Around the World in 80 Years

Nov 24 to Dec 8 - Chile and Argentina

2011-12-10T17:38:00.000-08:00

In my continuing travels around the world, I want to explore places I have never been before. I also want to rotate between all the continents, from trip to trip, if possible. My last trip to South America was to Ecuador in 2006 (my earliest posts on this blog) so I was due for a return. And now, since I have friends in Santiago, Chile (Muriel Spoorenberg and Maarten Peters), I thought this would be the perfect starting point for my latest adventure.

My trip plan was to start in Santiago and then fly south to Punta Arenas (near the gateway to Patagonia) to do a hike in the Torres del Paine National Park. From there I planned to cross over to El Calafate, Argentina for a visit to the Perito Moreno glacier followed by a couple days in Buenos Aires before returning home. Oh and this was a solo trip, my first international one ever!

Part 1: Santiago, Chile

Upon arrival in Santiago I knew I was under prepared. Muriel was coming to pick me up but I didn't have her address or phone number, a working phone, any Spanish to get around or an agreed upon meeting spot worked out where she would pick me up. I wasn't worried but that was when I realized a little Spanish could really help right now. After an hour or so we finally connected. Time to begin this Latin American adventure!

The first thing I learned about Chile is that they are famous for their Pisco. Only Peru and Chile make Pisco, which is liquor distilled from grapes. You may have heard of Pisco Sour's or Piscola or maybe even a Terra Motto. I tried all of them! Here's Muriel and I having a Pisco Sour ...

and this is a homemade Terra Motto (made with white wine, Pisco, and a scoop of ice cream).

In addition to their drink, I also tried Chilean food. You might be asking what exactly is Chilean food. I still don't know because what I ate was mostly garbage. Chileans seem to love smothering everything in salt, ketchup, and mayo. I ate a dish called Pobre, which is french fries, fried egg, fried onions, covered in salt, ketchup, and mayo. So good on the first bite, not so good by the end.

Here's some sort of pastry filled with a cream filling. It wasn't even that great but you can find them everywhere!

And I can't forget about the bright florescent colored sodas. It's one thing that you can find Coca Cola just about anywhere you go in Chile, but they also seem to like florescent green, yellow, and pink colored drinks too. This one, Kem Xtreme Girl, was so strong I felt sick after only half a bottle.

One more thing that is very Chilean (and less bad) is Mote con Huessillo. This is a sweet peach drink with barley. You can buy it at road side stands and it's at least worth a try.

Beyond the "unique" culinary experience, Santiago is actually a nice city. It's clean and the weather in the summer is perfect (dry and 25-30C during the day and cool at night). It has a somewhat American feel to it because it is orderly and it sleeps by a normal hour (unlike Buenos Aires as I experienced below).

Santiago also has a few very nice parks that allow you to relax and overlook the city. The biggest one is Cerro San Cristobal, which is kind of like the Central Park of the city. It's huge and there are lots of trails for walking and biking. Muriel also took me to Vega Central (the market) where I got to see my first Chirimoya (a fruit).

Ignore the price on these chirimoya's ...

The Chilean peso trades at around 500/USD right now. So the 1800/kg you see above is closer to $3/kg. That being said, food in Chile is not cheap. Prices seemed very similar to those back home. In fact, I was told the cost of living in Santiago is similar to Houston, TX.

Speaking of prices, one thing about traveling in Chile that is very easy is the pricing. All prices include taxes, tipping is not excessive (10% for meals), and bargaining is not expected or necessary. Also, the police officers are very trustworthy and professional which is comforting in a foreign land.

On my second day in town, Muriel and I took a walking tour of Santiago through a company that works only for tips. Our guide, Franco, was great and I highly recommend doing one of these "Free" tours if you are in the area. The tour took us through historical and cultural areas of the city where I could learn about their history (Pedro de Valdivia and the Spanish conquistadors) ...

The Mapuche indians who defended this land against the Spanish (this is a statue dedicated to them and their history in Chile) ...

politics (Salvador Allende and Augusto Pinochet), women's rights in Chile and Gabriella Mistral, and ofcourse their most famous poet, Pablo Neruda (this was a mural dedicated to him).

Oh, one other thing South America is known for is beautiful rivers through its cities. NOT! They have the ugliest "rivers" I've ever seen. This is the big one running through Santiago (that mud running under the bridge).

After 2 days in Santiago, Muriel and Maarten took me up north to La Serena and Vicuna. We had grand plans to see a penguin colony and do some astronomical observation but both were foiled by the weather. Oh well, you have to go with the flow and be patient when traveling.

We did stay at a cute hostel in La Serena called La Punta, that I would recommend to others. And the 5hr drive north was actually quite beautiful with the dry hills and Pacific ocean to the west of us.

In Vicuna, we did tour the Capel distillery. Capel is the largest pisco distiller in Chile. We also got to try some of their flavored pisco's (kind of like Smirnoff Ice vodka's) which were quite good. But we did learn how Chilean pisco is different from that made in Peru and it sounds like Peruvian pisco would be of slightly higher quality.

And instead of penguins, we settled for a nice walk in the Jorge national cloud forest ...

... and then stopped in Los Molles for a walk along a sunny beach. Beautiful!

The pace of life in Chile is very different from home. It's very relaxed. Things move slower. When you ask for bill at a restaurant, it takes 10 minutes for them to bring to you. Then, ask for change, and it takes another 10mins ... by then it's time for your siesta.

One observation about Santiago is about all of the stray dogs. They look perfectly healthy. Most dogs are pets of the community and are fed and cared for by the people. I was told when one gets sick, people will raise money from their neighbors to pay for the vet bill. I really love that the dogs are treated like humans. As a result the strays look very happy and are very friendly. Amazing what a little compassion can do.

Muriel and Maarten were amazing hosts. Any of you who know them should really go down for a visit. I had a great time with them. Thanks guys!

Part 2: Patagonia and the "W" trek

Onwards from Santiago to the Antarctic region of Chile. This is where the solo part of my trip began.

The next 5 days were about completing the W circuit in the Torres del Paine national park. There are a few ways to get there, none of which are convenient. I flew south 3hrs from Santiago to Punta Arenas, stayed the night, and then took 6 hrs of buses north. First to Puerto Natales and then into the park to begin the trek.

Punta Arenas really feels like the end of the world (even though Ushuaia, Argentina is dubbed as the southern most city in the world). It lies right along the Strait of Magellan and has penguin colonies nearby but is otherwise a sleepy town.

I think alcoholism is a problem with the locals way down there. Though I still can't figure out what this sign means.

I stayed at the Blue House (hostel). Decent place but a little run down. I guess you get what you pay for at $14/night. But the other travelers I met there were great (from Israel, US, Australia, Kyrgyzstan, and Colombia).

I love that the sun doesn't set until almost 11pm here in Punta Arenas in the summer. You almost never see night and can hike late if necessary. I was getting excited about starting the W circuit after my first night down here.

I don't need a lot of words to describe the W circuit and Torres del Paine so here are pictures. All I can say is I was very lucky with the weather (perfect and sunny every day). I started on the right hand side of the W (for those of you who have done this hike) and worked my way over to Glacier Gray on the 4th day.

First, remember how I said I was under prepared for this trip? It became very apparent once onto the trails. I had planned to stay at the huts (refugios) along the way so did not bring a tent, sleeping bag, or food for a 5 day trek. I also did not book a bed at the refugios ahead of time. But when I arrived, all of them were full!

I was very lucky to meet the 5 guys you see above. Eren, Brad, and Brandon from Baltimore let me stay in their tent and fed me for the first 3 days until we arrived at a hut with space for me and a warm dinner. Without them, I wouldn't have been able to finish this amazing hike! I couldn't have asked to meet better people deep in the woods because few others would be so generous to ration their own food and space in a tent to a stranger.

And I can't forget about Roger and Jordi, the spaniards who allowed all of us to continue our spanish immersion lessons. Thankfully these two spoke better english than we did spanish. Jordi is also a fellow triathlete, so I look forward to racing him in Barcelona some day!

Back to the pictures ... the Torres del Paine just after sunrise

The decent from refugio Chileno towards refugio Los Cuernos on Day 2

Lunch break on Day 2

Continuing onwards to the Italiano campsite on Day 2

Day 3, hiking up the middle leg of the W, the Valley Francaise, towards the Torres de Los Cuernos

At the top ... of the world!

We camped at Paine del Grande on the 3rd night. This is the view waking up the next morning. The spectacular beauty just never stopped.

Onwards to Glacier Grey on Day 4

The boys taking a rest (in order, Brandon, Roger, Jordi, Brad, and Eren)

Glacier Grey from the viewing point about 20 minutes off the main trail

After a restful night at Refugio Gray, I started my way back to Paine del Grande. The boys had left the day before so I was on my own this day. A very peaceful hike back to the boat out of the park.

Looking through these pictures, it's very hard to pick a favorite. Glacier Grey was surrounded by jagged, snow capped mountains. Torres de Los Cuernos on day 3 was spectacular in the bright sunshine. Waking up at 5am to catch the sunrise at the base of Torres del Paine was a once in a lifetime experience.

Some quick advice for anyone planning the W hike. First it's a long 4-5 days and 80km (50miles) of walking so you need to be in decent shape. And since the Torres del Paine is the main attraction, plan which end of the W you start at based on the weather forecast at most one day forward. This is the advice I was given and I think it is good to follow.

And one personal learning, you can never be too prepared. Last year in New Zealand, my pack on the Milford track was too heavy so I was miserable by the 3rd day. This time I went the other way and packed too light. I could've been left in a bad situation if I hadn't met the guys from Baltimore and Spain.

It was a bittersweet end to the hike. I enjoyed the last 11km by myself on a cloudless day. My feet hurt after 5 days of walking and I was ready to take my boots off and sit and enjoy the warmth of the sun when I arrived at the Paine del Grande lodge to catch my catamaran out across Lago Pehoe. But at the same time, the weather and view were just perfect. I didn't want to leave this paradise of the south. The turquoise blue lakes, the sound of only wind and birds, the clean, crisp air, the jagged snow capped mountains peaks. This a video I took of the final minutes of the hike.

I left the park via a catamaran followed by a bus to Puerto Natales for the night. Time to eat a nice meal, get some rest, and do some laundry before crossing over into Argentina!

I stayed at the Yagan House in Puerto Natales. A very cute little place with a great vibe. It was very clean, and there was always good music playing in the common area. Puerto Natales also has an amazing vegetarian restaurant called El Living. The owner is a British guy who was backpacking through the area 17 years ago and never left. This was where I had the best food on my entire trip!

Part 3: Perito Moreno glacier and Buenos Aires, Argentina

After a day of rest it was off to El Calafate, Argentina. This was another 5hr bus ride with 3 stops. First at the Chilean border, exiting the country. Then, 3km later, after passing through a no-man's land, we stopped for a passport check at the Argentinian border. And finally, immediately after the border, we changed buses. No wonder it was a 5hr bus ride for only 240km (145mi)!

El Calafate is the gateway to the Perito Moreno glacier and also some great hiking in El Chaltain just north of there. So El Calafate is setup as the adventure sports capital of Argentina (very similar to Queenstown, New Zealand). Very backpacker friendly including lots of great hostels. I stayed at America del Sur which had very helpful staff that spoke english and helped me book my tour of the glacier for the next day. Oh and they also have a killer nightly BBQ dinner that is perfect after a long day of hiking, even for vegetarians.

Like Torres del Paine, pictures can hardly do Perito Moreno justice, but they are at least far better than I can describe in words.

This glacier was very different from the ones I saw in Iceland. Here the weather is warmer and most of the ice is formed high up in the mountains and then very quickly pushed out to the glacier tongue that we were hiking on. By the time the ice gets to the tongue it is already melting and no longer that deep blue that we saw in Iceland.

And that quickly, after a full day of hiking on ice, it was off to my final destination. Onwards to Buenos Aires. I took a flight from El Calafate to Buenos Aires on Aerolineas Argentinas. While my experience was a good one, everyone warned me to be patient with delays because they are more common than not.

Arriving in Buenos Aires was a bit scary because it's a huge city, my Spanish isn't good and there are a lot of ways you can get scammed. For one, there is a lot of fake currency floating around the system so you need to watch out for it. Luckily in the airport, another tourist warned me to be careful with taxi drivers and switching your bills on you.

In BA, I stayed at the Palermo Soho hostel in hopes of meeting other solo travelers. The Palermo area is the best neighborhood to stay in but I would not recommend this hotel. I was one of only 2 english speaking guests so it wasn't easy to meet people and it was kind of dingy too. I hear that the Lime House and Millhouse hostels in the city center are much better and similar prices too.

Palermo Soho on the other hand is the best neighborhood to stay in. It is safe and happening with the best bars and restaurants. Like it's name it also has a very Manhattan feel to it with lots of good shopping too.

Eren, Brad, and Brandon were in the city at the same time, so on my first night I met up with them for dinner and a night out. At home I rarely stay up past 11pm, here I knew I had to experience the nightlife to truly get a feel for this city. After finishing dinner at 1am, we went to Kika where there were a lot of other young tourists looking to party.

Both nights in town, we ate dinner around 11:30pm and then went out afterwards. I was out to 3 or 4am both nights. And even though these were Tuesday and Wednesday, at that time of the night the streets were bustling with life!

Buenos Aires had a very different feel from Santiago. Both Chile and Argentina were ruled by dictators as recently as the 1980's but Chile still feels orderly and disciplined while BA is chaotic and free spirited. I have to say I liked BA much better.

Even though Buenos Aires is bustling, it is easy to get around with a good subway and bus system and a grid layout that makes it easy to walk. I took the subway from Palermo to the city center. The subway cost Pesos 1.10 per trip (about $0.25) and was fast, on time, and convenient.

In the city center, I did two tours, both through this group that works for tips. The first tour is more about the history of the country (first government in 1810 and then independence in 1816 - yes in that order), politics (a little about Evita Perone), and monuments in the city center like Congress ...

... the widest street in Argentina (14 lanes). Here is our great tour guide, Gaston.

... the Pink House (presidential house) ...

... and the Obelisk that symbolizes independence. We also got to witness a protest in the city center, which we were told is a daily occurrence in Buenos Aires.

The second tour was more about Argentinian culture. We learned about how Argentinian life in a way is a big "chamuzo". The only way I can describe this word is as "oxymoron" or "ironic". For example, wealthy Argentinian's do not flaunt their wealth through externally flashy possessions such as fancy cars, preferring to instead keep art and luxury to the interior of their homes. On the other hand, tatooing and plastic surgery are very big in this image conscious society. Yes, chamuzo.

We also learned about the University of Buenos Aires, which is probably the best one in the country but is public. The only reason to choose a private school is because it is easier. So those graduating from the public university spend more time and effort graduating and in turn celebrate in a big way after 6yrs of schooling. This young man is a new lawyer after his graduation hazing.

And a trip to this beautiful city would not be complete without tasting it's world famous food. Because of the Italian influence and vast swaths of pasture feeding cattle, Argentina is first famous for steak and second for wine, pizza and pasta. I tried all of the above ... yes, even a bite of steak!! After almost 9 years of meatlessness, I tried a bite of steak from Eren's plate. It was amazing! No this doesn't mean I'm going to start eating meat but it was nice to learn what I'm missing.

Buenos Aires was one of my favorite cities with it's warm climate, beautiful people, culture, food, and night life. But it was also very tiring. Between walking every where and being out late every night, I was exhausted. BA was the perfect place to end of my trip and return home to December in the north east.

This trip capped off an amazing year. In terms of travel, I was in London, Montreal and Toronto for work in the first half of the year. And then visited Iceland, Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg, Holland, Chile and Argentina for vacation in addition to visits to Acadia National park in Maine and the beaches of Rhode Island and Prince Edward Island, Canada as well. This has been the best year for me in a long time. I can just feel that 2012 is the start of a new chapter for me.

Sept 28 - Oct 12: (Core) European Tour

2011-10-13T15:03:00.000-07:00

With my relatively new found freedom, I want to spend a fair bit of time traveling along with racing and training for triathlon. For this trip, I went to Europe to visit Parag and also try to get in some racing (only running) over there too.

First stop was Breda in the Netherlands where Parag lives. The timing of my trip coincided with the Amgen Singelloop race in the center of Breda. I went out a few days early to enjoy time with Parag and Anoek before racing the flat 10km course through European cobblestone streets.

After a short rest, the first thing we did was go out to eat at the restaurant Chocolat in Breda city center. It was restaurant week in Breda meaning any participating restaurant had a special menu for a fixed price of around Eur 30 (not including drinks). This was a nice opportunity to enjoy one of the nicer restaurants in the city at a discount. Off we went on standard Dutch transport with me riding the panier rack on the back ...

Here we are at dinner. Anoek, Tony Perez, and his girlfriend Angelik joined us as well. Fun times with good people. A good way to start the trip. Though by the end of the night, I was exhausted because of jet lag.

While Parag lives only 15mins from the Belgian border, I had never been to the country. So the next day we took a drive to Antwerp and Gent to see the sights and enjoy some Belgian food (i.e. rich French-style food in German proportions). First stop was Gent, a town with a lot of history.

But first, before exploring the sights we sat down for lunch. On this day I was happy with only Belgian fries with mayo for lunch. While I love mayo on fries, I've had better from a roadside stand in Amsterdam. I later learned the roadside stands are the best places to get fries smothered in onions, ketchup, and mayo.

Gent had a number of churches and fortresses built before the 1500's. Right in the city center, across from the Belfry tower built in the 1300's, is St. Bavo's cathedral. On the inside, this was truly the most magnificent old building I have seen, even for European standards.

Just behind is Gerard the Devil's old castle (which was later turned into an insane asylum).

Later we went over to Gravensteen Castle (Castle of the Count), which I believe has roots dating all the way back to 1100! Here is a view of the city from one of the castle towers. Beautiful on a rare sunny day, with it's narrow cobblestone roads, winding water ways, and ancient church towers doting the skyline.

On the way home we stopped in Antwerp (only 60km from Breda) for dinner. In line with today's lunch, dinner tonight was Belgian waffles with whipped cream, cherries, ice cream, and sugar. We sat outside right in the city square. This is the view from where we ate.

Saturday was a day of rest before the race. We went over to Tony's for a Texas-style BBQ in the evening. Tony's an ex-pat from Texas so we had great BBQ'd veggies and quesadillas with the best Belgian beer ever (Kwak). Thanks Tony!

Sunday was race day. Parag headed off to coach and train rowing while I went to the city center to sign up and race a 10k. On any other day, this race was the perfect setup for a best time. It was a big, fast field with over 3000 runners. The course was flat as can be and the weather was perfect (slightly warm with only a slight breeze). But alas it wasn't meant to be. I didn't even finish (my first DNF ever). My knee was still hurting from the RTB relays 2 weeks prior so rather than injure myself, I cut the effort short. For the full race report see the previous post.

After the race we enjoyed a beer and dinner with Anoek and some of her friends including Ewout Hilferink. Ewout ran a 37min 10k that day and he wasn't even in prime form. Cool guy, and very lively with or without beers in him.

Monday we were off to Germany for the second half of my trip. I was supposed to race in Germany too but then and there I decided against it. I hope to have plenty of other opportunities to race both in Europe and elsewhere around the world. It's not worth ruining those future chances by risking permanent injury while running with this weird knee pain.

First stop in Germany was Cologne.

I was lucky to be introduced to Corvin Cleff through my triathlete friend Jason Panzer. Corvin lives in Cologne and showed us around and joined us for a few beers. He introduced us to the local Kolch-style beer. It actually reminded me of Labatts but much better.

That night we stayed at a place called Die Wohngemeinschaft. Very hip place with only 8 rooms. Each room was also decorated along a different theme. We stayed in the 60's styled "Jimmy" room. Here I am scratching on the record player wearing the John Lennon jacket and motorcycle helmet included in the room decor.

The next morning Corvin met us for breakfast at a local bakery (Germany is big on bread and pastries, which made me very happy!) and then onwards to the "Dom" (cathedral) to climb the stairs to the top. Here is Parag and I in front of the Cologne Dom.

The Cologne Dom is one of the most famous in Europe for many reasons. Aside from it's intricate gothic architecture, it took over 600 years (yes, six HUNDRED) to build this structure. It's hard to imagine a building taking more than a few years to complete today, let along approximately 15 generations! Getting to the top requires climbing up 512 steps. From up above, you get a wonderful view of the city. And inside the church halls are intricate details from floor to ceiling including the colored windows depicting scenes from the Bible.

From Cologne, we continued south on Tuesday towards the Ahr and Mosel wine regions of Germany. The Ahr region is the smallest wine growing region in Germany. The region is in fact so small that many Germans don't even know about it. We stopped in the town of Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler where I picked up a really nice sweet white wine.

Next we drove further south to the Mosel valley. The Mosel valley is more famous and exports wines throughout Europe. It is famous for Reislings (my favorite!). We drove to the town of Tres-Karden where Parag and I picked up a whole case after tasting a range of Reislings at this local wine maker. Too bad I'm only allowed to import 2 bottles, so Parag kept the rest.

In addition to wine, there are a lot of castles in the Mosel valley. Some as old as a 1000 years and others built as late as the 1800's. From Tres-Karden we drove west towards Cochem to see the Reichsburg Castle. This castle was only built in the mid-1800's but was my favorite ever. To me, it had all the features I imagine a castle having - a sprawling estate, sitting high up on a hill, with many little tourets.

Here is the view of the Mosel valley from the Reichsburg castle. All of the hills you see are covered in Reisling grape vines!

After our self-guided wine tour, we stopped in Heidelberg for the night. There didn't seem to be a whole lot to see here. The next morning we walked around downtown for an hour and then continued south-east to Munich.

Our visit to Munich would be a mix of hiking, touring the city, and visiting friends. First, Anna Robak happened to be in Munich visiting friends so we were able to overlap for an hour before she left for the airport to return to London. Here we are on the train.

For food, Anna directed us to the University area in Munich. One of the oldest and most popular German restaurants, Alter Simple, is there. We stopped there for some Oktoberfest beer and traditional German food (for vegetarians they had Kaesespaetzle, which is wheat noodles covered in cheese and onions. Very good but very heavy!). We also had traditional German desserts like Apple struddle and a heavy pancake with raisins and applesauce for dessert. I felt like I was going to explode after all this heavy food!

The next morning was supposed to be the last with nice sunny weather in the 20's so we headed to the town of Garmische-Partenkirchen near the German-Austrian border for some hiking. Garmische-P. sits in the foot hills of the Alps lining the border. We got unbelievably lucky with the weather. It was cool with clear skies all day. It was so nice that at one of the alpine lakes halfway up, a guy had stripped nude to take a nap.

Here are some of the views on the way up this 4hr hike that was one long, steep, uphill climb.

Nearing the top of Osterfelderkopf.

Parag and I at the summit.

The cable you see running overhead is for the cable car that runs down the mountain back into town. This made for a great day. We could enjoy the hike up the mountain without the pain of descending it, allowing us to get back into Munich for dinner.

And for dinner we met up with Yvonne Friedrich who we met last year hiking in New Zealand. Yvonne took us to another traditional Bavarian restaurant with strong beers and heavy food. Even after the long hike, I couldn't do dessert two nights in row.

In addition to mountains and good food, Munich is home to the 1972 Olympic village. This was the games where Israeli athletes were kidnapped by Palestinian terrorists. It was both exciting walking around the Olympic village checking out the pool and thinking of the athletes like Mark Spitz that walked the village almost 40 yrs ago but also eerie knowing this was a time when communist countries were heavily doping their athletes and that this was the site of "Munich massacre" that also took place here.

The Olympic village brought out a new energy in both of us. So much so that Parag was able to walk on water ... and even make other things float on water too!

Another famous landmark in Munich is the BMW Museum. BMW (Bayerische Motor Werke) was started as an airplane company that then slowly moved over to motorcycles and finally cars by the late 1920's. This company's history, like that of Mercedes is very intertwined with broader German history. There was some general German history and how BMW was an integral part of it but mostly the museum was an enjoyable display of the various cars and bikes BMW has produced over the decades.

I've always liked small cars. Here are a few pictures with my favorite cars from the museum including the 1930 3/15 PS above and the 1955 Isetta below.

The one-door, 3-wheeled, Isetta has a special story given it's importance to BMW during a time when they were struggling to survive as a company. The gallery around the Isetta showed tons of pictures of people with their Isetta at their homes, in the mountains, loaded full of all of their children, etc... This car seems to bring back a certain nostalgia for an earlier generation of Germans.

In addition to their cars and bikes they also showcased some of their race cars from LeMans and other race series'.

They also had a display of their newest bikes outside. Parag and I got on the S1000R supersport bike.

Finally they had a cool section featuring some concept cars and special editions from their design studios. The one below is supposed to be a representation of one of the early BMW's if it had been built using today's materials and technology.

Seeing the fast cars at the museum finally inspired Parag to take advantage of speed-limitless Autobahn and test out how fast his car would go. On the stretch between Munich and Stuttgart, he hit 174km/h with his little 1.4L engine. While drivers in Germany don't go as fast as you would think, during this one stretch, going 160 was just keeping up with traffic!

By this point, we had driven over 1300km together. What do two brothers talk about on these trips (this now being our 6th together in 4 years)? We bicker a lot! I tell him he's a bad driver for missing an exit. He tells me I'm the worst navigator for not warning him enough in advance. Both are true but as brothers we know how to push each others buttons. We also talk about engineering, technology, investing, pranks we played on others, and ofcourse women. Typical brother stuff.

The BMW museum was only the 1st of 3 car museums we visited. Since it was the Germans, Karl Benz and Gottlieb Daimler who invented the automobile back in 1886, there is a lot of German history around the internal combustion engine and automobiles. So it wasn't a surprise that the Mercedes museum in Stuttgart was filled with amazing history going back 125 years. The museum had relatively few modern Mercedes cars and was more a depiction of the company's history through war and industrialism and the automobile's contribution throughout each such period. Well done Mercedes!

Here's a quick sampling of some of the displays from this museum. Below is the first automobile with a modern steering system (invented by Karl Benz).

Some history around the innovations in engine design.

I loved this car because it reminded me of the all the mob cars in movies based in the 1920's and 30's.

And this visit wouldn't be complete without getting this close to Mikka Hakkinen's actual F1 car from about a decade ago.

And even better, the latest generation of F1 car. Pretty sick!

Last, but definitely not least, the Porsche museum. Porsche is my favorite of the three car companies because of their racing heritage and focus on light weight and minimalism which influences their design even today. That being said, the Porsche museum was by far the smallest and least impressive of the bunch. It was mostly just a display of their cars and race cars over the years. And they've really only had 5 or so core models over 63 years so it was a lot of the same going around the two floors of the museum. Still very cool though.

Below is the first model they ever made, the 1948 Porsche 356, designed by Ferdinand Porsche himself.

Multiple generations of the 356.

Five generations of Porsche 911 from the mid-1980's to the 2011 model (in yellow).

Not to be missed, the Porsche tractor. Designed to be a simple reliable machine for the German farmer. And it achieved this design goal in spades.

After all the car museums over the last two days, we were all "car-ed" out. We took a train back to our hotel before heading to downtown Stuttgart for dinner. All Parag wanted was a Bratt. We found an outdoor concert playing with some beer and bratt stands nearby. He got his wish.

Next stop, the Schwarzwald (Black Forest) region near the French and Swiss borders. This was supposed to be the location of my next race during the weekend of the Schwarzwald Marathon. Instead we just decided to hike some of the trails in the forest. The Black forest is huge! We stayed in the northern half and hiked starting in the town of Enzkloesterle. It was a nice relaxing day but otherwise nothing special. Along the route there were multiple wooden lookout towers, Parag climbed up into one.

From the Black Forest our drive home took us through Luxembourg and the south and eastern countrysides of Belgium. Since I had never been to Luxembourg, we decided to stay there for a night to see the city and learn about the country's history. For starters, Luxembourg is the only remaining Grand Duchy in the world (a country who's head is a monarch such as a Duke). Here I am near a government office sign saying the "Grand Duchy of Luxembourg".

Luxembourg has a lot of history for a little country. Because of their borders with some of the important countries in the region (France, Germany, Belgium) Luxembourg has always been a strategic land to conquer in wars. As a result of this geographic disadvantage, Luxembourg city is surrounded by stone fortification walls to protect them. You can see some of the wall in the background of this photo.

Aside from some history there isn't a whole lot to do in this city of less than 100,000 people. But just across from the Grand Ducal Palace was the Chocolate House. Now we're talking!

Before starting the final leg of our drive home, we stopped at the World War II museum in Diekirch in the northern part of Luxembourg. This is the location of the Battle of Ardenes (Battle of the Bulge) where the Germans were defeated by the Allies. Luxembourg played what seemed like a neutral role during the war but a lot of the museum is very pro-American and shows how, by 1944, the Germans had run out of resources leading to their defeat.

Back to Breda for a day of rest before boarding my flight home.

Parag has a recumbent bike that I've never got to try. Sitting upright and pedaling in front of you is a little harder than I expected. You can see in the video that I had trouble getting started, and balancing on this bike where your center of gravity sits fairly high. It's a comfortable ride but I think I prefer my triathlon bike at home.

Sadly another fun trip has come to an end. This one was very different from Iceland and New Zealand which were mostly focused around hiking and seeing nature but I still had a lot of fun. And ofcourse it's always nice to spend time with Parag.

I did get a real treat on my flight home. Of all the times I have flown over Greenland I have never seen the country. This time, the clouds had cleared over land giving an amazing view into this untouched land of glaciers and snow-capped rock. I was in awe! You could see the waves crashing against the jagged shoreline and the calved icebergs floating in the sea like little pieces of styrofoam. This picture which I grabbed online is basically what I saw from 30,000ft up. I want to go!

Let's see what destination is next.

Oct 2 - Amgen Singelloop Breda 10k (Netherlands)

2011-10-13T07:37:00.000-07:00

I went to the Netherlands to visit Parag in October. As part of a larger trip to Germany and the Benelux countries, I decided to enter a couple races to experience the European racing scene. I love racing so this was only a fitting addition to this trip (for more on the whole trip, see the later post).

The first race was the Amgen Breda Singelloop 10k in Parag's town. The course and conditions were perfect for setting a PB given my current level of fitness. Flat, no wind, and warm temps (which I like).

Nonetheless I was not fully recovered from RTB 2 weeks ago and I could feel it today. My knee has been hurting all week and did during the race until I decided it would be better to not push through this pain. At the 7km mark I stopped and pulled off to the side, into the crowd and disappeared. This was my first DNF in my entire racing career.

My European racing tour just wasn't meant to be. My knee pain aside, my running also didn't feel easy today. After working through the crowd in the first kilometer (I started about 1000 people back out of 3000), I was able to settle into a 6:10 pace but not for long. After about a mile and a half it was straining to hold this pace. On a normal day that might have been fine but with my knee hurting affecting my willingness to push myself. My head just wasn't in it today. After the 5km mark I thought maybe I could coast and at least finish but even that became uncomfortable. My knee was really hurting.

It's a weird feeling walking through a crowd of spectators after not finishing the race. You feel like all eyes are on you for failing. I don't like it at all (who would?) And quitting just felt so weak. I never want to feel like that again. On to enjoying my travels. Also, I decided against racing the Black Forest 10k in Germany to avoid turning my knee pain into something serious.

Sept 16-17 - Reach the Beach, New Hamshire

2011-09-18T10:41:00.001-07:00

This past weekend I raced in the Reach the Beach Relay in New Hampshire. Running is typically a solitary endeavor. These relay races turn it into a team affair, making for some of the funnest races. This event lived up to this expectation for me.

The race goes from Cannon Mountain, NH (about 2hrs south of the Canadian border) south towards Hampton Beach, NH (just north of Boston) and covers almost 200 miles in about 24 hours. Most teams have between 10-12 people to cover this distance on foot.

I had formed a team of 10 co-workers and we were looking for two others. Mark Burton had run this relay 6 times in the past and was the perfect candidate to join us. His experience proved hugely valuable as we went through last minute prep. Mark and I each captained a van with my van leaving Thursday and Mark's driving up early Friday. My van decided to camp out the night before the race. What we hadn't planned for was the onset of Fall temperatures in northern New Hampshire. The temps dipped below 40 F this night! I slept in the van and was still cold.

These relay races are very different than individual races. They require a lot of organization before hand, both by race organizers and each team. This race had over 430 teams (meaning almost 5000 people) and had 36 legs! We needed to plan transportation, who would run which legs, food, etc... well in advance. Most teams had 2 team vehicles, typically 15-passenger vans to give racers room to sleep. I would guess almost every large van in the Northeast was rented out this weekend and all headed for the same destination!

Now with almost 700 white Ford vans on course, everyone needed a way to easily identify their vehicles, especially in the middle of the night (one of Mark's many nuggets of wisdom). Our team name was the "Frogs in Boiling Water" so we decorated our vehicles in this theme ...

Now it was time to start racing ...

Wait, I must call on the powers of the (Usain) Bolt!

With 400 teams of widely varying ability, the race has a staggered start with the slower teams starting as early as 7:30am and the fastest teams leaving by 4:30pm on that same day. We estimated our pace at 7:44/mi over the entire race which seeded us near the front (knowing full well that the winners would be averaging sub-6's). Our first runner, Chris, went off at 2:40pm on Friday. I was the anchor (#12 in the rotation) so my first leg (of 3) wouldn't go off until after 11pm. Lots of driving, cheering and waiting to go.

My van was Ian Cadieu, Justin Kousky, Anna Wasim, Kerry Van Voris, and Steve Kriss (missing from picture).

Our first runner didn't set off until 7:30pm which gave us time for one last real meal before starting to run. We enjoyed great pizza at the Flatbread Company in North Conway (another great suggestion from Mark).

By the time Anna lined up for her start at 7:30pm, it was dark. That meant headlamps and reflective gear for the next 12hrs! And oh yeah, the temps are starting to come down fast now.

It's a really cool sight to be driving/running along these winding mountain roads in the middle of the night and all you can see is a line of flashing red lights bouncing away in the distance. And when you're running, it's complete isolation with the only light being the stars above and your tiny headlamp.

Here is Van #2 (my van) over the next 4 hrs.

I finished my first leg near midnight, handed the baton back to Van 1 and then drove my half of the team 35mi further along the course to get some sleep before we set off again sometime around 4:30am. We arrived at the Van Transition Area (VTA) at 1am. There must have been over 100 parked vans and 100's of runners sleeping in vans, in tents, and many in sleeping bags right on the ground. The temperature was below 40 F but everyone was tired so anything would do at that point. The others in my van would be running before me so they slept in the van. I got the short stick and tried to sleep on the ground outside ...

I was tired but was amped at the same time! Between that and the cold, I didn't sleep a wink. I lay on the ground, wearing 4 layers of clothing, covered in only a polar fleece blanket surrounded by other runners doing the same. This is when you ask yourself, "Why do we do this?", "Are we all crazy?" It's freezing cold, I haven't showered in 2 days now (since I slept in the van the previous night), and I still have 11 more miles of running to go. These are the moments that test your love for the sport. I love running, the fluidity of the movement, the minimalism of the sport, the places it takes you, the comeradery, everything about it. Lying on the ground, trying to sleep but not able to, waiting for my next leg, captured the essence of why I run. It made me smile :)

At 3:53am we got a rude awakening. Van #1 was ahead of pace and on their way to our TA. We had 30mins to get our butts up and ready to go again. It was dark, cold, and there was no coffee, only the adrenaline of knowing you had another 4-9 miles (depending on which was your leg) of running through the hills to get you going.

Here is Ian Cadieu getting psyched for his second leg.

As we continued our running from 4:30am to 8:30am we saw the dawn breaking in mountains. What a beautiful sight! Some things are even more special after a sleep-deprived night of running.

I had only run one other similar relay back in 2003. It was the River-2-River relay in Southern Illinois. The lesson I learned from that one was to stay within yourself during the first leg of the race. At that race I made the mistake of racing the first leg like an all-out 5k and then paid for it the rest of the day. This time, I stayed controlled on my first leg with the hope of holding that pace throughout the race. My second leg was my longest at just under 7mi. I felt good starting out, locked into my 6:30 pace, and managed to hold it all the way through. Now with 2 legs down, my legs were starting to feel fatigued. My final leg was going to be sheer guts and will.

Part of what makes this race special is life inside the van over 24 hrs. You could almost breakdown the day into 3 parts. The start, the night, and the finish. Everyone started off with what I would describe as a cautious excitement to see our first runner go off. We knew we had a long day ahead of us but also wanted to get out at every rest area and cheer on our teammates. The van is talkative and energetic. We're fussing around with music to get psyched to race. As we approach our first rest stop, everyone shifts their focus to getting rest. During this part of the night, whether we are driving or standing still, the van is quiet, runners are sleeping. And as the darkness wears off, everyone is fighting to breakthrough the wave of tiredness to get a second wind for a strong finish. At the same time, the sun is shining again and temperatures are rising so we can get rid of the headlamp and shed the long sleeves and tights in favor of shorts. Now the energy inside the van is at its high. Everyone is cheering on our teammates and getting psyched up for their final leg.

Compared to the first legs in the dark, this is what it looked like on Saturday afternoon as we neared Hampton Beach. Sunny skies and comfortable temps in the 60's.

I needed this energy to get up for my final leg. I was the anchor leg into the beach with a finish along the soft sand.

My left knee was sore and my right ankle tender. I had to get the blood flowing in my legs to mask this pain and be ready to burst out of the gates at top speed. We were on pace to break the 24-hr barrier and I wasn't about to let our team down. Steve handed me the baton 4.1mi from the beach and I took off as fast as I could. Only a half mile in, I was breathing as hard as I could. My lungs were burning and my heart felt like it was going to burst out of my chest. But I still felt fast in spite of the pain and soreness in my legs so I pushed through it and kept going. Two miles in you landed on the boardwalk along the beach and got to enjoy a sight of the beautiful sun and sand into the finish. I crossed with a pace of 6:19/mi for this leg for an average over the day of 6:28/mi over 15mi. And best of all our team place 39th out 434 in 23hrs 35mins (7:22/mi pace). It's amazing what you can get your body to do when you set your mind to it.

As you can imagine this race is a monumental effort to organize. The RTB team did an amazing job laying out the course in spite of the damage caused by Tropical Storm Irene. And ofcourse a race like this isn't possible without 100's of volunteers throughout the state of New Hampshire. They were tremendous throughout the day and night.

This is a must-do for anyone who enjoys running. Mark and I will be racing the RTB Massachusetts in May and want to put together a fast team (or two). Be forewarned, I will be contacting you!

Sept 5, 2011 - Stratton Faxon Labor Day 5k

2011-09-06T05:17:00.000-07:00

Two months ago, my neighbor, Lia asked me to help her and her husband prepare for a 5k run. They had never run before and were looking for a race as a personal challenge. I love helping people get started into running because I think it’s one of the most convenient ways to keep fit and healthy and because it’s so natural for our bodies. I found the Stratton Faxon Labor Day 5k in New Haven gave Lia and John enough time to ramp up using a run-walk program and gave me my next race on the calendar.

Leading up to this race I had been getting in track workouts every week and started slowly seeing the benefits to my fitness and leg speed. Only a week prior to the race I had done a workout holding about 5:40/mi pace across various intervals. This was fast for me so I knew I could go into a flat course like New Haven and set a personal best. My official best time in a 5k road race was 19:36 but I had dipped under the 19min barrier at least once in a triathlon. I had little doubt I would break 19 today so I aimed high with a goal of 17:59.

There was a large field for this race with over 3200 people. While I tried to line up near the front, I was behind at least 200-300 people when the gun went off. This was good for the first mile because it forced me to stay controlled while I weaved through the crowd to settle into my position. I took the first mile out in 6:03. Right on goal.

Right after the 1mile mark, the course took a right turn with a short downhill. I immediately picked up the pace and began picking some faster people off. I wanted this mile to be fast. I clocked it at 5:48. Again, exactly where I wanted to be.

For the final mile, I wanted to pick it up and continue passing people. I continued to pass people but was already redlining when I crossed the two mile marker. Also at this point, a high school runner came up on my shoulder. I thought to myself, now is the time to be Macca (Chris McCormack) and stay one step ahead of this kid as long as I could and try to break him. This took a lot of mental energy from me. I dug deep, and stayed ahead of him as we ran step for step over the final mile. Then just as we could see the finish line, he made one more surge that I couldn’t match. I was the one who broke. I just didn’t have the mental stamina for a final sprint to the finish.

I crossed in 18:27 for an official PB. I am happy with that. I felt very light on my feet today. I did feel like I was bouncing up and down a little too much though so I will pay attention to that at the track. And I need to make sure my head is ready for that sprint to the finish. I know I can get much fitter and break that 18min barrier. That’s what will keep me motivated during future track workouts.

Lia and John did great. They both ran the whole way. Best of all they enjoyed the race and are thinking about their next one. I love it!

Aug 14-26 - Canada Road Trip

2011-09-01T10:49:00.000-07:00

As we get older, keeping life simple is one of the most difficult goals to achieve. We have to get jobs. Then comes a spouse and kids that only further stretch your time commitments pulling you in every which way. And ofcourse there is always the desire to keep up with the Jones' and buy that next great gadget, or new car, or second home, etc... While all of these factors bring their own positives, they also add stress and make life complex. We each need to prioritize which of these stresses provide a net positive to our lives. As I've gotten older I find that the more minimalist I keep my life, the more I enjoy it. So I tend to prioritize having less stuff and stresses rather than more. So my latest trip was about keeping it simple and enjoying nature out in the open, with my bike and my running shoes.

The goal of this trip was simple, see places I've already been, but either on a bike or while running instead of by car. So the plan was to spend time in Acadia National Park (Maine), New Brunswick (Canada), Prince Edward Island (Canada), and Rhode Island by cycling and running beautiful routes.

I left on Sunday August 14th and drove from Fairfield, CT to Acadia National Park in Maine. I was lucky enough to have a friend with a cottage right on Mount Desert Island. The Island and Acadia (which is on the eastern half) are too big to hike in two days. So the best way to see it was to bike the whole island (120km/75mi). While the weather this day was cold and cloudy, at least it was dry. I started by riding down to Southwest Harbor, along Seawall Rd. Lots of beautiful views along the way.

After that, I crossed over to the eastern half and rode the Park Loop inside Acadia. It was one of the most popular weekends to be there so it was a bit crowded but still woodsy and natural!

Even though I was 90km into my ride when I arrived at the base of Cadillac Mountain, I had to climb it. Cadillac is the highest peak in the park at around 1500ft. And you climb this elevation over only a couple kilometers. It was steep and tough but worth the challenge and ofcourse the views from the top too! By the time I made it back to the cottage, I had been gone for 6hrs including stops.

Game, set, match. Mount Desert Island!

The next day I went out to the carriage trails inside Acadia to run. I covered 19km of trails in the rain. Deep greens, flowing streams, 100-yr old stone bridges, these trails had it all. These trails were originally built during the horse and buggy days of the Rockefellers and have been superbly maintained ever since thanks to many donors. Thank you for making this run memorable!

Next stop was home in Fredericton, New Brunswick.

Mom and Dad have this huge picture window in the kitchen overlooking the trees and the Saint John river. I remember as a teenager telling people how I didn't care for the view because I preferred looking at man-made creations like cool buildings. Oh how I've changed! Now there's nothing I prefer more than the peaceful setting that I grew up in. This is the view from our back porch on a sunny summer day.

On my first day at home, I went for a 100km ride from Fredericton to Gagetown, along the Saint John river. The view above was what I saw all day long!

From there all of us, Mom, Dad, and I, all drove further east to Prince Edward Island for more quiet relaxation. I hadn't been to the island since the 1990's. Upon arrival, at our Inn in North Rustico, I went down to Cavendish Beach down the road and ran for over an hour in the sand. I even took off my shoes and ran barefoot for a while! This was the view for the whole run, almost no one around ... serene.

The next day I met up with a friend, Bridget McElroy, who just happened to be camping on the island that same day. Bridie is a cyclist but neither of us were sure she'd be able to hang for a 100miler. We set out from Cavendish towards Greenwich to see as much of PEI National Park as we could. The park is long and is all beach and parkland. And even during the peak of tourist season there are very few people. This is a true gem in hiding!

We made our first stop at Shaw Beach to grab a snack. This is Bridie and I at this point.

After riding 80km we landed in Mount Stewart. We were still 50km from Greenwich. It was mid-afternoon and we were getting tired. We sadly decided to turn around and back tracked to North Rustico where we started. Ofcourse we had to make one last beach stop to relax and enjoy the view on the way back. This is me and my trusty steed.

Beautiful beaches. Beautiful weather. An idyllic weekend in PEI.

Back home to Freddy for more r&r. While in Fredericton, I got in one long ride to Mactaquac Park. This was another 125km journey. Mactaquac is where I raced my first triathlon way way back in 1993 (when the sport was grass roots and if 50 people showed up to a race, it was a big race). So many memories.

Mom took this picture of me in our driveway just before I rode off for the morning.

On the next day, I went for a run at Odell Park with my cousin Parth. Parth is 6 years younger than me but we essentially grew up together. But until that day I didn't know he had run cross country in high school. Odell Park is a beautiful place to run but I had another goal that day. For my own sake, I had to make sure I could do more than just keep up with my younger cousin.

We ran for an hour along beautiful, winding tree-lined trails on a blissful sunny day. After covering much of the park, we made one last turn uphill. At this point I took off! Parth started yelling, "Attack, attack!" The pressure was on from behind, but he was no match. While winding through wet and technical trails on the way up, Parth dropped farther and farther back. Mission accomplished!

My time in Canada had come to an end. It was time to turn around and head back south. Onwards to Rhode Island for the final leg of my journey.

For two days I had a privilege of staying at my friend, Jim White's, house in Westerly, RI. Jim's a great guy so hanging out with him is always a pleasure. Aside from hangin' out at the beach, all I did was ride my bike. The first day I rode from Westerly, to Naraganssett along the beach, and then back via North Kingston. Another 5hrs on the bike. And the next day Jim and I rode from his house to Watch Hill and back. What a peaceful beach area. Kinda like Montauk but way more accessible.

Sadly no pics of Jim and I from this leg. And even more sadly, we had to leave the area Friday night because of Hurricane Irene. We all had to get home to prep our main houses for the storm.

After almost 2 weeks of simplicity ... just me and my bike, it was back to the harsh reality of Hurricane Irene.

July 23 - Montauk Ocean Swim Challenge

2011-07-28T04:47:00.000-07:00

I had agreed to race the Montauk Ocean Swim Challenge with a few friends from work this past weekend. This is a 2 mile swim in the Atlantic Ocean just off the coast of Montauk in Long Island. Come race morning, I was the only one in the group who toed the start line! But before I tell you about the race, the entire weekend turned into a big adventure so let me share the whole story.

Montauk is about 70 miles and a ferry ride across the Long Island Sound away from Fairfield. I decided to ride my bike to Montauk on Friday and ride home the following Monday morning. Including a few scenic detours the journey would be 170mi round trip. We happened to be having a heat wave that Friday, with the heat index the temperature was 44 C (110 F). I still wanted to do the ride though. I stepped outside to feel the heat and without even moving I started sweating! This was going to be a long day on the bike whether I made it to Montauk or not.

I set out on my bike just before 2pm to catch the ferry to Port Jefferson. I was the only cyclist on the ferry (which I think is normal regardless of the weather). Once into Port Jeff I made sure I was loaded up on water and food and set off along the journey to Montauk. I started the day with a Camelbak full of water, Gatorade, a banana and 6 energy bars. Even with all of this, I stopped after 50mi to refill the Camelbak and even with this extra water, by the time I reached Montauk at 8pm, I had finished all of my food and water water, was drained, and my body was seriously lacking electrolytes.

The very next morning was the Ocean swim race. After yesterday’s bike ride, the only thing my body wanted to do was stay in bed. The race start was at 7am and there were about 125 athletes. The big question of the morning was whether or not to wear a wetsuit. Most people wore one and whether you did or not didn’t affect the awards, so I really had no choice but to wear one too. Once in the water, it turned out cold enough that my arms were burning and my feet went numb by the end of the race. I doubt I would've finished if I didn’t wear my Orca sleeveless so I’m glad I chose the sensible option.

My left shoulder had been hurting leading up to this race so I was barely swimming. I was prepared to adjust my stroke if necessary to get through the swim. After a proper dryland warm-up of ballistic stretching my shoulder felt fine once in the water. I was very conscious of it and not pulling hard to keep it from acting up. This led to taking the swim out very easily most of the way which led to getting cold by the end. That aside, my stroke felt smooth and I felt fit. I came out 9^th out of about 50 people in the 2mi race (there were two other shorter races for the remaining people). The time was very slow at 1:06 but the course wasn’t meant to be a precise distance so it’s hard to compare this to other races. This is one of the beauties of open water swimming, it is always you against yourself and the competitors because conditions (distance, waves, temperature, etc…) have such a big influence on your finish time.

Montauk is a typical beach town with a low key attitude. As a result there are a lot of ways to enjoy that atmosphere. This Saturday turned into another hot and humid day but we still packed it with action. After some time relaxing at the beach with a big group of friends, then it was off to a wine tasting at the Montauk Lighthouse followed by watching the most amazing sunset at the Montauket bar. What a great day! This is our group (me, Kerry, Nicole, and Vince) at the Lighthouse.

As a beach town, Montauk offers up some really great surfing. I wasn't about to leave without trying it out. The last time I had surfed was back in 2001 when I lived in Thousand Oaks, CA! I borrowed a board and tried surfing at Poles at Ditch Plains Beach. While I only caught a few waves and stood up on one of them, I had a lot of fun. There were also moments sitting on the surf board waiting for the next wave when I felt like I was in heaven. You’re sitting on the water, looking at other relaxed surfers, waiting for the next wave to break, as the sun is gently shining, warming your back as your legs dangle in the cool turquoise water beneath. Just picture perfect!

Early Monday morning it was time to start the journey home. Another 85 miles of cycling except this time on a nice cool morning. It’s amazing what different weather conditions will do. I drank and ate less than half of what I did on my way out to Montauk in the heat and still reached home feeling reasonably fresh.

Over the weekend, I rode my bike about 10hrs and 170mi. That’s a lot of solitary time to spend thinking. The one interesting thought I had was that driving this distance in my car would have consumed almost $20 of gas. In comparison, my energy bars, water, and Gatorade ran me more than that. To me, there’s something wrong with this picture of hauling a 3000lb vehicle for less than what it cost to pedal my 150lb body the same distance. Maybe it’s time for the price of "black gold" to go up even further!

July 13 - 25th Anniversary Pat Griskas Sprint Tri

2011-07-14T18:46:00.000-07:00

A month ago, I decided to ramp up my training in hopes of raising my fitness in time for the Pat Griskas sprint triathlon. A month isn’t long enough to make significant gains but it’s enough to make some improvement. Through this training process I started thinking I could get back to my 2009 level and set a new best time at this race (I went 1:04:05 and had placed 14^th overall that year). So when Jason Panzer challenged me to a bet on who could win the bike leg (or was it the other way around?) I was game!

I love pressure because it helps me focus and I love racing scared with someone coming up behind me (which is where Jason would be after the swim) because it gets me to race even faster. As a result, I went into this race very focused! I had rehearsed the race in my head, knew how I wanted to feel at every stage, and even took a short ice bath in the morning to flush my legs.

One mistake I made during the day was drinking diluted Gatorade to stay hydrated. I thought I would try it again even though my body is very sensitive to drinks with a lot of electrolytes. By race start I could feel that my throat was dry and I came out of the water with a little cramping in my legs as a result of the imbalance in my body.

Aside from the cramping, most of the day went well. I felt smooth on the first half of the swim, in part because the water was warm (which I love). But I did a terrible job sighting and was going all over the place. I couldn’t see the buoys and therefore kept zig-zagging. That was annoying and ran me into oncoming traffic from the other start waves.

Onto the bike my legs felt ok, not bad but not great. They were rested but I had trouble getting them warmed up so the lactic acid built up quickly. Regardless I was able to pass people on the hills and hang with them on the flats and down hills. I need to figure out how to get my body to transition better from swim to bike in the same way that I came pop off the bike and immediately have my running legs. And Jason beat me by 45secs on this leg so I need to figure out how to not let this happen again.

Onto the run, there was a little bit of cramping in the early going but I kept it under control. I wanted to run controlled on the first half and then redline it on the second and that’s exactly what I did. By the time we came to the big hill before the finish, the only thing on my mind was to grunt and bear it and not walk. It helped that I passed someone in the middle of the hill so I had to stay in front of him!

All in all this was a good race. I’ve become fairly consistent with my racing as a result of documenting years of pre-race routines and paying close attention to how my body feels before, during, and after races. That being said, I don’t have the fitness that I did only two years ago and I would like to get that back. This showed in the transitions where I had to slow down and catch an extra breath. This race was a good reminder to train harder … because I can.

June 25 - Run-A-Muck New York 5k

2011-06-25T18:49:00.000-07:00

I was both nervous and excited about this race. I had run the inaugural Run-A-Muck New York in October 2009 and sprained my ankle right off the start line. I stupidly continued to run and got lost on the course, doing an extra 5k, and ended up finishing near dead last. After that experience, my first goal this year was simply to not get injured. At the same time, I was excited because I love running trails and love short 5k runs like this one.

I was racing this event with Ed, just like we did back in 2009. We’ve now raced together 4 times and know each other’s pre-race routines so it’s very easy hangin’ together before an event. We went through check-in, then for a pre-race bathroom pitstop, and then a short warm-up of jogging, drills, and pick-ups. By the time we were done with this routine, the music is going and the energy of the crowd is picking up. It’s time to race!

It’s hard to plan a pace for this type of race since it is non-traditional with obstacles, mudpits and lake crossings in the middle of the course. I knew I could be near the front but had no idea how my legs would hold up given the training on the bike I’ve been putting in over the past couple weeks. I took off at the start with the leaders. We were flying, I’d have to guess at around a 5:45/mi pace. There’s no way I could hold that but I sure was going to try. I was in 4^th overall in the first mile. Then the steep single track section followed by the rope ladder obstacle hit. I was reduced to a walk and was passed by 3 or 4 guys while going uphill. This section was technical and I couldn’t hold it together. Also, when you’re running fast and you arrive at one of the obstacles on course, they take way more out of you than you would expect. You have to stay focused and just force yourself to get through them efficiently otherwise your body inevitably forces you to take a breather. I have so much more respect for multisport events like the winter biathlon after today’s race. You realize how fit those athletes have to be to slow their body down and focus during each round of shooting after each loop of intense cross-country skiing.

Coming out of the trails around the lake, I was exhausted. There were still 5 more obstacles to go including two mud pits and a section of lake to swim across. There was so much changing of effort and pace in this type of event that it takes way it exhausts you more than a typical running race or triathlon. In fact when I crossed the finish line, my body gave out. My legs were jelly and I couldn’t stand. I collapsed to the ground and threw up. I crossed the line in 30:03 for 9^th overall.

I had a blast doing this race because of its uniqueness but I’m not happy with how I ran it. I made the rookie mistake of taking the race out way too fast and paid for that in the second half. This was a good reminder of what not to do going into my next tri.

Even though you can't see in the pictures, we were filthy after crawling through mud. Here's Ed cleaning up after the race.

June 11 - Mighty Montauk Triathlon

2011-06-13T19:22:00.000-07:00

I signed up for the Mighty Montauk triathlon after a friend, Nicole, asked for help training for it as it would be her first. I had never been to Long Island so a race was a great excuse to get away for the weekend and additionally spend some time at the beach.

This would be my first race since breaking my foot last November. It took a long time to recover from this break and in addition my left IT band was still bothering me since last year so training has been slow to build and sporadic this year. I also gave blood only a week before the race. Needless to say I was really nervous about how this first race would go.

Nicole and I took the ferry out to Montauk on Friday afternoon. This gave us time to pick up our race packets and drive the bike and run courses. Both were hilly, especially the run! I always like knowing the course so I know how hard to push on each section so I'm glad we made it out early.

I remembered from 2009 that drinking my chia seed mixture before a race was like a super elixir. I did the same today with the hope that it would keep me well hydrated. I've also learned over time that a nice long warm-up helps me a lot. This morning I got in almost 10mi on the bike followed by 5mins of running before getting my wetsuit on and waiting for the swim start. This proved to be a great warm-up because I was ready to go when the gun went off for my wave.

The swim was in Lake Montauk and surprisingly choppy. There was a strong wind that day as we prepared for rain (which luckily never came until after the race). I stayed conservative on the first half and held onto a pair of feet. At the turnaround I picked it up and felt great so pushed it all the way back. This was my best swim in a long time, possibly since as early as 2003.

As usual I had thoroughly visualized my transitions and they mostly went off without a hitch. I could've been a tad faster on both without much effort … there's always room for improvement.

Onto the bike I went out with a guy from the 25-29 age group who I caught in T1. He was riding right around my pace so I took the opportunity to warm-up while I followed him in the first 2 miles. I was thinking I'd pick up ground once we turned east and headed upwards toward the lighthouse. I was wrong, instead he slowly disappeared and I never saw him again until T2.

I felt good throughout the ride but very shaky on my bike because of the wind. I couldn’t stay in my aero bards on the downhills and I almost got knocked off my bike a couple times when we had a cross wind. As a result I think I was too conservative on the bike. I started the run too fresh and think I could’ve held a similar pace even if I had pushed the bike harder.

On to the run, again I felt good. My stride felt easy and my arm swing felt tight. I slowly began picking off people clipping almost 10 during the run. I held pretty steady until we got to the hilly section in the second half. I was running the uphills and flats faster than those around me but was losing ground on the downhill sections. I need to learn how to run downhills better.

We got lucky with the weather as it was perfect with overcast skies and low temps. My pre- and during-race nutrition was perfect as my stomach felt great all day and I never felt sluggish in spite of having given blood only a week earlier. If anything I probably drank too much water because I had to pee during the swim and needed to hold it through the whole race.

Overall I was happy with the race but my bike and run paces were slow. I'm not disappointed but know I have to train harder to get some speed and power back. Two big things I’ll be working on for the next race: 1) running up and down hills with much more intensity and 2) pushing the bike much harder and trying to hang on during the run. Nicole had a great race too and is looking forward to her next triathlon!

Results

Race: 1mi swim/20mi bike/10km run

Time: 2:12:47

Splits: 25:27/59:17/45:47

Place: 44^th overall (out of 605)/7^th in age group (out of 61)

March 17 - 26: Iceland

2011-03-27T07:54:00.000-07:00

This year Parag and I decided to meet up in Iceland. Why? I guess we loved New Zealand so much that Iceland was the equivalent place in the north. Iceland is also much more convenient for both us. I stopped there on the way back from a business trip to London and Parag did the same in between visits to friends in London.

How can I sum up this trip, here goes:

Weather: Highly variable

As the Icelanders say, if you don't like the weather, just wait 5mins. On any given day we usually got ALL of snow, wind, rain, cloudy skies, and sunshine. The weather changes fast so you have to be prepared especially when outside of the Reykjavik where the roads are narrow and often unpaved and population and facilities are sparse.

Road Conditions: Highly variable

Iceland has one main road, Route 1, that circles the entire country. It is paved but sections of it can be closed in the winter. The way north to Akureyri was partly closed when we were there because of snow and ice (it wasn't named "Ice" land by its settlers for nothing).

People: Consistently nice

Icelanders are the some of the nicest people in the world. Everyone we met was very helpful and welcoming and everyone is fluent in english making traveling very easy. The locals gave us great advice on where to travel to (like Svavar at Reykjavik Backpackers), gave thorough explanations of glacier science (Sigurdar Christiansson when we were on Svinnafellsjokull) and even pointed me to a great vegetarian restaurant in Reykjavik (Palli Sveinsson when caving in the lava fields in Reykjanes peninsula).

Scenery: Beautiful in snow, rain, or sun

Iceland is truly an untouched land. The population of the entire country outside of Reykjavik is only about 100,000. Most places we went had very few people. One night we stayed in Hvoll which appeared to have a population of 3 (a farmer, his wife, and their dog). There was nothing else in sight other than ocean, cliffs, and the Vatnajokull glacier.

Overall: Great!!

We had a fun trip. We were prepared for the weather and the car we rented got us through some difficult driving conditions so we made the most of this trip while still taking our time and not rushing anything. We spent plenty of time outside in the cold and snow enjoying the sights. It only left us wanting to return in the summer to see the interior of the country which is inaccessible in the winter due to impassable dirt roads.

On to the pictures.

I arrived a day before Parag and left a day after him for a total of 10 days and 9 nights in Iceland. The first two of these days was spent seeing the sights in Reykjavik. This included restaurants, art galleries and museums. The best of the museums is the Saga Museum which gives a good introduction to the history of Iceland via an audio tour and very realistic statues of the ancient scenes (including first settlement by Ingolfur Arnarson in 874, and how Leif Erikson (Eric the Red) discovered Greenland and Newfoundland (which they had named Vinland) around the year 1000.

The first day was very cold and windy. It got us thinking that we might not be able to make it through the week especially outside of the city where the weather could be even more trying. While we were bundled up ...

these Super Jeeps that they use to get around the interior of the country show just how rugged the roads can be.

On this first day, during our self-guided walking tour, the weather switched from snow, to hail, to just plain cloudy and cold at least 10 times. Through this it took us all day to see most of the city center on foot (which is the best way to go).

We also spotted the best place for Icelandic food, the Islenski Barrin (the Icelandic Bar). This place only opened in 2009 after their economic collapse when there was a longing for simpler times and disdain for banks and the destruction they caused. They served everything traditional including whale, puffin, dried fish, seaweed, and ofcourse local beers and the famous "Black Death" (Brennivin) and licorice vodka (Topas and Opal). Parag tried everything including fermented shark, whale and puffin here. I tried the dulce from Grindavik that tasted so fishy I almost threw up on the spot. Both the Opal and Topas taste oddly similar to cough syrup, but by the end of the trip, I started liking Topas enough to buy a bottle.

One more sight from around Reykjavik. The Hallgrimskirkja is the biggest church in Iceland and the tallest building in Reykjavik. We got there too late to go inside but it supposedly to provides some of the best views of the city from the viewing tower at the top.

We picked up our rental car on Saturday (March 19) afternoon and headed north west to the Snaefellsnes peninsula. You can see all of the natural sights from around Iceland on Snaefellsnes. This area is northwest of Reykjavik and has black sand and white sand beaches, lava fields, and mountains and a glacier (Snaefellsjokull).

We planned to stay in the fishing village of Grundarfjodur but took a detour to see the fjord Hvalfjordur on the way up. This is where the driving became challenging. We got heavy winds and snow and sometimes unplowed roads in this area - all par for Iceland. But it was worth it!

and the Icelandic horses (which are the same pure breed the Vikings brought with them over 1000 years ago).

... and listen to the wind!!

After staying the night in Grundarfjordur (about 200km north-west of Reykjavik) we spent all day on Sunday touring the peninsula. The day started off with clear skies, but that never lasts in Iceland. By the afternoon it was windy which then changed to heavy snow by the time we arrived at Snaefellsjokull (translation: snow mountain glacier).

That morning, our first stop was the lava fields along the most western edge in Ondverdarnes. Not quite how most people spend their first day of Spring!

On the walk out to a second black sand beach area, there was rusted metal strewn all over the place. This was the location of a British shipwreck from the late 1940's. The remains of the boat can still be seen at low tide. You can't see the remains in this picture, but it was a beautiful walk into the area.

Along the way there were some great sights, including this old fishing museum.

After rounding the western edge of the peninsula we got close to the glacier but couldn't see the top. I doubt we would've been able to see the top from the road anyways because it is a shield volcano and therefore has a long gradient to the small peak. Anyways, by the time we got there the snow picked up and visibility was very poor. I hiked up a road but then started seeing warning signs about the sudden deep crevices we could slip into on the glacier so turned back.

On to the Golden Circle.

The Golden Circle includes the sites of Thingvellir national park (site of the first Icelandic parliament in 930), Geysir (the geyser all geysers are named after) and the Gullfoss waterfall. All beautiful spots that were amazing on this clear sunny afternoon but would probably look like another world in the summer.

In spite of the clear skies, the driving was still difficult. The roads in this area where mostly covered in snow and ice, and for a while, we were sure we were the only 2WD car on the road. We did get stuck twice this day, luckily we had a small car so Parag and two Aussies who stopped to help were able to push us out.

This is the road towards Thingvellir. This was the most beautiful arctic landscape I have ever seen and the picture doesn't even come close to doing it justice.

Our first stop in this region was the Geysir and Strokkur geysers. Strokkur erupts every 5-10mins so we got to see multiple eruptions. This region was very similar to the hot springs in New Zealand except the scenery was completely different!

We couldn't leave without first seeing the Gullfoss waterfall. I was prepared to be underwhelmed when we arrived and couldn't hear the crashing water. But once we descended towards it, I was pleasantly surprised. I honestly think it was more magnificent in the ice and snow of winter than the pictures I've seen of it under a summer sky.

We didn't stop to see the Law Rock and site of the original parliament at Thingvellir until the end of the day. Ofcourse by then it was snowing again. Aside from the historic significance, Thingvellir also straddles the continental divide between the North American and European tectonic plates. These two plates are moving apart at 2cm/year literally tearing Iceland apart. The water here is glacier melt and therefore crystal clear. You can snorkel and scuba dive here year-round (even though the water temp is always 1-2 C). I didn't get too but have it on my list for the next visit. This picture is taken from that area.

After getting stuck one last time on the way out of the park, we drove back to Reykjavik to prepare for the second leg of our journey.

The second leg of the trip was to drive South and East. The largest glaciers in Iceland are in the south including the largest one in Europe, Vatnajokull (vat-na-YO-kut-luh). This is also where the massive volcano eruption from Ejyafjallajokull occurred. When a volcano underneath a glacier erupts, you get two things: 1) a lot of ash (from melting glacier water mixing with hot lava) and 2) massive flooding from the melting of the glacier.

The roads in the south have been rebuilt since the eruption and resulting flooding but you can see remnants of past eruptions like these steel girders from a bridge that collapsed in 1996.

The first day of our drive south was relaxing and even a little boring. Once you leave the mountains and descend into the valley the roads are very straight, very flat, and VERY quiet. Supposedly the whole Suderland area has a population of only 420 people.

We made two main stops, one to see the Skogarfoss waterfall in Skogar and then a second to see the Solheimajokull glacier tong that connects to the Myrdalsjokull glacier. Here are Parag and I at different points at the top of Skogarfoss.

That night we stayed at a hostel in Hvoll (population: 3). We drove along a snowy gravel road for a couple kilometers before coming upon a farm and a hostel. The hostel had 70 beds but we were the only ones there. Beautiful views, and again very quiet.

The next day was the only full sunny day we got on the trip. This was the day when it counted most though. We were headed for a hike on the Svinnafellsjokull (Swine Mountain Glacier), a tongue to the larger Vatnajokull. We had a great guide, Sigurdur Christiansson (Siggi for short) who explained all of the science behind glaciers, how they are formed, and that they are receding very quickly.

The sights on the glacier were unique with a mix of blue (more dense ice) and white (more air bubbles) ice.

Waves of ice to the right of us ...

Parag and Siggi on the glacier.

It was warmer on the glacier than on land that day. As soon as we got off and took our crampons off, the cold wind picked up! The glaciers in Iceland are warm glaciers in that their surface temperature is near the freezing point of water. But they don't melt easily because glacier ice has been compressed over hundreds of years under the pressure of layers of snow above it (hence why it is clear and blue).

Next stop was the glacier lagoon, Jokulsarlon. This is one of the most unique sights I have ever seen and may ever see. Icebergs calving off a glacier enter this lake that connects to the ocean and remain there until they melt enough to float off to sea in the high tide. Words nor pictures can explain the beauty we saw on this crisp sunny day.

Beached icebergs on the black sand beach along the ocean. Surreal ...

17000 year old ice. Compressed under the weight of tonnes of snow. Resulting in the purest, clearest ice and water (we drank the drops off this iceberg).

I call this one "Glacier Wreck"

Jokulsarlon is almost 400km east of Reykjavik. We drove back west to stay in Vik for the night to make for a much easier drive on Thursday. When the weather is bad, covering ground in Iceland is slow going.

The skies had been clear all day. To see the Northern Lights (aurora borealis) you need cold, crisp, and cloudless nights (hence why they are only seen in the north). Ofcourse as we were arriving into Vik, the skies slowly clouded over eliminating any opportunity for us to experience this phenomenon. Supposedly it's much easier to see the northern lights in Canada or northern Norway and Sweden.

After staying the night in Vik with ~15 other hostelers and enjoying a massive, homecooked breakfast of waffles, local eggs, and jams with icelandic moss (the best jams I've ever tasted) it was back to Reykjavik one last time, sadly.

One more mountain shot from our drive home.

It was time for one last sampling of Icelandic food before Parag headed off. So we first went to Icelandic Fish and Chips for exactly that. Some fish (for Parag) and some amazing crispy potato wedges in 8 different dipping sauces followed by traditional Skyr and berries for dessert. And then back to the Islenski Barrin for Opal and Topas and Puffin and Whale (again for Parag).

I had really wanted to go snorkeling in Thingvellir on my last day. Everyone raved about it because of the clear waters, amazing depths you could see, and colors. But many of these tours don't run every day in the winter because demand isn't high enough. I had to settle for my second choice of caving. I went in the lava fields in the Reykjanes penninsula. We had a great guide, Palli Sveinsson, and I was joined by 3 Americans.

This lava cave was formed over 2000 yrs ago. In some places you can see the stratification between various younger and older lava flows.

When we reached the end of the cave, Palli had us turn off our head lamps. Pitch black. Utter silence. You could taste the rock. And then he told us a ghost story ... ah!!!

Palli was yet another super friendly Icelander. He took us all to one of the more popular restaurants in Reykjavik for lunch, GLO. Great vegetarian food and amazing chocolate cake for dessert!

After a trip to the Saga Museum and a short run along the water, it was out with my new American friends to experience a taste of Reykjavik night life. Supposedly they stay out all night on Fridays and Saturdays, until 7am the next morning!

After a few attempts to find a good club, we finally stumbled upon one on the main street, Laugavegur. Even when we got there at midnight, it wasn't yet crowded. It was also noteworthy that the dance floor was mostly filled with guys and the few women in the bar were sitting on the sidelines observing. Exactly the opposite of home. It wasn't until we were tired and leaving around 2am that a line started forming outside the door. Palli had warned us that people don't even start their night until about then ...

Only one more stop before heading to the airport, the Blue Lagoon! You can read more about why the water is blue and the nearby geothermal hot springs they use to heat up the water here. A relaxing way to end a great adventure in Iceland.

Before ending this post, I have some comments and reflections to note. First, the Castle House Apartments are a great place to stay in Reykjavik. They are a 5min walk from the most happening corner in town and I would recommend them to anyone. Same with Reykjavik Backpackers. They had very knowledgeable staff that guided us to some of the best sites in the country. Second, the car rental place, SADcars was also great. Very affordable car rental compared to the big names and they provided us with a good, reliable little car that handled all the crazy weather and roads that Iceland threw at us. Oh and it's amazing how an efficient airport staff in a small country makes the whole experience just that little extra bit better. I love Icelandair but mostly because getting through the airport and customs at Keflavik is a breeze. Best in class!

Finally, one of my biggest reflections from the trip was on diet. When Ingulfor Arnarson and other Vikings settled in Iceland there was nothing there. Even today, it doesn't appear that much grows there. I imagine that these Vikings survived on a diet of solely seafood (fish, shark, and whale) and lamb (because sheep can survive on sparse vegetation). Yet we place such a big emphasis on eating enough greens and fruits and vegetables (and me ofcourse additionally being a vegetarian). Icelanders have survived on this cold, isolated island for over a thousand years on a diet of almost entirely meat. To me, this says we really haven't scraped the surface when it comes to understanding human nutrition.

Oct 28 - Nov 13 - New Zealand (part 2)

2010-11-21T10:36:00.001-08:00

This is part 2 of the write up on my trip to New Zealand earlier this month. The first part (below) is about our week on the North Island. This second part is about our week on the South Island.

The South Island is less populated and even more beautiful. We planned to take advantage of it as much as possible by continuing to knock off all the planned activities starting with one of the most beautiful multi-day hikes in the world.

Nov 6-10 - Milford track and Milford Sound

New Zealand has 10 Great Walks throughout the country, of which the Milford track is supposed to be one of the most beautiful and puts you into the Milford Sound at the end of it. Many people book this 4-day walk a year in advance because they only allow at most 40 people onto the track on any given day.

The walk starts at Glade Wharf inside Fiordland National park on the south western coast. To get to Glade Wharf you first have to take a boat from Te Anau Downs. This is the view waiting at the boat dock in Te Anau Downs.

And here's a view of where we were going from the boat. Just a teaser before starting our trek.

The first day involved only a short walk from Glade Wharf to the Clinton hut where we would

stay the first night. With almost 40 other trampers (as they call them) traveling with you, it was easy to make friends. To the right is the group we ended up walking with for the journey.

There is Richard from England, Parag and I, then Yvonne and Stephanie from Germany, Helen from the Netherlands, and Tal and Itai the honeymooners from Israel. Carina from Switzerland joined us later the next day and this became our new set of friends for the 4 days on the track.

The weather at the Clinton hut on that first evening was warm and sunny. Fiordland is known for its rain and that's what we had planned for (not that we were complaining). The other thing this area is known for is sand flies. These are small mosquito like flies that move very slowly but are everywhere! We found out very quickly that first evening, that liberal use of bug repellent was going to be an absolute necessity.

The next hut, Mintaro, was 16.5km away over fairly flat terrain (until the final hour). Our group decided that we were going to relax and enjoy the views en route rather than rushing through it. Some left the huts at the crack of dawn while we didn't set out until 8am. All that mattered was making it to Mintaro before night fall which didn't happen until 9pm way down there.

Here are some of the views along the way. Mornings were generally cloudy but we got lucky with no rain during the days so usually it would get bright and sunny by afternoon.

Getting close to lunch time and looking for a spot to sit down next to the river ...

For lunch we found this amazing spot alongside this stream. The water was ice cold because it is all melt coming off the snow capped mountains above. But we still took our boots off and dipped

our feet in while snacking on trail mix and whatever we brought for lunch that day. Best lunch picnic I've ever had.

The trail continued on flat ground for another couple hours before it turned up towards the Mintaro hut and lake. Plenty more amazing views after lunch. We could see the MacKinnon Pass now. We would have to summit this pass tomorrow and it was over 3000ft of climbing from where we were.

After arriving at Lake Mintaro and the Mintaro hut, and after 2 days of not showering a few of us took full advantage of the lake for a dip. Again, this was glacial water melting off the top of the mountains and was freezing cold!! A quick dip was literally the few seconds we could bear in the water. Below is another special view en route to the Mintaro hut.

Upon reaching Mintaro hut, my feet were hurting so it was time for a rest. Parag on the other hand, dropped off his pack and headed for the summit of MacKinnon pass with Itai. Lucky he did because look at the this panorama he put together (click on it to get the full view)! We weren't so lucky when we summited the next morning.

The next morning it was onwards and upwards to the top of MacKinnon Pass. Glade Wharf is at an altitude of about 200m and the top of MacKinnon Pass was just under 1100m. Most of this climb came in the first couple hours of this day's hike up over the pass and then down to the Dumpling Hut.

We didn't get the views today that Parag and a few others got the evening before. This day it was cold, cloudy, and windy. You get a sense of the winds in this video. That's Holland from St Louis, Illinois walking up behind me.

One of birds we saw multiple times is the Kea bird. The Kea is a big bird and not afraid of humans. They are also very mischievous. They have been known to destroy the shoes trampers leave outside of the huts at night. This guy took a bite into Helen's pack when she laid it down when resting at the MacKinnon Memorial at the top of the pass.

This is me at the Quinton MacKinnon memorial at the top of MacKinnon Pass.

Now for the long and steep journey down. Actually our journey down was steeper than normal because we had to take the emergency track since there was high avalanche risk on the main track.

The clouds didn't clear until we were well on our way down. Here's a weird (dead?) tree with a view of the valley down below.

About an hour before the end, there was a detour to Sutherland falls. It's hard to see but this was a very high waterfall with the top at an elevation almost 500m (1600ft) above us. Aside from its beauty, what made this place memorable is that you can walk behind the waterfall.

Parag and I both crossed the stream at the base of the falls and carefully made our way along the wet rocks to get behind the falls. Very cool (well actually freezing cold!) but a little dangerous because of the powerful winds and water (sometimes falling on you). I can't say I've ever climbed behind a rushing waterfall before.

At Dumpling Hut that night, almost everyone was tired after 3 days of hiking and after that long and steep descent down MacKinnon Pass. One more day to go to hit Sandfly Point.

We left early the next day because we had 18km of walking ahead of us and had to catch a boat at Sandfly Point to take us to Milford Sound. We got lucky with yet another clear, sunny day. Look at how calm the water was in this spot.

Yet another waterfall. This picture more so than any of the others, definitely doesn't do this spot justice.

I also loved how clear the water was throughout the hike. There were so many spots like this where you could see clear through to the bottom. All the streams were drinkable!

This spot is about an hour away from Sandfly Point. There's a reason it's called that. While sandflies move slow, if you stop for too long and they'll eat you alive. Here are Parag and Staffan (one of the Swedish dudes) protecting any open flesh from sand flies when we stopped for lunch on the last day.

Finally after a total of 53.5km and almost 30hrs of hiking we arrived at Sandfly Point to catch our boat. And consistent with every other point on this track, yet another stupendous view (that's the New Zealand flag on the back of our boat).

We only had a day in the Milford Sound before catching a bus back to Queenstown. I was hoping to go scuba diving but the timing didn't work out. Another option was kayaking across the Sound

but Parag and I were too sore after lugging giant packs through Fiordland for 4 days. So we settled on a relaxing boat cruise around the Milford Sound (which technically is a fiord because it was cut by icebergs). It had rained heavily that night in the Sound so the next morning's boat cruise brought new scenery including lower hanging clouds and bigger waterfalls. The picture to the right is us drinking the fresh water from one of the waterfalls that the boat pulled up under.

The marine life in the Sound is unique. The Milford Sound opens up to the Tasman Sea and is

therefore salt water. But remember the waterfall we drank, well fresh water like that is constantly pouring into the Sound from the rain fall and melt off the top of the mountains. This fresh water flow also drags with it a dark soot like substance into the water from the mountain sides. The darkened fresh water, then forms a layer above the salt water below tricking the marine life into thinking they are at deeper depths than they really are. Therefore the marine life seen is typically only found at much deeper ocean depths. The picture to the left is from the underwater observatory about 9m (30ft) underground. This picture has black coral (it's skeleton is black) with a deep water fish in the foreground.

I mentioned that we got a beautiful view of the Milford Sound because of the heavy rains that night. This picture was taken from the Mitre Peak II boat while cruising through the Sound.

Aside from the marine life we also saw penguins (a first for me). We couldn't get close to these guys but they were pretty small and really cute.

And yet another beautiful waterfall in the Sound ... now back to Queenstown via a 5hr bus ride.

Only 2 more days left on this amazing vacation, time to make the most of it. We were staying at the Bumbles Backpackers (view from there is to the left) and they were able to advise and help

us book any activity we wanted to do. Fiona at the front desk suggested canyoning over white water rafting and then the canyon swing over bungee jumping (although she noted both are worth trying). We took Fiona's advice and that's how we spent our final two days on the South Island.

We booked a day at Routeburn canyon a bit north of Glenorchy. What canyoning (or canyoneering) is is descending a canyon using only your body and ropes (with the help of guides). That means jumping off and sliding down waterfalls, rappelling down rock faces and the occasional zipline to cross wider gaps. The water in Routeburn that day was very high and moving very quickly as a result. And ofcourse since the water starts as snow melt off the top of the mountains, it is freezing cold! The video below gives you an idea of how fun it was ... and to top it all off we finished the day off with ice cream at Patagonia Chocolates in downtown (to the right, notice barefootedness too).

The following day's adventure started out with the canyon swing at Shotover canyon. The drop down Shotover was 109m (360ft) with 60m (200ft) of free fall before the rope catches and begins swinging you over the canyon. Since the harness attaches around your waist, you can jump off the platform however you want. I did the Pindrop (hands locked behind my back) and Parag chose to Superman into a triple flip (super cool to watch in person). Oh and I highly recommend the company that took us, "Not Your Average Backyard Swing Company" they were great. Just watch the videos, there's not much else to explain.

After the giant rush of the canyon swing there wasn't much else that could top that. We settled into to the world famous Fergburger for lunch (I had the vegetarian Bun Laden falafel

burger, which was also awesome).

There was only one more thing we had to try while in Queenstown before leaving the next morning - Street Luge! As you'd expect only in Queenstown (which felt like the Las Vegas of adventure sports) there was a street luge track at the top of town. You could hike there or take a gondola ride up. We took the gondola. To the right is a view of Queenstown from the top of the track. No wonder this is the adventure sports capital of New Zealand (maybe the world?). And the next picture to the left is me riding back up to the top of the luge track in the chair lift following one of our 5 runs down.

It's easy to tell that we had a lot of fun by the giant smile on my face. I still look at the videos of canyoning and the canyon swing and get that feeling in my stomach. This was the most active vacation I've ever had. Between the hiking, biking, racing, and Queenstown adventures, I think I was physically sore half the time.

What this trip really made me realize is how lucky I am (I said exactly this to Parag while we were walking around Queenstown one afternoon). I got to visit one of the most beautiful countries in the world and do some really fun and crazy stuff. Only a small fraction of the people on Earth (even at home in the US and Canada) have this opportunity.

Yesterday also happened to be Thanksgiving. So in spite of just having just broken my foot (after returning home), I have a lot to be thankful for and this trip to New Zealand was just one of many such things.

Oct 28 to Nov 13 - New Zealand (part I)

2010-11-20T07:36:00.000-08:00

I just got home from New Zealand last weekend and still can't get over how fun this trip was. We got in just about everything we wanted to do but it was definitely too short a trip for such a stunningly beautiful country. This is going to be a very long post since I was gone for 17 days so feel free to skip to any sections you might find interesting, in order, here's what we did:

- Mountain biking at the Redwoods Forest in Rotorua

- Hiked the Tongoriro crossing (parts of Lord of the Rings were filmed there)

- Watched the World Rowing champs at Lake Karapiro

- Hiked the Rangitoto volcano

- Raced a Stroke & Stride in Auckland (1km swim + 4km run race)

- 4-day hike on the Milford track and toured the Milford Sound

- Canyoning north of Glenorchy

- Canyon Swing/Bungee at Shover Canyon

- Street Luge in Queenstown

Intermingled through all this was visiting friends in Auckland for a couple days.

Parag and I had planned this trip around the World Rowing championships because an old friend from home (Jane Rumball) would be competing for Team Canada. The only other thing we had planned before leaving was to hike the Milford track which required reservations months in advance. Aside from this, we set off largely without any set plans but a long wish list of what we hoped to do.

I'm sure I could write a book about this trip but instead I'll try and let the pictures do the talking because they'll do a better job giving you a glimpse into the beauty of New Zealand.

Oct 31 / Nov 1 - Rotorua and Tongoriro Crossing

Parag arrived a day ahead of me and we met up in Auckland. For the first week, we were largely based here at Anna Robak's (whom I've known since I was 13!!) place. I needed a little time to adjust to the 7hr time difference but not a whole lot. Traveling east to west is always easier than the reverse for whatever reason.

One of the first things I noticed is that the people in New Zealand are unbelievably nice, all of them, even the people on the plane! The second thing I noticed is that they know how to live. Compared to us back home who work for the sake of working and gathering material things, the Kiwis work to live and spend their money on traveling and enjoying the outdoors. They've sure got it figured out.

One of the main items on our To Do list for the north island was hiking the Tongoriro crossing. This had to be timed just right with the weather because the passage was considered not safe under heavy winds or rains (which is common at this time of year). The weather gods were calling for good weather on Monday (Nov 1) so we immediately (Sat Oct 30) rented a car and set off the next morning. We set out to Tongoriro via Rotorua where we would got in some mountain biking and a visit to some hot springs.

Bright and early on Sunday morning, we were off to Rotorua. I'd never driven a left-hand drive car before, but other than getting used to that driving the North Island proved pretty easy. First stop was the Outdoorman in Rotorua to rent some bikes and then get into the Redwoods Forest (Whakarewarewa Forest). It's hard to describe the trails we rode but people say it's the best mountain biking in New Zealand and it was the site of the previous weekend's world single-speed MTB championships (which a kiwi won!). Tons of marked trails ranging from open fire roads to grade 6 trials level sections. Parag and I stuck to the trails rated grade 2 to 4 (which was pushing our abilities) but had a total blast! We got great weather and the trails were super fun with some good technical downhills and short climbs. Amazing start to this trip!

Rotorua is also home to a big Maori population (New Zealand is home to almost 90% of the world's 650,000 Maori) and is therefore a popular spot to get some exposure to the culture. We stopped at the Whakarewarewa village and caught a short Maori concert where they sang some love songs and performed a traditional war dance. This was our first opportunity to see a version of the famous Haka war dance. These are big people, it's no surprise some of them turn out to be rugby superstars.

The other thing the region around Rotorua is famous for are hot springs (a natural one pictured below). This whole area is volcanic and the earth's crust is thin. So there are

steam vents and geysers and natural hot springs. As a result there are also a lot of commercial spas fed by this hot spring water. We drove south to Lake Taupo and stopped at De Bretts hot pools to relax at the end of the day. Lake Taupo is the site of Ironman New Zealand and is gorgeous with it's clear blue waters and mountains surrounding it in every direction. De Bretts was less than impressive because it felt like a normal spa while our expectations were for something closer to a hot pond surrounded by the outdoors. We would get something closer to this at the end of our hike tomorrow.

We stopped in Turangi at the Extreme Backpackers hostel for the night before continuing to Mt Toronriro for the crossing tomorrow. At the hostel, I met a guy who had attempted the crossing earlier that day but the winds were too strong to allow it. He was hoping for better weather tomorrow and so were we!!

We packed up and left for Tongoriro early the next morning. We dropped the car off at the Ketatahi lot at the end of the crossing and took a shuttle to the start at Mangatepopo. The guide who drove the shuttle pointed to the right at the peak of Mt Teranaki 200km off in the distance. He said today was the first day in a week he could see Teranaki and that was a good sign the weather would hold up for at least a few hours! It was a clear blue sunny day and temperatures were comfortable. We got so lucky!!

Onto the crossing. Within minutes of entering the park, you can see why this was the location chosen for the movie, it's what you would imagine the moon to look like. Dry landscape with sharp, dark, volcanic rock strewn everywhere. Now I'll let the pictures do most of the talking.

Couple note worthy locations on this hike, first the red crater. When we arrived, steam was rising out of the ground. This is because Tongoriro is still an active volcano and the next eruption is expected out of the red crater. We sat on the ground and ate lunch and the ground was hot! Below is Mt. Ngauruhoe (Mt. Doom for Lord of the Rings) with Mt Ruapehu in the background.

The view from up there was stupendous with views of the Emerald lakes below and the snow capped Mt Ngauruhoe and Mt Ruhapehue above us.

After about 7hrs of hiking, we made it to the Ketatahi hot springs. This is actually Maori private land but our shuttle driver gave us passes to trek onto this land and take a special dip into the spring. What an amazing way to finish off the day!

After 8+ hrs, we made it out onto Ketatahi rd where we had left our car. Back to Auckland.

Nov 2 to 5 - Auckland and Around

We planned to spend the next 3 days with our wonderful hosts Anna and Simon in and around Auckland. I hadn't see Anna since before she left for New Zealand 7yrs ago so it was nice to catch up after all this time. Both her and Simon were also also nice enough to take some time off work and show us around the city. First Anna took us to an old system of tunnels that used to be a Fort from the 1880's to the 1950's where we learned about some New Zealand history (arrival of the Maori's to arrival of the British to independence) and then Anna took us to the Western side to the Waitakere Range for a short evening hike down to Fairy Falls (right).

We had planned this trip around the World Rowing champs in hopes of supporting Jane and Team Canada. The event was held at Lake Karapiro about 2hrs south of Auckland. They did a nice job with the venue and put on a good event. Jane raced well and it was great to spend some time with her. Her is Jane with her Team Canada entourage (Jon, Shirley, Parag and I, and Anna and Simon.

Jane's rowing inspired Parag and I to get on the ergs that were setup at the event for a 250m sprint against each. The best time of the day would win a bike. Parag pulled off a 41.5s and myself 43.5s. I was psyched with that time but damn it hurt! And the winner on the day rowed 36s!!

We finished off the night with some great home cooked pizza ... Anna and Simon, along with being great hosts are also great cooks!

Our last day in Auckland was packed starting with the hike up Rangitoto volcano, then my race, followed by a beautiful dinner at the revolving Orbitz restaurant at the top of Skytop Tower. My race write-up and pictures are on the TriFitness blog. I had a blast even though I got blasted by the kiwi elites in the race.

Rangitoto island is yet another beautiful place for a day trip. It has a very unique history because it is the result of volcanic eruptions from underwater about 600yrs ago (the early Maori settlers were there to witness it). The eruptions continued for about 200yrs to create what is now an island flourishing with plant life. It was amazing to learn how through the natural course of evolution and survival of the fittest an island of volcanic rock can turn into a lush green forest over time.

One interesting note is that walking around barefoot is not uncommon in New Zealand. You'll find people walking barefoot through the streets and even in stores. When in Rome ...

Now down to the south island.

Nov 4, 2010 - Pure Blonde Stroke & Stride, Auckland, New Zealand

2010-11-15T16:07:00.001-08:00

I recently returned home to Fairfield from a 2-wk vacation in New Zealand with my younger brother. Amidst the hiking, biking, and bungee jumping, I really wanted to sneak in an ocean swim. Ever since my swim in Lake Zurich this summer surrounded by the snow-capped Alps and a beautiful city skyline, I decided that I want to run a great trail or swim everywhere in the world I visit.

While in Auckland, an old swimmer friend from college, Jen Sweny, who has moved to Auckland permanently pointed me to a Thursday night Stroke & Stride (swim-run) series at Point Chevalier. I didn't have any proper gear but that's the beauty of swimming and running, you don't need any. I jumped right and raced 1980's Mike Pigg style in only my speedo's and running shoes.

Jen omitted to tell me that the small groups that show up to this Pure Blonde sponsored series are a hard core group of athletes which included a couple kiwi elites and a couple Team Mexico elites training down south over the winter. This along with the cold waters way down south made for me being one of only two people on the start line without a wetsuit.

The course was setup so that the athletes could race multiple distances, a short distance (0.5k swim - 2k run), a couple middle distances (0.5k swim - 4k run or 1k swim - 2k run), and a long (1k swim - 4k run). Ofcourse most people chose the "long" distance and so did I. Perfect distance for a Thursday evening race.

New Zealand is a beautiful country for those of you haven't been there. Outside of Auckland it's basically dead quiet, hilly and with mild weather year around making it very conducive to spending time outdoors. This translates into a very fit population! You can't go far in Auckland without seeing runners and cyclists racing through the streets. Needless to say I was one of the last ones out of the water look, (only a few people left behind me)!

While I hadn't run or done any real swimming since SOS almost 2 mths ago, coming out of the water I wasn't feeling too bad. While there were no splits, I was out of the water in roughly 15mins. After two loops in the water, it was up a steep ramp into transition and onto the run. With only shoes to put on, this was a very quick transition!

The run was two loops of a 2km road course. Not the prettiest course but as flat as you can get in Auckland so a reasonably fast one. I passed one guy in transition and was hot on the heals of another during the first lap of the run. Here's me at the turnaround after the first loop.

This is also when I started to lose the runner ahead of me (I swear someone was close even though you can't see them in this pic). Now I had to make sure to stay ahead of the guy I had passed back in transition. Ugh, I hate being chased!

After about 15mins of running I crossed the finish line and maintained my placing (6th out of only 13 men in the "long" distance and a couple women beat me too) with a total time of 31:20.

Maybe next time I'll be better prepared ... nah, that was a blast! Short, fast, and minimalist, just the way I like it. We need more of these swim-run races here at home!

Sept 12, 2010 - Survival of the Shawangunks triathlon

2010-09-14T13:28:00.000-07:00

I have a list of 5 races that I've decided I must do at least once in my life. They are unique and challenging races like Escape from Alcatraz. The Survival of the Shawangunks (SOS) triathlon is one of those races and the first that I would attempt to cross off my list.

I've been racing tri's on and off since I was a teenager and calling SOS a triathlon is grossly understating it. The race starts with a 30mi bike where you climb from New Paltz, NY into the Shawangunk mountains. From there you alternate between trail running (a total of 18.7mi) and lake swimming (2.1mi in very cold water and with shoes but no wetsuit) until you get to the top of Skytop Tower in the Mohonk Preserve. This was THE most difficult race I have ever done, even harder than an Ironman. But it's definitely the most beautiful, unique and fun one I've ever done too.

The journey to SOS began almost a year ago when registration opened on October 31, 2009. They limit entry to 150 people and you must qualify by finishing a half or full Ironman under a specified time. Regardless, the race filled up in 15mins!! I remember waiting until registration opened at midnight to submit my online entry as soon as possible.

From there I ran into a few road blocks. Immediately in January, within a couple weeks of getting back into training, my left knee started hurting. No one was able to diagnose the issue so I went 7 months before being able to bike and run again. This left me with only 7 weeks to get ready for the longest race (by far!) since my Ironman in 2002! Next once I finally did get back to training at the end of July, I ramped up too quickly and my right ankle started bothering me after a trail run. Ofcourse this was my fault but too late to cry over spilled milk.

The beauty of triathlon though is that fitness from one sport carries over to the others. Since I had no other options I'd ramped up my swimming (as my only way of staying in shape) this year with the hope of being able to race a tri before the end of the year. This definitely worked for me because getting back into training proved relatively easy. And SOS would be my first real race of the year and would prove to be an unbelievable test of whether this plan worked.

Come race morning I was all of excited, anxious, and scared. Excited to get to race such an amazing event. Anxious because I always get anxious before a big race (and see it as a sign of mental readiness). And scared because I wasn't sure which previous injury was going to rear it's head today to keep me from finishing this dream race.

Race day was cool (highs of just over 60) and overcast so good conditions for most long distances races but on the cold side for this one given the altitude and the cold lake swims that if anything beg for a warmer day (you'll see why in a moment).

As with any long race, you want to start controlled and build throughout. So my goal on the bike was simply to keep it feeling easy including on the 5mi, 1200ft climb at the end while also taking in plenty of food and fluids before we had to head off into the woods for remainder of the day. Everything went according to plan here. I'm not strong on the bike so was content to let people go by and finish in the middle of the pack. I knew I'd catch many of them on the runs and swims.

Into the first transition I felt good and was excited to hit the trails. This was also another unique portion of this race. You need a crew member to be with you to take your bike and give you your supplies for the rest of the day. Kelly Bird was my crew for the weekend and met me at T1 to help take my bike and get me off and onto the run (in fact, these pictures are what she captured while in the middle of her own 30mi run that day). Off into the woods with a big smile on my face!

Even though the first run leg (4.5mi) was mostly uphill and not easy, the going didn't really get tough until the first swim. The first swim was 1.1mi to cross Lake Awosting. Amazing, clear, blue/green waters, what's there to complain right? Well for starters they were around 65 degrees, and we had to get across with our shoes (which I stuffed into my shorts and tri top) and no wetsuit. Now at the pre-race athlete's meeting they warned about leg cramps as your blood shifts from your legs (after running) to your arms (while swimming) all while dealing with cold waters. I figured I was immune to that (for whatever reason). Boy was I wrong! About half way into the first swim, my core started to really cool down and my legs felt the twings of cramping. About a quarter mile from from shore, that's when it hit - my left hamstring seized and I had already started shivering. I couldn't swim and had to tread water. This is when I first contemplated dropping out. What was I thinking? I was freezing cold, in agony from a major muscle cramp, and treading water in the middle of a lake! "Ok, pause for a minute, relax. If I just keep moving, maybe the cramping will go away." That's what I told myself and luckily it did. I made it to shore shivering and barely able to put my shoes back on but at least I made it. Onto the next run.

The rest of the day was just plain grueling. For the next 5.5mi run, I kept my swim cap on for warmth and drank hot tea at the aid station (I was still shivering while running for at least a couple miles). At the same time, I really opened it up and let 'er rip on the last half of this run. A few people passed me in the early part of this leg and then I got my legs back and passed them all back and then some. I was smiling again!

Next swim was a half mile to cross Lake Minnewaska. Although this swim was shorter, it was colder and had a rocky exit. I had a great swim but again had a hell of time getting my shoes back on because of the leg cramping. This alternating between running and cold water swimming really messes with your body!

If I thought things had gotten difficult before, now I was into the mental stage of the race. I came out of the water around 25th overall but little did I know this was really the beginning of the end for my body. I was in pain, my legs wouldn't stop cramping and I had an 8mi trail run in front of me before getting to Lake Mohonk. Kelly was in the middle of her long run and snagged the picture above. You can tell I was cold and I'm telling you I was in a lot of pain. Seeing one of your best friends who's also exceptionally inspirational in their own right when you're in that state was a huge help. It wasn't long before I got my legs back and started pacing with someone who had just passed me. I pushed really hard through the pain in the middle stage of this leg and held my own. That didn't last though, the pain was screaming in my head - my hips, my adductors, my knees, my ankles all hurt like hell and it was still cold out. In the final 3mi, I was reduced to a limp-walk and that's when a barrage of people went by and there was nothing I could do. Sadly I had no other excuses either, my stomach felt fine and I felt hydrated too.

Finally to Lake Mohonk where the only thing on the other side was a 0.7mi run up to Skytop Tower. Getting out of Mohonk was going to be difficult though. We had to scale a rock wall while dealing with the leg cramps. I somehow made it over with only a cut and it wasn't until then that I knew for sure I would finish. A quick hike up a very steep hill to Skytop Tower and then a sprint down the finishing chute. 5:34:20!!

What an amazing day and what an amazing experience. I can't believe I finished and I can't believe I was close to 5:30. I feel like I deserved a massage at the end, but too bad for me the masseuse spent most of her time feeding me soup and trying to warm me up as I lay there shivering.

Will I race SOS again someday, maybe. Would I recommend it to anyone, absolutely!!

Quassy Open Water Swim Festival

2010-09-05T05:48:00.000-07:00

The Quassy Sailing Center held their 4th annual open water swim festival yesterday. The day holds 3 races and athletes can choose to race all of them if they want. The day starts with a 3mi swim at 8am, followed by a 1.5mi race at 11am and then a 0.5miler at 1pm. I along with 35 others (out of about 25o total athletes) decided to race all 3 for a total of 5mi of swimming!

I figured I had done enough swim training this year (and not enough of anything else) that this would be my year to get through the whole 5mi distance. It was only a month ago that I raced close to this distance as part of a relay for the Swim Across the Sound. That's not to say it would be easy, 5mi is a long enough run, let alone as a swim. I also raced without a wetsuit as preparation for the Survival of the Shawangunks triathlon next weekend (SOS would be self-supported, in colder waters, with no wetsuit).

I wish I had pictures from the day because we definitely got beautiful weather. Hurricane Earl was passing through the night before but barely touched us as we got no rain. This morning we were only feeling the after effects with some wind causing chop in the middle of the lake. Ofcourse this was all relative compared to the waves in the middle of the Sound.

The day started with just under a hundred swimmers in the 3mi race. The lake temperature was perfect for no wetsuit at 77 F (25 C). I decided I would simply get through this first race by swimming easy most of the way. I didn't pick it up until the final quarter mile and came in at 1:19:20. My goal had been 1:15 so I wasn't too far off considering the chop. I also ended up placing 2nd in the 30-39 age group because some of the fastest guys were in my age group and won the overall medals. I was only a couple minutes behind Chris Thomas too, and he was only racing the 3mi distance.

I felt good at the start of the 1.5mi distance after a 90min break but decided to cruise through the first half just to be sure not to do too much damage with one more race still to go. My goal was only to negative split the day and swim a slightly faster pace for this race than I did for the 3mi distance. I managed that with a 39:15 (about 20sec/mi faster) mostly from pushing the last half. I also earned a 3rd in my age group in this race.

I had pushed hard enough at the end of the last race that I didn't recover for the 0.5mi race. I started tired and even a bit hungry. Though after 4.5mi of swimming, what's another half mile right? Same goal (negative split) this time but I knew it would take a lot more effort. And everyone was also looking at this last race as a sprint given what we had just finished. In the pool ofcourse, this distance is one of the longest we swim yet out there it was a sprint!

The half mile race hurt the whole time and I even ended up in a sprint to the finish with a 13yr old girl. It's amazing what these teenagers who are swimming 10x/week can manage, I know because I used to be one of them. I finished in 13:46 a little off my goal of 12:30 but the distance was a bit long so I'm going to assume that I accomplished the goal of negative splitting the day. I also pulled a 2nd in my age group in this race as well.

What a day! I was pretty psyched to have finished that much swimming. My arms were aching all the way home but it felt good. A total of 2:12:21 of swimming. Good job Jason and Noah as well!

Swim Across the Sound (Aug 7, 2010)

2010-08-10T17:32:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday, I swam across the Long Island Sound (25km) as part of a relay of 4 people. Well technically it was 5 people but we finished with 4 after one incurred serious sea sickness pretty early on.

This challenge began this past March when a TriFitness teammate, Sue McNeil, approached me about being on her team to race the St Vincent's Swim Across the Sound and raise money for cancer screening and prevention. I don't think I thought too long and hard about saying yes!

Before getting into the race, let me say that raising money for a good cause is always worthwhile. While it wasn't easy to hit the $7500 target (we raised over $9000!) it was fun doing so as a team all shooting towards the same goal.

Back to race day. Race morning started with my alarm ringing at 4:50am so that I could get to Captain's Cove in Bridgeport by 5:30am. My body was not ready to wake up that day! Because of my knee injury this year, mentally, I've been out of the racing mindset. It wasn't until this morning that the pre-race nerves hit me. But this is what I needed to get into the right mindset to race hard for such a long event.

There were 45 teams of 4-6 swimmers and then a handful of solo and 2-man teams racing. Each team had a support boat. Counting medical and other race guide boats, there would be 70 boats lining the start of the race in Port Jefferson, NY. The logistics of this event were mind boggling but the organizers did an amazing job because never once was there any confusion about what to do and where to go. Kuddos to all involved!

As for the race, we all knew it was going to be a long day even if everything went according to plan. Our goal was to finish in 6.5hrs. We all brought plenty of food on the boat, ranging from Gatorade, to PB sandwiches, to an entire watermelon!

I was the lead-off swimmer and we planned to rotate every 20mins. I started from the beach at Port Jefferson. Now imagine this start with about 50 swimmers heading into a wall of almost 70 boats! That is a once in a lifetime experience and was very exciting. I remember getting out past the first buoy and into the mess of boats. At this point the water was wavy and we had to deal with that while dodging boats and looking for my own boat/team/crew to guide me the rest of the way.

We started out with 5 swimmers (though Ian in his typical ways almost missed the start and therefore the race) with me leading, followed by Nicole, Jordano, Sue, and Ian in that order. About halfway across we had rotated through twice and were still on pace to meet our 6:30 goal time. Though by this time Jordano had been sea sick for hours and had been throwing up for an equally long time. He sadly didn't make it much longer before we had to take him to the medical boat. Down to 4 swimmers.

After 3 times through our rotation and about 5hrs in, I was starting to feel tired. I was eating after each swim and my stomach felt great. I was simply pushing each 20min leg pretty hard. I think everyone on the team was in this same position though. At this point we were still moving quickly so we decided to drop our intervals to 15mins in hopes of bringing it home strong. Though we knew we wouldn't have much time between legs being down a man.

This is around when the tides shifted and the going got really slow. While we started out swimming at about 2.5mi/hour, while fighting the current, we had slowed to about 1mi/hr. It was painful to watch the swimmers in the water battling the waves and current and barely moving forward. I had originally thought we may only have to each swim a couple more times, but it took another 3 times through the rotation to get us into Bridgeport Harbor for the final mile. Never underestimate the power of Mother Nature, never!

Once we came through the buoy at "Blackrock 2A", I jumped in for my 7th and final leg and extended it to 20mins. I knew this was my last swim so I lengthened my stroke, started kicking and pushed it really hard. We really started moving once we came into the harbor because the water was calm and the current was gone. I started feeling as strong as I had when I started the day. I don't know from how far back I started but I almost caught boat 56 in front of us before Ian jumped in to anchor for the day. I must have swum almost 5mi today.

A special thanks and congrats to Nicole and Sue for being great teammates and for working so hard on raising money. Sue was a great team captain as well. Would I do this again, with great teamates, ofcourse!

Ironman 70.3 bandit swim

2010-07-11T16:42:00.002-07:00

Today was the Rhode Island Ironman 70.3 half ironman distance triathlon. I hadn't registered but one of my best friends, Mark, asked me to join him for the trip. I'd never been to Rhode Island so I thought it'd be fun to spend some time on the beach so I went along.

Here's Mark, I, Katherine and Steph at 5am on race morning.

It's now July and my left knee continues to bother me preventing any running or biking whatsoever. It's very frustrating but such is life. So all I've been doing is open water swim races. I figured I'd turn this trip to Rhode Island into an opportunity to do get in some fast swimming.

Also, with all of the triathlons I've done over the years, I have never raced in an "IRONMAN" branded event. I've raced the full and half-iron distances but never the branded events. I don't like the long distance races but now that I have the tatoo I have to finish at least one of the branded races.

With only being able to swim and wanting to race in an "Ironman" race, this weekend was a perfect opportunity to attempt a bandit-ing of a race. What's a bandit, you might ask? It's when someone who hasn't registered for a race just shows up at the start line.

It took a little planning but I figured out how to make it work. I needed a white swim cap (for the Men's 30-34 wave) and need to make sure I could enter and exit the swim area without having my body marked, race bracelet or timing chip. I figured out all those logistics and slipped into the athlete corral area.

Can you spot the bandit in this sea of white caps?

Here's half of our team that went to Rhode Island post-race.

All in all a fun weekend with great friends. And I promise this won't be the last race that I bandit.

Swim Across America - Greenwich, CT

2010-06-26T11:34:00.000-07:00

This morning I went to Cummings Point in Stamford to race a 1.5mi open water swim to raise money for cancer research. The event was put on by Swim Across America. I was doing this for Nick Schmidt who I've known for almost 10 yrs now and is battling a very rare form of cancer.

I don't have any pictures to share but we got lucky with a very beautiful day. The skies were clear and the sun was shinning to warm up the air at 6:30am. The water was like glass and reasonably warm, I'd guess around 65 F. Perfect conditions for a long open water swim with a wetsuit.

SAS put on a good event with good music and good post race food. There were also more people than I was expecting with almost 200 in the 1.5mi distance and possibly the same number in the 0.5mi distance.

The race start was at Tod's Point in Greenwich so they bussed all of us down from Cummings Pt. On the bus ride, they had a videographer interviewing everyone and why they were doing the event and who they were dedicating their swim to. Schmidty, this ones for you. Go Team Schmidt!

It was low tide so we would have to run about a minute towards the first buoy before getting on with the swim so I didn't get a chance to warm up before the gun went off. That's a rookie mistake that costs me every time. I felt really good until a couple minutes in and then the lack of warm-up caught up with me. My lats started hurting and I slowed down my cadence.

The other problem I had was with my wetsuit. Instead of using a full sleeve version, I race in sleeveless and have separate sleeves that I wear in cold water. I probably didn't need them today but wore them anyways. By the first buoy, one of them started slipping off so I had to take some time to adjust it. This pattern happened at least twice more which was really annoying and probably cost me a minute overall.

Stepping back for a second, I'm also having a hard time considering this a race. Mentally it wasn't for me. I didn't do any of my pre-race prep the day before like I usually would for a triathlon. To me it was just an expensive way to get in the open water with a bunch of people and swim on a beautiful day.

Overall the race was about average. I made some mistakes and had some issues with my gear but my stroke felt really good and together. I think that was a function of doing a short, pace work swim yesterday morning and a lot of technique work that I've done this year.

Finished in just under 47mins. This course was definitely long, probably closer to 1.8 or 1.9mi but I'm glad for that in this weather. Perfect way to start a Saturday morning.

June 16: Reykjavik, Iceland

2010-06-18T19:37:00.001-07:00

I didn't actually stay in Iceland on this trip but did have a stop there on my Icelandair flight home from Amsterdam. I had never seen Iceland, even from the sky before but I fell in love immediately. Flying over land for only 10mins was jaw-droppingly beautiful. The terrain was very rugged and untouched with big brown boulders surround by green and interspersed with clear, turquoise lakes and the occasional road weaving through the hills. This must be one of the ultimate countries for outdoor exploration. They have snow and beaches and mountains and waterfalls (like this one):

The part of land I flew over was above sea level and clouds were low lying. But in the distance you could see multiple mountain peaks rising through the ground. And just past these peaks was the deep blue north Atlantic ocean. All of it made me want to delay catching my connection for a few days to see this beautiful country. All I know is that I will be back to run, hike, and swim this amazing land.

June 12 to 16: Tour den Nederlands

2010-06-18T18:08:00.000-07:00

Upon landing at Schipol airport, the first thing I noticed was that most of the signs were in English. The second thing was in the train to Breda most of the scenery looked similar to Illinois - flat farmlands as far as the eye can see. My first impression was that the Netherlands isn't too different from home.

The main purpose of this vacation was to visit Parag. In the 8 years he's lived in the Netherlands, I have not visited him at home. I also had not seen this country so secondarily I wanted to do a little touring.

First, Parag's home of Breda is a nice, clean city near the Belgian border with good proximity to everything. We were able to visit Delft where he went to school, the Hague where the parliament is, the modern port city of Rotterdam, the Delta Works dyke system in the north west corner and ofcourse Amsterdam all over only 3 days.

The first night in town, we went to pub to watch the England vs. USA game and enjoy some Hoegaarten (Belgian white beer). Here's a view of the center of Breda:

When on vacation, my take is relax and get to what you can but take your time and don't rush anything. On Sunday (the 13th) Parag and I went north to visit the Delta Works. Getting there was about a 2hr journey by train and bus but was worth it. First, the area of Neeltje Jans is on the coast with simple white sand beaches and windmills.

And ofcourse there are the immense dykes built from 1953-1978 called the Delta Works. These are one of the 7 man-made wonders of the World. The Netherlands is a flat country located just below sea level so the it is very prone to flooding in bad storms. After the last terrible storm in 1953 flooded some 40% of the country. Officials made a decision to dam off the rivers in the north that were flood-prone. The construction of the dyke system is truly an engineering marvel.

One thing the Netherlands is known for is being very bike friendly. Whether we were in Breda, Delft or Amsterdam, a good proportion of people get around by bike. One of the way localities accomodate bikes is by providing plenty of bike parking. Outside central station in Amsterdam there is a 4 story bike parking area. Below is the parking area outside the Breda train station:

As I mentioned, I had not been to the Netherlands in the 8 years Parag has lived there. He first went there for school at the Technical University of Delft. So I made him take me to Delft to see where he lived for the first 3 years there. The funny thing was the town felt like Waterloo - a university town with not much else interesting.

One of our friends from Waterloo, Mike Reiha, also went to Delft for grad school and is just finishing up his engineering PhD. We met up with Mike and then took the train to the Hague to grab lunch and watch the Netherlands vs. Denmark match. Orange is the Dutch sporting color. Whether you look at the Rabobank cycling uniforms in the Tour de France or the soccer jerseys in the world cup, they're all bright orange and everyone in the country wears orange in support of the home team. Even for this first round match it was no different. And as a bonus, the Netherlands won! Here's the view of the post game celebration in the Hague before we headed down to Rotterdam for dinner on the way home for the night.

One final stop before leaving for home, Amsterdam! Parag was nice enough to take 2 days off work to show me around the country. On the Tuesday we took a train to Amsterdam for the day and I stayed over in the city before catching my flight home (via Iceland) the next day.

First stop in Amsterdam was Mannequin Pis. No, not the famous statue in Belgium but the fast food join serving Belgian style french fries covered in mayo, onions, and ketchup. After the train ride into the city, this hit the spot! We sat down in Dam square relaxing with our fries and watching the people enjoying the sunshine on their lunch breaks.

The heart of old Amsterdam is pretty small, it only took us about 20min to walk through it on the way to my hotel near Leiden square and Vondel Park. It's too bad most tourists never leave the old town area (Red Light district and coffee shops) because Leiden square has the best night life and museums like the Van Gogh.

We ofcourse did some typical sight seeing like walking through the Red Light district in the evening as the prostitutes were beginning to work their windows. We also enjoyed a nice Indonesian dinner in that area before Parag left to go back to Breda. It was my first taste of Indonesian ever.

Equally fun was taking a boat ride through the canal system. The Netherlands was the first country to develop away from an agriculture-based economy in part because of their canal system. This allowed them to transport goods and people between towns more easily long before the advent of roads and automobiles. We also toured Rembrandt von Rijn's (the artist from the 1600's) mansion. He is still one of the world's most reknowned artists of all time but like many he died young and in poverty after going broke 9 yrs before his death. Waiting for the next boat:

I got in one last stop at the Anne Frank house before leaving for the airport. This was where Otto Frank and his family were kept in hiding during the Nazi invasion of the Netherlands and where his daughter Anne wrote her famous diary that has been published the world over. It was very depressing to think about what it must have been like to be kept captive in a dark home for fear of death for 2yrs to finally only be dragged away to a concentration camp. An important and amazing piece of world history.

Time to go home. All in all a good trip but not enough time to relax in any one location.

June 8 to 11: Copenhagen, Stockholm, Zurich

2010-06-18T15:49:00.001-07:00

This trip to Europe started with 3 days of business meeting pension fund prospects in Copenhagen, Stockholm, and Zurich. My boss, Lionel, and Jim (a research strategist) flew into Copenhagen on an overnight flight from Newark, NJ and had 2 meetings on the first day before departing for Stockholm that same night. Similar pattern in Stockholm before finally settling in Zurich, Switzerland for a few days. Although it may sound like I'm complaining, I'm not. I love Scandinavia because of the culture, climate, and beautiful people so I just wish I had more time spend in those cities instead of in airports and airplanes. Here's Lionel and Jim as we left the D'Angleterre hotel in Copenhagen on the way to a meeting in the suburb of Hillerod.

We had one lunch meeting in Zurich before I could settle into my hotel and begin enjoying a vacation. The 2 days I had in Zurich enjoyed great weather with sunshine and temperatures around 30 C (86 F). This was a great city to enjoy hot weather because Lake Zurich (Zurichsee) at the south of the city is surrounded by bath houses (simply places to swim with fresh water pools and that open up to the lake) while enjoying a breath taking view of the Alps in the south. This was also a great time to be in Europe because the World Cup was starting and we all know how the European's feel about their football (the same way us Canadians feel about our hockey)!

I had a chance to both take a boat tour around Lake Zurich and swim in it the next morning. Even at 9am and the water temperature at 17 C (63 F), there were plenty of locals swimming at the Bad Utoquai (the bath house I went to). I can't think of a better way to start a day in Switzerland! Here's a view from the boat:

Aside from the beautiful lake, everyone knows that Switzerland is home to mountains like the Alps. You can the mountains in the distance in the picture above. Zurich is actually surrounded by smaller ones. On my second day, I took a cable car to Felsenegg in hills outside Zurich and then hiked to Uetliberg and then took a second train to get back to the city. Here's a view of the lake from the hills.

And a view of the countryside on the opposite side of this mountain range.

As a side note, while on the cable car up to Felsenegg, I met a young woman and her mother from Chicago. It turns out this woman, Allison Jordan, is the U Chicago Booth school of business employment liason with Bridgewater. Small world! The 3 of us actually ate lunch together at the top of the hill before I went on my hike.

Ofcourse I did some sight seeing too in this historical city. I went up the tower in the Grossmunster church. This church has twin lookout towers. The picture below is looking out across the Limmat quai (river) to the heart of Zurich and directly at the Fraumunster church.

I closed out this part of the trip with a little chocolate shopping in the famous shopping district along Bahnoffstrasse (street) and a Felschlosschen (Swiss beer) while watching the France vs. Uruguay game.

One thing to note about Zurich specifically is how wealthy a city it is. I did a lot of walking and people watching while there. I would guess almost every second car was a luxury brand like a Porsche or Audi or Land Rover. No surprise since it's one of the banking capitals of the world.

Off to the Netherlands to see Parag.

2nd Annual Trek TriFitness Triathlon

2009-09-20T18:07:00.000-07:00

It’s now September and I planned for this race to be my last of the season. I usually start looking forward to a winter of hibernation around this time of the racing season.

Since this was my last race of the year, I tapered so I could perform at my peak. I had such a great year of training, especially on the bike, that I took this taper and this race very seriously. I tapered for a full two weeks and ate well during the week leading up to the race. On the day before, I stayed home and did some cooking and reading to keep off my feet. I was even reading the book “Once A Runner” for motivation. This book is a fictional story about a sub-4 miler in the 1970’s. One passage about his focus during a race really got me focused on how I would deal with the pain during my race - keep your eye on the target in front of you and zone out the pain.

Since this was the home race and my house is right on the race course I knew the course and could take my time in the morning. I woke up, and did a little reading to allow my body to wake up at its own pace. I then got out for a 20min bike warm-up on the way to the race. Since I was rested, I did a lighter warm-up than normal with no intervals. Same with the run warm-up, I did a little jogging on the sand to keep my body warm while waiting for the race to start.

I knew the water was cold so I didn’t get in for a swim warm-up. I also put Vaseline on my arms to help keep them warm during the swim. Both of these things worked. I felt like I was gliding over the water to the first buoy on the swim. It wasn't until after that point that the cold water started getting to me but I still managed to come out first in my wave.

Onto the bike, T1 was solid but nothing special. I had a great spot in transition so that helped cut some time out of the transitions. While on the bike I was looking out for Don Gustavson and Bryan French. Both of these guys are faster cyclists than me but overall I expected all of us to be very close today. Don was in the wave ahead of me so I had to gauge how far ahead he was on the bike course while Bryan was in my wave and my goal was simply to keep him in my sights if he caught me.

I had a great bike, actually my best ever. It helped that the course was flat but I’d never managed to average 36+ km/h before. This wasn’t enough though. Don had the fastest bike of the day averaging 40km/h and my swim wasn’t fast enough to keep him close. Bryan did catch me on the bike but I was relaxed and riding strong enough to keep him close and within my sights for the last couple miles. I was confident I could catch him on the run given how close we were coming off the bike.

Coming out of T2, I had the 3 guys, including Bryan, who had passed me on the bike right in front of me. I felt light and fast on my feet. Within the first quarter mile of the run I had already run all 3 of the guys down and flew by them so fast that I knew psychologically they wouldn’t even want to try and keep up. To maintain this pace though I was redlining and grunting from the first mile through to the finish.

After passing Bryan and the other guys I knew I couldn’t let up because Don was ahead and there was a chance I could catch him if I had a great run. I also didn’t want to let up only to have the 3 fast guys sneak up behind me. There was one turn around on the run so I could see where everyone was. They were close enough that I continued to run scared until the finish.

Onto the final stretch I knew I had killed the run and everyone on my team was both surprised and happy to see me as the first one on our team coming through. I was ecstatic and picked up the pace until crossing the line. I crossed in 4^th overall in 1:09:16 but a good 25 seconds behind Don.

This was a breakthrough race for me. I almost effortlessly rode at 36km/h and then ran 5:54/mi pace to finish with the second fastest run of the day. I need to explore what it feels like to race the bike harder. It might be my weakness simply because I’m saving up too much energy. This caps a great season with yet another age group win (4 in a row) with some great data on where I need to improve for next year.

25th Annual New York City Biathlon

2009-09-07T04:05:00.001-07:00

A week ago, Joel Whidden from work asked if I wanted to race the NY Biathlon in Central Park. It didn’t fit into my race schedule and it was a duathlon (no swim) but I thought this would be a good opportunity to get to know Joel a little better and travel to a race with someone new.

Through the week leading up to the race, I continued to train without any regard for the race. This was my last hard week before tapering for the end of the season so the plan was to race this duathlon tired. The day before I went up to a friend’s cottage in Litchfield Hills and hung out on a boat and ate fried dough. I’ve never eaten so poorly the day before a race but it shows how focused I was on this one.

On race morning I woke up well before my alarm at 3:30am and decided to stay up. Other than starting the day with a glass of chia seeds, the morning was no different than any other. I woke up, did the dishes and read a few pages from a book before heading out the door at 5am.

We arrived with plenty of time for a warm-up around Central Park to learn the bike course and then also got in a short jog up the starting hill. I felt ready enough even without my standard warm-up that includes pick-ups and quick spins on the bike.

I had looked at past results to see where I should start. It looked like I had a good chance of placing pretty high up and even being close to the winner. Joel and I lined the start only a couple rows back from the lead guys). When the gun went off, I started comfortable and controlled and didn’t open up the pace until about a mile and a half into the run, well after the turnaround.

I came into T1 in 9^th place and passed a couple guys through the transition. It continues to surprise me how much time people lose in transition in spite of the task at hand being so simple. Just take your shoes off and put your helmet on. How long can that really take? It shouldn’t take more than a few seconds.

Onto the bike I didn’t feel strong but didn’t expect to. I had done a threshold test on Thursday morning and pushed so hard that my quads were screaming all day. On the first lap I had to keep reminding myself to spin rather than mash the pedals. It wasn’t until the second lap that I felt good and reminded myself to relax to generate more power. In my head I kept asking myself how was it that I felt so good on our weekday bike workouts and so weak during a race. I finally realized that it’s because I was more relaxed during the workout and was generating more power throughout the whole pedal stroke (think circles). This worked wonders! I was able to hang with the guys who had passed me just before I started to relax for the second lap around the park. It’s amazing how powerful relaxation is. Your body is looser, your mind more focused, and as a result you perform at a higher level.

At least 5 guys had passed me on the bike but they were close and I was determined to run each of them down. I came out of T2 and could see all 5 of them. I made quick work of passing the first two right on the hill out of transition. Then it was only another half mile before I passed the next 3. I went by them fast enough that I didn’t feel threatened that they would be able to hold the pace. Approaching the turnaround, I could see how far behind the next two guys I was. I knew I was closing fast and could at least catch one of them. I caught the next guy quickly and could see another guy about 50m ahead. I relaxed, lengthened my stride and maintaining my cadence. I was redlining and catching the next guy fast. I couldn’t believe I felt as good as I did while cruising under 6:00/mi!

Sadly, I ran out of room and missed catching the next guy by 2 seconds. Good enough for 7^th (out of 282) and a time of 1:01:56 for 2mi-12mi-2mi. I was very happy with the race today. I was tired and I could feel it but still managed to relax and push out some fast running and biking. Now it’s time to taper for the next 2 weeks to get ready for the last race of the season. The biggest thing today was remembering to relax when hurting to make better use of my body. As long as things go well at the next race I can feel that it’s going to be a good one.

My Company Triathlon

2009-09-06T08:53:00.000-07:00

This year the company I work for decided to put on a triathlon. This was only for internal people. Even though the organizers gave us 3 weeks notice, the turnout was decent (14 individuals and a similar number of relays).

Oh man, I was so nervous leading up to this race. I’ve been nervous and anxious about it for probably over 2 weeks. I knew there would be a lot of pressure on me to win because people knew I race triathlon and that I had been racing well this year too.

Over the weeks, every time I thought about the race I would get butterflies in my stomach. I had to force myself to visualize the race going well and calm down every time this happened. I knew all the pressure was good for me because I tend to perform very well under pressure but I rarely win a race outright so having all eyes on me would be a lot to handle.

It wasn’t until the night before the race that I had two realizations. Well one was more a remembering than a realization. The first was remembering how I tend to race well in less than perfect conditions. This would definitely be one of those races knowing that the swim was through very shallow and mucky water and that the course was not being blocked off to cars so we would have to stop at lights. The second was the big realization that I’m racing so well this year because I’m having more fun at it than I ever have.

Since the race didn’t start until 4:30pm, I had the whole work day to think about it and bring up my anxiety levels to the right level to perform at my peak. I rode my bike from my office to the race start to get in a warm up and then ran with Ed on the trails beside Glendinning to get my heart really going. Even though this was only a tiny little corporate race, I was psyched and full of energy. I knew I was ready and was going to give everyone else a run for their money.

Like I mentioned above, the swim was more of trudging through a shallow swamp. We jumped into the water and started swimming through weeds that were in our face. There were multiple times that my face was swimming through enough weeds that it was completely dark. I even wore shoes during the swim because I wasn’t sure if there were rocks that we might have to navigate over during it.

After the short, mucky swim, my heart was racing and I was breathing as hard as I could. I ran as fast as I could to my bike, put on my helmet and was off. Even though I was second out of the water, I was first onto the bike course. The pressure behind me was good. I knew I should be able to put distance between me and the next guy so I kept looking back to check where he was. This was all the motivation I need to push hard up the short hills. The timing of all the lights worked out reasonably well because I didn’t have to stop at all during the bike. I definitely got lucky here.

The story of the day was T2. I arrived looking for my shoes but couldn’t find them. The race organizers said they would drive everyone’s T2 gear over to it because it was a point to point race. I arrived before the car with the shoes did. I didn’t want to wait so I took off running bare foot. Everyone was cheering so hard, I loved it!!

The run course was all on pavement so I knew my feet would be torn up by the end. At the same time, I didn’t want to lose and I knew that if I kept running that I would win so it was now a race against the clock. I felt very little and my leg turnover was very quick. My legs didn’t hurt at all it was only my breathing rate that was limiting me. Other than the blistering of my feet, it felt phenomenal. Even though we didn’t have splits, I averaged somewhere around 6:15/mi for the 3.3mi and it was all barefoot.

I came in at 38mins and ended up winning by a pretty wide margin … something close to 5mins. The first relay came in just over 40mins. I was super happy and everyone was talking about the barefoot finish. I had achieved what I had come out to do. Maybe I’ll race the next one barefoot too J

Amica Niantic Bay Triathlon

2009-08-09T13:45:00.000-07:00

Today's race attracted a full field of 500 athletes. The race actually sold out 3 weeks ago! The global depression is actually helping these races. People are getting healthy and figuring out ways to entertain themselves without expensive nights out and big vacations. I love it … very much in line with how I’ve always lived my simple life.

As I write this I have mixed emotions about the race for two reasons. First, I ran very well in spite of a lingering injury that has kept from training for 6 weeks, but I didn’t push myself as hard as I would’ve liked. Specifically, during the run, I was catching the 4^th place finisher until about half way through the run when he started to pull away again. And second because I didn’t get myself psyched up for this race. I didn’t think about the race during the week and woke up this morning feeling in the middle rather than excited about the race.

Overall the race went very well but those two things are bugging me right now. The bigger regret is ofcourse not pushing harder on the run. The swim felt pretty great considering the moderate amount of chop in the Bay. I had one of the best feeling bike rides of my life. The transitions went smoothly and I largely gained ground in them. Only the run was average.

Let me get to the run in a second. The bike felt great but after looking at the splits I took it too easy (hence the fast run). I felt strong and had great rhythm. I was pushing a big gear without too much effort and moving around the course. I came out of T1 in second place and stuck with a fast guy from the elite wave for much of the ride. I actually passed this guy back on the uphills (while losing ground to him on downhills as usual). I did have one scary moment on the ride that could’ve ended my day very quickly. I slipped into a groove in the road and my bike fish tailed while I was in the aero bars. A very close call that would’ve been a very painful fall at almost 40km/h.

Regarding the run, it’s important to note that I haven’t run in 6 wks (other than in my last race). I injured what I think is my peroneal tendon and the doctor told me to stop running for 6wks. Because of my running hiatus I can’t complain too much because the run still felt very good and ran a PB 5k. The part that bothers me the most is that the run didn’t really hurt but I was redlining my aerobic capacity the whole way. And because I was breathing so hard I couldn’t muster the strength to even push the last mile (which was offroad to make it even more fun). Even though I had no one close by in front or behind I wish I had sprinted the final stretch or pushed harder on the back half.

One thing I reinforced to myself today is that I race better in less than perfect conditions. The water was choppy because of the wind. I had so much fun in it and also came out of the water in 5^th and in a small group of 4. Similarly, I would much rather race a hilly course than a flat one. I can climb hills and don’t let it bother me as much as it does others. This is probably why I love races like the Bear Mountain 10k I raced earlier this year.

Overall, I finished in 1:03:41 (0.5mi swim, 11.5mi bike, 5k run) and won the 30-34 age group. I could’ve pushed harder but will make sure I’m mentally better prepared for the next one.

23rd Annual Pat Griskas Sprint Triathlon

2009-07-09T08:45:00.000-07:00

I signed up for the Pat Griskas sprint at the urging of my coach Pascale. She said it was supposed to be a great race with a very strong field. Boy was she right! Over 600 triathletes showed up to race the 0.5mi swim + 10.5mi bike + 3.1mi run course. My TriFitness team also had at least 15 people competing. I love going to races where you have a lot of friends to cheer along and hang out with at the finish.

And even though I was racing tired, my mind was thinking very positive thoughts in the days leading up to race. I visualized myself flying around the bike course and running light on my feet. Mom and Dad were also in town and they hadn’t seen me race since my Ironman in 2002. I really wanted to put on a good race for them. This would also be my 25^th triathlon since the Mactaquac race in 1993 when I was all of 15 years old.

Since I was training through this race, I needed a longer warm up to get myself going. I rode the entire bike course to get the blood flowing. The beautiful tree lined roads were shaded from the sun and there were some really tough hills after the halfway mark.

The under-39 men were in the second wave of the swim. I toed the start at the front of the field. I felt good during a hard swim only a couple days ago and wanted to push it here too. The lake was nice and warm so I didn’t have to worry about my arms tightening up like they sometimes do in the cold ocean water. But once we were only a couple hundred meters into the swim I could feel the soreness in my lats and shoulders from the hard swim only a couple days ago. In spite of that, I kept my technique together and came out of the water feeling good about the swim.

The run up into transition was a steep hill. I sprinted by a few people along this stretch who had started in the first wave. I was breathing as hard as my lungs would let me and my heart was pounding but I managed a good transition and was off onto the bike quickly. So far so good, no stomach issues and no cramping. The Gatorade was more diluted today and this was working.

I came out of T1 right behind Pascale, who had started in the Elite Women’s wave 3mins ahead of me. She started motoring on the bike and I wasn’t strong enough to pass. My legs also felt tired almost immediately. I cruised the first downhill section to let my legs warm-up but they were tired. I didn’t pass Pascale until the hills (my strength) but the bike hill workout from the previous day was making me suffer. I was passing people from the first wave and not getting passed by many of the men but it really hurt.

I cruised the last half mile into T2 to get some life back into my legs. I had picked a really great spot in transition that was easy to find and located perfectly to get in and out quickly.

I hadn’t run in almost 3 weeks because of the peroneal tendonitis in my right foot. I knew that my foot hurt less when I was barefoot so I wore my Puma’s because they were the closest thing to running barefoot. My stride was long and strong coming out of T2. I felt pretty good. The course started out heading downhill for almost a mile so you could really get your legs into a fast rhythm. Psychologically this was a great course too because you could push through the pain on the big hill coming home since the finish is just at the top. That’s how I was planning to run the race, but on the way back, the hill was brutal. I shortened my stride and started pumping my arms to get up it. The pain was too much though so I walked about 30s. I’m kicking myself for this now; I just didn’t have the mental stamina today.

Overall I’m happy with the race considering that I was tired. I finished in 1:04:05 (0.5mi swim, 10.5mi bike, 3.1mi run) and won the 30-34 age group (which honestly was a little weak at the top this year, but I’ll take it). My goal going in was to break 1:02 ... I think I could've achieved this if I was rested.

Looking forward to the next 25 races!

Healthnet Olympic Triathlon

2009-06-13T13:06:00.000-07:00

Today I raced my first triathlon of the year, the Healthnet Olympic in Shelton, CT. I had raced this one last year so I knew exactly what to expect and had a log of what I ate before and during the race to use as a starting point.

I set my alarm for 4am to make sure I got some food in my system plenty of time before the race start. Immediately after waking up I could tell something wasn’t perfectly right with my stomach. I woke up feeling full and my Clif bar felt more filling than it usually would.

Next I noticed that I had mixed my Gatorade too strong. I was sipping on it all morning but rather than feeling hydrated my mouth felt dry. My body doesn’t need a lot of salt and this sign was telling me that I had taken in too many electrolytes. Too late now, I’d have to modify my nutrition strategy during the race.

I drove up to the race with Bryan French, one of my TriFitness teammates. We got to the race course just after 6am for a 7am race start. Usually I like to get there a little earlier to give myself more time to warm-up. I got in a short bike ride to warm-up but not much more. I don’t think this hurt me much today but it did leave me with nerves before the start as I was rushing to get my wetsuit on at last minute before the first wave start went off.

The Under-35 Men's wave started last, 10mins behind the first wave of women. The water was cold but not crazy. The swim got off to an ok start. After a punch to the face that almost knocked my goggles off, I settled into a comfortable rhythm. I definitely felt in better shape than when I raced this last year. I couldn’t tell how I was doing otherwise since we quickly caught the slower Over-35 men who had started before us and then not too long after that the Women’s wave. At this point, it was like swimming in a sea of sardines trying not to get kicked and punched by people you were passing.

I came out of the water in just under 30mins. This was surely a long swim otherwise it was my worst one ever! I’ve done Half Ironman swims faster than this. Well the long swim would likely help me since I was able to put a little more distance on the slower swimmers before getting onto the bike.

While getting onto the bike, my calfs started cramping. This was definitely a result of drinking Gatorade that was too concentrated. Every time I make this mistake, my body reacts by cramping. The water bottle on my bike was a little on the concentrated side so I would have to be cautious about how much I could drink.

Once I got some blood flowing into my legs, I started to feel good on the bike. Actually, I felt really strong. I have put in a lot of work on the bike this year and it was paying off. The race started with a long uphill. I was passing people and holding my own against some of the faster men that were around me. And I felt great all the way up to the top. Even after we came down from the hills and were riding alongside the river, I felt very strong and was pushing a bigger gear than I ever have before. All the Computrainer interval training was really paying off.

Onto the run, I felt tighter and heavier than I remember feeling last year. I had to slowly lengthen out my stride before I could push the pace. My back felt tight and my quads hurt. The run course was also hilly so it was very difficult to find a rhythm. You had to shorten your stride to get up the hills and then lengthen and relax to cruise the downhills. Once I got over the final uphill (of 8!) I finally settled into a rhythm and pushed the pace for the last mile.

The only part of the day that felt great was the bike. I felt pretty heavy on the run but still managed the same time I ran last year. I wasn’t able to eat a bite during the bike because of my stomach problems so my body was starving. The concentrated Gatorade held me back today. All in all I’m still happy that I was able to push through the run in a decent time and managed 21^st overall male and 4^th in the 30-34 age group.

North Face Endurance Challenge 10k Trail Race

2009-05-09T17:41:00.000-07:00

I've decided to put up my race reports on this blog because this fits with the travel theme. Today's 10k trail race in Bear Mountain, NY will be the first such post.

Ed convinced me to sign up for a race he volunteered at last year. North Face holds 5 endurance challenge races across the US. Each race offers a 10k, half-marathon, 50k, and 50miler. All of these are trail races. We signed up for the 10k in Bear Mountain, NY ... the most challenging and technical of the 5 courses.

This 10k was on real, technical trails and had an estimated 2200ft of elevation change over the entire course. The first half was uphill (net gain of 700ft) therefore I had no idea how to pace myself. I thought to myself that it would probably be ok to get to the top of the mountain and feel pretty spent knowing that I could cruise the downhills and not lose too much. I decide on this as my strategy.

Ed, Darryl, and I drove up to Bear Mountain early in the morning to give ourselves plenty of time to check-in and warm-up. We arrived with over an hour before the 10am race start. When we arrived, the half-marathoners were just lining up to go off (the 50k and 50milers had left long ago). We all warmed up together, 2mi loop around the lake followed by 3 x 10s strides … my proven successful warm-up routine.

It had been raining most of the past week and even rained until this morning so the trails were wet, slippery and very muddy. It was going to be a fun race! The start of the race was on a grassy field followed by pavement before entering the trail system. This allowed the crowd to break up a little bit before entering the narrow trails. The first section of trail was the rockiest but not long or steep. My pace felt comfortable over this section and I started passing people.

After getting through the initial rocky section, the course began its steady rise to the top. The terrain wasn’t technical but it was very muddy. Even though I had trained hard and not rested last week, I felt strong instead of tired ... a good sign of my fitness level. I decided to maintain my pace feeling like I could hold it up the grade. Here I started passing people and made my way all the way up into 6^th place by the top of the course.

Once having reached the top, I was pretty spent, as planned. I did walk a couple very short and steep sections but it seemed like most people were doing the same because I was never passed when walking. The terrain was never flat, it was either up or down. By this point though, there was a lot more down than up. I did my best to hold my own while descending cautiously so as not to trip on rocks or roots or slip on slick spots. This conservative strategy led to a few people passing me before the final uphill.

I could’ve pushed the final harder, not sure why I didn’t. My stomach was hurting by this point and my legs were burning going up that hill. I even walked a short section. This is the one part of the race that I’m disappointed with. I’ve run up that final hill before and pushed it very hard. I definitely could’ve finished one or two places higher if I had pushed this section harder.

Coming down the final stretch, I could see three guys in front of me. We were all within 30secs of each other, two of them within 10secs. I got into a rhythm and picked up the pace. Coming down the final stretch I out-sprinted the guy in front to claim 9^th place in a photo finish. I’m so glad it was me who won the sprint this time, my last two races last year finished with me being beat at the line. Psychologically I needed this vindication.

All in all a good race; in line with expectations. No breakthroughs yet this year though I’m expecting one by mid-year with all the high quality training. It’ll take a good taper for me to get there though. I’m happy with this finish - 48:10 and 9^th overall out of 237.

Feb 27 to 28 - Last Days in Mumbai

2009-03-21T09:28:00.000-07:00

Feb 27

Back to Mumbai ... (sorry no pictures on this post, camera was dead). After all the driving and switching hotels every couple nights, it was nice to be back to what now felt like home.

I only had 2 more days in Mumbai before leaving for home. There was one last thing I had to do which I hadn't yet on this trip ... ride public transportation. I'd heard so many stories of how unique the experience is in Mumbai that I didn't want to miss out on this one thing. And by public transport, I don't mean taking a rikshaw or a cab or a first class train. I wanted to ride on a bus, and in a 2nd class train during rush hour. Nitin had taken 3 weeks off after his wedding so he was still lounging around at home and was available to "facilitate" this last wish.

Nitin took us down to South Mumbai to show me where the 26 Nov attacks took place and his work (which is across the street from the Oberoi which was one of the attacked locations). We walked through the train terminal where some of the attacks happened and then later along the street by the Oberoi and his bank (Kotak Mahindra) office. I haven't been to Ground Zero in New York but I would imagine the feeling would be similar. It's eery and frightening to think that there are people crazy and brainwashed enough to indiscriminately fire into a crowd and do the things that happened on both 9-11-01 and 26-11-08.

After lunch and a tour of downtown, it was time for the journey home. It was about 4pm now and the rush was slowly building. First, to get back to the train station we decided to take a shared cab. This is where people wait in line for a cab, and the next one that passes by tells the first 5 in line to jump in. Cabbies in most big cities are bad drivers. Our driver was no exception. If he was at all an exception it was because he drove crazier than anyone or thing I've ever driven with. Six people in a little Fiat, speeding through crowded streets of Mumbai, weaving through traffic, blowing red lights, squeezing through tight spaces, almost running over pedestrians, yelling at cars in front, not stopping for anything (including the final U-turn to get us to the train station) ... all while Nitin, Abhi and I hung on and nervously laughed in the back seat. This guy earned the extra 5 Rps he asked for in the end for giving us a joy ride!

Onto the train. CST station was now crowded (well for me it felt crowded but according to Nitin the station and train cars could fit 50% more people than I experienced). At my urging we jumped onto the 2nd class train compartment. Nitin's intention was to transfer to 1st class at the first stop if it got bad. Before I get into describing my own experience, Nitin has a great post on his blog (nitinshanbhag.blogspot.com) on the experience of traveling by train in Mumbai. Note his write-up is about his experience in the 1st class commuter compartment. We rode 2nd class this day which is even more interesting and a must-have experience when in Mumbai.

Boarding the train at CST was easy, the compartment we got into wasn't crazy crowded ... yet. We were able to walk on without being pushed. Ofcourse there was no sitting room, but that is never a sign of whether the train is crowded or not. Nitin and Abhishek and I were able to comfortably chat until the first stop in Dadar. As we approached, Nitin kept asking whether I wanted to transfer to 1st class, I repeatedly said no and that I was comfortable. As the train pulled to a stop in Dadar, Nitin told me to hang on tight.

As he said this, the train stopped, and a hoard of people suddenly began rushing onto the train, each row being pushed in by another row of people behind them. The rush of people coming onto the train was so great that you really had to hold on to not get pushed toward the center of the compartment. Even though trains are passing through each station every 3-5 mins, everyone is trying to get onto the current train. As each compartment fills up, the last row of people getting on start hanging onto the train car from the outside hoping the row of people behind them will find a way to push them on. Since there are no doors on the cars, there are always people hanging out the sides. Although I didn't take this picture, this is what it looks like once the train is moving: http://s.wsj.net/public/resources/images/OB-AJ418_Mumbai_20070417131124.jpg

This same story repeats at every stop. Just when you think the train car is full, they manage to squeeze more people on. A few get of and a mass gets on. Since there are no doors, it's not uncommon for people to get pushed out the other side of the train as a new crowd is boarding on the opposite side.

As you can imagine, getting off the train can also be a challenge given how crowded it is. You HAVE to be near the exit if you intend to get off at your desired stop. Nitin warned us to not lose our spot and to stay near the exit so that we could get off at Ghatkopar. As the train slowed to a stop, we jumped off as it was moving to avoid getting pushed off and into another crowd trying to board. This is what it looks like trying to get on and off the train: http://www.searchindia.com/search/mumbai-pictures/mumbai-train.html

All I can say was this train ride was a memorable way to end the vacation in India ... I'm still debating whether it was my favorite memory from the entire trip.

Feb 28 - The End

Heading to the airport on the night of Feb 28 and boarding the plane home was bittersweet. I was not ready to go home and back to work. As Nelly Furtado asks, "Why Must All Good Things Come To An End?"

It was nice to catch up with family I hadn't seen in almost 15yrs. I was surprised with how comfortable I felt around all of them even though, in many ways, they are strangers to me. Everyone made us feel welcome and went out of their way to make us feel at home. This was a big reason why I felt so comfortable in Mumbai. Whether it was going to or from the airport at odd hours, needing help getting around the city, making sure we were well fed, or escorting us on an uncomfortable but exciting journey on 2nd class trains, all my relatives were always more than willing to help. I'm going to miss everyone. Facebook will help us all stay in touch.

Sitting at a desk in the old money town of Westport, CT gives you a very narrow perspective on the world. At work, when we discuss India and China's economic development, you get the picture that they are countries that are nipping at the heels of the US and Canada in terms of quality of life ... but nothing could be further from the truth. More and more people are achieving the means to live a true middle class life, but the overwhelming majority of people are still poor and will be for a long time. India will hopefully catch up someday but it's going to be a long and trying journey and there will be many decisions made along the way that make or break whether this comes true. Only time will tell ...

I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Mumbai. The city has so much energy and I felt like there is so much potential there. Ofcourse being with family and being on vacation sweetened my perception a lot but I need to think about whether I would want to spend an extended period of time over there (either working, teaching or simply learning a language). Sure it's polluted and there is a ridiculous amount of poverty, but the air in Los Angeles was brown in the 1950's and they figured it out, and New York City had slums at the turn of the 1900's but they figured it out. India and Mumbai too seem like they'll figure it out and I'm hopeful that during my lifetime I'll be able to return to the country and less to be disturbed by and even more to be proud of.

I hope to be back visiting in the not too distant future. I really want to go to the Himalayas some day, maybe next time. Can't wait!

Feb 19 to 26 - Kerala Vacation

2009-03-14T15:59:00.000-07:00

Feb 19

After the wedding ceremonies Mom, Dad, Parag and I flew south to Kochi in the southern state of Kerala. This part of the trip was meant to be a true family vacation. Many people had told us that Kerala is a beautiful state and a wonderful place to relax. Before leaving for India, we had little time to plan the details of this second half of the trip. Only two days before leaving Mumbai, I scrambled to find a hotel at our first destination, but that only got us through the first two days. We would have to figure out the rest once we got down there. At least the first place was nice ... below is outside of our cottages at the Bolgatty Palace Resort.

Like with every state in India, the state of Kerala has its own official language (Malayalam). But unlike all the other Indian states I've visited so far they don't speak Hindi (the national language). The southern states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu speak their state languages (which are similar to each other and originate from the Dravidians) while their second language is english (albeit not that well) rather than Hindi. My understanding is that these states merged into the Indian confederation later and have refused to accept Hindi as the national language.

This meant that Mom and Dad were no better able to get around in Kerala than Parag and I. It would be like me having trouble getting around another state or province in Canada because of a language barrier. Mom and Dad felt as foreign in Kerala as Parag and I. This dynamic was going to be fun to observe.

Kochi is a city in the south. It's the business capital of Kerala (while the political capital is Thiruvananthapuram, which we would visit last) so there wasn't a whole lot to see. We visited Fort Kochi where they are still fishing using Chinese-style finishing nets from centuries ago ... cool contraptions. We also visited the district of Mattancheri where the Portuguese and Jewish settlers had arrived centuries ago. There was a palace and a sinagogue ... not too interesting. More interestingly though is that the Jewish area is called Jewtown (see sign below).

One of the locals saw us taking a picture of this sign that read "Jewtown" and he vehemently started yelling at us and began pointing us to other signs and at the awning on his shop that also had "Jewtown" written on it. Thanks for the help buddy ... we got our pic.

We still had yet to plan the rest of this journey through Kerala. In comes the Kerala Tourism Development Corporation (KTDC) the rescue. Some of the states have setup tourism offices that help you plan such trips, this was the purpose of the KTDC. Parag and I had sketched out a rough plan for the trip but we had nothing on transportation, lodging, etc... One of the guys at the KTDC office spoke good english and told us what to do, where to stay, what was worth seeing, what was too expensive and helped us book everything. Within a day we would have a driver, an SUV (Maruti Scorpio) and hotels booked at each of Munnar, Thekady, Allepey, and Thiruvananthapuram ... nice! And I handled all of this!

Feb 20

Our relaxing stay at the Bolgatty resort came to an end quickly. I could feel myself really beginning to relax (and being eaten alive by what were hopefully not malaria carrying mosquitos). It was nice to have time to spend with just Mom, Dad and Parag. We travelled together, ate together, and relaxed together. Lots to talk about, lots to catch up on.

Today it was off to the hill station of Munnar (where there would be no mosquitos because of the altitude). The drive was long and winding since we were heading up into the mountains (the Western Ghats). Before leaving Kochi though we stopped at the Dutch Palace. This was well worth the stop as there was a lot of history on the evolution of language, tools, culture, etc...

Although this is not along the lines of culture, it's not uncommon to see in India. Below is the public bathroom out back at the Dutch palace. As you can see, the urinals empty onto the floor right at your feet (notice how the pattern in the dirt from where the urine falls on the floor). My take on this is that corruption leads to shortcuts leads to someone deciding the plumbing didn't need to be installed. Therefore they might as well have skipped out on the urinals too since you were essentially peeing right on the floor.

This was the most disgusting experience of the whole trip. This bathroom smelled like sewage and I felt like throwing up when walked in there. There was about a half inch of urine along the whole floor (all that water on the floor in the picture is urine). I'm so glad I didn't have to take a dump into one of the squatter toilets!

Back on the road to Munnar. After an hour or so of driving, the roads became a series of non-stop hairpin turns while climbing higher and higher into the Ghats. In India, like many developing countries, the quality of roads is highly variable. Most of these winding mountain roads are narrow (just barely wide enough to fit two Indian cars) with no guard rails. Although most of this drive to Munnar was on paved roads, there were many patches with large pot holes or debrit on the road. On the way back out of Munnar a few days later there were even sections where the road wasn't paved. This 180km drive took 3.5hrs, while our driver said it took twice this long only a couple years ago before the government had the roads paved. We take the ability to travel long distances, quickly and effortlessly for granted and it's such a core element in maintaining trade and therefore economic development and progress.

Although our driver was generally cautious adn not overly aggressive with his driving, the constant hairpin turns were tiring even as a passenger. We stopped halfway up the mountain for lunch. The butter paneer at this place was even better than the view!

The next 4 days in Munnar and Thekady were to be focused on hiking and enjoying outdoor sights. I was a little concerned that Mom and Dad wouldn't enjoy this but they kept telling Parag and I to book our trip and they would tag along for whatever it ended up being. So ofcourse immediately upon arriving in Munnar (and after successfullly haggling to have our room rate lowered by almost 50%; 2300 Rp/night down to 1200 Rp) Parag and I found out about a night hike through the tea plantations and went for it. Our guides were pretty good but the hike was way overpriced and then the organizer gave us only 2 flashlights (between 4 of us). It was pitch black and we couldn't see well. There was even a section where we were tresspassing through a village so the guides told us to turn flashlights off (they called them torches) for a little while. We made it out ok but there were moments where I thought the guides were going to mug us and run off with our camera and money.

Feb 21

During our second day in Munnar, our driver drove us along a popular sight seeing route from Munnar, through Mattupetty Dam, and up to Top Station in Tamil Nadu. Even though Top station was only 35km away, after the drive to Munnar only the day before this was too much driving on windy roads for me. I wanted to take my time at each of our stops, enjoy the fresh air and relax. Here's Parag and I overlooking miles of tea plantations (which are all picked by hand ... appreciate that tea you drink every morning!)

And there were definitely spots to stop for a while and relax. I don't remember the name of this place but I think it was another dam.

The funny thing with our driver was that along the drive up to Top station, he was only stopping at all the tourist lookout spots (i.e. wherever other people were stopped). Although this was fine, Parag and I noticed this pretty quickly and our idea of seeing a place is almost the opposite of this. We wanted to walk around the slums, and experience things that only the locals experience. It was also interesting to me that he was treating us like typical tourists even though we are Indian. But then again, I think Indian's visiting from the West are more likely to want the relaxing, touristy vacation while it's the white tourist who comes to India for the full cultural experience. You're definitely more likely to find a Dutch, British, or French tourist eating rice with their hands than an Indian visiting from Canada or the US.

On our way back from Top station, we stopped for lunch near Munnar. The driver dropped us off at a buffet. We walked inside desided it wasn't what we were looking for and left. Only a few hundred yards up the street we found a little shack that sold snacks and also cooked meals ... though the only thing on the menu was biryani (chicken or veg). This was more like it! We ordered one of each type of biryani. The guy went down to the basement and about 15mins later emerged with our lunches. The food was damn spicy, so much so that Mom and Dad had trouble eating it. Parag and I dove in with our hands just like the locals would ... my mouth was on fire but the food was good!

Feb 22

Time to check out of the Archana Residency and onto our next destination, the Periyar Tiger Reserve in Thekkady. Thekkady is still in the mountains and about 100km south of Munnar. All this really means is that the drive was another 3hrs on tightly winding and sometimes very bad roads. By the end of this drive, I was definitely sick of all the driving (even though we hadn't even done that much yet). I think the driving was my least favorite part of this whole trip. I don't like the traveling part of traveling, I like getting to a destination, staying, exploring and relaxing. so far, I wouldn't have minded an extra day to relax in both Kochi and Munnar.

On the way to Thekkady, we stopped at Elephant Junction. This was realistically our only chance to see elephants up close. Parag and I couldn't refuse a ride on an elephant.

Would you want to see a wild elephant up close anyways? Just like bears and lions and tigers, they're ok to see in a zoo (ethical debates aside) or better yet in the wild on the Discovery Channel, but I'd prefer to avoid situations where getting mauled or chased by powerful wild animals is a reasonable probability.

We arrived at the Periyar House in the evening. Time to relax after the long drive ... at the playground ...

Feb 23

On our way into the Periyar Tiger Reserve, we stopped at a little hut that advertised itself as an Eco-Tourism center. Inside you could hire a guide for a multitude of hikes. Inspite of the various hikes advertised, the guy at the desk told us there was only one available for the next morning. This was a 9hr hike along the range of hills running along the top of the park with a descent into the park before coming home. Parag and I really wanted to spend some time in the jungle and this looked like our only opportunity so we booked the Range Hike.

Mom had come down with a cold and was feeling feverish. She ended up spending this whole day in bed. Dad was starting to get bored with the whole outdoor/hiking thing and was a little concerned with how he would spend the next day with Mom in bed. He tried desperately to convince both us (and himself) that he would be able to handle the Range Hike. Not a chance Dad! To his credit, he has one bad knee so hikes and strenuous activity is generally out of the question. Not that it ended up being that strenuous but there were some steep ascents and some event steeper descents, with a good knee I would've let you ... and anyways, you know better :)

On to the hike. Aside from the guides and armed forest service guard (to protect us against tigers, leopards, elephant) there were 5 of us on this hike. Greg and Jane were a couple from New Zealand who were on a 3 wk vacation in southern India. And the other was Nick, a starving actor from the UK who was getting the full experience with the locals by traveling by bus, staying in homestays, using squatter toilets and eating spicy vegetarian foods with his hands.

The hike was gorgeous and at various times felt like an African serengety because of the colors and dry regions (and wild animals grazing along the plains). We traveled through a range of mountains along the north end of the Periyar Tiger Reserve and finished by descending deep into a valley in search of elephants. We did see leopard and tiger poop but nothing threatening up close (which was probably a good thing). Over the 1000sq km area there are supposedly 40 tigers (each maintains a territory of about 25sq km) and almost 1000 elephants!! There were signs of elephants everywhere!! Footprints, massive balls of poop, marks on trees where they had eatten the bark, and even a 5yr old elephant skeleton (died of old age ... RIP big guy).

We saw a decent number of animals including Sambar Deer (and plenty of their bones left over from big cat meals), monitor lizards, some sort of black macaque, and buffalo. About midway through the walk we also came across a group of tribal people carrying massive bails of hay (100% biodegradable construction materials) to replace the roofs on their houses. The bails weighed 60-70kg (we tried lifting but were unable to) and these tiny people were carrying them on their head, while walking barefoot down a steep hill!

Our guides on this hike ended up being ok but not great. Part of the problem was ofcourse the language barrier. The lead guy did start the hike by saying in very broken english "I have no education, I've lived in the jungle my whole life, I speak little english." Regardless, they were very good at spotting animals and birds and bugs and plants in a variety of situation. Their ability to hear faint sounds and see colors with faint constrasts was amazing. And at our lunch stop, one of them pulled out his flute and played a couple tunes for us while we ate. They definitely worked hard for us.

Below is the view from one of the peaks we summitted. This is overlooking the reserve from the northside while behind us is a flat valley with rice paddies and overlooking part of the state of Tamil Nadu.

Parag and I enjoyed the hike and Greg, Jane, and Nick were good company. While we were all mildly disappointed by not having seen any tigers or elephants (even with binoculars while on top of the mountains) it was nice to get back to the hotel and rest our feet while catching up on the economy and markets on NDTV. The S&P was getting rocked that week!

Feb 24

On to the next destination, the houseboat journey on Bon Voyage. We were to board in the town of Kumarakom and float down the backwaters, finally arriving in Alappuzha the next day (about 40km away). Like with every other journey since arriving in Kerala, this required getting back into the Scorpio and driving for a few hours on winding bumpy roads. I remember sitting in the middle seat this day and literally leaning into every turn (every 5seconds) with my upper body. This was the only way to manage while sitting in the middle while not crushing Mom on one side and Parag on the other. After 2+ hours of that my obliques were tired and sore and I was glad to be down out of the mountains onto straighter roads. Who would've thought backseat driving could be a workout!

Before getting all the way to Kumarakom, we stopped at an Ayurvedic garden for a tour and an opportunity to learn about this eastern philosophy of medicine. The place we stopped at actually sells plant-based medicines all over the world and you can order from them at www.deepaspiceworld.com. Parag took some great pics of some of the Ayurvedic plants but what stands out most in my memory is the Ayurvedic philosophy. Our guide explained that Ayurvedic medicine is based on the concept of treating the whole (the root cause of the problem) and not simply the superficial symptoms. For example, an Ayurvedic treatment will be taken for 1 month but will often not given any immediate relief. Instead if taken properly, you will prevent a recurrence of the problem for years. Comparatively, taking something like Advil addresses the symptom, provides temporary relief, and does almost nothing to cure the root cause. Hmmm, sounds similar to how we've gotten ourselves into the current global financial and environmental crises we find ourselves in. Ship a few old computer monitors to China, add a little more government stimulas and voila ... all better ... right?

We made it to our boat by 2pm ... only 2hrs late (or right on Indian Standard Time). I can't even describe how wonderful and peaceful the setting was once the boat disembarked and started floating down the backwaters. Imagine silently floating down a river at slow speed, surrounded by turquoise water, with a light wind blowing through the cabin. We litterally just sat around and talked for the next day and enjoyed wonderful, fresh foods. A little heaven on Earth!

Here's Dad driving for a few minutes.

... and everyone relaxing to the fullest. After a couple days of hiking and driving in the mountains, this was a perfect way to spend a day with family.

To completely shift gears for a moment, down along the backwaters of Kerala there are bugs of all kinds (as you would expect in any tropical climate). I saw the biggest cockroach I've ever seen and ever hope to see again. It was actually in our shower in our bathroom on the houseboat. Discovering this beast was such an event that I have to describe it here but first here's a picture after doing battle and claiming victory. Do you see how big that sucker was?

That night, Parag and I went to our room and started getting ready for bed. I was standing in the bathroom brushing my teeth when I spotted this giant brown thing out of the corner of my eye. Immediately I called Parag in to look. Before I could blink, Parag threw his shoe at me, slammed the bathroom door shut on me, and yelled "Kill It! Don't let it out here!". I love animals but not being locked into a small space with giant bugs. After 8 loud swats, I got him. It wasn't pretty. There was one leg under the sink and an antenna in the shower with the rest of his body near the door. Nothing like a little excitement before bed after the most relaxing day imaginable!

Feb 25

This day would be our last full day in Kerala. As with all great vacations, this one was going by too quickly. I started thinking about how much I was enjoying myself and didn't want to go home. Today we were driving further south toward the state capital of Thiruvananthapuram (formerly known as Trivandrum under Portugese rule). On the way down we scheduled a stop at Varkala Beach.

We were told that we must stop at a beach while in Kerala. Kovalam beach is the most popular one (a little south of the capital). I really didn't want to go to a touristy beach, I know how those are and I didn't want to be around a crowd of obnoxious foreigners. We chose Varkala because it was on the way to our final destination and was supposed to be less touristy.

We arrived mid-afternoon. Clear blue skies, beautiful clifs overlooking the sea (Varkala is along the Arabian Sea), soft sand ... wow!

But wait, all of the restaurants serve chicken fingers, burgers, and fries. Wait just a second, everyone here is white. So much for not touristy. I can only imagine what Kovalam would've been like. After wading through the shallow water (and me losing my camera in the waves), we went up for a bite to eat. By this point, I was loving eating Indian food every day and that's all I wanted. What we ended up getting was an awful mush. The Indian food was terrible (I'm sure the burgers and fries were good)! Oh well, can't win 'em all. Did get a naked massage before leaving Varkala, strange experience ... worth it, but probably would've even more relaxing if I wasn't forced to lay face up and buck naked.

Feb 26

While at the beach on the day before I bought a hand woven piece of cloth that could be worn as a lungi. A lungi is the most common form of bottom covering clothing that is worn by men in the south of India. It's damn hot in the south and people are very traditional. As a result, the majority of men wear a lungi instead of pants even today. I thought the lungi looked comfortable and wanted to try wearing one for a day. After one of our best negotiations on the whole trip, I ended up with a cream and blue lungi for 300 Rps ($6). I plan to wear it around the house on hot summer days in Connecticut too.

On our final day in Kerala, we visited the Padmanabhaswamy temple only a kilometer from our hotel right in Thiruvananthapuram. This is a very old temple and you MUST wear traditional indian wear and also be an INDIAN citizen to get inside. For women, traditional indian wear meant a saree. For me, this meant a lungi and nothing else. The second I took my shirt off and my tattoos became visible, the guy at the entrance singled me out and asked me where I was from. Since I couldn't answer in at least hindi (let alone Malayalam) they promptly told me I wasn't allowed inside. I remember the last time I came to India in 1994, my cousins had told me I looked more Indian than Parag ... I guess it's all relative.

This is Parag and I (with lungi on) way out in front of the temple.

That night, Mom, Dad and I flew back to Mumbai while Parag stayed back in Kerala for a couple more days. Parag wanted to go to the southernmost point (Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu) while also experiencing the train and staying at a cheap hotel for locals. We would meet up for an hour on Saturday in Mumbai if everything went according to plan before I had to catch my flight home to Newark.