Another weekend of near perfect weather and I soaked it up for everything I could. The extra day was crucial too. Saturday I got out for the first test ride of the new Northwaves; my first pair of cycling shoes with the ratchet closure. Very nice; the shoes fit perfectly and feel great! They don't feel quite as stiff as the Kameleon 3's did but I will not hesitate to say that these are the nicest pair of cycling shoe's I've ever used.
Cass did a quarter loop with me again before sleeping in the truck while I did the full loop alone. She's doing great and really loves getting out and running like that. I need to spend some more time out there at Rosaryville but I think for the record I can state doing the loop clockwise is the better way to go. I generally would go counter just because the trail head is right next to where I'd be parked but the flow of the trails going around really works best the other way around. Once again, Rosaryville is so incredibly ideal for single speed rigid riding.
As I was loading up the bike after my ride a group of three guys rode up to ask my opinion on what was the best way to hit the trail. I told them my opinion and they started to ride off. The third got his chain stuck/thrown on the rear cog so I gave him a hand. Very old, like early nineties (maybe) mountain bike (think Trek 900) with no cages and many rusty parts. Nice. Better yet the second guy was on what looked like more of a hybrid, pretty skinny tires with street tread. Hope they did alright. Assuming they did, I wonder how long until they're totally hooked and are all buying up expensive new rigs.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Friday, October 10, 2008
Luvin' on Chain Love
Speaking of my favorite deal of the minute site, my second new pair of shoes just came in today from Chain Love. The first ended up being just a bit too big so I'm going to be selling them shortly; up for grabs if my old teammate doesn't want them. They only ran me about $60 with shipping, normally something like $140.
Northwave Kameleon 3 MTB Shoe
My new kicks have the same great design only instead of the super clean white with red, they're a little less pure red with white. Plus they're the next level up with the adjustable clasp. I managed to score the last pair for sale at backcountryoutlet (supplier for Chain love and the rest or something) along with the "at least 50% off" redemption code they had up on Chainlove last week. Normally about $170 I got them shipped for about $85. Love it! They fit like a glove!
My new pair: Northwave Bike Kameleon MTB Shoe
Northwave Kameleon 3 MTB Shoe
My new kicks have the same great design only instead of the super clean white with red, they're a little less pure red with white. Plus they're the next level up with the adjustable clasp. I managed to score the last pair for sale at backcountryoutlet (supplier for Chain love and the rest or something) along with the "at least 50% off" redemption code they had up on Chainlove last week. Normally about $170 I got them shipped for about $85. Love it! They fit like a glove!
My new pair: Northwave Bike Kameleon MTB Shoe
Oh yeah
If you somehow don't know about or don't regularly check the Chain Love and Steep and Cheap sites here's a quick glimpse of what you're missing...
Reynolds DV46T Carbon Wheelset for $1000
Zipp Speed Weaponry 300 Road Crank for less the $300
Oh yeah, and this for about $1000...
If only this was around about a year and a half ago. Not that I don't love my Cannondale but this rocks my deal without a doubt!
Reynolds DV46T Carbon Wheelset for $1000
Zipp Speed Weaponry 300 Road Crank for less the $300
Oh yeah, and this for about $1000...
If only this was around about a year and a half ago. Not that I don't love my Cannondale but this rocks my deal without a doubt!
Ramblings on a slow Friday
It's doom and gloom across the country today; I think I'm just stuck on the gloom. Despite the beautiful weather and quickly approaching 3 day weekend of projected perfect weather I just can't quite shake the funk hanging over me today. Between waiting for my new computer to finally be installed (supposed to happen this morning), giving up on my second cell phone fatality in about half a year and a quite and mostly empty office things just aren't quite clicking for me today.
The good news, this weekend should be amazing. Going to a wedding at a winery with Aimee on Saturday followed by a quick one night backpacking trip in Shenandoah with Aimee and the pups Sunday and Monday. I know the weekend will fly by but it will definitely be a great one.
My neighbor's boyfriend(?) rides for ABRT and invited me out to join their weekend group rides. I was really hoping to make it this Saturday but after a guilt trip from the bro in law who is home along this weekend and some cement heavy legs I think I'll wait on that one. Maybe if Brian and I don't end up doing anything I'll just head out for a quick mt bike ride. He really needs to get a mt bike. I think he'd love it.
The markets are busy feeling sorry for themselves and playing out their self fulfilling prophecy. I really wish I had some money laying around to invest since I don;t think it could go a whole lot lower this this before it starts to turn around. If nothing else I could probably just invest a bunch of money in GM stock and wait for the impending government bailout of the automaker that's "too big to fail". (I know, it's not gonna happen but we have set a precedent and I'll believe it when I see it.)
The good news, this weekend should be amazing. Going to a wedding at a winery with Aimee on Saturday followed by a quick one night backpacking trip in Shenandoah with Aimee and the pups Sunday and Monday. I know the weekend will fly by but it will definitely be a great one.
My neighbor's boyfriend(?) rides for ABRT and invited me out to join their weekend group rides. I was really hoping to make it this Saturday but after a guilt trip from the bro in law who is home along this weekend and some cement heavy legs I think I'll wait on that one. Maybe if Brian and I don't end up doing anything I'll just head out for a quick mt bike ride. He really needs to get a mt bike. I think he'd love it.
The markets are busy feeling sorry for themselves and playing out their self fulfilling prophecy. I really wish I had some money laying around to invest since I don;t think it could go a whole lot lower this this before it starts to turn around. If nothing else I could probably just invest a bunch of money in GM stock and wait for the impending government bailout of the automaker that's "too big to fail". (I know, it's not gonna happen but we have set a precedent and I'll believe it when I see it.)
Wednesday, October 08, 2008
Tri Newbie Kickin some ass
On Saturday Aimee did her first triathlon! Woohoo!
She competed in the Giant Acorn Sprint Tri down at Lake Anna and did a great job. Her training for the race was pretty spotty at best so she was getting pretty nervous about it beforehand but I knew she'd be fine. My biggest fears for her were what her comfort level (or lack there of) would be on the bike around all the other riders and any cars she might encounter on the course.
We got to the race around 8:30 am and got her all set up in transition. Transition area rules were super lax so I was able to go in and help her get set up. After she set up and pulled on the wetsuit she basically said she had no desire to do the race anymore. The pre-race jitters were really setting in on her. She started in the second swim wave and with her pink accented wetsuit and massive goggles I was able to spot her for almost the entire course. Pretty cool! She came out of the water looking great and finished in excellent time.
As she came out of transition she also looked strong running with the bike. The bike course hit a sharp though short little rise right away and she struggled up it as she tried to get her feet into the straps and then was gone. I went back to my truck and grabbed Cass who was patiently waiting for my return and headed back to play for a bit before Aimee got back on the back. I was assuming she'd be about an hour for the 12 mile ride but since I didn't have a watch or clock of any kind I had no idea how much time had passed. I probably started looking for her after about a half an hour so by the time she'd come in I created plenty of horrible scenarios in my head, all of which ended up in her hating me for the rest of her life.
Turns out she did the ride with no problems and I was spared the life long hatred for another day. Looking strong she rode by and headed into transition. Coming out on foot she hit the pavement looking great with a big smile and a wave. Cassie and I moved over towards the finish to watch her come in and cheered her on as she passed. Aside from low blood sugar she said she felt good at the finish and was pretty pleased with her result. Someone had grabbed her Hammer Gel from transition so she struggled a bit because of that and she said she got bored out on the bike course but otherwise enjoyed it.
We obviously have a very different outlook on racing since I'd never get bored during a race so I struggled to understand that a bit. But I think she's going to find some friends to train and race with and she says she plans to do more next year. Actually I believe an Olympic (specifically Nation's) is in her eye for next year.
She competed in the Giant Acorn Sprint Tri down at Lake Anna and did a great job. Her training for the race was pretty spotty at best so she was getting pretty nervous about it beforehand but I knew she'd be fine. My biggest fears for her were what her comfort level (or lack there of) would be on the bike around all the other riders and any cars she might encounter on the course.
We got to the race around 8:30 am and got her all set up in transition. Transition area rules were super lax so I was able to go in and help her get set up. After she set up and pulled on the wetsuit she basically said she had no desire to do the race anymore. The pre-race jitters were really setting in on her. She started in the second swim wave and with her pink accented wetsuit and massive goggles I was able to spot her for almost the entire course. Pretty cool! She came out of the water looking great and finished in excellent time.
As she came out of transition she also looked strong running with the bike. The bike course hit a sharp though short little rise right away and she struggled up it as she tried to get her feet into the straps and then was gone. I went back to my truck and grabbed Cass who was patiently waiting for my return and headed back to play for a bit before Aimee got back on the back. I was assuming she'd be about an hour for the 12 mile ride but since I didn't have a watch or clock of any kind I had no idea how much time had passed. I probably started looking for her after about a half an hour so by the time she'd come in I created plenty of horrible scenarios in my head, all of which ended up in her hating me for the rest of her life.
Turns out she did the ride with no problems and I was spared the life long hatred for another day. Looking strong she rode by and headed into transition. Coming out on foot she hit the pavement looking great with a big smile and a wave. Cassie and I moved over towards the finish to watch her come in and cheered her on as she passed. Aside from low blood sugar she said she felt good at the finish and was pretty pleased with her result. Someone had grabbed her Hammer Gel from transition so she struggled a bit because of that and she said she got bored out on the bike course but otherwise enjoyed it.
We obviously have a very different outlook on racing since I'd never get bored during a race so I struggled to understand that a bit. But I think she's going to find some friends to train and race with and she says she plans to do more next year. Actually I believe an Olympic (specifically Nation's) is in her eye for next year.
Sunday, October 05, 2008
Trail rides and a tired pup - And a passing of a good friend
It's been a while since I made it out on the mountain bike; 24 hours of big bear was the last time actually. The bike spent some time at the shop getting the brake line replaced and and then Jerseyman training and the rest of life got in the way. The last few weeks I've been itching to get out and ride and finally today I had the free time to do so. A few dry days after heavy rains and mid-seventies with a light breeze made it the perfect day to get out there.
I decided to go to Rosaryville which I've decided is perfect for a rigid singlespeed set up. I also wanted to bring Cass along and see how she'd do as a trail dog and since I've never seen more then 5 or six other people in the park thought it'd be an ideal place to try it out. Turned out Rosaryville was a pretty happening place to be today with the conditions edging up on perfection. I took her out anyway at a slow and watchful pace and after a minute or two or running around she settled in behind my wheel and didn't leave it for 15 or 20 minutes into the park.
I turned around then and started bringing her back and eventually could see I probably should have done about 5 minutes less out as she started drifting back as I slowed down more and more to wait. She gained some fans though along the trail as all 6 or so of the people we saw cheered her on. She did great with getting out of the way as we let them pass as well so I'd say the first time out was a big success. Plus she's sleeping heavily now and you know what they say about a tired pup...
After I got her back to the truck I decided I could use a bit more riding and so I moved the truck to a heavily shaded area and opened all the windows so plenty breeze would go through the cab while she slept. I hopped back on the trail going the other way and 20 minutes in decided instead of turning around like I'd planned I should just ride the entire loop. My flow was excellent and the shorter slower riding with Cass seemed to work out the rust like a dream. The trails were in fantastic condition and I was flowing through everything.
Before I knew it I was back in the parking lot waking up a sleepy pup in the truck. I got everything packed up; let Cass drink the rest of my water (she'd gone through all of hers already) and heading for Chipotle and home. After I ate in the car with Cass and started driving home I felt a warm rush of liquid along the side of my leg as Cass decided now was a good time to throw up the loads water she'd slurped down along with the grass she'd decided to eat (ok and probably the little pancake I gave her during breakfast too). Plus, instead of on her little platform bed I built in the back of the cab she stuck her face up between the front seats and poured it all out over the center console, into my cup holders and along the side of my leg. I love a dog with a self preservation instinct... :)
The truck is now cleaner then it's been almost since I first bought it at carmax a year ago.
In other dog related news, my childhood dog Christy had to be put down by my folks at just under 15 years old. She was a black and white springer spaniel that we'd picked up on good friday when I was in 6th grade as my dog and had a great life. She couldn't go with me to college and from then essentially became my folks dog but I always loved her to death. She's been struggling more and more the past few years and apparently last weekend while my folks were at my race her liver shut down on her and she stopped eatting and couldn't do much. They said they thought she had liver cancer that was heavily ingrainded and she'd die within a few days no matter what they did...
Christy never really got used to Cass but of course Cassie always liked her.
I know it's just a dog but it still sucks. Poor dog, my father told my mom she was the prefect dog; she was, at least for them. The two of them will struggle with it for a while probably. She was so ingrained in my dad's daily routine, and my mom always loved her company, especially since she doesn't work now. I sense there may be another dog in their future, though we'll see about that.
Wednesday, October 01, 2008
Jerseyman 70.3 Race Report
So, now that you know I survived and even finished; I suppose all 2 of you that may read this want to know all about the race! Or not, but here it is anyway. ;-)
The morning started off a bit dreary and foggy as Brian and I set up our transition areas, got marked and eventually made our final preparations. Brian's Sprint race was supposed to start at 7:30 and my Half at 8 though registration issues delayed the sprint start until closer 7:50. I saw Brian off and then cheered him out of the water. He looked good and had a great swim, especially for his first ever race! My race was delayed an additional 30 minutes or so due to apparent thunder that I never heard, though otherwise I doubt I'd have seen Bri finish the swim.
When our race finally was cleared to start we made our way through the shoot and to the water's edge and quickly heard 45 seconds to the start. I managed to find a great spot between two people and had a very strong start, putting myself easily in the top 15 of my 50+ person wave start. I saw a group forming up to my right so I made my way onto the feet of one of the guys in it. I kept my place in the draft for a couple of minutes before losing it and just going on my way. Throughout the swim I drafted where I could and just worked on keeping a nice steady pace throughout. At times I felt like due to a stronger follow through with my right arm I was drifting to the left, though I think it was less pronounced then I believed during the swim. A number of the people I was basing this thought on swam way right of the bouy's and finish area so my thoughts were a bit skewed on that.
I got out of the water feeling good and made my way up the beach while working off the top half of my suit. Running by my parents, sister and Aimee was great as they cheered for me. I even smiled for the first time during a race! T1 was pretty slow as I struggled to get my left leg out of the suit over the timing chip. Once out I got my stuff set for the bike and was gone.
Swim: 38:40 (heard the swim course was a bit long, possibly as much as 1.4 miles...)
47th overall on the swim.
T1: 2:49
The bike started off a bit slowly and we hit some general rollers basically right away so it was good for warming up the legs but it felt like a slow start. Once I got rolling I started to feel better, got my first on bike gel in me and settled in for the long bike. I also focused on taking in liquids, despite the relatively cool and wet conditions compared to Nations' I didn't want to have a repeat of my near total meltdown two weeks prior. The roads were mostly very nice and the scenary was definitely beautiful. The heavily hyped Frenchtown was a bit of a joke, being at the bottom of one of the steepest declines in the race and being an extremely tiny little town. The course also took an immediate left upon entering the town; I along with a number of other riders missed this left as I was more focused on navigating the somewhat heavy traffic that was held up around the turn. Luckily I caught my mistake quickly, turned around and then saw the volunteer standing silently pointing to the turn... Seriously, completely silent... Never said a word as I went past the turn or as I watched others do the same while retracing my steps to find it.
The covered bridge which was also heavily built up in the race description was also highly overrated though the scenary leading up to it was great. The rest of the ride was uneventful and continued on with some light rollers that I struggled somewhat up, though not much worse then anyone else around me. Rode back into the park and before I knew it I was back in the dismount zone, one shoe off the other still on.
I tore into the transition area threw my bike up on the rack happily noting I was one of the first 20 bikes to return pulled on my running shoes and took off. All the while my "fan club" (including Brian who'd finished by then) cheered and screamed me on. One of the head race organizers even called out that I had the best fan base at the race. It really was great to have them there cheering, and especially cheering for me specifically. That's a first for me.
Bike: 2:51:38
24th overall bike
T2: 0:56
Very smooth transition
I went out fairly easy on the run, not sure just how much I could give it without blowing up. I got to run by my "fan club" again as the course looped around and came back by transition and I gave a little skip in direct defiance of the stated "run, walk or crawl" rule for the run portion and then was on my way for the long slog along the wet streets. The rain had come down steadily and sometimes heavily during the bike portion so some areas had standing or even running water across the streets. The run course followed the bike course out for about 6 and a half miles before turning around and coming back. Since none of the roads were closed off to cars it seemed a bit scary at times but as far as I know there were no incidents. There were also no mile markers so I based my milage on water stations being at about every mile. I later found out they were ever 1.5 miles so I was undercounting, which I had absolutely no problem with, especially when it became apparent i had much less distance to go to the finish.
About half way through the run I started walking at the water stations to drink before resuming my running; a practice I adopted from two runners I'd been trailing the entire run. Finally at about mile ten I caught and passed on of them and then held on for the finish. The final quarter mile I felt great; I opened up the stride a bit and strode into the finishing stretch. Holding back tears of general exhaustion and happiness I smiled yet again for the family and crossed the line just under 5 and a half hours later. I got a finishers medal, wrapped up, in a plastic bag...
Run: 1:49:24
55th overall run
Overall Time: 5:23:25
Overall Rank: 31st
Male Rank: 29/158
Age Group: 5/12
8:22 pace was a bit slower then I'd hope for, though I'm far from dissapointed with it, especially being my first time at this distance. In my age group I was somewhat excited to see that all the guys that beat me were later 20's so I've still got time. 2 29 year olds, a 28 year old and a 27 year old. Look out late 20's, here I come! :)
Aimee made me a homemade "1/2 Iron Man" trophy which I was presented with and more pictures were taken. Overall Aimee had 300 + from the day. My soaking stuff was thrown together and then into my bin in the back of my truck, goodbyes were said and Aimee drove us back to the hotel were we stayed the rest of the gloomy and rainy day, reading and watching movies and eating pizza.
All in all an excellent 1st 70.3 experience and while the race may not have been the most well planned (card stock bike numbers don't stay on in the rain; instead they get in the cassete) and organized race out there it was still a solid race in my opinion. I may not choose to return to it specifically again, though there is no doubt I'll be doing another 70.3.
The morning started off a bit dreary and foggy as Brian and I set up our transition areas, got marked and eventually made our final preparations. Brian's Sprint race was supposed to start at 7:30 and my Half at 8 though registration issues delayed the sprint start until closer 7:50. I saw Brian off and then cheered him out of the water. He looked good and had a great swim, especially for his first ever race! My race was delayed an additional 30 minutes or so due to apparent thunder that I never heard, though otherwise I doubt I'd have seen Bri finish the swim.
When our race finally was cleared to start we made our way through the shoot and to the water's edge and quickly heard 45 seconds to the start. I managed to find a great spot between two people and had a very strong start, putting myself easily in the top 15 of my 50+ person wave start. I saw a group forming up to my right so I made my way onto the feet of one of the guys in it. I kept my place in the draft for a couple of minutes before losing it and just going on my way. Throughout the swim I drafted where I could and just worked on keeping a nice steady pace throughout. At times I felt like due to a stronger follow through with my right arm I was drifting to the left, though I think it was less pronounced then I believed during the swim. A number of the people I was basing this thought on swam way right of the bouy's and finish area so my thoughts were a bit skewed on that.
I got out of the water feeling good and made my way up the beach while working off the top half of my suit. Running by my parents, sister and Aimee was great as they cheered for me. I even smiled for the first time during a race! T1 was pretty slow as I struggled to get my left leg out of the suit over the timing chip. Once out I got my stuff set for the bike and was gone.
Swim: 38:40 (heard the swim course was a bit long, possibly as much as 1.4 miles...)
47th overall on the swim.
T1: 2:49
The bike started off a bit slowly and we hit some general rollers basically right away so it was good for warming up the legs but it felt like a slow start. Once I got rolling I started to feel better, got my first on bike gel in me and settled in for the long bike. I also focused on taking in liquids, despite the relatively cool and wet conditions compared to Nations' I didn't want to have a repeat of my near total meltdown two weeks prior. The roads were mostly very nice and the scenary was definitely beautiful. The heavily hyped Frenchtown was a bit of a joke, being at the bottom of one of the steepest declines in the race and being an extremely tiny little town. The course also took an immediate left upon entering the town; I along with a number of other riders missed this left as I was more focused on navigating the somewhat heavy traffic that was held up around the turn. Luckily I caught my mistake quickly, turned around and then saw the volunteer standing silently pointing to the turn... Seriously, completely silent... Never said a word as I went past the turn or as I watched others do the same while retracing my steps to find it.
The covered bridge which was also heavily built up in the race description was also highly overrated though the scenary leading up to it was great. The rest of the ride was uneventful and continued on with some light rollers that I struggled somewhat up, though not much worse then anyone else around me. Rode back into the park and before I knew it I was back in the dismount zone, one shoe off the other still on.
I tore into the transition area threw my bike up on the rack happily noting I was one of the first 20 bikes to return pulled on my running shoes and took off. All the while my "fan club" (including Brian who'd finished by then) cheered and screamed me on. One of the head race organizers even called out that I had the best fan base at the race. It really was great to have them there cheering, and especially cheering for me specifically. That's a first for me.
Bike: 2:51:38
24th overall bike
T2: 0:56
Very smooth transition
I went out fairly easy on the run, not sure just how much I could give it without blowing up. I got to run by my "fan club" again as the course looped around and came back by transition and I gave a little skip in direct defiance of the stated "run, walk or crawl" rule for the run portion and then was on my way for the long slog along the wet streets. The rain had come down steadily and sometimes heavily during the bike portion so some areas had standing or even running water across the streets. The run course followed the bike course out for about 6 and a half miles before turning around and coming back. Since none of the roads were closed off to cars it seemed a bit scary at times but as far as I know there were no incidents. There were also no mile markers so I based my milage on water stations being at about every mile. I later found out they were ever 1.5 miles so I was undercounting, which I had absolutely no problem with, especially when it became apparent i had much less distance to go to the finish.
About half way through the run I started walking at the water stations to drink before resuming my running; a practice I adopted from two runners I'd been trailing the entire run. Finally at about mile ten I caught and passed on of them and then held on for the finish. The final quarter mile I felt great; I opened up the stride a bit and strode into the finishing stretch. Holding back tears of general exhaustion and happiness I smiled yet again for the family and crossed the line just under 5 and a half hours later. I got a finishers medal, wrapped up, in a plastic bag...
Run: 1:49:24
55th overall run
Overall Time: 5:23:25
Overall Rank: 31st
Male Rank: 29/158
Age Group: 5/12
8:22 pace was a bit slower then I'd hope for, though I'm far from dissapointed with it, especially being my first time at this distance. In my age group I was somewhat excited to see that all the guys that beat me were later 20's so I've still got time. 2 29 year olds, a 28 year old and a 27 year old. Look out late 20's, here I come! :)
Aimee made me a homemade "1/2 Iron Man" trophy which I was presented with and more pictures were taken. Overall Aimee had 300 + from the day. My soaking stuff was thrown together and then into my bin in the back of my truck, goodbyes were said and Aimee drove us back to the hotel were we stayed the rest of the gloomy and rainy day, reading and watching movies and eating pizza.
All in all an excellent 1st 70.3 experience and while the race may not have been the most well planned (card stock bike numbers don't stay on in the rain; instead they get in the cassete) and organized race out there it was still a solid race in my opinion. I may not choose to return to it specifically again, though there is no doubt I'll be doing another 70.3.
The big shibang!
So, that's it. It's over. Life as I knew it now resumes.
It feels good... to a degree.
I enjoy being finished, though I already miss the buildup a little.
The race was fun and I did about what I expected in my first. Cheers, to a successful first season in the Triathlon. I may actually feel comfortable calling my a triathlete now for the first time. Somehow, completing a couple of sprint tri's just didn't seem like enough to say the word.
It feels good... to a degree.
I enjoy being finished, though I already miss the buildup a little.
The race was fun and I did about what I expected in my first. Cheers, to a successful first season in the Triathlon. I may actually feel comfortable calling my a triathlete now for the first time. Somehow, completing a couple of sprint tri's just didn't seem like enough to say the word.
Monday, September 15, 2008
Nation's Triathlon 2008
Another race, another recap. Up until yesterday I'd only done sprint triathlons so I was eager to see what I could muster in an Olympic. Today, I'm thankful as I learned a very important lesson, despite the fact that it's something I've been told my entire life.
The race start/transition area was a bit tough for easy access, especially after a bit of plan shuffling on my end. The shuttle from the expo hotel turned out to be extremely helpful and proved to be much less of a hassle then I expected. The early morning drive down New York Avenue heading parking was beautiful with a huge bright orange moon behind a few passing clouds to distract my tired eyes and mind from the task ahead. (USC vs Ohio State was on late Saturday night and I'm a USC fan... :)
Once down to transition I got my things set up at my transition spot, row 12 2nd bike from the main artery... sweet! Grabbed my wetsuit and goggles and set out to wait in the forever lines at the port a johns. Jumping into the Potomac for my 7:20 am wave start was hardly as eventful as I imagined and aside from the feeling of being drug and clustered into a large pack along with the rest of my wave I felt good waiting for the start.
People were pretty courteous in my start group since we were so smashed together and went easy on the kicking until things cleared out a bit. My swim was by far the best I've had, a testament to my thoughts that the longer I swim the better I feel in general. The Sprints don't tend to be long enough to really get into a grove. Also for the first time I was able to really work on drafting, finding someone right around my speed or slightly faster to chase. I've also worked a bit on my sighting since watching the Olympic tri swims which was evident until the final buoy which I couldn't spot along with the rest of the swimmers.
Swim: 28:08
T1: 1:25
The bike route was so great and my worries about the sharp turns were completely unfounded. Totally flat and fast, my legs felt good and my average speed was staying strong. The shade along Clara Barton Parkway was great and everything was very easy to navigate.
This is where the lesson began. Usually when I first get onto the bike in the sprint tri's I eat my first gel however this time I jammed one down between my cage and water bottle so I wouldn't have to start on the bike with it hanging out of my mouth. As I biked and continued to feel great I didn't want to lose my momentum by slowing to grab and eat my gel and so because of that I also never took my water out and drank from that bottle. I had one bottle of water and one of Accelerade which I drank most of. On a sprint course I generally down most of 2 bottles of liquids so the longer course and my insanely high sweat rate called for even higher water intake which obviously didn't happen. On a day projected to reach the mid to upper nineties this was about as big a mistake as I could possibly make.
Bike time: 1:06:26
T2 time: 0:59
Now starting the run I was feeling thirsty, even after gulping a bit from a spare bottle in my transition area. I found myself actively looking for water stations for the first time in my life in a race. I finally remembered to start my watch on the run and felt pretty decent to start clocking my first mile at somewhere around 6:45, just a bit off my usual sprint pace. My second fell quickly to just over 7 minutes and I turned in a similar time for my third. That however was where any good news ended. I started to seriously struggle to keep the legs moving and my splits dropped to near 8 by 4 miles in. At this point I started running over in my mind how I'd be talking about myself imploding around mile 3 or 4. Mentally and physically I was beginning to break down.
I continued to struggle along watching runner after runner pass me including a number that I'd passed convincingly on the bike and even earlier in the run. I felt completely deflated but I kept shuffling on determined not to let myself walk. I don't particularly remember feeling the heat as an issue but I know it didn't help. The last two turn arounds were hell, especially the last on Pennsylvania Ave where the finish was just right there but you still had to run all the way down the other way first.
Running the final stretch I caught a glimpse of my girlfriend on the side cheering me on. She wasn't supposed to be able to make it so that was a big help. I trotted in the last 2 tenths and stumbled through the finish area; never in my life having felt so happy to find cold water in my hand and down my back.
Run time: 48:54
Overall: 2:25:50
Overall Rank: 112
Age Group Rank: 16
Valuable life lesson rating: 9.8 out of 10
In the post race festival area I stood around just feeling aweful. I could hardly do much of anything such as put together a coherent thought or figure out what to do. My skin was covered in goosebumps and I was almost certain I was going to throw up what ever water I had left in me. Watching people eating the pizza provided almost did me in. I down a few bottles of Powerade and some more of water. 5 Hours later and multiple bottles of water later I was still dehydrated and still struggling to force myself to eat anything. Even this morning after about 15 hours of sleeping I was still dehydrated.
While it was a pretty crappy thing to put myself through, I'm extremely happy I learned the lesson out the yesterday. With the Jerseyman 1/2 IM coming up in less then 2 weeks it was a very valuable lesson. I know that had the run been any longer yesterday I likely would have been headed to the hospital with heat stroke or worse; better hydration and nutrition is a must for a half ironman.
The race start/transition area was a bit tough for easy access, especially after a bit of plan shuffling on my end. The shuttle from the expo hotel turned out to be extremely helpful and proved to be much less of a hassle then I expected. The early morning drive down New York Avenue heading parking was beautiful with a huge bright orange moon behind a few passing clouds to distract my tired eyes and mind from the task ahead. (USC vs Ohio State was on late Saturday night and I'm a USC fan... :)
Once down to transition I got my things set up at my transition spot, row 12 2nd bike from the main artery... sweet! Grabbed my wetsuit and goggles and set out to wait in the forever lines at the port a johns. Jumping into the Potomac for my 7:20 am wave start was hardly as eventful as I imagined and aside from the feeling of being drug and clustered into a large pack along with the rest of my wave I felt good waiting for the start.
People were pretty courteous in my start group since we were so smashed together and went easy on the kicking until things cleared out a bit. My swim was by far the best I've had, a testament to my thoughts that the longer I swim the better I feel in general. The Sprints don't tend to be long enough to really get into a grove. Also for the first time I was able to really work on drafting, finding someone right around my speed or slightly faster to chase. I've also worked a bit on my sighting since watching the Olympic tri swims which was evident until the final buoy which I couldn't spot along with the rest of the swimmers.
Swim: 28:08
T1: 1:25
The bike route was so great and my worries about the sharp turns were completely unfounded. Totally flat and fast, my legs felt good and my average speed was staying strong. The shade along Clara Barton Parkway was great and everything was very easy to navigate.
This is where the lesson began. Usually when I first get onto the bike in the sprint tri's I eat my first gel however this time I jammed one down between my cage and water bottle so I wouldn't have to start on the bike with it hanging out of my mouth. As I biked and continued to feel great I didn't want to lose my momentum by slowing to grab and eat my gel and so because of that I also never took my water out and drank from that bottle. I had one bottle of water and one of Accelerade which I drank most of. On a sprint course I generally down most of 2 bottles of liquids so the longer course and my insanely high sweat rate called for even higher water intake which obviously didn't happen. On a day projected to reach the mid to upper nineties this was about as big a mistake as I could possibly make.
Bike time: 1:06:26
T2 time: 0:59
Now starting the run I was feeling thirsty, even after gulping a bit from a spare bottle in my transition area. I found myself actively looking for water stations for the first time in my life in a race. I finally remembered to start my watch on the run and felt pretty decent to start clocking my first mile at somewhere around 6:45, just a bit off my usual sprint pace. My second fell quickly to just over 7 minutes and I turned in a similar time for my third. That however was where any good news ended. I started to seriously struggle to keep the legs moving and my splits dropped to near 8 by 4 miles in. At this point I started running over in my mind how I'd be talking about myself imploding around mile 3 or 4. Mentally and physically I was beginning to break down.
I continued to struggle along watching runner after runner pass me including a number that I'd passed convincingly on the bike and even earlier in the run. I felt completely deflated but I kept shuffling on determined not to let myself walk. I don't particularly remember feeling the heat as an issue but I know it didn't help. The last two turn arounds were hell, especially the last on Pennsylvania Ave where the finish was just right there but you still had to run all the way down the other way first.
Running the final stretch I caught a glimpse of my girlfriend on the side cheering me on. She wasn't supposed to be able to make it so that was a big help. I trotted in the last 2 tenths and stumbled through the finish area; never in my life having felt so happy to find cold water in my hand and down my back.
Run time: 48:54
Overall: 2:25:50
Overall Rank: 112
Age Group Rank: 16
Valuable life lesson rating: 9.8 out of 10
In the post race festival area I stood around just feeling aweful. I could hardly do much of anything such as put together a coherent thought or figure out what to do. My skin was covered in goosebumps and I was almost certain I was going to throw up what ever water I had left in me. Watching people eating the pizza provided almost did me in. I down a few bottles of Powerade and some more of water. 5 Hours later and multiple bottles of water later I was still dehydrated and still struggling to force myself to eat anything. Even this morning after about 15 hours of sleeping I was still dehydrated.
While it was a pretty crappy thing to put myself through, I'm extremely happy I learned the lesson out the yesterday. With the Jerseyman 1/2 IM coming up in less then 2 weeks it was a very valuable lesson. I know that had the run been any longer yesterday I likely would have been headed to the hospital with heat stroke or worse; better hydration and nutrition is a must for a half ironman.
Friday, August 22, 2008
1st Annual Greenbelt Sprint Tri
Around the time this year when I first started training for a triathlon with my brother in law I decided that Greenbelt would be an ideal location for a sprint triathlon. The swim would have to be in a pool (which some may consider a benefit), but aside from that the location would be perfect. I started bouncing the idea around of organizing a tri there with some friends and they all seemed interested. So, while I won't be holding any kind of official event, I'm excited to announce the 1st (unofficial) annual greenbelt sprint (training/fun) triathlon!
While the date is not official yet, I'm looking at a date of October 25th and a "cost" ranging from $5 to $25 to $30 depending on the number of people who can make it. If enough people can/want to do it I'll set up to get shirts made for it so it'd be a bit more, though otherwise it'd just be the $5 to cover the pool usage fee.
If you'd be interested feel free to drop me a line and let me know. It really is a just for fun kind of event so there is no pressure to do well or even have any kind of triathlon background. If you've just ever wondered if you could do one or if you'd even enjoy it this is the event for you...
Swim -
500 Meters at the Greenbelt Aquatic Center
Prospective Bike Route (TBD)
Out Research Rd through the Beltsville Ag Center
Prospective Run Route
2 Laps around Greenbelt Lake (Buddy Attick Lake Park)
Prospective Bike Route (TBD)
Out Research Rd through the Beltsville Ag Center
While the date is not official yet, I'm looking at a date of October 25th and a "cost" ranging from $5 to $25 to $30 depending on the number of people who can make it. If enough people can/want to do it I'll set up to get shirts made for it so it'd be a bit more, though otherwise it'd just be the $5 to cover the pool usage fee.
If you'd be interested feel free to drop me a line and let me know. It really is a just for fun kind of event so there is no pressure to do well or even have any kind of triathlon background. If you've just ever wondered if you could do one or if you'd even enjoy it this is the event for you...
Swim -
500 Meters at the Greenbelt Aquatic Center
Prospective Bike Route (TBD)
Out Research Rd through the Beltsville Ag Center
Prospective Run Route
2 Laps around Greenbelt Lake (Buddy Attick Lake Park)
Prospective Bike Route (TBD)
Out Research Rd through the Beltsville Ag Center
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