Peasantman "Steel" Experience

This weekend I completed the Peasantman "Steel" distance triathlon.  The "steel" reference is based on a slightly longer distance than the traditional IM distance.  I did the 1/2 distance, 72.3 miles.  This is my 2nd 1/2 IM distance, first one this year.

Let me start by saying that I love this area of our country.  The New York Finger Lakes Region is absolutely beautiful.  The lakes are clean, cool, and deep and the surrounding areas are mostly rolling hills (I'll come back to this), farms, and small towns and cities.  The race took place in the Town of Penn Yan, NY, in the center of New York's wine region.

At the start we had a nice misty rain and calm waters.  The swim part of the race was uneventful other than to say that the mostly upstate New York crew can swim.  I don't fancy myself a great swimmer, but usually I'll find myself in the top 1/3 of a swim and this time I was likely more towards the middle.

Next, of course, was the bike .... and the hills.  Biking is my least favorite part of the triathlon and where I do the least training.  It showed in the results.  The bike was two 29 mile loops and between the wind from the North, which covered about 19 miles of the loop and the rolling hills, this bike was unlike my rides to Sandy Hook and rides to Asbury Park.  I was shocked at how many times I looked at my computer and saw mph's of 8,9,10,11.  As a result I averaged 17.5 mph, which was not my goal.  On the positive side, the ride was beautiful.  This area has a very large population of Mennonites (think Amish).  These wonderfully nice people get around in horse and buggys .... and bikes.  I was happy that their Church was in the opposite direction I was heading so I didn't get passed on one of the hills by a group of Mennonites.  I did pass a few horse and buggys, which made for a few great pictures.

My run was solid.  My goal was to run around 1:40-1:45.  I ran 1:43.  I was really happy with this outcome.  I ran a consistent pace, except for the 7:15 13th mile.  Perhaps I could have run a bit harder throughout, but at the time it didn't feel that way.

I highly recommend this race, it is worth the trip and the area is a great destination for a long weekend visiting wineries and enjoying all that the area has to offer.

By the way, I was 16th and 2nd in my age group, although it was a relatively small group that started.    The official results are not in, but I think the full had 12-15 people and the 1/2 had 65-70. They had a few relays and an Olympic distance as well.

Newark to New Hope

So this is not a race report but I thought I would do a short write-up about an interesting training ride I did on Sunday.  I am seven weeks out from Chattanooga Ironman and was looking to get in a long ride, and work on my nutrition strategy for the bike.  I loaded up three bottles with a mix of Carbo- Pro, EFS electrolyte drink and a scoop of Base salt, 300 calories per bottle.  I also carried two bottles of EFS liquid shot at 400 calories each and 2 bags of Honey Stinger Chews each are 90 calories.

I left my house at 5:15 am to meet Ken Wilson at the commuter parking lot at exit 109, I loaded my bike on his rack and we headed to Newark where we would meet up with the Major Harris Cycling Club of New Jersey who was hosting the ride. 

We parked at Newark-Penn Station and headed over to Prudential arena to register and meet up with the group.  I would estimate there was probably about 250-300 cyclists and one Inline speed-skater(no joke) who would head out to New Hope.  Ken and I talked with the Inline skater and he said he was probably only going to do about 60 miles due to time restraints and usually he averages about 20mph and 35 on down-hills(with no brakes mind you).

We headed out about 7:40 am with a full police escort which would lead us out the first 25 miles to the first support stop in New Brunswick.  The pace was slow and we were getting some strange looks from the pedestrians as we rode through Newark, Edison and Rahway. We finally got to New Brunswick about 9:15, I finished off my first bottle and grabbed a couple of Fig Newtons.

Ken insisted we ride with the A group and we took off from New Brunswick with a group of about 40-50 riders.  The group took off like a shot and never looked back, we averaged between 25-30 mph for the next 30 miles as we rode straight through into Lambertville dropping about half the group and then walking our bikes over the bridge into New Hope. 

I finished off my second bottle, a bag of chews and my first flask of liquid shot.  I loaded up my bottles with Gatorade as it was starting to get a bit warm out.  I also decided to eat half a turkey sandwich to see if I could tolerate any solid food.  We hit the restroom and we were ready to go, only problem was the rest of the group sat around for the next 45 minutes bullshitting and Ken and I had no idea how to get back on our own.

We finally took off for Newark and rode hard till we got back towards Edison.  There was a lot of traffic but these guys clearly had no concern for the cars or for rules of the road.  The last 20 miles back into Newark was a blur of dodging cars, running red lights and trying not too get killed.  We averaged close to 20mph on the way back and I felt pretty strong all the way back in.  There was only about 10-15 of us left when we finally rolled into Newark and headed back to the car. 

I am glad I was able to get a long hard ride in but I would not recommend it and would certainly not do it again as it was probably the least safe ride I have ever been on.  Not really sure how Ken talked me in to this one but I ain't mad at you Kenny.  Overall my nutrition seemed adequate on the bike and I hope it works as well in Chattanooga.

2014 New York City Olympic Triathlon

"Never Say Never!"

BACKGROUND
For 20 years I promised myself I would never ever swim in the Hudson River. As an engineer working on the West Side Highway / Route 9A reconstruction project, I saw very interesting sights and developments along the west side of Manhattan. One such tidbit was a water survey of pilings under two of the existing piers. After talking with the diver from that reconnaissance, I decided I would never swim in the Hudson.

Fast forward to October 2013. My friends and fellow NJ TriDevil teammates Michelle and Linda asked me to join them in the lottery for the 2014 NYC Olympic Triathlon. I was reluctant because of the swim in the Hudson.  Yes the swim was fast with the current. Yes the water quality of the river improved over the last 20 years. And yes, with the swim as my strength, how long would I really be in the water? I estimated less than 20 minutes. How bad could it really be?

THE LOTTERY
On the evening of the lottery deadline I said a little prayer and decided to let God determine my fate in the NYC Triathlon lottery. What were the chances of getting in for a first timer? 1 in 100.  A few weeks later, all three of us were selected.  This race was meant to be! 

PRE-RACE
I honestly was not nervous about the race, only the plunge into the Hudson. I was looking forward to biking on the roads I helped design and running in the park I ran and raced through years ago. But that river was still on my mind.

We racked our bikes late Saturday afternoon. Each bike had its own designated spot. To lighten the mood, each was furnished with a funny quote.

I felt this should have been mine!

On race morning, we took the shuttle bus to transition at 4 AM in order to have ample time to set up our transition areas and walk the mile up to the swim start on the Riverside pedestrian / bike path abutting the Hudson. Each swim wave was clearly marked and sectioned off into designated corrals.

The coolest part of the swim queue setup was seeing the heats in front jump in the water and swim beside us. The Pro Women flew by with the current carrying the winner to an amazingly sick 11:57 finish! Next, the Pro Men, Elite Women and Elite Men swam by at boosted speeds. Then came the age groupers. I had to smile at the men doing sidestroke whizzing by us.

MY SWIM
The Time Trial start allowed for 15 people to jump in the water every 20 seconds. My group was next. We lined up and most of the girls sat at the edge of the dock. I did the same and pushed off when the buzzer went off.

The initial plunge was a shocker. I kept sinking. I couldn't believe I was actually IN THE HUDSON.

I looked through the water, saw some wetsuit legs and realized, this is a race! I need to GO! Quickly, I shook off the anxiety, swam up to the surface, looked ahead at the first kayaker and saw two girls pulling ahead. I had to catch them!

So I put my head down and started to swim. After a dozen or so strokes, I realized the current was pulling me and the water wasn't too bad!  The temperature was moderate and I did not mind the saltiness.  When the initial choppiness of the water dissipated, my nerves settled down so I was able to get into a quick pace (I think), remembering to "follow the kayaks, one to the next". I kept swimming hard, but could not gage how fast I was really going. Could I swim faster? Should I swim harder? I had no idea what pace I was doing with that current.

When I saw the boat basin I maneuvered through a crowd of swimmers and swam up the ramp. A volunteer helped me out and said "the hardest part is over".  At that moment I thought, "NO, I still have the run"! But looking back at my angst with the swim, I think she may have been right.

In the end, my swim was 14 minutes and 17 seconds long.  My big smile upon leaving the swim ramp really expressed the joy I felt completing this swim.  Plus it was actually kind of fun!  I was thrilled to conquer my fear while having a little fun at the same time. 

OVERALL RACE SYNOPSIS
Now that the 2014 NYC Triathlon is over, I can honestly say: The race was great!  Despite my river angst and the rain during the swim and bike, I really had a good time.  The course was challenging with rolling hills on the bike and larger hills throughout the Central Park run. Plus I liked the Hudson River swim.  Look out 2015!

MY RACE RESULTS

Out of 107 women in my age group, I placed 4th in the swim, 5th in the bike, 19th in the run and 8th overall (2:33.12). Of the total 1,106 women including Pros and Elites, I finished 44th in the swim, 44th on the bike, 156th on the run and 70th overall.

LOGISTICS & SPECTATING
Logistics for the race were difficult. When I do this race again, I will stay within half a mile of the transition area, regardless where the host hotel is located, and will definitely have my husband Fred along to cheer my friends and me on.

Seeing him at the beginning of the bike and twice during the run, where I need the most encouragement, was key.  He stayed in the rain and still smiled and cheered. Just seeing him pushed me to finish strong while enjoying the moment.

LESSON:  NEVER SAY NEVER!

My swim in the Hudson was a true lesson, one in which I will not forget. I am proof; you just might do what you never thought you would.... Or could.  Even after 20 years.

IN CLOSING

I am thankful to Fred, Michelle and Linda for their support and words of wisdom. I am surprised (and happy) with my final race results (thanks Brian).  I can truly say I am a changed person because of this swim experience. I am humbled and honored to be able to compete in the sport of triathlon, especially at a world-class event like the NYC Olympic Triathlon.

At this time, I have no regrets for breaking my promise to never ever swim in the Hudson!

USAT Age Group National Championships

Age group nationals Milwaukee, WI
Let's say the weekend didn't start out on the best foot!!
Ricky & I planned to leave late afternoon and drive 1/2 way get 8 hrs of sleep and then head the rest of the way to Milwaukee! Until Ricky's flight was delayed 5 hrs and he didn't get home until 11 pm!! We decided to sleep until 2 (I was long asleep by 11 though) and drive straight through we took turns driving & sleeping! Thankfully my jeep has an outlet & we have Normatech!!!!! So we took turns using Normatech in the back while the other drove!
We made perfect timing until we hit Chicago, gridlock for about 1.5 hrs!!! Of course I start to stress about packet pick up and bike drop off at this point!
Luckily we made it to race site on Lake Michigan (gorgeous btw) at 4:30 with enough time to test out the bikes and shop around!
Milwaukee is surprisingly a very cool city with little canals/rivers lots of boats and of course the city was packed with triathletes.....
We ate at a nice place on the river & headed back to sleep early!
Our waves weren't until 9:08 and 9:18, with transition not closing until 7:30 we felt there was no rush!
5:15 am wake up! Ricky eats yogurt granola & a banana and I chow down a chocolate honey stinger waffle :) we mix our bottles and one to keep with us with EFS and head out! I'm happy we stayed close to race site because we didn't have to move the car once!
I like bike check early, there is a lot less to worry about race morning!
We set up transition and head to swim start to watch course! Luckily we watched because the lead swimmer kept all buoys to his left, when you could have kept them right for a shorter course!
As we hang waiting for the race start I enjoy another waffle and honey stinger chews while dreaming of crossing the finish line!

Swim waves had 10 min between each & swim warm up was limited to the heat prior (while they were on the line, the next heat could warm up in a blocked off area)
Water temp was about 70, jumped in for warm up a little surprised about how cool it felt!
Swim start is always nuts, but that's the fun part! My swim course was not perfect at all, somehow I find myself alone way far outside. Was very happy to have been able to watch the swim start so I could make up for my mistake!
There were volunteers there to help you up their slippery ramp holding you hand by hand and then you head into the longest swim-transition jog.. Ever!
The bike course was 1 giant loop at the first turn you head up a hill and cruise right back down!! Headed for a huge bridge! Very difficult to get up, but  the way down was almost too fun! Nice to have a little break :)
The course was well marked for bumps to avoid and direction. Let me say it is not fun being the wave before 30-34 males.. They fly by you like you're standing still!   As we head back over the bridge, you get somewhat spoiled with the view! It's like going over the hump Into sandy hook with the view of the ocean and bay! The view almost made you forget you were chugging up hill! As soon as you get to the bottom of the bridge you head back to transition! It came pretty quick!
Out for the run I took a gu and forgot to get some water so I had that taste in my mouth for a little while! I will never make that mistake again!
By the time we were on the run course it was getting hot, there was some wind, and luckily aid stations had ice and water to cool ya off!
 The run was an out and back and on the way back there were many spectators letting you know how long is left! As I say to myself "okay you only have to hold it in for half a mile" which seams like eternity! I regained composure and headed down the red carpet finish happy as a clam!!!
I ended up finishing 29th in the female 25-29 age group with high hopes that the female In front of me would have really great things happen to them so I could get a spot on team usa for worlds in Chicago! (They took top 25)
Later that night I got a message from a friend at the awards ceremony that they announced they were taking top 30!!! I had to email all of my information and interest and I am hoping I get the chance to race with Team USA in Chicago for Age Group Worlds 😃
All of that being said- Milwaukee hosted a great race & there is a rumor it might be there again in 2015! It's an awesome race with great competition!

Post Race Pic with Team members Ricky & Amanda (Photo Cred: Mrs. Kuperavage) 

 

Escape the Cape Triathlon

Escape the Cape Triathlon

June 8, 2014

A few people have asked me about this race….sorry this has taken so long. (Yes, that's me in the picture!) 

This was a fun race with a few different twists to it, but definitely not a race for a PR. Sprint and International Distances offered. I did the Sprint Distance….  .35 Swim/10 mile bike/ 5K

Stephen Pinchac did the International…1 mile Swim/20 mile bike/ 5 mile run

Ok…here's the details:

Mandatory bike rack the day before, so be prepared to make a weekend out of it. Race morning parking is at local winery…you are then shuttled to race site (Cape May Ferry Terminal)

1500 Athletes are taken out on the Ferry (both Sprint and Olympic) You can pretty much jump whenever you want…(Sprint wave goes off first, then Olympic) You cross timing mat right before you jump (more incentive not to hem and haw once you get to the edge)  I personally wanted to get it over with as soon as possible, so I went to main level (but apparently so did everyone else) It was pretty packed. Unfortunately, there were some issues with the boat drifting..repositioning took a little while. It was getting really hot standing on deck in the wetsuit and wall to wall people. I was trying not to look down (I had been told that the jump was around 8 feet..apparently some of my friends can't be trusted :) When I got to the edge, I realized I HAD to look down (just to avoid jumping on top of someone) All I remember is that the very nice man on deck was talking to me, I looked down, looked at him, said a few things I can't mention here (hopefully he forgives me)  and just jumped before I lost my nerve (I think he was still talking) It seemed REALLY high, but  I estimate 12-15 feet. I also felt like I went about 10 feet deep..took a while to get back to surface. OK…hard part done (or so I thought) Now the lifeguards are all yelling at us to swim left (swim course was not marked...no buoys. hopefully this will be fixed for next year) I keep swimming left (with everyone else) I ask the last lifeguard where the finish mat is…he points way to the right. I give him a WTF? look….he explains that they didn't want us swimming into the jetty (honestly, we were nowhere near the jetty) But, safety first. I get out and run a couple hundred yards on the beach…ouch…little did I know that this was just a preview of the run that was coming up.

Long run to transition…onto bike. Bike course mostly flat, a little windy, one incline to speak of (over bridge and then same bridge on the way back) Bike done. Then it gets mean again. 

Off the bike…right onto the sand. For a mile. Desperately looking for some firm sand…not to be found. Nice and mushy…at one point the tide had come in and we were running thru about 6 inches of water…(dammit..why did I wear my Newtons?..lol)  Finally up a %#@!! sandy hill to the pavement. Solid ground never felt so good…my calves thanked me. Easy run to the finish…greeted by ice cold towels and lots of spectators. Great post race breakfast buffet.

A little confusion trying to get back to the winery where we had parked. We were not allowed to take our bikes on the shuttle…no one really knew what we were supposed to do. We were told to just ride back the few miles on our bikes (with all of our gear) or leave our bikes and go get our cars…hopefully this will be fixed for next year too.

Overall.. great, well organized race. (a little pricey…if I recall correctly…around $160) This was the second year for this race…Stephen DelMonte is very open to comments and suggestions, so I'm sure the race will be even better next year. He has gone on record saying that he will NOT take out the run in the sand, however…:) 

Eileen

Is a marathon in late June a good idea?

            When I first heard that the Challenge Triathlon series was coming to the US, I knew I wanted to be part of their first ever US event, and being in my home state of NJ it was a no brainer.   I quickly signed my husband (The other Cullen) and I up for a 2 person relay.  Often with these races you sign up months in advance and then suddenly 8 weeks out you are shaking your head wondering why you signed up to swim 2.4 miles , bike 112 (Brian) and run a marathon in the middle of the day in NJ summer heat.

            I was able to get in some long runs a few weeks out from the race, but in the end ask fellow teammate Jillian to do the swim portion.  As it turn out the swim was much harder then people expected with a strong current, Jillian came in to the Relay transition area and handed off the chip to Brian for the 112 bike leg (Swim: 1:18.31).  We had no idea what to expect from Brian’s ride as his longest training ride going into the race was 54 miles, I knew he could suffer but was not sure the extent he would go for a 112 ride.  During most of the bike ride I was out on the course with Brian Shea of PBN helping with updating the pro race via the Challenge Twitter feed.  This was a great distraction from sitting around in transition for hours waiting for Brian to return.  It was exciting out on the course following the pros and getting the splits between the packs, which at times I had to remind myself I still need to get back to transition and actually go and run a marathon.  The guys dropped me back off and went out on the run course to continue with the pro updates for Challenge. 

            As I sat under a tent waiting with the other marathon runners, it really starting setting in that I needed to make sure I was drinking and fueling to get ready.  I tried to stay in the shade as much as possible, the sun was hot!  The pros started to come in off the bike and some super speedy age groupers.   I made my way over to the Relay transition and optimistically waited for Brian to return.  Bikers started coming in but there were a lot of us waiting.  Jillian and I were chatting and trying to guess when we might see him.  And then he appeared, I was so excited to see him and find out how it went, he just look at me and said get that chip off me, so I grab the chip said great job and went on my way.  In the end he pulled out a 5:37:47 bike split for 112 miles (average 19.9mph), super proud of my hubby for suffering for the team!

            I of course went out way to fast as I was so happy to finally be moving after sitting around most of the day, I started to click off the miles in the 7:25 pace area, I had planned on trying to settle in at about 7:45-7:50 but was not able to find my groove, so I just kept going with it knowing that this is a fatal mistake when running a marathon to think you can bank miles, but I decided to just see where I will end up.  The marathon course was flat as a pancake on a gorgeous Jersey Shore summer day, which meant the beaches were crowded.  I was prepared in my head for some dodging of people/children/beach chairs.  For the most part I found the crowd along the south part of the board walk very supportive; many people were sitting on benches and cheering the racers on, great crowd support.  In front of the casinos was another story, you were in a live video game dodging people, but sometimes listening to the comments of the people as you go by talking among themselves was priceless.  The volunteers were fantastic, they had so much energy and made sure at every aid station they would get you what you needed.

            My wheels started to fall off at about mile 13.  I knew I was in trouble since I still had the other half of this race to run.  Luckily since this was a long distance triathlon there was cola on course, so in my head I decided to go to coke at mile 16, which seem to help for a few miles.  Jillian jump in and ran with me since Brian was still MIA after his bike.  Jillian had fresh legs so that help, I was having visions of handing her the timing chip and taking a break.  Over the last half of the marathon I just watched my average pace slip further and further away, the miles in 7:40ish pace went to 7:55pace to in the 8 min area and eventually I saw a few 9s pop up.  I really could not complain about suffering as I was only running the marathon leg out there and many of the people around me were 130 plus miles into finishing 140.6!  I eventually finished at 3:33:27.  Lesson learned:  No marathons in the peak of Tri Season, the run takes too much out of your legs.  Run more then 19 miles in long training runs, even though a relay it still was a marathon –ALWAYS Respect the Distance!