1/2 Iron Pirassununga

These are the first pictures. They are from moments prior to the race. More will come as soon as websites (active.com, etc.) release their photos.
The last 3 months of hard training really paid off, especially on the bike. Here are the splits:

1.9 km Swim + T1 = 45’56”

90 km Bike + T2 = 2h 56’ 07” (31.9 km/h avg.)

21 km Run = 1h 52’ 12” (5'18"/ km)

Total time = 5h 34’ 15” (32nd in my age group, 241st of +500 overall)

I went to Emas' waterfall on Saturday to have fish for lunch (but wisely had lasagna for dinner).

A short visit to the podium,

and to the finish line. The chronometer was running for the short distance tri (900m/22.5 km/7 km).

A view from the start line, at the lake.

This is me, almost ready for the swim leg. See the buoys floating in the back, marking the 2-loop course.

A Toast to Endurance!

Take time to read this article published today on the NY Times. It talks about the effects of resveratrol on athletes' endurance.

And remember to say some of the traditional Scottish toasts:

I drink to the health of another,
And the other I drink to is he
In the hope that he drinks to another,
And the other he drinks to is me.

Never above you,
Never below you.
Always beside you

~Robert Burns

Analisys of the Swimming Season

The 3.000m open-water swimming competition last weekend closed Niteroi´s 2006 Swimming Circuit, with 5 events total. I did them all and it took me 1h17’ to finish this last one. All in all, I ranked 29th of 69 in Master D category.

Not bad …
Present performance would allow me to complete IM´s 3.8km swimming portion in approximately 1h30’, at a 2’35” / 100m average. For the upcoming 1900m of the ½ Iron, I expect to spend roughly 50’ to do the 2-loop course at the lake. Cut-off time for IM doesn’t bother me anymore.

And I still have almost 200 days of training ..

Marilson! Marilson!

Brazilian Marilson Gomes dos Santos became the first South American to win the men's marathon, finishing in 2:09:58 !!! From 1st Avenue to the finish, nobody could follow his frenetic pace. This is the most important result for Brazilian athletics since Vanderlei Cordeiro de Lima's bronze medal in the marathon of Athens 2004 (De Lima finished with a time of 2h12').

Lance Armstrong said: "That was, without a doubt, the hardest physical thing I've ever done." Armstrong crossed the finish line 2:59:36, position 856th. Way to go, Lance!

On Your Marks; Get Wired; Go .. !

Take a look at this article in the NY Times that shows how MP3 players, iPods, GPS, cellphones, cameras, etc, are to equip a large percentage of the upcoming NYC Marathon runners. Even Lance Armstrong is going to use an iPod nano.. !

Triathlon at Flamengo Park

This morning I took time to participate in this triathlon. Located in the heart of town, Flamengo Park covers 120 hectares along the shores of the Guanabara Bay. The gardens were invented by Roberto Burle Marx during the 60s. It has a marina, beach, jogging tracks, museums, etc.



Perfect.

It was my last shot before the Half-Iron on Nov 26th, marking the peak of my training schedule for the race. The weather was cloudy, sometimes with a light drizzle, and very humid. It took me 3h 49’ to complete 1km / 60km / 15km:

Swim + T1 = 32’

Bike (from cateye: 60.91 km, avg. speed 31.7 km/h) = 1h 55’

Run (avg. 5’28”/ km ) = 1h 22’