Doggie Du Championships - No more

NYC has put a Kabosh on the duathlon plans in the last minute. IT seems there is construction going on along the river and the City feels it is unsafe for teh dogs to swim in. So they have removed permission for the dogs to swim there. So now the organizer has turned it into a 10K run.

By the way The triathlon is still going on as planned, the city has no concerns over suffering due to construction issues.

Which I happen to think is kind of funny, because in my opinion the dogs are the ones who tend to follow orders as opposed to the other way around. One has only to look up the Darwin awards to agree.

Simba Swims!

Well that Simba swims is not really news, she loves the water. But today we had a great training session, she actually swam WITH me. I took her up to White Pond, which is the local Open Water hot spot. And slapped a leash on her, I bought a 9 ft one thinking it would give me room to wrap it around me and still have about 5-6 feet of space. The rules for teh Doggie Du are that the dog needs to be tethered to the human during the swim with no less than a 4 ft leash. The problem with a 4 ft leash is it does not give allot of space to kick without kicking the dog. So I went with a longer leash.

At first she resisted. She enjoys swimming but only when she is chasing a ball or something. There needs to be a reason. But in this case I just had to drag her out. Mind you she had a life vest on, so she was safe if she got tired. Anyhow after about a minute of trying to swim back to shore she just gave up and started to swim right after me. If I turned left, she came along without me having to drag her. It was sweet! There was something pretty awesome seeing her swimming next to me.

Great stuff to end a tough day.

Front Page!!

Me and Simba made the front page of the Journal News!

Here is a link, unfortunately, the website does not have the action shot of me and Simba running.

Doggy Duathlon not just a walk in the park

Mike Dougherty
The Journal News

Javier Gomez already knows he can't possibly keep up with the competition.

And that fur will be flying.

Gomez is anchoring the leash for his four-legged running companion - Simba, a chow/border collie mix - as both train for the first Doggy Duathlon World Championship, to be run in conjunction with the New York City Triathlon on July 20. They hope to go stroke for stroke and stride for stride with 25 other entrants.

"I've done a number of triathlons and my wife is very supportive, but triathlons were kind of like my thing," said Gomez, a Somers resident who works as an IT audit manager. "Simba runs with me all the time, so I thought it would be cool to do a race with her. All of a sudden, this is a big deal. Everybody in the family knows about the race. It's a big to-do."

Vincent Morrow knows the feeling.

Nobody made much of a fuss when the Bedford resident entered past competitions. But the level of interest went up the moment he was accepted to race with Z, a confident vizsla who's on the Doggy Duathlon Web site sporting a finisher's medal from a past New York City Triathlon.

"There will be 10 to 15 people we know down there for the race," said Morrow, a fund wholesaler at Federated Investors who's never enjoyed that kind of support. "It makes you realize the dog has a good life."

Maybe some compassionate soul will throw a biscuit to the upright competitors.

But there's no reason to beg.

Triathlon organizers attempt to add something unique to the race each year, so they came up with what they affectionately call the "Doggy Du."

"New Yorkers are passionate about dogs and plants," race director John Korrs said. "Plants can't run, so I asked if dogs can swim. We had to bag the cycling because we couldn't figure out how to keep the dogs on a bike."

It's going to be tough enough keeping them on track with so many fire hydrants to visit.

Getting the dogs into the Hudson for the 1,500-meter swim could be the biggest challenge. It's not like they are unaccustomed to the water, but the addition of race conditions and river currents makes this a completely new experience.

"Simba is used to chasing a ball into the water," Gomez said. "One day I put on my wetsuit and jumped in with her, and she was like, 'What the hell are you doing?' I still have to work out the details of how I'm going to swim with a leash."

How about the doggy paddle?

Morrow is hoping to find a set of stairs to ease Z into the competition.

"He's not a jumper," he said. "We haven't done any lake training yet. When it's hot out, he walks over to the pool and goes for a nice swim. He goes in circles, gets out, shakes off, then lies on the patio and suns himself.

"We should all come back as our dogs."

Each dog is getting a custom-made life vest. And the current will help them get down the river between 99th and 72nd streets in a relatively short period of time.

"I don't think anyone enjoys the concept of jumping into the Hudson," Morrow said.

There is a transition area where the competitors finish the swim, complete with orange fire hydrants in case nature calls. Water bowls with be at the ready along the course. Each dog also will undergo a series of veterinary checks during the race to ensure the safety of the animals.

It seems nobody really cares if the humans are running around with their tongues dragging.

Once the running shoes are laced up and the physical is complete, the competitors will head up 72nd Street and into Central Park where they'll complete a 10-kilometer run. It shouldn't be a big deal for either dog.

"We run three times a week," Gomez said. "Simba trained with me for a marathon I did early on, and can run up to 20 miles. Then she wants to play fetch, which is what kills me. I'm ready for a nap and she brings me the ball."

But he always plays along.

"Simba is a daddy's girl," Gomez's wife, Retno, said. "She can't wait for Javier to get home. And keeping her entertained is a job and a half."

It's no different for Z, who runs frequently with Morrow.

"There's been a little grief from the college friends I usually run with," he said. "Not too much. They all know the dog is probably a better athlete than the rest of us. My wife, Erin, did the San Diego Marathon a couple weeks ago, and she'll do Westchester's triathlon at the end of the summer. So between the two of us, he gets plenty of running in."

Nobody knows whether it's going to be a competitive race.

"We told all of the owners they're just going along for the ride so the dog doesn't get lost," Korrs said. "It's all in fun."

Still, there's always the potential for a quick race in the park.

"Normally, she runs on my left side the whole time," Gomez said. "But if there's a squirrel up front, she'll be dragging me along."

A good-looking Doberman might have the opposite effect.

Since the owners are both competitive triathletes, it won't be easy to coast across the finish line if there are dogs to pass with a trophy on the line.

"We'll see," Morrow said. "I just don't want to embarrass my dog. If he decides he wants to run faster, he can pull me along. If he decides he's all right watching the others in front of him, that's fine, too."

Doggie Duathlon Bling

So because we are all potential future world Champions of the Doggie Duathlon sports world, every canine competitor gets a CUSTOM flotation vest for the swim. Made to size and will be sporting the race logo and the dogs name and race # stitched on the side!

We just this week received Simbas vest to try on, we have to send it back for the final touches. It fit her like a glove!
This month we begin the Open water training at the nearby lake. Still have to figure out a harness contraption so that I can swim with her and have her tethered to me without interfering with my Masters refined swim stroke ( did you just think "Master what?" ! I heard you )

Her running is going smooth though lately she has been pulling over alot Mid run to relieve herself. Clearly she is not getting the purpose of this training.

I will have to break out my "dog whisperer " references to see how I can motivate her better, you know by speaking her lingo.

Simba developing an Attitude

My dog Simba is starting to be confident while running. No longer shying away from other dogs as much and generally looks like she really enjoys the running. They say when entering a race it helps to get angry and develop an attitude. Well below is the colar she just got as part of her new "Race Kit" that she will wear during the IAMS Doggie Duathlon Championships. I'd say she is starting to get an attitude :)

Happy New Years!

Well we are off to a brand spanking new 2008! 07 was a decent year lots of changes for me at home, work and activity wise. Life has definitly been busy, I would write more about it but I don't have the time.

HA! I crack myself up !

Anyways, To reminisce in '07 I got a promotion at work, which turned out to be a sneaky way to get me to travel more ;)

At the start of 07, I had to deal with Condo living when there was a psychotic neighbor that was OCD and would harass us about the dogs going to the bathroom on the grass, despite the fact that it was within the condo rules to do so. This was the final straw and drove us to get a house ( with 1 Acre !! YAY!)

Which also meant more debt ( Boooo!)

Athletics wise I had a very good year. I met my targets for both the NYC tri and for the Tupper Lake half Ironman ( 5:45:00 goal) beat both by a few minutes. However this left me with some unfinished business. I met my goal for Tupper, but I know I could have CRUSHED it, if it were not for getting cramps during the run. I will face off with Tupper again in 08 and remedy that!

Finally, found a way to incorporate my training with another great interest of mine, my dogs! I just love dogs, always have. In 07 I managed to register for the inaugural Doggie Duathlon world Championships to be held in NYC in July ( combine my multisport and dog interests in one!, you can't beat that!)

Now for 08

Well its going to be a banner year I think. For work , well I don't want anymore :)

But for racing I have signed up and am training for the BIG show, Ironman Wisconsin in September. For this Puppy I got myself a real life Tri Coach who also happens to be a kick ass Pro! Lookout! I have also teamed up with the spectacular RACE WITH PURPOSE to not only kill in the IM race ( hopefully not kill myself) but to also kick Childhood Obesity's ASS!!!

Also as stated above, I plan on taking Tupper Lake by storm and crushing the course. I am talking UFC like demolition!!, taking the course , throwing a headlock and waling it into submission!! I'm gonna pulverize it! Crush it like a .... Well you get the picture :)

Finally, the IAMS WORLD DOGGIE DUATHLON Championships!!, we are talking world DOMINATION!! ** Need I say more?

Stay tuned, Alot to happen this year. BTW Talking about Doggie Du's and stuff, I have received alot of inquiries about this from folks. There really is a need for more activities like this. This is something that I hope does take off. Why should folks not be able to enjoy training and racing and doing with their dogs. There are sooo many dog sports out there yet so few of them for athletic minded folks. I am sure there are some out there but its not so easy to find.

Anyhow Have a great New years folks! I think I need to go and decaffeinate a bit lol


** The field in the Doggie Du is truly competitive and the likelyhood of actually winning is slim, but since its MY blog, who cares about reality, the truth can wait for AFTER the race :)

Doggie Duathlon Bios

Well its official, the competitors have been named!

http://www.nyctri.com/Event_Info/Doggy_Du_Competitors.htm

Simba is my dog.

Training and Planning for 08

The past few weeks I have been taking it pretty easy with training. I think this has been a good thing since I know I was burnt out by September. However, now after a few weeks of this I am slowly working my way back into a training mode. The past two weeks I have gone on 5-6 mile runs pretty much 4 times a week and have snuck in one swim session and a very short cycling session. At this point I really cannot do much more due to everything going on in my life right now ( selling Condo, buying house, tons of work). However that has not stopped me from Thinking about training :)

I have two races that offer me training challenges. First is the IM race which is now a whole new category of training level. Second I have the IAMS world Championship Doggie Duathlon, which now involves training my dog. For regular training I have already identified and plotted out some of my training areas around my new home such as open water swim training, a great dead end straight away that runs for about 300 meters, excellent for speed work. Challenging rides can be found anywhere in Westchester so I did not plot those out.

My main challenge for IM training will be in finding the time to do the necessary training and well developing a strategy that will help me make the most of the time I have. This will be tough. I fear I will have to depend on mostly quality training in order to prepare. I was hoping to upgrade the bike and some equipment. However, after buying a house, there simply is no money around to get that done. However, I CAN train with what I have. So perhaps the money I do have is best invested in preparing a quality training approach.

The second race of note is the Doggie Duathlon. I know what you guys must think..."What a nut". But I am looking forward to this. Its different and that adds a little spice. Sometimes maybe its good to do something that is half witted ;)

Anyhow the challenge here is that now I have to train my dog Simba for endurance events. The run will be easy since she is faster than me by multiples. And already runs 5 to 6 miles with me fairly regularly. The real problem will be the swim. She can swim pretty good and enjoys chasing a ball in the water. In a race she has to swim 1500 meters ( .9 mile) without a ball to chase. And go straight too !! Yes I'll be swimming with her, but that will not be easy if she is going to be struggling to swim to the sides. I also don't want her to panic. I would like this to be fun for her as well as me. So I need to figure out a way to train her in the water.

Its a challenge, but its a fun challenge.

Its Official!

I just got the email-

Hi Javier,
Congratulations! You are officially entered in the Iams Doggie Duathlon World Championships. You will receive monthly e-mails and updates between now and the July 20 race day. It is your responsibility to make sure that you and your partner are sufficiently fit to complete the 1500 meter swim and 10k run. Please call Carlie or me if you have any questions 212-691-2200. We will process your credit card. Welcome to the Iams World Championships - woof, woof!
John Korff

So me and Simba are one of the 20 teams to be competing in the inaugural IAMS World Doggie Duathlon Championships!