dress and Easter shoes on, and finally a fun video I put together previewing the Boise YMCA Off-Road Sprint Triathlon Bike course (staring Mac Wirth).

photo Rich Miller

Kellie crushing it on her new 29'er at the Velopark Grand Prix, photo Rich Miller

Spring is a big time for us because we really enjoy our yard/garden and getting things cleaned up from the winter creates a list of projects.  Most importantly we get a start on our vegetable/herb garden for the season.  Whether it is juicing fresh greens, fresh salads or veggies for cooking and grilling, the garden is where it is at for us.  During the winter we rely on organic produce from the grocery store, but the spring marks planting so later in the summer we can just walk outside for fresh produce.

Something new this year, we have added chickens to our small backyard farm (I will post some pictures and maybe a video of the chicken coop soon).  We started with 10 chicks and our plan was to end up with 3-5 egg laying hens with the rest heading to the freezer for a date with Thai Basil Chicken at some point.  Luckily in our neighborhood our lots are zoned so that we can keep a small number of chickens and we have really enjoyed it.  Between the garden and the chickens, we have a fun family activity for the entire family.

A buying local and organic focus really stems from wanting to put the best food in my kids’ bodies.  The reports, documentaries, news coverage, etc….. have documented how mass produced food production in this country is being linked to more and more health issues.  This is a tricky issue and there are blogs and websites out there uncovering some really horrible things going on with how our food is produced.  We are over 100 years since Upton Sinclair wrote “The Jungle” which uncovered corruption and poor health conditions in the meat packing industry in the early 1900’s, and as companies merge and factory farms get larger and larger, the focus is not on the consumer but rather on money and that bottom line.

If you go out and do a bit of research I think you will find mass food production is more than just a bad product at the dinner table.  Economies of scale drive the need for producing “more” at a cheaper price tag.  This means animals are raised in miserable/unsanitary conditions; workers in these production facilities are paid the bare minimum and are exposed to poor working conditions, and the environment takes a huge hit because chemicals/pesticides are used to grow plants/animals faster and cheaper.

I can hear the skeptics chime up, saying this is just another Michael Moore sensationalism tone, but my response is, even if 1% of what I have seen or read about food production is true, I don’t want to expose my kids to that.  I am no moralist and I certainly hope everyone makes a healthy choice, but it does mean making changes; which can be hard.  I think you will also find that eating real food is not as hard as one might think and it tastes so much better (not to mention how good you will feel).

Our goal is to eat as many real foods as possible; we purchase a half of beef and a whole pork from a family friend in Wyoming; we typically stock up with a lamb from a local organic producer; we are raising our own chickens for fresh eggs and meat; we try to buy local and organic products when available; we limit processed foods and especially foods with processed sugars (especially important for a child’s developing mind); and most importantly we try to learn about what we put in our body.  Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of farms, companies and producers who do deliver a good product, but the transparency is not there.  You have to do your research; I have copied in part of an email a buddy of mine (Sir Francis Vilece) recently wrote.  I think he hits the nail on the head and offers up some great advice anyone can put into action.  His message is below; read it, learn from it and educate yourself.

Go to Livestrong.com and type in “vegetable juice to fight cancer” or any other search engine, and type in any variation of those words.  You will find tons of resources on the subject.  It’s a subject we’re just not taught about.  The big food companies don’t want us to know the chemicals it takes to produce the animals and foods they produce at the rapid rates they produce them.  You could go a step further and research what season each fruit and vegetable is supposed to grow in.  Back in the caveman days you couldn’t walk into a Safeway and fill your shopping cart with fruits and veggies that were out of season.  Now, with the help of science you can manipulate different things and have them grow whenever you want and at accelerated speeds.

Each day I continue to find something new that amazes me about food production.  For example, if you haven’t seen how the chicken mcnugget is made, find it on the internet.  From mashing the whole chicken (minus bones/head/feathers) through a grate, then it goes down a line where they spray it with amonia, change the color, add flavor, deep fry, etc.  How the hell does the chicken mcnugget taste so good when thats how its made!!?  What other fast food products or store bought food items go through that kind of process?  It’s hard to tell, and it’s hard to believe with all the supposed regulation that everything must go through in this country, that products made for human consumption go through such an unimaginable process.

Try to educate yourselves as I’m continuing to do each day.  Be on the lookout for local farmers markets brought to you by locals who produce food locally and through a natural process.  Try different vegetable juices and tell me if you find the best recipe.  I’ve read that many of the enzymes will disapear if you dont consume your drink within the first 20 minutes.  I usually spend less than 20 seconds drinking mine.  Just get it over with.  Pound the goodness, and walk away satisfied knowing that your body just received an incredible amount of vitamins and nurtrients that it has been lacking for many years.  Your body was designed to take in these essentials every single day.

September 1974 in Mission Bay California around 50 athletes planted a seed by creating what is widely considered to be the first triathlon.  From that point forward the sport has grown and evolved into an extremely popular global activity around the world.  Triathlon has become synonymous with the term multisport and while there are a host of all kinds of different events combining different sports, the swim, bike and run seems to be the most common of the multisport events.

I can’t say that I know Harry Baxter’s inspiration, but 6 months after this triathlon in California, Mr. Baxter came up with his slightly different take on the multisport event in Jackson, Wyoming by creating the Pole Pedal Paddle.  His event would take four events signifying both the closing of winter and the coming of spring.  Two events you had spent the past 4-5 months doing in the snow and two of the events were on the horizon as activities to come with the spring.  The race would start with an alpine ski leg at the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, followed by a Nordic ski leg, followed by a bike leg which takes you to the river for your final downriver boating leg on the Snake River.  I say brilliant, and as the event chugs along for its 37^th year, many others agree; this truly is a special event.

In its modern form, the PPP involves a morning ride up JHMR’s tram to the top of Rendezvous Bowl.  From the start line, the race class competitors will head down an alpine downhill/GS ski leg consisting of 4,139 feet (1,262 meters) of elevation loss.  After the alpine leg competitors will swap their alpine gear for Nordic ski equipment and head out on a 10K skate course.  Once competitors have completed the Nordic ski leg, they will mount their bikes for a 19 mile road time trial to the South Park Snake River Bridge where they will jump in their boats for an 8 mile downriver paddle to the finish line.  The race does include individual/team classes, a recreation class and probably the best category being the “Fun” class.  This is community event where the entire town rallies around the race as a fund raiser for Jackson’s oldest non-profit, the Jackson Hole Ski Club.

I have raced the event in years past on a team (riding the bike leg) this would be my first go in the solo men’s racing division.  I have lived in many different places, but with my family having a presence in the Jackson community for close to 34 years I have wonderful memories and roots tying me back to this valley; it is really where I consider “home.”  I can say that many of my experiences in the surrounding mountains and activities in this valley have shaped me to be the person who I am today.

My parents and grandparents started me both alpine and Nordic skiing at the age of 3 and as I have said before, I really love the winter sports.  You would think it would be second hat but the start of the race at the top of Rendezvous Bowl was probably the most nervous I have ever been before anything in my life.  I grew up skiing this mountain and have skied down Rendezvous bowl more times than I could even count, but for some reason I looked down at the valley below me and I felt as if I was jumping out of an airplane with no lessons on how to work the parachute.  I had a bunch of friends doing the race as well; the tram ride up and waiting for our start time in Corbet’s Cabin it was all laughs and mellow times, but now as I stood in the call up line for the 30 second interval time trial starts the realization of what was about to happen started to hit me.

The weather over the past couple days in the Teton Valley had been variable at best; the combination of warm spring temps, freezing temps at night, some rain and some snow created uncertainty for what the course conditions would deliver.  My son Mac and I inspected the course the afternoon before and on a side note, it was my son’s first time to ski from the top of the tram.  At seven years old I was so impressed with his confidence and ability to rip it up without a care; he enjoyed it so much, we did it a second time.

Because of the variable conditions throughout different elevations on the mountain, I knew that I would need to be very cautious on the downhill portion of this race.  I was 10 years old the last time I raced slalom gates and I didn’t need to be pushing the envelope and end up in the hospital.  And that is really how it went; I skied fast without pushing it to my limits.  Jackson has some amazing alpine ski racers and it is no surprise that my six and half minute time from top to bottom would set me back a bit as I started the skate ski.

While this race report is gradually turning into a novel, this provides a nice moment to really discuss the gear and logistics necessary to do this event.  Simply the alpine and Nordic ski equipment, a road bike, and the boat are enough to fill the back of the truck, but then add in all the different shoes and boots needed, goggles, sunglasses, helmets, spray skirt, paddle, and if we start to talk about waxing and everything that goes into that, it will make your head spin.  You then factor in the three different transition areas and getting in and out of all of this different gear and you really have got a very gear intensive race.  My amazing wife decided that she would not race on a team this year and she would step in as the Directeur Sportif.  At the PPP, you are allowed to have a support person assist with handing and getting you in and out of equipment; the support person also has to collect the gear that you just used after each leg so it is really a critical piece of the puzzle.

As usual, Kellie nailed it and did a fantastic job; coming into the first transition area after the alpine leg we moved quickly to get into the skate equipment and onto the Nordic 10K course.  After the rain in the valley the night before and barely freezing temps, the Nordic track was going to be soft and slow.  My friend Tamsen, local badass Nordic ski racer, helped get my wax dialed for the humidity and snow conditions.  I certainly had lost some time on the Alpine leg but I got back into the rhythm of racing once I began to skate.  The soft snow really called for a quick transfer from ski to ski and a ton of V2 technique; there wasn’t going to be any of those long glides typically experienced when skiing harder/faster snow.  My buddy and owner of local paddle shop Rendezvous River Sports, Aaron, had started the alpine leg 30 seconds ahead of me and I was happy to keep him within sight the entire 10K.

At about 9K I was ready to be done with the skate skiing, the soft snow was exhausting and getting on the bike couldn’t have come any sooner.  I came into transition to find my wife and my bike for the next leg.  As far as the race goes, this section is really the most boring; you just get into the suffer locker and go as hard as possible.  Minus avoiding a couple potholes, you pretty much shut your mind off and focus on going as hard as you can.  The skate certainly took a bit from my legs, but I was surprised to find very little wind on the bike course.  There are times when the headwind down to the river transition can be brutal, but this year, Mother Nature would ease up and thus providing a fast bike course.  Hard to say, but I think this might have hurt me a bit; while the course is very flat, a strong headwind would have possibly benefited the stronger cyclists and I might have been able to get back some of those seconds lost on the alpine leg.  Regardless, I had a strong bike and I was ready to get into the boat for the paddle.

We had a small hiccup with our final transition, as I nearly beat Kellie and my paddle, skirt and lifejacket to the river. But we made a smooth transfer of the gear early and I rode the final stretch to the river transition with all my stuff – maybe even some of my mountain bike skills came in handy as I carried all my gear while riding.  I made it into my boat and onto the river.  After the first three or four paddle strokes I could tell this would be a big challenge.  With the combination of the V2 technique on the skate ski and the time trial position on the bike, my arms were completely dead.  It took me a good 20 minutes before I felt like I was getting solid turn over with an efficient paddle stroke.

It was really fun to be back in a boat racing; from the ages of 12 until about 16, I was a competitive slalom kayak racer and I had trained and played on the Snake River many times. I felt like this race kind of brought things full circle; my first racing experience in life was in a boat and I think it sparked the racing interest I have today.  Of the individual racing class athletes, I believe I had the 3^rd or 4^th fastest boat split and while it would take a ton more training to get up to the level of my buddies Aaron, Brady or John, I was pleased to see that it hadn’t all gone by the wayside.

After the finish the Ski Club and Jackson Hole Mountain Resort had an amazing concert and post race party out at the Village.  Mac and Lucy got to see G Love and Special Sauce from the front row and it was the cap to a great event.  I want to say congrats to Spencer Morton (1^st for the men) and Dave Bergart (3^rd) for great races.  I was honored to be on the podium with such fantastic all around multisport athletes.

The Jorts are Rad.

It turned out to be an amazing day.

While this event is in its 37th year, I am excited to watch it grow.  I think Boise is a perfect place to train for this race and I would love to see a couple individuals and teams heading over for the race next year.  Here is a nice article written by Jim Stanford: http://jhnewsandguide.com/article.php?art_id=8423

Now it is time to put the storage wax on the skis and start thinking about the summer race season.  Happy training and racing all and thanks for hanging in there on this long winded post.