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)