This week turned out to be a little bit bizarre in so many ways, I am not sure where to begin. At the very least, I should be able to put out a more muddled story than Murphys Law. 
Prologue
The plan was to drive up early Thursday and have an easy ride in the afternoon to undue the kinks in the legs that build invariably after a 5+ hour drive. But, last week, my unofficial semi-pro triathlete career was notified that the end was near. I had an impromptu, on-the-spot job interview Monday when I dropped off my resume for a high school chemistry position, followed by a formal interview on Wednesday, immediately followed by a job offer, which I foolishly accepted. Well, all good things have to come to an end. Thursday ended up being get a lot of errands done, write a bunch of now critical e-mails, and start transitioning for the fall. I got on the road for Long Lake/Tupper after 5 p.m. No ride for me this day.
On the plus side, it was mean and nasty looking at the NJ/NY state line, and I got out of the area (canât say town 'cause there ainât any in this neck of the woods) before all hell broke loose. Didnât really clear all of it until up by Albany. But, driving up into the Adirondacks, with the red setting sun bouncing off the clouds over the mountains was just absolutely spectacular. Completely worth driving up in the evening just to see the views. Also saw the dark silhouette of a deer standing in the Hudson after dusk, just as if it was painted. All good omens.
Check into the Adirondack Hotel in Long Lake after 10 pm. Well, check in is a key on the counter on top of a piece of paper with my name on it. Fill out the info and take the other piece of paper which sort of has the room layout. The layout is in some form of code. I managed to break it. My room is a lower cost room (ok, the cheapest room). I share a bathroom with two other rooms. Even including the rooms with bathrooms included, it is apparent that all the bathroom facilities were incorporated after the building was built. No in room telephone, no tv, no closet, I felt like I was in the middle of âIt Happened One Nightâ. I expected Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert to stroll down the hall at any moment. The place does have its charm, though.
Friday and it is off to Tupper. First a one hour bike tracking over the run course, and then a quick ten minute dip. Well, actually, first it was off to registration only to find that I can not prestidigitate up a wallet with an ID and USAT card to save my life. On to plan B, get some physical activity in, calm down and try to think logically. First part successfully managed. Second part, Iâm 20 miles from Long Lake, a little low on gas, and if I lost my wallet, I may be major league screwed. I still owed Murphys Law $37 for half of the hotel room for EpicMan. Would he loan a deadbeat gas money to get back to Jersey? Maybe I just really didnât want to go back and start that job.
Back at the ranch, the wallet promptly shows up in my shorts pocket where it had been habituating for the last 24 hours (Dâoh!). The decision to go register now, or wait to see if ML and Tyler Durden (Mark) show up in the next little while and arrange dinner was quickly resolved as I was starting to walk downstairs and Mike started upstairs to come give me grief (he recognized my trusty, er⌠rusty Explorer outside). As discussed in Murphys report, we then had a swell time up in Tupper.
Murph also corrupted me into having a beer at the Blarney Stone in Long Lake. Smithwicks, which was great, but I only finished half. I swear Mike has never seen a beer he didnât like. And yes, the bartender was way cute.
Back at the hotel, we found Chris G and crew. I sat next to Seth and thought a) total type B personality, and therefore b) spectator. When I asked if he was doing a race tomorrow and he said yes, and then said the Tinman, I was floored. Chris then informed me that Seth did the Harriman half last month. I stopped making eye contact with Seth at that point and was much more respectful in my thinking.
Chris Gâs sister Kara by the way, is a total 100% cutie, hottie, sweetie all rolled into one and is now a half IM finisher to boot. She would have been major hook up material for Tyler D, but I do believe she has a major squeeze that showed up after the race yesterday, and Tyler has a very interesting little project of his own in the works, so weâll just stand back and spectate for a while.
Not much sleep as a couple arrives in the room across the hall at midnight, and promptly has a conversation that everyone can hear for 25 minutes, then goes quiet. Please God, no loud, drunken sex tonight. Please, please, please. It stays quiet.
Couple had apparently left and returned at 1:42 a.m. Again talking loud enough for everyone within 4 rooms to hear. Discussion about them being screwed and only three hours sleep. I plan my revenge for the morning when I get up at 5:30 to make as much noise as possible.
The plan was to congregate at ten to six and leave by six for Tupper. All five guys are downstairs at 5:40 a.m. ready to go (including me!). Kara upholds female tradition and takes a little extra time, but we are on the road at 5:50 a.m. It is clear, not as cold as the preceding morning and reasonably calm. I find several good songs on the radio including some Zep. More good omens.
Race site, and we are incredibly early. We get parked in the tiny aisle on the street side of the finishing run shoot, at the furthest point from transition. Note to self, arriving at 6:20- 6:25 a.m. would be absolutely perfect for the ideal parking spot. But life is good, we have lots of time, no lines for anything, and everyone is happy. It is going to be a cool day with no rain, but the wind is considerably stronger here, and it does bring a little chill with it.
My Race
While some people may call it cherry picking races, I drive 5.5 hours to Tupper Lake (now for the fifth year in a row) because it really is a nice race course in a beautiful setting. It is the competitive side of me that copies the participant list into Excel, sorts out the 50-54 M AG and then examines the names carefully to see who I know is present. There were 61 entries for us guys this year which is a good turn out. However, a lot of the big guns in the northeast were unusually absent. There were a lot on new names and a lot of Canadians. Those Canadians tend to be fast as well.
While examining entry lists is rather SOP for me, I like to meet the people I race against, it seemed like a moot point this year as I am getting over some self inflicted stupidity, that put some hurt on my legs with respect to running last spring. As a result, I have greatly lowered expectations for this year and this race. I spread my sad story around as much as possible to put damage control spin in play. The fact that I resemble a bowling bowl really helps the spin credibility.
I am well aware of MLâs swim deficiencies, and got to hear that Tyler D is in the same boat. Chris isnât exactly seal material either, so my plan became swing for the fences in the swim and have my one moment of glory and 15 second bragging rights, 'cause when the run comes around, itâs going to be a long day. So, I found the spot on the right edge of the wave start in the front row. When the gun went off, I was in hammer mode. I backed off at about the two minute mark when it was just one other guy with me to my left. Time to see if he would hold it, fold it, or fall in behind me, or if I had found my draft for the day. He waddled off to the left a bit, and I set sight for the first buoy. Passed the first swimmers from the preceding wave by the second buoy, the first swimmers from MLâs wave by the fourth buoy. Things are going well.
Hit the turn around, and there is one similar swim cap near me. I lose him in the crowd of previous wavers. I use the sun for navigation, but I get off course (inside the buoy line to the right), because this year the race is a week later than normal, and I need to keep the sun slightly to the right of the inward direction as opposed to slightly to the left. Correction noted and logged. Twice, a swimmer from the last wave, relay teams, goes by. Each time I jump on their feet, but I can only hold them for 15-20 strokes and they are gone. Still, I think it helped the time. I am out of the water in 30:54 by my watch, and 31:18 officially, first in AG and 37th overall. Smoke that ML! (Picture ML giving me the finger once again.)
Life is good, we get to bike the bike course. Plenty of people in front of me to pass. Everyone is riding really good, staying to the right, only a couple of questionable tailgaters that looks to be more inexperience and poor judgment than anything else. An occasional marshall goes by on the back of a motorcycle, but they donât seem to be going particularly slowly, as there really isnât anything here to see.
There was also one who passed me on the right half way back to town. I brought it to his attention, and he said something which I couldnât make out, but the tone sounded derogatory. Having been nearly taken out twice in other races by that exact same scenario, I have a sore spot for that sort of thing. I was extremely tempted to look up the guy afterwards.
By now I have learned the typical Tupper Lake Bike Course Paradox. Typical headwind at the start of the bike course, which is okay as you are at your strongest, but has you licking your chops for the return half when it is going to be a tailwind. Only, after the turnaround, you find yourself heading back into a quartering headwind. Standard line: WTF? The key is that the wind changes somewhere around the Citgo gas station where that major road teeâs off to the right. It always makes the last half of the outward bound leg really fast, and lulls you about the wind direction until the turnaround. We did have a tailwind again for the last part of the bike heading back into Tupper. I did a nice steady job of catching people all the way back into town. Well, it felt good on the bike and what the hell, let her rip as I am not going to have it for the run. Time was 2:41 and change and 3rd in the AG. Got back to the racks and only saw one bike. That, of course, belonged to the guy who blew by me about 7 miles into the bike. It was obvious where he was headed, so I wished him a good race as I was not going to be seeing him again. I believe he was Canadian.
Run time, what can I salvage for the day? I had done only one run of 13 miles since March I believe, and that was two weeks ago when I managed 2:08. My goal was to get it to the six mile mark, and then incur the powers of St. Jodi. Whatever pace I was running, I was going to make it hurt and suck it up for the last 7 miles and run the damn thing in. Running through the lumpy field at the start was not so good. I had no form or rhythm. Hopefully it is just the surface quality. Running the first residential street and I am huffing and chuffing big time. When am I going to relax into this? Didnât see the first mile marker, but my time at the first aid station is 9:34. If I pushing this hard for 9:30s, I am pretty much hosed. So much for a 1:50 face saving run time. I caught the 2 mile sign and see 16:16. An 8:08 pace is damn respectable for me. Life is good again. First gel at the 4 mile aid station, and I walk it for good measure. We have to stretch this run karma for all itâs worth. Repeat gel sequence at 7 and 10 miles.
I lose a little time gradually so that I am a minute off an 8 min mile pace by 6 miles, but I can handle that slight rate of bleeding. Mental arithmetic says a 1:47-8 is possible which would mean a 5:07 - 5:08 finish, which is just off last yearsâ PR for this course. Plus, Chris G is really primed to bring home a 5 hr half. His BS line at EpicMan about an almost 6 hr Tupper Lake time last year was already so bogus after his effort in EpicMan. I figure if he is going to blow me off today, the least I can do is make sure he earns it. Keep the pedal to the metal!
Six miles down, seven to go. It is Jodi time. I see Tyler D and ML go by for the second time, with ML not gaining much on TD. I donât remember the wave differentials, but I am thinking that TD has a 10 minute head start. That race is just too close to call. May the best man yada yada yada. The bottom line is that they are both going to be done in less than 8 minutes when I see them; I still have a lot of work left.
Slog through the railroad track section, check. Tackle the stinger at mile 8, check. Trample through the woods on the trail, check. Everything is still working. Feet are feeling a little beat up from the earlier tore up road in the first mile and the trail section. I can handle that. No side stitches today, a great blessing. Hammies were barking at the beginning of the run, but they have relaxed a little and have stayed at defcon 4. Out of the woods, last gel at the aid station before the 10 mile mark. The watch says I have slipped another minute over the 8 min mile pace. No problems, this means a 1:47 is still looking good. Nothing but solid, smooth, flat road all the way in. Itâs hammer time. Thank you, Jodi.
The long road section before hitting the railroad tracks always seems to take forever, but finally it passes. Quickly see the 11 mile mark. Sweet, 17 minutes to home. Then see Seth (2nd time) and Kara (1st time), keeping company going the other way. Both look comfortable and moving nicely. They look to do well time wise. Time for me to up the discomfort level. Face goes to full grimace mode. And then we are out on the long straightaway to the last aid station and the 12 mile mark. It always goes really fast from here for me.
Police man directing traffic right before the final park entry gives me the âyou can pick it upâ cheer. I thank him for being out here helping. Negative thought mode is that he wants me to clear the intersection faster so that he can move some cars. I should have brought a rubber band. Next time. Try to move it into overdrive, but that grass field never lets me get a good rhythm going. Finish strong to make sure I donât get nipped in the last 50 yards. Big surprise, 1:44:59 run time and a 5:03:28 race time, a PR by 3-4 minutes over last year (when I had some base). I think I did the last 5k at a 7:25 per mile pace. Better surprise, second in age group instead of the 7th-8th I was anticipating. Big lesson, 9 months of training with Mike Plumb leaves a lot of residual abilities, totally amazing. Oh, and that fast 50 something AGer on the bike, he turned in a 2:29 and won the age group with a 4:44. And yes, he is a Canadian. Didnât I tell you about those Canadians?
Of course, like I said, I donât have the base of last year, so at the current time, I find myself totally floored. Last year, I did a 30 mile recovery ride in LP the day after. This year, I hope to get a swim in tomorrow and then see whatâs next.
Hanging with Mike (Murphys Law) and Mark (Tyler Durden) was major fun. I think I am going to have a beer before every race for the rest of the year and see how that works out. Chris G is well on his way to an outstanding day at LP. It will be fun to be there and watch that happen. I got the chance to chat a bit with the lovely as ever SpinHo (Darcy), who will also be at LP (woo hoo!). Finally got to meet Tetsuoni, and yes it was fun to watch him whirl up into ballistic mode. In his defense, he did handle it well. My swim coach was at the race, Debi Bernardes, who won her age group in the Tinman, but I missed seeing her, my bad.
Oh, and yeah, I smoked Murphys Law and Tyler Durdin in the swim. Actually, I think I may have gotten all the Slowtwitchers, with the exception of Kus, in the swim. Itâs all about T1, baby!
Back to real life. Fly out to California on Wednesday to redo my parents deck (time for them to downsize) with a couple of my brothers. Then back to Jersey and catch up with my family at the Shore. Head off to the Finger Lakes region of NY on the 14th for the Musselman, my new favorite half, and then back to the shore until Saturday the 22nd, when it is time to head up to LP and do the volunteer shtick for a change.
Cheers.
