NYC Triathlon - August 7, 2011

To start the month of August, I raced the New York City Nautica Triathlon with 3,000+ competitors.  Quite a change in scenery and size from the Anthracite Triathlon!  I was fortunate that my Ark Interval’s team owner, Noah Krug, had raced NYC before and was able to give me a race overview including his opinion of the race highs and lows.  I was also able to preview/pre-ride the course using the team’s CompuTrainer Real Course video. 

My start time of 5:50 was by far my earliest triathlon start.  But I guess with the logistics of getting 3,000+ athletes through the course (including athlete cross-over at the transition areas – 2 areas to accommodate everyone) and a closed bike and run course (in New York City!!), an early start was required!  It was dark and raining as we left the hotel and I started to get nervous about time as I had not factored in 15 minutes to get a cab at 4 AM in NYC!  And this wasn’t due to a lack of cabs, just a lack of cabs stopping.  It was still raining when I arrived at transition but the weather was far better than the 2 – 3 inches the forecasters had predicted.  I quickly got my transition area together and left to make my way a mile north to the swim start.  I planned on including my warm-up run in the journey to the swim start but soon had to give up when the path became too crowded with other racers.  When I finally arrived, I learned that the race had been postponed because of a car accident along the bike course that was being cleaned up.  After about a 45 minute delay, it was finally time.  The swim start was a new experience for me – a dive start.  I was nervous about my goggles slipping off during the dive; I’d practiced during the week before but I was still nervous.  (While waiting for the start I asked other pros who regularly compete in ITU races for suggestions on how to keep them on but they were not able to offer any.)  And sure enough, my goggles slipped off when I hit the water.  I got in a few hard strokes, fixed my goggles and then started off again.  The swim was nothing like what I’d been mentally prepared for.  Because of the strong current in the Hudson River, I’d been told it was a fast, “easy” swim.  But because the swim was into the wind, waves and chop made for a quick but rough swim for me.

Once out of the water, it was almost another half mile run (on pavement) to transition; seeing my T1 time post-race, I saw that I was a little too casual on the run to transition.  I think the feeling of mental defeat on the swim pre-occupied my focus.  The bike course immediately started with several tight, quick turns and a short climb – a technical start to get out to the road, especially in the rain.  The course itself was not overly difficult.  Other than the technical start/finish, it was an out and back on the West Side Highway with a couple of climbs but mostly rolling hills.  The most difficult part of the bike course was having to navigate around the many potholes, puddles, and slick expansion joints.  Seeing the first crash about 3 miles into the race made me exercise even a little more caution.  In those early miles, I don’t think I was mentally focused.   Fortunately though, positive thoughts started when I realized how fun it was to ride on a major NYC roadway without cars!  It’s pretty rare to have a closed course and especially in NYC!  And when else can you fly through toll plazas at 20+ mph and not have to worry about paying???  On the return trip, the wind picked up into a fairly strong headwind.  My legs were definitely feeling the fatigue from the headwind but at that point I just found a gear where I could maintain a strong cadence and tried to keep pedaling as hard as I could.  I thought I had managed a strong ride but when I saw my final bike time after the race I realized I had not gone as fast as I’d hoped.  However, on a perceived exertion rating, I don’t know if I could have pushed more. 

Heading out onto the run, we were treated to two pleasantries within the first quarter mile.  First, we had a steep hill to climb out of transition, which really tested the legs.  And then we had to dodge a homeless man who was trying to sleep as we ran through an underpass.  Only in NYC!  From Transition, we ran up 72^nd Ave. into Central Park.  While not quite as adrenaline-pumping as the NYC Marathon, the run up 72^nd was fun.  A closed street lined with spectators all yelling and cheering; it kept me motoring along.  Into Central Park the excitement continued for the next mile before the course got quieter.  Non-racing runners and walkers cheered for me as I tackled the Harlem Hills.  Around mile 4, I saw another female; I debated strategy as to whether to pass or hold back and wait to pass.  I decided to go for the pass with the hope that I could hold my pace and/or she wouldn’t pick up hers.  Making the pass I felt strong but as I neared mile 5 I heard footsteps quickly approaching.  While I know I can only control my race, I knew I was going to be disappointed if it was the same girl passing me.  Fortunately though, it was a male age grouper.  While he encouraged me to hang with him, I knew it was better to just stick with my pace/race.  Crossing the finish line a short time later I was happy to be finished.  I felt as though I’d raced hard and finished with my fastest Olympic-distance run time, 39:49.  With conditions that naturally make me a little gun shy, I was generally pleased with my performance.  I think the best part for me was my ability to re-engage my mental game when pretty early on in the race I was not focused and had essentially written the race off. 

Anthracite Triathlon 2011

July 17, 2011: Anthracite Triathlon, Jim Thorpe, PA

Some people choose to start small and get bigger…not me, at least not this year.  I started off with an Ironman race, including 2,000+ other competitors, then dropped to a half-ironman distance, then an Olympic-distance, down to a Splash-N-Dash, and finally back up to an Olympic with only about 175 racers.  The race was held in historic Jim Thorpe, PA on July 17, 2011.  My decision to race was fairly last minute.  I’d been looking for a July race but the Half Ironman that I’d contemplated was closed for registration before I could make a definitive decision.  When I heard friends Polly Jansen, Chris Verry, and Dave Morris mention they were racing in the Anthracite Triathlon, I decided it would be a fun one to do.  It’s one that had actually been recommended to me years ago.  

Rather than checking into a hotel or meeting a home stay host family when we arrived in Jim Thorpe on Saturday, Christian scoped out our campsite looking for an ideal spot to place our tent.  Yup, we were camping.  We ended up putting our tent on our friend’s site as our site lacked a large enough rock/root-free space for a tent.  After setting up camp, we went out and drove the course, had dinner, and then built a campfire.  I finally turned in after watching everyone else enjoy roasted marshmallows and s’mores.  After getting very little sleep that night, I’ve learned that camping is probably not the most ideal race-night routine for me.  It was still dark when I crawled out of the tent on race morning so I enjoyed my normal pre-race breakfast in the car lit by my Princeton Tec headlights.  After pleading with park employees to let me jump in the shower (it really helps refresh and wake me up) before their cleaning, I was off to transition.  Once there I had to figure out the best spot on my rack as one rack was even too short for my little bike.  Somehow I got a little behind on my set-up and warm-up and was then frantically rushing to get my wetsuit on prior to the start.

 

There were only two waves, men followed by women.  I got off to a strong start and felt good until the first turn buoy.  At the turn, we were completely blinded by sun glare.  Sighting became nearly impossible and I felt lucky that day that I did an okay job of tracking a decently straight line.  About halfway to the 2^nd turn, I started reaching men from the first wave, which just made the lack of sighting visibility even worse since I now had to try to avoid swimming in to people.  Sometime just before the second turn we went through a nasty section of water that had a terrible odor and was full of tangled seaweed.  I wondered why the men had not done a better job of breaking it up!

Once on my bike, Christian let me know that there was one woman ahead of me.  I soon had her within my sight and passed her with the first few miles.  We hit our first tough climb around mile 3 where I proceeded to weed through much of the men’s field.  Just before the decent down the other side, I passed Chris; I thought he’d definitely overtake me on the steep, winding descent but he must have been taking it cautiously because the pass never came.  Through the next section of climbing, descents, and flats I tried to push hard, knowing that the last several miles held a good amount of climbing.  As I made the final turn-around on a short out and back section, I tried to watch for my closest competitor.  The next female looked to be a little ways back.  Heading into Transition, I was happy that I built a nice lead.

The run was a nice out and back with the majority along a nice, shaded gravel trail.  Its difficulty lay in the gradual 2-mile descent followed by a steep, 1-mile climb to the turn-around and then the gradual 2-mile climb to the finish.  I passed a few men in the initial miles of the run and finally saw Dave, the men’s leader, somewhere around his mile 4.  I watched in amazement as it was several minutes before I saw any other male racers.  I was mentally prepared for the hill after mile 2 but it was tougher than I imagined.  And the way the road ascended, we couldn’t see the top, which made it even tougher.  I just kept telling myself to keep my legs moving and I’d eventually get to the top!  I passed Chris as he made his way up the hill and I was heading down.  By that time I actually had some oxygen hitting the brain and lungs to I was able to yell out a few words to cheer him on.  At the base of the hill, I saw Polly and gave her the stats of the next female up from her.  For me, I just had two miles or so to finish up.  My legs felt a little flat so I knew I would not be able to make up time I’d lost climbing the hill.  With about a mile to go I saw another female ahead of me; I knew she was part of a relay but was happy to pass her knowing that when I finished, I would be the first female to cross the line.

At the awards ceremony, Dave, Chris, Polly, and I racked up some serious “future bling.”  [The race’s awards, which were very fitting for the race/area – chunks of coal.  In the right conditions, many years from now, they could be very valuable.]  Dave and I were first male and female (I was 5^th overall), respectively; Polly overtook the female ahead of her to finish 2^nd female, and Chris finished 2^nd place 35 – 39.  And to cool off and relax after a tough day of racing, cheering, and breaking down camp, we all enjoyed a little swim and splashing in the lake before heading home.      

Splash and Dash 2011

July 6, 2011 – Splash and Dash, Marlton Lakes, NJ

On July 6, 2011, I went with 2 friends (Polly Jansen and Chris Verry) to participate in a Splash and Dash.  The race, held on a Wednesday evening, was a ¼ mile swim followed by a 3.1 mile run.  Chris and Polly had done the race a few years before and their description of it made it sound like fun.  So we made our way down to the race after work.  During the day I couldn’t figure out what and when to eat.  Even though I typically work-out after work, this was a little later in the evening and I was guessing it would be at a higher intensity then some of my workouts.  I didn’t want to be hungry but I also wanted to avoid stomach issues.  So I tried to eat similar foods to my usual race morning breakfast and just spread it out through the afternoon.

On the way to the race, Chris casually pointed out that we were going to spend more time in the car pre and post-race than what we would actually be racing.  His estimate – max 30 minutes of racing.  Although I knew it wouldn’t be a long race, I hadn’t thought about how short it would actually be.  Putting it in that perspective, I was hoping the fun factor would be really big!  Upon arrival, we scoped out the site, picked our transition spots, went out for warm-up jog, and then waited.  Despite this being a casual event, and nothing more than a good workout, I got a case of the butterflies as we sat around.  But after hearing the best pre-race quote ever from the youngest (10 years old) racer, how could I have nerves??  After being tested by her father on her ability to quickly put a race belt on, she asked, “Can I go over and swing now?”  She was clearly not feeling any pre-race apprehension!

As Chris, Polly, and I made our way around the lake to the swim start, we laughed at the two men we saw wearing wetsuits.  Not only had the race director clearly stated wetsuits were not permitted, the lake temperature was nearing hot-tub temps at 85 degrees, the air temperature (in the mid-90’s) was even warmer, and the swim was only a ¼ mile.  The men went off 3 minutes before the ladies and I found myself catching some of them about ¾ of the way through the swim.  This is also about the same time that the water got particularly nasty as it was black from the stir-up of sediment, mud, sand, and underwater vegetation.  I noticed many men around me standing and walking in; I stood up also but realized that with the distance still to cover to the exit, it was quicker to swim.  The remainder of the swim required a lot of dodging since there was no visibility and men were swimming and standing all around me.

Up in transition, I spent a few extra seconds to spray all of the sand off my feet.  It wasn’t wasted time to me as I had no desire to deal with blisters from sand in my shoes!  The run was a nice flat, out and back loop through neighborhood streets.  But it sure seemed like a long mile and a half out to the turn-around!  My breathing rate never had a chance to slow down after the swim so my lungs were working hard to keep up with my legs.  I kept hoping around every bend that I’d see the men coming back which would signal the turn-around not too much further.  Just before the turn-around, Chris and I passed each other on opposite sides of the road and I tried, with the little breath I had, to cheer him on.  Shortly after the turn-around, I saw Polly and let her know that the next female wasn’t too far ahead of her. (Polly was running strong and by the finish, not only had she passed the girl, she’d put a nice gap between them!)  The way back was mentally easier because I knew the route and where the turns were.  At one point, I ended up directly behind a guy wearing nothing but a Speedo.  It was not a welcome sight and I used my ‘desire’ to not be looking at him as motivation to keep the pace going hard.  With almost exactly even splits on the run, I crossed the finish line in a total time of 26:37, good enough for 1^st Female and 2^nd OA.  Polly and Chris, who somehow managed to clock the exact same run time, finished strong also.  Polly (28:43) took 2^nd Female (4^th OA) and Chris (28:49) won his Age Group (6^th OA).  We all had a fun time and doing the event added some nice variety for an intense swimming and running workout.  However, in the car ride home, we all agreed that we’d forgotten how much something that short could hurt!