My Best Run: Why I Tri

It's 7:30 pm on a Tuesday night and I am just settling into the beginning of a 2:10 brick. The workout itself was a typical weekday session: Ride 1:35 @ Z1 with two 30 minute, low cadence, efforts in Z2 followed by a 0:30 run @ Z1 with the first mile @ Z2.

The ride went extremely well and I was finally able to realize some of the power gains I have been making as this was my first power session where I was allowed to exceed Z1. Happy with the results of the ride, I threw on some running gear and went to put my Garmin outside while I put on my shoes. Immedaitely upon opening the door, I saw it was thundering, lightening, and absolutely pouring rain; a realization I had missed over my blaring music in my basement. At that moment, I knew there were three directions this workout could go.

Seeing that it was already past 9:00pm, I could have easily jumped in the shower and climbed in bed at a decent hour. If you know anything about me and my level of commitment to this racing season, skipping the run was never anything more than merely a fantasy that would never come to fruition, leaving me with two options based purely on the attitude I chose to carry through the run. I could have felt sorry for myself, trudged through the slop, and had a purely miserable time. Instead, I threw on some old running shoes, a rain jacket, and a headlamp and bounded outside, allowing myself to open up to the top of Z2 in my first mile.
If you read my most recent post, Base Phase Finally Completed, you might expect me to dissect my performance in this run and report on some substantial breakthrough I had regarding heart rate or mile pace. Take a look at the Garmin file, you won't find anything spectacular happening performance wise.

Did I have great splits?

I was happy to open up my stride a little bit and have a decent mile but I have certainly run much faster off the bike. It was nice to see my HR in check off of a hard bike workout for the first time this season. Otherwise, that first mile had a nice downhill section and the rest of the run at Z1 was unimpressive.

Did the weather play a role in my enjoyment?

Remember that it was 45 degrees, pouring rain (0.53 in), wind gusts up to 38 mph, and 9:xx pm on a weeknight. When I finished the run, I couldn't have been more drenched had I jumped in the pool. My shoes weighed 5lbs each, my hands were very cold, and I could have itched a whole through my skin from the road chemicals coating my body. The weather had nothing more to do with the workout than the opportunity it afforded me to think about simpler things in life like splashing through puddles as a child.

Was the route special?

In no way, shape, or form was this route anything special. It consisted of 9 turns which followed a somewhat rectangular route, commencing exactly where it terminated, on roads I traverse daily. That is all.

What was it that inspired a blog entry the day after the last entry?
I have always used exercise as a stress relief tool. Nothing clears my mind like being alone with the road and my thoughts. The greatest part about this time I cherish so much is that often times, solutions to problems jump into my mind without consciously weighing in on them. I cannot tell you how many times the solution to a math problem set appeared to me while on a run. It became a tempo run to get home and record my thoughts before they escaped me. As a matter of fact, I wrote the majority of this post in my head while I was on the road last night.

The past year of my life has been a pivotal one to say the least. I have finished my graduate studies, I am pursuing a career as a teacher most likely far South of New York and I have lost one of my closest friends during what was supposed to be one of the greatest experiences of my life. In September of 2011, I tapered for Ironman Syracuse 70.3 and snagged a qualifying slot for the Ironman 70.3 World Championships in Las Vegas. Weeks before the race, my varsity swimming coach was in an accident which eventually claimed his life. I sat poolside in Vegas, balling my eyes out on the phone with my friends and family after hearing the news that his condition was worsening and that we were probably going to lose him. Being so far from home feeling selfish for being on this wonderful trip made me feel guilty and selfish for going to the race under the circumstances back home. Two days before the race, I was crushed and could care less about the race or my performance. I have to throw a big thank you out to my friends and family for reminding me of something that I knew in the back of my mind the entire time.
I started this journey with Coach at the Musselman Half-Iron triathlon in Geneva. We were both competing in our first half, scared out of our minds as we had never attempted anything so crazy. We trained together and discussed strategies for completing the race successfully. Eerily enough, although we were nowhere near each other on the bike course, our bike splits were only separated by 7 seconds. I like to think that we rode together, just in separate locations, an idea that I hold on to and use as a coping mechanism. That year, it poured in Musselman and I thought it was only fitting that it was pouring as I mulled these things over in my head on the run last night.
My friends and family reminded me that Coach raced triathlon and shared the sport with me because it was one of the many thing she truly loved. Talking to his family, his love for the sport is apparent in the stories of the crazy hours he would wake up to fit training in to his busy schedule. I thought back to all the times he would shift around his schedule just so we could get out for an hour on the bike and enjoy the nice day, chatting about anything that came across our minds.
After a few phone calls, I decided that I had to be in Vegas, I had to go through with this race, and I needed to do it with a purpose. Coach would want me to have this experience and he would love to hear all about the results no matter how the race went for me.
Turns out I had a terrible race but I felt Coach with me through the hilly bike course, and 114 degree run course. I didn't want to be out there, I didn't want to suffer in the heat, and I certainly didn't want to drag myself through another run loop but Coach kept me going. I finished the race for Coach and all those who are not fortunate enough to be able to participate in this wonderful sport.
Fast forward a few months, and I find myself in the middle of a very focused build to Ironman Mont-Tremblant. My hectic schedule has left my days packed from the moment I wake up past the time I'd like to go to bed. I am coaching, teaching, and adding roughly 20 hours of training into the grind. I rarely have time to see my friends as my weekends involve 8+ hours of workouts and even more planning and equipment upkeep hours.
This level of commitment does not go unnoticed and I have been asked the same simple question incessantly:


Why are you doing this?
I knew triathlon was something important to me and that the goals I have set are meaningful. I knew physical fitness was important to me and that racing is a passion I share with a lot of great friends. I also knew that training and racing was something I used to love to share with Coach and my other friends. Nothing is more memorable than a road trip to some ridiculous test of human endurance and sharing stories the whole way back. When you share these experiences with people, you get a better understanding for who they are, seeing them at their rawest form, and appreciate the struggles they have overcome.
Last night, on my run, my answer to the question, why do I race?, came flowing to me like the water I was slopping through on the side of the road.

I race for Coach. I race because it is what Coach loved to do. I race and coach racing to carry on Coach's legacy. I race to remember the times we have shared and the person he has helped mold me into. I race because I enjoy the thrill of competition. Most importantly, I race to enjoy the fact that I am able to while there are many people who are unable. I remind myself why I race every day as I carry around my favorite picture of Coach and me. I keep a picture of Coach in my bike box, I carry him around on my clipboard, I have him in a frame on my desk,and my bike is the loudest green I have ever seen in my life to support Grant's Gang. If I ever doubt why I am running through the rain or bundling up to go out for a ride when it's snowing, a reminder of my reasons for getting out there is never far away.

To me, triathlon is much more than pushing your body to the limit and suffering through misery. It's creating goals for yourself and developing a healthy lifestyle to help achieve those goals. It's learning how to become comfortable dealing with uncomfortable situations and coming out the other side a stronger, wiser person. Triathlon teaches me that situations can be experienced a number of different ways  Triathlon provides a temporary escape from the problems in my life and acts as a tool to help devise a solution to those problems. Triathlon acts as a facilitator to meet great people who share my passion. Triathlon makes me a saner, more levelheaded person.

I have big goals for the 2013 season, which I will keep to myself. More-so than any season before, these goals are not lofty ideas that I hope to be able to accomplish at some point without an idea how to bridge the gap from my current self to my ideal self. My goals this season were developed from past results, are verified by my training, and have become my expectation. Anything less is unacceptable as I know these are things I can accomplish this season.

At the end of the day, I can hang my hat on the idea that, chances are, none of my competitors were willing to go outside in a thunderstorm, in the pouring 45 degree rain, until 9:40pm to finish up a simple 0:35 run off the bike. This is the type of dedication I have assumed. When it comes time to drop the hammer with an hour left in Ironman Mont-Tremblant I will have the satisfaction of knowing that I have put in the work and I am capable of bringing it home hard. Even more comforting is knowing that Coach will be with me the entire way, protecting me and carrying me through any misfortunes that find me. It breaks my heart knowing he will not be there to greet me at the finish line or help me sort out what happened on the course. I will have to accept the fact that he will be with me every step of the way in spirit, just as he was in Vegas.

In the words of this wonderful role model, coach, mentor, and friend:

"Let's get after it, Danny!"

Minutes after crossing the finish line at IMLP 2011,
Coach's was the first familiar face I saw.
As always, sporting his infectious smile.

Base Phase Finally Completed!

This is the first season I have really followed strict guidelines for periodized training. I started the first of my base phases January 6 and followed my plan as closely as possible. If I weren't already, I became a master of time management packing my days full of teaching, taking graduate classes, training and acting as head coach of the Alden Varsity Swimming and Diving team. It was a miracle that some of the workouts were achieved. For a while, the only time I ran in the daylight was on the weekends. Every single weekday run I completed required a headlamp which was promptly traded for my bed sheets by the time the workouts was over.


The basic structure of my blocks are three weeks of building followed by a recovery week. At the end of each recovery week is a race to assess fitness gains. Three phases into my plan, I have been training for 12 weeks, have completed 3 running races (5k, 8k, 10k respectively) and am very much looking forward to some more exciting and taxing workouts. I'm sure I will be eating those words in no time at all as my zones creep beyond Z1.
I have never spent all my time training in specific heart rate zones and it was amazing to see the changes in my body throughout the first 12 weeks. At the start of training, I hauled my body, plump from a long hibernation, onto my Withings scale and was appalled to see the damage: 183.2 lbs, 12% of which were body fat. I started to drag myself through workouts, excited to properly build an aerobic base for perhaps the first time in my life. I was absolutely astounded to see that 8 weeks in my weight dropped to near race weight: about 173 lbs and 8% body fat. At one point, I recorded metrics of 170.4 lbs and 7.4% body fat. Never before have I been so sleek this early in the season; a fact that I am reminded of as I shivered my way  through the winter and continued to do so in March.

Swim: 16:52:35 / 51350 yds        4280 yds/wk
Having a background in collegiate swimming, I am used to pounding through 13,000 meters/day (roughly 8 miles)  over training trip in January. With respect to the training I know my body can handle, my swimming in base has been an absolute joke. With a total of 51,350 yards in 12 weeks, averaging 4280 yards/week, the pool and I have grown apart. 51,000 yards was a very manageable volume to swim weekly in college and 4000 yards used to be the point in a practice where my body finally started to loosen up and get ready for the hard sets. I understand that triathlon training and competitive swimming are a light-year apart, although I am very surprised with how smooth, balanced, and powerful I feel in the water despite my lack of time spent there. I most recently recorded a 4:21 400 yard TT where I negative split the swim, something I rarely do at max effort. This is a far cry from the 5:15 500s I used to repeat in sets, although this fitness has been achieved without intervals, speedwork, and obviously few hours logged in the pool. The swim is not something I am worried about at all in my races, I'm just glad to see it isn't completely vanishing despite my neglect of training in the water. Come August, I fully expect to see anything from 52-57 despite the condition I show up in. I'll let the rest take care of itself from here.

Bike: 83:54:32 / 1431.42 mi.     119.29 mi/wk 
Indoor cycling has taken on a whole new meaning for me this winter. I used to think that 3 hours in a week, done as three one-hour sessions was adequate. Once in my life prior to this winter I had suffered through 3 hours on the trainer and decided never to do that again and froze outside. I made sure I had the correct equipment this Winter. Many people get hung up on equipment and I am certainly one of them although I truly believe that with the right indoor setup, trainer workouts can be very enjoyable. Of my 1400 miles completed in base, I have only been outside three times, totaling roughly 150 miles. That left roughly 1300 miles on the trainer in 2013. If I can go as far as to consider myself a trainer veteran, I have a few suggestions to make your time spent spinning more enjoyable.
First and foremost, a nice, smooth, solid trainer is a must. The Kurt Kinetic continues to earn my seal of approval each and every time I lock into it. This trainer is expensive when purchased at retail, thank you chainlove (throwback!), but it is completely worth it if you plan to spend any kind of time on the trainer. The base is so solid that it doesn't even think about moving while I am pumping 1000+ watts into it during intervals.The flywheel is smooth and unlike any other trainer I have had the displeasure of using.First and foremost, a nice, smooth, solid trainer is a must. The Kurt Kinetic continues to earn my seal of approval each and every time I lock into it. This trainer is expensive when purchased at retail, thank you chainlove (throwback!), but it is completely worth it if you plan to spend any kind of time on the trainer. The base is so solid that it doesn't even think about moving while I am pumping 1000+ watts into it during intervals.The flywheel is smooth and unlike any other trainer I have had the displeasure of using.

In order to avoid scratching your eyeballs out and banging your head against your aerobars, entertainment is a must! I turned my basement into a multimedia command station that I can control via a bluetooth mouse without coming close to leaving the trainer. I can access Spotify, Netflix, movies on my computer, TrainerRoad, the television, bumping speakers, blacklights, and for a short while, Google+ Hangouts but more on that in a moment. It's amazing how a change in stimulus can help a rough hour or two in a four-hour ride pass.
One of the major keys in staying focused on my workout and not my misery was setting up a whiteboard with my goals and protocols for each workout. On my whitebaord, I include heart rate goals, low cadence efforts, 30-second pickups in all workouts over 1:00 and sometimes quotes. A 2:10 ride, which has happened more weekdays than I want to know, feels like 45 minutes when you're focused on keeping yourself in check, following the Sabres game, and setting up songs for intermission.
My most important trainer tip is to find company whether virtually or in real life. For a while, the Buffalo Triathlon Club had a number of members who logged onto Google+ Hangouts Thursday nights at 7pm so we could chat as we worked through our workouts. It was kind of a silly setup but it was really nice to know that other people were out there putting work in with you. The outfits, virtual props, and encouragement through tough intervals were also very much appreciated. While those sessions eventually faded out for whatever reason, they allowed me to become consistent and learn how to enjoy myself on the trainer. It also helps that two of my friends have their trainers and bikes set up in my basement and they like to jump on my on a regular basis.
Before I knew it, I was completing four-hour sessions, calling 2 hour weekday sessions "quick rides", and finding myself excited to jump on the trainer to hang out with some tunes and training partners. I was a little shocked to see that on a consistent basis, I was putting in 8-10 trainer hours per week. These hours are hours I will never get back in my life but I am sure that they will be very much appreciated once the racing season is upon us and I'm laying down some sexy numbers on the bike. The addition of a new member in my fleet of bikes will play a major role in my racing this year. She has been flawless so far and spoke her name during her first ride outside, GrAce!

Run: 46:10:55 / 334.14 mi.       27.85 mi/wk
The running volume has somewhat snuck up on me. Last season I was consistently running 35-45 miles per week from December through May. Those miles took a tole on my body and left my injured through October. My workouts are based on time this year and I'm rarely paying attention to how far I am running. A few weeks into my training, I realized that I was running 30+ miles per week and it felt like nothing. A focus on time, HR and most importantly running mechanics, has left me feeling happier, fitter, and much more healthy than previous seasons. My RunSmart analysis allowed me to focus on a few areas of my running to improve speed and resilience to injury. Running still feels the same (striking pavement, muscle stress, etc) however I can now tell how I am carrying the load of my body and I know what to look for to make sure I am not tearing down my joints. The new running form I have been practicing allows my calves to take the brute of the force instead of my knees and ankles. Obviously, this lead to more muscle soreness through the calves while adapting. By design, it also allowed my knees and Achilles tendon to heal and remain stress free.
The volume is sure to increase during my build phase but I am most pleased with how well my body is adjusting now that I have a proper aerobic base. During a typical training run of about 10 miles my heart rate used to hover around the 150 mark and I'd run roughly 8:00 miles. Now that I have rebuilt my base, I can run sub 8 minute miles over the course of a 90 minute run without my heart rate ever exceeding 146. When my heart rate climbs to 156, the pace looks more like 7:15-7:30. I have a long way to go to reach the level of some of my teammates who can run 6:50 miles in zone 1 but I also understand that my zones are a bit lower than theirs so I may never achieve those speeds in zone 1 but I will be able to match it at the same HR at some point.
The race schedule has been finalized and can be found on this blog. It was a tough decision but I decided to bite the bullet and race Rev3 Williamsburg, VA on June 23rd. I have heard great things about the Rev3 races and look forward to testing my fitness against a strong field. It is a little disappointing that the bike course is longer than your typical Intermediate race at 28 miles. I would have liked to look for a PR at the distance but I will have to compared results based on pace. I expect to be at an entirely different level of fitness by this race and shouldn't have a problem laying down a good race even considering I will not have more than a few days rest heading into it.

2013 Race Schedule

The past few seasons, I have participated in upwards of 10 races each year, some years as high as 14. The races were events I wanted to try, have previously done and liked, or courses I have had unfinished business with. This season, I have a much more focused training approach with better periodization than I have practiced in the past. My races and my training plan are synced so that I typically race at the end of each 4 week block, at the end of a recovery week. Choosing races this way has it's benefits and it's downfalls. I like the fact that I get a chance to culminate each block with a staple event. Ideally, this allows me to take inventory of the gains I have made throughout the block and throughout the training plan in general. I am not exactly thrilled about the fact that I race with quite a bit of garbage accumulated in my legs. I noticed a considerable slowdown in my Shamrock run of 2013 compared to 2012, however I also realize that I was far less rested, the weather was completely different, and my performance at that race is not a major priority in my season plan. I try to look through the negative aspects and see the ultimate goal, racing FAST in Musselman and Ironman Mont-Tremblant. Everything else leading up to that is nothing more than a stepping stone along the path.

I have between eight and ten major events on the schedule this year. Six of them are set in stone, and four of them are ideas I am trying to make a reality.

Mr. Ed's Superbowl 5K: Race (18:46/4th OA/2nd AG) Results
I have never raced Mr. Ed's before and didn't have time to scout the course so it was interesting racing it blind. I thought it might be almost entirely flat, being  near the canal so I went out fast. I didn't expect to find a monster hill halfway through the course, so I was in the hurt locker after  for the remainder of the race. I was pleased with the effort i put forth, but after base 1, the speed most certainly was not there.
This was my last race in the 20-24 AG, time to race with the big boys!

Shamrock Run 8K: Race (31:15/65th OA/11 AG) Results
I raced Shamrock last year and the course was cut short due to a power line falling the morning of the race. I projected my 2012 finish time to be around 29:15 so my performance this year was far below my expectations. It was extremely cold and I ended up with a cold. Whether or not the cold was setting in before the race or not will never be known but I know I didn't prepare for this race correctly. I also got caught up in the commotion and went out far too fast, putting myself in oxygen debt for the final two miles. The poor performance was due mostly to an incorrect approach and pacing strategy. I suppose early season racing, if good for nothing else, is a chance to get those mistakes out of the way.

3/30: Some sort of 10K. Race
I got a few guys together and we ran an informal 10k along the time trial course at the Northtown brick site. It was a great course and I plan to test there again. Knowing other people were laying down a solid effort helped. The race itself was almost a PR which I'll take as my PR was set last year after a lot of speedwork. This year I have not even started speedwork yet. There is something to this QT2 system!

4/13: Dumbass Numbass:
An informal event run by nutcase members of the Buffalo Triathlon Club, we will attempt 10 laps of Grand Island. This event should total around 210 miles of cycling, in team TT formation.Sub 10-hours, here we come!

5/17-5/19: American Triple T - Ohio: Race
Racing as partners with Charlie "Whiteout" Watts-son.

5/26: Buffalo Marathon: Race
Pacing a 4-hour group. Let me know if you want to join.

6/23: Rev 3 Williamsburg - Intermediate: Race
Racing the intermediate distance and checking out North Carolina.

7/14: Musselman Half-Iron: Race
Returning to Musselman to take a shot at the 4:30 mark. I last raced here in 2009.

8/18: Ironman Mont-Tremblant: Race
This will be the big show!

Fall Marathon?
I will race only if I believe I have a shot at a Boston qualification. It's a maybe!

Thanks for following and I will check in to update results as they occur.

2013 Arsenal: Weapons Added

It has been a while since I took the time to sit down and record my thought on training and racing. The winter months aren't very exciting, leaving me with little to comment about. The break in the weather and the thought of the 2013 season approaching find me far more inspired than years past.
The completion of my graduate studies have left things up in the air, with a few close calls in the months of February and March. The plan was to finish my master's degree, seek a permanent teaching position, and move out of state if it were required.
I graduated from UB in December and knew the job market for teaching in NY was garbage so I began to look out of state. For some reason, North Carolina seemed particularly appealing and I submitted applications to all the vacant positions I could find. I also took a look at the Virginia  Beach area, trying to land a job near Rusty Cat. Virginia Beach didn't have much going on but I received a job offer in Jacksonville, NC right away and chose to decline the position. After scoping out the area and the school, it did not feel like a good fit for me. A few weeks later, I received an offer from Wendell, NC located just East of Raleigh. This position appeared to be my dream position. 7th grade classroom, awesome location, great schedule, cooperative staff and administration, etc. The fact that the offer was late in the year, February, the county is not allowed to offer permanent contracts. It seemed like far too big of a risk to accept a position that could only be temporary, far away from home, when I have to be in NY racing all summer anyway. I decided to sit things out and wait until next school year - stress averted.

On to he racing side of things, I believe that I have a few weapons in my arsenal for the upcoming season.  I decided to start working with QT2 Systems at the end of the 2012 season. I have always coached myself and believed that I had a solid understanding of training principles and a fair amount of experience with the sport and its distinct disciplines however, I decided that it couldn't hurt to see if there was anything I could learn and I'm glad I did. QT2 is helping me see how the entire picture falls into place.

QT2 Systems Training Protocals:

QT2 is a company out of Boston, MA which specializes in training endurance athletes. I was first turned onto them from some local athletes who have worked with them and decided to bite the bullet after watching their athletes perform at Ironman Lake Placid. Not only did they have a number of professional athletes racing extremely well, their age group athletes were putting in phenomenal races. The biggest selling point for me was the fact that all of their athletes reported seemed to have the same story, "QT2 does things slightly differently but if you are patient and adhere to the protocols, your efficiency will improve tremendously."
I began working with them in early January, after a two month hibernation and a one month prep phase.I knew my aerobic system had some holes in it and I was looking for QT2 to make the system sound. Immediately after receiving my training zones, I realized that I was really going to have to slow things down in my base phase. I started running my Z1 Efforts around 8:00 and within the first month, the paces had dropped to sub-7 miles. After my first race, the zones were adjusted to lower heart rates and I noticed the same effect again. An intial slowdown, keeping my HR in zone, led to the paces coming down at the prescribed heart rates. 10 weeks into my plan, I am running sub-8 miles and my engine is barely even turned on (HR 136-146). I'm sure that with time, these paces will continue to drop, as their goal is to become as fast and efficient in these zones as possible by race day.
Early March left me dealing with a cold for a little over a week so it was hard to see gains in my fitness although things are really starting to fall into place now that I have kicked the cold. My power is increasing dramatically on the bike in my zones and my running paces are starting to come down more. I believe in this system and cannot wait to see the results in Musselman and Ironman Mont-Tremblant. I have seen, firsthand, the damage that QT2 athletes deliver at races, and I cannot wait to be a part of that mayhem.
In March, I have already dropped to racing weight, and my body composition seems to be changing drastically.

RunSmart Running Analysis:

My  2012 season was plagued with injury. In my early season training, I had patellar tendonitis. Later in the season, I developed some Achilles issues which stayed with me through Ironman Lake Placid, Ironman 70.3 World Championships in Vegas, Pain in the Alleghanies, and The Great Lakes 100 Mile Triathlon. The injury is not to say that I couldn't run or that I was not pleased with some of the run splits I recorded in the late season however I do believe it impacted my training and created a ceiling for my race potential. I had attributed the injuries to not taking the time to stretch frequently enough, but I am now convinced the issues were directly related to running form.
I took advantage of a Black Friday deal with RunSmart. Since I was planning on getting an analysis at some point, the deal made the opportunity one I could not pass up. I recorded my running form and sent it into Steve Gonser who quickly analyzed it and get back to me with detailed instructions on improvements I could make. Through his video tutorial session, he taught me to pay attention to things I had never looked for in a running stride. Being a math brain, I appreciated the way he used physics and clear explanations to describe the different forces acting on the foot, leg, body, and how we can tweak our run form to not only limit the braking forces, but to maximize our efficiency and work with the ground and our bodies to run fast.
A single 30 minute session based on a 30 second clip of my running form showed me that I was overstriding and lacked knee drive and trunk rotation. It was interesting to see that my footstrike was considerably different on opposite feet. I have been working on the tips that Steve gave me and I never feel any issues with my knees or Achilles. The changes in my running form allow my body to support itself through the muscular system instead of the skeletal system, as I used to put a lot of stress on my bones. I am intrigued to see how my running improves, especially at longer distances, while keeping Steve's pointers in mind. If you have never had a running analysis, get one! I was a runner all my life as a soccer player, track athlete, cross country athlete, and triathlete. It's unbelievable to see and feel the changes that one session of running analysis can make.
Big shout out to Steve Gonser at RunSmart for all of his help and a happier, stronger, injury-free version of me!

Trek Speed Concept 9 Series:

My final weapon for the upcoming season is one of the most exciting, I mean, who doesn't love a new bike? The number one woman in my life, Cecilia, is no longer happy with me due to the fact that I've been spending a lot of time with her new, younger brother; who has yet to be named. As everybody knows, it will take at least one desolate outdoor ride in the countryside before my new steed whispers it's name from underneath me. I have a few more adjustments to make until I can cruise down the pavement with my new ride but that day is quickly approaching.
I found my new Trek Speed Concept 9.5 at a fantastic price and bought it on somewhat of an impulse. I knew that an XL speed concept frame is comparable to a 58, which is a tad on the large side for me but the amount of adjustment on the bike allowed me to dial in my position and the bike feels great. I will always have an issue dragging around excess frame from a weight perspective, although I understand that this bike is an upgrade from Cecilia and is the best I can do for this season and possibly next. Once I land a permanent teaching job, I can start setting some money aside for an even more superbike. In the meantime, I will proudly mount my new ride, in Grants Gang green, at my big races this year and hope to see some improvements over last season. I'm sure the 8-10 hours per week I have been spending on the trainer will have something to say about some fast bike splits, but a fully-integrated superbike certainly won't hurt the mixture. If you are unfamiliar with the technology of the 9 series Speed Concept, I highly suggest you take a look at how engineered bikes have come. Trek seems to have though of every detail, including plugs for the screw holes that enclose the front brake in the fork, unbelievable.

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.