Life of an Age-Grouper

The bar has been raised over the last three weeks. Volume, duration, intensity have all been pushed to new levels and I'm now ready for some recovery! I'm roughly 3 months out from Traprock and I believe I'm setting myself up for success come race day.  As I look through my training logs to reflect and develop the next training block I cant help but be pleased.  The 3-3.5 months of base training I put in have certainly paid off.  The foundation created during this time has allowed my body to safely and quickly adapt to the increase in training stress I have applied over the last 3 weeks. For instance I have put in 60 mile weeks for the past three weeks without a hint of consequence. I have opted to reduce the training volume this week and utilize it as a micro recovery period.  My intentions are to permit my legs a bit of recovery in order to absorb and adapt to the recent training stresses so I can put in another successful, big volume block of training bef...

I have had no affinity to run a marathon. However there is a unique allure to ultra distance running. It's somewhat counter intuitive to be attracted to a longer distance when the preceding distance is repulsive. One of several off season goals of mine was to run 20 miles.  I wanted to test my limits and become acquainted with "longer" running distances.  For a majority of my endurance and multisport friends 20 miles is routine.  I have never ran more than 13.5 so my 20 miler was going to be an adventure, I was going to be taking the first step in finding my ultra. I certainly had concerns going into this run; 1. How would my body react after 14 miles? 2. How to effectively pace myself? 3. How to hydrate and fuel during the run 4. How would I mentally coupe with running for 2+ hours 5. What type of clothing should be worn to avoid chafing?  6. How would this impact my triathlon training specifically the bike? I had mapped out several differen...

Philly The close of my triathlon season at Ironman Princeton 70.3 was a cause for celebration.  I headed down to Miami with my wife and finished the season properly.  While on the plane to and from Miami I created a highlight reel of the season and started to think about what was next? What was I going to do with my " off season"? With our first child on its way I had to start making some smart choices. Should I race (triathlon) again in November, December and January . . . only if I wanted an immediate divorce!  So racing triathlon throughout the winter was off the table but, I am carrying a ton of fitness and didn't want to waste it. With a bunch of friends running the Philadelphia Marathon I figured I'd might as well drive down there and support them.  I have always enjoyed cheering people on and giving back to those that had supported me through out the season so, I made the decision . . . I'm headed to Philly as a super fan. Cheering is fun but, racing ...

“What do you want to be when you grow up?” How many times have you been asked this question?   I feel like I have been asked this question since elementary school and I never had a true answer.   Even upon graduating college I still could not answer the question. It has taken me nearly 30 years to figure out the answer to that question. I want to be an endurance sports coach.   For the past few years I have become obsessed and passionate about learning how the body functions.   The human body is truly impressive and capable of unbelievable feats.   Triathlon has provided an amazing outlet to test my understanding of how the human works and has fueled my desire to coach triathletes.   With any profession there is a specific amount of education needed to be an accredited coach. In less than a year I have obtained my Personal Training Certification as well as my USA Cycling Coaching Certification.   I’m currently in the process...