Haven't run in 7 months. Can't start again yet, but when I do, it's going to be a new era - the era of low-drop shoes. Plus retraining myself to run in them/run with a mid-foot strike with help from Aaptiv and the Urban Wellness Clinic. Slow and steady...
Yesterday I completed my 8th NYC Triathlon with a time that was 15 minutes and 38 seconds slower than my slowest tri. I couldn't care less about my less-than-stellar performance because it was SO DAMN HOT and I took it slow and listened to my body (which was saying, "Girl, WTF do you think you are doing trying to run in this heat?"). I also took my damn sweet time during transitions -- I stopped to KT tape my foot before the bike and who knows what the hell took me so long during T2. I also, for the first time ever (stupidly), took advantage of the post-race massage tent offered by the Swedish Massage Institute, who had reached out to me on Instagram (thank you!). My results are below, and you can see a gallery of unflattering photos here:
2018: Swim 22:57 T1 14:55 Bike 1:50:58 T2 7:05 Run 1:23:03 Total: 3:58:55
2016: Swim 21:41 T1 11:47 Bike 1:45:55 T2 4:16 Run 59:02* Total: 3:22:41
2014: Swim 18:06 T1 11:10 Bike 1:58:23 T2 4:37 Run 1:07:17 Total: 3:39:31
2012: Swim 23:28 T1 9:55 Bike 1:44:50 T2 5:02 Run 1:11:05 Total: 3:34:16
2011: Swim 22:19 T1 12:27 Bike 1:51:54 T2 4:58 Run 1:11:40 Total: 3:43:17
2010: Swim 20:54 T1 11:39 Bike 1:42:43 T2 6:26 Run 1:08:01 Total: 3:29:41
2009: Swim 24:30 T1 10:17 Bike 1:40:57 T2 4:01 Run 1:07:22 Total: 3:27:06
2008: Swim 24:30 T1 10:55 Bike 1:36:47 T2 4:00 Run 1:08:40 Total: 3:24:51
* The race course was cut from 10K to 8K due to heat this year, eliminating two nasty hills -- hence the good time.
The good news: I've booked a bike trip to Belgium, Luxembourg & Germany for late July! The bad news: I have tendinitis in my right ankle, likely caused from ramping up my triathlon running training too quickly. So . . . in order to be able to go on my bike trip injury-free, I'm most likely deferring the tri this year. I'm disappointed, and slightly annoyed with myself, but plan on swimming, aqua jogging (it's harder than it sounds) weight training, and doing moderate biking (within dr's guidelines) so I'm at least in shape to be able to bike for a week. Sigh.
Just got back from a week in Maine, relaxing and recovering from the NYC Triathlon. More on that later, but here are my results. Perhaps next year I'll focus on speeding up on one of the legs (just one . . .).
2016: Swim 21:41 T1 11:47 Bike 1:45:55 T2 4:16 Run 59:02* Total: 3:22:41
2014: Swim 18:06 T1 11:10 Bike 1:58:23 T2 4:37 Run 1:07:17 Total: 3:39:31
2012: Swim 23:28 T1 9:55 Bike 1:44:50 T2 5:02 Run 1:11:05 Total: 3:34:16
2011: Swim 22:19 T1 12:27 Bike 1:51:54 T2 4:58 Run 1:11:40 Total: 3:43:17
2010: Swim 20:54 T1 11:39 Bike 1:42:43 T2 6:26 Run 1:08:01 Total: 3:29:41
2009: Swim 24:30 T1 10:17 Bike 1:40:57 T2 4:01 Run 1:07:22 Total: 3:27:06
2008: Swim 24:30 T1 10:55 Bike 1:36:47 T2 4:00 Run 1:08:40 Total: 3:24:51
* The race course was cut from 10K to 8K due to heat this year, eliminating two nasty hills -- hence the good time.
Hi gang! If all goes according to plan, I will complete my 7th NYC Triathlon this Sunday, 7/24, and I hope to see you there! All details can be found in this handy Spectator Guide. If you're an early riser, and want to watch the swim or bike, I'm guesstimating my start at about 6:30 -- in the wave with the yellow swim caps; will hit the bike at 7ish, and the run around 9ish and finish around 10:15ish), and you can find me at the bandshell at the end of the race. I'll be wearing a the outfit above with a yellow number (#1253), and will be on a blue bike with hot pink handlebars (for the bike).
Good places to watch the run are along 72nd Street from Henry Hudson Parkway to Central Park West, Cherry Hill before we head to the finish on Dead Road in Central Park, and Dead Road in Central Park near the bandshell off the 72nd Street Transverse, but honestly, if you can pop by anywhere I'll be thrilled to see a familiar face! You can also track me online, #1253. If you're not an early riser, contact me for info on the post-race celebration. See you in the Hudson!
Where to begin? Let's see . . .
First, I just returned from a wonderful weekend celebrating my brother and Becky's wedding on a lovely farm in Western MA. Welcome to the family, Becky, and congratulations to you both! Also got to spend time with family, friends, and (best of all, but don't tell everyone else), my nephews.
Next, I'm down to the wire for the NYC Triathlon, which is happening this Sunday whether I'm ready or not (but I feel pretty ready). More details to come on how to come out and cheer me on if you're so inclined.
Finally, thanks to an enthusiastic co-worker's recommendation and a major sale (40% off plus credit card points means I got it for $22), I am now the owner of an Instant Pot. Stay tuned for the culinary experiments.
I know -- it's been ages since I've posted. One of the reasons is that I've been busy with triathlon training (it's on 7/24 -- 13 short days away!). This means that I'm spending a decent amount of time on a bike. I love cycling, but have to admit that at least at some point each time I ride, I get completely pissed off at the poor cycling etiquette in NYC -- people cycling the wrong way, insisting on passing (and often crossing over into the oncoming cyclist lane to do so) at narrow points on the bike path, not saying "on your left" or ringing a bell or in any way warning me that you're coming up alongside me, biking 5 people wide in Central Park super-slowly, without any sense that people might want to pass . . . and more. Seriously, people, a little courtesy and safety goes a long way. It's not hard. And stop pissing me off!!
I had an incredibly relaxing Thanksgiving weekend with very little on the calendar with one exception -- workouts. As a ClassPass member, I have access to studios all over NYC (and other cities), so I decided to take advantage in an attempt to counterbalance some of the Thanksgiving calories and get a bit of a reboot. Wednesday after work was a rowing class at RowHouse (where I ran into two friends! Fun!), Thursday morning was treadmill and kettlebells at Mile High Run Club, Friday was Flex Barre at Flex Studios, and Saturday was boxing at Overthrow. Sunday was a much-needed rest day, but all in all I really enjoyed the variety of workouts and I look forward to the next fitness-filled weekend! In the meantime, I squeeze in classes whenever I can. Next up: HIIT at Be Fit NYC on Tuesday night!
I went to a 7 am pilates class this morning. I haven't gone to an exercise class that early since 2000, which I was training for my first AIDS Ride -- I was so terrified that I went to two spin classes and a body sculpt class at 6:30 am three days a week. Let's see if I can build up to a somewhat more modified version of that . . .
And Shana Tova everyone!!
I did my first triathlon in 2007 -- a sprint distance tri in West Point. Since then, I have completed one triathlon per year (with the exception of 2013): the NYC Triathlon, which is an Olympic distance -- twice as long as a sprint. I completed my 8th triathlon this weekend in Jersey City. I had the option of either a sprint or Olympic distance, and I agonized a bit about which to do, ultimately settling on the sprint. I hadn't been training super-hard and really didn't feel like I had it in me to do the Olympic. Moral of the story? I'm glad I listened to my body. It was just the right level of challenge for the time I had to train, and I felt good at the end.
Comparing the two sprints is pretty interesting and shows that I'm generally pretty consistent. Reading my post from the West Point Tri, there was consensus that the swim was short. My time this year is about what I expected based on swimming 1/2 mile in a pool. The long T1 for this year's tri was due to a 1/4 mile barefoot run back to transition, which makes sense. The bike and the run are pretty similar -- not bad for a span of 8 years!
2015 Swim 21:25 T1 7:29 Bike 55:04 T2 2:10 Run 33:57 TOTAL 2:00:07
2007 Swim 11:59 T1 4:14 Bike 53:16 T2: 2:42 Run 30:42 TOTAL 1:42:52
