St. Anthony's Triathlon

Just two days ago I finished the St. Anthony's Triathlon, down in St. Petersburg FL. It's one of the biggest triathlons in the United States, with over 3,000 finishing this year. It's my first triathlon since I did the Hagerstown Triathlon back in the late 1980s: at least 23 years ago.

My time was 2:57:33, with the results broken down below ...

It was a great day for a race. We needed to be there by around 6 AM and it was very blustery then, so blustery that they shortened the course length for the swim, and moved the start and finish points for it as well. There was very low humidity, and it did not get too hot that day. There was a nice breeze, which really helped keep me cool during the run.

The entrants were broken out into about 30 categories, based on age, gender, pro, elite amateur, novice, etc. I was in the novice men's group, which was the very last group to start. While the first group started around 7:00 AM, we started at 9:20 AM.

By that point, the water was not so choppy and the wind had calmed down a bit. I am a very strong swimmer but not fast at all and do not have a good technique for freestyle, which is the fastest stroke. So instead I did breaststroke and sidestroke, and still finished faster than my training times in the pool. That's still not saying much as I came in like the bottom 10 percentile in the swim.

With the change in course for the swim, the finish point was about a half mile away from the transition area, where all the bikes are. The pathway to the transition area was a cement sidewalk, and unless you brought an extra pair of shoes or flip flops, you had to run it barefoot. I have problems running in shoes without prescription orthotics, so it was pretty painful for me and I injured my left heel. (Not too seriously - it healed a few days later.)

Extreme workouts make me a little stupid. When I mentioned this to a scientist friend, he said that the drop in glucose and electrolytes causes it. He said that the brain uses a lot of glucose, and that my muscles had taken it all. That explains my train of thought when I found my bike, with two pairs of shoes, socks, all laid out on top of a towel, and the helmet and gloves on the handlebars:

"Okay, there are two pairs of shoes. I'm going to bike now. Those closest ones are the biking shoes. They go on my feet. But first I have to put socks on. But before that, I need to clean off my feet. That's what the towel is for. But to do that I need to sit down. So I better sit down. Where do I sit down without getting dirt on my behind?  ... etc." I literally had to think through putting on a pair of shoes with velcro fasteners.

The biking is easily my best sport and where I had my best time relative to the other male athletes my age. I passed dozens of people, maybe a hundred or more, and not one person passed me. That in itself is exhilarating, especially when I had a burst of energy and was going 23, 25 miles per hour.

The course for the ride and the run was mostly very beautiful. I had forgotten how nice St. Pete is in so many neighborhoods. It was certainly flat. The only hills were bridges over drainage canals. The race officials and police were pretty good about keeping vehicles off the road, with only one stretch where you had to share the road with cars (although the racers had their own lane).

Transition to the run went a little better, but by this point I was no longer fresh and my running pace slowed down pretty considerably from my normal training times. In hindsight, it was also obvious to me that I did not drink enough water or take in enough glucose drinks during the ride. I had two bottles with me, one with water and the other with energy drink. I probably would have done better if they were both energy drink.

For the run, there were water and gatorade stations  every mile, and I took one or both at every mile. Maybe it was the placebo effect, but I swear I immediately felt better when I had the energy drink. By mile 4 or so, I actually got a bit of a second wind, and was able to run the last half mile or so, rather than the jog I had done most of the race. Three times during the run, I slowed to a walk for 30 seconds.

Throughout the race, but particularly with the run, the vibe was very up, very positive. Lots of families cheered us on, and lots of the charity teams also cheered everyone on. By the finish, it was quite warm, and it is always pretty emotional to finish.  Here are my times broken out by event:

Swim (1,000 meters): 24:52
Transition: 9:29
Ride (40 km): 1:17:30
Transition: 3:28
Run (10 km): 1:02:14

You can look for yourself here and just enter my name.

Lots of lessons learned. Some that come to mind:

1. Bring an extra pair of shoes or slippers or something to run in. With triathlons on the open water, the swim course is often changed or shortened. With my feet the way they are, foot protection is pretty much essential.
2. As mentioned earlier, have electrolyte replacement in both water bottles. I don't think you can drink too much of that in this type of event, lasting two hours plus, especially in the heat and sun like last Sunday.
3. Train more. Training for each event only twice a week means training 6 days a week. I was lucky to do four trainings in a week. For four weekends before the race, I did no training.
4. Take swimming lessons. The swim was easily my worst time, and the one where I can make the best improvement. Getting the mechanics of the freestyle stroke right will go a long way.
5. Get more bike equipment, especially the handlebars for a more horizontal position like shown here.
Even though it wasn't too windy, I could feel it often during the ride, especially when I sat more upright while drinking.
6. Next on the equipment list would be a device to allow me to drink while in that more tucked position. I'm thinking of something like this.
7. Ride more. I could probably build my speed up considerably.

I'm not sure if the bug has bitten me hard yet for triathlons, but it sure has for biking again. Race bikes? Hmmm.

Country bike ride

Today I went to my brother's place and had a great ride. It was sunny and fairly warm - about 56, but also very windy. The route was fun and it's here. It's almost 23 miles, 37 km.
It's also shown below.

Swim time, comparisons

It's been a pretty rainy day all day today, so no biking this weekend. I did get up to Wilson Aquatic Center and did the 1500 meters in a time of 43:05. I'm not pushing off, and I took few breaks. Almost all of it was breast stroke, with a bit of sidestroke and backstroke to break up the monotony a little.

Looking at what folks last year did at the St. Anthony's triathlon, this is pretty slow. Like really slow. The median time for the swim for men my age group was around 33 minutes. However, I do much faster than the median for both the biking and the running. The average pace for my age group for the ride was about 19 mph, and the run was over a 9 minute mile. Given how I have not done them all contiguously, I am sure my race time will be lower than the standalone time.

I don't have a precise time for the biking yet because I have not yet been on an open course for the entire length. That will be a goal for the ride two weeks from now.

Mission Accomplished Part II

I did the ride in the posting mentioned below - the link is here and the map (with distance in km) is shown above. The idea was to do 40 km., the distance for the triathlon, and I got close enough. I didn't track the time, but when I was on the open road on Beach Drive in Rock Creek Park, I was averaging near 20 mph or higher.

Riding in the city and along the bike trail is pretty slow: lots of debris on the trail, as well as lots of traffic: walkers, runners, other bicyclists.

Once you get a fair bit above the National Zoo, you can go faster. On the weekends, much of Beach Drive is closed to automobile traffic. There are lots of walkers, runners, and bicyclists. Many of the bikers are families with very young children: I think it's great for families to do that kind of thing together.

Still the road is a quite-wide two lanes, so it's easy to get up some speed along the way. There was a bit of a breeze from the South. The road surface on Beach Drive is pretty good for the most part, so I was able to get some real speed: up to 23 mph on flats, and close to 27 mph on the few smallish downhills.

I got a latish start, after 4PM, but made it back before 6PM.

30 Mile Ride

Today the weather was typical, I guess, for February in DC. The temperature this afternoon when I rode was about 45, and it was a hazy sun when I started, and clouded over completely as I rode.

Laps at Hains Point, the whole distance was a nice 30 miles. I broke the 100 mile mark on the odometer, so I can take the bike in for free servicing. I need a longer stem for the handlebars, and the seat maybe raised a little.

The ride itself was good. I probably averaged around 18 or 19 mph. There was little wind, maybe slightly from the north and west. I had a water bottle with me for the first time, and drank almost the whole thing. I was faster than everyone else riding today, except one guy passed me as I left the course to head back home. He was fast, probably going 20 or more.

Slow progress

Last Wednesday I rode with the running partner; we did 4 miles. Didn't get a serious bike ride in this weekend, but did the ride on the left and swam 1,500 meters at Wilson Aquatic Center. (The route is here: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=4289724 )

Last Sunday went to the new Arena Stage and saw The Arabian Nights. Great production.

Progress on all fronts

Yesterday I got in two events: swam 1500 (or 1600) meters at Wilson Aquatic Center in Tenleytown. (I lose count of the laps.) I was slow as I did not have goggles and didn't want to lose my contacts, so I only did the breast stroke and side stroke. It took about 45 minutes, and I was pretty tired (and famished) when I was finished. I had some chores to take care of, so I couldn't ride the bike right away. About two hours later, I got on my bike and rode (only) 15 miles. I didn't have the time to do 20 but at least I got the ride in.

This morning when I woke up my right knee was sore. I'm sure it was from doing the frog kick with the breast stroke. Took two Aleve and that really helped. By later in the day it was feeling even better, so I'm sure it's nothing more than overwork.

This afternoon I rode with my running partner and we did almost 4 miles. Here is the course, thanks to gmap-pedometer.com . Wednesday we hope to do a lunchtime bike ride ...

Another twenty one miles

I got out and did another 5 laps around Hains Point and the odometer says I did 21 miles. It was a nicer day but worse road conditions as there was still a lot of ice on the road around East Potomac Park, and the roads were wet in a lot of places as well.

But it was sunny, warmer, and winds were calm. Maybe 40 degrees. My average speed was much higher as I could get over 20 and 22 quite often, and the speed never dropped below 15. Most of the time I was probably riding 17 18 19 mph.

Last week there were few bicyclists out: just one group of five that blasted past me on one lap. I then caught up with them as we approached Hains Point, and then past the Point, the just shot ahead of me again. Drafting helps a lot.

Today, too, there were few bicyclists, but lots more runners than last Sunday. There were a total of five bicyclists, and I easily passed every one of them today.

Still getting used to the clipless pedals. I need to take the bike into the shop and get the shoes adjusted. I need to buy a water bottle bracket as well, and a rear light.

If anyone rides or is training and sees this, please comment or send an email. I would LOVE to have a training partner, for any of the three sports.

Triathlon training: beginning

Two weeks ago today, I bought a 2010 Scott Speedster S30, my first road bike in years. Last Sunday was the first time I went on a real ride, with shoes for the pedals and everything. I have never worn shoes for clipless pedals, so I spent some time leaning against a wall, just putting them in and pulling them off the pedals. After maybe ten minutes of practicing, I set off and within one block fell over. There are lots of stop lights in Washington, and I found out I have to pull a foot out well before when I need to stop.

I rode 20 miles on it, mostly laps at Hains Point. It was well below freezing with winds from the NW at 20-30 mph. Going with the wind was fun, almost scary. I was able to go over 25 mph. Going against the wind was another story. Then, it was hard to go 15.

Still I did it and am proud of it. Because of work and chores, I haven't been back on since. I hope to get some time on the bike tomorrow.

Low key

Last weekend was low key - the highlight was ironing my shirts. I'm trying to get the hovel habitable, and it's just this close to getting there.

No bike ride, and probably not one this weekend either.

Bike Sunday (bike ride beautiful day part 3)

Kate and I drove out to The Plains, which google maps tells me is about 48 miles from DC. From there, we did this bike route here which was really beautiful. A screen shot of the route is below:


The Plains is just off I66 and really in the country. The route took us to Middleburg, and then a bit north and west, and then we headed back south and into the village again, where we had lunch with this couple we met while riding.

The ride took about 3 1/2 hours, which wasn't bad at all given the terrain and the stops we took. I definitely need another water bottle and bracket - I ran out of water and that is not good. We had lunch at a nice little place in The Plains and also stopped by a farmers market out that way before getting on 66 and heading home.

Bike ride beautiful day II

Today was basically a repeat of yesterday in terms of weather: much better than what we deserve for August. I wanted to do a real ride today, so I set out the Route 66 trail, which starts as the Martha Custis Trail and then turns into the W & OD Trail (named after the railroad right of way it runs along, the Washington and Old Dominion). I wanted to do 45 miles, and then decided to go for a metric century, 100 kilometers, or about 62 miles. Here's the route, which ended up being 104.56 km, or 64.97 miles...

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=2159768

Here's a map -



You, dear reader, get to see each ride I do, if you read this carefully, so you know this is by far the most I've ridden since I started the blog. I'm a little tired right now, but feel okay. My knees are a little sore. Along the ride, I did not eat right or control my blood sugar well, so I had a "crash" feel there for a while. I did not do it too quickly, either, but at least I did it. Given the need to slow down or stop at all the cross streets, it's difficult to get much speed up along much of the route.

I had an extended stop with two dear and close friends, K & J, in Fall Church, just a little bit off the trail, so I really did a little more than the 65 miles.

Bike ride beautiful day

An incredible day here in DC today. I got a little bike ride in, to Pentagon City. Total distance was only 20.4 kilometers ...

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=2157229

Last week, it was a little different ... 31.6 kilometers ...

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=2157285

Both days were nice but last Sunday was a lot hotter.

Fun Stuff

Philip and I went for a great bike ride. Here's the part I did:

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=2072125

Beautiful day, a little warm.

Moved in

My niece came down from Rutgers in Newark to help me move in. The movers moved all the boxes on July 2; we made a giant dent in the unpacking. The kitchen is pretty much done; actually most everything is unpacked. I need to downsize and get rid of many things, and this is quite apparent when there is so much furniture in the place.

My niece is so great. We spent almost the entire time talking - asking each other serious questions, and not so serious questions. Comparing who we thought was hot, serious discussions about relationships, about what's important in life, like good health and family and friends, and what is not so important, like material goods.

Speaking of good health, I did a great bike ride last weekend:

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=2033013

46.4 km or 28.9 miles - really wonderful ride, mostly along the C & O Canal Towpath

Then yesterday my niece ran, and I rode my bike, along this route:

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=2051595

Total distance was 18.45 miles, or 29.7 km. She ran all of it but two miles. I would switch places with her and run for a half mile or mile - for a total of two miles running for me. So she ended up running almost 16 1/2 miles.

This morning we did this run, together:

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=2053444

It's the first time I ran since October 2007, and I wanted to do over 3 miles. We did it. And with no pain. (I have had foot troubles too.) I am so happy about that.

Pale yet sunburnt white middle-aged gay men for Obama

Today was the big Capital Pride Festival, where some 200,000 folks show up, walk around the booths, see some great entertainment, and feast upon the eye candy.

It seems like every GLBTQ organization had a booth there, plus a lot of straight organizations as well. The politicos have their booths, and the Obama booth was easily the most crowded. I volunteered, and my happy task was to get one hundred to people to sign a petition to show their support for the man. I ended up with 101. It took about 3 1/2 hours: I'm not a hard sell kind of guy. But it was fun and worth the effort.

Even though I put on sunblock, I got red (hence today's title). It was interesting human interplay. Lots of people came up to me, asking to sign. Honest to God. Really refreshing.

While it was hot, it was not humid, and there was a breeze just about the whole time. The sun though was unrelenting. After about maybe 2 1/2 hours of this, there was a point where I must've become a little dehydrated, because I was just not thinking very clearly. When I realized what was happening to me and I mentioned it to one of the guys signing on, he went and got me a bottle of water! And he wasn't hitting on me! Seriously, it was just one of those events that rekindles your faith in people.

After I handed in my petitions, I walked around a little. Throughout the day, I saw a lot of my friends, which was really great. Some knew I was back; a lot didn't.

Before I came home, I went to a bike shop and bought a helmet. Yay! Definitely down on the brain damage thing.

The other great news is that my niece is coming down to DC for Independence Day. I'm a lucky guy to have such great family.

Alive and more alive part 2

Monday, I rode to work, and along the way, dropped off an application for an apartment that I saw Saturday in Georgetown. Riding makes me so happy. When I was a graduate student here a long time ago, I had a stint as a bicycle courier one summer. Easily the most exciting job I ever had. Since I was paid by the job, I went as quickly as I could (as did all couriers). It was very dangerous: in that short time working, maybe 10 weeks, I ran into a taxi and grazed a pedestrian. Cut my arm pretty badly hitting the taxi, but didn't get hurt or hurt the pedestrian I grazed.

I was much more of a hot dog then; but I still run red lights whenever no cars are coming on the cross street. I don't go down one-way streets the wrong way: that's something I never did.

So, back to the present. At lunch I rode to see another apartment, and then a quick ride home, and then back to work. Of course, I rode home.

How do I explain the feeling I have when I ride? It's freedom, it's speed, it's the wind in my face, it's a competition with myself. It's being part of the world. It's an expression of thankfulness for my continued good health. It's loving the world, and all its ups and downs and smooth roads and potholes. The head winds and tail winds. The smooth roads, the gravel, the alleys, the streets. Feeling the sun and the shade.

Alive and more alive

I bought a bicycle today! A Cannondale that is better than my old Gary Fisher. Found it on good ol' craigslist for only $300. It rides really well. I'm happy.

Test riding the bike today was the first time that I've been on a bike since before the surgery. I didn't even think about it until I started to get on the bike. It turns out that it's not a problem at all. I went around the block - Sunday was a scorching hot day - and the owner was impressed with the speed. I felt so alive.

Sunday bike ride

What I hope becomes a typical Sunday: an early morning romp with Supadog playing some serious kong. A great breakfast with some home-made muesli, and then off to Edgecliff for some shopping. After a yummy lunch courtesy of V, we got our bikes out, topped up the air in the tires (or tyres as the Aussies would write it), and set off for Manly Beach. By bicycle, this is a bit daunting, because Sydney is one hilly city. Here is the route we took ... thanks gmap-pedometer.com: M&V go to Manly. Part 2 to North Head. Part 3 back to Manly. Ferry ride back to Circular Quay is here. Bike ride back home. Total distance rode was more than I thought - 35.3 km, or almost 22 miles.

DEAL OF THE DAY: Ice cream cone at McDonalds, Manly Wharf: 30¢!

Skuzzy service of the day: Max Brenner Chocolate at Manly Wharf. Really bad service cancelled out the great chocolate drink I had ...