Good Job I'm Not Riding This Halloween!.....

There is a legend in our local area about the "Goatman of Prince George's County" and just recently a local newspaper ran an article about the legend.....much to my surprise I learnt that the legend takes place in one of my favorite training areas.

Rumor has it that back in the early 1970s, a scientist working at the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center in central Maryland was performing an experiment with goats when something went terribly wrong. He was doing tests on manipulations of goat DNA, when one of the subjects attacked and bit him. When the saliva from the goat entered the scientist’s bloodstream he immediately began undergoing changes from the goat’s DNA combining with his own. The man began to morph into a half-man, half-goat creature and escaped the lab into the nearby surrounding woods. Following this incident there have been eye-witness accounts of Goatman causing havoc around the northern Prince George’s County area. One account occurred when two high school students pulled off to the side of the road late one night after their high school prom. The boy began to attempt to make out with the girl against her will. A struggle ensued as she opposed his actions, but the feud was abruptly stopped when a noise was heard underneath the car. The boy got out of the car to see what it was as the girl stayed frightened in her seat. As the guy looked underneath the car, the girl witnessed an image which would stick in her mind the rest of her life. On the other side of the car she witnessed the Goatman, a seven-foot tall creature which was human from the waist up, and goat from the waist down. It starred at her for a solid second, his green eyes glowing in the dark night. The creature then made a quick move and disappeared, and the next thing she heard was the violent screaming of her prom date echoing through the deserted area. After the screaming halted, she heard a faint high-pitched laugh fade away into the distance. She remained completely still, crouched on the floor until the police arrived the following day.

Other accounts of the Goatman include throwing animals off overpasses on secluded roads, and the Washington Post actually ran an article in 1971 blaming the creature for the death of a Prince George’s county man’s dog. Finally, another version of the legend accounts the Goatman damaging automobiles with an axe.

For the past five years I have regularly been riding around these back roads and as of yet haven't come across anything resembling such a creature......just to make sure though perhaps I won't go on those roads tonight!

Information from Chris Hilchey, University of Maryland Legends Collection

August & September 2008 - Training Summary

The training summary updates have gone missing the past two months so here is a recap of August and September 2008. August was obviously in the midst of ChesapeakeMan training and also included a 10-day trip back to Europe. September was split into the end of Ironman training and a taper for the actual race.

Here are the stats for August 2008.

Total Workouts - 51 including
19 cycle sessions
19 run sessions
13 swim sessions
(11 bricks) and 2 races (Church Creek TT and Dog Days 8KM XC)


Total Time - 74 Hours 40 Mins (14 Hours 56 Mins Weekly Average)

Cycling Time - 46 Hours 57 Mins (9hrs 23mins weekly average)
Running Time - 15 Hours 49 Mins (3hrs 10mins weekly average)
Swimming Time - 11 Hours 54 Mins (2hrs 23mins weekly average)

Total Mileage - 1093.79 Miles

Cycling Mileage - 933.27 Miles
Running Mileage - 137.85 Miles
Swimming Mileage - 22.27 Miles

Here are the stats for September 2008.

Total Workouts - 34 including
15 cycle sessions
11 run sessions
8 swim sessions
(8 bricks) and 2 races (Delaware Diamondman 1/2 Iron and ChesapeakeMan)


Total Time - 34 Hours 08 Mins (8 Hours 32 Mins Weekly Average)

Cycling Time - 18 Hours 47 Mins (4hrs 42mins weekly average)
Running Time - 8 Hours 58 Mins (2hrs 14mins weekly average)
Swimming Time - 6 Hours 19 Mins (1hrs 35mins weekly average)

Total Mileage - 465.81 Miles

Cycling Mileage - 375.28 Miles
Running Mileage - 78.47 Miles
Swimming Mileage - 12.06 Miles

All in all the training worked out well and enabled me to place 2nd at ChesapeakeMan in just over 10hours. It was a shame that the puncture probably kept me away from the sub-10 time but that for next year!

Honestly!..........

We were fortunate to have my parents over for the ChesapeakeMan race and they will also be combining the 70.3M Worlds down in Clearwater with a vacation in Florida. When they come over to visit from the UK they always try and take advantage of the things over here that they can't do or get in the UK. One such item is a good quality donut.... The British aren't known for their donuts and so places such as Dunkin Donuts and Krispy Kreme are held in high regard over the pond!

As such my parents often take the opportunity to visit one of the donut places in and around Bowie to satisfy their cravings that have manifested during their time away from the US. It was therefore not much of a surprise when we were in D.C one weekend, just prior to taking in a Capitals game that my dad came wandering back from the coffee stand in Union Station with this.....



I think the store called it a "Dinosaur Donut" and claimed that they were the biggest in D.C.....my dad's excuse? "at $2.99 you couldn't afford not to!". In his defence though we did all eat some and were still able to take it home for dessert the following day.

It isn't hard to wonder why obesity rates are rising when you can get things like that!

Red Cup? Blue Cup?......

It was only a matter of time before it was going to happen and then after coming back from the pool on Monday evening, there it was.......an Obama/Biden yard sign at the house opposite!

For so long our street had been removed from the upcoming elections but now that naivety has been lost I'm sure it will only encourage others to follow suit. For Sarah and I the past 18 months has been somewhat frustrating bearing in mind that as British Citizens residing in the US we cannot vote in any political elections. We can pay our taxes! but we cannot vote....don't get me started on that (and yes I am sure there are plenty of arguments for and against the issue).

Anyway, as everything around us is gearing up for Election Day on November 4th 7-Eleven came to my aid and have been running their 7-Election campaign for a few weeks. Whenever I purchase a cup of coffee (should I ever be out and about and not near my own Coffees of Hawaii beans) I can choose between a Red McCain cup or a Blue Obama cup......now I can make my own choices depending on how I am thinking on that particular day.

Most importantly I get a cup of coffee and I get to vote....and yes I do realise that it isn't an official vote! How would you vote? Red Cup? Blue Cup? See poll to the side.

Watch Out for Elmer......

On Saturday Sarah and I headed back out to the Eastern Shore of Maryland as we were booked in on a kayaking tour of the Blackwater Wildlife Refuge. The trip was actually a joint gift from my brother (and family) for our 30th birthdays last year but it had taken us this long to schedule the day. Being quite familiar with the roads of the Refuge it was going to be a nice change to see it from the waterways for once. (You can visit the online Osprey Camera at the Refuge here)

The day was great for kayaking (well for novices like Sarah and I), clear blue skies although there was a little wind and as we met the instructor/guide and the other members of the trip the wind begun to strengthen....it is the Eastern Shore after all! It was kinda cool that we had a relatively small group with only four others besides Sarah and I. We hadn't been kayaking in a long while and was probably both when we were in our mid-teens on some scout or guide trip! Fast forward 15 years and we were quickly trying to remember the bow from the stern.

Before too long we were entering the water and being shown the correct paddle strokes so that the group at least had some control of the kayaks and we could all propel ourselves in the same general direction. So off we went in search of some of the wildlife that call the Blackwater Refuge home. It was at this point that we were told that Saturday was the first day of Duck Hunting Season.....unfortunately we were kayaking in the afternoon and would be getting back to the put-in point at dusk! By that late in the day we were hoping that the hunters had:

a) Managed to bag at least one duck and weren't getting anxious about going home empty handed.
b) Hadn't sunk a few six-packs through the day.
c) Could tell the difference between six kayakers and six ducks.

All you want when you are sitting in the middle of a wide-expanse of water is an anxious, inebriated gun-toting Elmer Fudd.......



Luckily we only saw one hunter who was tending to his decoy ducks but we did hear some shots in the air and begun to hope that the life-vests were bullet-proof.

We were out on the water for about three hours and managed to see a handful of bald eagles (the refuge has the 2nd largest bald eagle population on the east coast north of Florida), some herons and countless kingfishers....we were hoping to see some sika deer, who can swim supposedly, but they are primarily nocturnal so we had no luck! It was a great workout as well and both of us came out of the water starving. As it was getting late we stopped off on the way home and decided to "eat good in the neighborhood"....only the best for us :-)

Would we rush out and go kayaking again....probably not every weekend but it was a cool experience and great to see some bald eagles in their natural habitat.

The Big Dipper........

This week has been bit of a roller-coaster in terms of training and work, and to be honest there is a slight lack of motivation, particularly when it comes to swimming. I could probably ride and run all day but the thought of swimming and going to the pool isn't exactly enticing when the mornings are cold and dark.

Since ChesapeakeMan I have obviously felt tired and I could easily have canned the season then and there and had a good rest before thinking about the strategy and training for 2009. The last race of the season at the 70.3M Worlds is only three weeks away and I need to at least maintain fitness for that. I did have an easy week after Ironman and then last week I began to get back into some training but it has been a struggle to get up in the morning and I have been relatively lacklustre. It's been a long season and I am in need of a decent rest!

This week has been slightly better but was disrupted by some unexpected demands at work and so I have pretty much decided that I will train to maintain my fitness from Ironman as there is little to be gained except more tiredness in the next two weeks.

I did manage to get out on the mid-week ABRT club ride last night and that felt good to blow away some of the Hammerfest cobwebs....it is hard though as most people are winding down now and are not particularly interested in flogging themselves! It was a good ride with a brisk 50min run afterwards. Besides you can't complain when the afternoon temps. have been in the high 70's/low 80's and we are in the middle of October.

Tonight we head off for University of Maryland "Midnight" Madness (although the start at 7:30pm just isn't the same anymore!) to see the 2008-2009 basketball squads. Tomorrow we make yet another trip over to the Eastern Shore to go on a kayak tour around the Blackwater Wildlife Refuge.....essentially around the same areas at the Eagleman, ChesapeakeMan and Church Creek courses! I think most of the wildlife will probably recognise us :-)

What a Weekend!

As far as weekends go this one just gone must rank up there with the pretty good ones. Friday night started by watching the Marriotts Ridge High School Girls Varsity soccer game of which Natalie is the coach. Unfortunately they lost 2-0 but it was cool to watch...we even managed to get back to the bar to meet Matt for a couple of drinks as well as the last period of the Capitals season opener (they lost as well!).

Saturday morning was the 10th annual Run for Kathy, a local race I have done ever since 2004 when we moved to Bowie. Having never actually won the race, was this going to be the year? I was 2nd last year and 3rd the year before that....I even managed to have Bib No.1 this year as last years winner was not running. The extra cool thing was that Sarah had entered as well and this was going to be her first 5km in a while!

The No. 1 bib must have had a heavy burden attached to it as I managed a 3rd place finish in 17mins 01secs. It was only 6 secs off last years time and with the emphasis solely on long-distance endurance training I wasn't too disappointed. It did hurt though, 5km at full blast really does hurt and I had forgotten how much....give me long distance! Sarah had a great race as well blitzing her pre-race prediction of 30mins and finishing in 26mins 34secs....just outside the places for age-group :-(

We managed to make it back from the race in time to watch the pre-race build up to the Ironman World Championships and then after a short bike ride I was back in time to watch the first guys and gals exit the water and head into T1. To be honest I think I could have sat in front of the internet all day and watched the race but I am not sure if Sarah would have been as enthusiastic. In the end I was prized from the computer screen and we headed out to have a bit of lunch and a walk along the boardwalk in North Beach.....when it is a nice sunny day there are not many better places in our area to taken a wander.

Before heading out to the cinema to watch "Body of Lies" (which I would recommend), I squeezed in some more internet watching and saw that Macca was out but all the contenders were in with a shot as the bike leg was ending.....the only guy off the front, as per 2007, was Sindballe! As per all the predictions Chrissy Wellington was looking strong despite the issues with her flat tire.

Coming back from the cinema, we saw that Chrissy had blasted the field on the run to win by 15mins and "Crowie" Craig Alexander had lived up to his billing and had run from behind to take the mens race by a few minutes from Eneko Llanos. It was good to see Rutger Beke come back after his race last year and finish in 3rd. My pick of Chris Lieto had some issues on the run (a leg injury I believe) but stayed in to finish. Once the pro's had finished then came all the good stuff of the age-groupers and seeing either friends or people that I race against coming across the line. It appeared to be a hard day out there on the Big Island (when isn't it....it is the Ironman World Championships afterall) but watching the race made me more determined than ever to get there.....one day, one day!

The great weekend weather continued through to Sunday and after a good 4 hour brick, we headed out to the ABRT/Team Latitude end of season BBQ. It was great to see everyone (without a cycle helmet on!) and enjoy a few beers and some BBQ while chilling in the Fall sunshine. On the way home we even managed to get the last Rita's Frozen Custard of the season before they shut down for the winter.

Just one more race to go and then the off-season can start properly!

17 Minutes of Pain......

17 minutes of pain.....it must be 5km season again and I have the first one of the Fall this coming Saturday. It is the annual Run For Kathy held at one of the local parks in Bowie. I came second last year in 16mins 55secs, not sure if I can top that this year with a severe lack of speed work coming from ChesapeakeMan....we can only try though.

We also have the inaugural ABRT End of Season BBQ on Sunday so should be a good time with some beers, football and even a DJ......will the two kegs be enough though!

Who will win at the Ironman World Championships?

With a few days before the showdown on the Big Island I have posted a couple of polls on the blog (to the right) to see who everyone thinks will win the races this year.

The men's race seems pretty wide open with a whole host of returning winners (Macca, Stormin' Norman, Faris Al-Sultan) and a bunch of contenders with Chris Lieto, Craig Alexander, Tojborn Sindballe and Eneko Llanos amongst them as well as newcomer Andy Potts! Anyone got any thoughts?

The women's race seems a bit more compact in terms of contenders with the favorite being last years winner Chrissy Wellington who has smashed the fields so far this year. A number of 2008 Ironman winners are in the field as well as previous winners such as the legendary Natascha Badmann who is trying to return from a serious injury sustained at Kona last year.

Live video and audio coverage will be on Ironman Live beginning with the pre-race build-up from the Pier and continuing until the 17 hour countdown at the Finish Line along Ali'i Drive.......

The Lure Was Too Much..........

Only a week removed from ChesapeakeMan and with the Ironman World Championships taking place in Kona this coming weekend, the lure of Ironman was too much.....yes I have the Eagleman 70.3M race to try for the ellusive Kona slots but I also wanted to race Ironman again next year and if that could be combined with another chance at getting to the Big Island then all the better.

As such over the weekend I signed up for Ironman Louisville 2009 taking place on August 30th!. Yes it will be hot, yes it will be humid and it is the last chance to get Kona slots for the 2009 season. Only 6 weeks separate Louisville from the World Championships and so for many it is the last chance saloon...me included :-)



The Ironman quest begins again..........

ChesapeakeMan Race Reflections......

Well we are almost a week removed from ChesapeakeMan and over the past few days I have had time to reflect on the race and think about the day as a whole....

Good Things
1) The race didn't get cancelled due to the storm.
2) The Jellyfish must have been scared off by the rain...I only got stung a few times!
3) The rain and water on the bike course cleaned me off when I didn't stop to pee!
4) The puncture on the bike didn't end the day.
5) Fruit Punch Jelly Belly Sport Beans taste even better in the rain.
6) Drafting on the bike wasn't a major issue!
7) Injinji Socks are the way to go....no blisters and only two nails to be lost!
8) Gummi Bears on the run course are an excellent idea.
9) Having a massage after the race....first time ever!
10) Having my compression socks to wear after the race...what an invention!

Bad Things
1) The storm whipping up the water in the Choptank River!
2) Rain, more rain, and even more rain!
3) Being wet all day can lead to major chafing issues under the arms!
4) Mending a puncture in the middle of Mosquito-ville.
5) Only taking one pack of Jelly Belly Sport Beans out onto the run.
6) Team Banks being real soggy throughout the day :-(
7) Trying to pace the bike without much idea of the distance covered...damn computer.
8) Emptying the bike of water the following day.
9) Going without coffee for over 16hours....aagghhh!

The best thing though is knowing that you want to do it again and already looking at Ultra Triathlon and Ironman races for 2009!