SalsMiles2

Click on photos to enlarge. Tri-newbie,Eileen and Doug Pennington swim start I survived the Lake! Which way does this shirt go? Yes, finally running! Enthusiastic supporters!

The Triathlete Wife convinced me to compete in my first triathlon, which I did on Sunday, the Shoreline Triathlon at Hamlin Beach in NY. It was a perfect summer day, but I was still worried about the .5 mile swim in open water. The security of the wetsuit and advice from the eventual winner, Carl Johnston, helped somewhat. Carl said to start near the back and side, count to ten after the gun sounds, then swim. This would keep me from all the flailing arms and feet and being dunked. The strategy did work and actually I thought the swim went pretty well though my time was 3 minutes slower than I expected. But it was fun passing lots of people in the water. Transition was horrible and I no longer can make fun of Jan (triathlete wife). As Mike Weinpress stated, my getting out of the wetsuit was like watching someone wrestle a giant squid. T1 was over 4 minutes as I rolled around in the middle of the path, not considering other athletes around me might need space. A fight then ensued with ...

Readers: please scroll down to the previous post, Act 1, to begin the play. Scene 1: Sunday afternoon, bikers are done with their second loop, roads open to traffic, it is still pouring rain. Queen: The coffee shop clerk told us it would rain the rest of the day and thunderstorm all night. What will we do Lowly? How will we stay dry and sleep? We have to be up at 5:30am to get to the 2009 Lake Placid IM registration. Lowly: We could sleep in the SUV? Queen: And just where will all our stuff go. Look at the tent, it's a mess. Give me the tablecloth. The Queen clothespins the tablecloth to the tent. Now there is a beat up sun canopy over the tent, a checkerboard tablecloth on one side and garbage bags around the rest of the tent to try and keep it dry. The tent site is mud and puddles. Queen: Let's see if there is a motel room, Lowly, please. Lowly: There aren't any rooms, it's the IM, this area has been sold out for months. Queen: We have to do something. Lowly: Okay, g...

A play in two parts. Readers, if only it weren't all true, a sad woeful tale of a vacation gone awry. Main Characters, Queen Triathlete Wife and Lowly, the loyal servant. Act One, Scene 1, before leaving Spencerport: Queen: Don't you think we should waterproof the tent, after all it hasn't been used in years. Lowly: Nah, it'll be fine, it has a rain fly and the weather forecast calls for only a 30% chance of rain. Queen: I better not get wet. That's all I ask from you making me camp again, a dry tent to sleep in! Lowly: Not a problem, I guarantee we will be okay. Scene 2: At the campground in Wilmington Notch, 8 miles from Lake Placid Queen: I can't believe we got lost, we've been coming here for years. Lowly: I know, I thought the shortcut would help us avoid downtown, I didn't know we would miss our turn to Wilmington and take another hour. Queen: Well, let's get the tent set up. Lowly: Okay, but where's the electric at our site, it must be her...

The TW and I are heading to Lake Placid this weekend. The IM is on Sunday and we will be watching the race. Saturday we hope to bike the course . Monday the plan is to line up early so Jan can register for next year's LP Ironman . We are camping near Wilmington, something we haven't tried in quite a few years. Should be a fun time for all. As punishment for making the TW camp this weekend, she is forcing me to be at Braddock Bay at 6am Friday so we can swim in Lake Ontario. I can't wait.

The TW's DoubleMusselman time was 8:27:29. Fifty-two people began the two triathlons and thirty-four finished. Jan was 31st. Only two of the 5 women in her age group finished both races. Jan was 10th out of 30+ women in her age group for the sprint tri on Saturday, but had a tough time Sunday. Seneca Lake was wavy on Sunday for the 1/2 Ironman and everyone's swim times were slower than normal. The 56 mile bike ride ended with an hour or more of rain pouring down, some thunder and lightning. Despite this Jan and many other athletes took off for their 13.1 mile run. The rain did not let up. A tough race became more grueling due to the weather conditions. Eileen Weinpress completed her first 1/2 Ironman. Lou Katz completed the Aquabike (1.2 mile swim, 56mile bike) and didn't run due to a hamstring tear. Patty Pirnie completed the DoubleMussel, finishing in 7th place overall! Her husband Alex completed the swim and run, did not bike due to lack of training.

Jan and Eileen Weinpress, pre-Musselman 1/2 IM, July 2008. One smile, one wondering what the heck am I doing here? Click on the photos to make them full size. Jan completing the tough, wavy, 1.2 mile swim in Seneca Lake. Looks like Mike is paying Eileen for completing the swim. Lou Katz heads off for the 56 mile bike tour of Seneca and Cayuga Lakes. Jan prepping for the bike ride. Jan getting ready to run 13.1 miles.

As Lou, Joanne, Mike, Jan, Eileen and I sat down over some cold beers, Lou told us the story of his Musselman 1.2mile swim adventure; Lou: "The lake was angry that day my friends, like an old man trying to return soup at a deli! I got about fifty-feet out and then suddenly the great legendary Seneca Lake sea monster appeared before me. I tell ya he was ten stories high if he was a foot. As if sensing my presence he gave out a big bellow. I said, "Easy big fella!" And then as I watched him struggling I realized he needed help getting back out to deeper water, the waves were just too rough for him. From where I was swimming I could see directly into the eye of the great fish! Mike W: Mammal. Lou: Whatever. Eileen: Well, what did you do next? Lou: Then from out of nowhere a huge wave lifted me, tossed me like a cork and I found myself grabbing his dorsal fin. I could barely see from all of the waves crashing down on top of me but I knew something was there so I reached my h...

. Friday we leave for Geneva, New York so the Triathlete Wife can participate in the Double Musselman . Not satisfied with just running a 1/2 IM on Sunday, the TW is also doing the sprint tri, along with 52 other nuts, umm, dedicated individuals, on Saturday. The sprint is 500yd swim, 15 mile bike, 3 mile run. The half is 1.2mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13.1 mile run. This should make for a good test for the Louisville IM. Patty P, from Hilton is also attempting the Double. Her husband Alex is running the 1/2 IM, along with Lou and Eileen. Saturday will be in the 70's at the race start, climbing to 90 in the afternoon. Sunday morning will be around 70, with a high of 79 by 2pm. Chance of rain is only 30%, though the dew point will be in the mid-60's, a little sticky. A southerly wind should hinder the riders a bit as they head down route 96, but will be nice on East Lake road as they are heading for T2. WeatherUnderground .

You too can lose twenty pounds in a year and drop inches from your body! Just follow the Ironman training program. Run 20-40 miles a week, bike 100-200 miles a week, swim 2-5 miles a week and in your spare time lift weights. Spend the rest of your free time napping, being in bed by 10, and figuring out how you are going to get up and do it all again. It's simple, it's fun, it works! Yogurt, coffee and maybe juice for breakfast. Progresso soup and carrots at lunch. Liters of water throughout the day. Coffee maybe in the afternoon. Typical dinners of chicken or meat, or tuna, vege, cheese & crackers, potato or rice. Mexican, Italian, breakfast for dinner (egg wraps, homefries), and wine, don't forget the wine! It could be the key to the weight loss? Once in awhile treat yourself to ice cream from Cold Stone Creamery. No cost to join, at least not through this blog. Just buy some running shoes, a nice bike, find a pool, and you, too, can do it. For a mere 20 or more hours ...

A three day weekend of training began early Friday morning as Lou and Jan biked 26 miles to the Fleet Feet Fairport Firecracker 5 mile race. Lou finished in 37 minutes, 4th in his age group, Jan ran 40:50, good enough for 3rd in her age group. Jan and I biked another 21 miles in the afternoon. Saturday Jan ran 6 miles, then Lou, myself and Jan drove to Braddock Bay and swam "between the rocks" for about 30 minutes. Too many boats were out on the lake for anyone to take a chance on swimming across the bay to the buoy. My first swim in Lake Ontario, it was kind of creepy for awhile. Trying to swim in a fairly straight line is a constant struggle for me. Staying calm while swimming along the tall seaweed growing and hoping not to see any live animals was more difficult. Luckily it was a peaceful afternoon. I don't know what I'll do at the Shoreline Triathlon (my first tri) if the water is rough. Jan also lifted weights when we got home. Sunday Jan and I drove to Bradd...

10. Quick way to lose 3-5 pounds. 9. You get to take a nap with no one complaining. 8. The triathlete wife waits on you (when she isn't laughing). 7. Medical people tell you it's okay to fart. 6. A Wegman's sub tastes so good after you leave the hospital. 5. Time to catch up on your reading. 4. Color photos of your colon suitable for framing. 3. Be one of the cool people, everyone's doing it (at least all the boomers) 2. Maybe your colon will show up on YouTube. 1. Getting a clean bill of health for 5 or more years.