Ironman Arizona Reflections

It's been awhile now since IM Arizona. Thanksgiving has come and gone and Christmas is only three weeks away. Since my little Tempe adventure I have not really been working out and I am enjoying a little break from triathlon life. By now I have also had time to think more about the race, the time leading up to my first Ironman; I have had a chance to tell most people who care to listen and who want to know about it, and probably told a few who really could not care less.

So, what if anything did or does it all mean to me? Well, I am glad it is over and I am glad I made it. Happy that I made it in a time I am proud of and happy with. I know that with more training I would probably have done even a little better, but that more training would have meant more time away from family. Gladly I sacrifice a few minutes on the bike or run.

I had fun, in a strange and slightly weird way. I hated being very nervous the days before the race. I mostly enjoyed race day itself, felt fine for most of the day and almost forgot already the pain and suffering during parts of the run. This Ironman did demand everything I had to give. It forced me to go to my limit but never once allowed me to go anywhere near it really.

I did fine, relying on five years of triathlon expertise and sticking to my game plan, my eating and drinking plan. I did fine by listening to friends and IM veterans and reading race reports. I did fine despite my time limitations and lack of real training plan.

I think the thousands of volunteers in Tempe were awesome. They made the day special for everyone. At times I felt that any triathlon before Ironman was part of the minor leagues, IM finally the big leagues. I know it aint so though, competing and completing an Ironman is an accomplishment, but being accomplished and getting faster in another distance is just as worthy a goal.

Ironman Arizona - Race Day

First time I woke up it was about 2.am, then I halfway went back to sleep, ready to get up at 4.30. After my mental meltdown the day before, I actually had a relatively untroubled night. I do remember a strange dream about getting to the race start late and forgetting my timing chip at the hotel. But in my dreams I actually felt strong, not weak and timid. Race morning my nerves were fairly well in check, some trepidation, not too bad. I still was not sure what to put in my special needs bags. So I ended up putting in very little. Dried apricots and crackers I had not planned on eating for the bike along with some extra chamois butter, and a long sleeved shirt for the run (hey, it might be cold come late evening). After a few bites of breakfast cake and a protein smoothie it was off to the race site. Arriving at 5.45 it was still pitch dark and I had plenty of time to get going. I said my goodbye to my friend Sigrid and dropped off the special needs bags; Bodymarking at transition and into the porter potty line. Just before I put on my wetsuit I called home, last words of encouragement from Roy and then my daughter Kiera made my day: “Good Luck Papa”.

I knew then I’ll be just fine.
Into the water. Tempe Town Lake was perfect at 64 F. and swimming towards the starting line I was calm. As I listened to the national anthem, over 2100 athletes waited for the deep water mass start. Plenty of smiling faces, I guess these were the last smiles for most of us until later that evening. Then we are off. Immediately kicking, shoving, dragging ensued. The swim start was not for the timid and my history of open water swims paid off. I stayed calm, my stroke feeling easy and relaxed. The sun came up on the horizon as I looked ahead towards the turn around. Around me were lots of good solid swimmers. Every so often someone kicked me in my face or hitting my head, it was busy out there for sure. My whole swim though felt good. I knew I did not push too hard and approaching the swim finish I had no idea if I went slowly or fast. At swim exit the first good news. 1.04 and out of the water, perfect as I was hoping for a 1.05. Then the wet suit strippers. I swear, one should have one at disposal during any race. Within a split second I was on my back and then the suit flew off, swoosh. On to T 1. Why was everyone running? “My god we have all day”, I thought, running along. My first Ironman transition went without a hitch, under 8 minutes. No time lost there.

“On the left, on the left, on the left”, the first fifteen minutes that’s all I heard on the bike. Obviously these guys (and gals) had other plans than me, for the bike portion that is. I knew I had to resist temptation and even try to speed along. 112 miles, almost 30 miles longer than my longest training ride. I was not about to kill my legs right then and there. The Arizona IM bike course is a fairly straight forward course. Three loops out and back into the Arizona desert. Fairly flat, with a modest steady incline the last few miles before the turnaround. Pretty soon we
rode into a gusty head wind on the way out, but nothing like the wind gusts I heard about from the spring race. My legs felt tight early on, but not too bad. I started to eat immediately: Odwalla Bars, Power Gels, Endurance Gatorade, Water and every so often a couple of Endurolyte Tablets, yummm.

The most fun part was after the first turn around, with the wind in the back and a slight downhill. All of a sudden, the legs felt fresh, my Cervelo was speeding right along. I was even enjoying the beauty of the desert landscape. “This is fun” I thought (briefly). With the first loop over at under 2h10 I was pleased. The second loop went even better. The wind calmed down a bit and I managed to hold a steadier pace on the way out. I was able to actually drop a few minutes on the second loop, but slowly began to tire. With 79 miles done it was starting to get warm, quite warm in fact (low 80’s). At about 20 miles to the bike finish fatigue really set in and I slowed down, riding now mostly out of aero position. I did not feel like eating anything anymore. Riders started to pass me again constantly. But so what, I decided it would be better to loose a couple of minutes here then to keep pushing too hard and pay a price later. 6h22m, more than ready to get off the bike I came into T2.

Quick change into new running clothes and OMG, my legs actually were able to run. The running course in Tempe, though not really scenic, is entertaining and varied. It was full of motivational signs and messages. “Be Patient” read one around mile 3. “Good Idea” I thought, this is going to take a while. Less than half an hour later I was spent, done, phew. My tummy hurts! Maybe I should not have tried that chicken broth at the last aid station. My run turned into a walk. It was still very warm, for the first time I began to have doubts. “How long does it take to walk 20 miles” I half jokingly asked a fellow sufferer. “You are doing a 16 minutes/mile pace” he replied looking at his watch. These guys have better gadgets than James Bond, I swear!

Eventually, with the sun going down and temperatures cooling, I was able to regain some strength. I began to run again, walking now mostly just the aid stations and any inclines. Water, Cola, Water Gatorade, some grapes, no more chicken broth. Two out of three loops done. Now I knew that I will finish, well under 13 hours and clearly over 12. At around mile 23 I began calculating my time again, “lets beat 12.30 for sure” I decided. 200 yards before the finish line I spot a 45 year old runner ahead of me. “He’s in my age group” I figured and sped up. “Hah, smoked him”, I am evil!

It is 7.22pm, race time 12.21.28 That’s it. I am an Ironman!

The Day before the Big Day

Friday nights athlete dinner and race briefing was an inspirational affair. Meeting the numerous fellow Ironman athletes and hearing several stories of personal achievement over adversity got me into race mood. Many athletes I ran into were veterans, some of them having finished several Ironmans before. But I also learned that no less than 874 triathletes on the starting line were attempting their first Ironman this weekend; clearly I was not alone.

Things fell somewhat apart though on Saturday. I woke up very early at 4.30 never to fall back asleep. At first I managed to take care of business at race site fairly relaxed. An easy 20 minute practice swim felt good and invigorating. Then bike and gear check-in, no problems either.


But it was all downhill from there though. During the afternoon my nerves got the better of me. My system went into denial mode. I wanted to sleep, sleep badly, curl up somewhere in a corner. I felt sick, stomach churning, head aching and incredibly tired. Sigrid did her best to keep my spirits up, she nudged me along for a little afternoon excursion to Scottsdale, a bit of mall ratting, then into the movies to see 007, usually the perfect escape. I managed to enjoy dinner; head back to the hotel and fell asleep. At 8!

2 days to IMAZ - I'm here in Tempe!

We got into Tempe late last night. Me meaning myself and my friend Sigrid who is joining me on the trip, calming my nerves and documenting the adventure with her camera.

After a leisurely breakfast we headed to the Ironman Village. My first impressions: this is quite different from any of the races I have done so far. It's bigger, more serious, very organized and a bit intimidating. Guys and girls with hot bodies, hot bikes in very colorful outfits running, cycling, shopping gear and souvenirs. But after a few moments of awe I realize, "hey, I am one of them". So I get in line for registration. After the weigh-in, a wonderful registration volunteer in her sixties immediately pegs me as an Ironman newbie. "I can always tell first timers by their body language" she tells me. So one thing's for sure, I won't fool anyone here, this people have done it, or at least seen it all before.

With registration out of the way, it was over to the good folks at Tribike Transport to get my Cervelo. What lovely service. within minutes my bike is race ready. So, all I needed to do this morning I have done. It's warm (quite warm in fact), very dry and we are hungry.

So, lunch at PF Changs , back to the hotel for some rest and figuring out all those colorful transition bags.

4 days to IMAZ

As of now I am done with work (f0r the time being). Yesterday I made an appointment with a doctor to grab a new prescription of ear drops, just in case my ear starts getting worse again. With doctors approval I actually went for a last swim team workout. I know that the triathlon swim should not really give me any major troubles, but I also know that the swim start will likely be the most nerve wrecking part of the day and I wanted to feel as solid as possible on my swim conditioning. With three serious swim workouts within the last seven days I feel good about it.

Tonight I am planning to simply enjoy a relaxed family evening at home and plan to worry about packing my bags in the morning.

6 days to IMAZ

My ear seems to be responding to the drops. It's not getting worse, slightly better actually. So hopefully this will be a non-issue in a couple of days. Beyond that, I am mentally beginning to plan my trip. Read through all the pre-race instructions and athletes guide on the subway on my way home from work. Though not much new information was in there, my stomach is starting to get a bit queasy.

7 days to IMAZ

Ouch, Ouch, my left ear started to hurt really bad yesterday. Almost by the hour it had gotten progressively worse. That's all I needed, a painful ear infection only a week before the big race. I know this will not get better without treatment, only much worse. Rummaging through my bathroom luckily I found some ear drops from about a year ago. A quick check on the label, not expired yet. After a treatment last night they already seem to be working. I am definitely keeping my fingers crossed. Still, Ouch though.

This morning the temperature dropped about 20 degrees here in New York. It is cold and windy. With my messed up ear this is definitely no time to head out on the bike. So, the gym it was instead. 40 minutes in a spin class followed by 25 minutes on the treadmill. I was not really planning on such a little brick workout, but I feel good. Just wanted to do a fairly light workout but still get a bit of intensity in there.

8 days to IMAZ

It is a warm, rainy Saturday here in Park Slope. Last night I went for a nice TNYA swim workout and then walked to the Metropolitan Opera for an evening of cultural bliss. Well, the parts I stayed awake for at least. I have no idea why I felt to dead tired after the swim, but I decided to take the day off today and plan an hour bike ride for tomorrow instead.

While relaxing, I am beginning to fill my head with more and more Ironman war stories, taper advice, race day preparations etc. Reading through all that advice, gets me thinking more and more: I am ready, or at least at ready as I will be. So, I am shutting off this computer now, heading to a coffeehouse and think bout something else.

9 Days to IMAZ

Just another Friday at the office so far. Been busy enough not to think too much about the race, but I am about to head out the door for a swim workout and then directly to the Metropolitan Opera. Definitely looking forward to this evening.

10 days to IMAZ

10 days left before Ironman Arizona. After spending the first part of this week mostly in work meetings and filling up on work dinner, luncheons and a few martinis, last night I got through a 3000+ yeard swim workout without trouble. Today, an hour of running on the treadmill (it was raining today in New York). I am trying to relax as much as I can, reading Ironman blogs and race reports and slowly getting my brain focused on the task at hand.

My bike is off to Arizona

This morning I took my bike to Cadence Cycling in Tribeca and sent it off on its way to Tempe AZ. Guess this means its only days before my very first attempt to become an Ironman. Not quite sure how I feel about all this these days. Clearly I have mixed emotions. Am I prepared? Did I train enough? What if its hot and windy? Blah Blah Blah.

On the other hand, my last few workouts were all pretty solid. While I never rode the full 112 mile distance on the bike, my last few bike rides felt good, at times almost effortless and comfortable. My runs are slowly evolving into a slower but steady trot. For the most part I have been injury free, just a slight harmstring pull. With only twelve days to go, this is not the time to worry about my training or any lack of it. Now it is simply time to taper, to start resting up.

Over the past days, I have feverishly read up on race reports from IMAZ veterans. Most of them left me worried, disturbed as they talked about high winds, excessive heat, horrible conditions. Then I try to calm myself down, arguing in my head that the weather in later November should be ok, much cooler than the traditional April race date.

So, in short this is my state of mind right now. For one minute worried, scared, the next, confident and eager to get the race going. What fun the next 12 days will be.

45 and less than a month to go till IMAZ

OK, just two days ago I turned 45. So, I am officially my age group. I don't know what I feel about this, probaly not much at all. True, when I look in the mirror in the morning I see a man clearly in his middle age, but, nothing wrong with that. Life has been very good to me the last few years, no need to wish back the days of youth and unfocused confusion.

So, 45 and only four weeks away from my biggest physical challenge thus far, my first Ironman. The weather in New York is now colder, a headcold is slowing me down, my bike was in repair for some days, and I am not close to training enough. My regimen seems more in line with preparations for an Olympic distance event. Whenever I tell other triathletes about my training volume, I almost sense pity and fear, for my sake. And still I feel an odd sense of confidence creeping up. Hopefully not unfounded. I will try to make this week count one more time with a few mid distance runs and a long bike ride. Lets hope it'll be enough.

Travel, A few Boo Boos and a broken Spoke

With only five weeks to go until Ironman Arizona, this is supposed to be the time to rev it up one last time. But not quite. Frequent, but short business trips keep me a bit off balance regarding my workout schedule. But more importantly, I have had a nagging skin infection on my inner thigh that has really slowed me down last week. I am also a bit hampered by tight hamstrings and on top of it, I broke a spoke on an early morning ride on Friday, keeping me bike less for the planned Saturday long ride. On the plus side, I had a great swim workout Friday night with a solid 4000 yards of hard intervals and an 18 mile long run in Prospect Park on Saturday morning. I am now giving myself two more weeks of solid training before starting my taper.

A week of coming back and Grete's Great Gallop

After the Nutmegman Half Ironman I dashed off to Austria for a week of business meetings. Unfortunately I caught both a bit of a cold and a nagging eye infection, and that, on top of a busy schedule basically set me back my training a full week. So last week my goal was basically to ramp up my training again. The first two easy runs of 4 miles each were anything but easy though. I felt like crap, pardon my expression. My midweek swim workout did not feel much better. Sluggish would best describe it. So I decided to add another swim workout Friday evening, this one a vast improvement already.



And this morning I ran my first New York Road Runners Race in months, Grete's Great Gallop, named after the great Grete Waitz, part of the Norwegian Festival. Actually I ran a bit more than this Half Marathon on the hilly course of Central Park, adding 5 miles after the race to finally get another long run in. The Half Marathon itself was fine, I ran more or less race pace but without pushing my limits towards the end. The 5 mile add-on however, felt rather tough. Guess my pace was a bit too ambitious during the race and my legs more or less gave in. My hamstring started to bug me quite a bit and my fee started hurting. Still, it was a proper ending to a fairly full week of training.

The Hills Are Alive!

Yesterdays Nutmegman Half Ironman in the Southern Berkshires of Connecticut was both as scenic, but also as grueling as expected and feared. I woke up very early in my hotel nearby, seems I can't sleep well anymore the night before the race. So, after quick shower and breakfast I headed to the race site. There we were greeted by bitter cold and low hanging fog, delaying the race start by half an hour, as we could not even see the swim course. Then, at 7.30 off we went. After a nice swim start I suddenly found myself in the fog not seeing any other swimmers. In the distance a volunteer in a kayak frantically waved and screamed that I had missed a buoy. Ouch, so back I swam joining the race.

Then onto the bike course and, immediately, a steep hill out of Kettletown State Park. And so it went, a three lap course that was either up or down, but never flat. The first lap was really the most difficult as I had a tough time to find any rhythm at all. The hills were mostly steep enough to get me into my easiest gear and out of the saddle. So, after three laps of this grueling madness I was quite surprised that I was feeling fairly light on my feet starting out my run portion.

The run started out with the same hill as the bike course and, more or less, also was mostly ups and downs. So, I tried to coast on my downhills and not kill myself on the uhills. OK, I admit, I actually walked sometimes on the steep uphills, a tactic that payed off as it allowed me to stay under 2 hours on the run and finish stong the last two miles.

Finally done with this adventure, 6.04.31, good enough for 29th place overall and a 3rd place age group finish.

For anyone looking for a tough, small and scenicely awesome race, this is definitely one to consider. As this was my last race before attempting IM Arizona I am feeling pretty good that I had to dig deep for this one.

Photos courtesy Ken Schultz

Nutmeg State Half Ironman coming up

Tomorrow I will head to Southbury CT for my last big test before IM Arizona. The Nutmeg State Half Ironman in CT is only held the second time around. Last year I was part of the inaugural race which was scenically beautiful but also insanely hard (the bike leg was simply not normal I'd say). This year the changed the race site completely, so I have no real sense what to expect, but I do expect the worst again (and the best as far as scenic beauty goes). I love the fact that this race is less than 100 miles from my home so it is a relatively stress free adventure to head up there tomrrow and back after the race on Sunday.

It is 5 AM and the alarm rings. Are you ready . . .

...to take the call and stumble out of bed, make some coffee, eat some granola and head out for a 75 mile bike ride on a wet Saturday morning? Yesterday, I am glad I was. The last couple of weeks have not been going well as far as my Ironman preparations are concerned. We were all busy with settling into the new home, family commitments, including my mother visiting from Austria, and the last couple of days heading to Atlanta for business. On top of it, I have been weirdly suffering from allergies, leaving me at times listless to train.

So, when the alarm did ring far too early for a Saturday, I was more then tempted to hit the snooze button and head back into sleepy land. But I did not and was rewarded with one of the most spectacular, only in New York kinda ride experiences. Crossing the Brooklyn bridge the fog and clouds remaining from the heavy rains the night before still enveloped Manhattan. Minutes later I rode along the West Side bike way and watched up close the early morning arrival of a cruise ship to the left while, to the right, the Empire State building looked spooky and awesome. And on it went one picturesque moment after another. I regretted not to bring along a camera, plus I had to make decent time to meet my friends from the Brooklyn Tri Club across the George Washington Bridge for the ride to Nyack.

The Nike Human Race 10K

Last Sunday's Nike Human Race 10K was one of the most bizarre running events I ever participated in. Let's start out by saying that I had a really nice evening at the run. Heading to the event with Roy and my friend Sigrid, heading up the East River on a little ferry to Randalls Island, finishing the run in Icahn Stadium, one of the countries premier track stadiums. enjoying a concert by the All American Rejects after the race; all good fun. But as a running event it was more or less a practical joke, no matter that it was held in twenty some cities around the globe. The course on Randalls Island was in no way suited for the thousands of participants. And I never had to wait several minutes to cross a footbridge while running a 10K. Guess thats what happens when a huge marketing ploy goes wrong. But, whatever, as I said, it was a fun evening.

Moving On

Finally, we moved into our new place!. It's only a few blocks from our old home, but over the last six months the sale, the new purchase etc. put a lot of stress on all of us. Now, finally we were able to move into our new home. The move itself went rather easy, though some nut stripped the mirror of my car while I as unloading boxes in front of our new place. So, after two solid workout weeks, last week was definitely a "recovery" week, but only regarding training, otherwise it has been a rather stresfful few days.

The Ultimate NYC Run - Park to Park

Today's long run (15.5 miles) was easily on of the most beautiful city runs imaginable. I started off at my home heading into Prospect Park for an easy 3 mile loop, then downhill towards the Brooklyn Bridge. In my head I timed this portion of the run so I could catch up with some of my friends from Frontrunners New York who at this stage were in the middle of their long run that started on the Upper West Side. Sure enough, as soon as I went onto the bridge I saw the first one of them. Taking a brief break in the middle of the Brooklyn Bridge (about mile 7) I then enjoyed the great company of my friend Michael O. while we ran up the Eastside of Manhattan and Park Avenue. Today was the last Saturday of the New York Summer Streets project, so what is usually bumper to bumper traffic was just one big run and bike party all the way up to Central Park. Hitting both Prospect Park and Central Park in one run is sure something to remember.

Putting on some miles - finally

This was a good week, at least as far as my workout progress is concerned. Yesterday I was able to log my longest bike ride so far this year, with a solid 88 miles, about 55 of those with a small group from the Brooklyn Triathlon Club at a solid pace, the rest solo at a more relaxed pace going to and from the George Washington Bridge. Can't say it was all eas, but overall I feel very good about the ride. The rest of the week included a couple of solid mid-distance runs, a fast-paced interval bike ride and my weekly swim workout with Team New York Aquatics. Total: 11+ hours, finally this is starting to look like a real training schedule.

Back On Track Again - Sorta

OK, vacation is over. Been a stressful week though, Monday we sold our home while the new place still is not ready for move in. So, we have three weeks now to close on the new place, let's hope it all comes together last minute now. And I am also realizing that it is now high time to up my training volume, especially my bike and running distances. So, for the most part, this week was a pretty solid effort. I managed to run three times, covering a little over 20 miles. And on the bike I joined my first larger group ride in ages, riding 43 miles at a good solid pace with the Brooklyn Triathlon Club. All together, the last week I worked out almost 9 hours, half of it on the bike. I am pleased with the week but the distances need to still go up alot.

Sun, Fun and Fried Foods in Ptown

We are officially on vacation, and I did not even bring running shoes. This week it's all about family, relaxing and catching some sun in beautiful Provincetown MA. My plan includes no workouts whatsoever. So far, its tons of fun and I am not yet itching to resume my training. And eating tons of fried food seems not to bother me to greatly either at the moment.

When The Tide Turns

It's great to be (almost) 45. This is the first year that I am racing in this age group. At today's New York City Triathlon, this also meant to begin the race in one of the last two swim waves, almost 2 hours after the elite racers went off. Well, this would not really matter much in most races, not so in New York though. While most swimmers were blessed with a nice current pushing them down the Hudson river, by the time we swam, the tide had turned and the current went against us. On top of it, it was almost 10 o'clock by the time I started the run, the heat around 90 and very humid did not favor a fast run either.

So, there was no chance to coming even close to a pr or course record. Nevertheless, this may have been my very best race ever. While my swim time was more than 10 minutes slower than my record time three years ago and the run also several minutes slower, the vast majority of my age group competitors had an ever tougher time with the conditions. I felt great the whole race, came out of the water strong and followed it with my best bike leg ever. Starting on the run I was terribly hot, but my legs felt great and I continued to pick off dozens of, mostly younger, racers who had started way ahead of me.

At the end of the race I finished in 2.41.33, an astonishing 16th in my age group out of 246 finishers.

Getting Ready for New York

The New York City Triathlon has always been a favorite race of mine. Notwithstanding the trials and tribulations that participating in this large, urban race brings with it. The mandatory race briefing a day or two before the event, the hassle of having to rack your bike the evening before the race, the chance someone could simply take away your wetsuit while you are using the potty (yes, that has happened to me), the madness of competing against and with 3000 triathletes in the mid summer heat and humidity of the Big Apple. But hey, its New York, the great city I call home for the last seven years. Thus, in a couple of days, I will compete for the fourth time in this race. Once I had to forfeit last minute due to illness. I have always done fairly well here. My course record, and Olympic Distance PR is 2.27.08, in 2005, placing 42nd out of 164 competitors in my age group.

So today I went to the mandatory briefing and the race expo, picked up a new pair of tri shorts and wondered how to make the early morning commute on Sunday easiest. Now that I am competing in the 45-49 age group I will be in one of the very last swim waves, starting almost two hours after the transition area closes. One option, seriously to be considered, is setting up transition already tomorrow afternoon and not even bothering on race morning, heading directly to the swim start a mile north. This may require allot of confidence that nothing will go awry for about 14 hours with the delicate transition set up, but it will yield an extra hour of sleep.

As for my goals: definitely to beat my bike splits and to coe close to my PR, depending on heat and humidity and the current in the Hudson.

Nike + Human Race 10K

It's been quite a few weeks now since my last running race. So today I signed up for the Nike + Human Race 10K on August 31. The race, taking place on the same day in 25 cities around the globe, seems like a fun happening. New York's race will be run on Randalls Island, followed by a concert by The All-American Rejects.

A Full Workout Week and A Big Toothache

Last week was a week of firsts. My first 10+ hours training week and my first root canal. Let's begin with the training. No swimming last week, but instead I figured it is high time to start increasing my running and bike mileage. So I actually managed to go out four times on a run, logging 27 miles and to ride twice, for a total of 67 miles. Add to that a couple of short strength workouts and I finally achieved my first solid 10+ hour training week. For work reasons I have to dial it back quite a bit this week and next, practically a forced taper before the New York Triathlon in July 20, my second and last Olympic distance race for the season.

Oh, and now for the fun part. Pretty bad tooth pain had bugged me for a couple of weeks now. And it had gotten worse. My very first root canal was the answer. While the procedure itself was far less painful than I had feared, the weekend did include some pretty rough moments of discomfort and pain before things finally settled down. Just a minor health issue, but sure something that can slow you down.

Governor's Island Swim

For over 200 years Governor's Island was used as a military facility, first by the British and then by American forces before finally being "sold" to the city of New York in 2003 for public use. No wonder most New Yorkers have never set foot on this lovely little piece of land between Manhattan and Brooklyn. Until last Sunday morning, neither have I. But stepping onto the ferry for a short 10 minute ride to the island, I knew I was in for a really nice swim excursion. One special treat early on was seeing one of the four art installation waterfalls by Olafur Eliasson up close before docking onto the island.
But, there was still the business of a 2 mile open water swim at hand. This being a swim event, run annually by the Manhattan Island Foundation, wetsuits, while not verboten, where clearly looked down upon (means wetsuit swimmers are not eligible for awards). So I figured two miles in the choppy waters of New York would be a good preparation for the rest of my triathlon season.
Once we were taken out to the open water on a water taxi, 160 swimmers jumped off the boat, lined up behind a buoy and off we went. Now I have done quite a few open water swims before, but the kicking and smashing I encountered here was truly remarkable. Once out of the worst scuffle though, it was a swim to remember.


A nice current helped early on allowing me to lengthen my stroke and getting into a nice rhythm. At the end, I came out of the water 62nd out of 160 swimmers in a time of 44.28, 8 1/2 mins. behind the winner. So not bad for swimming a modest once a week on average.

Besides, I'll be back on the island very soon, this time though just for fun.

(photo credit goes to Susan Egan, Manhattan Island Foundation)

Only a Spectator for Once

Last weekend I found myself in an unusual role. I was simply watching others compete. And by others I mean specifically my partner Roy and my Team New York Aquatics friends. IGLA 2008, the International Gay and Lesbian Aquatics Championship in Washingon DC was once again a great event. This is a fun event every year and I have in the past participated. This time around, I was more than happy to simply watch and walk around the pool area with our daughter. Sorry to say: I am simply not fast enough in the swim right now to compete well there.

Chicago Lakefront Running

Early last week I had to jet off to Chicago for a few business meetings. Of course I packed my running shoes and hoped for good weather (meaning not too hot and humid) and some spare time to enjoy a few miles along the wonderful running track along the Chicago Lake front.
I cannot think of many urban running tracks I had the pleasure to run that compares. And I got lucky. Not only did I find the time for a late afternoon 1 hour + run on my first day from my hotel near the Loop going north towards North Beach, but then had the pleasure of another hour long run the following morning going the other direction, past Soldiers Field being joined by the Austrian Consul General, not only a pleasant running companion, but also an accomplished sub 3 hour marathon runner.

Keuka Lake Triathlon

We arrived in Keuka Lake after over 7 hours of traveling from New York, including a couple of longer breaks to break up the drive. The heat was already getting intense and I knew the race would be a tough one. Once we arrived at Keuka Lake College, Roy was less than amused at our spartan dorm accommodations. It has been a long time since I last stayed at a college dorm room. No let me rephrase that: I had never stayed at a college dorm room before. Seminaries, camps, farmhouses yes, but a college dorm was a new experience for me. Well, we had a great view, but no air condition. Luckily for me, I was still able to get a good night's sleep.

Already by 7.15 am it felt hot and muggy, but pre-race preparation went just fine. I got into the lake a bit early to try out my new full length wetsuit for the first time, and it felt just fine. Roy and Kiera postioned themselves near T 1 and the race went off, on time.

Just as always, my swim started out slow but I felt stronger as the swim progressed. Fairly soon I was able to pick up the first group of swimmers from the previous wave, so I knew I was doing just fine. I could only see a few yellow colored swimcaps from my wave ahead of me. At T 1 my good feeling about the swim was confirmed, most bikes where still in their place. Running with my bike out of transition, Roy was cheering me on and Kiera was wondering what exactly her Papa was up to.

Turns out I actually felt better during the bike portion than I really was. About midway through the wonderfully scenic bike ride, a long sustained uphill climb took its toll. Several riders past me with ease, still I felt comfortable. The last eight miles of the bike portion where both downhill and aided by a nice tailwind. So I felt almost rested heading into T 2 and headed out into the run. That's where trouble began.

At first my legs felt just fine, but quickly the heat and humidity took their toll. Typically I am able to pick up quite a few runners at this stage, but not this time around. After only two miles I felt the need to walk a few steps, just to cool down. From now on it was damage control, conserve some energy and finish.

2.45.30, hardly a great time, but overall I am quite pleased with my performance. It was a challenging course under difficult conditions. Finishing 9th out of 23 in my age group I missed a qualifying spot for the national championship. Now it's six weeks until the New York City triathlon, time to build on a solid early season base.

Almost Ready for Keuka Lake

Not sure if its excitement or, more likely, nervous anticipation, but I do almost feel ready for this season's first race, the Keuka Lake Intermediate Distance Triathlon this Sunday. Not that I have trained all that much really, but this will be my first multi-sport race in 256 days, meaning over 8 months. The Keuka Lake Triathlon this year is also be the Northeast Regional Championship, which means, I could theoretically qualify for the Age Group Nationals by finishing in the top 3rd of my age group. No idea how realistic this is, but based on last season's race results, this seems entirely possible.

So, two more days and I will find out. Am I still training too little, am I up to the task, is my bike a bit faster now with the new wheels (I doubt its me being faster here), is swimming for the first time in a full sleeve wetsuit comfy, yada yada yada?

Oh, before I forget, Keuka Lake is a 300 mile drive from New York City, in the Finger Lakes Region of the state.

New Wheels

OK, today I finally did it. I fit my beloved Cervelo P2C with a new set of wheels, namely the Hed Jet 60 C2. I pretty much had planned to spend some money on some new wheels in time for this year's race season. But cost clearly was one factor in my purchase decision, steering me away from the Zipp wheels that seem to be every one's choice these days. Everyone willing to spend the big bucks I guess. Not that the Hed Jet purchase was not painful, but there seems to be agreement that the Cervelo comes with a pretty basic set of wheels and that an upgrade would make a significant difference. Well, I sure hope so.

Training at the Emperors Gardens

Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna, the former summer residence of the imperial family, is considered one of the most beautiful baroque palaces in Europe. The Habsburgs resided here the better part of the year in numerous rooms for the large imperial family in addition to representational rooms. Emperor Franz Joseph, who later married the enchanting Sisi and reigned from 1848 to 1916, was born here in 1830. Around 1838, the Schönbrunnerbad was first mentioned in a letter from Franz Josef to his brother Maximilian. Today, it is quite likely one of the most stunning settings for a public pool featuring a splendid 50m sized pool. For those not used to working out in a 50 meter pool, this comes close to an open water swim :)

It was not the first time that I was able to swim at this amazing pool last week while on business in Vienna, but it always fascinates me to walk up the stairs from the amazing gardens to the pool setting in the baroque gardens. While in Vienna, there is just no better spot to swim, or run in fact, as the garden is also one of the cities most favorite running spots.

A good week and a beautiful bike ride

With the bike leg clearly my weakest link in a triathlon, I long ago made a committment to train more on the bike and to get more long rides in. Thus far, this year, none of it had happened. Finally this week I followed through. After a regular week, I headed out thos morning from Brooklyn to Piermont and back.. Unfortunately my friend Eric who set out to ride with me was forced to turn around just 16 miles into the ride, at the foot of the George Washington Bridge, with a broken bike chain. But the stretch from the GW to Piermont is pretty much a cycling highway with hundreds of riders heading out each weekend day.

The ride turned out great, the weather fantastic and the views on this ride spectacular, especially while crossing two of the countries most beautiful bridges, the Brooklyn Bridge and the George Washington Bridge. With over 4 hours of cycling covering about 64 miles, this was by far my longest ride all year. Obviously I will need a lot more like this one to get in shape for IM Arizona, but for the early summer Olympic distance races this was a good start.

Another Trip and a Brick

Time flies. During the last two weeks I enjoyed another brief trip , this time home to Vienna for some work related meetings. While in Vienna, I did not have much chance to work out, but I did manage to join a swim workout with my buddies at http://www.kraulquappen.at/ , Vienna's gay swim team. Once back in Brooklyn, last week actually tuned out to be one of the best training weeks thus far this season. I was able to log a total of 6.30hrs, (I know less than the bare minimum in most training plans), but just about where I want to be at this stage. To cap it off, yesterday morning, I did a solid brick workout in Prospect Park of about 24 miles on the bike, followed by about 7.5 miles running. All of it at a steady and even pace , and most importantly, feeling quite good during it. With about three weeks to until my first Olympic distance triathlon, I feel fairly good about where I am at this stage.

Brooklyn Half-Marathon

About a quarter mile into yesterday's Brooklyn Half, just when I was briefly turning my head to glimpse at the Ocean to our left, I found myself slipping and sprawled out on the Coney Island Boardwalk. Even with this mishap, the beginning of the run was just about perfect, maybe too perfect. Thousands of runners and a great venue, the new New York Road Runners starting corral system, and I was out of the gate clearly running too fast a pace over the first couple of miles. Once again I failed to hold back a bit, knowing fully well that I will pay a price later. And so it went, 5 miles into the run I had lost the spring in my step, by mile 8 my calves were tight and by mile 9 my harmstrings where shot. The last mile, a slight uphill towards the finish in Prospect Park was pure misery. I was seemingly unable to lift my legs and so I shuffled up the short hill loosing ever more precious time. At the end, I finished in a for me respectacle 1.40.47. This was still a minute faster than my last Brooyn Half four years ago (and thus four years younger), but it also proved my current limitations holding a brisker pace over a long distance.

P.S. I Love You!

Ah, Palm Springs! We just love this place, and once again, a week of blissful sunshine awaits us in this little California desert paradise. We spent last week mostly relaxing, lounging around the pool, hiking the Indian Canyons and spending tons of time with our little girl. As always, we also took advantage of the great public swimming pool at Sunrise Park, where I was able to put in two solid swim workouts. My running, unfortunately was not so smooth. While I did get out on my 4 mile loop three times, I was hampered by some strange tummy trouble and pain. Well maybe jsut a bit too much sun. Now we are back in New York and it is raining cats and dogs outside. Oh well . . .

A Semblence of Routine

Once I returned back to New York a few days ago, both Roy and Kiera were sick with a cold, but spring finally arrived in the city. So out of the basement the bike finally came, and we circled Prospect Park twice last week, added my usual once-a-week masters swim workout and put in a good run and short weight session as well. Since one of those bike rides was actually my first early morning workout this season, last week was almost like a routine early season .training week

Endless Winter

As if winter has not been long enough, a trip to a ski travel conference in Vail, CO clearly was not the best choice to finally get a bout of the spring fever. On the first day out, instead of a few hours of spring skiing, I was deep into fresh powder, battling the mountain and bad visibility. Most of the time, though, I was working and preparing for a presentation. What was most striking though, was how much the high elevation troubled me. At almost 9.000 feet, and skiing up to 11.500 I had trouble sleeping, getting headaches and ran out of breath fairly easy running up some stairs or so. Though I have been to Vail a few times before, this was the first time the elevation had bothered me that much. Suffice to say that, besides a few hours of hard skiing, I did nothing else in terms of training.

Scotland Run 10K PR

Today's 10K New York Roadrunners Scotland Run was my third and last late winter running race this year. The course practically mimicked the New York Triathlon run course, with a clockwise run of the hilly Central Park loop. Running this direction, it almost seems as if there are more downhills than ups, with the biggest uphill coming exactly at the half way mark.


With cold, but otherwise perfect conditions, this waas a much better raceday then just three weeks ago. I opted to shed the winter clothes and to run in shorts, something that seemingly lifted my spirits. With almost 7000 runners in the race, the first mile was terribly crowded, which provided me with protection against going out too fast. Ultimately I was feeling quite good during the whole race, finishing with a personal record of 45.20 and a 7.18/mile pace. Not great, but a nice start of spring season.

A bit unfocused, often cold and still a bit too heavy!

I've kinda been all over the place the last few weeks. Work is going well, but obviously has plenty of time" demands, the sale of our current home and purchase of our new place has been on top of my mind a lot, and our little one recently turned two and is just a blast to spend lots of time with. Though I try to ramp up my training just a bit now, I am still very much in a cross-training, "let's not yet get too serious" mood.

Looking at a graph of my last three months of training, it is a nice, almost even split between running, swimming and cross-training (strength and pilates mainly) at a low level of less than four hours a week on average. It continues to be rather cold so far here in New York, thus my bike continues to rest comfortably in the basement (yeah, I am a wimp when it comes to riding in the cold). Both training volume and intensity certainly seem fairly low, but overall I feel good coming out of the winter. I am still carrying about 10lbs too much of body weight, typical and, while annoying, not too much of a concern for me.

With just over two months left until my first Olympic distance race this season, it is time now to warm up and thus ramp up the volume and intensity a bit.

Huffing and Puffing 15K Colon Cancer Challenge

I have no idea why I thought that today's 15K Colon Cancer Challenge in Central Park would be a good race for me. My running training has been sketchy, the whole week I had been battling sinus issues, and it was cold and windy when I woke up this morning. After the Cherry Tree 10 mile race just a couple of weeks ago in Prospect Park, this was the second late winter race for me. This time I wanted to improve over my decent performance last time out and come in at a 7.30 minute pace. For whatever reason, today, this proved utterly impossible. With temperatures below freezing and gusty winds, I never really hit my stride this morning. The first four miles I was able to stay on target, but then completely fell apart. Every minor hill proved a challenge and the last two mile of the race I had runners of all shapes and sizes just whizzing past me. At the end, with a time of 1.13.12 I barely stayed under 8 minutes a mile and felt completely winded. Time that this winter comes to an end now and a nice Spring season will allow me to get into a a more consistent training routine.

A week of travel and travel back in time

This whole week I have mostly been on the road. First short dashes to Tampa and Houston, then a day at home in New York, and later in the week off to Los Angeles for two days. While New York was in a deep freeze with temperatures on the 20's, those other places were obviously quite a bit warmer; my system did not take those temperature changes without some stress. So, I downed some airborne and tried to stay halfway fit.

With that schedule I did not stress much about training, but was able to fit in some low key workouts late in the week. Yesterday, on a foggy day in Southern California, I just loved running 5 miles along the strand in Hermosa Beach/Manhattan Beach, our former home. Especially those two miles in the sand, only feet from the braking surf, were just amaing as always. And today, before getting ready to fly back, I went back in time and swam a good half hour at the 24hour fitness outdoor pool in West Hollywood. The same pool that I practically learned how to swim during my early morning workouts before heading to work after spending the night at Roy's place in Hollywood.

Sunday in the Park with . . a Bike

A couple of days ago we finally had some serious snow here in New York. Today I woke up to beautiful sunshine. So we headed out for a nice two hour walk through Prospect Park. The snow was cleared of all the main roads, but still looked great on the meadows. So after heading back home for a brief lunch I actually got my Cervelo out of the basement for the first time in months and headed out for a nice hour-long park cruise. ,

Cherry Tree - Prospect Park 10 Miler

Last Sunday I ran the Prospect Park Cherry Tree 10 mile run a local running event organized by the Prospect Park Track Club. For me a great base line run to see where I stand during my off-season. Once again I tackled the hilly three loops at Prospect Park without any real running training over the last few weeks, as I have continued to focus on cross-training with weights or pilates. Fairly chilly temperatures but with a bit of sunshine made for a great winter run outing. Overall, I can't complain, I ran the race (lets call it a run) very evenly. I never pushed too hard either, so at the end of it, I was a bit more than two minutes faster than last year and definitely less winded than I remember.

Back On Track

Life Happens, that pretty much sums up the last few weeks. While my plan was all along to take it easy during January, the unexpected news that we signed a contract to buy a new place here in Brooklyn, the fact that we have put our current home on the market, a bit of a cold, as well as a business trip back to Austria, all contributed to a less than rigorous workout regime during the last few weeks.

Now this week I am beginning to settle into a routine, adding some more training without stressing too much about it. After I experienced a fun, but very sluggish masters swim training mid-week, I decided to add another one two days later. Both workouts where nice, mid-distance interval trainings incorporating all four strokes.

Today, I headed out to Prospect Park for an 8 mile run, a little over 8 mins/mile pace. I definitely felt that I have not been running much lately, but my heart rate felt comfy the whole time, pretty much a Zone 2 run all around. If time permits, I will finish off the week with a half hour weight training and a pilates mat class tomorrow.

How Do I Rank?

OK, so I am a middle of the pack age grouper and proud of it. That does not mean I am not competitive though, alas, I have recently checked on my USAT year-end national ranking.
There are 7192 male triathletes in my age group (40-44) in 2007 that are ranked nationally, meaning they have competed in at least three USAT sanctioned triathlons last year. Out of that illustrous group, I am ranked 2399th with a score of 72.45535 (out of a maximum potential 100).
Not bad I guess, but just by finishing a few minutes faster in one of my races I could have made it two spots further up and mathematically within the top third of my age group nationally. Or, as it stands, I can proudly say, I am leading the middle of the pack in my age group.
Rock On!


http://www.usatrankings.com

A Year without Banana Republic

I looked into my closet recently, and though admittedly our Brooklyn home is not blessed with ambple closet space, it was stuffed with things and it dawned on me that I own clothes to last me through the next administration. So, I figured what better way to pay for the high cost of race fees or a new set of cycling wheels than to cut back on clothes shopping. Cut back to zero to be precise, for no less than one year. That's right, no more hunting for bargains at the next Banana Rebublic Sale, no Paul Smith sample sales, nada. Its the year of wearing the clothes that I own. So, if you see me around town wearing something that looks just so last year, well, it is.

Happy New Year!

Boy, time sure flies when you are not focusing on training and racing. Well, we had a great holiday, then after Christmas flew across the country to spend time at our little vacation home in Palm Springs. My daughter Kiera really loved the daily playtime in the pool.

I am still taking it quite easy as far as working out is concerned, some time at the gym, once a week masters swimming and an easy run or spin class thrown in the mix.