Monday, February 7, 2011

superbeer sunday

superbeer sunday tri :)

   So after doing some good work outs for a few weeks, then tapering nicely for the week of the superbowl sunday triathlon I thought I was going to set PR's in all 3 events.  Not so ... Not so at all.

    Friday after work I knew I had to go for a 4hr round trip on Sat am plus work when I arrive at my destination,  after I return home I had to bowl that same night.Had to wake up early , 7am leave time.  The trip down to the southern-tier was good Truck got stuck so we had to walk up the driveway a little ways through 10" snow... no biggie I guess just annoying more than anything.  Do the work , goof off for a while , talk to some crazy hill billies, get out of town ... Burger king for lunch ... LOL  .  From there we arrive home then shortly after off to bowling.  Had a lot of fun bowled 641 (under my average) had 1 shot and 2 pitchers of beer.  So I get home and kinda go into hydration panic mode.  After drinking about a liter of water, and take nightime meds , Im off to la-la land... or so I thought... About 2 hrs of light sleep and I am awake .. its 1 am 7hrs 20min till I am in the water ... So I turn on the TV and hope... 2am , 3am, 4am, 5am all go by still awake ,  Driveway gets plowed and at this point I know I'm in serious trouble.  About 5:30 I fall asleep , 6:45 I'm up ... going to be a rough day for sure...

     7am off driving to the Y so I can see the set-up where the locker rooms are, pool, bikes, and track.  and the best place to stage everything.  Also a little early to meet up with new training friend/ partner Gael. Morning meds taken and about another liter of water taken in.  2 fuel bottles of gatorade and my running bottle with gatorade,  2 packs of honey stingers bag of crackers , I am as ready as Ill ever be.  Register fine, locker rooms fine,  see the pool ,  route to the bike good,  get on a bike and get my seat height and position figured out, check ,  to the track ... where is it?  oh its on the 3rd floor ... Check out the track run a couple laps ... some speed pickups to warm the body.  All set lets go meet Gael .  Her employer has sponsored the event and brought samples of some fine organic peanut butter ... she should be there since her start time is 8:45 and mine is 8:20 ... go into the food are .. peanut butter, almond butter, all there Gael ... not there... Now we have never met , and my phone is in my locker and I am almost certain hers is also... wait about 5 minutes looking around... No Gael ... well its almost 8am now... off to the pool to watch the first wave and stretch...  Loaned out my swim cap to someone in the first heat,  talked with strangers for a few minutes...  Nice couple sitting on a bench to my left.  The nice lady comes up to me "I assume your brian?"  .... hmmm  Race director?,  Someone from a previous tri? .... ... Oh wait Im supposed to meet someone here!!  "Im Gael"  YAY  FINALLY SOMETHING GOOD ... I meet and talk with her and her wonderful husband for almost the whole first heat... great folks :)  If you are on Dailymile you can find her .. Gael Orr .. Sadly we couldn't talk for long I needed to be ready for my swim and as soon as I am done she begins swimming.

   In the water .. not a bad temp .. comfortable .. cap feels good goggles are water tight ... arms feel good, and my plan was to swim down freestyle and back in the backstroke(  For breathing purposes and to combat the already present fatigue).  Whisltle blows I am off 3 racers in one lane .. I am in the middle of the 3 of them ... doing the backstroke ... I lapped each of them at least 2 times for sure... after about 10 min I ask the counter how many laps .." 9" he says ... ... 9 ?? really first off Im at the starting end so I should be on an even number plus I have not stopped swimming and been doing flip turns the whole time... (minus goggle fog)..  I figure Im at 18 down and back at 10 min .. so I am on pace to set a PR in the water... Whistle blows out of the water Gael is all set going into the water !!! GO GAEL!!!  Get socks , shoes, Nice white 2011 Indoor tri shirt from a previous Tri shirt on, headphones, water bottle.  Good to go I am confidant I set a PR in the water ... Off to the bike...

     Get to the bike set my seat position, and height, on the bike, strapped in ... Im ready lets go..   "In 3...2...1 GO GO "  music is pumping averaging 35mph for the first 2 miles... but I am in extremely rough shape,  pounding the gatorade to combat the heat... Im in the worst bike in the room ... the fans don't hit this bike... at all... So I am burning up badly... 7:30 "Half WAY"  My legs are ON FIRE My seat height is wrong ... wiggle feet out of straps, hop off raise seat 2 clicks, back on the bike ... Aaaahhh  much better.  look down 4.1 miles look at the clock 6 min remaining.... I know at this point I am screwed ... Im burning up from heat,  and I am almost out of energy ,  More gatorade ... pick up the cadence to 30+MPH ... Legs burning sweat dripping... Huffing and gasping for air ... Im done ... Bonked ... out of gas ... More gatorade and stingers and hope for it to hit on the run and have something there... "IN 3.....2.....1.... STOP good ride folks" ... Obviously didn't see my ride.  Im still hopeful at this point... to the track ... OMFG its 3 flights of stairs up ... Im bricked, bonked, now I have to go up 3 flights of stairs??  ... stop and fill up the water bottle on the second floor and hydrate more... Come on STINGERS... Electrolyte tabs x2 down the hatch...  Up to the third floor. ..

     Counter finds me all is good ... Lay down legs elevated to relieve the bricks ... 2 minutes till start they'll be gone for sure...  Get up out on the track all is good bricks gone... still tank is on empty... "IN 3.....2.....1..... GO"  and we are off 2 wide first turn ... single file second turn ... all is good I am in second on the run ... and was there for the first 8 laps ... comfortable pace no issues with knee, IT's, feel... just no gas or I'd totally smoke this lady .... push ..push ..push lap 2 people ... push push .... sweating bad now ... tell the counter on my way by "water bottle next lap "  push push .. there it is hydrate for a lap small sips swallow in between ,  breathe 5 times repeat .. military style.. so you don't get sick..  "3 minutes remaining" .. ok time to turn it on and bust some laps out... "BURPP "  oooh a wet burp.. .thats bad.... that urgent feel of vomit is there ... nope no longer am urge... instinct from the military is to catch it in my shirt and keep running ... no cleanup ... .... oh shit its a tech shirt .. and all it caught was gatorade color, oh well its over now... ... run faster ... faster ... faster. ..Oh boy theres that feeling again ... ... too  late again shirt caught nothing .... .. faster faster ... almost done.. "45 seconds"  sprint out time ... at lap end I look at the clock 10 seconds.. and I know I have to go clean up the track thats not fair someone else do it.... so I hop off and ditch my strainer (shirt) and one last hurl into the garbage can.  Counter hands me a towel and walk the track for cleanup..  I am covered in nastyness and walking a track on my hands and knees wiping vomit up ... Yeah gonna be a long day ... get back ditch the towel ... Thats right Gael is the wave behind me!!  I see her and her hubby explain the situation,  get her laps and bike distance .. She's doing great!!!  off to the run she goes... I need to change my shirt ... and get these shorts off me immediately... to the locker room for a quick change..


     I am very upset with myself at this point I had thought I was going to do so much better .. and I ruined it for my self... shorts off pants on new shirt on ... text coach about barf lol ... OMG We are going running tonight!!  That's cool though they are fun runs!  All square back to watch Gael and cheer her on ... Hanging with her husband .. Great guy !! friendly as can be :)  Bills fan ... hey at least he is loyal!!!  around and around she goes!! " 3..2..1 Great job folks"  run is done!  She's done for the day !!! she needs to change and hit the Peanut butter stand..  Im off to watch the soon to be winner in the pool ..

    Check my times and laps on both track and pool ... 14 laps in the pool .. are you kidding me?  really ??? there is no way ... I stopped swimming 2x once for goggle fog , the other to find out lap count... flip turns,  and I didn't improve from my first tri where I stopped 3 times?  The counter must have been to busy with 3 swimmers in one lane... great .. just my luck ... bike finished 7.1 mi . ... grrrr bonked,  a 1 mi loss from my last tri,  25 laps on the track ... not to bad could have been better...

    Over all it was a great day met Gael and her wonderful husband ,  great superbowl company with coach's family and our family ,  The tri didn't go so well but I now know more about pre race eating, drinking, as well as hydration during an event.  I would totally do it all again .. I love the small events they are a blast. ... you bet your butt that the R.I.T. indoor tri is going to feel the wrath :)

Thanks so much to Gael and Coach for the support and great friendship ,  and a special thanks to my lovely wife who has to deal with the aches, pains, and complaints about the events, and training, you truly mean the world to me ... no corny phrase can emphasize your importance in my life :)  143LPB

Be safe and healthy .. to bad about pittsburgh :)

Saturday, January 29, 2011

tri-and tri again beginnings :)

So I have never had a blog before .. I have read quite a few for sure ... I am not a good speller but hey this could be a great learning experience.

     It was a good week of training I was finally able to get out and beat some feet on the roads for the first time in weeks!!  Felt great!!  I think that my breathing is almost 100% now YAY but still consider myself a smoker.  I think the success of quitting lies in having a goal that is not smoking related.  For example I want to do the ironman 2012 in placid ,  it has nothing to do with smoking but smoking interferes with my goal.  If you know someone who wants to quit smoking , loose weight have them pick a goal that does not have that in it .. :)

    So Running Coaches Birthday she wanted to go beat feet at the YMCA and for her 31st b-day on the 31st wanted to run a 50k (31mi) ..  AND SHE DID IT ON A 1/16mi INDOOR TRACK ... talk about mind numbing !!  Amazing runner and if you don't have a running coach she is amazing ... she also has a untra race in Rochester coming up.  called "mind the ducks"  so if you are into ultras or want to come hang out with me and some truly amazing runners I recommend you sign up!  Or at least contact her consider it money in the bank :)  To her and Jimmy I owe you guys so much!!  from IT band stretches to long trail runs (still sore from them ;)  ) you guys are the best encouragement team on earth!!

     Im way behind in running and swimming and need to step it up .. I cant swim early in the morning as I do not have to coordination to breathe when I am supposed to.  I have not tried running really early in the am but that would be my only choice ... I am way to afraid of falling off the bike.... speaking of fallin off a bike ...

     So My cousin Melanie is planning to do an Xterra (trail triathlon) in July and my new found friend Gael (irish i think) is talking about doing one also.  I may have to get in on these but riding a bike down some of the trails jimmy and I ran would be nerve racking for sure.  I mean like broken bones scary,  not road rash , real hospital trips to get things either re-attached or sewn back on.  Mel and Dave said they are going to take me riding this spring/summer and im bringing Gael too so when they dust us and I fall she can help me LOL.

   Well I hope everyone has a safe few days not sure when Ill post again but this was fun!!