Running For T3

Xterra Trail Race at Hickory Run State Park

2011-06-05T15:19:00.007-04:00

I spent this weekend in the Poconos, and at the last moment I noticed there's an Xterra race next to where we're staying. Since Xterra is quite a famous organization, I couldn't miss this. So on Saturday, June 4th, we went to the Hickory Run State Park for this seemingly tough race.

I was expecting to see a big crowd to identify the starting place, but there were just a handful of cars and a few dozen people there. Almost everyone seemed to be some hardcore, ultra-running mountain expert. And there I was, the "city boy", used to running roads and very rarely on trails (at the Jersey Shore, so not really mountain trails). They didn't even have bib numbers for us, just some sticky tags to put on the shirts. We were warned about the difficult sections, about black bears and rattle snakes, about injuries, etc. We were also counted (45 runners), just to make sure everybody comes back alive. The race was advertised as 10k+, actually 6.5mi on the website, but the RD said it's probably more like 6.8...

Anyway, we started through a campsite, then down a paved road, then into the woods, and to a stream, just we had to cross on big boulders (though most locals took the easy way through the water). And then up for about a mile, and a narrow single track through thick brush. Hard to pass, although I did pass someone (not without some elbow contact, sorry...). There were people on my heels all the time, but I think I'm pretty good at defending my position on open roads, so there's no way I'd let anyone through on singletrack. At one point I hear a loud thud and groaning behind... I look back and saw a girl went down. So I'm thinking... 1 down, 44 to go. The worst part was the mud section, maybe a quarter mile of hopping to avoid to wet slush. Here I lost contact with the people ahead (but the guys behind refused to pass me, saying they prefer to follow my line). Eventually, I caught up with the people ahead, who were walking. It's because we were at a section with fallen trees that we had to carefully climb over.

Finally, at the top of the hill we found a wide grass road and here the race opened up. I passed a few people, and I was passed, but at least everybody got a rhythm. It all ended with a steep climb, almost straight up. Normally, I'd walk up such a hill, but since the two girls ahead were "running", I pretended to run too. And from there, we started a steep descent on rocks. Yes, if there's anything worse than a steep ascent, it's a steep rocky descent. One of the two girls dropped back, so it was just me, with a muscular older girl and an orange-shirted guy. They were right in front of me, but I started losing ground, since the terrain was way too rough. My feet started slipping, and my ankles were hurting like hell. I was afraid I'd fall at every step, and soon, every step became very painful. At the bottom of the hill, there was a section just with rocks, with no trail in sight (but with a volunteer to direct us). From there it continued with many roots and rocks, but at least I wasn't losing ground any more to the 2 runners in front.

I remember hiking in this park, and it was a hard trail even for hiking, so running was quite hard for me. We were again on singletrack through thick fern. The orange guy tumbled, rolled over, and continued running with no problems. Minutes later, I hear a loud groan and an avalanche of cussing words. I looked around me, but there was absolutely noone behind (and I had a good view now). I was right at a huge fallen tree, so I had to go around through the ferns to find a place to cross it, and as soon as I went over I saw the muscular woman getting up. She sprained her ankle and said she'll try to walk it out. So as we hit around the mid-point at some railroad tracks, I was all alone. Noone behind, and almost noone in front. Well, I could see an orange spot through the trees from time to time. The trail was just a bit easier now as I was going up past a trout stream. At times I'd hear sounds or voices around, but must've been animals, or maybe hikers.

You might think I was struggling with this course, but even as I'm not a big fan of trail races, I was really loving this event! The change in landscape, difficulty, challenges, they were suddenly appealing to me. I loved every moment of it. And the best part of the course was just starting now: About a mile on a comfy wide path through rhododendron tunnels. Huge plants arched over the trail, creating an awesome effect. From time to time, the trail would sink down, to a rocky stream crossing, where the rhododendrons were so thick it looked like a green cave. I was enjoying this so much that I had the feeling I was cutting into the orange guy's lead. And when we hit the big climb on a grass road, for the final mile of the race, he was right ahead of me. Actually he was reeling in the yellow guy, one of the tough dudes who I noticed at the start, believing he's the coolest person in the race. Warming up, stretching, sprinting, grunting like a pro. This final climb was a relentless ascent, with very steep portions. Orange guy passed the yellow one, and with a strong push I passed the "expert" myself.

Too bad my GPS was losing signal for most of the course, so I had no idea how much I had left. But I kept climbing quite strongly, with only a few steps of walking breaks on the steepest sections. Then the path flattened out a bit, and I decided to save some energy for a final spring to pass the orange runner, but all of a sudden the big stream from the start was on our left, and with a few leaps on the rocks, that was the finish line!

Anyway, it was an awesome race. I did 1:02, so there's no way this course was 6.8mi... maybe the 6.5mi advertised on the website. And even as I thought I raced very well, I only ranked 33 out of 45 (probably my worst ever percentile ranking), but still had a blast.

Hazlet and Eatontown, two 5K's, same results

2010-09-07T16:50:00.006-04:00

The off-season is over! Like I said before, I'd been in "vacation" made, waiting for the stork to come, and planning to go back to racing once the baby agrees to it. Colin was born on Aug 19th, and everything was good. After a few days, I was working out again, and since the baby didn't mind it at all, I decided to do my first race as a father on Aug 28th.

During my break, I thought it would be a good idea that the few, shorter workouts that I was still doing should have a purpose, so I found my heart rate monitor and started using it again. Actually, I never did any serious HR training. I'd use it sporadically, and actually haven't worn it this year at all. So my HR targets were very vague, and based on measurements taken more than a year ago (RHR at 48, MHR at 192).

As soon as I started using the HRM I realized I wasn't working out anywhere close to where I should be. All my training runs were way too slow. At least that explained my lack of improvement in sprint races. I had a few decent 5K's in the spring (mid 30's, with a season's best of 22:21), but then I hit a big slump, over the summer finishing all my races close to 24 minutes.

And since I still didn't know how my heart works in a race (never in my racing years have I used the HRM in a race!), I decided to wear it for the first time at the Hazlet 5K. This was a first-time event, right in my neighborhood, starting at the nice Hazlet Swim & Tennis Club, and going up and down the busy Main St which was completely closed to traffic! Racing conditions were perfect.. lower 60's, no wind, no humidity. It was a great turnout for a first-time race, 245 people! And after they gave me the race number, I noticed there were timing mats at the start and finish. But where's my chip?? Well... it was attached on the inside of the bib number! First time I see this technology, so no more need to strap it to the ankle, or on the shoelaces.

So the plan was to go as hard as I can, and try not to look at my watch to check out the HR, so I'd race like usual. Then, at home, I'd download the data and analyze it. I was more excited about my experiment than by the race itself, and I really didn't care about my pace or finish time.

My splits followed the usual pattern. I fast 1st mile (cause by running way too fast from the start) - 6:53, a slowing 2nd mile - 7:28, hanging on for the 3rd - 7:32, and an all-out spring on the final .1 - 6:05 pace. Finish time was 22:38, which is my fastest since early April! Still far from where I'd like to be, but at least I'm back in the game! I was very satisfied with this. I finished 27 out of 245, 7/20 in the age group.

Now getting to the HRM data, I stayed around 175 in the first half mile (although that's where I was sprinting hard), then went up to 180 for the next mile or so. The rest of the race was in the 181-184 range, even as my pace was slightly decreasing. The big surprise for me is that at the end, it spiked up to an unbelievable 196! This is way over what I had calculated as my MHR. And it's not a glitch from the Garmin, since it gradually rose to that value. The first thing I thought is that I'm not as old as I thought I am (based on the basic 220-age formula, this makes me 24 years old).

Five Romanian runners in this race!

The following weekend, on the Labor Day Monday, I did another short race, the Eatontown 5K. My first time here, and was pleasantly surprised with the organization. The race was hosted at the Sheraton, and they put out a nice spread, with fruits, bagels, coffee and more. At least after the race we could sit down on the patio and have a normal breakfast, all included in the $25 race fee. They also had tons of raffle prizes, some nice ones like $50 gift cards to local stores and restaurants. I didn't win anything, although the drawing ceremony took almost 45 minutes after the race and it seemed like everyone else was winning!

Now back to the race... It was a very chilly morning, but by the time the race started (a late start, at 9:30) it was getting sunny and much warmer. Still very good race conditions. The roads were familiar to me since I used to work right there on the course. The middle section through neighborhoods was very nice and quiet, a very enjoyable race.

And at the end I got the EXACT same time as last week: 22:38! So at least I'm very consistent now. My mile splits were also a bit more consistent: 7:05, 7:14, 7:31 with 6:06 over the last .1. Same decreasing pattern, but I'm happy to see them stay together. If I wouldn't drop so much over the last mile, I'd be even happier. I finished 20th out of 189, 5/12 in my age group.

The two races got me confident that my speed is back on track, and if I work on it I might see more improvements this fall.

Belmar Duathlon for Autism

2010-08-03T17:29:00.005-04:00

This Sunday was the 2nd annual Tri/Du for Autism in Belmar. I liked a lot the inaugural race last year, so I went back this year. The course is along the beach in Belmar, Lake Como and a bit of Spring Lake, and it is completely closed to traffic (because otherwise the beach traffic would make competing impossible). There were about 500 people at the start, most of them doing the triathlon. Me and about 100 other people did the duathlon: 2mi run, 11mi bike, 5k run.

The duathlon was also my last scheduled race for this season. Now the stork may come at any moment, so I don't have anything else on my calendar. Doesn't mean it was the last race of the year, since I might do smaller races in the fall, but it will be last-minute decisions, depending on the baby's cooperation.

I'm not as well trained as last year, so I had no hopes of a PR, but I wanted to do my best, give it all on the course, especially since I'll have plenty of time to rest after this. I went hard on the first run, and especially on the last half mile I forgot there's a bike ride coming up. I finished in 15:31 (7:46 pace) which is slower than last year by 8 seconds, but I'm happy with the time.

There was a malfunctioning mat when exiting T1, so I don't have T1 and bike times... Organizers said the mat signal interfered with police radios, so whenever a cop was near a timing mat, people missed results. Luckily, there were no cops at the finish line, so everyone got an accurate total time. But T1 was quick for me and then I went on the 3-loop bike course. I went as hard as my current fitness level would allow, averaging 19.2mph. Over two minutes slower than last year, when I was in great cycling shape, but it's still my fastest bike average of the year! The course got very crowded after the 1st loop, with many beginners zig-zagging on the street or riding alongside each other, so I had to be very cautious. At times, I didn't even stay aero, because I wanted to be close to the brakes. There was also a lot of drafting. Three bike lengths apart?? I don't think I ever had room for three bikes between me and the closest competitor.

But there were no incidents, except for a bad crash, a rider ending up in the hospital, but it was a mechanical problem, not a collision. The turn around point after each loop, despite the chaotic setup, went pretty well too. Just to give you an idea, it was a 2 lane road, with a bit over a lane used for the 180 degrees turn around, and two more lanes coned off: one for exiting towards T2, and one for the oncoming runners.

I had a pretty fast T2 (1:32, exactly like last year), and then went on to the final run, first around a lake, and then an out-and-back along the beach. I went really hard here and caught up with a lot of people. I passed more than I was passed, and ended up with a huge improvement over last year, by more than a minute: 25:18 (8:10 pace)

Final time was 1:18:35 (last year it was 1:17:08). I'm happy with that, I made up a lot of the time lost on the bike during that final run which really felt great. I placed 29 out of 104, but only 4th in my age group, so I didn't get the hardware that I got last year when I was 2nd.

NJ State Triathlon

2010-07-28T19:23:00.004-04:00

I've been doing the NJ State Triathlon (Olympic distance), for 4 years, practically from my first year as a triathlete. I have improved a lot over the years (from 3:24 in the first year to 3:03 in 2009), but I still have get under that elusive 3 hours mark. If you want a PR, the NJ State course is the best place, given the flat bike and run course. This year I haven't trained as hard as in past years, but I had some strong running and swimming PR's, so I was really hoping I'll go under-3. The main hurdle seemed to be the fact that the bike course was almost 2 miles longer this year (it was short before, and the new one is 25.5mi, so longer than the standard distance). Another problem was the heat. We're in the middle of a heat wave, and the day before we hit 102 degrees in the afternoon. It was expected to be scorching hot this day too.

SWIM
In my first Oly, I had a dismal 1h+ time for my 1,500m swim, but that went down to 51 minutes in the 2nd year, and 42 minutes in the third. All these were without a wetsuit (since the Mercer Lake is usually very hot in July). Then, last month at Black Bear (with a wetsuit) I hit an unexpected 36 minutes, even though that was the second day after a sprint triathlon. Honestly, I was secretly hoping to get to 30 minutes, But it was the swim where I was hoping to make up for the 2 extra miles on the bike. The lake was unbelievably hot. 88 degrees, and as I went in to warm up, I had to accommodate to the heat.

In the water, it felt like the Cayman Islands or Honduras waters that I visited this spring. There was no questions about wetsuits, and I knew this might slow me down a bit. The swim itself felt good. Was getting into a rhythm, never felt too tired, the only problem is that I kept swimming of course so I was pretty much zig-zagging, at least in the first half. I passed some people, and hundreds of other passed me. But however, my time was an extremely super-disappointing 51:29. I'm trying to figure out what went that much wrong, and can't find any explanation. This is slower than 2 years ago. Fifteen minutes slower than the tired race last month. Could the extra distance I swam account for all of this? I'd rather not even think about this anymore... I didn't feel dizzy as I used to be after a long swim. I went through T1 in 4:31, which is pretty good for me (I'm a slow transitioner)... among my better times.

BIKE
The NJ State course is almost completely flat. The roads are good, and this year the course seemed almost completely closed (most of the busy roads were closed to traffic, or we had at least one lane coned-off for us). Normally there's no wind, but this time the breeze was quite welcome. Last year I averaged 19.8mph, but this year I knew I wasn't in such a good shape on the bike, and I hoped I can get around 19mph (although it felt like quite a stretch). I felt strong on the bike, I went quite consistent, and tried to think that there's a run afterwards (sometimes I tend to go all-out on the bike, and then crash on the run). I finished the course in 1:22:15, which averages (officially) to 18.6mph. But there's a very long section in and out of transition, over a grassy hill, so that result can't be always accurate. My bike computer showed exactly 19mph for the actual bike ride, so I have to be very happy. My T2 was great. At 2:51 it's my best ever Oly transition, so at least I got one PR on the day!

RUN
I felt pretty good at the beginning of the run. I used to have my legs fried from pushing too hard on the bike, but this time it was all good. But also, it was very hot. It was almost 11:00 and the heat index was supposed to be around 96 at that time. I've done long runs in the heat, or short fast workouts, but never a longer, tempo effort in this kind of heat. I started quite fast, but soon the heat hit me hard. I couldn't breathe (the air was very thick), and while I didn't actually cramp, a lot of muscles seemed to be hurting. Since I knew my time goals are all gone, I had one more goal left. I was doing this race with my friend FLorin, who was at his first ever Olympic tri, and since he's a very good swimmer, he built a huge lead, so he was almost 10 minutes ahead of me when we started the run. But I couldn't let him beat me, after all I've been working at this for 4 years :) So I started in pursuit of him. after about a mile, he was 6 minutes ahead of me. One mile later, the gap was just 4 minutes. So I kept my hopes up. Already, lots of people were walking. Others were stretching on the side of the road. Some were doubled over and throwing up. The only reason I had to stop was to take a piss, since it had bothered me since one minute after getting out of the water (couldn't it have happened just a couple of minutes earlier??).

After the first 5k section, we went by the start/finish area and started the second section, and here's where it started getting worse for most competitors, because the second half was all exposed to the sun, with no more tree cover. It was scorching hot, and I'd say 60% of the people were just slowly walking. I'm happy to say I never had to stop (except at the water stops, since I can't really drink while running). I used all the 3 Gu gels on the run. At each water stop, I drank one water, poured another one on my head, and drank 1 or 2 energy drinks (they have Heed... quite bad, but there's carbs and electrolytes in there). Except for the first faster mile, I kept my pace quite consistent (even in its slowness). At the final turn-around, around Mile 4.5, I caught up with Florin, so my objective was accomplished :-) They also had ice cold towels at that point, so I put one on my head, under the hat, and that gave me a final wind to push through the rest of the course. I don't remember ever passing so many people in a Oly tri run. My run time was an abysmal 1:03:28 (10:15 pace - my slowest for an Oly), but I'm happy with it in these very hot conditions.

As for the final race time, it was a PW (personal worst): 3:24:32. Barely slower than my first one, when the swim took an hour, and I couldn't run at all. Minutes slower than Black Bear, which was the day after a sprint, and it had all those steep hills. But if you ask me, I'm not as disappointed as I should be. I felt like I gave one my best efforts ever. The conditions were grueling, so just finishing seems to be a victory. It's only the swim that bothers me, but I'm sure it was just a glitch. And well, now I need another one to get under that elusive 3 hours mark.

There's some better news when I'm looking at the relative ranking. On the bike I was about in the top half... had been much better ranked, but for my current training level, I'm more than happy! And also, top 51% on the run, which I've only been able to do once before in an Olympic race, and I was 7 minutes faster then! So apparently the hot run was hard for everybody, and I didn't just suck. Overall, I was in the top 73%, which pretty much ties my best ranking for this distance. 3:24 now puts me in the same percentile as 3:04 in much cooler weather.

The race was again flawlessly organized by Larry and Michele from CGI Racing. Their races are always the best, and they're getting better. And by the way, another nice touch was the misting tunnel at the end, where you could get in and get sprayed with cold water from all the sides, the perfect finish to such a hot race. After eating 4 hotdogs at the Jersey Shore Tri Club tent, we stopped at the Tavern on the Lake in Hightstown, where I had the perfect recovery meal: a huge bacon cheeseburger with fries, and a full pitcher of Sam Adams. And now it's time to put triathlon to the side, and get ready for our first baby!

Sheehan Classic 5M in Red Bank

2010-06-24T16:08:00.003-04:00

The 5 mile race through Red Bank, celebrating the memory of local runner George Sheehan, is still one of my favorite runs. While I do it for the fun of running with 2,000 of people through the familiar streets of Red Bank, Fair Haven and Little Silver, I never go to a race without a goal. This time, my goal was a new 5-mi PR, which according to me recent training times, was very tangible. My previous PR, from last July, was 39:39 (7:56 pace)

Since I did the race with a few other friends, I got to the downtown in time (unlike last year, when I got to the start line right when the gun went off). I warmed up and was ready to go, but I placed myself too far back from the front of the pack, and I had some trouble moving up on the narrow streets. On the other hand, this held back my usually explosive starting speed, so I didn't get too tired too soon. Still, the first mile was 7:42. Second mile was 7:45, and I was well below my PR pace. And what was even better, I wasn't going very hard. It felt like I was coasting to a PR, I didn't have to go all out. I got relaxed, maybe too relaxed, as we turn around in Fair Haven, and the 3rd mile dropped to 7:55, right at PR pace, but I was still counting my time reserve that I could afford to lose on the second half.

The 4th mile was a disappointing 8:08 as it was getting quite hot. I went through each water splash that people were making with their hoses, and I also got a cup of water from each water stop. Then, on the last mile, I got to the infamous hill, not a very big one, but short and quite steep, and placed right where you're beginning to get ready to finish. I slowed to a crawl and on top of the hill I realized my timing was quite tight!

I sprinted down the hill, headed towards the turn on Broad street, and with a quarter mile to go I was running as fast as I could. Only when I could see the finish clock did I relax a bit, but I still crossed the line at maximum speed. Last mile was 7:34 (fastest of the race), and more importantly, I got my PR, 39:09, a 30 seconds improvement!

After the race, a Sheehan tradition, having a cold beer by the river, the perfect drink at 9:15am! And I'm relieved by knowing that I didn't use all my resources in this race. If I'm doing the Belmar 5 in July, I can still hope for a new PR.

Black Bear, Part II: The Olympic (aka Groundhog Day)

2010-05-27T23:01:00.004-04:00

Yesterday, after the Black Bear Sprint, I just stayed at the house and chillaxed. Got a fistful of vitamins and amino-acids, kept eating and drinking, and tried not to move too much around.

In the evening, I set up my race numbers, packed my bag, had a beer, ate some pasta, and tried to go to sleep earlier. After all, I had to wake up at 5:45... And probably because of the stress I woke up on my own a few minutes before that. We drove to the park (about 20 minutes away), took my time setting up the transition, then started the struggle of getting into the wetsuit. In the meantime, the announcer was making jokes about how all wetsuits shrink over the winter, and it has nothing to do with our bodies. Since the swim start was on a different beach, I walked over there, and went in to warm up. Being around mid-May, the water was probably colder than I've ever swam in for a prolonged length of time (around 62 degrees). I took a few strokes around, trying to get used to the polar water, and was happy to notice that the lake was very clear.

I was, like so often, in the first wave (elite and 40 and under), so we were the first to get to the starting line (an in water start). The GO signal came and I started, like usual, at the back. I'm still not very comfortable in open waters (or, well, in swimming in general), so I prefer to stay out of the washing machine...

OK, I have to admit I cheated here and just copied the previous two paragraphs from yesterday's race report. Everything between 8pm and about 8:15am was almost exactly similar. I felt like Bill Murray in Groundhog Day... The only difference was that the weather had completely changed. It was rainy and chilly, and right until arriving at the park there was a thick fog over the mountains. But at least it wasn't raining at the start.

I've always been scared by any swimming distance over 1,500m, so I was cautious about this one too, although I was so pumped up after my fantastic time the day before. And everything was going well, until the turn around when my shoulders and upper arms were feeling the fatigue... I'm sure I lost at least 2 minutes while going very relaxed (maybe the equivalent of walking breaks on the run). But I got out of the water in 36:55, which is by far an olympic distance record for me, after doing 42 minutes last year. A 6 minutes PR!

I was glad to be out of the water, and knew there won't be any more PR's from now on. And I had no real time goals, since it was obvious it would be my slowest Oly ever (all the other ones I did were on flat roads, and without racing the day before). Maybe I was hoping to get under 3:30, but time was not important at all. I hoped to survive the super hilly bike course, and really hoped that the weather will cooperate. With all those long fast downhills, rain could be a major factor. And it started drizzling as soon as I got on the course, but light enough so the roads didn't get wet on the first rollers. I was going very easy, like a training ride, and my only plan was to be able to run well afterwards, and not to have to get off the bike on any big hill.

People were mostly passing me on the first section. At one point, a girl came very fast from behind on a steep hill, and as she went by I realized she wasn't really a girl, and admired her athleticism. After she passed, before getting away, I managed to notice her age - 62. The rain stopped soon enough, and I survived the first big climb - Sheller Hill - pretty well. Then, we had the only flat-ish section of the course, and finally I could get in a good rhythm and started passing back some people. But I had to stop and get off the bike for two reasons: peeing, and wiping off my sunglasses, because I could barely see through them, and I knew the big downhill is right ahead. Oh, and it started raining again, which got me really worried, knowing very well there's a steep, twisting downhill for the next mile. I decided to make it as safe as possible, maybe even control the speed by breaking. But once I started flying down, I remembered the joy of fast downhills. But I didn't get aero, I kept my hands near the breaks, and I stood up to create some wind resistance. I didn't go faster than 35mph, and didn't use the breaks, until the bottom, where the descent ends with a sharp left turn. They had volunteers lined up 100 yards up to warn people about the turn, and I finally squeezed the breaks, and guess what? All that happened was a hissing sound, no slowing down. I was really planning to go past the turn, slow down, and come back, but eventually the bike slowed down enough for me to turn. Oh, and I had my left foot unclipped, in case I needed to put it down.

But everything was OK and I got back to the main road, but it was really pouring now. There were a few annoying rollers, and then a short steep climb. We got there in a small group, and we managed to stay together all the way to the top, there were maybe a couple of riders who dropped back. And I also noticed I couldn't grip the handlebars anymore! My palms were cramped! I didn't even realize how hard I was squeezing the bars on that long downhill, this never happened to me to have my palms in such pain! We rejoined the sprint course right at the Lovitt Hill climb, and on the wet road it seemed longer than ever. I started to zig-zag across the road, and I was just hoping I won't have to do the walk of shame (which a few others were doing).

And now, that final long descent, 3 miles in pouring rain. This must be my favorite part of the course, I eventually defeated my fears, and went aero, flying down the road! The worst thing is I could barely see, because of all that heavy rain hitting my shades. That final evil wall at the bottom was really a killer. I saw two cyclists coming down the wrong way, to get some momentum to be able to get over it. My legs were dead by the time I was over the top, and I did all my best to slow down, spin easily, and relax my muscles before the run. My bike time was 1:37:28, for a 14.8mph average, really pathetic in normal conditions, but I was very happy with it today. And I can't even imagine how did I do this bike course twice, during my first Half-Iron...

Finally, the last leg of the race - the two-loop out-and-back run course. With maybe one exception, I always struggled on the Oly run, maybe because I tend to go all-out on the bike. So my plan was to go really easy, thinking of this, maybe, as a HIM run, and hoped to be able to run the whole way, no walking breaks. So I took my time along the lake, into the woods, and the first mile was 9:39. Not bad at all. Going through the woods, on the dam, turning around, I slowed down a bit, to 9:53, but it was still better than the 10 minutes mile I was expecting. A lot of people were walking by now, so I was passing many of them, which kept my morale up. Coming back to the finish area, I managed a 9:43 mile. As I started the second loop, the crowds thinned, since many of my "competitors" were actually finishing the second loop, and the race. I was feeling great, and clocked a 9:38 mile.

The course now looked like a death march, which reminded me of the HIM. At least it wasn't raining anymore, and it was nice and cool, but people were really struggling. Once on top of the dam, I realized I don't have to fear a break-down anymore, and put down the hammer, clocking 9:28 on the 5th mile. The point of mentioning each mile split is that, to my surprise, from the 2nd mile on each and every mile was faster than the previous one, and it went like this till the finish! It's the opposite of what's usually happening to me, gradually slowing down towards the end. On the final, 6th mile, there was nothing left to hold back, and I went under-9, to 8:52! The finish area was great, with lots of spectators lining up the chute, making a lot of noise, so I broke out into a sprint (8:30 pace on the final .2mi).

It was an awesome Olympic run! I did 58:40, way better than I was expecting at the end of such, a long race weekend. It's my 2nd fastest Oly run time, and even the finish time, 3:22:01, was not my worst ever (my first Oly was slower... but what I lost here on the bike, I more than made up on the swim - that first Oly swim was over an hour for me).

And so ended my hardest race weekend of the season. And it wasn't even that hard. I made two speed races into an endurance one, and I tried to treat it as one single long race. At times, it felt harder to cover that distance in 2 separate days, as muscle fatigue hit me on the swim and bike this 2nd day, but after the fact, I found it easier than I expected it to be.

I have to thank Larry and Michele Redrow again for organizing such a flawless event. I'm looking forward to doing another one of their races in July, the New Jersey State triathlon. This time, the Olympic event will be a speed test for me, as I'll definitely try to PR. And very curious how the swim will be, if I'm rested and I train for 2 more months.

Black Bear, Part I: The Sprint

2010-05-27T21:34:00.005-04:00

Black Bear... a place hard to forget, so many milestones happened there: my first ever triathlon 3 years ago, then my first Half Iron 2 years ago. Both quite painful experiences, but they say "pain is temporary, pride lasts forever". So although I vowed never to return here, this year I signed up for Black Bear again, not once, but twice! This year, they replaced the HIM with an Oly, and they put the races on two different days, so I signed up for both the Sprint and the Oly. It was supposed to be the main challenge of the year for me, because it's not your usual Sprint, as the races are on one of the toughest bike course on the East Coast. So would I be able to get a decent performance out of both races?

I got to Beltsville State Park in Lehighton PA on Friday night, and somehow I was only remembering the good things about those memorable triathlons I've done here. I tall looked so familiar, although they changed a bit the transition area. And looking at the lake, for the first time ever in my triathlon career, I looked at the buoy-lined course and thought it's not that long (I'm usually terrified by looking at the water).

Back at the house, I set up my race numbers, packed my bag, had a beer, ate some paste, and tried to go to sleep earlier. After all, I had to wake up at 5:45... And probably because of the stress I woke up on my own a few minutes before that. We drove to the park (about 20 minutes away), took my time setting up the transition, then started the struggle of getting into the wetsuit. In the meantime, the announcer was making jokes about how all wetsuits shrink over the winter, and it has nothing to do with our bodies. Since the swim start was on a different beach, I walked over there, and went in to warm up. Being around mid-May, the water was probably colder than I've ever swam in for a prolonged length of time (around 62 degrees). I took a few strokes around, trying to get used to the polar water, and was happy to notice that the lake was very clear.

I was, like so often, in the first wave (elite and 40 and under), so we were the first to get to the starting line (an in water start). The GO signal came and I started, like usual, at the back. I'm still not very comfortable in open waters (or, well, in swimming in general), so I prefer to stay out of the washing machine...

I'm the one in black with a silver cap

Being a sprint, there are a lot of beginners in the race, so I was passing more people than I'm used to. Almost unusually many people, I was passing right, and left, and in between. The turn buoy came way earlier than I was expecting, so I went on sprinting towards the exit beach. I don't remember ever swimming that fast in a race, I had to go to breathing every stroke over the last 200-250 meters.

The big surprise came later in the day when I was able to check my swimming time. My fastest mile pace ever had been 43:54, last fall. Well, today, I swam the 650 meters in an astounding 12:09, which translates to a 30:33 min/mile pace!! It was not just faster than I'd ever swum, it really crushed my previous best time. Not to mention that I've never come out of the water this fast, and I'd done some much shorter races.

Next, T1. It may not sound like a lot to you, but my transitions are quite slow, especially T1 when I'm still confused out of the water ordeal. So my 4:02 transition was actually my fastest T1 ever. The race had just started, and I set two personal records. But that was about it.

The bike course was just 11 miles, but extremely hilly, and my plan was to hold back from going too hard, so I save my legs for Sunday. I tend to go really hard on the bike, so I had to fight my instincts and hold back. I still passed a lot of people, but I also got passed a lot. On the last hill before getting off the main road, a kid on a fat-tire mountain bike passed me! I was so surprised, but I knew the biggest hill on the course was coming up and I could already see him hitting the wall and dropping back. The Lovitt Hill is a monster, steep and neverending. And that kid wasn't going anywhere. He led the way as we passed two full pelotons of riders, and then he took off and I didn't see him again. But I made it in one piece to the top (while many others were walking their bikes up). From the top we began a long easy descent for about 3 miles. This was probably the best part of the race. I went down in aero and started spinning the pedals on the downhill road. I got up to almost 40mph, as I was going down almost head first, it was an amazing feeling!

Right at the bottom of that descent, the sadistic organizers put up a sharp right turn, and after the turn an evil extremely steep hill, almost like a wall. In past years, I've seen people scrambling to downshift here, dropping their chain, and falling down. I have the advantage of having ridden this course plenty of times, so I knew to get ready, but getting over the top was still a struggle. Then it was easy cruising into T2. Not a very good average (15.8mph), but considering the very hilly course and the fact that I was holding back a lot, I was content with it. Plus, it's the fastest I'd ever gone at Black Bear.

T2 was 2:06, seconds from my fastest triathlon T2 ever. Then I headed out on the scenic Black Bear run course. It goes along the lake for a half a mile, then into the woods, all on trails. I wasn't pushing at all, and I felt like I could go much faster, but I knew this is just the beginning of the weekend. People were going past me easily, but I just enjoyed the scenery. Out of the woods, we went up on the Beltsville dam, and we crossed it half way to the turn-around point. Coming back, towards the finish, I was easily cruising, despite encouragements from volunteers and other runners to go hard, cause the race is almost over. It was an unusual easy finish, since I tend to go all out towards the line. Running time was 26:13 for 5K, or 8:28/mile, my 2nd fastest triathlon run ever, only seconds from my best one.

So, a very successful first stage of my race weekend, that I completed in 1:26:17. Time is irrelevant in a non-standard sprint, but my final ranking, 140th out of 324 is the first time that I finish in the top half of the racers. Even more, I had the 178th swimming time, almost at the halfway mark, but so different from my usual "among the last ones" placements. Even my bike placement, 99/324, was my best ever in a triathlon!

The organization was top notch, as it's always with the Redrows and CGI Racing. They told me there's about 4 crazies that signed up for both races, so I felt like part of an elite few. I was a bit scared about next day, not sure how I can handle an Oly after a hard triathlon, especially terrified of the swim distance! But well, it was just an Oly, right?

Pier Village Duathlon

2010-05-21T09:56:00.003-04:00

The day after my 10k PR in Colts Neck, I went to Long Branch for this very fun duathlon staged near Pier Village. It's a short, fun event, where I can always see many familiar faces, because it's close to home and my tri club (Sandy Hookers) is organizing it. New for this year was the prize money, not bad for a local race, which attracted a lot more people than usual, including fast ones who normally wouldn't waste their time on just a sprint duathlon.

The distances were 2mi run, 9.5mi bike (which was actually 10 miles), and 3mi run. Well, as soon as I started doing some strides for warm up, my legs remembered the hard effort from yesterday... But the first run along the Long Branch boardwalk was good, 15:23, which is actually a one second improvement over the last (and only) time I did this race, in 2008.

As soon as I got on the bike, I had the feeling that nobody else was racing. People were so slow that I was passing 4-5 at a time. And it went like this for miles. Must've passed at least 30-40 people. Probably those fast runners who didn't plan for the bike part... I was jumping from rider to rider, and I guess I got a lot of drafting as I was moving wheel to wheel. It was fun, even with the very twisted course, with many sharp turns. Nobody passed me until about the final mile, when two guys went past. The bike average was 19.1mph.

The second run was a bit harder, but never felt very tired, I just kept a constant pace, with a faster final mile. I did 23:36, so at 7:52/mi it's not bad, considering they were part of a 5-mile run, the day after a 6.2 race. And it actually got quite exciting at the finish... A fast girl came up right behind me, and I accelerated, she did too, I went faster, people were cheering for her, yelling at her to push and get me, which only made me angrier so as I heard her footsteps right behind I was forced to break into one of my fastest sprints ever to the finish line (Garmin shows a 6:00 pace for the last .2 miles). Oh, and she didn't get me.

Final time was 1:13:37, ranked 86 out of 273. I also have to mention T2 which at 1:23 was my fastest ever transition in any kind of multisport race.

Black Bear weekend coming up next weekend, sprint on Saturday and olympic on Sunday.

Colts Neck Gallop 10K

2010-05-17T14:18:00.005-04:00

On Saturday I picked a very low-key 10K race as a hard training run before my 2 triathlons next weekend. Colts Neck Gallop 10K advertised itself as a 1st time event.... However I've done the exact same course 5 years ago, as my first ever 10K, but I remember it was in the fall. So maybe it IS new, just using the same USATF course.

I could say that it was just a training run and I had no time goals, but that would be a lie - I always go to a race with high hopes of winning an award or hitting a PR. But my 10K PR of 49:57, from 3 years ago, seemed quite unlikely to reach. Maybe because I'm 18 lbs heavier than I was at that time.

The course is very scenic, through the quiet streets of Colts Neck, among impressive mansions, in a lush green landscape. There was a very small crowd at the start - only 54 people. And again, like at the CASA 5K race, I started very fast and found myself in the lead right from the gun. This time I had no problems following the course, as I was right behind the lead police car. This "in the lead" thing is becoming addictive, a great adrenaline rush to start a race.

Of course, that wasn't exactly my place, so after about a quarter mile people started passing me, and it was mostly girls. The course was easy rolling and after the first fast mile (7:20) I settled into a normal pace for a 10K race. Well... maybe too slow as the next 2 miles were a bit slow, at over 8 minutes. And all my hopes of an unlikely PR were falling apart at the midpoint, as I was way below the target pace, and I didn't see any way of having a big negative split.

You see, I have a mental problem... once I have no clear goal in a race anymore, I easily give up. And as my time goal was gone, I slowed down even more. But I had one thing left - the desire to win an age group award, so I looked behind and saw a guy who looked about my age. So I made the decision to make this a "race" - meaning going for position, not for a specific time. But that guy seemed to get closer and closer so soon I was pushing the pace again. And unfortunately, the second part of the race was mostly uphill, and there are some steeper hills. That guy was relentlessly pushing from behind, and I noticed that I'd only be able to pull away on uphills, some downhills, and hot sunny portions. I always thought I have a competitive advantage in the heat and on hills... so, well... if you wanna beat me, you have to do it on flat shaded roads.

But with all that pressure, my pace dropped significantly on the fifth mile. And then another runner joined behind me and I faced the strongest attack from behind with about a mile to go, when I could actually feel them on my heels. It took a lot of effort, and luckily for me there was a long hill ahead and I took off. I was back to a 7:38 pace on that final mile, and one of my chasers had dropped, leaving just one behind me.

Turning around on the last quarter mile I faced a headwind, and I knew this is only gonna help the one behind me, so I put it all on the line and sprinted to the finish. Until seeing the finish clock in the distance, I didn't even realize that I was WAY under my PR time. I actually lost the runners behind me, and crossed the finish line at 48:13!!! Incredibly huge PR of almost 2 minutes!!

Looking back, this felt as one of my strongest racing performances ever. There are a few past races that I can still remember very well, and they're all races where I was able to come back and have a very strong finish. I have a feeling this is going to be one of them. All I needed was a little pressure from behind, and I managed a big negative split on the uphill portion of the course.

My time was good for 2nd place in my age group, this being the second award of the year (after winning the AG at Indian Trails). I was still unsure, after this big effort, about how the duathlon on Sunday was gonna go, but I had achieved enough for a weekend, so I was planning to just have fun with the Du.

Long Branch Half Marathon

2010-05-03T14:58:00.002-04:00

There's not much to be said about this event, so I'll be brief.

I was well trained for this race, so I had high hopes of beating my PR of 1:52:37. I even lined up with the 1:50 pacing group, hoping to hang with them for as long as I could. But not even a mile into the race I got a bad feeling about this, as I was all sweating and almost unable to breathe. There were over 80 degrees at the start, and very humid. By the end, the heat index was at 95F.

But I stayed with that group for the first 4 miles, then I couldn't keep up any more. I decided to settle for just a PR, but by Mile 6 everything started falling apart. It was so hot I couldn't run anymore. Close to Mile 8 I gave up all my plans and started walking. I should've just pull out, since this was a waste of time, but I remembered I've never quite a race ever, so I'll just crawl to the end. But 5 miles was such a long walk in that heat. I walked/jogged for the next miles, as people started dropping on the sides of the road.

Close to Mile 12, we returned to the boardwalk for the final stretch, and with the cool ocean breeze I found my running legs again, and I ran pretty hard to the finish line. But it was a weird scene... the course was lined with sick people who were dropping like flies. I can't even imagine what was in the mind of marathoners, who had to do this all over again, and it was just getting hotter and hotter.

My finish time of 2:11:17 is my 2nd worst ever. I did a training run 2 weeks ago, and it was faster. In October at Bassman, my Half Marathon after a 1.2mi mi swim and a 56mi bike ride was about the same.

But now, to put things into perspective, I finished around 1500 out of about 5300 finishers. That puts me in the top 29% of those who finished the race, something I've done only once before. Even when I hit my PR, I was in a lower percentile. It makes me feel a bit better about this disaster, and it was obviously my fault to think I can run in that abominable heat at my regular pace. And it gets me back to the fact that I still perform "better" in the heat, compared to my competitors.

New Season is Starting Fast

2010-04-12T12:22:00.006-04:00

Over the past 8 days, I attended three races, and they were all very good experiences. While not technically the first races of the year (I did a low-key 5K in chilly January), they're the first events since I started my spring training.

Background
Since we got the great news that we're gonna have our first baby at the end of August, I planned for a very short and relaxing racing season. I deferred my registration to the SOS Triathlon, and for the first time since, well, my first season in 2005, I'm not planning any long race, like a Marathon or a HIM. Instead, I'll focus on shorter events, and try to get a bit faster. This doesn't mean less training yet, as I routinely logged 6-7 hours workout weeks, but I'm leaning towards more intense efforts.

Race plans
My first important race will be on May 2nd, the Long Branch Half Marathon. Just before that, we'll go on a week-long Caribbean cruise, which will be an important part of tapering. Three weeks later, I'll be returning to the Black Bear triathlon, although I vowed never to do that again. But I guess I have a love/hate feeling towards the Bear. It's there that I did my first ever Sprint Tri, and also my first Half Ironman. The HIM was an exhausting painful experience, as that is one of the hilliest courses in the Northeast. But this year they replaced the HIM with an Olympic, and the Sprint is the day before, so I thought... Why not do both? It should be quite a challenge, doing those two intense very hilly races back-to-back. The only other major race planned is the traditional NJ State triathlon in July. In between I'll do any 5K, 5-miler, sprint triathlon or duathlon that falls on an open weekend.

Sgt Pat 5K
The first race mentioned above was the Saturday before Easter. A 5K along the windy Long Branch boardwalk. Last year I did it right after my injury, on a very rainy, stormy day. Not too many people showed up, and I ended up with a 3rd place age group award. But this time the weather was a bit better, although still very windy and cold. I had struggled with my speed since that 2 months break last spring, due to a broken toe, but I felt like I was coming back. However, that 22:02 PR still seems very hard to attain again. Last year I couldn't get faster than 23:26, but at that January race I hit 22:51, and I had hope again.

Running through the cold fog

The race was right along the ocean, and it had a strong headwind on the first half. But like I always do, I started very fast, maybe too fast, and clocked a 6:32 first mile. Then the wind really hit me and I struggled to the turn-around. On the way back, I pushed as hard as I could, but I'd used most of my energy at the start, so I finished in 22:21.

Wait, 22:21!! That is an awesome time, well under my goal. Just 19 seconds from my PR, and my 3rd fastest time by far! And I ranked 63 of 608, so almost in the top 10%. So this race was a great confidence boost at the beginning of the season.

Saluting my show sponsor

CASA 5K
One week later, I went to a much smaller 5K race in Ocean Twp, in the Joe Palaia Park. Still windy and cold, but maybe not as bad as last week. It was a low-key event sponsored by a children charity, and there were maybe 150 runners at the start.

I started very fast, like I always do and... a few seconds later I realized there was no one in front of me! That was a really weird feeling, it never happened to me! I know I jump at the gun with a 6 minute pace, but there were fast people in the race, including Luciano DeOliveira who's a consistent 5 minute miler and wins most 5K races around here. I looked around, and him together with everybody else were a few steps behind me. That kept me going even faster, and then I get to the first turn. Hmmmm. I never bothered about directions, because I always had someone to follow in a race. Big decision time. Well, I took the turn, and I was still in the lead. And I kept leading for the entire first quarter mile, for a 5:34 pace. It was exhilarating, and if you've never led a race, you should try it at least once!! It's quite a strange feeling when you do it the first time, but I guess you can get used to it.

Leading the field

DeOliveira and someone else caught me after 1/4 miles, and I ran with them a few steps before dropping back. Coming around after half a mile, near the announcer at the start, I was still a comfortable 3rd place, with a 6:03 pace up to that point.

Still in 3rd place

But then as we headed into the woods and around a big loop, a lot of other runners easily passed me. I still clocked a 6:38 first mile, but then I couldn't keep up the pace anymore. Also, after that onslaught of passers, no one came close to passing me again. I was dreaming of an unlikely PR, until we got to the XC section of the race. Because of flooding on the last half mile, the course was detoured on the grass. And I don't perform well on non-pavement, so that last half mile was about 15 seconds slower than the previous ones. I finished in 22:28, but I was still very happy. And I'm sure that without the grassy part, I might've had a faster time than last week.

Still, I finished in the 12th spot, clearly in the top 10% again. And I know that with a little more speedwork, I can have a new PR this year.

Indian Trails 3M
This is a very familiar race for me. It's organized by my triathlon club (Sandy Hookers), it's right in Middletown, and I often bike on that course. There's also a 15K race going on, and most of the hundreds of people are doing that. It would sound like the 3 miler is more for beginners, but a few years ago I discovered that it's an easy way to win an award. In fact, I got 1st place age group 2 years ago, and 3rd place last year (when I was still recovering after the injury). So this time I came with the goal of reclaiming my age group title.

The course is a difficult one, with a huge climb in the first half, and a fast downhill at the end. I started more conservatively, knowing that after the initial long steady climb will come the big uphill on Serpentine Rd. The 3-mile course splits right before this climb, and from the huge crowd that's trotting forward, it's only a handful of runners that take the detour. There was a guy ahead of me and two more guys passed me right away. I managed to pass 2 of them before the top, and then on the flat portion on the ridge I put some distance between me and the chasers. I let my feet loose on the downhill, but I couldn't get any closer to the guys ahead. From the top, I could see all the way across the bay, to Sandy Hook, Verazzano Bridge, and the New York City skyline in the back, but closer to me there were just two runners visible.

At the bottom, there's still a painful, neverending half a mile sprint to the finish, but I didn't push too hard. I kept looking back to make sure noone will catch up, and cruised on the final hill to the line. My time was 22:11 (over a minute faster than last year, but slower than my PR). I finished in 8th place overall, and, as planned, I won the age group again! Another morale boost for the rest of the season.

Aftermath
A few hours after the race, we went on a recovery bike ride, and we ended up on Serpentine Road again. I'm not even sure which is harder: running up, or biking up. Well, when you're running, at least you can't stall and tip over. Somehow, I got enraged at that hill, and stood up on the pedals and sprinted up that friggin road.

On Friday we go on vacation for a week (not before a 12-mile training run), and then I'll be back for the half marathon. I hope to get a few runs in on that big boat...

FARC Winter Series 5K

2010-01-17T21:21:00.002-05:00

My first race of the year was supposed to be more of a fast training run, but ended up with a totally unexpected result, my only 3rd time ever under 23 minutes! Last time I did under-23, Bush was still president...

Last spring I had a broken toe and couldn't run for 2 months, which kinda set me back quite a lot in running speed. The best I could do last year was 23:29, so for this training race, my secret goal was to beat that time, although, being the off-season, I would've been happy with 23:40.

It's a low-key winter series in Freehold, NJ, just $5 entrance fee (no tshirts, but good spread for Dunkin Donuts). I wanted to do a race, so I get some competitive workout, but the previous weekends it was incredibly cold, so this was the first warmer weekend of the year (mid 30's). The nice weather attracted more runners than usual, probably around 150.

Disaster struck right at the start, as my Garmin battery died. As some of you know, I'm a total slave to gadgets, and can't properly function without a constant input of numbers... So I was left to following my gut and trying to gauge my effort based on intuition. It's not just the pace that I'm missing, but not knowing where I am in the race, how much more I have, and how much energy I should still save.

So I went out hard (like usual), and got a 7:00 first mile. I was following this guy that I knew from other races, and he seemed untouchable, until around mid-point, where I got ahead and never saw him again until the finish. Around Mile 2 it got very hard... 2nd mile was 7:30 and I had a hard time maintaining my pace. Then with about half a mile to go, as I was fading away, my friend Tom came from behind and pushed me on the final stretch. I went over my limits, to match him stride for stride, and this resulted in another 7:30 mile (I probably recovered over that last half mile). Tom easily outkicked me, but I got a surprising and completely unexpected 22:50!!

22:50 is my 3 fastest time, and fastest in 15 months! And it's only the beginning of the season. I wasn't seeing myself going under 23 too soon, maybe towards the end of the season, but from here it can only get better! The race was a great morale boost to start the season!

Navesink Challenge 5K

2009-11-30T23:54:00.002-05:00

Well, coming back to this race... 5 years ago, this was my first ever race (finished in 30:01), so it will always be special for me. It was never a great race for me, but it's still one of my favorites. After my debut, I did the 15k race once, and then last year the 5K again (bad experience, too late in the season, in the middle of my resting period), and on Sunday I also did the 5K since I'm in no condition now to run 9+ miles of hills. Because it's a very hilly race, it's always up or down, with the exception of the start and finish. And it's always way too cold.

The start was quite weird. It took me completely by surprise, I wasn't paying attention, I was somewhere in the middle of the crowd, I hadn't even warmed up properly. I usually start very fast, staying with the leaders for a minute, then slowing down a bit, but enough to give me a very fast first mile, often under 7 minutes (in my better races). But here I slowly got moving in the middle of the pack... So far back that for the first part of the race, on park trails, I had to slalom around and pass people who seemed like they weren't even moving. So confused I was that I thought maybe it was the wrong start, the one for the 15K race, and that's why everybody is so slow. As we were heading out of the park, I ended up asking someone what race this is, he must've thought I'm nuts... or a first-timer. Anyway, the initial momentum was gone, and I decided to do it as a tempo workout, hard, but not all-out.

The out-and-back course is very tough, about 3 long hills each way, cresting with a very steep top. It was really hard going uphill, but I was still passing lots of people. Then, as I approaching the turn-around, I saw only a small bunch of runners coming back at me, so I started counting and there were only 14 guys ahead of me. After turning I said, what the heck, let me go for it, maybe I can make the top 10 and get some hardware! I passed one guy right away, then my club mate Lence on a hard uphill... I wanted to tell him to join me and catch up to the other guys, but I was so out of breath that I couldn't say any words. So I was 13th with one more mile to go. The 2nd mile was my fastest of the race, which is very unusual, for me it's usually the slowest, between the fast start and the final push to the finish. I could've probably gone a lot faster, but it was so cold that I couldn't breathe the air in anymore.

I could actually see the 3 runners ahead of me (my target), and I went as hard as I could after them, but with no success. Seemed like every time they'd appear to slow down, I was slowing down too, and when I was accelerating, they were doing it as well. Must've been related to the road's incline. Anyway, the distance in front of me didn't change at all. But at one point, I looked back, and there was no one behind me, as far as I could see over to the last hill. Taking the turn into the park I realized it's pointless and I won't catch up... I heard someone coming fast behind me and just didn't do anything about it, I let him pass and just prodded to the finish.

Well, I never expected this to be an awesome race, I was just hoping to beat my time from last year (24:49), so I was surprised to see a finish time of 23:26. Far from a PR, but it's actually a SB (Season Best). It hasn't been a good running season for me, with all that injury that kept me from running for 2 months, so it's nice to finally see some improvement. My position was also pretty good, 18th overall, 14th male, out of about 200 runners (or maybe even more). Now there might be one more race this season, if not, I'll see you next year!

Run with Dennis 3.5M

2009-11-09T22:44:00.002-05:00

Sunday I did the already traditional Dennis Zilinski race at the PNC ArtsCenter in Holmdel. This race was started 4 years ago as a tribute to this soldier who died in Afghanistan. I always liked it because it's for a good cause, it has a patriotic vibe, with all the army cadets running, and it's very close to home. I did it on the first edition, then again next year, and took a break last year. But since I had nothing else planned this weekend, there was no doubt I'd be there.

I was looking for some redemption after my 5K from two weeks ago. I usually post here after every race I'm doing, but the Great Race of Middletown was so bad I didn't feel like writing anything. I have all the excuses I need - 3 weeks after BassMan, in full off-season mode, with very little training. But still I didn't expect it to be so disappointing. I lasted for 2 miles, and then it all fell apart, like in some of my first races ever. My pace over the last mile was comparable to the pace on mile 13 of the Half Iron. I love stadium finishes, and still I almost felt like stopping on the final lap on the track. Even cheering from the mayor and another township committeeman didn't help, and it was one of my worst racing experiences in recent years. Time: 23:46

At this weekend's race I was looking to recover some of my morale. In the past 2 weeks I stepped up my training a bit, although not by much. The race is 3.5 miles, a very non-standard distance (this is the only event where I've ever run that distance). And since it always comes at the end of the season, the times are not too relevant. The first year I did 27:11, the second 27:50, but that second time it was extremely cold - like low 30's. I really didn't have time goals this time, although I thought it would be nice to PR. I gotta say this is a very hilly course.

Before the race, we had an emotional ceremony dedicated to Dennis Zilinski and a few wounded soldiers, then the army cadets started to run in cadence, and soon after the race started. I kinda like the course, although it may be described as one of the least glamorous imaginable: through the parking lots of the ArtsCenter. First, there's a loop through the surrounding park, and I started quite fast, keeping in contact with the race leaders. Of course, I got tired pretty quick and started getting passed. After a few ups and downs, the course went downhill to the bottom of the parking lot. It helped me recover my pace a bit, and I kept running pretty strong. After about a mile, we headed down again, through the woods, to the overflow parking lot. I like running fast downhill, so I passed a few people here, before getting to the big loop around that second lot. Everything was going good, but I remembered the last race, when I crashed shortly after the midpoint. We went back, and of course we had to go up that hill. I slowed down a lot, but apparently less than other runners, because I picked them one by one. I was exhausted at the top, and I wanted to conserve some energy, since this wasn't a 5K, so there was still a lot to go. All this time, I had in my sights the cadets formation which started 5 minutes before us, and I wanted to catch up. We went down again, under the highway, and then did a 180 to come back. I caught up to the cadets running their cadence around their and it was pretty cool. The were singing and running very disciplined, and people coming from the other side kept applauding. So I felt pretty bad passing them, but I had to do it and started the big climb towards the finish. It was getting tough here, but I was feeling pretty well, and I wasn't fearing a collapse any more.

As I could survey the parking lots, I realized most of the people are behind, and there weren't too many ahead of me. And a PR seemed very doable. We went on that rolling loop that we did at the start, and my pace was strong, but couldn't do any faster, especially on the uphills. Final turn, and seeing the time on the clock I just coasted to the finish, no big kick for me. The official time was 27:04, but since I started quite back in the pack my Garmin showed 26:58, which was like a far-fetched goal of mine (under-27). And yes, it was a 13 seconds PR!!

Besides the actual time and the PR, I was most satisfied with the strong race and consistent pace. Considering the extra distance and the very hilly course, it was on par with my short races earlier in the year (7:42/min pace). And my final place - 30th out of 329 (top 9%) proved to me that I did pretty well considering the difficulty of the course. I know this year my running performance was derailed by the broken toe in the spring, but I hope to come back much faster next year.

One more final comment. My Great Race of Middletown time was not that bad after all. Pretty much what I was doing 2 years ago.... And this weekend pace was even slightly slower. But 2 and 3 years ago, the Zilinski pace was much slower than 5K. Anyway, that race 2 weeks ago might've been just a stupid race, where I went out too fast and then fell apart in the last part. This weekend it was much better, as I held a quite even pace.

BassMan HIM

2009-10-05T14:41:00.010-04:00

BassMan Half Ironman
Bass River State Forest, NJ
October 4th, 2009
1.2mi swim / 58mi bike / 13.2mi run

Intro
After 3 failed attempts, this time I was really determined to finish a Half Iron under 7 hours. Something went wrong each time so far, even when I was well trained, like one year ago at JerseyMan (when the course was poorly marked and I logged lots of extra miles). This time I picked a flat easy course, I trained as well as I could, and kept my morale high.

Training
No matter how perfect I wanted everything to be, of course it didn't happen, since I'm busy with so many other things. Swimming had always been my main problem, and this summer I didn't train that much (as total yardage). However, I took a few lessons, and I like to think that my form and stroke has greatly improved. I was hoping the two would compensate, and I'd get something around 55min (my PR from the spring). I biked about the same as in previous training cycles, but I had a lot more long rides. This should've given me confidence and left-over energy for the run, where I always struggled. Despite a being able tun run an HM under 1:55 on any given day, the HIM run was never faster than 2:30, and everything was falling apart once I was on the run course. Running itself hasn't been my focus in training, but I did more long runs than before.

Race morning
The main concern about this race had been the weather. October is quite late in the season for NJ, and for a while, the forecast was showing cold and rain. A few days before the race, the rain disappeared, and the temps were slowly increasing. From a high of 60 a week ago, the race day forecast went up to 75. Water temp though was something to be scared of. Since it's been so cold in the past weeks, I knew it was gonna be freezing, despite the RD's claims that it will be in the mid to upper 60's.

Anyway, when I left from home that morning, it was pretty warm, over 60, and very humid. And there was an incredibly dense fog, sometimes I had to drive around 40mph on the highway because I couldn't see anything. And of course, like usual, I got to the start (Bass River State Forest) late, about half an hour before the start. Luckily, instead of 8:00am, the race didn't start until almost 9, so there was plenty of time, maybe too much. I took my time setting up transition, and walked to the water. Once I got in, and dove into the lake, I got brain freeze! It wasn't just cold, it was friggin freezing. People said it was 60, colder than I've ever swum in. I've cramped before in cold water and I knew it was going to happen for sure this time.

Swimming
Lake Absegami is a small clean lake, known to be a bit shallow. The course was a double loop, .6 miles each. I felt so confident about the race, that I didn't have time to freak out about the swim (as usual) until I was on the beach. But I kept repeating to myself that I've largely improved due to the lessons. As soon as people started swimming (didn't hear any announcements, gun, etc), I easily settled in a constant rhythm. No panicking, no hyper-ventilating, just my regular stroke-stroke-stroke-breathe like in the pool. About 5 minutes into the swim, I could see the bottom very close, and I noticed a guy walking. So I stood up and start walking almost waist deep!

If you heard people saying that you move faster swimming than walking through the water, that's total BS! I walked for maybe 50 yards, and passed two people! Then we turned right and went across the lake. I was so happy with my swim! For the first time in my long triathlon swims, I felt really confident. The last HIM at Rev3 was pretty good, I didn't have to take any breaks and I felt quite good, but I still remember saying to myself a few times that I don't wannt do any more HIM's because swimming is just too awful.

Was I really doing everything Coach Mike taught me? Of course not. Many times I'd remember something he said to me like 1,000 times, and start doing it (like kick harder, push all the way back, rotate the shoulder to reach further), and I'd probably forget about it after 2-3 minutes, but some things must've stuck to my head, so I was doing them instinctively. Not sure if I was swimming much faster than before, but it felt easier. I didn't get tired, and I finally found a rhythm. I still don't feel comfortable and people try to swim over me, but there weren't very big crowds, except at a turn, when a wave from behind caught up with me and it was really like a dishwasher. After the final turn, heading towards the beach, the water was very shallow again, so I stood up and water was at my knees at one point! I walked even more than in the first part. I don't consider that cheating, and I didn't lose any time since I was running was fast as others were swimming (and they quickly dropped me once I resumed swimming).

Near the beach, the lake got really disgusting. The weeds on the bottom were really tall, and the water was clear, so you'd see all the crap coming at you. It got to the point where you couldn't stroke wihtout getting your hands tangled into the grass and I was even feeling it on my face. Then I turned right and started the 2nd loop. No problems at all, never freaked out, felt strong all along. I remember, in most races, that I'd be focusing on the next buoy, or next turn, which would never come, but this time I was surprised how fast everything was going by me. I think seeing the bottom (be it rocks or weeds) so close gave a false sense of speed. Again I walked at the two shallow spots and then swam real fast to the shore. Well... at least to those tall weeds which were awful. At one point, I had grass hanging out the corner of my mouth. Yuck! But I got out, not as dizzy and confused as ever before.

Swim time: 52:41
That is a swim PR by almost 3 minutes! I think it was great. And my pace per mile, 43:54, is the fastest I've ever done in any triathlons, including half-mile sprints! Thanks Mike!!

T1
I always struggled with T1, because I was almost sick getting out of the water, and needed time to lay down and clear my head. But this time I felt very normal. Just had to struggle taking off my wetsuit, get the bike gear one, and get out.

T1 time: 4:44
Another PR by a minute and a half. The first two HIM's, T1 was over 7 minutes.

Biking
The bike course was as close to perfection as you can dream of. 2 loops through the woods, shielded from the wind, and completely flat (the course profile looks very spiky, and that's because the scale only goes from 0 to 60 feet). Nice roads, long straightaways, very low traffic, scenic forests. Each loop was 29 miles, for a total of 58 miles, so 2 miles longer than the standard HIM distance.

My previous HIM's were very hilly (except JerseyMan which was just mdoerately hilly), so there's nothing to compare. I had rental Zipp 808 wheels from Cycles54 (thanks Christian!), and the bike just felt fast. In previous races, I was totally spent after the bike, and running seemed impossible. This time I could keep going strong without using maximum effort, due to the easy course and very aerodynamic wheels. Getting out of the water so late, I had plenty of riders to pass. I was passed on the course only by a handful of people, it was mostly myself doing the passing. For long stretched of road, I was comfortably spinning at 20mph, and the miles were going by really fast. Around mile 10 we turned into the woods (the state park, I mean, because most of the course was line by woods), where we had some rollers (by rollers I mean 10-20 feet high bumps). It was an opportunity to pass more people on each such bump, until we got to THE hill. The biggest spike on the course profile, it was a "monster" 40 feet hill. I was somewhere in the middle of the cassette so as soon as I couldn't spin fast anymore I stood up and sprinted up on the pedals to the top. Both on the "climb", and on the "fast descent" (where I reached the top speeds of the race, around 27mph, I passed tons of other riders.

Back on the main road, it was flat and straight back towards the start. My average was 18mph, pretty good, right where I wanted it to be. Approaching the halfway point, I was feeling unusually comfortable, like I could go forever. No sign of tiredness, no pain, just some very mild allergies. I noticed some nasty maneuvers too, like two separate groups of two people drafting each other, switching positions, totally illegal in a triathlon. Even more annoying was when one of the groups passed me, and they cotinued in front of me side by side, so I had to go around to the middle of the road (eventually, before the end of the race, I passed and dropped both these drafting couples).

Turning around to start the second loop, I was still feeling very strong. Going out of the park, I found a large group of racers in front, maybe 10 of them, and passed them on by one. There were a couple with each I kept switching positions, which made the race more interesting for a while. At this point I started experiencing some pain in my previously broken toe, and got a bit worried. Nothing serious, but I still had a long run ahead. Then I noticed I had a similar pain on my other toe, so I realized it might be because I was pedalling too hard. I switched up a gear, increased cadence, and the pain went away in a few minutes.

As we entered the woods and the "rollers" started I passed a few more riders and then I was all alone, from mile 39 to almost mile 50. It was so weird, I couldn't see anybody ahead or behind me. You could even think I was lost somewhere, if I didn't see people still coming up on the other side of the road. But it was extremely lonely on my side. I was getting just a bit tired and probably slowed down a bit, but I checked and my average was still 18mph.

Since the first lap, I felt an urge to pee, but I didn't want to stop. Despite all efforts, I still couldn't get myself to pee on the bike (not sure if it's mental or physiological). But with a few miles to go, I couldn't hold it anymore so I pulled over. What followed was like a scene from a bad comedy with bathroom humor... It kept going and going and going, and I was like ok... here we go... alright... seeing a bunch of riders coming up from the distance.. let's finish here... hmmm... lalalalala... riders geting closer... when does this stop?... riders passing by... and ifnally done. It was probably a 2 minutes stop, including stopping and then resuming. And I was pissed off that all those people that I'd passed were now ahead of me. I felt motivated again and put down the hammer to the end, picking up a few of those guys (although I only caught up to the group just at the dismount line).

Bike time: 3:15:04
A PR by 18 minutes! The official average is 17.8mph, but my computer shows exactly 18.0 (because of the pee stop and the long run to and from transition). Actually, that part was really bad, a long sandy run, where cleats got clogged with dirt, as well as the tires. And bear in mind that the course was 2 miles longer, would've been under 3:10 for 56 miles.

T2
Like after the swim, I always neded extra time in T2, mainly because I was hurting from every muscle in my body, not to mention some cramping (meaning I usually laid down to change and relax a bit). But I felt strong and anxious to get running.

T2 time: 3:21
PR by about 30 seconds

Running
I was really worried before the run. In my previous 3 HIM's, I couldn't run out of transition. I had to walk, or pretend to jog, and I hardly found a good rhythm. Only at Jerseyman I could find a nice rhythm, but only after about 6-7 miles, and after lots of walking. As for the other 2, I walked almost half the "run" distance.

Heading out of T2 at BassMan however was a breeze. First thing I noted was that I had about 2h45 to meet my 7 hours goal. Sounds easy, right? Except that 2 of my 3 previous HIM "runs" were over 2h45! But this time I felt so good that I didn't worry about it. I felt as fresh as possible.

Now, the course itself kind of sucked. Not just because it was very twisted, with plenty of out-and-backs and repeated loops, but of the road surface. Maybe just 3-4 miles were on pavement, the rest was on rocky trails and narrow wood paths, not to mention to sand. It was more like an off-road race than a regular triathlon. But it was still all good. Even too good to be true, that was my thought. But first mile was under 10 minutes, so was the next, and the next. Each of the first 5 miles were under 9:50... I don't think I ran more than a mile or two under 10 minutes in 3 previous Half Irons. And I was feeling too good, that I was afraid I'd eventually crash and it would become a disaster like the previous races. I knew I could go faster, but I was holding back, to save resources for the unexpected. I was trying to remember Thor's advice to go easy the first half, and then see what I got left for the 2nd half.

So after running on a sandy path, we headed on a narrow wood trail to a turn-around, came back, got back to the road, went to another turn-around, and came back towards the finish at around mile 5. Although the course was so complicated, I gotta say it was very well marked, and the volunteers were very helpful and fun (nice cheering groups). If you paid attention, there's no way you could get lost. The only "decision point" was at the finish, where you'd go to the finish line if you were on the second loop, or turn right towards transition on the first. Being just 5 miles in, there's no way anyone could've cheated and pretended they're on the 2nd loop.

I was just starting toying with the idea of going under the 6:30 mark, which would've sounded so unbelievable even the day before. I could easily do it even with slightly over 10 minute miles, but it was getting harder and harder. We had to cross the beach, on soft sand, then on a single track trail, and back on roads for a big loop. But apparently there are still limits to my endurance, and couldn't hold it anymore. The slowdown was quite significant, as the next 6 miles were all in the 10:20 - 10:40 range. Well, it's still a lot faster than I was planning (I was shooting for a 11:00 average), but the 6:30 goal was slowly slipping away.

The good part for my morale was that I was passing lots of runners. In the previous HIM's I think I can count on my fingers how many people I passed. But here, while lots flew by me, I passed a lot more. I could recognize myself into so many other people... walking in pain, cramping, appearing confused. As I said, the course was easy to follow if you paid attention, but I could several runners stopping in disarray at the turns. I knew I felt like this before, and made a plan of keeping focus on the course. At several points I wanted to stop and walk for a bit, but I kept going (to keep it real, I stopped at each water stop, just because I can't drink while running, even in a 5K, but it was for a few seconds each time).

At around mile 8 I went back by the finish line, and did a time check. I needed 10 minute miles to finish under 6:30, but there was no energy left. The rough trail (the rocky, sandy, rooty part) didn't help at all. I felt like I was going as hard as I could, but it wasn't enough. A lot of other people around were just walking, and it felt so tempting. Because of the nasty course, my shoes were full of small rocks and wood pieces, and it was getting worse and worse. Especially when getting back on asphalt for the final 2 miles, every step was an ordeal. It was like running on pins and needles. In any other races, I would've stopped and cleaned my shoes, even several times just as an excuse to rest, but this was out of question now. I felt like crying on each step, it was that bad. And here I mention Thor again, because I remembered his words again, about digging deep into the well, to find any untapped resources. I went so strong all day long, and I just needed a little bit to hit 6:30 so I found those hidden resources at the bottom of the well and went all out. At that point, all-out for me was a 9:40 mile which, according to my Garmin, was the fastest in the race. I phased out, ignoring the exhaustion and the pain in my soles, I just wanted to hit the final turn-around and head home. With just a mile to go, I couldn't even do the calculations about the time I needed, plus the Garmin lost signal a few times in the woods, so it was definitely off. Every step was harder, and the known landmarks just won't show up.

Despite all my efforts, I had nothing left, and after the fastest mile, mile 13 was the slowest at 10:49. Once I saw the finish line I broke into a sprint and crossed the line extremely happy, because 6:33:46 was a time I couldn't even dream of.

Run time: 2:17:58
It's a PR by 13 minutes, but still a 10:28 pace, almost 2 minutes off my stand-alone HM PR. For this race it was awesome, and I felt strong all along, but there's still hope for major improvements. The biggest achievement for me is that I completed the run with no walking breaks, for the first time!

FINAL TIME: 6:33:46
Not only I smashed my 7 hours goal, but I obliterated my PR by 49 minutes. I kept saying that I just need a good race where nothing would go wrong, and it finally happened. Not only do I think that the 6:30 mark in withing my reach, but keep in mind the bike course was 2 miles long, and the run .1 long, so that adds about to 7-8 minutes.

Regarding relative placement... I finished 157 out of 240, so the top 2 thirds, best ever HIM placement. Actually, all placements were personal bests, and I'm proudest of the run, 135 out of 240, almost at the midpoint, first time that running is the best part for me!

Nutrition
Before I close this, let me talk about my nutrition for the race. In the morning I had the regular croissant and coffee, and then a Red Bull in transition and Gu just before the swim. On the bike I had Infinit. I almost finished 3 bottles, less than usual. Normally I drink one bottle per hour, but since most races are hot I drink more than that in a race. This time I didn't want to drink more than I needed, so I dont have to pee (which still happened). I was sipping only when I felt thirsty or was beginning to feel tired. On the run I had Gu gels with water every half hour (4 total), and the Heed drink at every other water stop. Or this was the plan, but there were some water stations near the end which either didn't have water, or Heed. (I also heard the bottle exchange station ran out of water at one point). Overall, the nutrition plan was good, everything worked fine.

Conclusion
So this was probably my best race ever. Never before had I been able to maintain such an intense effort level for so long. It was pretty constant, and I found resources to push harder at the end of each leg. It's the best way to finish the season, and finally met my goal.

Looking Forward to BassMan

2009-10-01T10:55:00.002-04:00

There are only 3 days left till the BassMan HIM, meaning I'm in the last days of tapering and carbo-loading. It's the last tri of the season and only the 2nd A race of the year. It's one more attempt at having a decent Half-Iron, and my only objective is to finish under 7 hours. This hasn't happened in my previous 3 HIM's, for various reasons. Black Bear because it was my first, the bike killed me, and it was just too long :-) JerseyMan was all good, except that the course was poorly marked, I did lots of extra miles on the bike, and it rained all the time. Rev3 was the toughest course I've been on, and severe allergies didn't help at all! This time I feel well trained, quite optimistic at the moment, so if everything goes well I really don't see how I could do more than 7 hours. Anyway, here's a quick review of my trainins:

Swimming
Unfortunately, not as much volume as the other HIM training cycles, but I took a quite a few swimming lessons this summer. They helped a lot to improve my technique. Now, 5 minutes more or less on the swim don't matter that much in the overall picture. Let me just hope that the less training will compensate with a better stroke... My best time so far was a horrible 55 minutes, so I'll take anything less than that, even 54.

Biking
Finally, BassMan will be a flat course. JerseyMan was flatish, although it had a few big rollers towards the end, plus it rained hard and at one point I couldn't even switch gears any more. While my mileage is similar to previous training cycles, I did more long rides (55+ miles) than ever before, by far. This gotta help in some way.

Running
The run should be my strong point, but I always struggled in my HIM's. I can run a 1:52 standalone Half Marathon, but so far my best HIM run was 2:22. Everything works fine in my brick workouts (although I never go that far), but in the races it pretty muhch falls apart. I know part of the problem is that I'm not that well prepared for the bike, but this time I feel stronger there, so that should leave more energy for the run.

The plan
So here's the plan. I know my T1 is very slow, because I'm always confused and a bit dizzy after the swim and I need some time to recover. This time it will be very cold probably, the water might be freezing, so I'll need time to accomodate once I get out. I'm hoping for 1 hour for the swim + T1.

The bike course is a bit long (58 miles). I pre-rode it, and averaged 18mph until the last 10 miles when I was out of fluids, and it was a hot August day... Still took me 3:20, which is faster than any previous HIM. With the aero helmet, race wheels, proper nutrition and adrenaline, I could even be looking at 19mph, which would mean about 3:05 on the course. But let me not get THAT optimistic. I'm planning for 3:10 - 3:25 for the bike + T2.

As for nutrition, I never had problems there. I'm using Infinit on the bike, but if it's cold I'll use 20oz bottles instead of 24oz. At JerseyMan I took too much fluids while it was quite chilly, and had to pee 6 times during the race! On the run I'll rely on my Gu gels and water or Gatorade at the aid stations.

Based on these estimations, I should have between 2:35 - 2:50 left for the run, which should be more than enough. I could probably walk the course in 2:50. So on paper, my 7h goal looks very attainable. Let me just hope there are no health problems, no accidents or other incidents, and that I'll finally have a good HIM race.

McGuire AFB Mud Run 2009

2009-09-26T17:09:00.003-04:00

I did the 10K Mud Run at the McGuire AFB for the 2nd time in a row. And since last time I noticed that teams had more fun, this year me and a few tri club teammates made our own team, called Team Inglourious Basterds. So I was joined by Heather, Brian, Mark and Alex. Since our team was inspired by the great Tarantino movie, we had to find some matching outfits, and Mark had the great idea of getting wife-beaters for us, with the movie logo printed on the front, while Heather, of course, wore Shosanna's red dress.

I was, quite expectedly, a bit late, so everybody was ready to start when I got there. I could see a lot of funny team uniforms, from old boy scouts and nurses to ballerinas, superheroes and many military uniforms. It was interesting that the course was quite significantly changed from last time. Last year, the obstacles suddenly stopped and the last 2 miles were road running, but this year they kept going almost till the end.

We started with almost a mile of running on the road. Heather is a great triathlete and was probably the fastest of the 5 of us. So instead of Inglourious Basterds, it was more like Matrix and "follow the red dress". She was always ahead, sometimes joined by Brian, and we just kept following.

After the easy mile on the road, we got to the infamous mud pit. A 50ft mud hole, with ropes a few inches above it, so we had to dive in and crawl through the dirt. After climbing the muddy wall at the end, we had a nice and easy trail run, with some tires to step over, and then a series of six 3-foot-high fences. Last year, I tripped over one of them and hit my knees quite badly, so this time I was more cautious and awkwardly climbed over each of them. Back into the woods, we ran through an annoying mud trail, thick wet mud where I was afraid I'm gonna lose my shoe. There were some low bars to pass under, but it wasn't very bad.

We had to jump over a 6-foot-high wall, quite easy except for the mud pit on the other side, and they we got to the rappel down into the river. Rappeling was fun, while climbing the other side was a bit harder. But at least we didn't have to run through the river bed like last year. However, after a few minutes, we had to go into the worst part of the course. A quarter mile long walk through the dirtiest, muddiest water you can imagine. It was stinking so bad, that we thought it's probably coming from the sewer. Like someone said, we signed up for a "mud run", not a "sewer walk". The bottom was very uneven, so you'd be knee deep, and then all of a sudden, drop in to the waist. And it was swampy dirty, if you dipped your hand in, it would come out covered in thick mud. It kept going like this, all of us hoping we won't trip. But I saw a guy doing a face plant, going under, and then coming up covered in black mud from head to toe. It was relieveing getting out of the sewer, although the tall steep mud wall wasn't that easy. Then I had to take off my shoes and clean them, and it was just big clumps of dirt.

This was probably the hardest thing in the race, running with extremely heavy shoes. The next portion was just running on base roads, but those shoes made it quite difficult. But I had to go pretty fast, since I'd lost contact with the team. There were some of those barriers to climb over, and a lot of people were just walking around here. Finally, we got to one of the most difficult obstacles. A series of 5-foot-high mud walls, almost vertical, with deep mud pits between them. We had to struggle to climb over each of them, then slide on the other side into the dirt, then climb again, slide, and so on about 5-6 times. Most people were quite tired around here, so especially small girls had trouble climbing the mud walls. Then you'd see people dropping and splashing all over the place on the other side.

Another obstacle involved crossing a river on light plastic barrels, while holding on to a rope. Last year, we actually had to walk across a rope, this time might've been easier, although the top rope was too low and hard to hold on to it. Plus, the barrels were rolling over quite easily, so I found it easier to just drop into the river, and quickly cross to the other side without having to wait for everyone else to "dance" on the barrels. After a short loop, we got back to that river, in a wider spot, and had to walk across, but it was much deeper, almost chest deep for me. At the other end, there was a steep high mud wall, and we had to pull ourselves with a rope to get up.

Back on the roads, we still had almost a mile to run back. But before being done, we had to go through that very first mud pit again. At least it wasn't crowded any more, so it seemed a bit easier to crawl on our bellies. Then, it was just a dash to the finish. We got together our team, and ran through the finish line. I don't even know what time we got for the 10K, but it doesn't really matter. We all had lots of fun and I think this race will become an yearly event for me. The uniforms were great, and I was really surprised that Heather actually showed up in a red dress.

They had nice warm showers at the end, to get rid of some of the thicker mud, but maybe the best feature was the free beer. I'll update this with photos and results as soon as I get them.

Tour de Fair Haven

2009-09-20T23:33:00.003-04:00

My first ever bike race was a rude awakening, making me realize that I'm not a cyclist. I'm a triathlete, and I'm a runner, but cycling is just something I do in between swimming and running.

The Tour de Fair Haven is a brand new event and I decided to do it because I always wanted to do a bike race, and this one is close to home and on very familiar roads. For a first-time event, there was a huge field in my race (Cat 4/5), 80 people, much more than you'd expect in a local bike race. It was 5 laps of 4.4 miles, for a total of 22 miles, and they called this a circuit race, not a criterium, but same rules applied - if you get lapped by the peloton, you're out.

It was extremely cold in the morning, around 45 degrees, and I got numb during my short warmup. I was surprised to see a very big start/finish area, with many booths, vendors, spectators and, of course, dozens of cyclists (in all 4 races for the day, there were more than 200 participants). As I went to pick up my number, not only they gave me a goodie bag and tshirt (quite unusual for a bike race), but when I said I want to pay for my one-day cycling license, they said I already have one. I said no, they said yes and didn't want to let me pay. Whatever, I never paid for a yearly license.

Well, my first big mistake was to line up at the very back of the group. As a triathlete, I'm not used to big groups of riders, and this was one of my main concerns, getting caught in the middle, crashing, being pushed off the road... You could spot the numerous newcomers, easy to spot by the fact that they didn't have team jerseys, or shaved legs... The peloton started rolling led by the Mayor of Fair Haven, Mike Halfacre, a multiple Ironman and friend of mine. The course went West on River Road for a few blocks, then do a short loop to the left, one block wide, before returning to go East on River Rd. The main portion on River Rd had some easy rollers. Then it turned right and climbed up to Ridge Rd, went for a few blocks on Ridge Rd before returning down to River for a few more rollers to the finish.

Lap 1: Already getting dropped

Second mistake was that at the first 90 degree turn, I preferred to stay out of "trouble", which dropped me back even more so, when I got back to the start line, barely half a mile into the race, the pack was a hundred feet ahead of me. And of course there was nothing left for me to do. As a single rider, there's no way you can match the speed of a bunch of riders. So I started to time trial... Bridging the gap to the rider ahead, staying on his wheel for a bit, then jumping to the next one, and so on. As riders were getting dropped from the peloton, that created more targets for me, and kept me busy for a while.

Lap 2: How not to race a bike race: Alone!

After I finished the first lap, as I was entering the turning loop, the peloton was coming back, so it was maybe more than a quarter mile ahead. As I went on River Rd for the second time, there were fewer and fewer people to pass, as most cyclists who got dropped quit the race (in the cycling world, once you're dropped it makes no sense continuing to race; compared to running or triathlete, there's no such thing as "just finishing", once you're out of contention, the race is over). On the climb to Ridge Rd I hooked up with another first-timer, a guy in a Rocket Racing jersey, and we continued together from that point, trying to share the load. We passed maybe a couple more riders, and then it was just us. On the second lap, we saw the peloton go by slightly before the finish line. It was kinda pointless what we were doing, but I had in mind to get in a good speed workout. Of course, this was quite tiring on my own, and I was probably slowing down considerably.

Lap 3: Time trialing and getting a good workout

As me and my new friend were going over the finish line for the 3rd time, the race official looked at me and signalled that he wants to cut my throat. Oh well, actually he meant our race is over and we have to pull out, as the peloton was just a couple of minutes behind us. So that was my first bike race experience, made it through 60% of it. I didn't have my computer, since they wanted me to remove my aero bars, where the computer is mounted, so the only data I have is that it took me 38 minutes for the 13.2 miles that I completed, which means an average of 20.9mph, not bad at all for a workout. Actually, it ties my fastest ever speed in a race (which was on a flat 11mi), and this time it was on a pretty hilly course.

I had plenty of time to rest and then go to the line to get ready for finish. And that was pretty exciting... The peloton came at an unbelievable speed, I barely had time to notice the sprinter getting ahead in full force, apparently helped by his teammates from Team Campmor. Watching that competitive finish kind of made it worth getting to this race, not to mention the good speed workout. But do I want to do another bike race? Maybe, but if I do, I'll stay much closer to the action. Too many people scared me about crashes, and I didn't see anything dangerous today.

Lap 5: Watching the winners

ShoreRunner Summer Showdown 5K XC

2009-08-30T16:47:00.002-04:00

I've done this race last weekend, but didn't have time yet to write the report.The race, organized by Christine from Shore Runner in Long Branch, took part in Bucks Mill Park in Colts Neck. I did it last year too and can't say I enjoyed it that much. I have this love/hate relationship with XC races. I love the idea of trail running, and really want to like it and do it more, but I've never had a very pleasant experience at such a race. Mainly because I couldn't get to terms with the fact that I'm much slower than on the road.

So in Colts Neck I decided to go by my perceived effort and ignore the pace. The race came after a night of heavy raining, which transformed the course into a slippery mud pit. It was still raining in the morning, when I got there, and the humidity was unbelievable, 100%, which is the point where you feel like you're swimming as you're running. I started too fast, like usual, but as we got into the woods, on the muddy path, I settled into a reasonably hard pace. I was more worried about not falling, and watching my steps, than about my speed. There were puddles of water everywhere, and I had to jump from one side of the trail to the other, to find a more stable, maybe grassy stretch. The sandy path I hated last year was much better now, with the wet packed sand.

The course circled around the park in a figure 8, before returning to the start and repeating the first loop of that 8. From the beginning I had my eyes on the back of my club-mate Rich, who's a good runner, and I figured that if I keep a constant distance behind him, it will be good. But on that last loop, he was getting closer and closer in my face, and after I was forced to stay a bit behind him on a narrow mud trail, but then in the open I easily passed him. I had the impression that he had slowed down, but later he told me he kept it even, and I was negative-splitting. The grassy loop to the finish was finally comfortable, but on the final stretch, I heard heavy breathing and fast steps right behind me. I went into a hard sprint, but somehow Rich found a way to outkick me into a photo finish, must've been a tenth of a second ahead of me.

My finish time doesn't even matter, it sounds quite bad, but what's important is that it was the first XC race that I enjoyed. Despite the weather, the unbreathable air, the muddy path, for the first time I had a great time at a trail race. It's just a different approach, and maybe I'll do more such races this fall to get a better handle of this. Oh well, my time was 25:26, but the course was long (like last year), almost 3.3mi.

Great Urban Race - New York City

2009-08-19T19:59:00.007-04:00

The Great Urban Race - New York City was not the usual race I would do, but it was one of the most fun I ever did, somewhat along the lines of the Mud Run (but much cleaner). This is an urban challenge for team of two, and me and Alina registered as Team Jersey Shore Rulez. The morning was not the best you can have before the race. We were planning to take a train to New York, but it kept getting delayed, and we finally decided to drive to the city. All was good, no traffic problems, until we got into Manhattan, and it was a complete gridlock. On top of this, practically all cross streets were closed, so it was impossible to navigate around and find any parking. And the reason is that one of the main avenues, together with all cross streets were closed so a bunch of bicyclists can stroll up and down Manhattan. Not a race, not an event, just a mob and I'm sure the cycling community didn't get too many friends in New York that day.

We finally parked somewhere on the East Side and walked across to the starting point, the Slate bar on 21st Street. On the way, we had to struggle to find a paper NYC map (everything for sale was plastic, and we needed something to write on) and then buy a subway card. Slate was packed when we got there, but pickup went quick. The race required teams to wear matching outfits and we thought it's easier to wear the official race shirts, but there were plenty of funny outfits, like bees, nuns, ballerinas, leprechauns and so on.

So here's what GUR is about. The team gets 12 clues, which involve either performing a task, or getting to a place and taking a photograph. You can do them in any order, the point is to get back to the finish arch in the shortest time. You're not allowed any private transportation, just your feet, buses or subway. And that's pretty much it. With a short delay we all got the clues envelopes and made our way outside. Like many others, we just sat down on the sidewalk, unfolded the map and started mapping the clues. I'm sure this race is much easier now than in past years. Electronic devices and outside assistance is allowed, but nothing is easier than having a smart phone with an Internet browser. We started going through the list, using Google to help identify clues, then Google Maps to get the location, then marking them with an X on the map. Once we figured out (almost) all 12 clues, we decided on a basic course, and started running to the subway station. So here's how the race went. I'll present each clue, in the order in which we did them (the numbers are the original ones from the list).

We're on the left, deciphering clues on the sidewalk

10. Make your way to Pan Latin, located at the corner of Chambers St and River Terrace. Once there, you must take a picture of one teammate feeding the other the delicious item waiting for you.

That was really easy, since we had the exact location, which is at the Northern end of the Hudson River Park. We took the subway to Chambers St, then ran across to the river. There were many other racers on the train, as well as running on the street with us. Pan Latin was a small deli, and they gave us a croissant, Alina "fed" me which someone took our picture, and we were out. The only problem was that this was a very hot day, probably over 90 degrees, and somehow the concrete jungle of Manhattan makes it even hotter, like a burning oven. Half a mile of running and we were almost wasted.

4. Find a collection of bronze-colored statues which are collectively known as The Real World. Take a picture of all teammates posing with bare feet next to the large feet sculpture.

Well, this was a bit harder to figure out. Google helped us find out that Real World were at the end of the Hudson River Park, but we had no idea where exactly that would be, since on the map it appears to be quite big along the river's banks. But as soon as we got out of Pan Latin, we saw racers running down the stairs to the river, and the bronze statues were right there! Took off our shoes, went for the picture, took a picture for another couple, and that was it.

12. Make your way to Teardrop Park and take a picture of all teammates sliding down the large metal slide on Slide Hill. All teammates must be clearly visible in the picture.

This was a bit hard as well, because we couldn't map any location for this park. We just knew it's near the Hudson River Park. From the statues we started running around, and asked at least 5 locals who were relaxing in the park, and noone had any idea where Teardrop is. We ran in circles which wasn't easy since it was so hot. Finally we saw some city park employees and went to them to ask, but before we opened their mouth they just pointed between two buildings (probably 100 other people had asked them already). We found the small playground with the big slide in the middle, and climbed up the rocks where we found quite a line. And everybody was sweating like hell, must've been a heat index of almost 100. We waited for our turn, went down the slide very slowly (to make sure our photo was taken), and then resumed running back to the subway on Chambers St. This first running portion was about 1.1 miles.

9. Make your way to the bar whose logo is pictured. Take a picture in front of the large neon sign bearing this logo. The picture was a walking cat with a martini glass.

Here's where we used the phone-a-friend lifeline, and we called our NYC trivia expert, Rachel. She said it must be the Catwalk Bar in Midtown on 36th St, but couldn't be sure. So we planned it for later. We got off the subway at 4th St in Greenwich Village, to find the Chess Shop, and as we were running down 3rd St we saw a crowd in front of the bar and guess what: the walking martini cat sign over the entrance! That was in a completely different place than we expected, so I guess we were just very lucky. We got in, took the photo by the neon sign, and off we went.

8. Make your way to Village Chess Shop, take a picture with a chess piece resembling a real life king in West Africa.

Easy clue, since it wasn't hard to get the address, and I kinda knew the store anyway. It was just one block down from the bar. Big crowd there as well, everybody pointing to a certain chess piece, so we went with the audience and got a photo with the same "king".

6. Murder mystery at Village Pourhouse located at 64 Third Avenue.

It was quite a distance from the village, up on 3rd Ave, but we thought it's easier to run than to change subways or get stuck in traffic on a bus. Once there, we first had to go through all the rooms to make sure we got the clues. The basic task was to find out who killed Marty, based on 15 clues taped to the walls throughout the bar. It was that kind of puzzle where clues are like "the person in the orange shirt doesn't have red shoes", "the person with blonde hair drives a silver car", "the murderer has a white shirt", and so on. I used to have fun with such games, but there was too much pressure, too much noise and running around so it was hard to focus. Plus it seemed almost impossible to figure out. Until we noticed that the instructions said we had 3 attempts... And since there were 5 suspects, we easily eliminated two of them, and went to the verifier. We started with the 3 remaining names, it was actually the last one, but we got the task. We lost a lot of time here, maybe 10-15 minutes, when we could've done this right away.

5. First make your way to Bull's Head Tavern. Take one roll of bubble tape per team. Between all teammates, the entire roll must be chewed. Then take a picture of all teeammates blowing a bubble at the same time.

Not sure if the previous task (the murder mystery) or this one was the hardest. Bull's Head was up about 11 blocks on Third Avenue, so we kept running and running. It was funny sometimes to see the looks on people's faces... as they saw a couple dressed the same, with race numbers, running by, and then another one, and another one. I can't even count how many times we crossed on a red light. But anyway... This was a tough one, because, well, I don't chew gum. So we got that freakin' bubble tape, I got a bite and Alina had to deal with the rest. Disgusting. We got checked that we took it all in and got our clue sheet stamped, but then we had to blow the bubbles and since I don't chew gum, I have no idea how to blow a bubble. Yeah, I know, embarassing. After brainstorming a bit, Alina made a bubble, took it out of her mouth, I grabbed it in my mouth, she made another bubble, we took the picture and spit everything. The picture is kind of funny, because it's obvious I'm not blowing anything.

3. Make your way to Equinox Fitness at 1 Park Ave. All teammates must complete the workout challenge waiting for you.

Ten more blocks up 3rd Ave, then crossing to avenues to the gym. Well, we're gym rats, but as sweaty and tired and dehydrated we were it was not what we were looking for at that time. And the faces of people coming out of the elevator were not encouraging, everybody looked exhausted like after a marathon. The challenge was like a circuit training. Hopscotch, wheelbarrow, then a few exercises with an unweighted bar (rows, deadlifts) - 4-6 repetitions of each. Jumping over some hurdles, crawling on the floor, some stepping exercises, crunches and abs with a ball, again no more than 4-6 of each. And that's it. Really easy, at least it was cool inside and got rid of that sticky sweat. That's where we had our main competitive advantage.

1. There was a Word Search puzzle, whose solution was: THE EGO AND THE ID. Then the instructions: Take a picture JUMPING in front of this statue.

It was a bit deceiving... The puzzle was fun, but the first search showed this is a Sigmund Freud book. I thought we have to buy it and bring it back, but then I saw the instructions. Googling the title plus statue pointed us to a statue in Central Park, a few more searches and we located it at the SE corner, by 59th St and 5th Ave. We took the subway again (after a cumulative run of about 2.3 miles), got some rest, also got a few weird looks because I assume we were stinking quite badly, and then ran from Park Ave across to Central Park. We got just by the "statue", which was stranger than a Freud book (can't even be described). Took a photo of 2 girls, then they took ours in a spectacular jump.

11. Find the two Damon Runyon representatives in Yankees hats walking on 59th St between 5th Ave and 6th Ave and donate $5 to this important cause.

The two girls in Yankee hats were close to the Plaza Hotel, we donated 5 bucks and ran back to the 5th Ave.

2. Here was a cryptogram. The solution was: "Take a picture of one teammate proposing on one knee to another teammate in front of Tiffany and Company or Harry Winston".

For Alina it wasn't really hard at all to know where Tiffany is. A few blocks running down on 5th Ave and there we were. Since it was crowded at the front entrance, we went to the side, where there was nobody else. Alina took off her ring so I can propose to her, and we asked a puzzled passer-by to take a photo. It was so funny, people were stopping and we were hearing a chorus of "Awww", and comments like "How sweet". I wonder what they thought when Alina received her ring and we immediately started running. Haha, some may have thought I got cold feet and was running away.

7. Take a picture of all teammates in front of a real West Side Story musical poster.

I'm sure there are many West Side Story posters throughout Manhattan, but we didn't have time to search around, so we located the Palace Theater where the show runs, on Broadway near Times Square, and we ran straight there. This was hard, since the Midtown area was very crowded. We bumped into a lot of people, did a lot of pushing, and this was a place where we would've needed some elbow guards, rollerblading style. Got to the theater, took a picture, found the closest subway station and after another 1.7 miles of running we headed home.

We got off the train in the same spot where we started, and did the final sprint which seemed so much longer now than in the beginning. We could see the red finishing arch, but it was like we weren't getting any closer. Finally, we made it after almost 4 hours, and it felt so good!! This had been one of the best events we ever raced, you can't have more fun in a race. The final step was to sit down with the camera checker, show the pictures, stamps and other items we had to bring (like the receipt from the donation), and that was it. We also found out we could've skipped one clue... so we wasted our time in one place, and we didn't get any credit for doing all the clues. But it was worth it, the only one we could've easily skipped was the final one (West Side Story). Or the bubble gum, where we could've taken the subway and saved maybe 22 blocks.

This was our first urban adventure race, and we had a lot to learn. We ended up with a decent, I'd say, 3:46 finish time, good for the 137 place out of 422 (out of which only 318 finished withing the time limit), and with just a little prior experience we could've saved a lot of time. But it was only for fun, and we had lots of fun, and can't wait to do another one!

Belmar Du for Autism

2009-08-02T20:40:00.002-04:00

Belmar Duathlon for Autism
Belmar, 8/2/2009
2mi run / 11mi? bike / 5k run

Although a fun race, this ended up being one of my best races yet. I picked it because it's in a familiar location, and my company was a sponsor, plus I had a lot of friends who were doing it. I knew it was short and was gonna be very intense, and being the inaugural edition I expected a limited turnout so I had high hopes for my first ever multisport hardware (all awards I got so far have been in running races). I went as far as checking the registration list, looking up my competition's results on Athlinks, and I figured I could finish Top 3 in my age group.

The day didn't start in the best way. Well, I had my alarm clock set for 4am, which is earlier than I ever woke up in recent years. Somehow, though it never happened before, I "chose" to ignore it, and woke up an hour later. I left in a rush, and made it there one year prior to the start. Which is way earlier than I usually do, but I had to go along the course and set up some signage as part of my sponsorship deal. But hey, I made it back just in time... in time for waiting almost half an hour until the race actually started.

The morning was unbelievable damp. Humidity was 97%, I don't think I ever raced in such conditions, and my sunglasses kept fogging up. It wasn't very hot though, low 70's, and it was overcast, even threatening to rain (but it didn't until a few hours after the race). That insane wake-up time took its toll, and by 7am I already had one coffee and two Red Bulls.

While the swimmers headed to the beach, we started with a 2 mile run, out and back on Ocean Ave. The field seemed small, there were only about 80 duathletes out of the total 400 racers. I followed the flock and started out too fast, first mile was about 7:25, which was against the wind, so way to fast, considering I was supposed to run 5 miles. But I was dragged by all the newbies, because being an short inaugural race in this shore town, a lot of people decided just to show up and have fun. After the turn around I forced myself to slow down and prepare myself for the bike. I held my pace close to 8 minutes, and the first run ended up being 15:23 (for a 7:42 pace). Not bad, it actually 1 second faster than my previous du-1st-run PR.

My transition was decent, 1:51, which is way shorter than the few minutes I take in triathlons. Then I launched myself on the bike course, first sorting out those fast runners that I passed withing the first half mile on the bike. The 11mi course was 3 loops through Belmar, mainly on Ocean Ave, which was awesome. I always liked the idea of riding around there, but it's impossible with the regular beach traffic. I thought this race was gonna be a benny-dodging derby ("bennies" are, in Jersey Shore slang, the barbarian hordes that invade us every weekend, mainly from NY and PA), but actually the entire course was completely closed. It was like having the Vegas strip closed so you can race freely up and down! I was hoping to average over 20mph, so it was a HammerFest. There was a constant wind from the South, but I was able to hold 19-20mph against the wind and 23-24mph with the tailwind.

It wasn't easy though. Instead of the benny-dodging, we had to do a lot of newbie-dodging. People were riding like crazy, and the tight turns at the middle of the loop were like disasters-in-the-making, with bikers leisurely riding their beach cruisers on random lines. Each tight turn had the potential of turning bloody, and I heard of a few nasty wipeouts. To get the picture, imagine turning more than 90 degrees coming in at 20+mph, when people are slowly riding 4 or 5 wide. And it was getting worse with every loop, as the course was getting more and more crowded. Another danger point was the turn-around at the end of every loop, which is dangerous in any triathlon, so much with all the newbies.

Anyway, I was going as hard as I could, and after 2 loops I had a 21mph average, but I simply couldn't hold it anymore, ending up with 20.9, which is still incredibly awesome, it's by far my fastest recorded speed in a race. And for the duathlon, it was the 9th fastest time. At the end I realized I should've been pretty high up int he duathlon rankings, but it was hard to tell, as there were many triathletes on the course, plus you couldn't know which lap everyone was on. But I felt great on the bike, and followed it with a 1:32 T2, which is again my fastest T2 ever.

The run was not good though. We started on a path around the lake and I felt like I can't do this. Felt like crawling to me, and people kept passing me one after another. I was trying to figure out if they were du or tri, and most were tri, or girls, so I didn't worry too much. But it was very depressing, since I'm usually the one doing the passing, and I got to Mile 2 without having passed anyone, not to mention that I had the feeling everybody was already ahead of me. Turning around towards the finish I realized that actually most of the racers were behind, and many were still on the bike course. But I had no energy left to push to the finish and I was just watching people's calves to see if they're in my age group. First mile was around 8:30, second one was closer to 9... Then with about half a mile left, a guy my age passed me, and I couldn't tell if he were du or tri, but I got a hunch that he's a duathlete, and I found some untapped energy resources. I turned into a sprint close to 7 min/mile, I dropped that guy, and caught up with my friend Mark, who I'd been folllowing since the start of the run. That spring was enough for an 8 minute final mile, run time being 26:24 (8:31/mi).

I was totally wasted after such a short intense race, and after being so dispapointed in my run, I was very surprised to find myself at the top of the rankings in 15th place overall and, more importantly, 2nd place age group (out of 5) with a time of 1:17:08!! So I finally did it, I managed to win an award in a multi-sport event! The prize was a very useful one, a big glass that looks nice filled with beer, rather than some plaque to hang on the wall!

I hit so many targets in this race, smoked my bike speed PR, fastest 1st run, fastest T2, a very high ranking, hardware... It was a great day and I can't wait to, at least once in my lifetime, rank top 3 in a triathlon. But for that, I have to learn to swim.

New Jersey State Triathlon

2009-07-26T22:49:00.006-04:00

NJ State Triathlon
Mercer County Park
1500m swim / 40km bike / 10km run

In what's becoming a tradition, I did the NJ State Olympic Tri today for the 3rd year in a row (3 years ago it was my first Oly, and 2nd ever tri). Not only it's a great location and course, but it's my club's main summer race, so I'm always surrounded by friendly people, both racers and spectators.

Plans
Well, I had no plans. I just restarted training after a resting period following Rev3, and didn't feel very strong on the run, while the bike was quite slacking. All my hopes were on the swim, because I've taken some lessons and I knew I had to improve so I wanted to see some results. I wasn't expecting anything close to a PR, I just wanted to have a fun race.

Like always, I was very late at the start. Got into transition just when they were closing. I ignored all the warnings while I was setting up, and got out about when the first sprint swimmers were coming in. And still I had to wait for over an hour to my start. Probably the only glitch in the organization (some people had to wait 2 hours or more)... which otherwise is flawless, CGI runs some of the best races on the East Coast.

Swim
Finally into the water... It's been very warm recently, but last night it rained hard, and it just got to 77.9F so it was called wetsuit-legal. The swim was everything I hoped for. It was by far the best I've felt on a tri swim. Rev3 felt very good too, but this was even better. I had a constant rhythm, no freaking out. For the first time, the distance didn't seem impossible... It usually feels like neverending, but today I was surprised to see the final turn buoy.

The downside of swimming with the pack (kinda) was that I got elbowed pretty hard in my eye, I thought I'd pass out. After I put the goggles back on (with lots of pain), a minute later I got kicked in the same spot. I was almost gonna start yelling at that guy. Anyway, of course I got passed, but it was only 2 or 3 waves that ran me over, not ALL of them like usual. 2 years ago I was among the last 2-3 people in the lake, last year I was in a group, but the last one, this year there were hundreds of people from later waves behind me.

I felt very confident getting out, although I didn't know my time until later in the day. Last year I did 51 minutes (down from 1 hour two years ago), and this time... well... 42:34! A 9 minutes PR! It can't get any better than that!

Bike
After a regular transition (meaning very slow), I got on the bike course, felling a bit strange. In most of my races, I was most looking forward to the bike, and I always went hard, getting the best ranking from all the 3 sports. But I know my cycling has been spotty recently, I didn't feel like I was improving my fitness and speed, so I didn't know how bad I'd do. Last year I had race wheels and ended up with my first and only 20+mph average. Without race wheel, my best speed over 40k was 18.3 mph, so I hoped to beat that, maybe get 19mph.

Once on the bike, I did what I always do: put down the hammer. Over the first flat sections, I held 24-25mph, and all of a sudden I had high hopes. I wasn't going all out, but I kept a steady tempo pace, and my average stayed just under 20mph for the entire course. One thing I noticed is that triathletes have very poor bike handling skills. I said "very" poor, because mine are poor, and everytime there was a sequence of technical turns, I'd pass a lot of people, including very fast ones who'd later fly by me. So I had fun on the bike, and ended up with an average of 19.8mph, my fastest speed in a tri without using race wheels, and this includes sprints as well! Bike time was 1:10:26, only 2 minutes slower than last year.

Run
As I started to run, I was making some calculations... I knew I saved some 7-8 minutes on the sim, lost 2 on the bike, so not only could I hope for a PR, but I could stretch it to a sub-3h race (my PR being 3:04). I didn't feel any kind of pains or cramping on the run, but.... somehow something wasn't right. I just could keep up the speed. I did 56 minutes last year, and was hoping to do about the same, but except for the first mile, all the others were around 10 minutes.

The main problem was the heat. I usually do well in the heat, but this year it's been very cold and I just never had a hot run the entire year! Today was probably the hottest run I've done since last August. The heat simply drained me, and not only me. Everybody was struggling, and this was the most common complaint I heard after the race. As slow as I was running, I was still passings lots of runners because many of them were walking, including some that I knew are much faster than myself.

The second 5k was almost all exposed and I was melting in the heat&humidity. I could barely muster a strong finish, but the time was a disaster: 1:02:25, the slowest I've ever run in a triathlon other than HIMs.

Finish
Luckily, it was good enough for 32 seconds PR: 3:03:56. With a decent run, could've easily been under 3 hours... So I was extremely happy with the swim, very happy with the bike, and unhappy with the run. Overall, satisfied with the race. And I'm split on the run, because it didn't feel that slow, I actually thought I was very consistent, and passed quite a lot of people.

The highlight of the race was probably T3, a tunnel right after the finish with a misting spray from all around you... the perfect finish to such a hot run! After a short post-race party with the club (I had to meet some friends, so couldn't stay too long), we went to Princeton, and we went to a restaurant where I had 2 beers, 2 margaritas, a huge mixed BBQ with5 types of meats, plus some friend brownies and cheesecake for dessert.

Next week I'm doing the new Belmar duathlon, where my company is a sponsor, and I'll be looking forward to another fast bike ride.

Belmar 5

2009-07-11T12:56:00.004-04:00

After quite a long break following Rev3, this week I actually started training again. I entered the Belmar 5-mile race just to see where I am and to try to get a confidence boost. A month ago I ran another 5 miler in Red Bank, in 42:30, which although it was a 2+ min PR, was far from my expectations (I hadn't run any 5 mile races in the past 3 years). At Belmar I was hoping to get under 40 minutes... I know I should be able to run it faster, but not at my current fitness level.

Big crowds, like last time I did it, and it's great location, along the Belmar boardwalk. NJ governor Jon Corzine also raced, and because of this many roads were blocked, so I had a very hard time finding a parking spot. Didn't appreciate his race strategy of trying to prevent the best runners from getting to the starting line. :-) So I ran over a mile to register, then starting to walk to the start, and all of a sudden I see an onslaught of hundreds of people coming right at me. Must've been the start, huh? I jumped on the boardwalk and jogged to the start. Considered just joining the flow of runners when they got to me (not like I haven't done it before... I'm always late!), then realized it's actually chip-timed, so I made my way around, waited for most of the runners to go by and then started across the mat. I was at the very end of the pack, quite an unusual position for me, but at least the crowds had thinned out. Still, I had to pass all the time, so I was zig-zagging all over the place. Luckily, it was thin enough that I didn't have to slow down, but wasted lots of time with this slalom. However, the first mile was pretty good, 7:43.

I kept going strong, and I knew I can get under 40 minutes if I don't crash towards the end... after all I haven't done many long runs recently. We went around the Lake Como, passed the halfway point, and then back to the boardwalk, going back. Good thing is that there was no more headwind, so I could go faster. Bad thing is the breeze was gone and it got pretty hot. I just splashed a cup of water into my face and kept going, although I knew I was slowing down slightly. We went on another loop through the town and I tried to push as hard as I could to maintain my pace. This is where it got incomfortable, mainly because of heat&humidity. There were a few people holding water hoses on the sidewalks, and I took full advantage of it. As I tried to keep up the pace, I had a second taste of my breakfast, so I had to stop and get some water to wash it down...

After my mile times slided from 7:43 on the 1st to 7:59 in the 4th, I somehow managed a fast finish, last mile being my fastest at 7:40. You can see the finish line as you get on the final straight-away, over half a mile away, and I started to sprint at that point. I almost burnt out, then started a second sprint with a quarter mile to go, and then went all out through the chute.

Finish time - 39:39, well under my goal time, and a PR by 3 minutes! Finally, after a few crappy races, everything fell into place and I had a very succesfull one. I was completely wasted after the finish, but glad my fitness is still there and I can still run fast. After drinking a few cups of water and speaking with some friends, I went back to the finish chute to do my patriotic duty and boo Governor Corzine. He had a few goons with signs lined up, but I guess they didn't see him, because it was all quiet until I saw him right in front of me and starting booing as loud as I could. And as a proof of sportmanship, I didn't even trip him! I just bood loud, and didn't say any obscenity like a lady close to me.

I know it's a short distance, but the fact that I could keep a high-intensity (for me) pace for the entire length was a good morale boost. The next similar distance race is the NJ State Tri (Oly), and I'd love to have that energy to run strong all the way to the finish.

George Sheehan Classic 5M

2009-06-13T18:43:00.008-04:00

The Sheehan Classic race in Red Bank is a great community event, taking place in the downtown of this fun town and through the quiet surrounding streets. It draws big crowds, paralyzing the entire city, and I wanted to do it because it's a very fun event.

Four years ago this was my first ever 5 mile race. I still remember it very well... the build up, the carbo loading, the pre-race stress. It was like a marathon to me back then, a huge effort, with frequent walking breaks. My time was 47:55, and my 5-mile time slightly improved the next year, to a PR of 44:36. Then, for 3 years, I didn't run any 5-mile races, so I was kind of expecting a PR in any conditions. After all, my HM pace now is faster than that.

The thing I forgot is that 6 days ago I did an exhausting Half Ironman, which drained almost everything I had. This week was one of almost total rest, no workout longer than 20 minutes, and just a very short mid-week jog. The race started well, going through the crowds on Broad Street, then we turned to serene neighborhoods and it only went downhill from there. Actually, the course was almost flat, but for me it was harder and harder. I was struggling to keep running, I got very hot and probably dehydrated, at few points I felt dizzy. Before the race I was jokingly asking if 5mi is a race where you have to stop for drinks, at least once. Well, I ended up stopping and walking at every water stop.

My pace was getting slower and slower, although I was giving a pretty strong effort. Once or twice I tried to chat with a fellow runner, and couldn't articulate anything, a sign that I was around LT, just where I should be for this distance. I felt sorry that I disrespected the race and the distance. It all felt like a marathon to me, more exactly the last 5 miles of a marathon. Actually, haha, at one one water stop I looked around to make sure no one that I know would see me stopping and walking. And towards the end we had this big hill which reminded me of Rev3, I didn't want to walk, I just pretended I'm running to the top.

I'm in orange

The we turned back into the downtown, I could see the finish line in the back, could hear all the sounds, but the finish wasn't getting any closer! I thought this is where I should sprint, but I couldn't muster any final effort. I was so glad to end this... I looked up, and the time on the clock, I swear, was something like 42:95. I didn't know what units they were using, and what was my exact chip time, until I saw the results and found out I did 42:30 (8:30/mile).

Anyway, a PR is still a PR, by more than 2 minutes, even if it's not the PR I was expecting. After the race we headed to a nearby bar which gave us coupons, because there's nothing better than a beer on Saturday morning at 9am.

Rev3 HIM

2009-06-08T20:22:00.016-04:00

The new Rev3 HIM in Middlebury, CT was my A race for the spring, and I've been planning it since I signed up, on the first day of the year. It's a first time event which promised to be "Rev"olutionary, and it ended up being a great event. Heather Gollnick, multiple Ironman winner, was behind everything, and she succeeded, this being one of the best run events I've done, quite surprisingly considering it was their first race.

Training
My training had been pretty good. Would've been better without breaking my toe in early February. The injury prevented me from running for 2 weeks, leaving me with barely over 2 months for running training. It was a quick buildup of the distance, with a quite succesful half marathon 3 weeks before the race. I recovered most of my fitness, and all my 12+ mile runs were very good. It was a consistent training program, with 3-4 runs every week, 2-3 bike rides, and 2 swims. I didn't do much weight training, but I did a good share of long runs, long rides and bricks. So I was confident going into this race.

Background
I did my first ever triathlon almost exactly 2 years ago. My first HIM was one year ago at Black Bear, and that was considered one of the toughest bike courses on the East Coast. It was a bit beyond my capabilities, and it took me almost 8 hours to crawl to the finish. Then I did Jerseyman in the fall, and it was a huge improvement (much easier course also)... official time was 7:22, but due to poor organization the swim was long, and I went off the bike course doing quite a few extra miles. At Rev3 I was confident I can break 7 hours. It wasn't gonna be easy, because the bike course (which I pre-rode) was not easier than Black Bear.

Quassy, Middlebury and Team LIT
We went to Connecticut on Saturday afternoon, about a 2 hours drive from home. Connecticut is quite a lousy drive-thru state, and this was in the middle of nowhere, up in the mountains. The race was centered on the Quassy Amusement Park, which seemed like quite a fun place on the shores of Lake Quassapaug.

After dropping our stuff at the hotel, we went to Quassy where I met for the first time some of my LIT "team-mates". LIT is a virtual tri club which started on the Kickrunners multisport forum. A lot of LIT'ers got together at other events, but I'd barely met anyone. So here I met Sherry, Thor, Adam and Monica, and they were all very cool.

Team LIT

Rev3 offered some of the biggest prizes in triathlon, and that attracted a big field of famous triathletes. It was definitely the best group I've ever raced "against". Among the big names were Matty Reed, Richie Cunningham, Luke Bell, Amanda and Michael Lovato, Bree Wee, Mirinda Carfrae, Natascha Badmann, Joanna Zieger, Lisa Mensink, Leanda Cave, Cait Snow, Belinda Granger and more, coming from far away places like Australia or New Zealand, many of them former world champions, multiple Ironman winners or Olympians.

The pros' transition was very cool, with their names in big letters and a photo in front of their bikes. And what a sight all those bikes were... My assigned transition spot was the next row from the pros, kinda like rockstar parking. It was neat because they also had my name printed on my spot, although with smaller letters, and the rack was just a slot for your wheel. So no crowding and trying to find a spot in the morning, especially since the bikes were checked in overnight.

Lost in transition

Next to the cool pro bikes

I got my own spot!

Race morning
I woke up at 5am, and drove the short distance to the start. After a lousy week, with cold weather and relentless rain, this was really a nice day. The transition was full of people doing their final preparations. I saw a lot of famous faces, since the pros were right next to me, and also met famous Hawaiian triathlete Bree Wee, my Facebook friend, who was very cool and we chatted for a bit. I also met Sherry, Adam and Monica who were doing a relay (in this order - Team Adam Sandwich). I gotta say that Sherry is 5 months pregnant, and she's doing an awesome thing, swimming the 1.2 miles. You don't see too many pregnant girls at Half Iron races.

With Bree Wee just before the race

Swim
The lake was surprisingly nice. There was a chance that it would be really freezing, but it didn't feel very cold at all. Must've been upper 60's. And the lake was very clean and clear, you could see pretty far deep. Maybe too clear for me, considering I don't like seeing stuff in the water, and I was seeing all kind of crap. It was fun near the end, when it got shallow and I saw a few colorful fishes, it was like snorkeling!

You probably know I can't swim, and I'm not slow. I'm beyond slow. My problem has been that I'm unable to get into a zone and swim all the way to the end. I'd panic, get out of breath, and end up breast stroking quite a lot. In my first HIM a year ago, there were just two people behind my in the swim. It took me 1:02.

So the big surprise at Rev3 was that I could finally swim the entire thing! I managed to find a rhythm and slowly make consistent forward progress. I never panicked or hyperventilate, I just did stroke after stroke. Of course, everything seemed huge, the buoys were so far apart and never ending, but the fact that it was a triangle made it look a bit less scary. I had a love-hate relationship with this swim. Loved that I could swim much better, but hated its length, knowing it's just the beginning. I got out in 55 minutes, which sounds awful to most people, but for me it was like a 7 minutes PR! And the mile pace was my second best ever, faster than most my sprint swims. It was really an awesome surprise.

Swim time: 55:32, 539/569 overall, 46:15/mi

T1
There was a long run from the beach into transition. It was nice to have a carpet for most of its length, including the transition. My transitions are slow, especially coming out of the water when I'm disoriented. Took me 6:18, which is a half Iron PR by more than a minute. Forgot to spray sunscreen, which I'm regretting right now...

T1 time: 6:18

Bike
Well, the bike course was a monster. After Black Bear I said I'm not doing any more super hilly triathlons, so I don't know what I was doing here. It had almost 5200 feet of total climb over the 56 miles. And what's worse, there were no flat parts. You were either going up or down. Maybe not more than a few miles of flat roads.

The start was downhill, which was a nice thing, to get your legs warmed up. Then we headed into the woods for the first rolling hills. The rural scenery was really nice, but who had time to enjoy it?? It looked much better when I pre-rode the course. Before mile 10 we got to the first serious climb, about 4-5 miles of grinding up, with a few steeper portions. I was passing a lot more people than were passing me, especially on the steeper hills. Usually, I go very hard on the bike, which leaves me with little energy for the run, so this time I was trying to remember Thor's words, to hold it back on the bike and save some for later. At the top of that climb, I heard my name and cheering from Suzanne, another LIT'er from Vermont, who came here to volunteer. It was around here that I felt like I don't have what it takes to keep going strong. There were a few easy rollers where I couldn't push too hard. Then a long twisting downhill came, and I just let myself roll down. It was nice, between clear lakes and stony cliffs, through a state park, holding 30-35mph or more for quite a few miles.

The big climb
And then we got to the infamous 8 mile climb. It is like nothing we ever see in New Jersey. We have some steep hills. I did the very hilly Black Bear with its short hard climbs where a lot of people would just walk their bikes. But we never get 8 mile climbs. People told me to just do a lot of hills here, the half mile sort were you keep going up and down, but there's a difference: when you do hill repeats, you get some time to totally relax your legs. You can't do that on a long climb because the second you stop putting pressure on the pedals, the bike stops.

It was a long procession of riders here, struggling to go up, and it was very slow. There were very steep portions, and once they were over and you were able to spin up to 15 mph, it felt like sprinting! Only that the easier climb would turn into another series of steep switchbacks. And it went on and on like this for 8 miles, at that speed almost 45 minutes. It was an interesting challenge, trying to pick other riders and drop them back, and I felt quite an accomplishment when I got to the top safely. And I was already past the half point of the course.

I got a baaad feeling about this
After the climb there were some easy rollers, and then a very fast descent. Right when I was checking my computer and saw 45mph, I looked up to see a very sharp left turn. I went into omg omg omg mode trying to keep the bike on the road, and luckily it was just a chicane, so somehow I stayed between the curbs and kept the rubber side down.

Struggling on the bike

We then got to an unusual flat stretch of road and now I realized I'm not feeling well at all. It felt like very severe allergies, which was weird, since I'd taken 2 claritins, twice the normal dose. But I was feeling sick, like I couldn't go any further. We went on a 3-4 miles out-and-back portion, and here I barely managed to get up the rollers, while just coasting down the hills. It was around mile 40, and I suddenly felt like I can't do this anymore. I got scared since it was way too early for this. I knew there will be a long downhill portion, so I hoped to make it back to transition and get an extra claritin. But as I was doing some R&R on the downhill, it was getting worse, and I realized I could actually be sick, like a cold or flu.

The miles flew really fast, until around mile 50, when it turned uphill again. I was struggling real hard here, since I had no energy in me. As I was slowly pedalling up an easy hill, a truck drove next to me, and the guy starting yelling something. I was like wtf, then I heard him "high cadence! high cadence! high cadence!". Who's that, Coach Troy?? "High cadance! Get your legs ready for the run!". Run... hmmm... I thought there's no way that I can do that. Those final miles were really an ordeal. My legs were fine, and somehow I was still passing people, but my head hurt so bad that I couldn't focus, plus I couldn't breathe. I finally saw the lake down to my right, knew it's downhill from here, and coasted back to transition.

A very pathetic and disappointing bike time. But as far as hilly courses go, I can call it a PR, since it was faster than Black Bear. And it was also a bit harder. But very far from what I hoped for.

Bike time: 3:40:24, 460/569 overall, 15.2mph

T2
My morale went up a bit in transition. I took the 3rd Claritin and some Tylenol, rested a bit to try to get it all together, and then headed out on the run.

T2 time: 5:24

Transition to the run

Running out of transition

Running for the hills
Since I did so many comparisons until now, let me compare the run too. For my local friends, just imagine Indian Trails, but with longer climbs. It was unbelievable. At least Black Bear had an almost flat run, but this was completely sadistical. Even Matty Reed, the race winner, said this was the hardest course he'd ever done, and he won quite a lot of big events, not to mention he was in the Olympics.

Heading out on the run course

Hope I can make it

But the start was, like the bike, downhill, and I got quite optimistic. I did a 9 minute first mile, and I was hoping the Claritin took care of everything. The first rollers were decent. I caught up to Monica, and we chatted for a bit, then it went downhill again and I just let myself "spin" down. But after a couple of miles, I was sick again. Besides the cold/flu, allergies from all that stuff in the air must've added and it became a struggle. I was still on pace to go sub-7, and all of sudden I felt I couldn't move anymore. And just when I got down, the course started to kick me.

After about 3 miles, a turn right, and it all turned into a big hill. I did all my best to keep running, but just couldn't, and started to walk the steeper portions. Then the road became a dirt road... And as a road runner, I'm not crazy about trails, especially when I'm sick. The ascent didn't seem to stop anywhere. I think it was almost a 2 mile climb, with very short flat or descending portions. Just couldn't wait to arrive at the turn-around and come back downhill. And then, surprise! My quad muscles began to hurt, and a minute later, the completely cramped and locked. All that climbing on the bike and now on the run, and they finally said ENOUGH. It happened so quick that I couldn't move anymore. I barely made it to the side of the road and sat down trying to stretch. This is where it got desperate. While I was ready to walk the rest of the course, now even that seemed impossible to do. I never ever quit a race, so I was pretty disoriented. Not even mile 5 of the run... After a few minutes, the cramps got away, and I restarted walking. Finally to the turn around, and then back.

Luckily, the quads behaved, no more cramping, but I felt like I can't breathe anymore and my head was hurting so bad. Back on the roads I did all my best to keep up with some runners. I was passed by quite a few, but I was also passing. Seemed like others were in as much trouble as I was. I got back into a certain rhythm, very slow but at least I was jogging, even on the uphills. Then it was back on the main road, and the long climb towards the finish area. I did all my best to keep going but eventually I got back to walking.

I can't do this anymore!

One more loop to do...

As I got next to the finish area, oh no! It wasn't the end. Almost Mile 11, and one more short loop to do! That was really demoralizing. As we headed back into the woods, I had no energy left in me. I ran a bit downhill, but couldn't muster anything even on the short flats. And it looked like I was all alone. Couldn't see anybody in front of behind me. At the last water stop, I'd seen a group of 4-5 runners right behind me, but a few minutes later, it was just me under the green trees cover. It was so weird, like I was somewhere lost in time. And I really mean "lost in time", I saw a Dole-Kemp sign there. I passed under a bridge where a tired photographer was just lying in the shade, and he got up and asked me to "pose" for a nice running picture. That got me running again, I saw a couple of people ahead but couldn't catch up to them, however I ran the last half mile.

Run time: 2:45:53, 493/569 overall, 12:39/mile

At the finish line
I really couldn't believe I finally made it to the finish line. I sprinted as well as I could and didn't even care to look at my time. I was just glad to be over with this. Not only was this the hardest course I've competed on, but it was under the hardest conditions. I ran the Marine Corps Marathon while sick a few years ago, and that was a challenge, but 70.3 miles of hills was a bit too much. I have no doubts that it was a cold, and not allergies, as I still don't feel well now, two days later. So I guess I should be happy with the result. And no matter what, it's still faster than my first HIM one year ago. And not only I wasn't last, but I wasn't last in my age group!

Total time: 7:33:32, 504/569 overall, 45/47 age group

Sprinting to the finish

Finally!!

In T3

Nutrition
I didn't say much about the race nutrition. I took a Gu gel in each transition. On the bike I drank 3 1/2 bottles of Infinit, exactly as planned. On the run, I used the official drink (Cera)... a weird concoction. About every 40 minutes I took Gu with water and a few times I drank coke. Everything was fine from this point of view.

After the race
After finishing, the Adam Sandwich finished altogether, they did a great job! We also met Suzanne from Vermont, the LIT'er who volunteered here. We hung around the finish area for a while, then went to the beer garden for a Corona and a burger. I wasn't feeling extremely tired. Because I couldn't go at 100% of my capabilities, it didn't kill me that bad. The two days after the race, it was nothing like my first 2 HIM's... some leg soreness, and that's it. The worst seems to be some sunburn, from the 3+ hours on the bike.

Reunited with Team LIT

At the beer garden

It was fun to be in the company of so much famous triathletes. I even spoke to Heather Gollnick after the race, she was very nice, and she really did a great job putting all this together. It's not every day that you race against so many champions. The winners were former world champion Mirinda Carfrae and Olympian Matty Reed.

Race director Heather Gollnick

Matty Reed, the big winner

Mirinda Carfrae, women's winner

The top women included Natascha Badmann, Joanna Zieger, Amanda Lovato, Lisa Mensink, Leanda Cave and more

I think I should be happy with this, after all. It's an improvement since one year ago, and it's not an easy distance, not to mention the difficulty of the course. And I know I can do better if I'm 100% healthy.

Overview of the finish area, with the "jumbotron"

Rev3 course update

2009-05-15T10:23:00.002-04:00

For those who read my Rev3 bike course preview I did on Tuesday, apparently there was a course change I wasn't aware of. They go around the construction on Platt Rd, which also eliminates the short, extremely steep hill on Judd Farm Rd.

Another triathlete, Jamie, rode the correct course, and on his blog you can also read about the run course.

Rev3 Bike Preview

2009-05-12T22:55:00.003-04:00

Today I finally went to Connecticut to ride the Rev3 course. I've been waiting for a nice, not-busy day for quite a while, and today seemed to be a great opportunity. First of all, it's a very nice course. Often scenic, with nice challenges, without being insanely difficult, has a little bit of everything. If it's missing something, it's some longer flat portions (longer than a quarter mile, that is). It is mostly rollers, with some very long climbs. Not the short steep climbs like Black Bear, but long steady ones that drain you out.

The start is at the Quassy Amusement Park in Middlebury. It looked a bit depressing today... not scheduled to be open for at least a few more weeks, it looked run-down, dirty and dull. As I started on the course, it seemed to be the perfect weather, upper 60's, sunny and no winds. The first almsot 2 miles, on the main road, is downhill, which is a nice way to get into biking mode and stretch your legs a bit. Then it turns right, into the woods, and it becomes very scenic, going through dense forests, along nice streams. It also get a bit hilly here. Nothing major, but there are a few challenges that started to warn my quads about what's to come. A nice easy downhill after turning on Quassapaug Rd (mile 6), but then it starts getting ugly. Almost 5 miles mostly uphill... again, no major climbs, but it never goes down. That's how the course is, long steady climbs interrupted but a few steeper surges.

As I turned into Platt Rd, the sky immediately turned black and it wasn't long until it started raining. Also, the winds picked up, making it really uncomfortable. There was also some construction on Platt Rd, making it very dirty, luckily it didn't get wet yet. It was raining harder and harder, and just before Mile 13 (Judd Farm Rd) I met the steepest climb of the course. Actually, probably the only time when I ran out of gears. I was on the 25, and had to stand up just so the bike doesn't stop and tip over. I had to use the largest cog maybe a couple more times, but it was never as bad as here.

I can't say much about the next 4 miles, because it was pouring and I was very focused on the front of my wheel. For a few minutes, it even turned to hail!! I never had to ride in a hailstorm before! I was keeping my head down, while my helmet was a constant tap-tap-tap. My hands and legs were hurting from the icy assault. By Mile 17, when I turned right onto Route 109, I was completely drenched. But on 109, there were 5-6 miles of downhills. Quite annoying at first, because I like flying downhill, but I was struggling to keep the speed under control, since it's not fun going down at 35+mph on wet roads with puddles of standing water. Too bad, it was again very scenic, through forrest of pine trees, between picturesque lakes.

Then, on the bottom part of the descent, the rain stopped, it cleared up, and the roads were dry! Now I had time to admire the views, also noticed the cool granite cliffs on the left. The next time it turned steep downhill, I could really enjoy the 40mph speeds! But the road ended in a T at the bottom (Mile 22.5), and I coasted down, waiting for the light to turn green. Well, it just stayed red, and I squeezed the brakes to stop, but it was all still so wet that the bike just wouldn't stop. I managed to stop it right at the line...

So, a turn left, then another one, and after two left turns I kinda knew what I might be in for. On Route 254 it is the toughest part of the course. And probably my longest climb ever. My only experience with climbing, except for the short steep ones at Black Bear, are around Highlands and Holmdel, where they're rarely longer than a mile. But here I had an 8 mile climb to the top. There were a few flats near the end, but the first 5 miles were continuously uphill. Easier portions, interrupted by sadistic steep hills. Neverending ones. You go up hard, and then it flattens to the point where going over 12mph seems like a sprint. Then again up. Turn after turn, still uphill. As I said, like nothing I've ever done before.

By the time I'm up, at Mile 31, I'm exhausted. And the winds got really cold, so my soaking wet feet are freezing. I take a left turn into a busy highway, then another left off that highway (never fun, these kind of left turns), and I'm again on some backroads. Alternating wild forests with farmhouses, back to easier rollers. At Mile 36 there's a sharp right turn on Alan White Rd, which is a 3mi out-and-back. It's farmlands first, then very scenic woods, and it's mostly downhill, which I don't really like, because I know I have to come back. Surprisingly, the mostly uphill return wasn't that bad, I was spinning quite easily.

After Mile 42, on Route 61, it finally turned downhill. It really felt nice, after so much ups and downs which had felt more up than down. But my feet were numb by this time, it was hard pedalling, so for the next 7 miles I pretty much let myself slide down the road. Then I rejoined Quassapaug Rd (from the beginning of the ride), and of course the climbs resumes. It was some heavy climbing for 1 mile or two, until mile 50. I really didn't need this at this time. And afterwards, instead of coasting to the finish, the rollers seemed neverending. Tranquility Rd at Mile 54 sounded like the time to get some rest, but instead it was one final hard climb. I gotta say these last climbs were not very hard, but I was tired and freezing, and just wasn't into it anymore.

From the top of the Tranquility climb, I could see the lake down in thevalley, and I realized it's all downhill from now on. And indeed it was, down to the main road and back to the park.. there's at least one final mile to get your legs rested before the run.

I had planned to do a short brick run, but it was quite late, and I could barely feel my feet. I rode down to the lake, among the abandoned rides, and I wonder what the swim-to-T1 path will be, since the shore is completely blocked by the rides. Anyway, it was a very good exercise, and I always think it's useful to know the course before the race. Now I know what to expect, where to save energy and where to push harder.

Bottom line... it's a very hilly course (total climbs of almost 5,000ft), but there few major challanges. It's either rollers or long steady climbs. Someone asked, and I think for a very good biker, a 11-23 would work well, since even myself I really needed the 25 only about 2-3 times. I heard the course being compared to Wildflower or Timberman, but I haven't done any of those. Anyway, it's not as hard as it sounds (and you might fear), but it's harder than you'd hope, this being Connecticut.

I'm looking forward to Rev3 now, and to seeing you there!

Jerseyman Sprint Triathlon

2009-05-11T16:19:00.003-04:00

And the 2009 tri season is finally on!
The season opener was a great experience, and everything worked as planned.

Background
Last year I did the Jerseyman Half Ironman, and while it was a good race for me, it was an organization nightmare. I had only complaints about the organizers if you remember. But I decided to give them another chance this year, as I was looking for an early May lake tri, and I was happy to notice that they learned their lesson and it was a huge improvement.

Anyway, last year, to make things worse, I had the most miserable weather ever in a race. It was 7 hours of heavy rain, from the moment I went into the lake, till crossing the finish line. I was worried about the weather this year too, but it ended up perfectly! No rain, no wind, and actually pretty hot (low 70's). The only problem, as expected this early in the season, was the lake temp...

So, the sprint race was a 1/2 mile swim, 19.5 miles bike, and a 5K run. I totally loved the starting time of 9:30, quite unusual for a triathlon, but perfect for me. They started the half Iron first, then had a break, and then the sprint was scheduled. I got there early enough (like... half hour early) so I had plenty of time to set up my transition and meet a few club mates from the Jersey Shore Tri Club. I also passed the first test of the day: Will the wetsuit still fit?

Swim
Once I got to the lake for the practice swim, I thought I was gonna instantly freeze. The water was 62F and it was like nothing I ever raced in. You would get used to the cold, but once you put your head in the water, that icy water would get up the sinuses straight to the brains... Maybe the river swimmers were not as affected, but I only swim in a heated pool. The lake was as I remembered it, very clean and clear, and they had more buoys than last year, so you could really see where you're going.

It's funny that I uploaded a picture to Facebook, from transition, and I titled it "Ready to rumble", and once my wave (the first one) for to the shore, they played the HBO Boxing theme, with the announcement "Welcome to the main event. Let's get rrready to rrumbleeee". Very motivating opening theme, we had a countdown and then... The start of the 2009 tri season!

Swimming remains my main problem, and I was very worried about it. Especially with this cold I was almost sure I'll get leg cramps. But I was able tos ettle into a nice rhythm, and by the end, it was my first ever swim where I could freestyle all the way. It's only half a mile, but I had sprint races where I had to alternate with breast-stroke. This time though, I kept a very steady swim!! This is my main accomplishment in this race. I stayed in a group... true, at the end of the bunch, but still, I wasn't all alone in the middle of the lake. The following waves didn't run me over, and the 2nd wave swimmers actually didn't catch up until around the second turn! And I could just see the 3rd wave on the beach, getting ready to start, meaning that it only took me 10 minutes for half the course.

My legs didn't cramp, but my palms started to cramp, quite weird. But everything was under control, and.... drumroll... I passed someone!!! Might be the first time in 2 years of triathlons that I pass someone on the swim! I finally got to the beach in a record pace. 44 minutes/mile is not just a PR, it obliterated my previous bests of over 50 min/mile.

Total swim time: 22:18

T1
Long run on the beach, and then on park roads to the transition. At least, it was in the parking lot, and not like last year, when it was on grass, which turned into a mud pit due to the torrential rain. My transition was very long because I practiced getting the compression socks on. Didn't really need them for this race, but I wanted to practice this before the Rev3 HIM, my main race of the spring.

Total T1: 6:52

Bike
The bike course was a short loop over the beginning and the end of the HIM bike course I did last year. More precisely, was the hilly part of that course. Not very hilly, but continuous rollers. I really didn't find it a very hilly course, but some of my friends who live further down the shore complained about it. I wouldn't call a course hilly unless I run out of gears at least once or twice, but here all the hill efforts were doable with gears to spare. Anyway, it was a tiring crouse, since I had to keep alternating between climbing and fast-cadence downhills.

I started passing people from the beginning. Overall, I passed a few dozen riders, and I think I only got passed by a handful. Actually, for the entire 19.5 miles, I switched places with an older very athletic guy with a disc wheel, and with a younger hotshot. After we passed each other at least 20 times, I found out the older guy was Ed from my club, the king of the 60+ age group. He really pushed me in the race, since I always had to keep catching up with him.

It's fun starting back into the bike course, because at the first rollers, I passed 4-5 riders in one shot. I kept rolling fast over the big rollers, then enjoyed some more relaxing time on a portion of a flat highway, and then I got to the biggest hill of the course. Maybe half a mile of steep climbing, and I could see a long line of people crawling up, a few even walking. OK, so how many can I pass? I started out of the saddle, then alternated with sitting, but it was an all out effort to the top. Passed maybe 10 riders, and caught up with my friend Ed again. Not long after this... you know, what goes up, must come down, and I launched myself down a long exhilarating downhill. I looked to check the speedometer and saw it at 46mph. And when I looked back up, uh-oh! Sharp left turn. Trying not to squeeze the brakes. Move right. Oh well, the roads gets as narrow as one lane. Fighting to slow the bike down. Hope there's no car coming up. Manage to get into the turn. Then sharper right turn. I manage to control my speed and make it onto the very narrow bridge. That was cool indeed.

We got back into a quiet neighborhood, and I'm pedalling hard. I remembered this streets from last year's running course... When it was pouring hard, I was exhausted, and I still had about 5 miles to run. Nothing to stop me now though. I'm probably going at 25+mph, tight left turn coming up, 4 riders in a line in front of me. The slow down, I went on the inside. They slowed even more, I just hope they stay slow, to their right, I barely brake, going full speed into the corner and bouncing to the other side, safely through, the other guys must've thought I'm crazy.

Almost done, but as we cross the highway, the cops that controlled the traffic created a long backup, and we have to squeeze on a narrow shoulder, no way to pass. And worse, the guy in front was reeealy slow. Very frustrating, like following the safety car. Once we got over the highway, I jumped ahead, held again 25+ for about a mile, before turning into the road back to the park. They even mentioned on the race website the hard hills at the end, and they hurt a bit last year after 50 miles, but this time I powered through all of them, again switching places with Ed. But I slowed down a bit into the park and he finished ahead of me by less than 10 seconds.

It was a very good bike race. The speed might not sound fantastic, but it ranked me in the top third of the race, so the course slowed everyone down.

Total bike time: 1:06:24 (17.6mph)

T2 My legs weren't hurting, so I didn't need my extra time to get the stretched and relaxed. I went very quickly through T2, didn't foget anything, and I got my fastest T2 ever.

Total T2: 2:02

Run
The run course was mostly inside the park, first along the lake, then through the woods. It was nice because it was warmer and warmer, probably 75F by now. Quite humid, just the spring/summer weather I was waiting for. I felt quite strong, but I was closing in on 2 hours of racing, so couldn't go too fast. I was passed by more people than I passed, which I didn't like. But my final pace was one of my best in a triathlon.

Total running time: 27:08 (8:45/mile)

Finish Compared to last year, and I ended up at a deserted finish line, with only the chip collector and a timer still manning the line, this time it was a really great party atmosphere. You could hear the loud announcer and cheering from pretty far away. And actually the announcer was a very fun part of the finish, with his colorful commentary. He called my name, then said "nice high socks; old school! I love it!". Sorry to break it to you, but it's compression socks, and they're pretty-new-school.

Final time: 2:04:42, place 168 out of 278, 20/27 in my age group

The food spread was surprisingly good, a lot of variation. I spent some time talking with my club mates, a lot of whom had one awards, and then left very satisfied with the performance. Nothing stellar, but everything worked perfectly and, combined with my good HM performance last week, I'm feeling quite confident going into Rev3.

Long Branch Half Marathon

2009-05-03T18:14:00.007-04:00

I finally did it, and what an awesome racing experience it was!!

Background
I headed to this race (part of the New Jersey Marathon events) quite concerned... I signed up for the race early in the year, before my injury, and it was supposed to fit perfectly into my HIM training plan. Then the injury came, didn't run for 2 months, and all of a sudden the Half Marathon looked like impossible to do. But I decided to do it as a long training run... My longest run (post-injury / of the year / since last September) was just 10 miles, last week. So it was quite a stretch, but I could take it easy. Of course, no dreams of getting close to my 1:52 PR. Actually I didn't set time goals, but I would've liked to go under 2:10, and anything close to 2 hours would've been great for my morale before the Rev3 HIM.

Race morning
After a few hot days, the last two were quite chilly. But the weather for the race seemed good, perfect temps (upper 50's), with chance of light rain. I don't mind the rain, as I mind extreme temperatures, so it was great. No rain at the start, but extremely humid, probably over 80%. I decided to try my 2XU compression socks for the first time in a race, despite warnings from the fashion police. I actually practiced getting them on the way I saw it in a YouTube video, and it was great, took me about 30 seconds (compared to almost 5 minutes, before).

The start
As I got to the race, I was quite surprised by the huge crowds converging to the start. 3 years ago, this was my first marathon, an unforgettable experience, but there were maybe a couple thousand runners (for the full and half combined) then. This time, they had about 8,000. The advantage of getting there late (like usual) is that they opened up an "emergency" parking location less than half a mile from the start, which was very convenient, since I didn't have to go to some remote location and get shuttled back. The start was on the Long Branch boardwalk, and it was amazing how many people were. Combined with spectators, well over 10,000, and it was swarming all over the place.

I'm on the right... not sure what I was doing at the front...

I tried to go back, but couldn't make it too far, so I had to go with the crowded mass in front. Actually, it was quite narrow, and hard to squeeze, so it wasn't THAT fast. I bet it must've been quite a sight for the spectators, probably there were more runners than the population of Long Branch. For those who know the area, at Rooney's the announcer said the end of the line is all the way back in Pier Village, almost a mile back.

So, despite my tendency to start ANY race fast, the first mile was a bit over 9 minutes. I was a bit disappointed, so I started to go around on the grass, and find some room, so my 2nd mile was 8:29. Wait!! What was I doing?? It was supposed to be a slow training run! Somewhere during Mile 3 I found myself running at around 7:30 pace. So I had to pull back to a more reasonable pace. But after the first 3 miles, I was on PR pace.

Racing hard
3 years after my painful marathon experience, this race changed a lot, due to the numbers. Back then, it was mostly a solitary race. There had been a few isolated onlookers cheering, and a few spots where they were bunched up. But now, going through the Long Branch neighborhoods, people were cheering from everywhere. They had music, flags, signs, and they were loud. And I got carried over, mile after mile, keeping about the same even pace.

Downtown Long Branch was crazy, almost a mile of 5-6 people deep crowds, which made for another fast mile, about 8:32. And that's when it occurred to me that if I push just a bit harder, I could beat my best time. But.... I was getting tired, of course, and heading into distances that I hadn't run in almost 8 months. And as we went into the quiet Deal streets, the crowds got quiet, and there was little push from the sidelines. I was remembering the painful 2nd loop of that first marathon, when it was there that I hit the wall, and I couldn't move any further, every step being an ordeal. My miles decreased to upper 8's, but at Mile 10 I had to make a decision, and I decided to go for it.

To the finish
As it wasn't already hard enough, I had to push way over my current limits. But I remembered Thor's words on Facebook: "motivation can drive the body to push beyond substantial hurt". That, and all the digging deep, wells, and other stuff. But the best I could do as a 8:35 mile (11th). Oh well, I had to push much harder. I had a slight sensation of puking, and that was good, because that's exactly where I was supposed to be, at that level of effort. But we were just about the two easy long hills near the end of the course, and this really didn't help at all. I felt like I'm going all out, and still couldn't do better than 8:20. By this time, I was mostly passing people, going around the outside to move up as everybody around me seemed to have suddenly stopped. And then when I saw the one mile to go sign I realized my GPS is about .15 off, which I should've known from all the previous mile posts, but somehow ignored it. So there was no way I could get a PR.... I was already back on the oceanfront promenade, and the finish was so close, but there was nothing I could do anymore. Normally, I would've eased down and coasted to the finish, happy with a very good result.

But I didn't have time to think about that and instead continued with all the speed that was left in me. As we approached Pier Village, the running corridor was getting narrower, and there were big crowds on both sides cherring us to the finish. Half a mile to go, and again I felt like puking, and this time I couldn't get any faster. The last mile was another 8:20, while the final .1 was very close to 7:00. I sprinted all the way to the chute and stopped my watch at 1:54:47.

Post race party
I don't know what the official time was, but it was anyway much better than anything I could've expected. I came with a very optimistic goal of 2 hours, and I ended up just 2 minutes off my PR! Now I can really feel optimistic about Rev3!

The weather helped a lot, as it was the perfect temperature, and only an on-and-off light drizzle. But soon after we finished it started raining really hard. I was feeling bad for the marathoners who had to do all this one more time. The compression socks probably helped, because as my feet ached in all the usual places, the calves were completely spared. As for nutrition, I got Gu with water about every 30-40 minutes (3 total), and Gatorade at all the other water stops.

Overall, it was a very satisfying performance for me, and I'm thinking it's one of my strongest. It's rare that I ran at my maximum capabilities in a long race, but this time I did it. Recently, I think only in the 2nd half of the run at JerseyMan have I felt so close to the edge.

After I limped to the car and changed (covering those sexy knee-high socks), I made my way to Charley's where a couple of new entrepreneurs had a big party planned. They're launching a new racing website, well-titled PostRaceParty.com, and they wanted to start off in style. These guys, Rebecca & John, did a great job, entertaining band, lots of runners and familiar faces, free food, many prizes and giveaways, and plenty of beer. I hope their business succeeds because that's how a post race party should be like. The 4 beers I drank did a great job to rehydrate me, replenish some of the glycogen stores and relax my muscles.

Timing
For geeks, here are my mile times:
1 - 9:04
2 - 8:29
3 - 8:29
4 - 8:42
5 - 8:47
6 - 8:32
7 - 8:41
8 - 8:41
9 - 8:59
10 - 8:42
11 - 8:35
12 - 8:20
13 - 8:23

Rock Climbing in the Gunks

2009-04-14T09:57:00.008-04:00

Yesterday I finally went to try rock climbing for the first time in my life. I've been planning this since around 2007... when I paid for the introductory lesson, but I just didn't have time or favorable weather to do it. I really procrastinated, but finally I decided to call the EMS Climbing School and use my credit. I think I was naturally attracted to rock climbing since I love mountains and hiking so much, but I was a bit scared at the same time because there were so many things that I couldn't understand... like how do you anchor the rope to the rock, how to you climb when there are no visible holds. I also didn't understand very well how safe it actually is, as long as you're not the lead climber.

I picked the Gunks after a random suggestion, and I later found out that this mountains in Upstate New York (less than 2 hours from us) are a famous climbing destination. You wouldn't think that, considering it's some small cliffs that can't compare to anything in the Rockies, but I guess people like the availability of many climbs of all difficulties, from the easiest (rating 5.0) to the hardest (5.15), all in a very concentrated and accessible area. The Gunks are around the Mohonk preserve, and it only sounded familiar to me because of the SOS advanture triathlon which takes place here.

And here is how climbing relates to my triathlon blog (besides being a multi-sport activity, or cross-training at least). I thought I might ask Patty (my guide) if she heard of that race, and if she happens to know where does it take place, and she replied that I couldn't have found a better person to ask about it since she's done it 3 times! So over the entire day of climbing we talked a lot about triathlons, marathons, half ironmans and so on and I learned a ton of things about the SOS. She pretty much explained it to me leg by leg, she showed me one of the run trails (which is the carriage road we took to the climbing spots). At the end, she took me over to the hardest part of the bike route, and eventually drew a map of the course so I can come and practice in case I end up doing the race. There's a very good possibility now that I'll try to get in the race for 2010 (it sells out a year in advance, the same day registration opens), even if, after hearing all the details, a sane person would try to stay away from it.

But a sane person also doesn't go rock climbing just because he likes cliffs and saw it on TV. I wasn't even sure if I'd be afraid of heights! But Patty was very patient, she explained every thing, of course starting with the safety part. For a newbie, probably the most important thing is to be safe and trust your belayer.

After a short hike from the parking lot, along the Trapps section of the Gunks, we stopped at what would be my first climb ever. It was the Black Fly, rated 5.4... A bit high for my first attempt, but probably Patty wanted to check my abilities. Plus it had an easy walk-up, so she quickly set up a top rope. This way she could stay down, watch me, and guide my tiny step by tiny step. For me, the rock looked impossible to climb. It's true that it wasn't as bad as I imagined.... I thought cliffs would be vertical plain rock faces, with no other features. But actually, when you get closer, there are many cracks, small holds and other unnamed things that you can use to make your way up. Of course I didn't have any clue about how to take advantage of this.

The beginning was a bit easier, for a few feet up, but then I had no idea what to do anymore. So Patty had to direct me step by step. Left, right, up, turn, change balance, grab, etc. It probably looked like I barely left the ground, and I think I was living some of the most stressful moments of my life. I was maybe 20 feet off the ground. I was standing on a very thing ledge, and my fingers where hanging for dear life from a tiny rock. And I had no idea what to do next. Somehow I managed to get up there, but now there was nothing else left to do. I was afraid I'd fall down. My heart rate was through the roof. Despite the chilly morning, buckets of sweat were pouring down my face. My entire legs were shaking, barely able to stay still. And even worse, my hands were shaking, I couldn't even hold that rock anymore.

The best thing that Patty recommended was to take a leap of faith, and let myself fall. After a few minutes of convincing I did this, I let go. Of course, I didn't go anywhere. I was strapped in my harness, and the rope was very tight, so as I let go off the rock, I sat back away from the cliff hanging in the air. I had to do this a few more times until I finally realized nothing's gonna happen if I lose control. There won't be a fall, or nothing more than a couple of inches. And this was good because I could relax my feet and hands, shake them until blood would come back into them and I could regain control of my fingers.

Now that this was settled, I was more relaxed to concentrate on finding a way up. But my climbing skills were 0, nil, zilch, nada. Patty was trying to explain me what to do, but I didn't understand the terms, and anyway it didn't seem possible to do. But she finally convinced me that as flat as the rock wall looked like, there were some tiny bumps in the rock, no wider that half an inch or less, that I could use. But there were two things I needed to do: First, to carefully look down to see where I'm putting my foot. Oh wait, I thought I'm not supposed to look down. What if I'm scared of heights?? Luckily I wasn't, so from then on, I started watching my steps very carefully. Second, I had to learn to trust the huge friction that the rubber soles of the climbing shoes had. Even on that quarter-inch edge, if I pressed the side of the shoes into it, they would grip and not slip!

Next big obstacle were the hand holds. Often they were not so obvious, I didn't know how to grab them or how to use them, and because I was so tense, my hands and fingers were shaking out of control. I don't know how long it took. Maybe 15-20 minutes for about 20 feet? Once I was past that flat section for the wall, it was a cakewalk to the top. I learned that the most difficult part of a climb is the crux, and then everything is easy. And I was soooo happy to be on top! It was my first achievement in climbing. I was on top of the world!! Probablt 80 feet off the ground! To get there, I had to drop from the rock and relax at least 4-5 times, I passed through some very scary moments, I was hurting like hell, but I couldn't be happier! Since it was my first climb, Patty lowered me herself, I just sat back and "walked" down backwards on the rock.

Then I climbed again the same rock, on a very different route, which didn't feel any easier, but at least I had more confidence and in between Patty explained a few basic techniques that I could use. Besides learning to trust the safety of the rope, I had to learn to trust the friction of the shoes. I understood that I can use the smallest bumps in a rock to support my weight. And with a good hand hold, I could just walk up the vertical rock, using the friction of my toes.

One of my fears about climbing was that I don't have a great upper body strength. The image from most movies is that climbing relies on huge arms that pull you up. But it's not like that. It's the legs that do most of the workout, not the arms. The only part of my arms that had to work hard, unfortunately, were my fingers, and I have no strength there.

So after I was done climbing twice, I had to learn how to belay, so Patty can climb up and retrieve all her gear. Belaying is really easy once you understand it, I just had to pull the rope tight as she went up. Next, we walked to the next climb, the easier 5.2 Betty. Every little climb here has a name, and often they are just 10-15 feet apart. And I was surprised at how busy all this section was. There were groups of climbers at almost every location, and more groups were heading down the road. There must've been hundreds of people on the Trapps, even if it was a Monday. Most of them were talking foreign languages, especially French (there were mostly Canadians), German and Russian, and that showed how famous the Gunks are, if people from all over world flew to New York to come here and climb.

So on Betty we went up like a real climb. Patty went first to set up the route. I belayed her by feeding her the rope, as she went up to place the anchors. The lead climber goes up unassisted, anchoring the rope wherever it feels safe. If she drops, I'd stop her fall, but she'd fall to the last anchor, plus all the slack in the rope. It can easily by 8-10 feet, but of course she had no problems on these easy climbs. Here I finally understood how you anchor the rope. She had cams of all sizes and shapes, that could fit in any size crack, where they'd lock securely. Until just a couple of years ago, I had the impression that climbing involved big nails that you hammers into the rock. It appears as this is a very ancient technique which hasn't been used in civilised countries for many decades. The idea is not to leave any trace of human activity on the mountain, everything must be taken away when you're done. So once Patty was up and secured the ropes, it was my turn to climb as she belayed me from the top.

To make it harder this time (although the climb was easier), she couldn't watch me and guide me on every move, so I had to find my way up all by myself. I also had to remove and unclip every anchor she placed and take them with me. I had to say I had for the first time a lot of fun climbing! I could remember everything she told me, and made my way up with no assistance. Althought it was hard, I found all the grips and holds, and didn't even need to sit back and rest. And following her pitch and removing the gear almost felt like actualy climbing. In all climbing, one of the climbers goes up first, to a good place to stop and anchor, then the other follows up, and then they repeat until the top. One such section is called a pitch, and if the climbers are equally skilled they'd alternate. On my first day though, we did only one-pitch climbs (so up and down), mainly so I don't freak out from being too high up in the air.

From the top of the Betty climb, which had nice views around, I learned how to rappel down all by myself. Patty used a secondary safety measure, leaving the main rope connected so she could catch me in case I do anything wrong. But I don't see what you can do wrong when rappeling. You just have to control the release of the rope, as you "walk" back down the cliff. I gotta say that going down this way was almost as fun as going up!

Next, we went to the 5.2 Easy-O, another easy climb. It had a new feature for me, a chimney, which is a large crack, big enough so you can inside and climb in there. Having the back wall makes it easy to rest, plus it gives some feeling of protection and safety. So once the chimney was over and I had to slide back to the outside of the cliff, I freaked out a bit, especially since it was the crux of the climb, but I made my way up again without any problems. I really enjoyed these last two climbs, because I had no assistance about finding the route, and I didn't have to "drop" in order to relax. But my legs and hands were already in big pain... feet were cramping and I could barely control my fingers. Patty said it might not be a good idea doing the second pitch to the top and instead I should try one more climb, maybe a more challenging one.

A lot of my "learning experience" today was about tying knots. I learned a few, but what I still don't understand very well is the logic of setting up the rope and setting up various anchors. Probably once you understand the concepts, it sounds logic, but I had too many other things on my mind today. Anyway, to get off Easy-O, Patty did a different setup, where the rope was doubled over, and we both rappelled down on the same rope, first her and then myself. It was a big harder to rappel down here, since there was that huge chimney and I didn't want to get stuck inside, so I had to walk down more carefully, directing myself over the chimney.

Anyway, we went back a bit, through the larger and larger crowds of climbers, to the Rhododendron, which had a 5.6 rating, my highest yet. It loooked really scary, a very vertical wall, with almost no places to grab or step on. The only distinctive feature was a big vertical crack which snaked all the way to the top. It really looked like something I couldn't possibly do now. Patty went up first, and I tried to memorize all her moves... She set it up like a top rope, so she came down to direct me. I told her that if it's too late and I'm really stuck with nowhere to go, to just lower me and call it a day. Somehow it looked like a selection of all the cruxed I had today, one after the other. My feet were cramped and hands hurt really bad, but I was able to go up, slowly but surely. The last two climbs got me a lot of confidence, and I could find every tiny step, every small rock to grab on to. It was harder than anything before but I was able to use that small crack to pull myself up quite smoothly. There were a few times when Patty shouted stuff like "great move", "that's awesome", "nice climbing", which encouraged me to move even faster. I only dropped once, but that was on purpose, to shake and relax my hands. I never felt stuck and I got to the top faster than on any previous climbs. That really got me a big sense of satisfaction, too bad it was just at the end.

And this is my first rock climbing experience... I'm quite sure I want to try this again, but it will definitely be after the Rev3 HIM. My whole body is hurting, my knees are quite badly banged up, I have bumps, bruises and red spots all around my knees. For the rest of the day and even this morning, I have a feeling reminiscing of my first marathon... or first half Iron... But I'm sure I'll do more climbing this year, and the Gunks looked like the perfect location. Not to mention I'm toying more and more with the idea of doing the SOS race as well.

Sgt Pat 5K

2009-04-11T13:38:00.005-04:00

OK, so I probably really need to fire my race planner. How do I pick all these races??
I went this morning to do the Sgt Pat 5K in Long Branch, and it was pretty much Sandy Hook TT all over again (cold gusty winds), plus torrential rain. Which didn't prevent people from showing up in big numbers, I don't think there were much less than last year.

It's a nice course along the boardwalk, and the ocean looked rough, spectacular waves which were breaking really close to the boards, like it usually does when some tropical storm gets nearby. There was a strong wind right along the coast, which would make for a fun run one way, and horrible one the other way.

We started with the wind, and it almost felt warm. Crazy me, I went out in shorts, and no gloves, so I'd been freezing the entire time up to the start. Big mistake. But I warmed up quick while getting the tailwind... However for some reason I didn't push hard enough. First mile was about 7:10. Last year I remember going very fast with the tailwind, and then at least a minute per mile slower, against the wind.

After the turn around it got bad, all that freezing wind in my face. The course was quite hazardous... the road surface is quite rough, so there was a lot of standing water, big puddles, a few times I went ankle deep. Lots of splashing all around. So I lost some time during the small turn-around loop, trying to dodge people who were dodging other people dodging the puddles. 2nd mile was about 7:50. So I was ready for a much slower final mile and maybe 24 minutes or more.

However, on the way back, against the wind, I saw something I've never seen in a running race: drafting! We formed this long line of about 7-8 runners, and were running in a paceline! It felt so easy despite the 20-30mph wind gusts, and the guy in front was running a 7:30 pace, just what I needed. Some people were dropping, others were joining, but I thought it was so cool! Because the wind was a bit from the side, we even ran in an echelon. But more and more people were dropped, and I ended up just behind that guy with the PBA shirt. They changed the course a bit from last year, so we passed the finish line, having to go another quarter mile against the wind, and turning to get to the finish. And around that time, the leading guy dropped and I was all alone against the forces of nature. And it was a horrible quarter mile. It felt like I couldn't make any forward progress. I looked back, hoping that guy could get back in front... or anybody else, but there was nobody close! I struggled all the way to the turn around and then, as the wind suddenly stopped, I had no more energy to kick to the end.

But all this drafting helped me get a 7:30 final mile, and a very nice finish time of 23:33 (according to my Garmin, official was 23:35). This is a new post-injury PR for me. And not far from last year's time of 23:21 (which at the time was an absolute PR). As I stopped, all the cold struck me at once, and I was shivering very badly so I immediately headed out for my car. Only later I found out I'd actually got 3rd place out of 24 in my competitive age group, which is not bad at all! With the out-and-back course, I should've been able to judge how many people my age were ahead, but my sunglasses were so covered with water that I could barely see... I also ranked 46 out of the 355 runners, so pretty much the front-of-the-pack.

So we all had fun, some had even more fun that should be allowed! After the race, a few runners were plunging into a mud pit next to the finish. I would've done it too if I werent' wearing my cycling jacket. Oh, and they had these very cool chips for the race, first time I see them. Kind of disposable paper timing chips, with their electrical circuit visible embedded in the paper.

Indian Trails 3mi - First award of the year

2009-04-05T11:25:00.004-04:00

Second year in a row, I had to bail out of the popular Indian Trails 15K race, and go instead with the "kids race", the 3M distance. Well, it's not exactly for kids, but it's only a handful of the 400+ racers who take the quick detour to finish the short course. And this was for me the day after the stormy time trial at Sandy Hook.

If any thing defines Indian Trails, it's HILLS. The 3M (is actually just on roads) goes uphill for almost 2 miles, and then steep downhill before cruising to the finish. Last year, I got here my first ever age group win (and 8th overall), while crushing my opponents on the steepest hill and on the downhill. But this year, I'm still lacking endurance. I went quite strong on the uphill part, including the steepest parts on Serpentine Road... only passed one runner, I just tried to hang with the group. I actually lost a bit when the road flattened out, but then on the downhill I let my feet fly. The view was great, a very clear day where we could see the bay, Sandy Hook, all the way to Manhattan, and while sane people were trying to keep speed under control, I remembered the exhilaration of riding the bike down at 45mph and used my high cycling cadence. I passed two people, and once I had a quick chat with the guy I was running shoulder-to-shoulder with, we realized we're not the same age group and we both slowed down. I got passed by two older guys, and then I settled in a more comfortable pace. It was extremely windy, and the course seemed to never end. So before the end, an age group rival just flew by me. I just coasted to the end, with no more competition from behind, and finished in a not so stellar 23:22.

It was still good for a 3rd place age group award. Not 1st like last year, and almost 2 minutes slower, and it's my first trophy this year, and it comes after my long running break. It was again a perfectly organized race by Doug Rice and Sandy Hookers, who always put up exceptional events. Nice seeing so many familiar faces, and a great crowd at this race!

Sandy Hook TT 2009 - Racing Against a Hurricane

2009-04-05T11:12:00.006-04:00

I went to this time trial for the second year in a row, as a way to judge my bike fitness level. It's right in my playground, the Sandy Hook where I ride so often. One thing everybody know about the Hook is that it's always windy there. No matter how nice the weather, even in the middle of the summer, you'll always have at least 10mph winds along the hook, so you're going into a headwind one way, and fly with the tailwind on the other way.

But this year, it was different. We were under a wind advisory, and in the morning it sounded as if the house is gonna take off and we'll wake up in Oz. Not a good sign for a race on Sandy Hook. As I was crossing the bridge to the Hook (a narrow strip of land going between the ocean and the bay), I could see spectacular waves breaking at the shore. And when I got out of the car, it was almost unreal. I think this is what a tropical storm is supposed to be like. You could barely stay on your feet, and there was this eerie howling coming from over the water. The bay was full of whitecaps and the vegetation by the beach was bent to the ground. And what's worse, this 30mph sustained wind with gusts over 50mph was blowing a bit sideways to the course!

So as I went on the course, right in the first few hundred yards I realized the challenge will not be to pedal hard or push to the limit, but to keep the bike upright. it was hard enough to keep it straight against the constant wind, but when a gust was blowing over, it was like extreme danger every 30 seconds. I can't even imagine riding a disc wheel in that weather, and I heard there were several crashes.

So I don't even wanna talk about the race itself. It was just a struggle against nature. There were sand clouds blowing over the road. Ocean spray coming from the breaking waves. Small branches and even a street sign being blown through the air. There were parts of the road looking like sand traps. And my average, over just the 7 miles, was an embarrassing 18mph. Well... much slower than in any of my Olympic triathlons (and there are 24 mile courses squeezed between a swim and a run). It sounded like everybody had a miserable time, and I'm just glad I finished in one piece. The only good thing about the race is that I got again some great pics from the professional photographers at CyclingCaptured.com:

Keep Kids Alive 5K - Chris is Back!

2009-03-30T13:26:00.004-04:00

Sunday I ran my first race this resuming running 12 days ago. My recovery has been going surprisingly well. I actually started with a 8-day running streak, something I'd never even come close to. I increased my distance slowly to over 5 miles, and I was able to do even a short speedwork session.

I planned this race since it's a low-key event, not far from home. It's actually a first-time event, and it started as a senior high-school project of one of the area's star runners, Brianna Jackuciewicz. It ended up being a great event, with 230 runners and top-notch organizing.

My plan was to run strong, and I was aiming for something around 25 minutes. Anyway, nothing near my 22:02 PR from last October. In the morning, it was a crappy weather, with fog and a cold drizzle, but by the time we started, the rain stopped and it warmed up a bit, so I went in shorts and t-shirt. We started from the Colts Neck High School and went on flat nice local roads between the farmlands. I started out very fast, like I always do, and did the first half mile in about 3:10... Way over my means. Then I settled down in a more doable pace, as the course became very familiar, because I biked on those exact streets several times. I was passed by lots of people, something I'm not used to and I DON'T LIKE :-) But I accepted this, knowing I'm back from a long period of not running. Still, I hit the 1st mile at a PR pace of 7:08. I was slowing down anyway, and the second mile was 7:35.

Everything was feeling awesome for the first 15 minutes, but after 2 miles I felt like I was done. On a short distance, I don't think my foot is a factor, but rather my anaerobic endurance. And I found its limit, since I didn't do hard runs in quite a while (even before the injury, I was just resuming regular training after a few winter recovery weeks). It was very hard to keep the pace, and it was quite weird because although there were over 200 hundred people on the course, I was all of a sudden alone! The group in front was way ahead, with no prospects of catching up, and I couldn't see anybody close behind. So I stayed in my zone, and just waited for the course to end.

The finish was on the high-school track, and I always like this kind of finish! My 3rd mile was kinda slow, but once I got inside the stadium, I found new energies. On the back stretch I started hearing steps from right behind me, and that's when I started sprinting. Judging by how fast I could kick at the end, I feel like I could've run faster on the course, and the Garmin showed a 6:10 pace over the last .1mi. Of course I wasn't caught from behind, and I crossed the line at 23:41. My actual time was 23:38, since I started a bit behind the line.

Well, I couldn't be happier with this result! It was way better than I hoped, just a minute and a half from my PR. It's funny that it was 1 second faster than my last pre-injury race, but I was completely untrained at that time.

From now on, I'll have to work hard on increasing my running distance and my endurance. Next weekend will be a double-header, Sandy Hook TT on Saturday and Indian Trails 3M on Sunday.

On The Way To Recovery

2009-03-19T11:16:00.002-04:00

One day after running again, I went for my longest ride of the year so far, and completed the full 42 miles. It felt OK, although I still can't stand up on the pedals when climbing hard. It was cold and windy, but thanks Will for pulling me! Went pretty much over all the hills around, including Serpentine Rd in Middletown and Scenic Drive in Highlands. Then I tried the first post-injury brick and again, it wasn't that bad. Only 2 miles, but no "bricky" pain.

I also tried the 2XU compression socks for the first time. I'd like to think they helped in doing this brick with no pain. Sometimes, when I climb too long in the saddle, I get calf cramps, but not this time. Also, legs felt good after the bike. Now if I could only figure out how to put them on in less than 10 minutes...

Back in Business!!

2009-03-17T14:57:00.003-04:00

This morning I went back to the foot doc and.... he cleared me to run!! The X-ray still showed a tiny crack, but he said nothing can happen anymore and it's healing well.

I got home and immediately got dressed up for my first run in 46 days! I was a bit scared, because people told me I might have to start with 5-10 minutes, then a walk/run sequence, until I can build up. So I started slowly... maybe at a 11 min/mi pace. Everything felt good, weather was nice, and it felt a bit like spring. No pain in the toe! I did one mile, then another one. I decided to do an extra loop, and ended up with 4.1 miles of non-stop running! It felt awesome! Like I didn't want to stop. But luckily, there was a voice in my head which told me not to push it too far. I went progressively faster, and the last mile was just under 9:00.

At one point, a woman walking her dogs was staring at me. Then I realized I had a huge smile on my face as I was running. And until the end, no pain in my toe! But... during the almost 40 minutes of running, I had temporary pains in: my ankles, knees, hamstrings, calves, left big toe, lower back, and a short side stitch. Must be because they were a bit rusty and need to be broken-in.

But finally I can do it! I'm getting on a 0-13mi program in 11 weeks, which should be quite enough, I hope. I'm even planning to race a 5K in 10 days... with no time goals, even if I finish last, but just because I miss racing.

2 More Weeks...

2009-03-04T12:48:00.000-05:00

So the verdict is in: At least 2 more weeks of no running.
The bone crack is still visible even to someone like me... The doctor tried to arrange the broken pieces manually, which in my book is equivalent to torture, but I clenched my teeth and took it. He said I can do biking, swimming, elyptic, water running or anything that doesn't involve pushing off the ground with my toes.

Good news is he assured me there will be no long-term effects, and once it's healed, it's healed. He was confident that I'll be good for the HIM in June.

The reason I tend to trust him is that Dr. Connors treated the likes of Paul Tergat, Khalid Khanouchi, Constantina Dita and lots of other runners who ended up winning Olympic medals or hitting world records.

Was Running Keeping Me Healthy?

2009-02-22T17:25:00.001-05:00

I'm again sick, as most of us during this season. Only it feels worse than when I used to run... So was running actually keeping me healthier? In the 4+ years since I started running, I never had any serious sickness. At least, nothing to stop me from training. Of course I've been sick, but it was the kind of sickness like last spring, during which I raced twice, and even won my 1st ever AG. Or about 2 years ago, when it hit me at the Marine Corps Marathon... it was bad, but somehow I managed to run 26.2 miles.

Anyway, when I'm sick usually running is the best cure. It's not easy getting out of the house, but I guess that the fast-pumping blood and quick breathing is sweating out the cold. Of course, can't do that now. Actually, can't do anything. Riding is too complicated, weights are too depressing and swimming is hard when you can't breathe.

I got a date with the foot doc, and that is Mar 4th. Really looking forward to that, and hoping that he'll say I'm alright and I can get back to whatever I like to do.

On the Sidelines

2009-02-15T17:49:00.002-05:00

I owe some explanations to people wondering why they don't see my training on the road, or asking what my next races are. For the first time in my short athletic career, I'm sidelined by a severe injury. And it didn't happen by running an ultra or by crashing in the peloton. I just broke my left pinky toe running through the house, looking for my phone.

I was upset and extremely worried, especially since I'm so scared of doctors and anything medical-related. I waited a few days before I got an x-ray, which confirmed the toe is broken. It's already been 2 weeks, and I have no idea how long this will take. I'm keeping my toe taped to the next one (so it doesn't fall off, duuuh). What workouts can I do?

Of course, I can do weight lifting without any problems. I can also swim, although it doesn't feel as natural. I wear a tight sock on that foot, and I can't kick too hard. I also can't push off the wall which makes the pool feel way longer. Surprisingly, I have no trouble riding my bike. I did up to 1h40 on the trainer, and went outside once. I can't push very hard with the left foot, and I can't stand up, but other than that it doesn't hurt too much. Finally, since I can't run, I tried to replace that with the elyptical. It works, I did up to 40 minutes, but I don't understand that contraption too well. Lots of people use it, but it just seems weird to me.

For now, I scratched the E Murray Todd HM from my schedule, but everything else is still on the table. I'll have to go back to the doctor (ughhh) to find out about my progress. It doesn't hurt that much anymore, I'm mainly scared not to worsen it.

FARC 5k, the Season Opener

2009-01-25T19:29:00.002-05:00

I've never raced in January before, so maybe this season is starting early? I went to Freehold for this low-key race put up by FARC, mainly because I was curious if I'm on the right track. I knew it was not gonna be any close to a PR. But at the end of last year, my 5K's have been kinda disastrous.

The race was in the Michael Tighe Park, two flat loops, luckily no wind, but still... 16F. Must be the coldest temps in any race I've done. I dressed warm and that was fine, but breathing is an ordeal. Of course, it would be quite easy if I'd hold my breath, but at the pace required for a 5K there's a loooot of breathing and it comes a point when you just can't do it anymore.

Anyway, final time was 23:40, which is far from the 22:02 PR I got in early October, but much better than my last 2 races. Especially considering the cold... because I started with a 7:00 mile but then I just couldn't keep up the pace because of the freezing cold. But I know I'm on the right track, and I'll have to check my time again when it gets warmer.

The Year in Review

2008-12-18T13:25:00.002-05:00

One more season passed. It's my fourth since I started racing (and running, actually). I had a few goals at the beginning of the year: finish a Half Ironman, go under 23 minutes in the 5K and win an age group. And I doubled on all my goals: finished 2 HIM's, went twice under my 5K goal, and won my age group twice!

The year started out very cold and it was difficult to train. We still had below freezing temperatures when I was supposed to be in serious training mode for Black Bear, my first Half Ironman. So I had to HTFU and get out there against the wind and freezing cold. I did a few small races, including a double, the Sandy Hook TT on Saturday and Indian Trails 3M on Sunday. I was very sick that weekend, and actually withdrew from the 15K, switching to the shorter run. Surprisingly, that was one of my fastest runs ever, despite the huge hills, and I one my first age group award! The following weekend, Apr 13, I did an amazing race, the Endurance 50 Challenge at Bear Mountain. A half-marathon through the mountains on the most difficult terrain you can find in a trail race. We summited three times and had to climb hands-over-feet for at least a couple of miles.

As I was trying to improve my bike fitness (which was almost non-existant), I slowly increased my riding distance with the help of the Sandy Hookers, leading to my first metric century. I did a biathlon as the first multi-sport event of the year (Causeway Challenge) which worked out very well, good bike performance and an easy 10k run.

By now I started training on hills with Howard and Will and that helped me a lot, because Black Bear was going to be a monster. I had another double weekend, barely missing the age group win in a 5K (outkicked), and a short duathlon the next day. And then it was on. Black Bear on June 1st was the hardest thing I'd ever done. First of all, I still don't know how to swim, so making out of the lake alive was the first challenge. Then, the bike course was just steep climbs and fast downhills. 5000 feet total climb, where I pushed very hard and killed my legs. So the run was more like a walk, under a burning sun through concrete and dust. It wasn't pretty, but I finished in one piece and was ready for the next one.

I took a brief time off, including the wonderful vacation to the Southeast national parks. I came back in July at the New Jersey State Olympic Tri where I PR'd by 20 minutes, and for the first time averaged over 20mph in the bike leg of any triathlon. The Lighter than Air Duathlon next weekend was more like a relaxation, but a very fun race.

Over the summer I did some minor races, including the Skylands Sprint Tri, whose huge climb (where even some pros were walking) was matched by the steep descent on a 3-lane closed highway. And so I got to JerseyMan, my second HIM. It was the most miserable weather you could have in a race. Started raining before the swim... The swim was pretty good and then I headed on the bike course through harder and harder rain. Completely drenched, and after making a lot of extra miles because I missed a turn, I started running. I ran a nice negative split, but by the second half it was a torrential downpour, you could barely see ahead of you. It was a big PR, despite the swim course being long and biking around 60 miles.

The season was supposed to be over, but I did several smaller races. The following weekend, I won another age group award at the Lighthouse 5K, with a PR of 22:02. And I also did the most fun race I ever did, the McGuire AFB Mud Run, 10K of crawling through mud, jumping over fences, crossing rivers and so on.

So that was it, 19 races, all goals were met. Now I need to find new challenges for next year and since I don't plan on going any longer they will have to be time-related.

Poricy Park 5K

2008-12-07T17:33:00.004-05:00

Doing back-to-back races... wow, feels like the season is back!
I'm doing this low-key XC race for the 2nd time in a row, it's in a small park in Middletown. After my recent performances, I gave up on any PR hopes, and instead I took it easy, trying to enjoy the nice scenery. It's the 3rd XC race I'm doing this year (last year, this was my very first) and I'm finally beginning to understand them. Still not crazy about XC but maybe this will improve next year.

It was very cold (28 degrees at the start) although not as cold as last year. Still, breathing hard that cold air get painful after a while. I was running in a small group, then after 2 miles most people left on the 5-Miler detour (they just added the 5Mi this year). And I was all alone. Nobody ahead of me. Only a guy well behind me. I was already tired, and the rolling hills were wearing me off, so I decided just to defend my position until the finish. I slowed down enough to make sure the guy behind me won't catch up. Sometimes I'd hear his breath (especially when the wind was at my back) and speed up a bit, then ease off again. I played this game until the end and finished with about a 10 seconds advantage. Overall I was happier with this race than with the one last week. I feel it's really time to get back into some more serious training, and I'm sure my fitness will come back.

Final time was 26:21... which is actually a 5K XC PW (personal worst) by far. It wouldn't have been this bad if I would've kept the pace, but I didn't want to push too hard. I guess it's also a loss of endurance, as I find it hard to keep up the pace even over 5K.

Navesink Challenge 5K

2008-12-02T16:48:00.002-05:00

Although I'm in full off-season now, I went to this race in my town, because it's in very familiar territory. Also, four years ago this was my first ever race. I still remember it, tapering for it, carbo-loading, going out in a cold windy rain, getting passed by hordes of runners, almost dying on the final mile, barely making it to the finish.

And to celebrate the runniversary, I did the same thing. Tapering CHECK. Been tapering for almost 2 months. Carbo-loading CHECK. Big Thanksgiving meal. Cold windy rain CHECK. Getting passed CHECK. Dying towards the end CHECK. I hit my 5K PR of 22:02 almost 2 months ago, and had no illusions that I could get anywhere near close now. My training has been very spotty lately, short runs and little speedwork. The course is an out-and-back with rolling hills all the way, except for the start and finish which is on park trails. The trails were very difficult to navigate, due to rain and lots of mud.

My Garmin died shortly after the start, so I had no idea how fast I'm going. I knew they only give awards to the Top 10 finishers, so I was trying to hang with the front runners. Not very easy, in that freezing cold, and as untrained as I was. At the turn-around I could count how many were ahead of me, and there were 10, so I had to move up a spot. But coming back on those neverending hills, I had nothing left in the tank. One or two guys passed me and then in the park, on the trails, a few more went by. It was so cold, my gums were paralyzed and hurting from breathing that hard. I finished in 19th place, with 24:40. A PR? More like a PW. My worst 5k time in 3 years. But going out and race will maybe motivate me to ramp up my training.

McGuire 10K Mud Run

2008-11-09T14:14:00.004-05:00

This must've been the craziest thing I've ever agreed (and paid) to do. Even after starting racing, I heard about the mud runs and figured you must be completely insane to do something like it. But in the off-season I figured it might be a fun distraction and indeed it was awesome!!!! One of the most fun racing experiences and something I'm anxious to do again.

The event on November 8th was the McGuire AFB 10K Mud Run, a first time event modeled after the famous Camp Pendleton course. Maybe a bit too late in the year for New Jersey, but almost 1000 people registered. Most of them were grouped in 5-people teams and we were about 330 individual racers.

Pre-race, it looked like a Halloween parade. You had cheerleaders, hoola dancers, a full range of super-heros (Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, an Invincibles team), the expected military and police uniforms, the Burger King, a flock of angels, pigs and everything else that you can imagine. I felt for most of them, because it was pretty cold and windy, with the threat of rain. But what am I talking... I chose to brave the cold and go in shorts and a short sleeve t-shirt. Did I mention we were supposed to go through lots of cold water?

So here comes the start, and the first almost entire mile was on base roads. Started up front, got passed a but, then passed the King, passed the Wonder Woman and finally got on the trail. First fun moment: jump over a mud wall and into the wet mud pit. And we had to crawl under foot-high ropes. So the fun really began as everybody got really muddy, dragging through the deep mud. I lost a shoe also, but I made it out and for a while, my saliva was very crunchy. Back on the trail, we got to the tire steps. I'd been afraid of tripping here, but it was quite easy, no problems. I also saw a plane doing a vertical take off, very slowly to our side, and then with a huge roar it flew away.

Next obstacle were the 4 feet high hurdles, and lots of them. I was cautious on the first, climbing over it carefully. I got confidence and found better ways of jumping over them. By the last hurdle I thought I perfected my hurdling skills and launched myself with a slight hand support. I launched so well that I completely crashed and rolled over on the other side. Luckily it was muddy, so I didn't hit myself too hard, but from this only fall I got my only battle wounds, a bloody lower leg.

We followed with an easy trail run through the woods, punctuated by lots of legs across our path, at various heights (some to jump over, some to duck under), and then we heard yelling ahead meaning we were reaching another fun spot. Which was rapeling down into a creek. I really liked this, it wasn't very high, maybe 10-12 feet, and I got down safely, while I saw at least one person falling into the water. We had to go for maybe 500 feet upriver through the cold water, but it wasn't deep, mostly knee-high.

Another obstacle I feared was the 5-feet high wall, but it had a very small step halfway up so it was easy getting over it. I also helped a little guy here, he was really helpless so I pushed him over the top. More simple trails followed, the only diversion being the hay bales. Something really easy for tall guys like me, two steps and I was up, no need to climb. Probably the hardest event of the race was the rope cross. Two ropes crossing the creek, you had to hold on to the top one, and slide your legs over the bottom one. Having other guys on the rope made it harder but I went slowly and managed to make it across. A few others fell or chose to just swim across, despite all the alligator jokes you could hear around.

We came to another river to cross, a wider one this time. I slided down to the water and dropped into the water all the way to my chest since it was very steep. Walking across the water got almost to my neck, which meant a lot of people were swimming here. The good thing is that it helped us wash off most of the mud and dirt. To get up the other side, which was pretty high, we had to use ropes and for some it seemed quite hard since some of the military guys had to help them up.

The final obstacle was the mulch hill, a big pile of wet mulch. Again, advantage to the tall guys. I sped up and in 3 steps I was on top. Around me, people were getting dirty again, having to crawl hands over feet. And that was it with the fun events. We got back to the road and we had to run more than a mile to the finish. It's surprising how I never suffered because of the cold, with the water and the wind, and eventually it even started raining, which I kind of enjoyed (to wash the dirt off my face and hands). I also felt like it was ending a bit too soon. I was ready for a lot more!! With a 10K of 49:49, I was expecting well over an hour on this race, even close to 1:30. But I had plenty of road to go all out at the end, as we went along the runways, some huge hangars and pretty cool airplanes. We passed under a water hose and then over the finish line in 59:33, a lot better than I expected (112th place out of 330)! It's faster than the 10K in my first Oly tri. I was raining hard by now, and after stopping to run I was getting hold, but I headed to the cold outdoor showers. Another surprise! The water was nice and waaaarm. I didn't want to get away from that. As more people came in it started looking like a wet tshirt contest but eventually I left for the food tent. They had awesome donuts there, I had at least 6 or 7 of them.

So that's the story of my first mud run. I'm only counting on the official pics, since cameras were not allower on the base. It was an awesome experience and I'm looking forward to the next one!

Lighthouse 5K

2008-10-05T18:21:00.001-04:00

This event is the smaller version of the Jersey Shore Half Marathon, which was my first ever HM 3 years ago and which I did every year ever since. I always had a PR here, and it was also a good experience, so I couldn't skip it this year. But after last weekend's JerseyMan, I wasn't in the mood for another 13.1 miles, so I picked the shorter 5K.

Getting on Sandy Hook, I remembered why I love this event, there's lots of friendly people, a great racing atmosphere, cool organizers and nice scenery around. I had to wait for the HM'ers to leave and kinda felt like a sandbagger. With a small field of about 180, I started right at the front and for a bit hang with the leaders, before dropping back a bit. First mile was 6:37, which was great considering I had a headwind. Actually who am I kidding, it was way too fast. My PR was 22:04, which means 7:06/mile. The wind eventually won and a few runners passed me, but after the turn-around I found it easier to fend them off. I was going all-out, and I wasn't even looking at the Garmin that often anymore. With about half a mile to go a few runners tried to pass me and once I was sure they're not my age group I just let them go. Then I heard the cheerleaders near the finish line... well, doing the shorter version I missed on the fun of all the cheerleaders who man the water stops, and who usually provide a great show with lots of encouragements.

I see the clock, and it's quickly closing on 22 minutes, I try to sprint as hard as I can. Another guy just flies by me, where did he have all that energy left?? I'm clenching my teeth, but I can't make it before 22:03. So:

The Bad: I didn't go under 22 minutes, by just 3 seconds...
The Good: A 1 second PR is still a PR, especially so soon after the Half Ironman
The Better: I feel I had a few seconds in me, I should've pushed harder around the 2nd mile

I still had a good feeling about this, so I hung around waiting for the results and indeed, I won my very competitive M30-39 age group!! This is my 2nd age group win this year, and the first time I get the real hardware!! (first time, the RD ordered just 3rd place plaques by mistake). Not a bad thing when my season is supposed to be over and I should only race for fun.

I placed 17 overall and my luck was that 2 of my fellow age-groupers were in the Top 3, so they left my category open. Now that I know I could go under 22, is it time to set 21 as my goal for next year?

JerseyMan

2008-09-29T11:47:00.013-04:00

JerseyMan HIM, my end-of-season race, ended up as maybe the weirdest race I ever did. Everything about it felt almost surreal but in the end I'm more satisfied with this race than maybe with any other triathlon I did. There were so many things that went wrong and still I'm completely happy with my performance.

Going in
This was my 2nd Half Iron. The first one, Black Bear, 4 month before, was a suffer-fest. A killer bike course that left me with no legs to run, so it was all about just finishing, which I did in 7:50. Somehow I knew this was going to be better, because the bike course was a flat compared to Black Bear. I had strong reasons to believe I'll go under 7 hours. At the same time, I was a bit over-confident and my training slacked a bit. Running was fine, but swimming (which is my main problem) lagged, and cycling was really skimpy, mainly because of the very cold weather in August and September. As the race came close I gave up my goals and just wanted to PR.

JerseyMan is a first time event, and its mission was to become a premiere even on the East Coast. Many people doubted the abilities of the first-time organizers, but I decided to give them credit for being enthusiastic racers so I trusted they'll do a good job. The race started at the Spruce Run Park, where 2 weeks ago I did Skylands, but the only thing the two races shared was the lake.

Pre-race
It had rained for the past two days, and it wasn't any different on race morning. Leaving around 6am, there was an eerie atmosphere. It was dark, with a dense mist which was so heavy that it was almost like a drizzle. I was driving towards the park and there was just moving fog in front of my headlights. By the time I got there, it cleared up and it wasn't raining anymore. Also it wasn't as cold as I feared it would be, it was already in the upper 60's by 7am. I went to set up my transition, which was on the grass by the parking lot. At Skylands, it was in the parking lot, but this time they chose to make it on the wet grass. I had plastic bags to cover my things, but since it was raining and it seemed like it's clearing up, I left everything out in the open. Water was 73 degrees, so I put on my wetsuit and headed to the beach.

To rain or not to rain?
First, the sprint race was delayed about 15 minutes because they weren't finished with registration. Then they started pleading for volunteers, asking anyone who accompanied racers to help. I knew it wasn't a good sign. I did a short warm up swim and the water felt a lot colder than 73, so glad I took my wetsuit. After the sprint waves were over, we just kept waiting and waiting. Then they said someone heard thunder so the start was put on hold. Almost an hour later, they called us by and said that we'll start the race, and if there's chance of lighting, they'll call us back. It was exactly what everyone wanted to hear, but I'm not sure it was the most responsible decision. What if the thunderstorm rolled in and slow swimmers was at the farthest point? By the time I'd swim back, two thunderstorms could pass by.

My best swim ever
As most of you know, swimming is by far my main problem, and I'm often one of the last people to get out of the water. I still didn't figure out a good rhythm for open water swimming. Everything works fine in the pool but falls apart in the lake. At Black Bear, I breast-stroked most of the way. Even at the Skylands Sprint (half mile swim), I breast-stroked maybe a third of the course.

As soon as we got into the water, it started raining. Well, a reason my training slacked for this race might have been because I wasn't motivated enough. I usually need a challenge to motivate me and after finishing a first HIM that challenge disappeared. Somehow, the bad weather proved motivating enough for me so it helped me perform better. So overall this was my best swim ever. I freestyled maybe 95% of the way. My problem usually is that I can't maintain a good breathing rhythm. I still couldn't do the stroke-stroke-stroke-breathe pattern I always do in the pool. So what I did was a slow-motion version of Michael Phelps' gallopping stroke, breath-gliiide. It was breathing on the right, then gliding on the left. And it worked perfectly. I breast-stroke a few times when I was disoriented, and the rest was smooth swimming. Finally, I was able to get in the zone and keep moving forward.

I mentioned disoriented... The course was a triangle, and there were 4 buoys for the entire course. Also, I was used to always having kayakers around, but the only support they had in the water were 4 rescue boats and 2 kayaks. By far, the least water support I've seen in a triathlon. But I was so happy with my swim and I think I went quite hard on the final stretch because I was quite dizzy getting out on the deserted beach. Yeah, when I got out, there was only one guy waiting to pack the signs, and someone who was waiting for a swimmer.

After 1:01 at Black Bear I was expecting 55 minutes or less this time. But the result, surprisingly, was 1:06. I didn't think much about it on the bike, since it was too confusing, but on the run I started chatting with people. Someone who was expecting 35 minutes did almost 45. Another one hoping for 45 did 56. And so on. So my analytical mind found a pattern. Everybody (and I mean every person I talked to) did about 20% more than expected. Even the top 5 swim times were around 30 minutes, which is unusual. So I'm 100% sure the course was long. Maybe 1.4mi or even more. I tried to measure it on MayMyRun, based on some visual cues, and first it came up to 1.5 mi. No matter how I tweaked it, it wouldn't get shorter than 1.35mi.

Bottom line, the course was way long, don't know how much, but I'm more satisfied with my swim than I ever was. Official time: 1:06:53. Based on the pattern I found, this would normally be about 53-54 minutes. Also, I beat 4 other people, which is better than Black Bear, where only 2 were slower than myself.

Back to the mudpit
It rained all the time during the swim. It was the first time I swim in the rain, and it wasn't very bad. But in the almost 2 hours since leaving transition, it had turned into a mudpit. Everything was soaking wet and I seriously regretted not covering my things. I tried to cover some stuff, then put on the aero bucket... errr... helmet... which gathered a lot of watered and showered me pretty well when I put it on. I put on the wet socks and bike shoes and headed out. Total time was 7:28, a bit shorted than Black Bear, but I spent some time here covering my stuff.

Lonely rider
I walked my bike (and cleats) through deep mud and headed on the course which started with some rollers , and them slighty downhill for the first third. The wind was blowing pretty hard at first and combined with the rain it was quite painful especially when going down. It appeared that they changed the course a bit since I pre-rode it so we avoided some nasty downhills with very sharp turns.

I'm used to passing lots of people on the bike, since I get out of the water at the back of the pack. But now, there was almost no-one on the course! I passed a group of 4-5 at the beginning, and then I saw maybe another 4-5 until the end. It was really a lonely ride, maybe like a hard training ride. It kept raining and harder and harder, but thankfully the wind eased. As I was going on the bigger roads from mile 8 on, it felt weirder and weirder, as I seemed to be the only crazy guy pedaling hard in that downpour.

I had one small incident when my chain fell off but took care of it quickly and resumed. Around mile 14 we descended into Frenchtown, by the Delaware River and I remembered they told us that the Police wants everyone to come in at 10mph. So here I was going downhill fast on the wet road, when I see all the red-blue lights ahead and started to apply the brakes. It was really hard slowing down the bike but I made the sharp right turn safely and continued on Route 29.

Route 29 is a flat small highway following the Delaware. There is a slight elevation loss but you don't feel it. The only thing I felt was the torrential rain which was blowing at me as I was going at 21-22mph. It went like this for about 12 miles, and I suddenly needed to go to the bathroom. You'd think there would be portajohns on a Ironman 70.3 course, but this is the first time in a triathlon where there were NONE over the entire bike and run course. For many people that was 5-6 hours of racing with nothing but the restrooms by the transition area. Easier for me since I just stopped and did my thing, but some girls I spoke to really hated this.

Off the highway at the mid-point, the course went on some very scenic narrow roads through the woods, by a creek, and up the hills. The trees were a good cover from the rain. We passed over the only covered bridge in NJ and then we had the only significant hills. Nothing long, just short and steep ones. Anyway, not an issue, I think only once I ran out of gears. But it was on these small hills where I found live forms again, passing maybe 1-2 other racers. made me feel less lonely for a bit.

The volunteer mess
The main problem of the organizers was the total lack of volunteers. I'm sure most of them didn't show up because of the weather, but I also think they didn't plan well enough. Anyway, the only volunteers I saw on the bike course were the cops at the major intersections, especially when there was a left turn. They did an outstanding job, sitting there for hours in the rain. I really felt for them and thanked them. There was a cop who got out of the car when I was coming through the torrential rain, and asked me if there's anybody close behind. I told him not for at least 2 minutes and he was so relieved to get back in the car. Other than that, the only guidance on the course was from small signs in the grass. I think they had arrows on the road, but most of them had been washed off.

Now, I may be spoiled since most of the races I did before were put up by the Sandy Hookers, CGI Racing or Joe Patanella, and they set a pretty high standard. They have people at every turn to point you the right away. JerseyMan was more a self-sufficient race where you're on your own. People I talked to said it's not the worst race they did, but for me it really was. There was no-one on the bike course except at the 2 water stops.

Back to the race, here I was heading down a steep hill and I see two riders coming on the other side. I'd seen a few recreational riders until then, but there two really looked like racers. Well, maybe some hardcore time-trialists training in the rain. Only that as they pass by they wave at me and tell me we're off course. And suddenly I have this deja vu, because this was the exact same point where I realized I missed a turn when I pre-rode the course in August! I get to the bottom and turn around, heading back up the hill. As I climb, I see at least 4-5 other riders coming down, and I tried to yell at them to turn back. Not sure how many understood me. I catch up to the guy and the girl who helped me and we manage to find the turn. The sign had been torn down by the wind.

Riding through the rain
This really killed my momentum. I was going pretty strong at the time, and for a few miles it put me down. We rode together for a while, trying to make sure we don't go off-course again. Eventually I got back into the groove and left the two racers behind. The rain was picking up again, accompanied by thunder. This really had an impact on everybody's performance, since we had to be extra-cautious. Some people saw crashes, but where I was in the back I didn't see any problems.

However, the road surface was really scary. There were many puddles, or even flowing water from side streets. At this point, there was a small stream by the road which was overflowing so at few spots there was rolling water across the road. I was really scared and considered dismounting, but ended up by just unclipping, spreading my legs and coasting through the water. Luckily, I got by safely.

There was a lot of mud and dirt on the road, and my front wheel was blasting that all over my chain, derailleurs and water bottles. My bottles looked like they'd been laying in the mud and everytime I'd drink, the drink felt... crunchy. Also, my aero drink seemed magic, since I kept sipping from it and the level wasn't going down! It was a nice Infinit / rain water mix. As I was on the final miles and started encountering runners, I was well aware that my bike wasn't shifting well. I kept my eyes on the cogs and I was scared every time I'd shift. Nothing to do now, I just hoped I can finish without major mechanical problems. I passed the 56mi mark on my computer in 3:21:00, which was great, it was 20 minutes faster than Black Bear, an average of 16.8mph which was just shy of my desired 17mph, but it was reasonable due to the cautious riding in the rain.

Of course at the 56mi mark I was still far away from the park. Getting on the park road, there were the same rollers I went over at the beginning, but they felt so much harder now. I was trying to shift only the front rings, so I don't put too much stress on the rear and finally made it back to the mudpit. Official time was 3:33:30, and this was for 60 miles. Should I be pissed off that I did 4 extra miles? Of course I should, but at the same time I was lucky. A guy I talked to on the run course did 64 miles. And everybody I talked to on the run missed that turn, so the sign must've been torn down shortly before we passed by.

Nutritional notes
Like always, I relied just on my custom Infinit mix on the bike, and provided enough energy. I never felt tired or unable to power through. My nutrition is calculated to drink one bottle per hour, and this might've been a small problem. That fluid intake was good for all the previous triathlons when it was pretty hot, but was a bit too much in this rain when I wasn't sweating too much. The result is I needed to pee many times. I only needed to do it once at Black Bear, and never during a marathon, but this time I did it 4 times. On the run, I had a Gu gel with water every 35-40 minutes, and Gatorade at all the other water stops. Worked fine too, energy level was up all the time.

My transition area was a total mess. Everything was muddy and soaking wet. I put on the wet shoes over my drenched socks, threw away the hat and went out quickly. T2 was pretty quick for me, 3:44, that is more than 2 minutes faster than Black Bear. One reason is that I wasn't hurting so I didn't need to rest or stretch. Another one is I needed to go to the bathroom pretty bad so I rushed out fast. Just outside of T2 there was the bathhouse, and I spent about 4 minutes there. Then I got running.

My running legs didn't let me down
I was so afraid of the run... Running is my strongest sport but at Black Bear I couldn't run. Everything was cramping, I had no energy left and I was in a world of pain. I walked more than half the course and that's how my HM took an unbelievable 2:50. I was kind of ready for this, I was expecting to walk some of it, but at least in the beginning I was happy because nothing hurt. I was running slowly of course and got passed by 2 runners, but I was moving forward. The rain also stopped to a very soft drizzle, so the rollers felt pretty good.

And for the first time in so many hours, I wasn't lonely anymore. There were runners coming at me (it was an out-of-back course) and they were all so nice, waving, high-fiving and shouting encouragements (which of course I returned). The water stops were as promised, about every 1.5 miles apart, and they were well stocked with water, Gatorade and gels. The two busy intersections were well manned by cops so they were safe, but otherwise the roads had very narrow shoulders, so cars was passing by a bit close.

After a while we were in the back country. Quiet neighborhoods, nice scenery, and the flow of runners had almost stopped. I was in back-of-pack-land and I'd only see an occasional runner every few minutes. Like all over the race, there was zero community support so it was again a lonely race, except for a few runners, and the drenched guys at the water stops. But it was past mile 5 and I was still running, no walking yet and no need to walk! Then it started going seriously uphill. I slowed down significantly but I was still running, although only myself would've called that running. Miraculously, the rain stopped completely for the first time in about 6 hours. There were about 75 degrees, but a very heavy humidity so I start feeling very hot. I drank too much again and of course I needed to water some guy's trees. My mile times were slowly drifting, from 10:00 to 11:20.

There was a big hill before the turn around and I was happy to go around the lady who marked the mid-point. This seventh mile took me 12:32. There was a girl who was running pretty strong, she passed me, then she went in the woods for a nature call and when she caught up with me I decided to keep up with her. It was easier since it was downhill.

We're running in the rain
There followed almost 6 miles that we ran together. They were supposed to be the hardest, most horrible miles of the Half Ironman. It's when at Black Bear I just wanted to lay down and not move anymore. But I kept chatting with Maria and mile after mile went by. Shortly after we started running together, the sky started rumbling then then the heaviest rain on the day came upon us. But I had found hidden energy resources and Maria even said I was pushing too hard. The mile times were slow, but it all felt perfect to me. Not for a second did I feel that I can't go anymore and that I need to stop. I felt like I can't go any faster, but that's it. Nothing hurt and aerobically I was fine.

This must've been the high-point of all my running so far. Over 6 hours in the race and I was running as strong as I ever did. I'm repeating myself: it was slow, but effort-wise it was as strong as I felt in a regular half-marathon. I didn't wear a HRM, but I'm sure it was just under tempo effort. Mile times were decreasing. We had an amazing 9:58 for mile 10, then 9:10 for mile 13.

Adding to this was the torrential downpour, which turned more into a challenge. I was like fighting the elements. I was all drenched; my sunglasses were a mess and I could barely see forward; inside my shoes it was a lake and they were squishing on every step; the shoes felt at least a pound each heavier, they were like bricks, but my legs never felt like bricks. It was such a strange experience, since I was totally liberated, I wasn't trying to wipe my glasses anymore, or even to avoid the puddles.

We sped over the busy crossings and I can only imagine what other drivers were thinking. The worst weather one can imagine, a time when regular people wouldn't even go out shopping, and here were two people running like hell. And wait, it's not just them, there's more. After the turn-around I got an idea of how many people were behind me, and there were maybe 20, and none of them caught up with us until the finish, nor did we catch up anybody. The water-stop people had abandoned ship, but luckily for us they left the ship there so all the tables were full of water, Gatorade and gels.

I'm sure that having company was a huge morale boost for the final miles, since it didn't let my mind think about the pain or exhaustion. If you end up reading this thank you Maria for helping in those long miles! On the final big rollers (mountains by now, since somehow they grew up since the last time I was there), I slowed down a lot and she dropped me so I was heading towards the finish alone.

It was mile 13 and there was dead silence. No music, no announcers, no crowd noise. I got out of the woods and there was the timing mat right in front of me. The only other people around was the guy who took my chip and handed me a medal, and my wife and sister-in-law. Everybody else had left.

Finish line!
The run ended up as such a remarkable performance, way over I imagined. The official time is still 2:30:35 but this included the long bathroom stop at the beginning and two pee-stops on the roadside. The Garmin shows 2:21:03 which is faster than my first HM 3 years ago. It's exactly the time I wanted (I was aiming for 2:24:00) but the energy I felt through the entire 13.1 miles was much more rewarding than just the time. It was a big negative split, 1:12 for the first half, followed by 1:09 for the second.

The place looked really abandoned, except for a few people at the food tables. I just grabbed a banana and an orange and then went to pack my stuff. You don't even want to know what the mudpit looked like. I also didn't want to know. I threw everything on the plastic tarp I had brought and didn't use until now, I closed it in a bag and took it to the car. It was all a muddy mess, as were my clothes and legs. I had mud almost to my knees, kind of like after the TNF Bear Mountain Challenge in the spring.

Rating the organizers
Based on what other people said, I won't call the organization a mess, but it was by far the worst I've ever seen. It was probably what you expect at a small self-supported race, not at what wanted to become a premiere local event. Much of it came probably from volunteers not showing up because of the weather, but come on, many of you did Lake Placid this year, and I bet you never felt like lonely hikers lost on a mountain. The main issues I had were:
- bad idea of setting up transition in the mud by the empty parking lot
- questionable decision about the swim
- swim course way longer
- very small in-water support
- almost total lack of volunteers on the bike course which resulted in people riding a lot of extra miles
- no porta potties over the entire bike and run course
- no local support of any kind; many times it felt like training by yourself
- abandoning the finish area when there were at least 20 people on the course (out of 190 racers, so it was a significant number)

The race of my life?
It certainly felt like my strongest triathlon ever. I hit all my goals, the goals before giving up and settling just on doing a PR. Of course, it's hard to evaluate when you race a 1.4/60/13.1 triathlon, but in my mind I did everything I was supposed to: strongest swim yet, very good bike, and amazingly strong run. Final time was 7:22:09, a half hour PR even with the extra distances. If the course had been right, it would've been well under my dream 7 hours.

I finished the race with extra energy in the tank. Of course it hurt for the rest of the day, but I didn't have problems sleeping at night, and now, the next day, nothing hurts except for some normal fatigue. I can run up and down the stairs, while after Black Bear, for two days I had to climb down the stairs backwards. I feel like I could go for a run right now.

If the official recorded time had been what I wanted, I would certainly call this the race of my life. But I'm still addicted to number, so now I have to do another one, a better event, just to prove to myself what I can do.

Skylands Sprint Triathlon

2008-09-14T21:37:00.002-04:00

Skylands Triathlon, Sep 14, 2008
Spruce Run State Park, Clinton NJ
.5mi swim / 14mi bike / 5k run

Swim (349/366) : 25:53 (51:45/mi)
T1: 4:55
Bike (158/366): 51:50 (16.4mph)
T2: 2:58
Run (219/366): 29:28 (9:31/mi)
Total: 1:55:02, 13/17 M30-34, 266/366 OA

A good race
How many did it happen not to be passed by anyone, in any of the three legs? It happened to me today. Never passed, except briefly on the run but I came back quickly. A short race, but good practice before the JerseyMan HIM, at the same location, in 2 weeks. Well, the course is different, except maybe for the swimming. At least the swim course is nice: flat, straight, smooth...

I still can't swim
I opted for the final "comfort wave" (I called it "cant-swim-wave"). Seeing it's the last one I was worried I'll be the last in the water, but I forgot that in sprints there are a lot more people who can't swim. Some went backstroke all the way, some quit, anyway I was faster than 17 people, which is a personal best.
Otherwise, same issues, can't keep a rhythm. I felt though that I swam better than before, however it's the same pace I "predicted" (around 50min/mile). The reservoir was very nice, quite clean, no waves... I played a bit with Michael Phelps' galloping stroke, which fells good, in the slow motion as I do it.

The Hill
After a slow (like usual) transition, I went on the short bike course. Everybody was talking about THE hill. I was like... well, it's only 14 miles, how bad or long can a hill be? It was all rollers in the beginning, then it started going slowly uphill. Not steep, but relentless, had to give up and go in the small ring. Going higher and higher, then THE HILL. Maybe half a mile, and getting steeper and steeper. I was the only one riding here, at least 10-15 people I passed were walking. I thought it was not that bad as people talked.
Right turn and... another maybe quarter mile stretch, steeper than before. I thought I was gonna die, I kept zig-zagging across the road repeating to myself "I'm not getting off the bike". Got on top again, with fried quads. Waiting for the descent. Not so fast, though. Another half a mile climb, not as steep as the first ones, but at this point it was a killer. Again, passed a lot of walkers.
Overall, the course gained 800 feet in 3 miles, but it was that 3-stage hill that did most of the damage. In this portion I passed most of the maybe 50-60 riders I passed in the bike race.

The descent
What goes up must come down. And at Skylands, it comes down in style: four lanes highway (5, counting the left turn lane), closed to traffic, smoothly paved and completely straight. Not very steep, but long. 3 miles went over in maybe 5 minutes. Then back to the rollers to the park. This is the only common portion with the HIM course, and while they were not that bad, they will be a lot worse at mile 54.
The bike average is not looking good, but considering the course, I'm satisfied, I ranked 158 out of 366, so well in the top half.

Running on the sun
In the morning it looked hazy outside, so I checked the weather. The only notice was to be ready for a mid-summer day, with all the warnings associated with a possible heat index of 105. Being almost 11am, the heat really hit me on the run. It was probably almost 100, because of the extreme humidity. I had the legs to run, but I was getting weak with every step. First glitch of the organizers was that the water stop at mile 1 was out of water. That made it a bit harder. I was doing just left-right-repeat, could barely focus on the course. Got passed by a girl, and this gave me a push, I got closer to an 8 min mile towards the end as I passed her back and fought to keep her behind.
The actual run speed was higher, since the Garmin indicated a longer course (around 3.2mi). I was happy to finish the race, but here they had a second glitch, there was a balloons arch to mark the finish, and it was a bit short for my 6'5 frame, definitely no room to lift my arms.
I never felt like that after a race. Dizzy, blurry vision, could barely stand up, you know, like when you're about to pass out. Must be the dehydration and over-heating... I lasted until I got back into the car.

Great job, Rotarians
This small race was organized by the local Rotary club, and it was an amazing organization. First, they advertised very convenient parking. But they detoured me and I kept driving for almost 2 miles, I was thinking "convenient, my behind". But when I parked, it was a 2 minutes walk to transition. Then, as restrooms they had a huge bathhouse, with regular toilets instead of the usual porta-potties. Also, transition spots were already assigned, first time I see this. Lots of cheerleaders on the course, especially around the climbs, were good for the morale. Very good, recommended race.

New QBs, same game
My T3 was very short since I had to go home and then back up north to the Jets-Patriots game. Lots of hype around this game... Brady out, Favre in and so on. It was the same as in the past seasons, easy 19-10 win for the Patriots. During the game we also hit those 105 temps, I sweated more than in a race.

Henry Hudson 8 Miler

2008-09-08T20:35:00.003-04:00

Yesterday I ran the Henry Hudson 8 Miler, on the trail with the same name. It's a paved trail, used by walkers, runners and bikers, and it's right in my neighborhood, I run on it at least once every week. After tropical storm Hanna passed very quietly the previous evening, it was a sunny hot and humid morning.

I ran this race once two years ago, and it was a stellar race for me. This time I only wanted to beat my previous time of 1:06:09. I enjoyed the race, since I know the course very well, which is quite scenic and nicely shaded. The only downside were some stretches of wet leaves. It's an out-and-back and after the turn around my Garmin went berserk and I eventually shut it down so I had no more indication of the pace. I knew where I was, due to my home field advantage and I think I went pretty hard. At least it felt intense, but there was no competition... With a small race, runners were spread apart, and the only time when I saw some crowds was around the turnaround points. I think I only passed one or two other people, and several times when I looked back there was nobody.

There was no-one to push me, so I ran on my own pace (without the GPS....). I ended up with a PR, in 1:05:40. Small, but still a PR. Probably with some direct competition, I would've gone faster, but even so it felt fast enough for me. 8:13/mile for this distance sounds pretty good for me, and even surprising considering that during my recent long runs I can't seem to go under 10:00 too easily.

There was good post-race food, but unfortunately I found out this is the last running of the race. Bummer. Anyway, I'll keep running on the Henry Hudson trail.

ShoreRunner Summer Showdown 5K XC

2008-08-23T19:37:00.002-04:00

I ran this small 5K race in the nearby Bucks Mill Park (Colts Neck). It was a little XC race close to my home, so I went on a whim. I wasn't crazy about XC races, but since it's a smaller one I was thinking I might get some HW. I didn't push hard... not a walk in the park (although that's what it was, winding on the path of a county park), maybe 95% effort.

Anyway, this confirmed my feeling that I don't like XC. Maybe it's because I can't go at my full speed. I love the feeling of pavement under my feet.... I finished the course, which was about 3.3mi according to my Garmin, in 25:04, a PR in XC terms (but far from my regular PR). And no HW, I was 4th AG.

A strange sight was a weird flying object... looked like a double arrow, with a smaller V in front and bigger inverted V at the back, probably one of those UAV drones... Moving very fast and pretty quiet.

We received Nike singlets, must be the 5th race in a row where I'm getting a tech shirt.

JerseyMan bike course preview

2008-08-06T14:07:00.004-04:00

Yesterday I went to try the bike course of the new JerseyMan Half-Ironman which will take place on Sep 28. For me it's the second HIM, and after the extremely hilly Black Bear, I got used to call this one "the flat HIM". Well, first of all, it's not flat. Of course, it's not Black Bear, but it has a lot of rollers. No major climbs, but it adds up to about 2,700ft total climbing. So, I can say it's not as flat as I'd had wished, but still, it's flatter than you'd expect in that fairly hilly Central NJ area.

First of all, here's the route, starting at the Spruce Run Recreation Area

Just so you know, if you're pre-riding it, it's a $5 fee to enter the park, so you might as well park outside.

So, right as you start around the park, you have a few rollers. Then after you get on Perryville Rd (after mile 3.6), you get even more hills, with a few annoying climbs (steep but very short). The pavement is very bumpy there, and at one point you descend fast, cross rail tracks, and immediately make a tight left turn. But it's a nice very quiet area, well shaded. Once you turn right on Route 513 (mile 7.2), it flattens out a lot. Still a few very easy slopes, but there's elevation loss on this road, where you can go pretty fast for about 8 miles. I found the pavement quite bad here, very small fine rocks which jumped all over the place and my front tire looked like it's getting shredded.

Most of the roads are either very narrow or have no shoulder, so I hope the organizers know what they're doing about the safety. I know it's there first race, and they seem knowledgeable as racers, I'll just assume they're good RD's as well. Once you go down to Frenchtown, you'll face the fastest 12 miles of the race. It's on Route 29, by the shores of Delaware, it's almost completely flat, quite straight, wide shoulder, and you can really fly here.

I gotta say people were very nice in this area, and drivers very courteous. Can't say the same about all cyclists. On Route 29, a young hotshot on a fancy bike passed me while I was relaxing for a bit, and he didn't even wave or turn his head. I assumed he's just on some hardcore training ride, but soon I realized he's not moving faster than me. So I put down the hammer and I easily passed him... saying Hello as I went by, and he just nodded. I kept him behind, and only pushed harder when he was approaching me. He wasn't faster than me, and he wasn't chatty, so why let him pass?

We split ways when I made the left turn leaving the highway. A huge hill showed up in front, but actually the course went down on a very small alley. Maybe one of the most scenic parts of the course, small road under the trees, by a small creek (it was Lower Creek Rd). Then a sharp left turn to go through a covered bridge. It was cool but I still think covered bridges are overrated. Out of the bridge, right turn onto Upper Creek Rd. Here it got quite hilly, a nasty surprise after the long fast miles. Somewhere on Upper Creek was also the hardest climb on the course, the only place when I ran out of gears. But the climbing was over in a couple of miles, as I turned right on Route 519 (around mile 33.5).

Here it was flat again, and it's where my troubles started. After going down a fast downhill, I checked the odometer and realized I'm way past the supposed turn. A very nice kid pointed me back, so I had to climb all that hill back. The course went again on small narrow roads, in some nice rural areas. It also seemed it's Ron Paul-land, since I saw more RP signs than I thought he has supporters. Poor guys, supporting a clown, but at least I hope they won't vote for Obama. I mean, I don't see the followers of someone preaching Adam Smith laissez-faire freedom voting for the messiah of radical marxism.

The weather was turning bad, with lots of wind and black clouds. And this is where I got lost again, with absolutely no idea how to find my way back to the course. I was in the middle of nowhere and started freaking out, since everything was very unfamiliar. After a while, I found Route 513, and remembered I rode here in the beginning, but had no idea whether to go left or right. I followed my gut and went right, but that didn't help, since I didn't recognize anything. I rode a few miles before I finally saw familiar landmarks, and finally relaxed knowing I can backtrack my way back to the park. Actually I rejoined the actual course, missing about 6 miles. Perryville Rd was quite annoying, I didn't want any more climbs at this point, but that's what I got, relentless rollers all the was back to Spruce Run.

I covered 58 miles, with all the missed turns, and I have to say it's a very nice course. It's obviously designed by someone who loves riding, but with the one loop it might be a lot harder logistically... again let's just assume the organizers know what they're doing (and that they have plenty of volunteers to point you the right way).

If I ride it again before the race, I'll fill this up with the missing 6 miles, but I guess they were quiet rural roads instead of the highway where I was freaking out. I averaged 16.2 mph, while riding very relaxed and with all the slow downs while searching for the turns, so I'm quite confident I can shoot for 18mph at the race.

Lighter than Air Duathlon

2008-08-04T17:33:00.008-04:00

Last year, this was my first duathlon. I really enjoyed the race so I went again this year. No goals, just for fun, and definitely not pushing too hard. The event is hosted by a the Lakehurst Naval Air Station which used to make zepellins (that's where the race name comes from) and it's also the place of the infamous Hindenburg disaster.

Brief summary:
Lighter than Air Duathlon, Aug 3, 2008
3mi run / 20mi bike / 2mi run - 1:45:43 (2007 - 1:47:30)
Run1 - 24:12, 8:03/mi (2007 - 24:16)
T1 - 1:37 (2007 - 1:51)
Bike - 1:00:26, 19.9mph (2007 - 1:02:00)
T2 - 1:54 (2007 - 2:07)
Run2 - 17:34, 8:47/mi (2007 - 17:16)

After spending some time at the security checkpoint, I got to registration, almost at the last minute, then setup my transition. Compared to the most other tris, where the transition is completely fenced off and they were checking people who entered, here it was just a bunch of racks in the middle of a runway. It felt pretty safe though as at there were plenty of army vehicles and personnel around. After setting up, it was immediately time to start off.

The first 3mi run was partly on base roads and on some packed dirt trails. I started out quite fast, energized by the crowd around me, then I decided this is not the place for a 5K PR. After going around some humongous hangars, we headed back to transition, where I was also passed by the top 3 female runners who started 5 minutes after me. Grabbed my bike and took off.

The bike course was on nice base roads and on some runways, so it was totally flat, great pavement, and long straight-aways. However the wind was very strong and since it was a two-loop course, for two quarters of the race I had to fight the wind quite hard. Somehow it felt like we always had a headwind. I tried to go harder on the bike, chasing that elusive 20mph average (which I hit last week at NJ State, but that was on rented race wheels). I think I only passed one or two riders, and got passed a lot by people in later waves (nobody from my wave, though). It was quite depressing not passing other riders like I'm used to, and even more depressing is that I ended up with 1:00:26, and those dam' 26 seconds made for a 19.9mph average. Ugghhhhh! Still, my bike ranking was not that bad, I was 76 out of 164.

For the second run, I was tired and quite unmotivated. There was no cramping or extreme fatigue, but somehow I felt no desire to push hard. Well, it might be good since this was just a training race. I finished the final 2 miles a little bit slower than last year (when I was dying and cramping, but kept pushing till the end).

So I finished in the 97th place out of 164 and at least I did 2 minutes better than last year. The transitions were much faster than in my tris, but I still have to work there. It was fun to meet a lot of people from my tri club, and we hung out for a while after the race. Although it wasn't something spectacular, I'll definitely race this again (at least for the cool tech tshirts).

NJ State Olympic Triathlon

2008-07-27T22:46:00.000-04:00

One year ago, this was my first Oly, and my big A race, but this year I went quite untrained, mostly because it's my club's main summer race. And indeed, there were about 60 people in our club's yellow / blue jerseys, which made for a lot of cheering from their families for everybody in uniform.

I had only two goals: to PR, and (a far fetch) to do 20mph on the bike. I was decided to do everything on the bike even if I can't run afterwards. In the end, I got a 20 minutes PR, and a 20.4mph average (and I could also run). Maybe it's best to do the comparison with last year:

2007/2008 Comparison
Race details and time:
2007: A race, 3:24:03 (ranked 593/636)
2008: B race, 3:04:28 (ranked 574/740)

Swim:
2007: 1:00:27, kinda freaked out, almost last one out of the water, swam alone at least half the course
2008: 0:51:01, felt calm, and was always in a group

Bike:
2007: 1:16:01 (18.3mph), being at the very end of the group, easily passed around 20 people; ranked 412/636
2008: 1:08:05 (20.4mph), was in a more competitive position, so a lot more people to pass (at least 50); ranked 269/740

Run:
2007: 0:59:38 (9:38/mi), couldn't run at first, walked most of the first 3mi, don't know if I passed anyone
2008: 0:56:12 (9:04/mi), although tired, I ran quite an even pace and passed a lot of runners

I should say this race felt so different from all the others I've done. The fact that I wasn't last out of the water meant I wasn't alone in the race. Excluding one sprint, all my triathlons so far were very solitary races, where I'd be mostly alone, except for the occasional rider to pass, or runner to pass me. This time it felt more like a race, you know, with people around me.

Swim
First of all, having the races so early is what I hate most in this sport. Waking up at 5am to go to a race is way too much. I was there around 7, laying in the club tent and could barely keep my eyes open. This is not the best condition to try to race your best.

The lake at Mercer County Park was pretty clean, couldn't see too much, which is good for me. 80 degrees felt quite warm, and it's my first long swim when my feet don't cramp.

OK, so I still have OWS issues. Again, couldn't swim freestyle the entire distance. I felt though that it was much better than all the previous races, although the time is a bit disappointing. I was in big groups of swimmers many times, so I experienced first time what kicking and grabbing means, including having my balls grabbed. Especially the exit was quite scary...

Bike
T1 was long, mainly because it was a huge transition area and I walked through it. Then I started on the bike, which was supposed to be the main event. Now... I got the FP80 rental wheels and I made a big mistake: didn't even think that the speed sensor is on the other wheel that I left at the LBS. For someone like me who's obsessed with numbers and seeing them all the time, it was pretty bad. Especially since I wanted to hit 20mph, I was going to look at the average all the time. Well, so I had to go blind, looking only at the cadence and trying to use a tempo effort while maintaining around 85rpm.

There were dozens of people to pass, I think that for most of the course I was on the left lane. The course was almost totally flat and with perfect pavement. It felt fast, and the bike seemed like it was very fast (although I had no idea of the speed). It was definitely the wheels, since I wasn't in top shape, they were even making a specific noise which for me meant FAST. I switched places with two riders for a while, and the only ones that passed me were the three leaders (the course was one loop and a half). Actually, at the point were the second-loopers were heading towards the finish, they were yelling at me to turn that way, volunteers might have thought I'm in the leading group. So... as I found out later, I really hit 20.4mph which was my main goal, so I'm quite happy now (my fastest speed in a tri had been 18.3mph).

Run
The run was quite uneventful. Compared to last year when I was cramped and couldn't run at first, this time I didn't experience brick effects. My first two miles were actually the fastest, then I settled down in a slower rhythm, but I kept passing other runners, a lot more than the few that passed me. I tried to go fast at the end, but there was no energy left, plus it was getting very hot, close to 90 degrees. I think this is what was hurting most other runners, so I was right in hoping for warm weather since I think I'm much better than the average in hot conditions. As I was sprinting to the finish line I was happy to see my time of 3:04, a 20 minutes PR.

Post-race
The race organization was again perfect, I love these guys' races. They even had a small rock concert afterwards, and we finished everything with a big meal and lots of beers in nearby Princeton.

One note: We shouldn't take everything for granted. Sadly, a first-time triathlete drowned and died on the sprint course. The sport has its risks, and people should make sure they're healthy enough and sufficiently trained to tackle all 3 disciplines.

Nike Bunker Loop 5K

2008-07-14T22:50:00.003-04:00

This Sunday I did a small 5K in neighborhood. Actually in the part known as Highlands, which means that there are "high" lands raising above the ocean. I knew it will be hilly, but I didn't expect it to be that bad. Probably the hilliest I've ever ran in a road race.

Only about 100 runners and by looking at last years results I estimated I could get some hardware... I think it's weird that I'm thinking of hardware every time I go to a running race now. But they only awarded the top 5 runners, so it wasn't that easy. And the extremely hilly course totally explained the slow times from last year.

Anyway, nice scenery, views to the ocean and the beaches... all shaded by the trees so the Garmin was useless. I started with the front runners but after half a mile I realized I don't belong there so I dropped. But there was nobody behind me, as far as I could see. After about a mile, I passed another runner and moved into 6th. Then I couldn't keep up anymore. I think this was by far the hardest effort I ever put in a race. Heart rate must've been around 95% for most of the time. The first time I felt so exhausted during a race. So my pace dropped significantly on the second loop (there were 2 identical loops).

Once I heard steps behind, had to concede one place, but it was actually the leading girl. I passed her back on a hill, but eventually I got passed by another guy before the finish. So I ended up 7th, which is not bad, and I couldn't have done any better. It's only the 2nd race where I don't get chicked.

The worst part was this Deadman's Hill... I once rode it and swore I'm never doing it again (maybe on wheels... since I had to run it). It splits from the main road, like a ditch, dropping to the river and then you come back up. It's no more than 200 yards, but it must be around 20% and it crests at over 25%. On the bike, I had to stand up on the smallest gear and still barely kept the bike moving. On the run... I just had to pretend I'm running.

Final time was 23:21. Still one of my fastest fastest... but it was also one of the hardest. My legs are still aching, which shouldn't happen after a 5K...

Black Bear Half Ironman

2008-06-02T13:08:00.003-04:00

Yesterday June 1st, 2008 I completed the biggest race of my life. It was the longest, toughest, hardest athletic activity I ever did. Considering my training, the result should be considered as miserable, however I had a blast, it was one of the most awesome experiences of my life, and I'm looking forward to the next one.

I went to race with my friend Bogie, and we drove there on Sunday early morning, after a quick breakfast (croissant, banana, coffee, fruit smoothie, Red Bull). We were staying about 20 minutes away from the start but due to traffic backups we got there just before they were closing the transition. We set up everything and headed towards the beach. A major concern we had was the water temp, which was expected to be no more than mid-60's, but we eventually got lucky since they posted 68 degrees. And actually, when we got into the water to warmup, it wasn't bad at all. Probably the same as last year (one year ago, I did my first ever triathlon here, just the sprint distance). So it was reassuring to do a few strokes around and not feel very cold. The sprint waves left one by one, then they announced a break before the first HIM wave. While we were splashing in the lake, they said that the Elite athletes should get ready, we went in the water for a few more seconds, and then we heard that the sliver caps should get over the mat. Wait, that's us!! In the elite wave?? Yeah, it was elite and male 30-34. So we went with the first wave, probably the most competitive.

Swimming is still my weakest sport. Although I made big progress this winter and got the confidence that I can cover the distance, I knew it will be hard and I should be glad to make it out of the water. We started to the back and side of the bunch, and enjoyed the first few hundred yards in the nice lake. Beltzville Lake wasn't crystal clear like Round Valley, but you could see pretty well and there were no debris, weeds or other creepy things. After a few minutes, well.... it was like every triathlon I've done so far: I couldn't keep freestyling. I could go for a bit and then I'd get out of breath, freak out, and switch to a breast stroke. It was so annoying!! I swam the 1.2mi distance in the pool continuously, in 40 minutes, and never had a problem. But here, in the middle of the lake, as wave after wave passed by me, it was deja vu. I was swimming buoy to buoy, and I was freaking out just by seeing (at first, actually, not seeing) the last buoy... Somehow we made it to the end, went sideways for a bit, and then back towards the beach. And the beach was so incredibly far that we could barely see it. To top all this, my calves started cramping, one after another. The pain would go off for a minute, and then be back again.

But I just wasn't able to find a steady calm rhythm. Bogie who was just behind me said that I was going fast for 1-2 minutes, then slow down into a breast stroke. I guess it looked like I was doing 50-100y repeats. I really have to figure out what am I doing wrong... At least, with so many breaks, I was swimming straight and not wasting energy zig-zagging. I was so pissed off that I turned to having fun, joking with the lifeguards, talking to Bogie while on a break (actually he got mad cause I kept talking to him). You know you're not swimming well, when people complain that you talk too much.Final left turn, the beach is maybe 200y ahead, so I went all out to the exit. When I got out, I was dizzy and could barely walk straight. I looked back and saw a lot of people in the water (quite unusual for me). But my time was a disaster: 1:02:08. Only two swimmers did worse than me, one of them being my friend (the people that were still behind me had started in subsequent waves). Well, I swam for one hour at my first (and only) Olympic try, so this is definitely a big improvement. Pace for mile was 51:47 compared to 67:10 last year, but still!!! I knew I can do better!!

Anyway, glad to have survived this, I took my wetsuit off right away (something I saw in professional races on TV; it's very easy to take it off right after getting out of the water when you're all wet) and I started jogging to transition, which was almost a quarter mile up from the beach. I really took my time there to relax and get ready for the bike. I was in no rush, and I ended up with 7:51 in T1 (which included the run from the beach). Once I felt ready, I got on my bike and started on one of the toughest bike courses in Half Ironmans. 56mi with about 4,200 feet total climb was a real monster. It's all big rollers, with 7 big hills, 3 of which are done twice since it's a partial double loop. I did the full course a few weeks ago, and I had to walk my bike up 3 hills.

But I started pedaling hard, going very fast on the downhills and powering up the big rollers. Everything felt smooth and I started passing a lot of people. It was a bit depressing to see most people coming the other way, walking their bikes up the hills (those were the back of the sprint pack). Every small hill was becoming a challenge and taking a toll on my legs. There are very few flat parts on the course, most of it alternating between 30mph downhills and 10mph steep uphills. After about 7mi on Pohopoco, the main road out of the park, I turned left and faced the first big hill, Sheller Hill Rd. Since I went for a final practice ride earlier this week, I knew how to tackle it, and I was on top quite quickly, passing maybe 4-5 riders on the climb. Then we had the longest flatter stretch, where I could rest in aero for a longer time, although there were a few annoying climbs. Turning right on Penn Forrest, I went super fast one a long twisting exhilarating downhill. But the biggest twist is that after cruising between two picturesque lakes on this nice forest road, we had to turn back and go back up. That is probably the hardest climb of the course and everybody was struggling uphill, while riders were zooming down on the other side of the road. I handled this pretty well, and again passed quite a lot of riders. Actually, I realized what my riding specialty is: strong back-of-the pack climber. While riding with the back of the pack, I was doing very well on the hills. On every climb, I'd pass at least 3-4 more riders, which was great for the morale.

At the top of this big hill followed the fastest descent of the course, a long twisting road were I hit the maximum speed of the race at 44mph. Felt sooo great! It all ended with a couple of sharp turns requiring heavy breaking, after which I was back on Pohopoco. We faced a short steep hill here, where a lot of racers were walking up, but I powered up out of the saddle, zooming past the others. We kept going mostly up after leaving the main road, and after a hairpin turn I was faced with the last monster hill of the loop: Lovitt Rd. Starting steep, then getting a little bit better, and turning up hard at the crest. I cranked hard, alternating in and out of the saddle and finally made it to the top! Whew... half done, half to go.

I should mention a big problem that I had in the race: very bad allergies. Although I had taken two Claritins, it was bad. Lots of pollen in the air, and there were a few wind gusts that through everything at my face, so my eyes, nose and throat were all itchy. This was very bad on the first loop, but the wind calmed down on the second loop so it was a little bit better. Anyway, I think I swallowed a lot of bugs during the bike ride.

I had a 15.6mph avg on the first loop which was better than I expected. Now I had to face the mental challenge of going through all of this again. Of course, it was a lot harder on the second go. A lot of the smaller rollers became big hills and I often found myself running out of gears or having to stand up for a small short hill. Luckily, I went pretty easy over Sheller Hill (first of the big ones). By this time, Bogie had caught up to me, so we had a lot of chatting, while passing each other (couldn't ride next to each other, because there were many marshalls on the road; although I doubt we can call it drafting when riding uphill at less than 12mph). At the bottom of Penn Forrest, I had to make a pee-stop (quite embarassing, since I never had to do this in a race until now). That cost me about 2 minutes, I lost contact with Bogie, and lost me 20 spots in the bike rankings. On the upside, I got enough rest to be able to power up the mile-long big hill, while almost everyone else was struggling heard, zigzagging all over the place or just walking. So fast downhill and one more big hill to go. Actually, all the small rollers were big by now. My plan right now was to be able to ride the entire course in the saddle. At the start, I was ready to have to walk some hills, but I had my mind set on not getting off the bike. The steep climb on Pohopoco was a big challenge as I was struggling in the smallest gear. And then... Lovitt Rd was the toughest challenge on the entire course. I felt I was barely moving forward, it was hurting bad to get up so I had to push back in the saddle and just crank stroke after stroke, zig-zagging across the road, until I finally made it up. I had passed at least 10 people here and most of them were walking. Should've been all downhill now, but we had one last challenge: a sharp right turn after a long downhill which went to a very short but extremely steep wall. They had volunteers warning you in advance to downshift hard, but I knew what to expect, I was ready in the smallest gear, and still it was a world of pain to crest it.

Now indeed it was downhill as I cruised the final couple of miles back to transition. I was spinning fast to get my legs ready for the run. But everything was hurting, especially my calves which had been hurting relentlessly since the first half mile of the swim. Overall, I ranked 273 out of 397 on the bike, making it the best leg of my race, and could've been around 250 without the pee-stop. Final chip time was 3:41:29 but the computer showed around 3:38, for a 15.2mph average (15.0mph in the official results). This is a lot better than it sounds, considering that the median speed on this monster course was under 16mph. And I must have passed almost 100 riders, while being passed on the course by no more than a handful. The nutrition plan worked very well so far. My Infinit mix worked perfectly, and I planned very well since there was little left of the 100oz I had on my bike. I never felt out of energy during the ride. Nutrition was fine till the end. On the run I took a Gu with water every half hour, and Heed or coke at all the other water stops. With almost 8 hours of racing, I didn't bonk, didn't have stomach problems and the nutrition was never an issue.

All this strong effort on the bike cost me a lot, as I found out in the run. First of all, I'd been racing for almost 5 hours, which was already longer than any athletic activity I'd ever done. I can do a half marathon in 1:52, but here I knew I can't get even close to that. Actually it was much worse. When I started, legs and back were hurting bad. I had to take many walking breaks right away. Then after about a mile, we got into the woods and had the only climb of the course, but a steep one. We walked all of it. Bogie is a strong ultra-runner, so he had no problems here, but he was very nice to stay with me. On the top of the hill, we went on a road heading to the Beltzville Dam, and by now the brick effect was gone. But still, I had very little energy left in me. Running is my strongest skill, and I couldn't do it. We started across the almost mile-long dam, still alternating walking and running. What made everything worse hear was the strong wind which was lifting up the dust from the trail (it's an earthen dam and the top was just dirt and dust). I couldn't keep my eyes open and I couldn't breath. It was a long ordeal going over and back on the dam. The scenery was great on both sides, but who had time to watch? We went down from the dam, on a horrible stretch, alternating a bare dessert like dust&stone landscape with the concrete oven of the spillway. The wind had stopped, and the sun was burning at over 80 degrees. It was a struggle to make every step as I was getting red from the sunburn. I didn't use any sunblock and I still regret it...

After getting back to a forest trail, around mile 4, I found my running legs and started going strong and fast (at that point, fast was about 10 minute miles). I was motivated by being passed by people I remembered passing long ago on the bike. Actually, everybody was passing me and I don't even know if I passed anyone on the run (maybe only during that 2 mile strong run). The run course was a double loop, so at the mid-point we went through a nice covered bridge and back to the finish area where we got a lot of cheers.

Around here, we started a battle with a very Kenyan looking runner, a muscular guy who looked like a great athlete. I had passed him on a climb, and I just didn't want to let him pass me on the run. He was a motivation to start running strong, building up some distance, he caught up at the mid-point, then we ran together for a while, before he went well ahead over the dam, maybe almost a quarter mile. I'm very competitive though, and I kept telling Bogie that he had no chance and he'll crack before we do. I passed him with a couple of miles to go and he finished a few minutes after us. In almost every race I find small duels like this that keep me going.

On the second loop we started a lot better than the first one, running all the way to the big climb, taking a short walking break, but then it became hellish. Out in the open for the 3-4 miles over and around the dam gave both of us some Badwater vibes. It was incredibly hot, no cover from the sun, and the stone surrounding just radiated the heat back to us. At every water stop I was drinking 2-3 glasses and pouring a couple more over me, and still I couldn't run any more. I was out on the course for around 7 hours or more, and I didn't have anything in the engine. It was mostly walking by now. Like a hike, although a death march is a more accurate description. There was a long procession of wasted runners. I still got motivated by some people closing in, so that got me running a little bit more, especially in the final 1-2 miles. I managed to get into a nice rhythm at the end, slowed down a bit to regain energy, and then we were ready for the finish. Trotting inside the covered bridge, going up the small hill leading to the finish and then sprinting all out across the line! Wow, that must've felt so good but I was so wasted that I couldn't even enjoy it immediately. Had to take a few minutes to let it settle in.

Me and Bogie crossed the line together in a photo finish, although they show me ahead of him in the rankings. He was great in motivating me through the entire 13.1 mile course. As for the time, it was way worse than anything I expected: 2:52, which placed 359 out of 397 runners. It didn't even feel that slow, but it doesn't matter, it's important that I crossed the finish line, even if that was in 7:50:08, placing 358 out of 397. At least I hit all my goals: 1. Finishing; 2. Not being last; 3. Not being that last male; 4. Not being the last in my age group (I was 34/38).

There are still moments when I can't believe I completed a Half Ironman. This is just 1 year after my first triathlons, and less than 4 years since I started running, crashing after not even half a mile. Although it was the hardest thing I've probably ever done, and at times I felt more miserable than ever in my life, I enjoyed almost every second of it and it will be something I'll never forget. What I'm quite surprised at is that I've never asked myself "why am I doing this??", nor did I think "I'm never gonna do this again". These are thoughts I often had before, during my first 2 marathons, during my first half-marathon, probably even during my first 5K. But there was nothing like this yesterday. I was determined to finish all the way, and determined to do another one. After this monster course, I don't think I can do worse in another HIM. I just have to find the next one.

I have to also congratulate the organizers, Michele and Larry Redrow of CGI Racing. It was probably the best organized event I was ever part of, and everything was smooth and clear. Don't even try to imagine the logistics of setting up such a huge event. I was probably never more grateful to them than during the run when we had water stops almost every mile, with Heed, coke, ice, snacks, wet towels and more.

Even if I came in among the last ones, I felt like a winner, so as I winner I have to thank a lot of people, starting with Alina. Then Bogie who was with me all the time, Andrea, Annie, Sorin and Kristen who cheered me on the course. Howard who trained with me on the hills, as well as Will and the other people in the Jersey Shore Tri Club who offered great advice during all my training (Chris, Joe D, Bill, Jacqui, Jon and many more). Also the Sandy Hookers, including Doug, Sean, Patrick, Janet and the others who got me riding on the road this spring. Special thanks to the guys at Brielle Cyclery, mainly Clarence who set up my bike and fitting perfectly, Kathy and Patrick. Finally, my "sponsors", Brooks, Gu and DeSoto who provided equipment at huge discounts.

2 weeks to Black Bear - Reviewing my training

2008-05-19T16:40:00.002-04:00

Finally I'm done with heavy training and beginning to taper. The two weeks that are left are for easier, shorter workouts as I finalize my plans for race day. Let me quickly go over the training.

I made up the plan myself, inspiring from several online plans and from my own (limited) experience. The plan was made over 18 weeks and I changed it multiple times, sometimes even weekly, to accommodate personal plans, weather, health issues and other races. Well, luckily there were no health issues except for some very minor injuries and a cold.

RUNNING
My plan indicated the long run for the week. I was to do another run of about half that distance, plus a shorter one. I added a 4th run only when I had time for it. The short run was often speedwork while the medium-distance one could have been tempo or trail running (especially before the Bear Mt race). This was not an actual HIM running progression, since running is still my strongest sport and I had a lot of races, so I built towards the HM distance 3 times.

Review
I met my goals most of the weeks, despite weather and health issues (meaning yes, I ran while having a cold, and while being freezing cold outside). I hit the planned distance in 12 out of 16 weeks. In the meantime I managed some spectacular speed increases resulting in surprising PR's.

BIKING
I planned for the weekly long ride, the other ride of the week being anything shorter. The beginning was hard because of the prolonged winter and I didn't get into a regular training schedule until around Week-11. I benefited from riding with an experience group, first the Sandy Hookers then JSTC and this helped be a lot in building cycling strength. One important objective was to buildd hill climbing strength and I've only done it in the last weeks, after coming face to face with the difficult Black Bear course.

Review
It started bad but ended up pretty good and I'm confident about it now. I managed to build up to a metric century (62 miles) and I've done 5 rides of at least 50 miles. Although I met my goal distance only 9 out of 16 weeks, I constantly met them in the final month, while managing some hard hilly rides and a few good races.

BRICKS
I got pretty good at running off the bike. Both in training and in races I felt quite strong during bricks and I'm not worried as much about the brick effect of the first few miles, but about the fatigue in the final miles of the half marathon. My longest brick run was 6.2 miles in a biathlon.

SWIMMING
This was the most delicate part of my training, since my swimming skills were very bad. What helped me the most were two lessons I took in December, which helped me see what's wrong with my stroke (it was everything) and get some pointers on how to get a correct stroke. Swimming more correctly helped me gain speed and cover distance in a shorter time which led to the second challenge: swimming long. The swimming plan built from 1,200y to 2,600y as the longest swim, but in continuous swimming I had to start from 400y to get to the HIM distance of 1.2mi.

Review
I'm pleased and even impressed with my progress. My swimming training has been very consistent and I built confidence while building the distance. I missed my goal only during 2 weeks, when I was cold and couldn't breathe well. All the other weeks, I swam twice a week. Swimming 2,100y non-stop was a big achievement and more importantly I did it in 40 minutes which is amazing considering that last year I swam the 1,700y of the Olympic triathlon in over an hour. My only concern now is about the open water element, because I didn't swim in a lake since last September.

I've been feeling ready for the race for the past 2-3 weeks and I'm glad I didn't have any bad workouts to ruin my confidence. I know I can do each distance quite strongly, the only thing now is putting them together and, of course, running a half marathon after over 4 hours of racing. I'll be better able to evaluate the plan after the race.

Pier Village Duathlon

2008-05-18T12:19:00.005-04:00

It's becoming a habit to post two race reports in the same weekend. After the super-fast 5K yesterday, this morning (extremely morning, as in 7am) I did a sprint duathlon. Not easy waking up at oh dark thirty, so as usual I made it out of transition just before the start. The race is put up by my tri club and it's cool, because they do a great job directing races, and also because I know so many people. It's also embarrassing because as I wave to faces I know, most of them know me by name, and I have no idea what's their name...

The location is great, Pier Village right on the beach in Long Branch. It was a nice morning, quite warm (warm, in local terms, meaning upper 50's) and sunny. We ran across the boardwalk, out-and-back for a mile loop, and then on the other side for the remaining distance. The first run was 2 miles, and I tried to keep it slower than my feet were going, something around a 5-miler pace. I saw people getting ahead, but I convinced myself that I'll make up on the bike and second run. I kept a very constant pace, even before T1 when strangely everybody around me started sprinting. What's up with this strategy?? I finished the 2 miles in 15:22 (7:41 pace) which is my fastest multisport pace so far.

The transition was quick, actually very quick, 1:16 (which is my fastest ever transition), and then I started on the bike. I'm quite familiar with the course, since I rode a few times around here, and there are two negatives... quite a rough pavement for long stretches, and a lot of 90-degrees turns. I tried to stay aero for most of the quick course and I appreciated the fact that even though riders were quite bunched up, there was no drafting. As I expected, I pretty much passed people on the bike. In the beginning, I was passing like 3-4 at a time (probably those who sprinted before T1), then at a slower rate, while being passed by maybe 4-5 riders. The ride is only 8.5 miles, so it was over quite quickly, took me 26:30. Average was 19.2mph, not as fast as I wanted, but decent considering the winds and the rough roads.

T2 was also simple and quick (1:44, my fastest bike-run transition yet) and I went on for the final 3mi run. This time I had no reason to hold anything back, but I was a bit tired from both this race and the one yesterday. Again, I mostly passed runners, and was only passed by a handful. It was getting quite hot, but I managed to maintain my pace and even pick up the pace in the final time, finishing in 22:54 for a 7:38 pace which, again, was my fastest pace in a multisport race.

Overall time was 1:07:47 so by 8:15am I was done racing (it's way earlier than I usually wake up). I enjoyed the race a lot, there were a lot of friendly faces around and the scenery with the each and the ocean waves was great. Maybe not the best workout as I'm getting ready for the HIM, but I really liked the intensity of a sprint race (both today and yesterday). I also ranked decently, 57 out of 204, and the strongest leg was the bike where I was 53/204.

Spring into Summer 5K - Big PR, fastest race ever

2008-05-17T19:17:00.001-04:00

This morning I ran the Spring Into Summer 5K right in my neighborhood.. I like this race because it has a very nice party atmosphere, not to mention that I run parts of the course at least 1-2 times a week.

I had a few goals... first, a PR (my previous was 23:15), and maybe match the pace of my last 3mi race (7:11... can't consider that a PR since the distance was non-standard).

After yesterday was stormy, this morning it was nice and sunny, even a bit too warm. I went fast from the start, and I tried not to pace myself according to the Garmin, but to go by perceived effort - very hard, exactly. First mile was 7:04, second was 7:05. As I was getting tired and felt like slowing down, on the last segment we had a tailwind so I could keep up the pace. The finish is nice at this race, because you enter the school stadium and do a lap on the track before crossing the finish line.

Sprinting on the track, I finished in 22:04, which is an amazing time for me, more than a minute faster than my previous PR set 2 months ago, while the pace of 7:06 is the fastest I've ever run in a race. I'm surprised because after going under 24 minutes, my PR's were very small, usually by a few seconds, and I had the feeling that I'm kinda plateauing and won't be able to decrease my times significantly.

I think my future objectives will be first to go below 22, then below 7 min/mile. A few (very minor) negatives... One, if I knew I'd be so close to 22 minutes, I could've made 4 seconds somewhere on the course. Second, I kept switching places with a guy who finally outkicked me at the final turn... He won my age group by a few seconds, so I missed on the hardware (they only gave it to first place this year) and another age group win.

Final standings:
33 / 476 OA, 2 / 35 AG
Not bad for me, the website even says Top 3 get awards, but they only gave them to winners.

Conquering the HIM distance swim

2008-05-12T19:59:00.000-04:00

With less than 3 weeks to my HIM, I had one more essential workout to do, and that is the 1.2mi continuous swim. I was afraid that it would end up being a disaster and ruin my confidence, but it ended up as a great confidence boost.

To recap, last July I swam 1500m in 1:01. When I decided to do the HIM, I was hoping to finish the swim within one hour. But as of January, I still couldn't swim long... I started building up the distance with 400y at the beginning of the year and I kept increasing that distance until today, when I swam 2100y, and ran back for the other 12 (as I'll run to the swim exit).

Total time: a surprising 40:20!! I finally found a "zone" where it feels like I could swim forever... Of course I was getting tired and broke my form, but I never felt like I have to stop. If it would go this way at the race... But as much as I slowed down, I only had one 100y with 2:00, all the others were under 2 minutes. On the way, I hit several PR's! 500y in 9:18 (previous was 9:33) and 1500y at 28:30 (previous was 29:44).

So now I am finally ready for the race. 14mi run Check. 62mi ride Check. 2112y swim Check.