My First Tri!

Coming over the timing mats 3:15:33 for my first ever tri!

I can officially say that I’m a triathlete. I completed my first tri today! I haven’t yet gotten my official times, have to wait for them to be posted, be sure that when they are I’ll edit this post to reflect the times. But I was in the 3 hour range.

3 hours 15 minutes thirty-three seconds to be exact.

I was a little nervous this week about hitting the tri this weekend. I’d been sick at the beginning of the week, and knew I hadn’t had enough swim and run time in. To top off matters, the weather decided to dump buckets of rain in the morning. I spent the day prior on the bike, 75 miles of hills with around 5000 ft of climbing. I didn’t hammer to much during the ride, so I was still feeling fresh after the ride. After getting home from visiting with Rob (he just returned from Tasmania) I took to getting my gear in order for the next day. I packed up all my gear into my mountain smith cube, worked out perfectly. I made some whole wheat tortellini and headed for bed at about 9 pm.

Click the image to see what I had packed

I woke up at 5am to the sound of rain. I wasn’t about to let some rain stop me, so ate some breakfast and loaded up the box.

I got down to Ashland by 7am. I parked, checked in, went through body marking, and then back to the car to get my gear prepped. I layed out my transition area, covered it with half my towel to attempt to keep it dry. As I was getting into my wet suit, Katie showed up with Pat and Cindy! I had thought that I wouldn’t have needed a cheering section, but I was SUPER glad they showed up.

We all walked the quarter mile down to the water, and I slipped on the mud! I got into the water, which was surprisingly warm, and took a few practice strokes. I was feeling good! the start was a wading start, so I got off to the left of the pack and got ready. I’m not comfortable enough with open water swimming yet. I had a decent stroke and felt good for the first 1/4 of the swim. After I rounded the first buoy I got into trouble. I got hit a little by faster swimmers, and took on some water. This threw my breathing off, and I never fully recovered. A spent some time on my back trying to get my heart rate down, and never did get it back in check. As I rounded the second buoy, I had my first ever cramp while swimming. Luckily it was ‘just’ my left calf, it hurt pretty bad. I spent some more time on my back, and finished off freestyle. I got out of the water, popped a Gu and hiked up to the transition area. I fell WAY to the back, I knew my swimming wasn’t strong. After the race, Katie let me know that I was 6th to last out of the water!

Ah, now for the bike! I knew I could make up some time there, the course was a little hilly but I liked the hills (as 5000ft of climbing the day before proves) I got on the bike and felt AWESOME. I settled into a nice pace, easily spinning up the hills, and bombing down the wet slick roads! I passed a bunch of people once I got out on the bike, and cheerfully talked with them as I passed! the course was great, I averaged 18 mph, with a top speed of 32. Never felt my heart rate spike, I popped a Gu at the 13 mile mark, and at the transition.

As I started the run I was still feeling strong, a little to strong. I looked down at my Garmin, and I was WAY off pace. I reeled back in a little, but the damage had already been done. At about mile 3 I felt my left calf acting up again. I walked a ways, stopped and streteched it on a tree, and walked a half mile or so. I tried convincing myself that after mile 4.5 I was going to run no matter what. But my calf had a different idea! I walked a little bit and ran. I ended up trying to conserve some for the last leg so I didn’t look defeated when I got in to the finish. i walked up the final hill, and then hit the last mile running, just not fast. My own timing gives me a 1:02 time, with a 10:28 pace. I NEED to run more. I finished up strong, came in to Katie, Pat and Cindy screaming and cheering. Katie had even made a sign that said “Go Joe!”

I crossed the finish line, and threw my arms up in a V for the photos! I was smiling, I survived, and now can call myself a triathlete. I grabbed a water, drank it, cleaned up my transition area, and walked over to the car, and popped a Sam Summer! nothing like a nice cold beer post workout! My next Tri is about a month away, and I’m planning a lot more open water swimming, and running. Since I now have some numbers to beat!

Special thanks to Katie, my wonderful wife! Thanks to Tasha, for putting the thought in my head to do this! Thanks to Pat & Cindy for cheering. And thanks to everyone who has been supporting me through this crazy endevour!

Trans New Hampshire MDA ride

Hi All,

Once again I’m going to be participating in the annual Trans New Hampshire bike ride from June 26 to the 28th to support the Muscular Dystrophy Association. This ride starts at the Canadian border and finishes 250 mile away in Concord New Hampshire. This will be my third year participating, and it has become my favorite weekend of the summer. Katie will also be participating in the ride again in most important role, support. She gained quite the reputation for her PB&J’s en-route. The route is a nice three day jaunt through NH, and over the white mountains.

This year the ride is to honor Teagan House. He was diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. This genetic disease begins early in childhood and causes progressive loss of muscle strength and bulk and usually leads to death in the early 20s from respiratory or cardiac muscular failure. DMD occurs when a gene on the X chromosome fails to make the essential muscle protein dystrophin.

Teagan was the 2007 NH State Goodwill Ambassador and he has attended the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon to present a check. Teagan greeted the TNHBR riders at the Rochester Fire Station in 2007.

The money donated goes directly to helping those in need. $85 funds an hour of research, $100 runs a group support session, $800 allows a child to attend the MDA summer camp, and $2000 will give assistance with obtaining a Wheelchair or Leg Braces.

All you have to do is click here to make a secure, online donation before 06/28/09. Your donation will help families in our community who live with neuromuscular disease. I can’t wait to add you to my list of contributors.

Thanks in advance for your help. Don’t hesitate to call or email me with any questions.

Joe and Katie

P.S. I’m counting on you, click here to donate.

If the link above does not work, please cut and paste the address below into the address bar of your Internet browser.
https://www.joinmda.org/tnhbr09/jpitkin

Quick pick me up

Enjoying a shot of esspresso before the multisport expo at toscanini’s

Great Writing

Spam has ruined email for the most part for companies. This isn’t a new revelation, a quick google search will show that the clutter that email campaigns cause is as bad, if not worse, then the clutter we see in traditional media. Here’s the exception, the shining gem that makes me hopeful that some marketing and some companies “get it”.

I look forward to an email every morning. It’s not a list serve email, or one from a friend in a far away place. It’s the opt in emails that steep and cheap send out. They know the people who buy stuff from them, and they don’t’ get to ’salesy’ This was the email that was in my box this morning:

Every morning some random thought or story is conveyed to me, as I wolf down a double helping of instant oatmeal and coffee. I actually look forward to the random nature of the story, and the great deals that steep and cheap offer. I’ve bought a number of things from them, and will continue to do so. I strongly suggest that you subscribe to the emails.

7 things you may not have known.

There’s a meme going around on twitter that’s “7 thing you may not have known” Since a was tagged here goes:

1) If not for having an appendectomy I would have enlisted in the Air Force.

I was in AFJROTC during high school, and my senior year I was going to enlist. The recruiter failed to let me know I had to have documentation about the appendectomy since it had been within 6 month and considered major surgery. I took the ASVAB, physical, and only had to be sworn in. After I got home, a few people talked me out of enlisting, and going to college.

2) I fell asleep backstage at a Megadeth concert,that Seven Dust opened for.

Through high school, and part of college, I worked freelance for a couple stage companies. I did a lot of different things, from driving trucks to running shows. I got the call to load and unload a show at the meadows in CT. By the time Megadeth went on I had been up for 14 hours or so (had to drive to the shop, load the truck, drive to CT, oversee the unloading of the truck… etc.) I sat down in a bin of feeder cable, which was warm, and promptly fell asleep while megadeth was on stage.

3) I was afraid of heights as a kid.

I don’t know when I stopped being afraid of heights. Now heights don’t bother me in the least, I’ve jumped out of planes, gone rock climbing, hung lights 100+ feet in the air, all with no issues.

4) I didn’t want to learn how to ride a bike.

I fought with my dad for a while because I didn’t want to learn to ride a bike. This makes me laugh, since now I’m an avid cyclist, riding multiple centuries in a summer.

5) I didn’t like bacon as a kid.

Again, this is one of those things that I can’t pinpoint when it changed. As a kid I didn’t like bacon, I would order sausage, or nothing with my eggs. I’m so glad that I’ve changed my mind on the bacon front.

6) I marched in Drum Corps and Marching band in High School

I played trumpet (and soprano horn) in high school. I only marched in Drum Corps one year, but the Spartans made it to the DCI finals the year I marched.

7) I took ice skating when I was a little kid.

I took figure skating for a year or two as a kid. Preformed a routine and everything.

Twelve is attainable.

The nostalgia of December is quickly wearing off for the hope and promise of the new year. Every year I seem to make resolutions, and ever year I don’t follow through with all of them, the dusty unicycle mocking me from the closet is a case in point. My 2009 Moleskin arrived in the mail over the weekend, and I took the time to transcribe the already committed and planned dates from 2008 into it. While leafing through the planner I started humming the  Seasame Street Pinball count, we all know that catchy 1,2,3,4-5-6-7,8,9-10-11,12. Then my thoughts turned to David Allen and GTD. Then I began, for the first time, to break my resolutions up into actionable items.

It is very easy to set attainable goals for my year this way. By breaking down my resolutions to actionable items.Historically I’ve set out with resolutions such as:

• learn to ride a unicycle
• run a 5k
• join the circus
• etc, etc, etc

This year I still have resolutions, but took the time to proactively break them down to smaller actionable items that aren’t nearly as daunting:

• Weekly spend an hour falling off the unicycle
• run 30 minutes 4 times a week
• defeat my fear of cotton candy
• etc, etc, etc

With my new found way of attacking my yearly resolutions I’m now also thinking about other “12’s” I can attain? I also believe that revisiting the goals and re-planning attainable goals will allow me to keep focused on the tasks that I want to lay out for myself over the coming year.

2008 in review

This is the time of year that we all take a ride down the nostalgic trail and remember the year. These are a few highlights for me. It’s been a whirlwind of a year, I’m married, I have a new job, and have had one of the most excellent years to date! Here’s a quick perusal of my year in pictures.

January

My first day at SeaChange, it snowed a little.

February

Katie and I moved into our new apartment with the help of friends and family.

March

We hosted our first family dinner (easter) and it was successful, and tiring.

April

Work sent me out to Vegas for NAB, and then a couple weeks later we went out to visit Greg and Petra in San Fran.

May

Ah, the second round of cupcakes from the enchanted back shoppe, just to make sure that we were going to have them do the cupcakes for the wedding

June

I did a fair bit of riding in June. Harpoon B2B, TNHBR, MS150. Katie came up for the B2B and TNHBR, she makes a great PB&J and was a savior with her magic beer runs!

July

Work sent me to Europe for some meetings, and I was able to sneak down to france and see the start of the tour!

August

WE GOT MARRIED!! Island Pond Road Rally and Katie did her first half century! and she didn’t kill me either!

September

We got some down time during September to hang out with friends and relax.

October

Katie and I realized we hadn’t camped all year, so “someone” had the smart idea to camp up north of Mt. Washington. It was a really good camping trip, just a little cold and windy on top of Mt. Washington.

November

Katie found inexpensive tickets to Iceland! So we went with Pat and CIndy.

December

Christmas is always a long event for Katie and I. This year we had a full week of holiday excitement.

 

Well, That wraps up my year in pictures review. I have so many more, and the memories are even greater.

The advocacy of a Mr. Pitkin

There was a twitter conversation going on between some people I follow about snow tires. This evoked some strong opinions on the subject. I’ve always been a fan and supporter of good tires, not just in the winter season. Tires are probably the most overlooked, under-appreciated piece of technology on your car. If you think about it for a few minutes, the entire sum weight of your vehicle is being supported by an area about the size of a large kitchen tile. It then makes sense that you shouldn’t “cheap out” when it comes to tires. This was the first point that made me start thinking about my advocacy. I am an opinionated person, and I’m willing to share my opinion with others, and have them try to sway my opinin. In the 24 hours that I’ve been thinking and compiling my list of advocacy, I’m realizing that I will have to write multiple posts since the list is so diverse and would end up being quite the long ramble of free association that could barely be followed.

My initial list is:

• Snow tires
• Bacon
• Cell phones that sync
• AppleTV
• Carrying a pocket knife
• Hot Sauce
• Password Storage
• Good polarized sunglasses
• driving a large truck (at least once)
• be involved in a charity
• share with others
• try new food
• learn to swim

I’ll write more, and actually have a few in the bag so that I’ll be able to keep this attempt at a digital journal alive! I think I’ll start to keep a running list that is my advocacy list, and try to write at least monthly on one of my opinions.