Mighty Hamptons Triathlon - TriathlonOlympic

Wasn't really expecting much, since I haven't been training. Bumped into Mike (mscotthall) right before my wave went off, that was cool. Thought about the last few weeks right before the gun and thought to myself, just get through the swim and we'll deal with the rest later. Actually managed to swim Freestyle the whole way with the exception of getting torpedoed by some wayward swimmers. I swear I was the USS Indianapolis and these guys were Japanese SUB commanders. Some of these guys were swimming directly into shore. I've seen some bad sighting before, but these guys had me actually laughing as I watched them practically beaching themselves before they realized they were off course. The way back I was getting some water in my mouth since I breathe left. I thought I was faster, but I guess not.

Not do a 4 week taper?

Apparently I ordered lunch in T1. Actually it was a long distance from timing mat to my bike. Lack of training made me dizzy, so I took a bit longer to pound a gel and get some water. As I'm starting to run with bike, I'm thinking..Holy Crap my tri-shorts are awfully baggy and wet?? WTF?? Dumbass never took the shorts off that I wear over tri shorts pre-race. Debated briefly to do bike in them, but set my bike down against rack and ran back to my T spot and took off shorts. My T1 was the antithesis of fast Transitions.

Nothing...I was having fun!!

Debated whether or not to wear long-sleeve, sinec it was still only about 50 degrees, decided not to. Wasn't expecting anything here, again due to lack of training. However in beginning I wasn't doing too bad and was averaging about 16.5 for first 10 miles, which has been my average all year. Got up to 36.4 on one downhill. Course had a lot of technical turns and I went to use front brake at the bottom of one hill and there was nothing there..I squeezed all the way and nothing happened. Ooops...Thank God for rear brakes. After Mile 10 I felt my pace slowing and I never caught up to anyone that I was leap frogging with up/down hills. This course is also used for training and I got passed by 2 separate small peletons, who encouraged me. That was cool..these guys were flying and making it look so easy. They also seemed to be sitting higher on the bike than me? Anyway..by mile 15 I was struggling and the wind was in my face from 3 directions, never seeming to be a tailwind. I'm done with the bike...now just the run. As I finally finish the bike and come into T2, I see guys packing up their cars. One does yell some encouraging words to me..are you phucking kidding me???? You're done??? They got ripped off if you ask me. We paid same price and they only spent a little more than 2 hours on the course, I got to spend almost 4 hours!! Dollar for Dollar I used the course more. :)

Umm..train? But I was still smiling!

Another long distance from timing Mat to my T-spot. Checked on my laundry (drying shorts). Started flirting with 2 spectators, not realizing it's hard to look cool when you're in 700th place! :) Grabbed my water bottle and gel and off I went.

Nothing.

I thought, Okay I can do this and earn the right to wear the race shirt. You have to understand, being able to wear that shirt was one of the main motivators for me even being at this event. Honoring my friends (Thanks Jonah[jmk_Bklyn]), was another reason. The problem with an out and back run course, to us Stugglers, is seeing everyone coming into the finish chute and thinking, Holy Crap I've got a long way to go. This course was very cool, though, in that it had Mile markers and Mile 1 came up surprisingly quickly. Shortly after Mile 1 I see a woman obviously in trouble and people are asking if she is okay but nobody is stopping. I stop and offer her my gel, she declines, but her eyes fixate on my water bottle. Ummm...what the hell..Take it!! Wished her luck and off I went. I started thinking about my friends killed on Sept 11 about now and then I see a tree with 3 or 4 separate shrines, complete with photos/poems/candles. At first I thought they were left over from the MS 150 Bike Tour that went through the day before, but I actually stopped to read a few of the Memorials because they looked eerily familiar to the ones I sifted through down at Ground Zero. Here I am, in the middle of a race reading poetry? One was for a 6 year old girl...I quickly left as I started to cry (Man-card revocation?) WTF, that tree killed 6 people and it's still standing?? Anyway, I am rambling, but I am coming up to the halfway point and I am going to catch that guy walking up there if it fucking kills me. This guy has been walking for 3 miles and I still can't catch him! I pass him finally around Mile 4. Only 2 more miles to go..and I actually start to pick up the pace from snail to turtle. Right before Mile 6 I see a pretty fit looking guy in my AG walking. Do I sneak by him and try to hide my AG? Nah, I encourage him, he complains he bonked..I tell him to hike up his skirt and check out my calf as I go by. For a BoPer, I sure do a lot of smack talking on the course. Anyway 100 yards from the finish, this guy has the Balls to pass me, along with (I thought) another guy in my AG. "Oh No you Didn't", I thought. I didn't come this far to end up DFL in my AG in the last 100 yards! I actually bust out into a full 100 yard sprint, and the sparse crowd cheered me on and the announcer shouts out, "Whoa..way to finish strong #369" (Ok, it wasn't Mike Reilly calling me an Ironman, but it was still pretty cool). I beat out both guys, one was in my AG, the other in 45-49, but the same wave so it still represented an Overall spot. As I looked out at the Bay trying to compose all the emotions of the past month, the woman I gave the water bottle too asked if I was the one who gave her the water? I said yes and she Hugged me and started crying in my arms thanking me & telling me it was her first ever Olympic distance and she wouldn't have finished if I didn't give her the water and encouragement. There we were, 2 complete strangers, hugging and crying and then we separeted and I'll probably never see her ever again. I love this sport and I'm not going anywhere!

Bone up my Man-card and stop being such an emotional roller-coaster.

Packed up my gear and contemplated going to the Post race BBQ. It was too depressing as everyone seemed to be with friends/family, so I packed up and raced home as fast as I could to be with Lucas and Eva.


Nothing. I performed exactly as I was supposed to perform that day.


Anyone contemplating a late season Olympic distance on the East End of LI should consider this race. Absolutely gorgeous venue and extremely well-run. A little pricey, but hey, it's the Hamptons. I want to Thank everyone who encouraged me leading up to this race and the entire BT community, without whom I would have probably quit doing tri's months ago. I'm not back 100% mentally yet from Laura's death, but I'll be back soon. IMFL 2010 anyone??? :)