Shut down....

Well, the great race weekend in Western Maryland and West Virginia wasn't to be.

Thursday, HankTheDog came down with an cough that needed to be dealt with. After a vet appt on Friday, when it hadn't gotten any better, I canceled my plans to travel and race for the weekend and stay home to monitor him. He seems to be doing a bit better now....

Anyway, the great race weekend in West Va (Cheat Race, 5k, bike ride) turned into a lost weekend with my sleeping nearly 11-12 hours each night. I didn't do the local 5k with Team Z cause I was asleep - and missed the Sunday bike ride for the same reason. I did run Saturday afternoon but took yesterday off and did, well, alot of nothing. Hate the lost days. Idleness is the vacation time of fools - a wise man once said.

Anyway, up early-ish today and got my run in (with WeezerTheDog) first thing - to fight the inertia that was taking over. Now onto getting lots done today, hopefully, as penance for the lost weekend.

Lotsa rain lately and creeks are up. May try to get a quick paddle in on CJ creek for lunch.....

Race Weekend #2 - Colony Zones Swim meet

Patriot Masters Colony Zones Swim Meet



I can't believe I did a swim meet. My first ever. I lived.

Team Z signed up en masse for the distance events at the Colony Zones meets - 1000 meter and 1650. I was a little late to the registration so I signed up for the 1000, not sure what to expect. After fighting DC rush hour, nearly getting lost, and squeaking in just at the cut off - I made it.

I'm not a good swimmer. Due to my uncle's premature drowning, my mom had me learn how "not to drown" more so than how to swim. After years of doing whitewater swims on the river and in rescue clinics, my technique was non-existent. After TNT last year and some personal coaching, I can swim now - sorta. With some effort. Occasionally, I breathe. Randomly, I'll move through the water in a relatively straight line.

Due to my years as a whitewater kayaker, open water doesn't particularly intimidate me. I kinda like it and enjoy being able to swim outside. That doesn't really translate to the pool.

Anyway, I had a good experience at the Colony Zones. I started in the 8th heat with the woman next to me a real ringer. Seriously, by the 4th length, she had already lapped me. That actually relaxed me a bit and I was able to swim more consistently instead of feeling like I needed to keep up.

My times:

  6 McIntyre, Jeff   41 CUBU             20:00.00   18:25.20      
           44.27      1:34.19 (49.92)
  2:27.34 (53.15)     3:20.43 (53.09)
  4:17.02 (56.59)     5:16.68 (59.66)
  6:16.60 (59.92)     7:15.58 (58.98)
  8:12.23 (56.65)     9:10.60 (58.37)
 10:07.61 (57.01)    11:04.18 (56.57)
 12:00.38 (56.20)    12:55.73 (55.35)
 13:52.52 (56.79)    14:49.63 (57.11)
 15:45.90 (56.27)    16:41.52 (55.62)
 17:36.36 (54.84)    18:25.20 (48.84)

I had listed 20min as my estimated time for 1000m - finished in 18:25. Hard to be disappointed in that. Thanks to everyone that cheered from the side of the pool as I put a final kick in to try to finish strong - and to Mike for holding the placards underwater to let me see how many laps I had done.

Generally, a good time. Swimming's not strong for me but I'm having a good time learning.

A few pics from the event:

Next up...Cheat Race!

Race Weekend #1 - Rumpass in Bumpass

The Rumpass in Bumpass!

Gotta admit - that's a cool name for a race. It reminded me of my youth, watching wrestling on TV from the Greenville Memorial Auditorium every Saturday morning. Anything with a name like that was worth participating in.

So, my first (and possibly only) Olympic distance race of the year - and my first race as a Team Z member. I wasn't feeling confident going into it. After some bi-coastal travel for work, I had been down with a flu/respiratory infection type thing that waited for allergy season to stop -I felt like I was sick almost 5 straight weeks. No fun, training was pitiful when it happened.

So, my friend - referred to here as "Brooks" hits me up to commit to the Bumpass Int'l race. I had been thinking of doing just the Sprint - due to that lack of confidence - but decided to hold true to my promise and signed up for the longer race.

In short, I took almost 10 min off my personal best from Philly. Most of that was made on the swim whereI finished in 33 min. Despite my getting lost on the course several times, it's the fastest I've ever done that split. I did come out of the water a little dizzy - and the swim itself was as hard as it always is for me. But...I never went on my back to get my breath. I'm quite happy of that. Maybe one day I'll learn to swim in a straight line.

T1 was smooth, bike felt weak to me. Alex (behind me in the pic) and I leapfrogged each other several times before she dropped me. Not sure what's going on with my riding. I generally think I'm strong on the bike but race day showed no improvements from past seasons. Time was around 1:20-ish.

T2 was fast. 9th in my age group. Even then, I thought I was a little disorganized and can get faster also.

The run went fine also. 10k in 55 which is a normal speed for me. Two laps - where I did a negative split. Saw lots of other folks really suffering due to heat and/or exertion on the run. generally, I felt like my run got easier the longer I was out there. No major problems. Due to the tight hamstring, I took it a little slow and was glad I did.

At the end, I take almost 10 min off my personal best in a race I almost didn't do because I didn't feel confident. How strange. I came off it feeling a little strange because I set my personal record but still made ons of mistake. For me, that means I need to get my head in the game a bit more and pay attention to the sysling and running more - two areas I've taken for granted a bit.

Finally, let me say that having the Team Z set up at the course for after the race rocked. Many of us when back into the water to ice bath our legs and cool down - and Coach Ed had a great setup of drinks, grilled food, and chairs to hang out in. A really, really great day.

Zzzzz - Team Z, that is.

After last year's tri training, I really wanted something to maintain my training. "Race to train" my friend Leslie said. "Don't train to race." Wise words, I thought. How to best accomplish that?

Les turned me on to the tri group she had joined - Team Z (http://www.triteamz.com/). A local collection of triathletes and aspiring triathletes that train and race together. It's very cool - all ages, all capabilities, and very social, as well.

Since I did the race with TNT last year, I've also switched jobs. Leaving APA after 15 years wasn't easy but the time was right to join Children Now as their Director of National Policy. As such, I work from home and was looking for a group I could hook up with where I could get some training, a bit of a social outlet, and maybe an occassional weekend away. Team Z has been the perfect fit.

Back again.....

Well, it's been too, too long since I posted. I've continued to do triathlons - so I've decided to start posting again. Not sure how often or how many of these I'll do - or how training specific it will be.

But, if the secret to getting ahead is getting started....let's begin...

First, a review. After finishing the TNT program and the Philadelphia race, I did two other races
in '08 - Montclair and Nation's. Montclair was more than a sprint, less than an international distance race - and was really, really hot. Several other TNT'ers joined me for that race. generally a fun course.

Nation's was a lesson learned. I relied on my base fitness to get me through it - thinking that alate September race would be a nice way to spend the day. I maintained most of my training but didn't dedicate. Unfortunately, Mother Nature got in the way. Weather the day of the race was a very unusual 95F with humidity in the 90's also. It was miserable. I saw several racers getting IV's on the course, a biker almost go over the side of Whitehurst freeway, and lots of people suffering. I was one of them. I hurt the entire race. Swim was hard, Bike was painful - back and legs were aching. And, the run was not fun. The lap around Hains Point was one of the more un-fun things I've done.

That said, I finished. And I finished - and only a minute or two off my Philly time. I saw that I was going to be close to breaking that time, put a kick in to sprint to the finish - and felt my left hamstring pull. "Pull" is such an understatement and doesn't do justice to what it felt like. I had hit the carpet, 100 yards from the finish line, the hamstring pulled - and I nearly went down. I was going to finish, even if I had to crawl.

The finish pictures are pretty funny. Along with all the TNT'ers raising their hands in triumph, I limp across the finish line, holding my leg like I've been shot. Hot, exhausted, in much pain - I was swarmed by EMT folks thinking I was having heat stroke or a heart attack. When I brushed them off and said "cramp! cramp!" - they all but disappeared. I think there were molks folks in more dire straits that day.

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.....