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.

End of year races

After doing my triathlon and ride across Iowa in July, the next plan was to start training for Marine Corps marathon in Washington D.C. at the end of October.

With Reshma, Brooklyn Rock N Roll 10K

However... I just wasn't feeling it.  When I started running seriously about 4 years ago, I was determined to prove to myself and to others what I was capable of athletically.  Give me a running leg, and I'll do a marathon.  I'm a big believer that the main thing anyone needs to cross over a marathon finish line is willpower.  Strong legs, heart and lungs definitely help, but willpower is probably the number one ingredient.

Having completed five, I can now safely say I can do them, but I also know how much they take out of me.  A marathon is 3 - 4 months of training, a certain amount of pain on marathon day, and a couple of months to fully recover.   Running has also given me some lower back pain, which could be helped by more stretching and core body strength training, but I'm a bit lazy about this.

I'd still like to do another marathon one day (maybe Berlin) but I didn't feel putting myself through it again this year  - my body just felt tired and was telling me it needed a rest.  So, I sold my bib, and enjoyed doing some smaller races, 5 or 10k's over the last few months.

Race for Rehab:  Soo crosses the finish line

One week-end, I ran in a rock n roll 10K in Brooklyn with my friend Reshma.  It is nice going out to Prospect Park in Brooklyn for a change of scenery, plus I was running for Team Refuel, for free entry sponsored free supply of chocolate milk, and entry to the VIP area after for a nice spot of cooked breakfast afterwards.

The day after, I ran a 5K race in Valhalla, Westchester County, 30 miles north of NYC.  The race is organized by the rehab hospital there; it takes place on the grounds of the hospital, and the proceeds go to Achilles.  It's always a fun trip out of town, and the students always give Achilles members such a warm welcome.

Another good race I did was a Shoe4Africa 5K in Riverside Park in the Upper West Side of Manhattan.  Shoe4Africa is a fantastic organization founded by marathon coach Toby Tanser.  Toby is currently raising money for the first public children's hospital in Kenya.  For this race however, all proceeds went for people affected by Hurricane Sandy.

For this one, my company Thomson Reuters had entered a team, but the most memorable moment was provided by Achilles member Patrick.

Partrick approaching the finish line

The few hundred people of us who had finished the race waited around for an awards ceremony and raffle after.   When this was over, we all thought the event had ended, but this was where Patrick proved everyone wrong.  He'd been doing an abbreviated version of the course on his walker and hadn't finished yet.

While all of us were engrossed in the raffle, he had been slowly but surely making his way towards the finish line, just behind where everyone was gathered.   As he came into view, everyone turned around 180 degrees, and started cheering him on to the finish line.  It was a really emotional moment.

Patrick was very tired, and had to stop every few steps to catch his breath.   He finished, bathed in sweat, to the loudest cheer of the day; looking around, I could see some people were crying and others were visibly very touched by his determination to make it to the end.  Another priceless Achilles moment!

I'm excited for my plans for next year.  I hope to ride from Lands End in the SW of England, to John O'Groats, at the top of Scotland.  I've signed up for the Timberman Half Ironman in New Hampshire in August.  These will involve a lot of training, which I'm going to get stuck into from January 1st.   I will need to start doing some more core strength exercises, spending a lot more time in the swimming pool, and a lot more time on the bike, but I know if I train diligently enough I have another year of exciting challenges ahead.

Team Achilles, Valhalla Race for Rehab, Westchester County

Fifth Avenue Mile/Westchester Triathlon

Fifth Avenue Mile

When I moved to New York about 8 years ago and started running with Achilles, one of the first races I remember doing was the Fifth Avenue Mile.  A nice short distance for a beginner, it starts at 79th Street, just south of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and runs down the side of Central Park to finish at 59th Street on the corner of the park.

As I was new to running, I remember being very self-conscious about how my leg and gait looked AND also that I was so slow.   As this is a fast race with a relatively few number of runners, all staggered and grouped according to age and gender, I faced the intimidating possibility that I would be dead last in my heat.   This was something I'd been sensitive to for a long time.  At school, I knew I would be pretty good at sports, if it wasn't for the annoying fact that I had a leg missing, and used to dread being picked last for any team.  For this race, I ended up jumping in about a quarter of the way in, timing it so I could finish about the same time as all the other runners (they must have been surprised when they caught up with me how I eluded them at the start).

Are we nearly there yet?

And then watching a later wave I saw another Achilles athlete, Danny Trush, who as a teenager had suffered 5 brain aneurysms and been in a coma for 30 days.  I watched him come over the finish line at a much slower pace than I had, but I can still remember that there was something about how determined he was to cross the finish line that moved me to tears.  It made me realise: people don't really care who comes last.  But they are impressed by people who put themselves out there and fight to overcome obstacles to cross the finish line.  That was the last time I ever snuck into a race past the start line.

Team Ben

Fast forward a few years, and I found myself lining up for my second Fifth Avenue Mile.  I was lucky enough to have two guides this time: May, who I met on the morning of the race, and Reshma, who I often run with at Achilles Tuesday evening workouts.  Reshma has this great quality of running about two paces in front of me towards the end of our runs, encouraging and prodding me to go just that little bit faster, so she was an ideal partner for this one.

After a few stretches and jogs round the block, we were off!  Even though a mile is a short distance, it calls for completely different strategies than the longer distance races I'm used to, so I basically went out as fast as possible, got out of breath, and tried to maintain the speed as fast as my lungs would let me.  It all passed by in a bit of a blur, with lots of people shouting support, but in the end, I passed over the finish line feeling pretty strong and pleased with my performance.  My final time was 7 mins 42 seconds, much faster than I'd even hoped for.  Oh, and one other thing..I wasn't last!

The next day, I took part in my last tri of the season, the Westchester triathlon.  I did this as part of a Challenged Athletes Foundation relay team.  CAF is a great organization based in San Diego that amongst other things, gives grants to people with disabilities to help them get into sport.  The swimmer on the team was John Young, one of the only LP (dwarf) athletes in the sport of triathlon, and an inspiring athlete - he'll also be running the NY marathon this November.  You can read his great blog here.   I was biking, and the runner was Jolie Sutter, a below-the-knee amputee who lives two blocks away from me in Manhattan, who'd just got a new running leg with a CAF grant (though sadly not in time for this race).

7.00 am, triathletes on Rye beach

The race started at 7.00 am on Rye beach, on a bright and chilly September morning.  John completed his 1500 metre swim in the Long Island Sound in 49 minutes, then handed over the timing chip to me.  I set off on the course into a strong headwind, glad to start moving after a cold wait in transition, and had some tough hills that got me sweating in the first ten or so miles of the course.  The second half was much easier, so my average speed went up from 15.48 mph in the first 13 miles to 19.43 mph in the last 12.  One other thing about the route - there were lots of potholes and cracks in the roads to watch out for.  I passed a nasty crash near the Westchester Country Airport, where a cyclist was lying prone next to a crash barrier, covered in blood.  A couple of other cyclists had stopped and had already called an ambulance for him.

I thought I'd finished unscathed, until I reached the bike finish and entry to the transition zone.  As I approached the line to dismount, I was surrounded by about 10 other cyclists, and realised too late that I was going a little bit too fast to stop safely.  I ended up jamming on the breaks and quickly unclipped my shoe, but when I tried to put my foot down, I skidded and ended up doing the splits with my bike on top of me.  Luckily, I emerged unscathed apart from a scratched knee, a sore thigh from doing the kind of splits you normally only see 15 year old Olympic gymnasts do, and a slightly bruised ego.

Billy Lister

Evelyn Rodriguez

After changing out of the biking leg I headed over to the finish line to watch Jolie and other friends from Achilles and CAF cross the finish line.  Among them was Evelyn Rodriguez, doing her first ever 10k run with Achilles, and Billy Lister, running with CAF, who has also set up his own tri organization to help get people with disabilities in the New York area into triathlons.

After the award ceremony, we headed back into the city, and I rewarded myself with an hour long afternoon nap, and slept about 10 hours that night. I hadn't done the whole triathlon but doing a hard bike course, combined with the mile run the day before, lots of fresh air, and the 4.30 am start, must have been starting to catch up with me.

As the season winds to an end, I've started setting goals for next year.  In my sights is a half ironman.  I'm going to keep biking through winter as much as possible (cold doesn't put me off, ice does), and also try to make it to the pool at least once a week.  Swimming is still my weak point that needs a lot of work.    I also need to work on my core strength, as my lower back still gets sore after runs and is normally stiff first thing in the morning.  I already have stretches from a chiropracter, but I'm also thinking about a personal trainer to show me some good core exercises.  I hope if I can do all these things I can build on my achievements of this season, and go even further and faster next year.

Sailing on the Hudson

Even though Achilles is mainly about the running and triathlons, it also lays on lots of other cool activities for its members - kayaking, white-water rafting, bowling, to name a few.

Being born in a coastal town (Weymouth, Dorset, in the UK), and having been brought up within a mile of the sea until the age of 18, I've always felt that the blood that courses through my veins consists of at least 50% salt water.  To me, there's no better feeling than unfurling a sail, gazing out over a beautiful blue sea with a well practiced nautical squint, and feeling a fresh sea breeze blow through your hair - until, that is, when the wind really picks up, the water gets too choppy, and I start feeling slightly nauseous and anxious that the boat's bobbing around too much.

Some comically bad marine photography - Lady Liberty

Last Sunday, my friend Lisa Bowers, a volunteer at Achilles, arranged for Achilles to come down and sail on the Hudson in some yachts run by the Manhattan Sailing Club.  My only other experience with the M.S.C. was when Lisa had taken me out to their boat-bar, right in the middle of the Hudson, overlooking Ellis island, on a beautiful summer evening, so I was keen to keep up my association with the club.

On the waves

In all about 15 boats went out, sailing for about 2 hours.  We left from just to the south of the World Financial Center plaza downtown, and had to motor out a bit to pick up some wind, but eventually found a good breeze.  It was great having a unique perspective of the Statue of Liberty, but I just wish the boat could have kept more still while I was trying to take a photo of it.

At the helm

It was a fun afternoon.  It was great to get out on the water and we were looked after very well by our skipper of Lori, and first mate Christina.  Thanks Lisa for organising!