Embracing the multisport lifestyle is what we're all about at TEAM IRONTOM. Feel free to email at teamirontom@gmail.com. Check out the right-hand column for this year's racing season calendar. On Twitter @irontomasz
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
A CHRISTMAS ADDITION TO TEAM IRONTOM
My wife Stephanie, our 3 yr old son Ryan, and I recently relocated to the UpperValley from Denver, Colorado. My background as a hockey player has done little to prepare me for the world of triathlon! I began running in 2001, completing my first marathon in Tucson, AZ. I trudged along doing half and full marathons until 2005, when a close friend Matt Smith (27th in the world @ Clearwater 70.3this year) convinced me to tri. I signed up for the Boulder Peak & have been hooked ever since, completing my first Ironman at IMAZ in April 2007. This year I am focused on being competitive at both Mooseman & Timberman... and looking forward to making a lot of new tri friends!
Monday, December 3, 2007
JAN'S IRONMAN WORLD CHAMPIOSHIP EXPERIENCE
Jan is bearing Polish national flag before IM Hawaii
Only one more yard to go!!!
With his new friend, Michele JonesNeedless to say, he is itching for more action in Hawaii and Clearwater.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
SILVERMAN 2007
http://forum.slowtwitch.com/gforum.cgi?do=post_view_flat;post=1572597;page=1;mh=-1;;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC
Thursday, November 8, 2007
CLEARWATER 70.3 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
MY HALF MARATHON IN MANCHESTER, NH
It was a pretty hilly course, so my time was slower by about a minute than the only other half marathon I’ve done. In just over 2:01 I was able to finish in the top half of the entire field and just under the half mark in my age group. Overall, I was happy with my finish time and felt pretty strong after crossing the finish line.
I’m contemplating doing the full marathon next year which runs on the same course for the first 13 miles and then continues on to the West Side of Manchester.
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
AND THE WINNER IS?......................
The race was held on Sunday, October 28 in Vorheesville New York, about 20 minutes outside of Albany and was a half-marathon trail race through lovely Thatcher State Park. I had done some training runs up at the park over previous weekends, so felt like I knew what to expect. However, a full day of rain on the Saturday before killed whatever pre-race confidence I had. This would be my first half-marathon atempt (and, actually, my first road race ever), and on what would undoubtedly be a wet and sloppy trail but, as the old Team Irontom motto goes...well, there is no motto. We should work on that.
The race started at a very civil 9:30 in the morning and was, not surprisingly, holloween themed. Volunteers were all in costume, including one person in a full gorilla suit who did take one of my bananas as I went to registration to get my race packet. Now, I have to say right from the start, that for the very reasonable $20 entry fee you got quite a bit. Not only had the volunteers done a lot of work decorating the area (and, as we'll see later, the whole course), but there was a fairly generous gift bag complete with race-logoed socks and pint glass.
Weather wise, I had planned for slightly warmer temperatures and even as the morning moved from 8 a.m. to the time of the race start, it was still a bit chillier than I had hoped. My orignal plan had been 3/4 length compression tights, my TOMs top and arm warmers. With the cooler temperatures, I opted for a long-sleeve jersey over the TOMs top and gave the arm warmers to my wife, who was heading off to the 11 mile marker to pass out water.
The gun (or the siren) went off right around 9:30 and we immediately set off down a banana-strewn grassy field. I know you're supposed to watch out for banana peels, but don't be fooled--they are also treacherous when they have their stuffing. I had positioned myself near the front of the pack and, within 100 yards or so, we hit some single track going through the woods. Here was where I realized that I needed to get around some people if I was going to have any running room and if I was going to be able to settle into my pace. So, even though it was really early out I put on a couple of speed bursts at oportune moments so that I could find some open trail. Within the first mile I had settled into a nice pace following close behind some guy and knowing that there were ten or so people up ahead of me. So, very early on, I asked myself that inevitable question: can I hang on to this for the whole race?
The first real test came around two miles in when we hit a rather steep incline that was made up of loose, wet rock. Not fun. That was a real killer and, knowing that the following 1.5 miles would be uphill I forced myself to go really, really slow, using the guy in front of me as a guide. Eventually the first round of hills was conquered and we hit some nice, flat single track before a long downhill.
As we neared the 5 mile mark, which re-entered the single-track that had started the course, another compeitor caught up to me and, as we neared the end of the first 6 mile loop, was clearly looking to pass. Now, had I known that he was only racing the first 6 miles (which was an option), I would have just let him pass and let him sprint to the finish, so I felt a little bad about that. But, he went on his way to the finish line and I, after some confusion, got put on track to take on the second, \n7.1 mile loop. I had done the first 6 miles in about 42:40, which I was happy with, especially given the very slow hills. My hope was that I could maintain the pace.
The second loop started in another open grassy field. These parts I found to be some of the most exhausting to run in: the ground was soft, the grass was long, and the terrain very uneven. I also saw my original "guide," who had broken away from me a bit, about 200 yards ahead.
For the most part, the early stages of this loop passed uneventfully except that it was a lot wetter than the first loop. It wasn't long before my shoes and socks were soaked with very cold water. Now, I should say here that I had decided to wear my cross-country racing flats for this race. I had trained in them quite a bit, and really liked them, but had never run in them for as long as the race would demand, so I knew there was a real risk. But it was the right decision, mostly because the shoes were so insubstantial they did not hold a lot of water meaning that, even though I was very wet, I did not have that water-logged sloshing shoe feeling. Miles 8-11 were pretty rough. First there was another steep hill to climb, and here I came nearly to a standstill. Second, there was a lot of running on spongy, grassy roads and fields. The upshot, however, was that it was taking its toll on the guy I had been following for the first hour so I was able to pick him up. The worst was when we had to circle this large cornfield--soupy mud, long grass, and uneven ruts made for real slow going. I was also happy to see a couple of bow hunters driving by on four wheelers in full camoflage. "This is not the day to be shooting at moving things," I thought.
After the cornfield, things picked up a bit. We had climbed to the top of a substantial hill and for about 100 yards, had a really spectacular view. I was at mile 10 and generally feeling good. Coming into mile 11, things were looking up. I got a nice cup of water from my costumed wife and was looking at the home stretch which, I knew, had to be mostly down hill. Then the puddle came up. Now, there were lots of puddles on this course, and you could avoid them by either going around them or delicatly hoping over them. There was no getting around this one--about 15 fee across and spanning the whole width of the trail. I slowed a bit to look for a way around and then gave it the ole' college try and just went right through it. Following the puddle there was about 100 feet of solid rock surface to run on, which I found to be pretty treacherous.
The real trouble came as I neared this little footbridge. The script called for me to nimbly step onto the bridge and continue on my way. In reality, I nimbly got my foot caught under the bridge and fell headlong on top of it. I managed to land on my right hand side, mostly on my shoulder and hip. I got up, not really hurt but just a bit dazed, and tried to get myself back together. It was here that another competitor caught me and started racing at my shoulder. Soon he passed on the right. Now, this turned out to be a real godsend. After the fall I realized that I had lost a lot of focus and was stumbling around quite a bit. With someone in front of me, my focus returned. All I had to do was stay at his shoulder and let him pull me through the rest of the course.
So, off we went, even chatting a bit. I think we both knew that the lead was his and I really wasn't going to push for it. He wasn't in my age group, so there was no real point, and while he was setting a brisk pace, I knew that if I pushed him, he would respond. So, I just let him lead the way. Things started to get hairy as we came down the last hills. The muddy conditions meant that I was doing as much sliding as running but as long as I kept my feet moving, I was okay.
We pushed all the way through the last 200 yards, passing over the banana-strewn field again, through the cardboard graveyard and into the finish. I came in at a solid 1:34:09 which was good enough for 10th overall, and 1st in the men's 20-29 division. I changed into some dry clothes, got some fluids, and then parked myself in the sun. The volunteers put on a substantial cookout so I ate a bit and later my wife joined me after he duties as water attendant had ended. I got my award (three cookies shaped like gorilla heads) and then headed home for a quick bath, nap, and lunch before hitting the road back to New Hampshire. Needless to say, the cookies did not survive the car ride.
Overall, a very fun, very challenging race, and one that I will repeat next
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
CHEESEMAN
Monday, October 29, 2007
THE ATIPRSFFE REPORT
Like any race one can not begin to appreciate the event without situating it within its preparatory context. In this case, it was the drive over to the venue. Having gotten sidetracked at step one in Chuck and Carla's impeccable directions, TOMasz, Kasia and I were forced to rely on the assistance of some friendly locals (or "yokels" as we call them in these parts) to guide us to the heart of Plainfield.
Arriving fashionably late (as was the plan, of course) we were greeted by a host of new and familiar faces and a smorgasbord (I just want you all to know I spelled that right on the first try without the spellchecker!) laid out on the kitchen table. Thank god because I failed to properly manage my pre-party nutrition and was close to bonking out before things got going.
And got going things did...get. Having been away from the UV for several months I was happy to see plenty of familiar faces and to be able to associate new faces with all that stuff I read on the team blog ("ohhhh, so you're that crazy couple that did that half iron in the cold and rain.) But, the real adventure started when Britta gave us all a team building exercise to do.
Now, let's just say that, as a team, the TOMs are not the most generous when it comes to giving people "undivided attention" but in a remarkable display of superhuman patience Britta got us through the basic instructions of the task at hand and divided us up into two teams--Shimano and Speedo. You've probably guessed which team I was on. The first task was this: each member of the team was given a paper plate and asked to write on it something essential to completing an Ironman race. I'll spare you the details of our team's deliberations, but let's just say that if only had the six things that we put, I'd be lucky to finish a walk to the mailbox. The second task was to take those six plates and using them as "stepping stones" (imaginations people) use them to get our team members across a raging river of Chuck and Carla's lawn.
To make a long story short (or a short story really short), the Speedos managed to get themselves across the river while the Shimanos were swept away by the current. Fun was had by all and an important lesson was learned: make sure you get picked to be on the team that knows what they are doing.
Following our encounter with the mighty mississip of Plainfield we all returned indoors for the much awaited awads ceremony--produced, directed, and hosted by the TOMahawk himself. Chuck took home the "best race time in Lake Placid" trophy--a behemoth sculpture that is, even now, testing the structural integrity of his mantle. TOM-a-lot took home the "most courageous at Lake Placid trophy," while T2 captured a trophy for his inspired "dominoes and a nap" race-day strategy. TOMb was recognized for his outstanding race season and TOMasz was given the team MVP--or should we say MV...T! no MVP is better--for all of his work bringing, and keeping, the team together.
With much food left to be eaten, and a pile of dishes that dared not be approach, the TOMs left Plainfield party central for their respective base camps. It was, without engaging in any hyperbole, the best, most successful, and most fun thing that anyone has ever done, or will do.
So, with the first ATIPRSFFE (see above) behind us I'm already looking forward to next year. Of course, with the rate of growth that the team has achieved in such a short time by next year we may need to think about renting an American Legion hall.
WE HAVE A FIRST AGE-GROUP WINNER
Friday, October 19, 2007
PINNACLE CHALLENGE REPORT
The five mile road run was a run through a field and then onto a loose soiled rail trail. This lasted about 2 miles and then finally onto pavement. I finished the 5 miles +/- in just under 40 minutes which is not bad for me considering what was to come.
The mountain bike ride was tough with mostly single track and up a decent hill for the first half, and down it the last. I also warped my rim somewhere near the end. This turned out to be my worst event.
My road bike ride went fairly well and my trial run went pretty good, too. I actually passed someone which gave me motivation to keep up a decent pace for the rest of it since I didn't want that person to pass me.
Overall my time was just under 3 hours 22 minutes. My longest event to date and a pretty good time. I learned, I have work to do on technical aspect of riding the mountain bike.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
AND ALL I WANTED WAS A SCREW
With just two weeks until race day I tried to get in a bit of training to maintain my Timberman fitness. I also managed to get sick, which first started as an ear infection and then evolved into a cold. One week out from the race I was not in good shape. I did try to make everyone around me as sick as possible hoping that, through some kind of triathlon six degrees of separation, it would soften up the competition, but I knew that I needed to get better. By race morning I was maybe 90% recovered. The ear infection was now a minor annoyance and the cold had been downgraded to just coughing. But I felt okay.
Race morning, things were looking up. The weather was warm and the lake was smooth. I got my number, racked my bike, and set up my transition area as the other athletes were coming in. Remembering my own advice from Timberman to get in a rigorous warm-up, I set out on a run, and decided to just run the whole run course. This was a mistake. While only three miles, it was very hilly. Worse, however, was the fact that the race coordinators hadn't fully marked the run course so I ran what I thought it was which meant that I was out there much longer than I had planned, and more tired than I would have liked.
Back from my warm-up I got ready to race which meant, for the very first time, putting on my borrowed wetsuit (thanks to team equipment manager TOMasz!). At 8:00 I was ready to go, in the water with the first wave of 20-49 year old men. This was by far the best swim I've had in a race. First, despite the melee at the beginning, I quickly found some open water and could get into a stroke. Second, because I immediately went to a 1-2-breathe rhythm I felt more under control. The course was a clockwise triangle and, out to the first buoy, things looked good. There, however, problems emerged. The second leg had us swimming right into the sun (well, not literally) so it was really hard to see the buoys to sight. For a while I just paced with the guy next to me, but soon it was apparent that it was the blind leading the blind because we were both off course, having gone far out from the buoy line. Working my way back into the course, I started hitting bodies again. Things opened up at the second turn, and then it was just a straight shot. I could see the leaders out in front with a big gap between me and them. I exited the water 6th, finishing the .5 mile in 14:40.
Coming into T1 my goal was to get out of the wetsuit smoothly. I did get slowed up a bit when I had to stop to tell an official my number (which I could barely remember) and my goal of being stripped to the waist (wetsuit wise) before reaching my bike was not met. Nevertheless, I got out of it fairly easily and got my bike gear on and was out the gate. Now here I notice where the elites also do well. My T1 was 1:47--people ahead of me were out in :46. That's something to work on since that's a free minute of race time.
The course started out right on a climb out of transition onto the main road. For the most part the first half of the out-and back course was pretty much downhill. At one point, coming into an intersection a large van had pulled besides me and put on his right run signal--I was not amused. I hit my breaks until I was sure that the van was being stopped and I was being waved through, but I lost a lot of momentum. The turn around was also a bit tricky--literally a U-Turn in the middle of the street. I really had to fight to keep my bike out of the dirt, and again lost quite a bit of momentum. The ride back was a bear--up, up, up, and up again. Fortunately there was a nice headwind on the way back so I could really feel good about complaining. I was getting passed by people and becoming discouraged. I rolled into T2 just shy of 57:00 and was out on the run 46 seconds later.
The run started up that same hill as the bike course, and here I think the extra long warm-up did not help. My legs just did not feel fresh, which wasn't helped by the hilly bike course. But, I motored along, again getting passed by a couple of people. It really wasn't until the last mile that I found a happy rhythm, but by then it was too late. The 3 miles took me 20:14, which I wasn't really happy with, but oh well. I was happy to see the finish line and bring the day to a close, finishing in 1:33:49.
That was good enough to put me in 3rd for my age group, which garnered me a nifty coffee mug. Finally I had something to drink my syrup out of! The real action after the race, however, took place during the charity raffle. My dad and step mom (who had come up to cheer) bought a bunch of tickets and won just about everything--a T-Shirt, two running caps, some certificates for kids triathlons (which they gave away) and a complimentary entry to an Xterra race next August (which I will do).
So, with the awards and prizes handed out I made my way back to transition to collect my things. That's when I noticed it: my water bottle cage was dangling off of my rear seat mount by a single, loose screw. So now, once again, I must venture into a bike shop and who knows what I'll walk out with this time. Or, maybe I'll just order some on-line.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
THE LONG AWAITED TIMBERMAN 70.3 REPORT, AT LAST !!!
I still remember race morning as if it were yesterday. Sunrise over the lake was incredible and thankfully the single biggest issue that kept me awake for THE ENTIRE night was for naught … WAVES! That’s right. It was so incredibly windy on Saturday that the chop we witnessed when racking our bikes in the afternoon was truly impressive. Unfortunate are we that we did not document this on film, but no joke, the swells were reported to be 2-4 feet!! Uhuh … I didn’t sign up for an ocean swim!
AND … NOBODY told me that it might be cold the morning of the race. For every race that I do following Timberman, I’m bringing fleece … LOTS of fleece. Nearly froze to death waiting the 35 minutes for our swim to start. For whatever reason race officials thought it would be funny to start the race 20 minutes late and then of course those of us whose waves didn’t start until many minutes after that but had already warmed up, stood and froze. So what looks like a terrific group photo is really Holly and Britta trying to warm me up.
All of that prerace fun aside … it was an incredible day … TOMboy and I scored a great spot staying at NewTOM’s parents house in Canterbury, NH … only about 45 minutes away from the race site. We arrived at the race site in time to park within sight of transition and finish. It was close, traffic was backed up for more than a mile. Not the stressless morning we’d hoped for, but we got through it.
Having nearly 2 hours to go before the start of the race, transitions to set up, bathroom trips to make and warming up to do, we separated, each to her prerace zone. I’m not sure where my prerace zone was … or even is … I was so keyed up I had to force myself to just sit down beside my bike and just be … a brief 2 minutes of meditation to try to get a handle on what I was about to ask my body to do. Yeah. Good luck.
Right on schedule, transition closed and we were escorted by the bagpiper to the swim start. Surreal. The winds calmed during the night and early morning posted temperatures near 40 degrees with a light breeze. Perfect race conditions … unless you have to stand and wait for your swim wave.
As I said, we got a bit of a late start, and then waiting for our wave chilled us a bit, but once we’d put our faces in the water and started moving, adrenaline warmed us right up. The sun was in our favor to the first tetrahedron, but upon making the right hand turn to swim facing the shore, we were greeted with sun glare which made sighting more difficult and I know for me, slowed me down considerably. The wind kicked up a bit and the waves tossed us around some, but once we made the final turn toward shore, we were home free!
I love wetsuit strippers! T1 was smooth! I had so much time to prepare prerace, I would have been disappointed if I’d not been ready.
Saw my family at mile 5 of the bike. Even managed to shout at TOMb as he cruised in the opposite direction headed for T2. Couldn’t believe how good I was feeling into the turn around on the bike. Only to be greeted with a SERIOUS headwind on the return. Miles 35-45 were tough … just grinding into the wind and knowing that I still had a LONG way to go. Then at mile 47 something that has never happened to me before happened … I threw my chain, going up hill! Fortunately I had the wherewithal to kick out of my cleat before I started to fall. I’m very pleased with myself that I didn’t panic. I switching sides of the road so as to be out of the path of other riders, then when I realized that I was not going to be able to get my chain back on myself, in ran up the hill to find that I was at an aide station. Not only was I at an aide station but the Mavic bike guy was coming around the corner. He had me back on my bike in 2 minutes. Unfortunately, he didn’t get me back on my bike before I had a chance to completely coat myself in grease. My Team IronTom shorts will never be the same.
T2 … even smoother. Grab and Go! There was my family to cheer me on!
The run was the biggest surprise of the day. I felt great right off of the bike. It took a bit for my legs to figure out that I wanted them to run, but once we’d reached and understanding, I was able to achieve a steady pace and hold onto it. Somehow I got into such a zone that I didn’t hear TOMb shout at me more than once. But I did see TOMBoy as she headed out on her run, all smiles and looking great! I’d been dreading the two loop run, anticipating just wanting to be done with the whole thing as I had to go back out on a second loop. And then there was my team, and my family and some of my team’s family, cheering me on! I was so excited to go back out on the second loop when I came into all of the excitement.
And finally, after rounding the 3 mile mark … a neighborhood where Mardi Gras had been happening all day … I knew I had it … and yet, I was feeling empowered by all of the energy around me and I picked up my pace. I had to keep calming myself because I was just getting too excited. 2 miles to go I was nearly jumping for joy. 1 mile to go and I could hear the finish line.
And then … there was the finish line. And more importantly … there was my family .. who had endured all of my hours and hours of training and supported me through every bit of it. Yelling SO hard! And I was pumping the air with my fists and laughing and crying and smiling! Psyched.
Good thing. Since I’m signed up for Ironman Lake Placid ’08!
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
How Does it Feel to be Rear-Ended at about 30 Miles/Hour?
As the traffic was coming to a road construction slow down, I got rear-ended by a twenty-something female who apparently did not think that slowing down was appropriate in this instance. I am not sure if she was on the cell phone or just day-dreaming when her VW Passat plowed onto the rear end of my Volvo.
My car did exactly what it was supposed to do. It absorbed all the impact but sustained enough damage (while protecting me) to be most likely deemed a "total schade."
As for myself, the medics checked me out on the scene and let me go. I must monitor myself for the next few weeks and look for other/additional symptons that may develop. The whiplash caused by the impact gave me a hughe headache and an injury to my upper arm and the hip area.
Overall, I feel fortunate to have been able to walk away from this accident and to tell the story.
Survival of the Wettest
While not part of the 70.3 series, this is an official USAT Half Ironman race. It starts and finishes in Branbury State Park, on Lake Dunmore in Salisbury, VT. The lake is quite shallow and, as such, boasts water temps in the low 70’s, even in early September. Vermont Sun hosts well-organized triathlons - sprint, Olympic distance and the half - from this area throughout the summer. In this year’s race, the swim was two laps around a .6 mile loop parallel to shore, then two loops on Rte. 7 for the bike and an out-and-back run along the lake.
Right on queue, the rain started as we were taking our bikes off the car in the parking lot at 6:30am. It was a steady rain at first - not heavy- and the wind picked up, making the water choppy. How easily I had forgotten my words at the end of the bike leg in 2006, when I said, “I will never start a long triathlon if it’s pouring rain and cold – I will simply pack up my gear and go home.” More than a quarter of the registered field had been smart enough to stay home on this dismal day. Yet, here I was again. A competitor at heart, I thought I had learned some valuable lessons from the ’06 race that I wouldn’t need to repeat in ’07. Of course, TOMTOM couldn’t stand the idea of me doing the race without him, so here he was again too, despite a calf injury and a commitment to run in the Reach the Beach relay five days later. It was an ominous start, as we both tried not to reflect on our challenges during last year’s bike leg.
Due to the wind, the swim was tough in one direction, pretty good in the other. Even in the choppy direction, I knew it was the most comfortable I would be all day – and the swim is my weakest discipline of the three.
It was impossible to be quick in T1. Even stuff in bags was wet the minute I took it out. I was cold already, so grabbed a long-sleeved zip heavyweight tech wear. I debated a rain jacket too, but thought it would be too much - DUH.
Valuable lesson #1: when it’s raining hard in T1, wear a waterproof outer layer. Don’t think, just do it – no exceptions.
It poured during the entire bike leg – except for one five minute period during which both TOMTOM and I developed great hope of how much better things would get without the rain. Then it started again… harder than before.
By mile 20, I had lost any dexterity in my hands and feeling in my feet due to the cold and wet conditions (I have a circulation issue called Raynaud’s Phenomenon, which makes this happen relatively fast in such conditions). I managed my last nutrition on the bike at mile 25 – I knew this would hurt me, but there was nothing I could do. I was shifting with my hands held as blocks and my teeth were chattering. I knew TOMTOM would be just as cold given the fact that he has about one third the body fat that I have! He was mustering a nice smile each time we met on the bike, so I thought at least he was warmer than last year.
Valuable lesson #2: if you suffer from Raynaud’s Phenomenon, wear Gore-Tex gloves and bike booties when biking in the rain and cold, no matter how long it takes to get dressed in T1. Throw in some hand warmers too.
Many riders had flats. I avoid road debris like the plague, and yet, at mile 52, I heard the fateful sound and knew it was my turn for a flat in a race. After a fair amount of cussing, I looked up to see a bike support crew member pulling over to help me. He told me he would take care of my tire and have me riding again soon. If it hadn’t been for him, I would have walked it in, as there was no way I could grip tools or any part of the tire-changing process with my hands.
T2 was a total washout. A kind fellow racer unclipped my helmet for me, as I did not have the dexterity to do it myself. I shoved my frozen feet into my running shoes, grabbed a dry jacket and fuel belt, and started running as fast as I could to warm up. No matter how weird it felt running on my frozen-block feet, it was better than being on the bike. By mile 4, the feeling in my feet was coming back and my hands were much better, so I could eat and drink. I threw down some good miles and was warming up. It was still pouring, but it was bothering me a lot less now.
On the out-and-back run, I met TOMTOM and figured he was about half an hour in front of me. I knew this meant he had trouble, as normally he would be further ahead. As he described it, the “monkey’s fist” in his calf seized up in the first mile and he was relegated to a jog. He was suffering a serious limp after the race – and worried about his next big running commitment a few days later.
After mile eight, my pace became quite erratic. My lack of nutrition and the cold on the bike was catching up to me; I was losing steam in my strongest event. Miles nine through twelve were a struggle. I forced another gel and was able to pick it up for the last mile. Disappointing time, but good overall performance considering the conditions…
As we have all learned, there are pre-race goals and then there are adjusted goals set during a race. I was reminded of the marathon that I am most proud to have run – it was my slowest, by an hour. But it was 87 degrees when I finished – and I finished, which was a huge accomplishment for me. This year’s Half Vermont Journey brought a similar sense of pride for finishing. Both TOMTOM and I were psyched to be race survivors! With all these lessons learned, I should be prepared for almost anything next year. The key is to keep these lessons fresh in mind, because it CAN happen again! J
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
BritTOM's Bike Camp in France
Well, my annual trip to France this year took me back to a favourite mountain - Mt Ventoux. A famous (infamous?!) climb of 22 km over 1610metres (note I've gone metric here in an attempt to be more European!), most of it 10%, most of it quite upsetting for the legs, too!
Ventoux is different to other mountains in France because it rises straight out of the flat land around it - that make it look pretty big, and it gets the worst of the weather too - hot and cold!We camped in the area for most of the trip, which is always a pleasure, hot and dry, and the bike riding is, well, interesting!
My form has held quite well since Lake Placid and I managed to get to the top of the mountain quicker than ever - although not as quick as the professional cyclists that were passing through the area on their way to the remaining European pro-races for this year.
As ever, our time was pretty well balanced between riding between cafes, racing for the top of any col and suffering on the long climb to the summit of Ventoux. Here's a small picture of me grimacing near to the top!
However, as a result of too much time chatting in French cafes and around the campfire I have to confess to having started discussions about an event I've been looking at for a long time: The embrunman http://www.embrunman.com/maine.htm. For anyone who follows the Tour deFrance, you'll know the bike course better as the Col d'Izoard. Anyone interested?
Thursday, August 30, 2007
NewTOM & SisterK to the Coast
After watching Timberman, I felt quite inspired to jump into another race before the season ended. So the West Kennebunk Fire Sprint Triathlon beckoned me to the Seacoast. The atmosphere was fairly relaxed, the field quite a bit smaller than Timberman (400 including duathlon) and the location was beautiful. SisterK joined me as did some friends from
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
A Fun Day at Timberman 70.3
Kasia and I arrived at the “Timberman (Gunstock) Headquarters” just in time to celebrate MajorTOM’s second place finish in the sprint race. After meeting his family and friends we spent the next couple of hours visiting vendor booths at the expo and meeting our teammates who were getting ready to race the 70.3 distance the following day. We stopped at Dick and Rick Hoyt’s booth to chat a little with these amazing athletes and to get their autographed book “It is Only a Mountain.” Needless to say, we both look forward to reading it.
Sunday morning started very early. At 6AM we were getting briefed on the kayak duties and shortly thereafter I was paddling my kayak against a strong wind to the second turn-about marker. Despite an uneasy lake conditions athletes largely stayed on course (I only had one “hang-on”). It took almost two hours for the last swimmer to be out of the water. It was nice to see that he was greeted by a sizable crowed chanting his name as he exited the swim course.
After shedding off the wet clothes it was time to enjoy the festivities, chat with other teammates who turned out to cheer our TOMs, and watch the professional athletes who delivered an exciting race.
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
The Bottled Sweet Taste of Success
Like all races, mine began the Friday before when I arrived at the Gunstock ski area with my wife and parents. As has been tradition, we set up camp. My dad, who has become the guru of Gunstock, picked two campsites closest to the bathrooms and showers, which was very convenient. With tents pitched and air mattresses inflated, my younger brother and I set off for Elacoya for a final workout. Having done absolutely no open water swimming over the previous year, and knowing that this is an area where I struggle I wanted to get in 10-15 minutes in the water, followed by a few miles on the bike course. This was also my first time in full TOM regalia, and what a treat. The shorts were comfortable immediately, and performed well both in the water and in the saddle. I managed to swim my way right into a father-son team a couple of times during my practice which only further contributed to the race-like experience.
Timberman (Sprint) headquarters at Gunstock
The rest of Friday night was spent with the usual - picking up my race packet and eating a lot of pasta. I turned in around 9, though really didn't fall asleep for at least an hour or so. With the alarm set for 4:45, I was ready for the morning. Unlike previous races where I would just get up, eat a peanut butter and jelly, and drive over, this year I tried to give myself time to really wake up and have a decent shower. I also abandoned the fibrous PB&J on whole wheat and opted for a yogurt smoothie and far more refined croissant. I think that was a smart move.
My plan was to get to Elacoya early enough for a real warmup - a swim around the swim course, a quick ride on the bike, and a run. My poor sense of time, the long lines at the bathroom, and the cold temperatures and whipping winds put that plan to rest. The water conditions were absolutely horrid. White caps were breaking all over the place and, being wetsuitless, I felt it would be improper to drench myself and then spend the next hour freezing in place. Instead, after setting up my transition area, I did about 15 minutes on the run course. Whereas in previous years I did very, very light, and very minimal, pre-race warmups, here I pushed a tempo pace and even did a few pick-ups. Besides getting my body ready to do some race-quality work, it also got my good and toasty. By the time I came back in and stretched a bit, it was nearly time for me to head out to the swim start (being in Wave #2 and all). I think by keeping busy in the hour or so leading up to the race and by having a substantive warm-up I got the extra benefit of keeping the pre-race jitters under control.
As in last year, the really shallow water along the swim course pushed the start out away from transition and so I joined a throng of athletes heading out along the beach to the start. Now, here I should say that not only did the TOM uniform fit well (I decided to swim in the top as well), but it was certainly distinctive, particularly when put up against all those black wet suits. After a final swim cap clarification from the race director ("if you're in the blue caps, but not the light blue caps, the dark, navy blue caps...") and a brief delay as the swim buoys had to be put back into place after being blown into shore by the wind and waves, we were ready to go.
Heading out to sea
This year, as I headed out to lake, I also adopted the "get out in front" strategy. Not because I felt particularly fast, but mostly because I'm just sick of fighting through mobs to find some open water. Given the cue to go, I plunged in and started out at a hard pace to try and keep people off of my legs. Immediately, I realized that the water was still only three feet deep, so I stood up again, ran a bit, then dove back in. Immediately, I began to struggle. We were swimming right into the waves, which made it really hard to breathe without getting a nice healthy taste of lake water. I was swimming head-out-of-water most of the time, and just couldn't find a rhythm. I really had to slow up, nearly coming to a stop. What saved me was switching to just breathing on one side. This allowed me to get my head down, but also to come up for air more frequently. As I rounded the first buoy, it also meant that I could breathe away from the incoming waves. With the waves making it hard to see, I had no idea where I was in the pack. I passed a few people from the first wave clinging to buoys and getting rescued by kayaks, so obviously a lot of people were struggling. Having settled into my 1-2-breathe strategy I was able to pick up the pace without problem. I was also happy to realize that I was swimming in a straight line, and relatively free from the crowds. Of course, I thought this meant that I was way far behind. For the first time I did not run headlong into a kayak and, rounding the final buoy, headed towards shore. I exited in 9:30. About a minute slower than I had hoped for, but apparently the poor conditions had held a lot of people back because it was one of the faster swim times.
I got into transition, took in a bit of a gel, and headed out on the bike course. I think next time I would wait for the gel until I was riding a bit - too much to worry about in transition. As I was trying to clip in (a little less gracefully then I would have liked), some maniac was yelling at my from the sidelines. It was TOM-a-Lot, jumping around like a fool, but giving some much appreciated encouragement. With the spirit of the TOMs behind me, I headed out. Now, having biked this section yesterday, I knew that there was a climb right at the beginning, so I didn't push it. I kept the cadence fast and just motored up the hill. I knew that when it leveled off I could really pick up some speed - until a gust of wind punched me in the face. Not fun, but at least relatively brief. The wind kept up throughout the 15 mile ride and I was happy to see that I was not being persistently passed by other cyclists, as usually happens to me. One guy did pass me on a hill, but then immediately dropped his chain. I also made a much more conscious effort to take in fluids on this ride, and setting my watch on a repeating 5 minute timer to help me in this effort. This only got a little hairy on the return trip. At one point I had to thread between a stopped bus and an oncoming car, and, later, someone decided to pass me in their car, and then park themselves between me and the two guys in front of me that I was pursuing. After I gave them a couple of aggressive "get the hell out of the way" head shakes, they pulled over. I picked off another rider on some of the final hills before the decent back to transition, for a total ride of just over 45 minutes (though my computer said the ride was really 15.6 miles, and if you can't trust your bike computer, well who can you trust?).
Transition to bike
This year was also a first in that I managed to pull off the fancy triathlon dismount coming into T2. I was a little unfocused, however, taking off my sunglasses along with my helmet, realizing that I would just need to put them back on for the run. Oh well. I got my flats on and headed out for the run. I knew from previous races that the course was generally uphill to the turnaround, and I had a good feel for the terrain having run some of the course in the morning. I think because I avoided doing any pedal mashing during the bike course that my legs felt pretty good. I had forgotten, however, to pay attention to my watch coming out of transition, so I really had no idea how I was doing. At the turn around, I benefited from the downhill and picked up some speed. I got passed by a guy at about the 2 mile mark, but a quick left-calf check revealed that I really didn't need to push to keep up with him. As I came into the finish I could see on the clock that I could break the 1:16:00 mark, so I picked it up a bit and passed through at 1:15:55. Ultimately, I was really (and pleasantly) surprised by my run time: 17:43 - well over a minute faster than last year's time, and significantly faster than my pre-race expectations.
Running to finish
Overall, a very good race, both in terms of performance and enjoyment. Usually I'm mashing the pedals while getting frustrated with everyone passing me on the bike course, and then playing this "why am I doing this?" mind game during the run. But this year, except for getting forcefully hydrated by the waves during the swim, I really felt in control and comfortable during the whole race.
After it was over, I grabbed some food (ice cream first, of course), but my warm clothes back on, and met up with TOM-a-Lot to cheer on some people. By 10 a.m. or so they had begun to post unofficial results and I was very happy to see that I had (unofficially) placed 2nd in my age group and 24th overall. By 11 a.m. I got to go stand up on the podium and get my bottle of maple syrup (or, at least I assume it's maple syrup). Being my first time on the podium I did manage to shake the hand of the first place person, blowing off the race director and almost forgetting to get my award.
Podium ceremony (but who took off the numbers and what is with that pole in the middle?)
With that, the race day came to a close. TOMasz and Kasia met up with us at the campsite about an hour later, and joined us in a celebratory champagne (something that was leftover from an anniversary that my wife and I had failed to spend together, but this was a good use for it too). Later, we all went back to the expo to join the other TOMs who were staring down the barrel of the following day's 70.3.
Overall a great weekend, though next year I've already decided that it's time to move up to the half iron. Some things from this race experience I would hope to carry over to next year.
1) Race-effort training a few weeks before the actual race seemed to really help. It gave me a clear feeling of what I could really expect, rather than going into a race with high hopes that only get frustrated.
2) Maintaining race efforts in the week (and even days) leading up to the race seemed to really help. These short races just don't leave time for warming up at the beginning of the race. I think by keeping myself attuned to race speeds, I was more able to switch into that 'gear' when it counted.
3) Fluids and nutrition, even on the short race, is a big help. In previous years I did a "less is more" strategy feeling that, with such a short distance I was better off not futzing with food and drink. That was a mistake. This year, I took in some calories and drank and it really paid off in the run.
4) Racing under the TOM flag is a big help. The uniforms are great (and necessary in my case, since I did the brilliant move of leaving mine in Delaware), as are the cheering maniacs.
5) It's nice to know that if I decide to let myself go, there will always be a place for me on Team Angry.
Friday, August 17, 2007
Off to TIMBERMAN!!
70.3
TOMb: #321, Wave 4 (yes, we know he just did IMLP...he's insane)
TOMomma: #1252, Wave 8
TOMboy: #1287, Wave 8
Mrs. TOM-a-Lot-to-be is slated to wear # 726 - B, are you racing??
Sprint Tri
MajorTOM: #5173
KW, our resident ranked age grouper: #6027
On deck to cheer and make sure no TOM is left behind will be NewTOM, T2, TOMahawk, TOMasz, Kasia, TOM-a-Lot, Mr. TOMomma and Jr., and TOMb's awesome family. What a support crew!!! I say, MORE COWBELL!!!
The weather forecast so far is favorable - low humidity with highs in the 70s and lots of sun. Let's hope it stays that way!!!
Catch you on the flip side!!! Safe racing to all...
Thursday, August 16, 2007
A Perfect Day for A Perfect Swim
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
TOMmy Reports From His Most Recent Races
Saturday, August 11, 2007
BritTOM Reports From Across The "Big Pond"
In Lake Placid, like for many others, there were lessons learnt:
Racer # 1567 - you are almost there
With Erica, the morning after