Life of an Age-Grouper

The bar has been raised over the last three weeks. Volume, duration, intensity have all been pushed to new levels and I'm now ready for some recovery! I'm roughly 3 months out from Traprock and I believe I'm setting myself up for success come race day.  As I look through my training logs to reflect and develop the next training block I cant help but be pleased.  The 3-3.5 months of base training I put in have certainly paid off.  The foundation created during this time has allowed my body to safely and quickly adapt to the increase in training stress I have applied over the last 3 weeks. For instance I have put in 60 mile weeks for the past three weeks without a hint of consequence. I have opted to reduce the training volume this week and utilize it as a micro recovery period.  My intentions are to permit my legs a bit of recovery in order to absorb and adapt to the recent training stresses so I can put in another successful, big volume block of training bef...

The second and last Base Training Period comes to an end this weekend. I plan to celebrate the fitness I have been able to accumulate over the past two months at the Indian Island 15k Trail Race on Sunday. This last block of training went very well.  I followed the game plan almost perfectly and I can't wait to reap the rewards at the end of December.  My body has responded quite nicely to the gradual escalation of volume this month.  There has been positive changes across the board starting with an increase in my aerobic endurance. Improvements in my mechanical efficiency have also been noted.  I had anticipated that I would be challenged mentally as the longer runs have grown longer however, It has been easy to stay checked in and to be in the moment. There has been an obvious change in my physical appearance. Over the first month I dropped about 5.5 pounds. This month I have lost 2 more  for a total  of 7.5 pounds.  Nutritionally, I have done m...

Goals for the first month of Finding My Ultra: 1. Consistency: CHECK 2. Frequency: CHECK 3. Average Mileage per week between 20-30: CHECK 4. Form>Pace: CHECK 5. Homework: CHECK Consistency and frequency were my two top priorities for the first month of base training. Both of these were achieved. I was able to run for the entire month of October without any hiccups.  I started off running five days a week and then at the midway point increased the frequency to six days a week. The pattern for each week was essentially the same; Monday through Friday I ran before work, Saturday I would be finished by sunrise and Sundays I pedaled my bike.  Im headed into November full of confidence, curiosity and a sense of adventure. October and November are being treated as base building. I achieved my goal of averaging 20-30 miles per week (I averaged closer to 25-30 miles/week).  My runs alternated between "hard" and "easy".  This alternating pattern was a ...

I have stored away my bikes and packed away my swim gear because I have fully committed to finding my ultra! The new sense of adventure has my adrenaline flowing. There were a few must-haves when selecting my first ultra. First, it had to be on the trails.  The excitement, stimulation and changing landscape of trail running has no equal.  I also wanted the race to be off Long Island. Finding a race away from home would leave me out of my comfort zone.  With unfamiliar trails and faces the level of adventure would be through the roof.  As if the distance wouldn't present enough of a challenge I wanted a race that would allow me to redefine "my comfortable" and push me to and possibly beyond my limits. The Traprock 50K in Bloomfield, Connecticut meets all the criteria. Training for Traprock has already started. The first couple of months of training must be managed extremely carefully so that my body has time to adapt and then grow  from a totally new trainin...

Six months into being a Dad and I have noticed that things have started to change, mainly my perspective. There is no secret that when I enter a race I have clear-cut goals, expectations and intend on competing with the athletes I’m surrounded by. With each passing year the goals, expectations and competition become more difficult yet, I’m always excited and motivated to pursue them. The goals for this season were to finish top 10 in each race I entered. I started off strong as I threw my hat into the ring of bike racing. However, an unexpected health issue, the demands of fatherhood and being husband has suspended these goals until further notice. I simply have not put in the necessary training needed to achieve my goals. It took me nearly the entire month of August to come to terms that this triathlon season was over which was very mentally taxing.   This time off and away from sport did allow for a great deal of reflection and growth.   My perspective on training...

The days following the Smith Point Triathlon brought with it reflection. I had a few major things to think about and find solutions for. My top priority was to figure out the cause(s) of my migraines. Then I needed to address my goals and training. Finally I needed to figure out where I lost my fire. All of these issues are related and there might even be a universal answer. I have a feeling that if I can answer just one of them then I'll be able to answer the rest.  My blood work revealed that I was Vitamin D deficient. The normal range for Vitamin D is between 50-70 ng/ml. Mine was at 29 ng/ml. I initially could not understand how or why I could be so deficient when I'm outside for hours on end. I also couldn't quite grasp how being Vitamin D deficient could cause or lead to migraines. Like most people I began to do my research and found that there is a link between Vitamin D deficiency and migraines (These are merely links to and not direct causes of migraines).  In ...

Race Goals : 1. Finish the race without getting a migraine. 2. Knock the race rust off. 3. Enjoy the race atmosphere. The Swim: The direction of the 500 yard swim changes from year to year based on the lifeguards safety concern for the current. With an out-going tide the Race Director made the call, we would be swimming in a clock wise direction. I made sure to get a lengthy warm up in since I hadn't swam in awhile and I figured it would be important to remember how. The water was calm and warm as I took my position at the starting line. I positioned myself far to the left in anticipation of the current and first right hand turn. Right before the start I glanced back and noticed a distinct separation in our wave, half was on the line the other, about twenty yards back. As the whistle sounded we were off. I was immediately a bit taken back and yet excited about how aggressive  everyone was at the start. With in 100 yards I took a right hand to the face causing my goggles to ...