May 28, 2006

I am an Ironman

Event Stats:
Name Brasil Telecom Ironman
Date 05/28/2006 
Location Florianopolis, SC, Brazil
Event Ironman
Finish Time 13:27:23

May 21, 2006

Playa del Run #2 Santa Monica

Event Stats:
Name Playa del Run #2 Santa Monica
Date 05/21/2006
Location Santa Monica, CA, USA
Event Aquathon
Finish Time 00:49:31

This race for me showed very nicely why it makes sense to train in a group and not as a loner. 

The morning after my bike race. Early. I was tired. I would have never gotten up on my own (especially since I signed up for this race just as training session). But my buddy Doug would be racing. So I figured, I would at least go there and cheer him on. And if I was going out, I might just as well bring the race gear. 

Got there, found Doug, had a coffee, set up my stuff and - yes, you guessed it - got ready to race. 

The swim ist just a big U, basically you swim from Santa Monica beach until after the breakers, a couple of hundred yards to the right, and back in. The you have to run back to transition, which rather sucks, because it is a) long and b) in loose sand. I changed, lost way to much time in transition, and then started for the short run (5km). The run is mostly on the grass of the SM Beach Boulevard. 

I went slow, finished in a little under 50 min, had coffee & a smoke, talked to Doug some more and went home, happy that I had gotten a good workout in and it was still not even 10:30 in the morning.

May 20, 2006

Breakaway San Clemente Challenge

Event Stats:
Name Breakaway San Clemente Challenge
Date 05/20/2006 
Location Oceanside, CA, USA
Event Century Bike Ride
Finish Time N/A

Nice 100km bikeride, untimed, with 2 nasty climbs, apparently at least partly on the Oceanside IM 70.3 bike course.

May 14, 2006

Playa del Run #1 Mission Bay

Event Stats:
Name Playa del Run #1 Mission Bay
Date 05/14/2006
Location Mission Bay, CA, USA
Event Aquathon
Finish Time 00:55:21

Three things are worth noting about this race. First, it is held at Mission Bay, which most people know because it is where Sea World is, but it is also considered the birthplace of triathlon. 

Second, cheaters!!! The swim was held in a little bay with an island in the middle. The idea was to swim around the island and back to the start. The water level was rather low, which meant, that, if you swam to close to the island, you would swim in mud. So what do people do? They simply get out of the water, run across the island, jump back in and swim back. I was one of the very few that simply swam a longer course to stay in deeper water. 

I don't really care about placing. If I wanted to be better, I would eat less. I just think there is something seriously wrong with cheaters. After the race I even listened to a woman, telling that she ran across the island "passing at least twenty others". Oh, and the also mentioned that the was a professional athlete from Colorado. I hope she dies rather soon. 

Third: At the raffle after the race I won a 100$ off voucher for a wetsuit, which is exactly what I need :-) 

Otherwise pretty well organized small race.

Bald geht's wieder los:  Project Olav