July 26, 2009: Roger's race report - IM Lake Placid
Click here:
http://www.teamrunningfree.com/blog/2009/07/27/hoss-at-imlp-2009/June 16, 2009: Laurent Escapes from Alcatraz!
Back from my trip to San Francisco for the Escape of Alcatraz triathlon race. I couldn�t wait to write this report so you all know now that it is THE race to do for every Triathletes!
But let�s get rid of the bad part of my trip first: � At the end of the race, I went directly to the paramedic tent on site because I couldn�t even put my foot on the ground. Yesterday, back in town, I went to a clinic and a physiotherapist diagnosed: tendon is damaged with a small (?) rupture. I am due for physio for the next couple of months�therefore my season is probably over but it doesn�t matter �cause the rest of my season would have been with �B� race (Xterra Lake Placid at the end of August) and local �C� races.
Now back to the real join of my trip.
The race was exceptional! Everything was organized perfectly, flawless! But I was expecting so, knowing that Tricalifornia inc. also organizes Wildflower and they do a fantastic work as well. Weather was beautiful. The start of the swim is very exciting: jumping out of the boat in no time with some �Go, Go, Go!!� coming from the crew�like paratroopers� no time to realize�water was not cold at all. Was measured at 59oF (much �warmer� than the previous years). Surprisingly, the current was not really strong but the wind was again us so the ocean was very wavy. Swallowed lots of water� Overall swim time � even for the pros � was very slow. 1st pro out of the water was in 30mins when usually it takes 20-25 mins. It took me 46mins to cover the 1.2-1.5 miles�The bike portion is exactly the way I love it: numerous, technical and steep endless ups and downs! At last a bike route for skilled and true roadies�need at least a compact crankset (50-36 x 12-25 is good enough) to go though the loop comfortably� I sincerely don�t see the point, neither the benefit of riding a tri specific bike on this course but it seemed that some people did and consequently, a serious accident happened just beside me, going downhill fast�.the guy was on his aerobars and couldn�t control his tribike so his front wheel just turned, broke the fork, flew over his bike (front wheel passed beside my head!) before hitting the ground harshly�another guy behind him couldn�t avoid him and bumped into him badly�both went straight to the hospital�hope it�s not too bad for them, though it was very spectacular and scary�I finished the bike strongly, get onto the run and after 1 mile my ankle started to bother me�I slowed my pace a bit but it did get worse�though because it is about 80% trails/beach/dirty roads, it was softer than if on asphalt�I walked all the uphills and tried no to push in the downhills�.finished the run literarily on one foot! It took me 1h12mins to run 8 miles, my longest split ever!!!
Anyway. I�m glad I finished the race I so could see how great it is. If it was a local race I would have give up in T2, just after the bike, to avoid damaging more my ankle. Overall, very technical and hilly on both bike and run, challenging on the swim. I am a bit disappointed because I could have done better on that race which suits me perfectly (I don�t like flat profile..) and I could have shaved at least 10-15 mins on the run which would have put me in the top 50 (out of 300) in my age group�I finished 109th with a time of 3h10mins in one leg so there really was room to do better.
Definitely on my calendar for next year! You must enter it as well!!!
August 26 2006: Multiman Race Report
On Saturday August 26th a team representing Running Free and comprised of Ruth Russell, Karen Gamble, Liz McManus and Clare and John Atkinson took part in the inaugural HSBC Multiman event at Calabogie Peaks.
August 2006: Shannon Bentleys Race Report from 2006 IronMan Canada
Thanks so much for all your support! The Master's Swim Club was a big part of my success. In fact, I think the swim portion of my race felt the easiest of all three!!! I did get some calf cramps with less than 1 km to go in the swim...but I managed to pull the rest of the way in with just my arms - legs in tow. The bike went great except for the fact that I could have used lower gears for several of the climbs. I found out later that most people had changed their gears or added a third ring in the front because of the infamous Richter's Pass. Good idea!
The run started out great until I made a rookie mistake. I was so sick of my warm nutritional drinks that I gulped a bottle of ice cold Gatorade offered on the course plus downed a couple of orange & melon slices. Too much too soon, I found out. I quickly started to get gut rot and stomach cramps and had to walk after about 12km. By 16km, I was projectile puking like a 5-year old kid with the flu. I continued to walk (and puke) for about 10km until my stomach was
completely empty. At that point I started to feel better and I was able to start re-hydrating and eventually running. I ran in the last 15km and felt great and finished strong. That's about it in a nutshell. I was pretty stiff the next day - but now back to my normal self. It's amazing how quickly the body & mind recovers! I'm almost ready for a bike ride...almost! Hope to see you on Thursday for the final summer swim. Thanks again for all your support - it meant a lot.
Cheers,
Shannon
July 27 2006: Mikey Likes Tri!
As you are aware, some of our members participated in the recent Lake Placid IronMan Triathlon last weekend. Please see below for Michael Leaders amazing recap of the race
http://mileader.trifuel.net/2006/07/28/ironman-lake-placid-race-report/
Great Job Michael!
for those of you thinking of trying a triathlon, maybe this report might pursuade you to take that next step.
June 10 2006
The Family that Tri's Together,...
by Clare Atkinson
Last weekend the Atkinson family took part in the HSBC London triathlong weekend with John and I competing in the sprint (my first) and the kids (Joseph 8 and Kathryn 5) taking part in the KOS. The weather was OK (sunny) but there was a very strong wind which both cooled the air dramatically and made for an interesting bike ride. The lake was actually quite warm (reportedly 75 degrees) but the water was very weedy; my only major goal that day (apart from finishing) was to get out of the water ahead of John, we had been allocated the same wave to start. I knew his long legs and big lungs would serve him well on both the bike and the run but surely there was one thing I could do better at? Anyway, I did get out of the water a whole 30+ seconds ahead of him and we were in the first transition at the same time; it wasn't long before John (AKA Lance A) was out on the bike course and averaging 33+ Km/h. I did pretty well, given the strong winds and averaged 28+ km/h. Back into Transition 2 and on to the run the goal was to survive to the finish. I saw John again as he was galloping back from the turnaround point and I was heading out there. John finished the race in just over 1 hour and 4 mins to come first in his age category (over 40 male clydesdales) and I came in at 1 hour and 19 and came in first in my age category (under 40 female athenas). I was completely surprised and pleased with the results. The Kids had tonnes of fun doing the KOS and I believe that Kathryn has inherited her fathers aptitude as a runner, she wouldn't let any of the other kids pass her! Josephs strengths are in biking and we were very impressed that he finished the whole race 75m swim, 5k Bike and 1K run.Clare
November 6 2005
The 2005 New York City Marathon
by Liz McManus
My experience in New York was phenomenal! The race was absolutely awesome. Exceptionally well organized, especially considering the logistics of 37000 runners covering 5 boroughs point-to-point in a city built on islands! The New Yorkers are amazingly helpful and friendly people and the race volunteers were brilliant.Given the unfavorable conditions of heat and humidity I decided I would enjoy the race, take care of myself and appreciate the people and the sights and sounds. So I jogged along chatting to runners, greeting the 10000 spectators who called out my name, thanking the hundreds of volunteers who passed me the gallons of fluids I needed to combat the 97% humidity and applauding the many musicians along the route.
By 19 miles I was beginning to doubt the sense of marathon running (like one does at 19 miles), wondering if I should have done that weight training I had planned but never did :-P . However a mile or so later I spotted Jack and we decided to finish together. It was a pleasure and an honor to cross the finish line with Jack, 65 years old, 20 x marathoner, 5 x this year and 3 x in the last 6 weeks. He is awesome!
As for my time (4:48), it was a personal worst by a long way. As for my experience it was a personal best!
Then began an endurance test of another kind. We made it back to the airport for our flight home only to find the airport in chaos with canceled and overbooked flights. We ended up staying an extra night and flying back on Monday.
My unconventional training plan of frequent running with back to back medium length runs paid off for what I wanted to achieve. I felt very fit, if not so strong, and finished happy and in good shape.
Liz.
October 24, 2005
My Triathlon Experience
by Kathy Tam
Well, the triathlon season ended about a month ago, and I�ve been taking a little break from it ever since. Unfortunately, I have been injured for a couple of months now, and couldn�t do the last two races of the summer. This was most likely a result of getting the wrong running shoes (long story). However, I am happy that I got two longer distance triathlons under my belt this year. My goal was to complete a Half Ironman this year, and that�s what I did. I started doing triathlons last year. My goals last year were to complete a few triathlons, ending with an Olympic distance. My swim background consisted of swimming lessons, as a teenager, up to Bronze Medallion. However, I never considered myself a strong swimmer, and haven�t swam laps in about 15 years. I had completed one half marathon prior to last year, and had a couple years of mountain bike experience. So, that�s what I started with last year. I could barely swim 10 laps, and was wondering how I was ever going to swim further. Plus, I was swimming in the mornings, during public lane swim. That was very frustrating, as there were people swimming at different speeds and styles in each lane.My first triathlon last year, was a short sprint. I was very nervous of the swim, as I had never raced in open water, let alone in a pool. When the gun went off, I quickly found myself in race mode. That was quite different than doing laps in a pool. People were all around me, bumping into each other. Soon, they were mostly ahead of me anyways, but I felt more comfortable that way. The swim felt like it was never going to end it was a 750m distance. I found myself veering off course a lot. I soon learned that if I didn�t look up to see where I was going every so often, I�d be going in the wrong direction. That is something I still have to master, but I'm getting better at it (keep looking for the orange buoys). Finally, I saw the swim exit coming up. I was so happy to see it. Once I got out and started running, my legs were like jello. Once I got on the bike, I felt much better. I�d have to say that the bike is my favourite part. I was nearly in last place getting out of the water, but then I caught about 10 people on the bike. When I got to the run segment, my legs were back to jello. I felt so out of shape, and wondered if I could finish the 5km run without having to walk. I think I might have passed two more people and finished with a smile on my face. I thought it was difficult, but I was already looking forward to doing more triathlons. I knew that I needed to improve on my swim the most, and also do more brick workouts. Always lots to learn. I was happy to finish the season with an Olympic tri at Wasaga. That was my favourite course. However, I made one big �boo-boo�. I forgot to get my time chip (I realized that during the swim), and finished the race anyway. Sometimes you gotta learn the hard way. Ever since that, I�ve had nightmares about forgetting something at a race. That�s one of the challenges of being a triathlete is to remember all your equipment!
So, basically, my overall goals were to complete longer and longer triathlons and to find out what distance was good for me. I started off this season with the Muskoka Long Course. I don�t really know what possessed me to start the season off without doing at least one sprint first. Maybe it�s because I didn�t have a wetsuit. Plus, I didn�t plan on getting one this year, nor rent one. I was very nervous to do this course, as this was even longer than the Olympic distance. Also, it was a 2km swim! However, I needed to do this course, to make sure that I could do the Half Ironman in Peterborough, a few weeks after that. I told myself just to take it easy, and go at a slow comfortable pace for the swim. Once I�m out of the water, everything will be fine. I finished the swim in a respectable time, and I felt awesome! The bike was good too, though the hills were pretty tough. I finally finished the race, feeling pretty tired, but was very happy. Plus, I got to race with Simon Whitfield and Lisa Bentley! So, that gave me enough confidence to go to Peterborough. I felt great at the half IM, up until the 60km mark, on the bike. My knees were really starting to hurt. I didn�t know how I was going to finish the run, or if I could even run after that. I mustered up all I had, with enough adrenaline and hope left in me and finished the race, even though I had to walk most of the half marathon portion. I can�t tell you how happy I was to finish that race, finally. After I completed the half IM at Peterborough this year, I didn�t think I�d want to do another one at that distance especially in that heat! It�s been a few months and I�m thinking that I might do another one. Now that I know that I can swim at least 2km in open water, it�s given me the confidence that I can do whatever I set my mind on. Stick to a good training schedule, buy good running shoes, eat and hydrate properly, and stay positive.
I think that what also helped me reach my goal this year, was that I joined the swim club, and that I also joined a triathlon club. Group workouts really helped, and so did having coaches, and people of similar interests to talk to and train with. Last year, I trained alone. This year, I mixed it up with group and alone training. I�ve met lots of wonderful and interesting people this year. I�m looking forward to another great year.
Kathy Tam