Here's a report to kick it off:

Hey all,
I sent Eric a list of the races that I'm doing this summer. The first big race is the American Triple T in southern Ohio, starting Friday, May 23rd. I'm going to be giving everyone a daily report about the race.

Just a little bit about the race: It's 4 races in 3 days covering approx. an ironman distance. It starts with a prologue on Friday, which consists of a 250 meter swim, 5 mile bike and a one mile run. On Saturday, there are 2 races. The first race is an Olympic distance race in the morning. In the afternoon, another Olympic distance race is done except the order is changed - you start with the bike and then do the swim, then the run. Sunday, a half ironman is completed. This year, I am doing the race with a teammate, Rocky McGeary from Pittsburgh, PA. The way the team time is setup is the first two races are done separately with both of our times counting towards the team time. The 3rd race, the time of the last teammate to cross the finish line counts as the team time. And the 4th race, we both have to cross the timing mats together. You can also do this race solo, if you'd like. The starting position on Friday night is determined by USAT ranking - after that, the start is based on your place in the race. The level of competition is very high. Bruce Gennari, Gordo Byrn, Joe Bonness to name a few are in the field out of approximately 330 entrants.

The course is very hilly for both the bike and the run. The swim this year will also be challenging since the water temperature is 56 degrees. The weather is supposed to be perfect thru Sunday.

Of all the races I do each year, no other race gets me as pumped up as this one. I'm more jacked up than a 6 year old after a Red Bull. Well, I gotta go. Hopefully, I'll be able to calm down and get some rest. These next few days are going to be great.... I know it.

Mark

Report from the Prologue - Triple T Triathlon - May 23, 2008

Well, the weather was supposed to be beautiful - it turned bad. Pretty much cloudy & rainy and on the chilly side. But all is good and well with team Tooth & Nail. As expected, Rocky, my teammate, exited the water (that was frigid) right in front of me. We went into the transition together and I was still in the ironman transition time mode. I took forever in T1. Rocky got about a 30 second head start out and I was dilly dallying around trying to get my feet in my shoes. Once I got going, things went well. I passed quite a few people, including Rocky. Since it rained, the long downhill was taken with care. I didn't want to wipe out on the first day. I got into T2 and again, was extremely slow getting ready for the run. And Rocky exited before I did. Since I'm a little bit better of a runner, I caught him about 100 yards into the run. I ran strong since I knew the last 2 races, I would be helping Rocky out. So I put a little bit extra effort into the prologue run.

Just a note on the swim - I wore 2 swim caps and coated my face with vaseline and that seemed to help cushion the initial shock of the cold water. I am not looking forward to the swim in the 3rd race, as it comes after the bike. I see many cramps coming on. Day one in the books - I'll send the results when they are posted.

Signing off.

Mark

Excuse me for severe brain fog has set in.
This condition occurs when the water is below 60 degrees. The air temp at the beginning of race #1 on day 2 was 44 degrees. Not that I'm a hot weather athlete but when you see people ice fishing on the lake that you're going to swim in, you get concerned. Needless to say, the swim was 2 loop and by the end of the 2nd loop, the feeling in my extremities was non-existent. I managed to get my wetsuit off, making the hole in it just a little bit larger. I actually put socks on my feet, which I usually don't wear during an Olympic distance tri, but my feet were freezing. Today's bike starts off relatively easy, then about 1/2 way thru you hit the infamous Thompson Hill. Which after doing this race for the 5th time, doesn't seem as bad as it used to. But maybe the cold was just effecting my brain. What was exciting was that obviously - what goes up, must come down. The downhill side is on a road called Tick Ridge. It has a very sharp turn at the base, which unfortunately a few cyclists did not heed the warning signs. The rest of the ride was relatively rolling and overall I managed to make up a half way decent amount of ground on my competition. My 2nd transition went relatively smooth. The only problem is that I couldn't feel my feet at the beginning of the run. The run is basically up hill for the first half and it's rather challenging, especially since the amount of rain caused some deep ruts in the fire roads. But since the run is my strong suit, I again gained on the competition. Finishing strong, even though I know there is another race in the afternoon. Winning time for this race was a little bit under 2:07 by Gordo Byrn. I finished 2:33. My partner finished a little over 2:40. I waited around for my wife and her partner to finish, then we headed up to our room, where I promptly took a nap.

When I got up, I ate a little bit and then got ready for the next race. The weather has taken a turn for the better, turning sunny and the temp is now in the mid 60's. I actually had to put on sunscreen. This race, as I explained before, starts with the bike first. The order is dictated by your seeding. So Rocky and I headed out together at a moderate pace. The first portion is a long winding uphill that isn't particularly difficult if you ride within your skills and other riders go by you. You have to keep your competitive instincts in check. The next down hill portion is relatively easy, with no really sharp turns. You do a 180 turn a little past mile 12 and then head back up the hill you just came down. The wind was at our back on the way back which made it a little bit easier and the majority of the ride was in the shade. Since I was on a team, I rode with my partner Rocky and he hasn't got his climbing legs yet. And since the slowest time between us counted as our team time, it made no sense for me to go ahead. Finishing the bike, we now head to the swim. Trying to put a wetsuit on with sweaty legs is nearly impossible unless you put baggies on your feet. After about a 3 minute transition, both Rocky and I headed to the frozen waters. My fear of cramping up fortunately was never realized. But that didn't stop Rocky from cramping up. Poor guy almost drowned 10 feet from the shoreline. Luckily, a fellow competitor helped him get his wetsuit off and we both made it to T2. The transition went smoothly and since I'm a little better runner than Rocky, the run was uneventful. I was surprised at how well Rocky ran in a few segments - he's definitely getting better on the run. After we finished, we had a pizza dinner and waited for my wife, Linda and her partner, Kim to finish. They came across the line looking fresh - they will definitely do good tomorrow. Past experience has shown that the run in the half ironman is the most important part of the race. If you've gone out too hard on the first 3 races, you'll pay for it dearly on the run. I have high hopes for our team tomorrow.

Well, gotta get some sleep. I'll report tomorrow evening on tomorrow's race.

Good night - - Mark.

Subject: Race #4 - the half
We just got back from the long ride home so my recap will be short tonight. The swim was cold as usual but what was funny - after getting in the water the 4th time, it really wasn't that bad. In fact it was actually kind of refreshing, which just goes to show you that you get used to anything no matter how bad you think it is. The experience was well worth it. Now I know I can swim in 56 degree water without any problems. The transition went smoothly and then we headed out onto the bike course. This two loop course is undoubtably one of the best cycling courses you could ever do. It's hilly - it's beautiful - it's everything you want in the bike portion of a triathlon. Oh - there were butterflies all over the biking course - it was kind of zen like, until you hit one going 30 mph down a hill. A slow transition to the run and off we went up the hill again for the 3rd and 4th time. Again, since I am a better runner than my partner, I would run to the aid stations and wait for him and get him pretzels and Heed, if needed. He was having a little bit of hard time but that was to be expected considering the amount of training he said he's done. By the way, the weather was absolutely perfect - sunny, low humidity and since both the bike course and the run course were mostly shaded, it was quite pleasant. We finished, had some post race pasta and then waited for my wife, Linda and her partner to cross the line. Well, gotta hop in the shower, get some zzz's. I promise an epilogue tomorrow.

Later,

Mark

Epilogue
Hey All,
Just a few notes on the race after I have had some time to think about it.

First, the worst thing is I have to wait another 51 weeks before I can do it again. It is a race that for some reason or another just fits my style of racing. It's hilly, kinda out in the boonies and the level of competition is very high. If you come home with hardware, you are one heck of an athlete. It also causes you to think on how you are going to race it, so there is a mental aspect to it. It is tougher then an ironman (ask anyone there) so again, mentally it set you up to be able to complete an ironman.

Second, if you are into the cycling aspect of the triathon, this is the best course I've ever done. You have to be able to climb and you need very good bike handling skills. It's beautiful to boot. LP is easy compared to TTT.

Third, it is far enough out so you can recover for LP.

Lastly, I just read Eric's blog on how to deal with pain. You don't have to go to Hawaii for that, just stop in southern Ohio in the end of May and you'll get all the pain that a triathlon can dish out. But it's fun, really.

Photos