Swim Start

Sorry....going a bit crazy w/ the clips. This shows the chaos at the swim start. Can't believe I'll be doing that in one week.

Billy's Escape from Alcatraz 2006

Ran across this clip. Gives a good feel of pre-race day through post finish.

A bit of an adrenalin pump

2004 Olympics triathlon silver medalist Bevan Docherty of New Zealand lives up to his motto of "He who wants it most wins!" Here, he sprints from behind to clutch victory from the grasp of compatriot Kris Gemmell at the 2005 New Plymouth ITU World Cup triathlon.

Final Race Tip via IMG (co. organizing the race)

Conquering the Sand Ladder by Chris McCormack

The key to the sandladder is to take your time. It comes at the critcal part of the run course and that is the halfway point. Your legs are tired and you are really fatigued by now and then you are presented with the biggest challenge of the course. The best wy to appraoch the ladder is to remind yourself that once you are at the top of the sand ladder, it is downhill all the way home. This gives you a positive mindset before you even start. I always walk up the sand ladder. using my arms i use the sandladder wire rails to help pull me up the ladder but primarily just walk on the wooden beams that are submerged beneath the sand. This will give you extra leverage. As you approach the top of the ladder it is all completely soft sand. Stay close to the sides of the ladder trail, as some grass and compounded soil tends to be around these areas and this will give you slightly beter footing. Overall really just take your time and dont over exert yourself on this climb. It is difficult but do not feel the need to run up the ladder at all. Walking gives you more control and a more even exertion rate that will get you to the top feeling much better. You still have a long way to go and even though this is down hill you want to keep some energy in reserve for the 3 miles home.

Training Winding Down

9 Days Left!! Yesterday I put in a non-stop 1.5 mile and it felt pretty good. I did it in 38 minutes, so if the Bay had the same conditions as the pool, I'd have 22 minutes to spare before the one hour cut off. Unfortunately, I'll have a few more obstacles, but I think the 22 minutes will be plenty of time to get me to shore under the cutoff.

This morning I did my Capital Hill loop (about 6 miles) and the loop is certainly getting easier each time I do it.

And then this eve my master's swim group had us working on core work for freestyle and I fine-tuned mine a bit more which felt great.

Workout for this Saturday is a 2 - 2.5 mile swim in Lake Washington followed by a one hour bike and 8 mile run. Then post Saturday, it's definitely tapering way down til race days.

That's that low-down, latest and greatest.

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You

I'm absolutely overwhelmed at the donations I’ve received and I want to thank every one of you who has contributed with your incredible generosity. Not to sound sappy, but it seriously chokes me up every time I think about your contributions. Your donations have already created an extra fire in me to push it that much harder on race day, so I (and LAF) thank you for your donations and creating that extra fire.

Fight Against Cancer

In addition to my physical commitment to this race, I've also made a commitment to raise funds in the fight against cancer and in memory of three incredible loved ones I recently lost to this terrible disease. Their names are Brennen Maynard, Ann Quill and Carleton Peterson.

I am raising funds for the Lance Armstrong Foundation. Founded in 1997, the LAF has raised more than $250 million for the fight against cancer. My fundraising effort will go directly towards LAF's Grassroots component which inspires and empowers people affected by cancer, providing them with the practical tools and resources they need to live life on their own terms. The foundation believes that in the battle with cancer, unity is strength, knowledge is power and attitude is everything. I'm targeting a goal of $2,500 between now and race day. All donations are tax deductible and go directly to the Foundation and you can donate under your name or anonymously.

As I swim, bike and run in the race, your sponsorship will definitely inspire me to race stronger and faster to the finish line. If you feel like contributing, just click here. http://www.livestrong.org/grassroots2008/perrysescape

Thanks much for your support.

- Perry

Race Start Simulation

Memorial Weekend Swim / Run Workout

Yesterday was an awesome training day. 75 degrees and sun in Seattle definitely added to the 'awesome' element. My friend Dave and I swam for about an hour in Lake Washington and for the first time, the water temp didn't even bother me. Dave's a great swimmer and provided me w/ a couple more tips (things that I seem to remember in the pool, but forget in open water), so it was great to have him there for the ride.

Post swim, I did a 10 mile run with quite a few hills and three sets of stairs in Capital Hill. Everything felt great. On Monday, I'm targeting to do a few bike/run bricks w/ 6 mile bike then 1.5 run and repeating that 3 or 4x.

Who are the studs in the pic below? Dave and me post swim in Lake Washington.

Shark and a Kayak

Is this picture for real? Yikes!

Buffalo from Golden Gate Park to Swim from Alcatraz too!

I just read that this Buffalo will be doing the swim portion of the Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon. Golden Gate Park has a herd of Buffalo and apparently the Buffalo keepers have been bringing Molly down to the aquatic park for the past 6 months for swims and they feel she'll be able to do the swim by June 8th. Should definitely keep the race interesting. Do you think she'll wear goggles?

More Race Support.....Whooohoooo!!!

In addition to my pops, I now have my sister Shauna, Aunt Gloria, Uncle Gene and maybe even my cousin Kristen coming up to eat clam chowder bread bowls and cheer my on. Whooohhooooooo!!! I'm never had an audience like this for an out of town race and am totally excited to have them there. I'm sure their support will give me an extra boost...crank'n the adrelanlin a bit more, which will definitely be welcomed for all three legs of the race.

So mucho thanks you four for coming out for the race. It will be a good time. I'll probably be a bit nervy leading up to the race but it will definitely make it easier having you all there.

Training this Week

Great swim yesterday (24:45 minute mile) and great run on Tues (5 miles @ 7:14 min/mile average) and will be hitting the bike post work today with a buddy.

I also did my master's swim on Monday night and had the coach watch me and he provided me with a couple more tips (1) breathing and 2)hand position post entering the water) which did make a difference, so that was great.

Now this weekend, I need to try to get a first time 1.5 mile swim in the lake followed by the full bike or full run.

My buddy Dave also invited me to a 2.5 mile swim on Sat, May 31st around Seward Park. I think that might be the perfect long swim before the race.

50 Minutes in the Lake

Whoohooooo . . . . . still can't believe it, but I was able to swim in the lake for 50 minutes this morning and after about 15 minutes of getting used to the cold and fungus amungus floating about, I was actually able to enjoy it. I kept waiting for my body to go in shock w/ the cold, but this is the first time it didn't do it. And to make it even better, as I was getting out of the water I was chatt'n w/ a diver going into the water and I asked him if he knew the temp and he said he checked less than a week ago and it was 49 degrees. That's at leat five degrees cooler than Alcatraz, so hearing that was a huge boost for me. No wonder why I froze my cahones off last week when I did a plunge w/o my wet suit.

Post swim I did a nice 6 mile loop from Madison Beach to Capital Hill and there is a huge hill I was constantly climbing for the first three miles.

So, in a nutshell, great training day and feeling like I truly might be able to do this Alcatraz swim. Whoohooooo!!!

Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon

Just found another youtube clip on the race. A great overview from start to finish, especially with the swim. Check it on out.

Aerial of the Race

The link below give's a graet aerial of the race. It's defaulted to the swim aerial and they sketch a swim route in, so you can get a feel of a route a swimmer might take (all dependent on the current and speed of the swimmer).

Click Here for Aerial Link

First Non-Stop Mile and a Half

Yesterday was my first mile and a half swim non-stop. I did it at the pool before work and it went pretty well. I did it in about 43 minutes. We have to complete the swim in one hour, so I'll be pushing it as the Bay elements will definitely add more minutes to that 43. If I can get down to 40 minutes before race day, I'll be pretty happy with that.

I honestly think my new suggested 'Alcatraz' swim goggles drag me down a bit because they're so huge. The brand is Aqua Seal and they have the 180 degree view and since they take up a larger portion on the face, it will keep a bit more of my face warmer.

I ran last eve and that went pretty well. Got the heart beat up to 134 beats per minute towards the end.

I'm working on a prosthetic shark fin to attach to the back of my swim cap. I'm sure all the other swimmers would get quite a chuckle out of that. Hahaha . . . . kidding . . . now that would be a terrible joke.

Ice Cream Headache

Well...this weekend I finally took the plunge into Lake Washington. It is supposed to be around 54-55 degrees right now, so it's right in synch w/ San Fran Bay. I went down the lake on Saturday and was not too excited about jumping in. I put my foot in the water and decided I'd procrastinate one more day and do it on Sunday.

Sunday rolls around and I had a great bike ride along the lake. I made it a point to climb any street that had a nice incline and hit one that was a bit too steep, so I had to do a quick jump off the bike mid way up the climb before I lost all fuel.

So post bike, it was time for the lake plunge. I was motivated and had a totally different attitude than the day prior. The guy fishing off the dock thought I was nuts. I tried to persuade him to join me but he just laughed. I'd say my swim lasted about two minutes. It honestly felt about 10 degrees colder than the Bay during my swim clinic, but I have a feeling it was right in sync. And I got a nice sharp ice cream headache too… so...this means...I better start doing these lake swims/plunges a couple times a week to acclimate or else I might be in for a rude awakening on June 8th.

Three more weeks to train and then the big day is here! Whoohooo!!

Course Summary via a Yelpster

Yelp.com had a member who wrote a pretty cool summary about the race course. Check it on out!
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The Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon is one of the most famous and anticipated triathlons in the world, with major-market media and TV coverage across the country. Its popularity in the triathlon community (it was picked as the #1 race in the world in a recent Inside Tri magazine poll) has made it one of the most difficult races to get entry into. At this point, you basically have to enter the lottery or do well in one of the several qualifying races to get a slot to race. There aren't many other options.

There is no other race in the world like this one - no other race where everyone boards a giant yacht/small cruise ship and heads out to a famous landmark in the middle of a large body of water (we're talking about Alcatraz Island here, the Rock), sends everybody (1500 or so) off the boat in less than two minutes for a 1.5 mile swim in the Bay ending at the St Francis Yacht club at Mariana Green (note - the Bay is usually 54-57 degrees, it can be quite rough, and the currents are usually strong - if you don't have open-water experience, I suggest you sign up for a practice swim from Alcatraz led by expert swimmers, especially if you live somewhere near the Bay Area - I've led several swims before and trust me, it will make all the difference come race day. Also, get a good wetsuit and neoprene swim cap, and swim in Aquatic Park if you get a chance). The views are spectacular from the boat, and swimming toward the city from the island is an amazing thing.

From there, it just gets better. You have 3/4 mile "warm-up" run to get to the transition area in the grassy field of Mariana Green. The bike course - 18 miles long - is one of the tougher but more scenic bike course in any triathlon you'll ever do. You head out on Marina Drive, then climb up through the Presidio on Lincoln Blvd, drop down into Sea Cliff (say hello to Robin Williams, who will be watching from just outside his house right by the course if he's not competing in the race himself or off on a movie shoot), back up to the Legion of Honor, down to Ocean Beach on The Great Highway (rough road here), then you'll do a loop in Golden Gate Park before returning the way you came. Four reasonably challenging climbs (four fun downhills!) plus some other shorter ones and terrific scenery. Keep in mind, if you're an average swimmer, there will be quite a lot of bike traffic out there. For some people, that can be a real turn-off.

The run heads toward the Golden Gate Bridge on the Crissy Field path, then takes the stairs and the hilly coastal trail, under the GG, and down to Baker Beach before turning around and heading back the way you came, with the exception that you will be going up the infamous Sand Ladder (think a very steep 200 ft vertical climb straight up a sand dune) to get back to the coastal trail. It's fairly narrow and two way traffic on the coastal trail section, so be sure to exercise caution and stay on your left. Watch out for the pro triathletes charging back as you're heading out, enjoy the spectacular cliff-side scenery.
Once you're back down to Crissy Field, you just have a two miles of flats on the trail to the finish line and eternal glory!

The volunteers, officials, and organization at this race are world-class.

If you are a triathlete, or an aspiring triathlete, try to do this race at least once. It's the best triathlon in the world, and it's right in San Francisco.

One Month from Today!

Oh my word....we're down to a month now. Via this blog's countdown it's saying 30 Days, 17 Hours, 45 Minutes.

Can't believe I'll be jumping off of that boat into the frigid waters of San Francisco Bay in one month. The adrenaline is already starting to pump.

Sorry for the neglect on the blog. An out of town conference since Sunday will do that. I'll be better with the next 30 days.

Teeth Whitening and Alcatraz Training Go Hand In Hand

Alright....this is a total cheese ball posting but I think it's true.

In mid February I started the first of a few random compliments from friends on how my teeth seem so much whiter. They were asking what program I used to get them so white. I kind of scratched my head as I haven't been doing any kind of teeth whitening. I kind of brushed it off..then next thing I knew, someone else was complimenting.

So what does this have to do w/ Alcatraz Training. Well . . . I read an article last week that if you keep your teeth open when you're swimming in the pool that your teeth can actually get whiter depending on the chlorine level and length of exposure during each swim. The lights went off when I heard that because I'm an odd duck in that I typically swim with my mouth open. Probably terrible for you to have that chlorine in your mouth (aside from the teeth whitening perk). Not sure why in the world I do it....I don't even realize it until post swim and my mouth is feeling kind of 'chemical'. If I were to come up with two reasons, I would say I do it because it's kind of like sticking your head out of a car window and feeling the breeze and it also helps create more resistence (kind of like wearing a bathing suit rather than a speedo).

So next time you're swimming laps....40 minutes + mouth open = white teeth! :)

I know....I'm a cheese ball.