Monday, November 11, 2013

NYC Marathon 2013.



You don't have to be a runner to know that the NYC Marathon was cancelled last year due to the destruction of "Hurricane Sandy".  NYC 2012 was to be my first marathon.  Well since that race never happened, I have done two other marathons.  The first was the Myles Standish Marathon in Plymouth, MA.  I ran that race 2 weeks after I was supposed to do NYC.  The completion of that race, qualified me for Boston 2013.  And again, everyone is fully aware what happened at 2:50pm in Boston on April 15th.  At that point I was less than 3 miles from the finish line, only to be stopped 3/4 from the finish line on Boylston St.

It was with great excitement that I prepared to finally tackle the 5 boroughs of NYC.  I was excited to again be running as a member of Achilles NYC.  An amazing group of triathletes and guides I have come to consider an extension of my own family.  I have the honor to race on their triathlon team as well.  As final preparations came from our family trip to the "BIG APPLE" I was contacted by Ellie at Achilles hoping we would be attending the team dinner on Friday night.  I assured we would all be there and then she surprised me be saying I would be received a brand new award from the club, the "Donald Arthur Award". Donald Arthur was a heart transplant recipient who had planned to run a marathon in all 50 states.  Sadly, his goal was cut short when he passed away earlier this year.

FRIDAY AND SATURDAY

Our trip down on Friday morning was uneventful.  We made my usual stop in Vernon, CT at the Vernon Diner.  I usually stop there on the way down and then at Rein's Deli on the way back.  There were no traffic problems and as I have done before I was able to find FREE PARKING again on the Upper West Side near our hotel.  We checked in and had a bit of time to relax until heading down to the Achilles Team Dinner down near Lincoln Center.  We took a trip subway ride down and arrived to meet up some old friends.  Both Sue and Owen were hungry and eager to get some dinner.  They put on a nice pasta dinner along with fresh looking salad and desserts.  An amputee runner and his wife from Utah shared our table as we enjoyed our meals and waited for the awards presentations to start.  A number of awards were given out to guides, runners, and fund-raisers.  The award I was to received was saved until the end.  Ellie brought over Donald's widow to meet me prior to the presentation.   What a lovely woman she is.  I was very to hear from her what a kind, gentle, and determined man Donald was.  She informed me that Donald would be proud of me as a recipient and that it was my duty to carry on his message of helping others by getting out there to show people that there are no limits to what people can do.   I was more than over-joyed that my dear friend Kat
Receiving the Donald Arthur Award from Achilles NYC
Bateman would be presenting the award to me.  She is the director of the NYC Achilles chapter and was the person to first contact me about joining their group. I was allowed to say a few words and I do not remember a lot of what I said but I ended with a saying I've often told people about physically challenged athletes.  "Don't judge us by our bodies, judge us by our HEART."  Donald's son came over to meet me and it was then that it hit me how appropriate my words were, since Donald started his marathon running after receiving a heart transplant.  After dinner we returned to our hotel for the night.
Me and Kat


We started out early with breakfast at Zabar's on Broadway.  After a light meal we parted with Sue and Owen going off to spend some time around Times Square while I headed to the Race Expo at the Javits Center to get my race number and other swag.  I had been hoping to meet up with Lisa Buohler an amazing runner/duathlete I connected with through facebook.  I wandered around for a while looking for her but it was not meant to be.  I had to head out to a media event for Achilles at Tourneau.  We were being invited to spend some time at their shop turning back the watches as we would be moving to standard time that night.  The watch they handed to me was a ROLEX.  The salesman whispered to me it was the most expensive watch in the store.  I was totally freaked out when I turned it over to see the price tag said $270,000.  More than what we paid for our house.  As gift for helping out, we were each given a nice Tourneau watch.

CAF had a luncheon planned for some of their athletes and also a number of their charity runners.  Barbara Evans had contacted me about attending along with Sue and Owen.  It was held at the Hard Rock Cafe in Times Square.  Again, a nice spread was available and I was happy to have both Sue and Owen meet some of the other athletes including Sarah Reinertsen, the guest speaker for that afternoon.

After the luncheon we traveled back to our hotel room to rest for a bit before we headed out to see a movie.  We had talked about seeing "FREE BIRDS" for part of Owen's birthday weekend while in NYC.  This is the 2nd year now we have headed to NYC around his birthday.  The movie was a lot funny than I had expected.  On the way back to the hotel, we made a stop at Subway for a light dinner.  I have grown accustomed to a lighter dinner after a big lunch the day before a race.  I had my customary grilled chicken sub loaded with veggies.  I packed up all my gear for my early morning wake-up.  Of course, Owen put his SPEED in my shoes and also put on my running singlet to put some HEART in my jersey as well.  These ave become customs that I cannot forget to do before a race.  I then got to bed early with the expectation that I might not get much sleep.

RACE MORNING

Well, I did not sleep well, but this time it wasn't just the nerves.  A police car and fire truck both drove by our building at midnight and then at 2AM respectively.  Both times, sirens were blaring.  Then to top it off, someone came back to their room at about 3AM from a night out on the town.  They were not quiet, yelling and slamming their hotel room door.  I laid awake staring at the ceiling and started to panic about the lack of sleep.  I got out of bed at 3:30AM (1/2 an hour earlier than planned) and got dressed to go.  I kissed Sue
and gave her a big hug and headed for the 1 train down to 7th Ave and 53rd Street.  I was going to be driven on a VIP bus arranged by ESPN/ABC.  The approached me last year about doing story about me and got in touch again about doing the same this year.  The plan would be I was to wear a transponder and they were to try and catch me during the race.  David Willey, the reporter, would run beside me and interview me while running.  They had a number of different athletes to try and connect with.  We were told none of us could be assured we would be interviewed.  In the end, I wasn't picked, but that really was no big deal.

I spent most of the time on the bus talking to some of the other possible featured athletes.  There was a runner who had lost 350lbs, a group of runners from Team One Spirit in South Dakota raising money to help build a treatment center, and anti-bullying group of teachers from Michigan called Defeat the Label, and then Lara Kruiskamp from South Africa who is running a marathon in all 7 continents to raise money for orphans in her home country.  Some truly amazing people with great stories to tell.  

When we arrived on the island the sun was coming up and we lined up to enter the athlete village.  We were told to only bring the clear bag we were given for our clothing drop and nothing else.  We were scanned and then allowed into the village.  We were led to a nice tented area to wait.  I had brought all the food I needed but more was available there if we needed it.  By the time we arrived at the tent it was about 6:30AM.  Still 3 hours to go before the race would start.  It was chilly and quite windy.  Little would I know that the wind would pick up on the race course later that morning.  Anyway, we sat and chatted and did our best to keep warm.  

With about 90 minutes to go before race time I had to deliver my drop bag to the Achilles tent over in one of the other staging areas.  It was a lot closer than I thought it would be.  I got there and found a number of my Achilles friends, dropped off my bad and headed back to my staging area.  When I returned I had time for one trip to the porta-pottie and then it was time to get in the corral. At this time it was about 8:50AM, still about 50 min to go until the start of our wave.   

I had posted this prayer the night before the race and at this point, spent some time reading it to myself and sharing it with one other runner.  I really felt at ease about my safety knowing that there were dozens of people keeping me in their thoughts and prayers.  I found the prayer online and adapted it somewhat for myself changing a few words and phrases here and there.
In the start corral, minutes before the start.

Lord, watch over me this day as I run. 
This is the day and this is the time for the race. 

Watch over my body. Keep it free from injury. 

Watch over my mind. May I listen to the signals from within 
as I enjoy the scenes from without. 

Watch over my spirit. Keep my thinking positivly even if the race does not go as I have planned. Because in the end, it is your plan I truly follow.

Watch over my competitors. Remind us that we all are struggling equally.

Lord, Let me win.
Not by coming in ahead of my friends, but by testing myself.

Let it be an inner win. A battle won over my fears and doubts.

And may I say at the end, "I have fought a good fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith."

I have to say, if you don't like crowds, this would be hard place to be.  We were led in and told to wait for direction.  Just was we started to move closer to the start, people started to drop all of their extra clothes and so I followed suit.  Off came my hoodie and sweatpants.  I wanted to keep my toque and gloves a little while longer.  As we moved closer to the starting line we had a bit more room to spread out.  I moved towards the back and dropped my final clothing, set my GPS watch and waited.  We had the National Anthem and my pulse started to race.  A number of men relieved themselves one more time and before you know it there was a LOUD cannon blast and the song, "NEW YORK, NEW YORK" started and we were OFF.  

THE RACE
Minutes after the start.  Photo by Lara Kruiskamp
It took about 1 minute for me to hit the starting line and up I headed for the first mile, which was totally uphill on the Verrazano Narrows bridge.  What I noticed as the crowds of runners left me were the two NYPD copters hovering at the top of the bridge.  The wind was quite strong and I was hoping it would let up a bit once I got off of the bridge and into Brooklyn.  It literally was 1 mile up to the top of the bridge and then back down for the 2nd mile.    

As I exited the bridge I could here the drums of a marching band.  Except for the Queensborough Bridge, this would be the last time I ran without spectators.  Since I was near the back of the wave, I was alone as I left the bridge and entered Brooklyn.  I was about to experience how amazing the city of Brooklyn really is.  Just as I did in Boston, I wore my name of the front and back of my singlet, along with, PHIL 4:13, "I can do all things through Christ, who gives me strength".  The streets were lined with thousands of people all the way up Fourth Ave in Brooklyn.  It took a while for the fastest runners from the 2nd wave to catch me, so for a while I was running with only a few other runners around me.  Things were going along with no issues and according to my watch (which has always been reliable) things were going as planned.  I was hoping to stay on 13:45/mile with the plan to switch to 14:30/mile after mile 14.  The wind was strong and it did not take too long before my GPS was offset with the mile markers along the course.  As I stated, in the past my watch has seemed synchronized with other courses, but for some reason, that was not the case in NYC.  I wondered if it had something to do with interference from buildings etc.  Either way, I wasn't going to let my watch run my race for me.

I saw my first friendly face when I heard someone yell, "JOHN YOUNG!!"  I looked over and saw my dear friend, Miriam Weiskind.  I was still in Brooklyn on 4th Ave.  She immediately ran out and gave me a huge hug.  I told her all was well and off I went. 
My dear friend Miriam 

I noticed a lot of the crowds throughout this part of Brooklyn were latino.  The kids were happy to stand at the side of the road and give "high fives".  It was at this point I think I learned what the word  pequeño means as a lot of the kids were pointing at me with big smiles on the faces.  I figured out quite quickly that it doesn't mean FAST, but rather it refers to me being LITTLE.  I didn't mind at all as the kids were just talking about what the SAW.  And they saw a little person running in the NYC Marathon.  

As we moved further north, we entered the Williamsburg area.  There are a lot of Orthodox Jews living in this area.  It seemed for the most part, that we were being quite the disruption to them as they weren't about their day to day lives.  I witnessed lots of them asking the police details if they were able to cross the street.  Some didn't bother asking, and just crossed on their own.  It was nice to see some young families with kids out cheering here as well.  I did notice a lot more "unfriendly" pointing and giggling by the kids here and of course, I just smiled and kept on RUNNING.

Taken by Jeff Barnett around mile 8.
As we left Brooklyn, they seemed sad to see us go.  The Greenpoint crowds seemed just as loud as those further back in Brooklyn.  The trip across the Pulaski Bridge into Queens went well.  The crowds at this point were a little sparse, but being able to see the Queensborough Bridge in the distance seemed to give me some more strength.  Hard to believe I was already past the halfway point.  When I checked my watch and did some calculations, it was at this point that I realized my goal of a 6:09 would probably not come true.  there was no sadness at all though.  I was still feeling good doing the BIGGEST marathon in the world.  I did see one LP along the route and if my memory serves me right, it was just before heading onto the Queensborough Bridge.  He was young guy, probably in his mid 20's.  I put out my hand for a hearty high-5 and he graciously obliged. 

I had read a lot about the drastic change from Queens onto the bridge.  It was eerily quiet as the crowd noise was no gone, replaced solely by the sounds of runners heavy breathing and the car traffic above.  There were a lot of runners walking at this point, including myself.  I did get passed by Lara Bournemann Mish, a good friend of mine.  I have gotten to know her and her sister Jen through the NYC Triathlon and CAF.  We had a nice chat and she continued on ahead of me.  It was at this point where my mind wandered back to the Boston Marathon.  As I crested the bridge and was starting to head into Manhattan I noticed a prolonged groups of sirens blaring.  I had managed to start running again and what struck me at that point, was that that was the last sound I remember hearing as Juli came back to stop me during the Boston Marathon.  The sound continued for a what seemed like a few minutes and I started to wonder if something had actually happened?  Those thoughts came to rest as I neared the bottom of the bridge for the turn down into Manhattan.  The crowd was cheering us welcoming us and all seemed fine.  Again I had read a lot about this stretch of the race.  The run up First Ave was supposed to be an extremely loud and raucous affair.  The crowds seemed to be somewhat excited, but maybe since this was a little later in the day, they did not seem so rambunctious. I tried a couple of times to get them going by waving my arms to help them cheer.  I was to later read that the crowds this year were a little lighter than years in the past mainly due to a possible fear of an incident, but more so, the worry about dealing with increased security.    
Taken by Megan Ellis on First Ave.

There was a plan to see the Achilles cheer station at 93rd and First and then Sue and Owen around 100th.  The crowds continued to cheer us along and I was to later find out that a friend, BAA runner, Lindsay Willard and Pingree grad, Sam Logan, were both able to spot me from the other side of First Avenue and give me a cheer.  I may not have heard it, but I was thankful to know people were out looking for me.  As I neared 93rd St, I looked over and saw my dear Achilles friend, guide Megan Ellis.  I ran over and gave her a big hug and kiss and continued on, feeling a bit more energized as I then started to look for Sue and Owen.  As I neared 100th St, I did not see them.  Once I neared 103rd St, I called Sue on my cell.  They had missed me.  After riding up on the subway to see me, they had turned the wrong way and headed for the Hudson and not towards to East River.  All 3 of us were bummed, but in the end it was probably for the best for Sue's sake as she had decided we would be heading home after the race and she would need to be rested for the 4+ hour drive.  A funny note about the bible verse on my back, "PHIL 4:13".  I had my name right underneath it but that did not stop a number of runners from yelling, "GO PHIL!!" And some others asked me if that was my estimated finish time?  To which I responded, "I WISH!!!"


I headed up towards the Bronx, the last borough to hit, prior to getting back into Manhattan.  At this point I came across two Achilles supporters who I had met at the dinner on Friday night.  They asked where my guide was, and when I said I did not run with one, that decided to run with me for a while.  At this point we had passed the 19 mile mark and I was struggling a bit mentally, having been running now for more than 4 hours.  The ladies were asking questions and chatting and I was really not in the mood to chat right now.  We went on for a while, crossed into the Bronx and I felt the need to tell them I needed some time alone.  I politely let them know I was not really into chatting right now and would appreciate it, if they went off on their own pace.  I asked them to forgive me if I was being rude, but I needed to get my mind to a different place, by no fault of their own at all, I felt that chatting was not helping.  The said they understood fully (I surely hope so) and off they went.  The path through the Bronx is very short, amounting to less than 2 miles.  The crowds were good here, but it was important I try and get me mind set for the last 5 miles.  I kept saying, 5 miles, that's just a short run after work, you can do that.  Here was to come the true test.

The crossover on the Madison Ave bridge was short.  I had heard about the bridge being covered with some carpeting, but it was not there.  A recent change I suppose.  We now proceeded down 5th Avenue into Harlem.  The gospel choir we were greeted by was amazing as they were signing "MY GOD IS A LOVE MACHINE." The song brought a smile to my face and it was at this point ( I think!!) that I noticed another close NYC friend in the crowd, Chris "CAV" Cavagnaro.  I was somewhere around Marcus Garvey Park in Harlem.

As I continued down 5th Avenue it wasn't too long before we reached the NE corner of Central Park just before mile 23. The road seems to narrow here and so I seemed to be pretty close to fans watching on both sides.  I saw a group of Achilles athletes and guides ahead and realized it was Bill Reilly and his crew of supporters.  Bill is an amazing athlete with CP.  He does all of his races in a wheelchair where he pushes himself with his feet to move backwards.  The guides are there to help him when he goes downhill where they act as his brakes.  My dear friend Ariel Krieger was one of his guides and it meant a real boost to me to get a hug from her and a big HIGH-5 from Bill.  

After I passed them a wave of emotion came over me and I started to weep uncontrollably.  I looked at my watch and read the elapsed time of 5hr:50min.  It then hit me all at once.  When I race Boston last April, I was stopped from my run with about 3/4 of a mile to go somewhere around 3:20pm.  The bombs had actually gone off at 2:50pm, when I was just passing through Cleveland Circle, which was when my watch would have read 5hr:50min.  I don't recall thinking about that time during the day, but for some reason my body knew it was coming.  I was actually weeping so hard I had to put my face in my hands and keep sobbing.  Spectators actually started to ask me if I was OK.  As soon as it started, the crying stopped.  I was determined to finish this race strong and so I started to run a little harder.  Just prior to mile 24 we turn into The Park.  I was happily surprised as most of the running in the park was downhill, at least that's the way it felt.  I could hear the music and P.A. announcer from the finish line as the crowds at this point were quite thin.

 Just after the 40KM mark we exit the park and run along 59th Street and Central Park South.  Quickly the crowds really grew as I truly sensed I would be finishing the LARGEST MARATHON in the WORLD.  There were close to 51,000 finishers and I was going to be one of the them.  I rounded the right side of Columbus Circle and looked up on the big Jumbotron only to see myself re-enter the park.  With less than a mile to go the emotion started to talk hold of me again, but this time it was all JOY and I could not contain my smile.  

The FINISH!!!
With about 200m to go I looked over and saw a crowd of Canadian supporters cheering.  I had seen the same group over on the First Avenue and I waved at them again.  When I had passed them earlier, I had yelled that Toronto was my home town.  When they say me this second time, they let out a huge cheer.  Then something amazing happened.  I looked down on the pavement and noticed a small Canadian flag in the middle of the road.  I would pick it up and take it with me the rest of the way.  I could see the finish line ahead and continued to run.  As I crossed the line I let out a loud yell raising my arms in the air.  I would later find out that the NYC Marathon would include this clip of me in their Marathon Recap video.  It appears around the 19:30 minute mark.
Boy was it WINDY!!  Done in 6:37:26

I looked up and saw the face of Achilles in Kat Bateman waiting for me.I gave her a huge hug and simply let loose in tears again.  She helped me move along to get out of the finish area and handed me over to another volunteer who would take me to the family meeting area where I would find Sue and Owen waiting for me.  The area was right next to the Dakota, home of Yoko Ono (widow of John Lennon).  I had a couple of hot chocolates, changed my clothes and we made our way to the 1 train, to get back to our hotel.  

After changing we packed up and left the city around 5:30pm to make our way back to Salem.  I nodded off a few times but pretty much stayed awake for the trip home.  We did make a stop at Boston Market for some food, but like some big races in the past, I ordered a lot of food, but was only able to eat a little bit of it.  We arrived back home a little after 10pm.  After decompressing I went to bed and was up at 6AM in order to head to work at Pingree School where I would teach 4 classes.  Needless to say, I wore my finishers medal all day long.


Friday, August 30, 2013

Timberman 2013

"Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear." Mark Twain 


What an amazing summer I've had.  In total, I've completed 5 triathlons, with one big one left to go, and that's the Pumpkinman 1/2 Iron race on September 8th.  None of my races have been personal best times, but I've been dealing with a back injury and have been just so happy that I've been able to race.

The weekend at Timberman was looking to be a great time with my Achilles team mates.  The plan was to meet up there on Friday night, a group of us would race on Saturday in the sprint, and then another group would race in the 70.3, while the rest of us cheered them on.

All of the other Achilles members were coming from NYC and so I had a much shorter drive on the Friday morning.  The drive was supposed to be less than 2 hours, but with traffic and a lunch stop, it ended up being close to a 4 hour trip.  I arrived on site around 2:30pm and immediately went to register.  The process was pretty seamless, except I had to make a change in my registration.  I had to register as an age-grouper and then switch over to the PC division.  Kat Batemen (the Achilles NYC chapter director) told me to talk with Erin and to my surprise, she was happy to switch me over with no problems at all.  I spent the next little while running into some friends like Roger Thrall and his family and a lot of other members of TEAM WATTIE INK, that I have got to know over this season.  Heather Jackson, a pro is a member of the team (winner of a number Alcatraz, Wildflower and Oceanside this season) a long with MANY other excellent athletes and some just awesome people.  Besides Heather's parents, Diane and Chris, and Jon, there are too many others to name.

I then decided to check in with the group coming from NYC as it was now about 3pm and to my surprise they were stuck in some awful traffic coming from Manhattan, it looked like they would not make the 8pm cut-off to check in with the race.  After some chats with Erin and a couple of phone calls from Kat, they agreed to allow the Achilles athletes who were racing the sprint to check in at 5AM prior to the race.  I was so thankful that Kat, Eliza with guide Megan, Cathy with guide Tessa, and Soo Lee with guides Ariel and Greg would be able to race along with me in the morning.

I checked in with Melissa, who had made the reservations for the homes we would use, and she suggested I get the keys and at least get my stuff into where we were staying.  The homes were just over the town line in Meredith.  I picked up the keys and made my way to the house I would be using along with about 1/2 of the athletes, guides and handlers.  I dropped off a few things and then checked in with the convoy from NYC.  Still a long way away.  I decided to get some dinner (SUBWAY) and then make my way back to the packet pick-up area.  Met up with a few other friends and once I realized the group was definitely not making it by the 8pm cut-off time, I headed back to the house.  I also picked up some beer for after the race on Saturday!!

To my surprise, I pulled up to the house to find a big boat and truck in the driveway.  A large man walked over and asked who I was.  I told him I was a member of Achilles and we were here for the weekend to race in the triathlon.  I was simply waiting for members to arrive.  It seems he was the owner and was coming up for a weekend with his girlfriend.  He went into the home and found some of my stuff there and knew nothing of the rental.  He understood the broker who made the arrangement had not told him so he graciously went on his way and I was left alone to wait for my team mates.  WOW!!  What if I had not dropped off my stuff or even got the keys.  The other team mates did not show up for hours, some as late as midnight.  What would have happened?????

Anyway, I brought in my gear, ate my dinner, arranged my things for race morning.  I probably should have tried to sleep, but instead I watched some TV and waited for the rest of the team.  Melissa and Ben arrived first with the cargo van of bikes.  Ben is a PC athlete and Melissa works as a guide for Achilles but was doing the 70.3 on Sunday as an age grouper.  A car load of athletes showed up next and then the big passenger van arrived around midnight.  All in all, some of them had been on the road for 14 hours!!!  Some of them were very happy I bought the beer!!!

This was not a great pre-race plan.  To bed well after midnight with a 4AM wake-up call.  I got some sleep and managed to get up before the alarm.  Now remember, we were to be using 2 houses, so a group of people had left AFTER MIDNIGHT to find the other house.  When I got downstairs, I realized, ALL of the group were staying in the one house.  It seems they had problems opening to door in the dark and had to come back.  There were people on the sofa and FLOOR.

Anyway, those of us who needed to race and guide got out the door and headed to Ellacoya State Park for the Timberman Sprint Triathlon.  I drove my own car and the others followed in the vans.

We were down to the race quickly and parked with no problem right near transition.  I got set-up pretty quickly while the other Achilles members got their race packets.  We were racked right near BIKE IN and OUT, which is awesome because it really reduces the amount of running done with the bike.

With Kat getting ready to RACE!!!!
I noticed a lot of NON-RACERS in transition taking pics etc and wondered what was going on.  All races I've done restrict transition to racers only.  I made a point to one of the race officials and they told me something about relaxed rules during the sprint race, which is actually a bunch of baloney.  I've done this race twice before and transition was always restricted.  I would later write a letter to WTC to complain about the issue and was told it would be corrected.

Once I was all set up and ready, I walked to race start.  It's a good walk along the beach with a chance to get used to the water.  The temps were stated to be in the high 60's and so it was actually quite nice.  The swim is a short swim out, a right turn, a swim parallel to the shore (in pretty shallow water) and then another right turn to then swim to the exit.  All the challenged athletes were scheduled to leave in the first wave.

Prior to the swim start with Tessa.
The race started on time after the anthem.  I started in the back, but quickly realized there were plenty of tentative swimmers and so I quickly started to move my way up.  All went well in the swim and I finished the 0.3 mile swim in 14:01 and was pretty quick to my bike after a long run around transition to get in to T1.  I could have been faster with a T1 time of 4:01, mostly due to the run from the beach.

The bike ride is a bit longer than most sprints (usually 12 miles) at 15 miles.  It's pretty much an uphill ride to the turn-around and then a downhill ride back to T2.  The ride went well and there were fans in the usually spots along the course.  I managed to see lots of friendly faces, including Heather Mackesy-Boyle from Team Comp.  I was sure she would catch me sometime on the run, as she was heading to the bike turnaround when I was already heading back.
\
On the bike!!!!
I finished the bike in 1:07:34, a few minutes off of my best bike there in 2010.  Again, a little too long in transition at 4:02.  The 3 mile run, like the bike, is a slight uphill out and then downhill back to the finish.  They have one water stop just before the turnround and so you actually pass it twice.  My run turned out to be faster than expected at 41:09.  My final time was 2:10:52, which was actually a little more than a minute off of my best time.  Had I been more aware of that, I might have pushed it a bit more on the run.  Overall, I finished as the fastest (and only) male PC athlete, but 2nd overall with 4 PC athletes.  With so few in the category, WTC put all of us in one category.

One of the highlights for me as seeing my friend Robert Head, and his mother.  They are both massage therapists and I met them back in 2009 when I first raced Timberman.  He gave me his usual amazing post-race treatment and I felt so much better for it.

Awards ceremony getting 2nd overall in the PC division.
Post race food was excellent and after the awards ceremony I drove back to our place and was able to take a nice shower and relax for a bit.  I then decided to head back with the athletes who were racing in the 1/2 in Sunday and help them with the bikes.  We first went to package pick-up and then headed over to Ellacoya to drop off the bikes.  While at package pick-up I got to meet Chrisann Dalton, a friend I met through social media.  She raced in the 70.3 and will be racing in Kona as a member of Team Refuel.

There were two athletes using tandem bikes each with a guide.  One of them is named Charlie Plaskon, a visually impaired athlete who has an amazing story and has completed numerous Ironman races including KONA.  There is a lot of work required to set up the bikes so I was happy to help out.  We then returned to the house for dinner.  I had promised to help cook the chicken and thought I may have missed the chance, but was happy to see it waiting on the counter to be cooked on the grill.  I grabbed my stool and a beer and started cooking.

Megan, the master chef!!!
Megan and her crew had done an excellent job preparing an awesome meal for all of us.  I was happy to be able to contribute a bit with the meal.  Another athlete joined us for dinner and her name Colleen Kelly Alexander.  Her husband and guide came to dinner as well.  She has an amazing story returning to racing after nearly being killed while riding her bike.  I did not know I would be able to help her a little the next day on her journey to complete Timberman 70.3.

This night would be a much earlier night with most getting to bed at a very reasonable hour.  I was up again soon after 4AM and was so happy not to have to worry about getting my bike ready.  I did pack all of my gear not expecting to return to the house prior to returning home.  I decided to park about 3/4 of a mile from the race at the scenic outlook and then walk to the race.  This way I would be able to walk to my car and leave when I wanted.

Allan, Ben, Diego, Melissa, and Ariel
I had managed to get handler wristbands for myself and most of the other Achilles spectators.  I was hoping to be able to help out in transition with some of the athletes.  Racing today for Achilles were Ben Simmons, Ricardo Corral,  Charlie and his amazing guide Greg Cho, Allan Tyson and his guide Diego Suarez, Melissa Cortale, Ariel Krieger and Colleen Alexander.  Melissa Young and Rodrigo Fernandes were working as handlers as well.












Chris and Colleen
I simply spent my time prior to the start helping whoever needed assistance spending most of the time helping Charlie with whatever he needed.  Colleen was racked nearby and asked me for some help simply to be used as someone to literally lean on while she was getting ready.  I was unaware she was recovering from such a horrific accident and found myself getting choked up later while reading her story.  When the athletes came in from the swim, again, I simply found myself being extra hands for Charlie and then helping Ben a bit as well.  Once they were all out on the bike I knew I would have a couple of hours.  Melissa and Rodrigo chose to leave for a while but I wanted to stick around and watch the race.

Roger heading out on the run.













I had lots of other friends racing and I enjoyed cheering them on, especially WATTIE INK star, Roger Thrall.  It was also fun watching the pros race as well and I had a front row seat being able to stay in transition.  I had a great time talking to Claire Cloutier.  She was the race director at the first race I did back in 2009.  It was a sprint aquabike up in Lowell called the Mill City Triathlon.  I did that race thinking I would never want to run.  And now look what I am doing.

Charlie and Greg heading out on the run.
Both the tandem bikes came in first and again I found myself mostly helping Charlie but simply being a "gopher" for whoever needed it.  I started to get nervous as Ben was due back and Melissa had been working as his handler and I didn't see her around.  I would later find out all of the Achilles spectators and Melissa went for breakfast and got stuck in traffic trying to get back to the race venue.  When Ben came in I did what I could to help him and he seemed to head off for the run with no incidents.  Melissa and Rodrigo both were back to help Ricardo when he came in on his hand-cycle.  He had a major mechanical problem on the bike as his gears had messed up on the first hill and he was forced to use his low gears the whole way.

Ricardo with Melissa doing a great job as handler.
Once Ricardo was out in his pushrim chair for the run, I was to start making my way to my car for the ride home.  I saw the Achilles fans to say good bye and then planned to walk along the run route to my car.  Tessa (who worked as a guide on Saturday) asked if I could drive her back to the house to get the cargo van.  Not a problem at all.  We had a nice time chatting as we cheered on other runners and even some of the Achilles athletes, including Charlie, Greg, and Ben!

After I dropped Tessa off, I headed back to Salem.  No traffic problems heading back.  I have made the decision to put Timberman 70.3 on my calendar next season.  It will surely by my most difficult 1/2 Ironman race as I know all too well from friends that the hills on the bike are some of them most difficult around.  I am confident I will do that race in 2014 with the hopes of doing my first 140.6 in 2015.  Thinking about either IM Louisville or Chattanooga.




Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Rev3 Quassy Olympic Distance Triathlon

I am about a week late getting this blog entry done.  The end of a school year can be hectic with exams, grading and meetings.  We have 3 days left until summer break.  Not bragging here, just grateful for the chance to unwind from what has been a very rough spring.  April is a month I don't ever want to repeat again.  I've dealt with the lowest of lows with the death of Tim, one of the students in my advisee group, to starting the Boston Marathon only to be stopped 3/4 of a mile from the finish line.  I had planned on writing a blog post about the Marathon, but in the end, deciding on passing on that.  I wrote a lot about the race on my facebook page and felt in the end, writing a dedicated blog post to the race was not what I wanted to do.  

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For those of you that have followed my triathlon journey will remember that I raced the Rev 3 Quassy Olympic triathlon last year where I experienced my first ever, DNF.  I asked to be removed from the water during the swim because I was having a real hard time breathing.  I soon found out I was having an allergic reaction to the high amount of pollen that was on the water than morning.  Needless to say, I NEEDED to get back to this race and make amends.  I would soon find out, that my friend David Laskey was not exaggerating when he told me this bike and run course would be TOUGH.

Leading up this race on June 1st the weather was HOT.  I had been concerned about not getting any open water swim done prior to the race, if only to be prepared for the cooler water temps at the beginning of the year.  I drove up on Friday with plans to get into the water prior to checking my bike into transition.  I would kill two birds, dealing both with the water temps and of course, the pollen issue from last year.    On my way to check-in and get my timing chip, I saw a friendly face in Kelly Williamson chatting with another athlete.  Kelly is a pro I connected with online about 18 months ago.  She has been a terrific source of advice and support.  She blogs about her races in a honest manner, pulling no punches when it comes to being constructively critical on her own performance.  We had a quick chat and Kelly introduced me to her fellow pro triathlete, Heather Wurtele.  Heather immediately said, "I know about you from facebook.".  Heather is a fellow Canadian and we hit it off right away.  She was waiting to do an interview with the Rev 3 folks, so I didn't want to take too much of her time.  Her and her husband Trevor are both pro triathletes and travel around a lot of North America in a motor home to races.

The water was absolutely fine on both accounts.  I had been diligently taking my allergy meds and had my inhaler with me as well.  I took a swim in my ORCA speed suit and the low 70's water temp was totally fine.  

Right at BIKE IN and BIKE OUT.
I was also able to connect with Courtney Ronner, from NYC.  She is good friends with a lot of my TriLife friends and we had met last year when I did the NYC triathlon.  We had been staying connected through facebook and twitter.  I checking in my bike and to my delight I realized I earned a spot at the end of a row in transition.  A coveted spot for any triathlete as it affords you a little more space in transition.  I was able to also connect with Eric Opdyke, the race director.  He also ran in Boston and passed me during the race, asking if I would be at Quassy and I said, I would.  It meant a lot to me to prove to him I could do this race, as it was he who drove me to the med tent last year after I had been pulled from the pond.  I felt totally dejected at that point.  I was also able to meet up with Eric Wynn, an amazing photographer.  He would be racing the Olympic and shooting a lot of the 1/2 Rev the next day along with David Laskey who would be shooting both days.  I also met up with Rachel and Ben Berry who now live in upstate NY.  Rachel would be racing in the Olympic race as well.  Ben was preparing with a large cycling event back in NY state on Sunday.
Bike checked in at end of a row!!!!!

After getting all checked in I decided to head to see Leticia and her family in Monroe, CT.  They graciously hosted me again this year.  I was eager to get their earlier this year and spend some time with her, Pedro and their two beautiful boys.   We spent a relaxing evening together, Pedro helped my get my tri-tats on and I went to bed around 10pm or so.  I would set the alarm for about 4AM in order to eat, pack the car and get the race site around 5:15AM or so.  Breakfast consisted of a banana, sportsdrink, apple sauce and a bagel with Nutella.

Race morning, ready to go!  It was already HOT.
The drive to the race (25 min) was uneventful and with the sun coming up already, I would not need my headlamp in order to get my gear.  Checking ahead of time, they had some handi-capped parking available right beside transition.  Arrival and prep went pretty easy and I was able to walk around a bit well prior to the race.  Saw lots of familiar faces and realized quickly it was going to be a HOT one with little wind.

I dressed for the swim using my sleeveless ORCA vest along with the wetsuit pants I have.  The two piece system seems to work well for me.  Hoping it will be warm enough when I race the Cohasset triathlon at the end of June.  I was set to go off with the 3rd wave at 7:10AM.  I was able to get a little practice swim in prior to the anthem.  And felt ready to go.

Prior to the start I set up in the back of the pack, hoping the water wasn't going to be churning up too much. Off we went at the horn and my day was starting.  The course is a simply rectangular path making two right hand turns at the buoys for a total distance of 1500m.

I was passed by at least two large packs of swimmers during the swim but managed to stay on course pretty well.  The back leg was hard to sight as we swam right into the rising sun.  I did my best to follow the swimmers passing me as I made pretty good time, completing the swim in 45:12.  I was hoping or 42 or 43 minutes, but being the first tri of the season, I was pretty happy.  The next most amazing part for me was my T1 time, as I was able to get out onto the bike in a little over a minute, at 1:06.

After ANOTHER big hill.  (Photo: David Laskey)
Now came to true test.  This would end up being the toughest Olympic bike course I have ever completed.  There were some challenging hills, some amazing downhills (40mph+), and virtually no flat segments.  There was two particularly steep ascents.  On one I lost my chain, but managed to stay upright and then get my chain back on real quick.  The climb around mile 11 of the bike was particularly difficult.  As I got to it, I noticed people getting off and walking.  I have been able to stay on my bike and every race and did not want to start walking today.  I was in my lowest gear making progress, when a real sense of struggle came over me and I thought, "what's the big deal, get off your bike and walk.".  Then a louder voice said "NO!!!".   Then this is what I PICTURED IN MY MIND, so vividly at the top of the hill.  K.A. was at the top of the hill, laughing at me and saying I could not do it.  He was calling me some awful things. I choose not to use his name, but he is the blogger who wrote some awful things about me completing the NYC triathlon back in 2011.

I could see him laughing and I refused to let him beat me.  I kept going and did not get off of my bike.  When  I crested the top of the hill, I simply looked to my right where I PICTURED HIM standing, and I said, "Fuck you!"  Sorry to anyone who that might offend, but I don't want you to lose the effect of what I had been feeling at this point.

The rest of the bike course remained a challenge, but I managed to complete it in a total time of 2:14:06.  That is well more than 35 minutes slower than my best 25 mile bike ride.  The heat and hills were really taking a toll on me.  I managed to keep drinking and had two gels on the bike, so my nutrition was going well.  My time in T2 was remarkably slower than T1, at 2:57.

A SLOW run.  (Photo: Wynn Photography)
This would end up being a very slow run as well.  At 1:47.13, it was almost 30 minutes slower than my best 6.2 mile run.  The heat was oppressive as I ran from side to side of the road trying to stay out of the direct sun.  My back as also starting to give some problems, more specifically, my legs were tingling a lot.  I had to stop a few times in order to stretch out my lower back.  The first two miles were particularly slow as well as the last mile, which was a long uphill leading to the final two-tenths of a mile back to the park.  The water stations were fully stocked, with lots of friendly people having fruit, water, Gatorade and lots of ice.  Dumping cups of it down the back of my tri-top helped with the lower back discomfort.  Finish time of 4:48:50 giving me 1st place in the para-triathlete division.  Being the only para-triathlete, all I needed to do was finish and I would win.  Well, I've always said, I am faster than everyone who stayed home today.



Coolest finisher medals ever!
Knowing there are at least 2 other LP triathletes has really helped me focus to start this season.  Raul Mico is in Valencia, Spain and Ryan Gambrell lives in the San Diego area.  They are both a lot younger than me, so for now, I have 4 seasons of experience in my corner.   I'm just so happy to know there are other LPs out there who are passionate about this sport as well.  Post-race I was wandering around the Rev3 tent (spending the $25 gift card I received along with the medals and other swag) and ran into one of my great online friends, Jen Small, a REV3 Team triathlete.  She was preparing to race in the 1/2 race on Sunday.  It was great to see her and wish her luck ahead of her big day.


Where's the food!!!!
Rev3 produced a terrific re-cap vido from the weekend.  I managed to make the video around the 2:35 mark in the vido. 

Age Group Video Recap

Saturday, April 6, 2013

BOSTON 2013. Almost here......................


Mile Markers for Boston 2013

I plan on focusing my mental energy on race day to 27 different people or groups of people for each mile (and final 0.2 of a mile) of the Boston Marathon.

MOST of these people are POSITIVE influences in my life.  The people who have supported, encouraged, and followed my journey these last 5 years of my life. 

A couple of these people could have been NEGATIVE influences if I let that happen.   I will think about how they have come into my life and what I did to turn that energy around and use it to make me stronger.  You can’t spend your life letting people come into your life and let them affect you by something they said, or did to you. 

I would have to say that there are PLENTY more than 27 individuals, so though many will be specific people, some will be groups of people.   I wished I had thought about this list 27 days prior to the race, but it’s certainly better late than never.  And of course, if you didn't get named, please know, if at any time you wished me well and sent me an encouraging message, I appreciated it all from the bottom of my heart.


  1. SUE. My partner, my rock, my love.  I am absolutely sure I would not be this healthy and alive today if it had not been for you.
  2. Team Hoyt.  Watching the video of the two of you finishing the Ironman World Championships gave me the push to complete my first triathlon in 2009.  Also include Kathy, Bryan and Todd in here as well.
  3.  Pingree School.  I don't think I could be working each day in a more supportive environment.  All of you at the school have helped and encouraged me.  Pingree parents (e.g. Trish C) have been supportive as well.  Thanks for allowing me work with such AMAZING kids each and every day.
  4.  Former students from Norwood, ON, Canada  (Lisa, Antine, Lana, Karen, et al).  There are plenty more of you around as well.  I love keeping in touch with all of you as you raise your respective families.  Thanks for keeping in touch.
  5. Mom.  I came into your life when I was 2 weeks old.  I am the man I am today all because of you.  Thanks for choosing me and loving me.
  6. Kelly (blogger).  You could have brought me down, but I did not allow it.  It's too bad people in this world still think it's OK to dehumanize people of short stature.  When my body starts to hurt on April 15th, I will think of CRUSHING your spirit.
  7. Jim Logan.  I would never have RUN if it was not for you.  "Walk if you must" is what you said. Look at me know!  This world lost a special man when you left us far too early.
  8.  Leslie Battle.  We did a couple of races together and have both transformed our bodies these last few years.  I love your honest and direct view of life.  Never stop being YOU!
  9. Peggy Curran Grimes and Sandi Stephenson.  Two of my closest online triathlon friends.  We have never met in person and yet I know I can count on encouragement from the both of you almost every day.  Of course, there are countless more online friends through facebook and twitter.  I thank ALL OF YOU!
  10. Comprehensive Racing.  Nancy Thomson introduced me to this great group of triathletes.  I kept going after my first race because of the encouragement I got from Kurt, Jen, Patrick, Kosmo and the rest of a SUPER team.
  11. Salem, MA, especially the people at the SALEM YMCA.  Bill, Chop, John, Rich, Charity, et all.  The Y is a great place to be and workout in an environment where we are there just doing our best to be healthiest.
  12. Countless Triathlon Race directors.  It all started with the Mill City Triathlon.  You could have tried to deny me the change to race based upon your pre-conceived ideas of what a triathlete should look like.  You allowed me to race and that's what got me started.  Thanks Wendy, Mark, Kat, John K, et al.
  13. CAF and Achilles International.  What a terrific group of athletes, guides and supporters.  You all understand how important it is for physically challenged athletes to have the same opportunites as able-bodied athletes.
  14. My siblings (Bonnie, Wendy, Sharon, and Ed.  You helped me become the man I am today.  Because of my sisters I learned to respect and view women as equals.  Because of Eddy I learned to stand up for myself and not let bullies push me around.
  15. Katie Lynch.  I never met you but learned through countless others that you were strong-willed and head strong.  I only hope I have half the will and drive that you displayed each and every day of your life. As an LP, you led the way to make sure there were opportunities for people with physical challenges to take part in physical activities and sports.
  16. Jim Hutton at NSS.  My 9th grade P.E. teacher.  You treated me like all other 9th grade boys.  I was never allowed to take it easy in class.  All you ever cared about was that young people gave 100%.  Because of you I learned to never give up.  "DO OR DO NOT, THERE IS NO TRY!"
  17. Gus Ryder.  You coached Marilyn Bell, the first person to swim across Lake Ontario.  I was lucky enough to learn how to swim at your pool in Mimico, Toronto.  
  18. Marilyn Fennell.  My kindergarten and 1st grade teacher.  We are still friends to this day and both you and Fred are Owen's honorary grand-parents.  You made sure I was permitted to attend public school in 1970.  
  19. My nephews and nieces; Dawn, Cheryl, Sara, Julie, Tara, Megan, Mike, Mark, and Shane.  I love each one of you with all my heart and loved watching each of you become amazing people.
  20. Ken Skier and Ben Berry.  Both of you have an online presence always viewing life from the positive.  You run (race) to live and live to run (race) in perfect harmony.  I hope we have many more races together.
  21. Bruce and Nathalie Casey (in-laws).  Along with Tim and David, you helped Sue become the beautiful woman I married almost 18 years ago.  
  22. Other LP friends and their families.  Way too many to list them here.  Don't let others set your limits!  EVER!!
  23. PARA-PROMOTIONS.  Jan Ditchfield.  Your VISION of how the world should view para-athletes will be life-changing for MANY.
  24. My birth parents and their families. You made the decision 47 years ago to allow a beautiful woman and her family to raise me as their own.  Thank-you for loving me as well.  
  25. Camera cars.  Taking pics of me because you think I'm "funny looking"?  GROW UP!  You only make me stronger.
  26. Kelly Williamson, Simon Whitfield, Chrissy Wellington and other Pro triathletes.  Many of you have encouraged and helped me along the way.  What a GREAT SPORT!!
  27. OWEN.  (Really 26.2) My son, my buddy, my greatest achievement ever.   You make me so proud each and every day.   I love you with all my heart
  28. Almost forgot one more group.  Friends from St Peters prayed for me after injury and have always been there for me. God bless you!