Race Day: Part 1

When we last heard from the Would Be Triathlete there were many unanswered questions. Well join us now as we answer those and perhaps many more...

So last night I finally got in bed at 11 after a few trips to the car to put in some last minute items I finally got to bed and turned out the lights and then tossed in turned for about an hour or so...even played a s few games of solitaire on my Ipod to try and put my brain to sleep. So I finally fell asleep and woke up about 5 am (usual work week time) got dressed, had a bowl of cereal and banana and headed out the door. I got the the Guilderland YMCA about 6:15 and got there the same time as my Tri coach so we walked over and set up our Bike to Run transitions next to each other since we were some of the first people get there. So for the first part of the morning there was a Batman and Smiley balloon uh...doing something inappropriate I guess...
I then went over to the lake to set up my Transition 1 (Swim to Bike) where I had my pick of where I wanted to set up so I picked a place at the top of the racks.

As you can see I was there pretty early. So after setting up my stations I headed back to the car to grab my swim gear and put my shoes and gym shorts in the car and then head to the lake and pick up my timing chip and get ready to race. Before I left the car I decided that I was not above shameless promotion and marked my swim cap...
I know, no one probably saw it or will visit the blog but it was a fun thing to do, maybe next year will do more advertising, thought about taking my Sharpie and writing on the banner there at the lake. So finally they started the race. It was hard and somewhat nerve racking to sit there and wait for the last heat (my heat). Finally it came and I think that it was the longest 3 minutes in my life.

THE SWIM:
So with ~50 people in the water I understand that some contact is going to happen. Before we reached the first buoy I was kicked in the teeth, not hard but enough to feel it. After making the turn I was making decent time and finding my stroke then I knew I was swimming right next to someone so I decided to pass them but every time I went to dig in and try to pass I got a nice kidney shot. Finally I pulled to the right to the outside. I did manage to to pass some of the people from the previous heat. I just want to say the end of the swim is deceiving because I got to the 2 buoys which I thought marked the beginning of the beach and tried to touch the bottom only find out that I still could not touch the bottom...I thought that the dirt was just stirred up from people exiting the water...not so...so I think that kinda slowed me down a bit.

Total Swim Time: 5 min. 57 sec. Overall Swim place: 67/450
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So originally I was going to recap the whole race but the longer I sit here typing (I am debating if I am going to teach Spin in the morning) I can feel the energy just sapped out of me so I will finish up the rest of the story tomorrow.

So I leave you with another cliffhanger...

LET"S GET IT ON!!!!

Did I get any sleep last night??? Did I finish the race??? Did I injure myself??? Am I still alive??? Am I abusing the Question Mark???

Tune in later today to find out...

LET'S GET OUR TRI ON!!!!

The Calm Before the Storm

So being the day before the Pine Bush Triathlon I decided to chronicle my day full of fun and getting prepared:

5:00 AM : Woke up when Sirius Radio alarm went off...forgot to turn it off last night...roll over and go back to sleep
8:00 AM : Wake up, lay in bed stretch and do leg lifts while reading and listening to the radio.
9:00 AM : Roll out of bed, check email, and start cleaning the house
11:00 AM : Haircut...told my stylist I wanted something that would help me run faster
2:00 PM : Reality starts to set in...I'm going to do a triathlon...
3:00 PM : Leave House to go pick up race packet and a few last items for tomorrow
-Stop at the office and pick up digital camera battery
4:15 PM : Arrive at Guilderland YMCA and picked up my Race packet and get marked.
Number "123" a simple number for a simple person

4:45 PM : Stop at grocery store and Hallmark to get Helium balloons
I also decided that I would go ahead and pick up a race belt to hold my number during the run portion. So I knew that they sold them at Fleet Feet where I got my shoes and when I got there one of the ladies who I was in the Tri-club with and who I had just seen at the YMCA had just bought the last one. She tried to give it to me but I declined, being a gentleman and all, saying I would rather today be the day that something goes wrong rather than tomorrow. I then went all over town looking for a race belt to use but to no avail. So I, being the innovative and Boy Scout made my own. A year or so ago I made a belt to wear when I went water skiing out of an old karate belt and a clip from an old cd player holder, luckily I remembered I brought to Albany with me...after 10 minutes of dancing around going:
"I am so smart! I am so smart! S-M-R-T! I mean S-M-A-R-T... " I finally stopped when I noticed no one was around to laugh.
I would post a picture but it is already packed in the car...I will try to remember to do it tomorrow evening in my post race report.
7:30 PM : Got home and started some spaghetti noodles and started did a final once over of my gear and pack it in the car

FREYJA strapped in

Swimming Gear

Transition 1 and 2 gear

The Balloons are so I can pick my stuff out from the other 449 bikes and equipment. Funny story about the black milk crate. I had the red one already in my car and asked around to see if anyone had one I could borrow which was NO. So coming home last night I thought ....What the heck I will go will stop at the store and ask if I could have one...Plan B was to steal one. Anyway I was surprised that they were very nice about it and said I could have two but only took one (stupid, stupid Chad) Usually they are protective of stuff like that but the Chad Burdette charm worked, now if it would only work on females.
8:30 PM : Eat/quick dip in the pool to cool off/Watch DVD and write this blog entry
10:30 PM : Bed
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I think the race organizers are a sadistic lot. I am in the last heat of the race and the heat before me is the 45-49 age group so I might be swimming over people.

I think I am ready...My knee is a tad bit sore but I have been going easy on it the past few days and my groin has been twinging but nothing major.

Well I need to get my drinks packed so I can just grab them as I go out the door then hopefully in bed by 10:30 so I can be up by 5 AM another words just like a normal day in the life.

See you in the morning....

Stage 3: Run Amok

The Run — The last leg is the 3.25 mile run which is an out and back route with the finish line at the YMCA. The run starts south on Winding Brook Drive to Nott Road when it turns left proceeding eastward. It takes a left turn into a residential neighborhood at Campus Club Drive and left again onto Hiawatha Drive. This is the halfway point of the run. Hiawatha Drive loops around and meets again with Campus Club Drive. The course follows the same route backward to the YMCA and to the Finish Line!


So the final part of the race is the run. Please turn in your copy of The World According to Chad (soon to be available from Amazon) to page 107 and let me quote from the subsection titled "Run...Why?"

Chad's Philosophy on Running
"Webster's defines the word "run" as "to go faster than a walk; specifically : to go steadily by springing steps so that both feet leave the ground for an instant in each step." My personal criteria for running is: 1: Running should only be down when someone is chasing you. 2: Criterion 1 is in effect and the person or thing is trying to do harm or kill you (even then it is questionable if you should in fact run)


I have never been a good runner part of this is due to the "Burdette Knee" I seemed to inherit. If I am running with someone then I am good because I have someone pacing me and I can usually find that get up an go to match pace, however if I try to do it by myself I do more of a run-walk split. This of course is what I am supposed to be doing to try and build up my knee so I don't have to wear the IT band to keep the tendon from moving.

So the run is the weakest part of the race for me. I think if I could lose weight then running would not be so painful. I did a lot of training on the ARC Trainer and leg presses to try and build the leg muscles up but my leg muscles are just so tight and it feels if I could just get them to loosen a bit then I would be more comfortable running.

And you want to know what the kicker is....the last part of the run to the Finish Line is uphill....ugh!!! Well I just hope they can identify my body when they pull it from the weeds on the side of the road.

So tomorrow is going to be a busy day. I have a few more minor things I need to do to be ready for the race plus I have to go and pick up my race packet and get "marked" at the Y. Should be fun...willl pictures and video clips hopefully.

well bed time...up to late...but I had to sneak this one in before the day was technically over

Stage 2: Transitions and Bike

The second leg of the race is the bike which is an 11.5 mile ride from the lake to the Guilderland YMCA.

After exiting the water you have to run up a nice short but steep incline, hope over the wood guardrail and then you are in the Transition 1 area.

Sunday this place will be packed with all the bikes. I think I am going to aim for a spot at the top near the building. So once you get to the transition area the object is to get ob your bike ASAP. This is the stuff I will have for my first transition:
TOP (L-R) Running shirt, Gatorade (to recharge), Helmet (new), towel and water to clean and dry feet.
BOTTOM:Bike shoes and socks, baby powder(get socks and shirt on), bike gloves, Sunglasses, IT Band(for my knee), Shorts (not actual pair I am going to wear)

I will have this in a milk crate so I can sit on the thing and work. Then I can start my bike journey...

The Bike -- The biking leg of the triathlon is 11.5 miles. It begins at the southern end of the lake and follows the paved path west. It turns south on Rapp Road going over the Thruway then turns west on Washington Ave. Extension. At the end of Washington Ave. Extension it turns north on Route 155 / New Karner Road and then west onto Old State Road. Here it re-enters parts of the scenic Pine Bush Preserve and leaves the City of Albany into the Town of Guilderland. The course continues west on Old State Road through the intersection of Route 146 / Carmen Road. It turns south on Fuller Station Road and then east on Route 20 / Western Ave. It follows Western Ave. east past Route 146 and turns south on Mercy Care Lane which leads into the transition area.


I have ridden part of the route about a month ago and it is not that bad. I also drove it last week. There is only one really big hill but you get enough momentum from coming down the hill that you really down't have to work that hard to finish it.

Overall I am not worried about the bike. Still not really comfortable on the bike but I think that I should be alright.

Once you get to the YMCA you go into the Transition 2 area for the final part of the race: the run. I am including it here because both trasition times are included in your bike time.

Not as much stuff for this transition. I will keep the sunglasses, shorts, and IT band and ditch everything else. I will probably switch to a t-shirt but I am not sure which I am going to wear right now.

Well tomorrow I will go over the run part which I am not looking forward too.

No Real Update Tonight

Tonight was Tri-Club and we met at the lake where the race will start on Sunday and went over pre-race and race day information. We got to the see the lake and the first transition area. I am going to wait until tomorrow to cover both transitions and the bike route because I need to make a list of stuff and get it together which I plan to do tomorrow evening.

It will be worth the wait.

Stage 1:Splish Splash...

I love to Swim...I have been swimming competitively since I was 5 years old and swimming for the Elkland pool swim team during the summers. Sure there were a few years where I am sure I would have quit if I could have but I am glad my parents made me keep at it. Now I was never a great swimmer but as I said I enjoyed it. I swam two years in High School and even made All County Honorable Mention. The one thing that slowed me up though was my weight issues. Well now that I lost most of that weight and am in better shape (not Micheal Phelps shape...I wish) I am a much better swimmer.

Tonight I went to Crystal Lake and did the swimming part of the course which is roughly 0.55 miles. It felt good to be in the open water. Besides going boating, really the only other time I have done a true Open Water swim was at Scout Camp when I did the mile swim (6 times). I feel really confined swimming laps in the pool and I usually have to deal with someone who is a much slower swimmer than I am or flops around and slaps/kicks me, even if we are sharing the lane.

Not really sure how long the swim took me but I felt good a was a middle of the pack swimmer which was nice because I got to feel what it was like not only to be passed but to pass people. I think the thing tht worries me the most about the swim on Sunday is getting kicked in the face...If I do someone is going down with me. My goggles (red tinted) worked perfect and I had no problems with fogging or water seepage. I also worked on my sighting which I am still trying to get used doing without losing momentum or messing up my stroke cadence. So overall I the swim part is going to be my strongest part of the race. Below is a picture of the swim route.

It starts then takes a 90 degree turn left then its a head on swim to the beach and Transition 1 area. All in all only 325 yards which is basically what I do for a warm up.

Tomorrow I will go over Transition 1 and the Bike portion of the race*

*Dependant on how I feel after the final Tri-club meeting which is a pre race prep and cookout...my kind of workout...