Pinebush Triathlon 2008: A "Funner " Takes It All In

This year, due to a still healing stress fracture of the left foot, I attended the Pinebush Tri as a spectator, not a participant. Being social, I went to cheer on a lot of my friends, team mates and training partners who were competing, and to visit with a bunch more who were were volunteering. But mostly I went to support and cheer for my friend Donna, and to document this, her very first outdoor triathlon. I would have done this any way, but I felt a little guilty because I'm the one who talked her into this and now I wasn't even participating.

How did she do? I'll get back to that later. (Hint - she made it)


Coach Lisa and Donna

For more pictures go here and here.

I noticed a few differences between me as "spectator" and and me as "competitor." First, I slept the entire night before the tri. Second, a lot easier and quicker getting out of the house in the morning when the only things on my "list" were car keys and camera, as opposed to - well, you know. Didn't have to leave the house until just before 7 am, either, positively slothful by tri standards.

Donna, on the other hand, was there at 6 AM, and consequently had the primo spot in the bike racks, and no wait at all for her trip to the women's room, no small thing when you're contending with coffee, nerves and a triathlon suit! She was first in line for her chip, too. Only bad thing about this is that she arrived 30 minutes before the chips did!


Donna's Primo Bike Spot - Note Purple Milk Crate!


Chips Ahoy!

While I waited for her to wait for her chip, I had plenty of time to walk around, take pictures, starting with a picture of her, and talk to the amazingly large number of people I knew. Here's what I learned: a triathlon is not comprised so much of swimming, biking and running as it is of the emotions and stories and triumphs of the people participating.

Tammie - I met Tammie and her husband Bob two years ago while I was training for my first Pinebush. Excellent athletes and very nice people, they would ride their bikes the 5 miles or so out to Voorheesville from downtown Albany, train with us, and then ride home. At their suggestion, I replaced my really uncomfortable bike seat with a much better one, and both me and my backside are thankful for that.

This year, neither Tammie nor Bob were competing: they were here to cheer for their son Robert, aged 12, who was doing his first tri. A year of so ago, Bob stopped growing. It took a while before they discovered he was allergic to gluten and were able to begin treating it. There are few things more painful for a parent than knowing your your child is sick and not knowing why. I know this first hand.

Now he was well and growing. He had started running in the fall - I think I was in the first 5K he did - and now he was ready to tackle the PB. Here's something else I can tell you - there is no one more anxious or intensely proud than the mother of a young athlete.

I stood next to her at the finish line of the swim: "How did he do?"

Tammie, beaming, "He finished in under 7 minutes, his first swim competiton! Who knew?"


The Swim - Start to Finish


The Swim - View from the Finish Line Looking Back

Later, in the parking lot of the Guilderland Y, after the race: "How did Robert do?"

Tammie, glowing, "1:16, for his first tri!"

She was incredibly happy and proud - ah, if I could only bottle that.

Dorie - I met Dorie two years ago, too, while I was in Coach Andrea's class and training for the tri. Although she competed, she was also helping Andrea with the class. She was good at it, too. Over the next two years, I rode and ran with Dorie, and sometimes with her husband, Paul. I remember the night she first got clipless pedals for her new road bike, and how proud she was that she made it all the way from the Downtube to her home in Albany without falling.

Been a rough couple of months for Dorie: a friend drowned this summer; she had been sick for a week; and most devastating of all, very recently, they had a serious fire at their house. They almost lost their dogs, their "children." (Note - Dorie says the dogs are doing fine and recovering nicely)

Obviously, she had not had the time or inclination to do much training and was not going to compete. Her friends encouraged her, and helped her out by cleaning up her gear and equipment. She decided to give it a go, to not worry about time or performance, and on Sunday morning, there she was. It was really good to see her.

How did she do? Here's a bit in her own words, from an email she sent to us after the race:

"My swim time was about the same as in 2006, but the difference was that I felt good at the end and ready to go. My mother has never seen me race and when I looked up at shore I got a quick glimpse of her waving. What a feeling after what we had all been through this week!"

and
"As I returned to the apartments it starts to rain. A nice, fine, cool rain. It felt wonderful, not like 2006 when it was so hot I couldn’t breathe. There are three people ahead of me walking. I catch up to them as we get to the bottom of the hill. There are no spectators on the hill. I yell to them that we are going to have to cheer ourselves up the hill and they all yell encouraging words to each other and all start running. We get ½ way up the hill and it is starting to really rain. My husband and my friends are huddled under a tree yelling there lungs out for me. At the top of the hill, my mother and another friend are under an umbrella yelling as I round the corner. I’m sprinting now and I see Will’s 5 year old twins and his wife, cheering me on. They are completed soaked.

I finish the race but forget to stop my watch. When I finally look at it, it says 1:29: 14. I didn’t think that I could do it in under 1:30 without really trying. I can’t wait to see the official times as I must have been in better condition than I thought. It was great to see you all. Donna, I’m sorry that I missed you. (I was standing on line for the ladies room- who told those other women where it was?)

I really needed this distraction. Thanks again."

So, Tom ,in answer to your question, "Why do we tri?" for Dorie, the answer might be, "As an affirmation of life!"

Donna - 5 years ago, Donna, a smoker at the time, decided to walk in the Corporate Challenge. We started out together, but then a funny thing happened - she started running. She would stop and catch her breath, and then she would run some more. Did that for the whole 3.5 miles. Two weeks later she entered the Freihoffers. A year later she could run a whole 5K without stopping and she did that a lot. Did the Lake Placid Half Marathon last June, too, in a very respectable time.

This year she had competed in 10 5K's before the end of April, and a 4 mile snow shoe race, and a trail race through the woods in the rain. And this doesn't count the training runs, or the Thursday night fun runs with the Albany Running Exchange.

Then I talked her into an indoor mini-tri. As expected, she destroyed me in the run part - no surprise there. But she also edged me out on the stationary bike - my strongest event! Hey - I kicked her butt in the water, though (but not by much) I told her she looked like Stevie Wonder when she swam, head swinging back and forth. So she took lessons and learned bi-lateral breathing.

Then I talked her into the Pinebush. So, she joined the Saturday morning tri-clionic at the Guilderland Y. And began going to the Wednesday night clinics at the Bethlehem Y.

Oh, and she also turned 50.

On Sunday, in her very first ever outdoor tri, she placed first in her age group! In typical unassuming humble Donna fashion though, we left the Y before the ceremonies to go back to the lake to get her stuff, because she was certain she hadn't won anything. It wasn't until Monday morning when she got a call from our friend Carol that she learned she had taken a first, and Carol brought her the ribbon and medal to prove it.


Tri = Swim, Bike Run - Swim Again?

I've got pictures documenting the performance of this remarkable woman (and of a lot of some other really neat people, too). Check them out here and here.

See you out there.

PS Ever wonder what happens to the DNF's?

IPod? I Plod? Eyes without a Face?

I dragged my self over to the Y tonight to get on the stationary bike one last time before Sunday's indoor tri. Took me almost two hours after supper to get through all the "really, really important" things I had to do (like checking out the Mets Spring Training Box Score and reading a review of Britney Spears performance in "How I Met Your Mom", for example) before I slathered on the A&D Ointment, pulled on the wonderfully flattering bike shorts and drove the 5 miles over to the Y. I was able to stall a good 10 minutes more when I got there, because my friend Stephanie was working the desk and it was slow enough so that we could chat for a while.

Finally, I went upstairs, slotted myself in on the board for 30 minutes on bike #4, raised the seat to "8", threw my leg over the saddle, slid my feet into the straps, and pedaled. I had a really hard time getting it cranked up much over 104 rpm, well below the 120 I am aiming for on Sunday. I know I can do that, since I did it the last time I rode here, managing 8 miles in 30 minutes. Tonite, a mere 7.25 in the same time. Better than couching it, I guess.

When I got done on the bike, I hit my stopwatch, wiped down the bike and rubber legged it over to the track next door. I promised myself I would pair my bike sessions with mini bricks, and at least I have been doing that. I was on the track in 1:40, but being a good neurotic and too lazy to reset my watch, I waited for the stopwatch to hit 2:00 before I took off.

I did two laps in the middle lane (14 laps / mile) in 1:26, with my feet keeping time with Billy Idol's Eyes Without a Face. You know what? This IPod stuff really works. It's a song I haven't heard in a long time, it's really good to hear it again, and when I let myself get into the music, it really pulled me along. 42 seconds per lap translates into a sub-10 minute mile - just short of flying for me.

Then I walked a half mile to cool down, but I wanted to try one more thing before hitting the shower and the hot tub. I put the song on again, and waited for the 2:30 minute mark, when Billy ramps the song into an up tempo break, and then I took off again for one lap, in the outer lane, 13 laps/ mile. I blistered that sucker in 31 seconds, a 6:43 mile pace, and faster than I have gone in a long time.

Now I know, I am just "sampling" the music, and two laps doesn't make up a 5K, let alone a marathon. But, man, the possibility is there - the possibility is really there!

Not the Same Old Routine

Head under water and you tell me to breathe easy for a while

Breathing gets harder - even I know that! "Love Song" by Sara Bareilles

Seemed appropos for describing our new session of Stroke Improvement class. Coach Aaron whipped up a whole new routine for us, and I got to experience it last Thursday night for the first time. I missed the grand unveiling because I was in Phoenix on business the week before. Gil was there for the first class, though, and a new person - Carol. Gil said it was tough - which speaks volumes because he is a good athlete and because he is not one to complain. Carol? Well, she wasn't there. Maybe she had a conflict in her schedule. Coach speculated that maybe his new workout had scared her off - he almost seemed pleased by that thought!

We had a pretty full class: Jess and Christina, Kelly, Mike, Gil and me. Steve had a conflict so he wasn't there.

Dodie wasn't there - she had had surgery on her foot and her lip last week so she couldn't go in the water. Dr. only charged her half price - since she has her foot in her mouth so often, he did them both at once. (rim shot) She swears that the problem with her lip was not due to an overuse injury (rim shot) (Oh, boy, am I going to get it!)

First we warmed up - the good athletes get to do 10 wall push ups at each end of the pool. I just have to do the laps. After warm up, Coach gave us different sets - 100 free at 70%, then a 25 yard sprint, then 100 yards back at 70%, then a 25 yard sprint, then 100 yards kick only (kickboard) then a 25 yard sprint. Then we did different 100 yard sets with 50 yard kickboard drills in between. Coach figures we have been at this a while now, so he is making it tougher by letting us "rest" while we are still working. Making us shorter of breath while we are in the water, and thus the Sara Bareilles quote at the opening of this entry.

We also do treading water drills, alternate 20 seconds just feet, both arms out of the water, then 20 sec just arms - like a big buzzard flapping his wings (builds the shoulders) - we do this for 4 minutes. Aaron put these in the middle of class, as another "rest". I like the arm only drills - one of the only times when have a higher BMI - more fat, less muscle, meaning I am less dense than the athletes in the group - is advantageous to me.

And we do more brick drills - swimming on our backs, using just our feet, carrying a10 # brick on ours chests (mine fits under my jaw ;and then another brick drill: getting in a circle in the water, staying up with just the feet, and passing the brick around, with our arms way out of the water, taking the brick in our left hand, transferring it to the right (arms overhead during the whole process) and then passing it to our neighbor - completing 4 complete times around the circle. Wonder if he will put two bricks in the circle at the same time next week?

At the end we do "melt downs" - 50 yard sprints, with short rest between. I try to start (with the zoomers) at 45 seconds, with 45 seconds rest, and then get faster. Sometime we do 3, sometimes we do 5. My fastest with zoomers is 38 seconds. My friend Kelly does them consistently in 35 seconds - no zoomers.

It was a good work out, and even though I was tired at the end, I am preparing for another indoor tri in two weeks, and I know this will help. It was also really good to see my friends again and to catch up a little with what they have been doing. I missed seeing Dodie and Steve, though. And it was good to see Coach again, too - I think! (Aaron the Agonizer?)

Sea Turtles

Got to give Coach Aaron an A for Active Imagination, as in he always tries to come up with new and creative activities for our for swim class. He knows that there are only so many variations of "Front, Back, Side" before we get bored, no matter how good those laps are for us. So, he intersperses the lap work with brick work, variations on treading water (hands only, feet only, feet only with the brick), "melt downs" (("interval training"), races (beat your team mates) and timed 50's (beat your own time). And every now and then, something special.

Often the drills we do during our sessions are designed to work on strengthening different muscle groups. The backstroke, for example, works different arm and back muscles than the freestyle. The "chair race" drill, where one person "sits" in the water about half way between each end of the pool and sculls madly backwards towards the near end of the pool, using only his arms, while trying to beat a free-style swimming classmate headed for the same end, but starting from the far side of the pool, is designed to work the biceps and pecs, which it does. It also tests the sanity of the "chair" swimmer, since he or she is always supposed to lose the race!

Last week Aaron hurried us along through our opening drills because he wanted extra time to introduce a new drill - "The Train". I think we all should have been a little suspicious when he opened the class by asking all of us if we minded touching someone else's feet. That seemed a little weird, but we like Aaron, so we went along with it. Turns out that none of the five of us professed to have any particular problem with feet, and besides, we wanted to see what he was up to.

Sure enough, about half way through class, he assembled us all at the deep end of the pool and introduced us to "The Train" or at least, he tried to. Again, we should have been suspicious when he told us that he had a new drill and that he had tried it out first with his class of kids. They loved the drill and "got it" immediately.

The object of this drill is to work the arm muscles of the lead swimmer, or "locomotive", in the train. He (or she) has to pull the entire train, using just his arms, since the "car" behind him connects by grabbing onto his to feet, meaning he cannot use his legs for propulsion. Each "car" in turn, grabs onto the legs of the person in front, until the train is fully formed. Then the locomotive has to pull the train to the other end of the pool. At least that's the theory.

We, apparently, are not smarter that a group of 5th graders. I volunteered to be the first "locomotive". Initially, I had to really work to try to go forward and then, all of a sudden, I shot forward. Turns out the "cars" behind me couldn't stay connected to each other. Aaron, standing at the deck at the end of the pool, was exasperated.

"What's wrong?"

"We can't hold our breath that long!"

"Who told you to hold your breath? Just breathe!"

So, we tried it again, with everyone breathing and then putting his or her face in the water, exhaling, and then repeating. That went ok for a few seconds - and then the train "derailed" again.

If Aaron hadn't had buzzed nearly all his hair off, he would have begun pulling it out at this point.

"Now what's wrong?"

"We're sinking!"

Turns out all the sprites and elves behind me had too little body fat to float, and I wasn't pulling the train fast enough to keep them above water.

Not to fear - Coach gets a big "C" for creativity and using his noodle. Or more precisely, the Y's noodles. He went into the storage room at the side of the pool, and came out with 5 swim noodles. These 5' long green foam tubes, each about the thickness of my arm, are very buoyant, and great flotation aids. Coach had each of us put the tubes under our arms and across our chests. This worked like a charm, and off we went to the other end of the pool. At that point, we switched "locomotives", changed the line-up, and off we went again to the other end, where we repeated the process, until every had a chance to pull the train.

At first I felt bad for Christina and Jess and Kelly, since they had to pull not only their fellow sprites, but also me and Gil. But they are pretty strong and they did fine, doing both the breast stroke and the arm over arm freestyle. Gil did a super job, too.

As you might imagine, Aaron did not call "All aboard" this week - he didn't give a specific reason, but I'm guessing that it just took too long to get through the drill, especially with us. Since Mike and Dodie were in class this week (but not Christina and Jess) and they didn't know how to do the drill and would have had to be taught. Of course, he did mention that his kids loved the drill and asked him first thing in class to do it again.

Kelly was busting on me, complaining that she had had to drag my butt around the pool last week. I told her at least I had a butt! Then I tried to explain the physics of the drill, that since we floated, the "locomotive" had to pull the mass and not the weight of the group.

Kelly piped up and said, "That's what I said - I had to drag your a** up and down the pool!" I gave up.

One last note: Kathy has been coming to the Y on Thursday nights and after she walks upstairs on the track, she comes down to the pool. I asked her if she had seen any of the class, and if so, what she thought. She said she hadn't seen much, but at one point she glanced over and thought we all looked like a bunch of sea turtles.

Some how, I don't think that's what Coach had in mind.....