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Wednesday 20 August 2014

A Midsummer Night's Run - Race Report

It was nine in the morning, and Noah asked, "Don't you guys have a race today?"  Jen bounced up and down, "Yes!  and I didn't have to get up at 4 am."
Profigliano !!!

That's the magic of A Midsummer Night's Run.  Instead of driving through the dark, we glued on the pointed ears, and applied the makeup.  I did a last quick shave of my legs and chest.  The shaving cut on my left leg was still red and looking infected.  On Tuesday previous, I did a test run with the wings.  The wooden rack I built to hold them at an attractive angle worked great.  It was obvious that having the straps over my shoulders was going to cut through to the bone in 20 minutes. I managed to reduce the tension by harnessing them above my biceps, using socks to reduce the friction.  They sat lower on my back, but weren't going to chafe.  I ran an hour on the treadmill, covering 10 km, without trouble.  Ready to go.
Nothing happened.  I think it's broken

Thank you to Tara and her friend for doing the henna patterns on Jen's arms and my legs.
The 3:15 pace fairy. I hear he has a new dress every year

Off to Toronto.  We picked up our race packets, then dined at Casa Sushi on the Danforth, looking out at the rain.  We killed some time at Book City, where I picked up a copy of Dawkin's The God Delusion which I had always wanted.  The girl at Tim Hortons wanted to talk about our outfits, but we just wanted the coffee.  For the second time that day, I was turned down my request for Tim's new Dark Roast.  It's advertised all over the cups, but there's none in the pot.  
Let the rain come

We parked at the post office, and bused to the race site.  The coffee kept us warm in the light drizzle coming down.  Several people got pics with us.  The wands were a nice touch.  A woman with small child asked for a group shot.  I knelt and waved at the little girl.  She huddled behind Mom, clinging to her legs.  It's scary like meeting Barney in that huge purple suit.  Fairies are supposed to be these tiny things that sit on your hand so you can crush them to they if it upsets you.  
The forehead made me look like a Klingon

One last downpour dumped on us as the race got started, then the sun came out. Ah, the memories of the Leslie Street Spit.  I raced this for during my first marathon, before the Scotiabank Waterfront Marathon became big and they abandoned it for more-popular city streets. Crossing the bridge to the spit, Jen's wings came apart and fell off.  She whipped out her emergency rainbow rope, which I used to fasten them. Surely the rope burn would ruin her before we were done. A cop shooed us off the bridge to let traffic through.  
The rubble at the end of the spit. Lake Ontario to the South

My wings were doing fine.  I couldn't even feel them behind me, but they stayed secure for the whole race.  After stopping to take pictures, I sprinted to catch up to Jen, and my necklace blew apart with a broken string.  I scooped it up, but it won't be salvaged.  Trailing way behind the pack, our run was quiet with few others around.  It was more of a loop than an out-and-back, so there weren't returning runners to see.
Skyline to the North

The run was 30 km including out to the end of the Leslie Street spit and back, then over to The Beaches and through the woods, with almost 700 of us entered.  The woods weren't lighted, so there was a cutoff near 8 o'clock, that we hurried to meet.  They had a timing mat for a split at the half-marathon mark.  We did it in about 2:30, which is good for Jen.  She will need such strength to do the Barrelman.  That ended the delirious happy part of racing, and brought us to the tired part where it's no fun anymore.  The sun set, and we did the last 5 km in the dark.  Jen's wings held out, with no rope burn.  It was warm, not hot, and after the opening shower, only a like sprinkle of rain for a couple minutes towards the end.

Finish -- 3:41 covering 30 km.

It was a good long run, without the pain of finishing a marathon.  The medals are beautiful.  They spin!  Dressing up made it a fun, family event.

The wings can run



Tuesday 12 August 2014

Race Report - Iron Girl

Sunday was a terrific day to race a triathlon.  The weather was warm, but not stifling.  The water was cool and flat.  This was Lake Ontario, which can be frigid cold even in August, and have plenty of choppy waves.  The recent weather has had so many stormy days that there could have been an overnight storm to leave it that way.  


No more bagels!

A sticker here. a sticker there. 
We were out the door at 5 am, in the bright darkness of the full moon.  We saw a meteor ahead of us on the highway.  It's the peak of the Perseid shower.  I wasn't racing, so it was Jen's pick for what to stop for on the way.  No bagels!  


Swim time

Swim start

Amongst the first to arrive, she set up the bike in the nearly empty corral, went through registration, then back to the bike to put on the stickers.  Shopping time!  There was an expo on site.  I bought combo shorts.  I have plenty of bike shorts, but have been wanting tri shorts, because I don't really like the feel of my one-piece kit.  I want to race in my bike shirt.  I got some cheap sunglasses from D'Ornella's booth.  I drove to Toronto 10 years ago to get my trainer, since they are the local Kurt vendor.  It's the trainer which I wore the bearings out. That was a year ago. I called Kurt to ask about replacement parts, and they shipped me a whole new unit gratis.  Hurray for lifetime warranty.  Good to see D-Ornellas is still in business.  Two places where I bought new bikes over the last few years have gone under (All Seasons Sports; Multisport Zone).  Pedal Power in Woodstock is keeping them running great, in spite of the harsh treatment I give them.  They tuned Jen's Bianchi for this day's race.  Oh, and Sport Luub.  He said it's wetsuit friendly.  We're almost out of the Body Glide teflon lube that we've been using.

Not a sport for shy people
The drink matches the bike!

Saddle up 

They bused us to the water start. It was only a couple blocks.  Jen squeezed into her wetsuit.  It's overkill for the 15 minutes in the water on such a nice day, but the race is prep for Barrelman where she will have to use it.  Off they went at 9 am.  I jogged back to transition to wait for them.  First girl out sure had a great swim, but spent ages changing clothes while others came and went.  Likewise, Jen had lots to do in transition.  This was her first wetsuit race.  The last time she raced was here in Grimsby, many years ago, and her bike shoes weren't there when she got out of the water.  They turned up later, but she rode the tri-a-tri in her running shoes.  


Let's go

I sauntered back to the car and read a magazine.  Analog.  A David Brin story about how what if vertibrate animals didn't give up the caterpillar stage of insects, they gave up the butterfly stage. Suppose we can engage the transition?  After 40 minutes, I went to the road to wait, and there she was already.  I figured for closer to an hour on the bike.  It was an easy flat out-and-back using the service road by the expressway.  I just made it to transition in time to see her take off on the run course.  A few of us waiting on someone's lawn for our girls to get back.  Jen was an hour 42 altogether.  Way faster than expected.  That's good news except for the swim.  It was clocked at 18 minutes for the 500 m.  That's not going to cut it at Barrelman.  They give an hour 10 for the 1.9 km.  Have to keep moving through the water.

Yes, you wear the medal all day


Sunday 3 August 2014

The Long Ride

Today was the longest ride for this year.  I don't expect another one like it this summer.  To Normandale and back, it clocked in at 165 km.  

Downtown Normandale
On the way back I got caught in a thunderstorm.  If it was just rain, I would carry on through, but the thunder was overhead, and I could see some fierce lightning in the distance, so I stopped and huddled under a tree to wait it out.  A kind lady in a nearby house invited me to sit on the porch with her, and she made us some tea while I waited the 20 minutes for the worst of it to pass.  Another 20 km up the road, I made it back to sunshine, but my shoes had already filled with water and wouldn't be the same for the rest of the trip.

Weather porn
An hour later, another thunderhead passed a long way to the South, without affecting me.  Overall, then it was still a good day.  I loved about the Ironman training how easy it was to cover 160 km every weekend. I'm expecting leg spasms in the night tonight.  Today I felt strong.  I'm expecting the September half-distance race to go well. I have my wings prepped for the Midsummernight's Run, so that should be a good time too.

Here's what I listened to today.

  • Jonzun Crew - Lost In Space
  • John Williams (soundtracks) - Lost In Space (TV Series)
  • Honeymoon Suite - Honeymoon Suite
  • Bon Jovi - Lost Highway


Friday 1 August 2014

All Your Bridges are Closed

The Saturday blood donor clinic was full, so after my daughter made my lunch at Pita Pit, I carried on South, intending to circle around through Aylmer.  It wasn't happening.  The bridge is out along White Oak Road.  Undaunted, I made a bypass, and found the next crossing of the expressway under construction as well.  Further along, I don't even know if they are building a crossing at Wonderland, but it wasn't happening either.  I eventually came to Colonel Talbot, but it is way, way, way to busy for me on my bike.  I went North back into town.  That's where it began raining, just to rub it in.



Westminster Drive is closed

White Oak Road is closed

I don't even know what that is out Wonderland Road



so I carried on South.