RUN: Start at the transition area located in the upper Alley Park parking lot. Run down ramp to Winchester Blvd. Turn right and run to lower Alley Park (opposite Creedmore Hospital). Continue run in Alley Park to the Old Motor Pkwy (behind the tennis courts) to 220th Street. Turn at 220th St. (1.5 miles), and follow same route back to transition area.
BIKE: The 20 mi. bike course starts in Alley Park and proceeds down the eastbound service road of the Grand Central Parkway (GCP) to the 3 northbound lanes of the Cross Island Pkwy (CIP). Continue for 4.5 mi. to turn around point at Bell Blvd. and ride back to GCP. entrance where you will turn around again and repeat entire loop for the SECOND time before exiting the Cross Island Pkwy and following service road back to transition area. Officials will record race numbers of bikers rounding the cones.
Note: - If you do not start the "second loop" on the Cross Island Parkway within 90 minutes after the start of the race...you will not be allowed to continue and you will be instructed to bike back to the transition area.
I'm freaking out more and more. I never seem to train for the distance or the event before it. I have never did the bike distance. There is a time limit on it. I never did 2 5K back to back. I know there is at least 1 really bad hill at the end of each 5K. There might be others during the run. The bike has some VERY bad hills. I hope the weather holds out. At least they just repaved most of the Cross Island. We'll see.
It's done. It was hard. It was fun. While I was waiting there in the morning, I started talking to this guy (Artie?) who said some interesting things: 1) The run is hard - very hilly and 2) The bike is completly flat. I didn't know anything about the run but I thought the bike was supposed to be hilly. Well, this was his 3rd time so I figured he knows best. Well, the run was very hard. We started with a big hill down followed by rolling hills. The turn around was the at the bottom of the hill that gave me problems during the Alley Pond Park 5 mile challenge. I almost got psyched out but did not let it. The run culminated with the big bad ass up hill.
The bike started ok. I got on the Cross Island Parkway and felt alive b/c there was this KICK-ASS down hill. Of course the realization that I will have to go up it also hit me. There were, of course - as I knew, rolling hills. Big and small. Everything went well till the first turn around. That initial downhill was a big uphill but I made it and went again. The worst thing happened to me on the 2nd time going down. I got a cramp in my leg. I never cramped. I cramped. I plowed through and worked my way through the cramp and was fine.
The next run started and I immediatly cramped in both legs going down hill. I had to stop and stretch and then was fine. I think the down hills killed me. I never cramp and cramping on the bike started it. Once I stretched though I did the run just fine.
There was one annoying thing. They said that anyone who does not start the second loop of the bike within an hour and a half from the start would be disqualified. Well, it turns out they meant 9:30. The problem is we started late and some people got disqualified even though they made it within an hour and a half. Anyway, it's done.
Oh yeah, one more story. As I started the last run, there was a guy cheering those people finished the last run. When I finished my run, he was still there. He was yelling at me with a booming voice that everyone in the bronx could here, "GO 95 (my bib), GO 95! SHOW MY WHAT YOU GOT! COME ON.". Well, it worked. I found the strength and sprinted. So he started screaming, "YEAH 95 THAT'S IT. LOOK AT THAT FINISH". Many people walked up that hill so I guess he was impressed not that I ran but that I found that strength. I went to thank him later.
On friday the 13, I banged my toe in Aikido and started bleeding under my nail. I taped it up and did not think about it. I worked out with it friday and did not expect any problem. Well, when I started the first run, I realized the tape started coming off and there is a sharp edge sticking into my other toe. Well, there was nothing to be done so I ran, biked and ran. Later, I checked. I had an inch long blister on my toe. So, only one thing to due. I soaked it (bath), speared it with a needle and cut out all the skin. Now it's just irritated and hopefully will be ok for next week - The 4 mile challenge.