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Jacksonville, FL, United States
In Life as well as in running the secret is Pace.

Thursday, December 30, 2010

2010 Recap and 2011 Goals


The Triathlon Listserv I have been a member of since 1996 asks it's members to do a Yearly recap.  My response is below:



1. What one word describes your 2010 season? Does it match what you said last December in anticipation of this year?
 
Confirmation


Last year I said RATS



And while RATS was an unforgettable journey...  not just through the desert either...  it was a journey of self-discovery through training, diet, and rest...  and yes even more training on top of training.   It was not and end all over-the-top kind of experience...  it was a peak, however, a perch from which I was able to look around at a myriad of other possibilities.


I chose the word confirmation for 2010 because in the end I think I have become what I at one time thought I could not be...  a decently fast competitive endurance athlete.  This was my 13th season of multisport and the first time I've felt this way.


2. What one word comes to mind when you think about your 2011 season?

Competitive - I have some lofty goals for 2011


3. What was your greatest thrill or joy this year from training or racing?



A Familiar sight Judi and Me Using my station wagon as a transition spot

Judi - I met my dream girl...  with whom I do 90% of my training and racing...  and we have a blast together...  and she has only missed getting hardware at one race this year.


Sorry if that's mushy or whatever...  it's just the fact.





4. What was your biggest disappointment this year from training or racing?

Jax Marathon - it was just not my day


5. What was your favorite race in 2010?


Atlantic Coast Triathlon


I think this was my favorite race in 2009 as well...  just a small and simple 1/2 IM race in October...  the perfect end of season triathlon


6. What is your race schedule for 2011?


A- Feb 13 - 26.2 with Donna          http://www.breastcancermarathon.com/
C- Feb 19 - Iron Horse     http://www.ironhorse100kmclub.com/
B- Feb - Guana River 50k Trail Run
C- Mar 12 - Gate River Run            http://www.gate-riverrun.com/qualifying.htm
B - Mar 19 - Jetty-2-Jetty               http://www.performancemultisports.com/Jetty2JUltra.htm
B - Apr 10 -BFAST Duathlon           http://www.bfasracing.org/
A - May 1st - Tour de Forts           
C - May 7th - BFAST Sprint Triathlon series #1       
C - June 11 - BFAST series #2        
C - Jun 25 - JAX Sprint Triathlon Series #1
C - July 9th - BFAST series #3        
C - July 16 - JAX Sprint Triathlon Series #2 C - August 6 - JAX Sprint Triathlon Series #3
B - Oct 1-2 - MS 150        
B - Oct ? - Atlantic Coast Triathlon            
A - Oct 22 - GFT  http://greatfloridian.com
B - Nov  Outback 1/2 Marathon  
A - Dec Jacksonville Marathon


The "A" races we will definitely do the "Bs" probably and the "Cs" maybe some of them



Utah was Beautiful


7. Did you meet your 2010 goals?


RATS - Yes - was so much more than a race... 
Triathlons - Yes - I became a competitive age grouper this year...  something I thought I'd never be Marathon - No - I've got a BQ inside me... have not yet gotten it done









8. What are you goals for 2011?


Place in my AG at GFT
5k - sub 20
Marathon - Sub 3:30

Let's Ride
 


By the numbers:


2009 totals:


Run - 1,534 Mi
Bike - 4,782 mi
Swim - 1.7 mi (3 races)
Begin Weight - 196
End Weight - 186


2010 totals:


Run - 2,262 Mi
Bike - 5,352 mi
Swim - 1,867 minutes
Begin Weight - 186
End Weight - 179


Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Pilates...

Pilates.  
Yeah I remember that dude from History class.  His first name was Pancho if I recall and he and his buddy Lefty were outlaws in the ancient Middle East.  or something like that.






Monday's discussion:
Me:  "Mark is gonna run the trails at 1615.  I know that you might need a day off after the 18 miler yesterday we can do something else"
Judi: "how about Yoga?"
Me: "I have gas"
Judi: "no, I mean Pilates"
Me: "okay"


Now I had zero idea what happens in a Pilate's class.. never seen one.  never been to one.  never bothered to ask anyone who had either. Nevertheless we were going.
But first we went to the grocery store to buy something for diner.  we were having chili for dinner.  recipe here:
http://www.joythebaker.com/blog/2010/12/spicy-vegetarian-chili/#more-4214
and.  you can't have chili.  even girly vegetarian chili. without beer..  so we bought some. and take it home.  well.. 

we are just going to Pilates.  so we have one.
Then it's off to class.  First I ask if we need shoes.  neither of us know so we wear ours because the floor is cold and we don't want to have cold feet The instructor arrives and advises the removal of our shoes.  I am grumpy. and cold.

The first thing we do is line up our pointer toes with our pelvic bone and our bottom rib.  this is "VERY IMPORTANT" and if we don't continuously keep these all lined up we are doomed.  then we are told to put our heels together with our toes out at a 45 degree angle. this is the key stance for all of Pilates we are told. In the back of the class I silently ask why does this new stance violate the pointer to with the pelvic bone thing.. I have little time to dwell on the inconsistencies because soon we are stepping from side to side with our arm straight and touching our knee.  I think that this is soooo easy.  must be a class for old ladies.

This lasts for a minute or so until we are told to all a kick with our left foot. On the right side. while we exhale and raise our right arm.  Mary-mother-of-god..  I can pat my head while rubbing my stomach but this..  I cannot do.  I feel uncoordinated and awkward until we thankfully move to shoulders.
Perhaps this is a good time to tell you that I have bad shoulders.  I tore a rotator cuff lifting weights in college. and have struggled with them ever since. so I just don't really *do*  shoulders.  but in Pilates it seems shoulders is like 1/3 of the class.  it sucked. I sucked. and completely quit a few times and even put my hands in my hips in disgust. with me.  with Judi.. With the instructor. and even with the creator in general for designing me in such a poor way.

After 15 minutes that seemed like an hour we moved on.  she said to lie down on our stomachs.. I thought heck yeah baby.   lie down! Well.  lemme tell you.  it was just the beginning of suckage..  The next 15 minutes she had me grunting and flailing around like baby Shamu on the poop deck.. 
this is an actual Pilates move

 I looked stupid. I felt stupid.  and once when I raised my head up to see if anyone was laughing at me.  I could see through the crack in the blinds.  the gathering dusk.  and thought of Mark out running trails. how the sunset would look filtered through the trees out on the trails as the roots, and sand, and leaves passed beneath our feet.

Eventually we flipped over on our backs.  here we did "normal" type ab work and I was able to hang.  at least for a while..  Not long enough to start getting cocky but a while..  We move from abs to some side hip raises that I obviously did completely wrong and I totally got away with it because I didn't get corrected by the teacher and it was in no way unpleasant or painful.

The end of the class brought me back to feeling like a fish out of water again. the instructor said "okay class.  our time is almost up, let's get in the something-or-other-position" (mermaid position I was later told) everyone kind of relaxed and smiled.  sat with one leg crossed in front.  and one leg drawn up behind.  as I'm trying to figure this out. they start doing some kind of side bends..  I try and try to accomplish the sitting technique.  and I feel pretty good about it as the class is finishing up their side bends.  I throw my hands up and try one to only to flop over sideways (I blame the beer).

The class switches front and back leg positions and I simply give up and flop around aimlessly until we do the "stand and roll up from the waist and give yourself a pat on the back part" which I do with a smirk. As I roll up my mat..  Judi and the instructor are talking about the moves and techniques and "next time".  I say to myself.  "for me. there will be no next time"

 

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Race Report - Jacksonville Marathon - A disappointing PR

I already hear the smirks as you read this… How can this guy go out and PR a marathon and have the balls to say that he is disappointed


Well… it’s simply true… I wanted more… I expected more… out of myself… out of my training… and out of my execution

In short…

My legs felt dead from mile 1

I ran the first 15 at about 10 sec/mile above goal pace

Had some GI issues at mile 17 that I let get to me

At mile 20 I had the decision... turn myself inside out to go sub 3:30 or “mail it in”


I chose to “mail it in”

One of the reasons I kinda gave up was because I was so cold… cold enough to have stopped and gathered up a couple of random gloves to wear between miles 20 and 22.





Happy hands… stoic face:






final time 3:36:5X

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Easy like Sunday morning...

I used to hate to run in the morning…  well really I used to hate training in the morning…  okay that’s not the whole story…  I used to hate mornings in general..


As a younger man I was not a morning person…  and I used to drink…  kinda excessively and kinda on a regular basis…  Hangeroverish and morning training do not good friends make…


But… things have changed…  as of a couple of years ago…. no more liquor for me…   


I then found that I could ride in the morning…  but…  only if a nap was imminent.


Then I met this girl…  she is a morning person…  and I started training with her…  in the morning…  really early…  I liked this girl a lot…  but before 0730 every day… liking just barely won out…  on a daily basis…  breaking up with her so I could go back to bed and get some sleep…  cycling, swimming, Lifting were all crappy in the morning…  but…  running was the worst…  I hated it…  but…  I liked her so much the rest of the time… that I kept on showing up


Well…  then it was my turn to be the pusher…  she had never run more than 15k at a time…  so I started taking her on my long runs…  we did a couple of long runs on Sunday afternoon…  but other commitments soon drove us to settle on Sunday mornings…  before church…  oh…  and get this…  church starts at 0830.


But a funny thing has happened…  I started liking these early morning adventures…  it started with us sneaking thru a swanky gated community…  then we added a loop through our outside mega-mall… which is really cool in the cool darkness at 0545 on a Sunday… then we added a loop or 2 of a trail system nearby…  running in the woods in the grey mist of dawn is spine tingling…  Last week we ran out to the beach…  and saw the sunrise over the ocean


Now…  I look forward to Sunday morning all week…   seriously…  like a kid at Christmas… I talk about it all week…  plan, scheme, map, discuss.  It is our own little epic adventure…  and yet… it’s like our little secret at the same time…


This week’s installment really started on Friday…  when the speedwork we’d put off on Wed and Thursday was re-inserted into our training schedule.


We did 7ish miles with the 4.5 in the middle at 7:15 pace…  I did push it on the last full mile to get a 6:59 just for “fun”


Judi did 4 ~7:45s...  and only took one wrong turn.


On Friday evening I met Mark for a couple of loops of the UNF trails….  We got in 6 miles in 54ish minutes….  And had a nice chat along the way.


That said…. And done…  my legs were cooked


Dawn on Saturday was clear and crisp (35ish F).  We did not, however, attend but instead slept in until about 8:30 then rode the Baldwin rails to Trails loop at around 10:30 when it had warmed up 20 or so degrees.  Beautiful fall scenery at a nice relaxed pace…  42 miles


Sunday morning… I kid you not…  I woke with a start…  raring to go running…  only to look at my watch which read 0230…  I thought to myself…  “Dangit…  gotta sleep 2 more hours”


Alarm went off at 0400…  finally it was time…


And we had a plan…. Loosely based on this:




basically…  we run together for the first 13 miles…  then I turn around and run back .5 miles…  reverse direction again and try to run Judi down…  we both would pick up the pace for the last 5 (for her) and 6 (for me) miles.  I was hoping to do a nice crescendo from about an 8:30 pace to a 7:20 over the 6 miles….  Judi was just going to run…


the course was mapped:




We hit the road at 0450…  ran the first 2 at 10:15 pace…  Judi asked me how I felt about a half mile in…  “my legs are tired” was my response.


That does not mean that we weren’t having fun tho…  miles 3-8 quickly passed under our feet… we stayed at about a 9:45 pace…  while talking, laughing, listening to music, and dancing…  we even saw a couple walking down one of the streets in Jacksonville Beach drinking beer and carrying a cooler at 0545 on a Sunday morning…  now *that’s* hardcore.


After a store stop  around mile nine we started to slow a bit…  we had tuned into a headwind… our tired legs were just slowing down…  and I, for one, was trying to gather myself for the discomfort of running hard for the last hour.  Miles 9-12.5 slipped to a 10:30 pace…  It has been months since we have run that slow….


No matter….  We stopped at the top on the Atlantic Blvd Bridge…  “Shook hands”…  and parted ways.  I was not ready…  and did not immediately pick up the pace much…  maybe to a 9:30…


Mile 14 I tried to up the pace…  my legs said “no”… my head said “yes”  my legs said “maybe”  then my head said…  “that’ll have to do” and off we went to run a 9:05


I tried to up the pace again for the next mile…  Really working hard and managed to drop it down to an 8:35…  I had planned to be sub 8 for the last 5…  it just was not to be…  I was giving it all I had.


Somehow I managed to keep edging my pace down 8:20 for mile 16, then 8:16, and finally mile 18 was a 7:56…  I wanted to up the ante one more time…  I really wanted a 7:40 for mile 19 but I did not have it in me…  I used every mind game I knew and only came up with an 8:11…  I finished up the last .82 in just under a 10 pace…  like the beaten man that I was.


Oh, and Judi….  I never even caught another glimpse of her…  she had finished, stretched and gotten in the shower by the time I came rolling to a stop.


Now… you may think… that I feel defeated…  and in a way I do….  I did not meet my goals and as a goal oriented person I am disappointed in falling short…  but…  that is so not the case.


For three hours, ten minutes, and 12 seconds on Sunday…  I was a runner…  doing what I love… with my favorite person… testing myself… and I can hardly wait 5 more days to get out there again.
 

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Race Report Outback 1/2 Marathon 2010

Another of the “fall Series” of road running races that I do every year.


I have never run so hard… hurt so much…
Splits:
6:47
6:47
7:12
7:06
7:26
7:28
7:15
7:28
7:33
7:41
7:38
7:50
7:57

As the splits above show I was fighting a losing battle with 7:15s… it just was not my day… started out too fast… it was too hot…

Simply put… I’m just not that fast yet.

All that said… I had fun… enjoyed testing myself… hanging out with friends and family

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

morning run

I like running through the quiet darkness with you…
like we are the only two souls stirring in the world…
the morning is ours… and we belong to each other…
hearts, arms, legs, and breath in rhythm…
side by side… souls touching

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Pumpkin run 10 miler




I had a chance to run one of my favorite races once again on Halloween Sunday.

History...

2004: 1:28:01 – 8:48 pace
2006: 1:28:05 – 8:48 pace
2008: 1:23:24 – 8:20 pace (broke a 7 year old PR)
2009: 1:17:20 – 7:45 pace (another PR)

So… this race has been a good barometer of fitness… and progress over the years… and is a fun race to boot… who wouldn’t want to run through a cemetery on Halloween?



I’ve had a good year of running.. I’m down another 9 lbs or so in the past year… so I should be ready to kick it up a notch…. Only I didn’t really feel that…

Three 10+ mile running days in the week leading up to the race and a 2.5 hour ride the day before where I had worked pretty hard left my legs feeling a little less than fresh.

The race starts on a narrow road… so I did my best to elbow our way pretty close to the front… with all of the folks in costume, walkers, strollers etc… it was perhaps my smartest move of the day.
Aye carrumba… a 6:43 for the 1st mile was not, however…

From that point I was simply hanging on and willing myself forward… nothing smooth or powerful… pretty or graceful. As people passed me I simply tried to hang with them as long as possible… yet watched my pace slip to 7:10, then 7:15, into the 7:20s and finally on mile 9 a 7:30… finally HTFU to a 7:04 for the last mile

Final time of 1:12 and some change.






Now Judi's race... that's another story...

She started out fast...







Won her age group in the 5K










Then realized she had missed the turn for the 10 mile race (see her running back towards the turn)








in the end she got 3rd place in her AG in the 10 miler but...

Got the wrong plaque... appropriately perhaps

But... we had fun

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Atlantic Coast Triathlon

This ½ IM distance race was to be the culmination of our summer training.

Not that she summer had not already had some good races/events along the way.


Even though the race venue is only 50 miles or so from home we decided to get a room since packet pickup/bike check-in was on Saturday night… we scored a room in a hotel that was about 100 meters from the TA… that was nice.


Got up race morning… had some oatmeal and coffee… bundled up (it was 54F and I have thin blood) and walked across the street and set up our transitions… talked to a couple of friends… got bodymarked… then went back to the hotel to have another cup of coffee and lay around a while…




Got suited up… and wetsuited up… dropped our stuff of at the car (another bonus to having the room was a parking space close to the finish) after one more quick gear check, we were off to the beach.


We were cold… and not really crazy about getting in the water but… the water was 20 degrees warmer than the air so it didn’t feel too bad.


The swim course was an equilateral triangle with the start and finish at a single point on the beach… and had been flip-flopped from the original plan due to a change in current. We would be with the current across the top of the triangle… but tacking against it going out and coming back to shore.



When the horn sounded my friend Richard started running north on the beach to get a better angle on the current… and I went with him partway. I guess he went 200m up the beach and I went 150m… then we hopped through the breakers and started swimming towards the next “point” of the triangle. The swim was uneventful except for 3 things



1. I was just swimming… not swimming & stopping and looking around… not hating life and in general thinking it would never end… no… I was just swimming… just like in training… which I had actually been doing thanks to my GF “encouraging” me to swim with her.



2. I had to pee… pretty much from the onset but I waited until I was with the current so I could stop to get started if you know what I mean.




3. I missed the turn for shore and swam over 3 people who were trying to turn… This is what I heard: “umh” a few seconds later “Tum” after a couple more bumps I stuck my head completely out of the water and heard distinctly “TURN” um… okay I guess that’s the other turn buoy



Just as I got to knee deep water I stood up saw Judi who had started in the wave behind me. I got excited and started calling her name… when she didn’t hear me I started running to catch up… stepped in a hole on the beach and executed a nice combat roll on the beach… undaunted (but somewhat embarrassed) I got up and chased her down… Just in time to stop and get our picture together by the race photographer.



Swim time: 41:16 (7 minutes better than last year)



T1 went by quickly (2:11) and I got out onto the bike course… the course was basically a double out and back with one leg to the west and one to the south… good roads… excellent traffic control. I tried to just ride steady and did a pretty good job I guess… I had no computer on my bike… just pedaled and looked for Judi on the out and backs… and pitched a shutout.



Bike time: 2:30 (22.3 MPH avg)


T2 was a bit longer @ 3:14 but 2 minutes of that was peeing I think J



The run story reads pretty much like my splits look



Mile 1: 7:07 (started my watch late)


Mile 2: 8:05
Mile 3: 7:59


Mile 4: 7:56


Mile 5: 8:14


Mile 6: 8:24


Mile 7: 8:12


Mile 8: 8:07


Mile 9: 8:43


Mile 10: 8:45


Mile 11: 8:46


Mile 12: 8:51


Mile 13: 11:29


Last .1: 2:28



My stomach really started hurting at mile 9… miles 13 and the final .1 were long and brutal.



Final run time was 1:53:29. Which achieved one of my goals… to break 2 hours on the run.



Once I finished I sat, completely spent, drank a bottle of water and a bottle of Gatorade. Then I got cold… and decided that it was time to go… back to the car to get a long sleeve shirt… then I stared back down the road to look for Judi. I’d not seen her on the run at all despite the fact that the course doubles back on itself a couple of times…



I was walking like an old man tho… even stopped after a quarter mile or so… put my hands on my knees… contemplated stopping right there or just going back to the car… but I just kept walking. I tried to encourage the runners about to finish but as often as not I just waved. I began to think how idiotic it would be to meet up with Judi only to not even be able to keep up with her… get dropped and miss her finish… but I trudged on.



After 15 minutes (which felt like an hour) I finally made it to an aid station. The Boy Scouts running the aid stations thought I was crazy…



They said “Water” and “Gatorade”



I said “Pizza” knowing from my last trip by that they had a couple of pizza boxes on a table for the boy’s lunch. Someone grabbed a couple of pieces for me… and then I saw a camp stool



“Can I have a seat and eat my pizza” I said



One of the dads said “sure, take a load off”



As I was eating my pizza I said “Ya know, I’m thinking about turning around right here”



They laughed and said “You wouldn’t be the first”



Then I told them that I was just going to sit and wait for my girlfriend to come by.



One of the dads started laughing again and said “You must not be into this stuff like she is huh?”



I laughed to and said… “she’s kinda hardcore”



As I finished my pizza and in the course of conversation I admitted that I had already finished and had just come back to keep my girlfriend company… no sooner had I gotten the words out of my mouth… Judi came into view running strong with a big smile on her face.



As I swallowed the last of my pizza I hopped up and started running with her… and I was able to keep pace (thankfully). She finished her first ½ IM strong and even ended up 2nd in her AG.



Since the awards ceremony was not going to be held for a couple of hours yet we decided to just head home.



A good weekend… a fun race… and we’ll likely be back next year.



PS – the 37 minute PR was nice too.




Us at the finish















Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Dude, Where's my car?

This story really starts on Monday evening…

I head out on a run in a city which I was visiting for the 1st time… Meriden, CT

I will often research an interesting route or locale to run in when I’m on the road but this time I was just doing a quick trip… only one night so I was just going to wing it.

I went out the front door of the hotel, hung a left, and just started running… w/in a couple of miles I was feeling pretty loose and already kind of out in the countryside. Beautiful evening… 80F or so… greenery all around… canopy road… I was having a good time..

I’m not sure what it is tho… my Cherokee ancestors… RATS… or what but I seem to have developed a trail running soul… anytime I run on the road… my eyes invariably roam to either side of the road looking for a trail.

I’d gone out 3 miles and turned around to head home… I picked it up a little on mile 4 and just past that point I came to a road that I thought might loop back to my route. I took the road… it did not curve as I expected but it did lead to what looked like a park… closer inspection showed a nice reservoir and a board on which a trail map was pinned under glass…

Kismet I thought and without much of a glance at the map I launched myself at the trailhead.

I enjoyed the twisty, turny, bed of fir needles… with roots running every which way. A smile spread across my face. A quick glance at my watch told me that I could add a couple of miles without risking stumbling around in the dark. A mile or so in… right where the trail forked I turned around… and a plan began to form in my head… I’d come back in the morning and run the whole thing.







Tuesday

0415 – as usual my alarm goes off…. Too early.. no sense bumping around in the dark

0515 – finally quit hitting snooze

0530 – get up

0554 – standing in front of the trail map… based on the faded image in front of me and my recon from the night before… I made a plan. White trail… to red… then catch the blue trail all the way back around the reservoir… 5ish miles I estimate… or SWAG

0619 – I reach the top or the ridge… the sun is fully up now and the view is spectacular… I’m sweaty and smiling… so glad I’d come back.










0635 – Following the blue trail now… it is super technical… slow going… but I know I’m going in the right direction. Over half way methinks

0705 – I’ve left the technical section behind… nice doubletrack… just as I expected from the map… only a mile or so now.

0707 – I emerge from the woods and find myself in a subdivision… WTF? “hey, lookie there. More blue markers. Along the road” a slight detour I think…

0708 – no more blue markers.. I have no idea where I am. Yet I keep running down the road… exit the subdivision… think about flagging down a motorist then… I see it! More blue markers leading me back into the woods!

0711 – this trail looks mighty familiar… but the direction *feels* right

0725 – still on the same doubletrack – have not seen a “blue marker” for a half mile or so… I just keep running

0744: I skirt around a gate… look back over my shoulder at the sign on the gate “Private Property – Keep out” it reads… I am now on a dirt roads with houses… and moving in a direction that dos *not* *feel* right…

0745 – standing in the road with my hands on my hips… wish I had a GPS

0745 (a few seconds later) – realize I have a GPS on my wrist

0747 – figure out how to get my GPS to show me where my car is.

0747 (a few seconds later) head off in that direction – and (eureka!) find a trail – life is good

0752 – realize that there are dozens of trails… dirt bikes and 4 wheelers must teem in these woods on the weekends… keep heading in the general direction of my car

0757 – Civilization! – I see parked cars… Yes!

0757 (a few seconds later) – I realize that it is a junkyard

0759 – Apologize to the junkman for trespassing… and ask for directions… he chuckles as if he’s heard this before and points me to the road…

0802 – I know where I am at last! I have found my turnaround from Monday’s run.. the old canopy road

0814 – I’m back in my car… dirty… sweaty… tired… and late. I still have to get cleaned up… packed up and check out of the hotel…

0849 – I get a call… from the guy I’m supposed to interview at 0900 telling me that he is in the lobby. I tell him, “I’ll be there in 10 minutes. I got a little lost this morning”

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

RR -- BFAST Sprint Tri #3


I resolved... before RATS even started that I was going to quit ultramarathoning and take up sprint triathlons...

And... I did.

I think I'll copy a graded format someone used on TRI-Drs

Summary -- sprint Distance Tri -- 1:10:41; 6/32 AG; 52/500 OA

Long report --








a photgrapher captured us holding hands walking down the beach to the start (awww)





*Swim -- 11:24; 23/32 AG. *

I have been swim training lately... and expected improvement. Felt great... strong, slippery

I even caught a couple of pink swim caps... wait! They started 3 minutes *behind* me

in the picture the girl in the pink cap was explining to me who caught whom...


Funny

Grade -- F - I sucketh



*T1 -- 3:01 - long run from beach to bike... but I'm slow here too

*Bike -- 31:55 -- 25.5 mph avg; 4/32 AG.*

No computer on my bike... just rode as fast as I could... nobody passed me but... all the fast guys finished the swim ~3 minutes ahead of me...

Grade -- B+. Wonder what the race looks like for people who know how to swim

*T2 -- :51; take of helmet and change shoes... even I can't eff that up too much

*Run -- 23:32; 7/32 AG.

Ran steady... only passed 2x... once by the female OA winner. Felt strong at the end and caught someone in my AG just before the turn for the finish.

Grade -- B- If I don't feel like I'm going to puke on the last mile... I'm obviously not trying hard enough.. need to work on motivation for the run when I have no one to chase/run from...

*Summary and Overall Grade.

*C - the fact that I can ride a bike does not make up for my mediocrity on the run and pisspoor swimming ability

I either need to race bikes or seriously learn to swim.



My GF, however, took AG hardware... as she had in the first two races of the series.... it's her first season racing too... I think I pulled off acting happy for her success...

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