Words Escape Me

Words are escaping me. What can I say about taking another trip to Harriman State Park only to have my drive chain crap out on me? Blow up is actually more descriptive. Somehow I sheared the chain stay right off the frame and mutilated the derailleur so that it looked like a twisted chunk of scrap metal. I even prepared for a chain emergency by taking an extra chain and tool, however this was something unrecoverable.

The thing broke while I was climbing up Tiorati Brook Road. I was 54 miles into a 110 mile scheduled ride. Fortunately, I was riding with Todd and his friend/co-worker Sue who came up on me about 5 minutes later. He took my car key and got my car to come rescue me. While driving back to the parking lot I called my coach to find out where I should go to get it fixed. We decided it wasn’t worth going to get it repaired now and I was better off going for a run, while Todd and Sue continued their ride.

Maybe it all happens for a reason. While I was on the phone with my coach, my wife called and told me she needed me home around 3pm to help prepare for my daughter’s birthday party this evening. I had no idea she wanted me home this early, which was about 3 hours earlier than I had planned. If I hadn’t shattered my derailleur, I wouldn’t have even looked at my cell phone for hours. This break therefore probably saved me from enumerable grief with my wife later on.

After the phone calls, I ran for 90 minutes/11 miles while Todd and Sue did another two laps. We finished at just about the same time as each other. Todd and Sue wanted to go out for another loop, but I spoiled their party by telling them I had to go home. I really didn’t want to do it, but I couldn’t bare the guilt and grief I would get from my wife at putting my friends over her and my daughter. Deep down it was also a relief to have a legitimate reason to leave; it would have been very difficult to sit idle for another hour or so while everyone else got to ride. I think this fact made it all the harder for me to disappoint my friends and tell them we had to leave.

I am not sure how I am going to handle the rest of this weekend. I’ll do my scheduled 22 mile run tomorrow; although how that will go after running 11 today will be interesting. I’ll have to get another bike in at some point during the next few days. It’s very frustrating since this was supposed to be the last big finale before I started to taper for IMLP. I was riding exceptionally well today and felt like I could have hammered out the miles all day.

Perhaps this is God’s plan and this divine being is just looking out for me. This must have been the case yesterday when I did an evening run during a thunder storm. I was scared shitless that I’d be struck by lightening, but I managed to make it through unscathed. A lot of people were being looked out for last night as Prospect Park was filled with runners and cyclists despite the flashing sky.

One side note I’d like to make mention of is that I was treated reasonable well when I went to R&A Cycles to get my bike repaired. I’ve had issues with this shop in the past and it was very refreshing to be treated well. Several others have said that the shop has turned over a new leaf and this appears to be so. I’ll hold final judgment off until tomorrow when I pick up my bike and see the bill, but so far it looks good.

200 Miles + 3400 Meters

Yesterday morning I woke up with a sore throat and congested nose. I knew I was coming down with something so I decided to get some extra sleep instead of schlepping to the pool at 5:30am. It meant I would probably miss the day’s swim workout, but I wanted to see the doctor to make sure I took care of the bug before it got out of hand.

I was also scheduled to drive out to the east end of Long Island for a meeting. By the time I got out of the doctors office, I was going to be very late for the 11am start. I thought perhaps I could just rest in bed all day, but the person I was to meet with really wanted me to be there. So somewhat reluctantly I got in my car and drove the 100 plus miles to the meeting, making it there by 12:30pm.

The meeting was already in progress and I was glad to see some good work was already accomplished. It finally broke up around 3:30pm, whereupon I started on my long journey home. The traffic on the way back would be much worse, but I hoped that I would get lucky.

In a way I did get lucky. The traffic was clear until I reached the Meadowbrook Parkway. This is right near Eisenhower Park and the Aquatic Center. I was feeling a little better by this time and since I was stuck in traffic, I decided to get off the highway and get my swim in. Hopefully the traffic would ease up by the time I finished. Also, my coach would be happy that I got the day’s workout in. Fortunately, I had an extra set of swim gear in my car, although I didn’t have a towel or lock.

I never really noticed before, but Eisenhower Park is one gigantic indoor pool. The configuration when I arrived allowed for 8 x 50M lanes, plus 4 x 25M and a large recreation area for kids and families. The pool was very crowded with a kid swim meet going on. Fortunately, I was able to get one of the 4x25m lanes and even had it for myself for a while. I hope no one would steal my clothes which I left in a bag on the spectator seats.

I really didn’t want to swim and felt this way through the first few hundred yards. After a while I started to warm up and the meters starting ticking away. Towards the end of my 3rd 1000M set, another triathlete came into my lane and started to draft me. He was right behind me and I tried to hold him off from touching my toes for as long as possible. I was very glad he was behind me because it gave me encouragement and incentive to keep moving fast. I was supposed to do each of my 1000’s faster than the previous and had he not been there I am almost certain I would have started to slow down. I held him off for around 700 meters with about 200 to go before he finally tickled my toes. I had a feeling I was starting to slow, so I let him pass and then tried to draft him.

The last 1000 was the fastest of the workout. I did another 200 to cool down. When I got out of the water the triathlete called over to me and we proceeded to talk for a few minutes. We talked about our drafting session and I replied I was glad that he was there. We are both doing Lake Placid, so perhaps I’ll see him in a few weeks.

Without a towel I relied in the paper towels in the bathroom to dry off. I probably looked a little silly, but I didn’t really care. I was happy to get the swim in and just eager to start getting home. The traffic was a little better and I made it home in decent time.

Excedrin

Today started off sluggishly with a 20 mile ride out of a scheduled 40. Actually, I thought I was only supposed to do 30 miles, but when I looked at my training plan after the fact, I saw I really had 40 miles to do. So I went from feeling not so bad at cutting my ride by only 10 miles, to slight feelings of despair that I only did half my workout. In truth, had I known I was to go 40, I still would probably have stopped at 20 since I was exhausted. Is this interesting reading so far? Probably not.

Anyway, I suffered through exhaustion all through work and contended with another unairconditioned and crowded subway car. The appalling environment in the subway cars as of late, reminds me of riding the subways during the late 70’s, early 80’s. They were dirty, hot, grimy and slow; just like today. By the time I got home, I had a crushing migraine and just wanted to crawl under my covers. This is what I did for an hour, before I had to get up and to the Run Until the Violence Stops run in Prospect Park.

Now if this were just a scheduled evening workout, I would probably have skipped it since I was feeling so lousy. I decided though that I was going to do it no matter what for two reasons: 1 – It was too easy of a NYC Marathon Qualifier race to pass up and 2 - more importantly if I ever harbored hopes of doing the Badwater 135, I knew I would have to struggle through that race feeling worse than I do now, so I better start practicing running when I feel like shit.

As it turns out, I started to feel pretty good when I headed to the park. I felt good enough to run a 2.6 mile warm up and then ran 23:00 for the 3.2 mile race (yes, 3.2 miles). I attribute this evening burst of energy to the 2 Excedrin I took for my headache. It’s such a wonder drug.

Rest in Peace

My friend and business colleague just had a member of his team get killed today while riding his bike to work. It made the Top Stories on NY1.com. I’ve been thinking about him all day.

Derek was only 21 years old with model good looks and one of the nicest guys you could ever meet. I was with him just several weeks ago when he was telling me that he just bought his bike so he could commute to work with it. We had talked in the past about commuting to work by bike. You can see him by going to http://www.fashiongps.com/. He is the person in the video.

My wife asked me if I would stop commuting to work by bike now. My contention when I hear about something like this is you can’t let such events stop you from living. However, I will be more cautious than ever. It is not so much my life that I worry about, but the impact on my family should something happens to me. It's been weighing on my mind more than ever lately.

Ironman Fit

This morning I weighed myself for the first time in almost two months. The scale shows that my body is transforming into its Ironman configuration. Here is a comparison of my vital weight measurements:

These measurements were recorded with my Tanita Body Composition Monitor. It appears to be accurate and always gives me consistent results.

Another indication that I am getting Ironman fit is the fact that many of my clothes don’t fit me anymore. The waists are all too big, which means I have to bunch it up by cinching my belt very tight. It looks a little silly, but I am not going out to buy a new wardrobe or spend the money on tailoring my suits, only to have them get too tight in the fall and winter.

Physically, I think I am going to be fine for the race. I just need to complete my mental preparations. This year with almost all certainty, will be the last time I do Ironman Lake Placid; at least for a few years. Therefore, there will be no next year so I need to balance running a good race with pushing myself hard. Not so hard that I burn out too early and hard enough so that I push through the pain and make my body do what I want, even though my brain is telling me to stop. It is such a fine line between knowing you can do more, but just don’t want to push it and pushing so much, that you just can’t physically push anymore.

I know my children won’t be with me this year. This is definitely weighing on my mind. Running across the finish line with them is one of the greatest thrills of the race. I’ll have to know they are there with me in spirit. Besides, this will keep me from worrying about slowing down and letting another age grouper pass me at the finish to take my Kona slot. Only 27 days remain.

Great Adventure

In order to recover from yesterday’s 102 mile ride, I decided to relax a bit and run a flat 20 miles in the Manasquan Reservoir. Actually, it was the only place nearby for me to run, since we spent the night at my wife’s aunt’s house in order to get an early start at Great Adventure this morning.

As I mentioned in a previous post this is a 5 mile loop over packed dirt trail. I intended to get some pictures of myself as a comparison between today and Thanksgiving 2005, but it was so humid that the lens of my camera phone was completely fogged over. For that matter so were my glasses. My Rudy Project glasses with optical insert are practically useless in warm and damp weather. I felt like Tommy of the famous song, especially when my mp3 player stopped working. I was running deaf, blind and definitely dumb since I could hardly see anything while running. It was a Great Adventure just making it through in one piece.

Other than my vision problems, it was a satisfyingly hard run. I did each 5M loop faster than the previous and finished just over 20 miles in about 2:50. The loop doesn’t have water fountains along it, so I relied on a water bottle stashed at my starting point. I took a healthy swig from it every time I passed it along with a Hammer Gel packet. It drizzled on occasion, but the thunderstorms the weatherman promised never materialized.

Fortunately, the lack of thunderstorms lasted through our days visit at Great Adventure. The threat of foul weather also kept most of the crowds away making for a very leisurely and line free day. We were able to go on all of the rides we wanted with minimal waiting time.

I am always amazed at the sight of overweight and out of shape America when I go to our nation’s amusement parks. It only seems to get worse as time goes on. I am so happy that both my wife and I stay in shape and set a good example for my kids. I wouldn’t want to be this couple who are so fat that their butts literally hang over the bench on which that sat. Their children were also huge and endemic of the couch potato type of kid who becomes susceptible to Type II Diabetes. I am sure if our nation's parents would recognize and acknowledge the potential health consequences they are subjecting their precious children, they would do something about improving their diets and encouraging exercise over video games. If they want further encouragement, let them check out the unfortunate children who through no fault of their own are born with Type I diabetes and are subjected to drawing blood and checking their blood sugar 6-10 times a day and receive anywhere from 2 to 6 injections of insulin a day. I don't wish such a fate on any child.

I really feel that allowing your child to become seriously overweight at such a young age is a passive form of child abuse and neglect. It sets them up for all sorts of health problems later in life, that could have been avoided had proper nutrition been taught and learned by setting good examples.

After we were finished with the rides, we went back to our car for a trip through the Wild Safari. You are supposed to keep your car windows closed, but of course I am not one to obey every rule I am told. This allowed a friendly animal to poke his head inside looking for food. I wanted to feed him some popcorn, but we were too busy looking, ducking and laughing to find it. It was one of the highlights of the day. Please let me know if you can identify what type of animal this is, as the website doesn’t have an index of the animals inside it.

After the drive through the park, we headed home for dinner at a local restaurant. Then it was take out the trash, throw the dirty laundry in the washing machine and the dirty children in the tub. It’s been a long day and I am ready to go to bed.

Perseveration

Perseveration
[L] continuation of something (as repetition of a word) usually to an exceptional degree or beyond a desired point; hence, perseverate, by back-formation "perseverate, perseverate, perseverate.." - anon

I suppose riding 30 loops around Prospect Park for two weekends in a row counts as perseveration. My desired point of riding around the park this morning was not at all, but still I did it. It caused me to wonder if the fact that I didn’t want to do this ride today, meant that I don’t really want to do Ironman. In the end I did the ride, so I guess I want to do the race.

Due to the threat of oncoming rain, I decided it wasn’t advisable to head to HSP. In a way, that suited me fine since I didn’t want to spend all of the extra traveling time to do a workout up there. I was hungry when I woke up, so I had a bowl of Kellogg’s Smart Start cereal. However, after spitting it up for the first 24 miles of my ride, I decided that perhaps that wasn’t such a smart start on my day.

I was really hoping for the rain to come down. This would alleviate my personal guilt about not going to HSP. I got my wish off and on during the ride, especially towards the beginning when the rain would come down with enough force to make my skin sting. Also during the first 20 miles of my ride, I had the company of Kona bound triathlete Jonathan. It was good to have company to break up a totally monotonous ride. After he left, I put on my MP3 player and just cranked out the miles. I maintained a satisfying 20.2 mph pace over the course of 102.5 miles.

When I returned home, I was caked in road grime. My once white socks were completely black. Even my buttocks were dirty from filthy water seeping through the fabric. I quickly took a bath and when I drained the water the white porcelain of the tub was covered with all the debris that washed off my body. The bath must have refreshed me, because afterwards I had enough energy to take my bike outside to hose off the accumulated gunk. Hopefully next weekend I’ll get in another HSP ride.

Bitching and Moaning

I hate when I screw up my schedule. This is exactly what I did this morning by sleeping in until 6am. My intention was to get to the pool around 7:30am and swim for about an hour. It wasn’t until I woke up that I realized that the pool closes at 8am in order to switch the lane configuration from 50m to 25 yards. I wouldn’t have enough time to get in a decent workout if I tried to get in before 8am and I would be late for several morning weekends if I swam until 9:30am. I love the 50 meter pool, but having to complete my swim before 8am is really becoming a killer.

So all I have to do now is bitch and moan about my screwed up day. I have no idea how I am going to fit everything in. I have several meetings throughout the day and I am wanted home early to help out with my daughter’s birthday party. Looking on the brighter side of things, I got to wake up and see my son this morning. He is having a sleep over right after school, so if I went to the pool I wouldn’t have seen him all day.

While waiting on the subway platform this morning, I found myself standing next to a woman with her 4/5 year old daughter. Seeing them next to me reminded me of a quandary I face whenever I am next to parents with small children or pregnant women.

I will generally give my seat up when I see small children or the preggers on the train. The only time I don’t is if someone beats me to it or if they say they are getting off at the next stop. However, in the case of standing next to them on the platform, I’ll generally move up or down the platform so I will enter through another door. This way I can get a seat without having to feel as though I took a seat away from them should seats be scarce when we enter the train. Is that wrong? I can’t help but feel that somehow it is.

I don’t exactly enjoy giving up my seat, but I know it’s the right thing to do. I wouldn't want a woman to feel like this one. I’ll do it, but I wouldn’t mind in the least if they entered the train somewhere else. Riding the subway is one of the few times during the day I get to relax, which is absolutely impossible to do if your standing in a hot car packed in like sardines.

Raw Oysters and Sushi

I think common wisdom dictates that raw oysters, clams and a raw sushi platter are not the appropriate items to eat before doing a race. That is just what I did though a couple of hours before this evening’s JPMorgan Chase Corporate Challenge Race. I was taken out to lunch to Rue 57 and my benefactor offered up the Oyster and Clam platter as an appetizer. I didn’t want to turn down the opportunity to sample such treasures from the sea so I threw caution to the wind and dug in. I backed up the raw shell fish with a sampler of raw fish.

As the hours progressed towards the race, I wondered if such a protein extravaganza would have an ill effect on my performance. I was feeling slightly queasy throughout the afternoon and I began to worry about intestinal parasites. I figured what my stomach lacked was a dose of carbohydrates, so I added a blueberry muffin to the briny mess in my stomach. My stomach didn’t feel much better after it, but my mind was more at ease knowing that my body had a more substantial fuel for the race.

My fears of a bad race were unfounded. As I lined up with the 17,000 other people I could feel my body getting ready to run. The start of the race was extremely crowded and slow and I was only able to move myself at a 9:05 pace for the first mile. The next miles were much better. I snapped off a 7:31, 7:02 and 6:42 pace for the remaining 2.5 miles. I guess raw shell fish isn’t so bad as a pre-race meal after all.

I hung around my company’s meeting area for an hour or so after the race. I was finally able to get back to my office around 9:20pm to pack my gear for my bike ride home. I was still feeling strong and rode a brisk 38 minutes from 57th and Madison back to my home in Brooklyn. I wonder if I will still feel this strong in the morning.

Hot Weather

When I came in from my 31 mile bike and 6 mile run this morning my wife asked me how anyone can run in this weather – hazy, hot and humid. I replied that I would rather run around in the heat, than have to wear a suit and tie and ride the NYC Subway. It seems as though every F train is without air conditioning making the ride completely intolerable. It’s like riding in a movable sauna only you are fully dressed.

Speaking of air conditioning or lack thereof, I still haven’t put in the window air conditioners for my upstairs bedrooms. The lack of climate control in these rooms has rendered them basically unusable. As you ascend the stairs to the second floor of my house, it is like going through a thermocline in the ocean. You can feel the temperature rise by about 15 degrees mid-way up the steps. It was so bad last night that my wife and I decided that we were all going to sleep on the living room floor. We have a permanently installed AC on the first floor so we are able to keep cool on it. My kids got a great kick out of it and I kept laughing as they continuously played and rolled around into each other. Its almost a shame that Todd is coming over this evening to help me put the upstairs AC units into the windows. However, m family is very grateful for his assistance.

I’ll probably get to bed late tonight and this will make tomorrow a very long and sleep deprived day. I must get to the pool in the morning (by bike) and then later in the day I am organizing the Corporate Challenge race for my company. So tomorrow will be a Bike, Swim, Bike, Work, Run, Bike type of workout day. It will also probably be hazy, hot and humid again; just like the first day of summer should be.

Ocean Treadmill

For Fathers Day, I got my wife to agree to accompany me to the beach with my kids while I did a swim with my Cibbows buddies. It was a bit warm, but otherwise a spectacular day to be at the beach. We started out the day being lucky as someone informed me that the spot I took in the municipal parking lot was illegal and subject to a $95 fine. I was able to get back to my car in time and move it to another spot and get back to the beach in time to hit the water with everyone.

The current was moving very swiftly, which made the trip to the white house (going left from the beach) happen fast. I was swimming just slightly ahead of my friend Cristian who soon caught up to me at the normal turn around point. Cristian is a faster swimmer than me, so I decided to try to draft him on the trip back to our starting point and beyond. I was able to keep up with him and we swam hard for about 10 minutes. At that point Cristian stopped to get his bearings and look for any other swimmers. We came across a couple of others and we all remarked how we were swimming hard, but apparently getting nowhere. It was like swimming on a treadmill.

We picked back up again and I stayed on his toes for another 15 minutes before we stopped. When we looked up, you could see that some positive forward progress was made. I was doing all that I could do to stay with him. It felt good to be swimming hard, especially since it has been quite some time since I made a true hard effort in the water. We stopped for a minute or so and when we picked back up again, I really couldn’t continue to hang onto his toes. Perhaps if we didn’t stop I could have kept going, but the stop seemed to sap all of my momentum.

I swam for another 25 minutes on my own at a comfortable pace. I was continuing my forward progress and still feeling good. The water was magnificently clear and had a visibility of at least 15 feet. I started to head back to the start as the time was approaching an hour. I didn’t want to stay out there all day, since I had my kids waiting for me on shore. I was happy to see them busily playing in the sand when I returned. I grabbed a post workout drink and then played with my kids in the sand for the next hour. Down by the surf, we found a strange looking critter, the likes of which I’ve never seen before. If anyone could identify it, I would sure like to know what it is. Hopefully it is not some sort of bizarre crab mutation from contaminated water.

Poor Sportsmanship

I wonder if being a bad sport is something that is learned or is a genetic predisposition. Or is it that unless you are taught how to have good sportsmanship your default behavior is to be an obnoxious prick when out in the field.

Today I encountered several individuals that exhibited some pretty bad behavior. The It involved an arrogant cyclist that refused to yield any part of the roadway while riding, even though he had two full traffic lanes in which to ride. He felt that it was his moral right to plunge headlong into runners should they be too close in the cycle lane.

Normally when this happens to me, I would simply thrust out my elbow to give the offender a nice solid jolt. On this day however, I was inclined to avoid any further cycling related injury. My spills over the last couple of weeks have been more than enough. This had occurred while I was running with my friends Chris and Marcos. Chris is a much larger guy than I am and probably would have come out on the better side had he threw a shoulder or elbow into the guy. This was our plan and I anxiously waited to see what would happen. We didn’t get to see if that would happen though, since apparently the cyclist had left the park. It was probably for the best, but it would have been satisfying to see the guy go down (is that bad sportsmanship?).

I proceeded to run with Chris and Marcos for another 6 miles. They were accompanying me through the middle third of my run. The pace was a little slower than I’d have liked, but the company certainly made the time seem to go much faster. It felt good to be running with a couple of friends guys who shared the same sorts of issues in regards to wife, family, children, etc. It was male bonding at its finest.

After they left, I started to increase my pace in order to get my workout done in time to see my daughter’s soccer game. I was just wrapping up mile 18 and headed over to the soccer field when my wife called and asked where I was. I told her I was on my way and asked if she brought my recovery drink with her. Unfortunately, she didn’t see my note so I had to run home to get it. I couldn’t stand around after running 20 miles without having something to put in my stomach. So I ran home, grabbed my drink and jumped on my bike to make in to the game in time for the second half.

I rode back home after the game, beating my wife and kids who drove home in our car. I was able to grab another bite to eat and take a shower, before I headed back out for my son’s soccer game. It was at his game where encountered an elitist soccer snob who was unfortunately coaching for the other team. The guy was wearing an Italian soccer shirt and you would have thought he was coaching the Italian national team in the World Cup. During the game the guy was a permanent fixing on the field as he personally coached all of his players. The rules clearly state that coaches, parents, etc. are not to be on the field and when I asked him to move to the side he became quite indignant. I was refereeing the game and he took major offense to this request.

He stayed on the side for about another minute, whereupon he proceeded back on the field. It was so bad; he may as well have been an additional player on the field. I asked him once again to stay on the sidelines, but his response this time was to pull his team from the field. I thought about letting him just take his team to his side of the field to play with themselves, but I saw the disappointed look on the on my player’s faces. I didn’t have the heart to let the game end at this point, especially since it was the last game of the season. So I just capitulated to the guy in order to get the game back on track.


It was very awkward and lopsided against my team for the remainder of the game, but the kids still seemed to be having fun. To add insult to injury, this coach also would bench players from his team in order to put in his bigger and better players. This is a cardinal sin in the eyes of AYSO; every child is to get equal and fair playing time, but all this guy was concerned with was winning. When his team eventually won, he even started preening to them about how they had won the game. Normally scores at this level are not even kept. The guy even refused to get in line at the end of the game to shake hands with my players, much less me. I was perfectly happy with that because I didn’t want my kids or I to catch whatever virus made this guy a total asshole.

The experience really brought my mood down, but I tried to hide my disgust from my team. After the game we gathered around for the presentation of the year end trophies and for a round of donuts that I purchased for them. Everyone seemed to be very happy, especially when the donuts were broken out. I am so glad I coached this season. It’s been one of the highlights of my year so far.

When we got back home, I decided to unwind and relax a little by mowing my backyard. I’d say grass but what is growing back there could hardly be considered as such. My backyard has been completely neglected for this entire year. My daughter remarked how we would definitely win the award for the worst backyard.first encounter was while I was doing my 20 mile run in Prospect Park this morning. Mowing that yard was more akin to slashing and burning the rainforest. I definitely destroyed and ecosystem today. By clearing away the brush though, I was able to find a bunch of worms for my son to put in a worm terrarium that he got for his birthday. The worms are now happily living in a jar underneath my bathroom sink. It was the least we could do for them since I destroyed their home with my lawn mower.

Horrible Hundred

I rode today perhaps the most horrible 100 miles in my entire life. It should have been a tough 100 miles in Harriman State Park, but a busted chain 1 mile into the ride quashed that idea quickly. At least the chain didn’t break while I was climbing up Tiorati Brook Road. It was too early to head to a local bike shop, so I had no choice but to head home to replace the chain and go for a 100 miler in Prospect Park. The only good thing about my trip up to HSP was my 30 minute nap in my car before I attempted the ride.

By the time I returned home, replaced my chain and headed back out, it was 10:45am; just in time to begin the ride as the mid-day heat was to arrive. I had 30 laps to ride which is enough to drive a person insane. Besides the misery of having to do this endless loop more times than a rational person should ever desire, I had to contend with the fumes of diesel trucks and hot asphalt from a repaving project along one of the park’s transverses. The road around this area was littered with bits and chunks of asphalt that was spilled and dragged out over the main roadway.

This was going on for most of my ride. At about 70 miles into it, the trucks, steam rollers and pavers had finally left, leaving behind a freshly paved road. It also opened access to one of the water fountains. I headed over to it for a water bottle refill. When I started to ride away, I found my tires sinking into still soft asphalt. A bunch of tar coated my tires making them a disgusting gumpy mess. I scrapped off as much of the gunk as I could, but a couple of clumps stubbornly refused to dislodge. My pace started to suffer a bit from the increased tackiness of the tires. After another 30 miles, most of came off, but it appears the tires are basically ruined.

While I ride, I sometimes listen to the MP3 player that is part of my Treo phone. The phone is also connected to my office email and chimes through the music every time an email message arrives. At a couple of hours into my ride, the chiming had become incessant. I couldn’t ignore the chimes any longer and this necessitated me to stop on a few occasions to answer some important messages and make several phone calls.

The average temperature for the ride was 85 degrees with a peak of 93 and blazing sun and wind. By the time I finished, I was dehydrated, sweaty and grimy. I flirted with going the full iron distance (112 miles), but after 101 miles I figured I’d had enough torture. I just wanted to get home, have a cold drink and take a cold bath. I must love being miserable in order to do something like today.

Till Death Do Us Part

My son just destroys me mentally sometimes. Last night, while I was tucking him into bed he said that he hopes I live a very long time so that we would both die at the same time. What he is saying to me, and what I also feel, is that things will be ok as long as we are together, but if we have to die, it wouldn’t be so bad if we both went at the same time. It was enough to make this grown man cry.

I don’t think anyone understands how much it pains me to spend time away from my children. I just love having them around me. I hate the time I spend away from them. This has been a factor in my reluctance to get to the pool in the morning. I don’t like missing out on seeing their smiling faces in the morning. My world is not well, unless I get my daily dose of them.

I wonder how many other people feel the way I do. Anyway, off to the pool, reluctantly.

Eagleman 2006

This year’s Eagleman Triathlon was the toughest of the three years I participated in it. It was brutally windy all day long and it never seemed as though you had the wind to your back. The swim course was confusing due to bad information at the start and the trip back from the turnaround was horrible. There were constant choppy swells that would swamp your entire head every time you tried to get a breath of air. It seemed as though with every third stroke, I would breathe in a lungful of water.

My race plan was to do the second half of each leg harder than the first. This is exactly what I did, but on the swim, the extra energy I spent was fighting the waves and chop instead of propelling me faster. It was very difficult to sight on the return, so I concentrated on swimming 10-15 strokes before I would look up again. Psychologically, this was working for me as every time I looked up I could see the next buoy marker getting closer. I wasn’t sure when I would ever finish, but it seemed as if all of a sudden, I could see the exit ramp to the swim. I was relieved and exited the water in 39 minutes. I wasn’t too disappointed with the time considering the conditions, but I wasn’t exactly happy.

A fellow competitor whose bike was next to mine remarked how horrible the swim was. I agreed it was terrible and got on with the business of getting onto my bike. I made it out of transition in a decent amount of time and felt good as soon as I started pedaling. My bike felt really good, especially since I just had it tuned up. At about 1-2 miles into the bike, where the first sharp right hand turn is, I angled wide to turn sharply into it. For some reason my wheels slipped out from under me and I went sliding along the asphalt. I landed on my right hip, in the same place I had done so a couple of years earlier and suffered a baseball size mark of road rash. I heard and saw my bike go sliding down the street, but other than a dropped chain, it seemed to be in good condition. I almost started to ride with the chain off, but fortunately someone riding by pointed it out to me. I could just imagine what would have happened had I slammed on the pedals with the chain not in place.

The road rash stung, but I was glad my tri-suit didn’t get ripped. I was able to pull my shorts over the rash to keep it protected from the sun. The crash did knock my derailleur slightly out of true and I had to deal with miss-shifts and the occasional jumping chain, which was no longer silky quiet. Once back on the bike, I proceeded with my race plan of taking the first half of the bike easy. The crash definitely gave me a moment to pause and helped me slow down and regroup for the first 28 miles. Once that mark passed, I increased my pace and started to pick off dozens of other cyclists. No one passed me again, except for a couple of the top younger age groupers who started in a later wave.

I caught Todd with about two miles remaining in the bike. I finished about 30 seconds in front of him, making up for the 6 minutes he had me on the swim. We exited T2 together. I ran what I felt was a comfortable pace with Todd right behind me. I tried to engage him in conversation, but he said wasn’t really able to talk at the moment. The first four mile markers showed a pace of around 7:25. This was faster than I wanted to go for the first half of the run, so I pulled my pace back and let Todd go ahead. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to push my pace enough at the end to recapture the lead. I either should have dropped him for good when I was in front of him or slowed down after the first mile maker to stick with my plan. At first I didn’t believe the mile markers since I felt my HR was much too low for the pace I was running. I figured that the first two may be off, but once I saw that mile 3 and 4 were showing the same pace, I knew I was going too fast for my plan. I think by running too fast in the beginning, I sacrificed speed at the end.

During the remainder of the run I was not able to take down any nutrition. I was spitting up whatever I put inside my stomach, although I wasn’t feeling particularly nauseous. I would just burp up a bunch of bile colored liquid and spit it out. It didn’t see to be affecting my pace much so I paid no attention to it. I didn’t stop at all on the run. I even peed while running, which is a first for me. It’s nice to know I could do that.

Todd was waiting for me at the finish to cheer me across the line. I was a little tired by now and had to sit down after I collected my finishers medal. After that, it was a quick trip to the medical tent to get my road rash cleaned and time to get some food. I was feeling pretty good after the race and except for my rash, I was feeling no pain at all.

Rob, Todd and I eventually found each other after the race. We didn’t hang around for very long and started to get ready to leave. While packing the car Todd posed for a “ham it up” picture on his victory. Robert had done all of the driving to the race and Todd and I were going to split it on the return. We made one food stop along the way to make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, which were eaten on the side of the road.

I discussed the race with my coach afterwards. He admitted to me that it was a good, but not great performance. I was a little disappointed with it myself, but I really shouldn’t be since this isn’t my “A” race. I didn’t push myself to the level I know I am capable of doing and I wasn’t supposed to for the race. I need to remember that this was a training race, with the big one still to come in July.

Race Night

I am waiting for my Ambien to kick in while Todd and Robert finish getting ready for bed. All of our gear is packed and race number stickers have been applied. All that’s left to do is wake up and go to the race.

Today consisted of getting our bikes inspected, picking up our race numbers, checking in the bikes and then going for a swim. It looks like the swim tomorrow will be rough, based on the choppiness today. The check-in/Expo consisted of the usual stuff. None of us bought anything as we already came fully prepared.

Todd right now is talking on the phone with his wife expressing how he is having moment of nervousness because he knows there will be moments of intense pain. I am looking forward to those moments. Physical pain is much more real and lets me know I am alive. I find it infinitely preferable to mental pain, which I experienced a bit earlier.

When I spoke to my son he started to sound sad and asked when I was coming home. I knew if I was there, I would be playing stoop ball with him outside. I know my wife is preoccupied helping my daughter with an overdo school project and that Luke is sitting around bored and wishing he has someone to play with. It makes me feel selfish to pursue my own activities. I told him I bought him a toy he would like and he seemed to sound happier after. I guess I am bribing my own guilt away, but it is the only method I know of to assuage it.

On the Road to Eagleman

This is Todd in my car on the way to the Eagleman Triathlon. Unseen to the right is Robert, who has volunteered to drive. I am sitting in the back acting as the navigator. I am hoping to take a nap, but I fear that Todd will keep me awake as he constantly frets about his bike on the back of the car. I think the bikes will be fine. They are attached to the car with a Saris Bones rack which is as sturdy as can be.

I am sitting in front of my coach’s apartment building on the Upper East Side waiting for him to come by and check the positioning of my cleats on my new pair of Shimano TR-02 cycling shoes. Fortunately, while I am waiting I have Internet access courtesy of another dweller in his building. I love it when people leave their Internet connections open for the world to use.

While I am waiting, I figured I would post an interesting photo and random musing.

This is a picture of the Strike Rat. You see him come out every so often in front of a place of business that some union believes is treating their workers unfairly. In this case, the offending employer was Fendi. Can you really blame Fendi for treating its employees unfairly? That Madison Avenue Rent is expensive!

My musing occurred to me while I was exiting the subway this morning. I thought to myself, which would be preferable of these two options: Having sex with a fantastically beautiful woman (in all ways) one time and then never having sex again or only be able to have sex with a fat ugly slob, but you can do so for as many times as you would like for the rest of your life. It is the ultimate question as to whether you prefer quality over quantity.

Competitive Spirit

After taking it easy for most of the day yesterday, I finally got out for a run around 6pm. I went with my kids who rode along side me on their bikes. I was wondering how this run would turn out, because I envisioned difficulty in getting them both up the hill in Prospect Park. During the ride I saw that my son is starting to come into his own competitive spirit. I told my children to ride in front of me so I could see them and my son refused to let my daughter get in front of him. I could see a smirk on his face every time she tried to do so.

We pretty much rode like this up until the hill, with my daughter complaining that Lucas wouldn’t let her get in front of him. Once we got to the hill though, my daughter was able to pull ahead as my son slowed down as he started to struggle with the hill. The last time we ran/rode together, I had to help him climb it. On this day though, he was able to tough it out and make it over the top completely on his own without ever stopping. I cheered him on the entire way and so did a couple of spectators sitting by the side of the rode. I think he liked the thought of doing it on his own and has started to learn that the little bit of suffering he had to endure, was well worth the satisfaction of climbing the hill. I often wondered when this time would come for him and now I know the answer.

Speaking of competitive spirits, this weekend is the Eagleman Triathlon. I am heading down with Todd and Robert and it promises to be an exciting weekend. Todd has been anticipating the kicking of my ass in this race and the question as to whether he will be able to do so will soon be answered. I am not making any predictions. I think it can go either way. The three of us are rooming together and Robert is already envisioning the bullshit that will go on between us.

My one regret for the weekend is that I will have to miss coaching two of my son’s soccer games. I was very preoccupied with this, because I feared that no one would be available to coach his team. However, I was able to speak to the co-coach (he has only appeared for one game) and he told me he would be able to attend both games. Hopefully they will still play like a team and have a great time.

Back Home - Almost

I returned home to find the same weather as when I left. I am purposely being vague as to whether I am referring to left NY for LA of left LA to NY, since the weather has been the same everywhere I’ve been – overcast and rainy/misty. The weather didn’t put a damper on my trip; I merely point it out since it appears to be the same throughout the country.

For the ride home, I got to spend it between a couple that took the aisle and window seats, hoping that the center seat would remain empty. Unfortunately for all of us, this was not to be as I got the privilege of seating between them. I flew home on United Airlines and I have to say they give new meaning to the term Cattle Class. As you walk onto the plane, the coach class passengers are forced to walk through their extended First and Business class areas. They made up for a lack of seats in the front of the plane by cramming them all into the back. When the person in front of me reclined their seat, I had about a hands length of space to stretch out.

I am so glad to be home. Only a few more blocks to ride in the cab.

California - Final Day

On my final day in California I managed one more swim in La Jolla Cove early in the morning. I knew the lifeguards wouldn’t be around, but I was pleasantly surprised to see several other swimmers heading down to the beach. It was barely 7am and it seemed as though everyone was coming out for a swim. I got in a final 2.5 miles in the Pacific, before heading back to my hotel to get ready for my final day of meetings. I will miss swimming amongst the giant seaweeds and the interesting and beautiful bottom. I’ll also miss the water temperature which was a balmy 67 degrees (so says a convenient thermometer attached to a buoy.

I finished with all work related commitments around 1:30pm, which left me free for the rest of the day. I had hoped to go to Venice Beach for a run with my childhood friend that lives in LA. However, by the time we were both ready to go, it was getting a bit late in the day, which made a run down in Venice impractical. Instead we headed to a dirt running track for a session of no-frills running. I did 26 loops on a track that was 3.2 loops per mile. For the math challenged this is just over 8 miles. I ran the loops at a strong steady pace in order to make it interesting and to get it done in a reasonable amount of time.

After the run, I headed back to my friends house for a quick shower and then we headed out for dinner. It was much too short a visit, but I was grateful for the time we had. I was able to meet his little girl for the first time and see his son for the first time in 5 years. It was just as well I was leaving in just a couple of hours as I was really starting to miss my own kids.

California – Day 2, La Jolla

I finally managed to get in the swim I’ve been promising myself to do. I was able to leave right after the conference and head to Cove Beach. A couple of years ago, another business trip took me to this area and I strongly regretted not having my wetsuit with me. I vowed that if I ever return I would pack it so I can do what turned out to be a marvelous swim.

The water is very clear and you can see to a depth of at least 15-20 feet. There were many bright orange fish swimming around that looked like the Carp you see in ponds. The seaweed formations are also spectacular. There are these giant tendrils reaching up from the bottom like some crazy leafy cables. I swam into several large ones unexpectedly. It could almost feel like they were trying to grab you and pull you under. I swam directly away from the lifeguard station which is roughly parallel to the shore on the right. In the distance were a line of buoy markers that I swam towards. The water was relatively calm, but it did have the occasional swell that pushed towards shore. The air was very tranquil and the swimming seemed incredibly easy.

When I reached the furthest and final buoy marker, I stopped to rest and take a look around. A lifeguard on a large surfboard was paddling about doing his days training. We talked for a few minutes and remarked what a kick it was to be out in the middle of the water. It was exceptionally warm, around 67 degrees, and you were just filled with a sense of wellbeing. I decided to head back to shore instead of swimming out past the buoys. If I still felt like swimming after I reached the shore, I could always turn around and go back out. I had a work appointment around 4pm, so I didn’t have all the time in the world, but I made the most of my time. When I reached the shore, I turned around and headed back to the first buoy marker which was .25 miles away.

All totaled I swam for 49 minutes and about 2 miles. I was afraid I would be tired for the swim today, because I swam hard yesterday. That turned out not to be the case and I lamented that I had to head back. Perhaps I will get another chance to swim tomorrow morning.

I also got it a hilly 6.4 mile run. I ran from my hotel with a business associate to the beach 3 miles away. Unfortunately, I didn’t bring my camera as it would have been nice to get a picture of us together by the beach.

As evening time fell, I started to get lonely and wished I had my family with me. I headed to a local sports bar that had the Yankee/Red Sox game playing and passed the time eating dinner and watching the Yankees take another from the Bosox. After, I head to the village of La Jolla to look for souvenirs for my kids. There was really nothing to be found that my son would consider cool. I finally found some loose head/bobble head turtles that I thought my kids would like.

California - Day 1

I survived my flight to California. I took an Ambien soon after takeoff and I fell asleep for about an hour. I suppose it’s really impossible to sleep well on a plane. My first stop on this trip is Beverly Hills, where I am staying at the Beverly Hilton, the location of day 1 of conferences. I didn’t have much time to enjoy the place since I checked in well after midnight and had to check out later in the day.

I was able to get a 6 mile run in along the streets of Beverly Hills in the morning. It was a bit of a stop and go, since I didn’t have much of a contiguous place to run. There was sort of a trail along Santa Monica Blvd, which ended near Sunset Blvd. I then followed that road to some place called Gray Stone Park. However, at many of the intersections I had to wait for the pedestrian crossing sign to turn green. I didn’t want to risk “jay-walking” as the California Police are quite adamant about enforcing this regulation. As a New Yorker, I feel it is my god given right to jaywalk. Heck it’s a sport. In Los Angeles though, I didn’t want to take a chance. I once got a ticket for jaywalking while I was here many years ago which I never paid. Technically I am a fugitive from the law. I didn’t feel like spending a day in jail.

While running through Beverly Hills I saw many of the famous Down and Out. I guess the weather is more conducive to just live among the rich and famous. I would have snapped a picture of a few of them, but I felt it tacky to stop and do something like that right in their faces. I did stop and get a picture of me near a Beverly Hills sign.

My plan for later in the day was to arrive at my second destination, La Jolla, by mid afternoon. I wanted to get in an ocean swim at Cove Beach. I didn’t arrive until after 5pm and by then the lifeguards had left for the day. I questioned the wisdom of swimming out into the Pacific at dusk on a beach I was unfamiliar when no one was present, so I elected to swim in the hotel pool instead. It was a lovely 25 meters and I swam a total of 4000. Tomorrow I must make sure I get to the beach.

Fear of Flying

Note: Written while waiting for plane to take off...

I am suddenly overcome with a fear of flying. I am not afraid of dying in a crash; it’s the effect the loss of their father on my children that give me the chills. I suppose flying in an airplane is a lot safer than bombing down a hill on my bike going 50 mph, with nothing but a few inches separating me from the road, but at least I am in control while on my bike. I never understood this fear of flying until now. I guess I have something that I don’t want to lose. Oh yeah, I am at the airport waiting to board a plane to Califonia.

My depressed state on leaving my children was clearly visible on my face as I got ready. Perhaps my son sensed this, because he came up behind me unexpectedly while I was leaning over to pack a bag and gave me such a warm and big hug from behind. I was in shock at first because I thought it was my wife. I told her how I was feeling earlier and I thought she had come over to offer me some comfort.

At least before I left on my trip today I got to spend some time with my kids. They were having the Kenny Dolan Memorial Run in Prospect Park which always includes Pee Wee races. I had just returned from my run (11 miles out of 18 - I was pooped) and asked if my children if they wanted to do it. My son was an emphatic yes and my daughter said she would like to race as well. I think they are getting into the competitive spirit. Both of them were eager to race and ran the hardest I’ve ever seen. My son liked it so much this time that he wanted to go back and race again.

Hopefully I can keep myself occupied when I get to the left coast. I’ll be spending a couple of days in La Jolla and I am looking forward to trying to get a swim at the beach.

84 Miles in the Rain

I rode a strong 84 miles today, all of them in Prospect Park. I can think of many other places I preferred to ride today, but I didn’t feel like going to them alone. Todd once again bailed out on me because of the threat of a little inclement weather and I couldn’t find anyone else to take me up on my offer of a drive to HSP for a ride.

The ride began around 8:30am. Soccer was cancelled because of the rain so I had all morning to ride. It was pretty lousy outside, so I knew there was not much I could have done with my kids outdoors. It didn’t rain all that much while I was out. It was mostly misty with just one rain shower. At one point during the ride I wished it would just begin to rain. The sky and weatherman had promised rain showers and I was tired of waiting. If I was going to tough out a ride in bad weather, I wanted it to be very bad.

Eventually I got my wish. The rain started coming down and I promptly got a chill. Oddly enough, it seemed to only be raining over the top portion of the park. The rain didn’t last very long and it soon just went back to high humidity. The wetness in the air caused my Rudy Project glasses to be fogged throughout my ride. It was very annoying. I had to stop a couple of time to wipe them down as the visibility through them was becoming zero. I really need to find a new pair of prescription race glasses.

Towards my final few laps I saw my friend Larry running in the park. I slowed down to talk to him for a few minutes and he suggested I ride with him over my last lap since I only had two to go. After I finished my laps I stopped for a minute to check in on the family. They were eating lunch and keeping themselves occupied. I figured I could spend a few more minutes out in the park to go hang with Larry. I must have been tired though as I screwed up when I clipped into my pedals and promptly fell over to the side. I smashed my elbow on the ground, but other than a bit of fresh road rash and a little soreness it appears ok. I still went back to find Larry, if only because I said I would. After chatting for a few more minutes, I headed home to shower and eat. I had enough for one day.

Frustration Levels are High

Friday June 2, 2006 -10:30am

I was hoping to do a HSP ride today, but Todd and I called it off based on today’s predicted stormy weather forecast. I decided I may as well go into work and try to get in an afternoon swim. However, once again the day appears to be just about perfect for a ride. Every time I see the sun shining I can feel an intense frustration building inside me. It better rain by noon like the meteorologists said it would.

Now that today has been cancelled for a ride, I know that tomorrow morning I will be waking up at 3am to try to get in a 100 miler before 9:30am. I’ve done something like this once before and I can honestly say I am not looking forward to doing it again.

5:00pm

I realized later on that my son’s soccer game is at 9am, which means I’ll have to finish by 8:30am. Counting backwards, that means I’ll have to start riding soon after 3am. For some reason, I don’t think this is going to happen. My wife promised to take our kids out for the day after soccer, so hopefully this will come to fruition. I’ll mentally justify it to myself by pointing out that I usually take them out come the weekend and perhaps I deserve some time off. I just hate not being with them. As long as they are not watching TV all day, I think mentally I’ll be ok.

I did manage to get in an afternoon swim at Asphalt Green. It was the best I’ve felt so far this year. I was swam 1 x 500 and 4 x 1000 on 20 seconds rest. The 1000’s peeled off so easily that I questioned whether I was actually going 1000 yards. My watch told me I was, but it just seemed so easy. Maybe that is what happens when you aren’t rubbing the sleep out of your eyes before swimming.

After the swim I set out for a run around Central Park. I was very hungry by this time and I was thinking that I would probably bonk at some point during it. The sky was also looking very ominous, so I decided to head back to AG. In was the correct decision. When I reemerged from the place 15 minutes later, the sky had opened up with a deluge of water. It wouldn’t have been practical or reasonable to run in such conditions. Truthfully, I was just too hungry and didn’t feel like dealing with it in such a state.

While riding on the M86 bus back to the subway, the rain was coming down with an incredible ferocity. It was blowing sideways down the avenues and the streets resembled more like rivers than thoroughfares for automobiles. It wasn’t raining so hard though that it stopped me from purchasing a new set of Shimano TR02 Tri Shoes. Unfortunately, the person in the shop who sold them to me new about as much about the placement of cleats on the shoes as I do about rocket science.

Wet Fridays

It looks like it will be another wet Friday tomorrow, which is really playing havoc with my training plans. I was looking forward to taking Fridays off from work in order to get in my long bike rides. I am not going to do so though if it means my ride would have to be conducting in the pouring rain with thunder and lightning. If this is indeed how tomorrow turns out, then it looks like I’ll be waking up at 3am on Saturday morning in order to get in an 80 – 100 mile ride before my son’s soccer game. I can’t miss this game as I already know I will be missing the next two games next weekend, since I am going down to Cambridge, MA for the Eagleman Half Ironman.

At least this week has been productive training wise. I’ve gotten in all of my scheduled workouts, although I did cut a swim and run a bit short. This is due to the constraints of time caused by not being able to wake up early enough. I am getting up at 5am as it is, so I don’t think I can really push myself to arise much earlier. I am very happy with the fact that when 5am has been coming around, I’ve been able to get out of bed without a problem. My motivation seems to be returning. I guess knowing that IMLP is only 7 weeks away helps. It wouldn’t feel so good going into the race being entirely under trained.

My cut lip from last week’s accident is healing nicely. I was worried for a while, especially when someone echoed my thoughts of the cut giving me the appearance of a certain infamous German dictator. The scab is down to a small line across my upper lip and will hopefully be gone within a couple of more days.

If it rains tomorrow, I’ll really be screwed. If I save the long ride for Saturday, then Friday calls for a swim. However, my only transportation to the pool at that hour of the day is by bike. This means I’ll be soaking wet and dirty by the time I get to my office. Not to mention the concern of keeping my laptop and work clothes clean and dry. I’ll figure out something I am sure.