Race Report: NYC Swim Governor’s Island Swim

July 28, 2012 — alpaul

We got to Governor’s Island at 8:45am. Swim start was 11:25. After checking in Anh and I found a spot and just relaxed for the next few hours before the start.

Average swimmer like myself were on the second of three ferries out to the start. There were 8 waves. I was in wave 4.

Contrary to the Liberty Island swim this Ferry took us out away from the docking area to a deep water start. The length of the swim was 2 miles.

After jumping in we swam to the start buoys which was a short 2 minute swim away which made for a short warmup.

I was able to spot Anh with the camera cheering me on from the dock. This was a very spectator friendly race as they were able to follow us along most of the swim.

I tried my best to swim as straight as possible with the aid of the buoys but still found it a bit difficult. Also the buoys were wider apart in some areas.

The water temperature was 74 degrees. The view of New York city line was a bit foggy but that did not affect my sighting.

At times I was able to keep with small groups of swimmers but mostly I was swimming solo.

Swim Map

This has been two or three NYC Swim events I’ve done for the year. I’m now looking forward to the 10K swim in September.

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WhatPaint is now Available on the App Store

July 18, 2012 — alpaul

Introducing WhatPaint. Tired of forgetting what paint you used on a project? Worry no more because WhatPaint is now available in the App Store. WhatPaint keeps track of your Paint Color details so you don’t have to. Simply enter the details of your Paint  Project and it gets saved to your iOS device. Now you have details of your Paint Project you can search and share with contractors, designers, architects, friends and family. WhatPaint works on iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. Download WhatPaint today.

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Race Report: Steelman OWS 5K

July 15, 2012 — alpaul

I had a great day of swimming at the Steelman 5K today. I ended up using my tinted goggles because the race started out with cloudy skies. Sun came out but wasn’t a factor. I took the first loop conservative as this is my first long open water swim race over the Ironman distance. Second loop felt stronger. I was excited to have met Kristen F. and Patrick B. also at the race. Hopefully next time around we can have a beer toast afterwards.

Race organizers were awesome. There are a few changes that can be made, such as providing a better fuel spot on the first loop. I found myself weaving through rocks making my way to shore trying to figure out where the gels and gatorade were. Thankfully my #1 fan, Anh P. shouted at me to come her way for some nutrition, after which I jumped back in to work on my second loop. Also I am the one who seem to always be the ghost racer, the one who doesn’t get an official time at the race. I emailed the director, hopefully that situation should be resolved soon. Unofficial time is 1:50:06 as per my Garmin. Again I am feeling more comfortable on those long swims especially with the fact that I didn’t use a wetsuit. Next up Governor’s Island Swim on the 28th.

P.S. Official time was awarded after a photo of me at the finish was provided to the race director.

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Mirrored Goggles to battle the Sun

July 11, 2012 — alpaul

Got myself a pair of Cressi-Sub mirrored glasses. I found that swimming with my Aquasphere tinted pair was not sufficient in preventing the sun from getting in which directly affected my sighting. I’m hoping to test those tomorrow in the outdoor pool in preparation for this weekend’s Steelman 5K swim.

20120711-184538.jpg

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WhatPaint App was Submitted

July 10, 2012 — alpaul


Since coming up with the idea to create WhatPaint last October I have been back in software development. iOS Development is a robust and efficient platform for creating and deploying a product. I am very motivated to keep developing for the iOS platform. I gave myself a firm deadline to deliver the app for review on July 4th. I was able to deliver on this promise with the incredible help of my awesome wife, Anh, who did all the graphics including the above app icon. Now the app lies in Apple’s hands “waiting for review” in the app approval process.

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Age Group National Championship

July 10, 2012 — alpaul

Last week I received an email indicating that I had qualified for the Age Group National Championship. This totally took me by surprise. Qualifying for the AGNC was never on my radar. The only sort of accolade if any I was always in search of as far as USA Triathlon is concerned is my ranking. To earn a ranking you must have completed at least 3 USAT sanctioned events in the Calendar year. Last year I missed ranking due to my late season injury.

I have been involved in age group competitive racing since 2009. Now having qualified for a National event is a definite inspiration and motivator for me to continue pushing the limit in my everyday training. I am very thankful for this great opportunity to compete with other qualifiers on a National level. It may not be Kona just as yet but I can’t wait for race day.

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Race Report: NYRR Queens 10K

July 1, 2012 — alpaul

This is the first time I’ve registered for a NYRR event on race morning. It was definitely worth it as I would be running with Anh. We haven’t ran together for a long time and I very much looked forward to it.

It was a scorcher of a day. NYC was going through a heat wave and the race organizers made sure to alert runners of the importance of being careful in those conditions.

Anh is getting closer to fulfilling her 9 races to qualify for the 2013 New York City Marathon and it was my pleasure to accompany her on this run. The race venue was Flushing Corona Park. We ran a very slow paced run given her pregnancy and the heat conditions. We kept the pace in the high 11′s per mile. Sprinklers were available to runners throughout the course to cool down. I choose to hold a 20 oz bottle and kept wetting my arms and head to keep cool. The day before I was okay using the sprinklers at the Sprint Triathlon because I had no socks on. However I avoided them at the 10K because with socks there is a higher probability of getting blisters.

We made sure to walk throughout the aid stations to keep everything safe and fun during the race. After we finished I headed to the aquatic center for a 1.4k swim then we headed over to have dim sum with some friends.

The Couples Run

Official Results

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