Life of an Age-Grouper

Just over 3 months into this experiment of balancing being a new Dad while attempting to chase my athletic dreams and it has been trying.. The first month of being a Dad, training wasn't even a thought in my head.  Any urge to train was simply the result of habit and routine. I would redefine my "training" as sporadic exercise in a lucid state of mind. I would strongly suggest to any other new dad that is Type- A and possessing athletic aspirations to utilize the due date of your child as an "A-race". In other words,  build your fitness into this date as you would for your focal race. By doing so you can be mentally at ease with not training during that first month and make yourself believe it is a recovery block (trust me, you will feel like you just finished an Iron man). In addition go through your training logs and reflect upon your progress. This should provide you with comfort and a tranquilizer to put down down any training anxiety. The second mon...

Finding my ultra 1.3 Paumonok Pursuit 70k This past weekend the Paumonok Pursuit 70K was another excellent opportunity to learn what is going to take to go long, to find my ultra. I was part of a 5 member team and ran the first leg, 10.75 miles.  This distance certainly is not long by any stretch of the mind but presented an opportunity to learn and to be schooled on the nuances of ultra distance running. What I learned from my 10.75 miles in the trails: 1. Im learning from my mistakes and this time I ran in trail running shoes along with just one pair of socks. The trail shoes allowed for great traction on the undulating terrain that was blanketed with a fresh 3-4 inches of snow.  The effort, form and pace of those that wore running sneakers were truly handicapped.   2. Keep a "clean" distance between you and the runner ahead of you.  At the start of the race everyone was very keen on not giving the runner in front of them any breathing room. As ...

My first taste of ultra running a few months has left me with an insatiable thirst. I cannot get enough of it. I'm constantly seeking out any and all information on ultra running. Thanks to an insane ultra running community for posting up countless inspiring and amazing videos on Youtube. I'm slowly learning about the famous, legendary and iconic races such as Western States and Badwater however, the race that has caught my eye is the Gorge 50k in Oregon. This race has everything that excites me about ultra running; trail running, nature, solitude, scenery, landscapes, vistas, energy. The only drawback is that it's during the Winter, in Oregon....I hate the cold. Let me rephrase that, I hate when it's so cold that I can't feel my toes or fingers. This past weekend I had an opportunity to quench mm thirst taste when Matt and I took our athletes to the Fat Ass 50 for a group run. Since it's the triathlon season is just starting up for most of us we limited our at...

Drip.........Drip.........Drip. The adrenaline started to drip Wednesday morning. I was actually surprised to feel it so early since I had not even started to focus my attention on this race since work had been all consuming. I have to embarrassingly admit that I had done absolutely no research prior to this race which is totally out of character. I had hoped that  Friday night  would have been relaxing. That I would have had some time to myself. That I'd be able to put my feet up and do some research on this course. Instead my wife and I visited Lowes, Home Depot, and at least two other stores looking for tile. After striking out we made a quick stop at the grocery store before heading home to patch some holes with sheet rock. I was finally able to catch my breath when I laid down in bed still ignorant of this race and without having packed a single thing. Potential disaster. Saturday morning  I was awake before my alarm and had a buzz of excitement. I was certa...

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 ...

The significance of tapering The focal point of a taper period or tapering is to ready the body, mind and spirit for a peak performance on race day.  This period of training fits roughly between your last Build period and race day.  The significance of tapering is to freshen your body, mind and spirit by ridding it of accumulated fatigue.  As fatigue vacates the body one should start to feel rejuvenated, energetic, sharp, snappy and excited to race. If one does not understand the significance of tapering, like most new endurance athletes, then ones athletic performance could be handicapped. Most new athletes or those making endurance sports more than just a hobby have a difficult time benefiting from tapering.  I believe that the major obstacle preventing athletes from benefiting from a taper is the way in which they view their fitness.  More often than not athletes associate their fitness levels with how hard they train or the level of fatigue they hav...

Princeton was my last triathlon of the year and I wanted to go out with a bang.  Besides a month of barely running, I would say that I had my best lead up to a race and was extremely confident in my fitness.  Between Eagleman 70.3  in June and my taper for this race I squeezed every last drop of fitness from my body. The only thing left to do was to execute on race day. Having a later swim start, 7:56, there was no need to get up extremely early.  I set my alarm for 4:40 a.m. and wanted to be out the door by 5:45 a.m.  I had a great night sleep and awoke feeling fresh and rested.  I started taking in calories at 5:00 a.m.  First I had a smoothie (bananas, spinach, kale and blueberries - 200 calories). I then made a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with my toothbrush since I forgot to pack a knife. The PB&J was left untouched until 5:30 a.m. (200 calories).  I also had a pint glass of lemon-lime Nuun (zero calories), to top of the electrolyte...

Eagleman 70.3 - Race Report The last few years have been characterized by sporadic success and major setbacks.  Every time I would begin to build momentum and consistency with my training I would inevitably encounter a major roadblock.  One road blood came in the form of a blood disease another came in the form of being struck by a motorist on a training ride.  These setbacks severely handicapped my ability to traverse the path towards figuring out my potential as a multisport athlete.  There is a silver lining attached to the past few years and that has come through reflection. With a frustrating amount of down time I have had ample time to reflect on how I, as a puzzle piece, fit into the larger picture of triathlon.  I have come to realize what this sport means to me, how I want to be a part of it and how I can be successful at it. Leading into Eagleman I had entered 3 races (10k, 1/2 Marathon, Olympic Triathlon) and set a PR for each.  My training...

"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...

It has been two months since I started to clean up my diet and make it "greener" or more appropriately stated, colorful. The results are eye opening. Before I get into the details of the physical changes I want to be clear on some key points. First I train to be fast. My physical appearance is a result of my efforts to get from point A to point B, which more times than not are 70.3 miles apart. I do not train for “washboard abs” or to look like Brad Pitt in Fight Club. Secondly I'm an opponent of frequent weigh-ins. The numbers on the scale are just numbers and weight fluctuates too much day to day to be of any significance over the short term. At the end of the first week of each month I take what I call "my vitals".  On Saturday morning of the designated weekend I wake up and immediately take my resting heart rate. I then proceed to the bathroom, to measure my body weight (I realize what I wrote above) and body fat. The only rea...