I finally know why I couldn't finish Chicago Triathlon

Nearly 3 weeks after Chicago triathlon I finally found out yesterday why I wasn’t able to finish it. As you may know I couldn’t finish the triathlon and had to stop 5 miles before the finish line after suffocating and being out of breathe during 3h. All started maybe 50m after the start in the water while I was front crawling. I suddenly started suffocating. So I had to stop front crawling immediately as I couldn’t put my head into the water anymore. The rest of the swim (1450m) has just been the worst swim ever...having to breaststroke (which I hate and haven’t trained for..) and having to stop every 20m as I was completely out of breathe and I was coughing a lot. I can tell you I nearly stopped at any single buoy that was in the water. I just couldn’t believe it swimming being my strength and I was really wondering what was going on. I must admit that twice I was very close to raise my arm to get help but that would have meant that the race would have been over for me and I couldn’t imagine stopping the triathlon at that stage. I was thinking of all the training I had been doing since January, the visit to the hospital, the kids who were fighting against disease... So I would fight too and would at least finish the bloody swim. It took me nearly 1h to go through it. While swimming I was still hoping that maybe something was wrong with my wetsuit explaining the suffocation... but as soon as I got out of the water and starting transitioning I realised that I couldn’t run (which is quite an issue when you run a triathlon ;-) ) so I walked to my bike. Actually that was quite unreal being the only one walking among all the triathletes rushing to their bikes. I did manage to bike the 40km into the wind trying to focus on my breathing and trying not to cough too much. I was trying to think positive and enjoy the moment, Chicago skyscrapers... but I really didn’t enjoy it as I was struggling so much. Back to the transition area and again no way I could run, so that was getting a real issue as I was now supposed to run 10km !!!! The only thing I could do was jogging for 30m and then I had to stop to be able to breathe again. I still have in mind people cheering me “Number 6214, go ahead, don’t give up !!”, “ 6214 go go go you are nearly there”. The crowd was just amazing. It helped me go through the 1st mile but actually I knew I couldn’t finish the triathlon and I was looking for an ambulance for a while now as I could feel that my breathing was getting worst and worst and my heart rate was way too high. At that time Dave overpassed me like a rocket (Horse Power is a bloody fast runner !!!!) and he understood that something was wrong with me, I was walking slowly on the side of the track. Finally I stopped at the 1st water station and asked for medical aid. At that point I could barely speak so it was really time for me to stop. Medical aid took care of me giving me oxygen, ventoline (as we were thinking I had my 1st ever asthma attack in the water) and brought me next to the finish line which has probably be the worst experience ever watching hundreds of delighted triathletes crossing the line. I was grrrrrrrr. At that time, I already knew that I would be back next year and that even if I have to walk 10km I will finish Chicago Triathlon. Finally I took a step back when an injured triathlete arrived next to me on a trolley. His back was full of blood, he had had a bike crash but he was fine. At that stage I looked at him and saw that his bodymarking on his shoulder was #2. So he was a pro and being injured and not finishing (I mean not winning) the triathlon was far more critical for him than me not finishing it ! I found out afterwards in the hotel that this guy was Andy Potts, a great and famous US triathlete as he was the front cover of Chicago Triathlon magazine !



So what happened to me?

I met a lung specialist yesterday who confirmed that I caught a virus (probably in the plane or via AC in the hotel, we don’t know) which affected my lungs and triggered the suffocation when I started swimming. I’ve started a one month treatment and I’ll have additional lung exams next week. So my priority is now to rest and recover. I won’t probably train for the next 2 months but what is sure is that I’ll be in Chicago next year and I will cross the line, no way I won’t cross it next year !!!!

Photos of Chicago Trip

Here is the first cut of photos from Chicago and San Fran....Dave's 100 best photos. Marie's to follow...

Chicago 2009 Results

Here are the times of the Trionic 7 in the Chicago Triathlon on 30-Aug-09. Nobody bet 2:30 but Barry came closest with 2:35, followed by David with 2:39. Johanna was first of the Crumlin girls. Marie was unlucky and wasn't able to finish, but no doubt she'll be back next year. Seán (3:11) ran out of energy gels too early, so more porridge for him next year. Pete (3:22) crossed the line ahead of Barry who was breathing down his neck. Richie got the biggest cheer from the waiting Crumlin crowd in 3:40.

Photos and stories (with a little gossip thrown in) are to come...Marie just has to pick the best of her 800+ photos...a moment wasn't missed!

TCB: Taking care of business...

Lads, job done. We're now in San Francisco, enjoying the sun of the Bay Area after leaving the Windy City behind. Trionic 7 came with a job to do and we did it! Barry O'Sullivan likes to exaggerate (slightly anyway) but he was bang on about Chicago Triathlon being a pure addrenilin buzz.

The city. The race. The party. The fans. The Crumlin crew.

Check out our race results here (click on Timberline link and then International Individual).

Too many stories to tell, so we'll save them til we're back. And Marie is already on photo 612, so no doubt there'll be a slideshow and a half done when we're back.

Peter O'Grady has gone to New York and some of the lads are heading down the coast to LA this week. The rest are heading back this weekend.

DP

Golf Classic Results: Carton House

We had a really successful day at Carton House on August 16th, with 17 teams competing. The list of prize winners is below. Thanks to everyone who played (and sponsored the event)

1st Place: 84 points

John montayne, Conor montayne, Roger montayne, Padraig Noonan

2nd Place: 82 points
Peter Fitzgerald, Stephen Grogan, Martin Brennan, Luke Hogan

3rd Place: 78 points
Peter O’Grady, Paul O’Grady, John O’Grady, Niall Balloch

4th Place: 75 points
Angela O’Grady, Eithne Murphy, Ger Brennan, Martin Brennan

5th Place: 74 points
Tony O’Sullivan, Maria, Bill, Michael

6th Place: 73 points
Craig Sowman, Frank Sowman, Simon Sowman, Simon Ferraro

7th Place: 72 points (better back 9)
Kevin O’Dwyer, John O’Dwyer, Dave O’Leary, Terri Sullivan

8th Place: 72 points
Therese O’Grady, Pat Howley, John Howley, Edel Howley

Longest Drive: Pat Howley

Nearest to the Pin: John Howley

My Brush with the Tarmac

“I thought you were dead,” these are the words the garda said to me today, two days after I crashed off my bike at about 35+ miles per hour, going down a hill on the road from Roundwood in Co Wicklow. I’ve never broken a bone in my body, and miraculously, that’s still the case. From talking to anyone who heard about a bike crash like that, it really makes me realise how lucky I was. Really lucky.
I place the odd bet on football and golf, and if someone had asked me what are your chances of being seriously injured if you fall of a bike at speed, I would have said pretty short. Going down a hill, even shorter. With a van coming the other way, miniscule. I’m not trying to dramatise here, but really do feel go raibh an t-ádh liom. I still feel a bit like humpty dumpty, but at least they could put me all back together. My bike came out the worst.
On Saturday, the sun was shining so I decided to go for a decent cycle. I’d done the Enniskerry-Glencree 45km route a good few times, so wanted something different. I looked at Roundwood which is a 60km round trip from Sandyford, and I figured I’d give it a go. With only 2 weeks to Chicago, I wanted a good fast cycle on decent roads, not just up- and down-hill. I reached Roundwood after about 1:25 hours and after a break for the now obligatory Lucozade Sport and Nutrigrain bar, headed back towards Enniskerry. The road was busy with traffic, but a decent surface. The last 3km down to the junction towards the N11 or Enniskerry was full of bends. I was going at a fair lick, but stayed well back from the 3 cars in front. As I came round a bend, onto a straight patch of a few hundred metres, I steadied up and saw a van come around the bend at the bottom.
I must have been going at least 50 kmph (35 mph) and when I peddled in a high gear, suddenly my right foot clipped out of the pedal as I pushed down. Most of my weight would have been on my right side, so I wobbled to the right (sorry, couldn’t find a more graceful word J). The van was heading straight up the hill and I was on a direct course towards it. I can’t remember what I did next, because it happened so fast, but do remember thinking maybe I could turn right and go into the ditch to avoid it. But I didn’t have time to do anything and next thing I know I’m flying through the air. I didn’t see the van but was assuming I would hit it. The seconds passed (like milliseconds) and next thing I’m lying on the tarmac on my right hand side, my head resting on my outstretched arm. I didn’t know what state I was in, other than alive. Being in an accident isn’t something they teach you in school.
I didn’t feel pain. I just saw the tarmac, my arm and the ditch. Then I saw blood. My arm was bleeding and my mouth was bloody. Had I broken my arm? My leg? What about my head? Within a few seconds, there were a group of people around me. They had a first aid kit and started to help. Before they had a chance to do anything, I heard “I’m a doctor”. A middle aged man with a beard knelt down and spoke to me “What is your name?” From there he proceeded to ask me a few questions and realised I was fully conscious. In hindsight, this was a very good sign. His priority was to ensure I didn’t move my arms or legs. He used the first aid kit to bandage up my injured elbows. He kept talking while we waited for the ambulance to arrive. He even called my dad to let him know what had happened (these days, nobody knows mobile numbers off by heart, but I knew his thankfully). The gardaí arrived pretty quickly. I could hear people saying “he was going very fast, he looked out of control.”
The ambulance sirens whined and I knew I was going to be in hospital soon. The doctor was worried about my shoulder being dislocated and my right arm being broken, so they were very careful putting me on the stretcher. They applied the neck brace in case my spine was damaged. I was able to lower my right arm and my shoulder didn’t pain that much. In fact, I felt ok considering. Maybe that was the shock. Aisling, the paramedic, looked after me on the way to St Vincents Hospital.
On arrival at A&E, I was wheeled into the “resus” zone. Once they knew I wasn’t a critical case, the pace of action around you slows down, but still they were excellent. The doctor checked out my arms, legs, upper body and back and figured that I hadn’t broken anything which was amazing. I still had a lot of wounds all over – cuts, scrapes, burns, bruises. So it was up to the nurse to clean them up (yes, ouch with TCP for a kick). I still wasn’t in serious pain, just very uncomfortable because of open wounds and raw skin. Then I realised my teeth didn’t feel right. Given all that I got done on my jaw last year, this was the last thing I wanted, so just to be sure I got a jaw x-ray. In the end it was fine, but I realised by lower front teeth had been pushed in a bit and an upper tooth was chipped. More trips to the dentist...
So I spent the night in Vincents which was good as wouldn’t have been comfortable at home. I had a TV so could even watch the Premiership. The worst part was lying in the bed, as the open wounds on my back were very uncomfortable. The next day I got a blood test and even felt like a pregnant woman for a while, when they did an ultrasound on my liver! The doctor even showed me my heart beating (“cool”, his words, not mine). When I saw the consultant, knowing that nothing was seriously injured, my immediate thoughts were the Chicago Triathlon. This is what I’ve been training for since April, and with only 2 weeks to go, I didn’t want to have to miss it. It would have been a real sickener. But at that stage I really didn’t know how fast recovery would be. I could see myself being able to run, and possibly cycle, but swimming sounded tricky, given the state of my elbows, back and face. But the consultant said that yep it should be possible. I’ll have plenty of scabs and scars but once they don’t get infected I should be all right.
So let’s wait 7 days. By next week my elbows and back should be a lot better. My biggest worry is the pain in my lower back. I hope that goes away. And I won’t be able to train, so not ideal preparation, but falling off your bike wasn’t good prep to start with. Saturday night I definitely didn’t think I’d be able to race in Chicago, but was determined I was going either way. By Sunday I was a little more confident and today I’m happier that I should be able to do it. Although I won’t be setting any world records – the swim might be at a snail’s pace, but I’ll be happy to get there!
Today I picked up the bike in Bray Garda Station and, given the news of two guys being stabbed to death last night, it made me realise that life is precious. I hobbled in and met the garda who arrived on the scene. He showed me the bike in a sorry state. Two buckled wheels, front fork twisted, handlebars messed up, but the frame and chain set all look intact. Once we got it to Cycle Superstore (Pete, I left my credit card outside just in case they tried suck it dry again), the guys there took it in their stride and said no bother, they’d give me a quote and it should be fixed by the weekend. Sounds like a day’s work for them. So at least I’m not the only dodgy cyclist in Dublin.
So with 13 days to the big day in Chicago, my thoughts are

(i) I feel so lucky I can still walk and talk,

(ii) delighted I’ll be on the start line,

(iii) will check my equipment a little closer next time

(iv) pissed I missed the golf classic in Carton House yesterday,

(v) stoked we made out fundraising target for Crumlin last night and

(vi) can see myself a little more likely to cross the finish line in downtown Chicago like these brave souls

Triathlone - only 6 weeks to Chicago

So the next step for the Trionic 7 towards reaching their goal of completing the Chicago triathlon was to brave the murky waters of the Shannon in the Tri Athlone on the 18th of July. Five of the seven made the 2 hour trip after work on Friday evening to register, collect our numbers and get most importantly our free t-shirts!! This famous five were Dave Power and Sean Young (Olympic distance) with Richie Harpur, Johanna Dinn and myself (Sprint distances). Richie “I got it covered” Harpur had booked a housemansion in the grounds of Glasson Country Club no less for the lads to take over while Joanna stayed in Athlone.

Within minutes of arriving in our country retreat we had unpacked all our equipment. We have all invested considerable sums on wetsuits, race bikes, racing shoes, open water goggles the list is endless! The kitchen looked like it had been transformed into an underground “Tour de France” type laboratory with bottles of Isotonic drinks, packets of energy gels and power bars lying around. All the scene was missing was a few scientists in white jackets with clipboards while test tubes of oxygenated blood bubbled away in the background! J We have discovered that there is a mountain of products that can help your body out of the depths of despair to get around these events and lets face it with mother nature against me I need all the help I can get.

The Race
We were up at 6:30 to ensure that everyone got down to the barracks for the race start. Rumours had been circulating the night before about the swim being shorten to only down stream if the current didn’t weaken and sure enough on the morning of the race it was deemed too strong and therefore all participants only swam the sprint distance of 750 meters. In Athlone there was a considerable distance between the transition area and the water. The terrain between the two being a very stony path resulting in a long gruelling painful run in your bare feet. Hot coals would have caused less grimacing but I’m sure it made an amusing spectacle for the large crowd that had turned out. We were all a lot more relaxed and prepared this time around and confident that we could shave a few minutes off our last times. You are constantly picking up tips on what you could do to maximise your speed while minimising the physical effort and energy burnt.

For example we had been warned that cyclists would be penalised if found drafting (this is cycling less then 7 meters behind the bike in front) as this protects you from the wind, in a slipstream, to the extent that you burn a quarter of the energy while keeping at the same speed. I didn’t realise that this was also the case in the water, that if you can swim behind someone that you use a lot less energy as you’re swimming in their wake and every now and again you can grab onto one of their feet to get toed a bit! J

The Run

The run was great in triathlone as the route was a couple of circuits of the town which was packed with people cheering all the competitors on. Its amazing how much faster you run with clapping and words of encouragement ringing in your ears and there was no hiding places to squeeze in a sneaky walk without attracting looks of disappointment and even though its from strangers you still didn’t want to let them down. So we all managed to complete it without any major injuries to bodies or equipment, just a few cramps and an auld muscle spasm or two thrown in for good luck. I’ve notice the array of people that you see competing in these events are unreal. There were at least two ladies I saw in their sixties and a few gents that had to be close to their seventies. Chicago will have tri athletes of ever shape, size, age, able and disabled people participating in it.

What's next

With one eye on Chicago we are still working towards our main goal and that is to reach our fundraising target of €35k now only approx €9.5k is remaining. We spent Friday night shaking buckets outside Croke Park for the U2 concert and have plans to hold a poker night while we are currently selling raffle tickets for a framed Irish rugby top signed by the grand Slam winning team! Our next major outing is in Carton House on the 16th of August where we have booked the Montgomerie course for a golf outing. This was a great lift for us to get such an amazing location for what we know will be a great day.

Make sure to contact one of the team if you would like to attend or email crmftri@microsoft.com.

I would like once again to take the opportunity to thank all our team mates and Microsoft for the generosity that has been showed towards the cause. Richie and myself were in Crumlin again this w/end and there was people protesting about budget cuts and planned ward closing, fundraising is more important then ever for Crumlin and this could be seen in the faces of all the worried parents.

Our next outing Triathlon wise is The Pulse Sprint Triathlon in Port Beach, Clogherhead, Co. Louth on Saturday 8th August. This will be the last event that most of us will take part in before the trip to Chicago. There is already talk over pints of marathons and Iron man contests of training camps and weight programs for the winter months in preparation for next year. Whatever about next year, the fear that we had before is gradually changing to confidence and excitement at the challenge that lies ahead and there is a feeling that we as a team could take on anything!

Peter & team

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