The Cyclists on Roads Debate

Do cyclists belong on roads? A couple of weeks ago, about 700 cyclists were participating in the Multiple Sclerois Charity Bike Ride in Loudoun County, about an hour west of Washington DC. A handful of them were ticketed for running through stop signs. This sparked a debate in the local news media.

As a cyclist myself, I certainly am a fan of riding on the roads. The trails around the Metro area serve a purpose too. Generally, when I do weekday training rides solo, I stick to the trails. However, it is highly rewarding to get out of the area and explore the byways of Virginia and Maryland via bicycle. Additionally, the trails around town tend to get overly crowded on the weekends and are not conducive to long training rides, particularly in a group.

I do strongly feel in obeying the rules of the road, however. It irks me both as a cyclist, and a driver, to see cyclists who feel the rules of the road do not apply to them. All too often, I see cyclists biking against traffic (which is highly dangerous), blowing through red lights, and dodging wildly through traffic. (I can understand going through a red light when no cars are in sight, and the bicycle does not trip the light switch.) I feel that cyclists who do no obey the rules of the road hurt safety for the rest of us.

I was once biking with a small group of friends through Potomac, Maryland, a close-in subburb of Washington DC. This particular area is very popular with cyclists, as the route is scenic with rolling hills, but very close to town and convenient. We approached a left turn at a stoplight. We signaled that we were heading into the turning lane when a car approached us. The driver (a man) loudly berated us, yelling us to go onto the biking trail and get off the road. His car was filled with children. If he's familiar enough with the area to know there's a biking path nearby (which is short and poorly maintained), he should be familiar enough to know the area is frequented by cyclists on weekends. We politely asked him to share the road (we were mindful of the rules of the road), as he continued to berate us. What sort of example was he setting for his kids?

I was once also biking on a trail (the Washington & Old Dominion Trail - known as the W & OD - a rail to trail conversion) out in Loudoun County. I was approaching a road crossing. I saw an approaching car, but seeing his speed, and seeing my speed (I was descending down a hill), I knew I would cross in plenty of time. Mind you, I probably should have stopped at the road crossing. I agree. I do not recall if there was a cyclist stop sign (although there likely was). Needless to say, I must have given the driver a bit of a scare. He proceeded to follow me as the trail and the road paralled one another. He yelled at me, "I could have hit you, bitch!" Now I was scared. In a moment of anger, I told him to get off his ass and ride a bike, which granted, was not intelligent. Was he going to come after me? Needless to say, I was relieved when I did not see him again.

As a rule, I obey the rules of the road. It's about safety. There is no way I will win a battle versus a car from my bicycle.

Black Bear Sprint Triathlon Race Report

A weekend road trip and race with the "Team Z army - from Massachuetts" (?). (We were graciously announced by the race director, but we're from Massachusetts?) It's the Black Bear Triathlon.

The race website described the venue as both beautiful and challenging in the Pocono Mountains. This held true.

SWIM - 750 meters - 16:10

A very pleasant swim. Water was clean and clear. I felt highly relaxed in the water. And I felt as though I had one of my better swims, although checking against prior results, my swim time was average for me. Hmmmm... Oh well, at least I felt like I had a good swim.

BIKE - 17.7 miles - 1:18:30

The bike course was challenging. Some tough climbs, but some fun descents! I am not the strongest climber, but managed to hold my own. I saw some seemingly strong men lose momentum and be forced to walk up some of the hills. Not me! I did err a little on the conservative side though, electing to not stand on the bike during climbs and such in an effort to save my legs for the run. And what's the reward for climbing? Speeding downhill! Although they were relatively short descents, I managed to clock a top speed of 41.8 mph. I feel that I made a good choice sticking with my road bike vs my triathon bike for this one due to (a) gearing --- (wish list for tri bike: compact cranks) (b) carbon vs aluminum frame for comfort, and (c) ability to tuck into drops.

One minor problem during the bike ride: I had a tingling sensation on the outside of both my legs. It did not hurt, but was a strange sensation. Robin (who is a massage therapist) asked if I have had lower back problems as of late and the answer is yes. She suggested that the lower back pain may be adding pressure on a nerve, causing the sensation. Some quick research seems to support this. It may also be caused by a lack of circulation or electrolyte deficiency. I am noting it for now, and see if a trend is beginning.

RUN - 3.1 miles - 31:18

The run overall went well. It was held on well-groomed trails and was mostly well-shaded. My stomach was cramping slightly, so I erred on the conservative side a bit. The cramping was not a showstopper. I consumed about 100 calories during the bike, with Accelerade Hydro. (I use this regularly during training, but first time racing with it.) Too many calories? Too heavy of calories? I know that I cannot race short distance races with regular Accelerade. Maybe this is also true for Accelerade Hydro.

FINISH - 2:09:50 (19/31 Age Group, 122/211 Women)

Race photos can be seen here.

24 Hours of Booty

With an event name like 24 Hours of Booty, how can I resist? One of my teammates, Lindsay, suggested we get a team together.

I've long wanted to do a 24-hour mountain bike race. There's something about the allure and camaraderie of doing a 24-hour race. These mountain bike races consist of either relays or solo riders, trying to log as many loops as possible over a closed course over 24 hours. When not riding, in general they are parties, with campfires, roasting marshmallows, and whatnot. Thus far, I've been unable to organize a team for this, mostly due to logistics with mountain biking. Most of my friends are roadies...

So, enter 24 Hours of Booty. First off, it's not a race. We can be a team of one, or a team of 50. (I think a team of 4 is ideal.) We will ride our ROAD bikes, over a closed 2+ mile course, logging laps to raise money for the Lance Armstrong Foundation. The event is scheduled for the last weekend of September, in Columbia, MD (partway between Washington DC and Baltimore). The fundraising minimum is $150. I can do that.

I am rather excited....

A Note on SAG

According to Sheldon Brown's Bicycle Glossary, the term sag is defined as a car that picks up or otherwise assists cyclists who have had to stop riding, either from fatigue, injury, or mechanical failure. It's origin is either from the verb "sag", or an acronym for "support and gear".

Once a month, I sag one of our organized triathlon rides. I opted to sag today, knowing that riders were slated to bike up to 90 miles. I bought treats and was hoping the day would be uneventful and I could simply lend moral support.

It was anything but uneventful.

Our ride was from Riley's Lock, roughly following the Potomac River between Seneca and Point of Rocks in Maryland. I have personally had back luck during our team rides from Riley's Lock, once where I had my one-and-only road bike crash and last year on the 90-miler where I just bonked.

As for today, there was the rain. Many of us have ridden in the rain before, but no matter what, I feel that one never quite gets used to it. Today was the type of rain that just seemed endless. A consistent steady rain. Over an inch of rain fell during the day, with radar estimates showing 1.06" at Seneca Creek State Park, near our ride start location.

With rain, comes hazardous riding conditions. I have been sagging rides since August, and this was my first time with incident (other than minor mechanical issues). I had to bring someone to the emergency room. Sebastian slipped and fell on some treacherous railroad tracks. Luckily, his injuries were not too bad, only a deep gash in his arm. We were in the town of Point of Rocks at the time. Seems that the closest hospital (or urgent care for that matter), was in Fredrick, about 12 miles away. We needed some more immediate care to stop the bleeding. We were directed to the local fire station (which I would have never considered on my own), as they have ambulances. It was a quiet day at the fire station and they were glad to help. Afterwards, we continued onto the ER, as stitches were necessary. Seb asked me to take photos, which I've posted here.

Thank goodness for sag. I have heard stories from others, of biking solo, having an accident, and simply having to await another passer-by for aid. Naturally, of course, I hope as a sag person, we are simply available to provide moral support, but when we are truly needed, I am happy to be there.

Rumpass in Bumpass Sprint Triathlon

What a name for a triathlon. How could I pass it up? The race venue was in the actual town of Bumpass, Virginia.

I knew going into the race that it would be strictly for kicks and giggles. Get a little exercise, have a little fun, and call it a day. Triathlon training has taken a back seat to most everything else as of late. Sure, I've been keeping in shape, but it has generally consisted of a 30-60 minute workout at the gym per day.... something along the lines of what "normal" people do.

A positive aspect of an early season race is a late start. The 10am start was welcomed. I could get up at a relatively sane hour, drive down morning of, and set up in daylight. I carpooled with Nicolas, allowing for company and pleasant chit-chat for the drive.

SWIM - 18:53 (12/26 AG):

I know the first rule of triathlon is to never try anything new on race day. But I did it anyway. It was only a minor infraction. I used new swim goggles. I tried them during my warm-up swim (mostly necessary to get adjusted to the 62 degree water) without any problem. I brought my old goggles just in case, but all seemed to be well.

Nevertheless, the goggles weren't on quite tight enough. They leaked a couple times during my swim, forcing me to stop and tread water briefly as I readjusted. At least I finished the swim without the tell-tale goggle eyes.

T1 - 3:00:

I keep debating whether to share a funny story about T1. Something along the lines of "in true triathlete fashion". If you really want to hear about it... ask me about it sometime.

BIKE 12 miles - 43:31 (13/26 AG):

Upon exiting T1, and mounting our bikes, we had an immediate short climb, and someone wiped out in front of me. Yow! Near miss. I was glad to see that no only was she ok, but there was no chain reaction.

It's apparent I have not been biking much. Although I fell in the middle of my age group, many of those out there were utilizing hybrids or mountain bikes. (There's nothing against that; after all I did my first triathlon on a mountain bike.) The roads were not as smooth as I would have liked, but overall, an enjoyable course. It was nice to take the Red Baron out for a spin. (As a reminder, my Guru red triathlon bike is affectionatly known as the Red Baron...)

My bad knee was bothering me a bit on the bike though. Biking is generally kind to knees, as it's low impact, so it may be time to check the bike fit.

Run 3.1 miles - 33:36 (19/26 AG)

Luckily, when it comes to the bad knee, either it tends to hurt while biking or while running, not both in a given day. In other words, I correctly predicted it would be fine on the run.

Nevertheless, I was not a fan of the run course. It started on rather technical terrain on a rooted trail, onto a gravel road, then onto a relatively hilled paved road. It was out-and-back. The plus side of the out-and-back format was, as always, the chance to see a friendly face for a cheer or a wave. Team Z has grown significantly in recent months, and I know so few new faces unfortunately. (I'm getting to know the new people... slowly.)

Now, although the knee was in check, I knew running pain free was too good to be true. I began to suffer from a minor case of shin splints. I really do not know what causes shin splints, or what is truly affected, but I do know that my shins hurt. Ugh! I think it may have been partly resulting from my lack of running as of late. (To save the knees, ironically, I've been doing my "running" primarily on the elliptical trainer.) Maybe I am wrong. Perhaps I'll do a bit of research on shin splints to try and prevent the problem in the future.

I was not going to let it down my spirits though. Friendly faces were abundant. I ran a bit with Kate Morse, who was also suffering a bit (probably from the warmer weather we are not quite used to yet... been a long winter....)

Overall finish: 1:40:45

So-so. Nothing spectatular, certainly not even close to getting a space on the podium. But, I got a lot more exercise on Sunday morning than most people (sad, but true), and managed to have fun doing so.

As the weather improves, I look forward to getting more back into the swing of things. Perhaps I'll actually train for my next race?

Scope it Out 5K

Well, well, well... it seems I've been lacking in the blogging department as of late. I can blame it on the fact I've been a work-a-holic for a flood mitigation study in southwest Louisiana. I have not had a full weekend off in several weeks. However, you know me; I am not known for all work and no play. I have had time to squeeze in fun here and there, but just not gotten around to blogging about it.

I was planning on doing the George Washington Marathon Relay in February. However, I managed to injure my back shortly beforehand. I am not sure exactly what was the culprit, but I do know that it forced me to be laying on my back with a heating pad, drugged up on Tylenol and prescription strength anti-inflammatories for a couple days. I did go out to cheer for the race, but needless to say, I was not in shape to run 500 yards, let alone 7-9 miles.

The first race I was able to in several months was the Scope it Out 5K. The race director is a former Team Z member, who organized the race in memory of her father who passed from colon cancer. It's a nice 5K through downtown Washington D.C. It's also one of the few pure running races my triathlon team participates in.

It has been a while since I have raced a 5K. It can be challenging in the sense that it a half-hour speed workout. And my speed workouts have been lacking lately. I am doing my best to generally stay in shape, but have steered away from "training" for anything specific. And with that, I'll go out for a run, use the elliptical at the gym, go for a swim, or go bike riding, but speedwork has gone by the wayside. (Probably as the weather gets nicer, I'll be more inclined to do some intensive workouts outside.)

Someone inquired on my race expectations. Hmmm.... I said I'd be happy if I broke 28 minutes. My fastest 5K is 23 and some change, whereas my slowest is over 30 minutes. Somewhere in the range of 27-28 minutes is my all time average 5K time.

I went out a little too hard with race enthusiam for the first mile, hitting it at about 7:45 for clock time. Ok... had to back off a little. Once upon a time, that pace was not a problem, but for now... a little too aggressive. Last thing I wanted to do was walk. I decided to be less aggressive for the next mile and a half, and then kick it in for the final half mile.

I especially kicked it in when I saw that I was truly doing to make my arbitrary goal. My official chip time was 27:40. Score! I finished 8th out of 108 people in my age group. Not too shabby!

Now, I would have loved to have celebrated afterwards with everyone at Whitlow's for brunch and bloody maries, but alas... my project for southwest Louisiana was calling....

Biking in the Cold

Brrr.... yesterday was perhaps the last time I will bike in 20 degree temperatures. I actually only ventured out to Germantown to ride as Carol and I agreed to hang out afterwards. Call it peer pressure. Otherwise, I would have been perfectly happy to get some exercise in the comfort of my gym.

I wore silk long underwear, athletic tights, toe & hand warmers, booties, two technical shirts, a warm technical jacket, and a balaclava. I could barely move and was still cold. It felt like a ton of bricks hitting my face as I began to bike. Yow. I eventually warmed up a wee bit. However, about midway through the 27-mile ride, I got cold again. So did Carol and Carrie (and maybe others?) Why is that? We were still moving and the temperature did not change.

I am sure the scenery was magnificent as they usually are on our rides, but I was so focused on staying warm that I really did not take the time to notice.

I trudged along slowly but surely. Although it was about zero fun, I am glad I went. I am glad to be finally getting into a fitness routine once again. (Ran 8 miles on Saturday too.)

After the ride, Carol and I rewarded ourselves with a fabulous feast of pancakes. Yum!

New Year, New Start

Time to get serious again about fitness. I've gained a few pounds, feeling a little sluggish, and looking to get back into the groove.

So, today I'm re-starting Weight Watchers. I've had success in the past. I am hoping I can drop 15-20 pounds over the next 6 months. Doable?

Over the weekend I had a lovely 6-mile run around the National Mall. My lingering foot issue seems to have resolved itself.... hopefully.

Then Sunday I went for a bike ride in Nokesville with the team. It was our first return there since my 122+ mile ride over the summer. My biking distance Sunday paled in comparison. I only went 13 miles, primarily because I was pressed for time. However, I am not quite sure I could have biked too much beyond that. It was my first time on the bike since perhaps October. Ouch! The bike ride felt great nonetheless, and look forward to being a regular at the rides. Lately, my showing at the bike rides have been confined to providing support (known as sag), providing aid as needed from the comforts of my car. I think I surprised people by actually showing up to ride this go-around. A definite sign.

Hiking will also soon return as part of my fitness regimen.

And so will swimming. I swam one day last week also for the first time in a few weeks and I definitely noticed. There was a time where a mile was my absolute minimum, an easy day. This time, I swam about half that and struggled to motivate myself to do so.

But, difficult as it all may be, it's all a step in the right direction.

Coming out of Retirement?

I've been reminded that I haven't been the best blogger lately. It's good to know that so many check out my blog though!!

On my 35th Birthday, I ran the Philadelphia 1/2 Marathon with Carol (who did the full). I wasn't quite prepared to do a 1/2 marathon, but I approached it with the idea of having fun (it was my birthday after all...), enjoy the scenery around Philly (great race course...), and get a bit of exercise. It was quite chilly out though! I successfully finished the race and perhaps had my slowest half marathon ever (I still haven't checked my finish time).

Afterwards, I enjoyed a grande cup o' Starbucks, read the paper, and chilled out waiting for Carol to finish the full before we made the trek home. It was her wedding anniversary and I had dinner plans with Sacha myself, so we were both on a mission to return home.

After the race, however, I noticed a pain in my right foot. In the center, bottom. I've never had a stress fracture (thankfully), so not sure if it was that or something else. A new pain. I couldn't bear any weight on it. The pain naturally subsided over the next few days, so I forgot about it.

Since then, I've been sticking with the elliptical trainer at the gym, which is pretty much my entire fitness regimen these days. (Sometime I guess I should swim and bike too....)

For the first time since the 1/2 marathon, I ran yesterday with Team Z. I did a lovely 6-miler around the National Mall. Most of them were running longer, so we had an early start. It was beautiful to watch the sunrise over the Mall.

Needless to say, I struggled a bit.... partly due to lack of running, and partly due to recovering from a cold. I got through it. I noticed afterwards that I had the same pain in my right foot. It was not nearly as pronounced as from the half marathon, but definitely there. What is going on. Should I get it checked out?

Won't You Take Me To Opposumtown?

It was a beautiful fall day to return to Frederick County, Maryland to do the Historic Covered Bridges Tour. Although I've biked through all three previously, since I'm sticking to shorter distances as of late, I was only able to visit the Loy's Station and Utica Bridges this morning.

I drove out there with Susan, but since my ride was starting an hour later, I used the time wisely to do some studying for my PMP Exam .... my latest not-so-favorite pasttime. I am so looking forward to the day the exam is behind me! I'm taking it on November 3rd.

The ride today was a nice break and diversion.

It was an absolutely perfect fall day. The leaves were in full color, the sky a rich blue color, and the sun warmed things up nicely. It got a little breezy toward the end of the ride, though, making things a bit of a challenge fighting a slight headwind returning back to the cars. I biked the return leg with Ari, which made for nice company.

Afterwards, in true Team Z spirit, we had a BBQ... burgers, beer, and brownies... YUM! (Except I didn't partake in the beer this go-around.)

Oh, as for Opposumtown, that's the name of the road where the ride started/finished. I guess it's become an internal joke to sing to the tune of "Funkytown".

Fall is in the Air...

What could be better on a crisp Sunday morning than a 30-mile bike ride? This morning it was fabulous to venture out to Harwood, MD- my first ride there since my 70-miler where I got 4 flat tires.

Savageman International Race Report

First off, I apologize for the lack of blog updates as of late. It seems that post-Luray, I effectively ended my triathlon training season. Priorities have shifted more toward the social arena and fitness level dropped in the month of September. As a result, my goals for my final triathlon of the 2008 season were to (1) not crash, (2) finish, and (3) have fun.

The main event at Savageman is the half-iron distance, with the toughest bike course- perhaps in the world- for the triathlon. I initially registered for the aquavelo - that is the swim and bike legs of the half-iron- way back when I was hard core training for Ironman Lake Placid. In recent months, I wisened up, realized that there is no way I could tackle that bike course, and switched to the international distance race. That would be enough of a challenge. On top of that, after several discussions with Coach Ed, we both agreed that from here on out - at least for now - I should simply stick to short distance triathlons. I tend to be injury prone, for one, with repetitive knee trouble. And besides, I just ENJOY short distance more.

I drove out to Deep Creek Lake, MD with new Team Z'rs Carrie and Colin the morning before the race. We promptly arrived at the Team Z rental house, right on Deep Creek Lake. Beautiful house. Beautiful area. I made a mental note to be sure to return to the area again soon, perhaps this winter to go skiing.

Upon arrival, I forced myself to do a little warm-up brick, going first for a swim. The water was clean and cool and pleasant to swim in. I then got on my bike for a short ride, but blew off the run. I think I had lunch on my mind instead.

I spent the afternoon with typical race preps: packet pick-up, bike drop off, pre-race brief.... but managed to skip one key element: previewing the race course. My priorities for the afternoon shifted toward watching college football (big day in the SEC!). I got went to the pre-race brief and also heard course descriptions from others, so I had a general idea what to expect. I knew the descents would be technical, and hence my first race goal was to not crash.

As for football, I need to give a big shout out to the LSU Tigers! I watched the first half of the game that evening. Being exhausted, with an early race wake-up the next morning, and the fact that we couldn't get our act together the first half, I wound up going to bed. One great thing about games on ESPN: games are re-broadcast the next morning. As soon as I woke up Sunday morning, I marched downstairs to the kitchen to eat breakfast and watch the second half. I caught most of the fourth quarter and saw the LSU Tigers win. LSU's performance- good or bad- truly impacts my moods. With the win, I knew it was going to be a good day.

The morning was cool and fog was rolling in. The fog delayed the start of the half-iron race. However, it burned off by the time the international distance began....

The Swim: 1.5K 35:39

This was not one of my better swims. I had trouble sighting and felt a bit nauseus in the water. It took some time to get into a rhythm. There was a small wake in the water too, from boats. I bought some ear plugs which may alleviate this motion sickness in the water in the future and need to give it a whirl. As a whole, I have come to enjoy swimming, but this particular morning was not much fun. Out of the water, and a climb up a hill into T1 to head out on the bike....

The Bike: 24.3 mile 1:34:19 15.8 mph 2041 feet of climbing

As mentioned, the Savageman bike course is known for a challenge. Although the main event is the half-iron distance, the international bike course is not easy either. Shortly into the bike ride, we encountered a tough little hill. It was only about 1/4 mile long, but steep. Plus, after swimming, the legs were quite not awake yet. It was as though the course was telling us, "Welcome to the Savage Bike Course". Afterwards, the course turned to rolling hills, which some challenging climbs in there. The toughest was Brenneman Hill. I am not sure of the percent grade, but it was labeled as a "Cat 1" climb (a la Tour de France), and was 1.7 miles long. Upon looking at the bike course profile, it's the definite climb shown just before midway. It looked like a wall in person. Needless to say, I wound up walking up the second half of the climb. I could have probably done it all, but my quads were burning, and it may have cost me the remainder of the race.

After that, the course was relatively gentle. At about mile 15, I was passed by the lead man (Bjorn Anderson) doing the half-iron. Granted, he started about an hour before me, and as we later found out, accidentally short cut the swim course, but nevertheless, it was a little deflating to be passed by someone going the distance. I did cheer him on though, of course.

I returned to T2 and found that my bike rack was nearly empty. Only one other bike was there. Wow! Did I have that good of a bike time? That was rather uplifting.

The Run: 10K 1:16:23


I was a bit tired by the time I reached the run. It was friendly, though, in terms of several out-n-backs to see other runners. I was passed by Marie, who was doing a relay. She noted how tired she was, WITHOUT swimming and biking beforehand. There were so many people racing from Team Z that frequently I encountered a friendly face.

The run course was challenging in itself. It was rather hilly, most notably on the trail up to the Fire Tower. I believe the race went all way the way to the top of the tower last year and due to trail damage, we were unable to run to the top this year. Darn. It was challenging enough. Believe me. There were some sections were I was just forced to walk. Plus, my knee gave me a bit of trouble near the end, so I had to take it a little easy.

I look rather excited to approach the finish line!

Although the race was quite the challenge, I was glad to have done it. The weather and the course venue were beautiful. Plus the comradarie was priceless. A fabulous end to the 2008 triathlon season!

Finish: 3:33:12

By the way, before the race, Damon and I made a bet. He challenged to me that I would finish the entire international distance triathlon in less time than it would take him to bike (in a relay) the half-iron course. Needless to say, as I expected, he beat me, in 3:12. He and his relay were absolute studs.

Luray Triathlon

It's race weekend! This weekend was the Luray Triathlon: Swim 1500 meters, Bike 25 miles, Run 10K.

I had really no expectations on this race. Coming off an injury and my DNF at Ironman, I was really just looking forward to having a good time. I drove up race morning with Carol after crashing at her place (and watching Michael Phelps swim in the Olympics!) to join Team Z for race day.

Although the swim was wetsuit legal, I elected to not use mine. Ok. I did not bring it. I wrongly assumed that the water would be too warm to allow wetsuits and felt like bringing it would be too cumbersome. It turned out the water was 74 degrees, and wetsuits are allowed for anything below 78 degrees. Oh well. It would be fun to swim sans wetsuit and I was not trying to podium or anything, so who cares if I did not have the wetsuit to help me go faster?

The swim was rather murky, especially at the start. It seemed as though I was swimming through the black abyss. I had trouble sighting buoys as well, and was seemingly swimming very wide and off course. No biggie. I kept my cool and just enjoyed the swim. Swim time: 33:07.... not bad for no wetsuit (for me).

Finishing the swim, I saw Carol pass me, who started a wave or two after me. I tried to catch up with her for camaraderie sake, with no luck. She's just too darn fast in the water. (And she was swimming without a wetsuit too.) I did manage to catch up with her in transition though.

I had heard that the bike course was hilly. To my surprise, it was not too bad. The weather was cool and we even got to hit a section of fog on the course. It seemed to me that the bike course was a net loss in elevation, or at least in the easier direction. About the middle of the first of two loops, I passed by Kat Rich. She began to jokingly curse out that she was thrilled she was ahead of me and "mad" I was passing. Ha ha. Some fun competition never hurts.

I did make a nutritional error, however. I had become accustomed to long distances and prepped my nutrition as such. I had some Clif Bloks, a couple Gus, and two bottles of Accelerade. After downing most of one bottle and Clif Bloks, my stomach began to get upset: too many calories. I was hammering on the bike harder than I would during a training ride, with my heart rate approaching my anaerobic threshold. My legs and heart were handling it just fine, but as a result of going relatively hard, all the blood was in my legs, not allowing my stomach to digest the calories. One would think after all the triathlons I have done, I would have learned how to race by now, but alas, apparently not. Needless to say, I had to back off eating and drinking to avoid more stomach upset, or even worse, vomitting. Luckily, it was cool enough that my body could survive without fluids. The lesson learned there is to stick with lighter Gatorade and water for short distance triathlon.

Kat and I passed a couple more times on the bike course, as she caught up to me as I dealt with stomach distress. Hmmm... with the fun trash talking, I had to find a way to drop the hammer a bit and cross the bike finish line before her, which I did. Bike time: 1:37:02

She and I shared some good nudges in transition, and I managed to get out on the run before her, knowing full well, she'd likely catch up with me on the run.

The run was fun, but I did eventually start to suffer from a calorie deficit. Towards the end of the run, it was over an hour since I consumed any calories. Not liking the sports drink on the run course (Heed- YUCK!), I stuck with water. I had to take a few walk breaks, but overall, moved along fairly well. The nice thing about the run course was that it was two out-and-back loops, which allowed for many opportunities to see a friendly face.

Upon finishing the first loop, I saw Ed, who high fived me, and gave me a smack on the butt, mentioning "how does it feel to run SHORT course!?" He's pushing me to stick with short distance triathlon from now on. I did tell him later that I would like to go long just one more season (it would be nice to finish an IM strong and not have to go to the ER), and then promise to stick with short course.

About the last mile of the run, my bad knee began to bother me a bit. I wound up sort of galloping into the finish, definitely favoring my right knee. Ug. It wasn't too bad, but a little tender. I continue to nurse it. Run: 1:04:08.

A good race. One I'd certainly do again. Afterwards, the weather was so beautiful, it was nice to sit back, relax with the team, and hang out. Saturdays just don't get much better than that.

Skyline & Wine

I'm getting back into the groove after Ironman. I elected to join a gym and look to dabble into other activities that have been put on hold for a while. I went hiking at Great Falls a couple weekends ago. Today, Carol and I decided to go out and ride Skyline Drive and stop for lunch and wine afterwards at Chrysalis.

Because the weather was uncooperative for every visit we had made to Skyline Drive thus far this year, we were glad that the weather was just about perfect to ride it today. We went to the top of Hogsback and back, about 40 miles in all.

After our ride, I decided to introduce Carol to the Chrysalis Winery. Did a wine tasting, grilled up some chicken and veggies, and enjoyed some wine with our lunch.

Next weekend I get to introduce Carol to what's off Skyline Drive. In other words, we'll venture on one of the many hiking trails in the park. Stay tuned.

Ironman Lake Placid 2008

I first did the Ironman in Lake Placid, two years ago. Although I finished (16:41), I had a tough day primarily due to a failure in my nutrition plan. I actually gained 6 lbs during the race and wound up spending the night in the ER to replenish my electrolytes.

I made the tough decision to attempt Ironman Lake Placid again. I felt that I could apply lessons learned in terms of nutrition and training would go better. (I was in the Navy Reserves as well two years ago, making training a bit of a challenge due to military obligations.)

And my training did go better this go around. I felt very much prepared for the race. However, during my 20 mile run, my right knee buckled. This was about a month before Ironman race day. I have had knee problems for several years, but have learned how to basically keep things in check and stay healthy. However, this time, I was apparently suffering from some tightness in my IT band and other tissues, causing my kneecap to be unable to move freely. It was simply "one of those things" and not preventable. I went through some aggressive physical therapy, even up until two days before the race, as my PT (Kerri, PT Extraordinaire) was there in Lake Placid. Alas, my knee simply did not heal completely in time.

I elected to go through with the race primarily because I had put so much time and effort into it and thought I would be all right as long as I didn't let my mind focus on the knee. I had let it rest in the several days leading up to the race. I was diligent with physical therapy. I thought I would be just fine.

I started out race morning calm and collected. I woke at 3:15 and had coffee. Breakfast was my usual spinach omelet and 2 Boosts. (Ever see that commercial for eggs where the egg is doing the triathlon? That's me. My triathlons and long training rides are fueled by eggs.) I was stoked for a great day.

Helen (the best IronMate ever!) dropped off Pam and me and we headed into transition. Bottles. Check. Body marking. Check. Pump up tires. Check. Everything was set to go. No pre-race jitters. Just set to have a good day.

The swim was a rougher than I recall from two years ago. I swam rather wide for my first loop. I got kicked in the chin, which stung a tiny bit, but I was still surprised to see an irritated scrape on my face from it when I looked in the mirror later. Between loops, I took a Gu, smiled for the cameras, and embarked on my second loop. I stayed on the buoy line for most of the second loop. My swim time was 1:25, a minute faster than from 2 years ago, surprising as I'm a much stronger swimmer now.

It was not raining pre-race, but I felt the raindrops pelting my arms while I was swimming. The rain did not stop for 12+ hours.

Heading out on my bike, the rain began to negatively affect me early on. Am I not mentally strong enough for this? Ironically, dealing with the rain helped me turn my focus and I was not thinking about my ailing knee for some time. I struggled mentally throughout the ride. And my knee began to haunt me. There were times that it hurt so badly on a climb, I just yelped.

I am not quite sure why I elected to press on. Early on in my second loop I knew my chances of making the bike cutoff were uncertain. I averaged 13.5 mph on my first loop and I was getting slower. The knee pain was increasing. Quite honestly, there were times where I could not help but cry. In addition, my brakes seemed to get clogged with grit from the road and were rubbing against my wheels. I pulled over 3 or 4 times to examine my bike. So much of me wanted to quit. But for reasons I cannot explain, I pressed on.

When I approached the out-and-back from Wilmington to Black Brook and back (mile 80 or so), Team Z had a cheering station set up. How easy it would be to drop out. I could hop into one of their cars, get out of the rain, and get into dry clothes. But I didn't.

When I emerged from the out-and-back, I was the last Team Z racer, and the cheering there was infectious. I knew I only had 1 hour, 15 minutes to bike cutoff. However, I wondered if I could make a miracle happen and make bike cutoff. My knee pain seemed to temporarily subside to a dull ache. Could I do it?

On the hill affectionately known as Mama Bear (heading into town one hits the Cherry Patch and the Three Bears), about mile 108, I met my doom. I was near two other cyclists at the time. The race director advised us we missed bike cutoff and we could either elect to finish the loop unofficially, or he could take our bikes and deliver us to transition. I selected the later, mostly because I had been shivering from the cold rain and decided it was pointless to hurt my knee anymore and climb Papa Bear. Besides, Jill, from Team Z, was a few cars behind and told the race director she wanted to pick me up.

Jill dropped me off at transition.

I had mixed feelings upon arrival. Part of me felt like I have nothing to prove; I already am an Ironman finisher. But there was a part of me that felt like a failure. I decided to try and keep my spirits up. How many other people can say that they toed the line, and swam 2.4 miles and biked 108 miles in the pouring rain? Casey asked me if I had made the bike cutoff, would I have been able to run? Probably not. After all, I could barely walk the next day (and would still be limping for a week or so later).

Many people at the Team Z tent were fabulous. Helen had my dry clothes. However, she thought I was out on the run course as she saw my bike in transition and she did not have her cell phone with her due to the rain. In the meantime, Mrs. Durst, Victoria, and Emily were wonderful help to get me into some borrowed dry clothes. Mr. & Mrs. Durst cranked up the coffee maker, just for me. Sarah made sure I got a burger. Iwon simply made me laugh and look at the bright side. Robin gave me a blanket. And EB made it a personal mission to find Helen. From there on out, Helen took amazing care of me.

It was a tough day for many of us. Eight of us from my triathlon team did not finish. Nevertheless, we had the courage to start.

Congratulations to all of us. Those that started, those that finished, and those that had the strength of character just to stand in the rain all day and cheer their hearts out for us.

A Little R & R in Lake Placid

Today was an opportunity for some rest and relaxation. I wanted to avoid all the hype of Lake Placid and step away from Ironman stressors for a bit.

Besides, as many times as I have ventured up here, I figured it would be nice to see some of the sights other than the Ironman course.

Our original plan was to take the gondola ride to the top of Little Whiteface Mountain, an area popular for skiing in the winter, and mountain biking in the summer. We arrived, and saw a few mountain bikers prepping for a day of fun. We were disappointed to discover, however, that there was an unknown wait to take a ride on the gondola due to thunderstorms in the area. (We had heard the thunder all morning and had occasional spots of rain.)

Hmmm... so let's go to Plan B and take the Veteran's Memorial Highway and drive to the top of Whiteface Mountain. We drove up 3 miles of the highway to the toll booth and were told it was a $14 fee and 0 visibility at the top. Well, no use in venturing any further.

So, Plan C was put into action. Let's visit the High Falls Gorge. The Ironman bike course passes by the entry to the gorge. As many times as I've been past it, I thought it was time to actually see what was back there. We were rewarded with 700 ft of waterfalls.

Tonight is dinner with Carol and Carrie: make your own pasta night!

I've got my race bags ready and tomorrow it's time to check all my gear in. Get ready!

#2147 is in Lake Placid

Yahoo! After driving nearly 600 miles, I am here in Lake Placid and ready to do my second Ironman. I drove up with Helen on Wednesday. It was essentially a non-eventful drive, which is a good thing, but my car hit 100,000 miles shortly after we got into the Adirondack Region, so I take that as a good sign of things to come this weekend.

This morning we went for a swim in Mirror Lake. The water was fabulous. I swam the 1.2 mile loop (the race does 2 of those) at a relaxed pace.

Afterwards included all the pre-race logistics... check-in, hitting the Ironman expo, and whatnot. I'm just glad to have all that stuff knocked out so I can relax on Friday.

And naturally, we just had to hit the shops along Main Street!

A Tour of the Ironman Bike Leg

Here's a fun video of the 10K decent into Keene early on in the bike loop. (Course is two loops).



Here's a video highlighting the entire bike course, but there's no music and the video is over 15 minutes long.... a little boring to watch.

The Countdown is On!

I leave one week from today on my Ironman Lake Placid 'vacation'. I'm looking forward to the trip. Helen and I have plans for some fun low key activities around town... and I'll just happen to throw an Ironman triathlon in there!

Here's a YouTube video from the swim start from 2006. I'm in the water there somewhere. I didn't know it was pouring rain while we were in the swim until I heard about it later.

Skyline Drive- Visit #3 of 3

I was hoping for the third visit to Skyline Drive this season, that the weather would play in our favor. Trip #1: Sleet and hail. Trip #2: Thick fog and rain. And as it would play out, trip #3 had fog as well. Many of us came ill-prepared without lights. As a result, the park ranger would not let as pass any further than Dickey's Ridge, at mile marker 5. It turned out to be a moot issue for me. Due to my knee woes, I knew climbing hills on Skyline Drive would be sort of touch-and-go. Not wanting to press my luck, I elected to descend and call it a day after reaching Dickey's Ridge. Everyone else descended with me, but they all repeated the climb up to Dickey's Ridge two more times. My maximum speed descending was over 36 mph... a little weak.

Because I carpooled out to the ride with Pam, I needed to occupy myself for two hours to await her return. Conveniently, a coffee shop was open near our cars. A chance to drink coffee and read the Sunday newspaper like normal people do! Now, the challenge was, finding the Sunday newspaper. Neither the coffee shop nor the nearby grocery store had the Sunday paper. I found the Northern Virginia paper from yesterday. (Uh... Washington Post please.) I wound up settling on this Warren County weekly paper. The front page news announced Miss Warren County and also showed someone's Independence Day Tree. (Turns out the guy doesn't have the heart to ever break down his Christmas Tree and just instead rotates the decorations depending on the season.) Weak. I elected to roam the nearby bookstore instead. Sadly, although not surprising, the bookstore is going out of business and one can purchase the store, the books, the computers, and the bookshelves for the bargain price of $50K. I felt compelled to try and help and bought a book I've been eyeing for a while, Three Cups of Tea. It was on the NY Bestseller list. It's the true story about a man who, after a failed attempt to summit K2 and still in Pakistan, decided to help and begin to build schools. He's built 51 or so schools there since then. Inspiring.

Needless to say, although it was somewhat disappointing to not ride more on Skyline Drive, I adhered to my top priority at this point, to help heal my knee. Besides, it was nice to have the chance to enjoy a Sunday for once and relax. So, perhaps the need to cut the ride short was a blessing in disguise?