Three Marathons and a Tri

Welcome back sports fans as I attempt to bring everyone up to date after a several month lapse in race and running reporting. My last race report (other than last weeks’ Eagleman 70.3 report) was last fall’s Parks Half Marathon in September 2011. Since then I raced Marine Corps Marathon, Rehoboth Marathon, Potomac River Run Marathon, and Naylor’s Beach Olympic Triathlon. So without further ado....

Marine Corps Marathon 2011 Recap
As you may recall I was very excited about my Parks Half time – I had PR’ed and I was hopeful that my performance would predict a sub-3 at Marine Corps. I continued to train with XMP – averaging 60+ mile weeks. Of course, I am training smarter now – running 6 times a week but over 5 days (double running on Tuesdays – slow 8 mile run at lunch and speedwork with XMP at night) which gave me 2 fulls days of rest. I was also running my base miles slower and introduced speedwork.

The day before Marine Corps (October 29, 2011) we were treated to...a snowstorm. Yup. Snow. About an inch or so. What the hell would that mean for race day?

Race day dawned clear and cold but not bitterly cold. I opted for shorts, long sleeves, glove and hat. The runner’s village was a somewhat muddy mess due to the snow and some of the streets were very slick. Jordana and I hung out at the MCRRC Hospitality Suite at the Rosslyn Holiday Inn (she was coaching the First Time Marathon program) until it was time to walk to the start. That was one cold walk – as I had forgotten to bring any plastic bags or discardable clothes to wear. We kissed each other goodbye and went to our respective starting corrals.

Once again, I did something you aren’t supposed to do in a marathon – tried something new. I thought that perhaps the key to a sub-3 was really trying to achieve negative splits (i.e., running faster the second half than the first) and so decided I would go out slower than target pace for the first several miles. Especially since the first 3 miles of MCM are uphill.

The race started and I went slower than usual. First several miles were closer to 7:10s. In retrospect, I think I started TOO slow. If my target pace is 6:48, perhaps I should have been starting out at 6:56s NOT 7:10s. Oh well, I would pay for that later.

Meanwhile, the race continued, through Arlington, down the long steep Spout Run Parkway Hill onto the GW Parkway. As we neared Key Bridge, we ran over an overpass – that was VERY SLICK with black ice from yesterday’s snow storm!! Crap! Luckily I did not fall – but everyone started shuffle stepping to stay vertical. MCM – Really? – You couldn’t throw down some sand or salt pre-race!?! Over Key Bridge and hard left to run around the MacArthur Reservoir.

Observation: As the course climbed up Reservoir Road from Canal to MacArthur, we were running into the sun. All I could see was runners in front of me in dark silhouette against the sun. There was a slight mist in the air from the cold and breath from the runners. The effect was runners in black shadow surrounded by a hazy shade of yellow. It was truly sublime.

On MacArthur road I caught up to the 3:05 (or was it 3:10) pace group and realized I was going way way too slow, so kicked things into a high gear with a couple of 6:38s until my overall pace dropped below 6:52 (magic sub-3 pace). Of course, this was a big waste of energy at an early stage of the race. I hoped I wouldn’t be paying for that later in the race.

Meanwhile, the race continued – through Georgetown, past the Kennedy Center and the Lincoln, on to Haines Point. Hit the half-way mark at 1:29:59! One second faster than goal pace. Surprisingly, my pace actually improved for the next several miles – holding at 6:51 overall. As the course continued along the Mall towards the Capitol, though, I could feel the all-too-familiar tiring of my body. I willed myself to hold the pace. But as I approached the 14^th Street Bridge, my pace creeped above 7 min/mile never to come down.
I pushed my way down and back through Crystal City. Still, I was running faster than I had ever run MCM. I knew there was not going to be a sub-3 or PR today but I thought I might set an MCM PR. The race continued along past the Pentagon, onto Route 110. Mile 24, Mile 25, finally Mile 26 and the quarter mile spring uphill to the Iwo Jima Memorial and the finish.

My time 3:02:32! My fourth fastest marathon and my fastest Marine Corps. So, it was a good day.

Lesson learned: don’t try anything new and that includes race strategy! Also, my body seems to run best when I run as flat a pace as possible. Now on to Rehoboth.

Rehoboth Marathon 2011 Recap
With Marine Corps done, I gave myself a two week reverse taper, then a 60 mile week, then taper for Rehoboth. With XMP over, I did speedwork on my own (following the XMP schedule) using the large oval around the Washington Monument as my "track" – it happens to be just about ½ mile in circumference, making it perfect to do 800m and 1000m repeats – I’m sure the park rangers still wonder who the hell that runner is doing lap after lap around the Monument.

As before, Jordana and I have decided doing Rehoboth is a great way to combine running a marathon with having a weekend away. My in-laws have a place in Bethany, the race is Saturday morning, and the kids were with the in-laws – so we had a nice weekend away.

Race day was cold, but not as cold as the previous year. There were a number of my XMP friends racing that day – either the full or the half – which it made it that much more fun. Humorous observation: we’re standing around the start, I’m in shorts, long sleeves, hat, and gloves. My friends are in singlets and they comment on my long sleeves. "I don’t have a lot of body fat," I say, "I get cold easy." "What are you talking about?" one of them replies "Look at us – we’re all skinny guys with no body fat!" I laugh, agree, but say "nevertheless, I get cold easy."

The race started and I was determined to stick with my tried and true racing strategy – race flat for as long as I could. And I held to that. My times were amazingly consistent, for the majority of the race I held to a 6:48 pace plus or minus a few seconds.

The race was much windier than last year, so sometimes it was a real struggle to hold the pace. But I was determined that this would be my race. All of my running friends were convinced that the 3 hour barrier was more mental than physical, and perhaps I was believing that myself.

There isn’t that much to say about the race that I haven’t already discussed in last year’s race report, so I’ll just mention a few additional observations. There was one point, where the course makes a 90 degree right turn to run around a parking lot before resuming along the road. This was right near the beach in Lewes. Remember the wind? When I made that right turn, I was just about stopped in my tracks by a gust of wind that carried with it tiny grains of sand. Like getting stung with tiny needles. Very unpleasant – at least it was only a few 100 meters or so before getting back to the road.

Observation and thanks: Eventually the course (on its return to Rehoboth from Lewes) leaves the roads and heads back onto the Junction & Breakers Trail (about mile 20 or so). I was feeling mentally down, wondering could I keep this pace up for another 6.2 miles. Just before the course turned onto the trail, I hear a chorus of shouts "Way to go Greg! You got it!" My buds who had run the half marathon, were out there cheering those of us doing the full on. Thank you Dan, Owen, Chrissy, and Brad!! (I hope I’m not forgetting anyone) That was just what I needed.

The course wound its way along the trail. The miles counting down and with each mile I was more and more confident that I would finally meet my goal.

The course left the trail and back onto the roads in Rehoboth. Mile 24, 25, 26. I was flying down the final mile and when I saw the finish line up ahead with clock showing "2" I put in a 6:09 pace for the final quarter. I crossed the finish line:

2:58:19!!! My friends were high-fiving me. I broke the 3 hour barrier. It only took me 14 marathons to do it!!

When Jordana finished, she asked how I did. I showed her my Garmin. It was a happy day. Of course, we all had a great time in the post race party. Did I mention they have a huge beer truck with Dogfish Head Ale?

2011 Year End
After Rehoboth, I took the rest of December off (and by "off" I mean running only 25 miles per week). I ended the year with the highest mileage I’ve ever run in a year: 2456.77 total miles – 702.25 more miles than my previous highest mileage year (2008, the year before I was injured). My average run was 9.3 miles per run, and my average weekly mileage was 47.1 miles. Not too shabby.

Boston Bound (or 26.2 to Boston) 2012
With the new year, came a new running season. Although I was not running Boston, I decided I really like running with a group so signed up for Boston Bound again (oops, due to trademark issues, it is now called 26.2 to Boston) and signed up to run the Potomac River Run marathon in May.

Not much to say about the training program – I simply continued my fall training. Running 60 mile weeks, weekend long runs, double runs on Tuesday.

One of the highlights, however, was meeting Michael Wardian.  Wardian is a sub 2:20 marathoner who also runs (and wins) ultras.  He's our hometown champion.  He spoke to our group after track one night.  He's not only a great runner, but also he's a genuinely friendly guy.

An observation: one of our long runs was a 22 miler – down the CCT, over the Key Bridge, loop around Roosevelt Island, down the Mt Vernon Trail, across the 14^th Street Bridge and back up the CCT to Bethesda. It was a cold day, windy, cloudy. As we started around Roosevelt Island, it started to flurry. The flurries turned into a stead snow. By the time were on the Mt Vernon Trail, we were running it what seemed to be an all-out blizzard. We could barely see in front of us, the snow was so thick. As we reached the 14^th Street Bridge, the snow lightened up and then stopped. As we crossed the bridge, we could see the snow squall moving down river. To the left, blue skies. It was surreal.

An observation: we are doing track at Whitman HS. Yasso 800s, I think (or maybe 1000m repeats). The Whitman Athletic Director and bunch of bigwig donors are reviewing the infield, near the edge of the track. We politely ask them to move out of lane 1 as we run around them. So what do they do? They stand in lane 1. The more we asked (politely) for them to move, the further out into the track they seemed to stand (deliberately I might add). Eventually, they were taking up the two inside lanes. Our coach (who teaches at Whitman) pleaded with us to just run around them. Which we did, without further incident (well, one of our members decided to have a few words with the group. I think their reply to him was along the lines of "how much money did you give for the track?") Just because you have money, doesn’t mean you have to be jerks about it. Oh well.

Potomac River Run 2012 Recap
 I was hoping to run sub-3 again, to prove to myself that Rehoboth was not a fluke. However, I did not feel strong going into this marathon. Despite a strong winter/spring training season, work and life intervened in April and just seemed to throw off my training. I had to travel to Sacramento for work in early April, followed by going to Virginia Beach over Spring Break, then my oldest daughter’s Bat Mitzvah (all in April), and, even though I got my miles in, I did them mostly alone.

Anyhow, as I stood at the starting line, I just didn’t feel mentally or physically ready for 26.2 miles.
Anyhow, the gun started and off I went hoping to run as flat as I could around a 6:48 pace.

I actually ran surprisingly well for the first half. Although the course mile marks did not always seem accurate (one "mile" was actually about 1.2 miles and another "mile" was about 1.2 miles – and this is a straight line course along the C&O Canal, so this is not a Garmin issue because I was not running perfect tangents), I was holding a pretty consistent overall pace of around 6:49.

I hit the half way point a few seconds under 1:30, which surprised me a bit because I thought (according to my Garmin) that I was running faster. Whatever. I made the U-turn and begin the second of the two out-and-backs.

Really not much to add to this report that I haven’t discussed in last year’s race report. Despite the loneliness, I quite enjoy this marathon. River on one side, canal on the other. It’s very lovely.

My big complaint about the race is that between the full and half and the 6:30 and 7:30 starts for both, you have no idea whatsoever who the competition is. Everyone has the same looking bib. Is that runner doing the full or the half? Are they your competition or did they start an hour before you? Based on perceived pace at the various turn arounds, I thought I was in 3^rd or 4^th place at the last turn around.

Just before the last turn around, I passed a runner who I thought was in 3^rd, putting me in what I thought was now 3^rd place. I was tiring greatly. It wasn’t the hottest of days (only in the mid 60s) but it was very humid (humidity in the upper 80%) and I could just feel myself getting slower and slower. Indeed, my pace over the final 10 miles went from 6:49 to 7:03 to 7:13 to 7:21 to 7:49 to 7:53!!!

That’s when the runner who I had passed back at the last turn around passed me. Crap – so close and now I’m in 4^th! But then I thought, but that means I’m at least first place masters. But no! I want 3^rd. So I dug deep and brought the pace down to 7:30, passing him back in the final mile. It was a foot race to the finish (I did the last quarter at a 6:13) and I finished a few seconds ahead!

My time: 3:05:34. Not even close to a PR or even one of my fastest marathons. Oh yeah, it turned out I totally missed several other runners. I wasn’t 3^rd, I was 6^th place overall. And 3^nd in my age group!! As it turns out, the overall winner was 25, but overall places 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 where all masters runners! Not bad for a bunch of "old" men.

Post Race Reflection
Shortly after this marathon (my only one of the season) I read an article (don’t recall if it was Runner’s World, Running Times, or Marathon & Beyond) that talked about running multiple marathons in a season and how with some runners, they run their best marathons AFTER racing (not running) a first marathon only a few weeks earlier. I then noticed that my two best marathons – Potomac River Run 2011 and Rehoboth 2011 – were both run within weeks of racing hard marathons. I ran a 3:00:30 at Potomac just three weeks after running a 3:05 at Charlottesville, and I ran a 2:58 at Rehoboth, only 6 weeks after running a 3:02 at Marine Corps. Indeed, my 2012 Potomac River Run time was 3:05 – consistent with what I had run my "first" marathons in 2011.

I’m wondering if perhaps I’m the type of runner who does better running multiple marathons in a season? We’ll test this out in the fall – I’ve got Marine Corps in October followed by a special November running of the Potomac River Run.

Didn’t You Mention a Tri?
As Jordana was driving me home from Potomac River Run, she asked "so, with two triathlons coming up in June, when are you planning to start training?" Oh yeah, I had been so focused on marathons, I kept pushing off my tri training – and I had an Olympic and then Half-Ironman (on consecutive weekends) in about a month. Time to start training.

I spent May, swimming and biking. Now by "spent May" I mean I swam about 4 times and biked about 4 times. Oops.
　
Naylor’s Beach Olympic Triathlon Recap
I signed up for this back when I was on the waiting list for Eagleman, not knowing if I’d get in. When I got in to Eagleman, I figured at worst Naylor’s Beach would be a good tune up, especially since my tri training had been not the most vigorous.

It was a wonderful race day. Not dreadfully hot. The water was wetsuit legal. I had come with a neighbor who was doing the Sprint Tri option (half the distance) and this was his first open water tri (his previous tris had been pool swims), so he was excited and glad it was wetsuit legal.

Not much to add that I haven’t said previously about this tri. It was a wonderful low-key triathlon, now in June (having been moved from September).

The swim was a bear – there was a strong outgoing tide. The swim course was sort of like a misshaped 3 sided rectangle. First, we swam against the tide to the first turn buoy, then with the tide to the second turn, then perpendicular to the tide to the finish. The race director reminded us of this fact and urged us to remember to over-correct when swimming the final leg.

I thought I swam pretty nicely for the first two legs. Of course, I and about half the rest of the olympic participants forgot about the overcorrection! I turned the final buoy and started swimming to shore. But I could not get a good sight on the finish. Eventually I look up and say to myself "why am I seeing houses in front of me? The finish is at the campground." I look to my left (upriver) and see, oh crap! I’m way downstream! So we all turn parallel to the shore and start swimming upstream, against the tide, to make our way back on course!

Meanwhile, the spring participants are on shore watching us getting carried off-course. The race director is standing among them saying "why didn’t they listen? I told them to over-correct for the tide. I hope YOU guys don’t forget."

Anyhow, my off-course diversion put my total swim time at 35:50 – almost ten minutes slower than the last time I did Naylor’s Beach. Crap. Of course, I was bit discombobulated from the extra distance I swam, and my T1 time reflected that – about 30 seconds slower than last time (3:04).

Maybe the bike would help me along. My tri training philosophy has been that marathon training is sufficient! I’ve got strong legs, I’ve got the endurance. I actually had a decent bike – no equipment malfunctions like last time (when my cleats fell off my shoes). I thought I was riding pretty well.

Observation: there is one really steep hill. I was flying down that hill, reaching a max speed of almost 40 mph! As I was hurtling downhill on my bike, I thought "it would be really bad if I were to wipe out."

I finished the bike in 1:18:18 about three minutes faster than last time. I’d hoped to have ridden faster, but oh well. T2 was about the same time as my previous Naylors (1:35) and off to the run.

Now I was in my element – and I excelled. I ran the 10K in 40:24 – a 6:30 pace. Unfortunately, it was not enough to compensate for a totally crappy swim, and I finished with an overall time of 2:39:10 (three minutes slower than in 2010).

But, everyone had a crappy swim – not just me. I finished 21^st overall (was 23^rd last time) and finished 2^nd in my age group (5^th last time). So I was pretty pleased. I got a decorative wineglass as my prize.

Oh yeah, my neighbor had a great first open water tri experience, and pulled out 3^rd place in his age group as well. We loaded up the car and headed back to Potomac.

So there you have it race fans. I’m all caught up. This weekend I begin XMP training for the fall marathon season.

On deck: Parks Half Marathon and Richmond Rox Half Ironman in September, Marine Corps Marathon in October, Potomac River Run Marathon in November, and the Seashore State Park Trails 50K in December (did I forget to mention I want to return to running ultras this year.....)

Eagleman 70.3 Recap

The word for the day was HOT, really hot.

But first, sorry for the long gap in posts Sports fans. I could say it’s been a crazy fall and winter and spring. Well, I said it, so that’s my story and I’m sticking to it. I hope to give some recaps of my two fall and one spring marathon, as well as the olympic tri I did the week before Eagleman (was that the smartest thing to do? asked Jordana). As a little preview, in case you did not see my Facebook status update last December, I broke the 3 hour barrier at Rehoboth Marathon in December – running a 2:58:19.

But I digest...

After completing her first tri at Rocketts Landing last year, Jordana caught the tri bug and decided she wanted to try Eagleman this year. We both missed the entry deadline. I put myself on the waiting list and she registered as a charity runner for Team Win the Fight to stop melanoma. I got in off the waiting list, so we were both on board. Jordana spent the spring dedicated to training – swimming, biking on the trainer in the basement, running. Me? Nada except doing my spring marathon training (I had a May 6 marathon). Indeed, I’m somewhat embarrassed to admit that prior to Eagleman I had swum and biked only 4 times (including the tri the week before). I believed that my marathon training would carry the day.

Meanwhile, as race day approached we saw the weather forecast showing increasingly hotter temperatures. Oh well – we had a string of about 5 days of really hot weather, oh was it April? Would that suffice for heat acclimation?

Race weekend came. With the grandparents watching the kids, Jordana and I packed our bikes and gear and headed off to Cambridge, Maryland. We went through packet pickup and had enough time to listen to the pre-race talk (to a standing room only crowd). "It wouldn’t be Eagleman without the heat" said the race director. "If it was a cool day, you’d all have just stayed at home, right?" Afterwards, I went through the expo to purchased a new bento box for my bike (my old one was too small to hold the Cliff Shot Blocks that I now rely upon for fueling during the bike portion) and a new set of sunglasses (lost my old ones in Israel). Then, we headed off to the race to rack our bikes (at Eagleman, you rack your bike the day before).

We got to transition and racked our bikes. A number of people were taking practice swims, so we got our wetsuits (the race director said it would be touch and go whether the race would be wetsuit legal – notwithstanding the high air temps, the water was around 75 degrees – 76.1 F being the magic number for whether you can wear wetsuits). We did some practice swimming, which greatly reduced some of Jordana’s anxiety about open-water swimming (the James River at Rocketts Landing, although a river, was like swimming in a pool). On our way back to the car, we saw a few people running – too late for heat acclimation now, I thought.

Back in the car and off to Bethany Beach where we were staying. Lunch at Panera in Salisbury. We made a pasta dinner to carbo load, then headed to the Bethany boardwalk for frozen yogurt. Early to bed and, following Ben Franklin’s wisdom, early to rise. The alarm rang at 4 am Sunday morning and it was time to go! Got our water bottles filled with gatorade and ice, made sure we had everything, then back on the road at 4:30am.

We arrived at the shuttle parking lot at around 5:45, hopped on the bus to the race start, and heard it was going to be a wetsuit legal race. (As an aside, wearing a wetsuit makes the swim much faster.) We arrived at the race and proceeded to set up our respective transition areas. I’ve gotten the hang of this now, and can set up a pretty swell transition area. I helped Jordana with hers. We slathered each other with sunblock – nary a cloud in the sky and there is not an inch of shade on the bike or run course. At 6:45am, we had to exit transition as the pro’s were about to start. Of course, Jordana’s swim wave did not start until 7:58 and mine 8:06 – such is triathlon – so we hung out in the shade or in line for the porto-johns.

Soon it was time to help Jordana into her wetsuit. As I said at Rocketts Landing, the very best part of doing a race with your spouse is kissing him or her good luck just before the start and saying "have a good race" and "see you at the finish." The 7:58 horn went off and off went Jordana! I got my wetsuit on and waited for my start.

The SwimA little confusion at my start. We were standing in the water and heard the race director call out "1 minute to go." Almost immediately, the horn sounded. Some of us started swimming, others looking confused. The race director then shouted "go - start swimming!" So we did.

I started to the side and a bit in back. No need to get swum over by the aggressive faster swimmers. So, I never really encountered much in the way of the cuisinart-start. Yes, I occasionally swam into someone else or was swum over – but not much. I actually had a very good swim. I settled quickly into a good stroke/breathe/sighting rhythm. I sighted very nicely (much better than the week before at Naylor’s Beach).
Not much else to say about the swim. About midway through, I started passing swimmers in the wave in front of me – sometimes wondering if one of those swimmers was Jordana. Likewise, I was passed by a few of the stronger swimmers in the wave behind me.

I finished the swim in 36:52 – almost 10 minutes faster than last year. Some of that is attributable to the wetsuit – you swim much faster wearing one. But not that much faster. So part of it is that I am a stronger and better open water swimmer.

Out of the water, peeled off my wet suit and headed into transition.

T1Had a decent transition. It was a bit slower than last year, but that is mostly due to having to take off a wetsuit. Of course, I could spend hours practicing, but why, really. My T1 time was 3:23. Last year it was 2:59. Anyhow, off to the bike.

The BikeI really wasn’t sure what to expect on the bike. I expected a faster swim if only because I was wearing a wetsuit. I didn’t know what to expect now. I hoped to bike a bit faster than last year, but then I biked faster than I thought I would last year. Anyhow, I ate a Cliff chomp and had some gatorade to replenish after the swim and settled into aero position.

The one thing I noticed pretty quickly was that I was cycling at a good clip – ranging between 20 and 22 mph. I also noticed that I was passing a lot more cyclists than were passing me. So I felt pretty good. I felt comfortable in the bike. I kept to my fueling regimen of a cliff chomp and gatorade every 10 minutes.

At the 20 and 40 mile marks, I realized my times were such that I was probably going to bike faster than last year. At around halfway through the bike, I found myself often getting very anxious for the 10 minute fueling/hydrating mark to arrive – not so much because I was hungry but because I was thirsty. I also found myself going through my gatorade much quicker (I was carrying three bottles). Indeed, I ended up taking a fourth bottle at one of the aid stations. I probably should have focused on that a bit more but, alas, did not.

At around 40 miles, I started to feel the strain of maintaining a super-20mph pace and found myself having to work harder to pedal that fast. Indeed, my speed was more in the 18 - 19mph. I also noticed, but again, did not focus on, the fact that when I stood up into power position, I could feel the faintest hint of quivering in my quads. I did start thinking, though, that maybe I was pushing the bike portion to hard. After all, I still had a half marathon in the hot sun to run. Not that I made any conscious decision to slow down, but I think my body did.

Eventually, I passed the 50 mile mark – 6 to go. Around this point, the bike and run portion meet and we triathletes starting in the later swim waves get to look jealously at those athletes who were on the "back" portion of the out-and-back run course.

I rode to the finish, crossed the dismount line and ran the bike back into transition.

Bike time: 2:49:36 (19.81 mph average) and a bit over 6 minutes faster than last year.

T2Another decent transition. Switched biking for running gear. I realized that I hadn’t started my Garmin before the bike so quickly turned it on and hoped that it would lock signal before I was done getting my shoes on. I was really hot now, and sweating. I had a bottle full of water for my feet (in case they were sandy after the swim, which they weren’t) so I dumped almost all of it on my head and chest. The watch got signal, and I was off. Grabbed a cup of gatorade as I headed out of transition.

T2 time: 3:04 (last year it was 3:00)

The Run (or welcome to the lava fields)The run, what can I say. My legs felt fine (as last year, my legs felt better after biking 56 miles than they did at olympic tri’s having biked only 24 or 26 miles – go figure). My first mile was a nice 7:04 pace. My spirits were up, having just been cheered on by Big Al Navidi (thanks for coming out)!! I looked at my overall time and thought, if I can keep this pace up I will have an awesome PR.

Famous last words. The next mile was a 7:28. The mile after that was a 7:58. Then my Garmin shut off (I had left it on top of my running hat in the blazing sun and it just overheated – I remember how hot if felt when I put it on my wrist). I tried to start it up but it stopped again. Oh well, I thought. Run "naked." Of course, it did not occur to me to just use the "lap" feature of my chronograph.

As with most of my tri’s, I was passing runners left and right – albeit not as quickly as I had hoped. I overheard one runner say to another "welcome to the lava fields" (a reference to the baking lava fields of Kona).

I was so thirsty and not really in the mood for gatorade. At each water stop (about a mile apart) I would grab three cups of water – drink two and pour one on my head. I still had three cliff shot chomps in my pocket – I was planning to take them at the turn around (no stomach for chocolate GU).

Meanwhile, I had not seen Jordana since the start. Pre-race, she was very anxious – would she finish the swim before the cut-off? Would she finish the bike before the cut-off? Would she get a flat tire on the bike? Would she get DQ’ed? Would she DNF? As mentioned, a portion of the bike course and run course parallel each other. As I entered this part of the run course, I scanned all of the incoming bikers. Where was Jordana? Then I saw her cycling by – that was a relief – she had finished the swim and was only about 6 miles out from finishing the bike (in more than enough time to beat the cutoff). Now I could return to focusing on my own heat-baked misery!!!

I kept plodding along (or what felt like plodding). I neared the turnaround and had one of the three remaining chomps. As I was getting the second chomp out, I dropped the package and then it was stepped on by another weary runner. Oh well, at least I had one chomp.

I reached the turnaround in 52:06 (7:57 pace). Only 6.55 miles to go!!

The last 6.55 were mostly a blur of plodding along – running from water stop to water stop, chugging several cups of water and pouring a third over my head. I kept thinking maybe I should just start walking, but realized if I stopped running to walk I would probably never start running again. Meanwhile, shortly after the turnaround, I was passed by a fast running women. Crap – until I looked at her leg "R 24." 24 year old, relay runner. Well, that was OK – she should be running fast, she’s only doing the run portion of a relay – no bike, no swim. Shortly afterwards, another runner passed me. In total, about 5 people passed me (although I may have repassed 2 of them). So much for that goal.

Meanwhile, now I was looking at all the approaching runners for Jordana. Eventually, we passed each other "Hang in there!" I yelled. And kept moving forward. Eventually I passed the 10 mile mark – only 5K to go. I’d like to think that I started picking up the pace. About 1 ½ miles to go, I passed a runner being loaded into an ambulance. That’s not good. Then a mile to go! Again, I’d like to think I picked up the pace even more. I kept thinking, once I cross the finish I can topple over!!

I made it to the finish and like to think I finished strong. My second half time was 55:29 (8:28 pace). Overall run time: 1:47:35 (8:12 pace).

Total time: 5:20:30, a 5minute PR from last year! I was 487^th out of 1836, and 49^th out of 211 in males 45-49.

And as crappy as I felt on the run, I had the 27^th fast run in my age group and my overall place went from 877^th after the bike to 487^th after the run (moved up 390 places). So not bad.

Post RaceAs I said above, the word for the day was HOT. But there were other words for the day: how about mild hyponatremia? Or dehydration? Or IV in the medical tent? I guess I was sitting in the chairs a little bit too long after the race. I was feeling dizzy and nauseous, my hands and arms were tingling. So they escorted me to the medical tent. The doctors figures I was so combination of mild hyponatremia and dehydrated. So they hooked me up to an IV. An hour later, I felt much better.

I’ve always known I was a heavy sweater, but I think I need to do something about losing so many electrolytes. The first culprit is that I normally drink only half strength gatorade (I use the powder and only put in half the amount). Now gatorade already only minimally replaces electrolytes, and I was only drinking half strength at that. Plus on the run I was drinking almost exclusively water. Previously, I was starting to notice calf cramps and had been starting to take magnesium and potassium supplements. I had taken 500mg magnesium pre-race and 595mg of potassium after the swim (before the bike). I had planned to take another 595mg of potassium after the bike but forgot. And of course, this doesn’t replace the sodium. I have heard a lot about salt tablets (like Succeed S Caps, etc) for sodium replacement and think I will spend the summer and XMP getting used to taking those. Hopefully that will correct my electrolyte imbalances.
All in all, though, Eagleman 70.3 was a blast. Jordana and I had so much fun pre-race and post-race. I am so proud of her finishing the race (despite all her worries). I think she is very proud of herself as well. Indeed, just last night she was talking about next year’s Eagleman....?

There you have it sports fans. In upcoming posts, I’ll try to recap my last three marathons (2011 Marine Corps, 2011 Rehoboth, and 2012 Potomac River Run) and 2012 Naylor’s Beach tri.

Parks Half Marathon Recap

Howdy sports fans!  It's been a while since my last race recap (mid-July's boiling Rocketts Landing Tri).  Not surprising, as I spent half of August in Israel.  I remember trying to track down a race, any race, in Israel (just to have competed in a race in another country).  The response from the various track clubs I emailed was uniform: "are you crazy!?!  Do you know how hot it is in Israel in August!?!"

Anyhow, on September 11, I ran the Parks Half Marathon.  While Jordana has run this race multiple times, this was my first time running (although, I have run on most of the length of the course during my various long runs).  I think this may have been the last major running experience that we had not yet experienced together, so I was actually pretty excited to run this just for that reason alone.  Now that we have an au pair, we're not stuck so much doing the tag-team running and racing.  We were able to head out to packet pickup together.  We got our bibs and, the race being on the 10th anniversary of 9-11, our temporary flag tatooes.  Ran into several friends at packet pickup.

Race day dawned clear and a bit humid.  The temperature and dewpoint were the same (mid-60s) giving us 100% humidity near race time -- as the race progressed, the humidity dropped into the 90s, then 80s!  So, yes, it was a bit drippy.

Anyhow, this was one of the most fun pre-race experiences I've had so far.  Normally, I'm pretty much alone pre-race.  Maybe, it is one of the rare races that Jordana is with me.  But usually it's just me. I would stretch and warm-up and wait for the race start - watching the other groups of runners, chatting and joking and hanging out.  But now that I have returned to training in a training program (Boston Bound last spring and XMP now), I was not alone.  It was a great feeling -- running into groups of my friends, joining in the pre-race banter, making jokes and laughing at jokes.  I felt like I belonged.  A feeling I haven't felt pre-race since probably my cross-country days back in high school.  I guess I solo ran for so many years, I forgot how enjoyable the comraderie can be when running with a group.

But I digest...

I found my starting wave (Parks has unofficial self-policed starting waves based on your expected pace) -- the sub 7:00 mile group.  I had two goals for the day:  first, run sub 6:30s; second, run a PR (i.e., faster than a 1:26:50).  The race started ("when I say go go go") and we were off...

Miles 1 - 3
The race starts near Rockville Metro and ends in downtown Bethesda.  Most of the race is along the Rock Creek bike path, but the first 3 miles is along Viers Mills Road.  The road is mostly downhill, so I started out at what was probably a somewhat too fast pace.  But then, I had not raced in a number of weeks.  Further, the last time I raced a 1/2 marathon, I had done a 1.2 mile swim and a 56 mile bike warm-up.  Amazing how much fresher one feels when one is ONLY racing a 1/2 marathon!

As I said, I took it out a bit fast at a 6:22 pace.  Mile 2 was even faster at 6:20.  Around mile three, the course turned off Viers Mill and finally entered Rock Creek.  The already humid air became even more humid as we entered the forested path which runs along Rock Creek.  I hit Mile 3 at 6:37 pace.

Miles 4 - 10
As I said, the heart of the race is the Rock Creek bike path.  I've run just about every part of this path at one time or another during either FTM (in 2003), Boston Bound (last winter), or recently with XMP.  So this was familiar ground.  And it's good to know the course. For example, I knew that almost immediately after passing mile 3, the course would climb a pretty steep hill, known by those in MCRRC as "the Silencer."  The marathon and half-marathon programs use this hill to do hill repeats.  I did not want to waste energy on this hill, so let ran using constant exertion.  I hit mile 4 at 6:43.

After the Silencer, however, the course is mostly level, with the occasional up and down of hills (but these tend to be relatively short, even if they can be steep).  I settled into my pace, running mile 5 in 6:32 and mile 6 in 6:25.  The problem with these mid-miles, especially on a familiar course, is that I sometimes start to daydream. Sometimes that makes me run fast, sometimes slow, and sometimes even.  I ran mile 7 in 6:40, then hit miles 8 and 9 in 6:34, and ran mile 10 at 6:40.

In the days before the race, we had gotten ALOT of rain and Rock Creek had flooded.  The race director sent entrants pre-race emails warning us of a potentially wet and muddy course.  But hats off to the race crew -- if there had been a lot of mud or debris it was mostly gone.  The course was excellent shape.  Especially the part of the course that goes under Connecticut Avenue -- I was expecting ankle deep mud.  I was greatly pleased to run that dry-shod.  Of course, that is not to say that there weren't puddles and mud here and there.  Just before Connecticut Avenue, I misjudged how deep one puddle was and got a shoe covered in mud.  I shuffle stepped several paces, just to get the mud off my shoe so I wouldn't run unbalanced!

Miles 11 - finish
Between miles 10 and 11, the course turns right off of the Rock Creek bike path, up Susanna Lane, across Jones Bridge Road and onto the gravel portion of the Capital Crescent Bike path (known as the CCT) that takes you to the finish.  The path up to Susanna Lane and the road itself up to the street crossing is one long steep hill.  No surprise, then, that I ran mile 11 in 6:55 -- my slowest split of the race.

The CCT is a converted rails to trails.  The portion north and east of Bethesda is still gravel.  One would think it flat because it looks flat.  If you look at the elevation profile, however, it is one steady up hill (not seriously steep -- only railroad grade -- but uphill nevertheless).

They say marathons are a 20 mile warm up followed by a 10K.  Well, half marathons are a 10 mile warm up followed by a 5K.  Time for my tiring legs to pick up the pace (note to self:  best not run back to back 10 milers on the Thursday and Friday before a Sunday half-marathon race).  My Garmin was set to show total time, total distance, but pace for the current mile (I always race in that mode), so I had no way of knowing if I was on pace to meet either goal.  I ran mile 12 in 6:45, then picked it up again to run 6:38 for mile 13.

Around mile 13, the CCT goes under Wisconsin Avenue in a tunnel under the Air Rights Building.  Just before the entrance to the tunnel, and as part of the 9-11 commemoration, Girl Scouts were handing out American flags for the runners to carry over the finish.  I slowed down enough to get my flag (did not want to risk dropping it) and entered the tunnel.

As I entered the tunnel, I could hear footsteps directly behind me.  I did not want to turn around to see how close (for fear of losing my stride) but the noise made it seem the runner was right on m tail.  Well, I'd be damned if someone was going to beat me in the final 1/10 mile.  I started to all-out sprint, exiting the tunnel and making the final right turn toward the finish line.  1:25:57!  And I was not beaten (although as I later discovered, even if he had nipped me at the finish, my chip time was sufficiently faster that I would have still outplaced him).

Post-Race
It was a great race.  I did not meet my first goal -- my overal pace was 6:34.  But I was thrilled to have PR'ed by almost a minute, especially when that old PR was from 4 years ago.  It's a great feeling PR'ing now at almost age 45!

And then I got to experience the same commaraderie, but now post-race.  Meeting up with my running buddies, comparing times and race reports.  Cheering Jordana as she set her own PR as well.

It was a good race.  I finished 48th out of 2,320 (top 2%) and 7th out of 209 in the M40-44 age group (if I had been a few weeks older, I would have won the M45-49 group, oh well...)

When I plugged my time into the pace calculators, it predicts a 2:59 marathon.  So here's hoping...
Marine Corps is just a month and half away.

מפעיל את אש שלי

That's "Running My Ashe Off" in Hebrew!

I thought that in this note I would briefly share my experiences running in Israel.  My family and I spent a wonderful 2 weeks in Israel this past August (a travelogue is forthcoming!) and, of course, I could not let 2 weeks go by with no running.

My Israeli running saga actually began several months before.  Knowing I would be overseas for two weeks and knowing that I could not go without my endorphin fix for that long (hey, there are worse addictions than running, my friends), I began researching running Israel and, specifically, running in Jerusalem.  I located several Jerusalem-based running clubs and (thank you Google-Translate) was able to identify contact persons.  Several email exchanges later, I had a number of running route options.

Our rental house in Jerusalem was on Ein Rogel in the Abu Tor neighborhood.  The most promising running routes I was given was in a nearby park, called Sacher Park.  I got onto Google Maps and traced out the quickest way to get there.

Our first morning in Jerusalem (we had arrived the previous afternoon), Jordana and I set out on our first Israeli run.  With our garmins fully charged and a printout of the running routes folded up in my pocket, we headed out in the early morning.  The air was quite cool and there was little to no humidity -- pleasant relief from the 90 degree/90 percent humidity conditions of Washington, DC in early August!!

Our route was as follows:  We headed west up Ein Rogel (east led to the Green Line and we did NOT want to go that way) a short bit, crossed over Derech Hevron, at which point the street changes names to David Remez Street.  (Note on street crossing:  no one, and I mean no one, crosses against the lights in Jerusalem.  Those drivers are crazy!!)  Anyhow, David Remez does a sharp right turn and passes the Old Jerusalem Train Station (opened in 1892 it was the terminus of the Jaffa-Jerusalem line, it closed in 1998 and has remained vacant since).  David Remez ends at Keren HaYesod and we turn right up Keren HaYesod.  This is a steady uphill run that passes the lovely little Liberty Bell Park and the famous King Solomon and Dan Panorama Hotels.  We then turn left on Ramban Street -- a small residential street with lots of cross-street curbs (ups and downs).  Ramban Street ends at Derech Ruppin, where we cross the street then enter Giv'at Klor Garden and run along the running path.  This path is a steep downhill switchback path that takes us down the hillside, under a major highway (Sderot Hayim Hazaz) and into Sacher Park proper.  Distance so far, about 1.5 miles.

Once inside the park, we would run along its pathways.  Heading south, we run past the Monastery of the Cross (an 11th century monastery built on the site of an earlier monastery supposedly built by Queen Helena, mother of Constantine the Great, on the site where the tree that was used to make Jesus' cross was located).  Heading north the paths take us just east of the Knesset and the Israeli Supreme Court building.  We also passed a large tent city, where scores of 20-somethings are "protesting" the high cost of living in Israel  (it looked more like camping to me, there were large dining flies erected underwhich the "protesters" lounged on couches and loveseats, TVs were hooked up to portable generators...).  The Park itself has its ups and downs on the terrain.

Our usual route, after making a circuit of Sacher Park, was to take a side trail out of the Park onto Derech Ruppin.  We ran past the Knesset Building and the Israeli Museum, where we would turn left onto Sderot Ha'Muze'onim and to the Hebrew University Stadium complex, where we would run a couple of miles around the track.  Then do the course in reverse back to our house.

That was our staple course.  We usually ran about 8 or so miles in total.  Sometimes, we ran a bit more by running into and around the Hebrew University campus.  We tried a 16 mile circuit run once (where you stay on Derech Ruppin until it hits Sderot Herzl, turn South, and make a big loop), we got about halfway around when we got a bit lost and turned around and headed back the way we came.  Part of the problem is that, outside of the track, there is hardly any FLAT ground to run on in Jerusalem.  You are either running up or running down a hill, and some are quite steep!

Towards the end of our stay in Jerusalem we stumbled upon a linear trail, a converted rails-to-trail on the old Jaffa-Jerusalem rail line.  Only 1 mile had been built, but we'd do some up and backs on that.  Once we took that trail to its southern end at General Koenig Street, turned east on Daniel Yanovski Street, and made our way to the Ha'as Promenade -- with its spectacular views of the Old City (and then ran back).

When we headed up to the resort at Kibbutz Nof Ginosar, the temperature was much hotter but the terrain much flatter.  We took the little 1 km walking path from the hotel to the main highway, and then crossed the street and entered the banana fields.  Some of the sweetest smelling running I've ever done!  We just ran along the dirt roads that ran among the banana plants, doing one or two loops to get out mileage in (although we were typically just running for time).

All in all, some great running.  I never got in a 20 miler -- the most I did was 16 miles (which included 2 miles running around the Hebrew University track).  But did run a steady diet of 8 - 10 milers.  All in all, we ran just shy of 90 miles over our 2 week trip.  In addition to a full day of touring that usually followed our runs.

And, we got to see more of the country than had we either (1) not run and just toured or (2) run only on a treadmill at the nearby hotel.  It made me regret all the times I ran on the treadmill when I was on business travel.  From now on, and to the extent that it's safe, I will try to venture outside for my runs and explore the cities were I travel.

So there it is, running in Israel.  If you ever go there, let me know and I can give you more specific details as to running routes (had we access to a car, there were some great trail runs about 20 minutes South of Jerusalem).

Next up?  Parks Half Marathon...

Rocketts Landing Olympic Distance Triathlon Recap

The word for the day (and weekend) was hot!  Triple digits the day before the race, humidity near 90% race day, but the kicker was the water temperature.

The other word for the day was fun!  Several months ago, I was able to convince Jordana to try a tri and I signed her up for Rocketts Landing.  We found a sweet tri-bike on Craigslist and she spent the months of June and July learning how to clip and in and out of her pedals and get her water bottle without crashing.  Anyhow, we dropped the kids off with my parents and drove up to Richmond Saturday morning for the pre-race briefing.  Three of her friends were also there for the first time (two doing the duathlon and one doing the tri).  After the meeting, we caravaned to packet pickup then went to lunch at P.F. Changs.  They were the corporate sponsor so we all got 25% off by showing our race bibs and we got free appetizers (got the coupon with our race bibs).  After that, Jordana and I drove to the race course and I gave her some pointers as I pointed out the swim course, transition area, and portions of the bike and run courses.  Then it was off to my Aunt and Uncle's house in Short Pump to relax.  Later, Jordana and I had a nice pre-race dinner at Bertuccis followed by self-serve yogurt.  In bed by 9:30 for a 4:30 am wake up.

Race Day
The alarm rang at 4:30 and we headed downstairs to make and eat our standard pre-race breakfasts of PB&J. To our dismay we found that my relative's ice maker had broken during the night -- no ice for our water bottles.  I hopped in the car and found a 7-11 bought a bag of ice and sped back.  We filled and iced up our water bottles and headed off for the race.

We arrived at transition around 5:45.  I helped Jordana set up her transition area, then set up my own transition area.  Got our body marking (numbers on both arms and thighs, age written on calf) and our chips.  Used the port-a-johns.  Then went to the swim start to wait with the others for the 7am race start.
I was in swim wave 3 (of 5) and Jordana was in wave 5.  The best part of the race was when they called my wave to get in the water.  Nothing starts off a race better than standing with your wife at the race start, giving her a kiss, and saying "have a good race, see you at the finish."  No matter what else happens, you know it will be a good race!!

The Swim
Rocketts Landing is an in-water start.  We jumped in and, holy steamed mussels Batman, the water was warm, no not warm, hot.  91 degrees hot.  It was like a bath tub.  Much warmer than I remembered from last year. Much warmer, indeed, than I had ever swum in (I don't think the Bethesda outdoor pool where I do Masters swimming during the summer was ever this warm).

The horn sounded and we were off.  And I FELT AWFUL.  I instantly regretted not swimming shirtless (I was in my sleeveless tri-shirt) and wished I was not wearing my swim cap.  To my surprise, I found it very difficult to find a swimming rhythm.  I was sweating and was having trouble with my breathing due to the hot water.  I found myself breaststroking much more often than normal (that is, not just when I was having trouble sighting).  The air temp was a bit cooler than the water which made my goggles fog up a little.  In a word, I was miserable.

I eventually reached the turn buoy.  I was feeling sluggish and had a sinking feeling about how I would perform the rest of the race.  At least, I was slowly finding a swim rhythm.  I guess my body was finally adjusting to the water, now that the swim portion was half way over.  My sighting got better and I was able to see the yellow flags that marked the end of the swim course.  But every time I looked up after swimming those flags did not seem to be getting any closer.  What? I was swimming downstream (not that there was any current in the James), but it felt like I was swimming backwards!.  By now, I had passed a few swimmers from the wave in front of me, but was mostly surrounded by swimmers from the wave behind me.  Oh well.

Mercifully, the flags finally got closer and closer.  About 10 feet from the finish dock, I had to start breaststroking and finished the swim portion with that stroke.  Climbed up the ladder, stumbled up the steps and headed off to transition.

My swim time was 28:34, 16 seconds slower than last year.  My swim rank was 199 out of 403 overall, and 10 out of 26 for my age group (M45-49).  Not too good and I was less than optimistic about my total race time.

T1
As I may have mentioned last year, T1 times at Rocketts Landing are pretty slow.  You get out of the water and immediately have to run up a set of slippery wooden stairs leading from the dock.  Then you cross over a set of train tracks (covered with carpet), across a plaza (where the post-race party will be held), then up a long flight of concrete steps to the road, then run along the road about a tenth of a mile to the transition area.
Found my bike, got on my helmet and cycling shoes, and headed out for the bike portion.

T1 time: 3:33, 22 seconds slower than last year.  My T1 time was 278 out of 403 overall, and 18 out of 26 in my age group.

The Bike
I'd ridden my bike once since Eagleman in June.  But I felt good and comfortable getting on the bike.  I got into aero position and stayed in that position most of the race (except when fueling).  I had my Clif Shot Blocks and stuck to my schedule of one shot block and one long drink of gatorade every 10 minutes.  I think I'm finally getting the hang of selecting the correct gear to ride in.  It was a good ride.  I felt like I was kicking ass on the bike.

I passed way more bikes than passed me -- so I felt pretty good.  Compared to the pancake flatness of Eagleman, the rolling hills at Rocketts seemed a bit more fun.  Standing up into power position to pass cyclists on the uphill.  Flying down the downhills.  There is one particularly long hill as the course crosses over the Pocohontas Parkway, I hit 34 miles per hour -- that was fun!!

All too quickly, I hit the turnaround and headed back.  Compared to 56 miles at Eagleman, 40K (or 24.8 miles) seemed like a cake walk.  Before I knew it, I had passed the 20 mile mark and was heading into the home stretch of the course.  It was around this point that I had my only panic attack on the bike.  Up ahead, I could see a female triathlete running next to her bike (in triathlons, if your bike craps out -- for example, something goes wrong that you can't fix on the course -- it is legal to complete the bike course running, you just have to bring your bike with you).  Anyhow, from the back her tri-shirt looked similar to Jordana's and I had a sinking feeling something happened to her on the bike.  As I passed, whew, not Jordana!!

Next thing I knew, I was crossing the set of train tracks that meant less than a mile to dismount.  "Those tracks really get you in the ass!" called out a cyclist next to me who was trying to pass me.  "Yep" I said, as I sped up because I was not going to get passed in the final moments of the bike.  Finished the bike, dismounted and ran into transition.

Bike Time: 1:14:59 -- four minutes faster than last year -- feeling good now! 180 out of 403 overall, 10 out of 26 for my age group.  My average speed was 19.8 mph!! Faster bike time yet!!!

T2
Ran back into transition, re-racked my bike.  Switched my cycling shoes for my running shoes.   Helmet for running hat.  Put on my garmin, grabbed a gu and headed out to the run.

T2 Time: 1:23 -- fifteen seconds faster than last year.  182 out of 403 overall, 9 out of 26 for my age group.

The Run
Surprisingly, my legs felt a bit rubbery as I started the 10K.  I say surprisingly because at Eagleman, after having biked 56 miles, my legs felt great when I started the run.  So I was a bit surprised that after only 24.8 miles, my legs felt this way.  Perhaps, because I had not done much transition training in the intervening weeks.

Anyhow, I quickly noticed I was, like at Eagleman, passing runners left and right.  Well not that often because there were a lot fewer participants in this race.  However, I decided that I would have the same goal -- I would not let anyone pass me on the run.  And for the second time, I met that goal.  I continually passed runner after runner, including many who were duathletes (that meant instead of the swim, they had run an out and back 2 miles) who I would have thought would have been done.  Speaking of that, the top finishers were crossing the starting line as I started the run!

I was familiar with the run course, so was ready for ALL THE STAIRS -- the stairs along the river walk, the stairs up and over the railroad tracks, and then repeat on the out and back.  As hot as the water was, the air did not seem as hot as last year not has humid as at Eagleman.  I was feeling pretty good on the run.

How many of you have seem the Splendiferous Barfing Cup on Facebook or YouTube? Raise your hands!  As I crossed the bridge over the James on the way back, I got to see one runner do his own impression of the Barfing Cup, or as I like to call him the Barfing Runner.  At first, I thought he was pouring a cup of water over his head as he bent over, but then I noticed that is alot of water for the small cups they were handing out.  Then I realized that wasn't water.  "You all right brother?" someone called out.  Not hearing a "no" in response, we kept going.

I passed Jordana's three friends (who were all on their way out, as I was heading back).  I felt a little bad when I passed Jordana's friend who was doing the tri.  Before the race, Jordana said that she had three goals:  (1) finish, (2) not finish last, and (3) finish in front of her friend.  As an aside on goal number 2, "in every race, someone has to finish last" I said, "why shouldn't it be you or me?"  It was meant in jest of course.  Anyhow, back to the race.  I felt a little disappointed that Jordana wouldn't beat her friend.  Of course, I hadn't seen her since before the race and was beginning to wonder how she was doing.

At about the 5 mile mark for me (1 mile mark for the outbound runners), I see Jordana coming along the course.  She raises her hand for a high-five.  "Way to go sweetie" we call out to each other as we give each other high-fives.  That was the best part of the race (next to the pre-race kiss)!!  After the race, she told me that just after that exchange she turned to the woman running next to her and said "that's my husband."

Meanwhile, I was picking up the pace for the final mile, passing additional runners.  The final quarter mile, the course leaves the road, crosses a number of train tracks and proceeds along a gravel road to the chute and then the finish.  As I crossed the tracks I see a runner in front of me.  I'm trying to read his age on his calf (remember, in tri's it's all about the age group).  I'm trying to read it on his moving leg.  16? no, he's too old.  76?  no, he's too young.  I squint.  46.  My age group.  I kick it into high gear and pass him in the chute.  I ended up finishing 2 seconds in front of him.

Run time: 42:53 -- over 2 minutes faster than last year.  32 out of 403 overall, and fastest run time for my age group.  My average run pace was 6:55, faster for a tri.  So I was very pleased.

Post-Race
My total race time was 2:31:20 -- a six minute PR over last year's Rocketts Landing.  So I was feeling great.  I finished 97 out of 403 overall (top 24%) (although I was in the top 18% last year).

Oh yeah, remember that 46 year old I passed in the chute?  Good thing.  I finished 3rd in my age group and received an age group award (plaque and water bottle)!  Yay!!

Meanwhile, Jordana had  a kick-ass 3:05:58 time, finishing 320 overall, 10th in her age group, and 3rd fastest first-time female triathlete!  Oh yeah, she passed her friend on the run and accomplished all three of her goals.  She even quipped when it was over -- that wasn't as hard as I thought it would be.  I am one proud husband!!

We stuck around for the awards ceremony so I could get my age group award, then packed up our gear and headed home.  Showered and changed at my relatives.  Had a nice meal at Panera, then spent the drive back to DC re-living and analyzing the race.  Jordana even started talking about how to improve on her NEXT tri!

I can't wait....

Eagleman 70.3 Half Ironman Recap

Oh boy sports fans, what a race.  Last Sunday June 12 was the Eagleman 70.3 half ironman triathlon -- the longest distance I've ever raced.  1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13.1 mile run.  Last summer, I did two Olympic distance tri's (1.5km swim, 40km bike,, 10km run) and got hooked on triathlons, so it seemed natural to graduate to the half ironman distance.  Eagleman, held in lovely Cambridge on the Maryland eastern shore, seemed to be a great first half ironman (flat course).  It was great; I finished in 5:25:01.

Anyhow, leading up to the race, I was feeling somewhat anxious.  Although I've swum as much as 2 miles at a time in a pool, a pool is much different from open water.  I'd never gone more than 1 mile in open water.  Better yet, I've only had 3 open water swim races period.  And I've never biked more than 40 or so miles, so 56 miles was getting into new territory.  I kept thinking, or better yet hoping, that marathon training was "enough" as far as leg power to bike that far.  I kept thinking, if I can just start the run with a bit of energy in the tank, my marathon training should carry the day.  That strategy worked last year at Rocketts Landing and Naylors Beach -- but those were Olympic distance races.  And I was worried whether I would have enough energy left when the run started.  I was worried about fueling/hydration.  I was worried about temperatures -- Eagleman started at 6:45am but I was in the 11th of 14 swim starting waves which did not start until 8:06am -- and projecting my estimated swim and bike times meant I would not start running until close to noon!

With all that anxiety, I packed up the car and drove out to Cambridge on Saturday for packet pickup and the mandatory pre-race bike check-in (unlike the two smaller tri's I did last year, you have to rack your bike in transition the day before).  Easy drive and easy packet pickup.  Got my bib (#1925) and timing chip.  Went through the little expo and made two on-the-spot decisions that were the two best decisions I've ever made in racing.  First, I knew the course was supposed to be shadeless and sunny, so I bought a nice pair of racing sunglasses.  Second, I knew my experience with trying to eat GU gels on the bike was not the best, so I figured I would violate cardinal rule #1 (don't eat anything new on race day) and bought a bunch of Clif Shot Bloks -- little gelatinous squares, 6 to a package, mountain berry flavor -- for my on-bike fueling needs.  Then I went to Great Marsh Park in Cambridge to rack my bike in transition.  It was very hot and humid, and I was dripping with sweat just racking my bike.  This did not bode well for race day, I thought.
My bike racked, I hopped back in the car for the drive to Bethany Beach (I was staying at my in-laws condo).  Had a pre-race dinner of pasta and a beer.  Laid out my race day gear.  Got into bed around 9, and set my alarm for 4 am.

The next morning had an uneventful drive back to Cambridge -- amazing how much faster the drive went at 4:30am.  Arrived at the local middle school around 5:45am, parked, grabbed my gear, and got onto the shuttle to the transition/start.  I quickly became popular as I had thought to bring my bike pump with me.  Quite a number of athletes became my good friend to borrow my pump --- that's what I love about tri's, everyone is so friendly.  Anyhow, set up my transition area, got my body marking (for tri's, they write your number on your arms and your age on the back of your calf in permanent marker), and made my first visit to the port-a-johns (did not want any race day pitstops).  Met up with some of my swim friends from Ancient Mariners and chatted with them:  Ed was doing the aqua-vela, Amy and Debby were doing the swim legs of relay teams.

Around 6:40am, we all had to clear out of transition as the race was about to start.  Ran into one of my MCRRC/Boston Bound  friends, Owen, and we hung out at the swim start area chatting and comparing race strategies. He was in the 7th swim wave (7:34 start) so headed off around 7:25.  I still had another half hour of waiting.  Took advantage of the time to visit the port-a-johns again.  Ate a GU Gel and finished off a quart of Gatorade (started that bottle during the drive -- tasty when washing down a PBJ and banana).  Ran into more running friends, Al and Emily, both experienced triathletes (having done several full ironmen) and got some more last minute race advice -- particularly fueling and hydration advice.  They were not competing, just there to cheer on the many MCRRC members competing.  Finally at 7:58 they called the Men 45-49 group (neon orange swim caps) to the swim start and we waded into the water to wait for our 8:06 start.  Nice thing about an in-water start is you can make that one last final pee without having to wait in a port-a-john line!

The Swim

Finally 8:06 arrived and the horn went off for our wave.  I had tried to position myself near the back of the 283 other competitors in my age group but alas it was still a cuisinart start.  At least I was getting used to it.  I was never kicked in the head or face but did have to "fight" may way through to find a bit of open water to swim a good stroke.  It took about 2 or 3 minutes until things started to thin out enough that I was able to get a good swim form going.  The one thing that did NOT happen, though, was that I was never flustered like last year.  I knew what to expect -- I knew there would be congestion -- I knew I would swim into other swimmers and get swum into myself -- and I dealt with it.  As NBC says "Knowing is half the battle."  I kept up a good stroke, broken up with the occasional breaststroke when I ran into another swimmer.

The other thing I noticed is that my sighting has improved tremendously.  The course was basically three sides of a rectangle in the Choptank River.  Keep the yellow buoys to your right and turn around the orange buoys.  I never had any issue with sighting and swam pretty straight from buoy to buoy.

Around the first turn, I caught up and began to pass swimmers from the wave before me.  Of course, that was also about the time when I was caught up to and passed by swimmers from the wave after me! So there you have it.  Anyhow, I kept up a strong but conservative stroke for the first two sides of the rectangle.  I didn't want to go out too fast and end up breast stroking the last half of the swim, or exit the water exhausted.

Somewhere between the two turns I accidentally gave someone a mighty kick to the head or face.  I was swimming along when my right foot whacked into someone (or something).  Mind you, it wasn't my fault -- you overtake a swimmer at your own risk.  My foot hurt for about a minute or so and, I'm sorry to say, all I could think was "I hope this doesn't affect my run."  Such is the swim.

As we rounded the second and final turn buoy, I started passing more swimmers -- both my own wave and those from the waves in front of me.  Honestly, not that many swimmer passed me from the wave after me.  I was probably in the middle of my own wave.  I started to pick up the pace with the swim end in sight.  There are no splits in the water, but I like to think that I swam negative splits.  Reached the beach and headed up to the swim exit.

Pre-race, I predicted a 45 minute swim.  My official time: 46 minutes even.  My swim rank was 1038 out of 2515 overall, and 98 out of 284 for my age group.

Transition 1

Ran up the beach and into transition.  Quickly found my bike -- luckily I was near the end of a row.  Also, because I was in one of hte last swim waves (11th of 14), most of the triathletes had already left transition so it wasn't difficult finding my bike. Plopped down, cleaned off my feet (Helpful Hint:  always bring a container of plain water to rinse your feet before putting on your cycling shoes), got my socks (I bought some nice Ironman logo tri socks at the expo) and shoes one, put on the sun shades, strapped on my helmet and race belt, drank about half a bottle of Gatorade, and off I ran with my bike to the exit.

T1 time: 2:59

The Bike

The bike course was really nice.  Of course, there was not a linear foot in the shade (thank you for the sunglasses!), but it was pancake flat.  And most if wound through farms (with corn and wheat) and the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge -- a large empty expanse of marsh and water.  It was quite beautiful. True to the race name, I did see a couple of eagles circling above -- hopefully not looking for stricken riders!  It was hot, but for anyone who's ever been in a saltwater marsh in the summer, you get a wonderfully delicious earthy smell of mud and water and salt.  It can be intoxicatingly delightful!

Back to the race.  This was my best bike performance so far, averaging 19.11 mph -- whether in a race or training.  First, I was now very comfortable with my aerobars and spent most of the race in aero position.  Not only does it help being in an aerodynamic position when riding in the wind, but it really does allow for faster pedaling cadence with less effort when in that position.

Second, and I think the key to my successful performance, was taking Al's fueling and hydration advice to heart.  The Clif Bloks come 6 to a pack and I had 3 packs -- 18 chomps.  I estimated I would be on the bike 3 hours, so I made a plan to eat one chomp every 10 minutes on the dot and wash it down with copious Gatorade from one of my two water bottles (which I planned to refill at one of the several aid stations along the course).  I really think this was critical.  I stuck to this fueling/hydration schedule the entire race.  I was even able to refill my water bottle (without stopping much to my surprise) with Gatorade replacement.  So I ended up eating 3 Clif Blok packs and drinking three 20 oz bottles of Gatorade.  Note to self: invest in a behind the seat two bottle carriage.

Unlike my last two tri's where I was passed A LOT more than I passed, this was not the case at Eagleman.  Certainly, I was passed by a lot of cyclists -- no doubt.  But, I passed my fair share of cyclers as well.  I can't be too certain, but I think I probably passed as many people as passed me.  So not too shabby.  And a lot of the bikes I passed were much nicer than my old Cannondale, but I kept thinking to myself "it's not the bike but the engine that powers it."

Unlike my last two tri's, this course was heavily monitored by course marshals on motorcycles looking for cycling violations -- drafting being the prime no-no.  I saw at least half a dozen cyclists get a red car, which meant they had to stop at the next penalty tent and wait for 4 minutes before resuming.  I made sure to slow down every time I was passed and kept trying to figure what long 7 meters was (minimum distance behind bikes to avoid drafting charge) -- I did not want that happening to me!

Riding 56 miles was quite a physical challenge.  I never felt really tired but my skinny butt got very sore.  I had to stand up in the pedals about every 5 mintues or so to relieve the ache.  Youch!

I also found that, similar to ultramarathons, riding 56 miles can be a mental as well as physical challenge.  I mentioned how pretty the course was?  Well for the first half hour or so I didn't even notice, I was so focussed on looking straight ahead.  Also, I remember when I passed the 20 mile mark thinking "crap, I've only gone 20 miles? That's barely 1/3 of the race!  I've got 36 more miles!"  Also, the beginning and end of the bike course shared some of the same roads as the run course and because I started as much as hour after the earlier swim waves, I could see many triathletes already on the run when I was still on the bike.  So it was a mental challenge.  I think my fueling plan helped because I really broke the bike segment into 10 minute blocks.  Also, sighting other cyclists and planning how to pass him or her helped.

Eventually, I passed the 50 mile armk and knew the end was near.  I figured it would take me about 15 more minutes -- but that was the LONGEST 15 minutes of cycling my achy butt every felt!!  I was surprisly not feeling tired although getting somewhat nervous as to how my legs would actually feel after dismounting.  I was also wondering whether I would bonk on the run, notwithstanding my feeling strong at the moment.
I reached the bike dismount line, dismounted and headed back into transition.

Pre-race, I prediced at least 3 hours on the bike.  My official time was 2:55:47, for an average speed of 19.11 mph which is faster than I've ever biked before, so I was quite pleased.  Then again, I was right in the middle of the pack:  my bike time ranked 1051 out of 2515 overall and 104 out of 284 for my age group.

Transition 2

Very surprisingly, my legs did not feel like bricks when I dismounted and I ran my bike back to my rack spot, racked my bike, switched shoes, took off my helmet and cycling gloves, took a long swig of Gatorade, re-applied sunscreen, and headed out.  Downed a GU Gel while running out of transition and washed it down with a cup of Gatorade.

T2 time: 3:00

The Run

Finally, I was in my element -- the run.  Of course, it was hot and nearing noon.  Many athletes were already done.  The pros had finished about 2 hours earlier.  I had 13.1 miles to go before I was done.  I decided to start conservatively and see how I felt at the turn around (the course was out and back).  If I felt good, I could kick it up a notch.

I saw Al and Emily around the 1 mile mark and got a welcome boost of energy from their cheers.  "Give us a sub-1:30" they yelled.  "We'll see" I thought.  I looked at my watch as surprised myself with a 7:07 first mile.  Way too fast for this heat, I thought.  I don't want to end up walking like SO MANY of the runners around me.  I ended up running the first 6.55 miles at a 7:26 average pace.

I ran this half pretty smart.  Like the bike, there was not a linear foot in the shade.  Luckily, for the parts of the course in Cambridge, many residents had set up hoses as misting stations -- very pleasant to run through.  At every water stop, I drank a cup of Gatorade (these were full cups, not the half or quarter full cups I often get at road races).  I also took a cup of water, took a sip, and poured the rest on my head.  What a relief!

I remember the course passed by a golf course.  We runners -- sweating, running, shuffling, walking -- watched as the "gentlemen" casually swung their clubs then plopped down into their little golf carts and motored along.  "That's just a game! This is a sport!" someone yelled.  Or maybe I just thought someone yelled it.  I don't remember.

As I ran, I noticed that I was passing people left and right.  Around the turn around I also realized that no one had yet to pass me.  That became my goal -- I did not care about time.  I was determined to NOT BE PASSED for the entire run.  I downed another GU gel at the turn around and began to pick up the pace.  Not by much, but I did run the second 6.55 miles at a 7:23 average pace, so I actually ran the mythical negative split.

It was clear that my regular noontime running was paying off -- I was used to the heat and the humidity.  I was not fading.  I did not feel like I did in the second half of Charlottesville or Potomac River Run.  Was it the bike fueling?  Whatever, it felt good.  Mind you, I do not think I could have run at my normal half-marathon pace.  Heck, I don't think I could have run at my normal marathon pace.  But given the circumstances, having already propelled myself 57.2 miles over almost 4 hours of continuous motion, I was doing OK.  And I kept passing people.  To the very end, I was passing people -- even triathletes who had started as much as 1 hour before me!  And I met my goal -- no one passed me during the entire run.

Pre-race, I predicted about 1:45 for the run.  My official time was 1:37:15 for a 7:25 average pace.  Not too shabby.  My run time ranked 463 out of 2515 overall and 45 out of 284 for my age group.

Final Thoughts

My total race time for my first half ironman was 5:25:01. I finished in 463rd place out of 2515 overall, 45th out of 284 in the my age group (funny, same standing as my run).

I got my medal, downed 2 bottles of water, and draped a cold wet towel over my head.  I was half an ironman.  I also found a port-a-john -- for all the fluid I drank, I never had to pee once.  Maybe it was the light coming through the green sides of the port-a-john, but I swear my pee looked blue!

Ate some post-race food, packed up my stuff and took the shuttle back to my car, thend drove it back to get my bike, then back on the road home.  Long day.

So all in all, this was a great first half ironman.  I was a bit nervous about doing that distance, but am very pleased with my time.  The aerobars definitely have improved my cycling performance, and I think I'm slowly figuring out which gears to use to pedal most efficiently.  AND, at least on the bike, I found the right fueling/hydration plan.  Whether I can translate that plan to the marathon is another question.  I have all summer with XMP to try out better fueling plans to keep from bonking (like I always seem to do) in the last 2 to 3 miles of the marathon.

Gratuitous unisexist comment:  Triathlons are a great spectator sport because triathletes are really easy on the eyes.  Lots of very in-shape athletes wearing very tight and often minimal tri-clothes.  Winner!  See for yourself some time.

What's on deck?  Rocketts Landing Olympic distance triathlon on July 24.  Using my new-found strategies, I would like to PR at the olympic distance.  I am VERY excited about this race -- Jordana is trying her first tri and I am so looking forward to sharing the race experience with her.

So stay tuned, sports fans, there's plenty more action to come....

Training Update

Howdy sports fans, with the spring marathon season behind me, it's time for the summer triathlon season (followed closely by the fall marathon season).  Next up -- Eagleman 70.3 (half ironman) on June 12 and Rocketts Landing olympic distance triathlon on July 24.

Last weekend, we went to Bethany Beach, so I was able to finally get some serious bike training in.  On Saturday, Jordana and I did a wonderful 14 miler.  The half-way point was near some new-build houses along the Indian River, and I got to experience something I've never experienced before in my life (at least, I don't think I have).  We both had to relieve ourselves - Jordana found a port-a-john at one construction site and I ran back to lots to another port-a-john.  When I entered, it smelled....clean.  Yep - a freshly-filled, totally unused port-a-john.  They are actually quite pleasant when you are the first one to use it.

On Sunday, I took my bike out for a 40 mile ride (from Bethany to the Maryland state line then back up to Dewey then back to Bethany).  I had installed a set of aero-bars on my bike and was eager to test them.  I tried using them when on the rollers (did I mention, I bought rollers to do indoor bike training?) but lost control and went over into the doorway (most newbies set up their rollers in a doorway to help maintain balance).  My elbow was sore for a week.  Anyhow, on the road, I felt quite comfortable using the aerobars.  I'm hoping that they will help my bike performance when I race.  Anyhow, I maintained a pretty good clip (about 19 mph) on the bike, so I'm feeling more confident.  Afterwards, I did a 4 mile run and managed to maintain a sub-7 pace.  So I'm feeling pretty optimistic about Eagleman.

More on the rollers (I can't remember if I mentioned them in my last post and am too lazy to check).  I got them about 2 months ago because I sometimes feel uncomfortable riding along River Road -- even in the early morning, there are a lot of cars going really fast and no dedicated bike lanes.  Rollers, unlike a trainer, are sort of like a treadmill for your bike.  One roller up front and two rollers in back, with a belt connecting them.  You balance your bike on the rollers and can mimic riding on the road.  Some compare it to riding on the ice.  It's a bit tricky maintaining balance at first, so I keep them in a doorway so I can support myself if I start to tip over (remember, you're clipped in to the pedals).  My rollers are flared at the edges to help keep the bike from rolling off the rollers.  Although two weekends ago I tried using the aerobars and somehow lost control and the front tire hopped off the roller.  I crashed into the side of the door way.  Ouch.  But other than that, I like them.  Although it can be a bit rough on the butt -- in addition to being unable to use the aerobars without losing control, I do not seem able (yet) to get into a standing position without losing control (bikers will sometimes stand in the pedals to relieve an aching butt -- or at least this biker does).  So I can only take about 30 - 45 minutes at a time on the bike.

On the swimming front, I have not consistently gotten out of a once a week swim pattern -- basically, my weekly masters swim (we swim about 3200 meters).  I really need to get some more long swims in before June 12.  I did a 2 miler two weekends ago, but I need some more.  I also bought a tri-shirt and I need to take a swim or two in that shirt to get used to it.  Maybe this weekend.

Now to running -- my favorite sport.  I had a great May: PR at Potomac River Marathon.  I ran 22 days (71% of the time) for a total of 187.6 miles.  My year to date mileage is 1004.92!  Yep - I cracked over 1,000 miles running and there are still 7 months to go in 2011 -- I am definitely on track to set a mileage record this year.  In five months, I have run more than I did in all of 2003 or 2005.  If I run 43 more miles, I will have run more than I did in all of 2004 or 2010.  I've run 112 days this year (74%) and my average run length is 9.0 miles.  So I am definitely back in the running saddle.

The week after Eagleman, I start XMP (Montgomery County Road Runners experienced marathon program) to train for Marine Corps Marathon in October and the Rehoboth Marathon (I think) in December.  I am very much looking forward to doing XMP.  This is the last program that Jordana has done that I have not (I did Boston Bound last spring).  I like having the shared mutual experiences.  Meanwhile, she is a coach with MCRRC's First Time Marathon (FTM) program AND she is the girls cross country coach at Rockville High School.  I am very excited and proud of her coaching and can't wait to see how her girls do this season.

Anyhow, time to run...