A Comedy of Errors

Bike…check
Helmet…check
Running shoes…check
Cycling shoes………………oh wonderful (well it was a bit more colorful at the time), they are still in the trunk of my car 2 miles back up the hill, 40 minutes before the last bus leaves to take us to the swim start.
And with that, I began my 2009 Philadelphia Triathlon experience.  Well, that and nearly getting struck by lightning on Friday afternoon as I picked up my race packet at the Expo.  Maybe that’s when I should have seen the very obvious sign that I’d need to be extra focused!
After my walk/jog/run to the car and back to recover the aforementioned shoes, I quickly threw together my transition area and headed to the back of a very very long line of spandex and wetsuit clad triathletes. 
I then had the pleasure of waiting an hour at the swim start area for our wave to finally get called into the water.  During the wait I also realized I’d forgotten to turn on my bike computer before leaving.  That meant I’d either be racing blind or have to pray it’d find satellite reception by the time I exited transition.
Finally, our wave was called into the river and I made a point of swimming well into the middle of the river, in hopes of catching as much current from all the recent storms as possible.  I also managed to catch quite a few elbows, hands, feet, and other unknown items once the swim had begun.  The kicker was literally a kick (or maybe an arm) directly to my left eye socket.  Thankfully, my goggles took the brunt of the blow, but I do have a nice free shiner care of the Philly Triathlon.
The current-aided swim was over in no time, though an inner tube and a cooler would have made it a bit more fun! I ran to my bike, turned on the computer, stripped off the wetsuit, put on my socks and the pesky cycling shoes, and got the heck outta transition.  By sheer luck, my computer picked up the signal just as I was mounting the bike, and I was off for a nice little 40k spin. 
It took me a while to settle my breathing, no thanks to the hills a mile and a half into the course, but I was very happy at the numbers and pace I was putting out.  The bike, however, was quite eventful. But, luckily not for me! I saw quite a few crashes, down athletes, and kart wheeling bikes, which no doubt threw me off a good bit. 
As for the actual riding, I found myself flying by people on the hills (that I ride every week) and doing my best to avoid the rest of the bikers that seemed completely unaware of race (read: stay to the right) etiquette. Despite slow riders, a few scary crash remnants, and my own wandering mind, I finished the bike in short order and headed for my final transition. 
Only a few strides into the run I realized my crash-frazzled mind had distracted me from taking my last energy gel.  I really shouldn’t have let it effect me so much, but I know how important nutrition is, so I think it psyched me out a bit.  Luckily, the first water stop had some GU that I quickly put away (after dropping exchanges from the first two volunteers).  However, as my watch beeped one mile, I saw that  I was 30 seconds off my target pace.  Not good.
Miles 2, 3, 4, and 5 were more of the same, but I was holding out hope that my solid swim and a good closing stretch would carry me along.  Unfortunately, mile 6 saw a bit of an unraveling as I got passed by a couple guys I’d easily overtaken earlier.  That’s pretty rare for me on the run, but provides plenty of motivation for future training.  Finally, I saw the finishing chute ahead and hammered (or at least tried to) my way to the line. 
Exhausted, a bit lost without my photographer, and hungry, I headed for the recovery area for a little massage, a few chocolate chip cookies, and eventually to check out my results.  Despite what I’d call a less than ideal performance, I’d put up a pretty decent and very balanced showing, and really had little to be disappointed about other than the sub-par run.  To think, I could have leap-frogged 10 plus guys had I performed anywhere close to my normal level on the run, yet I still finished in the top 10% of the event and 20% of my age group!
Total time: 2:20:40 (12 minutes ahead of my 08 finish)
183rd out of 1921 finishers
30th out 150 men age 25-29
Swim - 21:51 (288th)
Bike - 1:09:39 (211th)
Run – 45:11 (263rd at 7:17s)

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More D.C. Triathlon Weekend Pictures

Here are a few of the shots taken by the unofficial official photographer!

 

  

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2009 World Championship Series - Washington DC

Here are the official race photos… Swim, Bike, and Run

   

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D.C. Tri Weekend

The weekend began well with a safe drive down, a successful apartment search, and a smooth race check-in on Saturday.  After dropping off the bike at the transition area, we were all set for some fuel and fun with friends. 

The Good Stuff Eatery (of Top Chef Spike fame) was our choice, and the burger, salad, and specialty fries could not have been better.  Unfortunately, it was off to bed early for me with the alarm set for 3:50 a.m. 
I’ll spare you the details, well some at least, but we arrived at the start as the sun was rising beyond the Washington Monument.  I set-up my transition area and then had Lauren help me with my wetsuit, in hopes of avoiding the awful neck chaffing it gave me at Black Bear.  The start was minorly delayed, but after a rousing Star Spangled Banner, accompanied by the local fire department,…
we were all set to go!

To say I struggled on the swim is putting it nicely.  Between strokes, kicks, and breaths, I mixed in quite a few zigs and zags.  A better understanding of the course before I started would have been smart!  Despite my navigation problems (further hindered by swimming into the sun’s glare on the second half), I was finally out of the water in 25:26.  That was good enough for 6th in my age group and 73rd in the entire Olympic field.

My first transition went really smoothly (2nd in my age group) and I jumped onto the bike for a little 40km ride.  The first lap was solid, but I struggled to loosen up and find a rhythm.  However, on the second loop, with a bit more course knowledge in tow, I was able to really find an amazing comfort zone and pacing.  It was definitely the best and fastest I’ve ever felt on the bike.  It showed up in my results as well with a 1:08:48 time, equaling a 21.6 mph pace.  I’m excited to check out the data from my Garmin for even more detail.

However, this was a REALLY strong field, and my personal best bike was only good enough for 126th in the field.  Time to reel them all in on the run…

My second transition was smooth and effortless and the fastest in my age group (and 13th fastest of the entire event).  Heck, I gotta make up time anywhere I can!

For me, an Olympic distance run (10k) is pretty much a suffer fest.  I split it into 3 parts: first 2 miles (settle in), next 2 miles (hold on), final 2.2 miles (hammer it).  I don’t know my exact splits, as my watch kept losing signal in the tunnels, but I opened around 6:40 and 6:44 if my memory serves me right.  After that, a light rain, which turned a good bit heavier, began to fall.  The extra turns added for the longer Olympic race were in a few tunnels that kept it pretty dry for most of the run.

After an uneventful few miles of telling myself to keep pushing it, I finally saw the flag for mile 5 and upped my leg turnover as best I could.  Running right at the Capital building, I made a turn at the final cone and was on the final stretch.  The spacing of racers left me pretty much all alone, that or my incredibly fast running!  I crossed the line with a 40:41 (6:34s) time for the run.  That was good enough for 3rd in my age group and 39 in the whole field.

It’s funny, somehow running has become my strength in these events.  No matter, my final time was 2:17:16, good enough for a PR by 15 minutes, a 5th place finish in my age group and 55th overall.  I even managed to beat the D.C. Mayor, who was racing as an Elite athlete.  I cooled down with a run to and fro the White House and then was off to collect my gear, a rain soaked photographer Lauren, and a milkshake!

This coming Sunday will be the Philly Tri, again at the Olympic distance.  We’ll see if the home turf will yield a new PR and goal of sub 2:15 or if my body just says “enough!”

Pictures will be coming soon!

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Quarter Century Weekend

With races over the next two weekends, this past one was spent with a bunch of training and some b-day relaxation.  Here are a few shots from the Philly Bike Race, golf at Scotland Run in NJ, dinner at Gayle in Philly, and post-workout jubilation.

 

 

 

 

 

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More Black Bear Pictures

If you click on the picture, you can see it slightly larger…enjoy!

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May Madness

March is when college basketball players etch their memories in our minds forever, but it’s the months before that make the moment possible. May is one of those building months in my training where routine workouts become harder and are endured for longer. My totals have continued to grow this year, and June will see some really long days in preparation for a D.C.–Philly Olympic double. Here are the current totals and comparisons:

• Running – 73 miles (339 miles in 09)
  
  • 2008 – 58 miles (245 miles in 08)
  
  
• Biking – 317* miles (753 miles in 09)
  
  • 2008 – 236 miles (568 miles in 08)
  
  
• Swimming – 19.370 yards (39.020 yards in 09)
  
  • 2008 – 14,390 yards (45,640 yards in 08)
  
  

* highest monthly cycling mileage to date
Also, I just found out that my finish at the Black Bear Sprint qualified me for the 2009 USA Triathlon Age Group National Championships in Tuscaloosa, Alabama in August. We’ll see how I do in my next few races before I decide whether to brave the 90+ degree temperatures.

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Daring the Bear

1 part sunrise
1 part wetsuit
2 parts bike wheels
15 parts hills (plus or minus)
too many parts spandex

servings: 1 triathlon (with a lot of hills)

It seems like such a simple recipe…swim, bike, run. But every race brings a certain level of apprehension and anxiety. Did I swim enough? Did I ride enough hills? Did I push hard enough in that last speed workout? No matter the questions, the answers come fast and furious as the first flutter kicks begin in the water.

As luck would have it, I found myself in the first wave (probably because men 29 & under are known for their “aggressive” swimming tactics). This meant we’d be setting the pace and have the benefit of the open water, road, and trail ahead. The start came rather quickly, so I didn’t have any time to get nervous. I focused on a pair of feet ahead of me and followed them past the buoys.

Early on I struggled to find a decent rhythm, but another swimmer pulled up next to me about midway and provided the necessary motivation and pacing to help me push a little bit harder. Funny how competition can do that! This was by far one of the nicest swimming environments I’ve had, but I was happy to see the beach approaching. And, even happier to see it exactly at my goal time.

Transitions are known as the fourth sport in triathlon and I proved my rustiness with T1 (swim to bike). The wetsuit came off with ease, sunglasses on, helmet on, socks on, shoes on, and then an excruciatingly long struggle with my Garmin watch.

I eventually came to my senses and figured I’d put it on while riding.

The Black Bear Triathlon is known for its challenging bike course. I heard many gripes from unprepared riders after the race that really validated my decision to come check it all out a few weeks ago. It’s 17.7 miles of hellacious hill climbs and daring descents. I fully expected to be passed early and often by those I’d beat on the swim. However, I started out by passing another rider, who I was assured would get payback shortly.

Strangely, each glance in the rearview mirror saw as much open road as I saw in front of me. Undoubtedly, a few $10k+ bikes flew by me, but I was holding my own, especially on the climbs. I definitely learned a few things watching the faster riders ascend though.

In what seemed like no time at all, I had conquered all of the hills that had dotted my nightmares of the past weeks, and didn’t even blink as I crested the final challenge. A peek at my watch said I’d check off goal number 2, by keeping the bike portion under an hour.

T2 (bike to run) was a quick affair, as I headed out for the final 5k stretch. I can’t tell you how happy I was not to be doing 13.1 miles like those racing in the Half Ironman race being contested the same day (you can see them still swimming in the pictures below)! Lauren was close by to snap a few more shots and share a few more shouts of encouragement, despite me forgetting to get her a coffee and insisting that we arrive at the race before 6:30 a.m. that morning!

Again, I was pretty much alone out on the run, and did my best to pace/push myself to that next gear. I never was quite able to really drop the hammer, but I still held a nice pace throughout. One runner did go by me, but I decided a word of encouragement was a better idea than giving chase, based upon how easily he’d gone past.

As with the bike, I found myself on the closing stretch in no time, with energy to spare. All alone, I threw my arms up down the finishing chute as the announcer called out my name (much to Lauren’s chagrin!) and shockingly crossed the finish line well under my original time goal of 1:40:00.

No, that’s not me in the navy jacket, that’s the guy who jumped into the shot at exactly the wrong time!

Final tallies read: 1:33:49 (31st of 541 overall, 5th in my age group) 52nd on the swim, 42nd on the bike, and 28th on the run. It looks like my off season of running has really paid off. Now it’s time to focus on back to back Olympics in June!

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