Asian Bistro

Our man of the year returned triumphant to the CS this week and I caught three and a half classes because I was anxious to catch up with the women in the field with Tripp in Lake Placid.  Maureen, the self effacing Stacie and of course Janene.  They were an integral part of the support Svengali received in this his 2nd Iron Man contest.  And as I have already heard from Stacie, I will coax and cajole Maureen and Janene for their side of the story as well. 

Last night a gathering of spin classmates from our club met at the Asian Bistro.  Kristen James and Tripp Doherty were the headliners and the two stars had all their aficionados present. Even though there are plenty of members firmly in one camp or the other depending on how you like to ride there are a number of crossover athletes that ride in both classes.  Yours truly rides in both obviously and I have come to the conclusion that it is the pure dynamism of their personalities that fosters the high draw they both have. Just an opinion but I happen to think it is not about what educational background an instructor has because you can have all the credentials in the world and have the charisma of a flea. Not these two because they both engage us on a visceral and extremely personal level and that is why we are their devotees. 

Kristen is more structured and her choreography is pre planned the night before or even the week before and conversely we know that Tripper loves the spontaneity of the moment to decide what song he will plate next.  I am extremely biased in Tripp’s camp and his musical selections and have told Ms. James that I in effect with rare exception hate her music, which is mostly studio musicians that cannot sing. Sorry didn’t mean to get off on a rant here. Needless to say Tripp is about extemporaneousness and that leads to what I called recess in the past and I now call pure entertainment with a high calorie burn. And there is one thing more with our hero and that is that we have a developing closeness that rivals any gathering whether it’s at the Asian Bistro or in the friendly confines of the Lavender Palace.  

A Youtube Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1dElVvtO9Y

This might be a better view and listen than on the blog. Try it at Youtube. Let me know if it works for you.

Jack

That Video Everyone Has Been Talking About

Here is that emotionally driven video of a 70 year old woman contestant finishing the Iron Man. Tripp, Maureen and Stacie and Janene all agree it was a an experience they will never forget.

Iron Man Stories

Here is a great story from Stacy Ries a humble super athlete in her own right tells of her exploits with Tripp up in Lake Placid. 

Hey Jack,

The day after??? Sorry, if I send another text I might have a muscle spasm in my thumbs...so...

I will summarize:

You know this one...

2- the time I had to get up Sunday to make it to Lake Placid before the roads closed.

10 - the cumulative number of hours I have slept in the last 3 nights.

15- the number of miles of the marathon course I ran chasing Our Athlete. (Can’t even guess the miles I also jogged and walked elsewhere on the course).

23- the number of times I teared up spectating.

56- the number of text messages I sent Sunday

65- the SPF of my sunscreen, which proved useless even with repeat applications.

610- the number of miles driven getting to and from the event.

Watching Svengali giving it "all he got"...PRICELESS.

So, while I do not know how Tripp faired post race, my thumbs hurt, my feet are sore, I'm sunburned, tired and marginally crippled...but still smiling. Yes, I did "survive" an Ironman!

Now I just have to power through a 6 day, 70-hour workweek. I am considering it endurance training for next year.... SPECTATING, that is.

Jack, I gotta say I had a total blast feeling like a member of Team Tripp out there Sunday. I'm a newbie to the group so it is great to be welcomed with open arms. Hanging w/ Jeanine and Maureen ...the exchange of data by text...the running around. Getting the updates to and from you.... I had so much damn fun...being a part of something like that can keep you on a high for weeks. Thanks. Stacey

Ironman Redux

He is in and results as I receive them. 

Swim/Running Results

Update at 2:38 PM. Tripp is near the end of his 112 miles on the bike with the marathon to come. Stay tuned fans.
Maureen reports Tripp has passed mile 1 of the marathon I will post the bike results as soon as they are posted.  2:55 PM
Bike result are up.


Tripp Doherty
BIB AGE STATE/COUNTRY PROFESSION
2038 44 New Paltz NY USA


TOTAL SWIM 2.4 mi. (1:16:23) 2:00/100m 1090 235

BIKE SPLIT 1: 30 mi 30 mi (1:19:57) 22.51 mi/h
BIKE SPLIT 2: 86 mi 56 mi (3:06:32) 18.01 mi/h
BIKE SPLIT 3: 112 mi 26 mi (1:48:41) 14.35 mi/h
TOTAL BIKE 112 mi (6:15:10) 17.91 mi/h 891 202

Finish 12:11:35  Congratulations TRIPP

RUN SPLIT 1: 12.1 mi 12.1 mi (--:--) --/mi
RUN SPLIT 2: 26.2 mi 14.1 mi (12:11:35) 51:53/mi
TOTAL RUN 26.2 mi (4:30:38) 10:19/mi 796 177
 
TRANSITION TIME
T1: SWIM-TO-BIKE 6:33
T2: BIKE-TO-RUN 2:51

 

Tripp's 30 mile bike split is 1hr 19mins averaging 22.51 mph.


http://mylifeafteraa.blogspot.com/
 

He's Looking Good!

Mirror Lake from Maureen Russo

Thank you Stacie. He looks ready to me. 

Live race coverage can be found here. Courtesy of Constance Korol:

http://ironmanlive.com/audiovideo.php?race=lakeplacid&year=2011

Bike

Bike Course

(112 miles/2 loops)

The two loop bike course takes place on state, county, and local roads.

Exit transition down the school bus ramp, crossing School St. onto Colden Ave.

Left at the bottom of the hill on Mill Pond Dr.

Right on Sentinel Rd. (State Rte. 73) between the Downhill Grill and the old IGA.

Follow Rte. 73 toward the ski jumps

East on Rte. 73, you will see the ski jump on your right, climb approx. 1 mile followed by rolling hills past the Mt. Van Hoevenberg Olympic complex. The long descent into Keene begins at the Cascade Mt. trailhead and passes the Cascade Lakes.  Please use caution on the descent!

Turn left on State Rte. 9N in Keene

North on Rte. 9N to Upper Jay

Follow Rte. 9N to Jay

Continue through Jay on Rte. 9N toward Ausable Forks.  The turnaround is at approximately 5.6 miles, just before College St. in Ausable Forks

Return to Jay via Rte. 9N, making a right on State Rte. 86 in Jay

Follow Rte. 86 to Wilmington and turn right onto Haselton Rd.

Head out 1.0 miles on Haselton Rd. to a turnaround point and return to Rte. 86

Right on Rte. 86

Turn left to stay on Rte. 86 in Wilmington towards Whiteface Mountain

Right on Northwood Rd.

Left on Mirror Lake Dr.

Right on Parkside Dr.

Left on Main St.

Right on Cummins Rd.

Left on Lake Placid High School access drive

Repeat loop

After second loop, enter transition from behind the high school

*The transition zone and finish line area located on the Olympic Speed skating Oval.

Tripp is according to my live reports is focused and ready and well wishers are sending him the energy back to him just like he gives to us in the CS at home.  There were some moments of consternation felt by some and this reporter but our man is on track and ready for his second Ironman. I will keep you posted as much as I can and if you want to follow him go on the website and track his number: 2038.

This is your reporter Jack signing off until the morning. 

Swim Course

Swim Course

(2.4 miles/2 loops)

The two loop swim takes place in Mirror Lake, a calm, pristine lake right in the heart of Lake Placid.  It is an excellent spectator course.  The water temperature is typically in the high 60s to low 70s.  Wetsuits will be allowed

The swim is a mass start keeping all swim buoys to your left.  Each athlete will exit the water and run on the beach before entering swim entrance for second lap.

The ChampionChip system will be used to time the race and to ensure everyone completes 2 laps.  Swim Lap times will be available on the Internet.

After the second lap, exit the water and run down Lake Placid Club Dr. , downhill to transition zone.  There will be carpet on the road.  The swim course will close at 9:20 am (2hr 20 minute time limit).

*The transition zone and finish line area located on the Olympic Speed skating Oval.*

*Reprinted from the official website. 

Jennifer Goodman Linn

Tripper in preparation for his Ironman in Lake Placid had this to say about the passing of Jennifer Linn: It makes me feel so very sad and I wish I could have said goodbye to the inspiration for so many that are surviving with cancer and for those of us that just were in awe of the way she carried on her own personal battle.  

And so I am sure that Jennifer will be in his thoughts as he swims 2.5 miles, bikes 112 and runs the traditional marathon of 26.2 miles.  Do any of you know why the marathon has that extra 2/10th of a mile?  

Weather: Sunday calls for a high of 74 and mid 50’s for the start of the race with winds of about 8 mph.

Check here for updates on Tripper's progress and I will have some live reports from Stacie and Maureen.




For more Jack Briant:  http://mylifeafteraa.blogspot.com/

Climbing the Walls

When you see a manager in the dugout you have to feel for him because he can’t swing for his players nor can he field ground balls and line drives. He is in essence held captive and can only react after the fact and although he can anticipate he can never actively be involved in what is transpiring.  

Not the case with Tripp Doherty he can lead by living example in the Schwinn we are in. We can emulate his pedal stroke and he is with us not just our witness.  I usually put my outstretched hands out to feel the energy in the room and beyond the vibration there is the palpable energy from all of us talking back to Doherty in the silent language of love and respect that we hold for him.  That would normally be an overstatement anywhere else but not here, because it is simply true. 

When he climbs the wall he’s is our illustration that anything is possible all we have to do is think it and we can scale any height any obstacle any situation.  

He leaves us after today and I will ask all of you that read this tome (I hate to say blog) to wish him well on his journey to Lake Placid and I promise you that with the help of my minions in the field to report his progress all the way on Sunday. If you have something please share it here with comments or e mail me at 

JackBriant@mac.com

Iron Man II

Now I have seen everything.  The 7:15 Friday class, which by the way is only 45 minutes, was filled to capacity today. The fan base is growing because there is no explanation as to why a time slot, which is usually vacant, was jammed to the rafters. Need we say more? I think so. 

I was considering John Victor for the 8:30 but an appointment mid morning had that idea nixed and with all respect to JV (another star talent) I am happy to have experienced Tripper’s class which had an even mix of both genders and just seemed to pulse with an energy that was not only palpable but took me to that mythical 120%.  

Some of the members will be witnessing Tripp’s Ironman II next Sunday and I have secretly arranged for onsite remote reports from two of my confidants and along with the website updates we will have Tripp covered like maple syrup on pancakes. 

It’s about 8:10 PM now as I write this and the class this morning still resonates. 

Day Tripper

Where else can you find a spin instructor that has never missed a spin class in what four years?  We all get sick but just like in AA when your ass falls off you pick it up and you bring it with you. A perfect idiom for the Trance Inducer, Tripp Doherty. We would be more than chagrined if we ever see a substitute in his place and I wonder who Kristen will plug in to  take his slot as he heads up to Lake Placid?  I think we should all show up in his classes as if he was there and honor him because I think he would appreciate it a lot. I may be wrong and it’s probably easier just to skip but I don’t think that’s how we roll.  Let whoever is in his place know that we are a tight knit group and although he is our inspiration our camaraderie is unlike any group he or she has ever been witness to.  

Think about it because we are a little smug when it comes to him aren’t we? If Tripp’s not there we might say to ourselves: I am going to sleep or I will catch him when he comes back. No not good enough. Let’s ask him tomorrow and see what he thinks. Maybe I am just full of hot air or trying to ride the bike in the picture.  

Lake Placid is fast approaching and I will update how our hero is doing on a regular basis so check in often and leave comments so that he can feel us back home.  

Runner's Low

Tripper wanted me to get this youtube video up and you will get a "feel" for what the Ironman is like:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jnqpYKx8Fvk&feature=related

I am well acquainted with Runner’s High having experienced it firsthand in my marathon and ultra-marathon days of the 70’s and 80’s but hey Jack it’s the 21st Century and the running boom is over at least for this aged warrior. I know that Lizzie of Ari and Lizzie will chide me about talking about how old I am but that’s to be expected. One because she is a sweetheart and two she is only 30 something. 

However, be that as it may I had no spin bike on my weekend retreat and so I was relegated to running on the boardwalk in Long Branch New Jersey. Not exactly a bleak prospect but I can tell you that my first run on Saturday was anything but fun. I wound up walking and running and running and walking. And I know that these beta-blockers are kicking my ass and are keeping my HR at such low levels, (Resting rate is 47) but there might be a way around these joy killers. And the answer was simple enough. It was to just keep running and today Sunday I did just that in the 6 AM hour. And I put the clock on it for a point A to B run. I took 30 minutes out and I was amazed as it was only 22 minutes coming back. I am not claiming I am ready for another Boston Marathon but it does tell me that I will include some running into my spinning regimen. I am convinced that the run will accelerate my progress in the CS.  

And no I am not ready for Dana, Maureen (Woodside) or anyone else yet and may never be but I do know this that what I claimed I would never do again has me giving one foot in front of the other a second thought. 

The Prince of Excitement

Next up my friends watch as the story unfolds before your eyes. 

When my lights go dim what better way then to head home with my handlebars in front of me and my friends of the Lavender Palace all around. I know that they will carry me out to rest to an everlasting peace.  No, not a morbid thought as some might exclaim but what better ending than to be with those that live in my heart rather than next to my toothbrush. 

A surprising near capacity room today in the 7:15, as Tripp seems to make all the odd time slots a place of anticipation for his growing legion of fans.   And I can always sense the depth of the energy when he takes the helm and today the red headed Prince took me for that ride only he can muster from my pedal stroke. Playing those familiar tunes that attack me viscerally my heart literally leaps from my thoracic cavity and wants to do a dance on the floor right next to Jennifer Lopez.  It’s tough to keep my excitement within the realm of the possibility that my sexagenarian body will allow but it’s also so satisfying to know that I still get amped up like the three way light bulb next to my reading stand.  

The Prince of Excitement nears his next challenge of his 2nd Triathlon in Lake Placid and watch here for hourly updates of his progress, as he will no doubt shatter last years mark.  He will surely give all he’s got.  

Beyond Spin

Lest it become a habit I am back at my keyboard and scribing refusing to rest from this past Saturday where my fingers couldn’t type the words fast enough. And before anyone accuses me of writers block I will make an entry from my class with Tripp Doherty yesterday at the Noon hour.  It is fast becoming apparent that our sessions with Tripper have moved past the stage of simply being an entertaining spin class, and beyond that a very closely-knit spin class. But I think things have started to escalate in terms of each other’s commitment not only to each other but also as to what type of training some of us are doing. 

Maureen Russo just recently took up an eleven-mile run after several spin classes on Tuesday on a topographically challenging run with Tripp starting at the bicycle path in Woodbury to Cold Spring Harbor and then back again. I have run the hills in Cold Spring Harbor and let me tell you they are as challenging as any hill you will find on Long Island. What made Tripp’s eyes open wide was the fact that he expected her to be far behind him and she was in his words: Right There.  

We have, as Tripp will attest a tremendous core of extreme athletes that are multi talented. You will find outdoor cyclists, runners, swimmers and in the case of Stacie Ries and Tripp, mountain climbers. I wonder if parachuting is not out of the question now.  The point is that we in Woodbury in particular are not one dimensional in the sense we not only push the envelope every time we don those spin cleats but when we put on climbing boots, running shoes or in our bare feet when we hit the liquid surfaces too.  

I am looking for stories from all of you and if you are shy those friends of those athletes that you admire let me know about because we want this blog to expand beyond the walls of our Lavender Palace. 

Wake Up Jack

I was slated for the iconic 8:30 but as I left the somnolent state this morning,  the digital clock read 4:47 and since I didn’t feel tired the 6:00 am whispered: “Get up Jack”. And out of the night chariot I arose. 

Although I have fallen head over heels for the 8:30 where the energy is always jumping I don’t get to see some of my favorites like Young Dana or PC and it’s a sure fire bet that they would be there in the 6:00 and I was not disappointed. By the way Dana is looking super svelte and you can tell her training with Tripper is paying dividends. My friend Woodside, Maureen has also stepped up her training and she is slated for an 11 miler in the hills before long. She is progressing in leaps and bounds via her running regimen and her coach has her reaching milestones weekly.  I am so tempted to do a mile or two but something is holding me back. Maybe it’s my knees.  

Tripper had us riding for longer intervals in the saddle today versus in position 3 and I for one think that although it feels easier to achieve higher RPM’s seated over standing, I also think that we can direct more power and achieve better results while seated. I will ask Tripp maybe tomorrow in his noon spin.  

Anyone have a comment about the 8:30. I need to clone myself or get a press pass. 

A Rush

How can the challenge of spinning be so satisfying?  I will venture a guess, it’s because of how much of a good time we have doing it.  I have tried doing it on my own with none of my classmates present. That experience is much like my own workouts have been like for the past seven years, lonely.  I know how to kick my own butt because I was a marathoner. But it was a solitary sport even when I was running with thousands of people.  Back then there was no one alongside me urging me to give my best performance, because I had to find that desire within. That was much easier when I was a young man but now a ½ a lifetime later I don’t have a race to train for because I am just trying to stay fit and there is no contest, no clock at each mile marker letting me know how well my training has paid off or not. As a sexagenarian fitness can seem like an amorphous pursuit but spinning has changed all that.

The results for me are much better than any personal bests, medals and trophies I may have collected back then.  Even running up the Empire State Building has not given me the same satisfaction that spinning has given me now.  I have learned to breathe, hydrate, pace my ride and give my all and no trinket can match the feeling I get when the class is over.  In fact of late the hour seems to literally fly by.  

A little over a year ago I was fortunate to stumble on Mr. Tripp Doherty.  I have supplied many adjectives to this mysterious man who injects me with adrenaline each time I have taken his class.  When I spin with him I know two things; I had an exciting ride and I am soaking wet.  It’s almost liked a great movie; it holds my attention and when I walk out of the theater I feel good. When I spin with Svengali  I have burned 500 calories as well.  And what amazes me is each time I enter the CS with him  the story he tells is one I have never heard before.

Profiles: Christine Oh

I had the pleasure of meeting Christine Oh at Lake Minnewaska last year on our ride with Tripp. She is an Iron Woman who is  humble, understated as you will read  someone we can look to for inspiration as well. She gives us a snapshot on her recent day.  

Hi Jack,

Christine Oh 

Christine wrote: "Hi Jack, not little me. My life is really not interesting enough to write about:) Just enjoying the places I go, people I meet and enjoying every step of this journey which will lead to who knows where.... today happened to be an amazing day of training, took a spin class in the morning, went and ran 10 miles, and this afternoon joined our dear friend Tripp for a mile ocean swim. It was pure bliss! It's days like today that remind me of why I do what I do. I'd like if we could all get together out on the roads or on the mountain bike soon. The weather has been so good to us, let's hope this continues:)) BTW, I had the pleasure of meeting Stacey in Tripp’s class, we did a 2.5 hr. trail run last week after his Tuesday class. She's an amazing person!"

And after she saw this story she had to comment back to me illustrating her own attractability:

Christine Oh: Lol! I'd really like to see a blog about your experiences as a 2-hour marathoner. You are one heck of an athlete yourself Jack!