Life of an Age-Grouper

My early understanding of triathlon was very simple, maybe even ignorant, first swim, then bike and finally run across the finishline.  Then my excitment for the sport grew and it was neccessary to understand and be able to answer one question, how can I become the best triathlete I can be?  My ongoing adventure to seek out this answer started a couple of years ago.  I sought out answers on the internet, magazines, medical journals, conversations with friends, anywhere that would make me a better triathlete. I had become a student of the game.  As I explore different avenues I have come to realize that in order for me to become the triathlete I know I can, I need to understand how my body works, adapts and responds to the many stresses of triathlon specific training. Most people are nervous to go to the doctor becuase they are afraid of what they might find out. Im not a huge fan of going to the doctor either since they usually are no help and offer no more insigh...

My triathlon season is being put on hold until further notice. My body is in chaos. Heading to the doctor on Friday to get blood work.  Im not sure what Im hoping for? Last time I had blood work done I was told I was in excellent shape, I was feeling like shit.  I would rather walk away with a reason and solution as to why my body is in chaos so I can move on and bet back on the SBR regimen then be told, "youre in excellent shape".

By weeks end I will be one month out from Vineman 70.3, my first big race of the year. Being a month out I should be in the middle of a solid build phase and gradually transitioning to race specific training. I should be in the initial stages of creating a race game plan and taking care of any details in terms of traveling, transportation and race specific things ( packet pick up, racer briefing, bike check in, scouting of the course etc). I should be feeling extremely strong and mentally focused on Vineman and only Vineman. The excitement should be slowly bubbling inside. After all this was what I have been working for. In reality, I'm still dealing with fatigue from my last race, almost a month ago! For the past two weeks I have done minimal to no training and the two weeks before that I hadn't done much more. This demon, mood altering, gut wrenching, unexplainable, Debbie Downer, wet blanket, anxiety catalyst, dream crusher has thrown a wrench in my plans. It's s...

When establishing a race schedule there is a phrase that comes up very often among triathletes, "A Race". One's A Race is understood as the main focal point of the season. More times than not this race is what the entire season is built around. At one's A race the athlete expects to have their best result as an anticipated and expected response from being in peak fitness. Most pro's build their season around Vegas or Kona. Age groupers will usually establish their A race around a new distance or at an opportunity to establish a new PR. As an age group triathlete living in the Northeast the triathlon season is extremely short. The window to race is just a few months long starting in late May/early June and usually ending around September. This only permits four months of potential racing. How many races can one effectively cram into four months? Personally, I would love to race every weekend but that is just not feasible. Four months of racing means that...

How I fought and (potentially) won against fatigue 1. REST. I made every effort possible to limit my everyday activity. At work I did my best to stay seated at me desk. When getting to and from work I made sure to take every elevator and escalator possible. When I was home I made sure I was sitting with my legs elevated. I believe that elevating one's legs when they are sore or tired is a huge aid in the recovery process, I used to underestimate its significance. 2. ACTIVE RECOVERY: I have mixed reviews of active recovery or doing very low impact, low intensity, short duration efforts. I understand that its purpose is to promote blood flow in order to get fresh oxygenated blood to the muscles and transport toxins away however I believe that it should  be utilized at specific points in time during the recovery phase. It should be used the first few days after a race or after an intense training session. I'm skeptical to say that it useful when dealing with heavy fatigue. ...

*this blog was posted a day late In my second bout with fatigue I'm proud to say that I'm emerging as the victor. Yesterday was my first major, progressive step forward toward absolute victory. Two days ago however was easily the lowest point of my season to date. My battle with fatigue appeared to be a loosing battle and all of my thoughts were uncharacteristically negative. Despite being an overly optimistic person I found it impossible to find the proverbial silver lining. I was questioning why I did this sport? Am I cut out for long course racing? Did I just waste the past 6 months of my life? I was even preparing to travel to Napa and not even bring my gear. I was thoroughly convinced that I had just blown another season. I was having a breakdown. How could something so important to me and that I'm so passionate about reject me? I'm not sure that triathlon was rejecting me rather I was rejecting it by forgetting why I fell in love with triathlon in the first...