Mount Desert Island Half Marathon

This weekend was the Mount Desert Island Marathon/Half Marathon. Since we're only half crazy, we did the half. It starts in Northeast Harbor and ends right across the sound in Southwest Harbor. In between is 13.1 miles of hills and amazing scenery (the MDI Marathon was recently named one of the most beautiful marathons in the world). And even on a cold (48° F) and windy (winds of 10-20 mph) day the course lived up to the hype. 

 

We arrived in Bar Harbor the day before and enjoyed a hint of what was to come. 

The night before we had the shirts all ready to go. 

It was an auspicious start to the day with a beautiful sunrise (this picture doesn't do it justice) on the way to the buses to the start. 

And the start of the half itself. While it may not look too bad in the picture, it was cold. Frigid some may say. Thankfully we were about to run 13.1 miles to ramp up our heart rates and make us warmer. 

At the finish, bling in hand (or at least around neck). Despite it being cold and windy we both had an awesome race. We gave it our all and beat our time goals. That said, we're looking to improve on our times next year. 

Lobsterman Triathlon

Yesterday was the Lobsterman Triathlon in Freeport. I can sum up my race in one word.

Brutal. 

Instead of being a nice end of summer/beginning of fall day it was a middle of July day with all of the heat and humidity to go along with it. 

That said, I finished. And as brutal as the race was it was still a great time. This was the first race this season where my family was able to come watch. So instead of doing the race without knowing anyone along the sides I had friendly faces well positioned to greet me four times during the race. 

Swim:

This was my first real open water swim in the ocean and my first in the water start. Considering I haven't really trained for the swim at all this summer I was really pleased with it. I was only kicked in the face a few times but nothing too bad. 

Unfortunately coming out of the water was a harbinger of things to come. Running into transition it was tough to stand up completely because of a pain in my middle chest. I'm pretty sure I swallowed either too much salt water or too much air. Either way it was an issue I wasn't really able to overcome the whole day. 

T1

My transition time was pretty decent and I was ready for tackling the bike. 

Bike:

The beginning of the bike was not auspicious. I have been attaching my shoes to the bike so I can run barefoot to the mount line. I've never really had a problem before. Yesterday I took about one or two strokes and my left shoe popped out of the cleat and since I didn't have my foot in yet the shoe went flying. 

After going back to get my shoe and finally getting going I tried to see how the bike would go. If you just look at my average speed (19.3 mph) then it was a good ride. I just wish it felt like a good ride. The first half was tough and things almost fell apart on the back half. 

Heading back in on the bike. 

In addition to how I felt physically, I also had trouble with the hills on the route. On my road bike I don't have too many issues with hills but there's something about my tri bike that makes hills that much harder. I don't know if it's the bike, the gears, or just me. Thankfully I was able to regain (some) time on the downhills and flats. 

T2:

I needed some time in T2 to regain myself a bit and steel myself for the run. There were also a few quick conversations with fellow competitors about how hot and humid it was. 

Run:

Of the three disciplines, the run was the toughest. My normal pace is somewhere in the 7:30-8 minute mile. For the 10k I shuffled along closer to 10:15 mins per mile. And it was shuffling. My normally long strides were reduced to about two or three feet. By this time Mother Nature decided to add to the woes addition to the physical issues I was having from not having trained correctly, probably not having the right nutrition, and the issue coming out of the water. The sun was out in full force and it brought its friend humidity. 

I'm normally not one to stop at every water stop but I had to this time. In fact, I just focused on getting from one water stop to the next. It was equally for hydration and to cool myself off by pouring cold water over me. I was also very thankful for the two families that were hosing people down along the route. 

The best part of the run, by far, was seeing my cheering section. 

My personal cheering section. 

The kids were well behave while waiting for me (unfortunately they had to wait longer than normal because I was that slow). Both of them got a kick out of the leaders, especially the guys with the disc wheels on the bikes, and ringing the cow bell. 

Keeping a lookout for Daddy. 

The best encouragement I could ask for. 

As tough as it was to do the race I'm glad I did it. To date I've raised over $2,500 for research into multiple myeloma. Combined with Nate's fundraising efforts earlier in the year, ME Against Myeloma has raised over $8,000 year-to-date. I would like to thank all of you for your support, both emotionally and through donations. It means a great deal to our family. 

I would also like to thank my sponsors: namely my wife and kids. Without their support, encouragement, and understanding I would not have been able to do any of this. Thank you. 

Traverse City Triathlon

This past weekend I was in Traverse City, Michigan again for the Traverse City Triathlon. The race takes place about five miles from where I grew up, is put on by two guys I ran track with in high school, and was the site of my very first triathlon (in 2013). It's a great course with some beautiful views on a sunny day. 

Going into the race I was hoping to improve on my time and overall standing from last year and I was hoping to place in the top three of my age group (last year I was fourth in my age group with some pretty horrendous transition times). Unfortunately the age group improvements were not to be. This year the competition was much stiffer and I went from 4th in my age group last year to 7th this year. But I moved up in the overall from 30-something to 14th. So overall I'll take it. 

Swim:

The water was cool again this year but not too cold. It was an overcast day and it had rained recently so the normally crystal clear water wasn't, but it was still a great place for the swim. I'm pretty sure I did a better job of staying on course this time and had a pretty good swim overall. I'm also pretty sure my swim was about a minute slower than last year's though (I didn't do nearly enough swim training). 

T1:

My transition this year was much, much faster than last year. My one flub was trying to mount the bike right out of transition, seeing the mount line was still a few feet away, having to stop getting on the bike to run up to the line and then remounting. Oh well. 

Bike:

We flew to Traverse this year so I rented a bike for the race. It was a good bike, but it would have been nice to have my aero bike on this course (it wouldn't have been worth the money or hassle to get it out there for a sprint, but it would have been nice nonetheless). I had a chance to ride the course earlier in the week so there weren't really any surprises. I was only passed by one person the whole ride and he was part of a relay team. Overall a good ride. 

T2:

As with the first transition, this was much smoother and faster than last year's. It's amazing what practice and knowing what you're doing can accomplish. 

Run:

My run time wasn't bad and I felt a lot slower than I was. So I guess that's a good thing. But I did feel slow. Once again though, I wasn't passed on the run and actually managed to pass some people. That's always a good thing. 

Here I am taking the last curve into the finish line. 

Overall it was a good race and a good tune-up for the Lobsterman (Olympic distance) that's coming up in a few weeks. 

Father's Day

This past weekend allowed us to refocus on why we put in the miles running, biking, and swimming.

Family. 

We were able to get the whole family down (and up) to Boston to celebrate Father's Day. It was great to spend the weekend together and especially nice to have the grand kids first experience at Fenway Park be with Grandpa. 

While we were there ME Against Myeloma was able to complete a rare feat: all go for a run together. Here we are along the Charles River with the skyline of Boston in the background. 

Arr, tis the Pirate Tri!

Transition area all set up.

This morning was the Pirate Tri at Point Sebago, ME. The race organizers were thoughtful enough to order up some gorgeous weather and it was the perfect day for a tri. I started things doing exactly what you're supposed to not do: something different on race day. Today was the first time I really tried to mount the bike with the shoes already clipped in and then get my feet in on the fly. Thankfully that worked with little to no hassle.

Swim:
Unfortunately, not everything worked out that way. The strap to my goggles broke about two minutes before the start of the race. Being a former Boy Scout, I had an extra pair of goggles. The problem is, they were in my bag in the transition area which was already closed. What should have been a nice 1/3 of a mile swim, something where I could gain some time on some of the field, turned into a rather annoying experience. I tried the whole Tarzan thing for about 100 yards and then switched over the backstroke. Given the issues with the swim, I did pretty well and was only a few seconds off my normal 100 yard split - doing freestyle.

Not what you want to see 2 mins before the race.

T1:
The first transition went pretty well. Had some issues getting the wetsuit off (I managed to knock my well placed helmet and sunglasses onto the ground trying to get the suit off) but made up time (in comparison to my previous transitions) by having the shoes mounted on the bike.

Bike:
Hills. Usually hills aren't a horrible thing for me. But there's something about my tri bike that makes hills very, very difficult. Thankfully, there was still gravity on the course and what goes up must come down. And the downhill was fun. Very fun. Overall it was a really (and fun) bike.

T2:
I also tried something new at T2 and got out of my shoes before getting off the bike. Once again this probably should have ended in catastrophe as I had never done it before. But once again it all worked out and I was able to make my transition to the running that much faster.

Run:
I'm not sure what exactly it was but my legs did not feel as ungodly heavy starting the run this time (probably means I could have gone faster on the bike). The lack of lead in my legs allowed me to pull out a pretty decent run. I averaged a 7:17 mile which is actually pretty fast for me, especially after having done a swim and bike right before hand. I probably could have kicked a little harder at the end (and am kicking myself for not doing so), but overall I was pleased with the run.

Overall I placed 44th out of 241. I was 36th out of 109 men and 6th in my age group (there were 13 total in my age group, three of which were in the top four so I don't feel too bad).

Post race:
One of the greatest things about doing these races is coming home to the family. We decided to take advantage of the awesome weather and go to the beach. Overall it was a great day.

Pineland Farms Trail Challenge Recap

This past Saturday we ran a 5k at the Pineland Farms Trail Challenge. The event has multiple races, everything from a barefoot 5k to a 50-miler. While we like running, and trail running in particular, we're nowhere near ready to try running for 50 miles. 

The weather was a big question mark up until the race. The forecast was for rain and temperatures in the mid-50s. Thankfully it was just overcast and in the 60s or so. In other words, perfect weather for a run in the woods. 

This was the first running race of the year for both of us. It was the perfect start to the running portion of our season. The trails were great, not too hard but also not really muddy and the atmosphere was fantastic as well. The course was pretty much a U in terms of elevation as it twisted and turned through the woods.

Someday I'll learn how to pace myself better and not go out too fast in the run (my last mile pace was almost two minutes slower than my first). That said, I had a pretty decent run and managed to place first in the "Mohawk division" (at least according to a few spectators cheering me on along the course). 

We're definitely coming back to this race next year. We hope to see you there!

All ready to go!

Katie finishing strong.

Celebrating a great time post-race.

Next up on the race docket is the Pirate Tri on June 8th.

Long run

Just under two years ago we made the roughly 9 hour car ride from our home in Alexandria, VA to our new house in Maine. The trip is about 555 miles, give or take. Today, less than two years later I completed the trip again - running.

Let me explain. Thanks to the marvels of modern technology I've been able to track every mile I have run since April 1, 2013 (that was my first real run since moving up here). Today I passed the 555 mile mark all-time. So, in a manner of speaking, I have run the distance from our old home to our new home. In doing so I have had some great runs, some really difficult runs, and some new races. I have been able to show my kids the importance of staying healthy and I have been able to see some awesome views. I have run in two states and two countries. I have run to find a cure for multiple myeloma.

And, to top it all off I passed this milestone by running a personal record for the 5k. Not too shabby.

-Andrew