City Coach | Nathanael Horne's Blog

Westchester

My knee bothered me all week from my accident at the Mighty Hamptons race, so I ran on it only once during that week. At least I was well-rested for the Westchester Triathlon. The weather was gorgeous again, just like last year. The course had some changes: the swim was considerably longer this year, in response to complaints about last year's short swim, and the run was slightly different as well, and also seemed longer to me. Those two things conspired to make my overall time about 10 minutes slower than last year, but I improved my overall place to 16th. My AG placing was second again. I felt good on the swim and the bike, but couldn't muster any "oomf" on the run, perhaps due to the long racing season or my knee injury. The Post race was cool again- with my favorite thing being the beer tent, its been a long season and I am looking forward to some unstructured workouts. Yan P took the attached photo.

Mighty Rainy Hamptons

Light rain turned into pounding downpour by the time Glo and I arrived at transition for the Mighty Hamptons olympic distance triathlon . By the time I had put down my mat, it was already filled with puddles. Glo and I set up and then took refuge in the car until the rain let up. People did not seem to be scared off by the weather, and the race started on time in between showers. The swim seemed to be longer then 1500M, just like last year, and was super chaotic, with lots of contact and jostling. A downpour in the middle of the swim made sighting difficult as well. Glo says she was kicked in the face a few times and I was actually grabbed on the arm mid swim by someone who seemed to come out of nowhere, which freaked me out.
The ride started well, but on the first hill, my chain slipped as I was coming out of the saddle and I (POW!) bashed my knee into a sharp edge of my aerobars. OUCH! I continued to ride, but thought I was going to have to drop out for a few minutes, however the adrenaline seemed to dull the pain and there didn't seem to be any fracture or permanent damage other than a cut and a big bruise/swelling. I didn't know if I would be able to do the run after that, so I concentrated on a good bike split, despite having less use of my right leg than usual due to the knee-bashing. I was hoping to come in under an hour, and I got close, coming in at 1:01 on a wet, windy and hilly course, so I was happy with that (2 min faster than last year). The run seemed long and slow, but ran down and I took last years 2nd place finisher in a final 2 up sprint to the line by a fraction of a second. I finished 5th overall, 2 spots better than last year, and about 2 minutes faster, so I was pretty happy, especially given the quality and size of the field. Now we'll see if my knee mends enough to do Westchester, as I could barely walk after the race ended and it stiffened up.
Glo and Alyse Courtines also did great, handling the wet conditions on the bike with aplomb, but Glo's wet running shoes ended up giving her several blisters per foot. I might have gained another convert to the Zoot shoes I have loved all season, as they handle wet conditions very well. The wet and rainy conditions continued through the morning, so we didn't stay for the awards, which I regretted, as they gave great prizes last year. Next time I will def. stay.

Westport Kiwanis Minuteman Sprint Triathlon Race Report

The Minuteman Sprint Triathlon was an informal gem of a race at Compo Beach in Wesport. It was held on a gorgeous day, after the sturm und drang of Hannah passed by the evening before. Glo and I drove up the night before in the downpour and stayed at a friend's house on the water literally within sight of the race transition. Woke up to sunny skies, a few puddles and the easiest race commute in history.
The distances in this race were very short: 750M (reportedly) swim, approximate 6 miles bike and 2.2 miles run. This was notable for the fact that it makes the swim more of a factor than in many other standard distance races, so all of you "fish" should mark this one on the calendar for next year.
When I say "informal" I mean that you laid your bike right on the ground in a sandy field for transition, no racks or rows. There was also no clear bike or run out-mount up wherever you can (after steeplechasing over other people's rigs to get to the pavement). However, informal does not mean that there was a soft field; looking back on last year's results I see some local big guns have been doing this race. I saw fellow Team USA member David Yockelson at the start, so I knew it was "game on."
The swim was parallel to the beach one way towards transition and started men first, then women and relays. I felt good, was maybe 5th out of the water, and immediately passed all of the fish save the guy in the lead, who I couldn't gain any ground on. The bike was over before I knew it. Coming off of the bike I was momentarily blocked from starting the run by several baby carriages and family mid-race reunions happening right in the transition area during the race. It would have been charming if I wasn't in a race. After vaulting the carriages a la Olympic all-around gymnastics champion Yang Wei (I wish), I began the run and I felt like I was gaining on the race leader for a time, but he turned it on in the last half mile and held the gap steady. The finish involved several turns, and I took a wrong one and went at least 150 yards off course before being told by a volunteer that I had to retrace my steps to get back on course. AAARG! Now 3rd place was was close enough to be glimpsed, but I got back on course and took 2nd overall by a reasonably healthy margin. Yockelson took 3rd, which I think is the first time I have ever taken him in a race- Hurrah! It had to happen sometime.
Gloria had a solid race, was 2nd woman out of the water, and showed her newfound confidence on the bike, which she found goes much faster when the brakes aren't rubbing the rim, like they were for her during the race at Harriman, (I found out later - I unfortunately wasn't there to be the grease monkey for her that day). She had a solid run, enjoyed passing all of the dudes from the first wave and took 7th female overall, 2nd in AG. Sweet! Now we have to find a couples race to do...
The only thing that might have made me like this race better is if they had big honkin' trophys like Johanna won at Patanella's, but the beer cozies that they gave out instead were still cool. Results

Belated Timberman Report

It is hard to get motivated about blogging for a less-than-stellar race. I had thought of entitling this report: "I didn't respect the distance and it didn't respect me back" but I thought that was too negative. Overall- a great weekend and a fun race, I am glad I did it. Many have seen on Jon's blog that I didn't have a great race time, however, I DID had a good swim and bike split (for me), I just didn't fuel enough on the bike and bonked about 2 miles into the run. Not a good feeling to bonk with 11 miles still to go. Gah, tried to convince myself not to walk for the rest of the first lap, and then I broke down and figured out that walking when you are bonking feels GOOD... ahhhh....
The best part of the race weekend was the company, as I had many good teammates and fellow New Yorkers from Citycoach, Terrier Tri and Asphalt Green to hang out with and and ride up/back with (thanks Bob and Jamie!). I am not sure if I will tackle this distance again anytime soon. much respect to those who do it and full Ironman regularly, it is LONG.
Photos

Title Defense

It is becoming a tradition to overdo it on the day prior to the Central Park Triathlon- I rode 60 miles the day before, easy for the first half, but there were about 20 miles of the ride when I was going hard- following Bob Cowin's v. fast wheel, which took a toll on my legs.
Still, I loved this race last year and since I won it last year, I got bib #1 this year. Awesome. Thats a first, made me feel special, but also like a target.
The pool swim was rough, as I got caught behind a fast starter who then slowed, so there was a lot of contact during the pass. Felt like I was hyperventilating, good thing it was only 400 M. The bike was v fast this year, with myself and last years 2nd place Tim Oakes trading the lead back and forth. Felt pretty good on the bike, and Tim and I came into T2 together in the lead. I had a fast transition, was first out of T2, and held my lead over Tim on the run, and set the course record (true, they have only been doing that particular course for 3 years). Photos Here Tim was second again. What a blast. I hope to do this race as well next year. Results

Nice Tri, but no Cigar

On 8/3 I raced the Sprint-Distance Triathlon National Championships at the Cayuga Lake Triathlon.
Results Here
I thought there would be a much larger turnout from NYC, as this is a great race with a long track record and is one of the most scenic and well-organized races I have ever done (free cowbells for the spectators!). I highly recommend it if you ever get the chance. However, this turned out to be the first race when I have gone and raced without any significant others or teammates along, so it was an interesting- and a little bit lonely- experience. Its much more fun to have people along to share the whole experience with, even though cheering at a race can try a spectator's patience: I saw a t-shirt at this race that had the legend "Triathlon Spectator- Cheer at the Start, Cheer at the Transitions, Cheer at the Finish, Wait the Rest of the Time". Amusing and accurate, methinks.
I had a good swim on on the out an back course in the clear water Lake Cayuga which I heard refered to as the "the Middle Finger Lake"- ha. I found a good draft and just relaxed.
I tried to fire it up on the HILLY bike course, but again felt like my power was a bit lacking and HR stayed a bit low. Had a fast guy about 200 yards up the road that I kept pace off of, which was nice.
On the run, I felt good, but didn't know where I was relative to the other racers in my AG, I hadn't seen anyone with my age group number, so I was cruising a bit until the scenic turnaround at the base of a waterfall See photos here..
I had expected to turn it on on the way back from the falls, and started to do so, but suffered the return of the stomach cramps that seems to plague me every few races on average. These slowed me to a crawl and made me grunt "HUNHHHH! AAAAARG!" with each breath- embarassing. Some guys in other age groups who I had passed passed me back, but when the course leveled out I felt better, and was able to hold off a charge by a guy in my age group in the finishing straight.
Result: 2nd place in my AG. ALMOST National Champion just doesnt have the right ring to it, y'know, oh well. It might have been a lot closer if I had had my normal run split, but that's the breaks. Next up: defend my title at the CP tri 8/10 , and then Timberman 8/17 (my very first 1/2 Ironman- eeek!).

NYC Tri-als and Tribulations

My answer to the question that had been haunting me for the last few days hit me a few strokes into the swim. I had been wondering, "Am I sick, or is my fatigue and headache just due to nerves?" The answer was quite clear as the race swim got underway- I AM sick. Unable to generate any oomph in the swim I struggled home and decided to proceed with the bike to see if my body would respond in the leg that is usually my biggest strength. Well... no. I grunted and wheezed and burped my way through the bike. I hoped that the stomach cramp that I got a mile or two into the bike would dissipate and "get out of the way" by the time I started the run. No such luck. Terrence's cheers led me to not drop out of the run right away, but by the time I got to Columbus Ave, a little old lady passed me with her walker and I packed it in and took off my race number -. Quite a negative milestone, as I can't remember dropping out of a race of any type, ever. But I think it was a good decision, and everyone I know that finished feels or felt quite beat up by the conditions, healthy or not. I actually feel quite fresh today, and hope to get back to the training tomorrow for my "A" races which are in a few weeks. At least I didn't suffer the same fate as "jellyfish magnet" Alyse Courtines who finished with a big PR and a load of jellyfish venom as well (as did many others , apparently). A big congratulations to all the finishers- especially those City Coachers- great results!

Flattened like a Pancake

A full squad of City Coachers hit the Patanella's Flat as a Pancake Sprint Triathlon yesterday, results
see Jon's blog for deets (see attached album for Agnieszka's sprint pass to the finish with Lauri as a wingman).
http://picasaweb.google.com/nshorne/20086LatAsAPancakeTri
It was my first time doing this race, Alyse Courtines, Glo, and I shared a ride down to what to me was a surprisingly large race with over 600 entrants in all of the categories. I swam w/o a wetsuit, which helped me in transition, but lead to a surprisingly slow swim for me (61st fastest split- eeek!)
I felt good on the swim, terrible on the bike and run, which is no surprise, as this was not a an "A" race and I had a hard week of training leading up to it, my HR was about 5-10 beats below race pace throughout, and I couldn't get it up to race pace. Also, I think I need some more acclimatization time for the heat than I have had to date.
I had the fastest bike split, but was passed on the run by one guy and almost passed by David Garcia Gardiner, who started in a wave behind me (he also won overall), which would have been embarrassing. I finished 3rd overall.
Alyse had a great race and finished 3rd in her AG, Glo crashed in the first turn on the bike, but had the fortitude to finish after spending at least 8 min on the deck and getting her bike back in rideable shape. She got a tetanus shot and 5 stitches afterwards. She still got 10th in her AG, but might have been sprinting with Alyse for 3rd if she had better bike handling skills. I hold at least some responsibility, and am now determined to equip her bike with drop bars and aero clip-ons instead of her current standard aerobar setup.

2008 Olympic Distance Age Group World Championships Race Report:

Photos Here I arrived in Vancouver at 4AM Thursday the 5th bright eyed and bushy tailed to find the weather cold and rainy. After some rest put the bike together and took it to the Team USA hotel to have the mechanics check it out for any problems. Good thing I did, as when we were pumping up the tires the rear tube blew. It’s a long way to go to have your race ended by a flat. Then I went for a swim at the Vancouver Aquatics Center, and then went to a team meeting and took team photos. As it was raining steadily, I pre-drove the course with some teammates from Mississippi that I had met, Eugene and Jennifer, who were delightful. The opening ceremonies and parade of nations were cancelled due to poor weather, so I rested and then went to an all-nations pasta party at the Vancouver Aquarium which was timed so the Americans would eat at the same time as the British Commonwealth nations, for language reasons, I guess. The beluga whales and spinner dolphins were spectacular, as was the food, which was surprising as I was expecting a giant bowl of overcooked spaghetti. Friday I went for a test swim in the 55 degree water of English Bay. Not too bad with an extra neoprene cap. Then another team meeting to go over the race logistics and the course, and a ride of the bike course with about 50 team USA athletes. The bike was all in Stanley Park, which is spectacular, and featured mostly rollers along the water with a long but moderate grade climb and screaming decent. Race day saw strong winds, whitecaps and rough water, and about halfway through the scheduled start waves the decision was made to eliminate the swim for the remainder of the waves and make it a 3k/40k/10k duathlon, apparently due to understaffing. My wave was one of the last on the schedule, so I was bitterly disappointed. I had been looking forward to the turbulent swim, as I have been a surfer since I was a kid and am very confident in rough water. Everyone else was upset as well to various degrees (the strong swimmers more so, obviously). I felt especially bad for the South Africans and Kiwis and Aussies, as it is a super-long way to come to race a duathlon. The race was also delayed for 90 minutes while the new start was set up, which threw everyone’s nutrition off as well. The start finally came and the field was blazing fast in the first run. I felt ok, reined it in, and was about 1/3-1/2 way down the field of about 100 after the first run, but I felt great on the bike and made up a lot of ground. I kept an eye on my heart rate, never letting it get too high on the hill, and I felt like I was saving quite a bit of energy for the run. The course was tight and there was quite a bit of drafting going on, intentional or not, but it seemed like it was not too flagrant. I don’t have my splits yet, but from my watch I think I went in the 57-58 minute range for the 40 k bike, which good for me on a hilly and windy course. I worked my way into the top 20 on the bike, However, all the energy I thought I was banking for the final 10 k failed to materialize on the run, as my disrupted nutritional plan also came back to haunt me with a moderate stomach cramp for the first 4k or so. I picked it up after the cramp left me, but didn’t have a lot of “pep” in my legs, but the “Go USA!” cheers from friends, family and strangers kept me going. I finished well, and a definite highlight was handed an American flag to carry across the finish line by a Team USA staffer about 200 m from the finish. I held an Aussie off while carrying the flag in- fun! I ended up in 34th place in a very competitive field, and was happy with my result. My main goal was not to embarrass myself or the USA with a really poor performance. The Ukrainian that won my group is a pro that actually won Ironman Wisconsin a few years ago- I am not sure what he is doing racing with the age-groupers. The race was followed by the pros on Sunday and then a awards ceremony and what turned into a uniform-swapping party for the athletes from different countries. My thanks to YMC and Alyse and my dad for coming along, and Gloria was awesome, as always. What I took away from worlds: I shouldn’t be intimidated by an international field and I shouldn’t try to compensate for delays in the start by eating more. I also know that I need to work more on my run, which has been given short-shrift in my training recently due to some minor injuries that have kept my mileage and intensity down. Looking forward to rebuilding for the NYC Tri!

Xterra-Patenella's King of the Hill Race Report

I was both excited and nervous about racing my first Xterra, and although I started my racing career on Mtn bikes, it has been years since I have ridden seriously and I have been on a Mtn. bike exactly once in the last two years (and that was last weekend).  Unfortunately riding a Mtn bike is NOT "just like riding a bike" it takes diligent practice to keep up your skills, at least for a person of my relatively modest reflexes and agility.  My refresher last weekend was awesome in the fact that it probably kept me from face-planting in a rock garden at speed during the race today, but it did not improve my handling ability beyond bare adequacy.

I got a much-appreciated ride from Emily Johnson of BTC, who has a super gnarly and easy to use 3 bike rack on her car, and we rolled up and went into our individual pre race routines.  For me, that usually means picking up my number and then finding the bathroom and visiting it as often as possible- jogging laps to and from transition for warm-up. 

The race started with a 400 yd run on soft sand along a beach to enter the water, which was nice as it limited the entering-the-water chaos by stringing out the contenders.  I was surprised at how hard many people tackled this run.  I kind of jogged it, not wanting to hit the water already in oxygen debt.  The swim was pleasant, in kind of brackish water, two laps of about 400 m each.

I hit the transition in about the 20 spot and oddly totally lost my balance while changing into my shoes. Odd, as this has never happened before. I had to put my bike shoes on sitting down.  Might have been water in my ears or something.  Along with the camelback nonsense and bike gloves over my wet hands this resulted in possibly my slowest transition ever.

I recovered in a few seconds and hit the trail with my borrowed bike, which is a beautifully-preserved example of high-end mid 90’s construction.  I had found out on my preride that the bike would not shift into the granny gear reliably, and quick trip to the bike shop confirmed that a new front derailleur was necessary, which I passed on, accepting 16 gears as sufficient to race on.  Once my steed and I got going, the front derailleur broke completely on the first major climb, leaving me thankfully in the middle chainring on the front, and cutting my number of gears to 8, which I gleefully announced to everyone that I passed, along with gratuitously honking the squeaky toy mounted on my bars.  On the first portion of the bike the speedsters kept passing me on the downhills, so I pulled over and shouted encouragement as they went by.  I later caught many of them on the long climb, which was VERY rocky and technical, and was followed by a long rocky descent that made me wish for a full suspension bike.  The return ride was mostly fire road, but some single track climbing tested the limits of my low cadence w/o a granny gear.

The run was remarkable for a trip up “toboggan hill” which was so steep that most walked it, but I ran the whole thing out of pride (it would have probably been faster to walk).  I finished 10^th overall and 2^nd in my AG, and if there was an award for the oldest bike/highest finish I think I might have taken it.  Emily also did well, and we were both thankful for no rock-induced injuries.  The end result: I love Xterras!  However, I think I want to find a less-technical course next time and do some better preventative bike maintenance.