A bunch of ho's.......

Yesterday the Wingman and I went out to Bethpage for a 5k race. Wynn & Teresa came out as well to join in the festivities. It's quite the atmosphere since it's a holiday race. People come down dressed in costumes and sometimes we even get snowfall for the race. It didn't snow this year, but there was plenty of cheer. The weather was actually nice for this time of year. Probably around 32 degrees at the start.

The race consists of two loops with an added section on the 2nd loop. Prior to the start, I took my spot in the front 3rd of the pack. There were 1058 people in the race and I didn't want to get caught behind any walkers. When the horn went off, I started my Garmin and took off down the road. It's a bit of a narrow start so you have to be patient and wait for some open space. Well, one douchebag in a Team Runners Edge jacket clearly wanted no part of waiting. I felt his forearm on my shoulder and next thing I knew he shoved me hard out of his way. Now, I understand sometimes you use an elbow to maintain your position. But why would a grown man shove a woman out of his way just to get slightly ahead? I managed to stay on my feet, but now I was filled with rage. I chased him down the road and plotted my revenge. I seriously thought about jumping on his back and taking him down. Or pull his coat over his head and pummel him with a few punches. Or just trip him. I ran behind him for a little bit and he had no idea of what could be in store for him. Instead, I asked the running gods to let a boil appear on his ass and fester for a few weeks.

When we made the first turn I settled in and tried to let it go. I made it around to the back side of the course and when I approached mile 1, I hit my lap button on my watch. Or so I thought I did. I wound up hitting the stop button instead. Whoops. Realized it about 1 minute later. Started it back up again.

Came around for lap #2 and was flying by all the spectators that lined the course in front of the school. Then we had to cut into a small development and run around a circle. I stayed close to the curb to keep the distance that I have to run to a minimum. Problem was two small kids had the same idea and boxed me in. I had one in front and one to the side. Really?!? I debated what to do. I didn't want to slow down to drop back and then come around them. And there was no room to cut between them on the angle. Then I remembered a quiz I took about how many five year olds I can take in a fight. These two weren't five, but they were small. I could pick the kid up that was next to me and throw him at the girl in front of me and take them both down. But then again, I think I would have gotten a major ass kicking by the crowd. So I waited patiently and the boy dropped off and I was able to get out.

When I made my way around the back side of the loop, I could feel a massive energy drain. The last few weeks of school stress and decreased training volume were catching up with me. I knew I just had to hang on for another half mile or so.

With about .3 miles to go, I felt something hitting my ankle. I looked down and my show lace came undone. Crap! Decision time - stop to tie it, take the shoe off and run, or just keep running. I went with option 3 - just keep running. I knew the final sprint was out of the question with a loose shoe but I made the best of it. Crossed the finish line 20 seconds slower than my PR, but going into the race, I knew a PR was not even an option.

Wynn had already finished so I went back to stand with him and wait for the Wingman and Teresa to finish. Afterwards we went inside to grab something to eat and wait for the raffle. The food line was long but we managed to get in. They had the most wonderful looking cupcakes and they were HUGE!! Teresa and I stood there and drooled, but stayed strong and didn't get one.

The raffle was uneventful. None of us won the TV or the camera or anything else for that matter. Once it was over, we drove to Holbrook for a post-race/pre-birthday lunch at the diner for the Wingman. Teresa filled us in on her first marathon she ran last month. We reviewed each other's racing schedules and what is on tap for next season.

For now, I have two weeks off and then I start my clinicals. No more classes for me. Ever (except continuing education stuff). So I have two solid weeks to get ready to ramp up for my 2011 training to begin. I have a race in early Janauary (10 miler) that I am excited for. It's just a training race, but a good barometer of where I stand to prepare for my 1st 'A' race of the season in April.

Bring on 2011!!!!!!!!!

Another One Bites the Dust

Wingnut runs warily down the street with the brim pulled way down low

Ain't no sound but the sound of her feet, machine gun's ready to go.

Are you ready? Hey, are you ready for this?

Are you hanging on the edge of your seat?

Out of the doorway the bullets rip to the sound of the beat, Yeah

Another one bites the dust, Another one bites the dust

And another one gone, and another one gone

Another one bites the dust

Hey  I'm gonna get you too

Another one bites the dust

OK, so the words changed a little, but you get the feel of the mood I'm trying to create here. I had a little swagger yesterday morning heading into the 5k Turkey Trot. I had the latest PR on tap. The string of PR's started with the 10 miler, then the 10k and 4 miler. 5k was left on my list. It felt a little cold out, but I knew once I was running, the flames from my shoes and the burning rubber would keep me warm.....OK, OK, so I'm not that fast but a girl can dream can't she?

Me and my target (I'm on the right in case you were confused)

Wingman and I hung out in the car for a little while before the race and went through the goodie bag. I did this race last year and knew the race organizers always put some nice stuff in there. And this year they did not disappoint.

Once we got closer to the starting time, I changed into my running shoes, put on my gloves and made my way out to the starting line. I found a nice place closer to the front. My only gripe was the race start was 15 minutes late. That meant I was standing around for an extra 15 minutes waiting. I kept looking at my HR on the display and it would not stay up. I kept hopping in place to keep it elevated and was worried that I was wasting energy. I didn't want to leave my spot because there were over 1,000 people at this race. 

When the gun went off I was flying down the road. This race is really short so there's not much strategy that I can use. Just go out fast, hard and try to hold it. I weaved through a few people and stayed out of harms way of the faster runners passing me. There were a few turns on this course, but not nearly as many as last weeks race. We cruised down towards the Great South Bay and then back north. When I came up to the 1 mile marker, I saw what my split was. I really wasn't sure what my pace would be for this race so I just figured I would keep running as hard as I could. I also looked over my shoulder (which I usually don't do) and what do I see? Wingman is right behind me. I did a double take as I was surprised to see him running with me. Not only was I chasing my own PR, but I was looking to break the House Record that he happens to hold. Panic set in. What if he stayed with me the whole time? Would he keep quiet behind me and then pounce near the finish line? Oh no, not on my watch! I was now running scared.

I knew now I could not slow down. I kept going and a little further down the road I looked back again and I didn't see the Wingman. But I didn't rest easy. I didn't look far over my shoulder so he could still be lurking. When we rolled through mile 2, I knew I was still making good time. I did some quick math to see what time I would possibly finish in. I knew, barring a meltdown, I could PR, but would I steal the house record as well? Only time would tell.

The last mile was hard. It started with a slight decline so I used it to get some free speed. The it flattens out and goes around the block. The around the block section disoriented me. I was tired and when I was running down the last straightaway, I swear I kept thinking we had to make one more left turn to get to the finish. I kept running down the road and then about a few hundred yards from the finish, I saw the finish line. No left turn necessary. 

I put my head down and just hammered it home with whatever gas I had left in the tank. I knew the PR and house record were in the bank. I crossed the finish line and felt a little sick from the effort. At that point if I bent over to take off the timing check I would have taken a header. I walked it off a little and then took the chip off. Wingman came over a little after me and had a great race as well. We both had finishing times better than we expected.

It's been a wild month of running for me. 4 PRs for 4 different distances. I am excited with the progress I've made and how it will play into my plans for next season. It's been a long time coming. Over the summer I was growing frustrated with my running times. 

".....it doesn't get easier, just faster."

On the hunt

When we last left the PR hunter, the 10 mile and 10k PR's went down without much of a fight. Today, I lined up on the starting line for the 4 Miler in Lynbrook. Would I be able to line it up in my sights and take it down? Would a PR prove to be too elusive and escape from my grasp? Only time will tell.

It was pretty cold at the start. I had to put on some gloves to race in just to keep my fingers warm. I had two shirts as well. I took a spot somewhere near the front as I didn't want to lose much time from the start. Once the gun went off, I was flying down the road. I was able to get a clean start and was off and running without wasting energy weaving in and out of people. The course was a little different from last week's 10k course. This one had about 512 turns in it. Well, maybe not 512, but it sure felt like it. There was never a long straightaway so I was OK with all the turns. The race director does a great job on the course. At every turn, there is a volunteer holding a sign with an arrow that says "Turn Right" or "Turn Left". Each intersection was well protected. Even the people that live in the neighborhood were out and cheering the racers on.

As I turned off Merrick Road, I found my rhythm and settled into my race. I had no goal pace since it was such a short race. I just went out hard and focused on hanging on. As I made my way towards the park I noticed a guy running on my right. He was running my speed and coming closer. It was rather odd. I am not sure why he was running towards my line since I was on the left side of the road and there was a right turn coming. I made sure I held my line since I was there first and just put my elbow out a little as I ran to let him know I wasn't going to budge. I think he got the sign, but he stayed with me the next ~2 miles.

I was so focused how I was feeling that I completely missed the 1 mile marker. I wanted to record my splits on the watch. Oh well, I will get it at mile 2 and the rest of the markers. With my 'shadow' running with me, I continued onward. When I got to the 2nd mile marker, I was shocked at my time. I came through about a minute faster than I thought I would. Zoinks! Now the pressure was on. The PR was up ahead and I was lining it up in my sights. Would I be able to take the shot and bring it down? I had to hold on for another 2 miles to find out.

It was at this point that I realized something. In the past, I always looked for my Tony. I always tried to find that person that I wanted to beat so I could be motivated. But this time something was different. For the last few races I didn't look for Tony. Somehow I became Tony. I was now running myself down. I was the one to beat. I've changed my whole mindset when it comes to running and it is paying off. A breakthrough.

As I rolled into mile 3, I noticed my 'shadow' dropped back a little. He slowed down for water and I opted to keep on going. For a 4 mile race, unless it's hot, I don't need anything to eat or drink. I knew I couldn't let him make it back up to me. I marked the split and knew this last mile had to count. The only trouble in the last mile, besides my legs hurting, was the wind. We finally had a headwind to deal with. I knew I had to work harder now to maintain my pace and keep the 'shadow' at bay. I had the PR lined up and was ready to take the shot. I was getting disoriented on the race course with all the turns we were making. I had no idea what direction I was heading in. I just followed the crowd and the volunteers that told me when to turn. I guess you could call the volunteers my human GPS system.

I got to the final straightaway that was ~1/4 mile long. I could see the finish line and was plotting out when I would pick it up. When I made my 'move' I ran hard to the finish. I held off the 'shadow' and more importantly, I took down another PR. This time I shaved 3 minutes off my 4 mile PR. The PR hunter was victorious again!

After I crossed the finish line, I met up with my friend Jennifer. She lives in the next town over and came down to cheer the Wingman and I on. She also doubled over as the 'official' photographer. Once the Wingman crossed the finish line, we went into the gym to warm up and then we went out for breakfast. The food was good and conversation was great. The only downer to the breakfast was they were playing Christmas music. Really?! It's not even Thanksgiving yet and we have to be subject to this torture? Bah humbug I say.

Photo Courtesy of Jennifer C.

So, what's next for the PR hunter? Hey 5k PR!! Yeah you. I'm talking to you. You can run, but you can't hide...........

The PR Hunter

This morning I was in hot pursuit of the elusive 10k PR. Last month my attempt at the Entenmann's 10k came up 6 seconds short. I worked hard over the last month honing my speed skills while focusing on the 10k today. After a great run at the Army 10 Miler, I had a bit of a swagger going into this race.

Slip inside the eye of your mind

Don't you know you might find

A better place to play

                               - N. Gallagher (Oasis)

On all my runs leading into this race, I kept seeing myself running fast, (OK, maybe not fast, but fast for me) feeling strong, and crossing the finish line in PR time. The course is super flat and fast, my preference for running. Wingman and I got to the race early to check in and find some parking. It was not hard to find the place. There were American flags everywhere, fire trucks all over the road, and the Patriot Guard riders parked on the side of the road. Check in was fast and smooth. We went back to the car to rest up a little and then made our way back for the pre-race ceremony. The race is run by the "Hope for the Warriors" foundation and helps wounded soldiers and their families when they return home from war. Once the ceremony was over, they explained the start line procedures and where to line up. Each starting line (5k and 10k) were marked by fire trucks on the road. The start of the race would be signaled by the siren on the trucks. We made our way down the road and waited it out. My goal was to start near the front but I wasn't too worried since I saw the race would actually be chip timed. Phew, no start line disasters. Well, there was one disaster. Remember when I said the fire engine sirens would signal the start of the race? Well, the "Hero of the Stupid" (HOTS) here lined up next to the fire truck. When the siren went off, I almost dropped to my knees while grabbing my ears. Holy christmas it was loud. I took off like a bat out of hell to get away from it. I thought I was safe until I passed through the 5k starting area and those sirens were blaring too. My whole head was ringing. I thought for sure what little hearing was left in my 'good' ear was gone. All I know was I was flying to get away from the sirens.

Once I was clear of the noise, I settled down a little. I didn't want to blow the race early. The first part of the race takes you down Sunrise Highway towards Wellwood Ave. It was pretty cool that they closed down some major roads for this race. As I made my way to the cloverleaf to turn onto Wellwood, I checked my pace and saw it was a little too fast. At this point I had to make a decision. Do I want to slow down and pace it right or just keep on going and try to hang on. I was actually feeling good and the pace that was set for my 1st two miles felt a little too slow but it would help me on the back end. Hmm, what would HOTS do? You betcha, I kept on running.

Wellwood Ave was nice. There were a lot of spectators out cheering the racers on. The police did a great job controlling traffic and there were more fire trucks out there. Thank goodness the sirens were silent now. Or maybe I was completely deaf, not too sure. I kept assessing how I was feeling and so far, so good. I knew with the current pace a PR was in the bag. As long as I don't do something stupid.

We continued south until Hoffman Ave. I turned left under the railroad tracks and headed east. I had checked out the course map prior to the race and this section concerned me the most. It was well over a mile of straight line running with not much to see. Thank goodness there were some spectators out cheering us on. I saw an aid station coming up and I was thinking about a quick swig of water to rinse out my mouth, but they ran out of cups and were handing out 16oz bottles. I couldn't be bothered trying to handle it while running so I passed up on the aid station. Before I knew it I saw the 3 mile marker. I did my first time check to see how I was doing. When I saw my time I had mixed emotions. I was happy that I was running so fast, but I was a little nervous about what the second half had in store for me. No time to worry, I was in hot pursuit of a PR. Tunnel vision was starting to set it. Eye on the prize.

The chase led me down to Great East Neck Road which would merge into 109. This time the aid station had cups. I grabbed a cup and took a sip then poured the rest down my back and ditched the cup. Right by the merge with 109 is the 4 mile marker. I again did a time check and saw my pace was still quick. Only 2.2 miles to go. I was seriously thinking that this pace was too hard to hold on to, but there was no way I could back down now. When I looked at the time again, I started to do my running math. The original time goal I set was changing as I ran. I had a chance to go ~2 minutes faster than I previously set my goal for. As long as I don't do something stupid............

I could feel my legs getting heavier with each step. It's like all the blood that was pumping out of my legs was being replaced with lead. I was never happier to get to the 5 mile mark. The end was getting closer. Actually, the hardest part of the race was coming. There was the overpass on 109 to climb to get over Sunrise Highway. With the fatigue setting in and less than half a mile to go, this small bump in the road almost brought me to a screeching halt. It was so hard to get to the top and all I kept thinking was how great the downhill will be and all the time lost going up will be made up coming down. At least that's what I was hoping for. At the top of the overpass you get into the cloverleaf to get onto Sunrise again. 

When I got to the highway again, I could see the fire trucks with the flags. The finish line was in sight. I could see people turning on the speed as they made their way down the stretch. I picked it up a little but could not match their speed. My lead filled legs had paid the price for my aggressive race. I crossed the finish line and stopped my watch. I was stunned at the time. I had the PR in my sight and took the shot. The PR hunter was successful. I was over 5 minutes faster than the Entenmann's 10k only a month earlier. I honestly didn't think I would be that fast. I knew after today's race that I laid it all out.

Today's race was a solid effort. Maybe I went out a little too fast, but I think I managed to hang on and maintain my pace throughout. The running is coming along at a much faster pace then I anticipated. I have a few more fun races this fall before the serious work begins for next season. My goals for next year are constantly shifting right now. Each time I think about times I want to achieve next year, I surpass them this season. Sometime late in December I will sit down and plot it out. Looks like some good things are coming.

Army 10 Miler

Sunday was the Army 10 Miler down in Washington DC. Wingman and I arrived on Friday for the race. I spent a good portion of the weekend studying for my midterm and practical. The packet pickup went smoothly and we cruised the expo for some free stuff. The Army Special Operations group brings out all the cool toys during the expo as they try to recruit people.

Get them while they're young

Wingman and I talked a little about goal times for the race. I told him what I thought I would finish in and was even a little worried that I might not make that time.

I had some trouble sleeping the night of the race. I kept having bizarre dreams about 'outcome measures' and PT. But once the alarm went off at 5a, it was go time! I got up, had my breakfast, took a shower and relaxed a few minutes. Once Wingman was ready, we went down to the metro. We stayed close to the race start in Arlington so we only had two metro stops to get to the Pentagon. We checked out bags and Wingman made one last port-a-john stop.

We had no time to spare and had to move quickly to get to the race start. It was like the warrior dash all over again as we climbed over railings and dividers. We were up on the highway about 5 minutes before the race start. We chatted a few minutes and then we heard "BOOM!!!" The Army cannon went off and we were NOT on our way. There were so many people in our wave it took 8 minutes to get to the start. I wasn't worried as my clock didn't start until I crossed the mat. We walked together and then we were separated by congestion near the actual starting line. Once I started running, I tried to settle into my pace which is hard to do. I always go a little too fast, but at least I recognized it and tried to slow it down. But then I looked ahead. What do I see? The Wingman is ahead of me. How did he get up there? I looked at my watch and realized he was running ~2 minutes/mile faster than his goal pace. I picked it up a little to catch up and let him know to slow down. We waved goodbye and I made my way down the highway.

1st mile was pretty easy. I just focused on my pacing. I had a goal to finish strong and I really wanted to meet that goal. Once we get off the highway we are running towards the back of the Lincoln Memorial. It's amazing that they shut down parts of our capital so we can run through the streets. I keep checking my watch to be sure I an on target. My goal was to run the 1st 5 miles at one pace and then pick it up for the last 5. So far, so good.

As we ran alongside The Mall, I was reminded of why this race is run. There were quite a few people running with shirts on that had pictures of family members killed in action or currently serving. As I came up on wounded soldiers in the race, I thanked them as I ran by. It's very inspiring to see these men and women out there competing. They are braver then I could ever be.

Between mile 2 and 3, the Army Brass band is out there. It's a help because they are positioned at the start of the first hill. This course is not really hilly, but because it's so flat, any incline looks like a hill. I kept the pace going and made my way to the top easily. Now the fun part - DOWNHILL!! I let it rip and made up some time. Before I knew it I was at mile 3 and in front of the Watergate building. I observed a moment of silence for my man, Richard Nixon. Next up is the U-turn to take you along the Potomac and the Kennedy Arts Center. Here I passed a man running in a tuxedo shirt, bow tie and shorts. Strange combo. I also remembered coming up between mile 3.5 and 4 was some road construction. They warned us at the expo about rough road so I knew to run looking down.

Just before the construction zone, there was a guy saying you could go right or left. So I went left. Well, the left splits again and I was in the middle. There were 3 lanes divided by concrete barriers. The middle lane had most of the rough road. Naturally I wound up there. The surface wasn't bad so I opted to stay. Then I had to slow down to climb around a bulldozer. I started thinking, is this the Army 10 Miler or another Warrior Dash? I ran a little more and then decided to hop over the wall and go back onto the pavement. I knew all that warrior training would pay off!!

We made our way out of Rock Creek Park and up to Independence Ave. The street is lined with spectators and runners going out and back. When I crossed the mat for the 5 mile marker I looked at my watch and saw my pacing was good. In fact, it was a little faster than I planned, but I was feeling good so I decided to pick it up a little. I made my way down Independence Ave towards the Capitol building. I was hoping none of our elected officials would be out cheering as I didn't want to run with extra rage!!

When I got to the 6.5 marker I picked it up a little more. My thought was to bring up the average now, because I will slow down between miles 8 and10 because of the rolling hills on the highway. When I got to mile 7, I was running back up Independence Ave and started to look for the Wingman. When I spotted him, I went over and we high fived. He was looking good!! The further up the road I went, the closer I was to finishing. My legs were getting a little tired and I was worried about the highway section. But I kept thinking about why I was running the race and all the wounded soldiers that were running as well. I passed a few guys with bilateral leg amputations. If they can keep it up, then a big HTFU was in order for me.

I made the turn towards mile 8 and the highway. It looked so lonely. All the spectators would be gone. It was just me and the clock. I looked at my watch and knew my goal time was easily achieved as long as I didn't do something stupid. Now I started to think of a new goal time - 5 minutes faster than I planned. I knew it would be a real push to make it, but I was going to try. I ran up, across and down several times and soon could see the Pentagon from the highway. the finish line was near!! I had my finish strategy planned out. When I exited the highway it's a hard right turn and then there's the finish line. I had to start my 'sprint' before the turn. I picked it up and went around the corner hard. I looked around and thought "who moved the finish line?" Then it set it - there was another right turn I forgot about. That was the turn I had to plan for. The only thing that went through my head - motherf*^#&$!! Now I was out of gas. I did my best to hang on, but of course I slowed down a little. I crossed the line and stopped the watch. I was 4 minutes faster than the goal I originally set and ~8:30 faster than last year. Wingman kicked some serious butt too and finished ~6-7 minutes faster than last year.

Overall I was pleased with my race. It was complete from start to finish. I had no regrets about how I ran. There were things that were out of my control (construction) but I adjusted and kept going. I've been waiting a long time for a race like this one. Normally I am a BOP (back of pack) racer, but when I looked at my stats for this race, I was a MOP (middle of pack) racer. I finished in the top half of my gender and division (more like the middle, but better than 50%).

For my fundraising efforts, I passed 8,288 people in the race and I raised a lot of money. Thank you to everyone that generously sponsored me for the race. I had Michael on my mind the entire race and I was focused on passing everyone out there!!

My racing season went pretty well. I have some nice things to build on now for next year. The rest of the fall will be fun stuff. Then it's back to the drawing board.

Chapter 3: Running on Empty

T2 was a pretty quick transition. I changed shoes, dropped the helmet, grabbed my hat, race number, a few flasks of infinit and headed out for the run. I was actually feeling pretty good at this point. The run course is two loops so you never really have to head that far out. At least that was what I tried to convince myself. I was no more than 1/4 mile out when I realized I forgot something.

Yes, I forgot my sunglasses. Unless it is pitch black out, I like to keep my eyes covered. I also don't want people to see that I am really suffering so if I wear dark glasses, they can't see the pain in my eyes. At this point there was no turning back. I knew exactly what happened. I had them in my hat in T2. When I grabbed my hat they fell out and I never picked them up. So they stayed behind with my bike stuff. 

This run course is super flat and two loops. There were aid stations every mile so there was no worry about not having enough water. Part of the course loops through a trail and is shaded. 

I found a nice pace (aka slow) early on and focused on keeping the feet moving. The first part of the run is along a multi use path and is smooth. I tried to find someone that was moving at my pace so I could just follow their lead. I did find one guy and he was moving a little bit slower, but I decided to stick with him for a while. I matched him stride for stride and finally pulled up alongside him. We started chatting and he was telling me that he hoped to be able to run the whole thing. He recently got a cortisone injection in his hip. Naturally I went into DPT mode and asked him what was the shot for. He said he couldn't remember what the doctor said. My first thought was "Wow, you let a doctor shoot you up with something and you have no idea what it was for." Instead I started my eval right there. I asked him some history questions. Since I couldn't ask him to stop so I could do some tests, I had to go by questions alone. After a few, I asked him "Did the doctor say you had an impingement?" He then excitedly said "Yes, that's it. That's what he said." Phew, I am getting better at this stuff. I had him diagnosed in less than one mile. 

We ran along together for a little longer. The trails were killing my foot. My running shoe does not have a lot of forefoot padding so the trail section had some gravel that was digging into my foot and creating a hot spot. I had to alter my stride a little in the trail section to avoid landing on a small rock with my right foot.

While I was happy to be running in the shade, I was happier to get back out onto the path again. There was another aid station and this one had some ice. I put some into my hat and thanked the volunteers. So far, so good. I continued plodding along by myself now. I had walked through the aid station for the ice and the guy I was running with kept on running. At this point I needed to run as far as I could and just think about hanging on. In the course write up, they said just after the aid station that I passed through, there would be a misting station and ice towels. I was excited thinking about the towels. But I saw nothing ahead. Hmmm, must be around the corner that's coming up. I get to the corner and try to contain my excitement for the towels. But when I turned, there was no one there. It's like thinking there is a surprise party waiting for you and you open the door, waiting to hear everyone say "surprise", but it's an empty dark room. There were no towels, no misting station. Damn it, I can't have nice things.

I continued on the path and came across another woman. We chatted a little bit and then we separated. I got closer to the turnaround area. You have to be careful of your footing. You have to run across a grass field. I slowed down a bit so I could make sure I was on solid ground. Last thing I wanted was to roll my ankle. Wingman came along with me. That's the nice thing about this course. Spectators can see you come and go several times. I remember passing a woman that was sitting on the tailgate of her SUV. She was cheering everyone on and paying compliments. When I passed she called out my number and said I was "awesome" and that I was doing better than she would. When I turned to look, I saw she had on a walking boot and crutches. Seriously?!? Of course I am doing better than you. At the time I thought it was a dumb thing to say. I wanted to grab her crutch and hit her with hit, but that would end my race right there.

I got to the turnaround and went back across the field. Wingman was with me again cheering me on and talking to me. I bid him farewell as I crossed the road to start the 2nd loop. This loop was much harder. It was getting warmer and I was slowing down. I was dreading the trails because of my foot. If I had know, I would have worn a different pair of running shoes for the race instead of lightweight trainers. Oh well, nothing I can do now.

I stumbled upon another runner and we talked about different races we've done. He did a half marathon the week before this race. He was also wearing a Garmin so I asked him about our pace. I knew it was a little too slow for me so I picked it up a little. When I got to the trails, I was moving really slow. The looks rocks were bothering my foot. I kept moving, though. Seemed to take forever to get out of there. As I got closer to the end of the trail, I swear I could hear the music from the Wizard of Oz:

You're out of the woods

You're out of the dark

You're out of the night

Step into the sun

Step into the light

It was like the Emerald City was near. I knew the 10 mile marker was coming up soon. My hamstrings were getting tighter with each step. I crossed the wooden bridge again and started to battle mentally with myself. Finishing was never a doubt, but the speed in which I finish was an issue. I started doing the math and knew I had to maintain a certain pace to finish in a certain time. I knew I wouldn't make it, but wanted to salvage something here. Then something caught my eye to keep me occupied. They had trail markers and I saw a word that I had to say over and over in my head to get the pronunciation - Chickahominy. That is a mouthful, especially when you are exhausted. Seriously, I was saying that work over and over again for 1 mile. 

For the last 2 miles, I crawled along. When I made my way back to the main path, I knew the end was in sight. I saw the mile 12 marker and knew it was close. When I crossed the road I met up with the Wingman again. He was all smiles for me and that always lifts my mood. We chatted a bit and then he left to meet me at the finish line. I ran the rest of the way around to the finish line. Wingman was there and finally, this race was over.

I was starving the last couple of miles of the run and was looking forward to some free BBQ. I got to the tent and they were serving pulled pork sandwiches. Not what I had in mind. I looked at another tent and they served burgers and hot dogs but we had to pay. Wingman got me a hamburger and it was the best burger I ever had (I did say I was starving). At that moment, I wanted to be alone with my burger. I polished it off and went into transition to pack my stuff. Wingman put it all into the car and I finally got to sit down. We drove back to the hotel and I took a shower and a nap. We got up later and went out to eat.

It wasn't an overall great result, but my swim was not bad for getting lost and being in a current, my bike split was great, and the 1st loop of my run was good. 2nd loop was forgettable.

So a plan is being put into action for the offseason. I really want to kick some butt next season so it's time for a covert operation.

I noticed something about my finishers medal after I got home. As I had exited the swim, I thought it was a little long but now I have proof. According to the medal, the swim was longer than 1.2 miles.

If you look closely, you can see the swimmer calling for help.

Chapter 2: Taking Care of Business

Last we left our superhero, the swim was over and the bike was about to begin...........

Once I exited transition with my bike, my mindset had changed. I was concerned about my energy level for the rest of the race after that hard swim. But I knew I had to get going on the bike and take care of business. I wasn't sure of a goal time for the ride because I knew it was a little longer than advertised. My focus was broken down in to blocks of mileage instead of one long ride.

This course is flat and fast. There is one 'steep hill' on it that basically is an overpass so I knew that played into my strength. Most of my riding is flat land because that is what is around me.

The elevation profile looks like it is rolling, but really, you never feel it. You are constantly moving on this course. I knew the aid stations were at mile 15, 30, and 44 so I had the ride broken down into those blocks.

As I made my way out of the park, my goal was to get into a nice rhythm early and work on my cadence. I figured if I had the cadence in the range I wanted, the speed was good. I waved goodbye to the Wingman and set out on my ride.

I had a lot of room to ride on this course. If there was any drafting going on, it wasn't near me. I was passing people and got passed by just a few. My new saddle was working out well so far. I was comfortable and settling into the ride. I had my nutrition timer set to go off every 15 minutes to remind me to drink. I started feeling really confident around 5 miles in. The soundtrack in my head was now on this tune:

I was caught

in the middle of a railroad track

I look 'round

And knew there was no turning back

My mind raced

And I thought what could I do?

And I knew

There was no help, no help from you

Sound of the drums

Beatin' in my heart

The thunder of guns!

Tore me apart

You've been

THUNDERSTRUCK

I was rockin' down the road now. There was an interesting disconnect between by upper and lower body. My upper body was at ease while my legs were spinning to the soundtrack in my head. I was firing on all cylinders. Bad swim? What bad swim? I was owning this bike course today. Like my cousin Carolyn told me earlier "to take this mother down." I felt like I had such a swagger now. Amazing how in the span of 40 minutes your whole mood can change. 

I got to the first aid station and called out for water. The volunteers on the course were incredible. The hand off went smoothly. I looked down and thought "15 miles down, 42 to go." I kept up my pace and my mood. I passed a few more people and checked on my cadence. I was humming along. Next song up:

It was a beautiful day, the sun beat down

I had the radio on, I was drivin'

Trees flew by, me and Del were singing little Runaway

I was flyin'

Yeah Runnin' Down a Dream

There was a section on the bike course that was ~6-7 miles of rough road. The bike was vibrating and taking a toll on my upper body. I had no idea how long it was actually going to go on for so I picked it up to try to get past it as quickly as possible.

I made it through the next two aid stations and was cruising. I started to feel a little tired, but was now focused on maintaining my cadence and average speed. My legs were spinning round and round, but I wasn't even thinking about it. They just went. I stood occasionally to give myself

There was a little bit of headwind the last few miles. Nothing that I couldn't handle, but I felt like it was starting to slow me down. I looked down at the mileage and knew I had 6 miles to go. Only 6 more miles. And then all I had to do was run 13.1 miles. But now is not the time to think ahead. I've made it through 51 miles unscathed and wanted to be sure I made it to T2 without a flat or accident.

Now I can see the promised land. A volunteer ahead waving me to make a sharp right turn to head back towards the transition area. Whoo hooo!! I made it. Or did I? I had one small scary moment. I was on a narrow path and there were spectators on either side of the path. I looked side to side to be sure no one did anything stupid. And then I saw something that chilled my blood. Two small girls playing next to the path. I was almost paralyzed with fear. I kept hoping as I approached they would stay off the path. Please little kids, stay off the path. I had my hands on the brakes ready to stop. But thank goodness it was a non-event. They never came out and I was able to avoid another unique bike crash. Imagine I had to tell the Wingman again "Don't worry. I hit some kids. I'll tell you about it later." But there was no story here, I'm happy to say. It was on to T2 to prepare for my run...............

Up next Chapter 3: Running on Empty

Chapter I: Welcome to my Nightmare

Yesterday was my 'A' race. I picked on race to peak for this season and the Patriot Half was it. Similar to last year, the timing of the race fit perfectly into my schedule. I was having a good tri season leading into the race. Hopefully I could extend my luck for one more race.

I was having my usual pre race nightmares before this race, but what made it unusual is that I had more than one. The first one centered around my finishing time and the second involved the water temps. I didn't sleep too well the night before the race, but then again I never do. When the alarm went off at 4am, the first thing I thought was "when was this a good idea?" Every year I wake up and say "this is it, I'm never doing this again" and yet once I get going the thought is gone. I got up, ate breakfast and took my shower. Wingman got up and we packed the car and made our way down to the race site. I felt very nervous. More than I have in the past. I just wanted to get things going.

I setup my transition quickly, hit the port-a-john, donned the wetsuit (to keep warm) and we walked down to the swim start. I asked Wingman a few times if we could pack it up and go home and he said no. Knowing he wouldn't let me leave, I set my sights on the swim course. I knew what it looked like from the race maps and when I looked out into the water, it looked similar, but it also looked long. I told the Wingman what I predicted what time I would do a 'normal' 1.2 mile swim in, but today I wasn't too sure. I bid him farewell and waited for my wave to start. I eased my way into the water and the first thing I thought was "Wow, the state of Virginia spared no expense and carpeted the bottom of the James River." Seriously, it was so smooth and nice to walk on. I wanted to be sure I had some nice open water to start in. I again looked over the swim course and picked my line. I also noticed the orange buoys used to mark the course were few and far between. 

Basically it is a rectangle swim. But there was a catch. There's a current that will pull you to the left. So the best approach (I found out AFTER) was to swim out to the right and let the current bring you back in towards the buoy. I should have picked up on this when I saw people lining up to the right of me and very few of us to the left. When the horn went off, I was on my way. I kept the yellow turn buoy in my sights and focused on swimming straight to it. I had a few swimmers around me so I knew I was in the right place. Or was I? It took an eternity to get to that first turn. I kept looking up and it never got closer. And it seemed that there were swimmers all over the place. The buoy was getting closer and I saw that swimmers were coming from my right. Where the heck was I?

"Lights go out and I can't be saved

Tides that I tried to swim against

Have brought me down upon my knees

Oh I beg, I beg and plead"

Even today, I have no idea where the heck I was on the swim out. Swimmers were coming from my right and I saw some other buoys. First thing I thought was "is there another race out here?" Just mass confusion by a lot of people out there. A group of us had to make a 90 degree turn and it seemed that the others were swimming towards it and didn't really turn. I could see the convergence that was going to take place at the turn and I braced myself for it. I was going to cut the turn close and suffer the consequence of it. I had someone trying to swim over me from my left but I held my space and made the turn.

I got around the first turn and peeked at my watch. I almost puked when I saw the time. I knew I had to do better going in if I was going to do something decent. I figured I was caught up in a current. I didn't find out how strong it was until afterwards. I made it to the 2nd turn and as I looked up to find my line to get back in, I knew I was in trouble. The sun was up and in my eyes for the swim in. Plus it was reflecting off the water so I was blinded looked up and out in front. I just focused on staying with the swimmers near me and hoping they stayed on course.

"Confusion never stops

Closing walls and ticking clocks"

As I got closer to the shore I could finally make out where I was supposed to land. I found out later that they had some kind of flashing red light but I never saw it. They also had a giant figure in yellow on the shore that was shaking around so you could see something but with the sun it's hard to really see until you get closer. I thought I was on the right line, but I almost swam into the lifeguard on a surf board. He gestured for me to swim to the left. I thanked him and continued towards the shore. I could see that even at 150 feet out, it was so shallow that people were walking. I cut my losses, started walking and removed my wetsuit. Even this area was 'carpeted'. You go Virginia, way to stay classy!!

I finally got out of the water and looked at my watch. Swim time was much longer than I was hoping for. I know I made up some time on the swim in, but still the overall time was ~5-7 minutes longer than I was capable of. I was dejected as I began the long hike to transition. The swim/walk and hike to T1 wore me out. Physically I was quite tired from fighting the current. I was worried about the bike coming up. Wingman walked along with me encouraging me. I finally made it to transition and sat down to put on my socks and collect my thoughts. I went from dejected to how can I do some serious damage control? I grabbed my stuff and was on my way.......................

Up Next Chapter 2: Taking Care of Business

Defending the Dream

Those words are taken from the West Point Class of 2013. Since my dismal outing at Montauk last month, I wanted to comeback and strike with a mighty vengeance and leave it all out there. I had a decent race in Montauk, but I was frustrated with a bike problem (not of my doing) and it impacted my run. I felt I was setup that day for a good race and, even though I set a PR, I can't say it was a good race. And that left me plotting for the next race - my assault on the West Point Tri. Wingman could see the efforts I was putting in for my workouts and in turn, his riding has improved as well.

Teresa was coming up to race as well and Wynn was in 'sherpa' mode for her. We met up at packet pickup and surveyed the course. The area up there is beautiful. The lake looked nice and the buoy's were already out. The swim was going to be a basic rectangle shape. They had carpet laid down from the swim exit over a small hill and then it was on pavement to transition. They cap the number of participants so the transition area was small. Once we were done there, we made our way to the hotel. Since we checked in at the same time, we wound up getting rooms next to each other. So for an hour we retreated to our rooms to relax before heading to dinner. Wingman got to work attaching a new water bottle cage to my bike.

Wingman hard at work making sure The Beast is ready

The Beast is ready to roll for race day

Choosing some 'good carbs' for dinner

OK, OK we didn't load up on candy for dinner. We went to some tavern in Sugar Loaf for dinner. After that, it was lights out around 9:30p. I had my usual bad night's sleep prior to the race. But by 5a I was up, eating breakfast, and taking a shower. Then we packed everything up, met Teresa and Wynn and followed them to the race. The nice thing about this race is it's an 8a start, not the usual 7a so that gained us an extra hour of 'sleep'. We had a short walk from the parking area to the transition area. I got my stuff setup quickly and listened to some prerace music to set my mood. Since I had so much pent up anger from the last race, I chose Metallica this time around to get me fired up. Wynn and I were discussing Metallica music earlier in the week and I told him that this was a good song.

So before I knew it, it was time to make my way over to the swim start. They did the usual prerace announcements and good thing I paid attention. I was in Wave 3, but the cap I was assigned was for wave 5. I went into one of the halls and got it straightened out. I stood on the beach with the Wingman and Teresa waiting during the national anthem. Then Teresa made her way to the water to get ready. I popped a few Shot Blocks and put the rest of the pack in my jersey pocket safely inside my wetsuit. Or so I thought it would be safe. Soon it was my turn to get into the water. I said goodbye to the Wingman and swam to the start. I then did what most racers do, I had to go to the bathroom so I pee'd in my wetsuit. As I felt better, I then realized "Oh, I guess those Shot Blocks in my pocket are no good now." The race announcer gets the crowd involved with a countdown before each wave goes off so I had a nice 10 second count before I had to get going. Once the horn went off, I started swimming. My goal was to swim as fast and comfortably as I could. I didn't want to redline the swim. I managed to have some nice open water for most of the swim. Once I could feel someone trying to get too close and come over my back, but a nicely placed elbow and fist took care of that. I got to the first turn buoy and surprisingly had no traffic so I turned close to it. It was a short swim to the next buoy and again, no traffic so I took the turn close. I could tell I was moving quickly because I was passing quite a few caps from the wave in front of me. I came up on two guys in red caps and tried to swim between them but found there was a guy in front and in between them. DOH! I had to stop and make a sharp turn to get around them. From there I could see the end of the swim was near. When I got close to shallow water, I came up alongside a woman that was doing a breast stroke. She was kicking me with every stroke. So I would retaliate with a slap or I'd grab her foot each time. This went on for 5-6 strokes and then I finally stood up to get out of the water. I made my way out and ran to T1. My wetsuit came off easy, got the bike gear on and was on my way.

The bike course is like the Blood, Sweat and Tears song "Spinning Wheel":

What goes up, must come down

Spinning wheel got to go 'round

Talkin 'bout your troubles is a cryin' sin

Ride a painted pony let the spinning wheel spin

As soon as we made our way out of Camp Buckner, I thought I was having wheel problems again. I felt like I had a hard time riding because of a wheel rubbing. I kept looking down and checking my brake pads to see where the rubbing was coming from. I didn't see anything. What the heck is going on? I look around and I see other people riding a bit slow. Ah, we're going up a false flat and then the hills were coming. I felt a little better about it. The other riders were all over the place. Practically no one was riding to the right. If there was a USAT marshal on the course, at least half the field would have been giving blocking penalties. No one was was giving the courtesy of announcing a pass. Someone would just ride by. There were others that would come out and pass and never look over their shoulders to see if anyone was coming. Seriously, if they ride bikes this badly, I would hate to be driving next to them. Safety on this course went out the window. People were riding like old people drive in Florida. I decided since this was not an 'A' race for me, I would be somewhat careful on the downhills. I didn't want to pass people at a high speed because if they just moved out, there would be very little time to react and I didn't want to get up close and personal with the asphalt. When I finally made it to the first turn around, the cadets were saying "it's all downhill from here." Liars. The first long downhill was crazy fast. I didn't pedal down it as I would have spun out of gears. Just coasting I was doing 40mph. I saved some energy for future climbs. The downhill seemed to last forever. I think it went on for ~2 miles. Then it was time to climb again. I could see packs of people up ahead. I don't know the exact details of how it happened, but I heard a scream, two bikes collide (going uphill, go figure) and a woman go face first into the guardrail. When I rode by her face was bloody and she looked pretty shaken. I think I would be too. Other people stopped so I kept going. When I saw the next cadet on the side of the road I told him of the accident and that help was needed and where. I continued on my ride and was hoping the turnaround was coming. I wanted to get away from the other riders. I dropped the hammer on the rest of the ride and gunned it to T2. That bike course was hard. There was never a flat section. It just punched you in the mouth and said "shut the f*&k up."

Right out of T2 is a hill. Leave it to the Army to make the run course just as hard. There were a few more flat sections than the bike course, but the run course was hard too. I managed to run up most of the first hill but my heart was racing. I walked the rest of the slope and then started running. The first part of the run is alongside the obstacle course. I was thankful that all I had to do was run and not add anything else to it. The run course features several turn arounds so you could always see people. I looked for Teresa and saw her 3 times on the run. My goal on the run was to run as much as I could as fast as I could. The hills were killing me. Every time I had a nice rhythm and pace going, a hill would come and feeling good went out the window. That's what made it such a hard course - you could never get comfortable. I used the downhills to my advantage and went all out. Before I knew it, I was heading back towards the transition area. The cadets were calling out "just over the hill and around transition." I knew the finish line was in sight and the end was near. Or was it? As I came over the hill, Wynn was taking pictures. When I got to the bottom of the hill, like a true smartass, he said "The picture didn't come out, go back up the hill." There were small children around so I couldn't do this to him:

As I made my way around the transition area, I had such a feeling of relief that this race was over. But no, it was not to be. There was more running to do. And another hill to climb. Oh for cryin' out loud I'm dying out here. I make it to the last turn around and head back. I could finally hear the finish line area. Now the end is really near!! I cross the timing mat and was completely fried. 

It was a hard race and I feel like I left it all out there. I had no regrets. I could have gone faster on the bike course, but was smart in my decision to play it safe. Especially after seeing the results of a bad accident. I executed my game plan well. I grabbed an ice pop at the finish line and a finisher's water bottle. After Teresa finished, we went over to see the results. At first I could not find my name, but then I realized that the race timer had me and everyone from my division timed in the wrong wave. My finishing time was 6 minutes faster than my real time. So that means my swim time was cut off. I realized my swim split would be AWESOME!! I had the 7th fastest swim of the day. It was like channeling my inner Ian. But I knew it was not accurate. I went over to let the race timer know that the whole division was timed wrong. He said he would not be able to fix it before the awards ceremony, but that he would take care of it. I went back to the sheet and saw that I finished 3rd in my division so that means hardware. After packing the car, we went back for the awards and I got my prize. Wynn and Teresa were kind enough to hang around and wait with us. Teresa had an awesome race and told me how she was thinking happy thoughts about me with each hill climb..............

The cadet on the right gave me the award. You can see he was 

totally impressed with his brush with greatness.....NOT

(though the cadet on the left is going to have some serious knee issues

in his future if he keeps hanging back on his knee like that)

The awards were nice - an etched pint glass

Defending the dream that I had for the last month

After the race, we made our way back to Long Island for a BBQ. I was feeling pretty good up until it was time to leave. Exhaustion set in and I was ready for bed. At 6p. Actually, I fought the good fight and went to bed at 9p. 

My next race is in 2 weeks where Team BAMF unites again in TOBAY. I am only swimming that day. Then the race after that is my 'A' race. Bring it!!

Damn kids......

Today was the Montauk Sprint Triathlon. It's a great race that I've done 5 of the last 6 years. The venue is great and the course is excellent. This year Wynn and Teresa came out to race as well. Wingman and I spent the night at Sinead's house so I could 'sleep in' until 5a instead of 3:45a. I managed to get a decent night's sleep the night before the race. When the alarm went off at 5a, we got up quietly, got ready and snuck out hopefully not making a peep for our gracious hosts.

We got to Montauk without a problem. There are two transition areas and usually we drop the stuff off for T1 and drive to T2, drop stuff off and catch the race bus back to T1. This year I out my faith in the Wingman and sent him up to T2 with my running gear and explained how I like it laid out (like it's difficult to put a pair of sneakers and a visor on the ground). With Wingman off to do his job, I setup T1 and then joined up with Wynn and Teresa for the 1/2 mile walk down the beach to the swim start. Once we got there I spotted Wingman coming down the beach. I went back to get him and then came back to Teresa. Soon after Jen and Dave stopped by to say hello. Soon it was time to enter the water.

I decided to only wear my wetsuit bib. I figured the water would warm up quickly and didn't feel like wearing my full suit. Turns out it was a good choice for me. When I first got in the water, it took my breath away. But it seemed to warm up quickly. It looked like it was going to be a good swim. There was no sweep and the current was with us instead of against us. When the horn went off I started swimming. I made my way through traffic pretty easily. I settled into my rhythm and just focused on sighting. I could tell the current was helping because I was passing buoy after buoy like I was channeling my 'inner Ian' (minus the metronome beeping). I felt really good and was passing swimmers in my wave and the wave before me. About halfway through the swim my rhythm had to change. There was a little swell to the water so depending where I was on the swell I would have to literally freeze mid-stroke to let myself 'fall' with the swell and then resume swimming. At the end of the race I was talking to Wynn and Teresa and they said they had to do the same exact thing.

The swim ended easily and I looked at my watch. Much faster than last year. Niiiiiiiiceeeee. I walked up the beach to T1 to get ready for the bike. Grabbed my stuff and I was off. I felt good early on. My new wheel was performing quite nicely. I have a new Zipp 1080 rear wheel and it's so smooth. I made my way to Montauk highway and was passing many people. I wasn't flying yet, but I had a nice cadence going. I noticed a guy pass me (#441) and he had an ipod hidden on his inner arm and headphones on. really?!?! You can't go 40 minutes without music? Jerk. I passed him to get away and turned onto Montauk highway. When I turned onto West Lake drive, it was all out riding. It must be an ever so slight downhill with a tailwind because I was flying. I looked at my speed and I was doing between 25-26mph on the flats. I made my way down to the turn around and there were quite a few kids on the side of the road. It's been 5 years, but I still sweat when I see small children on the side of the road during a race. At least this time they were with their parents. On the circle Wynn blew by me. We exchanged hello's and he was gone. I was now making my way back to Montauk highway to head to the park. I was dreading the hill coming up. I swear every year the hill gets bigger and bigger. Teresa said it's from erosion washing the road away so the hill gets higher. Jen thinks it's plate tectonics forcing the hill higher and higher. Honestly, I think it's a combination of the two.

I made my way up the hill and was on my way down. Once I settled into a straightaway, I heard three words that chilled my blood. "On your right". Huh?!?! I am riding near the guard rail and someone (#40) wants to pass on my right. Just an FYI, but passing on the right is illegal. All passes must be made from the left. I turn my head back and said "don't pass on my right. You have to pass on my left." Then the stupid girl still tried to pass. I heard her yelp something to me and I braced myself for what was coming next. I was up out of the aerobars hanging on, waiting for something stupid and she delivered. Her front wheel and my rear wheel clipped and I began to wobble. I did some weight shifting to stay upright and I could hear her come crashing down behind me. I know this sounds cruel, but I was glad she was the one that went down and not me. But now I had a new problem. I felt something rubbing. My wheel got knocked out of alignment. Crap. I also could not shift back onto my big ring. So not only did she take out my wheel, she took out something in my derailleur. Damn kids. As I kept riding, I reach down to release my rear brake. I knew there were no more downhills so I could sacrifice this brake. The rubbing did not stop. I look down again and see that the wheel is rubbing on the frame. Crap. I look at the mileage and calculate how much more I had to ride. It was about 1.5 miles. I gambled and kept pedaling instead of stopping to try and fix the wheel. Sinead was disappointed that I didn't use my elbows on the girl and Wingman was upset that I didn't headbutt her.

I finally made it to T2 and could feel how bad the wheel was rubbing. Plus my legs were telling me how hard of an effort that was. So help me if I could find that kid I would kick her ass right there. Seriously. I don't care that there is an age difference and she's a kid. She killed my race and I wanted her to suffer more.

I put on my sneakers (that Wingman so skillfully laid out for me) and went out to the run course. I had a lot of trouble getting going. My legs were dead. I also ran in fear that Jen was somewhere on the run course and I didn't want her to catch me walking. Near the 1 mile marker I saw her as she was finishing up her run. Phew, I am safe from this point on. I kept the feet moving, but it was a chore. I walked the aid stations so I could drink some water. Then I would run again. When I was approaching the 2 mile mark, I saw Teresa. We exchanged high 5's and continued on. The 2nd half of this run is somewhat downhill. I finally made my way out of the park and towards the lighthouse. I had one more hill to climb to get to the finish line. I saw the Wingman on the side of the road wildly ringing his cowbell. Halfway up the hill Wynn was on the side yelling, and I mean, yelling at me to run up the hill. Sad thing is I was running. I had nothing left at this point. I got to the finish line and grabbed two bottles to drink. I downed them so fast. I had a nice PR on the course, but I was still disappointed because of the bike leg. I believe I lost 2-3 minutes because of the rear wheel issue. It's one thing when you do your own stupid things to take you out of a race, but it's another when it's someone else that takes you out. I think next race I'm going to carry one of these and if someone gets in my way, they'll get it from me:

We waited for Teresa to finish and when she was heading up the hill I shouted "there's wine at the finish line." Soon after I went back to the car to change my clothes and then we hung around for the awards.

Wingman drove us home and I slept in the car. We went straight to the bike shop and they fixed my wheel and derailleur quickly. Of course I always see the bright side and said to Darren "I think this is a sign that I need a new bike" and he smiled and said "of course!!"

After the bike shop we finally headed home. By now my head was pounding. I always get a wicked headache racing in the heat. Not sure that it was dehydration as I was still going to the bathroom, but as soon as we got in the door I took two excedrin and grabbed my pillow. We were sitting on the couch eating and watching the Tour on TV. I stopped halfway through my meal and took a good nap. I felt so crappy at that point and just wanted to sleep it off. Not sure how long I was out for, but when I got up I finished my lunch and then took a shower. It's good to feel human again.

So here's to hoping that the next race will be child free. One can only hope.

Run Around Hell

Actually, it was called the Run Around the Lake. We try to do this race every year. It's a challenging 4 miler. It's never a completely flat race. You are either running up a hill/incline or down an incline. There are no real downhills here. Each year I think "this is the year I will conquer the hill at mile 3" and each year that hill owns me.

So this morning the Wingman and I got up early and had breakfast. Last night my GI system was 'upset' so I made sure (at least I thought I made sure) that I had enough water this morning prior to the race. I didn't want to go into the race in the heat already dehydrated. I brought along a 20oz bottle of water to drink. I probably should have made it a bottle of Infinit. We got to the race and picked up our packets. The last few years they had a nice technical shirt in the bag. This year they went back to the cotton shirts that are the most hideous colors known to man. I joked before we got there about hoping to get a nice bright orange shirt this year. Well, when I looked in the bag, I wasn't far off the mark. It was a yellow-orange color. They must get a discount on the shirts if they pick ugly colors.

The only other thing in the race bag (besides the flyers) was a small box of Wheaties Fuel. We dropped the stuff back off in the car and watched the start of the kids 1 mile fun run. After that we began the walk to the start of the race. We hung out in the shade and I was still optimistic about my race. The last two weeks my workouts have been really good. I can feel my speed improving and I owe it all to the negative energy generated by my clinical affiliation. Every time I have a bad day, I have a great run. So Friday started out good and ended kinda bad. And when I say it ended bad, it's not that I screwed up with a patient, but according to my CI, I didn't do things exactly the way he would have done it and he let's me know about it. I take in his comments, filter them, and extract the information that is useful to me and chuck out the rest. So this morning I tried to relive that conversation in my head.

When the horn sounded I got stuck in some human traffic. I decided instead of burning some extra energy weaving in and out, I would just wait until the road widens a little bit and then get some room. About half a mile into the race is the first hill. I eased up a little to save some energy for the other hill later. Also, this is the last section of any kind of shade. The rest of the run from mile 1 to the end is out in the sun. When I cruised past the mile 1 marker, I looked at my watch. I was right on pace. At this point I was actually thinking I could hold it. I also started to notice I was soaked. I was sweating heavily today. And I have just begun to run in the sun.

At this point I am out on Portion Road heading towards the now defunct Bavarian Inn. I am still feeling decent, but the heat is wearing me down. I am drenched and in desperate need of water. Another aid station won't be coming up for another mile. I tried to hang in there, but I suddenly started feeling lightheaded. I eased off the pace and it still didn't help. I noticed that I was no longer running a straight line. The wobble run had begun. I decided to walk for a minute just to collect myself and let my heart rate come down. When I started running again, I noticed on the median the sprinklers were on. And I wasn't wearing a white shirt. BONUS!! No wet t-shirt contest for me. I ran up onto the grass and through 8 sprinklers. I felt like I was 4 years old again. What a wonderful feeling. Problem was it was short lived. Once I was back out on the road, I was suffering again. I hit the aid station near the drug rehab facility. For some reason, they always have the best water on the course. The other 2 stations have hose water, but the addicts have some good water. Plus it was very cold. I don't know what their secret is and I don't want to know. I just had to hope that the USADA would not be at the finish line. I grabbed two cups and drank them both. I got to the mile 3 marker and started feeling better. Problem was, my nemesis hill was looming. It's not a big hill, but one of those slow inclines that wears you down, beats you into submission.

The hill had me early. I felt like I was dying out there. Some guy ran by, looked back at me and said "Come on." I did my best to follow, but my legs were having none of it. All I kept thinking was "every year this race gets hotter and the hills get bigger." When the top of the incline came along I started to pick up my pace. I knew there was about half a mile to go. I wanted to salvage something out of this race. If I could finish strong, it would make up for the 1.5 miles of hell that I just went through. 

Then, a great song came on and the beat was perfect for me.

I was able to run to the beat and accomplish my goal of a strong finish. I was able to escape the clutches of hell. I crossed the finish line and went straight for the water area. I reached into the bucket and grabbed a bottle of water. Then I went back in for some ice. I put a few big cubes in my hat and on my neck and was feeling much better. I downed my bottle quickly and went back for another for the Wingman. There were none left. Uh oh. I ran back to the car and grabbed his bottle and then ran back to the buckets with ice, grabbed a few cubes, put them in his bottle and shook it. I saw him coming down the finish chute and handed him the bottle. He downed it in no time. We swapped race stories as we made our way over to the BBQ area. This is something they started last year and decided to continue it. If you are registered for the race, you are entitled to the BBQ. We were one of the first ones on line as Wingman said he was hungry. They had cole slaw, potato salad, macaroni salad, hamburgers, hot dogs and a bunch of sodas. It was only 10am, but that burger was good. 

While I didn't have the race I wanted, at least I got myself to finish strong. I'm not a good hot weather runner no matter how much I try to get used to it. But next race in the heat, I will be sure to choose a different prerace drink. On the ride home I told the Wingman that perhaps we should decide at the last minute next year if we should do this race again so we could see what the weather would look like. But he said we should just do the race anyway, no matter what the weather is. So, let's cross our fingers for a cool day next year.