Category Archives: All

Running with my racers

Posted on by Posted in All, Fitness, Race Reports, Training: Running 2 Comments

My weekend plans changed quite a bit. As I sat drinking my coffee I realized that the Knickerbocker 60K was going down and I had some crew racing it. Hmmm… I think I’ll go run and support my peeps!

I ran the 60K in 2009. Here is a funny video of my finish.

As I set off in the opposite direction of all the Knickerbocker folks I flashed back to my race and how fun (and painful it was).

I saw friend Jim first, who seemed to be doing great! Then, I saw Kevin and Michael from Front Runners, looking strong. Next up, Sebastien, who was on a mission flying by. I said to myself, “I bet he is trying to win this thing.”

Cruising across the 103 Trans I saw Paddy coming my way. I flipped around and started running with him. He was on lap 5 of 9 and doing great. We chatted about running and just kinda enjoyed the day. As a runner, and being in Paddy’s shoes a few times, I tried to be the best pace setter a guy could be. First off, I tried to be the one doing most of the talking.  Second, I didn’t do TOO much talking and kept my pace as close to his as possible. I think I did a good job.

After 2 miles I bid him farewell and flipped back around. I saw Robin here and had a brief chat with her before she took off.

I did a full loop of the Park after this and saw Kevin, Michael, Paddy, Sebastien, and Jim a few more times. It was an amazing fall day for a run and I was kinda sad I didn’t sign up to race this one!

This post was really just a lead in for some ‘Big Ups’ and ‘Godspeeds,’ so here we go.

Sebastien! You won the damn thing! Congrats! We first met during the 2009 Knickerbocker  (pic of us hangin after below) and he came in 2nd then!

Paddy! Nice work on the PR brother!

Ed! You have your first marathon to run tomorrow in Philly, kick some ass!

Bethaney! Godspeed in Philly! Lookout for Ed!

Kelly! I sense a PR tomorrow in Philly.

Philly peeps, godspeed. Have a great race! I hear you have to have purple mohawks to get into this thing?!

Ironman Arizona peeps! Jen and Audra, please have mercy on your competitors. You two are a force to be reckoned with. Kill it and represent Kompetitive Edge in style. Arizona was my first Ironman so it has a special place in my heart.

Brooklyn Marathoners! Represent! Cooper Trooper you better own it!

It makes me terribly proud to know so many outstanding athletes.

 

 

 

A Thanksgiving thought

Posted on by Posted in All, Uncategorized 1 Comment

I feel pretty blessed to have such a great community of friends. Lately though, there has been a lot of negativity and general dismay. It made me think of a story that affected my life forever and I want to tell it. No, it’s not a race report, but it’s my blog so I can get serious if I want to.

—

Three or four years ago I was getting ready to leave work. Winter had set in and I was bundling up, preparing for a crowded subway ride home. My mind was racing and I had to sit back down. The racing was more like a headache, creating a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach, and it had been there all day.

Without going into too much detail, let’s just say I had gotten myself into a boatload of financial trouble rather quickly. No, the mob wasn’t involved but it was still very stressful, especially for someone who likes to have his ‘ducks in a row’.

Leaving work and heading East across 53rd Street it was particularly cold and windy, the kind of weather that ironically burns so to speak. My mind was also burning for a solution to my problem. I felt like crying, like moving away and starting all over. Had New York City finally gotten to me 10 years later?

The Subway, although a shelter from the cold, was no treat on a night like tonight. Anyone who even considered walking home didn’t due to the frigid weather. The 6 Train was packed, not the kind of packed you get every day, but the kind where you don’t even need to hold onto the pole for stability. It quickly went from cold to hot and I wished I had the space to unbutton my overcoat. We slowly clicked forward, everyone doing their best to maintain some sort of composure. “Should I sell some of my things? How will I pay rent? Maybe take a night job?” I was somewhere else.

A few stops in a faint sound came to my attention. ‘Clang!’ ‘Scraaaaaape.’ ‘Clang!’ ‘Scraaaaaape.’ It was coming from the far end of the car. People on that end were shifting around and looking a bit startled. I went back to stressing out, but the sound was getting louder. ‘Clang!’ ‘Scraaaaape.’ ‘Clang!’ ‘Scraaaaape.’ People in the middle of the car were now sidestepping, still I could not see who was passing through the car. At one point I thought, “Who on earth would try and navigate through this crowded train? Seriously!”

Finally, a sight I will never forget, came into view. As I stood there, in my suit and overcoat heading to my apartment worrying about some financial troubles, a blind man with no legs was pushing a coffee tin full of change down the center of the train. He had a bandana covering his eyes, and as he swung his torso he supported himself with only his arms. His hands, dirty, were wrapped in strips of cloth to protect them. The entire car fell silent. ‘Clang!’ ‘Scraaaaape.’ ‘Clang!’ ‘Scraaaaape.’ I reached into my pocket for any money I had and put it in his tin pail. My mood quickly changed.

Exiting my stop and continuing on I almost broke into tears on the street. As I walked toward my warm apartment and my warm bed,  hot food waiting to be prepared, I worried about something so trivial.

It reminded me of a quote I read, excuse me if it’s not exact, “No matter how great your problems may seem, there will always be someone else with greater problems.”

New York City and its neighboring lands were devastated by Hurricane Sandy this year, some harder than others. Let us also not forget, many people all over the world have it pretty rough. Donate just $10 (or more) to Red Cross for Sandy victims, $10 to save a rainforest, or $10 for Lymphoma research (a cause dear to my heart) or just remember them this month in a toast.

What am I thankful for on this Thanksgiving? I was blessed with two strong legs that carry me swiftly across the land. I can run.

New York New York!

Posted on by Posted in All, Race Reports, Recipes 5 Comments

It’s a good day to be a runner.

In the wake of hurricane Sandy, New York and it’s neighbors were left hungry, cold and some without homes. In the days following a horrible debate came to play, to go on with the NYC Marathon or to not. Bloomberg kept the show on until Friday, a mere 2 days from the race. Runners, not our Mayor, were being threatened and attacked by people who thought it a bad idea. Shame on them for attacking people who run to raise thousands of dollars to help others.

My personal opinion was that the race should have been cancelled Tuesday. I was not going to run it anyway.

Before continuing on to more positive things, I need to say this… if you were one of those people with an opinion, you better have been out there PHYSICALLY helping, otherwise you just added to the problem.

Runners, and especially the ones I am honored to call my friends, are noble and amazing people.

On the morning of the NYC Mary thousands of runners (wearing their orange race shirts) banded together and went to Staten Island, bringing much needed supplies and to help in any way they could. My friend Eissa organized our own event. At 9:30AM today a few dozen of us runners compiled loads of donated items to bring to Brooklyn and Staten Island.

At our donation drop off point I finally got to meet Ron, who is also coached by Sonja! Speaking of Sonja, her friend Gaye was there to join in! What a small world! The rest of the Runner Army was there in force too.

We packed Eissa’s car to the brim! It was so funny to see! Today she will drop off all of these goods to people in need affected by Sandy.

Next, we took off toward The Central Park for a loop. As we entered we were totally amazed at all the positive energy there! Thousands of runners, decked out in their marathon gear, were doing loops of the Park! There were people all over cheering with signs and cowbells, some handing out water. Every few miles there were groups with donation drop-off areas, collecting more goods to bring.

We made the best of it and really took it all in. It really made me happy and renewed my faith in humanity.

“I love this town!”

 

F*%K THAT, Friday!

Posted on by Posted in All, Tips and Tactics 2 Comments

Last night (having beers with Abbe and Claire) an idea came to mind… if a blog is so full of race reports and serious triathlon stuff, shouldn’t it also have some fun rants about life to add balance to it’s content? Totally!

I give you, ‘F*%K THAT, Friday!’ a commentary on stupid and annoying things that may have happened during the week. If you have a blog, feel free to post your own!

1. Why are there so many people on Park Avenue hailing cabs, making my skateboard commute all the more challenging? Oh right, the Subway was broken today! F*%K THAT!

2. I lost one toenail due to Ironman and now, the one next to it is falling off thanks to Grete’s Great Gallop Half Marathon 2 weeks ago! F*%K THAT!

3. How come every time I go into my local bodega the price of Half-n-Half fluctuates by a few dollars?! F*%K THAT!

4. Why is there a hurricane blocking me from getting to my Dominican Republic vacation tomorrow?! Not cool Sandy. F*%K THAT!

Free Yourself from the Numbers

Posted on by Posted in All, Fitness, Running 4 Comments

With each passing day I gain the new friendship of a runner or triathlete. Since my first race, the NYC Mary in 2008, my life has taken quite a turn and I love it. I honestly don’t know what I did with my time before training for Ironmans and Marathons?

Look! I used to run in PANTS!

As my athletic endeavors became more challenging I found myself absorbed in the science behind it all. I hired a fantastic coach, learned about nutrition, heart rate, cadence, pace strategy and aerobic thresholds. This helped me tremendously! I saw improvements in my times and felt great about my training regimen. I had a sort of revelation the other day though, watching my twitter feed and everyone talking about their runs, bikes or swims and the mileage and pace associated with each one. (Funny how all my friends now are athletes says the kid who went to art school.) I got kind of turned off by the whole thing, the science of it all. Even I was guilty of over analyzing my training.

I had forgotten that at it’s core, the reason I run, or racing in triathlons, is that it’s fun. No matter what pace you hit, how even your heart rate was, or how many miles you put in, at the end you still feel great and probably really enjoyed yourself. You just forgot because you were too focused on numbers.

I set out to do a little test 2 weeks ago during the Grete’s Great Gallop Half Marathon. I was going to run naked (without my precious Garmin) and prove that it doesn’t matter. I raced my heart out and came within 5 seconds of a PR I set in 2010! I wasn’t looking at my wrist every 30 seconds, I was focused on how I felt and how fast my legs were turning over. It was very ‘freeing,’ similar to turning off your cell phone during a vacation.

The New York City Marathon is in 2 weeks and I am running that bad boy Garminless. I invite anyone interested to try it! Obviously first time marathon runners or people out to BQ might not apply, but everyone else, what have you got to lose? Who’s with me?!

Anyone want to make any Garminless predictions for my time? My course PR for New York is 3:00:48.

RACE REPORT: 085 Grete’s Gallop 1/2 Mary – 1:20:53

Posted on by Posted in All, Fitness, Race Reports, Running 2 Comments

The mighty Grete Waitz (for those of you that don’t know) was a rock star of a woman, winning the NYC Mary 9 times. Whaaaaa?! She is also from Norway and based on a recent DNA test I found out I am primarily Norwegian. Perhaps a distant relative? One could only wish for a relative like her. I digress… this Half Mary is in her honor and takes place in The Central Park.

Since completing Ironman in August a huge weight was lifted in my training both physically and mentally. My ‘A’ races (Boston as well) for the season are over. I’m racing NYC Marathon, but I always do that simply because it’s so much fun! Therefore, I’m not stressin’.

That brings us up to speed on our discussion on Grete’s Gallop. To race, or just run, THAT is the question. Abbe told me to race it and seeing how the Mary is 3 weeks out thats more than enough time to recover for it. Also, I secretly can never just ‘run’ a race no matter what I tell myself beforehand.

Now I was nervous. I started thinking about my latest Marathon PR and how I achieved it. Perhaps I could use that same strategy? This strategy (used in the Kentucky Derby Marathon) was simply to throw all pacing rules out the window and run as fast as I could the whole time.

The day before the race was actually quite relaxing. Abbe and I went to the Met (I now live a stones throw from it) and checked out the Warhol exhibit. We hit the Member’s Lounge for a few drinks and then headed back to the apartment for a nice home cooked race meal. In bed by 11! “Baker, good god man why so late?” The race started at 10:30, who ever heard of that?

RACE DAY

I had a strange dream about my father during the night that was really vivid. He ‘visited me’ and brought me a keepsake. It kind of affected m a lot and I decided to hone in on it while racing.

Had some coffee and really just counted down the hours until I had to leave! Abbe left earlier as she was volunteering. You can read all about her wild experience here.

A quick 10 minute jog got me over to the Start Corrals. I saw Erica Sara finishing up her 20 miler and ran with her for a hot second.

Up in my corral I didn’t see (for the first time in awhile) any of my Blue Corral buds. I later found out Antonio was hiding in it somewhere.

The usual suspects spoke… National Anthem… race route instructions… THE GUN.

I never know how a race is going to go until I start running (or swimming if we are referring to a Tri.) Immediately I felt as if I ran hard the day before. My legs, although moving at a good pace now, felt exhausted.

We hit Mile 1 at 5:45. What did I tell you my plan was? That’s right, run hellfire speed the whole time and I seemed to be holding up to it. In my mind thought I was like, “Man, this hurts bad. Maybe this isn’t such a great idea. Remember that easy long run we did last weekend at a 7 minute pace, let’s do that!”

Unfortunately, my legs didn’t listen. They can be stubborn. I was already tired by the time we hit Tavern on the Green (the Finish) and was like, “OH, now we have only 2 laps to do.” I kinda wanted to come up with a reason to DNF since my heart was on fire and I was super hot, and yet, I just kept running.

Oh, I forgot to tell you. I intentionally did not wear a Garmin. I wanted to try and get in tune with my heart and not just numbers.

I saw my friend Elizabeth at Mile 4ish who’s cheering gave me a boost.

By the time Harlem Hill was approaching we had formed a single line of runners, spaced out 10 meters each. A few of us started leapfrogging, but we were all holding the same pace so no one gained. It was at this point I started running ‘boy, girl, boy (me), girl’ with a few legit competitors. We would run the entire rest of the race together! That’s 9 miles of us all in formation, each of us taking turns leading.

Harlem Hill kicked my ass. Oh, and we had to run it one more time, awesome!

Climbing the east side of it I saw Jim from ‘Dad Posse’ who gave me a good cheer!

As our line barreled down the East Side we played the tangents. Well, we played them until I saw Course Marshall Abbe at which point I veered over to give her a high five. I tried to think of something more entertaining to do, like tackle her into the bushes, but I was exhausted.

Then, we saw Ed from ‘Dad Posse’ who gave me a cheer. I wondered if they both knew each other were in the Park running?

After we crossed the Start area I switched on some much needed music. Based on my calculations we were running right around a 6 minute pace. I was happy with this but knew we would slow down, this being the half way point in the race.

Right around Mile 8 or 9 I noticed that I felt pretty good! So weird. I was still tired, but I was running happy and knew I would finish.

I saw Sebastien cheering on the sidelines who gave me a boost.

Our pace team, led by a tall brunette with a grey sports bra, a CPTC guy, me, and a brunette in a pink hat and shades, were now attacking Harlem Hill for the second time. We hit it pretty hard and showed no mercy. I was happy to hit the apex. (ohhh good word.) Barreling down the descent I saw Josh on my left cheering us on. I yelled, “Josh baby, what’s popping?!” I seemed to be in a cheerful mood, maybe because I had 3 miles to go.

By now we had started lapping other runners and it was no longer possible to hit the tangents, having to run wide left. We would no longer be able to get to the aid stations unless willing to risk serious time loss.

Passing Abbe again I gave her yet another high five. Then I saw Sebastien again (who had crossed the Park). I love seeing all the Runner Army out there support each other. Times like this make me happy to be a part of the local running community.

I hit Mile 11 at roughly 1:06 and change. I tacked 14 conservative minutes onto that and calculated that, yes, I might PR. I ‘thought’ my PR was 1:20:21, so that was the time I aimed for.

It got real crowded the last 2 miles and I was just trying to make it around the other runners without slamming into them. I was really excited to PR and was trying to keep pace up.

As the last mile hit I came upon and Urban Athletics runner going my pace. “Hey Chris!” he said. I evidently knew this person but had a hard time putting a face to a name until someone yelled out, “Go KB!” Beganics, of course! We chatted briefly before reeling in the last 400 Meters. The clock said 1:20 flat and knowing I could never PR at that rate I didn’t punch it. In reality, my PR was 1:20:48 and I probably should have blasted ahead. Way to do your pre race homework Baker.

Truly exhausted.

I finished in 1:20:53 and you know what, I’m so happy with the time! I raced without a Garmin and was a few seconds from a Half Mary PR, one that I set in 2010 in fact!

Sex/
Age		 Bib Overall Place Age
Place		 Finish
Time		 Pace/
Mile		 AG %
M34 132 83 17 1:20:53 6:10 73.5%

 I have no idea what I was doing at the end… waving at the crowd? 

 

Fall in New York… Run.

Posted on by Posted in All, Fitness, Training: Running 3 Comments

This weekend (for me) was not the end of Summer, but the start of what looks to be an amazing Fall.

I had a manly steak dinner with my second youngest brother Jeff Friday night at Keen’s Steakhouse, one of the oldest in New York City. In fact, it has Peter Luger’s beat by merely one year. He is getting married this weekend so I was just making sure he didn’t have cold feet. Kidding…

Saturday morning I rode my bike up to 168th and Broadway where I met Josh (aka Speedy Sasquatch) and his crew. He was hosting a 20 mile training run in the Pallisades, the same Pallisades where the Ironman run took place, and needed bike support.  It turns out my friend Allen was biking too so we got to hang out all morning and catch up!

We had a blast riding up and down the Pallisades handing out water to the 15 or so runners. They were a great group and all of them are gong to kill the NYC Mary! Here a few shots of the gang as they ran. Nice to meet all of you!

I was secretly jealous that I wasn’t running.

So, Sunday morning I set out on a long run. My goal was to just maintain a 150 heart rate and see where that leads. It was gorgeous out and I was really having a blast. Around the Park and down the West Side path to the Battery. Even ran (ha!) into my friend Sebastien doing his long run. I haven’t ran further than 14 miles since Ironman in August and the NYC Mary is like 6 weeks away or something so this was a necessary workout. I was so thrilled because I ran 7:30’s flat with a 150 heart rate! I used to be more of an 8:00-7:50 per mile with a 150 heart rate, which means I am improving overall! Thanks Coach, it worked!

I bumped into Erica Sara at the end of my run and had a fun chat before realizing I was late for brunch at the Waldorf!

Booked it home and had 15 minutes to shower and get dressed to make the brunch. Did I pull it off? Hell yes! I even dressed in a suit.

Fall is here and with it, Marathon season!

RACE REPORT: 084 5th Avenue Mile – 4:57

Posted on by Posted in All, Race Reports, Running 7 Comments

1 Mile, from 80th Street to 60th Street, down 5th Avenue. No turns, just a straight shot of blistering speed right to the lungs. It hurts but is over just as fast as it began.

This was my 3rd time running it and I was a bit nervous. I was chatting to some of my runner friends about this last night. I wasn’t nervous about finishing the race, or running it close to what I might be capable of. What was on my mind, and many others, was would I be able to beat my previous mile time of 4:59?

After a quick jog over to the Start I left Abbe at her corral (Wave starts based on gender and age) and I ran down to the Finish. (It was only 1 mile away.) I ran into Erica and Lora and we had some quick runner talk before wishing each other well and setting off.

As the Women (aged 19-29) came blasting down I watched for Abbe but lost her in the masses. I did, however, see Robin blazing a path! Nice work.

I found Abbe at the Finish and she had accomplished her goal of breaking 7 minutes with 6:38!

She took my position cheering and I ran up to the Start. (It was only 1 mile away.)

It was quite humid out so I grabbed some water before running into Josh, Elyssa and Bojana. We high fived, of course. Josh and I left the gals to their corrals we did some sprints while chatting. We took our place behind the gals as soon as they set off.

Josh and I were probably 50 people back from the Start mats. As the gun went off I counted down how long I had to cross the mat (to subtract it from my clock finish) but I was so amped I kept counting while running and messed up the plan.

I cut hard left and took off, passing a large chunk of the masses. The corrals are not based on speed so it’s always a mixed bag. Moving ahead I passed this guy, then he hung on maintaining pace. Not to judge or tease, because I am happy for anyone who wants to exercise, but home slice had on basketball shorts and may have been wearing high tops. He inspired me to speed up because his foot falls sounded like he was trying to break the concrete. It was like a ‘foot belly flop’ every time he hit the ground. Quite annoying, so I sped up.

The uphill at the halfway point definitely took some spunk out of my game. I tried to just maintain whatever pace I had, which I was unsure of since I wasn’t wearing a watch.

At the crest of the hill I tried getting my heart rate to cool it. I think it worked as I blasted down the decline with ease. It was here that I heard my name being cheered on a few times! Turns out it was my friend Robert. Thanks for the pics man!

As I approached the final 3/4’s of the mile I felt great and got fired up. I also saw Abbe, Elyssa, Erica and Lora off to the side screaming my name which helped tremendously. Just like previous times, even though you can see the Finish and it seems like you’re cruising, it takes an eternity to reach it. All the while watching the clock tick off those precious seconds… 4:50, 4:51, 4:52.

I crossed the Finish at 5:02 but knew I had some sort of buffer based on my start. Later that day when the times were posted I learned that I had a 2 second PR with a time of 4:57!

Sex/
Age		 Bib Overall Place Age
Place		 Finish
Time		 Pace/
Mile		 AG %
M34 369 117 27 4:57 4:57 76.3%

So now next year will be extra stressful trying to top that. It’s funny how just one second can be such a big deal in a small race like this.

Congrats goes out to all my friends who ran today! It was pretty glorious for everyone. Oh and double ups to the winner, Matt, who beat out Bernard by .2 seconds with a 03:52.4. That, is fast.

 Post race lunch with a friend.

On Ironman NY’s cancellation

Posted on by Posted in All, Triathlon 3 Comments

The WTC recently announced that it would not continue with Ironman NYC due to various issues and feedback. A few friends asked my opinion on this and so I felt compelled to do a quick write up.

“Producing an event in a large urban market is complex and challenging. The combination of the ferries, transition in Palisades Interstate Park, and the difficulty for our spectators to watch much of the inaugural race all combined to create an experience that needed substantial improvement.  Also, the inability to have amplified sound in Riverside Park after 10 p.m. does not allow us to offer the IRONMAN finish line experience our athletes love.”

Originally from: http://ironman.com/mediacenter/ironman-discontinues-aquadraat-sports-ironman-u.s.-championship#ixzz278CYB0VF

I think that the above statement clearly explains why Ironman can’t take place in the NYC area. I have lived here for a long time and am just amazed they were even able to pull off the 2012 race!

The Expo: It was located on the West Side, a quick skateboard ride from work got me there. It had quite a lot of venders and I enjoyed it. I never go to the opening night dinners at these things as I would rather find my own food sources so I have no opinion on that.

Transition: Was Transition hard to get to? Perhaps. I feel that being a local I have a different perspective on this. I know Pallisades Park very well as it’s where I train. Rather than take the 3AM ferry to transition, I simply hopped in a cab at 5AM having the driver drop me off at the park entrance. I had 2 extra hours of sleep under my belt! That also meant the night before Abbe, Claire and I could have that many more beers.

On Spectating: This was a disaster. $50 per person to get into Pallisades Park top cheer? C’mon. The Manhattan side of things was just the opposite though and anyone could stand along the course and at times people were ON the course and didn’t even know it.

Race Fees: This race was $850 instead of $600. It was even raised to $1200 for the anticipated 2013 event causing an uproar. Once again, I am a bit jaded here as I live in New York. I look at it like this… Last year I raced Ironman Arizona. I paid for Race Fee, Hotel, Airfare, Food, Bike Transport and vacation days from work. All of theses things might have tripled the $850 IMNY fee. Therefore, being that it was a local race for me all I paid for was the entry.

Why wasn’t the race in NYC the whole time: To shut down city streets for upwards of 17 hours is insane. Especially in a race consisting of 2500 people where you might not see a runner for a few minutes, compared to the NYC Marathon and it’s steady stream of 40,000 runners.

A lot of people complained about the course as well and how hard the run was. It’s an Ironman, it’s supposed to be challenging otherwise everyone would do it!

Overall I think it was a great race. The organizers had to tackle some serious urban style obstacles and I think they did a fantastic job. I am sad that there won’t be another IMNY, but am honored to have been able to race in the historic event.

 

RACE REPORT: 083 Harriman Sprint Tri – DNF

Posted on by Posted in All, Race Reports, Triathlon 6 Comments

This year’s Harriman Sprint Triathlon marked my 3rd year in the sport, 4th year in running. It is a really fun local race and would be my (triathlon) season closer.

I was rolling up to Harriman with the ‘Dad Posse’ (Jim, Ed and Mike) and we were going to camp there the night before. We got a late start out of ol’ Manhattan Friday night after work and didn’t arrive until maybe 9:30PM. It was a fun drive though as we rode the Ironman NY course and got to reminisce.

Mike had beat us up there and had scouted out a place for us to eat, Rhodes Tavern on Route 17. As we pulled in I noticed an awful lot of motorcycles. Were we going to get in a brawl? Who knew?

We grabbed a table in the dining area and were greeted by cheerful and friendly staff. With a live cover band blasting the likes of Led Zeppelin and Aerosmith, mixed with our tasty beers we were a happy gang. I ordered the steamed clams and shrimp, not a recommended pre race meal but I have an iron stomach and Harriman was to be a fun race for me. Ed, on the other hand, had a French Onion Soup and french fries… perhaps his smartest race meal yet.

Back at the camp site by 11PM I was determined to have a fire. You simply cannot say you went camping without a fire! From 11-3AM we sat around the camp fire drinking beers and having a blast! You would never know from the looks of it that we had a triathlon in 4 hours!

Mike woke us at 6AM and it hurt. I was in charge of coffee and I got right to it using my Bucaletti, it was fantastic. After we drank our java and had some bagels we hopped in the car for the 5 minute drive to Welch Lake. It’s very ‘Friday the 13th’ in case you were wondering. The temperature was 60 degrees or so but quickly warming with every passing minute as the sun rose.

Doug and his girlfriend met us at the lake. This was his first triathlon and I have been kind of coaching him through emails so I was excited to see what he was gonna do!

We eventually lined up on the beach and prepared for attack. I was very excited and felt feisty.

The gun went off and I plunged into the soup. no longer do I hold back and wait for the masses to clear. Bring the noise.

My swim went well. My form was not as tight as it could be and I floundered once or twice but overall held a nice pace. The water was crystal clear and felt amazing.

I exited the water and Mike and Ed were right with me!

Up in T1 I got my act together fast. I was excited to get my bike on.

Out on the course I felt pretty strong. Since it was a 15 miler I was pushing all I had. The course is pretty hilly, but manageable. We had some wind and unfortunately is was never at our backs!

Blazing down a straightaway, I wasn’t paying attention to the terrain, head down, and hit a rock. It made that characteristic ‘ding’ noise we know so well. “Damn!” I yelled, thinking maybe it would be okay. It was not. 500 more yards and I was flat.

I pulled over, half thinking I was close enough to the finish I could run my bike in. “Officer!” I yelled to a nearby volunteer cop. “How many miles to the finish?” He told me I had 7 to go, no way am I running it. I got to work changing my tire as streams of bikers passed me.

Ed and Doug rode by at the same time and both yelled, “Baker? No!” I think it took me 20 minutes to change the tire due to the last bead being such a pain to get over the rim. I was pretty proud of myself for actually changing a race wheel.

FUN FACT: In my 3 years of triathlon I have never had a flat during a race.

I kept a positive attitude knowing that this was just a fun race for me. Finally, I was ready to go after using my C02 and assembling my bike again. I took it easy knowing that my front tire was most likely not at the proper pressure it needed to be.

Up ahead there was a rider in distress on the side of the road. As I approached I saw that it was Mike! He looked at me and said, “Baker?” Where did you come from?” I quickly explained my situation as he told me his back wheel had fallen off and he was about to throw in the towel. This was Mike’s second triathlon so I thought we had better get him back on the road. I threw my ride in the grass and jumped over to help. The wheel and chain were in a jumble. We straightened the chain, tweaked the rear derailleur and attempted to set the wheel. It wouldn’t set so I grabbed the front tire and pulled while I had Mike pull the rear wheel. It moved correctly and then with a quick punch on the tire it locked into place.

Mike was pretty psyched. We started riding again and he told me to go so I did. I was jazzed up too so I forgot that I was riding on a bunk wheel. 1-2 Miles further I was in aero crushing it on a rough patch of downhill when I heard a fizz and then my wheel totally flatted again! I maintained control and pulled off to the side of the road.

A few minutes later Mike pulled up in disbelief, “Again!?” I told him I was done. He had said he had called the SAG Wagon to pick him up before I had arrived, so I was expecting a ride soon. He took off and in a few minutes an ambulance came up behind me. “You the guy that called for a ride?” “No, but I’ll take one!”

We took up the rear of the race for the next 5 miles following the last racers.

Back at T2 they were already doing the awards! Jim and Ed both got 3rd AG Awards! Nice work guys! I saw Doug too, who was ecstatic for completing his first triathlon! Congrats Doug!

We wrapped up the day with lunch at Rhodes!

It’s a funny feeling not finishing a race. I wasn’t sore or tired and I had this sense of un fulfillment. I wasn’t disappointed in me, I was just sad that I didn’t get to rocket through a run and cross that Finish. There are always more Battles right around the corner…