Life of an Age-Grouper

Enjoyable pain, that is the best way I can describe my TT at Heckscher Park this morning.  This was the most painful test of the three and the one I worked hardest on.  There is not doubt that this was the hardest I have gone on my bike in months and man, was the lactid acid flowing!  Here are the results; Lap 1: 10:42.87 Lap 2: 11:05.54 Total Time: 21:48.41 Avg Speed: 20.0 mph Max Speed: 26.6 Avg HR: 177 Max HR: 188 Avg Cadence: 95 Avg Power: 205 Max Power: 361 There is not much that I can say about these numbers since they are baseline numbers.  The only thing I can say is that I'm very happy with my Avg Cadence of 95 (it usually is in the high 80's) and I'm happy that my Avg Power was above 200.  In my opinion I feel that 200 is a nice baseline number to start off with and if it was below 200 I would feel pretty pathetic.  As I view the graphs with my untrained eye I am very annoyed with the erratic fluctuations in them.  Obviously this is to be ...

Test number 2 is now complete and I'm feeling great.  I had a very successful race, I followed the game plan and reached my pre established goals.  The last time I ran a race was one year ago today so, I was a little nervous and I definitely had some welcomed butterflies.  The weather was perfect for running and I was feeling fresh. The game plan for this test was to warm up on the first two miles and then "do work" on the last three.  I made sure to have a solid warm up and when mile two ended I went to work.                 Split       Speed         HR       Cadence Mile 1:  9:09.94  6.5 mph   156bpm    93rpm Mile 2:  8:33.51  7.0 mph   172bpm    94rpm Mile 3:  7:50.46  7.7 mph   180bpm    96rpm Mile 4:  7:35.13  7.9 mph   186bpm    95 rpm Mile 5:  7:01.38  ...

Prior to my swim test last night:  "Tonight is not about hammering. Tonight is about strong swimming with good technique. We can't really say it's about going fast because we don't know what fast is yet. Give a good performance and try to get the most out of your body" -Matt  I couldn't agree with him more.  I know I previously wrote about hammering  but, Matt is 100% correct.  I had to swim the test with a strong effort and with the best technique I possess.  I for one know that form, my form especially, breaks down when I get tired or rushed. With that being said I was satisfied with my swim test.  I obviously went out way too fast on the first 100yds but quickly settled in and got into a rythim. After the 1000 yds I was definitely breathing hard yet wasn't gasping for air. I had completed the test with consistent form and a constantly strong effort.  Could I have gone a few seconds faster for each split? Sure. Would those few seconds of...

I have had nearly a full month of training under my belt and it's time to do some baseline testing.  In other words, it's hammer time.  It is time for the inner Buddha to step aside and allow The Hulk to get his shine.  My adrenaline started to flow and my opens opened a little wider when I reviewed this week's testing schedule.   On Tuesday   I'm hitting the pool to do my best Grant Hackett impersonation. If you are unaware of who this individual is just Google him and watch poetry in motion.  My fitness test for the swim is a 1000yrd/m time trial.  This basically means that I need to swim as fast as I can in order to complete 1000yd/m in the shortest amount of time.  I have no concerns about completing this test or the fact that I will give it a Hulk of an effort. My concern comes with essentially redlining for the entire distance.  I have done limited amount of redline/threshold efforts for the past month so I cannot expect a gold medal ...

Went to Stillwell Park today to hit the trails on my new mountain bike and let me tell you mountain biking is no joke.  I wanted to get the feel of the trails and the Fuel Ex so I did a about a half dozen loops of the "green" trail.  This trail has very wide trails, that are relatively flat and didn't really offer the off road sensation. So after about 20 minutes of testing I decided to hit the "blue" trail which is an intermediate trail.  This is where things got exciting.  The blue trail put an immediate smile on my face because the tracks became narrow and became way more technical, there were roots to go over and small downhills and climbs as well as some short drop offs.  Now being a noob I'm sure all of those physical descriptions have real names but for now, that's all I can offer.  Anyway, I was really enjoying myself and was focusing on keeping a high cadence and being in the correct gear and I began to catch up to two other riders when the trai...

Over the past few years I have learned and experimented with numerous “tricks of the trade” regarding different aspects of triathlon, from racing to training and from nutrition to travel. The beginning of my career I only participated in a few local races each season. These races were only a couple of hours away at most and required an awfully early wakeup time (usually around 3:30) to ensure that I would arrive at transition with plenty of time to prepare for the race. The travel time to races became an inconvenience especially pertaining to race day nutrition, hydration, bowel movements and amongst other things dragging family members and wives out of bed and into the car.  I have now meet enough people that the early morning, "wake ‘n’ roll", has come to an end.  Now races days have turned into race weekends. At first a bunch of us would rent a hotel room which is a guaranteed hilarious time. I believe for one race in Montauk we even had four people in one room with; one...

When I jumped head first into triathlon I craved knowledge.  I sought it down every avenue and would talk with anybody about it.  My quest for becoming enlightened landed me with Sunrise Tri. Sunrise Tri, I believe, is the largest triathlon team on Long Island and is based out off West Babylon.  I joined the team seconds after a bike fitting.  I was extremely excited and proud to now be a part of and rep this team. Because of ST I have meet countless individuals that eat, sleep and breath triathlon like I do. This team has given me a wealth of information about the sport, introduced me to new friends and training partners and has elevated my commitment and passion for triathlon.  As a direct result of the booming population and popularity of this sport there are teams popping up all over the place. Between Long Island and New York City there has to be close to 10 teams with a few being, Runner's Edge, Full Throttle, Asphalt Green, and Long Island Triathlo...

Finished my first week as a D1 Multisport athlete and it feels good!  My weeks work totaled about 6.5 hrs and was made up of a few runs, a couple of swims and a couple of bikes.  I have to say that I have enjoyed the pool session the most.  Matt has given me some fun drills to work on my mechanics and technique and they are already paying off.  Drills have ranged from body rotation, to breathing to stroke form.  He said I'll be a different swimmer by the New Year and I can definitely see that happening.  Can't wait to get my hands on next week's schedule. I headed down to the local bike shop and spoke to a few friends about mountain bikes.  I feel more informed about mountain bikes now I just have to see if I have the funds for one.  It looks like the type of mountain bike I want is going to cost a bit of money.  I mean obviously I need a full suspension bike, with quality components and hydraulic brakes, ha.  I'm not sure if this is ...

This week was a big week for me.  My 2012 season has officially started and I have hit the ground running.  To start with I have almost finished my first week of being coached.  My first five training sessions have been successful.  A lot of my sessions have been "base" training which isn't extremely exciting.  I spend most of my time in Z1 and Z2 so my efforts have not been Herculain.  However, Im cognizant of the importance of building a strong base because a single crack in the foundation and the house could come tumbling down. The Hulk inside of me says, "Hammer it" while the Buddha inside of me says, "CHILL, be aware of every step and every breath, be in the now. The Hulk vs Buddha, right now Buddha is winning and Im glad he is. Entry into 2012 Vineman 70.3 - CONFIRMED.  I could not be more excited for this race.  First, I am returing to Napa Valley, California which could quite possibly be the best place on earth.  Secondly, I will b...