Time for my monthly post, I suppose. Once again I waited until the penultimate day of the month to race, and once again I went into the event lacking confidence. This time it was the RRCA-MD 10 Mile Club Championships, aka Club Challenge. Without a doubt, this is the most important event on my calendar each year, not so much for my own personal goals, but for the team. It is a cruel event; a hilly 10 miler in Columbia in the winter, very early in the year. It is brutally honest, however, and can either serve as a huge confidence booster, or a rude wake-up call for your fitness.
I've been on both ends of that truth. In 2006, racing in my first Club Challenge, and wearing Nike 360s I might add, I got served. 1:04:10, and I think it was short. Jake Marren, Ryan Schmidt and I went down to the race and ran through 5 together, splitting something under 30. The two of them slowed in the back half, ultimately running times in the 1:01:xx range, but I suffered. Thank God I've done worse than that in other races over the years, so I've put that one behind me. I swore I would never race it again, but a year later I was prepared and actually excited to race. An alleged snowstorm, however, canceled that year's edition, and I would have to wait another year to exact my revenge.
Now it's 2008 and, thanks to an injection of new blood (Ben, Arjun, Alex, Justin, Steve Levin, to name a few), I thought we had a solid shot at the team titles. That was the winter I was racing some indoor track meets, and I felt like I was in decent shape to put forth a good effort. The result was a 59:25 - not too bad! It was a 10 mile PR and I felt pretty good. Unfortunately for the team, we got smoked. You know you're not going to do well when a 59:25 is your 5th or 6th scorer.
For the newer guys, it was their first CC, and they all swore they'd never race again too, but, just like me, they came back a year later, ready to crush butts. It was a much better sign that I ran a 58:55 and was one of the last scorers. We didn't win the men's or women's team title, but when the scoring had been finalized, we had won the Overall Team title, and, to quote Miley Cyrus, it was "pretty cool."
2010, of course, the year I miss, winds up being the Falls Road Clinic on winning. That created high expectations for this year, but we definitely took a hit by losing a number of our scorers from last year. We ended up racing with just 32 people, down from 50 last year. Up front we had a number of truly amazing races, but in the end the numbers just weren't in our favor. The cool thing was there wasn't a poor performance among the whole group. There were something like 20 PRs run by our 32 people. We came in 2nd in the men's team by just 24 points (very close when you score 12) and scored almost the fewest amount possible for the women on their way to a team victory. For the third year in a row now, we also came home with the Overall Team victory. Another great day for the team.
My own personal race was fine, I ended up running 1:00:12 for 39th place. Disappointed I was just 13 seconds away from cracking 60, but more disappointed that I couldn't close the gap on Old Man Berardi. There he was, running with another Strider, and about to catch another (I know their names but so they don't google themselves and wonder why they're on here, I'll leave them nameless). I couldn't shut it down, and Berardi got me by 6 seconds. From a race management standpoint, I was pleased. I went out more responsibly, and was very comfortable through the first 4 miles. I was running under 6 minute pace without being overly aggressive. I hit their mile 5 marker in 29:16, but I'm certain that is an early mark. Where I believe the 5 mile mark to be I crossed in 29:41. Even there, I still feel like it may be a little shy of where it actually is. But seeing as in our workouts I use this mark as the halfway, I will just call it 29:41.
The neighborhood was expectedly tough, and I tried to stay "in it" until we crossed over the highway again and reached the 7 mile mark. I had ridden my bike for 4 hours the previous day, and it definitely left me feeling it. I was approaching the point where my legs weren't going to move any faster, I could only hope they wouldn't slow down too much. As each mile ticked by I watched my pace creep up. 35:47 at 6, 41:50 at 7, 48:01 at 8. Could I run under 12 minutes for the last two miles? I sure was trying. Clipped through 9 at 54:10, and thinking I could surely muster a 5:49 last mile, I believed I could do it. I made the turn onto Hickory Ridge and was able to pass one Strider, but couldn't reach Berardi and the other guy ahead. I disappointedly watched as the clock turned over the hour mark, gave a quick look behind and crossed the line.
Along the course I realized I was our 11th person, and needed to hold position. It was nice to be a scorer again, I think the only time I haven't been was that first year. I was really excited for my friends' performances, and I think they were too, as most of them reveled for the entire remainder of the day, even into the evening. Monday's run was predictably slow, as most of us had no pep in the step.
As another month has gone by, I'll once again grade myself on how my training has gone:
FEBRUARY
Swimming - C. Once again I just did not make it into the pool enough. Like I've said, I no longer feel like I need to put in the 5000m days I was doing all last year, because I don't think the additional volume is making me swim any faster. If anything, I think those long days, day after day, were just making me more tired for the runs and rides. Total for the month was a mere 24,000 meters, but was accentuated with a few decent workouts.
Cycling - A. I gave myself a B+ for January, and February actually went pretty well. Almost double the amount of time as January, and some really solid workouts on the trainer. I also managed to get outside 3 times for 3+ hours, including a near 60 mile ride with Ben Winterroth on the warm Friday, and 4 hours just this past Saturday. I'm feeling pretty strong, and that's a good sign. I called it 394 miles this month.
Running - B+. The first week of February started off pretty weak, following the Miami Half. I went up to NJ that weekend for a basketball game, and due to the heavy volume of snow, it was nearly impossible for me to run (got in just 4 miles for a 25 mile week). But after that, things got better. I still only get in 4 days a week tops, with one week being 5 days, but my runs are generally in the 10-12 mile range. 10-12 on a Monday, 10-12 on a Wednesday, 9 on a Friday, long run on Sunday. We did a great workout on the Club Challenge course two weeks ago, and the following week I put in a 17 mile run with Kris, Harvey and Brennan. My last 3 weeks were 48, 50 and 46, for a total of 167 miles this month. And I've been enjoying the runs more, running random routes for time instead of the same old standard routes knowing how fast I should be at each split. Club Challenge average pace was 6:01, or :14 per mile faster than my race at Miami. My foot has not felt much better, particularly after the harder efforts, but I'm getting through it.
As a result, hours per week went up. Just under 14, then 16.5, then 15.5. Back to some more normal volume.
I'll probably start posting a little bit more now that I'm back to doing things, but today I'll leave you with a quote, from Bad Boys:
"Fuck you, and fuck them, and fuck everybody that got a problem with Mike Lowrey."
I've grown quite weary of hearing my name brought up in a complaining fashion in conversations. It's real old. If there's a problem, bring it up to me. Otherwise, leave my name out of it.
Tuesday, March 01, 2011
Wednesday, February 02, 2011
Miami Tricks
Miami, January 2009: A naive group, diverse in age and race, crashes into South Beach for a weekend of fun, sun and oh yeah, a half marathon. The result: lots of fun, lots of sun, generally terrible race performances. Friday night was apparently too hard on us, and about half of the crew was unable to function following Sunday's race. We vowed to come back the next year and make it better.
Miami, January 2010: A huge group bombards Ocean Drive, intent on making it even sweeter than 2009. The result: fun (not as much as 09), questionable weather, even worse race performances. Seriously, what's going on?
Miami, January 2011: Our smallest and least diverse group yet descends upon Miami Beach for the third time, hoping it will, in fact, be the charm. Here's how it went...
Thursday - Arrive in MIA with Barf and Zero. Make our way to the hotel. Ricky Gervais guested in the opening of The Office, signifying how great the weekend was going to be. Following dinner we hit The Clevelander and the mojitos were flowing. Late night end up at Mansion where Busta Rhymes is performing, apparently it was Rick Ross' birthday and they were celebrating. Get home very, very late.
Friday - Beautiful day. Go for run, then Ocean's 10 for dinner and post-dinner fun. Band is kicking. Zero and I roll out and I end up not feeling so great at Johnny Rocket's around 2:30am.
Saturday - Following Dusty's 5k, we roll out to Everglades. Weather is unreal again. See some alligators and turtles. Get back to South Beach, go for shakeout run, then get dinner. Go to bed and prepare to wake up at 4am for 6:15 race start.
RACE
My goal for this race had always been quite simple: run under 1:23:00, therefore ensuring that if I want to sign up for NYC Marathon this year, I can do that. The last open half I ran was actually this race back in 2009. I ran 1:22:37, and was in better shape than I am in now. That year, I was a Miami rookie and the weekend proved too much for me to do well. Last year I only did two races over the half marathon distance - the 1:33 I ran at Hunterdon Half and the marathon at Arizona. I was feeling much better about running in the fall. Since the ironman, I've not been running well. I did 3 races of 5, 5 and 3 miles, and was not under 6 minute pace for any of them. Then I did the PHUNT Run "20k" which killed me. I have not been right since. My left foot hurts so bad all the time I can barely walk, and I know it's the mechanics and overcompensation from my knee that are to blame.
I went from thinking I'd run 1:23 to now believing I wouldn't run faster than 1:25, and that I could very likely just end up running 1:30. Then, after going out so hard on both Thursday and Friday nights, there was absolutely no way I was going to run anything good.
Still, I came into the race with a goal, and I was determined to put myself in the best position to achieve it. I knew that meant not going out in my typical first mile fashion, as well as drinking water at every possible stop. We arrived at the race just after 5am and walked over to the start. It's a long walk, but you can hear the beats the entire time. Went for a warmup with Zero and my brother, and then got into the incredibly crowded corral. All around us were people who should not have been anywhere near the start of a race. The gun sounded at 6:20am and after 8 seconds I crossed the start line. It's so dark at that point that it really is dangerous - there are people darting and weaving and pushing. The first quarter mile channels you onto the bridge, which is one of two significant hills in the race. I ran this part as easy as I could, but coming off the bridge saw the 1 mile mark and looked at my watch with dismay - 6:26.
That was pretty slow, and as I contemplated needing to average about 6:19 per mile, I was concerned. But not defeated. I kept calm and bridged gaps to the people ahead of me. The Causeway at that time of day is awesome. It's quiet and peaceful, and lit solely by the lights of the cruise ships. Mile 2 came faster than expected, as I passed it in 5:48 (12:14). Hmm. I figured the two had just offset each other, and then decided I would just run this effort and whatever the mile splits were, that's what they were.
Mile 3, just before the bridge into South Beach, was 6:26 again (18:40) but the 5k mark was right behind it (19:07). I stormed into South Beach and mile 4 mark seemed again pretty quick (5:54/24:35). I was doing a great job drinking water at every stop, and was quite comfortable in my pace. You head to the end of the island (the last road, at least) and then turn down to Ocean Drive and come up that. This is a cool part of the race, as you run alongside the beach as the sun is starting to pop up, and you go past some places that have just closed so there are random people littering the streets. The 5 mile mark is right in front of where we stayed last year (Colony) and I passed that in 30:35 (5:59 mile).
I was doing pretty well, I thought, as my 5 mile races in November and December were 30:15 and 30:17. But I also remembered that mile 6 is where the wheels started to come off in the 2009 version of this race. And again, this caused some concern as I hit it in 6:22 (10k split was a little over 38). I arrived in the neighborhood - the beginning of my least favorite part of the race - at mile 7 in 43:06 (6:08). I wanted to really focus on 7-10, as I figured if I could bank some time here, it would help me if I fell apart with a mile or two to go.
Including that mile 7 mark, I went 6:08, 6:10, 6:12, 6:13, coming through 10 miles in 1:01:42. That left me with about 21 minutes to run my last 5k, and I felt like that was good. At this point in the race you're running what seems to be generally uphill and have to cross a few bridges that have grates - very uncomfortable grates. You also run through a toll booth, which is very random. Mile 11 is where you get back into downtown Miami, and right before you hit the ING cheering section I hit my watch and saw 6:04. Either it was wrong, or I was pumped up by the crazy group clad in orange and the beats that the DJs were bumping.
Now I felt more than confident that, with 2.1 miles to go, I could run at least 7 minute miles. And that's basically what I did. Mile 12 was 6:21, which was probably what I was actually running at that point, and then mile 13, where I began to shut down, was 6:58. 41 second last tenth and I cross the line in 1:21:49.
I refuse to get excited for running a time that, before I got hurt, would not have posed a challenge, but I will accept this time as having achieved my goal for the race. I had worn my brand new K-Swiss flats and that caused a blister of great significance to develop on my left foot. It was causing a tremendous amount of pain as I attempted to walk around. At the finish line, Zero awaited me. He had finished in 1:20:08 - a 3+ minute PR for him. A short while later, my brother came through in the fastest time he's run in Miami by 5 minutes. Then, foolishly running the marathon was Barf. His pre-race goal was to go under 2:55 (PR is 3:08). He wanted to negative split. He accomplished both, running an unbelievable 2:51:21. Truly one of the greatest performances I've ever seen.
It had turned into the nicest day of the weekend and we took a cab (after walking a long time to get one) straight to Johnny Rocket's. Chomped up some food, hit the beach for a few hours after that, where I got real burned, and then went to Wet Willie's. All in all it had been a great weekend. Monday, before we rolled to the airport, we walked to the end of the island and soaked it in before heading back to 30 degrees, overcast skies and snow.
JANUARY
In an attempt to grade myself on my level of training for the month of January, here is how I fared:
Swimming - D. I made it into the pool just 6 times for a grand total of 15,000m. In the summer I was swimming that in 3 days, and did it 5 times a week. I lost a ton of fitness, and after swimming for the better part of two years, don't really want to do it anymore.
Cycling - B+. I'll say this because at least I rode. My general equation is that I award myself 17 miles for 60 minutes of being on the trainer, and 25 miles for 90 minutes. I was riding well this month, doing some good workouts and mostly riding for 90 minutes. But, I didn't get outside at all. Not even once. The temps have been super cold and the roads are shit right now. Using my calculations I was at 212 miles, which is 2 more than I did last January. Again, that's like 2 days of riding for me in the summer, but for January, it's better than 0.
Running - B. I ran 181 miles this January. Last year I ran 38. The year before was 246. But prior to that, I hovered between 138 and 173. Therefore, I am pleased with the volume of running, but the quality was not great. I have felt like garbage for over a month, my runs have been slow, I did just the one workout and then the one race. My left foot's plantar fasciitis is becoming debilitating, and I don't know how February is going to pan out. But, it was a good start to the year.
I averaged just under 10 hours per week of training. This is low, but a reasonable amount for the time of year. Considering I haven't lived in my own house in over two weeks, and am living out of a backpack, I have to cut myself a marginal amount of slack. February will hopefully turn around a little bit. Only race I have this month is Club Challenge, if I am able to run it.
Miami, January 2010: A huge group bombards Ocean Drive, intent on making it even sweeter than 2009. The result: fun (not as much as 09), questionable weather, even worse race performances. Seriously, what's going on?
Miami, January 2011: Our smallest and least diverse group yet descends upon Miami Beach for the third time, hoping it will, in fact, be the charm. Here's how it went...
Thursday - Arrive in MIA with Barf and Zero. Make our way to the hotel. Ricky Gervais guested in the opening of The Office, signifying how great the weekend was going to be. Following dinner we hit The Clevelander and the mojitos were flowing. Late night end up at Mansion where Busta Rhymes is performing, apparently it was Rick Ross' birthday and they were celebrating. Get home very, very late.
Friday - Beautiful day. Go for run, then Ocean's 10 for dinner and post-dinner fun. Band is kicking. Zero and I roll out and I end up not feeling so great at Johnny Rocket's around 2:30am.
Saturday - Following Dusty's 5k, we roll out to Everglades. Weather is unreal again. See some alligators and turtles. Get back to South Beach, go for shakeout run, then get dinner. Go to bed and prepare to wake up at 4am for 6:15 race start.
RACE
My goal for this race had always been quite simple: run under 1:23:00, therefore ensuring that if I want to sign up for NYC Marathon this year, I can do that. The last open half I ran was actually this race back in 2009. I ran 1:22:37, and was in better shape than I am in now. That year, I was a Miami rookie and the weekend proved too much for me to do well. Last year I only did two races over the half marathon distance - the 1:33 I ran at Hunterdon Half and the marathon at Arizona. I was feeling much better about running in the fall. Since the ironman, I've not been running well. I did 3 races of 5, 5 and 3 miles, and was not under 6 minute pace for any of them. Then I did the PHUNT Run "20k" which killed me. I have not been right since. My left foot hurts so bad all the time I can barely walk, and I know it's the mechanics and overcompensation from my knee that are to blame.
I went from thinking I'd run 1:23 to now believing I wouldn't run faster than 1:25, and that I could very likely just end up running 1:30. Then, after going out so hard on both Thursday and Friday nights, there was absolutely no way I was going to run anything good.
Still, I came into the race with a goal, and I was determined to put myself in the best position to achieve it. I knew that meant not going out in my typical first mile fashion, as well as drinking water at every possible stop. We arrived at the race just after 5am and walked over to the start. It's a long walk, but you can hear the beats the entire time. Went for a warmup with Zero and my brother, and then got into the incredibly crowded corral. All around us were people who should not have been anywhere near the start of a race. The gun sounded at 6:20am and after 8 seconds I crossed the start line. It's so dark at that point that it really is dangerous - there are people darting and weaving and pushing. The first quarter mile channels you onto the bridge, which is one of two significant hills in the race. I ran this part as easy as I could, but coming off the bridge saw the 1 mile mark and looked at my watch with dismay - 6:26.
That was pretty slow, and as I contemplated needing to average about 6:19 per mile, I was concerned. But not defeated. I kept calm and bridged gaps to the people ahead of me. The Causeway at that time of day is awesome. It's quiet and peaceful, and lit solely by the lights of the cruise ships. Mile 2 came faster than expected, as I passed it in 5:48 (12:14). Hmm. I figured the two had just offset each other, and then decided I would just run this effort and whatever the mile splits were, that's what they were.
Mile 3, just before the bridge into South Beach, was 6:26 again (18:40) but the 5k mark was right behind it (19:07). I stormed into South Beach and mile 4 mark seemed again pretty quick (5:54/24:35). I was doing a great job drinking water at every stop, and was quite comfortable in my pace. You head to the end of the island (the last road, at least) and then turn down to Ocean Drive and come up that. This is a cool part of the race, as you run alongside the beach as the sun is starting to pop up, and you go past some places that have just closed so there are random people littering the streets. The 5 mile mark is right in front of where we stayed last year (Colony) and I passed that in 30:35 (5:59 mile).
I was doing pretty well, I thought, as my 5 mile races in November and December were 30:15 and 30:17. But I also remembered that mile 6 is where the wheels started to come off in the 2009 version of this race. And again, this caused some concern as I hit it in 6:22 (10k split was a little over 38). I arrived in the neighborhood - the beginning of my least favorite part of the race - at mile 7 in 43:06 (6:08). I wanted to really focus on 7-10, as I figured if I could bank some time here, it would help me if I fell apart with a mile or two to go.
Including that mile 7 mark, I went 6:08, 6:10, 6:12, 6:13, coming through 10 miles in 1:01:42. That left me with about 21 minutes to run my last 5k, and I felt like that was good. At this point in the race you're running what seems to be generally uphill and have to cross a few bridges that have grates - very uncomfortable grates. You also run through a toll booth, which is very random. Mile 11 is where you get back into downtown Miami, and right before you hit the ING cheering section I hit my watch and saw 6:04. Either it was wrong, or I was pumped up by the crazy group clad in orange and the beats that the DJs were bumping.
Now I felt more than confident that, with 2.1 miles to go, I could run at least 7 minute miles. And that's basically what I did. Mile 12 was 6:21, which was probably what I was actually running at that point, and then mile 13, where I began to shut down, was 6:58. 41 second last tenth and I cross the line in 1:21:49.
I refuse to get excited for running a time that, before I got hurt, would not have posed a challenge, but I will accept this time as having achieved my goal for the race. I had worn my brand new K-Swiss flats and that caused a blister of great significance to develop on my left foot. It was causing a tremendous amount of pain as I attempted to walk around. At the finish line, Zero awaited me. He had finished in 1:20:08 - a 3+ minute PR for him. A short while later, my brother came through in the fastest time he's run in Miami by 5 minutes. Then, foolishly running the marathon was Barf. His pre-race goal was to go under 2:55 (PR is 3:08). He wanted to negative split. He accomplished both, running an unbelievable 2:51:21. Truly one of the greatest performances I've ever seen.
It had turned into the nicest day of the weekend and we took a cab (after walking a long time to get one) straight to Johnny Rocket's. Chomped up some food, hit the beach for a few hours after that, where I got real burned, and then went to Wet Willie's. All in all it had been a great weekend. Monday, before we rolled to the airport, we walked to the end of the island and soaked it in before heading back to 30 degrees, overcast skies and snow.
JANUARY
In an attempt to grade myself on my level of training for the month of January, here is how I fared:
Swimming - D. I made it into the pool just 6 times for a grand total of 15,000m. In the summer I was swimming that in 3 days, and did it 5 times a week. I lost a ton of fitness, and after swimming for the better part of two years, don't really want to do it anymore.
Cycling - B+. I'll say this because at least I rode. My general equation is that I award myself 17 miles for 60 minutes of being on the trainer, and 25 miles for 90 minutes. I was riding well this month, doing some good workouts and mostly riding for 90 minutes. But, I didn't get outside at all. Not even once. The temps have been super cold and the roads are shit right now. Using my calculations I was at 212 miles, which is 2 more than I did last January. Again, that's like 2 days of riding for me in the summer, but for January, it's better than 0.
Running - B. I ran 181 miles this January. Last year I ran 38. The year before was 246. But prior to that, I hovered between 138 and 173. Therefore, I am pleased with the volume of running, but the quality was not great. I have felt like garbage for over a month, my runs have been slow, I did just the one workout and then the one race. My left foot's plantar fasciitis is becoming debilitating, and I don't know how February is going to pan out. But, it was a good start to the year.
I averaged just under 10 hours per week of training. This is low, but a reasonable amount for the time of year. Considering I haven't lived in my own house in over two weeks, and am living out of a backpack, I have to cut myself a marginal amount of slack. February will hopefully turn around a little bit. Only race I have this month is Club Challenge, if I am able to run it.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Ode to Fleet Street
As I sit here, at Panera on Boston Street, on a Sunday afternoon, I can't help but reminisce about the house that was a home - 3903 Fleet Street.
I say "was" because it is really no longer where I live. And I say "really" because technically I am still inhabiting it, in a quasi-squatting situation, but since it's ownership changed hands on December 17th, I've had to gradually come to grips with the fact that it is no longer my home.
Here is a brief timeline of my time in the house:
July 2006: Emily and Bryan purchase house, which is being built.
September 2006: House still unfinished, but other house needs to be vacated for new owners. Go live at Godsey's until December.
December 2006: Move into Fleet Street.
May 2009: Bryan able to relocate to Florida, house is put up for sale.
October 2009: Bryan and Emily officially no longer live in house.
October 2010: House relisted
December 2010: Offer made, offer accepted, house closes on December 17. We are able to stay in the house until January 15.
Then the past couple of weeks have been absolute mayhem. I had very requirements for where I wanted to live. I was using Boston St and Fleet St as my borders, so essentially Canton and Brewer's Hill, where I currently live. Since it was going to be easier to find (and ultimately afford) a place for 3 people, myself, Cheese and our other roommate Eric decided we would look for a place together. It was slim pickings out there. Most places around here are fairly small (small being a relative term, everything is small compared to our current crib), and the 3rd bedroom was almost always a finished (or unfinished) basement. We even found a place with a "Baltimore walk-through" as a bedroom. Think of the smallest room you've ever seen, and then make it only have 3 walls.
We thought we finally had it squared away with one place, but due to a high level of shadiness from the owners, that fell through. Roxy the realtor helped us locate another place, which looked pretty awesome, but we found out later that day the place did not possess an occupancy certificate. This is, as you guessed, necessary for occupancy. It was anticipated they would have it be February 1.
With a move-out day of Friday the 15th set, we were figuring out how we would handle it for a few weeks out on the streets. We ultimately came to the conclusion that we would put our belongings in storage, and then crash wherever necessary until the other place was ready, when lo and behold Pat, the guy that bought our house, stepped up and said we could rent back the place from him for a week as he didn't need to move in right away. This was quite helpful. Yesterday I got a call from Roxy saying the house we are trying to move into may even be ready by Tuesday, which would be even better. Of course, I don't trust anything until it happens anymore, so I'll be a little tense until we're settled.
It's an unfortunate end to what has truly been an awesome 4 years of living in what I considered my home. And even though I am moving just a couple of blocks away, the landscape changes drastically.
Over the years the house has provided some amazing times, and was christened with one of the sickest parties ever thrown - NYE 2007. We had at least 50 people over, food and drink were plentiful, and there was no cap on the fun. At some point, the garage door was open and the front door was unlocked as a bevy of revelers staggered down the street to Elliott's. Then Emily's friend Sandy Devine (yes, her actual name) was able to round everyone up and kept watch over the house.
Our annual Superbowl Party, which started in 2006 at 802 S. Eaton, continued at Fleet Street and, until last year when it was impacted by the snowstorm, we've always had pretty awesome, big gatherings for that event.
The house also played host to two of my birthday parties - 2007's Fiesta Birthday and 2008's Olympics Birthday. It has hosted gatherings for myriad sport events, including Terp games, NCAA games, Hubs of Fury 2 began there, we hosted Memorial Day and 4th of July and Labor Day bbq's, lots of fun.
In the 4 years I've lived there, I probably spent fewer than 1% of my awake hours in my bedroom. Always a mess, void of significant natural daylight and with tall ceilings but a tiny closet, I left the fan on for literally 4 years straight, with only interruptions being power outages. I also love keeping the window open during the winter because for some reason I get so incredibly warm up there.
I love the loft - a one-of-a-kind living area upstairs. I sleep on the couch more than I sleep in my bed. The temperature could be adjusted simply by opening or shutting the blinds to the deck. When we had the sweet TV up there, I would watch everything I could in beautiful HD. Lost was awesome, as were Tournament games. I vividly recall the 2008 Kansas vs Memphis championship game, as I realized I was actually going to win my Tournament pool (and $750!) for once, and how beautiful it looked.
The kitchen is awesome, and the fireplace in the living room was a great addition.
One thing I'll definitely miss is the basement. I've never seen a basement in a rowhome this size. It was like a gym. The best cycling studio of all time, I'm sad to see it go. Where else could you chill out and fit 6 bikes in a house to ride? Plus it stored a whole bunch of shit that I now have to bring with me and figure out what to do with it.
I never really used the garage until Bryan and Emily left, but that's awesome too. Parking was never a problem here, which I'll certainly miss, but it was nice to leave it in the garage. Except last year during the snow when our inconsiderate neighbors plowed their snow behind my garage door and I couldn't get out for 3 weeks since the alley sees no sunlight. Ever.
I'll miss being able to walk a block to Royal Farms for milk when I'm out, or just for a Coke or a snack. Or fried chicken late at night. I'll miss Highlandtown Market for how absolutely Mexi it is, but super close. I'll miss the sight of the Snowball stand in the summer, even though I only eat there once or twice a year. I'll miss the enormous feral cats that chill out in the parking lot waiting to be fed. I'll even miss seeing the Eichenkranz sign next door, although I will never eat there again. I'll miss walking to Elliott's, and in all likelihood I won't go back there too much now as it will be completely out of my way.
I'll miss just saying that I live on Fleet Street, and describing to people how to get there: "Uh, you just get onto Fleet Street and keep going. Until it ends." And then a short while later having to re-explain how to get there. I'll miss being exactly 7 blocks from Pat's, up a terrible hill and then down all the way into Fells Point. I'll miss having to then run up that hill, or ride up that hill, at the end of every run or ride. I'll miss Viejo Pueblito and Annabel Lee being on that street. I'll miss being a quarter mile from 802 Eaton or a "mile" from the Square or the Shell station.
I'll miss how shitty Eastern Avenue is. I only go there when I absolutely have to, but it's nice to know that the Chinese place was always there for me. Or G&A Hot Dogs. Or when North Pole ice cream was there. Actually, I won't miss Eastern Avenue. Not even a little bit, not even at all. But it is kind of fun to walk under the bridge to Greektown during Greek Festival. Or, being able to quickly get out onto Haven and onto 40 for Rides, or coming home on Eastern after a Gunpowder loop and being right there.
I'll miss speeding on Haven Street as I zoom down to Boston, or cutting through the dirt and rocks and mud behind Pasta Mista to get home so I avoid the train.
I'll miss saying I live in Canton. Well, actually Brewer's Hill. Nah, let's be honest - it's Highlandtown. But where I'm moving to is full-on Canton now. So no more "Brewer's Hill". That's a big piece of me now, I've lived in this neighborhood for the 5.5 years I've lived in Baltimore, and figured I would live here forever. Canton just doesn't have the same ring.
I'll miss looking out the deck window and seeing Natty Boh wink and smile at me. I'll miss seeing him as I walk home from the Square (he's not going anywhere, and actually my new rooftop deck has a good view, just a different perspective).
I'll miss feeling like I live at the edge of Baltimore. And I really did. I don't anticipate the number of visitors increasing, but it just seemed so quiet and "out there" living at the end of Fleet Street.
The house will always be there, but it is no longer my home. Since I moved to Baltimore I've only lived in two places, and the 4 years I've spent in this one place is the longest I've lived anywhere other than my parents' house. Thanks to living with my cousin, I never had to sign a lease here. I've never had to deal with a landlord.
But, I know everything will still be there, and I'm also excited to start a new chapter of life in Baltimore. I'm excited for this new place because it's so much closer to things. It's 2 blocks off the Square. That cuts the walk time from 14 or 15 minutes to 2. It's not any closer to the gym, or Pasta Mista, or some of the other places I frequent, but it's also not really any or much farther. We have a sweet rooftop deck, something I've always wanted to have in Baltimore, and it was the best configuration of bedrooms, bathrooms and general space of any place we saw. I'm not excited for the parking situation, but whatever, I've had it pretty easy for a long time, I'll just have to get used to it for the next year (at least).
Fleet St has been a comfort, and I'm sad to say goodbye to it. And it may seem silly to get so sentimental about a house, but I legitimately may never live in anything as nice as it was. It was new when we got it and we made it ours (well mostly Bryan and Emily, I didn't really bring much to the table except the parties). I'm looking forward to creating some new traditions and hopefully keeping some old ones at the new place.
And just as we brought Fleet St to life with our first ever NYE party, it was fitting to send it out with a NYE party. It consisted of approximately 1/5 the number of folks, and didn't look as nice, but you know me and keeping things constant - so it was cool to have that be the last shindig we threw.
I say "was" because it is really no longer where I live. And I say "really" because technically I am still inhabiting it, in a quasi-squatting situation, but since it's ownership changed hands on December 17th, I've had to gradually come to grips with the fact that it is no longer my home.
Here is a brief timeline of my time in the house:
July 2006: Emily and Bryan purchase house, which is being built.
September 2006: House still unfinished, but other house needs to be vacated for new owners. Go live at Godsey's until December.
December 2006: Move into Fleet Street.
May 2009: Bryan able to relocate to Florida, house is put up for sale.
October 2009: Bryan and Emily officially no longer live in house.
October 2010: House relisted
December 2010: Offer made, offer accepted, house closes on December 17. We are able to stay in the house until January 15.
Then the past couple of weeks have been absolute mayhem. I had very requirements for where I wanted to live. I was using Boston St and Fleet St as my borders, so essentially Canton and Brewer's Hill, where I currently live. Since it was going to be easier to find (and ultimately afford) a place for 3 people, myself, Cheese and our other roommate Eric decided we would look for a place together. It was slim pickings out there. Most places around here are fairly small (small being a relative term, everything is small compared to our current crib), and the 3rd bedroom was almost always a finished (or unfinished) basement. We even found a place with a "Baltimore walk-through" as a bedroom. Think of the smallest room you've ever seen, and then make it only have 3 walls.
We thought we finally had it squared away with one place, but due to a high level of shadiness from the owners, that fell through. Roxy the realtor helped us locate another place, which looked pretty awesome, but we found out later that day the place did not possess an occupancy certificate. This is, as you guessed, necessary for occupancy. It was anticipated they would have it be February 1.
With a move-out day of Friday the 15th set, we were figuring out how we would handle it for a few weeks out on the streets. We ultimately came to the conclusion that we would put our belongings in storage, and then crash wherever necessary until the other place was ready, when lo and behold Pat, the guy that bought our house, stepped up and said we could rent back the place from him for a week as he didn't need to move in right away. This was quite helpful. Yesterday I got a call from Roxy saying the house we are trying to move into may even be ready by Tuesday, which would be even better. Of course, I don't trust anything until it happens anymore, so I'll be a little tense until we're settled.
It's an unfortunate end to what has truly been an awesome 4 years of living in what I considered my home. And even though I am moving just a couple of blocks away, the landscape changes drastically.
Over the years the house has provided some amazing times, and was christened with one of the sickest parties ever thrown - NYE 2007. We had at least 50 people over, food and drink were plentiful, and there was no cap on the fun. At some point, the garage door was open and the front door was unlocked as a bevy of revelers staggered down the street to Elliott's. Then Emily's friend Sandy Devine (yes, her actual name) was able to round everyone up and kept watch over the house.
Our annual Superbowl Party, which started in 2006 at 802 S. Eaton, continued at Fleet Street and, until last year when it was impacted by the snowstorm, we've always had pretty awesome, big gatherings for that event.
The house also played host to two of my birthday parties - 2007's Fiesta Birthday and 2008's Olympics Birthday. It has hosted gatherings for myriad sport events, including Terp games, NCAA games, Hubs of Fury 2 began there, we hosted Memorial Day and 4th of July and Labor Day bbq's, lots of fun.
In the 4 years I've lived there, I probably spent fewer than 1% of my awake hours in my bedroom. Always a mess, void of significant natural daylight and with tall ceilings but a tiny closet, I left the fan on for literally 4 years straight, with only interruptions being power outages. I also love keeping the window open during the winter because for some reason I get so incredibly warm up there.
I love the loft - a one-of-a-kind living area upstairs. I sleep on the couch more than I sleep in my bed. The temperature could be adjusted simply by opening or shutting the blinds to the deck. When we had the sweet TV up there, I would watch everything I could in beautiful HD. Lost was awesome, as were Tournament games. I vividly recall the 2008 Kansas vs Memphis championship game, as I realized I was actually going to win my Tournament pool (and $750!) for once, and how beautiful it looked.
The kitchen is awesome, and the fireplace in the living room was a great addition.
One thing I'll definitely miss is the basement. I've never seen a basement in a rowhome this size. It was like a gym. The best cycling studio of all time, I'm sad to see it go. Where else could you chill out and fit 6 bikes in a house to ride? Plus it stored a whole bunch of shit that I now have to bring with me and figure out what to do with it.
I never really used the garage until Bryan and Emily left, but that's awesome too. Parking was never a problem here, which I'll certainly miss, but it was nice to leave it in the garage. Except last year during the snow when our inconsiderate neighbors plowed their snow behind my garage door and I couldn't get out for 3 weeks since the alley sees no sunlight. Ever.
I'll miss being able to walk a block to Royal Farms for milk when I'm out, or just for a Coke or a snack. Or fried chicken late at night. I'll miss Highlandtown Market for how absolutely Mexi it is, but super close. I'll miss the sight of the Snowball stand in the summer, even though I only eat there once or twice a year. I'll miss the enormous feral cats that chill out in the parking lot waiting to be fed. I'll even miss seeing the Eichenkranz sign next door, although I will never eat there again. I'll miss walking to Elliott's, and in all likelihood I won't go back there too much now as it will be completely out of my way.
I'll miss just saying that I live on Fleet Street, and describing to people how to get there: "Uh, you just get onto Fleet Street and keep going. Until it ends." And then a short while later having to re-explain how to get there. I'll miss being exactly 7 blocks from Pat's, up a terrible hill and then down all the way into Fells Point. I'll miss having to then run up that hill, or ride up that hill, at the end of every run or ride. I'll miss Viejo Pueblito and Annabel Lee being on that street. I'll miss being a quarter mile from 802 Eaton or a "mile" from the Square or the Shell station.
I'll miss how shitty Eastern Avenue is. I only go there when I absolutely have to, but it's nice to know that the Chinese place was always there for me. Or G&A Hot Dogs. Or when North Pole ice cream was there. Actually, I won't miss Eastern Avenue. Not even a little bit, not even at all. But it is kind of fun to walk under the bridge to Greektown during Greek Festival. Or, being able to quickly get out onto Haven and onto 40 for Rides, or coming home on Eastern after a Gunpowder loop and being right there.
I'll miss speeding on Haven Street as I zoom down to Boston, or cutting through the dirt and rocks and mud behind Pasta Mista to get home so I avoid the train.
I'll miss saying I live in Canton. Well, actually Brewer's Hill. Nah, let's be honest - it's Highlandtown. But where I'm moving to is full-on Canton now. So no more "Brewer's Hill". That's a big piece of me now, I've lived in this neighborhood for the 5.5 years I've lived in Baltimore, and figured I would live here forever. Canton just doesn't have the same ring.
I'll miss looking out the deck window and seeing Natty Boh wink and smile at me. I'll miss seeing him as I walk home from the Square (he's not going anywhere, and actually my new rooftop deck has a good view, just a different perspective).
I'll miss feeling like I live at the edge of Baltimore. And I really did. I don't anticipate the number of visitors increasing, but it just seemed so quiet and "out there" living at the end of Fleet Street.
The house will always be there, but it is no longer my home. Since I moved to Baltimore I've only lived in two places, and the 4 years I've spent in this one place is the longest I've lived anywhere other than my parents' house. Thanks to living with my cousin, I never had to sign a lease here. I've never had to deal with a landlord.
But, I know everything will still be there, and I'm also excited to start a new chapter of life in Baltimore. I'm excited for this new place because it's so much closer to things. It's 2 blocks off the Square. That cuts the walk time from 14 or 15 minutes to 2. It's not any closer to the gym, or Pasta Mista, or some of the other places I frequent, but it's also not really any or much farther. We have a sweet rooftop deck, something I've always wanted to have in Baltimore, and it was the best configuration of bedrooms, bathrooms and general space of any place we saw. I'm not excited for the parking situation, but whatever, I've had it pretty easy for a long time, I'll just have to get used to it for the next year (at least).
Fleet St has been a comfort, and I'm sad to say goodbye to it. And it may seem silly to get so sentimental about a house, but I legitimately may never live in anything as nice as it was. It was new when we got it and we made it ours (well mostly Bryan and Emily, I didn't really bring much to the table except the parties). I'm looking forward to creating some new traditions and hopefully keeping some old ones at the new place.
And just as we brought Fleet St to life with our first ever NYE party, it was fitting to send it out with a NYE party. It consisted of approximately 1/5 the number of folks, and didn't look as nice, but you know me and keeping things constant - so it was cool to have that be the last shindig we threw.
Thursday, January 06, 2011
Resolutions
I've told a few people my resolutions for 2011 so far, and I think they've been met with a few raised eyebrows. On Monday's run, Tristram asked if I had any resolutions, such as, "to run more." I said that running-related resolutions are silly. We always want to run more, generally, I'm only able to run so much, and I am probably running (right now) as much as I can handle anyway.
So instead, here's how I answered him:
Be More Selfish
This is pretty simple. I need to worry about myself more. I get too caught up in other things, and have not done what I need to do for myself. Sounds selfish. Because it is.
Do Less For Others
I do a lot for other people. I don't usually mind it, because if I didn't want to do it, I probably wouldn't. But, I think I'm stretched too thin. I'm feeling particularly overwhelmed lately, with a few other things going on, so I'm going to do less for others and try and do more for myself. I've found lately that I'm not being invited to things, which is annoying when I've opened my doors and made my events public for years.
Maintain Fewer Friends
I realize I have a lot of friends. I do a good job keeping up with them. I try not to ask them for much. I have lived in my neighborhood for 5.5 years, and in that time I can remember only a few instances people have come to hang out without me throwing some kind of event. I think I need to go into winter hibernation. I can't help making friends, but I need to be realistic. You want to hang out, you know how to get in touch. (note: I'm not saying I'm becoming a hermit, or that I'm just stopping being friends with people like someone else I know)
Use Phone Less/Be Less Accessible
I realize I just said you know how to get in touch with me, but my next resolution is to use my phone less. I plan on taking longer to respond to non-urgent emails, and not bring my phone with me as much.
Drive Less
Not because it's the green thing to do. I have driven all over creation to hang out, bring people places, drive to races, whatever (side note: the reason I drive so much is because I know I'm the most competent driver, and don't like not having the control of deciding when to leave, etc). But I drive a lot. 20,000 miles in the last year, and I haven't even been driving to a workplace everyday! I reckon, by my most conservative estimate, I have driven at least 300,000 miles in the 12 years of licensed driving. Probably more. There were 5 years in there I was driving 40-50,000 miles for work.
But they're not all curmudgeonly resolutions...
Empower Others
I want to help others be more assertive and get shit done on their own, without me. Since I've been hurt, I've seen a lot more of that, and it's good. I won't be around forever, and I'd like to ensure the legacy of Baltimore Running, in particularl TWSS, lives on.
Go More Places By Myself
As long as I can remember, I've been poppin my collar. Psyche, just kidding. I'm very independent. My idea of vacation is going somewhere by yourself. I've done it a bunch of times. Sometimes I've traveled with a person (Tom Stott), sometimes I've gone by myself to visit friends in a place and then traveled around solo after that. I really don't mind, in fact I find it liberating. It gets boring, but it calms me down. In the past few years, due to a variety of circumstances, I have gotten away from it. I need to bring it back. Especially with a 30th birthday on the horizon (still many, many months away), I may need a special rmcgrath trip.
Be More Positive
I want to get rid of all negative energy and just B +. I think this will help me get more of my own shit taken care of. If you bring negative energy around me, I'm going to excuse myself, as I am going to try to not let it bring me down.
So those are among my 2011 resolutions, it may sound absurd but that's really what I think about. If this is the most dick post you've ever read, please, let me hear it.
So instead, here's how I answered him:
Be More Selfish
This is pretty simple. I need to worry about myself more. I get too caught up in other things, and have not done what I need to do for myself. Sounds selfish. Because it is.
Do Less For Others
I do a lot for other people. I don't usually mind it, because if I didn't want to do it, I probably wouldn't. But, I think I'm stretched too thin. I'm feeling particularly overwhelmed lately, with a few other things going on, so I'm going to do less for others and try and do more for myself. I've found lately that I'm not being invited to things, which is annoying when I've opened my doors and made my events public for years.
Maintain Fewer Friends
I realize I have a lot of friends. I do a good job keeping up with them. I try not to ask them for much. I have lived in my neighborhood for 5.5 years, and in that time I can remember only a few instances people have come to hang out without me throwing some kind of event. I think I need to go into winter hibernation. I can't help making friends, but I need to be realistic. You want to hang out, you know how to get in touch. (note: I'm not saying I'm becoming a hermit, or that I'm just stopping being friends with people like someone else I know)
Use Phone Less/Be Less Accessible
I realize I just said you know how to get in touch with me, but my next resolution is to use my phone less. I plan on taking longer to respond to non-urgent emails, and not bring my phone with me as much.
Drive Less
Not because it's the green thing to do. I have driven all over creation to hang out, bring people places, drive to races, whatever (side note: the reason I drive so much is because I know I'm the most competent driver, and don't like not having the control of deciding when to leave, etc). But I drive a lot. 20,000 miles in the last year, and I haven't even been driving to a workplace everyday! I reckon, by my most conservative estimate, I have driven at least 300,000 miles in the 12 years of licensed driving. Probably more. There were 5 years in there I was driving 40-50,000 miles for work.
But they're not all curmudgeonly resolutions...
Empower Others
I want to help others be more assertive and get shit done on their own, without me. Since I've been hurt, I've seen a lot more of that, and it's good. I won't be around forever, and I'd like to ensure the legacy of Baltimore Running, in particularl TWSS, lives on.
Go More Places By Myself
As long as I can remember, I've been poppin my collar. Psyche, just kidding. I'm very independent. My idea of vacation is going somewhere by yourself. I've done it a bunch of times. Sometimes I've traveled with a person (Tom Stott), sometimes I've gone by myself to visit friends in a place and then traveled around solo after that. I really don't mind, in fact I find it liberating. It gets boring, but it calms me down. In the past few years, due to a variety of circumstances, I have gotten away from it. I need to bring it back. Especially with a 30th birthday on the horizon (still many, many months away), I may need a special rmcgrath trip.
Be More Positive
I want to get rid of all negative energy and just B +. I think this will help me get more of my own shit taken care of. If you bring negative energy around me, I'm going to excuse myself, as I am going to try to not let it bring me down.
So those are among my 2011 resolutions, it may sound absurd but that's really what I think about. If this is the most dick post you've ever read, please, let me hear it.
Wednesday, January 05, 2011
Hurley
Very quickly on the television series Lost we were introduced to the numbers that changed Hurley's life: 4, 8, 15, 16, 23 and 42.
In last night's $355 million MegaMillions jackpot drawing, had you used those numbers, you would have had FIVE correct (4, 8, 15, 25, 47, 42). How insane is that? There are probably millions of people now who use those numbers, thanks to Lost, each week, and according to my sources, had you played those numbers, you would have won $150.
I took a break from updating this, not because I didn't want to, but I got lazy.
Following Celtic Solstice, Godsey's stay and a high-octane karaoke jam, I headed up to New Jersey for Christmas. Because I am an addict, I noticed there was the Polar Bear 5 Miler on Sunday, 12/26, in Asbury Park, and decided I would do it. Pat was on board, and after the race the big thing is to jump into the ocean for the Polar Bear Plunge. My body was not feeling great following CS; the days after included the challenging run at Patapsco, where I fell, and Monday was a longer-than-usual run to and from Fed Hill Runners. By the time I got home on Thursday, I didn't run, and then didn't run on Friday, either.
Saturday (Christmas) I went to Hartshorne with my brother. We ran 3 miles together, and then I did another 7. I felt pretty terrible. I figured I would just have to grit through Sunday's race. Upon waking up on Sunday and seeing the snow, I thought man, can they even have this race? Oh yeah, they can.
I got cheated out of my chance to run in miserable, blinding snow last year at Celtic Solstice, so this was my redemption. As a result of the snow and some family obligations, Pat was unable to make it down to Asbury. I drove down with my brother, who was not racing, and realized just how terrible this race was going to be. They wound up having to shorten the race, from 5 to 3 miles. Then, they had to re-route the course to avoid the roads. So it became a 3 loop, out-and-back with a turnaround in the parking lot, run just along the boardwalk. Which was covered in snow. And the galeforce winds were blowing north to south, so we had a tailwind out and nasty headwind back.
I lost contact with a little lead group after the first lap, and running on the snow was really not being kind to me. I ultimately finished up 5th, in 19:28, with the winner about 55 seconds up. And I also got beat by a girl - Allison Linnell, who apparently runs for the University of Washington. Not the way I had hoped to end the year, but whatever. It meant I got in 8 races for the year: 4 road races and 4 triathlons. Pretty good for starting my season in mid-August.
Following the race, I was not going to go in the water. The waves were overhead, and it looked menacing. A few people did go into the water in a slightly calmer section, but I was cold and miserable enough. Maybe next year.
The snow continued for the remainder of Sunday, and by midnight my brother and I were shoveling over a foot and a half of snow. When we woke up on Monday, we had about the same amount of snow to get rid of. It was insane. Much more snow than I had in Baltimore at any point last year, and our township did not do a great job getting rid of it. In fact, the entire state had trouble. I was stuck at home for an extra day, but managed to get back here on Wednesday.
Friday was New Year's Eve, and to end the year on the right foot, a hearty group of us did a run from Mt. Vernon up to Mt. Washington. Very hilly. Very, very hilly. It also was 20 minutes longer than I thought we would be running, so instead of 90min we were out almost 2 hours. I took Saturday off, normally I hate taking the first day of any month, and especially the year, off, but whatever.
Then came Sunday's clinic on how to enjoy running less. Alyssa was using the PHUNT Run 50k as a training run en route to her 100 miler next week, so a few of us (members of TCYB plus a couple others) piggybacked our long run on her event. Pat, Cheese, Zero and myself got lost a LOT, and wound up being out for 2.5 hours for a "20k." We did have one runner's GPS reading at 15 miles, so we figure we ran probably closer to 16, but it was hard. The trails were in poor shape, and the following of ribbons was apparently too much for our blunt skulls. There were times you were just running, or hiking, through woods and thickets, and then you would be in a huge open field with no idea where to go. We thought 100min would be the most we'd be running for, so when I hit an hour I thought for sure we were more than halfway. Nope. Not even close. It was really tough, and by 2 hours I was cooked. I phoned it in, fortunately the 4 of us kept it together.
It was a good way to start the year, however, and I'm glad I challenged myself in that way. I don't think my knees are good enough to handle trails like that, right now at least, so I probably won't do any more of them for a while.
I have a few more posts that I'd like to do in the next couple days, including paying homage to the home that I have to leave, a review of 2010/look ahead to 2011, and a Decade wrap-up. Hard to believe the "Naughts" are over!
In last night's $355 million MegaMillions jackpot drawing, had you used those numbers, you would have had FIVE correct (4, 8, 15, 25, 47, 42). How insane is that? There are probably millions of people now who use those numbers, thanks to Lost, each week, and according to my sources, had you played those numbers, you would have won $150.
I took a break from updating this, not because I didn't want to, but I got lazy.
Following Celtic Solstice, Godsey's stay and a high-octane karaoke jam, I headed up to New Jersey for Christmas. Because I am an addict, I noticed there was the Polar Bear 5 Miler on Sunday, 12/26, in Asbury Park, and decided I would do it. Pat was on board, and after the race the big thing is to jump into the ocean for the Polar Bear Plunge. My body was not feeling great following CS; the days after included the challenging run at Patapsco, where I fell, and Monday was a longer-than-usual run to and from Fed Hill Runners. By the time I got home on Thursday, I didn't run, and then didn't run on Friday, either.
Saturday (Christmas) I went to Hartshorne with my brother. We ran 3 miles together, and then I did another 7. I felt pretty terrible. I figured I would just have to grit through Sunday's race. Upon waking up on Sunday and seeing the snow, I thought man, can they even have this race? Oh yeah, they can.
I got cheated out of my chance to run in miserable, blinding snow last year at Celtic Solstice, so this was my redemption. As a result of the snow and some family obligations, Pat was unable to make it down to Asbury. I drove down with my brother, who was not racing, and realized just how terrible this race was going to be. They wound up having to shorten the race, from 5 to 3 miles. Then, they had to re-route the course to avoid the roads. So it became a 3 loop, out-and-back with a turnaround in the parking lot, run just along the boardwalk. Which was covered in snow. And the galeforce winds were blowing north to south, so we had a tailwind out and nasty headwind back.
I lost contact with a little lead group after the first lap, and running on the snow was really not being kind to me. I ultimately finished up 5th, in 19:28, with the winner about 55 seconds up. And I also got beat by a girl - Allison Linnell, who apparently runs for the University of Washington. Not the way I had hoped to end the year, but whatever. It meant I got in 8 races for the year: 4 road races and 4 triathlons. Pretty good for starting my season in mid-August.
Following the race, I was not going to go in the water. The waves were overhead, and it looked menacing. A few people did go into the water in a slightly calmer section, but I was cold and miserable enough. Maybe next year.
The snow continued for the remainder of Sunday, and by midnight my brother and I were shoveling over a foot and a half of snow. When we woke up on Monday, we had about the same amount of snow to get rid of. It was insane. Much more snow than I had in Baltimore at any point last year, and our township did not do a great job getting rid of it. In fact, the entire state had trouble. I was stuck at home for an extra day, but managed to get back here on Wednesday.
Friday was New Year's Eve, and to end the year on the right foot, a hearty group of us did a run from Mt. Vernon up to Mt. Washington. Very hilly. Very, very hilly. It also was 20 minutes longer than I thought we would be running, so instead of 90min we were out almost 2 hours. I took Saturday off, normally I hate taking the first day of any month, and especially the year, off, but whatever.
Then came Sunday's clinic on how to enjoy running less. Alyssa was using the PHUNT Run 50k as a training run en route to her 100 miler next week, so a few of us (members of TCYB plus a couple others) piggybacked our long run on her event. Pat, Cheese, Zero and myself got lost a LOT, and wound up being out for 2.5 hours for a "20k." We did have one runner's GPS reading at 15 miles, so we figure we ran probably closer to 16, but it was hard. The trails were in poor shape, and the following of ribbons was apparently too much for our blunt skulls. There were times you were just running, or hiking, through woods and thickets, and then you would be in a huge open field with no idea where to go. We thought 100min would be the most we'd be running for, so when I hit an hour I thought for sure we were more than halfway. Nope. Not even close. It was really tough, and by 2 hours I was cooked. I phoned it in, fortunately the 4 of us kept it together.
It was a good way to start the year, however, and I'm glad I challenged myself in that way. I don't think my knees are good enough to handle trails like that, right now at least, so I probably won't do any more of them for a while.
I have a few more posts that I'd like to do in the next couple days, including paying homage to the home that I have to leave, a review of 2010/look ahead to 2011, and a Decade wrap-up. Hard to believe the "Naughts" are over!
Friday, December 24, 2010
Me vs. Cheese
Excerpts from some of the text message conversations I had with Cheese yesterday:
RM: "Just passed a funeral home called "ya sik." I was like no, they're probably dead."
EA: "Btw, my mom, who still has questions about sending emails, has signed up for facebook. maybe the mayans were right about 2012."
RM: "I just showed up to P's house. He comes out with a machine gun."
EA: "12:45am - gus and i get home and make cake shakes in the basement to not wake our parents."
RM: "7:00pm. My dad has never seen a shake weight. I instruct him how to use it, then laugh."
RM: "Just passed a funeral home called "ya sik." I was like no, they're probably dead."
EA: "Btw, my mom, who still has questions about sending emails, has signed up for facebook. maybe the mayans were right about 2012."
RM: "I just showed up to P's house. He comes out with a machine gun."
EA: "12:45am - gus and i get home and make cake shakes in the basement to not wake our parents."
RM: "7:00pm. My dad has never seen a shake weight. I instruct him how to use it, then laugh."
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Shake It
I'm taking a break from my Shake Weight workout to write this.
Seriously, it's the secret power of dynamic inertia that makes this heart-pounding workout so effective in just 6 minutes a day.
I ran Celtic Solstice over the weekend and it went...well, it went. I love this race, and it is always great to see so many familiar faces before, during and after the race. After last year's insane snowstorm reduced the field to about 400 finishers, this year's conditions enabled the majority of the 3000 registered entrants to compete. With basically our entire posse there in some fashion - volunteering or racing - it was almost like a Tuesday Night Track workout.
All of us were up at the front, as the start is quite narrow. Fortunately it starts with a quarter mile uphill, so it makes it thin out (at the front) pretty quickly. I kept Arjun, Pat and Seth within range as I ran next to Tom Stott, and figured those guys would be in the 5:30-5:40 range for the first mile. Imagine my surprise when they were around 5:50 and I was just under 6!
Going back to Friday for a brief second - I was walking down in Fells Point and fell on ice outside of Shucker's. I landed pretty hard and did not feel good about it. The fall also broke my camera, so I need to get that sorted out with the establishment.
Anyway so my right hip was not feeling great and as mentioned in the earlier post, I just haven't been feeling great running lately. My stride felt short. I wore my flats, my feet felt alright, but my knee was not real excited about the idea of running fast. In the 2nd mile, Anthony went by me, as did Dave Berardi. I clipped that one in just over 6, so I guess I was right on 12 minutes at 2 miles. Approaching the little out-and-back section, I was able to see that Mellow, Prada and Tom Stott were close behind. Pat, Seth and Arjun had long gone, as had Kris, who was having a great race.
Mellow went by, and then the first placed girl caught up. I ran with her, figuring maybe I'd help keep her ahead. We re-passed Mellow and hit mile 3 in 6:10 or something, then got onto the Reservoir loop. I was running the tangents well, minimizing the distance I had to run, but mile 4 still seemed long at 6:17. I realized breaking 30 was mostly out of the question, unless I ran a 5:30 last mile (actually not impossible as the last mile is flat and finishes with a quarter mile downhill to where the start was).
I was on that line of I couldn't go any faster, but if I had gone any slower I would have felt like I wasn't going anywhere. I ran a 5:49 last mile into the finish and stayed just ahead of the first girl. 30:18 was my finish time, a scant 3 seconds slower than my Born to Run race from a few weeks back. I felt much worse during that race, but I was still fit. This race exposed the very minimal amount of running (and riding and swimming) that I've done.
Talking with people after the race, almost everyone who wore a GPS watch recorded the run at 5.1 miles. It stands to reason that, if one did not run the tangents well on the Reservoir loop, it would be long - but that still seems pretty long. Jim had the race certified, but on race day there are cars parked along the Reservoir, which undoubtedly throws off the trajectory of your straight line running. I guess my point here is that it is definitely a full 5 miles, and probably a little long.
I thought I could run a bit quicker than I did, but I also can't say I'm surprised as I've done virtually no running, and certainly nothing quicker than the pace I ran, in a month.
Following the race, everyone enjoys the best winter post-race celebration under the big top, and then a few of us hit up Kisling's. Kisling's has been a favorite of mine since 2003. I used to go a lot more frequently, but now I limit it to a few times a year. This time, however, totally hit the spot - it was the most on-point their wings have been in a while. Delicious.
Sunday morning I had planned on getting in a longer run, and I figured it would be cool to run at the park. Real bad idea. It was a winter wonderland in there, and within a few minutes I did something I've never done at Patapsco - I fell. And I fell hard. The stream crossings were quite treacherous. The water was running really high, and the rocks were iced over. Since I no longer have the ability to jump or hop, my choices were limited to caulking myself and floating, fording the river or paying a Shoshoni guide $2 to help me across.
I made it (barely) over the first two small crossings, but then came a bigger one. I stepped delicately on a rock that looked half dry, and then WWWOOOOPPP there went my legs. I landed on some ice and, more significantly, in the drink. It was cold. And wet. I got up and kept going, figuring now that I'm wet, I'll just splash through the streams. That's what I did. It was kind of fun, although just as I would regain feeling in my feet, I would lose it again splashing through the water.
My knee started really bothering me, and I wished I hadn't gone to the park. But I finished the run, 1h45m, and then went to the Ravens game with Brennan. Following the game it was time to watch this year's Hawaii coverage (broadcast the day before) and then 3 hours of Survivor season finale. It was a late night and a long day.
Monday I figured I would run TO Fed Hill with Pat and BG, and then get a ride back with Ed. But then Pat said he was going to run back, and Ed said he needed to put in 4 more after the run, so my option was wait until Ed finished (30min) or just run back. I figured it was easier to just run back. It was another 13+ day. I felt better running on the road, but by the end of the run I was pretty cooked.
Tuesday I got on my bike for the first time since Arizona, for an easy 75min on the trainer with Pat. He smeared poo all in my house (literally, Ed).
Today's plan is to run tonight and then head back to NJ tomorrow for some Yuletide greetings.
Seriously, it's the secret power of dynamic inertia that makes this heart-pounding workout so effective in just 6 minutes a day.
I ran Celtic Solstice over the weekend and it went...well, it went. I love this race, and it is always great to see so many familiar faces before, during and after the race. After last year's insane snowstorm reduced the field to about 400 finishers, this year's conditions enabled the majority of the 3000 registered entrants to compete. With basically our entire posse there in some fashion - volunteering or racing - it was almost like a Tuesday Night Track workout.
All of us were up at the front, as the start is quite narrow. Fortunately it starts with a quarter mile uphill, so it makes it thin out (at the front) pretty quickly. I kept Arjun, Pat and Seth within range as I ran next to Tom Stott, and figured those guys would be in the 5:30-5:40 range for the first mile. Imagine my surprise when they were around 5:50 and I was just under 6!
Going back to Friday for a brief second - I was walking down in Fells Point and fell on ice outside of Shucker's. I landed pretty hard and did not feel good about it. The fall also broke my camera, so I need to get that sorted out with the establishment.
Anyway so my right hip was not feeling great and as mentioned in the earlier post, I just haven't been feeling great running lately. My stride felt short. I wore my flats, my feet felt alright, but my knee was not real excited about the idea of running fast. In the 2nd mile, Anthony went by me, as did Dave Berardi. I clipped that one in just over 6, so I guess I was right on 12 minutes at 2 miles. Approaching the little out-and-back section, I was able to see that Mellow, Prada and Tom Stott were close behind. Pat, Seth and Arjun had long gone, as had Kris, who was having a great race.
Mellow went by, and then the first placed girl caught up. I ran with her, figuring maybe I'd help keep her ahead. We re-passed Mellow and hit mile 3 in 6:10 or something, then got onto the Reservoir loop. I was running the tangents well, minimizing the distance I had to run, but mile 4 still seemed long at 6:17. I realized breaking 30 was mostly out of the question, unless I ran a 5:30 last mile (actually not impossible as the last mile is flat and finishes with a quarter mile downhill to where the start was).
I was on that line of I couldn't go any faster, but if I had gone any slower I would have felt like I wasn't going anywhere. I ran a 5:49 last mile into the finish and stayed just ahead of the first girl. 30:18 was my finish time, a scant 3 seconds slower than my Born to Run race from a few weeks back. I felt much worse during that race, but I was still fit. This race exposed the very minimal amount of running (and riding and swimming) that I've done.
Talking with people after the race, almost everyone who wore a GPS watch recorded the run at 5.1 miles. It stands to reason that, if one did not run the tangents well on the Reservoir loop, it would be long - but that still seems pretty long. Jim had the race certified, but on race day there are cars parked along the Reservoir, which undoubtedly throws off the trajectory of your straight line running. I guess my point here is that it is definitely a full 5 miles, and probably a little long.
I thought I could run a bit quicker than I did, but I also can't say I'm surprised as I've done virtually no running, and certainly nothing quicker than the pace I ran, in a month.
Following the race, everyone enjoys the best winter post-race celebration under the big top, and then a few of us hit up Kisling's. Kisling's has been a favorite of mine since 2003. I used to go a lot more frequently, but now I limit it to a few times a year. This time, however, totally hit the spot - it was the most on-point their wings have been in a while. Delicious.
Sunday morning I had planned on getting in a longer run, and I figured it would be cool to run at the park. Real bad idea. It was a winter wonderland in there, and within a few minutes I did something I've never done at Patapsco - I fell. And I fell hard. The stream crossings were quite treacherous. The water was running really high, and the rocks were iced over. Since I no longer have the ability to jump or hop, my choices were limited to caulking myself and floating, fording the river or paying a Shoshoni guide $2 to help me across.
I made it (barely) over the first two small crossings, but then came a bigger one. I stepped delicately on a rock that looked half dry, and then WWWOOOOPPP there went my legs. I landed on some ice and, more significantly, in the drink. It was cold. And wet. I got up and kept going, figuring now that I'm wet, I'll just splash through the streams. That's what I did. It was kind of fun, although just as I would regain feeling in my feet, I would lose it again splashing through the water.
My knee started really bothering me, and I wished I hadn't gone to the park. But I finished the run, 1h45m, and then went to the Ravens game with Brennan. Following the game it was time to watch this year's Hawaii coverage (broadcast the day before) and then 3 hours of Survivor season finale. It was a late night and a long day.
Monday I figured I would run TO Fed Hill with Pat and BG, and then get a ride back with Ed. But then Pat said he was going to run back, and Ed said he needed to put in 4 more after the run, so my option was wait until Ed finished (30min) or just run back. I figured it was easier to just run back. It was another 13+ day. I felt better running on the road, but by the end of the run I was pretty cooked.
Tuesday I got on my bike for the first time since Arizona, for an easy 75min on the trainer with Pat. He smeared poo all in my house (literally, Ed).
Today's plan is to run tonight and then head back to NJ tomorrow for some Yuletide greetings.
Monday, December 13, 2010
Whoa, It's Me
I started writing this post a few days ago, and it was a little too woe-is-me/I've seen a little turnaround, so I figure a rewrite was in order.
In the weeks since Arizona, my body has not been excited to move. By the end of the third week post-race, I had run a total of 38.5 miles across 7 runs, had ridden my bike exactly zero times, and swam 5 times for a total of 18,5000 meters. Suffice to say, I decided to give up the ghost on the 400 miles of swimming. I looked at it and realized I was going to have to swim at least 5k every day that I could possibly swim (between going home for Christmas, some house guests and the wedding, I had about 16 swimmable days this month.
Running hasn't been great mostly due to the cold. It's been unseasonably cold in the last couple of weeks, and this has been having a really negative affect on my knee. I used to be able to run in shorts into the low 20s, now if it's below 50 it's got to be covered up. It aches all day, and I make it through runs only to have it ache all day after I run. Basically, once I run in a day, that's it for me. No swimming, no riding. Have to do those first. Pretty much I will only be running at night for the next few months.
I ran a week ago (Thursday) without a watch for the first time in a real long time. I was trying to trick my brain into running however necessary. I ran the same run on Saturday following the timing of the Figgy Pudding 5k, and didn't run terribly slow, so I felt better about that. But it still didn't feel comfortable. Saturday afternoon/evening was our annual Christgiving pot-luck dinner, a great new tradition for our team in Baltimore, and then the Festivus celebration followed. After a pretty late night, Sunday was a flush-the-gunk run with Pat, Cheese and Brennan. The run was really slow, but I did feel slightly better than Saturday.
Monday I felt a lot better, so I tried to put an end to the gloomy outlook of "I'm not going to run this winter" and instead adopted an "I am going to struggle running this winter but I'll still do it" mindset. The weather, however, was adopting an "I hate you" motif. Air temp around 27 with windchill around 15, the winds were howling. A small yet hearty group of runners showed up to FHR, and the dudes went out for Shady 7. We picked up a pretty sweet tailwind in Cherry Hill, but then got brutalized on the Hanover bridge.
Last night I managed to run 10 miles with Pat, Barf and Harvey at WNR. Once again it was super cold, and still windy but not as bad as Sun-Tues. Of course, my satellite doesn't care, any wind over 15mph is enough to knock it out. I haven't had TV since Sunday. But as far as the run went, I was able to run alright and that's the longest in 25 days I've run, so that's good.
Now rather than rewrite anything else, I'm just going to post the remainder of my original post about how my motivation is low. Ha, man if that doesn't prove I'm lazy, I don't know what does!
Swimming is just annoying. I have swam so much in the last year and a half and I'm tired of it. I also know that I can literally take two months off and get myself into the same shape within a few weeks, so it's like I'm not even worried about it. Maybe that's a positive thing, the one thing I've learned over time is that, even being horribly banged up, I can pull myself into shape very fast. I'm trying not to sweat it. The pool is never the problem, it's getting to the pool. I am cold by the time I get there, and just don't want to get in. I ultimately jump in and get going and am fine, but then I get out, and I'm cold all day, and I smell like chemicals. Turn them down!
The bike, well that's been pure laziness. I didn't want to have to start up again by riding the trainer. I was hoping for a few days outside. But every day I went to go do it, it was shitty out. It's generally been pretty gross the last three weeks. Very cold, very windy, lots of rain. So much rain that my house sprang a leak again and damaged the beautiful wood floors.
Speaking of the house, I will be house-less in just a few weeks. Yep, Emily and Bryan received an offer and accepted it. As of this Friday, they will potentially no longer be the owners of this place. I say potentially because there is a small possibility that it may fall through, so until the ink is dry on the paperwork, I still live here. But, it's another thing I'll have to deal with in now a very short amount of time.
Part of my lack of motivation has been my schedule lately. Post-AZ week was of course Thanksgiving and a wedding, and then I had to go up to NYC for a wedding the following weekend. I stayed in NJ for what looked to be my last surgeon visit (sweet) but wound up not running for 8 days straight. I did go for an 8 mile hike on the Appalachian Trail up near the Delaware Water Gap in northwest NJ one of the days, which rocked me pretty hard. Uphill wasn't as hard on the body, but the downhills were killing me.
I think part of the new me is the need to have consistent training. I saw that, for 142 days, I did not have to take a break. Of course, it rarely dropped below 60 degrees during that stretch, which helped, but I kept moving and had very few problems. Now I feel like the decrepit shell of Alfred Terry has consumed me, and I move slowly and with nothing but aches and pains.
I am running the Celtic Solstice 5 Miler this Saturday. At this point, with 50 miles in 3 weeks and an inability to run faster than 6 minute pace, it may not be pretty. In addition to the new stress of Friday being the day of reckoning with the house, and this potentially being the last weekend of living here, I have a houseguest for roughly 5 and change days in the form of Brian Godsey. Pereless stopped through this past weekend, so it looks like the Inn at Fleet Street will keep its occupancy record until the very end. We're even thinking about having a last bash on NYE if we're still here.
I realize that it's "only" been a month since I competed at Ironman, and the point of a late season race is to chill out for a minute, so like I said, I'm not sweating the lack of training - but I am concerned about how I've been feeling. I need to get ahead of it and figure that out so I don't go too far backwards. Race season is a long way off, and as always, I'm less concerned with May than I am with next fall. But, it is nice to be able to look at next year with some certainty, as opposed to the speculation of 2010.
Coming into this year, I was full of doubt, but also optimistic that I'd be able to get back to training and racing. I was so optimistic that I signed up for Columbia and Eagleman, Arizona and even Chicago Marathon. At least I was able to do one of those four. Between 2009 and 2010, I was out about $2000 in race entry fees. Man, that's harsh. By the time I was able to start running again, I had to amend my goals. They kind of looked like this:
Run in Patapsco
Run 30 minutes for 5 miles
Do Ironman Arizona
Never before have goals been so scattered or the gap between goals so immense. On the one hand I wanted simply to run in Patapsco, but then also complete an Ironman? Crazy, Ryan, just crazy. Fortunately, I can gladly say I did accomplish all three of these goals.
I have done a few runs in the park, and as long as I can see the trail (i.e., no leaves) I can continue to run there this winter. I managed to run under 30min (off the bike) at Red Bank Tri. I ran 30:15 at Born to Run 2 weeks ago. This weekend is Celtic Solstice, where I hope to be under 30, and then I'm going to do the Polar Bear 5 Miler on 12/26 in Asbury Park. And of course, I did the Ironman. Not too shabby.
Since I feel like this post has been somewhat scatter-brained, I'm going to save my 2011 plans and goals for another post. For now I'll enjoy the surprising amount of snowfall we are getting.
Wednesday, December 01, 2010
Cold November Rain
Alright so let's see, I've had two really, really long posts now, so I should probably cap the volume of words in this one.
As I continue to replay last week's race, I feel pretty good about a number of things. For instance, I feel like it was the best I've done with nutrition in any race I've ever done, and as a result I'm sure that helped me not feel totally wrecked at the end of the race or the next day. I also feel good about the effort level, as in I didn't get ahead of myself and try to get after it too hard. In the future, that will change, but for this time, I think it was the best move. Of course, that didn't really help my time at all, but that's the breaks.
Following my 5 miler on Friday, I headed back down to MD for rehearsal dinner/wedding. This week is another rehearsal dinner/wedding. While I would like to just be able to chill out for a minute, I suppose it's better than them having been prior to AZ, and at least they're immediately following the race so I don't feel as bad about taking some time off.
I think doing that race may have set my recovery back a few days. I have been tired, and haven't really been in the mood to do any "training." Maybe that's just what happens when doing a big race so late in the year. Even though I only started preparing really in July, it's still the farthest into the year I've ever gone, with NYC Marathon 2008 the previous mark. I took Sunday off and went to watch the #2 Terps men's soccer beat #15 Penn State on a goal in the 88th minute to advance to Friday's NCAA Semi-final.
Monday I made it to FHR and did the 6 miles. We ran together for a mile, then the pace picked up and I got left behind. Fortunately, Zero was okay with running my slow pace and eventually we picked up a few others to run with us. Tuesday, the last day of November, was rainy and windy. The temperature, though, was mild. A fairly large group met at the track to do a workout, which was surprising because there were weeks when it was nice that we didn't have that many people out. I ran the warmup and cooldown, and that was enough for me.
Today I finally made it back in the pool, after swimming just 1500m last week. My goal is a lofty one, to make it to 400 miles. After today I'm at 350, so I need to swim another 80,000m this month. Normally I wouldn't think that's too bad, but I'm going to miss a bunch of days due to traveling this month. I'll see how I feel after a few days of this, it's a less-than-significant goal, but I'd like to get there. I'd also like to get to 5000 miles on the bike, currently I'm 570 miles away. And I'm at 770 miles of running and would like to get to 900. I think that's reasonable.
For the month of November, I ended up with 36,500m of swimming, 455 miles on the bike and 131.5 miles of running. I was a little disappointed with the bike, as I could have just gone out for one 45 mile ride and had a cool 500 for the month. But then, I just didn't feel like doing it last week and didn't have time over the weekend.
I have one more goal this year - the Celtic Solstice 5 Miler on December 18. The first two years I ran it, I ran 30:46. Exactly. Both years. I wasn't "racing" either of those years, so in 2007 I tried to see what I could do. I managed a 29:06, which was a pretty decent time. In 2008 I hadn't run much following NYC Marathon but managed a respectable 29:28. Obviously didn't get to race last year, but this year I'm hoping to take a crack at getting under 29. I think it's reasonable, but I'm not going to beat myself up if I don't hit it - I won't do anything but easy running between now and then anyway.
I've started to think about my goals for next year, as well as my race schedule, so I'll get to that next.
As I continue to replay last week's race, I feel pretty good about a number of things. For instance, I feel like it was the best I've done with nutrition in any race I've ever done, and as a result I'm sure that helped me not feel totally wrecked at the end of the race or the next day. I also feel good about the effort level, as in I didn't get ahead of myself and try to get after it too hard. In the future, that will change, but for this time, I think it was the best move. Of course, that didn't really help my time at all, but that's the breaks.
Following my 5 miler on Friday, I headed back down to MD for rehearsal dinner/wedding. This week is another rehearsal dinner/wedding. While I would like to just be able to chill out for a minute, I suppose it's better than them having been prior to AZ, and at least they're immediately following the race so I don't feel as bad about taking some time off.
I think doing that race may have set my recovery back a few days. I have been tired, and haven't really been in the mood to do any "training." Maybe that's just what happens when doing a big race so late in the year. Even though I only started preparing really in July, it's still the farthest into the year I've ever gone, with NYC Marathon 2008 the previous mark. I took Sunday off and went to watch the #2 Terps men's soccer beat #15 Penn State on a goal in the 88th minute to advance to Friday's NCAA Semi-final.
Monday I made it to FHR and did the 6 miles. We ran together for a mile, then the pace picked up and I got left behind. Fortunately, Zero was okay with running my slow pace and eventually we picked up a few others to run with us. Tuesday, the last day of November, was rainy and windy. The temperature, though, was mild. A fairly large group met at the track to do a workout, which was surprising because there were weeks when it was nice that we didn't have that many people out. I ran the warmup and cooldown, and that was enough for me.
Today I finally made it back in the pool, after swimming just 1500m last week. My goal is a lofty one, to make it to 400 miles. After today I'm at 350, so I need to swim another 80,000m this month. Normally I wouldn't think that's too bad, but I'm going to miss a bunch of days due to traveling this month. I'll see how I feel after a few days of this, it's a less-than-significant goal, but I'd like to get there. I'd also like to get to 5000 miles on the bike, currently I'm 570 miles away. And I'm at 770 miles of running and would like to get to 900. I think that's reasonable.
For the month of November, I ended up with 36,500m of swimming, 455 miles on the bike and 131.5 miles of running. I was a little disappointed with the bike, as I could have just gone out for one 45 mile ride and had a cool 500 for the month. But then, I just didn't feel like doing it last week and didn't have time over the weekend.
I have one more goal this year - the Celtic Solstice 5 Miler on December 18. The first two years I ran it, I ran 30:46. Exactly. Both years. I wasn't "racing" either of those years, so in 2007 I tried to see what I could do. I managed a 29:06, which was a pretty decent time. In 2008 I hadn't run much following NYC Marathon but managed a respectable 29:28. Obviously didn't get to race last year, but this year I'm hoping to take a crack at getting under 29. I think it's reasonable, but I'm not going to beat myself up if I don't hit it - I won't do anything but easy running between now and then anyway.
I've started to think about my goals for next year, as well as my race schedule, so I'll get to that next.
Monday, November 29, 2010
Fatigue: Endured
I know I've mentioned it before, but Zero found this picture of I guess Joe Paterno's office, and in the background is a Nittany Blue t-shirt with the words "Endure Fatigue" emblazoned on it. We began to use this phrase as it sums up, well, just about everything. When Z emailed me following Arizona and used the above line as the subject, I thought it was a more-than-appropriate title for this blog post.
By now, many have either figured out that I did actually race at Arizona, or have heard my little recap. Truthfully, it was surprisingly uneventful. I didn't truly suffer like I have in some races, in fact it didn't even feel like racing. It felt like a really long training day. But, I do want to write down my thoughts about the race, what I need to do to improve and what I hope to accomplish down the road.
First of all, I'll say that I am not disappointed with the result, in fact I'm pretty psyched. As I've mentioned to many of you over the last week (wow, it's ONLY been a week?), I'm more proud of myself for making it to the start line than for making it to the finish. Making it to the finish line of any of the events I've done has never been a question. I will always finish. But, especially in this case, I wasn't going to go if I thought it would set my knee back.
From a competitive standpoint, my first inclination was to dissect the performance and figure out why I did not accomplish what I thought I could do going into the race. But pretty quickly it was clear that what I accomplished was no small feat. Due to the circumstances beyond my control, I took a year off from running and cycling. Those are months and miles that I can't get back. I lost what I had built over a number of years, and more importantly, wasn't continuing to build. It was comforting to know, however, that as I began to get back into it, that my aerobic fitness returned reasonably fast. Obviously I was continuing to swim (for the most part) over the 12 months, which was keeping some fitness, but I had taken March and April completely off. So to go from zero to Ironman in just 5 months was nothing short of a dream for me. And to finish better than all but 10% of the race illustrated that with some determination, help from those around you and a lot of elbow grease, really anything is possible.
Pre-race
Obviously I had ridden/ran on Friday, and the conditions seemed good. It gets breezy out on the open road, but I expected Sunday's conditions to be about the same as it had been the days leading up. Saturday's swim was fine, I was prepared for the cold temps, unlike last year, and I went for a 3 mile jog in the afternoon before going to dinner. My dad had gotten into town just in time to eat - actually slightly later than I had hoped to eat, but it didn't really matter.
Sunday morning we walked outside and it was expectedly chilly, but unexpectedly windy. I went for a short jog just to warm up a little, before getting into the wetsuit. 6:45 came and one by one everyone started jumping in the water. 15 minutes treading fairly cold water gets old pretty quick. As if nerves aren't already high, and the reality of an 8 to 17 hour day staring athletes in the face, they blast the beats over the PA. I'm all for pumping sweet jams, but I feel like I want to be super calm before the start at a race this long! The cannon went off and arms and legs were flying everywhere as the swell of 2500 people thrust forward in Tempe Town Lake.
Swim
Last year I swam 1:02:23. It was my first race of that distance, and I was super nervous as my knee really was in its early stages of recovering from surgery. When it started getting hit, I freaked out and really didn't think it was a good idea for me to have swam. With the experience from last year, a better knee and about 350 miles of swimming since then, I figured I would pretty easily be close to an hour. Before the cannon sounded, I was trying to clear my goggles. A poor choice to go with the rose colored Socket Rockets, as they fogged up immediately upon entering the water. Now, there may have been a countdown, but I swear I didn't hear it, and I got caught out with my goggles not on my face. I quickly put them on and began to swim, but the right one filled up with water. It was early, and I wasn't moving very quick, so I swam over to the side a bit and fixed it. As I began swimming again, I noticed I was headed straight for a dock, so I nudged my way into the field a little better.
The goggles soon fogged up again, but I was committed to just getting into my rhythm now, so I kept going. The only thing I knew was that I was going in the general direction of the race, but I wasn't around anyone, so I tried to rejoin the race. After going around the turn buoys, I stopped for a second to clean the lenses - now with the sun shining brightly to my left, I couldn't even see arms in the water. I ultimately stopped one more time to clean them, really frustrating actually. I was just swimming all over the place. I came out of the water and got my wetsuit taken off and crossed the mat in 1:02:21. Bleh. But hey, at least I was faster than last year, even if only by 2 seconds. Last year with that time I was 13th out of the age group; this year was 24th.
T1
Since I didn't have to go through T1 last year, this was a first for me. My feet were totally frozen but I was running pretty fast through the transition area. I got to my bag's area, but the volunteers were slow to find it. No big deal. I went into the tent and made sure I had everything I needed, and tried to put on my socks. My feet were cold and covered in grass. I finally got out of there after what felt like an eternity (4 minutes) and onto the bike.
Bike
Lap 1 - I got onto the road and felt decent, as I anticipated I would just an hour into the race. I made sure to not ride too fast, after all it's not an Olympic or even a Half. I settled into what I felt was a reasonable effort and made my way into the desert. It was oddly overcast, pretty chilly and definitely windy now. Good thing it was overcast, too, because I didn't put any sunscreen on out of transition (shh!). I didn't have a computer, so I didn't know how fast or slow I was going, but I was taking a look at my watch at the 5 mile intervals that seemed to be lined up. I made sure I ate a Gu every 30 minutes, and took an S! Cap every 45 minutes. I was drinking a decent amount, I started with my aero bottle (water), a water bottle (Gatorade) and my Hannah Montana water bottle (Coke). That first lap took 1:45, and while I wasn't psyched to see it had taken that long, I figured it was an effort I could hold for the distance and it was 5:15 pace.
Lap 2 - Out on course they feature PowerBar Ironman Perform drink, or whatever it's called. It wasn't too bad. Seemed a little lighter than Gatorade, and the bottle was both easy to grab and easy to drink from. Lap 2 is also where I felt the urge to relieve myself. I've been racing for a long time. I've never had to stop to use the bathroom before this year in a triathlon. Maybe I'm just getting old, or need bladder control. I seriously didn't even pee in my wetsuit until 2008 I think. Having never peed while riding, it was an uncomfortable experience. I found that I wasn't comfortable doing it while riding into the wind or with the cross, because stopping pedaling was slowing me down. So I would either do it when I had the wind, or if there was a slight downhill. It was really gross to me. And I figured I would have to go once at most. Nope. 4 times. I think because I was drinking a fair amount, but it was cool and therefore I wasn't sweating as much, it just had to come out.
That 2nd lap is also where it began to rain. It was uncomfortable and frustrating, mostly because I felt like I was being punished for choosing to do the race. Like, of all the days to do a race in Arizona, THIS has to be the one where it rains?! I kept the effort about the same that lap, but I had apparently slowed a little to a 1:48 lap. Now I was on 5:21 pace, if I kept that same time, and this was on the slow end of what I was hoping to ride.
Lap 3 - When I got to the end of lap 2, and it was raining, and I saw my dad and Alyssa standing there in the rain cheering, all I could think was "holy shit, this sucks for them." I managed a Cheshire Cat-sized grin and shook my head. Man, what a day. As I turned the wet corner and headed out for lap 3, I really was tired of going out into the windy desert. At some point, a tumbleweed rolled with some zip across the road right in front of me. The wind was old. The abnormally low temperature was old. The wet road was old. But onward I pressed. I ate my Snickers bar and drank some (now flat) Coke around mile 84-90 and pepped up a little. At this point, I figured I should keep my effort much lower to save something for the run. I came across the line in the realm of a 5:32 bike split - way off what I thought I would ride, but given the day, it was reasonable.
T2
I got off the bike and ran to where my bag was, and once again found myself waiting to receive my stuff. I went over to the tent to change, and decided to stop by the bathroom and evacuate. Better to do it now than on the run, I thought. I then went into the changing tent and went Fully Monty en route to a full wardrobe change. I just felt like, for at least this time, I would be more comfortable running in my running gear than in my tri gear, which now smelled like urine anyway. T2 was longer than I would have hoped, but considering a trip to the bathroom and full costume change, it was reasonable.
Run
I got out onto the run and felt good. I didn't want to exert myself, so I ran a pace that felt comfortable. Just so happened that pace was faster than everyone else around me. I hit the first mile in 6:47 and that seemed about right so I stayed there. 6:47 mile 2, 6:45 mile 3. At that point I've gone back over the bridge and have now headed down into transition area and then up onto the dirt path that parallels the lake. There was no 4 mile split, but there was a 5 mile split and that was 14:02. I figured 7 minute pace was closer to where I should be, as I was hoping to come through the half in 1:33-1:35. I didn't see a 6 mile marker, but did see a 7 and that split was 15:05. The wheels were on there way to falling off.
My dad and Alyssa had been joined by my cousin Matthew, who lives in Arizona and, incidentally, I haven't seen in about 13 years. The spot that had scouted enabled them to see me at a few different spots along the course that intersected, so they didn't have to move too much.
After this mile 7, I hit mile 8 (7:52) and mile 9 (8:05). I think I was still running at this point, and was going out onto the second lap. Now for some reason it felt real windy again, and I was no longer enjoying the run. I stopped at the first aid station to get some nourishment, in the form of a cookie or two, an orange slice, some sports drink. As long as I was moving, I was running a decent pace, but the walking breaks were slowing me down. Mile 10 was 8:53 and after that I started to lose it with splits of 10:27, 9:37 and 8:57 (about 1:44 at the half). In retrospect, I think it was in mile 11 (the 10:27 split) where I stopped for a second to chat with the gang and give cousin Matt a hug. Since it had rained earlier, I did see a rainbow at one point and thought "man I must like guys or something because this is pretty."
Depending on where the aid stations were positioned, how bad I felt and how motivated I was to keep moving, my splits bounced up and down. 10:17, 9:33, 10:58, 8:53, 10:24, 12:03, 11:07, 10:06, 9:39, 10:23, 9:17, 9:33, 11:28 (1.2 miles). These added up to a split of 3:57:08. Yikes.
Not in my most unlikely of race scenarios did I envision it would take me nearly 4 hours to get through the marathon. I legitimately felt that, based on some of my workouts, a 3:15-3:20 was possible, and that 3:30-3:40 was about as slow as I was going to go. Boy, I was way off! But, I couldn't even be disappointed because I had just run a marathon. Forget the fact it was at the end of an Ironman - I ran a marathon. In less than 5 months of running following two knee surgeries, I was able to run a 3:57 marathon. I was pumped.
As I turned the corner towards the finish line, it seemed like a bright light at the end of a tunnel - both literally and metaphorically. Not in the "I'm dying" way, but rather in the "hey, maybe things are turning around" way. I couldn't believe how far I'd come in such a short time, and was proud of the accomplishment. I had finished in 10:40:00, and I think that was about 218th place overall. 24th in the age group out of the water, 16th off the bike, stayed in 16th by the end.
Upon crossing the line, women's champion (and 8th overall, setting a new WTC Ironman record along the way) Chrissie Wellington wrapped my Mylar blanket around me. I wanted to say "Hey, remember that time you came to Columbia Triathlon, started 5 minutes before me and I wiped out your bike advantage and beat you?" but I felt that would be inappropriate as she had just cleaned my clock by, oh, 2 hours and change. She ran a 2:52 marathon split. How many girls do YOU know that can run a 2:52 open? I know a couple, but they couldn't run that off a 4:47 bike split and 51 minute swim!
I ate a couple slices of $600 pizza and then joined my cheering section. I felt okay, certainly better than I've felt after any half iron or marathon I've done. I got back to the hotel, showered, tried to eat some food and then headed back down to watch Claire finish. She had an awesome race, truly. I originally felt like she would swim 1:30-1:40, but apparently she really worked on her swimming and swam a 1:15. Flying! You could tell the conditions really affected her ride, but she got out and ran a 4:35 marathon, which was awesome. She finished at 13:35. Considering her two half iron distance races this year were just over 7 and just under 7, that was really awesome.
Downtown Tempe, like last year, was DEAD on Sunday night. My dad came back out and met up with us at Hooter's, and we stayed there until 11. Then we went down to watch the last hour of finishers. If you have never been to an Ironman finish line, you are missing out. There is nothing like it in all of sports. The jams are PUMPING, and those in the stands are going crazy as anyone approaches the line. Mike Reilly, unequivocally the best MC for an event I've ever seen, announces everyone as they cross the line and keeps the crowd hyped. A short while later, Chrissie and Linsey Corbin (2nd place, who broke the old course record too) came out and danced around, ran in with finishers, etc. This is the equivalent of Haile Gebrsellaise or Ryan Hall coming out after the NYC Marathon or Boston or something and handing out medals, or running in with people. You will never see that happen. It's what makes triathlon what it is. An ability to compete in the same race, with the same conditions, with World Champions. Everyone suffers the same, some just for more time than others.
The last finisher came in at 11:59:15, just 45 seconds in advance of the cut-off. Awesome. Then, as suddenly as it had appeared, the race was just over. Back to the hotel and off to sleep, with an unfortunately early morning ahead of us. Alyssa was going to sign up for 2011, and while in line with her I decided I may as well too. This process took a long time (we were there at 7 but didn't get through the line until after 11). Then we met up with Claire and walked up the mountain with the big "A" on it. I think they may actually just call it "A" Mountain. As we descended to Mill Ave for lunch, we saw Jordan Rapp and his wife eating at Fatburger, so we chatted with them for a minute and took a pic. I'll post that later.
Later in the day it was flight time. And man, my knee hurt. The plane left an hour late, but at least was super quick, clocking the trip in just over 3.5 hours. By the time I got home, it was 1am. Airports the day after Ironman are funny. A large number of people are obviously in town for the race, and most start asking questions whether you raced or not. I've been to a few Ironmans now without competing, so it was nice to finally be able to say I competed. Even more funny is watching everyone who competed walk around. Look like broken old people.
I took off Monday and Tuesday, and then got in the pool Wednesday. Following the race on Sunday night I got a bad case of hiccups (see also: serious hiccups, not just little ones) that lasted until Tuesday morning. By Wednesday I still didn't feel totally right, and only made it through 1500m. I timed a race on Thursday morning before heading home to NJ, and then Friday I ran the Born to Run 5 Miler in Freehold. Named for The Boss's classic anthem of rebellious teenage love (he was born in Freehold), this race features a sweatshirt premium and often times some quick folks. This year it looked like I was "a quick folk" as everyone stared at me in my Falls Road singlet. Someone noticed the slowly fading number on my calf and asked what race I had done. Then they asked why I would be here, five days later, running.
I went out with the group, before a couple dudes separated themselves. Then it was Olympic Trials Qualifier Lindsey Gallo (from neighboring Howell originally, now of VA) who passed me. I hit the mile in 5:50, and it was all positive splits from there. 6:00 2nd mile. 6:12, then another 6:12. I had no shot now at breaking 30, but I tried to stay tough and have a respectable last mile. My legs were screaming at me, I felt not great. But I ran a 6:00 last mile and finished at 30:15 for 9th place. I even got quoted in the paper the next day.
I wanted to do the race, so I did it. I could have just run it, but I kind of wanted to see how my legs could respond 5 days later. I was barely able to run two miles at 6min pace back in the summer, so this was a good sign.
By now, many have either figured out that I did actually race at Arizona, or have heard my little recap. Truthfully, it was surprisingly uneventful. I didn't truly suffer like I have in some races, in fact it didn't even feel like racing. It felt like a really long training day. But, I do want to write down my thoughts about the race, what I need to do to improve and what I hope to accomplish down the road.
First of all, I'll say that I am not disappointed with the result, in fact I'm pretty psyched. As I've mentioned to many of you over the last week (wow, it's ONLY been a week?), I'm more proud of myself for making it to the start line than for making it to the finish. Making it to the finish line of any of the events I've done has never been a question. I will always finish. But, especially in this case, I wasn't going to go if I thought it would set my knee back.
From a competitive standpoint, my first inclination was to dissect the performance and figure out why I did not accomplish what I thought I could do going into the race. But pretty quickly it was clear that what I accomplished was no small feat. Due to the circumstances beyond my control, I took a year off from running and cycling. Those are months and miles that I can't get back. I lost what I had built over a number of years, and more importantly, wasn't continuing to build. It was comforting to know, however, that as I began to get back into it, that my aerobic fitness returned reasonably fast. Obviously I was continuing to swim (for the most part) over the 12 months, which was keeping some fitness, but I had taken March and April completely off. So to go from zero to Ironman in just 5 months was nothing short of a dream for me. And to finish better than all but 10% of the race illustrated that with some determination, help from those around you and a lot of elbow grease, really anything is possible.
Pre-race
Obviously I had ridden/ran on Friday, and the conditions seemed good. It gets breezy out on the open road, but I expected Sunday's conditions to be about the same as it had been the days leading up. Saturday's swim was fine, I was prepared for the cold temps, unlike last year, and I went for a 3 mile jog in the afternoon before going to dinner. My dad had gotten into town just in time to eat - actually slightly later than I had hoped to eat, but it didn't really matter.
Sunday morning we walked outside and it was expectedly chilly, but unexpectedly windy. I went for a short jog just to warm up a little, before getting into the wetsuit. 6:45 came and one by one everyone started jumping in the water. 15 minutes treading fairly cold water gets old pretty quick. As if nerves aren't already high, and the reality of an 8 to 17 hour day staring athletes in the face, they blast the beats over the PA. I'm all for pumping sweet jams, but I feel like I want to be super calm before the start at a race this long! The cannon went off and arms and legs were flying everywhere as the swell of 2500 people thrust forward in Tempe Town Lake.
Swim
Last year I swam 1:02:23. It was my first race of that distance, and I was super nervous as my knee really was in its early stages of recovering from surgery. When it started getting hit, I freaked out and really didn't think it was a good idea for me to have swam. With the experience from last year, a better knee and about 350 miles of swimming since then, I figured I would pretty easily be close to an hour. Before the cannon sounded, I was trying to clear my goggles. A poor choice to go with the rose colored Socket Rockets, as they fogged up immediately upon entering the water. Now, there may have been a countdown, but I swear I didn't hear it, and I got caught out with my goggles not on my face. I quickly put them on and began to swim, but the right one filled up with water. It was early, and I wasn't moving very quick, so I swam over to the side a bit and fixed it. As I began swimming again, I noticed I was headed straight for a dock, so I nudged my way into the field a little better.
The goggles soon fogged up again, but I was committed to just getting into my rhythm now, so I kept going. The only thing I knew was that I was going in the general direction of the race, but I wasn't around anyone, so I tried to rejoin the race. After going around the turn buoys, I stopped for a second to clean the lenses - now with the sun shining brightly to my left, I couldn't even see arms in the water. I ultimately stopped one more time to clean them, really frustrating actually. I was just swimming all over the place. I came out of the water and got my wetsuit taken off and crossed the mat in 1:02:21. Bleh. But hey, at least I was faster than last year, even if only by 2 seconds. Last year with that time I was 13th out of the age group; this year was 24th.
T1
Since I didn't have to go through T1 last year, this was a first for me. My feet were totally frozen but I was running pretty fast through the transition area. I got to my bag's area, but the volunteers were slow to find it. No big deal. I went into the tent and made sure I had everything I needed, and tried to put on my socks. My feet were cold and covered in grass. I finally got out of there after what felt like an eternity (4 minutes) and onto the bike.
Bike
Lap 1 - I got onto the road and felt decent, as I anticipated I would just an hour into the race. I made sure to not ride too fast, after all it's not an Olympic or even a Half. I settled into what I felt was a reasonable effort and made my way into the desert. It was oddly overcast, pretty chilly and definitely windy now. Good thing it was overcast, too, because I didn't put any sunscreen on out of transition (shh!). I didn't have a computer, so I didn't know how fast or slow I was going, but I was taking a look at my watch at the 5 mile intervals that seemed to be lined up. I made sure I ate a Gu every 30 minutes, and took an S! Cap every 45 minutes. I was drinking a decent amount, I started with my aero bottle (water), a water bottle (Gatorade) and my Hannah Montana water bottle (Coke). That first lap took 1:45, and while I wasn't psyched to see it had taken that long, I figured it was an effort I could hold for the distance and it was 5:15 pace.
Lap 2 - Out on course they feature PowerBar Ironman Perform drink, or whatever it's called. It wasn't too bad. Seemed a little lighter than Gatorade, and the bottle was both easy to grab and easy to drink from. Lap 2 is also where I felt the urge to relieve myself. I've been racing for a long time. I've never had to stop to use the bathroom before this year in a triathlon. Maybe I'm just getting old, or need bladder control. I seriously didn't even pee in my wetsuit until 2008 I think. Having never peed while riding, it was an uncomfortable experience. I found that I wasn't comfortable doing it while riding into the wind or with the cross, because stopping pedaling was slowing me down. So I would either do it when I had the wind, or if there was a slight downhill. It was really gross to me. And I figured I would have to go once at most. Nope. 4 times. I think because I was drinking a fair amount, but it was cool and therefore I wasn't sweating as much, it just had to come out.
That 2nd lap is also where it began to rain. It was uncomfortable and frustrating, mostly because I felt like I was being punished for choosing to do the race. Like, of all the days to do a race in Arizona, THIS has to be the one where it rains?! I kept the effort about the same that lap, but I had apparently slowed a little to a 1:48 lap. Now I was on 5:21 pace, if I kept that same time, and this was on the slow end of what I was hoping to ride.
Lap 3 - When I got to the end of lap 2, and it was raining, and I saw my dad and Alyssa standing there in the rain cheering, all I could think was "holy shit, this sucks for them." I managed a Cheshire Cat-sized grin and shook my head. Man, what a day. As I turned the wet corner and headed out for lap 3, I really was tired of going out into the windy desert. At some point, a tumbleweed rolled with some zip across the road right in front of me. The wind was old. The abnormally low temperature was old. The wet road was old. But onward I pressed. I ate my Snickers bar and drank some (now flat) Coke around mile 84-90 and pepped up a little. At this point, I figured I should keep my effort much lower to save something for the run. I came across the line in the realm of a 5:32 bike split - way off what I thought I would ride, but given the day, it was reasonable.
T2
I got off the bike and ran to where my bag was, and once again found myself waiting to receive my stuff. I went over to the tent to change, and decided to stop by the bathroom and evacuate. Better to do it now than on the run, I thought. I then went into the changing tent and went Fully Monty en route to a full wardrobe change. I just felt like, for at least this time, I would be more comfortable running in my running gear than in my tri gear, which now smelled like urine anyway. T2 was longer than I would have hoped, but considering a trip to the bathroom and full costume change, it was reasonable.
Run
I got out onto the run and felt good. I didn't want to exert myself, so I ran a pace that felt comfortable. Just so happened that pace was faster than everyone else around me. I hit the first mile in 6:47 and that seemed about right so I stayed there. 6:47 mile 2, 6:45 mile 3. At that point I've gone back over the bridge and have now headed down into transition area and then up onto the dirt path that parallels the lake. There was no 4 mile split, but there was a 5 mile split and that was 14:02. I figured 7 minute pace was closer to where I should be, as I was hoping to come through the half in 1:33-1:35. I didn't see a 6 mile marker, but did see a 7 and that split was 15:05. The wheels were on there way to falling off.
My dad and Alyssa had been joined by my cousin Matthew, who lives in Arizona and, incidentally, I haven't seen in about 13 years. The spot that had scouted enabled them to see me at a few different spots along the course that intersected, so they didn't have to move too much.
After this mile 7, I hit mile 8 (7:52) and mile 9 (8:05). I think I was still running at this point, and was going out onto the second lap. Now for some reason it felt real windy again, and I was no longer enjoying the run. I stopped at the first aid station to get some nourishment, in the form of a cookie or two, an orange slice, some sports drink. As long as I was moving, I was running a decent pace, but the walking breaks were slowing me down. Mile 10 was 8:53 and after that I started to lose it with splits of 10:27, 9:37 and 8:57 (about 1:44 at the half). In retrospect, I think it was in mile 11 (the 10:27 split) where I stopped for a second to chat with the gang and give cousin Matt a hug. Since it had rained earlier, I did see a rainbow at one point and thought "man I must like guys or something because this is pretty."
Depending on where the aid stations were positioned, how bad I felt and how motivated I was to keep moving, my splits bounced up and down. 10:17, 9:33, 10:58, 8:53, 10:24, 12:03, 11:07, 10:06, 9:39, 10:23, 9:17, 9:33, 11:28 (1.2 miles). These added up to a split of 3:57:08. Yikes.
Not in my most unlikely of race scenarios did I envision it would take me nearly 4 hours to get through the marathon. I legitimately felt that, based on some of my workouts, a 3:15-3:20 was possible, and that 3:30-3:40 was about as slow as I was going to go. Boy, I was way off! But, I couldn't even be disappointed because I had just run a marathon. Forget the fact it was at the end of an Ironman - I ran a marathon. In less than 5 months of running following two knee surgeries, I was able to run a 3:57 marathon. I was pumped.
As I turned the corner towards the finish line, it seemed like a bright light at the end of a tunnel - both literally and metaphorically. Not in the "I'm dying" way, but rather in the "hey, maybe things are turning around" way. I couldn't believe how far I'd come in such a short time, and was proud of the accomplishment. I had finished in 10:40:00, and I think that was about 218th place overall. 24th in the age group out of the water, 16th off the bike, stayed in 16th by the end.
Upon crossing the line, women's champion (and 8th overall, setting a new WTC Ironman record along the way) Chrissie Wellington wrapped my Mylar blanket around me. I wanted to say "Hey, remember that time you came to Columbia Triathlon, started 5 minutes before me and I wiped out your bike advantage and beat you?" but I felt that would be inappropriate as she had just cleaned my clock by, oh, 2 hours and change. She ran a 2:52 marathon split. How many girls do YOU know that can run a 2:52 open? I know a couple, but they couldn't run that off a 4:47 bike split and 51 minute swim!
I ate a couple slices of $600 pizza and then joined my cheering section. I felt okay, certainly better than I've felt after any half iron or marathon I've done. I got back to the hotel, showered, tried to eat some food and then headed back down to watch Claire finish. She had an awesome race, truly. I originally felt like she would swim 1:30-1:40, but apparently she really worked on her swimming and swam a 1:15. Flying! You could tell the conditions really affected her ride, but she got out and ran a 4:35 marathon, which was awesome. She finished at 13:35. Considering her two half iron distance races this year were just over 7 and just under 7, that was really awesome.
Downtown Tempe, like last year, was DEAD on Sunday night. My dad came back out and met up with us at Hooter's, and we stayed there until 11. Then we went down to watch the last hour of finishers. If you have never been to an Ironman finish line, you are missing out. There is nothing like it in all of sports. The jams are PUMPING, and those in the stands are going crazy as anyone approaches the line. Mike Reilly, unequivocally the best MC for an event I've ever seen, announces everyone as they cross the line and keeps the crowd hyped. A short while later, Chrissie and Linsey Corbin (2nd place, who broke the old course record too) came out and danced around, ran in with finishers, etc. This is the equivalent of Haile Gebrsellaise or Ryan Hall coming out after the NYC Marathon or Boston or something and handing out medals, or running in with people. You will never see that happen. It's what makes triathlon what it is. An ability to compete in the same race, with the same conditions, with World Champions. Everyone suffers the same, some just for more time than others.
The last finisher came in at 11:59:15, just 45 seconds in advance of the cut-off. Awesome. Then, as suddenly as it had appeared, the race was just over. Back to the hotel and off to sleep, with an unfortunately early morning ahead of us. Alyssa was going to sign up for 2011, and while in line with her I decided I may as well too. This process took a long time (we were there at 7 but didn't get through the line until after 11). Then we met up with Claire and walked up the mountain with the big "A" on it. I think they may actually just call it "A" Mountain. As we descended to Mill Ave for lunch, we saw Jordan Rapp and his wife eating at Fatburger, so we chatted with them for a minute and took a pic. I'll post that later.
Later in the day it was flight time. And man, my knee hurt. The plane left an hour late, but at least was super quick, clocking the trip in just over 3.5 hours. By the time I got home, it was 1am. Airports the day after Ironman are funny. A large number of people are obviously in town for the race, and most start asking questions whether you raced or not. I've been to a few Ironmans now without competing, so it was nice to finally be able to say I competed. Even more funny is watching everyone who competed walk around. Look like broken old people.
I took off Monday and Tuesday, and then got in the pool Wednesday. Following the race on Sunday night I got a bad case of hiccups (see also: serious hiccups, not just little ones) that lasted until Tuesday morning. By Wednesday I still didn't feel totally right, and only made it through 1500m. I timed a race on Thursday morning before heading home to NJ, and then Friday I ran the Born to Run 5 Miler in Freehold. Named for The Boss's classic anthem of rebellious teenage love (he was born in Freehold), this race features a sweatshirt premium and often times some quick folks. This year it looked like I was "a quick folk" as everyone stared at me in my Falls Road singlet. Someone noticed the slowly fading number on my calf and asked what race I had done. Then they asked why I would be here, five days later, running.
I went out with the group, before a couple dudes separated themselves. Then it was Olympic Trials Qualifier Lindsey Gallo (from neighboring Howell originally, now of VA) who passed me. I hit the mile in 5:50, and it was all positive splits from there. 6:00 2nd mile. 6:12, then another 6:12. I had no shot now at breaking 30, but I tried to stay tough and have a respectable last mile. My legs were screaming at me, I felt not great. But I ran a 6:00 last mile and finished at 30:15 for 9th place. I even got quoted in the paper the next day.
I wanted to do the race, so I did it. I could have just run it, but I kind of wanted to see how my legs could respond 5 days later. I was barely able to run two miles at 6min pace back in the summer, so this was a good sign.
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Giving Thanks
Thanksgiving, as its name suggests, is a time to give thanks and to be thankful for what we have in our lives. With that in mind, it seems appropriate to express my gratitude to a number of people who helped me get to the finish line on Sunday. Don't worry, I'll get to the race report later, but this is way more important.
The biggest thanks goes to my parents and brother and sister. My parents have always encouraged the three of us to do the things we're passionate about, and they supported me as I struggled as a slow, freshman cross country runner. They watched as I began in the sport of triathlon a decade ago, and I know there was no way they understood it at the time. Shoot, I still don't think they completely understand it, but they know what it means to me and they'll always support it. When I got hurt, they were there to help however possible. When things went south, they were there. And when I tried to start training again, they kept me motivated. There aren't many things I can give to them, so this race was like my gift to them for being great. I wish my mom, brother and sister had been able to get out to see it, but I was really happy my dad made it out. When he told me on Wednesday that he was coming, I was very excited - I wanted him to be able to see me cross the finish line. The only thing dads really have is the ability to brag about their kids, so while it's completely embarrassing to have your dad tell your life story (and your brother's and sister's) to total strangers, you earned this one dad. Thanks for being there, like always. My brother, you've amazed me with how far you've come as an athlete and seeing your enthusiasm for it keeps me going a lot of days. I'm proud of all that you've accomplished in your 25 years. And little sis, I love watching you follow your passions and can't wait to see what is up next for you. Mom, well, thanks for everything.
(The rest of the thank yous aren't in any particular order, just as I'm thinking of them...)
It's hard to believe that I'm 29 years old and I've only now just done one of these races. Obviously that wasn't the plan, as I should have gotten it done last year, but man - I feel like I'm behind the curve. But if it wasn't for the work of a few professionals (not hookers), I wouldn't have even made it this year. My amazing surgeon, Dr. Torpey, let's just say I hope I don't have to see him again - but if I have another reason to see a surgeon, he's the only one I would go to. I've never met a doctor who spends as much time in a visit with a patient, or who has cared that much about understanding what it is that I do, and where I needed to get back to. My lawyer, Tom, thanks for getting all the things taken care of that allowed an uninsured liability to get the health care he needed to not be crippled for life. Obviously you're getting paid, but thanks for caring enough to help me out.
I've been going to physical therapy now for a year and a half. That's a long time. In that time I've seen 3 different therapists. First was Robert Incitti up in Red Bank, for the month after surgery that I was in NJ. There are people who are passionate about their work, and then there's Robert. I wish he was closer. Then I went to Stavros, who got me as far as he could before I switched to Brett at LifeStrength in Towson. Gamechanging performance. As a triathlete, Brett understood where I was trying to get to, and each week we figured out how to deal with what was going on. More than making my knee better (because it's still not, not really), he started giving me the confidence that we could get to this race. Thanks to all 3 of you guys, and Argie, who works with Stavros, because she was helpful as well.
For all that he's done, I've got to also thank Brian Shea. He's a competitor, a great father, a coach and an advocate for the sport. He was one of the first calls I made when I got hurt, and he's my go-to guy for all things triathlon.
Thanks to my friends from the Maryland Multisport Club, circa 2001-2003 - Larry, Peter Hibbs, Lisa, Dzul, Courtney, Peter Feret, Katie Ka, Astrid, Ron $ Willoughby, Tom Stott, Lindsay, hell even Tri Guy Tommy. Never has a more random crew of people been brought together by sport. From age and status, we couldn't have had more variety, but triathlon connected us. Peter Hibbs was mostly responsible for the club, so I guess you could say without him coming to MD from Cali and starting the club, you never know if I would have even gotten into it. And we have entomology to thank for that. Peter is such a laid-back California dude, but was secretly super competitive, and more than anything a great leader. Tri Guy Tommy was the complete opposite, but was a great competitor and truly terrific training partner for the time we trained together. His guidance and discipline was invaluable in helping lay the groundwork for my future in the sport. Lisa, my teammate on team Skeet Skeet (Lancaster!), and my friend, even though you still have my Scooby Doo pajama pants and probably got rid of them, I am glad to have joined you finally on the ironman bandwagon. Katie Ka, one of the truest runners out there. She runs because she honestly likes running. I wish there were more of you! Big Peter Feret, you're the man. I thank you for your uncanny life wisdom. You are my guru.
But the real mascot of that group is Larry. Larry has kept all of us connected over the years, and always provided perspective. Larry is a pioneer of the sport and has a thousand stories that will illustrate just how long he's been around. He's been one of my biggest supporters and as I crossed the line on Sunday, I wished he could have been right there. That one was for you, Larry. Thanks for everything.
Over the years I've made tons of friends, mostly through sports/the sport, and each of them has left me a little better than they found me. Cara, thanks for teaching me how to do flip-turns, and for helping get me really, really drunk in New Orleans all the time. Mike Prada, my friend and roommate, I'll always think back to our morning runs from Cumberland, our runs in Greenbelt, our runs to DC, our runs around University Park. 90% of our time together was probably spent running, and I'm glad I can finally run with you again. My girl Kristin Lubas, I'll probably never call you your new last name because Lubas is just so much better, but thanks for always supporting me.
My guys from home - my best friends since freshman year. Koot, Vic, Chima, Sgrizzi and P. We've had some great times over the last 15 years, and I hope to make it at least 15 more. Thanks for following along online on Sunday and for the shout outs afterwards. It meant a lot that you guys did that. My thanks also extends to your significant others, so pass along to Reese, Susie and Lauren.
Moving to Baltimore was the best thing for me at the time I moved here, and continuing to live here is still the best thing for me. It's almost staggering the number of people I've watched come and go, and the "group" has become an extension of my life. I wish I hated you guys more so I could feel okay leaving. But, I like you all, or at least most of you, enough that I stay put. Now, with 150 or so people that I consider part of the team, I'm not going to go through and mention you all by name, so don't take offense if you're reading this and you're like WTF where's my name!
OJ - you are the man. When you made up a 20 minute gap on me at Columbia 2001 en route to winning, you were my hero. I didn't know you, but I wanted to be as good as you were. And never in a million years could I have guessed that 4 years later our paths would cross. It's hard to believe I've known you now for 5 years. You are, without a doubt, the best training partner I've ever had. Never an excuse, always up for going hard, up for riding in 20 degrees. You brought light to my world as a cyclist when you took me to Frederick some years ago. Without you, I would still be driving out of the city to ride. And, even though I am really sick of Route 40, without you there would be no Gunpowder Loop, Mt. Vista loop, Aberdeen, Rocks, Leone Spring, whatever. And there would be no Wednesday Night Run, from its humble beginnings as a showcase of the shittiest parts of Baltimore to its slightly more sophisticated route. I absolutely could not have gotten to where I was before, or where I am now, without your help. Thanks a lot buddy. You are still an inspiration, and doing a great job as a new father.
Tom Stott - friend, training partner, de facto Physical Therapist, fellow Tour Crasher. We've had some pretty amazing adventures over the years, and I suspect that will continue. I'm grateful for all you and Patty have done for me, and for what you do for everyone you know. Two of the most genuine people I've ever met, and I'm proud of how well you're doing.
Team CYB - Zero, Pat and Alyssa. Three people who have known what I've been up to over the last few months, and knew what I was trying to accomplish. Zero, I wish it could have been last year and we got to race the whole thing together, and for that matter, could have trained together. That was a huge disappointment for me to not be able to do that. I wish you could have made it out this year, but thanks for sticking by me. And also for the super late text message Friday night while I was asleep. Ha, don't worry - I was smart and turned my phone off!
Pat, my bike sponsor and a blossoming champion. It's been a fun year and a half watching you get faster - and I say it in all seriousness, not like "man I hate that Pat's getting faster while I'm on the sidelines." It's tough to see our own growth, so being on the sidelines I've been able to see just how far you've come. Thanks for letting me borrow your bike for the race, and for helping me get back to where I am. From Luray to Red Bank, it's been fun to race with you and I'm looking forward to our synched schedules next year again.
Alyssa, how can I thank you for all that you've done for me? This little note won't be able to express it all. Thanks for coming out to the race and all the help during the week and weekend. Following the bike ride with my dad back in June, it was our Oregon Ridge ride that made me believe I could come back. Inadvertently, the rides we did to get you ready for your Ironman were what allowed me to do mine. Thanks for the prodding. It's amazing to see how committed you are to being excellent at what you do, and while I know you don't need anyone to say it, it's motivating. Here's to a great 2011 for you.
Clarkson trio - Arjun, Melissa and Brennan. My thanks to you guys is actually less running/training related, even though that's what brought us together. (Side note: I can't remember the last time I ran with Brennan, though, ha!) You are three of the best friends anyone could ask for, and probably the three nicest people in Baltimore. Your commitment to your family and friends is amazing, and what you did for me, particularly in the beginning of the year - I can't thank you enough.
FHR/TNT - It was the Fed Hill group that got me started here, meeting runners, forming the group that exists today. It is, in fact, how and why most of you are all part of it. We have Susan Sperry and Susan Kim to thank for FHR. But that allowed me to meet Spider and Tim, Godsey, Kip, Kris, Ben, Chrissie, etc...and most of all Jim Adams. Jim is the greatest advocate for sport I have ever met. Thanks for continuing to support me, and for all that you do for everyone else. That goes for pretty much everyone at Falls Road - Pete, Karen, Dan, Eric - it's like my 2nd or 3rd or 4th home. TNT over the years has seen so many amazing athletes, each just out because they like to run and want to get (or stay) fast, and each of you has helped each other achieve some tremendous goals. The TNT folks were the first ones to see me run again, and have been super supportive along the way, so quick thanks to all you guys, including (but not limited to) Seth, Suzanne, Diane, Denise, Eileen, Alex B, Terence, Collin, Dr. J, Spence, Dave P, Meg McNew, Dusty, Lisa, Doug, Kyle, Becky Parks (both of them!), Steve, Jeff, Tom Stewart...
Big thanks are in order for my old Friday crew, that really made running fun again when I got here - Mike Prada, BG, Andy, Jake Marren, Kris, Justin, Kip, Chrissie, Adami, the others that have come and gone. Kris, I thank you for your sage wisdom. I don't know anyone that old, except for Ben, so the knowledge the two of you impart is very valuable to me. Plus I just like running with you.
Justin, running misses you man. Amazing how we both got dealt real shitty cards. But, just as I have come back, so too shall you. And, like you've been there for me, I'll do my part to get you to where you want to go.
Alex, you're my boy Blue. Always good for a diversion, pumping some jams, having fun when fun needs to be had, riding when you need someone to ride with. Jen Koshy, the funnest Jen around. You too know what it's like to be out of commission, but keep smiling and having fun, so I try to keep that in mind too. Ben, even though you're gone, I still love you. And your insight on training and racing is profound, so I appreciate that.
Thanks to my little buddy Cheese, you descended upon this town and since you've lived here you've been a great friend. You've kept me motivated on the days I don't want to do things, and have also kept me in line when I should know when I need a break or perspective.
Then there's thanks to general posse members, like cousin Emily and Bryan, for putting up with me and the crazy sport. Sara Spears for being a great friend over the years, and because she continues to surprise me with her nonchalant ability to just go out and do road races or duathlons. Jennifer for her positive and unique outlook on life, LByrne for her constant excitement about things I do and for sending me Lucky Charms, Ryan Schmidt for his excitement and support from afar. My R2W friends - Carmitchel, Leyendecker, Brew, Clark, Bartlett, Hoya, et al., for keeping me on track. [Amended] I would be remiss to not mention Pasta Mista, my official dinner sponsor as I eat there twice to three times per week most of the time. Your pizza fuels me.
I realize this reads like an acceptance speech at an awards show, and I would be way beyond the WRAP IT UP point, but I wanted to try and express whatever small amount of appreciation I could to all of you who have helped me on my way. I consider all of you part of my family, because I lean on you for help when I need it. They always say that the Ironman is a family affair, that your family sacrifices just like you do. Sometimes I got to train with people, but a lot of it - I'd say upwards of 90% this time around - I did on my own. I can certainly do that, it's not a big deal. But I wouldn't want to do it if it weren't for everyone's support. My relatives are proud and I don't think they even know what it is I did.
I wanted this race for me, not that I even care so much about what the race "means" because shoot, I don't need a race to validate myself as a triathlete. I just like racing. I wanted to do this race as a way of repaying all of the support that is graciously shown to me from literally hundreds of people. So, to finally confirm what I have known for years, I am an Ironman.
The biggest thanks goes to my parents and brother and sister. My parents have always encouraged the three of us to do the things we're passionate about, and they supported me as I struggled as a slow, freshman cross country runner. They watched as I began in the sport of triathlon a decade ago, and I know there was no way they understood it at the time. Shoot, I still don't think they completely understand it, but they know what it means to me and they'll always support it. When I got hurt, they were there to help however possible. When things went south, they were there. And when I tried to start training again, they kept me motivated. There aren't many things I can give to them, so this race was like my gift to them for being great. I wish my mom, brother and sister had been able to get out to see it, but I was really happy my dad made it out. When he told me on Wednesday that he was coming, I was very excited - I wanted him to be able to see me cross the finish line. The only thing dads really have is the ability to brag about their kids, so while it's completely embarrassing to have your dad tell your life story (and your brother's and sister's) to total strangers, you earned this one dad. Thanks for being there, like always. My brother, you've amazed me with how far you've come as an athlete and seeing your enthusiasm for it keeps me going a lot of days. I'm proud of all that you've accomplished in your 25 years. And little sis, I love watching you follow your passions and can't wait to see what is up next for you. Mom, well, thanks for everything.
(The rest of the thank yous aren't in any particular order, just as I'm thinking of them...)
It's hard to believe that I'm 29 years old and I've only now just done one of these races. Obviously that wasn't the plan, as I should have gotten it done last year, but man - I feel like I'm behind the curve. But if it wasn't for the work of a few professionals (not hookers), I wouldn't have even made it this year. My amazing surgeon, Dr. Torpey, let's just say I hope I don't have to see him again - but if I have another reason to see a surgeon, he's the only one I would go to. I've never met a doctor who spends as much time in a visit with a patient, or who has cared that much about understanding what it is that I do, and where I needed to get back to. My lawyer, Tom, thanks for getting all the things taken care of that allowed an uninsured liability to get the health care he needed to not be crippled for life. Obviously you're getting paid, but thanks for caring enough to help me out.
I've been going to physical therapy now for a year and a half. That's a long time. In that time I've seen 3 different therapists. First was Robert Incitti up in Red Bank, for the month after surgery that I was in NJ. There are people who are passionate about their work, and then there's Robert. I wish he was closer. Then I went to Stavros, who got me as far as he could before I switched to Brett at LifeStrength in Towson. Gamechanging performance. As a triathlete, Brett understood where I was trying to get to, and each week we figured out how to deal with what was going on. More than making my knee better (because it's still not, not really), he started giving me the confidence that we could get to this race. Thanks to all 3 of you guys, and Argie, who works with Stavros, because she was helpful as well.
For all that he's done, I've got to also thank Brian Shea. He's a competitor, a great father, a coach and an advocate for the sport. He was one of the first calls I made when I got hurt, and he's my go-to guy for all things triathlon.
Thanks to my friends from the Maryland Multisport Club, circa 2001-2003 - Larry, Peter Hibbs, Lisa, Dzul, Courtney, Peter Feret, Katie Ka, Astrid, Ron $ Willoughby, Tom Stott, Lindsay, hell even Tri Guy Tommy. Never has a more random crew of people been brought together by sport. From age and status, we couldn't have had more variety, but triathlon connected us. Peter Hibbs was mostly responsible for the club, so I guess you could say without him coming to MD from Cali and starting the club, you never know if I would have even gotten into it. And we have entomology to thank for that. Peter is such a laid-back California dude, but was secretly super competitive, and more than anything a great leader. Tri Guy Tommy was the complete opposite, but was a great competitor and truly terrific training partner for the time we trained together. His guidance and discipline was invaluable in helping lay the groundwork for my future in the sport. Lisa, my teammate on team Skeet Skeet (Lancaster!), and my friend, even though you still have my Scooby Doo pajama pants and probably got rid of them, I am glad to have joined you finally on the ironman bandwagon. Katie Ka, one of the truest runners out there. She runs because she honestly likes running. I wish there were more of you! Big Peter Feret, you're the man. I thank you for your uncanny life wisdom. You are my guru.
But the real mascot of that group is Larry. Larry has kept all of us connected over the years, and always provided perspective. Larry is a pioneer of the sport and has a thousand stories that will illustrate just how long he's been around. He's been one of my biggest supporters and as I crossed the line on Sunday, I wished he could have been right there. That one was for you, Larry. Thanks for everything.
Over the years I've made tons of friends, mostly through sports/the sport, and each of them has left me a little better than they found me. Cara, thanks for teaching me how to do flip-turns, and for helping get me really, really drunk in New Orleans all the time. Mike Prada, my friend and roommate, I'll always think back to our morning runs from Cumberland, our runs in Greenbelt, our runs to DC, our runs around University Park. 90% of our time together was probably spent running, and I'm glad I can finally run with you again. My girl Kristin Lubas, I'll probably never call you your new last name because Lubas is just so much better, but thanks for always supporting me.
My guys from home - my best friends since freshman year. Koot, Vic, Chima, Sgrizzi and P. We've had some great times over the last 15 years, and I hope to make it at least 15 more. Thanks for following along online on Sunday and for the shout outs afterwards. It meant a lot that you guys did that. My thanks also extends to your significant others, so pass along to Reese, Susie and Lauren.
Moving to Baltimore was the best thing for me at the time I moved here, and continuing to live here is still the best thing for me. It's almost staggering the number of people I've watched come and go, and the "group" has become an extension of my life. I wish I hated you guys more so I could feel okay leaving. But, I like you all, or at least most of you, enough that I stay put. Now, with 150 or so people that I consider part of the team, I'm not going to go through and mention you all by name, so don't take offense if you're reading this and you're like WTF where's my name!
OJ - you are the man. When you made up a 20 minute gap on me at Columbia 2001 en route to winning, you were my hero. I didn't know you, but I wanted to be as good as you were. And never in a million years could I have guessed that 4 years later our paths would cross. It's hard to believe I've known you now for 5 years. You are, without a doubt, the best training partner I've ever had. Never an excuse, always up for going hard, up for riding in 20 degrees. You brought light to my world as a cyclist when you took me to Frederick some years ago. Without you, I would still be driving out of the city to ride. And, even though I am really sick of Route 40, without you there would be no Gunpowder Loop, Mt. Vista loop, Aberdeen, Rocks, Leone Spring, whatever. And there would be no Wednesday Night Run, from its humble beginnings as a showcase of the shittiest parts of Baltimore to its slightly more sophisticated route. I absolutely could not have gotten to where I was before, or where I am now, without your help. Thanks a lot buddy. You are still an inspiration, and doing a great job as a new father.
Tom Stott - friend, training partner, de facto Physical Therapist, fellow Tour Crasher. We've had some pretty amazing adventures over the years, and I suspect that will continue. I'm grateful for all you and Patty have done for me, and for what you do for everyone you know. Two of the most genuine people I've ever met, and I'm proud of how well you're doing.
Team CYB - Zero, Pat and Alyssa. Three people who have known what I've been up to over the last few months, and knew what I was trying to accomplish. Zero, I wish it could have been last year and we got to race the whole thing together, and for that matter, could have trained together. That was a huge disappointment for me to not be able to do that. I wish you could have made it out this year, but thanks for sticking by me. And also for the super late text message Friday night while I was asleep. Ha, don't worry - I was smart and turned my phone off!
Pat, my bike sponsor and a blossoming champion. It's been a fun year and a half watching you get faster - and I say it in all seriousness, not like "man I hate that Pat's getting faster while I'm on the sidelines." It's tough to see our own growth, so being on the sidelines I've been able to see just how far you've come. Thanks for letting me borrow your bike for the race, and for helping me get back to where I am. From Luray to Red Bank, it's been fun to race with you and I'm looking forward to our synched schedules next year again.
Alyssa, how can I thank you for all that you've done for me? This little note won't be able to express it all. Thanks for coming out to the race and all the help during the week and weekend. Following the bike ride with my dad back in June, it was our Oregon Ridge ride that made me believe I could come back. Inadvertently, the rides we did to get you ready for your Ironman were what allowed me to do mine. Thanks for the prodding. It's amazing to see how committed you are to being excellent at what you do, and while I know you don't need anyone to say it, it's motivating. Here's to a great 2011 for you.
Clarkson trio - Arjun, Melissa and Brennan. My thanks to you guys is actually less running/training related, even though that's what brought us together. (Side note: I can't remember the last time I ran with Brennan, though, ha!) You are three of the best friends anyone could ask for, and probably the three nicest people in Baltimore. Your commitment to your family and friends is amazing, and what you did for me, particularly in the beginning of the year - I can't thank you enough.
FHR/TNT - It was the Fed Hill group that got me started here, meeting runners, forming the group that exists today. It is, in fact, how and why most of you are all part of it. We have Susan Sperry and Susan Kim to thank for FHR. But that allowed me to meet Spider and Tim, Godsey, Kip, Kris, Ben, Chrissie, etc...and most of all Jim Adams. Jim is the greatest advocate for sport I have ever met. Thanks for continuing to support me, and for all that you do for everyone else. That goes for pretty much everyone at Falls Road - Pete, Karen, Dan, Eric - it's like my 2nd or 3rd or 4th home. TNT over the years has seen so many amazing athletes, each just out because they like to run and want to get (or stay) fast, and each of you has helped each other achieve some tremendous goals. The TNT folks were the first ones to see me run again, and have been super supportive along the way, so quick thanks to all you guys, including (but not limited to) Seth, Suzanne, Diane, Denise, Eileen, Alex B, Terence, Collin, Dr. J, Spence, Dave P, Meg McNew, Dusty, Lisa, Doug, Kyle, Becky Parks (both of them!), Steve, Jeff, Tom Stewart...
Big thanks are in order for my old Friday crew, that really made running fun again when I got here - Mike Prada, BG, Andy, Jake Marren, Kris, Justin, Kip, Chrissie, Adami, the others that have come and gone. Kris, I thank you for your sage wisdom. I don't know anyone that old, except for Ben, so the knowledge the two of you impart is very valuable to me. Plus I just like running with you.
Justin, running misses you man. Amazing how we both got dealt real shitty cards. But, just as I have come back, so too shall you. And, like you've been there for me, I'll do my part to get you to where you want to go.
Alex, you're my boy Blue. Always good for a diversion, pumping some jams, having fun when fun needs to be had, riding when you need someone to ride with. Jen Koshy, the funnest Jen around. You too know what it's like to be out of commission, but keep smiling and having fun, so I try to keep that in mind too. Ben, even though you're gone, I still love you. And your insight on training and racing is profound, so I appreciate that.
Thanks to my little buddy Cheese, you descended upon this town and since you've lived here you've been a great friend. You've kept me motivated on the days I don't want to do things, and have also kept me in line when I should know when I need a break or perspective.
Then there's thanks to general posse members, like cousin Emily and Bryan, for putting up with me and the crazy sport. Sara Spears for being a great friend over the years, and because she continues to surprise me with her nonchalant ability to just go out and do road races or duathlons. Jennifer for her positive and unique outlook on life, LByrne for her constant excitement about things I do and for sending me Lucky Charms, Ryan Schmidt for his excitement and support from afar. My R2W friends - Carmitchel, Leyendecker, Brew, Clark, Bartlett, Hoya, et al., for keeping me on track. [Amended] I would be remiss to not mention Pasta Mista, my official dinner sponsor as I eat there twice to three times per week most of the time. Your pizza fuels me.
I realize this reads like an acceptance speech at an awards show, and I would be way beyond the WRAP IT UP point, but I wanted to try and express whatever small amount of appreciation I could to all of you who have helped me on my way. I consider all of you part of my family, because I lean on you for help when I need it. They always say that the Ironman is a family affair, that your family sacrifices just like you do. Sometimes I got to train with people, but a lot of it - I'd say upwards of 90% this time around - I did on my own. I can certainly do that, it's not a big deal. But I wouldn't want to do it if it weren't for everyone's support. My relatives are proud and I don't think they even know what it is I did.
I wanted this race for me, not that I even care so much about what the race "means" because shoot, I don't need a race to validate myself as a triathlete. I just like racing. I wanted to do this race as a way of repaying all of the support that is graciously shown to me from literally hundreds of people. So, to finally confirm what I have known for years, I am an Ironman.
Friday, November 19, 2010
Passport to Tempe
To know me is to also know that, among other things I am constantly and consistently late for, the airport is my favorite. There's a rush I get when I'm running really, really late. Since I haven't checked a bag since I flew to Australia some years ago, I can normally get away with this*, but since I had to check a bike box, I knew I had to be there at least somewhat early. I thought I had it all set on Thursday, I was out of the pool with enough time to get my haircut and then pack my stuff (yep, hadn't packed yet, flight was at 12:35pm). But then, just when I thought it was safe and I had avoided all the gym crazies, THWACK! Some dude starts rattling off about online stock trading. I crept closer and closer to the door, but my inability to rudely walk away when the situation warrants it was the death of me. 20 minutes later I was finally in my car, and now on the verge of running late.
I was 98% sure I had packed everything, but the one thing I forgot was also one of the most important - my watch. Fortunately I got word back to Ed, who was able to drop off the watch at Jen's, from where Alyssa picked it up later before she left to come out here.
I parked my car, hopped on the shuttle (sidenote: carrying the bike box in addition to your other stuff onto the bus is quite challenging) and got into the terminal around 11:48am. By the time I got to the counter, it was 11:54 I think. Apparently that meant late check-in and my stuff was not guaranteed. However, I experienced some good fortune in that the nice Southwest lady didn't charge me the $50 to fly the bike. That was marginally cool.
The flight is uneventful, other than being long and filled with old people (presumably snowbirds), and everyone seemed to be coughing. I was riding bitch in between two old ladies and quietly read my book, "Drink, Play, F@*k." When we got off the plane, the bike showed up but my other luggage, containing all of my clothes, did not. Everything evens itself out for me, I can never come out ahead. I got picked up by the hotel shuttle and checked into the Courtyard, conveniently located just a block off Mill Ave, in between 5th and 6th. In other words, less than 400m from Chronic CANTINA (they changed the name in the offseason!). It was now just after 4pm local time, and the weather conditions could not have been more ideal. Great temperature and most of all - absolutely no wind.
I walked around for a little bit, getting suckered into a number of conversations by random people. One of the construction guys working on the hotel saw my Maryland jacket and that led to finding out he's from Linthicum, and that he also worked on the Courtyard which is a mile from my home in NJ. Another guy on the street saw the jacket and told me he's from Ellicott City. At the Dunkin Donuts, the kid working was a nerdy filmmaker and was psyched to see my camera so that was a long conversation about photography.
If you've ever been to a triathlon, then you probably have an idea of what that scene can look like. Lots of nerds, lots of expensive shit, lots of talking about races you've done and races you plan on doing - but surprisingly not much talking about the race that's in 2 days. Well an Ironman is like that times a thousand. Probably because you have to be there so many days in advance and it attracts a different type of supergeek than your run-of-the-mill sprint tri. They stick out like white people in Harlem. Especially when you superimpose them in the setting of Tempe, a hippie-ish place in the shadow of its flashier neighbors, Phoenix and Scottsdale.
Once again, Alyssa bailed me out by picking up my bag at the airport, so I didn't get an opportunity to run last night. No big deal, I mostly wanted to shake out after the flight but I think the walking worked. Currently I'm sitting outside the Starbucks, where the temp is a balmy 57 degrees. Slight wind but not bad. Certainly not what it was like on Wednesday in Baltimore. Temp will eventually get up to 80 or just over, conveniently around the time I need to run on Sunday. Today I'm going to walk down to check in, then put the bike together and ride/run. Claire gets here in a bit so perhaps she'll join me.
Sidenote again: I just don't understand why people don't bring normal looking clothes. I mean jeez, you don't need to run around in and wear all day your tri kits. You look ridiculous. Compression socks. Visors. Your jacket that you bought when you, and a thousand others, qualified for Age Group Nationals.
I love it, and wouldn't have it any other way. You know you're at a triathlon.
Oh, and I did get my favorite - grilled fish burrito - last night from Chronic CANTINA. I am not sure what my food choices will be just yet for tonight and tomorrow, but Sunday, rest assured, Attack of the Taco, part deux, immediately following the race. Presuming I can walk.
I was 98% sure I had packed everything, but the one thing I forgot was also one of the most important - my watch. Fortunately I got word back to Ed, who was able to drop off the watch at Jen's, from where Alyssa picked it up later before she left to come out here.
I parked my car, hopped on the shuttle (sidenote: carrying the bike box in addition to your other stuff onto the bus is quite challenging) and got into the terminal around 11:48am. By the time I got to the counter, it was 11:54 I think. Apparently that meant late check-in and my stuff was not guaranteed. However, I experienced some good fortune in that the nice Southwest lady didn't charge me the $50 to fly the bike. That was marginally cool.
The flight is uneventful, other than being long and filled with old people (presumably snowbirds), and everyone seemed to be coughing. I was riding bitch in between two old ladies and quietly read my book, "Drink, Play, F@*k." When we got off the plane, the bike showed up but my other luggage, containing all of my clothes, did not. Everything evens itself out for me, I can never come out ahead. I got picked up by the hotel shuttle and checked into the Courtyard, conveniently located just a block off Mill Ave, in between 5th and 6th. In other words, less than 400m from Chronic CANTINA (they changed the name in the offseason!). It was now just after 4pm local time, and the weather conditions could not have been more ideal. Great temperature and most of all - absolutely no wind.
I walked around for a little bit, getting suckered into a number of conversations by random people. One of the construction guys working on the hotel saw my Maryland jacket and that led to finding out he's from Linthicum, and that he also worked on the Courtyard which is a mile from my home in NJ. Another guy on the street saw the jacket and told me he's from Ellicott City. At the Dunkin Donuts, the kid working was a nerdy filmmaker and was psyched to see my camera so that was a long conversation about photography.
If you've ever been to a triathlon, then you probably have an idea of what that scene can look like. Lots of nerds, lots of expensive shit, lots of talking about races you've done and races you plan on doing - but surprisingly not much talking about the race that's in 2 days. Well an Ironman is like that times a thousand. Probably because you have to be there so many days in advance and it attracts a different type of supergeek than your run-of-the-mill sprint tri. They stick out like white people in Harlem. Especially when you superimpose them in the setting of Tempe, a hippie-ish place in the shadow of its flashier neighbors, Phoenix and Scottsdale.
Once again, Alyssa bailed me out by picking up my bag at the airport, so I didn't get an opportunity to run last night. No big deal, I mostly wanted to shake out after the flight but I think the walking worked. Currently I'm sitting outside the Starbucks, where the temp is a balmy 57 degrees. Slight wind but not bad. Certainly not what it was like on Wednesday in Baltimore. Temp will eventually get up to 80 or just over, conveniently around the time I need to run on Sunday. Today I'm going to walk down to check in, then put the bike together and ride/run. Claire gets here in a bit so perhaps she'll join me.
Sidenote again: I just don't understand why people don't bring normal looking clothes. I mean jeez, you don't need to run around in and wear all day your tri kits. You look ridiculous. Compression socks. Visors. Your jacket that you bought when you, and a thousand others, qualified for Age Group Nationals.
I love it, and wouldn't have it any other way. You know you're at a triathlon.
Oh, and I did get my favorite - grilled fish burrito - last night from Chronic CANTINA. I am not sure what my food choices will be just yet for tonight and tomorrow, but Sunday, rest assured, Attack of the Taco, part deux, immediately following the race. Presuming I can walk.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Finals Week
This week kind of feels like finals week in college.
Except I've prepared infinitely more for this test than any I took in college.
The one truth is that, for this type of examination, cramming don't do shit. It would be such a novel idea to have a 'taper' for tests in college. Imagine that - not studying that much. Oh wait, that's what earned me those amazing grades...
While the physical studying has been done, and midterms are long behind, there is still a lot of cramming going on, of the odds and ends variety. You just have to be so prepared, it's really nuts. I can go to any running race with a pair of kicks and some clothes. The amount you take to a destination triathlon makes your neighbors ask if you're moving out. At least the ironman is a long enough race to make it worth bringing all that stuff.
My least favorite news of the day was about the water temperature in Tempe Town Lake. Just 10 days ago, Claire did a 4k open water swim there and the water (recently refilled following the damage to the dam) was a balmy 71 degrees. People were swimming without wetsuits and it was probably glorious. Fast-forward to today and allegedly the temps have dipped to 62, and expecting to drop potentially a little more. Well, at least I know how awfully cold that was last year and can brace for it this year. Although there really is no bracing for it, that's just cold. Nothing I can do about it.
Since I'm a huge procrastinator, I'll start packing tonight. Normally I would wait until about an hour before my flight, but even I know this is going to be more work. I fly out Thursday around noon:thirty, and arrive in Phoenix at 4pm. I don't know how that works. I feel like it should net zero itself and I should be there at the same time I left. I'll get there too late to check in for the race on Thursday, so it'll be a short run followed by probably Chronic Taco for me. Too bad Zero will miss out on that this year.
I just got back from my last little ride and man was that rough. I planned on riding today, just doing my 2 hour Gunpowder Loop, riding the TT bike again - but the weather had other plans. People that don't ride bikes can't contemplate that just because the sun is out and the temperature is relatively mild, it doesn't make it a nice day. With home-damaging winds in the area since last night, I attempted to head out and immediately was getting thrashed. The wind was angry, and every flag I saw was getting whipped like it had just had relations with the master's daughter and attempted to run away. I had to use the kung-fu death grips on the bullhorns just to stay upright and out of the way of the unusually high traffic. Maybe rode in the aerobars for 5 minutes total. It was the weather's way of saying fuck you, Ryan, we don't want to see you make it to this race.
But at least I got out of it unscathed. Tomorrow morning I'll hit the pool for a little bit before flying. I'll have my laptop and may check in once more before race day, but if not, as always you can follow along online at www.ironmanlive.com.
Except I've prepared infinitely more for this test than any I took in college.
The one truth is that, for this type of examination, cramming don't do shit. It would be such a novel idea to have a 'taper' for tests in college. Imagine that - not studying that much. Oh wait, that's what earned me those amazing grades...
While the physical studying has been done, and midterms are long behind, there is still a lot of cramming going on, of the odds and ends variety. You just have to be so prepared, it's really nuts. I can go to any running race with a pair of kicks and some clothes. The amount you take to a destination triathlon makes your neighbors ask if you're moving out. At least the ironman is a long enough race to make it worth bringing all that stuff.
My least favorite news of the day was about the water temperature in Tempe Town Lake. Just 10 days ago, Claire did a 4k open water swim there and the water (recently refilled following the damage to the dam) was a balmy 71 degrees. People were swimming without wetsuits and it was probably glorious. Fast-forward to today and allegedly the temps have dipped to 62, and expecting to drop potentially a little more. Well, at least I know how awfully cold that was last year and can brace for it this year. Although there really is no bracing for it, that's just cold. Nothing I can do about it.
Since I'm a huge procrastinator, I'll start packing tonight. Normally I would wait until about an hour before my flight, but even I know this is going to be more work. I fly out Thursday around noon:thirty, and arrive in Phoenix at 4pm. I don't know how that works. I feel like it should net zero itself and I should be there at the same time I left. I'll get there too late to check in for the race on Thursday, so it'll be a short run followed by probably Chronic Taco for me. Too bad Zero will miss out on that this year.
I just got back from my last little ride and man was that rough. I planned on riding today, just doing my 2 hour Gunpowder Loop, riding the TT bike again - but the weather had other plans. People that don't ride bikes can't contemplate that just because the sun is out and the temperature is relatively mild, it doesn't make it a nice day. With home-damaging winds in the area since last night, I attempted to head out and immediately was getting thrashed. The wind was angry, and every flag I saw was getting whipped like it had just had relations with the master's daughter and attempted to run away. I had to use the kung-fu death grips on the bullhorns just to stay upright and out of the way of the unusually high traffic. Maybe rode in the aerobars for 5 minutes total. It was the weather's way of saying fuck you, Ryan, we don't want to see you make it to this race.
But at least I got out of it unscathed. Tomorrow morning I'll hit the pool for a little bit before flying. I'll have my laptop and may check in once more before race day, but if not, as always you can follow along online at www.ironmanlive.com.
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