Apology and more Pics

Yeah...so I probably should have not posted while I was angry the other day...I have changed the title but still stand behind the rest of the post.

anyway...

The following are the pictures are ones the race coordinators had out on the course...I did not purchase these...viewed them on the website and then used the print screen button.




These pictures make it look like I know what I am doing....

"Get a picture of the guy walking"
That thing about looking like I belonged there...not in these pictures...




Download these and flip through them fast it looks like I am moving....





still have to go through the "lost and found section" so maybe there are more

Craptastic!!!

Well as if I didn't need even more proof that God hates me!

Last night I got home around 9pm from the gym (I did the Spin Class to keep my legs loose) and when I got home I basically just made sure I had everything I needed for Sunday, loaded it in the car and then went to bed. So I woke up this morning about 8:30, loaded the bike on the car (trying not to get stung by the bees which have made a nest in garage beside the car), and got on the road so that I could check in here at the Holiday Inn Express before heading down to pick up my race packet which is about a 30 minute drive from here. Now I had been keeping a eye on the weather throughout the week and figured it might be raining tomorrow during the race at the least. So after driving 3 1/2 hours (through rain) and getting to the hotel, checking in and unloading the car, I was getting ready to head down and pick up my stuff for the race tomorrow but figured I should check my email in case there was some more information about packet pick up this afternoon. Instead I find the following email:
So long story short...I have already drove 3.5 hours, paid for the hotel room, and there is no race.

Did I mention I was pissed off???

No Rest for the Weary

So this morning my legs were finally back to feeling normal (my knee on the other hand is a different story)...which is good since I have to race again on Sunday at the

After work I swam for about 45 minutes at the Y to keep the arms loose and to practice starting from floating in the water. I am heading over Saturday morning, spending the night and racing in the morning...I will be going over all by my lonesome...not that this is anything new since this is apparently my lot in life.

I plan to drive the bike course and check everything out Saturday afternoon. I will have the race preview up Saturday night as usual. Still not sure if I am going to push myself or just run the race as a simulator. It will depend on how I feel. Well off to bed soon, going to do the Yoga class before work and then an easy Spin after work before I check to make sure everything is still packed for the race

Fantastic Nantasket Beach Triathlon Race Report: Part Duex

And Now the Rest of the Story....

The Bike
Distance: 10 miles

The bike leg of the race went about as I expected it to go. I was glad I had ridden the course back during Labor Day weekend because it gave me an idea where I was distance wise. I also noticed that it looked as though they had patched some of the spots in the road. I did my fair share of passing but for the most part was passed but mainly by those with areobars so I didn't feel that bad. I was able to maintain a decent cadence and pace...I even passed about 3 or 4 people going up the slight hill about the middle of the course. They did change the end of the course slightly but nothing too major and before I knew it I was back to the transition area.
Total Bike Time: 34 minutes 37 seconds
Overall 297/500
Clydesdale Division: 27/42

Transition 2
My Transition 2 time was somewhat respectable ... Had I set my running shoes on the side where I had the extra room to move it would have been quicker, that and had I not almost spit back up the PowerAde I drank. I decided to stick with the bike jersey instead of dealing with the t-shirt. I was going to wear a t-shirt with a design I commissioned but the guy didn't finish the design in time. So after pulling the running shoes on and grabbing my run belt with my number I headed out of the transition area.
Total Transition 2 Time:1 minute 46 seconds

Run
Distance: 3 mile beach run

So coming out of the transition area you had to run down the side walk and then down the sea wall ramp to the beach.


Once on the beach I tried to settle into a nice pace but like last time I ended alternating walking and running. I think part of it was running on the sand the other part was there no clear run out/run back lane divider . It is sad when you are getting passed by a 65 year old (ages marked on the back of leg) but hey whatever. After making the turn around I tried going longer stretches of running and shorter walk breaks. When I saw the Bath House and the crowd coming up I decided no more walking...


As I got closer you could hear the crowd cheering everyone on and I even heard my crew. As I got closer there were a group of little kids wanting high fives so I obliged...
So I finally was close to the finish line
And of course I had to run up the ramp to the sea wall...and like my coach said "we spit on hills" so I did ...not that I had a lot of spit on my mouth by then.


After making it to the top it was just ~10 feet to the finish so I burned the rest of the tank.
and the guy in front of me stops right in front after he crossed the line and entered the chute. And what they say is true, an overweight object in motion tends to stay in motion and can't immediately stop so I bumped into the guy but it was all cool.

Total Run Time: 32 minutes 51 seconds
Overall 427/500
Clydesdale Division: 31/42

OVERALL TIME: 1 hour 25 minutes 18 seconds
Overall 427/500
Clydesdale Division: 25/42


So after doing the hardest part of the race....getting the timing chip off my leg... I headed over to my friends then realized there was banannas and stuff like that so went over and grabbed some nurishment before packing up to leave.

Overall it was a great race. Liked the transition setup with marked areas instead of first come, first serve. I plan to do Fantastic Nantasket Beach Triathlon again next year.

Special thanks to Craig and Allison for taking pics & to Beth and Rebecca for coming out to watch and cheer.

Fantastic Nantasket Beach Triathlon Race Report

After waking up around 6:45 am after another great night of waking up multiple times, I arrived at the race about 7:30 and began to setup my transition area. I like this transition area better than the Pinebush since everybody had a space already marked for them. I laid out everything and talked to the other guys who were setting up around me. Like last time I had (and was he only one there who had a balloon marking where my gear was setup. This time I went with a Beer Mug...

So after setting up and saying hello to Craig, Allison, Beth, & Rebbecca who had come to watch me and take these pictures.

The Wookie in the Wetsuit.

I headed down to the beach to test the water ...which was so f'ing cold even with the wetsuit. A fact which I had to come back and report to the crew.


So I headed back down to the water where everyone was gathering for the race to start. I was talking this lady who thought she had seen me at Ironman Florida...she was also tellling me how she did this race last year and the waves were like 3 - 5 feet tall and it was almost impossible to get off the beach.


(I am in the red cap just to the right of the orange buoy and she is in the white cap)

So finally it was time to get the race underway. I was in the second heat this time so it was better than being last to get started.

The Swim
Distance: 1/4 mile

I think I was in the largest heat of the race as you can see it was crowded out there. I know going out I dove right in between two people as I went under a wave.



Like last time I got hit in the head a few times but also got some shots in myself...I know I landed a nice solid kick as I was starting. It was hard to find a good rhythm to swim and I really didn't even worry about sighting the bouys because I was trying to stick to the outside edge of the pack. There were a few times I had to switch over to breaststroke when I got behind someone and had to wait for an oppertune time to pass. Overall I really wasn't feeling the swim...I think it might have been the colld and the fact that my mouth was getting salty....yeeech!

As soon as I could touch I was alternating between pushing off the bottom till I got aboust waist deep then I stood up and started working on getting the wetsuit unzipped. After exiting the water and getting the wetsuit top off I started to head out of the water. I was still trying to find my legs as I ran up the beach and the ramp to the sea wall which is why I look like I am in pain.
Total Swim Time: 12 minutes 4 seconds
Overall 167/500
Clydesdale Division: 10/42

Transition 1
So the biggest challenge was getting the wetsuit off quickly. Luckily no one was on the left side of me so I had a bit of extra room to work with which was good. Had I known tis I would have laid out my gear differently but I made do.

Not having to put socks on saved me a lot of time. So after dressing and grabbing my other gear and a swig of Powerade Zero I was headed out of the transition area...


Total Transition 1 Time: 4 minutes 2 seconds
Coming out of the transition area was a bit crowded and the bike mount line wasn't all that well marked so I had to wait til I had room to maneuver and not fall on my ass.

but once I got going it was not that bad...


The Bike
Distance: 10 miles

Unfortunately you are going to have to tune in tomorrow for the rest of the report.....

So Tired

So I finished the Fantastic Nantasket Beach Triathlon (which is a good thing I guess) ...not sure what my official time was but it was under 1 hr and 30 minutes.

So now I am just hanging out here at my friends house...not sure if I will go back to Albany tonight or wait and go over early in the morning.

My knee is screaming...so I am going to have another beer or two, throw some laundry in the washer, and take easy.

Race Report probably in a day or so...have to get the pictures my friend took developed.

Now where is that beer???

Fantastic Nantasket Beach Triathlon Preview

So the Fantastic Nantasket Beach Triathlon is tomorrow.

This afternoon I went over and picked up my race packet and looked around the Expo they had. The expo was alright basically just 2-3 places selling gear. I did look and try out some insoles one of the exhibitors had which were really nice and a lot less then it would cost to get orthopedic from a chiropractor.

Anyway my race number is 565 and my swim cap is a neonish red. I checked out the transition area and my rack is in the back which is going to be bad for the swim to bike part but good for the bike to run leg of the race.

So time to break down the race
SWIM:
Distance: 1/4 mile Ocean Swim

Unfortunately they did not have the buoys out for the course yet so I didn't get to visualize it so that is an unknown until tomorrow morning. This is going to be somewhat different since this will be my first ocean swim so I am not really sure what to expect. Also I am not going to go all out on the swim like I did my first race, I am shooting for 80% max effort so that I can conserve some energy for the other 2 legs of the race.

BIKE
Distance: 10 miles
So I driven and biked the course over Labor Day weekend so I am somewhat familiar with the directions and elevation. For the most point it is flat with one small hill in the middle so it should be fairly fast...the last 4 miles is basically a straight away to the transition area.

RUN
Distance: 3 mile beach run
So the run....yeah...should be interesting. I did a short run back in September just to get the feel of running on the beach, which is pretty solid.
----
So a few changes from last race:
1. Dealing with a wetsuit getting it off in transition should be an experience.
2. Not wearing socks during the bike or run, hoping to save some time in transitioning
3. Probably not going to wear my knee strap, even though my knee has been sorer than usual in the past few days but I have been using the cream the Dr gave me so we shall see.
4. I am going to have a cheering section and a personal photographer so I can't bonk or have a bad showing.

Well the car is packed and the bike is loaded so all I have to do is get up and head out in the morning around 7 AM so I can get set up before the race starts at 9AM.

So I am headed to bed soon so I can hopefully get some rest.

we shall see...

Race report tomorrow...maybe...if I survive