Decision-making time
I know that I really need to be focused on IM Canada, but as the race gets closer I’ve started thinking more and more about what’s ahead and what’s next. This is partly to distract me from the task ahead (23 days now) and partly because it’s always fun to have the “next” thing to…
Read MoreOn the other hand…
Before you start to think that I’m all mopey and stuff, I know that one bad swim couldn’t ruin the week I just had. Monday, July 27 through Sunday, August 2:Swim: 4 milesBike: 180 milesRun: 40 milesTraining time: 19 hours Thank goodness that’s over! One more big week to go, then a moderate week, then…
Read MoreDwight Crum Pier-To-Pier Swim
Subtitle: “BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!” or “WTF?” I swam in the Dwight Crum Pier-to-Pier Swim yesterday. It’s a two mile ocean swim from the Hermosa Beach Pier to the Manhattan Beach Pier. They get over 1,000 entrants and this year it was a two wave start – first the men, and five minutes later the women. No wetsuits…
Read MoreMonthly Summary – July 2009
Here’s July: Swim: 26,442 yardsCycling (outdoors): 643.9 milesCycling (indoors): 2:45 (hours)Run: 158.95 miles (includes ~45 miles at Badwater)Strength Training/Yoga: 0 session Approximate monthly total training/racing time: 73 hours Weight: 162.5 This was a gigantic month for me. I think it was my biggest ever in terms of total training time, amount of outside riding and…
Read MoreRacing in NY
It was a big day for triathlon in New York. The NYC Triathlon and Ironman USA were both today. Each of the last four years, I raced in one of those events; 2005 (my very first triathlon) and 2006 in NYC and 2007 and 2008 in Lake Placid. I miss it this year, especially being…
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Badwater 2009 Race Report – Part 3
This is it, I swear. (Before you continue, check out Part 1 and Part 2.) Blake checked in at the Lone Pine timing station at 11:30am on Tuesday morning. He was in 8th place; about a minute behind Phillip McCarthy and a little ahead of Jorge Pacheco. At some point since we passed Jorge earlier…
Read MoreDown
I went down on the bike today. Stupid sand on the bike path in Venice. Even though I wasn’t going very fast, it’s totally my stupidity for trying to ride there at all. I’ve got some pretty sweet road rash on my right calf, knee, hip and elbow. Although it’s ugly, it’s nothing to worry…
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Badwater 2009 Race Report – Part 2
After the start, we jumped into the van and drove down the road about 1.5 miles to meet Blake for his first “aid station.” (Badwater is an “unsupported” race – there are no official aid stations along the course. There are six timing stations along the way where racers have to check in with the…
Read MoreOlympic Distance+ Triathlon Day
I’m not certain that I’ve fully recovered from Badwater yet. Between the lack of sleep, 8.5 hours on the road walking and running with Blake, the heat and dehyrdation, I’m still feeling a little heavy and slow. But there’s less than six weeks until Canada and the training must go on! Yesterday was a long,…
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Badwater 2009 Race Report – Part 1
Before you read any further, a few disclaimers: 1) Nothing I can possibly write will do justice to the Badwater experience. Before going there, I’d seen the movie and read the books and looked at the photos and heard the stories, but it’s beyond any of that. Way beyond. It’s bigger and hotter and longer…
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