A CHRISTMAS ADDITION TO TEAM IRONTOM

A warm welcome to Jason, Stephanie and Ryan.


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!

JAN'S IRONMAN WORLD CHAMPIOSHIP EXPERIENCE

Some of you have met Jan (my country man) at Ironman Lake Placid in 2006. He had a great couple of years of racing. Firstly, he won the Hawaii Ironman lottery slot in 2006, in which race he finished in just over 13 hours. Secondly, after aging up to the M55-59 group in 2007, he qualified for Clearwater Ironman 70.3 World Championship at the Eagleman 70.3, in which he came in 8th in 4:48.

He tells me both experiences were great, and here are some picks to show for it.

Congratulations, Jan!

Jan is bearing Polish national flag before IM Hawaii

Only one more yard to go!!!

With his new friend, Michele Jones

Needless to say, he is itching for more action in Hawaii and Clearwater.

SILVERMAN 2007

Perhaps, reading this report and seeing some great pictures will stimulate some of you to add Silverman iron or 1/2 iron-distance triathlon to your rext year's racing schedule (November 9, 2008).

http://forum.slowtwitch.com/gforum.cgi?do=post_view_flat;post=1572597;page=1;mh=-1;;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC

CLEARWATER 70.3 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

To follow up on Saturday's race 'tune' into http://www.ironman.com/ for a live Internet stream starting at 6AM. Whom do you like? I think Greg Alexander and Lisa Bently may take home the honors.

MY HALF MARATHON IN MANCHESTER, NH

This was the inaugural year for this event and it enjoyed a great turnout. Limitted to 1,600 runners, it was a fun race with a good support from volunteers and plenty of spectators. It was also great to have my Mom there at the finish cheering me on. After the race we all enjoyed some soup from the soup tasting contest of local restaurants.

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.

AND THE WINNER IS?......................

A lesser person may have shied away from a race billed as the Hairy Gorilla Half Marathon where participants were encouraged to bring bananas to feed the aforementioned primates. But not me.

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

CHEESEMAN

The cheese grater, carnageman, IMMOO.

These are only a few of the names associated with Ironman Wisconsin. The 2005 edition lays claimto the hottest IM temps I've encountered (high 90s, with highhumidity) and the highest dnf rate (19%, including yours truly) of any ironman race in the history of the series. The 2006 sufferfestforced the hapless racers to endure the coldest temps I've everencountered, well, at least while in the rain and garbed in spandexfor 12 hours and 43 minutes. The swim usually is a slugfest, with asmany as 2475 participants, not to mention the double helix (nottalking about all the dna we leave behind) into the transition.

The ride has been described as "climb, descend, turn, repeat", which pretty much says it all. Two climbs up Observatory Hill, two tripsthrough Camp Randall Stadium, two trips around the capital buildingadorn the run course. In only the sixth year, this race has a littlehistory. I've been there every start, and only once was I unable to finish.

This time, I was there with John Souther, my NH friend who had strict instructions not to let me sign up for next year, and had threatened me with physical violence if I did. We deplaned in Chicago Thursdayafternoon, headed up to Madison and got settled in. I had quite afew friends doing the race, as always, and wanted to enjoy what mightbe my last trip to the mid-Western crucible.

On the heels of Lake Placid, I hadn't gotten much good training in, especially on the run. The recovery after the crash had been difficult. I'd had trouble sleeping and couldn't really do the easy type exercise that is so important to get the last race out of your muscles. Although I'd gotten in a fair amount of swimming and riding, my run volume had been low, maybe 60 miles total between theraces. Well, nothing I could do now. I was here to enjoy myself. Someone once told me you're supposed to enjoy these things, at least I think they did.

The weather was beautiful leading up to the race. Clear skys, no wind, warm temperatures, amazing sunsets and sunrises, perfect fall weather. The forecast for Sunday looked to be the same. For the first time since the inaugural year, the weather would be nice. I was relieved.

We hung out, I relaxed and visited friends, and prepared my strategy. I had noticed that at LP I had had too much to drink onthe run, which had led to an uncomfortable feeling in my tummy and also led to many port-o-potties. I decided to go with one less drink per station, for a total of 2 if I was feeling ok, maybe 3 if I was thirsty. For the swim, my goal was to stay to the outside, which is always my goal, but somehow I always seem to wind up going right along the buoys. On the ride, go easy!!! I made my pancakes at afriend's house (and sustained much ridicule for my intake of Ensure while doing so), and it seemed that all was ready for my adventure.

I decided to drive to the race with a friend who was staying at our hotel. When I asked him what time we were leaving, he said "4:15."which prompted me to ask "In the morning?!?" to which he replied"Yup." I reminded him that we were only a 7 minute (max) drive from the venue and it wouldn't be open until 5. I could see this was non-negotiable, and so I begrudgingly agreed. I drank a couple Ensures before bed, turned in, and slept well.

I got up around 3:45 and ate some left over pancakes and 2 Ensures. This provided good, easily digested carbs that burn completely off. Felt like a million bucks. Met up with my ride, and the day wasunder way.

It was actually quite good to be very relaxed while waiting for things to start. Since I had a pump, I pumped up quite a few folks'tires, had plenty of time to get everything ready (bags containingvarious racing items) and get my suit on. The sunrise from the topof Monona Terrace was spectacular. A leisurely walk down the parkingramp (a helix going down three levels) to the swim start, into the water, and waiting to take off.

I tried to find an open spot for the start of the race, but eventually it was clear that was going to be impossible, unless I started 50 or so yds behind the line, which I wasn't about to do. I prepared myself mentally for the inevitable wall of flesh after the cannon (and they really use a miniature cannon here) goes off. Ablast and we all started blasting.

Miraculously, this time I did stay far enough to the outside, and after the initial frenzy I found relatively open water. It was so easy I almost felt compelled to swim over to some other iron dudes or dudettes and give them a few whacks! Well, not really. I had a little contact at various points, but it was pretty smooth. The water was also very comfortable and flat, the opposite of last year. Near the end I even started breathing on my left side, which I never do when racing. I felt really smooth and was thinking to myself "Hey, I might have a good swim time?!?" Imagine my surprise when I saw, upon exiting the water...... 1:14 and change. D'oh!! When willI ever learn? No matter, I got my suit peeled and ran up the helix,which is not easy in a crowd of people who have just also swum 2.4miles. The spectators were out in full force, lining the road andthe ramp. Very exciting.

Now, in the past I've really blasted the transitions in Madison. When I've gone really hard and been well organized, I've been as lowas 8:30-ish for T1 and T2. That's fast for this course. The fastesttimes are usually below 7, but not much. This time my total transition time was about 15 or 16 minutes.

I was in no hurry. I got my pancakes, inhaled some Gu2O, and ran out into the HUGE biketransition area. My bike was in the first rack. On the way there I got yells and a friendly slap on the keister from good friend and fellow Team Fun member Pete Ylvisaker (I'm on a lot of teams: TeamGoofy Bastard, Team TMF, Team Fun, Team Irontom...). Then I grabbed my bike and ran the LOOOONG way to the other end of the ramp and theother helix, which yes, you have to ride down.

Out onto the course. Beautiful day for a ride. The first few miles wind you under a bridge on a one lane bike path, through a parkinglot, over a freeway, and then it's out into the picturesque Wisconsincountryside.

About 10 miles into it, you run into an endless succession of short (and sometimes steep) hills. There were at least6 times when I was in my smallest gear and out of the saddle on the 2loop course, which I never had to do in LP. Of course, I think I was in better shape and lighter then. There is one point when you come to the bottom of a descent to a stop sign and right hand turn which goes into a 50 yd steep hill. That's kind of the standard there. Madison has 80 some turns, or a turn about every 1.3 miles. Some of the descents are fast and very windy. Bike handling skills are a bigasset, and I've usually done pretty well there. That also makes it abit hard to eat, but I was sticking to my schedule of 2ish pancakes and one gel with about 1 liter of water and Gu 2O and 3ish salt tabsper hour quite well.

I'm moving through the pack but not pushing hard, holding back forthe second loop during which I'll need fresh legs. Passing is difficult with the crowds and turns, but that's going pretty well too. Shortly before the town of Mt. Horeb, I was caught behind a large group of riders for a few miles because there was no room toget around. When an opportunity came up, I put on a big surge and got around them, which was good with a longish hill and an aid station ahead. After going through the aid station and going through a traffic circle, I noticed the back end of my bike seemed very squishy. I looked down and sure enough, I was going flat. I pulledoff to the side to fix it and minutes later every slacker in that group rode past me. Grrrrrrrr.

However, at this point, my hands were like claws. I had also taped my repair gear to my seatpost, thinking that would be more aero, quicker in transition, and a bit lighter. Big No No! As I was fumbling with trying to get my kit off the bike and fix the flat, I realized that it would be impossible for me to carry my trash and other detritus. So I just stared dumbly at it before trying with no success to stuff it in my pockets. This long stop did provide me with a good chance to eat, however.

Finally, a group of people were walking by and I asked them to be my trash crew, to which they agreed. I should emphasize at this point that there were LOTS of people watching this race. Even in the country, there was no stretch of more than a half mile without someone there, and the small towns you ride through are great, one of them is just like being in Le Tour de France, with a narrow corridorfor you to ride through that is lined for 400 yds with screaming fans.

So I'm back on the road, with no idea of how much time I lost. Not too worried about that, as I didn't really plan to race this one anyway. Now begins the hardest portion of the race, with a series of short, steep hills that leads to a very dangerous descent, which leads to another section of short, steep hills. The payoff is quite nice though, as you finish your first loop in Verona, the Tour town.

As I'm reaching the end of the Verona, riding pretty hard on adrenaline, I see my 81 year old father sitting roadside with mybrother-in-law out of the corner of my eye. I rode about 50 yardsds beyond them before I found a safe place to turn around and go back to my dad and give him a few hugs and tell him I love him (so emotional). He shed a few tears, told me to go out and win (awshucks, Dad!). I said I wasn't going to win, but I would finish and was feeling good. After a quick check for safety, I got back on my way.

The second loop was uneventful. I rode well, and didn't stop inspecial needs for a re-supply as I had in Lake Placid. I felt prettystrong all the way through, but toward the end it was a bit of a struggle, especially as the wind was picking up and the last 7 miles were directly into it. There were a few times when I started to feel a bit nauseous, but I promptly got food and fluid in when that happened. It's hard to maintain that focus during a long day, and even though eating is the last thing you want to do when you'refeeling crappy, you have to force yourself to do it. I think my total ride time was 5:51 and change. Not great, but ok. I was now 7:15 ish into the race.

Another slow transition, during which I applied Vaseline, drank Pepsi, and then put on some sunscreen, and ran out to the capital circle drive, all the while surrounded by fans. John had welcomed me into T2, and it was fun to constantly see my old friends, the cheeseheads.

I knew that with the low run volume I probably didn'thave a full marathon in my legs, so my plan was to go very slowly a sfar as I could and then manage as best as I could. There's a steepand long hill at mile 5 and 18 that you have to go over, so I was preparing myself for that.

I jogged, slowly, making sure I got a water and gatorade or water and cola at every stop. This marathon is unique in the IM world in thatthe whole run takes place in the city, so you're never far away from a crowd of enthusiastic fans. I kept chuggin' along. There are some really cool places. You run through some great parts of UW Madison campus (UWM has 40,000 students, and they come out in force for the ironman) and through the street side bistros of State Street.

Anyway, when I got to the halfway point of the marathon, I hadanother chance to hug my dad, right in front of the capital! That was a good photo op, but it was missed. A few seconds later therewas John, as well as another friend who's a student, and so on. I was still feeling pretty good, but had 13.1 miles left. I shuffled on.

I got to the 15 mile mark, looked at my watch, and realized that if I kept going at that pace, I had a shot at going under 11 hours, whichwould have been a new record for me. Thinking again about my low running volume, I immediately slowed down to try to make that impossible. I thought if I tried to do that I would never make it and would really turn the last portion of the race into a death march.

When I got to the hill again at mile 18, I was feeling pretty crappyand my legs were indeed hurting. There was no running up that hill this time. I had expected that and was ok with walking. I walked through campus and along lake Mendota. I was just about to start running again when a Canuck came alongside me, also walking, and we engaged in a very pleasant conversation. Since my chances of goingunder 11 hours were long gone, I decided to walk further with him, and we discussed the pros and cons of ironman racing, life, and other things you do when you're really smoked. We walked until about 2miles left and then ran it in. My finish time was 12:15:59. People say I should say I did 12:15, but I'm happy with 12:16.

And I didn't sign up for next year. Really.....

THE ATIPRSFFE REPORT

When asked to write the report of the first annual Team Irontom post-race season food and fun extravaganza (or the first ATIPRSFFE, for short) I jumped at the opportunity because I knew that this was my chance, perhaps my only chance, to let all future generations know that team Shimano won, and team Speedo is a bunch of cheaters.

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

Stay tunned for the details ........................................

PINNACLE CHALLENGE REPORT

This event was billed as a double duathlon. Five mile road run, 5.5 mile mountain bike ride, 13.75 mile road ride, and a 3.4 mile trail run.

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.

AND ALL I WANTED WAS A SCREW

So Timberman was supposed to be it, my first and only race of the season where I put all of my training eggs into one basket. But, then I needed a stupid little piece for my bike. One of those little screws that you need to attach your water bottle cage to be precise. So, after the Timberman, when I was back in Albany for a few days before classes started at Colby-Sawyer, I took a stroll down to the neighborhood bike shop (the "Downtube") to procure this screw. Now, you can't just walk into a bike shop and say "I need one stupid little screw." Or at least I can't. I got the screw, and two new water bottle cages, and (courtesy of my wife) an application for something called the "Crystal Lake Triathlon"--a sprint race of .5 mi Swim, 18 mi. Bike and 3 mi. Run about 20 minutes outside of Albany. Perfect I thought: In just one event I'll double my race output for the year and TOM-a-Lot will no longer be able to make fun of me (about racing at least). I went home and signed up.

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.

THE LONG AWAITED TIMBERMAN 70.3 REPORT, AT LAST !!!

After an incredibly lengthy delay and the hope that TOMboy would write the race report, I cannot stand it any longer. However, the excitement following such an incredible day has not lessened any, so I’ll find it just as easy today as it would have been a month ago to write this report. I cannot believe that it’s been a month since Race Day.

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.

And the best part … I could have kept going!

Good thing. Since I’m signed up for Ironman Lake Placid ’08!

How Does it Feel to be Rear-Ended at about 30 Miles/Hour?

Well, not goood. Just this past Monday, I had a priviledge of becoming a victim in a four-car pile up on north-bound I-89.

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

TOMTOM and I hoped for a decent weather day for this year’s Half Vermont Journey, which was held last Sunday, Sept. 9. The ’06 race had been cold and rainy and the bike leg had provided hypothermic conditions. We optimistically thought that couldn’t happen two years in a row.

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

BritTOM's Bike Camp in France

Negotiating Mount Ventoux

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?

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 Maine. We had a steamy morning which made the chilly ocean water all the more refreshing. There were some big waves heading out and coming back into the beach, full of dark colored seaweed. Great fun to dive into them on the way out and try to surf them on the way in. Sadly, the swim was over before I knew it and we were charging into the transition area. SisterK killed me on the transition – I need a little work there. Despite arriving just ahead of her, she beat me out and was off. She paced a fantastic ride, gunning it most of the way and I worked to keep up. After trading places several times with some guy, we passed him going up a little hill and he said, “jeez, again!” I said, “don’t take it personally, we live on a big hill,” and before racing away, SisterK chimed in, “and a little sibling rivalry is not helping you either”. Came in together on the bike and then out for a quick run. I had an easier time transitioning into running legs and just kept trucking through the run. The whole thing flew by and before we knew it, we had come in one and two in our age group and I was third female overall, with SisterK right behind as sixth female overall. Race was followed by a delicious blueberry pancake breakfast provided by the race and more swimming in the waves. Good stuff.

A Fun Day at Timberman 70.3

This was the first Timberman 70.3, in which my role was limited to spectating and volunteering.

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.

Kasia, TOMasz, Rick & Dick Hoyt

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.

There are still more athletes out there

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.

The Two Amigas (D. Ficker & K. Major)

The Three Amigos (B. Andersson, S. Lessing, M. Lovato, & the forth "tenor")

We were afforded the opportunity to admire TOMahawk’s new artwork and assumed “strategic” positions to watch our teammates.

Kasia waiting at the finish line

Can you guess whose legs those are?

A strategy session

For a few, it was their first Ironman 70.3. TOMboy, TOMmomma, and Mrs. TOM-a-Lot had great races and with a smile on their faces crossed the finish line. TOMb came very close (I think) to his personal best despite some less than perfect weather conditions. And, of course, MajorTOM had a spectacular sprint race the day before, when he took a second place in the M24-29 age group and was 24th, overall. Congratulations to all. It was really fun watching you.

TOMboy and only 50 more yards to go

TOMb checking on his stellar performance

TOMMomma and TOMboy - finished, at last

By 3:30PM Kasia and I were on our way back to the Upper Valley. Another race was a history.

The Bottled Sweet Taste of Success

This was my third stab at the Timberman short course race and my most successful and most enjoyable. But that's getting ahead of ourselves.

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.

Off to TIMBERMAN!!

Well, the countdown clocks have ticked away their last days and we're down to just hours until several Team IRONTOM-ers toe the line. If you're gonna be at the race or if you think you might want to check results as they become available, here are the bib numbers we'll be sporting...and watch for flashes of blazing red uniforms!:

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...

A Perfect Day for A Perfect Swim

With water temperature at about 72F on a sunny Sunday (8/12), the TOMs and UV Rays had a great swim workout in the Mascoma Lake.

TOMmy Reports From His Most Recent Races

On August 15th I raced the Stoaked Off Road Triathlon (1K/18K/8K) and improved my last year's result by over 30 minutes. My finish time this year was 2:27:46, 82nd out of 92 finishers.

On August 9th, I went to Manchester, NH to race a quick CIGNA-Elliot 3 miler. My finishing time was also quicker than last year - just over 24 min.

Second racer from the right.

BritTOM Reports From Across The "Big Pond"

Did I tell you what a good time we had with you in Lake Placid? I really did enjoy the IRONTOM experience. It left me reinvigoratedwith my IM racing. I think, I said I had intended to give triathlon a rest for a couple of years, but I came out of the Lake Placid race thinking about my next race (admittedly it took a little longer this time to change from "never, ever let me do this again" to "I can go faster") I'll probably seek out some 70.3s next year so I can scale down my training a little, but we have some good one's in Europe -Monaco, Antwerp, UK (but only if the sun shines).

In Lake Placid, like for many others, there were lessons learnt:

1. Go to races with a group, preferably the IRONTOM group.

2. Wear bright colours so your supporters can see you, preferably the IRONTOM kit.

3. Get your supporters to wave somethink distinctive and colourful so they stand out in the amazing crowd at the start, so you can see from the water!!!

And a serious one,

4. Race every mile of the marathon as if it's your first! Look at what you achieved in that mile and start on the next.

I'm off to France next week for a couple of weeks riding - we'll be in the area of the infamous Mt. Ventoux, which is a regular summer training venue for a few of us - website. Riding every day, but I think at least 25% of our time wil be spent hanging out in French roadside cafes.

It must have been about 5AM

Racer # 1567 - you are almost there

With Erica, the morning after