My First Triathlon - Fairport Harbor Lighthouse Triathlon

The sweet race shirt

Doing a triathlon has been on my mind for several years now.  For those of you that know me, you're probably tired of hearing me saying I'm gonna do one.  But never really making an effort to do it.   I ride and run a lot and could easily complete one if I could swim.  I found myself coming up with repeated excuses.  I'm busy training for a marathon, I want to run this race or ride that tour. Always coming up with a reason not to swim.  Why?  Swimming has been a life long struggle for me.   Going all the way back to my childhood.  As a stocky kid, I was routinely teased by others and dreaded time at the pool.  To make matters worse, I have a birthmark on my chest that led to even more teasing. I hated the pool and I hated swimming even more.  The bullying kept me away from the water and helped grow a lifelong hatred of swimming.  Things didn't get much better as an adult.  During my 20's I was out of shape and obese.  Things had gotten so bad that I nearly drowned in a lake as I was so out of shape.  I couldn't even save myself.  I spare you the details, but if you'd like more of the story.  You can find that here. Welcome

The water was pretty calm, but got really choppy prior to the race.

I've always looked up to triathletes.  Always amazed at their dedication and conditioning to be able to be successful in not only 1 event, but 3 disciplines.  I wanted to do one so badly, but it would be mean i'd have to swim.  I had sworn to myself I would never go in a lake again, but as years past.  I began to wonder if I could do it.  Would I panic?  Could I save myself this time?  Will I get kicked in the face and drown?  All were things I'd constantly think about.  After this year's disappointment with how I ran at the Cleveland Marathon.  I was ready for a change.  Completely burned out from running and needing to try something different.  I sucked it up and hired a swim coach.  Fighting a lot of fears, I began to swim in a pool.  It helped at first, but I found myself failing to practice.  My favorite line was, I'll go tomorrow.  I never would and I didn't improve.  Continuing with the lessons.  I continued to flounder and wasn't getting any better.  The realization of this happening in 2012 was becoming more of a reality each day. It wasn't until I started training with Laurie and her constant motivation to swim in a lake that I began to improve and be at peace with swimming.  The support and help of swimming 3 times a week led to some personal bests and the confidence to finally give it a TRI!

Race day arrived and I was fairly nervous.  I kept telling myself that today is a day of firsts and success will only be measured by standing on two feet as I cross the finish line.  Fairport Harbor is about 50 miles from me and I needed to get to the start at 6:30 to get a good transition spot.  It was definitely an early morning for me.  When I arrived, I wouldn't look at the lake.  I was scared it would be rough and I didn't want to know.  Being a nervous wreck, I must have made 8 trips from my car to my transition spot.  Is it time for this?  Is it time for that?  How soon so I put my wetsuit on?  Are all things that kept repeated in my head.  

Trying to hide that I was pretty scared at this point. 

Swim

The last 30 minutes prior the race were a blur.  I found myself in a mob of people listening to directions and trying to figure where to go.  The race began with the Kayak group and the the first wave of males.  I was in the second wave.  As the race began, I entered the water.  HOLY MOSES!!!!  The water was ice cold.  It was by far the coldest water I have ever swam in.  Thank goodness I had my wetsuit on.  I continued to make my way into the water and BAM!!!!  I stubbed my toe on a rock and it began to throb.  I began to panic.  Is it broke?  Can I ride?  How will I make it through the run?  All began to run through me head.  The start was about 40 yards from the beach and I could barely touch still.   I hid in the back as I am still a pretty slow swimming.  Except everyone else wanted to hang back too.  I kept repeating.  I'm slow go ahead and they kept saying, no.  I'm slow too.   The count down was going on 2 minutes.  1:30.  1 minute.  Holy crap this is for real now.  45 seconds.  30 seconds.  15 seconds blared over the loud speaker.  GO!!!  Mass hysteria broke out everywhere.  Immediately the fast people took off and the rest of us seemed to converge upon each other.  I swam as hard as I could, trying to stay in the open water.  2 minutes in and I could already hear someone screaming for help.  I looked to my right and saw a guy in trouble.  Do I stop?  We can still touch, right?  What's the right thing to do?  I quickly saw he was helped and I forged on.  Around 200 yards, I began to fatigue.  My shoulders ached really bad.  I do not if it was stress or the cold water.   Bet I never felt this fatigued before while swimming.  Fighting through it, I continued on.  Hitting the 250 yard mark, which should have been half way.  I could see the turn around in the distance.  This was a 500 yard swim, yet I'm not even half way.  Continuing on again, I could see people when I would sight turning early.  I couldn't believe how many people were cheating! I made it to the turn around and headed back.  About half way, the next wave started coming through.  It was the first female wave and the leaders were flying by.  I tried to stay out of everyone's way as I didn't want to ruin someones race.  Coming to the final turn and making the left. I headed to the beach.  Of course, I started to run in the water too early and fatigued my legs pretty good.  But I made it!!!!!! I survived!!!!

616 yards in 14 minutes and 49 seconds.

I survived!!!!!

This is when I first realized my wetsuit was going to put up a fight. 

Transition 1

Wow, did things go horribly wrong here.  I forgot to take my Garmin off, which meant I could not get my hand out of the wetsuit sleeve.  I lost a ton of time here.  

Time:  5 minutes 18 seconds

Bike

I needed a big ride this time.  Not only was I needing to make up time for my lack of running skills.  I need to make up for being a bad swimmer and the comedy of errors that was my transition.  The ride was flat, except for the start.  As soon as you mount your bike.  There was a steep climb that was about 2 tenths of a mile.  I had my bike already set in a 34x25 gear and just spun my legs easily to get up it.  Traffic at this point was bad and I kept yelling passing, so people would move over.  Cresting the first hill and making a quick left, it was time to show them who was boss.  Turning the after burners on, I was through the first 5 miles in 13 minutes flat.  The next 5 miles were a little more technical and I made it through them in 14 miles flat.  Going all pac man on every one I gobbled up one after another and wasn't passed by anyone.  Mostly because all the fast people were too far ahead, but anyways.  It was still cool not get over taken over by anyone.  The last 3 were killer.  It was a false flat up and into a stiff headwind.  Dropping to an easier gear, I couldn't regulate my breathing.  I continued to spin as best I could, but lost a bit of time here.  The end of the route was pretty cool as it was downhill and the street was lined with people.  I think I freaked a few volunteers out as I was coming in pretty hot.  The people were so loud.  I had to ride fast for them right?  

Time:  12.32 miles in 35 minutes 20 seconds.  

Transition 2

Things went a little better for me this time.  Though, I did lose some time putting socks on.  Yes, I have learned to go sock free yet.  

Time:  2 minutes 26 seconds.  

Run

The run sort of followed the same bike route.  So it was back up the hill!  I walked it.  I was still in need of catching my breath and I wanted to conserve energy.  Once atop the hill.  I did feel much better and eased into a decent pace.  The first mile and a half felt like 5 miles.  Grabbing some water at the half way mark, I pressed on.  I kept telling myself only a mile and a half and your a triathlete.  1 more mile and your a triathlete.  This is happening!  I kept running as hard as I could.  Fighting back the emotions that this day was brining.  Volunteers were cheering, only 1 more turn.  Only 1 more block.  One last turn on to the grass and I could see a massive finish sign.  I went as hard as I could and almost tripped on the hill as I hit it wrong with my foot.  Recovering, I floated to the finish line. 

The announcer raised my arm in congratulations and I was a Triathlete.  

Time:  3.1 miles in 25 minutes in 32 seconds.

1/2 mile to go!!!!

My official time was 1 hour and 23 minutes.  It was good enough for 144th out of 343 people and I was 15th in my age group.  I honestly have no idea if this was a good time or not, but it doesn't matter.  Today was about achieving a goal and a new beginning.

I love this photo.

I'm still on cloud 9 after this race and feel like I need to pinch myself ensure I am not dreaming.  I want to thank everyone for their support and well wishes.  It has been greatly appreciated.  I also want to thank Laurie, Alex, and Colleen.  Without your help with training and motivation, none of this would have been possible.  Another big thanks to Jason Mursch and Alex for the sweet photos.

Post race with Laurie.  I'm still in shock I made it. 

To answer everyone's question.  Yes!  I will definitely do another one and I look forward to working on becoming a better swimmer.  My next race will be an olympic distance triathlon in August and I have even bigger plans for this Fall.  It won't be easy and I have an aggressive training program in place to go with an aggressive race schedule.  With everyone's help and support.  Along with a lot of hard work.  I'm sure I can achieve my goals.

Lighthouse photo with Alex.

Post race.  Yes, still can't believe I made it. 

26th Annual Lorain Summer Sprint Duathlon Race Report

I didn't have a lot of expectations going into this race for a couple reasons.  First, it was a last minute decision to compete in this race with me just registering on Thursday.  The race conflicted with a 100K bike tour i've done the past three years and it was a hard decision to skip it this year.  Second, this race was very heavy on the running for a sprint distance.  Third, I've only ran once since my last race.  To make matters worse the morning of the race, they shortened the bike route from 14.3 to 13.10 miles.

It was an early race morning for me as this race started at 8 and Lorain is over 50 miles away.  I wasn't feeling so well as I woke up in the middle of the night with an achy shoulder.  It was a bad case of DOMS from Friday's open water swim.  I packed all my gear and made my way to Lorain.  I used to think packing for cycling tours was tedious, but it is nothing compared to these multi-sport events.  This race was very well set up with signs marking everything.  I easily got everything set up and got in a few warm up laps.

Run 1
Our race started with the first wave of the Triathlon and we were off at 8.  Thankfully, it wasn't too hot at this point.  I wasn't looking forward to starting off with a 5k, but looking at how choppy the lake was.  I was thankful to run over swimming.  My plan going into this race was to run an easier pace the first 5K then hammer the bike and final run.  This plan was quickly thrown out the window as the race got off to a blistering start.  Mile 1 was ran in 7:45 and everyone was pulling away.  The run was flat and wound through a couple neighborhoods before the turn around behind a bank.  The 1/2 point was hidden around a corner.  I had already surrendered 2 minutes to the leader by the turnaround.  I started to worry as I was maxed out and losing gobs of time.  Making a quick decision to save energy for the bike.  I slowed my pace a little and posted a decent 5K time for myself.

5K in 25:19 for an average pace of 8:14

Transition 1
I was much more prepared to managed the transition at this race.  I took Matt Oravec and Laurie Perduyn's advice and invested in some speed laces for my shoes.  These are laces that act like a draw string.  Since I was at the race early.  I was also able to get a prime spot on the edge and I took advantage by managing the first transition in 1:32.

Bike
It was time to drop the hammer and claw back into this race.  It was a flat route except for some false flats.  Once on the road I never exited the big ring on the crank.  Once up to speed, I began to pick off one rider after another.  Learning from my mistakes at Munore Falls.  I invested in a Aero water bottle the fits on my aero bars.  I was alternating with riding in an aero tuck, taking sips of Powerade, and rinding on the flat bar.  The first 5 miles flew by in 13:08!!  Hammering on I was wrestling a little now with the bike.  We were heading west and I was getting blasted with a side wind off Lake Erie.  We did head south for about 1.5 miles and this was the only tail wind of the 13.1.  At the turnaround, I was greeted with a stiff headwind.  Dropping down a couple gears I just spun through it till I headed back East.  Unfortunately, the wind had shifted by then and now was a massive headwind all the way back.  I survived the next 5 miles in 14:20 and conceded some time the last 3.1.  I'm fairly satisfied with this bike leg and would give myself a B.  I'm still leaving a ton of time as I can't ride in a aero tuck yet for more than a few minutes at a time.  I think I was roughly 50/50 on my bike position at this race.

13.1 miles in 36:59 for an average speed of 21.20 MPH

Transition 2
I had a big fail exiting my bike as I cranked my knee on the water bottle cages behind the seat.  As you can see.  It left quite a mark.

Regardless, I made use of my speed laces again making it through transition in 55 seconds!!

Making the final turn towards the finish

Run 2
Racing a 2nd 5K...Yay!!  I was a little fatigued at this point and was running as hard as I could to hold my position in the race.  As luck would have it.  The wind calmed down a lot and the heat shot up.  It was like someone threw us in a microwave and put it on high.  At the turnaround, I stopped to take in some Gatorade and dowse myself with cold water.  Luckily, I was able to pass a few people on the way back.  At the end, there was a small dip and my plan was to coast down the hill and then hammer the climb to the finish.  It didn't work as my legs were completely shot on this hill, but I survived to the finish.

2nd 5K in 27:55 for an average pace of 8:55

Sprinting to the finish

My finish time for this race was 1:32!  A full 3 minutes ahead of my goal time.  Best of all, it was good enough for 1st place in my group!

Worst smile ever with my new bling

I couldn't be happier with my results.  It almost feels like i'm dreaming going from never placing in a race to placing 1st in two straight races.  It feels really good to see results from all my hard work this year and these 2 races have done a lot to ease the disappointment from the Cleveland Marathon.

Post race celebrating with Colleen, Laurie, and Alex

Thank you Colleen and Alex for the great race photos and a big thank you to Laurie for all your help with training and motivation the past few weeks.


This will be my last Duathlon for a while.  No worries, i'm not giving up on them.  It's officially time to put my big boy pants on and do some Triathlons.  As I write this, my first one is only 13 days away!  Yikes!

BEAL

2012 CrossFit Akron Duathlon Race Report

The sweet t-shirt we got. 

This was my first race since completing the Twinsburg Duathlon.  I learned a lot during that race and I had been looking forward to applying it in this race.  I didn't race as well in Twinsburg as I had hoped.  My legs were still sluggish from the marathon that was 2 weeks prior and I didn't have the power on the bike I typically have.  It felt like I was a gear short.  So, I spent the past 3 weeks in one of my favorite training spots.  The high hills of CVNP.  I live near the southern tip of CVNP on the edge of a large valley.  There are a plethora of 4 and 5 mile long hills.  It was torture for 2 weeks, but I regained the power in my legs.  During the 3rd week, I focused more on speed and running.

Post race with Colleen and Laurie

I went into this race with a lot of excitement.  It was a 1.5 mile run, 12 mile bike, and then a 5K.  With a shorter run to start, followed by a longer bike.  I felt like it suited my abilities fairly well.  My legs were feeling pretty good as I spent the prior 3 days recovering.  Most exciting of all?  I had a new secret weapon.  My new Cervelo P3!!  I'd been contemplating the purchase of a TRI bike for about a year now and finally made my decision on Thursday.

This was an early race with no pre-race packet pick up.  It worked well as they had our corral assignments listed and our packets below our rack.  It was nice having everything in one spot, so you didn't have to worry about forgetting anything.  After getting everything set, I met up with Heather.  She was doing her first TRI.  Next, I warmed up and made my way to the start.

Run 1
Going into the first run, my goal was to run harder than usual as it was short and to get out on the bike without being in too big of a hole.  The route started up a slight climb and I was initially in 4th place.  Through the 2nd half of the route, I dialed it back a bit to conserve energy.  The leader was off like a rocket and I wanted to be a little fresher on the bike to catch up.  I hit another climb and was descending the final part as the Women's TRI was already heading onto the bike route.

1.29 miles in 9:49 for an average pace of 7:34

Transition 1
I entered the transition and got stuck in a lot of TRI traffic.  I arrived at my rack after doing my best juke and jives.  CRAP!!!!! While taking off my 2nd shoe the laces went into the not!  I fumbled and fumbled with it and finally got it out.  Taking a swig of Gatorade, I headed out.

Time:  1:50

Bike
Going into this race, my intent all along was to ride my road bike.  I have no clue what I am doing on my TRI bike yet and I'm not really comfortable riding in the aero bars for long periods of time.  After riding it the past couple days, plus some encouragement from Bike Authority.  It was clear that I am faster on the Cervelo, even without being in the aero bars full time.

I mounted my trusty bike and took off.  The bike route started with a climb as well.  It helped as it gave me some time to get my legs used to the bike.  After cresting the hill, I took off and was munching on riders like pac man.  This wasn't a USAT race, so rules were a little more relaxed.  It helped as I just wound up the big diesel engine and stayed a little to the right.  After a few miles I dropped into the aero bars while hammering away.  Rider after rider were no match as I repeatedly yelled passing...passing...passing.  I made it through the first five miles in 14:11.  I began to fatigue from the aero bars and there were no flats on this course.  You were either up hill or downhill.  I decided to climb out of the aeros and coast the hills fully tucked to save energy.  This strategy worked as there wasn't anyone faster on my portion of the course.   I did leave a lot of speed on the bike as I probably spent 70% of the route in a non-aero position.

No flat roads on this route. 

12 miles in 35:16 for an average speed of 22.4 mph

Transition 2
The end of the bike was down a descent and I think I came in a little too hot.  The look on the race volunteer's face was priceless when I slammed on the breaks and my Zipps squealed to a stop.  It was really cool as there was quite the crowd cheering me on.  I tried to act cool and that I new what I was doing as I was one of the first off the bike.

Time: 1:25

The run-in to the finish

Run 2
One of the biggest mistakes I made this race was not taking any liquid out on the bike.  Normally I would never do anything so stupid, but I don't have any aero bottles for my new bike.  I had my road bike set up to train on, but I didn't want it as I thought it would hurt the aerodynamics of the bike.  Boy, I was dying for fluids 7 miles into the bike.  As a result, I decided to start my run carrying my bottle of Gatorade.  It cost me a lot of time.  I ran mile 1 in 9:00 and felt terrible.  My shoes came untied again!!!  After chucking the bottle, and getting fluids.  My legs came to life and I ran as hard as I could.  Doing miles 2 and 3 in the low 8's.  The finish was along the lake and I kicked while trying to not twist an ankle as the ground was not even.

My finish time was 1:12 and was good enough for first in my age group!!!!!!  I've never placed in an event before, so I was beyond excited.  I had a blast at this race.  It was a challenging course and there was no let down.  I've been enjoying this Duathlons, but its time to step up and do my first Triathlon *gasp*

First place bling and celebratory Christmas Ales. 

Meet the Widowmaker

One of the great joys of purchasing a bike.  Every cyclist approaches naming their new ride differently. Typically, I just come up with a name after riding it.  It just kinda comes to me.

My current ride is named Doomsday Jesus.  I named it after a song I heard while driving home with it for the first time.

Doomsday Jesus, my Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL3

I don't have an elaborate story on how I came up with my new bikes name.  Other than it just came too me and I thought it sounded cool and a little evil.  Let me say this thing is CRAZY fast.  Without aero wheels I hit 25 mph into a headwind hardly any effort.  So, I think this bike will destroy the competition.  Thus, earning its name:  The Widowmaker.

My new2012  Cervelo P3 TT/TRI bike

Carbon 3T bars

Front view

No room for air on that rear wheel = speed. 

Went with the Ultegra drivetrain

Side view

Fizik Arione saddle

Rear view.  

My road weapons....Doomsday Jesus and The Widowmaker

2012 Twinsburg Duathlon Race Report

Logo from the shirt event shirt.

This is the first time I have done this event and my first Duathlon since 2010.  I decided to do this race over the winter and I am really glad I did.  The race is comprised of a 2 mile run followed by a 10 mile bike race and then another 2 mile run.  Technically this is a sprint distance, which really didn't play to my strengths as I have been endurance training the past 4 months.  Plus, I was only 2 weeks recovered from running a marathon.  Regardless, I decided to have some fun and use it as a learning experience as I plan on focusing more on multi-sport races the rest of the year. 

Me with fellow #dirtyrunners Chris Cole and Christian Heller

Run 1

Prior to the race, we received instructions from the USA-T representative as this was a sanctioned event.  I quickly became paranoid as there were a lot of rules and I didn't want to make a mistakes as a result of my lack of knowledge.  After the rules briefing, we were ready to start.  They were playing some house music and I had to be "that guy" who was fist pumping seconds before the race.  I was there to have fun right?  

We were off and it turned in to a fast race immediately.  I really had no idea what to expect from myself as I am currently at odds with running.  I'm still so disgusted with how that marathon went that if I didn't run again this year, I wouldn't care.  I think I've ran a total of 3 miles since 5/20.  My plan was to run in the 8:30 range.  As usual I got caught up in the moment and ran mile 1 in 7:36.  The second mile was mostly uphill so it helped slow me down.  

First 2 mile time:  16:09, which was the 69th fastest.  

My transition spot. 

Transition 1

Holy train wreck batman!  Yep, that bad.  My bib number for this race was #8 and I was jacked to have this number as it was Dale Earnhardt Jr's old number.  Plus, the bike racks are sorted by number.  Wouldn't you think 8 would be up front?  Nope, I was all the way in the back and had to run across a whole parking lot to change gear.  Now, this isn't two bad in shoes, but I am not good enough yet to leave my cycling shoes pre-clipped.  So, I have to clomp through a parking lot in carbon fiber cycling shoes.  Not fun.  

Transition 1 time:  2:00

Bike 1

I rode the bike course the week before and I had it all planned out.  I would be fairly aggressive on hill 1 then hammer the flats to the second hill at mile 8 and hammer the final mile into the transition.  Unfortunately, this strategy did not work out too well.  As my ride began, it started to drizzle and it made things a little tricky.  Initially, I was excited as I am confident in my bike handling and figured I could be more aggressive and make up some time.  I hit the first false flat and into the first hill with great speed as I passing one rider after another.  Once I crested the first hill.  I was greeted with a nice headwind and I continued to hammer and passed rider after rider.  By this point the drizzle became a light rain.  Just enough to slick up the road.  While attacking the next corner.  I could feel my rear wheel slip and it quickly brought me back to reality.  I was hear to have fun and was not competing with anyone other than myself.  So, it wasn't worth wrecking ten grand in race equipment being stupid.  So, I dropped it back to about 80% and took it easy on the corners.  Sadly, I was passed by a rider.  This is the first time in over a year that this has happened.  Its something I will need to get used to as I do more of these as there was some serious riders at this race.  

Fail, I do not have my bike split as I messed up my Garmin.  I had the race programed into it, but double clicked the button by mistake out of transition one.  The race time grouped both transition times in with the bike time.  Official time was 35:50 with 2 minutes being transition 1 and atleast another 2 minutes being the 2nd transition.  My best guess is 10 miles in 31:20-31:50 range.  Even with my terrible transition times.  I post the 35th fastest bike and transition times.  

Run 2

Anybody who has done a multi-sport knows this.  There is no hell quite like bike to run.  It's really an odd feeling for the first quarter of a mile.  I went as hard as I could and ran fairly well.  It was kind of odd as there wasn't much traffic.  I kept thinking...am I that close to the front?  am I that far behind?  It ended up being neither as the race had just sorted out that way.  

Run 2 time 17:18, which was the 79th fastest 2nd run time. 

Conclusion

I finished 7th in my age group and 54th overall.  I had a bast a this race and will be back next year.  It was very organized and worth every penny.  Northcoast Multisports and USAT did a great job.  I am pleased with how things went given the conditions of the weather and my lack of sprint training.  I finished 2 minutes better than my goal time, I learned a lot, and I had a blast.  What else can you ask for from a race?  Not much, maybe a Clydesdale division next year.  

I look forward to applying what I learned over the next 3 weeks and see how I can improve for my next race at Cross Fit Akron Duathlon.  

Things I learned/will be working on: 

1) Speed - need to implement for intervals and brick workouts into my training.

2) Transitions - I felt like a 3 legged dog trying to hump a football.  Lots of practice is needed. 

3) Ride to my strengths

4) Work on shorter/faster runs.

5) Lighten up. 

Congrats to everyone in this race.  It was insanely fast and some of those times were amazing for this course.  Especially in that weather.  

BEAL

Not only did we get an event shirt, but we also go a water bottle.  Thanks Bike Authority!

2012 Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon Race Report

There is so much I want to say about yesterday.  I don't even know where to start.  First off, I want to thank the Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon staff for holding another great race this year.  I also want to thank them again for allowing me to be a Official Marathon Blogger.

As the week approached, I began to grow more worried.  As each day passed, the forecasted temps increased.  Thankfully, the race started at 7am when the temps were in the high 60's.  Unfortunately, the temps would be building to the mid 80's during the race.  To battle the temps, I increased my electrolyte consumption throughout the week.  I was still worried as i'm a bigger runner and the heat effects me greatly during runs.  

Race weekend arrived and I had a great time meeting new people and visiting with friends who are very inspirational.  I know the race is getting beat up pretty bad over the $8.00 parking at the IX Center.  Seriously people?  Last year's expo had free parking, but people complained it was too far away.  This year it was much closer, but runners wanted free parking.  Unfortunately, there isn't the space downtown for an expo right now.  Even if there was.  You'd be paying more for parking than at the IX Center.  Please keep in mind the situation the marathon directors have before complaining about something as petty as $8 dollar parking.  

I woke up Sunday morning fresh and was ready to go.  My training and race preparation had gone flawlessly.  Probably one of the dumbest things I did was still run in my all black run outfit.  I agonized over the decision all weekend.  I knew the black would be hot, but I didn't want to break the "nothing new on raceday" rule.  Even though it was forecasted to be hot.  I was sticking to my goal of breaking under the 4 hour mark and if it got too hot.  I would try an PR under my best time of 4:37.  

When I arrived at the start line.  I was quickly able to find my friends and posed for these pictures.  Big thanks again this year to the Cleveland Browns for allowing us access to the stadium.  

I made my way to the corral about 15 minutes prior to the start.  They lengthened the starting area this year and it seemed to help a lot.  I bumped into a few more friends at the start and it was nice visiting with them prior to the start.  As the clock struck 7 and the start began.  You could already feel it getting warmer.  

The first 5K

I made the first climb up 3rd street and a quick right up the shore way bridge.  The runners were much better this year and I only bumped into a few people who were already walking.  I was able to establish my early goal pace of 9:00 through the first few miles.  As I approached the first water stop, worry began to set in.  My legs felt like lead and it felt like my feet were striking the ground harder than they should.  Hoping it was just taper rust I forged on. 

Through the 10K

Winding around some flat roads, I arrived at the 10K point.  At this point you could see the effects of the new corral system.  The roads were crowded, but not to the point where you were blocked by any runners.  The crowds were great and people were lined on both sides of the road.  I didn't pay much attention to them as my full attention was on my pace, heat and legs of lead.  I was through the first 10K at 57:57 with a pace of 9:20.  I was a little off on time from my goal pace as took it easy through the water stops.  My plan was that the extra fluid would pay off later in the race.  

Through mile 13.1

From the 10K mark through the half way point, the wheels began to fall off.  We made our way through the westside including Tremont, Ohio City, and made our way back downtown.  The temps were still rising and it was probably in the mid 70's at this point.  Mile 9.8 is where I first noticed a course change.  It was a steep decline followed by a steep incline at mile 10.  The hill itself wasn't anything that I would describe as a killer.  It was just well placed for hurt and with the heat, it felt like a mountain.  I was due for a GU so I walked the first half and took in my GU.  At this point I started to realize I didn't have the legs for sub 4 hours and began to calculate out what I needed to do to achieve a PR.

After the hill I made it to the mile 11 water stop.  I slowed down and as I grabbed my water.  I looked down and began to feel dizzy.  I nearly fell over.  Quickly recovering, I went to into panic.  Did I almost pass out?  What is wrong?  What the hell is going on?  I'm at mile 11 this can't be happening!!!!  My mind began to race.  I made my way up the bridge back to town and you could begin to see the casualties of the race as the bridge was littered with firetrucks and ambulances.  

I made my way back to town realizing I was in for a long day.  I started harboring thoughts of dropping out.  I could save my legs and quickly register for a marathon next week in Buffalo or later in Canton.  I decided to just finish what I started and devised a run/walk plan.  I did see fellow marathon blogger and good friend Jessica Bagwell at mile 12.  I made it to the halfway point in 2:07, which was 12 minutes off my goal pace. 

Halfway through 20

As I approached East 9th Street I began to feel worse.  My cramps were getting more frequent and I was still fighting bouts of dizziness.  It was an odd time for me as I had never been faced with this decision before.   Should I stop?  Can I run/walk this out?  My heart rate is at 185 and I have not seen it below 160 since mile 5.  Can I die from this?  These were all things that were all running through my head.  I honestly wanted to quit.  It was when I reached Euclid, that I decided to go for it.  My reward? A death march done Euclid to the MLK.  The temps at this point had to be well into the 80's.  I couldn't run more than a 1/4 mile before I cramped up.  I ran into Matt who is a Ironman and TNT coach for this event.  He walked with me for a bit at mile 14 and provided me with the inspiration I needed to keep going.  The death march continued done Euclid as there was no shade and I was frying in the sun.  My cramps continued to get worse and my walks got longer.  My feet began to swell really bad and felt like they were about to burst out of my shoes.  Once I reached the MLK, there was more shade and I was able to run a little more.

Still fighting cramps and dizziness I continued on.  I was taking on massive amounts of water and power ade at every stop.  I couldn't keep hydrated as my mouth was completely dry minutes later.  I began to worry if I was going to make it.  I began to struggle to keep my emotions in check and was fighting back tears.  I couldn't believe all my hard work training was for nothing.  The heat and miles were breaking me down.  I found myself questioning what I did to deserve this.

Mile 20 through 25

I made a left and hit the bike path.  Hoping the breeze off the lake would help, I tried to run it.  I made it half way and boom, cramps.  This time the wouldn't go away.  I could barely walk.  Somehow I forged on.  As I climbed off the path into the road portion.  I heard the race had gone from yellow to red.  At this point I just wanted to try and finish without suffering a heat stroke.  Even if it meant walking the remaining 4 miles.  I ran into Matt Oravec again at mile 24.  A special thanks to him for walking with me and sharing some of your salt tabs and water.  I helped a ton.  At this point of the race the heat index was at 100.  I don't even want to know what the road temp was.  I am sure it was something sticky on the road, but it could literally hear the bottoms of my shoes sticking to the ground.  If I didn't know any better.  I would have thought they were melting to the ground.

Coming towards the end, the volunteers were counting down the blocks to the next water stop.  It was nice as it helped gauge your effort.  I had been waiting all day to reach the mile 25 water stop.  The water stop at mile 25 was the Autism stop created by Christian Heller and his wife Kelly.  Also waiting for me were my good friends Jill and Rikki.  I know they didn't believe me, but seeing everyone at mile 25 is the ONLY reason I continued.  They work so hard in their efforts that day and with their work with Autism.  Their inspiration kept me going.  I was so happy to seem them that I immediately began to fight back the tears when I saw the Go BEAL signs.  Some quick hugs and a chugging of a Summer Shandy and I was on my way again.

Christian aka Richard Simmons at the mile 25 water stop.

The finish.

The motivation and hopefully the beer I got at mile 25 gave me the energy to jog out the last mile.  I was so thankful to see the Galleria and I made the right turn and down the hill I went.  I reached the finish line and it was very emotional.  I was happy to survive without injury, but I was also sad.  You could hear ambulance sirens constantly for the past 2 hours and I felt bad for all those who didn't make it.  I also struggled with disappointment and shame.  I invested 143 hours this year into training and it was all ripped away by my cramps.  I do hope someday I look back at this as more of an accomplishment in the fact that I fought through a mountain of adversity versus the disappointment of not reaching a goal.


Thank you again to all the Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon staff and all the volunteers.  No event is perfect for everyone, but keep in mind that they are trying to give over 20,000 runners a perfect experience and they do a great job.  I would recommend this race to anyone.

I also want to thank everyone for their support through my training and via this blog.  You guys have been a great help and I greatly appreciate it.

My favorite post race tradition.

All black Nike Running cookies from Kristy Hill

Show me the baby

This year I feel like I have failed as an Official Marathon Blogger.  I really haven't posted any informational or inspirational posts.  I'm not sure exactly why, but I just wasn't able to come up with anything good.  Hopefully I haven't disappointed too many people.  I did think of something today and I thought I would share it with everyone.

Ever since the weather forecast posted.  It seemed like you could divide the runners into two groups.  Those that are freaking out and those who say the race is early and it won't be that bad.  Regardless, its gonna be hot and its not going to be easy.  At first I was in the freaking out group, but now I am a new third group i'm calling the:  Bring it on group.  

Atleast it won't rain like this.

Why the change?  Well, I decided I can't change the weather.  It is what it is.  What I can change is my attitude is and my preparation.  The heat may slow me down on Sunday, but you can bet I will fight the conditions with every stride.  Its going to be a battle on Sunday and I am ready for that battle.  

For those of you who didn't know.  I was fortunate enough to play baseball in college.  When my coach thought you were mentally week.  He would always yell....

DON'T GIVE ME THE LABOR PAINS.....SHOW ME THE BABY

What he meant by this is don't stress about the effort.  Just get the job done.  This is the attitude I will have on Sunday.  I'm not going to spend time stressing about the adversity.  I going out there Sunday morning and I'm gonna run my ass off for 26.2 miles.

IMPROVISE AND OVERCOME

Half marathon last year in the low 90's.

Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon Training Recap

I thought I would write a quick training recap as I'm basically finished with marathon training as of today.  I'll do a quick jog on Saturday to take the legs out of recovery mode and knock the rust off.

Overall, I couldn't be happier with how training went.  Sure, I had my moments and pains like everyone else, but I was basically injury free for the past 18 weeks.  Last year when I first started training for my first marathon, this is how I pictured it would be.  This year has gone much better.  The weather for the most part was good.  Though, I think March and Aprils weather patterns were switched.  I did get a total of three 20 mile runs in and each one I improved my time and this has helped my confidence a lot.  Even though I've lost 18 pounds already this year, I had hoped to be lighter on race day.  Regardless, I feel much more prepared for Sunday than I was last year.

Below are my 18 week training totals:

Total miles:  1,326

Running:  646 miles at a 9:16 average pace.

Cycling:  678 miles at 17.6 mph

Swimming:  1 mile

Time invested in training:  140 hours 43 minutes and 27 seconds.

Cals burned 132,347.

Music Monday

Trance is one of my favorite genres of music and i'm surprised it has taken this long to share one of my favorites.  It is a great uplifting song and a blast to run too.  The song is called, Black is the new Yellow and it is by Super8 & Tab.  Enjoy

Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon - Week 16 training

Week 16 was another good week for me.  This was my first taper week as I begin to heel up for the big race in 2 weeks.  After last weeks 20 miler and 8 miler in a 24 hour period.  I decided to place more focus on cycling this week.  By doing this, I am able to keep my fitness level up while giving my joints a break. As a clydesdale, my joints take a beating on 20 mile runs and I like to give them a break after that long of an effort.  On Wednesday, my workout turned into quit the rage run/ride.  It turned out to be good though, as I have a few duathlons planned in the near future and was able to gauge where I am at with my multi-sport fitness.  The rest of the week was spent resting and preparing for the Indy Mini Marathon.  I won't go into that now and should have my race report up within the next week or so.

This week will be a continuation of my taper.  I have some ideas in place for what I want to do.  Some of which are a little unconventional.  I haven't finalized my decision yet, so you will have to tune in next week to see what I decide.

I am a massive race fan and couldn't pass up the chance to pose next to an Indy car at the race expo.

Monday

20.26 mile ride at 16.8 mph

Tuesday

21.64 mile ride at 18.1 mph

Wednesday

Brick

31 mile ride at 22.5 mph

2 mile run at 7:30 pace

Thursday

Rest day

Friday

Rest day - travel to Indianapolis

Saturday

Indy Mini Marathon

Sunday

Rest day - travel back to home

Miles:  88.02 miles

Calories burned:  5,205

Time:  6:08:11

BEAL