Cranky n Stinky.com

I did my first olympic distance triathlon yesterday. Well, I suppose I'll start with the bad first, then I can focus on the good...

I was last in my age group, 48 of 48. WOOO!

Ok, that's pretty much the bad.

I wasn't as prepared for this race as I meant to be. Aaron and I spent a lot of time getting things ready for the alpacas and with the alpacas. And after work, almost every day for what seemed like six weeks was thunderstorms which curtailed (although it wasn't impossible) efforts to exercise. I rode the trainer, ran on the treadmill, and even got kicked out of the INDOOR pool on an attempt to get a swim workout in on a Saturday. So, in short, things were not ideal for me, but then again, they probably weren't for many others either. I was pretty close to bailing altogether, because I just didn't feel prepared. But, after thinking about it, I decided I should do it anyway, and just get the experience. Every race is a chance for experience...

I headed down to the hotel Saturday evening. The parking lot was completely full with tri cars, yet not a person in sight in the lobby. I immediately went to sleep as well. Was awakened only once by the sound of sirens, and actually got a pretty good night's sleep.

At 5:15 the alarm went off and I got dressed and ready. I wasn't able to eat but I was only feeling a little queasy. The race location was very nearby and I got to register and get body marked right at 6:30 or so, well before the main crowds. In fact the race was delayed since there was a line wrapped around the building to register about an hour later. The bike racks were marked with your number which I liked (better than no marking or not using those nifty racks where the back tire goes in - like those too). I had plenty of space to set out my gear. There were something like 750 racers (632 individual racers per the results).

Aaron got down to the race around 8 am, and found some of his coworkers doing the race. I got ready for the swim which was wetsuit legal @ 75 degrees. I was in one of the later waves so there was plenty of waiting around. Finally my wave went into the murky, mucky water (seriously, you could not see your hands in it at parts) and yet I wasn't freaked out, just a little nervous. Finally it was our wave's start, and as the bulk of it took off, I took my time. I'm still not sure about being in the pack, and I just focused on alternating breast stroke with freestyle, and getting to each buoy one at a time. The swim felt long, and it was - the most I have ever swum at once in open water, at least at one time. The course was around a small pond, and at points the swim pack constricted so that I had no choice, and for the first time I got a few pokes and prods, felt someone swim onto my legs, and it was a little nerve wracking with all the arms and people around. I managed to keep my cool and make my way around the buoys. Finally, I saw the starting gates come back into view, and came out of the water - hungry at that.

Transitions at this race are crazy long. I mean you have to run from the water, across a lawn, a little road, down the back of all the bikes and then back into the transition area. Lots of sticks and gravel and stuff I usually don't walk on... I wouldn't be surprised if it were a tenth of a mile, I mean they were long. Anyway, my T time was 5 minutes and I can't imagine more than 2:30-3 of that was me actually getting ready. I didn't wear socks, did have a gu, and a swig of gator, but I don't feel like I wasted a lot of time there. I didn't dry anything other than my feet. Aaron was there watching me.

Back out on the bike, and I had a pretty good ride. I kept the pace up the whole time, though I got passed by plenty of others. I only passed a few people. I was a little concerned by this, but just kept riding. The course was overall quite flat, and scenic at points. There were some very minor hills but well spaced apart and not too challenging. I did take a few looks around and enjoyed the route. Coming back in from the bike, I could see that there were runners coming in, lots of them, and thought, wow, a lot of people are going to be done before I've even started my run... granted the first wave started a long time before me, and swimmers were coming out of the water before I even went in, too!

Another confusing and long run around transition to get out to the run course. I started out reasonably but my left knee area was getting pre-cramp twitchy already, and I knew it was going to be a bit of a battle. After one mile down, two miles down, still hanging in there. Three miles, still good enough. Snuck in water at nearly each stop (probably not the best racing plan) and by mile 4 it was getting tough, and I had to walk some of it. Over the last 2 miles there were some hills which made it particularly challenging; I know my times dropped way down there.

I never doubted I would finish, but under what circumstances less clear. As it was, I was pretty cooked by the end, but even in that there is some learning that I'll take away for future info...

here are the times and info.

T VAN ES PEPPERELL MA 3:37:11 48/48 F3539 575 34:39 [swim] 5:06[t1] 585 1:35:54[bike] 3:00[t2] 601 1:18:34 [run]

There was a flash, and then another. My sleep laden mind tried to wrap itself around what was happening. It was a minor miracle I'd been able to fall asleep as normally I am too nervous to sleep well. I heard the peal of thunder and groked what was happening. Oh dear, I thought, as I looked at my phone. I'm supposed to get up and head for the race at 5. A quick check of Wunderground was not promising, lots of red and green. I wondered if they'd make it a duathlon or cancel altogether. I didn't go back to a full sleep but cat-napped my way through to 5 am. Looking out the window to a steady rain, but no lightning and thunder. Hmm, maybe it was meant to be my tri would be rainy too.... Checking the weather again, it looked like there was a slight window at the race location where no storms would hit. I went into the bathroom and got ready, giving Aaron just a few more moments of sleep. All my gear was packed minus the drinks and the bike, so we had an efficient departure by 5:50 am. With the GPS, we were able to arrive at the location by 6:50, so almost exactly 1 hr drive. I snacked on a few blueberries and gatorade on the way in, about as much as I could get down, and was relieved that at no time did I feel like throwing up. A small step in the right direction.

As we approached the park, I was stunned to see the entire lot full with triathletes and bikes. I've swum and biked around this park before, and never seen it more than 1/2 full. The races were in their 2nd year (Sprint and Oly at the same time) and the first year had drawn 200 or so; it looked to be at least double that present. At least it looked like the race was going to go off, so I quietly set about getting my packet, body marked, set up the transition area, and even put on my wetsuit to "reaquaint" with the water.

I am definitely still not "comfy" in a lake swim, particularly with others in a competing format, and it takes me a few minutes to coax myself into swimming. I can do freestyle for laps on end in a pool (slowly, but still...), but in the lake I find myself often popping the head up with several breast strokes before going back to free. I am sure it's because I am not as familiar with lakes, and the only time I ever swam in one as a kid in Wisconsin, I thought it was pretty gross. Never liked the ocean either. I don't know anyone to OWS with around here, so my time has been limited to when I can drag someone along (these have been mostly non-swimmers) to watch me swim but never going very far from the shore.

Anyway I am digressing, but although I did a lot of slow breaststroke, I was pretty relaxed the whole way through, just following the others. Slowly I passed a few people in my wave (I pretty much started at THE back), and then even caught a few in earlier waves. The course was a triangle format so after rounding the last buoy I sighted on the beach and tried to do as much freestyle as possible back to shore. Exited the water feeling very good, and smiled at my husband by the mats. Ran to the bike, popped off the wet suit, dried a bit, put on the cleats, helmet, sunglasses, and I was off. No food, no gloves, no socks. I did have gloves and socks stashed in an "emergency" bag. I felt great on the bike and mostly passed others, though I was passed by a few really fast people on tri bikes, probably from the olympic waves which started just after mine. I was trading spots with one woman a few times, and we even hit t2 together. There were two climbs of note, and for the longest I did put into the small ring to try and preserve my legs for the run. But overall I felt I had a very solid ride over the course. Back at transition, I hopped off the bike, headed over to my rack, fought with my cleats which have an annoying habit of sticking on the ratcheting strap, shoved feet into shoes, grabbed hat and gu, and off. Again, no socks.

I was feeling a little hungry now so I had a little gu at a time while running, and a swig of gatorade at the 2nd water stop. I don't think this strategy (not eating/drinking more) will work as well for the olympic I am doing in a month, with the longer distances. I'll have to ponder this some. Although I had bike legs for the first little bit and have not done bricks recently, I pretty quickly settled into a run pace that I was comfortable with. The garmin was all over the map with paces from 9:30 to 12:00 so I am not sure if I was really varying my speed that much but there were two major improvements over my last triathlon. 1. I ran the whole way. 2. I think I may have run a strong 5k, and this after 2/3rds of a race! I will have to see when the split times come out. I finished focused, happy, and relaxed, and on that basis alone it was a great race. I had to look around for Aaron at the finish and he was surprised to see me, guess he thought I'd be in later.

My clock time coming in was 1:49, which I admit to being surprised by, I felt great during the whole race. This translated to a 1:40 adjusted time but I've no idea of the splits yet. I will update the entry once I know them. I had a 1:39 for my 1st tri last fall, but walked most of the 5k, and also had slower transitions... so I'm not sure how to compare, if I even can.

Also, AO didn't get too many pictures, since the camera battery died too....

Saturday night I had a hard time sleeping. I was sure I'd miss the alarm, and wanted to get to Lake Placid in time. Well, I ended up waking up at 3:45 and left with 15 minutes buffer. Good thing too, since they'd already barricaded the same roads I used the day before. I don't know LP that well, but apparently well enough to get around, and I managed to work my way back to the meeting point for our kayak team to head out onto the water.

It was cool, and the lake was steaming. The peaks were still covered in fog, and over the next 90 minutes it would slowly burn off. We got assigned our positions and headed out in the boats. Most of us seemed to be reasonably seasoned kayakers but there were a few newbies there which did make me a little nervous for them. I guess my fears were unfounded since nothing happened, but still I think some minimum skill would best be had for this type of assignment.

Anyway, soon we heard the whirring of the helo overhead, and the race announcer notifying the crowd that the women's pro race was 15, 10, 5 minutes away... you could feel the excitement increasing. There were approx 25 women pros in the race, vying for prize money and coveted endorsements. I was in a position to follow down the swimmers as they completed their first lap, and the tv boat crew must have caught me in some of the filming. It was at once humbling and amazing to be performing that role, watching the swimmers intently to notice any potential trouble. The women however didn't seem to need much help although they did break into three or four groupings.

Soon, they were on the 2nd lap, and it was nearly time to start the age groupers. From the far side lake I could see the flailing arms of 2000+ swimmers and I have to say it was intimidating, I wanted to get out of there for a second. Fought off the urge and began to focus on the task at hand, which was ultimately pointing them at the corner turn buoy.

for the swim, there are scuba divers at the start, and at the corners, since traffic bunches and things can get hairy. Lifeguards on surf boards are in the center. On the first lap in particular, there must have been 40-50 swimmers at least going around the corner at a given time. By the 2nd lap it was down to a more manageable number of say 10 but still there was almost always a pack. I'd try to pick out stationary swimmers, or people coughing, or otherwise showing concern. I didn't actually end up having to call for help on anyone, but a few other kayakers and the lifeguards had a few resters. Every once in a while, I'd hear a swimmer yell something or just make some kind of noise but I could never hear what it was. Other than that, it was just the sound of hands and feet in the water, almost like an entire flock of birds landing on the lake but it never subsided.

The lake temps were perfect, at maybe a 72 or so. Wetsuit legal, but nothing that would cause an undue shock to the system. I imagined it was actually warm to swim in the suit, and we had one or two come through who had opted to not use it. I don't know, haven't swam in mine yet, but by 8:30 it was shaping up to be a warm sunny day with little wind.

Our last swimmer who was going to make the cut off came around, and as he worked his way along the buoys, we all began to follow him, shouting encouragement to get him in before the 2:20 alloted time. I found myself getting emotional about a person I didn't even know but out there, the kayak crew was responsible for the swimmers, and they didn't have there family, friends, or other spectators to cheer them on - so I definitely felt it was our job to get him in.

I confirmed today he did finish, with a strong bike time as a good anchor.

The crowd began to roar as he neared the last four position markers. Amazingly, there was still a significant # of people there to see the last swimmer exit the water. Once we knew he was out of the water, we separated and I paddled back to the marina to load up the kayak. It was a very unique vantage point for the race start, and I am glad I chose this job. Plus, anytime I get to paddle and bike on the same trip is a great thing!

After wrestling with my yak (new Element, not familiar with loading on it), I walked back into Lake Placid with the camera and the idea of getting some good competitor shots. I had lunch with my husband who was headed home, but then ended up chatting with a woman in her upper 60s. She was there to watch her son, age 34 (my age), compete in his 4th Ironman. We talked about distance events and the commitment that goes into them for both the participant and his/her family. Though the Ironman is of a scale and scope I can hardly wrap my head around, I do feel like I have some understanding of it all since I've done the PMC.

There are 4300 PMC riders, and in these parts (Massachusetts), it's a very well branded endurance event. It's got cachet, and it's just hard enough to weed out those who aren't dedicated to the cause/idea. Not unlike the Ironman in that regard. We have to train for it for many months, and it sells out within weeks of opening registration. The PMC too attracts people from all over the country who come year after year, and it too draws crowds and support from the communities it goes through. Last of all, it needs an army of volunteers that make the whole thing run well, and when you cross the line, you have done something, and you want to do it again. So despite not being a race, it is a self formed club - you know when you see the PMC jersey that someone's slogged through the same things you have to be able to wear it. Of course, I understand the Ironman is a battle of willpower to the extreme, but being a spectator in Lake Placid, and being a volunteer, I felt I knew the whole circle of why people participate in these things. I talked to volunteers who were former IMLP participants, people who were future hopefuls, and people who loved the vibe and traveled from far away (5-6 hours) just to be a part of it.

I got to see quite a bit of the bike, and made it to the finish area where I saw Susie and Thomas as well. We ended up flanking the winners as they ran in, and I got great photos of the top women and amateur men finishers. Unbelievable athletes, all. In Tour de France news there was much dismay to hear about more doping scandals today, and has caused some to ask "Who can we look to as inspiration" in this event.

I found plenty of inspiration in hearing some of the stories as the announcers read names and places people hailed from.... the amateur male winner is a 29 year old Burlington VT man who oh-by-the-way is a medical student. Last time I checked, that isn't exactly a cake walk leaving tons of time for endurance event training. Then there's the story of a man running for the Blazeman foundation (read about him, his is an amazing story too) who could only see 20 feet in front of him. Or the story of the last swimmer on the course, just trying to beat the cutoff. Or the story of the hundreds of middle of the pack people whose joy is evident just to finish, when they can cross the mat raising their hands up to the sky.

That's inspiration, and that's what I think I have learned from being part of these types of events. You can just look around at these events and feel inspired. Better yet, you can be one of the ones who is inspiring....

I love the north country of the Adirondaks, and spending time in them for the IRONMAN is truly special. But most of the time I've spent here it's been rainy, and true to form it was looking this way when I got in. I arrived in the dark, set up my tent as quietly as possible, and it rained overnight. I awoke to a bit of wet ground and puddling and I prepared for another rainy visit, but gradually the clouds broke up and the sun began poking through. I relocated my tent and got dressed to go riding. The campground had just a few other people, but I knew they'd fill up soon with cyclists and IM'ers. Already, Rte 86 was filled with triathletes and cyclists challenging themselves to a loop of the IM course, which runs in front of the campground.

I chose to ride a modified section of the IM course that I'd ridden last year with a friend, as an out and back from AuSable Forks to Keene. The IM course runs this section of 9N in the other direction, but it's a glorious ride either way. This section features some moderate climbs and some nice flatter sections, and it winds along the AuSable for much of it. In truth, it's hard to not be awestruck by the beauty of the area anywhere, but this may be an overlooked section as the peaks are out of view. Anyway, I rarely ride alone, but I knew there'd be plenty of trifollks out to be riding with. Since I was leaving from AuSable Forks, there were a few miles I might not have company, but no big deal. I am not the most mechanically inclined but had a bike tool, tube, CO2, etc.

The ride was going well, even though the tri guys were blowing by me as if I were standing still at points. But, aside from that I was happy to be there and riding in one of my most favorite places. At mile 26 or so, my chain dropped as I shifted to my big ring, throwing it outside clear to the pedal side. I stopped, reset everything simple enough, and was on my way. Well, I foolishly tried to go to the big ring again maybe a mile down the road, and this time it popped the chain off in a way I'd not possibly recover it myself. Of course, I was back on the section of the ride with far fewer cyclists, and in fact I would not see another one the rest of the way. I ended up walking the bike a good 3+ miles back to the car, then headed directly to Lake Placid for a quick service.

The bike store tech was super nice and did a great job checking everything out. I also got to get my first taste of Iron Mania as the town was packed with triathletes and their families. I also got to wish the bike store guy who fitted me for a wetsuit back in the winter good luck on his Ironman.

It is a strange thing to be in the town around this event. For one, every fourth or fifth person it seems is on a bike, in bike clothes, or is running down the street. Almost all the men are sporting well tanned, well muscled, and completely hairless arms and legs. People who are overweight or heavy stick out as an exception (unlike, say, walking around your local mall where it is probably the norm), and snippets of conversation are about the Tour, hiking, the ride or run someone just did, how many carbs they've had that day, that sort of thing. Just not topics you'll hear in any other environment. I love it! I wish I could be in that kind of environment every day!

After the quick trip to the bike shop, I headed back to the campground, which had been transformed in my absence into a city of tents, with road and tri bikes all over and smoke and laughter arising from the campsites... I just took it all in with a big grin on my face. Yes, it was time to enjoy.

Most of the campers here are Canadian, since it's a much closer race for Eastern Canadians than going to IM Canada. It seemed like a good 80% of the campground sites feature a fluttering Canadian flag or at least vehicles with Canadian plates.

Later that night, my husband Aaron, as well as Susie and Thomas arrive. But it's late so we did not stay up long.

Saturday dawned with a high bright sun, and no clouds. I had to go down to LP for my volunteer meeting (I was kayak crew for the swim). The town was again bustling and there was a definite energy present with excited IM hopefuls walking around. After the meeting was over, we came back and had some lunch, and then Aaron and I went for our ride.

This ride is one I happened upon last year by studying the NY Gazeteer. Well, it is an amazing ride that goes up the back of Whiteface Mtn., starting from a fishing spot off of Rt 3. It doesn't go to the summit, but it does get to a pretty high point of elevation, and features some extended and sharp climbing. Turns out this is a pretty well known locals ride and is also in a book of ADK rides, so I guess I picked a pretty good one! We eventually made it to the top, but I admit I still needed to walk part of the steepest section near the height of the ride. But, I rode the majority of the route and in much better form than last year. So, I'll have to challenge it again and again until I can make it to the top under full power. At one point, I looked back and the peaks of the mountains are not above me, I was thinking, cool.

If you are looking for some challenging hill climbing, this is the area for you. A year ago I thought hills were to be avoided. Now I want to find them... for they make me stronger.

Pics to be added in soon.