I'm back from the wilds of Maine, feeling well rested but not quite ready to return to reality. Before I do, I wanted to give a quick recap of last week's triathlon. My time was in the same ballpark as past years, which is not surprising. The part that *is* surprising is that my time was similar (and even faster than 2011) despite the fact that I'm two years older then the last time I did this and despite the fact that I crashed about two thirds of the way through the bike leg, getting thrown off my bike (which suffered some bent handlebars), that I probably lost at least 10 minutes pulling myself together at the crash site and trying to clean up my bloody elbow with the help of two fellow triathletes (note to riders — it's always good to have first aid stuff in your bike bag), and that I lost about 5 more minutes stopping at the medical tent between the bike and the run. I had personal records on both my swim and my run and was still 4 minutes faster than my slowest tri. Many thanks to the triathletes who helped patch me up and to the guy (Keith? Kevin?) who ran with me/kept me entertained during the majority of the run course. Also thanks to my Mom and Stephen for cheering me on along the way and walking me back (as I hobbled) to transition after the race. Along with my medal this year, I've got some gnarly bruises all over my left thigh and hip, a tetatus shot, and a likely scar on my elbow as additional souvenirs of the race. See you next year!!

2014: Swim 18:06 T1 11:10 Bike 1:58:23 T2 4:37 Run 1:07:17 Total: 3:39:31

2012: Swim 23:28 T1 9:55 Bike 1:44:50 T2 5:02 Run 1:11:05 Total: 3:34:16

2011: Swim 22:19 T1 12:27 Bike 1:51:54 T2 4:58 Run 1:11:40 Total: 3:43:17

2010: Swim 20:54 T1 11:39 Bike 1:42:43 T2 6:26 Run 1:08:01 Total: 3:29:41

2009: Swim 24:30 T1 10:17 Bike 1:40:57 T2 4:01 Run 1:07:22 Total: 3:27:06

2008: Swim 24:30 T1 10:55 Bike 1:36:47 T2 4:00 Run 1:08:40 Total: 3:24:51

A week from today, I will have completed my 6th New York City Triathlon, if all goes according to plan. This week, I'll only be doing some light exercise, but I've been training consistently for several months (if you want to see what I've been doing, click here), and feel absolutely ready to go. That said, I haven't trained as hard as I have in past years — I had injuries, I'm a few years older, and all that good stuff — but I have trained at a level where I know that can complete the race. So much of the training, as well as the race itself, is mental, not physical. When I do training runs in Central Park, I run clockwise while most runners run counterclockwise — the tri course is clockwise, so I know exactly what's coming up, what hills I have left, and what landmarks mean for distance left on the route. I generally swim around 30 minutes for training, which is less than the mile I'll need for the race, because the swim has never taken me more than 25 minutes or so. That said, I don't feel ready until I've done a mile in the pool, which takes 40-45 minutes (I did it yesterday). Similarly, I don't feel ready until I've run over 5 miles a few times (done), biked over 20 miles a few times (done), and thrown in a few brick (bike/run) workouts for good measure (I only managed to fit in one this year, alas). 

The other thing that's been fun this year is bike commuting along the Hudson, right where I'll be swimming, and past what will be my transition area on Sunday. I can visualize so much of the race — having done it five times already helps — which calmes my nerves. NYC Tri — I'm ready to take you on!!