Ironman Lake Placid: Race Report

Friday: Friday marked the start of my journey to Lake Placid. I had the car packed Thursday night so Friday morning left a short morning ride to loosen up before hitting the road. I left at 8:30 and pulled into Lake Placid at 2:30 and headed straight to athlete check in. It was a relief to have everything taken care of and it was a nice surprise to get some pretty cool swag. The backpacks are far nicer than the drawstring bags of the past.

Swag Bags!

After athlete check in, my Mom and I checked into the hotel and started unpacking. I got out for a short jog, where my legs were feeling great  for the first time in a long time. Once I returned from my jog, I started getting my gear together. The goal was to have the transition and special needs bags set before bed so the only thing I had to worry about on Saturday was bike check in. My OCD helped a little bit here as I had made a google doc of everything I wanted in each bag during taper week. The only thing I had to do was sort through my gear, get it in line, and consider which nutrition flavors I might like at which point in the race.


Saturday: I was really excited for Brian and Wills to show up on Saturday as I knew they would lighten the mood and take my mind off of the race. I woke up and finished setting my bike up. I made it out for a short ride with Steve and Welby before I checked my bike and gear bags into transition. By the time I took care of these items, Brian and Wills were in placid and I started to relax a lot more. We went for a short swim in Mirror Lake, grabbed some dinner at the Brew Pub, then it was on to the highlight of the evening:

Hotel Rowboat

We tucked into bed somewhat early Saturday night and despite an hour or so of tossing and turning, I passed out and got 6.5 hours of sleep.


Sunday: Sunday morning was a blur. I had a list of things I needed to sort out with my bags which allowed me to be on autopilot all morning. Once my bags were set, I headed over to drop off my special needs bags (RIP. I forgot to pick them up) and went to settle in near swim start. I quickly found Joe and chatted with him until my support crew showed up. I went for a short walk with Wills to chat a little bit and get my mind ready for the day I had ahead of me. Around 6:40 I headed into the water and got a nice spot on the front line, under the flags, about one-third of the way to the shore from the dock. Last year, I started far left and was boxed, losing contact with the lead swim pack and ended up swimming in no mans land all morning. The plan this year was to start in clean water, slightly to the right of this group. I thought that this position would allow me to watch fast swimmers coming across from the right while being able to quickly bridge any gap over to the lead swim group.

See you again for dinner.

The Swim (53:17, 16th OA, 4th AG): I had put a lot of thought into the swim and I couldn't have asked for things to go more according to plan. As seen in the map of my swim, I was able to move across to the cable slightly after the first 100m and to my surprise had pretty clean water the whole way across.

Swim start GPS map.

It took a little bit of jockeying and a few flying elbows but I settled into a swim group and it turned out to be exactly the group I needed to be in. The group stayed together the first lap and I was content sitting on some heels and swimming as easy as possible. I could tell we were really flying on this first loop although I did not expect to be through the first loop in 25:49. I knew that my swim could absolutley fall apart, I could drop a 30 minute second loop, and still emerge with the same swim time as I had last year. The second loop was very much the same, with a few people falling off the pace, leaving a few bridging efforts and a slightly slower second loop. I was ecstatic with the swim seeing that I was not very tired and did not have to do any of the work. I honestly don't think I sighted more than 5 times on the entire second loop. Couldn't be happier. There was a sizable group heading into T1 and I wanted to be smooth and get on the bike ASAP without rushing myself.

Heading to T1.

T1 (3:43): T1 went very well for me. I took the approach of less is more in my gear bags this year. I kept as much on my bike as possible, leaving the T1 list to:

• Towel off feet.
• Put on cycling shoes.
• Drink slimfast.
• Put on helmet.
• Put on flat kit (worn in a small waste pack).
• Put on race number.

Many of these things were done with the help of the volunteers, who I cannot thank enough. One of the perks of having a fast swim is being nearly alone in the changing tents with more volunteers than athletes. I had two volunteers helping me get on my way and one of the few things I remember is asking a volunteer to open my slimfast as I put on my cycling cleats and hearing "Sure thing man, I'll even shake it for you". It would be nice to have this class of assistance in transition at every race!
The plan was to be on the bike within the first hour of the race and the fact that I was starting my ride 56 minutes into the race, 4 minutes faster than last year in a portion of the race I didn't plan on saving any time, was a blessing and a curse.


The Bike (5:49:02, 131st OA, 3rd AG): There is no excuse for what happened in the first loop of my bike. I was leading the age group as I started the bike ride and I knew I wanted to take it easy heading out of town. My power numbers were where I wanted them to be, I was starting to take in some nutrition, and I wasn't getting passed as often as I thought I might. This should have been the clue that I was steering myself into dangerous territory. About 10 miles into the ride, I was finally tracked down by somebody in my age group. I let him go by, kept the gap steady between us, and was happy to see that my power numbers were still where they needed to be. We continued to ride near each other all the way through to 40 miles into the bike ride. I felt like I was riding easy, any gaps he created were shut down easily, and I was smiling ear to ear, probably due to the Keene descent. I told myself "This guy is heavier than I am, I'm riding easy, I can keep this up all day and toast him on the run course." I felt great coming around on the first loop and it was great to see friends and hear the crowd coming through town.

Loop 1 - Done!

Before I reached the first aid station on loop 2, 4-6 miles from town, disaster struck without warning. The ride out of town is pretty easy as you roll down hill and start to climb. I started having my first dizzy spell of the day and my power numbers plummeted. I couldn't push uphill what I had been pushing on the flats for the first lap, my legs felt like jello, and it my eyes were starting to bounce. I took the time at the next aid station to get a few bananas down, picked up a bottle of powerbar perform and took on an extra water bottle to keep my body cool as my head was burning up inside my helmet. I used the Keene descent to really nail down some nutrition and get my body ready for the remaining 30 miles of the ride. I was able to bring myself back a little bit with the powerbar perform drink but I was still weak and my mind was not working. At one point I tried to mix Nuun into a bottle that I thought I had just filled with water, the bottle was empty.
Around 20 miles left in the bike, the eventual AG winner passed me and I knew there was no way I Was going to keep pace with him. I wanted nothing more than to get off the bike and start the run, a place where I could have more control over my available nutrition. After an eternity of suffering, I dragged myself into T2, having a pitiful second loop of the bike, 17 minutes longer than my first loop.


T2 (2:05): I honestly cannot recall what happened in T2. All that was on my mind was that I was really happy my disastrous bike ride was over. I made it out as quickly as possible knowing that I'd rather spend a minute longer on the course, on the move, than spend time sitting in transition, not making any progress. I came out of T2 in 2nd in the AG with a small cushion back to 3rd.

Run Start.

The Run (4:20:57, 182nd OA, 3rd AG): I am always happy to make it to the run course in Lake Placid. In the grand scheme of things, a lot of the hard work for the day is done and I know that no matter how bad the marathon gets, I'll be done in a few hours. More importantly, the run course is special in Lake Placid as it is where you get the most support form the spectators, volunteers, and in my case, the Buffalo Triathlon Club.
I got a start on my run and immediately, I had my Billy Boi running alongside the road shouting to me that I looked strong even though he knew I had just had struggled through the second loop of the bike ride. Before I clicked off a single mile, I ran through town and passed the BTC support crew at the top of Rich Clarke Hill. I caught the group by surprise and I lied and told myself that it must be because I am so far ahead of schedule, when in reality, I was not. Sometimes, you just need to lie to yourself to get through a rough patch. The first 3 miles head directly out of town and as directly downhill. As you can see from my first few mile splits and all the way through mile 11 (mile 9 marks the start of the climb back into town), things were going stead and I was very happy with the early stages of my marathon. I was on 3:50 pace through 10 miles and was expecting to come through the first loop right around 1:55.

It is pretty clear to see that disaster struck for a second time in my race at mile 12. Once again, dizzy spells struck with no warning whatsoever. I was eating all different nutrition on the course, felt fine, and had just run the two hardest hills on the course without walking. Perhaps it was the extra energy spent climbing the hills or the excitement of seeing the BTC and my support crew at the top of Rich Clarke hill but as soon as I made it to Mirror Lake Dr., I was reduced to a walk. I remember seeing Joe on the side of the road on Mirror Lake Dr. When he asked me how I was doing, all I could manage was a vehement head shake indicating that I was in trouble. I could not make it up the final hill, leading to the short out and back section around the lake. At this point,I was having trouble seeing straight, my heart rate was dropping, my legs felt like lead, and I noticed that people looked concerned for me. After a closer examination, I realized I was stumbling all over the road and must have looked like I was on the verge of collapse. The only glimmer in this storm of darkness was that there was an aid station and special needs right up the road. I tried to jog to the special needs bags but it wasn't happening for me. I walked quite a bit, got my bag, ate an enormous amount at the aid station on top of pounding a slimfast. Had I been thinking more clearly, I would have changed my socks here but it wasn't until I made it around the out and back and returned to the aid station that I was thinking clearly enough to stop and change into dry socks.
I put the first half of the marathon course behind me in 2:04 which is better than I thought it was going to be, yet a far cry from the 1:55 I thought I had locked up. I started working my way back through town and could not wait to see my training partners and talk to them about my nutritional problems to see if they had any suggestions that I wasn't thinking of at the time. Almost as if he was reading my mind, I saw Steve jogging up the road looking for me. I can imagine he started to get worried when I hadn't come through Rich Clarke Hill when he was expecting me, 10 minutes earlier. I told Steve that my nutrition was going to shit and that I kept getting hit with waves of dizzy spells out of nowhere. I remember him telling me that I had a nice lead on the guys in my age group. He told me to stay consistent and that I could pull off a good placing as long as I played it smart on the hills and minimized my walking.

Steve giving me the game plan straight.

This was exactly what I needed to hear as the calories I took in at special needs were starting to bring me back. I waved one last goodbye to the BTC and set off down the hill for one more, lonely, out-and-back on River Rd. With the problems I was experiencing, I thought that this was going to be a very difficult loop with a lot of walking. I blacked out most of the out and back but I know that I made it from aid station to aid station without walking. It was very difficult to get going again after walking but I didn't walk for more than 45 seconds at any station. My mile splits were starting to settle in around 10:30-11:00 and I decided to keep them there until the end and bring it home up the hill with whatever I had left. I made it to the bottom of River Rd. and started my ascent back into town. I knew Wills would be waiting for me at the bottom of Rich Clarke Hill and to my surprise, I found Charlie about a mile before I was expecting Wills. Charlie jogged next to me, took my mind off the pain my legs were experiencing, and was confirming that I was in second place with a little room to spare (turns out the tracker was wrong and I was actually 3rd). Charlie carried me through to the bottom of the hill and Wills ran up the hill with me. I ran the hill until it became a substantial effort, walked for a little bit, then returned to a slow jog near the top of the hill. 

Billy Boi has my back.

The words of encouragement I heard from the BTC and my support crew resonated through my head all the way around the Mirror Rd out-and-back. I used this section of road in along with my improved mental state to put the pressure on for the last two miles, dropping to an 8:30/mile pace to bring it home. The power the mind can have over the body is amazing. I ended up opening the gap to 3rd (actually 4th) place and thought that I had a chance of qualifying. Turns out I was 3rd and both of the athletes ahead of me ran under 3:20.


Final Result (11:09:04, 182nd OA, 3rd AG): I was extremely happy to see the finishing chute this year. Last year it was a chance for celebration, this year it was the end of the battle of my life. Never before have I had so much difficulty on a course, although Dunkirk F1 is a close second, although much shorter.

Final charge to the finish.

Lessons Learned:

• Making it into the lead swim group is a must!
• Ironman is no cake-walk. A lot can happen out there over the course of an 11 hour day and you need to have a plan for everything.
• I need a lot more work with nutrition on the bike. I need to take special attention to putting myself in uncomfortable situations in training so I can learn how to deal with them. If that means starting a long ride hungry and taking all my nutrition on the bike, so be it.
• Need more long rides with power so I can narrow in on my power numbers.
• I need work at holding onto wattage goals on continuous rides over 3 hours.
• I can always use more work in the hills on the bike.
• The focus of the next Ironman will be setting up a good run as my goals cannot be accomplished if I dig myself into a hole on the bike.
• Ironman marathons are not pretty when you don't have a long run for 6 weeks leading up to the race, stay healthy! It doesn't matter how fit you are two months out of the race if you develop an injury (Achilles).
• Ideally, have a few training partners in the race as it can get lonely out there without familiar faces on the course. IMLP 2011 was awesome with a ton of Buffalo guys. IMLP 2012 was a  bit on the lonely side on the course.

Overall, I am happy with my results, taking into consideration the headwinds experienced on the way back into Lake Placid and my nutritional failures. I am glad that I have had the opportunity to experience an Ironman where very little goes wrong and another where 7 hours of the day are a battle. I think that when a race does not go to plan, you have a chance to learn a lot more than you would in a situation where things go well. I certainly prefer to have a smooth race although I prefer to take the positive spin on IMLP 2012. I did not have the day I wanted to out there, a repeat of my time from 2011 would have secured a Kona spot, and the wheels fell off but if used correctly, these things will help me become a stronger, smarter athlete when I make my return to Lake Placid in 2014.

Perfect end to the weekend.

I would like to that everybody for the support on the course. I am not sure I would have made it without my support crew and the help I received from the BTC. You guys make these races a truly special experience that I will not soon forget. I also want to thank my training partners, friends, and family for the support I received after the race. Things really didn't go my way, I was not happy with my race, I failed to reach my goal, but I still had the time of my life in Lake Placid. There was no need for people to pick me up and put me back on my feet since they never let me fall down to begin with. One of my favorite comments came from a guy who knows all about what I experienced out there. In more or less words he told me that he could tell I left my heart out on the course and that he was proud of me. I completely agree with him. Ironman is a crazy sport, I thought it would take a much faster time to qualify, and I went for it. It didn't work out the way I planned but with a support crew like this, how can it really ever be that bad?

I have unfinished business in Lake Placid and have yet to put together a nice ride there. I'll be back many times over the coming year, starting in 2014 and you better believe I'll be ready to throw down with this beast! Until then, thanks again and it's time to recover and get ready for Ironman 70.3 World Championships! To my friends that volunteered and supported me, you know I'll return the favor in 2013 and I hope to join you in 2014.

Table of Contents, Long

It has been a long time since I have paid any attention to this blog. In that time many, many things have been going on. There are so many items I would like to touch upon that this blog is aptly named 'Table of Contents, Long'. That being said, feel free to check in for my ramblings on the following:
I. American Triple T - Ohio Race report.
II. Buffalo Marathon Race Report.
III. Keuka Lake Triathlon Race Report.
IV. Buffalo Bicycling Club Racing.
V. Endurance Monster Bike Fit/Cecilia Get a Makeover.
VI. New Training Tools.
VII. Syracuse 70.3 on the Horizon.
VIII. Lake Placid, Quickly Approaching.

I. American Triple T - Ohio Race report.
Early on May 18th, I packed up the car and picked Josh up in Hamburg for our trip down to Portsmouth, OH. I was so pleased with my buildup to Lake Placid last year, that I decided to change very little. That being said, a return trip to the American Triple T - Ohio was in order. It wasn't a very difficult decision to make as this race is hands down the best value event I have ever compete in. $300 for 4 races, hotel for two nights, and travel expenses; not bad at all! It turns out that next year will be even cheaper as I registered almost a year in advance with a discount code. Hats off to HFP Racing for putting together such an incredible event. If you’re looking for a great event for 2013, join me in Ohio: http://www.hfpracing.com/events/2012/american-triple-t
In 2011, I showed up to this race in, what I thought to be, tip-top shape. It was abruptly brought to my attention that there was a lot of work to do in the two months leading up to Lake Placid.
I decided to attack TTT slightly differently this time around. The goal was to race all 4 races as fast as possible, without walking on any of the run courses. My biggest asset was the 11-27 cassette I purchased leading up to Lake Placid last year. This cassette allowed me to repeat almost identical bike splits as 2011, without requiring a massive amount of power or any spikes. This approach allowed me to not only finish each run course, without walking, but to be competitive and race each run course (a plan I hope to mimic in Lake Placid in a few months). The highlight of the weekend, for me, was closing out the race with a 5:19 half ironman on an extremely difficult course, including a 1:46 half marathon trail run in the hills. The 1:46 was a much more pleasant way to top off the weekend than the 2:14 I ran/walked the year before. All in all, I was very pleased with my level of fitness and results from this weekend.

II. Buffalo Marathon Race Report.
A short week of recovery from TTT was combined with preparation for the Buffalo Marathon. I took a lot of heat from concerned training partners for this decision but I did it last year without issues and have yet to actually race the Buffalo Marathon. Heading into this race, I was extremely excited. I had been working a little bit with my friend Clint to get him ready for his marathon debut. My plan was to act as his Sherpa, taking care of nutrition and pacing, leaving him with nothing to think about besides running easy and staying smooth. The plan from the beginning was to walk 10-15 seconds at each water stop (every odd mile from mile 3 on) while sticking as close to 3:30 pace as possible. I have never been more impressed with an effort than I saw from Clint that day. He came into the event extremely prepared and had great results due to his preparation. I hope that he is now a subscriber to the training beliefs, “I’d rather suffer for months in training to enjoy my race, than show up unprepared and have a miserable experience.” Clint was not happy with me dragging him through some painful miles near the end but we crossed in 3:29, just under our goal. My favorite part about the race that Clint and I put together was the fact that instead of sharing a PR, Clint has me by 1 second. Excellent work Clint, but don’t get comfortable, I’m coming for you!

III. Keuka Lake Triathlon Race Report.
Early June brought on a race that I threw into the mix this year, the Keuka Lake Olympic distance triathlon. I had not competed in this race since 2009 and thought it was about time to get back and PR. This race was not an A race by any means, but I don’t show up to a race unless I’m willing to give it my best effort. I have tried to style my racing efforts after one of my running idols, Steve Prefontaine when he said “To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift.” Looking at the race from the outside in, I knew that the swim wasn’t going to be anything special since I hadn’t been in the water much in the weeks leading up to the race. I was swimming around 12,000 yards/week in April and the beginning of May, dropping off to 5,000 yards/week leading up to Keuka. There is no excuse for this, just lack of places to swim after I stopped courses at UB for the semester.
The swim was uneventful, as I got out front and swam alone all day. This is always a tough position for me because I know I can save a lot of time over other athletes here but it is rare that I am in a wave with people to work with. Swimming alone leaves me thinking, “Ok, there could be somebody in another wave so make sure you stay strong and smooth and put in a few good efforts before you get out of the water. After the swim was where the real fun started for me. I ended up getting my first penalty exiting the water and heading up the stairs. I won’t dive any further into this penalty than to say that I completely disagree with the wetsuit violation I received and the fact that it was a bizarre penalty, unlike a drafting penalty, I am going to pretend it never happened.
My transitions felt decent, but not anything special. Turns out, there were only a few faster, thanks American TTT for a weekend full of practice (12 transitions)!
Onto the bike, I wasn’t expecting anything near a PR. The courses had a good deal of climbing and I knew I wanted to ride between 1:05 and 1:10. My 1:09 was still an underperformance but I had my mind on something else the entire way; sub 40 10k. I was on good form for the Nickel City race last September and thought I would break 40 minutes at that race however some cramping brought me to a walk for a few minutes and I ended up between 40 and 41 minutes. I told myself the week leading up to this race that this was going to be the breakthrough race for me. I got off of the bike and got to business. I knew I had some work to do to be in contention of a podium spot so I started hammering out the miles slightly over 6:00 miles. I had never been here before and I was nervous about blowing up but I just kept telling myself to run smooth and to just work on getting to the 5k turn around. I figured that if I got to the 5k while staying smooth, that I could make it back no matter how much I had to force my legs to turn over. The night before the race, I vocalized my run plans to a few friends and I knew that at this point I was extremely serious about going for broke on the run as I usually keep my plans to myself. I told my friend Charlie that once I get into the groove and start feelings really speedy on a run course, my hat will be backwards and I will fall into a different world. Shortly after the turn around, as I’m ready to drop the hammer home, I see Charlie and he makes some comment about my hat being backwards and turns his backwards as he runs by me. I remember wanting to laugh or give him some sort of response/acknowledgement but to be honest, I was far too deep in the pain cave to do anything at that point. I made it out to the turn around in a 19:20 5k and there was no doubt in my mind that I could bring it back in 20:40; the only problem at this point was convincing my legs to keep it together for another 5k. After an eternity, I made it to the finish line and a huge smile spread across my face as I read 39:05 on my watch. I had figured out a mile out that something disastrous would need to happen in order to not break 40 so I started working on breaking 39, oh well, maybe next race ;).
Overall, I was a little short of my race goal of being under 2:10 but that was sort of an empty goal, not knowing how well I would be able to perform on the bike course since it had been so long since I raced this particular course. I was very pleased with my results although it was a little bitter-sweet being removed from the podium with my 2-minute penalty. Still good enough for 5th. I’ll be back to this course at some point since I have 5 seconds of unfinished business with the run course and far more with the bike course.

IV. Buffalo Bicycling Club Racing.
At the end of last season, I decided to start racing my road bike a little bit through the Buffalo Bicycle Club. I participated in the East Aurora Road Race (formerly Toyfest) and was instantly hooked. I love the strategy and the way that the races can be so unpredictable. My bike racing in the past was limited to “A tri in the Buff, hm. It’s a flat course with a few false flats. I’ve been 1:03, lets try for 1:02”. Road racing is almost completely absent minded as far as time goes. When is the last time anybody noticed how long it took cyclists to finish a stage race. It’s all about who makes the moves, which team plays out the best strategy, and who conserves the most energy without falling off the back. The smallest decisions, such as when to shift and which wheel to hold can make or break a race at any point throughout the, typically 30 mile race.
Getting on with it, I used some spring races as training events, hoping to pick up some more speed and had some decent results. I took 1^st in Category 5 at the Corfu West race, thanks to my teammate, Jon, who handed me the win and generously rolled in at second. I showed up to Langford a little “under the weather” after a bachelor party and finished 5^th. I hope I would have been in the mix if I was in a better place. From this race, I realized that I really need to work on my cornering as I cannot hold a wheel to save my life and end up having to sprint back on every time. Maybe a criterium would be good practice, who knows.
More recently, I raced an uphill TT on my road bike. 1.5 miles at an average grade of 7% with a 0.8 mile segment averaging almost 10% grade. This race was extremely difficult but it felt good to wake my legs up and get them moving again after a lot of long, steady miles on the bike in the past couple of weeks.
I followed this race up, three days later, with a 30 mile road race. In the days between, I had back to back 50+ mile rides and carried over 200 miles on my legs into the race. I knew I was strapped for time and that the event would most likely start late. I had thoughts of dropping out in my head as I knew my legs were beat down and that I had to make it to work by 11am. I made it through a very painful 3 out of 4 laps, at points feeling great and at other points, struggling to keep contact with the rear of the peloton. As we began the last lap, I knew the competitor in me would push into places I really don’t need to go right now so I made, what I believe to be, the correct decision to drop out of the race. I have never dropped out of a race before and I have heard horrible stories about the internal struggles of making this decisions. I did not find the decision to be very difficult since I knew I had huge races looming on the horizon and that I was doing damage to my legs that was not necessarily beneficial. I’m sure it helps that I dropped out of a local bike club training race as opposed to an Ironman or high scale race. At the same time, the level of effort I put into every race I compete in makes all of the races feel equally important to me. What it comes down to is that I know my plan in the grand scheme of things and this race did not have to be part of the plan. As much as I would have liked to hang onto the peloton and see how far I could dig into the pain cave, this race was not worth it. I’m sitting a month away from Lake Placid and that’s the basket all my eggs are being placed. I find that every race is an opportunity to learn and there is no better time to learn than when a race does not go as planned.

V. Endurance Monster Bike Fit/Cecilia Get a Makeover.
 BTC sponsor Endurance Monster offers a fit discount for members that I took advantage of after Keuka, hoping to squeeze every advantage out of my bike in Placid as possible. The end result was a much more comfortable fit and a makeover for my baby, Cecilia! I will not go into great detail on the bike fit as BTC present Charlie Watson does a great job explaining the process in the April-May 2012 newsletter found here.
As far as my number one lady, Cecilia, she has been updated with a nice new set of carbon aerobars and extensions, a new rear hydration tail, a Quarq powermeter, and a new placement for my Garmin 310 XT, throwing data in my face. She feels like a brand new bike and was even treated to brand new brake and derailleur cables. Now I just need to find some time to switch the left and right brakes as they are backwards but that was an entirely different adventure.

VI. New Training Tools.
As mentioned above, I have treated myself to a brand new Quarq powermeter. I have done a lot of research and patiently anticipated the Garmin Vector pedals but enough was enough. The Quarq has been proven to be reliable and simple to set up. I trust the numbers I am getting and I feel very fortunate to be able to add this weapon to my arsenal.
On a far less expensive note, I stumbled upon a tool I wish I had found during the winter months and it would have revolutionized the way I trained. I am so impressed with this software that I found myself purchasing it and sitting on my trainer in June, while the weather was beautiful outside. For those of you who have not heard yet, do yourself a favor and check out www.trainerroad.com as I cannot speak highly enough about this piece of software. Adding TrainerRoad to your training tools effectively gives you access to power data and workout capabilities similar to a CompuTrainer, without the $1500 price tag. For $10/month, you can completely change the way that you train and find yourself in the best shape you have ever been. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me as I currently use the software and would be happy to elaborate on how it works and the capabilities.
VII. Syracuse 70.3 on the Horizon.
 The past week or so, since Keuka, I have been dealing with some Achilles issues that are really putting me on edge for Lake Placid. I am nearing the end of a 10 day stretch without running, trying to heal this bad boy and I can say that two days have gone by without any pain whatsoever. While there is no pain, I have not used my left leg much in the past 10 days and things feel very strange in there. Although I am anxious to get out and test the leg, I am going to wait until Wednesday morning to run. I figure that giving it a few extra hours or days is better in the long run than disturbing it and ending up being off my feet any longer. I still have 4 weeks to nail down my run and I knew heading into the recovery process that my run has been on point. While the speed of the 10k in Keuka may have been the straw that broke the camels back, the results speak for themselves and I was not worried about heading into 10 days off of my feet. I have used the time to get some really quality bike sessions in and bring my swim back up to where it needs to be. It is just very hard for me to go 10 days without running as I typically run 3-5 times every week whether I’m training or not. I’m sure once I get back moving again, things will fall into place and I will feel silly for worrying so much. In the meantime, it is best to let things settle down and heal.
On another note, I am very much looking forward to watching the Syracuse 70.3 race. I am allowing myself to get excited about this race to distract my mind from thinking about Placid and my lack of running the past 10 days. It will be very nice to be on the other side of this race, spectating, for the first time since its inaugural year. I have tons of friends in the first 70.3 and many others looking to PR. I am looking forward to coaching my friends from the sidelines and returning the support of the BTC, who has supported me in every race I have done since they knew my name. It should be a lot of fun to watch my friends battle it out in the 20-24 age group and even far more exciting to know that there are 100 Vegas slots up for grabs. I have a good feeling that a lot of people who have been chasing slots will be rewarded for their hard work at this race. It could never hurt to see a few more friendly face in the desert!

 VIII. Lake Placid, Quickly Approaching.
 I have spent my recovery day sitting on the computer, updating this blog. Now it is time to begin carrying out my cutdown and taper for Ironman Lake Placid. The dreams have started and are increasing with frequency, some extremely motivating, some extremely disturbing. I know that I will be ready to race July 22 although right now it feels like there is still a lot of work to do. I have very big plans for this race and it is extremely difficult to keep focused and positive when my plan isn’t going exactly as I wish it were. I know I have put in a lot more work, and smarter work, than last year. I also know that I will be prepared to go to battle in a few short weeks. Although I am nervous and starting to second guess myself, I know that I made decisions based on what I thought was best for me in the long run. I have been focused on this goal since November and have remained dedicated and consistent in my training. I am prepared, the only battle left is the one I face in my head.

Promising Start at Triple T

The 2012 season kicked off with a weekend packed full of races in Ohio. I traveled down to Portsmouth, OH early Friday morning to take another stab at The American Triple T - Ohio. I raced this event last year, as a far less experienced long distance triathlete. The event consists of a super sprint triathlon (250m swim, 4 mile bike, 1 mile run) Friday afternoon. Saturday promises to grind you down with morning AND afternoon Olympic distance triathlons (AM: 1500m swim, 25 mi bike, 6.55 mi run. PM: 25mi bike, 1500m swim, 6.55 mi run). If you make it through the first two days, you're in good shape as all you have left is an extremely challenging half Ironman triathlon (1.2 mi swim, 56 mi bike, 13.1 mi run) on Sunday. These races combine to be a touch longer than Ironman distance.
Many people consider this race tougher than an Ironman and I have to agree due to the nature of the event. Seeing that participants compete in 4 triathlons in the span of 40 hours nutrition, pacing, muscle soreness and cumulative fatigue become major issues. It's easy to get caught up in the atmosphere and  race the shorter events, leaving your body destroyed by the time Sunday rolls around, something I was lucky enough to experience in the 2011 race. Let's not forget that each unique bike course rolls through hill after hill, each feeling tougher than the last. The run is no picnic, being the same rolling 6.55 mile out and back trail run all weekend.
I competed in this race in 2011 as part of my buildup for Lake Placid Ironman. I figured that I could test my limits a little bit while also getting a solid weekend in. The race ended up being my most difficult event of 2011.
My return in 2012 was accompanied by a different racing strategy a very high level of fitness, and most importantly an 11-27 cassette to help me spin up the hills. I decided to race the first three races thinking of nothing other than the run on Sunday, hoping to redeem myself from a painful 2:12 half marathon from the previous year. I had a goal of not walking and also being competitive in the overall race results. Triple T draws a crowd of incredible athletes including age group Ironman champions and, this year, elite and professional triathletes.
I made it through Friday and Saturday, quicker than last year and feeling great. My worst race came Saturday night where I did not eat enough between Olympic triathlons and started the PM race under-fueled and hungry. I dragged myself through the race, adding ten minutes to my time from the morning, and started to worry that I might have dug too far into the reserves to have a good Sunday 70.3. I decided to forget about the race and chalk it up to poor nutrition and refueled as well as i could to bounce back Sunday.
In 2011, I came out of the gates swinging hard for the 70.3 I had a fine swim then rode through the first 28 miles of hills in 1:29, crashing on the second lap for a bike time of 3:06. My plan this year was to make it through the swim without issues, ride the first lap of the bike easy, work the second half, and repeat the strategy on the run. I got nervous when my first lap of the bike was 1:34 but I stuck to the plan, started to work the second half of the bike and ended up negative splitting the ride by about 4 minutes, leaving me fresh to run and ahead of my bike time from last year. At this point in the weekend, I had not resorted to walking on any of the run courses and I didn't plan on starting now. I rolled out the first 3.27 miles easy, working on keeping my body cool, my heart rate under 160, and getting some liquids down. I immediately fell into a good rhythm and ran my first loop of the run in 54 minutes. I felt pretty good and decided to start to go to work on the second loop of the run. Up and down the hills, I ran, keeping my heart rate under 165 and starting to work the downhill segments. I made it to the turn around, greeted by a monster climb and let it rip from the top of the course to the finish. My run was also negative split by 4 minutes, and was faster than my run in the Olympic the night before.
Throughout the entire weekend, I had been swimming and riding away from a guy, Andrew, in my rack, then I would try to hold my lead on the run. He ran me down most races, I decided that this was not going to be one of those times.  I started to really let the legs open after he told me he was coming for me on the last loop of the run. Inevitably, he caught me but it was 500 ft from the finish. I switched on my sprinter cap from my days as a 400 runner and told him I wasn't going to let him have it that easy. We had a blistering finish dropping from 6:30 miles to an all out sprint for the line, where we crossed side-by-side, laughing and congratulating each other. The joke was on me as the race was a time trial start and he started behind me but we both knew this and had fun with it. We met Friday night and joked that we would be side by side all weekend. Ironically, we started and finished side by side which was a perfect finish to the weekend.
Digesting the races, I am absolutely stoked about where I am at this point in my season. I had a hard 7 hour brick a week before Triple T, trained 6 hours the week leading up to the race, and only rested one day before the race. To be able to race hard all weekend, racing faster than I had last year at this race, and finishing strong with a 1:46 trail half marathon leaves me feeling great about what is to come.
Next up is the Buffalo Marathon on Sunday, then Keuka Lake Triathlon the following weekend. The plan is not to get too caught up in these races as they are nothing more than training events for greater things to come. I look forward to working with Clint on his first marathon and watching Billy Boy crank out his first marathon outside of Ironman (crazy Bill).
Until then, I will rest up and get some easy miles in on the bike.

Become comfortable being uncomfortable.

Choose Your Focus

Entering this season, I thought I had things figured out. For the first time in my triathlon career, I had a clear, focused, plan set in place. I scheduled training around projected A races, B races and events I would like to train through. I began implementing this plan and things were going great. I was gaining my fitness back more quickly than I ever anticipated and my running was starting to reach a level it had never been before. The winter months flew by and I found myself starting to test my fitness in February with hard workouts. Unfortunately, February was also the month that my body decided it needed a break. The hours of long miles were catching up to me and I found it very difficult to focus on my workouts. I was starting to dread the cycle I had been following since November. My body was recovering slowly and I was much sorer than I should have been. It didn’t help that my mental state was an absolute mess. I was missing hanging out with friends and hated waiting all week for the weekend to come around.

I decided to turn the block into a get back to basics block. I trained when I wanted to and didn’t stress about volume or getting certain workouts in.  After all, it was only February, training had been going well, and I knew I didn’t have any serious races until July. I made it through the block without the normal stresses that accompany hard training blocks. I kept a few key workouts in my schedule and spent a lot of time seeing friends and getting my head straight. It really helped me to take some of the weight off of my shoulders and prepare myself for another long push to May. This block also helped me refocus my goals for training as well as life. My major realization from the break was the following: You can train endlessly and earn great results but it means nothing if you don’t have anybody to share the experiences with. Keeping this in mind, I will try my best to keep my friends closer and work on developing stronger relationships with the people that are close to me as well as new people I meet along my journey. I know what I want in life and I know that as long as I can control it, I will pursue it with everything I have to offer. 

Using Resources

Training is in full swing and I find myself becoming a creature of habit. During the long winter months, it can be hard to find exciting workouts when you are limited to pool swims, trainer rides, slippery outdoor rides, slow snow runs and weight training. No races are in sight and the goal of training now is to create a stable base to support the efforts I will demand from my body later in the season. During this drudgery, I do my best to remain positive. I’m into block three injury free, training well and I have a good feeling about the direction I’m heading. Yet, it feels as though the structure of each week remains rather unremarkable.

Due to recent events in my life, I am reminded that change is necessary and often out of my control. There are situations I have encountered that I cannot change and am left with no other choice but to adapt. While change can be uncomfortable and take some time to get used to, it is a necessity in order to become a stronger, wiser person. A parallel ideology exists in what I am most familiar with, triathlon training. If we become complacent, we limit our potential to grow as an athlete. In life, if we refuse to take chances, we fail to gain experiences that help us grow.

These changes can often be overwhelming when dealt with on an individual level. It is times like these that my support structures become invaluable to me. In my training, I have a seasonal plan to rely on. I wish to keep things fresh while gaining fitness and I decided to explore new, winter activities. Instead of slogging through miles on the road, I’ll throw on the snowshoes and hit the XC course. This past weekend, I found out that XC skiing is a lot more enjoyable on groomed trails. Once I develop my technique, there is potential to focus on a different sport which complements my long term goals. I am also very interested in learning more about speedskating and have plans to check out the Buffalo Speedskating Club.

In life, my friends and family are my support structures. I am very much an over-thinker and it helps me to share my thoughts with people close to me in order to figure out where I am and where I’d like to go. I have often felt like my incessant inquiries to these people can become a bit of a burden but then I stop and look at the big picture. The people that are closest to me know me for who I am. They have remained by my side through thick and thin and I like to think I have done the same for them. People go through dark lows in their lives, but is with the help of true friends that we turn those times into opportunities to develop and reach highs we never thought were possible.

While times and decisions may not always be easy, it is the difficult times that help us identify the people who are worth having by our side. The tough stretches will yield to much better stretches but in the meantime, it is important to reconnect with the people that really mean something. In whatever respect you wish to apply these ideas, find out what is important, use it to define yourself and hold onto it.

-Live outside your comfort zone.