Paul Asay

Raced the Lake Lemon (Bloomington, Indiana) triathlon this past weekend.   This has been an annual event for me the last three years since the race started.   The race serves as a close to the season so I like racing it for a variety of reasons, but somewhat sad this is my last one for the year.     Like years past I went down a day in advance with Greg Lucas and we did the race course setup.   Set the swim buoys for the course and the bike racks.   Greg’s son Tyler is one of the Race Directors so it’s a family affair.   Tyler and his fraternity at IU put this race on, and how many college fraternities could manage to run a non-profit triathlon, and keep it safe and organized?   Probably not many, so I like helping them out. Maybe the toughest part of the weekend was smelling the barbeque that was being held for the IU Swim Team while we were setting the swim course.   We ate peanut butter sandwiches while the team feasted and p...

Had a cricket in the bathroom that drove us crazy for two nights we looked for him tried and hazy Last night at 5 AM I could take it no more Walked in the bathroom and closed the door Your mine Mr Cricket if I have to tear out the floor I finally found him and now he is no more Hiding under the towel I found him there Popped him on the head, figured that was fair for 2 nights of misery now all is square another night of that cricket I couldn't bear

Just read about a man in Haiti who is currently a student at Mountain Top Missions with an interesting family history.   His story is probably not a unique story, but an interesting one from a perspective of where you come from.   In a school essay he described his mother as a "women of the night" from Cite Soleil before she died, and his father was a man of adultery.   Having been to Cite Soleil one can best describe it as a Hell on Earth.   For those that don't believe a literally Hell exists have not been to this city outside of Port-au-Prince.   First and foremost I would say that anyone who made it from such a hard background to being a student at Mountain Top Missions School is a blessed man.   His story should remind us all that one cannot control where you come from nor the DNA from which you exists.   However, I believe that every man has been blessed with the opportunity for a positive life of meaning, and ultimately through Chris...

In my continuing quest to not sit still I participated I the 16 th annual Columbus Challenge Sprint Triathlon this past weekend.   This is my second time I’ve entered this event, but the last time was years ago.   Had the company of Ethan Page so nice to have someone to talk to for the two hour trip over.   About 5 am I headed out the door, picked up Ethan and off we went.   Got there a bit late and the transition area was really full near the front so we had to settle for a spot near the back corner.   They switched the swim start to a time-trail, (one at a time start) from a wave start so that actually turned out very well.   Liked running into the water from the beach and no big group to deal with at the start.   Just by signing up earlier than Ethan I started 74 th and he started 100 th .   The swim is roughly a half mile triangle in Tipton Lake which is a very nice neighborhood.   The only down side was the course was not mar...

The concept of racing at Ironman Muncie started in the Fall of 2010 when I heard that Ironman Corporation was buying out the Muncie Endurathon Half Ironman race.  With Ironman coming to Indiana, and looking for a marquee event for 2011, this was an obvious one.  Not long after I talked to my friend Greg Lucas, and next thing you know we are both making plans to go.  One of the best things that happened shortly afterwards was getting hooked up with Daniel Bretscher as my coach.  He set me on a path to success that began November 1 st and continued right up until race day. Race day itself was a good experience until about an hour before the race after everything was setup and ready to go.  Then the nervousness hit me.  Thankfully my wife Sherrie was there, and made the wait to the swim start much easier on me.  At the swim start I lined up fairly close to the front of the pack with Greg.  Had the opportunity to talk with my fellow B...

This past Saturday I raced the sprint triathlon at Eastern Illinois University called the Redhawk Rampage.  Nice short tune up race for Ironman Muncie 70.3 this coming weekend.  It was fairly small with 70 finishers, but well organized and a lot of fun. Saw a friend and teammate Andreas Mayer there and always fun to race with him.  We are close on the swim and bike, but he has out run me for 20 + years, so we know one another rather well. Started off with a 300 yard pool swim going 1 at a time with 15 to 20 seconds between swimmers.  We sort of seeded ourselves among the 5 -6 minute swim times.  We started in lane 1, and going under the lane lines after each 50 so you end up in the last lane when you are finished.  Didn't focus well at all and had a slow swim.  Out of the water you run down the long hall way on carpet then out the door to the transition area.  Got through T1 in a decent time and hit the bike course feeling good.  The firs...

Last week we had the opportunity to take a cruise with Carnival Cruise Lines to Half Moon Cay, and Nassau Bahamas.  While I’m in my key weeks of training for the Muncie Ironman 70.3 triathlon it wasn’t the best for training, but I did get to swim at the best location ever.  If you get the opportunity to visit Half Moon Cay, bring your goggles and plan on a great swim.  Can’t begin to tell you how beautiful this beach is.  What really surprised me as how calm the water is and perfect for swimming.  The beach features a floating safety line with two sections; the longer one is well over a ¼ mile.  Did and out and back swim next to the line to start, then as the crowd picked up I switched to the shorter section and did a few laps next to that line.  The water is crystal clear turquoise that is just as beautiful as it gets.  Just before the cruise I was at my planned race weight of 137.  I haven’t hit a scale yet, but I’m sure I gained a few p...