The Kindness of Strangers

Biking around Central Park the other evening, I came upon a cyclist wearing a very cool looking top with the colours of the Union Jack.  I struck up a conversation asking him where he got it from, and as we continued pedaling round the park together, I found out he was from Israel, but had worked for the British tourist board, and said he may be able to find a spare for me.

So we swapped email addresses, and true to his word, Ivry met up with me on my regular Tuesday Achilles run and presented me with my new top.  Thank-you so much Ivry!

Training is going well.   Have lots of energy, and looking forward to Timberman in 3 week's time.  Just one more week-end of hard workouts, then its time to taper and start focusing on the trip up to New Hampshire.  Can't wait!

NYC Triathlon 2013

NYC Triathlon week-end is always full of fun activity but got off to a bad start this year, as first thing on Saturday morning I tweaked my back taking a bag of rubbish out from under the kitchen sink.

I'd had this kind of muscle-pull before, the day after the Austin tri last year, when I was bending down under a shower head and my back 'went'.  I can still remember lying on the bathroom floor, winded and feeling like I'd been kicked in the back.  I was sore for a few days after, and only recovered after a lot of stretching and popping of Advil tabs.  My back often gets sore as a result of running (common problem for amputees, as our lop-sided running gait puts a lot of pressure on the lower back) and I'm getting vulnerable to these pulls, so as I made my way down to a team breakfast I resolved to be less lazy about the regular stretching I'm supposed to do to keep my back supple and less prone to injury.

Breakfast was hosted by John Korff, the owner of the NYC triathlon, and was great.  Most of the Achilles crew were there, including some friends we hadn't seen for a while, including John Young from Toronto, and Diane Berberian (aka 'The Iron Maven') from Florida.  Also in town for the race were friends representing the CAF team - Barbara, head of the NYC Chapter, and Billy Lister and Nick Roumonada - who I hadn't seen for a while.

Paratriathletes on the barge

Next up was the expo at the midtown Hilton Hotel for race briefings and bib pick up.  I was on the fence about pulling out, but a couple of things made me change my mind.  First, one of Achilles' triathlon coaches, Travis, stretched me out on some chairs and reassured me that with stretches I'd be OK and wouldn't exacerbate the injury by racing.  Second, I found out that I could defer my entry BUT would lose my entrance money for this year.  There's nothing like the prospect of a few hundred dollars disappearing down the drain to spur a money-conscious triathlete into action, so I decided to give it a go.  Besides, its impossible not to get a little bit excited by the pre-race atmosphere at the expos.

Post Swim, fighting my way out of the wetsuit :)

Roll on Sunday morning, and I met my handler (the volunteer who will help me with legs, crutches, anything else I need in transition) Tiffany in transition at 5.15 am.   One of the main differences with last year is that I felt much more relaxed this time round.  I remember last year really feeling like a bag of nerves waiting to go up to the swim start.  This time I knew what to expect - the build up and inevitable nerves waiting for swim start and going onto the barge, the jumping into the murky Hudson and the brief feeling of panic as you're plunged into uncomfortable surroundings, and then after a few seconds, getting into your stride and watching the hundred metre markers go by on the wall and the swim exit get slowly but surely closer and closer.

Biking out of transition

And this is exactly what happened.  I felt a lot calmer in the water this time, and faster (I was, but only by about a minute).   At one stage my nose clip came off, which a couple of years ago might have freaked me out, but I'd practiced without it in the pool a few times, and resolved NOT to panic, and just keep on, and low and behold, I didn't drown and still made it to end!  Final swim time (1500m):  27 mins, 11 seconds.

The next portion of the biking I always love, and felt strong going up into the Bronx and back.  Bike time over 40 km:  1.24.35.

By the time I got to the run, the temps were starting to warm up quite a bit.  As I made my way across 72nd street from transition and into Central Park, my sunscreen and sweat mixed to sting my eyes.  Still, I felt much stronger than last year, and only needed to stop once for a quick breather at one of the water stations at mile 3.  By the time mile 5 came around, I felt like I was in a groove and could have kept on going, which I suppose is a good thing as my next tri will involve a half marathon as the run.  

Crossing the finishing line was a huge adrenaline rush as usual.  My final run time for the 10 k run: 1.09.28.  With having a more confident swim and not stopping in the run, I felt MUCH quicker than last year's race..but was actually 45 seconds slower, with a final time of 3.13.54 secs.   But considering my back injury and how hot the day got, I was still happy to finish with that time.

After the race, it was over to the VIP tent (us athletes with disabilities are treated well in this race) to swap race stories with everyone else, a team photo, and then an awards ceremony for the fastest of the paratriathletes.  Mohamed Lahna, in my TRI 2 category came 2nd, with an impressive time of 2.33, which goes to show how far I have to go if I really want to compete with the best.

Achilles members Megan and Sarah rocking the course

It was another great day's racing!  I was pleased with my performance, encouraged by the crowd support around transition and along 72nd street, and inspired by being surrounded by all the other Achilles and CAF athletes.   I'm actually starting to enjoy the swims, rather than seeing them as quasi-ordeals to be got through, and I think if I continue to train I should be in good shape for my next challenge, the Timberman Half Ironman in New Hampshire next month.

Big thanks to Andy Huh/Achilles for the pics in this post.

Team Achilles!

Brooklyn Bridge Swim

Though I've come to Brooklyn from Manhattan many times, this was the first time I'd visited and then swum back..

The swim in the East River took place on a beautiful, hot July Sunday morning, and ended a long weekend filled with fun activity.   On Friday, I celebrated my 39th birthday with a hot and hilly 55 mile bike ride up to Bear Mountain with my friend Shawn and some of her biking friends.  It's always good to escape the muggy heat of the city on a hot day, and while the temps were approaching the 90's, we had a tail wind cycling up Hudson River which made for a good ride.

Friday evening was fun joint birthday party, and probably a little bit more beer than I'm used to these days, with most of Saturday recovering from said birthday party.   However I was recovered enough to make it out in the evening for a 7.5 mile run in Central Park with Karim, a new running friend I met at a fitness boot-camp a couple of weeks back.   For the last part of the run, we ran around the reservoir, with the city skyline in the background, and ended up along a dark bridle path beautifully lit by fireflies.  Moments like that remind why I avoid running in the gym.

Melissa, Ariel, Ben, Shawn - pre-race excitement!

The next morning I travelled over to Brooklyn Bridge Park with Ariel, where we met Shawn and Melissa to register for the swim, get our bodies marked, and pick up our swim caps and timing chips.  The moments before an event can be hard when the old nerves build up, but I felt much less nervous than last year when I'd swum in NYC triathlon.  If I could survive the Hudson, then I should also be able to survive the East River as well!

The event was run by NYC Swim and they did a fantastic job of organizing it.  There were a few hundred swimmers, split into about 10 waves.  The 1 km route was clearly marked by buoys, and had kayakers all the way over the river to stop people drifting off course.  Also, every wave had a volunteer 'swimming angel' with a blue swim cap, in case anyone ran into difficulties.  The organizers were also great with supporting my logistical needs as I came fully equipped with crutches and a prosthetic leg that I'd need on the other side.  They were very friendly and accommodating, and checked in with me a few times before the swim to make sure I had everything I needed.

Made it to the other side!

All the waves lined up in the park, and before long we were on the beach and jumping into the water.  I was boiling in my wetsuit, so it felt good just to get into water to cool down.  As the swim got underway I had the familiar uncomfortable feeling of not being at ease in the water, as I adjusted to my new surroundings.  Probably from a mixture of nerves and the cold water, I started hyperventilating a little, needing to take a breath with every stroke.  Once I got my swimming rhythm going though, it got better.  My main concern was not going too much off course (really need to improve my sighting in open water swims!) and I was put back on course by a few of the kayakers as I went from buoy to buoy.

Apart from being bumped around a bit in parts, and a bit of a spluttering after taking in some water, I began to feel stronger as I made my way across the river, under the Brooklyn Bridge.  When I got to the other side, there was the usual adrenaline rush and feeling of accomplishment.  For anyone in the New York area, I would definitely recommend this swim as a fun and safe way of getting open water swim experience, with a unique perspective of the bridge to boot.

Montauk Century

It had been about 10 years since I did a century, at a TransAlt ride round the boroughs of New York City one September day.  For a while recently I'd been wanting to do a ride out to Montauk, at the end of Long Island, to test my endurance and see how my fitness had changed in the last few years.  So a couple of months ago I signed up for a bare bones ride out there with the Five Borough Bike Club, and spent the last few Sundays training for it, up to about 80 miles.

One of the things I was dreading most about the ride was the start time as I am definitely NOT a morning person.  The group I was riding with were meeting at 6.30 am in Babylon station which is some way onto Long Island.  On most Sundays at 6.30 am, I still have another 3 hours of sleep to go.

About to set off

So I set the alarm for 3.30, made it out the door at 4, and set off in the dark for the subway station to get down to Penn Station, then to Babylon.  I did have a slight paranoia that I'd encounter a violent mugger on a deserted platform who'd try to kick me in the knackers and then run off with my bike, but the only person I met waiting for the subway was a friendly drunk.  I met up with a few other riders on the train, and as we headed East to our starting point all we could see in the sky were dark grey clouds, with incessant rain pattering against the window.  The forecast didn't look good; on off rain, and head/side winds of about 10 - 15 mph.

Around 7, all the cyclists in our group, about 15 of us, gathered for a quick bike check, and we were off.  I was excited to be taking on the challenge, but also had some nerves thrown into the mix, thinking about what would happen if I couldn't keep up or ran out of energy.

As I got into my stride though, it started feeling good, probably helped by the quick coffee I managed to get in before we set off.  Our group split into 2, with a faster group I was in doing about 16 mph on average.  After a while the rain petered out and it started to brighten up a bit, which made the ride a lot more enjoyable.  We were taking diversions past some beautiful huge houses/mansions, hitting the water's edge, and cycling down some beautiful, flat roads on the south side of the island.

Lunch spot

We stopped for lunch after about 70 miles, definitely ready to strap on the nosebag.  We found a kind of native American place that sold cigarettes on the cheap, souvenirs, as well as lunch.  Interesting combo of things to sell, but the home fries, eggs and toast definitely hit the spot.

After that, we 'only' had another 30 miles or so to go, and it wasn't until about mile 90 I started to feel a bit tired and was looking forward to the end.  We caught up with another 5BBC group that was doing a 63 mile ride to Montauk, being lead by my friend Shawn, and stuck with them to the end.  It started raining again, but as long as we kept going, I felt OK and not too cold, just a little damp.

Finally, around 3.30 pm we rolled into Montauk.  It was a great feeling watch the odometer click round into the triple digits just before the end.  It was also good to know that this felt much easier than my century 10 years ago.  I have a better bike, but I also know I'm in better shape.  I also have a customized biking leg now, which makes it easier to get down lower and out of the wind on your bike. It's also good being able to clip into the pedals (but off the bike, it is difficult and uncomfortable walking around sans foot).

With Shawn - made it to the end!

After buying some clothes to have something dry to change into, our group loaded our bikes into two trucks, and then took the train back to meet our bikes in the city.  I was tired but exhilarated as we travelled back West, and not able to sleep much, but I slept like a log that night.

The ride was very well organized by 5BBC. I would definitely recommend the club to anyone in the area looking to get into cycling and do some rides with a good group of people.

Tri Training Camp/Brooklyn 15K

This Saturday morning the Achilles tri-team met at the usual meet up spot in Central Park.  Anyone who had a Boston top was asked to wear it in solidarity with the runners, visitors and inhabitants of Boston who were attacked on Monday.   We got some great pics.

We were also joined by Richard Bernstein, a long time Achilles athlete who I can remember welcoming me into the group when I joined it in about 2005. Richard is on the road to recovery after having been hit by a bike in Central Park last summer, and sustaining some serious injuries that kept him in hospital for a few weeks.  Richard is also a disability rights lawyer, and after his accident successfully petitioned the city to change the markings in the park to make it safer for runners and pedestrians.

Front from left: Tiffany, Evelyn, Ariel, Megan, Richard, Kat, Vanya.  Back, BTS, Harold

Harold, BTS, Sarah, Megan, Ariel, Tiffany

After that we headed out to Crystal Springs resort, about an hour and half away in northern NJ, for Achilles' first ever tri training week-end (I was only able to make the first day).  The facilities of the resort had been made available with the help of Joe Bellantoni, an athlete who is the chief financial officer there.  Joe was blinded in a car accident that nearly killed him six years ago, but who then started running as a way to cope with the change in his life.  Since then he has done 9 marathons and an ironman.  Truly inspiring.

Kat briefing the team

For the clinic, Achilles had the services of coaches Travis and Brian, professional triathlon coaches from Training Peaks, who had volunteered their time.   Brian and Travis have also been giving the Achilles team individually tailored weekly training schedules to help everyone meet their tri goals for the season.

After a spot of lunch we did a 45 run, including going up a gradient of what seemed to be about 20%, and then a spin class.  I have to admit, having done my second one, spin classes aren't for me.  I feel like a hamster on a wheel, and would a thousand times rather be outside on a bike, even if it's in the wind or the rain.  That said, it was still a good workout and we got some good cycling tips relating to the triathlon.

Afterwards I had some time to splash around in the pool before heading back into the city.  One of the coaches observed my swimming, and noticed I was swimming with a bended knee.  This is particularly bad news if you're swimming, because it means your rear half will start sinking, and it'll take a lot more effort to get through the water with all that drag.  I tried a few lengths kicking using the thigh, which will take some getting used to, but what I need to focus above all on keeping a straight leg, even if I'm not kicking at all.  I was also told not to worry about breathing on the right hand side, something that I find very difficult.  Brian thought that this could be because I don't have a 'pivot point' to the right, having a left leg missing.  My swimming is very much a work in progress, but it is coming along, slowly but surely (hopefully not so slowly by the time by half ironman comes around).

Runners in Prospect Park, Brooklyn

On Sunday, I had a 5.30 am start, and ran a 15K race in Prospect Park, organized by nycruns.com.  This was quite a small race, with about 200 runners.  There was also a 5K distance, with most running in a costume.  I ran with Reshma; it was a beautiful bright, sunny morning in Brooklyn, with blossom on a lot of the trees.  There was a cold wind, but by the time we finished the sun had come out, and we were able to work up a good sweat.  Despite a couple of fairly lenghty bathroom breaks, including visiting the most revolting portoloo in existence, we kept a good steady pace.  I felt in pretty good shape, and finished my first event at this distance in 1.47.

NYC Half 2013

Thirteen point one miles.  This was my first half marathon since doing the same race last year.  I knew with the limited amount of training I'd done it wouldn't my fastest time, but this race is always a lot of fun, is a good way to see the city, and also to how see how the fitness is coming along as spring approaches.

The night before, I made sure I got to bed early.  As I'm definitely not a 'morning person', I was worried I was going to oversleep the 5.30 am alarm clock, and kept on waking up to check the time.  I also had a dream about being somewhere just before a triathlon was about to start, only to realise I'd left my wetsuit and goggles behind.  I'd have to ask a psychoanalyst what this means, but I'm pretty sure it was related to the race!

I met my Achilles guides, Greg and Reshma, at baggage check in Central Park at the crack of dawn.  I had a good team assembled around me.  I do a lot of regular workouts with Reshma, and did a few races with her last year.  Greg is probably one of the fittest volunteers at Achilles.  He does ironmans, and crazy things like cycling from NYC out to the other end of Long Island on a one-speed bike.  He's also completely low key about all his athletic accomplishments.  This was my first race with him, but I didn't have too many concerns that he'd be able to keep up :)

The one thing I will probably remember about this race is that it was COLD!  It was only just above freezing as we waited about 45 minutes for the race to start in Central Park.  There was light snow on the grass from the night before, and everyone around us was shivering in their running tops, willing time to move on, and get the race started.  Greg had bought us foil capes to wrap around us, a stroke of genius which a lot of the other 15,000 people in the starting corrals probably wished they'd thought of too.

Finished!

Finally we were underway.   I just tried to go for a nice steady pace, up and down the hills of Central Park; it was a good feeling to finally start warming up and get sweat going after waiting around in the cold.   I started to get a kind of strange spasm every couple of minutes or so from my left hip which would affect my gait a little, but it wasn't too painful, and otherwise I felt good.

After seeing my friends Melissa and Rodrigo volunteering on the west side of the park, it was on to my favourite part of the run - out of the park, and down 7th Avenue towards Times Square.   The crowd support here is good, it's an impressive view of Times Square along an avenue which is blocked with cars at most other times, and there are a few live bands along the way.

My longest training runs for this event had been 8 and 10 milers, so I started feeling a little sore around this mark, as we turned on to 42nd street, and then onto the West Side Highway, to take us all the way down to battery park.  But I generally felt in good shape, so the three of us were able to cruise along at a steady and comfortable pace.

Reshma, Greg, and Lamar

After hitting the bottom of Manhattan, and going through the Brooklyn Tunnel, we were were only 800 metres from the finish line.  I had a little extra juice in the tank so we sped up a little to finish strongly over the finish line.  Our final time was 2 hrs 23 minutes, which I was happy with, for a hilly course early in the racing season.   After a couple of days of recovery, it will be time to hit the pool and spend some time on my bike to prepare for my next challenges of the year, my ride across England, and a half ironman in August.

New Year's Resolutions

I don't normally do a list of resolutions, but there are quite a few things I need to do this year to help hit my athletic goals.  Putting them in here will make me more likely to stick to them.

1) Try to stretch every day:- to make me a stronger runner, and to avoid waking up with a sore back every day.
2) Take the stairs whenever possible:-  I live on the 4th floor of a building.  Taking the steps even just once a day will help my fitness.
3) Take swimming lessons: - swimming is where I can really improve in triathlons.  Swimming lessons will help make me a more confident swimmer, and reduce the chance of me missing the swim cut-off time in the triathlon
4) Take a B12 vitamin every day: - as I don't eat that much meat (only fish), I was diagnosed with a B12 deficiency last year.  I do have a bottle of vitamin tablets but I'm pretty haphazard in actually taking them.
5) Eat a proper breakfast.  NO MORE CRANBERRY MUFFINS (well, maybe just on Fridays).  I'm going to try to eat more oatmeal and granola for sustained energy.
6) Bike ride 1000 miles in 6 months: - I need to make sure I'm well trained for Land's End to John O'Groats in the summer.  I under-trained for RAGBRAI and really felt it in parts, where I struggled.