MARATHON MAN

As soon as the dust settled about the NYC Marathon being canceled I set out to quickly find another 26.2 race within driving distance of home.  I figured I had done all the preparation needed to complete my first marathon and I wanted to do all I could to prove to myself whether or not I could complete the distance I had trained for.  I quickly found there was a race less than 90 minutes away in Plymouth, MA.  It was a first year race called the Myles Standish Marathon.  Most of the course would be run in the state forest.  A big difference from running through the streets of the 5 boroughs of NYC.  The race fee was a "steal" at only $50 with the added bonus that any NYC Marathon refugees would have half their race fees send to help the victims of Hurricane Sandy.

The race stated there was a 6 hour cut-off and since that was my target time, I reached out to the race director if finishing after the cut-off time meant a DNF or simply that there would be reduced support on the race course.  The race director Anne-Marie got back to me quickly to assure me I would not be pulled off the course and if anything, some of the volunteers might be released after that time.  I have started to use a FUEL BELT and knew I would be able to carry what I needed for the later stages of the race.  I immediately registered and then had to decide how best to prepare for the race after just completing a 2 week taper for NYC.

When I reached out to Anne-Marie I thought it best I send along links for the two stories about me leading up to the NYC Marathon.

New York Magazine


Boston Herald

Anne-Marie got back to me and asked if I felt it would be okay for her to reach out to some media contacts leading up the race.  As most people who know me are aware, I am not bashful at all about spreading the word.  I quickly heard that Fox News Boston was interested in doing a LIVE interview on the morning news program on the Friday morning prior to the race.  Pingree was gracious enough to allow me to travel down to Dedham for the interview.  The link to the interview is below.

Fox News Story

Sue and I discussed the best way to try and travel down to the race as Sue and Owen were both hoping to come and watch me at different points on the course. I certainly was not expecting them to come down for the entire day while at the same time I was not wanting to have to drive myself home after the race either.

I knew that a fellow triathlete I know, Donna Furse, who races with QT2 lives in Manchester and was doing the race as well.  I reached out and asked and she said she would be happy to have the company to drive down to the race.  Donna also let me in on some additional info.  It seems the race organizers had decided to allow people to start an hour early (at 7pm) if they were worried about making the 6 hour cut-off.  I went so far as to ask people online about whether or not I should start early.  I would say it turned out to be about a 60-40 split in favor of starting early.  I could think of many reasons to take the extra hour and in the end I decided to do so.  In the end, there are about 8 or 9 of us who started at 7AM.

Leading up to my prep for the race, I ended up deciding to do a mini ramp-up with a 10 mile run the week before the race and then keep all the other runs to between 4-6 miles.  The week prior to the race I decided to take part in the R11A 5K.  This honored Rich Angelo who was a member of the Fitwerx triathlon team who died unexpectantly during the swim portion of the USA Triathlon National Championships in Burlington, VT.  Rich was a dear friend of a number of triathletes I know in the area and he was also a beloved father, brother and son to a loving area family.

The race went better than expected as it was a very hilly course and I was able to average 12:07min/mile over the 2.8 mile (a wee bit short) course.  I stuck around for the award ceremony and then headed home to finish up about 7 miles on my own.

As race day approached I was trying to figure out the terrain of the course.  The elevation was described as "some rolling hills" and there were also two spots of running on packed dirt roads.  The weather was looking like clear skies but coolish temps.

Getting ready

On the bus!

Donna arrived like clockwork at 4:35AM as she stated she would.  I had got up about 45 min earlier and had my usual pre-race fruit and protein smoothie.  The temp outside was, 28 degrees, but luckily there was no wind at all.  The ride down there was fast but maybe it only seemed that way because Donna was such a great person to chat with.  We learned a lot about each other's families etc and of course a lot of why both of us race.  I always find when I get to know people, we are usually more alike than different.

We arrived at the drop-off spot a little before 6AM and waited for the shuttle (yellow school) bus to take us to the race start.  It was starting to feel a little weird that so much of the race was going to be in a state park yet it would be ending in a strip mall.

When we got to the start line I was rushed to get ready and head to the starting line.  I had decided to run in shorts but keep the compression sleeves in my calves.  I wore three t-shirts and a long sleeved shirt as well.  I ended up with a visor (instead of a toque) and no gloves.  The temp in the park as still in the high 20's but the sun was coming up and there was no wind.  I was certain once I got moving all would be fine.

At the 7AM start!  

We got a couple of pics of the early starters and by the time we assembled it was 7:08AM.  We lined up and then WE WERE OFF! I started feeling a bit emotional at this point thinking back to when I started all of this racing back in 2009.  Prior to my first triathlon, I had never ran more than once around a track.  Four of the runners started off quickly and I would never see them again.  There were 3 or 4 runners behind me, but most importantly, I was not feeling rushed.  I quickly got into my 3min/1min run to walk routine and all was feeling well.  I had remembered to take a blast of my inhaler prior to the start and so breathing was going quite well.

I also decided to run without music.  So much of my recent training was done listening to my body, especially my breathing, and I felt it would really work out better that way.  Without much of a crowd to worry about it did seem lonely AT TIMES, but since I trained that way, I was used to it.  The only real fans were at water stops and at the marathon relay transfer areas.

Except for miles 5 to 6 and then 7 to 8, most of course consisted of rolling hills.  The course was a lot hillier than I had expected, according to the description online and the mapymyrun site. With my GPS and google maps it turned out there was close to 1000ft of climbing and descending.  When I checked a few sites regarding the NYC Marathon, that race has about 800ft of climbing (mostly on the bridges).

I did not start getting passed by the 8AM runners until just before mile 8.  That ended up being a little later than I had expected.  For the first 8 miles I was averaging 13:10 min/mile, which was faster than planned, but all seemed real good at this point.  Once I started getting passed I knew that would mean a steady stream of runners would be passing me the rest of the morning.  I would certainly enjoy being cheered, but cheering them on as well.

I got my first glimpse of Sue and Owen between mile 10 and 11.  At that point, all was going according to plan.  My pace was good and temps at that time were warming up, but I was not HOT at all.  I got a nice hug and kiss from both of them and kept on going.

Once I reached 13.1 miles (1/2 marathon distance) my watch read 2:53:39, and all was well.  I had a 6 or so minute buffer built up at this point and could start to ease up a bit. The climbing at this point was pretty consistent.

Feeling OK! (Capstone Photo)

Things started to change after mile 15 and I started to feel like the climbing was getting harder.  I figured immediately after the race,   I had not trained well enough and I probably had just not been ready for the distance but when I checked out my GPS watch, my hopes had been confirmed.

The climbing was NOT IN MY HEAD.  Through the first 14 miles or so we had been averaging about 30 or  so feet of climbing per mile.  Mile 16 was 60 feet of climb with 70 of descent,.  Mile 17 had 60 feet of descent.

My knees, quads, and hamstrings were starting to get sore, not tight, just sore.  Again, I saw Sue and Owen between miles 17 and 18 and at this point I had calculated I would probably not make my 6 hour goal.  I took off my long sleeve shirt and gave it to Sue and continued on.

My pace at this time was slowing to close to 15 min/mile. And then I hit mile 19 with 85 feet of ascent.  Now I know, these GPS devices can be inaccurate.  But my watch was confirming what my body was feeling.

And then, I hit the WALL around mile 20.  Nutrition did not seem like a concern but something inside of my body was telling me to give up the running and simply walk the remaining 6+ miles.  That voice lasted for about 2 minutes.  And then I remembered, Katie Lynch, Jim Logan, the Hoyts, Sue and Owen and all those insensitive knobs who yelled things out of their car windows as I trained,  And I started to run again.  My lungs could not handle to 3 to 1 run to walk,  so I started to follow the electrical poles.  I would walk to a pole and then run between 2 or 3 of them and then walk to the next one.  That worked for most of the rest of the race.  The two stretches of dirt road on the course were not easy either.  I was doing my best to avoid the small potholes, so a lot along those roads was shuffling instead of running.


We exited the park just before mile 25 and I knew this quest would soon be over.  As I neared the finish chute I could here people yelling, "He's coming!".  I turned the corner into the small parking lot at the strip mall where were to finish, which was so different from the miles and miles in the park.

Sue and Owen were there and I crossed the line running as much as I could.  A big hug for both Sue and Owen and all I could do was look at Sue and start crying.  All I remember saying to her was, "That was SO HARD!".

At the Finish!  26.2 miles DONE.

My finish time was 6:20:07.  When I think about that, I finished less than a minute per mile slower than I had hoped for.  My goal was 13:44 per mile and I ended up with 14:18 per mile.  When I think about how much hillier that course turned out to be, I was totally satisfied with my finish.  It only took me less than 48 hours to starting thinking, when is the next one.

What a support crew!  Owen's sign says, "My Dad Just Did a Marathon"

Funny thing, 4 days later I would travel back to Andover to race in the Feaster Five again.  There would be more than 10,000 runners here and I ended up RUNNING the 5K and finished in 41:53.  Very close to my average 5K time.  Nothing beats running with Joan Benoit, Bill Rodgers, and the Hoyts.

Start of the Feaster Five

Look over on the right hand side.  Just 4 days post-marathon

NYC Marathon 2012. Well, almost.

As many know by now, the race itself was cancelled due to the terrible aftermath of "Hurricane Sandy".  There are arguments flying back and forth online about whether or not the race should have happened.  Also, there has been concern expressed about why the marathon was cancelled, yet 3 NBA games and an NFL game were able to go on in the area.

The argument can go back and forth for days, but deep down I know.  It was right to cancel the race.  The problem was the fact that they waited so long to do so.

Anyway, I want to share a letter I read to the school community where I teach.

Good morning.

This past week has been a whirl-wind of emotion for me from great highs to very low lows.  After the hurricane last week I was ready for the NYC Marathon to be canceled.  I had come to the conclusion that it was out of my control and I would be wasting energy worrying about it.  I would continue to train as planned and wait to see what happened.  It was obvious there was some terrible destruction in the NYC area, but the Mayor seemed positive that the race would go on as planned.   As the week came to a close, the Mayor announced that the race would actually go on.

I heard from a number of runners, that they would not race as they felt it would be disrespectful to the families who lost loved-ones or had their homes damaged or destroyed. Though I agreed I also heard the message that this race might be a rallying point for the city as it had been after 9/11.  The only difference was in 2001, the race was 7 weeks after the terrorist attacks, and this year the marathon would take place less than a week after the storm.  I considered the options and felt like I should go and race.  I had trained a long time for this and had numerous people supporting me along the way and I did not want to let them down.

My race jersey.

As we travelled down to NYC on Friday it got clearer with each mile past Hartford, how devastating this storm was.  Most gas stations along HWY 91 were closed either with no power or they were out of gas.  Trees were down all over the place and work crews were out cleaning up.  We were listening to the radio and receiving text messages (my wife was driving as I was reading them) that there were long lines for gas and no subways running.  All of the radio shows were saying the same thing, why was the marathon going on?  Bodies were still being recovered on Staten Island.  We arrived in NYC around 4:30pm, more than 2 hours later than expected as there was a long line to go over the bridge into Manhatten from the Bronx.  They were restricting cars to 3 occupants or more.  We parked the car, got our rooms and then at 5:30pm I got a text that the race had been canceled.

My immediate response was that of frustration and anger.  Why had I come all the way down here only to have the race canceled?  Was this a ploy by the mayor to get all 40,000 runners in town, cancel the race, and then at least have us there to spend our money.  I don’t know the answer, but I did know, it was the correct call.  Only much easier to take if it had been made 3 days before.  Many more runners sacrificed more than I did with canceled flights and then re-booking them.  There were athletes from South Aftrica, Australia, India, all over.

Me and Kat (Pres. of the NYC Chapter of Achilles Int)

But what had I lost, but some money for gas and a hotel stay.  Taking the time to realize, 1,000’s of people had no power, flooded homes, and 42 dead in NY alone.  I was only denied my first chance at running a marathon.  I got up early on Saturday morning and ran with some of my teammates from Achilles International and then had a chance to speak to some fund-raisers at a luncheon for the Challenged Athletes Foundation.

I will have many more chances to race where some people’s lives are turned upside down by the loss of a loved one or their home. 

Take the time to be thankful for what you have and when a bump comes along in the road, it often helps to take the time to realize, there are often people a lot worse off than you are.

Mile 24 banner still in place.  I'll be back!

As an addendum, I just found out that there is a marathon in Plymouth, MA on November 18th.  I signed up last night.  So much for an off-season.  I am also racing in the Rich Angelo 5K this weekend to honor a fallen triathlete and father.  December 5th is the Jolly Jaunt 5K in Danvers, MA that raises money for the local Special Olympics.

NSS Reunion

I had a weekend away from Sue and Owen in Toronto.  There was a dedication ceremony at my old high school, Northern Secondary School.  There had been a campaign and a brand new turf field was put in and they had a ribbon cutting ceremony to officially open the field.  The field had been named CLARKE PULFORD FIELD back when the school celebrated it's 75 anniversary.  Mr. Pulford was there to help cut the ribbon along with some other key people involved in getting the new field project done.  

Former Red Knight Football players from the 80's along with Coach Pulford

Me along with Jim Hutton.

Both Jim Hutton, my 9th grade phys ed and math teacher along with Dale Callendar, were integral people involved in getting this 7? year project complete.  They were directly involved in fund raising and in helping to secure outside donations and pledges from both corporate and government entities.

As I wrote on my facebook page, Jim Hutton was one of the main reasons I became a teacher.  His goal in life had always been to help young people become responsible for their actions.  He taught me to be self-disciplined and for that, I am eternally grateful.

I got to spend some key time with some great friends from NSS.  In no particular order, they are, Ottilie, Graeme, Wade, Chris, Toby, Jan, Stephanie, Bill, Warren, John, Ainsworth, Alex, Dave, Peter, Ford, and Nata.  I am really sorry if there are some names I left out.  It really was a whirlwind tour. There some former teachers as well, some of whom I had MAJOR crushes on back in the day.  To save their embarrassment, I won't included their names, but suffice it to say, they taught me Chemistry and English in the grade 12 and 13 respectively.

I also got a very quick visit in with Bonnie and her family and along with my mom.  I arrived there on Sunday afternoon and then flew home this evening.  I was actually able to fly home on Porter Airlines for free using the tickets I won from the Toronto Triathlon Festival.

This morning I was able to get up and have my longest training run in preparation for the NYC Marathon which is in 4 weeks.  I did a 13.1 mile run through Orangeville this morning leaving my sister's house just prior to 7AM.  I completed the run in 3:02 and what really struck me was that my last 13.1 RACE was completed in 3:05.  This run goes along way in boosting my confidence as I prepare to race the marathon.  Deep down inside, I KNOW I WILL BE READY in November 4th.  Lookout, NYC, here I come!!!

 

Pumpkinman 1/2 Iron Triathlon

“Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.”

Harriet Tubman

Not enough races live up to all the hype you here.  With social media, it sometimes only takes a small circle of people to falsely boost up the ratings of a race.  You hear it's the BEST one for scenery, race support, swag, etc, and yet it sometimes just does not deliver.  Well,  I was finally able to take part in the Pumpkinman Triathlon Festival up in Berwick, ME.  Kat Donatello and her husband Jeff put an amazing event.  The "Festival" consists of a sprint race on the Saturday and then the 1/2 Iron race on the Sunday.  They were the first to bring a 1/2 Iron distance race to Maine 5 years ago.  It did not disappoint!  Hands down, the BEST VOLUNTEERS of any race I have ever done.  I know it's only been 20 races now over 4 years, but no other race touches this one for the PEOPLE involved.

 I had decided to head up there early Saturday morning so I could help out at the sprint race.  I wanted to see this TREMENDOUS hill they all talk about that you take to get to transition from the swim.  It's actually such a big hill, they award a prize to the athlete who can get up the hill the fastest.  I arrived at about 4:45AM and was asked by Tracy (volunteer coordinator) to help with parking and then move my way up to transition. It took a long time for the sun to come up and once it did I was able to take a look at this massive hill, and it was no exaggeration.

Meeting up with Kosmo (Dave) and Nancy

One HUGE bonus for me to was to finally get a chance to meet Bob and Mary-Ann Blais.  The are the parents of Jon Blais, the "BLAZEMAN WARRIOR POET".  Jon acquired ALS in 2005 and prior to that had been a teacher and triathlete.  He refused  to simply die from this terrible disease.  In 2005 he entered and completed the IRONMAN World Championships in Kona, Hawaii.  He succumbed to the disease in 2007 but his memory lives on today in 100's of Blazeman Warriors who compete in triathlons to raise money for ALS research, all the while rolling across the finish line to bring awareness to this disease and celebrate his life.  I watched this VIDEO  after I had started competing in triathlons in 2009.  It not take too long before I contacted Bob and Mary-Ann Blais in order to explain how connected I felt to Jon even though we had never met.  We immediately struck up a friendship and this would be our first chance to meet.  I saw them prior to the start of the sprint and we had a chance for a nice long chat.  They of course were as gracious and giving as I had expected.  The Blazeman Foundation can be found HERE for anyone interested in becoming involved in a very worthwhile cause.

Once the race started I spent my time in transition helping to direct athletes in and out.  I loved the ambiance of the race and was really enjoying cheering everyone on.  I was able to see a number of great friends race, for example; Kyle Burnell, Vinny and Marty Miserandino, Brendan Reen, Nancy Thompson, and David Boyle.

I stayed for most of the race, pretty much until the last bike was in.  I made sure to check in with friends and then made my way of site to find some lunch and then check into the my hotel.  I was going to find a local place to eat and then I remembered that there is a TIM HORTON'S in Biddeford, ME.  I checked the GPS and it was only about 25 minutes away.  ROAD TRIP!!!!  Nothing beats a taste of home when you are far way from it.   A nice light lunch and then I made my way to Sanford, ME, to the Super 8 Hotel I booked.  The hotel was about 20 minutes away from the race site.  It was SO CLEAN and QUIET.  For under $80 it was a pretty good deal.

I stayed for most of the race, pretty much until the last bike was in.  I made sure to check in with friends and then made my way of site to find some lunch and then check into the my hotel.  I was going to find a local place to eat and then I remembered that there is a TIM HORTON'S in Biddeford, ME.  I checked the GPS and it was only about 25 minutes away.  ROAD TRIP!!!!  Nothing beats a taste of home when you are far way from it.   A nice light lunch and then I made my way to Sanford, ME, to the Super 8 Hotel I booked.  The hotel was about 20 minutes away from the race site.  It was SO CLEAN and QUIET.  For under $80 it was a pretty good deal.

 

Meeting up with Mary-Ann and Bob Blais

I returned to the race site for package pick-up and the hopes of a short swim, bike and run.  The chance to swim did not happen as there was a wedding on site and they understandably didn't want us ruining the pictures running around in wet suits.  I did have a short ride after meeting up again with the Blaises.  We chatted a lot more about Jon and about my day tomorrow.  I explained to them I expected to finish between 8 to 8.5 hours.  My previous 1/2 Ironman time was 8:59, but I was convinced I had done a lot more work in preparation, especially running off the bike, otherwise known as a BRICK workout.
On the way back to my hotel I stopped at a local Italian take-out place and then returned to my room to eat and pack for the morning.

I set the alarm for 4AM and after packing layed on the bed expecting to lay awake for a while but for some reason I was real calm and relaxed.  I drifted off to sleep around 10pm and had a very good night's sleep, which again is not common prior to a race.  This might have something to do with a request I had made of friends prior to the race.  I asked for some prayer help prior to this race.  All I simply requested was that people ask God to keep me safe.  Competing for more than 8 hours non-stop is not an easy task.  If I was confident I was in His hands I could concentrate in racing.

I woke up at 4AM and quickly checked the weather.  We had had some severe rain late in the night but it looked like the rain had stopped.  The sky was overcast, but it looked like there would be no rain for the race.  I had my protein smoothie, banana, yogurt, and some PB&J sandwiches.  I packed up the car with my gear and bike and made my way to the race site.

Parking at the site was not a problem.  I got up near transition, got body-marked and then racked my bike.  It was still a while before sunrise so I simply walked around a bit prior to laying out my gear.  Once it got lighter out, I set up my area and then chatted a bit more with other athletes.  The neatest thing happened when an athlete approached me to ask, "Are you the Titan!".  Well, that just made my day.  I am now one month into an agreement with Para Promotions.  They are a company that is establishing themselves to represent elite level para-triathletes.  The company president, Jan Ditchfield is a triathlete herself who has worked numerous races guiding visually impaired triathletes.  She lives in Ottawa, ON and I first met her last summer when I raced in Peterborough, ON.  We raced together again at the New York City Triathlon and she contacted me after the race about forming this partnership.  They have set-up both a facebook Fanpage and also a webpage.  This athlete said he was a friend of Carolyn Gaynor (we raced together in NYC as well) and had seen her tweeting about the fan page.  VERY COOL!!

Prior to the race there was a very moving ceremony where some of Jon Blais's ashes were scattered in the lake. Just like the previous night, a sense of relaxed calm came over me as I thought about Jon and then about the day I was about to have.  I was determined to smile more and take in the entire day.  I was SO READY to have an amazing race.

A moment of silence prior to the race in memory of Jon "Blazeman" Blais (by D. Laskey)

Me and Jules Gorman.  Peace! (photo by D. Laskey)

I was in the 2^nd wave which went off a minute after the pros left.  The course is a two course totally a distance of 1.2 miles.  It was a counter-clockwise course which I prefer since I breathe to my left side.  Off we went, and the first lap went just fine.  I got clobbered a bit prior to the first buoy when the wave behind us caught up to me.  A couple of swimmers got close, but no big deal.  Sighting the buoys went well and managed to keep pretty close to a straight line cornering each buoy as you are supposed to.  I finished the first loop in 30 minutes and the second in 29 minutes, for a total of 59 minutes on the swim.  Out of the water I came, and now in front of was THE HILL!!!  I took off my cap and goggles and simply kept a good pace getting up the hill.  Wet-suit top off as I entered transition and started to run to my bike.

As I quickly got ready for the ride, transition went pretty well.  I got out and got on the bike quickly.  I thought it was a bit too cloudy to wear my sunglasses so I kept them in my helmet.  The first few miles of the bike were VERY ROUGH but after a couple of miles, things started to smooth out somewhat.  The ride consisted of a loop that was done twice with 2 different bottle exchanges.  What that meant is we essentially had 4 chances to change bottles on a 56 mile course.  

Taking a corner. (photo by D. Connolly)

Since I cannot reach my bottle cage without getting off of my bike, this was terrific.  I exchanged 3 times out of 4 getting water once and Gatorade twice.  Except for the initial and final couple of miles the course was very smooth with very few concerns or technical corners.  Where the turns were, they had ample marshals and police out to help.  

On one particular hairpin turn there was plenty of warning to slow down and watch out!  A HUGE bonus on the ride was the sight of good friend of mine from high school days named Dianne.  Here and her partner live in Maine, very close to the race sight.  She came to cheer me on and take some pics.  I actually saw her at least 3 different times on the bike and the once on the run.

Cruising! (Photo by Dianne Connolly)

I was very happy to make it into T2 and realize I was not the last bike in.  I took my time getting ready for the run, taking a puff of my inhaler and 2 Advil with some gel and watered-down Gatorade.  Here’s where I was to find out if all of my BRICK training was worth it.  Well, unlike the Patriot Triathlon last year, I was able to start running and keep running.    Just as I left transition, I heard a familiar voice call out “DAD!” and then one yelling, “JOHN”.  Sue and Owen made it there in time to see me out on the run.  I turned around and waved but had to keep running !!!

So much "easier" this time.  (by D. Connolly)

My pace stayed pretty consistent for the entire 13.1 miles.  This course was an out-and back that we had to do twice, so except for my final turn-around, I saw lots of people and we cheered each other on.  The best part of this was the ability to see the best feature of the PUMPKINMAN, and that’s the volunteers.  We passed most of the aid stations 4 times, since this was a double out and back.  They cheered just as loudly each time, and in fact, got louder!   There was a young family at the top of the big hill giving out cold, wet sponges.  The kids were amazing as they were almost fighting over who could whom the sponges.  The asked me the second time I came by what my name was.  The next two times going by, I could here them yelling, “JOHN…… you’re doing GREAT.”  I made the mom chuckle, when she yelled each time, “YOU ROCK THE HOUSE!”, to which I replied, “I DON’T WANT TO ROB YOUR HOUSE!”.  At the turn-around they had an OASIS set up with music, food, water, sponges, etc.  It was great to see them and get a real boost.  On my second time up, when I realized I was the last runner, as I neared the top, Jeff (Kat’s husband) drove up to tell me, they were keeping the course open for me and everyone was waiting at the OASIS to cheer me on and of course also at the FINISH line.  I got up there and said thanks again and again, and then started the final run down the hill.

A lot of time to be alone between the groups of great volunteers.
(by D. Connolly)

As I passed the “sponge” family, I of course thanked them as well, and kept going.  It was a real surprise as I neared the last water stop to see a number of the volunteers from the run course had come down to cheer me in to the finish.  I had done the math a while back and realized I had not made the 8:00:00 cut-off or even the 8:15:00 mark, but I had a real chance of making it in under 8:30:00.  The final hill was kind of deceptive and I ended up walking most of it.  

Entering the finish chute.  (by D. Connolly)

I entered the grounds and ran towards the finish chute.  As I entered the chute I had to be careful as it was a steep downhill on grass.  If I was not careful I might end up falling and rolling down.  I could heard Andy Schachat announcing my name and in fact he was even playing some of John Williams’s Olympic music to boot.   I had already made up my mind to roll across the line in honor of Jon Blais, but that was only cemented when I saw both Bob and Mary-Ann Blais waiting at the finish line along with Sue and Owen and then Kat and Kyle holding up the finishing line tape.

Rolling for the Blazeman. (by M. Blais)

All of what I’m doing now is centering on preparing for my first full marathon.  On November 4^th I travel to NYC to compete in the ING New York City Marathon.  That is 26.2 miles in the city that never sleeps.  Again, when I started all of this 3 years ago, I would have never imagined a full marathon would be in my future.

I ended up finishing in 8:30:02.  I was SO HAPPY with this time.  I took almost 30 minutes off my time from Patriot on what I feel was a harder course.  My run time of 3:22 was only 16 minutes slower than my last stand-alone ½ marathon.  I know I can’t complain about that.  I’ve had doubts but really think a 140.6 is not out of the question.

With the Blais family, Sue, and Owen (K. Donatello)

Homeward Bound to the Toronto Triathlon Festival

This post would have been finished days ago, but I have been distracted a lot by the Olympic Games in London.  Catching a lot of the sports online during the day and then also watching some of the tape-delayed events on TV in the evening.

I've now been racing triathlon for 4 seasons.  I have raced in other states and even in Canada last year, but nothing could beat racing in your hometown.  Months ago, when I read a tweet about the Toronto Triathlon Festival, I decided pretty quickly that this race would have to be on my race schedule.  As we were already heading home to Toronto just 2 weeks prior to this race for my nieces wedding, this would have to be a trip I did on my own.  I was impressed by the race organizers as they already had a PC (physically challenged) category set up.  The reason I mention this is that when I decide to do a race, I often have to ask about a PC category.  Most race directors will oblige and add the category, but it's a shame that I have to ask.  I feel if a race is sanctioned by the USAT or any other governing group, a PC category should be mandatory.  It often makes me laugh that they have a category for heavier racers (CLYDESDALE and ATHENA) which is something with which most people have control, but not for something like a physical challenge, which is certainly nothing I did to myself.  Now I know, some people are generally bigger than others, but many Clydesdales can lose enough weight in order to be racing alongside all the other triathletes.  I'm sure I might get some flack for this comment, but it's the way I feel.

Anyway, after I registered the race director contacted me and suggested I do a write-up about my racing experience in order to be considered for TRIATHLETE of the MONTH leading up to the race.  I did a write-up and was quickly told I had been selected for the month of MARCH.  What was most impressive to me was a newsletter came out with the announcement of my selection along with Simon Whitfield.  Most triathletes and Canadians will know him as the flag bearer for the 2012 Canadian Olympic team.  I will be getting up on Aug 7th at 5AM in order to watch him race for Canada in London.  Before I left for Toronto, I printed out a copy of the newsletter in order ask Simon to sign it.  Kinda cool with a pic of my family and I on one side, and Simon on the other!  I was awarded a return flight with Porter Airlines for being selected.  I plan on using the ticket to fly home in the fall for a special function at NSS, my high school in Toronto.  

TTF Newsletter

I am still in touch with my kindergarten teacher, Marilyn Fennell.  Her and her husband, Freddie, live in downtown Toronto.  Their place is not far from the race venue down at Ontario Place.  The arranged for me to stay in a guest apartment in the building for the weekend.  This would certainly make getting to the race site a lot easier, as I needed to be there both Friday and Saturday, prior to the race on Sunday.  As I would be traveling down alone, I didn't want to spend all day Friday driving (more than 500 miles), so I arranged to stay overnight at a hotel in Utica, NY on Thursday night and then make the rest of the way to Toronto early Friday morning.

The drive down on both Thursday and Friday were without incident, unless you include the border crossing at Lewiston, NY.  There were 12 lanes to chose from, and I of course, chose the slowest line.   I thought I must have the one real detailed customs agent.  Well, when I got up to the booth, I found out, that was not the case.  The agent asked me citizen, purpose of visit, etc.   When I mentioned I was going to race in a triathlon, she asked me all about it.  I then realize, I got the "CHATTY CATHY" customs agent.  It sure did not make the ride any easier.

I got into Toronto in the early afternoon and made my way along the Gardiner Expressway.  I was now driving on the same highway that would be closed on Sunday for the race.  I had an awesome view of the both the CN Tower and Rogers' Centre (formerly the Skydome).

Part of the bike course along the Gardiner

 I arrived at Fred and Marilyn's and unpacked my gear.  I was planning on leaving my bike in the care and then assembling it and riding it on Saturday afternoon.  My plan was to get down to the Westin hotel to check in and register for the "Fun Run".  I had connected online with Travis McKenzie from Nine17sports who were the event management team for the race and I was eager to meet him.

I arrived in time for the run which I thought was a 5K and ended up being about a 1K, which made me really happy.  The run was a little PR  event by the TTF and Porter Airlines in preparation for the race.  It was simply a run around the boardwalk near the hotel and took me about 7:40 or so.

After the Porter Airlines "Fun Run" photo by Flashmobs

I was really excited about what I was going to do next.  I have been in touch through Facebook with a couple of my old high school buddies and we were planning a little get together for Friday night.  We were set to meet up at a little bar down in Korea town (Bathurst and Bloor) called the Victory Cafe.   When I showed up and looked around I found my buddies, Toby, Jan, and Wade.  Chris (who organized the get-together) showed up a little later.  It was a simple evening of catching up, some beers (carbo loading?)  and lots of old stories about high school days.  The group of guys actually see each other a lot, a long with quite a few others.

Toby, Jan, me, and Wade

I am one of the few who actually moved quite a bit away from the Toronto area.  We hung around for quite a while, headed a popular Toronto landmark called Grossmans' Tavern looking for some live music.  Our timing was not great, as the band had just started their break.  I hung out for a while but really felt the need to get some rest.  I said good-night and then headed back to where I was staying.

Saturday morning was relaxed I met Fred and Marilyn for some breakfast and then made my way over to the pool with Marilyn for a swim.   It was nice to stretch out a bit and I think I only did about 1000 yards or so.

Prior to heading to the race briefing I thought it would be a good idea to get my bike out and take if for a little ride.  I got out and was planning on a real short ride, but bring back in my old stomping grounds, I decided to ride up to my old highschool, NSS, to check out the new turf field they had installed.  Alum, Dale Callender and former phys ed teacher, Jim Hutton were the driving force behind getting the money and donations together to get build this field to honor, former high school football coach, Clarke Pulford.  The ride was nice as I headed up to Mt. Pleasant and Eglinton.  Riding back down, I wanted to see how fast I could get riding down Yonge St.  Being a Saturday afternoon, I thought the traffic was not too bad.  The cruise down Yonge St was quite cool

After the ride I got ready to head back down to the Westin for packet pick-up and my race briefing. 
For a new race, there were not a lot of glitches.  I found my race number and then went into the room for the briefing.  At the end of the briefing by both Steve Fleck and Travis McKenzie, they opened the floor to questions.  Once those were handled, we went to get our packets, timing chips, etc.  This was one place where there was a little confusion.  The 100+ of us in the room were all allowed through a single door to then wait in lines.  The system they had was a bit chaotic and of course rewarded people who were great at cutting lines.  Living for more than a few years in the U.S. has given me some experience with this.  The nice and mostly Canadian crowd, patiently waited in some lines that seemed not to move.  I simply went to the last line and found out it moved pretty well.  I got my material and then looked around the Expo.  The Expos are quite neat, but I rarely find anything worth getting.

I walked around a while and then made my way back up to the St. Clair and Yonge area.  I was going to try and meet up with another old friend from the neighborhood where I grew up.  This was Michael Crooks, whose older sister, Charmaine Crooks, ran for Canada at numerous Commenwealth and Olympic games.  She is currently a member of the IOC.  Things did not work out meeting up with Michael.  I don't know if it was cell-phone problems, but we never seemed to connect that afternoon.  I found a nice restaurant to try and have a late lunch/early dinner.  When I asked at the Starbucks, they suggested I try and small pub called The Fox and the Fiddle.  I managed to get a nice salad and plate of pasta and the cost did not really break the bank.

I sat there for a while and then made my way back to the apartment.  After dropping off my race materials, I dropped in on Fred and Marilyn for a bit before turning in for the night.  I put my feet up for a while and watched a bit of TV prior to packing my race bag.  I thought it would be smart to get all the gear I did not need packed in my car.  After that, I set out my food for the morning and then turned in.

Transition was not to open until 5:15AM, so I woke at 4AM and then proceeded to get dressed and eat.  I had no way to mix a smoothie, so I had a large chocolate light, Muscle Milk along with a banana and bagel.  This would be my coolest race morning ride as I basically rode straight down Yonge St to the Lakeshore and then over to Ontario Place.  There was plenty of parking near transition.

I found a spot and then took my bike out of the car along with my ORCA race-bag.  It was a short walk to transition where I quickly found my bike rack.  As a para-triathlete, they gave us a special area right next to the pros.  Both Simon Whitfield and Paula Findlay would also be racing, but only in the sprint distance as a final training exercise before heading off to London.

Ted and me.

I had plenty of time to set-up and while doing so, I was admiring the views of the Toronto skyline.  I was able to meet up with my high school friend Ted Katsoris.  He is also triathlete and we have been in touch over the last few years after we connected on, yes here it is again, facebook.  When Simon and Paula showed up I tried to wait for a chance to chat with Simon for a second.  When I walked over to him, he extended his hand and said, "Hi John, how are you?"  Now of course, you might say, well, isn't that how decent people are supposed to great each other.  I was freaked out, that he knew my name.  Now we had been in touch on twitter and facebook, but only in passing, so I was impressed he knew my name.

Me along with Canada's flag-bearer in the Opening Ceremonies

He did joke with me and asked why I had a chair in transition.  I mentioned it was part of being a para-triathlete, where he then responded, "Well, if I am out of the water first, I'm stealing your chair!"  Well of course, he was out of the water before me, but my chair was still there after my swim.  I asked Simon to sign the newsletter and he graciously obliged.  I also had a chance to wish Paula good luck in the Olympics as well. I then finished up in transition and made my way to the swim start.

The USAT has a rule where pare-triathletes generally go into the swim in the first wave, but in Canada we are put in the last wave.  The swim was an in the water start after a jump in off a small dock.  I was the only male in the last 2 waves and when the announcer mentioned the fact that he wanted all ladies in the water for the last wave, I could not resist, and called out, "What about me?"  Steve Findlay was on the mic and of course, he quickly had a giggle and apologized, and said, "All the ladies and JOHN in the water please."

Heading towards T1 (by Mike Cheliak)

The swim was in a sheltered marina area right off of Ontario Place.  The course had lots of turns as we mostly followed the perimeter of the basin until we came back towards the boats.  With the sun shining it was difficult to swim back towards the east.  Being in the last wave and starting near the back, I figured I would see very few swimmers.  Well, that was not totally the case.  I saw he same woman for most of the swim and even passed a few of the struggling athletes who were swimming on their backs.  There were some steps out of the water that were easy to climb and there was even someone there to offer a hand if it was needed.  For the 1.5KM swim my time was 0:44:04 (489/501 overall).

It was a short run in to transition and to my bike.  A quick look around and I noticed there were still a number of bikes remaining, so at that point I realized I was not the last out of the water.  Transition was pretty quick at 1:59, but right after the timing mat was a large hill we needed to walk our bikes up that would take us to a bridge over Lakeshore Dr.  Once on the bike this course was what I was most waiting for.  I would be hard to race and at the same time enjoy the view of the city where I was born, but I did my best.  We got to ride through the Exhibiton (CNE) grounds (past the famous "FOOD BUILDING" ) and except for one marshall not really doing her job, the course was well marked.  Once out of the grounds we made our way onto the Gardiner Expressway.  Not a lot of cities allow road (even better, highway) closures, but we had both the eastbound Gardiner and northbound DVP closed to traffic for this race.  We ride all the way past the CN Tower, Rogers' Center (formerly the Skydome) through the downtown core out east towards the DVP.  The ramp onto the DVP was an awesome downhill where I was able to reach in excess of 35mph.  I wondered how I would fare getting up the ramp on my way back.  Once onto the DVP it is a ride on some pretty smooth roads up to Eglinton Avenue where we had a sharp turnaround.  I was passed by a few bikes on my ride, and in turn passed others as well.  At the turn around I got off my bike to re-fill my aero bottle.  With my short arms, I can't reach the bottle cage and need to stop riding to re-fill.  The ride back down to the city was breath-taking and FAST.

That hill I worried about back onto the Gardiner really was not that bad.  I was able to ride up at a good pace and head back westbound.  Once at the CNE we needed to ride about another 2 miles or so to then turn around and head back east again towards the CNE.  There was a very sharp right up a ramp back into the CNE.  Once on the grounds I noticed the first riders from the Sprint race heading out for their ride.  We started at 8AM and their race had a 9:30AM start.  Once across the timing pad, my time for the ride was 1:40:32 (492/501).  Not my fastest 40KM race time, but a very good time for me none the less.

Another quick transition time and I was out for the run.  The course was an out and back along a path called the Martin Goodman Trail that follows westbound along Lakeshore Drive.  We had to deal with the general public all along the path and that included plenty of cyclists and roller bladers.   There was not a lot of shade along the run, and the sun was shining without any cloud cover.  I did not make the same mistake about ADVIL this time and took 2 right out of transition with a gel and some water.  My back held on for the entire run and I simply tried my best to pace myself as there were light posts all along the path.  I kept up pretty well, running between 3 or 4 of them and then walking between 2.  I did that for most of the way to the turn around.  And then did my best to run a bit more on the way back.  The highlight certainly had to be running by Sunnyside Pool, which is now named in memory of Gus Ryder.  He was my first swimming teacher when I was a young child.  He also coached Marilyn Bell, who was the first PERSON to swim across Lake Ontario.   I wondered then, what he would think seeing me race that day, as back then when I did learn to swim with him, I was doing it in a class with other so-called disabled children.

One thing I wish that race volunteers who take it upon themselves to yell out how far you have to go, did so with some accuracy.  At least two different volunteers yelled out how far we had to go and they were way off.  One said, "2.5KM to go" when actually we had more than 4KM to go.  Also, they did have markers along the path marking the distance, but "someone" thought it would be funny to switch a lot of them around. For example, I passed the 4KM marker, followed by the 6KM then the 5KM.  Also, at one point, the distance between the 7KM and 8KM markers, was less than 1/2 a KM.  No worries, I tried my best to pay attention to my own body and GPS watch.  My buddy Wade showed up on his bike to cheer me on with about 4KM to go.  He asked if I wanted him to stay with me, and I kindly (I think?), said "No thanks".

Crossing the finish line.

As we entered Coronation Park, I could hear the music and the crowds of spectators and athletes who had already finished, grew larger.  I noticed a familiar face with Marilyn about 100m from the finish and then my buddy Toby as well, cheering me on.  I turned the final bend and headed to the finish.  As I crossed the line, I checked my watch and, with the mess up from the swim, I was unsure if I had finished under 4:00:00.  I would find out later in the day, after checking online, my time for the run was 1:31:00 flat, and as I had hoped, my overall time was 3:59:48.  I think this is my 4th race finishing during the 59th minute.  Certainly two great things to take away from the race, both my bike and run were substantially faster than NYC, which I completed two weeks prior.  I know they are different courses, but it still feels good to go faster over equal distances.

Finishline Video

CITY-TV News Story about the TTF

CITY-TV news was at the finish line and I was interviewed by them and was excited to be able to watch the news later at my sister's home with my mother watching as well.

Stacey meeting me after the race!

One of my former students, Stacey, made it down to the city to meet me at the finish, and that certainly meant so much to me.  Along with Marilyn and my high school buddies; Wade, Toby, and Chris it was great having some friendly faces to see and the finish line.

After the race I headed back to the apartment to clean up and say "Thanks" to Fred and Marilyn for their hospitality.  I drove up to Orangeville to see Bonnie, Gord, Mark, Kelly, Haydyn, and of course, my mom.  We had a nice dinner and of course, I took a relaxing dip in the pool.

The only bad part about this trip would be the LONG ride home on Monday.  I left Bonnie's at about 8AM and don't think I got back to Salem until about 10PM or so.  It was a difficulty trip, but I really wanted to be home with Sue and Owen.  I know I've said this before, but Sue does SO MUCH to help support me in what I'm doing and the time she spends at home with Owen means so much to me.

NYC Triathlon Weekend - 2012

Before I get into the actual race report, I do want to thank many of you.  If many of you may remember, I ended up with a free entry to this race thanks to a "facebook" contest.  There was a photo contest where the pic from the 2011 NYC Triathlon with the most "likes" would win a free entry to the race this year.  Well, with more than 700 "likes" I was able to win a free entry.  I am sure that had a lot to do with many of my friends clicking on the pic, but more importantly, spreading the word around.  It saved me a lot of money that I could put towards gas and other possible expenses for the weekend.

I was going to be completing this race as a member of Achilles International and was quite excited at all the pre-race info I was receiving from them leading up to the race.  There was a meal planned for the night prior to the race and even a swim session planned at the JCC.  This would end being a great chance to meet some  new members of the team.  The team not only consists of us challenged athletes.  There are numerous volunteers along with Kat, Ellie, and Andy and also a number of able-bodied racers who would be racing as charity runners to raise money for Achilles.

The ride down on Friday night was a breeze.  I've now done the trip alone 3 times in the last year so it seems to go pretty fast.  A couple of audio books to listen to and then of course, I love to tune into NYC sports radio, it is usually very entertaining.

I arrived around 3pm and found a free parking sport right at the corner where transition is for the race.  I would leave my bike in the trunk until tomorrow and then go bring it down.  I love races where bike check-in is the night before the race.  Makes it that much easier on race morning to get your things organized.  I got out my three bags and made my way to the train.  Achilles had arranged a room at a nice place over in midtown called "The Union League Club".  The gave me (along with 2 other athletes) a great rate for a two night weekend stay.

I walked the 3 blocks to the #1 train over at 78th Street and Broadway and made my way down to get my ticket and board the train.  I had just called Sue to tell her I had arrived.  When I boarded the train, I reached down to use my phone to check the time and it was GONE.  I immediately thought someone had stolen it while I was paying for my ticket.  I got off the train at the first stop, walked over the platform and boarded the train back to 78th Street.  I got out onto street level and then walked back to the spot where I had called Sue and started looking.  No phone on the ground, down the stairs into the station, by the machine, or by the turnstile.  Then I remembered, getting through the turnstile had been real difficult with 3 bags and possibly, my phone had fallen out of the case on my belt.  I turned and walked over the ticket agent and asked about a missing phone.  She reached over and slowly showed me a phone and said, "Is it this one?"  And it was!  I said "thank-you, thank-you, thank-you!"  Her response was a calm, "This is your lucky day."  It sure was seeming to be that way.

Now it was HOT!.   And with all the extra walking, I was drenched.  I made my way to 42nd St and then took the shuttle to Grand Central Station and walked the few blocks to the hotel.  It took a while, but I made it.  When I checked in the room was as nice as it had looked online.  The only drawback is that I would need a gymnastics vault to get up on the bed.  It had to be at least 3 feet high.  I rested for a bit, then packed my bag for my 2nd attempt at the "NYC Underwear Run."  It is always held in Central Park and is a 1.7 mile run around the middle loop of the park ending at the same finish line we would use on Sunday.

From the Huffington Post

I first headed up the hotel where the race expo would be.  It was busy, but not too crowded.  I looked around a bit and managed to talk with a guy from KSWISS about my QUICKY BLADE LIGHTS.  There have been wearing in a weird spot on both shoes and he took a pic and said he would talk to the designers and get back to me.  I love the shoes and hope they can explain what's up or get me a new pair.

I headed up to 72nd Street and Central Park West.  As I got closer to the location for the run, I could hear the usual P.A. announcers getting the crowd riled up and I was also able dozens of people "dropping trow".  Some where getting ready to run and others, simply to show off.  I checked in and then walked over to the big fountain to change.

Carolyn, Leona, and Jan with me just after the run.

Carolyn, actually ran the same run last year and I think she recognized me, but Jan raced with me in Peterborough last year.  She is with a group from Canada called WON WITH ONE.  The work with visually impaired triathletes.  Leona came down from Canada to race as well and Carolyn was going to be here guide.  The 4 of us did the last 1/2 mile of the run as a group and crossed the line together.  Jan would race on Sunday guiding another athlete named Dave from PEI.  My friend Cav, from TriLife was to meet up and do the run but he was running late from work.  He is a pediatric ER doctor in NYC.  He caught up with me after the race and we made the decision to go from some beer and grub at a place over on Amsterdam Ave.  We met with a few of friends, including Haddai, who I had briefly met when I was at the Quassy race last month.  I had a great dinner with them and washed it down with a pint of Guinness.  I didn't want to stay up too late, so I headed for the subway and then back to my hotel.

Me along with Ironman, Sarah Reinertsen

John Korff, who organizers and runs the NYC Triathlon, puts on a breakfast every Saturday morning before the race.  I went last year and did not want to miss this year's either.  It's a great chance to meet up with other challenged athletes and now that I was returning, we could talk about how our year of racing had gone.  At this point, I am still the only dwarf triathlete that I am aware of.  I have been contacted by two other's in the past weeks and both men will be attempting their first try-a-tri, which is a mini-sprint distance race.  As I entered the restaurant I saw Barb Evans, a new but dear friend.  She is the NE-USA rep for the CAF.  Sitting beside her, was KONA Ironman finisher, Sarah Reinertsen.  I first saw Sarah on "The Amazing Race" had has now also read her book.  She is an amazing athlete who lost her leg at a young age due to a birth defect.

Here's where the benefit of Achilles started to pay dividends.  They had a van available that would be taking us around for the rest of the day.  With the race the next day, this would certainly help keep the legs somewhat rested.  We took the van over to the JCC for a very short and relaxing swim session.  Some of the visually impaired athletes were going to practice some swimming with their guides.  I got the chance to meet a number of great Achilles (and some CAF as well) athletes including Diane Berberian, Ben Simmons, Bill Longwell, Eliza Cooper, Ricardo Corral, Sarah Heller, and Liz McTernan (I apologize for others I may have left out).  I also caught up with others during the weekend that I remember from last year's race and other road races as well, and that included, Geoff Kennedy, Willie (One Arm) Stewart, Joe Bellantoni, Lamar Brown. Minda Dentler, and Melissa Stockwell.

The swim was a short one but a nice chance to stretch a bit and then next thing I knew, we were all going out to brunch together.  I am finding out that this group likes to eat as often as they can.  We packed up the van and made our way to a nice little deli.  They were quick to get our orders and get the food out to us (except for Liz's meal, which was something they just had to warm up!) as we had to be at a handler and athlete pre-race meeting for 2:30pm.

The pre-race meeting went off pretty well with a number of questions related to handling and helping the athletes along certain places on the course.  I chose not have a handler, only because I have never used one, so why should I start?  It would be nice, and maybe I will start once I start racing officially in my proper category.  Funny thing, in this race, the race organizers chose to put me in the correct category, TRI3.  I guess without having an official classifier, its their prerogative to do so.  I wasn't going to complain.  After the briefing we picked up our race packets and then I had a chance to go through the race expo again.  It's fun to roam around and try to pick out all the first timers.  A lot of them break that one cardinal rule I remember and that is not to use something for the first time on race day.  They tend to be the people buying fuel belts etc. I know, we were all first-timers at one point in time.

Bike is ready to go.

My twitter friend, Bianca.

The next stop was to check in our bikes.  Most of the other para athletes were needing the have their hand-cycles and push chairs transported down.  Since I had already parked right at transition, all I needed was a ride down to get my bike out of the car.  Having a van to ride in was a god-send.  No need to walk blocks and take the subway.  This would be a sure way to keep my legs some-what fresh for the race tomorrow.  After getting dropped off, I got to my car, assembled the front wheel of my bike and rode it down to transition.  After placing it on the rack, I walked about a bit checking out some of the other machines used by the other PC triathletes.  I was excited to get a chance to meet up with an athlete I had met through Twitter.  Bianca would be racing her first triathlon here in NYC.  She was just around transition checking out the RUN OUT and SWIM IN areas.  We met up and had some quick introductions and wished each other well.

Believe it or not, the next stop, was another meal with the Achilles team.  There was a nice pre-race dinner planned at SAMBUCA.  The food was terrific and it was great to be with everyone as we all prepared for our big day tomorrow.  I talked with both Bill and Diane, who were staying at the same hotel with me and we agreed to leave together in a taxi and then meet in the morning at 4AM and then taxi together to transition in the morning.

Achilles is about eating and RACING.  That is Eliza and her guide along with me.

When I returned to the room I spent a lot of nervous time packing up my transition bag and then resting.  I drifted off to sleep at about 10:30 (with a 3:30AM wake-up), was woken up at 12:30AM by some amazing thunder and lightening.  I quickly drifted back to sleep and then woke up to the alarm.  I had some "breakfast".  There was no fridge in my room, so my nutrition consisted of bagel with PB, some Muscle-milk, banana and a Clif bar.  I packed up all my gear and made my way down to the lobby to meet Bill (and his girlfriend?) and Diane.  The doorman quickly hailed a taxi and we were off to the transition area.  We got out of the cab and I quickly ran over to my car and placed my non-essential gear in the trunk.  I made the very short walk to my bike and started to prepare to race.

Early race morning.

Prep went off without too much trouble.  There had been a bit of rain but my bike was not soaked at all.  Getting things ready was not a rush at all since we arrived at about 4:40AM and I did not need to be out of transition for a little more than an hour.  Once ready (with after race gear bag), I started to make the walk up to swim start.  We basically walked along the promenade (1.5KM) up to the start.  What a great bonus to meet up with Bianca again as I walked up.  I could tell she was excited and a bit nervous, as we all were really.  As we neared the start, the crowds of athletes got bigger and bigger.  Another bonus for us PC athletes, there was a tent available to rest in along with the PROS (who were already in the water by the time I arrived).  I rested and talked a lot with other athletes as we prepared.  The first 2000 athletes or so go off before us and then there is a 20 min wait.  After that, we go off.  They have us jump in 5-10 athletes at a time so really, there is TONS of space available and very little contact with other swimmers.  I was in the 3rd wave of PC athletes and was READY TO GO when it was my turn.

Heading to get on my bike.

I quickly noticed though the water was calmer than last year, there seemed to be a lot more debris on the water.  The temp was fine and the current was moving along quite well, but slowing as the morning progressed.  I was about 1/3 into the swim, when I was unceremoniously smacked in the face with a dead fish that was floating on the surface.  I later found out, a number of swimmers commented on the same occurrence.  It didn't really bother me.  As I neared swim exit, I did a pretty good job lining up the exit barge.  They have lifeguards standing on the steps reaching out to grab us as we exit. (SWIM 1.5KM: 25:06, 2nd in division, 3169th, overall)

I was using a new set-up with my gear.  Instead of the long sleeve wet-suit top I have been using, I was trying out my sleeveless ORCA Heatseeker top.  It was much tighter and gave me lots more range of movement with my arms.  When I got out of the water, I asked for help with my top from the wet-suit strippers.  The run up to transition is long one where we have to run about 200m down to the end and then back into and down to my bike, a total of distance of about 400 to 500 meters.  Transition went well and I was out with my bike as quickly as I could with all the running. (T1: 6:59, 1650th overall)

That's the GW Bridge in the background!

The exit out of T1 is very technical.  You need to travel down onto the same promenade where the swimmers are coming from and then up a VERY steep pathway out onto the round about that takes you to the West Side Highway.  If you keep you bike in too high of a gear, you are apt to find it too hard to climb and could fall over.  I had no problems with the ascent.  There was a nice crowd to cheer at the cornet of 79th and Riverside as we headed around another sharp corner onto the on-ramp up to the highway.

About to go out on the 10K run.

There was a little water left over from the rain, but the roads were not too slick.  Things were going real well until I hit mile 8 and then I heard a snap as I tried to change from my small to big chain ring.  The cable broke and I could no longer shift into my higher gears.  That meant I had to do the remaining 18 miles on my smallest gears.  OK for going up hills, but I would be getting much speed anywhere else and would have to rely on gravity for help on the downhills.   There are at least 3 challenging hills on the course, but since it is an out and back, means you get to go down those hills as well.  Without the benefit of my big chain ring I was still able to cruise at 35mph going down two of those hills.  The crowds picked up again as we neared T2.  The bike dismount line is at the bottom of a short steep hill.  I am sure its hairy at times, but when I cam in things were not that bad.  (Bike 40KM: 1:47:52, 3rd, 3230th).  I got off the bike and changed pretty quickly.  I saw the Advil sitting on the ground near my shoes and should have taken it, but chose not to.  It came back to haunt me pretty quickly on the run. (T2: 4:04, 2900th).

By far, one of my favorite pics of me running.
Only a few steps later and I was hunched over.  
Running up 72nd  Street.

The run out of transition includes a quick run down 3 steps and then a run around and up a steep hill.  We run past a stature of Eleanor Roosevelt out onto 72nd Street,  The stretch along 72nd Street up to Central Park is the most amazing part of this race.  The road is closed to traffic and there are fans lining both sides of the street, especially at the corners or each block.  My back started to get sore very quickly.  I tried to as best I could, but could not maintain a running pace.  The cheering fans really helped to keep me going, but I had to walk and stretch a number of times before I got into the park.  I SO MUCH WANTED TO RUN, but it hurt.  I tugged on Katie's sock and it gave me some strength.  When I got to the park the crowd quickly dwindled and I passed the 1 mile mark.  The first water and med stop did not have any advil.  I did what I could and did a lot of walking and running onto mile 2 and the next med stop.  The attendant there did have some advil that she was glad to share.  I took 2 and put an ice pack down my back.  In about 1 to 2 minutes, the pain disappeared and I was able to run.  The 3rd mile was my best pace where I managed a 13:45 mile, but all in all the run was quite slow.  I SO WANTED to beat last year's time, but I quickly realized that would not happen.  For a last resort, I wanted to finish faster than 4 hours, and unfortunately that did not happen either.  My time for the run was 1:38:12 (3rd, 3572nd) which have me an average pace of 15:49, which is a heck of a lot slower than most of my training BRICK runs.  Most of them were between 13:45 to 14:20.  Overall, my final time was 4:02:11 (3rd, 3399th).  For information, there were a total of 3529 starters in this race.

Chatting with Andy after the race.  He is the MAN!
Such a help all weekend.

Lots of love at the finish line with plenty of Achilles athletes around.  Managed to get some food at the Accenture hospitality tent (THANKS JUSTIN!) after changing into my clothes from my personal needs bag.  After the PC athletes awards were given out, I made my way over to grab a pedi-cab back to transition.  I got my bike and gear and loaded it all into my car.

John Korff was gracious enough to again offer burgers and refreshments at a lovely place on 79th at Amsterdam called "Blondies".  I was lucky enough to sit with my dear friend Barb and also Jeff Glasbrenner, another PC athlete.  I visited with lots of old friends but was eager to make the 4 hour drive back home.  I left and had some time to visit with my friend Cav again, as he was having a small get together at his flat with some of his Tri-Life team mates.  I stayed for a drink, headed to Starbucks for some energy (MOCHA) for the road and then started the 4 hour drive back home.  I was amazed as I only made one 10 minute stop for gas during the entire trip.  I was sure eager to get home to see Sue and Owen.

I know this might sound cliche, but I truly believe you can get some sort of victory from every race, regardless of the result in terms of time or place finished.  Having my bike problems was a real test and rather than stop, I kept going.  I learned something about my ability to deal with a sudden and unplanned mechanical problem.  My sore back, that was my problem and a silly mistake.  I should have pre-medicated right off of the bike.  I will certainly do that in Toronto this weekend.  Not everyone gets a chance to race on the streets of NYC.  I will get that chance in SPADES this November, as I race in my first marathon, along with other Achilles athletes in the 2012 NYC Marathon.

**A few of these pics were mine, a number were from Jan Ditchfield and some were from Achilles International.**