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.**

  







    

NOT THE WEEKEND I WAS HOPING FOR.

"It is better to look ahead and prepare than to look back and regret." -Jackie Joyner-Kersee

This was to be a weekend filled with excitement.  I would be travelling down to CT to see some friends from TRI LIFE and Miriam from Enduraguide; stay with a lovely family I know through LPA; race in the REV3 Quassy Olympic distance triathlon and then finally meet up with pro triathlete Kelly Williamson. Kelly and I connected almost a year ago and we have been corresponding virtually through social media.  She was instrumental in helping me raise enough money so I could travel out to Iowa last summer to race in the HyVee 5i50 US Triathlon Championships.  I had even been asked by Rev3 to do a brief interview on what the "finish line" means to me in regards to triathlon.

The trip down on Friday was uneventful and I managed to get down to the race site by about  4:30 in the afternoon.  The weather was calling for some major rain (and mother nature did not disappoint) on Saturday.  We were required to rack our bikes on Friday night and I had a large plastic bag I would use to cover my bike to try and keep it dry.  Check-in went fine and all aspects were pretty smooth.  After checking in I contacted Greg through REV3 to see about arranging the interview.  He said we would not be able to do it on Friday unless I was able to go where he was at an off-site hotel.  As chance would have it, some of my friends were staying there and it was on the way to my friend's place in Monroe, CT.  I hurried over there and once I found Greg and his crew, who was he finishing up interviewing, but Kelly.  I'm sure she probably thought I was "stalking" her now and was maybe a bit reluctant she had "friended" me so many months ago.  I hope she was relieved when she finally realized I was there for an interview as well.  We had a quick chat. She wished me luck for Saturday and I did the same for her for Sunday and promised to be out there cheering for her.  The interview went well and we were done in about 15-20 minutes.  Funny thing, Greg, his wife and another member of his crew were from southern Ontario near Barrie.  Most of my family is in the southern Ontario region.


After the interview I contacted Miriam by phone only to find out she was not coming down until later in the day Saturday.  We chatted for a bit and she wished me luck.  I then tried to get in touch with my Tri Life friends.  They were already settling down to dinner off-site and were going to call it an early night.  I then contacted Leticia in Monroe and found some dinner on my way there.  It was a tiny little hole in wall place called Lorenzo's.  Took my chance and waited a LONG TIME for a plate of pasta.  The food was great but really wish I knew ahead of time I would wait more than 50 minutes for my food.  I ended up getting to Leticia's house by about 8:30pm.  A little later than I had hoped.  Her and her husband Pedro have a young son named Jaden who has achondroplasia and Autism.  He is a beautiful young boy who is full of life and potential.  Leticia and her family were getting ready to do a Autism walk on Sunday in support of Jayden and others like him.  Their crew is called "Jaden's Angels".  If you are inclined to make a donation on his behalf, feel free to click this link AUTISM SPEAKS.

Me and my buddy Jayden

After a brief visit I headed to bed in order to be rested for my 4AM wake-up for the race.  Of course, just before I headed of to bed, Leticia was able help me put on my race TATS.  Leticia was hoping to be able to come to the race later in the day and see me cross the finish line.

These TATS are nice because they can
stay on for days and are kind of
a nice badge of honor to wear.

Once I settled in for the evening and got my race gear repacked and ready, the RAIN STARTED.  I would lay awake on and off most of the evening listening to the rain.  I hoped it would stop and it never did.  That along with my usual pre-race nerves kept me up a lot of the night.  I did manage some sleep and was woken by "It's a Beautiful Day", by U2. I was up quickly and ready to get out the door by about 4:50AM.  I arrived on race site close to 5:30AM, and of course the rain continued to fall.  I did manage to park in a handicapped spot right next to transition.   I got my poncho out and proceeded to go see how my bike was doing.  I was upset when I arrived to see no sign of the bag I had used to cover my bike.  The bike was soaked as were a lot of others, but I was annoyed the bag had either blown away or been removed.


The rain stopped for a little bit and then we were actually tempted it might start to lighten up a bit.  That was all for not, as the rain quickly came back and basically would fall on and off all day.  I managed to arrange my bike and running shoes in a plastic bag and all my other gear as well in transition.  I grabbed my wet suit gear and got changed and then made my way down to the water.  I had time for a quick dip and the temp (they stated it was 71 degrees) was fine.  No worries about a cold shock.  I swam around a bit and soon realized it was actually colder out of the water.  


There was some glitches with buoys moving around and the timing clock set up and we ended up getting into the water around 10 minutes late and 7:10AM.  I was in the first wave and found my place in the back of the wave, quickly waded into the water and then started swimming.  I was doing okay for about 5 minutes or so and then the trouble started.  I could not catch my breath.  I rolled on my back (first time in three years) to catch my breath.  Rolled back on my front and quickly had trouble again.  A kayaker named Jim came over to give me a short rest and then I tried again to no avail.  Once the next wave came swimming by I really got nervous and called for help.  Jim threw me the lifeguard tube and I started to realize my day of racing might be ending.  I tried to swim one last time and got just as winded again and waved for a rescue boat to come and get me.  They helped me into the boat and I was emotionally and mentally spent.  I laid down in the boat and started to sob.  I don't know why, but I apologized to the rescuers.  Of course, they told me that was unnecessary.   When I got to shore they asked for my timing chip and that's when I knew I was DONE.  I got a ride on a cart to the medical tent to be checked out.  The driver of the cart was Eric, the race director for REV3 Quassy.  I had corresponded with him prior to the race about specifics regarding racing as a para-triathlete.  Here's where the real mind games started with me.  

I started to worry about people who did not know see me get pulled out of the water and what were they thinking.  I could not get that out of my head.  For some reason I felt I was letting a lot of people down.  Here I was walking to the med tent and then back to transition.  Cap and goggles in hand walking, not racing.  I had to ask to go to my bike to get my keys so I could get some warm clothes on.  People running by me with their bikes, cowbells ringin the background.  And me walking.  People were looking at me, the "little person" and what were they thinking?  There is he, he tried, but couldn't do it.  Yes I have done more than 15 triathlons and other road races, but they didn't know that.  All they saw was this person who they probably figured couldn't do it, not doing it.  It HURT!  I know when I talk to groups of teenagers at other schools about what it means to be a little person, part of my chat revolves around telling them to ignore people they don't know who tell them negative things.  Don't listen to them, they aren't important in your life.  Surround yourself with supports, not doubters.  And what was I doing?  Listening to the voices in my head.  And then someone had to say something.  As I was taking my bike from transition, some older guy watching the race, probably someone's father or grand-father who came to watch, says to me, "Calling it a day?"  I was so ready to go off on him, but I didn't.  I glared at him and loaded my bike in the car.  I was able to find a gap in the action after the last bike had left and before the first place rider came it, to leave the lot.  They were nice enough to allow me to leave otherwise I would have to wait until the end of the race which would be at least 2.5 to 3 hours later.

I got on the road and drove back to Leticia's house to get my bag.  I was planning on staying there Saturday night in order to watch the 1/2 on Sunday and then drive back home on Sunday.  I could not bear staying around.  I drove home after pulling over to put a post on the FACEBOOK about my need to withdraw.  As I made stops along the way home I managed to check what people were saying in response and I was moved to tears a number of times.  The support I was shown really helped me quickly realize, its not those doubters that matter.  I have always known that, but for a brief period of time, its all I cared about.  The negative energy was quickly redirected.  After chatting with a few people I also soon realized my difficulty in the water was probably environmental.  I had neglected to take my allergy meds the night before the race and the water was covered with pollen prior to the race.  When under the water you could see the  yellowy-green particles suspended in the water.  I must have breathed in a bunch of it while swimming and it caused my lunges to close up.  I am quite confident that is what happened. 

Again, I need to thank the dozens of people who posted comments, sent me emails, or even phoned to check on me.  This 24 hour pity-party has certainly ended.  Hugs from Sue and Owen certainly helped get me to a much better place. Though this might seem silly, I also asked Sue to help remove my race TATS.  I could not return to work on Monday with those on my arms which I feel are a sign of a finisher, not someone who had to stop for the day.  I know this might seem silly, but I feel better removing them.

I would later hear from another athlete that there were more than 30 bike accidents on the course due to the slick roads.  In hindsight, maybe this was again someone watching out for me.  I would have prefered to race as I have done so in two other rainy races (NYC Triathlon in 2011 and Timberman in 2010).   I was "saved" from a terrible bike accident on Thursday, just 2 days before this race.  Riding home from work I went off the road when a car got too close to me and I ended up doing a 180 over the handlebars and landed on a pile of cushy leaves just a few feet from a couple of trees.  Maybe I am keeping my guardian angel busier than I thought.

I also am thankful that the REV3 water safety team were keeping a close eye on me.  When I asked for help they came, but allowed me to keep going until I had enough.  I am absolutely sure had it gone worse a lot faster, they would have been there to help right away.  When I was stuggling, I could see 3 different boats and/or kayaks close by watching me and when I finally did wave my hand and call out for help, an athlete nearby quickly stopped and yelled for help for me as well.  THANK-YOU! 

My next race is the NYC Triathlon in early July.  I promise I will be ready both physically and mentally for this challenge.

OK, it's official.  I am in the NYC Marathon.  I received the email confirmation earlier this week.  I have a busy triathlon season this summer, but KNOW I will be ready to run the race of my life in early November.  With my last triathlon scheduled for early September I am confident I will be ready for the 26.2 mile run 2 months later.

I am writing this just 5 days away from my first triathlon of the 2012 season.  I finally decided to race the REV3 – Quassy Olympic distance tri down in Middlebury, CT.  I will travel down on Friday night, race on Saturday and then watch the Pros and friends race the ½ Iron distance race on Sunday.   I am looking forward to meeting pro Kelly Williamson in person and of course seeing my friend Miriam Wieskind again. Miriam is the owner of the Enduraguide website.

On May 20th I completed the Tour de Cure for the 3rd year in a row.  I did a 64 mile ride around the north shore of Massachusetts.  I managed to complete it this year more than 30 minutes faster than last year.  I know its not a race, but I still managed to put my best effort completing the distance.  The course was not as hilly as last year's, but still a 30 minute improvement felt like a real success.  The best part of the being I managed to raise $200 for the ADA and Sue and Owen came up to Pingree for the end of the ride to have some lunch with me on site.

A few days later I went down to Waltham to compete in a 5K race to support Team Hoyt.  Like the TdC, it was my 3rd year running this race.  Something about this course brings out the best in me.  I don't know if its the inspiriation of racing to support Dick and Rick Hoyt, the time of day (race start is 6:30pm) or maybe its just a course that suits me, but I completed the 5K race in a personal best time.  My finish time was 38:30, which was 51 seconds faster than last year. 

My training has gone well and I feel I am ready for a great race this coming weekend.  My only concern is the temperature of the water.  It's an early season race so the lake temps will probably be in the 65-68 degree range.  I will heading down on Friday night and will be staying with some dear friends about 30 minutes away from the race site. 

I did a lot of umpiring this past weekend.  There was a double header on Saturday (VERY HOT and HUMID) and then another game on Sunday.  All 3 games were in Marblehead.

Today was a super family day.  I marched in the Memorial Day parade with Owen and his cub scout troop.  After that all 3 of us headed up to Newburyport for the afternoon.  It was so nice simply spending the day with Sue and Owen walking around enjoying the beautiful weather in such a quaint seaport town.  After that we returned home and Owen and I were able to have a 3 mile bike ride around the neighborhood.   

Three Weeks Away from REV3 Quassy Oly

With a little more than 3 weeks to go before my first triathlon of 2012, training is going very well.  I am not registered for it, but still planning on doing REV3 Quassy Oly. This week is a 12 hour week and the weather is not totally co-operating.  I had an awesome 5.7 mile run on Tuesday after work.  The plan was to run through Bradley Palmer Park and then turn left out of the park and make my way back to Pingree.  The road was nice and hilly but also really narrow.  There was virtually no shoulder and a number of cars had to stop to let me run by due to oncoming traffic.

I have really taken to running without music.  I find listening to my body, especially my feet and my breathing is actually quite beneficial.  On a treadmill, I still need the tunes, but outside, I feel this is the way to go.  I can't wear the music during a triathlon, so like the saying goes, train like you race.

The hill workouts I have been doing are also starting to pay off.  I found my usual technique of walking up the hills does not cut it.  I was actually running up a lot of the hills and felt the need to crest the hill and run down as well!  I only walked to drink and take a gel, so the system seems to be working.

I hope to finally do a group ride this Saturday with my friends from Team Comp.  I am riding in the TOUR DE CURE on May 20th and fund raising is not going so well.  If anyone reading is willing to make a donation, I would greatly appreciate your help.

Tour de Cure - Donation page for J Young

It's been a WHILE, but here is my first post of 2012.

What a great winter we've had here in New England.  Very little snow so the roads have been totally clear and yet I only got my bike out a couple of weeks ago.  Yesterday was my first ride to work and back.  It started out quite chilly (35 degrees) but the ride home was a heck of a lot warmer.

The main reason for this post, is a race report for the "Columbia University Road Runners 5K" in NYC.  The race was on March 25th.  The best part about the weekend was catching up with both new and old friends.  The worst part was that Sue and Owen had decided to stay back in Salem.  Would you believe Owen picked going to see "Blue Man Group" over watching me do a 5K?  Of course, an easy decision for sure!

Lots of updates over the winter season to talk about before I get to the race report, so here goes.

• I won a free entry to return to the NYC Triathlon in July.  It was a Facebook contest where people had a "like" a photo.  I had more than 700 likes and was overwhelmed by the support.
• I was given a free entry to return and race at Hy-Vee over the Labor Day weekend in Iowa.
• I won a free pair of K-SWISS Kwicky Blade Lights from elite triathlete Angi Greene.
• Connected with elite runner and clothing designer Verity Breen who has been a source of information and encouragement as I prepare to race my first marathon in November.  She has selected me to be a brand ambassador for her line of clothing called "Thirty Birds".
• I have also joined "Achilles International" which is a running/tri club based out of NYC.  Their director, Kat Bateman, contacted me about joining.  I will race on that team a number of times over the summer.  The bonus about joining is that all members can race in the NYC Marathon.  I am hoping to do a marathon this year in the hopes of finishing under 6 hours.  If I do so, I have been told I can race the Boston Marathon as a physically challenged runner.
• The Pingree Girls' Swim Team finished 2nd at New Englands this season.  Two of our swimmers were selected as Swimming All-Stars by the local paper.  And the real kicker for me, is that the paper also selected me as the Swim Coach of the Year.  I had no idea I was even being considered, so it is certainly a great honor.
• And finally, I have decided to race in the the inaugural "Toronto Triathlon Festival" in July this summer.  It will be a blast completing in a race in my hometown.  Hopefully some old friends and family can come out and watch me race.  I just heard from the race organizers that they have selected me as Triathlete of the Month for March .

Now onto my first race on 2012.  This race was suggested to me by Kat Bateman from Achilles.  She suggested this would be a good opportunity for me to meet up some of the other Achilles runners.  I agreed and also realized I would be able to meet up with some "new" and "old" friends.

So I headed down on Friday morning after dropping Owen off at school.  The drive was uneventful and to save some money I packed a lunch and snacks.  The 4 hour drive wasn't really that bad allowing for stops along the way to stretch my legs and such.  I arrived in NYC and circled the block around where I would be staying on the upper west side until I found a spot.  I ended up parking on Riverside Dr (AGAIN) and would be able to leave my car there for the entire weekend.  I phoned up my friend Barbara from CAF as she was able to arrange an apartment for me to stay in.  I headed down to her place, lower down in Manhatten to get the keys.  We had a quick visit and I headed up to my temporary base around 78th and West Side Dr.  After getting all my stuff in the apartment I took some time to rest before heading to Brooklyn to meet up with my friend Miriam.  She is the owner of a website called ENDURAGUIDE.

Pizza at Anthony's in Brooklyn is amazing!

We have a mutual friend in Joan Murray with the USAT.  Miriam did a online interview about me a few months ago.  We were planning on meeting at the YMCA in Brooklyn and then we would be heading out for some REAL NEW YORK PIZZA.


OKAY...............here's where I stop and say, ARGH.  I started this post weeks ago and kept dreading finishing it and I don't know why.  So I am going to stop now.

Highlights of the trip were of course meeting Miriam and Kat.  Catching up with my dear friend Barbara Evans from CAF was AWESOME!  Just chatting and having dinner on Saturday night with her were so much fun.

But that's where this report ends.  The race was great!  I didn't PR my best 5K time, but I did manage to run  sub 14 min miles, which was my goal for my first race of 2012.

Here's where I now pledge to make at least one blog post for the remainder of 2012.  I PROMISE!!!

Finishing in 43:15.  Not a PR, but great for first race of 2012.

Some struggles............but "Life is Good!"

The first pic of me running with BOTH feet off the ground!

Since Hy-Vee in early September, my life in the multi-sport world has slowed down and I have been able to concentrate on family and work. All I have left in the 2011 season are some road races. I managed to complete the Wicked 1/2 Marathon on September 24th. I had a real "reach" of a finish time hoping to finish in 2:50 and managed to complete the race 3:04:15. Though I did hit my target, I was able to finish 7 minutes faster than last year, so I had to be pleased with the PR.

I tweaked my right calf while running at the Y about a week later.  I immediately stopped and stretched it out.  I then finished my run and things seemed fine.  Leading up to the Witch City 5K on October 23rd, things seemed to be going well.  I prepped for the race like usual with the same morning routine and pre-race breakfast.  I hydrated well, got to the race, stretched and prepared as usual.  I got ready to race.  Beth form the Y gave the start signal and off I went.  It was seriously only 200 yards or so into the race, and both calves seized HARD.  I slowed down to a walk and did not know what do do.  Hundreds of people were going past and I could barely walk.  I thought for few minutes that stopping would probably be the best choice.  This would then be my first DNF.  I chose to continue on.  I walked along until the first mile marker and was surprised when I reached it in a little over 16 minutes.

A lot of the same police in Salem do the race marshaling, so as I reached each controlled intersection it was encouraging to hear them try and nudge me along.  They could easily tell I was having a real struggle.  I started my old trick from the 1/2 Ironman and would run to a pole and then walk to the next and that seemed to work quite well.  I reached the water stop around the Boys and Girls Club and then headed back along Derby towards the Willows. 

I continued most of the race using that same pacing and then a managed to run for about the last 200 meters or so.  My finishing time was 0:50:06, which in fact was a lot better than I was expecting at the start of the race.  I figured it would take more than an hour.  At that rate I was only 12 minutes slower than my best time.  So, was not hurt that bad, or was I really a pretty slow runner to begin with?  What does it matter, I finished.

I got in my car and got home and immediately took a Epsom salt bath.  A couple of days later I managed to see a massage therapist who was able to determine I has some tightness in my IT  band.  I continue to stretch and do so some fitness ball, roller and mat work.  I have managed a couple of 2 and 3 mile runs and still I get some slight tightness in the calves, but things are getting better.  I really want to run though since I just purchased a new TIMEX -GPS - Triathlon watch and want to full get to use some of it's great mapping and training features.

A couple of real cool things happened to help with next year's race season.  The NYC Triathlon had a contest where you could enter a pic of yourself and the one with the most "likes" would win a free entry.  There were 16 photos and I ended up winning with almost 700 likes.  A pretty amazing feat and it sure showed the power or exponential growth and connections in social networking.  I had quite a few friends posting on the their own sites to try and get their friends to help.  It all worked, along with quite a few of my own students checking out the picture, on their own time off school campus of course.  About 4 days after winning that contest, I was contacted by the Hy-Vee Triathlon organizers and was given a free entry into next year's race in Des Moines.  We are working on trying to organize a family trip to Minnesota to coincide with the race.  

A very inspiring thing happened to me last weekend and it has somehow left me speechless.  I made a contact through the photo contest who is friends with one of my online friends.  He presently weighs close to 400 lbs and has started to exercise, lose some weight and someday soon compete in his first 1/2 Marathon.  On the Saturday where we changed from Daylight to Standard time he was planning on doing a 5K at 1:50AM.  This way when he finishes he is right back at the time he started.  He was able to finish the race in under and hour.  The amazing thing to me is that he wants me to send him an autographed picture.  He has followed my blog and says that something about what I am doing is inspiring to him.  That was sure a humbling request.  I never thought I would ever be asked for something like that.  I haven't sent him one yet, but that's only because I don't have a proper picture printed up.

Next up for me is the Feaster Five in Andover on Thanksgiving Day.  I was emailed by Dave McGillvary and was invited to race there this year.  I am doing my best in the hopes that my calves are ready to have a really good and solid race.

Hy-Vee 5i50 US Championships - Des Moines, IA - September 4, 2011

After racing in NYC where I finished 12th, I was contacted by the race organizers of the Hy-Vee US Championships where they decided to invite me.  Finishing in the top 10 was an automatic bid, but I would find out later that most other para competitors were either going to the "Worlds" in Beijing or simply would not be going.  My initial thought was to not go.  My season was winding down and another race, which would have to include a flight and airfare was not in the family budget.  After chatting with a few Facebook friends I was convinced to go.  One team-mate said when you are invited to race, you race.  One other friend suggested I set up a fund-raising website and ask friends to help out if they so chose.  I have to admit I was a little reluctant to do that.  There are so many more worthy charities out there, so why would someone want to give me money to race?  Well, I set up the site and sent out an email and a posting on Facebook and to my great surprise, the money came in.  Before I knew it, I at enough saved up to ensure I could go without worrying about blowing the family budget.  To those that gave and those who decided not to but still wished me well, I am SO GRATEFUL.

This would be my first "destination" race.  I would have to find a way to get my bike there so when I asked around I was able to borrow a bike box from Kurt, our team captain.  It took a while to get the bike apart where I had a particular problem with the pedals.  After taking more than an hour I got the right pedal off, I was still struggling with the left.  And yes, I did know I was supposed to turn the left pedal in the opposite direction.  I ended up buying a pedal wrench and it worked a heck of a lot better.  Once the bike was all packed away, I knew I was actually going to make it there.

I chose to fly on FRONTIER airlines because I had good things about traveling with bikes on their airline.  I was not disappointed as I was allowed to check 2 bags and with the bike being one of them, I was not asked for any sort of SURCHARGE.  YES!  The flight there was uneventful with a brief stopover in Milwaukee.  I arrived on-time in Des Moines, called the hotel and was shuttled there with no problem.  After checking in I decided to make it over to the EXPO for a briefing and then get my race packet.  That all went pretty smooth   

When I started to check out the EXPO, I ran into a paratriathlete who raced in NYC.  His name is  Sean VanGerena.  I did not think he was going to be racing at Hy-Vee and then he explained to me he was to be going to Beijing, but had some passport problems, so last minute, decided to come to Des Moines.  He is a great guy and I was excited to be see him again.  This race for sure had the most amazing SWAG.  We were given a back-pack, cycling jersey, a visor or hat, IRONMAN sunglasses and a whole host of other stuff. 

I headed back to my room and then decided to try and find a place to eat some dinner.  I walked and walked and .........walked without finding something appropriate.  I decided to walk across the river to the concert and Beer Garden that were being put on by the 5i50 race organizers.  I ended up having a beer and some AWESOME authentic tasting tacos for dinner.  Not exactly the best dinner 36 hours prior to the race, but not terrible.  I even saw Tim O'Donnell and Mirinda Carfrae out for a evening run.  I had met Tim at Timberman last year and had managed to keep in touch with him somewhat through Facebook.  A REAL nice guy.  Something you're likely to hear about most of the Pros in triathlon.  Mirinda is the reigning World Ironman Womens' Champion.  I didn't stick around the concert very long and then made my way back to the hotel.  I managed a brief swim and jacuzzi in the hotel pool and then called it a night.  Prior to turning in I ran into a woman named Bridget who had flown in with her friend Aubrey was going to be racing as well.  They were both from the western part of MA.  Bridget was saying that Aubrey was in the need of a pump and I was happy to oblige. 

 I had a very restful night waking up a number of times wondering if I would be able to put my bike together without and help.  As such, I awoke at 4:30AM and proceeded to get in together.  To my amazement I was finished a little prior to 6AM.  I would try and get the bike out for a ride after breakfast.  I headed down to the restaurant for breakfast and was happily surprised by the EXCELLENT buffet that was available for only $13.  I grabbed a local paper and proceeded to enjoy a nice 2 hour breakfast.  I grazed and grazed on some great fruit and had an awesome omelette made to order as I watched.

As I was leaving, Aubrey and Bridget came down for breakfast.  I asked if it would be OK if I sat at the table for a while and we could all get to know each other.  I would later find out that unlike me, Aubrey was quite modest.  She qualified for the race by WINNING her age-group at a 5i50 race down in Florida.  She never told me any of this while we chatted.

After leaving the girls, I made my way upstairs to change and go out for a ride.  The clouds looked a little ominous, but I thought I would try.  The bike worked great and all seemed fine as I headed down to ride over to where I would later drop my bike off.  I was about 2/3 of the way there (a 4-5 mile ride from the hotel) when the rain drops really started to fall.  I saw a covered parking garage and headed for it, when the unthinkable happended and my chain came off.  When I looked, it had not really come off, but had come APART.  I obviously had not connected the quick link the proper way and now the link was missing.  I was so lucky the rain shower lasted for about 1-2 minutes.  I got off of my bike (luckily I had brought my glasses as well) and started to look for the link.  I was looking for about 5 minutes and was having no luck.  I was in a real industrial area at this time and there seemed to be no one around.  What was I going to do?  Walk my bike back to the hotel and look like a real amatuer?  Just as I was about to give up, a small car pulled up and out of came a nice couple named Ken and Sue.  Ken quickly got out of his car and started to help me look and if he didn't find the link in about 1 minute.  Just as he did I looked over and a man who was TOTALLY STONED came walking up the road towards us.  I was carrying a leaf and put it in our faces and was wondering why we weren't as interested in it as he was.  He stumbled around a bit and even fell.  As Ken asked him if he needed any help, he managed to get himself up and contined on his way.  All I said to Ken and Sue was, THANK-YOU!  I could only imagine what would have happened if they did not come along and I was face to deal with this guy all on my own.  I am sure I would have been OK, but what might he have tried to do if I was alone?  I tell you, God sure does look after us! 

I managed to get the chain back on and then proceeded to ride carefully back to the hotel.  Ken had given me his number in case I needed help between there and the hotel.  Thank goodness I got back OK.  Back in my room I checked out the chain and it seemed to be OK.  I de-greased and then re-greased it.  There was a small bike shop called the Des Moines Bike Collective across from the hotel and they took a quick look and said the chain looked fine to them.  I must not have fastened it the right way the first time.  While waiting I met a young woman named Traci and her dad Larry.  Her mom's name escapes me now.  We had a lovely chat and I was enjoyed talking to her about racing as this would be her first triathlon.  We talked a bit what got us both to this point and I was happy to share with her the story about Ken and Sue and how God does make sure that as long as we put our trust in Him, we will be cared for. 

My bike in transition with the other para bikes.

I got some lunch at a small restaurant near the hotel where I met a young couple from Nebraska and their two young children.  He was coming to race even though he was under the weather.  He had won the entry to the race while doing another race.  When I was done I finally saw an opening and rode my bike down to the transition area at Gray's Lake.  After arriving the bike techs from Scheels were there and they also took a good look at the bike.  They tweaked the gears and brakes a bit and said the chain looked fine.

Greg Welch

I had no luck finding a taxi to get back to the hotel so I started asking around for a ride and managed to get a lift from a nice guy who would also be racing.  We had a great chat and he dropped me off just in time for me to make it back to the Expo in time to see the Pro Panel.  Eight of the pros (4 men and 4 women) were answering "softball" type questions from Greg Welch.  Greg had won Ironman in back in 1994 but had to take a quick exit from the sport when he was diagnosed with some major heart problems.  He now does the commentating online for IRONMANLIVE during all the big races.  He is just as funny in person and I went up to him prior to the event and introduced myself.  I often hear other races teasing him because he is shorter than most of the male pros.  I told him he can tell them now he is not the shortest guy in triathlon.  He thought that was pretty funny.  I later would ask a question of the panel and he asked me to repeat the story to everyone.  I gave them all a good chuckle. 

Tim, Rasmus, and Chris

 When the panel concluded I stayed around to say "HI" to Tim O'Donnell.  It made me feel pretty good when he actually came up to me and said, "Hey John, how are you doing?"  He even introduced me to Mirinda, which was very cool.  I also made a point of saying hello to Rasmus Henning and even Chris McCormack (reigning World Ironman Champion ).   I later felt a little dumb as standing right there as well was Ironman LEGEND Paula Newby-Fraser who won Kona an unprecedented 8 times.  I also asked passed Ironman Champion Heather Fuhr, if she was pro Dr. Amanda Stevens.  Boy, did I feel silly. 

Mirinda, Me, and Tim

Chris McCormack and Me

Heading out again from the hotel I managed to find a nice restaurant for dinner.  The wait for a table inside was going to be more than 45 minutes or I could sit outside under an umbrella at a table right away.  I chose the one outside and had a nice dinner in the pouring rain without getting wet.  After dinner I headed back to the hotel for the night.  I showered and then put on my TRI-TATS.  They are temporary tattoos and as I am writing this a week later, they are still visible.  If only I could have spent the whole last week wearing a tank-top!  I took a while to pack up my bag for the morning and drifted off to sleep around 10:30pm with the alarm set for 3:15AM.

The alarm went off and I was up pretty quickly.  Being away from home without a car and no market nearby, I had to improvise for breakfast.  Breakfast was a Protein drink, wheat and berry muffin, a CLIF bar and some water and gatorade.  I headed down to the lobby and quickly asked a couple of they were heading down to the race.  They were and they said they had room if I wanted to go with them.  Dave was going to be racing and his wife would be leading a small cheering section comprised of parents, in-laws and children.  They had driven up from Kansas City, KS. 

In transition around 5AM

I arrived at the race site around 4:30AM after a short walk from where the car was parked.  It was still pretty dark and my head-lamp became very helpful.  I was a little freaked out that the pressure was down in my front tire.  The bike techs checked it out and felt it would be fine for the race after being pumped up.  I trusted them and would later realize, it was a wise thing to do. 

All 3 of the other para-triathletes were there: Sean, Aaron Scheidies, and Mark Dobersh.  I slowly got things ready and started to enjoy a very beautiful sunrise.  On one of my trips to the porta-john I ran into another Kona Ironman Legend.  Shivering away, I saw Sister Madonna_Buder, the IRON NUN. We had a lovely chat about racing and faith.  As we parted, I felt the Spirit around both of us and cried for a moment.  Total tears of joy!

Two days prior to the race the race organizers had been telling people the lake water temp was 83 degrees.  That's too hot for a wetsuit for age-groupers who want "official results".  Well, people should not have listened as the water temp for race morning was 77 degrees, which is cool enough for a wetsuit if wanted.  Lots of people were walking around upset as they had left their suits at home or at their hotel.  Para-triathletes are allowed wetsuits in any weather.  I was planning on only wearing my wetsuit pants, so I had no worries.

All set, I made my way to the swim start and looked out on the lake.  This was a 1.5KM swim which was comprised of a swim straight out with a right turn then we simply made our way around the outside of the lake making 4 left turn before heading back in.  Our para wave was to go out after the elite men and then women.  We waded in a bit and then before I knew it, I heard the horn and we were off.

I managed to make it to the right turn before I heard the next wave of swimmers make it in.  I knew it would only be a few minutes before they were passing me.  This wound it being the first open water swim where I really got hammered by others.  Having a MINI COOPER go to the first place finisher might have something to do with that along with prize money for the top 5 in each age-group.  I got hit in the back pretty good at least 3 times along with getting my ankle grabbed once.  I was trying to do my best to stay in line to the turn buoys knowing I was going to be in the think of things.  The long back stretch was difficult to sight as we were swimming into the sun the whole way.  Keeping swimmers to my left ensured I pretty much kept on track.  The water tasted a lot like fuel and I felt it was actually stinkier than the Hudson River swim I did 4 weeks previously. 

Swim exit

Making the last turn I lined up to try and swim straight to the swim exit.  All went well and when I got out and passed over the mat, I was happy to hit the lap button on my watch at 47:34.  That was a pretty good time for me and I tried to run some of the way into transition.  The run down to the entrance was pretty long and since my bike was racked near BIKE OUT, I knew I would have to make it all the way back down to my bike.  The good thing is, that meant less distance to run with the bike.  With the run included I made it out of T1 in a time of 5:47.  I would bet that more than 3 minutes of that was running to my bike.

Out on the bike and rolling all went well.  The roads for the entire ride were very smooth, save for a little section right near the end.  There were some nice hills up into West Des Moines but along with that came an AWESOME decent, where I managed to get up to 38 mph.  We passed over a number of railway tracks where they put some carpet over top of the tracks to help, and it did.

There were two lollipops on the ride where both turnarounds went pretty good without too much of a slow down.  I had to stop around the 15 mile marker to add water to my aero bottle.  I can carry the bottles in a cage on the back of my bike, but can't reach them while riding.  It amounts to less than a 1 minute stop, but I know I can't ride without water for 10 miles and then expect to run well off the bike.

Enjoying the ride

Getting back to T2 in a time of 1:37:32 was a great bike time for me.  I was very pleased with my ride and was confident I left a lot more in the tank for the run.  Off the bike and into T2 I got changed pretty quickly but needed a stop at the porta-potty.  Out the back of transition in a time of 4:59, was not at all fast, but again, most of the time was due to the long run out.  Lots of relay runners were waiting for their bikes to show up and cheered us on as we left out and onto the run.  

I was determined to have a GREAT run after my poor showing in NYC.  It's important to note that the run in NYC was a lot hillier and hotter.  The first few miles of the run were all on a paved path with no hills at all.  There lamp posts or cones along the path the whole time so I started out the run doing a 3 to 1 ratio of run to walk and then upped it to 5 to 1.  I made sure of sticking to that ratio as to start the run, my back got really tight and I was worried I would end up having to walk a lot again like in NYC.  My strategy worked as I took those rests each time I felt like I was actually GAINING strength.  There were water stops each mile with lots of cheering volunteers.  As we ran as I went out to a turn around near mile 2, Sister Madonna Buder was running out as I was running back and we gave each other a cheer.  As I neared the water stop at mile 3, I saw Traci's parents.  Her whole family got up to cheer me on and boy did it give me a boost.

Around mile 4 to 5 there was a loud speaker set up playing and re-playing the theme to ROCKY, "Gonna Fly Now".  It was so fitting for me as I had received an unsolicited good luck email from Chrissie Wellington the night before where she wished me luck in the race saying, "Fly like the Wind".

Actually remembering to SMILE!

We passed by a bar called "Mullets" and there was a large crowd tailgating there in preparation for the AAA Baseball game in the nearby park.  I got them all cheering as I ran by a lifted my arms a bunch of times to get them going.  Again, another boost.

Across a small walking bridge and we were nearing the downtown core and the State House.  We had to run up near the State House then come back down and then again back up for the finish.  The streets were lined with specatators and I could feel my energy level increasing.  As I passed mile 6, with only 2/10 of a mile left, I turned to corner to the finish and saw a HUGE uphill into the finishing chute.  I started to walk and knew I would need some help to run the finish.  The streets were barricaded and lined with fans.  Again, like before, I started to move my arms to get people cheering and they responded.  As they cheered, I started to run.  Made the final turn and headed to the finish.  

Crossing the Line.

Again, still all uphill, it was a challenging finish.  I kept my arms moving and people continued to cheer, so I kep running.  I am glad I never checked the total time I had, because as I crossed the line, I looked at my watch and saw the time, 3:59:56.  With a run time of 1:24:06, I was able to stay on 13.5 min miles for the whole run.  Though longer than my last 5i50 time at NYC, I have to keep saying to myself, you can't compare times from different courses.  There are so many variables in each race.   One particular note, my swim in NYC was only 23 minutes, thanks to the current in the Hudson, so there is 25 minutes right there.

5i50 US Open Para-triathlete Champion!

I got my clothing bag, changed and then waited for the awards.  Since finishing 4th out of the 4 paratriathletes, I knew I would win something.  I was initially worried when they called the prizes and were only awarding 1st, 2nd, and 3rd and then I heard, "Winning 1st place in the Open Paratriathlete Category is John Young of Salem".  First place?  I was given a gold medal and a huge gift certificate from Orca (wetsuit company).    I later was to find out that thanks to my classification problems in NYC, where I was too tall to be classified, the Hy-Vee organizers contacted USAT and were told I was to be in the Open category, not with the other athletes.  Well, I guess it goes to prove, "Good things come to those who wait."  I get my classification sorted out sooner or later, but I guess winning something in the mean time is good too.  

I went over to the Hy-Vee tent to find out I automatically qualify for the race in 2012.  I am sure next year, we will budget for this race.  Hopefully we can manage trip home to MN as well to see Sue's family.

Food after the race was pretty poor.  Especiailly since Hy-Vee, the race sponsor, is a supermarket chain.  It was simply bagels and fruit without much more.

I made my way on a shuttle to transition, loaded up my gear in my bag, put it on my bike and then rode back to my hotel.  Nice and slowly I made it back with no problems.

I quickly got changed and then walked back towards the river to watch the PROS race.  The women had already started and I got there when they were all on the bike.  I watched for a while and then walked towards the State House grandstand.  I stopped to talk with a group of 3 people who were watching.  They had all raced earlier as well.  I ended up spending the rest of the womens' race and then the entire men's  with Kattie and her husband. 

Mirinda catching Luxford

Mirinda, 2nd place woman.

Swim Start for Men

Chris McCormack

Greg Bennett, First Place Male

  
After the men's race, I met up with Sean and his buddy and we had a nice dinner and some drinks together.  I made my way back to my hotel later in the evening.  I even managed a short swim and jacuzzi before the pool closed at midnight.

The next day I packed and headed home.  Except for a pretty bumpy fllight from Milwaukee to Boston, the trip home was pretty eventful.

Again, I want to says THANKS to all those who helped get me there.  Your generosity and encouragement have not gone unnoticed.