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...

Life of An Age Grouper was the chosen title for my blog because I thought it accurately represented my intended purpose, to chronicle my experiences with triathlon.  I thought it would provide a unique perspective from an average guy navigating through a brand new sporting adventure. A majority of my blog posts are regarding training or racing with a few interviews sprinkled in. As I re-read through my posts I don't believe they accurately align with my intended vision because they lack any depth into how triathlon impacts my life or vice versa.  I also don't believe that most of my experiences reflect a triathlete with an average life.  After all, for many years I was single, living in an apartment with no real obligations or commitments. I could essentially train 24/7 without impacting any aspect of my life.   Then I became engaged and soon after married. Married life had little impact on my training do in part to Meliss allowing me to pursue my pass...

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 ...

Finding my ultra 1.2 Today's Organic Endurance Group Trail Run was another opportunity to find my ultra.  We created a 3.5 mile loop through the West Hills' trails.  Here is what I learned from today's run. 1. Clothing choice is pivotal.  The temperatures were in the single digits with a negative windchill factor so there was no other choice but to bundle up.  I wore 4 layers up top; starting with a thin Under Armour long sleeve, followed by a long sleeve shirt with a mesh back for breath ability then, a short sleeve shirt and finally another long sleeve with a breathable back, and a cycling jacket. On my feet I wore two pairs of socks; one thin pair and then a thick skiing type sock.  While I was warm for the entire 3:30 hours I was out there, I sweated through everything.  The arms of my jacket were soaked and the mesh around the toe box of my shoes were definitely wet.   Sweating through so many layers is definitely a concern of mine. ...

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...

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...

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...