Back to it.

Off-season has come and gone and I’m really looking forward to getting back into the swing of training. I was pretty active and kept a good amount of fitness over the off season so I’m excited about how I feel starting to train. For me, off-season was a chance to get my mind right. Last season I had about twice as many races than any other season I have been through before. On top of that, I was training much harder than I ever had and racing much longer events than I was used to. I don’t think it was a mistake physically to race that much last season however I will not be racing as much this season. Mentally, I felt great for 95% of last season until the very end. I raced nearly every weekend in August and threw some real long runs into September and October. By the time those races were rolling around, I was mentally exhausted and merely going through the motions. I was still happy with the results as I had never had that much fitness and my tapers went well but I knew it was time for a break from the stress I undergo during racing. The off-season was a great time for me to relax, exercise for enjoyment, and generally take life a little less seriously. I welcomed the 10-15 pounds that came with that mentality and it amazed me that simply thinking about starting to train again and eating better, my body began to shed weight. I was really happy to catch up on the time I had missed out on with my friends and loved having the opportunity to meet some new people but it is time to get back to business.

I am entering this new season with far more preparation as far as my season plan. I have my training blocks all set with goals and guidelines for each, something I have never tried before. More importantly, I feel like I have a whole new set of training partners that will help motivate me to continue working out throughout our cold winter. If all goes to plan, I hope to hit the spring in the best shape of my life, ready to chase the goals I have set for next season. I feel mentally recharged and look forward to continuing on with my preparation block.

Nickel City to close out the tri season.

Nickel City turned out to be a pretty cool race. The course was extremely flat and fast. Out of all my races this year, I did learn the most about myself in Buffalo Saturday morning. Looking forward to the race, I was expecting a spectacle of a race due to the fuss made about it. I expected large numbers of participants and a super fast field to race against.
When I showed up Saturday morning, I was shocked to see a tiny transition zone and few people racing the AG Olympic race. There were so few elites registered for the sprint that the race was cancelled and many of them jumped into our race. My run had been clicking the past few weeks so I was looking for a PR however I knew some of these guys would be moving on the run.
My second shock of the day came during the swim. I had been swimming well all year and couldn't believe how fast people were taking out the 1500m swim. I was getting dropped by the first buoy. I chalked it up to people getting too excited and thought they would come back to me on the second lap as long as I stayed long and conserved some energy for a fast finish. It was only later that I realized the caliber of the swimmers that had smoked me in the water, including a 200m fly Olympic trials qualifier.
I got out on the bike and decided it was time to track some people down. I could see on the out and backs that I was putting time on most of the guys ahead of me besides the two leaders. This was the first time, probably ever, that my swim was not my strongest discipline of the day. There were only three guys who rode faster as compared to the seven guys that swam faster. Either way, I was in a good position and off and running.
I quickly moved into 4th overall during the first two miles dropping a 6:00 mile followed by a 6:20. It was at this point that things started going sour. I had the worst cramping in my life for all of mile three. No matter how much I tried to slow the pace and keep contact with Jeff Henderson, I couldn't catch my breath and resorted to walking for 10 seconds to get a few deep breaths in. Almost exactly a mile later, I was feeling much better but I was unable to make 6:20 pace feel comfortable again. I ran the rest trying to stay as far under 7 minute miles as I could. Ended up cruising it in for my fastest 10k in years and 3 minutes off of my best inside of an Olympic tri.
The real experience came later in the day. I drove directly to Geneseo from the race, not even getting a chance to stick around for awards. I swam in the alumni meet and far exceeded my expectations, dropping a 1:55.2 to win the 200 free and 58.2 in the 100 fly. This is setting me up perfectly to head into a long winter of swimming with a fresh mind about getting back in the pool.
After the meet is where I had my biggest realization. I had the time of my life seeing old friends and running around the town recklessly. I had spent the summer training diligently and forgot how much fun I have when I make sure I have time for the people who support me most in my life. People I hadn't had contact with in months had been keeping tabs on my racing and made me feel great for sticking to my plan and taking major steps toward my goals. Most of all, they welcomed me back to the good life after months of neglect while I was focusing my energy elsewhere.
I am heading into this off season knowing that it is time to bring the efforts down. All Saturday morning I was racing fast but the freshness I had been racing with all summer was gone. It took too much mental preparation to get up for the race and I need to change direction for a little bit so I can come back next season ready to make some serious moves. I am treating myself to lazy couch days, days without training and no regretful feelings about it, awesome muddy trail runs, and riding only to enjoy the changing of the leaves and good company. I cannot wait to spend some late nights with good friends and pack on a few pounds from good food and indulgences.
Thanks, triathlon, for being so great to me this season and a bigger thank you to the friends and family who have made it possible. I'm ready to off-season like it's never been done before.

Syracuse 70.3 Race Report. VEGAS BABY!

Immediately following Lake Placid I was hungry for more. I had outperformed my expectations by far and saw myself as a new type of athlete, vying for World Championship slots. I decided to take advantage of my Placid fitness and do some serious racing late into the season. I raced weekend after weekend and continued to have great results while having an absolute blast. By the time September rolled around, I was starting to wear down a little bit. I still had huge expectations for Syracuse 70.3 midway through September but I had no desire to follow any serious training regiments, so I didn’t. I trained when I wanted to, made up for lost time with friends, stayed up late, ate a few unhealthy meals and enjoyed life for a while. It came time to start mentally preparing for Syracuse and my mental state was nowhere near where it needed to be. I tried desperately to get into the zone for the week leading up to the race but I had a relaxed demeanor all the way up to the race. I knew I would go through with the race but I had no idea if I was prepared to battle for 5 hours on end.

            I packed the truck up and drove out to Syracuse Saturday afternoon with Chris. We chatted on the way over and I had a few realizations. I had trained hard all year, I was in the best shape of my life, and Ironman 70.3 World Championships was becoming a serious possibility. Unsure of whether or not my mind would support my quest, I was finally ready to tackle this beast.

            We settled in and rode the run course Saturday afternoon then went for a quick swim at Jamesville Beach before we went over to Mae’s for dinner. All Friday and Saturday, club members and other friends started sending words of encouragement, reminding me what I was here to do, “Rip up the course“. I had said I was going to do it months ago and people believed I could do it; good enough for me. We drove the bike course and started to make decisions as to where we wanted to go fast and where we would relax a little bit.

            The opening 12 miles of the bike course are the reason the bike course is challenging. The entire distance is essentially one big climb. I knew I was going to be able to move on the flat and rolling roads that came after mile 20 so my plan was to spin up the first 12 miles without killing myself, yet with a purpose. If someone was going to chase me down on the bike course, it wouldn’t be in the first 12 miles. We settled our plans, packed up, and got to sleep around 10 with an alarm set for 4 am., a relatively good night of sleep considering my prerace habits.

            The morning started exactly as everybody feared, 42 degrees on the drive over to the state park. Chris and I set up our transition, I had my bike checked out and a cable replaced, then we got back in the car and sat with the heat on for 20 minutes, trying to get feeling back into our feet. There was no way to trick yourself for this race, it was going to be a cold morning. I threw a jacket into T1 just in case I was freezing getting out of the water.

            Luckily, males 18-24 and 50+ were wave 4. I remember being somewhere around wave 13 last year, starting about 45 minutes after the race started. I took a look at the lake and made a decision. Everybody I had to beat was starting with me and I wasn’t going to let anybody touch me on the swim. I had been swimming great all summer and this race was not going to be any exception. Right off the start, a group of about 4 guys swam a quick 500 meters before things started to break up. By the first turn, I found myself alone with one other young guy, presumably an 18-24 AGer. I hung with him until the turn and told myself I would drop him on the way back to the beach. He proved to be much more difficult to drop than I had planned and it wasn’t until he turned at the wrong buoy and began swimming up the middle of the course that I saw my break. He was inevitably going to be chased down by the kayakers and I was ready to take off. I swam hard all the way back into the beach and got out of the water with nobody else in sight. The time wasn’t anywhere near where I wanted it to be but I was set up for a great day already.

            Getting out on the bike took a little bit longer than I expected since I decided to forego the jacket and pull on arm warmers. The arm warmers ended up being the perfect decision despite costing a little bit of time in T1. I executed my race plan, got out of the park fast and began ascending the tough 12 mile section. I didn’t see a single person the entire climb which was a good thing although it clued me in that I was in for a lonely day. By mile 30 I had yet to see another athlete until Karma decided to take its toll. Coming to an intersection I was unclear where to go. The police officer at the intersection was clearly pointing left so against my gut feeling, I went left. Very quickly, the roads became unfamiliar and I turned around to head back to the intersection. I had gone off course by about 0.3 miles, costing me a good 1-2 minutes. As I approached the intersection, the swimmer that went off course took the lead. I was upset but I knew it had at the very least leveled the playing field between the two of us.

            I got back on course and caught him then he dropped his chain and I got a little lead on him. He passed me about 5 miles later and I never saw him again the whole race. I spent the rest of the bike course trying to make up for lost time. I had calculated that I was going to be very close to 2:38 as a split unless I started moving. There was a 5 mile section where I averaged 25.5 and was able to get off the bike just under 2:37.

            Heading out of transition, I saw a man from Buffalo who set the tone for the entire run. He saw my BTC jersey and as I passed him, he said “Way to make Buffalo proud, go run down the pros!” I had an immediate confidence boost and while I knew I could run 1:50 and still break 5 hours, I wanted to lay the hammer down. Clicked off the first mile in 6:18 which I decided was a little fast so I backed off to 7 minute miles and rocked through 6.55 miles at 6:50 pace. I couldn’t believe what was happening as I am traditionally a very average runner. I thought my Garmin was getting a poor satellite reception or that something was out of whack.

            I finished the race, very satisfied with a 1:33 half marathon, 2 minutes off of my PR and a 70.3 PR of 7 minutes. People had been telling me I was the first AGer to come through but I knew there was at least someone ahead of me who I did not believe was a pro. I quickly learned that it was indeed someone from my AG ahead of me and I counted my Vegas slot out. I relaxed, grabbed some food, and got a massage. When I checked back at the results, I saw the posting of Vegas slots per AG. Miraculously, I saw that males 18-24 had been granted 2 slots since we had 31 athletes start. I immediately ran to Valvo, Mae and Chris and celebrated! I was super pumped! I had entertained the idea of earning a spot but never thought it would actually happen. I got my slot and registered for the race. Time to spend a lot of hours suffering in the hills to get ready.

            This, by far, has to be my greatest accomplishment in my triathlon career even though it was somewhat of a fluke. It was nice to beat one of the guys that snuck ahead of me in Placid but none of my experience would have been remotely possible without the support from the BTC. I had just about counted Syracuse out of the equation and it ended up being my ticket in.

Initial Blog Post.

I am in the middle of, hands down, my best triathlon season ever. I spent the winter months preparing for Ironman Lake Placid on July 24, 2011. Throughout my training process I was lacking a way to record my thoughts outside of my training log and I decided I will try to see how consistently I can blog for the remainder or the season and hopefully up until Ironman Lake Placid 2012. I will write a race report as soon as I get some time to sit down and put some thought into my response.
I started training for Placid in December 2010 without much of an idea of what was to come. The months were going slow and I was dreading the thought of competing without preparing myself over the course of an entire year. I kept exercising regularly and working on my swim technique while maintaining and improving my marathon fitness through March. I knew the Ironman marathon would be a challenge if I wasn't 100% prepared so I began transforming myself back into the runner I used to be in my xc days. It was back to repeat intervals, tempo runs, and for the first time ever, actually doing my long runs. I missed some of the long runs but managed to get a lot of quality running in despite the difficult winter in Buffalo, NY.
April brought bike ride after bike ride of torrential rain showers and it was difficult to get into the mindset of training on the bike, especially without having much success on the indoor trainer. One day in late April, everything changed and I believe I noticed that it was time to get the work done. Rusty brought up the idea of having a 180 mile week on the bike, culminating in a long ride through the hills of Warsaw, NY.  This week was significantly more than either of us had done on our Placid buildup and we took it on as a challenge and met it. This week of training showed me that it wasn't too bad to be on the bike that long and I developed a new motto, "It can hurt now, or it can hurt in Placid." This was all the motivation I needed to begin the most focused and intensive training I have ever put myself through.
The momentum of April carried into May and then into June where I had a month I still cannot believe I completed. I contribute most of my Ironman race day success to the month of June where I began swimming regularly again, rode 850 miles, and ran 136 miles. This month showed me that I could handle a ton of training volume and still remain strong. I had a great A Tri in the Buff one week after my peak buildup week, where I PRed in 2:10.
I began to shut things down and started a very specific taper to prepare for Placid. I bounced ideas of taper around with Coach Grant and read a few articles then sat down and wrote up a 4 week decrease in volume that I hoped would maintain my speed and fitness. I finished my taper and headed to race in Placid. The race report can be found in my next post.
I hope I find enjoyment in writing about my path and that someone will take something from following. If nothing else, I can look back and review my journey and see my progress.

Remainder of 2011 Race Schedule:
8/6/2011 - Wilson Wet N Wild.
8/13/2011 - Summer Sizzler Sprint.
8/21/2011 - East Aurora Road Race Category 5 - First road race.
8/27/2011 - Tri Dunkirk Intermediate F1.
9/18/2011 - Ironman Syracuse 70.3.
9/24/2011 - Nickel City Intermediate.
9/25/2011 - Akron TT.
10/2/2011 - Wineglass Marathon.
11/26/2011 - YMCA Turkey Trot.
6/5/2012 - Ironman 70.3 Mooseman.
or
6/30/2012 - Tupper Lake Tinman.

7/22/2012 - Ironman Lake Placid.

Ironman Lake Placid Race Report.

Better late than never...

Heading into Lake Placid, people began asking me if I was ready and if I was getting nervous. I can honestly say that for the first time in my self-coaching career, I was 100% certain that I had done what was necessary to prepare myself for the race. I believe that the only reason to be nervous stems from the idea that you may have some doubt about the task you are trying to accomplish. If there was one thing I didn’t have heading into the event, it was doubt in my abilities, fitness, and mental state.

            I spent the winter months training my legs to be rock steady on the run, my swimming background left me totally confident in the swim, and I had been cycling far better than I ever had before. My training plan was regimented and methodical. I had complete control over my weight and saw a drastic change in my body composition. Gone were the swimmer shoulders and big thighs. I had transformed myself into a lean, endurance machine. My biggest fear was handling my nutrition on the course for 10+ hours. The longest I had ever raced or trained was six hours; I’d nearly double my time out there and I wanted to make sure I could fuel myself properly to race the entire event. I started eating before and after every workout, which also helped keep weight on. It got to the point where I could eat a steak dinner, loaded with sides then go for a 14 mile run any day of the week. Everything was going to plan and despite a week being down with a sore achilles, I had remained injury free throughout my buildup. To answer the questions people were asking; no, I was not nervous and yes I was more ready than I ever have been in my life.

            Race weekend came around quicker than I was prepared for and soon I found myself, stuck in traffic with Rusty and Billy, desperately trying to make it to athlete check-in by 4pm Friday. We made it and things started to mellow down. We drove a loop of the bike course and went for a ride on the run course. I knew the courses like the back of my hand and we even managed to fit a swim in there. It was time to put the finishing touches on Cecilia and pack her away with the gear until Sunday morning.

            Race morning was a blast. All the work was done and it was time to hang out with my boys and get ready for a LONG day. Each of us had our routine and we got to the start line with plenty of time to spare. I made a game time decision to wear the wetsuit since it was what I had planned on and practiced in. Rusty read us a funny pre-race speech which helped lighten the mood for everybody. We wished each other good luck and got into Mirror Lake.

The Swim: I can say without doubt that this is the only time in my life I have been concerned for my safety in the water. Rusty and I moved up into the front left so we could get on the cable and not have to sight. We were about three rows back treading water with ten minutes to go until the race started. As the minutes ticked down, people became antsy and began pushing up from behind us. It got the the point where we were sandwiched between people trying to maintain the start line and people trying to move up every inch possible. There came a point where I couldn’t tread water anymore because I couldn’t move my legs. I relaxed and kept bobbing, trying to keep my head above water. The gun went off and the chaos began. I saw no sign of a path to get out of this mess when people started climbing over the top of me. As I was being submerged, I saw that Rusty found a gap and went for it. I threw some elbows and got on his tail. We made it out and spent a lonely morning swimming between the lead pack and everybody else. The first loop was great, just over 27 minutes. Things were perfect. I was running out of the lake to start lap two when I felt something sharp on my toe. I could feel it stinging the entire second lap but couldn’t decide if it was numbness or a cut. After stopping to clear my goggles a whole bunch, I made it out of the water between 55 and 56 minutes and saw my BTC family lining the run to T1.

T1: The first thing I noticed was my toe cut wide open. There was nothing I could do about it now so I threw my cleats on and got out on the bike as fast as I could. I started my ride exactly one hour into the race which was exactly where I wanted to be. The last person I heard was Coach Grant as I got started on loop 1.

The Bike: I have no idea what happened in the first 30 miles as I seem to just have appeared there. I imagine I got settle, worked the climbs out of Placid a little and started eating and drinking a little. One thing I do know is that I started rocking my hydration plan right away and kept it strong the whole way. I took a bottle of water every aid station and alternated plain water and nuun in my aero bottle. This plan worked like a charm and I plan on doing the same next year. I tried popping salt tabs every hour but I know I missed a few so I took extra. Bananas and gels were about all I ate on the bike. I had either one or two cliff bars and that was in the first 40 miles. Coming up papa bear and heading out onto loop 2 was about the most fun I have ever had on a bike. People were screaming from every direction and I felt like a superstar. I was averaging just under 20 mph and I was happy with lap 1. Lap 2 continued strong but I could feel myself starting to fade a little bit. I kept eating and drinking, controlling what I could. Things started to get bad around 90 miles. I was exhausted and seriously beginning to doubt running anywhere near a four hour marathon. I popped a mint into my mouth which brought me back mentally but my legs were still fried. I shook it out and tried to zone out for the rest of the ride.

T2: I made it off the bike and was happy to sit down for a second on anything other than a hard bike seat. My decision to ride 112 miles in tri shorts was starting to weigh on me now but I would certainly do it again. I moved through T2 quick so my legs didn’t tighten up and because I knew I would be seeing tons of people for the next couple of miles.

The Run: I got out on the course and immediately was greeted by one of my cheering crews, Clint, Elyssa, Erin, and Garrett. I couldn’t be happier. The legs were feeling much better although I predicted a slow five hour marathon. Things went smooth down to River Rd. and I was elated to see the BTC crew heading out of town. Their placement and the end of the climbs back into town would end up being the one thought that kept me going all run. Right away I started switching my nutrition as I was sick of my current situation. I walked through every aid station and grabbed water and oranges. My stomach and my legs started getting into a rhythm. I ran up through town and calculated my half marathon time to be 1:57. This was far better than I thought it would be and the best part was that I felt like I could negative split or at least repeat on my second half. The rest of the run was pretty uneventful besides getting passed by all the fast guys from the club. I was in my own place and perfectly happy with where I was at. Heading back on River Rd., things started to get real for me. I don’t know if it was being out there all day, the months of training, or malnutrition but the next moment was my defining moment of the entire race. I realized, barring any unforeseen circumstance, that I was going to break 11 hours then saw Rusty all within the span of about 5 minutes. I was so happy that I started to cry a little bit and I think this was when my legs decided I was done. I was about 4 miles out and the rest of the run was very painful. This was the feeling I trained for so I was ready for it but it was still uncomfortable. I made it through and couldn’t be happier with my day; 10:51:01. Even more exciting was the fact that I was 4^th in the AG. One guy was a minute ahead of me and two of the guys ahead of me are going to age up for next year.

Overview: I cannot sit here and saw that I have a single problem with my race. Everything went perfectly and my plans worked perfectly. I felt great all day except for about 12 miles on the bike. I had run 4:01 and broken 11 hours in my first Ironman. My nutrition was spot on and my buddies all finished and exceeded their expectations. The weather was perfect and things couldn’t have gone better. One thing I do know is that come this time next year, I will be in Lake Placid looking to go faster, looking to race the course a little bit harder, looking to take some chances and make myself uncomfortable. I know I have some long hours ahead of me with Cecilia and I can spare a few minutes on the marathon course. I will be out in Placid training on the course and trying to prepare even better than I did this year. I will be back and I will be looking to leave it all on the course.

I had always heard people talk about how Ironman isn’t nearly as much about the race as it is about the journey. I can now say that I completely agree. I have made incredible new friends in the tri club, I have learned that my friends and family are understanding and supportive of my dreams, and I have learned that I can transform myself into any sort of beast I wish. I have learned an entirely new level of commitment and dedication that will carry over to all other aspects of my life. I have learned more about my body and feel more in tune with it than I ever have been in my life. When the big day came, I was there to enjoy myself and share an experience with all the athletes racing with me and all the people who were there to support us. My race may have taken it felt 11 hours but it felt like 3. I can only imagine that spectating for 11 feels like 33. I cannot express how much I appreciate the cheers and support. Thank you to all of my friends and family for making this the most memorable day in my life.