The Buzzard's Bay Triathlon...ya, the buzzards were circling alright

Since I live in New England, the triathlon season is coming to a close (read its getting cold up here and the water even colder) so I was hoping to get in at least one more triathlon. The Buzzard’s Bay Tri was the “last” one in MA and since I've been doing well I thought I’d register (normally I'd be doing Reach the Beach New Hampshire but I wasn't on a team this year), go all out and see how I fared.

1/3 of a mile swim -  11:55
It was an in-water start that we had to swim out to. “Great warm up swim” to the buoys said the race director…ugh. I figured that since I’ve been swimming well this season I’d finally get on the front of the pack. My thinking was the water would be calmer and I could get a better stroke in order to try and be faster. Great thinking…until the gun went off and I realized I’d have to deal with ocean waves. There is just something startling about turning your head to take a breath only to be met by a face full of salt water or at one point being lifted out of the water so high that when my arm came over the top I had no water for my hand to “catch”. I felt good, not great and I was having a terrible time staying on course. About half way through it dawned on me that I was being pulled of course by the waves and would need to compensate. Turning my body about 15 degrees toward the shore made it much better…and I started passing people in both my swim wave and the wave ahead of me. I didn’t want to get too excited, I just kept trying to maintain good rhythm and keep moving forward. Unlike other races I’ve blogged about, this one had nice big buoys evenly spaced throughout the swim so I could keep focused and not feel like I had 15 miles to swim. I was trying to have a strong stroke and kick. I was concerned I was killing my legs for the bike but I did want to go all out. At the last buoy it was a hard left turn for shore, lots of rocks on the bottom and then out of the water. I tried to shallow stroke as long as I could to stay off the rocks (of course with my luck I’d cut my feet or twist an ankle or something) and got out of the water as fast as I could. I felt good until I looked down at my watch to see I’d swum it in 11:55, 2 minutes slower than my last posted time at this distance and I thought to myself “if this is my all out effort…this is gonna be a long day”. Well, the best way to get over it is get through transition as fast as I can and get on the bike. My wetsuit was almost off as I got to my bike, quick shot of clean water in my mouth to wash out the salt water taste then on the bike for a T1 of 1:35. Not bad…not great either (are you seeing a trend?).  

14.7 mile bike – 44:01, 20.5 mph pace
I just wanted to get out on the bike, get a good rhythm and start hammering. As I was getting into a rhythm... a guy on ten grand worth of bike pedaled up beside me, said “nice bike” and then blew my doors off. Oh hell no! Did this guy and me bump in the water? Had I unknowingly cut him off coming out of transition? Really, what the hell did I do to this guy? Well, It didn’t matter because now I had something and someone to focus on. I stopped looking at my speed and just focused on him in the distance and keeping him within reach. I caught the guy at about the 9 mile mark just as he got out of the saddle to push up a hill. I rode by him, in aero, as fast as I could with just enough energy to say “how’s my bike look now?”. As great as that felt, it was short lived when I got by him and that pace caught up with me. I glanced down at my heart rate monitor to see I’d been in zone 5 (180-190 heart rate) for the better part of 30 minutes and I was feeling it…just in time to hit the “hill” at mile 11. L’Alpe d’Huez it was not but it was considerable when compared to the course thus far. Nothing to do but get out of the saddle and push through. Once I got on the other side I tried to catch my breath, enjoy the downhill and take the first drink of water of the ride. Yes, I know way too late but I was totally focused on the d-bag! I kept thinking about all the articles I’ve read about “ride off the front in the bike, eat the back on the run” and feared I’d just blown my chance at a good 5k. I stopped looking at speed and was just trying to not lose more time until I could get to T2. I got into transition, gassed, a little light headed…and made a rookie mistake. I didn’t know where to rack my bike. This multisport company doesn’t use the traditional hangar racks with your number on them (they use racks that your back wheel sits in) and I guess I was the first guy back from my rack because the other bikes I was gonna use as a guide weren’t back yet. Crap balls! There’s precious time wasted trying to get back to my spot! A rack of my bike, shoes and visor on and headed out of T2 in 1:36…not bad…not great.

3.1 mile run – 21:53 7:03 pace
I started off on the run and my legs felt like jello. All I could think was how I’d messed up this race because of the effort in the water and on the bike… just in time to see another guy in my age group pass me. I made the decision to myself that even if I had a heart attack he’d be the last person to pass me today and it was time to get to work. I hit the 1^st mile marker in 7:19. Are you kidding me?! I didn’t feel great but 7:19? Ok, deep breath, let’s pick this up a bit. The best way for me to do that I thought would be to focus on and pick off the runners ahead of me. I kept looking for other guys in my age group too (might as well try to move up in that category too). I hit the 2^nd mile in 14:40 (a 7:21 mile) and was incredulous. I was slowing down? How is that possible?! I actually felt like I was getting faster by passing runners. I spent the next 30 seconds hurtling a string of expletives at myself (in my head of course, don’t want to offend the decent folks around me) about how I needed to buck up and quit being soft. I haven’t been that upset with myself in a while. I took a deep breath (well as deep as I could being winded), leaned forward and decided it was a heart attack or the finish line for me. I kept passing people and a spectator yelled “looking good Polar (folks often refer to you by your number or gear you’re wearing at races and I was wearing my Polar singlet) way to finish strong”. Looking good? I was smashed, exhausted and should’ve looked like crap. If I looked good then I must not be pushing hard enough. I could hear the announcer at the finish and kept pushing…crossing the finish in 21:53 for the 5k with a 6:56 final mile. Why I didn’t I run that hard or harder to start?! That was my slowest mile splits and 5k time on  the season.

Ya, that face...

All of that equaled a 1:20:59 on the day (and after review, not a PR because of the 14.7 instead of the usual 15 mile bike leg), 12^th in my age group and 114^th overall (out of a field of 505). Granted the field was deep because it was the last event of the year, the race was recently featured in Triathlete magazine and there was a pretty competitive collegiate division but I was hoping to do better. I have no one to blame but myself. I should’ve watched my speed/exertion more closely on the bike and I should’ve pushed harder out on the run and there was that blunder in T1. I always try to focus on learning something from each race and this one gave me lots to focus on. Even with all that I did come out of the water in 176^th place and slowly moved my way up to 114^th by the end of the day. That is something positive to focus on and now I have some things to take into the offseason to spend time on for next year…or maybe I’ll find another triathlon around here somewhere to get this taste of this one of my mouth…

The Canal Diggers 5k...I was hoping for so much more

5k's used to be a staple in my racing diet but as I've gotten into longer distances and multisport events, I've not run many (only 2 thus far this year to be exact). Thus I needed to get one on the calendar. The Canal Diggers 5k is a local event put on as part of a local festival (and its one of a "triple crown" series) that has a good course and a pretty good turn out. Not to mention it has an 11 am start and is just 5 minutes from J's house (which equals a relaxed morning and no rush). I slept in, enjoyed easy race day rituals: eggs and pancake breakfast, OJ, few cups of good coffee and trips to the bathroom. I never cease to be amazed at how the nerves of racing are amplified by the nuclear bomb that is a caffeine in one's stomach that equal a non stop emptying of the bowel...(yes, a very nice way to say crap your head off. I am trying to be more refined). A quick throw on of race day clothes, my Polar RCX5G5 and off I went. Now I decided to not wear my usual Polar singlet for this event. I am always hesitant to wear sponsor gear at an event that will have serious/pro racers lest I be confused with a "real runner". There is nothing that chafes me more than seeing someone in branded gear at a race who looks like they shouldn't be in it or doesn't perform like they've earned it. Idiosyncrasy I know but this thought will rear its head later in this recap.

Luckily packet pick up was morning of, was smooth and easy, and it included a high visibility orange race tech tee. I LOVE when races do that! Last year they did neon green and it's so great to wear them while out on training runs because I know I can be seen from space. Putting on my number and looking around I saw all types of people: the competitors (to include the kid that won the series last year who averaged a 14 minute 5k and the Kenyans (yes you heard right...KENYANS), the 1st timers, the groups of friends running together for support, the crossfit-ters (can I just tell you how much I dislike them?! They don't need to wear crazy costumes or have funny saying shirts or wear backpacks at a race to make it "more interesting" or draw attention to themselves. Here's an idea, how about you just focus in running and show up on race day and try to PR like the rest of us! By the way, the fit guy who has muscles and is passing...you is me!).

We get told to head to the start where I see people holding up 5 and 6 minute mile corral signs and a guy on a bull horn saying that "unless you think you can win this race, you should keep walking back". I LOVE IT! Thank you so much that SOMEBODY finally said out loud what we all think. I have no delusions of winning a 5k but I know I run around a 6:30 paced race. If you outweigh me by 20 or 30 pounds and have a Camelback or fuel belt on...you have no business standing beside me or worse...in front of me...before a race. Unless you also have a rocket stuffed in that back pack or up your butt, I'll bet a paycheck that you will be nothing more than a speed bump in the field of runners. How about being self aware and respectful of others?! Look, before I get flamed about this, I KNOW if I stood at the front of the field at a marathon all the racers would wonder "who's the fat kid thinking he's gonna be up here with us"?! Not to mention too that race officials would come up and tell me to move. There's no reason why smaller races shouldn't do this. I know I'd be a hindrance to faster runners (and take NO OFFENSE by the way) why can't others do the same? Ok, off my soapbox and back to the recap.

Now I don't know about you but I pick out people in front of me that I'm going to target to pass once the race is on. I don't dislike these people or think poorly of them, they're just my motivation to get through a race. It's my mind game to keep me going when I'm in pain (which if you've read this blog...is most of my racing). So...when I saw the heavy set guy, in the head to toe Asics kit, with racing flats, standing in the 5 minute corral...I knew I had my first target. A quick rendition of the Star Spangled banner and we were off.

The first mile of the race is relatively flat and comes back by the start. I have to admit I felt good (good enough to flash a thumbs up to J as I went by) and seemed to be in one of the front packs. We come up on the 1 mile time clock (can I just tell you how awesome I think it is that they have time clocks at EACH mile of this race!) and glanced down at my watch to see that I hit the opening mile in 5:57. Ya, I guess I did feel good and while I briefly entertained the thought that I would smash my PR on this pace I knew I was gonna pay the price for it at some point. There's a slight uphill coming off the first mile and when I looked up I saw the Asics guy...target acquired. I caught him at the 1 1/4 mile mark. As I passed him, he sped up to sit on my shoulder. This was completely unacceptable to me so I just kept upping the pace until I burned him off. I heard him "pop" as I ran away. It was a great way to keep me occupied but that only got me to about the halfway point of the race! Now I was looking for anything to take my mind off my legs and the ridiculous wind that was blowing through downtown. I was actually trying my best cycling "echelon formation" to use people I was passing to block the wind. I hit the 2nd mile at 12:18 (I told ya I was gonna pay for that pace) and had that fleeting thought that I could still beat my PR but that was cancelled out by the screaming of my lungs. I just kept thinking to myself to take smooth, deep breaths and it would all be over soon (sounds like a bad date night). Then the internal dialogue kicked in. I don't know if "real runners" ever deal with this but I always seem to have the "why the hell am I doing this" conversation with myself during a race and ask questions like: why aren't I still in bed? Why am I trying to run this fast (since I'm not gonna win this thing)? Why can't I just enjoy being fat? And of course the "if there is a God and he/she let's me get through this, I'll never race again". I mean every one has to have those thoughts right...right?! The last 1.1 miles of the race are a relatively straight shot with a bend left down hill and then a hard right uphill to the finish. For the first time I let go and let the hill carry me down because I needed to catch my breath and I knew the finish was coming. Bottom of the hill, right turn and time to start pumping my arms uphill to the finish. I saw the finish clock was just under 20 minutes but knew it took me about 10 seconds to cross the start line after the gun went off so I had that glimmer of hope that at least I'd get another sub 20 minute 5k. Crossing the finish line I glanced down at my watch to see I finished in 20:10. Not bad, not what I was hoping for but good enough for 40th overall (out if 1061 runners), 8th in my age group but 7 seconds slower than last year's race. I had run a 20 minute flat 5k at the Timberman Sprint Triathlon two weeks ago and thought a sub-20 5k would've been easy...not the case...not the case at all.

A number of folks have weighed in on my performance (or lack thereof) with the insight that I wasn't warmed up for the stand alone 5k like I am after a swim and run as part of a Tri and that makes total sense. Most cyclists spend time on the trainer warming up before a time trial and I see all the "real runners" out doing laps and getting sweaty before the race. Not to mention, a 5k is flat out speed off the start so there's not time to "warm up" like you can in the early miles of a 10k, 10 miler or half marathon. All said and done, another race in the books and another lesson learned...but I'm really looking forward to the 5k run leg of next weekend's triathlon.

The Mighty Merrimack Swim...I desperately wanted to be mighty

Ok, so this blog is entitled "Fueled by Iron" which in its origin (at least in my mind) was going to document my path to completing an Ironman Triathlon. Not just any mind you, I had planned on doing the Ironman in Kona Hawaii. I mean if you're going to go...go big! But...as you glance through past posts you'll notice that there aren't a lot of triathlons and still no 70.3 or 140.6 Ironman events. That is not just some crazy coincidence. I can put together a 56 mile bike and 13.1 mile run (the Half Ironman distance) and I know I can do the 112 mile bike and 26.2 mile run (the full Ironman distance) events. Before people start saying "you have to do that after the swim and put them together as a complete race"... I KNOW but that's not what I'm talking about here. I'm saying that I have full confidence and am capable of doing the aforementioned events/distances (and if you know me or read this blog, you know that once I start...I will finish those distance by either crossing the finish line or being carried off on a stretcher)...but the swim...well, that is a whole other story. I have had NO confidence that I could do a 1.2 or 2.4 mile swim needed for the half and full Ironman distances respectively. Subsequently, my fear (I say its hate but its really fear) has kept me from not doing triathlons, and without doing more triathlons I'm never gonna build the needed confidence to do the Ironman distances. See, see the circle here? So, I've been trying to get in the pool as often as I can and I've been singing up for everything triathlon I can find.

And this is when I got nervous

While I can find Sprint and Olympic distance races around here (more the former than the latter) and I do well in them, there is that magic number distance that sticks in my head... the1 mile swim. I have done a mile swim for time in the pool but that is not in a race. The stress, concern, conditions and field have nothing to do with a pool swim. I needed to do it in a race. Well the Mighty Merrimack swim seemed like a prime opportunity. I hemmed and hawed about registering right up until the last minute. I didn't really tell anybody I was gonna do it so if I chickened out no one would know. I didn't register because I knew it'd be open day of and it would give me one last chance to back out. I was going anyway to support J, and our friends Jen and PJ were racing too so I thought I'd just play it by ear. I'd pack up my stuff, see how I felt, what the conditions were like and make a game time decision. Standing in line with J for her to pick up her race packet our friend Jen said "you should race, you know you're just gonna regret it the whole way home if you don't". And...she was right. I had all my gear, I've swam a mile, there is no reason I shouldn't race. So I stepped up to the registration table and signed up. I was given my cap, timing chip, got my numbers on my hand and it was done. I had to walk back to my truck to get my wetsuit and goggles and glancing down at the race swim crap I had the "oh, crap...this really has to happen now..." moment.

Some nervous chatting, wetsuit and goggles on and then I could get in the water to swim a bit. Amazingly, swimming actually felt good. My stroke felt effortless, I calmed down and actually thought this would be no big deal. But...they were having issue with the buoys and then we were told that the 2 mile swim folks (yes, there was ALSO a 2 mile swim...screw that noise) would have to clear our turn buoy before we could start. This meant that we ended up starting 38 minutes late. That gave me LOTS of time to start doubting this choice. J and Jenn were just chatting and chilling since they both are legit swimmers and have numerous swim races and 70.3's under their belts and this is just another swim race for them but I was sweating bullets. I don't think I've ever been happier to hear the start countdown of a race! I tried to settle in, focus on a smooth stroke and full exhale-inhale breaths. I'm a unilateral breather that breathes to the right so I had the river wall to my right to help me as a boundary. It was kind of funny that I saw people sitting up on the wall, watching us swim by and realized that was me a year ago and now here I am doing the race. Well, trying to at least, it did just start. I knew I had an issue with "sighting" but it was made even worse at this race because there were no intermediate buoys. There was one at the 1/4 mile mark and one at the 1/2 mark/turn around. Swim in the water, and try to guide yourself on a buoy 1/4 of a mile away...and it feels like FOREVER until you get there. Smaller, intermediate buoys along the course at least give you something to focus on and keep you from going crazy when you're in the water for that long! I just kept looking for the damned green 1/2 mile/turn buoy. I tried to stay calm and smooth, focusing on a good kick and minimizing "extra effort" because muscling through the water does nothing but tire you out faster and I did have a mile to swim after all. And...and...and...I was passing people!!! For real?! I don't think I could've asked for a better push to get me to the turn. I hit the turn buoy at 17 minutes. Not bad, not great. I was a little concerned because I did a 1/2 mile swim the weekend prior as part of a triathlon and did it in around 15 minutes. I didn't think I was doing the swim any slower than the weekend before and I wasn't any more or less tired.

Maybe the course was long...maybe I read my watch wrong when I glanced at my watch...maybe I need to shut up and put my head back in the water because I had another 1/2 mile to go! I'm amazed that unlike running or cycling, once you get into a good swim groove you feel like you can swim  forever and with no intermediate buoys...it felt like I was swimming forever. I can't get over how I have no sense of time or speed in the water. I know time is going by and I know I'm moving forward (well, at times I was moving at a left or right diagonal because I couldn't seem to maintain a good line) and without the buoys to sight on I just felt like I was swimming out in space. I focused on 'dragging my fingertips" instead of wind-milling my arms around, getting full exhales under water and breathing deep from a shallow head turn and kicking strongly from my hips and not my knees. Finally I could see the final turn buoy and figured I needed to pick up the pace and give it all I had...while trying to stay as efficient as I could. I started kicking more, picked up my stroke count and even caught a few more people. I finished the swim in  38:37...16th overall and 4th in my age group. Not only had I finally done an "official" mile swim race but I had done pretty well in my first outing! Well enough to flash a thumbs up at the end (oh, and as much as I'd love to have had that cute girl in the background be checking me out...that was my friend Jen being happy for me and trying to get out of the photo!). Of course me being me, I was bummed at having missed the podium (really, I didn't even think I could do it and now I was expecting bling?!) and had to look up final times to see how close I was to being third. Nothing to worry about there, I was over 2 minutes behind the 3rd place guy! Oh and J won overall women and Jen won her AG!!! Kudos to those ladies. We celebrated the race by stuffing our faces at this great Paleo place in Lowell! Great race and a great day. Now all that's left is to pick my first Half Ironman event...

It was no Chicago Triathlon but the Chicopee Check for Change Triathlon wore me out.

This past week was chaotic to say the least. Between coming back from the Timberman Triathlon Festival, a new job position to apply for some job and some serious personal matters to boot...I was a little frazzled. I wasn't able to go to Chicago for the Olympic Triathlon there. The folks at Lifetime Fitness Triathlon series were so understanding (they had offered me free entry to Chicago after reading the post about my horrendous experience 3 years ago) and offered me free entry to any of their races this year or next. I haven't had the chance to race one of their events yet but I'm already blown away by what a class act they are!

Even though I couldn't get to Chicago, I had to find some type of race for my sanity. I mean I've been training for Chicago and I could only do so much to address other stuff and a few hours of my being away racing wouldn't hurt anything...to the contrary it might be do me some good...so I got on the interwebs and started looking for races. I found the "Check for Change" sprint triathlon out in Chicopee MA and signed up. Even though it wasn't an Olympic distance race, I'd been doing all this training, at least I was racing and since it was local I might have a chance at doing well...and...and...and...I figured its in MA so it should be nice and flat (more on that terrible assumption later). Race morning I roll out of bed at 5am to pack up my gear, snag breakfast for the trip and get on the road.

I get there about 90 minutes before the start. What? If you've ready any post in this blog You KNOW  I have to get there in time to register, setup transition, get in a warm up swim and just chill (don't judge me). So I get registered, get all my stuff, get all my numbers on everything, walk up the hill into the transition area (yes, it was a hill and it would feel even worse later, stay tuned) and get set up. I hate...hate...HATE people who have no idea how to set up a transition area. If the space of your bike and tri gear set out in transition is wider than 14 inches...YOU'RE DOING IT WRONG! Buy a book, check out the interweb for pictures, or better yet...LOOK AROUND at how other people set up their gear! There is nothing I hate more than having to shoehorn my nice gear and my even nicer bike into a tiny space because someone just laid out all their stuff like its a picnic and walked away. Sonuva! Phew, deep breath...moving on...


With everything set up I figured I'd walk down to the water, throw on my wetsuit, swim out to the first buoy to relax and see how that water felt. This has become my ritual and what's weird is it has replaced the ritual of sitting on the shore and dreading the water like its acid. I was even comfortable enough with it to flash J a thumbs up before heading into the water. Weird...I know! So in the water I went, a couple trips out to the first buoy and then talking to the other folks in the water about how the course was laid out. Of course...I was looking for other folks in my age group and trying to identify the strong swimmers. Not to race against of course but to sit off their hips or feet and draft off of. I've gotten to be a better swimmer, not a great swimmer. I need all the help I can get.

0.5 Mile swim - 12:43
So we get lined up in the water...and we're off. Because I have this new found love of swimming, I've started to get up towards the front third of the pack at triathlons so I sighted on the first buoy and got to swimming. The guy beside me couldn't seem to maintain a pace or a straight line and kept bumping into me...which I've come to expect at a mass start swim but undoubtedly he wasn't comfortable with it because he kept trying to push and kick me away as I tried to get around him...but everything changed when he tried to punch me away. Dude, are you serious right now?! We're trying to get through a swim, people are stacked on each other in the equivalent of washing machine-like water conditions and you want to get angry with me?! Well, due to my new found comfort in the water, I changed my line, increased my stroke to try to get around him...and when my right hand come over the top, and even with his head, I made sure to catch the edge of his goggles. Not to pull them off of course but to pull them down...thus making it necessary for him to stop dead in the water and let me, and as I glanced over, a few other swimmers, get by this guy who thought he owned the water. I hope you learned the lesson buddy...lead, follow or get out of the way.

Once I got past the human speed bump, the swim was smooth sailing. The water was a little choppy and I was trying to be faster with my turnover so I ended up taking a breath every 3rd stroke instead of my customary every 6th. As I got out of the water I pulled off my goggles and cap (putting one into the other in one smooth motion, a nifty trick I read about on the interweb) and made my way into transition. Remember that "little hill" I mentioned earlier? Ya, I had to run up that in order to get to my bike. It was just long and steep enough to make take your breath away once you reached the top. As I'm trying to get air into my lungs, I finish pulling off my wetsuit, grab my bike and gear and get out of transition in a harried 1:33.

15 mile bike - 43:57
Getting out on the bike, I was so relieved I didn't have to pee like I did at Timberman. I felt good, my GPS was working and now it was all about settling into a good rhythm and making sure I was staying above 20mph on the course. The course was rolling and while there were no mileage markers there were volunteers and cops at every turn to make sure you stayed in the course. Normally I take a caffeinated gel once I get on the bike for some simple carbs and a little pick me up but instead I focused on drinking as much of the electrolyte drink I had on board. The course was hilly and I was exerting way more energy than I'd planned. At about the 12 mile mark I felt a little dip in my energy level and realized missing that gel was a bad idea. Well, nothing I can do about it now...just pedal faster and get this over. I made it into transition, dumped the bike, and was out on the run in a smooth 49 seconds. Yup, you read that right...49 seconds! I finally put together a good T2 and now I was out on the run.

3.5 mile run - 27:15
Remember the hill we had to run up to get into transition? Well, you guessed it, we had to run down it to start the run. It was so steep and I was running so fast that the gel I stuck in the leg of my tri-suit literally shot out and hit a spectator. Great, so much for a sugar/caffeine shot, nothing to do now but grit my teeth and focus on the run. The course led me out to a hill, which running up, I couldn't see the top...only to be rewarded with what I thought was the top being a false flat and I had to keep climbing. What sadistic motherf'er came up with this course?! I increased my speed, pumped my arms and once I hit the top...tried to not throw up or have my head explode! Thank goodness that was over, now to catch my breath and focus on a good rhythm. I ran the loop, down a hill to the bottom to which I thought would be the left turn to the finish line only to hear the volunteer at the water station say "great job #98, only one more lap to go". Are...you...kidding me?! I have to do that again?! I thought my heart would explode the 1st time I ran this loop and I have to do it again?! I don't think I've ever wanted to be done with a run so badly.

The only good thing was that on the 2nd loop I saw people to pick off and did so, one by one, in order to occupy my brain. Finally back down the hill a second time, I turned left into the finish, emptying anything I had in the tank, finishing in 1:26:13 and 35th overall. Not bad, not stupendous. I went to check the results and was surprised at the number of folks in front of me because I hadn't realized there were that many and noticed their times were considerably faster. Did I have a bad day? Was two weekends of triathlon racing too much? Even so, I was happy with the swim and bike times and the run wasn't that bad considering it was two laps up and around Mt. Everest! Well... seeing the "official times" posted online a couple days later I saw that I was 27th overall because (wait for it...wait for it...) some of the people who finished in front of me did only ONE LAP of the run course and got disqualified!!! Unbelievable. Part of me understands that it happened but a bigger part of me was relived to see I had run a competitive time and did indeed finished higher overall. No podium but still an effort I can be proud of and another race in the books.

The Timberman Sprint Tri...and try I did

In my quest to keep getting my butt out in the water for triathlons I I figured the Timberman Sprint on Saturday would be perfect since I was support staff for J at the Timberman 70.3 race the following day. That way I could race and feel like I had done something when I'm watching people race the 70.3 the following day.

I look like a legit swimmer!

537 meter swim – 8:02

Now I had heard about how clear and shallow Lake Winnipesaukee was but you just don't get an appreciation for it until you race in it. You could've practically walked the entire way through the swim course (which some people did). It was so shallow for so far and the water was so crystal clear! I knew once the gun went off, my best bet was to dive in and shallow stroke it until I could get some distance and depth and then give it all I had. Once again...I found myself in the odd position...of swimming over people. Me, the guy who hated swimming and couldn't "swim" now readily swims over slower swimmers. That's just crazy!. At one point I actually said "get out of my way" to a pair of swimmers that were swimming and talking to each other. I actually thought to myself that I had become "that guy" that I tried to avoid because I didn't want to slow him down in the water. I laughed out loud while swimming! I was swimming strong, good stroke, good pace and then...the swim was over and I was getting out of the water. Its amazing how fast something goes by when you're not dreading or hating every minute of it! I got out of the water (buy the way, in that picture, which I am buying, I look like I'm either the first guy or the last guy out of the water...when I was neither but in a pack of people when I left the water I swear!) and ran the 100 meters or so into transition as fast as I could. I got to my bike, got out of my wetsuit, got on my gear and headed out. T1 was 2:47. Not bad, not great but it was time to focus on the bike.

15 mile bike – 48:36, 18.5mph 
As soon as I got into aero I realized that I needed to pee. And not just a little, but so bad that it hurt to be in the aero position. I remembered that I needed to pee before the swim start and figured I'd just go in the water and then completely forgot about it because of nerves...and then I was swimming but now it hit me. I had to make a decision, either get off the bike to relieve myself or sit up and pee as fast as I could and get back in the race. Um...there is NO getting off the bike so it was the latter. Its crazy that even though I wanted to pee, needed to pee...I had to coax my body into actually peeing. Thank goodness it happened! All the pain in my bladder went away and I could focus on the bike. I knew sitting up would allow the group that I left transition with to get away but I figured it'd give me added motivation to ride them down. Bladder empty, back in aero, good position and back to work. It was then I glanced down to see my speed in order to get back on track and my GPS was blank. Ugh! There was nothing I could do to get the GPS to pick up...and then I started to get angry. I live off data during a race. I know that if I can't see mph or pace during a race, I'll slip into a comfort zone and I'll trail off. Being able to see that I'm racing as fast or faster than my race plan is the key to a successful race for me. The only option was to start picking out people ahead of me, focus on catching them and then continue to do that for the rest of the bike, not the preferred method but the only one at my disposal at the moment....and then we hit the hills. I knew the course was hilly. I'd seen it first hand the year prior and had studied the course elevation map but I still wasn't prepared for it I guess. Without seeing my speed and knowing whether I was moving slow or fast, there were no mileage markers on the bike course, I just tried to maintain good turnover and get up and over the hills. I felt like I was giving max effort but couldn't really tell (for the record I felt as if I was going slower that I wanted the whole ride and that 18.5mph average for the bike leg proved it). I desperately wanted to get off the bike and get out running so I could empty the tank and it'd be easier for me to estimate pace with my watch and mile markers. I made it in and out of transition in 2:01 and was out for the run.

3.1 mile run - 20:00, 6:27 pace

I came out of T2 rip-roaring pissed. I had no real clue how I had done on the bike (let's be honest, this brain ain't good enough at math to calculate average MPH on the fly) and I hadn't seen anyone with a 40 on their calf (for those of you that don't know, triathlons put your age on your calf, and bib number on other parts of your body so race officials can identify you easily. For us age groupers, its a quick way to see who we're competing against for a podium spot or at the very least count how many "places" we gain as we pass other folks in our age group) all day! I got my legs back pretty quick in the run and tried to get in a rhythm. My GPS still wasn't picking up so I was looking for the 1st mile marker so I could see my pace. 

Yup, face says it all

I hit the 1 mile marker in 7:15. 7:15?! Are f'ing serious?! That is TOTALLY unacceptable!!! I made the decision that the next 2.1 miles would be run flat out. I have no idea what the pace would be but unless I crossed the finish line throwing up from max effort I had failed. Weirdly enough...I felt myself getting faster. I just kept yelling in my head to "get faster". I called myself every name I could think of to motivate me to crank up my pace. I hit the 2 mile mark and thought I was around a 6:20 pace. That was better but if there's any gas left in the tank...its time to empty it. I could see people line in front of me on the way to the finish and made it my mission to run down every one of them 'til the end.

I crossed the line in 1:21:25. I'd taken 35 seconds off my PR for that swim distance (26th in my AG) , had a mediocre bike (24th in my AG) and had a rage filled run that ended up only being 6 seconds off my 5k PR (9th in my AG). All that rolled together put me at 19th overall in my AG and 91st overall in the race (out of a field of 709 that actually raced versus the about 900 that registered).  Not bad, not great and lots of room left for improvement. I know going into the rest of the season I need to focus on solid, smooth, short transitions and I HAVE to keep the bike up around a minimum of 22mph. I also need to have a back up plan and/or make sure I train without GPS/pace so I have a better idea of what my desired times should feel like. I have to admit, I've become WAY to dependent on technology and have been living in the weeds when it comes to training and racing data. Well, its all about getting better as a racer and any mistake you learn from isn't a mistake (I read that somewhere, I don't know if I believe it but it sure sounds good). Now to focus on the next race...

How I spend my Friday nights...

It dawned on me as kind of funny that as I'm about to jump in the water, at 9:00 on a Friday night, that most of my peers and certainly damn near everyone younger than me were either sitting in front of the tv or getting all "clubbed up" to go out on the town for an evening of drinking and debauchery....only to have to deal with the result of either (another sedentary day or waking up feeling like garbage and hung over) the following morning. I on the other hand just laid out all my swim gear and was about to start a 1600 meter swim set as per my normal Friday night routine. Sadly, I get told by lots of people that I'm "missing out" by not going out to or taking a day off. Missing out on what? I could rant about that until I'm blue in the face but suffice to say I love how I spend my Friday nights. I am a firm believer that learning to swim, I mean really swim for distance (not the swim to the side of the pool for a beer during a summer cookout), is one of the most difficult things you can do as an adult. We just develop bad habits if we weren't taught the "right way" to swim as kids. I'll be the first to admit that when "relearning" to swim and focusing on the proper stroke, hand placement and kick I would actually forget to breathe and have to stop mid pool and gasp for air. It wasn't pretty and it got to the point that the "no fear" guy...feared going for a swim.

don't fear the swim snorkle

Flash forward 3 years later (oh yes, that's how long my learn to not swim like a retard journey has gone thus far) and I not only no longer fear the swim...I LOVE it. There is just something about achieving that effortless stroke and kick in the water where swimming feels like its natural. Its completely different from the "Zen" I feel when I'm running or on the bike. I can't really explain it, which I know is difficult to believe coming from the guy that can talk all day, but it true. Once you get the mechanics of the swim down, swimming just "clicks" and I feel like I can go for hours. Weirdly, I know exactly when it "clicked". I was doing a Sprint Tri earlier this year and I went out for a swim on the course pre-race (which I always see other peole do but I never do because I'm always so focused on standing at the start and dreading the swim) and while swimmng I just had this settled feeling like this is not gonna be a big deal. And...amazingly, it wasn't! I actually swam with a smile on my face at that race. I had a great swim and my swim times since have continued to get better.

So back to my Friday nights...that "comfort" with the swim has come from lots of hours flailing and failing in the pool. I'm a do whatever you have to to get better kind of guy which is why you see all the "devices" I use at the pool to include the Finis Swim Snorkel. Oh yes, I have PLENTY of swimmer friends chide me or give me eye rolls when I mention it but it has honestly helped my swimming (Ryan Lochte and Dara Torres also use the snorkel in their swim training too so it can't be all bad) . The snorkel forces me to have proper head position, which equates to better body position, and allows me to to focus on hand and arm position at the beginning and through the stroke. And while my "swimmer" friends give me crap, that little training device has not only helped me be a more relaxed, efficient swimmer but help me take over 10 minutes off my mile swim time. I now swim a mile in about 38 minutes. I'm no Michael Phelps but I'm WAY ahead of what the swim cutoff times are for the 70.3 and 140.6 distances and it'll keep me in the competitive mix for my other racing (instead of having to burn so much energy chasing down the good swimmers on the bike).

So...enjoy the beer, clubs, TV and Doritos...I'll be in the pool with all my "toys" swimming a 1600 meter set...and loving every minute of it!

The Race Around the Lake, my first Ultramarathon...and my dirty little secret...

There were a number of reasons why I wanted to try an Ultra marathon: First off, I wanted to challenge myself. Second, I figure at my age and slow speed there's no way I'm gonna ever gonna get a fast marathon but my mental toughness paired with a "low and slow" run would make me a perfect Ultra runner. Lastly, if I'm ever gonna do an Ironman distance event, I need to see how my body can handle 12 or more hours of racing.

And of course since I'm a control freak I wanted to pick a race that would allow me to rule out as many variables as I could...thus I chose the "Race around the Lake 12 hour Ultra" (they also do a marathon on the course as well as a 24 hour race too) in Wakefield MA. Its a run for time on a 3 mile loop around a lake. Before you go "oh my god, that would be so boring", just go with me on this. A repeated loop lets you know the layout of the course quickly and identify any obstacles or issues while you're still mentally awake. Because its a loop, you'll see your support team (J, was the best support crew ever by the way!) on a predictable schedule (no need to worry about them not making a link up point on time to give you gear or support) and if you get hurt or decide to call it, you only have a short walk to get back to the start. What? I did say I was a control freak! I mean the Army did train me pretty well at planning.

Ready but I'm nervous

So, because the race allows you to be self supported, we set up "FOB Dutch" (that's forward operating base for you non military folks) and stocked it for the next few hours of racing. Tent/sleeping/chilling out area, and table set up with all my food: water, bananas, gels, Clif Blocks, Accelerade, salt tabs, Coke, potato chips (I've read that its a great thing to eat at an endurance event) and McDonalds cheeseburger (yes, cheeseburgers. For some reason when I do long training events I crave burgers and I figure its a quick way to get calories, fat and sodium into my system) were all set up at the back of my truck which was parked right by the start/tracking chute. As people started to come in and park and everything started to get set up I have to admit I got nervous. Not because of  my dirty little secret (more on that later) but because it dawned on me that I was going to spend the foreseeable future running. Look, I've done marathons, plenty of them but there's just something about running "as far as you can" that makes a world of difference. There's no time or mileage limit...its kind of freaky. I will say that I went into this event with little to no expectations. I kind of kicked around at least a 50k in my head but I was just planning on seeing what my body would do. There is something very weird about getting no a start line with "just run" in your head...

At the start I ran into my friend Danielle (awesome girl I've raced with and done a Reach the Beach team with) and Sarah (who BQ'ed for Boston on the course). We chatted, listened to the race instructions and headed over to the start. With little fanfare, we were off. Even with the start being at 7 p.m. it was still warm and humid. I figured I would try to hold a 9:30-9:55 pace for as long as I could and see where it got me. The first lap was spent with everyone chatting and dealing with race jitters because there was LOTS of running left to do. I hit the first mile comfortably on a 9:55 pace and settled in for the 1st lap around the lake. After coming in off the first lap i figured it was time to grab the iPod and listen to Macca's book. I will say that I've NEVER run with an ipod or music in my ears. Normally I wouldn't even entertain the idea but since I was running on a closed loop and I knew I was gonna run for that length of time, I figured having some type of motivation in my ears would be the best thing and let me tell you that Chris McCormack's "I'm here to to Win" audiobook was just the ticket! I highly recommend for any triathlete and it was so weird that there were points in the book that were exactly what I needed to hear while a ran. Every lap I took on water/Accelerade, gel and salt tabs.

Glad to have 4hrs done

Each lap I ticked off was a little victory and got me closer to the 4 hour mark which I had set in my head as time for my first "break" to eat/refuel. I figured the easiest way to deal with the Race was to break it into 3 races of 4 hours each. The end of each 4 hour block would be my stopping and taking on 'real food", changing clothes and then heading out again. As I closed on 4 hours I was near the marathon distance (8 laps) and figured that would workout perfect, hit the 26.2 and then take a break to recover/reset. The nice thing was as I ran across the line I was presented with a medal for completing the marathon! It was nice to have some bling going into my first rest/refuel break. While I had a smile on my face, I was concerned that I couldn't eat anything. I could take on some coke, part of a banana and some chips but that was it. The thought of "eating" made my stomach turn. I glanced down at my Polar RCX5 G5 and saw that I'd burned about 4200 calories thus far. I was in the tank and needed to fuel but it was the last thing I wanted to do. I couldn't even chew on that much desired McDonald's cheeseburger. Ok, time to take a deep breath...I did have 12 hours afterall, so relax and try to rest/recover.

While I was "resting", I was doing math in my head (which to be honest is quite a feat considering I'm not that smart and the calculations involved my fingers and toes). I needed to do another lap in order to hit that 30k mark I had set in my head. So, I asked J if she'd go do another lap with me. After that I'd stop and try again to take on fuel and rest. After my 9th lap, I took another break and I tried to force myself to eat...still, no luck. Anything more complicated than coke or water or a gel and I just wanted to vomit. I never thought eating would become such a difficult task. I'm normally ravenous and fight myself to not eat all the time and now I was in the tank on calories and didn't have the desire to nor could I stand forcing myself to eat. There was nothing to do but try to calm down, try to rest and try to eat. I contemplated whether I should quit now, if this was even a smart endeavor to start with and even the meaning of life while trying to shove food in my mouth....then it dawned on me...I had only done 29 plus miles up to this point! There was NO WAY I could stop, I need to get at least 50k in. So, I asked J to accompany me on at least one more lap.


The 10th lap went my relatively easy but I was gassed. I knew I was in the tank and  I had no hopes of getting food in any time soon. So, as Macca's book was saying in my ears "you can't lie to the man in the mirror", I made the assessment that I wasn't going to get any better and continuing to run would just put me at risk for injury. I have a lot of racing left to do this season and the last thing I wanted to do was hurt myself and ruin my chances. Not to mention I had to be on a plane in about 30 hours to D.C. for work. I was grinning ear to ear when I received my medal for the 12 hour Ultra. I had managed to keep my expectations for the event reasonable: find a good steady pace, try to hydrate and fuel, don't get hurt, use this first Ultra as a learning event and just run as far as you can. Mission accomplished, I felt good and I honestly believe that if I could've fueled/refueled better I would've had another 10 or 15 miles in me at least. The final tally was in 5:53:07 total time running. I will say that even though you might think the course is boring, it and the race were great. The organizers do a FANTASTIC job, its supported well, the "community of Ultra" is great there and even the locals hang out all night and support the runners. I even had one guy, who sat in his driveway all night, cheering me on with a "looking great Polar guy" until 3 a.m.!

And now for the dirty little secret...I did not train for the Ultra. Sure I trained but not the "serious long" excessive miles or time that one would normally do to ramp up for such an event. I just stuck to the regular training plan (run/bike/swim/lift) that is my usual and thought at the very least I should do the race just to see how its set up and what it all about. Although I had that 30k number in my head I rally went into it with the thought of "I might run 3 laps and go home". Honestly, I don't know if that approach helped or hindered me. I went into the race with NO expectations. I saw every lap as kind of a gift and I was smiling at the end of 4 hours because I had just run a marathon, on no training and felt 100 times better (mentally and physically) than I did when I ran Boston in '11 (and for that race I trained my ass off, blew up and dragged myself across the finish line). It was nice to run a race with no pressure, yes its normally self induced, and just run. I one point I actually noticed the sun setting on the water and made a mental note of how pretty it was. I NEVER do that. I normally run so hard that my recollection of any race is little more than a blur. And, and, and...knocking out 32.56 total miles, with this old, fat, broken body...ain't bad :) It was a great experience and I'm looking for another Ultra to put on the calendar.

Post Script:
I read back through this post and realized I missed a few things. I need to thank Natascia, Dustin, Jessica,  Di, James and Stephanie. The fact that you took time out of your schedules to come by and cheer me on means the world to me and I can't tell you how great it was to see your bright shiny faces on the course way into the night.

I was lucky enough to have some great gear, by some great companies, that helped get me through the race. My Polar RCX5 G5 kept me right on pace, allowed me to keep tabs on my HR and was the key to my keeping myself in check and running as far as I did. My lululemon 4" Light as Air shorts were beyond comfortable through all those miles. My legs would've never made it if not for my Zensah Compression calf sleeves, since using Zensah my calves have never hurt after a long run. Those rocking amber-lensed Rudy XX2i glasses were great at seeing the route in crisp detail and helped get me through the daylight hours. My Thorlo Experia socks were the key in keeping my feet comfortable and pain/blister free. Everstride kept all my bendy places chafe free and last but not least my Saucony Kinvaras helped the miles fly by with no feet or ankle pain. They are the best shoes I've ever run in...hands down!