Post E-man watching plans

OK so I felt like a chump watching eagleman and came back to st louis ready to start training harder. Two weeks of travel in NYC and my foot giving me trouble again slowed me down a little but things are starting to feel good. I have decided on two definite races coming up. First up is the donut race. It is a 32 mile road race (yes, on a bike) with two mandatory rest stops. At each stop, you can eat donuts and for every donut you eat, you get a 5 minute time bonus at the end. This race is in two weeks. I was not sure I was ready to really push as my biking has been just ok but the last two weekends have changed that. Here is why.

As Jan and I went to go ride two weeks ago, we noticed her piece of junk mountain bike had been stolen. That is the bad news. The good news is that is was right next to my road bike and my mountain bike and they were both there. Stupid thief. This meant that we had to do buy a bike. We had planned on getting her a good road bike anyway but now we thought we would have to replace the mountain bike and get a road bike since we do a good bit of riding on the Katy trail which is like the c&o canal trail. Well, they convinced us at the bike shop - Maplewood Cycles (which is way better than any bike shop I have even been in to) - that we should just get a road bike and put some heavier tires on for riding the katy trail.

We found a bike that seemed perfect - the Trek Pilot. It is a road bike with a little more upright position although not really that much. It has carbon fiber in the rear triangle and the fork and the seatpost. They let her test ride it for a week (see if Capitol hill will let you do that!!) and she loved it. We have ridden a couple of 30-40 mile rides plus one yesterday with me dragging NOah around in the trailer....

I am starting to feel like a cyclist again. I have always been ready to eat donuts.

The next race will be a sprint up in illinois with the swim in lake michigan. It is not until august but I guess that is now right around the corner.

Thanks for the motivation.....

n

A left-coaster's eman rr with doctoral exam addendum

For posterity, this is the rr I sent out a couple of weeks ago. Scroll down to And now that a week has passed... to get to the new stuff!

E^2 (Eagleman/Exams) 2006 Race Report

Since I'm sending this out to folks with varying levels of triathlon experience ranging from Ironpeople through those well-versed in one of the three sports to others who just shake their heads at me when I talk about how I spend my free time, I'll take a moment to explain what this is all about: I completed a 1/2 Ironman triathlon this weekend called Eagleman on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. It consisted of a 1.2 mile swim, a 56 mile bike and a 13.1 mile run. There is a tradition in triathlon of writing a race report detailing your experiences and that is what you are reading now. If you are interested in variations on this theme, check out the DC Tri Club website race reports forum here. And here is the quick and dirty version of my results if you are pressed for time. Otherwise, grab a cup of joe or a microbrew and settle in for a story!

I went back through my gmail and found the date where the smack talking (or at least the current round of it) that got me into this mess began: 9.11.05, when Eagleman registration opened. By the 12th, I was signed up and committed to a cross-country journey to race in June with 3 others in the 5:30 Capitol Hill riding crew including Cory, a 1/2 IM virgin. Over the next couple of months, my doctoral program decided most inconveniently to schedule our comprehensive exams the very week of the race. After some soul-searching about the craziness of stacking what arguably could be the two biggest events in my life this year into the span of 6 days, I decided to stick with it and race in June.

Training in Seattle was certainly different than putting in the miles in DC last year. I can count on one hand the number of times this year when I've been able to ride without full-finger gloves. That situation worried me a bit as I was preparing for a race where I had to line my hat with ice last year on the run to keep my core temperature low enough to avoid serious brain damage. And did I mention the rain?

Despite these meteorological obstacles and the mounting workload as my exams approached, I managed to get myself into what was probably the best tri shape of my life. Helping me along in this endeavor was a great Husky Masters swimming and running crew. The constant blogging/texting/iming of the smack-talkin' crew from B'more, the Hill in DC and the Arch also kept me honest and on track. The Smurfs and other School of Social Work affiliates were sometimes puzzled, but generally supportive. Commiserating with Jen and Meg about their IM CDA preparations was certainly helpful. I don't even have words for what the constant support of Alden, my parents & sister meant through all the long days of training and studying. It was such a strange journey to go through the tandem process of exam and Eagleman prep and I'm still trying to make sense of it all. So it is that I left on Friday intellectually spent, but with my body feeling rarr, rarr, rarrin' to go!



After a small reunion for the racing and non-racing members of the 5:30 a.m. crew on Friday evening at the local Hill watering hole, I headed to bed to rest up for the day of standing in line (aka, registration, bike check and racking). Got up on Saturday, put the bike together and headed out to Cambridge. Racked my bike and headed back to Easton for a yummy & relaxing early dinner and then to assemble the gear for the morning at the hotel.



Got to the race early (gasp! I know) and set up my transition area. Heard an announcement interspersed with the cheesy inspirational music blasting over the loudspeaker that the winds were expected to be gusting to 25-35 mph. Despite that news, I was still reveling in the relatively cool temps which never did become an issue throughout the day.

Was able to clear transition in plenty of time and find a spot near the swim exit chute to watch the pros come in. I felt surprisingly calm this year, especially as compared to last year. I knew I was prepared physically, the weather was cooperating (relatively) and a surprise 4:15 a.m. PST good luck phone call from Seattle confirmed that it would be a fabulous race!

Swim 31:23 (68th overall, 1st in my age group and exactly 1 minute ahead of World Champion Natascha Badmann- woo hoo!)

After some confusion amongst my wave-mates about where exactly the swim start was, I settled into a good pace heading out along the orange buoys towards the boat. Lost most of the maroon caps and started to swim through blue caps. Hit the turn and wham! with it 2-3 foot swells that would continue until the end. Now, I 'm a fairly strong swimmer so I wasn't that worried about the chop, but I knew that it did not bode well for the biking to come. Almost lost my chip at a couple of points with how crazy the water was and made a note to invest in my very own anklet for the next race that would stay securely fastened even in the worst conditions. Was feeling isolated, confused and frustrated, but noticed that I was swimming through yellow caps and even managed to reel in some silver caps at the very end which helped me to relax knowing that it was a rough day for everyone out in the water.

T1 3:00

No problems in T1 for me- one of the advantages of getting the rack all to yourself!

Bike 3:05:05 18.2 average (658th overall, 37th in my age group and 46 minutes and 23 seconds slower than World Champion Natascha Badmann- ouch!)

Eagleman is a lollipop course so I had the opportunity to see the lead men coming in again this year and wow, they can move! The wind was indeed an issue and each turn brought with it the possibility of cruising along at 26 mph if it was at my back or sloggin' through at 14 mph if it was going the other way. I changed my nutrition strategy after heading out on the run hungry last year and ate a ton which really helped out later on. Saw a pretty horrific crash at a bottle exchange, but managed to stay on my bike the entire ride. The fabulous bikes going by me provided yummy eye candy and even better was when I was blowing by them on my little Giant. I turned into a particularly tough head wind around mile 40 and was discouraged to see my speed reduced to about 12 mph. When I looked up from my computer, I saw an eagle out playing in the wind above me and vowed to try and enjoy the wind as much as she was. Spun through the last few miles despite my computer being persnickety and not showing my cadence (just thought like Lance and not Jan) to prep my legs for the run.

T2 2:26 (Yeah, I know it's slow- but I changed my socks and bodyglided my feet as I thought it was better to be a bit behind now so as to avoid having to hobble my way across the line later.)

My transition area was a mess with wetsuits everywhere (including one on my bike spot on the rack) and someone's wet cap and goggles sitting right on top of my supposedly dry socks- yuck!

Run 1:55:18 8:49 average (609th overall, 29th in my age group and 28 minutes and 48 seconds slower than World Champion Natascha Badmann- I know, I know, I'll keep my day job!)

Headed out on the run feeling strong. I'd managed a brick every week in May so the transition off the bike was the best I've ever had. Had heard Yvonne yelling coming in off the bike and managed to see her and Nate on my way out. Stopped for a potty break at mile 3 and was bummed to have to stand in line while my time marched on, but used the opportunity to stretch a bit and knew that the stop meant my nutrition strategy was working well. I lost a GU pack along the way so improvised with some chocolate chip cookies around mile 7- mmm, Chips Ahoy never tasted so good! One of the benefits of an out-and-back course is that looking for people you know distracts you and I managed to play that game well enough to spot Cory for a high five along the way. I generally felt great and started to push it on the way back. I knew I was going to set a PR and was reveling in the whole experience. When I saw Nate around mile 13 and he jeeringly asked me the same question he did last year, "Are you going to finish this thing, or what?!" I had my response at the ready, "Hells, yeah!" as I turned to head down across the finish line!

Total time 5:37:10 (616th overall, 26th in my age group and I won't even tell you about mon amie, Natascha)

Found Yvonne and Nate and asked them to carry my medal (Yes, it is that freakin' heavy!) as we headed back out on the course to cheer Cory on home. She was salty, smiling and looking strong! After loading all the gear back in the car, we stopped at Harris Crab House just shy of the bridge for crabs and a chipwich to end the day.

Monday was full of visiting old haunts on the Hill and catching up with friends. Cory and I headed out for a couple of slow laps around Hains Point on Tuesday morning for old times' sake even though neither of us could muster the energy to chase down the breakaways nor play with the traffic furniture. In fact, I spent most of the time wondering why the cadence function on my computer had suddenly decided to work and trying to unstick myself from the Gatorade Endurance Formula-caked Giant. Afterwards, I packed up my bike, had one last salad at Cosi and headed up to the airport for the trip home to Seattle.

All in all, it was a fabulous race and a great weekend. Mahalo to all of you who have supported me through the craziness of Eagleman & exams and read this far through my race report. I'll see you in the pool, out on the road, in the pit or online soon!

And now that a week has passed...

As you all know, I finished up my written comprehensive exams the day before heading back to DC for the race and was awaiting my results (expected the Friday after I got back) to prep for my orals. A couple of former co-workers from Michigan came out to distract me and keep me sane as I got my results back. It was touch and go there for a bit, but we all passed and I have this photo of my cohort partying to prove it- woo hoo!




And now that 2 weeks have passed...
Alden and I headed up to Lopez Island in the San Juans for a long weekend to punctuate the end of all this craziness. We camped, hiked, read, napped, ate tons of fabu food, and went a good 48 hours without knowing what time it was! We even managed a bike ride up to the top of Mt. Constitution (about 2,400 feet) to partake in what is touted as the best view in all of Puget Sound. My taper/exam/FedEx routing of the steed was definitely apparent and Alden was amazing at singing silly songs and telling stories to keep me distracted from the pain in my legs. The view was indeed incredible as you'll see if you can get beyond my sweaty delirium in the pic here. It gives me an even better appreciation of what I'd have to do to earn that polka dot jersey in the Tour...

That's all from me now- thanks for stickin' around for the longest rr ever!

EAGLEMAN DONE!!! Whoopie!!

It was a successful day because of the cool t-shirts, the amazing weather [had pleaded with the weather spirits all week and they delivered on 2 of 3 counts; no heat, humidity, or wind...not bad]

As some of you may have already read my race report on the club site, this might be redundant but I'll repeat myself to be thorough.

Set my sights on Eagleman last year in response to a challenge I couldn't accept the previous year from my biking clan. They suffered through the temps and conditions last year while I was race support, cheering at mile 37 [blister from the cowbell] and chalk messages along the bike course. So this year was my turn.

I had a plan in place but never really seem to have good execution of a plan. Suffice it to say that I felt poorly prepared for the run portion of the race given that I hadn't run more than 10 miles since April and had been dealing with some foot pain and just wanted to finish comfortably. Mission accomplished but read on to see how....

I had a tremendous support group [family, friends, and not least of all, John] in addition to Club support, which was everywhere. I freaked myself out at 3 a.m. thinking that I hadn't prepared enough, wasn't getting up early enough, bla bla bla...the night before I freaked out about not having my usual breakfast so John went to find me oatmeal and yogurt .... what a great guy!! I got up early and started to load weird stuff into the car and managed to catch Nate and Meghan on their way out....Great quote "Checking out is for losers" so I just didn't worry about that, hung out with them and absorbed great mellowing vibes from them and got hugs before they headed off to transition. I was hoping to be in transition very soon after them.

Morning wake up, got prepared, left the hotel intending to be at transition at 6 a.m. with plenty of time to set up. Well, we hit the usual traffic and at Summerset, I hopped out of the car with my stuff and set off to transition, leaving John to go park and meet me. Got into transition, had enough time to rearrange my set up so that I had space to sit down [something I never do...but thought I might] and could gear up and just roll out with the bike in the right direction. Saw Jen in all her disheveled mess...having spoken with her the day before and her 'missing' front wheel story...knew she wasn't having a great day.

During packet pickup I heard someone ask Chris Legh about his intended strategy for battling a head wind and he responded that he would gear down and spin through it...sounded like good advice so I tucked that away for future use.

Once I'd set up, I went to the tent, stashed some post race gear, laughed at Jen a bit [it was tough not to], saw a bunch of club folks, gave Wayne my cow bell, and headed off to wait my entry into the water. Just prior to entering the water, I went to zip up my wet suit and managed to get my jersey caught in the zipper and thanks to Nate [and I think Jen] I avoided a really frustrating T1...they unjammed my zipper and hooked me up.

The Swim
Getting into the water, we [I was with the Athenas and 16-29 yr olds] joked around, noted who were 1st timers, there was a pregnant woman with us [under 5 mo preg, I think] and off we went. As you've all read earlier, going out wasn't too bad and I avoided getting kicked and runover and managed to merely "exist" with my fellow swimmers. The trouble came at the turn at the boat. Swells, stings, sighting problems, all were factors in my misery. Turning back to the shore, it only got worse, more stings, tough time breathing [which I solved with a weird "bounce" stroke I invented] and I eventually gave up trying to see the yellow triangles [which I saw lifted right out of the water by the stiff wind] and sighted instead on the huge red and white radio tower which was exactly where I needed to be. Goal time for the swim was 45 min; actual time: 51:41. Best thing shouted at me as I exited the swim "Lets go ride bikes!" by John. Saw Nate at the swim exit too...he shouted words of encouragement which I can't specifically remember now.
T1
I remember John telling me that at Columbia a woman stripped off her wet suit prior to entering transition so I thought it would be a great idea; I got hosed off [no beard for me] and then stood at the transition entry for what felt like forever stripping off the suit and carried it to my area which was really close to the bike out. Good call overall. Jen came in just behind me and we 'raced' to get out on the bike; she had an advantage of no socks to put on. T1 time: 4:21

Bike
My best leg of this sport by far and I've been working at this and have a new carbon Specialized Roubaix to make me go faster. I have also been practicing the "pill" delivery since several people recommended Enduralites and Naproxin on the bike in addition to water, Gatorade, and nutrition. I've never been able to use my bento box with success but Sunday was my exception. I had 2 servings of Cliff Blocks, two GUs, 4 Endurolites and 2 Naproxin, and 4 bottles of hydration while on the bike. I was indeed the really annoying happy smiley, chatty competitor. The kind you want to punch when you're having a crappy bike. But I was having a great time, and executed my race day strategy like a pro...use the wind when you can, leave some for the last 10 miles, spin through the wind, eat every hr, drink every 15 min, try to maintain 18mph average. At times I was going 25mph and others 14mph but I averaged 18.2 mph and felt great. I saw Natasha Badman on her way back in on Davidsonville as I was headed out...pretty cool. I think I passed more people than passed me. Sang "We all live in a yellow submarine" to amuse myself, steered clear of the club of competitors who seemed to be drafting in front of me, managed to avoid any flat tires, accidents, or bottle exchange issues. Made it through the bike without a "potty" break. Saw Meg Toy and clan, Brent, Tom, and David at all sorts of places. Read with amusement the chalk messages from Tom to HVS. Tried to stay focused as I passed the runners on my way back in...I am still competing and while I had to keep my head down and focus, it was tough not to cheer for a DC Tri Club jersey. Had hoped to break below a 3hr bike but just didn't get there. Bike time: 3:03:51 (18.28 mph )

Came off the bike and saw my Dad, John and the DC Tri Club cheering squad.

T2

Now just the run to complete; Helmet, gloves, shoes off, socks off, socks on, shoes on, hat, shades, GU, race belt and we're off. Stopped to dump the trash from the back pocket of my jersey since I'd eaten all my nutrition and stuffed the wrappers there to keep from littering. Saw John on my way out on the run, and many more along the chute out. Felt great and just wanted to keep an even pace to finish well. Time: 2:27

Run

Since I just wanted to finish, I wasn't pushing myself too hard on the run and sort of relaxed into a comfortable pace. Did the first 2 miles at 10 min mile pace but knew I'd not be able to sustain that so I just chilled, enjoyed the sudden overcast conditions and thanked all the volunteers along the way. On the way out, I saw Brent [again] and one of the most amusing moments of the race was Ian Weinstock running backwards in front of me chatting with me...with two flags sticking out of his visor. I saw Meghan coming back in from her amazing run around my mile 5. She looked great!! Passed Melissa Merson around mile 4 and cheered her on, got passed by lots of people and just before mile 6.5, got a nice boost from a fellow competitor who said I looked comfortable like I could sustain my pace forever; actually, this was one of my most comfortable runs ever...and I hate the run. Heather passed me just after the turnaround and was annoyed because I wasn't in her age group...haven't been for some time, my dear but more power to you...I just needed to stay on track and I could maybe finish this thing in 6:30 rather than my hopeful 6:00. Ate 2 GU, a few cookies, water, Gatorade, and poured water on my face since the salt was stinging my eyes and really making me uncomfortable. Saw Rebecca on her way to the turnaround and gave her a hug...she seemed to be in some pain...wished I had some Advil but I'd left it on the bike. Kept chugging along...like the energizer bunny. Saw Bruce on his way out and urged him along...he keeps going and going and going Yea Bruce!! By the time I hit mile 11, I felt okay but was really tired...not sore, not mentally popped but tired. I needed a nap. If I hadn't walked through the water stop at mile 12, I would have made the 6:30 goal but as it was, I came back along the river, turned left [after some traffic jam that just irked me...there's people trying to RACE here...have some consideration...grrr] I saw Meghan, Nate and Yvonne at the end of the stretch, sprinted with this woman next to me --- she smoked me, and then picked up the pace a bit as I turned the corner into the home stretch. Saw my mom and John and asked where my finishers beer was.....smiling the whole time.

Heard my name and crossed the finish line!! Whoopie!! Done and I didn't feel like an overused dish rag and I had my wits about me, felt great and would do it again!!

Run time: 2:29:08 11:23/mile

Total time: 6:31:28

All in all, it was much more fun than I expected, I'd do it again and this time I'm working on my run. Thanks to all who came out to spectate, support, and generally provide a tremendous atmosphere in which to compete.

Meghan and I spent the next day eating, walking funny, and just generally reveling in our Eaglmandom...It was a whirlwind weekend, filled with friends, family, and food, not to mention loads of physical activity. I might actually want to do this race again next year and am considering the Vineman in Sonoma next July...can we say ROAD TRIP?!?!?? I'll try to post some photos...unless Meghan took a pic of the two of us with medals [which I don't remember] we missed the opportunity to get the finishers on film!

6 Days and Counting!!

The plane reservations are made, the plans are in place, all we need now are the "Players" and they'll be here on Friday!! Are we ready to race?? Who cares??!@?? We'll be sporting new t-shirts [thanks to Meagan] and a new bike [yea for my tax return] and hoping for cooler, no windy weather. In a weird confluence of interplanetary alignment, all sorts of out of town folks are gathering in the area this weekend/week.

My dad will be here on Wednesday and will be bouncing back and forth between Baltimore (my sister's family) and DC; my best friend from elementary school who does circus stuff will be in on the 12th; Nate arrives on Friday, leaves Sunday; Meghan arrives Friday, leaves Tuesday; oh and a good friend of John's will be in town between Wed and Fri...as if we didn't have enough to do already. I'm excited for the race, more excited to see you all catch up, have Meghan and Meagan meet John, and generally catch up with you all.

All that's left to do is check and re check the bike, pack all the pre race, race, and post race gear...loads of body glide, hat, sunscreen, and oh, yea, the cowbell for anyone who wants to ring it...

looking forward to seeing you all soon!!