A 7-Miler in Woodstock

TOMahawk and I have joined the ranks of the Vermont maple syrup prize winners by getting podium finishes (both finished 3rd in our respective age groups) in the Woodstock 7-mile road race on July the 4th in Woodstock, VT. By having done so we can now be mentioned in the same sentence as the likes of MajorTOM.

It was a picture-perfect day on which about 130 runners challenged themselves on an “attention getting” hilly course, and dressed in the team uniforms TOMahawk and I proudly displayed the true Team IRONTOM colors.

By the time we arrived in Woodstock, TOMahawk was already there looking happy and ready to go. After a quick registration and a short warm up run around the Green the horn went off to mark the start of the race.

The 7-miler was definitely a good warm-up event for me before the upcoming Ironman USA in Lake Placid, in a couple of weeks. Its initial 3 miles were relatively flat and fast, giving an opportunity to get into a solid tempo. At mile 3, my Polar monitor read 19:30, which made me realize that I may be going a little to fast. Fortunately, I did not have to wait too long for the slow down. The few demoralizing, and seemingly, never-ending run-ups took care of that. Not having scouted this course before I had no idea how long they were. And they were long, indeed.

Well, what goes up must eventually come down - that is, at least, what they say, and in this case they were right, again. The descends were as challenging as the ascends making the quads and the lungs celebrate the 4th of July, together. At times, I was questioning the wisdom of my training day on Thursday, which included tempo runs and uphill bike intervals. But, after all, it was to be an another training day.

About ½ mile before the finish line I started accelerating in an attempt to break the 51-minute mark, but it was not meant to be that day (perhaps, next time on July 4th 2009). My finish time was 51:02, 25th in the general classification and 3rd in the 44-49 age group.

TOMahawk was close behind. With a taped-up left knee he clocked-in a finishing time of 51:52 and a 3rd podium finish in the 40-44 age group.

In the afternoon, we had a great barbeque time with the TOMahawks, and were dazzled by a single firework, or something that resembled that.

Ironman France 2008 (Nice)

I thought you may enjoy watching 15 minutes of this year's Ironman France. Having raced it in 2006, it is has been my favourite race to-date.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MODfGL9omQQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfAQFX8Uw3M

2008 Mooseman 70.3

TOMahawk is definitely ready

PRERACE: Race morning could not have been much better. Not to warm not to cold but you could tell it was going to get Hot later in the day. Leslie and I left home earlier this year to get to the race in plenty of time. We ended up parking about 1 mile from the transition area. I put my helmet on and rode my bike. Leslie walked it in. I had a good setup spot right on the end and it was the last row before the fence. I saw TOMb, TOMmomma and the TOM-A-Lots, before the race. I made sure I put on some sunscreen after last years tanning misadventures. I saw Leslie and Becky on the beach. I think Becky was asking Leslie what kind of cake I would like for our next Team party. I saw Britta and Joe and Leslie took this picture of us.

Happiness

SWIM: The swim was good. I was in the last wave of 7. After years of being anxious before the swim starts I was very relaxed this year. I think Ironman will do that for you. I positioned myself in the middle and when we got the go ahead I started to swim at an even pace with no contact from any of my wave mates. I finished in 35 minutes which is a good time for me. I can’t complain.

Where in the T1 is TOMahawk?

BIKE: The bike was uneventful. The road conditions were not the best but there was still plenty of a good road. I saw the Devil lady on the hill and I made sure I stayed hydrated and took my endurolytes. I put my front wheel on backwards so my bike computer never worked. Nothing I could do about that at the time. I still had my heart rate monitor. I could tell the second loop was a lot slower than the first and could feel the heat working on me. I finished in 3:07 and avg 17.9 mph.

RUN: For me the run was what I like to call a “character builder” It started off hot and just got hotter. I thought I was doing OK on the first loop, time wise, but the heat really took its toll on me on the second loop. It was really weird my body felt OK, my legs were strong but my heart and mind said take it slow. So I listened. I didn’t want Leslie to have to bring me home in a body bag. It just wouldn’t be fair to her because she was so supportive on that day. I did see and hear Carla cheering as I was heading out on the run.
I thank the guy with the hose and the kids with the squirt guns for helping to keep me cool as possible. I spent at least 5 minutes of the run getting hosed down. I finished the run in 2:11

POST RACE: Overall I finished in 6:00 53 seconds (I knew I shouldn’t have made that pit stop and I would have been under 6 hours. Oh well)

My time was 29 minutes over last year’s effort which was raced under more favorable weather conditions. But in the end I made it to the Finish line which is really what was important to me on that day. I saw the TOMTOMs (Chuck had another great race) and my other Teammates and supporters and we discussed upcoming events planned for the summer. After we left the race site Leslie and I made the long walk back to the car. It felt like a kick in the pants after racing on that hot day!!! PS> I practically ate a whole pizza later on when I got home.

Timberman 70.3 is next up in August 08 and I am thinking of an Ironman for 2009. I would like to take a crack at Ironman France someday but so far Leslie is not being supportive. I am going to continue to try and convince her that it would be like a vacation for her. Wish me luck

Welcome TerryTOM

I am in my 28th year in the multi-sport world, I have done well over 200 triathlons, ultra-marathons, road races, open water swims. IMLP will be my 3rd Ironman. I am a Nationally Certified Massage Therapist living and working in York, PA with my Wife (of 10 years) Alex, my twin daughters, Lauren, and Morgan, and my son James.


P.S. TerryTOM, we look forward to seeing you in Lake Placid in a few weeks.

It's Tough Turning 30

This was a race dominated by the numbers. The first magic number: 30. Despite being several months away from that milestone in my life, I was aged up into the 30-34 year old group. The second magic number: 57. That's what was posted on the "today, the water temperature is_____" sign hanging at the entrance to Wellington State Park. Race splits, paces, calorie intake--sure those numbers all mattered too, but that's par for any race. For the Mooseman international distance triathlon held this past Saturday, June 7, on beautiful Newfound Lake, NH, it was the magic numbers that would make this race extra special.

I arrived at Wellington State Park bright and early at 5:45 a.m. My early arrival netted me a sweet parking spot, easy access to the transition area, and open porta-potties. Scheduled for a 7:30 swim start I set up, ran for about 10 minutes down the run course, stretched and, at 7:00 began the task of getting into my brand spankin' new wetsuit. At 7:15 I took a gel and then began the long march down the beach to the swim start. Now, before going further, something needs to be said about expectations.

Based on an email that went around from the race directors the previous Monday, I was expecting chilly, but bearable 63-65 degree water. These hopes were quickly dashed when the aforementioned sign at the entrance to the park read a much chillier 57, though the race director did try to boost our spirits by telling us that it was, in fact 60 in there. A few brave souls decided to "warm up" in this ice bath, their necks red like boiled lobster when they came out of the water. This was not encouraging and all of us waiting there agreed that the "60 degree" announcement was more for encouragement than for giving accurate information. I was also expecting a hot, hot day and so had been drinking a lot of fluids.

This began to backfire when we were told that, due to heavy fog, the swim start would be delayed--initially for 15 minutes, but it really became an hour. This became a problem for my eating and drinking strategy. My transition bag was a good 400 yards from the swim start and there was no real sense of when things would be getting under way. Finally the race directors made the decision to shorten the swim course due to poor visibility (everyone, as you can imagine, was really upset by this inability to swim a full mile in the 57 degree water) and I made the decision to hurry back to transition, grab a cliff bar and some gatorade, and wolf it all down--just as things were about to get under way.

We all lined up out in the water and, just standing in it, it didn't seem so bad. But once the gun went off (okay, there was no gun, but there were bagpipes) it became a struggle. I found some open water, but just couldn't keep my face down in it without recoiling in shock and pain. The cold was taking my breath away, and I was swimming very inefficiently. After struggling for about 50 yards I slowed way down, got my breath back, and got my head in the water. One acclimated, it was fine. I found a rhythm and rounded the first buoy, now swimming nearly parallel to the beach. This stretch was fine but once I rounded the buoy to head back to shore I ran into problems. Foggy air and foggy goggles do not work well together. I was pretty far off course and having a hard time finding my way. I would take five strokes, stop, find some splashing feet, and aim for them. Eventually I got back on track, but I know my time suffered for it.

Once on shore I struggled out of my wetsuit (I need some serious practice in this department), grabbed the bike and related gear, and headed out on the course. Again I tried the "bike already in shoes method," but struggled with it more this time since I was soaking wet, making it hard to get my feet all the way in. My sunglasses had also fogged over quite a bit. This was a problem because the first leg of the bike was on some pretty terrible road and I just could not see all of the bumps (and at least try to avoid the big ones). Eventually, after a couple of miles, I settled in and my glasses cleared up. A big mistake that I had made was to use my aerobar water bottle. The roads were just so bumpy that nuun-infused fluids were splashing all over me, which wasn't contributing to the fun factor.

Between miles 10 and 18 there was some decent road to ride, but for the most part the winter had really torn things up. The last five miles or so back to the start were a real mess. At this point, my legs were so covered in nuun that they were sticking together on every pedal stroke. The bumps had even knocked my bike computer loose so that it was just hanging by a cord (now I have to replace that screw!). Needless to say, I had really lost focus at this point. I wasn't enjoying myself and just didn't have it in me to want to push the ride. Now this ends up being one of those valuable lessons learned, particularly on the mental side of racing. Everyone has to deal with the same crappy roads--the trick is to find a way to deal with it so that you can stay focused and keep riding hard. Always something to work on. Why can't I just punish my body and let my brain take the day off?

I had a nice dismount into transition and headed over to my running gear. I had laid out my flats and socks on my towel but, when I got there, discovered that one of my socks was missing. Not good. I quickly decided against going sockless on the 10k and instead took the time to dig another, unmatching sock out of my transition bag. This did not help my T2 time, but I got out of the gate and, after about 100 yards of beach running, hit the open road. I felt slow and shaky from the start, but was breathing comfortably. There was a guy right on my shoulder who was huffing and puffing like a mad man--I wanted him to pass me just so I wouldn't have to listen to it any more. Heading out it took about 2 miles for me to get my legs going, but once they did I felt a lot better. By the time I hit the turn-around I had found a good stride. Feeling a bit optimistic now I even passed a couple of people with big '29's written on their calves. I regained some hope (which had more or less been dashed as everyone blew by me on the bike course) of placing in my age group.

With two and a half miles to go I found myself getting a bit lazy. The dude in front of me (the huffer and puffer) was not in my age group, and there was no one on my tail, so I just settled into an easy rhythm. Again, the brain thing. I could have pushed, and I should have pushed, but I didn't, except for the last mile. I picked up Mr. Huff and Puff and a couple of other people at the end and crossed the finish in 2:18:01.

With the race over, the beauty of the freezing lake now revealed itself--cold soak time! Standing in the chilly water felt really good, as did grabbing some food and assorted beverages. I hung around for an hour or so and, with the unofficial race results posted, discovered that I was, in reality 30 years old. Apparently someone had been misleading me all these years. I still wouldn't have placed with the 29 year olds, and finished 38th overall and 7 out of 80 in my new age group. I wasn't thrilled with my performance, mostly because I was well aware of my own mental breakdowns.

Now I'm starting down IM Rhode Island in five weeks knowing that I may be racing with the tridectarians and so I'll need to step it up. People always told me that turning thirty was rough, but I never expected it to be quite like this.

REACHING THE PODIUM PLACING LAST?

This was a race of firsts for me. It was the first time I’ve ever done a straight mountain bike race. It was the first time I’ve placed first and last in my division. And finally the first time I’ve left before an awards ceremony. (If there was one.) How did I place first and last in my division? I registered for the Bear Brook Blast Off in the Open Cruiser division which was the lowest division of people doing the long course and I was the only one register for this division. There were two divisions above me doing the long course with many people in them and two divisions below me doing a shorter course.

Since this was my first straight mountain bike race I wanted to do the longer distance to prepare for summer triathlons but didn’t want to compete with the upper level racers especially considering that I have a older bike with no shocks or and older style caged pedals via mid 90’s. So I started with the women of the level above me.

The course was relatively flat but other than that had a little bit of everything to satisfy everyone. It had open areas on smooth gravel roads, cruising type trails and some pretty tricky single track with rocks and the works. I actually past a few people along the course and didn’t get past by to many within long course riders since I started towards the end. Although I have to say most of the women I started with started out quick and in front of me and stayed there.

I just looked on line and saw the results. Overall, for the long course racers, I was toward the end of the pack but was not dead last. Considering what I was riding I feelt pretty good about the race. I finished in 2 hours 24 minutes and 30 seconds. I also earned 200 points for being in first. What that means I have no idea.

Welcome Cory & Ric

Please join me in welcoming to Team IRONTOM my dear friends from Mexico. TOMb and I met TOM-y-Cory and TOM-Mathey-Ric at the pancake breakfast at Ironman Florida in 2005.

Ric is an accomplished age-groupe Ironman triathlete who has raced almost all around the world, while Cory is in her second year of racing. Both are heading down to Ironman France in a few weeks, though, only Ric will be racing there. Having raced that race in 2006, I know they will have a great time and, shortly after that, file a race report for the team.

Cory at Ironman Florida 70.3

With Mark Allen at Ironman Austria

Quadriceps...Sore, Calves...Aching, Arms...Surprisingly Relaxed

This past Sunday, May 18th, was the running of the Mountain Man Challenge around Mt. Ascutney; a duathlon of 9.3km run, 40km bike, and 5k run. This seemed like a great event to get some race experience in before Mooseman in a couple of weeks, so off I went. I had never done a duathlon before, so wasn't really sure what to expect, but I told myself I'd be happy to finish in under two hours. Did that happen? Tune in next week to find out...or, I can just tell you now, either way works for me.

The race was slated to begin at a very civilized 9:00 a.m. Things were going well with my pre-race "getting ready" routine until I realized that I had lost my timing chip. Yikes. I scoured the grounds, my gear bag, my bike--every blade of grass--but no luck. I was feeling pretty bummed out but, as the timing guy said who gave me a new chip, things that start off badly often end well. Of course, he also told me that I would have to pay for the replacement chip if I couldn't find it after the race so I'm not sure how that qualified as "ending well." But, once chipped-up, I felt ready to go. After a pre-race briefing we were sent out to line up on the main road outside Ascutney State Park.

After a 3-2-1 Go! The group was off. We had all been packed over onto the left hand side of the road, and so I tried to find some open pavement from the get go. After a couple of brief surges I found myself at the front of the pack and pulling away, except for one guy who was hanging behind me. After the first two miles we had made quite a gap between ourselves and the rest of the pack. I was feeling pretty good. I managed to open up a bit of space and was leading the race. This was a first for me, and, while it felt good, was a bit disconcerting since I didn't have anyone to pace off of. It wasn't long, however, before that guy surged and caught me as we headed down a dirt road towards a steep climb. While he had pulled ahead, I managed to pass him again in the first half of the hill. I was hoping that his surge and the climb would have taxed him, but it didn't. He picked up the pace for the rest of the climb, and started to open up some space for himself. As we headed towards the transition, he managed to open up about 30 yards between us, but I was feeling comfortable, trying not to get to over-eager finishing up the first leg. I finished the run in about 32:30.

Coming into T1, I was trying something new--the "shoes attached to bike method." This gave me a really quick transition time and I was right behind him again coming out. But, once on his bike, he took off and it took me a little bit to get going and get my feet in the shoes, so it wasn't long before a big gap had opened up. Now, I know that you can't judge people's performance by their gear alone, but I've learned that it's a good rule of thumb that was somebody throws on one of those fancy teardrop helmets when they get on their bike, they're no cycling slouch. The first bit of the bike course was a nice downhill. This was nice--I got to get the old legs spinning but also a bit treacherous coming into the first road intersection. With a lot of speed coming down the hill, we were supposed to turn right onto Route 5, but it was really hard to see the oncoming traffic and there wasn't anyone there to control it. So, I mostly crossed my fingers (which is hard to do when you're trying to keep your hands on the brakes) and went for it. I continued to lose ground to the leader, but expected as much. I was in a comfortable second heading into about six miles of steady climbing.

I had biked the course during the previous week and, at that time, got a nice taste for how windy the conditions can get. I wasn't disappointed this time either. Climbing is already a struggle--climbing into a stiff headwind is just a cruel joke. What made it so frustrating was that I found it hard to accelerate after the hills leveled off into much more reasonable grades, so I could never really pick up any speed.

About thirteen miles in I got passed by another cyclist hammering on a fast downhill, and then a couple of miles later by another two cyclists. From here on, however, the bike course got a lot faster, which was nice and I managed to largely keep up with the two riders that had taken the third and fourth positions. I was also glad to have ridden the course earlier because I wasn't surprised by the rough road conditions. Cracks turned to bumps which turned to holes. Bouncing around in the seat my new pass time.

I came into T2 shortly after the third and fourth place riders , had a nice dismount, and made my way back to my racing flats to try and polish off this course. Okay, so maybe my strong run in the first leg had given me a false sense of confidence about where I would be right now, but I new coming out of transition that I still had a good chance at placing in the top three. The last run leg was an out-and-back 5 k and within the first quarter mile I had managed to pick up two runners, putting myself back in the number three slot. I also got a nice hand slap as a I passed one runner--it's always nice to race with such good spirits. I entertained some thoughts of pushing and catching another runner, but, as a neared the turn-around, knew it wasn't going to be. I was getting this nagging pain in my right quad, and just overall felt like I was pushing my limit. I also wasn't looking forward to the return--all uphill.

Rounding the corner to make the return trip was interesting, to say the least, since there was nothing marking where the turn-around was. Out of breath, I struggled to ask the volunteer working the aid stop where I had to go to, to which she responded, "oh, just to about the car is fine." Armed with such precise instruction, I set out on the return trip. Things started out badly. I was struggling to maintain a pace and, even worse, a guy that I had passed on the trip down was putting on a surge and making up some serious ground. About a half mile from the finish he passed me and kept pulling away as I didn't have it in me to hold him off. My "top-three" visions were quickly fading.

I turned into the park entrance and headed for the finish. Above me, the clock read 1:59:50. I sprinted the last 25 yards and finished six seconds later--just making it within my two hour goal time. Phew! I grabbed some water and, feeling a bit chilly, went back to my gear back for pants and a long sleeved shirt. Pulling the shirt over my head a miracle occurred: my original timing chip fell out of one of the sleeves (the velcro must have gotten snagged when I took the shirt off before the race).

So, overall, a good race day. I finished fourth overall, and first in my age group (though, with such a small field, I have just been competing with myself in that category). Even better, I didn't have to pay to replace a timing chip.

A Season Opener With An International Flavor

The best dressed Ironman at the party

So there I was, sitting at a local coffee bar the other day (or "cafe," as the hip kids call it) when an older gentleman started shouting in Polish and franticly pointing to this table over by a window with a lamp on it. Fortunately I had just been at the 1st Annual Team Irontom Pre-Race Season Fun-and-Food Time Extravaganza (or TIPRSFAF) and I knew just what to do: I squatted down, then leaped into the air and clapped my hands over my head. Okay, perhaps that didn't happen exactly the way I described it. There may not have been an older, frantic Polish gentleman. But I have been to a cafe before. But the knowledge is real and that is all thanks to the powerful lesson in the intricacies of the Polish language given by Mrs. TOMasz. But, alas, I get ahead of myself...The festivities kicked off around one in the afternoon at the Hensel home perched high above the chilly waters of the town resevoire. Now, let it be known that there is one thing that there will never be a shortage of at a team TOM part: food. Food food food food food. There was the standard fare, like chips and salsa and cheese and crackers, as well as the more exotic, like week-old sushi from Boston (ask the TOMahawk about that one) and bottle after bottle of Ensure (ask TOM-a-lot about that).

Japanese flavor

T2, TOMb, and Megan

All the eyes were on TOM-a-Lot. He may have been discussing the chilli recepie

All that of course, is just for starters because somethin' fierce was being cooked up in the Hensel kitchen. While we waited for the main course the task of entertaining the TOMs was taken up Mrs. TOMasz, Kasia. For some odd reason Britta was not interested in performing this duty this time around...

Armed with a thirty year old condensed Polish-English dictionary and a room full of go-getters who will squat, jump, clap and....wait, what was the other one...at even the slightest suggestion, we proceded to squat, jump, clap and do that other thing to the tune of lamp, table, window and....something else. By the way, the word for lamp, is "lampa." Lesson learned.

Polish flavor

Testing the Ensure

TOMalita and TOMmomma

After taking us through a few rounds on her own Kasia graciously passed the torch to me to make everyone run through these motions. This was such a happy coincidence because just that morning I had been thinking "boy, wouldn't it be great to find some way to get a room full of people to jump up in the air and clap their hands over their heads?"

Once it was established that I did, in fact, have the best Polish accent of everyone in the room it was time for the real eating. Carbo-loading doesn't even begin to describe it. Pastas and breads and rices adourned the dining table. But, if you like your pasta covered in chili, red beans, onions and cheese and...something else...then you went for bowl after bowl of Skyline Chili. Now, having spent a weekend with TOM-a-lot and TOMasz in Maryland waxing nostalgic about this mythical "Skyline Chili" I was, needless to say, curious. Very, very tasty stuff. Can't say I would eat it before heading out for a run, but I can say--without engaging in any hyperbole whatsoever, that it was the best Skyline Chili I had ever had or will have.

Tasting of the "Skyline Chilli"

Having filled our collective bellies to the bursting point, it was time for ice cream cake. Now, I would like to make a motion (we do follow Roberts' Rules of Order at Team Irontom, right?) that all future team parties be time to coincide with birthdays so that we can have ice cream cake. I mean, come on, it's ice cream in cake form--what more could you ask for. Well, maybe if you topped it with chili, red beans, onions, cheese...

After a rousing round of "happy birthday" sung to the man of the hour, Eli, it was time for dessert and, unfortunately, time for me to go. The nice day was calling me to my road bike and so, after purposefully leaving my sunglasses behind so that I would have to get them from the Hensels when they got out of church the next day and then get to eat some oreo cream pie stuff--yup, that was all planned out--I headed back.

Eli's B-Day cake. It was his sixth

The TOMahawk family

Things look promissing for Team TOM as we head into race season. We should have a good showing at Mooseman, another contingent in Lake Placid and Timberman, and, of coure a slew of other races in between. And you know what that means...RACE REPORTS!

Finally we can stop reading about Chuck and Carla racing through the cold rain in Vermont (because we all read that report compulsively, right?) immerse ourselves in the fantastical world that is Team Irontom, 2008

A family picture

The most popular Iron-person in the room with members of the IronTOM Support Team

A great time was had by almost all ;o)

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?