Life of an Age-Grouper

Toughman Half Westchester NY Sunny, low 80's Toughman was my last scheduled and focal race of the year so needless to say I wanted to put an exclamation point on the end of this season. Race morning I parked my car in the train station, which is a mile away from transition, instead of at the race site in fear of being stuck there until the last finisher crossed the line.  In hind sight I could have parked at the race site since they offered a different exit route. On the shuttle ride over to the race I rehearsed the race in my head and tried to stay focused on me rather than the pole the driver just hit our the fact that I wanted to get to transition quicker than the buses  snail pace.  On the short ride over there something was missing, a feeling, an emotion, that rush of race morning. Then I stepped into transition. Boom.The adrenaline started to flow, my game face was on and I was all business. I took care of the normal transition routine of setting everything ...

Race: Vineman 70.3 Location: Santa Rosa, California Weather: 83 and sunny This time last year I had just started my medication and couldn't bring myself to venture down and spectate the race even though I had a very good friend racing it. This year however was a different story. I'm back and expecting to kick ass. The only way this race is going to be deemed a success is for to PR, failure or a sub par performance is not an option. Pre Race calories: 250 (PB&J, 20oz smoothie) Swim. It's amazing what one can do in the water with a "fully functioning" shoulder. I have been extremely patient waiting for my shoulder to heal so that I can finally race the swim. Finally, after months of holding the reigns tight it was time to let them go. With intentions to race the swim a solid warm up was vital. Being in the last swim wave (don't even get me started on this) at 8:36  allowed for plenty of warm-up. With the morning air temperature in the low 60...

Date: 5/18/13 Race: Harryman Olympic Location: Harriman State Park, NY The Harriman Olympic/Half racecourse is challenging. To start the water is pretty cold, usually around 55 degrees. The bike course is anything but flat which makes it difficult to get into a rhythm. The run course is just as hilly and presents the same problems. On top of all that there is limited fan support and the field is very small which can be mentally daunting. All of these negatives are exactly why I love this race. This race truly tests your athletic abilities. One unique feature about the Harriman Race is that it is self-racking. I actually like self-racking, being able to set up my transition where I desire has its advantages. The down side to self-racking is that if you don't get to transition early enough you’re forced into a less desirable rack. Today’s first objective, rack my bike right next to the main drag out of transition. Objective number two; get a rack that is equidistance fro...

"Don't run hard down that hill because you will pay for it later in the race". How many times have you heard that? Initially I preached it also. And for what it's worth there is certainly some truth behind it. Running downhill certainly beats up your legs. I certainly do not run hard downhills with the fear of not finishing a race strongly or just finishing period. As of two weeks ago my opinion on this has dramatically changed. Two weeks ago I was given a run session that required the same effort level on the flats as on the downhills. I knew immediately I would have to embrace running downhill and alter my original train of thought to achieve the goal of the session. I performed this session at the Old Westbury Campus which has plenty of rolling hills. Throwing caution to the wind, I focused and followed the game pan. At the bottom of the first hill I was expecting to feel my quads being torn apart. That feeling never came. At the bottom of each successive hil...

For the past few years I have explored the limits of my physical capabilities and have found some answers while uncovering new questions. What I have found is that my physical limits are not solely limited by my physical attributes rather by my understanding of them. With all this new free time on my hands because of my accident, including a 3-hour commute on the LIRR to work 5 days a week, I have become an avid reader. At first I started to read non-fiction books then, books by professional triathletes, followed by books on triathlon specific training and coaching, then a huge stint on doping in professional cycling and finally on food. A common theme woven throughout these books was achieving ultimate physical performance. I certainly won’t be doping but my curiosity and interest was spiked with the consistent mentioning of the benefits of plant-based diets. For over a year I have been using Ignite Naturals’ nutrition products. Their products are based on organic ingredients ...

"Holy Hell" Every triathlon that I race I have a game plan for.  Initially my plans were just to finish.  Then they began to evolve as my passion for this sport grew.  No longer would just finishing be my top priority, my goals became specific and were related to time/splits.  Meeting these benchmarks gave validity to my efforts and fitness levels. Leading into this season I have the loftiest goals to date.  I know that I can be a sub 5:30 athlete.  I fully expect to complete the swim in 35 minutes if not faster, complete the bike under 3 hours and complete the run under 1:50.  I'm not sure how many athletes would actually disclose their goals like I just did, and I can't believe I just did but, I feel that it will hold me more accountable for my actions.  Do I expect to achieve this time at every race, no, but I will when I reach peak condition. Leading into Harriman 70.3 I had written down specific times/splits for the race and had a game ...

Yesterday was the first big training session of my "stay-cation training camp". This session was planned for weeks in advance. It included a 56 mile bike, at race pace, followed by a 6 mile run, slightly below race pace. What made this long brick workout special was the fact that it was to be done on the Harriman racecourse. I spent the days leading up to the race planning and preparing. Was my bike in proper working order? Did I have my race kit? What would I use for nutrition and how would I carry it? How hard could I go on the bike and still have a very strong run? I better not mess this one up like I did the last big triple brick I had! Matt and I made it to the park by 9:00 and had our kickstands up by 9:30. We briefly discussed my wattage and the race course before we embarked on this highly anticipated smashfest. The first loop of the course I really payed attention to the lay of the land. I wanted to be able to push harder and intelligently take advantage o...

Text message conversation with Matt Me : Great day to crush a run test Matt : Hell yeah. Beautiful out there. Remember, run relaxed, it's about smooth speed not muscling through it. Me : Noted and filed Me : Smooth speed, I like that Matt: It's just like swimming, the more you fight the slower you go and more energy you use.  Have cue words like "quick feet", "smooth speed", etc. Relax and run!! And just like that I had my new running mantra, "smooth speed". I thought about this mantra all day long while at work.  I freaking love it.  After work I started my trek back to Huntington from Brooklyn thinking about and saying numerous times, "smooth speed". I'm not the type of athlete that can just show up and race.  I need time to mentally prepare for the race or in this case a run test.  The more prepared I am mentally the better success I usually have.  My mental preparations include; visualizing the race from start to fi...

This past weekend I had a good amount of training to do, a 1 hour swim, an hour and twenty minute trail run and three hours in the saddle followed by a twenty minute transition run.  I figured this would be a great litmus test for Ignite Naturals' products. On Saturday morning I woke up early and decided that my swim and run sessions would only be fueled by GSH Ignite and Reload Energy Gels.  I helped myself to two scoops of the Coco GSH Ignite about 30 minutes before jumping into the pool. Starting with an 800 yd warm up, through my interval work, to the last lap of my cool down, my energy level never wavered.  I felt just as strong and energetic from my first stroke to the last.  As I exited the pool I was nervous that my current energy level would dip or crash or worse, not carry over to my run.  I would soon find the answer after a 15 minute drive to the trails. I threw on my watch, sunglasses, shoes and grabbed two Reload Energy Gels.  I hit start ...

There have been a few small things bouncing around in my head that I would like to stop thinking about so here's what they are; 1. Triathlete Magazine: Caitlin Snow was on the cover of Triathlete Magazine this month and I was stoked for her (like I actually know her). She receives little to no attention or media coverage so it's only fitting that she finally gets some praise, or so I thought.  The caption to her cover shot reads something along the lines of, top American female finisher at Kona for the past two years.  With that introduction I figured she would have a few pages of shine,  NOPE! She had one page of B.S. interview.  I could have done a better interview than TM.  How can one of the top US females triathletes get such poor recognition and coverage? 2. I gnite Naturals : After blogging about I.N. I reached out to them and shared my blog.  To my surprise they responded.  They asked if they could link my blog on their Twitter feed and ask...

Since getting involved in endurance sports I have had an unspoken rule of no supplements that enhance athletic performance.  I believe that endurance sports should be totally natural and should be a pure test of ones' abilities.  Truthfully I don't even like to drink Redbull before training or racing because I feel that I'm cheating.  I do admit I drink Redbull (often) but usually because it helps me to get the bowels moving race morning and injects a little caffeine to jump start the excitement.  I once (maybe a few times) had 5 Hour Energy and that hit me more than Redbull.  5 Hour Energy provides a long lasting spike of energy that is definitely noticeable.  I caught myself grinding my teeth because of the amount of "energy" it provided.  My 5 Hour experience was not related to training or racing rather trying to stay awake on long car rides.  If you need to drive from Timberman, after being awake all day and cheer...