Baby It's Cold Outside II: Propelling Digital Representations (2/21 - 2/28/2016)

This has been a very mild winter for New England; but, it's still winter.  The roads still have bits of snow and slush and the wind is still blowing below freezing and the River is still clogged with ice here and there.

Thus we're still inside.  After this year's great indoor track season, I didn't have too high of hopes on the rest of the indoor season.  How many sports can you pay attention to at once?

Lamer asked how I thought my propelling of my digital boat went at Crash-B.

Me in my New England Randonnuers Jersey; Emma in her Endurance Underground Camo
Photo from Landry's Cycles

Cycling Indoor Time Trial (2/21/16)
Event: Boston Triathlon Team Indoor Time Trial
Location: Landry's Cycles, Allston, MA
Distance: 10K
Goal Time: 18:19
Actual Time: 17:54

The profile of the course was the last 10K of the Marathon Course in reverse.  Since, I ran that on Saturday, I was mentally ready to ride it on Sunday.  Unfortunately, since I ran that on Saturday, My legs weren't necessarily read to ride it on Sunday.

When you checked in, you weighed in so that they could set the Compu-trainer to your weight, etc. 

After some warm up spinning while they set up the computers and what not, there was a countdown 3-2-1 and we started. 

There was projection screen that had all the vital data: watts, speed, distance, etc.  It also had graphics that tracked you along the profile of the Marathon Course. 

Good shot of the computer board that shows all the data and has the route profile and individual trackers
Photo from Landry's Cycles

I didn’t want a repeat of the CRASH-B’s from last year; while, I didn't know how hard to ride for a 10K, but I knew that I'd rather start too slow than too fast.  Basically, I decided to push myself hard but leave some for the finish, since I knew we’d have to go up Heartbreak in reverse.

Among the data was your pace and your distance to the next place person.  At the start I was in 7^th out of 8 in my group with Emma right behind me.  But, as I started getting comfortable and finding the groove, I started closing in on 6^th.  At the top of the hill at Coolidge Corner: Mile 2 or so I passed by 6^th and then set my sights on closing down to #5.

Robbie getting aero
Photo from Landry's Cycles

I kept the pedaling pretty smooth.  I started to get within range of #5 when we got to what would be the turn onto Chestnut Hill Ave and then the left onto Commonwealth.  At this point there is about half a mile of downhill before you get to the base of Heartbreak in Boston College.  So I figured I’d take advantage of this, I made my move into 5^th Place.  I looked at the numbers and realized Robby – in 4^th – was way too far for me to catch. 

I got to the uphill right at the Dunks at the Boston College T.  I still felt okay; so, I was ready to crush it.  I didn’t really crush it.  However, I didn’t slow down either.  So despite not having the Hammer, I was able to push to the top and then bury my head over the last ¾ of a mile.  The guy I had passed had more left than me, he passed me up the hill and I didn’t have enough to bring him back.

Still beat the 5k running PR from earlier this month and with just under 21 mph and 285 avg watts (and, the all-important beating Emma), I was happy with my performance.

Hafferty killing it
Photo from Landry's Cycles

Shoutouts

Robby did a 17:24
Susannah (18:45) and Emma (19:12) were the 8th and 10th place women
Hafferty's 15:01 finished only 4 seconds off the podium

The floor of the Agganis during CRASH-B

Rowing Indoor Race (2/28/2016)
Event: CRASH-B World Indoor Rowing Championships
Location: Aggannis Arena, Allston, MA
Distance: 2K
Goal Time: 6:44
Actual Time: 6:59

Pulling hard at the end

Not as prepared as last year.

I fought to go out easier than last year. I was right under the 1:40/500m for the first little while and then from about 1000m.

At 1400m, I thought I might be in trouble. The pace was drifting up and drifting up. By 1750, I felt I could barely hang on. I just kept my head down and fought to 1900. Then I knew it was 10-11 more strokes. I blasted it out to keep my time under 7 min.

Next year I might do some training...

Digital Representations of Boats

Andy rowing her 2k

I finished just under 7 and Andy rowwed just over 8:30 on her first time at CRASH-B

CRASH and SMASH: World Indoor Rowing Championships (3/1/15)

Race: CRASH-B Sprints, World Indoor Rowing Championships
Distance: 2K
Location: Agganis Arena, Boston University
Goal Time: 6:45
Actual Time: 6:44.4

I looked up at the computer and it said I had 1124 meters to go.  Oh crap, I might not finish this race.  I don't know if anyone has ever DNFed a rowing machine race before....

Two months ago, I hadn't thought of doing the CRASH-B or any rowing indoor rowing race.  A couple of years ago, Kelsea had tried to convince me to try rowing since I had the size and running back ground.  But it took Barbara registering for CRASH-B. It seemed like something fun and a short training period; so, I registered too.  (Don't get confused about CRASH, it has nothing to do with crashing rowboats.  However it does give me an excuse to post this video:)


They covered the ice of Agganis with boards and placed - in the competition area - 96 ergs (that's rowerspeak for what the rest of us call: "Rowing Machines").

Each age group went in different heats.  40 - 49 year old heavyweight men all went in the same heat. There were 91 registered and 78 raced (or at least 78 finished - maybe somebody did DNF).  I milled around for a while after getting into the Agganis (checking out the BU Hockey History) and eventually made it to the floor for about 5 minutes of warm-ups.

Warm up area

In line for the race

Once I got to my erg, I was "ready."  Ready was a relative term.  I had no idea what to do.  Fortunately my volunteer coxswain was very helpful.  He told me exactly when to grab the handle.  Maybe if I had been more prepared, I would have been nervous.  But my total lack of preparation required me to wing it on the most basic stuff.  The heat was in three sections.  Each section had 32 ergs that were interconnected and the computer screen was set so that you could see how you and the leaders of your section were doing.  

My erg - #49

On start, I started pulling as hard as I could.  I felt really good: (You can watch the computer graphic of the section here).  As we went through the first 200, I was in fourth in my section of the heat.  I hit the 500 meter mark in a blazing fast 1:34.1 (6:16 pace)! But I definitely wasn't excited about how well I was doing. Instead I realized it was like running the mile and I had just gone two fast.

At 800 meters, I had taken over second in my heat; at 875 meters, I considered DNFing.  Needless to say, my second 500 - which had me 2nd in my section - had slowed considerably.  I dropped 5 seconds slower to 1:39.6.  Then I had to dig deep.

With 1000 meters to go, I just told myself to keep going. I told myself the worst that could happen is that this would suck for 3 and a half minutes.  And it did.  At 1400, I dropped back down into third in my section.

With 500 meters to go, I was spent.  The third split had been 1:45.4 (11 seconds slower than the first one).  This is where I was glad I had the information about my placement right in front of me.  I told myslef: Don't quit, don't quit! Stay in third! I hammered everything I had left to keep up some sort of pace.  The last 500 was 1:45.3...

I finished 30th out of 78 in my age group!  Pretty good I think for someone with no crew background.

Scenes from Agganis

3 of the 4 Terriers on the Miracle Team:
"Mike Eruzione, Winthrop, MA"

Jim Craig, the 4th Terrier

Zamboni parking!

One From the Vault
That time I rowed a real boat - Plitvicka Jezera National Park, Croatia, 2009

Took a lotta right turns since I had problems putting both oars in the water at once

Chasing Waterfalls - not sticking to rivers or lakes that I'm used to (7/19/09)

Plitvicka Jezera National Park

From Plitvicka Jezera

TOP TRIP
Plitvicka Jezera National Park, Croatia
Trip: AutoCamp Korana – Plitvicka Jezera National Park
Cycling: 8 miles
Hiking: 4 hours
Rowboat: 1 hour
Cycling in Croatia: 392 miles
Cycling on Bikespedition-2009: 1302 miles

As I took the tourist boat along the largest lake in the park, all I could think was “Wow this would be cool to travel on kayak.” Along the edges of the lake there were a great many waterfalls, as the water from the higher lakes came down to this one. However, the tourist boat didn’t get real close to them.

When I got to the other side of the lake, I saw that they did rent boats. They were rowboats! Now, if you have seen the guys in the shells on the Charles, rowing looks like hard work but it doesn’t look like the actual process is hard. Well, you’d be wrong. I got an hour on the rowboat for 50 kuna (€7, $10). What I really got was about 40 minutes as it took me 20 minutes to figure out how to begin to do it. (kept going in circles and almost dropping the oars). Once I did get it, it was great. Now, I won’t be trading in the UNS Aral Sea for a rowboat anytime soon, but still.

Plitvicka Jezera is a series of 14 or so lakes in the mountains of Croatia. The Korana River runs into these lakes at around 550 meters above sea level and then drops over beautiful waterfalls into the next, until you get to the last lake which is like 300 meters above sea level. These waterfalls create travertine build ups as the limestone and dolomite react with water and carbon dioxide. This means that the waterfalls are dynamic, constantly drying up and creating new falls. I’m a waterfall fanatic; Plitvicka is to that what Hawaii is to surfers.

I got out of Camp Korana by 9:30, as I had planned and a short bike ride took me to Ulaz 1 (entrance 1). I got in line to get into the park at 10:15. I got into the park at 11:05. Now, I’m pretty sure what took so long was people’s stupidity. There were two signs while we were in line that boiled down to: “Kuna only, no Euros” in four languages Croatian, English, Italian and German. The French in front of me apparently ignored the signs or couldn’t make out the Italian well enough. Because they kept trying to pay in euros! It took the Italian family behind me 2 or 3 minutes of yelling at the French family in Italio-franglais to move out of the way for those of us who had brought Kuna while the husband was going to the exchange counter.

Well, once in it was worth the long wait. The park has set up “itineraries” for the park. So from Ulaz 1 if you take Itinerary C you can see all the lakes and most of the waterfalls. I hiked along “C” from the Ulaz to the port from the Electric tourist boat that takes you across the largest lake. Then, I went up a smaller trail above the falls from some great views down into the canyon.

I then retraced my steps to the port. There I got a beer and some French fries to go with one of the sandwiches I’d brought. At the next table, I ran into the German family, with whom I’d toured Barac’s Caves two days before. They too had stayed an extra day when it rained on the day between.

Then it was time for my trip across the lake. It’s quite odd; I haven’t been on a boat that wasn’t a kayak in years – other than that ferry over Lake Konstantz, but I come to Europe and I’ve taken the ferry from Killini to Kefalonia, Argostoli-Luxori and back, Kefalonia to Patra, Patra to Ancona, Ancona to Split and Skradin to Skradinski Buk; and now number 8 (“There is now a ferry involved.”). When I saw people in rowboats I took a ninth across to Ulaz 2 where they rented the rowboats and a tenth to get back on Itinerary C.

While the whole park is absolutely beautiful, it is the winding boardwalk trail through this middle section that takes the cake. Amongst old trees, waterfalls that look like something on a Hollywood soundstage appear. Each one you think is the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen, until you see the next one.

The itinerary winds up with a trip through the woods on the panoramic train/bus. It’s a bus with little cars like a train and 360 degrees of windows. Unfortunately, it’s similar to taking the Greyhound through the hills of Western Pennsylvania – just trees. How can you keep them on the farm, when they’ve seen Paris?

I hopped on to Schwarzfahrer and went back to the AutoCamp. I then planned to upload pictures at the internet café, only to run into some Croatians who wanted to discuss America and Iraq. The beers flowed for a while, then there was the rakia – but that’s a whole other story.

Tino Pai!

Jesse…

From Plitvicka Jezera

From Plitvicka Jezera