2004 Charlottesville Off Road Traithlon

The first annual Charlottesville Off Road Traithlon was held in Walnut Creek Park, Charlottesville VA, about 10 miles south of town. This was my 4th triathlon of the season. The distances were 3/4 mile swim, 11.5 mile mountain bike, and a 4 mile trail run.

Setting the stage...
Before I started training this season I decided to write down some goals so I had something to shoot for. Amongst other smaller thing, my main goal for this season was to qualify for the USA Championship held in Lake Tahoe, NV. From the Mid Atlantic region they take the top 8 point getters in the 25-29 age group. For each race if you place in the top 10 of your age group you get a set amount of points based on your place of 1st thru 10th. Heading into this race I was 9th and I needed to put up a good race because all of my competition would be there racing too, so for me this was pivotal race. Personally, I was just happy to be racing for a spot at all...that it was still a possiblity

Day Before
Stacey and I struggled to get out of the DC area, thanks to the clogged traffic arteries, hoping to get down there for a little preride. No such luck though, guess I'd race this one blind, as I have never ridden there. Got to the KOA and met John to head into C-ville for some pre race pizza. We got some great pie down on the downtown mall with about 4,000,000 high schoolers and headed back to camp to get some rest. Surprisingly it was not raining, hey I guess there is a first time for everything.

The next morning we got up around 6 or so, this was also the first pre race night that I was actually able to get a good nights sleep. That means something *has* to go wrong during the race...only time will tell.

Swim (22:30)
Usual pre race jitters as I line up for the swim. My mind starts to drift...hoping the 200 people around me are not peeing in the water...then I slap back into race mode and hope that they wont be swimming all over me. I'm in the front and center (again) and seemed primed for another Febbraro (TM) swim.

The horn blows and off we go. I get a good start and am swimming surprisingly straight for the buoy. I keep waiting for the masses to crush me and make me gasp for air but miraculously that does not happen. We round the first buoy and I feel pretty confident. I'm not swimming that fast, but I'm keeping a good pace. I drop in behind some people for a draft (makes it easier to swim) and follow them for the first lap. I come out of the water and my watch says 11 minutes. Very happy with that, although incredibly disoriented. Going from swimming to running (or biking) does that. A quick run across the beach and back in for another lap. Very uneventful, tried picking up my pace as best I could, but I wanted to save my juice for the rest of the race.

Get out of the water, AMAZED that it went so well, throw on my shoes and run up to the transition, hop on the bike and beat about 30 people out of the transition. I would guess that I'm in the top 40 or so. I'll have to make up some time...as usual.

Bike (1:15)
I get on the bike and start hauling. It's a little chilly all soaking wet, but that goes away real fast. It's getting real hot out. A lot of these trails are tight narrow singletrack so there is not too much room for passing and there are plenty of people ahead of me. I'm keeping a good pace though

For the first 30 minutes I am basically picking people off one by one when I get the smallest chance, but the going is slow. I basically had to go off the trail and through the brush to get around people. There were times that a few people crashed on front of me and I was lucky enough to scoot by them all without getting tangled up. I finally get past the big crowd and off into the trails where I was generally alone for almost then entire bike.

This course is BEAUTIFUL. It is a great day, and in the woods the trails are challenging and perfect. There is a little bit of everything. Big log piles, long climbs, fast decents, rocks, twisy tight corners, and everything is going great. I try not to think about it because I don't want to jinx myself. I was very in the moment loving the riding, feeling great (although a little tired) and kept telling my self to pick up the pace. I come steaming into transition totally pumped because not only did I have a good ride, no crashes, no mechanicals, and felt great, but it was totally fun too. Reminded me of being a little kid again riding my BMX in the woods across the street, jumping any friends that would lay down behind the ramps (we were total idiots). Suffice it to say, it was really incredible and I was so happy to be out there.

I have a super fast transition, chug some Gatorade and off on the run. It is real hot and I'm worried about overheating. I hear someone yell 18th place and I get real excited and head out for 4 grueling miles of running.

Run (31:55)
The run started like all the rest, trying to find my legs and focusing on my breathing. That is the thing with running at this point in a triathlon. You feel like you are going really slow because your legs still think they are biking, but actually the only way I can tell how fast I'm running is by my breathing.

Very uneventful at the start except trying to not get tired, I pass mile one @ 6:15. That is super fast for me on the trails, but like I said, you are almost always running faster than you think. I have the side-stitch cramp alert so I try to maintain my pace and not go balls out because if I cramp in this heat I'll be dead. Every water station I pass is drink one, grab two and pour then over my head, and even that wasn't enough to keep me cool

I finally start to see some people in the distance and I laser in on them. I start reeling in 2 guys and when I pass it is so fast that I feel like I am sprinting past them. Same thing happens with the next guy, I must be fooling myself but I guess I'm running real fast. Mile 2 13:45

I go down a hill and over a log and I go to hop over a root and SPLAT! I trip over a root and slide along the ground on my chest for a good 10 feet. I get up in a panic and start running again, I was totally surprised, shocked, and still a bit dazed. I keep running thankful that I was not broken or bleeding, but feeling dumb. The guy I just passed would have defintely laughed at me if he wasn't so tired.

I pass a few more people on the long climb up out of the park and finally get to the road. I pass mile 3 but am too tired to look at my watch. The road winds down the hills to the finish, nearly all down hill, about 3/4 of a mile, but in DIRECT SUNLIGHT, and it is HOT. Super hot. My head actually feels like it is on fire. All I can focus on is the finish and hopefully qualifying for nationals. My legs start getting real heavy and every step my body feel like it is burning. About 1/4 mile to the finish and I stop running for the finish line. I am now actually running to get to the lake so I can jump in and cool off.

I see the finish and no one I can pass and no one to catch me but I can't slow down, must get to the lake...as I near the line raise my hands triumphantly. I did not even realize I was doing it. No.....I did not win....but I crossed the line again, and had a great race. Days like today make this stuff so addicting.

I finished in 2:11:43. That was good enough for12th overall out of about 200, 2nd in my age group (best finish to date), and most importantly I finished 5th in the mid atlantic. Qualified for nationals, and I will be out in Tahoe racing on September 26th. I can't believe I did it.

I jump in the lake to cool off, and I think about the day and the race and I've never been so happy. I wish everyone could feel like this.

See you in Tahoe.

Schiff Scout Triathlon

Well here goes again. I returned to the site of my very first triathlon, in Long Island New York for the Schiff Scout Mountain Bike Traithlon, an Xterra Points Series race, on August 22nd 2004. 1/2 mile swim, 10 mile mountain bike, 3 mile trail run. Eventhough last year was wildly successful for me, I was hoping to do even better, and this would be a good test of how far I had progressed in a year. Last year I finished in 1:36:52, this year I was gunning for 1:20-1:25.

This year my sister Gina and her friend Eve decided to do it with me, and just like everything else Gina does, once she decides to do it, the race does not stand a chance. Her race report will probalby sound much like mine from last year. Never swam in our lives until we decided to do our first tri. It is all about putting yourself in a situation where you are forced to learn something entirely new and foreign and watch your body/mind adapt. It is quite incredible and I'm sure Gina would agree.

Preride
We went to preride the course the day before, hoping to beat the rain. It was a humid gross day in the 80s. The rain is supposed to bring cooler weather. We get a swim in, so that Gina and her friend Eve understand that it is no big deal and that they can easily do it, same with the bike. Hey, even Stacey got her first mountain bike ride ever in. The trails are nice and smooth. Not many hills and not very technical. But it is fast. Hopefully the rain wont make it a slimy mess.

After the bike I decide to ride the run course to get a taste of those nasty hills that demoralized me last year. Only this time the sky is begging to open up on me, so instead of paying attention to the trails I am flying to not get soaking wet, and I barely beat the rain. Too bad I could not remember a single thing about the run course.

Race Day
The rain came (and came and came) and went, and left the morning incredibly perfect and chilly like last year. Low 60s, no humidity. We get there early and setup our transitions and warm up. I can feel the anxiousness building, I just want to get it over with already. Kinda not looking forward to the swim after EMS.

Swim (~13 minutes)
I slide into my wetsuit and go into the water to warm up, things feel good, except my goggles wont stop fogging up and the sun is rising directly behind the buoys. I can see this is going to be a great swim. But all I want to do is beat my time of 19 minutes from last year and not be one of the last out of the water. After relieving myself in my wetsuit a few times, (gross I know) we get ready to start the race. Wanting to test myself I move front and center, determined to outswim everyone. I'm smaaaaaaaart.....

The horn blows and off we go, me too. Things are going great, I don't feel anoyone around me really, but then I start to get a little tired and slow a bit. Well here comes the rest of world swimming on top of me making for another Febbraro (TM) Swim. I start to drink a bit of delicious lake water, and lose my breath a bit. Then I need to tread water, and can't get much of a breast stroke going much less take a breath of air and everyone starts getting further and further away. I decide to dunk my head and just got for it, and slowly I get my rhythm back. Now if I could only get that rhythm all swim I'd be fine.

I finish my first lap and see 6:15 on the clock. WOW! way faster than I thought. I wave to my family and go out for another lap. Feeling good with no problems, but a little tired from going out too hard in the beiginning. I get in behind someone and draft them most of the way to conserve energy. I get out of the water and the clock says 13:30. Hells yeah! About 6 minutes faster then last year.

I get down to put my shoes on for the run to T1 and who sits down next to me? That's right, the guy from last year who I offered lake water to so he could clean off his feet and he drank it. BAH-haahahaha! Well this year, I used tap water just in case, but he leans over and thanks me for the tip from last year becuase he has his own bottle of water. I run up to T1 past my dad and stepmonster (hi real fast) then get into the racks. Unlike last year there were bikes everywhere, SWEET, this year I was not too far behind, I'd estimate maybe 30th or so out of the water. Hop on the bike and time to make up for the Febbraro (TM) swim.

Bike (~45 minutes)
Still soaking wet I take off on the bike, and it is friggin freezing. But I just charge on because there are a few people around me and all I want to do is pass them. I start flying, and to be honest the bike ride is a total blur, I was at my limit the whole time, the spot just before you legs feel like they are burning, any harder and I'll start getting tired, and slower...and well....screw slower.

All I know is that I focused very hard on not using my brakes at all, just keeping my momentum and passing as many as I could. After the first lap my dad yells that I'm in 14th place (holy crap!!!!) and I can still see people around me, bad thing is the people I'm passing now are people that I am lapping on the bike so I have no idea who I'm actually passing anymore. No matter, I just keep going hard and figure it'll all be sorted out on the run.

I fly into T2 and throw my shoes on, and off I am. My fastest transition yet, now I need to find my legs.

Run (~20 minutes)
I take off on the run and just focus on breathing, there is someone right on my heels but I drop him pretty quick. I just focus on my breathing (trying to not pant like a dog) and hope that my legs stop feeling so rubbery, at least that feeling is getting familiar. I look down at the 1 mile mark and realize that I ran it in about 6:15, super fast for me. Maybe I can keep it up, hopefully I wont get tired.

Now come the roller coaster hills that kicked my arse last year. Some straight up walls of dirt that slow you to a crawl, then you come flying down the other side faster than you legs can move. I finally see someone in the distance and I focus on reeling him in. I come up on Jay Hachadoorian. This guy is one hell of an athlete. He just raced out in Big Bear the weekend before, got into a sick wreck, and has over 60 stiches in his arm and a sprained wrist and who knows what else, and he was still killing the field. After a few minutes I pull even with him, gasp some word of encouragement and take off. The one thing I am realizing about these races is if you can catch up to someone on the run and pass them, there is really no fear of them finding some mysterious fountain of energy. Everyone is well blasted at this point, at their red line.

After about a mile more, the run takes us into the lake, that's right INTO the lake for about 50 feet or so. Just like Richmond, my feet now weigh 50 lbs each...soggy, sopping wet and all I want is for the race to be over, every step is a torture. Just up ahead I can see another runner, and I know there is about 1/2 mile left so I pick up my pace as best I can. My legs are on fire now and I feel my thighs starting to cramp, but I'm so close now. I finally reel him in and pass him and now all I want to see if the finish line, just around the corner and there is it!!!

Head down, trying to not think of my legs I go for it and finally cross the finish line, 1:25:18, nearly 12 minutes better than last year. I finish in 3rd place for my age group (30-34, getting old) and 12th place overall. The crazy thing is that as soon as I cross the finish line I am not even tired anymore, it was amazing. My thoughts immeidately turn to my sister, I hope she is doing well.

Stacey meets me at the finish line (woohoo!) and tells me that my sister is still on the bike so we run over there to cheer her on, and off she goes on the run. She doesn't even look tired...amazing. Gina finishes in 1:54:50, 6th in her age group (censored). Fantastic for her first triathlon ever. Mother of four, wife, business owner, trainer, marathon runner....now triathlete. Ironman is defintely in her future.

Yet again another great day, another challenge met and this time shared with my sister who has been, still is, and always will be my inspriation. Now what's better than that?

EMS Off Road Triathlon

July 18th 2004, Rocky Gap State Park, Flintstone MD

More of the same garbage involving laughing, suffering, and racing....sorry it is so long but I did not have time to make it shorter.

Camping/Preride

We drove up to Rocky Gap on Saturday afternoon to get some pre riding in and do some camping to relax before the race. I find it best to travel the day before as it removes any travel stress immediately before the race, hell, it is hard enough to stay relaxed as is, so anything that helps. Stacey, Timmmay (James) and myself got there about 2pm and setup tents and such. John, Rob, and Dave arrive about 3pm. We get all our gear setup and hit the trail for some pre-riding. Luckily, this time, no mechanical failures or flats pre race. Course is real nice and very rocky for some sections of it....explains the name Rocky Gap.

Pre ride was done, course seems fine, nothing too hard, not too long, should be a pretty fast course. We get back to camp and Timmaaaay keep us amused with all sort of horrors from his time as an EMT on Key West. Nothing like chowing down some pre race carbs from Chef John of mac & cheese, tuna and peppers while listening to stories of high speed highway motorcycle accidents, and snorklers trying to chew on boat propellers. Makes for an interesting night and great dreams. Oh yeah, and I'm sure Stacey loved allll of the race stories, we just don't shut up at all.

However, in keeping with my string of good camping luck.......yup....Rain, of course. At least it held out until we were asleep this time. But man did it pour...all night...allllll...niiiiiiight. All I could think of was how this will make the rocks and roots nice and slippery. More on that in a minute.

Next morning early rise, pack my gear and head down to the race site. Thankfully this time my bike was not screwed up pre race, lady luck is smiling. I warm up in reverse order then setup my gear and down a powerbar. Jim Harman (runs EX2) gives us the usual pre race brief/pep talk and sends us off to the starting gate.

Swim

After being herded like cattle into the holding pen (to make sure all that go in the water, come out....very important part of the process, eddie) they start the race. It is a few hundred yard run to my nemesis, the water. This running has all my blood pumping into my legs + the adrenaline...I'm ready to explode!!! We hit the water and start swimming...water is a bit chilly, and my body reorganizes my bloodstream up to my arms to swim. Only problem is, somehow my brain gets lost in the mix. I just can't get a decent breathing rhythm, not to mention I'm getting swum over, kicked, etc. Someday I'll figure this triathlon swim thing out, but it does not look like any time soon.

Half way through the first lap and my goggles completely fog up. I must thank Rob for the anti fog goo that he generously offered to lube my goggles up with. "This stuff works great", he says, HA! I think he was trying to get an advantage ;-)

Somehow I find my rhythm and finish the first lap, now for a long run and jump back into the water. Man am I tired...I know I should not be this tired, but I still have a couple hours of racing ahead of me so I decide to not think about it. If only it were REALLY that easy. Time flies and next thing I know I am climbing out of the water. I hear someone yell "TIMMAAAYYYY!!!" Just so happen that James is right behind me. Yeah, real great...I got in the water a ways ahead of him and he's right on my tail...thus ends another trademark Febbraro swim . Can't wait until that damned trademark expires.

I get into the transition and put all my gear on. Rob taught me a little trick about rolling up my socks so they are easier to put on wet feet. Ok, maybe he wasn't trying to slow me down. I get out in about a minute or so, pretty quick, you can actually get better at this stuff,

Bike

So I take off on the bike. After a regretfully typical swim, I have lots of people to catch up to, and I know it. So I just start hauling ass. There was only one section of climbing so I knew I could take it fast and not worry too much about blowing up. I start passing lots of people that are having trouble on the slick roots and rocks. Now it is not that I am having the easiest time with it, but I'm just not too afraid to fall down or slip, crash, endo, etc.

I get to the a section of road and we head over a dam. On the other end is a wooden bridge, and one of the incredible volunteers says very clearly, "Be careful, bridge is slick!!!" Now, of course I hear her, but I'm far behind and I need to catch up so I don't slow down. I hit the bridge, then HIT the bridge. (Slutty, just like that time we wrecked after the hurricane on the GW parkway, but not like you hit the marble ;-) My bike slides out from under me and I go down like a sack of bricks, slide for a bit (yay, more road rash) then in one motion jump back up on my bike and keep riding, hoping nothing is broken, bike or otherwise. So far so good.

I now come into the only real technical section of the bike. Fire road, but with big loose rocks everywhere. People are going pretty slow, they are obviously smarter then me, but I don't care too much as all I want to do is pass them. Bikers are falling down all over the place, but I stay off the back of my seat stay off the breaks and focus on picking good lines. I roll past everyone in front of me and out to the road where I big gear it and haul ass, I get to the end of the first lap and the guy tells me I'm in 24th. I wasn't quite sure of what he was saying, but it finally sank in and made me try harder.

The second lap was pretty uneventful, I downed a GU for some needed juice on the run and I came into T2 in 19th place. I threw off all my gear and put on my shoes. Less than 30 seconds I would say, my best transition ever. Time to find my legs. I'm at about 1:25, so it looks like I'll be a little over two hours, right on schedule.

Run

I start the run with a really good pace, it usually takes me at least a mile or two to find my legs, so I just focus on my breathing to make sure I'm not panting like a dog. The first bit is on roads and it gives me a chance to settle into a rhythm. Once we hit the trails it gets tough. My legs are really heavy, but as long as it is not uphill I can keep a good pace. The uphills are a bit faster than a crawl, but it is a run, not a walk, so I pretend. I wind up passing about five people, mostly on the uphills so I figure I'm in 15th.

We head a couple of hundred feet down into a ravine along a trail, or so they call it. It is all big rocks with arrows pointing which way to go. The rain had made these really slick..nasty even. I try going down at a good pace, but I hear someone behind me and they're getting closer...so I pick up my pace...and promptly slip on a rock and crash down on my side, giving myself a nasty charlie horse that stick with me for the rest of the race.

Once at the bottom of the ravine we cross a sketchy bridge, it's slick but I've learned my lesson. The guy behind me is right on me now, but I'm determined not to let him pass me. We now need to climb up a couple hundred feet out of the bottom to get back to the road. Not really possible to run, it is more like bouldering, so I scramble up as fast as I can (read: painfully slow) and I put some time on the guy behind me.

We round the corner and I can see where the road ends where we head back down towards the lake to the finish line and I look over my shoulder. The guy that was on me in the ravine, is falling further behind, but someone else is passing him and coming fast. I give it everything I have and figure I have a mile and half left and want to hold him off. No such luck, he hauls past me and is going fast, I give him a slap on the back and some sort of half gasping compliment and now need to hold on for a bit less than a mile. It's hurting pretty bad now, but I'm almost there. I can't see anything anymore, except the finish line, so focus and just make it.

YES!!!!!!! Finish finally, and somehow all the pain goes away. Rob and David are already there (great race guys) and I collapse on the grass for some much needed rest.

My time was 2:12:58.
16th overall, 4th in 25-29.

Shower up, packup the camping gear, and head back for some food and the awards ceremony. Rob got 2nd in his age group, and John finished his first triathlon ever...woohoo!!!!! I did not get any awards, but it's rewarding enough to finish strong and get another race number to put on the shelf. Until next time...

First Blog

This is my first blog attempt. I have always hated these things, and now I have the distinct pleasure of hatin' on myself......I'd have it no other way....

XTERRA East Coast Championship

Hey race fans,

Sunday June 13th marked the running of the XTERRA East Coast Championship Off Road Triathlon (what a mouthful). It took place in Richmond, VA. Before I get into the details of the pain..uh..I mean race I wanted to thank everyone involved in me going to Richmond for showing us suuuuch a good time, putting us up, and coming out to support their friend through specific tortures. Seeing faces you know, and hearing them cheer for you is incredible, and has such an impact. It gives you a boost of energy, reminds you to lighten up, and most of all makes you smile.

The weather was PERFECT. The hot humid days broke with all of Friday's rain, and it was a perfect April day in Mid June.

So I pre-rode the course on the Saturday before with my friend James. It drains real well. It rained like hell on Friday, but it was a non issue for the vast majority of the course...except for the swim, but I'll get to that later. Pre-ride and things are going real well, not going to hard, except on the downhills, then all of a sudden... PSSSSSSSSSFFFFFFFTTTTTT. Flat, front tire flat no less. Fix it and get on with it, but now my brain is racing. How to make sure this does not happen during the race. Things like this can make you tenative, so I throw a few extra PSI in the tires just in case. Sunday morning with about 15 minutes until race time I decide to take the bike out for a spin and make sure all is shifting ok...or not ok as it were. Apparantly my Saturday ride not only included a flat tire but also a stepping on of the front derailleur. My shifting is terrible, I can only use the middle and small chain ring and the middle rubs so much that it makes a deafening noise. No time to fix, must start swimming, I'll deal with it later.

All the rain has made the river rise and the current pick up so the course was changed. The previous day I had witnessed a not so good swimmer (much like myself) take a sample of the river. For every one stroke forward he swam, he went abotu 2 or 3 feet downstream. Sure made me nervous, and I guess the race organizers too. Instead of swimming across the river to Belle Island, running across the island and swimming back to the swim/bike transtion (T1), we had to start on Belle Island, swim 2 laps, then run about a mile back to T1 over the suspension bridge.

The Swim
The swim was in the "majestic" James River in downtown Richmond. Phrase most overheard... "You're going to SWIM in it? Hope you dont have any open cuts." It was brown and muddy, and if I remember correctly did not taste all that well, but who has time to think of that? Even though we started in stages, the swim was total mayhem. Between getting swum over, kicked, slapped, pushed, or any other number of ways to be tortured in the water, it was amazing that I got through it at all. The river was never very deep, and at most points you could stand if you really wanted to, but this is a swim right? No walking for me. Except over the rocks. Yeah, that's right, under the water, sometimes only a few inches under the water were rocks that snuck up on your head, and chest, and knees, and feet. Between bouldering and swimming I managed to get out of the water in about 19 minutes, not bad considering wetsuits were not allowed. Now I had to put my shoes on and run a mile back to T1 over the suspension bridge, but at least this time it was not swaying.

The Bike
Get on my bike at about 27 minutes and start riding..then I remember, oh crap, my shifting is all messed up. So now what do I spend my time worrying about? The fact that my legs feel like jelly, or that my bike can't shift very well? I decide to stop thinking all together and start my ride. With so many people and narrow singletrack to ride, I run into countless carnage on the trail. People stopped all over the place, stopping to walk over log piles, stopping to walk up hills (right in the good line I might add), stopping, stopping, stopping. I did my best to get around those that I could. I need to become a better swimmer so that I am ahead of the majority once the bike comes around. One saving grace was that as the pros would lap us most people were respectful and moved out of their way. so I could tuck in behind them and get around the masses...you know...until the pros dropped me like a bad habit.

At the end of the first lap, I go down over a little rock garden and cruise into a corner when I hear a loud !!!PING!!!!. I thought, "That was a funny sound, kinda like aluminum snapping."..and keep riding. I'm shifting fine and the frame feels ok so hopefully it was someone else that made that noise. I swoop around another corner and my seat twists, as I slow down to see what is up, my seat drops and bottoms out. Turns out I broke my seat collar, somehow, someway. I've found that the Richmond XTERRA trails have a way of breaking bikes in a strange way. (Just ask Eric who snapped his skewer...talk about weird breaks). So now I dont have much shifting left and my seat is as low as it will go, but at least I can still sit on it.

I start the second loop and power through what I can, I'm standing alot and my legs are getting tired. Generally not a big deal, but with a 6 mile run ahead I'm getting worried. I finally make it back on to the highway which makes for an easy ride back to T2. Still no big ring and a low rider seat so I pimped into T2 after a 1:30 bike. Not bad considering all that was wrong. So far I'm on pace. I thought that I would finish between 2:30 and 3:00 and here I am at just about 2:00 with 6 miles left to run. Piece of cake...hahaha.

The Run
Once the run started, the sun decided to show itself. I think it was it's cruel way of beating me into submission because it went from a relatively cool day to africa hot, or at least that is how my head felt. First water stop I drink a cup and throw one over my head, this ritual continutes until the finish line. About 2 miles into it I finally got my legs, somewhere along the flood wall. Then comes the Mayan Ruins, I get up those slowly as I feel the spring leave my legs rather abruptly. The run goes along more roads, then into some singletrack sidestepping mud puddles as my legs slowly get heavier. I still have a good pace but that is about to change. Next we run across the "dry" bed of the James that leads us up to Belle Island. Dry is mostly a joke because with the river running high we are running through shin deep water at times. My already heavy legs now have the added tonnage of waterlogged shoes. It is starting to get painful. Up the ladder and onto Belle Island, through some more trails, get lost not once but twice due to deliria and slightly confusing trail markings. Finally I can see the footbridge which means that the finish line is only a mile away. Once on the footbridge that is when the cramps start setting in, thankfully not a leg cramp, but a side stitch thingy that hurts all the same. I look around and no one is coming up from behind so I just coast into the finish line and can't wait to stop moving. Someone greets me at the line and asks me some questions, but I can't understand anything right especially English, all I know is that I am done and I hit my goal time. Run was 48 minutes for a grant total of 2:47:27. 28th out of over 70 in my age group.

Post Race
Same as always, good food, great stories, wonderful people, and incredible satisfaction in knowing that once again I put myself up to the test, mentally and physically. Although I'm not the fastest on the course (and never will be) when I cross that finish line having survived and loved every minute of it, it sure feels like I won the race. Am I wrong?

NOVA Duathlon

So on November 2nd I ran the 7th annual NOVA Duathlon. The weather was perfect as a storm earlier in the week brought incredibly warm weather but alot of rain. This was my last race of the season and 2 month since my last race so I had to try hard to stay motivated. As with all of these, I apologize for the length I have waaaaay too much to say.

The Skinny:
Results can be seen here http://www.triath.com/results/results-031102.asp

The race was a 2.3 Mile Trail Run - 8.3 Mile Mountain Bike - 2.2 Mile Trail Run

I finished in 1:26:11 which shockingly was good enough for 2nd in 25-29, and 11th overall. Needless to say I was completley thrilled.

Pre Race:
Before the start of the race we were told this would be the last NOVA Duathlon at Wakefield park. Partially because people want to b3 able to walk their dogs in the park and not have bikes ride by them and partially because some of the course was vandalized between the saturday setup and the sunday race.

Run 1:
I ran with my friend John Julius (who just did his first marathon, MMC, in less than 4 hours...nice). The race started like all others that I have done with a lot of commotion, hooting and hollering. Oh wait that was just me, I guess that is why every race sounds the same. Started out the run with a really fast pace, at least for me, trying to keep up with John and those at the front of the pack. Somehow kept it going and felt strong, I was trying to not listen to my breathing which seemed a little heavy. John gets in front of me by this time and I am just trying to keep him close. As usual, yelling up to him trying to make it amusing.

Exited 14th. 1st transition was pretty fast. I really like putting my bike close to the exit of the transition area. Makes for a real quick getaway once you are set to go. Not too many people to avoid. I also started wearing my gloves on the run for one less thing to put on and worry about. All in all I liked that strategy. Anyone else have good advice?

Bike:
It was a 3 loop race. They seemed to have you go up every hill on the Wakefield side of the park, I dont ever really remember going downhill at all...I mean...is that possible? The first lap was murder. The first time up the steep the powerline hill killed me for while. Not only did I fall off but I wasted my 2nd 3rd and 4th wind. I told myself that it had to get better, not really sure if I believed it. There was a bunch of mud and some of the mud puddles were pretty deep. For some reason I dont think that was mud I was smelling either...eww.

By the second lap I was hurting seriously. In my small chainring nearly all of the time. Some of the hills I was sure I could have walked up faster...but for me that wasn't the point. This was a bike race and and I was gunna ride those hills if it killed me. It almost did.

At this point I thought I was having the most awful race, I had been huffing and puffing on the bike. I felt like I was way in the back of the pack. I just wanted to finish strong and keep pushing myself as hard as I could. Trying to motivate myself I thought of everyone that had ever doubted me and basically finishing strong was how I would prove to them they were sooo wrong...ok, ok I was delirious at the time..but somehow I got my 35th wind and this one stuck. I was tired as hell, my head was hot, and my legs were burning, but I was still able to attack when I saw someone in front of me so I felt I should just go for it..I mean the offseason is across that finish line right?

When I got to the transition area and I only saw 10 or so bikes I thought something was wrong. This could not be? but who am I to argue so I threw on my shoes as fast as I could in case it was a dream. Exited the bike 12th. In passing I asked a spectator how many in front of me and he said about 10 or 11...maybe I wasn't dreaming....but damn are my leges tired.

Run 2:
My legs never fully got off the bike for the whole run. I had to just keep pushing, I past one guy right in the beginning offered some words of encouragement and kept running as if someone was chasing me...turns out quite a few people were. There were 2 painful hills on the run, one about 1/2 way through and one that leads up the finish line. The first hill I was defintely walking up although my body was making exaggerated running motions, but I assure you the pace was no faster than a walk.

After the hill I looked back over my shoulder and saw someone gaining on me. I was determined not to let him pass me. Keep pushing. Every few hundred meters I would look back over my shoulder and see him a bit closer. Keep pushing. At this point I thought my legs were not even part of my body, maybe they were remote controlled. In the clearing before the final hill he was not 10 feet behind me. All sorts of thought are in my head. NO way can I shake him now, in fact chances are real good he'll pass me, I was sure he would. We hit the last hill and I give it everything I've got. I hear him right on my heels but I can't look anymore I just put my head down and try sprinting up the rest of the hill but my legs wont go any faster. Keep pushing. Finally I see the finish line and glance over my shoulder and realize that I put about 30 feet between us by the top of the hill and I cross the finish line not sure if I will be able to stand much longer.

After about 5 minutes I regained my ability to walk and talk and breath at the same time and start congratulating finshers and cheering bike-to-run transitioners. The weather was great, the race was great, fun course, and really nice people. The post race euphoria is excellent though and one of the more addictive parts of the whole process for me.

This was my second Triathlantic race that I have done and all in all I think they do a good job organizing these races, collecting split times, marking the course etc. Oh and the post race tuna salad is great :-)

thanks for enduring.
frank

Schiff Scout Triathlon

Hey everyone...

Not sure who is interested, but I really enjoy reading other peoples race reports so I figured I would try to write my own. I did the Schiff Scout Triathlon, part of the XTerra point series races. For those that dont know, the XTerra races are off road, they involve swim, mountain biking, and trail running. I had done some mountain biking racing, this year and the Cedarfest Duathlon in July, but this was my first triathlon even. Hot damn it was fun....I feel the tingle of addiction...

To cut to the chase, the race was individual or relay. It was sprint distance, .5 mile swim, 10 mile mountain bike, 3 mile trail run. The race was in Wading River, Long Island on Sunday 8/25. I was supposed to run it with my brother-in-law, but he backed out at the last minute...LOOOOONG story.

They did not do splits (much to my dismay) but here are the vital statistics.
1:36:5235th of 135 overall3rd of 18 in my age group (25-29)

After a cold front and thunderstorms rolled through on Friday night, the weekend was spectacular. Race day was moderate temperatures, and NO HUMITIDITY, I could not believe it and was very happy, as the day seemed too perfect to be true.

The Swim (~18 minutes)

The swim was in a lake, 2 triangular counter-clockwise loops, between loops you have to get out of the water andrun for about 30 feet on the beach before getting back in. Water was 77 degrees, The previous day at registration the temp was 79 and they were not going to allow wetsuits of the temp was over 78...thank god it dropped into the high 50s/low 60s that night, so we made it. I am in serious need of a wetsuit because I am not a swimmer, in fact I just started swimming in April, not even able to finish 25M without thinking I was going to drown. The race was ~800M so I felt intimidated, I had swam 800M in a pool once but I was confident the race day adrenaline would kick in. My pool 800 was in 23 minutes so that was my goal.

Going down to the water form the transition area (about 100 yards of rocks and pavement) I saw a small group of people setting up their towels and shoes/sandals only down by the water. So instead of running all the way up in bare feet, you put your shoes on down there and run up the hill, no worries about cuts, stubbing toes, etc. I decided that is what I need to do too...great decision.

So I wade into the water to get a few strokes in before the send off, and I stillg et amazed at how much better of a swimmer I am with a wetsuit...(now if only I could learn balance like this without it ;-)) SO after a group photo they send us off. Not wanting to get trampled I started out on the outside. Keeping my head down focusing on good form and not wanting to tire myself out becuase aolot of race remains...then i remember that I have to actually get to a buoy, so I look up only to see tha I am WAAAAYYYYY of course...ok, so I switch my stroke up to look for the buoy every 5 strokes or so...note to everyone..practice this before race day as I am sure it will make you life much easier.

Somehow I get the buoy and around and back with not much trouble expect that I am way behind everyone else. Everyone now and then someones swims over me or hits me, but all in all pretty smooth (I am sure it was because everyone else was in front of me) At one point I decided to follow the guy in front of me...he MUST know where he is going...after about 50M I realize that he is way of course too...it was a comedy of erros buyt what can I expect for my first competitive swim ever...

Finally after much telling myself I won't drown, I'll be fine, Stay Striaght, the water tastes fine...I finally get out of the water and I look at theclock...18 minutes..I am so pumped... way head of my goal time...only problem is out of nearly 150 I am probably 90-100th or so out of the water...much ground to make up, thank god the bike is my strong suit.

SO I get out of the water and I proceed to take off wetsuit, dry off, clean feet and such. I filled a gatorade bottle with lake water to wash my feet off. Everything is smooth, the guy next to me is struggling to get the sand off his feet and sees me with water cleaning them off , so I lean over and say, "You want some water?" He proceeds to take the gatorade bottle and drinks 1/2 of it......it was hysterical (for me) I felt a bit bad for him, but life goes on....I will remember that forever...I did nto tell him it was lake water...what could be done at that point..

Thanks to my family for gathering my stuff while I ran off to get on the bike....and for yelling for me everytime i was even in the vicinity of them...please dont underestimate the effect anyone being there in support of you and screaming for you will do you to your motivation, energy, etc...it was wonderful

The Bike (~50 minutes)

The course was two 5 miles loops, mostly flat (it IS Long Island after all).I had a great bike ride...pushing big chainrings most of the way. I dont know about anyone else but I am a yapper. I talk to people when I am near them, I try to motivate, encourage, inform, etc....sometimes I just scream because I am so excited...racing really gets me going. IF people out there hate someone like be because they want to race in peace and quiet I am truly sorry...I have absoutely no control over myself..and I love it....but I digress...

The bike was great, I had a GU before the bike and drank nearly a full camelbak of water on the trail. I felt strong all the way, motivated by all the people out of the water in front of me, and I was trying to catch anyone I could....I feel like I passed all of them (obviously not all) but I passed a good amount of people (maybe 40 or so) and was pleased that no one passed me...there weren't that many behind me to begin with anyway though..;-) Everything went well, no flats, no drivetrain problems, no falls, no doubt...

Heading into T2 I still felt good...or at least as good as a bowl of Jello could feel.

The Run (~28 minutes)

The run was a single 3 mile loop around the lake that included a section called the "roller coaster"...I'll get to that in a minute. By the time I got off the bike I guess I had raced myself into the middle of the pack because there were alot of people around..which was good for me because it allowed me to keep talking and trying to push everyone instead of listening to my breathign thinking about how tired my legs were or that distant stomach cramp that felt like it wanted to come for a visit.

It was a typical trail run, some ups some downs...and then comes the roller coaster...the cruel, cruel joke. It was a section of 5 hills (up and down) each had a pitch somewhere greater than 45 degrees and were around 100-200 feet long each. At times I was runnign up them so slow I though I was going backwards...but the sounds of the feet behind me kept me going...dont think...your legs dont hurt...dont fall....focus on the finish line...only 2 more miles...THank you to Justin Martinich, he was a conversation buddy for a while on the roller coaster and kept my mind off of how on fire my body felt...

After another mile was a series of logs that had to be jumped, hopped, climbed over..depending on how your legs felt..there were a few casualties, but luckily I was not one of them. Then I came upon the a fella that basically defines the determination it takes to be a triathlete...here he was in the woods, alone...vomiting repeatedly, and everytime the convulsions stopped he would try to walk/run, trying to get to the finish line...willing himself to finish (and he did!!!!!) Not taking no for an answer even from his body...partially disgusting, partially inspiring...

I turn the corner toward the finish line and there are 100 people or so cheering for the finishers...I can't believe I am actually finishing this race....you sign up for your first tri and you think you just want to finish, you are not sure how, and certainly unsure how it will feel....you want t oprove somethign to yourself...maybe you want to prove something to others (not me, but who knows)..well crossing that finish line was close to the best feeling I have ever had in my life. I am not married, I have not had any children, so I am sure those can be pretty moving experiences...but, for me, this was the realization of a dream I that had be brewing in my mind for 9 months tangibly and brewing for years prior...

I was thrilled with my placement, my finish time, how I felt, everything, but it was simply the fact that i finished the was the single best feeling in this flood of a thousand emotions...

Great, just what I need...another addiction....