Ironman Wisconsin: Part II & Thank You's

Sunday, September 11^th

Dad, my brother John and I headed got downtown a little after transition opened and were lucky enough to get parking right on the street. We dropped off my special needs bags and then headed down to Monona Terrace. I checked on my bike to make sure everything was in place and then checked on my transition bags. While in the bike transition area I ran into Dave again.  We wished each other good luck and said we’d look for each other out on the course.

By 6:00 the area between the Monona Terrace building and parking deck holding our bikes was packed with athletes and their families. I got my wetsuit on and then headed down to the swim start after seeing my family one last time. I made my way into the water by 6:40, giving me plenty of time to warm up and find some space out of the way from everyone else. My plan was to stay out of the mix as much as possible during the swim start. After a moment of silence for those lost on 9/11 ten years earlier and the national anthem, the final countdown began. Once the pros went off it would only be a few minutes before we started.

The last athletes made their way into the water with about 45 seconds to go. Finally, the cannon blasted and we were off. It was then that I thought to myself, “What the hell did I get myself into?” but there wasn’t any turning back. I told myself that this race wasn’t any different than my previous triathlons… it was just a little longer. With the swim course being so close to the shore I could see the thousands of spectators watching all along the terrace. The roar of the crowd was incredible as we got started, and it was becoming easy to see why people love this race.

I started off in clean water with plenty of space, but within a few hundred meters I was fighting my way through the slower swimmers whom I had caught. I knew this was going to happen, but I figured that this strategy was safer than starting too far in the front and getting beat up by everyone around me. The mass swim starts in Ironman races turn it into a full contact sport, and I wasn’t looking to have any part of that. My goal was to survive the day, so I took a more conservative approach.

The Swim Start 

Once I caught up to the slower pack I couldn’t move through very easily, so I fought for my own space and moved through when possible. We headed into the first turn and thing got even more bunched up as everyone slowed to make the hard left. I didn’t, however, forget to partake in the IM Wisconsin tradition of letting out a loud “Moo” at the first turn. With hundreds of people all there at the same time it sounded like a herd of cattle had entered the race. Things stayed pretty packed until the next turn, but once through there things opened up again. About halfway down the backstretch a military flyover buzzed us in the lake letting out a thunderous roar. It was an awesome feeling.

I settled into a good rhythm and just counted off the buoys until the next turn. As I rounded the final turn of the first loop and started on the second, I found more clean water for a while, but eventually got caught in another crowd in the corners again. I turned down the backstretch for the final time and just stayed at a comfortable pace. I made the final turn and started to head to the swim exit. Luckily, there was a large inflatable archway that made sighting easy for me. As I got closer the music and crowd got louder. Finally, I could get my feet on the bottom of the lake and volunteers in the water helped get us out and running up the ramp.

I peeled the top of my wetsuit down as I ran through the corridor of fans cheering everyone on. It was here that I noticed my Garmin watch had accidentally stopped my timing almost immediately after I started. It didn’t bother me though, because I was only going to rely on it for the bike and run. I started it back up right before I got to the wetsuit peelers. These amazing volunteers call out to you and guide you into them, throw you on the ground and rip the wetsuit right off. Then they pull you to your feet, throw the suit into your hands and send you up the helix ramp that leads to transition.

The whole ramp was packed with people cheering on everyone as we ran up this corkscrew to the top. I had to ask another racer how long we were in the water since my watch had stopped. He said it was about 1:25, which was exactly what I was planning on. So far, so good. I saw my mother, Joan, John and Aunt Beth once I reached the top, which was great.

I ran inside of Monona Terrace where I was immediately greeted by a volunteer at the door who called out my number, and another volunteer then grabbed my bag off the floor, handed it to me and sent me towards the changing area. Once in that room another volunteer dumped my bag of the floor and started to help with my bike gear. I was already in my tri suit, so I just had to put on my socks, shoes, helmet and glasses. I grabbed my nutrition packs and headed out the other end of the room while the same volunteer packed up my swimming gear.

I made it outside and ran into the bike transition area. Volunteers yelled my number down the line until I reached my rack where another volunteer had pulled out my bike and gave it to me as I ran by. My dad and John called out to me and said they’d see me out on the bike course. I reached the bike mount line, hopped on and coasted down the helix parking ramp to start the 112-mile ride.

We headed away from Madison and started the 16-mile trip out towards the Verona loop. Being a middle-of-the-pack swimmer meant that I was starting the ride bunched up with hundreds of other riders. Although USAT preaches strict no draft rules, there’s really not much you can do when so many people start out at the same time. The whole way out towards Verona looked like a large group training ride. Some people took off while others were going slower than me. I checked my speed and heart rate to make sure that I wasn’t starting off too quickly and decided to back off a bit. It was going to be a long ride, and historical wisdom about this race says not to overdo the first half of the bike. The route out to the loop was a net uphill, which didn’t seem to hurt on the way out and would certainly be a blessing on the way back into town.

Despite having only seen the course one time through a few days before, I recognized where I was most of the time and knew the tricky sections that I had noted. I didn’t want to push the hills too hard, so I made sure to stay in the saddle and use my climbing gears. I finally made it to the long climb taking us into Horeb. Once at the top I moved through an aid station where the volunteer fire company was out and had a ladder arch for us to go under as we moved through town. They had also lined the street with the photos of the 343 FDNY firefighters who had died in the line of duty ten years earlier.

The hills finally took a break (for a little bit), and it was about at this time that I realized how hot it was getting. All week the forecast temperature for the day had been creeping up. What was originally forecasted as a day in the low seventies with some cloud cover was now in the eighties without a cloud in sight. I wasn’t going to complain about the weather, but it was getting warm out and there wasn’t much shade anywhere on the course. It was going to be a long, hot afternoon out in farm country.

I was looking forward to making it to Cross Plains where my family was going to be waiting. I knew where to look for them, and they were right there waiting. I passed through giving a quick wave but not wanting to slow down too much. I rolled out of Cross Plains and started heading south towards Verona. This turned out to be the most entertaining part of the ride. Although we were in the countryside, the crowd support, especially on the long climbs, was incredible. Music was blasting, grills were out and people took turns running up the hill alongside the riders.

I had finally made it to Verona, where Main St. was shut down for the race. There seemed to be well over a thousand people there cheering on relatives and friends as they moved through the town. As I made my way out of town it was time to do a quick status check. My special needs bag was waiting about two miles down the road, so I had to decide what I wanted to take. When I finally rolled through the special needs area I pulled over and dumped my bag. I grabbed the PB & J sandwich and package of cookies. I was also lucky enough to notice that the guy next to me was about to toss the rest of his sunscreen. I asked if I could use it, and he threw it my way before getting on his bike.

At 56 miles in I started in on lap two, but I could already the course getting to me in my legs. That second loop was going to hurt. As conservatively as I rode the first time through, I’d probably have to pull it back even more the second time. It was definitely hotter and getting harder to stay hydrated. Not only that, but all those seemingly insignificant hills the first time through now seemed like mountains. To make it through the second loop I just looked forward to the checkpoints I found the first time through: the ladder arch in Horeb, my family in Cross Plains, the family in the middle of nowhere sitting on their front porch blasting Jimmy Buffet, the fans lining the hills and everyone in Verona waiting for us to come through the second time. I was still feeling good, but around Mile 90 I was ready to be done with the bike.

I knew the second lap was slower, but I also knew I had saved enough energy to get back to Madison quickly. I made the left turn away from Verona and back towards the city. It was straight, downhill and the wind was at my back, so I could get back quickly and efficiently, and still give my legs a bit of a rest before the run. I might not have had the fastest bike split of the day, but at least I’d make it back. I couldn’t believe that I saw more than one racer on the side of the road on the way back to Madison, not with medical or mechanical issues, but just sitting with their heads in their hands. They just didn’t seem to have enough in them to get back and even start the run.

This was really the first time that I started to see the race as a war of attrition. It was now hot summer day and unforgiving course versus each individual. I wasn’t going for a land speed record, and I certainly hadn’t trained this long or hard for a DNF. I enjoyed the trip back knowing that I had survived the worst the bike course had to offer. The rest of the middle-of-packers around me seemed to be feeling the same, and the mood lightened once we were headed back. Soon enough we were in Madison and could see Monona Terrace on the other side of the lake. I made my way up the helix once again, ran inside and got ready to run.

I wasn’t thrilled with my bike split of about seven hours, but it made sense given my slow pace in the hills, and my stops at special needs and a few bathrooms along the way. I had known going in that 6:30-7:00 was the most likely range of time for me on the bike, and I just happened to come in on the higher end. I wasn’t going to dwell on it though. The toughest bike of my life was over, and there was no need to look back.

The bike to run transition was much easier than the swim to bike earlier. I got my stuff and headed out of the conference room. Then it hit me again. The dry, A/C driven air in the conference center got the best of me, and I started coughing uncontrollably. It was bad enough that my eyes started tearing up, and I had to stop for a minute. It was no help, though. I decided that if I was coughing hard enough to start gagging, I wasn’t going to throw up inside. I made it to the doors and over toward the porta-johns. Hands on my knees, I lost most of what I had drunk in the past hour or so, but I felt better and I had stopped coughing. The run was off to a thrilling start, and I had even crossed the timing mat yet – I was still in the transition area.

I got jogging and was running by the time I made it to the timing map and official run start. I took off up State St. and saw my family as they sent me off on the run. Mentally, I felt great, but I still wasn’t 100% there physically. I had taken in a lot of air in my coughing incident, and now I was full of gas. The first mile was fast, but I had to break at the aid station. I’ll spare everyone the graphic details, but I thought I was going to explode. This repeated itself over the new two miles – run, experience GI pain and stagger into the aid station. Finally, about four miles in, the issue subsided, but I could hardly call what I was doing running. I was slow, but kept moving forward.

Downtown was packed, and before I knew it I was on to the UW Wisconsin campus. One of the highlights of the run course is running around the football field in Camp Randall Stadium. It was flat and really cool running the sidelines of the actual playing field. Then it was out and another down the street before making a left on University Ave. By now I was four miles in, but unlike most road races, and even training for that matter, I wasn’t really paying attention to the mile markers. I figured that at that point of the day it didn’t really matter. I just needed to keep moving forward because the miles would take care of themselves.

I made another right and headed towards Lake Mendota. Once there we turned right and ran through another part of the campus. The key feature was moving up and over Observatory Drive. You’ll notice I didn’t say “running.” I ran down the backside of the hill and onto rowdy State St. It was only a few blocks long, but the sidewalks were packed, the music was blasting and the bars were all open. I saw my family at the end near the turnaround, which was about seven miles into the run. I made the flip and headed back onto campus. We moved away from the lake and back towards town.

As I neared Camp Randall Stadium again I slowed to shake hands with the guys at Madison Fire Department Station 4. They were cheering for the firefighters out on the course and asked where I was from. I told them I was from the outside of Philadelphia but reassured them that I was a Packers fan, which they loved. They wished me good luck, and I said I’d be back in a few hours on the second pass.

The run back into town was easier. By now I’d seen the entire course, and I knew what was ahead of me. I wasn’t going fast at all. By this point I had been reduced to a combination of running, jogging and walking. I was going on feel, doing what felt best. I realized that my long stride and fast walk were actually keeping pace with some people running. Of course they realized this too and some had less than kind words about it, although they were all in good natured fun. Even with this odd combination of movements, I was still moving forward and seemingly making good progress. I passed another competitor on the way back and then heard, “Hey, 110 Nutrition. Do you know them?” One10 is a primary sponsor of TeamFirefighter.com, so I had to find out who this was. I told her what team I was on, and she said that she knew Kyle, our team captain, through the nice people that run One10. It was nice to talk with someone for a bit, and it really proved how small the triathlon world really is. We talked about how our respective days were going, and then just kept moving on.

I finally made it to the turn at Mile 13.1. As much as I wanted to ignore the finish line ahead of me, it was impossible. The turn was only feet from the finishers chute, and you had no choice but to hear Mike Reilly calling out the names of the finishers and hearing the crowd. Mentally, I was doing well, and it felt great to be starting the second half of the run in daylight. This was just going to be a 13 mile run in the late afternoon. The countdown had begun. Now I was allowing myself to start counting down the miles.

Before I knew it, I was at the 16 Mile mark. I was down to ten miles. I told myself that was just a run down Broad Street; I could do that. I was up and over Observatory Dr. again. This time over I met a lady covered in road rash. She told me she had fallen earlier on the run, but she’d finish. That really summed up the mentally of a lot of people in this race – finish by any means necessary. Our times wouldn’t be great, but we’d make it to the finish line. We’d all have our own stories to tell by the time we got there.

Down State St. again, the crowds seemed bigger, the music louder and the atmosphere more raucous than before. I saw my family again and told them that I’d see them at the finish line. I was even closer now. Although it was dark, and it had been a long day, I was still feeling really good. This was largely due to the volunteer staffing and buffet that lined the run course. I was taking in water, sports drink and the occasional cup of warm chicken broth. If I was hungry, I’d grab some chips, pretzels or a chocolate chip cookie. If I was too warm, I’d stuff ice cold sponges into my tri suit. I was going to make this the most comfortable 26.2 mile slog in the history of Ironman.

It was dark by the time I made my way back onto campus and along Lake Mendota. The trail was unlit, which made part of the run a bit nerve-wracking, but it was still pretty cool running in the dark. It reminded me of the 20 in 24 race from earlier in the summer. I made the last turn along the lake and started to head back. I only had five miles to go and was feeling good. I was still passing people slowly, so that gave me some hope. This was really the first time all day, though, that I started looking at the people behind me. As slow as I felt, there were plenty of people further back. It was a funny feeling to realize that I wasn’t as far back as I had thought. Some of them looked good, some not so much.

There were only five miles to go. That’s once around the inner loop at Valley Forge National Park. Soon it was only four to go. Then it was three miles – a little less than a 5k race.  Everyone’s pre-race advice to me was right. No matter how tough the day was, they said, I wouldn’t feel a thing for those last few miles. They were right. I started moving a little faster. I was running up the last few hills.

It was six blocks up Dayton St., and then I was home. I hung the left on Henry followed by the immediate sharp right on to State St. I was at the capitol building and could hear the music. The first right turn came, and I was close. I made a second right turn, and I was closer. I ran through the special needs area on Main St. where the volunteers were welcoming us back and the first to congratulate us. And then I made the last left turn. It was finally time to stop and take it all in, slap high fives and thank the crowd for coming out so strong. I found my family about a hundred feet short of the finish. It was all over, and they were there to see it.

It took me just under fourteen hours, but I finally got to hear Mike Reilly say, “Lawrence Durland from King of Prussia, Pennsylvania – you are an Ironman.”

Thank You

This has been an amazing experience, and I’m forever indebted to so many people that helped me get to that finish line. I couldn’t have done it without you.

T3 Triathlon: Thanks for the support and guidance over the past two years. I’ve learned so much from so many of you.

TeamFirefighter.com: It was an honor to wear the team’s uniform on such a great day. Looking forward to many more great seasons together. Thanks Kyle for the encouragement and getting the uniforms done just in time for the race. Thanks & congratulations also go to teammate FF Dave Grady who also competed in first IM at the same race. It was great seeing you there.

Everyone at Vanguard, especially Jason Lewin, my nutritional supplement advisor, and the Ironman finishers before me, who provided great advice by telling me to relax and have fun during the race.

The officers and firefighters at King of Prussia Volunteer Fire Company – Station 47: Thanks for your support and understanding why I had to go do this on 9/11. I’ll be back around more.

The Gallaghers, Wrights & Martins: Thank you for support and interest in this pursuit. I felt like you were along for the whole ride.

Todd Turbett: Thanks for the interest in my training & race. You’ll make that finish line at Lake Placid next year.

Peter Zangardi: Thanks for acting as a one-man encyclopedia of every triathlon and group bike ride in SE PA. You showed me some great bike routes, and we got in some good rides together. You’ll nail that 70.3 next year without a doubt.

Billy & Tara Degan: For their support and for Billy getting me interested in this crazy sport. You’ll do this someday. Sorry Tara.

Mark & Renee Harnishfeger: Renee was a coach with USA Fit three years ago when I trained with that group for my first marathon. Mark was kind enough to lend me his entire Ironman library.

Dave Lazarus: Colgate OE alum, caving partner & IMLP finisher – Thanks for the inspiration & motivation.

Coach Jon Freeman: The man who took a former hockey player on to his cross country team at Shattuck-St. Mary’s 16 years ago. Thanks for introducing me to distance running coach.

The Thursday morning run group: Jen, Dana, Paul, Tom, Jeff, Suzanne and everyone else who tends to show up. Thanks for letting me tag along and not dropping me on those jaunts through the woods. Joan appreciates you not losing me along the way.

Missy Orsini: For showing Joan & I the gutsiest finish ever in a race – truly inspirational.

John Orsini: IM Florida finisher, advice provider and overall great guy that helped get this all started years ago. I don’t think Joan will ever let me listen to you again.

Brian McCarthy: For letting me spend most weekends over the past nine months with your wonderful fiancée. You two are so lucky to have each other.

Marita McCormick: To the best training partner ever. I never could have done it without you finding a way to fun even on the worst training days.

John P Durland: Thanks to my brother I never had a shortage of “good” workout mixes. See you at the finish line of the NYC Marathon in a few weeks.

Beth Matlack: Thanks for making the trek out to Madison for the weekend and cheering me on. You were such a help to all of us.

The Mulherns & Matlacks: Thank you for your support over the past year. I promise you’ll see me more often now.

Larry & Mary Kay Durland: Thanks Mom & Dad for supporting me in everything I do. I don’t know how to make any of this up to you. I’m thrilled you could be there at this special race and extremely thankful for everything you did to help make the whole week absolutely perfect.

And lastly...

Joan & John A Durland: I love you two more than anything else. I couldn’t have done it without your support along the way. I know it was hard on all of us at times, but you stood with me and saw me through to the end. I treated race day just like long training rides and thought of getting back to you as soon as I could. Seeing you on the course made the pain go away and was the highlight of the day. I know John yelled “Go Daddy” to just about every guy that passed, probably confusing most of them, but I know he was cheering for me.

Ironman Wisconsin: Part I

Wednesday, September 7^th

When you’re traveling to a big race it’s always good to allow enough time for travel disasters. While not quite a disaster, I had not planned on being delayed in Philadelphia for over 6 hours before flying to Milwaukee. Luckily, my parents were able to find things to keep them busy while they waited for me. I eventually made it there, and we headed west towards Madison. It’s never good when you tell yourself that your bike split could conceivably be faster than your flight’s delay. And that’s coming from a slow biker.

Thursday, September 8^th

Thursday was the kick-off to the Ironman Wisconsin weekend. I wanted to check in when registration first opened figuring the line would be shortest then. The crowd checking in was comprised mostly of people like me who had traveled quite a ways to the race. I met a few guys from the NYC area, and there were lots of Europeans as well.

Since the Midwest crowd and locals (Wisconsin & Illinois racers) wouldn’t show up until the next afternoon, I was able to take advantage and move through registration fairly easily. It also helped that this was the 10^th Ironman Wisconsin. This made for a well-polished process as we moved end to end and floor to floor through the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Monona Terrace. The volunteers were wonderful and helped answer any questions that people had. After signing my life away and picking up the necessary items, I was led back upstairs and into the Ironman Superstore.

You can buy just about anything with that ubiquitous M-Dot logo on it these days. I picked up an IM Wisconsin poster and two water bottles, but that was it. I didn’t want to jinx my race, since I had not yet earned anything with the Ironman title or logo on it.

It was still too early to pick up my bike from Tri Bike Transport, so we decided it was a good time to drive the bike course to see where I’d be racing and locate a good place for my family to watch. Following the course was pretty easy. Although I had printed directions, it turned out to be more fun to follow the neon orange arrows on the road and aero helmet clad triathletes getting in one last work out.  As we made our way west, I made sure to note key intersections, surface conditions and, of course, the 112 miles of hills that I’d be traveling over.

Unacceptable cheese curds

We drove the Verona loop and returned back to a restaurant that we passed early on. We got our first cheese curds of the trip, but I was disappointed by their lack of greasiness or adhesiveness. To me, a good basket of cheese curds should be a pile of lightly breaded cheese nuggets that melt together, making it entirely possibly to pick up the whole order by firmly placing a fork in the middle of the heavenly mass. What we got looked like an order of sweet and sour chicken minus the sauce, white rice or fortune cookie. My quest would have to continue.

We made our way back to the race HQ to pick up my bike from Tri Bike Transport. This is a great service that made getting my bike to and from the race really easy. As I was picking up my bike, I asked if everything had made it to Wisconsin as expected. They were picking bikes up all over the country and responsible for getting them to three races spanning from Washington D.C. for the Nation’s Triathlon to Las Vegas for the Ironman 70.3 World Championships. Apparently, a few bags destined for Vegas had ended up in Madison, but with a few days to go they weren’t worried. Their response, “That’s what FedEx is for."

We headed back to the hotel for a quick nap before catching dinner and then heading to the University of Wisconsin campus. There we met up with Mike & Beth Eaves, whom I still call “Coach & Mrs. Eaves.” Coach Eaves headed up the hockey program at my high school, Shattuck-St. Mary’s, and Mrs. Eaves was dorm parent extraordinaire with the world’s best chocolate chip cookies. I ran cross-country with their son Ben one year, and their younger son, Pat, was in my brother’s class. These days Ben plays professional hockey in Europe while Pat plays for my beloved Detroit Red Wings. My parents get to see Coach Eaves each year when Wisconsin plays Michigan Tech, but I hadn’t seen them since my days at SSM. It was great sitting with them at the student union and catching up. They’re still some of the nicest people you’ll ever meet, and it was great to hear encouraging words from them just a few days before the big race.

Friday, September 9^th

This was my last real day to work out the kinks and get off any rust from traveling. As we headed down to the swim start I assured my mother that I wouldn’t be the only one swimming. I think she was a bit surprised to see close to a hundred or so people putting wetsuits on, peeling them off, in the water or just hanging out practically naked in speedos discussing the aerodynamic properties of their new races wheels. For triathletes, being discreet isn’t one of our strong suits.

I took a quick 20 minute swim just to get used to the water temperature, clarity and location of the sun. This was some of the best water I’d been in, and getting in the water before the race really helped me to relax . After the swim I headed out on the bike for a bit. I just wanted to loosen my legs, shift through the gears and make sure everything was in working order. Everything went well, so I turned back, threw on my running shoes and ran a couple miles to end my workout. I was pleased with how I was feeling, so we wrapped things up and headed back.

Friday was going to be a day to relax, pick up some last minute things and start to really get ready for the race. My brother John was flying in from New York, and Joan, John and Aunt Beth were flying in from Philadelphia. I spent most of the day relaxing and napping. I spent the rest of the time laying out all of my gear and sorting it into the appropriate piles. It was a last chance to go through my checklist of equipment and make sure that I had everything.

That evening I attended the athlete dinner, MC'd by the voice of Ironman, Mike Reilly, and the athlete meeting. This dinner was very special because they reserved seating under the stage for Team 9/11 and the other first responders who were participating in the race. Team 9/11 was comprised of Madison Police & Fire Department members. All said, there were over 140 police, fire and active military personnel taking part in the race. I also caught up with fellow Team Firefighter member Dave Grady. We’d been in touch online for a few weeks, but it was great to finally meet him and talk about the race.

Saturday, September 10^th

An appropriate lunch

We headed downtown again with bike and transition bags in tow. The area was packed with athletes, friends and family all getting ready for the race. The Ironman crew was busy placing barricades and building out the finishers’ chute that we’d be coming down the next day. The atmosphere was incredible. Everyone was getting pumped up for the race.

Once I dropped off my bags and racked my bike, my dad and I headed up towards the capitol building to the farmers market. We caught up with everyone else and headed over to a restaurant called The Old Fashioned that Joan had found. We finally got the plate of cheese curds that I’d been seeking. I was also declared the winner of lunch having chosen a ½ lb burger smothered in cheese and BBQ sauce and topped with bacon and an egg sunny side up. I’d been stockpiling calories for a few days now, so there wasn’t any reason to hold back now.

Once back at the hotel, I had my dad take care of last thing for me. I wanted to carry an FDNY Squad 252 patch for the entire race. The squad is a sister company of King of Prussia Volunteer Fire Company, and one of our members has been friends with the guys there for years. On September 11, 2001 Squad 252 lost all six men working that morning. I was ready to race for them.

July Recap

Well, it's been a while since I've checked in. It's safe to say that there's a strong inverse relationship between time spent training and time available for blogging. Sparing many of the details, here's a quick recap of July by week.

Week of July 5th:

Relatively light workouts through the week, but the weekend featured my first century ride - 100 miles. Marita had mentioned it to me a few weeks before. It was the annual Bike-a-Thon ride for the American Cancer Society. We had a great plan. The ride started in at the base of the Ben Franklin Bridge in Philadelphia and would take us all the way to Ocean City, NJ where Joan, John and Marita's fiance Brian would meet us. I signed up for the ride and Joan started looking into hotels. All was well until I looked at the route map. The ride didn't actually go to the shore. In fact, it ended in Buena, NJ... in the middle of nowhere. 

So, our weekend at the shore cancelled, we did the ride anyway. We met up with Mark Kotarski of Kotarski Endurance Training downtown. A large group ride with hundreds of riders moves a lot like a river. If the course is wide then the current moves fairly slowly, but once the banks narrow everything speeds up. This makes riding with two other people rather challenging. You're dodging the racers and trying not to hit the people who just took the bike out of the garage for the first time in a year. The spectrum is amazing. Crossing the bridge and moving through Cherry Hill was easy, but once we turned off the highways and hit the city roads things got dicey. I was a few lengths back from Marita barreling down the bumpy road elbow-to-elbow with other riders. Suddenly, one of my two bottles shot of the bike. 

We were moving too fast to stop, and it would have caused a huge pile-up. Not worth it for a Gatorade which I could pick up at the first rest stop and replace. Not a quarter mile later my second bottle got shot off the bike. This was one of my personal bottles and only nutrition bottle left, so I had to pull over, run back and pick it up. I called in vain to Marita who was trying to stay with Mark, but she didn't hear. I grabbed the bottle, hopped back on and tried to catch up. Another rough patch of road and the bottle flew out again. This was going to be a long day. 

Luckily, Marita and Mark realized I wasn't with them and stopped at the first rest stop. We re-grouped and hit up the aid tables. It was then that we realized there was no sport drink for anyone, anywhere on the course. In fact, the staffers seemed a bit taken aback that we even asked where it was. I don't know, maybe it was the information distributed before the race describing what they'd have. So, I was down to three quarters of a bottle with 85 miles left to go. Not good. There was plenty of food, so we got some bananas, cookies and other snacks. We'd survive.

The route was still pretty packed until the second aid station at mile 25. After that it opened up a bit, and I got to experience the magic of a pace line. At it's largest we had two lines of 9 riders each moving along just under 25mph. The three of us hung in the back as no one up front wanted to peel off. We wouldn't complain. The group got broken up at the next aid station and then the hot slog began. There's not much else to report on. Right before Mile 60 the century riders turn left and everyone else goes on to finish. There weren't many people turning with us. 

The last 40 weren't bad, but it was lonely out there. There was only one aid station left, and it didn't have much. By the time we made it back and finished it was pushing 90 degrees, and we were ready to be done. We went to the aid tent just in time to find out that they'd given away all of their water. Apparently, they didn't think keeping water for the 100 milers was a good idea. At least they didn't give our food away. Marita and I quickly found my wonderful wife Joan and left. We felt bad not finding Mark again, but the idea of staying any longer wasn't appealing.

In summary, we did it and that's about it. There are no pictures to document the state we were in afterwards.

Week of July 12th:

This was a big training week coming off my century ride, and it was capped off by the 20 in 24 relay. This was team Just For Fun's second year and my first. Of course it was my training partner that talked me into this. The relay started at 10:00 on Saturday and went for 24 hours. The race consisted of multiple divisions that run together in the event and even some races that start in the middle of the night. Each lap was 8.5 miles in length, and our team of 5 was signed on to run 3 laps each. We made our camp on the beautiful banks of the Schuylkill River near Waterworks restaurant. I was running the anchor leg, so I had some time to kill before my first lap. I was worried about running last because the team had placed 3rd last year. I made it well known that if I was left running with money on the line that'd I'd probably buckle. Luckily for us the popularity of the race had grown, and there was some serious competition this year. By the time I toed the transition area start line for our lap 5, the team of Bucknell alumni runners was starting lap 6. No pressure for us.

We got through the first cycle, and the day finally started to cool off for us. Run, eat, rest and repeat. Lap 2 got underway for me around 7:30. About a mile into that loop I heard some footsteps closing in on me. I looked over my shoulder and was relieved to see that it was just someone out for a weekend jog. He turned out to be a good pace setter though which really helped me through lap 2. It also turns out he had a few Ironman races to his credit, so we found something to talk about as we ran. I finished that leg at a 7:44/mi pace which was 9 seconds/mi faster than my first lap. As soon as I finished I made sure to get some food, change and get in the tent. It was about 9:00 PM when I got in the tent, and I set my alarm for midnight. Given our paces, that would give me an hour to get ready before my last lap. I finally headed out a little after 1:00 AM. Everyone else on our team was asleep when I left. That last lap was hard, and I just couldn't get going. I finished at an 8:30 pace, which all-in-all isn't bad 14 hours into a race, running alone in the dark through Philly. 

I finished, and the team was there to greet me. We took our post-race team photo and called it a day. I dropped off two of our members and then got Marita back home. My day ended around 4:00 AM. 

Week of July 19th:

Another tough training week with only a little rest on Monday. The week was also the hottest so far this summer. The heat index was running at over 100 just about everyday. The beginning of the week was fine. It was merely a matter of dealing with the heat. I didn't actually mind it much, because there's not much I can do about the weather on race day, so I might as well train in whatever I have facing me. It wasn't until Thursday that things took a bad turn.

I started the morning meeting the group in Valley Forge, but I turned around about a mile into the run with some stomach issues. I just wasn't feeling well that morning. I made a plan to come back that evening. I went back after work and started running around 7:00. It was still pushing 100 degrees. I was only a few miles in and off trail by the river when I got the most horrible sting I've ever experienced. I didn't see the culprit, but I know it wasn't your typical bee. My right knee swelled up, and it became hard to run. There wasn't much choice but to push on. However, between the heat and this new obstacle my run quickly turned into a slog through the woods. I finally made it out and finished the run along the main trails of the park. By then the sun had gone down, and I felt a refreshing breeze cooling me off. I still had to walk a lot of the uphills, and I couldn't really get into a rhythm. I made it back to the truck and checked the temperature. It was down to 94.

Friday was a swim, but nothing too strenuous because I knew the next day would be big. Marita and I wanted to get a long ride in on Saturday. I came up with a ride that would allow us to pass my truck a few times. This way we could re-stock on food, drinks or whatever else we needed along the way. It also allowed us an out in case things just got too bad in the heat. 

We got some good hills in and a little over 50 miles when we decided it was best to rack the bikes and run a little. I wanted to ride some more but still wasn't feeling well. I didn't like the prospect of heading back out on the open roads alone and a bit out of it. I was pretty spent and the idea of riding another hour or two alone didn't sound appealing or all too safe. Marita convinced me to run with her instead and then call it a day. We ran 4 miles, and it was painful. I was done. I can't remember feeling so spent before. By the end of the run I could barely stand and wasn't talking much. I was pretty much out of it and all I could think of was how I would have been riding in that condition. Running was at least the safer option given the circumstances.

I thought it would pass in a few hours after getting some food in me, but this was the onset of the longest, most stressful week yet.

4th Annual Back on My Feet 20 in 24

As some of you may know I originally set out to do some fundraising with my Ironman. I had everything worked out to raise money for the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, but unfortunately things fell through on Ironman's end with charity work this year. As a result I haven't done any charity races this year.

Back on My Feet is an organization that works people living in homeless facilities through running. This year is the fourth year for the BoMF 20 in 24 relay race. At Marita's birthday party a few weeks ago she approached me about (read: strong-armed) being the 5th and final member of her team. Team Just For Fun is a gold level team which means we'll each be running three 8.4 mile loops on the Schuylkill River running loop downtown near the art museum. We start on Saturday, July 17th and take turns running until our team reaches the 126 miles we signed up to cover. We'll camp out, eat, sleep and run in all conditions until we finish.

So, to the fundraising part. I'm trying to raise $250 to cover my registration fee and make this great organization some extra money. Your donations are tax deductible as well. Please considering donating to this cause.

Click Here to Donate

Thank you for your help.

- Larry

Two Down, Ten to Go

After a lighter two weeks, it's back to the scheduled training regimen. In one way it's good that I don't have to be creative with my training. I just have to check the schedule and go. On the other hand, being able to see everything in front of me can get a little scary. Two weeks ago I started the final 12 weeks of training. The last two weeks of this session will be a taper which is just reduced volume that gives my body a chance to rest & recover heading into the race.

That time line puts me two weeks into an intense 10 week period that will give me the mileage needed to make it to the finish line. I knew that it would be tough to stay on track, but I am pretty happy so far. I haven't deviated too much from the prescribed program, which is good because that'll happen sooner or later. In the meantime, I have to stick to the plan as much as possible. The swim sessions, runs and bike rides have all gotten longer. Here's what I've put in over the last two weeks:

Monday - Friday Training Schedule with Weekly Totals

The hardest part of training like this is the logistics. The schedule is mostly two sessions a day, six days a week. Sometimes, though, other commitments don't allow that to happen. I often end up moving things around, skipping a rest day or selectively skipping certain workouts. I don't like to do that, but sometimes it's unavoidable. I don't know if it is because I am so close to my race or if I am intimidated by the distance, but I am really trying to adhere to this schedule better than I did with the first 20 weeks getting ready for Ironman Mooseman 70.3. I don't want to leave anything to chance.

Getting in so many workouts can be a juggling act, and it's forced me to get creative some days. This past Monday, I opted to sleep instead of getting up early to swim. I like to refer to this as strategic sleeping. Considering that I am up almost every day at 4:30 to start working out, I don't feel bad about trying to catch a few extra hours here or there. Doing that always has some consequences though. On Monday, it forced both my swim and run workouts into the afternoon. To make it the most efficient workout possible I ran to the gym, swam and ran home. Tuesday was easy since I was able to get both workouts done at the gym before work. That freed the evening up to spend with my family. 

Likewise, I knew that my Thursday morning run was going to require me to either run a bit before meeting up with the group or stay late to get all the prescribed mileage in. Luckily, Marita needed to run two hours as well, so that worked out well. As the group started we didn't even try to keep up knowing we had longer to go. We caught up with everyone back at the parking lot before going out for another 50 minutes or so. By the time I made it to work I already had a half marathon under my belt. The focus of Friday was a long swim equivalent to the distance I'll cover in the race. 

Yesterday was another big day as I put in my longest ride to date. Although the planned only called for a little over an hour, I knew a group of friends on T3 Triathlon were heading out for a 100-miler in their final preparation for Ironman Lake Placid. Marita needed a long ride too, so we decided to head out with the team and cut the mileage a bit short. I had ridden a similar route the weekend before, so I was somewhat familiar with the area. Things were a bit slow as were on city streets and not too familiar with the beginning of the route. The ride eventually took us through Evansburg State Park and Chester Springs. It ended up being just short of 80 miles in just under five and a half hours.

Ten weeks to go with the heavy volume, and then it's race time.

Countdown Begins: 12 Weeks to Go

It's been a great two weeks since Ironman Mooseman 70.3. I won't lie - I took some time off the week following the race. I ran a few times to stay loose, got on the bike a few times and even hit up the pool. It was nice not being tied to a training schedule. Mooseman occurs 14 weeks before IM Wisconsin, but my Half IM to IM bridge training program is two weeks shorter. That gave me two weeks to play with between Mooseman and getting back on the training schedule.

I picked things up a bit more last week getting in at least one workout a day. I didn't want to go into my second round of training having tapered for a week and then not doing anything for another two. While I didn't have a set-in-stone schedule, I was pretty good about getting out. Last weekend had a few highlights. On Friday I got in a fairly fast bike ride on the Schuylkill and followed that up with a short transition run. The run went great, and I finished at a sub-7 minute pace.

The next morning I ran in the Worcester Fire Department 5K. The race director is friend, Thursday morning run group attendee, fellow fire fighter and Montgomery County Fire Academy instructor Tom McGinley. I can't remember the last 5K I did, and I certainly can't remember the last one that I took seriously. I think I'd have to go back to high school cross country to find that, but given the previous night's run I was going to make a decent effort. This "decent effort" included warming up by running the course earlier and scoping out the terrain.

Jen Panetta was at the race too, and her son Chris even ran his first ever race before ours started. Suzanne from our Thursday group was there as well, so we had about half of our normal group. I won't provide a play-by-play of the race. It was hot, humid, and I ran hard. I came in at 20:29 but measured the course as slightly short. Either way I kept it under 22 minutes which I set out to do, and thanks to a small field, my effort landed me 3rd place male age 30-39. I'll take it.

The day wasn't over. I ran home, changed and headed to Ridley Creek State Park for Marita's surprise 30th birthday party. I refueled thanks to Brian McCarthy's skill on the grill and plentiful burgers and hot dogs. From there it was off to New Jersey to see my great friend from college, Karin, and her fiance, Rob. It was time to eat again, and the Thul family made sure that I didn't go hungry. It was great to see them. Joan and I can't wait to see them again at their wedding in September (after my race, thank God).

Karin's family asked how my training was going and how long it was until the race. I gave them an update and said that I was 12 weeks from the race. The response I got was, "Oh, that's lots of time to get ready." Then it hit me. No, it's not. I'm almost there. I'm down to counting weeks on two hands and one foot. In three weeks I'll be able to count using one less hand. Not only am I close to the end, but getting there isn't going to be a walk in the park. Hopefully, there won't much walking at all. There will be a lot of swimming, biking, running and eating.

My 12 week bridge program began this past Monday. The plan is straight forward. Two workouts a day Monday through Thursdays. Fridays off and weekends made up of long bikes and runs. That's about it for the next 10 weeks: all I need to do is stay healthy, keep my weight up and don't get hurt. There are some logistics to take care of - flights to book, bike transportation arrangements to be made and hotel rooms to either be filled or released depending on need. We'll get to those soon enough.

So, here we go. It's the final push, and from the looks of it, this training is either going to break me or make me an Ironman.

Race Recap: Ironman Mooseman 70.3

Sunday, June 5, 2011
Bristol, NH

Race morning began early Sunday morning with a 4:00 AM breakfast call at our Holiday Inn Express located a bit south of the race. The complimentary spread included one of my all time favorites: biscuits & sausage gravy. Adding in some yogurt, a banana, a cinnamon roll, some orange-mango juice and protein shake, I felt fueled up to get the day going. We had originally planned for me to hitch a ride to the race early, so that we wouldn't have to wake John up too early. However, after checking in the day before I knew that parking would be a mess, and that if she left even a little later than me Joan would be hiking a few miles with John to get to the start, so we decided to all go together.

We loaded the truck, sans bike, which had already been checked in the day before, and headed north. Despite all of the traffic, parking was extremely well organized, and we ended up not being too terribly far from the start. A little bit down the road we ran into Alexa, Julie, Andrew, Amelia & Heather, all teammates of mine on T3 Triathlon based out of Philadelphia. We reviewed our horrible drive up on Friday, and confirmed that they were pretty smart for flying instead. They were using this race as a final prep for Ironman Lake Placid, which takes place at the end of July. We were all excited for the race, and it looked like we had perfect weather.

After body marking I had about an hour to set up transition and make the short walk down to the swim start. As luck would have it, the two competitors next to me were no-shows so I had an extra wide berth for my transition area. With everything set I made my way to the water.

The Swim

My biggest concern going into the swim was water temperature. Despite some unseasonably warm temperatures in the previous weeks, the lake was hovering around 60 degrees. As the waves lined up in order I made sure to walk in the water and splash some water on my face to get over that initial shock. Doing that really helps, or at least it's supposed to. Finally it was our turn to head out, leaving about 12 minutes after the pros had started. I seeded myself towards the back and on the outside - a place reserved for slow swimmers not wanting to get run over.

All of my previous tri's have been an in-water, treading start. This was too, but the lake was so shallow that we were able to stand and run for a bit once the cannon fired. Then it was a few dolphin dives, and we were off. The lake was incredible. The rumor going around was that it was ranked the 5th clearest freshwater lake in the continental US. Visibility was easily 5-10 feet. The initial cold shock passed quickly, and I was glad that I had invested in a neoprene cap to wear. Wearing my full wetsuit I moved well, but I could tell I wasn't swimming as fast as my last two open water swims. I wasn't too worried though, because this was a long race, and it wasn't worth getting upset early.

Exiting Newfound Lake

The swim was about 900 yards out, a left turn and then another left 200 yards later. Finally, it was about 900 yards back to shore. Things certainly got more congested as we approached the swim exit with everyone jockeying for position. It was up the ramp and over to the incredibly hyper wetsuit strippers. These are one of the great benefits of doing a large race with hundred of volunteers. While it's easy to get out of the top of one's wetsuit, getting it down the legs and off your ankles without tripping can be a challenge especially when you're cold. So, you do the top half, run towards the strippers and flop on the ground. They not-so-gently grab your suit, rip it off the lower half of your body and pull you right up. This all happens in about 5-10 seconds, and you're on your way again headed into T1.

This was going to be my first test of the day. The water temperature was a minor concern compared to the air temperature. We were in a wooded area and most of the bike route would be too. Without sun and riding in a wet tri suit around 20 mph could be a perfect recipe for hypothermia. I'd just have to make do since I wasn't stocked with extra gloves, a coat, toe warmers or any other extra gear. My key to getting warm was to get on the bike and HTFU. I knew that the biggest hill on the course was only 5 miles down the road, so if climbing that didn't warm me up I wasn't sure what would. It was time to find out.

The Bike

We headed north out of Wellington State Park and on to West Shore Drive. The ride was fast and incredibly scenic as we were literally 5 feet from the water flying along the shore. Before making it to Hebron around the 5 mile mark two pros / elites passed me going back to transition in the other lane. It looked like some people were bailing early in this race. I was hoping it was for reasons other than the monster hill that lay ahead. I hit Hebron, made the left and started the slow climb. I had chosen not to drive the bike course the day before because I didn't want to psych myself out. I knew there'd be a hill, and I'd deal with it when I got there.

This hill was everything it was hyped up to be. Luckily, this is where my bike gearing became an evident advantage. A lot of others were struggling early, and this was only our first time up it. We'd be back about 20 miles and lots of hills later. I threw the bike into my highest climbing gear, stayed in the saddle and spun the whole way up. The race director had a sick sense of humor as he chose not only a long hill but one with its steepest pitch right before it topped out. And then I saw it. First one, then another. People were stalling, not able to turn their cranks. Worried they'd fall they had no choice but to get out of their pedals and dismount. There's no way your starting to ride again on a road like that, so they had to walk to the top. Ten miles into a 56 mile course and there were people walking the hill. This was going to be an exciting course.

Once I made it to the top I kept spinning, shifted down and got some calories in me. Just as it was a long way up, it was going to be a long, fast way down the back side. It was also the most beautiful part of the course. Unfortunately, it's hard to take that in when you're holding on to dear life at 35-40 mph, picking lines in turns and trying not to kill yourself with one stupid misjudgment. We eventually hit the top of the course and actually had to start pedaling again. Once we made it back to the lake we turned left along North Shore Rd and went back through Hebron before tackling the hill a second time.

With everyone spread out a bit more throughout the course there was more room to start the ascent the second time. I think since I'd been up it once already and now had a vague sense of what to expect, the second climb seemed easier than the first. I knew where the top was this time through. Again a few others were reduced to walking and from a much lower start this time. I try to pay attention to how much energy I'm exerting since I don't ride with a power meter to tell me. This is called rate of perceived exertion (RPE) and is used in a lot of training methods. What I hadn't heard of was rate of perceived exertion as interpreted by others (RPEAIBO). I was caught a bit off guard as I heard, "For God's sake 360! At least breathe hard and make it look like you're working!"

56 miles later coming into T2.

I was sticking to my plan, and it was working. I knew I could make it to the top and keep it together through the rest of the bike. With more space, I made the descent even faster the second time down. It was a thrilling ride. Once I was headed back to town part of my fueling strategy caught up with me. I'd been taking everything in by liquid, so by mile 35 I had to make a pit stop. I decided that I could tough it out, skip the aid station at Mile 40,  and make it back without a stop. I was wrong.

The next ten miles were the most painful I have ever biked. It hurt to pedal, but I had no choice. My strategy became crank up hills hard and coast as long as I could on the other side. Luckily, due to the rolling nature of the course, this worked out. There was only one thing I didn't know, and I found myself wondering if, no, praying that, there would be a Mile 50 aid station. The race director said every ten miles, but I wasn't sure if they'd set one up just six miles before transition. Thankfully they had and I made what seemed to be longest pee stop in the history of triathlon. Back on the bike for six more miles, and I was back at the state park heading into T2.

I heard Joan as I came across the timing mat and slowed down just enough to say hi. Hopping off the bike I felt great and had good legs under me. I was looking forward to getting out on the run. I racked my bike, changed shoes, dropped my helmet and started to head out.

The Run

I made it about 10 feet onto the run course before I had to make pit stop number two. I wasn't going to run in pain, so I felt good about this decision. Now it was time to get down to business. I still wasn't aware of my overall time as I wasn't really paying attention. I headed down the road to find that the first half mile was packed with spectators on each side cheering us on. The first mile was fairly flat and then the first climb began at Mile 2. I knew that this side of the hill was short and steep. It was a hard climb, but I kept moving and passing people. The back side was a long downhill and then the turnaround a little after 3 miles out from transition. I made sure to get some water at each aid station and a shot of Gatorade every few.

By the turnaround I had caught up with Heather from my team. I had passed her on the bike but she passed me as I took that much need break at Mile 50. She told me to keep running and not stay back with her. I stayed for a bit, but then kept moving. I was feeling good 3 miles in and keeping my mile splits below 8 minutes. It was back up the long side of the hill, down the steep side and back to town. The crowd seemed bigger this time and was a mix of family members, locals drinking beer on their front porches and coaches watching out for their athletes.

I really liked passing the coaches, because they seemed to be watching out for almost everyone. Their voices were reassuring, because you knew they'd been here and done it before. They knew what we athletes were feeling like at this point, and they knew what we needed to hear. Their comments ranged from compliments on form or stride to slight verbal challenges. "Pick it up guys! Looking strong. Good stride 360 - keep your chest out." As I moved past, their words stayed with me. I made my way down to the turnaround and heard Joan call out to me. This was also the first time I saw a race clock. It read 5:05, but that was from the pro start, and I was at least 10 minutes behind that. That meant that I had over an hour to go 6.5 miles, and I could go under six hours for the race. My work was cut out for me.

Just like the bike, the run seemed shorter on lap two. I knew the course, I knew where I could speed up and where to slow down. I had backed off my sub 8's, but I was ready to pick it up for the last few miles. Prior to the last hill I made sure to get a shot of defizzed Coca-Cola. I'd never had it in a race before, but it hit almost immediately. My eyes shot open and all of a sudden I had more energy. Three miles to go, and I picked up the pace. This was going to be a strong finish and a great race. Just like that I was back to the cheering section, and I knew the drop into transition was just around the corner.

I crossed the line and checked my Garmin. It read 5:46 which I couldn't believe. In order to adjust for the auto-pause feature that kicked on during my ridiculous pee stops, I had to add a few minutes. My final time ended up being 5:49:29.

Summary

The swim was a few minutes slower than I would have liked, but I can keep working on that. Coming in at 3:15, my bike was right where I thought it would be for a course like this. Although I moved up the most positions on the bike (from 624 after the swim to 469 after the bike), I was happiest with my run, which was 1:47. I moved up close to another hundred positions on the run and finished 376 out of 1120 entrants.

Overall, I'm very pleased with my performance at this race. The bike is one of the toughest on the 70.3 circuit and has more climbing than the entire Ironman Wisconsin course which is twice as long. Mentally, it puts me in a great place, validating the training I've put in so far. The plan from here is to stay the course, stick to the training plan (which seems to be working) and stay healthy. If I can do those things I'll feel really good going into Wisconsin.

Race Preview: Ironman Mooseman 70.3

This Sunday is Ironman Mooseman 70.3. The race is part of World Triathlon Corporation's 70.3 series offering qualification slots to the world championships held later this year in Las Vegas. This race is a half Ironman consisting of a 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike and 13.1 mile run.

The Swim


The swim is held in Newfound Lake. Earlier this month the water temperature was hovering around 58 degrees. As of earlier today it was up to 67. Some unseasonably warm weather has moved into the area and helped to raise the water temperature. I've invested in a neoprene swim cap to wear under my race issued cap. Needless to say, I'll be racing in my full wetsuit for this race. Hopefully, I make it out of the water not completely frozen.

The Bike


This is where things will get interesting. The course is two loops around the lake and each loop features one Category 5 climb and one Category 3 climb. Word is that last year featured numerous people walking their bikes up sections of these climbs that reach 16% grade at some points. Luckily, I had my bike built with a compact crank and a 11-28 cassette in the back. We'll see if that's enough to keep me on the bike and not escorting it up the hill by its side.

One reviewer of last year's race put it this way: "The New Hampshire DOT is great. Somehow between laps 1 and 2 they find a way to make the hills longer and steeper than the first time you ride them."

Total elevation gain on the course is over 2,800 feet which is more than I'll face in Wisconsin which is twice the distance.

Here's what the course looks like:

The Run


I don't think there's much to say about the run other than that by the time I make it there I won't have much feeling left in my legs. What's not numb from the swim will be from the hills on the bike. The run looks to be about a 3 mile out-and-back course completed twice. There is a notable climb in the middle which you hit each time, so that will add up to take a toll on me too.

Goals For The Race:

My swim will be about maintaining composure in possibly less than ideal conditions. It will be about pacing and making sure to race my race - not getting caught up in the excitement of the mass start. You can't win a race in the swim, but you can lose it.

The bike will be about proper pacing and knowing that no hill can go on forever. I've trained on hills here that are as steep or steeper than what I'll be facing. Don't buy into all of the hype and go smart. Don't stand out of the saddle too much or try to be a hero. Let the others burn their legs up here. The bike will also be about nutrition. Get the calories I need and don't slack. I'll need those calories later in the race.

Lastly, don't start out fast on the run. Go conservative for the first out and back. It may end up being my pace the entire time, but don't be disappointed if it is. Remember that this race is only training and prep for the big show in September. That's what I'm training for.

Race Recap: NYRR Brooklyn Half Marathon

My month of racing continued last weekend as I took to the streets of Brooklyn with my brother, John, and his girlfriend, Emily, in the New York Road Runners' Brooklyn Half Marathon. This was only my third ever half marathon and first since the three of us ran the Asbury Park Half Marathon last year. John and Emily had joined NYRR last year in order to automatically gain entry into this year's New York Marathon.

Me & John before the start of the race.

Joan, John and I took the train into New York on Friday afternoon. I got them to Joan's cousin's apartment near Central Park before I headed to Brooklyn to meet up with John. I didn't use the subway line that I was used to getting there, so I had to wander around a bit before I finally figured out where I was. The timing was fortunate, though, as I finally made my way to John's neighborhood just in time to catch FDNY trucks responding to a reported fire the block over from his apartment. I made my way to the call to see if I could catch any fire action, but it turned out not to be anything. John finally found me making my way back to his apartment. We plowed through some spaghetti and meatballs before getting to bed.

We were up early Saturday morning since the race started 7:00 in Prospect Park. We caught a taxi down there and made our way over towards the start. One thing that amazed me right away was the great organization of this race. I can't recall ever participating in a race with that many people where everything seemed to go so smoothly. The field was full since the race filled within two days of registration opening.

John & Emily rehabbing with chili
cheese dogs and lemonade.

The course was two loops of Prospect Park for the first 6.5 miles followed by 6.5 miles down Ocean Parkway all the way down to Coney Island. Running in the park was scenic and generally pretty wonderful. My first two miles were in the low 8 minute range, but then I settled in and dropped to the mid 7:00's. Once we swung out of the park and on to the city streets we were out of the shade, but I was able to maintain my pace. The second half of the race is almost identical to the second half of the Broad St. Run. It's slightly downhill, straight as an arrow and boring as anything else in the world. Keeping my heart rate in check and maintaining my pace, all I could do was keep ticking off the miles until we hit the boardwalk.

I finished the race in 1:43:00 even which was about 5 minutes better than my previous half marathon best achieved at the 2009 Philadelphia Distance Run. Considering I wasn't really pushing the pace and I made sure to run comfortably and take in plenty of nutrition, I am happy to see how much time I dropped. I feel good in saying that if I went out focussing on just a half marathon I could get down into the mid 1:30 range. It's good to have goals for next year.

John and Emily crossed the finish line in 1:50. Unfortunately, Joan and John got there right as they finished. Although they had planned to see us on the route and then catch another train down to the finish, the best laid plans failed to workout. At least they made it down there and found us fairly easily. John had been wonderful on the train, but he needed some time to run around, so we decided to rehab at Nathan's.

The happy family after the race.

The rest of the racing field seemed to have the same plan for race recovery, but given that this was still a week before the boardwalk opened for the season, we appeared to be the only reason they were open. John took care of getting the food while we held a table and let little John run around. The wait was worth it. Never has a hot dog tasted so good after a race. We finally wrapped things up and caught a train back to John's place in Brooklyn Heights.

I'm glad that we made the trip to New York for the race and to see my brother. This was John's first trip there, and we spent Sunday morning wandering through Central Park. John was in all his glory running around, playing with other kids and watching everyone jogging and biking. We got a chance to catch up with Dave Lazarus, a friend of mine from Colgate's Outdoor Education program. Dave and I ran Colgate's caving program and have probably spent more time with each other underground than above. Dave also competed in Ironman Lake Placid a few years ago, therefore placing himself, unknowingly, on Joan's "List of Blame." To me, he's been a great resource and motivator.

This Memorial Day Weekend has been a good weekend off from racing. I had a big day of training on Saturday with a long swim and long bike, but now I've started to taper into next weekend's Ironman Mooseman 70.3. Next weekend will be the first big test of the season, and I'm looking forward to the longer distance race.

Correction: The post originally stated that John and Emily finished in about two hours. John promptly notified me of their actual time. He wasn't happy with the author.