Oyster Bay Junior Triathlon

One of the things I (we) hope to achieve through living a healthy, active and fitness oriented lifestyle is that our kids pick up on the subtle cues they are exposed to each day and make it part of the rest of their lives.  Tara and I grew up in a generation where our parents were fairly naive to many of healthier choices that we now view as common knowledge.  Hence, our decade long struggle to obtain versus maintain a healthy lifestyle.  From the onset, we were determined to show our kids a better way, giving them the tools to live their life without limits and filled with health and happiness.

Our kids are no different than any other 8 and 5 year olds.  They want to play with their friends, eat junk food, watch TV and they give us a fight at homework time.  However, by seeing firsthand the active lives that Tara and I lead, they are exposed to situations that their peers are typically not.  Case in point, I get up at 4:00 AM every morning (7 days a week) to train.  Because I do that, I need to go to bed at 9:15 PM which makes the kid's bedtime around 7:45 PM.  My kids just accept this as "normal".  But what they don't know is that other kids are staying up way later, watching more TV and eating junk food on a daily basis.  In this case, it's good that they are in the dark.

What they also see as "normal" is the participation in endurance sports and activities.  To them, triathlon is just something we do, not the suffer-fest it really is.  Despite the seemingly short distances in kid's races, it is all relative and a 1-mile kids fun run could be the equivalent of an adult 10K.  They work just as hard, it hurts them just as much and they are just as wrecked as we are at the finish line.  This is why I am so proud of both my kids, especially Alasdair for competing in his first triathlon.  By the way, Avery is chomping at the bit to do these events, but she is still a bit too young!

The lead up to the race was actually unintended.  A few months ago, I stumbled upon a link for a junior triathlon training camp, sponsored by The Runner's Edge, The Greater Long Island Running Club (GLIRC) and supported by the Town of Oyster Bay.  I asked Alasdair if he wanted to go to the pre-camp info meeting to see what it was all about.  To our surprise, the camp was being run and coached by some of the more elite USAT coaches (and athletes) in our area.  The kicker was that this program was for 8 weeks, held on Saturday evenings (a time that worked well for this busy family) and the total cost was $25.  No, not for each week, for ALL 8 WEEKS!  How could we possibly say no to this?  We registered on the spot.

The point of the camp was to expose kids to a sport they probably have zero experience in, so it was tailored just right.  Starting with the basics of how to put on a swim cap, the basic freestyle swim stroke, how to set up transition, how to get out of transition quickly, bike handling skills and running technique.  The coaches worked with the kids each week, making it fun and educational, while still pushing them to complete the sessions.  Remember, this is still an endurance sport.  I cannot think of any team sports that have 8-year old kids running and biking MILES each session.  The kids rose to the occasion, dug deep at times and completed the sessions with smiles on their faces.

The camp was designed to introduce kids to the world of triathlon and train them to complete a junior triathlon race in the same venue.  To me, this was a novel idea.  For eight weeks, the kids practically ran the race that they were going to do at the end of the camp.  On race day, every kid that participated in the camp was primed and ready to go.  They just had to do what they have been doing for the last two months.  I can't thank the coaches enough for their patience, expertise, guidance and dedication to making it a great experience for both the kids and the parents.


Race day

Family and gear packed up in the family truckster, we headed out to the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Park in Oyster Bay, NY.  Alasdair was overflowing with excitement when we arrived and he realized that he would have to check in, get body marked and activate his timing chip, just like I have done.  I think this was one of the most exciting parts for him as he realized that this was not one of those "fun runs" that he has done, but a real-life, adult-like triathlon!


I helped him set up his transition area, where he LOVED my little trick of pouring baby powder on a towel and then folding it over to cover it up.  When he entered T1, all he would have to do it unfold the towel and stomp his feet in the powder covered towel to dry his feet from the swim.  We then walked transition a few times, getting him familiar with where his bike, entries and exits were.  Then, the pre-race briefing.  Again, the kids loved this because they were being treated like real athletes.


There were over 200 kids participating in the event, ranging in age from 7 to 14.  The best way to assure the safety of all the kids was to break the race up into 3 waves and wait for each wave to complete the course before the next wave started.  This meant that each wave would be starting about 20 minutes apart from each other.  Although it made for a long wait, it was the right call.

Obviously, when you get over fifty 7,8 and 9 year old kids geared up, in the water and then ask them to wait almost 40 minutes, kids will be kids.  They were all jumping around, diving under water and basically expending energy they would need to race.  They just didn't care, they were having fun!  One side effect of this playing around is that it was all done in shallow water.  This meant that all the silt from the ground was kicked up and turned the water very murky.  Once the kids started their swim, they were all covered in black dirt.  Every kid exited the water with black faces and filthy clothing.

Alasdair did a great job swimming.  Although he did walk a few times, he always went back into a swim stroke.  Finishing in the middle of the pack, I think that was the best we have seen him swim to date.  He emerged from the water (covered in silt) and made a mad dash for T1.  The kid was pumped and ready to hit the bike.

T1 was super smooth.  He did everything we practiced and was out on the bike course in no time.  Alasdair rode well, didn't go crazy and had a great 3-lap bike split.  It was great to see the kids break out huge smiles when they rounded the area where the parents were cheering them on.  We were cheering loudly for every kid as they came around and I am sure that it sounded like thousands of people to them.  Some kids were so excited that they got lost in the joy and almost crashed into the parents!

Alasdair finished the bike and went into T2 with a full head of steam.  He headed out on to the run course in a full sprint.  Because of the way it was set up, it was difficult for us to see the kids on the run.  We positioned ourselves near the finish, so we really didn't get to see him running.  When he rounded the corner for the last 200 yards, he was running hard.  As soon as he saw the finish line and the spectator lined finishing chute, he broke out into an all out sprint!  After 20+ minutes of racing, he poured every last bit of energy into his finish and crossed the finish line at max speed.

He got his medal, had his timing chip removed and grabbed a water from one of the volunteers.  As I embraced him at the finish line, I was on the verge of tears, so proud of what he did, the effort he put in and his accomplishment.  I started to tell him how proud I was, but he quickly interrupted me to ask where the free bagels were!  Ahh, the mind of an 8-year old boy!

Since Alasdair was the only 7-year old in the race, he actually won his age group!  He finished in about 24 minutes and loved every second of it.  I have to say that every one of those kids did an incredible job.  This was not an easy task for most, but they all found it in themselves to finish the race with a smile.

Tara and I encourage our kids to participate in events like this as often as we can.  It is difficult to balance encouragement with being overly pushy, but we try our best.  We feel that experiences like this build character and have long-lasting effects throughout other parts of their lives.

Both of my kids have also been skiing since they were 3 years old.  Last year, Alasdair had a breakout season and really honed his skills.  By accident, we wound up in a very precarious situation last year at Jay Peak Resort in Vermont.  We took a lift to the top of the mountain.  Although I did see the sign stating that a particular trail was closed, it failed to register that the closed trail was the ONLY reasonable way down.  We had no choice but to take one of the most difficult trails on the mountain to the bottom.  Alasdair took it in stride, overcame his initial hesitation and killed it on the run down.


I now reference the skiing incident and the completion of this triathlon from time to time.  My argument is that if you can do those things, how hard can a math or spelling test actually be?  His response has always been positive.

Alasdair is now looking forward to his next event, the Carl Hart Fall Duathlon in October, where Tara will also be making her multi-sport event debut!

Weekend Recap: "Step Back" Weekend

I hope you don't find this post too mundane.  I took advantage of having no real plans this weekend to have a "step back" weekend.  A weekend where I can step back from responsibility and obligation.  I needed a weekend where i wasn't on some crazy time schedule rushing from errand to errand.

In preparation for my weekend I made sure to stock up on groceries Thursday night. I also took the opportunity to get a sitter for the kids Friday night and asked my mom to watch them for three hours on Saturday.  On the family whiteboard calendar, I marked "Mommy Nap" on Saturday, this way everyone knew what to expect!

Last week I found myself with an official training plan for my two (very small) fall races.  I have been struggling with achieving the level of performance I want and thought this was a good test case for more focused training.  My plan takes into account my two fall races and...wait for it...wait for it...triathlon season in 2014.  This means I am now training in all three disciplines.  No races or distances have been decided for next year.  I am still trying to find the courage to even acknowledge that I am willing to think about this.  Triathlon was an "I will never" thing for me.  As in, "I will never compete in a triathlon."  Well, like they say "never say never".

Last week was a rough week adapting to a new training schedule which on a few days called for double workouts.  Double workouts on top of working full time, being a mom, having a house to take care of, friends who I want to interact with, etc.  As much as last week was physically draining, it was mentally and emotionally draining.  The anxiety before every workout was palpable. The workouts were far more intricate than the "lazy" workouts I had been doing.  It's interesting how one can be active and lazy at the same time.  I ended the week tired, sore, emotionally bruised but still determined.

Trying to adjust to three workouts
in 24 hours.

Stretching and playing mind games
to get me out the door for my long run

Here are some highlights from a much needed "step back" weekend:

1. Dinner with friends on Friday night.  It was so nice to get out and have a real sit down meal with familiar faces.  With friends I have known for a while it was easy to relax and soothed my soul.  John and I don't get out much for dinner and we thoroughly enjoyed the restaurant chosen by the group.  We went to Butera's in Smithtown and would recommend it.
2. Saturday my training plan called for a ride of 10-15 miles on the ROAD!!! Ack! I have had my bike for 10 years and have probably had it on the road 3 or 4 times.  My bike handling skills usually put me on the pavement as I try to unclip from my peddles.  Since we were able to arrange for the kids to go to my moms, John came with me on my ride.  Sometimes I want to kill him under these circumstances but on Saturday I was grateful to have his expertise with me.  He already logged his training for the day and was more than willing to ride to MY plan.  It is hard to train with a spouse (or anyone) who is at a different fitness level than you.  Having a plan ahead of time makes the experience manageable.  John gave me some pointers but for the most part kept the mood light while I clenched my handlebars and swerved everywhere trying to get my water bottle.

   

   Having fun on our bike ride.

3. My plan for a nap was actualized when John took the kids to Big A's triathlon camp! I love to nap.  I miss napping.  I miss my kids napping.  Napping is one of my most favorite pastimes...like ever.
4. Sunday I hit the gym for my weight routine.  Then we headed to the town pool for a swim which allowed me to get in my long swim while hanging with the family.  Big A interrupted me every few laps so this wasn't the most productive workout but it felt good incorporating family time into my workout.

   

   Sunday's Workout

5. I tried out a new recipe.  I have been in a major cooking rut and I am determined to make one new recipe a week for a while.  This weekend I made Egg Muffins and I got the recipe here.  This recipe is really adaptable and fun to play with.  I made my egg muffins with spinach and peppers.  We topped them with salsa and guacamole.  A few suggestions: mix the spinach in with the eggs (it makes it easier); use a ladle to spoon egg mixture into muffin tins; and don't forget the step that says spray the muffin liners.  
   
   

   

   Egg Muffins

   
   

And hey! It was also John's 40th birthday!!  Whoop Whoop.  We had a quiet celebration with family.  John isn't a center stage kind of guy.  He seems to be rolling with 40 just fine.  Me on the other hand, not so much.

Like fine wine...getting better with age.  Well, he is
more like Scotch but you get the point.

This week will be more adapting to a new training schedule.  I am looking forward to another quiet weekend...and yes, I have already marked "mommy nap" on the calendar.  I also plan on doing some major organizing around the homestead.  I should have some good tips and ideas on next weekend's recap.

What did you do this past weekend? Do you prefer to have lazy weekends or event filled weekends?

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August 2013 Goals

By the end of June I made some pretty big changes in my life.  After almost six years as a vegetarian, I started eating meat again.  I made other changes to my diet like eliminating sugar (unless from fruit), no more grains, and started eating more healthy fats.  That wasn't enough so I committed to Maffetone training for my run and bike work outs.  Like any good addict, I also added swimming to my work out plan.  I am sure some of you can see where I am going with this (maybe).  

As July approached I decided it was time to get serious and set some firm goals.  Posting them on the blog was meant to keep me honest.  I plan to add on to my goals each month.  Not to create a laundry list of things to accomplish but these goals are meant to form new habits.  So each month will be a build...an opportunity to create new habits.  Here is how July came together:
 

1. Continue with my heart rate training (I’ve GOT this!) - 
• UPDATE: what possessed me to take this on during the hottest and most humid days of the year?  I did the very best I could.  Some days were more successful than others.  Some days were euphoric.  Some days were soul crushing. By the end of July, I learned how to dream big; have faith; believe in myself; embrace fear; and be committed.  Somehow I emerged from July a new person largely due to my running.  I have discussed it previously on the blog here and here.
2. Complete FOUR 90 minute runs - 
• UPDATE: I fell a little short here due to a family vacation in Vermont.  I just wasn't prepared to tackle 90 minutes of mountainous terrain.  Optimistically I declare this goal a success.  I have worked my way up to 90+ minute runs.  I feel myself getting stronger each time and I look forward to the challenge.
3. Increase my monthly mileage by 10% - 
• UPDATE: While there was an increase in my run mileage, I fell just short of 10%.  I am going to take the liberty and say this is due to a MUCH slower pace in the heat and humidity.  Additionally, I have been running for time, not mileage.
4. Get in the pool - 
• UPDATE: OK, I rocked the sh!t out of this goal! Three weeks ago I could not string two lengths together for form a single lap.  As of my last swim, I swam 1500 yards consecutively.  I have been in the pool twice a week.  It is quickly becoming my favorite work out.
5. Keep the diet changes consistent so I know if the changes are working - 
• UPDATE: I have been very consistent but flexible.  I am experimenting to find foods that work for me and make my body feel good.  The reduction of sugar and increase in healthy fats have all had a very positive effect on my body.  The biggest change I have noticed is my mental functioning.  I seem to have more mental energy.

Sauteed shaved Brussel Sprouts,
Beets, and Salmon

I am trying a new format for my monthly goals.  I will be breaking them up into three categories: Family, Sport, and Life.  Here are my August 2013 Goals:

Family:

• As we wrap up the summer and camp winds down, i will be looking forward to my time off with the kids.  I take two weeks off to bridge the gap between camp and school starting.  Last year the kids and i really enjoyed our time together to slow life down and focus on what really matters in life...each other.  My goal is to be fully present with my children during these two weeks and make sure we cross things off our summer bucket list.

Sport:

• Here are my goals for the three disciplines:
  • • Running: I am going to continue with Maffetone training for a large part of my runs (and cycling).  However, I think I should also throw in some opportunities to run at my goal pace.
    • Cycling: use the bike to effectively cross train and work on increasing strength.  No hard numbers from x mph to x mph.  No pressure.  Just improve...for now.
    • Swimming: I am still working on getting comfortable in the water.  Since i know I can swim 1500 yards, I want to increase that to 2000 yards by the end of August.  No pressure here either.
• YOGA! I need to make the time for a regular yoga practice.  August's goal is to do 5 sun salutations a day (preferably in the morning) AND find one yoga class a week that I can attend.

Life:

• Organization:
  • • We are a busy family and life has been moving a little too fast lately.  I am going to slow life down, focus on getting myself re-organized, and settled in.  This means physically organizing my space to serve my family's current needs.  
    • As I look to set my family's fall schedule, I will NOT over schedule us.  I may have to say "no" to a kids activity here or there but we will all be better off in the end.
• Nutrition:
• Continue eating the way I have been these last few months: lots of vegetables, higher fat, moderate animal protein, no sugars, no grains.  I am not concerned with diets and dogma.  What matters most is how I feel.

Can't remember where I found this but
it pretty much describes where I am right now.

What are some of your goals for August? How do you plan on spending the rest of the summer?

Iron Family Tri Tech #001-Training Effect

I (John) have been training for endurance sports/activities for almost 10 years now.  I started out as a cyclist and made the leap to triathlon in 2011.  Over the years, I have done a ton of things wrong (and a few things correctly) pertaining to training, racing and nutrition.

From these successes and failures, I have been able to formulate a solid plan and strategy for my triathlon participation.  This will be the first of many posts specifically addressing what has worked and not worked for me on my journey.  So here we go:

Training Effect ("TE")

Recently, a local triathlete posted a picture of his Garmin 910XT screen after a training run, on a Facebook forum that I am active in.  Kudos to him for a successful run under difficult conditions.  In evaluating the photo of his workout summary screen, I took notice of his Training Effect ("TE") value.  I posted a comment asking him if he was familiar with that value, what it means and how to use it.  Although he was familiar with TE, he was unaware of the effects of a 4.7 TE value obtained from that workout.  Others in the group were also curious about TE, so I gave a brief summary as to what it is.  I am going to elaborate more on that explanation and how I use it in this post.

If you have a Garmin 910XT or a Suunto device, you have TE built in.  Most people do not know they have an extremely powerful training tool in their toolbox, even fewer know how to use it effectively.  TE is an algorithmic calculation developed by FirstBeat that uses the device's existing heart rate data to "accumulate" the cardiovascular and adrenal system effects of a particular workout or set of workouts.

Heart Rate ("HR") data is vitally important for effective endurance sport training.  However, there is one big inherent flaw.  HR is just an instantaneous snap shot of your exertion level.  We look at our watch on a recovery or aerobic workout and see a HR of 120.  That's good, we are not working very hard.  But, what about 10 minutes ago?  What about that hill we had to power up?  I still have X miles to go to get home, how hard should I work?  TE answers these questions.

Most athletes, when evaluating their workouts, look very closely at the average HR number.  This is useful, but does not tell the whole story.  Let's say you did a 90 minute run where you sprinted for the first 15 minutes, holding your HR at 180 BPM.  The rest of the workout, you did at a steady 120 BPM.  Doing the math (weighted average), you would have an average HR of 130 BPM.  This would appear to be a good recovery/aerobic workout based on the 130 average.  But, that 15 minutes at max effort just trashed your body.  It put huge stresses on all your systems, and without proper recovery, will adversely effect subsequent workouts.

Here is how TE is a much more effective training tool.  TE is a cumulative value that starts at 1.0 and goes as high as 5.0.  The accumulation of "points" is not linear, so getting from 1.0 to 2.0 takes less effort than going from 2.0 to 3.0.  In fact, if I am doing a run off the bike, the run TE value shoots to the 1.7 range in the first half mile or so.  As you stress your body, the value goes up.  One thing to keep in mind is that since it is cumulative, the value can NEVER go down.  If you overdo it, you overdid it and can't un-ring that bell!  This is why TE is much more effective than HR alone.  Decreasing your effort will stabilize the TE value, but if you don't back off enough, you could push it up further if the length of the workout is long.

The easiest way to start using TE is to set one of your data screens to TE, HR ZONE and TIME.  Make the TE window the largest because this value is what drives your training session.

On a side note, I have contacted Garmin and suggested that they allow TE value to be an "Alert" option on the 910XT.  This would allow us to set a value, do our thing and get feedback from the device when we have hit our goal.  I will keep you posted as to how they respond.

Since I started training with TE, I established a baseline recovery time for each value.  This is what I use, but you may want to vary it based on your fitness level and experience:

• 2.0 = Twelve (12) hours of recovery.  Do a 2.0 effort in the morning and you can hit another discipline in the evening.  Most of your training volume each week should be done in this range.
• 3.0 = Twenty-Four (24) hours of recovery.  I usually do these in the mornings when I do not have an evening workout planned.  I also try not to make both legs of a brick session 3.0 efforts.  Bike to 2.0 and then run to 3.0 or vice-versa.  About 2-3 sessions at this effort has worked well for me.
• 4.0 = Thirty-Six (36) hours of recovery.  Harder or longer intervals that are near race-pace efforts.  I usually try to keep these to a maximum of one (1) per week, maybe even one (1) every other week.
• 5.0 = Forty-Eight (48) hours of recovery, minimum!  I have only hit 5.0's in races.  This is reserved for all-out efforts in race conditions.  Simply stated, if you hit a 5.0 and you do not have a timing chip around your ankle, you waaaaaay over did it!  Take some time off.  You will be thankful later on.

Obviously, this is just a suggested baseline.  If I did a 4.0 workout, I have, 24 hours later, followed it up with a very easy (1.5 or less) trainer spin or a very easy swim effort.  Easy swims where you focus on form are a great way to get in some time when you are technically supposed to be recovering.  Just keep the effort low and the HR down.

I usually do workouts that would be described as "less than 2.0" or "build to 3.0."  Once you hit your number, back the effort down to Zone 2, or stop the workout all together.  Remember, you cannot undo over-training!

This is a graph of one of my "less than 2.0" runs.  Notice the varied pace to stabilize my HR.  Also notice the slow pace (10:59 min/mile average).  When using TE, don't worry about pace and speed.  That will come all by itself with effective training.  Just for reference, that same run, on the same course only 5 months ago was completed at a 14:37 min/mile average pace.  Next year, this easy run may be at my current race pace!

See the complete data set for this run here.

HR is in Red, Pace in Blue, Cadence in Yellow.  My Zone 2 for runs is 118-133 BPM.  This run's average HR was 126.

Below is a graph of my "build to 3.0" bike trainer workout from earlier this week.  I did about 30 minutes in Zone 2 then dropped the hammer.  As soon as TE hit 3.0, I backed it down to an easy effort to finish out the workout.  Notice the very sharp HR drop after I let off the gas.  This comes from tons of TE 2.0 workouts.  I can recover from over-exertions very easily.  This comes in handy during a race when you go off your race plan or have to go harder than you wanted to on hills or to chase down a rival.

See the complete data set for this bike trainer session here.

I hope this post helped identify why using TE is valuable and why you should pay attention to this feature if you have it.  You can find more info about TE here.  Also, feel free comment and ask questions if you have them.

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Weekend Recap - Aquaphor NYC Triathlon

For all of you Triathlon Geeks tuning in for John's race report of the Aquaphor NYC Triathlon sorry to disappoint.  This is our weekend recap "sherpa style".  Official race report with all of John's technical goodness will be out as soon as he can break free from training, work, and kid wrangling.

We kicked off our weekend on Friday night by dropping The A Team at my mom's house...for the ENTIRE WEEKEND!!! A full 48 hours to ourselves... and we are going to be schlepping all over the city with gear.  Then the anticipation, nerves, energy expense and exhaustion that comes with race day.  I want a white sandy beach.  I want a spa weekend.  Heck, I would have settled for a staycation at Casa Newman where I didn't need to lift a finger.  Could have read all day, watched mindless TV, organized the house (I love to organize), had quiet conversation with my man, etc.  NOPE.  Sherpa Wives spend their 48 hours of freedom schlepping MILES around the city with gear, navigating transition, doing course recon, visiting expos, hanging back during athlete briefings, and sweating their asses off in a hot, dirty city.  A large part of me thinks "yup, no better way to spend the weekend" and the other part of me says "I want a spa weekend pronto."  Balance is such a fickle friend.

Here Babe.  Take me HERE please!

This weekend, while exhausting on a level beyond my initial comprehension, was a great adventure.  Below are the Pros and Cons (or maybe the not so Pros) of the weekend.  John usually races very local so we don't need to factor in travel.  We learned some mighty lessons this weekend.

The Pro's:

• We stayed at the host hotel which was the Hilton on 54th and 6th.  The hotel was OK...not sleek and shiny like I had hoped or expected.  However, we didn't really get too much time in our hotel room anyway.  We paid for early check-in.  John wasn't for this idea but thanked me after.  Staying at the host hotel for the event made it convenient to packet pick up, athlete briefing, and the expo.

• We got to meet up with Arshad Bahl from Amrita Health.  We love Amrita's nutrition bars and meeting Arshad himself didn't disappoint.  He is an amazing human being who radiates light on everyone and everything. Arshad has a great story and quality product.  Check him out!

• The race was well planned out:  spectator guides, athlete guides, real time tracking app, lots of security and an athlete bus to take you to transition the morning of the race.  A little note on the athlete bus: The bus was only for athletes but they didn't give me a hard time.  Wouldn't you know -- the bus driver had no idea where he was going (even with GPS).  This was starting to get my incredibly punctual, slightly OCD, already experiencing race nerves, athlete incredibly agitated.  

This App was amazing.  It was definitely real time.

The NOT SO Pro's:

• The distance from the host hotel to transition area.  We walked this almost two mile distance three times over the weekend.  We had to get the bike to transition in Riverside Park the night before the race.  It was HOT!  Some of the crazier athletes rode their bikes to the start.

Heading to transition

• This is not the best course for spectating all disciplines.  They discouraged you from watching the athletes swim and the bike course was the West Side Highway.  It really came down to the run (doesn't it always!).

• All items brought into transition needed to be in a clear plastic bag (security!).  This took a little bit to sort out.   I could tell this made John incredibly uneasy.  John trains for transition just like he trains for the other disciplines.  His normal transition bag has all his needs in one spot, laid out just how he likes it.  Change is never good on race day.

Some lessons learned (in my opinion):

• We did some course recon but not good enough.  While we noted the almost one mile walk to the swim start and almost half mile run into T1, we failed to notice the STEEP hill coming out of T2.  In the end, I think this might have been a benefit.  Less for John to obsess over!

Transition was Riverside Park on 72nd - 79th

• We ate dinner in a restaurant that the hotel recommended.  They had THE shittiest food ever.  We put no time into evaluating restaurant choices.  We are used to John racing local and eating at home.  He did OK with a black bean burger but could have used more food for sure.  We did enjoy dining alone and being able to have a conversation that doesn't start and stop a bazillion times.  

But hey, I got this guy all to myself!

• Again on the food front, we didn't research where John could get his traditional bagel with peanut butter on the morning of the race.  At 3:30 am.  In the middle of a city that apparently NEVER sleeps. Luckily there were a few local delis open at that time.  As well as a line around the Hallal truck.  Really?

Race Day:

Sunday morning was a 3:00 am wake up.  Yup!  This is my life.

Does anyone else find this funny?
I thought I was pretty HYSTERICAL!

While we were organized, it felt disjointed not being in our own home.  For one I couldn't make myself a cup of coffee and I had no expectation of finding a good cup that early.  Coffee is largely responsible for my charm at 3:00 am.  John quadruple checked he had everything he needed and we kept running through the checklist while we were trying to chase down a bagel and peanut butter for him.

Found on www.kristenmcashan.com

Walking to the swim start was fun.  Tons of athletes walking together.  I left him at the swim start a half hour before the start of the race.  I headed back to get...COFFEE.  I felt bad leaving him to wait at the start by himself but the race officials kept saying that certain areas were going to be closed to spectators.  I am always very compliant (mmm hmm).  Turns out they were a little more lenient than they led you to believe and I could have hung around a little more.

Heading up to the swim start -- The Hudson at its finest

It was so crazy hot, even at 5:00 am, by the time I got to Starbucks (a mile or so walk) I was DRENCHED.   I hung out there for a while monitoring the Aquaphor NYC Triathlon app.  Thanks to the app I knew when John headed out on the bike and at what time I should start making my way to 72nd and West End Avenue (my first spectating position).

I was excited to see John start his run.  I am always so relieved when he is off the bike.  Cheering my head off as he passed and he didn't even see me.  Then I made my way to the finish line (another mile!).  There were a lot of people spectating but never did it feel crowded.  I was able to cheer for him as he headed down the finishing shoot.  I am an obnoxiously proud Iron Widow!  Again, he didn't see me.  Thanks babe! So glad I got up at 3:00 am!

Smiling and happy at the finish.

You would think we could rest easy, the race was over.  NOPE! We then walked the almost 2 miles back to the hotel so he could get cleaned up.  Anyone spotting a theme in my weekend? WALKING! This country mouse doesn't use the subway.  I assume that might have saved my legs a bit.  We still needed to head back to transition and grab John's bike/gear but we had a few hours before they would let us back in the area.  We eventually drove back and surprisingly found parking nearby.

Despite my complaining about the heat, it was a weekend that will live forever in our hearts and minds.  Spending time with John doing something we both love (without interruption) was priceless.

Just me and my guy!

This race was executed flawlessly by the race officials.  Organized, well mapped out, solid execution and a lot of fun.  We would definitely recommend any triathlete, beginner or seasoned to do this race.  Yes, even you beginners.  There were a ton of people that were doing a triathlon for the first time.  I have the sign to prove it.

I thought if we had to post this sign,
we are in BIG trouble!

Do you have any tips for traveling to a race location? How do you prepare differently? Do you prefer to travel or race local?

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Riverhead Rocks Race Report

I was very excited when I signed up for this year's Riverhead Rocks Olympic Distance Triathlon.  I would be revisiting the site of my first Olympic distance race.  At last year's race, I established myself as a solid "middle-of-the-packer" at this distance.  My hopes for this year were to greatly improve in all four disciplines (I consider transitions one of them) and as a result, I set a somewhat unrealistic time goal for myself.

Over the years, some wise people have taught me three very important things about goals:

1. Your goals should be "Specifficult", concatenated from Specific and Difficult.
2. Be weary of setting your goals too low, you might just achieve them!
3. A goal is a dream with a deadline.

For this race, I had set a goal finish time of 2:15:00.  Just for reference, I finished this race last year in 2:41:39.  Yes, I thought I would beat my time by more than 25 minutes!  As it turned out, that was a bit of a stretch.

Prior to the race, I developed time benchmarks, start the bike at 30 minutes, start the run at 1:35, run a 40 minute 10K and finish at 2:15.  Here is how it panned out:

Swim

The swim has always been my weakest discipline.  I am sure that if I took a survey, 90% of all triathletes would say the same thing, so I wasn't putting too much pressure on myself for the swim.  Since February, my coach has had me in the pool at least 3 times per week for one hour sessions.  In addition, he has come up with these torture sessions he calls intervals.  I have basically water-boarded myself every Wednesday for the last few months.  Well to my surprise, it worked.  I was out of the water in 24 minutes with a below-threshold effort.  This swim gave me a ton of confidence for the rest of the season.

T1

I have been practicing with my shoes clipped in to the pedals and a "flying mount", but I have never done it in a race.  Although I was nervous about a possible face plant, I went full throttle and nailed it.  Out of T1 in 0:1:31.  I beat my benchmark by almost 5 minutes heading out on the bike.  So far, so good.

Bike

A near flawless T1 had me riding high as I started the bike leg.  I went at a comfortable level, but maybe pushed a little hard in the first 15 minutes.  Once I settled down, I found my rhythm.  I fueled on the bike with Amrita Bars and hydrated with Nuun.  My speed was right around where I thought it would be, but it turns out that the bike segment in this race was about 1.5K longer than the 40K listed.  I had the benefit of almost 5 minutes, so my 1:10 bike time only put me behind my benchmark by about 5 minutes.  At that point, I was satisfied with a possible 2:20:00.

T2

I took my feet out of my bike shoes with about a mile to go on the bike.  This allowed me to incorporate my flying dismount going into T2.  Bike on rack, helmet off, shoes on and I was on my way.  Got out of T2 in 0:0:45.  Nailed this one also.

Run

This is the discipline that I have been putting the most effort in to.  A few years ago, I HATED running.  Running a mile was nothing less than 15 minutes of hell.  Over the last 2 years, I have actually come to love running and I had all the confidence that I could tap out 7-minute miles for this race.  That is where it all went wrong.  No matter how hard I tried, I just could not get my legs to go any faster.  My Garmin chimed in with 1-mile splits: 7:45, 8:05, 8:15 and so on.  This was not the plan.  Maybe the humidity?  Under fueled?  Dehydrated?  Over trained?  Who knows.  I finished the run in 51 minutes, almost 10 minutes longer than expected.  I still don't know why I couldn't get the turnover I was seeking, but I hope I can figure it out before my next race at the NYC Triathlon.

The final result was pretty good.  2:29:11, 35th overall and 4th in my age group.  I discovered that I missed the podium by about a minute and a half.  That was also how much I missed qualifying for the Age Group Nationals this year.  Something I have to strive for next year.

It was great to have Tara at the race cheering me on.  It was also nice to meet some followers of this blog and your positive feedback was greatly appreciated.  Off to the next training session.

John

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Weekend Recap: Sagamore Hill, Junior Triathlon Training, and Riverhead Rocks Triathlon

Hi All! First, I -- Tara-- want to thank those of you following our little family blog! It has been a lot of fun hearing from you that something posted piqued your interest.

I am going to give a not so brief recap of a weekend that was excessively busy but super fun.  When I got into bed last night at 7:55, I felt like I had not stopped moving for 48 hours!

Friday started the kids first day at camp and it was a great day for them! They both hopped on the bus at 8:45 and neither looked back to even say goodbye to me.  I love how independent and confident they are, very unlike the way I was at their ages.  They were all smiles getting off the bus, had plenty of adventures to recount and couldn't wait to go back.  Little A's big success was her attempt a Sky Trail which is a high ropes course with a zip line (she made it halfway).  Big A who is a naturally gifted athlete but NOT sporty didn't sit out during any of the sports! This is a big deal...he usually needs a break (mentally).

First Day of Camp
The A Team

Big A loves reading non-fiction and has recently been reading a lot about Theodore Roosevelt.  Whenever we can we reinforce the kids learning with a trip.  The Newman motto is "we value EXPERIENCES not things".  We are lucky enough to live near Teddy Roosevelt's summer home, Sagamore Hill.  The kids were overly excited to visit this historical site.  Big A is at an age where he can understand things in the past which has him on the edge of his seat when we see old homes.  Unfortunately, Teddy Roosevelt's home is under construction but the museum and grounds left plenty for his active imagination.  If you have boys, the museum has a lot of military artifacts (guns, swords, medals, etc).  We didn't have enough time to explore the nature trails but are definitely heading back there.  It was a really nice day adventure for families or people who like nature/hiking/trail running. Although its location in Oyster Bay, Long Island makes it a little off the beaten path.

Sagamore Hill Museum

Walking the grounds we saw
this guy.

We were slightly rushed at Sagamore Hill because it was Big A's first Junior Triathlon Training at Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Park put on by a local running club called the Greater Long Island Running Club.  This is an eight week program focusing on all three disciplines of Triathlon culling the expertise of numerous coaches from Long Island.  It finishes with the kids participating in the Tobay Junior Triathlon on August 25.  This triathlon is sponsored by Runner's Edge, a local running store located in Farmingdale.

Saturday's run seemed to focus on pace, stretching, and having fun.  The bike session was meant to get the kids comfortable on their bikes and fine tuning their set ups.  The swim focused on high knees and dives for entering the water.

John and I believe programs like this are important to get kids active, learning/trying new things, and building self-confidence.  I will give more details on our experience with this program in subsequent posts.  Maybe I can get Big A to do a race recap of the Tobay Junior Tri!

Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Park
This is a GORGEOUS park in Oyster Bay

Getting Swim Instruction
He LOVES his new swim cap!

Coming out of the water
feeling CONFIDENT!

Saturday night we dropped the kids with my dad and step mom because we had to be out of the house by 4:30 Sunday morning for the Riverhead Rocks Triathlon put on by Event Power Long Island.  I know I am getting a little ahead of myself but I have to say these guys put on a GREAT race!  It is nice to race local, support the community and save some $ on travel.

John is going to give a detailed race recap in the next day or two.  However, I (of course) have a few things to say. While John has been racing for a few years this is only the second race I have been able to attend.  The kids have previously been too young and getting a baby sitter at 4:30 am is a bit of a unicorn.  In the past, John would always thank me for my support and I would roll my eyes.  I figured he was just buttering me up to approve the next race entry fee, gadget, or extended training session.  After attending the last two races I can tell you it brings a whole new meaning to my support for him and how his successes are very much my successes.  To see him achieve his goals and succeed in a way he never thought he could is a feeling beyond words.  Knowing that my "Sherpa Wife" skills have helped him get there...there is no greater high and I am not even the one racing.  As a matter of fact, my 'race stomach' yesterday was worse than his!!

Here are some of THIS Iron Widow's highlights from the Riverhead Rocks Triathlon:

John's organizational skills on race morning are mind blowingly epic. Everyone always describes John as 'very serious'.  He is and it works for him in these settings.  John treats Triathlon like it is his job and races are just another day in the office (maybe a day with a big meeting).

Heading in to the office

Total GIRL moment...I like looking at him in his spandex with his tattoos.  I think he is pretty dreamy.      Considering this isn't the guy I married.  This is the guy I married...right here.

Amrita Ambassador John Newman
getting marked

Event Power races have tremendous energy, have been spectator friendly, have the nicest staff, and Corey's Australian accent gives a certain level of authenticity.  Another aspect I like is their data crunching or speed in which they get athletes their results.  The Newmans are data people so we love this!  Their results are brought to the athletes by EmPower Solar and they do a really nice job.

Corey giving orders
Like a BOSS

Timing in hand within
a half hour of finishing

John didn't have the race he wanted (it happens) but he had a fast swim, blistering transitions, a flawless flying mount, and set not only a course PR but an overall PR!  He struggled on the run but a lot of people in the lead were complaining about their run (mostly cramping).

"Embracing the SUCK"

Oh, and I got to hang out with S for a good part of race which was nice having fun company.  I got some tremendous pictures and video of the flying mount that he has been working hard to practice.

Unfortunately, we had to leave a little early from the race to get the kids.  We felt guilty inflicting their rambunctious-ness on anyone for too long.  One of the nice things about Event Power is they pride themselves on everyone staying until the end to welcome in the last finisher.

Since John and I had been up since 3:30 am and John's legs were blown we were hoping to have a quiet day with the littles.  Somehow John thought bribing them with family swim at 5:30 pm was smart!  SO, that's how we ended this already BANANAS weekend...swimming with the kids.

What did you do over the weekend? Anyone race? Share your experiences below.  We would love to hear from you!