Back from Vacation

We got back from our vacation up north this week. I'll post some post some pics and info this week... if you care to see!

Here are some of the pics... i know I'm a slow!

This was our home for two weeks...



This was our view... and the weather for the first week.


Camp was setup time for a beer... so it's only 12 noon!


Got Moose!

Fun on the jetski!

More to come...

Congratulations Team Save Buzzards Bay

The 2009 Race Across America is complete. After 3,021 miles, Team SaveBuzzardsBay.org has crossed the finish line in 6th place.

Team SaveBuzzardsBay.org (Usa) 3021.30 miles – 7d 8h 42m (17.10mph)

What an accomplishment!

Team Save Buzzards Bay and Race Across America

I heard about the Race Across America a few years ago but I've never followed it. This year the race started in Oceanside California and finishes in Annapolis Maryland that’s over 3000 miles across the United States. You can read more about the race, read blogs and watch some cool videos from the RAAM site. It's happening now!

There's a local bike shop, Village Bicycle, that is currently racing not only for themselves but to raise money and awareness for The Coalition for Buzzards Bay. You can read their story on their web site TeamSaveBuzzardsBay.org.

Hornet Juice Give Away

Tri Runner is giving away some Hornet Juice. If you have ever wanted to try this product, this is your chance to win some.

Just visit his blog and enter!
http://thetrirunner.blogspot.com/2009/04/hornet-juice-give-away.html

New Bedford Half Marathon

I'm going to run the New Bedford Half Marathon on March 15th. I ran it two years ago and had a great time. It was my first half marathon so I didn't know what to expect. Here is the original post if you’re interested. http://tri-john.blogspot.com/2007_03_01_archive.html

I just decided to run it this week so I haven't been focused on training for a half marathon. I've mainly been working on weight training over the winter and only running about 10 to 15 miles a week. I took a look at my half marathon training plan... I need to start adding some longer runs on the weekends. I should have been running 10 miles on the weekend by now.

I ran it in 1:49:11 two years ago so I'm hoping to better my time a little. Hopefully it's not going to start snowing this time. Running along Clark’s cove in the wind and snow was a little challenging for my first half.

Well... almost time to go for a run on my lunch hour!

Indoor Climbing Rocks!

My three children had no school on Monday so my wife and I decided to take them to do some indoor climbing. The kids were going to take the two hour intro climbing course and I was going to take the belay course so I could take them climbing when ever we wanted. We arrived at Carabiner’s at 10am and the kids met up with their instructor, put on climbing gear and off they went. My plan was to just take the belay course when my instructor asked if I wanted to do a little climbing. He had a group taking the intro climbing and belay course and wanted me to join them. I’m glad I did!

Brennen's first climb on the 65' speed wall

Kaitlyn's first climb on the 65' speed wall

Cullen's first climb!

Cullen doing a little boldering!

In no time Brennen was showing off his new skills on a more technical climb.

Me on the 65' speed wall showing them how its done!

Working the corner backwards!

I'm now Belay Certified... cool!

We had a great time and will definitely do it again. Climbing is a great workout and lots of FUN!!!!

Taking a break

I think I’ll take a little break from posting. I just haven’t had anything to say, I still workout every day, but nothing post worthy ever happens.

Oh… except for today… I was walking into the Y and I ran into Patriots owner Bob Kraft and his wife Myra. He says Hello!

I still visit my favorite bloggers and discover new ones every day. Maybe the inspiration will return some day.

Take care and be safe out there… John

Quick Vacation Recap

We just got back from our 2 week vacation in Maine. It was much needed and probably one of our best. The weather was perfect and it was great to see some old friends again. I ran in the local "Four on the Forth" road race, it felt great to compete in something again. We rented a pontoon boat with the family and spent the day cruising around the lake. I got to ride in an ambulance with lights and everything... that was fun! I even got a tour of the local ER where they gave me 11 stitches in my ring finger just for stopping in. Oh... I need to get a new ring to replace the one the EMT cut off my finger!

That was just a quick recap. I'll be posting more with pictures from my vacation later.

See ya!

Yes... I'm still alive!

If anyone was wondering.

And the WINNER is...

Well... I put the names into a hat and had my wife pick the winner.

And the WINNER is... Shawn!

Congratulations Shawn I know you put them to good use. Just email me your address and I'll send them out. There is a link to my email address in the side bar.

Jamie, sorry you didn’t win! I like your idea about signing them as they are passed down to the next Tri-Newbie.

Aero-bars

Thanks guys! I know that whoever wins will put them to good use. I'll pick the name out of a hat this weekend and announce the winner Monday morning... Good luck!

Passing on a gift from Robo-Stu

Last year I won a set of Aero-bars on the Tri-Geeks Dream website… you may have heard of it!

Here was the original post:

A gift from Robo-Stu
Robo-Stu, wanting to spread the tri-karma, is offering this free set of aero-bars to a newbie triathlete. No strings attached. He'll even pay for the shipping.

Just leave a comment about why you want them below. Thanks.

Here was my post and response from Robo-Stu.

Well… I feel that it’s time to pass the Aero-torch to the next tri-newbie. The bars are Airstryke by Profile.

The same rules apply, No strings attached, I’ll even pay the shipping. Just leave a comment about why you want them. Now I know I don’t have as large and audience as the Kahuna, but maybe you or someone you know will appreciate and use them. Thanks!

I'll pick the winner this weekend... if I get any responses!

Not much to say...

I just don’t have that much to say... I had to get off the treadmill today so I ran outside during lunch. It was a little chilly... but great to see the sunshine! (6 miles)

The New Bedford Half Marathon is 8 weeks away (March 16th). I ran it last year with a time of 1:49:11, it was my first half marathon and the longest distance I had ever run at one time. If you're at all interested... here's the report. This year my goal is to finish in less than 1:45:00.

Later!

2007 was a year of firsts for me.

It was my first full Triathlon season.
I ran my first Half Marathon the New Bedford Half.
I shaved for the first time… just the legs!
Mooseman was my first International distance race.
I crashed my bike for the first time during a race (Bayside) breaking a rib in the process… and finished!
I had to cancel my first half Ironman because of the broken rib.

2007 Race review

New Bedford Half-Marathon - 1:49:12
SimplyStu Worldwide Triathlon II - Fun with the family!
Officer Thomas Giunta Memorial 5K - 0.22:35
Mooseman International - 2:49:10
Bayside YMCA Triathlon - 1:09:01
Firmman Half Iron - Canceled due to injury
Buzzards Bay Triathlon - 1:41:45

2008 Race schedule (Subject to change without notice!)

New Bedford Half-Marathon March 16
Mooseman Half Ironman June 8
Four in the Forth July 4
Cranberry Country International August 24
Buzzards Bay Triathlon ?
Bay State Marathon October 19

One of the highlights of last year was getting a chance share my love for triathlon with my family. They went to all my races and cheered me on… I can’t thank them enough for their support.



Also, I had the privilege of meeting some great people and fellow Bloggers!

What will be new for 2008!

I’m going to enter (and complete) my first marathon
Be more consistent with training and focus on longer distances.
Develop a better nutrition plan.
Start to make plans for my first Ironman next year.
My son has shown some interest in racing this year so I’m hoping to enter a sprint tri together as a relay. Maybe I can pass the Triathlon bug onto him!

Oh yah… and this!

I’m Still Around!

I haven’t posted anything for awhile I guess I just haven’t had anything to say or maybe it’s the 70 hour work weeks, but I still visit my favorite Bloggers.

I sold my bike just over a month ago… I miss her terribly! I’ve been passing the time with spin classes but it’s just not the same. Sure… I’m getting a great workout but I miss being on the road. Looking for a new bike has proven to be more difficult than I anticipated. I’m still trying to decide what bike to get. My bike shop carries Trek and Cervelo which are both great bikes… I can’t decide. Maybe I should start looking at other brands…. I don’t know!

See… this is why I haven’t posted anything lately… I’m starting to ramble!

Race plans
I need to make a plan for next year maybe that will motivate me. I know I want to do the New Bedford Half Marathon again and one full marathon later in the season, maybe the Bay State Marathon. As far as triathlons go I definitely want to do some half IM's next year. I had to drop my half IM this year because of a broken rib so it’s high on my list for next year. I just don’t know which one yet or how many. I would like to plan for two half IM’s next year and sprinkle in some local sprints and International distance.

Official Training Plans for 2008
None… I haven’t given it much thought lately. I’ve been kind of training by the seat of my pants. What ever I feel like doing that day, that’s what I do. I run about three or four days a week, spin class and weights, but no swimming. I haven’t been in the pool since the Buzzard’s Bay Tri… swimming is my weakest event… go figure! I guess once a pick my races for next year I can start planning out my training.

Well… I’m starting to bum myself out so I guess I’ll stop here.

Until next time…

Buzzards Bay Triathlon - Race Report

Buzzards Bay Triathlon was a great way to end my season. It may not have been by best athletic performance, but the whole even was awesome and I had a great time!

I was fairly relaxed on the morning of the race. The race didn’t start until 10am and the site was only 15 minutes from my house. Kate got the kids ready while I gathered my gear and installed my new cycle computer that I bought the night before. My trusty wireless computer decided it didn’t want to race with me and stopped working so I had to run out and buy a backup at the last minute. I mixed up one bottle of Perpetuem and one bottle of Nuun. I usually only use Heed for short races but I ran out, I also didn’t have my usual Hammer gels (orange) so I had to rely on what they gave us in our goodie bags… time to re-order!

We arrived at Demarest Lloyd State Park and I was amazed to see how organized everything was. There were people there directing you where to park and everything was well marked. I can’t say enough about Max Performance and the volunteers they put on a great event. While my family headed to the “Inspiration” tent to make posters I took my gear and went to setup my transition area. Kate and the kids came down to the transition and we headed to the beach to check out the water.



It was windy at the beach and the water was a little choppy, but the sun was out so I wasn’t worried about not having a wetsuit! We took a walk around and waited for the pre-race meeting.

It was time to head to the transition area so I gave Kate and the kids a kiss and headed out. I was rechecking my gear when I looked up and one rack over from me was Robin. It was great to see a familiar face. She introduced me to her friends that were also racing. After the pre-race meeting it was time to walk to the swim start.

The swim:
I’d only been in the water once since I broke my rib at Bayside so I was a little nervous. We were told that it was going to be a water start so we had to walk/swim out about 50 yards and then tread water. There were two waves three minutes apart in front of mine and I was starting to get cold waiting to go. Finally it was our time to enter the water and head out to the start buoys. The water was cold and I felt an instant chill…. Burr! The guy next to me looked at me and said “Your brave” I replied “no… just stupid” I’m definitely buying a wetsuit for next year! As we treaded water waiting for the start we all wished each other “good luck”! The horn sounded and we were off and swimming!



I was cold and I never really warmed up but swimming in the Bay was great. I exited the water in 13:25.



T1 2:03 Took one gel and some Nuun, put on my shirt and I was off! I’m not sure what took so long.

The Bike:
The bike course was great! I left the transition area and followed the long driveway up to the entrance where I hit the first hill. It wasn’t a long hill, but I had to get out of the saddle to maintain my speed. My plan was to maintain around 20+ Mph on the bike. I had done this bike course before so I felt that it was possible. After the small climb out of the park I hit the flat roads. I could feel my heart rate was much too high and I was sucking wind after that climb. I needed to calm it down if I was going to maintain my goal pace. It took a couple minutes but I finally calmed down and got into a good cadence. I didn’t see many people during the bike. I passed a few people in he beginning of the ride but for most of the ride I was alone. It wasn’t until the last few miles that I was passed by a couple people who were flying! Biking through farm land and along the ocean was beautiful. I had a great ride and I was happy with my time.



I entered the park and checked my computer, 20 miles! I thought it was supposed to be 18! After the race we met up with Robin who made the same observation… the bike course was 20 miles.

I entered transition 20.something miles 1:00:45

The Run:
Heading out on the run I was feeling surprisingly good. I didn’t have the usual heavy legs thing going on. Then I hit that hill, it was bad enough on the bike and now I had to run up it. I’m not a big fan of running up hills… something to work on in the off season. At about mile one of the run I saw a guy lying on the ground holding his hamstring. He looked like he was in some serious pain and cramping up. I asked him if he was okay as he got to his feet. He didn’t say anything… I don’t think he heard me. Volunteers were heading towards him so I continued passed him. I felt real bad for the guy he was so close to the turnaround of the run. At the turnaround I grabbed two waters, one to drink and one went over my head. I was still feeling good and tried to pick up the pace a little. I made the turn into the park and headed towards the finish. There’s something about heading towards the finish of a race and hearing the music getting louder and the crowd cheering that really carries you through the finish.



As I entered the finish I heard the announcer read my name and number… that was cool!

Final time 1:41:45

This was my final race of the season. It’s been a great year and I’ve learned so much about myself and the sport. My family has been so supportive of me by going to me events and putting up with my training schedule… Thank you so much Kate!

To my Tri-Blogger friends: Thank you for your advice and words of encouragement, they are very much appreciated. It’s been fun reading all your adventures and I’m looking forward to next season!

Buzzards Bay Triathlon Pre-Report

It was a beautiful day and a great end to my race season!

Results:
Swim .3 miles 13.25 (Slow!)
T1 2:03 (day dreaming again!)
Bike 20 miles 1:00:45 (20 Mph)
T2 2:20 (need to work on this)
Run 3.1 miles 23:14 (7:28 Pace)

Total 1:41:45
12th in my age group
92nd overall (out of 226 entered)

Full report with pictures and plans for the off season to follow!

Buzzards Bay Triathlon Pre-Race Weekend

On Saturday the family and I headed to Demarest Lloyd State Park to check out the site for the Buzzards Bay Triathlon. When we arrived the first thing we all noticed was the amount of rocks! The tide was low, but there were big rocks all over the place. Kate looked at and said... “You’re going to run up that!”



The second thing we noticed was how shallow the water was. Now I know it was low tide, but this was shallow. I just hope they planned on the tide for the race!



As we walked down the beach the rocks got smaller until we finally reached clear sand. I wondered if they would use his part of the beach for the swim exit because the sand was clear and it lead up to the side parking lot.



As it turned out I was correct. When we left the parking lot I saw someone measuring out the road. I stopped and asked him if he was with Max Performance, he said yes. I then asked where the swim exit was going to be because the first entrance to the beach looked very rocky! He agreed and said the swim will start there and exit down the beach. I was happy to hear that! I just hope they planned for the tide or we will all be walking in knee deep water!

Sunday I rode the 18 mile bike course. I started from inside the park where I thought the transition area would be and followed the long driveway up to the entrance. The first hill starts just before you reach the entrance where you take your first right onto Barney’s Joy Road. It’s not a long hill, but I had to get out of the saddle t maintain some speed. The next hill is at the top of Horseneck Road (mile 3) just before you turn right onto Horseneck Road North. Now I don’t want to scare anyone, but it’s a big hill! Now wait… the good part is that you start at the top of a hill and descend and then back up. I was able to hit 30+ before I started the ascent which carried me about 2/3rd the way up the top. When you get to the bottom of the hill look to your right, there are always two Swans in a small pond… Just look for a second! I only had to get out of the saddle just long enough to crest the top.



Once you take the right onto Horseneck Road North it’s mostly flat but straight with a few rolling hills. The only thing I could see being a problem will be the head winds. This is open farm land and the wind can really pick up some days.

At mile 11 you turn onto Fisher Road, this is where you hit a few more rolling hills before it goes down hill… literally! This is the fast stretch, but be very careful, the road winds for the next several miles. I was able to maintain 22+ mph for a couple miles and even hit 30 at one point.

Some points to remember:
1. The bike course is well shaded so be careful of sand in the shadows.
2. The roads are lined with Oak trees… Falling Acorns hurt!
3. Never mind the Jellyfish… look out for these little guys!



4. Most importantly Have Fun… it’s a great ride!

One more to go!

Well... I'm doing the Buzzard's Bay Triathlon on September 30th. My ribs are feeling good and I’ve resumed my training this week… more on that later.

I went down to watch the Firmman Half with my family and ran into Robin… that was cool! I was glad I went, but not being able to race was just killing me. We watched people returning from the bike and getting ready to head out on the run… I wished that was me!




The weather was great so we headed down to the beach to kill some time until the first athletes started coming in. It was amazing to watch. The last 100 yards of the run leading up the finish was through sand. This wasn’t the hard packed kind on sand, but the squish between your toes kind of sand. I give all the finishers a lot of credit!


1st Place.

Bayside Race Report

My plan was to treat this race like a training day. I was going to go as hard as I could without blowing up. Well… as you know from my previous post… the day didn’t go as planned.

On our way to Barrington RI we stopped to pickup my parents at their house. They were with me last year at this race and wanted to see me race again. On the ride down I was feeling great, I wasn’t a bit nervous. It was a little chilly but the weather look like it was going to be okay. When we arrived at the beach things were different. The wind was really turning up the water and it felt like the temperature had dropped a little. Still… no big deal!

I picked up my packet and went to body marking. I setup my transition area and went to check out the water. The air was cold so the water temperature didn’t feel that bad. That was good because I didn’t have a wetsuit for this race. As I walked around I could hear people saying that they must have shorted the swim a little because of the water conditions. It did look a little shorter that .5 miles, but I don’t know how much shorter it was.

I met up with my friend Manny this was going to be his first triathlon. He’s a strong cyclist and runner, but looking at the water conditions made this a tough “First” triathlon for anyone! He did awesome by the way!

The Swim (Cat 14, Ov 113, Time 8:43)
As we walked down to the water I could only see three different colored swim caps. There were less than 300 participants in this race so I guess they felt that three waves would be enough. We got the countdown and we were off! The water was rough so swimming into the waves at the start was kind of cool. We hit the first buoy then turned right and swum along the beach, this was the fun part. The waves kept hitting me every time I would come up for air. It took a couple minutes to get into a rhythm of breathing in between the waves. The waves weren’t the only thing to contend with on the swim. No… not Jellyfish! The current felt like it was pushing you back towards shore. I looked up a few times to find myself up against the buoys. Let just say I was more than happy to see the beach on this one!

The Bike (Cat 12, Ov 72, Time 37:09 with a crash)
T1 was quick… I put on my cycling shoes and my helmet and I was out of T1. I don’t know the time because they don’t post transition times… go figure! I clipped in and headed out on the bike. I was feeling really good at this point. I just had a good swim and there were still a lot of bikes on the rack as I left T1. Things were going to change… and quickly!

I was on the road and approaching the first turn. I could see a volunteer pointing at the turn, but I couldn’t hear what he was saying at this point. As I got closer I could hear him… slow down… sharp turn… take it slow. I looked down at my computer… I was going 24mph so I started to apply the brakes as I approached the turn. I’ve taken corners fast before and the path was clear of other riders so I felt that I could take this corner without any problems.

The plan was to start the corner wide and then head for the inside cone on the left when I exit the turn. Things were looking good until I saw it… a big pile of sand directly in my path. I was carrying to much speed to cut my turn any sharper and if I hit the sand while leaning I was sure to go down hard. I felt that I only had one option. The side of the road was grass and it looked a lot softer than the street if I go down. I figured I could hop the curb and run out on the grass. I started to straighten up and prepared to hop the curb. Now as a kid I’ve hopped curbs a million times on my bike so I thought this would be a piece of cake. Not this time… I got out of the saddle and pulled up on the handle bars while lifting the rear wheel. I cleared the curb with the front wheel but my rear wheel hit the sand before I could get it off the ground. This part is a little sketchy… it all happened so fast… yet it felt like slow motion. The rear wheel slipped to the right and hit the curd sideways. I remember thinking “This is going to hurt” the next thing I know I’m flying in the air. I don’t even think I put my hands down because I landed on my left side and rolled onto my back. At some point while in flight my feet came unclipped and my bike went flying over me.
This was the weird slow motion part… as my bike tumbled over me I reached up and grabbed the rear derailleur and lowered the bike to the ground. I don’t know what made me do it, but it saved my bike from tumbling down the road.

The rider behind me stopped… “Are you okay” I replied “Yep… I’m okay” He replied “Nice recovery” I can only assume he was talking about the bike!

I got up and did a quick body check. Nothing was broken… so I thought. I had a small cut on my index finger, probably from the derailleur and a little road (grass) rash on my shoulder and back. I picked up my bike and noticed my left brake lever was turned 90 degrees. I removed the grass, straightened it out and gave the wheels a spin, everything looked okay. I picked up my water bottle out of the road and clipped in… I had a race to ride!

The rest of the ride was great, I was able to gain back some ground and finish the bike without further injury.

The run (Cat 18, Ov 108, Time 23:08)
Leaving T2 I was feeling okay but my ribs were starting to hurt a little now. The 3-mile run course was flat and tree covered so sun was not an issue. The road was lined with people cheering and giving works of encouragement. The run was uneventful compared to the bike and I crossed the finish in 1:09:01.

As I went through the finisher shoot I saw my wife and kids. I was glad they were there to cheer me on! I told my wife about the crash but that I was okay. It wasn’t until the ride home that I started to get a little concerned. The pain in my chest was get worse and it was now hurting when I took a deep breath. I was starting to think that maybe I did injure myself. I didn’t land on my chest but that was where the pain was. I knew from my days as a paramedic that the pressure of landing on my side could have compressed my rib cage enough to have done damage to the front so after my shower we headed to the doctors. While I was explaining to the doctor what had happened she started poking around my ribs… she found the spot! She looked at Kate and said… “I think it’s broken but we should take some x-rays to confirm it”.

While we waited for the results we started talking about the time line for my next race. The Firmman Half was only three weeks away and the Doctor said the recovery time for broken ribs was about six weeks. I told Kate that even if it was broken, three weeks should be fine. She wasn’t buying it!

The results came back… I have broken a rib. Damn now what!