Life of an Age-Grouper

This past weekend was an exciting weekend for me.  I had a friend's wedding to celebrate as well as some very fun training to tackle.  I had a blast at the wedding on Friday night and was eager to get out Saturday on my bike and crush a race specific session. My original plan was to take off from Rocky Point but on my way there I realized I had forgot my Garmin so I turned around to grab it.  After getting over this slight annoyance I got myself together and decided to head out from Stony Brook. I headed out East on 25A from Stony Brook on a beautiful, warm fall day. The warm up was for 30 minutes slightly below race pace.  The exciting part of the session was the 1:30 at race pace then 30 minutes above race pace.  No sooner had I began to lift my effort than shit hit the fan. I had just made it past Rocky Point and was feeling great.  I had past a few cyclists on my way out there which was to be expected since its a very popular road to cycle on. ...

The amount of incredibly bizarre setbacks I have had to endure for the past year and a half had me salivating for this past triathlon season. I wanted more than anything to just race this season and that is exactly what I did. I was able to get in 4 races this year; Harriman Olympic, Rev3 Quassy Half, Vineman 70.3 and Toughman Half. Each race offered their own unique challenges and had their own personality. I could see myself doing these races again in the future however with so many races out there, next season I plan on challenging myself on completely different courses. Besides just signing up for races I had very specific goals ranging from the super short term (daily, weekly) to season long. There is no secret that my passion for triathlon lies at the 70.3 distance and my goal split times were geared toward this distance. One of the only ways that would allow me even deem this season a success was to reach my goal split times. I wanted to complete the swim in 35 minutes, compl...

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 ...

As usual Lake Placid has come and gone and all the talk revolves around the Placid Experience.  I would be lying if I said I wasnt jealous or didnt want to share in those experiences and the energy of Placid.  I was able to watch numerous friends and familiar faces cross the line this year via Ironman Live's video feed and just as in years' past, I got goose bumps.  140.6 athletes (Pros to 17th-hour age groupers) are one-of-a-kind and truly inspirational.  For the past few years I have talked about going up to Placid as a spectator to get a taste of the Experience and each year I find myself on the couch watching it on the computer from my apartment.  Hopefully next year I will be able to get up there and get a taste of what Ironman is all about. "So when are you going to do an Ironman?" Im asked this question all the time.  My immediate response is, . . . "NEVER".  Which is then followed by a discussion revolving around, "why not".  I view the ...

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...

“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...

I am now just 4 weeks away from my first focal race of the year, Vineman 70.3. My preparation for this race has gone well although, Ill be able to provide a more accurate response after the race.   I have completed two preparation races, Harriman Olympic and Rev3 Quassy Half.   These two races were both very challenging, offered quality tests of current fitness levels as well as provided valuable feedback on what I can/need to improve on.   Regarding training I feel that I’m on point and where I should be.   I have spent a lot of time pedaling because of my injured shoulder so I’m confident that I will have success over the 56 miles.   With my shoulder being such a limiter in the pool I have had plenty of time for slow, technique-based swimming that I feel has paid off dividends.   My running is progressing and I believe that the next few weeks will allow my run to come into form. Over the last few years I have become a big propo...