Maccabi Update

(I put together a post with pictures.  It will not upload). Sadly I am having issues that I hope will resolve soon. )

Greetings from Israel!

As I told you in previous posts, I am the captain of the USA Masters Triathlon Team and am competing in something called the Maccabi Man and Woman Competition.  This entails four events over the course of eight days -- a bike time trial of 26 kilometers (16.1 miles), a half marathon, an Olympic distance triathlon, and a 5 kilometer swim. 

I am staying in Tel Aviv. The seaside is a beautiful backdrop for a morning run:

 

The Mediterranean Sea and the old city of Jaffa are behind me.

The opening ceremonies were an absolutely amazing experience!  Over 9,000 athletes paraded into Teddy Stadium in Jerusalem. Here I am as I walked with Team USA around the oval:

 

And here I am with triathlon teammates Ryan Landy, Brad Scher, and Howard Sklar:

 

Here I am at the Wingate Pool in Netanya for a practice swim:

 

 Here I am in the park in Tel Aviv for an easy morning taper ride:

 

 

Yesterday was my first event, the bike time trial:

 

 

Coming off the start ramp, we headed down a nice hill.  Racers started a minute apart on this out-and-back course.  and then halfway through we encountered a nice big hill to climb.  The out and back course had us climbing the same hill we coasted down at the start.

I knew I was well-trained for this race. Coach Gerardo has really had me focus on the bike with a lot of workouts with time trial simulation at the end.  And I had a new aero helmet and race wheels.  

And there I am climbing the hill to the finish. 

 

I really felt like I had a great race. I finished the 26 kilometer (16.1 mile) race in 46:57.  As the bike is my weakest of the three sports, I was not planning on winning, but rather giving my best effort. 

This put me in 11th place out of 19 women in my age group. That's pretty solid for this type of international competition. 

 

Today is a rest day since I will be running a half marathon tomorrow. 

 

This is the Carmel open market, with awesome produce.  I bought some bananas, plums, and nectarines, and enjoyed a juice made from fresh beets, carrots, apple, and ginger. Yum!

And then I rested (and blogged!) from the beach.

 

Tomorrow is the half marathon, which starts at 9:30 pm!  The late start is to avoid the hot weather of the day. Since my triathlon is only three days later, this will not be a hard effort. I will start at 8:45-9:00 per mile, and at mile 6 if I feel good I will pick up the pace, though keeping my heart rate in zone 3, or under 168 beats per minute. If the weather is hotter or more humid, I will alter my plan and run a bit slower. 
 

More to come after tomorrow's marathon.