30 Minute Swim

Swam easy in the pool. I need to get over there more often.

It was baking hot today.

It should also be hot tomorrow. If I am going to run or bike, it must be early or else late.

Speed Workout

Ran at the track. Walked a lap, ran a 2:15 lap, walked a lap, ran two fast laps (3:55), walked a lap, ran mile, 9:00, walked a lap, ran a 2:00 lap.

I am thinking about just working on speed and not going the half in October.

12 Mile Ride

Rode 12 miles in one hour. Another beautiful day. My legs are still a little tired, plus 12 miles is about all I can go without bike shorts or padding.

10 Mile ride

Tired today, but managed an easy 10 mile ride in 48 minutes at work. Beautiful day.

5 Mile bike

Road 5 easy miles at 11.1. My legs are tired today.

4.6 Mile Run

Ran a longer route in the neighborhood today. It took me 50 minutes with an ending heart rate in the low 150s.

I probably ran a little farther than I should I have. I was getting tired.

I am trying to figure out whether or not I want to do the half marathon in October or not.

New Tubes/C02

Went to bike shop and bought some new tubes. The guy there told me the likely cause of my blowout was not overinflating, but having the tube pinch the rim. I may not have laid it in the tire quite as neatly as I should have.

In any case, I changed the tire and am back riding.

Also, after I emailed the race director, thanking her for waiting for me at the finish line, she emailed me back inviting me to run the race next year as their guest.

Litchfield Hills Olympic Triathlon 8-22-2010

My general goals in a triathlon have always been: not to die, not to vomit and not to finish last. I was successful in only two of these today.

My goals for this particular race were to finish, to finish before they closed the course and to make it up Bruning Hill without having to get off my bike. I succeeded in only one of these.

Last night I packed my car and reviewed the run map on my netbook computer. I spent most of my worries about Bruning Hill and did not check out the run course in advance. I thought to myself, I ought to print out a copy of the run map and keep it in my back pocket just in case. But my printer is attached to my desktop and my desktop was downstairs and it is very slow and it was late and I was tired and thought I could do it in the morning. And I thought these courses are usually pretty well marked.

In the morning, I loaded my bike on the car and headed out. My backup alarm has been malfunctioning so instead of a peaceful early morning drive, I had to listen to a constant alarm and even though I was going forward, the car was reacting to the bike on the back.
I made it to the race fine, took my bike off the car, gathered my gear, thought about tucking an second extra tube in my back pocket just in case, but did not.
I set up in transition. I have a bit of problem in transition areas that use rails because my bike seat (I ride a 64) is too high to rack the bike without turning the bike on its side, which is hard to do if there are bikes on either side. I hoped that when it came time to get my bike with good fortune my neighbors would have already grabbed their bikes. This turned out to be the case.

As a Clydesdale as well as over 49, I was in the last wave. The good thing with the last wave is I don’t get passed by so many people on the bike. The bad thing is you finish 6 minutes later than the first first wave, which may not be important to most, but if you are concerned with finishing before the course closes, it can be an issue.
The swim went fine. I took it easy, swam straight for the most part and was quite happy about it. I got my wet suit off easily and then sat down on a rock and put on my water shoes so I didn’t have to run barefoot on the rocks.

I took my time in transition, had a drink, and then set off for the bike and my feared battle with Bruning Hill. I felt good on the bike even though I was getting passed, and the only people I passed were fixing their bikes on the side of the road. I did pass one woman at about mile ten on a downhill. I announced I was passing, and then all of a sudden she started speeding up. I didn’t know whether to pull back over or keep trying to pass. I was quite pissed so I kicked it up a gear and passed as she pedaled furiously to keep me from getting by her. I didn’t see her again.

Like I said, I was happy with the way things were going. Despite the rain, I was keeping up a good pace for me, the bike was running smooth. Still I knew the first part of the course was the easiest part. We made the turn onto 202 and began the long slow uphill. I did fine, and even passed a few more riders (in addition to those fixing flats -- there seemed to be more flats and repairs going on than I had seen in any of the other limited races I have done.)

Then I came to Bruning Road. I took a triathlon class three years ago aimed at completing the Niantic Tri. Bill Honeck, the instructor, encouraged a number of my classmates to try the Litchfield Race as well. He told me I could do it except for Brunning Hill – that would be tough for me. (I did have a hybrid at that time and not my current road bike).

The next year I drove the course to see what the hill was like and it did intimidate me some. My training and racing that year and the next was somewhat limited due to going to school, having a baby, and taking a second job, so I never got to focus on it until this year. While I still have the baby, now a little girl, and the second job, I have the degree and a better handle on my time.

A few weeks ago I drove Bruning Road on the way up to a West Hill swim and noticed all the gravel on it. I had been planning to ride it with a friend the next day, but with all the sharp fine gravel, that was out. I briefly considered joining the Heat practice ride, but at my speed, I would have not have come close to keeping up, plus I ended up visiting my brother in New Jersey and doing a sprint tri with him instead. When I heard the stones had been swept off the road, I decided to enter the race. An Olympic triathlon had been my goal from the beginning. My plan was to do the Bridgeport Mossman, but it sold out before I could enter. I had to work next weekend, so the Cranberry Tri was out. It was either Litchfield and Bruning Hill or wait another year.

So anyway, I headed up the hill and was handling it. Admittedly I was down in my lowest gear, but I was making it up, I was “Slaying this hill!” I was saying to myself. Unfortunately I think the hill heard me. With my odometer reading 22.something miles, I heard a hiss and like that my front tire was flat. In denial, I kept going, rode down a brief decline, but was fully on the rims by the start of the next uphill.

I knew I was close to the finish and could just run with the bike, but then I thought, I can change a tire in the heat of a race – for the first time – finish my ride up the hill and still finish in time. What a great boast that will be! I have changed tired before – not quickly, but I can do it. I took the wheel off the bike, and got the tube out. Beth Schluger drove by and asked if I was okay and if I needed a mechanic or a ride. I said I was okay; I would change it and continue on. In the meantime more people were passing me. I got the new tire in and had some trouble getting my CO2 inflator to work, and then it was working and then – gunfire – I tucked and rolled, worried I was in a scene from Deliverance (a rifleman in the Hills), then looked at my tire. It had exploded. I swore. I could have used that other tube.

So I grabbed the bike and started running. 5 mph. I slowed a little and walked some - 3 mph. I ran some more. Still I made it back to transition as others were crossing the finish line, drinking beers and some already driving away.

I got passed by two people on the run, and then I was alone. I worried I was off the course, but then saw the glorious white lines and kept on. I was running, not fast, but no run walk. At mile three, I noticed I was being followed by a truck picking up the mileage markers. Still there was a water stop ahead and I grabbed a water from a volunteer and kept on. I made it to mile 5, although the miles seemed to be getting longer. The next water stop was self-service. They had left four cups of water there next to the coolers, but no volunteers. I grabbed one on the fly. I kept on, following the white lines.

Mile six seemed to take forever. I noticed then I was passing Perkins road, which I used to get the West Hill swims, but that didn’t seem right, plus I remembered passing it earlier. Something wasn’t right. I was getting a bad feeling. I flagged down a car. The man rolled down the window a crack to see what the crazed rained soaked stranger wanted. I asked where Brodie Park was in relation to where I was. The man said back that way about mile and a half, two miles.

As soon as he rolled his window back up, I swore “F-Me!” I apologize to anyone who heard although there was likely no one around except some squirrels or other forest creatures. I turned back.

I was so pissed, I stopped running. Now it clearly was my own fault. You have to know the course. I didn’t. I took a wrong turn. My bad. Lesson learned.

My first triathlon at Lake Terramugus three years ago I had a similar situation. I was at the back of the pack; all the volunteers had gone home. Fortunately there was a man behind me. I stopped and waited for him to catch up and we caucused on which was to go, and decided on the correct way, all while watching another racer running in a different direction. That wayward runner finished last sparing my a last place finish. I was second to last.

It’s hard sometimes at the back of the pack. It’s soo lonely. But enough whining. I kept on. I flagged the next car to check on my progress and make certain the first guy wasn’t playing a cruel trick on me. The man assured me I was now going the right way. I started running again. A ways further on, I saw a turn in the road and wasn’t certain which way. I flagged another car and it turned out to be a race official who was out looking for me. He offered me a ride, which I declined and I followed his directions up the hill and into the park.

Beth and company were delighted to see me finally show up safe and alive, and cheered as I ran across at the line. They gave me two bottles of water off a truck where it had been packed away and gave me my finisher’s mug. They asked me if I wanted to go inside the cabin and get warm, but I said I was fine.

I wandered around for a little bit and for the life of me could not find transition. Am I that disoriented? I thought. It was right here. Then I realized where transition had been was now just a green field with one solitary bike on its side next to a rain-soaked knapsack.

So anyway my tale of woe at least had the ending that I finished. I am an Olympic Distance Triathlete (although a slow one). My James Brown mantra, “Can’t Quit! Can’t Quit! Got to Keep On! Get on the Good Foot, U-Huh!” did the job. Another bright spot on a dismal rainy day, I also got a head start on my half-marathon training. I figure between my run on the bike course and the "This way to China" run, I logged an extra four or five miles at least on the ten K giving me a long run of ten to eleven miles -- ahead of my schedule for the Hartford race.

When I got home and looked at the map, I saw my mistake. I turned left on Niles instead of right. I was that close to the finish! I was right there! But I saw the arrows in the road pointing left and I followed. Running head down, one foot after the other. Can’t Quit! Can’t Quit!

My preparation for a future race will no doubt include another class in tire-changing, one in geography, one in out-door survival skills, as well as more miles in the saddle and maybe a bike-fit to see if that helps my riding. With sweat and luck, hopefully next time I should set a race PR. I have a lot of clock time to play with.

That’s it. While they had already packed away the beer at the race by the time I crossed, the one advance thinking I did not forget was to buy some beer while the package stores were still open last evening. The thought of that kept me from dwelling on the dam whining backup alarm on the slow drive home. I have some cold Tecates waiting for me in the fridge, and one very special frosted mug.

Here are the results:

Results

Hill ride

Did a short ride in neighborhood, including riding up Buena vista Hill from the back side. It is pretty steep and using the granny gear, I managed okay.

5 Mile Bike

Signed up for the litchfield hills olympic on sunday, then went out and rode 5 miles, and then came back in and had to lay down for two hours. My body is beat and i need rest. I will likely only do minor workouts between now and Sunday and just hope I have it. My only goal will be finishing wuithin the 4 hour time limit.

Long Branch Sprint Tri 8-14-2010

After doing the Lake T triathlon Thursday night, I went down to New Jersey for the weekend where my younger brother was planning to do his first triathlon. I was uncertain whether to race with him or just cheerlead, but I felt well enough to bring my bike down, and then decided the night before to give it a try. Having done, Niantic, this would make three triathlons in a week – quite a lot for me.

In Long Branch on the Jersey Shore, they have a tri training series.

Long Branch Tri Series

Three times a summer, they offer six events, a long course tri (600 yard swim, 20 mile bike, and 5 Mile run), a short course tri (300 yard swim, 10 mile bike, and 3 mile run) , a long and short duathlon (2-10-5, 2-20-5), and a long and short aquathon (600-20, 300-10).

They had at least 700 participants this past Saturday. My brother and I entered the short course tri. I was a little disappointed to see the swim was only 300 yards – an out and back course. They lined everyone up in a long single file line, and the race was done time-time trial style. I gather this is not their norm, but was done this way due to the surf. That’s right the surf – I hadn’t thought about the fact the triathlon was on the Atlantic Ocean and not in the Sound where I have done most of my tris. With the time-trial style, you told the man with the clipboard your race number when you reached the front of the line, and then you ran across a matt and toward the sea. My brother and I were chatting with some friends of his who were also entering their first tris and not really paying attention to what was going on until we neared the front of the line. I noticed then that many of those running out into the waves were being cast back to shore. Some weren’t even entering the water – they were like sandpipers starting toward the water, then running back as the waves came in. Quite a scene.

I love the surf and am an excellent body surfer due to my six-eight torso being similar to that of a long surf board. I body surf in pre-hurricane conditions when only the wet-suited surfers are out. It is one of my special prides.

I gave the man my number, and charged into the Atlantic. All at once it looked much rougher than from higher on the beach. I had to drive my shoulder into the first two waves to break through them, and then dove under the next several – they were far too high to jump over. I finally started swimming. I would swim up through a wave, and then descend down its backside. I looked up at one wave and noticed it was filled with struggling swimmers. Looking to the horizon I half expected to see the bow of the Lusitania sliding into the sea there were so many bobbing shipwrecked people in the water. I thought to myself, dam, they let people try to swim in this. I also thought this was great fun to be out in.

I put my head down and swam on. Out near the last buoy, it was like Baywatch – a blur of jet skis, red bathing suits and life lines being tossed around. One moment the buoy was below me, the next it was above me. The way in was like a D-Day movie without the bullets, as the remaining swimmers stormed the beach. I caught a giant wave that me rode me so far into shore, that when the water receded, I was on sand. A life guard ran over to me shouting “Are you okay?” “I’m good,” I said, popping up out of my outstretched form, and started up toward the boardwalk and transition on the other side of the street. Admittedly I didn’t run at first, I felt a little beaten up and deserved to walk for a few, ten, twenty yards.

I saw Jim then standing on the beach -- he told me he had been flattened by two waves on the way out and had taken himself out of the swim, along with a large group of others. They were going to let them head up to the bikes when the last person was out of the water. It turned out later that many of the people who didn’t do the swim, headed straight to the bikes instead of waiting.

If I had been thinking straight, I should have offered to swim it again with jim, as i am sure he would have made it once he got beyond the inital waves and I could have helped him with that.

The bike was flat and the roads were largely protected from traffic. While I topped 16 mph average for a race for the first time9at least on my odometer -- the final results have me at 15.4 -- i think because it was more than 10 miles, the speed came down), I later learned Jim's time was 5 seconds faster riding his hybrid than I’d done on my road bike.

The run was out and back along the boardwalk. There was nice breeze and no humidity, and two water stations. I ran easy and sprinted the last fifty yards. Looking at the times later, I can say the run was short of three miles, as it clocked me at a 9:13 minute a mile pace, and I know I was running closer to 10 minutes a mile.

They had a nice spread at the end. We also got tee-shirts and water bottles. Those who preregistered received a technical shirt. It was a great event, particularly for newer triathletes. I will probably go down and do it again next year. It also made me interested in signing up for one of the mile ocean swims they routinely hold down there as well, although a slightly calmer day would be preferred for that distance.

Here are the results:

RESULTS

Here are my times:

300 Yard Man versus Ocean 8:15
10 Mile Bike 38:52
3 Mile Run 27:38
Total Race Time: 1:18:06

Again, I don't trust the mileage. My odometer had the bike at almost 10 and a half. The run had to be less than 3 as I was not running that fast.





More photos at:

tri series # 3 Photos

Lake Terramuggus Triathlon 8-12-2010

Happy 52nd Birthday to Me!

I did the Lake Terramugus Tri for the first time in three years. The only course difference was they added 200 yards to the swim.

Here's how I did:

Results

191 out of 220 (It was more like 186 because people who only did one bike loop were listed ahead of me).

Total Time 1:28:40

Age Group 50/59 19/20

Swim/T1 13:55 (128)

Bike 41:36 (208)

T2/Run 33:09 (212)

Way better than 3 years ago.

Niantic Bay Triathlon 8-8-2010

I had my best race to date. I took 12:48 off my 2007 Niantic time and for the first time finished above the bottom 20% in a race.

I haven’t done that many triathlons. In my first year at the sport --2007 --I did Teramuggus 4 times (two second to last finishes), Niantic and Lake Compounce. In 2008, I did Lake Compounce and in 2009 I only did Madison. This year I have done Amica Ocean Beach and Niantic, as well as the Shamrock Duathlon.

Now there are a number of explanations for my improved performance. I believe Niantic gets a lot of first timers so the field is weaker at the bottom than some tris. The weather was great – hardly any humidity at all. The swim and thus the first transition were different (and I think shorter) than 2007, I had a road bike and clip in pedals instead of a hybrid, and I have improved my transition ability. Still 12 minutes is 12 minutes. I felt strong and was happy with my performance throughout.

Here is where my time savings came from:

Swim 16:06 (0:53)
Bike 46:01(5:23)
Run 31:28 (3:50)
Transitions (2:28)

I don’t know when they changed the swim start, but it was a great improvement starting on the beach we finished at in 2007 and finishing at the beach we used to start at. This meant no running up the rocky path, and then up the rest of the hill and through the park to get to transition.

As a Clydesdale, I was in the 5th wave, along with the relay teams and men over 60. The swim was well marked. I drift markedly to the left if I swim without sighting, so I started well to the right and felt I swam pretty straight, and only drifted a little wide on the final swim in. I tried to get out of my wet-suit as quickly as I could, but didn't do as well as I had two weeks earlier. Just outside transition, I stopped to get out of the suit using the stand on it method. I had to step on it about six times. I lost my balance, and almost fell over, managing to split the nail on my big toe nail by stepping on myself before I finally got it off.

The bike start was also difficult for me. The bike starts at the bottom of a short hill. I clipped in with one pedal, but couldn’t get the second clipped in, and had to stop a couple times until I realized I could just push on the pedal unclipped and power up the hill that way. D'oh!

Other than that, my ride went great. I passed a number of people (and was passed by a number). Where at the Ocean Beach race, the Clydesdales were in the 2nd wave, being in the 5th, I had far fewer bikers blowing past me. I did quite well on the two hills and then on the declines, spent more time down in the aero position than I have in the past and over all felt increasingly confident.

When the ride ended we had to dismount and then walk our bikes down a short steep hill – so steep they advised you to take off your cleats and walk. I skidded in the cleats at first, and then quickly followed their suggestion and took them off. With so many people taking their shoes off, it created quite a bottleneck and I just missed getting my bare feet run over a couple times by people and bikes hurtling down the hill. In transition, I was thrilled to see someone had placed a chair near my spot, so I took advantage of it (Thank you to whoever!) and sat in it to change into my socks and sneakers and off I went. I ran slow and steady at first, drinking Gatorade at the water stops and pouring water on my head. Before entering the beach at the end, I glanced over my shoulder to see if there would be anyone trying to pass me in the last two hundred yards, and seeing no one, I decided to just run in at my same easy pace (I wanted to look fit and strong for my finish line photo. At New London I was so exhausted with trying to sprint on the boardwalk at the end I looked like I had lung disease in one finishing photo and quite teetering like I was having a stroke in the other). But then maybe fifty yards out, I heard someone shout that another runner was going to pass me, so I took off like Usain Bolt and roared across the line, uncaught. I eagarly await the photo -- the only thing missing, of course, will be the finishline tape across my chest.

While, with finisher medal around my neck, I declined to do a Usain Bolt pose, I did take my sneakers off and then took a celebratory dive back in the water for a refreshing post-race reward.

I’m not certain what my next race will be. If I can get a babysitter for my two-and–a half-year old, I may be at Lake T on Thursday evening (I have been trying to get there all summer). I have thought about trying Litchfield this year, but with the Brunning Road uphill currently being two miles of loose stone, I will likely pass unless they pave it.

The only definites on my schedule now are the Lake Quassy Swim and the Dave Parcells Tri, which I registered for last night. I hear they are almost full.


400 out of 511 (78%)
31 out of 43 Clydesdales
1:37:56 Total

Swim 254 (16:13) (49%)
TI 2:47
Bike: 421 (46:01) (82%)
T2 1:30
Run: 422 (31:28) (82%)

2007

Finish: 1:50:44 (92%)
Place: 357 of 389
Division: 21 of 24 Clydesdales

Swim: 17:06 (135) (35%)
T1: 4:55
Bike: 51:29 (374) (96%)
T2: 1:48
Run: 35:27 (367) (94%)

Difference

Total 12:48 (78% versus 92%)
Swim: 0:53 (49% versus 35%)
T1: 2:08
Bike: 5:23 (82% versus 96%)
T2: 0:18
Run: 3:59 (82% versus 94%)

Results

Resting

Doing my three day rest pre-race. I always feelbad when I am not working out, but I need to be at full energy.

4.2 Mile Run

Ran my new 4.2 mile route in 48:30 in some 88 degree heat with 65% humidity. Ran slow. Ending heart rate was 135, but was up to 151 at one point. This route ends with a long slow downhill that leads to a lower ending heart rate.

8 Mile ride

rode 8 easy miles in 41 minutes for an 11.4 mph. Legs did not feel strong today. It was also humid and windy.

16 mile Bike

Rode 16 miles easy at work in 1:17. 12.4 mph

8 Mile ride

Very tired today at work, but managed an easy 8 mile ride toward the end. I also refixed my tired. It felt a little bumpy when I rode it, then I figured out the tire looked a little uneven near the valve so I let air out the popped the tire in better, then reinflated it and then it rode just fine.

I have been having problems with the c02 inflator. I just now read the directions and saw i was doing it wrong. I'll try again tomorrow to see if I have it figured out.