Monday, September 22, 2008

Nation's Triathlon, Washington, DC

As noted in the post below, I closed out my 2008 triathlon season on September 14 at the Nation's Triathlon in Washington, D.C.  What a fantastic race course!  We swam in the Potomac River, under the arches of the Memorial Bridge, and then back with views of the Washington Monument.  Then it was on to the bike, around the Mall, out the beautiful Clara Barton Parkway, then back past the Kennedy Center and out the Rock Creek Parkway, with a return trip to the transition point in East Potomac Park.  The run proceeded around Hains Point and then up 15th Street, with a jog over on Constitution Avenue and then up to Pennsylvania Avenue and 7th, where we turned around and headed down Pennsylvania to the finish at 12th Street.  The website for the race has a really cool video tour of the course.

I ended up having one of my best races ever, finishing 3rd overall out of approximately 2500 entrants.  Really a terrific way to cap off the year.  I even got a mention in an article about the race in the Washington Post, which is linked here.  If you're interested in complete results, go here.  Special thanks to Aunt Katherine and Uncle Rob for the great pre-race meal and restful accomodations!

Matthew's First Soccer Team

Matthew has started soccer this year, and so far, he's having a ball. I was a little concerned that he would get distracted or bored, and wouldn't want to stick with it. But those fears were dispelled, and Matthew's true dedication to his new sport was proved, during his very first practice. As the kids were warming up, Matthew went into the goal to retrieve his ball, and his coach (not me, I promise!) kicked another ball in and hit Matthew right in the face. Even though he had a bloody nose, Matthew reassured me: "It doesn't hurt . . . (pause) . . . uh, it hurts a little." I took him to the sidelines and cleaned him up and he went right back into the fray. That's the way to play through the pain! Since then, there have been no significant injuries and he is thoroughly enjoying his practices and games.

The shot above is one of Matthew and fans after his first game. Here are more pics from his first practice and game.

Back to School!

Just days after returning from Ocean City, it was time to welcome a new school year. For those who have lost track, the breakdown is as follows: Nina is beginning 7th (!!) grade at Briarcliff Middle School. David has now moved from elementary school into the 6th grade at Briarcliff. Stephen started 2nd grade at Wildwood elementary, and Matthew is now in his final year of preschool at Scribbles. Got all that? Good, in the spirit of the new school year, there will be a test later!

Here are some pictures from the first day.

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Ocean City Vacation

We had a fabulous week in Ocean City, MD, at the end of August. I will dispense with boring text and get straight to the pictures.

More From The Races

I've had a successful year so far on the triathlon circuit.  In addition to the Escape From Ft. Delaware race described in the post below, I had a personal best time at the Columbia Triathlon by several minutes, and have placed highly in my age group and overall at all my events.  A big highlight was the New York City Triathlon in July --- swim in the Hudson River, ride on the Henry Hudson Parkway, and run through Central Park.  I attribute the good results mainly to the fact that I have not been traveling for work and therefore have been able to train very consistently over the last six months.  This, however, is going to change radically after I wrap up the season this weekend at the Nation's Triathlon in Washington, DC.  I will be traveling extensively this Fall, to some pretty far-flung places.  Stay tuned to State of Nature for more.

If you're interested, you can check my race results below:

Columbia Triathlon (1st in 40-44; 43rd out of 1700 overall)

New York City Triathlon (1st in 40-44; 49th out of 3600 overall)

SBR Sprint (1st in 40-44; 4th overall)