Shoreline Triathlon

"The sea was angry that day, my friends, like an old man trying to send back soup in a deli."

"So I started to walk into the water. I won't lie to you boys, I was terrified. But I pressed on, and as I made my way past the breakers a strange calm came over me. I don't know if it was divine intervention or the kinship of all living things, but I tell you, at that moment I was a marine biologist."
Actually the starting horn sounded and I began swimming through the waves. About 30 yards later I stood up, having swallowed a gallon or so of fresh, clean Lake Ontario water, choking, wondering if I could continue. It was definitely a struggle for me to make it to the second buoy where we turned and no longer had to fight the current. My swim time was 4 minutes faster than two years ago! Still middle of the pack, but hey, you are really only competing against yourself.
I also saved another two minutes in transition. But I gave over three minutes back on the bike. Struggled against the wind on Church street, though it seemed other athletes didn't have the same problem.
My run was 30 seconds better than 2008. Overall about a 2 minute improvement in race times.
I don't think I'll grow up to be a really good triathlete, even in my age group, but it was mostly fun (except the lake swallowing). The shorter distances seem better for me also, in the 1:30-2:00 hour range.
Thanks to all my family and friends who showed up, cheered and volunteered.
Now it's all about Jan and marathon training.

Race Results Archive

As mentioned on the Rochester Running Page, Don Mitchell has posted results from Buffalo and Rochester area races he timed dating back to 1984.
Runtime Services Race Archives.

It was interesting to take a look back at my own results. I ran the 1984 Lilac 10k in 37:15, 8 seconds off my all-time best 10k and remember being disappointed. I ran the first 5k in 17:50 and faded. Man I wish I faded like that now. I was 26 years old and remember having to run up to Wegman's before the race, about a mile from the start, to buy diapers for my 3 month old daughter Stacy, because Jan and I forgot to bring enough. I finished 133/2279 overall (top 7%) and 33/358 in my age group. Jan didn't race, probably some excuse like 3 children under the age of 6 to watch?

The 1985 Lilac I finished in 37:27, again in the top 10%, again disappointed I couldn't break 36 (actually my goal was sub-36). What an idiot.

Though I didn't know it at the time, that was pretty much the end of my "fast" running days. I didn't race again at Lilac until 1994, finishing in 40:31, but still 164/1253 overall. Flash ahead to 2003, now in the 45-49 age group, and I ran a 44:22. What an amazing decline in speed! But, I finished 170/1220 overall, so I guess the entire running population got slower? Jan ran her first Lilac, in 46:07, too close for my comfort.

This year, 2010, we ran Lilac again. I ran a 47:14, melting in the humidity, but was 218/1258. Jan, coming back from injury, ran a 55:54, but was 635/1258. I was 10 minutes slower than in 1984, but finished in the top 20%. Ridiculous.

So, why have race finishing times slowed so much? More people ran Lilac in the mid-80's and posted faster finishing times. Why have I slowed by so much? It doesn't seem like age should be the only reason. That's too big of a decline. Maybe I just don't have the reckless, go all out attitude in training and racing to produce times even semi-close?

If you have the answers, let me know. I'll be out on the roads, still running, though slower I guess.

Utica Boilermaker 15k

Congratulations to Roger O'Dell for his 1:13:39 and third place age group finish at the Boilermaker race Sunday! Also, Pete L. was close behind, in fourth place, with a 1:16:39! Nice to have two of the fastest age group runners honor us with their presence on the canal paths most Saturdays! A national class race and they take 3rd and 4th, that is awesome.

Also Jennifer K. kept her father's ego intact by letting him squeeze by with a 9 second victory. That's a nice daughter. Jennifer finished in 1:18:41 to Lou's 1:18:32.

Marathon Swim

Scanning the television channels while home on vacation Tuesday, I came across the Running and Racing show from NYC. They covered the Manhattan island Marathon Swim, 28.5 miles around the island of Manhattan. Yes, 28.5 miles of swimming!

Swimmers begin at Battery Park and the Hudson River, swim the East River to the Harlem River, back to the Hudson. The average water temperature is 68, not too bad, wet suits are not allowed. From the course website, here are some "warnings"..."There can be a substantial amount of chop in the water from wind, tide action, and boat traffic. The waterways are salt water and there is shipping traffic. There may be random jetsam and flotsam in the waterways."

The first swimmer (a female) finished in 7:53:54, five seconds ahead of second place. I cannot imagine spending almost 8 hours in the waters around Manhattan. I couldn't sit in a tub for 8 hours. Twenty-four people completed the solo race, taking up to 9 hours.
Swimmers do get the current up the East River and down the Hudson, but still, this is amazing. They also have a kayak for each swimmer, but if you touch the boat you are disqualified. Other warnings include looking out for seaplanes landing, normal boat traffic and dealing with the tides.

I can see Lou trying this on one of his future NYC visits. After all, it beats waiting for a taxi or finding a parking spot!

RROY Standings

Sal's runners are doing pretty well in the Rochester Runner of the Year series. Jan moved up to 7th place in the 50-54 age group (top 5 get awards), Al zoomed into 14th after his 5th place finish in the Medved 5k for the 50-54 group. I finally got on the board after three non-top ten finishes and am 26th place! Yea for me!

MikeidontcareaboutrroythisyearW is tied with Loooiiiiee for 22nd in the 55-59 group and Cousin Ken Katz is in contention in the same group for a top five finish! Jen K is in 21st place in a tough group, but no one in that age group has completed four races yet so the field is wide open.

PickleJuicePete took over first with an age group victory in the 65-69 division. New Roger is holding on to fourth place.

There are two keys to doing well in the RROY series; Be fast and run as many of the races as possible because you never know who will show up race day and the more RROY races you run the better chance you have at scoring points. Four is the minimum to be eligible for prizes but your best six races count for total points.

Next race is July 3rd, the Fairport 5miler. I will be working the race so come out and run, maybe I'll pull your timing chip off at the end?

Open Water Drafting

Several of us will be doing triathlons with open water swimming this summer and can use all the help possible to save energy and swim faster. The following technique is from :Steven Munatones The Daily News of Open Water Swimming

Cyclists, race car drivers and open water swimmers all know the benefits of drafting and positioning.
As swimmers take off in an open water race or triathlon and go from buoy to buoy, they create a conga line with seemingly everyone chasing after the person in front of them. Where ideally should you position yourself?
It helps to know a bit about water movement.
The Ideal Draft
A swimmer in the open water is essentially a displacement vessel. The bow wave created by a swimmer has forward and lateral movement. These waves move at an angle relative to the direction of the swimmer and are based on the swimmer's speed and size.
There are three key facts to keep in mind:
1. The faster the lead swimmer, the better your draft will be with all other things equal.
2. The physically larger the lead swimmer, the more beneficial the draft is for those behind.
3. The closer you are to the lead swimmer, the better your draft.
The Perfect Position
In a fact known by world-class swimmers, drafting between the ankles and hips is more beneficial that drafting directly behind the lead swimmer's feet for various reasons:

1. When the drafting swimmer reaches near mid-body of the lead swimmer, the lead swimmer's wake (i.e., spreading of the bow wave) has moved laterally, so the drafting swimmer can take maximum advantage of the bow wave. That is, the drafting swimmer has reached the center of the complete wave created by the lead swimmer. Basically, the drafting swimmer is surfing a bow wave.
2. The bow wave cannot extend beyond the length of the swimmer who creates it. The bow wave lifts up at the end of the swimmer's body. The most efficient swimming is when a drafting swimmer cruises in that wave. The most efficient drafting is achieved if you cruise at the same speed in the wake of the lead swimmer off to the side—but away from the eddies caused by their kick.
3. In the middle of a race, when the kick of most swimmers is less than the end of the race when they are sprinting, the optimal drafting position is slightly different. At the end of the race when the kick increases, swimmers create swirls by their kick. The more swirls, the more drag. So if your opponent's kick increases, move up higher alongside their body to utilize their bow wave, but far enough away from the swirls and eddies caused by their kick.
4. Combine your speed with the speed of the lead swimmer. If they speed up, you speed up. If they slow down, you slow down. If you are directly behind them, lead swimmers make the water smoother, but you are not efficiently utilizing their bow wave.
5. If you swim alongside a lead swimmer, you do not have to lift your head so often to navigate. This saves energy that can be utilized at the end of the race. If you swim directly behind a swimmer, you must often lift your head to confirm your direction and position behind the lead swimmer.
6. Even if the water is clear and you can easily see the lead swimmer under the surface of the water, your head is in a sub-optimal position. The most optimal head position is when you are looking straight down. This creates a more streamlined and efficient body position, saving you energy and creating less drag.
7. When you swim parallel to the lead swimmer, you can effectively navigate off them when you breathe. The need to lift up your head to sight is significantly reduced and your head is positioned in the most streamlined position.

Pickle Juice

We should always trust the wisdom from fellow Sal's runner Father Time. For years Pete has promoted the use of pickle juice as the fluid replacement drink of choice during long runs or races. Now there is scientific proof to back up Father Time's homespun knowledge. An article in the New York Times summed up the results of a study:

"Pickle juice had “relieved a cramp 45 percent faster” than drinking no fluids and about 37 percent faster than water.
The pickle juice did not have time” to leave the men’s stomachs during the experiment, Mr. Miller points out. So the liquid itself could not have been replenishing lost fluids and salt in the affected muscles. Instead some other mechanism must have initiated the cramps and been stymied by the pickle juice.
Something in the acidic juice, perhaps even a specific molecule of some kind, may be lighting up specialized nervous-system receptors in the throat or stomach, he says, which, in turn, send out nerve signals that somehow disrupt the reflex melee in the muscles. Mr. Miller suspects that, ultimately, it’s the vinegar in the pickle juice that activates the receptors."

This ultimately means that we need to be diligent about saving the juice from our pickle jars and having pickle stops during our long runs on the canal path.