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.

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.

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.

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)

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.

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.

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.

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.