WOW, is that a long time! Try to imagine what was going on in the world 50 years ago? I did a quick search and here is a short list:
In 1958….
U.S Mail postage was 3 cents
Credit Cards were born (yuck!)
NASA was created
Michael Jackson was born (who knew the impact he would have?)
Over the past 2 weeks, Angela and I have been honored to be invited to, not one, but two 50th wedding anniversaries. Both of these celebrations were friend's parents....oddly our social circles don' t include many individuals that are even close to achieving this type of goal.
The first 50th anniversary party was held at the Washington Nationals Ball Park. I know what you are thinking; many groups often attend ballgames and sit in the nosebleed seats. Well, not this group. Apparently we have a friend that travels in high society. Our friends family (who are REALLY nice people) are friends with the owners of the Nationals. So, the celebration was held in the owner's box at the National Ballpark. That place is AMAZING! It is a double suite directly behind home base, where we ate and drank like kings all night. Unfortunately the game was rained out that night, but everyone had a great time regardless. The couple even had their wedding song played in the stadium and their picture on the Jumbotron. Very cool!
The second 50th anniversary party was a little lower key but everyone still had great time. The event was held at one of the son's house not too far from Gaithersburg. Again, the food drinks, and people were amazing!
Attending both of these events really inspires me. Angela and I are "only" ten years into our wedding vows. As I reflect back over those years and moments we shared during that time, they still seem fresh, living in the forefront of my memory. It gives me hope, that maybe; just maybe if we work real hard, surround ourselves with good family and friends, and get a little luck alone the way we might be one of the few to celebrate such a momentous occasion.
In closing, no matter where you are in this journey called life, stop and take time to love, laugh, and enjoy because it happens so fast!
....And now back to your regular scheduled programming....
Wow, what happened there? I must have blacked out? Anyway, no time to rest and not being one to rest on my previous accomplishments the day after I returned from my successes in the triathlon world I began training for my next event, a Half Marathon. I joined a local running club help me with this accomplishment. We meet twice a week, Wednesday’s are our speed workouts (I really need some speed!) and Saturday’s we work on increasing our distance. I really like the group. They are really fun people and several of them are triathletes as well. I will keep you posted on my progress.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Cap Tex Race Report
Arriving in Austin and Pre-Race Stuff One word: HOT! A couple of weeks ago I visited my mom in Texas so I knew it was going to be hot. We (Angela and I) landed on Thursday, stepped off the plane and it was 98 degrees. That is kind of like a smack you in the face and take your breath away kind of hot. The entire trip the heat was just relentless, very uncomfortable, physically draining, and mentally debilitating. This is why I immediately began focusing on hydration. I drank SO much water and Gatorade I thought I was float down the river. Thursday and Friday the family lounged around Mom’s house and played around in her new pool. Friday night we all went out to an all you can eat BBQ, called the Salt Lick. Yummy! We’ve been there before and love it every time.
Saturday was a pretty full day. I checked in to the hotel where the Team in Training team was staying. Met up with the team to go for a short run midday. I thought it would be better for me to check out the race course and acclimate under less stressful conditions….i.e. walking around outside. I walked part of the bike course for about 20 minutes, after which I was drenched in sweat. Afterwards, the team met up again to walk to the bike shop about a mile away (yup, still in the heat) to pick up our bikes that had been driven down for us, and then we rode them back to the hotel. Saturday was another busy day. We got up to ride over to Barton Springs (a really great swimming area – natural pool) to do our practice open water swim. It was already warm in the morning, so putting on the wet suit was not a lot of fun. But once we got in the water, it was all worth it. (How can it be so hot outside, and the water be SO COLD??) Since I missed the last training with the team, this was my first (and only) open water swim before the race. It went well, I felt strong, and it calmed my nerves a bit knowing that swimming in open water wasn’t too difficult.
In the afternoon we picked up our race packet (bid number, timing chip, etc). This process sucked. The lines were way too long, took too much time, and very frustrating. Unlike other races, where people are encouraged to pick up their race packets in “waves” or groups of people this race was more of a free-for-all.
After the expo, we had to go put our bikes into the transition area. An easy enough task, but still kind of interesting. Normally, (this is my first race, but I have watched others) each athlete has numbered space (like a parking space) to place their bike and all their racing needs/stuff. Oh no, not the case here. This was again a free-for-all. Athletes were allowed to just throw their stuff anywhere, but space was limited so it became a problem. I was more concerned about losing my bike within the masses. Remember there are about 1500 athletes so; I was more focused on placing my bike in a place where I could easily find it. My bike tends to stick out a little bit (because it is red) so that wasn’t too much of an issue; I just counted how many rows it was from the end (9th row in my case) and knew I would have to remember that. It worked out. Our coaches warned us that due to the extreme heat bike tires were likely to expand and pop! I heard it did happen to some athletes. To reduce the likeliness of this happening, we reduced the air pressure in the tires to pump them up again on race day. With all this preparation I was beginning to feel the moment.
Soon after, we all went to the TNT pasta party. The pasta party was in a different hotel then where we were staying, but TNT arranged buses to take us there. However, my family was being difficult. Several of them went out during the day (borrowing Mom’s car) and they ran late, but since the people at the house didn’t have a car they couldn’t go anywhere. URGH! Not the stress I need before the race. Anyway, some of my family showed up about 30 minutes late, we embarrassing walked into the banquet, found a table and sat down. I pretty much just wanted to put a bag over my head and hide. About another 20 minutes later the rest of my family showed up. Talk about ruining the moment. I just had to think, just stay positive and move on. The banquet was nice. The speaker talked about all the great things the monies we raised were supporting. BTW, we raised over $900,000 from this race alone to support the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s programs. ROCK ON!! The guest speaker was an author, motivational speaker, and cancer survivor…Meg Brown. Great speaker and she ran the triathlon the next day.
After the meeting, I went up to the room to make sure everything was ready to take to my transition area. My roomie and I kept reading our list to each other, making sure neither was forgetting anything. Thanks, Rich! And then I went to bed. No surprise, I didn't sleep well that night either.Race Day! Alarm sounded promptly at 4:00am. UGH! I am a morning person, but this is crazy. I was stressing out because I didn’t know if I had everything I needed or not! I gathered my stuff and went down to the hotel lobby to meet the team, hoping I didn’t forget anything. We all went over to the transition area, where we first got our bodies marked. Kind of weird in an “about to go into battle sort of way”. People writing numbers, age, event, etc. on your legs and arms. And others taking pictures of it. Then over to my transition area where I set everything up. Everyone talks about the transition area and how important it is for a good race. Ooops, I forgot to practice this aspect of the race. It was a little nerve-racking: people were talking about how they moved things around a few inches to make it more efficient – shaving seconds off of their time. Meanwhile, I am thinking an extra 10 seconds is not going to bother me one bit.
I have found on numerous occasions that triathletes for the most part are really friendly people. I couldn’t find which teammate had the bike pump to re-inflate my tires and another person let me borrow his bike pump to make sure my tires were ready. VERY COOL. We didn't have a ton of time before they closed off the transition area, so as they were announcing that it was time to go, it was so hot and my start time wasn’t for another hour so I decided not to put on my wetsuit yet. It turned out to be a good decision. Somehow the race was almost an hour behind schedule so I would have been sweating in the wetsuit almost two hours.
Once I got to the waiting area, most of the team was grouped up by the lake, so I easily found them. Coach Noah told everyone that they should get into the water before their start to get used to it a bit before they start their swim. But the only way to get in without being in the way was to climb over some rocks. Several people already cut their hands or stubbed their toes – I elected not to get in. Plus it was still 1.5 hours until I had to swim.
While I was waiting by the water’s edge somehow Angela found me in the crowds. It was so nice to see her. Talking to her calmed my nerves and also gave me a reminder of exactly why I there. Thanks, Angela. As I mentioned before, the race was running way behind schedule so later my brother came over to say hi as well. It was nice to talk to him and distracted me for a few minutes….I needed that because just before that I thought I was going to throw up. Everything that I trained for was about to take place and I wasn’t sure I was ready.
THE SWIMWaiting for the start of the swim was very nerve-racking for me. It was what they call a deep water swim start. You jump in the water and tread water until the gun goes off to start the race. As were walking on the dock, my family was right there. Screaming, shouting, cheering me on – it was a great feeling. The guy behind me said, “Your family is the loudest here.” I replied with, “Yeah, it feels good to have that kind of support.”
Once I was in the water, I don’t know if I was in a zone or what but I didn’t hear one cheer, no one around me, nothing except my breathing. There is a lot of banging around that happens in the swim start so I wanted to be in the back of the pack to limit the physical nature of the swim. Then, BANG the start gun fired. Here we go!
I wanted to start the swim off slow and easy, pace myself, to ensure that I finish the event. Before I knew it, I was passing people. At the halfway point, I started seeing people in the wave that started before me and I was catching up to them. Then out of nowhere, BAM! I hit something. In the middle of that lake there was a huge rock about 3 feet below the surface and smashed my hand into it. Luckily, I just keep going. I think it was all adrenalin. Not too far from finish I picked up the pace even more and finished strong. They had volunteers at the swim exit to help people out of the water. The exit was awesome. They had a ton of volunteers on both sides of the ramp, many in the (cold) water. As I approached the ramp, I reached my hand out, and they nearly lifted me up the river bank, handing me off as they worked me up. Simply incredible. Thanks to the volunteers!!Truthfully, the swim was great! I honestly enjoyed it. As I was lifting my head up to see where I was (it's called "sighting") I realized that I need to work on that. Swimming under the bridges kind of freaked me out. I couldn’t stop thinking I was going to swim into the concrete and knock myself out. So, I know that slowed my down a little.
The swim was basically three turns: swim up, turn right to the other side of the lake, turn back down, and turn to the finish. I handled the turns well, I think. I was actually very close to the buoys each time, and there were few people around me. Overall, I loved the swim! It was not nearly as difficult as I thought it would be, and it was over before I knew it. (That's not to say it was easy. I was definitely tired when I was done!)
Swim Goal: 30- 40 minutes.
Actual Time: 34:36. WOO HOO!! I was really worried about this phase of the event. Done and on to the next section.
TRANSITION I: Swim to BikeAs I came out of the water and headed to my bike, I was very disoriented. I tried to jog but that wasn’t happening, I was too dizzy. So I walked. My legs were rubbery from suddenly being upright after 40 minutes of being horizontal. I got my wetsuit off down to my waist pretty easily, and started to walk to my bike. I found my bike no problem and ripped off my wetsuit.
Transition I Goal: Didn't set one. Just don’t be the one to forget your helmet! Actual time: 5:15THE BIKEThe bike route consisted of four loops. Not ideal, but not terrible either. (It does allow for great spectator support.) The course was fairly flat with one long gradual hill.Loop 1: I tried to take it easy on the first loop. "Don't start out too fast, and just get to know the route” – I can hear the coaches shouting in my mind. But I did get a good feel for the course before it got too crowded, and I am grateful for that. I quickly learned where the hills where, how quickly all of the turns came, and how the one really downhill stretch had a strong head wind. Ugh!My biggest downfall was that I did not know how long each loop took or how fast I was going (via my bike computer). Several weeks ago I purchased a new bike computer but had yet to master the functions. During the race I didn’t think it was a big deal, but reviewing my times I see it was. During the second loop my stomach began bothering me. I was feeling nauseous. I have read that happens sometimes during a race when you drink too much Gatorade. Hoping that was the problem I began drinking only water. By the third loop my stomach was feeling better and I picked up the pace.
The loop ends with the U Turn. A lot of people there, but you really can't enjoy the support, because you're trying really hard not to crash into them. I saw Coach Noah call out my name (Thanks, Noah!!) and my entire family cheering me on. Prior to the race I was worried that with all the excitement of the race I would lose count of my bike laps so I asked my family to count for me. Every time I rode by they would yell out which loop number I was on…..thanks, guys.
Last Loop: No doubt about it, I'm tired. The hills are hard, and it seems to take forever to get up them, but once they're over, I feel a new sense of optimism and try to take the relatively flat part hard as fast as I can. The route is really crowded now, but it goes well, and it is a great feeling knowing I am almost done on the bike. It was about then, when I realized that “Hey, I am going to finish this thing.” I was overcome with emotion. I can’t explain why, but as I reflected back with thoughts of Angela’s dark and difficult times in the hospital I just started crying on the bike. Good thing I had on sunglasses.Bike Goal: 1:30:00. Actual time: 1:15:51. WOO HOO!!TRANSITION IIIt was a long run with the bike to get to my spot of the transition area. Everything was going to plan, when I could hear the coaches in my head saying “Don’t forget to put on your race belt for the run.” If you don’t have the race belt it is a penalty. When I get to my transition area I don’t see my belt. I knew I packed it, but where could it be. I open my back pack, empty it out on the ground, and finally find it. Put it on, put on my shoes, and on to the run. Later, I realized I had forgotten to put on sunscreen.
Transition II Goal: Again, didn’t have one. Actual time: 4:00.THE RUNThe run was a 2 loop course, each loop was 3.1 miles.
Yes, it was hot outside, like LAVA HOT. I was pretty tired from the bike but I had completed two awesome parts of the triathlon, and it was time for my slow portion of the race. I knew I was a very slow runner – but not snail slow. Put it this way, if they were walking I wasn’t passing them.
Throughout the run course there were many aid stations (water, ice, and Gatorade). While I was committed to not walking the course, I did allow myself to walk through the aid stations. At each one I took as much water and ice as I could.
Loop I: Just like the bike, I wanted to take the first loop nice and easy and see how the course was. For the most part it was completely flat. About 1.5 miles into the run I saw my entire family cheering me on (thanks, guys!). I needed the encouragement.
Loop II: I was really beginning to feel the full effects of the Texas heat. By now it was later in the day, the clouds had cleared, it was full sun and the heat was in full effect. Remember earlier when I said I forgot the sunscreen – this is when I realized it.
By now my little brother knew the course and waited for me ahead of the rest of my family and was able to run with me for a few minutes. Man, did that ease my mind. I was just beginning to wonder whether I could continue running the entire distance without stopping. Just talking with him inspired me to make sure I finish strong. Thanks, Bro!!
Shortly after running with my brother is where I met up with one of my teammates. The heat was really getting to him and he mentioned he was about to give up and walk. I told him that I wouldn’t allow it and I slowed the pace down (but still ran) to allow him to recover. After several minutes, he was finally able to find some energy again and before he knew it, he was running again. I lagged behind and cheered him on. After the race he thanked me for “saving him” on the run course. It was really nice knowing that I was able to help a teammate out.
Run Goal: Under one hour. Actual time: 1:04:47. The heat was just TOO much!Almost immediately after crossing the finish line, my entire family was there giving me hugs and kisses. I took a few minutes to celebrate with them, rehydrate, have some pizza, and get a short massage. Then, I felt well enough to go to back to the course and cheer the rest of the team in. So my first triathlon was completed in 3:09:32. For sure, it was an incredible experience, But none of it would have been possible without the support of so many people: Coaches Jenni, Megan, Mel, and Noah; my Team Captain Tricia; Lindsay in the TNT office; Carly as the staff person in Austin; everyone who donated to my fundraising; the entire tri team for all of the support and motivation for six months, my friends for your motivation and support; my great family for your encouragement on the course; and last but not least, to Angela who showed me what determination REALLY meant.
Thanks to everyone, and GO TEAM!!
Michael - a newbie triathlete
Saturday was a pretty full day. I checked in to the hotel where the Team in Training team was staying. Met up with the team to go for a short run midday. I thought it would be better for me to check out the race course and acclimate under less stressful conditions….i.e. walking around outside. I walked part of the bike course for about 20 minutes, after which I was drenched in sweat. Afterwards, the team met up again to walk to the bike shop about a mile away (yup, still in the heat) to pick up our bikes that had been driven down for us, and then we rode them back to the hotel. Saturday was another busy day. We got up to ride over to Barton Springs (a really great swimming area – natural pool) to do our practice open water swim. It was already warm in the morning, so putting on the wet suit was not a lot of fun. But once we got in the water, it was all worth it. (How can it be so hot outside, and the water be SO COLD??) Since I missed the last training with the team, this was my first (and only) open water swim before the race. It went well, I felt strong, and it calmed my nerves a bit knowing that swimming in open water wasn’t too difficult.
In the afternoon we picked up our race packet (bid number, timing chip, etc). This process sucked. The lines were way too long, took too much time, and very frustrating. Unlike other races, where people are encouraged to pick up their race packets in “waves” or groups of people this race was more of a free-for-all.
After the expo, we had to go put our bikes into the transition area. An easy enough task, but still kind of interesting. Normally, (this is my first race, but I have watched others) each athlete has numbered space (like a parking space) to place their bike and all their racing needs/stuff. Oh no, not the case here. This was again a free-for-all. Athletes were allowed to just throw their stuff anywhere, but space was limited so it became a problem. I was more concerned about losing my bike within the masses. Remember there are about 1500 athletes so; I was more focused on placing my bike in a place where I could easily find it. My bike tends to stick out a little bit (because it is red) so that wasn’t too much of an issue; I just counted how many rows it was from the end (9th row in my case) and knew I would have to remember that. It worked out. Our coaches warned us that due to the extreme heat bike tires were likely to expand and pop! I heard it did happen to some athletes. To reduce the likeliness of this happening, we reduced the air pressure in the tires to pump them up again on race day. With all this preparation I was beginning to feel the moment.
Soon after, we all went to the TNT pasta party. The pasta party was in a different hotel then where we were staying, but TNT arranged buses to take us there. However, my family was being difficult. Several of them went out during the day (borrowing Mom’s car) and they ran late, but since the people at the house didn’t have a car they couldn’t go anywhere. URGH! Not the stress I need before the race. Anyway, some of my family showed up about 30 minutes late, we embarrassing walked into the banquet, found a table and sat down. I pretty much just wanted to put a bag over my head and hide. About another 20 minutes later the rest of my family showed up. Talk about ruining the moment. I just had to think, just stay positive and move on. The banquet was nice. The speaker talked about all the great things the monies we raised were supporting. BTW, we raised over $900,000 from this race alone to support the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s programs. ROCK ON!! The guest speaker was an author, motivational speaker, and cancer survivor…Meg Brown. Great speaker and she ran the triathlon the next day.
After the meeting, I went up to the room to make sure everything was ready to take to my transition area. My roomie and I kept reading our list to each other, making sure neither was forgetting anything. Thanks, Rich! And then I went to bed. No surprise, I didn't sleep well that night either.Race Day! Alarm sounded promptly at 4:00am. UGH! I am a morning person, but this is crazy. I was stressing out because I didn’t know if I had everything I needed or not! I gathered my stuff and went down to the hotel lobby to meet the team, hoping I didn’t forget anything. We all went over to the transition area, where we first got our bodies marked. Kind of weird in an “about to go into battle sort of way”. People writing numbers, age, event, etc. on your legs and arms. And others taking pictures of it. Then over to my transition area where I set everything up. Everyone talks about the transition area and how important it is for a good race. Ooops, I forgot to practice this aspect of the race. It was a little nerve-racking: people were talking about how they moved things around a few inches to make it more efficient – shaving seconds off of their time. Meanwhile, I am thinking an extra 10 seconds is not going to bother me one bit.
I have found on numerous occasions that triathletes for the most part are really friendly people. I couldn’t find which teammate had the bike pump to re-inflate my tires and another person let me borrow his bike pump to make sure my tires were ready. VERY COOL. We didn't have a ton of time before they closed off the transition area, so as they were announcing that it was time to go, it was so hot and my start time wasn’t for another hour so I decided not to put on my wetsuit yet. It turned out to be a good decision. Somehow the race was almost an hour behind schedule so I would have been sweating in the wetsuit almost two hours.
Once I got to the waiting area, most of the team was grouped up by the lake, so I easily found them. Coach Noah told everyone that they should get into the water before their start to get used to it a bit before they start their swim. But the only way to get in without being in the way was to climb over some rocks. Several people already cut their hands or stubbed their toes – I elected not to get in. Plus it was still 1.5 hours until I had to swim.
While I was waiting by the water’s edge somehow Angela found me in the crowds. It was so nice to see her. Talking to her calmed my nerves and also gave me a reminder of exactly why I there. Thanks, Angela. As I mentioned before, the race was running way behind schedule so later my brother came over to say hi as well. It was nice to talk to him and distracted me for a few minutes….I needed that because just before that I thought I was going to throw up. Everything that I trained for was about to take place and I wasn’t sure I was ready.
THE SWIMWaiting for the start of the swim was very nerve-racking for me. It was what they call a deep water swim start. You jump in the water and tread water until the gun goes off to start the race. As were walking on the dock, my family was right there. Screaming, shouting, cheering me on – it was a great feeling. The guy behind me said, “Your family is the loudest here.” I replied with, “Yeah, it feels good to have that kind of support.”
Once I was in the water, I don’t know if I was in a zone or what but I didn’t hear one cheer, no one around me, nothing except my breathing. There is a lot of banging around that happens in the swim start so I wanted to be in the back of the pack to limit the physical nature of the swim. Then, BANG the start gun fired. Here we go!
I wanted to start the swim off slow and easy, pace myself, to ensure that I finish the event. Before I knew it, I was passing people. At the halfway point, I started seeing people in the wave that started before me and I was catching up to them. Then out of nowhere, BAM! I hit something. In the middle of that lake there was a huge rock about 3 feet below the surface and smashed my hand into it. Luckily, I just keep going. I think it was all adrenalin. Not too far from finish I picked up the pace even more and finished strong. They had volunteers at the swim exit to help people out of the water. The exit was awesome. They had a ton of volunteers on both sides of the ramp, many in the (cold) water. As I approached the ramp, I reached my hand out, and they nearly lifted me up the river bank, handing me off as they worked me up. Simply incredible. Thanks to the volunteers!!Truthfully, the swim was great! I honestly enjoyed it. As I was lifting my head up to see where I was (it's called "sighting") I realized that I need to work on that. Swimming under the bridges kind of freaked me out. I couldn’t stop thinking I was going to swim into the concrete and knock myself out. So, I know that slowed my down a little.
The swim was basically three turns: swim up, turn right to the other side of the lake, turn back down, and turn to the finish. I handled the turns well, I think. I was actually very close to the buoys each time, and there were few people around me. Overall, I loved the swim! It was not nearly as difficult as I thought it would be, and it was over before I knew it. (That's not to say it was easy. I was definitely tired when I was done!)
Swim Goal: 30- 40 minutes.
Actual Time: 34:36. WOO HOO!! I was really worried about this phase of the event. Done and on to the next section.
TRANSITION I: Swim to BikeAs I came out of the water and headed to my bike, I was very disoriented. I tried to jog but that wasn’t happening, I was too dizzy. So I walked. My legs were rubbery from suddenly being upright after 40 minutes of being horizontal. I got my wetsuit off down to my waist pretty easily, and started to walk to my bike. I found my bike no problem and ripped off my wetsuit.
Transition I Goal: Didn't set one. Just don’t be the one to forget your helmet! Actual time: 5:15THE BIKEThe bike route consisted of four loops. Not ideal, but not terrible either. (It does allow for great spectator support.) The course was fairly flat with one long gradual hill.Loop 1: I tried to take it easy on the first loop. "Don't start out too fast, and just get to know the route” – I can hear the coaches shouting in my mind. But I did get a good feel for the course before it got too crowded, and I am grateful for that. I quickly learned where the hills where, how quickly all of the turns came, and how the one really downhill stretch had a strong head wind. Ugh!My biggest downfall was that I did not know how long each loop took or how fast I was going (via my bike computer). Several weeks ago I purchased a new bike computer but had yet to master the functions. During the race I didn’t think it was a big deal, but reviewing my times I see it was. During the second loop my stomach began bothering me. I was feeling nauseous. I have read that happens sometimes during a race when you drink too much Gatorade. Hoping that was the problem I began drinking only water. By the third loop my stomach was feeling better and I picked up the pace.
The loop ends with the U Turn. A lot of people there, but you really can't enjoy the support, because you're trying really hard not to crash into them. I saw Coach Noah call out my name (Thanks, Noah!!) and my entire family cheering me on. Prior to the race I was worried that with all the excitement of the race I would lose count of my bike laps so I asked my family to count for me. Every time I rode by they would yell out which loop number I was on…..thanks, guys.
Last Loop: No doubt about it, I'm tired. The hills are hard, and it seems to take forever to get up them, but once they're over, I feel a new sense of optimism and try to take the relatively flat part hard as fast as I can. The route is really crowded now, but it goes well, and it is a great feeling knowing I am almost done on the bike. It was about then, when I realized that “Hey, I am going to finish this thing.” I was overcome with emotion. I can’t explain why, but as I reflected back with thoughts of Angela’s dark and difficult times in the hospital I just started crying on the bike. Good thing I had on sunglasses.Bike Goal: 1:30:00. Actual time: 1:15:51. WOO HOO!!TRANSITION IIIt was a long run with the bike to get to my spot of the transition area. Everything was going to plan, when I could hear the coaches in my head saying “Don’t forget to put on your race belt for the run.” If you don’t have the race belt it is a penalty. When I get to my transition area I don’t see my belt. I knew I packed it, but where could it be. I open my back pack, empty it out on the ground, and finally find it. Put it on, put on my shoes, and on to the run. Later, I realized I had forgotten to put on sunscreen.
Transition II Goal: Again, didn’t have one. Actual time: 4:00.THE RUNThe run was a 2 loop course, each loop was 3.1 miles.
Yes, it was hot outside, like LAVA HOT. I was pretty tired from the bike but I had completed two awesome parts of the triathlon, and it was time for my slow portion of the race. I knew I was a very slow runner – but not snail slow. Put it this way, if they were walking I wasn’t passing them.
Throughout the run course there were many aid stations (water, ice, and Gatorade). While I was committed to not walking the course, I did allow myself to walk through the aid stations. At each one I took as much water and ice as I could.
Loop I: Just like the bike, I wanted to take the first loop nice and easy and see how the course was. For the most part it was completely flat. About 1.5 miles into the run I saw my entire family cheering me on (thanks, guys!). I needed the encouragement.
Loop II: I was really beginning to feel the full effects of the Texas heat. By now it was later in the day, the clouds had cleared, it was full sun and the heat was in full effect. Remember earlier when I said I forgot the sunscreen – this is when I realized it.
By now my little brother knew the course and waited for me ahead of the rest of my family and was able to run with me for a few minutes. Man, did that ease my mind. I was just beginning to wonder whether I could continue running the entire distance without stopping. Just talking with him inspired me to make sure I finish strong. Thanks, Bro!!
Shortly after running with my brother is where I met up with one of my teammates. The heat was really getting to him and he mentioned he was about to give up and walk. I told him that I wouldn’t allow it and I slowed the pace down (but still ran) to allow him to recover. After several minutes, he was finally able to find some energy again and before he knew it, he was running again. I lagged behind and cheered him on. After the race he thanked me for “saving him” on the run course. It was really nice knowing that I was able to help a teammate out.
Run Goal: Under one hour. Actual time: 1:04:47. The heat was just TOO much!Almost immediately after crossing the finish line, my entire family was there giving me hugs and kisses. I took a few minutes to celebrate with them, rehydrate, have some pizza, and get a short massage. Then, I felt well enough to go to back to the course and cheer the rest of the team in. So my first triathlon was completed in 3:09:32. For sure, it was an incredible experience, But none of it would have been possible without the support of so many people: Coaches Jenni, Megan, Mel, and Noah; my Team Captain Tricia; Lindsay in the TNT office; Carly as the staff person in Austin; everyone who donated to my fundraising; the entire tri team for all of the support and motivation for six months, my friends for your motivation and support; my great family for your encouragement on the course; and last but not least, to Angela who showed me what determination REALLY meant.
Thanks to everyone, and GO TEAM!!
Michael - a newbie triathlete
Friday, May 16, 2008
Nervous??
Yeck yay.
The last few days have been very anxious for me.
For starters, Angela scheduled her 9 month post-chemo CT scan yesterday. Those days ALWAYS make me nervous. We both get nervous, loose a little sleep, and hope for the best. But, her test results were still NEGATIVE, and the doctors even used a word we try to avoid...."remission". The doctors said, "everything looks great on your scan and your are in remission". WOW - awesome news. We celebrated by going to a local pizza and pasta place in Gaitherburg. It is not really,really great food but it reminds us of good times in the past because we used to go there when we worked together. As an added bonus Angela did a little shopping.
The other reason I am anxious is because my triathlon is a little more than a week away. YIKES! I have been training hard for months and hope that is enough to get me to cross the finish line.
My training schedule is in "taper" mode, meaning I just do little, light workouts. But my legs are more sore now then they have been for the past 6 months. Oh well, they say you get this way before a race. They say you start to begin feeling like this is sore, that is not right, etc. Maybe there is some truth to that?
Also, today I have to drop off my bike at the Team in Training offices so they can ship it to Texas. Wow, does that really make you feel the event is nearing.
Weather - In Maryland the weather has been cool and rainy. However in Texas the weather has been hot, like in the 90's already. Hope this doesn't hurt me too much during the race. Will need to drink lots of water and gatorade.
This weekend is packed full of activities for me. Tonight is a local high school's "after prom party". A school party were we serve food and drinks to the high school kids to keep them for parties elsewhere and possibly getting into trouble. The party lasts from 10pm - 5am....that's right all night! Then on Saturday I am missing my TNT Bon Voyage workout/party to see a friend's graduation. He has completed his Master Degree. Robert you rock! Then on Sunday a another triathlete friend and I are going to watch a big local triathlon race. Watching these athletes should really get me excited for my race.
Thanks for reading.
The last few days have been very anxious for me.
For starters, Angela scheduled her 9 month post-chemo CT scan yesterday. Those days ALWAYS make me nervous. We both get nervous, loose a little sleep, and hope for the best. But, her test results were still NEGATIVE, and the doctors even used a word we try to avoid...."remission". The doctors said, "everything looks great on your scan and your are in remission". WOW - awesome news. We celebrated by going to a local pizza and pasta place in Gaitherburg. It is not really,really great food but it reminds us of good times in the past because we used to go there when we worked together. As an added bonus Angela did a little shopping.
The other reason I am anxious is because my triathlon is a little more than a week away. YIKES! I have been training hard for months and hope that is enough to get me to cross the finish line.
My training schedule is in "taper" mode, meaning I just do little, light workouts. But my legs are more sore now then they have been for the past 6 months. Oh well, they say you get this way before a race. They say you start to begin feeling like this is sore, that is not right, etc. Maybe there is some truth to that?
Also, today I have to drop off my bike at the Team in Training offices so they can ship it to Texas. Wow, does that really make you feel the event is nearing.
Weather - In Maryland the weather has been cool and rainy. However in Texas the weather has been hot, like in the 90's already. Hope this doesn't hurt me too much during the race. Will need to drink lots of water and gatorade.
This weekend is packed full of activities for me. Tonight is a local high school's "after prom party". A school party were we serve food and drinks to the high school kids to keep them for parties elsewhere and possibly getting into trouble. The party lasts from 10pm - 5am....that's right all night! Then on Saturday I am missing my TNT Bon Voyage workout/party to see a friend's graduation. He has completed his Master Degree. Robert you rock! Then on Sunday a another triathlete friend and I are going to watch a big local triathlon race. Watching these athletes should really get me excited for my race.
Thanks for reading.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Personal Record 14.99 seconds
This weekend I actually trained with the Team in Training group. They are a great group of athletes and coaches, but my schedule is a polar opposite of theirs. And since I don't need that extra of dose of motivation to train, I usually skip the group workouts and do my own thing. Plus I am a "middle of the pack" kind of person, so I don't get a lot of attention for the coaches anyway...they are busy with the people that are still struggling with getting through the event.
This week the group trained in VA, about 1 hour from my house. Since the triathlon is getting close I wanted to make a concerted effort to bond with my team. When I got there, the coaches stated this was going to be the hardest workout we had all season, and I thought to myself I should have stayed home. We biked for just over 2 hours, completed 32 miles of hard riding filled with challenging hills, then followed by a 30 minute run. I thought my legs where going to give out at any moment. But I made it!
Afterwards, the team organized a picnic. I had a great time talking to different coaches & athletes. As I was talking to everyone, I noticed that my legs felt fine, no aches, pains, soreness. I thought Man, I need to pushed myself harder.
Yesterday, I had another swim lesson with my coach. He always kicks my butt, then as I am gasping for air, holding on to the edge of the pool, he telling me remember keep the elbow high, etc, etc. It is amazing how you can focus on these instructions while you feel you are seconds away from death. At the end of many, many drills he said last drill....two 25 yard sprints. I am going to time you - so push hard. My first lap, was 18.04 seconds. The coach said not bad, now we are going to do one more lap. My next lap was 14.99 seconds - a record time for me! Rather than the coach being happy for me, he said you didn't push hard enough on the first lap, so we need to do it again. UGH!!!! He was right - I guess because my third lap was 16.xx seconds. These times are pretty good (for me) after a hard 1500 yard workout. I am very happy with the progress of my swim.
Lastly, now that I am feeling better about my swimming. I am going to spend the next two weeks focusing on the run. I can easily complete the distance on the run, but I am so SLOW. During my run last night, I ran for 45 minutes and never felt good. My rhythm was off, times were slow, and felt goofy footed during the entire run. I will work on that.
This week the group trained in VA, about 1 hour from my house. Since the triathlon is getting close I wanted to make a concerted effort to bond with my team. When I got there, the coaches stated this was going to be the hardest workout we had all season, and I thought to myself I should have stayed home. We biked for just over 2 hours, completed 32 miles of hard riding filled with challenging hills, then followed by a 30 minute run. I thought my legs where going to give out at any moment. But I made it!
Afterwards, the team organized a picnic. I had a great time talking to different coaches & athletes. As I was talking to everyone, I noticed that my legs felt fine, no aches, pains, soreness. I thought Man, I need to pushed myself harder.
Yesterday, I had another swim lesson with my coach. He always kicks my butt, then as I am gasping for air, holding on to the edge of the pool, he telling me remember keep the elbow high, etc, etc. It is amazing how you can focus on these instructions while you feel you are seconds away from death. At the end of many, many drills he said last drill....two 25 yard sprints. I am going to time you - so push hard. My first lap, was 18.04 seconds. The coach said not bad, now we are going to do one more lap. My next lap was 14.99 seconds - a record time for me! Rather than the coach being happy for me, he said you didn't push hard enough on the first lap, so we need to do it again. UGH!!!! He was right - I guess because my third lap was 16.xx seconds. These times are pretty good (for me) after a hard 1500 yard workout. I am very happy with the progress of my swim.
Lastly, now that I am feeling better about my swimming. I am going to spend the next two weeks focusing on the run. I can easily complete the distance on the run, but I am so SLOW. During my run last night, I ran for 45 minutes and never felt good. My rhythm was off, times were slow, and felt goofy footed during the entire run. I will work on that.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Weekend - Texas Style
WARNING - LONG POST AGAIN
As most of you know from recent posts, I went to Texas this past weekend because several weeks ago, my Mom called me asking if I would come to Texas to help her boyfriend work on constructing a massive deck that surrounds her new pool in the backyard. Of course, I am always up for a construction project, so off to Texas I went.
I arrived in Austin late Friday night, unpacked, and was excited to get going Saturday morning. Her boyfriend (also named Michael) had to work until 4:30am in the morning on Friday night to meet his deadline on another construction project. So, he was a little slow waking up on Saturday, understandable. But we still put in a few hours, dug post holes, poured concrete, etc, etc and we stopped around 4PM because we needed some more material and I didn't want to kill him. We cleaned up, went to Home Depot, went out and had a nice dinner at a local restaurant, rented a movie and called it a night. Sunday morning I was awaken by a nasty thunderstorm at 7am, I said I guess we won't be getting an early start today? Around 8am I rolled out of bed and checked the weather, "rain until noon today". When mom woke up, we headed out to run some errands and scope out the triathlon course that I will be running REAL SOON! Nice course, didn't seem too bad. Got back to Mom's around 1pm and Michael was still too tired from yesterday to work today. So, the remainder of Sunday was shot. When I woke up on Monday morning and I was motivated to put in at least a few hours of work, by myself if I had to. After all, Mom paid all this money to fly me down there I hadn't done much work. I began working (and eventually got help) and before I had to catch my flight home we were able to finish framing a 16x16 area of the deck.
The flight home was terrible! I had to take a puddle jumper from Houston to Dulles (no not Dallas, Dulles - a 2.5 hour flight. That was the worst flight I have ever been on. Bouncy, bumpy, loud, ugh! But I made it home safe and sound.
Also, while I was in TX, I did mange to workout on Sunday (since I wasn't constructing anything) I worked out at a local gym. I told them that I was in town and considering relocating to the area and they game me a week pass. Really nice gym and they are open 24 hours. Pretty cool. So Sunday night I went for a swim. During my swim, I meet 2 Ironman finishers! WOW, talk about intimidating. But like most triathletes that I have meet, they were really nice. One guy even took a few minutes to help me with my swimming. Good people.
A couple of posts ago, I mentioned that I had taken the CISSP exam and was worried about the results. Worry no more, I PASSED! YAY! I found out yesterday that I had passed that horrid exam. I am so glad because I didn't want to sit through another 6 hour exam.
I the midst of everything else going on, I still have been training hard. The training sessions are getting much longer and more difficult to fit in my schedule. But with only a month to go and CISSP the exam behind me I am not letting up now. My swimming is getting a little better. I actually have 2 swim coaches...one cheap one expensive. This allows me to gain the news skills I need from the expensive coach and work on strength and endurance with the other coach. I am improving, so I hope it really pays off over the next couple of weeks.
Thanks for reading,
Michael
As most of you know from recent posts, I went to Texas this past weekend because several weeks ago, my Mom called me asking if I would come to Texas to help her boyfriend work on constructing a massive deck that surrounds her new pool in the backyard. Of course, I am always up for a construction project, so off to Texas I went.
I arrived in Austin late Friday night, unpacked, and was excited to get going Saturday morning. Her boyfriend (also named Michael) had to work until 4:30am in the morning on Friday night to meet his deadline on another construction project. So, he was a little slow waking up on Saturday, understandable. But we still put in a few hours, dug post holes, poured concrete, etc, etc and we stopped around 4PM because we needed some more material and I didn't want to kill him. We cleaned up, went to Home Depot, went out and had a nice dinner at a local restaurant, rented a movie and called it a night. Sunday morning I was awaken by a nasty thunderstorm at 7am, I said I guess we won't be getting an early start today? Around 8am I rolled out of bed and checked the weather, "rain until noon today". When mom woke up, we headed out to run some errands and scope out the triathlon course that I will be running REAL SOON! Nice course, didn't seem too bad. Got back to Mom's around 1pm and Michael was still too tired from yesterday to work today. So, the remainder of Sunday was shot. When I woke up on Monday morning and I was motivated to put in at least a few hours of work, by myself if I had to. After all, Mom paid all this money to fly me down there I hadn't done much work. I began working (and eventually got help) and before I had to catch my flight home we were able to finish framing a 16x16 area of the deck.
The flight home was terrible! I had to take a puddle jumper from Houston to Dulles (no not Dallas, Dulles - a 2.5 hour flight. That was the worst flight I have ever been on. Bouncy, bumpy, loud, ugh! But I made it home safe and sound.
Also, while I was in TX, I did mange to workout on Sunday (since I wasn't constructing anything) I worked out at a local gym. I told them that I was in town and considering relocating to the area and they game me a week pass. Really nice gym and they are open 24 hours. Pretty cool. So Sunday night I went for a swim. During my swim, I meet 2 Ironman finishers! WOW, talk about intimidating. But like most triathletes that I have meet, they were really nice. One guy even took a few minutes to help me with my swimming. Good people.
A couple of posts ago, I mentioned that I had taken the CISSP exam and was worried about the results. Worry no more, I PASSED! YAY! I found out yesterday that I had passed that horrid exam. I am so glad because I didn't want to sit through another 6 hour exam.
I the midst of everything else going on, I still have been training hard. The training sessions are getting much longer and more difficult to fit in my schedule. But with only a month to go and CISSP the exam behind me I am not letting up now. My swimming is getting a little better. I actually have 2 swim coaches...one cheap one expensive. This allows me to gain the news skills I need from the expensive coach and work on strength and endurance with the other coach. I am improving, so I hope it really pays off over the next couple of weeks.
Thanks for reading,
Michael
Monday, April 28, 2008
Wetsuit
Mike's in Texas this weekend helping his mom build a gazebo in her backyard, so this is Angela posting. He asked me to post a picture of him in his new Team in Training wetsuit. You would think he wouldn't need it in Texas in May, but the water is still pretty cold. The air won't be, but the water will be!
Does he look like a triathlete now?
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Bike Porn
People in the biking community call it Bike Porn when you post a picture of your new bike.
I actually purchased this bike a few months ago and forgot to post a picture.
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