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.