The Rest of the Race....for now.....

When I came out of the water and saw that I had finished under 40min - I got energized. As I went to transition, I heard the music switch to AC/DC's "TNT". That pumped me up more. I hit the bike and went out strong. The hills were more than I expected but, on my first 20K loop, I kept up with - or passed - alot of the athletes with aero-helmets and tires. I was feeling good and really moving. Coming back past the transition area to start my 2nd loop on the bike was like cycling through a stadium. How cool. Music, people cheering and rattling cowbells (and other noisemakers). I heard so many people yell my name that I thought there must be someone behind me named Jeff also. Then, I thought of Lindsay.

Lindsay was a fellow Team in Training participant. In all the training I did, where I dropped everyone on the bike but the experienced triathletes - Lindsay was the one that kept up with me. Or, rather, I kept up with her. We cycled together a few times and talked about training or her kids. Once we got off the bike, she'd dust me. I'm not a fast runner but she was always way faster than me. She's attractive, athletic, and down to earth - a cool person to train with.

The night before the race, all the TNT folks gather for a pasta dinner to celebrate making it to the event. Lindsay was the last person to speak. In short, I had no idea she was a cancer survivor. In fact, her cancer is "incurable" but treatable and she had recently undergone treatment. It blew me away when she spoke of going through treatment and therapy - fighting back tears while talking about explaining to their children ages 4,6,7 (I think) what it means for Mommy to have cancer. Her husband broke down while sitting at our table.

I had no idea.

I don't think I could have been more humbled - and more honored - than when she spoke that evening. She had trained next to me on many rides and never said a word, never complained, never mentioned it - and some of her treatment had been in the past year.

So....as I came into the ampitheatre of sound that ended the first 20K loop of the cycling portion of the race, I was pumped and moving at a phenomenal pace. People calling my name, cowbells going off, rock and roll on the speakers - and I thought of Lindsay and how much it must have meant to be there - to race, to have people call her name, to drop into that moment of total being. And, I got a little teary. I felt really proud and humbled to be in the race suddenly. It was a great, great moment.

The rest of the race went well. In hindsight, my first 20K loop was way too fast as I bonked hard on the 2nd 20K. I finished the first loop in under 40min. The second loop was over 50min. I did what I needed to keep moving forward and to get nutrition and electrolyte replacement in me - but I was toasted for the rest of the cycling portion. I was probably a little cocky about the bike and I got a big lesson learned there. I'll definately look to do better next time.

The transition to the run went well and I started the run strong. Since I'd be tight coming off the bike, it was my strategy to run every mile faster than the last one. I was fairly successful at that. It was a flat 10k course and when I got to the last water station I yelled out "What's the milage?" Someone answered that it was mile 5 - I saw that I had 6 min to make it to the finish to break the 3 hour mark.

I haven't run a 6min mile in my life - not to mention a 6 min 1.2 mile. But, it would not be for lack of effort - after dumping a cup of water on my head - I took off in a sprint, passing about a dozen people, working my way through the crowd (heard the TNT folks yelling my name again) and finished with my fist in the air at 3hours, 2min, 14 seconds.

So, let me say thanks to all my coaches, the folks I met and trained with, and my wife and Steph for making the trip to Philly to support me. A special thanks to everyone that donated $ to this effort. I can't recommend the Team in Training program highly enough. I look forward to joining for the Philly race again next year.

I'll be keeping this blog open as I hope to keep racing some. "Race to train, not train to race" as my friend Leslie would say. I'm thinking of joining some folks in Manassas for a shorter race in a few weeks - and have sent an inquiry to someone that's said they have an available slot for the Nation's Tri in DC in September.

Thanks to everyone for being there.

Remember - Keep moving forward......

The Race Report! Part 1- The Swim

After a mild recovery week, it's time for me to update everyone on how my first triathlon in Philadelphia went.

Basically, it was a great weekend. It's hard to know where to start because there were so many wonderful aspects to the race weekend in Philadelphia.

So, let's start with the details of the race itself first.

My over all time was 3:02:14. Three hours, 2 min, 14 seconds. Privately, I had been hoping to break the 3 hour mark but some beginner mistakes pushed me over that time. I'm a little bummed by that but mark it up to a learning experience. That I was close to a three hour mark for the race (much less my first race) is very, very satisfying.

So, here's how it all went down. Waking up at 4:15am for the 4:30mtg in from of the downtown Philly hotel, I gathered my gear and met the rest of the TNT group outside. Then, we all cycled the 4-5 miles to the transition area at 4:30 in the morning - through downtown Philadelphia. It was very cool - everyone was excited about the race and cruising the streets of Philadelphia alone in the wee hours was alot of fun.

I snagged a great slot on the rack for transition, got my gear set up, then sat next to my bike and had a little breakfast while watching everyone else file in. That was my time to get my mind together, to relax, and to enjoy being there. After bagels and peanut butter, some grapes, and a bananna - I caught the bus to the swim start.

I purposely stayed away from the group for the swim. Everyone seemed to cluster around the middle of the river, near the buoys we were supposed to stay just to the left of. I stayed about 10-15 yards further to the left in order to have a more open space swimming. I really didn't want to deal with the crowd, even if it meant more distance.

The first third of the swim was tough. In other words, the same as it's always been. I had a hard time breathing, a difficult time with pacing and timing, and quickly ended up on my back or in a modified breast-stroke (I call it a breath-stroke).

Then, I see my first swimmer being rescued. Not sure what happened but there was a guy being towed in by one of the safety kayakers. I remember thinking - "That's weird, this isn't that bad" - even though I was struggling and not breathing well.

Then, I looked up to see a safety kayaker fall out of her boat. Not sure what happened there, but I know that look. Wide-eyed and embarassed with a little bit of panic - she made eye contact with me as I swam towards her. She was in no danger as she had a pfd on and was beginning to swim with her floating boat. Of course, she swam right in front of me.

I swam to the left of her and then....something clicked. For the first time ever, I swam. I got my breath, I got my timing down, and I pulled the water with my stroke in the way I had been trying to do for months. I almost didn't recognize it as I kept waiting to run out of breath. That moment never came.

The problem with that was that I had always 'sighted' (looked where I was going) when I gasped for air - or went to a recover position. The result was that I went off course. Already 10-15 yards off the pack, I swam another 40-45 yards away. I didn't realize I was off course until I ran head first into a wall that formed the side of the river. When I did, I stood up briefly, and did a quick reversal to where I needed to be. I eventually caught up at the bridge - which marked about the 2/3rd distance (I estimate). But, the bridge was a big mental place to be because it was a big visible marker. From there, we could see the end. I briefly got turned around at one of the last buoy's but otherwise has a slow, determined, uneventful swim to shore.

Final swim time - 00:39:05.

Next post: The 40k Bike ride

Couple of last training pics.....

Posting a few of the last training pics. Will post race weekend recap shortly.....

Bike, check. Running gear, check. Boat, check. Dog,check....

Now that the rafting trip has been cancelled, I can catch everyone up on the rest of my training.....

Took a long weekend in Western Maryland last weekend. I needed to train while I was there - and there was rain predicted - so the kayaking would be good. I'd be there long enough to train/participate in all three tri-sports - plus, get some paddling in if possible. That made packing interesting.


When I was in grad school, I used to be able to get everything I owned into my car. Now, with all my gear, I feel like I have to take everything I own. There's an important difference there.


In the end, the rain did come and I didn't get on the bike while there. Oh well - biking has been the strongest part of my training and I'm not worried about missing some of that.


Running has improved for me. I'm not particularly enjoying it. The 70 and 80 minute runs I've been doing are rather boring but, at least, they don't hurt like they did a few weeks ago. I did an 80 min run yesterday and estimate that I ran about 7.5 miles or so - including several hills. I'm happy with that. If I do 10 min miles for the race I'll be very content.


Swimming is the last portion of training that I'm still dealing with. There's an open water swim this weekend at Sandy Point, near Annapolis - and I'm not sure what to expect. I've been studying the Total Immersion school of swimming (http://www.totalimmersion.net/) and feel like I'm not quite at the point of doing the open water swim. I'm confident I'll be ready by the race but not this weekend.


If you've spoken with me, you've heard me joke that I can't swim. Technically, that's not correct. I can swim. But the type of swimming I've traditionally done is based around whitewater - not flat water. One is geared to vision and survival - the other is about efficiency and speed.



The whitewater swim position:
- Head up, looking downstream


- Feet up to avoid entrapment


- Takes advantage of your floatation


- Keeps hands free for receiving throw rope

The triathlon (flat water) swim position:
- Head down, most of the body in the water "being tall", arms and legs are down in the water, very little vision.

Obviously, there's a little more to whitewater swimming than the goofy picture here - and more to the technique of triathlon swimming than that pic. Still, it's a very different style and I've been struggling to adapt.

That said, I am working on it. I've been more consistent swimming than running or biking. Eventually, I'll figure this out....

Whitewater rafting trip cancelled

The whitewater rafting trip on the Lower Yough for this weekend has been cancelled.

The recent rains have brought the river up to a level too high for the trip we had planned. After discussions with the outfitters, the State Park rangers that oversee the river management, and lots of time with the Weather Channel - we've decided to cancel the trip for this weekend.

For those not familiar with the Lower Yough - normal flows are around 750cfs. (cfs=cubic feet per second. 1 cfs equals about 7 1/2 gallons). Today, the Lower Yough is flowing at 7810 cfs - with rain possible there on Thursday and Friday.

The below pics are Ohiopyle Falls on the Lower Yough at 750 cfs (above) and 7000cfs (below).

Thanks to everyone for your interest in the trip and for your support in raising money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society as I train for the the Philadelphia Triathlon as a part of LLS's Team in Training.

See you on the river.....

Let's go Rafting!!!

Go whitewater rafting to help raise funds for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society!

This is an invitation to feel alive. To feel wind in your hair, water in your face, and sunshine on your back. To feel anxiety, exhilaration, joy, fortune, and peace. To experience a great whitewater river!

Sunday, May 18thThe Lower Youghiogheny RiverOhiopyle, PA (about 3 hours from DC)$75 plus $5 State Park Fee(a $25 savings off the usual cost)

Join longtime whitewater instructor Jeff McIntyre and his team of whitewater guides (one for each raft) for an exciting trip down the class 3/4 Lower Yough! Spaces are limited! All proceeds go to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Contact me (at inbetweenswims-at-yahoo.com)f or more info or to reserve your space! (Please forward to anyone that may be interested)

See you on the river.....

~jeffmc

Riley's Lock Brick!

It's been awhile....

It's been awhile since I last posted. Not that I haven't been doing 'blogworthy' things but, ya know - sometimes life gets in the way.

Life has gotten in the way.

I've maintained my Tri-training for the most part. I've gone through a two week-ish period where everything was hard. Everything. And, I don't mean that finishing the run was hard or that swimming the distance was hard. Everything was hard - from the first step, stroke, or rpm. Tired, sore, unmotivated, and resistant. I still finished most of my training schedule but there was no joy in it. Zero, zilch, nada.

Lots of distractions have been present. My Board of Directors have been in town, I've been out of town, work's been kinda nuts, sleep has been evasive, yadda yadda, whine whine.

I miss my run and swim today due to meetings and afterwork plans. I only made my 'strength' workout yesterday. I'll likely bike tomorrow and, maybe, do my strength workout. The problem is that I'm beginning to understand my weaknesses in this effort - I still can't swim very well, the running has been more effort than it should be. Cycling isn't an issue but I don't take it for granted either.

Since I missed the group brick workout - a ride followed by a run - I did a a variation on one last weekend while at our cabin in western Maryland. After looking for a pool, WISP ski resort finally proved to be the answer. After an hour swim there, I transferred to my bike for a 60 min ride. That was fine except, I forgot that "ski resort = mountain." So, the ride had hills. Lots more hills than DC has.

And, I made the run the day before. I took WeezerTheDog with me a had a good run through the forests of western Maryland. Yes, that's a bear bell she's wearing in the pic. The black bears are waking up this time of year and I'd really rather not surprise them on on my run.

More soon......

Saturday's Brick pics.....

Some not-so-great shots from Saturday's bike/run combo workout in Rock Creek Park.

Enjoy.

The Team photo.....

Here we are - many of us, at least. From the honored teammate picnic a few weeks ago.....

(Thanks to Nancy Tang for the image!)

Streamline, streamline, streamline.....

REALLY didn't want to get up for swimming this morning. The 5:30am sessions at the Lab School on Thursday mornings are good to get to but difficult to wake up for.

I've had a good active week getting ready for the Philly Triathlon. Cycled into work Monday and Wednesday (about 25-30miles r/t, depending on my route), went to boxing each day, and then ran 50 min Tues and today.

I was tired. I didn't want to get up. Alarm went off and HankTheDog came in, cuddled in, and fell asleep next to me. I hate getting up from that. Still, after an argument with myself, I got up - got to the pool in time and had a productive swim.

AJ's pushing me to attend her yoga class tonight. I suppose I'll go. I usually paddle with Team River Runner on Thursday evenings but I could use the stretch.

Oh yeah...streamlining. So, basically, I can't swim. I mean, I can get by. I've swum (swam? swimmed? done swim?) some mean sections of rivers in my life. Nasty rapids, big hydraulics, crashing waves. But flat water? That's a challenge.

Here's why. Before I was born, my uncle Ronald drowned trying to save someone that had fallen into a lake. He was one of three - a twin brother and sister (my Mom). So, when I was old enough, Mom whisked me away to the Pickens County Country Club - which had the only outdoor pool in the county at the time - to learn how to swim. Or, rather, to learn how to not die. I never got much more than that. For years, I excelled at Polliwog swimming.

That brings me to my career as a whitewater paddler and instructor. I can swim rivers. And rapids. Through my training and time as a paddler, I've developed a keen skill for swimming rivers. In fact, I hold the highest certifications in search and rescue from the American Canoe Association. I've done live bait rescues, deep current wading, and body surfed big holes (not all of them intentionally!) But the whitewater swim is really different than a swim for distance. Whitewater swims are about safety and survival. Endurance swims are about efficiency and glide. So, I'm learning how to streamline in the pool. Coach Danielle was really helpful this morning - as was Coach Ivey - in giving me tips on technique and efficient motion. I'll practice it some this weekend but, for one of the first times, I felt like I was doing something right in the pool

And, that, was a pretty cool thing to experience at 5:30am.....

Go Team

A good weekend....

After a week of fighting off negativism about my knee, the weekend thrust me back into training with a nice momentum.

Even though I didn't swim on the Thursday morning workout, getting up at 5am and joining the group still kept me motivated. A good flatwater workout that evening followed by a solid lunchtime workout on Friday and I was ready for the group ride on Saturday morning.

We met at the red caboose in Vienna, VA for the ride Sat morning. I really like that we're moving around the greater DC area for our rides/runs. The change of environment breaks the monotony up well. I opted for the Level 2 ride of 70 min since my knee had been hurt. I didn't want to push too much on the first ride back. It ended up being easy - had a good conversation and slow pace going out and decided to sprint back - working at, what felt like, about 80% of my max. No problems - except for the guy (not a part of the TNT group) that trash talked me a bit on the ride back.

And, good call by the coaches to go to the Vienna Inn afterwards - a very cool place and fun time talking with Danielle, Tod, Esteban, and Brett.

Saturday night brought the annual tradition of Pie Night. That's right an entire evening dedicated exclusively to pie. Started almost 10 years ago when a group of kayakers were jones-ing for some pie similar to the homemade pie we'd get at a diner near the Lower Yough river, Pie Night was created as an off-season way to get our pie fix. AJ and Bob (Queen and King of Pie, respectively) have led the charge.

So, after baking 14 different pies from scratch, a large group gathered at Bob's newly refurbished house for the blessing and consumption of pie. A very good night.

Consequently, I missed the group swim at the Lab School the next morning. Slept in. Dreamt of pie.

AJ and I did go to Rockville that afternoon for a late swim after a lazy Sunday. I managed through it but was really tired for most of it. Whatever figment of technique I have was not present. Regardless, I made it through the 800 meter workout - albeit not very stylishly.

That brings us to Monday where I've had a good ride into work, another good lunchtime workout, and looking forward to a nice slow ride home......

Go team!

Swim Pics from Thursday morning.....