June 28, 2006

Don't let this happen to you...

This is an email from John Hunter, advising EVERYONE to show up at Hammerfest 007...


"Hey Hammer Heads,

Reason # 1 why we should all be going to T. Earley’s Hammerfest workouts..

Check out this woman who managed to make it out of the water this past weekend before T$, Alan, and myself… Photo compliments of Kate Symonds.. I want to laugh but then just swallow at the idea that I got beat by her…

~John Hunter

Ps. I didn’t know we were allowed to use boots?"

June 26, 2006

Hammerfest 6 rundown

Well, Hammerfest 6 was quite the disappointment. I'm hoping that because it was such a beautiful day outside, people just decided they did not want to swim at an indoor pool on such a lucratively beautiful weather day. Maybe it was poor planning on my part, scheduling the swim race on the same weekend as Tupper Lake Tinman, the Rochester Criterium, and various other races.

Regardless, at noon on Sunday, a grand total of 4 swimmers hopped into the 82 degree pool at the Webster Aquatic Center for the sixth edition of Hammerfest. Swimmers present were; yours truly, Heather Wolfe, John Hunter and his girlfriend Teresa. We all waited until 12:30pm to see if anyone else would show and when no one did, we decided to do a mass start and have everyone time themselves.

There was a short 100 yard warmup for all, but it seemed like the water was warm enough and we were all stretching while waiting around, so we were primed to swim fast. I sounded the start and we all tore into the water. John seemed to have some troubles with his suit as I saw a few times that he was doing "Greg Buzulencia turns" (ie. open turns) and pulling up his drawers around every other turn. To give him the benefit of the doubt though, he kicked ass at Tupper the day prior and told me he really wasn't too shelled from the half ironman race the previous day. (and he STILL made it to the swim, what a trooper!) Ask him how fast he ran the last 3 miles as he cruised to a 4:52 finish at Tupper...

Anyway, back to racing... I was feeling a little frisky as I hadn't raced in over a week and I took the first 500 out pretty hard as per usual... but finished in a good time of 22:21. John was about 100 yards behind in 24:16 and Heather Wolfe hit the wall in 27:42. Nice job everyone. Teresa told us later that she wasn't competing and she just came to check out John's really awkwardly sunburned legs in his tri shorts.

We decided to nix the awards as there were only 4 of us there (and I usually don't get door prizes as I am the one giving them away...) and decided to hold them until next month when we will swim at Kershaw Park in Canandaigua, NY in open water. We had a lot planned for awards and I guess I'll have to bring the goody bag next one.

Hammerfest 007 will be held on Friday July 14th, 2006 at Kershaw Park in Canandaigua. We are going to hold this on a Friday night at 6pm to allow everyone time to get there after work. Race will be wetsuit friendly (as Kershaw tends to be a little chilly) but by July it should be more than bearable for those of you who don't own wetsuits. So don't be shy, we would all really like you to come. Hammerfest 007 is looking to be a good race and I am concocting up some ideas on how to draw people in and "sell" these Hammerfest swims.... Perhaps the majesticness of open water swimming will be enough, but for those of you who desire more, we will have PLENTY of door prizes and awards (including a new pair of TYR goggles and other goodies.) Maybe we'll even bring back the race goody bags. we'll see. Mark the date on your calendars and we hope to see you there. Award ceremony for 007 will be held at either the ice cream place across the street from Kershaw or somewhere in the greater Canandaigua area so we can raffle off all of the FANTASTIC door prizes and award the "best of times/worst of times and covetted "tin foil and wire coathanger trophy" don't miss out!

Post a comment to any story on this site to "register" and hope to see you there for another monthly installment of Hammerfest Swims. Check out the updated leader boards. (We will have an ALL NEW top ten list for Kershaw Park - as it is open water, so if you place in the top ten, you can get recognition on this site as a amazing, leaderboard, hammerfest swimmer! - So show up, race fast and get on the board!) Take care all and hope to see you on Friday night July 14th, 2006 for Hammerfest 007.

June 21, 2006

Hardcore 24 photo + Hammerfest 6 reminder


(from left to right; John Hunter, a $4,000 Cannondale mountain bike, Tim Howland, Travis Money, and Darren Vogt supporting Hammerfest after the "Hardcore 24" mountain bike race at Cutler this past weekend. )

I think John has a strange look on his face because the carbon fiber erection he has in his pants just pushed the Cannondale bike over so it is leaning up against Tim in the photo... (sorry John, I can't seem to pass up an opportunity to rip on you for your obsession with carbon) Anyway, I just thought I would throw this photo up on the site for everyone to see. Good times gentlemen (and I use that term loosely...) Glad to see Hammerfest is getting exposure all over the place, even at mountain bike races. Good show.

Also feel free to poke around this site. I've added a bunch of new stuff including more color, links, etc. Let me know what you think, I would love to hear suggestions, ideas, concerns. My ears are always open to making Hammerfest into "kind of a bigger deal"

Don't forget to "register" by adding a comment under this post, or the previous one, to let me know you can or cannot make it to Hammerfest six on 6/25/06 at noon at the Webster Aquatic Center. See you there in spandex, suckers.

June 19, 2006

Hammerfest 6 update - 6/25/06

Ok everyone. The date has been set for Hammerfest sex, I mean, Hammerfest SIX for quite some time now. (get your mind out of the gutter, what kind of organization do you think we are?!?!) The idea of this whole thing was that we were going to be able to do this in open water after several of the colder winter months passed, but since the water temperature still seems to be holding in the mid-low 60's, we are going to stay indoors at a pool for one more month. (Next month I would like to have it at Kershaw Park in Canandaigua, NY because they have a one mile open water course and it is only about a 20 minute short drive...but that's next month)

This month, the date is June 25th, 2006 for Hammerfest Six. The location will be the Webster Aquatic Center. Just click the link and mapquest it if you need directions. The open swim begins at noon and runs until 5pm on Sunday, so I know most of you will partake in the guilty pleasures of the evening hours at the bar scene in Rochester, so this will hopefully allow enough time for your hangovers to wear off....

We are going to begin promptly at noon. The first heat will go off at noon-fifteen and as usual we will have two heats with the wave that is not swimming counting for those who are swimming and then we will switch. There will be an awards ceremony shortly afterwards at my apartment and if you don't know how to get there, just follow someone. But don't get killed on the way there (ie - don't ride with John, he tends to cut across LANES of traffic to make exits on the expressway in order to follow people...)

The awards will consist of the coveted "tin foil and wire coat hanger" trophy (who has that by the way? Anyone know? Post a comment to this entry if you know the location of the trophy...I suppose I could make another one, but I don't have the 52.5 seconds to spare, sorry!) Anyway, there will be a short little presentation of that, there will be door prizes (cool stuff from Hammergel, a pair of TYR goggles, and an assortment of other fine items to be given away at random) It's always good, so don't miss out. Also we will have a case of the winners favorite adult beverage there at the awards and we will all partake in the spoils of war afterwards if people want to drink in the afternoon. There will be plenty of food and drink as well.

So in closing, you all know Hammerfest is a good time. If you don't know that, read some of the previous posts and you'll understand just how big of a deal it is.... :) Also, keep sending me pictures of the bumper stickers in odd places. I sent Greg to the UK with a few, so perhaps we'll have some good ones to post in the next few weeks. Also feel free to check out the site, I've added tons of links and if you have any to suggest, I'm all ears.

Weel there it is, Hammerfest Six will commence at Noon on Sunday June 25th at the Webster Aquatic Center and there will be an awards ceremony to follow (like always). Post a comment and sign your name to the comment if you are thinking of attending so I can get a headcount. (the comments section will be the "registered swimmers" list.) If you don't know how to post a comment, click on the "how to post a comment" link on the sidebar to the right. So yeah, let me know if you can come and if you can bring anything to the awards (ie, food and drink, etc) by posting a comment and I'll see you all on Sunday, June 25th for a rocking good swim! Cheers!

~Travis

June 9, 2006

Hammerfest in the Mojave desert

Hammerfest in the Mojave desert. What better place to go for a swim? :)

Another Bumper Sticker Photo

Well folks, There have been several of you who have given me photos to post on the website and I have one to get up there, but can't seem to get this one to save as a picture that I can post.

So what I am going to do is show you how to access it. This is the photo of the Hammerfest sticker on the large man's back from inside of the Otter Lodge while we were deliberating over what to do with el cinco de Hammerfest after Nazareth's pool was closed.

You can go to www.viewmymessage.com and use message ID# v0jgong9m and password: epic2node to view the picture. The second digit in the message ID is a zero, not an "o" (like in moo - the word a cow says. It is zero, like the number of times the man in the picture has seen his shoes in the last year.

Enjoy the photo. Keep checking back to the site for other features as well. Notice the sidebar to the right has a section at the very top showing the date of the next Hammerfest swim (6/25/06)and there are updated links (post a comment if there are any other links you would like to see in the sidebar) and additionally I have added my own personal race schedule for 2006 where after the races are completed I will make them links so you can access the results and see how everyone did. There will be another Hammerfest update to come soon, so until then, train hard and enjoy life. Cheers.

June 6, 2006

EPIC DAY numero uno rundown

Well, there were a few critics of Epic Day saying that it was too much training and we would never recover enough to be able to do anything for the next month, but I didn't listen. I know deep down that what makes me tick is finding out just how far and how much I can push my body each and every day. Week in and week out. And that is really what epic day is all about. Epic is really just throwing together HUGE miles and HOURS of training into one day and really seeing how your body deals with it all.

So without further adieu, here is the rundown of Epic Day #1:

8am - I pushed off the wall to begin a straight 4,200 yard set (2.4 miles) at the Webster Aquatic center. The pool was cold and I struggled with diving in, but I knew once I was in it, the yards and the laps would just come. I started my watch and dove in. I thought a lot, as I normally do when I am training by myself, about various topics. What was to come today, how would I fare in the 2 hour run after I got off the bike, what was my nutrition strategy going to be? I didn't have the answers to any of these questions, but I kept on going. I figured, I would just do my best, eat when I was hungry and just try to finish out the day. This was training after all, it wasn't a race, I just needed to go the distance.

1k clicked away under 14 minutes and I realized that I was going a little quick for such a long distance set, so I backed off. I knew there was going to be many more hours of the day and I didn't want to fry my arms right off the first 1,000 in the pool. I just kept swimming and wanted to keep it nice and relaxed at a good pace. 2k goes by and I split my watch again noticing I had slowed the pace to about 14:39. That was a little better, my mind was wandering and I wasn't breathing too heavy. This was more comfortable. I picked my head up shortly after 2k to see a familiar face and John Hunter looked at me and plainly said, "better late than never..." and he hopped in the lane next to me. It was a relief to have at least John there as I was thinking thru the first 2,000 yards that this was going to be a solo effort today (which would make it even more difficult) John and I swam the next 2,200 yards and the final time for me was 61:26 for 4,200 yards. It felt really comfortable and if I can swim a 61 in Panama City Beach FL for IRONMAN, I'd be plenty happy.

We exited the pool and agreed to meet at Fleet Feet at 10:30 am to embark on our 100 mile ride. John was late as per normal :) and needed to get a bento box for all of his nutrition at Park Ave bike shop before we left. To make a long story short, we left at 11:20am and headed down route 65 south. We appeared to be skirting a storm and I convinced John NOT to bring his rain coat (bad idea) We rode south until somewhere around Geneseo we hit Conesus Lake and decided it would be best to circle it twice for the mileage. It was peaceful and overcast around the lake, but more importantly it was flat. We were stopping about every 15 miles for old man John to "relieve himself" and that was odd because I was the one who was downing the most fluids. We made a scheduled stop at mile 60 to reload the water bottles and buy some gatorade and Johns front tire went down shortly after that near mile 75. At that point the heavens decided to open up on us and it dropped about 10-15 degrees. We were stopped under the overhang of the front door of a really small creepy townie bar in Lakeville. John was putting in a new tube and I was shivering trying to stay warm in the cold rain as drunks walked past us and asked if we were getting wet. (meanwhile we were soaked to the BONE).

We pushed off and headed thru Henrietta towards Rochester and the wind whipped right thru us both. There was no drafting and we made our way slowly back towards Fleet Feet. We pulled in at 99.5 miles and decided to make it legit by cruising around for the extra half mile to make it an even 100 mile trip. The pace was 17.5 mph according to my odometer and the time was 5 hours and 45 minutes of ride time (not counting John's flat or the refueling stop)

John decided to change in the Fleet Feet parking lot and begin running immediately, I decided to head home and drop the bike off and change into dry socks and clothes. I ate some pasta on the way back (again bad idea) and met John as he was finishing up the first loop of the FF Happy hour trail of 4.3 miles. I hopped out of the car to join him and put on the Fuel Belt and began running. Suprisingly, my legs weren't as shelled as I thought they would be. I had burned thru almost 4,000 calories on the bike alone and was doing well replacing them and getting the calories into my system on the bike. The run was another story though. The first lap with John was good, it felt ok and I felt like I would be able to do a marathon if need be. John left after my first lap (his second) and left me to hit the remaining hour and twenty five minutes by myself. The next lap was not as bad as I thought it would be and I began to try and take in nutrition at this point. One GU and some water and I thought I would be fine. Unbeknownst to me, my stomach was still trying to digest thru the pasta I ate on the drive over. Nothing was really getting absorbed and I was starting to burp and taste the gel again. I was getting a little worried, but nieve me, I thought I would be ok.

The third lap was a little tougher and my heart rate seemed to be staying in check. I was ripping off good splits 34/32/33 and seeming to keep a constant pace, but I could tell I was having GI troubles. The second gel was taken and it didn't settle well. I kept it down and pondered about stopping, but thought about how much it would suck to have to write that I stopped and walked on the run. So I just kept slugging along. I finished the lap and the hills didn't get any easier. I began lap#4 at one hour and 4o minutes into the run and decided to run 10 minutes out and then return to my car. I did and never walked once. I finished the 2 hours still standing and was able to drive home. I felt accomplished and I knew this was a good confidence builder and a deposit into the "bank of ironman" for withdrawal on 11/4/06.

The next day was a different story though. I woke up and ran with Erin Varley and Rachel Ciesluk in the Temple Beth El 5k and watched Erin run to a PR (BT) , the legs felt ok and I was shocked that they were still moving. They just kept getting worse and worse until I went to bed that night. Yesterday, (monday) I felt like I had been swung at at missed and I was doing pretty bad. Not hobbling, but still recovering from the 8 hours and 45 minutes of training on Saturday. Today, (tuesday) is the first day I think I am going back to putting in the miles as I feel ok enough to get on the bike and lace up the running shoes. I'll let you all know how it goes later on. All in all it was a humbling good experience.

There will be more Epic Days as the season goes on and anyone who wants to put in MONSTER miles and hours feel free to join me., Again it is a HUGE confidence builder on how much your body can handle in a given day. I hope to see you all at the races soon and perhaps maybe even at Hammerfest 6 coming up on 6/25/06. There will be a Hammerfest update coming soon, but save the date. Till then, take care and cheers.

~Travis

June 1, 2006

Epic Day #1 hype-up

EPIC DAY #1- June 3rd, 2006

Ok folks, I know this is not really Hammerfest related and you all have been waiting anxiously to hear about it and know the finer details about this endurance day, so wait no longer. Here it is:.

The first ever EPIC DAY will be held on Saturday June 3rd, 2006. The format will be a 4,200 yard swim (2.4 miles) / a 100 mile bike ride / a 2 hour run. This event will be held rain or shine so come prepared. (that means, no bitching if it rains and you didn't bring a jacket/shoe covers) Also, bring plenty of water and nutrition as it will be a long day. There will be breaks between the disciplines to allow those who participate to go home and get your stuff together for the next feat.

The 4,200 yard swim will start immediately at 8am at the Webster Aquatic Center. That means that I will begin swimming at 8am, I will not be just getting to the pool at 8am, I will push off from the wall at 8am sharp, so get there a little earlier to join me. Bring something to eat immediately after the swim if you plan on biking or running later with us all (its just smart to replace what you lost in the 20-30 minutes immediately following exercise) I will just be swimming 4,200 yards straight, but everyone who joins can do whatever they want. It will take me about an hour, but you can take as long as you like or modify the distance if needed.

The 100 mile cycle will leave from Fleet Feet (2210 Monroe Ave) at 10:30am. The course is yet to be determined, but I am toying with the idea of heading south and perhaps around Conesus Lake near Geneseo. (we'll figure it out though, don't worry) Bring enough food, gels, bars, etc to last you the 100 miles (probably will take 5-6 hours depending on pace. This is slated to be an easy ride, but we all know how the last easy ride went around Canandaguia) Bring enough water, $20 (always a good idea to have extra cash on you just in case), ID, a cell phone, spare tires/tubes and a pump/CO2 in case you get a flat. Just common sense if you are going to be going long.

The 2 hour run will leave at 6pm from Stewart Lodge at Mendon Ponds Park. (the location for the spring and autumn classic duathlon) I wanted to do it on trails as our legs are going to be pretty smoked at this point. I don't have a course picked out, we can just run for 2 hours and if someone brings a Garmin, we'll figure out the distance later. This will be a nice easy run at about 8-10minute pace (as I assume that will be all we will be able to handle after the swim and century ride) So please don't be a dick and come thinking you are going to rip off 5-6 minute miles and be a tough guy when you haven't swam or biked that day. (In other words - don't just come for the run and use it as a tempo run, we will beat you severely once we all recover)

So there it is, it will be a long day, so come prepared. Epic day is not a day to starve yourself of calories in order to try and drop weight. It is a day to test out your base endurance and race day nutrition plans and ideas. Come prepared to go slow, and go all day. If you all like, we can have a celebratory beer afterwards at my place, or at the park.

Leave a comment if you will be able to make it for all disciplines, just the swim, just the bike, or just the run, or a combination of all three. Please do not email me back saying you can come, the whole idea of this site was to eliminate emails. Please post a comment if you are planning on coming to let me know so we do not leave without you. Take care and let us have tailwinds that day...

~Travis

The rest of the photos from Phil and Kell's XC trip

Apparently you can only put so many photos in one post, so here are the rest from the XC trip of Kelly and Phil:

This one just cracks me up, a Zion National Park Ranger supports Hammerfest. Wahoo!

From coast to coast, Hammerfest has a HUGE influence (see I told you all it was 'kind of a big deal'...) If only we could get a photo of a Hammerfest sticker on the red carpet!

Is it just me, or does Kelly look REALLY frigthened? (This is what those little kittens will turn into from the Outer Banks) This is from MGM casino in Las Vegas. (Vegas baby, Vegas!)


Nellis Air force base in Las Vegas, NV. Hammerfest takes off with the USAF Thunderbirds.

Hammerfst photos submitted by Phil and Kelly

Hammerfest has now become a NATIONAL phenomenon

Thanks to Kelly Boerschlein and Phil VanPeursem who recently went on a cross country trip en route to Portland Oregon to drop off Phil at para jumper school for the air force. (we will miss you buddy, keep us posted on how it is going)


Notice the slick blue sticker in the lower left hand corner...Yes, we have made it to Oregon!


I don't know who the cyclist is in this photo, but here is a strategically placed sticker along scenic route 1 in California.

Only you, and Hammerfest, can prevent forest fires. By the way, Phil seems to be getting pretty close to smokey the bear...

Apparently according to this sign, it is not a terrorist threat to bring a Hammerfest bumper sticker into the Hoover Darn.

I hear those cattle out west are BIG supporters of Hammerfest Mile Swims. They have even emailed me some of their results and I must say, they've posted some blazing times!


This one almost looks super imposed, but I assure you, I think it is real. Hammerfest on "the gateway to the west" - the St. Louis arch. Because after all, Hammerfest is just a gateway to bigger and better things