Wallis Sands Triathlon 2012 - Race Report Part Two

We last saw Masher McBuns and his new tri buddy Doddy Blue keeping warm under wraps before the race start. They took one last picture together before the pre-race briefing and headed to the beach. 

Now that's a dedicated volunteer! Stephanie takes photos at the swim start.

Masher was nervous about the swim but the jitters didn't hit until the first wave of triathletes took off. With three waves to go before him, Masher had plenty of time to build up some courage. Lost in deep breathing, he had no more time to be nervous before he found himself in the water and the announcer was counting down on the loudspeakers, "3, 2, 1, GOooo..." Masher's wave let out a collective groan. The announcer continued, "...Ohh, I didn't meant to start you at the same time as the biggest wave we've seen all morning, I swear!"

Masher's wave is sent out into the fray. That's him in the pink cap!

Head down, labbit limbs pulling him through the water, Masher headed to the first buoy. He didn't feel like he was making much progress but before long, he had reached the first buoy and navigated a left turn. First buoy! He'd made it this far, and getting through the breakers was actually fun, if not a lot of work.

A little too much work, actually. He tried to get into a groove swimming from the first buoy to the second, but he was running out of steam very quickly. He looked to the other swimmers around him and found a good number were treading water, swimming breaststroke, or floating on their backs. No lifeguards to be seen, but with the chop, every time Masher brought his head up out of the water he could only get brief glimpses of his surroundings before a wave splashed him. Nothing but blue grey chop all around.

It didn't feel like swimming anymore, it felt like survival. Masher did his best bunny paddle towards the second buoy but felt like he wasn't making any forward progress. He started to get the sad feeling that he'd have nothing left for the bike, never mind the run. It felt like he'd been paddling for an eternity. How long would it take him to get back to the beach? He stayed calm though, making slow progress towards the next buoy, taking in the blue sky, thinking the entire time that there was no way he would give up, no matter how long it would take.

Then the next wave of swimmers was on his back. Blue caps surrounded him - this was Doddy Blue's wave! The swarm of swimmers would rattle others but labbits like the closeness of others. Now that he wasn't so alone, he felt re-energized. He had blue caps on the left and on the right, in front of him and surely behind him. Somewhere Doddy Blue was swimming alongside, and Masher held onto that hope with him around the second buoy and back to the beach.

Coming out of the ocean doesn't seem real.

Coming out of the water, Masher didn't even register he was done swimming. Cheers from the crowd surrounded him but sounded so far away. He shook water from his ears and waded up the beach. From the crowd, he heard his warren mates - Pipkin? or maybe Domo? - cheering his name, and that woke him up enough to run into transition. He picked up the pace and kicked his legs into high gear, running into the transition area for the bike.

Without too much thought he hopped on the bike and got pedaling. In an easy, steady spin for the first three miles, he wasn't sure he was alive. Cyclists zoomed past him on the left while his mind still swam in the grey waters of the Atlantic. Did he really make it out of the ocean? He could still feel the waves crashing against him. He could still smell the salt water and tasted it on his lips.

More cyclists whizzed by. And more. Too many! The course wound its way away from the ocean, away from the crowds and onto quiet town roads. Masher hit a bump and a clanking sound of something hitting the ground woke him out of his ocean dreaming. He pawes around his bike. Everything seemed in place, nothing loose. What was that sound? Water bottle, cage, check. He was still moving forward. The bike felt fine. He switched gears, spinning easier, slowing down. He felt behind him. The saddlebag! It hadn't been zipped up! When he and Doddy were taking photos he got distracted and didn't zip it up. Masher pulled over to the right and dismounted. He gave his bike a quick once-over to make sure nothing else was wrong, then zipped up his bag. His tire levers had fallen out and must have broken apart when they crashed to the ground. Jumping back on the bike, he spun up quickly with renewed energy. Back on course, he decided there would be no more getting passed. He pushed into bigger gears and got moving. He passed cyclist after cyclist, and eventually found himself enjoying the ride.

The course wound back onto the coast. People cheered as he whizzed by, and now there were more groups of cyclists, passing him in their matching jerseys and fancy rides. Were they in the race? They turned left ahead of him, and a volunteer shouted, "Pursuit racers, north!" Pursuit racing? Was that him? There was no one ahead to the north, no one with a race number. He was positive that the course ran along the ocean so he stayed on, but still, no other cyclists. He began to slow. What if he was supposed to have turned there? Doubt filled him, and his cadence dropped. Just as he was about to turn around, Masher heard heavy breathing on his left. Another cyclist, and in a racing bib! The cyclist turned to Masher, "that was confusing! We're going the right way, right?" Masher nodded and they pushed on.

In fact, Masher was closer to the finish than he realized. There were no mile markers along the way, and he hadn't ridden the course beforehand, and his daydreaming had thrown off his sense of time. 15 miles were up. He could hear cheers from the spectators surrounding transition. He made the turn into transition and decided to go for a flying dismount off the bike.

Did he fly! In fact, Masher was a little too enthusiastic and ended up hitting the ground hard. Something in his jaw clicked but he shook himself, grabbed the bike and kept running through transition. He went through the chute, heard the reassuring beep from the mat to tell him his timing chip was still transmitting and headed off on the 5 km run.

Image courtesy of Nuvision Action Image

The run felt good. Masher was breathing steadily, smiling at all the runners coming back on the out and back course. Lots of high fives and "way to go!" cheers were exchanged between the runners in opposite directions. Energy was high - only 5 km to go! He focused on his cadence, finding an even pace. Then a voice rang out, "Masher!"

"Blue!" Masher beamed. There was Doddy Blue, on the home stretch of the run! So nice to see him on the course.

Before the halfway point, he grabbed a drink at the water station from the lovely volunteers, and notched up the pace. He was feeling really, really good! Running along the ocean drive, the Atlantic looked calm and blue. He had tamed that beast! With that thought in his head, he heard names being called out over the loudspeakers. He was close to the finish line! Someone shouted out his name from the inns and bed and breakfasts that lined the ocean drive. He looked around, he couldn't imagine the lady behind him was named Masher, but he was positive he heard his name. (Turns out it was Blue's family cheering him on!)

Quickly he approached the finish chute. Someone said, "sprint for it!" and he kicked his back legs hard. Why hadn't he put this much energy into it sooner? He had plenty of energy left! He bucked past the finish line, and heard his name over the loudspeakers, "Masher McBuns, of Bellows Falls Vermont!"

Done! Complete! Survived an ocean swim, no flat tires, and even ran what felt like an easy, fast run!

Pipkin and Domo gave him congratulatory hugs past the finish line. Masher did a quick tour of the post race food but didn't feel like eating at all.  Masher tried to eat a cookie but it just wouldn't go down. Domo polished that off for him, no problem! Concerned for his warren mate, Pipkin practically force fed Masher a banana.

Then Pipkin took a good look at Masher's face. It was covered in sweat and salt, but after a brief grooming, Masher realized what had happened at that wild dismount. Masher had chipped a tooth! He went back along the end of the course to look for it, but figured it would have been swept aside by now.



When Doddy Blue caught up with him, he thought it looked so bada$$ Masher decided he wouldn't bother fixing it. So they took this charming photo after the race:

They look great in their racing bibs!

It's been over a week since the race and Masher and Doddy are still talking about the race. They can't wait for the 2013 racing season. Hopefully they'll get to race together again, but until then...Doddy's going to visit the Vermont warren and do some off season training with  Masher. Here's how they did at the race:

Masher McBuns
Bib: 144
Division: Labbit
Wave: 4
Hometown: Bellows Falls VT
Swim: 12:54 2:12/100 yds
T1: 2:58
Bike: 51:38 16.8 mile/hour
T2: 1:29
Run: 27:40 8:55 min/mile
Total: 1:36:37

Doddy Blue
Bib: 16
Division: Labbit
Wave: 5
Hometown: Gorham ME
Swim: 9:29 1:37/100 yds
T1: 3:18
Bike: 42:47 20.3 mile/hour
T2: 1:18
Run: 23:44 7:39 min/mile
Total: 1:20:35

Way to go triathletes!

Wallis Sands Triathlon 2012 - Race Report Part One

One of these days, Masher will learn how to use that dang self-timer.

Masher McBuns was bitten hard by the tri bug after his triathlon in July. All the hard work and dedication he put into training in swimming, biking and running was a lot of fun, even though swimming doesn't come naturally to labbits (most labbits, anyway!). He was bummed out by the flat tire he got at Give Peace A Tri, but he still finished the race with a big smile on his face.

Sunrise over Wallis Sands State Park. Photo courtesy of S. Delude.

Looking for his next challenge, he signed up for the Trek Portsmouth Wallis Sands Sprint Triathlon in Rye, NH. A sprint distance race with 1/3 mile ocean swim, 15 mile bike and 3 mile run, this race would be longer than Give Peace A Tri, and Masher looked forward to more training and an ocean swim - his first time in the ocean! More than anything, he hope to complete the bike leg without any flats. The bike leg is his favorite of the three sports, and he was ready to rock the 15 mile ride.

The day before the race, Masher picked up his race packet at the Trek store in Portsmouth. Early packet pickup let him get his race number on his bike, helmet and race belt, plus he got to drool over the swag bag contents: a Wallis Sands Tri sticker, a nice water bottle, and a tech t-shirt which is nice but he'll probably never wear it because his fur is enough to keep him warm, and he hates overheating while training.

Transition restricted to athletes and race crew only.

The morning of the race, Masher hydrated and downed a bit of cinnamon raisin bagel with Nutella and half a banana. He arrived early to get set up in transition. This transition area was aces above the Give Peace A Tri race. The area was fenced off and for "athletes only". The racks were numbered 1 - 6 with bib numbers assigned to the racks. What a civilized system! No need to scramble to the race early and ensure your spot, no need to wrestle other people's things aside because they take up more space than they should, and no need to yell at stragglers in the transition area when they're standing around on their phones and in the way of a full speed triathlete trying to run the bike out onto the course. No fake racers sneaking in to steal a bike more expensive than your car!

Masher made his way in the transition area to find his number - 144 - on the second rack, when he came across another labbit! He had gotten there super early early in the morning (before the dawn of time, in Masher's opinion), had been first to set up in transition, had already gone into the ocean for a warm up swim, and was just hanging out under a plastic wrap to keep his muscles warmed up while he watched people set up.  He knew that Masher was the only other labbit signed up for the tri so he figured he'd hang out at Masher's spot on the rack to surprise him.

Masher meets Doddy Blue

Doddy doesn't dawdle. He's first to set up in transition. Photo courtesy of T. Ruel.

Masher was so happy to see another labbit signed up for the race! The buff labbit with handsome facial fur and bib #16 introduced himself as Doddy Blue. He owes his deep blue coloring to having spent a lot of time in the cold Atlantic waters in Maine. Unlike most labbits, Doddy grew up by the ocean and took to water quite naturally.

All set up and ready to rock!

With not too much time left before the pre-race briefing and start, Masher finished setting up and hopped out to the ocean for a warm up swim.  It was then that he realized the ocean swim would be quite different from his Give Peace A Tri experience.

There were waves, and there was chop. A lot of waves. And a lot of chop. Let's take a look at the water Masher swam in for training and Give Peace A Tri:

Ah, glassy, mirror like lake waters. Give Peace A Tri 2012.

And now, since Doddy Blue got to the race early to take photos, he snapped some pictures of the buoys being set up. Let's take a look at what Masher's up against:

Race crew had a difficult time setting up buoys. This was attempt #1. Photo courtesy of T. Ruel.

This was attempt #2, which did not go so well. Photo courtesy of T. Ruel.

The lifeguards on surfboards managed to set the buoys up on attempt #3.

When Masher signed up for this tri, he was excited for an ocean swim. He figured the salt water would give him more floatation and he'd have an easier swim. He even looked at the ocean pictures from last year's tri:

Wallis Sands Tri 2011. Looks pretty calm. Photo courtesy of Nuvision Action Image

It's like they're in a lake. Wallis Sands Tri 2011. Photos courtesy of Nuvision Action Image

It looked calm. If he had known the ocean could throw up waves like this he wouldn't have signed up. How naive! He even lives with Clover, you think he'd have asked her what the ocean was like. She'd been to Punta Cana earlier that year, and even posted about it on the blog. Masher must have been too busy to read the blog himself.

He came out of the water, shook himself off and joined Doddy under the plastic wrap to keep warm before the start. Then he talked Doddy's ears off to try and calm his nerves, and Doddy was nice enough to listen. Or, wait - maybe only with one ear? Half listening?

With warmed up muscles and some pre-race chat, they were ready to start. Check back on the blog for Race Report Part Two!

Labbit Travels: Boston, MA

Pipkin has been to Boston before, for a Florence + The Machine concert, and to fly out to San Francisco. He also visited some friends in summer last year but it seems he happens to visit Boston when the weather is rainy and cold. This time around, he was in Boston with his friend Domo to see Metric live.

The next day was gorgeous so the two walked around downtown Boston. Pipkin was particularly interested in going to Boston Common and the Public Garden. In a city, labbits like to have a giant patch of fresh grass to munch on.

Domo soaked up the sunshine while Pipkin went to town on the grass.

They visited the fountains in the park,

and they went to the Farmer's Market at Copley Square and met a couple animals. Here, Pipkin's talking to a giant hare, who claims to be in the middle of a race. Didn't seem like it, since he was just sitting there, grooming himself and chatting up random labbits. He didn't seem all that friendly to Pipkin, but maybe it's because he was distracted by whatever race he was supposedly running.

This tortoise, on the other hand, was very friendly. He said he was quite busy, as he was in the middle of something (hard to tell what though, since he moved so slowly), but he did take the time to say hi to Domo and Pip, and even offered to give them a ride. Sweet!

Domo and Pip climbed on top of his shiny, bronzed shell and enjoyed a tour of Copley Square. 

Now this is the way to travel!

Labbits Listen To: Metric

One of Pipkin's favorite bands, Metric, is touring the USA, so he had to nab tickets for their Boston show at the gorgeous Orpheum Theatre. Pipkin's a big fan of live shows. Some of the shows he's been to include Florence + The Machine, Wintersleep (when he got to meet the band), and well, he tried to see Deadmau5 but security said no labbits allowed. Awful, isn't it? He was forced to listen from the parking lot.

The good people at Orpheum believe ticket holders are ticket holders, be they human, labbit, or...Domo. And so, Pipkin and Domo hopped to their awesome seats and settled in for a fantastic concert.

The countdown got everyone stomping their feet.

Got Stadium Love?

So many colors!

Emily plays guitar!

Bright lights

Labbits Like: Farm Fresh Tomato Soup

What to do with a mountain of fresh tomatoes from the farm? You could climb on top and proclaim yourself king! 

You could build yourself a tomato fort.

The best thing to do with fresh tomatoes, is to make tomato soup. If that's too boring for you, you can make it fun by adding in some alphabet pasta. This soup is tasty because of the quality of the tomatoes. Treat yourself to some heirloom tomatoes, or a variety of fresh, ripe tomatoes from your own garden or the local farmer's market. Grocery store tomatoes that had been picked weeks before ripening and shipped across the country just won't taste as good. Print the recipe here.

Fresh Tomato Soup (with alphabet pasta)

Ingredients:

4 cups chopped, fresh tomatoes 

1 small onion, chopped

1 or 2 cloves of garlic

2 cups low sodium vegetable broth

1 fresh bay leaf

2 Tbsp butter 

2 Tbsp all purpose flour

Sugar, salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup Alphabet pasta (optional)

Alphabet pasta makes soup more fun to eat!

Preparation: 

Place the tomatoes, onion, garlic, veggie broth and bay leaf in a large pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and allow to boil gently for about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and discard the bay leaf.

Using an immersion blender or food processor, blend the entire soup until nice and smooth.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, bring some salted water to a boil and cook the alphabet pasta according to the instructions on the package. The pasta will be added to the soup, so don't overcook it, or it will be too mushy. Allow to drain in a colander.

Using the now empty small saucepan from the pasta, melt the butter and whisk in flour to form a roux. Cook until the roux is a light brown color, then whisk in some soup until the roux is smooth and not lumpy. Mix the roux in with the rest of the soup and add the pasta.

Add enough sugar to cut the acidity of the tomatoes but not enough to make the soup sweet. Then, add salt and pepper to taste. 

Serve while hot with some crackers on the side. Enjoy!

Serves: 4 labbits