Kickin’ Butt at the KIC IT

 

Move outta my way guys - I'm going (center, left blue arm)!

I’m still trying to figure out why I had the race glow for a week later after this Stamford, CT based race sponsored by the organization Kids in Crisis when all I did was the .9 mile swim portion of the relay.  I did have a PR of 34:00:07 (including about a 30 second run to the chip mat) but as I look back, it wasn’t so much the time but the confidence I had for the first time of the season, and in the event that was once my weakness.

Relays are great because you can just focus on one event and not worry so much about all of the logistics.  They allow you to both be part of the action and to be a spectator, giving you a great tri experience with less of the stress.

It helped that I had an opportunity to warm up both the day before and the morning of the race.  I had decided going into the race that I would give it my all, since I was only doing one event.  Still, since relays usually go last and put the best, former swim team member they can find on their team, I had that “I’m going to be the last out of the water” worry going into the swim.  As I looked around at all of the yellow caps, I realized I was also in the biggest wave and would be surrounded by the male 45+ age group in addition to the relay teams.

Not wanting to get pummeled, I decided to start in the back.  But a funny thing happened on the way to the buoys.  As I look at the pictures, I was actually a bit in the middle, leaving some of the guys behind me at the start.  I also decided to give myself a slow start, and I actually thought all of my wave was far ahead of me.  Perhaps they were, but as I rounded the first buoy I was amongst a pack.  And I was mumbling inside, “get out of my way”!

I sighted each buoy perfectly.  Mid-way through, I was catching up to people in prior waves.  In the home stretch I felt strong as I saw other swimmers slowing to catch their breath.  I had paced myself perfectly.  As I got out of the water, my watch read 33 something. I ran out of the water and sprinted as fast as I could.  By the time I got to the transition area, I was huffing and puffing.



Mike on bike



Cheerleaders keeps Ben strong at the finish!

Mike took the chip and went off on the bike, returning to T2 1:20:50 later. Our new friend Ben was off for the run to bring the relay team home in 2:48:47. We finished 9/23 amongst the mixed relay teams, with me placing 13th in the swim, Mike 5th on the bike and Ben 4th on the run.

I’m still glowing. I’ve come a long way in my swimming.

Our mixed relay team finished 9/23

 


.

Rockin’ in the City of Brotherly Love

Mike's swim wave lines up

What do a guitar, bottle opener and a medal have in common?  It's what is placed around your neck after finishing the awesome Philadelphia TriRock race.  And if you place on the podium, the trophy is a beer mug that can be put to use in the Beer Garden.  As the winning woman Pro said, "it's a very useful trophy"!  This well run race with around 2500 participants between the Sprint and Olympic races had it all including racing with pros like Cameron Dye and Andy Potts.

Mike and I headed down on Friday for a reunion with our Vineyard Warriors with friends Diane and Eric as our host.  With the sprint race on Saturday and the Olympic on Sunday, we had people racing on both days.  Mike did the sprint (.5 mi swim, 15.7 mi bike, 5k run) and I did the Olympic aqua bike (.9 mi swim, 40k bike), my first such event.  With a restless night sleep on Friday and early start Saturday, I was tired just being a spectator!  Mike had a good sprint race finishing 19/68 in age group with a time of 1:35:34 (16:28 on the swim, 49:11 on the bike, and 24:17 on the run).

The Sprint gang got us started on Saturday

I was slightly concerned going into my race - I've had a lingering cold and cough since early May that has kept me from swimming as much as I normally do and my last - and my only - open water swim this season which was only 500 yd swim was rough.  The swim course in the Skuykill River was point to point and looked LONG (so long you couldn’t see the entire course end to end).  And, my longest ride this season was only 18 miles.  I at least had a solid night's sleep on Saturday night.  But, there is that moment at the start of many races when you ask yourself "why do I do this?"

I found my answer in the swim as I got past the first 200 meters and went into a comfortable swim stride and eventually confidently caught up to some people from prior waves.  I found my answer on the bike when a spectator in a lonely bike stretch held a sign that said "you inspire me".  And as I passed the Philadelphia Art Museum, aka the Rocky Steps, I felt truly victorious!   In the end, I completed my first Olympic Aquabike with a time of 2:18:30, a 34:24 swim and a 1:41:05 bike. 

The Olympic gang continued on Sunday

And, once again I found my answer in the weekend's camaraderie with fellow triathletes and old and new friends.  We descended on Diane and Eric's house and shared a wonderful weekend in the City of Brotherly Love.  Our friend Antoine took second place in his age group and Diane took third in hers.

As part of the athlete briefing, a sports psychologist spoke and told us you can only be courageous in the presence of fear.  My overall place in the Aquabike was pretty dismal (the winner swam the course in 17:32, faster than many pros!), but I felt victorious nevertheless, overcoming trepidation and completing a new distance and event.



The age group winners toast with their trophies!



Gretna Tri 2013

Yes, it's been a while since Barb did a post... 3 weeks post Gretna Tri I've finally got a moment!  The week leading up to the Gretna Tri did not look good.  Even though it was very hot early in the week, other lakes in the area were measuring 54 degrees with an accuracy rating of 2 degrees.  I could not find the Gretna Lake info online, but I knew it would be cold.  I tried a swim in my full wetsuit and my arms felt so constricted I couldn't stand it.  So I had to decide: did I want to be fast, or warm?  I decided on fast (of course I did) and settled on the sleeveless shorty with an under armour top. When the lady at the registration tent claimed the water was 65 degrees, which was apparently measured in the shallow area near the edge in the sun,  I think I was happy to be deceived.  It was going to be damn cold.
Friday I left work early and headed over to Gretna to pick up our race packet.  Cathy and Mike were on their way into town, so I ran home and picked up Bella and met them in Gretna (7 minutes from the house) to talk about the set up and layout.  It was a beautiful day, but the temperatures were falling throughout the week, Saturday was going to be cool and overcast.  At this point it was more about mental preparation than anything, it was going to take a lot to get me in a cold lake at 8 am.
We headed back to the house to unwind and unpack.  Cathy and Mike got their bikes and equipment ready, Cathy armed with a checklist of necessities and rules.

Mike the Bike Mechanic

Bella Guarding the Gear

   I had ordered a tray of stuffed shells for dinner from the Amato family at A&M, so I was busy heating those, and making the rest of dinner meanwhile.  Just to add excitement (as always in the Life of Barb) I also had to return a runaway Golden Retriever to the neighbor's house.  Dinner was delicious and fun family times, after which Cathy and Mike enjoyed the massage chair.  Pete showed up home from college, and then Derrick and his girlfriend Kristin arrived shortly thereafter from Richmond.  They were in town for a wedding - so after months of "empty nesting" I had a house full of people.  Mama Potena was happy, the house was full and everyone was well fed.  For once I drifted off to sleep easily before a race, since I was in my own bed.  The same can't be said for Cathy, who woke in the night and couldn't get back to sleep.  She later said her mind was circling around the race video we had made weeks earlier on her iPad.
I woke up full of P&V, rinsed off in the shower as is my pre-race routine to "wake up" my muscles.  Mike had mastered our fancy coffee maker and helped himself to one of the delicious NY fresh bagels Cathy had brought.  I had coffee and a peanut butter bagel, and felt relieved I only had to do one event this time instead of 3.  This also meant I had less equipment to worry about, everything seemed very casual as we got ready.  Cathy seemed a bit sleepy headed and disorganized, but I didn't think much of it at the time.  Bella, Derrick, Pete, and Kristin were all sleeping in, while we headed out the door for Gretna.  We were there in plenty of time, Cathy seemed disappointed that there was no warm up swim.  I was not disappointed, knowing there would be nothing "warm" about this swim.  Mom and Dad came for moral support - which is always needed and appreciated.

Dave's Bike

So we prepared our transition areas, got body marking, and met up with our runner - Wendy.

Barb and Dave's first Relay

Wendy runs marathons, she was so disappointed to be missing Boston with an injury.  When the bombings happened, we all breathed a sigh of relief to know that she and her family were ok.  They had been in Boston for the weekend, but came home early due to her inability to do the event.  We are all looking at things a little differently after that, knowing sometimes it's better not to question why a strange injury occurs at an inopportune time.  She would have been running slow because of her injury, and crossed the finish line late compared to her normal pace.  She would have been right there when the bombs went off, thank God she wasn't feeling well enough to run that day.

Dave & Wendy

I was remaining calm right up to the moment I went down to the beach to wait for my wave.  Thankfully, Wendy came down to support me, which was much needed.  Finally, my wave was being called, and I was thinking: ok, no turning back, it's going to be cold, it's going to suck.  I got down in the water, way down so I could adjust to the temperature before we set off on the swim - my heart rate steadied and I felt fine.  Just like Quakertown, as soon as we started to swim, the cold temperature took my breath away and caused me to struggle all the way to the first bouy.  

Me apparently running with my eyes closed.

I consciously reminded myself I was on a team this year, so quitting was not an option, and pushed on through the cold water one stroke at a time.  Finally I rounded the first buoy and felt good.  Since nobody was around me, I flipped over and started a strong back stroke.  Every 8-10 strokes I turned over to breast stroke so I didn't get off course.  After rounding the second buoy, I side and breast stroked all the way in to shore... whatever worked best!  I thought my time would be 20 minutes because it felt like an eternity, but it turned out to be more like 15 so I was happy.  I had enough energy to run all the way up the the bike transition, where Dave had a little trouble getting the timing chip velcro undone.  He headed off into the hills and I shivered.  I changed into dry clothes and added extra layers, still I was shivering for 40 minutes after the swim.  Dave and Wendy mentioned something funny about Cathy not wearing a helmet, but they weren't sure what happened.  Cathy had the most experience out of us all, so I thought - that can't be possible.  Yet here is the photographic proof... she did run out of the T1 sans helmet, but luckily the race crew caught her and sent her back for it.  Dave had a good ride through the hills of Gretna, which he has the advantage of knowing very well.  Wendy and I had a good time trading event stories while we waited for his return.  Wendy kicked butt on the anchor leg of our relay, helping us to obtain a respectable time.  Doing a Tri as a team is possibly more enjoyable than doing the whole event, supporting team members is gratifying and there is less pressure about equipment.  If you're short on training time, as I was this year, it's a relief to only need 1/3 of what's required to make a decent show at all 3 events.  

Cathy - center of picture, running with bike, wearing Yellow Tri Top, and No Helmet

We laughed most of the weekend about Cathy's rookie mistake, but I'll let her tell that story!  Dave and I did our first event together, and it was a great weekend with family, friends, fun, and food.  After I thawed out, I decided it was great fun and I think Dave would like to do another Tri in the future.  To me that is what these events should be:  fun, family, friends, camaraderie.
To me, if I can't come in First, Second, or Third, then I'm just doing it for fun and competing against myself, the clock, and in this case the elements.  I like swimming, but I don't love it enough to train more than 3 days a week.  Running is of course my favorite event, and yet that is the part I must train the least due to being in "preservation mode" with a knee that will eventually need replaced.  I'm beginning to love the bike, and hope to do at least one bike event this year.
For now, we all had the nerve to "be there" and give it a go; and we were all did it together - that was what really mattered.  Our Relay Team did pretty well for our first ever relay event,  we finished 33/59 with a time of 1 hour and 35 minutes.  Wendy headed off to her out of town wedding with black numbers on her hands, very elegant.  Such is the life of an athlete.
The moral of the weekend is:  We had the nerve!

Yes we had the nerve!

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.