Sorry I haven't blogged for a while, but training, racing and work have kept me busy. As I type this, I am sitting on a plane from San Francisco back to Philadelphia after the Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon. Before I blog about the race, let me catch you up on my racing and training.
Hermes and I ran the Broad Street Run in Philadelphia on May 3. I first started running this race in 1997, when only 5,000 athletes participated. This year there were over 30,000 runners! Hermes and I both ran well and improved our respective times by two minutes over last year. Two minutes is significant -- especially at my age -- and proof that the hard training is paying off.
Training for Alcatraz intensified after Broad Street, including running and biking hills and strength swimming. My legs were constantly fatigued, but I stuck with it because I have learned that consistent training is the key to finishing a race.
The Mellet Tri Tour
Race #1 - Tri for Our Vets
Hermes and I did a super sprint triathlon (400 meter ocean swim, 8 mile bike and a 5K run) in Sea Isle City, New Jersey on May 26 as a tune-up for our upcoming events. We like this triathlon because it is for a good cause, raising money for our veterans -- Tri for Our Vets in Memory of Matt McCulley.
We were happy to have our friends Ray and Tara in Sea Isle racing with us. The weather was spectacular -- not too hot and not too cold. Even the ocean temperature wasn't bad, about 64 degrees.
All four of us had a great race. Tara placed 2nd in her age group, Ray placed 8th in his age group (his age group is very competitive!), Hermes placed 4th in his and I placed 1st in mine. And I beat Hermes! He wasn't too happy and wouldn't high five me when he found out. Let's just say I don't think he will let me beat him again. (To his credit, Hermes swallowed a lot of water at the beginning of his swim and it affected his race, in particular his run. As a result of swallowing all that water Hermes breathing was very labored during his run.)
Race #2 - Rev3, Quassy
The following Sunday, June 3 was the second leg of our tri tour. Hermes participated in a half ironman in Middlebury, Connecticut. The Quassy race is part of the Rev3 tri series. Our friends Harvey and Barry also competed. To refresh your memory, a half ironman distance is a 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike and a 13.1 mile run. I was there as a spectator and cheerleader.
The weather on the day of the race was once again spectacular. As Hermes came out of the water, he pumped his arms and hooted. Needless to say he had a terrific swim, a far cry from his previous race. He also had a great bike and run on a tough hilly course and finished in six and half hours (sounds long, huh). Harvey had a great race, too, and finished just a little after Hermes. Barry... well he is a beast. He finished 23rd overall in the time of 4 hours and 44 minutes. I am beginning to think he is not from planet earth.
After the race we drove home and packed for our trip to San Francisco. Our flight was scheduled for early Monday morning, June 4.
Next up, race number three of the Mellet Tri Tour... Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon.