2012 Dirty Spokes Duathlon at Fort Yargo

Dirty Spokes, Inc.

Finally! Finally my daughters are getting old enough to actually enjoy competing in something more than a 5K fun run. Our first real race would take place at a familiar location for my family, Fort Yargo State Park in Winder, Georgia. After deciding to quit Gymnastics my oldest daughter, Molly, wanted to stay fit and have an event to train for so we started looking at the calender. Last year my friend David Shabat and I were very successful in the Dirty Spokes Duathlon Series but I hadn't considered it something Molly could do because it was so much running. But when I checked the website I found out Tim had a Parent/Child category. Done!

These great folks put on some of the best races in Georgia. Despite the name they're actually known best for their XTERRA trail running series. And in case you are new to my blog let me tell you "I don't run." It's not what I do. I only have time to be good at one discipline. So running is only for bone density and nothing else. I'm sure it wouldn't hurt so much if I ran all the time. It might actually be fun. But right now it's not fun...to run.

Molly has plenty of nervous energy at registration.

But Molly is young and carefree. She doesn't know that running isn't fun. She's motivated by anything. So we signed her up to race with me in the Duathlon. She would run 3.8 miles in the trail and then I'd bike 11 miles. Of course it being her first race we let her Mom run with her.
So that meant that Mother and Daughter were obligated to start training for the race. Cool.

They both made running a priority for weeks leading up to the race and by the time we got there they were ready to complete the task.

I packed my bike and all our gear into a van and we headed out on what was a beautiful Saturday morning. It started out in the 40's but warmed up to the 50's by lunch time. The breeze coming across the lake kept our jackets on though. Especially the girls. Because girls are always cold.

The park is a fantastic place for events like this. There's plenty of trail to allow the runners and bikers to stay separated. There's camping areas and play grounds and boat docks. If you bring the right stuff it's down right relaxing. I almost always bring the right stuff. I had chairs and blankets and food. Sock hats and gloves. The last thing I want is my girls to be miserable. I need them to like this.

At the start I think I was just a nervous as they were. I felt the erg to jump in there and push some people around if they got to close. But that's just my Daddy/Husband genes kicking in. I know they'll be fine. So I took pictures.

Molly and Lisa are lined up and ready.

My Angels!

Molly was wearing our number which had the timing chip built into it. I'd never seen that before but I liked it. The crowd began to swell with runners of all types. There were the super serious guys who had been waiting at the starting line for 30 minutes. Then we had some mid pack guys seemed intent on going after a personal best. And in the back were the folks who simply wanted to complete the course. I was especially inspired by the lady you see in white behind the girls. I won't say her age but she did fantastic! I only hope I'm doing stuff like this when I'm that age. I love these kinds of people. Most everyone was fun loving and grateful. It good to be around and good for my daughter to be around.

Johnny Garner aka String Bean at the start.

And then there was Johnny Garner. He is evidently warm blooded. He was almost naked. Even I felt over weight next to his skinnyness. But he must know what he's doing because his relay team won their division.

I also saw my good friends from Baxter's Multi-Sport. Ron Miller won in the Solo Single Speed Division. Doc (I don't even know his real name) took Second in his division. The team of Ray Mullins and Nathan O'Neill were Second in their division. Kelly Woodard was 1st Place. And little miss Betty Hodges took home a 1st Place in her category. Great day for the Baxter's crew!

The Start.

The Exchange.

Chad and Molly at the Finish.

After my girls were on course I headed to the van to get ready. My plan, regardless of Molly's time, was to time trial the course. So I needed to warm up. I got ready and went down to the Start/Finish to enter the bike course and pre-ride the first few miles. But by that time the speedsters were back and the transition area was full of action. I rode up next to Johnny who had just finished his first run. We watched folks coming in and I got worried that I would miss Molly (I've done that sort of thing before). So I went and got the camera and asked Johnny to take pictures for me. Molly came running up and we made our exchange. I underestimated the amount of traffic on the trail and had to dial down my expectations. It took me 54 minutes to ride what normally would take between 45 and 50.

Molly waited at the finish for me to arrive. I loved it. I've said before that events are more fun after you've completed them than while you're suffering through them. I know how great it feels to be nervous, take the start line, push through the effort and finish the race. I know how great it feels to finally sit down and relax afterwards. Knowing that you did something cool and maybe beyond what you thought you could do. I was excited for Molly. And for Lisa. Now we were having fun.

 

 We waited around for the awards ceremony to start, hanging out with the Baxter's guys in the sunshine. Which wasn't enough for Molly who wanted to stay bundled up in the chair. I spoil her, I really do. I met a nice guy who rides for Team Iron Data named Jim. He won the Solo division. Really nice guy. The announcer came by to congratulate Molly on a fine win and told her she needed a faster partner. Tim (Dirty Spokes Promoter) came by and encouraged Molly as well.

 

So there you have it. We did our first race together. And I hope there are many more to come. We had a great time thanks to the Dirty Spokes folks. It gets better the more we talk about it. A lot of the credit has to go to my beautiful wife Lisa. She puts up with me and my training and now has another trainee on her hands. But it's not so bad...she's just as competitive as I am. Perhaps one day we'll compete in the Coed division (hint, hint). 

On Sunday it was biking with friends at Gainesville College. I can't help but share some of those great pictures.

Next up is the Chainbuster Race at Conyers Horse Park. I've somehow convinced David Shabat and he's somehow convinced Clint Sanders to be on a team. It's a special team with a special team name. You'll have to wait and see what it is though. It promises to be a ton of fun. I'll take pictures.

Thanks for reading and have a great weekend! Check the top of the page for the latest ride and races in North Georgia.

Chad Hayes

Hangin' at the Horse Shoe Drop

I'm sitting here watching "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" with my girls.  They've never seen it. At 9 and 12 years old they have a ton of Christmas programming to choose from. Animation has come a long way since I was warped by this one and the Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer one too.
I've always found them to be a little creepy. Sorry if this offends any of you. Some of my worst childhood nightmares came from trying to cross over the snow covered mountain and getting caught by the "Winter Warlock" or running from the "Abominable Snow Man" in my dreams. As their father it's my job to protect their innocence for as long as humanly possible so I've avoided these movies. But now I see that I've been too harsh. They keep laughing at it. I guess it's so old and jittery that they find it funny. Like a puppet show. I should have known since they can't sit still and watch my old Muppet Show DVD with me for long. They should be just fine sleeping tonight. I hope I will.

This Saturday my daughter had a birthday party where she and her friends painted beautiful pictures with real paint on real canvas. I was in charge of doing something with the boy, Thomas Pattillo. So...we went biking!
Duh.
I asked him where he wanted to go and he said Fort Yargo in Winder. Turns out that's been on his mind for a while. His Dad took him there.

Kelley Edwards and his boys Jared and Cade came with us. We met at 9:30AM and it was a gorgeous day.

Cade, Kelley, Jared Edwards, Thomas Pattillo, Me.

Jared Edwards

Thomas Pattillo

We warmed up on the new beginner loop located behind the tennis courts. Thomas was flying around the course and ended up washing out and getting run over by Jared. Not a very good way to start but ok, as I always say "that was our glitch for this mission". We headed counter clockwise on the trail and I started looking for the signs that pointed to the horse shoe drop. I love that thing. It's a blast. And so of course we somehow missed it. But in the interim we found another one that Kelley dubbed the "Baby" Horse Shoe drop. The kids tried it about three hundred times until each one made it at least once. It was a blast to watch. It's good that I don't have telekinesis because those boys would have made it every time. It was probably just as funny to watch Kelley's body language as he coached his sons through it without helping them. It's also funny to think about the difference between boys and girls. I mean, I'd have been in the ditch ready to push my girls so they wouldn't fall over or crash backwards. With the boys, Kelley and I were content to let them wheelie back on their heads. It reminds me of a Jeff Foxworthy quote:

• When I was a kid, my parents had a 900-pound television on top of a TV tray. My dad's theory was, "Let him pull it over his head a few times, he'll learn. You wanna put a penny in a light socket? Try that out. OHH! Hurt like hell, didn't it? Don't do that no more."

Cade Edwards

The fun we had there was too much to take so we rode a shortcut back around to try and find the "real" Horse Shoe Drop. It was easy because the YABA folks have the course marked great and there are maps everywhere. We found the Drop and started trying to get the kids to do it. They were having none of it. They didn't mind sliding down on their butts and tearing up clothes but riding it was "too scary". No Evil Knievel's in this bunch I'm afraid. So Kelley and I had some fun and we moved on.

My knowledge of the trail system paid off when we skipped a large section around the lake by riding across a bridge. The boys thought that was really cool. Then Kelley and I decided to ride off in front of them and hide. They came to a cross road and began to panic. We listened to them yell for a while and then let them off the hook. Yet another bit of turmoil we would not have inflicted on the girls.

The road back would soon become hard for our group of young mountain bikers. We stopped at the top of the power line climb and had a snack before the tough section back. They were doing great and having a lot of fun. Ignorance is bliss. Listen carefully at the end of the video as I mention how much longer we have to ride. The silence says it all.

The remainder of the ride was a practice in perseverance. They were running low on energy but kept pushing to get back. I was actually very proud of them. All total we rode 11 miles and spent just under 3 hours out there. Great memories and sore bodies were made. In fact the next day at church the first thing Jared said to me was " I am so sore". They sat around telling "fish stories" about it all day.

Athens, GA - Winter Bike League

This coming Saturday I hope to join my friends and a few hundred others at a Winter Bike League ride in Athens, GA. This winter road bike series is a classic. It's what all other winter bike rides aspire to become. It's got mileage, it's got pro riders, it's got speed, it's got pee breaks and exit routes and sprints. There's even a Mad Chronicler (aka David Crowe) who invents words to describe each ride and it's participants. One visit to the website and you'll see how simple minded I really am as a blogger. One visit to the WBL and you'll see just how out of shape you are. So...I'm gonna go see.

The anti-Tebow bias isn't about football
Before I sign off I want to share a link to an editorial that sums up my feelings not only as it pertains to Tebow and the NFL but as it pertains to all Christian men who are trying to change the male role model in America, not just sports. The article says it all so I won't preach.

Sometimes I blog to promote a renaissance of masculine virtues. I want to bring back a time when men take center stage and strive for perseverance, compassion, family fidelity, community, responsibility and faith in God. Maybe it's a crazy dream. Maybe the world is too big of an influence for the throngs of lethargic men it has created to overcome. But I'd rather be the man with the answer who never shuts up than part of an apethetic silent majority too lazy to get this one life right.

Now it's time for a quote:

The struggle now going on for the world will never be decided by bombs or rockets, by armies or military might. The real crisis we face today is a spiritual one; at root, it is a test of moral will and faith.

RONALD REAGAN

Thanks for reading! Have a great weekend and be safe!

Chad