Well I'm in my rest week after Hartford and already my mind has started racing ahead to next tri season. The big thought on my mind a return to Ironman. While Josie and I were down in Maryland tearing up the Chesapeakeman course and cussing out Apple Maps for their inaccurate directions, the discussion of Ironman came up.
Josie hasn't raced one and is coming off of solid training 2 years post baby. She's had solid results and for the first time actually has a chance to put two consistent seasons together. So the game plan was this: 2013 Ironman Florida, we book the rooms for her hubby, future ITU World Champion/Supreme Court Justice, and my girlfriend/future suffering wife and support crew through Ken Glah and the fine people at Endurance Sports Travel the other thing was since Ironman Florida sells out like EPO in a French Pharmacy in July, we could book our race entry slots as well. That was until I saw the price.
The price to book a race entry slot with the travel package is about a 70.3 entry shy of an Ironman Foundation slot, not that I'm complaining it is a coveted race slot. Likewise researching the flight options part of me is like screw Panama City I could chill in Taupo with Ken and the gang for two weeks for the money I'd be spending for a long weekend on the Gulf Coast. This got me to thinking; Should I go back to Louisville and seek to erase the dark mark on my Ironman career?
There are a couple of drawbacks to Louisville. The first is it's hot. It's not New England it's 85F in the sun with a breeze hot. It's 95F with 100% humidity and your shoe rubber will be melting to the pavement hot. It is nail your nutrition, hydration and electrolyte intake or you will be suffering a very cruel, nasty, evil, horrifying, Dante-esque punishment hot. It is the Kona lava fields don't have shit on this hot.
The second is I would not have a friend and training partner to push me through the race. Josie doesn't race well in the heat or the cold so Louisville is off her list.
Third, Ken doesn't sell packages for this race so it's on me to make hotel arrangements, figure out travel arrangements, find restaurants/ sources of healthy food/ bike mechanic..etc. Not a huge deal I did it in 2011 and I know guys who have done the race, but having someone take the guess work out of logistics is a huge help. Likewise the fact that Ken sets up a spread for Ironman Widows/ Widowers, in a comfortable environment helps keeps spectators occupied and can give them people to chill with or find other activities to do with while their athletes do their thing, helps cut the boredom for spectators.
Fourth, it's in the middle of the summer. Not that this is huge issue but part of me would like to cap my season with an Ironman. This race would fall dead center, as I would like to race in September as well.
The fifth, not that it's a huge worry I mean I'm fast but there are some real speed demons out there, but what if I have a bangout day and I make Kona. I always joked that I would just sell my kidney and go but what if I punch that magical ticket to the Big Island? Do I say yes like the 20 something year old kid without a care in the world? Or do I respond as a mature and responsible adult and decline something that I've wanted for so long, because I have other long term goals to focus on? Florida I would have a year to save up and plan, Louisville I've got 8 weeks and when Mike Rielly is taunting you with that paper all bets are off.
The pros to Louisville are also numerous. The first is I know the course. Sometimes knowing what to expect is a benefit. I know the temperature is between BBQ and Broil, I know I need Salt tabs, I know I need to training in long sleeves to acclimate. Likewise knowing the bike course I know where I could take risks where to hammer and where to ease back. I know that the Ohio River is not horrible and to get in line at 4am to have a Primo swim position. I know to hydrate and *gag* drink Perform on the bike. I know to build the run and cool the engine. Getting the unmerciful crap kicked out of me by this race in 2011 was a valuable learning experience and I plan to use that to my advantage.
Second, flights to Louisville are reasonable. I can book with Southwest, American, and most of the major carriers. I know I'll get into Louisville at a relatively cheap and relatively easy. Likewise it's a quick and cheap cab ride from the airport to the hotels.
Third, is it is easy to walk around Louisville. Most of the hotels are in downtown. Fourth Street Live is less than 10 blocks from where I stayed last year. I can easily walk/ run to the swim start and train on the river walk. The YMCA is close and honors the AWAY program so I could get swims in. There are lots of dining options close by and there are bike lanes and fairly decent motorists, getting around is not an issue, and unless I was leaving the city no need to rent a car.
Fourth, the swim is not wetsuit legal, feel my wrath lovers of neoprene.
Fifth, running in city means the roads are well lit ( if out after dark), there are large crowds of spectators, and no desolate stretches, which is motivating. Likewise it means there is plenty for spectators to do. Likewise the sun is still out until 8PM in August so if I finish in 13 hours or less it will be in daylight.
I have a lot to consider going into 2013, all I know is will be doing an Ironman, it will be in the South, it's just where and when.
R.D.
Showing posts with label IM Kentucky. Show all posts
Showing posts with label IM Kentucky. Show all posts
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Ironman Louisville Race Report
Ironman Louisville turned out to be my hardest earned triathlon finish. The day started with high hopes and expectations and ended with gratitude for the volunteers and the ability to finish a race when I could have quit many times.
The swim went pretty well other than the news that one competitor had had a massive heart attack only 300 yards into the 2.4 mile swim. I managed to hold a pretty consistent pace and managed to swim a 59:47 not too slow but not as fast as I have done in other races.
The bike wasn’t too bad. I took the one “screaming down hill” at a pretty conservative pace although I kick myself now because I definitely could have taken a little more risk on it as the turns were gentle sweepers and the pavement quality was “bad for Kentucky” but pretty damn smooth by New England standards. The rest of the ride went pretty well. I would kick into the low ring on the climbs to try to save my legs for the run. I was hydrating well and had to stop to pee and adjust my aero bars at the 65 mile mark. I had decided to bring all my own hydration with me this go round as I had a bad experience with Powerbar ® Perform at Providence 70.3. So I used Gatorade to get me through the bike course and water and Clif shot bloks when I ran low. I did pop 3 salt tabs but since I had never used them in training I didn’t know how many to take and how often. I kept leap frogging with this chick Christine, know for her signature grey/ black cervelo and tri suit but electric pink heart rate strap. Things were going well at this point my legs felt good except for a slight cramp in my big toe on my left foot, but I figure it might have just been rubbing against my bike shoes. I hit T-2 in about 6:22. In T-2 I look down at my foot it wasn’t rubbing and I didn’t have any med tape. A volunteer offered to get me some but I figured I would be fine if I ran in socks. I peed and got sunscreen and took off on the run.
The run went according to plan for the first 10 miles. I was holding between 8-9 minute miles and was on pace to run yet another sub 4 hour marathon and finish in daylight like a rock star. Every aid station I was doing my usual ritual of taking coke, water, sponges, and ice. I was passing a lot of people and was feeling amazing. I passed Christine at the 6 mile mark and made a comment along the lines of “ Hi I’m Rob from CT you may remember from such horror films as “You again” and You again the sequel.” “ She laughed and made a comment that I was flying and at this point I was feeling pretty damn good. In the words of Macca “ The nice music was kicking in and I was dancing through the lava fields.” feeling a Kona slot might be within reach.
The big toe on my left foot started acting up around mile 9 with a pressurized ripping, pinching kind of pain. Like my toe nail was rubbing against the toe of my shoe. At mile 12 the pain became too much to run. I figured I would walk to the next aid station to patch my foot up and then I could continue my run and still keep my daylight finish streak alive. Well the next aid station didn’t have a first aid station so I figured walk to the turn around, get patched up and leave this two mile speed bump behind me. I had tried to run walk but I could only go maybe 100-200 feet before the pressure on the balls of my feet became too much. I grabbed my salt tabs from my special needs bag and wolfed down 3 of the five in my pack. On the turnaround I hit a pot hole and my feet still hurt the pressure on the big toe had spread to the big toe to my other foot. I took my shoes off and walked half a mile to the next aid station. It helped as it relieved the pressure. I stopped at the aid station after the turn around and asked for a band aid and some tape as my left toe hurt a lot worse than my right ( which was a manageable annoying throbbing instead of the “I think my toenail is going to explode out of the mesh at any second” kind of pain on my left toe. ) The volunteers at this aid station were wonderful. I munched down some pretzels as I patched my surprisingly not bloody toe. One of the volunteers noticed my socks were soaked from my sponge, ice, water, routine when I was going mach 1, so she gave me the socks off her feet and got me back on the road. I started feeling a little better and figured maybe I could run again. I picked it up and started to hit my stride again taking pretzels and coke at the aid stations. I was beginning to think that I might be able to salvage a 12:30 Ironman. After three miles I started feeling woozy and light headed like I was going to faint. Stopped at a port o let and peed: it was clear, no sodium I thought to myself. My foot felt a little better and I tried to run again, I got even more light headed and the road seemed to spin for a second. I slowed down and decided to walk to the aid station. I got to the aid station at about mile 19 and asked if they were giving out chicken broth. One of the volunteers nodded. I asked if I could sit for a bit. A couple of the Volunteers sat me down on the pavement and brought some of the broth over. I downed 6-7 cups of the stuff, as well as two cups of pretzels while I tried to get my bearings back. I must have been there for half an hour. The aid station captain came over and asked if I was on my first or second loop. I told him my second and he was like “you still have plenty of time to finish take what you need.” A passing athlete gave me a salt tab as I sucked it down with another cup of chicken broth. After a couple more minutes I stood up and started walking with another athlete. He gave me a salt tab and told me he was on his first loop. We walked for about half a mile before he started to run and began to haul ass so he could make the cut off. I continued to walk my marathon feeling like Rutger Beke in the 2007 Ironman, my feet hurt too much to run and at every aid station I was still peeing crystal clear. So I was taking Coke, Sports Drink and two cups of broth and pretzels. I continued to walk trying to run every so often for a few feet here and there, and occasionally stopping to stretch. Occasionally an athlete would come along side and we would chat for a while then they would start to jog or their walking pace would get faster than my waddle and they would disappear into the night. As the sun set I began to take it in stride. Joking with one guy, “The good thing about walking the marathon is I can actually enjoy the cookies.” I said at one aid station. One guy wearing a glow stick walked by “ Man I’m jealous I want one.” I said as he ran past with a chuckle. I tried to kick up my pace for a few hundred feet while I ran past the motivational mile. My legs still felt good but my feet felt like they were balloons full of fluid. It became clear that it was going to be a miracle to even run up the finish chute. But onward I went each mile ticking down as downtown came into sight. Athletes still came by one woman encouraged me to run with her. “my feet are too swollen” I told her. I came toward downtown and the crowds started to grow. Words of encouragement started to come from every direction. I made if to the last couple of corners. I started to jog and caught a couple of runners “I’ll back off and let you get some distance as I’m planning to log roll.” I told one lady “Thanks hun but I’m still on my first lap I was the last off the bike and they’re going to pull me off at the turnaround, but thanks for the heads up.” I jogged up the finish chute high fiving spectators on both sides of the barriers. 14:25- 14:30 it didn’t make a difference at this point I was going to finish. I dropped down and did a picture perfect log roll. I could now appreciate the sentiment of finishing the Ironman, of having the attitude of the finish is all that matters and that DNF was not an option. I could now appreciate what Jon Blais went through in his Ironman, going through tremendous pain most of it exponentially worse than mine to make it to the finish.
My official marathon time was 6:50:30, 20 minutes slower than my bike split. My slowest ever for the distance. My official finish time was 14:28:04 my time in medical was roughly 1hour 45 minutes, and for once I didn’t make it back to the finish line to see the last people cross, but I did get to see and feel just how hard it is to make it to that finish line.
As for my future in Ironman I’m hoping in the next couple of weeks to get the cash together to make another assault on Louisville, I’ve got some unfinished business with that run course as I see it the course owes me a 3:45 marathon and a Kona slot, and this time I’m bringing my A-game…and a couple of bottles of salt tablets.
R.D.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Trying to plan a season
The Old Bobby is coming back...is this a good thing or a bad thing?
Ok for the first in nearly two years I'm trying to plan out a season. Last year was crazy as I was trying to figure out if the Navy was going to take me, plus some crazy life issues. Now I've signed up for another Ironman. Now this time my Ironman will be different. In 2008 and 2009 Ironman New Zealand was my season opener. I essentially spent four months training with no races on my schedule. This year Ironman Kentucky is toward the end of my season, which now means I have to give thought into what races I should enter as qualifying for Kona is my ultimate goal. Now in a normal year I usually do 2 halfs, 2 olympics and 2 or 3 sprints. I know my body is capable of doing 3-4 halves but with the Ironman I have to watch my finances as well as my body as doing 140.6 miles in the peak of my season is a whole new ball game.
So 2011 has my inner coach fighting the inner accountant.
Initally I was planning on doing the Rev3 half at Quassy and the Patriot half. The positives to these two races is Patriot is $50 cheaper than most of M-Dot 70.3 races and Rev3 is in my own backyard so that cuts out a hotel. . Essentially I would spend the first half of my season building base and then work on going fast for the mid portion of it and then maybe race Montauk or Long Course Nationals to close it out. I wasn't planning on being able to get into an Ironman but when I saw that Ironman Louisville still had spots after Christmas I figured I would go for it.
So now I need to try to break my season down to be at optimal performance for August, which now has me wondering if I should break my season down further. Enter my inner coach.
My inner coach is saying well Rev3 or Patriot would be a good option and I should do Providence 70.3 as it falls in mid-July and would give me a good last warm up before Louisville. The problem Providence is more expensive than Patriot, and would require at least a one night hotel stay, and from experience a hotel for 2 nights in Providence would cost me the same as 4 nights with a rental car in Louisville.
I consulted another area athlete who has her degree in this stuff, essentially her call was play it by ear, and if I decided to race Providence to use it as a training race. $500 between race entry and hotel for a weekend in RI sounds like an expensive tab for a training day, so it looks like I maybe creating my own LD training race in mid July. Likewise I do have some shorter distance races that I usually do on the schedule. The Griskus Sprint like always, is on the list and my goal for that race is to try to top 15 as I was in the top 25 last year. I may go back up to Holliston and race my girlfriend's hometown Sprint, granted they shortened the distance, and I was thinking about going back to Park City to avenge a disappointing finish from last year. Ideally I want to do 5 races the thing I need to decide are which ones.
R.D.
Ok for the first in nearly two years I'm trying to plan out a season. Last year was crazy as I was trying to figure out if the Navy was going to take me, plus some crazy life issues. Now I've signed up for another Ironman. Now this time my Ironman will be different. In 2008 and 2009 Ironman New Zealand was my season opener. I essentially spent four months training with no races on my schedule. This year Ironman Kentucky is toward the end of my season, which now means I have to give thought into what races I should enter as qualifying for Kona is my ultimate goal. Now in a normal year I usually do 2 halfs, 2 olympics and 2 or 3 sprints. I know my body is capable of doing 3-4 halves but with the Ironman I have to watch my finances as well as my body as doing 140.6 miles in the peak of my season is a whole new ball game.
So 2011 has my inner coach fighting the inner accountant.
Initally I was planning on doing the Rev3 half at Quassy and the Patriot half. The positives to these two races is Patriot is $50 cheaper than most of M-Dot 70.3 races and Rev3 is in my own backyard so that cuts out a hotel. . Essentially I would spend the first half of my season building base and then work on going fast for the mid portion of it and then maybe race Montauk or Long Course Nationals to close it out. I wasn't planning on being able to get into an Ironman but when I saw that Ironman Louisville still had spots after Christmas I figured I would go for it.
So now I need to try to break my season down to be at optimal performance for August, which now has me wondering if I should break my season down further. Enter my inner coach.
My inner coach is saying well Rev3 or Patriot would be a good option and I should do Providence 70.3 as it falls in mid-July and would give me a good last warm up before Louisville. The problem Providence is more expensive than Patriot, and would require at least a one night hotel stay, and from experience a hotel for 2 nights in Providence would cost me the same as 4 nights with a rental car in Louisville.
I consulted another area athlete who has her degree in this stuff, essentially her call was play it by ear, and if I decided to race Providence to use it as a training race. $500 between race entry and hotel for a weekend in RI sounds like an expensive tab for a training day, so it looks like I maybe creating my own LD training race in mid July. Likewise I do have some shorter distance races that I usually do on the schedule. The Griskus Sprint like always, is on the list and my goal for that race is to try to top 15 as I was in the top 25 last year. I may go back up to Holliston and race my girlfriend's hometown Sprint, granted they shortened the distance, and I was thinking about going back to Park City to avenge a disappointing finish from last year. Ideally I want to do 5 races the thing I need to decide are which ones.
R.D.
Friday, February 4, 2011
Here we go again...
Well I finally committed to my third Ironman and this time it's a little closer to home.
Yep that's right I signed up for Ironman Kentucky. I've heard some good things from my teammates from HEAT who have done it in year's past. There will be somethings I'll have to get used to, first of all this will be the first Iron distance race I've done measured in miles, likewise it will be the first Ironman where I'll be biking on the right side of the road, and oh yes it falls in the middle of a good ol' hot and humid southern summer. The heat isn't serving as a deterrent as I've raced well in the heat. I nearly got a Kona slot a Eagleman a while back and I managed to podium in my age group last year at the Griskus. If I make sure I'm slathered in a good layer of sunscreen I should be fine. The other major change is this time my Ironman will be toward the end of my season instead of the beginning. Ironman New Zealand served as my season opener in 2008 and 2009, I put in training but had no races for nearly 4 months before, it will be interesting to see how I'll perform after a few races and nearly 6 months of training instead of the "Clyde Crashcup School of Ironman Training." I'm hoping that I'll be able to get that coveted Kona slot granted my fear is I don't want to burn my legs out early in the season. Likewise last season I didn't do anything longer than an olympic distance try or any runs over 20 miles. So there will be some more time spent in the weight room this winter trying to build my legs and core likewise I'm been putting in some marathon treadmill sessions, so mentally and physically I'll think I'll be tough enough to get this thing done.
So breakout the Bourbon Boys Bobby's going to Louisville
R.D.
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Thinking about Ironman and other things
Well, my deepest apologies for not posting in a while. It's just been hard to post with the job, Christmas shopping, and the million other things in life that get in the way.
On the training front things are going well. I'm starting to get back into a routine. I'm averaging nearly 9-10k yards swimming per week. I'm trying to get back on to the trainer, likewise I'm running 2-3 times a week, although the sub freezing temperatures of the New England Winter have kept me limited so far. Wednesday I managed to do a pretty killer workout on the treadmill. It was 52 minutes long ( I was hoping for one hour but accidently hit the stop button.) I was doing it as an interval session. 4 minutes at 7.5mph or 8min/ mile pace followed by 4 minutes at 9.0 miles per hour of 6:40/mile pace. It felt good as it was the first speed work I had done since a 10k road race on Thanksgiving. Tomorrow I'm hoping to take advantage of warm temperatures to get a long run in, during a rain storm, because the temperatures are expected to go back into the frigid zone.
Throughout most of this year I have been thinking about the mindset and training I did when I was doing the Ironman in 2008 and 2009. Those years I trained like an animal through the cold, the darkness and the bad weather. I looked at my American Airlines frequent flier miles and I had a bunch I had to use up since my last trek to New Zealand. So I cashed them in for a one way flight to Louisville ( I will have to buy a return flight.) The goal is that I will hopefully have enough of my income tax check leftover and there will still be entry spots left over to get me into Ironman Kentucky. I've already been number crunching the flight would cost about $150, hotel and rental car would come to $606, I'm debating whether or not to use tri bike transport, but booked my flight out of LaGuardia on a larger plane in case I decide to hoof the bike with me. So my training will take an Ironman focus.
Likewise I've been trying to figure out what to do with myself. The Navy hasn't gotten back to me so I've started taking a look at what I want to do with my life. As much as I would like to go back to school part of me is wondering would it be worth the expense. A few people have told me to get into triathlon coaching. While part of me would be excited to do it, the other part of me is like am I skilled enough? Let's face it I train low tech, I race low tech, I'm not a pro, I've never won anything overall, I don't have degrees in biology, or exercise science. Part of me wonders am I qualified to be a coach? I mean people listen to me when I give little pieces of advice but would someone trust me if I'm asking for cash for it? Maybe I second guess myself too much, but despite my passion for the sport I just don't know if people would trust me to coach them without a pro card, or race win on my resume, but I haven't discounted it completely. For now I have holiday gifts to get and details to iron out, but more maybe coming on this coaching idea.
R.D.
On the training front things are going well. I'm starting to get back into a routine. I'm averaging nearly 9-10k yards swimming per week. I'm trying to get back on to the trainer, likewise I'm running 2-3 times a week, although the sub freezing temperatures of the New England Winter have kept me limited so far. Wednesday I managed to do a pretty killer workout on the treadmill. It was 52 minutes long ( I was hoping for one hour but accidently hit the stop button.) I was doing it as an interval session. 4 minutes at 7.5mph or 8min/ mile pace followed by 4 minutes at 9.0 miles per hour of 6:40/mile pace. It felt good as it was the first speed work I had done since a 10k road race on Thanksgiving. Tomorrow I'm hoping to take advantage of warm temperatures to get a long run in, during a rain storm, because the temperatures are expected to go back into the frigid zone.
Throughout most of this year I have been thinking about the mindset and training I did when I was doing the Ironman in 2008 and 2009. Those years I trained like an animal through the cold, the darkness and the bad weather. I looked at my American Airlines frequent flier miles and I had a bunch I had to use up since my last trek to New Zealand. So I cashed them in for a one way flight to Louisville ( I will have to buy a return flight.) The goal is that I will hopefully have enough of my income tax check leftover and there will still be entry spots left over to get me into Ironman Kentucky. I've already been number crunching the flight would cost about $150, hotel and rental car would come to $606, I'm debating whether or not to use tri bike transport, but booked my flight out of LaGuardia on a larger plane in case I decide to hoof the bike with me. So my training will take an Ironman focus.
Likewise I've been trying to figure out what to do with myself. The Navy hasn't gotten back to me so I've started taking a look at what I want to do with my life. As much as I would like to go back to school part of me is wondering would it be worth the expense. A few people have told me to get into triathlon coaching. While part of me would be excited to do it, the other part of me is like am I skilled enough? Let's face it I train low tech, I race low tech, I'm not a pro, I've never won anything overall, I don't have degrees in biology, or exercise science. Part of me wonders am I qualified to be a coach? I mean people listen to me when I give little pieces of advice but would someone trust me if I'm asking for cash for it? Maybe I second guess myself too much, but despite my passion for the sport I just don't know if people would trust me to coach them without a pro card, or race win on my resume, but I haven't discounted it completely. For now I have holiday gifts to get and details to iron out, but more maybe coming on this coaching idea.
R.D.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Hard week of training: Reflections
The journey of 1000 miles begins with one step- Chinese Proverb.
This week kicked off the begining of my training for 2011 season 1 race is on the list so far The Rev 3 Half at Quassy. This race is in my backyard so much of the next 18 months will be spent getting myself acquainted with it's lay out. I've already started joking with some training partners I should toe the line at this bitch wearing Under Armour with " Protect this House" etched on the back. Essentially this race in one my normal hunting grounds so I have some homefield advantage. It's like living in Kona and doing repeats of the Energy Lab, you can work the hardest parts of the course and get prepared for what it's going to take to perform.
So needless to say I've been spending alot of time in Middlebury. I also took a good hard look in the mirror and a good hard look at the scale. I'm pushing a heavy race weight, I've been training like garbarge and eating like garbage because I've been feeling like garbarge, and quite frankly that garbarge has got to stop. So this week I wrote a training plan and decided to stick to it. I managed to swim about 10,000 yards in a week for the first time in months. On the running front: I did two 9milers and about a 12 miler on the Rev3 course this week. The 12 miler came on a 90 degree day. As I cranked out the miles, that video in my head started playing that one that always comes out when I'm running the one where I'm in Kona and I'm going to win the damn thing. Now maybe it's only a dream, but I felt pretty damn strong as I ran along. I got out of my daydream and I started taking notes of what race day will be like at Rev, I started making notes of how I felt in different sections. Trying to make notes of hills, pavement quality and how I felt. I did pretty well on the first 8 mile stretch, it's well marked and shares part of the route with the Pat Griskus Sprint Bike loop. I ended up taking a wrong turn at about mile 10 and ended up on the back half of the old run loop/ Griskus Tri Run loop. I was feeling pretty tight and running out of water so I finshed on the route I was going on. I managed to get the 11.5-12 miles out in about an 1:43. Not blazing for a race pace but pretty damn good for training day.
Today my buddy Alex and I went for a 72 mile bike ride from Middlebury up to Lake Waramaug. I think I still have a bad habit of going too hard to early, as my legs were pretty fried by the last 10 miles. The loop was pretty challenging as we rode the back half of the Old Lake Waramaug tri route. The race has changed venues but I still remember the old route, and the hills are just as tough. The loop took you around the lake and then up a short steep hill by the golf course then down hill to a flat section before you climbed another short little wall and then shot back around the lake. We then rode up into Bantam and around Bantam Lake and got back on the the Griskus Olympic route and finshed off the ride. Things went pretty well except for some toatsy legs and a frightening flat. As Alex and I were heading down a pretty fast downhill in Washington at about 35 miles per hour my front wheel felt funny, I could feel a lot of vibration, and the bike became harder to control. The front tire went flat. I immediately began feathering the brakes, to slow down as the tire lost air, hoping it would stay on the rim. I switched to using just the back brakes to stop on flat road as I felt myself losing control, and nearly took a header. I unclipped called for Alex who was about 200 meters up at a stop sign, to let him know I didn't beef it. We changed the tire and got the rest of the ride done with with no further incident. On the cycling milestone note: This was the first flat I've gotten on a ride that I was able to change on the road and salvaged a ride finish.
While Rev is on the list and I'm still waiting to hear from the Navy, I debating Ironman again. I'm not planning on going anywhere crazy or exotic this time around granted I do want to head back to Taupo eventally, but I've been noticing IM Louisville hasn't sold out yet. Part of me is tempted. Likewise it's late season one of the last races before the Kona Qualifying cut off. Part of me is screaming do it, another part is saying "hold your horses cowboy...remember what happened the last time you went with your gut. You had some good racing but buried yourself in debt, and eventually you do want to buy a house, marry, possibily pop out 1.5 offspring..." I'm stuck on this decision do I go with the idealistic dreams of a boy or the wisdom of a man.
I mean I know I could get a good flight deal out there with those IM NZ induced frequent flier miles I need to redeem by Decemeber, but now I've got X-factors, a girlfriend, a more important job, hefty bills, hopefully a place. Real life that surpasses the fantasy. One of my training partners was saying to me after the Griskus Sprint where I was in the top 30, "You're getting to a point where you're becoming a contender. If you bring your "A-game" you might actually have a shot to win some of these local things." I shrugged it off but he went a little further " Seriously you're doing this well with no coach, old equipment, just think of how you would do it if you could take this a little more seriously." "Dude I can barley afford my car note let alone a coach." I retorted. "Have you thought about tracking down some sponsors? Seriously you're reaching a point where either you'll be the local guy who top 20's every year or you could go beyond where you could be a serious threat." As much as I wanted to block his rationale out of my head I couldn't. One of my dreams has always been to go pro, and for the first time this summer I was really beginning to think it was just a stupid dream, I'd been left homeless, was getting hounded for money I didn't have essentially the whole idea of taking $50-$100 of my paycheck and tossing it down so I could play speed demon was feeling kind of pointless. ParkCity didn't go well, I took a little break essentially just running and swimming to stay in shape, essentially this whole year has been about just trying to stay fit while I'm in holding pattern. And then two weeks ago I looked in the mirror I was looking fat and lazy. I read through some blog posts, looked at some of my race photos, and looked at my races from this year...nothing Long. Next year that changes.
Everyone keeps telling me Kona will be there when I'm older but quite frankly I don't know if I'm going to be there when I'm older. Eventally I will have to grow up and become a respectable, mature responsible adult...whatever that is..... If I'm going to make a run at it it has to be before I'm 30 because essentially in the 30+ age groups I'm going to need pro speed to get a slot. So I'm debating do I go to KY and give it a go....
Until then let the flogging continue until morale improves.
R.D.
This week kicked off the begining of my training for 2011 season 1 race is on the list so far The Rev 3 Half at Quassy. This race is in my backyard so much of the next 18 months will be spent getting myself acquainted with it's lay out. I've already started joking with some training partners I should toe the line at this bitch wearing Under Armour with " Protect this House" etched on the back. Essentially this race in one my normal hunting grounds so I have some homefield advantage. It's like living in Kona and doing repeats of the Energy Lab, you can work the hardest parts of the course and get prepared for what it's going to take to perform.
So needless to say I've been spending alot of time in Middlebury. I also took a good hard look in the mirror and a good hard look at the scale. I'm pushing a heavy race weight, I've been training like garbarge and eating like garbage because I've been feeling like garbarge, and quite frankly that garbarge has got to stop. So this week I wrote a training plan and decided to stick to it. I managed to swim about 10,000 yards in a week for the first time in months. On the running front: I did two 9milers and about a 12 miler on the Rev3 course this week. The 12 miler came on a 90 degree day. As I cranked out the miles, that video in my head started playing that one that always comes out when I'm running the one where I'm in Kona and I'm going to win the damn thing. Now maybe it's only a dream, but I felt pretty damn strong as I ran along. I got out of my daydream and I started taking notes of what race day will be like at Rev, I started making notes of how I felt in different sections. Trying to make notes of hills, pavement quality and how I felt. I did pretty well on the first 8 mile stretch, it's well marked and shares part of the route with the Pat Griskus Sprint Bike loop. I ended up taking a wrong turn at about mile 10 and ended up on the back half of the old run loop/ Griskus Tri Run loop. I was feeling pretty tight and running out of water so I finshed on the route I was going on. I managed to get the 11.5-12 miles out in about an 1:43. Not blazing for a race pace but pretty damn good for training day.
Today my buddy Alex and I went for a 72 mile bike ride from Middlebury up to Lake Waramaug. I think I still have a bad habit of going too hard to early, as my legs were pretty fried by the last 10 miles. The loop was pretty challenging as we rode the back half of the Old Lake Waramaug tri route. The race has changed venues but I still remember the old route, and the hills are just as tough. The loop took you around the lake and then up a short steep hill by the golf course then down hill to a flat section before you climbed another short little wall and then shot back around the lake. We then rode up into Bantam and around Bantam Lake and got back on the the Griskus Olympic route and finshed off the ride. Things went pretty well except for some toatsy legs and a frightening flat. As Alex and I were heading down a pretty fast downhill in Washington at about 35 miles per hour my front wheel felt funny, I could feel a lot of vibration, and the bike became harder to control. The front tire went flat. I immediately began feathering the brakes, to slow down as the tire lost air, hoping it would stay on the rim. I switched to using just the back brakes to stop on flat road as I felt myself losing control, and nearly took a header. I unclipped called for Alex who was about 200 meters up at a stop sign, to let him know I didn't beef it. We changed the tire and got the rest of the ride done with with no further incident. On the cycling milestone note: This was the first flat I've gotten on a ride that I was able to change on the road and salvaged a ride finish.
While Rev is on the list and I'm still waiting to hear from the Navy, I debating Ironman again. I'm not planning on going anywhere crazy or exotic this time around granted I do want to head back to Taupo eventally, but I've been noticing IM Louisville hasn't sold out yet. Part of me is tempted. Likewise it's late season one of the last races before the Kona Qualifying cut off. Part of me is screaming do it, another part is saying "hold your horses cowboy...remember what happened the last time you went with your gut. You had some good racing but buried yourself in debt, and eventually you do want to buy a house, marry, possibily pop out 1.5 offspring..." I'm stuck on this decision do I go with the idealistic dreams of a boy or the wisdom of a man.
I mean I know I could get a good flight deal out there with those IM NZ induced frequent flier miles I need to redeem by Decemeber, but now I've got X-factors, a girlfriend, a more important job, hefty bills, hopefully a place. Real life that surpasses the fantasy. One of my training partners was saying to me after the Griskus Sprint where I was in the top 30, "You're getting to a point where you're becoming a contender. If you bring your "A-game" you might actually have a shot to win some of these local things." I shrugged it off but he went a little further " Seriously you're doing this well with no coach, old equipment, just think of how you would do it if you could take this a little more seriously." "Dude I can barley afford my car note let alone a coach." I retorted. "Have you thought about tracking down some sponsors? Seriously you're reaching a point where either you'll be the local guy who top 20's every year or you could go beyond where you could be a serious threat." As much as I wanted to block his rationale out of my head I couldn't. One of my dreams has always been to go pro, and for the first time this summer I was really beginning to think it was just a stupid dream, I'd been left homeless, was getting hounded for money I didn't have essentially the whole idea of taking $50-$100 of my paycheck and tossing it down so I could play speed demon was feeling kind of pointless. ParkCity didn't go well, I took a little break essentially just running and swimming to stay in shape, essentially this whole year has been about just trying to stay fit while I'm in holding pattern. And then two weeks ago I looked in the mirror I was looking fat and lazy. I read through some blog posts, looked at some of my race photos, and looked at my races from this year...nothing Long. Next year that changes.
Everyone keeps telling me Kona will be there when I'm older but quite frankly I don't know if I'm going to be there when I'm older. Eventally I will have to grow up and become a respectable, mature responsible adult...whatever that is..... If I'm going to make a run at it it has to be before I'm 30 because essentially in the 30+ age groups I'm going to need pro speed to get a slot. So I'm debating do I go to KY and give it a go....
Until then let the flogging continue until morale improves.
R.D.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
I'm alive but my net connection isn't....
Well for those people left that still happen to read my blog....I'm sorry. My parent's intenet is currently down at the moment and my corporate minions have blocked me from the blogosphere at work. Apparently posts on my weekend 70 mile rides are inversely proportional to my checking account and credit card refferal capabilities....or something like that.
Irregardless, there will be fewer blog posts for the time being. I'm still racing I'm still training and I'm still trying to follow when ever I can get my self to an unblocked computer.
Currently my life is revolving around running and trying to get a job with Trek. The postion with Trek is doing travel logisitics...this should be cake for a guy who spends every waking moment planning and replanning where to race his next ironman right. So I'm sending in my cover letter, fine tuning my resume and writing my reference letters ( the people I aksed to write them for me gave me the ol' you write it we'll sign it routine....which is kinda frustrating because I have to sned this app via email.) so hopefully this will go well and I'll be sporting the Stomper 2.0 a sexy fast TTX time trial get up next season...after training out west, down under and in the old country... So hopefully....hopefully this will go well.
On the race front part of me was considering either doing the Hartford Marathon or Nutmegman...my legs really aren't looking forward to the hills on the bike so I'm thinking I'll save myself some dinero and just run Hartford. But we'll see Also good luck to Judi and my buddy Tony from HEAT racing in Louisville this weekend. Kick some ass take some names and may a cold front pass through the night before the race and make the heat tolerable. Also to anyone rocking Ironman Canada good luck and kick ass.
Also if I con't get to an internet connection before then Bullet Good Luck at Plymouth Rock.
Alright the college student next to me really wants her laptop back.
Living in the Dark ages
R.D.
Irregardless, there will be fewer blog posts for the time being. I'm still racing I'm still training and I'm still trying to follow when ever I can get my self to an unblocked computer.
Currently my life is revolving around running and trying to get a job with Trek. The postion with Trek is doing travel logisitics...this should be cake for a guy who spends every waking moment planning and replanning where to race his next ironman right. So I'm sending in my cover letter, fine tuning my resume and writing my reference letters ( the people I aksed to write them for me gave me the ol' you write it we'll sign it routine....which is kinda frustrating because I have to sned this app via email.) so hopefully this will go well and I'll be sporting the Stomper 2.0 a sexy fast TTX time trial get up next season...after training out west, down under and in the old country... So hopefully....hopefully this will go well.
On the race front part of me was considering either doing the Hartford Marathon or Nutmegman...my legs really aren't looking forward to the hills on the bike so I'm thinking I'll save myself some dinero and just run Hartford. But we'll see Also good luck to Judi and my buddy Tony from HEAT racing in Louisville this weekend. Kick some ass take some names and may a cold front pass through the night before the race and make the heat tolerable. Also to anyone rocking Ironman Canada good luck and kick ass.
Also if I con't get to an internet connection before then Bullet Good Luck at Plymouth Rock.
Alright the college student next to me really wants her laptop back.
Living in the Dark ages
R.D.
Friday, November 21, 2008
Lots of Sound and Fury and I'm back to stage one.
" You, Change your mind, like a girl, changes clothes"- Katie Perry.
Well after looking at my Fiscal Situation I'm not going to be able to put Forward an Ironman Entry until January. So in essence I'm back to square one with my race planning for 2009. Which leaves me with 3 viable options for a 2009 Ironman.
1. Arizona or Florida via community fund:
Pros:
Help out the local community.
My race entry becomes a tax deduction.
Race with Bjoern and have a mini Ironwar. ( Arizona only.)
Race with Gary and have an Ironwar..well not as intense because he's in a different age bracket.(Florida only.)
Course is gradual climbs and gradual descents. (Arizona)
Course is Flat as a pancake.( Florida)
All of 2009 to train.
Kona slot carries over to 2010, which means I don't need to burn cash on a qualifier in 2010.
Cons:
$1300 price tag.
After tallying all the other associated costs, I might as well have done New Zealand.
Kona Slot carries over to 2010...which means I'm in a more competitive bracket...ouch!
WheelSuckeris North Americanis is known to thrive in Panama City.
Californians and Floridians are bred for triathlon.
2. Ironman Kentucky through general entry or community fund, depending on what's left.
Pros:
Cheaper than Arizona ( $525 if GE slots are left, only $1000 if I go via the community fund.)
Decent terrain for the bike course.
I can get notes from Tony, Bree Wee and John Hirsch.
Race with Judi.
Cons:
Summer in the South ...Hot, humid, "if you find yourself in warm fields then you're already dead..from dehydration."
Ohio River has that nice nuclear waste after taste.
3. Ironman New Zealand.
Pros:
Been there. Done that. Got the T-Shirt! I know what it takes to Get R Done!
Temps are fairly mild 60s-70s F ( 15-25C).
Get to see Catherine and some of my NZ wrecking crew.
Airfaire is dropping faster than my 401k's value.
Great Exchange rate $1 NZD = $0.53 USD
25th Anniversary.
Course is slightly rolling, like Connecticut
Cons:
My airfare costs about as much as entering a US race via the Community fund.
Ironman ready in 4 no make that 3 months?
I'd have to buy a bike case ....Boo!
Did I mention those 3 months are in winter ...double boo!
My 401k's value is dropping!
Wind..Blows...and by Wind I mean that 20mph head wind we had last year was a slight breeze compared to what this bitch can dish out.
Aussies and Kiwis are bio-engineered in secret labs for Triathlon.
Roads are rough and will make your hands go numb from vibration...like Connecticut.
Well in deciding which Iron I'll do next year I have a lot of factors to look at. Although I did mention Ironman Kentucky last year so maybe I have a self fulfilling prophecy....to quote Bree, Maybe "I'll get lucky in Kentucky."
I'm also starting to get some Jedi freaking mind tricks to go to Florida in Jan. to run a certian Marathon at a certain kingdom, with a certain racer of high velocity, two runners with cantankerous attitudes and a Canadian speed demon. Don't know if that will happen but it could.
So in essence 2009 is up in the air...
Changing his mind by the minute.
R.D.
Well after looking at my Fiscal Situation I'm not going to be able to put Forward an Ironman Entry until January. So in essence I'm back to square one with my race planning for 2009. Which leaves me with 3 viable options for a 2009 Ironman.
1. Arizona or Florida via community fund:
Pros:
Help out the local community.
My race entry becomes a tax deduction.
Race with Bjoern and have a mini Ironwar. ( Arizona only.)
Race with Gary and have an Ironwar..well not as intense because he's in a different age bracket.(Florida only.)
Course is gradual climbs and gradual descents. (Arizona)
Course is Flat as a pancake.( Florida)
All of 2009 to train.
Kona slot carries over to 2010, which means I don't need to burn cash on a qualifier in 2010.
Cons:
$1300 price tag.
After tallying all the other associated costs, I might as well have done New Zealand.
Kona Slot carries over to 2010...which means I'm in a more competitive bracket...ouch!
WheelSuckeris North Americanis is known to thrive in Panama City.
Californians and Floridians are bred for triathlon.
2. Ironman Kentucky through general entry or community fund, depending on what's left.
Pros:
Cheaper than Arizona ( $525 if GE slots are left, only $1000 if I go via the community fund.)
Decent terrain for the bike course.
I can get notes from Tony, Bree Wee and John Hirsch.
Race with Judi.
Cons:
Summer in the South ...Hot, humid, "if you find yourself in warm fields then you're already dead..from dehydration."
Ohio River has that nice nuclear waste after taste.
3. Ironman New Zealand.
Pros:
Been there. Done that. Got the T-Shirt! I know what it takes to Get R Done!
Temps are fairly mild 60s-70s F ( 15-25C).
Get to see Catherine and some of my NZ wrecking crew.
Airfaire is dropping faster than my 401k's value.
Great Exchange rate $1 NZD = $0.53 USD
25th Anniversary.
Course is slightly rolling, like Connecticut
Cons:
My airfare costs about as much as entering a US race via the Community fund.
Ironman ready in 4 no make that 3 months?
I'd have to buy a bike case ....Boo!
Did I mention those 3 months are in winter ...double boo!
My 401k's value is dropping!
Wind..Blows...and by Wind I mean that 20mph head wind we had last year was a slight breeze compared to what this bitch can dish out.
Aussies and Kiwis are bio-engineered in secret labs for Triathlon.
Roads are rough and will make your hands go numb from vibration...like Connecticut.
Well in deciding which Iron I'll do next year I have a lot of factors to look at. Although I did mention Ironman Kentucky last year so maybe I have a self fulfilling prophecy....to quote Bree, Maybe "I'll get lucky in Kentucky."
I'm also starting to get some Jedi freaking mind tricks to go to Florida in Jan. to run a certian Marathon at a certain kingdom, with a certain racer of high velocity, two runners with cantankerous attitudes and a Canadian speed demon. Don't know if that will happen but it could.
So in essence 2009 is up in the air...
Changing his mind by the minute.
R.D.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
What I want to accomplish in 2009.
2008 was over ambitious on many levels , I know I said it a million times but here's a million and one. The main goal for me in 08 was to do some big name races and hopefully get to my ultimate objective: Kona. Unfortunately life stresses, made what should have been an awesome season a living nightmare. By the time I DNFed at Nutmegman I was glad for it to be over. With the collapse of what could best be described as a "pipe dream" to do IM New Zealand in 2009, and deciding bills are more important than entry in to Arizona, 2009 is not looking like it's going to be a busy year. Part of me is thinking a back to the minors approach is probably best, But ideally I'd like to race 2 or 3 local sprints/Olys, a couple half irons and an iron entered through either a training pack or a community fund slot. The goals for 2009 same as 2008 try to get to Kona or die trying.
For 2010 I want to go back and race in Taupo. Hopefully I'll have picked up a better paying job, or will at least have graduated so at the worst case I can work max hours at the bank, and pick up 2 or 3 side gigs, maybe I'll have a break out next season and actually pick up a pro card and sponsorship ( unlikely but I can dream.) and can make racing in New Zealand a reality, although maybe I should agree with most people and realize that that race was a once in a lifetime deal.
Another part of me is sitting here listening to the fiscal forecasts for the next decade and when the broadcasters are posting a list of " the following pets are great sources of protein." It hits home the fact that I'm a poor kid in the rich kids' sandbox, and chances for mobility are limited. My aunt always shouts out to me "be lucky you got a job Bobby many people ain't go no job." Part of me realizes that I've sacrificed a lot in career mobility to get a BA which might be worth little more than toilet paper or a fire starter. Part of me is thinking that maybe that happiness the sport gives me most of the time isn't worth it. That I should go into the Depression era mindset of "anything to make a buck." That anything that does not have a financial reward isn't worth working for. That relationships, races, family outings , are all distractions from the ultimate goal of dying as the kid with the most cake, or in this case cash. And then I stop myself. I remember how miserable I was when I was working 75 hours a week. Sure the money was good, but I had no life, I had no time for anything other than work. My job defined me as a person. I was not Bob, Rob, Bobby, insert name here..I was that kid at the bank, or the game shop, or that ass hole who wouldn't cash your check or give you a full refund because you bought Fantavision and it sucked balls. ( note to anyone with a PS2 or old school X-box don't buy Fantavision ( Activison's bootleg version of tetris.) it sucks balls.) I was nothing other than my job and my lust for money is what drove me, I took abuse I dished some out, I was absolutely miserable except for the days I was able to get a day off or get out early and train. So I've always been caught in a paradox. When I've had the money to be able to race how I want I haven't had the time to train and I've had the time haven't had the cash. Hopefully this BA will at least be able to put me in a spot where I can achieve a happy medium that I can get ( and hopefully keep) a decent paying gig so I can pay back some debts, enter some more races, travel, in essence do what I want to do with life. So that is the ultimate goal for 09...get myself into a better position because just like Fantavison, most of 2008 sucked balls.
Edit #1
Well Ironman Kentucky is looking like a good back up as there are still general entry slots available so that will save me some coin. Also maybe if the Angry Posse's trip to Moehgan turns out to be uber profitable NZ could still happen...alright I'm talking like a crazy person but with gas prices tumbling ( boo-yah OPEC.) airfare is dropping like my 401k value. Like I said Jan. will be my official announcement on which IM I'm doing if any. And Yes Claire I will block air New Zealand on my internet browser.
To a better and more prosperous 2009.
R.D.
For 2010 I want to go back and race in Taupo. Hopefully I'll have picked up a better paying job, or will at least have graduated so at the worst case I can work max hours at the bank, and pick up 2 or 3 side gigs, maybe I'll have a break out next season and actually pick up a pro card and sponsorship ( unlikely but I can dream.) and can make racing in New Zealand a reality, although maybe I should agree with most people and realize that that race was a once in a lifetime deal.
Another part of me is sitting here listening to the fiscal forecasts for the next decade and when the broadcasters are posting a list of " the following pets are great sources of protein." It hits home the fact that I'm a poor kid in the rich kids' sandbox, and chances for mobility are limited. My aunt always shouts out to me "be lucky you got a job Bobby many people ain't go no job." Part of me realizes that I've sacrificed a lot in career mobility to get a BA which might be worth little more than toilet paper or a fire starter. Part of me is thinking that maybe that happiness the sport gives me most of the time isn't worth it. That I should go into the Depression era mindset of "anything to make a buck." That anything that does not have a financial reward isn't worth working for. That relationships, races, family outings , are all distractions from the ultimate goal of dying as the kid with the most cake, or in this case cash. And then I stop myself. I remember how miserable I was when I was working 75 hours a week. Sure the money was good, but I had no life, I had no time for anything other than work. My job defined me as a person. I was not Bob, Rob, Bobby, insert name here..I was that kid at the bank, or the game shop, or that ass hole who wouldn't cash your check or give you a full refund because you bought Fantavision and it sucked balls. ( note to anyone with a PS2 or old school X-box don't buy Fantavision ( Activison's bootleg version of tetris.) it sucks balls.) I was nothing other than my job and my lust for money is what drove me, I took abuse I dished some out, I was absolutely miserable except for the days I was able to get a day off or get out early and train. So I've always been caught in a paradox. When I've had the money to be able to race how I want I haven't had the time to train and I've had the time haven't had the cash. Hopefully this BA will at least be able to put me in a spot where I can achieve a happy medium that I can get ( and hopefully keep) a decent paying gig so I can pay back some debts, enter some more races, travel, in essence do what I want to do with life. So that is the ultimate goal for 09...get myself into a better position because just like Fantavison, most of 2008 sucked balls.
Edit #1
Well Ironman Kentucky is looking like a good back up as there are still general entry slots available so that will save me some coin. Also maybe if the Angry Posse's trip to Moehgan turns out to be uber profitable NZ could still happen...alright I'm talking like a crazy person but with gas prices tumbling ( boo-yah OPEC.) airfare is dropping like my 401k value. Like I said Jan. will be my official announcement on which IM I'm doing if any. And Yes Claire I will block air New Zealand on my internet browser.
To a better and more prosperous 2009.
R.D.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Life and Death
"get busy living, or get busy dying." - Shawshank Redemption
Well Today was supposed to hold on tap a long ride and a long day of tracking friends and fellow bloggers racing IM KY. ( As of right now Tony L is still running.) John Hirsch finished 11th overall 10th inthe pro men with a time of 9:37.02.
Bree Wee managed to avenge her DNF in Canada last weekend with a stellar preformance, including the day's fastest bike split. She finished 9th among the pro women with a time of 10:48.25 good enough for 92nd overall.
I will post an edit on Tony's status as I recieve splits.
Sadly this day has been overshadowed by the passing of my Memere ( Grandmother )@ rougly 4:00AM this morning. While part of me is a little sad at her passing, it is a welcome relief that her 3 year battle with Alzheimer's is finally over, and somewhere on the other side she is whole again. ( although she will probably haunt us for some of the pictures we chose to show at the wake. If metal spoons ( yes metal, she broke the wooden one on my dad.) start flying across the room, we'll know it was because we chose to show the picture of her grade school graduation, or her pic from the convent, ( yes my Pepere ( Grandfather) had cajones he pulled a girl out of the convent back in the 50's. Angry, possible strategy?) The next few days are going to be a little hectic, with work, school and a funeral in the mix, but I'll get through. So all in all there was no training today, but with everything going into hurry up offense at 4AM I won't really hold it against myself.
It's been a hell of a day.
R.D.
Edit: Tony L finished in 13:00.35 looking at the run split, it looks like the heat took its toll on him, but a hell of an effort to finish.
Well Today was supposed to hold on tap a long ride and a long day of tracking friends and fellow bloggers racing IM KY. ( As of right now Tony L is still running.) John Hirsch finished 11th overall 10th inthe pro men with a time of 9:37.02.
Bree Wee managed to avenge her DNF in Canada last weekend with a stellar preformance, including the day's fastest bike split. She finished 9th among the pro women with a time of 10:48.25 good enough for 92nd overall.
I will post an edit on Tony's status as I recieve splits.
Sadly this day has been overshadowed by the passing of my Memere ( Grandmother )@ rougly 4:00AM this morning. While part of me is a little sad at her passing, it is a welcome relief that her 3 year battle with Alzheimer's is finally over, and somewhere on the other side she is whole again. ( although she will probably haunt us for some of the pictures we chose to show at the wake. If metal spoons ( yes metal, she broke the wooden one on my dad.) start flying across the room, we'll know it was because we chose to show the picture of her grade school graduation, or her pic from the convent, ( yes my Pepere ( Grandfather) had cajones he pulled a girl out of the convent back in the 50's. Angry, possible strategy?) The next few days are going to be a little hectic, with work, school and a funeral in the mix, but I'll get through. So all in all there was no training today, but with everything going into hurry up offense at 4AM I won't really hold it against myself.
It's been a hell of a day.
R.D.
Edit: Tony L finished in 13:00.35 looking at the run split, it looks like the heat took its toll on him, but a hell of an effort to finish.
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