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Back at it: Chapter 6: Patriot Half Race Report

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The 2017 Patriot Half triathlon was to be my curtain call for long course racing. I had envisioned, rehearsed and trained for a perfect race. This perfect race would have a fantasy ending in which I would leave my shoes on the mat like wrestlers do after their final match. I crossed the finish line on Saturday with a smile on my face, a heart on my chest and my shoes on the mat.   Unfortunately it was not a perfect race yet, I’m at peace. As race day approached I knew I had put in the training to become as fit as possible however the levels I achieved would not allow me to reach my goals.   I could have easily altered my goals and made them more realistic but where is the fun in that? If this was going to be my last long course race then I was going to have to maximize my fitness and to take chances throughout the race. The weather on race morning was 70 degrees, 100% humidity, overcast and drizzling and would remain that way until about noon.   I was very confident going
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Back at it: Chapter 5 - Harriman Race Report

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The Lead In : 1. This triathlon was my first race in two years. 2. 100% of my swimming has been alone in the pool 3. 99.9% of my biking has been on the trainer. My tri   bike has never seen the light of day. 4. 100% of my run training has been done alone. 5. I knew I had built some amount of fitness but was really unsure of how I would perform and execute against the competition. Goals: 1. Be the shark in the water. 2. Move quickly and with purpose through both transitions. 3. Race the bike. 4. Make any move permanent on the run and do not get passed. Swim : It is a rarity to swim on an accurately measured course and this course is notorious for being inaccurate. This translates to strange and sometimes shocking pace results. Knowing this ahead of time my only concern was to come out towards the front.  The triangle shaped swim started on the beach. I lined up to the far left of the starting arch and directly behind the first row of 3 swimmers. The ho
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Back at it: Chapter 4

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Obviously this is not a video as I had hoped to do but I'm holding myself accountable so here is my update. I have had one, very unique thought during the last month of training which I have never had before, I regularly felt that training was a job.  For the first time ever I wasn't having fun while training. It was starting to feel like a job and was consequently changing my attitude toward  triathlon.  I have always said that when and if I find my limits or if I stop having fun then I will step away from it.  Was now the time to graciously bow out? I voiced my concerns and change of attitude to Meliss and reflected quite regularly on why I started to feel this way.  As I come to the end of this building block of training I think an answer has emerged. This culminating block of training was focused on running and building speed. While I knew my body would be able to tolerate the increased stress, without fear of injury, I underestimated the impact of that stress and
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Back at it: Chapter 3

February started off very slow. First 10 days I was dealing with a stomach virus which wiped me out, stole some fitness and a bit of my confidence. It then took another week to get my training back on track. February has been my least consistent month of training. I was able to make another breakthrough in the pool and attribute that to the increase in volume. I haven't been as concerned with top end speed as I have been with developing my endurance. I have started to feel like a diesel train as my endurance has been increasing. I have also started to sprinkle in some wetsuit swimming (sleeved). This is the first time since I had reconstructive shoulder surgery that I have had the confidence to swim with one.  I will be the first to admit I was giving away speed with a sleeveless suit but not any more!  I have stretched out my long rides in order to build a bigger engine. I'm finally comfortable and feel like one with my new set up. Since the purchase of the new rig it
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