Mount Gretna Triathlon: Got the Nerve?



A cold start to the day



The theme of this triathlon seemed all too appropriate.  It had been 10 months since my last full distance Sprint triathlon and I was more nervous than I had been in awhile.  For the first time, I wasn’t worried about the swim given all of my swim training, but I was worried about the bike and the run.  Since Barb’s husband almost didn’t agree to be a relay team biker because of the hills – and he’s a good biker who rides those hills all the time – I worried if I could make it up them, especially since I haven’t had much hill training since last fall.  And, I was only up to 2.8 miles running in my attempts to keep it easy in my training and not overdo it like last year.

Barb and I had chosen to do this PA based triathlon that is only 15 minutes from her house this year instead of the Independence triathlon.  It offered a Sprint relay for her and her husband and her recruited runner, and it saved Mike and me from a crazy attempt to do the Independence triathlon the morning after his 25^th college reunion, which is in the same state but 2 hours away.  I also like the I’M ABLE organization for disabled athletes sponsoring it.

So what did I have to worry about?  It turns out I worried about the wrong things.

As I packed and prepared, I went through the mental checklist of all of the things I had done wrong before….disorganized packing, forgot to leave my bike shoes unbuckled, didn’t loosen up the packaging enough on the shot blocks, forgot to leave my sunglasses in the transition area.  Nope, not going to do those again!  I also helped prepare David for his first tri, reading aloud the bike rules that a first timer may not know, many of which are grounds for disqualification.  We were all packed up and ready before we ever had dinner the night before, and off to bed by 10:30.

I fell asleep ok, but upon waking up at 1:00am, I found myself wide awake replaying the bike course over in my head.  David had driven us around the course a month before and I had video recorded it on my iPad which had allowed me to review it multiple times – a good thing for a complicated course with lots of turns and crazy hills.  I never did go back to sleep.  I figured the adrenaline would keep me going.

The Lebanon Daily New captured Mike coming out of T1

There was unfortunately never a chance to do a swim warm up either the day before or the morning of.  So, while I wasn’t worried about the swim, it was my first time in awhile swimming in open water, in my wet suit, in cool 65 degree water.  I wasn’t even to the first buoy when I felt that hyperventilating feel.  I flipped over on my back a couple times to reset my breathing.  Rounding the second buoying and eying the shore, it felt like the longest 500 yard swim in a long time.  I had done my fastest pool swim in 10:16, and a recent “slow” swim in 11:16.  My swim time was 12:16.

Arriving in T1, I knew I was taking a little longer than normal.  My first challenge was the timing chip – I usually wear it on the inside of my swim sock, but at the last minute they told us we had to have it on the outside, which made getting the sock off tough and then the chip was also loose and I had to tighten it.  I hadn’t been sure if I would be too cold so I had left a shirt and biking gloves in T1 and so my brain was processing if I needed those items – since I knew I was losing time, I decided to forgo it.  I grabbed my bike, left the transition area, and proceeded out the lane to the road.  I tried to look my best for the camera man perched to capture each newly mounted rider.  Once on the road, the sag wagon drove by and yelled, “you don’t have a helmet!”.

Ugh!!!!!  Riding without a helmet is grounds for disqualification.

I turned around and rode back to the transition area.  The spectators lining the bike course who did not observe my turnaround maneuver now thought that I was the front runner from an earlier wave!!!   “You go girl, you got this one!” they exclaimed.

Uh...take 1 and take 2...

 I now of course can laugh at this part of the story, but at the time my biggest question was what they would do with me….rip my number of and disqualify me on the spot?  You’re also not allowed to re-enter the transition area.  I put my bike down and ran to a volunteer explaining my plight – she let me in a side entrance.  Upon retrieving my helmet, I ran out over the transition mat again wondering what that would do to mess up my time (meanwhile, David, who was still waiting in the transition area for Barb, thought that he had taken a picture of the wrong woman the first time….and then when he saw I was running without my bike, he was really confused!).

So, I was back on my bike (re-smiling for the camera guy) and I figured since they didn’t stop me, I was still going to finish the race whether they would give me a DQ or not.  At this point, I had already given myself a penalty of probably about 7 minutes.

My run was the best leg!

It turns out my pre-race fears were unjustified.  I made it up the hills just fine, although I did see a few people walking bikes.  Including my self imposed penalty, I had a bike time of 1:11:19 (the course was 15.7 miles and my computer showed 16.2 miles with my detour), which was a slow 14 mph for me but reasonable given the hills.  And my run at 31:19, which I figured would be my worst event, was what I placed the highest in out of the 3 sports.  With a 10:06 per mile pace, it wasn’t my fastest run but considering my limited running training was respectable – and best of all, pain free.  In the end, they did not DQ me (it was not a USTA sanctioned event which may have had something to do with it).  At 2:00:12, I guess I can just say it was my longest triathlon to date.

I had the nerve to tri again.  I also had nerves leading to loss of sleep and a foggy brain!  The best thing about this race is that I also had the nerve not to quit – and a new lessoned learned I’ll be sure not to do again!

The Finish Line

Finish lines are what keep us coming back for more.  I've crossed five full sprint distance triathlon finish lines and experienced the natural high that comes after a successful crossing.  Like every other endurance athlete out there, I couldn't help but have vivid thoughts about what those in Mondays' Boston marathon bombing were experiencing at the finish line.

I've also been a spectator and experienced the inspiration, excitement and joy of cheering on family, friends and just those athletes out there exuding their determination.  I previously wrote about stumbling upon the Florence marathon in Italy.  You can't help but be drawn into the athletes' quest for the finish line.

As an athlete, it's the spectators who feed our energy.  High fiving the young girls lining Nantucket's streets remains one of my most favorite race memories.  More than any sports energy gel, spectators fuel our desire to keep pushing ourselves, to be the best we can be as we make our way to the finish line.  For those spectators injured in the blast, we will be cheering for you as you push yourselves to recover, meet new challenges, and cross finish lines you likely never imagined for yourselves.

Sports spectators stay strong!

This week was one very long endurance event for the law enforcement officials in the Boston area.  They were elite athletes as they battled mental and physical pain and extreme conditions that tested their abilities.  In the end, they won.  Not just won, but had a personal best.  As they crossed their finish line, the spectators lined the streets, cheered them on, and gave them high fives.

In less than one month, I hope to cross my sixth triathlon finish line.  I don't think I will ever be able to cross another finish line without thinking about Boston. But, the thoughts won’t be about the bombs – it will be about the heroes who exuded what every endurance athlete demonstrates – strength and determination.  And, I won't stop crossing finish lines for the fear of terrorists.

P.S.  I’m not the only one who feels this way.  My good friend and fellow athlete Antoine Trepant and I found ourselves writing parallel thoughts, in different ways.  He’s crossed many more finish lines than me – and way faster!   Here’s his post:  http://tonio-triathlon.com/2013/04/19/letter-from-boston-thank-you-mr-terrorist/

Cross Training, Cross Country Skiing

Our new cross country skis were put to use!

I’ve been trying to find the optimal cross training exercise that will best mimic running while I do my strength training to prepare me to run again.  It’s unclear to me how much benefit I can get out of the elliptical.  Most guidance says you can’t train for running without actually running, although I did find one coach who claims he helped an athlete through an injury to a successful half marathon with elliptical training.  For me, one of the biggest challenges is that I can’t get my heart rate up for any level of meaningful cardio on the elliptical.  Perhaps the best cross training exercise I’ve found is cross country skiing.

Thankfully, we had some snow in the northeast this year and so storms named Nemo and Saturn became my friends!  Mike and I found a new love in this sport over the Christmas and New Years holiday break when we got our first real snow.  We headed to Winding Trails which as far as I can determine is the only cross country ski location in CT with ski rentals.  As it turned out, they had a sale of new equipment at 70% percent off, so we bought each other our Christmas presents on the spot.  Now that we’ve had the chance to ski seven times this season, it was the best purchase ever!  Here’s the venues we explored:

Winding Trails ( http://www.windingtrails.org/ ) in Farmington, CT has 20K of trails, all groomed and tracked for different levels of ability.  The small, cozy, and casual ski center has rentals, a small equipment store, and serves lunch.  There are also a sledding hill, skating, and trails for hiking and snow shoeing. We discovered this spot a couple years ago when we got the urge to cross country ski after a winter storm.  Surprisingly, I couldn’t find any local ski shops that rent skis so this became our only option then when we didn’t have skis.  After discovering this great park and organization, I also learned they have many casual triathlon events in the summer although I haven’t participated in any.  They also sponsor an annual 5K cross country ski race – an event I may just have to put on the list.  Trail passes are $14 ($2 off after 2pm) and rentals are $17 / day.

Mianus River Park in Stamford and Greenwich CT is a 220 acre park that is loved by dog walkers, hikers, mountain bikers and runners but can be a great free and very local spot to cross country ski.  The biggest challenge is finding the parking areas (here is a link to the map http://www.mianusriver.org/images/mrptrailmap.pdf ) and insuring you don’t get lost!  We tried the park for cross country skiing at the tail end of reasonable snow conditions.  It was passable and we were just excited to get out and enjoy our new skis.

Fahnestock Winter Park ( http://www.roberts-1.com/fwp/ ) is a newly discovered in-my-backyard cross country ski venue in Carmel, NY that also has a small ski center with rentals and food.  They groom and track their trails.  It’s even accessible by Metro NY / Taxi for NYC dwellers.  Part of the 16,000 acre Clarence Fahnestock Memorial Park, they have 15K of trails for all levels, which become more expansive when the lake is frozen over.  Being at an elevation of 1,100 feet, they sometimes get more snow than other areas.  There are also a sledding hill and trails for hiking and snow shoeing.  Trail fees are $9 per person and rentals are $16 / day.

If you are headed to Vermont, Ole’s Cross Country Center in Warren, VT ( http://olesxc.com/ ) has snowshoe and 45K of cross country trails, half in open fields and half in the forest.  It’s actually located at the Warren-Sugarbush airport that is closed in the winter and so the runways provide a winter wonderland!  Trail pass is $16 ($3 off after 1:00pm) and rentals are $18 ($3 off after 1:00pm).



Ward Pound Ridge is awesome, close and inexpensive!

 We drive by Ward Pound Ridge Reservation ( http://parks.westchestergov.com/ward-pound-ridge-reservation ) – just 20 minutes over the border from us in Connecticut – all the time so it’s about time we truly discovered this truly wonderful 4,000 plus acre gem.Cross country skiers come out and make tracks for one another on their trail system – there are close to 42 miles of hiking trails, many of them designated for cross country skiing.  The entry fee is only $10 per car (or $5 if you have a Westchester County Parks Pass).

And, finally, we had to top off the season at the #1 Nordic Ski Resort in North Amerca (chosen by voters in Cross Country Skier magazine) at Lone Mountain Ranch in Big Sky, Montana (http://www.lonemountainranch.com/winter-things-to-do/nordic-skiing/ ).  We were truly spoiled by the very professionally groomed and tracked trail system, which encompasses 2200 vertical feet from the top of the Summit to the Meadow trails (we didn't make it to top of the summit). You can rente skis by the day or the week and take lessons from their staff.  It is a working ranch with year round accommodations if you choose to stay there.  Or, if you stay in one of the condos in the heart of Big Sky Village, you can just ski right out your door onto their trails.  And don't worry, their website says, "Bears Hibernate.  People Ski."

Lone Mountain in Big Sky, MT:  The #1 Nordic Ski Resort in North America

Satisfaction and Gratification

“Satisfaction is short-term.  Gratification is long-term.”

Dave Scott NYC Tri-Mania Keynote

I thoroughly enjoyed yesterday’s Tri-Mania NYC key note speaker, Dave Scott, a six time Ironman World Champion, who explained that you should take stock of your performance in each race and identify what aspects satisfied you (in addition to what we all do in looking at what we could have done better).  But, for the long-term and to fully enjoy your triathlon career, you should look at the bigger picture of what the sport is doing for you and its meaning in your life to find gratification, which sustains you for the long-term.

This is the third year I attended this annual multi-sport conference held at Columbia University, which was a production of Sun Multisport Events and developed in collaboration with Jordan Metzl, MD (my sports medicine physician) and the Northeast region of USA Triathlon.  With a day of free seminars full of tech, physiology and medical talk, you feel like you are back in school – but for your passion!  This year my husband Mike joined me, having come off of his first year of triathlons.  Expecting the typical kind of sports expo, the event fully exceeded his expectations.

One of the pretty cool things about the event is the range of athletes in attendance – from first year newbies to elites and long-time veterans.  Three years ago as a “freshman”, I was inundated with a whole new language.  Now, as a “junior”, I found myself further comprehending the topics and taking away different aspects how to apply them, such as:

·         SWIM – Check out http://www.swimsmooth.com/ for good tips on improving your swimming technique.

·         BIKE – There are acceptable ranges for the slight bend in your knee when getting the proper bike fit.  Last year after my bike fitting, I resisted putting the seat down for awhile because I figured the bike fitter knew what he was doing, but the bike fitting presenter admitted it usually takes a second look after some riding to get the fit right.

·         RUN – It’s time for new running shoes after 300 miles or 6 months.  One of the biggest ah ha moments for me were the videos played of improper running form – perhaps one of the causes of my injury last year is my sometimes over-stride.  If you look back at a photo of my Stamford tri run, it’s so obvious now!  I will now be striving for the optimal 85-90 (1 foot, 1 min) running cadence, light on my feet, with no bobbing (or pony tail swinging).  Jeff Dengate, a senior editor of Runners World, also showed a great infographic on choosing the right shoes which he said could be found here: http://www.runnersworld.com/shoefinder (but the url takes you to their shoe advisor function which is also helpful)

·         SURVIVE – In other years I was just learning about VO2 max and lactate threshold, and so now I better understood the concepts in Polly de Mille’s (from the Hospital of Special Surgery) presentation.  Your VO2 Max is somewhat genetic, but your lactate threshold is more controllable.  You can become a much better endurance athlete if you can tap into the fat stores, which are a better source of energy than consuming carbohydrates. 

With the sport of triathlon, I’m constantly learning new things about how to improve my performance and overall health and well-being.

This learning process gives me great satisfaction.

After the event, Mike and I went to see a NYC tri friend, Ursula, whose husband, Antoine, had just placed 2^nd overall in the Brooklyn Duathlon early Saturday morning.  Ursula was telling us that our friend Allison had joined her that morning to cheer on Antoine.  I introduced Allison to the sport in 2011, and then Allison met Ursula and Antoine in 2012 when we all did the Stamford tri.

These connections give me great gratification.

It's Official!

Well, it's official... Potena PT has registered a team for the Mt. Gretna Tri!  In my last post, you will recall I hinted at using my feminine wiles to persuade David to take on the biking leg of the Tri.  Thanks to Valentines Day, lots of champagne, super high heels, and something leopard from Victoria's Secret - we're doing our first Tri together!  Remember what I said, "you get more bees with honey".  I am doing the swim, my husband Dave is doing the bike, and a friend of ours is doing the run.  We drove the bike course, which I would recommend because the hills are a little different in person than on paper.  In the spirit of being healthy, we gave up alcohol and potato chips for lent, which hasn't been going well.  I thought I'd feel great, but instead I've had migraines and sleeping difficulty.  It's probably the toxins trying to escape my body, but I have since concluded that Jesus would not have turned water to wine if he didn't want us to have some.

     A second opinion on my knee has verified that I've stretched out my posterior lateral corner, but it's fairly mild so surgery isn't needed at this time.  Unfortunately it has also verified that I should not be running, which was a small but realistic disappointment.  I've been swimming, doing the elliptical, riding the recumbent bike, and continue with my strength training at the PT office.  Yesterday for fun I tried a yoga class at the YMCA, which was energizing and relaxing at the same time.  Not having taken a yoga class before, (and being a slight germaphobe) I showed up with my own mat.  Once I figured out how to get the straps off of my mat, it was easy to follow along with he instructor and I had success with most of the poses.  Work is very busy, t's been difficult to devote a lot of time to training.  However I have a renewed sense of purpose and motivation since signing up for the Tri.  Hopefully I can survive the rest of Lent while my liver regenerates, and continue to build on my workouts in order to have a decent swim for my team.

A New Plan for 2013

At the start of the New Year, my tri friends and I started emailing about races.  I couldn’t help myself – I was extremely excited to get back into it after giving my knee a rest for the last 6 months.  So, I signed up for a sprint race in May and an Olympic Aquabike in June.   There’s just one problem – I haven’t run since July.  I could walk the 5K sprint run course if I had to, I reasoned.  But, of course, the athlete in me now says that just won’t do.  And, I still really want to do a full Olympic distance race.

So, I need a plan.  Going back to the “sports medicine” orthopedist I had seen wasn’t the right path since he lacked an understanding of running mechanics.  I liked the physical therapist, a triathlete himself, whom I had consulted.  He took a more holistic view of my running form and balance while the orthopedist had just zeroed in on the knee.  But, I would need a prescription and there was the issue that I was paying out-of-pocket since he wasn’t in my insurance network.

I consulted with friends for recommendations and searched for sports medicine physicians.  I was delighted to find that Dr. Jordan Metzl, a NYC based physician, is in my insurance network.  I already knew of him from the annual multi-sport conference he puts on at Columbia University.  Of the many emails that now clog my inbox, his newsletter was one that I occasionally clicked on for useful information, and I’ve come across his articles in Triathlete magazine.

“That’s crazy!” proclaimed Dr. Metzl when I told him my tale and woes of the advice I had been given.  He said I’ve probably had the articular cartilage defect all along (as I suspected).  “We’re going to completely make you over,” he declared.  He went on to say something about a good “Connecticut System”  -- I misheard that – a “Kinectic System” is the key to preventing injury.  Essentially, your whole body is connected head to toe so if it’s not all moving and supporting the movement properly, you will be prone to injury.  So his six week prescription includes:

1)      A pair of orthotics that I’ve put in my shoes - no need to buy new sneakers.

2)      The GRID -- http://tptherapy.com/shop/smrt-core-products/the-grid.html

My muscles are very tight and so I need to self massage them with The GRID daily – I thought after my first use that I would name this foam roller the BEAST but it got easier.  The IT Band exercise in his book, The Athlete’s Guide to Home Remedies, was particularly painful at first!

3)      His Ironstrength Workout twice a week, which you can find at http://www.runnersworld.com/workouts/ironstrength-workout

Stay tuned, and I’ll let you know how I’m doing!

Swim Easy

For a person who has done 2 triathlons, I can honestly say I do not love swimming.  I hadn't been in the pool for a good 4 weeks, the side effect of a busy work schedule and some new PT we're trying.  After a swim with my friend at the local college where we used fins, I had a lot of knee pain - more than usual.  I was actually limping, which hasn't happened since my knee injury last May.  So I took a break, and my husband the PT came up with some new ideas and a personalized program on the Kin Com.  I kept thinking, "I don't miss smelling like chlorine all the time"...  and "I really don't like swimming anyway".  However one afternoon a few weeks ago I ventured to the "warm pool" at the local VA which has YMCA affiliations so I can go there as well.  In the warm (and short) pool I easily did 26 laps which had to be at least 1/4 mile.  Swimming is so easy in the warm water, I reminded myself to relax all of my muscles and "swim easy" next time I was back at the cold college pool.  So Cathy says to me, "looks like you could do the swim portion of the Gretna Tri" which she had just signed up for...  Feeling brave, I googled the event and decided that if I had more layers of swim gear or a full wetsuit that I might jump in a frigid lake in May.  This is a week or two prior to the Independence Tri where it was very very cold in early June.  I ordered a full wetsuit on clearance from Amazon - following the 5mm rule - for less than $120 delivered.  I casually mentioned to my husband (the cyclist) that he could easily do the bike portion, and a friend of ours who does marathons could do the run.  This all seemed to go over well - until it came time to actually commit.  David, my husband, does the most insane bike rides known to man kind.  He climbs all of the worst hills in the county, and easily puts in 30-50 miles a day in peak training mode.  He has done several 100+ mile rides - so a measly 16 mile ride should be no problem.  However, he is not sure he wants to commit to the event, so I've stopped pressuring for the moment.  We've never done a sporting event together.  He has watched me do 2 triathlons and I have watched him do several bike races.  One bike race resulted in a trip to the ER with a broken sternum and elbow, when a guy in front of him caused a crash and took out half of the racers on the first lap.  I think it would be fun to do one event "together".  After all - I have to swim in a frozen God-forsaken lake in May - how bad can a bike ride be?   This is one of the important lessons of being married where each spouse "picks his or her battles".  My son Derrick has recently said to me that he has learned this skill at his first post-college job of less than a year.  I told him that he is way ahead of the game if he has figured out how to master this idea so early in life!
I went swimming at the cold pool in a new TYR "race suit" with leggins to keep me warmer on Sunday.  I did 14 lengths in just over a minute per length, so I could probably work myself up to a respectable time for Gretna.  My friend and I were laughing at the notion the I couldn't swim a full length just 2 years ago.  So after all I guess I do like swimming - and occasionally smelling like chlorine!  I haven't returned the full wetsuit yet - maybe I'll use my "feminine wiles" to persuade David to do the Gretna Tri as a team.  This follows one of my other favorite life lessons (right after pick your battles) which would be "you get more bees with honey".  If the Tri doesn't happen in May, we'll find a biking event to do together.  I can focus my attention to hosting Mike and Cathy for the weekend which will be fun also!  Meanwhile our special PT program must be doing something because I hear less cracking from my tib/fib joint, but we'll see what Dr. Hanks has to say in February.  It's still possible that I could get my knee "scoped" to find out what is really wrong, so it is hard to commit to any events just yet.  If things are 'good enough to get by' with my knee I may put off arthroscopic surgery until I do enough damage that I'm "non functional" at which point I won't have a choice!  In my next post we'll find out if I have committed to the Gretna Tri.. and what the Orthopedic doc says about my poor old knee.