Eliot Festival 5K fun!

It was weekend #3 for consistency and focused effort on re-programing the grey matter into Cheetah thinking and digging out those fast twitch muscles that have been dormant far too long.
It's been a humbling but very motivating 3 weeks of trying and make some progress in my fitness and what better way to do it then to sign up for a race? Certainly I'm not going to push myself as hard on my own as I would in a 5k road race, so back up to Maine I went for a local 5k in my sister's home town in Eliot.
I ran my very first Eliot Festial Day 5k race back in 1996 covering the distance in 19:09/ holding a 6:10 pace. Eeeeks, times have certainly changed and the fact is folks, the body is DECAYING!!!
2009- 2/27 F4549 24:49 8:00 Elaine Debitetto 46 F Newton MA
Although my Garmin said 24:44/7:56 pace which sounds a sliver better, and I think we should just go with that, ok?

This year, my 17 nephew (NON RUNNER) decided to join me.
I was very excited to
run with him. Next year he will be off to college and running with his aunt certainly won't be on the agenda so I took it all in and really enjoyed this.
Here I am giving him tips on how to destroy me.

And as predicted,he dusted me. I was very proud of him. We started the race together but by the 2k mark, he found another gear(or two) and left me as if i was standing still. Simply put, he is talented,smart,damn good looking AND a natural athlete! Pic to prove it.

Andrew Post race



Up next: A 10 miler next weekend in Harvard MA. One of these days I just know I'll
find some snappy legs to trade in!

Surf and Turf

This weekend was another trip up to Maine for another go at that crazy littl' thing called triathlon.
Lobster Man OLY in Freeport Maine. I'll describe it in 3 words, hilly, windy and ch ch chilly. 46 degree air temps and 60ish degree water made for some excitement. Mz Mary Iron matron was there ready to do battle.(Mary...I'd post our pic but we are not looking super glamour kitty like so I nixed that. :-)
I'm thinking the course wasn't measured so accurately but a nice venue for a race.
The bike portion was so windy, I had a tough time staying aero.
The run: I figured just maybe... the shorter distance would feel oh-so-much better and I would instantaneous become supa fast but alas... I was not.
I did wear my HR monitor for the run to see if truly I was working hard enough and to be frank, I got my money's worth if just for the run. Here's the pattern: Swim like mad, bike like my next breath depended on it and run.. eh... try not to go into deep depression as I get picked off every mile while still trying to maintain some sort of illusion of actually running (fast). I know my run fitness will
someday return but does every hard effort have to be so bloody painful coupled with my snail pace? I keep reminding myself that yes, it's a fact that Rome was not built in a day and on a paper foundation to boot so next year... just you wait. That third cylinder will be FIRING.

A Saturday race left lots of time for LL Bean Freeport shopping and a taste of an
authentic Maine fair. The Frankin County Fair in Farmington Maine.

I LOVED the animals, can you tell!!!!

Pumpkin Man 2009 in Foto Format!

Milling around Spring Hill pond as the fog lifts
Finally, the sun breaks through


What better way to carbo load than with a Shipyard Pumpkin Ale?

My personal bike mechanic-nephew giving my bike a once over

The Elite Cockpit, ready to go

Me in the 40+ (old women?) and mixed relay wave #3. No pink caps for us?? Bummer!

Me among the weeds. Here's how I was thinking: Try to get a wicked good head start on the swim and try and hold 'em off on the bike 'cause u's gonna get eaten alive on that run. Kudos to me in my accurate prediction!

Kat and Jeff Donatello, Mr and Mrs Pumpkin Man
See the look on my face? It's PLEASANT here compared to each accumulated mile. Hee Hee!

Mz Mary Eggers-I CLEANED UP AT PUMPKIN MAN winning a wetsuit for the fastest swim time and first amateur overall and thrilled-to-be-done-me
My sister Paula with the winners flowers donated by her business, Twig and Fern Designs
What could be better than an Adirondack chair at the finish area complimented with a bag of ice to cool off your (?????) modeled here by speedy Rob- Slayerhatebreed- Straz. I guess you deserve that for getting first in your age group.

Pumpkin Man Results

Mission accomplished!
The run was no surprise. I have to count this 13.1 mile run as one of my 4 long runs
leading up to and including the race. 2:07 certainly makes me flinch and it was the most painful run ever but I got it done and happy overall!
Congrats to Mary Eggers for making the long trip from NY and scoring first amateur!! More to come later with lots of pictures!!
Cheers.



104 3 115 DEBITETTO, Elaine NEWTON MA F45-49 00:27:19.468 00:03:02.232 02:42:21.388 00:01:22.664 02:07:11.976 05:21:17.728

more results can be found at www.pumpkinmantriathlon.com

First triathlon of the season!

Yes, it's September and while most are winding down their season, I'm just starting!
Yikes. Other than an Aquabike, It's rather strange. I really don't have a solid gauge of my fitness at this point with all the stopping and starting I've done with my training but who does when it's your first race of the season??? My run is certainly not where it should be missing another 4 weeks of run training after my little mishap with the treadmill July 21, but you can bet I will do whatever it takes to keep my legs turning over and finish that 13.1 without walking or whining for that matter. Well maybe just a smidgen of whining. I've asked Kat Donatello (RD) if perhaps she could find it in her heart to supply a scoot-a-round chair for me for the run segment. I really don't think this is asking much. In fact, I'm sure even Target would let her borrow one for the day if she asked nicely. Sadly,it's not looking promising.
In any case, I'm excited for a few reasons. For one, my family is very close by so they get to watch the suffering first hand! They could care less if I'm on the podium or dead last. PRESSURE OFF! Also, Mary Eggers is coming! Yay Mary!! I'm very excited to meet her and her family. EXPECT PICTURES! Next, my 17 year old way cute nephew works for the local bike shop part time that is supporting the race. He works like a DOG on Saturday and Sunday doing last minute bike fixes and then drives the PapaWheelies SUV as the sag wagon. This is not a super fun job. It's long and boring following the last cyclist through 56 miles. Lastly, my sister Twig and Fern owner and florist extraordinaire, is donating her time at the race and also making bouquets for the winners! NO PRESSURE MARY!!!


The other news? I'll be riding my trusty Pink Elite as shown above taken during the Concord MA, Charlie Baker Time Trial.(Thanks Ryan!) I will not be on my new Cervelo. This is a bit of a bummer but something is not quite right with the Cervelo. It just doesn't feel right and I'm struggling with the gearing and need some time to figure it out so home it will stay.

Now I just have to decide what I'm wearing....

This suit makes me feel FAST and It's my lucky-nobody-wears-a-2-piece-anymore-revolt against tri shorts and a tri top.


Believe it or not, this could be an option. It will remind me to HAVE FUN even when I'm on my knees at the 5 mile mark of the run.

This is my REAL race suit but thinking I want to save this for when I feel READY to ROCK THE BOAT. Need I say I'll be trying to flip the boat back over on Sunday. Eeeeks!

Just a few Canada photos

Some of you have already seen these but those who didn't.....


My car mates during the bike portion. Pictured here: Jonnyo, Khai, Paulo and Matt

I actually asked someone to get down from a park bench for 30 seconds so I could jump

up in their spot and get a shot of the swim start. The look on their face? " You've got balls, girl"

Me at one of the many fruit stands that dotted the roads through Peachland, Summerland, Penticton and Oliver

Lucky for me, I had a front row view of the Pro bike segment leap frogging the entire (open to traffic) bike course watching the action unfold. Sure beats standing around transition for 5 hours .Here is Paulo Sousa watching Belinda Granger as she comes by. Must mention she is one

of the nicest professional triathletes around.

This is lake Oakanagan from the town we were staying in, Peachland. Just beautiful.

Yellow Lake portion of the bike waiting for the pros to come through. Pictured here: Professional triathlete Johnathan Carlson who lives in Pentiction, Smart ass coach, Paulo Sousa, and me.

Goofy me Chillaxing in the lake

Another lake shot. The water was so clear!

Is Anybody Out There?

Time for an update if only to hear myself blab.
Today was my first day back to reality. Work, regular training and the likes. It feels good to be home but enjoyed my trip to Pentiction right after Timberman. What a whirlwind. I packed, unpacked and repacked for Canada having one day in between the two. Lucky for me, Ironman Canada only held spectating duties, so the pressure was non existent.

My crazy-little-thing-called Aquabike went reasonably well. I swam as hard as my body would allow without burning too many matches and the same goes for the bike. It was HOT and I was secretly happy I didn't have to complete a death march of a run after racking my bike.
I did however, stand around in transition for a few moments waving good bye to my age group
counterparts who drifted in and out of transition while I, wearing a long face then shuffled into the lake and had a mini pity party out there for myself. I left that lame-o party floating in the waters of Lake Winnipesaukee on exiting and headed for some Jordan's ice cream over in the food tent. I think I won some syrup to boot but there was a mix up and my name wasn't called for the nicely etched amber goodness. It was nice to "clean out the jets" and start the season as odd as it was.
Next:
Off to Penticton I went armed and ready to relax and help out my teammates and housemates
the best I could. The climate itself took me for a giant loop. Arid and 90 degrees I was not expecting nor would I be prepared for the beauty of the mountains and the crystal clarity
of Lake Okanagan and the abundance of fruit and local wineries. Just breathtaking especially from the quieter area we stayed in called Peachland.
The day after my 15 hour travel day from Boston, I decided to do hill repeats up this gnarly
2+ minute hill. Not the smartest move but hey, when I see
a nice big hill my instinct is to assess, plan and attack. Unfortunately the hill won the battle and I was hobbling for the next 3 days. Can you say Tiger Balm???

Up next: some pictures and observations from the eyes of a sidelined triathlete in British Columbia. I just know your sitting on the edge of your seat, so stay tuned.
Ha!