NATIONS TRIATHLON.

And for my next trick, I'm doing a triathlon!!!

Nations Triathlon in Washington D.C. on September 13, 2009.

http://www.thenationstriathlon.com/

Swimming in the Potomac- Does it get any better than that?? Stay tuned! In the meantime, go here and donate!! Thanks! :o)

Boy, I don't even know where to start...

I've been really lazy about this blog lately. So let's catch up a bit.

5K's etc...

Claddagh Pub 4-mile road race, Lawrence, MA. March 1, 2009: 44:47
Hynes Tavern 5-mile road race, Lowell, MA. March 8, 2009: 59:07
Ras na hEireann USA 5K, Somerville, MA. March 15, 2009: 35:06
B.A.A. 5K, Boston, MA. April 19, 2009: 34:42
Boston's Run To Remember, Boston, MA. May 24, 2009: 1:14:06 (Coaching another runner.)
New Charles River Run, Cambridge, MA. June 28, 2009: 35:06

Duathlons:

Black Bear Duathlon, Waterville Valley, NH. 5K run, 50K bike, 5K run. A hard race for me. I rode the Police Unity Tour (250 miles) that Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. Drove home from Washington D.C. on Thursday, got in at 7:00 AM on Friday morning, napped, unpacked, repacked and drove to Waterville to race on Saturday. The first run was hard, the bike was hard, the second run was really hard. Yeah! Fun times! Time? A dismal 2:54:17 But good enough to win the Clydesdale division. (Of course I was the only entry in that division... I'm probably not supposed to mention that...) Gotta love small races!

King Pine Duathlon, Madison, NH. May 31, 2009. 2-mile-ish run, 12.5 mile bike, 5K-ish run. Should have done the tri version. That first run just kills me! Fun event though. We got to watch the kids race during lunch since their bike course went right be the BBQ! Time was a slightly less horrendous 2:03:13

Half Marathons:



Lake Placid Half Marathon, Lake Placid, NY. June 14, 2009. This was a last minute deal. I went to this event as a Team in Training coach. I got a number at the last minute and coached from the course. It was really fun just taking my time and working with the TNT runners and walkers. It's a beautiful if hilly course. I do believe that between the local race organization, the local Team in Training organization and the really inspiring pasta party, this was definitely one of my top two TNT events. All of our TNT runners and walkers finished well! My finish time reflects the amount of time I spent yakking on the course. If you must know, it was 3:14:20

Connemarathon, Clifden, County Clare, Ireland. March 22, 2009. Without a doubt, the best and most beautiful road race I've ever run. If I could never do another half, this one would keep me happy. This one will get it's own blog entry when I get to it. (Don't hold your breath.) Time? Who cares! It was an awesome (And very hilly.) race! Oh all right!! 3:03:22 (But my chip and gun time are the same so I think I was a wee bit faster than that.) I have to get some photos of the area from Mike...

Cycling stuff...

Police Unity Tour. Chesapeake, Virginia to Washington D.C. May 10-12. 250 miles. An epic. It will definitely need it's own blog entry when I get around to it. With photos!!

America's Most Beautiful Bike Ride, Lake Tahoe NV/CA, June 7, 2009. Another Team in Training event in the history books. A great team as always. The weather only cooperated on one day... June 7! I did the boat cruise/35 mile ride again. Big boat, breakfast, good coffee and good company! Time? Unknown and irrelevant!

Stay tuned!

Cartoon run.

On January 9, 2009 I got up at 5:15 AM to run a 5K. There must be a support group for that somewhere...

On Friday morning, before the Disney half marathon and full marathon, there's a 5K. This year it was a 'fun run' through the Animal Kingdom theme park. The theme was the Lion King Circle of Life. Not really a race, no chip times and kind of a family party atmosphere.

I had tweaked my right ankle the Monday before the half and was nursing it with rest, ibuprofen and good thoughts all week. On Tuesday I didn't think I'd be healed in time for the half on Saturday. I was feeling pretty good by Thursday night so I decided to see how I felt Friday morning. If I felt OK, I'd take it easy on the 5K and see how that went.

I caught the shuttle at 5:45AM and got to the Animal Kingdom park at about 6:00AM. It was probably in the low to mid forties. Not exactly balmy. I was slightly cold in shorts, a long-sleeve dri-fit and a sweatshirt. I ended up checking the sweatshirt before the race start and I was fine.

The 5K start is sort of a mini-half/full marathon start- Loud music, cast members in costume who are way too awake and cheerful for that time of the morning and fireworks at the starting gun. At the start gun, (Still dark out...) they played "I just Can't Wait to be King" from the Lion King soundtrack. Loud. It's Elton John and it's a decent running tune so I started out a little faster than I wanted to. I dialed it back a little bit and my ankle felt pretty good. I had thought that the course would be pancake flat. Nope. There were some ups and downs and a reasonably long descent just prior to the finish. It was pretty cool running through this park. I didn't see too many animals but they sure sounded ticked off that we were waking them up.

Finish time was 00:34:46 by my watch. I was kind of surprised in that I had been aiming for about 36 minutes to go easy on my ankle.

A fun race. I'd do it again- even getting up before dawn! The only downer was that I waited for about 50 minutes after the race for a shuttle bus. Normally, I wouldn't care as much about that except that I had to shower and change before the TNT coaches and staff meeting.

The bib is one of the coolest I've had. I just had to scan it!


You even get a dorky little rubber medal!!...

Tri.

So I've had my triathlon number on my computer desk for months to remind me to write about it. I'm sick of looking at it.

I think when you sign up for a triathlon, you're supposed to train for a triathlon. Maybe next time.

The 2008 Timberman Triathlon weekend was August 16 and 17. So on Sunday August 10, I went to Walden Pond with Anna, Jill and Don for a 'mock tri.' I think it means that people mock you while you try to swim, bike and run. I signed up for the 'sprint' triathlon. At Timberman, that's a 1/3 mile swim, a 15 mile bike and a 5K (3.1 mile) run. So on the 10th, I swam although I don't know how far (And it certainly wasn't pretty.) then rode about 25+ miles with Jill (Don and Anna went for a longer ride... Fools.) then ran around Walden Pond. (Maybe 2 miles.) Not too bad really. Of course before this 'training', I worked from 3PM on Saturday until 7AM on Sunday. Hallucinations are cool! The first 15 miles of the bike ride, I pushed pretty hard and kept up about my best pace ever- about 16 mph average for the 15 miles. Naturally, I paid dearly for that on the rest of the ride. The run after that? Pathetic. Rocks, roots and tourists! And of course by now I'm completely whipped. I know we went to eat afterward. And I know there was ice cream in a thunderstorm. Other than that, I'm a little fuzzy on the rest of the day...

The preceding paragraph describes my entire triathlon training program...

So for race weekend we rented a 'condo' in Laconia. Let's just say I've stayed in worse places. Friday night was Anna, Jill, Jill's dad Dave and me. Don showed up on Saturday. Of course overachievers Jill and Anna were there to do the half-iron distance (70.3 miles) on Sunday.

Saturday morning I got up absurdly early and went to Ellacoya State Park. I had racked my bike the night before so all I had to bring to the transition area was my personal gear- Helmet, gloves, cycle shoes, running shoes, socks, coffee maker, biscotti, microwave oven...

I went back to my truck and had frosted flakes for breakfast. They're GRRRRREEEEAT.

We lined up for the swim start. 97% of the other athletes were wearing wetsuits. I'm wondering what the deal is- The water isn't cold. Come to find out it's about flotation and speed. Well who knew?

I'm a terrible swimmer. Not to say that I'm uncomfortable in water- I love the water. That love however does not automatically make one efficient or fast when trying to move through it. It is enough to simply report that I made it from point 'A' to point 'B' before nightfall. Actually, my time for the 1/3 mile swim was 00:16:15. Not the slowest time but darn close to it!

Between each sport, there is the art of transition. I say art because my first transition from swim to bike took 00:04:29. Long enough to make coffee, eat a biscotti and reheat the leftover coffee in the microwave. Slow. That's me. Anyway, I got my cycle gear on, with my helmet on correctly and headed out of transition for the bike portion.

New Hampshire has hills- Oh yes it does. The bike race took me 01:02:37. I wasn't disappointed with that since I'm a 'rider' not a 'racer.' I noticed that even though I was getting dropped like a bad poker hand going uphill, I was screaming past real triathletes on triathlon-specific bikes going down the hills. I think triathletes like and train for flat roads- They just didn't seem all that comfy going fast downhill. I actually enjoyed the bike race quite a bit- It felt like it went by very quickly.

Back into transition for a quick costume change. This transition took only 00:02:50- Barely time for an espresso or two. Then out onto the run course.

The run. Did I mention I hate running? My legs did not want to move. My quads felt like they would be in full blown cramps any second. After probably a quarter mile I started to feel better. I did a run/walk interval and actually did better than I thought- 00:35:13 for the run. The run is basically up hill on the way out and downhill on the way back- I have a feeling that it's better this way but I didn't like it much at the time. I saw Jill, Anna and Dave on my way out of the transition area- I think they may have been surprised to see me- I had been figuring around two and a half hours for the tri.

Final time: 02:01:21. I could have cut down on that quite a bit by skipping the trips to the deli while in transition. In retrospect, I'm glad I took some extra time. The extra time kept me from making mistakes. On Sunday while watching the half-iron distance event, I saw a pro come out of the swim-bike transition wearing an aero helmet backwards. Do you know what a triathlete wearing a full aero helmet backwards looks like? Correct- He looks like Toucan Sam of Froot Loops fame.

I really enjoyed the tri. I can see how people get hooked on it. I joined USA Triathlon. I'm planning a bunch more for Summer 2009. I'm nuts.

I have a few more races to post up. I'll get 'round to that soon.

Where was I?

Oh yeah- I was gonna talk about the triathlon I did back in August. I will. Eventually.

In the meantime, I'll recap the last few races I've blasted through. Well not really blasted but you know what I mean.

10/26/08 Lynn Woods Trail Race. In Lynn. LYNN! Yeah- Good times! 40 minutes for a 5K. It was the one ridiculous hill that did me in. Holy crap! I mean, I know I'm slow- But seriously! It was fun nonetheless. Alyssa ran the 9-mile version. It was a definite 'bite-me zone' day for her. I continues my experiment... a medium Dunkin' Donuts coffee and a plain donut before the race~ It seems to work but I need to experiment more... Oh- the winner of the 9-mil race ran like 6 minute miles. Freak.

11/02/08 Busa Bushwack trail race. Framingham. It's not Lynn!! Me, Alyssa, Kyrsten and some other friends. And our own cheering section: Alyssa's Mom and Dad. A medium coffee and two donuts. (Yeah- two donuts- It was 5.3 miles.) A fun run. Kyrsten overslept (The end of daylight savings time- Only happens EVERY YEAR!) and caught up to us after the race actually started. I actually did OK (For me...) 1:10:32. I think I'm worse at trail running than regular (?) running. It's definitely harder to fall into a rhythm. I took a couple of excellent diggers toward the end of the race. A little blood is cool! After the race, the bunch of us went to Dunkin' Donuts. I had a pumpkin donut. It was good. :o) After breakfast, Alyssa, her Mom and Dad (Annemarie and Earl) went to Bernardi Toyota to look at new cars for Alyssa and torture sales people. I pity the foo' that tries to put one over on Annemarie. I do love making car sales people squirm! Fun times!

11/27/08. Feaster 5 (K or miles- K for me!) in Andover. Too many dogs, too many strollers. It's become a bit of a Thanksgiving Day tradition but I think I might have to look for a new race next year. Kyrsten and I were honorary members of Alyssa's team. They ran the 5 mile race. I ran the 5K. (Why run more when you can run less?!) Even though I ran the shorter race, I wasn't actually sure I'd finished before them! (I did, believe it or not!) We ran into a bunch of Team in Training people. It was nice to be there with so many friends. Oh- And when you finish, you get pie! :D

12/6/08 Mayor Higgins Hot Chocolate Run, Springfield. I went out to Springfield to run this 5K with Kirsten (K1) and Allan who live near there. Due to a comedy of errors, I never actually found them! I did, however, run a 5K PR (A PR for the last few years at least) of 00:33:33. The course was great and the race volunteers were terrific. The hot chocolate though, was not. There is a two mile walk along with the 5K. The walk starts a half hour before the run. Do the math. The walkers cleaned out the first batch of hot chocolate long before myself and rest of the penguins got back. By the time I actually got to the front of the line, the 'hot' chocolate was somewhere between room temperature and 30 degrees. This race seems like it's one of those events that's outgrown it's infrastructure. I might do this one again if I can: A) Find K1 and Allan, and; B) Have chocolate that is, in fact, hot.

So anyway, we're up to date. Well, except for the triathlon. I'll get to that eventually.

Blowing the dust off...

...of this blog!

Yeah. I know. It's been like six months. Get over it.

So let's see... Where did I leave off?...

Once the marathon was behind me, I started working more with the Team in Training cycle team. In June, the team traveled to Lake Tahoe for a century (100 Mile) around Lake Tahoe. Tahoe is a world-class place. The ride is America's Most Beautiful Bike Ride (aka AMBBR- which isn't really much easier to say...)

I've done the 100 mile ride several times. So in one of my more lucid moments while training for the marathon, I went ahead and registered for the 35 mile boat cruise ride. I'm not so dumb after all. So after seeing the team off outside the hotel, I went back to my room, changed into my cycle gear, shaved, watched TV for a few minutes and then got on my bike and rode about 2 miles to the marina. Once I got there, some nice kids loaded my bike onto the Tahoe Queen and within a few minutes, I was having a lovely continental breakfast in the main salon. Good coffee, good crunchies and a beautiful cruise across the lake.

When we got to the other side of the lake, the captain did an impressive piece of maneuvering to bring us dockside. There was a strong onshore wind trying to push us the wrong way. I don't know if you can tell, but that boat don't turn on a dime! It's got a couple special features for maneuvering but still- A nice piece of seamanship!

On the bike. Geez- the ride is much easier when it's only 35 miles! I averaged about 14 mph back to the hotel. (Pretty good for me!) It's got one of the two most challenging climbs- Spooner Summit. I got to do the other one the day before on the team shakedown ride. (Emerald Bay)

One of the neat things about this ride was that I was able to get back to the hotel, shower, change and get back out on the course. (In the rented Chevy Trailblazer- Not my bike!) I fixed a few flats, shouted a lot and got to see most of the team.

It's a terrific event; a huge event for Team in Training and it's always so great to see so many people who never thought they could accomplish such a challenge succeed. Recruiting starts soon. Get a bike. Sign up. No whining.

Oh yeah... Fat Man Running!!...

Maybe just a little list...

May 2008: Hoyt 5K in Waltham. Perhaps you've heard of Rick and Dick Hoyt. They sponsored a 5K in Waltham. This is where I got smoked by the nun pushing the kid in the stroller. Smoked badly too. 00:36:05.

May 2008: Boston's Run to Remember. I did the half marathon. I'm an idiot. However, my finish time was under three hours for the first time. (2:59:38) OK- so not under three hours by much. The only running I did between the Boston Marathon and the Run to Remember was the Hoyt 5K. More on that later.

June 2008: North Medford Club 7 mile trail run. 1:47:00+. Just ugly. But I won a spaghetti strainer thingy in the raffle!

June 2008: The New Charles River Run 5K. A fun race. I just cannot seem to get a 5K in under 35 minutes. I think that's because I suck at running. 00:35:09. Shoot me.

July 2008: Peaks Island Road Race. It's on an island. In Maine. It's cool. There is Ice cream. Who cares how fast you run? 01:01:15. It's pretty hilly for an island. Really. (Motel 6 in Portland, Maine. Don't.)

September 2008: Canal Diggers 5K in Worcester. Another neat Sunday morning race. Relatively small field. Lt. Governor Tim Murray ran it also. I didn't see him. He, like just about everyone else, is faster that me. I did however, get it done in under 35 minutes! 00:34:49.

September 2008: Lake Tahoe Marathon 5K: 6,200 feet above see level. I did a 20 mile bike race the day before and didn't really feel the altitude. Running was another story. I'm embarrassed to post a time of 00:37:51. It was good enough for third place in my age group. (Out of three runners.) Actually, I could have beaten the guy who came in second. But really, who cares? :o)

October 2008: ING Hartford Half Marathon. Let me recap my training for this half. Boston Marathon, Hoyt 5K, Run to Remember Half Marathon, 7-mile trail race, Charles River 5K, Peaks Island 5 mile, Canal Digger 5K, Tahoe 5K. No training runs at all. (Well one 2 or so mile training run for my triathlon) and a 5K as part of the Timberman Sprint Triathlon. (More on that later.) So by not training, I have a new PR (Personal Record) for the half marathon distance of 2:58:28. Yeah- Not exactly blazing speed. I think it might have something to do with not actually being injured! It's a cool race. I ran the half because Kirsten from Team in Training and her sister Kim of 'How hard can it be- It's only a bike ride' fame? (Before showing up and riding the 109-mile El Tour de Tucson on a 30 pound hybrid bike with no training at all.) ran the full marathon together. Jill and Kirsten's husband Al ran the half also. (Al was pretty fast!) Kim had energy left after the marathon to run around with the mylar blanket she got at the finish line like a cape shouting "I'm a super-hero!!, I'm a super-hero!!. I hate Kim. Kirsten ran with an injury and was not quite up to leaping tall buildings. But everyone finished! A good time was had by all! A special treat for the half marathoners but not enjoyed by the full marathoners, was a run through part of Hartford where there were at least four or five cops per block. And they were NOT there to direct traffic! Professionally speaking, I found it very entertaining- Apparently, not only were there water stops but there were beer stops too! Who knew??!!

October 2008: Manchester NH Police Dept. Footrace for the Fallen 5K. 00:35:22 (Gun time- I was just under 35 minutes but of course, like always, I forgot to stop my watch at the finish line.) Jill Martha and Jay came out for this one. I ran into a bunch of people I knew. Martha and Jay won some lovely parting gifts in the raffle. Some of you know that I work for New Hampshire Marine Patrol during the summer. I noticed looking at last year's race results that there was no one from NHMP entered. I sent an email around to the guys I work with in southern Rockingham County. Kyle stepped up. Kyle runs all the time. He's running the ING New York City marathon in November. Kyle ran to 12th overall in first place in the male 20-29 division. 00:18:17. Imagine if he actually trained for the 5K distance. I hate Kyle too.

The triathlon deserves it's own entry. Since I'm at a caffeine deficit right now, I think I'll post on that later. Stuff to do, peeps to see, blah blah blah. So more later... Triathlon, Montana sapphires, four-wheeling in Nevada. Exciting stuff!!!

Dirt!

It's seven miles- How bad can it be?

Bad.

I did a trail race Sunday with Alyssa, Anna and crew. The race was in Fitchburg and sponsored by the North Medford Club. When I was registering for the race, the little voice said: "5K, 5K..." Did I listen? Do I ever? So I signed up for the 7 mile race.



The weather was pretty hot but it wasn't bad in the woods. Of course I slid off a rock after about 1/50th of a mile into the race and took a pretty good digger. I was already in last place so it didn't matter much. That sort of set the tone for the rest of the race- I fell at least four or five more times. I'm blaming it on the shoes. Gotta get trail shoes. Or maybe not do trail races. Decisions.

I never really hit any kind of stride or got my breathing right. With the varied terrain, I had a hard time finding any rhythm. Kind of like the difference between mountain biking and road cycling. The course was very nice and extremely well marked. Very scenic. Who knew you could find that in Fitchburg??

Alyssa, Anna, Christine and pretty much everyone else did really well. I was also impressed by the male/female ratio. Maybe there is something to this trail running thing.

Time? 1:47:00-ish. That's about a 15:20/mile for you math whizzes. Hey- it was a fun event and at least I didn't get trashed by a nun.

You all know how I feel about Crocs. If you didn't, you do now. :o)