Life of an Age-Grouper

Andrew Starky. "Starky" has been an athlete I have enjoyed watching race and follow. He is not your prototypical pro triathlete; he is 180lbs in top form, he lives and trains in the mid west, Chicago I believe, all year round, he doesn't have a race kit littered with sponsors and endorsements (although I suspect he would enjoy the financial backing), he doesn't hide his strengths and isn't afraid to talk about his game plan.  His game plan is probably the number one reason why I'm a fan.  He goes hard, as hard as he can, from start to finish and he doesn't care if he blows up in the process.  He is quoted as saying that he has the "thinnest playbook" in professional triathlon, swim as hard as a he can, bike as hard as he can, then hold on for the run.  This game plan never changes, everyone knows about it yet he still wins.  It probably helps that he is a top swimmer and arguably the strongest cyclist in the sport( "Mr. 402"). If you d...

I took off for Europe on August 21st with my lovely wife, Melissa.  This trip was planned awhile back with the idea that it would be a celebration to the end of my triathlon season and the end of the summer.  While it was an amazing way to end the summer it was hardly a celebration.  Right up until I jumped on the plane I had been working extremely hard and putting in the time to remind my body what hard work was all about.  I was extremely happy to have a couple days off because I was getting fairly sore and need time to absorb the training abuse.  After a few days in Europe I had properly recovered and was itching to get going again.  However this was a vacation with Melissa and NOT a time to train so I kept my urges to myself and gave Melissa my undivided attention.  As a fail safe I purposely did not pack any exercise gear so that there would be no opportunity to wake up early and bang out a swim/bike/run.  As a c...

"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 ...

Six months of training is almost complete. I have endured freezing, body numbing bike rides, pitch dark, head lamp wearing runs, 4:00am swim sessions, mind numbing time on the trainer and treadmill and sleep deprivation all for what? To get to where I am today. With all the time and sacrifice put into training for this season I can say confidently that I'm getting into the best shape of my life. I have come out on top of almost every physical test that was thrown at me. Ive made improvements physically, mentally, and emotionally and have become a better person because of it. However where do I stand compared to everyone else? Have I made the necessary gains to better my competition? It's hard for me to say since I have only raced myself or should I say the clock? I'm starting to think that I need a true test, a race, to use as a litmus test. Thankfully I have my first race in a month or else I would be trying to race people in the pool, treadmill or road. This f...