Kinzua Country Tango 2010 KB2 Style- Genine's Race Report

As always, I was excited heading into Tango 2010. This race is always one of the highlights of my summer. Not so much because of the race itself (although it is INCREDIBLE), but more so because it brings together so many friends that we don’t get to see often enough. And nothing beats hometown racing! We arrived in Warren on Thursday afternoon. Matt prepared to go scouting up at Rim Rock for the orienteering and I went up to Fredonia with my mom to see my sister & nephews. Friday started the annual flurry of activity leading up to race day: baking & preparing pre-race/post-race meals, gathering canoes, kayaks, life jackets, maps, do I have all my shoes, bike helmet, gloves, etc., who’s arriving at what time, who has coolers, snacks, etc…. and the list goes on. While it is hectic at the time, I wouldn’t trade it for anything. It’s amazing how our friends and their families come together to support this seemingly herculean effort of getting all of our teams ready for race day.

Michelle and I met Friday afternoon to take a test run in the canoe. The water had been running high the previous week when she was out- and since Jerry & Todd had flipped their canoe in the rapids earlier in the week, we wanted to be sure to test our paddling skills before racing. We put the canoe in at Jon’s cottage and headed downstream, taking careful mental notes about which way to navigate the islands, currents, etc. We ran the entire 8mile race course to be sure we had a comfort level of the route, especially the rapids (which we managed thru with minimal water in the canoe). By the time Matt & Jerry met us at the end, Maija, Adam & Joanna had arrived & were out driving the bike course. We went home to clean up and then headed to the pre-race meeting. It’s always fun to see how many familiar faces there are from year to year & getting a chance to say hello. Matt & I joke that it is better than our class reunion! While looking at the team rosters to find out KB2”s number, we noticed that there were 9 womens relay teams this year- twice as many as last year. More competition= more fun! We headed back to my parents house after the meeting to enjoy a delicious spaghetti dinner prepared by my mom (thanks, mom!), completed last minute bike adjustments & race prep, quick shower and I was in bed by 10:45pm.

Race Day: My alarm went off at 5:15am. All 5 of us were fed, prepared and out the door by 6:15 to arrive at the YMCA by 6:30, for a 7:00am start. We took a few KB2 team photos (to show off our fancy, new tattoos!!), I chatted a bit with Damian, potty stop and then it was time to cheer for Jim, Maija, Shawn and the other 13.1mile runners as they started the race.

KB2 at the start of Tango 2010.

KB2 tattoo. Awesome!

Starting line at 6:59am.

As I was driving up to Kinzua Beach, I made sure to take in and appreciate the beauty of the fog lifting and the sun beginning to peek thru the onto the reservoir. It really was breathtaking.

View from top of the beach toward bridge at 7:30am.

I got to the beach and began to prepare my bike gear. Luckily Casey parked beside me and was able to help me get my bike off the roof rack - with the new car, I’m just a little too short to lift it down safely. He & I chatted for a bit as I got my bike together, ate a clif bar and then took a few loops around the parking lot to warm up. I headed down to the transition box & waited with Adam for Jim and Maija to complete their 13.1mile run. Within a few minutes, Jim came flying across the line from his run and Adam started off on the bike. Only another couple of minutes and …here comes Maija!! It’s go time!!

Adam & me ready to race.

Tagging Maija to start my bike.

Knowing that my overall fitness & training was not quite at the level I was at last year, I took the initial 2mile climb at the start of the ride conservative, but steady…. spinning, spinning, spinning. I got to the dirt roads feeling pretty good. While I remained a bit conservative on my climbs, I took a few more risks than previous years on the down hills. Now mind you, any experienced cyclist would still call my off-road riding skills weak at best, but for me I was trying to be brave. I still used the brakes, just less than I have in previous years. About 2/3 into the ride, a friend rode up beside me. I asked him if he passed any other women. He said there was a woman (relay) about 2-3mins back. I knew I had to stay strong. The steepest decent was just ahead. I reached the turn at the bottom of the hill and as I shouted my number to the checkpoint person, I heard “WR 72”! Darn it!! There she was, sweeping by me and bombing down the next hill. Clearly she was an experienced off-road biker with much a better skill set than me. I just needed to hang on & keep her in my sights. We were almost to the paved road again…a much more even playing field. Once we reached the rollers on the black top, I could tell that she, too, was slower on the climbs. There was hope! I pushed hard, finally catching and passing her. But she was having none of that. She soon passed me again. And again I told myself to hang on & reel her in. We were nearing the finish. I crested the last hill and noticed she was off her bike on the side of the road. My initial thought was, “oh no! I hope she is ok.” I soon noticed she had only dropped her chain. This was my chance! As she got back on her bike, she glanced back and knew I was on her tail. She gunned it and my legs despite giving their best effort, could not keep up. She rode into transition about 2mins ahead of me. Whew! I was relieved to be done and pass the baton to Joanna. After a few minutes of catching my breath, Jim announced Matt could be finishing his swim in 10mins. Yikes! Jim helped me load my bike onto the car (thank goodness for the kindness of tall men), gathered up kids, etc and headed back to the beach. I parked, grabbed the camera, and ran down to the transition box just in time to see Matt running up the grass from the water to meet Jerry for orienteering. Good timing!

Next out of the water was Joanna!! Wahoo!! While Joanna was making a speedy transition from swim to orienteering, I quickly looked at the map with Maija. 3 of the points looked to be fairly easy, and the other 2 points…well, not so much. We strategized briefly and then they were off into the woods. Then we waited…… After about an hour, Matt & Jerry came down the hill & out of the woods. Both of them saying how difficult the terrain was surrounding point 2. Oh no….did we make a mistake sending 2 “non-locals” out in the woods? “No,” I thought, “they will be fine.” Maija has been up there the past 2 years with me. They are tough cookies. They will be fine. And the minutes ticked by…….still no sign. As Michelle voiced her concern, I told her not to worry. It was still well under 2hours. If it took the guys 1hr 30min, it may take them up to 2 hours. That was my rational. I’m not sure Michelle bought it. Somewhere at about 1hr 50-55mins, I heard Damian yell, “Genine! Here comes Maija down the hill!” I turned to see her and Joanna running across the lot to the transition box. Goosebumps that made my hair stand on end covered my entire body! Thank goodness! They made it out safely!! (ok…maybe I was just a teeny bit concerned.) Amanda was tagged and relieved to finally start her 4.5mile run to the canoe launch.

T3...where to begin?

KB2 = Orienteering Extrodinaires!

Now that the girls were safe, Michelle & I drove down to the boat launch (cheering like crazy teenagers out the car window for Amanda as we drove by). We hit the restrooms, prepped the canoe, donned our PFD’s and waited for Amanda. We were anxious to start the last leg of our race. While we were waiting, we noticed the canoers from the other womens relay team practicing precision-like maneuvers in the water while they waited….in their racing canoe called “Team Confidence”. Gulp! Michelle & I both chuckled. We had altered the name of our trusty canoe to read “We-no-nah-Thing”. Clearly the only advantage we have over them is a head start in the water. Come on, Amanda!!

Tagging Amanda to start canoe.

Once we finally got the boat in the river, we aimed to get into a groove. But as I tried to paddle right, it seemed to throw the line of our canoe. So in order to ease the navigation a bit for Michelle, I paddled left about 95% of the trip. (My left neck/shoulder is still achy). Knowing that “Team Confidence” could possibly pass us at any given moment, we worked at maximum effort. No letting up…ever. As we approached the islands along the course, I was amazed at how my detailed mental notes from the day before suddenly disappeared. Ha! Ah well, I feel we made smart decisions and navigated to the best of our ability. I glanced at my HR monitor about 1/2hr into the ride and it read 179!! That is crazy high for me…higher than my running HR. Obviously I was a little keyed up! At times it felt like we were never going to reach end and the wind was tricky, but finally we passed under the Glade Bridge and by the refinery, dragging in a few spots, but pushed through with minimal effort. As we approached the rapids, Michelle & I reiterated to each other our approach for getting through without capsizing. Exactly what had worked during our practice the day before- come in from the right, hugging the rapids keeping them on our immediate left of the boat & then let them shoot us out the end to the left. No problem…right? Right. Well as we approached, I felt the water was more fierce than the day before. No problem. We got this. Here we go….. Oh crap! Big giant rock! Paddle left!! Around the rock, but into the rapids we went. Deep breath. I paddled gently on the left while shouting, “We’re FINE. We’re STRONG. We’re FINE. We’re STRONG.” Until we shot out of the rapids and made our way left around the island. Sigh of relief and then keep paddling! Michelle asked me, “We were shouting through the rapids for me or for you?” "Both!" I replied. : )

KB2 crossing the finish line!

Maintaining focus, we aimed for the trestle and finally passed between the orange buoys! Crossing the finish line at 3:07pm!! Whew…we did it! Our KB2 teammates, my mom and the guys were on the shore cheering us in. What an awesome feeling! Astounding efforts were put in by all of our KB2 athletes. All contributing to sealing another win of the womens relay division. Way to go ladies!

KB2 post race.

While we don’t have official results or splits yet, here is what I do know:

I have the BEST teammates EVER!

Maija kicked butt on the 13.1mile run! 3^rd woman to cross the line!

Joanna ROCKED the swim!! And came out of the water strong.

In true Warrior style, Maija & Joanna hung tough out there in the woods! Amanda killed the 4.5mile run!

Michelle once again proved she has mad skills in the canoe. You are AMAZING!!

And the first place women's relay award goes to....KB2!

And of course a HUGE thank you to the strong, talented and handsome men of Project X!! Your support means the world! We couldn’t do it without you guys!! Congrats on your awesome race efforts!!

Congrats to Shawn & Bart! You made it!! Can’t wait to cheer you on for your 2011 finish…. without flashlights! : )

Finally, my last and BIGGEST thank you goes out to my mom!! Fabulous hostess, chef, baker, chauffeur and cheerleader! She handled a house full of crazy, hungry and dirty athletes with ease…and even offered to do it again next year!

Me with KB2's biggest fan: My Mom!

Kinzua Country Tango Pictures 2010

Because we were in the race, it was pretty tough to get pictures of everyone. We still managed to get some nice shots of quite a few people. Take a look and see if we got one of you.
Kinzua Country Tango 2010 Other Racers Set

Kinzua Country Tango Pictures

I haven't had time to write up a race report. I did have time to edit all the photos. Here is a teaser set. Here are a few select photos of the guys team "Project X".

Jim Running the 13.1


Adam biking 20 miles


Me finishing the 2.5 mile swim


Me and Jerry after the orienteering


Marty Before his 4.5 mile run


Todd and Jerry at the end of the 8 mile canoe.

Quick Tango Update

We said we wanted to finish in 7:19 so that perhaps that would be good enough for 3rd place using last year's results.
We finished in 7:17 but competition was tough and that time got us 10th place this year.
The women's team KB Squared won again. They also faced tough competition in their division.
I've got over 1000 pictures to sort through and it may take a few days before we get official race results.
Race reports to follow.

Time to Dance....

Here is my bit of inspiration for all of my Tango buddies out there. There isn't any music, but it has a nice Inten-Sati flavor to it. I love it! And just remember, "I can do anything good! Better than anyone!"

More Tango Talk

Alright, the river today looked like the level I have raced at in previous years. I was hoping that wasn't what the volume was the other day when Jerry and Todd got swamped. So I called my Dad to see what the story was with the river level. (he's got a place on the river so he keeps track).
Here's the deal. When they went out on their practice run the dam was releasing 2400 cfs. Today it was down to 1300 cfs or less. (cubic feet per second by the way). You can check out all the graphs and such here. I'm guessing this lower rate is more likely for race day which will make for a more manageable set of rapids.

I haven't been up to Rim Rock in 2 years. That's where the orienteering is going to be. We are definitely in the sticks out here. National Forest and all that. So it was somewhat surprising that the front page of the newspaper today was about an abduction at gunpoint in the area I was going to be hiking today. That's really a horrible story. Unfortunately I'm guessing this will be one of the more talked about topics at the race this weekend. That's a downer topic during a fun event.
Anyhow, I went up and hiked around. I definitely had a few things in my head that were not right, so it's good that I got up there. I also hiked the portion of the one trail I hadn't been on before. I'd love to say that now that I've done this, I'm going to take 30 minutes off of our previous time. I know better tho'. I think we lost 10-15 minutes at one checkpoint, one year and we were within 40 yards of the point the whole time. It can be frustrating.
I haven't hiked up from the beach yet. If I have time in the morning, I may just do that. Then I'll have covered all the bases, which might allow me to relax about that event a bit.

Funny that I'm not at all worried about the 2.5 mile swim that happens right before all this. That part is just plain fun.

Tomorrow evening is the race meeting/packet pickup. I'm curious to see how many teams are racing this year. It's been more every year. I hope it's a bunch. I think we've got a good team and it would be fun to be ahead of most of them.

Final Countdown...Are we READY???!!!

Admittedly, after the Rocky Theme I decided that KB2 needed to add something as well. Of course Pat Benatar's "Hit me with you best shot" came to mind. Then I thought of "We are the Champions"....but Then....it HIT ME..... Europe's the Final Countdown.

Sit Back
Relax
Basque in the Glory of the past
Prepare the Bengay...cuz we aren't as young as we used to be!!

Here's to a fun filled weekend.

Some Theme Music

Hit play and read on.


Yeah. I'm sure this dates our group a bit. Sorry about that gang.
Of all the Rocky music this one always seemed to be the most dramatic and inspiring to me. It's just loaded with anticipation for some reason. Well that's what will be playing in my mind for the next couple days. I'll be scouting out the woods tomorrow afternoon to get ready for the orienteering then I'll probably swim for a short while. Friday is going to be filled with a whole lotta relaxin'.
Looking forward to seeing everyone this weekend!

How is this? This is how I would try it. I think.

Rapids Advice Requested (CRAIG!!!)

Ok Craig (or anyone else)..we would like some advice on the best way to approach the rapids behind the refinery.....I am posting here because well...we can't call. You ask yourself WHY? Well Jerry had your cell phone BUT it ended up waterlogged after an attempt to conquer the ferocious rapids failed. We ask not for Project X but for the safety of KB2.

Sooooo--what say you oh great one?

**Straight through them
**Waves on the left side of boat
**Waves on the right side of boat
**A few hail Marys

Inquiring minds want to know.......

Cyclists Ahead

I had posted awhile back about supporting a bike advocacy group or something because of my frustration with dangerous drivers out there.

That whole issue has been being worked on in the back of my mind for a while now and I have an idea that I’d like to get some feedback on.

First off I thought about the idea of there being bike friendly routes. Obviously many of us choose our routes by considering how safe they are. Meaning how much room is there to the side of the road. What is the speed limit for the cars travelling? How are the sight lines for these drivers?

I was thinking that it would be good to put up signs along these more popular routes indicating that is a bike friendly route. This way cyclists might focus their rides on these areas that have been determined to be a good biking road and now because of new signing Motorists are now aware that they are likely to encounter bike traffic.

That idea right there isn’t anything too special. The “Bike Friendly” Signs will have an impact for a short while but eventually would just be passed by without even being considered. So I started to think about how to improve on this.

I then thought about adding lights to the sign. Again if the lights were on all the time, or at fixed times of day, the sign would lose it’s attention. Here is what I came up with to improve this.

Cyclists that ride in areas where these lighted signs exist can buy a wireless transmitter that attaches to their bike. When they get into range of these lighted signs with receivers, they automatically activate the lights on the sign to start flashing.

Then the sign could read a couple of different ways. You could use the School Zone approach and write “35mph” speed limit when flashing”. Or “Cyclists ahead use caution when passing”

Obviously the lights would eventually time out at a predetermined time interval.

Questions? Suggestions? What do you think?

Not as hot, still humid

Started off Sunday with a 40 mile bike ride with Genine and Maija. That was about 10 miles further than we originally planned which was fine it was a nice ride.
We were going to swim right after the bike but I bailed. It would have been an ugly swim I just didn't think it was going to be beneficial. So I headed home and rolled out the IT Band with the stick and did a bunch of stretching.
Later in the afternoon I had my 6 mile pace run left to do. It kept looking like it was going to pour down rain at any minute. Finally I decided I'd just go and hopefully if it rained there wouldn't be lightning. So off I go. I run down to the ballpark and there is a game going on. So I decided not to run the parking lot loop because of all the attendants and people looking for parking. I'll have to add about a mile to my run some other direction. By the time I was 4 miles in it may as well have been pouring down rain, as I was drenched with sweat. I'm so glad I did the 13 miles yesterday in the lower humidity. I knocked out the 6 miles averaging a 8:06 pace. I should have been trying to slow myself down a bit. 8:20 is my goal pace for the marathon. I'm really not sure if that's the right pace. I've got 8 more pace runs on the schedule the longest is only 10 miles tho'. That doesn't sound long enough to find out if you can hold that pace for the distance but I guess it doesn't matter. Unless I mess something up so badly that I have major issues, I'm probably going to be happy with my results.

Even though I was drier during yesterday's run I still lost a ton of fluid. I haven't done the math but here's the info. I weigh myself before I run. During/After the run I drink 2 bike bottles of gatorade and 3 12oz glasses of water and I was still 3 pounds lighter.

Here are some cool shots from the TdF

2 hour run

Finally! Here I am in week 4 of my marathon training schedule and I've finally run more than 8 miles. (I missed the week 1&2 long runs). The run went really well. I ran on the canal towpath which means it was about as flat as you can get and a nice soft trail. (no pavement). I ran with Adam (from Bloomingdales) and Maija. So the 2 hours didn't feel like 2 hours at all.
The frustrating part is this. After the run, I was trying to be good by doing stretches. Well I when I tried to do one of them, I knocked my back out of alignment again. My left hamstring and glute are back to being cramped again. Arrgh! It's Driving me nuts!

Good Karma

Instructions for Life by The Dalai Lama

1. Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk.
2. When you lose, don’t lose the lesson.
3. Follow the three R’s:
   - Respect for self,
   - Respect for others and
   - Responsibility for all your actions.
4. Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.
5. Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly.
6. Don’t let a little dispute injure a great relationship.
7. When you realize you’ve made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.
8. Spend some time alone every day.
9. Open your arms to change, but don’t let go of your values.
10. Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
11. Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and
    think back, you’ll be able to enjoy it a second time.
12. A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for your life.
13. In disagreements with loved ones, deal only with the current situation. Don’t bring up the past.
14. Share your knowledge. It is a way to achieve immortality.
15. Be gentle with the earth.
16. Once a year, go someplace you’ve never been before.
17. Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other.
18. Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.
19. If you want others to be happy, practice compassion.
20. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.

Chrio Tuneup and New Wheels

For the last week or so, I had been feeling like no matter how much stretching I do, my left glute and hamstring just refused to give up it’s tightness. Which was translating into an awkward stride while running. It actually felt like one leg was shorter than the other. Walking to work on Monday I realized my left foot was all over the place, every step would land and roll differently. It was definitely compensating for something.
So I went to my chiropractor on Tuesday afternoon. Sure enough my chronic L5 was tilted and locked. A quick adjustment to get it unlocked and like magic, walking felt right again and the glute/hamstring problem faded as well.
Because my legs were feeling better, I ran my 6 miler Wednesday night way faster than I should have. Then I didn’t give myself much of a break, I ran a track workout at 5:30 the next morning, which also felt great. Not exactly following the "go easy" plan that's on the schedule. I couldn't help myself, it was fun.

I have a 13 mile and a 6 mile run on the schedule for this weekend (and I think I'll actually get both of them in). Looking back on my training journals 19 miles of running has been a good weekly total for me so far this year. I’m not sure I’ve ever run 31 miles in one week. So that got me thinking, I decided I had better consider the condition of my footwear. I've been running in Brooks Adrenaline 7s for just about 3 years now. (not the same pair for 3 years, just the exact same model)
So I went over to Jack Rabbit Thursday and I did the whole gait analysis thing again. I did this a couple months ago but I wasn't really buying what the person was telling me so I didn't buy anything. Today someone helped me that seemed much more knowledgeable. As a result I now own a pair of Asics GT-2150s. The other model that looked good on the video was the Mizuno Wave Inspire 6. Depending how the Asics work out for me, I may buy the Mizunos next month. I want to have 2 pair of shoes in rotation again.

The new shoes feel much softer than my Brooks, so I’m planning on wearing the new Asics for the 13 miler. Or is that really stupid? Should I wait for a shorter run before switching to new shoes? Hmmmm, I think our route will take us past our cars at least once. Maybe I’ll take both so I can switch mid run if it’s not feeling right.

My friend Craig C.

Craig posted on FB today that he was already missing the Dance. I immediately thought of a 2nd grade art project that my mom recently found while cleaning out her garage.
Take a look.....

Page 1: Please note the use of shading on the sides & roof of the house...artistic genius at such a young age. ha!

Page 2: The phone number is blocked to protect the innocent. But yes, it is still his parents number. :-)

Page 3:Happy times with my friend Craig C.

After I got done laughing, I thought how this innocent art project from years ago is a testament to the ties that bind these Venerable Companions together. Bonds of friendship that time or miles do not erase, but instead strengthen. Many of us have been friends for 35 years or more! Truly amazing. So don't be sad, Craig. While Tango 2010 will feel lonely without you, we know you will be there in spirit.

To all the Venerable Companions...Thank you for being my friend.
(Cue the Golden Girls theme song.)

Settle down girls.

I realize K Bsquared is the reigning two time champion for the Women's relays but the guys team (yeah I know we need to work on our team name) has yet to lose to KB2.
Of course I hope that your team succeeds in winning for a 3rd year in a row but I think the guys team should be looking at the possibility of making the podium as well. Which may make it even more important that we have a really cool team name, but I'm getting ahead of myself.

Looking at last year's results this is what we have.

13.1 mile run 1:40 13th place / 1st place was 1:11
20 mile bike 1:28 20th place / 1st place was 1:01
2.5 mile swim 1:03 14th place / 1st place was :50
Orienteering 1:45 13th Place / 2nd place was 1:06 (1st place timing was lost)
4.5 mile run :38 10th place / 1st place was :25
Canoe 1:13 5th place / 1st place was 1:06

Total of 7:47 which was good for 9th place.
Ultimate Relay Team from above times 5:39

Last Year's Podium

6:28 for 1st
6:35 for 2nd
7:19 for 3rd

So we are looking to take 28+ minutes off of our time. Or 5 minutes off of each event. Possible?
13.1: Jim had posted he was shooting for 1:35. That would get us off to a good start. (-5)

20 Mile Bike: Adam is a CAT 2 racer and he's got his hands on a cyclocross bike. I think he can to afford to use caution on the steep downhills with the potholes and still shave off say 15+ minutes? (-20)

2.5 Mile Swim: I wish I could say with confidence that I will match or better last year's swim time but I can't. I will also be pacing myself a bit so that I can run immediately after. Ugh!
I'm going to guess I finish 5 minutes slower. (-15)

7 mile Orienteering: Well the 2 years that I did this I finished in 1:43 and 1:44. I guess I get to find out how well I learned from Craig this year. Hopefully Jerry and I break even at worst. (-15)

4.5 mile Run: Jim ran this after orienteering last year. I'm guessing we pick up a few minutes having Marty run this as a stand alone event. (-20)

8 mile Canoe: Final Leg is always the deciding event isn't it? If we are truly in the race for the podium, we should have someone keeping track of who has left the canoe start. I know Jerry is looking to improve his time and he's done the homework to make that happen. Let's say Jerry and Todd improve a minute per mile here. (-28)

Tell me if I'm wrong. I think that depending on the competition we could be in the mix. It should be another exciting day.

10 More Days.....

Are you ready to Tango, boys??

Blog Mention : Photos

If you don't know what I’m talking about. It’s when you are reading through someone else’s blog and they mention you or post a link to your blog. I have to admit its kind of fun when it happens.

Here was today’s surprise acknowledgement. Laurel Wassner thanked me for the pictures I took of her at the NYC Triathlon the other week. She’s a photo editor so I was definitely curious to see which photos she liked. The photos were posted up on their website, wassnertwins.com. I took the first photo and the last 11 photos on that grid.

I was surprised that they didn't post the picture I took of Rebeccah on the rock climbing wall. Then I checked Rebeccah’s Blog and there it was.

In other news, this morning marked the beginning of slowly adding in some barefoot running. We ran our track workout and then kicked the shoes off and ran some strides in the grass with some easy running in between. The goal here is to give some other parts of the feet and legs a workout to improve muscular strength in the feet.

My left heel is still problematic, I think we are getting close to 10+ months with this problem. I’ll likely resume my search for a doctor or podiatrist as soon as the marathon is behind me. Only 14 weeks to go.

Alternative Cross-Training

We had a great time this past weekend in Warren & Fredonia visiting with friends and family. While Matt was doing some serious Tango training, I managed to squeeze in a little unconventional cross training. Sorry ladies of KB2, but you would not have been able to resist these 2 men either. Right, Michelle? :-)

Here are some of the highlights....

Carb-Load breakfast (waffles...mmmm...)

Bicep curls with the cutest 8.5lb weight ever -Daniel Charles Ferguson

Stair repeats at farmers market (view from the top-photo by Ian)

Silly Faces at the top of the stairs

Wave jumping & running

Stone Toss (many repeats!)

Wave crashing (for 3 hours...non-stop!)

Recovery PB&J after a hard workout

Lake Erie with BIG waves crashing

I did manage to put on my cap & goggles (or as Ian called them my swimming helmet and glasses) while we were at the lake and do a bit of a open water swim sans wetsuit for myself. The water was extremely choppy as there were major storms rolling in, but I managed to get over my fear of being swept away and actually found that the swimming wasn't as bad as I expected. I avoided getting faces full of water by always breathing toward the shoreline or forward. I'm sure this was not efficient technique, but it worked. The water was cloudy due in part to the rough conditions and there was a lot of algae churning throughout....again making me treasure the clear water of Newfound Lake. Never once have I had to clean caked on algae out of places I dare not mention in public after swimming in Newfound! But I would do it again & again if I got to hear this voice at the end of my swim....

I also did a 4mile run on Sunday. It was ugly.

Tango Prep/ NYC Triathlon some Elite and Pro Pictures

This past weekend when I got to Warren. I sent a text message to everyone back there telling them we have arrived. Then my cell battery died and that was it for the phone the rest of the weekend.
Fortunately a few hours later I get a call from Jerry and Michelle. They tracked me down at my dad's place.
I was planning on scouting out the Rim Rock area for the orienteering portion of the Tango with Jerry on Saturday. Instead they wanted to kayak the swim leg so Michelle would be prepared to be the safety kayak for KB2. So they asked if I wanted to swim the 2.2 miles. Definitely! So I got to swim the course Saturday morning. The good news is when I reached the beach I actually felt like I'd be able to hike/run somewhat well. Whether this happens on race day when I really push the swim pace remains to be seen.
I had all the normal pains from the extra gear later that day. Left rotator cuff was sore, Left IT Band was sore, Left Achilles was tight. My triceps have been feeling it for a few days now. Guess it was a good workout.
I was supposed to run 6 miles at marathon pace on Saturday. Sadly, I didn't find time to make that happen. The heavy rain didn't help.
Sunday we ended up staying around much later into the day that we typically do. So mid-afternoon I ran from my dad's place to Genine's parents place to get my 8 miles in. I think there were about 2 miles in there that felt really really good. Those 2 miles were way faster than my marathon pace but it felt good to be running with good form, feeling comfortable and quick.

Of course we were tracking Chris' IMLP results online all day. I haven't heard what the weather was like but his results looked great. I'm hoping he makes it to Warren for Tango weekend to hear about it.
A couple of our friends from NJ were up there volunteering. So on the drive back to NJ I sent a message to Bob. It read "Are you signing up for 2011?" In the back of my head, I was thinking that if he's going to race it next year and if slots are available online, I'll try to get a slot. Well I didn't get a response for a few hours. Finally he responded. "probably 2012". Well that made that decision a lot easier. When there were slots available Monday afternoon, I didn't even consider it.

Here is the link to the pictures I took of the Pro and Elite racers at the NYC Triathlon.

Long time between posts, But I won medal

Didn't run the Rainday 5k this year, but I did walk it. I placed 4th overall in the male division with a 40:14, I think. I was pushing Dinah in her stroller. The top walker was 36 mins something, so I was about 4 minutes behind, which amazingly is closer than I ever get to the winning run time. I stayed with a lady who I know does all the competitive walks around. I think I could have passed her at the end, but she said something earlier to me about getting beat by a guy one time pushing a double stroller, so I decided she works at this more than me, I will stay right behind her. I was the biggest cheerleader to everyone I knew running the race. It was fun

Tamara was very excited for me. She said I should walk every time, I never did this well in the running division.

Eleanor got 3rd in the female 8-9 category, 1 mile fun run. She faltered this year. Poor thing was just getting off a cold and had come back the day before from camp, always tiring. Levi actually beat Eleanor this year, but got smoked in his class. His fun was wearing an umbrella hat for the Rainday race. People loved it. I would say in order of cheers for kids it was the winner, the 3 yr old girl finishing last, then Levi with the corny umbrella on his head. Fun day.

Jumping subjects, I have always been obsessed with the large man's plight in triathlons. So, rather than look up my BMI again, I looked up what weight would make me competitive in a Tri. I found that competitive triathletes weigh from 2.1 to 2.3 lbs per inch of height for men and 1.8 to 2.0 for woman.

So, I am almost 75 inches tall, which means I need to weigh 172.5 lbs to be competitive. It recommended if I was 2.5 or more lbs per inch (or 187.5 lbs) that I should choose a flat course. In 2008 I was still 15 lbs over that . So, essentially until I get to 190lbs. I will be uncompetitive. I know the real figure is 172.5, but I haven't seen that weight since I was 17 and I think I was about 1.5" shorter then.

I had this discussion with Shawn the other day, so I thought I would post so he knows where he has to get to. Aren't you 6' 6", so 195lbs.

My apologies to Jim for not converting to Metric.

Way to go Chris Johnson! Hope you feel well today.

2419: a number I won’t soon forget (Genine’s 2010 NYC Tri Race Report)

So here it is almost a week later and I am finally getting time to write my NYC Tri race report. I competed in this race on a relay team as a favor to my former swim coach, Elana. She had signed up to race with 2 of her friends & then later had an opportunity to travel to Japan. I don’t blame her for deciding to travel instead of race, but I was left with making a difficult decision. The race date was July 18^th. My sister’s due date with her second baby was July 21^st. So close… If I agree to race I risk not being available to travel to western NY when my sister delivers. If I decline the offer, and my sister doesn’t have the baby until after the race, then I’ll have missed the opportunity to race in NYC. Oh, and since I would be biking (my fav) that just added to my intense indecision. What to do…… obviously I decided to race with the relay.

As luck would have it, I received the phone call from my mom on Thursday morning before the race. Kryste & Scotty (my sister & brother-in-law) had just left for the hospital. It was 6:30am. I was on a train heading to Long Island for work that day. Tears immediately began to swell in my eyes. Not only would not be at the hospital when Kryste had the baby, I would not be able to go that weekend to meet my new nephew. I was so upset and conflicted. I emailed the race contact person to see if I could substitute someone last minute (not that I knew who that would be). I expected the answer to be no, but surprisingly it was yes. Matt said he would stay back & race for me. But then my rational voice spoke up. I called my sister and she said not to worry. That is what I needed to hear. So to wrap up this prolog quickly, I am typing this report from the car as we are traveling to meet our newest nephew, 1 week old Daniel Charles Ferguson.

I had arranged to meet my teammates, Amy & Tom, at the expo Saturday afternoon for packet pick-up, pre-race meetings, bike drop off, etc Matt & I drove into the city with my bike. We sat in some construction traffic on I95 to get to the Holland Tunnel, so I was late meeting Amy & Tom. We were texting to keep tabs on each other until we met. I got there in time for the 2pm pre-race meeting. I walked into the large conference room and sat in the last row. No sooner did the meeting start, I got a text from Tom. He said that he & Amy were in the back of my meeting room. I looked to my left and waved. They were standing only 1 person away from me! Funny! After the meeting, I officially met Tom for the first time. And even though I knew Amy from masters swim, we hadn’t seen each other in months (she recently moved to Jersey City). It felt good to have us all together! After the waivers, packets & expo we drove across town to transition to check out the layout & drop off my bike. It was Tom and Amy’s first time experiencing a triathlon. We walked thru transition, discussed in’s and out’s, chip transfer, etc I was pretty relaxed about the race. I only had to bike instead of swim, bike, run…sounds like fun to me!

My alarm going off going off at 2:45am Sunday morning was not so fun. But, as I always do on race day, I was easily out of bed & getting ready to go. We easily made it into the city and found good parking on Central Park West. We walked over to transition & got settled. It was about 5:15am. I wished Amy good luck and she started her 1mile walk to the swim start. Then I got my stuff settled, bike check, first potty stop and then went to pump my tires. When I got back to my rack, Regina (from Chiu on This) was there. We chatted for a few minutes. Matt & I have established several on-line rapports with many great tri-peopIe. It’s so nice to put a face with a name. Regina was racing also and was racked near us. She did the Mooseman half last month. Those of you that were up there with us know how tough the weather was. Regina rocked that day to complete her first half-iron. Yes!!

While the relay teams waited by the racks for our swimmers to arrive, we were priveliged to to be within a few feet of the swim in when the pros came running into T1. It was like a back stage pass! I’m always amazed at how fast & fluidly these athletes move through transition. It’s like being in the pits at Nascar. As the next few waves of athletes starting entering transition, I could feel myself getting a few nerves for the first time.. I guess that’s what makes it race day! Amy had a great swim (especially since it was her first open water race ever!) out of the water in 20:18. She came into transition looking a bit dazed, so I transferred the chip and was ready to ride.

I was very relaxed biking out of the park and cautious of the many sharp turns & climbs to get to the West Side highway. I waved to Matt who was cheering as I exited the park. Once I was on the road it was go time. With no run to worry about when I was done, I felt I could push a bit harder than I normally would. Within a few minutes I was being passed by the guy on the relay team racked next to me. We exchanged hellos, I passed him back & then didn’t see him for the rest of the ride. The bike course was packed. By far the busiest I have ridden in a race before. I did my best to obey the rules, but at times it was tough at times slower riders would ride in the middle instead of to the right causing minor back-ups until someone would break away and others would follow. I did a good job of keeping a quicker cadence at the start to warm up my legs. It was a nice course… some long climbs, fun down hills and the road surface wasn’t as bad as I expected as long as you paid attention. Within a few miles of the ride, I settled in with about 2-3 women that we leap-frogged with the entire ride. Most notable to me was #2419. She was my rabbit. She would pass me and then my sole focus was to reel her back in and pass her. Yes… #2419 on the yellow bike, team in training jersey and 43 on her leg…..The perfect pace car. I had to look her up after the race to see who she was…little did I know!

It was a great ride. I felt strong, focused and confident. I passed many people…even a few guys on fancy bikes! ;-) I cruised carefully back down the hills into the park & into transition in 1:22:44. Tom grabbed the chip and he was off on his run. Time to relax for a quick minute. The Amy & I met up with Matt (who has been running his own race this whole time taking photos.) We walked back into Central Park just in time to snap a few pics of Tom entering the last turn heading to the finish line. He crossed in 53mins & change. We walked down to meet up with Tom who had our finisher medals. They are actually kinda cool as they look like subway tokens.

The heat was brutal by that time (only 10:30am mind you!) at over 90 degrees and humid. I was so thankful not to be running. We watched the pro awards, met up with Elana for some eats, got my bike and then back home to NJ. It was a fun day. Of course race day always is for me- rain or shine/ racer or spectator…doesn’t matter. It’s FUN!!

My final thoughts:

Thanks to Elana for affording me the opportunity to race in NYC and I didn’t even have to even dip a toe in the Hudson River!

Congrats to Tom and Amy on a spectacular performance! What great people, athletes and teammates! Have you caught the tri bug?

A huge thank you to Regina!! You kept me focused on there on the bike course. My mind didn’t wander for more than a second because when I did #2419 would pass me again!

A side note: Those of you who read regularly know that Regina was #2419. I had no idea until I got home after the race and logged on to the blog to find the comment she had left the night before saying her bib was #2419 and she would try to find me in the am pre-race. I literally laughed out loud! It doesn’t get any better than that!

The BIGGEST and BEST thank you to Matt….. my amazing husband, chauffeur, bike tech, photographer, sherpa and cheerleader. Nothing good happens without you by my side! Xoxo

There you have it folks! And now that I am only 2 hours from squeezing that new baby and Ian…. Life truly is good. I am one lucky girl!

Lake Placid IM

Chris Johnson completed the LP IM in 11:18 today a PR by 12 minutes I think.

I ran my 14 miler for my scheduled long run for Twin Cities Oct 3. 7:45 pace. Ran that while all of the IM people were biking.

Marty got a 14 miler in yesterday.

Not sure about my speed for the Tango,????.....hopefully 1:35 or better: Time will tell.

Half way through the NYC Tri Photos

Here is the link to what I've posted so far. NYC Triathlon 2010 Photos
All these people exiting are from the yellow transition. I may have caught a few from the Red but I haven't reached that far into the waves yet.
I hope to have the rest of my pictures posted by the end of the weekend.

The Hudson River beards on some of the women really surprised me. It's kind of gross. At least there were no jellyfish this year.

3rd post of the day

Those other two were pretty good. Now it's back to the basics.

I ran at the track Tuesday at 5:30AM with Todd. I’m not sure that I would call our workout a track workout. Because of the marathon training we’ve changed the purpose of these track runs. Here’s the deal I’m doing the Hal Higdon Intermediate 2 Marathon Schedule. During the first 6 weeks, Tuesday/Thursday is supposed to be an easy 3-mile run. Todd and I are both of the mind that 3 miles easy is almost not worth the time spent. It’s there for a purpose though and I get that. It’s supposed to add a few easy miles to the week and allow for some recovery. Well I’ll be the first to admit that making the ankles and legs move at 5:30 in the morning isn’t easy. It’s definitely one of those things that make me say, “Yup, I’m old”. So we’ve decided that Tuesday/Thursday is all about getting stretched out. It’s also about trying to defeat that whole “marathon training teaches you how to run slow” thing. Here is an example of our workout.

800-1600 jog. It just depends on how we are feeling.

Stretch

6-8 100m strides. Basically these are sprints but it’s not about pushing so hard to get there fast, it’s about fast cadence/turnover and opening up your stride. It’s a nice break from all the slow marathon training and it definitely lengthens some muscles.

Stretch again if necessary

2-4 400s I’ve been wanting to run these on my 10K pace but so far I’ve ended up pushing too hard/fast. I need to really focus on slowing down to my 10K pace because yesterday afternoon I was definitely feeling like I had run a track workout. As the distances increase on the weekends, I can’t afford to go that hard on my easy days.

After that we just jog and stretch until we run out of time. Usually another 800-1600m

Genine and I finally made it back to the pool Tuesday night. It made me want to go back to Newfound Lake right now!

First reason is that we have to wait until 8:15PM to start swimming.

Second reason, all the lanes were full

Third reason, I didn’t get the memo that freestyle had gone out of style. In 5 of the lanes there was someone doing breaststroke. Not competitively practicing, just kinda enjoying their swim. One person didn’t even have their hair wet and was wearing their glasses.

Fourth reason: The water felt slimy and it’s the warmest I think this pool has ever been. Which made my goggles fog up constantly.

Lastly who would want to swim in a box indoors rather than Newfound Lake?

Oh I almost forgot. Is it a full moon or something? There were some characters there last night. The entire time I was in the shower/locker room there was this guy telling me about his website. This website has all sorts of information about how the Bush administration has cheated America. Of course I just wanted to tell him it’s time to move on, that Bush is out of office but I was too busy trying to get out of the locker room ASAP.

I actually was pleased with my swim workout. Of course I did some swimming with Hand Paddles and fins to get ready for the Tango 2.2 mile swim. It’s definitely an adjustment to get into a good groove with all this extra gear. I just have to remember to slow everything down during the race at the start. Then once I’ve got the timing, open it up and add the power. (Hopefully my arms/shoulders will be ready for this).

I was out running again at 5:30 this morning. I did my 10K loop figuring it was close enough to fill the 6 miles easy requirement. The heel of my left foot was awkward for the first few miles but eventually I didn’t notice it at all.

When I got back to the house I decided I’d weigh myself. I keep forgetting to do this before my run so that I can verify my sweat loss. (It’s an insane number, trust me). It’s been a couple weeks since I’ve been on the scale, so it was kind of funny that when I first saw the number I thought I actually gained weight and am right back where I started a month ago. Actually I was down 10 pounds from a month ago and I wasn’t expecting that. Don’t offer up any big congrats on losing 10 pounds. I had just run 6 miles and swam last night. That’s potentially 3-4 pounds of water loss. (I’m not kidding)

That’s all for now, back to the photo editing…

Some NYC Triathlon Pictures

2nd post of the day and I've already got a 3rd in progress. This is what happens when I don't fall asleep on the train during my commute.

Here are a few of my better shots from the race this weekend.

3rd place pro woman. Nicole Kelleher.


2nd place pro woman. Laurel Wassner.


1st place pro woman. Rebeccah Wassner.


What do you do after you win a triathlon?


NJ Favorite Doug Clark. 4th place non-pro male. I believe he finished 73rd at Kona last year.


Also from NJ. Alice Henriques. 1st place non-pro female. 32nd overall non-pro


I've got a ton more pictures which I'll get posted to flickr eventually. I'm kind of disappointed with many of my shots. This is the first race I've taken pictures at this year and I was slow to make adjustments to the camera. Also I didn't know the area well enough to get to places that made for interesting shots or had the right lighting.
I still had a great time and sort of wish that they had chosen me as a volunteer photographer, that way I'd be able to race it next year if it fits into the schedule.

The woman in the red shirt.

This is for Regina.
Genine did a "costume" change from all black pre-race to her red shirt.



Does she look familiar now?

Kinzua Country Tango Video

I'm not sure I was aware of this video before today. Our teams made the video in a few of the events.
Chris for the half marathon.
Maija making the tag in her wetsuit at the swim start
Craig and I orienteering
Ellis and Cindy both appear in the 4.5 mile run video

Ready to race in NYC

Tomorrow morning I am biking with a relay team in the NYC Triathlon. I am subbing for our swim coach who had signed up for the race & then expected to be out of the country on race day. I know the swimmer, Amy, from masters swim. The runner, Tom, I just met today at packet pick up. As we were walking to transition to drop off my bike this afternoon, I glanced down at the ages marked on their legs....24. Hmmm....funny how that seems like a million years ago & yesterday all at the same time. I'll do my best to keep up with the young 'uns! It should be a fun day even though it is hotter than blazes!!! I'm thankful not to be running tomorrow in the heat.
Matt will be there to be sherpographer and chauffeur. Another thing I am thankful for! Well, time to zzzzz..... That 3:00am alarm will be ringing soon. I'll leave you with a video of walk to transition today and a few pics. More to follow after the race.......

Yes, you are reading that right... 102 degrees on the drive into the city today!

A look over transition with the Hudson River in the background.

Tom and I discussing the in's & out's of transition.


Our team walking to transition.

Never a dull moment

I knew I'd be exhausted after vacation, no surprise there. So there has been no swimming or biking since we've been back. I did do my Tuesday 3, Wed 5, Thurs 3 runs after work this week in the heat. This morning I woke up at 5 to go running with Todd at 6. I was supposed to do 11 but Todd was good for 7. (he raced a 5K a couple days ago). I was fine with only running 7. I may get the other 4 in later tonight, or not. I'm not going to sweat it either way. I looked at the plan and without the 4 it's a good mileage build for me.

We will be headed to the city soon with Genine's bike. She needs to meet up with her relay team for packet pickup, then drop off the bike. Hopefully we find a good place to park, I'd like to survey the spectating options. If not I'll have time in the morning to get an idea of how it's going to work.

I'm hoping we are motivated enough to get to the pool later today. I'm sure my Tango team would appreciate that I actually do some swim training now and then.
Speaking of Tango, it's likely that we will drive to PA next weekend to see the new nephew. So I've gotta contact Jerry and let him know I'm planning a bit of Orienteering practice up at Rim Rock.

Alright, that's the update. Gotta get going!

Back to work, NYC Tri...

I've got one NYRR race yet to do for the 9+1. There is a 4 miler on Saturday and I'm scheduled for a 5 mile run on my plan. That sounds like a decent match. Maybe that will happen.

Genine is Biking this Sunday at the NYC Triathlon. She has to drop off her bike on Saturday afternoon, so we will be in the city both days this weekend.
Sunday will be a crazy early morning. I'm not racing but I'll be running around with the camera all morning. I have a feeling it's going to be tough to get the pictures I want at this event. Hopefully there is no rain.
After the race, I believe I heard someone mention reservations for sushi? (really hoping I overheard that right)
Then later that day I'm supposed to get in my 11 mile run in somehow. I have a feeling that isn't going to go well. I knew that the first few weeks of this marathon training schedule was going to be tricky. There is a lot going on, I'll do the best I can and it will have to be enough.

Picture is worth a thousand words

I missed my 10 mile run for week one of marathon training...

This really isn't the reason. I just thought I'd share the variety we've enjoyed while up in NH.

Let's go for 2,000 words. How's this for a feast? Only 5 of us were eating lobster.

Definitely not by the book

Day 4 of the marathon training reads like this: Run the same workout that you did on Tuesday: 3 miles, comfortable pace. Follow the run by doing some stretching and strength training for about 15-30 minutes.
What really happened. 37 mile bike with Genine. Once around the lake, then out through Alexandria and over Cass Mill and 104 to the grocery store lot. Then back over Cass Mill to the beach.

Load the bikes onto the car, Genine heads to the beach, I go run my 3 miles. I haven't done many brick workouts. This definitely qualified, the first mile felt awful. Out on my run I came up behind a woman that was definitely on a mission. As I came up along side I said "now this is dedication" as it was probably 90+ degrees and we were running in full sun. She said that her husband gave up a few minutes ago but she had a goal and she had to get it done. It's great seeing stuff like this, I'm guessing she's in her 50's and had probably never had run a race in her life, but was obviously training for one. I was just glad to see that I wasn't the only kook out there because some schedule said that's what I was supposed to do today.

Got back to the beach, once again fell into the lake and cooled off. Swimming 50s and 100's worked out alright. When we went to swim the length of the beach. 400-500m? Genine had fins on and I wasn't anywhere close to hanging with her without fins. 2 laps and I was done. I've got some work to do before the Tango Swim. I'll have to come up with a plan next week.

NH2010: My favorite parts so far

Fun times so far in NH despite the blistering heat. Here are a few of the my highlights....

We arrived Friday evening and enjoyed an incredible dinner with Matt's family from VT that we share the farm with. His cousins Adam and Abby worked for hours in the kitchen preparing the most delicious Thai food I have ever encountered. It was one of those meals that you never want to end, where every bite is a happy celebration in your mouth. And not only did it taste amazing, it looked beautiful as well. We rarely get to see this part of Matt's family, so it was a real treat to spend time together in the place we all love so much.

Spring Rolls...

Cucumber salad w/spicy peanut dressing...

Pad Thai...


We made homemade pizza with a quinoa crust. I read about it on a blog that I follow and have been wanting to make it for awhile now. We kept it simple with just sauce & cheese, but man was it tasty! We will definitely be making this recipe again. It sure beats a typical crust from a nutrition standpoint and it satisfies that pizza craving.


As most of you know, I like my liquor sweet...usually with fruit and maybe a tiny umbrella & a cherry. I do enjoy wine on occasion, ...but beer??? No way. That was until we discovered this last summer: Wailua Wheat Ale brewed with Passion Fruit. Let me just say that I had 2 beers with the pizza the other night and another one tonight. Crazy talk! and since it's from Kona Brewing Co (which for some strange reason has a brewery in Portsmouth, NH), there are Hawaiian words under each bottle cap. Check out the first bottle we opened: cool, right? Must be meant for me!


We have had a few decent workouts, although the staggering heat has not helped. We rode 22miles Sunday and 17miles Monday. Both on parts of the Mooseman course. Sunday's ride was good for me, the best I've felt in a long time. I've been doing some swimming at the lake, mostly with fins and enjoying every minute of it. I did a short 2.5mile run yesterday to try out my new sneakers. They get a thumbs up to start with! So far no cramping of my left toes or blisters. We'll see what happens after a few more miles get stacked on them.


And tonight ended at the beach. I wish every night could end like this......aaahhhhh......

With 5 more days and family & friends arriving for the weekend, I'm sure there will be plenty more fun times ahead.

No Black Fly Tri for us

Having a good time up here. Our training plan hasn't exactly played out like we had hoped but when it's 90-100 degrees out I'm not going to complain about missed workouts. Heck it's even been difficult to sleep in this heat.
Today I spent another 3-4 hours riding on the ATV pulling the deck mower around the fields. It was 95-100 degrees out. I'm still not finished with the mowing. It's a big job but it's got to be done otherwise the fields become a forest. I just wish I had more time to hang out up here once the work was done. (not that the work is ever done...)
After I finished mowing for the day, I had to get a 5 mile run in. So Genine drove to the beach, I ran to the beach with a detour into Alexandria. (a little out an back). The majority of the run was in full sun. I ran with one of those hand held bottles. I'm not sure that I prefer that over the fuel belt. We didn't bring the fuel belt tho'. So I guess I'm going to be running with it again on Saturday and Sunday. Anyhow, I couldn't have been more thrilled to have a lake at the end of my run. I'm not sure it's cold enough for ice therapy at this point but Newfound Lake never looked better. (it was only 5 miles!!!)

So I started thinking about Sunday's 10 miler. There are a few places around here where the water is ALWAYS cold. So when I got back to the house I dialed up the map to see how far Sculptured Rocks is from the house. Just over 10 miles. Close enough! I think that's going to be my Sunday 10 miler. I'll have to check to see if the General Store in Hebron is open on Sunday. I have a feeling I'll need to buy something to drink at that point. Otherwise, I'll have to ask Genine to drive out a bit earlier to do a bottle hand off. Then I'll meet everyone at Sculptured Rocks. If I remember I'll take a thermometer.

Ah yes, I said Everyone. Turns out Jason and Anne will be driving down from Maine for the weekend. Also my brother and family will be here. So as the title of the post says. No Black Fly Tri for us. Not a big deal, I'd much rather visit with everyone than race this weekend. We will race that event some other time.

Here is a bit of interesting news about the Black Fly Tri this weekend. I'm not sure if I posted about their hands on a handle bar competition. They were selling raffle tickets for a chance to win a Tri Bike and a bunch of other stuff, to raise money for charity. The competition was going to be one of those, who can stand holding onto a fence the longest, without doing deep knee bends and other things like that. Well it turns out nobody wanted to do that to win all the gear. So they ended up turning it into a standard raffle. I guess triathletes aren't as crazy as I thought!

Kb2-New Team Member

I wasn't sure of the best way to notify everyone. In lieu of Ellis who is competing with her family this year in the Tango...Ellis (love her!) got us another teammate to run for us. (Amanda Costagnino) She actually came and watched Ellis in the Tango last year and was hoping to participate. She's excited and already training!!! She never stops training in fact (future Tri Athlete maybe)

Watch out BOYZZZZZ!!!

Day one of Marathon Training

I like how day one starts off with no running. It's a cross training day.
The first bit of cross training was an attempt to pull start our Yamaha Big Bear, so I could mow the fields. This was easily the hardest effort of the day. My back and hands were not happy. So I tried to chase down a new battery so I won't have to go through this tomorrow. Most places are closed today and the one battery I found was the wrong size. Ah well. Maybe I'll find one tomorrow.

We worked on projects around the farm. Mowing and screen door repairs. Then finally at 5PM we we at the park and out on our bikes. It ended up being the exact ride as the Mooseman International race this year, one lap around the lake. Then we had about 50 minutes to swim before the park closed. That helped get everything stretched out.

As for the diet... it's much tougher while on vacation than when working. Did I mention they have the Kona Brewing Company beer up here? Portsmouth (NH) Brewing company brews it and sells it. It's Kona Beer! That has to be good for triathlon training right?

From the farm

Quick update.
1) it's beautiful up here and it's going to be sunny and hot all week. :-)
2) we drove up here in our new car which is a sweet ride. 2010 VW TDI SportsWagon white.
3) The first couple days have been spent mostly visiting with family and relaxing.
4) I'd like to propose the following for the Tango Team line up.

13.1 Jim
Bike Adam (Maija's boyfriend)
Swim: Matt
Orienteer: Matt and Jerry
Run: Marty
Canoe: Jerry and Todd

Please give me some feedback if you want to make changes. Obviously the start of the orienteering is going to be tough for me but I have been up there a couple times. I'll have to get back up there before the race just to get my bearings once again.

One week to go

Next Monday I start the 18 week marathon training program. I'm ready for it. I already know I'm not going to be able to follow it exactly. Our summer is just too busy and there are too many other fun options. It's a guideline and as I get further along into the plan I will need to follow it more closely.
Here is what I'm thinking. I'm going to give the Hal Higdon Intermediate 2 plan a shot. There are 3 20 milers and one 19 miler on that list. That may be way too much for me. The thing is, I can dial it down to the Intermediate 1 plan if it's not going well. I'd rather go for it rather than play it safe by starting with the easier plan. (bad idea?)
I've looked ahead and there are big runs on the weekends of the 2 sprint triathlons near home. (Skylands/Buckman). I guess on those days, I'll be the guy that finishes the race. Then has to go back out for another couple hours of running. Or I'll have to have done my long run the day before these races. Actually, I'm guessing I'll only be doing one event for Skylands. I think I can get our relay team back together. Team "Steve Austin" needs to win it this year.

Sunday, Genine and I finally got out on the bikes, it's been awhile because of travel and such. We had been wanting to do the Buckman bike course twice and we finally made that happen. This was also the first time riding since I purchased my headsweats cap. Well we had the heat to make it a good test for that. It was in the low 90's and we were out for about 2 hours. That course isn't as shady as I thought it was. The headsweats cap was great. I'd say 80% effective on helping keep my sunglasses clear of sweat. On a flatter course it probably would have been even better. I'd really start dripping on the hill climbs. Anyhow, big thumbs up for the headsweats cap.

I got 7 miles of running in with Todd on Saturday morning. Then that afternoon Genine and I got to the pool. I knocked out 3000m following the workout to the letter.
The new masters swim coach came over and introduced himself. Classes will be Monday and Friday nights. Well that pretty much says we won't be signing up until late in the fall. We are gone too many Fridays and Monday night is Yoga. Not a big deal, I'm feeling pretty good about my swimming at the moment and other than the Tango race, I don't have anything on the schedule that has me worried about my swimming.

The calorie deficit is still rolling. I'm down 5.5 pounds in 21 days that's ahead of plan. I'd love to be down a full 10 after our vacation in NH, 14 days from now. After that if I lose a pound a week every week until the Marathon I will be where I want to be. It may not be possible but I plan to find out.