Yesterday was an amazing day for raceAthlete and other bloggers at Ironman Wisconsin. Throughout the day, we tracked more than 25 different athletes. There were even several people is raceAthlete gear with whom I was completely unfamiliar. Regardless, they all received the same cheering and we got pictures of everyone we could. I'll post those, later.
In no particular order, CONGRATULATIONS to the following:
TriBoomer - 14:40 - He looked awesome in his raceAthlete tri-suit.
George Schweitzer - 10:36 - Amazing job, 126th overall.
Andy Sweet - 11:34 - Proving that Chris isn't the only fast one in the family.
Brent Buckner - 14:18 - I saw a lot of Orca outfits, one of them was probably him.
Walchka - 14:56 - I didn't get to meet him, but look at that awesome time.
Tri Dummy - 14:38 - I saw Jay on the swim, and he proved he's no dummy on this course.
Taconite Boy - 13:59 - Our blog hero rocked the course, and always had a smile on his face.
Rural Girl - 12:33 - Our paths crossed several times as she rocked the course, and beat my IMKY time by nearly 45 minutes.
Jetpack - 13:08 - Jetpack proved his strength on the run with a 4 1/2 hour marathon after the tough hills on the bike.
Roland - 15:04 - Try as I did, I never found the USCG outfit, and failed to get any pictures of Roland as he ran what I believe was an IM PR.
Micampers - 13:16 - Another one I missed all day long. He did an awesome job on that bike course.
Gavnunns - 10:22 - I don't know if this made the Kona qualifier time, but it was good enough for 88th overall, and he looked great doing it.
Iron Dave - Another I was unable to locate in person, Dave crossed the finish in 14:47.
Running2Far - 13:18 - I believe I saw Running2Far and didn't even know it. Looking back at the day, I kept seeing Hayes, which I figured was a last name. I'm betting it was him.
Chris Sweet - I spent the whole day going, "Hey, I think that was... Too late, he's gone," whenever Chris was anywhere near me. Chris lit the course on fire, finishing in 9:55. I truly hope that qualifies him for Kona, because he was awesome out there.
Simply Stu - 12:47 - Stu did an awesome job, and looked to be taking the day in and enjoying it as HIS day.
Roman - 13:47 - Roman balanced racing with time with friends with ensuring everyone had what they needed (including your's truly and everyone in blogland, as he made sure raceAthlete would get updated). In the process, he ran an awesome race, and every time I saw him he was thanking volunteers on the course.
Bold - 12:56 - I saw Bold on his way to T1, and a couple of times on the run. On his way to a great finish, it was confirmed that Wisconsin hills can, in fact, be a challenge. He never let them stand in his way.
Texafornia - 12:59 - Using all his zen tricks, Texafornia squeaked out a victory in his competition with Jetpack (it should be noted that Jetpack carved Texafornia's one hour lead off the bike to 9 minutes by the finish). There were signs all over the run course taunting Jetpack (in good fun).
TriGreyhound - 14:42 - Grey proved his triathlon/blogger fame as people on the run course called out to him. By his blog name! He made a plan and stuck to it. And he looked very stylish with his blinky lights.
Iron Wil - 16:20 - Title earned. Dragons slain. Wil came out of the water after a tough swim day with a smile on her face. She came off the bike after a long ride with a smile on her face. And she ran a marathon. She wasn't ALWAYS smiling there, but she kept plugging along. She took joy in little things, like crossing timing mats, walk breaks, and passing the final cut-off way ahead of the time limits.
And it would be remiss to leave out the people I didn't even know were on the course (mostly because I didn't even know them).
Chris - 12:54 - I kept seeing a raceAthlete jersey attaced to bib 954. Each time, I would take a picture and check my list. Though Chris wasn't on that list, we got some good photos and it was great to see him supporting the team.
John - 14:47 - Somewhere around mile 15 of the run, I saw a raceAthlete jersey and bib 1922. Another I hadn't seen prior to that. I snapped a picture, cheered him on, and later checked on John.
Finally, IM-Able ran into some issues on the swim. I'm unsure if she was injured or faced other challenges. She has a swim time of 1:44, and nothing for T1. She toed the line and put in a good effort on the swim. As more information becomes available, we'll see what she chooses as her next steps.
*Update - IM-Able DID finish the swim (another great job, Athlete Tracker). She made it through transition in about 13 minutes. Stomach issues forced her off the bike somewhere during the second half of the bike. And anyone who might want to question her "iron" level, she apparently got physically sick DURING the swim, and still finished. Me, I'd have drowned on the spot.
There you have it. Twenty-four team mates all pursuing their Ironman dreams. And I'm sure I've missed a few others. If you know of a blogger missing from the list, please let me know. They deserve all the recognition they can get.
Showing posts with label Race Info. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Race Info. Show all posts
Monday, September 10, 2007
Thursday, September 06, 2007
IM MOO Tracking
Alright, as we head into IM Wisconsin weekend, here are a few details that might assist in tracking everyone.
First, we will have not one, but two websites dedicated to tracking everyone out on the course. One will be fairly rough, and is open to quite a few individuals for posting. That site is IMMOO07. Keep an eye out here for race updates, pictures, etc.
The second site to watch is raceAthlete itself. We will have plenty of editorial staff on site keeping the raceAthlete blog up to date with appropriate posts. We hope to have at least one editor stationed at the finish with the ability to upload times and pictures in near real time as team members cross the finish line.
So, between IronmanLive, raceAthlete, and IMMOO07, there should be plenty to keep everyone busy and up to date on the status of the dozens of bloggers on the course.
First, we will have not one, but two websites dedicated to tracking everyone out on the course. One will be fairly rough, and is open to quite a few individuals for posting. That site is IMMOO07. Keep an eye out here for race updates, pictures, etc.
The second site to watch is raceAthlete itself. We will have plenty of editorial staff on site keeping the raceAthlete blog up to date with appropriate posts. We hope to have at least one editor stationed at the finish with the ability to upload times and pictures in near real time as team members cross the finish line.
So, between IronmanLive, raceAthlete, and IMMOO07, there should be plenty to keep everyone busy and up to date on the status of the dozens of bloggers on the course.
Friday, August 24, 2007
Endless Pool
I don't have the ability to post the video, but trust me when I say that today's Gatorade Swim in the Ohio River was interesting. The comment heard most often when describing the swim was "Endless Pool." And for the upstream portions, that's exactly what it was.
It was incredible watching the swimmers trying to make headway and getting nowhere. And watching people going downstream at an incredible clip without taking a single stroke. At our blogger dinner, the concensus was that the swim change was the right choice.
After checking in, we hit the expo for a short bit, and I managed to walk about about $150 lighter, the proud owner of some sharp looking IM Louisville attire.
And now, since my daughter is taking her clothes and dancing, I have to sign off.
It was incredible watching the swimmers trying to make headway and getting nowhere. And watching people going downstream at an incredible clip without taking a single stroke. At our blogger dinner, the concensus was that the swim change was the right choice.
After checking in, we hit the expo for a short bit, and I managed to walk about about $150 lighter, the proud owner of some sharp looking IM Louisville attire.
And now, since my daughter is taking her clothes and dancing, I have to sign off.
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Play By Play
In a few days I'm going to be horribly busy. First, there will be the drive to Louisville. A 10-hour trip in the best of conditions, we'll be doing it with two toddlers. They're troopers, so it should be a good trip, but we're planning on the trip taking longer than it might otherwise take.
Once we get to Louisville, there is check-in, gear bag packing, bike check, tri-blogger dinners, practice swims, and a general mess of other things to handle. FYI, the tri-blogger group looks to be pretty major. There should be upwards of 20-30 people between participants, sherpas, family, volunteers, and other cheerleaders somehow associated with the Tri Blog Community. Getting to meet everyone without breaking the coach's designated curfew will prove interesting.
On Sunday, there's this little race thing I'll be tackling. Since that promises to take most of the day, and blogging probably won't be high on my "to do" list when I'm through, I've made other arrangements.
Starting as early as tomorrow, a guest blogger will have access to the controls here at Iron Pol central. Now, I won't ruin the surprise by telling you who he is, let's just suffice it to say he has the experience to know what might be happening throughout the day. I imagine he'll post soon enough so you can find out just who will be filling this post. Between his blogging skill and Mrs. Pol's phone updates, you'll have all the scary details on race day.
And now, there is a young lady that needs to find her way to bed, and daddy has the honors.
Once we get to Louisville, there is check-in, gear bag packing, bike check, tri-blogger dinners, practice swims, and a general mess of other things to handle. FYI, the tri-blogger group looks to be pretty major. There should be upwards of 20-30 people between participants, sherpas, family, volunteers, and other cheerleaders somehow associated with the Tri Blog Community. Getting to meet everyone without breaking the coach's designated curfew will prove interesting.
On Sunday, there's this little race thing I'll be tackling. Since that promises to take most of the day, and blogging probably won't be high on my "to do" list when I'm through, I've made other arrangements.
Starting as early as tomorrow, a guest blogger will have access to the controls here at Iron Pol central. Now, I won't ruin the surprise by telling you who he is, let's just suffice it to say he has the experience to know what might be happening throughout the day. I imagine he'll post soon enough so you can find out just who will be filling this post. Between his blogging skill and Mrs. Pol's phone updates, you'll have all the scary details on race day.
And now, there is a young lady that needs to find her way to bed, and daddy has the honors.
Saturday, August 18, 2007
At No Point
At no point in the first 37 years of my life did I ever plan on becoming an Ironman. In fact, it can be safely said that at no point in the first 35 years of my life did I ever plan on even becoming a marathoner. And, yet, here we are.
Seven days and a wake up away from Ironman Louisville, arguably one of the toughest days I will ever face in my life. Apparently, planning and doing aren't necessarily mutually inclusive.
It's been a long journey from there to here. After 10 years in the Navy and three years of college, I was overweight and out of shape. I was pushing 220 pounds, wearing size 38 pants that were starting to get tight, and suffering from an array of weight related issues. Another list of things I never planned.
The next twist of fate on the journey was being diagnosed with sarcoidosis. A benign enough condition, it did put me into the care of a pulmonary specialist that asked me to run a few miles a couple times each week to monitor pulmonary function. Despite a general hatred of running, I followed the doctors orders, and those occassional short runs turned into more frequent runs of longer distances. While I didn't gain a love of running, I did gain an appreciation of the challenges of being a runner.
Over a period of years, those distances started adding up, and I racked up several half-marathon finishes, and signed up for my first marathon. Oddly enough, it was the near ridicule of a co-worker that pushed me into that first full marathon race. His comments motivated me to sign up for a race, regardless of whether I finished it. The goal was to at least start it.
Even after completing numerous full marathons, the concept of doing a triathlon never entered my mind until I was challenged by a group of 8th graders to do one. And that was sort of like being double dog dared to eat worms. No matter how difficult the task might be, it must be done.
It wasn't until Roman Mica and the other founders of raceAthlete started talking about the opportunity to "Train Like a Professional" that I considered signing up for an Ironman. Wisconsin, that is. The irony is how upset I was after being unable to register for IM MOO. I was angry about being unable to sign up for an event I never planned on running. Go figure!
Enter IM Louisville. After missing Wisconsin, the opportunity presented by a brand new race seemed like an early Christmas present. And so, here we are.
In just over 7 days, I will toe the line in Louisville, Kentucky with about 2500 other triathletes. I will be wearing bib number 1675. And I will do all I can to set a good precedent for future athletes wearing that number in Louisville. Since we don't have historic information for this race, I went to some of the other races from this year.
CDA - M45-49, 14:01:07, Overall place, 1401
USA - M45-49, 11:27:04, Overall place, 324
Arizona - M45-49, 11:49:33, Overall place 466
That's some pretty good company. If I fall somewhere between the fastest and slowest times, I'll consider it an amazing day. If I continue the streak and finish the race, I'll call it a great day.
If Athlete Tracker is up for Louisville (far from a given, at this point), you'll be able to track my progress there. In addition, there will be a special guest blogger making periodic updates on this site via phone updates from Mrs. Pol.
Seven days and a wake up away from Ironman Louisville, arguably one of the toughest days I will ever face in my life. Apparently, planning and doing aren't necessarily mutually inclusive.
It's been a long journey from there to here. After 10 years in the Navy and three years of college, I was overweight and out of shape. I was pushing 220 pounds, wearing size 38 pants that were starting to get tight, and suffering from an array of weight related issues. Another list of things I never planned.
The next twist of fate on the journey was being diagnosed with sarcoidosis. A benign enough condition, it did put me into the care of a pulmonary specialist that asked me to run a few miles a couple times each week to monitor pulmonary function. Despite a general hatred of running, I followed the doctors orders, and those occassional short runs turned into more frequent runs of longer distances. While I didn't gain a love of running, I did gain an appreciation of the challenges of being a runner.
Over a period of years, those distances started adding up, and I racked up several half-marathon finishes, and signed up for my first marathon. Oddly enough, it was the near ridicule of a co-worker that pushed me into that first full marathon race. His comments motivated me to sign up for a race, regardless of whether I finished it. The goal was to at least start it.
Even after completing numerous full marathons, the concept of doing a triathlon never entered my mind until I was challenged by a group of 8th graders to do one. And that was sort of like being double dog dared to eat worms. No matter how difficult the task might be, it must be done.
It wasn't until Roman Mica and the other founders of raceAthlete started talking about the opportunity to "Train Like a Professional" that I considered signing up for an Ironman. Wisconsin, that is. The irony is how upset I was after being unable to register for IM MOO. I was angry about being unable to sign up for an event I never planned on running. Go figure!
Enter IM Louisville. After missing Wisconsin, the opportunity presented by a brand new race seemed like an early Christmas present. And so, here we are.
In just over 7 days, I will toe the line in Louisville, Kentucky with about 2500 other triathletes. I will be wearing bib number 1675. And I will do all I can to set a good precedent for future athletes wearing that number in Louisville. Since we don't have historic information for this race, I went to some of the other races from this year.
CDA - M45-49, 14:01:07, Overall place, 1401
USA - M45-49, 11:27:04, Overall place, 324
Arizona - M45-49, 11:49:33, Overall place 466
That's some pretty good company. If I fall somewhere between the fastest and slowest times, I'll consider it an amazing day. If I continue the streak and finish the race, I'll call it a great day.
If Athlete Tracker is up for Louisville (far from a given, at this point), you'll be able to track my progress there. In addition, there will be a special guest blogger making periodic updates on this site via phone updates from Mrs. Pol.
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Celebrity Tri at High Cliff
While it might fall short of the spectacular blogger convention held recently at Wildflower, we have another celebrity tri event coming up in June. The High Cliff Triathlon held in the Fox Cities at the High Cliff state park promises to be an awesome event. Bloggers and raceAthletes alike will converge on the Fox Valley the weekend of June 23-24 for good times and good friends. Oh yeah, some of us will be racing, too.
A member of the sponsoring tri club, I will be doing all I can to host anyone from the Tri Blog Community in town, that weekend. In addition to the various official events, we will have some kind of food and fun at the Pol homestead. Transportation, course tours, and local information will all be available race weekend. Anyone needing hotel or other information prior to then, just let me know and I'll do whatever I can to help out.
I am very excited about the group that is coming for the race. In "information received" order, here are some of the names I know.
Coming in from St. Louis to race with a college friend, George Schweitzer is an amazing triathlete with several Ironman finishes under his belt. He always provides very informative and educational race reports, and I truly look forward to meeting him. And while I have little hope of competing against him, the opportunity to race with and learn from him is exciting.
Another "local" personality, Tri Mom (not to be confused with Tri Mama), will be racing. The opportunity to meet bloggers with whom I am less familiar is always awesome. And finding triathletes who live closer than several states away is also cool.
With perhaps the longest trip, gymgator will be up from Florida for the race. He will have the opportunity to race with sheepshead instead of sharks, algae instead of alligators. Luckily, it is summer, so he shouldn't freeze too badly.
We will also have a trio of sponsored raceAthlete members, two of whom are blogger royalty. Simply Stu of podcasting fame will make the trip from Madison for the race. It will be great to meet one of the top sports podcasters in the country. I can only hope to live up to the example he sets every time tri-bloggers descend upon Madison.
Rural Girl will also be making an appearance. After tearing up Wildflower, she is more than ready for the killer hill that starts the bike and run portions of the race. Of course, after Wildflower, she'll probably look at the course and say, "What hill?"
Finally, schedule changes for Iron Wil came out in our favor. In addition to the Spirit of Racine Triathlon in July, Iron Wil is headed to Wisconsin for the High Cliff triathlon. After meeting her the day before IM Wisconsin, last year, I look forward to the opportunity to spend a little more time with her.
Every chance to meet with tri-bloggers is one to be taken. I am really looking forward to having everyone in town for this race. If you are reading this, are racing at High Cliff, and don't see your name, please let me know. I'll add you to the list and keep you in the loop as things develop.
A member of the sponsoring tri club, I will be doing all I can to host anyone from the Tri Blog Community in town, that weekend. In addition to the various official events, we will have some kind of food and fun at the Pol homestead. Transportation, course tours, and local information will all be available race weekend. Anyone needing hotel or other information prior to then, just let me know and I'll do whatever I can to help out.
I am very excited about the group that is coming for the race. In "information received" order, here are some of the names I know.
Coming in from St. Louis to race with a college friend, George Schweitzer is an amazing triathlete with several Ironman finishes under his belt. He always provides very informative and educational race reports, and I truly look forward to meeting him. And while I have little hope of competing against him, the opportunity to race with and learn from him is exciting.
Another "local" personality, Tri Mom (not to be confused with Tri Mama), will be racing. The opportunity to meet bloggers with whom I am less familiar is always awesome. And finding triathletes who live closer than several states away is also cool.
With perhaps the longest trip, gymgator will be up from Florida for the race. He will have the opportunity to race with sheepshead instead of sharks, algae instead of alligators. Luckily, it is summer, so he shouldn't freeze too badly.
We will also have a trio of sponsored raceAthlete members, two of whom are blogger royalty. Simply Stu of podcasting fame will make the trip from Madison for the race. It will be great to meet one of the top sports podcasters in the country. I can only hope to live up to the example he sets every time tri-bloggers descend upon Madison.
Rural Girl will also be making an appearance. After tearing up Wildflower, she is more than ready for the killer hill that starts the bike and run portions of the race. Of course, after Wildflower, she'll probably look at the course and say, "What hill?"
Finally, schedule changes for Iron Wil came out in our favor. In addition to the Spirit of Racine Triathlon in July, Iron Wil is headed to Wisconsin for the High Cliff triathlon. After meeting her the day before IM Wisconsin, last year, I look forward to the opportunity to spend a little more time with her.
Every chance to meet with tri-bloggers is one to be taken. I am really looking forward to having everyone in town for this race. If you are reading this, are racing at High Cliff, and don't see your name, please let me know. I'll add you to the list and keep you in the loop as things develop.
Monday, May 21, 2007
Long Training Runs
On Sunday, three co-workers completed their first major endurance races. Bellin Chick and KC completed their first half-marathons, and my training partner completed his first full marathon. They all did great, keeping to race plans that were adjusted as needed.
Bellin Chick, who found out five days prior to the race that she is pregnant, completed the race in about 2:20. Based on estimates, she became pregnant within a week of beginning her training program, and this race was an awesome way to transition from run training to mommy training. Bellin Chick’s friend and training partner also completed her first (and supposedly last) half-marathon. Time will tell on that.
K.C. stayed with the group for about a half-mile. He then took off at his own pace, completing the run in 1:47. More importantly, he did an amazing job of negative splitting the race, getting faster with each 5K segment. He is now considering a September marathon, so long as I can run it with him.
And my training partner completed the marathon in 4:56, nearly 15 minutes faster than my first marathon time. Our plan was to run with Bellin Chick and set pace for her during the first 11 miles (where the half split off). After that, the plan was to use the half marathon and 20 mile points as gauges for the rest of the race. Our goal was to get him to the finish line, under five hours, if possible. His stretch goal was a 4:30 marathon. He learned a lot about the 26.2-mile distance, and is considering the same September race as K.C. (likewise dependent upon my running it with them).
My training partner learned the importance of a solid training program, and admitted that the last eight miles were very tough. What he lacked in discipline during the training program he made up with determination on race day. He heeded the advice provided from others, and learned a lot for future races.
Most remarkable was the success of these individuals given the conditions. With the weather forecast calling for slightly overcast skies and a high temperature of 60F, it looked to be a perfect day for running. Of course, had the meteorologists been anywhere near accurate, it WOULD have been a perfect day. When they miss the high by 10 degrees, and temperatures during the race never break 50F, it’s another story. It was cloudy and about 40F when the race began. We had winds at about 10-15 mph with gusts over 20 mph. Looking for the 60F prediction, I wore light clothing, ditching my sweatshirt at the start. That was a BIG mistake.
Arms and hands bore the brunt of the cold, and anything requiring manual dexterity became a challenge. Opening gel packs, tying shorts after pit stops, and opening or closing bottles were a few of the issues we faced during the day. Luckily, it never rained. I’m fairly certain rain would have ended the day for my training partner, for me, and for hundreds of other runners.
Even so, marathon number five is in the bag. It was primarily a support run, and I count it as a long, slow run in my books. Once again, if Louisville in August happens to run in the 50s, my training is supporting that. Hopefully, it will warm up in the near future. I rather expect these “Frozen Tundra” runs will do little to prepare me for race day conditions come Ironman.
Bellin Chick, who found out five days prior to the race that she is pregnant, completed the race in about 2:20. Based on estimates, she became pregnant within a week of beginning her training program, and this race was an awesome way to transition from run training to mommy training. Bellin Chick’s friend and training partner also completed her first (and supposedly last) half-marathon. Time will tell on that.
K.C. stayed with the group for about a half-mile. He then took off at his own pace, completing the run in 1:47. More importantly, he did an amazing job of negative splitting the race, getting faster with each 5K segment. He is now considering a September marathon, so long as I can run it with him.
And my training partner completed the marathon in 4:56, nearly 15 minutes faster than my first marathon time. Our plan was to run with Bellin Chick and set pace for her during the first 11 miles (where the half split off). After that, the plan was to use the half marathon and 20 mile points as gauges for the rest of the race. Our goal was to get him to the finish line, under five hours, if possible. His stretch goal was a 4:30 marathon. He learned a lot about the 26.2-mile distance, and is considering the same September race as K.C. (likewise dependent upon my running it with them).
My training partner learned the importance of a solid training program, and admitted that the last eight miles were very tough. What he lacked in discipline during the training program he made up with determination on race day. He heeded the advice provided from others, and learned a lot for future races.
Most remarkable was the success of these individuals given the conditions. With the weather forecast calling for slightly overcast skies and a high temperature of 60F, it looked to be a perfect day for running. Of course, had the meteorologists been anywhere near accurate, it WOULD have been a perfect day. When they miss the high by 10 degrees, and temperatures during the race never break 50F, it’s another story. It was cloudy and about 40F when the race began. We had winds at about 10-15 mph with gusts over 20 mph. Looking for the 60F prediction, I wore light clothing, ditching my sweatshirt at the start. That was a BIG mistake.
Arms and hands bore the brunt of the cold, and anything requiring manual dexterity became a challenge. Opening gel packs, tying shorts after pit stops, and opening or closing bottles were a few of the issues we faced during the day. Luckily, it never rained. I’m fairly certain rain would have ended the day for my training partner, for me, and for hundreds of other runners.
Even so, marathon number five is in the bag. It was primarily a support run, and I count it as a long, slow run in my books. Once again, if Louisville in August happens to run in the 50s, my training is supporting that. Hopefully, it will warm up in the near future. I rather expect these “Frozen Tundra” runs will do little to prepare me for race day conditions come Ironman.
Friday, April 27, 2007
It Better Not Rain
The folks coordinating Ironman Louisville seem to have finished celebrating New Year. This is obvious from the release of the IM The Ville course maps which were promised early in the new year. Perhaps they meant the Chinese New Year!
There ARE a few issues with the course. Most notably, the swim. Late in 2006, e-mails from the race director suggested a point-to-point swim with the current. My impression of that, given a "right to left" flow of current would be:
Finish <--------------------------------------------------------------Start
If you check out the swim map, you'll note it looks a lot more like this:
Start >------------------->------------------->--------------------------->
Finish<------------------<--------------------<--------------------------<
Even though my degree is in finance, it seems pretty apparent to me that approximately 1.2 miles of this course will be upriver. Luckily, it is the first half. The IM The Ville site indicates it will be against a "slight current."
Well, I did some digging and came up with generally ambiguous information. If I'm reading everything correctly, we will be swimming ABOVE the McAlpine Locks (in the upper pool). This is good, as current there rarely exceeds 2 mph.
If, however, there is a good rain prior to race day, we could be in trouble. Then, it is quite possible for current to exceed 2 mph. Given that is about the pace I swim any given day, it could make for a LONG swim. Regardless, swimming upriver for 1.2 miles will significantly impact the estimate I will be using for swim time.
If anyone happens to be familiar with swimming this section of the river, any information you can provide will be greatly appreciated.
There ARE a few issues with the course. Most notably, the swim. Late in 2006, e-mails from the race director suggested a point-to-point swim with the current. My impression of that, given a "right to left" flow of current would be:
Finish <--------------------------------------------------------------Start
If you check out the swim map, you'll note it looks a lot more like this:
Start >------------------->------------------->--------------------------->
Finish<------------------<--------------------<--------------------------<
Even though my degree is in finance, it seems pretty apparent to me that approximately 1.2 miles of this course will be upriver. Luckily, it is the first half. The IM The Ville site indicates it will be against a "slight current."
Well, I did some digging and came up with generally ambiguous information. If I'm reading everything correctly, we will be swimming ABOVE the McAlpine Locks (in the upper pool). This is good, as current there rarely exceeds 2 mph.
If, however, there is a good rain prior to race day, we could be in trouble. Then, it is quite possible for current to exceed 2 mph. Given that is about the pace I swim any given day, it could make for a LONG swim. Regardless, swimming upriver for 1.2 miles will significantly impact the estimate I will be using for swim time.
If anyone happens to be familiar with swimming this section of the river, any information you can provide will be greatly appreciated.
Monday, April 16, 2007
From Tempe to Boston
With the excitement of Ironman Arizona barely in the bag, we turn to the Boston Marathon. While I'm sure there are others out there, I know of one tri-blogger who is running the race, today. And one thing is certain. The winds that plagued participants at IM Arizona continued their journey and now harass those in Boston.
None other than TriBoomer was invited to run the Boston Marathon in recognition of his efforts at raising money to fight bloodborne cancers. He is wearing bib number 24923, and you can track his progress here. As of this writing, Boomer has been tracked through 10K in a time of 1:08.
I'm hoping their tracking is delayed, as the race has been in progress for nearly two and a half hours, at this point. Given his pace, Boomer should have been beyond the 15K point, if not past 20K. Of course, the conditions are far from conducive to marathoning, with temps in the low 50s, winds gusting to 50 mph, and sideways rain.
*Already an update: Boomer has passed the 15K point in 1:42:10, maintaining 10-11 minute miles.
*Update two: While far from real time, Boomer has been sighted passing the 30K checkpoint in 3:50. He is on pace for about 5:25, and we can only hope the weather has broke so he can at least dry out while he's running.
*Boomer is nearing the end. Given the lag in time, he may be done. The last checkpoint he passed was the 40K point, in 5:24. Given that pace, he should be getting awfully close to the finish line.
Here is a late addition, and a horrible oversight. George Schweitzer, endurance athlete extraordinaire, also raced in Boston, today. In addition to finishing the race, he tore it up. He finished in 2:50:17 with an average pace of 6:30/mile. Not bad given the wind and the rain. I don't know if that's a marathon PR for George, but I believe it is his first time running Boston. That was good enough for 366 overall, 280 in his division. Congratulations to him on a fine race!
Boomer accomplished a lot simply being invited to run this race. Keep checking back to see how he is doing.
None other than TriBoomer was invited to run the Boston Marathon in recognition of his efforts at raising money to fight bloodborne cancers. He is wearing bib number 24923, and you can track his progress here. As of this writing, Boomer has been tracked through 10K in a time of 1:08.
I'm hoping their tracking is delayed, as the race has been in progress for nearly two and a half hours, at this point. Given his pace, Boomer should have been beyond the 15K point, if not past 20K. Of course, the conditions are far from conducive to marathoning, with temps in the low 50s, winds gusting to 50 mph, and sideways rain.
*Already an update: Boomer has passed the 15K point in 1:42:10, maintaining 10-11 minute miles.
*Update two: While far from real time, Boomer has been sighted passing the 30K checkpoint in 3:50. He is on pace for about 5:25, and we can only hope the weather has broke so he can at least dry out while he's running.
*Boomer is nearing the end. Given the lag in time, he may be done. The last checkpoint he passed was the 40K point, in 5:24. Given that pace, he should be getting awfully close to the finish line.
Here is a late addition, and a horrible oversight. George Schweitzer, endurance athlete extraordinaire, also raced in Boston, today. In addition to finishing the race, he tore it up. He finished in 2:50:17 with an average pace of 6:30/mile. Not bad given the wind and the rain. I don't know if that's a marathon PR for George, but I believe it is his first time running Boston. That was good enough for 366 overall, 280 in his division. Congratulations to him on a fine race!
Boomer accomplished a lot simply being invited to run this race. Keep checking back to see how he is doing.
Sunday, April 15, 2007
One is Done
Congratulations to Coach Mike who has completed another Ironman race. He tore up the bike, averaging 20 mph over the 112 mile course. He went out hard on the run, and seems to have run into some issues over the last 8 miles or so. Having never completed an IM distance race, myself, I'm inclined to say "Who doesn't." In all, he completed the race in what I consider blazing fast speed, with a total time of 11:15:59.
Commodore is on the run course, and I will be sending positive vibes toward Tempe. He completed the bike in just over 8 hours, and the athlete tracker has yet to show a time for the first split at the 8.8 mile point of the run. With his bike and swim times, he is left with about 7 hours to complete the run. Send Commodore all the positive energy you can. With the health issues he's been battling, he can use anything we send his way.
Commodore is on the run course, and I will be sending positive vibes toward Tempe. He completed the bike in just over 8 hours, and the athlete tracker has yet to show a time for the first split at the 8.8 mile point of the run. With his bike and swim times, he is left with about 7 hours to complete the run. Send Commodore all the positive energy you can. With the health issues he's been battling, he can use anything we send his way.
Early Results
For those who aren't following the links, Commodore and Mike are both on the bike. Mike proved what time in the pool is worth, completing the 2.4 mile swim in just under 1 hour and 2 minutes. Commodore made a HUGE gain from Ironman Florida, completing the swim in 1 hour 44 minutes. For the record, that is an improvement of 21 minutes.
As of this post, Mike had gotten through the 37 mile checkpoint of the bike in 1:44 for a pace of just over 21 mph. That's moving. Commodore's tracker hasn't updated with that time, as yet.
As of this post, Mike had gotten through the 37 mile checkpoint of the bike in 1:44 for a pace of just over 21 mph. That's moving. Commodore's tracker hasn't updated with that time, as yet.
Saturday, April 14, 2007
Good Luck!
At least two important people from my life will be toeing the line at Ironman Arizona on Sunday. For tracking purposes, the links to their Athlete Tracker pages are shown here. Best of luck to Comms and Coach Mike.
Comm's Athlete Tracker page
Coach Mike's Athlete Tracker page
I will also try and update as I find out information. Most of it will be publicly available, so nothing will be breaking. I'll also be out for Mrs. Pol's birthday dinner, so there might be some gaps.
Good luck to both of you, and to anyone I may have missed!
Comm's Athlete Tracker page
Coach Mike's Athlete Tracker page
I will also try and update as I find out information. Most of it will be publicly available, so nothing will be breaking. I'll also be out for Mrs. Pol's birthday dinner, so there might be some gaps.
Good luck to both of you, and to anyone I may have missed!
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