Breakwater

This weekend was pretty much perfect. Friday we left for Bellaire MI and stayed the night at a friends house (Mike Fitzsimmons) who we swam biked and then ran with on Saturday morning before heading out to Petoskey around noon time. We stopped at a pretty awesome farm market and had sandwiches for lunch along with some fresh raspberries. Got in to Petoskey and drove the bike course with Jeremy, I sat in back while he and Kate discussed the whats' and hows' of the bike which was good to listen to while I sat back and lounged. It was certainly hilly, more than I expected. Additionally, it was as though they picked out all the hardest roads, not in terms of finding the most number of hills, but because they found roads where you'd go down a hill and have to turn at the bottom, requiring you to use your brakes, but then right after the turn there would be an uphill, so you wouldn't get to use all the speed you had just built up on the downhill. Later we all went out to dinner (Me, Kate, Jeremy, Ingrid, Mariah and Jeremys' parents) by which time I was absolutely starving and probably moody. We did some last minute shopping which included water, gatorade, some muscle milk which does not taste like chocolate milk or feel good in your stomach for breakfast before a Half-Iron triathlon, fake pearl earrings and some baby food for Mariah which was awkward to ask for since neither Katie nor I have kids... But we got to bed eventually at the hotel which was right up the hill from the start of the race.

We woke up at 5:30 and I started eating, two peanut butter sandwiches, two bananas, a muscle milk and maybe something else, it was early, I'm not sure now. We got down to the transition area and set up our things after getting body marked. The girl with the marker actually had a little trouble and had to line herself up with my arm and then hold it still to make sure she didn't miss...I guess my arms aren't wide at all when you look at them from the back...who knew? We made sure we all knew which way to go on the swim and before I knew it, the horn sounded and we were off.

The swim went well, I only got kicked in the face once and had to readjust my goggles. The sun was in our eyes on one side of the two lap course but it was manageable. I stayed comfortable and tried to not throw up in my mouth any more than absolutely necessary which turned out to be twice. But I'd rather eat a lot right before and then not be starving when I get on the bike. I jumped out of the water and stopped to take off my wetsuit before going into transition. I put on some socks, stuffed food in my pockets, put on my helmet and sunglasses and wheeled my bike out.

We had to run across the street and up three flights of stairs before we could get on the bike. I put my shoes on when I got there and found Jeremy right next to me. It was nice but also worried me, I know we're pretty even on the bike but have different styles of when and how we put in the effort so I didn't want to be going back and forth and killing myself the whole time and not be able to run. But it was also very comforting to have him there, someone I knew and someone who frankly makes me feel safe, I mean, who wouldn't feel safe around him? Unless he didn't like you but even then...After about ten miles he went away from me and I could only see him once in a while. There was no one around and I had to keep focused otherwise I felt as though I were just out for a ride in the country. But it was a race. At the turn around town I saw that he and I were actually in second and third whereas I thought we were out front. For a second I picked it up but then calmed down and kept doing what I had been, relaxed up the hills, steady rhythm. About ten miles from the end I clocked the distance to the leader since there was a three mile add on out and back and he had about six minutes on me. Without getting complacent I figured that unless he was a runner, I'd probably have a shot at him. About six miles from the end there was a huge climb of almost two miles. My average speed for the first 50 was 20.9 and after the climb...only 20.4. But I got through it and was back in town before long.

I hopped off the bike and jogged down the ramps to get back to transition, tore off my uniform top, put on shoes and a bandana, had a sip of water and was off. I needed to relieve myself but there were no port-a-potteys around...I found a tree about 100 yards from transition and used that instead. I hadn't seen Kate on the bike and was wondering what had happened to her but saw her as I was getting off the bike, she ran her bike down and changed in transition too before heading out on the run just behind me, passing me when I stopped for my tree-stop. I always seem to run fast right off the bike without trying to, so I tried to relax and take it slow. I wanted to build into the run rather than hammer and then die but when I hit the first mile in 5:55 even with the tree-stop I tried to slow down more, two miles in 12:00 and three in 18:10 despite my efforts to back off. My heartrate was low though, only about 171. I caught up to Jeremy around 2 miles and he egged me on to get after the leader who I caught around mile 4. At the turn around I started getting nervous knowing that on the way back in my first and only other triathlon, I had fallen apart towards the end. I wanted to finish strong so I took it easy and stopped to get water and gatorade at the rest stops. It was getting hot with the sun right over head and I didn't want to cramp. I was ahead of Kate at this point but she caught up to me around mile 7 or 8 though I don't really remember the specifics of it all. She pulled ahead and it was awesome knowing she was right nearby, especially because I was alone without anyone in front of me and she gave me someone to focus on, someone going faster to try to stay with. It was so perfect that I was sure it was against the rules. I wasn't sure exactly where the finish was but started to pick it up after the eleven mile mark, sprinting the last 200 yards.

I was surprised at how emotional I was after I finished. I had been training for this race all summer and wanting to use it as a test of my knee, wanting to know that my knee worked the way it used to before I had surgery. Crossing the line and having my body do exactly what I asked of it even though what I was asking was a tall order had me feeling elated. I welled up but was dehydrated and didn't end up leaking out any tears. The race certainly gave me the confidence I'd like to have going in to a year that I hope will be my fastest on the track. I don't have any misconceptions about the race though, any number of people could have shown up and run circles around me, so I have to be happy about how I did and I am. 4:47:24. The only other triathlon I've done was when I was 21 after not running my junior year, that was a pancake flat bike and I was 4:47:46, though the time certainly was not allocated in the same way.

Now it's time to rest and relax for a week and then get back into training which this time will be more focused on the running and less focused on anything else.

Northern Michigan

Left the condo today a little after 2pm, Kate and I made our way up to Bellaire MI where we're staying for the night before going the rest of the way to Petoskey where we'll stay on Saturday night, before the race on Sunday. We went for a brief swim in Torch lake, it's incredibly clear and though cool when you first get in, not too bad after a few minutes. The house actually has internet which is exciting after not having it for so long, but frankly I don't mind not having it, it makes me find other things to do. I'd be lying if I said that I didn't miss watching 24 though and I was on a roll moving through the seasons when I lost internet...and the ability to get more of it.

I'd kept hearing all summer about how hilly it is up in Petoskey and northern MI but now that I'm here I can understand why. It's not like NY where there are rolling hills and then some big ones, it seems as though when there is a hill here, it's straight up or straight down, depending on where you come across it. It'll certainly make the race interesting, but as I've been saying when I continually hear about the hills, hills are just roads that go up, and then you get to go down the other side. It's time for a good nights sleep and then a relaxing day tomorrow before an early morning on Sunday and hopefully being done for a week by noon. Start time is 7:20am.

I'm a little sore and tired from yesterday but its pretty md and makes me feel good especially after looking up how far I ran yesterday after the ride, if I can get near that pace for the half marathon at the end of the race it'll be a good day. I just need to make sure I eat enough so I don't fall apart at the end.

The house is starting to come together, we'll get internet and probably tv soon and since they came and got the hot water hooked up we can actually take showers, well I guess I'm the only one who really doesn't do well with the icy showers. I need the heat especially after an ice tub. But after I workout hard it makes me get cold. I'm excited for the race but I'm probably more excited for after the race when I can start running mileage and getting ready for the season. This race will act as a mini peak training wise which should be better than one long push for the whole season.

Lifting this morning was great, Bo is really helping me out. All that's left for today is to go for a run in my flats on pavement to make sure they feel good and then ride a bit with Jeremy tonight before I back off hard for the race.

Good Training Day

Today was one if those days you need to have before a race. I ran for a while this morning, swam, biked home and then did another run down the dirt road by the house at what I thought was a pretty good clip but I'll have to check.it online before I know what it's worth. But it felt fast and relaxed. I still need those laces for my shoes that are elastic so it doesn't take me forever in transition. We still need to get internet for the condo and then I can stop bothering Jr. for his blackberry and then I can actually type instead of fumbling with this tiny keyboard.

Donut Sunday

Today was the last donut sunday for two weeks since next week I'll be up in Petoskey for breakwater. I splurged and bought seven donuts but only managed to get through five before I had to call it quits. I felt bad for giving up but I finished the other two tonight. We don't have any internet yet so I'm using Jr's blackberry and will now call it a night so he can talk to Shelia.

Moving In

Thursday 8-19-10

Though my lease didn't end until Friday at noon, everything was out of the apartment and the keys were turned in by five on Thursday night since Friday morning was going to be busy with running and lifting. It took a lot longer than I thought it would to get everything out, but it always does, moving is just a hassle. Jason did me the favor of switching cars with him so I could use the Honda Pilot which has lots of space in it and a bike rack on the back which was a bonus. Will Jr. was a big help, he tackled packing the entire kitchen, something I was dreading horribly. Not only are there lots of pots and pans but you just accumulate food over the year, things for baking or cooking that aren't just in the fridge. But we got it all done and even had a run in the middle of the day with Nick and Frank Tinney who's in town for a bit. Our legs were tired from the constant trips up and down the stairs with boxes but we kept up and listened to the talk about non-profits and Zap Fitness.

Friday 8-20-10

Friday morning we ran, I hung out of the workout, Breakwater is a week away and I want to just get rested. Will Jr. and I cooled down while Nick started running back towards the track so Ron could pick him up for his training with Earl, headed back to the house and then down to the track for lifting (me) and biking (jr.). Jeremy showed up afterward and had the new TeamLaces gear from Cliff Keen for our race, the blue looks even better than I thought it would. Jason picked us up and we traded cars back which felt nice to have mine back. Today, like yesterday, there were always people around the house and so I didn't get nearly as much done organizing as I thought I would, so it looked like a disaster area downstairs.

Saturday 8-21-10

I got up and met up with Jay out on the road en route to meeting Jeremy out in Dexter for our ride. It started raining as the ride went on and we picked up Blair on the way back when the rain picked up but we got in a few hard intervals. If Jeremy and I end up near each other on the bike course it would be rough since we'd just be going back and forth for miles, and our riding styles are so different that it's not as though we'd be staying in the same places the whole time.

It's funny to me that when I was coming back from surgery and starting to run again, all I wanted to do was this Half-Iron so I could prove to myself that I was still the athlete I thought I could be or hoped to be, or maybe just dreamed of being. But after doing workouts with Ron, Nick and Will Jr. for almost two months now, I'm in better shape running than I have probably ever been and the whole reason I wanted to do the triathlon is pretty much moot. I'm already confident my body works the way I want it to and will do the things I ask of it. The training has just grown hard with the increased running volume and the intensity, coupled with biking, swimming and lifting. Bo pointed out on Wednesday that he thought my butt was getting bigger, a good sign to be sure, trying to be a little more like Stann. Too bad it looks like he's probably not coming back. Hopefully this will be a good outlet for chronicling the next few months and years. I've been wanting to put it down in writing but waited until things were more firmly set up before I started. Tomorrow if I have time I'll talk some about everything that's happening and some of what I hope happens.